Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Silver nanoparticle biosynthesis utilizing Ocimum kilimandscharicum leaf extract and assessment of its antibacterial activity against certain chosen bacteria

Using plants in the biological production of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) is becoming increasingly important as a practical and environmentally benign method. In the current work, silver nanoparticles were made utilizing the significant Ocimum kilimandscharicum, and their potential to combat certain bacteria was discussed. Both aqueous and methanol plant extracts were used for reducing silver nitrate at different time intervals (30 to 150 minutes) and pH (2 to 11). The UV-visible absorption spectrum recorded for both methanol and aqueous extracts revealed successful synthesis of AgNPs. The antimicrobial activity of the AgNPs was evaluated against Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Salmonella choleraesuius ATCC 10708, and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. 50mg/ml was the concentration of the extracts tested. The best zone of inhibition was recorded for the methanol and aqueous-mediated AgNPs, ranging from 12±1 to 16±1mm. The methanol and aqueous extract silver nanoparticles had the same Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (6.25±0.00 mg/ml), whereas the Minimum Bactericidal Concentrations were 12.5±0.00 and 25±0.00 mg/ml, respectively. The highest inhibition zone of 16±1 mm was observed against Salmonella choleraesuius with 50±0.00 mg/ml aqueous silver nanoparticles. The results show that the silver nanoparticles made with Ocimum kilimandscharicum have potent antibacterial action against those microorganisms.
Local tree cover predicts mosquito species richness and disease vector presence in a tropical countryside landscape

Context Land use change drives both biodiversity loss and zoonotic disease transmission in tropical countryside landscapes. Developing solutions for protecting countryside biodiversity, public health, and livelihoods requires understanding the scales at which habitat characteristics such as land cover shape biodiversity, especially for arthropods that transmit pathogens. Evidence increasingly shows that species richness for many taxa correlates with local tree cover. Objectives We investigated whether mosquito species richness, community composition, and presence of disease vector species responded to land use and tree cover - and if so, whether at spatial scales similar to other taxa. Methods We paired a field survey of mosquito communities in agricultural, residential, and forested lands in rural southern Costa Rica with remotely sensed tree cover data. We compared mosquito community responses to tree cover surrounding survey sites measured across scales, and analyzed community responses to land use and environmental gradients. Results Tree cover was positively correlated with mosquito species richness, and negatively correlated with the presence of the common invasive dengue vector Aedes albopictus, particularly at small spatial scales of 80 – 200m. Land use predicted community composition and Ae. albopictus presence. Environmental gradients of tree cover, temperature, and elevation explained 7% of species turnover among survey sites. Conclusions The results suggest that preservation and expansion of tree cover at local scales can protect biodiversity for a wide range of taxa, including arthropods, and also confer protection against disease vector occurrence. The identified spatial range of tree cover benefits can inform land management for conservation and public health protection.
Polybrominated diphenyl ethers in landfills from electronic waste

Previous research on Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs), including Polybrominated Diphenyl Ethers (PBDEs), has largely focused on their concentrations in the environment and their adverse effects on human health. This thesis explores how these compounds reach the environment, how they are transferred from waste streams to water and soil, and how they are transported to distant locations like Northern Canada. Landfills, which receive a large proportion of society’s discarded consumer waste products, including electronic wastes (e-waste), are the major focus of attention. Leachate was collected and analysed from 27 landfills across southern Canada and 11 dump sites in the Canadian North. There was wide variability in the results, both in terms of the total concentrations of PBDEs and in the distribution of congeners. Northern sites tended to have lower PBDE concentrations than southern ones, but some levels were significant despite the low population density and lack of industry in the north. The North provides a sink for PBDE contaminants. Significant differences in PBDE levels in leachate in contact with wastes originating in different 5-year time intervals suggest that the time-of-manufacture of electronic goods plays an important role in determining the rate of PBDE release into the environment. Electronic components manufactured in the 1985-89 period were found to have especially high PBDE concentrations. Experiments were carried out in which e-waste was contacted with distilled water and leachate from a major urban landfill in a custom-built contactor. There was transfer of PBDEs to the aqueous phase which increased with greater contact time and increasing temperature. Exposing e-waste to distilled water led to lower PBDE concentrations, probably due to dislodgement of fine dust from the surface of e-waste particles. A comprehensive mole balance model was prepared to assist in predicting the concentration of PBDEs in and near landfills. The balances were applied to different homologue groups and different subsystems field e-waste, non-e-waste solids, and aqueous phase. Mass transfer parameters were obtained from solid-liquid contacting experiments with crushed e-waste. Simulations indicate that PBDEs will persist for decades in the environment even if they are no longer manufactured and incorporated in plastics.
Doxycycline Levofloxacin or Moxifloxacin are superior to ciprofloxacin in treating anthrax meningitis in rabbits

Efficient treatment of anthrax related meningitis in patients poses a significant therapeutic challenge. Previously we demonstrated in our anthrax meningitis rabbit model that ciprofloxacin treatment in ineffective with most of the treated animals succumbing to the infection. Herein we tested the efficacy of Doxycycline in our rabbit model and found it highly effective. To test whether the low efficacy of Ciprofloxacin is an example of low efficacy of all fluoroquinolones or only this substance, we treated rabbits that were inoculated intra cisterna magna (ICM) with Levofloxacin or Moxifloxacin. We found that in contrast to Ciprofloxacin, Levofloxacin and Moxifloxacin were highly efficient in treating lethal anthrax related meningitis in rabbits. We demonstrated (in naïve rabbits) that this deference probably results from variances in blood brain barrier (BBB) penetration of the different fluoroquinolones. The combined treatment of doxycycline and any one of the tested fluoroquinolones was highly effective in the rabbit CNS infection model. The combined treatment of doxycycline and levofloxacin was effective in inhalation rabbit model, as good as the doxycycline monotherapy. These findings imply that while Ciprofloxacin is highly effective as a post exposure prophylactic drug, using this drug to treat symptomatic patients should be reconsidered.
Method for Identifying Proteomic Biomarkers of Health

Classification of proteomic samples from sick and non-sick individuals is important for developing high-quality diagnostics of diseases. Creating shortlist of proteins useful for diagnostics is challenging. In this manuscript a simple algorithm of creating a multidimensional biomarker of health state based of scanning proteomics data is provided. The algorithm is applied to several existing publicly available datasets and demonstrates 9-protein indicator of atopic dermatitis, and 6-protein indicator of health failure.
Actualisation des données géologiques sur Terre Adélie (Antarctique Est) : mise en évidence d'un collage tectonique au Protérozoïque

Two distinct mesozonal lithotectonic units are defined in Terre Adelie: a western metasedimentary migmatitic unit formed during a Palaeoproterozoic thermal and tectonic event, and an eastern metaigneous unit, which underwent a longer evolution, starting during late Archean times. These units were tectonically joined between 1.7 and 1.5 Ga (basement cratonization). No Pan-African imprint was detected. The previous regional syntheses may be questioned as they assumed a major Late Archean granulite event and the extension of a Pan-African prograde metamorphic gradient.
Analisis Spasial Sebaran Kasus Demam Berdarah Dengue (DBD) di Kabupaten Jember Tahun 2014 Spatial Analysis of Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever Distribution in Jember 2014

Dengue Hemmorrhagic Fever (DHF) is one of communicable diseases that caused by dengue virus and it can be transmitted through spesific female mosquitoes bites, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The disease became a public health problem in Jember because occured in every years. The incidence of dengue fever in 2014 illustrated with morbidity rate 37,51 every 100.000 population. The purpose of this study was to analyze the risk factors of the disease include rainfall, population density and free number of larva with distribution of dengue cases in Jember based on the spatial relationship in each region. This study used analytical study with ecological studies approach. The range of this research involved 31 districts in Jember. This research used secondary data and analyzed using univariate and bivariate LISA with α=0,05. The results showed that negative autocorrelation occured in dengue cases (-0.14) and population density (-0.06) which indicate that there were not certain spatial grouping in all districts, while positive autocorrelation occured in rainfall (0,06) and the free number of larva (0,02). There were significant association between high rainfall area with high dengue cases. Meanwhile the high free number of larva area related to the low of dengue cases. Furthermore high population density area related high dengue cases. Based on this research could be done the prevention with inpcrease free number of larva and alertness in the region which had high rainfall and high population density.
Making the World Di erentiable: On Using Self-Supervised Fully Recurrent Neural Networks for Dynamic Reinforcement Learning

First a brief introduction to reinforcement learning and to supervised learning with recurrent networks in non-stationary environments is given. The introduction also covers the basic principle of`gradient descent through frozen model networks' as employed by Werbos, Jordan, Munro, Robinson and Fallside, and Nguyen and Widrow. This principle allows supervised learning techniques to be employed for reinforcement learning. Then a general algorithm for a reinforcement learning neural network with internal and external feedback in a non-stationary reactive environment is described. Internal feedback is given by connections that allow cyclic activation ow through the network. External feedback is given by output actions that may change the state of the environment thus innuencing subsequent input activations. The network's main goal is to receive as much reinforcement (or as littlèpain') as possible. In theory, arbitrary time lags between actions and ulterior consequences are possible. Thèvisi-ble' environment may bènon-Markovian'. Although the approach is based on`supervised' learning algorithms for fully recurrent dynamic networks, no teacher is required. An adaptive model of the environmental dynamics is constructed which includes a model of future reinforcement to be received. This model is used for learning goal directed behavior. The algorithm may concurrently learn the model and learn to pursue the main goal. To attack certain problems with the parallel version of the algorithm, `adaptive randomness' is introduced. The algorithm is applied to a reinforcement learning task in a non-Markovian environment. A connection tòmeta-learning' (learning how to learn) is noted. An extension of the algorithm is described which includes a vector-valued adaptive critic element (based on Sutton's TD-methods). The possibility of using the model for learning by planning (by`mental simulation' of the environmental dynamics) is investigated. Finally it is described how the algorithm can be augmented by dynamic curiosity and boredom. This can be done by introducing (delayed) reinforcement for controller actions that increase the model network's knowledge about the world. This in turn requires the model network to model its own ignorance, thus showing a rudimentary form of introspective behavior. 1 Figure 1: Internal and external feedback.
Mapping election results in proportional electoral systems

ABSTRACT The paper presents a technique for efficient visualisation of election results in proportional electoral systems. Three cartographic methods (cartogram, inward-oriented buffer and proportional striping) are combined to produce a static map that gives an overview of the distribution of voting power, the electoral abstention and the election results. Unlike the conventional design that shows only the winning subjects, the proposed technique allows reader to analyse the results within a district as well as in the context of the whole country. Regional differences and patterns not present on conventional election maps can be observed. The proposed technique is demonstrated on a map of Slovak parliamentary election held in 2012.
Attitudes and Preferences in Relation to Internet Banking in the Caribbean

This study investigates the extent to which persons in the Caribbean utilized internet banking services, the frequency with which such services were used and the factors that influenced the extent and frequency with which internet banking services were used. The study surveys over 3,000 individuals across ten Caribbean countries, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Jamaica, Montserrat, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago. The primary research tool for this study was a multi-sample project conducted between December and January 2008/2009. The data on attitudes and preferences towards internet banking was obtained via structured questionnaires and convenience sampling. The study suggests that despite a high level of awareness of internet banking services, only a relatively modest proportion of customers in the Caribbean currently use internet-banking services. Those that use internet-banking services do so relatively infrequently and use the service mainly to check balances and pay bills. Those that do not use internet-banking services perceive a high level of insecurity surrounding internet banking and perceive it to be a relatively complex activity. The survey results suggest that the adoption and frequency of use on internet banking services in the Caribbean are primarily influenced by age, income, and education attainment. With younger, higher income better educated persons being more likely to adopt and more frequently use internet-banking services.
A Study of Oxytocin Levels in a Sample of Bipolar Affective Disorder

Background : Bipolar disorder is characterized by mood swings with both manic and depressive symptoms. Social cognitive abnormalities have recently been recognized as a core feature of mood disorders which persist during remission. The neuropeptide oxytocin may be a trait marker of bipolar disorder and it’s dysregulation might be involved in the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder. Aim of the study : To compare oxytocin levels between cases of bipolar disorders and control group and to search for a correlation between oxytocin levels and various clinical parameters. Methods : Forty five (45) bipolar patients and thirty (30) healthy controls with matching age and sex were examined. SCIDI was for confirmation of diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Further assessment using Beck depression inventory, Young mania scale were also performed. Salivary Oxytocin hormone level was also measured. Results: Oxytocin showed higher significant levels in bipolar patients whether in depression, mania or in remission when compared to controls (p<0.001, <0.001, <0.001, =0.002 respectively). Where manic cases showed significantly higher level of Oxytocin when compared to depressive and remittent cases (p=0.015, 0.007 respectively). Only higher Oxytocin levels was suggested to be a predictor for bipolar disorder or mania development and lower levels of Oxytocin might predict remission but doesn’t predict the severity of the disorder. Conclusion : Higher Oxytocin levels was suggested to be a predictor for bipolar disorder or mania development and lower levels of Oxytocin might predict remission but doesn’t predict the severity of the disorder.
High-Resolution Mapping of Expression-QTLs Yields Insight into Human Gene Regulation

Recent studies of the HapMap lymphoblastoid cell lines have identified large numbers of quantitative trait loci for gene expression (eQTLs). Reanalyzing these data using a novel Bayesian hierarchical model, we were able to create a surprisingly high-resolution map of the typical locations of sites that affect mRNA levels in cis. Strikingly, we found a strong enrichment of eQTLs in the 250 bp just upstream of the transcription end site (TES), in addition to an enrichment around the transcription start site (TSS). Most eQTLs lie either within genes or close to genes; for example, we estimate that only 5% of eQTLs lie more than 20 kb upstream of the TSS. After controlling for position effects, SNPs in exons are ∼2-fold more likely than SNPs in introns to be eQTLs. Our results suggest an important role for mRNA stability in determining steady-state mRNA levels, and highlight the potential of eQTL mapping as a high-resolution tool for studying the determinants of gene regulation.
A study of the inﬂuence of synthesis parameters on the physicochemical properties of iron pigments produced from waste iron sulfate

The work presents a two-step method of iron red synthesis based on waste iron(II) sulfate. The synthesis was carried out using puriﬁed waste iron sulfate from titanium dioxide production. The study investigated the inﬂuence of factors such as temperature, pressure, concentration of solutions and synthesis time on the physicochemical properties of pigments. Obtained pigments were tested with instrumental analytical methods, e.g. X-ray Diﬀraction or BET surface area analysis. The pigments were analyzed for color, particle size as well as for oil number. The results of the research showed a change in the physicochemical properties of the obtained pigments depending on the conditions of synthesis. It was shown that increasing the synthesis time in most cases increased the degree of crystallization of hematite in the pigments. High speciﬁc surface area, low agglomeration of pigments or low oil absorption were directly related to the crystallinity of the pigments obtained. Laboratory pigments have been found to be diﬀerent from commercial pigments. The diﬀerence in properties speaks in favor of synthesized materials.
Epigenetic control of hippocampal stem cells: modulation by hyperactivation, glucocorticoids and aging

Schematic depiction of the initial stages of the neurogenic cascade in control animals (left) or after glucocorticoid (GC) induced alterations (right). Phenotypical alterations are: increased quiescence, decreased proliferation and apoptosis. In this chapter we discuss how GC rhythmicity is a neuro-endocrine signal involved in the regulation of neural stem/progenitor cell quiescencence and proliferation, possibly through differential methylation of gene promoters.
Natural Language Processing of Aviation Occurrence Reports for Safety Management

Citation for published version (APA): Jonk, P., de Vries, V. , Wever, R. , Sidiropoulos, G. , & Kanoulas, E. (2022). Natural Language Processing of Aviation Occurrence Reports for Safety Management. In M. C. Leva, E. Patelli, L. Podofillini, & S. Wilson (Eds.), Proceedings of the 32nd European Safety and Reliability Conference (ESREL2022) (pp. 2015-2023). Research Publishing. https://doi.org/10.3850/978981-18-5183-4_S05-06-449-cd
Tectonic Development of the Gippsland Basin and Environs: Identification of Key Episodes Using Apatite Fission Track Analysis (AFTA)

Apatite Fission Track Analysis (AFTA) is a thermal history reconstruction tool that enables determination of magnitude and timing of maximum paleotemperature and paleo-geothermal gradient at the time of maximum paleotemperatures. From this information, the amount of section missing at major unconformities can be estimated and incorporated into basin models. The Gippsland Basin has a number of distinct problems that can be tackled using AFfA. The nature of the regional break between the Late Cretaceous-Tertiary Latrobe Group and the underlying Early Cretaceous Strzelecki Group. 2. The tectonic history of the basement flanking the basin and its effect on sediment composition. 3. The age of igneous activity in the basin, as typified by the widespread basaltic plugs and dykes intruding the outcropping Strzelecki Group. Major uplift and erosion within, and adjacent to, the early Cretaceous rift basin in the Mid-Cretaceous, at -95 to 100 Ma, initially constrained the Latrobe Group depositional area to the central deep of the Gippsland Basin and provided an elevated source of quartz-rich detritus for the Latrobe Group reservoirs. This is in marked contrast to the preceding period in the early Cretaceous when contemporaneous volcanism dominated as a source of detritus, producing quartz-poor lithic sandstones, in which a host of attendant diagenetic reactions destroyed their reservoir potential. Initial uplift and erosion of the volcanogenic Strzelecki Group also occurred in the mid-Cretaceous as revealed by a number of distinct inversion structures, and erosion of this material will have locally provided very poor quality sand to the basal Latrobe Group. A widespread period of igneous activity accompanied this mid-Cretaceous uplift and erosion, marked by a large number of plugs and dykes intruding outcropping Strzelecki Group. Previously these had been generally ascribed to the early Tertiary, although several K-Ar ages suggested some Late Cretaceous activity. AFTA of a large number of these intrusions has shown that they span the period -100 Ma to 80 Ma, and are not related to the Early Tertiary basaltic flows overlying them. Thus the AFTA results show, in fact, that all three problems are linked in time, highlighting the major tectonic re-arrangements that accompanied the initial separation of Antarctica and Australia at -95 to 100 Ma, and bridging the time period leading up to the initial opening of the Tasman Sea at -80 Ma.