Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antiobesity and Antidiabetic Effects of Portulaca oleracea Powder Intake in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese C57BL/6 Mice

This study investigated the hypothesis that Portulaca oleracea L. exerts antiobesity and antidiabetic effects by evaluating blood lipid profiles, blood glucose control factors, protein expression of lipid metabolism, and insulin sensitivity improvement. Three groups of high-fat diet (HFD) induced obese C57BL/6 mice (n = 8) received treatment with low (5%; HFD + PO5%) or high (10%; HFD + PO10%) concentrations of P. oleracea powder for 12 weeks or no treatment (HFD) and were compared with each other and a fourth control group. Weight gain was reduced by 34% in the HFD + PO10% group compared to the HFD group. Moreover, the perirenal and epididymal fat contents in the HFD + PO10% group were 6.3-fold and 1.5-fold, respectively, lower than those in the HFD group. The atherogenic index (AI) and cardiac risk factor (CRF) results in the P. oleracea-treated groups were significantly lower than those in the HFD group. The homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) levels was lower in the HFD + PO10% group than in the HFD group. The protein expression levels of the proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-α, glucose transporter (GLUT) 4 and PPAR-γ were upregulated in the HFD + PO10% group compared to the HFD group. However, the protein expression levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α were lower in the P. oleracea-treated groups than in the HFD group. Our results demonstrate that P. oleracea powder could be effectively used to treat and prevent obesity and diabetes-associated diseases through suppression of weight gain and reduction in body fat and blood glucose levels.
Alleviative Effect of Ruellia tuberosa L. on Insulin Resistance and Abnormal Lipid Accumulation in TNF-α-Treated FL83B Mouse Hepatocytes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease, and most patients with T2DM develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Both diseases are closely linked to insulin resistance (IR). Our previous studies demonstrated that Ruellia tuberosa L. (RTL) extract significantly enhanced glucose uptake in the skeletal muscles and ameliorated hyperglycemia and IR in T2DM rats. We proposed that RTL might be via enhancing hepatic antioxidant capacity. However, the potent RTL bioactivity remains unidentified. In this study, we investigated the effects of RTL on glucose uptake, IR, and lipid accumulation in vitro to mimic the T2DM accompanied by the NAFLD paradigm. FL83B mouse hepatocytes were treated with tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) to induce IR, coincubated with oleic acid (OA) to induce lipid accumulation, and then, treated with RTL fractions, fractionated with n-hexane or ethyl acetate (EA), from column chromatography, and analyzed by thin-layer chromatography. Our results showed that the ethyl acetate fraction (EAf2) from RTL significantly increased glucose uptake and suppressed lipid accumulation in TNF-α plus OA-treated FL83B cells. Western blot analysis showed that EAf2 from RTL ameliorated IR by upregulating the expression of insulin-signaling-related proteins, including protein kinase B, glucose transporter-2, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha in TNF-α plus OA-treated FL83B cells. The results of this study suggest that EAf2 from RTL may improve hepatic glucose uptake and alleviate lipid accumulation by ameliorating and suppressing the hepatic insulin signaling and lipogenesis pathways, respectively, in hepatocytes.
Potential Functions of the BMP Family in Bone, Obesity, and Glucose Metabolism

Characteristic bone metabolism was observed in obesity and diabetes with controversial conclusions. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and obesity may manifest increased bone mineral density. Also, obesity is more easily to occur in T2DM. Therefore, we infer that some factors may be linked to bone and obesity as well as glucose metabolism, which regulate all of them. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), belonging to the transforming growth factor- (TGF-) beta superfamily, regulate a diverse array of cellular functions during development and in the adult. More and more studies revealed that there exists a relationship between bone metabolism and obesity as well as glucose metabolism. BMP2, BMP4, BMP6, BMP7, and BMP9 have been shown to affect the pathophysiological process of obesity and glucose metabolism beyond bone metabolism. They may exert functions in adipogenesis and differentiation as well as insulin resistance. In the review, we summarize the literature on these BMPs and their association with metabolic diseases including obesity and diabetes.
Role of Dietary Antioxidants in p53-Mediated Cancer Chemoprevention and Tumor Suppression

Cancer arises through a complex interplay between genetic, behavioral, metabolic, and environmental factors that combined trigger cellular changes that over time promote malignancy. In terms of cancer prevention, behavioral interventions such as diet can promote genetic programs that may facilitate tumor suppression; and one of the key tumor suppressors responsible for initiating such programs is p53. The p53 protein is activated by various cellular events such as DNA damage, hypoxia, heat shock, and overexpression of oncogenes. Due to its role in cell fate decisions after DNA damage, regulatory pathways controlled by p53 help to maintain genome stability and thus “guard the genome” against mutations that cause cancer. Dietary intake of flavonoids, a C15 group of polyphenols, is known to inhibit cancer progression and assist DNA repair through p53-mediated mechanisms in human cells via their antioxidant activities. For example, quercetin arrests human cervical cancer cell growth by blocking the G2/M phase cell cycle and inducing mitochondrial apoptosis through a p53-dependent mechanism. Other polyphenols such as resveratrol upregulate p53 expression in several cancer cell lines by promoting p53 stability, which in colon cancer cells results in the activation of p53-mediated apoptosis. Finally, among vitamins, folic acid seems to play an important role in the chemoprevention of gastric carcinogenesis by enhancing gastric epithelial apoptosis in patients with premalignant lesions by significantly increased expression of p53. In this review, we discuss the role of these and other dietary antioxidants in p53-mediated cell signaling in relation to cancer chemoprevention and tumor suppression in normal and cancer cells.
The Prevalence and Risk Factors of Hypokalemia in Pregnancy-Related Hospitalizations: A Nationwide Population Study

Background There are no nationwide population studies conducted to analyze the prevalence and risk factors associated with hypokalemia during pregnancy in the U.S. Method We retrieved data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) and the National Inpatient Sample of Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) for pregnant patients with hypokalemia from 2012 to 2014. We used a chi-squared test to analyze categorical variables and an adjusted Wald test to compare quantitative variables. We applied logistic regression models to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) to identify the risk factors for hypokalemia. We used a p value <0.05 as the cutoff for statistical significance. Result Among 12,431,909 pregnancy-related discharges, females of younger age (mean age 27.0 ± 6.2 vs. 28.1 ± 6.0, p < 0.001), of African American race, using government-paid insurance, with an income level in the first quartile, and of a higher Charlson Comorbidity Index score (≥1) were found to have a higher likelihood of hypokalemia during pregnancy (p < 0.001). Gestational hypertension (GH) (including pre-eclampsia and eclampsia, aOR 2.03, 95% CI 1.94–2.12, p < 0.001), hyperemesis gravidarum (aOR 33.18, 95% CI 31.61–34.83, p < 0.001), and post-partum hemorrhage (aOR 1.42, 95% CI 1.31–1.53, p < 0.001) were found to be independently associated with a higher rate of hypokalemia during pregnancy. Conclusion The prevalence of hypokalemia during pregnancy was less than 1% in this large, nationwide population-based study. There were significant differences between those patients who developed hypokalemia during pregnancy. Notably, those who had hypokalemia were younger, of African American race, and of a low-income level. Congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, Cushing's syndrome, GH, and hyperemesis gravidarum were found to be associated with hypokalemia during pregnancy.
Can attitude similarity shape social inhibition of return?

ABSTRACT We examined whether the perceived similarity between two individuals can shape social attention shifts during a joint-action task. Initially, a confederate was described to a naïve participant through a personality profile in order to manipulate the degree of attitude similarity between them, and they later performed a joint-action task involving alternated aiming movements towards peripheral targets. This task is known to elicit two forms of Inhibition of Return (IOR), namely longer latencies when responding to a target previously reached by either oneself (individual IOR) or by the partner (social IOR) as compared to a previously-unreached target. Here, both IOR effects emerged but – unlike previous studies – social IOR was greater than individual IOR. Interestingly, such magnified social IOR occurred regardless of the degree of attitude similarity between participants. This seems to suggest that social knowledge about others can lead to a generalized impact on social attention during real interactions with them.
Purification of Single-walled Carbon Nanotubes

Large-scale single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWCNTs) were synthesized by an arc discharging furnace at controlled temperature with Fe-Ni-Mg powders as catalyst at 600℃. Two-step purification method was carried out. First, as-grown SWNT was heated in air at 500℃for 30min; then soaked them in 37%hydrochloric acid for 72h and filter with deionized water. Micro-analysis was carried out by SEM, TGA, HRTEM and Raman spectroscopy. The results indicate that the purified SWNTs have high purity (higher than 95%) and uniform diameter (from 1.24nm to 1.38nm).
Production Scheduling of a Large-Scale Steelmaking Continuous Casting Process via Unit-Specific Event-Based Continuous-Time Models: Short-Term and Medium-Term Scheduling

The scheduling of steelmaking continuous-casting (SCC) processes is of major importance in iron and steel operations, since it is often a bottleneck in iron and steel production. Optimal scheduling of SCC processes can increase profit, minimize production cost, reduce material and energy consumption, and improve customer satisfaction. Scheduling of SCC processes is challenging, because of its combinatorial nature, complex practical constraints, and strict requirements on material continuity and flow time, as well as the technological requirements to ensure practical feasibility of the resulting scheduling. In this paper, we first develop a novel unit-specific event-based continuous-time mixed-integer linear optimization (MILP) model for this problem and incorporate several realistic operational features. Then, we extend the rolling horizon approach proposed by Lin et al. [Lin et al. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2002, 41, 3884-3906] and Janak et al. [Janak et al. Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 2006, 45, 8234-8252] to solve this large-scale and complex optimization problem. Four large-scale industrial problems are used to illustrate the efficiency and effectiveness of the proposed formulation and rolling horizon approach. The computational results show that the extended rolling horizon approach successfully solves the large-scale case studies and results in the same or better integer solution than that obtained from directly solving the entire scheduling model.
Animal culture research should include avian nest construction

Material culture—that is, group-shared and socially learned object-related behaviour(s)—is a widespread and diverse phenomenon in humans. For decades, researchers have sought to confirm the existence of material culture in non-human animals; however, the main study systems of interest—namely, tool making and/or using non-human primates and corvids—cannot provide such confirmatory evidence: because long-standing ethical and logistical constraints handicap the collection of necessary experimental data. Synthesizing evidence across decades and disciplines, here, I present a novel framework for (mechanistic, developmental, behavioural, and comparative) study on animal material culture: avian nest construction.
Does helping now excuse cheating later? An investigation into moral balancing in children

We often use our previous good behaviour to justify current immoral acts, and likewise perform good deeds to atone for previous immoral behaviour. These effects, known as moral self-licensing and moral cleansing (collectively, moral balancing), have yet to be observed in children. Thus, the aim in the current study was to investigate the developmental foundations of moral balancing. We examined whether children aged 4–5 years (N = 96) would be more likely to cheat on a task if they had previously helped a puppet at personal cost, and less likely to cheat if they had refused to help. This hypothesis was not supported, suggesting either that 4–5-year-old children do not engage in moral balancing or that the methodology used was not appropriate to capture this effect. We discuss implications and future research directions.
Raptor wing morphing with flight speed

In gliding flight, birds morph their wings and tails to control their flight trajectory and speed. Using high-resolution videogrammetry, we reconstructed accurate and detailed three-dimensional geometries of gliding flights for three raptors (barn owl, Tyto alba; tawny owl, Strix aluco, and goshawk, Accipiter gentilis). Wing shapes were highly repeatable and shoulder actuation was a key component of reconfiguring the overall planform and controlling angle of attack. The three birds shared common spanwise patterns of wing twist, an inverse relationship between twist and peak camber, and held their wings depressed below their shoulder in an anhedral configuration. With increased speed, all three birds tended to reduce camber throughout the wing, and their wings bent in a saddle-shape pattern. A number of morphing features suggest that the coordinated movements of the wing and tail support efficient flight, and that the tail may act to modulate wing camber through indirect aeroelastic control.
Complex macroevolutionary dynamics underly the evolution of the crocodyliform skull

All modern crocodyliforms (alligators, crocodiles and the gharial) are semi-aquatic generalist carnivores that are relatively similar in cranial form and function. However, this homogeneity represents just a fraction of the variation that once existed in the clade, which includes extinct herbivorous and marine forms with divergent skull structure and function. Here, we use high-dimensional three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to quantify whole-skull morphology across modern and fossil crocodyliforms to untangle the factors that shaped the macroevolutionary history and relatively low phenotypic variation of this clade through time. Evolutionary modelling demonstrates that the pace of crocodyliform cranial evolution is initially high, particularly in the extinct Notosuchia, but slows near the base of Neosuchia, with a late burst of rapid evolution in crown-group crocodiles. Surprisingly, modern crocodiles, especially Australian, southeast Asian, Indo-Pacific species, have high rates of evolution, despite exhibiting low variation. Thus, extant lineages are not in evolutionary stasis but rather have rapidly fluctuated within a limited region of morphospace, resulting in significant convergence. The structures related to jaw closing and bite force production (e.g. pterygoid flange and quadrate) are highly variable, reinforcing the importance of function in driving phenotypic variation. Together, these findings illustrate that the apparent conservativeness of crocodyliform skulls betrays unappreciated complexity in their macroevolutionary dynamics.
Sufu negatively regulates both initiations of centrosome duplication and DNA replication

Significance The initiations of both DNA replication and centrosome duplication are strictly coordinated during the cell cycle, and failure to do so will damage the cell or induce centrosome amplification and genome instability. Here, we report that Sufu inhibits centrosome duplication via facilitating CP110 phosphorylation and suppresses DNA replication via promoting intranuclear Cdt1 degradation and expelling prereplication complex (pre-RC) components from chromosomes. Elimination of inhibitory Sufu from the centrosome counts on vesicle release at the ciliary tip, and, from the nucleus, it relies on protein degradation. This work reveals a mechanism through which Sufu, which acts as a “master switch,” negatively regulates both initiations of DNA replication and centrosome duplication, and it may shed light on the preparation step control of cell proliferation. Centrosome duplication and DNA replication are two pivotal events that higher eukaryotic cells use to initiate proliferation. While DNA replication is initiated through origin licensing, centrosome duplication starts with cartwheel assembly and is partly controlled by CP110. However, the upstream coordinator for both events has been, until now, a mystery. Here, we report that suppressor of fused protein (Sufu), a negative regulator of the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway playing a significant role in restricting the trafficking and function of glioma-related (Gli) proteins, acts as an upstream switch by facilitating CP110 phosphorylation by CDK2, promoting intranuclear Cdt1 degradation and excluding prereplication complex (pre-RC) components from chromosomes, independent of its canonical function in the Hh pathway. We found that Sufu localizes to both the centrosome and the nucleus and that knockout of Sufu induces abnormalities including centrosome amplification, increased nuclear size, multipolar spindle formation, and polyploidy. Serum stimulation promotes the elimination of Sufu from the centrosome by vesicle release at the ciliary tip and from the nucleus via protein degradation, which allows centrosome duplication and DNA replication to proceed. Collectively, this work reveals a mechanism through which Sufu negatively regulates the G1-S transition.
Conditional Network with Modified Shift-GCN for In-Home Rehabilitation Exercise Evaluation

Stroke rehabilitation exercises involve therapists combining the patients’ condition with manual assistance (supplemented by machines). Due to the limited number of therapists and location restrictions, patients tend to do in-home rehabilitation exercises independently. However, the lack of supervision by therapists leads to uncontrollable and unquantifiable training intensity. To address this challenge, we develop an automatic in-home rehabilitation exercise evaluation system. This system uses computer vision assistance (multiple RGB-D cameras) to obtain human skeletal data, then employs conditional and modified Shift-GCN to predict patients’ exercise evaluation scores. In this article, we collected the movements of 8 post-stroke survivors and 10 healthy subjects using three Kinect sensors and ground truth scores from therapists with Fugl-Meyer assessment standard. Experiments results demonstrate that our proposed system can achieve 79.53 Top-1 accuracies in 4 upper limb rehabilitation exercise evaluation, which demonstrates the superior performance in accessing the quality of stroke rehabilitation exercises.
A New Era for Mechanical CAD

The hardware industry is desperate for a modern way to do mechanical design. A new CAD program created for the modern world would lower the barrier to building hardware, decrease the time of development, and usher in a new era of building. The tools used to build with today are supported on the shoulders of giants, but a lot could be done to make them even better. At some point, mechanical CAD lost some of its roots of innovation. Let's dive into a few of the problems with the CAD programs that exist today and see how to make them better.
Differential Equations for Feynman Integrals

Feynman integrals are notoriously difficult multidimensional integrals arising in many physical problems. We present various approaches for determining the differential equations satisfied by Feynman integrals. The approach is based on the analysis of the algebraic geometry associated with the Feynman integrals and the use of the creative telescoping algorithm.
Pict-Place Authentication: Recognition-based Graphical Password using Image Layout for Better Balance of Security and Operation Time

In this paper, we propose a novel recognition-based graphical authentication (RbGA) scheme, named “Pict-Place authentication” (PPA). RbGA was expected to improve the credential memorability issue of knowledge-based user authentication. However, RbGA has not been widely used owing to its low security and longer operation time. We therefore propose a new RbGA scheme to modify the credential input method in order to improve these issues. In PPA, the credential is input as a layout of multiple images. Based on this idea, we implemented a web-based prototype system and conducted evaluation experiments. The results indicate that PPA has the potential to reduce the operation time and improve theoretical security.
Design of a Recommender System for Video Games based on In-Game Player Profiling and Activities

The use of recommender systems has a large diffusion in the e-commerce and entertainment services. These systems try to suggest to the users a personalized set of other items or products, likely to be of interest and compatible to their preferences. Usually, a combination of collaborative filtering and/or content-related information is used to determine a set of suggested items. Due to the relevant growth of the video game industry in the last years, the study for advanced recommender systems for video games has seen an increasing interest. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to design a recommender system for video games, based on an in-game profiling of the player, and on a novel taxonomy of the game activities. The implementation of the proposed approach requires a deep integration with the game design and level design activities. We present in detail the approach, and the results obtained using a prototype video game to validate the proposed recommender system.
Incorporating Knowledge Bases and Databases to an Effective Repair of Data Errors

In data warehousing and integration, data error repairs are very important. Some existing techniques tend to fix data errors using machine learning, statistics, integrity constraints, while others use multiple iterations to find data errors and a long time to repair them. Researches have shown the data cleaning accuracy is not efficient using those techniques. Thus to improve the accuracy, some works provided mechanisms employing knowledge bases (kbs) and crowdsourcing platforms, but using only single tables to achieve that. In this work a data error repair mechanism is proposed, which involves the use of a knowledge base on an entire database system having common attributes among its tables. Thorough experiments showed the effectiveness of the mechanism, with results showing the proposed technique is more efficient and effective using the whole database as compared to data repairs done on single tables.