Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metronidazole Potentiation by Panax Ginseng and Symphytum officinale: A New Strategy for P. gingivalis Infection Control

The important periodontal disease pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis produces thick biofilms that increase its pathogenicity. Finding natural antimicrobial agents is crucial because of the rise in antibiotic resistance. The purpose of this study was to determine if plant extracts such as Symphytum officinale (S) and Panax Ginseng (G) were effective against P. gingivalis separately and in combination with a common antibiotic, metronidazole (F). Six different dilutions were produced using the plant extracts in different concentrations and antibiotics separately and in combination with F, G, and S using the two-fold serial dilution technique. To evaluate the effects of these substances, biofilm inhibition experiments were conducted. Plaque samples were collected from periodontitis patients to isolate P. gingivalis, and a standard strain of P. gingivalis (ATCC 33277) was purchased. Additionally, Acylated Homoserine Lactones (AHLs) detection was carried out to look for any activity that would interfere with quorum sensing. GraphPad Prism was used for statistical analysis with a p-value < 0.05. The combinations of Symphytum officinale and metronidazole (S+F) showed the maximum effectiveness in biofilm inhibition (98.7%), which was slightly better than G+F (98.2%), with substantial variations in biofilm inhibition levels in different treatment regimes. Notably, the patient isolate was more active than the standard strain. Additionally, the plant extracts and their combinations at particular dilutions had notable inhibitory effects on the generation of AHL (p < 0.05). The study highlights the possibility of Symphytum officinale and Panax Ginseng as effective treatments for P. gingivalis biofilm and AHLs, both on their own and in combination with metronidazole. These organic substances may open the door to cutting-edge methods of treating periodontal disorders.
Mapping Pharmacologically Evoked Neurovascular Activation and Its Suppression in a Rat Model of Tremor Using Functional Ultrasound: A Feasibility Study

Functional ultrasound (fUS), an emerging hemodynamic-based functional neuroimaging technique, is especially suited to probe brain activity and primarily used in animal models. Increasing use of pharmacological models for essential tremor extends new research to the utilization of fUS imaging in such models. Harmaline-induced tremor is an easily provoked model for the development of new therapies for essential tremor (ET). Furthermore, harmaline-induced tremor can be suppressed by the same classic medications used for essential tremor, which leads to the utilization of this model for preclinical testing. However, changes in local cerebral activities under the effect of tremorgenic doses of harmaline have not been completely investigated. In this study, we explored the feasibility of fUS imaging for visualization of cerebral activation and deactivation associated with harmaline-induced tremor and tremor-suppressing effects of propranolol. The spatial resolution of fUS using a high frame rate imaging enabled us to visualize time-locked and site-specific changes in cerebral blood flow associated with harmaline-evoked tremor. Intraperitoneal administration of harmaline generated significant neural activity changes in the primary motor cortex and ventrolateral thalamus (VL Thal) regions during tremor and then gradually returned to baseline level as tremor subsided with time. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first functional ultrasound study to show the neurovascular activation of harmaline-induced tremor and the therapeutic suppression in a rat model. Thus, fUS can be considered a noninvasive imaging method for studying neuronal activities involved in the ET model and its treatment.
Deciphering the connection between upstream obstacles, wake structures, and root signals in seal whisker array sensing using interpretable neural networks

This study presents a novel method that combines a computational fluid-structure interaction model with an interpretable deep-learning model to explore the fundamental mechanisms of seal whisker sensing. By establishing connections between crucial signal patterns, flow characteristics, and attributes of upstream obstacles, the method has the potential to enhance our understanding of the intricate sensing mechanisms. The effectiveness of the method is demonstrated through its accurate prediction of the location and orientation of a circular plate placed in front of seal whisker arrays. The model also generates temporal and spatial importance values of the signals, enabling the identification of significant temporal-spatial signal patterns crucial for the network’s predictions. These signal patterns are further correlated with flow structures, allowing for the identification of important flow features relevant for accurate prediction. The study provides insights into seal whiskers’ perception of complex underwater environments, inspiring advancements in underwater sensing technologies.
Imperial Legacy? The EU's Developmental Model and the Crisis of the European Periphery

The high hopes for rapid convergence of Eastern and Southern EU member states are increasingly being disappointed. With the onset of the Eurocrisis convergence has given way to divergence in the southern members, and many Eastern members have made little headway in closing the development gap. The EU´s performance compares unfavourably with East Asian success cases as well as with Western Europe´s own rapid catch-up to the USA after 1945. Historical experience indicates that successful catch up requires that less-developed economies to some extent are allowed to free-ride on an open international economic order. However, the EU´s model is based on the principle of a level-playing field, which militates against such a form of economic integration. The EU´s developmental model thus contrasts with the various strategies that have enabled successful catch up of industrial latecomers. Instead the EU´s current approach is more and more reminiscent of the relations between the pre-1945 European empires and their dependent territories. One reason for this unfortunate historical continuity is that the EU appears to have become entangled in its own myths. In the EU´s own interpretation, European integration is a peace project designed to overcome the almost continuous warfare that characterised the Westphalian system. As the sovereign state is identified as the root cause of all evil, any project to curtail its room of manoeuvre must ultimately benefit the common good. Yet, the existence of a Westphalian system of nation states is a myth. Empires and not states were the dominant actors in the international system for at least the last three centuries. If anything, the dawn of the age of the sovereign state in Western Europe occurred after 1945 with the disintegration of the colonial empires and thus historically coincided with the birth of European integration.
A tale of two large igneous provinces : geochronological and geochemical studies of the North Atlantic Volcanic Province and the Caribbean oceanic plateau

approved: Robert A. Duncan A significant portion of lavas associated with the North Atlantic Volcanic Province (NAVP) lie submerged along the continental margins of the North Atlantic. 40Ar-39Ar radiometric dating of continentally-contaminated lavas from the southeast Greenland margin drilled during ODP Leg 152 shows that magmatism began in this area by at least 62 Ma. Stratigraphically younger, MORB-like lavas are constrained to be 5653 Ma based on magnetic anomaly identification. A late-stage sill from the most seaward site is bounded by early Eocene sediments and has an age of 52 Ma. The age of initial magmatism is similar to such widely distributed locations regions as West Greenland and the British province. Compiled ages from the NAVP indicate that the bulk of the lavas erupted during two magmatic episodes: the first occurred prior to 60 Ma, probably associated with the arrival of the Iceland mantle plume and the second phase began at -57 Ma with voluminous basaltic eruptions centralized along the eventual line of continental separation. Magmatism at this stage was associated with continental breakup and massive decompression melting of the hot upper mantle. The thick oceanic crust of the Caribbean plate is the remnant of an oceanic plateau wedged between the North and South American plates. Uplifted margins of the plateau allow examination of its volcanic stratigraphy, structure, and composition. 40Ar-39Ar ages and compositional data from an exposure of the plateau in the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica indicate that all of the igneous rocks belong to a single suite that began erupting at -90 Ma. 40Ar-39Ar ages from other exposures at Curaçao, Haiti, Gorgona Island, and Western Colombia indicate that the bulk of the plateau formed at 9 1-88 Ma with a second widespread but probably smaller volume magmatic event at 76 Ma. Redacted for privacy The coincidence of catastrophic volcanism and global ocean anoxia and the extinction of marine organisms at about 91 Ma (Cenomanian-Turonian boundary) suggests a genetic relationship. It is possible that massive, short-lived pulses of submarine magmatism produced hydrothermal plumes that may have consumed the dissolved oxygen in seawater and contributed to anoxia. A Tale of Two Large Igneous Provinces: Geochronological and Geochemical Studies of the North Atlantic Volcanic Province and the Caribbean Oceanic Plateau
Extremely Narrow Superconducting Band with Crystal Spin 32ℏ in LaH10

We show that the high-temperature superconductor LaH10 possesses an unusual superconducting band in its band structure. We examine this band by group-theoretical methods and report evidence that the special features of the band support the characteristics of the superconducting state in LaH10 at megabar pressures, i.e., the strong electron–phonon coupling and the high superconducting transition temperature.
Students' Attitude and Teachers Towards Blended Learning Model in Class XI Biology Subjects at State High School in Makassar

Abstract. The attitude of students and teachers towards the Blended Learning Model in Biology class XI at SMA Negeri Makassar is a descriptive quantitative research. The purpose of this study was to determine the attitudes of students and teachers towards the Blended Learning Model in class XI Biology at SMA Negeri Makassar. The research was conducted from April to May 2022 at SMA Negeri 21 Makassar, SMA Negeri 18 Makassar, SMA Negeri 6 Makassar, SMA Negeri 17 Makassar, and SMA Negeri 10 Makassar. The research instrument used a questionnaire on the attitudes of students and teachers. The data analysis process was carried out using SPSS ver.23. The results of the study showed that students' attitudes towards Blended Learning Model in Biology class XI at SMA Negeri Makassar were in the neutral category with a percentage of 38% and teachers' attitudes towards Blended Learning Model in Biology class XI at SMA Negeri Makassar were at negative category with a percentage of 50%. Keywords: students and teachers attitude, blended learning model
The influence of disturbance scale on the natural recovery of biological soil crusts on the Colorado Plateau

Up to 35% of global drylands have experienced degradation due to anthropogenic impacts, including physical disturbances like trampling and soil removal. These physical disturbances can result in the loss of soil communities known as biological soil crusts (biocrusts) and the important functions they provide, such as soil stability and fertility. The reestablishment of biocrust organisms after disturbance is determined by many factors, including propagule availability, climate, and vascular plant community structure. The role of these factors in natural recovery may be intensified by the extent (or size) of a disturbance. For example, large disturbances can result in reduced propagule availability or enhanced erosion, which impact both the dispersal and establishment of biocrust organisms on disturbed soils, leading to a slower natural recovery. To test how disturbance extent impacts biocrust's natural recovery, we installed four disturbance extents by completely removing biocrust from the mineral soil in plots ranging from 0.01 m2 to 1 m2 and measured productivity and erosion resistance. We found that small disturbance extents did not differ in chlorophyll a content, total exopolysaccharide content, or soil stability after 1.5 years of natural recovery. However, the concentration of glycocalyx exopolysaccharide was higher in the smallest disturbances after the recovery period. Our results indicate that disturbances <1 m2 in scale recover at similar rates, with soil stability returning to high levels in just a few years after severe disturbance. Our findings align with prior work on biocrust natural recovery in drylands and highlight the opportunity for future work to address (1) cyanobacteria, moss, and lichen propagule dispersal; (2) rates and mechanisms of biocrust succession; and (3) the role of wind or water in determining biocrust colonization patterns as compared to lateral growth.
The effect of sequential perioperative intravenous tranexamic acid in reducing postoperative blood loss and hidden blood loss after posterior lumbar interbody fusion: a randomized controlled trial

Background Tranexamic acid (TXA) has previously been shown to be effective in reducing intraoperative blood loss (IBL) and transfusion requirements in spine surgery. A conventional TXA regimen is a simple preoperative or intraoperative administration. However, the hyperfibrinolysis caused by surgical trauma lasts at least 24 h, and a single dose of TXA cannot cover the whole process of hyperfibrinolysis. Moreover, its ability to control postoperative blood loss (PBL) may be insufficient. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects and safety of sequential perioperative intravenous TXA for reducing bleeding after posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF). Methods Patients requiring PLIF were randomly divided into two groups. All patients were intravenously injected with 1 g of TXA 15 min before skin resection. Every day after the surgery, 200 ml saline was intravenously injected for 1–3 days in Group A, while Group B received 1 g of TXA instead of saline. The total blood loss (TBL), IBL, PBL, HCT, Hb, blood transfusion volume, inflammation-related indicators, and complications were recorded. Results TBL, PBL, and hidden blood loss (HBL) in Group B were significantly lower than those in Group A (P < 0.05). The maximum decreases in HCT and Hb in Group B were also significantly lower than those in Group A (P < 0.05), and the drainage removal time (DRT) was sooner in Group B than in Group A (P = 0.003). On the 3rd and 5th days after surgery, the level of CRP in Group B was significantly lower than that in Group A (P < 0.05). Similarly, IL-6 levels were significantly lower in Group B for the first 5 days postoperatively (P < 0.001). Sex, operation time, level of decompression, length of incision, and change in HCT were significant predictors of both TBL and HBL. TBL was also significantly associated with BMI and preoperative fibrinogen, while postoperative TXA was a significant predictor of HBL only. Conclusion Intravenous injection of 1 g of TXA 15 min before skin resection combined with continuous intravenous injection of 1 g of TXA 1 to 3 days after PLIF can reduce postoperative bleeding and shorten the time to drainage tube removal. In addition, it can also inhibit the postoperative inflammatory response. Clinical trial registration ChiCTR2200056210.
A publication of IIETA

Based on the theory of heat and mass transfer, an evaporation model for single droplet in the convection heat air environment was established. By comparing the experimental data, the correctness of the model was verified. The effects of the initial droplet diameter, ambient temperature, ambient pressure and flow intensity on the n-heptane droplet evaporation characteristics was analyzed. The results showed that ambient temperature, ambient pressure and flow intensity has a great influence on the n-heptane droplet evaporation, and the ambient temperature is the main factor, when the ambient temperature increased from 400K to 600K, the droplet lifetime decreased from 44ms to 6.5ms, shortened by 85.23%. Ambient temperature and flow intensity can accelerate n-heptane droplet evaporation, but the evaporation time was extended with the increase of the ambient pressure.
A Flax Production Systems Analysis

Crop production as a science deals with both the theoretical and applied aspects of growing plants. It is a correlating science, concerned with bringing together principles developed in specialized areas. Maximum production cannot be realized for any crop without an understanding and application of principles developed in soil science, plant pathology, entomology, weed science and the general area of botany. Yield obtained from a given area is a function of many factors. Certainly, uncontrollable climatic factors are very important in the resulting yield. This article focuses upon controllable factors affecting seed yield of flax. Ten areas of research are discussed. To make suggestions as to what is limiting yield, a brief economical analysis was attempted. An order of events in flax production was followed rather than an order of importance. The selection of field, fertilizer, weed control, seed bed preparation and several other factors are covered. The article concludes with ten recommendations on how to grow flax.
Scaling of peak ground acceleration and peak ground velocity recorded in the Netherlands

Measured accelerations caused by induced and tectonic events in the Netherlands have been made available since 1997. Measured mean horizontal peak ground accelerations reach values of up to 2.2 m/s 2 for an induced event of magnitude 3.4 at a hypocentral distance of 2.5 km and with a dominant frequency of 10 Hz. Measured mean peak horizontal ground velocities reach values of up to 4.5 cm/s for a tectonic event of magnitude 3.9 at a hypocentral distance of 4.4 km. These high values are predicted by existing empirical relations for the scaling of peak ground acceleration and peak ground velocity. The best fit for the observations of magnitudes larger than 3.0, taking into account that underestimates should be avoided, is given by Campbell (1997). For the total magnitude range, a new scaling relation for the Netherlands was estimated, based on the attenuation relation determined to calculate local magnitudes for induced events. These relations will be used in updates of seismic hazard studies for the Netherlands.
Objects in space. The neural basis of landmark-based navigation and individual differences in navigational ability

Objects along a route can help us to successfully navigate through our surroundings. Previous neuroimaging research has shown that the parahippocampal gyrus distinguishes between objects that were previously encountered at navigationally relevant locations (decision points) and irrelevant locations (non-decision points) during simple object recognition. This study aimed at unraveling how this neural marking of objects relevant for navigation is established during learning and post-learning rest. Twenty-four participants were scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while they were viewing a route through a virtual environment. Eye movements were measured and brain responses were time-locked to viewing each object. The parahippocampal gyrus showed increased responses to decision point objects compared to non-decision point objects during route learning. We compared functional connectivity between the parahippocampal gyrus and the rest of the brain in a resting state scan post-learning with such a scan pre-learning. Results show that functional connectivity between the parahippocampal gyrus and the hippocampus is positively related to participants’ self-reported navigational ability. On the other hand, connectivity with the caudate nucleus correlated negatively with navigational ability. These results are in line with a distinction between egocentric and allocentric spatial representations in the caudate nucleus and the hippocampus, respectively. Our results thus suggest a relation between navigational ability and a neural preference for a specific type of spatial representation. Together, these results show that the parahippocampal gyrus is immediately involved in the encoding of navigationally relevant object information. Furthermore, they provide insight into the neural correlates of individual differences in spatial ability. The neural processing of spatial information during learning and rest | 41
Hepatic Hemodynamics in Chronic Heart Failure of Ischemic Genesis

Heart remodeling processes in the development of chronic heart failure (CHF) play a key role in systemic damage to organs and systems. With worsening of CHF, the linear velocities of the liver blood flow (bf) decrease, the diameters of both the common hepatic artery and the portal vein increase. Changes in arterial bf in patients with CHF had a multidirectional character from group to group, narrowing of the lumen of the vessel at the initial stages of the disease and its progressive expansion to functional class IV, fully reflect changes in central hemodynamics, and are explained by the structure of the vessel and its lability in relation to neurohumoral influences characteristic of the development of CHF.
Facial Emotion Recognition Using an Ensemble of Multi-Level Convolutional Neural Networks

Emotion recognition plays an indispensable role in human–machine interaction system. The process includes finding interesting facial regions in images and classifying them into one of seven classes: angry, disgust, fear, happy, neutral, sad, and surprise. Although many breakthroughs have been made in image classification, especially in facial expression recognition, this research area is still challenging in terms of wild sampling environment. In this paper, we used multi-level features in a convolutional neural network for facial expression recognition. Based on our observations, we introduced various network connections to improve the classification task. By combining the proposed network connections, our method achieved competitive results compared to state-of-the-art methods on the FER2013 dataset.
Utility of CD44/CD24 in the Outcome and Prognosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are characterized by their capacity for self-renewal and differentiation. CD44 and CD24 are two commonly used markers to identify these CSCs. Despite the enormous amount of data available in the literature, their specificity and coexistence remain elusive in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). In the present review, we aimed to assess the diagnostic utility of the CD44/CD24 combination in tumor development and metastasis in OSCC. Two investigators independently performed a systematic search to identify all the relevant studies from various electronic databases. Out of 694 articles, 9 were found eligible for further evaluation. Details including the number of patients, gender, site, tobacco and alcohol consumption, histological stage, CD24 expression, CD44 expression, CD44/CD24 expression, nodal status, disease-free survival, and overall survival were extracted. CD44+CD24- expression was noted in 35/207 (16.9%) cases, CD44+CD24+ in 53/207 (25.6%) cases, CD44-CD24- in 49/207 subjects (23.67%), and CD44-/CD24+ in 70/207 (33.81%) cases. CD44 or CD24 or their co-expression did not correlate with the disease-free survival rate, and double negatives (CD44-/CD24-) demonstrated a higher overall survival than other immunotypes. CD44/CD24 profile may be used on small incisional biopsies to predict the outcome and treatment planning. This finding may help in developing new therapeutic targets to suppress cancer metastasis and provide a better long-term prognosis for patients diagnosed with OSCC.