Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High frequency activity preceding epileptic seizures

High frequency activity (>100 Hz, HFA) is suggested to be related to seizure genesis, but the mechanism of the HFA is not clear. In the present work HFAs and epileptic features including electrographic seizures (trains of hypersynchronous population spikes lasting ~46 sec) and interictal discharges (abrupt potential deflections, ~40 ms) were induced in rat hippocampal slices by increasing potassium concentration in artificial cerebrospinal fluid (8-10 mM, ACSF). We demonstrated that 1) the HFA was formed mainly by synchronous firing of pyramidal neurons while a subset of interneurons might contribute the HFA; 2) the frequencies of the HFAs were region-specific (186 Hz in CA1 and 240 Hz in CA3), and seizures were present only in CA1; 3) build-up of HFA preceding seizures was observed and it was disrupted by refractory periods triggered by interictal discharges, which were abrupt potential deflections present between seizures every 0.8 sec; 4) interictal discharges have both pro- and anti-effects on seizure genesis, and the dual consequences might be due to modifying HFA; 5) synaptic transmission through glutamatergic and γ-aminobutyric acid-ergic synapses were not essential in HFA formation but they were related to the modulations of HFA. Our findings suggested the crucial role of HFA in the seizure genesis and the potential value in seizure prediction by monitoring the HFA.
The prediction formula of mesiodistal width of unerupted permanent canine and premolars from a group of Vietnamese, a preliminary study

The purpose of this study was to create new equations and to test their validity for estimating the sum of mesiodistal tooth sizes of unerupted canine and premolars of Vietnamese children. Two hundred and forty permanent teeth, including central incisors, through first molars were measured on twenty dental casts of Vietnamese. Correlation coefficient of all possible combinations of predictor were evaluated. Cross validation was also conducted both for selection of the prediction-model and validation of the prediction-result. Correlation coefficient and leave-one-out cross validation mean absolute error and root mean square error (LOOCV MAE and RMSE) were finished and indicated that the best prediction model was to use the width of mandibular central incisor and maxillary first molar (Md1Mx6) to predict the width of canine and premolars. Since there was no significant difference for sexual dimorphism (p>0.01), combined gender equations were developed from the regression analysis. The maxillary prediction formula was that Y= 0.77X+9.8 and the mandibular equation was that Y= 1.02X+5.1 where Y represented the predicted widths of canine and premolars and X represented the widths of mandibular central incisor and maxillary first molar (Md1Mx6). Validation as finished by LOOCV MAE and RMSE indicating that the error of these newly developed prediction equations was acceptable. LOOCV MAEs were 0.55 and 0.71 mm for maxillary and mandibular teeth, respectively. Further, these equations may be used with further investigation on larger sample or different specific geographic populations in Vietnam.
Articulatory control in speech production

Articulatory control can be quantified in various ways. Clinical studies frequently use maximum performance measures (diadochokinesis or DDK) to elicit speakers’ maximum rate of repeating syllable sequences. Psycholinguistic studies, on the other hand, often use tongue twister phrases to elicit speech errors in healthy populations. Although both tasks require speakers to rapidly alternate between similar syllables, no direct comparison has been made to investigate the expected overlap between speakers’ performance in these two tasks. We collected speech data from 78 healthy young adults, testing their maximum performance on syllable repetitions and tongue twister sentences, and their habitual reading rate. Our results show that individual maximum speech rate in tongue twister sentences was predicted by maximum DDK rate, illustrating that both tasks contain elements of articulatory control. Speakers’ habitual sentence reading rate was, however, not correlated to their maximum rate, highlighting a dissociation between maximum and actual performance in speech rate.
Development and evaluation of an external reusable piezo-based concrete hydration-monitoring sensor

Hydration of concrete is a very complicated and multiphase process, where the cement gel transforms into a hardened state from plastic/semiplastic phase. Proper progression of the hydration process ensures the development of targeted mechanical properties such as the elastic modulus, the coefficient of thermal expansion, the Poisson’s ratio, and finally, the characteristic strength of concrete. Concrete experiences large thermal variations during the early phase of hydration due to the heat generated during the formation of cement hydration compounds, which contributes to shrinkage and cracking, somewhat making ground for the ultimate failure in the long run. Therefore, it is utmost important to monitor the progression of hydration for enhancing performance during the curing and the early service life. This article presents a new reusable external configuration of piezo-impedance transducers to monitor the hydration process in concrete structures using the electro-mechanical impedance technique. The proposed configuration consists of a thin metal foil instrumented with piezoelectric ceramic patch at the free end with the other end of the foil embedded inside the concrete. This configuration is compared against a piezoelectric ceramic patch directly bonded on the rebar used for reinforcement and another one embedded in the concrete surrounding the rebar. The sensing capability of the proposed metal foil configuration is clearly evident from the coupled admittance signature quantitatively vis-à-vis the other configurations. As a preliminary analysis, root mean square deviation values are employed to monitor the hydration process quantitatively. A piezo-equivalent mechanical model is also developed wherein the piezo-identified mass, stiffness and damping parameters are investigated for the cement hydration process so as to chalk out rigorous quantifiers of hydration progression. The employability of the proposed configuration is further proven by explanation of the physio-chemical products developed during various stage of hydration with step-by-step explanation along with corelation of the piezo-identified mass, stiffness and damping parameters. Overall, the proposed reusable configuration carries a high potential for field deployment in concrete industry for early detection of physio-chemical changes.
Social learning about dangerous people by wild jackdaws

For animals that live alongside humans, people can present both an opportunity and a threat. Previous studies have shown that several species can learn to discriminate between individual people and assess risk based on prior experience. To avoid potentially costly encounters, it may also pay individuals to learn about dangerous people based on information from others. Social learning about anthropogenic threats is likely to be beneficial in habitats dominated by human activity, but experimental evidence is limited. Here, we tested whether wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula) use social learning to recognize dangerous people. Using a within-subjects design, we presented breeding jackdaws with an unfamiliar person near their nest, combined with conspecific alarm calls. Subjects that heard alarm calls showed a heightened fear response in subsequent encounters with the person compared to a control group, reducing their latency to return to the nest. This study provides important evidence that animals use social learning to assess the level of risk posed by individual humans.
HIV control strategies for sex worker–client contact networks

Controlling the spread of HIV among hidden, high-risk populations such as survival sex workers and their clients is becoming increasingly important in the ongoing fight against HIV/AIDS. Several sociological and structural factors render general control strategies ineffective in these settings; instead, focused prevention, testing and treatment strategies which take into account the nature of survival sex work are required. Using a dynamic bipartite network model of sexual contacts, we investigate the optimal distribution of treatment and preventative resources among sex workers and their clients; specifically, we consider control strategies that randomly allocate antiretroviral therapy and pre-exposure prophylaxis within each subpopulation separately. Motivated by historical data from a South African mining community, three main asymmetries between sex workers and clients are considered in our model: relative population sizes, migration rates and partner distributions. We find that preventative interventions targeted at female sex workers are the lowest cost strategies for reducing HIV prevalence, since the sex workers form a smaller population and have, on average, more sexual contacts. However, the high migration rate among survival sex workers limits the extent to which prevalence can be reduced using this strategy. To achieve a further reduction in HIV prevalence, testing and treatment in the client population cannot be ignored.
Increase in metazoan ecosystem engineering prior to the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary in the Nama Group, Namibia

The disappearance of the soft-bodied Ediacara biota at the Ediacaran–Cambrian boundary potentially represents the earliest mass extinction of complex life, although the precise driver(s) of this extinction remain unresolved. The ‘biotic replacement’ model proposes that an evolutionary radiation of metazoan ecosystem engineers in the latest Ediacaran profoundly altered marine palaeoenvironments, resulting in the extinction of Ediacara biota and setting the stage for the subsequent Cambrian Explosion. However, metazoan ecosystem engineering across the Ediacaran–Cambrian transition has yet to be quantified. Here, we test this key tenet of the biotic replacement model by characterizing the intensity of metazoan bioturbation and ecosystem engineering in trace fossil assemblages throughout the latest Ediacaran Nama Group in southern Namibia. The results illustrate a dramatic increase in both bioturbation and ecosystem engineering intensity in the latest Ediacaran, prior to the Cambrian boundary. Moreover, our analyses demonstrate that the highest-impact ecosystem engineering behaviours were present well before the onset of the Cambrian. These data provide the first support for a fundamental prediction of the biotic replacement model, and evidence for a direct link between the early evolution of ecosystem engineering and the extinction of the Ediacara biota.
Knowledge Sharing under Non-hierarchical Ecosystem in International Port Waterway System

ABSTRACT Pi, S. and Cai, W. , 2019. Knowledge sharing under non-hierarchical ecosystem in international port waterway system. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 855–861. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. While the international port waterway ecosystem having been transformed by e-business and ICT, knowledge and information sharing between different sections in port waterway and environmental agents or consultants become increasingly important. This paper aims to understand the basic rules of individual agent competition by knowledge sharing behaviour in non-hierarchical network in international waterway ecosystem, and the effects of network evaluation on individual behaviour choice for status competition. We gathered one-month records of a Chinese professional QQ group, and applied content analysis and statistical tests methodology. We coded and analysed the individual sharing behaviour in the knowledge network. Finally, we built a knowledge network and empirically investigated the associations under research purpose by regression model. The results revealed that while systematic and peer evaluation have different moderating effects between positive association of individual knowledge sharing and network centrality. On the basis, three categories of knowledge networks evaluation system in the international waterway ecosystem are formed according to specific strategic position, including transferring knowledge network, innovative knowledge network, and collaborative knowledge network. This study pushed the theory of knowledge sharing behaviour into non-hierarchical community from hierarchical mechanism and accomplished the interdependence between sharing behaviour and individual status in the network, which formed the status competition approach and provide the micro approach for the theory of network effects. Furthermore, this paper established an evaluation model of the knowledge network, which contributes theoretically and practically to the knowledge network in the international waterway ecosystem.
Relationship between the Occurrence of Red Tides and the Dynamic Response Mechanisms in the Northern Beibu Gulf

ABSTRACT Chen, B. ; Dong, D. ; Qin, X. ; Xu, M. ; Chen, X. , and Shi, M. , 2019. Relationship between the occurrence of red tides and the dynamic response mechanisms in the northern Beibu Gulf. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 185–193. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Unlike the common outbreak mechanism of red tides, the northern Beibu Gulf in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China experiences frequent red tides with distinct characteristics, such as large distances from the mainland and the presence of industrial pollution. By tracing the sources and transport of the high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus, the relationship between pollutant transport and the dynamic response mechanisms was explored. The results showed that the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients in the areas of red tide outbreaks near Weizhou Island and in the Qinzhou Gulf in the northern Beibu Gulf were higher than those in the surrounding areas. However, the high concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients in the northern Beibu Gulf did not originate from terrestrial pollution from Guangxi Province; rather, these pollutants originated on the east coast of China and were transported through the Qiongzhou Strait. The primary sources were the Pearl River Estuary and the coastal waters of eastern Guangdong. In addition, the differences in the concentration distributions of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients between the east and west coasts of the Qinzhou Gulf in the northern Beibu Gulf were clearly related to dynamic response mechanisms.
Peripheral nerve injury induced changes in the spinal cord and strategies to counteract/enhance the changes to promote nerve regeneration

Peripheral nerve injury leads to morphological, molecular and gene expression changes in the spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia, some of which have positive impact on the survival of neurons and nerve regeneration, while the effect of others is the opposite. It is crucial to take prompt measures to capitalize on the positive effects of these reactions and counteract the negative impact after peripheral nerve injury at the level of spinal cord, especially for peripheral nerve injuries that are severe, located close to the cell body, involve long distance for axons to regrow and happen in immature individuals. Early nerve repair, exogenous supply of neurotrophic factors and Schwann cells can sustain the regeneration inductive environment and enhance the positive changes in neurons. Administration of neurotrophic factors, acetyl-L-carnitine, N-acetyl-cysteine, and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist MK-801 can help counteract axotomy-induced neuronal loss and promote regeneration, which are all time-dependent. Sustaining and reactivation of Schwann cells after denervation provides another effective strategy. FK506 can be used to accelerate axonal regeneration of neurons, especially after chronic axotomy. Exploring the axotomy-induced changes after peripheral nerve injury and applying protective and promotional measures in the spinal cord which help to retain a positive functional status for neuron cell bodies will inevitably benefit regeneration of the peripheral nerve and improve functional outcomes.
Evaluation of the vitreous chamber depth: An assessment of correlation with ocular biometrics

Purpose: The mechanism of ocular growth eludes us and research on vitreous chamber depth (VCD) is lacking. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of VCD and its ratio to axial length (AL) in relation to ocular biometry. Methods: This retrospective study of patients planned for cataract surgery was performed at a tertiary center. Data regarding AL, anterior chamber depth (ACD), lens thickness (LT), and central corneal thickness (CCT) of 640 eyes was noted. Anterior segment (AS) was measured as sum of CCT, ACD, and LT, while VCD was calculated as the difference between AL and AS. Correlation of VCD and VCD: AL with ocular biometry was the primary outcome measure. Three groups were formed on the basis of AL and Pearson correlation coefficient (R) was applied. Results: Mean VCD was 15.38+/−1.14 mm. Mean VCD: AL was 0.66+/−0.02. VCD had a very strong relation with AL (R = 0.9, P < 0.001) only, whereas VCD: AL had a good--strong relation with AL (R = 0.5, P < 0.001), AS (R = 0.7, P < 0.001), ACD (R = 0.3, P < 0.001), and LT (R = 0.5, P < 0.001). The relation of VCD: AL with AS was very strong across all groups (R ≤ -0.8, P < 0.001 in all groups). 85% of eyes in group with AL <22 mm had VCD: AL <0.67, conversely 85% of eyes with AL >24.5 mm had VCD: AL >0.67. Conclusion: We found VCD to have the strongest relation with AL. VCD: AL was more consistent and showed a strong relation to ocular biometry across all ALs. This suggests the possible utility of the ratio VCD: AL while evaluating ocular growth, refractive status, and myopia-related complications.
Community Pharmacist’s Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices towards Vitamin Supplements in Al-Khobar Region, Saudi Arabia: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

Aims and Objectives: To foster a podium for assessing and evaluating knowledge, attitudes, and professional practices of Saudi community pharmacists in counseling patients regarding the safe usage of dietary supplements. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between January 2017 and April 2017. Collection of data was carried out by using a set of 44 semi-structured self-administrated questionnaires. Study was conducted among community pharmacies in Al-Khobar Region, Saudi Arabia, with target sample of 250 pharmacists. Results: A total of 102 pharmacists contributed in this study. The mean average score of the participants in subjective assessment of knowledge was 62.45%. Half of the participants (51.96%) achieved good and excellent score in objective assessment regarding knowledge of vitamin, 66.67% of the respondents thought that pharmacists should be knowledgeable regarding vitamin supplements, and 81.37% declared that they inform the patients about possible adverse effects by the use of dietary supplements. Conclusion: The study revealed a positive attitude of community pharmacists in Al-Khobar Region on their role in patients’ counseling about the safe usage of vitamins as dietary supplements. However, their level of knowledge about vitamin supplements needs to be improved to meet consumer’s needs regarding usage of dietary supplements.
Knowledge of Turkish general dentists about traumatic dental injuries

Aim The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge of Turkish dentists on different scenarios in dental traumatology. Materials and methods A two-part online questionnaire was used to collect data. The first part included questions about practitioners' demographics, their meeting frequency for trauma cases, their self-evaluated knowledge, educational information about dentistry. The second part included multiple-choice for 10 clinical scenarios about a variety of dental trauma cases and their complications. Results A total of 472 questionnaires returned. 55.5% of participants were general dentists. Overall, 7.8% reported extensive and comprehensive knowledge about dental trauma, 55.3% considered their dental traumatology knowledge to be sufficient, but incomplete, and 36.9% self-evaluated their knowledge as insufficient. 40.9% of participants refer their patients for diagnosis and treatment mostly to endodontists, pediatric dentists, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons. In questionnaire 2, overall the correct answer average was 5.79 based on 10 clinical scenarios. The average of correct answer in 1–5 years experience group was significantly higher than the groups having experience over 10 years. Conclusion Turkish general dentists demonstrated insufficient knowledge regarding the management of traumatized teeth. Informing the students during their undergraduate education and encouraging the clinicians to follow the updates in trauma guidelines may be beneficial for a higher success in trauma cases.
Fluctuations of Spleen Cytokine and Blood Lactate, Importance of Cellular Immunity in Host Defense Against Blood Stage Malaria Plasmodium yoelii

Our previous studies of protective immunity and pathology against blood stage malaria parasites have shown that not only CD4+ T cells, but also CD8+ T cells and macrophages, are important for host defense against blood stage malaria infection. Furthermore, we found that Plasmodium yoelii 17XNL (PyNL) parasitizes erythroblasts, the red blood cell (RBC) precursor cells, which then express MHC class I molecules. In the present study, we analyzed spleen cytokine production. In CD8+ T cell-depleted mice, IL-10 production in early stage infection was increased over two-fold relative to infected control animals and IL-10+ CD3− cells were increased, whereas IFN-γ production in the late stage of infection was decreased. At day 16 after PyNL infection, CD8+ T cells produced more IFN-γ than CD4+ T cells. We evaluated the involvement of the immunoproteasome in induction of immune CD8+ T cells, and the role of Fas in protection against PyNL both of which are downstream of IFN-γ. In cell transfer experiments, at least the single molecules LMP7, LMP2, and PA28 are not essential for CD8+ T cell induction. The Fas mutant LPR mouse was weaker in resistance to PyNL infection than WT mice, and 20% of the animals died. LPR-derived parasitized erythroid cells exhibited less externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS), and phagocytosis by macrophages was impaired. Furthermore, we tried to identify the cause of death in malaria infection. Blood lactate concentration was increased in the CD8+ T cell-depleted PyNL-infected group at day 19 (around peak parasitemia) to similar levels as day 7 after infection with a lethal strain of Py. When we injected mice with lactate at day 4 and 6 of PyNL infection, all mice died at day 8 despite demonstrating low parasitemia, suggesting that hyperlactatemia is one of the causes of death in CD8+ T cell-depleted PyNL-infected mice. We conclude that CD8+ T cells might control cytokine production to some extent and regulate hyperparasitemia and hyperlactatemia in protection against blood stage malaria parasites.