Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Studies on the Moisture Retention Capacity of Coir Pith, as a Function of Time

Coir pith is an agro-pollutant generated during the extraction of coir fibre from coconut husks. It causes air, water and soil pollution and is considered as an environmental nuisance. The only advantageous property of coir pith is its moisture holding capacity. The held water in the inner matrices of coir pith has to be retained for a long period of time if the coir pith is being used as a potting medium. In this context, the water retention capacity of coir pith was studied as a function of time. This study was carried out in the different grades of coir pith. The results will be discussed in detail.
Oral colonization, phenotypic, and genotypic profiles of Candida species in irradiated, dentate, xerostomic nasopharyngeal carcinoma survivors.

The aim of this study was to investigate oral yeast colonization and oral yeast strain diversity in irradiated (head and neck), dentate, xerostomic individuals. Subjects were recruited from a nasopharyngeal carcinoma clinic and were segregated into group A (age, <60 years [n = 25; average age +/- standard deviation (SD), 48 +/- 6 years; average postirradiation time +/- SD, 5 +/- 5 years]) and group B (age, >/=60 years [n = 8; average age +/- SD, 67 +/- 4 years; average postirradiation time +/- SD, 2 +/- 2 years]) and were compared with age- and sex-matched healthy individuals in group C (age, <60 years [n = 20; average age +/- SD, 44 +/- 12 years] and group D (age, >/=60 years [n = 10; average age, 70 +/- 3 years]). Selective culture of oral rinse samples was carried out to isolate, quantify, and speciate yeast recovery. All test subjects underwent a 3-month comprehensive oral and preventive care regimen plus topical antifungal therapy, if indicated. A total of 12 subjects from group A and 5 subjects from group B were recalled for reassessment of yeast colonization. Sequential (pre- and posttherapy) Candida isolate pairs from patients were phenotypically (all isolate pairs; biotyping and resistotyping profiles) and genotypically (Candida albicans isolate pairs only; electrophoretic karyotyping by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, restriction fragment length polymorphism [RFLP], and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA [RAPD] assays) evaluated. All isolates were Candida species. Irradiated individuals were found to have a significantly increased yeast carriage compared with the controls. The isolation rate of Candida posttherapy remained unchanged. A total of 9 of the 12 subjects in group A and 3 of the 5 subjects in group B harbored the same C. albicans or Candida tropicalis phenotype at recall. Varying degrees of congruence in the molecular profiles were observed when these sequential isolate pairs of C. albicans were analyzed by RFLP and RAPD assays. Variations in the genotype were complementary to those in the phenotypic characteristics for some isolates. In conclusion, irradiation-induced xerostomia seems to favor intraoral colonization of Candida species, particularly C. albicans, which appeared to undergo temporal modifications in clonal profiles both phenotypically and genotypically following hygienic and preventive oral care which included topical antifungal therapy, if indicated. We postulate that the observed ability of Candida species to undergo genetic and phenotypic adaptation could strategically enhance its survival in the human oral cavity, particularly when salivary defenses are impaired.
Semantic Relation Composition in Large Scale Knowledge Bases

Semantic relation composition is a generalized approach for finding conjunctive relation paths in a knowledge base (KB). In semantic web, direct and inverse relationships between entities provide us with ample of explicit knowledge. But there is a plethora of implicit knowledge beyond these direct paths. Consider a knowledge graph, we can achieve deeper insights about a particular entity if we consider the information shared by its neighboring entities via its adjacent relation paths of arbitrary lengths. In this paper, we devise a technique to automatically discover semantically enriched conjunctive relations in a KB. Our approach is generalized for any KB and requires no additional parameter tuning. Particularly, we employ classical rule mining techniques to perform relation composition on knowledge graphs to learn first order rules. We evaluate our proposed methodology on two state of the art information extraction systems, DBpedia and Yago with promising results in terms of generating high precision rules. Furthermore, we make the rules publicly available for community usage.
Generation of tunable entanglement and violation of a Bell-like inequality between different degrees of freedom of a single photon

We demonstrate a scheme to generate noncoherent and coherent correlations, i.e., a tunable degree of entanglement, between degrees of freedom of a single photon. Its nature is analogous to the tuning of the purity (first-order coherence) of a single photon forming part of a two-photon state by tailoring the correlations between the paired photons. Therefore, well-known tools such as the Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell-like inequality can also be used to characterize entanglement between degrees of freedom. More specifically, CHSH inequality tests are performed, making use of the polarization and the spatial shape of a single photon. The four modes required are two polarization modes and two spatial modes with different orbital angular momentum.
Gold Nanoparticles: Experimental Nanomedicine Biodistribution of maltose and gum arabic hybrid gold nanoparticles after intravenous injection in juvenile swine

This article describes several experiments performed to test our hypothesis that the agent used to coat/stabilize gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) will act to direct the AuNPs to specific tissues within the body and that changing the coating will change the target organ. Samples were also collected for pathological examination. Gum arabic– (GA) and maltose- (MALT) stabilized AuNPs were administered intravenously to juvenile swine, and blood, tissue, and urine samples were collected for gold analysis. Our results indicate that differences do exist between the two NP constructs tested, with 50% or greater of the total gold dose being found in the liver or lung for the GA- and MALT-stabilized AuNPs, respectively. These findings indicate that the functional unit used to coat/ stabilize the AuNPs has an important role in determining the tissue distribution profile for individual AuNP constructs.
Criteria-Based Resource Allocation: A Tool to Improve Public Health Impact.

OBJECTIVE Resource allocation in local public health (LPH) has been reported as a significant challenge for practitioners and a Public Health Services and Systems Research priority. Ensuring available resources have maximum impact on community health and maintaining public confidence in the resource allocation process are key challenges. A popular strategy in health care settings to address these challenges is Program Budgeting and Marginal Analysis (PBMA). This case study used PBMA in an LPH setting to examine its appropriateness and utility. DESIGN The criteria-based resource allocation process PBMA was implemented to guide the development of annual organizational budget in an attempt to maximize the impact of agency resources. Senior leaders and managers were surveyed postimplementation regarding process facilitators, challenges, and successes. SETTING Canada's largest autonomous LPH agency. RESULTS PBMA was used to shift 3.4% of the agency budget from lower-impact areas (through 34 specific disinvestments) to higher-impact areas (26 specific reinvestments). Senior leaders and managers validated the process as a useful approach for improving the public health impact of agency resources. However, they also reported the process may have decreased frontline staff confidence in senior leadership. CONCLUSIONS In this case study, PBMA was used successfully to reallocate a sizable portion of an LPH agency's budget toward higher-impact activities. PBMA warrants further study as a tool to support optimal resource allocation in LPH settings.
Interleukin (Il)-18 Promotes the Development of Chronic Gastrointestinal Helminth Infection by Downregulating IL-13

Expulsion of the gastrointestinal nematode Trichuris muris is mediated by a T helper (Th) 2 type response involving interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-13. Here we show that Th1 response–associated susceptibility involves prior activation of IL-18 and caspase-1 followed by IL-12 and interferon (IFN)-γ in the intestine. IL-18–deficient mice are highly resistant to chronic T. muris infection and in vivo treatment of normal mice with recombinant (r)IL-18 suppresses IL-13 and IL-4 secretion but does not affect IFN-γ. In vivo treatment of T. muris–infected IFN-γ–deficient mice with rIL-18 demonstrated that the inhibitory effect of IL-18 on IL-13 secretion is independent of IFN-γ. Hence, IL-18 does not function as an IFN-γ–inducing cytokine during chronic T. muris infection but rather as a direct regulator of Th2 cytokines. These results provide the first demonstration of the critical role of IL-18 in regulating Th cell responses during gastrointestinal nematode infection.
Dynorphinergic system alterations in the corticostriatal circuitry of neuropathic mice support its role in the negative affective component of pain

The dynorphinergic system is involved in pain transmission at spinal level, where dynorphin exerts antinociceptive or pronociceptive effects, based on its opioid or non‐opioid actions. Surprisingly, little evidence is currently available concerning the supraspinal role of the dynorphinergic system in pain conditions. The present study aimed to investigate whether neuropathic pain is accompanied by prodynorphin (Pdyn) and κ‐opioid receptor (Oprk1) gene expression alterations in selected mouse brain areas. To this end, mice were subjected to chronic constriction injury of the right sciatic nerve and neuropathic pain behavioral signs were ascertained after 14 days. At this interval, a marked increase in Pdyn mRNA in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and prefrontal cortex (PFC) was observed. Oprk1 gene expression was increased in the PFC, and decreased in the ACC and nucleus accumbens (NAc). No changes were observed in the other investigated regions. Because of the relationship between dynorphin and the brain‐derived neurotrophic factor, and the role of this neurotrophin in chronic pain‐related neuroplasticity, we investigated brain‐derived neurotrophic factor gene (Bdnf) expression in the areas showing Pdyn or Oprk1 mRNAs changes. Bdnf mRNA levels were increased in both the ACC and PFC, whereas no changes were assessed in the NAc. Present data indicate that the dynorphinergic system undergoes quite selective alterations involving the corticostriatal circuitry during neuropathic pain, suggesting a contribution to the negative affective component of pain. Moreover, parallel increases in Pdyn and Bdnf mRNA at cortical level suggest the occurrence of likely interactions between these systems in neuropathic pain maladaptive neuroplasticity.
openCypher: New Directions in Property Graph Querying

Cypher is a property graph query language that provides expressive and efficient querying of graph data. Originally designed and implemented within the Neo4j graph database, it is now being used by several industrial database products, as well as open-source and research projects. Since 2015, Cypher has been an open, evolving language, with the aim of becoming a fullyspecified standard with many independent implementations. We introduce Cypher and the property graph model, and then describe extensions – either actively being developed or under discussion – which will be incorporated into Cypher in the near future. These include (i) making Cypher into a fully compositional language by supporting multiple graphs and allowing graphs to be returned from queries; (ii) allowing for more complex patterns (based on regular path queries) to be expressed; and (iii) allowing for different pattern matching semantics – homomorphism, relationship isomorphism (the current default) or node isomorphism – to be configured at a query-by-query level. A subset of the proposed Cypher language extensions has already been implemented on top of Apache Spark. In the tutorial, wewill present our approach including an in-depth analysis of the challenges we faced. This includes mapping the property graph model to the Spark DataFrame abstraction and the translation of Cypher query operators into relational transformations. The tutorial will conclude with a demonstration based on a real-world graph analytical use case.
Real time noise suppression in social settings comprising a mixture of non-stationary anc transient noise

Hearable is a recently emerging term that describes a wireless earpiece that enhances the user's listening experience in various acoustic environment. Another important feature of hearable devices is their capability to improve speech communication in difficult social settings, which usually consist of a mixture of different non-stationary noise. In this paper, we present techniques to suppress a combination of non-stationary noise and transient noise. This is achieved by employing a combined noise suppression filter based on prediction and masking to achieve impulsive noise suppression. Experimental results highlight the robustness of the proposed algorithm in suppressing the transient noise while maintaining the speech components, without requiring any prior information of the noise.
Unfurling the wings of flight: clarifying ‘the what’ and ‘the why’ of mental imagery use in dance

Abstract This article provides clarification regarding ‘the what’ and ‘the why’ of mental imagery use in dance. It proposes that mental images are invoked across sensory modalities and often combine internal and external perspectives. The content of images ranges from ‘direct’ body oriented simulations along a continuum employing analogous mapping through ‘semi-direct’ literal similarities to abstract metaphors. The reasons for employing imagery are diverse and often overlapping, affecting physical, affective (psychological) and cognitive domains. This paper argues that when dance uses imagery, it is mapping aspects of the world to the body via analogy. Such mapping informs and changes our understanding of both our bodies and the world. In this way, mental imagery use in dance is fundamentally a process of embodied cognition.
Towards the Stress Analytics Framework: Managing, Mining, and Visualizing Multi-modal Data for Stress Awareness

Stress is experienced by many people on daily basis. Often it remains to be unrecognized and unnoticed. We propose a framework for stress analytics and describe technologies facilitating management and exploration of multi-modal affective data captured in physiological signals, such as galvanic skin response and heart rate, as well as in facial expression, in speech and in written text. We envision that stress analytics can become a useful tool as for individual personal use for stress-awareness as for researchers aiming to study the phenomenon of stress.
Characterization of Within-Host Plasmodium falciparum Diversity Using Next-Generation Sequence Data

Our understanding of the composition of multi-clonal malarial infections and the epidemiological factors which shape their diversity remain poorly understood. Traditionally within-host diversity has been defined in terms of the multiplicity of infection (MOI) derived by PCR-based genotyping. Massively parallel, single molecule sequencing technologies now enable individual read counts to be derived on genome-wide datasets facilitating the development of new statistical approaches to describe within-host diversity. In this class of measures the F(WS) metric characterizes within-host diversity and its relationship to population level diversity. Utilizing P. falciparum field isolates from patients in West Africa we here explore the relationship between the traditional MOI and F(WS) approaches. F(WS) statistics were derived from read count data at 86,158 SNPs in 64 samples sequenced on the Illumina GA platform. MOI estimates were derived by PCR at the msp-1 and -2 loci. Significant correlations were observed between the two measures, particularly with the msp-1 locus (P = 5.92×10(-5)). The F(WS) metric should be more robust than the PCR-based approach owing to reduced sensitivity to potential locus-specific artifacts. Furthermore the F(WS) metric captures information on a range of parameters which influence out-crossing risk including the number of clones (MOI), their relative proportions and genetic divergence. This approach should provide novel insights into the factors which correlate with, and shape within-host diversity.
Methods for enhancing radar REMPI sensitivity

Radar REMPI is a promising technique and alternative to other laser diagnostics such as laser-induced fluorescence, Raman scattering or coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering. While measurements in nitric oxide illustrated the ability of the technique to capture trace species, the sensitivity ultimately depends upon the experimental configuration and background interference from other species with overlapping transitions. 2+2 radar REMPI measurements performed in molecular nitrogen were limited to densities at or above 10 cm−3. This paper looks at methods for increasing the sensitivity of the technique. Near-field enhancement of the scattered signal was observed to produce a factor of 20 signal enhancement. However, this enhancement was found to be very sensitive to alignment and was difficult to achieve consistently. Alternatively, a double pass configuration was used and found to increase the signal level. Therefore, a multi-pass configuration has the potential for offering an increase in the sensitivity of the technique. This approach may be useful for measurements of trace species in an atmospheric flame, where remote detection is not required.
Multigenerational effects of nickel on Daphnia magna depend on temperature and the magnitude of the effect in the first generation

Ecological risk assessment is commonly based on single‐generation ecotoxicological tests that are usually performed at one standard temperature. We investigated the effects of nickel (Ni) on Daphnia magna reproduction at 15, 20, and 25 °C over 4 generations. Multigenerational Ni effects on D. magna reproduction depended on the magnitude of the effect in the first generation (F0) and showed very different patterns at different temperatures. At low effect level concentrations (<10% effect concentration [EC10] in F0), chronic Ni toxicity at 15 and 20 °C did not increase over 4 generations, and the increase in Ni toxicity at 25 °C observed in F1 and F2 in some Ni treatments did not persist into F3, where complete recovery of reproduction was observed. At higher effect level concentrations, the multigenerational Ni effects depended on the test temperature. In F0, Ni toxicity was 6.5‐fold lower at 25 °C than at 15 °C (based on the median effect concentration), but the temperature effect on Ni toxicity was not explained by differences in Ni accumulation. At a lower temperature, lower internal Ni concentrations in D. magna were necessary to induce the same Ni toxicity as at a higher temperature. Overall, our results indicate that low single‐generation chronic effect concentrations of Ni in D. magna (EC10 in the present study) are also protective in a long‐term, multigenerational context and that temperature should be taken into account in the ecological risk assessment of Ni. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:1877–1888 © 2018 SETAC
Effect of creatine supplementation on cognitive performance and apoptosis in a rat model of amyloid-beta-induced Alzheimer’s disease

Objective(s): Neuroprotective effect of creatine (Cr) against β-amyloid (Aβ) is reported in an in vitro study. This study investigated the effect of Cr supplementation on β-amyloid toxicity in vivo. Materials and Methods: Thirty two, male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups. During ten weeks of study, control group went through no surgical or dietary intervention. At the 4th week of study Sham group had a hippocampal normal saline injection, while Aβ and AβCr groups had an β-amyloid injection in the hippocampus. AβCr group were fed by Cr diet during the study. After 10 weeks, Morris water maze (MWM) test was administered to measure learning ability and memory retrieval. Animals were sacrificed for TUNEL anti apoptotic assay and staining of amyloid plaques by Thioflavin-T. Results: There was a significant retention deficit among AβCr and Aβ group while the escape latency and the distance traveled to the platform were significantly higher in AβCr group compared to Aβ group. AβCr group had same percent of TUNEL positive neurons compared to Aβ group. Conclusion: Cr supplementation before and after β-amyloid injection into the CA1 area of hippocampus deteriorates the learning and memory impairment of rats and it does not protect neuronal apoptosis caused by β-amyloid.
Balanced Crystalloids versus Saline in Critically Ill Adults

BACKGROUND Both balanced crystalloids and saline are used for intravenous fluid administration in critically ill adults, but it is not known which results in better clinical outcomes. METHODS In a pragmatic, cluster‐randomized, multiple‐crossover trial conducted in five intensive care units at an academic center, we assigned 15,802 adults to receive saline (0.9% sodium chloride) or balanced crystalloids (lactated Ringer's solution or Plasma‐Lyte A) according to the randomization of the unit to which they were admitted. The primary outcome was a major adverse kidney event within 30 days — a composite of death from any cause, new renal‐replacement therapy, or persistent renal dysfunction (defined as an elevation of the creatinine level to ≥200% of baseline) — all censored at hospital discharge or 30 days, whichever occurred first. RESULTS Among the 7942 patients in the balanced‐crystalloids group, 1139 (14.3%) had a major adverse kidney event, as compared with 1211 of 7860 patients (15.4%) in the saline group (marginal odds ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.84 to 0.99; conditional odds ratio, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.82 to 0.99; P=0.04). In‐hospital mortality at 30 days was 10.3% in the balanced‐crystalloids group and 11.1% in the saline group (P=0.06). The incidence of new renal‐replacement therapy was 2.5% and 2.9%, respectively (P=0.08), and the incidence of persistent renal dysfunction was 6.4% and 6.6%, respectively (P=0.60). CONCLUSIONS Among critically ill adults, the use of balanced crystalloids for intravenous fluid administration resulted in a lower rate of the composite outcome of death from any cause, new renal‐replacement therapy, or persistent renal dysfunction than the use of saline. (Funded by the Vanderbilt Institute for Clinical and Translational Research and others; SMART‐MED and SMART‐SURG ClinicalTrials.gov numbers, NCT02444988 and NCT02547779.)
Visual Study of Droplet Bouncing Phenomena upon Impact on Hot Horizontal Surface

When a droplet hits a hot surface beyond the Leidenfrost temperature, the droplet will bounce on the hot surface. This unique bouncing phenomenon only occurs in the film boiling region. This paper discusses the relationship between the residence time of droplet and droplet bouncing phenomena during droplet impact on hot horizontal surfaces. In this experiment, aluminum (mirror polished) was selected as a test surface. Degassed and distilled water were used in the experiment. The droplet diameter was fixed at 4.0 mm and the droplet temperature was kept at 16.0 °C. The droplet falling height was fixed at 65.0 mm corresponding to the impact velocity of 1.129 m/s. This unique droplet bouncing phenomenon was recorded at 10,000 fps (frames per second) by using a high speed video camera. From the theoretical calculation, the residence time or liquid-solid contact time of droplet during impact on hot surface was approximately 23.0 ms. Therefore, it is found that the measured residence time from the experimental data agrees closely with the theoretical calculation.