Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Growth Performance, Behaviour and Faecal Consistency of Kids Fed on Guar Meal

The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of Guar meal, an unconventional feed on growth performance, behavioural traits, faecal consistency in kids (3 months old) with an average body weight of 9.46 ± 0.15 Kg divided into three equal groups (D1, D2 and D3) following completely randomized design. Experimental diets were formulated by replacing ground nut cake (GNC) from the control (D1) group, with guar meal at 50 (D2) and 100% (D3) level in the concentrate mixture. Dietary replacement of GNC with unconventional protein source (GM) either at 50 or 100% had no negative influence on dry matter intake and feed conversion ratio. ADG was significantly (P<0.01) higher in D2 group but comparable to that of D1 group. No significant difference was observed in behavioural aspects in kids fed on three different rations. The percentage of time spent on eating was recorded highest in all the groups. Faecal consistency score was significantly (P<0.05) higher in kids fed D3 ration compared to those fed D1 and D2. Guar meal based diets were found to be more economic than conventional type.
Towards Decoding 3 D Finger Trajectories from EEG

Brain-Machine interfaces and neural prosthesis use the electrical activity generated by cortical neurons in the brain for controlling external devices such as robotic arms. While many research is based on the invasive recording of the brain electrical activity, very few studies have addressed the possibility of generating the control from non-invasive measurements. In this work we study the 3D decoding of the fingertip motion based on noninvasive EEG signals during self-selected and self-initiated reaching movement task. Several strategies of decoding are studied, temporal or time-frequency information of the EEG signals, position or velocity data of the fingertip motion and the partial least squares regression and support vector regression algorithms. The preliminary results reveal positive correlation between the observed and the reconstructed velocities of the fingertip.
Contrasting Phylogeography of Sandy vs. Rocky Supralittoral Isopods in the Megadiverse and Geologically Dynamic Gulf of California and Adjacent Areas

Phylogeographic studies of animals with low vagility and restricted to patchy habitats of the supralittoral zone, can uncover unknown diversity and shed light on processes that shaped evolution along a continent’s edge. The Pacific coast between southern California and central Mexico, including the megadiverse Gulf of California, offers a remarkable setting to study biological diversification in the supralittoral. A complex geological history coupled with cyclical fluctuations in temperature and sea level provided ample opportunities for diversification of supralittoral organisms. Indeed, a previous phylogeographic study of Ligia, a supralittoral isopod that has limited dispersal abilities and is restricted to rocky patches, revealed high levels of morphologically cryptic diversity. Herein, we examined phylogeographic patterns of Tylos, another supralittoral isopod with limited dispersal potential, but whose habitat (i.e., sandy shores) appears to be more extensive and connected than that of Ligia. We conducted Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. These analyses revealed multiple highly divergent lineages with discrete regional distributions, despite the recognition of a single valid species for this region. A traditional species-diagnostic morphological trait distinguished several of these lineages. The phylogeographic patterns of Tylos inside the Gulf of California show a deep and complex history. In contrast, patterns along the Pacific region between southern California and the Baja Peninsula indicate a recent range expansion, probably postglacial and related to changes in sea surface temperature (SST). In general, the phylogeographic patterns of Tylos differed from those of Ligia. Differences in the extension and connectivity of the habitats occupied by Tylos and Ligia may account for the different degrees of population isolation experienced by these two isopods and their contrasting phylogeographic patterns. Identification of divergent lineages of Tylos in the study area is important for conservation, as some populations are threatened by human activities.
Long-Term Morphological Changes of Symptomatic Lacunar Infarcts and Surrounding White Matter on Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Background and Purpose— Insights into evolution of cerebral small vessel disease on neuroimaging might advance knowledge of the natural disease course. Data on evolution of sporadic symptomatic lacunar infarcts are limited. We investigated long-term changes of symptomatic lacunar infarcts and surrounding white matter on structural magnetic resonance imaging. Methods— From 2 nonoverlapping, single-center, prospective observational stroke studies, we selected patients presenting with lacunar stroke symptoms with a recent small subcortical (lacunar) infarct on baseline structural magnetic resonance imaging and with follow-up magnetic resonance imaging available at 1 to 5 years. We assessed changes in imaging characteristics of symptomatic lacunar infarcts and surrounding white matter. Results— We included 79 patients of whom 32 (41%) had complete and 40 (51%) had partial cavitation of the index lesion at median follow-up of 403 (range, 315–1781) days. In 42 of 79 (53%) patients, we observed a new white matter hyperintensity adjacent to the index infarct, either superior (white matter hyperintensity cap, n=17), inferior (white matter hyperintensity track, n=13), or both (n=12). Conclusions— Half of the sporadic symptomatic lacunar infarcts developed secondary changes in superior and inferior white matter. These white matter hyperintensity caps and tracks may reflect another aspect of cerebral small vessel-related disease progression. The clinical and prognostic values remain to be determined.
Study on electromagnetic shielding wood-Ni-P composite prepared by electroless nickel plating

Electroless nickel plating was used for depositing Ni-P alloy on larch wood veneer and preparing wood-Ni-P composite.The component of layers was analyzed by energy dispersion spectrum(EDS) and the surface feature and structure were characterized by x-ray diffraction(XRD) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). Low-resistance measuring instrument and spectrum analyzer were used for measuring surface resistance and electromagnetic shielding effectiveness(ESE). Bonding force was also tested by using a vertical pulling method.The results show that the composite obtained has the same porous structure with wood veneer and the layer is uniform micro-crystalline Ni-P alloy where the content of P is 1.53%. The surface resistivity is in the range from 10~(-1) to 10~0 Ω/cm~2 and the ESE is close to 60 dB at frequencies from 9 kHz to(1.5 GHz,)and the layer is firmly bonded to the surface of wood veneer.
Time delay in molecular photoionization

Time-delays in the photoionization of molecules are investigated. As compared to atomic ionization, the time-delays expected from molecular ionization present a much richer phenomenon, with a strong spatial dependence due to the anisotropic nature of the molecular scattering potential. We investigate this from a scattering theory perspective, and make use of molecular photoionization calculations to examine this effect in representative homonuclear and hetronuclear diatomic molecules, nitrogen and carbon monoxide. We present energy and angle-resolved maps of the Wigner delay time for single-photon valence ionization, and discuss the possibilities for experimental measurements.
Temperature predictions and adjustment factors for asphalt pavement

This report presents the results of an analysis of the response that deflections and backcalculated asphalt moduli have to the pavement temperature. The study used deflection and temperature data from 40 sites monitored in the Seasonal Monitoring Program of the Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) program. The report presents improved methods of estimating the temperature within an asphalt pavement based on the measurement procedures used for the LTPP program. The data necessary to estimate the temperature within the asphalt included the surface temperature, time of day, depth below the surface, and the average air temperature from the previous day. Backcalculation of the asphalt modulus from the deflection data of the 40 sites was related to pavement temperature, and a method of estimating what the modulus of the asphalt would be at different temperatures is presented. Deflection and deflection basin shape factor response to temperature was also evaluated, resulting in relationships for each of the items evaluated with pavement temperature. Items evaluated include the deflection under the load plate (center sensor), center sensor minus offset sensors, center sensor divided by offset sensors, AREA factor, and the F-1 factor. The relationships were then used to develop procedures for adjusting for the effects of temperature.
Randomized clinical trial evaluating mETDRS versus normal or high-density micropulse photocoagulation for diabetic macular edema.

PURPOSE To compare modified Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (mETDRS) focal/grid laser photocoagulation with normal-density (ND-SDM) or high-density (HD-SDM) subthreshold diode-laser micropulse photocoagulation for the treatment diabetic macular edema (DME). METHODS A prospective, randomized, controlled, double-masked clinical trial with patients with previously untreated DME and best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) worse than 20/40 and better than 20/400. Patients were randomized to receive either mETDRS focal/grid photocoagulation (42 patients), ND-SDM (39 patients), or HD-SDM (42 patients). Before treatment and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after treatment, all patients underwent ophthalmic examinations, BCVA, color fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, and optical coherence tomography (OCT). RESULTS At 12 months, the HD-SDM group had the best improvement in BCVA (0.25 logMAR), followed by the mETDRS group (0.08 logMAR), whereas no improvements were seen in the ND-SDM group (0.03 logMAR). All groups showed statistically significant progressive reduction of central macular thickness (CMT) throughout the study (P < 0.001). The HD-SDM group exhibited the greatest CMT reduction (154 μm), which was not significantly different from that of the mETDRS group (126 μm; P = 0.75). CONCLUSIONS At 1 year, the clinical performance of HD-SDM was superior to that of the mETDRS photocoagulation technique, according to the anatomic and functional measures of improvement used in this investigation. A rationale for this treatment modality as a preferable approach is suggested, and the precise role of subthreshold micropulse laser treatment may become more defined as experience grows, guided by optimized treatment guidelines and more comprehensive trials. (Clinicaltrials.gov number, NCT00552435.).
"I'm overburdened!" An Empirical Study of the Player, the Avatar, and the Gameworld

This paper presents the first results of an empiric al study of how players interpret the role of the player and th e relationship between the player and playable figures in gam eworlds. In the following, we will see examples of f our genres that situate the player in different positio ns with respect to the gameworld. Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars illustrates a game where the player does not have a playable figure in the gameworld, while Crysis exemplifies a game where player and playable figure viewpoints merge into one entity. Diablo 2 represents a game with a developing figure, and The Sims 2 demonstrates a hybrid combination of named, developing figures controlled by the player from a god perspective. The study sho ws that players tend to accept all features that aid them i n understanding how to play the game, and that it does not matter whether features have a stylistic or naturalistic r elationship to the gameworld. Regarding the relationship betwee n player and playable figure, the respondents do not see the dual position of the player situated in the physica l world while having the power to act within the gameworld as a paradox, but a necessary way of communication in games. Author Keywords
BIOCHEMICAL AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF SOME TRICHODERMA ISOLATES ANTAGONISTIC TO RHIZOCTONIA SOLANI THE CAUSAL OF BEAN ROOT-ROT

The genus Trichoderma is used as a bioagent against many of soilborne plant pathogenic fungi. Several potential isolates for biological control are difficult to be distinguished from the others. In this investigation, proteins and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to estimate the genetic variations between six isolates of Trichoderma spp which were. previously isolated from the rhizospheres of different plants growing in Fayoum Governorate, and two reference strains (T. harzianum and T. koningii) obtained from Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University. Four Trichoderma isolates were characterized morphologically as T. harzianum, one as T. koningii and one as T. viride. The best antagonistic effect against Rhizoctonia solani was obtained from some T. harzianum isolates. The damping off disease of bean seedlings was effectively controlled by adding either T. harzianum or their culture filtrates to the soil infested with R. solani under greenhouse conditions. The results of biochemical and molecular analysis revealed 96.8% polymorphism for proteins and 87% for RAPD. The similarity indices ranged from 77.8 % to 29.6% and 69% to 32% for proteins and RAPD, respectively. Cluster analysis based on similarity matrices of protein markers separated Trichoderma viride (FE6) from all the other isolates While, the other seven isolates fall in a second cluster. Cluster analysis of RAPD markers separated all T. harzianum isolates, FE1, FE2, FE3, FE4 and the reference strain (I8) in one cluster, while the other three isolates fall in a second cluster. The protein markers were successful in identifying 4 out of the eight Trichoderma isolates with 5 isolate specific unique markers while, RAPD assay (using 9 random primers) identified 8 out of the eight isolates with 37 isolate specific unique markers. From the obtained results, it is concluded that the RAPD-PCR analyses could be successfully used to characterize and determine specific molecular markers for the Trichoderma isolates.
Particulate β-glucans synergistically activate TLR4 and Dectin-1 in human dendritic cells.

SCOPE The major receptor for β(1-3)-glucans on immune cells is considered to be Dectin-1 receptor. Particulate β-glucans induce stronger immune responses than soluble β-glucans by clustering of Dectin-1 receptors. Here, it was hypothesized that activation of other pattern recognition receptors such as Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) can also contribute to enhanced activity of immune cells after exposure to particulate β-glucans. METHODS AND RESULTS To test this hypothesis, reporter cell lines were designed expressing TLR4 with either Dectin-1A or Dectin-1B, that is, one of the two transcript variants of human Dectin-1 receptors. Enhanced NF-κB activation was observed after stimulation with particulate β-glucans in both Dectin-1A-TLR4 and the Dectin-1B-TLR4 cell lines. This was different with soluble β-glucans, which enhanced activation in Dectin-1A-TLR4 cell lines but not in Dectin-1B-TLR4 cells. The synergistic activation of TLR4 and Dectin-1 by particulate β-glucans was confirmed in human dendritic cells. The effects of particulate β-glucan induced TLR4 binding were regulatory as blocking TLR4 enhanced pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-23, IL-4, IL-6, and TNF-α production. CONCLUSION These results suggest that TLR4 and Dectin-1 are synergistically activated by particulate β-glucans, wherein TLR4 activates an immune regulatory pathway in human dendritic cells. Our data suggest that β-glucan is an immune regulatory ligand for TLR4.
[The efficacy and tolerability of pericyazine in the treatment of patients with schizotypal disorder, organic personality disorders and pathocharacterological changes within personality disorders].

AIM To assess the efficacy and tolerability of pericyazine in the treatment of patients with mental disorders manifesting with psychopathic-like symptoms and correction of pathocharacterological disorders in patients with personality disorders during the short-term admission to the hospital or the long-term outpatient treatment. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty-three patients with schizotypal personality disorder and organic personality disorder with psychopathic-like symptoms and pathocharacterological changes within the diagnosis of dissocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder were examined. Patients received pericyazine during the short-term admission to the hospital (6 weeks) or the long-term outpatient treatment (6 month). Efficacy, tolerability and compliance were assessed in the study. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Treatment with pricyazine was effective in all patients. The improvement was seen in patients with organic personality disorders and patients with personality disorders (psychopathy). The maximal effect was observed in inpatients and this effect remained during outpatient treatment. The improvement of mental state of patients with schizotypal personality disorder achieved during inpatient treatment with pericyazine continued during the long-term outpatient treatment. Side-effects were restricted to extrapyramidal symptoms, the frequency of metabolic syndrome was low. During outpatient treatment, the compliance was higher if the patient was managed by the same psychiatrist during inpatient- and outpatient treatment.
Chemical Sensing in Two-Dimensional (2D) Nanomaterials

The development of highly sensitive portable chemical sensors is of a fundamental importance in environmental monitoring, medical diagnostics, and other areas. In this respect, two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials have attracted great attention due to their excellent electrical and structural properties. As the main representative of the 2D materials, graphene has exhibited great performance in a wide range of sensing applications over the past decade. Particularly, it is unraveled that structural defects play a crucial role on the sensing performance of the graphene-based sensing devices. In this thesis, the roles of internal and external structural defects on the sensing performance of graphene-based chemical sensors have been elucidated. In the beginning, it is shown that the sensitivity (in terms of modulation in electrical conductivity) of pristine graphene chemical field-effect transistors (chemFETs) is not necessarily intrinsic to graphene, but rather it is facilitated by external defects in the insulating substrate, which can modulate the electronic properties of graphene. We disclose a mixing effect caused by partial overlap of the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of adsorbed gas molecules to explain graphene’s ability to detect adsorbed molecules. In the next phase, graphene grain boundaries are extensively studied as they are known to desirably alter the electronic properties and chemical reactivity of graphene structures. It is observed that an isolated graphene grain boundary has ~300 times higher sensitivity to the adsorbed gas molecules than a single crystalline graphene grain. Electronic structure and transport modeling reveal that the ultra-sensitivity in grain boundaries is caused by a synergetic combination of gas molecules accumulation at grain boundary, together with the existence of a sharp onset energy in the transmission spectrum of its conduction channels. Moving beyond the graphene-based devices, several other members of 2D nanomaterials are also tested for their potential in chemical sensing applications. In particular, the sensing characteristics of black phosphorus (BP) films of stacked atomic layers made by liquid exfoliation and vacuum filtration are studied. Interestingly, BP films are observed to exhibit an ultra-sensitive and selective response towards humid air with a trace-level detection capability and a negligible drift over time. Lifetime analysis predicts that BP film sensors can function stably for several years in highly humid environments. This study opens up the route for utilizing BP stacked films in many applications such as energy generation/storage systems, electrocatalysis, and chemical/bio-sensing. It is believed that the family of 2D materials consists of numerous unexplored members that can revolutionize the chemical and biological sensing industry.
A variational perspective on accelerated methods in optimization

Significance Optimization problems arise naturally in statistical machine learning and other fields concerned with data analysis. The rapid growth in the scale and complexity of modern datasets has led to a focus on gradient-based methods and also on the class of accelerated methods, first proposed by Nesterov in 1983. Accelerated methods achieve faster convergence rates than gradient methods and indeed, under certain conditions, they achieve optimal rates. However, accelerated methods are not descent methods and remain a conceptual mystery. We propose a variational, continuous-time framework for understanding accelerated methods. We provide a systematic methodology for converting accelerated higher-order methods from continuous time to discrete time. Our work illuminates a class of dynamics that may be useful for designing better algorithms for optimization. Accelerated gradient methods play a central role in optimization, achieving optimal rates in many settings. Although many generalizations and extensions of Nesterov’s original acceleration method have been proposed, it is not yet clear what is the natural scope of the acceleration concept. In this paper, we study accelerated methods from a continuous-time perspective. We show that there is a Lagrangian functional that we call the Bregman Lagrangian, which generates a large class of accelerated methods in continuous time, including (but not limited to) accelerated gradient descent, its non-Euclidean extension, and accelerated higher-order gradient methods. We show that the continuous-time limit of all of these methods corresponds to traveling the same curve in spacetime at different speeds. From this perspective, Nesterov’s technique and many of its generalizations can be viewed as a systematic way to go from the continuous-time curves generated by the Bregman Lagrangian to a family of discrete-time accelerated algorithms.