Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation physical and rheological properties of bio-asphalt containing waste cooking oil

In recent years, several oil-based modifications have been employed to give clear benefits to the pavement sector, including the use of waste cooking oil (WCO). These activities are aimed at resolving waste management issues. The purpose of this research is to see if using waste cooking oil as an additive to the asphalt binder, which will be utilized later in the construction of flexible pavements, is feasible. This will be seen as an appropriate and lawful way of disposing of this kind of wastes. The current investigation examined the physical and rheological properties of aged and unaged binder modified with different percentages of WCO. In addition to the control sample, three different percentages of WCO content (1.5%, 3%, and 4.5% by weight of the binder) were blended with the PEN 60/70 control binder to evaluate for such related properties of the waste cooking oil-modified binder (WCOMB). Then, after aging the samples in a Rolling Thin Film Oven Test (RTFOT), the properties were verified through flash and fire points, penetration, softening point, viscosity, and Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR) tests. The findings proved that the penetration depth of the modified binder increased as WCO ratios increased, while the softening point decreased. The study was showed that the binder became soft in the presence of WCO. The results of the viscosity and DSR tests were satisfactory until the WCO content reached 3%. Based on the findings, the modified asphalt binder was workable and less rigid until it reached 3% of WCO. Moreover, recycling this waste material will be a suitable technique in waste materials recycling.
Bacteria as "ink" for writing the initials of names on agar

Mementos encapsulate memories and serve as triggers for their recollections. By using a purple pigment producing bacterium as “ink” for writing on agar, a picture memento depicting the initials of students’ names was created, to help them remember the strong friendships that they had fostered with their fellow course-mates during their final year research projects. Besides the fun activity of “Bacterial Calligraphy,” the surface patterning technique can also serve as a simple and relatively low-cost tool for testing the feasibility of research ideas; for example, depositing cells in both straight and curvilinear lines on planar substrates for investigating possible interactions between different microbial species. A synopsis of the work and a structured abstract can be found in the accompanying PDF file, while the original article, “Bacterial Calligraphy: A Memento for Undergraduate Research Students,” has been published in the Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 172-174, and is available at http://jmbe.asm. org/index.php/jmbe/article/view/414 as an open-access article.
Depression Prevention For Early Adolescent Girls: A Pilot Study Of All-Girls Versus Co-Ed Groups

Given the dramatic increase in depression that occurs during early adolescence in girls, interventions must address the needs of girls. The authors examined whether a depression prevention program, the Penn Resiliency Program, was more effective for girls in all-girls groups than in co-ed groups. Within co-ed groups, the authors also tested whether there were greater effects for boys than for girls. Participants were 208 11to 14-year-olds. Girls were randomly assigned to all-girls groups, co-ed groups, or control. Boys were assigned to co-ed groups or control. Students completed questionnaires on depressive symptoms, hopelessness, and explanatory style before and after the intervention. Girls groups were better than co-ed groups in reducing girls’hopelessness and for session attendance rates but were similar to co-ed groups in reducing depressive symptoms. Co-ed groups decreased depressive symptoms, but this did not differ by gender. Findings support prevention programs and suggest additional benefits of girls groups. HHS Public Access Author manuscript J Early Adolesc. Author manuscript; available in PMC 2015 June 29. Published in final edited form as: J Early Adolesc. 2006 February ; 26(1): 110–126. doi:10.1177/0272431605282655. A uhor M anscript
Modified Particle Swarm Optimization for Non-smooth Non-convex Combined Heat and Power Economic Dispatch

Abstract This article presents modified particle swarm optimization to solve the non-smooth non-convex combined heat and power economic dispatch problem. Valve-point loading and prohibited operating zones of conventional thermal generators are taken into account. Particle swarm optimization performs well for small-dimensional and less complicated problems but fails to locate global minima for complex multi-minima functions. This article proposes Gaussian random variables in the velocity term, which improves search efficiency and guarantees a high probability of obtaining the global optimum without significantly impairing the speed of convergence and the simplicity of the structure of particle swarm optimization. The effectiveness of the proposed method has been verified on two test systems. The results of the proposed approach are compared with those obtained by other evolutionary methods. It is found that the proposed modified particle swarm optimization based approach is able to provide a better solution.
Hybrid Ensemble-Rule Algorithm for Improved MEDLINE® Sentence Boundary Detection

Sentence boundary detection (SBD) is a fundamental building block in the Natural Language Processing (NLP) pipeline. Incorrect SBD may impact subsequent processing stages resulting in decreased performance. In well-behaved corpora, a few simple rules based on punctuation and capitalization are sufficient for successfully detecting sentence boundaries. However, a corpus like MEDLINE citations presents challenges for SBD due to several syntactic ambiguities, e.g., abbreviation-periods, capital letters in first words of sentences, etc. In this manuscript we present an algorithm to address these challenges based on majority voting among three SBD engines (Python NLTK, pySBD, and Syntok) followed by custom post-processing algorithms that rely on NLP spaCy part-of-speech, abbreviation and capital letter detection, and computing general sentence statistics. Experiments on several thousand MEDLINE citations show that our proposed approach for combining multiple SBD engines and post-processing rules performs better than each individual engine.
Effect of a single dose of oral iron on pancreatic beta-cell function in healthy individuals: a before-and-after (pre-post) study

Introduction Although in vitro and animal studies have shown that iron loading in pancreatic beta-cells impaired insulin secretion, no human studies have documented the acute effects of oral iron on beta-cell insulin secretory capacity. In this study, we determined beta-cell insulin secretory capacity at baseline and after a single oral dose of iron (ferrous sulphate, 120 mg elemental iron) in healthy male individuals. Methods Fifteen healthy male volunteers underwent an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to document baseline glucose tolerance and insulin secretion kinetics (baseline OGTT). One week later, the same subjects underwent a second OGTT, two hours after an oral dose of ferrous sulfate (120 mg of elemental iron) (post-iron OGTT). Changes in disposition index, insulin secretion kinetics, glucose tolerance, insulin clearance, and iron-related parameters in serum were determined. Results Compared to baseline OGTT, the areas under the curve (AUC) for serum iron and transferrin saturation increased by 125% and 118% respectively, in the post-iron OGTT. The disposition index decreased by 20% (p=0.009) and the AUC for glucose concentrations increased by 5.7% (p<0.001) during the post-iron OGTT. The insulin secretion rate was marginally lower during the first hour (-3.5%, p=0.63), but became significantly higher during the second hour (22%, p=0.005) of the post-iron OGTT. Concentrations of glucose, insulin and C-peptide in blood were significantly higher at 120 min of the post-iron OGTT. Conclusion The decrease in disposition index and glucose tolerance observed after the oral dose of iron points to an acute iron-induced impairment in pancreatic beta-cell insulin secretory capacity.
Its allowed us access to the outside world: A Qualitative Study of Lifespan Supported Mobility Device Use in Cerebral Palsy

Aim: The overarching aim of this research was to 1) Understand the mobility experiences, supported mobility device (SMD) use, and desired participation outcomes of people with cerebral palsy (CP) across the lifespan; and 2) Describe how perspectives of rehabilitation care and professional resources may influence mobility decision-making processes and outcomes. The aim of this study was to understand the lived experience of SMD provision and use with a focus group guide co-developed by stakeholders. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with 164 participants (people with CP, caregivers, and healthcare providers) across four US cities. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using constant comparison. Results: Six themes emerged. Five presented across all stakeholder groups: 1) The System is Broken; 2) Equipment is Simultaneously Liberating and Restricting; 3) Adaptation Across the Lifespan; 4) Designed for Transport, not for Living; and 5) Sharing Our Stories and Sharing Resources. One theme was specific to healthcare provider groups: Caught in the Middle. Interpretation: This qualitative study underscores the simultaneous value and frustration associated with SMD, and the need to improve connections and resource networks within the CP community to improve SMD design and provision processes across device types and across the lifespan for people with CP.
Draft Genome Sequence of a Bacterium Isolated from Hypersaline Soil in Sonora, Mexico: Halomonas sp. Strain BLLS135

Halomonas sp. strain BLLS135 was isolated from hypersaline soil in Mexico. Here, we present the draft genome of this strain. Its genome has 2,861 protein-coding genes, 63 tRNAs, two 16S rRNAs, five 5S rRNAs, and a single copy of 23S rRNA, with a GC content of 63.5%. ABSTRACT Halomonas sp. strain BLLS135 was isolated from hypersaline soil in Mexico. Here, we present the draft genome of this strain. Its genome has 2,861 protein-coding genes, 63 tRNAs, two 16S rRNAs, five 5S rRNAs, and a single copy of 23S rRNA, with a GC content of 63.5%.
Draft Genome Sequences from Two Gram-Negative Bacteria, Serratia sp. Strain EWG9 and Leclercia sp. Strain EMC7, Isolated from the Earthworm Eisenia fetida

We present the draft genome sequences of two bacterial strains that are putatively unique species and belong to two different Gram-negative genera: Serratia sp. EWG9 and Leclercia sp. EMC7, recovered from the gut and cast, respectively, of the compost worm Eisenia fetida. ABSTRACT We present the draft genome sequences of two bacterial strains that are putatively unique species and belong to two different Gram-negative genera: Serratia sp. EWG9 and Leclercia sp. EMC7, recovered from the gut and cast, respectively, of the compost worm Eisenia fetida.
Specification Cases: a Lightweight Approach based on Natural Language

Use Cases are one of the most used artifacts in software requirements specifications. Although there are a lot of templates that suggests how to describe Use Cases, as well as many quality inspection techniques, there are no many techniques to deal with the complexity and the effort to produce good quality Use Cases. On top of that, Use Cases are biased towards user interaction, leaving out important domain information. Thus, it is necessary to provide techniques to incrementally describe specifications that goes beyond user interaction but which can be derived from simpler artifacts in order to make the process organized and effective. This paper proposes an approach to begin with very simple sentences (kernel sentences), following with the LEL glossary and Scenarios, in order to describe Specification Cases. The approach relies on already defined kernel sentences and suggests three procedures to reorganize the knowledge captured in kernel sentences to describe the LEL, then Scenarios and finally Use Cases. This paper also reports a preliminary evaluation that supports the applicability and usability of the approach.
A Bus-based Opportunistic Sensing Network

Smart city applications need data about the city, and this data must follow specific requirements. Two of these requirements are the maximum delivery delay and the minimum measurement frequency. Using buses to gather data and bus stops as gateways can be cost-effective, but data might not fit the application requirements. In this thesis, we present a model to minimize the delay of data delivery, a metric to estimate the coverage, and a prototype of the nodes of such a network. We use GPS data from the bus ﬂeet of Rio de Janeiro to show that it is possible to cover a significant part of the city, fulfilling application requirements specified by the smart city literature.
The Fastest Single-Layer Robust QCA Adder

Although several designs using QCA technology have been proposed, not all of the designs function properly due to several critical vulnerabilities related to unbalanced input paths to QCA gates and sneak noise paths in QCA interconnect structures. This calls for the reevaluation of the architectures for fast addition. In this paper, we present the fastest QCA adder complying with the design guide for robust QCA designs.
Pharmacokinetics study of chitosan-coated liposomes containing sumatriptan in the treatment of migraine

Background: Sumatriptan is a routine medication in the treatment of migraine and cluster headache that is generally given by oral or parental routes. However, a substantial proportion of patients suffer severe side effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the physicochemical characterization and pharmacokinetic parameters of a novel delivery system for sumatriptan succinate (SS) using nanoliposomes (NLs) coated by chitosan (CCLs) to optimize the formulations to enhance its bioavailability. Methods: The new formulation was used to minimize drug particle size and extend its release and bioavailability. The mean particle size and entrapment efficiency for NLs and CCls were optimized and the formulations with better characteristics were chosen for in vivo studies. The concentration-time profile of intravenous SS, intranasal SS, SS-NLs, and CCLs were examined in a rabbit model. Results: The results demonstrated that CCLs were absorbed more rapidly from nasal drops containing chitosan compared to those of SS and SS-NLs as indicated by a shorter tmax, and a higher Cmax in both states. A comparison of the AUC (0-240 min) values revealed that chitosan improved the extent of SS absorption for CCLs formulation. The results of the present study indicated that loading SS into the liposome and coating with chitosan improves drug absorption and a large amount of the drug can be efficiently delivered into the systemic circulation. Conclusion: The liposomal and chitosan formulations of SS had better kinetic behavior than the soluble form in the animal model.
Prognostic and immune-related value of STK17B in skin cutaneous melanoma

Skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) is a common cancer of which mortality is increasing continuously. Our study conducted a series of analyses on the clinical significance of Serine/threonine kinase 17B (STK17B) in SKCM to provide a new biomarker for diagnosis and treatment. The RNA-sequence data were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression databases. The data of 468 SKCM patients were divided into STK17B high- and low-expression groups and analyzed by Bioconductor package to identify the differential expressed genes. The R package of “clusterProfiler” was used for Gene Ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes, and Gene-Set Enrichment Analysis analyses. A protein-protein interaction network and immune infiltration landscape were respectively constructed via STRING database and ssGSEA. STK17B had lower expression in SKCM than normal tissues. Besides, STK17B expression was significantly related to some clinicopathological characteristics in SKCM patients including T stage, Breslow depth, radiation therapy, melanoma Clark level, and pathologic stage. The Kaplan-Meier curve analyses revealed that the low expression of STK17B was correlated with poor overall survival and disease-specific survival. We constructed nomograms to predict the 1-, 3-, and 5-year survival of SKCM patients. The function enrichment analyses showed STK17B-related differential expressed genes were enriched in cellular differentiation and immune-related progress. STK17B expression level were positively correlated with infiltrating level of immune cells. In this study, we found that STK17B, which played an important role in immune infiltration, could be a new biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis in SKCM patients.
Vaginal microbiome of women with adenomyosis: A case-control study

Immune dysregulation can involve invasion and survival of endometrial glands inside the myometrium of the adenomyosis. There is limited available data concerning alterations of the bacterial microbiome in the reproductive tract of adenomyosis women. The present cross-sectional age-matched study aims to compare vaginal microbiota between women with and without adenomyosis. We recruited women with adenomyosis (N = 40) and age-matched women without adenomyosis (N = 40) from the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ramathibodi Hospital Mahidol University, from August 2020 to January 2021. Vaginal swab samples were collected from the participants. DNA isolation and bacterial 16s rDNA gene sequencing and data analyses were then performed. Comparison of the diversity of vaginal microbiota, microbiota composition, and the operational taxonomic unit (OTU) between adenomyosis and non-adenomyosis (control) groups were undertaken. Data from 40 and 38 women with and without adenomyosis, respectively, were analyzed. Alpha-diversity analysis (Chao1 index) at the species level showed higher vaginal microbial richness in the adenomyosis group when compared with the control group (p = 0.006). The linear discriminant analysis effect size technique (LeFSe) indicated an elevated abundance of several vaginal microbial taxa in the adenomyosis group, including Alloscardovia, Oscillospirales, Ruminoccoccaceae, UCG_002, Oscillospiraceae, Enhydrobacter, Megamonas, Moraxellaceae, Subdoligranulum, Selenomonadaceae, and Faecalibacterium. On the other hand, an increase in the abundance of Megaspehera, Fastidiosipila, Hungateiclostridiaceae, and Clostridia was identified in the control group. Vaginal community state type (CST)-III and -IV were dominated in adenomyosis, while only CST-IV was dominated in the non-adenomyosis group. Lactobacillus was the most abundant vaginal microbial in both groups. In this study, the differences in vaginal microbiome profile were noted between adenomyosis and non-adenomyosis group. The increasing of microbial richness was associated with adenomyosis. Nevertheless, further investigations were required to elucidate the mechanisms and apply them for clinical implications.
Subjective well-being during the 2020–21 global coronavirus pandemic: Evidence from high frequency time series data

We investigate how subjective well-being varied over the course of the global COVID-19 pandemic, with a special attention to periods of lockdown. We use weekly data from YouGov’s Great Britain Mood Tracker Poll, and daily reports from Google Trends, that cover the entire period from six months before until eighteen months after the global spread of COVID-19. Descriptive trends and time-series models suggest that negative mood associated with the imposition of lockdowns returned to baseline within 1–3 weeks of lockdown implementation, whereas pandemic intensity, measured by the rate of fatalities from COVID-19 infection, was persistently associated with depressed affect. The results support the hypothesis that country-specific pandemic severity was the major contributor to increases in negative affect observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and that lockdowns likely ameliorated rather than exacerbated this effect.
Quercetin Arrests in G2 phase, Upregulates INXS LncRNA and Downregulates UCA1 LncRNA in MCF-7 Cells

One of the most prevalent malignancies, which have severe effects on women's health, is breast cancer. Quercetin, a flavonoid found in vegetables, tea, and fruits, is known to have bioactive properties, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, as well as anti-cancer. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recognized to function as primary regulators of diverse cellular processes, including differentiation, development, and cell fate. INXS and UCA1 are lncRNAs that are up regulated and down regulated respectively in cancer cells. This research aimed to assess the impact of quercetin on the expression of INXS and UCA1 genes in MCF-7 cells. Various quercetin concentrations at different times were used to treat MCF-7 cells. The cell viability and IC50 values were determined using MTT assay. Then, MCF-7 cells were incubated with various quercetin concentrations for 24, 48, and 72 h. Cell cycle analyses were evaluated by flow cytometry. The levels of INXS and UCA1 gene expression compared with the GAPDH gene at different concentrations of quercetin were quantified using real-time PCR method. Based on the results, quercetin exerted a dose- and time-dependent inhibitory impact on the viability of MCF-7 cells. Furthermore, quercetin induced cell cycle arrest at the G2 phase in MCF-7 cells. Also, quercetin induced INXS upregulation and UCA1 downregulation in the MCF-7 cell line. These data suggest that quercetin might increase cell death by up regulating INXS and down regulating UCA1 lncRNAs in MCF-7 cells.
Variation in regional implantation patterns of cardiac implantable electronic device in Switzerland

Introduction There is a substantial geographical variation in the rates of pacemaker (PM), implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD), and cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) device implantation across European countries. We assessed the extent of regional variation and potential determinants of such variation. Methods We conducted a population-based analysis using discharge data for PM/ICD/CRT implantations from all Swiss acute care hospitals during 2013–2016. We derived hospital service areas (HSA) by analyzing patient flows. We calculated age- and sex-standardized rates and quantified variation using the extremal quotient (EQ) and the systemic component of variation (SCV). We estimated the reduction in variance of crude implantation rates across HSAs using multilevel regression models, with incremental adjustment for age and sex, language, socioeconomic factors, population health, diabetes mellitus, and the density of cardiologists on the HSA level. Results We analyzed implantations of 8129 PM, 1461 ICD, and 1411 CRT from 25 Swiss HSAs. The mean age- and sex-standardized implantation rate was 29 (range 8–57) per 100,000 persons for PM, 5 (1–9) for ICD, and 5 (2–8) for CRT. There was a very high variation in PM (EQ 7.0; SCV 12.6) and ICD (EQ 7.2; SCV 11.3) and a high variation in CRT implantation rates (EQ 3.9; SCV 7.1) across HSAs. Adjustments for age and sex, language, socioeconomic factors, population health, diabetes mellitus, and density of cardiologists explained 94% of the variance in ICD and 87.5% of the variance in CRT implantation rates, but only 36.3% of the variance in PM implantation rates. Women had substantially lower PM/ICD/CRT implantation rates than men. Conclusion Switzerland has a very high regional variation in PM/ICD implantation and a high variation in CRT implantation rates. Women had substantially lower implantation rates than men. A large share of the variation in PM procedure rates remained unexplained which might reflect variations in physicians’ preferences and practices.