Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Ramadan fasting on glucose level , lipid profile , HbA 1 c and uric acid among medical students in Karachi , Pakistan PDF version

To assess the effect of Ramadan fasting on blood pressure, fasting glucose, lipid profile, uric acid, HbA1c, body mass index, body adiposity index and visceral adiposity index among fasting medical students, 35 students were recorded before, during and after Ramadan (August) 2011, for their blood pressure, anthropometric measurements, questionnaire response and blood sample. A blood sample was taken at each visit for glucose, lipid profile and HbA1c. Total physical activity, weight-to-height ratio, body adiposity index and visceral adiposity index were calculated for insulin sensitivity. Changes in anthropometric measurements were not statistically significant. However, physical activities increased significantly after Ramadan. Changes in blood pressure, fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, HbA1c, uric acid and triglyceride were not statistically significant. Mean high density lipoprotein decreased significantly in Ramadan, while low density lipoprotein increased significantly. Effets du jeûne du Ramadan sur la glycémie, le profil lipidique, l’HbA1c et l’acide urique d’étudiants en médecine à Karachi, Pakistan
Reproductive biology of an invasive population of European green crab, Carcinus maenas, in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland.

The European green crab, Carcinus maenas, was initially discovered in North Harbour, Placentia Bay, Newfoundland in 2007. Reproductive biology of this sub-arctic population was investigated and compared to populations in other areas of Atlantic Canada where invasions have occurred in recent decades in different environments. Histological and gonadosomatic carapace width value (GCW) analyses showed that male green crab are mature at carapace width (CW) 32 mm and females are mature at 37 mm. Placentia Bay reproductive females were smaller, spend a shorter time ovigerous, and release larvae once annually in temperatures colder than similar green crab populations in other areas of Atlantic Canada. Information on reproductive strategies in invaded areas is critical in designing mitigation and management plans to target spawning threshold levels in these green crabs.
Mass Spectrum in the Minimal Supersymmetric 3-3-1 Model

We consider the minimal supersymmetric extension of the 3-3-1 model. We study the mass spectrum of this model in the fermionic and gauge bosons sectors without the antisextet. We also present some phenomenological consequences of this model at colliders such as Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and International Linear Collider (ILC).
Trial Investigation of Emotion Detectives : A Transdiagnostic Group Treatment for Children with Anxiety and Depression

of a thesis at the University of Miami Thesis supervised by Assistant Professor Jill Ehrenreich May. No. of pages in text. (76) Anxiety and depressive disorders are prevalent among youth and are often experienced concurrently or sequentially during development (Kroes et al., 2001; Costello, Erklani, & Angold, 2006). These disorders are also associated with weaker cognitive behavioral treatment (CBT) outcomes when experienced simultaneously in youth (e.g. Berman, Weems, Silverman, & Kurtines, 2000). Treatment research has begun to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of treating comorbid emotional disorders using transdiagnostic treatment approaches (Barlow et al., 2010; Ehrenreich et al., 2008). Evidence from adult and adolescent populations indicates that these more broadly focused treatment programs may offer benefits above and beyond disorderand domainspecific protocols, leading to improvements in diagnostic severity and emotion regulation across a range of disorders and emotions (Ellard, Fairholme, Boisseau, Farchione, & Barlow, 2010; Ehrenreich-May & Remmes, 2010). The current study extends transdiagnostic treatment research to school-age children, ages 7-12, in a mental health clinic setting by investigating preliminary post-treatment outcomes and treatment acceptability in a recent open trial (N enrolled= 16; N completed treatment=13) of the Emotion Detectives Treatment Protocol (EDTP; Ehrenreich-May & Laird, 2009). Results revealed that participants experienced significant improvements in clinical severity ratings of principal and all related diagnoses, as well as in parent reported anxious and parent and child reported depressive symptoms at the post-treatment assessment. Additionally, parents reported gains in child coping and improvements in dysregulation across emotional domains (including worry, sadness, and anger). T he EDTP had good retention rates, moderately good attendance, and parents and children reported high levels of treatment satisfaction. The results of this open trial provide preliminary evidence for the utility and acceptability of a transdiagnostic group protocol to treat both clinical anxiety disorders, as well as selfand parent-reported anxious and depressive symptoms for youth within a mental health setting. These results suggest that children may uniquely benefit from a more generalized, emotion-focused treatment modality, such as the EDTP, that can offer flexibility in its treatment targets to families as well as mental health
Resource Management in Tactical Military Networks

Abstract : The authors present the concept of a network resource manager for tactical military computer networks based on the Internet Protocol Version 6. This manager is a security gateway with a number of enhanced functionalities. In particular, the gateway supports priority based services and efficient bandwidth management. Furthermore, it is capable to handle secure multicast communication.
Multichannel inversion of scattered teleseismic body waves: Practical considerations and applicability

We investigate the resolving power and applicability of a recently developed technique for multichannel inversion of scattered teleseismic body waves recorded at dense seismic arrays. The problem is posed for forward- and back-scattered wavefields generated at discontinuities in a 2D isotropic medium, with the backprojection operator cast as a generalized Radon transform (GRT). The approach allows for the treatment of incident plane waves from arbitrary backazimuths, and recovers estimates of material property perturbations about a smoothly varying reference model. An investigation of the main factors affecting resolution indicates that: (1) comprehensive source/station coverage is necessary to optimize geometrical resolution and recover accurate material property perturbations; (2) the range in dip resolution diminishes with increasing depth and is inversely proportional to array width (e.g., reaches [-45°,45°] at depths equivalent to ∼1/2 array width); (3) distortion of the image due to spatial aliasing is only significant at depths ≤2 x [station spacing]; and (4) unaccounted for departures from model assumptions (i.e., isotropy and 2D geometry) result in defocusing and mismapping of structure. Two applications to field data are presented. The first considers data from the Abitibi 1996 broadband array, in which stations were deployed at ∼20 km intervals. Imaging results show that this level of spatial sampling, which is characteristic of modem broadband arrays, is sufficient to adequately resolve structure below mid-crustal depths. For these data, we introduce a new preprocessing algorithm that uses eigenimage decomposition of seismic sections to suppress wavefield contamination by PcP and PP phases. The second application involves short period data from the Los Angeles Region Seismic Experiment and shows that images obtained from high frequency records are subject to significant contamination by scattered surface waves.
Measurements of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in an urban atmosphere of Agra, India

SIXTEEN POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAH) WERE MEASURED IN TOTAL SUSPENDED PARTICULATE MATTER (TSPM) SAMPLES COLLECTED AT AN URBAN AND INDUSTRIAL CUM RESIDENTIAL SITE IN AGRA (INDIA) FROM DECEMBER 2005 TO DECEMBER 2006. THE AVERAGE TOTAL PAH CONCENTRATION WAS FOUND TO BE 115 ± 17 NG M-3. THE MEA­SURED CONCENTRATIONS WERE FOUND TO BE LOWER THAN THOSE REPORTED FROM OTHER CITIES IN INDIA LIKE CHENNAI, DELHI, KANPUR, MUMBAI AND KOLKATA. THE MASS DISTRIBUTION IN AIR WAS DOMINATED BY HIGH MOLECULAR WEIGHT COMPOUNDS. PAH CONCENTRATION SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT SEASONAL CYCLE DURING THE YEAR WITH GREATER CONCENTRA­TION DURING THE COLD MONTHS DUE TO CHANGES IN EMISSION SOURCES AND METEOROLOGICAL FACTORS. THE PRESENCE OF SPECIFIC TRACERS AND CALCULATION OF CHARACTERISTIC MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTIC RATIOS REVEALED VEHICULAR EXHAUSTS AND EMISSIONS FROM COAL AND BIOFUEL COMBUSTION AS THE MAJOR SOURCES OF THESE COMPOUNDS.
Borrowing Trouble? Human Capital Investment with Opt-In Costs and Implications for the Effectiveness of Grant Aid

We estimate the effect of grant aid on City University of New York (CUNY) students' borrowing and attainment using a regression discontinuity/kink design based on the federal Pell Grant formula. Each dollar of grant aid reduces loans by $1.80 among borrowers. We only find crowd-out of this magnitude in colleges that, like CUNY, "offer" no loan aid and require students to opt into borrowing. We develop and empirically support a model that shows opt-in or other fixed borrowing costs can lead grants to crowd out large amounts of loan aid, lowering some students attainment by reducing their liquid resources.
Frame-of-reference effects on personality scale scores and criterion-related validity.

Increased use of personality inventories in employee selection has led to concerns regarding factors that influence the validity of such measures. A series of studies was conducted to examine the influence of frame of reference on responses to a personality inventory. Study 1 involved both within-subject and between-groups designs to assess the effects of testing situation (general instructions vs. applicant instructions) and item type (work specific vs. noncontextual) on responses to the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1989). Results indicated that a work-related testing context and workrelated items led to more positive responses. A second study found differences in the validity of a measure of conscientiousness, depending on the frame of reference of respondents. Specifically, context-specific items were found to have greater validity. Implications for personnel selection are discussed.
A New Subspecies of the Least Weasel Mustela nivalis (Mammalia, Carnivora) from Taiwan

Abstract. A new subspecies of the least weasel, Mustela nivalis (Mammalia, Carnivora) was described from the central mountains of Taiwan. The external and skull morphology, and conventional, G-banded and C-banded karyotypes of the present subspecies were compared with those of other subspecies. This new subspecies is distinct from the other subspecies by relatively longer tail, a broad and short interorbital region, short and narrow rostrum, anteriorly positioned infraorbital foramen, well developed protocone and parastyle of the fourth upper premolars, and anterior margin of right and left upper molars located in a straight line. The number of C-blocks in chromosomes of this new subspecies is less than those for other M. nivalis subspecies.
A New Approach to Cancer Therapy: The Tumor Microenvironment as Target

Solid tumors grow within a complex microenvironment composed of diverse cell types such as fibroblasts, endothelial cells, mast cells, macrophages and immune cells that are attracted by tumor cell derived factors and embedded in an extracellular matrix. Molecular and cellular interactions between epithelial cells and cells surrounding the tumor stroma promote growth, invasion and spread of tumors. To delay or impede tumor growth, the tumor microenvironment (TME) is increasingly being explored as a potential therapeutic target for which novel strategies are developed. This article reviews how key interactions between tumor cells and surrounding mesenchymal and immune cells in the TME can promote tumor progression and it highlights cellular and molecular elements that might represent novel therapeutic targets. Special emphasis is given on therapies targeted towards tumor-associated macrophages. As main class of drugs the bisphosphonates are covered with their properties to repolarize a pro-tumorigenic, immunosuppressive environment to a tumor growth inhibiting and immunocompetent microenvironment. Properties and advantages of liposome-encapsulated bisphosphonates as macrophage depleting or modulating agents as well as the latest developments towards clinical applications of compounds targeting cellular and molecular components of the TME are described and reviewed.
Monetary policy and energy price shocks

Abstract A New Keynesian framework with endogenous energy production is proposed to investigate the role of monetary policy in addressing disturbances in energy markets. The novelty of the model lies in the endogenous production of energy with convex costs, explicit modeling of goods with different degrees of energy-dependency and sectoral price rigidities. Our analyses prescribe the desirable monetary responses to four types of energy price shocks, highlighting the distinct characteristics of each shock and affirming the need for diverse policy considerations. We also found several points of divergence in relation to previous studies on addressing energy supply shocks. In addition, we shed light on the role of sectoral price rigidities in the shocks’ propagation.
The effect of a lifted flame on the stability of round fuel jets

The stability and dynamics of an axisymmetric lifted flame are studied by means of direct numerical simulation (DNS) and linear stability analysis of the reacting low-Mach-number equations. For light fuels (such as non-premixed methane/air flames), the non-reacting premixing zone upstream of the lifted flame base contains a pocket of absolute instability supporting self-sustaining oscillations, causing flame flicker even in the absence of gravity. The liftoff heights of the unsteady flames are lower than their steady counterparts (obtained by the method of selective frequency damping (SFD)), owing to premixed flame propagation during a portion of each cycle. From local stability analysis, the lifted flame is found to have a significant stabilizing influence at and just upstream of the flame base, which can truncate the pocket of absolute instability. For sufficiently low liftoff heights, the truncated pocket of absolute instability can no longer support self-sustaining oscillations, and the flow is rendered globally stable.
Market Access, Trade Costs, and Technology Adoption: Evidence from Northern Tanzania

We collect data on prices, travel costs and farmer decisions to quantify market access for chemical fertilizer and its impact on agricultural productivity in 1,180 villages in Northern Tanzania. Villages at the bottom of the travel cost-adjusted input price distribution face 40-55% less favorable prices than those at the top. A standard deviation increase in village-level remoteness is associated with 20-25% lower input adoption. A spatial model of input adoption conservatively estimates that total trade costs are 4X pecuniary travel costs. Counterfactuals suggest that halving travel costs would more than double adoption and reduce the adoption-remoteness gradient by 63%.
Dry‐season decline in tree sapflux is correlated with leaf turgor loss point in a tropical rainforest

1. Water availability is a key determinant of forest ecosystem function and tree species distributions. While droughts are increasing in frequency in many ecosystems, including in the tropics, plant responses to water supply vary with species and drought intensity and are therefore difficult to model. Based on physiological first principles, we hypothesized that trees with a lower turgor loss point (pi(tlp)), that is, a more negative leaf water potential at wilting, would maintain water transport for longer into a dry season. 2. We measured sapflux density of 22 mature trees of 10 species during a dry season in an Amazonian rainforest, quantified sapflux decline as soil water content decreased and tested its relationship to tree pi(tlp), size and leaf predawn and midday water potentials measured after the onset of the dry season. 3. The measured trees varied strongly in the response of water use to the seasonal drought, with sapflux at the end of the dry season ranging from 37 to 117% (on average 83 +/- 5 %) of that at the beginning of the dry season. The decline of water transport as soil dried was correlated with tree pi(tlp) (Spearman's rho >= 0.63), but not with tree size or predawn and midday water potentials. Thus, trees with more drought-tolerant leaves better maintained water transport during the seasonal drought. 4. Our study provides an explicit correlation between a trait, measurable at the leaf level, and whole-plant performance under drying conditions. Physiological traits such as pi(tlp) can be used to assess and model higher scale processes in response to drying conditions.
The spreading of the non-native caprellid (Crustacea: Amphipoda) Caprella scaura Templeton, 1836 into southern Europe and northern Africa: a complicated taxonomic history

Caprella scaura, originally described by Templeton (1836) from Mauritius and later reported as several “forms” or “varieties” from numerous areas of the world, was found for the first time in the Mediterranean in 1994. Since this report, the species has been found in several Mediterranean locations. To explore the current distribution of C. scaura in the Iberian Peninsula and adjacent areas, we surveyed marine fouling communities from 88 marinas along the whole Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, 3 from Italy, 1 from France, 1 from Malta and 1 from Greece between June 2011 and June 2012. The results of this survey report the first confirmed record of C. scaura in Corsica (France), Crete (Greece) and Morocco, and confirm an extensive distribution of C. scaura along the Spanish Mediterranean coast and the Strait of Gibraltar. The species was absent along the north Atlantic coast of Spain and the upper distribution limit for the eastern Atlantic coast is the locality of Cascais, on the south coast of Portugal. All populations studied belong to the same morphological form, which match the “varieties” C. scaura typica from Brazil and C. scaura scaura from Mauritius, suggesting that (1) these two forms correspond to the same “variety”; (2) this “variety” is the only one that is expanding its distribution range and (3) the remaining “varieties” of C. scaura complex could represent distinct species with a restricted distribution.
Impurity in a Bose-Einstein condensate: Study of the attractive and repulsive branch using quantum Monte Carlo methods

We investigate the properties of an impurity immersed in a dilute Bose gas at zero temperature using quantum Monte-Carlo methods. The interactions between bosons are modeled by a hard sphere potential with scattering length $a$, whereas the interactions between the impurity and the bosons are modeled by a short-range, square-well potential where both the sign and the strength of the scattering length $b$ can be varied by adjusting the well depth. We characterize the attractive and the repulsive polaron branch by calculating the binding energy and the effective mass of the impurity. Furthermore, we investigate structural properties of the bath, such as the impurity-boson contact parameter and the change of the density profile around the impurity. At the unitary limit of the impurity-boson interaction, we find that the effective mass of the impurity remains smaller than twice its bare mass, while the binding energy scales with $\hbar^2n^{2/3}/m$, where $n$ is the density of the bath and $m$ is the common mass of the impurity and the bosons in the bath. The implications for the phase diagram of binary Bose-Bose mixtures at small concentrations are also discussed.
Allen Cell Types Database

The Allen Cell Types Database contains a multimodal characterization of single brain cells by electrophysiology and morphology, as well as single-cell transcriptional data from nuclei or whole cells. These resources enable data-driven approaches to classification and are integrated with other Allen Brain Atlas applications. Data were collected from adult transgenic mice from fluorescent Cre-positive cells or Cre-negative cells, or from adult human neocortical cells.
Influence of the process parameters on hollow fiber-forward osmosis membrane performances

AbstractContinued efforts are made in improving the performance of the low-cost forward osmosis (FO) membrane process which utilizes naturally available osmotic pressure of the draw solution (DS) as the driving force. Selection of a suitable DS and development of a better performing membrane remained the main research focus. In this study, the performance of a hollow fiber forward osmosis (HFFO) membrane was evaluated with respect to various operating conditions such as different cross-flow directions, membrane orientation, solution properties, and solution flow rates (Reynolds number). The study observed that operating parameters significantly affect the performance of the FO process. FO comparatively showed better performance at counter-current orientation. NaCl, KCl, and NH4Cl were evaluated as DS carrying common anion. Properties of the anionic part of the DS were found important for flux outcome, whereas reverse solute flux (RSF) was largely influenced by the properties of DS cationic part. FO was op.
Psychological science, conservation, and environmental sustainability

Because environmental degradation has the potential to negatively affect mental and social well-being, environmental sustainability is highly relevant to psychologists, who have a tradition of interventions designed to change behavior. Although many psychologists are already using psychological knowledge and tools to protect environmental resources, their efforts are neither widely known nor extensively utilized in applied conservation settings. Here, we describe some barriers to effective conservation interventions adopted by psychologists and conservation professionals alike, and provide suggestions to both disciplines for more productive engagement. We also present an illustrative example of psychological science applied to promote environmental conservation in a zoological park setting. Our aim is to raise awareness of the possibilities for such collaboration and to urge conservation professionals and psychologists to work together in order to proactively address pressing environmental challenges.
Characteristics of Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolated from fruits and humus: Their suitability for bread making

The objectives of this study were to clarify whether the wild yeast isolated from fruits and humus is suitable forbread making. Using colony PCR, assimilation of carbohydrate and 18S rRNA sequencing, seven strains fromamong 70 samples were identified as Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The ethanol and CO2 production by the 10-2 wild yeast strain were highest among the strains. The pH and utilized glucose of all strains were pH 3.00-3.60 and 99.99%, respectively. The total acid content of the 9-3 culture was the highest (82.7 mg/100 ml) among the seven strains. The acetic acid contents of 9-3 and 10-2 cultures were 56.8 mg/100 ml and 56.3 mg/100 ml, respectively. Our finding showed that the 9-3 and 10-2 strain isolated from fruits have abilities of fermentation suitable for bread making.