Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biosorption of Heavy Metal Ions from Aqueous Solutions Using a Biomaterial

An increase in population initiating rapid industrialization was found to consequently increase the effluents and domestic wastewater into the aquatic ecosystem. Heavy metals are major toxicants found in industrial wastewaters; they may adversely affect the biological treatment of wastewater. Conventional methods for the removal of heavy metals from waste waters are often cost prohibitive hence, there is a need for cheap methods for effluent treatment. The residual metallic ion concentrations were determined using an Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The results obtained after contacting for 120 minutes showed that Neem leaves achieved the percent removal of 76.8, 67.5, 58.4 and 41.45 for Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ , Zn 2+ and Pb 2+ ions respectively. The percent removal of Ni 2+ ions was 68.75 with an effective dose of 1.0 g of Neem leaves (bioadsorbent). The ability of Neem leaves to absorb metal ions as shown from the results can be used for the development of an efficient, clean and cheap technology for effluent treatment.
Mental Sampling in Multimodal Representations

Both resources in the natural environment and concepts in a semantic space are distributed "patchily", with large gaps in between the patches. To describe people's internal and external foraging behavior, various random walk models have been proposed. In particular, internal foraging has been modeled as sampling: in order to gather relevant information for making a decision, people draw samples from a mental representation using random-walk algorithms such as Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). However, two common empirical observations argue against simple sampling algorithms such as MCMC. First, the spatial structure is often best described by a L\'evy flight distribution: the probability of the distance between two successive locations follows a power-law on the distances. Second, the temporal structure of the sampling that humans and other animals produce have long-range, slowly decaying serial correlations characterized as $1/f$-like fluctuations. We propose that mental sampling is not done by simple MCMC, but is instead adapted to multimodal representations and is implemented by Metropolis-coupled Markov chain Monte Carlo (MC$^3$), one of the first algorithms developed for sampling from multimodal distributions. MC$^3$ involves running multiple Markov chains in parallel but with target distributions of different temperatures, and it swaps the states of the chains whenever a better location is found. Heated chains more readily traverse valleys in the probability landscape to propose moves to far-away peaks, while the colder chains make the local steps that explore the current peak or patch. We show that MC$^3$ generates distances between successive samples that follow a L\'evy flight distribution and $1/f$-like serial correlations, providing a single mechanistic account of these two puzzling empirical phenomena.
Assessment of anxiety and depression in COPD patients-A pilot study.

COPD is a chronic multisystem disorder with various co morbidities. Smoking is a major risk factor. It’s etiology and multisystem effects may contribute to depression and anxiety. Interplay of various factors along with gender, socioeconomic, educational and marital status also do contribute to depression and anxiety in COPD. Unfortunately, Evaluation of anxiety and depression are often neglected in patients with COPD attending outpatient department (OPD) which may further effect their quality of life . This study was conducted to evaluate patients of COPD attending OPD for presence of depression and anxiety and various risk factors contributing . The study included 121 subjects (with smoking history) attending OPD of TB and Chest Diseases. Depression and anxiety were evaluated using Becks Depression Inventory (BDI) and Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS) respectively. Odds ratio was used to analyze the data. Depression was found in 69(57.02%) cases and anxiety in 44(36.37%) subjects . As per Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS) 4(9.09%), 12(27.27%) and 28(63.64%) were having mild, moderate and severe anxiety respectively (out of 44 anxiety cases). Similarly, in depressive subjects: 5(7.25%) were having minimal depression whereas 10(14.5%), 20(28.98%) and 34(14.50%) subjects suffered from mild, moderate and severe depression respectively. The probability of having depression was more in male gender (OR 1.325, CI:1.002-1.753), lower education class (OR 1.197,CI:0.734-1.951), higher social class (OR 1.153,CI:0.703-1.889), single marital status (OR 1.665,CI:0.754-3.677) and cases residing in urban locality(OR 1.346,CI:1.006-1.8). Probability of having anxiety was more in female gender (OR 1.667,CI: 1.023-2.714), rural locality (OR 1.260,CI:0.780-2.035), higher education (OR 1.034,CI:0.790-1.354), upper socioeconomic status (OR 1.670,CI:1.045-2.671) and marital status being single(OR 1.458,CI:0.687-3.097). Some factors play more important role in causing anxiety and depression than others and interplay of these factors in turn contribute to anxiety and depression in COPD cases. Thus proper identification and redressal of these factors will help in better management of COPD.
A flocking control mechanism based on the mode of internet of things

Flocking, which denotes the behavior of self-organization and coordination, is suitable for multi-robot applications in terms of cooperative transport and collaborative patrol. The Internet of Things as a recently proposed technology has been paid much attention to by many researchers in recent years. Because it is a ubiquitous network system and has many unique features and functions, the Internet of Things in the use of flocking control methods is a promising and potential future research direction. In this paper, there are two main contributions. One is that we summarize various existing flocking algorithms of Multi-robot ranging from different basic methods and different analysis tools to different environments. The other one is that we propose a novel flocking method based on the Internet of Things.
Meningitis Vaccination, Knowledge, and Awareness Among YMSM in Chicago

Serogroup C invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) outbreaks in men who have sex with men (MSM) have been occurring with greater frequency in urban areas across the United States. An effective vaccine for IMD is available and is recommended for MSM in outbreak settings. Particular subgroups of MSM have been disproportionately represented in outbreaks, specifically young, Black, and HIV-positive MSM. As little is known about the knowledge, awareness, and vaccination status of young MSM, we sought to describe this and explore racial/ethnic differences. Data were collected from an established cohort study—RADAR—of 16- to 29-year-old MSM recruited through previous cohort studies and/or by being a partner or peer of a current study member. A total of 486 young MSM (YMSM) responded to 13 IMD-related questions. Approximately half of the sample correctly identified how IMD is spread and 58.6% accurately responded that vaccination was the best prevention method; however, more than 60% of participants felt they were at no risk of getting meningitis and only 49% self-reported vaccination. Additionally, White YMSM were significantly more likely to be vaccinated and to have accurate knowledge and risk perception of IMD compared with Black YMSM. Findings have important implications for disease control, outbreak management, and intervention development.
The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ): a study of concurrent and construct validity

Abstract Introduction The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was developed to measure health-related physical activity (PA) in populations. The short version of the IPAQ has been tested extensively and is now used in many international studies. The present study aimed to explore the validity characteristics of the long-version IPAQ. Subjects and methods Forty-six voluntary healthy male and female subjects (age, mean±standard deviation: 40.7±10.3 years) participated in the study. PA indicators derived from the long, self-administered IPAQ were compared with data from an activity monitor and a PA log book for concurrent validity, and with aerobic fitness, body mass index (BMI) and percentage body fat for construct validity. Results Strong positive relationships were observed between the activity monitor data and the IPAQ data for total PA (ρ = 0.55, P < 0.001) and vigorous PA (ρ = 0.71, P < 0.001), but a weaker relationship for moderate PA (ρ = 0.21, P = 0.051). Calculated MET-h day−1 from the PA log book was significantly correlated with MET-h day−1 from the IPAQ (ρ = 0.67, P < 0.001). A weak correlation was observed between IPAQ data for total PA and both aerobic fitness (ρ = 0.21, P = 0.051) and BMI (ρ = 0.25, P = 0.009). No significant correlation was observed between percentage body fat and IPAQ variables. Bland–Altman analysis suggested that the inability of activity monitors to detect certain types of activities might introduce a source of error in criterion validation studies. Conclusions The long, self-administered IPAQ questionnaire has acceptable validity when assessing levels and patterns of PA in healthy adults.
Lipopolysaccharide heterogeneity in Salmonella typhimurium analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

Salmonella typhimurium strains deficient in uridine diphosphate glucose epimerase were specifically labelled in the lipopolysaccharide by growing them with [14C]galactose. Electrophoretic analysis of isolated cell envelopes in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate revealed at least 40 regularly spaced bands. This banding pattern was stable in boiling dodecyl sulfate, and did not correspond to the pattern of polypeptides. A similar pattern was obtained from the isolated lipopolysaccharide. Mutant bacteria whose lipopolysaccharide contains only the core portion of the molecule gave only the fastest moving band. Bacteria whose lipopolysaccharide has only one repeating unit gave only two bands, one apparently corresponding to the core, the other moving somewhat slower. Bacteria with wild-type lipopolysaccharide gave bands corresponding to both of these, plus a large number of progressively more slowly moving ones, most likely representing lipopolysaccharide molecules with increasing numbers of repeating units in the O side chain. The distribution of chain lengths was unequal so that 77% of molecules with side chains had from 19 to 34 repeating units. On the other hand, two thirds of all lipopolysaccharide molecules were devoid of O side chains. In addition to this major heterogeneity due to differences in chain lengths, a second heterogeneity was indicated by the double character of each band.
Antimicrobial activity of prodigiosin is attributable to plasma-membrane damage

Abstract The bacterial pigment prodigiosin has various biological activities; it is, for instance, an effective antimicrobial. Here, we investigate the primary site targeted by prodigiosin, using the cells of microbial pathogens of humans as model systems: Candida albicans, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus. Inhibitory concentrations of prodigiosin; leakage of intracellular K+ ions, amino acids, proteins and sugars; impacts on activities of proteases, catalases and oxidases; and changes in surface appearance of pathogen cells were determined. Prodigiosin was highly inhibitory (30% growth rate reduction of C. albicans, E. coli, S. aureus at 0.3, 100 and 0.18 μg ml−1, respectively); caused leakage of intracellular substances (most severe in S. aureus); was highly inhibitory to each enzyme; and caused changes to S. aureus indicative of cell-surface damage. Collectively, these findings suggest that prodigiosin, log Poctanol–water 5.16, is not a toxin but is a hydrophobic stressor able to disrupt the plasma membrane via a chaotropicity-mediated mode-of-action.
A Typology of Consonant Agreement as Correspondence

This article presents a typology of consonant harmony or LONG DISTANCE CONSONANT AGREEMENT that is analyzed as arisingthroug h correspondence relations between consonants rather than feature spreading. The model covers a range of agreement patterns (nasal, laryngeal, liquid, coronal, dorsal) and offers several advantages. Similarity of agreeing consonants is central to the typology and is incorporated directly into the constraints drivingcorrespondence. Agreement by correspondence without feature spreadingcaptures the neutrality of interveningseg ments, which neither block nor undergo. Case studies of laryngeal agreement and nasal agreement are presented, demonstratingthe modelÕs capacity to capture varyingdeg rees of similarity crosslinguistically.
Spirituality: An essential dimension in the treatment of hypertension

THERE IS AN INCREASING acceptance of nonpharmacological approaches to the treatment of essential hypertension.1,2 These approaches are commonly a combination of the following intervention strategies: biofeedback, relaxation techniques, counseling, exercise, and diet modification. Although most of these treatments address mind-body integration, most do not incorporate spirituality. Transactional psychophysiology (TP) therapy is a unique treatment developed by Lynch and Thomas.3,4 In TP therapy, a person's inherent spirituality is integral to the treatment approach. This article focuses on the use of TP therapy in the treatment of hypertension.
Eighth Grade Students' Understandings of Groundwater

According to national standards, eighth graders should possess appropriate understandings regarding groundwater and its role in the hydrologic cycle. This study identifies what types of ideas eighth graders actually possess, providing invaluable information for high school and post-secondary science teachers in addressing students' prior conceptions. Students completed surveys composed of one multiple-choice item and one drawing prompt. The multiple-choice items were scored using a rubric and each drawing was analyzed for evidence of understanding of groundwater formation, movement, and storage. Class discussions regarding a groundwater model were videotaped, transcribed, and coded. Results indicate students hold naive conceptions concerning groundwater, however, the natures of those conceptions are not easily recognized due to students' conflicting use of vernacular and scientific language. Additionally, students' spatial reasoning plays a significant role in the development of their conceptions of groundwater as they construct mental models of materials and environments directly unobservable with the naked eye.
Permissions snapshots: Assessing users' adaptation to the Android runtime permission model

The Android operating system changed its security- and privacy-related permission model recently, offering its users the ability to control resources that applications are allowed to access on their devices. This major change to the traditional coarse-grained permission system was anticipated for a long time by privacy-aware users. This paper presents the first study that analyzes Android users' adaptation to the fine-grained runtime permission model, regarding their security and privacy controls. We gathered anonymous data from 50 participants who downloaded our application and answered questions related to the new permission model. The results indicate that the majority of users prefer the new model. We also collected data that demonstrate users' security controls at the given time. Our analysis shows that individuals make consistent choices regarding the resources they allow to various applications to access.
Cinema 3D

While 3D movies are gaining popularity, viewers in a 3D cinema still need to wear cumbersome glasses in order to enjoy them. Automultiscopic displays provide a better alternative to the display of 3D content, as they present multiple angular images of the same scene without the need for special eyewear. However, automultiscopic displays cannot be directly implemented in a wide cinema setting due to variants of two main problems: (i) The range of angles at which the screen is observed in a large cinema is usually very wide, and there is an unavoidable tradeoff between the range of angular images supported by the display and its spatial or angular resolutions. (ii) Parallax is usually observed only when a viewer is positioned at a limited range of distances from the screen. This work proposes a new display concept, which supports automultiscopic content in a wide cinema setting. It builds on the typical structure of cinemas, such as the fixed seat positions and the fact that different rows are located on a slope at different heights. Rather than attempting to display many angular images spanning the full range of viewing angles in a wide cinema, our design only displays the narrow angular range observed within the limited width of a single seat. The same narrow range content is then replicated to all rows and seats in the cinema. To achieve this, it uses an optical construction based on two sets of parallax barriers, or lenslets, placed in front of a standard screen. This paper derives the geometry of such a display, analyzes its limitations, and demonstrates a proof-of-concept prototype.
Cryptococcus neoformans Infection in Mice Lacking Type I Interferon Signaling Leads to Increased Fungal Clearance and IL-4-Dependent Mucin Production in the Lungs

Type I interferons (IFNs) are secreted by many cell types upon stimulation via pattern recognition receptors and bind to IFN-α/β receptor (IFNAR), which is composed of IFNAR1 and IFNAR2. Although type I IFNs are well known as anti-viral cytokines, limited information is available on their role during fungal infection. In the present study, we addressed this issue by examining the effect of IFNAR1 defects on the host defense response to Cryptococcus neoformans. In IFNAR1KO mice, the number of live colonies was lower and the host immune response mediated not only by Th1 but also by Th2 and Th17-related cytokines was more accelerated in the infected lungs than in WT mice. In addition, mucin production by bronchoepithelial cells and expression of MUC5AC, a major core protein of mucin in the lungs, were significantly higher in IFNAR1KO mice than in WT mice. This increase in mucin and MUC5AC production was significantly inhibited by treatment with neutralizing anti-IL-4 mAb. In contrast, administration of recombinant IFN-αA/D significantly suppressed the production of IL-4, but not of IFN-γ and IL-17A, in the lungs of WT mice after cryptococcal infection. These results indicate that defects of IFNAR1 led to improved clearance of infection with C. neoformans and enhanced synthesis of IFN-γ and the IL-4-dependent production of mucin. They also suggest that type I IFNs may be involved in the negative regulation of early host defense to this infection.
Quaking Inhibits Doxorubicin-Mediated Cardiotoxicity Through Regulation of Cardiac Circular RNA Expression

Rationale: RBPs (RNA-binding proteins) have been described to be expressed and regulated in various organs including the heart. Little is known about the role of RBPs in heart failure induced by the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin and their interaction with circular RNAs. Objective: We aimed to identify key RBPs involved in doxorubicin-mediated heart failure and to elucidate their function. Methods and Results: Global transcriptome profiling from murine myocardium exposed to doxorubicin identified 5 differentially expressed RBPs. Expression of the RBP QKI (Quaking) in response to doxorubicin was strongly downregulated in rodent cardiomyocytes and human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes in vitro and in vivo in mice. Knockdown of Qki in primary cardiomyocytes increased apoptosis and atrophy after treatment with doxorubicin, whereas lentiviral mediated overexpression of Qki5 inhibited the doxorubicin-induced apoptosis in cardiomyocytes. In vivo, AAV9 (adeno-associated virus serotype 9)–mediated cardiac overexpression of Qki5 prevented cardiac apoptosis and cardiac atrophy induced by doxorubicin and improved cardiac function. Mechanistically, by lentiviral-based overexpression and CRISPR/Cas9-mediated silencing of Qki5, we identified regulated expression of specific circular RNAs derived from Ttn (Titin), Fhod3 (Formin homology 2 domain containing 3), and Strn3 (Striatin, calmodulin-binding protein 3). Moreover, inhibition of Ttn-derived circular RNA increased the susceptibility of cardiomyocytes to doxorubicin. Conclusions: We here show that overexpression of Qki5 strongly attenuates the toxic effect of doxorubicin via regulating a set of circular RNAs. Qki5 is, thus, an interesting target molecule to combat doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.
Platelet-derived growth factor-producing CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T lymphocytes promote lung fibrosis.

RATIONALE There is evidence that CD4(+) effector T lymphocytes (T eff) participate in the development of lung fibrosis, but the role of their CD4(+) regulatory T-cell (T reg) counterparts remains to be determined. OBJECTIVES To elucidate the contribution of T reg cells in a mouse model of lung fibrosis induced by silica (SiO(2)) particles. METHODS Lung T reg and T eff cells purified from SiO(2)-treated Foxp3-GFP transgenic mice were cocultured with naive lung fibroblasts or transferred to the lungs of healthy mice. DEREG mice, which express the diphtheria toxin receptor under the control of the foxp3 gene, were used to deplete T reg cells during fibrogenesis. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS CD4(+) Foxp3(+) T reg cells were persistently recruited in the lungs in response to SiO(2). T reg accumulation paralleled the establishment of pulmonary immunosuppression and fibrosis. T reg cells highly expressed platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-B via a TGF-β autocrine signaling pathway, directly stimulated fibroblast proliferation in vitro, and increased lung collagen deposition upon transfer in the lung of naive mice. The direct profibrotic effects of T reg cells were abolished by the inhibitor of the PDGF-B/TGF-β signaling pathway, imatinib mesylate. Neutralization of T reg-immunosuppressive activity resulted in enhanced accumulation of T eff cells and IL-4-driven pulmonary fibrogenesis, further demonstrating that T reg cells control T eff cell functions during inflammatory fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS Our study indicates that T reg cells contribute to lung fibrosis by stimulating fibroblasts through the secretion of PDGF-B in noninflammatory conditions and regulate detrimental T eff cell activities during inflammation-related fibrosis.
Plasmodium cellular effector mechanisms and the hepatic microenvironment

Plasmodium falciparum malaria remains one of the most serious health problems globally. Immunization with attenuated parasites elicits multiple cellular effector mechanisms capable of eliminating Plasmodium liver stages. However, malaria liver stage (LS) immunity is complex and the mechanisms effector T cells use to locate the few infected hepatocytes in the large liver in order to kill the intracellular LS parasites remain a mystery to date. Here, we review our current knowledge on the behavior of CD8 effector T cells in the hepatic microvasculature, in malaria and other hepatic infections. Taking into account the unique immunological and lymphogenic properties of the liver, we discuss whether classical granule-mediated cytotoxicity might eliminate infected hepatocytes via direct cell contact or whether cytokines might operate without cell–cell contact and kill Plasmodium LSs at a distance. A thorough understanding of the cellular effector mechanisms that lead to parasite death hence sterile protection is a prerequisite for the development of a successful malaria vaccine to protect the 40% of the world’s population currently at risk of Plasmodium infection.