Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of saponin on spermatogenesis and testicular structure in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice

About a third of human infertility is related to male factors. Of these, idiopathic-related infertility is not curable. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder affecting male impotence and fertility by increased production of free radicals and oxidative stress. Saponin, a glycosidic compound found in many plants, improves sperm parameters. The present study investigated the effect of saponin on sperm oxidative stress and testicular structure in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. The diabetes was induced by the administration of 150 mg kg-1 STZ via a single intra-peritoneal injection. All experimental mice were allocated to the following groups: Control group, diabetic control group, diabetic group administrated 100 mg kg-1 saponin daily and one healthy group administrated saponin daily for 56 days. At the end of the treatment period, serum levels of insulin, glucose and oxidative stress markers were measured. A histological evaluation of testicles was performed. Treatment of diabetic mice with saponin ameliorated testicular tissue damage as well as serum glucose and insulin concentrations. Furthermore, in the diabetic group, the serum concentration of malondialdehyde was increased; while, the activity of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes was reduced. The mean Johnsen’s score and the diameter and thickness of seminiferous tubules were lower in the diabetic mice than control ones. However, these parameters were higher in the saponin-treated mice than controls. Overall, saponin administration rectified all examined parameters. The anti-oxidant role of saponin improves sperm parameters and diabetes-induced testicular oxidative damage.
Trichoderma harzianum as fungicide and symbiont: is it safe for human and animals?

Trichoderma species are considered as biological control agents against numerous phytopathogenic fungi. They are also helpful for plants as plant symbiont. This study aimed to identify harmful effects of Trichoderma in laboratory animals. In the first step, inhalation toxicity was studied. Six rats as control received a spray of bio-formulation without spores. Ten rats as treatment A received 1.00 × 106 colony-forming unit (CFU) of Trichoderma spores and ten rats as treatment B received 1.00 × 107 CFU per test of Trichoderma spores. The harmful effects of Trichoderma were obvious especially in the lungs, liver and kidney, and some blood parameters were abnormal. In the second step, we studied acute oral toxicity by gavage. Four rats as control received bio-formulation without spores. Six rats as treatment A received 1.00 × 106 CFU per test of Trichoderma spores. Six rats as treatment B received 1.00 × 107 CFU per test of Trichoderma spores. The harmful effects of Trichoderma were noticeable more in the liver and kidney tissues. For dermal toxicity study, two rabbits as control received bio-formulation without spores by rubbing on the surface of the skin. Treatment groups A and B received 1.00 × 106 and 1.00 × 107 CFU per test of Trichoderma spores, respectively (four rabbits for each group). The liver and kidney and some blood parameters were abnormal. Trichoderma has some harmful effects on tissues and organs and although it is a natural product, it should be used under cautions.
Osteochondritis Dissecans of the Knee Associated With Mechanical Overload

Background: Osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the knee is a rare but potentially incapacitating disorder in which subchondral bone detaches, leading to an osteochondral fragment that can become unstable and progress into a loose body. The exact cause is unknown, although several biological and mechanical factors have been described. Purpose: To provide insight into epidemiological data of a large cohort of patients affected by OCD of the knee and to identify potential factors contributing to the cause of this disorder. Study Design: Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: A total of 236 patients (259 knees) affected by OCD were included in our Knee Registry (2005-2022) and retrospectively analyzed. Patient characteristics were extracted from the medical records. Location and International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society grade (1-4) of OCD were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. If available, a full-leg standing radiograph was used to assess alignment. Additionally, a statistical scoring system for instability risk was created. Results: A total of 263 OCD lesions were identified in 259 knees, 66.2% on the medial femoral condyle (MFC), 26.6% on the lateral femoral condyle (LFC), 3.8% on the trochlea, 2.7% on the patella, and 0.8% on the lateral tibia plateau. Male patients made up 57.6% of the sample, which had a mean age of 21.8 years. A very high percentage of patients (77.1%; n = 182) practiced sports, of whom 67.6% (n = 123) were engaged in high-impact sports. The location of the OCD lesions and the leg alignment (n = 110) were significantly correlated: MFC lesions were associated with more varus than valgus alignment (47.5% vs 11.3%) and patients with LFC lesions had more valgus than varus alignment (46.7% vs 20.0%; P = .002). Based on age, smoking, sports activity, and preceding trauma, a multivariable scoring system (0-11 points) was created. An increased risk of lesion instability was associated with an increased score: 29.0% at 0 points and 97.0% at 11 points. Conclusion: This study provides detailed epidemiological data for 236 patients affected by OCD of the knee. Older age, smoking, inactivity, and preceding trauma were predictive for instability of OCD lesions. There was an association between OCD of the MFC and varus malalignment and between OCD of the LFC and valgus malalignment. This finding, in combination with the high percentage of patients practicing high-impact sports, suggests an important role for mechanical overload in the pathogenesis of OCD.
T-cell help in the germinal center: homing in on the role of IL-21

Abstract Interleukin 21 (IL-21) is a pleiotropic cytokine that is overproduced in multiple autoimmune settings. Provision of IL-21 from follicular helper T cells is an important component of T-cell help within germinal centers (GC), and the last few years have seen a resurgence of interest in IL-21 biology in the context of the GC environment. While it has been more than a decade since T cell-derived IL-21 was found to upregulate B-cell expression of the GC master transcription factor B-cell lymphoma 6 (Bcl-6) and to promote GC expansion, several recent studies have collectively delivered significant new insights into how this cytokine shapes GC B-cell selection, proliferation, and fate choice. It is now clear that IL-21 plays an important role in GC zonal polarization by contributing to light zone GC B-cell positive selection for dark zone entry as well as by promoting cyclin D3-dependent dark zone inertial cycling. While it has been established that IL-21 can contribute to the modulation of GC output by aiding the generation of antibody-secreting cells (ASC), recent studies have now revealed how IL-21 signal strength shapes the fate choice between GC cycle re-entry and ASC differentiation in vivo. Both provision of IL-21 and sensitivity to this cytokine are finely tuned within the GC environment, and dysregulation of this pathway in autoimmune settings could alter the threshold for germinal center B-cell selection and differentiation, potentially promoting autoreactive B-cell responses.
Optimization of Pressure-Retarded Osmosis with Hollow-Fiber Membrane Modules by Numerical Simulation

We optimized the operating conditions for maximizing power production by pressure-retarded osmosis using seawater as the draw solution and river (pure) water as the feed solution using a simulation algorithm developed in our previous work combined with the Complex optimization method. The calculated results showed that the maximum power production was 104 W/module, i.e., 18.7 kW/m3, under the optimum conditions. The optimum hydraulic pressure applied to the draw solution was slightly higher than half the osmotic pressure difference between the draw solution and the feed solution, which was derived from the theoretical optimum pressure without concentration polarization and solute leakage. We also optimized the operating conditions of hypothetical modules that have improved membrane water permeability (2, 3, 4, and 5 times higher than the current membrane permeability coefficients). Although power production increased with an increase in water permeability, the relationship was not linear. The effects of i.
Beast to beauty transition: Design process for complex visual analytics

Visual analytics fundamentally influences the analytical process. Without proper guidance, the complex condition can become a beast that hides the beauty of analytical data. Since visual analytics is the only way to represent analytical outcomes, ineffective visual analytics will bury the relevancy of information to support any valuable decision. Thus, this research revisits the way to design more valuable and effective visual analytics, especially for the complex condition which involves i) the information complexities, ii) the nature of the activities involved and iii) the complex context of usage. Governed by the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), the research applied the pragmatic philosophical worldview and exploratory research. Furthermore, the design process embedded the human-activity centered design approaches as the new perspective to get a better understanding of the visual analytics users and the analytical activities involved. There are basically three important activities of the design process that comprises of five design phases. Activity 1 aims to identify the visual analytics context and its challenges, Activity 2 to develop the solution of visual analytics design and Activity 3 to evaluate the effectiveness of visual analytics to handle its complex context. By offering a set of design process, this research aims to improve the experience of the visual analytics community to design in a more flexible, dynamic and intuitive way. Finally, this paper also recommends appropriate methods, the unit of analysis, sampling strategy and data management & analysis suitable for complex visual analytics.
PnP-GA+: Plug-and-Play Domain Adaptation for Gaze Estimation using Model Variants.

Appearance-based gaze estimation has garnered increasing attention in recent years. However, deep learning-based gaze estimation models still suffer from suboptimal performance when deployed in new domains, eg, unseen environments or individuals. In our previous work, we took this challenge for the first time by introducing a plug-and-play method (PnP-GA) to adapt the gaze estimation model to new domains. The core concept of PnP-GA is to leverage the diversity brought by a group of model variants to enhance the adaptability to diverse environments. In this article, we propose the PnP-GA+ by extending our approach to explore the impact of assembling model variants using three additional perspectives: color space, data augmentation, and model structure. Moreover, we propose an intra-group attention module that dynamically optimizes pseudo-labeling during adaptation. Experimental results demonstrate that by directly plugging several existing gaze estimation networks into the PnP-GA+ framework, it outperforms state-of-the-art domain adaptation approaches on four standard gaze domain adaptation tasks on public datasets. Our method consistently enhances cross-domain performance, and its versatility is improved through various ways of assembling the model group.
Analysis of Crack in Shaft using Creo

This paper deals with finding the relation between modal natural frequencies change due to crack in shaft with respective crack depth and location. In this study we investigate relation among crack depth, crack location & natural frequency. Finite Element Analysis is done for single crack at different depth and crack thickness. The analysis results reveal, how modal natural frequencies decrease with change in crack size. It is known that when a shaft or structure suffers from crack or any damage then its dynamic property changes. The reason for this behaviour because of crack causes a stiffness reduction with an inherent reduction in modal natural frequencies which leads to the change in the dynamic response of the Shaft. Creo software is used for parametric modeling of Rotor Shaft as well as for static and dynamic analysis. Modal natural frequency was found to be decreasing with increase in crack depth and its width. This is new technology in Creo, so this study the FEA analysis is carried out using this new technology and compared with other FEA software available in market.
Proliferation and Differentiation Potential of Bone Marrow–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells From Children With Polydactyly and Adults With Basal Joint Arthritis

This study compared the proliferation and differentiation potential of bone marrow–derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) derived from infants with polydactyly and adults with basal joint arthritis. The proliferation rate of adult and infant BMSCs was determined by the cell number changes and doubling times. The γH2AX immunofluorescence staining, age-related gene expression, senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) staining were analyzed to determine the senescence state of adult and infant BMSCs. The expression levels of superoxide dismutases (SODs) and genes associated with various types of differentiation were measured using Real-Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR). Differentiation levels were evaluated through histochemical and immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that infant BMSCs had a significantly higher increase in cell numbers and faster doubling times compared with adult BMSCs. Infant BMSCs at late stages exhibited reduced γH2AX expression and SA-β-gal staining, indicating lower levels of senescence. The expression levels of senescence-related genes (p16, p21, and p53) in infant BMSCs were also lower than in adult BMSCs. In addition, infant BMSCs demonstrated higher antioxidative ability with elevated expression of SOD1, SOD2, and SOD3 compared with adult BMSCs. In terms of differentiation potential, infant BMSCs outperformed adult BMSCs in chondrogenesis, as indicated by higher expression levels of chondrogenic genes (SOX9, COL2, and COL10) and positive immunohistochemical staining. Moreover, differentiated cells derived from infant BMSCs exhibited significantly higher expression levels of osteogenic, tenogenic, hepatogenic, and neurogenic genes compared with those derived from adult BMSCs. Histochemical and immunofluorescence staining confirmed these findings. However, adult BMSCs showed lower adipogenic differentiation potential compared with infant BMSCs. Overall, infant BMSCs demonstrated superior characteristics, including higher proliferation rates, enhanced antioxidative activity, and greater differentiation potential into various lineages. They also exhibited reduced cellular senescence. These findings, within the context of cellular differentiation, suggest potential implications for the use of allogeneic BMSC transplantation, emphasizing the need for further in vivo investigation.
Effects of Mood Induction Using Movie Watching on Food Intake and Hormone Levels

There is a complex connection between emotional states and food intake. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of short-term emotion induction on food intake and ghrelin, cortisol, and insulin levels in healthy normal-weight individuals without eating disorders. Eighty-nine participants were divided into 2 groups (drama and comedy movies). After 50 minutes of watching, the movie was stopped and blood samples were collected, and then participants were offered a snack to eat. The visual analog scale showed that the movie watching had significant effects on mood induction. However, there was no significant relationship between the kind of movie the participants had watched and their choice of food, its calorie content, or the amount of food (eg, grams) that was consumed. This parallel-design study found that a 50-minute exposure to either a dramatic or a comedy movie affected ghrelin, cortisol, and insulin levels. However, these hormonal changes were not associated with intake of food from a buffet during the last minutes of viewing.
Effects of neratinib on angiogenesis and the early stage of the embryo using chicken embryo as a model.

Angiogenesis is the process of forming new blood capillaries from pre-existing vessels. Even though it is essential during normal development, it plays a major role in cancer progression. Neratinib is a pan-human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) inhibitor that has recently been approved for the treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer. However, its effects on angiogenesis and embryogenesis remain unknown. This study examined the antiangiogenic effects of neratinib using the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chicken embryos. We also evaluated neratinib's toxicity during the early stages of normal development using the chicken embryos, primary embryonic fibroblasts (EFBs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Our findings revealed that neratinib significantly inhibited the CAM angiogenesis compared to controls by reducing vessel percentage area and the average vessel length. Furthermore, neratinib downregulated vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a key mediator of angiogenesis. At lower concentrations, neratinib was well-tolerated during early stages of normal development. Additionally, EFBs treated with neratinib showed no morphological or viability changes when compared to controls. However, at the highest concentration tested, neratinib treatment reduced HUVEC cell viability. This effect may be associated with the dysregulation of key apoptotic genes, including caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, and the B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) gene. Our findings indicate a novel potential application of neratinib as an antiangiogenic agent, exhibiting tolerable toxicity in the early stages of embryogenesis.
Development of a posture detector using a flex sensor

In this digital age, many people spend hours every day looking at their cell phones and computers. Overuse of these devices can result in users' posture deterioration. Poor postures not only detract from a person's appearance but can also lead to chronic back discomfort and inflammation. Even though everyone knows the detrimental effects of poor postures, it is difficult for them to correct their bad habits. This is because poor postures are gradually developed, and they are usually related to a person's lifestyle. The purpose of this project was to embed a poor posture detector (a posture coach) into clothing so that users could wear it unobtrusively and comfortably. Its functions were to detect and alert users of poor postures, to help the users maintain proper postures continuously, and to help users correct their habits related to bad postures.
Detection of anti-premembrane antibody as a specific marker of four flavivirus serocomplexes and its application to serosurveillance in endemic regions

ABSTRACT In the past few decades, several emerging/re-emerging mosquito-borne flaviviruses have resulted in disease outbreaks of public health concern in the tropics and subtropics. Due to cross-reactivities of antibodies recognizing the envelope protein of different flaviviruses, serosurveillance remains a challenge. Previously we reported that anti-premembrane (prM) antibody can discriminate between three flavivirus infections by Western blot analysis. In this study, we aimed to develop a serological assay that can discriminate infection or exposure with flaviviruses from four serocomplexes, including dengue (DENV), Zika (ZIKV), West Nile (WNV) and yellow fever (YFV) viruses, and explore its application for serosurveillance in flavivirus-endemic countries. We employed Western blot analysis including antigens of six flaviviruses (DENV1, 2 and 4, WNV, ZIKV and YFV) from four serocomplexes. We tested serum samples from YF-17D vaccinees, and from DENV, ZIKV and WNV panels that had been confirmed by RT–PCR or by neutralization assays. The overall sensitivity/specificity of anti-prM antibodies for DENV, ZIKV, WNV, and YFV infections/exposure were 91.7%/96.4%, 91.7%/99.2%, 88.9%/98.3%, and 91.3%/92.5%, respectively. When testing 48 samples from Brazil, we identified multiple flavivirus infections/exposure including DENV and ZIKV, DENV and YFV, and DENV, ZIKV and YFV. When testing 50 samples from the Philippines, we detected DENV, ZIKV, and DENV and ZIKV infections with a ZIKV seroprevalence rate of 10%, which was consistent with reports of low-level circulation of ZIKV in Asia. Together, these findings suggest that anti-prM antibody is a flavivirus serocomplex-specific marker and can be employed to delineate four flavivirus infections/exposure in regions where multiple flaviviruses co-circulate.
Understanding the Film-Induced Tourist

This paper introduces a new conceptual approach to understanding the potential and actual motivations of the film-induced tourist. It could be said that this newly defined tourism niche refers to a post-modern experience of a place that has been depicted in some form of media representation. That is, an experience that is highly personalised and unique to each individual based on their own interpretation and consumption of media images. The Push and Pull Factor theory of motivation presents an appropriate theoretical framework in which to examine filminduced tourism, from a consumer perspective. It is proposed that a distinction will be made between the three concepts of Place (location attributes, landscapes, scenery), Personality (cast, characters, celebrity) and Performance (plot, theme, genre), and whether different or distinct motivations drive or induce travel behaviour. Further, it is proposed to then develop a continuum of film-induced tourism motivation which might range from the specific film-induced tourist to the general film-induced tourist to the serendipitous film tourist. This paper will provide examples, sourced from previous literature on film-induced tourism, to illustrate this conceptual approach to understanding the film-induced tourist.
Empirical Approach in Topology Control of Sensor Networks for Urban Environment

Research into the topology control of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) is geared towards modeling and analysis of methods that may be potentially harnessed to optimize the structure of connections. However, in practice, the ideas and concepts provided by researchers have actually been rarely used by network designers, while sensor systems that have already been deployed and are under continued development in urban environments frequently diﬀer from the patterns and research models available. Moreover, easy access to diversiﬁed wireless technologies enabling new solutions to be empirically developed and popularized has also been conducive to strengthening this particular trend.
Improve Fidelity and Utility of Synthetic Credit Card Transaction Time Series from Data-centric Perspective

Exploring generative model training for synthetic tabular data, specifically in sequential contexts such as credit card transaction data, presents significant challenges. This paper addresses these challenges, focusing on attaining both high fidelity to actual data and optimal utility for machine learning tasks. We introduce five pre-processing schemas to enhance the training of the Conditional Probabilistic Auto-Regressive Model (CPAR), demonstrating incremental improvements in the synthetic data's fidelity and utility. Upon achieving satisfactory fidelity levels, our attention shifts to training fraud detection models tailored for time-series data, evaluating the utility of the synthetic data. Our findings offer valuable insights and practical guidelines for synthetic data practitioners in the finance sector, transitioning from real to synthetic datasets for training purposes, and illuminating broader methodologies for synthesizing credit card transaction time series.