Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nano‐silicon dioxide mitigates the adverse effects of salt stress on Cucurbita pepo L

Research into nanotechnology, an emerging science, has advanced in almost all fields of technology. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of nano‐silicon dioxide (nano‐SiO2) in plant resistance to salt stress through improvement of the antioxidant system of squash (Cucurbita pepo L. cv. white bush marrow). Seeds treated with NaCl showed reduced germination percentage, vigor, length, and fresh and dry weights of the roots and shoots. However, nano‐SiO2 improved seed germination and growth characteristics by reducing malondialdehyde and hydrogen peroxide levels as well as electrolyte leakage. In addition, application of nano‐SiO2 reduced chlorophyll degradation and enhanced the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (gs), transpiration rate, and water use efficiency. The increase in plant germination and growth characteristics through application of nano‐SiO2 might reflect a reduction in oxidative damage as a result of the expression of antioxidant enzymes, such as catalase, peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, and ascorbate peroxidase. These results indicate that nano‐SiO2 may improve defense mechanisms of plants against salt stress toxicity by augmenting the Pn, gs, transpiration rate, water use efficiency, total chlorophyll, proline, and carbonic anhydrase activity in the leaves of plants. Environ Toxicol Chem 2014;33:2429–2437. © 2014 SETAC
Powder properties and their influence on dry powder inhaler delivery of an antitubercular drug

The purpose of this study was to determine if aerosol delivery of drug loaded microparticles to lungs infected withMycobacterium tuberculosis may be achieved by predicting dispersion of dry powders through knowledge of particle surface properties. Particle sizes of rifampicin-loaded poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microparticles (R-PLGA), rifampicin alone, and lactose and maltodextrin carrier particles (bulk and 75-125-μm sieved fractions) were determined by electron microscopy for the projected area diameter (Dp) and laser diffraction for the volume diameter (Dv). Surface energies (Y) of R-PLGA, rifampicin alone, lactose, and maltodextrin were obtained by inverse phase gas chromatography, surface areas (Sa) by N2 adsorption, and cohesive energy densities by calculation. Particle dispersion was evaluated (Andersen nonviable impactor) for 10% blends of R-PLGA and rifampicin alone with bulk and sieved fractions of the carriers. Dp for R-PLGA and rifampicin alone was 3.02 and 2.83 μm, respectively. Dv was 13±1 and 2±1 μm for R-PLGA and rifampicin alone, respectively, indicating that R-PLGA was more aggregated. This was evident in Y of 35±1 and 19±6 mJ/m2 for R-PLGA and rifampicin alone. Dp for lactose and maltodextrin (sieved and bulk) was approximately 40 mm. Bulk maltodextrin (Dv=119±6 mm) was more aggregated than bulk lactose (Dv=54±2 mm). This was a result of the higher Sa for maltodextrin (0.54 m2/g) than for lactose (0.21 m2/g). The Y of bulk lactose and maltodextrin was 40±4 and 60±6 mJ/m2 and of sieved lactose and maltodextrin was 39±1 and 50±1 mJ/m2. Impaction studies yielded higher fine particle fractions of R-PLGA from sieved lactose, 13%±3%, than from sieved maltodextrin, 7%±1%, at 90 L/min. An expression, based on these data, is proposed as a predictor of drug dispersion from carrier particles.Delivery of dry powder formulations can be achieved by characterizing particle surfaces and predicting impact on dispersion.
Joint Block Sparse Signal Recovery Problem and Applications in LTE Cell Search

We consider the problem of jointly recovering block sparse signals that share the same support set, using multiple measurement vectors (MMVs). We consider the generalized MMV (GMMV) model wherein the different measurement vectors could have been obtained by using different sensing matrices. We study greedy- and convex-programming-based recovery algorithms and theoretically establish their support recovery guarantees. Our results present insights into how the correlation among block sparse signals plays a role in the recovery performance. Next, we consider the problem of cell search in heterogeneous cellular networks (HetNets). With the cell search process, the mobile terminal (MT) acquires synchronization parameters, such as frame timing, residual frequency offset, and the physical-layer identity of a base station (BS), suitable for its connection. In HetNets, due to the increased density of the BS, the MT may receive strong interference from several BSs in its neighborhood. We establish that the problem of cell search in HetNets can be solved by using the GMMV joint block sparse signal recovery framework. We numerically study the performance of the cell search algorithms proposed by using our framework and show that they perform significantly better than the successive interference cancelation algorithm that exists in the literature.
Chances and risks in living donor liver transplantation.

INTRODUCTION Liver transplantation is the first-line therapy in treatment of end-stage liver diseases. Due to the mismatch of available donor organs and growing waiting lists in Germany, live donation is of great interest. METHODS Selective literature review. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Pediatric living donor liver transplantation almost eliminated waiting list mortality in children and achieved excellent short and long term survival. The situation in adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation is different, due to the need for extensive donor resection and smaller graft volume for the recipient. Careful donor evaluation and defined selection criteria are essential to minimize the donor's risk and to achieve results comparable to whole organ transplantation. Living donor liver transplantation offers the recipient certain advantages such as superior graft quality, but the procedure should be reserved for selected patients. Donor safety is the highest priority in this procedure. Living donor transplantation should remain in the hands of experienced centers.
Correction to ''Decrease of river runoff in the upper waters of the Eurasian Basin, Arctic Ocean, between 1991 and 1996: Evidence from

[1] Measurements of the H2 O/H2 O ratio of water from two sections crossing the Eurasian Basin in 1991 and 1996 show that the observed decrease in the freshwater contained in the upper waters of the Eurasian Basin during the 1990s is due to decrease in meteoric water (mainly river runoff). The decrease in meteoric water inventories between 1991 and 1996 calculated from balances of mass, salinity, dO, and PO4* is about 3 meters and accounts for basically the entire freshwater change inferred from salinity budgets. Climatological data are used to ensure that the two sections can be considered to belong to the same hydrographic regime. The data also suggest that in 96 the formation of sea ice from the upper waters in the Amundsen Basin was lower by about 1 meter (3 m in 1996 compared to 4 m in 1991).
AN ANALYSIS ON THE SPANISH CLASSIFICATION OF MUTUAL FUNDS ♦ , 1

In this paper, we apply nonlinear techniques (Self-Organizing Maps, k-nearest neighbors and the k-means algorithm) to evaluate the official Spanish mutual funds classification. The methodology that we propose allows us to identify which mutual funds are misclassified in the sense that they have historical performances which does not conform with the investment objectives established in their official category. According to this, we conclude that, on average, over 40% of mutual funds are misclassified. Then, we propose an alternative classification, based in a double-step methodology, and we find that it achieves a significantly lower rate of misclassifications. The portfolios obtained from this alternative classification, in three to four cases, also attain better performances in terms of return/risk and include a smaller number of assets. Finally, we analyze whether the errors in the legal classification could be due to a gaming process of the smallest mutual funds and an inverse relation between mutual fund’s size and the rate of misclassifications is found.
A model for battery lifetime analysis for organizing applications on a pocket computer

A battery-powered portable electronic system shuts down once the battery is discharged; therefore, it is important to take the battery behavior into account. A system designer needs an adequate high-level battery model to make battery-aware decisions targeting the maximization of the system's online lifetime. We propose such a model that allows a designer to analytically predict the battery time-to-failure for a given load. Our model also allows for a tradeoff between the accuracy and the amount of computation performed. The quality of the proposed model is evaluated using typical pocket computer applications and a detailed low-level simulation of a lithium-ion electrochemical cell. In addition, we verify the proposed model against actual measurements taken on a real lithium-ion battery.
Text/Politics in Island Southeast Asia: Essays in Interpretation

How does the language of poetry conspire with the language of power? This question is at the heart of this volume which deals with Indonesia and the Philippines in the early modern and post-1945 periods. These two nations have been shaped by the forces of nationalism, revolution, and metropolitan hegemony. Whether written in Malay, Tagalog, English, or Dutch the writings coming from them carry the contradictions of their time and place in the milieu of race and class. The contributors examine the literature and politics of Indonesia and Philippines from the point of view of contemporary thinking. Their examinations include the responses of indigenous writers to censorship and to their marginalization and cooption by colonial and neocolonial states. They investigate the rhetoric of spectacle in the Philippines of Ferdinand Marcos, the function of pasyon in Tagalog religious narrative, the writings of Pramoedya Ananta Toer in Indonesia, and the memoirs of a Javanese aristocrat. This book will be of interest to colonial historians and to students and scholars of non-Western and comparative literature.
Blind Equalization and Carrier Recovery Using a "Stop-and-Go" Decision-Directed Algorithm

We show that the standard decision-directed estimatedgradient adaptation algorithm for joint MSE equalization and carrier recovery, normally utilized in the open-eye condition, can be turned into an algorithm providing effective blind convergence in the MSE sense, usable in the closed-eye startup phase with no need of a known training sequence. This is obtained by means of a simple flag telling both the equalizer and the synchronizer whether the current output error with respect to the decided symbol is sufficiently reliable to be used. If not, adaptation is stopped for the current iteration. In the paper, this "stopand-go" decision-directed algorithm is presented for both linear and decision-feedback MSE complex equalizers with joint blind carrier recovery. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Therapeutic potential of the

Innate immune mechanisms respond rapidly to bacterial infection. A key cellular component of the innate immune response is the neutrophil, whose cytoplasmic granules contain a variety of antimicrobial proteins and peptides. Among these is the bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI), a cationic 55 kDa protein whose selective anti-infective action against Gram-negative bacteria is based on its high (nM) affinity for lipopolysaccharide (LPS, or “endotoxin”). Binding of BPI to Gram-negative bacteria results in growth inhibition, serves as an opsonin that enhances phagocytosis of bacteria and inhibits bacteria-induced inflammatory responses by blocking the interaction of LPS with host pro-inflammatory pathways. Expression of BPI appears to be developmentally regulated as human newborns apparently have lower neutrophil BPI levels than adults. BPI expression has also recently been demonstrated in human epithelial cells where it appears to be inducible by endogenous anti-inflammatory lipids (lipoxins). BPI’s potent anti-endotoxic activity against a broad range of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens is manifest in biological fluids and renders it an attractive template for pharmaceutical development. Indeed, rBPI21, an active recombinant protein derived from human BPI, has proven safe in Phase I human trials, shown promise in Phase II trials and has recently completed a Phase III trial for severe meningococcaemia with apparent benefit. Identification and evaluation of additional disease entities characterised by Gram-negative bacteraemia and/or endotoxaemia as possible targets for BPI therapy continues.
Investigation of Heating Behaviour of E-textile Structures

— By textile science incorporating with electronic industry, developed textile products start to take part in different areas such as industry, military, space, medical etc. for health, protection, defense, communication and automation. Electronic textiles (e-textiles) are fabrics that contain electronics and interconnections with them. In this study, two types of base yarns (cotton and acrylic) and three types of conductive steel yarns with different linear resistance values (14Ω/m, 30Ω/m, 70Ω/m) were used to investigate the effect of base yarn type and linear resistance of conductive yarns on thermal behavior of e-textile structures. Thermal behavior of samples was examined by thermal camera.
Innovation, diffusion and adoption of total quality management (TQM)

Purpose – The present paper seeks to establish, through literature reports, if TQM is still a management theory in vogue or now a management fad. To achieve this, the innovative change process of TQM is examined, along the dimension of creativity, invention, innovation, diffusion and adoption.Design/methodology/approach – The approach for data collection is basically secondary sources. The literature is extensively reviewed to arrive at the position presented in the paper.Findings – From the reviews made it is argued that, although TQM looks faddish in graphical presentation of articles on TQM, it cannot be concluded that it is now a management fad. Though reports on TQM seem to diminish among popular press but academic scholars are still very much engrossed with empirical studies on TQM. This is based on the fact that many organizations still adopt and implement TQM and its diffusion is on the increase globally.Research limitations/implications – The main source of literature for the presentation is the .
Understanding Midlatitude Jet Variability and Change Using Rossby Wave Chromatography: Wave–Mean Flow Interaction

AbstractRossby wave chromatography (RWC) is implemented in a linearized barotropic model as a tool to understand the interaction between the midlatitude jet and the eddy momentum fluxes (uυ) in an idealized GCM. Given the background zonal-mean flow and the space–time structure of the baroclinic wave activity source, RWC calculates the space–time structure of the upper-tropospheric uυ. RWC allows a clean separation of the effects of phase speed changes and index of refraction changes (i.e., changes in background flow) on uυ. It is found that uυ reinforces imposed zonal-mean zonal wind (u) anomalies that are collocated with the centers of action of the first empirical orthogonal function (EOF1) of the GCM. Critical-level dynamics are essential for the positive feedback when u is equatorward of the mean jet, and “reflecting level” dynamics are essential for the positive feedback when u is poleward of the jet. The eddy momentum flux caused by changes in the phase speeds of the wave sources, on the other hand, .
Genetic oscillators in development

In development, morphogenetic processes are strictly coordinated in time. Cells in a developing tissue would need mechanisms for time‐keeping. One such time‐keeping mechanism is to use oscillations of gene expression. Oscillatory gene expression can be generated by transcriptional/translational feedback loops, usually referred to as a genetic oscillator. In this review article, we discuss genetic oscillators in the presence of developmental processes such as cell division, cell movement and cell differentiation. We first introduce the gene regulatory network for generating a rhythm of gene expression. We then discuss how developmental processes influence genetic oscillators. Examples include vertebrate somitogenesis and neural progenitor cell differentiation, as well as the circadian clock for comparison. To understand the behaviors of genetic oscillators in development, it is necessary to consider both gene expression dynamics and cellular behaviors simultaneously. Theoretical modeling combined with live imaging at single‐cell resolution will be a powerful tool to analyze genetic oscillators in development.
ALGORITHM FOR BIOMETRIC APPLICATION USING IRIS Ms

In today’s information technology world, security for systems is becoming more and more important. The number of systems that have been compromised is ever increasing and authentication plays a major role as a first line of defence against intruders. So , Biometrics applications are becoming more popular to verify or to authenticate the living person based on its behavioral & psychological characteristics in recent years. Iris recognition system is reliable for authentication purpose because of its unique iris patterns. Previous biometric identities involves fingerprint, palm , voice, signature etc. but as age of human being increases they will suffer from various problems with this previous biometric identities. Whereas iris will have less problems as it is internal organ of the eye & iris patterns will be stable throughout our life. So iris recognition will one of the new & innovative biometric application.
Inhibition of Nitrifiers and Methanotrophs from an Agricultural Humisol by Allylsulfide and Its Implications for Environmental Studies

ABSTRACT Allylsulfide, an inhibitor of ammonia monooxygenase, was tested to determine its ability to inhibit nitrification and methane oxidation in pure cultures, in agricultural humisol enrichment cultures, and in humisol slurries. We confirmed that allylsulfide is a differential inhibitor of cultures of nitrifiers and methanotrophs at concentrations of 1 and 200 μM, respectively, which result in 50% inhibition. However, although a nitrifying enrichment culture added to sterilized humisol was inhibited 50% by 4 μM allylsulfide, 500 μM allylsulfide was necessary for 50% inhibition of the endogenous nitrifying activity in nonsterile humisol. We concluded that native nitrifiers were protected, possibly by being in colonial aggregates or sheltered microenvironments.
Allelic imbalance of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) gene expression in human brain tissue

Summary We have identified a single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the t-PA enhancer (-7351C>T), which is associated with endothelial t-PA release in vivo. In vitro studies demonstrated that this SNP is functional at the level of transcription. In the brain, t-PA has been implicated in both physiologic and pathophysiologic processes. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of the t-PA –7351C>T SNP on t-PA gene expression in human brain tissue. Allelic mRNA expression was measured in heterozygous post-mortem brain tissues using quantitative TaqMan genotyping assay. Protein-DNA interactions were assessed using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA) and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). Significantly higher levels of t-PA mRNA were generated from chromosomes that harboured the wild-type –7351C allele, as compared to those generated from the mutant T allele (for the hippocampus, C to T allelic ratio of ~1.3, p=0.010, n=12; and for the cortex, C to T allelic ratio of ~1.2, p=0.017, n=12). EMSA showed reduced neuronal and astrocytic nuclear protein binding affinity to the T allele, and identified Sp1 and Sp3 as the major transcription factors that bound to the –7351 site. ChIP analyses confirmed that Sp1 recognises this site in intact cells. In conclusion, the t-PA –7351C>T SNP affects t-PA gene expression in human brain tissue. This finding might have clinical implications for neurological conditions associated with enhanced t-PA levels, such as in the acute phase of cerebral ischaemia, and also for stroke recovery.
Evaluation of disk method for hippurate hydrolysis by Campylobacter species

A disk method for hippurate hydrolysis was compared with the ninhydrin tube method by using 140 genetically confirmed Campylobacter strains. Results were similar for 129 (92%) strains when the inoculum size for the disk method was standardized. Six strains (4.2%) showed variable results by each method. Our results conflict with those obtained in studies by others, who found the two methods to be dissimilar.
Identification of Grouped Rare and Common Variants via Penalized Logistic Regression

In spite of the success of genome‐wide association studies in finding many common variants associated with disease, these variants seem to explain only a small proportion of the estimated heritability. Data collection has turned toward exome and whole genome sequencing, but it is well known that single marker methods frequently used for common variants have low power to detect rare variants associated with disease, even with very large sample sizes. In response, a variety of methods have been developed that attempt to cluster rare variants so that they may gather strength from one another under the premise that there may be multiple causal variants within a gene. Most of these methods group variants by gene or proximity, and test one gene or marker window at a time. We propose a penalized regression method (PeRC) that analyzes all genes at once, allowing grouping of all (rare and common) variants within a gene, along with subgrouping of the rare variants, thus borrowing strength from both rare and common variants within the same gene. The method can incorporate either a burden‐based weighting of the rare variants or one in which the weights are data driven. In simulations, our method performs favorably when compared to many previously proposed approaches, including its predecessor, the sparse group lasso [Friedman et al., 2010].
Acceptability of an Emotional and Behavioural Screening Tool for Children in Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services in Urban NSW

Objective: To assess the acceptability and face validity of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) in Aboriginal community controlled health services (ACCHOs) located in the greater Sydney region. Methods: A qualitative study was conducted in three ACCHOs located within the greater Sydney region in 2008–2009. A semi-structured approach was used in focus groups and small group interviews (n = 47) to elicit participants’ views on the appropriateness of the SDQ and any additional issues of importance to Aboriginal child and adolescent mental health. Results: The SDQ was found to cover many important aspects of Aboriginal child and adolescent mental health, however, the wording of some questions was considered ambiguous and some critical issues are not explored. The peer relationships subscale did not appear to fit well with Aboriginal concepts of the relative importance of different interpersonal relationships. Conclusion: Overall the SDQ was acceptable in ACCHOs in Sydney; however, changes to the wording of some questions and the response scale may be indicated to improve cultural appropriateness and clarity. A further set of issues which are not covered by any commonly used screening tools but are of critical importance to Aboriginal child and adolescent mental health should also be considered by clinicians.