Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategies to destigmatize mental illness in South Africa: Social work perspective

ABSTRACT Stigma is a contributing factor to non-help-seeking behavior and social isolation of mental health-care users. The study examined social workers’ perspective regarding strategies that can be implemented to destigmatize mental illness in South Africa. A qualitative study method was adopted. Data were sourced through focus group discussions with social work students and telephone interviews with social workers working in hospitals. Data were analyzed using a thematic approach. Active involvement, education, and awareness campaigns, creating opportunities for improved well-being and constant support, were identified as relevant strategies. Given that stigma is multidimensional, various strategies are important if mental illness is to be destigmatized.
Neoplastic cauda equina syndrome: a neuroimaging-based review

Cauda equina syndrome refers to dysfunction of the cauda equina, the collection of ventral and dorsal lumbar, sacral and coccygeal nerve roots that surround the filum terminale. This most commonly occurs as a result of compression by a herniated lumbosacral disc. However, the syndrome may also complicate metastatic cancer or a primary neoplasm within or infiltrating the spinal canal. An accurate and timely diagnosis is critical to avoid irreversible loss of neurological function. The clinician and radiologist must therefore be aware of the many possible causes to guide timely management. Here we review the diverse neoplastic causes affecting the cauda equina nerve roots from a neuroimaging-based perspective. We divide them by location into intramedullary neoplasms at the conus (such as astrocytoma), intradural–extramedullary neoplasms (such as schwannoma and leptomeningeal metastases) and extradural neoplasms (such as spinal metastases from systemic neoplasms). We also discuss the clinical features associated with cauda equina tumours, with special focus on cauda equina syndrome.
Agent based Stock Clustering for Efficient Portfolio Management

ABSTRACT This research paper proposed agent based framework for portfolio management using non-hierarchical clustering method. The framework included various agents such as data agent, clustering agent, ranking agent, portfolio manager and user agent. The data agent collected financial ratio of Nifty 50 companies from financial database. Clustering agents generated clusters and DB index computed to find optimum cluster size of each method. Validation agent evaluated the performance of k -means, k -medoids and fast k -means using intra-class inertia. Clusters generated by k -means used for investment and portfolio analysis using Markowitz model. This research helped to assemble a diversified portfolio of stocks with the use of clustering Keywords Clustering, Data mining (DM), Davis-Bouldin (DB) Index, Dunn Index, k -means, k -medoids, Partitioning Around Medoids(PAM), Silhouette index 1. INTRODUCTION Data mining is a process of automatically discovering knowledge and predicting future trends from large financial markets. It creates opportunities for companies to make proactive and knowledge-driven decision in order to gain a competitive advantage. There are varieties of DM techniques available over past decades that include classification, similarity search, cluster analysis, association rule mining. Data mining techniques are also widely applied in number of financial areas, including predicting stock prices, predicting stock indices, portfolio management, portfolio risk management, trend detection, designing recommender [27, 28]. Portfolio management is one of major problem in financial domain. In today‟s competitive financial environment, an investor wants to earn maximum profit from his assets. An investor considers an investment in securities faces with the problem of choosing from among a large number of securities. He confuses in which security he has to invest. It depends upon the risk-return characteristics of individual securities. He selects most desirable securities and likes to allocate his funds over this group of securities. Again, he faces with the problem of deciding which securities to select and how much to invest in each. The investor chooses the optimal portfolio taking into consideration the risk and return characteristics of all possible portfolios. The research work describes about an agent based framework for portfolio management using non-hierarchical clustering methods. The proposed framework consist of various agents such as data agent, clustering agent, ranking agent, user agent and portfolio manager. This framework assists investors in strategic planning and investment decision-making. This research work can help to assemble a diversified portfolio of stocks with the help of clustering and also will help investor community in specific and in turn it helps the society and economy in general for better allocation of wealth. In this research paper,
Heat Transfer Investigation of TiO2 Nanofluid in Silica Aerogel/Glass Fiber Composite Material Enclosure

This research investigates the natural convection heat transfer of nanofluid taking the water as based fluid withTiO2 nano particles in an annulus enclosure of a three dimension filled with silica sand as porous media between two horizontal concentric cylinders. Fins attached to the inner cylinder and steady state conditions are applied. The finite difference approach is used and the results obtained using the MATLAB program. The parameters affected on the system are modified Rayleigh number (10 ≤Ra≤ 800), cylinders radius ratio Rr (0.293, 0.365 and 0.435) and the volume fraction   5 . 0 0   . It was found that the increase of Ra and/or decrease in radius ratio result an increase in heat transfer. For cold cylinder with Ra=800, adding TiO2 nanoparticles of a volume fraction equal 0.5 cause to increase the average Nu by 450% for Rr=0.293 and 519.6 % increase in average Nu for Rr=0.365 and for Rr=0.435 the % increase in the average Nu is 536.33. Effect of nanoparticles on enhancement of heat transfer at high Ra is more significant than that at low Ra. General Terms Cp: Specific heat at constant pressure (kJ/kg o C), g: Acceleration due to gravity (m/s), kf: Thermal conductivity of the fluid (W/m K), ks: Thermal conductivity of the solid (W/m K), keff. : Effective thermal conductivity of the porous media (W/m K), K: Permeability (m), l: Cylinder length (m), L:Dimensionless cylinder length, Nu1: Local Nusselt number on the inner cylinder, Nu2: Local Nusselt number on the outer cylinder, Nuin: Average Nusselt number on the inner cylinder, Nuout: Average Nusselt number on the outer cylinder, p: Pressure (N/m2), q: Local heat flux (m), r: Radial coordinate (m), R: Dimensionless radial coordinate, Ra*: Modified Rayleigh number, Rr: Radius ratio, S: Fin pitch (m), T: Temperature (K), t: time (s), ur,uφ, uz: velocity component in r,φ and z direction (m/s), Ur, Uφ, Uz: Dimensionless velocity component in R, φ and Z direction, x, y, z: Cartesian coordinate system (m), Z: Dimensionless axial coordinate, α: Thermal diffusivity (m/s), β: Volumetric thermal expansion coefficient (1/K), θ: Dimensionless temperature, ψr, ψφ, ψz: Vector potential component in R,φ and Z – direction, f : Dynamic viscosity of fluid (Pa.s), nf Dynamic viscosity of nanofluid(Pa.s), FAI: angular direction.
Automated Species Classification Methods for Passive Acoustic Monitoring of Beaked Whales

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Synthesis and characterizations of CoTiO3-clay nanocomposites by sol-gel method

�� CoTiO3-clay nano-composites were synthesized via a conventional sol-gel method; the gel was calcinated at 500 - 800°C for 2 hours. The presence of rhombohedra phase of CoTiO3 in clay matrix was confirmed by XRD, FTIR, SEM. Cobalt titanate-clay nano-composites were prepared with 5-20%(w/w) by sol-gel method. The spectra results were investigated at 20% (w/w) concentration . The optimum condition for nano-composite preparation in 20 %( w/w) at 600°C is obtained.
Plasma and plasma derivatives in therapeutic plasmapheresis

In therapeutic plasmapheresis, patient plasma is withdrawn and a colloid replacement solution is infused in its place. A 4% to 5% human serum albumin solution in saline is the preferred replacement solution in most instances, even though this practice causes transient mild deficiencies of most plasma proteins. Albumin solutions are pasteurized for viral inactivation, are very unlikely to cause a febrile or allergic reaction, and are convenient to store and administer. Single‐donor plasma must be type specific, which requires advance knowledge of patient blood type, and must be ordered and usually thawed before use. It also carries a higher risk of reactions. On the plus side, it replaces all plasma constituents and is appropriate for patients with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura or an existing coagulopathy. Neither cryosupernatant plasma, which is relatively deficient in the proteins in cryoprecipitate, nor plasma derived from pools that have been virally inactivated with detergents and organic solvents has been shown to produce better outcomes than fresh frozen plasma for any indication.
Comparison of performance the neighborhood operators and the ratio of search local-global in minimizing makespan using an GA-VNS collaboration to solve reactive production scheduling

Reactive production scheduling involves searching methodologies in a wide solution space. A criterion often used in the analysis of results for this type of problem is makespan. Many artificial intelligence techniques are being used in an attempt to minimize the makespan. The use of global and local search hybridization has been well referenced. Usually the each global search for a solution applies some local searches in the same solution, trying to find a better solution in the neighborhood. These local search operations have used neighborhood operators. This paper has two research objectives: investigation of the better neighborhood operator and the better ratio local/global. This proposal implements a hybrid Genetic Algorithm (GA) with Variable Neighborhood Search (VNS). The proposal was validated in three scenarios of Job Shop Scheduling (JSS) coming from Taillard base and using three neighborhood structures.
Development of lower shrinkage and reflection material for concrete pavement

This study focuses on the development of a high performance concrete material for concrete paving with lower shrinkage and reflection of sunlight. Based on a literature review, alternative mixes for paving are suggested. The results of the laboratory experiments indicated that the contrast and reflectivity values of the concrete mixes with a variety of black pigment do not significantly vary provided that the mix contains 3% black pigment. When optimised aggregate gradation (OAG) is incorporated into the mix design, the strength and freeze–thaw resistance of the concrete significantly improves. In addition, the use of fly ash in the mix design reduces the dry shrinkage and alkali–silica reaction of the concrete and improves its resistance to the permeation of chloride ion. In summary, the mix design that uses fly ash (25% replacement), black pigment (3% addition) and OAG is found to be the most effective mix for concrete pavement.
A JUMONJI Protein with E3 Ligase and Histone H3 Binding Activities Affects Transposon Silencing in Arabidopsis1

A conserved JUMONJI protein with E3 ubiquitin ligase activity affects transposon silencing. Transposable elements (TEs) make up a large proportion of eukaryotic genomes. As their mobilization creates genetic variation that threatens genome integrity, TEs are epigenetically silenced through several pathways, and this may spread to neighboring sequences. JUMONJI (JMJ) proteins can function as antisilencing factors and prevent silencing of genes next to TEs. Whether TE silencing is counterbalanced by the activity of antisilencing factors is still unclear. Here, we characterize JMJ24 as a regulator of TE silencing. We show that loss of JMJ24 results in increased silencing of the DNA transposon AtMu1c, while overexpression of JMJ24 reduces silencing. JMJ24 has a JumonjiC (JmjC) domain and two RING domains. JMJ24 autoubiquitinates in vitro, demonstrating E3 ligase activity of the RING domain(s). JMJ24-JmjC binds the N-terminal tail of histone H3, and full-length JMJ24 binds histone H3 in vivo. JMJ24 activity is anticorrelated with histone H3 Lys 9 dimethylation (H3K9me2) levels at AtMu1c. Double mutant analyses with epigenetic silencing mutants suggest that JMJ24 antagonizes histone H3K9me2 and requires H3K9 methyltransferases for its activity on AtMu1c. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis indicates that JMJ24 affects silencing at additional TEs. Our results suggest that the JmjC domain of JMJ24 has lost demethylase activity but has been retained as a binding domain for histone H3. This is in line with phylogenetic analyses indicating that JMJ24 (with the mutated JmjC domain) is widely conserved in angiosperms. Taken together, this study assigns a role in TE silencing to a conserved JmjC-domain protein with E3 ligase activity, but no demethylase activity.
Effect of a Tangential Electric Field on the Second Harmonic Resonance in Kelvin-Helmholtz Flow

Abstract The stability of Kelvin-Helmholtz flow at the second harmonic resonance between two marginally unstable modes is investigated in the presence of a tangential electric field. We obtain coupled amplitude equations which are examined for the stability characteristics. Numerical integration of the equations reveals that at a certain determinate time, the amplitudes of both the fundamental mode and the second harmonic mode start increasing rapidly, resulting in what is termed as "Explosive Instability". It is demonstrated that for a fluid of given density and dielectric constant, the electric field plays an important role, and the explosive instability sets in much earlier as the electric field increases.
Energy Efficiency Maximization for WSNs with Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer

Recently, the simultaneous wireless information and power transfer (SWIPT) technique has been regarded as a promising approach to enhance performance of wireless sensor networks with limited energy supply. However, from a green communication perspective, energy efficiency optimization for SWIPT system design has not been investigated in Wireless Rechargeable Sensor Networks (WRSNs). In this paper, we consider the tradeoffs between energy efficiency and three factors including spectral efficiency, the transmit power and outage target rate for two different modes, i.e., power splitting (PS) and time switching modes (TS), at the receiver. Moreover, we formulate the energy efficiency maximization problem subject to the constraints of minimum Quality of Service (QoS), minimum harvested energy and maximum transmission power as non-convex optimization problem. In particular, we focus on optimizing power control and power allocation policy in PS and TS modes to maximize energy efficiency of data transmission. For PS and TS modes, we propose the corresponding algorithm to characterize a non-convex optimization problem that takes into account the circuit power consumption and the harvested energy. By exploiting nonlinear fractional programming and Lagrangian dual decomposition, we propose suboptimal iterative algorithms to obtain the solutions of non-convex optimization problems. Furthermore, we derive the outage probability and effective throughput from the scenarios that the transmitter does not or partially know the channel state information (CSI) of the receiver. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed optimal iterative algorithm can achieve optimal solutions within a small number of iterations and various tradeoffs between energy efficiency and spectral efficiency, transmit power and outage target rate, respectively.
Inhibition of the NEDD8 conjugation pathway induces calcium-dependent compensatory activation of the pro-survival MEK/ERK pathway in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

De novo and acquired drug resistance and subsequent relapse remain major challenges in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). We previously identified that pevonedistat (TAK-924, MLN4924), a first-in-class inhibitor of NEDD8 activating enzyme (NAE), elicits ER stress and has potent in vitro and in vivo efficacy against ALL. However, in pevonedistat-treated ALL cell lines, we found consistent activation of the pro-survival MEK/ERK pathway, which has been associated with relapse and poor outcome in ALL. We uncovered that inhibition of the MEK/ERK pathway in vitro and in vivo sensitized ALL cells to pevonedistat. The observed synergistic apoptotic effect appears to be mediated by inhibition of the MEK/ERK pro-survival cascade leading to de-repression of the pro-apoptotic BIM protein. Mechanistically, Ca2+ influx via the Ca2+-release-activated Ca2+ (CRAC) channel induced protein kinase C β2 (PKC-β2) was responsible for activation of the MEK/ERK pathway in pevonedistat-treated ALL cells. Sequestration of Ca2+ using BAPTA-AM or blockage of store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) using BTP-2 both attenuated the compensatory activation of MEK/ERK signaling in pevonedistat-treated ALL cells. Pevonedistat significantly altered the expression of Orai1 and stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1), resulting in significantly decreased STIM1 protein levels relative to Orai1. Further, we identified eIF2α as an important post-transcriptional regulator of STIM1, suggesting that pevonedistat-induced eIF2α de-phosphorylation selectively down-regulates translation of STIM1 mRNA. Consequently, our data suggest that pevonedistat potentially activates SOCE and promotes Ca2+ influx leading to activation of the MEK/ERK pathway by altering the stoichiometric Orai1:STIM1 ratio and inducing ER stress in ALL cells.
Effect of curing temperature on the performance of microencapsulated low melting point paraffin using urea-formaldehyde resin as a shell

Microencapsulated phase change materials (MicroPCMs) containing paraffin with low melting temperature were prepared by in situ polymerization using urea-formaldehyde resin as shell material. The curing stage was very crucial in determining the properties of the MicroPCMs. The effects of curing temperature on thermal properties, diameter distributions and surface morphology were systematically investigated by using differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetry analysis, a mean particle size distribution meter and scanning electronic microscopy. The obtained results indicate that the optimum curing temperature is 65℃. Under this condition, the paraffin mass content of MicroPCMs is 52.8%, and the enthalpy of MicroPCMs containing paraffin of 52.8% is 74.2 J/g. In addition, the mean volume particle diameter of MicroPCMs is 4.57 µm with particle size distribution of 0.37. The thermal resistant temperature of MicroPCMs is 220℃. Based on the results, it can be considered that MicroPCMs prepared at a curing temperature of 65℃ have good energy storage potential and temperature resistance. Therefore, they can be used to produce nonwoven materials by melt-blow.
Driving and Multitasking: The Good, the Bad, and the Dangerous

Previous research has shown that multitasking can have a positive or a negative influence on driving performance. The aim of this study was to determine how the interaction between driving circumstances and cognitive requirements of secondary tasks affect a driver's ability to control a car. We created a driving simulator paradigm where participants had to perform one of two scenarios: one with no traffic in the driver's lane, and one with substantial traffic in both lanes, some of which had to be overtaken. Four different secondary task conditions were combined with these driving scenarios. In both driving scenarios, using a tablet resulted in the worst, most dangerous, performance, while passively listening to the radio or answering questions for a radio quiz led to the best driving performance. Interestingly, driving as a single task did not produce better performance than driving in combination with one of the radio tasks, and even tended to be slightly worse. These results suggest that drivers switch to internally focused secondary tasks when nothing else is available during monotonous or repetitive driving environments. This mind wandering potentially has a stronger interference effect with driving than non-visual secondary tasks.
Biochemical Characterization of Anopheles gambiae SRPN6, a Malaria Parasite Invasion Marker in Mosquitoes

Serine proteinase inhibitors of the serpin family are well known as negative regulators of hemostasis, thrombolysis and innate immune responses. Additionally, non-inhibitory serpins serve functions as chaperones, hormone transporters, or anti-angiogenic factors. In the African malaria mosquito, Anopheles gambiae s.s. , at least three serpins (SRPNs) are implicated in the innate immune response against malaria parasites. Based on reverse genetic and cell biological analyses, AgSRPN6 limits parasite numbers and transmission and has been postulated to control melanization and complement function in mosquitoes. This study aimed to characterize AgSRPN6 biophysically and determine its biochemical mode of action. The structure model of AgSRPN6, as predicted by I-Tasser showed the protein in the native serpin fold, with three central β-sheets, nine surrounding α-helices, and a protruding reactive center loop. This structure is in agreement with biophysical and functional data obtained from recombinant (r) AgSRPN6, produced in Escherichia coli. The physical properties of purified rAgSRPN6 were investigated by means of analytical ultracentrifugation, circular dichroism, and differential scanning calorimetry tools. The recombinant protein exists predominantly as a monomer in solution, is composed of a mixture of α-helices and β-sheets, and has a mid-point unfolding temperature of 56°C. Recombinant AgSRPN6 strongly inhibited porcine pancreatic kallikrein and to a lesser extent bovine pancreatic trypsin in vitro. Furthermore, rAgSRPN6 formed inhibitory, SDS-stable, higher molecular weight complexes with prophenoloxidase-activating proteinase (PAP)1, PAP3, and Hemolymph protein (HP)6, which are required for melanization in the lepidopteran model organism, Manduca sexta. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that AgSRPN6 takes on a native serpin fold and is an inhibitor of trypsin-like serine proteinases.