Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breakthrough of Oscillatoria limnetica and microcystin toxins into drinking water treatment plants – examples from the Nile River, Egypt

The presence of cyanobacteria and their toxins (cyanotoxins) in processed drinking water may pose a health risk to humans and animals. The efficiency of conventional drinking water treatment processes (coagulation, flocculation, rapid sand filtration and disinfection) in removing cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins varies across different countries and depends on the composition of cyanobacteria and cyanotoxins prevailing in the water source. Most treatment studies have primarily been on the removal efficiency for unicellular Microcystis spp. , with little information about the removal efficiency for filamentous cyanobacteria. This study investigates the efficiency of conventional drinking water treatment processes for the removal of the filamentous cyanobacterium, Oscillatoria limnetica , dominating the source water (Nile River) phytoplankton in seven Egyptian drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). The study was conducted in May 2013. The filamentous O. limnetica was present at high cell densities (660–1 877 cells/mL) and produced microcystin (MC) cyanotoxin concentrations of up to 877 μg∙g -1 , as determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results also showed that conventional treatment methods removed most phytoplankton cells, but were ineffective for complete removal of O. limnetic a. Furthermore, coagulation led to cell lysis and subsequent microcystin release. Microcystins were not effectively removed and remained at high concentrations (0.37–3.8 μg∙L -1 ) in final treated water, exceeding the WHO limit of 1 μg∙L -1 . This study recommends regular monitoring and proper treatment optimization for removing cyanobacteria and their cyanotoxins in DWTPs using conventional methods. Keywords: cyanobacteria, removal, conventional drinking water treatment
Regio- and stereoselective monoamination of diketones without protecting groups.

) out of six showed perfect regioselectivity forthe differentiation between the two keto groups. Hence, theamination occurred exclusively at the sterically less demand-ing w-1 ketone moiety, leading to the amino ketone 2a, whilethe w-3 position remained untouched. The intermediateamino ketone 2aspontaneously cyclized, finally giving D1-piperideine 4a. Only the w-TA from Vibrio fluvialis
Impact of Isolation-Feature Geometry on Self-Heating of AlGaN/GaN HFETs

Correlation between the isolation-feature geometry and average channel temperature of AlGaN/GaN heterojunction field-effect transistors (HFETs) is investigated. The reported transistors of this paper were realized on a variety of isolation-feature geometries resembling the following structures: 1) island; 2) fin; 3) comb; and 4) ladder. The average channel temperature of the devices from all categories of the fabricated AlGaN/GaN HFETs was studied using finite element analysis in ANSYS Mechanical. To check the validity of these analyses, results were compared with the experimental data. According to these studies, a less pronounced self-heating is observed in devices, which enjoyed a closer proximity between the drain-edge of the gate and side-walls of the isolation feature. Among these devices, for the same moderate dc bias power of 5 W/mm (i.e, per millimeter width of the transistor), ~60 K decrease in the average channel temperature is observed.
Experimental and TCAD Investigation of the Two Components of the Impact Ionization MOSFET (IMOS) Switching

The impact ionization MOSFET is a new device witch enables subthreshold slopes down to a few mV/dec. It uses impact ionization to switch from the off-state to the on-state. In the literature, the avalanche is said to be always initiated near the gate edge. In this letter, we report for the first time a new way to initiate the avalanche breakdown, namely near the source junction. Technology computer-aided design simulations enable us to analyze this new mechanism and highlight the parameters allowing switching from the ldquosource junctionrdquo mode to the ldquogate mode.rdquo Experimental investigations are then performed in order to correlate the simulations with electrical measurements. In particular, we show that the subthreshold slope does not depend on the gate length in the source junction mode unlike in the gate mode.
A structural computing approach to the production of multimedia document series

The production of multimedia documents of a specified genre from indexed multimedia sources is an important research area. The area adds value to digital library resources and enables the delivery of specific multimedia documents. In this article, we explain how the principles of structural computing may be applied to the production of series of documents complying with some specific genre. The research is inspired by Markov transforms as used in natural language processing. We introduce TTL (Tree Transformation Language), a declarative XML-based formalism for the specification of structural transformation rules. We show, with the aid of a number of examples, how this formalism may be used to specify the narration, rhetoric, and argument structures which respect generic style constraints, and we show how documents are generated. The interpretation of TTL is itself specified as a set of transformation rules, which, together with the SYGMART engine, constitute the SYG-XML environment for producing target documents.
Discovery of a Small Molecule That Inhibits Cell Division by Blocking FtsZ, a Novel Therapeutic Target of Antibiotics*

The emergence of bacterial resistance to antibiotics is a major health problem and, therefore, it is critical to develop new antibiotics with novel modes of action. FtsZ, a tubulin-like GTPase, plays an essential role in bacterial cell division, and its homologs are present in almost all eubacteria and archaea. During cell division, FtsZ forms polymers in the presence of GTP that recruit other division proteins to make the cell division apparatus. Therefore, inhibition of FtsZ polymerization will prevent cells from dividing, leading to cell death. Using a fluorescent FtsZ polymerization assay, the screening of >100,000 extracts of microbial fermentation broths and plants followed by fractionation led to the identification of viriditoxin, which blocked FtsZ polymerization with an IC50 of 8.2 μg/ml and concomitant GTPase inhibition with an IC50 of 7.0 μg/ml. That the mode of antibacterial action of viriditoxin is via inhibition of FtsZ was confirmed by the observation of its effects on cell morphology, macromolecular synthesis, DNA-damage response, and increased minimum inhibitory concentration as a result of an increase in the expression of the FtsZ protein. Viriditoxin exhibited broad-spectrum antibacterial activity against clinically relevant Gram-positive pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci, without affecting the viability of eukaryotic cells.
Wing beat kinematics of a nectar-feeding bat, Glossophaga soricina, flying at different flight speeds and Strouhal numbers

SUMMARY High-speed film analysis showed that the wing beat kinematics in Glossophaga soricina change gradually with increasing flight speed, indicating that there is no sudden gait change at any particular, critical, flight speed. The flight of two adult specimens was studied over a range of flight speeds (1.23-7.52 ms-1) in a 30 m long flight tunnel. During the upstroke in hovering and slow flight there is a tip-reversal or supination of the handwings, which thus produce a backward flick. This backward motion successively disappears at speeds V≈3.2 ms-1, above which the wingtip path becomes more vertical or directed upwards-forwards relative to the still air (the stroke plane angle increasing with flight speed as α=44.8V0.29). We found no correlations between either span ratio SR (the ratio of the wing span on the upstroke to that on the downstroke) and V, or downstroke ratio (the duration of the downstroke divided by the total stroke period) and V. On the other hand, SR decreases significantly with increasing wing beat frequency f, SR∝f-0.40. The Strouhal number (St=f×amplitude/V), a dimensionless parameter describing oscillating flow mechanisms and being a predictor of the unsteadiness of the flow, decreases with the speed as St∝V-1.37. Close to the theoretical minimum power speed (4-6 m s-1) G. soricina operates with a Strouhal number in the region 0.17<St<0.22, which is associated with efficient lift and thrust production. At slower speeds, 3.4-4 m s-1, St is 0.25-0.4, which is still within the favourable region. But at speeds below 3 m s-1 St becomes higher (0.5<St<0.68), indicating that unsteady effects become important, with unfavourable lift and thrust production as a result. Only at these speeds do the bats perform the backward flick during the upstroke, which may produce thrust. This may serve as a compensation in some bats and birds to increase aerodynamic performance.
Pre‐ and postsynaptic glutamate receptors at a giant excitatory synapse in rat auditory brainstem slices.

1. Whole‐cell patch recordings were used to examine the EPSC generated by the calyx of Held in neurones of the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB). Each neurone receives a somatic input from a single calyx (giant synapse). 2. A slow NMDA receptor‐mediated EPSC peaked in 10 ms and decayed as a double exponential with time constants of 44 and 147 ms. A fast EPSC had a mean rise time of 356 microseconds (at 25 degrees C), while the decay was described by a double exponential with time constants of 0.70 and 3.43 ms. 3. Cyclothiazide slowed the decay of the fast EPSC, indicating that it is mediated by AMPA receptors. The slower time constant was slowed to a greater extent than the faster time constant. Cyclothiazide potentiated EPSC amplitude, partly by a presynaptic mechanism. 4. The metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonists, 1S,3S‐ACPD, 1S,3R‐ACPD and L‐2‐amino‐4‐phosphonobutyrate (L‐AP4) reversibly depressed EPSC amplitude. A dose‐response curve for 1S,3S‐ACPD gave an EC50 of 7 microM and a Hill coefficient of 1.2. 5. Analysis of the coefficient of variation ratio showed that the above mGluR agonists acted presynaptically to reduce the probability of transmitter release. Adenosine and baclofen also depressed transmission by a presynaptic mechanism. 6. alpha‐Methyl‐4‐carboxyphenylglycine (MCPG; 0.5‐1 mM) did not antagonize the effects of 1S,3S‐ACPD, while high concentrations of L‐2‐amino‐3‐phosphonopropionic acid (L‐AP3; 1 mM) and 4‐carboxy‐3‐hydroxyphenyglycine (4C3HPG; 500 microM) depressed transmission. 7. There was a power relationship between [Ca2+]o and EPSC amplitude with co‐operativity values ranging from 1.5 to 3.4. 8. The mechanism by which mGluRs modulate transmitter release appeared to be independent of presynaptic Ca2+ or K+ currents, since ACPD caused no change in the level of paired‐pulse facilitation or the duration of the presynaptic action potential (observed by direct recording from the terminal), indicating that the presynaptic mGluR transduction mechanism may be coupled to part of the exocytotic machinery. 9. Our data are not consistent with the presence at the calyx of Held of any one known mGluR subtype. Comparison of the time course and pharmacology of the fast EPSC with data from cloned AMPA receptors is consistent with the idea that GluR‐Do subunits dominate the postsynaptic channels.
Tissue non-linearity

Abstract The propagation of acoustic waves is a fundamentally non-linear process, and only waves with infinitesimally small amplitudes may be described by linear expressions. In practice, all ultrasound propagation is associated with a progressive distortion in the acoustic waveform and the generation of frequency harmonics. At the frequencies and amplitudes used for medical diagnostic scanning, the waveform distortion can result in the formation of acoustic shocks, excess deposition of energy, and acoustic saturation. These effects occur most strongly when ultrasound propagates within liquids with comparatively low acoustic attenuation, such as water, amniotic fluid, or urine. Attenuation by soft tissues limits but does not extinguish these non-linear effects. Harmonics may be used to create tissue harmonic images. These offer improvements over conventional B-mode images in spatial resolution and, more significantly, in the suppression of acoustic clutter and side-lobe artefacts. The quantity B/A has promise as a parameter for tissue characterization, but methods for imaging B/A have shown only limited success. Standard methods for the prediction of tissue in-situ exposure from acoustic measurements in water, whether for regulatory purposes, for safety assessment, or for planning therapeutic regimes, may be in error because of unaccounted non-linear losses. Biological effects mechanisms are altered by finite-amplitude effects.
CXC chemokine ligand 16 is increased in gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia and associated with lipoproteins in gestational diabetes mellitus at 5 years follow-up

Background: Women with a history of gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease later in life, but the mechanism remains unclear. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between CXC chemokine ligand 16 and indices of glucose metabolism, dyslipidemia and systemic inflammation in gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia. Methods: This sub-study of the population-based prospective cohort included 310 women. Oral glucose tolerance test was performed during pregnancy and 5 years later along with lipid analysis. CXC chemokine ligand 16 was measured in plasma (protein) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (messenger RNA) during pregnancy and at follow-up. Results: Circulating CXC chemokine ligand 16 was higher in gestational diabetes mellitus women early in pregnancy and at follow-up, while higher in preeclampsia women late in pregnancy compared to control women. Messenger RNA of CXC chemokine ligand 16 in peripheral blood mononuclear cells were lower in gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia women compared to control women. Increased circulating CXC chemokine ligand 16 level was associated with a higher apolipoprotein B and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in gestational diabetes mellitus women but not in normal pregnancy at follow-up. Conclusion: Our study shows that women with gestational diabetes mellitus and preeclampsia had a dysregulated CXC chemokine ligand 16 during pregnancy, and in gestational diabetes mellitus, the increase in CXC chemokine ligand 16 early in pregnancy and after 5 years was strongly associated with their lipid profile.
The neurophysiological effects of single-dose theophylline in patients with chronic stroke: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized cross-over study.

BACKGROUND Reducing inhibitory neurotransmission with pharmacological agents is a potential approach for augmenting plasticity after stroke. Previous work in healthy subjects showed diminished intracortical inhibition after administration of theophylline. OBJECTIVE We assessed the effect of single-dose theophylline on intracortical and interhemispheric inhibition in patients with chronic stroke, in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study. METHODS Eighteen subjects were randomly administered 300 mg of extended-release theophylline or placebo. Immediately and 5 hours following administration, transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to assess bihemispheric resting motor threshold, short-interval intracortical inhibition, long-interval intracortical inhibition, and interhemispheric inhibition. Adverse effects on cardiovascular, neurological, and motor performance outcomes were also surveilled. Change between morning and afternoon sessions were compared across conditions. One week later, patients underwent the same assessments after crossing over to the opposite experimental condition. Subjects and investigators were blinded to the experimental condition during data acquisition and analysis. RESULTS For both hemispheres, changes in intracortical or interhemispheric neurophysiology were comparable under theophylline and placebo conditions. Theophylline induced no adverse neurological, cardiovascular, or motor performance effects. For both conditions and hemipsheres, the baseline level of inhibition inversely correlated with its change between sessions: less baseline inhibition (i.e. disinhibition) was associated with a strengthening in inhibition over the day, and vice versa. CONCLUSION A single dose of theophylline is well-tolerated by patients with chronic stroke, but does not alter cortical excitability. The inverse relationship between baseline inhibition and its change suggests the existence of a homeostatic process. The lack of effect on cortical inhibition may be related to an insufficiently long exposure to theophylline, or to differential responsiveness of disinhibited neural circuitry in patients with stroke.
Empirical studies of new product diffusion under uncertainty

The operational dynamics arising out of the diffusion of solar lamps (a new product) in rural India has been discussed in this paper. Empirical evidence is provided to show that the shortage of product supply adversely affects the diffusion process. The shortage not only delays the diffusion process, but also creates multiple phases of diffusion wherein each phase exhibits distinct new product diffusion behavior. That is, the effect of past sales and whatever positive word-of-mouth effect that might generate is lost when periods of inactivity due to inventory shortage occurs. So aggregate, independent and dependent Bass diffusion models were fitted to the collected empirical data. Results from computational experiments based on Bass model calibration confirm that new product diffusion takes place in distinct and independent phases due to inventory stock outs (supply shortage).
Sea mine neutralization using the AN/AWS-2 rapid airborne mine clearance system

The AN/AWS-2 Rapid Airborne Mine Clearance System (RAMICS) is currently under development to neutralize sea mines from an MH-60S helicopter for the United States Navy. RAMICS provides a new capability to the Navy and reduces the need for Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel to neutralize floating/moored sea mines. RAMICS utilizes a lidar to reacquire surface and subsurface mines and mine-like objects. The targeting subsystem trains a MK44 Bushmaster 30mm gun to the target. Once the firing solution is achieved and target confirmed, the operator fires the gun and neutralization is achieved by deflagration, sinking, or detonation of the target. This will provide a quick method of clearing threat mines and confirming neutralizations.
MT and Document Localization at Adobe: From Pilot to Production

Adobe recently began exploring the integration of Machine Translation (MT) technology into its localization workflow. The primary question that we sought to answer was whether post-editing Machine Translation output was faster than translating the text from scratch. The exploration occurred in two stages: a small pilot followed by a larger project localizing Adobe product documentation. The project used two MT engines (one statistical and one traditional) both of which were trained with Adobe data and lexicons. Initially, a small test set of 800-2000 words of documentation was machine translated and post-edited, and based on the positive results we proceeded to the second stage, localizing about 200,000 words of new text. The second stage completed successfully, but with some complications, including:
The decline in the incidence of stomach cancer in sweden 1960‐1984: A birth cohort phenomenon

Trends in the incidence of stomach cancer among 52,604 patients notified to the National Swedish Cancer Registry in 1960 through 1984 were analysed. Age‐standardized incidence rates declined throughout the period, from 47.1 to 24.6 per 105 in males and from 23.8 to 12.7 per 105 in females. Among males the decline in incidence was more pronounced in younger age strata, 35‐54 years, while in females it reached a maximum at ages 70‐74 years. In a multivariate analysis the age‐cohort model adequately represented the data and there was no reason to separate the effects of the full age‐period‐cohort model. Compared with the cohort born in 1876‐1884, the relative risk of developing stomach cancer was 0.46 (95% Cl:0.44‐0.48) in males and 0.39 (95% Cl:0.37‐0.42) in females born in 1906‐1914. This supports the view that the declining incidence is due to a change in the exposure of the population to aetiological factors of stomach cancer and not to refinement of the diagnosis and classification of abdominal tumours. The results also imply that exposure to aetiological factors early in life together with a long induction period is of importance in the development of stomach cancer.
Randomized sham‐controlled trial of acupuncture for postoperative pain control after stapled haemorrhoidopexy

Aim Haemorrhoidectomy usually causes moderate to strong postoperative pain. Chinese studies have found that acupuncture may have an analgesic effect in posthaemorrhoidectomy patients. This is the first Western study aiming assess the efficacy of acupuncture as an adjunct analgesic therapy after stapled haemorrhoidopexy.
Evolution of hepatitis C virus non‐structural 5A gene in the progression of liver disease to hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: The interaction between the hepatitis C virus (HCV) non‐structural 5A (NS5A) protein of HCV and the protein kinase R (PKR), which is an effector of the cellular antiviral response and has been defined as a tumour suppressor, may affect the control of protein synthesis and cell growth.
Inducible Gene Knockouts in the Small Intestinal and Colonic Epithelium*

We have developed two systems for performing Cre-mediated recombination of target genes in the rapidly self-renewing mouse small intestinal and colonic epithelium. When expression of Cre recombinase is placed directly under the control of transcriptional regulatory elements from a fatty acid-binding protein gene (Fabp), deletion of loxP flanked (floxed) DNA sequences is initiated as early as embryonic day 13.5, well before completion of intestinal morphogenesis. By embryonic day 16.5, Fabp-Cre also directs recombination in all cell layers of the transitional epithelium that lines the renal calyces and pelvis, ureters, and bladder. Fabp-Cre expression and recombination are maintained in both epithelia throughout adulthood. The second system allows recombination to be induced only in the gut and at any period during adulthood. This system uses Fabp regulatory elements to direct expression of a reverse tetracycline-regulated transactivator (rtTA). Another transgene encodes Cre under the control oftet operator sequences and a minimal promoter from human cytomegalovirus (tetO-PhCMV-Cre). In the absence of a doxycycline inducer, no basal recombination is detectable in the gut of adult tri-transgenic mice containingFabp-rtTA, tetO-PhCMV-Cre, plus a floxed reporter gene. After 4 days of oral administration of doxycycline, recombination of the reporter is apparent in the small intestinal, cecal, and colonic epithelium. After doxycycline is withdrawn, the recombined locus persists for at least 60 days, indicating that recombination has occurred in epithelial cell progenitors that have long residency times in the proliferative units of the intestine (crypts of Lieberkühn). This inducible system should have a number of applications for examining gene function at selected times in postnatal life, under selected physiologic or pathophysiologic conditions.