Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of electric current on adsorption effectiveness on chitin and chitosan

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of an electric current on the effectiveness of reactive dye Reactive Black 5 (RB 5) adsorption onto two adsorbents: chitin and chitosan. The current density applied in the experiment was 50 A/m2. The experiment was carried out using electrodes made of stainless steel. At the first stage of the experiment – without the flow of electric current – the effectiveness of RB 5 dye adsorption onto chitin was determined at pH 3.0 and 5.0, whereas onto chitosan it was at pH 5.0. In the second stage, the effectiveness of RB 5 dye adsorption was determined onto chitin and chitosan with a simultaneous flow of direct current. In the case of both adsorbents, the pH value of the solution was 5.0. Results achieved in the study proved that the electric current had a positive effect on adsorption effectiveness onto chitin, as it contributed to an increase in the quantity of removed RB 5 dye to 440 mg/g d.m. from the initial 270 mg/g d.m. when assayed at the optimal pH 3.0 and from 135 mg/g d.m. when assayed at pH 5.0.
Wolff's law and the problem of muscle attachment on resorptive surfaces of bone.

During the growth of a bone, outer (periosteal) surfaces in many areas undergo normal remodeling processes involving resorptive removal. Attachments of muscles commonly occur on such outer resorptive surfaces. The cortex in these regions grows in an inward direction by bone deposition on endosteal surfaces. In some areas of a bone, a portion of a muscle can be inserted onto a depository surface, but other parts of the same muscle may be attached onto an adjacent resorptive surface. It has been generally assumed that the pull of a muscle acts to directly stimulate deposition of new bone, and that attachments of muscle are thereby responsible for determining the gross morphology of a whole bone. In view of the foregoing considerations, a re-evaluation and an expansion of this concept is now needed. Muscle pull, in many regions of a bone, can be associated with normal cortical recession (involving surface resorption) as well as with outward bone deposition.
A Scalable Method for Multiagent Constraint Optimization

We present in this paper a new, complete method for distributed constraint optimization, based on dynamic programming. It is a utility propagation method, inspired by the sum-product algorithm, which is correct only for tree-shaped constraint networks. In this paper, we show how to extend that algorithm to arbitrary topologies using a pseudotree arrangement of the problem graph. Our algorithm requires a linear number of messages, whose maximal size depends on the induced width along the particular pseudotree chosen. We compare our algorithm with backtracking algorithms, and present experimental results. For some problem types we report orders of magnitude fewer messages, and the ability to deal with arbitrarily large problems. Our algorithm is formulated for optimization problems, but can be easily applied to satisfaction problems as well.
Viewpoint:: Patient-Centered Medical Care Requires a Patient-Centered Medical Record

If patient-centered medicine is to become a widespread reality in academic medical centers, educational initiatives must include reform of the medical record. The medical record is part of the hidden, or informal, curriculum of medical school and residency that defines for students and residents the essential ingredients of competent medical care. Whatever its merits, the conventional, problem-oriented medical record (POMR) is a pathology-oriented record that helps perpetuate a disease-focused, biomedical model of practice Patient-centered medicine requires a patient-centered medical record (PCMR), one that addresses the person and perspective of the patient as competently as it addresses the patient's disease. The author proposes a PCMR that includes a concise, upfront Patient Profile; speaks of “chief concerns,” not “chief complaints”; makes Patient Perspective a captioned component of the History of Present Illness; replaces the POMR's formula SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) with HOAP (History, Observations, Assessment, Plan); includes important patient perspectives on the Problem List; and calls for additional, written attention to the person and perspective of the patient throughout the course of medical care Patient-centered records can guide and teach clinicians at every level of training and experience to practice patient-centered medicine. Moreover, such records can also provide measurable evidence that this teaching has been successful.
In vitro antibacterial activity of Omani and African honey

Abstract The study aims to investigate the antibacterial activity of honey obtained from different parts of Oman and compare it with that of honey obtained from elsewhere in Africa. A total of 24 honey samples (16 from different parts of Oman and eight from elsewhere in Africa) were investigated for their antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (NCTC 6571), Escherichia coli (NCTC 10418) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (NCTC 10662) using standard antimicrobial assays. Marked variations in the antibacterial activity of the different honey samples were observed. Fourteen of the 16 Omani samples and five of the eight African samples showed antibacterial activity ranked as either fair, good or excellent to at least one of the three bacterial strains tested. Both Omani and African honeys possess in vitro antibacterial activity against the three bacterial strains tested, with 25% of the samples showing excellent antibacterial activity.
PatchNet

We introduce PatchNets, a compact, hierarchical representation describing structural and appearance characteristics of image regions, for use in image editing. In a PatchNet, an image region with coherent appearance is summarized by a graph node, associated with a single representative patch, while geometric relationships between different regions are encoded by labelled graph edges giving contextual information. The hierarchical structure of a PatchNet allows a coarse-to-fine description of the image. We show how this PatchNet representation can be used as a basis for interactive, library-driven, image editing. The user draws rough sketches to quickly specify editing constraints for the target image. The system then automatically queries an image library to find semantically-compatible candidate regions to meet the editing goal. Contextual image matching is performed using the PatchNet representation, allowing suitable regions to be found and applied in a few seconds, even from a library containing thousands of images.
The Variable Stars and Blue Horizontal Branch of the Metal-rich Globular Cluster NGC 6441

We present time-series VI photometry of the metal-rich ([Fe/H] = -0.53) globular cluster NGC 6441. Our color-magnitude diagram shows that the extended blue horizontal branch seen in Hubble Space Telescope data exists in the outermost reaches of the cluster. About 17% of the horizontal-branch stars lie blueward and brightward of the red clump. The red clump itself slopes nearly parallel to the reddening vector. A component of this slope is due to differential reddening, but part is intrinsic. The blue horizontal-branch stars are more centrally concentrated than the red clump stars, suggesting mass segregation and a possible binary origin for the blue horizontal-branch stars. We have discovered ∼50 new variable stars near NGC 6441, among them eight or more RR Lyrae stars that are highly probable cluster members. Comprehensive period searches over the range 0.2–1.0 days yielded unusually long periods (0.5–0.9 days) for the fundamental pulsators compared with field RR Lyrae of the same metallicity. Three similar long-period RR Lyrae are known in other metal-rich globular clusters. With over 10 examples in hand, it seems that a distinct subclass of long-period, metal-rich RR Lyrae stars is emerging. It appears that these stars have the same intrinsic colors as normal RR Lyrae. Using the minimum-light color of the RR Lyrae, we determine the mean cluster reddening to be E(B - V) = 0.45 ± 0.03 mag, with a significant variation in reddening across the face of the cluster. The observed properties of the horizontal-branch stars are in reasonable agreement with recent models that invoke deep mixing to enhance the atmospheric helium abundance, while they conflict with models that assume high initial helium abundance. The light curves of the c-type RR Lyrae seem to have unusually long rise times and sharp minima. Reproducing these light curves in stellar pulsation models may provide another means of constraining the physical variables responsible for the anomalous blue horizontal-branch extension and sloped red clump observed in NGC 6441.
Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and gallbladder cancer: a case–control study and meta‐analysis

In Chile, where gallbladder cancer (GBC) rates are high and typhoid fever was endemic until the 1990s, we evaluated the association between Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) antibodies and GBC. We tested 39 GBC cases, 40 gallstone controls, and 39 population‐based controls for S. Typhi Vi antibodies and performed culture and quantitative polymerase chain reaction for the subset with bile, gallstone, tissue, and stool samples available. We calculated gender and education‐adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the association with GBC. We also conducted a meta‐analysis of >1000 GBC cases by combining our results with previous studies. GBC cases were more likely to have high Vi antibody titer levels than combined controls (OR: 4.0, 95% CI: 0.9–18.3), although S. Typhi was not recovered from bile, gallstone, tissue, or stool samples. In our meta‐analysis, the summary relative risk was 4.6 (95% CI: 3.1–6.8, Pheterogeneity=0.6) for anti‐Vi and 5.0 (95% CI: 2.7–9.3, Pheterogeneity = 0.2) for bile or stool culture. Our results are consistent with the meta‐analysis. Despite differences in study methods (e.g., S. Typhi detection assay), most studies found a positive association between S. Typhi and GBC. However, the mechanism underlying this association requires further investigation
Surface structure and dynamics of supercooled polymer melts and metal-polymer nanocomposites

The focus of this work is the investigation of the surface properties of supercooled liquids and metal-polymer nanocomposites around the glass transition temperature TG at nanometer length scales. This thesis provides two major contributions in the field of surface sensitive x-ray scattering techniques employed to characterize the behavior of surface fluctuations in polymeric liquids around TG and the nanoparticle dynamics in out-of-equilibrium systems. The research topic of the first part of this thesis consists in the determination of the cooling rate dependent freezing of capillary waves on the glass forming liquid poly(propylene glycol) by means of in-situ cooling x-ray reflectivity measurements. The freezing in of density fluctuations while approaching the glass transition has been known in the bulk for a long time, but it has not been determined until now whether an analogous effect also occurs at the free surface. Above TG the surface roughness σ can be described by the standard capillary wave model for simple liquids, whereas the surface fluctuations are frozen in at temperatures below TG. As the state of a glass forming liquid strongly depends on its thermal history, for fast cooling rates this effect occurs at higher temperatures than for slow cooling. Large shifts of TG to 240 K compared to the bulk value of 196 K have been observed. This represents a significant difference to the bulk where the dependence of TG on the cooling rate is typically weak. The temporal evolution of gold nanoparticles moving on the surface of thin polystyrene films is investigated in the second part of this work. As the measurements are performed around the glass transition of the polymer, the metal-polymer system is out of equilibrium and therefore exhibits interesting dynamics. The dynamic structure factor f(q||, τ) of the gold clusters with the lateral wavevector transfer q|| and the relaxation time τ is measured with two-dimensional x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy. There is currently extensive interest in bulk soft matter systems where a similar behavior of the dynamic structure factor and aging phenomena are observed. Above the glass transition of the polymer the peculiar modified exponential form f(q||, τ) ∝ exp[−(Γτ)α] is found with 0.7 < α < 1.9, depending on sample age and temperature. The relaxation rates Γ scale linearly with q||, excluding a simple Brownian diffusive motion. This type of behavior, already observed in aging bulk soft matter systems, is explained by a power law distribution of particle velocities due to ballistic motion.
Exploring Scots pine fibre development mechanisms during TMP processing: Impact of cell wall ultrastructure (morphological and topochemical) on negative behaviour

Abstract A study was carried out aiming at understanding the fundamental reasons for different fibre behaviour exhibited by Norway spruce and Scots pine causing large energy consumption differences during thermomechanical pulping (TMP). Ultrastructural characterization of TMP fibres and shives, which were sampled from the two wood species after primary refining, was performed using scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and TEM-immunogold labelling for their morphological and topochemical properties. As expected, pine wood chips needed higher electrical energy consumption to be refined to a given Canadian Standard Freeness and it produced inferior strength properties compared to spruce. Electron microscopy (EM) observations indicated that the mechanisms of fibre development during primary refining of pine and spruce were different. The two stages of pine fibre separation and development were not concurrent. Results indicated that pine fibre defibration/fracture occurred predominantly through the compound middle lamella/S1 interphase or through the S1 layer producing lesser amounts of shives during the primary refining stage than spruce. In contrast, spruce fibres defibrated mainly through the S2 layer. Detailed EM observations on shives and pulp fibres from TMP revealed the ultrastructural characteristics associated with pine fibre cell walls. Morphological and topochemical features of the S1 layer, S1/S2 interphase, such as lignin and galactoglucomannan distribution across cell walls were explored. The ultrastructural properties are discussed in relation to the TMP parameters (i.e., electrical energy consumption) and strength data. It is concluded that ultrastructural characteristics of Scots pine fibre cell walls govern the different fibre development mechanisms and explain the negative response of this wood during TMP processing.
A Male-Produced Aggregation Pheromone of Monochamus alternatus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), a Major Vector of Pine Wood Nematode

ABSTRACT The beetle Monochamus alternatus Hope (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an efficient vector of pine wood nematode, the causal pathogen of pine wilt disease, that has resulted in devastating losses of pines in much of Asia. We assessed the response of adult M. alternatus to 2-(undecyloxy) ethanol, the male-produced pheromone of the congeneric M. galloprovincialis Dejean, in field experiments in Fujian Province, People's Republic of China. Both sexes of M. alternatus were attracted to lures consisting of 2-(undecyloxy)-ethanol combined with the host plant volatiles &agr;-pinene and ethanol. A follow-up experiment showed that 2- (undecyloxy) -ethanol was synergized by both ethanol and &agr;-pinene. Coupled gas-chromatography mass-spectrometry analyses of volatiles sampled from field-collected beetles of both sexes revealed that 2-(undecyloxy)-ethanol was a sex-specific pheromone component produced only by males. The combination of 2- (undecyloxy) -ethanol with ethanol and/or &agr;-pinene will provide a valuable and badly needed tool for quarantine detection, monitoring, and management of M. alternatus.
New results of delay-dependent stability for uncertain time-delay systems

A new stability criterion of uncertain time-delay systems is proposed. By establishing a new Lyapunov function including more information of time-delay and employing free-weighting method, new delay-dependent sufficient stability conditions are obtained in terms of linear matrix inequalities(LMIs). It is shown that this new criterion can provide less conservative results than some existing ones. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the applicability of the proposed approach.
Binary Cuckoo Search Algorithm for Band Selection in Hyperspectral Image Classification

— Spectral band selection has been a very active and important field of research in hyperspectral image classification. The hyperspectral images contain redundant measurements and irrelevant information which reduce significantly the classification accuracy rate. In this paper, we propose a new framework for band selection problem based on Binary Cuckoo Search. We cast the problem of band selection as a combinatorial optimization problem and we use a binary version of Cuckoo Search algorithm which is a new metaheuristic algorithm more efficient than practical swarm optimization and genetic algorithms. The experiments were applied on three widely used benchmark hyperspectral data sets. The proposed approach was used under the k-nearest neighbor classifier and compared with several feature selection algorithms defined in the literature. The results show that the proposed approach provides a high classification accuracy rate in comparison to other approaches by using a few samples for training and a small number of bands.
B7-H4(B7x)–Mediated Cross-talk between Glioma-Initiating Cells and Macrophages via the IL6/JAK/STAT3 Pathway Lead to Poor Prognosis in Glioma Patients

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate clinical significance and immunosuppressive mechanisms of B7-H4 (B7x/B7S1), a B7 family member, in glioma. Experimental Design: B7-H4 levels in glioma tissue/cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) were compared between different grades of glioma patients. Survival data were analyzed with Kaplan–Meier to determine the prognostic value of B7-H4. Cytokines from CD133+ cells to stimulate the expression of B7-H4 on human macrophages (Mϕs) were investigated by FACS, neutralizing antibodies, and Transwell chemotaxis assay. shRNA, reporter vector, and chromatin immunoprecipitation were used to determine the binding of STAT3 to the B7-H4 promoter. The function of B7-H4+ Mϕs in vitro was evaluated through phagocytosis, T-cell proliferation/apoptosis, and cytokine production as well as in the xenografted model for in vivo analysis. Results: We found that B7-H4 expression in tumors was associated with prognosis of human glioblastoma and correlated directly with malignant grades. Mechanistically, glioma initiating CD133+ cells and Mϕs/microglia cointeraction activated expression of B7-H4 via IL6 and IL10 in both tumor cells and microenvironment supporting cells. IL6-activated STAT3 bound to the promoter of B7-H4 gene and enhanced B7-H4 expression. Furthermore, CD133+ cells mediated immunosuppression through B7-H4 expression on Mϕs/microglia by silencing of B7-H4 expression on these cells, which led to increased microenvironment T-cell function and tumor regression in the xenograft glioma mouse model. Conclusions: We have identified B7-H4 activation on Mϕs/microglia in the microenvironment of gliomas as an important immunosuppressive event blocking effective T-cell immune responses. Clin Cancer Res; 22(11); 2778–90. ©2016 AACR.
Effectiveness of expert semantic knowledge as a navigational aid within hypertext

Hypertext systems parse documents into content nodes connected by machine supported links or relationships. Many hypertext researchers claim that the node-link relationships of hypertext provide an information organization that models the structure of human knowledge and should therefore facilitate information access (Fiderio 1988). Yet, failures of information access occur when users lack an understanding of the overall scope and organization of a hypertext system (Gay and Mazur 1991). To support this understanding, the present research incorporated expert-based domain semantics in the design of prosthetic devices for hypertext navigation. The task domain was documentation for a word processing system. In the first experiment, the pathfinder algorithm (Schvaneveldt 1990) and cluster analysis were used to identify a set of expertbased semantic relationships between word-processing concepts. The results from these analyses contributed to the design of two prostheses to assist hypertext navigation: A hierar.
Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell‐Derived Microvesicles Transmit RNAs and Proteins to Recipient Mature Heart Cells Modulating Cell Fate and Behavior

Microvesicles (MVs) are membrane‐enclosed cytoplasmic fragments released by normal and activated cells that have been described as important mediators of cell‐to‐cell communication. Although the ability of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to participate in tissue repair is being increasingly recognized, the use of hiPSC‐derived MVs (hiPSC‐MVs) in this regard remains unknown. Accordingly, we investigated the ability of hiPSC‐MVs to transfer bioactive molecules including mRNA, microRNA (miRNA), and proteins to mature target cells such as cardiac mesenchymal stromal cells (cMSCs), and we next analyzed effects of hiPSC‐MVs on fate and behavior of such target cells. The results show that hiPSC‐MVs derived from integration‐free hiPSCs cultured under serum‐free and feeder‐free conditions are rich in mRNA, miRNA, and proteins originated from parent cells; however, the levels of expression vary between donor cells and MVs. Importantly, we found that transfer of hiPSC components by hiPSC‐MVs impacted on transcriptome and proteomic profiles of target cells as well as exerted proliferative and protective effects on cMSCs, and enhanced their cardiac and endothelial differentiation potential. hiPSC‐MVs also transferred exogenous transcripts from genetically modified hiPSCs that opens new perspectives for future strategies to enhance MV content. We conclude that hiPSC‐MVs are effective vehicles for transferring iPSC attributes to adult somatic cells, and hiPSC‐MV‐mediated horizontal transfer of RNAs and proteins to injured tissues may be used for therapeutic tissue repair. In this study, for the first time, we propose a new concept of use of hiPSCs as a source of safe acellular bioactive derivatives for tissue regeneration. Stem Cells 2015;33:2748–2761