Colorectal cancer is the fourth worldwide cause of death and even if some dietary habits are consider risk factors, the contribution of food additives including foodgrade titanium dioxide (TiO2), ...designated as E171, has been poorly investigated. We hypothesized that oral E171 intake could have impact on the enhancement of colorectal tumor formation and we aimed to investigate if E171 administration could enhance tumor formation in a colitis associated cancer (CAC) model. BALB/c male mice were grouped as follows: a) control, b) E171, c) CAC and d) CAC + E171 group (n = 6). E171 used in this study formed agglomerates of 300 nm in water. E171 intragastric administration (5 mg/kg body weight/5 days/10 weeks) was unable to induce tumor formation but dysplastic alterations were observed in the distal colon but enhanced the tumor formation in distal colon (CAC + E171 group) measured by tumor progression markers. Some E171 particles were internalized in colonic cells of the E171 and CAC + E171 groups and both groups showed a decrease in goblet cells in the distal colon. However the CAC + E171 group showed a higher decrease of these cells that act as protection barrier in colon. These results suggest that E171 could worsen pre-existent intestinal diseases.
•Food-grade titanium dioxide, known as E171, exacerbated colon tumor formation in mice.•E171 intragastric exposure (5 mg/kg/10weeks) decreased goblet cells in distal colon.•E171 particles were internalized in colonic cells and retained between daughter cells.
In this study, we draw on the structurational model of technology in an institutional setting to investigate how top management affects the development of a firm's business intelligence (BI) ...capability. We propose a multiple mediator model in which organizational factors, such as user participation and analytical decision making orientation, act as mediating mechanisms that transmit the positive effects of top management championship to advance a firm's BI capability. BI capability has two distinct aspects: information capability and BI system capability. Drawing on data collected from 486 firms from six different countries, we found support for the mediating effects of top management championship through user participation and analytical decision making orientation. These findings contribute to a nuanced understanding of how firms can develop BI capability. This study is one of the first to comprehensively investigate the antecedents of BI capability.
Although many cross-cultural leadership studies have been conducted in the past decade, relatively little attention has been paid to leadership in Latin America. Perceptions concerning the ...characteristics of outstanding leaders and differences in leadership preferences across countries in the region present important issues for organizations. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the leadership findings from the seminal GLOBE Project for this region, plus the addition of the country Peru. Findings indicate that there are region-wide as well as country-specific expected leadership behaviors. Our results help managers identify how different behaviors may be perceived across countries in Latin America.
Evolutionary search algorithms have become an essential asset in the algorithmic toolbox for solving high-dimensional optimization problems in across a broad range of bioinformatics problems. Genetic ...algorithms, the most well-known and representative evolutionary search technique, have been the subject of the major part of such applications. Estimation of distribution algorithms (EDAs) offer a novel evolutionary paradigm that constitutes a natural and attractive alternative to genetic algorithms. They make use of a probabilistic model, learnt from the promising solutions, to guide the search process. In this paper, we set out a basic taxonomy of EDA techniques, underlining the nature and complexity of the probabilistic model of each EDA variant. We review a set of innovative works that make use of EDA techniques to solve challenging bioinformatics problems, emphasizing the EDA paradigm's potential for further research in this domain.
We have empirically compared two classes of technologies capable of locating potentially malevolent online content: 1) popular keyword searching, currently widely used by law enforcement and general ...public, and 2) emerging question answering (QA). The Google search engine exemplified the first approach. To exemplify the second, we further advanced the pattern based probabilistic QA approach and implemented a proof-of-concept prototype that was capable of finding web pages that provide the answers to the given questions, including non-factual ones (e.g. “How to build a pipe bomb?”). The answers to those question typically indicate the presence of malevolent content. Our findings suggest that QA technology can be a good addition to the traditional keyword searching for the task of locating malevolent online content and, possibly, for a more general task of interactive online information exploration.
Peru has a diversity of exotic fruits and plants with recognized yields for food and health protection. Nectars are highly consumed food products, made from fruits or vegetables. The objective for ...the present work was to carry out the technical study of the installation of a watercress nectar processor to reduce anemia in adults; identify the demand, technical requirements for the operation and profitability of the processing facilities. Methodology. The analytical-synthetic method was used; The population of the target market was analyzed, the size of the sample was determined with the coefficient of variation method, (n = 384), the instrument used was the survey; the technical, economic-financial study was carried out. The results were the growth in the demand for nectars of 59.82%, with respect to the economic-financial evaluation, it has been shown that the results are satisfactory for the installation of the plant, with the economic and financial IRR, both rates proving to be attractive. for the project. From the projected income statement for the 2021-2025 period, it can be deduced that for 2025 there was a net profit of S/316,971.39. Other indicators such as the economic and financial NPV, the B/C ratio and the PRI that were satisfactory for the Project, making its execution viable. The conclusion this study was the technical study for the installation of a nectar processing plant to reduce anemia in adults in Lima, which was viable in terms of operation and profitability, taking advantage of its healing and nutritional properties.
Photocatalytic semiconductors require maintaining stability and pursuing higher efficiencies. The studied systems were silicon nanowires (SiNWs), silicon nanowires with cobalt oxide nanoparticles ...(SiNWs-CoONPs), and silicon nanowires with copper nanoparticles (SiNWs-CuNPs). SiNWs were synthesized by metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) from silicon wafers keeping the remaining silver nanoparticles for all three sample types. The nanowires were about 23–30 µm in length. CoONPs and CuNPs were deposited on SiNWs by the autocatalytic reduction processes (electroless). There were many factors in the process that affect the resulting structures and degradation efficiencies. This work shows the degradation of methyl orange (MO) together with the chemisorption of methylene blue (MB), and rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) by direct illumination with visible radiation. The MO degradation kinetics were in the sequence SiNWs-CuNPs (88.9%) > SiNWs (85.3%) > SiNWs-CoONPs (49.3%), with the SiNWs-CuNPs having slightly faster kinetics. However, SiNWs-CoONPs have slow degradation kinetics. The chemisorptions of MB and Rh6G were SiNWs-CuNPs (87.2%; 86.88%) > SiNWs (86%; 87%) > SiNWs-CoONPs (17.3%; 12%), showing dye desorptions together with lower chemisorption capacities. This work shows iridescence in optical microscopy images by the visible light interference caused by the spaces between the nanowire bundles.
Chronic inflammation plays a role in the development of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), and diet might modulate chronic inflammation. This study aims to evaluate the association between the ...dietary inflammatory index (DII
) and CLL. A total of 366 CLL cases and 1643 controls of the Spanish multicase-control (MCC) Spain study were included. The inflammatory potential of the diet was assessed using the energy-adjusted dietary inflammatory index (E-DII) based on 30 items from a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression models controlling for potential confounders. Overall, a modest, non-statistically significant, positive association was observed between CLL and E-DII scores (OR for a one-unit increase in E-DII: 1.05 (CI 95%: 0.99, 1.12),
-value = 0.09 and by tertiles: OR
: 1.20 (CI 95%: 0.90, 1.59); OR
: 1.21 (CI 95%: 0.90, 1.62),
trend = 0.21). These results were independent from disease severity (
het: 0.70), time from diagnosis (
het: 0.67) and CLL treatment received (
het: 0.56). No interactions were detected. In conclusion, the consumption of a diet with high pro-inflammatory components was not significantly associated with CLL. Changes towards a more pro-inflammatory dietary pattern in younger generations not included here warrant future research.
Background and objective Invasive prolactinoma accounts for 1-5% of all prolactinomas. Its mass and compromise of the diencephalon and frontal and temporal lobes may result in a range of ...neuropsychiatric symptoms that are often missed during initial evaluations. Cabergoline is a dopaminergic agonist used as the first-line treatment for these patients; however, its effect on neuropsychiatric symptoms in this particular setting remains unexplored. In this study, our primary objective was to describe the epidemiology of neuropsychiatric comorbidities in Mexican patients with invasive prolactinomas. The secondary aim of the study was to describe how these comorbidities are modified by treatment with cabergoline, through follow-up with standardized clinical scales. Methods This was a retrospective analytic study. Data were pulled from clinical records and evaluations of patients at baseline and at six-month follow-ups. Results A total of 10 patients were included in the study. None of them had any prior psychiatric diagnosis. At the initial evaluation, 70% were diagnosed with depression or anxiety. During follow-up, two patients developed neuropsychiatric symptoms; there was a significant reduction in tumor size but no difference was found in clinimetric scores for neuropsychiatric comorbidities. Conclusions Patients with giant prolactinomas may present with several neuropsychiatric symptoms throughout the course of their disease. Although there are several mechanisms involved, it is important to keep in mind that cabergoline may interfere with the dopaminergic pathways involved. This study was underpowered to determine the association but can serve as a pilot for further research on this topic.