Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Removal of Cadmium and Lead Ions from Aqueous Solution by Nanocrystalline Magnetite Through Mechanochemical Activation

In this study, the removal of cadmium and lead ions from aqueous solution by nanocrystalline magnetite was investigated. The nanocrystalline magnetite was synthesized by mechanochemical activation of hematite in a high energy planetary mill in argon atmosphere for 45 hours. The ability of the synthesized nanocrystalline magnetite for removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions was studied in a batch reactor under different experimental conditions with different pHs, contact times, initial metal ion concentrations and temperatures. The solution’s pH was found to be a key factor in the adsorption of heavy metal ions on Fe3O4. The optimum pH of the solution for adsorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions was found to be 6.5 and 5.5, respectively. The best models to describe the kinetics and isotherms of single adsorption were both the pseudo first and second-order kinetic models and Langmuir models, respectively, indicating the monolayer chemisorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) on Fe3O4 nanoparticles. Moreover, the thermodynamic parameters (i.e., ∆H°, ∆S°, ∆G°) were evaluated which indicated that the adsorption was spontaneous and exothermic. The results suggested that the synthesized material (magnetite nanocrystalline particles) may be used as effective and economic absorbent for removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solutions.
The effects of treatment with drospirenone/ethinyl oestradiol alone or in combination with metformin on elastic properties of aorta in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a heterogeneous clinical condition. Oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) have conventionally been the mainstay of treatment for the amelioration of hyperandrogenism and regulation of menstrual cycles in women with PCOS. Metformin has beneficial effects on insulin resistance and endothelial functions. To our knowledge, the effect of metformin/OCP combination treatment on aortic stiffness has not been studied so far.
Patterns of spread of distant metastases in head and neck cancer

Ninety‐six (12.3%) of a total of 779 patients with head and neck cancer were found (clinically or at autopsy) to have distant metastases in the period from 1955 to 1967, in a study at the Division of Radiation Therapy, Stanford University School of Medicine. The study was confined to adults with epithelial tumors. All areas in the head and neck region were reviewed, except the paranasal sinuses, eye, ear, and thyroid gland. Metastases to the lungs, bone, and liver were the most common, but unexpected metastases to the heart, spleen, and gastrointestinal tract were frequently found. The most advanced primary tumors (T4) were most likely to have metastases. More than 50% of patients in whom the primary site was effectively controlled developed metastases. Forty patients of the 96 with metastases had an autopsy; further metastatic sites, not apparent clinically, were found in most of these patients.
Steklov Methods for Nonlinear Stochastic Differential Equations

We propose a new way to construct numerical methods for stochastic differential equations (SDEs) via Steklov means. Here we present two schemes that evidence the properties of this new approach. First, we construct a scheme for scalar SDEs and prove its convergence and stability under standard globally Lipschitz and linear growth conditions. Moreover, we give sufficient conditions for the nonlinear asymptotic stability in both, multiplicative and additive cases. Finally, we showed the behavior of the explicit Steklov method for problems with stringent stability requirements as the logistic stochastic equation and the Langevin equation in Brownian dynamics. In all these studies, we established that the Steklov method is an accurate scheme for large time scales simulation. The second scheme extends the previous method towards a multidimensional set up and coefficients with locally Lipschitz and monotone grow conditions. This method is constructed on the basis that the drift function can be rewritten in a linearized form. Moreover, strong order one-half convergence has been proved for our explicit linear method and we have presented several applications formulated with the LS scheme. Also, we present numerical evidence that confirms our theoretical results and suggests an extension to super-linear growth diffusions. Finally, high-performance of the Linear Steklov method have been analyzed in diverse problems for which other methods have failed.
The Impact of Chronic Wasting Disease and its Management on Hunter Perceptions, Opinions, and Behaviors in Alberta, Canada

The goal of this analysis was to identify changes in hunting behavior, satisfaction, and perceptions of risk in the presence of chronic wasting disease (CWD). Hunters completed an Internet survey containing direct questions regarding the impacts of CWD and gathering information about real and hypothetical hunting trips. Overall, hunters were satisfied with CWD management, and although certain behaviors were altered, the perceived risk by hunters did not seem to be high. A travel cost model was used to determine whether differences in trip frequencies might be observed in response to CWD. The largest variation in trips was between urban and rural hunters, with urban hunters being less averse to traveling but more averse to CWD and the management program of extra tags.
Stressful life events and catechol‐O‐methyl‐transferase (COMT) gene in bipolar disorder

A small body of research suggests that gene–environment interactions play an important role in the development of bipolar disorder. The aim of the present study is to contribute to this work by exploring the relationship between stressful life events and the catechol‐O‐methyl‐transferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism in bipolar disorder.
Parathyroid adenomas and cardiovascular risk.

In recent decades, primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) has changed its clinical presentation from a disease with bone and renal involvement to a frequently asymptomatic disorder detected on routine biochemistry. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether patients with untreated mild asymptomatic hyperparathyroidism are at risk for other complications such as increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases. There are limited data on the incidence of cardiovascular abnormalities in mild pHPT. However, pHPT has been associated with increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, hypertension, left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), valvular and myocardial calcifications, impaired vascular reactivity, alterations in cardiac conduction, impaired glucose metabolism, dyslipidaemia, and alterations in body composition. The nature of some of these associations is in question, because cure of pHPT does not lead to improvement of the cardiovascular disorder e.g. hypertension. In contrast, currently available data suggest that LVH, impaired glucose metabolism and dyslipidaemia may improve after surgery and that successful parathyroidectomy could decrease the excess mortality in patients with pHPT due to cardiovascular disease.
Orientation of the cleavage site of the herpes simplex virus glycoprotein G-2

During the synthesis of glycoprotein G-2 (gG-2) of herpes simplex virus type 2, the 104,000-Da gG-2 precursor (104K precursor) is cleaved to generate the 72K and the 31K intermediates. The 72K product is processed to generate the mature gG-2 (molecular mass, 108,000 Da), while the 31K product is additionally processed and secreted into the extracellular medium as the 34K component (H. K. Su, R. Eberle, and R. J. Courtney, J. Virol. 61:1735-1737, 1987). In this study, the orientations of the 31K and 72K products on the 104K precursor were determined by using two antipeptide sera produced in rabbits and a monoclonal antibody, 13 alpha C6, directed against gG-2. The sera prepared against synthetic peptides corresponding to the terminal amino acid residues 67 to 78 and an internal peptide at amino acids 247 to 260 of gG-2 recognized the 104K precursor and the 31K cleavage product but not the 72K intermediate. In contrast, 13 alpha C6 detected the 72K cleavage product and the uncleaved precursor but not the 31K cleavage component. The epitope recognized by 13 alpha C6 was mapped within amino acids 486 to 566. These results suggest that the 31K cleavage product is derived from the amino-terminal portion of the 104K precursor molecule and that the 72K intermediate is derived from the carboxyl terminus. In support of our model described above for the synthesis of gG-2, antibodies recognizing either of the cleavage products reacted with the uncleaved precursor but not with the other cleavage product. By using partial endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase H analysis, two N-linked glycosylation sites were found on each of the cleavage products. The distribution of the N-linked glycosylation sites and the reactivities of the antipeptide sera allowed the cleavage region on the precursor to be mapped to within amino acids 260 to 437.
Higher-order spin effects in the dynamics of compact binaries. II. Radiation field

Motivated by the search for gravitational waves emitted by binary black holes, we investigate the gravitational radiation field of point particles with spins within the framework of the multipolar-post-Newtonian wave generation formalism. We compute: (i) the spin-orbit (SO) coupling effects in the binary's mass and current quadrupole moments one post-Newtonian (1PN) order beyond the dominant effect, (ii) the SO contributions in the gravitational-wave energy flux and (iii) the secular evolution of the binary's orbital phase up to 2.5PN order. Crucial ingredients for obtaining the 2.5PN contribution in the orbital phase are the binary's energy and the spin precession equations, derived in paper I of this series. These results provide more accurate gravitational-wave templates to be used in the data analysis of rapidly rotating Kerr-type black-hole binaries with the ground-based detectors LIGO, Virgo, GEO 600 and TAMA300, and the space-based detector LISA.
Bacterial Community Structure and Location in Stilton Cheese

ABSTRACT The microbial diversity occurring in Stilton cheese was evaluated by 16S ribosomal DNA analysis with PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. DNA templates for PCR experiments were directly extracted from the cheese as well as bulk cells harvested from a variety of viable-count media. The variable V3 and V4-V5 regions of the 16S genes were analyzed. Closest relatives of Lactococcus lactis, Enterococcus faecalis, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus curvatus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Staphylococcus equorum, and Staphylococcus sp. were identified by sequencing of the DGGE fragments. Fluorescently labeled oligonucleotide probes were developed to detect Lactococcus lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Leuconostoc mesenteroides in fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) experiments, and their specificity for the species occurring in the community of Stilton cheese was checked in FISH experiments carried out with reference cultures. The combined use of these probes and the bacterial probe Eub338 in FISH experiments on Stilton cheese sections allowed the assessment of the spatial distribution of the different microbial species in the dairy matrix. Microbial colonies of bacteria showed a differential location in the different parts of the cheese examined: the core, the veins, and the crust. Lactococci were found in the internal part of the veins as mixed colonies and as single colonies within the core. Lactobacillus plantarum was detected only underneath the surface, while Leuconostoc microcolonies were homogeneously distributed in all parts observed. The combined molecular approach is shown to be useful to simultaneously describe the structure and location of the bacterial flora in cheese. The differential distribution of species found suggests specific ecological reasons for the establishment of sites of actual microbial growth in the cheese, with implications of significance in understanding the ecology of food systems and with the aim of achieving optimization of the fermentation technologies as well as preservation of traditional products.
A novel bidirectional DC-DC topology for electric vehicles using PSIM

To improve the efficiency of electric vehicle technology, hybrid energy sources are being incorporated. Another strategy for improvement is to facilitate energy recovery in regeneration mode. So the solution to this to use a bidirectional DC-DC converter in electric vehicles. The improvement of efficiency can be further increased by using a non-isolated bidirectional DC-DC converter. In this paper, various nonisolated bidirectional DC-DC converters have been simulated and compared and a novel DC-DC converter has been discussed in detail and the results have been obtained by using PSIM.
Eating disorders in children and adolescents: an update

Purpose of review Children and adolescents with eating disorders frequently present to child mental health and paediatric services and have significant morbidity, psychosocial impairment and mortality. Efforts to treat these individuals have been hampered by a poor evidence base for effective interventions. This article reviews research published during 2004 with a primary focus on this challenging clinical area. Recent findings Research published during 2004 has replicated past epidemiological findings and expanded our understanding of the relationship of family meal structure and disordered eating. Research has provided assistance in the well known clinical conundrums of excessive exercising in anorexia nervosa and predicting when return of menses will occur. There has also been clarification of adolescent bingeing. Potential advances include a new, noninvasive method of measuring body composition and investigations in adolescents on leptin, neuro and gastrointestinal peptides. Importantly, further evidence of the effectiveness of family therapy for anorexia nervosa and short-term benefits from intervention programs have been published. Summary The research base that will influence clinical practice in child and adolescent eating disorders is increasing. More research is required in all areas of intervention.
Artemisinin: The biosynthetic pathway and its regulation in Artemisia annua, a terpenoid-rich species

SummaryArtemisinin is a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from the aerial parts of Artemisia annua L. plants. Besides being currently the best therapeutic against both drug-resistant and cerebral malaria-causing strains of Plasmodium falciparum, the drug has also been shown to be effective against other infections diseases including schistosomiasis and hepatitis. More recently, it has also been shown to be effective against numerous types of tumors. Although chemical synthesis of artemisinin is possible, it is not economically feasible. The relatively low yield (0.01–0.8%) of artemisinin in A. annua is a further serious limitation to the commercialization of the drug. Therffore, the enhanced production of artemisinin either in cell/tissue culture or in the whole plant of A. annua is highly desirable. A better understanding of the biochemical pathway leading to the synthesis of artemisinin and its regulation by both exogenous and endogenous factors is essential for facilitating increased yield. Two genes of the artemisinin biosynthetic pathway have now been identified. This critical review covers recent developments related to the biosynthesis of this important compound and related terpenoids, their regulation, and the production of these compounds both in vitro and in whole plants.
A Type of Energy Hole Avoiding Method Based on Synchronization of Nodes in Adjacent Annuluses for Sensor Network

For the purpose of balancing energy consumption of nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs for short), a type of energy hole avoiding method based on synchronization of nodes in adjacent annuluses (SNAA for short) is proposed in this paper. The circular network is divided into virtual annuluses with the same width. Nodes are deployed nonuniformly and their number increases in geometric progression from the outer annuluses to the inner ones which could effectively reduce the work load on nodes near the center. Moreover, each node could find its optimal parent by considering the residual energy of each candidate as well as the distance between the two nodes in adjacent annuluses. And on the basis of synchronization of nodes between adjacent annuluses during their transmitting and receiving phases, a sleep scheduling strategy is also proposed to further reduce the energy consumption of nodes in idle listening mode. Simulation results show that SNAA has a superior performance on energy consumption balance compared to the algorithm proposed (Liu et al., 2013; Wu et al., 2008) and it could also mitigate the energy hole problem in WSNs.
Break excitation alone does not explain the delay and amplitude of anodal current‐induced vasodilatation in human skin

In iontophoresis experiments, a ‘non‐specific’ current‐induced vasodilatation interferes with the effects of the diffused drugs. This current‐induced vasodilatation is assumed to rely on an axon reflex due to excitation of cutaneous nociceptors and is weaker and delayed at the anode as compared to the cathode. We analysed whether these anodal specificities could result from a break excitation of nociceptors. Break excitation is the generation of action potentials at the end of a square anodal DC current application, which are generally weaker than those observed at the onset of a same application at the cathode. In eight healthy volunteers, we studied forearm cutaneous laser Doppler flow (LDF) responses to: (1) anodal and cathodal 100 μA current applications of 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 min; (2) 100 μA anodal applications of 3 min with a progressive ending over 100 s (total charge 23 mC); these were compared to square‐ended 100 μA anodal applications of the same total charge (23 mC) or duration (3 min); (3) a 4 min 100 μA anodal application with a 333 msec break at half time. Results (mean ± S.D.) are expressed as percentage of heat‐induced maximal vasodilatation (%MVD). Onset (Tvd) and amplitude (LDFpeak) of vasodilatation were determined. We observed that: Tvd was linearly related to the duration of current application at the anode (slope = 1.01, r2= 0.99, P < 0.0001) but not at the cathode (slope = 0.03, r2= 0.02, n.s.). Progressive ending of anodal current did not decrease LDFpeak (63.3 ± 24.6 %MVD) as compared to square‐ending of current application of the same duration (36.9 ± 22.2 %MVD) or the same total charge (57.1 ± 23.5 %MVD). A transient break of anodal current did not allow for the vasodilatation to develop until current was permanently stopped. We conclude that, during iontophoresis, anodal break excitation alone cannot account for the delay and amplitude of the vascular response.
Living on a dS brane: effects of KK modes on inflation

We develop a formalism to study non-local higher dimensional effects in braneworld scenarios from a four-dimensional effective theory point of view and check it against the well-known Garriga–Tanaka result in the appropriate limit. We then use this formalism to study the spectrum of density perturbations during inflation as seen from the lower dimensional effective theory. In particular, we find that the gravitational potential is greatly enhanced at short wavelengths. The consequences to the curvature perturbations are nonetheless very weak and will lead to no characteristic signatures on the power spectrum.
Incident of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in Post-Operative Wound Infection

The primary aim of this study was to determine the incidents of pseudomonas aeruginosa in post-operative wound infection and its sensitivity pattern to commonly used antibiotics. During a period of six months between February to December, 2005, 115 specimens were collected from King Abdullah University Hospital, Princess Basma Hospital, Princess Badea and Princess Rahma Hospitals. Samples were obtained from the hospitals and processed in our research microbiology lab. Assessment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa as an agent of nosocomial infections. Out of the 115 bacterial isolates found in post-operative wound infection, 20 (27.8%) were Pseudomonas aeruginosa, followed by E. coli 18 (15.6%), S. aureus 17 (14.7%), Acinetobacter calcoaceticus 15 (13.0%), K. species 14 (12.1 %), Proteus species 7 (6.0 %), Citrobacter freundii 4 (3.4%), Streptococcus pyogenes 3 (2.6 %), Enterococcus faecalis 3 (2.6%) and no growth 2 (1.7 %). The results showed that the occurrence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa was higher in young groups than in the other groups. The lowest causative agents of post operation infections were Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus faecalis and Citrobacter freundii. There was no significant difference in the occurrence of hospital infection between males and females. The sensitivity pattern of P. aeruginosa isolated from patients in post- operative wound infections, the organism was sensitive to amikacin, gentamicin, tobramycin, ciprofloxacin and aztreonam with amikacin showing the highest percentage sensitivity. In conclusion this study shows that there is an increased rate of incidence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in post- operative wound infections.
SUB-CHANDRASEKHAR WHITE DWARF MERGERS AS THE PROGENITORS OF TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) are generally thought to be due to the thermonuclear explosions of carbon–oxygen white dwarfs (CO WDs) with masses near the Chandrasekhar mass. This scenario, however, has two long-standing problems. First, the explosions do not naturally produce the correct mix of elements, but have to be finely tuned to proceed from subsonic deflagration to supersonic detonation. Second, population models and observations give formation rates of near-Chandrasekhar WDs that are far too small. Here, we suggest that SNe Ia instead result from mergers of roughly equal-mass CO WDs, including those that produce sub-Chandrasekhar mass remnants. Numerical studies of such mergers have shown that the remnants consist of rapidly rotating cores that contain most of the mass and are hottest in the center, surrounded by dense, small disks. We argue that the disks accrete quickly, and that the resulting compressional heating likely leads to central carbon ignition. This ignition occurs at densities for which pure detonations lead to events similar to SNe Ia. With this merger scenario, we can understand the type Ia rates and have plausible reasons for the observed range in luminosity and for the bias of more luminous supernovae toward younger populations. We speculate that explosions of WDs slowly brought to the Chandrasekhar limit—which should also occur—are responsible for some of the “atypical” SNe Ia.
Implementation of circuit in different adiabatic logic

Adiabatic circuits are widely employed in Low power VLSI circuit to achieve power efficient system at the cost of reduced performance. The power saving of adiabatic circuit can reach more than 90% compared to conventional static CMOS logic for extreme low frequency applications. The power efficiency of 4:1 multiplexer, designed in different adiabatic logic families is presented in this paper. Power saving more than 50% is achievable beyond 1000MHz also.