Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Parasitology as an Interpretive Tool in Archaeology

Parasitological studies of archaeological sites can be used to interpret past behavior and living conditions. During the 1980s problem-oriented research into prehistoric- and historical-period parasitism developed and resulted in the field of archaeoparasitology. Archaeoparasitology attempts to integrate parasite data into archaeological theory and interpretation. Within the last decade, four major archaeoparasitological laboratories emerged. They developed interpretive frameworks that apply parasitological data to a remarkable variety of prehistoric behaviors. Parasite remains can be used to reconstruct aspects of diet, health, and other behaviors such as transhumance and trade. Finally, analysis of the distribution of parasite remains can be used to interpret aspects of site-formation processes.
Spontaneous Luminescence Background in Living Nu/Nu Mice

Spontaneous light emission from living animals can overcome the investigated light signals in small animal luminescence imaging. Despite autofluorescence emission is well studied the spontaneous luminescence background is less known and its importance is growing due to the new born imaging techniques like Cerenkov Luminescence Imaging and Radionuclide Luminescence Imaging in which faint sources are often involved. In order to investigate the spontaneous emission we studied the background luminescence in vivo from health Nu/Nu mice in optical imaging acquisitions and we related it with the optical properties of the diet of the animals. In particular luminescence images of mice feed with normal diet used in animal facilities were acquired using a commercial optical imager. The intensity and the spectral features of the luminescence emission from the animal surface after sunshine exposition and after normal lighting laboratory conditions were measured. The same was done with the pellets of food used to feed the animals. We found a background emission from the entire animal surface and localized light sources in the abdominal/lumbar region. Their intensity can be modulated by the light exposition of the animals before the imaging session and decreases along the time when they are put in darkness. The comparison of the luminescence time decay of animals and pellets suggests that the light sources are related to the persistent luminescence of the molecules contained in the food. So ambient exposure before imaging is important for luminescence imaging in order to keep down the background. The optical properties of food are also important and it necessary to check them before to feed the animals not only in fluorescence imaging but also in luminescence imaging.
The Variation of Certain Speculative Prices

My efforts to improve on Bachelier's Brownian model started with markets on which the dominant factor is the highly non Gaussian nature of the distribution's tails. In IBM Report NC-87, liThe Variation of certain speculative prices, published on March 26, 1962, the title pointedly meant not necessarily all. For external publication, the hefty NC-87 was split. Its core became M 1963b{E14}, which is the centerpiece of this part. My interests having changed, what was left of NC-87 appeared years later, as M 1967b{E15}; this awkward composite adds some data on cotton and continues with wheat, railroad securities and interest rates, but also includes answers to criticism of M 1963b{E14} and other material that made the text closer to being self-contained. A final small piece from NC-87 is published for the first time as Pre-publication Appendix I to Chapter E14.
Income, Environmental Disamenity, and Toxic Releases

The literature argues that income growth leads to increased demand for environmental quality and thus reduction in pollution. Using a utility theoretic model, we hypothesize that the income--pollution relationship should depend on the level of disamenity of the pollutant. We proxy for disamenity using the toxicity of releases. For counties in the United States, the functional relationship between income and releases depends on the level of disamenity: the form is more concave for more toxic releases. We find that environmental improvements occur at lower levels of per capita income for more toxic pollutants. (JEL Q25, Q28, O13) Copyright 2004, Oxford University Press.
ZnO submicron structures of controlled morphology synthesized in zinc-hexamethylenetetramine-ethylenediamine aqueous system

The morphology of ZnO submicron crystals formed in a weak alkaline environment (pH value less than 11.0) was systematically studied for the first time. ZnO submicron particles with different morphologies (flowers, rod, and wire) were synthesized from an aqueous solution by adopting ethylenediamine as the source of hydroxyl group, hexamethylenetetramine (HMT) as the additive, and potassium chloride (KCl) as the background electrolyte. The effects of primary experimental parameters such as HMT and KCl addition, precursor concentration, and reaction temperature on the microstructure, crystallinity of the resultant particles, and their distribution on substrate are discussed in this paper. In the flowerlike structure, the particle size is more controlled by the precursor concentration, and the microstructure is modulated by increasing the concentration of HMT and the reaction temperature. The introduction of ZnO seed layer on substrate promotes even distribution of ZnO flowers. High concentration KCl electrolyte inhibits formation of the flowerlike structure and promotes the growth of submicron ZnO crystals in rod or wire shape. Mechanism studies indicate that the degree of supersaturation of Zn(OH)_2 and the adsorption of organic/inorganic species on the surface of ZnO are the prime factors influencing the nucleation, growth rate, and eventual morphology.
HOW BIOTECHNOLOGIES CAN IMPROVE BOVINE VACCINOLOGY

Infectious diseases, and especially viral diseases, can be prevented or controlled by several means. For many years, only hygienic measures based on animal culling were the methods of choice to control highly contagious diseases, like foot-and-mouth-disease (FMD) virus which can spread very quickly and very efficiently in a naive population (Grubman & Baxt, 2004). Due to the development of new technologies, vaccination is now proposed to act in addition to other measures in order to control such epidemic diseases. Vaccination is also used to control several endemic diseases which can have profound economic effect in cattle production. Biotechnology is constantly applied to improve the quality of newly developed vaccines (Vannier & Martignat, 2005).
Modified Wiener Filter Based Speech Restoration with Autocorrelation of Isolated Kannada Word Speech Recognition

There is a big challenge in speech recognition system due to variability of the spoken languages and also speech signal is degraded due the environmental noise. Therefore speech recognition system requires pre-processing, which plays vital role to restore speech signal more effectively. Many challenges are there to restore the speech from different noisy environment. In this paper, proposed method is divided into two parts. First part is Kannada speech restoration, the modified wiener filter is proposed to restore the Kannada speech signal with very good speech quality. The experimental results are verified for different types of noise by varying input Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) from -20dB to 5 decibels (dB). Second part is Autocorrelation based Kannada speech recognition system. Autocorrelation technique gives better output SNR for degraded input SNR with -20dB. The Autocorrelation is the simple method to recognize the isolated Kannada word in speech signal. This proposed technique results 100% recognition rate for male, female, with different accents.
Prevalence and rapid detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from lung cancer patients with pneumonia infection

Background: Lung cancer is a major cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common pathogen found among them and has demonstrated an increasing resistance to various antibiotics. Early detection of S. pneumoniae and appropriate antibiotic therapy is clinically warranted to improve clinical outcome of the patients and prevent drug resistance. The “RAPIRUNHS ® S. pneumoniae HS”, an inexpensive, easy and rapid detection kit was used for the detection of S. pneumoniae. This study aims to evaluate a rapid novel method of detection of S. pneumoniae antigen, to determine the prevalence and antibiotic resistance of S. pneumoniae isolated from the respiratory tract of lung cancer patients with pneumonia infection. Methods: Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL) specimens, collected from 183 lung cancer patients with pneumonia were cultured for the presence of bacterial growth and antibiotic resistance was determined by minimum inhibitory concentration assay. The S. pneumoniae antigen and DNA were detected using RAPIRUN-HS® and Real-Time PCR respectively. Results: S. pneumoniae (68.1%) was the predominant organism isolated (p<0.05) from the samples. Real-Time PCR showed the high sensitivity of 82.6% however, the RAPIRUN-HS® test was highly specific showing specificity rate of 79.1% compared to PCR. Fifty-four (58.7%) isolates were found to be resistance to erythromycin (p<0.05). Thirty-two (17.5%) patients died in this study. Conclusion: S. pneumoniae was the predominant organism present in pneumonia patients with lung cancer and RAPIRUN-HS® test is highly specific in detecting S. pneumoniae.
Vitamin C and endogenous cortisol in foreign-body inflammatory response in pacus

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of food supplementation with vitamin C on macrophage and multinucleated giant cell (MGC) activities of pacus at two stocking densities. The experiment was carried out in a 2x2x3 split-plot factorial arrangement with: 0 and 500 mg kg -1 vitamin C; 5 and 20 kg m -3 stocking densities; and evaluation times at 3, 6, and 12 days after the subcutaneous implantation of glass coverslips (DPI). The number of macrophages and MGC, as well as cortisol and glucose plasma levels were determined. The number of macrophages and MGC with two to five nuclei was significantly greater in fish supplemented with vitamin C at 5 kg m -3 stocking density at 3 DPI in comparison to nonsupplemented ones. The macrophage and MGC counts were lower in fish with high‑plasma cortisol concentration. Supplementation with 500 mg vitamin C benefits macrophage activity on foreign‑body inflammation, and high‑cortisol concentration has suppressive effects on this response.
Mineral dust observed with AERONET Sun photometer, Raman lidar, and in situ instruments during SAMUM 2006: Shape‐independent particle properties

Nearly pure Saharan dust was observed with an Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) Sun photometer, several Raman and high spectral resolution lidars, and airborne in situ instruments during the Saharan Mineral Dust Experiment (SAMUM) 2006 in Morocco. In the framework of a case study we present particle shapeA¢ÂÂdependent dust properties, i.e., backscatter coefficients, extinctionA¢ÂÂtoA¢ÂÂbackscatter (lidar) ratios, and linear particle depolarization ratios. These parameters can be inferred from AERONETA¢ÂÂs latest version of the mineral dust retrieval algorithm. The parameters can be measured with multiwavelength Raman/depolarization lidar without critical assumptions on particle shape. Lidar ratios inferred from the AERONET Sun photometer data tend to be larger than lidar ratios measured directly with lidar. Linear dust depolarization ratios were derived for several measurement wavelengths from the data products of the AERONET Sun photometer. The depolarization ratios tend to be smaller than the depolarization ratios measured with lidar. The largest differences exist in the nearA¢ÂÂultraviolet wavelength range. Particle axis ratios were determined with scanning electron microscopy. The axis ratio distribution differs significantly from the axis ratio distribution that is assumed in the AERONET retrievals. If the axis ratio distributions measured during SAMUM are used, the reproducibility of the lidar data products improves. The differences may in part be caused by an insufficient understanding of the lightA¢ÂÂscattering model that is used in the AERONET algorithm. The results of the present study will be used to develop a dust lightA¢ÂÂscattering model that will serve as the theoretical basis for the inversion of optical data into dust microphysical properties.
PRODUCING HIGH QUALITY ORCHARDGRASS AND TIMOTHY HAY

Forage quality of orchardgrass and timothy hays can be evaluated from both nutritional and marketing perspectives. From the nutritional perspective it is conditioned by the 1) nutrient concentration, 2) rate of voluntary intake, 3) digestibility and 4) partitioning of metabolized products within the animal. From the marketing perspective, hay destined for urban feed store and Pacific Rim markets are based on aesthetic parameters that are often contrary to good animal nutrition. Cultural practices, environmental effects, soil fertility, soil moisture, plant pathogens, anti-quality factors and cultivar influence forage quality potential. Conditions or practices that improve forage nutritional quality include harvesting at the boot to heading stage, harvesting during cool growth periods and harvesting in the afternoon. Proper soil fertility and irrigation practices to enhance healthy growth also increase forage quality. Grass hay that is free of weeds, dust, mold, foreign material, off-type grass species and musty or sour odors will have an advantage in the marketplace.
The Field of Norms Functor and the Hilbert Symbol

The classical Hilbert symbol of a higher local field $F$ containing a primitive $p^M$-th root of unity $\zeta_M$ is a pairing $F^*/(F^*)^{p^M}\times K_N(F)/p^M \to \mu_{p^M}$, describing Kummer extensions of exponent $p^M$. In this thesis we define a generalised Hilbert symbol and prove a formula for it. Our approach has several ingredients. The field of norms functor of Scholl associates to any strictly deeply ramified tower $F_. $ a field $\c F$ of characteristic $p$. Separable extensions of $\cal F$ correspond functorially to extensions of $F_. $, giving rise to $\Gamma_{\cal F}\cong \Gamma_{F_{\infty}}\subset \Gamma_F$. We define morphisms $\cal N_{\cal F/F_n}: K_N^t(\cal F)/p^M \to K_N^t(F_n)/p^M$ which are compatible with the norms $N_{F_{n+m}/F_n}$ for every $m$. Using these, we show that field of norms functor commutes with the reciprocity maps $\Psi_{\cal F}: K_N^t(\cal F) \to \Gamma_{\cal F}^{ab}$ and $\Psi_{F_n}: K_N^t(F_n) \to \Gamma_{F_n}^{ab}$ constructed by Fesenko. Imitating Fontaine's approach, we obtain an invariant form of Parshin's formula for the Witt pairing in characteristic $p$. The `main lemma' relates Kummer extensions of $F$ and Witt extensions of $\cal F$, allowing us to derive a formula for the generalised Hilbert symbol $\hat F_{\infty}^* \times K_N(\cal F) \to \mu_{p^M}$, where $\hat F_{\infty}$ is the $p$-adic completion of $\varinjlim_n F_n$.
Clinical spectrum and course of Dengue Fever during Pregnancy: Institutional experience from South India

Objective: Dengue infection is a major public health concern in tropical and subtropical World and an important differential diagnosis of fever during pregnancy influencing the obstetric outcome. In this context, we present our experience with clinical spectrum and course of Dengue fever in our series of obstetric cases. Methods: A retrospective analysis of pregnant women diagnosed with dengue fever during pregnancy between August to October 2012 (15 months) was performed with regards to its clinical course, co-morbidities, obstetric outcome and maternal complications. Results: The cohort included 19 cases of Dengue fever complicating pregnancy with one case of hemorrhagic fever. The age of cohort was 24.3± 3.5 (18-33). Fever was the commonest clinical manifestation. There was no major bleeding diathesis. Preterm delivery and intrauterine death occurred in 3 cases each. All the complications and fetal deaths were related to hyperpyrexia. There was no maternal mortality. All the cases received only supportive therapy, antipyretics and ensuring adequate hydration. There was one neonatal death due to meconium aspiration syndrome. Conclusions: 1) Early diagnosis of DF relies on high index of suspicion and supportive therapy with an aim to maintain normothermia is the cornerstone of therapy (Key Words: Dengue fever; Pregnancy; HELLP Syndrome)
N-Terminal Pro-B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Echocardiographic Abnormalities in Severely Obese Patients: Correlation with Visceral Fat To the Editor: B-Type natriuretic peptide (BNP) and its co-released peptide N-termi-

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What is a Physicist Doing in the Jungle? Biomimetics of the Rainforest

This paper summarizes a TEDx Talk that the European physics professor Ille C. Gebeshuber, who has been living in South East Asia for nearly five years now, gave to a live audience of 800 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in July 2012. A similar talk is also given as an invited lecture at the 4th International Conference of Bionic Engineering in China in August 2013. The talk highlights the importance of news ways of doing science and of doing engineering that are needed to successfully address the major challenges humankind is currently facing, and how a generalistic approach synergistically combining Eastern and Western thinking might help in this respect. Biomimetics is stressed as an integrated, generalist way of learning from living nature, and as best practice example for developing new approaches that are based on understanding rather than learning by heart, with memory, reason and imagination as pillars, bridging fields of specialization and of education and thereby blending the knowledge of single isolated scientists and specialist scientist networks to a wisdom of the whole, powerful enough to help us successfully address our major problems.
Estimating Effects on Rare Outcomes: Knowledge is Power

Many of the secondary outcomes in observational studies and randomized trials are rare. Methods for estimating causal effects and associations with rare outcomes, however, are limited, and this represents a missed opportunity for investigation. In this article, we construct a new targeted minimum loss-based estimator (TMLE) for the effect of an exposure or treatment on a rare outcome. We focus on the causal risk difference and statistical models incorporating bounds on the conditional risk of the outcome, given the exposure and covariates. By construction, the proposed estimator constrains the predicted outcomes to respect this model knowledge. Theoretically, this bounding provides stability and power to estimate the exposure effect. In finite sample simulations, the proposed estimator performed as well, if not better, than alternative estimators, including the propensity score matching estimator, inverse probability of treatment weighted (IPTW) estimator, augmented-IPTW and the standard TMLE algorithm. The new estimator remained unbiased if either the conditional mean outcome or the propensity score were consistently estimated. As a substitution estimator, TMLE guaranteed the point estimates were within the parameter range. Our results highlight the potential for double robust, semiparametric efficient estimation with rare events
New control strategy against temperature sudden-drop in the initial stage of pad cooling process in poultry houses

Preliminary field measurements have shown substantial temperature sudden-drop (ΔTsd) at bird level in the initial stage of pad cooling process in arid regions of China. Such sudden temperature fluctuation can cause thermal stress to laying hens and this problem is attracting increasing concerns. The purpose of this study was to develop a new control strategy (NCS) to avoid or minimize ΔTsd while simplifying the operational process. Theoretical calculation and field test were conducted in this study. The key ambient thermal factor affecting ΔTsd was analysed by calculating temperature drop of cooled air existing the cooling pad (ΔTd). A countermeasure was applied by controlling the wetted pad area at each startup of the water supply pump. Field test was carried out to demonstrate the application of the NCS in a poultry house. The theoretical arithmetic results showed that ambient relative humidity (RHo) was the main factor affecting ΔTd, and ΔTsd occurred when RHo ≤ 60%. Temperature fluctuation at the bird level (Tdb,b) could be controlled within 4°C when the wetted pad area increased by 25%. The NCS operated based on RHo that was divided into three regions. For RHo > 80%, the pump would not be turned on because of poor cooling effect. For 60% < RHo < 80%, no ΔTsd would occur and the pump would be controlled by “on-off” regulation. For RHo ≤ 60%, ΔTsd occurred and the pump was turned on intermittently. Then, 4-stage cooling would be applied. Results of the field test were generally consistent with the theoretical simulation with regards to alleviation of ΔTsd that was controlled within 3.5°C. Further field verification of the NCS on the flock health and production performance is warranted. Keywords: evaporative cooling, poultry housing, new control strategy, temperature fluctuation, thermal stress DOI: 10.25165/j.ijabe. 20181101.2479 Citation: Hui X, Li B M, Xin H W, Zheng W C, Shi Z X, Yang X, et al. New control strategy against temperature sudden-drop in the initial stage of pad cooling process in poultry houses. Int J Agric & Biol Eng, 2018; 11(1): 66–73.
A review of rifapentine for treating active and latent tuberculosis

Background: Nearly 1/3 of the world’s population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Simple, effective treatment regimens could improve global tubercolosis (TB) treatment and prevention. We review the literature on the use of isoniazid and rifapentine for the treatment of TB infection. Methods: We performed a literature search with the terms ‘rifapentine’ and ‘tuberculosis’ and ‘treatment. ’ Results: We identified and summarized the data for five randomized controlled trials for latent TB infection (LTBI) and seven randomized controlled trials for use in active pulmonary TB. Conclusion: Isoniazid and rifapentine given once weekly for 12 weeks is an effective, well-tolerated short course regimen for latent tuberculosis. It is also an effective combination in the continuation phase of active TB treatment in HIV-negative individuals without cavitary disease.