Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pan-viral protection against arboviruses by activating skin macrophages at the inoculation site

Activation of innate immune responses to arbovirus at the mosquito bite prevents efficient systemic dissemination of virus. Taking the bite out of vector-borne infections Arthropods are the most abundant animals on Earth and can transmit a variety of diseases such as dengue or West Nile virus to humans. To broadly combat these infections, Bryden et al. investigated whether the immune reaction at the site of mosquito bites could be manipulated to restrict viral dissemination. They observed that local TLR7 activation shortly after infection dampened replication of a model alphavirus in mice. This held true for clinically relevant arboviruses and also in human skin explants. The viral restriction was due to activation of skin macrophages and heightened type I interferon production. Topical TLR7 activation after mosquito bites could be a broad-acting approach to abrogate arboviruses. Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are important human pathogens for which there are no specific antiviral medicines. The abundance of genetically distinct arbovirus species, coupled with the unpredictable nature of their outbreaks, has made the development of virus-specific treatments challenging. Instead, we have defined and targeted a key aspect of the host innate immune response to virus at the arthropod bite that is common to all arbovirus infections, potentially circumventing the need for virus-specific therapies. Using mouse models and human skin explants, we identify innate immune responses by dermal macrophages in the skin as a key determinant of disease severity. Post-exposure treatment of the inoculation site by a topical TLR7 agonist suppressed both the local and subsequent systemic course of infection with a variety of arboviruses from the Alphavirus, Flavivirus, and Orthobunyavirus genera. Clinical outcome was improved in mice after infection with a model alphavirus. In the absence of treatment, antiviral interferon expression to virus in the skin was restricted to dermal dendritic cells. In contrast, stimulating the more populous skin-resident macrophages with a TLR7 agonist elicited protective responses in key cellular targets of virus that otherwise proficiently replicated virus. By defining and targeting a key aspect of the innate immune response to virus at the mosquito bite site, we have identified a putative new strategy for limiting disease after infection with a variety of genetically distinct arboviruses.
A revisited causality analysis of Okun’s Law: The case of Turkey

The relationship between the gross domestic product (GDP) and unemployment is analyzed with Okun’s Law. Different studies that assess whether the two variables affect one another are examined with regard to Turkey. In this study, the authors examined whether an increase in GDP causes unemployment to fall or not with the youth (15-24 years) unemployment rate, prime working years (25-54) unemployment rate, and general (15-64) unemployment rate in Turkey. The relationship between GDP and unemployment was investigated using the unrestricted VAR and Hsiao’s Granger causality test, covering the period of 2006q2 to 2014q4. According to the causality tests, the empirical results show a negative unidirectional and statistically significant causality relationship from GDP to unemployment rates in the short term. Consequently, Okun’s Law is valid for Turkey.
Effects of Premature Birth and/or Low Birthweight on Developmental Outcomes

iv CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER 2 PREMATURE BIRTH . 3 CHAPTER 3: LOW BIRTHWEIGHT . 7 CHAPTER 4: PREMATURE AND LOW BIRTHWEIGHT . 10 CHAPTER 5: ASSESSING DEVELOPMENT . 12 CHAPTER 6: PURPOSE . 16 CHAPTER 7: METHOD . 18 CHAPTER 8: PART 1 . 22 CHAPTER 9: PART 2 . 37 CHAPTER 10: CONCLUSION . 54 REFERENCES . 60 APPENDIX: IRB DOCUMENTATION . 68 VITA . 70
Applications of Electrospun Nanofibers with Antioxidant Properties: A Review

Antioxidants can be encapsulated to enhance their solubility or bioavailability or to protect them from external factors. Electrospinning has proven to be an excellent option for applications in nanotechnology, as electrospun nanofibers can provide the necessary environment for antioxidant encapsulation. Forty-nine papers related to antioxidants loaded onto electrospun nanofibers were categorized and reviewed to identify applications and new trends. Medical and food fields were commonly proposed for the newly obtained composites. Among the polymers used as a matrix for the electrospinning process, synthetic poly (lactic acid) and polycaprolactone were the most widely used. In addition, natural compounds and extracts were identified as antioxidants that help to inhibit free radical and oxidative damage in tissues and foods. The most recurrent active compounds used were tannic acid (polyphenol), quercetin (flavonoid), curcumin (polyphenol), and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine). The incorporation of active compounds in nanofibers often improves their bioavailability, giving them increased stability, changing the mechanical properties of polymers, enhancing nanofiber biocompatibility, and offering novel properties for the required field. Although most of the polymers used were synthetic, natural polymers such as silk fibroin, chitosan, cellulose, pullulan, polyhydroxybutyrate, and zein have proven to be proper matrices for this purpose.
The experts’ perspective of “ask-an-expert”: An interview-based study of online nutrition and vaccination outreach

Social media allow experts to form communities and engage in direct dialogue with publics, which can promote mutual understanding between sciences and publics. However, little is known about experts’ participation in online communities, or effective ways to prepare them for public engagement. Here, we explored these issues with experts who voluntarily engage with publics on social media, to understand their public engagement practices. Stimulated recall interviews were conducted with 20 experts who participate in question-and-answer Facebook groups dedicated to vaccines and nutrition. The findings suggest that experts employ diverse considerations in their outreach, partly to establish epistemic trustworthiness. These can be grouped into three goals and two constraints: countering misinformation, establishing benevolence, and establishing competence while maintaining integrity and clarity. Empathic failure and burnout both emerged as factors that impair establishing benevolence. We discuss implications for community-level science literacy and for preparing scientists for “bounded engagement with publics. ”
D-decomposition technique for stabilization of Furuta pendulum: fractional approach

In this paper, the stability problem of Furuta pendulum controlled by the fractional order PD controller is presented. A mathematical model of rotational inverted pendulum is derived and the fractional order PD controller is introduced in order to stabilize the same. The problem of asymptotic stability of a closed loop system is solved using the D-decomposition approach. On the basis of this method, analytical forms expressing the boundaries of stability regions in the parameters space have been determined. The D-decomposition method is investigated for linear fractional order systems and for the case of linear parameter dependence. In addition, some results for the case of nonlinear parameter dependence are presented. An example is given and tests are made in order to confirm that stability domains have been well calculated. When the stability regions have been determined, tuning of the fractional order PD controller can be carried out.
Removal from Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

This paper presents a new approach for artefacts removal from optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA). The artefacts mainly arise as a result of distortion due to eye movements during OCT scanning process. These distortions manifest themselves as visible motion artefacts when doctors review the enface image of OCTA data. To remove these artefacts, firstly we perform motion registration for the captured OCT volume data and subsequently perform motion correction to obtain the registered OCT data. Next, we compute the OCTA from the registered OCT data using an enhanced correlation mapping technique. Thereafter, we compute the enface image from the OCTA data. In the next step, we attempt to locate regions where there is misalignment in the OCT frames of the various B-scans. Finally, we attempt to restore the regions where correct data is postulated to be absent. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed approach.
Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Dermal Distribution of 5-Methoxypsoralen Based on a Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic Model to Support Phytotherapy Using Brosimum gaudichaudii

Abstract The treatment of vitiligo includes the combination of psoralens and ultraviolet type A exposure. Psoralens belong to a group of natural furanocoumarins that cause the skin to become sensitive temporarily to ultraviolet type A. The aim of this study was to develop a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model of 5-MOP from Brosimum gaudichaudii to support psoralen and ultraviolet type A therapy. A study of rats was used to establish and validate rat tissue distribution. The same chemical-specific parameters used in the rat model were also employed in the human model to project human pharmacokinetics. The highest exposures in the rats were in the brain and skin. Following a single dose of 1.2 mg/kg 5-MOP in humans, the model predicted a maximum concentration of 20 ng/mL and an area under the curve of 125 ng.h/mL, matching clinical results. The half-maximum melanogenesis concentrations in B16F10 cells were 29.5, 18.5, 11.5, and 6.5 ng/mL for synthetic 5-MOP, synthetic 5-MOP with ultraviolet type A, B. gaudichaudii alone, and B. gaudichaudii plus ultraviolet type A, respectively. Physiologically based pharmacokinetic model prediction in humans supported a once-every-two-day regimen for optimal melanin production. This type of framework can be applied to support strategies for dose selection and to investigate the impact of drugs on melanocyte recovery.
Tracking Bacteria through the Entire Gastrointestinal Tract of a Beef Steer

50–80% of operational taxonomic units can be attributed to the GIT's upstream compartment. Rumen and feces are dominated by firmicutes, 70% of which are in both compartments. Abomasum, small‐, and large‐intestine samples each had distinct taxonomic composition. Ingesta had more proteobacteria and bacteroidetes; tissue had more clostridia. One‐third of the OTUs in the pre‐gastric samples were also found in the rectum.
Model of Work-related Well-being for Educators in Kwazulu Natal*

Abstract The main purpose of this paper was to identify the key factors causing stress for educators and the managerial challenges which educators face. A theoretical model on education in South Africa, specifically relating to the causes of stress in educators, is developed and empirically tested. The theoretical study examined the concept of work stress, and then applied it to the educational environment.A questionnaire was used to gather information and techniques such as variance explained, exploratory factor analysis and alfa cronbach coefficient were used to interpret and analyse the data. The fourteen factors founded were described and a model for causes of stress and managerial challenges were developed. Further research on the applicability of this model should be done for other provinces in SA From the findings of this research it would make sense to test this model for future policy making for education. The model as developed from the findings offers a comprehensive look on causes of stress and managerial challenges.
A MANET System Supporting TDMA and CSMA on One Commercial Network Card

Mobile Ad-hoc network (MANET) has great potential applications for these cases where there is no infrastructure or infrastructure is damaged. However, there are no mature products publicly available so far on markets. The current standardized technology either does not support Ad hoc network or does not provide enough bandwidth to support video transmission. Further more, those technologies are all based on Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) channel access control, which will greatly degrade network performance due to serious access conflicts in a large scale network. Meanwhile CSMA can not guarantee in its mechanism that commander messages are always transmitted out in-time enough. A new type of MANET communication terminal is presented in this paper, aiming to solve the problems. Its main characteristics are to support both CSMA and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) on a commercial WiFi network card hardware and to be able to switch between CSMA and TDMA adaptively according to conflict rate of channel access. With this approach, a MANET with balanced performance for smalland large-scale network is achieved.  Index Term—Ad-hoc network, MANET, emergency communication, CSMA, TDMA
In Vitro Antioxidant Activity of 1-(5-(4-Methoxy-phenyl)- (1,3,4)oxadiazol-2-yl)-piperazine Derivatives

A series of new 1-(5-(4-methoxy-phenyl)-(1,3,4)oxadiazol-2-yl)-piperazine derivatives 2(a-g) were screened for their antioxidant activity by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH • ), hydroxyl radical (OH • ) and nitric oxide radical (NO • ) methods. Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) was used as standard. All the compounds showed activity, where compound 2c was the best radical scavenger. These findings show that the 2,5-disubstituted-1,3,4-oxadiazole possesses antioxidant activity with different mechanism of actions towards the different free radicals tested.
Sand of Colombian beaches as low cost thermoluminescent dosimeter for radiotherapy Title

nitos), for its use as dosimeter in therapeutic dose. The selected samples, annealed at 400 ‐ C per 1 hour, were irradiated under different doses using a unity of 60 Co Theratron 780 C on air at room temperature. The reading was carried out in a Harshaw TLD 4500. The main dosimetric properties of the material (glow curve, response reproducibility, reuse, linearity, and thermal decay) have been in detail studied. The results show a lineal response to the dose from 50 cGy to 1000 cGy, in the material. The studied samples of sand can be used as thermoluminescent dosimeters for applications in different fields. The importance of this work is that the sand is a natural low cost substance, available in large quantities, and can be used in clinical physics in order to make assessments about the received dose by the patient during the medical treatment.
Prevalence of Psychiatric Comorbidity among Patients of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in a Hilly State of North India

Background: Psychiatric comorbidity with diabetes mellitus is common. Comorbidity of diabetes and psychiatric disorders can present in different patterns, which are associated with impaired quality of life, increased cost of care, poor treatment adherence, poor glycaemia control and increased emergency room visits. The present study was planned to assess the psychiatric comorbidity in type 2 diabetic patients at tertiary care hospital in a hilly state of North India. Objectives: To study the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity among patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus and to study the association between psychiatric comorbidity, sociodemographic and clinical variables in such patients. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted after enrolling the eligible diabetic patients attending outpatient department services of medicine department, Indira Gandhi Medical College, Shimla. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire was used to assess the cognitive and emotional aspects of illness, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale for assessment of depression, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale for assessing severity of anxiety and Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview 6.0 for screening all major Axis I disorders. Results: Out of 320 patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus screened, 202 eligible patients were enrolled. Depression was the most common psychiatric comorbid illness present in (41.9%) patients. Depression was slightly higher in female patients and persons aged >50 years. Greater prevalence of depressive episodes was there in people with longer duration of diabetes. Conclusion: There were a significant percentage of diabetic patients having psychiatric illnesses. Their attitude towards these comorbidities may be changed by psychiatric counselling at regular intervals.
Novel therapeutics for brain tumors: current practice and future prospects

ABSTRACT Introduction: Malignant gliomas are the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor with current available therapies increasing median survival to a modest 20 months. Multiple preclinical research efforts aim to further this improvement through advances in therapeutic options for these patients. Areas covered: The unique obstacles that must be managed in developing and delivering safe and efficacious therapeutics into the central nervous system are reviewed. We describe the successes and challenges in local drug delivery in the field of neuro-oncology and explore convection enhanced delivery and high frequency ultrasound as tools for safe and effective delivery. Drug delivery systems are described in addition to combination therapies that are being tested both preclinically, as well as ones currently in clinical trials. The field of immunotherapy is also discussed along with specific considerations as it relates to the brain’s microenvironment. Expert opinion: While there have been incremental advances in brain cancer therapeutics over the last few years, novel therapeutics are expanding with multiple opportunities in neuro-oncology. Overcoming the brain’s unique challenges might allow for breakthroughs and discoveries in the future.
Did a rational bubble exist in the Vietnam stock market

In this paper, we investigate whether or not the movement in Vietnam’s stock prices was the result of rational bubbles during the July 2000-July 2008 period. The stock market experienced some boom and bust cycles during this period. Although these seem to be stock market bubbles, no studies test this fact statistically. Based on Fukuta’s (1996, Japan and the World Economy 8) proposition, we use some popular unit-root tests to check for the existence of rational bubbles in Vietnam’s stock market. All of these tests support the hypothesis that the series of real stock prices was stationary. From these results, we conclude that there were no rational bubbles in Vietnam’s stock market.
Interactive comment on “ Atmospheric mercury observations from Antarctica : seasonal variation and source and sink region calculations ” by K . Aspmo

Comment 1, section 2.2: The authors state that “The internal calibration source was checked against manual injections once per year”. A reader familiar with atmospheric Hg measurements would conclude from this statement that a saturated Hg vapor primary standard was used. However, for completeness it should be explicitly stated that such a standard was used. Was the primary standard a Tekran 2505 module or C14243
Learn to Gesture: Let Your Body Speak

Presentation is one of the most important and vivid methods to deliver information to audience. Apart from the content of presentation, how the speaker behaves during presentation makes a big difference. In other words, gestures, as part of the visual perception and synchronized with verbal information, express some subtle information that the voice or words alone cannot deliver. One of the most effective ways to improve presentation is to practice through feedback/suggestions by an expert. However, hiring human experts is expensive thus impractical most of the time. Towards this end, we propose a speech to gesture network (POSE) to generate exemplary body language given a vocal behavior speech as input. Specifically, we build an "expert" Speech-Gesture database based on the featured TED talk videos, and design a two-layer attentive recurrent encoder-decoder network to learn the translation from speech to gesture, as well as the hierarchical structure within gestures. Lastly, given a speech audio sequence, the appropriate gesture will be generated and visualized for a more effective communication. Both objective and subjective validation show the effectiveness of our proposed method.
The SEBA system: a novel approach for assessing psychological stress continuously at the workplace

Stress at work is a major cause of health problems for the employees and of costs for companies and the healthcare system. To prevent stress-related disorders, first both the stress level and the exposition to possible stressors must be known. The SEBA system assesses both and produces live data streams that are constantly and automatically evaluated. The system is a head-worn portable device. Multiple sensors assess biosignals of the users that are known to be sensitive towards the feeling of stress (e.g., pulse, eye blink rate, breathing rate, brain activity) and ambient conditions that could influence the feeling of stress (e.g., air quality, flickering lights, temperature, draft). SEBA classifies the individual stress level using a neural network and sends the processed data to a mobile application for visualization purposes. In this paper, we introduce the concept of the SEBA system, including its hardware, sensors, firmware, and software. The SEBA system is currently being development; the paper outlines the current state of development and possible obstacles.
GameFlow and Player Experience Measures: An Initial Comparison of Conceptual Constructs

GameFlow is a widely used model of player enjoyment, which has been applied to designing and evaluating many games and gamelike experiences since its first publication. Although GameFlow has been used as a basis for many surveys, no formal operationalisation has been proposed or validated. This raises the question of whether the development of a GameFlow measure is a worthwhile endeavour. In this paper, we report findings of a study in which GameFlow was used as an evaluation tool for an online strategy game, in conjunction with player experience measures. Expert reviews, using the GameFlow criteria, were conducted by 12 stakeholders (developers, players, researchers, and journalists) in the game Neptune's Pride 2: Triton. Player experience surveys, incorporating the Flow State Scale and Player Experience of Need Satisfaction, were also completed by 351 players. We reflect on the interaction, conceptual constructs, and value of each instrument, and where future development of the GameFlow model should focus.
Natrialba swarupiae sp. nov., a halophilic archaeon isolated from a hypersaline lake in India.

A haloarchaeal strain (ESP3B_9T) was isolated from the salt pan of Sambhar salt lake, Rajasthan, India. Cells were coccoid, non-motile, Gram-stain-negative and formed reddish-pink pigmented colonies. The strain was aerobic, able to grow at 35-55 °C (optimum, 40 °C), in 20-35 % (25 %) NaCl and pH 8-10 (pH 9). Mg2+ not required for growth. The cells were lysed in distilled water and the minimum NaCl concentration that prevented cell lysis was 5 % w/v. The 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities between strain ESP3B_9T and Natrialba hulunbeirensis JCM 10989T and Natrialba magadii ATCC 43099T were 96.53 and 96.25 % respectively. The similarities of the RNA polymerase subunit B gene between strain ESP3B_9T and N. hulunbeirensis JCM 10989T and N. magadii ATCC 43099T were 84.47 and 84.9 % respectively. Genome sequencing revealed a genome size of 4.20 Mbp with DNA G+C content of 62.5 mol%. The major polar lipids were phosphotidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol phosphate methyl esters with minor amounts of unidentified lipids. The results of polyphasic analysis determined that strain ESP3B_9T represents a novel species of the genus Natrialba, for which the name Natrialba swarupiae sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ESP3B_9T (MCC 3419T=JCM 33002T=KCTC 4279T=CGMCC 1.16737T).