Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postprandial Effect of Almond (Prunus dulcis) Nut on Glucose and Lipid Levels in Apparently Healthy Individuals

There is a complex and predominantly unfavorable effect of increased intake of highly processed carbohydrate and lipid profile which may have implications for metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and coronary heart disease. This study aims to determine the effect of almond consumption on postprandial glucose and lipid levels. Fifty (50) volunteers (35 males and 15 females) of varying weights, heights and age group were recruited, and were placed on 12 hours overnight fast. The volunteers were equally divided into two groups (the test and control group), 25 volunteers for each group. The test individuals were given an 830g meal of rice, together with 30 seeds of almond nut, with a 50cl of water while, the control individuals were given the same size of rice with a 50cl of water, but they were not given almond nut. The weight and height of each volunteer were measured, and blood samples (fasting and 2hr postprandial) were collected from each volunteer, analysis for glucose and lipid profile was done on the samples. The control’s postprandial low density lipoprotein cholesterol (2.74 ± 1.05mmolL-1) was significantly higher than the test’s postprandial LDL-C (1.88 ± 0.87mmolL-1), (p = 0.0036). The control’s postprandial total cholesterol level (5.20 ± 1.18mmolL-1) was found to be significantly higher than the test’s postprandial TC level (4.19 ± 0.97mmolL-1), (p=0.002). The postprandial glucose of the control (5.02 ± 0.61mmolL-1) was found to be significantly greater than the postprandial glucose of the test (4.44 ± 0.31mmolL-1), (p-value = 9.57E-0.5). No significant difference was observed between the postprandial triglyceride levels of the test and control (p = 0.1338), and the postprandial high density lipoprotein levels of the test and control (p = 0.7998). Almond nut consumption may induce postprandial reduction in human’s blood glucose, total cholesterol, and Low density Lipoprotein Cholesterol levels, thereby preventing the complications of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases and so is recommended as an in-between meal snacks for patients suffering from these diseases.
Cliques in rank-1 random graphs: The role of inhomogeneity

We study the asymptotic behavior of the clique number in rank-1 inhomogeneous random graphs, where edge probabilities between vertices are roughly proportional to the product of their vertex weights. We show that the clique number is concentrated on at most two consecutive integers, for which we provide an expression. Interestingly, the order of the clique number is primarily determined by the overall edge density, with the inhomogeneity only affecting multiplicative constants or adding at most a loglog(n) multiplicative factor. For sparse enough graphs the clique number is always bounded and the effect of inhomogeneity completely vanishes.
Parenthood, child care, and nonstandard work schedules in Europe

ABSTRACT An increasing proportion of the European labor force works in the evening, at night or on weekends. Because nonstandard work schedules are associated with a number of negative outcomes for families and children, parents may seek to avoid such schedules. However, for parents with insufficient access to formal child care, working nonstandard hours or days may be an adaptive strategy used to manage child-care needs. It enables ‘split-shift’ parenting, where parents work alternate schedules, allowing one of the two to be at home looking after the children. This study examines the prevalence of nonstandard work schedules among parents and nonparents in 22 European countries. Specifically, we ask whether the provision of formal child care influences the extent to which parents of preschool-aged children work nonstandard schedules. Using data from the European Social Survey and multilevel models, we find evidence that the availability of formal child care reduces nonstandard work among parents. This indicates that access to formal child care enables parents to work standard schedules. To the extent that nonstandard work schedules are negatively associated with child well-being, access to formal child care protects children from the adverse effects of their parents’ evening and night work.
Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients with Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Antibody Disease and Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies.

BACKGROUND It is unclear whether patients with anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) disease and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA), so called "double-positive" (DP), have a different clinical presentation and outcome compared to patients with anti-GBM antibody disease alone. This study describes the clinical and histologic characteristics as well as the patient and renal outcomes of DP patients at the University of Washington compared to patients with anti-GBM antibody disease alone. Methods Adults admitted to the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Centers from 2000 to 2016 who had a kidney biopsy showing anti-GBM disease characterized by crescentic glomerulonephritis with strong linear staining of glomerular basement membranes for IgG by immunofluorescence were included. Subjects were classified into anti-GBM or DP based on serologic testing. Information on demographics, clinical presentation, biopsy findings, initial treatment, and rates of relapse and patient and renal survival were collected. Continuous and categorical variables were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U and Fisher's exact tests, respectively. Results There were 6 anti-GBM and 7 DP patients. Two patients were lost to follow-up after one year. There was no significant difference in clinical presentation or outcomes between the two groups. Two DP patients had greater than 50% global glomerulosclerosis. All the subjects developed ESRD. Two DP patients had a relapse while off immunosuppression. Two patients in each group died within 5 years of diagnosis. Conclusion Two DP patients in our cohort had a relapse within 5 years of diagnosis. Multicenter studies are needed to determine whether DP patients have a higher relapse rate and need prolonged immunosuppression.
Resource selection and wintering phenology of White-winged Scoters in southern New England: Implications for offshore wind energy development

ABSTRACT Southern New England provides key wintering habitat for White-winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca). This area has also pioneered the development of offshore wind energy in North America. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has established 9 Wind Energy Area (WEA) lease blocks along the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf in areas that may provide important staging and wintering habitat for scoters and other species of sea ducks. Concern over the potential impact of offshore wind energy on sea duck populations has led to efforts to develop models to understand their distribution, habitat use, and site fidelity. We used satellite telemetry to document winter phenology and site fidelity, as well as fine-scale resource selection and habitat use, of 40 White-winged Scoters along the southern New England continental shelf. Scoters spent over half of the annual cycle on the wintering grounds and demonstrated a high degree of interannual site fidelity to composite core-use areas. Sizes of individual 50% core-use home ranges were variable ( = 868 km2; range: 32–4,220 km2) and individual 95% utilization distributions ranged widely ( = 4,388 km2; range: 272–18,235 km2). More than half of all tagged birds occupied 2 or more discrete core-use areas that were up to 400 km apart. Throughout the study area, scoters selected areas with lower salinity, lower sea surface temperature, higher chlorophyll-a concentrations, and higher hard-bottom substrate probability. Resource selection function models classified 18,649 km2 (23%) of the study area as high probability of use, which included or immediately bordered ∼420 km2 of proposed WEA lease blocks. Future offshore wind energy developments in the region should avoid key habitats highlighted by this study and carefully consider the environmental characteristics selected by sea ducks when planning and siting future WEAs.
Quality attributes of fresh ready-to-eat chicken momo marketed at Palampur (Himachal Pradesh).

The aim of this study was to assess the quality attributes of fresh ready-to- eat chicken momo, a traditional chicken product of Trans-Himalayan region marketed in and around Palampur (HP). In this study, the physico-chemical, microbiological and sensory attributes of fresh ready- to- eat chicken momo were analyzed. The study revealed that chicken momo had a pH of 6.10±0.37 and the proximate composition of moisture content (67.65±1.53), protein content (10.66±1.11), fat content (10.13±1.00), ash content (1.11±0.30) and carbohydrate content (10.54±1.43). The aerobic plate count, coliform count and staphylococcal count were found to be 4.2±0.84, 2.69±0.73 and 2.34±0.66 log 10cfu/g, respectively. The sensory attributes such as appearance, flavor, juiciness and overall acceptability were found to be 6.5±0.71, 7.04±0.55, 6.5±0.66 and 6.98±050, respectively. The chicken momo marketed at Palampur and adjoining areas were found to be physico-chemically, microbiologically and sensorily acceptable and safe for human consumption.
Wideband and flat multibeam antenna solutions for ultrafast communications in millimeter band. (Solutions d'antennes multifaisceaux à large bande pour communications haut débit en bande millimétrique)

The ever-growing demand for fast and seamless connectivity shows the need of new wireless standards and technologies. Novel broadband, wide-angle scanning antennas achieving an optimal trade-off among size, gain, efficiency and costs are crucial to the development of emerging applications at millimeter waves, such as fifth-generation (5G) mobile networks and satellite communications. In this thesis, multibeam parallel-fed continuous transverse stub (CTS) array antennas are proposed as possible candidates for future mm-wave communications and are developed to tackle these requirements. The antenna architecture comprises an array of long slots, a corporate feed network based on parallel plate waveguides (PPWs) and an integrated quasi-optical beamformer. First, novel numerical models for the analysis of each subsystem and of the overall antenna, are presented, which enable an efficient and modular design of CTS antennas. These tools are exploited to derive design guidelines and assess the scanning performance. Then, novel design and technological solutions for the integration of CTS antennas in flat, low-profile multilayer modules are discussed. The design and characterization of two prototypes in LTCC technology, for 60-GHz mobile access points are presented: a fixed beam array and a switched-beam antenna with a field of view of ±40°, low SLLs and high beam overlap. Finally, planar linear-to-circular polarization converters are proposed to realize circularly polarized CTS antenna systems. A procedure to achieve an ultra-wideband, low-loss polarization conversion is outlined and a design for Ka-band satellite application is presented.
Comparative genomic analysis of multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates

Introduction Multidrug resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae has emerged as a serious problem to public health. A further understanding of the genetic diversity in antibiotic-resistant S. pneumoniae isolates is needed. Methods We conducted whole-genome resequencing for 25 pneumococcal strains isolated from children with different antimicrobial resistance profiles. Comparative analysis focus on detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and insertions and deletions (indels) was conducted. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis was applied to investigate the genetic relationship among these strains. Results The genome size of the isolates was ~2.1 Mbp, covering >90% of the total estimated size of the reference genome. The overall G+C% content was ~39.5%, and there were 2,200–2,400 open reading frames. All isolates with different drug resistance profiles harbored many indels (range 131–171) and SNPs (range 16,103–28,128). Genetic diversity analysis showed that the variation of different genes were associated with specific antibiotic resistance. Known antibiotic resistance genes (pbps, murMN, ciaH, rplD, sulA, and dpr) were identified, and new genes (regR, argH, trkH, and PTS-EII) closely related with antibiotic resistance were found, although these genes were primarily annotated with functions in virulence as well as carbohydrate and amino acid transport and metabolism. Phylogenetic analysis unambiguously indicated that isolates with different antibiotic resistance profiles harbored similar genetic backgrounds. One isolate, 14-LC.ER1025, showed a much weaker phylogenetic relationship with the other isolates, possibly caused by genomic variation. Conclusion In this study, although pneumococcal isolates had similar genetic backgrounds, strains were diverse at the genomic level. These strains exhibited distinct variations in their indel and SNP compositions associated with drug resistance.
Simulation tools for decision support to adaptive forest management in Europe

In forest management there is a tendency towards measuring less and simulating more. In this context the development of reliable, user friendly forest simulators has become economically relevant. The objective of this perspective paper is to highlight the recent trends in forest simulation and to identify the remaining challenges to make forest simulation a reliable tool for forest policy and management. Experiences with forest simulators for various purposes in different geographical contexts illustrate how the important challenges of forest decision support can be addressed through flexible customization for different end-user categories, offering spatially explicit approaches at the landscape scale, and integrating empirical and mechanistic models in hybrid and bayesian simulation approaches. Recent development trends in forest simulation for decision support are mainly related to the ever increasing calculation speed and capacity of computers, facilitating the development of robust tools with comfortable user interface and realistic functions and options. Another trend is the combination of simulation tools with optimization and choice algorithms fading away the difference between simulators and decision support systems. The remaining challenges are basically in the high expectations of stakeholders concerning the ability of simulators to predict a range of outcomes in terms of ecosystem services and sustainability indicators, as well as the quality of their outcome in terms of output credibility to stakeholders. Need for accepted and realistic model validation and verification methods preferably using empirical data is crucial in this matter.
The Information Content of Tax Expense: A Discount Rate Explanation

I investigate the information content of income tax expense using variance decomposition to separate stock returns into cash flow and discount rate news components. While prior literature has focused on linking tax expense with expected future cash flows, I provide arguments for why tax expense should also be informative about expected returns. Consistent with my arguments, I find that tax expense surprises are correlated with both revisions in future cash flows and revisions in discount rates; however, the economic magnitude of tax expense’s impact on returns is through the discount rate channel. After decomposing total tax expense into portions arising from earnings management and tax avoidance activities, I find consistent evidence that earnings management through the tax accounts has a negative effect on discount rates and inconsistent evidence regarding tax avoidance’s role in the discount rate implications of tax expense. Thus, my findings provide a more comprehensive understanding of the valuation implications of and exact mechanisms through which tax expense enters into firm returns.
An Integrated Representation of Linguistic and Social Functions of Code-Switching

We present an integrated representation of code-switching (CS) functions, i.e., a representation that includes various CS phenomena (intra-/inter-sentential) and modalities (written/spoken), and aims to derive CS functions from local and global properties of the code-switched discourse. By applying it to several English/Hindi CS datasets, we show that our model contributes (i) to the standardization and re-use of CS data collections by creating a resource footprint, and (ii) to the study of CS functions by creating a systematic description and hierarchy of reported functions together with the (local and social) properties that may affect them. At the same time, the model provides a flexible framework to add emerging functions, supporting theoretical studies as well as the automatic detection of CS functions.
Immunosuppressive Role of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells and Therapeutic Targeting in Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death worldwide due to its late diagnosis and poor outcome. Immunotherapy is becoming more and more encouraging and promising in lung cancer therapy. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are the main tumor suppressor factors, and the treatment strategy of targeting MDSCs is gradually emerging. In this review, we summarize what is currently known about the role of MDSCs in lung cancer. In view of the emerging importance of MDSCs in lung cancer, the treatment of targeting MDSCs will be useful to the control of the development and progression of lung cancer. However, the occurrence, metastasis, and survival of cancer is the result of multiple factors and multiple mechanisms, so combined treatments using different strategies will become the major therapy method for lung cancer in the future.
Visual Enhancing of Tactile Perception in the Posterior Parietal Cortex

Rice University The visual modality typically dominates over our other senses. Here we show that after inducing an extreme conflict in the left hand between vision of touch (present) and the feeling of touch (absent), sensitivity to touch increases for several minutes after the conflict. Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the posterior parietal cortex after this conflict not only eliminated the enduring visual enhancement of touch, but also impaired normal tactile perception. This latter finding demonstrates a direct role of the parietal lobe in modulating tactile perception as a result of the conflict between these senses. These results provide evidence for visual-to-tactile perceptual modulation and demonstrate effects of illusory vision of touch on touch perception through a long-lasting modulatory process in the posterior parietal cortex.
Broadband 2W Output Power Tandem Thulium-Doped Single Clad Fiber Amplifier at 2

We report experimental and simulated performance of a tandem (dual-stage) Tm-doped silica fiber amplifier with a high signal output power of 2.6 W in the 2 μm band. Combined high dynamic range, high gain, low noise figure, and high OSNR are achieved with our design.
The Effect of Psychological Climate on Job Outcomes: Evidence from the Airline Industry

ABSTRACT This study develops and tests a research model that investigates whether psychological climate, as manifested through perceived management concern for frontline employees and passengers, influences creative performance and lateness attitude through career satisfaction. Data obtained from ground staff members with a one-week time lag in three waves and their supervisors in a low-cost airline company in Turkey were used to gauge these relationships. The results suggest that ground staff members are satisfied with their career in the current organization and therefore display creative performance and reduced lateness attitude. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed in the paper.
Mentoring as a Springboard to Acculturation of Immigrant Students into American Schools.

Although the ever increasing diverse immigrant and refugee students enrich and bring diversity to America’s social fabric, they seem to encounter numerous challenges as they acculturate and integrate into their new school culture and environment. Although most school systems and higher education institutions have made significant efforts to facilitate this process, minimal research has documented the potential of mentoring as an alternative tool to facilitate immigrant youth acculturation into American schools. Additionally, mounting anecdotal evidence suggests that if these challenges are not addressed in a timely and appropriate manner, then the educational, health as well as the civil and governmental institutions may be forced to deal with far greater problems later in life. This article highlights findings from a case study of a pilot mentoring intervention project among diverse newcomer middle school immigrant and refugee students. It will describe the benefits, challenges as well as future recommendations. The author suggest that a culturally sensitive mentoring program has the potential to significantly enhance the acculturation and schooling of diverse at risk immigrant and refugee students entering America’s school system.
On the Standardization of the Photocatalytic Gas/Solid Tests

Abstract The central problem for standardization of photocatalytic efficiency of whatever substrate on an illuminated catalyst is the rate evaluation. For gas/solid experiments different reactors, like batch or flow-through either continuous stirred-tank reactor (CSTR) or plug flow reactor (PFR), could be envisaged. The basic equations governing these reactors and the rate expression for them are presented here. Experiments show that a CSTR configuration presents a lot of advantages for practical use, as any volume, any shape of catalyst and any flow of gas into the reactor can possibly be used. A CSTR configuration is superior to the standardized PFR as the resistance to mass transfer can be reduced by inside forced ventilation. Consequently, it gives an evaluation of the photocatalytic rate more close to the actual surface one. The rate for CSTR at steady state must be calculated as r(Co) = Co F η/S(1−η), where η is the conversion.