Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Phytoremediation of Crude Oil-Polluted Soil by Four Plant Species: Effect of Inorganic and Organic Bioaugumentation

A field experiment investigating the removal and/or uptake of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and specific metals (As, Cd, Cr) from a crude oil polluted agricultural soil was performed during the 2013 wet season using four plant species: Fimbristylis littoralis, Hevea brasilensis (Rubber plants), Cymbopogom citratus (Lemon grass), and Vigna subterranea (Bambara nuts). Soil functional diversity and soil-enzyme interactions were also investigated. The diagnostic ratios and the correlation analysis identified mixed petrogenic and pyrogenic sources as the main contributors of PAHs at the study site. A total of 16 PAHs were identified, 6 of which were carcinogenic. Up to 42.4 mg kg−1 total PAHs was recorded prior to the experiments. At 90 d, up to 92% total PAH reduction and 96% As removal were achieved using F. littoralis, the best performing species. The organic soil amendment (poultry dung) rendered most of the studied contaminants unavailable for uptake. However, the organic amendment accounted for over 70% of the increased dehydrogenase, phosphatase, and proteolytic enzymes activities in the study. Overall, the combined use of soil amendments and phytoremediation significantly improved the microbial community activity, thus promoting the restoration of the ecosystem.
Why Do Female Callosobruchus maculatus Kick Their Mates?

Sexual conflict is now recognised as an important driver of sexual trait evolution. However, due to their variable outcomes and effects on other fitness components, the detection of sexual conflicts on individual traits can be complicated. This difficulty is exemplified in the beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, where longer matings increase the size of nutritious ejaculates but simultaneously reduce female future receptivity. While previous studies show that females gain direct benefits from extended mating duration, females show conspicuous copulatory kicking behaviour, apparently to dislodge mating males prematurely. We explore the potential for sexual conflict by comparing several fitness components and remating propensity in pairs of full sibling females where each female mated with a male from an unrelated pair of full sibling males. For one female, matings were terminated at the onset of kicking, whereas the other’s matings remained uninterrupted. While fecundity (number of eggs) was similar between treatments, uninterrupted matings enhanced adult offspring numbers and fractionally also longevity. However, females whose matings were interrupted at the onset of kicking exhibited an increased propensity to remate. Since polyandry can benefit female fitness in this species, we argue that kicking, rather than being maladaptive, may indicate that females prefer remating over increased ejaculate size. It may thus be difficult to assess the presence of sexual conflict over contested traits such as mating duration when females face a trade off between direct benefits gained from one mating and indirect benefits from additional matings.
Thyroid disorders during pregnancy

Thyroid physiology is altered during pregnancy as a result of an increase in thyroid-binding globulin, the stimulatory effect of hCG on TSH receptors, and increased peripheral thyroid hormone requirements. In addition, hyper and hypothyroid disorders are prevalent among women of reproductive age, and most of them have a significant impact on the gravida, fetus and neonate. Aberrant thyroid function can be readily recognized and treated during pregnancy, avoiding such complications. Here, we will review the thyroid function changes occurring during pregnancy, the different disorders, their maternal and fetal implications, and the ways to screen, prevent and treat these conditions.
Comparative study between occult hepatitis C virus infection and chronic hepatitis C

Summary. We have recently described the presence of occult hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (HCV‐RNA in liver in the absence of anti‐HCV and serum HCV‐RNA) in patients with persistently abnormal liver function tests of unknown aetiology. The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics of patients with occult HCV infection vs those of patients with chronic hepatitis C. We compared clinical features of 68 patients with occult HCV infection and 69 untreated chronic HCV patients (anti‐HCV and serum HCV‐RNA positive), matched for age, gender, duration of abnormal liver function tests and body mass index. Aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were higher (P < 0.001) in chronic HCV, but cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly higher in patients with occult HCV infection (P < 0.001 and P = 0.002). Chronic HCV patients had higher gamma‐globulin (P = 0.005), alpha‐foetoprotein (P < 0.001) and iron (P < 0.001) levels. Percentage of patients with necroinflammatory activity and fibrosis was higher (P < 0.001) in chronic HCV than in occult HCV infection. Mean percentage of infected hepatocytes was higher (P = 0.001) in chronic HCV (10.1%) than in occult HCV infection (5.3%). This occult HCV infection is a milder disease than chronic HCV, and this could be related to the significantly lower number of infected hepatocytes observed in occult HCV.
Visualizing Madness

This article explores continuities between traditional iconographies of madness and images of mental illness mobilized by contemporary television program makers. In particular, it investigates how contrasting forms of British TV documentary visualize “dangerous” mental patients abroad in the community. In constructing the argument, particular attention is given to the role of documentary television in making visible the lives of schizophrenics vis-à-vis changing notions of psychiatric care in the community. By doing so, the article adopts an approach to public representations of madness/mental illness that takes account of documentary television as a cultural form with social responsibility. The article concludes by emphasizing television’s cultural importance as a visual medium capable of promoting or undermining mentally ill people’s symbolic presence within a community of citizens.
Calculating tissue shear modulus and pressure by 2D log-elastographic methods

Shear modulus imaging, often called elastography, enables detection and characterization of tissue abnormalities. In this paper the data are two displacement components obtained from successive MR or ultrasound data sets acquired while the tissue is excited mechanically. A 2D plane strain elastic model is assumed to govern the 2D displacement, u. The shear modulus, μ, is unknown and whether or not the first Lamé parameter, λ, is known the pressure p = λ∇ ⋅ u which is present in the plane strain model cannot be measured and is unreliably computed from measured data and can be shown to be an order one quantity in the units kPa. So here we present a 2D log-elastographic inverse algorithm that (1) simultaneously reconstructs the shear modulus, μ, and p, which together satisfy a first-order partial differential equation system, with the goal of imaging μ; (2) controls potential exponential growth in the numerical error and (3) reliably reconstructs the quantity p in the inverse algorithm as compared to the same quantity computed with a forward algorithm. This work generalizes the log-elastographic algorithm in Lin et al (2009 Inverse Problems 25) which uses one displacement component, is derived assuming that the component satisfies the wave equation and is tested on synthetic data computed with the wave equation model. The 2D log-elastographic algorithm is tested on 2D synthetic data and 2D in vivo data from Mayo Clinic. We also exhibit examples to show that the 2D log-elastographic algorithm improves the quality of the recovered images as compared to the log-elastographic and direct inversion algorithms.
The elements of draping

We consider the gravity-induced draping of a 3D object with a naturally flat, isotropic elastic sheet. As the size of the sheet increases, we observe the appearance of new folded structures of increasing complexity that arise because of the competition between elasticity and gravity. We analyze some of the simpler 3D structures by determining their shape and analyzing their response and stability and show that these structures can easily switch between a number of metastable configurations. For more complex draperies, we derive scaling laws for the appearance and disappearance of new length scales. Our results are consistent with commonplace observations of drapes and complement large-scale computations of draping by providing benchmarks. They also yield a qualitative guide to fashion design and virtual reality animation.
It matters how much you talk: On the automaticity of affective connotations of first and second language words

We report the results of an affective priming study conducted with proficient sequential German and French bilinguals to assess automatic affective word processing in L1 and L2. Additionally, a semantic priming task was conducted in both languages. Whereas semantic priming effects occurred in L1 and L2, and significant affective priming effects were found in L1, affective priming effects in L2 were only found for participants with high levels of language immersion and frequency of L2 use. These results suggest that for sequential bilinguals the intensity of L2 use largely determines whether emotional words in L2 automatically activate their affective connotations.
Educational psychology and resilience in developing contexts: A rejoinder to Toland and Carrigan (2011)

If educational psychologists wish to make a meaningful difference as practitioners, both to the children they work with and the ecologies these children come from, then, knowledge and application of resilience theory is crucial. Toland and Carrigan (2011) underscore this relationship in their 2011 article in this Journal. In our contribution below, we extend their assertion by urging greater attention to the interactive processes which underpin resilience and, more particularly, to how proximal, face-to-face transactions embedded in mesosystems and microsystems and nuanced by the distal, macrosystemic influences, mould resilience. Using examples from resilience research conducted in South Africa we argue that such a focus (i.e. on the transactional ecosystemic nature of resilience) is crucial in developing contexts. Furthermore, we contend that sensitivity to mechanisms of resilience as well as the contexts and cultures in which these continuously evolve, begs an approach to practice that foregrounds the ecosystemic, promotes child-ecology transactions, and is cautious about generalizing resilience theory to children across diverse contexts, cultures and time periods. To conceptualize resilience as anything but a reciprocal, dynamic, contextually-influenced interaction between children and their ecologies, would be to fail children in developing contexts.
Effect of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 protein R (vpr) gene expression on basic cellular function of fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Vpr protein affects cell morphology and prevents proliferation of human cells by induction of cell cycle G2 arrest. In this study, we used the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe as a model system to investigate the cellular effects of HIV-1 vpr gene expression. The vpr gene was cloned into an inducible fission yeast gene expression vector and expressed in wild-type S. pombe cells, and using these cells, we were able to demonstrate the specific Vpr-induced effects by induction and suppression of vpr gene expression. Induction of HIV-1 vpr gene expression affected S. pombe at the colonial, cellular, and molecular levels. Specifically, Vpr induced small-colony formation, polymorphic cells, growth delay, and cell cycle G2 arrest. Additionally, Vpr-induced G2 arrest appeared to be independent of cell size and morphological changes. The cell cycle G2 arrest correlated with increased phosphorylation of p34cdc2, suggesting negative regulation of mitosis by HIV-1 Vpr. Treatment of Vpr-induced cell with a protein phosphatase inhibitor, okadaic acid, transiently suppressed cell cycle arrest and morphological changes. This observation implicates possible involvement of protein phosphatase(s) in the effects of Vpr. Together, these data showed that the HIV-1 Vpr-induced cellular changes in S. pombe are similar to those observed in human cells. Therefore, the S. pombe system is suited for further investigation of the HIV-1 vpr gene functions.
Corporate income tax reforms and international tax competition

This paper analyses the development of taxes on corporate income in EU and G7 countries over the last two decades. We establish a number of stylized facts about their development. Tax-cutting and base-broadening reforms have had the effect that, on average across EU and G7 countries, effective tax rates on marginal investment have remained fairly stable, but those on more profitable investments have fallen. We discuss two possible explanations of these stylized facts arising from alternative forms of tax competition. First, governments may be responding to a fall in the cost of income shifting, which puts downward pressure on the statutory tax rate. Second, reforms are consistent with competition for more profitable projects, in particular those earned by multinational firms.
Transition temperature range of thermally activated nickel-titanium archwires

Objectives The shape memory resulting from the superelasticity and thermoelastic effect is the main characteristic of thermally activated NiTi archwires and is closely related to the transition temperature range (TTR). The aim of this study was to evaluate the TTR of thermally activated NiTi archwires commercially available. Material and Methods Seven different brands of 0.019"x0.025" thermally activated nickel-titanium archwires were tested as received by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) over the temperature range from -100°C to 150°C at 10°C/min. Results All thermally activated NiTi archwires analyzed presented stage transformation during thermal scanning with final austenitic temperature (Af) ranging from 20.39°C to 45.42°C. Three brands of NiTi archwires presented Af close to the room temperature and, this way, do not present properties of shape memory and pseudoelasticity that are desirable in clinical applications. Conclusions The thermally activated NiTi archwires present great variability in the TTR and the elastic parameters of each NiTi archwire should be provided by the manufacturers, to allow achievement of the best clinical performance possible.
The global mass-to-light ratio of SLACS lenses

Aims. The dark matter content of early-type galaxies (ETGs) is a hotly debated topic with contrasting results arguing in favour of or against the presence of significant dark mass within the effective radius and the change with luminosity and mass. To address this question, we investigate here the global mass-to-light ratio Y(r) = M(r)/L(r) of a sample of 21 lenses observed within the Sloan Lens ACS (SLACS) survey. Methods. We follow the usual approach of the galaxy as a two component systems, but we use a phenomenological ansatz for Y(r), proposed by some of us, that is able to smoothly interpolate between constant M/L models and a wide class of dark matter haloes. The resulting galaxy model is then fitted to the data on the Einstein radius and aperture velocity dispersion. Results. Our phenomenological model turns out to agree with the data suggesting the presence of massive dark matter haloes to explain the lensing and dynamics properties of the SLACS lenses. According to the values of the dark matter mass fraction, we argue that the halo may play a significant role in the inner regions probed by the data, but such a conclusion strongly depends on the adopted initial mass function of the stellar population. Finally, we find that the dark matter mass fraction within Reff scales with both the total luminosity and stellar mass in such a way that more luminous (and hence more massive) galaxies have a greater dark matter content.
Industrial railway heritage trains: the evolution of a heritage tourism genre and its attributes

Heritage tourism forms a specific genre within the wider field of tourism; however, this genre itself encompasses a wide range of different types of heritage attractions, of which industrial attractions, military attractions, stately homes and attractions associated with historic people are all examples. This paper discusses the evolution of industrial railway heritage attractions from their original railway operations to visitor attractions; second, it examines the key attributes defining successful industrial railway heritage attractions; and third, it compares and contrasts these attributes for three industrial railway heritage attractions, spanning three separate locations and two countries (Australia and Malaysia). The findings from the study identify and support ranges of success factors and suggest a framework for examining the genre of industrial railway heritage attractions and their attributes. This framework can direct future studies that investigate the nature of industrial railway heritage trains, and contribute to enriching understanding and knowledge of this genre of attractions.
The Impact of Situational Variables on Helpers' Perceptions of Comforting Messages

Research indicates that people consistently perceive highly person-centered comforting messages as providing the most effective and sensitive emotional support. However, research on helping suggests that attributions about the cause of the distressful event (blame) and its solution (control) may influence what people perceive to constitute appropriate help. This study assessed how attributions of blame and control influenced evaluations of comforting messages varying in level of person centeredness. Participants (N = 342) read about a situation in which a sad target was either responsible or not responsible for the problem and either could or could not influence the outcome of the situation. Messages low in person centeredness were viewed as more appropriate with high blame targets, whereas messages high in person centeredness were viewed as more appropriate with low blame targets. Perceptions of situation controllability did not influence evaluations. The study also detected gender differences in perceptions of comforting messages.
Problems in Modeling and Measuring Recidivism

Despite the fundamental character of recidivism as a measure of correctional effectiveness, and its wide use in all aspects of the theory and operations of the crime control process, there is sur prising misconception regarding its use and measurement. This paper uses probabilistic models to examine two types of potential misconception. The first arises from alternative definitions of recidivism based on the stage in the criminal justice process at which recidivism is measured. The second arises from alternative methods of sampling criminal careers. The analysis helps to clarify possible interpretations of recidivism data, including those reported by the FBI under "Careers in Crime. "
A nutrient-sensitive restriction point is active during retinal progenitor cell differentiation

In many growing tissues, slowly dividing stem cells give rise to rapidly proliferating progenitors that eventually exit the cell cycle and differentiate. Growth rates are limited by nutrient availability, but it is unclear which steps of the proliferation-differentiation programme are particularly sensitive to fuel supplies. We examined how nutrient deprivation (ND) affects stem and progenitor cells in the ciliary marginal zone (CMZ) of the amphibian retina, a well-characterised neurogenic niche. We show that ND specifically blocks the proliferation and differentiation of progenitor cells through an mTOR-mediated mechanism. By contrast, the identity and proliferation of retinal stem cells are insensitive to ND and mTOR inhibition. Re-feeding starved retinas in vitro rescues both proliferation and differentiation, and activation of mTOR is sufficient to stimulate differentiation even in ND retinas. These results suggest that an mTOR-mediated restriction point operates in vivo to couple nutrient abundance to the proliferation and differentiation programme in retinal progenitor cells.
A second look at bloom filters

This note deals with a paper by Gremillion demonstrating the simulation approach to the design of a Bloom filter. It is shown that an analytical approach can yield insights into competing filter design and give expected values for the goodness-of-hash transformations not available with simulation. On the other hand, simulation gives insight into what can be expected with available hash transformation not available from an analytic approach.
The role of older children and adults in wild poliovirus transmission

Significance The incidence of poliomyelitis has dropped precipitously over the last decade. However, persistent transmission in three countries and outbreaks elsewhere challenge the end-2014 eradication target. The Global Polio Eradication Initiative is considering expanding the age range of vaccination campaigns even in the absence of adult cases, because of concerns about imperfect, waning intestinal immunity. The success of this approach will depend on the contribution to transmission by older ages, which we estimated during two large outbreaks affecting adults. Their contribution was found to depend on the setting, but there was no evidence for imperfect immunity contributing to the transmission of infection. Even small gains in the speed of vaccination response were found to have substantially greater benefit compared with expanded age range campaigns. As polio eradication inches closer, the absence of poliovirus circulation in most of the world and imperfect vaccination coverage are resulting in immunity gaps and polio outbreaks affecting adults. Furthermore, imperfect, waning intestinal immunity among older children and adults permits reinfection and poliovirus shedding, prompting calls to extend the age range of vaccination campaigns even in the absence of cases in these age groups. The success of such a strategy depends on the contribution to poliovirus transmission by older ages, which has not previously been estimated. We fit a mathematical model of poliovirus transmission to time series data from two large outbreaks that affected adults (Tajikistan 2010, Republic of Congo 2010) using maximum-likelihood estimation based on iterated particle-filtering methods. In Tajikistan, the contribution of unvaccinated older children and adults to transmission was minimal despite a significant number of cases in these age groups [reproduction number, R = 0.46 (95% confidence interval, 0.42–0.52) for >5-y-olds compared to 2.18 (2.06–2.45) for 0- to 5-y-olds]. In contrast, in the Republic of Congo, the contribution of older children and adults was significant [R = 1.85 (1.83–4.00)], perhaps reflecting sanitary and socioeconomic variables favoring efficient virus transmission. In neither setting was there evidence for a significant role of imperfect intestinal immunity in the transmission of poliovirus. Bringing the immunization response to the Tajikistan outbreak forward by 2 wk would have prevented an additional 130 cases (21%), highlighting the importance of early outbreak detection and response.