Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of Escherichia Coli K-12 Strain With Gfp Reporter Gene for Screening of Cefuroxime and Metronidazole Residues in Surface Water

Antibiotic residues are constantly detected in environmental waters at relatively low concentrations. They can modulate the biological stability of ecosystems after entering the environment, therefore robust and reliable methods for determining their residues in environmental samples are required. In this work, Escherichia coli K-12 GFP-based bacterial biosensors strain was used to detect cytoand genotoxic activity of cefuroxime and metronidazole at concentration of 500, 1000, 2000, 3000 and 5000 μg/ml. Experimental data indicated that metronidazole, at higher concentrations of 3000 and 5000 μg/ml showed stronger cytoand genotoxix activity than cefuroxime to bacteria cells. Incubation of bacteria cells with surface water with both drugs modulated gfp gene expression. E. coli K-12 strain with genetic fusion of recA promoter and gfp reporter gene was a good model organism for screening cytoand genotoxic effect of cefuroxime and metronidazole in applied in this experiment concentrations of these drugs.
Melatonin treatment for tardive dyskinesia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.

BACKGROUND Antipsychotics remain the mainstay of drug intervention in the management of schizophrenia. However, long-term treatment with antipsychotics is associated with a variety of movement disorders, the most disabling of which is tardive dyskinesia (TD), which occurs in up to 50% of patients hospitalized with chronic schizophrenia. The pathophysiology of TD is still unclear and no definite treatment exists. Both dopamine receptor supersensitivity and oxidative stress-induced neurotoxicity in the nigrostriatal system are apparently implicated. The pineal hormone melatonin is a potent antioxidant and attenuates dopaminergic activity in the striatum and dopamine release from the hypothalamus. Thus, it may have a beneficial effect for both the treatment and prevention of TD. METHODS Using a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study, we evaluated the efficacy of 10 mg/d of melatonin for 6 weeks in 22 patients with schizophrenia and TD. The primary outcome measure was the change from baseline in Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) score. RESULTS The decrease (mean +/- SD) in AIMS score was 2.45 +/- 1.92 for the melatonin and 0.77 +/- 1.11 for the placebo treatment groups (P<.001). No adverse events or side effects were noted. CONCLUSION This is the first clinical evidence for efficacy of melatonin in the treatment of TD.
Effectiveness of the facility-based maternal near-miss case reviews in improving maternal and newborn quality of care in low-income and middle-income countries: a systematic review

Objectives The maternal near-miss case review (NMCR) has been promoted by WHO as an approach to improve quality of care (QoC) at facility level. This systematic review synthesises evidence on the effectiveness of the NMCR on QoC and maternal and perinatal health outcomes in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods Studies were searched for in six electronic databases (MEDLINE, Index Medicus, Web of Science, the Cochrane library, Embase, LILACS), with no language restrictions. Two authors independently screened papers and selected them for inclusion and independently extracted data. Maternal mortality was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included any outcome informing on any of the six dimensions of QoC: efficacy, safety, efficiency, equity, accessibility and timely care, acceptability and patient-centred care. Results Out of 24 822 papers retrieved, 17 studies from 11 countries were included. Maternal mortality measured before and after the implementation of the NMCR cycle significantly decreased (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.61 to 0.98, eight studies, 55 573 043 women; I2=39%). A statistically significant reduction in the incidence of uterine rupture, postpartum haemorrhage and maternal sepsis was observed in three out of six studies. Ten studies reporting on maternal care process all showed some significant improvement when measured against predefined standards. All studies reported that the NMCR resulted in some amelioration of the facility structure (physical structure, staffing, equipment, training, organisation of care). Newborn outcomes were overall poorly reported; four studies showed no significant difference in perinatal mortality. Patient satisfaction and equity were also poorly reported. Conclusions Policy makers may consider implementing the maternal NMCR cycle approach among strategies aiming at improving QoC and reducing maternal mortality and morbidity in LMIC. Future studies should better document the effectiveness of the NMCR cycle particularly on outcomes reflecting patient-centred care and cost-effectiveness.
Qualitative research issues at the marketing/ entrepreneurship interface

Discusses the emergence of qualitative research in the context of research at the marketing/entrepreneurship interface. Debates which qualitative methods for data collection and analysis are relevant to research in this area. In consideration of this, discusses three topical approaches to research: applying the principles of grounded theory; utilizing computer software in data analysis and theory development; and developing a “stream” of research, combining various qualitative and quantitative methods. Drawing on the logic of the “stream” of research, offers a radical approach which reflects the intuitive research process employed by entrepreneurs. Argues that this might be adopted for qualitative academic research.
Investigation of cue-based aggregation in static and dynamic environments with a mobile robot swarm

Aggregation is one of the most fundamental behaviors and has been studied in swarm robotic researches for more than two decades. Studies in biology have revealed that the environment is a preeminent factor, especially in cue-based aggregation. This can be defined as aggregation at a particular location which is a heat or a light source acting as a cue indicating an optimal zone. In swarm robotics, studies on cue-based aggregation mainly focused on different methods of aggregation and different parameters such as population size. Although of utmost importance, environmental effects on aggregation performance have not been studied systematically. In this paper, we study the effects of different environmental factors: size, texture and number of cues in a static setting, and moving cues in a dynamic setting using real robots. We used the aggregation time and size of the aggregate as the two metrics with which to measure aggregation performance. We performed real robot experiments with different population sizes and evaluated the performance of aggregation using the defined metrics. We also proposed a probabilistic aggregation model and predicted the aggregation performance accurately in most of the settings. The results of the experiments show that environmental conditions affect the aggregation performance considerably and have to be studied in depth.
Measurement and Comparision of Bracket Transfer Accuracy of Five Indirect Bonding Techniques: An In Vitro study

AIM : To measure and compare bracket transfer accuracy of five indirect bonding ( IDB) techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS : Five groups were studied. In each group 10 working models and 10 study models are taken. Group I – PolyVinyl Si loxane (PVS – Putty), Group II – Single Vacuum Form (Single -VF), Group III – Clear Polyvinyl Si loxane (PVS-Clear), Group IV - Double Vacuum Form - Double VF, Group V – Polyvinyl Si loxane (Clear) Vacuum form (PVS-VF). Brackets were bonded on 50 identical stone working models (10 per technique) . IDB t rays were fabricated to transfer brackets to another 50 identical stone study models (10 per technique) . The MesioDistal (M-D: x-axis) , OcclusoGingival (O-G: y-axis) , and BuccoLingual (B-L: z-axis) positions of each bracket are measured using the Photographic and Caliper measurements. RESULTS : When the techniques were compared, bracket transfer accuracy was similar for PVS-VF, PVS-Clear, and PVS putty, whereas Double - VF showed significantly less accuracy in the O-G direct ion. Single VF was less accurate in al l three direct ions (M-D, O-G & B-L) . CONCLUSION : Based on the findings of the present study, overall differences in bracket position were relatively small . Silicone-based trays had consistently high accuracy in transferring brackets, whereas methods that exclusively used vacuum- formed t rays were less consistent.
Team UKNLP: Detecting ADRs, Classifying Medication Intake Messages, and Normalizing ADR Mentions on Twitter

This paper describes the systems we developed for all three tasks of the 2nd Social Media Mining for Health Applications Shared Task at AMIA 2017. The first task focuses on identifying the Twitter posts containing mentions of adverse drug reactions (ADR). The second task focuses on automatic classification of medication intake messages (among those containing drug names) on Twitter. The last task is on identifying the MEDDRA Preferred Term (PT) code for the ADR mentions expressed in casual social text. We propose convolutional neural network (CNN) and traditional linear model (TLM) approaches for the first and second tasks and use hierarchical long short-term memory (LSTM) recurrent neural networks for the third task. Among 11 teams our systems ranked 4th in ADR detection with F-score 40.2% and 2nd in classifying medication intake messages with F-score 68.9%. For the MEDDRA PT code identification, we obtained an accuracy of 87.2%, which is nearly 1% lower than the top score from the only other team that participated.
THE MODERATING EFFECT OF INDUSTRIAL CONTEXT ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN BRAND EQUITY AND CONSUMER CHOICE IN BRANDED BOTTLED WATER NAIROBI , KENYA

Previous research has shown that brand equity influence consumer choice, however this literature has been limited to broad base view of choice in which specific industry and location characteristic have not been explicitly been examined. This study examines the moderating effect of the Industry context on the relationship between brand equity and consumer choice in the branded bottled water, among supermarkets customers in Nairobi Central Business District, Kenya. The sample size was 400 respondents, comprising of 373 customers and 13 employees of supermarkets. Data was collected using a semi structured questionnaire and an interview guide. Industry context factors influence on the relationship of brand equity influence consumer choice was predicted through the use of a logit model. The research findings indicated that market place efficacy and valence have a moderating role on the influence of brand equity on consumer choice.
Final exam scheduler - FES

Timetabling problems are constraint optimization problems proven to be NP-complete. Furthermore, evaluation of violations is costly, and there is no common data format for representing timetabling problem instances. In this paper, a framework for designing memetic algorithms (MAs) to solve timetabling problems is described and a tool, named final exam scheduler (FES) is introduced. FES is the first tool that accepts timetabling markup language (TTML) documents as input. It utilizes an MA with an adaptive violation directed hierarchical hill climbing method for solving examination timetabling problem instances. Experimental results on a set of benchmark data indicate the success of MA.
P-Glycoprotein on Blood-Brain Barrier Plays a Vital Role in Fentanyl Brain Exposure and Respiratory Toxicity in Rats

Fentanyl is a rapid-acting, short duration opioid analgesic agent. In recent years, increased prescription and illicit use of fentanyl drugs have led to major safety concerns and a growing death toll. However, the causes of fentanyl-induced fatal adverse effects have not been thoroughly researched. This study investigated P-glycoprotein (P-gp) modulated blood-brain barrier penetration of fentanyl and its resulting toxicity in vitro and in vivo. ATPase assays were performed together with bi-directional transport assays using Caco-2 cells in the presence and absence of tariquidar, a P-gp inhibitor, to confirm the P-gp substrate property of fentanyl. In vivo determinations of brain pharmacokinetic profile, duration of loss of righting reflex, and respiratory function were further conducted following intravenous administration of low and high doses of fentanyl with and without tariquidar in rats. Fentanyl significantly increased the ATPase activity of P-gp membrane. The efflux ratio of fentanyl on Caco-2 cells was >2, which was remarkably reduced when co-incubated with tariquidar. Using concomitant tariquidar with fentanyl (40 μg/kg) in rats, the unbound brain-to-plasma concentration ratio in rats increased 2.9- fold. The duration of loss of righting reflex was significantly extended, and fentanyl-induced respiratory depression was aggravated. At high fentanyl doses (80 µg/kg), inhibition of P-gp resulted in severe respiratory toxicity in the rats and even death. Collectively, these results gave strong evidence that P-gp plays a vital role in fentanyl blood-brain barrier penetration and the resulting toxicity. Fentanyl requires close monitoring in clinic when administered concomitantly with P-gp inhibitors.
Novel vortex phases and vortex manipulation in highly anisotropic superconductors by Scanning Hall Probe Microscopy (SHPM)

Scanning Hall probe microscopy (SHPM) has been used to demonstrate the interaction of pancake vortices with the Josephson vortex lattice in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (2212) single crystals at large in-plane fields in the ‘‘crossing lattices” regime of highly anisotropic cuprate superconductors. SHPM has been used to study vortex structures in the interacting crossing lattices regime under applied in and out-ofplane magnetic fields. The interactions between the pancake and Josephson vortices (JV) depend on the values of crossing fields and temperature and the space between chains varies inversely with the in-plane field. These chains are clearly visible at very high in-plane fields HII~315 G over a range of outKirkuk University Journal /Scientific Studies (KUJSS) Volume 12, Issue 2, March 2017 ISSN 1992 – 0849 Kirkuk University Journal /Scientific Studies (KUJSS) Volume 12, Issue 2, March 2017 ISSN 1992 – 0849 of-plane fields 1.76. 8 G at 85 K. The study of such chains allows a better understand the regime of crossing vortex lattices in highly anisotropic cuprate superconductors.
Performance Simulation of an Ultrahigh Resolution Brain PET Scanner Using 1.2-mm Pixel Detectors

The concept of a new ultrahigh resolution (UHR) positron emission tomography (PET) brain scanner featuring truly pixelated detectors based on the LabPET II technology is presented. The aim of this paper is to predict the performance of the scanner using geant4 application for tomographic emission simulations. The NEMA procedures for human and small animal PET scanners were used, whenever appropriate, to simulate spatial resolution, scatter fraction, count rate performance, and the sensitivity of the proposed system compared to state-of-the-art PET scanners that would currently be the preferred choices for brain imaging, namely the high-resolution research tomograph dedicated brain PET scanner and the Biograph Vision whole-body clinical PET scanner. The imaging performance was also assessed using the NEMA-NU4 image quality phantom, a mini Hot Spot phantom, and a 3-D voxelized brain phantom. A reconstructed nearly isotropic spatial resolution of 1.3 mm full width at half-maximum is obtained at 10 mm from the center of the field of view. With an energy window of 250–650 keV, the system absolute sensitivity is estimated at 3.4% and its maximum noise equivalent count rate reaches 16.4 kcps at 12 kBq/cc. The simulation results provide evidence of the promising capabilities of the proposed scanner for UHR brain imaging.
Serum Lipid Profiles in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: A Study from Bangladesh

Aim: To assess the lipid profile in pediatric SLE (pSLE) patients in active disease state and compare it with inactive state. Methodology: It was an observational study carried out in the Department of Pediatrics, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), Shahbagh, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh from January 2013 to June 2014. A total 30 patients fulfilling the ACR 1997 criteria were enrolled in this study. Age and sex matched 15 controls were also included. Lipid profiles were measured at diagnosis, at 3 months follow up and at 9 months follow up. Results: At the time of diagnosis, pSLE patients’ mean triglyceride level and HDL cholesterol levels were significantly abnormal. At 3 three months follow up, when disease activity was high and patients were on high dose steroid therapy, there was increased total, LDL and HDL cholesterol level. At 9 months follow up when most of the patients had inactive disease and were on low dose steroid, all the lipids were within normal range. Comparison of active disease group with inactive disease group at 9 months found significant improvement of total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol levels. Conclusion: Control of SLE seems to be the most important factor in normalizing the lipids.
EGG MASS INFLUENCES NESTLING QUALITY IN TREE SWALLOWS, BUT THERE IS NO DIFFERENTIAL ALLOCATION IN RELATION TO LAYING ORDER OR SEX

Abstract Abstract. Maternal allocation of resources to eggs and nestlings can potentially have a profound influence on offspring phenotype and fitness. However, it is often unclear how much of the variation in offspring quality is due to maternal or environmental effects. We examined the influence of maternal and environmental effects on egg mass and nestling quality (growth and immune function) in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). There was no evidence that the allocation of maternal resources to eggs varied with laying order or offspring sex. Thus, there was no evidence of adaptive maternal allocation to eggs in terms of mass. Instead, egg mass in Tree Swallows appeared to be influenced primarily by ambient temperature during egg formation and differences among females. Nonetheless, female Tree Swallows were likely to realize substantial benefits from producing larger eggs because those young were larger at hatching and grew faster. Furthermore, nestlings that grew faster had a stronger immune function at 11 days of age. Our results suggest that the positive relationship between nestling growth and survival may be due, in part, to the effects of an enhanced immune response.
Land-surface controls on afternoon precipitation diagnosed from observational data : uncertainties and confounding factors

Abstract. The feedback between soil moisture and precipitation has long been a topic of interest due to its potential for improving weather and seasonal forecasts. The generally proposed mechanism assumes a control of soil moisture on precipitation via the partitioning of the surface turbulent heat fluxes, as assessed via the evaporative fraction (EF), i.e., the ratio of latent heat to the sum of latent and sensible heat, in particular under convective conditions. Our study investigates the poorly understood link between EF and precipitation by relating the before-noon EF to the frequency of afternoon precipitation over the contiguous US, through statistical analyses of multiple EF and precipitation data sets. We analyze remote-sensing data products (Global Land Evaporation: the Amsterdam Methodology (GLEAM) for EF, and radar precipitation from the NEXt generation weather RADar system (NEXRAD)), FLUXNET station data, and the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR). Data sets agree on a region of positive relationship between EF and precipitation occurrence in the southwestern US. However, a region of strong positive relationship over the eastern US in NARR cannot be confirmed with observation-derived estimates (GLEAM, NEXRAD and FLUXNET). The GLEAM–NEXRAD data set combination indicates a region of positive EF–precipitation relationship in the central US. These disagreements emphasize large uncertainties in the EF data. Further analyses highlight that much of these EF–precipitation relationships could be explained by precipitation persistence alone, and it is unclear whether EF has an additional role in triggering afternoon precipitation. This also highlights the difficulties in isolating a land impact on precipitation. Regional analyses point to contrasting mechanisms over different regions. Over the eastern US, our analyses suggest that the EF–precipitation relationship in NARR is either atmospherically controlled (from precipitation persistence and potential evaporation) or driven by vegetation interception rather than soil moisture. Although this aligns well with the high forest cover and the wet regime of that region, the role of interception evaporation is likely overestimated because of low nighttime evaporation in NARR. Over the central and southwestern US, the EF–precipitation relationship is additionally linked to soil moisture variations, owing to the soil-moisture-limited climate regime.
Resting state morphology predicts the effect of theta burst stimulation in false belief reasoning

When required to represent a perspective that conflicts with one's own, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) suggests that the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (rvlPFC) supports the inhibition of that conflicting self‐perspective. The present task dissociated inhibition of self‐perspective from other executive control processes by contrasting belief reasoning—a cognitive state where the presence of conflicting perspectives was manipulated—with a conative desire state wherein no systematic conflict existed. Linear modeling was used to examine the effect of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) to rvlPFC on participants’ reaction times in belief and desire reasoning. It was anticipated that cTBS applied to rvlPFC would affect belief but not desire reasoning, by modulating activity in the Ventral Attention System (VAS). We further anticipated that this effect would be mediated by functional connectivity within this network, which was identified using resting state fMRI and an unbiased model‐free approach. Simple reaction‐time analysis failed to detect an effect of cTBS. However, by additionally modeling individual measures from within the stimulated network, the hypothesized effect of cTBS to belief (but, importantly, not desire) reasoning was demonstrated. Structural morphology within the stimulated region, rvlPFC, and right temporoparietal junction were demonstrated to underlie this effect. These data provide evidence that inconsistencies found with cTBS can be mediated by the composition of the functional network that is being stimulated. We suggest that the common claim that this network constitutes the VAS explains the effect of cTBS to this network on false belief reasoning. Hum Brain Mapp 37:3502–3514, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.