Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast-Food Dietary Pattern Is Linked to Higher Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome in Older Canadian Adults

Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Diet is a key factor in prevention and development of MetS. This study aimed to determine the association between dietary patterns and MetS among Canadians 12–79 years old using the Canadian Health Measures Survey (CHMS) combined Cycles 1 and 2 data from 2007–11. We hypothesized that MetS varies among different sociodemographic and lifestyle factors and that Canadians who have less healthy dietary patterns are more likely to have MetS. Methods In the CHMS, MetS was determined using objective health measures. The principal component analysis method was used to determine the dietary patterns. Using logistic regression, the association between MetS and dietary patterns, controlling for potential covariates, was investigated for age groups of 12–19, 20–49, and 50–79 years. Survey data were weighted and bootstrapped to be representative at the national level. Results The prevalence of MetS was 16.9% for ages 12–79 y (n = 4,272, males = 49.6%), representing 26,038,108 Canadians aged 12–79 years. MetS was significantly different across sociodemographic variables; Canadians with less education, income, and activity had higher MetS prevalence than their counterparts. In older adults (50–79 years of age), the “fast-food” dietary pattern was associated with 26% (odds ratio = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.04 to 1.54; p=0.0195) higher likelihood of having MetS. Conclusions Among older Canadians, MetS is associated with a “fast-food” dietary pattern after adjustment for socioeconomic/lifestyle factors. Findings suggest the importance of diet quality/composition in the development of MetS among older Canadians and the need for further longitudinal studies on MetS and diet across the lifespan.
Carbon footprinting of carbon capture and -utilization technologies: discussion of the analysis of Carbon XPRIZE competition team finalists

Life cycle assessments (LCAs) of early-stage technologies can provide valuable insights about key drivers of emissions and aid in prioritizing research into further emissions-reduction opportunities. Despite this potential value, further development of LCA methods is required to handle the increased uncertainty, data gaps, and confidentially of early-stage data. This study presents a discussion of the life cycle carbon footprinting of technologies competing in the final round of the NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE competition—a US$20 million competition for teams to demonstrate the conversion of CO2 into valuable products at the scale of a small industrial pilot using consistent deployment conditions, boundaries, and methodological assumptions. This competition allowed the exploration of how LCA can be used and further improved when assessing disparate and early-stage technologies. Carbon intensity estimates are presented for two conversion pathways: (i) CO2 mineralization and (ii) catalytic conversion (including thermochemical, electrochemical, photocatalytic and hybrid process) of CO2, aggregated across teams to highlight the range of emissions intensities demonstrated at the pilot for individual life cycle stages. A future scenario is also presented, demonstrating the incremental technology and deployment conditions that would enable a team to become carbon-avoiding relative to an incumbent process (i.e. reducing emissions relative to a reference pathway producing a comparable product). By considering the assessment process across a diverse set of teams, conversion pathways and products, the study presents generalized insights about opportunities and challenges facing carbon capture and -utilization technologies in their next phases of deployment from a life cycle perspective.
A Guide to Collagen Sources, Applications and Current Advancements

The increase in use of collagen products in almost every sector of utility has stipulated the rising demand for collagen. It is an essential fibrous glycoprotein, which is abundantly present in the extracellular matrix and connective tissues in many living organisms. Owing to its unique characteristics such as biocompatibility, bioavailability and weak antigenicity it has gained major interest in the food, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, biomedical and leather industries. The collagen-based composites possess an enhanced capacity to dissipate mechanical energy, strength and stiffness making it the most promising biomolecule for its multifaceted applications. Recently, synthetic biology platforms are getting wide attention for the production of non-native collagen alternatives to meet the rising demand for collagen worldwide. In the initial part, this review aims to explain different sources, structures, biosynthesis of collagen and its types followed by the emerging applications of collagen as a next-generation biomaterial in the later part. The article emphasises the synthesis of non-native collagen using novel expression systems like plant and algae in addition to bacteria and yeast with industrial consideration. In the conclusion section, challenges and opportunities of using synthetic biology tools are described.
The prosodic properties of narrow information focus in Central Mexican Spanish: Pitch accents, de-emphasis and phrasing

This paper investigates the different prosodic strategies used for the marking of information focus in Central Mexican Spanish. For this purpose, we carried out a study of the prosodic properties of information focus both in clause final position and in situ. Our results show important differences when compared to other varieties of Spanish. Specifically, we observe that the most frequent accent signaling information focus is a monotonal pitch accent (L* or ! H*) and not L+H*. Furthermore, in many cases we observe that the pitch accent is not the only mechanism used to signal the focus: this is because we observe the presence of prosodic edges to the left of the focus, presumably functioning as an additional prosodic cue to identify it. Additionally, while we do not observe deaccenting of post-focal material, we do observe a sequence of non-rising forms (a flat pattern or “de-emphasis”) following the pitch accent that signals an in situ information focus forced by the test. With respect to phonological phrasing, our results confirm the analysis in Prieto (2006), where it is proposed that syntactic constituency is not the primary factor that regulates phrasing in Spanish.
Association between dietary zinc intake and abdominal aortic calcification in US adults

Background. In animal studies, zinc supplementation inhibited phosphate-induced arterial calciﬁcation. We tested the hypothesis that higher intake of dietary zinc was associated with lower abdominal aortic calciﬁcation (AAC) among adults in the USA. We also explored the associations of AAC with supplemental zinc intake, total zinc intake and serum zinc level. Methods. We performed cross-sectional analyses of 2535 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–14. Dietary and supplemental zinc intakes were obtained from two 24-h dietary recall interviews. Total zinc intake was the sum of dietary and supplemental zinc. AAC was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry in adults (cid:5) 40 years of age and quantiﬁed using the Kauppila score system. AAC scores were categorized into three groups: no AAC (AAC ¼ 0, reference group), mild–moderate (AAC > 0– (cid:6) 6) and severe AAC (AAC > 6). severe), 17% had diabetes mellitus and 51% had hypertension. Higher intake of dietary zinc was associated with lower odds of having severe AAC. Per 1 mg/day higher intake of dietary zinc, the odds of having severe AAC were 8% lower [adjusted odds ratio 0.92 (95% conﬁdence interval 0.86–0.98), P ¼ 0.01] compared with those without AAC, after adjusting for demographics, comor-bidities and laboratory measurements. Supplemental zinc intake, total zinc intake and serum zinc level were not associated with AAC. Conclusions. Higher intake of dietary zinc was independently associated with lower odds of having severe AAC among noninstitutionalized US adults.
EFFECTS OF THE CAPITAL STRUCTURE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF ACCOUNTING RESULTS IN THE BRAZILIAN CAPITAL MARKET

The objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between the capital structure and the management of accounting results in the Brazilian capital market. In order to address this research objective, 223 non-financial companies listed on the BM&FBovespa were analyzed. The analysis addressed the management of results from the discretionary Accruals estimated by means of three different operational models (Modified Jones, KS and PAE). The capital structure was approached from two factors generated through factorial analysis, with the extraction by the main component analysis method applied to capital structure indices used in previous research. The objective of using the factorial analysis was to allow the greatest number of perspectives on the proportions between the sources of capital to be contemplated in the analysis without there being problems of high correlation between the explanatory variables of the model. The results showed that there is, in a conclusive way, a statistically significant relationship between the capital structure and the discretionary Accruals estimated through any of the three operational models. These results allow understanding that the capital structure does not act as an incentive to the management of accounting results in the Brazilian capital market.
Effect of Anger and Anger Management Skills during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Survey

The purpose of present study was to investigate anger and related issues among individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. The online survey was conducted among varied age groups to analyse the effect of pandemic conditions on the mental health of individuals. A total of 233 people participated in this online survey from different educational backgrounds and professions to help in the analysis of cause of anger, its effect on larger areas including family, work, health and society as a whole. This study also focused on various approaches of anger management and importance of family and healthy social circle on the mental health of an individual. The results of present study revealed that people who are not engaged actively in social behaviour or under peer guidance suffer more due to anger and related issues whereas individuals who practiced healthy habits like yoga, meditation or exercise showed better anger management skills.
Global Stability for Novel Complicated SIR Epidemic Models with the Nonlinear Recovery Rate and Transfer from Being Infectious to Being Susceptible to Analyze the Transmission of COVID-19

Epidemiological models play pivotal roles in predicting, anticipating, understanding, and controlling present and future epidemics. The dynamics of infectious diseases is complex, and therefore, researchers need to consider more complicated mathematical models. In this paper, we first describe the dynamics of a complex SIR epidemic model with nonstandard nonlinear incidence and recovery rates. In this model, we consider the rate at which individuals lose immunity. Rigorous mathematical results have been established from the point of view of stability and bifurcation. The basic reproduction number ( R 0 ) is determined. We then apply LaSalle’s invariance principle and Lyapunov’s direct method to prove that the disease-free equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable when R 0 < 1 . The model has a unique endemic equilibrium when R 0 > 1 . A nonlinear Lyapunov function is used together with LaSalle’s invariance principle to show that the endemic equilibrium is globally asymptotically stable under some conditions. Further, for the case when R 0 = 1 , we analyze the model and show a backward bifurcation under certain conditions. In the second part of this paper, we analyze a modified SIR model with a vaccination term, which must be a function of time. We show that the modified model agrees well with COVID-19 data in Saudi Arabia. We then investigate different future scenarios. Simulation results suggest that a two-pronged strategy is crucial to control the COVID-19 pandemic in Saudi Arabia.
OP-NDTJ180353 1301..1319

Background. Magnesium is known to protect against phosphate-induced tubular cell injuries in vitro. We investigated in vivo effects of magnesium on kidney injuries and phosphate metabolism in mice exposed to a high phosphate diet. Methods. Heminephrectomized mice were maintained on a high phosphate/normal magnesium diet or a high phosphate/ low magnesium diet for 6 weeks. We compared renal histology, phosphaturic hormones and renal a-Klotho expression between the two diet groups. Results. High phosphate diet–induced tubular injuries and interstitial fibrosis were remarkably aggravated by the lowmagnesium diet. At 1 week after high phosphate feeding when serum creatinine levels were similar between the two groups, the low magnesium diet suppressed not only fecal phosphate excretion but also urinary phosphate excretion, resulting in increased serum phosphate levels. Parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels were not appropriately elevated in the low magnesium diet group despite lower 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and serum calcium levels compared with the normal magnesium diet group. Although fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) levels were lower in the low magnesium diet group, calcitriol-induced upregulation of FGF23 could not restore the impaired urinary phosphate excretion. The low magnesium diet markedly downregulated a-Klotho expression in the kidney. This downregulation of a-Klotho occurred even when mice were fed the low phosphate diet. Conclusions. A low magnesium diet aggravated high phosphate diet–induced kidney injuries. Impaired PTH secretion and downregulation of renal a-Klotho were likely to be involved in the blunted urinary phosphate excretion by the low magnesium diet. Increasing dietary magnesium may be useful to attenuate phosphate-induced kidney injury.
Protest Event Analysis Under Conditions of Limited Press Freedom: Comparing Data Sources

The investigation of long-term trends in contentious politics relies heavily on protest event analysis based on newspaper reports. This tends to be problematic in restricted media environments. To mitigate the effects of bias and (self-)censorship, researchers of protest in authoritarian regimes have experimented with other sources such as international media and dissident websites. However, even though classical news media are easier targets for repression, journalistic reports might still outperform other sources regarding the quality of information provided. Although these advantages and disadvantages are known in the literature, different types of sources have seldom been tested against each other in an authoritarian context. Using the example of Russia between 2007 and 2012, the present article systematically compares protest event data from English-language news agencies, dissident websites, and several local sources, first and foremost with a view to improving methodological knowledge. The analysis addresses broad trends across time and space as well as the coverage of specific regions and single protest events. It finds that although the data sources paint different pictures of protest in Russia, this divergence is systematic and can be put to productive use. The article closes with a discussion on how its findings can be applied in other contexts.
COPD_A_321375 2911..2916

1Department of Geriatrics, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of China; 2Nursing College of Shanxi Medical University, Jinzhong City, Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Respiratory and Critical Illness, First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, People’s Republic of China Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a physical and mental disease, and there is currently no cure, so the health guidance of COPD patients after discharge from hospital is crucial. The purpose of this study is to investigate the nursing outcomes and risk factors for patients with COPD discharged from hospital. Methods: In this study, a total of 200 patients with COPD who were stable and ready to be discharged from two tertiary hospitals in Taiyuan were surveyed by the Nursing Outcome Evaluation Form for COPD patients, and the relevant risk factors of these patients were analysed. Results: The results of this study showed that patients with COPD who were to be discharged from hospital had low scores in the perceived health domain (1.9708 ± 0.70525) and psychosocial health domain (1.5267 ± 0.68289), while the scores in the rest of the domains were above the medium level. The main factors affecting the two domains of the nursing outcome were degree of education, dietary habits, complications (perceived health domain), drinking, marital status, medical insurance and smoking (psychosocial health domain) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Clinical nurses should pay attention to the perceived and psychosocial health domains when educating COPD patients who are to be discharged from hospital, and should primarily focus on the risk factors of smoking and drinking status, degree of education, dietary habits, complications, marital status and medical insurance.
Fibroin and Spidroin Thin Film to Support the Attachment and Spread of Human Dermal Fibroblast: The Potency of Skin Tissue Engineering

This study aimed to determine the characteristics of scaffolds made of fibroin from Bombyx mori and spidroin from Argiope appensa in supporting the attachment and proliferation of HDF cells on the scaffolds. Thin-film scaffolds were made using the solvent casting technique, where the scaffold is an amalgamation of fibroin, spidroin, PVA, and glycerol. HDF cells were grown on DMEM medium with 10% FBS and 1% antibiotic-antimicotic. Characterization of the scaffolds was performed by using ATR-FTIR, swelling test, contact angle measurement, tensile test, biodegradation, MTT and SEM. The results of the ATR-FTIR analysis showed that the scaffolds contained fibroin, spidroin, PVA, and glycerol. Swelling and contact angle tests showed that all scaffold combinations were hydrophilic. Mechanical properties and in vitro biodegradation tests showed no significant difference among the scaffold combinations. MTT testing showed that all scaffolds could facilitate the attachment of fibroblasts and showed increased viability from day 1, 3, and 5. Scanning electron microscopy showed that the cells in the 70% fibroin and 10% spidroin scaffold had the best cell morphology and the best combination for potential application in skin tissue engineering.
The Effect of Spironolactone on β-amyloid-Induced Memory Impairment in Male Rats: The Role of Microglial Inhibition

Purpose: Neuroinflammation was indicated in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Previous reports have also signified that spironolactone has anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the modulatory effects of spironolactone on neuroinflammation and memory loss in a rat model of AD. Methods: The β-amyloid protein fragment 25-35 (Aβ) was injected in the dorsal hippocampus (5 μg/2.5 μL each side) of male Sprague-Dawley rats for four consecutive days to induce memory impairment. Animals have intraperitoneally received spironolactone (10, 25, or 50 mg/kg, N = 6/ group) or vehicle for 14 days. The passive inhibitory avoidance and the novel recognition tests were used for memory evaluation. Neuroinflammation was assessed by measuring the level of Iba1 protein, a marker of microglial activation, using western immunoblotting. Results: Different doses of spironolactone showed no significant changes in latency times and discriminations ratios in passive inhibitory avoidance and novel recognition tests, respectively, as compared to vehicle. However, spironolactone-treated groups showed significantly lower Iba1 protein levels in comparison to the vehicle-treated group (P < 0.01). Conclusion: Spironolactone had a modulatory effect on neuroinflammation through a repressive effect on microglial activation with no valuable effect on memory improvement in a rat model of AD. The findings of this study suggest that Aβ-induced memory loss may not be directly linked to microglial activation. Spironolactone may be a potential candidate to be examined in other neuroinflammatory disorders.
Bioactive PI3-kinase/Akt/mTOR Inhibitors in Targeted Lung Cancer Therapy

One of the central signaling pathways with a regulatory effect on cell proliferation and survival is Akt/mTOR. In many human cancer types, for instance, lung cancer, the overexpression of Akt/mTOR has been reported. For this reason, either targeting cancer cells by synthetic or natural products affecting the Akt/mTOR pathway down-regulation is a useful strategy in cancer therapy. Direct inhibition of the signaling pathway or modulation of each related molecule could have significant feedback on the growth and proliferation of cancer cells. A variety of secondary metabolites has been identified to directly inhibit the AKT/mTOR signaling, which is important in the field of drug discovery. Naturally occurring nitrogenous and phenolic compounds can emerge as two pivotal classes of natural products possessing anticancer abilities. Herein, we have summarized the alkaloids and flavonoids for lung cancer treatment together with all the possible mechanisms of action relying on the Akt/mTOR pathway down-regulation. This review suggested that in search of new drugs, phytochemicals could be considered as promising scaffolds to be developed into efficient drugs for the treatment of cancer. In this review, the terms "Akt/mTOR", "Alkaloid", "flavonoid", and "lung cancer" were searched without any limitation in search criteria in Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and Google scholar engines.
OP-ICES180172 925..937

Gabriella E. Church, Robert W. Furness, Glen Tyler, Lucy Gilbert, and Stephen C. Votier* Centre for Life and Environmental Sciences, School of Biosciences, Environment & Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9EZ, UK College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK Coastal and Marine Ecosystems & Use, Scottish Natural Heritage, Ground Floor, Stewart Building, Alexandra Wharf, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0LL, UK *Corresponding author: tel: þ44 1326 259416; e-mail: s.c. votier@exeter.ac. uk.
OP-CZOO180101 643..650

Landscape disturbances can alter habitat structure and resource availability, often inducing physiological responses by organisms to cope with the changing conditions. Quantifying the endocrine stress response through measurement of glucocorticoids has become an increasingly common method for determining how organisms physiologically respond to challenges imposed by their environment. We tested the hypothesis that Eastern Fence Lizards cope with fire disturbance effects by modulating their secretion of corticosterone (CORT). We measured the baseline and stress-induced plasma CORT of male Eastern Fence Lizards in a chronosequence of fire-altered habitats (recently burned, recovering from burn, and unburned). Although habitat use by lizards differed among burn treatments, including differences in use of canopy cover, leaf litter, and vegetation composition, we did not detect a significant effect of fire-induced habitat alteration on plasma CORT concentration or on body condition. In addition, we found no effect of blood draw treatment (baseline or stress-induced), body temperature, body condition, or time taken to collect blood samples on concentration of plasma CORT. Low intensity burns, which are typical of prescribed fire, may not be a sufficient stressor to alter CORT secretion in Eastern Fence Lizards (at least during the breeding season). Instead, lizards may avoid allostatic overload using behavioral responses and by selecting microsites within their environment that permit thermoregulatory opportunities necessary for optimal performance and energy assimilation.