Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sorbus aucuparia and Sorbus aria as a Source of Antioxidant Phenolics, Tocopherols, and Pigments

Due to its nutritive and medicinal properties, berries of some Sorbus species are used for the preparation of jams and jelly as well as in traditional medicine. On the other hand, their chemical composition is not much studied especially of those grown in Balkan Peninsula. We have analyzed individual phenolics, tocopherols, carotenoids and chlorophylls using HPLC in berries from Sorbus aucuparia and Sorbus aria collected in different localities in Serbia and Montenegro together with the amounts of total phenolics and proanthocyanidins as well as their radical scavenging activity against DPPH radical. Berries of S. aucuparia were richer source of polyphenolics in comparision with S. aria and, regardless the species and locality, caffeoylquinic acids such as neochlorogenic and chlorogenic acid were the most abundant compounds. Among analyzed tocopherols the most abundant in all samples was α‐tocopherol (0.48 – 19.85 μg/g dw) as it was β‐carotene among carotenoids (mean concentration of 0.98 μg/g dw in S. aucuparia and 0.40 μg/g dw in S. aria, respectively). Correlation between total phenolics and DPPH radical scavenging activity was noticed. Our study represents comprehensive report on chemical composition of S. aucuparia and S. aria which could contribute to a better understanding of their quality.
Technology-based programs to support forms of leisure engagement and communication for persons with multiple disabilities: Two single-case studies

Objective: To extend the assessment of technology-based programs for promoting stimulus choice and staff/caregiver calls or radio operation and text messaging. Method: In Study I, the program involved a portable computer, commercial software, and a microswitch to allow a man with motor impairment and moderate intellectual disability to choose among preferred stimuli (e.g., songs and film clips) and persons to call. In Study II, the programs involved (a) a radio device and an electronic control unit or (b) a net-book computer and a global system for mobile communication. A woman with blindness and moderate intellectual disability used a microswitch to operate the radio or send and listen to text messages. Results: The participants succeeded in using the technology-aided programs through simple microswitch activations involving partial hand closure (Study I) or hand pressure (Study II). Conclusion: Technology-based programs can provide persons with multiple disabilities relevant leisure and communication opportunities.
Stochastic Functional Gradient Path Planning in Occupancy Maps

Planning safe paths is a major building block in robot autonomy. It has been an active field of research for several decades, with a plethora of planning methods. Planners can be generally categorised as either trajectory optimisers or sampling-based planners. The latter is the predominant planning paradigm for occupancy maps. Trajectory optimisation entails major algorithmic changes to tackle contextual information gaps caused by incomplete sensor coverage of the map. However, the benefits are substantial, as trajectory optimisers can reason on the trade-off between path safety and efficiency. In this work, we improve our previous work on stochastic functional gradient planners. We introduce a novel expressive path representation based on kernel approximation, that allows cost effective model updates based on stochastic samples. The main drawback of the previous stochastic functional gradient planner was the cubic cost, stemming from its non-parametric path representation. Our novel approximate kernel based model, on the other hand, has a fixed linear cost that depends solely on the number of features used to represent the path. We show that the stochasticity of the samples is crucial for the planner and present comparisons to other state-of-the-art planning methods in both simulation and with real occupancy data. The experiments demonstrate the advantages of the stochastic approximate kernel method for path planning in occupancy maps.
Haematological changes in layers experimentally infected with salmonella gallinarum

Aim: The present study was conducted to investigate the haematological changes in layers experimentally infected with Salmonella gallinarum. Methods: A total of 20 eighteen-week- old ISA Brown layers were used for the experiment. The birds were randomly divided into two groups, infected and control, of 10 birds each. To establish the infection, each bird in the infected group was orally administered 0.5 ml of the inoculum containing 9x108CFU/ml. Similarly, birds in the control group were each administered 0.5 ml normal saline only. Following the inoculation, all experimental birds were closely monitored for clinical signs of fowl typhoid. Blood samples were collected from each group at day zero (Day 0), 2, 4, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42, post-infection (pi) and used for determination of haematological parameters. By day seven post infection, all birds in the infected group showed clinical signs typical of fowl typhoid; namely weakness, ruffled feathers, huddling together, somnolence, greenish-yellow diarrhea, weight loss, drop in egg production, decrease in feed and water consumption and mortality rate (50%). There were, however, macrocytic hypochromic anaemia, leuckocytosis and heterophilia. In conclusion, the experimental Salmonella Gallinarum infection induced acute anaemia, leukocytosis, heterophilia and lymphopenia. Keywords; Fowl typhoid, Salmonella, Inoculum, Leukocytosis
Citizen Journalist to Activist: the Language Behind Black Lives Matter

This study explores the discourse surrounding an event in the social movement, Black Lives Matter, to gain insights into how digital literacy practices influence and mediate participation in the 21st century civil rights movement for a new generation of activist. This study examines three points of engagement, (1) the experience of the event as it is initially interpreted and shared online, (2) the intermingling of consciousness through social media, and (3) the post social media interpretation and action. Data was collected from Twitter analyzed using discourse analysis.
Bayesian Model Assessment in Joint Modeling of Longitudinal and Survival Data With Applications to Cancer Clinical Trials

ABSTRACT Joint models for longitudinal and survival data are routinely used in clinical trials or other studies to assess a treatment effect while accounting for longitudinal measures such as patient-reported outcomes. In the Bayesian framework, the deviance information criterion (DIC) and the logarithm of the pseudo-marginal likelihood (LPML) are two well-known Bayesian criteria for comparing joint models. However, these criteria do not provide separate assessments of each component of the joint model. In this article, we develop a novel decomposition of DIC and LPML to assess the fit of the longitudinal and survival components of the joint model, separately. Based on this decomposition, we then propose new Bayesian model assessment criteria, namely, ΔDIC and ΔLPML, to determine the importance and contribution of the longitudinal (survival) data to the model fit of the survival (longitudinal) data. Moreover, we develop an efficient Monte Carlo method for computing the conditional predictive ordinate statistics in the joint modeling setting. A simulation study is conducted to examine the empirical performance of the proposed criteria and the proposed methodology is further applied to a case study in mesothelioma. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Methionine sulphoxide reductase is an important antioxidant enzyme in the gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori

The ability of Helicobacter pylori to colonize the stomach requires that it combat oxidative stress responses imposed by the host. The role of methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr), a methionine repair enzyme, in H. pylori stress resistance was evaluated by a mutant analysis approach. An msr mutant strain lacked immunologically detectable sulphoxide reductase protein and also showed no enzyme activity when provided with oxidized methionines as substrates. The mutant strain showed diminished growth compared to the parent strain in the presence of chemical oxidants, and showed rapid viability loss when exposed to oxidizing conditions. The stress resistance and enzyme activity could be recovered by complementing the mutant with a functional copy of the msr gene. Upon fractionation of parent strain and the complemented mutant cells into membranes and cytoplasmic proteins, most of the immunologically detectable Msr was localized to the membrane, and this fraction contained all of the Msr activity. Qualitative detection of the whole cell protein pattern using 2,4‐dinitro phenyl hydrazine (DNPH) showed a far greater number of oxidized protein species in the mutant than in the parent strain when the cells were subjected to oxygen, peroxide or s‐nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) induced stress. Importantly, no oxidized proteins were discerned in either strain upon incubation in anaerobic conditions. A mutant strain that synthesized a truncated Msr (corresponding to the MsrA domain) was slightly more resistant to oxidative stress than the msr strain. Mouse colonization studies showed Msr is an important colonization factor, especially for effective longer‐term (14 and 21 days) colonization. Complementation of the mutant msr strain by chromosomal insertion of a functional gene restored mouse colonization ability.
Costly, Regressive, and Ineffective: How Sensitive Is Public Support for the Mortgage Interest Deduction in the United States?

ABSTRACT Although the mortgage interest deduction enjoys broad public support, critics argue that the policy disproportionately benefits wealthy households, fails to expand homeownership opportunities to households on the margins, and costs the federal government an extraordinary amount of money in foregone tax revenue. Drawing on data collected through an online experiment, this analysis tests the sensitivity of public support to these critiques. The findings reveal that support for the mortgage interest deduction declines when respondents are presented with information about the cost, effectiveness, or distribution of benefits associated with the deduction. Support among renters is more sensitive to framing effects than that among homeowners. Republicans are less sensitive to framing effects than Democrats when the deduction is framed as distributing benefits unequally, but more sensitive to these effects when the issue is framed as costly. However, all groups register their lowest level of support when told that the mortgage interest deduction is not an effective tool for expanding ownership opportunities.
Improved periodontal conditions following therapy.

The aim of the present clinical trial was to evaluate the effect of different modes of periodontal therapy on patients with moderately advanced periodontal disease and to express the findings in terms of probing pocket depth and attachment level alterations at periodontal sites with different initial probing depths. The material consisted of 16 patients, 35-65 years of age. Following a Baseline examination including assessments of oral hygiene status, gingival conditions, probing pocket depths and probing attachment levels, the patients were subjected to periodontal treatment. A "split-mouth" design approach of therapy was used and the jaw quadrants were randomly selected for the following different treatment procedures: (1) scaling and root planning, (2) scaling and root planing in conjunction with a gingivectomy procedure, (3) scaling and root planing in conjunction with an apically repositioned flap procedure without bone recontouring, (4) scaling and root planing in conjunction with an apically repositioned flap procedure including bone recontouring, (5) scaling and root planing in conjunction with a modified Widman flap procedure without bone recontouring and (6) scaling and root planing in conjunction with a modified Widman flap procedure including bone recontouring. The patients were following active treatment enrolled in a supervised maintenance care program including "professional tooth cleaning" once every 2 weeks during a 6-month period of healing, after which a final examination was performed. The investigation demonstrated that active therapy including meticulous subgingival debridement resulted in a low frequency of gingival sites which bled on probing, a high frequency of sites with shallow pockets (less than 4 mm) and the disappearance of pockets with a probing depth of greater than 6 mm. Between the Baseline examination and the 6-month re-examination, the probing attachment level for initially shallow pockets remained basically unaltered, but with a tendency of a minor apical shift. This occurred in all 6 treatment groups. For sites with initial probing depths of 4-6 mm and greater than 6 mm, there was in all groups some gain of probing attachment. This gain was most pronounced in the initially deeper (greater than 6 mm) pockets. With the use of regression analysis, the "critical probing depth" (CPD) value (i.e. the initial probing depth value below which loss of attachment occurred as a result of treatment and above which gain of probing attachment level resulted) was calculated for each of the 6 methods of treatment used. A comparison of the CPD-values between the 6 treatment groups did not reveal any major differences.
Flow diversion of bifurcation aneurysms is more effective when the jailed branch is occluded: an experimental study in a novel canine model

Background Flow diverters (FDs) are increasingly used for bifurcation aneurysms. Failure of aneurysm occlusion may be caused by residual flow maintaining patency of the jailed branch along with the aneurysm. Our aim was to test whether endovascular occlusion of the jailed branch could improve efficacy of flow diversion of bifurcation aneurysms. Materials and methods Sixteen wide-necked lingual–carotid artery bifurcation aneurysms were created in eight canines. Patent aneurysms were randomly allocated 4 weeks later to flow diversion combined with jailed branch occlusion using coils and/or Onyx (n=6) or flow diversion alone (n=8). Angiographic results of aneurysm occlusion at 3 months were scored using an ordinal scale. Pathology specimens were photographed and neointimal coverage estimated using a semiquantitative scoring system. Results Fourteen aneurysms were patent at 1 month. FD deployment was successful in all cases but, at 3-month follow-up, three devices had prolapsed into the aneurysm. None of the bifurcation aneurysms treated with FD alone were occluded at 3 months. Endovascular branch occlusion combined with flow diversion significantly improved aneurysm occlusion rates compared with flow diversion alone (median angiographic scores 2 vs 0: p=0.0137). Flow-limiting parent vessel stenosis was not observed in any arteries. Devices were covered with thick neointima in most cases, but patent aneurysms were associated with leaks or holes in the neointima covering the aneurysm neck. Conclusions Treatment failures following flow diversion of bifurcation aneurysms can be caused by persistent flow to the jailed branch. Branch occlusion combined with flow diversion may improve angiographic occlusion scores of a canine bifurcation aneurysm model.
Management of depression in older people with osteoarthritis: A systematic review

Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, and depressive symptoms are common in older people with arthritic pain. However, relatively little attention has been given to the efficacy of interventions that may be beneficial for older people with OA with concomitant depressive symptoms. Methods: The aim of this review was to evaluate data from clinical trials testing the effectiveness of various interventions for older patients suffering from OA and depression. Systematic searches were conducted on MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, PsychInfo, Web of Knowledge and Pubmed (January 1990–July 2009). Results: Fourteen studies were identified and examined. Interventions highlighted in these studies were: patient education programmes (N = 3); cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) (N = 2); depression care and pharmacological intervention (N = 2); and exercise therapy (N = 7). 11 out of 14 interventions showed some improvement in patients’ depressive symptoms in the short term. Three of the interventions did not affect depressive symptoms on patients with OA. Conclusions: There was some evidence to suggest that the intervention of CBT, integrated depression care management and exercise therapy were associated with reduced depressive symptoms in the short term. However, the long-term benefits of depression management in patients with OA with co-morbid depression are unknown. Future well-controlled clinical trials are needed.
Polypyrrole synthesis via carboxymethylcellulose-iron complexes

Polypyrrole (PPy) was chemically synthesised at two pH levels (pH = 2 and unadjusted pH, i.e. 6.6) using pre-formed carboxymethylcellulose-iron (CMC-Fe) complexes. The CMC-Fe complexes were prepared at a fixed CMC concentration, i.e. 5.5x10-5 mol/L, and with an increasing FeCl3 amount (from 4x10-3 to 5x10-2 mol/L). The quantity of iron bound to CMC was determined by the inductively coupled plasma (ICP-MS) method. In order to understand the interactions between CMC and iron, speciation of the systems was simulated by Phreeqc software. SEM analysis showed that, in some conditions (particularly at pH = 2), Py polymerised within the CMC-Fe complexes, forming particles with size ranging between 300 and 600 nm. In order to evaluate polymer electric conductivity, films were prepared by direct casting of the PPy-CMC-Fe dispersions with and without addition of film-forming CMC, and bulky PPy-CMC-Fe pellets were obtained by compression. Despite the different arrangement PPy-CMC-Fe particles in dry films, the amount of iron bound to CMC during the formation of CMC-Fe complexes was found to be the dominant parameter affecting polymer conductivity.
Differentially private multidimensional data publication

Multidimensional data provides enormous opportunities in a variety of applications. Recent research has indicated the failure of existing sanitization techniques (e.g., k-anonymity) to provide rigorous privacy guarantees. Privacy-preserving multidimensional data publishing currently lacks a solid theoretical foundation. It is urgent to develop new techniques with provable privacy guarantees. ∈-Differential privacy is the only method that can provide such guarantees. In this paper, we propose a multidimensional data publishing scheme that ensures ∈-differential privacy while providing accurate results for query processing. The proposed solution applies nonstandard wavelet transforms on the raw multidimensional data and adds noise to guarantee ∈-differential privacy. Then, the scheme processes arbitrarily queries directly in the noisy wavelet-coefficient synopses of relational tables and expands the noisy wavelet coefficients back into noisy relational tuples until the end result of the query. Moreover, experimental results demonstrate the high accuracy and effectiveness of our approach.
An Autoethnographic Account of Experiences with a Community-Based Participatory Research Project in Canada

Abstract: We discuss our personal experiences while developing a community-based participatory research project (CBPR) with Lac Seul First Nation for the purposes of recording some of their land use history and for the training of youth from the First Nation and students from our university in Archaeology, Social-Cultural Anthropology and Geography. Drawing on Geography and Anthropology literature we illustrate how both disciplines influenced our work and understandings of our professional and personal journeys. We discovered primarily that the traditional academic research phases of project design and data collection did not adequately describe the birth of the project and the subsequent information exchange. Instead, we found that the phases of research that were important were: Relationship building, Project design, Learning, Immersion/Data Collection and Activism/Shifting Perspectives.
How many species are infected with Wolbachia? Cryptic sex ratio distorters revealed to be common by intensive sampling

Inherited bacterial symbionts from the genus Wolbachia have attracted much attention by virtue of their ability to manipulate the reproduction of their arthropod hosts. The potential importance of these bacteria has been underlined by surveys, which have estimated that 17% of insect species are infected. We examined whether these surveys have systematically underestimated the proportion of infected species through failing to detect the low–prevalence infections that are expected when Wolbachia distorts the sex ratio. We estimated the proportion of species infected with Wolbachia within Acraea butterflies by testing large collections of each species for infection. Seven out of 24 species of Acraea were infected with Wolbachia. Four of these were infected with Wolbachia at high prevalence, a figure compatible with previous broad–scale surveys, whilst three carried low–prevalence infections that would have had a very low likelihood of being detected by previous sampling methods. This led us to conclude that sex–ratio–distorting Wolbachia may be common in insects that have an ecology and/or genetics that permit the invasion of these parasites and that previous surveys may have seriously underestimated the proportion of species that are infected.
Semi-automatic bowel wall thickness measurements on MR enterography in patients with Crohn's disease.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate a semi-automatic method for delineation of the bowel wall and measurement of the wall thickness in patients with Crohn's disease. METHODS 53 patients with suspected or proven Crohn's disease were selected. Two radiologists independently supervised the delineation of regions with active Crohn's disease on MRI, yielding manual annotations (Ano1, Ano2). Three observers manually measured the maximal bowel wall thickness of each annotated segment. An active contour segmentation approach semi-automatically delineated the bowel wall. For each active region, two segmentations (Seg1, Seg2) were obtained by independent observers, in which the maximum wall thickness was automatically determined. The overlap between (Seg1, Seg2) was compared with the overlap of (Ano1, Ano2) using Wilcoxon's signed rank test. The corresponding variances were compared using the Brown-Forsythe test. The variance of the semi-automatic thickness measurements was compared with the overall variance of manual measurements through an F-test. Furthermore, the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of semi-automatic thickness measurements was compared with the ICC of manual measurements through a likelihood-ratio test. RESULTS Patient demographics: median age, 30 years; interquartile range, 25-38 years; 33 females. The median overlap of the semi-automatic segmentations (Seg1 vs Seg2: 0.89) was significantly larger than the median overlap of the manual annotations (Ano1 vs Ano2: 0.72); p = 1.4 × 10-5. The variance in overlap of the semi-automatic segmentations was significantly smaller than the variance in overlap of the manual annotations (p = 1.1 × 10-9). The variance of the semi-automated measurements (0.46 mm2) was significantly smaller than the variance of the manual measurements (2.90 mm2, p = 1.1 × 10-7). The ICC of semi-automatic measurement (0.88) was significantly higher than the ICC of manual measurement (0.45); p = 0.005. CONCLUSION The semi-automatic technique facilitates reproducible delineation of regions with active Crohn's disease. The semi-automatic thickness measurement sustains significantly improved interobserver agreement. Advances in knowledge: Automation of bowel wall thickness measurements strongly increases reproducibility of these measurements, which are commonly used in MRI scoring systems of Crohn's disease activity.