Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oil removal from water using agricultural wastes-based adsorbents for the application in reverse osmosis desalination systems

Egypt is facing water shortage due to limitation in the freshwater resources and the increased population growth. Thus, there is a need for developing new water resources such as the expansion in building large-scale reverse osmosis (RO) seawater desalination plants. Oil spill in the marine environment can cause severe fouling problems and make damage to the RO membranes, which increases the operating cost. The current study focuses on oil removal from water using agricultur-al-based adsorbents to reduce the membrane fouling in the RO systems. Three adsorbents namely: rice husk (RH), sawdust (SD) and sugarcane bagasse (SCB) were tested to remove used motor oil (UMO) and crude oil (CO) from distilled and raw seawater. Activated carbon (AC) was included in the measurements to be used as a reference case to compare with. The oil sorption removal and adsorption capacity were determined experimentally for the four tested adsorbents. The experimental parameters included: initial oil concentration (2–40 g/L), adsorbent dose (2–30 g/L), contact time (5–120 min), agitation time (0–60 min), chemical modification (acid vs. base treatment), water salinity (up to 35 g/L). The effect of the presence of other heavy metals on oil sorption removal and adsorption capacity was also investigated. The characteristics of the adsorbents surface were studied using the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and Brunauer– Emmett–Teller analysis. The results demonstrated that the adsorption removal of UMO with higher viscosity is higher than CO and always the RH exhibited the highest adsorption capacity compared to SD and SCB but about 30% less than AC. Precaution should be taken when distilled water is used rather than raw seawater because the difference could reach about 50% but it depends on the type of oil and adsorbing material. Additionally, the oil sorption removal in seawater is about 20% higher in raw seawater compared to distilled water. The oil sorption removal increased with an increase in contact time, adsorbent dosage, agitation time, and salinity, and decrease in initial oil concentration. The effect of presence of metals ions concentration in raw seawater can be neglected with the adsorbent used in the current study. The adsorption isotherm models by Langmuir described the experimental data very well while the pseudo-second-order described the kinetics data very well. The small difference in performance between RH and AC indicates that RH is very promising low-cost adsorbents for oil removal in RO desalination systems. The Gibbs free energy (Δ G ) was calculated and the values were negative, indicating that the sorption process was spontaneous.
Synergistic effects of free radical scavengers and cochlear vasodilators: a new otoprotective strategy for age-related hearing loss

The growing increase in age-related hearing loss (ARHL), with its dramatic reduction in quality of life and significant increase in health care costs, is a catalyst to develop new therapeutic strategies to prevent or reduce this aging-associated condition. In this regard, there is extensive evidence that excessive free radical formation along with diminished cochlear blood flow are essential factors involved in mechanisms of other stress-related hearing loss, such as that associated with noise or ototoxic drug exposure. The emerging view is that both play key roles in ARHL pathogenesis. Therapeutic targeting of excessive free radical formation and cochlear blood flow regulation may be a useful strategy to prevent onset of ARHL. Supporting this idea, micronutrient-based therapies, in particular those combining antioxidants and vasodilators like magnesium (Mg2+), have proven effective in reducing the impact of noise and ototoxic drugs in the inner ear, therefore improving auditory function. In this review, the synergistic effects of combinations of antioxidant free radicals scavengers and cochlear vasodilators will be discussed as a feasible therapeutic approach for the treatment of ARHL.
Sculpting the space of actions: explaining human action by integrating intentions and mechanisms

How can we explain the intentional nature of an expert’s actions, performed without immediate and conscious control, relying instead on automatic cognitive processes? How can we account for the differences and similarities with a novice’s performance of the same actions? Can a naturalist explanation of intentional expert action be in line with a philosophical concept of intentional action? Answering these and related questions in a positive sense, this dissertation develops a three-step argument. Part I considers different methods of explanations in cognitive neuroscience (Bennett & Hacker’s philosophical, conceptual analysis; Marr’s three levels of explanation; Neural Correlates of Consciousness research; mechanistic explanation), defending ‘mechanistic explanation’ as a method that provides the necessary tools for integrating interdisciplinary insights into human action. Furthermore, a dynamic, explanatory mechanism allows the assessment of the impact of learning and development on expert action in a valuable way that other methods don’t. Part II continues by scrutinizing several cognitive neuroscientific theories of learning and development (neuroconstructivism; dual-processing theories; simulation theory; extended mind/cognition hypothesis), arguing for the complex interactions between different types of processing and different action representations involved in expert action performances. Moreover, according to our discussion of a particular ‘simulation theory’ these interactions can be influenced in several ways with the use of language, allowing an agent to configure a specific action representation for performance at a later stage. The results of Parts I and II are then applied in Part III to a parallel discussion of philosophical analyses of intentional action (discussing i.a. Frankfurt, Bratman, Pacherie and Ricoeur) and cognitive neuroscientific insights in it. Both approaches are found to converge in emphasizing the importance for an expert to develop stable patterns of actions that comply maximally not only with his intentions, but also with his motor expertise and with situational conditions. Consequently, his actions - automatic, or not - rely on this ‘sculpted space of actions’.
Glacial Lake Ojibway, lacustrine stratigraphy and implications for drainage

Some short term climate reversals on the order of centuries are perceived to be generated by coupled feed backs in individual systems. It has been hypothesized that a significant pulse of fresh deglaciated water could be responsible for the capping of the upwelling and gyre circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean consequently forcing a cooling in global temperature and a climate reversal. The catastrophic drainage of Lake Ojibway into the North Atlantic is a proposed trigger for the 8200 Cal. BP year cooling event. The objective of this study is to identify the stratigraphic signature of lake drainage and to assign some chronology to the stratigraphy. A stratigraphic record was developed based on cores from eleven lakes in transect from northeast Ontario 240 km southeast into the province of Quebec. The interpreted stratigraphy consists of a post Cochrane re-advance, ice proximal and distal sedimentation before final drainage and post drainage landscape stabilization. This stratigraphic record of Lake Ojibway provides a unique record which may be incorporated into a larger data set. Refined chronostratigraphic results may be integrated into larger studies with the objective of demonstrating a causal relationship between lake drainage, the capping of the North Atlantic circulation and a reversal in climate regime within the warmer Holocene.
Volcanic sequence in Late Triassic – Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic rocks from Galeana, NE Mexico

In northeastern Mexico, volcanic rocks interbedded with Late Triassic–Jurassic siliciclastic and evaporitic strata have been linked to magmatic arcs developed in the Pangea western margin during its initial phase of fragmentation. This work provides new petrographic and geochemical data for volcanism included in the El Alamar and Minas Viejas formations outcropping in the Galeana region. Andesitic dykes and sills (n= 10) in the El Alamar redbeds show SiO2= 47.5–59.1% and MgO= 1.2–4.2%, as well as a geochemical affinity to island arc magmas. This work represents the first report of this tectonic setting in the region. Geological and petrographic evidence suggest that this arc system likely developed after ~220 and before ~193Ma. Trachy-andesitic and rhyodacitic domes (n= 20) associated with the Minas Viejas gypsum-carbonates sequence show SiO2= 61.8–82.7% and MgO= 0.1–4.0% with a tectonic affinity to continental arc. A rhyodacite sample from this region has been dated by U-Pb in zircon, yielding an age of 149.4 ± 1.2Ma (n= 21), being the youngest age related to this arc. Finally, we propose a threestep model to explain the tectonic evolution from Late Triassic island arc to Jurassic continental arc system in the northeastern Mexico.
Identification and Analysis of Co-Occurrence Networks with NetCutter

BACKGROUND Co-occurrence analysis is a technique often applied in text mining, comparative genomics, and promoter analysis. The methodologies and statistical models used to evaluate the significance of association between co-occurring entities are quite diverse, however. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We present a general framework for co-occurrence analysis based on a bipartite graph representation of the data, a novel co-occurrence statistic, and software performing co-occurrence analysis as well as generation and analysis of co-occurrence networks. We show that the overall stringency of co-occurrence analysis depends critically on the choice of the null-model used to evaluate the significance of co-occurrence and find that random sampling from a complete permutation set of the bipartite graph permits co-occurrence analysis with optimal stringency. We show that the Poisson-binomial distribution is the most natural co-occurrence probability distribution when vertex degrees of the bipartite graph are variable, which is usually the case. Calculation of Poisson-binomial P-values is difficult, however. Therefore, we propose a fast bi-binomial approximation for calculation of P-values and show that this statistic is superior to other measures of association such as the Jaccard coefficient and the uncertainty coefficient. Furthermore, co-occurrence analysis of more than two entities can be performed using the same statistical model, which leads to increased signal-to-noise ratios, robustness towards noise, and the identification of implicit relationships between co-occurring entities. Using NetCutter, we identify a novel protein biosynthesis related set of genes that are frequently coordinately deregulated in human cancer related gene expression studies. NetCutter is available at http://bio.ifom-ieo-campus.it/NetCutter/). CONCLUSION Our approach can be applied to any set of categorical data where co-occurrence analysis might reveal functional relationships such as clinical parameters associated with cancer subtypes or SNPs associated with disease phenotypes. The stringency of our approach is expected to offer an advantage in a variety of applications.
Acanthamoeba keratitis in non-contact lens wearers in India: DNA typing-based validation and a simple detection assay.

OBJECTIVES To establish that the protozoan Acanthamoeba is one of the causative organisms associated with non-contact lens-related keratitis in the Indian population and to develop a simple and sensitive diagnostic assay for clinical testing. DESIGN DNA sequencing of nuclear 18S and 26S ribosomal DNA motifs was performed and compared with the reference Acanthamoeba strains, to establish the genetic identity of the putative amoeba isolates obtained from the corneal scrapings of non-contact lens-wearing patients with keratitis. Ribosomal DNA typing of clinical corneal scrapings from the patients with keratitis was performed by means of a simple agarose gel-based multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay, to detect the cases of Acanthamoeba keratitis. RESULTS The ribosomal DNA analysis of 15 putative amoeba isolates obtained from the corneal scrapings of 14 patients with keratitis and 1 from the patients' environment established the isolates to be pathogenic formsof Acanthamoeba belonging to type T4 ribosomal DNA genotype. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay was specific and sensitive enough to detect as low as 5 pg of Acanthamoeba DNA. Its utility as a reliable diagnostic assay was demonstrated directly with the use of 34 additional corneal scrapings. CONCLUSIONS Acanthamoeba is one of the causative organisms of keratitis in Indian patients with no history of contact lens usage. Moreover, the Acanthamoeba infection can be easily detected in the clinical samples by means of the simple multiplex polymerase chain reaction assay based on ribosomal DNA typing. Clinical Relevance This study suggests the need and means to determine the incidence and prevalance of Acanthamoeba keratitis in India and elsewhere. Moreover, the polymerase chain reaction assay would help in early and definitive diagnosis, leading to better prognosis of Acanthamoeba keratitis condition.
Intensive care unit hypoglycemia predicts depression during early recovery from acute lung injury*

Objective:To evaluate the association between intensive care unit blood glucose levels and depression after acute lung injury. Design:Prospective cohort study. Setting:Twelve intensive care units in four hospitals in Baltimore, MD. Patients:Consecutive acute lung injury survivors (n = 104) monitored during 1717 intensive care unit patient-days and screened for depression at 3 months after acute lung injury. Interventions:None. Measurements and Main Results:The prevalence of a positive screening test for depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression subscale score ≥8) at follow-up was 28%. After adjustment for confounders, patients with a mean daily minimum intensive care unit glucose level <100 mg/dL had significant increases in mean depression score (2.1 points, 95% confidence interval 0.6–3.7) and in the likelihood of a positive depression screening test (relative risk 2.6, 95% confidence interval 1.2–4.2). Patients with documented hypoglycemia <60 mg/dL during their intensive care unit stay also had greater symptoms of depression (2.0 points, 95% confidence interval 0.5–3.5; relative risk 3.6, 95% confidence interval 1.8–5.1). Other factors independently associated with a positive depression screening test included body mass index >40 kg/m2 (relative risk 3.3, 95% confidence interval 1.2–4.2), baseline depression/anxiety (relative risk 3.9, 95% confidence interval 1.5–6.5), and mean daily intensive care unit benzodiazepine dose >100 mg of midazolam-equivalent agent (relative risk 2.4, 95% confidence interval 1.1–3.8). Conclusions:Hypoglycemia in the intensive care unit is associated with an increased risk of positive screening for depression during early recovery from acute lung injury. Baseline depressive symptoms, morbid obesity, and intensive care unit benzodiazepine dose were also associated with postacute lung injury depressive symptoms. These findings warrant increased glucose monitoring for intensive care unit patients at risk for hypoglycemia and further research on how patient and intensive care unit management factors may contribute to postintensive care unit depression.
Technologies as Support Tools for Persons with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

This study analyzes the technologies most widely used to work on areas affected by the Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Technologies can focus on the strengths and weaknesses of this disorder as they make it possible to create controlled environments, reducing the anxiety produced by real social situations. Extensive research has proven the efficiency of technologies as support tools for therapy and their acceptation by ASD sufferers and the people who are with them on a daily basis. This article is organized by the types of systems developed: virtual reality applications, telehealth systems, social robots and dedicated applications, all of which are classified by the areas they center on: communication, social learning and imitation skills and other ASD-associated conditions. 40.5% of the research conducted is found to be focused on communication as opposed to 37.8% focused on learning and social imitation skills and 21.6% which underlines problems associated with this disorder. Although most of the studies reveal how useful these tools are in therapy, they are generic tools for ASD sufferers in general, which means there is a lack of personalised tools to meet each person’s needs.
Voting with regenerable volatile witnesses

Voting protocols ensure the consistency of replicated objects by requiring all read and write requests to collect an appropriate quorum of replicas. It is proposed to replace some of these replicas with volatile witnesses that have no data and require no stable storage, and to regenerate them instead of waiting for recovery. The small size of volatile witnesses allows them to be regenerated much easier than full replicas. Regeneration attempts are also much more likely to succeed since volatile witnesses can be stored on diskless sites. It is shown that under standard Markovian assumptions two full replicas and one regenerable volatile witness managed by a two-tier dynamic voting protocol provide a higher data availability than three full replicas managed by majority consensus voting or optimistic dynamic voting provided site failures can be detected significantly faster than they can be repaired. <<ETX>>
An Exemplar-Based Random-Walk Model of Speeded Categorization and Absolute Judgment

Nosofsky and Palmeri (in press) proposed and tested an exemplarbased random walk model for predicting response times in tasks of speeded multidimensional perceptual classification. According to the model, test items serve as retrieval cues for category exemplars stored in memory. The exemplars race to be retrieved with rates determined by their similarity to the presented items. The retrieved exemplars then provide information that enters into a random walk process. In this chapter, after first reviewing the model, I present tests of its ability to fit categorization response-time distributions. I also explore extensions of the model designed to account for unidimensional absolute judgment and category same-different judgment.
LiveLabs: Building In-Situ Mobile Sensing & Behavioural Experimentation TestBeds

In this paper, we present LiveLabs, a first-of-its-kind testbed that is deployed across a university campus, convention centre, and resort island and collects real-time attributes such as location, group context etc., from hundreds of opt-in participants. These venues, data, and participants are then made available for running rich human-centric behavioural experiments that could test new mobile sensing infrastructure, applications, analytics, or more social-science type hypotheses that influence and then observe actual user behaviour. We share case studies of how researchers from around the world have and are using LiveLabs, and our experiences and lessons learned from building, maintaining, and expanding Live-Labs over the last three years.
An Evaluation of the Implementation of Maternal Obesity Pathways of Care: A Mixed Methods Study with Data Integration

Objectives Maternal obesity has multiple associated risks and requires substantial intervention. This research evaluated the implementation of maternal obesity care pathways from multiple stakeholder perspectives. Study Design A simultaneous mixed methods model with data integration was used. Three component studies were given equal priority. 1: Semi-structured qualitative interviews explored obese pregnant women’s experiences of being on the pathways. 2: A quantitative and qualitative postal survey explored healthcare professionals’ experiences of delivering the pathways. 3: A case note audit quantitatively assessed pathway compliance. Data were integrated using following a thread and convergence coding matrix methods to search for agreement and disagreement between studies. Results Study 1: Four themes were identified: women’s overall (positive and negative) views of the pathways; knowledge and understanding of the pathways; views on clinical and weight management advice and support; and views on the information leaflet. Key results included positive views of receiving additional clinical care, negative experiences of risk communication, and weight management support was considered a priority. Study 2: Healthcare professionals felt the pathways were worthwhile, facilitated good practice, and increased confidence. Training was consistently identified as being required. Healthcare professionals predominantly focussed on women’s response to sensitive obesity communication. Study 3: There was good compliance with antenatal clinical interventions. However, there was poor compliance with public health and postnatal interventions. There were some strong areas of agreement between component studies which can inform future development of the pathways. However, disagreement between studies included a lack of shared priorities between healthcare professionals and women, different perspectives on communication issues, and different perspectives on women’s prioritisation of weight management. Conclusion The differences between healthcare professionals’ and women’s priorities and perspectives are important factors to consider when developing care pathways. Shared perspectives could help facilitate more effective implementation of the pathway interventions that have poor compliance.
Identification of Der p 23, a Peritrophin-like Protein, as a New Major Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus Allergen Associated with the Peritrophic Matrix of Mite Fecal Pellets

The house dust mite (HDM) Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus is one of most important allergen sources and a major elicitor of allergic asthma. We screened a D. pteronyssinus expression cDNA library with IgE Abs from HDM allergic patients. A cDNA coding for a new major allergen was isolated, which showed sequence homology to peritrophins, which contain chitin-binding domains and are part of the peritrophic matrix lining the gut of arthropods. The mature Der p 23 allergen was expressed in Escherichia coli as an 8-kDa protein without its hydrophobic leader sequence and purified to homogeneity. It reacted with IgE Abs from 74% of D. pteronyssinus allergic patients (n = 347) at levels comparable to the two major HDM allergens, Der p 1 and Der p 2. Thus, Der p 23 represents a new major D. pteronyssinus allergen. Furthermore, rDer p 23 exhibited high allergenic activity as demonstrated by upregulation of CD203c expression on basophils from D. pteronyssinus allergic patients. Immunogold electron microscopy localized the allergen in the peritrophic matrix lining the midgut of D. pteronyssinus as well as on the surface of the fecal pellets. Thus, we identified a new major D. pteronyssinus allergen as peritrophin-like protein. The high allergenic activity of Der p 23 and its frequent recognition as respiratory allergen may be explained by the fact that it becomes airborne and respirable through its association with mite feces. Der p 23 may be an essential component for diagnosis and specific immunotherapy of HDM allergy.