Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimisation of faecal coliform removal performance in three tertiary maturation ponds

Maturation ponds are potentially the most economical and easily maintained unit process for the removal of faecal indicator bacteria in sewage treatment, especially when climate and sunlight conditions are favourable. The present study was conducted with the aim of improving faecal coliform (FC) and faecal streptococcus (FS) removal efficiencies in tertiary maturation stages of a sewage treatment plant in Southern England, where climatic conditions are less favourable The research used intensive field assessments (bacteriological, general quality and hydraulic) to identify the parameters that affect the bacteriological quality of the effluent from the maturation ponds, and optimising both the engineering design and system operation. The tertiaiy maturation ponds comprise three parallel maturation ponds (North, Central and South) of similar geometry and dimensions. An engineering intervention was carried out to convert the South pond to three channels to increase the LAV ratio from 9:1 to 79:1 in order to improve hydraulic performance and FC and FS removal. Hydraulic tracer studies with Rhodamine WT at the plant showed that the dispersion number 'd' was reduced from 0.37 (dispersed flow) to 0.074 (piston flow) by this intervention under identical flow conditions. Hydraulic retention time was thus increased by 5 hours. As a result of the intervention FC removal increased substantially. When operating at 8.6 l/s and 14°C, and with approximately 10-hours sunlight exposure the removal efficiency was 92%. Maximum channel-lagoon efficiency of 99. 84%, was obtained at 4.5 l/s and 19°C, when exposure to sunlight was 17 hours. The most important variables for FC removal were shown to be retention time followed by sunlight exposure. Under similar operating conditions (4.5 l/sec), delay in jet flow short-circuiting was increased by 86%, from 2.5 hour to 17.5 hours thus increasing the exposure times for all elements. As a consequence the final effluent met the WHO guideline of less than 1,000 FC/100ml for the first time. It is concluded that the channel configuration produces a higher hydraulic efficiency than conventional maturation ponds. It is therefore recommended as a viable engineering solution which permits a low-cost upgrading of plant performance, requiring no additional land, and with minimal maintenance costs.
Soy isoflavone intake and stomach cancer risk in Japan: From the Takayama study

Although several experimental studies suggested that soy isoflavone intake inhibits the growth of stomach cancer, previous epidemiological studies have observed inconsistent results. We evaluated the associations of soy or isoflavone intake with stomach cancer incidence after considering several lifestyle factors, including salt intake, in a population‐based prospective cohort study in Japan. Subjects were 14,219 men and 16,573 women aged 35 years or older in September 1992. Soy and isoflavone intakes, assessed with a validated food‐frequency questionnaire, were controlled for the total energy intake. Cancer incidence was mainly confirmed through regional population‐based cancer registries. Until March 2008, 441 men and 237 women developed stomach cancer. After adjustments for multiple confounders, a significantly decreased relative risk of stomach cancer was observed in the highest vs. lowest quartile of soy intake; the estimated hazard ratios were 0.71 (95% CI: 0.53, 0.96) for men (p for trend = 0.039) and 0.58 (95% CI: 0.36, 0.94) for women (p for trend = 0.003). Similar inverse associations between isoflavone intake and stomach cancer risk were also observed in women. Higher intake of non‐fermented soy foods was significantly associated with a lower risk of stomach cancer (p for trend: 0.022 in men and 0.005 in women), whereas there was no significant association between the intake of fermented soy foods and a risk of stomach cancer. These results suggest that a high intake of soy isoflavone, mainly nonfermented soy foods, have a protective effect against stomach cancer.
The effect of nutritional rickets on bone mineral density.

CONTEXT Nutritional rickets is caused by impaired mineralization of growing bone. The effect of nutritional rickets on areal bone mineral density (aBMD) has not been established. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to determine if aBMD is lower in children with active rickets than in healthy control children. We expected that the reduction in aBMD would vary between the radial and ulnar metaphyses near the growth plates and the proximal diaphyses. DESIGN Case-control study. SETTING Primary care outpatient department of a teaching hospital in Jos, Nigeria. PARTICIPANTS Nigerian children with radiographically-confirmed rickets were compared with a reference group of control children without rickets from the same community. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Forearm bone density measurements were performed in all children with pDXA. Age, sex, and height-adjusted bone density parameters were compared between children with rickets and control subjects. RESULTS A total of 264 children with active rickets (ages 13-120 months) and 660 control children (ages 11-123 months) were included. In multivariate analyses controlling for height, age, and gender, rickets was associated with a 4% greater bone area and 7% lower aBMD of the radial and ulnar metaphyses compared with controls (P < .001). The effects of rickets on the diaphyses of the radius and ulna were more pronounced with an 11% greater bone area, 21% lower aBMD, and 24% lower bone mineral apparent density than controls (P < .001). In children with rickets, aBMD values were unrelated to dairy product intake or serum calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, or 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Metaphyseal aBMD was positively associated with radiographic severity score, attributed to bone edge detection artifact by densitometry in active rickets. CONCLUSION Rickets results in increased bone area and reduced aBMD, which are more pronounced in the diaphyseal than in the metaphyseal regions of the radius and ulna, consistent with secondary hyperparathyroidism, generalized osteoid expansion and impaired mineralization.
Dynamic Factor Models for the Volatility Surface

The implied volatility surface is the collection of volatilities implied by option contracts for different strike prices and time-to-maturity. We study factor models to capture the dynamics of this three-dimensional implied volatility surface. Three model types are considered to examine desirable features for representing the surface and its dynamics: a general dynamic factor model, restricted factor models designed to capture the key features of the surface along the moneyness and maturity dimensions, and in-between spline-based methods. Key findings are that: (i) the restricted and spline-based models are both rejected against the general dynamic factor model, (ii) the factors driving the surface are highly persistent, (iii) for the restricted models option Delta is preferred over the more often used strike relative to spot price as measure for moneyness.
Transport and Fate of Copper in Soils

� Abstract—The presence of toxic heavy metals in industrial effluents is one of the serious threats to the environment. Heavy metals such as Cadmium, Chromium, Lead, Nickel, Zinc, Mercury, Copper, Arsenic are found in the effluents of industries such as foundries, electroplating, petrochemical, battery manufacturing, tanneries, fertilizer, dying, textiles, metallurgical and metal finishing. Tremendous increase of industrial copper usage and its presence in industrial effluents has lead to a growing concern about the fate and effects of Copper in the environment. Percolation of industrial effluents through soils leads to contamination of ground water and soils. The transport of heavy metals and their diffusion into the soils has therefore, drawn the attention of the researchers. In this study, an attempt has been made to delineate the mechanisms of transport and fate of copper in terrestrial environment. Column studies were conducted using perplex glass square column of dimension side 15 cm and 1.35 m long. The soil samples were collected from a natural drain near Mohali (India). The soil was characterized to be poorly graded sandy loam. The soil was compacted to the field dry density level of about 1.6 g/cm 3 . Break through curves for different depths of the column were plotted. The results of the column study indicated that the copper has high tendency to flow in the soils and fewer tendencies to get absorbed on the soil particles. The t1/2 estimates obtained from the studies can be used for design copper laden wastewater disposal systems.
On liquid interculturality : Finnish and Latvian student teachers' perceptions of intercultural competence

Over the last decade, the promotion, development and assessment of “interculturality” have been key interests in language teaching and learning. In this paper, we presuppose that speakers of a foreign language are “interculturally” competent when they are able/willing to communicate effectively with others, accept their position as “strangers” when meeting others, and realize that all individuals, including themselves, are multicultural and complex (sex, age, religion, status in society etc.). In other words, they are adequately prepared to function in the present unstable, flexible times described by sociologist Z. Bauman as Liquid Modernity. Comparing data from Latvian and Finnish trainees who have just started initial language teacher training, our contribution looks at how they predict the intercultural competence put forward by their future language learners.
Alcohol Consumption Is Associated with an Interaction between DRD2 Exon 8 A/A Genotype and Self-Directedness in Males

Background: Both reduced postsynaptic dopamine D2 receptor function and the character variable self-directedness (SDD) are related to the level of alcohol consumption. We examined for interactions between DRD2 exon 8(rs6276), a polymorphism which has been associated with various alcohol-related phenotypes, SDD and alcohol consumption. Methods:A total of 144 male and 186 female probands with alcohol dependence or abuse diagnoses and without were included in the study. All subjects were assessed with the alcohol section of the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism and the Temperament and Character Inventory. Results: Male probands with A/A genotype reported significantly higher alcohol consumption in a typical week (ANOVA; p = 0.024); those with A/A genotype and low SDD showed particularly high consumption levels (interaction DRD2 × SDD: p = 0.019). Alcohol dependence/abuse (DSM-IV) but not nicotine dependence was also relevant for higher alcohol consumption (trend: p = 0.052). In the female group, only alcohol disorders predicted alcohol consumption. Conclusions:Our findings support a role for a gene-personality interaction of DRD2 exon 8 × SDD in alcohol consumption in males.
Compensatory renal hypertrophy is mediated by a cell cycle-dependent mechanism.

BACKGROUND Two mechanisms exist for inducing renal proximal tubule hypertrophy. One is characterized by regulation of the G1 cell cycle kinase (cell cycle-dependent mechanism), while the other mechanism involves an imbalance between rates of protein synthesis and degradation, and occurs independently of cell cycle kinase regulation (cell cycle-independent mechanism). The present studies examined whether the compensatory proximal tubule growth following uninephrectomy is mediated by the cell cycle-dependent or -independent mechanism. METHODS Studies were done in both rats and C57Bl6 mice on tissue harvested from sham-operated or uninephrectomized animals. The magnitude of BrdU incorporation was used as the hyperplasia marker, while the proximal tubule protein: DNA ratio was used as the hypertrophy marker. Cdk4/cyclin D and cdk2/cyclin E kinase activities were assayed on renal cortex (rat studies) or isolated proximal tubules (mouse studies) using an in vitro kinase assay. RESULTS In both rats and mice, compensatory proximal tubule growth was hypertrophic, not hyperplastic, evidenced by an increase in the protein:DNA ratio without a change in BrdU incorporation. In mice, cdk4/cyclin D kinase activity progressively increased between days 4 and 7, while cdk2/cyclin E kinase activity was decreased at both 4 and 7 days. In rats the development of hypertrophy was associated with an increase in cdk4/cyclin D kinase at days 4, 7, and 10, and an increase in cdk2/cyclin E kinase activity at days 2, 4, and 7. Roscovitine, a cdk2/cyclin E kinase inhibitor, inhibited cdk2/cyclin E kinase activity in both sham and nephrectomized rats; however, it did not prevent the development of proximal tubule hypertrophy. CONCLUSIONS Uninephrectomy-induced compensatory proximal tubule growth is a hypertrophic form of growth that is mediated by a cell cycle-dependent mechanism.
A mutated CCR5 gene may have favorable prognostic implications in MS

The authors investigated the association between Δ32CCR5, a mutated allele of the chemokine receptor CCR5, and disease progression in 256 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The mutated allele frequency in the study cohort was 7.4%, similar to that reported in the general Israeli population. Progression to disability was prolonged in Δ32CCR5 homozygotes and heterozygotes compared with MS patients with the CCR5 wild-type genotype (p < 0.005). Mutated CCR5 allele may be considered a favorable prognostic factor in MS.
mTOR inhibitors in polycystic kidney disease.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a common cause of inherited renal failure1 that is characterized by the progressive formation of renal cysts, which leads to end-stage renal disease in mid-adulthood. Furthermore, massive renal enlargement has a number of untoward consequences, including chronic pain, hypertension, and cyst infections. Approximately 85% of ADPKD cases are caused by mutations in the PKD1 gene that encodes a large membrane receptor. The remaining 15% of cases result from mutations in the PKD2 gene, a calcium-permeable channel that binds to PKD1. The accelerated pace of scientific discovery in the field has led to an .
Presenilin-1 Mutations Increase Levels of Ryanodine Receptors and Calcium Release in PC12 Cells and Cortical Neurons*

Many cases of early-onset inherited Alzheimer's disease (AD) are caused by mutations in the presenilin-1 (PS1) gene. PS1 mutations may perturb cellular Ca2+ homeostasis and thereby render neurons vulnerable to excitotoxicity and apoptosis. We now report that PC12 cells expressing PS1 mutations and primary hippocampal neurons from PS1 mutant knockin mice exhibit greatly increased levels of ryanodine receptors (RyR) and enhanced Ca2+ release following stimulation with caffeine. Double-labeling immunostaining and co-immunoprecipitation analyses indicate that PS1 and RyR are colocalized and interact physically. Caffeine treatment sensitizes neurons expressing mutant PS1 to apoptosis induced by amyloid β-peptide, a neurotic peptide linked to the pathogenesis of AD. When taken together with recent evidence for alterations in RyR in brains of AD patients, our data suggest that PS1 mutations may promote neuronal degeneration in AD by increasing transcription and translation of RyR and altering functional properties of ryanodine-sensitive Ca2+ pools.
The lexical restructuring hypothesis and graph theoretic analyses of networks based on random lexicons.

PURPOSE The mental lexicon of words used for spoken word recognition has been modeled as a complex network or graph. Do the characteristics of that graph reflect processes involved in its growth (M. S. Vitevitch, 2008) or simply the phonetic overlap between similar-sounding words? METHOD Three pseudolexicons were generated by randomly selecting phonological segments from a fixed set. Each lexicon was then modeled as a graph, linking words differing by one segment. The properties of those graphs were compared with those of a graph based on real English words. RESULTS The properties of the graphs built from the pseudolexicons matched the properties of the graph based on English words. Each graph consisted of a single large island and a number of smaller islands and hermits. The degree distribution of each graph was better fit by an exponential than by a power function. Each graph showed short path lengths, large clustering coefficients, and positive assortative mixing. CONCLUSION The results suggest that there is no need to appeal to processes of growth or language acquisition to explain the formal properties of the network structure of the mental lexicon. These properties emerged because the network was built based on the phonetic overlap of words.
Assessing Pre-Service Science Teachers' Understanding of Scientific Argumentation: What Do They Know about Argumentation after Four Years of College Science?.

The purpose of this study was to assess pre-service science teachers' understanding of science, scientific argumentation and the difference between scientific argumentation and scientific explanation. A total of 40 pre-service science teachers enrolled in a Turkish university completed a five-question questionnaire. The results showed that the majority of participants lacked an adequate understanding of science, scientific argumentation, the difference between scientific explanation and scientific argumentation. Implications of these findings for science teacher education, classroom instruction and assessment were elaborated.
Impact of Nutrition on Oocyte Quality: Cumulative Effects of Body Composition and Diet Leading to Hyperinsulinemia in Cattle1

Abstract The present study sought to assess the combined effects of body composition and diet (level of feeding) on the postfertilization developmental potential of oocytes recovered from heifers using ultrasound-guided transvaginal follicular aspiration and to relate oocyte quality to the metabolic status of these animals. By collecting oocytes on repeated occasions spanning several weeks, it was possible to assess the cumulative effects of changes in nutritional status on oocyte quality over this period. Twenty-four heifers of low and moderate body condition were placed on one of two levels of feeding (equivalent to once or twice the maintenance requirements of these animals). Oocytes were recovered at two defined time points within each of three successive estrous cycles and were matured, fertilized, and cultured to the blastocyst stage in vitro. The results show that the effect of feeding level on oocyte quality is dependent on the body condition of the animal, with the high level of feeding being beneficial to oocytes from animals of low body condition but detrimental to oocytes from animals of moderately high body condition. Furthermore, the effects of high levels of feeding on oocyte quality were cumulative, with blastocyst yields for relatively fat heifers on twice the maintenance requirement deteriorating with time relative to yields for relatively thin heifers on the same level of feeding. Finally, a significant proportion of the moderately fat animals on the high level of feeding were hyperinsulinemic, and we show, to our knowledge for the first time in ruminants, that this condition is associated with impaired oocyte quality.
Do 15-Month-Old Infants Understand False Beliefs ?

The molecular basis of gd T cell receptor (TCR) recognition is poorly understood. Here, we analyze the TCR sequences of a natural gd T cell population specific for the major histocompatibility complex class Ib molecule T22. We find that T22 recognition correlates strongly with a somatically recombined TCRd complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) motif derived from germ line– encoded residues. Sequence diversity around these residues modulates TCR ligand-binding affinities, whereas V gene usage correlates mainly with tissue origin. These results show how an antigen-specific gd TCR repertoire can be generated at a high frequency and suggest that gd T cells recognize a limited number of antigens.
Biomarkers for Alzheimer's Disease in Saliva: A Systematic Review

Background The histopathological changes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are detectable decades prior to its clinical expression. However, there is a need for an early, inexpensive, noninvasive diagnostic biomarker to detect specific Alzheimer pathology. Recently developed neuroimaging biomarkers show promising results, but these methods are expensive and cause radiation. Furthermore, the analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers requires an invasive lumbar puncture. Saliva is an easily obtained body fluid, and a stable saliva biomarker would therefore be a promising candidate for a future method for diagnosing AD. The purpose of this systematic review was to investigate studies of biomarkers in saliva samples for the diagnosis of AD. Methods The included articles were identified through a literature search in PubMed and Google Scholar for all articles until November 1st, 2018, and furthermore, all reference lists of included articles were reviewed by hand. We included articles written in English investigating saliva from patients with AD and a control group. Results A total of 65 studies were identified, whereof 16 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. A plethora of different biomarkers were investigated, and ten out of the sixteen studies showed a statistical significance in biomarkers between patients with AD and healthy, elderly controls, among these biomarkers for specific AD pathology (amyloid beta 1-42 (Aβ42) and tau). Conclusion Aβ42 and tau seem to be worthy candidates for future salivary biomarkers for AD, but other biomarkers such as lactoferrin and selected metabolites also have potential. More studies must be carried out with larger sample sizes and a standardization of the sampling and processing method. Factors such as diurnal variation, AD patients' decreased ability of oral self-care, and salivary flowrates must be taken into consideration.
Effect of feeding frequency on survival and growth of juvenile spiny lobster Panulirus versicolor in Indonesia

This research aimed to assess the effect of feeding frequency on survival and growth of juvenile bamboo spiny lobster Panulirus versicolor (Latreille, 1804). A completely randomized design of 4 treatments with 4 replicates was used with treatments consisting of: feeding once per day (FR1), feeding twice per day (FR2); feeding three times per day (FR3) and feeding four times per day (FR4). The experiment was performed in a tank system with a recirculating water supply. Sixteen 100 litre tanks were stocked with post-puerulus juveniles, mean weight 0.50±0.01 g, at a density of 89 m-2 and the experiment ran for 30 days. Diet consisted of a manufactured pellet diet formulated for tropical spiny lobster. Results indicated a statistically significant effect (p < 0.05) of feeding frequency on carapace length, although not for other variables. Carapace length for feeding two and four times per day was significantly greater than for feeding once per day. Mean survival rate across all treatments was 32% and mean final weight was 0.95 g. Notwithstanding the statistical non-significance for several of the variables, the significant effect on carapace length and trends evident for the other variables suggest feeding more than once per day may be beneficial.