Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation on Physico Chemical and X-ray Shielding Performance of Zinc Doped Nano-WO3 Epoxy Composite for Light Weight Lead Free Aprons

This report addresses a way to reduce the usage of highly toxic lead in diagnostic X-ray shielding by developing a cost-effective, eco-friendly nano-tungsten trioxide (WO3) epoxy composite for low-weight aprons. Zinc (Zn)-doped WO3 nanoparticles of 20 to 400 nm were synthesized by an inexpensive and scalable chemical acid–precipitation method. The prepared nanoparticles were subjected to X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, UV-visible spectroscopy, photoluminescence, high-resolution–transmission electron microscope, scanning electron microscope, and the results showed that doping plays a critical role in influencing the physico-chemical properties. The prepared nanoparticles were used as shielding material in this study, which were dispersed in a non-water soluble durable epoxy resin polymer matrix and the dispersed materials were coated over a rexine cloth using the drop-casting method. The X-ray shielding performance was evaluated by estimating the linear attenuation coefficient (μ), mass attenuation coefficient (μm), half value layer (HVL), and X-ray percentage of attenuation. Overall, an improvement in X-ray attenuation in the range of 40–100 kVp was observed for the undoped WO3 nanoparticles and Zn-doped WO3 nanoparticles, which was nearly equal to lead oxide-based aprons (reference material). At 40 kVp, the percentage of attenuation of 2% Zn doped WO3 was 97% which was better than that of other prepared aprons. This study proves that 2% Zn doped WO3 epoxy composite yields a better particle size distribution, μm, and lower HVL value and hence it can be a convenient lead free X-ray shielding apron.
Advanced instability methods using spectral/hp discretisations and their applications to complex geometries

Controlling wakes of flows past bluff bodies is a fundamental problem in a wide range of engineering applications. In the present work, we investigate such problems theoretically and numerically using linear stability analysis. We initially consider a flow past a cylinder in a fully developed vortex shedding regime, and we apply sufficiently high spanwise forcing on the surface of the cylinder to stabilise the near-wake. The effects on the aerodynamic forces, the wake topology and the dynamics of the vorticity are investigated using spanwise sinusoidal and Gaussian forcing. Stability analysis of the linearised Navier-Stokes equations is then performed on the fully three-dimensional flow to investigate the role of the spanwise modulation on the absolute instability associated with the von-Kármán street. The three-dimensional global modes allows us to detect the regions where the instability acts, and the interactions of the perturbations with the base flow shed light on the most relevant mechanism for the wake stabilisation. Additional relevant information on the design of an efficient control device are provided by receptivity analysis and the structural sensitivities. A similar approach is used to study the stability of a flow through a compressor passage at a Re = 138, 500. Due to the complexity of both the geometry and dynamics of the flow, a phase-averaging technique is used to generate a globally periodic basic flow, extracting only the organised structures and neglecting all the background unsteadiness. This approach allows us to perform Floquet and transient growth analyses to detect the structure of the global modes and the presence of convective instabilities.
Alcohol and Drug Consumption among Drivers before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study

Restrictions imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic might have changed recreational habits. In this study, the results of toxicological tests for alcohol and drugs in blood were compared among drivers stopped at roadside checks in the periods before (1 January 2018 to 8 March 2020) and after the lockdown measures (9 March 2020 to 31 December 2021). A total of 123 (20.7%) subjects had a blood alcohol level above the legal limit for driving of 0.5 g/l, 21 (3.9%) subjects tested positive for cocaine, and 29 (5.4%) subjects positive for cannabis. In the COVID-19 period, the mean blood alcohol level was significantly higher than in the previous period. Cannabis use, which was more frequent among younger subjects, was statistically associated with cocaine use. There has also been a quantitative increase in alcohol levels in the population with values above the legal limits, indicative of greater use of alcohol in the population predisposed to its intake.
Analysis of dynamic stall control on a pitching airfoil using dynamic mode decomposition

Dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) technology is used to analyze the control of dynamic stall on a pitching S809 airfoil using an off-surface rod. The unsteady flows around the original and the controlled airfoil are simulated by using the SST k-ω turbulence model. With the introduction of the off-surface rod, the hysteresis effect of the dynamic stall process of the original airfoil is considerably reduced, and the clockwise sub-loop of the pitching moment coefficient is eliminated. The improvement of the dynamic stall process is beneficial to the safe and high-efficiency operations of wind turbine. The coherent structure of the unsteady flow fields are decoupled by the DMD method compiled by an in-house code in MATLAB. Results reveal that the hysteresis effect is dominated by mode 2 with a pitching frequency and mode 3 with twice the pitching frequency. The global energy of the two modes is reduced by the off-surface rod, which alleviates the hysteresis effect for the original airfoil.
Dynamic Profile of the Yak Mammary Transcriptome during the Lactation Cycle

Simple Summary Although the transcriptome of dairy cow mammary tissue has been reported, the transcriptome of yak mammary tissue remains unknown. The objective of this study was to assess the transcriptome of the mammary tissue of four yaks during the whole lactation cycle. The statistical analysis identified >6000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) throughout lactation, with a large number of DEGs observed at the onset (1 d vs. −15 d) and at the end of lactation (240 d vs. 180 d). Bioinformatics analysis revealed a major role of lactation-associated genes on BTA3, BTA4, BTA6, BTA9, BTA14, and BTA28. Functions affected by the transcriptomic adaptation to lactation in mammary tissue of yak were very similar to those observed in dairy cows. Our study provides fundamental resources on yak mammary tissue transcriptome for the research community. Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the transcriptome of the mammary tissue of four yaks during the whole lactation cycle. For this purpose, biopsies of the mammary gland were performed at −30, −15, 1, 15, 30, 60, 120, 180, and 240 days relative to parturition (d). The transcriptome analysis was performed using a commercial bovine microarray platform and the results were analyzed using several bioinformatic tools. The statistical analysis using an overall false discovery rate ≤ 0.05 for the effect of whole lactation and p < 0.05 for each comparison identified >6000 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) throughout lactation, with a large number of DEGs observed at the onset (1 d vs. −15 d) and at the end of lactation (240 d vs. 180 d). Bioinformatics analysis revealed a major role of genes associated with BTA3, BTA4, BTA6, BTA9, BTA14, and BTA28 in lactation. Functional analysis of DEG underlined an overall induction of lipid metabolism, suggesting an increase in triglycerides synthesis, likely regulated by PPAR signaling. The same analysis revealed an induction of amino acid metabolism and secretion of protein, with a concomitant decrease in proteasome, indicating a major role of amino acid handling and reduced protein degradation in the synthesis and secretion of milk proteins. Glycan biosynthesis was induced for both N-glycan and O-glycan, suggesting increased glycan content in the milk. The cell cycle and immune response, especially antigen processing and presentation, were strongly inhibited during lactation, suggesting that morphological changes are minimized during lactation, while the mammary gland prevents immune hyper-response. Transcripts associated with response to radiation and low oxygen were enriched in the down-regulated DEG affected by the stage of lactation. Except for this last finding, the functions affected by the transcriptomic adaptation to lactation in mammary tissue of yak are very similar to those observed in dairy cows.
In Vitro Effects of Aminopyridyl Ligands Complexed to Copper(II) on the Physiology and Interaction Process of Trypanosoma cruzi

Chagas disease is derived from the infection by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. In many countries, benznidazole is the only drug approved for clinical use despite several side effects and the emergence of resistant parasite strains. In this context, our group has previously pointed out that two novel aminopyridine derivatives complexed with Cu2+, namely, cis-aquadichloro(N-[4-(hydroxyphenyl)methyl]-2-pyridinemethamino)copper (3a) and its glycosylated ligand cis-dichloro (N-{[4-(2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-D-glucopyranosyloxy)pheny]lmethyl}-2-pyridinemethamino)copper (3b), are effective against T. cruzi trypomastigote forms. With this result in mind, the present work aimed to investigate the effects of both compounds on trypomastigotes physiology and on the interaction process with host cells. Apart from loss of plasma membrane integrity, an increased generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decreased mitochondrial metabolism were observed. Pretreatment of trypomastigotes with these metallodrugs inhibited the association index with LLC-MK2 cells in a typical dose-dependent manner. Both compounds showed low toxicity on mammalian cells (CC50 > 100 µM), and the IC50 values calculated for intracellular amastigotes were determined as 14.4 µM for 3a and 27.1 µM for 3b. This set of results demonstrates the potential of these aminopyridines complexed with Cu2+ as promising candidates for further antitrypanosomal drug development.
Multikinase inhibitor-based immunotherapy doublet for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma: its efficacy still needs to be determined

there are too many targets of cabozantinib, mainly including vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1–3 (VEGFR1-3), and so on (3). It is often not clear which target is effective, and some targets may hinder or counteract the synergistic effects of VEGFR1-3 targets and Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors. As a “tolerogenic” organ
Institutional Shareholders' Monitoring Intensity and Mergers and Acquisitions(M&A) Decisions

The study examines the relationship between Institutional shareholders' monitoring intensity and Mergers and Acquisitions (M&A) Decisions in firms listed on Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE). We employ the more robust Generalised Method of Moments (GMM) estimation approach to analyse the data from firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) covering the period 2004–2019. The results show that institutional shareholders' distraction significantly negatively impacts merger performance. Hence, when institutional shareholders' attention shifts due to distraction, monitoring control is relaxed, and corporate executives may acquire devaluing entities to satisfy their desired personal interests.
What Are The Core Symptoms of Antenatal Depression? A Study Using Patient Health Questionnaire-9 among Japanese Pregnant Women in the First Trimester

Abstract Background: Depression is frequently seen among pregnant women. This is called antenatal depression (AND). Aim: Our aim was to identify clusters of AND and its core symptoms. Methods: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Pregnancy-Unique Quantification of Emesis and Nausea (PUQE-24), and Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy Quality of Life Questionnaire (NVP-QOL) were distributed to 382 pregnant women with a gestational age of 10 to 13 weeks who were attending antenatal clinics. The two PHQ-9 subscale scores were entered into a 2-step cluster analysis. The PHQ-9 items’ capacity to identify AND were examined in terms of the area under curve (AUC) of a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. The selected symptom items were examined for their diagnostic capability in terms of the graded response model (GRM) in the item response theory (IRT) analysis. Results: Three clusters emerged. Cluster 3 scored highly in the scores of the two PHQ-9 subscales and the two emesis scales. In the ROC, five items showed an AUC > 0.80. The GRM identified four items with high information: ‘loss of interest’, ‘depressed mood’, ‘self-esteem’, and ‘poor concentration’. Conclusions: The core symptoms of antenatal depression were four non-somatic symptoms; particularly, ‘depressed mood’ and ‘loss of interest’. AND did not exist alone, but was accompanied by nausea and vomiting. Hence, we propose a new category: emesis–depression complex among pregnant women.
Petroleum-Degrading Fungal Isolates for the Treatment of Soil Microcosms

The main purpose of this study was to degrade total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs) from contaminated soil in batch microcosm reactors. Native soil fungi isolated from the same petroleum-polluted soil and ligninolytic fungal strains were screened and applied in the treatment of soil-contaminated microcosms in aerobic conditions. The bioaugmentation processes were carried out using selected hydrocarbonoclastic fungal strains in mono or co-cultures. Results demonstrated the petroleum-degrading potential of six fungal isolates, namely KBR1 and KBR8 (indigenous) and KBR1-1, KB4, KB2 and LB3 (exogenous). Based on the molecular and phylogenetic analysis, KBR1 and KB8 were identified as Aspergillus niger [MW699896] and tubingensis [MW699895], while KBR1-1, KB4, KB2 and LB3 were affiliated with the genera Syncephalastrum sp. [MZ817958], Paecilomyces formosus [MW699897], Fusarium chlamydosporum [MZ817957] and Coniochaeta sp. [MW699893], respectively. The highest rate of TPH degradation was recorded in soil microcosm treatments (SMT) after 60 days by inoculation with Paecilomyces formosus 97 ± 2.54%, followed by bioaugmentation with the native strain Aspergillus niger (92 ± 1.83%) and then by the fungal consortium (84 ± 2.21%). The statistical analysis of the results showed significant differences.
Failure rates in Maths and CS 1: are they associated?

Programming is a fundamental part of informatics engineering curriculum, but it is often problematic. Mathematical knowledge is very important for programming and there are studies evidencing some relationship between programming skills and experience in mathematics. In this exploratory study, developed in Coimbra Institute of Engineering, we observed an high rate of abstention from evaluations and, from students that performed evaluation, most of them have similar results on both curricular units. This relationship forces us to pay particular attention to the Differential and Integral Calculus curricular unit integrated in the curriculum of informatics engineering degrees, which also shows high failure rates. This justifies an intervention in terms of complementary actions, to allow the development of competencies in terms of logical reasoning and problem solving, competencies evidenced as necessary to learn programming.
High focus on threatened species and habitats may undermine biodiversity conservation: Evidence from the northern Baltic Sea

Conservation policies and environmental impact assessments commonly target threatened species and habitats. Nevertheless, macroecological research provides reasons why also common species should be considered. We investigate the consequences of focussing solely on legally protected species and habitats in a spatial conservation planning context using a comprehensive, benthic marine data set from the northern Baltic Sea. Using spatial prioritization and surrogacy analysis, we show that the common approach in conservation planning, where legally listed threatened species and habitats are the focus of conservation efforts, could lead to poor outcomes for common species (and therefore biodiversity as a whole), allowing them to decline in the future. If conservation efforts were aimed solely at threatened species, common species would experience a loss of 62% coverage. In contrast, if conservation plans were based only on common species, threatened species would suffer a loss of 1%. Threatened species are rare and their ecological niches distinct, making them poor surrogates for biodiversity. The best results are achieved by unified planning for all species and habitats. The minimal step towards acknowledging common species in conservation planning would be the inclusion of the richness of common species, complemented by information on indicator species or species of high importance for ecosystem functioning. The trade‐off between planning for rare and common species should be evaluated, to minimize losses to biodiversity.
A Facile Way to Fabricate GO-EDA/Al2O3 Tubular Nanofiltration Membranes with Enhanced Desalination Stability via Fine-Tuning the pH of the Membrane-Forming Suspensions

Pristine graphene oxide (GO)-based membranes have proven promising for molecular and ion separation owing to efficient molecular transport nanochannels, but their separation ability in an aqueous environment is limited by the natural swelling tendency of GO. To obtain a novel membrane with anti-swelling behavior and remarkable desalination capability, we used the Al2O3 tubular membrane with an average pore size of 20 nm as the substrate and fabricated several GO nanofiltration ceramic membranes with different interlayer structures and surface charges by fine-tuning the pH of the GO-EDA membrane-forming suspension (pH = 7, 9, 11). The resultant membranes could maintain desalination stability, whether immersed in water for 680 h or operated under a high-pressure environment. When the pH of the membrane-forming suspension was 11, the prepared GE-11 membrane showed a rejection of 91.5% (measured at 5 bar) towards 1 mM Na2SO4 after soaking in water for 680 h. An increase in the transmembrane pressure to 20 bar resulted in an increase in the rejection towards the 1 mM Na2SO4 solution to 96.3%, and an increase in the permeance to 3.7 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1. The proposed strategy in varying charge repulsion is beneficial to the future development of GO-derived nanofiltration ceramic membranes.
Novel GPR18 Ligands in Rodent Pharmacological Tests: Effects on Mood, Pain, and Eating Disorders

The lack of selective pharmacological tools has limited the full unraveling of G protein-coupled receptor 18 (GPR18) functions. The present study was aimed at discovering the activities of three novel preferential or selective GPR18 ligands, one agonist (PSB-KK-1415) and two antagonists (PSB-CB-5 and PSB-CB-27). We investigated these ligands in several screening tests, considering the relationship between GPR18 and the cannabinoid (CB) receptor system, and the control of endoCB signaling over emotions, food intake, pain sensation, and thermoregulation. We also assessed whether the novel compounds could modulate the subjective effects evoked by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). Male mice or rats were pretreated with the GPR18 ligands, and locomotor activity, depression- and anxiety-like symptoms, pain threshold, core temperature, food intake, and THC-vehicle discrimination were measured. Our screening analyses indicated that GPR18 activation partly results in effects that are similar to those of CB receptor activation, considering the impact on emotional behavior, food intake, and pain activity. Thus, the orphan GPR18 may provide a novel therapeutic target for mood, pain, and/or eating disorders, and further investigation is warranted to better discern its function.
COMPARISON OF LOADING DOSE OF CLOPIDOGREL WITH TICAGRELOR IN ELDERLY PATIENTS UNDERGOING PCI IN STABLE ISCHEMIC HEART DISEASE

This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of loading doses of clopidogrel with ticagrelor in elderly patients undergoing PCI in SIHD. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted at Saidu Group of Teaching Hospitals from January 2019 to January 2020. 600 patients aged 65 years or older with SIHD who underwent PCI were randomized to receive either a loading dose of clopidogrel 600mg or ticagrelor 180mg. The primary endpoint was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, or stroke at 30 days post-PCI.Results: The incidence of the primary endpoint was similar in both groups (8.3% in the clopidogrel group vs. 8.2% in the ticagrelor group, P=0.95). There were no significant differences in the rates of individual components of the primary endpoint between the two groups. Bleeding events were also similar in both groups (4.8% in the clopidogrel group vs. 4.7% in the ticagrelor group, P=0.95). However, ticagrelor was associated with a significantly higher incidence of dyspnea (9.8% vs. 2.3%, P<0.001). Conclusion: In elderly patients undergoing PCI for SIHD, a loading dose of clopidogrel was found to be non-inferior to ticagrelor in terms of the composite endpoint of death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, or stroke at 30 days post-PCI.
Children's Indirect Exposure to the U.S. Justice System: Evidence from Longitudinal Links between Survey and Administrative Data

Children’s indirect exposure to the justice system through biological parents or coresident adults is both a marker of their own vulnerability and a measure of the justice system’s expansive reach in society. Estimating the size of this population for the United States has historically been hampered by inadequate data resources, including the inability to observe nonincarceration events, follow children throughout their childhood, and measure adult nonbiological parent cohabitants. To overcome these challenges, we leverage billions of restricted administrative and survey records linked with Criminal Justice Administrative Records System data and find substantially larger exposure rates than previously reported: prison, 9% of children born between 1999–2005; felony conviction, 18%; and any criminal charge, 39%. Charge exposure rates exceed 60% for Black, American Indian, and low-income children. While broader definitions reach a more expansive population, strong and consistently negative correlations with childhood well-being suggest that these remain valuable predictors of vulnerability. Finally, we document substantial geographic variation in exposure, which we leverage in a movers design to estimate the effect of living in a high-exposure county during childhood. We find that children moving into high-exposure counties are more likely to experience postmove exposure events and exhibit significantly worse outcomes by age 26 on multiple dimensions (earnings, criminal activity, teen parenthood, mortality); effects are strongest for those who moved at earlier ages.
Measurement of the Diameter of Non-Woven Fiber Based on Image Processing

A series of images of single nonwoven fiber were captured with a CCD camera by using transmitted light,and then the medium filter was adopted to remove noise.The profile lines of the fiber were extracted by the Canny edge detection algorithm,then the obliquity of the fiber was gotten by curve fit.The diameter of the fiber was obtained according to the relationship of the obliquity and the horizontal or vertical length of the fiber.The diameter distribution of nonwoven fibers was analyzed preliminarily.