Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Chemophytostabilisation Process of Heavy Metal Polluted Soil

Industrial areas are characterised by soil degradation processes that are related primarily to the deposition of heavy metals. Areas contaminated with metals are a serious source of risk due to secondary pollutant emissions and metal leaching and migration in the soil profile and into the groundwater. Consequently, the optimal solution for these areas is to apply methods of remediation that create conditions for the restoration of plant cover and ensure the protection of groundwater against pollution. Remediation activities that are applied to large-scale areas contaminated with heavy metals should mainly focus on decreasing the degree of metal mobility in the soil profile and metal bioavailability to levels that are not phytotoxic. Chemophytostabilisation is a process in which soil amendments and plants are used to immobilise metals. The main objective of this research was to investigate the effects of different doses of organic amendments (after aerobic sewage sludge digestion in the food industry) and inorganic amendments (lime, superphosphate, and potassium phosphate) on changes in the metals fractions in soils contaminated with Cd, Pb and Zn during phytostabilisation. In this study, the contaminated soil was amended with sewage sludge and inorganic amendments and seeded with grass (tall fescue) to increase the degree of immobilisation of the studied metals. The contaminated soil was collected from the area surrounding a zinc smelter in the Silesia region of Poland (pH 5.5, Cd 12 mg kg-1, Pb 1100 mg kg-1, Zn 700 mg kg-1). A plant growth experiment was conducted in a growth chamber for 5 months. Before and after plant growth, soil subsamples were subjected to chemical and physical analyses. To determine the fractions of the elements, a sequential extraction method was used according to Zeien and Brümmer. Research confirmed that the most important impacts on the Zn, Cd and Pb fractions included the combined application of sewage sludge from the food industry and the addition of lime and potassium phosphate. Certain doses of inorganic additives decreased the easily exchangeable fraction from 50% to 1%. The addition of sewage sludge caused a decrease in fraction I for Cd and Pb. In combination with the use of inorganic additives, a mobile fraction was not detected and an easily mobilisable fraction was reduced by half. For certain combinations of metals, the concentrations were detected up to a few percent. The application of sewage sludge resulted in a slight decrease in a mobile (water soluble and easily exchangeable metals) fraction of Zn, but when inorganic additives were applied, this fraction was not detected. The highest degree of immobilisation of the tested heavy metals relative to the control was achieved when using both sewage sludge and inorganic additives at an experimentally determined dose. The sequential extraction results confirmed this result. In addition, the results proved that the use of the phytostabilisation process on contaminated soils should be supported.
Outbreak of hepatitis A in the injecting drug user and homeless populations in Bristol: control by a targeted vaccination programme and possible parenteral transmission

Objective To study the use of hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccination in controlling an outbreak of HAV in inner-city Bristol among injecting drug users (IDUs). To study whether hepatitis C virus (HCV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) co-infection increases morbidity. Design Community-based cohort study. Setting Avon Health Authority area, UK. Participants All laboratory-confirmed cases of HAV infection notified in 2000. Intervention Administration of a targeted vaccination, education and liaison programme. Main outcome measures Number of cases of HAV before and after introduction of HAV vaccination programme. Mortality and number of patients requiring hospital admission. Association of HCV and HBV co-infection with hospital admission. Results Ninety cases of HAV were reported in the first 6 months of 2000, of whom a substantial number were IDUs and/or inner-city hostel residents. In the second 6 months of 2000, following the introduction of a vaccination programme among homeless people, hostel residents, and IDUs, the number of HAV cases fell to 33. Sixteen patients had evidence of HCV co-infection. No patient had chronic HBV infection. Two patients died as a result of HAV, and two subsequently died from drug misuse. Fifty-six per cent of HCV-co-infected patients required admission to hospital compared with 28% non-HCV-co-infected patients. Conclusions This is the first reported successful use of vaccination to control an outbreak of HAV in a population of IDUs and to prevent transmission to the wider population. HCV co-infection appears to increase the severity of HAV illness, as demonstrated by increased incidence of hospital admission.
Is Fentanyl an Anesthetic in the Dog?

The authors used the absence of vocalization and movement during application of a hemostat clamped to the first ratchet at the base of the tail as an indication of anesthesia for evaluation of the anesthetic properties of fentanyl in the dog. Eighty-six unpremedicated, unrestrained, untrained mongrel dogs were given one of eight doses of fentanyl citrate (125, 250, 500, 750, 1000, 1500, 2000, and 3000 μg/kg) as a single intravenous bolus injection. Dogs breathed spontaneously without oxygen supplementation. Anesthesia was assessed every 5 min until absence of anesthesia was recorded for two consecutive evaluations. Venous plasma samples were obtained in two or three dogs receiving each of the doses of fentanyl 5 min after fentanyl injection and again when application of the tail clamp elicited either vocalization or movement (positive response). Fentanyl resulted in re-cumbency in all animals except two receiving 125 Although all doses of fentanyl produced anesthesia in at least one animal 5 min after injection, the duration of anesthesia was short, responses unpredictable, and anesthesia achieved in all animals only with a dose of 3000 μg/kg. Increasing doses of fentanyl resulted in higher plasma fentanyl concentrations 5 min after injection and at the time of the first positive response to tail clamp but there was great variability. All doses of fentanyl caused statistically significant decreases in heart and respiratory rates but none produced apnea or a PaCO2 higher than 67 mm Hg. All dogs survived without sequelae. The data demonstrate that fentanyl can produce anesthesia in the dog but that requirements vary enormously and are extremely high in some animals and duration is short.
HPV Infections in Adolescents

Adolescents who are sexually active have the highest rates of prevalent and incident HPV infection rates with over 50–80% having infections within 2–3 years of initiating intercourse. These high rates reflect sexual behavior and biologic vulnerability. Most infections are transient in nature and cause no cytologic abnormality. However, a small number of adolescents will not clear the infection. Persistence of HPV is strongly linked to the development of high-grade squamous intra-epithelial lesions (HSIL) and invasive cancer. The HSIL detected, however, does not appear to progress rapidly to invasive cancer. Understanding the natural history of HPV in adolescents has shed light into optional treatment strategies which include watchful observation of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and low grade (LSIL). The association between age of first intercourse and invasive cancer cannot be ignored. Consequently, initiating screening at appropriate times in this vulnerable group is essential. In addition, with the advent of the HPV vaccine, vaccination prior to the onset of sexual activity is critical since most infections occur within a short time frame post initiation.
Asymmetry of Anticipatory Activity in Visual Cortex Predicts the Locus of Attention and Perception

Humans can use advance information to direct spatial attention before stimulus presentation and respond more accurately to stimuli at the attended location compared with unattended locations. Likewise, spatially directed attention is associated with anticipatory activity in the portion of visual cortex representing the attended location. It is unknown, however, whether and how anticipatory signals predict the locus of spatial attention and perception. Here, we show that prestimulus, preparatory activity is highly correlated across regions representing attended and unattended locations. Comparing activity representing attended versus unattended locations, rather than measuring activity for only one location, dramatically improves the accuracy with which preparatory signals predict the locus of attention, largely by removing this positive correlation common across locations. In V3A, moreover, only the difference in activity between attended and unattended locations predicts whether upcoming visual stimuli will be accurately perceived. These results suggest that the locus of attention is coded in visual cortex by an asymmetry of anticipatory activity between attended and unattended locations and that this asymmetry predicts the accuracy of perception. This coding strategy may bias activity in downstream brain regions to represent the stimulus at the attended location.
Double jeopardy: depressive symptoms and rapid subsequent pregnancy in adolescent mothers.

OBJECTIVE To examine whether depressive symptoms are a risk factor for a subsequent pregnancy in adolescent mothers. DESIGN Secondary analysis from a longitudinal risk-reduction intervention. SETTING Five community-based prenatal sites in Baltimore, Maryland. PARTICIPANTS Two hundred sixty-nine consenting teens, predominantly African American and with low income, who received prenatal care at any of the 5 community-based prenatal sites and completed follow-up questionnaires at 1 or 2 years post partum. Intervention Baseline depressive symptoms were measured with the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Outcome Measure Occurrence of and time to subsequent pregnancy by 2 years post partum. RESULTS Among teens completing at least 1 follow-up questionnaire, baseline depressive symptoms were present in 46%. A subsequent pregnancy by 2 years post partum was experienced by 49%, with a mean (SD) time to first subsequent pregnancy of 11.4 (5.8) months. Depressive symptoms were associated with increased risk of subsequent pregnancy in both unadjusted models (hazard ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-2.03) and adjusted models (hazard ratio, 1.44; 95% confidence interval, 1.00-2.01). CONCLUSIONS Depressive symptoms may be an independent risk factor for subsequent pregnancy in African American adolescent mothers. Because depression is treatable, future studies should evaluate whether improved recognition and treatment of adolescent depression reduces the risk of rapid subsequent pregnancy.
The biodiversity of the deep Southern Ocean benthos

Our knowledge of the biodiversity of the Southern Ocean (SO) deep benthos is scarce. In this review, we describe the general biodiversity patterns of meio-, macro- and megafaunal taxa, based on historical and recent expeditions, and against the background of the geological events and phylogenetic relationships that have influenced the biodiversity and evolution of the investigated taxa. The relationship of the fauna to environmental parameters, such as water depth, sediment type, food availability and carbonate solubility, as well as species interrelationships, probably have shaped present-day biodiversity patterns as much as evolution. However, different taxa exhibit different large-scale biodiversity and biogeographic patterns. Moreover, there is rarely any clear relationship of biodiversity pattern with depth, latitude or environmental parameters, such as sediment composition or grain size. Similarities and differences between the SO biodiversity and biodiversity of global oceans are outlined. The high percentage (often more than 90%) of new species in almost all taxa, as well as the high degree of endemism of many groups, may reflect undersampling of the area, and it is likely to decrease as more information is gathered about SO deep-sea biodiversity by future expeditions. Indeed, among certain taxa such as the Foraminifera, close links at the species level are already apparent between deep Weddell Sea faunas and those from similar depths in the North Atlantic and Arctic. With regard to the vertical zonation from the shelf edge into deep water, biodiversity patterns among some taxa in the SO might differ from those in other deep-sea areas, due to the deep Antarctic shelf and the evolution of eurybathy in many species, as well as to deep-water production that can fuel the SO deep sea with freshly produced organic matter derived not only from phytoplankton, but also from ice algae.
Students’ Unethical Behaviour: Insights from an African Country

Purpose - This paper explores the issue of students’ unethical behaviour by investigating students from Egypt. It investigates participants’ concern toward ethical publishing as well as plagiarism practicing and moral reasoning.Design/methodology/approach - Using a sample of 238 university students in Egypt, the current study deployed the McMahon and Harvey’s model of moral intensity (2006) to understand and explain the unethical behaviour of students in the study. Findings - Research findings showed that while gender does not have any significant effect on intentions to engage in unethical behaviour, level of studies has a partially significant impact in this regard.Originality/value - Being among the first studies tackling this issue in the context of Africa, the paper provides new insights on the status of plagiarism practice by students and investigates the effects of gender and level of studies on ethical behaviour of students.
Na+/K+-ATPase in the lacrimal glands of rabbits and its changes during induced autoimmune dacryoadenitis

Purpose To test the hypothesis that expression of Na+/K+-ATPase subunits in the lacrimal glands (LGs) of rabbits with induced autoimmune dacryoadenitis (IAD) changes. Methods LGs were obtained from adult female rabbits with IAD and age-matched female control rabbits. The LGs were processed for laser capture microdissection (LCM), real time RT–PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence for the detection of mRNA and proteins of the α1, α2, β1, β2, and β3 subunits of Na+/K+-ATPase. Results In the rabbits with IAD, mRNA levels of α1, β1, and β3 from whole LGs were significantly lower. In samples of acini and epithelial cells from various duct segments, collected by LCM, mRNA levels of α1, β1, β2, and β3 were significantly lower in the rabbits with IAD, although mRNA for α2 could not be detected. However, western blots demonstrated that all five subunits were significantly higher in the rabbits with IAD, although their distribution patterns were similar to those of the control rabbits, as demonstrated by immunofluorescence. Conclusions The data presented herein demonstrated significant changes in mRNA and protein expressions of Na+/K+-ATPase subunits in rabbits with IAD, suggesting that these changes may play a role in the pathogenesis of Sjögren’s syndrome and altered LG secretion, as observed in these animals.
Marketing Latin alternative music through social networking sites

MARKETING LATIN ALTERNATIVE MUSIC THROUGH SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES by Vanessa Ursala Garcia This thesis examined the marketing strategies for Latin alternative music used on MySpace, Facebook, and Al Borde (On the Edge). This study found that the understanding of the target demographic was important for implementing successful marketing strategies to niche audiences. Marketing Latin alternative music has not been successful at a mainstream level; therefore, marketers have targeted niche communities on social networking sites. The most dominant strategy used involved the status update feature on Facebook. It allowed musicians and marketers to communicate information and media to a large network of individuals across the country. Three other major strategies included event invitations, blogs, and the use of various types of digital media. They were also communicated through the status updates on Facebook. Finally, this thesis examined the transmission of culture, and it was found that culture was transmitted through the shared attitudes, beliefs, values, languages, and activities between the artists and the audience. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My warmest gratitude goes to my family for their sincerest support throughout my recent academic pursuit. I would like thank my aunts Josephine Gutierrez and Trini Arroyo for their encouragement during this process. I would like to especially thank my aunt Rose Farias for her strength, reassurance, and solace. She has continued to remind me how much of an accomplishment this has been, and she has given me the strength to carry on. I would like to wholeheartedly thank my best friend, Trisha Herschfelt, for her unwavering motivation and becoming my personal cheerleader. Her friendship and understanding have guided me through this journey, and I will always be thankful for that. My sincerest thanks go to my cousins Therese Farias Hernandez and Noelle Gutierrez for their continued encouragement and motivation throughout this whole process. Their tenderness, warmth, and strength have carried me through some of the most difficult times, and I am grateful for their support. I would like to extend my unconditional gratitude to my dear friend Ryan Bisio, who has been a pillar of support throughout most of this journey. His kindness and enthusiasm have helped me more than he knows, and I could not thank him enough. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to my former supervisor, Rick Johnson, who had allowed me to balance my work life with my educational goals. Finally, I would like to express my most enthusiastic thanks to Tera Martin, whom I’ve known since the inception of my academic career, for lending me an extra pair of eyes.
Effect of Positioning on Patient Outcomes After Coronary Angiography: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Restoring patient homeostasis after coronary angiography, the gold standard diagnostic test for coronary heart disease is usually achieved by manual compression of the puncture site using a sandbag and prolonged bed rest. However, this process frequently results in patient complaints of back pain and discomfort. Purpose: The aim of study was to assess the effect of positioning on patient outcomes after coronary angiography. Methods: This study used a single-blind randomized control trial approach. The sample consisted of 80 patients who had undergone a nonemergency coronary angiography via the femoral artery. Balanced block randomization was used to allocate participants into intervention and control groups. Routine care for the intervention group (n = 40) was adjusted to include the following: (1) intermittent changes to patient body and head position in bed during first 6 hours after catheterization, (2) reduction of sandbag compression time on the puncture site to 1 hour, and (3) regular examination for bleeding during the first 6 hours after catheterization. Intervention group participants were allowed to ambulate without restriction 6 hours after catheterization. Patients in the control group (n = 40) received routine care, consisting of (1) 6–24 hours of bed rest in the supine position with the affected leg fixed straight and immobilized and (2) sandbag compression on the puncture site for 6 hours. The main outcomes used in this study were level of back pain, discomfort, foot pain, bleeding, and hematoma. Results: Intervention group patients had significantly less back pain and foot pain and higher comfort than the control group at the second, third, and sixth hour after catheterization (p = .00). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of amount of bleeding and hematoma (p > .05). Conclusions: Findings suggest that changes in patient position may be safer in the early period of postcatheterization bed rest than currently indicated in standard practice protocols. Furthermore, limiting sandbag compression to 1 hour has no measurable effect on the incidence and severity of vascular complications.
Protective effect of simvastatin and rosuvastatin on trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid-induced colitis in rats

Objective: Statins have anti-inflammatory effects that are not directly related to their cholesterol lowering activity. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of simvastatin or rosuvastatin on the extent of colonic mucosal damage and on the inflammatory response in trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS)-induced ulcerative colitis. Materials and Methods: Ulcerative colitis was induced by single intrarectal injection of 120 mg/kg TNBS. Test groups were treated with simvastatin (10 mg/kg, p.o.) or rosuvastatin (10 mg/kg, p.o.). Colonic mucosal inflammation was evaluated clinically, biochemically, and histologically. Result: Disease activity index score in TNBS-treated rats, as determined by weight loss, stool consistency, fecal occult blood, were significantly lowers in simvastatin or rosuvastatin-treated rats than TNBS-treated animals. Simvastatin or rosuvastatin counteracted the reduction in colon length, decreased colon weight, neutrophil accumulation, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha level in TNBS-induced colitis. Simvastatin and rosuvastatin also inhibited the increase in oxidative stress levels after TNBS administration. Conclusions: These results suggest that simvastatin and rosuvastatin significantly ameliorate experimental colitis in rats, and these effects could be explained by their anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity.
Characterization of the Exradin W1 scintillator for use in radiotherapy.

PURPOSE To evaluate the main characteristics of the Exradin W1 scintillator as a dosimeter and to estimate measurement uncertainties when used in radiotherapy. METHODS We studied the calibration procedure, energy and modality dependence, short-term repeatability, dose-response linearity, angular dependence, temperature dependence, time to reach thermal equilibrium, dose-rate dependence, water-equivalent depth of the effective measurement point, and long-term stability. An uncertainty budget was derived for relative and absolute dose measurements in photon and electron beams. RESULTS Exradin W1 showed a temperature dependence of -0.225% °C(-1). The loss of sensitivity with accumulated dose decreased with use. The sensitivity of Exradin W1 was energy independent for high-energy photon and electron beams. All remaining dependencies of Exradin W1 were around or below 0.5%, leading to an uncertainty budget of about 1%. When a dual channel electrometer with automatic trigger was not used, timing effects became significant, increasing uncertainties by one order of magnitude. CONCLUSIONS The Exradin W1 response is energy independent for high energy x-rays and electron beams, and only one calibration coefficient is needed. A temperature correction factor should be applied to keep uncertainties around 2% for absolute dose measurements and around 1% for relative measurements in high-energy photon and electron beams. The Exradin W1 scintillator is an excellent alternative to detectors such as diodes for relative dose measurements.