Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of feed conditions on the rejection of salt and dye in aqueous solution by different characteristics of hollow fiber nanofiltration membranes

Three different characteristics of self-made hollow fiber nanofiltration (NF) membranes with different structural and electrical properties were evaluated for their suitability for removing salt and colour as a function of feed conditions. Results showed that NF achieved promising dye retention for the reactive dyes used at different concentrations and varied slightly with pH. The retention of salt was found to be dependent on feed properties and membrane electrical properties where higher retentions were achieved under alkaline condition and by using the most negatively charged NF membrane. The enhancement in the membrane negative surface charge resulting from the addition of sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) during membrane preparation had also made the NF less fouling-sensitive to dye absorption and improving the economic viability of the treatment process.
The Impact of College Outreach on High Schoolers’ College Choices: Results from Over One Thousand Natural Experiments

Abstract We estimate the impact of one of the largest college-to-student outreach efforts in the nation, the College Board's Student Search Service. In an oversubscribed “order,” colleges receive contact information of a randomly chosen subset of PSAT and SAT exam takers who opt into the service and meet colleges’ search criteria from a larger set of students with identical backgrounds. We find that students who receive outreach enabled by Student Search Service (“licensed”) are 23 percent (0.1 percentage point) more likely to apply to the licensing college than students with similar backgrounds who did not receive outreach. Nearly 20 percent of students induced to apply to a college because of the Student Search Service also enroll, increasing the probability of enrolling in the college that licensed their contact information by 22 percent (0.02 percentage point). These impacts are twice as large for traditionally underserved students. Responsiveness to college outreach is larger for racial/ethnic minorities, first-generation students, and low- and moderate-income students. Despite the fact that one additional license changes the specific institution to which students send scores and enroll, we cannot detect changes to the broad types of colleges in which students ultimately enroll.
Hotel of the future: exploring the attributes of a smart hotel adopting a mixed-methods approach

ABSTRACT This study aimed to explore the distinctive attributes of a smart hotel, the concept of a future hotel, and examined their influence on the progression of customers’ visit intention formation through anticipated customer experience quality and anticipated emotions. Through a series of in-depth interviews as a qualitative approach the determining attributes of a smart hotel were derived. The quantitative process categorized the underlying dimensions of a smart hotel’s attributes, which are convenience and control, maintenance and safety, untact environment, and personalization. Our result from the structural analysis empirically discovered the role of identified attributes in customers’ visit intention formation. Implications are discussed.
Understanding views on war in dark tourism: a mixed-method approach

ABSTRACT This study investigated the behavioral intention of tourists participating in dark tourism site associated with their views on war (VOW). By employing a mixed-method approach, the study extracted the underlying dimensions of VOW and tested the extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) in conjunction with visitors’ VOW. The study found positive and significant relationships between VOW and behavioral constructs of TPB (attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control). The results also showed that attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control played significant mediating roles in the relationship between VOW and behavioral intention, supporting the indirect effect of VOW.
Impedance of the Surface Double Layer of LSCF/CGO Composite Cathodes: An Elementary Kinetic Model

We present a combined modeling and experimental study of electrochemical oxygen reduction at mixed-conducting composite LSCF/CGO solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathodes. The developed kinetic model incorporates elementary heterogeneous chemistry and electrochemical charge-transfer processes at two different electrochemical double layers, transport in the porous composite electrode (ionic and electronic conduction, multi-component porous diffusion and convection) as well as gas supply. A full set of thermodynamic and kinetic parameters is developed. Experimentally, La0.6Sr0. 4Co0.8Fe0. 2O3-δ/Ce0.9Gd0. 1O2-α composite electrodes embedded into a symmetrical cell with CGO electrolyte were characterized via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The model shows good agreement with experimental impedance data over the complete range of investigated conditions (temperature range 775 K–1075 K, frequency range 10 mHz–100 kHz). This allows a mechanistic interpretation of the origin of the three observed impedance features: (i) low frequency: transport in the gas supply (gas conversion), (ii) intermediate frequency: charge transfer and surface double layer at the LSCF/air interface, (iii) high frequency: charge transfer and electrical double layer at the LSCF/CGO interface.
Association Between Plasma Metabolites and Psychometric Scores Among Children With Developmental Disabilities: Investigating Sex-Differences

Background: Developmental disabilities are defined by delays in learning, language, and behavior, yet growing evidence has revealed disturbances in metabolic systems that may also be present. Little is known about whether these metabolic issues contribute to the symptoms or severity of these disabilities, or whether sex plays a role in these associations, given that boys are disproportionately affected by some developmental disabilities. Here we sought to investigate the correlation between psychometric scores, sex, and the plasma metabolome. Methods: The plasma metabolomes of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; n = 167), idiopathic developmental delay (i-DD; n = 51), Down syndrome (DS; n = 31), and typically developing controls (TD; n = 193) were investigated using NMR spectroscopy. Spearman rank correlations and multiple linear regression models (adjusted for child's neurodevelopmental diagnosis, child's sex, child's age, child's race/ethnicity, maternal age at child's birth, and parental homeownership) were used to examine the association between plasma metabolites and sex in relation to psychometric measures of cognitive skills, adaptive behavior, and maladaptive behavior in our study population. Results: Higher levels of metabolites involved in cellular energy and mitochondrial function among children with ASD (fumarate and cis-aconitate), DS (lactate), and TD (pyruvate) are associated with poorer cognitive and adaptive subscales. Similarly, higher o-acetylcarnitine associated with deficits in cognitive subscales among all DS cases and TD boys, and carnitine correlated with increased maladaptive behavior among girls with ASD and girls with DS. Among children with DS, elevated myo-inositol, ornithine, and creatine correlated with poorer scores across several subscales. Even among TD cases, elevated 3-hydroxybutyrate correlated with decreased receptive language. In contrast, higher levels of glutamate were associated with better socialization skills among ASD cases. Even after adjusting for the child's neurodevelopmental diagnosis, sex, and other possible confounders, key metabolites including glycolysis metabolites (lactate and pyruvate), ketone bodies (3-hydroxybutyrate and acetoacetate), TCA cycle metabolites (cis-aconitate and fumarate), as well as ornithine were associated with deficits in multiple domains of cognitive function, adaptive skills, and aberrant behaviors. Conclusions: Our results highlight that some plasma metabolites may relate to specific functional subdomains within cognitive, adaptive, and behavioral development with some variation by diagnosis and sex.
SARS-CoV-2 and Asbestos Exposure: Can Our Experience With Mesothelioma Patients Help Us Understand the Psychological Consequences of COVID-19 and Develop Interventions?

Since its emergence, the novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) has had enormous physical, social, and psychological impacts worldwide. The aim of this article was to identify elements of our knowledge on asbestos exposure and malignant mesothelioma (MM) that can provide insight into the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and be used to develop adequate interventions. Although the etiology of Covid-19 and MM differs, their psychological impacts have common characteristics: in both diseases, there is a feeling of being exposed through aerial contagion to an “invisible killer” without boundaries that can strike even the strongest individuals. In both cases, affected persons can experience personality dysfunction, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic symptoms; helplessness, hopelessness, and projection of destructive thoughts onto external forces often emerge, while defense mechanisms such as denial, splitting, repression, and reduced emotional expression are used by individuals to contain their overwhelming anxieties. We believe that in both diseases, an integrated multidimensional intervention offered by hospitals and other public health services is the most effective approach to alleviating patients’ and caregivers’ psychological distress. In particular, we emphasize that in the context of both MM and COVID-19, Brief Psychoanalytic Group therapy can help patients and caregivers attribute meaning to the significant changes in their lives related to the experience of the disease and identify adaptive strategies and more realistic relational modalities to deal with what has happened to them. We also highlight the importance of developing a surveillance system that includes individual anamnestic evaluation of occupational risk factors for COVID-19 disease.
Investigating the Mental Health Impacts of University Campus Green Space Through Perceived Sensory Dimensions and the Mediation Effects of Perceived Restorativeness on Restoration Experience

Introduction: Green spaces support people mentally in their everyday life. Perceived restorativeness and Perceived Sensory Dimension (PSD) have been addressed as optimal environmental related characteristics with regards to psychological restoration. However, relatively little research has investigated how the perception of these characteristics, directly and indirectly, affects restoration experience, particularly in a sample of university students within the area of green outdoor campus landscapes. Methods: This study hypothesizes these associations through application of partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), inputting data from a sample of university students in Malaysia. In the hypothesized model, we examine the degree of restoration that is enjoyed by subjects within landscapes through the effects of these characteristics. Indirect effects of perceived restorativeness via evaluation of mediation effects associated with perception of landscape characteristics and restoration experience are also investigated. Results: Through validation of the measurement model, we find significant positive coefficient paths with adequate predictive abilities in the hypothesized model. Findings suggest the effect of PSD on perceived restorativeness leads to a better explanation of restoration experience. In addition, perceived landscape characteristics of PSD enhance restoration experience in alignment with perceived restorativeness characteristics. Conclusions: Greater effects on restoration experience come through perceived restorativeness that is affected by PSD, which itself is capable of promoting favorable experiences of restorativeness in a green space and facilitating psychological restorative outcomes. The mechanistic effect of emotional regulation implies a distinct role of green spaces in maintaining good mental health and has relevance to public health models that promote independence and well-being through preventative approaches. The work paves the way for further studies that examine which dimensions of PSD support perceived restorativeness and restoration experience more than others, and the wider psycho-social value of green spaces through the application of mediation effects and personal sensory dimensions in the development of mental health.
Case Report: Local Anesthesia Round Window Plugging and Simultaneous Vibrant Soundbridge Implant for Superior Semicircular Canal Dehiscence

The aim of the present study is to report the outcomes of round window reinforcement surgery performed with the application of a Vibrant Soundbridge middle ear implant (VSB; MED-EL) in a patient with superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) who presented with recurrent vertigo, Tullio phenomenon, Hennebert's sign, bone conduction hypersensitivity, and bilateral moderate to severe mixed hearing loss. Vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMPs) and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) confirmed bilateral superior semicircular canal dehiscence while this was not seen in magnetic resonance imaging. The surgical procedure was performed in the right ear as it had worse vestibular and auditory symptoms, a poorer hearing threshold, and greatly altered HRCT and VEMPs findings. With local-assisted anesthesia, round window reinforcement surgery (plugging) with perichondrium was performed with simultaneous positioning of a VSB on the round window niche. At the one and 3 months follow-up after surgery, VSB-aided hearing threshold in the right ear improved to mild, and loud sounds did not elicit either dizziness or pain in the patient.
Host-Specificity and Core Taxa of Seagrass Leaf Microbiome Identified Across Tissue Age and Geographical Regions

The seagrass Zostera marina is a widespread foundational species in temperate coastal ecosystems that supports diverse communities of epiphytes and grazers. Bacteria link the production of seagrass to higher trophic levels and are thought to influence seagrass biology and health. Yet, we lack a clear understanding of the factors that structure the seagrass microbiome, or whether there is a consistent microbial community associated with seagrass that underpins functional roles. We sampled surface microbiome (epibiota) from new and old growth seagrass leaves and the surrounding seawater in eight meadows among four regions along the Central Coast of British Columbia, Canada to assess microbiome variability across space and as leaves age. We found that the seagrass leaf microbiome differs strongly from seawater. Microbial communities in new and old growth leaves are different from each other and from artificial seagrass leaves we deployed in one meadow. The microbiome on new leaves is less diverse and there is a small suite of core OTUs (operational taxonomic units) consistently present across regions. The overall microbial community for new leaves is more dispersed but with little regional differentiation, while the epiphytes on old leaves are regionally distinct. Many core OTUs on old leaves are commonly associated with marine biofilms. Together these observations suggest a stronger role for host filtering in new compared to old leaves, and a stronger influence of the environment and environmental colonization in old leaves. We found 11 core microbial taxa consistently present on old and new leaves and at very low relative abundance on artificial leaves and in the water column. These 11 taxa appear to be strongly associated with Z. marina. These core taxa may perform key functions important for the host such as detoxifying seagrass waste products, enhancing plant growth, and controlling epiphyte cover.
The Antidepressant Sertraline Reduces Synaptic Transmission Efficacy and Synaptogenesis Between Identified Lymnaea Neurons

The incidence of depression among humans is growing worldwide, and so is the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as sertraline hydrochloride. Our fundamental understanding regarding the mechanisms by which these antidepressants function and their off-target synaptic effects remain poorly defined, owing to the complexity of the mammalian brain. As all brain functions rely on proper synaptic connections between neurons, we examined the effect of sertraline on synaptic transmission, short-term potentiation underlying synaptic plasticity and synapse formation using identified neurons from the mollusk Lymnaea stagnalis. Through direct electrophysiological recordings, made from soma-soma paired neurons, we demonstrate that whereas sertraline does not affect short-term potentiation, it reduces the efficacy of synaptic transmission at both established and newly formed cholinergic synapses between identified neurons. Furthermore, Lymnaea neurons cultured in the presence of sertraline exhibited a decreased incidence of synaptogenesis. Our study provides the first direct functional evidence that sertraline exerts non-specific effects—outside of its SSRI role—when examined at the resolution of single pre- and post-synaptic neurons.
Overground Walking Decreases Alpha Activity and Entrains Eye Movements in Humans

Experiments in animal models have shown that running increases neuronal activity in early visual areas in light as well as in darkness. This suggests that visual processing is influenced by locomotion independent of visual input. Combining mobile electroencephalography, motion- and eye-tracking, we investigated the influence of overground free walking on cortical alpha activity (~10 Hz) and eye movements in healthy humans. Alpha activity has been considered a valuable marker of inhibition of sensory processing and shown to negatively correlate with neuronal firing rates. We found that walking led to a decrease in alpha activity over occipital cortex compared to standing. This decrease was present during walking in darkness as well as during light. Importantly, eye movements could not explain the change in alpha activity. Nevertheless, we found that walking and eye related movements were linked. While the blink rate increased with increasing walking speed independent of light or darkness, saccade rate was only significantly linked to walking speed in the light. Pupil size, on the other hand, was larger during darkness than during light, but only showed a modulation by walking in darkness. Analyzing the effect of walking with respect to the stride cycle, we further found that blinks and saccades preferentially occurred during the double support phase of walking. Alpha power, as shown previously, was lower during the swing phase than during the double support phase. We however could exclude the possibility that the alpha modulation was introduced by a walking movement induced change in electrode impedance. Overall, our work indicates that the human visual system is influenced by the current locomotion state of the body. This influence affects eye movement pattern as well as neuronal activity in sensory areas and might form part of an implicit strategy to optimally extract sensory information during locomotion.
Inhibition of the Deep and Intermediate Layers of the Superior Colliculus Disrupts Sensorimotor Gating in Monkeys

The deep and intermediate layers of the superior colliculus (DLSC) respond to visual, auditory, and tactile inputs and act as a multimodal sensory association area. In turn, activity in the DLSC can drive orienting and avoidance responses—such as saccades and head and body movements—across species, including in rats, cats, and non-human primates. As shown in rodents, DLSC also plays a role in regulating pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response (ASR), a form of sensorimotor gating. DLSC lesions attenuate PPI and electrical stimulation of DLSC inhibits the startle response. While the circuitry mediating PPI is well-characterized in rodents, less is known about PPI regulation in primates. Two recent studies from our labs reported a species difference in the effects of pharmacological inhibition of the basolateral amygdala and substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNpr) on PPI between rats and macaques: in rats, inhibition of these structures decreased PPI, while in macaques, it increased PPI. Given that the SNpr sends direct inhibitory projections to DLSC, we next sought to determine if this species difference was similarly evident at the level of DLSC. Here, we transiently inactivated DLSC in four rhesus macaques by focal microinfusion of the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol. Similar to findings reported in rodents, we observed that bilateral inhibition of the DLSC in macaques significantly disrupted PPI. The impairment was specific to the PPI as the ASR itself was not affected. These results indicate that our previously reported species divergence at the level of the SNpr is not due to downstream differences at the level of the DLSC. Species differences at the level of the SNpr and basolateral amygdala emphasize the importance of studying the underlying circuitry in non-human primates, as impairment in PPI has been reported in several disorders in humans, including schizophrenia, autism, and PTSD.
Exploring Vitamin B1 Cycling and Its Connections to the Microbial Community in the North Atlantic Ocean

Vitamin B1 (thiamin) is an essential coenzyme for all cells. Recent findings from experimental cell biology and genome surveys have shown that thiamin cycling by plankton is far more complex than was previously understood. Many plankton cells cannot produce thiamin (are auxotrophic) and obligately require an exogenous source of thiamin or one or more of 5 different thiamin-related compounds (TRCs). Despite this emerging evidence for the evolution among plankton of complex interactions related to thiamin, the influence of TRCs on plankton community structure and productivity are not understood. We report measurements of three dissolved TRCs 4-amino-5-aminomethyl-2-methylpyrimidine (AmMP), 5-(2-hydroxyethyl)-4-methyl-1,3-thiazole-2-carboxylic acid (cHET), and 4-methyl-5-thiazoleethanol (HET) that have never before been assayed in seawater. Here we characterize them alongside other TRCs that were measured previously [thiamin and 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine (HMP)], in depth profiles from a latitudinal transect in the north Atlantic in March 2018. TRC concentrations ranged from femptomolar to picomolar. Surface depletion relative to a maximum near the bottom of the euphotic zone and low concentrations at deeper depths were consistent features. Our observations suggest that when bacterial abundance and production are low, TRC concentrations approach a steady state where TRC production and consumption terms are balanced. Standing stocks of TRCs also appear to be positively correlated with bacterial production. However, near the period of peak biomass in the accumulation phase of a bloom we observed an inverse relationship between TRCs and bacterial production, coincident with an increased abundance of Flavobacteria that comparative genomics indicates could be vitamin B1 auxotrophs. While these observations suggest that the dissolved pool of TRCs is often at steady state, with TRC production and consumption balanced, our data suggests that bloom induced shifts in microbial community structure and activity may cause a decoupling between TRC production and consumption, leading to increased abundances of some populations of bacteria that are putatively vitamin B1 auxotrophs.