Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Vaporized Hydrogen Peroxide Combined with Silver Ions against Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative and Gram-Positive Clinical Isolates

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious public health problem that results in high morbidity and mortality rates. In particular, multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains circulating in hospital settings pose a major threat as they are associated with serious nosocomial infections. Therefore, regular cleaning and disinfection procedures, usually using chemical disinfectants, must be implemented in these facilities. Hydrogen peroxide (HP)-based disinfectants have proven high microbicidal activity and several comparative advantages over conventional disinfectants. We assessed the in vitro biocidal activity of an 8% HP solution combined with 30 mg/L silver ions (HP + Ag) against MDR clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae (MDRKp) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MDRPa), and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Accordingly, the in vitro antibacterial activity was determined using the macrodilution method, and the efficacy was determined for 30 min in terms of (1) activity on bacteria in suspension and (2) activity on surfaces using vaporized HP + Ag on a 20 cm2 stainless steel surface. A strong bactericidal effect of HP + Ag was observed against MDRKp, MDRPa, and MRSA strains, with minimum inhibitory concentrations and minimum bactericidal concentrations between 362.5 and 5800 mg/L. A strong effect was observed during the 30 min of HP + Ag exposure to the resistant clinical isolates, with over 4-Log10 reduction in CFUs. Regarding the efficacy of the disinfectant on surfaces, bacterial load reductions of >99% were observed. These results suggest that HP + Ag is potentially useful as an effective disinfectant for decontaminating surfaces in hospital settings suspected of contamination with MDR bacteria.
Influence of maternal effects and temperature on fecundity of Sebastes fasciatus on the Flemish Cap

The conservation of a sufficient reproductive potential of an exploited stock is one of the goals of fisheries management, as it ensures sustainable productivity. However, there is evidence that spawning stock biomass (SSB) does not represent well the variation in stock reproductive potential, often leading to impaired stock-recruitment relationships. In this study we show that fecundity of Sebastes fasciatus on Flemish Cap is not proportional to SSB and shows temporal fluctuation influenced by maternal effects. Females were collected in 23 research surveys between 1996 and 2020. An autodiametric calibration model was developed for S. fasciatus for the first time to estimate fecundity. Mean potential fecundity was estimated as 36000 oocytes and mean relative fecundity as 79 oocytes g–1. Potential fecundity varied significantly with female length, age, condition index, gonadosomatic index and environmental variability. Mixed-effect linear models were fitted to assess the effect of maternal traits and bottom temperature on fecundity. Fecundity increased significantly with condition factor and sea bottom temperature. Relative fecundity also increased significantly with length, age and gonadosomatic index, indicating that older, larger and better-conditioned females produce more eggs per female gram. This suggests that SSB is not a good proxy to stock reproductive potential so it is unsuitable for use in stock assessment and scientific advice. Considering that S. fasciatus is a viviparous species, future research should focus on maternal effects on offspring and on building time series of reproductive potential indexes that take into account maternal effects.
The effects of humic acid and chelate applications on some morphophysiological properties and antioxidant enzyme activities of ornamental cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. acephala) under boron stress

The increase of industrialization, the overuse chemical fertilisers and mining activities are brought about heavy metal-led environment pollution, especially agricultural land. This leads to more boron (B) contamination and accumulation in the soil. This study was carried out to evaluate B uptake from the soil of ornamental cabbage grown as a hyperaccumulator plant under B stress conditions in a controlled greenhouse on plant morphology, physiology, antioxidant enzyme activity the effects of humic acid (50mg kg-1 B + 2% humic acid -HA) and chelate [0.5 g kg-1 chelate (EDTA)] applications. According to the results, especially chelate application significantly increased the B uptake of the plant, and B accumulation was higher in the plant shoot than in the root. However, HA and chelate applications brought out the negative effects of B stress on growth and physiological characteristics and reinforced the increases in malondialdehyde (MDA) content and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzyme activities. In conclusion, this study shows that HA and chelate additions increase the efficiency of the use of ornamental cabbage to remove excess boron from the soil. According to these results, it is possible to increase the use of ornamental cabbage for phytoremediation purposes, especially with chelate application.
The Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse, Mental Health, and Motives for Sex on Sexual Risk-Taking Among United States Men Who Have Sex with Women

ABSTRACT This study assessed the role of mental health symptoms and motives for sex in the association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and sexual risk-taking among men who have sex with women (MSW). The sample consisted of young adult (ages 21 to 30), non-monogamous MSW (N = 532) who reported having condomless sex at least once in the past year. Due to alcohol-related aims from two larger studies from which the data were analyzed, participation was excluded to men who regularly consumed alcohol (3 to 35 weekly drinks) and reported no symptoms of alcohol use disorder. Participants answered background questionnaires in lab and then completed a six-week, follow-up survey assessing the number of sex partners and condom use during the prior six weeks. CSA survivors reported greater mental health symptoms and sex motives related to coping, self-affirmation, and partner approval relative to non-survivors. CSA, sex for partner approval, and sex to enhance motives were positively associated with the number of sex partners. Participants endorsing self-affirmation sex motives reported higher condom use than those who did not. CSA contributes to long-term mental and sexual health outcomes among MSW. Identifying and treating depressive and anxiety symptoms and motives for sex may improve sexual health among CSA survivors.
Dispersion process in conditions of real sewer systems – in situ experiments

A general assumption of most current models used to simulate flow in sewer systems (pipes) is that the sewers are considered as prismatic channels. However, in real conditions there are many factors, which affect the real flow. One of them is the occurrence of the sediments and deposits in sewer pipes, which significantly changes the flow conditions, as well as the dispersion process in sewer systems by creation of “dead zones”. Paper describes the effects of these zones on hydrodynamic dispersion process, which are particularly noticeable in hydraulic conditions of low flow rates in sewer system (sanitary, flow rates during dry period without rain …). In the study, there were applied two types of tracers and both used substances give identical results. Experimental results show that even though sewer pipes are considered as prismatic hydraulic channels, in the real conditions some irregularities resulted with dead zones creation are presented. Their influence on the mass concentration time-course shape is depending on the sediment layer thickness. Gaussian approximation of the one-dimensional advection dispersion equation for instantaneous pollution entry is not suitable for the sewer pipes with sediments occurrence. In case of sediments presence, the GEV and Gumbel’s approximation function looks to be more accurate.
Effects of a Long-Term Adapted Judo Program on the Health-Related Physical Fitness of Children with ASD

Physical fitness is one of the most important physical and mental health aspects for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study aimed to test the effects of a long-term adapted judo program on the health-related physical fitness of children with ASD. The participants were recruited from various associations of families and schools for children with special needs. Twenty-one children were assigned to an experimental group and nineteen to a control group. The experimental group participated in a six-month adapted judo program consisting of 90 min of practice each week. Health-related physical fitness was measured using the indicators obtained from the ALPHA-fitness battery, the estimated VO2max and the waist/height ratio0.5. Changes within and between groups were analyzed using linear mixed models for repeated measures designs and test-retest reliability of tests requiring a maximum score using the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC). A judo program tailored for children with ASD can improve the cardio-metabolic health and cardiorespiratory fitness of its participants. The problems involved with administering physical aptitude tests that involve maximum effort or performance in children with ASD cast serious doubts on the reproducibility of their results.
In silico characterization of Melittin from Apis cerana indica and evaluation of melittin intron for transgene expression in mammalian cells

Bee venom is a colorless acidic liquid and can cause an anaphylactic reaction in higher doses. However, the therapeutic potential is enormous in a lower concentration, including anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidant properties. Bee venom contains very few pharmacologically vital substances, and melittin is the principal component besides phospholipase A2, histamine, hyaluronidase, catecholamine, and serotonin. Melittin has demonstrated a range of therapeutic benefits in preclinical cell culture and animal models, including anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-protozoan, and immunomodulatory properties. In the present study, we investigated physicochemical composition, protein secondary structure, and antigenicity of the melittin peptide from Apis cerana indica through in silico approach and investigated the influence of melittin intron for transgene expression in the mammalian expression host system. From our study, we found that the mature melittin peptide from A. cerana indica is highly unstable, basic, and cationic in nature and the melittin intron has no positive effect on transient expression of exogenous gene in HEK-293 and CHO-K1 cell line.
TOPOLOGICAL INVARIANTS OF ELLIPTIC OPERATORS. I: K-HOMOLOGY

In this paper the homological K-functor is defined on the category of involutory Banach algebras, and Bott periodicity is proved, along with a series of theorems corresponding to the Eilenberg-Steenrod axioms. As an application, a generalization of the Atiyah-Singer index theorem is obtained,and some problems connected with representation rings of discrete groups and higher signatures of smooth manifolds are discussed.Bibliography: 16 items.
Anomalous excitation dependence of electroluminescence in InGaN∕GaN light-emitting diodes

We have systematically investigated the anomalous excitation dependence of the electroluminescence (EL) in InGaN∕GaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diodes over a temperature range from 300to20K. Initially, an increase in the emission intensity occurred upon decreasing the temperature, until a maximum was reached at the temperature Tm. A blueshift in the position of the EL peak was followed by a redshift that occurred at the crossover temperature Tc. Both of these characteristic temperatures correlate with the presence of statistic microbarriers arising from potential inhomogeneity. The higher the In content incorporated into the heterobarriers, named multiple quantum barriers, the lower the values of Tm and Tc obtained from the spectral observations; this phenomenon implies an augmentation in the microscopic nonradiative transport through the microbarriers. An increase in the injection current also led to decreases in both of these characteristic temperatures. In addition, a functional correlation e.
Piscine diversity, Community structure and Distribution patterns of the West Ramganga River: A mid-Himalayan tributary of River Ganga

The study documents the fish diversity, assemblage structure, distributional pattern and composition at different sampling sites along the stretches of the West Ramganga river of mid-Himalayas between 138 and 777 meters above sea level. Altogether 92 fish species representing 8 orders, 23 families and 64 genera were recorded. The most dominant family was Cyprinidae with 47 species (51%) followed by Bagridae with 7 fish species (8%). Labeo was the most dominant genera with 9 species, followed by Barilius (6), Garra and Mystus (4 species each). Species richness showed a trend of rapid decline along the altitude with highest records in the lowland sites, where ~93% of the total fish species recorded were between 138 and 320 masl. The Shannon Wiener Index (H’) was found to be maximum at R6 (3.254) followed by R7 (3.24) and R8 (3.074) sites, all constituting the lowland stretch of the river. Species composition showed a distinct assemblage of cold-water specific genera at higher elevation sites based on clustering As per IUCN status, one species each of endangered (Tor putitora) and vulnerable (Schizothorax richardsonii) category was reported from the river, while 6 species reported, fell into near threatened category (Tor tor, Labeo pangusia, Wallago attu, Ompok pabda, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix, Bagarius bagarius and Ailia colia). The high fish species richness in the river Ramganga provides an updated information for the policy makers to plan suitable conservation measures which is currently lacking in most of the threatened freshwater ecosystems especially in the Himalayan river basin.
16 Weeks of Physically Active Mathematics and English Language Lessons Improves Cognitive Function and Gross Motor Skills in Children Aged 8–9 Years

The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of physically active lessons, implemented through the Mathematics and English Language curriculum, on cognitive function and gross motor skill development. Following ethical approval, 192 children aged 8–9 years were randomly allocated to an intervention group (n = 98) or a control group (n = 94). The intervention consisted of 8 h.wk−1 of physically active lessons, equally split between Mathematics and English Language, for 16 weeks. Cognitive function (digit span, coding and arithmetic reasoning) and gross motor skill development (TGMD-3) were assessed at baseline and follow-up. The improvement in every domain of cognitive function was greater in the intervention group compared to the control group (group * time, p = 0.008–0.023, d = 0.34–0.42). Furthermore, total TGMD-3 score (group * time, p < 0.001, d = 1.16) and both sub-scales (locomotor, p < 0.001, d = 0.63; object control, p < 0.001, d = 1.29) also improved by a greater extent in the intervention group than in the control group. These findings suggest that 16 weeks of physically active lessons, taught in both Mathematics and English Language curriculum, synergistically improved cognitive function and gross motor skill development in primary school children aged 8–9 years.
Output constraints and cross‐language differences in coarticulation

Coarticulatory patterns have been shown to vary from language to language, from speaker to speaker, and from one style or rate of speaking to the next. Many of these differences might be explained by assuming (1) that phones are associated with ranges of acceptability, that is, “acoustic output constraints,” which must not be violated by coarticulation‐induced variability and (2) that these output constraints vary from language to language, speaker to speaker, etc. For this notion to have any predictive value, it is necessary, in turn, to be able to predict, to some extent, just what the acoustic output constraints are, and how they might vary. It might be expected, for example, that output constraints relax in casual speaking styles. The paper is particularly concerned with output constraints that can be understood in terms of systems of phonemic contrast. Specifically, it is predicted that when the phonemes of a language are widely spread out in the acoustic space, then the acoustic output constraints o.
Super‐resolution ultrasonic imaging by combined spectral and aperture synthesis

In conventional sonar systems, high azimuth resolution is achieved by synthesis of the aperture, and range resolution by utilization of pulsed waves. When the aperture synthesis is done over a fairly large area, however, the duration of the pulse should be reduced to less than a few wavelengths in order to keep the range resolution within the azimuth resolution. The use of such short pulses makes difficult the precise detection of the amplitude and phase of the waves reflected from the object, mainly because of the sensitivity to noise caused by the short averaging time in the heterodyne detection process. In this paper a new method is proposed which realizes the impulselike range resolutions through the synthesis of detected signals for several frequencies of continuous waves. The fundamental idea is to synthesize the Fourier transform of a very short pulse by using several frequencies of ultrasonic waves. This method gives the synthesis in range, while the conventional synthesis gives the azimuth direct.
Role of Kutta waves on oscillatory shock motion on an airfoil

An investigation of wave propagation in transonic flows is carried out using the nonlinear transonic small disturbance equation. The wave fronts are computed from numerical integration of the characteristic equation. The manner in which downstream disturbances, initiated at an airfoil trailing edge, travel to the shock wave is analyzed. Though a relation between the amplitude of the disturbance and the magnitude of shock displacement has not yet been derived to study the interaction process, the results presented are sufficient to give a better understanding of the feedback mechanism proposed in an earlier investigation of oscillatory shock motion observed in transonic airfoil buffeting. The propagation time for downstream disturbances to reach the shock wave is computed for various airfoil geometries and freestream Mach numbers. The results are compared with those obtained from an empirical formulation given by Tijdeman. The accuracy of Tijdeman's relaxation factor is examined. The interaction of upstream moving waves with a time-dependent flowfield is also studied for an airfoil performing trailing-edge flap oscillations. The variation of the disturbance amplitude along the wave front at various instances of time is given for an impulse source at the trailing edge using the method of asymptotic expansion.
The information approach to multiextremal optimization problems

A survey of some practical new global search algorithms is presented. These algorithms are derived as optimal statistical decision functions within the framework of a stochastic model representing the function to be optimized as a sample of some random function. This statistical language allows the elaboration of an analytical technique for efficiently deriving simple and powerful algorithms using the a priori assumptions on the function behaviour.
Using thermal UAV imagery to model distributed debris thicknesses and sub-debris melt rates on debris-covered glaciers

Abstract Supraglacial debris cover regulates the melt rates of many glaciers in mountainous regions around the world, thereby modifying the availability and quality of downstream water resources. However, the influence of supraglacial debris is often poorly represented within glaciological models, due to the absence of a technique to provide high-precision, spatially continuous measurements of debris thickness. Here, we use high-resolution UAV-derived thermal imagery, in conjunction with local meteorological data, visible UAV imagery and vertically profiled debris temperature time series, to model the spatially distributed debris thickness across a portion of Llaca Glacier in the Cordillera Blanca of Peru. Based on our results, we simulate daily sub-debris melt rates over a 3-month period during 2019. We demonstrate that, by effectively calibrating the radiometric thermal imagery and accounting for temporal and spatial variations in meteorological variables during UAV surveys, thermal UAV data can be used to more precisely represent the highly heterogeneous patterns of debris thickness and sub-debris melt on debris-covered glaciers. Additionally, our results indicate a mean sub-debris melt rate nearly three times greater than the mean melt rate simulated from satellite-derived debris thicknesses, emphasising the importance of acquiring further high-precision debris thickness data for the purposes of investigating glacier-scale melt processes, calibrating regional melt models and improving the accuracy of runoff predictions.
Self‐reported cognitive decline among middle and older age autistic adults

Very little is known about autistic adults as they age. Early evidence suggests a potentially high risk for dementia and atypical cognitive decline in autistic middle and older age adults. Research in the general population indicates that self‐reported cognitive decline may predict future dementia earlier than performance‐based measures. Nevertheless, self‐report dementia screeners have not been used to date in autism research. In a sample of middle and older age autistic adults (N = 210), participants completed a self‐rated dementia screener, the AD8, to describe the rate of cognitive decline, examine associations of cognitive decline with age, educational level, sex designated at birth, and autistic traits, and document the psychometrics of a dementia screener in autistic adults. We found high rates of cognitive decline with 30% of the sample screening positive. The most common symptoms were declining interest in leisure activities, and increases in everyday problems with thinking, memory, and judgment. There was evidence that autistic individuals designated female at birth may be more vulnerable to cognitive decline than autistic individuals designated male at birth. Notably, reports of cognitive decline did not vary by age or educational level. Modestly elevated autistic traits were found in those screening positive versus negative for cognitive decline. Finally, the dementia screener showed good psychometrics, including convergent validity with an independent measure of current memory problems. These results could signal an emerging public health crisis in autistic adults as they age, and support the potential utility of self‐report measures for early screening for cognitive decline in this population.
Goodness‐of‐fit tests for linear regression models with missing response data

The authors show how to test the goodness‐of‐fit of a linear regression model when there are missing data in the response variable. Their statistics are based on the L2 distance between nonparametric estimators of the regression function and a ‐consistent estimator of the same function under the parametric model. They obtain the limit distribution of the statistics and check the validity of their bootstrap version. Finally, a simulation study allows them to examine the behaviour of their tests, whether the samples are complete or not.