Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lift-Off Performance in Flexure Pivot Pad and Hybrid Bearings

Abstract : Three flexure pivot pad bearings (FPBs) with different preloads are evaluated for use in high performance applications by comparing them to a hybrid hydrostatic bearing (HHB). One application of these bearings is in turbopumps for liquid rocket engines. To evaluate bearing performance, the lift-off speed of the shaft from the bearing surface is experimentally determined. Experimental data of lift-off are collected using a circuit running through the shaft and the designed bearing. Other methods for measuring lift-off speeds were attempted but did not yield consistent results. Water is used as a lubricant to simulate a low viscosity medium. In comparison to load-capacity-based predictions for FPBs, the experimental results showed lower lift-off speeds, higher load capacities, higher eccentricity ratios, and lower attitude angles. The bearings predicted load capacity determined lift-off speed predictions, but the experimental results show no clear trend relating lift-off speed to load capacity. This was for a range of running speeds, with the design speed defined as the final speed in a particular test case. At 0.689 bar supply pressure and for a design speed of 3000 rpm, the HHB showed greater load capacities and lower eccentricities than the FPBs, but the FPBs had lower lift-off speeds and attitude angles. In fact, the FPBs in the load-between-pad orientation outperformed the HHB in the load-on-pocket orientation with lower lift-off speeds for the shaft weight-only case. An increased supply pressure lowered the lift-off speeds in the HHB tests. If the load in the bearing application remains relatively small, a FPB could be substituted for an HHB.
The Potential Role of the NLRP3 Inflammasome Activation as a Link Between Mitochondria ROS Generation and Neuroinflammation in Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is commonly observed in perioperative care following major surgery and general anesthesia in elderly individuals. No preventive or interventional agents have been established so far. Although the role of interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-mediated neuroinflammation following surgery and anesthesia is strongly implicated in POCD, the exact mechanism of action remains to be explored. Growing evidence has shown that mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species (mtROS) are closely linked to IL-1β expression through a redox sensor known as the nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome. Therefore, we hypothesize that the mechanisms underlying POCD involve the mtROS/NLRP3 inflammasome/IL-1β signaling pathway. Furthermore, we speculate that cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway induced by α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (a7nAChR) may be the potential upstream of mtROS/NLRP3 inflammasome/IL-1β signaling pathway in POCD. For validating the hypotheses, we provide experimental plan involving different paradigms namely; microglial cells and behavioral studies. The link between mtROS, the NLRP3 inflammasome, and IL-1β within and between these different stages in combination with mtROS and NLRP3 inflammasome agonists and inhibitors could be explored using techniques, such as knockout mice, small interference ribonucleic acid, flow cytometry, co-immunoprecipitation, and the Morris Water Maze test. We conclude that the NLRP3 inflammasome is a new preventive and therapeutic target for POCD.
Clinical spectrum of colorectal cancer: Experience of 186 patients from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Karachi

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally and its incidence raising among younger age group in recent years have been observed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical s with colorectal cancer at tertiary care hospital of Karachi. Patients and methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Oncology Department of Jinnah Postgraduate Medical College, Karachi Pakistan from March 2017 to July 2018. The non-probability consecutive sampling technique was employed. Total of 186 patients aged 16-80 years of either gender with biopsy proven diagnosis of colorectal cancer were included in the study. Patients presented with other large bowel disease or non-malignant tumors confirmed on histopathology were excluded. Information regarding socio-demographic and clinicopathologic factors and treatments were obtained from all the patients. Results: Total of 186 patients were included in the study. Among them, 144 (77.4%) patients were less than 50 years of age and 42 patients (22.6%) were greater or equal to 50 years of age. In all, most of the subjects presented with abdominal pain (17.7%), followed by change in bowel habit (17.2%), weight loss (15.6%), constipation (13.4%), anorexia (11.8%), bleeding per rectum (12.4%), hemotochezia (7.5%) and anemia (4.3%). The rectum was the most frequent site (72.5%) for colorectal cancer, followed by rectosigmoid (8.1%). Microscopically, adenocarcinoma was the most common histopathological tumour in 157 (84.4%) patients followed by mucinous adenocarcinoma (10.8%) and signet ring cell carcinoma (3.8%) and squamous cell carcinoma (2.2%). About 41.9% of the tumors were moderately differentiated. According to the TNM staging of cancer, 42.5% were identified as being in late stages (TNM Stage III & IV) and only 1.6% were in stage 1. Among 186 patients, liver was observed as the most frequent site of metastasis (5.4%). Conclusion: In the present study frequency of colorectal cancer was colorectal cancer found to influence more Pakistani patients at early age as compared to older patients. There is a great need of awareness about the potential factors and screening decisions for CRC in young adults.
CXCL13 as a Biomarker of Immune Activation During Early and Chronic HIV Infection

Background: CXCL13 is preferentially secreted by Follicular Helper T cells (TFH) to attract B cells to germinal centers. Plasma levels of CXCL13 have been reported to be elevated during chronic HIV-infection, however there is limited data on such elevation during early phases of infection and on the effect of ART. Moreover, the contribution of CXCL13 to disease progression and systemic immune activation have been partially defined. Herein, we assessed the relationship between plasma levels of CXCL13 and systemic immune activation. Methods: Study samples were collected in 114 people living with HIV (PLWH) who were in early (EHI) or chronic (CHI) HIV infection and 35 elite controllers (EC) compared to 17 uninfected controls (UC). A subgroup of 11 EHI who initiated ART and 14 who did not were followed prospectively. Plasma levels of CXCL13 were correlated with CD4 T cell count, CD4/CD8 ratio, plasma viral load (VL), markers of microbial translocation [LPS, sCD14, and (1→3)-β-D-Glucan], markers of B cell activation (total IgG, IgM, IgA, and IgG1-4), and inflammatory/activation markers like IL-6, IL-8, IL-1β, TNF-α, IDO-1 activity, and frequency of CD38+HLA-DR+ T cells on CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Results: Plasma levels of CXCL13 were elevated in EHI (127.9 ± 64.9 pg/mL) and CHI (229.4 ± 28.5 pg/mL) compared to EC (71.3 ± 20.11 pg/mL), and UC (33.4 ± 14.9 pg/mL). Longitudinal analysis demonstrated that CXCL13 remains significantly elevated after 14 months without ART (p < 0.001) and was reduced without normalization after 24 months on ART (p = 0.002). Correlations were observed with VL, CD4 T cell count, CD4/CD8 ratio, LPS, sCD14, (1→3)-β-D-Glucan, total IgG, TNF-α, Kynurenine/Tryptophan ratio, and frequency of CD38+HLA-DR+ CD4 and CD8 T cells. In addition, CMV+ PLWH presented with higher levels of plasma CXCL13 than CMV- PLWH (p = 0.005). Conclusion: Plasma CXCL13 levels increased with HIV disease progression. Early initiation of ART reduces plasma CXCL13 and B cell activation without normalization. CXCL13 represents a novel marker of systemic immune activation during early and chronic HIV infection and may be used to predict the development of non-AIDS events.
Supplementation of Calcium-Fatty Acid to Increase Milk Production and Performance of Lactating Dairy Cow

One of energy sources for feeding dairy cow is fat or oil, however, inclusion of fat or fatty acid at high level (>5% in the diet) may cause negative effect on rumen fermentation. Fat or fatty acid, therefore should be protected from its degradation in the rumen. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate protected product of palm oil fatty acid (Calcium fatty acid) made in the institute as feed supplement given on top of the ration. The first experiment was in vitro experiment using rumen liquor. Feed without and with Calcium fatty acid (Ca-FA) was incubated in buffer-rumen liquor and pH, total gas, ammonia and in vitro digetibility were measured. The second experiment was feeding trial with two treatments using 12 FH dairy cow divided into 2 groups with diet containing supplemntation 300 g of Ca-FA and other group is control treatment without supplementation. The feed was total mixed ration, comprises of elephant grass, ground corn, soybean meal, wheat pollard and coconut meal with protein content 15.1% and Net Energy for Lactation 1.53 Mcal/kg. Feed was given to cow one month before parturition until 120 days of lactation period. Milk production was recorded daily. Faeces collection was done at the end of the experiments for 1 week to calculate total tract digestibility. The result of the in vitro experiment showed that no negative effect on in vitro rumen fermentation except higher digestibility (DMD Ca-FA addition vs control were 58.52% vs 53.99%) occurred due to addition of Ca-FA. The addition of Ca-FA increased milk production (11.41 vs 10.74 litre/day), but no effect on intake, total tract digestibility and milk quality, higher body weight of cow than control cow showing the benefit of using Ca-FA in the diet of dairy cow. In conclusion supplementation of Ca-FA at 300 g would be beneficial to increase milk production without negative impact.
INHIBITION OF Phytophthora ROOT ROT OF AVOCADO WITH POTASSIUM SILICATE APPLICATION

Phytophthora cinnamomi (Pc) causes avocado root rot which in severe cases leads to tree death. An alternative was sought to the use of phosphonate fungicides to control the disease. In greenhouse experiments, root rot in trees drenched three times with soluble potassium silicate was similar to that of uninoculated control trees. Silicate treatment of Pc inoculated trees rendered a better suppression of Phytophthora root rot than potassium phosphonate treatment, and silicate treated trees yielded the highest root mass. In field experiments done with Hass on Duke 7 trees in a Pc infested orchard, three soil drench applications of potassium silicate resulted in higher root densities than the untreated control as well as the potassium phosphonate (PA) treatment. Better results were obtained as regards root rot control during the drier periods (May 2005). Improved root densities were recorded for silicate treatments from Nov 2005 to July 2006. Furthermore, the data indicated that a single application of silicate was not effective. These results indicate that repeated application of potassium silicate as a soil drench has potential as an alternative control measure for avocado root rot.
XONN: XNOR-based Oblivious Deep Neural Network Inference

Advancements in deep learning enable cloud servers to provide inference-as-a-service for clients. In this scenario, clients send their raw data to the server to run the deep learning model and send back the results. One standing challenge in this setting is to ensure the privacy of the clients' sensitive data. Oblivious inference is the task of running the neural network on the client's input without disclosing the input or the result to the server. This paper introduces XONN, a novel end-to-end framework based on Yao's Garbled Circuits (GC) protocol, that provides a paradigm shift in the conceptual and practical realization of oblivious inference. In XONN, the costly matrix-multiplication operations of the deep learning model are replaced with XNOR operations that are essentially free in GC. We further provide a novel algorithm that customizes the neural network such that the runtime of the GC protocol is minimized without sacrificing the inference accuracy. We design a user-friendly high-level API for XONN, allowing expression of the deep learning model architecture in an unprecedented level of abstraction. Extensive proof-of-concept evaluation on various neural network architectures demonstrates that XONN outperforms prior art such as Gazelle (USENIX Security'18) by up to 7x, MiniONN (ACM CCS'17) by 93x, and SecureML (IEEE S&P'17) by 37x. State-of-the-art frameworks require one round of interaction between the client and the server for each layer of the neural network, whereas, XONN requires a constant round of interactions for any number of layers in the model. XONN is first to perform oblivious inference on Fitnet architectures with up to 21 layers, suggesting a new level of scalability compared with state-of-the-art. Moreover, we evaluate XONN on four datasets to perform privacy-preserving medical diagnosis.
A New Efficient Expression for the Conditional Expectation of the Blind Adaptive Deconvolution Problem Valid for the Entire Range ofSignal-to-Noise Ratio

In the literature, we can find several blind adaptive deconvolution algorithms based on closed-form approximated expressions for the conditional expectation (the expectation of the source input given the equalized or deconvolutional output), involving the maximum entropy density approximation technique. The main drawback of these algorithms is the heavy computational burden involved in calculating the expression for the conditional expectation. In addition, none of these techniques are applicable for signal-to-noise ratios lower than 7 dB. In this paper, I propose a new closed-form approximated expression for the conditional expectation based on a previously obtained expression where the equalized output probability density function is calculated via the approximated input probability density function which itself is approximated with the maximum entropy density approximation technique. This newly proposed expression has a reduced computational burden compared with the previously obtained expressions for the conditional expectation based on the maximum entropy approximation technique. The simulation results indicate that the newly proposed algorithm with the newly proposed Lagrange multipliers is suitable for signal-to-noise ratio values down to 0 dB and has an improved equalization performance from the residual inter-symbol-interference point of view compared to the previously obtained algorithms based on the conditional expectation obtained via the maximum entropy technique.
Productivity and morphology of Ankole cattle in three livestock production systems in Uganda

La caracterizacion fenotipica tiene una importancia fundamental en la mejora y conservacion de razas. Se han estudiado 248 explotaciones en Uganda para determinar el rendimiento y las caracteristicas morfologicas del ganado Ankole en tres sistemas de produccion (LPS, por sus siglas en ingles) de Uganda. Se han medido en 120 toros y 180 vacas la alzada a la cruz (HW, por sus siglas en ingles), perimetro toracico (HW, por sus siglas en ingles), diametro longitudinal (BL, por sus siglas en ingles), longitud de la oreja (EL, por sus siglas en ingles), longitud del cuerno (HL, por sus siglas en ingles), distancia entre las puntas de los cuernos (HS, por sus siglas en ingles) y el peso corporal (BW, por sus siglas en ingles). Los datos han sido analizados utilizando LPS (pastos para el ganado, agropastoral, pastoral), el condado (Gomba, Kazo, Kiboga, Mawoggola, Nyabushozi) y el sexo (hembras y machos) como factores principales. En los resultados, la edad de madurez sexual (ASM, por sus siglas en ingles) fue de 23.6 ± 0.5 meses para los toros y de 22.7 ± 0.5 para las vacas. La edad para el primer parto (AFC, por sus siglas en ingles) fue de 33.2 ± 0.5 meses, mientras que el intervalo entre partos (CI, por sus siglas en ingles) fue de 12.9 ± 0.8 meses. La duracion de la lactacion (LL, por sus siglas en ingles) difirio entre LPS (5.5 ± 0.4, 6.3 ± 0.3 y 7.4 ± 0.2 meses en agropastoral, pastos para el ganado y pastoral, respectivamente). La produccion media de leche fue de 2.2 ± 0.1 kg/vaca mientras que la supervivencia antes del destete fue de 90.0 ± 6.5%. El sexo y LPS influyo significativamente en HW, HL y HS. Se observaron correlaciones positivas entre BW y HG, BL y HL. Los coeficientes de correlacion fueron mucho mas bajos en las hembras que en los machos, excepto en BW vs HG y BW vs HW. Los resultados muestran grandes variaciones entre rendimiento y morfologia, sugiriendo que dentro del plan de seleccion racial y/o de gestion puede conllevar mejora sustancial en el campo de la productividad.
Lens anatomy parameters with intraoperative spectral-domain optical coherence tomography in cataractous eyes

Purpose To study correlations of crystalline lens anatomy and position parameters obtained using intraoperative spectral-domain (SD) optical coherence tomography (OCT) in cataract patients. Methods This retrospective study evaluated biometry data from 600 eyes of 399 cataract patients (mean age: 69±8.4 years) using intraoperative anterior segment SD-OCT during femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery. Lens anatomy and position parameters (anterior chamber depth [ACD] – center of the anterior cornea to the anterior lens capsule, lens thickness [LT] – distance between anterior and posterior lens capsules, and lens meridian position [LMP] – distance from center of the anterior cornea to intersection of the anterior and posterior lens) obtained with intraoperative SD-OCT, were correlated among themselves and with noncontact axial length (AL). Equatorial plane position (EPP) (distance between the plane of the lens equator and anterior capsule) was also studied. Pearson’s coefficients (r-values) were determined for all correlation pairs. Results There was a moderate correlation between AL and ACD (r=0.451; P<0.001). LMP was found to correlate strongly with ACD (r=0.77; P<0.001) but very weakly with AL (r=0.089; P=0.04). There was a moderately strong inverse correlation between LT and ACD (r=−0.586; P<0.001) but the correlation between LT and AL and LT and LMP was found to be weak (r=−0.155; P<0.001 and r=−0.121, P=0.003, respectively). Correlation of the ratio of EPP/LT and LT was weakly positive (r=0.267; P<0.001). Conclusion LMP correlated strongly with ACD but only minimally with AL. LT correlated fairly strongly with ACD but only minimally with LMP. This should stimulate additional research into the relationships among ocular and crystalline lens anatomy and IOL position after cataract surgery.
Checking the moderating effect of perceived control on the relationship between anxiety and postoperative hospital length of stay among coronary artery bypass graft patients

Background Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common cardiovascular disease (CVD). Coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery is the most common treatment used for CAD. Patients undergoing this surgery are always anxious, which might increase complications in the postoperative period, especially prolongation of postoperative length of stay (LOS). It has been shown that perceived control (PC) moderated the relationship between anxiety and complications in a cardiac population, but its effect has not been studied in post-CABG. Aim The aim of this study was to check if there is a moderating effect for the PC on the relationship between anxiety and LOS post-CABG. Patients and methods A non-experimental, prospective, observational study was conducted with a consecutive sample of 250 patients who underwent elective CABG from four hospitals in Amman, Jordan. PC was measured by the Arabic version of the Control Attitude Scale-Revised (CAS-R), and anxiety was measured by the Arabic version of the anxiety subscale of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. LOS and other needed information were obtained from patients’ medical records. Results Preoperative anxiety was significantly higher than postoperative anxiety (mean [SD]: 12.80 [6.70] vs 11.01 [6.74], P<0.001). Female patients were more anxious and had longer LOS compared to male patients. In stepwise regression, anxiety and PC scores were independent predictors for LOS. Every unit increase in preoperative anxiety increased LOS by 0.381 days, and every unit increase in PC decreased the postoperative LOS by 0.210 days. Moderating effect was checked by simple slope analysis for high (+1 SD) and low (−1 SD) levels of PC. Patients with high anxiety and low PC had the longest LOS, and patients with low anxiety and high PC had the shortest LOS, indicating the moderating effect of PC on the relationship between anxiety and LOS. Conclusion High levels of anxiety were associated with longer LOS after CABG. PC moderates this relationship. Enhancing PC in this population can improve outcomes and decrease LOS and morbidity.
Fats and Fatty Oils

The article contains sections titled: 1. Introduction 2. Composition 2.1. Glycerides 2.2. Fatty Acids 2.3. Phospholipids 2.4. Waxes 2.5. Sterols and Sterol Esters 2.6. Terpenoids 2.7. Other Minor Constituents 3. Physical Properties 3.1. Melting and Freezing Points 3.2. Thermal Properties 3.3. Density 3.4. Viscosity 3.5. Solubility and Miscibility 3.6. Surface and Interfacial Tension 3.7. Electrical Properties 3.8. Optical Properties 4. Chemical Properties 4.1. Hydrolysis 4.2. Interesterification 4.3. Hydrogenation 4.4. Isomerization 4.5. Polymerization 4.6. Autoxidation 5. Manufacture and Processing 5.1. Vegetable Oils and Fats 5.1.1. Storage and Handling of Raw Materials 5.1.2. Cleaning and Dehulling 5.1.3. Expelling 5.1.4. Extraction 5.2. Land-Animal Fats 5.3. Marine Oils 5.4. Synthetic Fats 6. Refining 6.1. Degumming 6.2. Deacidification (Neutralization) 6.3. Bleaching 6.4. Deodorization 7. Fractionation 8. Hydrogenation 9. Interesterification 10. Environmental Aspects 11. Standards and Quality Control 11.1. Sampling 11.2. Raw Materials 11.3. Oils and Fats 11.3.1. Physical Methods 11.3.2. Chemical Methods 12. Storage and Transportation 13. Individual Vegetable Oils and Fats 13.1. Fruit Pulp Fats 13.1.1. Palm Oil 13.1.2. Olive Oil 13.1.3. Avocado Oil 13.2. Seed-Kernel Fats 13.2.1. Lauric Acid Oils 13.2.1.1. Coconut Oil 13.2.1.2. Palm Kernel Oil 13.2.1.3. Babassu Oil and Other Palm Seed Oils 13.2.1.4. Other Sources of Lauric Acid Oils 13.2.2. Palmitic - Stearic Acid Oils 13.2.2.1. Cocoa Butter 13.2.2.2. Shea Butter, Borneo Tallow, and Related Fats (Vegetable Butters) 13.2.3. Palmitic Acid Oils 13.2.3.1. Cottonseed Oil 13.2.3.2. Kapok and Related Oils 13.2.3.3. Pumpkin Seed Oil 13.2.3.4. Corn (Maize) Oil 13.2.3.5. Cereal Oils 13.2.4. Oleic - Linoleic Acid Oils 13.2.4.1. Sunflower Oil 13.2.4.2. Sesame Oil 13.2.4.3. Linseed Oil 13.2.4.4. Perilla Oil 13.2.4.5. Hempseed Oil 13.2.4.6. Teaseed Oil 13.2.4.7. Safflower and Niger Seed Oils 13.2.4.8. Grape-Seed Oil 13.2.4.9. Poppyseed Oil 13.2.5. Leguminous Oils 13.2.5.1. Soybean Oil 13.2.5.2. Peanut Oil 13.2.5.3. Lupine Oil 13.2.6. Cruciferous Oils 13.2.6.1. Rapeseed Oil 13.2.6.2. Mustard Seed Oil 13.2.7. Conjugated Acid Oils 13.2.7.1. Tung Oil and Related Oils 13.2.7.2. Oiticica Oil and Related Oils 13.2. 8. Substituted Fatty Acid Oils 13.2. 8.1. Castor Oil 13.2. 8.2. Chaulmoogra, Hydnocarpus, and Gorli Oils 13.2. 8.3. Vernonia Oil 14. Individual Animal Fats 14.1. Land-Animal Fats 14.1.1. Lard 14.1.2. Beef Tallow 14.1.3. Mutton Tallow 14.1.4. Horse, Goose, and Chicken Fat 14.2. Marine Oils 14.2.1. Whale Oil 14.2.2. Fish Oil 15. Economic Aspects 16. Toxicology and Occupational Health