Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ATTACHED-GROWTH SYSTEM FOR NITRIFICATION AT LOW TEMPERATURE

Sun, Zhe. M.S.E. , Purdue University, May 2014. Attached-Growth System for Nitrification at Low Temperature. Major Professor: Ernest R. Blatchley III. Lagoon systems are commonly used in small communities for domestic wastewater treatment. These systems are simple and economical to operate, and are often appropriate for use in areas where land costs are low. Lagoons are effective in removing conventional pollutants under warm-weather conditions; however, biochemical nitrification is hindered in suspended-growth lagoons during periods of extended cold weather. Attached-growth nitrification systems, as compared to suspended-growth systems, have been reported to yield improved biochemical nitrification under cold-weather conditions. In this work we investigated a new type of biochemical nitrification reactor (i.e., BOBBER) that includes increased surface areas to promote development of attached-growth nitrifying communities has applied to an aerobic lagoon system at Wingate, IN. Results of monitoring of this system have indicated improvements in oxidation of ammonia-N, especially during winter months. To examine the behavior of this system in a more controlled setting, two laboratoryscale mini-BOBBER systems were installed in a temperature-controlled room. The systems were treated with an ammonium chloride feed solution, and allowed to approach steady-state conditions at 20 °C, 15 °C, 10 °C, and 5 °C. In addition, a series of batch
Effect of Silymarin Administration on Cisplatin Nephrotoxicity: Report from A Pilot, Randomized, Double‐Blinded, Placebo‐Controlled Clinical Trial

Despite several introduced preventive modalities, cisplatin nephrotoxicity remains a clinical problem. Some in vitro and in vivo studies have addressed the protective effects of silymarin against cisplatin nephrotoxicity. This study evaluated the effects of silymarin administration on cisplatin nephrotoxicity as the first human study. During this pilot, randomized, double‐blinded, placebo‐controlled clinical trial, the effect of oral silymarin 420 mg daily in three divided doses starting 24–48 h before the initiation of cisplatin infusion and continuing to the end of three 21‐day cisplatin‐containing chemotherapy courses on cisplatin‐induced renal electrolytes wasting and kidney function were assessed. Cisplatin‐associated acute kidney injury (AKI) occurred in 8% of the patients. Urine neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin to urine creatinine ratio (NGAL/Cr) and urinary magnesium and potassium wasting increased significantly after cisplatin infusion in both groups. Significant positive correlation was found between cumulative dose of cisplatin and urine NGAL/Cr after three courses of cisplatin infusion. Incidence of AKI and the magnitude of urinary magnesium and potassium wasting did not differ between silymarin and placebo groups. No adverse reaction was reported by silymarin administration. Prophylactic administration of conventional form of silymarin tablets could not prevent cisplatin‐induced urine electrolyte wasting or renal function impairment. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparison of the relative toxicities of Shiga-like toxins type I and type II for mice

In earlier studies using a streptomycin-treated mouse model of infection caused by enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), animals fed Shiga-like toxin type II (SLT-II)-producing strains developed acute renal cortical necrosis and died, while mice fed Shiga-like toxin type I (SLT-I)-producing clones did not die (E. A. Wadolkowski, L. M. Sung, J. A. Burris, J. E. Samuel, and A. D. O'Brien, Infect. Immun. 58:3959-3965, 1990). To examine the bases for the differences we noted between the two toxins in the murine infection model, we injected mice with purified toxins and carried out histopathological examinations. Despite the genetic and structural similarities between the two toxins, SLT-II had a 50% lethal dose (LD50) which was approximately 400 times lower than that of SLT-I when injected intravenously or intraperitoneally into mice. Histopathologic examination of toxin-injected mice revealed that detectable damage was limited to renal cortical tubule epithelial cells. Passive administration of anti-SLT-II antibodies protected mice from SLT-II-mediated kidney damage and death. Immunofluorescence staining of normal murine kidney sections incubated with purified SLT-I or SLT-II demonstrated that both toxins bound to cortical tubule and medullary duct epithelial cells. Compared with SLT-I, SLT-II was more heat and pH stable, suggesting that SLT-II is a relatively more stable macromolecule. Although both toxins bound to globotriaosylceramide, SLT-I bound with a higher affinity in a solid-phase binding assay. Differences in enzymatic activity between the two toxins were not detected. These data suggest that structural/functional differences between the two toxins, possibly involving holotoxin stability and/or receptor affinity, may contribute to the differential LD50s in mice.
miR‐203 inhibits proliferation of HCC cells by targeting survivin

To validate whether down‐regulation of microRNA‐203 (miR‐203) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is involved in HCC progression by targeting survivin. MiR‐203 mimics was transfected into HepG2 cells to enhance miR‐203 expression, and miR‐203 inhibitor was transfected into HepG2 cells to inhibit miR‐203 expression. The effect of up‐regulation and down‐regulation of miR‐203 on survivin expression of HepG2 cells was evaluated using Western blot assay. The effect of miR‐203 or survivin expression on the proliferation of HepG2 cells was detected using the CKK‐8 assay. Over‐expression of miR‐203 significantly inhibited the expression of survivin in HepG2 cells (p < 0·05), and down‐expression of miR‐203 significantly promoted the expression of survivin in HepG2 cells (p < 0·05). Both over‐expression of miR‐203 and down‐regulation of survivin suppressed proliferation of HepG2 cells significantly compared with negative control. Low expression of miR‐203 contributes to the progression of HCC via targeting survivin. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Molecular Characterization of Mammalian Homologues of Class C Vps Proteins That Interact with Syntaxin-7*

Vesicle-mediated protein sorting plays an important role in segregation of intracellular molecules into distinct organelles. Extensive genetic studies using yeast have identified more than 40 vacuolar protein sorting (VPS) genes involved in vesicle transport to vacuoles. However, their mammalian counterparts are not fully elucidated. In this study, we identified two human homologues of yeast Class C VPS genes, human VPS11 (hVPS11) and human VPS18 (hVPS18). We also characterized the subcellular localization and interactions of the protein products not only from these genes but also from the other mammalian Class CVPS homologue genes, hVPS16 and rVPS33a. The protein products of hVPS11 (hVps11) and hVPS18 (hVps18) were ubiquitously expressed in peripheral tissues, suggesting that they have a fundamental role in cellular function. Indirect immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that the mammalian Class C Vps proteins are predominantly associated with late endosomes/lysosomes. Immunoprecipitation and gel filtration studies showed that the mammalian Class C Vps proteins constitute a large hetero-oligomeric complex that interacts with syntaxin-7. These results indicate that like their yeast counterparts, mammalian Class C Vps proteins mediate vesicle trafficking steps in the endosome/lysosome pathway.
Natural selection in the water: freshwater invasion and adaptation by water colour in the Amazonian pufferfish

Natural selection and ecological adaptation are ultimately responsible for much of the origin of biodiversity. Yet, the identification of divergent natural selection has been hindered by the spatial complexity of natural systems, the difficulty in identifying genes under selection and their relationship to environment, and the confounding genomic effects of time. Here, we employed genome scans, population genetics and sequence‐based phylogeographic methods to identify divergent natural selection on population boundaries in a freshwater invader, the Amazonian pufferfish, Colomesus asellus. We sampled extensively across markedly different hydrochemical settings in the Amazon Basin and use ‘water colour’ to test for ecological isolation. We distinguish the relative contribution of natural selection across hydrochemical gradients from biogeographic history in the origin and maintenance of population boundaries within a single species and across a complex ecosystem. We show that spatially distinct population structure generated by multiple forces (i.e. water colour and vicariant biogeographic history) can be identified if the confounding effects of genetic drift have not accumulated between selective populations. Our findings have repercussions for studies aimed at identifying engines of biodiversity and assessing their temporal progression in understudied and ecologically complex tropical ecosystems.
A METHODOLOGY FOR MEASURING THE VELOCITY AND THICKNESS OF WAVE-INDUCED UP-RUSHING JETS ON VERTICAL SEAWALLS AND SUPERSTRUCTURE

Waves breaking on vertical seawalls result in up-rushing water jets with high velocities, which in turn lead to large overtopping rates and pose a serious threat to pedestrians, vehicles or any infrastructure in the vicinity of the seawall. Nevertheless, knowledge on the characteristics, namely the velocity and thickness, of such jets is scarce. Based upon recent experiments in the Large Wave Flume (Groser Wellenkanal, GWK) of Forschungszentrum Kuste (FZK) the current paper proposes a semi-automated methodology for measuring velocity and thickness of up-rushing jets. The methodology was applied on cases considering waves ranging from non-breaking to nearly and strongly breaking and yielded encouraging results. With regards to the velocities a good repeatability is reported for non-breaking waves, while for breaking waves velocities are, as anticipated, observed to depend on the intensity of breaking. When the thickness is concerned, user based decisions are required as the selection process is drastically affected by the increased air content of the up-rushing jet.
Impact of CLOD Pathogen on Pacific Coral Reefs

A bacterial pathogen of coralline algae was initially observed during June 1993 and now occurs in South Pacific reefs that span a geographic range of at least 6000 kilometers. The occurrence of the coralline algal pathogen at Great Astrolabe Reef sites (Fiji) increased from zero percent in 1992 to 100 percent in 1993, which indicates that the pathogen may be in an early stage of virulence and dispersal. Because of the important role played by coralline algae in reef building, this pathogen, designated coralline lethal orange disease (CLOD), has the potential to greatly influence coral reef ecology and reef-building processes.
Leukocyte Migration Agarose Test for the Assessment of Human Neutrophil Chemotaxis

To apply the leukocyte migration agrose test (LMAT) to the in vitro assessment of human neutrophil chemotaxis, effects of different culture conditions on neutrophil migration under agarose were, studied. Presence of either serum or human serum albumin (HSA) in the culture medium was necessary for detectable neutrophil migration. HSA was preferred since heat‐stabile chemotactic agents were found to be generated from fresh serum in the presence of agarose additional CO2 in the assay milieu could be replaced by decreasing the NaHCO3 concentration of the culture medium. Both the directed and the spontaneous migration rates of neutrophil leukocytes increased when the concentration of agarose was decreased. Area and distance of migration and cumulative cell count of migrated neutrophil leukocytes were suitable for quantitative the neutrophil migration rate.
Hyperfractionated high-dose proton beam radiotherapy for clival chordomas after surgical removal.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the hyperfractionated high-dose proton beam therapy (PBT) for patients with clival chordomas. METHODS Records for 19 patients with pathologically verified clival chordomas treated with surgery followed by hyperfractionated PBT were retrospectively reviewed. The first 9 consecutive patients were treated with 77.44 cobalt gray equivalents (CGEs) in 64 fractions, and the latter 10 patients were treated with 78.4 CGE in 56 fractions. RESULTS The median follow-up period of all 19 cases was 61.7 months with a range from 31.5 to 115.4 months. At 5 years, the local control, cause-specific and overall survival rates for all 19 cases were 75%, 94% and 83.2%, respectively. Whereas the 5-year local control, cause-specific and over all survival rates of the latter 10 cases were 100%, 100% and 88.9%, respectively, with a median follow-up period of 59.5 months. One of the first nine patients demonstrated bilateral temporal lobe radiation necrosis, who were successfully treated conservatively. In the latter cohort, two cases showed transient neurological symptoms probably due to brain stem ischaemia, but both cases recovered completely with conservative treatment. CONCLUSION The hyperfractionated high-dose scheme combined with maximum surgical removal was shown to be efficient for patients with clival chordomas. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE High-dose proton beam radiotherapy using a hyperfractionation scheme yielded a more favourable outcome than previous reports.
Motivations to implement ERP in e-government: an analysis from success stories

To provide more efficient government and better services to citizens, public administrations and agencies have invested in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems as their basic technological infrastructure for e-government. On the basis of the analysis of secondary data published in the form of 'success stories' by the largest ERP vendors, we seek to characterise the actual motivations that lead to the adoption of ERP systems in e-government. Data from 46 stories of public organisations in 15 countries were collected and analysed. Results indicate that some government organisations adopt ERP systems primarily to integrate their Information Technology (IT), while others seek greater process efficiency or are strategy-driven.
Effects of Unilateral Stellectomy upon Cardiac Performance during Exercise in Dogs

The role of the right and left stellate ganglion (RSG, LSG) in the cardiac response to exercise was determined in 34 chronically instrumented dogs. The dogs were divided into three groups: control, left stellectomized (LSGx), and right stellectomized (RSGx). Heart rate (HR), left circumflex coronary flow velocity (CF), and left ventricular pressure were measured during a graded submaximal exercise program on a motor-driven treadmill. At the greatest work load, 6.4 kph and 16% grade, HR in the control group was 235 ± 6 beats/min, after LSGx was 258 ± 6 beats/min (P < 0.05), and after RSGx was 157 ± 7 beats/min (P < 0.01). The maximal derivative of left ventricular pressure increased to 7373 ± 501 mm Hg/sec in the control group; after LSGx it reached 8233 ± 759 mm Hg/sec [not significant (NS)], and after RSGx, 5524 ± 305 mm Hg/sec (NS). Control CF increased to 48 ± 3 cm/sec, after LSGx it increased to 57 ± 3 cm/sec (P < 0.05), and after RSGx to 42 ± 5 cm/sec (NS). After RSGx most dogs did not reach the greatest work load, and the comparison was made at the level attained. Arrhythmias during exercise appeared in 8% of control dogs, in 11% after LSGx, and in 86% after RSGx. It is concluded that: (1) sympathetic control of HR is mediated primarily by the RSG; (2) LSGx does not impair myocardial contractility because of compensatory mechanisms exerted by the RSG, and (3) RSGx increases the likelihood of arrhythmias during exercise. Ore Res 44: 637-645, 1979
One Size Does Not Fit All Projects: Exploring Classical Contingency Domains

Not many authors have attempted to classify projects according to any specific scheme, and those who have tried rarely offered extensive empirical evidence. From a theoretical perspective, a traditional distinction between radical and incremental innovation has often been used in the literature of innovation, and has created the basis for many classical contingency studies. Similar concepts, however, did not become standard in the literature of projects, and it seems that theory development in project management is still in its early years. As a result, most project management literature still assumes that all projects are fundamentally similar and that "one size fits all. " The purpose of this exploratory research is to show how different types of projects are managed in different ways, and to explore the domain of traditional contingency theory in the more modern world of projects. This two-step research is using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods and two data sets to suggest a conceptual, two-dimensional construct model for the classification of technical projects and for the investigation of project contingencies. Within this framework, projects are classified into four levels of technological uncertainty, and into three levels of system complexity, according to a hierarchy of systems and subsystems. The study provides two types of implications. For project leadership it shows why and how management should adapt a more project-specific style. For theory development, it offers a collection of insights that seem relevant to the world of projects as temporary organizations, but are, at times, different from classical structural contingency theory paradigms in enduring organizations. While still exploratory in nature, this study attempts to suggest new inroads to the future study of modern project domains.
The Chemistry of Sexual Deception in an Orchid-Wasp Pollination System

The “sexually deceptive” orchid Chiloglottis trapeziformis attracts males of its pollinator species, the thynnine wasp Neozeleboria cryptoides, by emitting a unique volatile compound, 2-ethyl-5-propylcyclohexan-1,3-dione, which is also produced by female wasps as a male-attracting sex pheromone.
An assessment of diabetes self-care barriers in older adults.

Successful management of diabetes requires adherence to a prescribed self-care regime on the part of the patient. Adherence to self-care practices by persons with diabetes remains a challenge to health care professionals (Becker & Maiman, 1980; McCaul, Glasgow, & Schafer, 1987). Factors that influence adherence to self-care practices are poorly understood, and an identification of factors influencing selfcare behaviors is an essential theme in patient education for the chronically ill (Irvine, Saunders, Blank, & Carter, 1990). Earlier studies on diabetes self-care (DSC) behaviors of the young have cited social and environmental factors as barriers to DSC adherence (Glasgow, McCaul, & Schafer, 1986; Ingersoll & Marrero, 1990). However, there is a paucity of reported studies on barriers to DSC practice among older adults. Environmental variables reported by young adults or children with diabetes as self-care barriers may have an insignificant effect on the old. Diabetic elderly are less likely to encounter such selfcare barriers as work schedule, group activities, and the peer pressure commonly experienced by their younger counterparts. In a study on health promotion practices of older adults with chronic illness, Whetstone and Reid (1991) reported that perceived self-care barriers may interfere with deliberate self-care actions. Health care professionals often are unaware of self-care practices of older adults (Brody, Kliban, & Moles, 1983). More information is needed to address older adults' thoughts, perceptions, and feelings about health promotion (Whetstone & Reid, 1991). Wolannin (1983) suggested that a need exists for nursing to identify clients' perceived barriers as part of the assessment process. The purposes of this study were to examine the psychometric properties of the Diabetes Self-Care Barriers Assessment Scale for Older Adults (DSCB-OA) and to identify barriers that older adults experience in DSC practices. The DSCB-OA instrument was designed to identify factors that are perceived by older adults as barriers to DSC practice.
Challenges in Fault Detection and Discrimination in Multi-terminal HVDC Grids and Potential Solutions

By simulating a multi-terminal high voltage DC grid using a detailed electro-magnetic transient simulation model, challenges in fault detection and discrimination are demonstrated. To select the most appropriate signal for fast and reliable detection of faults, behavior of the DC grid during the faults is observed by means of various terminal measurements. By simulating different scenarios, challenging situations for discriminating faults in the protected line from the reverse faults, faults on the other pole, and from the remote breaker opening events are demonstrated. Influence of such disturbances on fault detection algorithms is evaluated and a method to discriminate faults in the protected line from the faults behind the relay is presented. Time taken to detect various faults in a typical high voltage DC grid is evaluated.
ORAL BIOAVAILABILITY OF PENTACHLOROPHENOL FROM SOILS OF VARYING CHARACTERISTICS USING A RAT MODEL

Evidence accumulated during the last two decades suggests that only a fraction of any chemical in soil is available to organisms, and soil-related effects on bioavailability should be considered in optimizing soil remediation cleanup levels. In the current study, the absolute and relative bioavailabilities of pentachlorophenol (PCP) from freshly spiked and environmentally aged soils varying in organic carbon content, clay content, and pH were examined using a rat model. PCP is a broad-spectrum biocide widely used as a wood preservative, and thus is ubiquitous in the environment. Soils and corn oil containing equivalent levels of PCP were administered to male Sprague-Dawley rats by gavage at 2 dose levels: 100 and 200 μg/kg body weight. Equivalent doses were also given intravenously. The areas under the plasma concentration of PCP versus time curves were calculated, and absolute and relative bioavailabilities of PCP from each soil were determined. At a dose of 100 μg/kg body weight, the absolute bioavailabilities of PCP across soils ranged from 36% to 65%, and the relative bioavailabilities ranged from 48% to 82%. At the higher dose level (200 μg/kg body weight), absolute and relative bioavailability ranges were somewhat higher at 46% to 77% and 52% to 87%, respectively. All soils decreased absolute PCP bioavailability significantly at both dose levels and relative bioavailability at the lower PCP dose level. At the higher dose level, only one of the two field-contaminated soils decreased the relative PCP bioavailability. The data indicate that PCP-soil interactions do significantly decrease the oral bioavailability of PCP from soil, but no obvious correlation was observed between soil properties and bioavailabilities.