Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gastro-protective actions of Aloe barbadensis Miller mitigate ethanol-induced gastric injury in rats

Purpose: To investigate the gastroprotective effect of leaf extract of Aloe barbadensis on ethanolinduced gastric ulcer in rats. Methods: Healthy male Wistar rats (n = 30) weighing 180 220 g (mean weight = 200 ± 20 g) were randomly assigned to 6 groups (5 rats/group): control group, gastric ulcer group, two Aloe barbadensis extract groups (250 and 500 mg/kg), cimetidine group and indomethacin group. Gastric ulcer was induced via oral injection of absolute ethanol at a dose of 1 mL/kg after a 24-h fast. Gross evaluation, determination of gastric juice acidity and histological examination of gastric tissue were carried out. Results: Treatment of gastric ulcer rats with Aloe barbadensis extract significantly reduced ulcerated area (UA), ulcer index (UI), and acidity of gastric juice (p < 0.05). Injection of 1 % carrageenan into rat hind paw led to a time-dependent increase in paw volume which peaked 3 h after injection. However, the Aloe barbadensis extract significantly and dose-dependently reduced the volume of inflamed paw, and inhibited edema formation (p < 0.05). It also markedly reduced or completely eliminated edema and leucocyte infiltration. Moreover, treatment of gastric ulcer rats with Aloe barbadensis leaf extract led to significant and dose-dependent reduction in gastric tissue MDA level (p < 0.05). Histological examination of the gastric wall showed that control rats had severe injury in gastric mucosa, accompanied by edema and leucocytes infiltration, relative to rats pretreated with extract which showed marked gastric protection and inhibition of edema and leucocytes infiltration. Moreover, the extract treatment protected the gastric surface against ulceration as indicated by reduced lesions in the treated rat model. Conclusion: These results show that Aloe barbadensis mitigates ethanol-induced gastric injury in rats via inhibition of lipid peroxidation and inflammation. Thus, the extract has potentials for development into a therapeutic agent for the management of gastric ulcer.
Valuation of options under a constant elasticity of variance process and stochastic volatility

In this paper, we price European call options under a constant elasticity of variance process for the asset price and stochastic volatility. In particular, we derive an analytic approximation formula in the form of asymptotic expansions, which is valid for European options with short times to expiry. Further, we examine the performance of our formula on a market sample of short-tenor crude oil call options (traded on the International Commodities Exchange) and find that the formula provides an excellent fit to market prices.
Epidemiological perspectives of COVID-19 in Telangana and India: a descriptive study design

The COVID‐19 pandemic has made the world to come to a stand-still. The world health organization (WHO) was informed of cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology detected in Wuhan city, Hubei province of China on December 31, 2019. A novel coronavirus (2019‐nCoV) was identified as the causative virus by Chinese authorities on January 7. There was zoonotic transmission associated with the 2019‐nCoV based on the available evidence on the 2019‐nCoV virus and previous infections with other coronavirus (MERS‐CoV and SARS‐CoV) and other respiratory viruses (e.g., avian influenza). The SARS‐CoV‐2 genome has a close resemblance with SARS (80%) than Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)‐CoV (54%) virus. Higher infectivity and extended duration of illness in the infected person with a mortality rate of approximately 2% distinguishes it from other coronaviruses (MERS‐CoV and SARS‐CoV) and seasonal flu virus. The outbreak was declared a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020. On February 11, 2020, the WHO announced an official name for the nCoV disease: COVID‐19. As on ABSTRACT
Activated carbon derived from spherical hydrochar functionalized with triethylenetetramine: synthesis, characterizations, and adsorption application

Abstract This study investigated the adsorption capacities of various contaminants on glucose-derived hydrochar (GH) and glucose-activated carbon (GAC) functionalized with triethylenetetramine (TETA). The two-stage synthesis process consisted of (1) hydrothermal carbonization using various TETA concentrations (1%–5%) to create TETA-functionalized GHs, and (2) chemical activation with NaOH to produce TETA-GACs. The basic properties of the adsorbents were examined using Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy. The adsorption characteristics of the GH and GAC samples toward two heavy metal ions (Pb2+ and Cu2+), phenol, methylene green (MG5), and acid red 1 (AR1) were also examined. The results indicated that GAC1% and GH1% exhibited excellent adsorption capacities. Specifically, the maximum adsorption capacities of GAC1% and GH1% reached 370 mg/g and 128 mg/g for Pb2+, 208 mg/g and 84 mg/g for Cu2+, 196 mg/g and 137 mg/g for phenol, 175 mg/g and 67 mg/g for MG5, and 156 mg/g and 21 mg/g for AR1, respectively. In conclusion, amine functionalization on the surface of GHs and GACs efficiently enhances the removal capacities of various contaminants in water.
Presession Posterior Alpha Enhancement May Accelerate Neurofeedback Learning and Response

Alpha band oscillations are characterized phenomenologically by a state of relaxed, unfocused attention and are implicated in enhanced learning and memory performance. Alpha power may reflect cortical inhibition in task-irrelevant brain regions, thus leaving more neural resources available to task-relevant regions and processes. In this paper we propose that a short priming session with a posterior alpha upregulation protocol may accelerate subsequent neurofeedback learning with the client’s main training protocols. Neurofeedback relies to a large extent on implicit learning processes mediated by the basal ganglia and frontal cortical regions. Alpha uptraining posteriorly may inhibit task-irrelevant cortical regions dedicated mostly to explicit processing and externally oriented attention, thereby clearing the way for cortical and subcortical regions directly involved in neurofeedback learning to process the feedback more efficiently. It may thus serve to accelerate the learning process and efficacy of neurofeedback training. Various considerations and possible side effects are discussed.
Root Traits Related with Drought and Phosphorus Tolerance in Common Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.)

Roots are key organs for water and nutrient acquisition and transport. Therefore, root phenes that are associated with adaptation to low phosphorus (P) environments could enhance top-soil exploration, while deeper allocation is important for acquiring water and mobile nutrients. The understanding of interactions among root phenes can help in the development of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) genotypes adapted to drought and low fertility through genetic improvement. Two experiments (pot and field) were conducted at the Agricultural Research Institute of Mozambique to assess the contribution of root phenes to common bean shoot biomass and grain yield under combined stress (drought and low P). The pot study assessed eight genotypes, with four treatments combining water regimes (drought and non-stress) and phosphorus levels (200 and 25) mg P kg−1 soil. In the field study, 24 common bean genotypes were also grown in high and low phosphorus (40 kg P ha−1 and without P application) under irrigation and limited water. The grain yield from fields under drought and P stress were correlated with the pot data on root traits. The response of root phenes to drought and phosphorus stress appeared to be related to the deep and shallow root systems, respectively. Deep rooted genotypes produced more total root biomass and high taproot lateral branching density, which resulted in high total root length under drought and low P stress, while shallow rooted genotypes had low total root biomass and less taproot lateral branching. Increased shoot biomass and grain yield under drought and low P was associated with higher mean values of taproot lateral branching density and total taproot length. Genotypes SER 125, BFS 81, FBN12111-66 and MER 22 11-28 showed a greater score of tap root branching density in the pot study with the highest grain yield in the field under low P and drought stress. Therefore, these can be recommended for use in low phosphorus and drought stress environment or serve as parents for improving phosphorus use efficiency and drought tolerance in common bean.
New high-resolution estimates of the permafrost thermal state and
hydrothermal conditions over the Northern Hemisphere

Abstract. Monitoring of the thermal state of permafrost is important in environmental science and engineering applications. However, such data are generally unavailable mainly due to the lack of ground observations and the uncertainty of traditional physical models. This study produces novel permafrost datasets for the Northern Hemisphere (NH), including predictions of the mean annual ground temperature (MAGT) at the zero annual amplitude depth and active layer thickness (ALT) with a 1-km resolution for the period of 2000–2016, as well as estimates of the probability of permafrost occurrence and permafrost zonation based on hydrothermal conditions. These datasets integrate unprecedentedly large amounts of field data (1,002 boreholes for MAGT and 452 sites for ALT) and multisource geospatial data, especially remote sensing data, using statistical learning modelling with an ensemble strategy. Thus, these data are more accurate than those of previous circumpolar maps (bias = 0.02 ± 0.16 °C, RMSE = 1.32 ± 0.13 °C for MAGT; bias = 2.71 ± 16.46 cm, RMSE = 86.93 ± 19.61 cm for ALT). The datasets suggest that the areal extent of permafrost (MAGT ≤ 0 °C) in the NH, excluding glaciers and lakes, is approximately 15.03 (13.84–19.29) × 106 km2, and the areal extent of permafrost regions (permafrost probability > 0) is approximately 20.14 × 106 km2. The areal fractions of humid, semiarid/subhumid, and arid permafrost regions are 51.84 %, 44.83 %, and 3.33 %, respectively. The areal fractions of cold (≤ −3.0 °C), cool (−3.0 °C to −1.5 °C), and warm (> −1.5 °C) permafrost regions are 37.93 %, 14.35 %, and 47.72 %, respectively. These new datasets based on the most comprehensive field data to date contribute to an updated understanding of the thermal state and zonation of permafrost in the NH. They are potentially useful for various fields, such as in climatology, hydrology, ecology, agriculture, public health, and engineering planning. As a baseline, these datasets are also of great importance for evaluating future changes in MAGT, ALT, permafrost extent, and other spatial features of permafrost in the NH. All of the datasets are published through the National Tibetan Plateau Data Center (TPDC), and the link is https://data.tpdc. ac.cn/en/data/5093d9ff-a5fc-4f10-a53f-c01e7b781368 or https://doi.org/10.11888/Geocry.tpdc. 271190 (Ran et al., 2021b).
Organic Chromium and Vitamin E Enhance Physiological Performances, Humoral and Cellular Immune Responses in Heat-stressed Broiler Chickens

Background: The use of chromium (Cr) and vitamin E (Vit-E) to overcome the detrimental effects of heat stress (HS) in broiler chickens has been studied by a few researchers. The study was designed to evaluate the effects of organic chromium picolinate (CrPic) and vit-E on physiological performances and immune responses in broiler chicken exposed to HS. Methods: A total of 120, day old chicks were reared and divided into four equal groups: A, B, C and D at day 13. Group A considered as non-treated control, Group B, C and D were treated with CrPic, Vit-E and both respectively. The birds were exposed heat to 35 ± 3°C for 6 hours for 22 days.Result: CrPic, Vit-E and combined groups had significantly higher live body weight and lower FCR (p less than 0.05). Hematological values were not varied among the groups. Liver enzymes AST but not ALT were increased significantly in the Vit-E group. Creatinine level was significantly (p less than 0.05) higher in CrPic and combined groups. Total protein, albumin and glucose were not differed between the treated and non-treated groups. Total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), HDL-c and LDL-c were significantly (p less than 0.05) higher in treated groups. The highest antibody titers against NDV were detected in birds of CrPic group followed by combined and Vit-E group. The cellular immune response assessed by CBH test revealed significant skin increased in CrPic and Vit-E supplemented birds. It concluded that the dietary CrPic and Vit-E are effective to enhance growth performance and immune responses in broiler chicken under heat-stress condition.
Asymptotic analysis of the SIR model. Applications to COVID-19 modelling

The SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Removed) model can be very useful in modelling epidemic outbreaks. The present paper derives the parametric solution of the model in terms of quadratures. The paper demonstrates a simple analytical asymptotic solution for the I-variable, which is valid on the entire real line. Moreover, the solution can be used successfully for parametric estimation either in stand-alone mode or as a preliminary step in the parametric estimation using numerical inversion of the parametric solution. The approach is applied to the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in three European countries --Belgium, Italy and Sweden.
Practical wisdom: How do personal virtue beliefs and contextual factors interact in adolescents’ moral decision-making?

ABSTRACT Adolescence has been highlighted as a significant period in an individual’s character development and autonomous decision-making. Social cognitive theories of character emphasise the importance of the interaction between person and context in making decisions which promote the good. A Grounded Theory methodology was used to explore how adolescents apply their virtue beliefs when faced with moral dilemmas, an ability which has been called ‘practical wisdom’ in some theories of character development. Eighteen participants aged 12–15 took part in interviews to explore their moral decision-making processes. The findings suggest the interaction between adolescents’ virtue beliefs and contextual factors can vary according to the individual’s prior experience, the factors salient to them within the immediate context (particularly social and emotional factors) and the weight they assign to possible consequences of their decisions. The study concludes that adolescents’ moral decision-making processes vary between individuals and across situations, with social cognitive theories of decision-making offering a possible explanation for these variations.
Week-to-week interplay between teachers’ motivating style and students’ engagement

Abstract Research has shown that teachers’ autonomy support and provision of structure relate to students’ agentic and behavioral engagement. Moreover, agentic engagement elicits higher teacher autonomy support. In the present 5-week diary study, we investigated the dynamic nature of this interplay between teachers and students through their cross-assessment of students’ agentic and behavioral engagement. We also considered the week-to-week student-reported teacher autonomy support and provision of structure as well as two student personal characteristics — proactive personality and situational autonomous versus controlled motivation. Two hundred fifty-seven Turkish middle school students and their teachers from 13 classes participated in the study. Multilevel analyses showed that students’ week-to-week perceived autonomy support and initial level of autonomous motivation positively predicted week-to-week agentic engagement (teacher- and student-reported). Students’ week-to-week perceived structure positively predicted week-to-week agentic and behavioral engagement (student-, but not teacher-, reported). These findings indicate the interplay between students’ situational engagement and teachers’ situational motivating style (i.e., autonomy support and provision of structure). They also suggest greater predictive power for students’ situational motivation over the personal trait of proactive personality.
How bad could it be? Worst-case bounds on bias in multistate models due to unobserved transitions

Multistate models are often used in social research to analyze how individuals move between states. A typical application is the estimation of the lifetime spent in a certain state, like the lifetime spent in employment, or the lifetime spent in good health. Unfortunately, the estimation of such quantities is prone to several biases. In this paper, we study the bias due to the often implicitly used assumption that there are no unobserved transitions between states. This assumption does often not hold for the panel data typically used to estimate multistate models, as the states occupied by individuals are only known at specific points in time, and further transitions between panel waves are not recorded. We present partially identified estimates of the lifetime spent in a state, or worse-case bounds, which show the maximum possible level of bias due to unobserved transitions. We provide two examples studying the lifetime spent in disability (disabled life expectancy; DLE). The first example applies our methods to results on cohort trends in DLE in the U.S. taken from Crimmins et al. (2009). In the second example, we replicate findings from Mehta and Myrskylä (2017), and apply our methods to data from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) in order to estimate the effects of health behaviors on DLE.
Zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an ecotoxicological model for Nanomaterial induced toxicity profiling

With the advancement of technologies, the evolution of nanoscience is occurring at a rapid pace. The demand for nanomaterials in various industries has increased. However, they may pose an increased risk upon exposure to living organisms, demanding toxicological studies. Although risk assessment of nanomaterials is a challenge due to their varieties in sizes and variability in properties, different meth-odologies of toxicity screenings have been used successfully to evaluate the potential risks. Although nanotechnology has contributed to technology development and well-being, information in these fields is still incomplete. Fortunately, those areas are under continuous research, and there are increasing experimental efforts in determining the environmental effects on humans exposed to nanoparticles. Since the field of nanotechnology is continuously expanding, we need medium- to high throughput nanotoxicity screenings to determine any potential risks caused by nanomaterials. Zebrafish, a well-established model for mammalian research, have advantages when used in these toxicity screenings. This review describes various kinds of toxicities induced in zebrafish embryos by different kinds of nanoparticles. A significant number of experimental data from toxicological studies are also presented that determine nanomaterials' effects, which can be modulated or further mitigated to create a positive impact on living organisms. Cell lines, culture methods, cytotoxicity assay (MTT test), toxicity and anti-angiogenic assays with transgenic zebrafish, acute toxicity testing, skin sensitization tests, repeated dose toxicity testing, mutagenicity testing, chronic oral toxicity testing, carcinogenicity testing, toxicokinetics, neurotoxicity, developmental toxicity, genetic
Seasonal distribution and variability of surface winds in the Indonesian seas using scatterometer and reanalysis data

The distribution and variability of surface winds in the seas and straits in the Maritime Continent, or the Indonesian seas, are investigated using scatterometer wind measurements and reanalysis wind data. This study focuses on the detailed climatology of surface winds in the Indonesian seas and has significant implications for a better understanding of regional climate, meteorological disasters, and offshore wind resource. The monsoon winds predominantly blow over the seas along the routes formed by the coastlines of the large islands and the chains of the small islands. The wind speeds are persistently strong along these routes, and the major direction of the variability in winds is well aligned with these routes. The wind jets are formed in the central part of the routes. The interisland gaps and channels form wind jets of various scales. The Australian winter monsoon is stronger and more persistent than the East Asian winter monsoon in the Indonesian seas. The onset of each monsoon differs by approximately 40 days between the east and west of the Indonesian seas. The amplitudes and spatial extents of diurnally varying winds dominate along the northern coasts of Java Island and the small islands to the east, along the northwest and northeast coasts of Borneo, along the coast of southern Sulawesi Island, and to the southwest of Papua, and vanish along the centre lines of the monsoon routes. Sea areas with a large amplitude of diurnally varying wind are much the same throughout the year. The amplitude of diurnally varying wind has an annual maximum in September in the southern Indonesian seas, possibly in correspondence with the annual maximum of the temperature difference between land and sea.
Simulated traffic on turfgrasses during drought stress: II. Soil moisture, soil compaction, and rooting

Turf is often subject to traffic stresses during drought. Our objectives were to evaluate the impacts of golf cart traffic applied during simulated drought on soil properties and turfgrass rooting. Soil and roots in the upper profile (0–30.5 cm) were evaluated in two cool-season (C 3 ) [Kentucky bluegrass ( Poa pratensis L.) and perennial ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.)] and two warm-season (C 4 ) turfgrasses {buffalograss [ Buchloë dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm. ] and zoysiagrass ( Zoysia japonica Steud.)} maintained at golf course mowing heights (1.6 [fairway] and 6.3 cm [rough]) during a 41-d drought (with traffic) and subsequent 40-d recovery (without traffic). After drought, soil bulk density was ≤ 1.40 g cm − 3 and generally below the 1.55 g cm − 3 threshold, where root-growth restriction is more problematic. After drought, soil penetration resistance exceeded 2.0 MPa at lower depths, especially at fairway height, which may impede root-growth. The C 3 turfgrasses had 46–70% more root biomass and 150–290% more root length density than C 4 turfgrasses. However, only root diameter was correlated with turf canopy performance ( r = 0.501; P < .001), which was 20–23% less in Kentucky bluegrass; a smaller root diameter may have diminished its ability to explore for moisture as soils dried. Most differences in soil and root characteristics resulted from drought and not traffic stress, since the traffic main effect was not significant. Results indicate cart traffic during acute drought may have negligible effects on soil compaction and rooting.