Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thioglycollate peritonitis in mice lacking C5, 5‐lipoxygenase, or p47phox: complement, leukotrienes, and reactive oxidants in acute inflammation

Leukotriene B4 (LTB4) is an easily diffusible proinflammatory chemotactic factor that has been posited to prime the initial inflammatory response for the action of other mediators, including C5a. 5‐Lipoxygenase‐deficient (5LX−/−) and C5‐deficient mice only generated about 50% as much peritoneal leukocytosis as wild‐type mice following intraperitoneal (IP) challenge with the sterile irritant, thioglycollate (P<0.005). Pretreatment of C5− mice with the specific 5‐lipoxygenase inhibitor, zileuton, reduced peritoneal leukocytosis to almost unstimulated levels, suggesting that LTB4 can act independently of C5a. Previously, LTB4 and C5a have been shown in vitro to be inactivated by metabolites of superoxide. In the current study, we examined the fate of LTB4 in the p47phox−/− mouse model of chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) in which the phagocyte NADPH oxidase is unable to produce superoxide. p47phox−/− mice generated more thioglycollate‐elicited peritoneal leukocytosis than wild‐type mice. Pretreatment with zileuton caused a 76% reduction in peritoneal leukocytosis in p47phox−/− mice (P<0.005) and a 54% reduction in wild‐type mice (P<0.05), whereas pretreatment with dexamethasone or toradol (a cyclooxygenase inhibitor) had no effect. Following IP LTB4 (1 μg/mouse), total recovered peritoneal LTB4 was similar between p47phox−/− and wild‐type mice at 10 and 30 min, but was approximately fivefold greater in p47phox−/− mice at 180 min. These data suggest that LTB4 and C5a have separate but overlapping roles in thioglycollate‐elicited peritonitis, and at least the leukotriene component is, in turn, regulated by reactive oxidants.
Optical coherence tomography of the preterm eye: from retinopathy of prematurity to brain development

Preterm infants with retinopathy of prematurity are at increased risk of poor neurodevelopmental outcomes. Because the neurosensory retina is an extension of the central nervous system, anatomic abnormalities in the anterior visual pathway often relate to system and central nervous system health. We describe optical coherence tomography as a powerful imaging modality that has recently been adapted to the infant population and provides noninvasive, high-resolution, cross-sectional imaging of the infant eye at the bedside. Optical coherence tomography has increased understanding of normal eye development and has identified several potential biomarkers of brain abnormalities and poorer neurodevelopment.
Akademia Baru Electrical and Chemical Properties of New Insulating Oil for Transformer Using Pure Coconut Oil

The petroleum based mineral oil has been used as the insulation for the transformer since a long time ago. Mineral oil acts as a cooling and insulating medium in transformer. Transformer mineral oil has been replaced by alternative oils such as synthetic oil and natural esters due to their biodegradability and environmentally friendly nature. Due to the environmental consideration, mineral oil is the poor biodegradability and future scarcity. It can cause the pollution and contaminate soil when a serious spill takes place. The mineral oil was extracted from the petroleum, which is going to run out in the future and the petroleum is non-renewable energy. The paper presents a study that has been carried out to investigate the performance coconut oil as an insulator of the transformer and to investigate the insulating properties of coconut oil. There are two aspects was considered, which are electrical and chemical properties. The parameters of electrical properties that have been investigated are breakdown voltage and resistivity. While, chemical properties are kinematic viscosity, flash point and water content. The study shows that pure coconut oil gave the best performance in chemical properties compare to mineral oil while coconut oil has potential to be used the alternative insulator of the transformer. Copyright © 2016 Penerbit Akademia Baru All rights reserved.
Gamma Irradiation as a Phytosanitary Treatment of Bactrocera tau (Diptera: Tephritidae) in Pumpkin Fruits

ABSTRACT The fruit fly Bactrocera tau (Walker) is an important quarantine pest that damages fruits and vegetables throughout Asian regions. Host commodities shipped from infested areas should undergo phytosanitary measures to reduce the risk of shipping viable flies. The dose—response tests with 1-d-old eggs and 3-, 5-, 7-, 8-d-old larvae were initiated to determine the most resistant stages in fruits, and the minimum dose for 99.9968% prevention of adult eclosion at 95% confidence level was validated in the confirmatory tests. The results showed that 1) the pupariation rate was not affected by gamma radiation except for eggs and first instars, while the percent of eclosion was reduced significantly in all instars at all radiation dose; 2) the tolerance to radiation increased with increasing age and developmental stage; 3) the estimated dose to 99.9968% preventing adult eclosion from late third instars was 70.9 Gy (95% CL: 65.6–78.2, probit model) and 71.8 Gy (95% CL: 63.0–87.3, logit model); and iv) in total, 107,135 late third instars cage infested in pumpkin fruits were irradiated at the target dose of 70 Gy (62.5–85.0, Gy measured), which resulted in no adult emergence in the two confirmatory tests. Therefore, a minimum dose of 85 and 72 Gy, which could prevent adult emergence at the efficacy of 99.9972 and 99.9938% at the 95% confidence level, respectively, can be recommended as a minimum dose for phytosanitary treatment of B. tau in any host fruits and vegetables under ambient atmospheres.
Reference System for Characterization of Bordetella pertussis Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis Profiles

ABSTRACT Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) has been used as an epidemiological tool for surveillance studies of Bordetella pertussis since the early 1990s. To date there is no standardized procedure for comparison of results, and therefore it has been difficult to directly compare PFGE results between laboratories. We propose a profile-based reference system for PFGE characterization of B. pertussis strain variation and to establish traceability of B. pertussis PFGE results. We initially suggest 35 Swedish reference strains as reference material for PFGE traceability. This reference material is deposited at the Culture Collection of the University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. Altogether, 1,810 Swedish clinical isolates from between 1970 and 2003 were studied, together with the Swedish Pw vaccine strain, six reference strains, and two U.S. isolates. Our system provides evidence that profiles obtained by using only one enzyme, i.e., XbaI, give enough data to analyze the epidemiological relationship between them. Characterization with one enzyme is far less labor intensive, yielding results in half the time than when a two-enzyme procedure is used. Also, we can see that there is a correlation between PFGE profile and pertactin type. One common PFGE profile, BpSR11 (n = 455), showed 100% prn2 and 100% Fim3 when analyzed for pertactin type and serotype. On the other hand, strains with the same profile may express various serotypes when isolated over longer periods of time. Subculturing of the same isolate eight times or lyophilization caused no change in PFGE profile.
Comparative Investigation of Wear Metals in Virgin and Used Lubricant Oils

Four samples of virgin lubricating oils were categorized as A1, B1, C1 and D1 while their used oil counterparts were designated as A2, B2, C2 and D2 respectively. A dry ash method was adopted for digestion of the samples in a 1:1 ratio (w/v) of oil: concentrated H2SO4 followed by dissolution with 2 M HNO3 acid. The digested samples were separately subjected to flame atomic photometry analysis for alkali and alkaline earth metals while other metals were subjected to atomic absorption spectrometric analysis. The specific densities of the virgin oils fell within the range of 0.941–0.952 while their corresponding used oil values ranged between 0.923 and 0.932. The viscosity value ranges obtained were 72.77–79.27 cp for virgin oil and 64.27–79.27 cp for used oil. The wear metal concentrations determined for virgin oil were in the range of 110–150, 17–1957, 5.0–53.3, 1.1–1.7, 3.2–14.1, 2.7–5.2, 1.5–5.4, 45.13–106.8, 46.1–61.0 mg/kg for Na, Mg, Pb, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Zn and Mn, respectively. Their corresponding used oil metal concentrations were in the range of 99–193, 72–2567, 150–810, 1.1–20.3, 5.1–754, 2.4–5.13, 3.2–6.2, 13.0–73.6 and 30.6–50.7 mg/kg respectively for the same metal ions. Among the investigated metal ions of C2, Pb made up 20.63% while Cr made up 56.53% of B2. The information about these metal concentrations will be helpful in monitoring and maintaining vehicles and machine engines while also indicating which metals could be quantitatively recovered and thereby being used to solve environmental problems. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Taking Control of Aggression: Perceptions of Aggression Suppress the Link between Perceptions of Facial Masculinity and Attractiveness

Women's preferences for masculine-looking male faces are inconsistent across studies, with some studies finding a positive relationship between masculinity and attractiveness and others finding a negative relationship or no association. One possible reason for this inconsistency is that the perception of masculinity is also associated with perceptions of aggression, which may be viewed as particularly costly to women (aggressive individuals are more likely to experience injury or death). Based on the proposal that women's preference for masculinity is in conflict with their aversion for aggression in male faces, we hypothesized that the bivariate associations between perceptions of masculinity and attractiveness would be weak or negative, but would be positive and significantly stronger after controlling statistically for perceptions of aggression. Across three studies involving three sets of faces (n = 25, 54, 24) and five sets of raters (n = 29, 30, 26, 16, 10), this hypothesis was supported with the average correlation between perceptions of masculinity and attractiveness (r = −.09) reversing in direction and substantially increasing in magnitude after perceptions of aggression were controlled statistically (r = .35). Perceived masculinity may thus involve both attractive and unattractive components, and women's preferences for masculinity may involve weighing its relative costs and benefits.
THE EFFECTS OF ETHANOL CONSUMPTION ON THE LIPID PEROXIDATION AND GLUTATHIONE LEVELS IN THE RIGHT AND LEFT BRAINS OF RATS

The effects of ethanol consumption on the levels of lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione (GSH) in the cerebral hemispheres of male rats were investigated. The rats were randomly divided into eight groups: control, 10%, 25%, 35% ethanol-consuming groups, and four groups given vitamin E. The level of lipid peroxidation increased 34.32% (right brain), 35.67% (left brain) in 10% ethanol-consuming rats; 32.05% (right brain), 31.81% (left brain) in 25% ethanol-consuming rats; and 33.45% (right brain), 39.72% (left brain) in 35% ethanol-consuming rats. The GSH level of the right and left brains significantly decreased: 19.39%, 19.56%; 27.58%, 29.34%; 35.34%, 33.22% in rats consuming 10%, 25%, and 35% ethanol, respectively. These effects were partly antagonized by administration of vitamin E (100 mg/kg/day i.p.) to ethanol-consuming rats for 20 days. The results suggested that the cerebral hemispheres of adult rats are susceptible to the oxidative neurotoxic effects of ethanol, which may be blocked by vitamin E
NUMERICAL COMPARATIVE HAIRS OF SOME LAMIACEAE TAXA COLLECTED FROM TURKEY Comparação

In this study, glandular and aglandular hairs were examined and compared numerically in the vegatative and reproductive organs of Salvia viridis, Salvia verticillata subsp. amasiaca, Salvia virgata, Phlomis pungens var. pungen, Phlomis pungens var. hispida, Stachys cretica subsp. anatolica, Stachys cretica subsp. smyrnaea, Teucrium scordium subsp. scordioides. It has been observed that all taxa which are collected Western and Northern Anatolia have glandular hairs and aglandular hairs of various shapes, size and modes of secretion. The hairs variations in eight Lamiaceae taxa were been investigated by means of numerical methods (Analysis of variance and Pearson correlation). It was also found that the results from numerical analysis of the hairs characters can provide additional evidences for the recognition of the taxa.
Performance of anaerobic granules for degradation of pentachlorophenol

Anaerobic granules degrading pentachlorophenol (PCP) with specific PCP removal activity up to 14.6 mg/g of volatile suspended solids per day were developed in a laboratory-scale anaerobic upflow sludge blanket reactor at 28 degrees C, by using a mixture of acetate, propionate, butyrate, and methanol as the carbon source. The reactor was able to treat synthetic wastewater containing 40 to 60 mg of PCP per liter at a volumetric loading rate of up to 90 mg/liter of reactor volume per day, with a hydraulic retention time of 10.8 to 15 h. PCP removal of more than 99% was achieved. Results of adsorption of PCP by granular biomass indicated that the PCP removal by the granules was due to biodegradation rather than adsorption. A radiotracer assay demonstrated that the PCP-degrading granules mineralized [14C]PCP to 14CH4 and 14CO2. Toxicity test results indicated that syntrophic propionate degraders and acetate-utilizing methanogens were more sensitive to PCP than syntrophic butyrate degraders. The PCP-degrading granules also exhibited a higher tolerance to the inhibition caused by PCP for methane production and degradation of acetate, propionate, and butyrate, compared with anaerobic granules unadapted to PCP.
New Norms for a New Generation: Cognitive Performance in the Framingham Offspring Cohort

A previous publication presented normative data on neuropsychological tests stratified by age, gender, and education based on the Original Cohort of the Framingham Heart Study. Many contemporary investigations include subject samples with higher levels of education, a factor known to affect cognitive performance. Secular change in education prompted the reexamination of norms in the children of the Original Cohort. The study population consisted of 853 men and 988 women from the Offspring Study, free of clinical neurological disease, who underwent a neuropsychological examination, which included tests given to their parents in 1974 to 1976 as well as additional newer tests to provide a more comprehensive battery. The Offspring population overall was more evenly distributed by gender and better educated. Their performance on cognitive tests was superior to that of the Original Cohort. Multivariable analyses revealed that more years of education explained only a part of the cohort differences. These findings suggest that continued surveillance of each generation is necessary to document the impact that unique social and economic variables have on cognitive function. Here, the authors provide updated normative data.
Stochastic Correlation in the Heston Model

Stochastic correlation models have become increasingly important in financial markets. In order to be able to price vanilla options in stochastic volatility and correlation models, in this work, we study the extension of the Heston model by imposing stochastic correlations driven by a stochastic differential equation. We discuss the efficient algorithms for the extended Heston model by incorporating stochastic correlations. Our numerical experiments show that the proposed algorithms can efficiently provide highly accurate results for the extended Heston by including stochastic correlations. By investigating the effect of stochastic correlations on the implied volatility, we find that the performance of the Heston model can be proved by including stochastic correlations.
Spatial Variability of PM2.5 in Urban Areas in the United States

Abstract Data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Aerometric Information Retrieval System (now known as the Air Quality System) database for 1999 and 2000 have been used to characterize the spatial variability of concentrations of particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μg (PM2.5) in 27 urban areas across the United States. Different measures were used to quantify the degree of uniformity of PM2.5 concentrations in the urban areas characterized. It was observed that PM2.5 concentrations varied to differing degrees in the urban areas examined. Analyses of several urban areas in the Southeast indicated high correlations between site pairs and spatial uniformity in concentration fields. Considerable spatial variation was found in other regions, especially in the West. Even within urban areas in which all site pairs were highly correlated, a variable degree of heterogeneity in PM2.5 concentrations was found. Thus, even though concentrations at pairs of sites were highly correlated, their concentrations were not necessarily the same. These findings indicate that the potential for exposure misclassification errors in time-series epidemiologic studies exists.
Underestimation of atypical ductal hyperplasia at sonographically guided core biopsy of the breast.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine the rate of underestimation of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) at sonographically guided core biopsy of the breast and to identify the factors involved. MATERIALS AND METHODS We retrospectively reviewed 3,563 lesions con secutively evaluated with sonographically guided core biopsy between January 2002 and June 2006. Histologic analysis yielded ADH in 60 of the 3,563 lesions (1.7%). The rate of underestimation of ADH was determined by dividing the number of lesions that proved to be carcinoma at surgical excision by 44, the total number of lesions evaluated with excisional biopsy. Clinical, sonographic, and core biopsy features were analyzed to identify factors that affect the rate of underestimation of ADH. RESULTS The rate of underestimation of ADH was found to be 48% (21 of 44 lesions). Underestimation of ADH was significantly less frequent for lesions evaluated with 11-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy than for lesions evaluated with 14-gauge automated gun biopsy (22% [four of 18 lesions] vs 65% [17 of 26 lesions], p = 0.012). The other clinical, sonographic, and biopsy features examined did not affect the rate of underestimation of ADH. CONCLUSION For sonographically guided core biopsy of the breast, the rate of underestimation of ADH was 48%. This rate was lower for lesions evaluated with 11-gauge vacuum-assisted biopsy (22%) than for those evaluated with 14-gauge automated gun biopsy (65%). This finding was particularly true of smaller lesions (< or = 2.0 cm) and for lesions of the mass-only type.
Energy Consumption Modelling in the Injection Moulding Industry

The injection moulding process is a large-scale process at a global level, and therefore leads to a high environmental and economic impact. Because of this large scale, small efficiency improvements may lead to large energy savings. In general, the injection moulding companies are focused on energy consumption and their main goal is to reduce energy in order to achieve a sustainable manufacturing. Several models have been developed to predict energy consumptions in different industries, and plastic injection is no different. Specific energy consumption models, SEC, are used throughout the industry and process based models have been developed to account for the properties of the injection moulding process. Nevertheless, the scarce of data inhibit those models to estimate the energy consumption with the required accuracy to be assumed as validated to a wide universe of technological and production contexts. This thesis evaluates different models to estimate the energy consumption in injection moulding parts production based on an extensive data collection set in industrial environment. SEC and process based models, PBM, are developed and extensively tested with the data gathered in industrial environment. Further, it was developed a model to estimate energy consumptions in the injection moulding industry based on neural networks. This model takes advantage of the extensive industrial data gathered and uses a carefully selected group of parameters as inputs to obtain estimations of the energy consumed in the process.
Mechanical and Pathologic Consequences of Induced Concentric Anular Tears in an Ovine Model

Study Design. Relations between induced concentric tears in the sheep disc and the mechanics of the intervertebral joint and vertebral body bone were analyzed. Objective. To examine the effect of concentric disc tears on the mechanics of the spine. Summary of Background Data. Degeneration of the intervertebral disc results in changes to the mechanics and morphology of the spine, but the effect of concentric disc tears is unknown. Methods. In this study, 48 merino wethers were subjected to surgery, and discs were randomly selected for either a needlestick injury or induction of a concentric tear in the anterior and left anterolateral anulus. Sheep were randomly assigned to groups for killing at 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, and 18 months. From each sheep, two spine segments were mechanically tested: one with a needlestick injury and one with a concentric tear. Macroscopic disc morphology was assessed by three axial slices of the disc. Sagittal bone slices were taken from cranial and caudal vertebral bodies for histologic analysis. Results. Induced concentric tears decrease the stiffness of intact spine segments in left bending and the disc alone in flexion. In all other mechanical tests, the needlestick injury had the same effect as the induced concentric tear. In the isolated disc, the disc stiffness at 6 months was increased for right bending, as compared with the response at 1 month. This was associated with increased anterior lamellar thickening and increased vertebral body bone volume fraction. Conclusions. Concentric tears and needlestick injury in the anterior anulus lead to mechanical changes in the disc and both anular lamellar thickness and vertebral body bone volume fraction. A needlestick injury through the anulus parallel to the lamellae produces progressive damage.
Detection of supraventricular and ventricular ectopic beats using a single lead ECG

Two simple algorithms for supraventricular (SVEB) and ventricular ectopic beat (VEB) detection using the electrocardiogram (ECG) are presented. Both algorithms use time-domain features and a linear classifier. The first algorithm requires QRS detection only and the second algorithm requires P, QRS and T wave segmentation. Data was obtained from the 44 non-pacemaker recordings of the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database and contained approximately 100,000 beats. Performance assessment of the best system resulted in an accuracy of 94.4% when discriminating SVEB from non-SVEBs and 97.8% in discriminating VEB from non-VEBs.