Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Photocatalytic Degradation of Rhodamine B Dye in Wastewater Using Gelatin/CuS/PVA Nanocomposites under Solar Light Irradiation

The crosslinked gelatin/CuS/PVA nanocomposite catalyst prepared using gamma irradiation as initiator was extensively characterized using several techniques including transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-Vis spectroscopy, infrared spectroscopy (IR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). We chose Rhodamine B (RhB) dye as a model contaminant in order to investigate its Photocatalytic activity under solar light irradiation. The effects of pH, catalyst concentration and RhB concentration on degradation reaction were also investigated. Similar to the observed trend for the photocatalytic oxidation of other organic compounds, the efficiency of photocatalytic degradation of RhB tended to decrease with increasing the concentration of RhB. The degradation efficiency of RhB is found to increase as pH is increased up to pH of 10, then starts decreasing at pH values higher than 10. The degradation efficient of RhB is found to increase as the amount of the catalyst dosage increases up to an optimum value of 0.25 g. Increasing the concentrations of photocatalyst beyond 0.25 g was found to decrease the photocatalytic activity of RhB. It was proven that the degradation process of RhB reaction rate obeyed a pseudo-first-order reaction of the catalyst concentration of gelatin/CuS/PVA nanocomposite. The degradation kinetics was found to fit well Langmuir-Hinshelwood rate law. The results obtained showed that after using the catalyst five times repeatedly, the catalyst retained its efficiency and the rate of the degradation process was still above 80%.
Investigation of DCT/PCA combined with Kohonen classifier for human identification

In this work, we use DCT transform and eigen-faces method to describe our facial dataset and to build a face recognition system using Kohonen self organizing map neural network classifier. Ascendant hierarchical classification is used to describe the efficiency of DCT transform. A Kohonen SOM neural network classifier is used to classify an individual from three face databases: The ORL, computer vision and Caltech databases. These data sets are used to illustrate the effect of variation of illumination, background and facial rotation. Our study demonstrates the efficiency of DCT without PCA reduction especially in controlled environment.
Ventilator-induced Lung Injury Is Mediated by the NLRP3 Inflammasome

Background: The innate immune response is important in ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) but the exact pathways involved are not elucidated. The authors studied the role of the intracellular danger sensor NLRP3 inflammasome. Methods: NLRP3 inflammasome gene expression was analyzed in respiratory epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages obtained from ventilated patients (n = 40). In addition, wild-type and NLRP3 inflammasome deficient mice were randomized to low tidal volume (approximately 7.5 ml/kg) and high tidal volume (approximately 15 ml/kg) ventilation. The presence of uric acid in lung lavage, activation of caspase-1, and NLRP3 inflammasome gene expression in lung tissue were investigated. Moreover, mice were pretreated with interleukin-1 receptor antagonist, glibenclamide, or vehicle before start of mechanical ventilation. VILI endpoints were relative lung weights, total protein in lavage fluid, neutrophil influx, and pulmonary and systemic cytokine and chemokine concentrations. Data represent mean ± SD. Results: Mechanical ventilation up-regulated messenger RNA expression levels of NLRP3 in alveolar macrophages (1.0 ± 0 vs. 1.70 ± 1.65, P less than 0.05). In mice, mechanical ventilation increased both NLRP3 and apoptosis-associated speck-like protein messenger RNA levels, respectively (1.08 ± 0.55 vs. 3.98 ± 2.89; P less than 0.001 and 0.95 ± 0.53 vs. 6.0 ± 3.55; P less than 0.001), activated caspase-1, and increased uric acid levels (6.36 ± 1.85 vs. 41.9 ± 32.0, P less than 0.001). NLRP3 inflammasome deficient mice displayed less VILI due to high tidal volume mechanical ventilation compared with wild-type mice. Furthermore, treatment with interleukin-1 receptor antagonist or glibenclamide reduced VILI. Conclusions: Mechanical ventilation induced a NLRP3 inflammasome dependent pulmonary inflammatory response. NLRP3 inflammasome deficiency partially protected mice from VILI.
Variable glacier response to atmospheric warming, northern Antarctic Peninsula, 1988–2009

The northern Antarctic Peninsula has recently exhibited ice-shelf disintegration, glacier recession and acceleration. However, the dynamic response of land-terminating, ice-shelf tributary and tidewater glaciers has not yet been quantified or assessed for variability, and there are sparse data for glacier classification, morphology, area, length or altitude. This paper firstly classifies the area, length, altitude, slope, aspect, geomorphology, type and hypsometry of 194 glaciers on Trinity Peninsula, Vega Island and James Ross Island in 2009 AD. Secondly, this paper documents glacier change 1988–2009. In 2009, the glacierised area was 8140±262 km 2 . From 1988–2001, 90% of glaciers receded, and from 2001–2009, 79% receded. This equates to an area change of −4.4% for Trinity Peninsula eastern coast glaciers, −0.6% for western coast glaciers, and −35.0% for ice-shelf tributary glaciers from 1988–2001. Tidewater glaciers on the drier, cooler eastern Trinity Peninsula experienced fastest shrinkage from 1988–2001, with limited frontal change after 2001. Glaciers on the western Trinity Peninsula shrank less than those on the east. Land-terminating glaciers on James Ross Island shrank fastest in the period 1988–2001. This east-west difference is largely a result of orographic temperature and precipitation gradients across the Antarctic Peninsula, with warming temperatures affecting the precipitation-starved glaciers on the eastern coast more than on the western coast. Reduced shrinkage on the western Peninsula may be a result of higher snowfall, perhaps in conjunction with the fact that these glaciers are mostly grounded. Rates of area loss on the eastern side of Trinity Peninsula are slowing, which we attribute to the floating ice tongues receding into the fjords and reaching a new dynamic equilibrium. The rapid shrinkage of tidewater glaciers on James Ross Island is likely to continue because of their low elevations and flat profiles. In contrast, the higher and steeper tidewater glaciers on the eastern Antarctic Peninsula will attain more stable frontal positions after low-lying ablation areas are removed, reaching equilibrium more quickly.
Cellular Fatty Acid Profile Distinguishes Burkholderia pseudomallei from Avirulent Burkholderia thailandensis

ABSTRACT Burkholderia pseudomallei, the cause of melioidosis, can be distinguished from the closely related but nonpathogenic Burkholderia thailandensis by gas chromatography (GC) analysis of fatty acid derivatives. A 2-hydroxymyristic acid derivative (14:0 2OH) was present in 95% of B. pseudomallei isolates and no B. thailandensis isolates. GC mass spectrophotometry confirmed that 2-hydroxymyristic acid was present in B. pseudomallei. GC-fatty acid methyl ester analysis may be useful in distinguishing these two closely related species.
Small obstacle detection using stereo vision for autonomous ground vehicle

Small and medium sized obstacles such as rocks, small boulders, bricks left unattended on the road can pose hazards for autonomous as well as human driving situations. Many times these objects are too small on the road and go unnoticed on depth and point cloud maps obtained from state of the art range sensors such as 3D LIDAR. We propose a novel algorithm that fuses both appearance and 3D cues such as image gradients, curvature potentials and depth variance into a Markov Random Field (MRF) formulation that segments the scene into obstacle and non obstacle regions. Appearance and depth data obtained from a ZED stereo pair mounted on a Husky robot is used for this purpose. While identifying true positive obstacles such as rocks, large stones accurately our algorithm is simultaneously robust to false positive sources such as appearance changes on the road, papers and road markings. High accuracy detection in challenging scenes such as when the foreground obstacle blends with the background road scene vindicates the efficacy of the proposed formulation.
BOARD COMPOSITION AND NONPROFIT CONDUCT : EVIDENCE FROM HOSPITALS

This study uses data from hospitals to test the hypothesis that management representation on nonprofit boards leads to “excessive” CEO pay, defined as compensation that exceeds the level predicted by a market wage model. We document a relatively small, but statistically significant, positive association between CEO pay and “insider” boards that include the CEO and other employees as members. Additional tests confirm that this result is not driven by endogenous board structure and that excess pay is greater in the absence of competition from for-profit hospitals. We then examine whether management board representation is associated with larger underlying agency concerns that lead to reduced donations. Our tests do not support this hypothesis but do, however, reveal a negative correlation between donations and physician representation on the board – suggesting a potential conflict between the interests of donors and non-employee physicians. Our overall evidence provides empirical support for modeling nonprofit organizations as consisting of competing stakeholders.
RELATIONS BETWEEN COMPETITIVE ANXIETY AND SELF-CONFIDENCE STATES AND SITUATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT OF ELITE EUROPEAN JUNIOR FEMALE VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS

Four volleyball teams (N-48) filled the Revised Competitive State Anxiety Inventory – 2 (CSAI-2R) by Cox, Martens and Russel (2003), used in measuring somatic and cognitive anxiety and self-confidence. The questionnaire was filled immediately before the teams played their first match at the European junior championship, with the aim of determining does the pre-competitive anxiety influence the situational success in elite junior female volleyball players. Application of one-way ANOVA and Scheffe post-hoc test revealed the existence of significant differences in the state anxiety components in elite junior teams with different group placement at the European volleyball championship. The players of more successful teams showed lower levels of somatic and cognitive anxiety than the players of less successful teams. The findings of this research partially support the findings present in the literature, but nevertheless, further research on anxiety and competitive success is recommended.
New variant of familial cerebellar ataxia with hypergonadotropic hypogonadism and sensorineural deafness.

Cerebellar ataxia and hypergonadotropic hypogonadism comprise a rare and presumably heterogeneous association. Inheritance in most cases appears to be autosomal recessive, and associated features include deafness, intellectual impairment, and neuropathy. Typically, onset of ataxia is in the first decade and hypogonadism results in primary amenorrhoea in females. We describe two sisters with a previously undescribed pattern of adult onset progressive cerebellar ataxia and secondary amenorrhoea due to hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. Sensorineural deafness with vestibular hypofunction and peripheral sensory impairment were also present, and intellect was normal. Onset of neurological symptoms was in the third decade, with secondary amenorrhoea occurring at the ages of 16 and 32 years, respectively. The association of ataxia and hypergonadotropic hypergonadism has been classified both as a variant of Holmes type ataxia and as a variant of Perrault syndrome, but we suggest the use of a separate category of ataxia with hypergonadotropic hypogonadism.
Mating system of Microcebus murinus

Microcebus murinus, a small nocturnal lemur from Madagascar, has retained features of ancient primates. Based on these ancestral traits, its social organization has often been used as a model for early primate social systems. In captivity it breeds polygynously, i.e., one male mates with several females, while females usually copulate only with the dominant male. The present project tested whether or not sexual size dimorphism, spatial distribution, and relative testis size of M. murinus correspond with predictions of the sexual selection theory concerning polygynous mating systems. The study was combined with a mark‐recapture study and radio tracking of 12 animals in 1993 in a dry deciduous forest of western Madagascar at the end of the dry season. Large overlapping home ranges in males, lack of sexual size dimorphism, and relatively large testes suggest a multi‐male mating system, i.e., one that is promiscuous rather than polygynous. Am. J. Primatol. 48:127–133, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Burden of breast cancer in Iran: a study of the Tehran population based cancer registry.

BACKGROUND Breast cancer is the second most common cancer among Iranian women. This study was designed to estimate the burden of breast cancer in Tehran, the capital of Iran. METHODS In this retrospective study, the existing data of Tehran Population Based Cancer Registry (TCR) from 1998 to 2001 were used; all Tehranian women with breast cancer were followed for computing the survival and remission rates. The World Health Organization's Practical Guide of National Burden of Disease Studies was employed for performing the study. The data for breast cancer were analyzed with DISMOD II software and Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY) were computed using Excel based software. RESULTS The mean age of the patients was 51.3+/-12.5, 31.4% being under 40 years old. The incidence rate of breast cancer was estimated to be 17.09 (95 %CI: 15.67-18.50) per 100,000 women. The five year survival rate was 75 %. The DALY for breast cancer was 4,252 years (95 %CI: 3896-4604). CONCLUSION Breast cancer is a high burden in the community. More than 36% of the tumors occur in women under 40 years old. Comprehensive national cancer control programs including promotion of awareness, early detection, treatment and palliative cares are vitally important for decreasing the burden of breast cancer in Iran. This strategy should be strongly recommended to policy makers and special programs should be considered for women under 40 years old.
Modeling Organic Solvents Permeation Through Protective Gloves

Several researchers have studied the diffusion of organic solvents through chemical protective gloves and have estimated the diffusion coefficients by using various models. In this study, permeation experiments of benzene, toluene, and styrene through nitrile and Neoprene gloves were conducted using the ASTM F-739 standard test method. The diffusion coefficients were estimated using several models from the literature. Using a one-dimensional diffusion equation based on Fick's second law and the estimated diffusion coefficients, the permeation concentrations were simulated and compared with the experimental results. The modeling results indicated that the solubility of the solvent in the glove materials obtained by immersion tests was not an appropriate boundary condition for organic solvent permeation through the polymer gloves. The modeling work of this study will assist industrial hygienists to assess exposure of chemicals to workers through the chemical protective gloves.
Low Profile Wideband Antenna Array With Hybrid Microstrip and Waveguide Feed Network for Ku Band Satellite Reception Systems

Wideband, planar and low profile antenna array is proposed and designed for Ku band direct broadcast from satellite reception for mobile systems. Contrary to earlier designs, the array antenna covers entire downlink Ku-band frequencies (10.8-12.75 GHz) for simultaneous reception from multiple transponders. The array antenna exhibits 16.5% bandwidth and has 30 dBi average gain for both vertical and horizontal polarizations. To achieve high efficiency, hybrid waveguide microstrip feed network is proposed. H-plane waveguide T-junctions with reduced waveguide height and disk loaded coaxial probe for microstrip to waveguide transition are designed. Loss in the array is formulated as an optimization problem and it is minimized for subarray and array configuration. Overall height of the planar antenna with waveguide feed network is under 25 mm. The antenna is built and tested for reception quality. Carrier-to-noise ratio of 9.5 dB was observed for the target transponder (42 °E) at 11.9 GHz using IF loop-out of the receiver.
Disc Herniation-Related Back Pain Impairs Feed-Forward Control of Paraspinal Muscles

Study Design. A comparative study of lumbar paraspinal muscle reflexes during sudden upper limb loading in healthy control subjects and patients with sciatica. Objectives. To assess reflex activation of paraspinal muscles during sudden upper limb loading. Summary of Background Data. Sudden upper limb loading and upper limb voluntary movements cause reflex activation of trunk muscles. A short latency response of ∼50 msec of lumbar muscles has been observed before, but the reflexes have not been studied in patients with sciatica. Methods. The paraspinal muscle responses for upper limb loading during unexpected and expected conditions were measured by surface EMG from 20 patients selected for an operation as a result of disc herniation-related chronic low back pain and 15 back-healthy controls. Pain, disability, and depression scores were recorded. Results. Short latency response of paraspinal muscles for unexpected upper limb loading was similar in healthy controls and patients with sciatica in supported standing. During normal standing anticipation shortened the lumbar reflex latency in healthy controls but not among the patients. Conclusions. The results provide evidence for impaired feed-forward control of lumbar muscles in patients with sciatica.
High-intensity aerobic interval training for patients 3-9 months after stroke: a feasibility study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE High-intensity aerobic interval training (AIT) has shown to be beneficial in patients with cardiac and pulmonary diseases. Presumably, patients with stroke also benefit from such treatment. However, the feasibility and potential efficacy of high-intensity AIT should be investigated for patients early after stroke. METHODS This was a single-group, pre-test-post-test, intervention study. The intervention consisted of a 6-week high-intensity AIT programme, performed twice a week. The AIT comprised 4 × 4-minute intervals, at 85-95% of peak heart rate, interrupted by 3-minute active breaks. Adherence to the protocol, compliance and adverse events were registered to assess feasibility. Cardiorespiratory fitness and functional outcomes were assessed before and after the intervention and at 6 and 12 weeks follow-up. RESULTS Ten men and five women (mean age 70.0 ± 7.7; range 61-85 years) with mild to moderate stroke were included, 3-9 months after onset. One patient was diagnosed with cancer during follow-up. There were three minor events, but no serious adverse events occurred. All patients accomplished all training sessions and reached the 85% intensity level, except one patient who discontinued the last session. The mean peak oxygen uptake showed no significant improvement from pre-treatment, 28.7 ± 3.8 ml kg(-1) min(-1), to post-treatment, 29.6 ± 3.6 ml kg(-1) min(-1), p = 0.189, whereas the mean 6-minute walk test improved from 410.7 ± 101.4 m to 461.0 ± 99.6 m, p = 0.001, and the median (interquartile range) Rivermead Motor Assessment Scale improved from 12.0 (11.0-13.0) to 13.0 (11.0-13.0) points, p = 0.100. These improvements continued after the intervention was concluded. CONCLUSIONS This study has shown that high-intensity AIT is feasible for a selected group of stroke patients. However, the training should be accomplished in line with the American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for high-risk populations to ensure safety. The participants achieved a clinically highly significant improvement in walking distance. This intervention should be tested out in a randomized controlled trial to assess if it is superior to other interventions.
African swine fever: Expression of interleukin-1 alpha and tumour necrosis factor-alpha by pulmonary intravascular macrophages.

To determine, in the acute form of African swine fever (ASF), the relationship between the appearance of pulmonary oedema and viral replication and expression of cytokines by pulmonary intravascular macrophages (PIMs), 14 pigs were inoculated intramuscularly with ASF virus (strain España'70) and killed in pairs on days 1-7 post-inoculation. Samples of lung were examined immunohistochemically and ultrastructurally. The immunohistochemical study was carried out with antibodies against interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1alpha), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), viral antigen of ASF (Vp73) and a myeloid marker (SWC3). Viral replication was observed mainly in PIMs, which at the same time showed intense activation, accompanied by the expression of IL-1alpha and TNF-alpha. The occurrence of interstitial oedema, neutrophil sequestration and fibrin microthrombi in septal capillaries coincided with high degrees of cytokine expression by infected PIMs. Alveolar macrophages did not show a significant change in cytokine expression as a result of ASF infection, and viral replication was detected in only a low percentage of these cells.
The neurovascular unit in brain function and disease

Neurovascular coupling, or functional hyperaemia, refers to complex mechanisms of communication between neurons, astrocytes and cerebral vessels which form the neurovascular unit that spatially and temporally adjusts blood supply to the needs in energy and oxygen of activated neurons. Neurovascular coupling is so precise that it underlies neuroimaging techniques to map changes in neuronal activity. Therefore, understanding its basis is indispensable for the proper interpretation of imaging signals from functional magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography, routinely used in humans. Although neurovascular coupling mechanisms are not yet fully understood, considerable progress has been made over the last decade. In this review, we present recent knowledge from in vivo studies on the cortical cellular network involved in neurovascular coupling responses and the mediators implicated in these haemodynamic changes. Recent findings have emphasized the intricate interplay between both excitatory and inhibitory neurons in neurovascular coupling, together with an intermediary role of astrocytes, which are ideally positioned between neurons and microvessels. Finally, we describe latest findings on the alterations of neurovascular function encountered in neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease.