Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling Ultraviolet (UV) Light Emitting Diode (LED) Energy Propagation in Reactor Vessels

Abstract : The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is concerned with both accidental and intentional releases of chemicals into waste streams. Certain chemicals may be detrimental to the effectiveness of municipal wastewater treatment plants. This can lead to reduced capability or costly damage to the plant. An Advanced Oxidation Process (AOP) is one method to pre-treat waste streams. This method uses ultraviolet (UV) energy and hydrogen peroxide to create hydroxyl radicals that can neutralize harmful chemicals. Recent advancements in Ultra Violet Light Emitting Diodes (UV LEDs) are making it possible to use this energy source instead of traditional UV energy sources. This research effort focuses on the modeling and simulation of UV LED energy sources for the purpose of providing the ability to predict the efficiency of different reactor vessel geometries. The model is used to evaluate the irradiance present at any point within a test reactor. When coupled with a suitable AOP production rate equation or pathogen kill rate equation, the model provides insight into tradeoffs when designing a UV reactor suitable for an AOP or pathogen extermination, respectively. Finally, simulated results are compared to measurements collected in actual laboratory experiments.
Identification of genetic factors underpinning phenotypic heterogeneity in Huntington's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders

Neurodegenerative diseases including Huntington’s disease (HD), the spinocerebellar ataxias and C9orf72 associated Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / Frontotemporal dementia (ALS/FTD) do not present and progress in the same way in all patients. Instead there is phenotypic variability in age at onset, progression and symptoms. Understanding this variability is not only clinically valuable, but identification of the genetic factors underpinning this variability has the potential to highlight genes and pathways which may be amenable to therapeutic manipulation, hence help find drugs for these devastating and currently incurable diseases. Identification of genetic modifiers of neurodegenerative diseases is the overarching aim of this thesis. To identify genetic variants which modify disease progression it is first necessary to have a detailed characterization of the disease and its trajectory over time. In this thesis clinical data from the TRACK-HD studies, for which I collected data as a clinical fellow, was used to study disease progression over time in HD, and give subjects a progression score for subsequent analysis. In this thesis I show blood transcriptomic signatures of HD status and stage which parallel HD brain and overlap with Alzheimer’s disease brain. Using the Huntington’s disease progression score in a genome wide association study, both a locus on chromosome 5 tagging MSH3, and DNA handling pathways more broadly, are shown to modify HD progression: these results are explored. Transcriptomic signatures associated with HD progression rate are also investigated. In this thesis I show that DNA repair variants also modify age at onset in spinocerebellar ataxias (1, 2, 3, 6, 7 and 17), which are, like HD, caused by triplet repeat expansions, suggesting a common mechanism. Extending this thesis’ examination of the relationship between phenotype and genotype I show that the C9orf72 expansion, normally associated with ALS/FTD, is also the commonest cause of HD phenocopy presentations.
Phase resetting in human auditory cortex to visual speech

Natural conversation is multisensory: when we can see the speaker’s face, visual speech cues influence our perception of what is being said. The neuronal basis of this phenomenon remains unclear, though there is indication that neuronal oscillations—ongoing excitability fluctuations of neuronal populations in the brain—represent a potential mechanism. Investigating this question with intracranial recordings in humans, we show that some sites in auditory cortex track the temporal dynamics of unisensory visual speech using the phase of their slow oscillations and phase-related modulations in neuronal firing. This effect appears asymmetric, as we find much less detectable tracking of auditory speech by visual cortex. Auditory cortex thus builds a representation of the speech stream’s envelope based on visual speech alone, at least in part by resetting the phase of its ongoing oscillations. Phase reset amplifies the representation of the speech stream and organizes the information contained in neuronal firing patterns.
Residential Satisfaction and Housing Transformation in Tunga Low-Cost Estate, Minna, Nigeria

Housing is an essential tool by which most individuals measure the quality of life. This study assesses the level of residents’ satisfaction in Tunga low-cost estate, Minna, Niger State with a view to suggest strategies to improve residents’ quality of life having examined housing conditions and adequacy of existing infrastructure. Residents’ socio-economic characteristics and satisfaction of housing conditions were obtained from household heads of the 175 sampled housing units using structured questionnaires. Residents’ assessments of their housing conditions and satisfaction of their housing were collected using a 5 point Likert scale ratings: Very Dissatisfied = 1, Dissatisfied =2, Undecided (Neutral) =3, Satisfied =4, Very satisfied =5 respectively The study reveals that the entire residents were fairly satisfied with the provision of facilities, utilities, services and infrastructure in the study. The data used for the study were from both primary and secondary data. A stratified and systematic random sampling was adopted as the technique for the study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the data. It was discovered that residents of Tunga Low-Cost Housing Estate are dissatisfied with the existing condition of their housing units; thus, they involve in several kinds of alterations to the housing structures. Finally, the study recommends that both federal and state government should pay more attention to the rehabilitation of roads and drainages in public housing estates in the country and public housing developers should continue to improve the quality of dwelling units they construct in order to make the residents more satisfied with the units they occupy.
Treatment of cows with clinical endometritis III as cows affected by pyometra-Non antibiotic treatment of severe clinical endometritis

Objective: To confirm the efficacy of non-antibiotic treatment with prostaglandin F2 α (PGF2 α) in dairy cows affected by severe clinical endometritis in (30±3) days in milk. Methods: Cows with clinical endometritis 1 (n=399) were aligned into three groups randomly. The first group (n=115) received PGF2 α, the second group (n=84) received intrauterine infusion (lUI) of oxytetracycline 10% + PGF2 α, and the third group (n=200) received IUI. Cows were inseminated following estrus. The pregnancy status, parity, calving and artificial insemination season, ovaries with corpus luteum at the time of treatment, dystocia, body condition score and treatment groups were included in data analysis. Results: Total pregnancy rate was 40.1% after the first insemination and 94.2% after the third insemination. Overall pregnancy rate of treated cows with IUI+PGF2 α (84.5%) was significantly lower than the treated cows with PGF2 α(98.3%) or IUI (96%) (P<0.05). The first service pregnancy rate of inseminated cows in summer (14.3%) was lower in comparison with cows inseminated in spring (40.4%), fall (41.4%) and winter (51.7%) (P<0.05). Conclusions: PGF2 α could treat severe clinical endometritis in dairy cows with corpus luteum in comparison with other treatments.
Processing of Low Salted and Fermented Shrimp Using Gamma Irradiation Before Optimum Fermentation

Gamma irradiation technology was applied to develop salted and fermented shrimp with lower salt concentration, high sensory quality and storage stability. Shrimp was prepared with 15 and 20% of salt and fermented at for 10 weeks. The sample was irradiated at 0, 5.0 and 10.0 kGy right before optimum stage of fermentation. Fermented shrimp with 30% of salt concentration was also prepared as a control. The proximate composition, salinity and Aw were not affected by gamma irradiation. However, pH of irradiated samples was lower than that of non-irradiated samples, probably because irradiation effectively suppressed excessive fermentation by controlling microorganisms. From the results of sensory analysis, it was concluded that fermented shrimp with 15% of salt and irradiated at 10 kGy before optimum fermentation, or 20% of salt and 5 kGy or above were the most effective in terms of sensory quality and storage stability.
Irregular chromatin: packing density, fiber width and occurrence of heterogeneous clusters

How chromatin is folded in the lengthscale of a gene is an open question. Recent experiments have suggested that, in vivo, chromatin is folded in an irregular manner and not as an ordered fiber with a width of 30 nm expected from theories of higher order packaging. Using computational methods, we examine how the interplay between DNA-bending non histone proteins, histone tails, intra-chromatin electrostatic and other interactions decide the nature of packaging of chromatin. We show that while the DNA-bending non histone proteins make the chromatin irregular, they may not alter the packing density and size of the fiber. We find that the length of the interacting region and intra-chromatin electrostatic interactions influence the packing density, clustering of nucleosomes, and the width of the chromatin fiber. Our results suggest that the actively maintained heterogeneity in the interaction pattern will play an an important role in deciding the nature of packaging of chromatin.
Cyclical Output, Cyclical Unemployment, and augmented Okun's Law in MENA zone

In this paper we investigate the relationship between economic growth and unemployment in MENA zone (six Arab countries: Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, Jordan, and Oman) through the implementation of Okun’s Law using quarterly dataset covering the time period 2000 :1- 2014 :4. Static and Dynamic linear models are used to test the linkage between cyclical unemployment and cyclical growth rate. The empirical results from all these models do not indicate robust evidence but it confirm an inverse linkage between unemployment rate and economic growth, as the Okun’s Law suggests (except for Oman). Initially, the static linear model, the static asymmetric model, and the dynamic linear models (ARDL) fail to explain the long run tradeoff between unemployment and output due to severe model misspecifications. Most of these results are in line with previous studies ( (Moosa I. A., 2008), (Kreishan, 2011), (Andari & Bouaziz, 2015)), and (Al-hosban, 2017). In an NARDL gap specification, the Okun’s coefficients are the asymmetric long run parameters. Okun’s coefficients are statistically significant, which means that output growth can be translated into employment gains. Absolute effect of an economic contraction is significantly larger than that of an expansion in Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, and Libanon. The opposite is true for Jordan and Oman. An economic upturn of 3.37%, 2.98%, and 2.5% respectively in Tunisia, Morocco, and Egypt reduces unemployment by 1%, while the downturn of 5.03%, 2.43% (and about 12%) respectively in Tunisia, Morocco (and Lebanon and Jordan) achieves the opposite. Empirical finding provides then an additional proof that Okun’s law could exist in a developing countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco, Lebanon, and Jordan.
Key Determinants of Organic Food Consumption: The Case of Olive Oil in Spain

The literature on organic consumer behavior has provided some knowledge about the main constructs and variables related to the purchase and consumption of organic foods and could be used to plan strategies to increase demand. However, the recommendations are not clear, varying among different authors, products, and markets; so, it seems necessary to study each case separately. This study aims to isolate the key variables that could influence the purchase of organic olive oil in the Spanish market and to analyze which of these variables have a major effect on the intent to purchase. Using data from a survey of 800 individuals, variables involved in the purchase decision process are included in a linear regression model of latent classes. The results indicate that the product consumption patterns do not respond to a uniform consumption profile but point to a coexistence of groups of people with different propensities to buy and different sensitivities to different commercial stimuli. The main conclusion is that the most effective actions to develop demand should focus on directly linking consumption of the product to consumer benefits such as leading a healthier life, eating a higher-quality product, or enjoying nature, rather than to other variables such as difficulties, perceived costs, or confidence in the certification process.
Prevalence and Type Distribution of Human Papillomavirus Recovered from the Uterine Cervix of Nigerian Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Infection with an oncogenic type of human papillomavirus is a prerequisite for the development of precancerous cervical lesions and its subsequent progression to cervical cancer. With an alarming increase in the detection of other suspicious papillomavirus genotypes in both healthy and women with cervical lesions, there is a need for comprehensive data on cervical papillomavirus infection to address cervical cancer and other associated disease burden, especially in Sub-Sarahan Africa, where the bulk of the problem exists. The present study was conducted to develop comprehensive data on the prevalence and circulating genotypes of human papillomavirus in various risk categories in Nigeria. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of peer-reviewed publications on cervical papillomavirus infection were performed. Relevant data were extracted from eligible studies published in PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Scopus, and Google Scholar, from inception to July 31, 2019. The random-effect model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. We identified 327 potential studies and pooled data from 18, involving 5697 women aged 15-86 years. Results: The overall pooled prevalence of cervical papillomavirus infection was 42% (95%CI: 30-54%) in the general population and 37% (95%CI: 25-50%) among women living with HIV/AIDs, with the predominance of genotypes 16, 18, 31, 35, 52, 58 and 45. The highest prevalence was observed in teenagers and young adults and the second peak in women 50 years and above. Conclusion: The prevalence of cervical human papillomavirus infection is cumulatively high in Nigeria and HIV is a strong co-factor. We, therefore, strongly recommend the co-screening of human papillomavirus and cervical cancer and integration of the intervention strategy into the existing HIV-care guideline in Nigeria.
The role of fish life histories in allometrically scaled food‐web dynamics

Abstract Body size determines key ecological and evolutionary processes of organisms. Therefore, organisms undergo extensive shifts in resources, competitors, and predators as they grow in body size. While empirical and theoretical evidence show that these size‐dependent ontogenetic shifts vastly influence the structure and dynamics of populations, theory on how those ontogenetic shifts affect the structure and dynamics of ecological networks is still virtually absent. Here, we expand the Allometric Trophic Network (ATN) theory in the context of aquatic food webs to incorporate size‐structure in the population dynamics of fish species. We do this by modifying a food web generating algorithm, the niche model, to produce food webs where different fish life‐history stages are described as separate nodes which are connected through growth and reproduction. Then, we apply a bioenergetic model that uses the food webs and the body sizes generated by our niche model to evaluate the effect of incorporating life‐history structure into food web dynamics. We show that the larger the body size of a fish species respective to the body size of its preys, the higher the biomass attained by the fish species and the greater the ecosystem stability. We also find that the larger the asymptotic body size attained by fish species the larger the total ecosystem biomass, a result that holds true for both the largest fish in the ecosystem and each fish species in the ecosystem. This work provides an expanded ATN theory that generates food webs with life‐history structure for chosen species. Our work offers a systematic approach for disentangling the effects of increasing life‐history complexity in food‐web models.
Phylogenetic history, allometry and disparate functional pressures influence the morphological diversification of the gekkotan quadrate, a keystone cranial element

The functional components of the vertebrate skull—including the chondrocranial braincase, protective dermatocranium and lower jaw—are interconnected and become operational through the quadrate bone. This latter element is critical for cranial biomechanics and support of the auditory system in squamate reptiles, but the interspecific variation of quadrate anatomy has not been studied in detail. Our objectives were to determine the relative influence of phylogenetic history, allometry and functional selection pressures on the morphological diversification of this keystone cranial element across gecko genera using high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography, threedimensional geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic comparative methods. Our results demonstrate substantial variation in gecko quadrate morphology. Two families possess highly derived quadrate morphologies, while the remaining gekkotans retain extensive overlap in quadrate shape. Allometric scaling has influenced shape across species; distantly related miniaturized taxa possess elongate, slender quadrate morphologies while large taxa have robust, laterally expanded quadrates. The relative height of the coronoid eminence and the loss of the peripheral auditory system co-vary with quadrate anatomy, indicating that multiple disparate functional pressures may act on this element. Our study has identified the disparity of quadrate morphology within geckos and has highlighted the importance of considering multiple factors that may influence the diversification of phenotypes.
Diagnostic value of mitral Z-value in mortality of patients with tetralogy of Fallot: A seven-year experiment

Background: Tetralogy of Fallot (TF) in some Iranian patients is different in that the mitral z-value is significantly lower than normal. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of the mitral Z-value on post-surgery mortality. Materials and Methods: The present retrospective analytical study was conducted on surgery candidate patients diagnosed with TF who had attended Shahid Modarres Hospital in Tehran between late March 2012 and late March 2019. Once the type of treatment and the need for surgery were decided and the mitral size and Z-value were determined, the patients underwent surgery, and then divided into two groups based on the outcome (death or discharge). Results: A total of 160 patients entered the study over seven years, of whom, 110 were discharged (group 1) and 50 died (group 2). There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of gender. The patients' mean age was 8.96±8.09 years in the group 1 and 3.16±2.7 years in the group 2 (P<0.000). Mean mitral Z-value was -2.26±2.11 in the group 1 (ranging from -7.1 to +1.3) and -3.48±1.71 in the group 2 (ranging from -6 to -1.1), and Independent Sample Test showed no significant difference between the two groups (P=0.271). Conclusion: The mitral Z-value was significantly lower than normal in participating patients with TF, which could indicate hypo-plasticity of the left ventricle in Iranian patients with TF. No significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of surgical complications. In other words, the mitral Z-value had no effect on mortality of patients with TF.
Influence of TG5 and LEP gene polymorphism on quantitative and qualitative meat composition in beef calves

The authors investigated the influence of TG5 and LEP gene polymorphism on quantitative and qualitative meat composition of 20 month old bull calves of the Hereford (n=38) and Limousine (n=26) breeds, which were bred in the climate of Cis-Ural steppe zone from 2013 to 2015. The Hereford calves were the offspring of the cattle from the southeastern states of Australia and Tasmania (3rd descent of the main lines: Baz-Gol-Sol 2U 6827, Domino 325676, Ardmors-Domino 56, Silverlend 31432); the Limousine calves were the descendants of the offspring resulting from the accumulation cross breeding of Simmental cattle with the French Reproductive Recognized bulls (4th descent of the Reper 433 and other lines). The analysis of TG5 genotype frequency in the examined populations reveals that the animals have significant (P<0.01 or P<0.05) potential for increased taste and nutritional qualities of beef associated with a high proportion of desirable TT genotype, probably related to the foreign origin of the cattle. There were no carriers of the BB genotype of LEP genes in the examined populations. Significant (P<0.01 or P<0.05) dependence between the studied SNP in TG5 and the rates of total body fat, the proportion of adipose tissue in the morphological carcass composition (or meat composition), and the content of intramuscular fat in the longissimus, as well as the correlation between the studied SNP in LEP and the rates of raw visceral fat, and fat outcome, were established. LEP polymorphism was significantly (P<0.01 or P<0.05) associated with the proportion of adipose tissue in the morphological carcass composition in Hereford calves, and with the content of intramuscular fat in the longissimus in Limousine calves. The results of our study of TG5 and LEP polymorphism demonstrate considerable genetic potential of the given populations of the Hereford and Limousine breeds in relation to the quantitative and qualitative composition of their meat; they are to be used in improvement of genetic potential of meat cattle in the Cis-Ural steppe zone.
Exploring Aldehyde Release in Beer by 4-Vinylpyridine and the Effect of Cysteine Addition on the Beer’s Pool of Bound Aldehydes

Abstract As a continuation of our previous work, which concerned the binding of aldehydes to bisulfite and cysteine, this article presents more results on the applicability of 4-vinylpyridine addition to beer prior to analysis aiming at release of aldehydes from these preformed bound states, thus making them quantifiable with the headspace solid-phase microextraction method combined with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This article also presents the first results on spiking beer samples with cysteine prior to forced-aging, pointing to the important role of cysteine in beer flavor stability. Both the levels in free and bound aldehydes show a relatively large degree of variation among different beers, but also between marker aldehydes. For some aldehydes (e.g., hexanal), the bound amount was shown to increase rather strongly upon forced beer aging, whereas for others (e.g., 2-methylpropanal), large amounts appeared to already be present in a bound state in the fresh samples. Spiking beer samples with cysteine prior to aging significantly lowered the aldehyde levels compared with nonspiked samples. Flavor stability of the cysteine-spiked beers was thereby greatly improved through aldehyde-cysteine adduct formation. It was further hypothesized that, in addition to efficient binding of aldehydes, cysteine also inhibits the formation of furfural during beer aging from Maillard reaction intermediates.