Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sorptive Removal of Phosphate From Wastewater Using Activated Red Mud

Red mud (RM), is a kind of industrial waste produced in the process of alumina production Because of the increasing demand for alumina during economic development, more and more RM is being produced. Hence, the disposal and management of RM remains a challenging issue to the alumina industry. This study examined the effect of acid activated red mud on phosphate removal. Thus, its use in phosphate removal can be also considered as a way of disposal. The removal capacity of RM for phosphate ions was studied as a function of solution pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage and adsorbate concentration. The maximum adsorption of the phosphate ions on the RM was observed at the pH values between 8 and 12. The equilibrium time was attained after 60 min. and the maximum removal percentage was achieved at an adsorbent loading weight of 0.5 gm/100ml. The equilibrium adsorption capacity of adsorbent used for phosphate was measured and extrapolated using linear Freundlich, Langmuir isotherms and the experimental data were found to fit the Freundlich isotherm model. The morphological characteristics of the adsorbent were evaluated by using a scanning electron microscope. SEM image for RM after adsorption of phosphate shows that phosphate ions appeared to cover the surface of RM. The optimized method was applied for the removal of phosphate from Zenin wastewater treatment plant (ZWWTP) and proctor and gamble (P&G) company for household products. The removal efficiency achieved was 94 %,74% in the ZWWTP sample, and 97% in the P&G sample.
The repeated bout effect: does evidence for a crossover effect exist?

Individuals undergoing an unaccustomed exercise bout incorporating a high degree of eccentric muscle contractions commonly experience delayed onset muscle soreness. The damage manifests itself via tenderness, loss of strength, swelling, elevated muscle enzyme activity and loss of flexibility. Following an initial "damage bout," a repeated bout results in reduced symptoms. This protective effect is known as the repeated bout effect (RBE) and can last up to 24 weeks between bouts. The mechanism for this RBE is unclear and both central and local mechanisms have been suggested. In an attempt to test the central hypothesis, 12 subjects (mean age = 22.5± 4yrs, ht = 167±9cm, mass = 71.5±13.5kg) underwent an exercise protocol whereby one leg was exercised eccentrically and following complete recovery; the contralateral leg was exercised in the same manner. Subjects were required to step on and off a 46-cm step for 20 minutes at a cadence of 15 steps/minute. One leg was used to go up the step (concentric) while the opposite was used to go down (eccentric). Approximately two weeks later and following complete recovery, the protocol was repeated with the concentrically exercise leg now performing the eccentric contraction. Data analyses indicate that muscle damage was induced during both trials on the eccentrically exercised leg as evidenced by a change in tenderness (bout 1 P < 0.05: bout 2 P < 0.01), pain scores (bout 1 P < 0.0001; bout 2 P < 0.01), and strength loss (bout 1 P = 0.001; bout 2 P = 0.001) over the four day follow up period. No tenderness was evident on the concentrically exercised limbs when compared to baseline (Bout 1: P =0.13, Bout 2: P = .06). Pain was significantly lower in bout two versus bout one (P< 0.04), however, we attribute this to a tolerance effect. Neither strength loss nor tenderness were significantly different between bouts. In the current study, damage was induced in both bouts in the eccentrically exercised limbs. This preliminary data does not provide evidence for a central mechanism in that an initial bout of eccentric exercise using one limb did not provide protection against damage from a repeated bout with the contralateral limb two weeks later.
Numerical evaluation of heat transfer enhancement due to annular electroconvection induced by injection in a dielectric liquid

Two-dimensional numerical simulations are carried out to evaluate the enhancement of natural convection heat transfer in a dielectric liquid resulting from injection induced annular electro-convection. The liquid is confined between two concentric horizontal cylinders and subjected to the simultaneous actions of a direct current electric field and a thermal gradient. A unipolar injection from the inner cylinder introduces free space charges into the liquid. Numerical results are presented for the configuration of inner to outer diameter ratio of 0.5 and silicon oil as the working medium. It is found that the charge injection may induce a strong radial fluid motion, which consequently augments the heat transfer rate. Due to the linear stability nature of electro-convection, there exists a threshold value of the electric driving parameter, above which the electrical enhancement becomes manifest. In addition, when the electric driving parameter is sufficiently high, the flow is fully dominated by the Coulomb force, and thus heat transfer becomes independent of the thermal driving parameter.
Arsenic trioxide in the treatment of newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia: A single center experience

Arsenic trioxide (As2O3) has been found effective in the treatment in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APML). Most studies with As2O3 involve patients with APML who have relapsed following standard therapy. Between January 1998 and July 2000, 14 patients were recruited for an ongoing trial of As2O3 in the treatment of newly diagnosed APML. Arsenic trioxide was administered at a dose of 10 mg/day until complete remission (CR) was achieved. Afterward, a consolidation course and a maintenance schedule consisting of As2O3 as a single agent were administered over 6 months. There were 3 early deaths related to intra‐cerebral hemorrhage: two on day 3 and one on day 4. Of the 11 evaluable patients, one died on day 21 secondary to uncontrolled sepsis, while the remaining 10 (91%) have attained CR. The average time to CR was 52.3 days (range: 34–70 days). One patient developed an isolated central nervous system (CNS) relapse and subsequently went into a second CR following therapy with triple intrathecal chemotherapy, cranial irradiation, and an additional 4‐week course of systemic As2O3. This patient, as well as the remaining nine, has continued to remain in CR at a median follow up of 15 months (range: 2−33 months). Eight out of 10 patients achieved molecular remission at variable periods during their consolidation and maintenance schedules. One patient developed an ATRA syndrome and was administered daunorubicin (40 mg/day) for 2 days. The side effects with this therapy were minimal and did not require cessation of therapy in any patient. There was no significant hepatic toxicity. In our experience, arsenic trioxide is effective in inducing and maintaining remission in patients with APML with minimal side effects. The optimal regimen and total dose required need to be defined. Am. J. Hematol. 70:292–299, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Equine Multinodular Pulmonary Fibrosis in association with an EHV-5 infection in 5 horses.

Between 2006 and 2008, 5 adult horses hailing from South Germany (4/5 cases) and Austria (1/5) with different case histories but similar lung lesions were investigated at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich. Anamnesis included amongst others ongoing respiratory symptoms, weight loss, and poor body condition. Pathological examination of the lungs revealed a severe chronic interstitial and fibrosing pneumonia with acute inflammatory components, which differs significantly from other fibrosing lung diseases due to its nodular pattern, the remodelling of the lung architecture, and the presence of eosinophilic intranuclear viral inclusion bodies within intraluminal macrophages. Neither bacteria nor fungi could be detected using special staining methods. In 4 horses, PCR analysis of paraffin-embedded lung tissue was initiated and yielded positive results for equine herpesvirus type 5 (EHV-5) DNA in all cases. Additionally, EHV-2 DNA was detected in 3 horses. Based on histopathological findings and PCR results, the diagnosis of equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis (EMPF) associated with an infection of EHV-5 was established. EMPF was first recognised in 2005 in the USA. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the occurrence of EMPF in Europe. Schlüsselwörter: Pferd, Lunge, Equine Multinoduläre Pulmonale Fibrose, EMPF, Equines Herpesvirus, EHV-5, EHV-2.
How Local Excitation–Inhibition Ratio Impacts the Whole Brain Dynamics

The spontaneous activity of the brain shows different features at different scales. On one hand, neuroimaging studies show that long-range correlations are highly structured in spatiotemporal patterns, known as resting-state networks, on the other hand, neurophysiological reports show that short-range correlations between neighboring neurons are low, despite a large amount of shared presynaptic inputs. Different dynamical mechanisms of local decorrelation have been proposed, among which is feedback inhibition. Here, we investigated the effect of locally regulating the feedback inhibition on the global dynamics of a large-scale brain model, in which the long-range connections are given by diffusion imaging data of human subjects. We used simulations and analytical methods to show that locally constraining the feedback inhibition to compensate for the excess of long-range excitatory connectivity, to preserve the asynchronous state, crucially changes the characteristics of the emergent resting and evoked activity. First, it significantly improves the model's prediction of the empirical human functional connectivity. Second, relaxing this constraint leads to an unrealistic network evoked activity, with systematic coactivation of cortical areas which are components of the default-mode network, whereas regulation of feedback inhibition prevents this. Finally, information theoretic analysis shows that regulation of the local feedback inhibition increases both the entropy and the Fisher information of the network evoked responses. Hence, it enhances the information capacity and the discrimination accuracy of the global network. In conclusion, the local excitation–inhibition ratio impacts the structure of the spontaneous activity and the information transmission at the large-scale brain level.
Genes responsible for the supervirulence phenotype of Agrobacterium tumefaciens A281

Agrobacterium tumefaciens A281 induces large, rapidly appearing tumors on a variety of plants and has a wider host range than other strains of A. tumefaciens. By using Tn3HoHo1 transposon mutagenesis and complementation analysis, a 2.5-kilobase DNA fragment which is responsible for the supervirulence phenotype was identified in the virulence (vir) region of the Ti plasmid. This fragment contains the virG locus, as well as the 3' end of the virB operon. A clone of this fragment conferred the supervirulence phenotype on A348, a nonsupervirulent strain. The increased virulence was correlated with an increased expression of vir genes, which could be achieved by introducing an extra copy of the transcriptional activator virG or the supervirulence region for maximum virulence. The virulence of the supervirulent strain A281 could be increased even further if the entire virB operon was added in addition to the virG operon. A plasmid, pToK47, containing virB and virG increased the virulence of all A. tumefaciens strains into which the plasmid was introduced. These data suggest that a highly virulent binary vector system can be constructed which might prove especially useful in the transformation of certain higher plants.
Developing therapies for advanced bladder cancer

Chemotherapy is an indispensable measure in the treatment of invasive or metastatic bladder cancer as even if metastases are not clinically apparent, the majority of cases of invasive bladder cancer are accompanied by micrometastases. At present, MVAC (methotrexate, vinblastine, adriamycin, cisplatin) is the gold standard for bladder cancer chemotherapy. There have consequently been many attempts at MVAC dose-intensification as well as many studies of the feasibility of neoadjuvant chemotherapy using MVAC. Unfortunately, the majority of results from these studies have been negative or contradictory. However, a recent large-scale randomised, controlled study yielded more promising results. Evidence has recently emerged which indicates that a useful chemotherapeutic strategy could possibly be devised by adjusting the dose and timing of MVAC. Increasing effort is also being put into the development of new gold standards for bladder cancer chemotherapy based on the use of newly developed antitumour drugs, and a number of candidates have emerged. It is hoped that the future we will see successful establishment of a number of useful regimens as a result of Phase III clinical studies using MVAC as their control regimen. For example, both gemcitabine and the taxanes, in combination with other drugs, are strong candidates for this purpose. The ultimate therapeutic strategy for bladder cancer will be a therapeutic approach which permits conservation of the bladder even when the malignancy is invasive and steady progress is already being made toward this goal, in limited cases, by means of multidisciplinary treatment.
Parasitological and immunological diagnoses from feces of captive-bred snakes at Vital Brazil Institute.

Fecal samples from 56 snakes at the Vital Brazil Institute, in the city of Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, were tested using the sedimentation and flotation techniques to investigate the evolutionary forms of parasites such as helminths and protozoa, and using enzyme immunoassay techniques to detect antigens of Cryptosporidium sp. and Giardia sp. Among the animals tested, 80.3% were positive for parasites. Out of these, there were 16 Bothrops jararaca, 16 B. jararacussu and 13 Crotalus durissus. The prevalence of parasitic nematodes was 41.1%, and nematodes were found in all three snake species. Among these, the most frequent finding was eggs of Kalicephalus sp. , which were diagnosed in 25% of the snakes. The positivity for protozoa detected using parasite concentration techniques was 75%, including oocysts of Caryospora sp. in 75%, cysts with morphology similar to Giardia sp. 3.6%, amoeboid cysts in 41.1% and unsporulated coccidia oocysts in 8.9%. Immunoassays for Cryptosporidium sp. antigens produced positive findings in 60.7%. Pseudoparasites were detected in 64.3%. These results show that there is a need to improve the sanitary handling of captive-bred snakes, and also for the animal house that supplies rodents to feed them. The results also highlight that diagnostic tests should be performed periodically on stool specimens from captive-bred snakes.
Pharmacological Actions And Potential Neuroprotective Effects Of Rhus Coriaria L. And Echium Amoenum L.: A Brief Review

In the present paper two plants (Rhus coriaria L. and Echium amoenum L.) have been reviewed for their pharmacological aspects. Rhus coriaria L. is a traditional medicinal herb belonging to the family of Anacardiaceae and variously known as Sicilian Sumac, Elm-Leaved Sumach, Tanner's Sumach. Historically, Rhus coriaria L. has possessed remarkable medicinal value. The leaves and berries of this herb have been used extensively as remedies in folk medicine. Echium amoenum L. is an annual herb belonging to the family of Boraginaceae. Flowers, stems, roots and leaves from this plant are used for medicinal purposes. Since, they have long been used in traditional medicine; it represents an interesting source to search for various pharmacological activities. The significant antioxidant efficacy of these herbs has been reported in previous studies. Antioxidants may have neuroprotective and neuroregenerative functions, by reducing or reversing cellular damage and by slowing the progression of neuronal cell loss. In conclusion, the plants contain antioxidant principles that may explain their neuroprotective properties and can be considered as a topic for future research studies.
Water infiltration in an ultisol after cultivation of common bean

Water infiltration in the soil is an important hydrological process that occurs at the interface of the soil-atmosphere system; thus, the soil management practice used has a strong influence on this process. The aim of this study was to evaluate water infiltration in the soil and compare equations for estimating the water infiltration rate in an Ultisol after harvesting common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under simulated rainfall. Field tests with a rainfall simulator were carried out in three soil management systems: minimum tillage (MT), conventional tillage (CT), and no tillage (NT). In NT, four levels of plant residue on the soil surface were evaluated: 0, 3, 6, and 9 t ha-1. The models of Kostiakov-Lewis, Horton, and Philip were used to estimate the infiltration rate. In the MT system, the final infiltration rate was 54 mm h-1, whereas in the CT and NT systems with up to 3 t ha-1 of plant residue on the soil surface, the rate was near 17 mm h-1. In addition, the results indicated that in the NT system the infiltration rate increased with plant residue coverage greater than 6 t ha-1, i.e., there was a positive correlation between plant cover and the water infiltration rate. The Horton model was the most suitable in representing the water infiltration process in the soil. Therefore, this model can be recommended for estimation of this variable regardless of the soil tillage system used.
Cyanotic congenital heart diseases among Nigerian children.

BACKGROUND There are only few reports on cyanotic congenital heart diseases (CCHD) among Nigerian and African Children. The current report aim to provide the most recent hospital based data on the distribution of CCHD in children less than 14 years of age, the demographic characteristics and risk factors identified. METHODS Prospective and cross-sectional involving consecutive cases of CCHD diagnosed with echocardiography at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital between January 2007 and June 2016. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Level of significance set at P<0.05. RESULTS There were 352 subjects with CCHD with a male to female ratio of 1.34:1. The children were age 2 days to 14 years with a mean ± SD of 38.62±44.74 months and median of 21 months. The most common type of CCHD (both isolated and multiple CCHD) was tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) followed double outlet right ventricle (DORV) and transposition of the great arteries (TGA). The most common mode of presentation was cyanosis. CONCLUSIONS TOF was found in almost half of the subjects. Cases of DORV which have been rarely reported were more than those with TGA. Most were diagnosed late. Cyanosis was the most common mode of presentation. Clinical features are protean; thus a high index of suspicion is required to make an early diagnosis.
Audio authenticity based on the discontinuity of ENF higher harmonics

This work deals with the use of electrical network frequency (ENF) higher harmonics to assess audio authenticity. It is assumed that ENF has corrupted the signal under analysis and also that, due to some non-linearity inherent to the sound recording process, higher harmonics are present. After down-sampling the audio signal and band-filtering it around a higher harmonic frequency, we estimate the phase of the resulting signal; the result provides a visual aid to check for possible audio tampering indicated by abrupt phase changes. As in a previous work based on the nominal ENF, we here use a feature extracted from the signal estimated phase to perform an automatic audio authenticity test. The result, although not as accurate as when the nominal ENF is used, provides a useful hint to audio forensic analyst whenever, for some reason, the nominal ENF has been removed from the signal.
A prospective study on cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, and cognitive function in the elderly.

The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between the peripheral concentrations of the adrenal steroid hormones cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) and cognitive impairment and decline. A prospective study design was used. The setting was a suburb of Rotterdam, The Netherlands. The study population consisted of a sample of 189 healthy participants from the population-based Rotterdam Study, aged 55-80 yr, who were invited for an additional examination. Follow-up examinations took place 1.9 yr after baseline, on the average. We determined fasting blood levels of DHEAS before dexamethasone administration and of cortisol and corticosteroid-binding globulin before and after the administration of 1 mg dexamethasone overnight. The 30-point Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was used to assess cognition. The associations with cognitive impairment (MMSE score of <26; 6% of the sample) and cognitive decline (drop in MMSE score of >1 point/yr; 24%) were estimated using logistic regression, with adjustment for age, sex, education, and depressive symptoms. An increase of 1 SD in the estimate of free cortisol (SD = 30.3) was associated with cognitive impairment, although not significantly [odds ratio (OR) = 1.5; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.9-2.4]. A 1 SD increase in the natural logarithm of cortisol after the administration of 1 mg dexamethasone (SD = 0.68) was associated with an OR for cognitive decline of 1.5 (95% CI, 1.0-2.3). A 1 SD increase in DHEAS (SD = 2.10 micromol/L) was inversely, but nonsignificantly, related to cognitive impairment (OR = 0.5; 95% CI, 0.2-1.1) and cognitive decline (OR = 0.6; 95% CI, 0.4-1.1). The ratio of free cortisol over DHEAS was significantly related to cognitive impairment (OR = 1.8; 95% CI, 1.0-3.2). This prospective study among healthy elderly subjects suggested that basal free cortisol levels were positively related to cognitive impairment, and cortisol levels after dexamethasone treatment were related to cognitive decline. There was an inverse, but nonsignificant, association between DHEAS and cognitive impairment and decline.
5 Morphology transformations in solutions: dynamic supramolecular aggregates

J-Aggregates are known to be supramolecular dye assemblies caused by the enthalpically-driven attractive chromophore interaction, being different from micelles or vesicles which are produced by entropy changes in the aqueous phase caused by hydrophobic effects. We succeeded in direct in situ observations and controls of various morphology transformations of “soft” mesoscopic J-aggregates in solution phases for the first time by virtue of their distinctive molecular ordering and prominent optical properties. Characteristic morphologies or structures of the aggregate were clarified in detail. The study on the nanoscopic/mesoscopic morphology of such molecular assemblies will be significant in relation to future supramolecular engineering that aims to obtain different shapes of a compound with differing useful properties.