Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proceedings of the 13th Annual Meeting of the Special Interest Group on Discourse and Dialogue

It is our great pleasure to present the Proceedings of the SIGDIAL 2012 Conference, the 13th Annual Meeting of the Special Interest Group on Discourse and Dialogue. The conference is held in Seoul, South Korea, July 5-6, 2012, and is co-located with the 50th Annual Meeting of the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL). We received sixty-three submissions: forty long paper submissions, nineteen short paper submissions, and four demo submissions. The members of the Program Committee did a superb job reviewing the submitted papers. We thank them for their advice in selecting the accepted papers and for helping to maintain the high quality of the program. Special thanks go to Giuseppe Di Fabbrizio and Christophe Cerisara for helping out with last minute review requests.
Dengue and Japanese Encephalitis Antibody Levels in Sera from Dengue HaemorrhagicFever Patients in Rangoon, Burma

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was compared with haemaggluti- nation inhibition (HI) test for determination of anti-dengue and anti-Japanese encephalitis (JE) antibodies in paired sera from 168 patients with clinical diagnosis of dengue haemor- rhagic fever (DHF) in Rangoon, Burma. Using paired sera, HI serology gave 60.7% positive results. IgG ELISA antibodies showed cross reaction between dengue and JE, and also not so efficient to detect significant antibody rise. By IgM capture ELISA 60.5% positive results was obtained using acute sera and dengue 4 antigen alone for diagnosis. When paired sera and all 4 types of dengue were used, 82.1% positive results were obtained by the IgM-capture ELISA, and none of the test sera had diagnostic levels of IgM-ELISA antibodies against JE. The results showed that IgM capture ELISA is a useful method for rapid diagnosis of dengue infections and has advantages over HI in terms of its diagnostic efficiency even by a single serum specimen, rapidity, simplicity and differential diagnosis with other related flavivirus infections like JE.
Nitrification in the presence of sulfide and organic matter in a sequencing moving bed biofilm reactor (SMBBR) with zeolite as biomass carrier

BACKGROUND: The biological nitrification process is inhibited in the presence of sulfide and organic matter (OM). The use of immobilized biomass on inert carriers may help to decrease this inhibition. Thus, the main goal of the present work was to develop a sequencing moving bed biofilm reactor (SMBBR) using zeolite as biomass carrier and to determine its performance in presence of sulfide and OM. RESULTS: The use of zeolite as biomass carrier improves both the total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) oxidation and nitrate accumulation, allowing the system to be able to treat higher nitrogen loading rates. The SMBBR with zeolite in presence of sulfide and OM performed nitrification better than a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), by keeping the TAN and chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency at >90% for both inhibitory conditions. The SMBBR also is able to degrade COD by ≤98%. Finally, biomass with zeolite settled faster than biomass without zeolite, improving the sludge volume index (SVI) by 53.8%. CONCLUSIONS: It was possible to develop a SMBBR system using zeolite as biomass carrier. The SMBBR could maintain a nitrifying system under inhibitory conditions, allowing efficiencies of TAN and COD removal as high as 90%. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry
Organizational structure and work environment predictors of adverse events as reported by nurse anesthetists

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND WORK ENVIRONMENT PREDICTORS OF ADVERSE EVENTS AS REPORTED BY NURSE ANESTHETISTS By SUSAN P. MCMULLAN A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-Newark Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program of Nursing Written under the direction of Charlotte Thomas-Hawkins, PhD, RN Associate Professor And approved by Linda Flynn Jeannie Cimiotti Michael J. Kremer
Fabrication of centrifugally spun prepared poly(lactic acid)/gelatin/ciprofloxacin nanofibers for antimicrobial wound dressing

Centrifugal spinning is a novel technology for producing ultrafine fibers in high yield with diameters ranging from micro to nanometers. The obtained fibers have potential applications in the field of tissue engineering, wound dressing, and biomedicine etc. In this paper, a system of poly(lactic acid)/gelatin (PLA/GE) nanofibers loaded with ciprofloxacin (CPF) drug for wound dressings were successfully prepared by centrifugal spinning. The nanofibers were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In addition, the nanofibers' properties in terms of hydrophilicity, antibacterial properties and in vitro drug release were further investigated. The results showed that the CPF drug was successfully loaded and in an amorphous state in the PLA/GE nanofibers, the surface of the nanofibers was smooth and the nanofibers' diameter became large after the drug was loaded. The thermal stability of the nanofiber was reduced while the hydrophilicity was improved. Antibacterial and in vitro drug release experiments showed that the nanofibers have obvious antibacterial properties and have the positive effect of sustained release of the drug. Drug-loaded PLA/GE nanofibers could be good candidates for wound dressing.
Chronic Major Depression: A Myth Or A Reality

Depression is one of the most common clinical conditions seen in medical or psychiatric settings. Depression was long regarded as a disorder with a benign course of illness. Most episodes of depression were thought to be transitory. Kraeplin emphasized a favorable prognosis for the manic depressive disorder in comparison to schizophrenia and this hypothesis received a further boost with the introduction of antidepressant medications in the 1950s. Yet depressive disorders frequently take a chronic course, and this has come into increasing focus. 5 Despite the long-standing notion that depression is a time limited illness that responds well to treatment, a significant minority of patients suffer from chronic depressive symptoms.
Antioxidant properties of spaghetti and infant cereals and characterization of major phenolic compounds by LC/MS analysis

Consumption of whole grain is linked to reduced risk of chronic diseases including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. This is due to the concentrated amount of vitamins, minerals, natural antioxidants and dietary fibre in the outer layers of the grains. There are options regarding consuming grain products and thus consumers need to be informed on the antioxidant properties of one of the common products, pasta. The present study investigated the antioxidant properties of ten samples of commercially available regularand wholewheat spaghetti. The antioxidant properties comprise the total phenolic content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging activity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). The contents of purported natural antioxidants ferulic acid, C-glycosyl flavones and secoisolariciresinol (SDG) were measured by using LC/MS techniques. The TPC of raw and cooked spaghetti were compared. Whole wheat spaghetti showed significantly higher TPC and ORAC. The contents of ferulic acid, C-glycosyl flavones and SDG were significantly higher in whole wheat spaghetti. The TPC was found to decrease 48 – 78% after cooking. The results showed that health-promoting phytochemicals are concentrated in the outer layers of the grain and thus consumption of whole grain is strongly recommended. Another common grain product is infant cereals. Oxidation damage at the cellular level can also happen in infants. Thus, a balance between oxidants and natural or dietary antioxidants needs to be maintained. Data on the antioxidant properties of commercially available infant cereals are needed. There is also the possibility of improving the antioxidant properties by using pigmented grains in the production of infant cereals. The present study compared the antioxidant properties of commercial infant cereals. Purple wheat and red rice were then utilized to produce
Adsorption of Trans-Zeatin on Laser-Ablated Gold Nanoparticles for Transport into Plant Cells and Growth Stimulation

Gold nanoparticles can serve as nanovectors for trans-zeatin, a natural cytokinin used in plant culture to stimulate growth and bud formation. Here, we have used Raman scattering, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–vis absorption, transmission electron microscopy, and density functional theory calculations to explain the role of citrate anions in both the formation and the reactivity of the gold colloidal nanoparticles obtained by laser ablation and to go deeper inside into the interaction between metal and zeatin. In particular, the SERS (surface-enhanced Raman scattering) spectroscopy has been employed to study the adsorption of zeatin on different gold colloidal substrates. It is established that the molecule links to gold as tautomer N7(H), predominant in the aqueous suspension, in close similarity with adenine adsorbed on gold. Moreover, the laser ablation of a gold target in citrate solution results in small, stable, and reactive Au nanoparticles, able to transport zeatin inside plant cells, where.
On the Effect of a DC Electric Field on Soot Particles’ Emission of a Laminar Diffusion Flame

ABSTRACT Electric fields were proved to affect combustion stability, flame form, and pollutant emissions. The influence of the electric field on soot formation and growth is still an open topic. In this context, the effect of an external electric field on a 67 mm laminar diffusion flame was studied and ethylene was used as well-suited fuel to investigate soot formation and growth. The flame was placed under a uniform high voltage difference and laser Extinction/Scattering techniques were employed to monitor soot volume fraction, particles’ diameter and particles’ number concentration at different locations in the flame body. Interestingly, when a potential of 8 kV was applied, the flame appeared to be shorter and larger, soot volume fraction diminished whilst the particles’ diameter increased under the effect of the electric field. The ionic wind is considered the main cause of the geometrical modifications of the flame due to the increase in the burning rate and the acceleration of charged species. It was, besides the action of the electric field on the growth mechanism, the plausible source for the soot formation variation in the flame.
Disseminated Varicella Zoster in an immunocompromised patient: A case report

Introduction: Human Herpes Virus 3 (HHV- 3) is a human-specific virus known to be the cause behind chicken pox and varicella zoster. Presentation of this virus can vary depending on the immune status of the host. Typically, a uniform rash in a single dermatomal distribution is all that manifests. Alternatively, as in our case, a widespread and painful vesicular rash can erupt causing significant impairment requiring hospitalization. Case Report: An HIV-positive immunocompromised male presented with disseminated varicella zoster (VZV) despite adequate compliance with HAART therapy. The painful vesicles sporadically covered all areas of the body (feet, abdomen, back, face, etc.) and did not present in the classic dermatomal distribution found in immune competent hosts. Despite adequate therapy with a new combination HIV medication, the patient's CD4 count had diminished and he was admitted for suspected disseminated varicella zoster. PCR was later able to confirm the diagnosis. Conclusion: Varicella Zoster can have varying presentations depending on the immune status of the host. In an immunocompromised state, such as in our patient, the presentation can be widespread and more severe. Early diagnosis with polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and treatment with anti- virals and analgesics is a top priority for the patient's well-being and clinical outcome. In our case, early detection and treatment allowed only for aminimal duration of the disseminated virus with prompt recovery and discharge from the hospital. Further investigation of the virus' interaction with medications, such as HAART therapy, that potentially alters the expression of the virus despite vaccination, as some studies suggest, could be beneficial.
Vaginal perforation caused by distal tip of ventriculoperitoneal shunt: Report of a rare complication

Ventriculoperitoneal (VP) shunt is commonly employed in the management of hydrocephalus. Various complications such as dissection or migration may develop besides shunt malfunction. Migration may occur into the lateral ventricle mediastinum, gastrointestinal tract, abdominal wall, bladder, vagina, or scrotum. Although vaginal penetration is rare, we present a case of migration of the peritoneal catheter out of the vagina.
Sequential high-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell rescue for children with high-risk medulloblastoma and supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal tumours

10019 Background: Prognosis of high-risk meduloblastoma (HR MB) and supratentorial primitive neuroectodermal brain tumours (sPNET) is poor. In an attempt to improve outcome, we have developed strategies based on sequential high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) and radiotherapy for thirteen years. Patients and methods: Seventy-nine children (median age, 3.95 years) were treated with HDC/ASCT (59 HR MB; 20 sPNET). All patients received induction chemotherapy with one or two cycles of carboplatin-etoposide. Treatment strategy was modified with time and according to the age. Eighteen children were treated by two courses of high dose melphalan (100mg/m2) and one course of busulfan thiotepa combination (regimen 1). Two myeloablative courses of melphalan (100mg/m2) with ASCT were performed in twenty-one children (regimen 2). Nine patients were planned to receive two courses of high dose thiotepa (600mg/m2;) with ASCT (regimen 3). Thirty-one children received five se.
Development and Validation of a Tibiofemoral Joint Finite Element Model and Subsequent Gait Analysis of Intact ACL and ACL Deficient Individuals

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition of articular cartilage that affects more than 25 million people in the US. Joint injuries, like anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, can lead to OA due to a change in articular cartilage loading. Gait analysis combined with knee joint finite element modeling (FEM) has been used to predict the articular cartilage loading. To predict the change of articular cartilage loading during gait due to various ACL injuries, a tibiofemoral FEM was developed from magnetic resonance images (MRIs) of a 33 year male, with no prior history of knee injuries. The FEM was validated for maximum contact pressure and anterior tibial translation using cadaver knee studies. The FEM was used to model gait of knees with an intact ACL, anteromedial (AM) bundle injury, posterolateral (PL) bundle injury, complete ACL injury, AM deficiency, PL deficiency, complete ACL rupture, as well as a bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPTB) graft. Generally, the predicted maximum contact pressure and contact area increased for all the ACL injuries when compared to intact ACLs. While an increase in maximum contact pressure and contact area is an indication of an increased risk of the development of OA, the percent of increase was typically small suggesting that walking is a safe activity for individuals with ACL injuries. anterior cruciate ligament, human knee-joint vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Effect of in-cylinder environment on spray characteristics of diesel and biodiesel

ABSTRACT The objective of this paper is to investigate the spray characteristics of diesel and biodiesel in different in-cylinder environments, including spray tip penetration, spray cone angle, projected spray area, and spray tip velocity. The in-cylinder environment was set to two different ambient pressures and five temperature gradients. The results showed that both ambient pressure and temperature had a significant effect on the spray characteristics of diesel and biodiesel. Higher ambient temperatures under non-evaporating conditions increased the spray tip penetration and projected spray area of the fuel. Biodiesel in the same in-cylinder environment exhibited different spray characteristics due to different physical properties compared to diesel. In addition, the initial breakup mechanism of the spray was analyzed using dimensionless numbers.
Process simulation and techno‐economic assessment of a zero liquid discharge/multi‐effect desalination/thermal vapor compression (ZLD/MED/TVC) system

Brine from desalination plants is an upcoming environmental threat to aquatic ecosystems. Multi‐effect distillation with thermal vapor compression (MED‐TVC) is proposed to treat desalination brine solutions of more than 70 000 mg/L of total dissolved solids (TDS). To achieve this, an integrated techno‐economic model consisting of three submodels (scaling prediction, mathematical, and economic) is developed and a techno‐economic assessment of a 10 m3/d MED‐TVC system is presented under two different scenarios. In this respect, various sensitivity analyses were performed, revealing that the 4‐effect MED‐TVC system operating at 120°C feed steam presents the lowest freshwater cost (US$3.00/m3) and the lowest payback period (3.04 years) under the first scenario, whereas the 2‐effect MED‐TVC system operating at 120°C feed steam presents the lowest freshwater cost (US$1.69/m3) and the lowest payback period (1.71 years) under the second scenario of waste heat utilization. Exergy analysis for these optimal systems revealed that the exergy efficiency of the optimal system in the second scenario (4.36%) is higher than in the first scenario (4.21%). For both optimal systems, the exergy destruction in the TVC unit and in the effects accounts for more than 79% of the total exergy destruction. Moreover, it was found that thermal energy costs contribute significantly to the costs and affect the design procedure. Scaling up the optimal systems for freshwater production by more than 190 m3/d, freshwater cost becomes constant and can be reduced by up to 50% with waste heat integration. Considering the high quality of the freshwater produced, MED‐TVC process can be profitable due to the revenue from the sale of the freshwater. Overall, the results suggest that the MED‐TVC process for brine treatment is economically feasible.
Bioproduction of Isoprenoids and Other Secondary Metabolites Using Methanotrophic Bacteria as an Alternative Microbial Cell Factory Option: Current Stage and Future Aspects

Methane is a promising carbon feedstock for industrial biomanufacturing because of its low price and high abundance. Recent advances in metabolic engineering and systems biology in methanotrophs have made it possible to produce a variety of value-added compounds from methane, including secondary metabolites. Isoprenoids are one of the largest family of secondary metabolites and have many useful industrial applications. In this review, we highlight the current efforts invested to methanotrophs for the production of isoprenoids and other secondary metabolites, including riboflavin and ectoine. The future outlook for improving secondary metabolites production (especially of isoprenoids) using metabolic engineering of methanotrophs is also discussed.
Hydrolysable tannins: promising grass based silage additives for more environmentally friendly dairy systems?

i Résumé . iii Aknowledgments . v List of figures . xi List of tables . xiii List of abbreviations . xv 1. General introduction . 3 Foreword . 3 Context . 3 Objectives and research strategy . 9 References . 10 2. A meta-analytic literature review . 17 Article I. Effect of dietary tannins on milk yield and composition, nitrogen partitioning and nitrogen use efficiency of lactating dairy cows: a meta-analysis . 19 Summary . 19 Introduction . 20 Materials and methods . 20 Results . 23 Discussion . 26 Conclusion . 30 References . 30 Appendix. List of publication used in the meta-analysis. 34 3. Can hydrolysable tannins decrease proteolysis both in silage and rumen? 41 Foreword of Article II . 42 Article II. Innovative silage additives to reduce proteolysis in the silo . 43 Abstract . 43. 43 Introduction . 44 Materials and methods . 44 Results and discussion . 45 Conclusions . 46 Foreword of Article III . 48
Tailoring Celluclast® Cocktail’s Performance towards the Production of Prebiotic Cello-Oligosaccharides from Waste Forest Biomass

The main objective of this study focused on the sustainable production of cellobiose and other cellulose-derived oligosaccharides from non-edible sources, more specifically, from forest residues. For this purpose, a fine-tuning of the performance of the commercially available enzyme mixture Celluclast® was conducted towards the optimization of cellobiose production. By enzyme reaction engineering (pH, multi-stage hydrolysis with buffer exchange, addition of β-glucosidase inhibitor), a cellobiose-rich product with a high cellobiose to glucose ratio (37.4) was achieved by utilizing organosolv-pretreated birch biomass. In this way, controlled enzymatic hydrolysis combined with efficient downstream processing, including product recovery and purification through ultrafiltration and nanofiltration, can potentially support the sustainable production of food-grade oligosaccharides from forest biomass. The potential of the hydrolysis product to support the growth of two Lactobacilli probiotic strains as a sole carbon source was also demonstrated.
Characterizing the role of extracellular matrix in non-small cell lung carcinoma metastasis using a 3D microenvironment mimetic in-vitro culture system.

vi LIST OF TABLES . xi LIST OF FIGURES . xii CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION . 1 Lung cancer characteristics and mortality . 1 The tumor microenvironment of non-small cell lung carcinoma . 3 Epithelial to mesenchymal transition . 4 Cell migration and invasion processes in 2D and 3D environments . 7 Extracellular matrix and microenvironment characteristics that promote metastasis . 11 Extracellular matrix remodeling. 14 In-vitro models of the tumor microenvironment . 16 Overall goal . 21 Overall hypothesis . 21 SPECIFIC AIMS . 21
Engineering Styrenic Blends with Poly(lactic acid)

Polymer pollution from nonbiodegradable polymer blends is a source of increasing environmental concern. The obvious solution, the replacement of petroleum-based polymers with biodegradable polymers from renewable sources, is difficult, since these polymers are highly immiscible. Here, we show how the addition of only a few percent of a tertiary phase can enable compatibilization and enhancement of the mechanical properties. The tertiary phase can be selected for any binary polymer system using the spreading coefficient (λij) and the work of adhesion (Wa) as guides. We demonstrate this method using poly(lactic acid) as the continuous matrix phase, styrenic polymers, polystyrene (PS) or high-impact polystyrene (HIPS), as the discontinuous minority phase, and styrene acrylic copolymers [styrene methyl methacrylate (SMMA)] as the tertiary phase. We show that a distinct maximum in the impact toughness, nearly 58 and 56% for PS and HIPS blends, respectively, occurs when only 1.2 and 1.5% SMMA copolymers are added.