Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Oral Use of an Infusion of Leaves of Solanum paniculatum L., Jacaranda brasiliensis and Sonchus oleraceus for Treatment of Vitiligo

Background: A healthy normal skin is essential for a person’s physical and mental well being. It is an important aspect of their sexual attractiveness, a sense of well being and a sense of self confidence. Vitiligo is an acquired depigmentation disorder of skin affecting 1% - 4% of the world population. Neither life threatening nor symptomatic (except that depigmented patches burn easily when exposed to the sun) the effects of vitiligo can be cosmetically and psychologically devastating. Because the disease is still not understood, there is a plethora of different treatments approaches, but they are largely unsatisfactory from patient’s perspective. Objective: To report the outcomes from oral use of an infusion of leaves of Solanum paniculatum L. , Jacaranda brasiliensis and Sonchus oleraceus for treatment of vitiligo. Ethical issues: Study approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Hospital Federal dos Servidores do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (CAAE: 32143314.9.0000.5252). All participants confirmed the condition of volunteer by signing the Informed Consent Form. Methods: From October 2014 to October 2015 twelve subjects consumed daily four glasses (800 ml) of proposed phytotherapeutic preparation. Results: All subjects were highly satisfied about their outcomes. Total depigmentation was considered as a positive outcome because it is cosmetically acceptable. Total depigmentation was observed in presence of 80% or more of depigmenteted patches. Conclusions: The phytotherapeutic preparation proposed is effective on treatment of depigmenteted patches in vitiligo.
ANTIMICROBIAL SUSCEPTIBILITY TESTING FOR ESCHERICHIA COLI STRAINS TO FLUOROQUINOLONES, IN URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS

Background: Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infectious diseases diagnosed all over the world. Meanwhile most episode of UTIs are caused by Escherichia coli (up to 85%) and frequently fluoroquinolones are preferred as initial agents for empiric therapy of UTIs. Widespread use of fluoroquinolones has resulted in an increasing incidence of resistance these agents all over the world. The aim of this study was to assess, susceptibility of Escherichia coli strains from UTI patients against common fluoroquinolones. Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was determined by disk agar diffusion (DAD) and Minimal Inhibitory Concentration methods as described by the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). Results: One hundred sixty four clinical isolates of E. coli were collected by urine cultures from patients with UTI. The extent of resistant to nalidixic acid, ofloxacin, norfloxacin and ciprofloxacin, by disk diffusion method was 49.3%, 44.5%, 41.4% and 40.2%, respectively. Resistance to ciprofloxacin by MIC method was 4.9%. Conclusion: This study represents high level resistant of E. coli isolates from UTI patients. It is because of inappropriate and incorrect administration of antimicrobial agents in blind cases. This problem remarks significance of performing antimicrobial susceptibility testing before empiric antibiotic therapy. To overcome this problem use of unnecessary antibiotics therapy should be limited.
Development of an innovative ERWC approach to sustainable manufacturing with application to design of an energy-resource efficient CNC centreless grinding

Sustainable manufacturing is becoming increasingly important for modern manufacturing industry, while it is also one of the key challenges to manufacturers all around the world since its connotation is not clear and there are no systematic operational approaches to guide the design and service processes for mechanical products development. In this paper, an innovative ERWC (Energy-Resource-Waste-Carbon-footprint) approach is proposed to address the sustainable manufacturing and provide specific tools and methods to enable sustainable design and machining of machine tools. In the ERWC model, the energy consumption (E), resource utilization (R) and waste generation (W) are all converted to the equivalent carbon dioxide emission that is defined as a sustainable manufacturing attribute to comprehensively analyze the environmental impacts. Based on the ERWC approach, the methodological pieces of the operation process are delivered in order to reduce the environmental impact in terms of energy consumption, resource utilization and waste generation in the design and service stages, and also for the test and calibration of the environmental impact level of machine tools. The proposed methodology in this paper is carried out with the grinding process as an exemplar while it can be applicable to other machining processes, which is of high industrial and scientific significance.
Peer Relations and Social Adjustment: Are Friendship and Group Acceptance Distinct Domains?.

AUTHOR Parker, Jeffrey G. ; Asher, Steven R. TITLE Peer Relations and Social Adjustment: Are Friendship and Group Acceptance Distinct Domains? SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Child Health and Human Development (NIH), Bethesda, Md. PUB DATE Apr 89 GRANT NICHHD-HD05951; NICHHD-HD07205 NOTE 29p. ; Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development (Kansas City, MO, April 27-30, 1989). Frequent filled-in type. PUB TYPE Reports Research/ Technical (143) -Speeches /Conference Papers (150)
Existence and Stability of Positive Periodic Solutions for a Neutral Multispecies Logarithmic Population Model with Feedback Control and Impulse

We investigate a neutral multispecies logarithmic population model with feedback control and impulse. By applying the contraction mapping principle and some inequality techniques, a set of easily applicable criteria for the existence, uniqueness, and global attractivity of positive periodic solution are established. The conditions we obtained are weaker than the previously known ones and can be easily reduced to several special cases. We also give an example to illustrate the applicability of our results.
Finding The Nearest Valid Covariance Matrix: A Fx Market Case

We consider the problem of finding a valid covariance matrix in the FX market given an initial non-PSD estimate of such a matrix. The standard no-arbitrage assumption implies additional linear constraints on such matrices, which automatically makes them singular. As a result, one cannot just take the given estimate plug it into the standard optimization problem and solve it by applying even the most advanced numerical techniques developed recently. The reason is that such a problem is not well-posed while the PSD-solution is not strictly feasible. In order to deal with this issue, we described a low-dimensional face of the PSD cone that contains the feasible set. After projecting the initial problem onto this face, we come out with a reduced problem, which turns out to be well posed and of a smaller scale. We show that after solving the reduced problem the solution to the initial problem can be uniquely recovered in one step. We run numerous numerical experiments to compare performance of different algorithms in solving the reduced problem and to demonstrate the advantages of dealing with the reduced problem as opposed to the original one. The smaller scale of the reduced problem implies that virtually any numerical method can be applied effectively to find its solution.
A LONG- TERM STUDENT 'S EVALUATION OF THE NEW E- LEARNING METHOD OF TEACHING HISTOLOGY PRACTICAL

abstraCt � We introduced a new method of teaching practical histology using virtual slides (VS) at the Department of Histology and Embryology in Olomouc. In the database of e-practical sessions there are sets of virtual slides for each topic taught, and several supporting documents available to students that help them to orient easily in the subject of the practical session. We have also introduced practical examina-tion of histology slides with electronic tests on personal computers (PC). We have pre-pared our own specific set of evaluation questions and allowed students to evaluate this new method of practical sessions. The results of these anonymous questionnaires are of a great importance to our teaching staff, as they represent an important feed-back for further improvement of teaching practical histology. Comparing student´s re -sponses in three subsequent academic years, we have found no changes in their highly positive evaluation of the use of PC for observation of virtual slides. Increase in pos-itive responses were observed in answers to questions concerning the use of support-ing documents attached to the database of virtual slides (from 50% to 68%) and active preparation of students prior to practical sessions (from 3% to 15%). Students also ad-mitted that they increasingly benefited from the in-course electronic testing (from 86% to 93%) that motivated students to more systematic studies during two semesters of the histology course. They unequivocally preferred electronic forms of examinations over oral ones. On the other hand, students agreed that they were not able to express their theoretical knowledge properly in oral discussions or exams.
Parametric investigation of auto-frettage process in thick spherical vessel made of functionally graded materials

In this paper, the effect of autofrettage process parameters on the ultimate pressure that functionally graded spherical vessel can tolerate are investigated. FGM properties and autofrettage pressure are considered as important parameters. Assumptions are variation of properties of FGM in radial direction, the residual stress in the absence of Bauschinger effect with the operation of variable material property method for bilinear material and power law fraction distribution for FG vessel calculated. The stress distribution in loading phase is computed using projection method and rule of mixture for FGM and elastic solution for thick spherical vessel. In unloading phase the material behavior is assumed to be isotropic and residual stress computed by using superposition method for loading and unloading phase. For reloading phase the rules of linear mixture employed for estimating the ultimate strength of FGM. By assuming functionally graded material properties and autofrettage process as effective parameters on amount of pressure capacity of autofrettaged vessel, the effects of parameters discussed separately. The results illustrate considerable effect of volume fraction used in FGM (up to 35% compared to full metal case) and inhomogeneity exponent (up to 154% compared to homogeneous case) on amount of ultimate pressure which is mentioned in results of parametric analyzing.
Crustal anisotropy in southern California from local earthquake data

Shear wave splitting measurements were made for local earthquakes in southern California at incidence angles larger than the critical incidence angle. For the region of San Bernardino Mountains, the fast polarization directions vary strongly, but are consistently fast for directions roughly perpendicular to the ray paths. This observation is most readily explained by transverse isotropy with a vertical symmetry axis, and is probably associated with horizontally foliated gneisses or schists in the upper crust. Other measurements show a predominance of north‐south fast directions, while some data have fast directions that are parallel to the San Andreas fault. These observations are related to azimuthal anisotropy as found in other local shear wave splitting and SKS splitting studies. The data show that, apart from the free surface effect, shear wave splitting measurements for shear waves at shallow incidence angles can have an imprint of transverse isotropy as well as azimuthal anisotropy.
Export fluxes in a naturally iron-fertilized area of the Southern Ocean – Part 2: Importance of diatom resting spores and faecal pellets for export

Abstract. The biological composition of the material exported to a moored sediment trap located under the winter mixed layer of the naturally fertilized Kerguelen Plateau in the Southern Ocean was studied over an annual cycle. Despite iron availability in spring, the annual particulate organic carbon (POC) export (98.2 mmol m−2) at 289 m was low, but annual biogenic silica export was significant (114 mmol m−2). This feature was related to the abundance of empty diatom cells and the ratio of full to empty cells exerted a first-order control in BSi : POC export stoichiometry of the biological pump. Chaetoceros Hyalochaete spp. and Thalassiosira antarctica resting spores were responsible for more than 60% of the annual POC flux that occurred during two very short export events of 80%). The seasonal progression of faecal pellet types revealed a clear transition from small spherical shapes (small copepods) in spring, to larger cylindrical and ellipsoid shapes in summer (euphausiids and large copepods) and finally to large tabular shapes (salps) in autumn and winter. We propose in this high-biomass, low-export (HBLE) environment that small but highly silicified and fast-sinking resting spores are able to bypass the intense grazing pressure and efficient carbon transfer to higher trophic levels that are responsible for the low fluxes observed the during the remainder of the year. More generally our study also provides a statistical framework linking the ecological succession of diatom and zooplankton communities to the seasonality of carbon and silicon export within an iron-fertilized bloom region in the Southern Ocean.
A Kinetic Method for Hyperbolic–EllipticEquations and Its Applicationin Two-Phase Flow

A kinetic method for hyperbolic–elliptic equations is presented in this paper. In the mixed type system, the coexistence of liquid and gas and the phase transition between them are described by the van der Waals-type equation of state (EOS). Because the fluid is unstable in the elliptic region, the interface between liquid and gas can be captured naturally through condensation and evaporation processes, which continuously remove any “averaged” numerical fluid away from the elliptic region at the interfaces. As a result, a sharp liquid–gas interface can be constructed from the competition between the numerical diffusion and phase transition. The numerical examples presented in this paper include both phase transition and multifluid interface problems. c © 2001 Academic Press
The role of preconditioning in the evolution of open-ocean deep convection

Large-eddy simulation of open-ocean deep convection shows that the evolution of convection appears in a fundamentally different pattern, depending on the precondition of the ocean and the magnitude of the surface buoyancy flux. As the intensity of the cyclonic gyre in the ocean under the cooling increases, the pattern of convection is transformed from ‘‘distributed convection’’ to ‘‘localized convection. ’’ In localized convection the typical pattern of open-ocean deep convection appears, such as the generation of baroclinic instability and large lateral buoyancy transfer, secondary circulation, restratification, and the breakup of the original cyclonic gyre. On the other hand, in distributed convection small-scale convective plumes appear uniformly over the whole surface similarly to the convective boundary layer without generating the typical features of open-ocean deep convection. Hence, an enormous difference in the generated eddy kinetic energies exists between the two cases. It is also found that a stronger cooling at the sea surface suppresses the transition from distributed convection to localized convection. Dimensional analysis provides the parameters to characterize the pattern of convection, and the critical condition for the transition is estimated by analyzing the numerical results.
PERCEIVED BENEFIT BETWEEN SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENTAL MANUFACTURING PRACTICES AND FIRM PERFORMANCE

The need to maintain a balance between the developmental and environmental issues in manufacturing firms is required to ensure that the cost of environmental changes does not negate the economic benefits perceived by the firms. Therefore, this study investigated the effect of sustainable environmental manufacturing practices on firm performance via the moderating effect of perceived benefits. The study used a survey questionnaire which was posted to the operation, manufacturing manager and the environmental, health and safety manager to collect 103 data from the Malaysian manufacturing firms. The data collected was analyzed with smartPLS 2. M3. The study found that sustainable environmental manufacturing practices significantly influence environmental performance, while perceived benefits moderates between sustainable environmental manufacturing practices and operational performance. The study has revealed the understanding of the scenario of sustainable manufacturing practices in a developing country as yet to be considered as a strategic factor. Therefore, it is suggested that more awareness should be created to enlighten the manufacturing practitioners not only to perceive sustainable environmental practices as ethical, but also as a strategic factor to enhance achieving better firm performance.
Frictionless Spacecraft Simulator With Unrestricted Three-Axis Movement For Nanosats

This paper introduces a novel approach to obtain full three-axis movement in a frictionless spacecraft simulator. This simulation system is intended to test attitude determination and control stabilization subsystems for 3U Cubesats, however, it is not constrained to this group of Nanosatellites, scalability to 1U or 2U is readily available. The spacecraft simulator consists of a cup, supplied with air pressure, and a hollow sphere floating in the air cushion generated between these two components. This air cushion provides an almost frictionless environment. The Cubesat is attached inside the sphere, allowing it to have a non-restricted movement of 360 arc degrees, in the three-orthonormal axis around its center of mass. The sphere is in fact made of two pieces to allow access to the spacecraft. In this scheme the spacecraft simulator it is not instrumented with attitude and rate sensors to send its orientation by telemetry to the Earth station, as usual. In this case the own attitude instrumentation of the nanosatellite under test is employed to comply with this task. Design and functioning tests of this approach for attitude determination and control system assessment for nanosats are introduced, and for demonstrative purposes LQR and PID attitude control algorithm were implemented on board a 3U Cubesat, in order to test the entire simulator.
Interspecific association of brown trout (Salmo trutta) with non‐native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) at the fry stage

The introduction of non-native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in Europe has led to displacement and decreasing populations of native brown trout (Salmo trutta). Some studies have found that brown trout shift to a diet niche similar to brook trout when the two species live in sympatry, which conflicts with the competitive exclusion principle. A change in feeding niche may be a sign of early interspecific association and social learning, leading to behavioral changes. As a first step to address this possibility, it is essential to assess the interspecific association between the species during the early ontogenetic life stages. In this study, we therefore assess whether juvenile brown trout associate with non-native juvenile brook trout to the same extent as with conspecifics by setting up two experiments: (i) a binomial choice test allowing visual and chemical cues to estimate the species specificity of group preference, and (ii) an association test without physical barriers to estimate the degree of association of a focal brown trout with a group of either conspecifics or heterospecifics. In experiment (1), we found that focal juvenile brown trout preferred to associate with the stimuli groups and did not discriminate either against conspecific or heterospecific groups. Furthermore, more active individuals showed stronger preference for the stimuli group than less active ones, regardless of species. In experiment (2), we found that brook trout groups had a tighter group structure than brown trout groups, and that focal brown trout showed stronger association with brook trout than with brown trout. These results indicate that brown trout may associate with brook trout at an early life stage, which would allow for interspecific social learning to occur. Future studies should look closer into causes and consequences of interspecific association and social learning, including potential effects on the phenotype selection in brown trout populations.
Presentation: Use of the "shape-of-anomaly" data misfit in 3D inversion by planting anomalous densities

We present an improvement to the method of 3D gravity gradient inversion by planting anomalous densities. This method estimates a density-contrast distribution defined on a grid of right-rectangular prisms. Instead of solving large equation systems, the method uses a systematic search algorithm to grow the solution, one prism at a time, around user-specified prisms called “seeds”. These seeds have known density contrasts and the solution is constrained to be concentrated around the seeds as well as have their density contrasts. Thus, prior geologic and geophysical information are incorporated into the inverse problem through the seeds. However, this leads to a strong dependence of the solution on the correct location, density contrast, and number of seeds used. Our improvement to this method consists of using the “shape-of-anomaly” data-misfit function in conjunction with the `2-norm data-misfit function. The shape-of-anomaly function measures the different in shape between the observed and predicted data and is insensitive to differences in amplitude. Tests on synthetic and real data show that the improved method not only has an increased robustness with respect to the number of seeds and their locations, but also provides a better fit of the observed data.
The Impact of Aerosols on the Summer Rainfall Frequency in China

Abstract The authors investigate the short-term relationship between aerosol concentrations and summer rainfall frequency in China using the daily surface observations of particulate matters with a diameter of less than 10 μm (PM10) mass concentration, rainfall, and satellite-observed cloud properties. Results in this study reveal that on the time scale of a few days aerosol concentration is positively correlated with the frequency of moderate-rainfall (10–20 mm day−1) days but is negatively correlated with the frequency of light-rainfall (<5 mm day−1) days. Satellite observations of cloud properties show that higher aerosol concentrations are positively correlated with the increase in mixed cloud amount, cloud effective radius, cloud optical depth, and cloud-top heights; this corresponds to the decrease in low-level liquid clouds and the increase in midlevel ice–mixed clouds. Based on this analysis, the authors hypothesize that the increase in aerosol concentration results in the increase in summer rainf.