Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of tumour necrosis factor α inhibitors treatment – etanercept on serum concentration of biomarkers of inflammation and cartilage turnover in psoriatic arthritis patients

Introduction Effective treatment in psoriatic arthritis (PsA) patients can protect them from severe musculoskeletal complications. For appropriate monitoring of anti-tumour necrosis factor α (anti-TNF-α) treatment in PsA, specific biomarkers are needed. Aim To investigate whether biological treatment with anti-TNF-α (etanercept 50 mg once a week subcutaneously) affects the activity of selected mediators of inflammation and destruction of articular cartilage: interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-18 (IL-18), matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 3 (MMP-1, MMP-3), cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), human cartilage glycoprotein (YKL-40) in serum of patients with PsA. Material and methods The study included 25 patients with PsA. The concentration of IL-6, IL-18, MMP-1, MMP-3, COMP and YKL-40 in serum was determined before, and 6 and 12 weeks after the beginning of anti-TNF-α treatment. Clinical severity of the disease according to the Body Surface Area, Psoriasis Area and Severity Index and Dermatology Life Quality Index as well as tender and swollen joint count (TJC, SJC) were also evaluated. Results The study disclosed a statistically significant reduction in the serum concentration of IL-6, MMP-1 and YKL-40 in PsA patients after 6 and 12 weeks from the beginning of anti-TNF-α treatment (p = 0.00018 for IL-6; p = 0.01242 for MMP-1; p = 0.03263 for YKL-40). Conclusions IL-6, MMP-1 and YKL-40 may be useful for monitoring the effectiveness of anti-TNF-α treatment.
Academic and Personal-Social Adjustment Challenges of University of Cape Coast Freshmen

This study was carried out to investigate the common adjustment challenges freshmen in the University of Cape Coast experience during their first year in school, and the coping strategies they used in response to the adjustment challenges. A mixed model research design was used in carrying out the study. A sample of 355 students made up of 235 males and 120 females was selected through purposive and proportional stratified random sampling techniques. Adapted forms of the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ) developed by Baker and Siryk (1999) and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCQ) developed by Folkman and Lazarus (1988) were used along with a semi-structured interview. Quantitative data was analysed descriptively while qualitative data was analysed thematically. The study found that freshmen in the University of Cape Coast encountered adjustment challenges such as difficulty handling the academic pressure and lack of involvement in social activities. In terms of coping, most respondents adopted Planful Problem Solving strategies which involved planning, concentrating and taking action to resolve issues. It was recommended that university authorities make the timetable of freshmen more flexible to enable them cope with the academic pressure. Keywords: Adjustment, Challenges, Coping, Strategies DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-18-07 Publication date: June 30th 2020
Distributed Continuous-Time Algorithms for Optimal Resource Allocation With Time-Varying Quadratic Cost Functions

In this article, we propose distributed continuous-time algorithms to solve the optimal resource allocation problem with certain time-varying quadratic cost functions for multiagent systems. The objective is to allocate a quantity of resources while optimizing the sum of all the local time-varying cost functions. Here, the optimal solutions are trajectories rather than some fixed points. We consider a large number of agents that are connected through a network, and our algorithms can be implemented using only local information. By making use of the prediction–correction method and the nonsmooth consensus idea, we first design two distributed algorithms to deal with the case when the time-varying cost functions have identical Hessians. We further propose an estimator-based algorithm which uses distributed average tracking theory to estimate certain global information. With the help of the estimated global information, the case of nonidentical constant Hessians is addressed. In each case, it is proved that the solutions of the proposed dynamical systems with certain initial conditions asymptotically converge to the optimal trajectories. We illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed distributed continuous-time optimal resource allocation algorithms through simulations.
Non-chemical Control of Potato Early Blight Caused by Alternaria alternata

Early blight of potato caused by Alternaria alternata (Fries) Keissler is one of the factors that affect potato production. Using chemical control to reduce disease severity represent another risk for agriculture. Biological control, using microorganisms, as well as plant extract and compost are safe measures that give reliable control. Applying either measure of control reduced disease incidence to less than 2% during two successive seasons. Microbial spray of diseased potato reduced the disease to various extents. Trichoderma sp. was the most effective among all tested microorganisms, followed by Penicillium sp. On the other hand, alcoholic extract of three plants was more effective than their water extract. However, water extract showed highly significant reduction of disease incidence. Polygonum gave the highest reduction of disease incidence in both cases. Also water extract of compost greatly suppressed early blight when applied as spray to potato leaves. Duration of extraction may affect the ability of compost extract to suppress disease. All results were comparable to that of fungicides.
The history of commercial fisheries for European eel commenced only a century ago

The stock of the European eel is in decline throughout its distribution area-for decades, if not for centuries. Its population dynamics are not well understood. The extremely scattered occurrence, as well as the general lack of quantified information before 1950, prevents a straightforward analysis. This article discusses the history of eel fisheries across Europe, reviewing the literature published before 1940. A follow-up study is advocated, to unearth primary information in archives across Europe. In the late 1800s, development programmes were initiated in central Europe, complementing the widespread subsistence fisheries with "modern" commercial exploitation of new areas, new markets and new products. In the early 1900s, increasing fisheries and trade were reported throughout northern Europe, and new developments started in the south. This lasted until about 1950-when the current multidecadal decline set in. The eel fisheries have never experienced a period of stable, sustainable exploitation. The decline in the stock is probably not a simple case of overfishing, but a continent-wide serial depletion of local resources-eventually depleting the whole stock-in times of growing non-fisheries impacts. Consequences for the European eel protection programme and for the derivation of restoration targets are discussed.
Noise-Robust Multilayer Perceptron Architecture for Distributed Denial of Service Attack Detection

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are one of the most challenging security threats, since a single victim is attacked by several compromised malicious nodes. As a consequence, legitimate end users can be prevented to access network resources. This letter proposes a noise-robust multilayer perceptron (MLP) architecture for DDoS attack detection trained with corrupted data. In the proposed approach, the average value of the common features among dataset instances is iteratively filtered out by applying Higher Order Singular Value Decomposition (HOSVD) based techniques. The effectiveness of the proposed architecture is validated through comparison with state-of-the-art methods.
Assessment of Functional Connectome Construction Strategies in Neurodegeneration

Connectomics can be used to investigate functional brain networks in neurodegenerative diseases including Huntington’s disease (HD). In this developing field, different connectome construction strategies have emerged in parallel. However, there is a need to understand the influences of different strategies on subsequent analyses when constructing a connectome. This study systematically compares connectome construction strategies based on their biological relevance to functional networks in neurodegeneration. We asked which functional connectome construction strategy was best able to discriminate HD gene carriers from healthy controls, and how such a strategy affected modular organization of the network. The major factors compared were principal component-based correction versus wavelet decomposition for physiological noise correction, the type of parcellation atlas (functional, structural and multi-modal), weighted versus binarized networks, and unthresholded versus proportionally thresholded networks. We found that principal component-based correction generated the most discriminatory connectomes, while binarization and proportional thresholding did not increase discrimination between HD gene carriers and healthy controls. When a functional parcellation atlas was used, the highest discrimination rates were obtained. We observed that the group differences in modular organization of the functional connectome were greatly affected by binarization and thresholding, showing no consistent pattern of modularity. This study suggests that functional connectome construction strategies using principal component-based correction and weighted unthresholded connectivity matrices may outperform other strategies.
Heart rate variability in people with borderline type personality

Background: Reduced HRV is associated with a variety of conditions such as diabetic neuropathy, sepsis, myocardial infarction, but lately it has gained increased interest in psychiatry due to the connection between autonomic dysfunction and psychiatric pathologies. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) with an increased rate of cardiovascular mortality, and characterized by emotional instability, is ideal for studying heart rate variability. Material and methods: 203 subjects were initially evaluated with Personality Inventory for DSM-5, PID-5, (DSM-5 – Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition), and 2 groups have been selected: control group that included 69 subjects and borderline personality disorder (BPD) group that included 34 subjects. Heart rate variability (HRV) was analyzed from an electrocardiography signal, recorded in 3 conditions: resting, pain stimulation, period following the pain stimulation. Results: In post-pain period, in subjects with BPD, the HRV parameters indicate an increase of sympathetic influences on heart rate and a reduction of vagal modulatory effects. The values in these subjects did not return to the initial values in the post-pain period as they did in the control group, but, on the contrary, the accentuation in the dynamics of the sympathetic influence was registered, even compared to the pain period. Conclusions: Subjects with BPD presented an increased vagal modulation at rest, which was reduced during pain stimulation and did not return rapidly to the initial value after removing the painful stimulus, which can be proof of the inertia of autonomic influences in these subjects.
PRODUTIVIDADE DO FEIJÃO-CAUPI SOB INOCULAÇÃO EM ÁREA ALTERADA NO ESTADO DE RORAIMA – BRASIL

O feijao-caupi (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) e uma cultura importante para o Estado de Roraima, sendo predominante cultivado na agricultura familiar. Alem disso, pode beneficiar-se da simbiose com bacterias fixadoras de nitrogenio. Desta forma, objetivou-se avaliar a contribuicao da Fixacao Biologica de Nitrogenio (FBN) promovida pela estirpe de Bradyrhizobium BR3262, no rendimento de graos do feijao-caupi em area de mata alterada no Sul do Estado de Roraima. O experimento foi conduzido em campo por 90 dias, em um Latossolo Vermelho distrofico argissolico no Campus Novo Paraiso do Instituto Federal de Roraima (IFRR), no Municipio de Caracarai - RR. Utilizou-se delineamento em blocos ao acaso com oito repeticoes e parcelas com 12 m² de area util, sendo que os tratamentos foram: a) inoculacao com a estirpe BR3262 (recomendada para a cultura do feijao-caupi); b) adubacao nitrogenada com 30 kg ha-1 de N; e, c) controle sem adubacao nitrogenada e sem inoculacao. Avaliaram-se o numero de nodulos, massa seca de nodulos, massa seca da parte aerea, N total da parte aerea e o rendimento de graos. Os dados obtidos foram submetidos a analise de variância pelo teste F e as medias foram contrastadas pelo teste t em nivel de 5% de significância. Quanto a produtividade de graos, houve diferenca entre os tratamentos. A estirpe BR 3262 mostrou-se adequada ao cultivo de feijao-caupi em areas alteradas, proporcionando um incremento de produtividade 11% superior ao tratamento com aplicacao de 30 kg ha-1de N.
BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF Colletotrichum gloeosporioides IN PEPPER WITH ISOLATES OF Bacillus subtilis

Objetivou-se estudar o potencial antagônico de isolados de Bacillus subtilis a Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, agente causal da antracnose em frutos de pimenta. Foram estudados 21 isolados de Bacillus subtilis quanto a capacidade de inibir o desenvolvimento do fitopatógeno nas seguintes metodologias in vitro: cultivo pareado, metabólitos produzidos pelos isolados, influência da inoculação conjunta e controle da antracnose in vivo (frutos destacados de pimenta). Os isolados BSV-11, BSV-05, BSV-12, BSV-17, BSV-07, BSV-16, BSV-09, BSV-20, BSV-13 e BSV-18 foram promissores como potenciais antagonistas a C. gloeosporioides, com evidente formação de halo de inibição, para a metodologia do cultivo pareado. Estes isolados produziram metabólitos termoestáveis contra C. gloeosporioides evidenciando ser antibiose o mecanismo antagônico envolvido na supressão do patógeno. O contato direto dos isolados bacterianos com o patógeno inibiu totalmente o crescimento micelial de C. gloeosporioides, exceto os isolados BSV-20 e BSV-09. Os isolados BSV-20, BSV-18, BSV-17, BSV-07 e BSV-12 inibiram significativamente infecções de antracnose em frutos de pimenta em pós-colheita.
Study on correlation and path analysis in F2 population in safflower

The study was conducted during rabi 2015-16 at research cum instructional farm of IGKV, Raipur. Number of seeds per capitulam has significant positive correlation with seed yield. Similarly, number of branches per plant shows significant correlation with number of capitulam per plant. Number of seeds per capitulam also showed significant positive correlation with plant height and number of capitulam per plant. Days to 50% flowering has significant negative correlation with number of branches per plant, seed yield per plant (g) and number of capitulam per plant, respectively. Number of capitulam per plant has maximum positive direct effect on seed yield per plant followed by number of seeds per capitulam, number of branches per plant and plant height, indicated maximum contribution of these traits in seed yield.
Zero mode correction for the critical coupling in (1+1)-dimensional $\phi^4$ theory

Evaluating the effect of the zero momentum mode in the discretized light cone quantization (DLCQ) approach for light front field theory is a long standing problem. Using 1+1 dimension φ4 theory, we compare the critical coupling calculated in light front with zero mode excluded and included. The critical coupling without zero mode has been obtained by solving the theory in DLCQ, and the critical coupling with zero mode included was recently obtained by solving the theory in light front using a symmetric polynomial basis which was claimed to circumvent the zero mode problem (Burkardt et al. (2016)). The critical coupling from these two methods can be compared, and a conclusion can be drawn on whether the zero mode has a significant effect for the DLCQ critical coupling result. We then further compare the zero mode included and excluded cases after their critical couplings are converted to the corresponding values in the equal time scheme. Finally, we discuss the consistency of these converted values with the critical coupling obtained by equal time quantization approaches in literature.
Growth and Treatment Changes Distal to the Upper and Lower First Molars: Holding the E-Spaces vs Extractions of Upper First and Lower Second Premolars

Aim: This study was designed to examine the three-dimensional changes in the positions of the upper and lower first molars, following two different contemporary treatment methods. Method: Retrospective records of 82 fixed appliance orthodontic patients were divided into two groups. In one group, 43 patients had been treated with upper first and lower second premolar extractions, with no deliberate attempt to hold the upper or lower molars back other than for individual anchorage requirements. In the other group, 39 patients had been treated by holding the E-spaces, with definite attempts to limit the forward movement of the maxillary first molars with utility arches and headgear. Follow-up written treatment records and radiographs were also examined to determine whether mandibular third molars, if initially present, were ultimately extracted or retained. Results: The results confirmed that treatment methods involving the holding of E-spaces do tend to limit the amount of forward movement of the first molars, whereas treatment involving the extractions of upper first and lower second premolars tends to result in some forward movement of the first molars during planned movements and space closure. Conclusions: Such a difference in molar movement is likely to significantly influence the amount of space available for the eventual favorable eruption of the second and third molars. The results also suggested that, within premolar extraction groups, the amount of growth occurring during and after treatment is likely to play the most significant role in determining the space available for eventual third molar eruption.
Consumption Response to Credit Expansions: Evidence from Experimental Assignment of 45,307 Credit Lines

In a field experiment that constructs a randomized credit limit shock, participants borrow to spend 11 cents on the dollar in the first quarter and 28 cents by the third year. Effects extend to those far from the limit, those who had the new limits as available credit, and those with a liquid asset buffer. In the short-run, flexible and installment contracts are used in tandem, with unconstrained using installments more. Long-run borrowing is predominantly using installments. Near limits, participants borrow when credit expands but save out of constraints when limits are tight. Findings support a buffer-stock interpretation emphasizing precautionary saving. (JEL C93, E21, G21, G51, O12, O16)
Occurrence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. in free-ranging chickens

Campylobacteriosis is one of the leading causes of foodborne bacterial gastroenteritis worldwide. An investigation was conducted to determine the occurrence of thermophilic Campylobacter spp. from free-ranging chickens. Chicken caecal samples were collected from fifty-four free-ranging chickens in Bareilly district, Uttar Pradesh. Samples were processed using modified charcoal cefoperazone deoxycholate agar (mCCDA) plates. They were then incubated at the microaerophilic conditions at 42 °C for 48 h and the presumptive colonies were subjected to Gram stain and other biochemical tests. Finally, suspected colonies were confirmed by targeting lipid gene lpxA performing a multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Campylobacter coli was isolated from three (5.55%) caecal samples and was confirmed with mPCR assay. It is highly essential to educate the free-ranging poultry rearers about the biosecurity measures, principles of food safety and hygienic handling of birds during rearing, slaughtering and cooking process to reduce the incidence of human campylobacteriosis.
Face-Selective Units in Human Ventral Temporal Cortex Reactivate during Free Recall

Research in functional neuroimaging has suggested that category-selective regions of visual cortex, including the ventral temporal cortex (VTC), can be reactivated endogenously through imagery and recall. Face representation in the monkey face-patch system has been well studied and is an attractive domain in which to explore these processes in humans. The VTCs of 8 human subjects (4 female) undergoing invasive monitoring for epilepsy surgery were implanted with microelectrodes. Research in functional neuroimaging has suggested that category-selective regions of visual cortex, including the ventral temporal cortex (VTC), can be reactivated endogenously through imagery and recall. Face representation in the monkey face-patch system has been well studied and is an attractive domain in which to explore these processes in humans. The VTCs of 8 human subjects (4 female) undergoing invasive monitoring for epilepsy surgery were implanted with microelectrodes. Most (26 of 33) category-selective units showed specificity for face stimuli. Different face exemplars evoked consistent and discriminable responses in the population of units sampled. During free recall, face-selective units preferentially reactivated in the absence of visual stimulation during a 2 s window preceding face recall events. Furthermore, we show that in at least 1 subject, the identity of the recalled face could be predicted by comparing activity preceding recall events to activity evoked by visual stimulation. We show that face-selective units in the human VTC are reactivated endogenously, and present initial evidence that consistent representations of individual face exemplars are specifically reactivated in this manner. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The role of “top-down” endogenous reactivation of native representations in higher sensory areas is poorly understood in humans. We conducted the first detailed single-unit survey of ventral temporal cortex (VTC) in human subjects, showing that, similarly to nonhuman primates, humans encode different faces using different rate codes. Then, we demonstrated that, when subjects recalled and imagined a given face, VTC neurons reactivated with the same rate codes as when subjects initially viewed that face. This suggests that the VTC units not only carry durable representations of faces, but that those representations can be endogenously reactivated via “top-down” mechanisms.
In Vitro Digestibility of Selected Forages in Sargodha District, Pakistan

The present study conducted to evaluate the digestibility values of four tree fodder species i.e. Mulberry (Morus alba), Kikar, (Acacia nilotica), Ber (Zizphus jujube) and Shirin (Albezia procera); three grasses i.e. Bermuda grass (Cynodon dactylon), Mott grass (Penisetum perpureum) and Rhode grass (Chloris gayana) and two fodder crops i.e. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) were selected as treatment having three replicates. Duplicate sample of each treatment was collected from seven sub districts of Sargodha. The results showed that dry matter content varied from 17.50% in Penisetum perpureum to 44.23% in Albezia procera. Crude protein contents were highest in Morus alba (22.56 %) and lowest in Sorghum bicolour (5.60 %). Acid detergent insoluble fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent insoluble fiber (NDF) values were highest for Penisetum perpureum (ADF 45.43%and NDF 74.56%) and lowest for Acacia nilotica and Zizphus jujube (ADF 14.46% and NDF 31.56%), respectively. The ash contents were highest in Penisetum perpureum (11.50%) and lowest in Cynodon dactylon (5.46%). In vitro DM digestibility was determined at different time intervals (6, 12, 24 and 36 hours) and found highest P<0.05; 78.26% in Morus alba and lowest 54.20% in Chloris gayana. In conclusion, results recommended that the Morus alba forage use as alternative cheap source of ruminants due to high nutritive and IVDMD (In vitro dry matter digestibility) values.