Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between concentration of melatonin, and lipoproteins, LPO, hsCRP, NTproBNP in chronic heart failure patients

ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to examine concentrations and relationships between melatonin levels assessed at 0:200 hrs and 0:700 hrs, lipid hydroperoxide (LPO) assessed at 0:200 hrs and 0:700 hrs, and apolipoprotein (apo)AI, apoAII, apoB, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and NT-proBNP, in 27 patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) (17 patients - with NYHA class II and 10 - with NYHA class III). In the study, Lipoproteins apoAI, apoAII, apoB, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels were determined by way of immunonephelometric methods, serum melatonin concentration was measured by using a competitive enzyme immunoassay technique, while serum LPO concentration was measured by using Cayman’s Lipid Hydroperoxide Assay Kit. In the study, CHF patients without acute inflammatory response demonstrated a decreased concentration of high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apoAI, apoAII levels, but an increased concentration of NT-proBNP, hsCRP and LPO at night, and LPO at daytime; however, the concentration of LPO at 0:700 was lower than at 0:200. Pearson’s correlation test and multiple ridge stepwise regression showed that melatonin administered at night exerts an effect on the composition of apoAI and apoAII of HDL particles, and induces decreased LPO at 0:700, but has no effect upon NT-proBNP levels in patients with NYHA class II. However, in patients with NYHA class III, melatonin administered at night induces an increase in the content of apoAII and apoAI, which further decreases hsCRP, and this, together with the administered melatonin, brings about daytime decreases in NT-proBNP and hsCRP levels. The results indicated that the content of apoAII and apoAI in HDL particles and melatonin demonstrate an anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effect, and together, have a cardio-protective effect on patients with advanced CHF. Hence, the results support melatonin being a cardio-protective agent. These relationships, however, need to be confirmed in further studies.
Ce(III) immobilised on aminated epichlorohydrin-activated agarose matrix — “green” and efficient catalyst for transamidation of carboxamides

The present study reports the preparation and characterisation of Ce(III) immobilised on an aminated epichlorohydrin-activated agarose matrix (CAEA) as a “green” catalyst. The catalyst was synthesised by the reaction of the epichlorohydrin-activated agarose matrix with ammonia solution, which was then treated with Ce(NO3)3 · 6H2O. The catalyst (CAEA) was characterised by FT-IR, far IR, CHN, XRD, TGA, and ICP techniques. CAEA is shown to be an effective and reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the transamidation of carboxamides with amines under solvent-free conditions. The catalyst was successfully applied to the synthesis of a wide range of aromatic and aliphatic amides. High efficiency, mild reaction conditions, easy work-up, simple separation and also reusability are important advantages of this catalyst.
Allozymes and RAPDs detect little genetic population substructuring in the Caribbean stoplight parrotfish Sparisoma viride

The genetic population structure of the Caribbean stoplight parrotfish Sparisoma viride was analysed by means of allozyme electrophoresis and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) using blood samples from adult fish that were collected on the reefs of 5 islands (3 sites at Bonaire, 1 each at Curacao, Jamaica, Tobago and Saba). All allozyme loci showed a single very com- mon allele. Allele frequency differences among the locations were mainly found for rare alleles. Genetic distances among the 7 sample sites ranged from less than 0.0001 to 0.012. The fixation index (FST) for the allozyme loci was 0.0188. Pairwise single enzyme locus FST values were small, but some FST values differed significantly from zero. The allozyme analysis detected significant FST values between Curacao and the other sample sites. The RAPD data indicated high, but slightly restricted, gene flow among 5 geographic areas. Apparently, dispersal among islands is sufficient to maintain near-homogeneous allele frequencies. We conclude that the local S. viride sub-populations are relatively open and there is a high level of migration among them.
Subfossil Chironomidae (Diptera) in surface sediments of the sinkholes (cenotes) of the Yucatan Peninsula: Diversity and distribution

Cenotes (sinkholes), formed by the dissolution of the carbonate rock, are the most common waterbodies on the Yucatan Peninsula. Despite their unique features and great amount in the region, our knowledge on the biota of cenotes remains fragmentary. Within the present study we analysed chironomid remains from surface sediment of ten cenotes situated in SE Mexico. In total, 20 taxa of 17 genera were recorded, and the total diversity was estimated to ~30 taxa. The most common taxa were Polypedilum (Tripodura) sp. , Tanytarsus ortoni-type, Fittkauimyia sp. , Labrundinia sp. and Endotribelos sp. There was a great variability in head capsule abundance among cenotes, ranging from 1 to 64 individuals per site with significantly higher number of remains recorded in open cenotes compared to the closed, cavern types. The results indicate that beside ecological features, such as low trophy, oxygen depletion, simplified habitat structure and fish predation, there are also taphonomical processes connected to the specific nature of cenotes that can hinder the accumulation of biological remains in the sediment. We conclude that due to poor sedimentation and preservation of remains, cenotes have limited potential for palaeolimnological studies.
An Analysis of the State of Empowerment of Females vis-à-vis Males at Old Ages in India

The problem of ageing population in the developing countries has a special gender dimension as females not only outnumber males among older adults, but also differ from their male counterparts with respect to economic status, marital status and health status. The state of well being of older adults is understood partially by their level of empowerment. Importance of social, economic and health aspects in daily life makes it worth to investigate the empowerment of older female vis-a-vis older males in social, economic and health spheres. Active participation in either or both of social and economic matters indicates that an older adult has a decision making role in either or both of the two matters. Thus, active participation of older adults in socio-economic matters is an indicator of their empowerment. The present study addresses these issues using the 42nd Round data of the National Sample Survey (NSS). This study defines certain empowerment indicators and investigates their variation and interrelationships across the provinces. A three tier conceptual framework consisting of individual, household and social characteristics has been proposed to find out the factors that are associated with empowerment. The gender dimension of the state of empowerment has also been investigated. The findings establish that certain diseases and economic dependence adversely affect the state of empowerment of older adults. Currently married older females are found more empowered than other older females. The findings emphasize the need of providing greater support to older females in India for maintaining good health and economic condition.
Relating species traits of foraminifera to environmental variables in the Spermonde Archipelago, Indonesia

It is essential to understand how spatial differences in community composition are re- lated to environmental variables in order to explain and predict patterns in biodiversity. We investi- gated spatial variation in the composition of foraminifera assemblages and assessed the degree to which this could be explained by environmental variables and/or the distance among sample sites. Together, environmental and spatial variables explained 33.5% of the spatial variation in assemblage structure, of which 25.7% was due to environmental variables alone, 2.8% due to spatial variables alone and 5.0% due to covariation of environmental and spatial variables. Associations between the distribution of foraminifera and environmental variables were significantly influenced by species traits. Dinoflagellate symbionts and an orbitoidal chamber arrangement were linked to exposed reefs and a hard substrate, whereas rhodophyte symbionts were linked to sheltered reefs and a sandy sub- strate. With respect to depth, a hyaline skeletal structure was most strongly associated with deep water, whereas dinoflagellate and rhodophyte symbionts, an orbitoidal chamber arrangement and an imperforate skeletal structure were most strongly associated with shallow water environments. The association with given environmental variables was less pronounced for other traits. Species with spines, for example, were usually restricted to hard-substrate environments, and species with a coin shape to shallow-water environments, but there were species that deviated strongly from this general trend. Results of this study highlight the importance of environment variables in structuring foramin- fera assemblages, and further identify traits that appear to influence how species respond to these conditions.
Distributional analysis of copredication: towards distinguishing systematic polysemy from coercion

In this paper we argue that the account of the notion of complex type based on copredication tests is problematic,because copredication is possible,albeit less frequent, also with expressions which exhibit polysemy due to coercion.We show through a distributional and lexico-syntactic pattern-based corpus analysis that the variability of copredication contexts is the key to distinguish complex types nouns from nouns subject to coercion.
Large-Scale Shake Table Test Verification of Bridge Condition Assessment Methods

Methods that identify structural component stiffness degradation by pre- and postevent low amplitude vibration measurements, based on a linear time-invariant (LTI) system model, are conceptually justified by examining the hysteresis loops the structural components experience in such vibrations. Two large-scale shake table experiments, one on a two-column reinforced concrete (RC) bridge bent specimen, and the other on a two-span three-bent RC bridge specimen were performed, in which specimens were subjected to earthquake ground motions with increasing amplitude and progressively damaged. In each of the damaged stages between two strong motions, low amplitude vibrations of the specimens were aroused, and the postevent component stiffness coefficients were identified by optimizing the parameters in a LTI model. The stiffness degradation identified is consistent with the experimental hysteresis, and could be quantitatively related to the capacity residual of the components.
Lattice Boltzmann Simulations for Anisotropic Crystal Growth of a Binary Mixture

Phase field models are powerful tools to simulate the interfaces evolution in glass melt solidification mechanism, including crystallization phenomena. The purpose of this work is the numerical implementation of a phase field model for solidification of a dilute binary mixture by using the Lattice Boltzmann equations. The proposed Boltzmann method is based on the BGK approximation for kinetic equations relative to the phase field, supersaturation and temperature. In order to simulate the anisotropic term in the phase field equation, the equilibrium distribution function is a modification of the one used in the standard method for the advection diffusion equation. Simulations are carried out for anisotropic crystal growth for various thermal conditions, i.e., for several values of undercooling and different values of Lewis number.
Prospects for neutrino oscillation physics

Recently the last unknown lepton mixing angle has been determined to be relatively large, not too far from its previous upper bound. This opens exciting possibilities for upcoming neutrino oscillation experiments towards addressing fundamental questions, among them the type of the neutrino mass hierarchy and the search for CP violation in the lepton sector. In this paper we review the phenomenology of neutrino oscillations, focusing on subleading effects, which will be the key towards these goals. Starting from a discussion of the present determination of three-flavour oscillation parameters, we give an outlook on the potential of near-term oscillation physics as well as on the long-term program towards possible future precision oscillation facilities. We discuss accelerator-driven long-baseline experiments as well as nonaccelerator possibilities from atmospheric and reactor neutrinos.
Forecasting Volatility of the U.S. Oil Market

We examine the information content of the CBOE Crude Oil Volatility Index (OVX) when forecasting realized volatility in the WTI futures market. Additionally, we study whether other market variables, such as volume, open interest, daily returns, bid-ask spread and the slope of the futures curve, contain predictive power beyond what is embedded in the implied volatility. In out-of-sample forecasting we find that econometric models based on realized volatility can be improved by including implied volatility and other variables. Our results show that including implied volatility significantly improves daily and weekly volatility forecasts; however, including other market variables significantly improves daily, weekly and monthly volatility forecasts.
Charge Density Studies Using CCD Detectors: Oxalic Acid at 100 K Revisited

The charge density of oxalic acid dihydrate has been redetermined from 100 K X-ray diffraction data using a SMART CCD diffractometer. The quality of the data has been carefully analyzed and shown to be at least as good as that obtained using a point detector. The positional and thermal parameters obtained from least-squares refinement and the main features of difference density maps are comparable with those obtained by a number of laboratories as part of the IUCr electron density project. In particular, the comparison study has been completed by two multipole refinements carried out in parallel using both the current data set and that of a previous study [Stevens & Coppens (1980). Acta Cryst. B36, 1864–1876].
Aerosol optical and hygroscopic properties during TexAQS‐GoMACCS 2006 and their impact on aerosol direct radiative forcing

[1] In situ measurements of aerosol optical and hygroscopic properties were made on board the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration R/V Ronald H. Brown during the Texas Air Quality Study–Gulf of Mexico Atmospheric Composition and Climate Study (TexAQS-GoMACCS). The aerosol light extinction coefficient (σep) was measured at 355, 532, and 1064 nm at 25%, 60%, and 85% relative humidity (RH) for both sub-1- and sub-10-μm-diameter particles with a cavity ring–down aerosol extinction spectrometer. The 532-nm σep was coupled with the 532-nm light absorption coefficient (σap) measured with a photoacoustic absorption spectrometer to calculate the aerosol single scattering albedo (ω) with absolute uncertainty 0.65 and >0.9, respectively). The optical data were used to estimate local, top of atmosphere aerosol-induced climate forcing (ΔFR). The ΔFR calculations were performed using both ω values measured at 25% RH and ω values converted to ambient RH. The calculated ambient ΔFR ranged from −7 to −40 W/m2 with absolute uncertainty between 0.7 and 2.5 W/m2. The results show that including aerosol hygroscopic properties in climate calculations is critical for improving estimates of aerosol forcing on climate.
Phytochemical profile and biological activities of Momordica charantia L. (Cucurbitaceae): A review

This study discusses the bioactive composition, supercritical fluid extraction and biological activities of Momordica charantia L. from the last five years. Numerous compounds that have been identified in the extracts of M. charantia, including phytosterols, terpenoids, fatty acids, phenolic compounds, phenolic acids and flavonoids were also discussed. Although, several studies reported the use of organic solvents in the extraction of these compounds, this review emphasized on supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), good selectivity, varied fractions in terms of mass yields and chemical composition obtained, in addition to providing a solvent-free extract. Moreover, the biological effects of M. charantia extracts, including their antidiabetic, neuroprotective, anti-obesogenic, antimalarial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and allelopathic activities, were discussed. These biological effects of the extracts of M. charantia can directly affect human health. The findings of this review are important, as they can guide future studies related to obtaining bioactive compounds from M. charantia and its applications. Key words: Bitter melon, supercritical fluid, bioactive compounds, biological activities.
Optical Thin-Film Metamaterials

We hear a lot about metamaterials these days. What exactly are metamaterials? In science and technology, the addition of the prefix meta suggests attributes beyond those that would be normally associated with the term to which it is attached. Thus metamaterials would indicate materials, usually engineered ones, presenting properties not found in natural materials. In optics, to which we restrict ourselves here, the word usually indicates deliberately structured materials exhibiting strange behavior of permittivity and permeability and supporting unusual propagation of electromagnetic waves. Most often the objective is behavior that can be interpreted as negative refraction. Impressive metamaterials that convincingly display negative refractive index have been designed for the microwave region. Unfortunately, their behavior depends on magnetic effects that vanish at optical frequencies so that the techniques cannot be directly transferred to the optical region. Nevertheless there have been demonstrations of optical effects, particularly in combinations of metal and dielectric films, that can be interpreted as exhibiting apparent negative indices. This article is an attempt to understand this behavior in the framework of our normal thin-film theory. In what follows we employ the usual thin-film sign conventions. In particular the phase factor of a propagating harmonic wave takes the form exp[i(ωt – κz)] and an absorbing material has optical constants (n – ik).
Genetic Variation in Mutants of Chilli (Capsicum annum) Revealed by RAPD Marker

The present study was under taken in order to analyze the chemical mutagenesis on Chilli germplasm. In this regard, K1 variety of chilli was subjected to different mutagenic concentration for inducing mutagenesis. The M3 plants exposed to EMS and DES to produce clear difference from the untreated control, thus indicating that mutagenic treatment produce polymorphic regions in the chilli. For extraction of genomic DNA was adopted an improved protocol of CTAB method with slight modification. A total of ten primers were used to screen the polymorphism among the treated populations line tall, tall with chlorophyll deficient, leaf, flower, GMS and DNA damages in maturity mutants were analyzed with control. Out of ten primers, four primers (PGF02, PGF03, PGF04 AND OP107) were successfully amplified in all the samples used for this study. The successful primers were amplified in to 93 products showing an average of 9.3 bands
An Empirical Study on the Effects of Real Effective Exchange Rate on Algeria’s Trade Balance

The purpose of this study is to estimate the effects of Real Effective Exchange Rate (REER) on Algeria’s trade balance (TB). There exist two groups of studies that have investigated in the short-run and long run effects of real effective exchange rate on trade balance. The first group has employed at aggregate level between Algeria and the rest of world. The second group has used the trade at the bilateral level between Algeria and her two major trading partners, US (as a largest export partner of Algeria) and France (as a largest import partner of Algeria). Since a country’s trade balance behavior is directly depending on real effective exchange rate (REER), foreign income (Y*) and real domestic income (Y), so, we include all these variables in our model to test the general case (Algeria-world case) and specific case (Algeria-France and Algeria-UScase). This study uses unit root tests, co-integration techniques, Error Correction Model (ECM) and impulse response function with time series data covering the periods of 1981Q1-2009Q4. The main findings of this study are: (i) REER have a significant expected impact (positive in long-run and negative in short-run) on the Algeria bilateral trade balance with respect to US and France, and on the total trade balance. (ii) The Granger Causality test suggests that REER does Granger causes trade balance for all cases of study. The study clearly demonstrates that real devaluations of exchange rate in Algeria have been positively associated with improvement of trade balance. Hence, devaluation of currency as a whole seems to be beneficial for Algeria exports.
Supply chain implications of platform strategies in construction

Platform strategies and modular product development have been applied in manufacturing to achieve goals of agile and lean production, and mass customisation. These strategies have had consequences for manufacturing supply chains. This paper explores the basic characteristics of platform strategies as applied in manufacturing, including the concepts of postponement, decoupling and modularisation. As in manufacturing, application of platform strategies to construction requires reconfiguration of the supply chain. Characteristics of the construction supply chain are converging logistics, make-to-order, many distributed production between separate firms, and delivering complex products with long life cycles. For platform strategies to be applied, inter-organisational multi-project arrangements must be introduced between firms that produce and deliver an integrated product to the marketplace as a “factory without walls”. For this the concepts of the extended enterprise and the modular production network are introduced. This is illustrated through two case studies of open building. Based on its specific product and process co-ordination principles, open building can be explained and typified as a platform strategy that promotes flexibility and agility by delayed differentiation. From the case studies, the supply chain implications of platform strategies in construction are indicated and discussed. In conclusion, further directions are indicated for research of platform strategies and extended enterprises in construction supply chains.