Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial effect of dissolved curcuminoid in natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) to Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus: A promising candidate for antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT)

An antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a local antimicrobial treatment which utilizes a photosensitizer dye, visible light, and oxygen. It is considered as an alternative treatment for bacterial or fungal resistance. In this treatmetn, a pure, stable and non-toxic natural photosensitizer compound as a host cell which soluble in water and capable of producing reactive photoproducts is required. Curcumin as a natural yellow-orange photosensitizer dye with anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-bacterial, and anti-infection activities is believed to be safe for human consumption. Combining curcuminoids as a photosensitizer dye with NADES as solvent instead of solving the low solubility drawback of curcuminoids in water, as well as becoming a potential candidate of aPDT. However, an antimicrobial effect of dissolved curcuminoids in NADES need to be studied first. Antimicrobial tests of curcuminoids to both of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus using minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) methods were conducted. Three NADES i.e. malic acid-sucrose-water (MAS-H 2 O = 1:1:18); fructose-glucose-water (FG-H 2 O = 1:1:1); and fructose-sucrose-water (FS-H 2 O = 2:1:15) were tested by applying nine different concentrations of curcuminoids (2.00-4.00 mM). A blank of sample (no dissolved curcuminoids) as well as a pure solution of each constituent compounds of NADES such sucrose, malic acid, fructose, and glucose were also applied. Bacterial suspension approx. 10 8 cells/mL of 1 mL (24 h incubated at 37 o C) was used for the test. MAS-H 2 O (1:1:18) shown the most effective antimicrobial activity compared to both of FG-H 2 O (1:1:1) and FS-H 2 O (2:1:15). The toxicity of MAS-H 2 O (1:1:18) to both E. coli and S. aureus may due to the low pH condition of NADES itself since malic acid has high acidity (pH 5). Both on the concentration of the curcuminoids and bacteria effects the observed toxicity.
Mesenchymal Stem Cell Chondroinduction on Cellulose-Silk Composites is Driven by Substrate Elasticity

Biomaterials that can physically control the fate of stem cells are critical for the application of in situ tissue engineering. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. In this study, cellulose and silk composite substrates, known to induce physically the chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), were regenerated to fabricate two-dimensional film surfaces. MSCs were grown on these surfaces in the presence of chemicals that interfere with the biochemical and mechanical signalling pathwys of MSCs. The data shows that preventing substrate surface elasticity transmission results in significant downregulation of chondrogenic gene expression. Interference with the classical, chondrogenic Smad2/3 Phosphorylation pathway does not impact the chondrogenic capacity of the substrates. The results highlight the importance of the substrate mechanical elasticity on chondrogenic MSCs and its independence of known chondrogenic biochemical pathways.
Cherry tomato productivity as influenced by liquid organic fertilizer under different growth conditions.

This study was carried out to examine the impact of liquid organic fertilizer Ergonfill (LFE) on the yield and quality of cherry tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. Sakura F1) under different growth conditions. The experiment was set up in a randomized blocks design with four variants in three replications. Experiment variants were as follows: drought-stressed seedlings with and without LFE treatment, and non-stressed seedlings with and without LFE treatment. Exposure of cherry tomato seedlings to controlled water stress conditions significantly increased fruit quality parameters (total soluble solids, titratable acidity, ascorbic acid, lycopene, total phenolic and flavonoids, total antioxidant capacity), but decreased yield. LFE treatment significantly increased by the all examined parameters under normal growth conditions as compared to untreated plants, and for total phenolic and flavonoids content, total antioxidant capacity and total soluble solids this increase was statistically significant. Positive impact of the LFE application on cherry tomato quality is result of fertilizer composition, as well as ability of cherry tomato plants to use bioactive substances in fertilizer for its growth and development.
Direct Photons from Hot Quark Matter in Renormalized Finite-Time-Path QED

Within the finite-time-path out-of-equilibrium quantum field theory (QFT), we calculate direct photon emission from early stages of heavy ion collisions, from a narrow window, in which uncertainty relations are still important and they provide a new mechanism for production of photons. The basic difference with respect to earlier calculations, leading to diverging results, is that we use renormalized QED of quarks and photons. Our result is a finite contribution that is consistent with uncertainty relations.
ANALISA TEKNO EKONOMI PEMBANGUNAN GARDU INDUK 150kV TEROTOMASI UNTUK INDUSTRI

Meningkatnya kebutuhan dan gangguan yang kerap kali terjadi pada sistem energi listrik merupakan permasalahan yang saat ini dihadapi oleh PT. Tire Indonesia Tbk. Selain itu, merujuk pada Peraturan Menteri ESDM No. 31 Tahun 2014 yang meregulasikan bahwa pelanggan PLN yang melebihi kapasitas langganan sebesar 30MVA harus disuplai dari tegangan tinggi (150kV). Saat ini kebutuhan total daya PT. Tire Indonesia Tbk mencapai 86,65MVA dengan durasi gangguan yang mencapai 5918 menit pada tahun 2016. Solusi permasalahan tersebut adalah dengan melakukan pembangunan Gardu Induk (GI) dan rekonfigurasi jaringan. Setelah pembangunan Gardu Induk (GI) dan rekonfigurasi jaringan distribusi listrik di beberapa penyulang baru, hasilnya sistem jaringan baru mampu dijalankan secara normal di Electric Transient and Analysis Program (ETAP) software . Perencanaan tersebut membutuhkan biaya sebesar Rp. 245.700. 000.000,00 dengan pay back period 3 tahun 8 bulan. Pembangunan Gardu Induk (GI) dan rekonfigurasi jaringan dapat memberikan keuntungan bagi PT. Tire Indonesia Tbk. Kata kunci : energi listrik; ETAP; tekno ekonomi; gardu induk
The mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic position of a marine snail Nerita (Heminerita) japonica (Gastropoda: Neritimorpha: Neritidae)

Abstract The mitochondrial genome of the neritid snail Nerita (Heminerita) japonica (Mollusca: Neritimorpha) from Kumamoto, Japan was determined by whole-genome sequencing. This mitogenome is comprised of 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (12S and 16S) genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes, with the same gene order as in the other species of the family Neritidae. A likelihood-based phylogenetic reconstruction recovered the subgenus Heminerita (including N. japonica as its type and N. yoldii from China) as monophyletic and sister to a clade with four species of the subgenera Nerita and Theliostyla.
The complete mitochondrial genome of Pleonexes koreana (Kim & Kim, 1988) (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Ampithoidae)

Abstract The complete mitochondrial genome of an ampithoid amphipod, Pleonexes koreana, was sequenced for the first time. The total mitogenome length of P. koreana was 14,645 bp with 13 protein-coding genes, two rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes. Reconstruction of a phylogenetic tree confirmed that P. koreana belonged to the families Caprellidae in the same clade and to the suborder Senticaudata within Amphipoda. This is the first recorded complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the genus Pleonexes.
The use of efficiency curve approach for predicting the classification performance of teetered bed separator

ABSTRACT The classification performance of a laboratory-scale teetered bed separator (TBS) was investigated through Whiten’s efficiency curve approach. Higher levels of teeter water rate (TW) and pressure set point (SP) enhance the sharpness parameter (α) but reduce the fish-hook parameter (β). The sharpness parameter (α) was found to be dependent on TW and SP. Apart from the process variables, density of the mineral has significant effect on the model parameters. It is established that the Whiten’s efficiency curve approach has a potential to predicting classification performance of TBS by using experimental results with considerable degree of accuracy.
Foraging ecology and flocking behavior of insectivorous forest birds inform management of Andean silvopastures for conservation

ABSTRACT Wildlife-friendly agricultural practices, such as agroforestry, can play an important role in conserving biodiversity by providing and connecting habitat across working landscapes. Silvopastures (i.e. pastures with substantial tree cover), in particular, possess considerable potential for conserving biodiversity due to the dominance of pastoral landscapes in many regions. However, to balance tradeoffs between the conservation and agricultural values of these anthropogenic systems, better information on wildlife use and how it relates to habitat quality is needed. To improve our mechanistic understanding of silvopastoral habitat quality, and to develop management recommendations, we evaluated the foraging behavior of insectivorous forest birds in Andean silvopastures compared with forest fragments. Focal species' prey attack rates were >25% lower in silvopastures than in forest fragments, suggesting that arthropod prey were less abundant or accessible in silvopastures than in forest fragments. In forest fragments, birds in mixed-species foraging flocks attacked prey more frequently than solitary birds. In silvopastures, flocking and solitary birds attacked prey at similar rates, and birds foraged in flocks half as frequently as in forest fragments. Insectivorous birds preferentially foraged in a small subset of tree genera in forest fragments, but did not exhibit selective foraging in less botanically diverse silvopastures. Insectivorous species that used silvopastures foraged in microhabitats such as vine tangles and hanging dead leaves less frequently than species that did not use silvopastures. Forest species that used silvopastures may have been negatively affected by a breakdown of beneficial interspecific interactions in silvopastures, highlighting the potential for cascading effects of species loss in anthropogenic habitats. Managing silvopastures to include preferred tree species and microhabitats could improve their habitat quality for forest species, but strategies to enhance the conservation value of managed landscapes with silvopastures must also include preservation of forest fragments.
Aggregated residual transformation network for multistage classification in diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy is a retinal abnormality which is characterized by progressive damage to the retina, eventually leading to irreversible blindness. In this paper, we propose an aggregated residual transformation‐based model for automatic multistage classification of diabetic retinopathy. The proposed model obtains 99.68% overall classification accuracy, 99.68% sensitivity, 99.89% specificity and 99.68% precision without overfitting on the MESSIDOR dataset. Further, the model obtains an accuracy of 99.89% for stage 0, 99.89% for stage 1, 99.68% for stage 2 and 99.89% for stage 3 of diabetic retinopathy. In comparison to residual network, the model shows an overall accuracy gain of 0.52%. The model also ensures an overall improvement of more than 6% in accuracy, 1.2% in sensitivity and 2.43 % in specificity when compared to best results reported in the literature. The proposed work outperforms the existing methods and achieves state‐of‐the‐art results for the multistage classification of diabetic retinopathy.
Mapping Soil Organic Carbon for Airborne and Simulated EnMAP Imagery Using the LUCAS Soil Database and a Local PLSR

Soil degradation is a major threat for European soils and therefore, the European Commission recommends intensifying research on soil monitoring to capture changes over time and space. Imaging spectroscopy is a promising technique to create spatially accurate topsoil maps based on hyperspectral remote sensing data. We tested the application of a local partial least squares regression (PLSR) to airborne HySpex and simulated satellite EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) data acquired in north-eastern Germany to quantify the soil organic carbon (SOC) content. The approach consists of two steps: (i) the local PLSR uses the European LUCAS (land use/cover area frame statistical survey) Soil database to quantify the SOC content for soil samples from the study site in order to avoid the need for wet chemistry analyses, and subsequently (ii) a remote sensing model is calibrated based on the local PLSR SOC results and the corresponding image spectra. This two-step approach is compared to a traditional PLSR approach using measured SOC contents from local samples. The prediction accuracy is high for the laboratory model in the first step with R2 = 0.86 and RPD = 2.77. The HySpex airborne prediction accuracy of the traditional approach is high and slightly superior to the two-step approach (traditional: R2 = 0.78, RPD = 2.19; two-step: R2 = 0.67, RPD = 1.79). Applying the two-step approach to simulated EnMAP imagery leads to a lower but still reasonable prediction accuracy (traditional: R2 = 0.77, RPD = 2.15; two-step: R2 = 0.48, RPD = 1.41). The two-step models of both sensors were applied to all bare soils of the respective images to produce SOC maps. This local PLSR approach, based on large scale soil spectral libraries, demonstrates an alternative to SOC measurements from wet chemistry of local soil samples. It could allow for repeated inexpensive SOC mapping based on satellite remote sensing data as long as spectral measurements of a few local samples are available for model calibration.
Shading by invasive seaweeds reduces photosynthesis of maerl from the Ría de Vigo (NW Spain)

Abstract The overgrowth and shading of several alien species along the European Atlantic coast are expected to reduce photosynthesis of maerl, decreasing its growth and fitness. In this work, three shade levels (0, 20 and 50%) were set up under laboratory conditions to simulate different competitive scenarios potentially affecting maerl beds. Live individuals of Sargassum muticum and Undaria pinnatifida were placed over maerl cultures, and the effects of shading were assessed by chlorophyll a fluorescence using a pulse-modulated fluorescence monitoring system. Photosystem II efficiency was measured as the ratio of variable to maximal fluorescence (Fv/Fm) as a proxy for the stress experienced by maerl. According to our data, irradiance reduction results in a small, yet significant, impact on the PSII efficiency of maerl, which could have fitness consequences.
Species delimitation and invasion history of the balsam woolly adelgid, Adelges (Dreyfusia) piceae (Hemiptera: Aphidoidea: Adelgidae), species complex

The Adelges (Dreyfusia) piceae (Ratzeburg) species complex is a taxonomically unstable group of six species. Three of the species are cyclically parthenogenetic [Ad. nordmannianae (Eckstein), Ad. prelli (Grossmann), and Ad. merkeri (Eichhorn)] and three are obligately asexual [Ad. piceae, Ad. schneideri (Börner), and Ad. nebrodensis (Binazzi & Covassi)]. Some species are high‐impact pests of fir (Abies) trees, so stable species names are needed to communicate effectively about management. Therefore, to refine species delimitation, guided by a reconstruction of their biogeographic history, we genotyped adelgids from Europe, North America, and the Caucasus Mountains region with 19 microsatellite loci, sequenced the COI DNA barcoding region, and compared morphology. Discriminant analysis of principal components of microsatellite genotypes revealed four distinct genetic clusters. Two clusters were morphologically consistent with Ad. nordmannianae. One of these clusters consisted of samples from the Caucasus Mountains and northern Turkey, and the other included samples from this region as well as from Europe and North America, where Ad. nordmannianae is invasive. A third cluster was morphologically consistent with Ad. piceae, and included individuals from Europe, where it is native, and North America, where it is invasive. In North America, the majority of Ad. piceae individuals were assigned to two geographically widespread clones, suggesting multiple introductions. The fourth cluster included individuals morphologically consistent with Ad. prelli or Ad. merkeri. However, based on genetic assignments, hybrid simulations, and approximate Bayesian computation, we find it likely that these are contemporary hybrids between Ad. nordmannianae and Ad. piceae that arose independently in Europe and North America, so we propose that Ad. prelli and Ad. merkeri are invalid. Finally, we synonymise Ad. schneideri (syn.n.) with Ad. nordmannianae and designate Ad. nebrodensis as subspecies Ad. piceae nebrodensis (stat.n.). Our revised taxonomy therefore recognises two species: Ad. nordmannianae and Ad. piceae, which we estimate to have diverged recently, during one of the last two interglacial periods. Finally, we comment on this species complex being in the midst of transition between sexual and asexual reproduction, a pattern that is probably common in Adelgidae.
Bromate Causes Significant Cytotoxicity and Modulation of the Inflammatory Response

Bromate is used as an additive in bread and also a disinfection by-product of hypochlorite treated and ozonated waters. The effect of bromate (as potassium bromate) on the proliferation of U937 cells and activation of U937-derived macrophages was investigated. First, U937 cells were incubated with bromate at different concentrations and later cell viability was assessed via the trypan blue dye staining and reduction of MTT. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) was also measured via the DCHF-DA assay. In further experiments, the U937 cells were transformed to the macrophage form via treatment with phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate before incubated with different concentrations of bromate. Later the production of NO, TNF-, and IL-6 was evaluated as indices for the activation of macrophages. The results revealed that bromate caused significant cell death when compared to control and was concentration-dependent (p < 0.05). Bromate also significantly produced reactive oxygen species in U937 cells, and also stimulated the production of NO, TNF-, and IL-6 in U937-derived macrophages. This indicate that bromate causes significant cytotoxicity and also trigger cells to produce significant amount of intracellular reactive oxygen species. Bromate also activated macrophages thus indicating that the cytotoxicity of bromate could involve the modulation of the inflammatory response. Original Research Article Okoko; AJBGE, 3(4): 1-8, 2020; Article no.AJBGE. 61918 2
Assessing solar geoengineering research funders: Insights from two US public deliberations

Solar radiation management (SRM), a class of geoengineering methods aiming to alter the earth’s radiative energy balance, carries uncertain and potentially extensive social, ethical, and environmental consequences. For both normative and pragmatic reasons, actors interested in SRM research and implementation would do well to attend to public preferences and concerns regarding SRM work. But despite growing literature treating public perspectives on SRM governance, little is known about public perceptions or preferences regarding potential SRM research funders. Specific research funders could significantly affect both the varieties, scales, and aims of research performed and public responses to SRM research. Drawing from two deliberative public forums on SRM research involving 171 participants in total, this paper begins to fill this gap in the literature. Results reveal diverse and nuanced modes of participant reasoning regarding potential research funders. Among other criteria, participants evaluated funders according to perceived funding capabilities, motivations, and research competencies. Our results significantly expand knowledge on public views, preferences, and modes of reasoning regarding SRM research actors and funders.
A new approach for ocular artifact removal from EEG signal using EEMD and SCICA

Abstract EEG data obtained from the scalp using the electrodes, usually gets contaminated by various artifacts like muscle artifact, line interference artifact, ocular artifact, and others. The Ocular artifact which is caused due to eye-blink or other eye movements, while measuring EEG is the most common and most critical EEG artifact. For a long time, it has been a research challenge for any method to remove the ocular artifact from EEG without causing loss of the EEG signal. In this paper, a new approach is introduced to remove the ocular artifact from EEG signal using Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) and Spatial Constraint Independent Component Analysis (SCICA) without causing loss to EEG signal. The contribution of the method lies in the fact that it combines the advantages of both EEMD and SCICA. Here, EEMD is applied to the artifactual EEG signal to obtain Implicit Mode Functions (IMFs). The artifactual IMFs are separated from artifact-free IMFs by using the Correlation Coefficient-based algorithm. Now, the artifactual IMFs are provided as the input channels to Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and to obtain Independent Components (ICs) and inverse mixing matrix. Then, the Kurtosis and mMSE techniques are used to define the threshold levels for differentiating between artifactual and artifact-free ICs. Moreover, the mixing matrix is also modified using spatial constraints. The modified mixing matrix and ICs are then used to obtain restored IMFs. Finally, the artifact-free EEG signal is reconstructed by summing up artifact-free IMFs and restored IMFs. The proposed method is compared with other state-of-the-art methods in terms of Mutual Information, Correlation Coefficient, and Coherence. The results show that the proposed method has better performance as compared to other state-of-the-art methods for ocular artifact removal from EEG.
A Novel Latency Estimation Algorithm of Motor Evoked Potential Signals

Evaluation of motor evoked potential (MEP) signals elicited by transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the motor cortex provide a measure of cortico-motor excitability at the time of stimulation. In the research and clinical medical practice, the MEP latency is a relevant neurophysiological parameter to determine conduction time for neural impulses from the cortex to peripheral muscles. State changes at different levels of signal propagation through the neural tissue can significantly influence MEP latency, based on which different medical diagnoses can be issued. This study aims to present the Squared Hard Threshold Estimator (SHTE), which is a novel and improved algorithm for MEP latency estimation. Analyses presented in the paper were based on the SHTE algorithm, which was efficiently applied to a large number of MEP signals recorded from hand muscles. The SHTE algorithm was compared with other prominent methods such as the absolute hard threshold estimation (AHTE) algorithm, the statistical measures (SM) algorithm, and manual assessment. Results obtained in terms of robustness test and statistical analysis show that the proposed SHTE algorithm is reliable in estimating MEP latency, especially for the MEP signals having peak-to-peak (PTP) amplitudes lower than one hundred microvolts. Compared with the AHTE and SM algorithms, the SHTE shows a lower percentage deviation index in MEP latency estimation of the MEP signals with the PTP amplitudes lower than one hundred microvolts. Hence, the proposed SHTE algorithm represents an improved armamentarium in automatic MEP latency estimation.