Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
WATER PROPERTIES AND ZOOPLANKTON DIVERSITY OF AGHALOKPE WETLAND IN DELTA STATE, NIGERIA

Characterizing the basic components of our wetlands is the first step to successfully utilizing these important resources and no such data on this wetland are available. On this background, weekly examination of water properties and zooplankton diversity of Adagbarasa wetland from April to May 2015 was carried out. Water quality results, in the present study indicate that Aghalopke wetland showed favourable conditions for aquatic lives but for low oxygen levels (0.053.5 mg/L). Linear correlation and cluster analyses results revealed catenation of most of the water properties which demonstrated the connectivity of the wetland. Air and water temperature, dissolved oxygen, acidity, alkalinity, carbon dioxide, conductivity were identified as chief drivers of the study area’s water properties. Upon careful observation (zooplankton assemblage), four (4) taxonomic groups were found; Copepoda, Rotifera, Cladocera and Protozoa. The numerical stock taking found copepods more in biomass (120/ml) than species (only 2 records) while rotifers had 16 species being dominant, sub dominant in biomass (103/ml). Rotifers, copepods and protozoa had positive negative associations with some water variables. The zooplankton diversity indices (0.44 to 1.76) revealed a deteriorated environment.
Biomassa fitoplanctônica e fatores ambientais em um estuário tropical do Brasil.

Os estudos acerca das caracteristicas que regulam a biomassa fitoplanctonica objetivam a compreensao das mudancas do ambiente em escalas temporal e espacial, sendo este o foco principal do trabalho. As coletas foram realizadas em frequencia mensal, em quatro pontos ao longo do estuario do rio dos Passos, litoral sul de Pernambuco, Brasil, no periodo de agosto/2009 a julho/2010. Foram obtidos os dados referentes a pluviosidade, profundidade, transparencia, temperatura e amostras da agua com auxilio de garrafa de Kitahara para medidas de salinidade e clorofila a. Os dados foram tratados atraves de analise de variância e componentes principais. O ambiente apresenta homogeneidade vertical termica e salina, bem como pouca profundidade local. A salinidade e transparencia da agua estao em relacao inversa a clorofila a, sendo estes os fatores possivelmente condicionantes da biomassa algal, necessitando de estudos futuros para ser analisada essa variavel em funcao de outros fatores fisicos, quimicos e biologicos nao abordados neste estudo. Palavras chave: biomassa algal, fitoplâncton e dinâmica estuarina
Clinical importance of measuring coronary graft flows in the revascularized heart. Ultrasonic or electromagnetic?

BACKGROUND In the past, routine coronary graft flow measurement at the end of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) was not universally adopted by cardiac surgeons due to the lack of reliable flow measurement techniques. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of ultrasonic and electromagnetic techniques in coronary graft flow measurements and to determine the relationship, if any, between intraoperative ultrasonic or electromagnetic coronary graft flows and postoperative early clinical outcome. METHODS We studied 66 consecutive patients who underwent elective CABG using internal thoracic artery (ITA) and reversed saphenous vein graft (SVG) conduits. All patients were males with the mean age of 65 +/- 1 yrs (range = 45 to 80 yrs). Coronary bypass graft flows (both ITA and SVG) were determined by the use of both ultrasonic and electromagnetic flowmeters. In addition, the flow waveform pattern was continuously recorded and analyzed with the ultrasonic technique. In this prospective non-randomized study, the following variables were considered in the forward stepwise multivariate regression analysis of the data: age, weight, body surface area, ejection fraction, perfusion and ischemia times, number of grafts, amount of allogenic banked blood, platelets, fresh frozen plasma transfusions, cardiac output/index, ultrasonic (USF) and electromagnetic flows (EMF), length of intensive care unit (ICU) and hospital stays, and early (30-day) mortality. RESULTS Based on their location, 226 grafts were divided into four groups: (I) ITA to left anterior descending (LAD) (n = 66) 34 +/- 2.5 ml/min USF and 45 +/- 4.4 ml/min EMF; (II) SVG to circumflex (CX) (n = 62) 33 +/- 2.4 m/min USF and 58 +/- 4.9 ml/min EMF; (III) SVG to diagonal (DIAG) (n = 37); 30 +/- 3.5 ml/min USF and 50 +/- 6.0 ml/min EMF; (IV) SVG to right coronary artery (RCA) (n = 61); 36 +/- 3.1 ml/min USF and 56 +/- 5.3 ml/min EMF. Electromagnetic flow measurements were higher than USF values in all locations (p < 0.05). Difficulties in obtaining proper contact with the vessel wall and finding suitable size probes were major drawbacks in measurement of ITA graft flow by the use of electromagnetic technique. All flow measurements were done within 10 minutes or less. There was no demonstrable correlation between the length of stay (ICU and hospital), and coronary graft flows at the ITA to LAD, SVG to DIAG, or SVG to CX locations. However, ultrasonic coronary graft flows at the SVG to RCA location had a significant inverse correlation with the length of ICU and hospital stays (r = -0.45, p < 0.0005 for both). Early mortality was unaffected by the intraoperative coronary graft flow values (p = NS). CONCLUSIONS The ultrasonic flowmeter is well-suited for intraoperative assessment of arterial and venous coronary graft flows at the completion of CABG. There is a real potential for using intraoperative graft flow values to predict early outcome after coronary bypass.
Field emission properties of p-type silicon tips decorated with tungsten nanoparticles

An array of conical-shaped p-type silicon tips was fabricated by using reactive ion etching and sharpening oxidation. The apex of each tip was decorated by a tungsten hemispherical nanoparticle. Field emission properties of the tips were measured by a tungsten-needle anode positioned above the tip apex. Tips decorated with tungsten nanoparticles demonstrated a smaller saturation region in current-voltage characteristics compared to the pristine tips. An emission activation process, which consisted in sudden current increase at certain value of applied voltage, was observed for the decorated silicon tips. This behavior was explained by the formation of vertical protrusions extending from the metal particles revealed by scanning electron microscopy after field emission experiments.
Phrase sets for evaluating text entry techniques

In evaluations of text entry methods, participants enter phrases of text using a technique of interest while performance data are collected. This paper describes and publishes (via the internet) a collection of 500 phrases for such evaluations. Utility programs are also provided to compute statistical properties of the phrase set, or any other phrase set. The merits of using a pre-defined phrase set are described as are methodological considerations, such as attaining results that are generalizable and the possible addition of punctuation and other characters.
Numerical model of dual-wavelength erbium-doped fiber ring laser based on gain-equilibrium method

A novel numerical model of the dual-wavelength fiber ring lasers utilizing gain-equilibrium method is presented by developing the two level, homogeneous Giles model. To obtain the simulation method, the gain equilibrium condition is derived and modified to adapt to the iterative procedure in simulations. This condition is confirmed by both the numerical and experimental results, which indicate that the cavity losses of both wavelength channels play important roles in maintaining stable dual-wavelength emitting. The tolerant loss-bias is 0.05 dB in simulations and 0.4 dB in experiments, respectively. The difference between numerical and experimental results reveals that the inhomogeneous linewidth broadening of EDF contributes mostly to the improved power stability, but the loss vibrations play an important role in this effect.
Sensitivity to Relative and Absolute Motion

The threshold of sensitivity to movement could be governed by mechanisms that are sensitive either to change in spatial position, or directly to the movement itself. The use of spatially complex patterns (random-dot patterns) has been suggested to eliminate the former strategy allowing examination of the movement detecting mechanisms in isolation. By means of such a technique, thresholds for directional judgements were determined for patterns which underwent either a simple displacement or a shearing displacement. Thresholds for shearing motion were found to be around one half of those for simple motion, suggesting that relative, rather than absolute, motion governs performance for small displacements. This contrasts with previous experiments which showed that absolute motion governs performance for much larger displacements.
Sharing Demographic Risk: Who is Afraid of the Baby Bust?

We model the optimal reaction of a public PAYG pension system to demographic shocks. We compare the ex-ante first best and second best solution of a Ramsey planner with full commitment to the outcome under simple third best rules that mimic the pension systems observed in the real world. The model, in particular the pension system, is calibrated to the German economy. The objective of the social planner is calibrated such that the size of the German pension system was optimal under the economic and demographic conditions of the 1960s. We find that the German system comes relatively close to the second-best solution, especially when labor market distortions are correctly modelled. Furthermore, the German system and a constant contribution rate lead to a lower variability of lifetime utility than does the second best policy. The recent baby-boom/baby-bust cycle leads to welfare losses of about 5% of lifetime consumption for some cohorts. We argue that it is crucial for these results to model correctly the labor market distortions arising from the pension system.
Clinical characteristics of type 1 diabetes over a 40 year period in Turkey: secular trend towards earlier age of onset

Abstract Objective: To determine the demographic and clinical characteristics of type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the past two decades, and to analyze changing trends over the past 40 years. Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of T1D in 1990–2010 were included. Patients diagnosed in the first half of the period comprised Period I, and those from the second half comprised Period II. Age at onset, gender, seasonal distribution, infectious etiology, and clinical picture at onset are analyzed and compared in two periods. In addition, we compared these data with that of the preceding two decades (1969–1991), which was reported in a previous publication. Results: A total of 354 children with T1D were included in the study. The median age at diagnosis of T1D was 7 years in the period 1990–2010 in comparison to 9.5 years during the period 1969–1991. Patients were diagnosed mostly in winter and autumn, and 32.3% of the children had an infection at the time of diagnosis. Frequency of diabetic ketoacidosis was 50.8% at diagnosis. The peak age at onset was 4 to 6 years. Conclusions: Our study provides substantial information about the clinical characteristics of Turkish children. The age of onset of T1D decreased in the past 20 years, as observed in other parts of the world. Our findings also suggest seasonality at onset of T1D. This study shows the changes of demographic and clinical characteristics of T1D in central and northeastern parts of our country over a 40 year period.
Performance and Prediction for Varying Survival Time Scales

The Cox proportional hazards model is widely used for analyzing associations between risk factors and occurrences of events. One of the essential requirements of defining Cox proportional hazards model is the choice of a unique and well-defined time scale. Two time scales are generally used in epidemiological studies: time-on-study and chronological age. The former is the most frequently used time scale, both in clinical studies and longitudinal observation studies. However, there is no general consensus on which time scale is the most appropriate for a given question or study. In this article, we address the question of robustness of the results using one time scale when the other is actually the correct one. We use three criteria to measure the performances of these models through simulations: magnitude of the bias of the regression coefficients, mean square errors, and the measure of overall predictive discrimination of the models. We conclude that the time-on-study models are more robust to misspecification of the underlying time scale.
[Effect of nutrition and food safety education among middle school students in a poverty-stricken county in west China].

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of nutrition and food safety education among middle school students in a poverty-stricken county in west China, and to explore the better education model for further education. METHODS Students of grade 7 to 9 were selected from 4 middle schools in the country through multi-stage cluster sampling for the questionnaire, and the schools were assigned into an intervention group or a control group. After students in the intervention schools completed one year nutrition and food safety education with the textbooks, students were chosen from the same 4 schools to finish the same questionnaire again. RESULTS A total of 410 students from grade 7 to 9 were selected at the baseline study, and 474 students in the final study. The essential characteristics of the 2 groups were not statistically significant (P>0.05). In the baseline investigation, the differences in the scores on nutrition and food safety knowledge, attitude and practice between the 2 groups were not significant (P>0.05). In the final study, the scores on the knowledge, attitude of nutrition knowledge learning, and dietary habits among students in the intervention group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). School-students mixed model demonstrated that the intervention was protective factor on scores of knowledge, in particular with nutrition related diseases and reasonable diet (P<0.05). But the intervention didn't affect the scores on attitude in both ways (P>0.05). CONCLUSION Nutrition and food safety education can improve the nutrition and food safety knowledge effectively. The curriculum should be further standardized and different emphases should be set up to different grades to cultivate healthy diet behaviors.
Neurochemical organization of the hypothalamic projection to the spinal cord in the rat

The hypothalamus provides a major projection to the spinal cord that innervates primarily lamina I of the dorsal horn and the sympathetic and parasympathetic preganglionic cell columns. We have examined the chemical organization of the neurons that contribute to this pathway by using combined retrograde transport of fluorescent dyes and immunohistochemistry for 15 different putative neurotransmitters or their synthetic enzymes. Our results demonstrate that 5 cytoarchitectonically distinct cell groups in the hypothalamus contribute to the spinal projection and that each has its own predominant chemical types. In the paraventricular nucleus, substantial numbers of hypothalamo‐spinal neurons stain with antisera against arginine vasopressin (25‐35%), oxytocin (20‐25%), and metenkephalin (10%). About 25% of the neurons with spinal projections in the retrochiasmatic area stain with an antiserum against α‐melanocyte‐stimulating hormone. Nearly 100% of the hypothalamo‐spinal neurons in the tuberal lateral hypothalamic area stain with this same antiserum, but these cells do not stain for other proopiomelanocortin‐derived peptides, and so probably contain a cross‐reacting peptide. This population must be distinguished from an adjacent cell group, in the perifornical region, where many spinal projection neurons stain with antisera against dynorphin (25%) or atrial natriuretic peptide (20%). Finally, in the dorsal hypothalamic area as many as 55‐75% of the neurons with spinal projections are dopaminergic, on the basis of their staining with an antiserum against tyrosine hydroxylase.
Long Rotating Coil System Based on Stretched Tungsten Wires for Insertion Device Characterization

A very precise rotating coil was developed using stretched tungsten wires in a new geometric arrangement for the accurate magnetic characterization of insertion devices (IDs). Many sources of errors were analyzed, and a procedure to evaluate coil defects by means of a dipolar magnetic field is presented. Tests were performed in a 2-T planar wiggler, which is 2.8 m long, with 180 mm of period, of the Brazilian synchrotron light source (LNLS). The advantages of using the tungsten wires and the measurement repeatability and accuracy are also discussed.
Risky Behaviour among Intravenous Drug Users (IDUs) with Respect to the Self-management of Needle-inflicted Wounds, Damaged Veins, and Limb Ulcers: A Comparative Descriptive Review between South Africa and China

Intravenous drug users are exposed to great risk, not only through exposure to HIV infection, but also as a consequence of attempting to treat the injuries which result from injecting drugs. This paper takes the form of a review of relevant available literature, in order to assess the risks to which IDUs expose themselves and suggest possible measures for containing the hazards which are inherent in self-medication. The findings of the review revealed that stigmatisation, isolation, discrimination, and the criminalisation of possession of drugs all influence the inclination of IDUs to avoid seeking medical treatment. The researchers believe that policies pertaining to the use of illicit drugs should be restructured or reformulated to prioritise the rights and well-being of IDUs and encourage them to seek primary healthcare treatment, as opposed to attempting to tackle the social problem of intravenous drug abuse through punitive law enforcement.
Improvements in the NIST Johnson noise thermometry system

We have developed a Johnson noise thermometry system that is calibrated by precision waveforms synthesized with a quantized voltage noise source (QVNS). Significant improvements to the QVNS and the cross-correlation measurement electronics have dramatically reduced systematic errors and measurement uncertainty. We describe some of these improvements and discuss the potential for this system to contribute to the redefinition of the Boltzmann constant.
Functional organization of V2a‐related locomotor circuits in the rodent spinal cord

Studies of mammalian locomotion have been greatly facilitated by the use of the isolated rodent spinal cord preparation that retains the locomotor circuits needed to execute the movement. Physiological and molecular genetic experiments in this preparation have started to unravel the basic circuit organization responsible for walking in mammals. Here, we review these experiments with a focus on the functional role of excitatory V2a interneurons in the mammalian locomotor network. With regard to these neurons and other network structures we also discuss similarities and differences between the mammalian walking central pattern generator (CPG) and the fish swimming CPG.
Characterization and Vaccine Potential of Membrane Vesicles Produced by Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis in an Adult Zebrafish Model

ABSTRACT Vaccine development against extracellular bacteria has been important for the sustainability of the aquaculture industry. In contrast, infections with intracellular pathogens remain largely an unresolved problem. Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis is a Gram-negative, facultative intracellular bacterium that causes the disease francisellosis in fish. Francisellosis is commonly characterized as a chronic granulomatous disease with high morbidity and can result in high mortality depending on the host. In this study, we explored the potential of bacterial membrane vesicles (MVs) as a vaccine agent against F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis. Bacterial MVs are spherical structures naturally released from the membrane of bacteria and are often enriched with selected bacterial components such as toxins and signaling molecules. MVs were isolated from broth-cultured F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis in the present work, and proteomic analysis by mass spectrometry revealed that MVs contained a variety of immunogenic factors, including the intracellular growth proteins IglC and IglB, known to be part of a Francisella pathogenicity island (FPI), as well as outer membrane protein OmpA, chaperonin GroEL, and chaperone ClpB. By using flow cytometry and electron microscopy, we observed that F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis mainly infects myelomonocytic cells, both in vivo and in vitro. Immunization with MVs isolated from F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis protects zebrafish from subsequent challenge with a lethal dose of F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis. To determine if MVs induce a typical acute inflammatory response, mRNA expression levels were assessed by quantitative real-time PCR. Expression of tnfa, il1b, and ifng, as well as mhcii, mpeg1.1, and ighm, was upregulated, thus confirming the immunogenic properties of F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis-derived MVs.
The Multifunctional Staphylococcus aureus Autolysin Aaa Mediates Adherence to Immobilized Fibrinogen and Fibronectin

ABSTRACT Staphylococci can cause a wide spectrum of infections, including endocarditis, osteomyelitis, and sepsis, which is reflected by the numerous virulence factors they produce, among them a recently identified new class of adhesins, namely, the multifunctional autolysins/adhesins. Here we report the identification and molecular characterization of Aaa, a novel autolysin/adhesin from Staphylococcus aureus. The gene encoding Aaa was cloned from the clinical isolate Staphylococcus aureus 4074. DNA sequence analysis revealed that aaa encodes a deduced protein of 334 amino acids with a predicted molecular mass of 35.8 kDa. Aaa contains three N-terminal repetitive sequences that comprise features of a peptidoglycan-binding domain, the LysM domain. The expression of aaa by Escherichia coli and its subsequent characterization revealed that Aaa possesses bacteriolytic activity as well as adhesive properties, such as binding to extracellular matrix proteins. Real-time biomolecular interaction analysis demonstrated that the interaction of Aaa with fibrinogen, fibronectin, and vitronectin is dose dependent and saturable and occurs with a high affinity. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Aaa binds to the Aα and Bβ chains of fragment D of fibrinogen. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that Aaa is located at the cell surface. Finally, an aaa knockout mutant showed reduced adherence to surface-adsorbed fibrinogen and fibronectin, strongly suggesting a role for Aaa in the colonization of host factor-coated polymer surfaces and/or host tissue.