Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic performance of Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI for evaluation of liver dysfunction: a multivariable analysis of 3T MRI sequences

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a multiparametric gadolinium ethoxybenzyl-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (Gd-EOB-DTPA)-enhanced MRI examination for the estimation of liver dysfunction classified by the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score. Results Liver dysfunction can be assessed by different methods. In a logistic regression analysis, T1- and T2-weighted images were affected by impaired liver function. In the assessment of liver dysfunction, the reduction rate in T1 mapping sequences showed a significant correlation in simple and multiple logistic regression. Conclusion Changes in Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI between plain images and images obtained during the hepatobiliary phase allowed good prediction of liver dysfunction, especially when using T1 mapping sequences. Materials and Methods A total of 199 patients underwent contrast-enhanced MRI with a hepatocyte-specific contrast agent at 3T. In the multivariable analysis, the full range of available MRI sequences was used to estimate the liver dysfunction of patients with various MELD scores.
Distiller's dried grain with solubles (Zea mays L) in the diet of sheep reared in the tropical region of Brazil: ingestive behavior and physiological parameters.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of inclusion of different levels of distiller’s dried grain with solubles (DDGS) in the diet of sheep raised in the tropical region of Brazil on ingestive behavior and physiological parameters. We used four sheep with mean body weight (BW) of 25 ± 2 kg, distributed in a Latin square design, with four periods, and four DDGS inclusion levels (0, 8, 16, and 24%). The sheep were placed in metabolism cages, and received two meals per day. The data on ingestive behavior and physiological parameters of the sheep were analyzed with analysis of variance (ANOVA), and the observed differences were tested using regression equations at 5% probability. The inclusion of DDGS levels in sheep diets did not change the time spent on ingestive behavior, such as dry matter intake (DMI), rumination (RUM), resting (RES), water intake (WAI), and other activities (OAC) expressed in minutes. However, during the night period, there was an increase (p 0.05) the physiological parameters measured. However, we found that the afternoon period influenced (p < 0.05) the physiological parameters evaluated, such as body temperature of the front (BTF), body temperature of the rear (BTR), rectal temperature (RET), and respiratory frequency (REF), which were higher in relation to the values observed in the morning. Thus, we conclude that the inclusion of up to 24% of dried distillery grains with solubles in the feeding of sheep in the tropical region of Brazil does not alter the ingestive behavior and physiological parameters of sheep. However, sheep raised in confinement in the tropical region of Brazil spent more time ruminating at night. During the day, sheep spent more time on resting activities and water intake. In addition, sheep raised in a tropical environment need to be monitored for thermal stress during the afternoon, due to the increase in rectal temperature and respiratory frequency. In addition, sheep raised in a tropical environment require greater monitoring of thermal stress during the afternoon, due to the elevation of physiological parameters such as rectal temperature and respiratory frequency in this period.
Common Beliefs around Vaginal Illness and Water Quality in Haiti

There is a need for research that explores the perceptions of health concerns from a local perspective, so that where appropriate and deemed necessary, medical interventions and educational initiatives can be effectively designed to respond to public needs, misconceptions, or behavioural practices. Initial pilot needs assessments conducted in the Coastal Ouest region of Haiti alluded to a belief that vaginal illness related to water quality is a major concern among community members. Cultural perceptions of vaginal illness related to water quality were explored with maximum variability sampling among community members and key informants. Participants were selected based on age, gender, socioeconomic status, occupation, and medical training. Beliefs surrounding vaginal illness and water quality were allowed to arise through open-ended, semi-structured interviews conducted with the use of qualified translators. Haitian study participants shared the belief that water is related to vaginal illness, with 81% of Haitian participants expressing the belief that water is a direct cause of vaginal illness. Vaginal illness is a frequent complaint among Haitian women seeking gynaecological care, though very little qualitative research exists on how women seek to prevent or treat these illnesses. The current research indicates that the additional monitoring of shared household water sources used for personal hygiene, in the absence of piped household water, is a potential public health concern related to vaginal illness in Haiti. Further research is needed to determine how public health messaging in the region may influence perceptions of risk and behaviours related to water and personal hygiene.
Recent advances in dye sensitized solar cells

Solar energy is an abundant and accessible source of renewable energy available on earth, and many types of photovoltaic (PV) devices like organic, inorganic, and hybrid cells have been developed to harness the energy. PV cells directly convert solar radiation into electricity without affecting the environment. Although silicon based solar cells (inorganic cells) are widely used because of their high efficiency, they are rigid and manufacturing costs are high. Researchers have focused on organic solar cells to overcome these disadvantages. DSSCs comprise a sensitized semiconductor (photoelectrode) and a catalytic electrode (counter electrode) with an electrolyte sandwiched between them and their efficiency depends on many factors. The maximum electrical conversion efficiency of DSSCs attained so far is 11.1%, which is still low for commercial applications. This review examines the working principle, factors affecting the efficiency, and key challenges facing DSSCs.
BUILDING FRAMEWORK FOR ICT INVESTMENTS EVALUATION: VALUE ON INVESTMENT PERSPECTIVE

Innovation in the field of information and communication technology (ICT) requires organizations to make prompt investments in providing customers with updated resources. Rapid growth in the field of ICT increases the responsibility of decision-makers in terms of whether to invest or not. This research aims to support such decision making by providing a comprehensive framework for the evaluation of ICT investment. Return on investment (ROI) is the common method used to assess the benefits generated from any type of investment using financial factors. However, this research primarily supports the importance of measuring value on investment (VOI) from ICT investments. This type of evaluation will provide more comprehensive results based on the influence of stakeholders through investments. The vast literature reviewed in this article discusses the limitations of ROI and evaluates ICT investment to present several practitioners’ points of view regarding its limitations and importance. Finally, this research proposes a five-phased strategy of evaluation involving investments, exploring from the point of investment until impact is made on the stakeholder. A stepwise description of the framework is presented in the methodology section to guide decision-makers in the further implementation of this technique to protect their assets and evaluate the investments in an extensive way.
1-2010 Premises for Changing to PBL

Although SoTL research provides results documenting the efficiency of problem-based and project-based learning, the process of change at the institutional levels all over the world is slow. Based on research and experience from the UNESCO Chair work all over the world, I point out seven premises for changing to PBL: governance and educational policy, research and political pragmatism, change at institutional and individual level, leadership, implementation, trust in students’ learning and global societies. These are premises at very different levels; however, in the global society they all play a role in the process of changing higher education. This essay places PBL in a SoTL framework of inquiry, research, application, and change, and explains that PBL is beneficial for students learning key skills.
Rhizobia and other legume nodule bacteria richness in brazilian Araucaria angustifolia forest

The Araucaria Forest is a sub-type of the Atlantic Forest, dominated by Araucaria angustifolia, which is considered an endangered species. The understory has a high diversity of plant species, including several legumes. Many leguminous plants nodulate with rhizobia and fix atmospheric nitrogen, contributing to forest sustainability. This work aimed at bacteria isolation and phenotypic characterization from the root nodules of legumes occurring in Araucaria Forests, at Campos do Jordao State Park, Brazil. Nodule bacteria were isolated in YMA growth media and the obtained colonies were classified according to their growth characteristics (growth rate, color, extra cellular polysaccharide production and pH change of the medium). Data were analyzed by cluster and principal components analysis (PCA). From a total of eleven collected legume species, nine presented nodules, and this is the first report on nodulation of five of these legume species. Two hundred and twelve bacterial strains were isolated from the nodules, whose nodule shapes varied widely and there was a great phenotypic richness among isolates. This richness was found among legume species, individuals of the same species, different nodule shapes and even among isolates of the same nodule. These isolates could be classified into several groups, two up to six according to each legume, most of them different from the used growth standards Rhizobium tropici, Bradyrhizobium elkanii and Burkholderia sp. There is some evidence that these distinct groups may be related to the presence of Burkholderia spp. in the nodules of these
Statistical optimization of xylanase production by Aspergillus niger AN-13 under submerged fermentation using response surface methodology

Response surface methodology (RSM) was performed to evaluate the effects of cultivation time, pH and substrate concentration on production of xylanase by Aspergillus niger AN-13. Agricultural residue wheat bran was used as main substrate under submerged fermentation. Xylanase production was optimized by Box-Behnken design (BBD). Statistical analysis of results showed that, the linear and quadric terms of these three variables had significant effects, and evident interactions existing between pH and substrate concentration were found to contribute to the response at a significant level. Furthermore, Box-Behnken design (BBD) used for the analysis of treatment combinations gave a second-order polynomial regression model, which was in good agreement with experimental results, with R2=0.9959 (P namely cultivation time of 53.3 h, pH of 7.92 and wheat bran concentration of 54.2 g·L-1, the model predicted a xylanase activity of 125.14 U·mL-1. Verification of the optimization showed that xylanase production of 127.12 U·mL-1 was observed under the optimal condition, which had a marked increase compared with a xylanase activity of 4.80 U·mL-1 in experiments according to Box-Behnken design.
Resistivity of Graphene Nanowires: Requirements of Quality and Doping for Inter-Connect Applications

We experimentally and theoretically examined the resistivity of graphene nanowires. An increase of the resistivity in narrow wires agreed well with our calculation in which the edge scattering is taken into account. The quality and doping targets were evaluated in terms of the mean free path and the Fermi level based on the results from the calculation.
Characterization of the Sedimentary Cover of the Zafarraya Basin, Southern Spain, by Means of Ambient Noise

The sedimentary structure in the Zafarraya basin, located in the south of Spain, is studied by using the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) for ambient noise. To improve the reliability of the results, the stability of the HVSR measurement was checked by using a time-dependent analysis of the noise records taking into account only clear peaks. The resonant frequency varies through the basin and does not ever coincide with the maximum of the horizontal power spectrum. Several fits between the frequency of the main peak in the HVSR for microtremors and the depth to the bedrock are obtained for data from 17 sites, where geotechnical information was available. The relation derived using a scheme based on surface waves was considered to be the most reliable one. Thus, a function describing the average velocity versus depth for the sedimentary cover of the basin is also derived under assumptions of lateral homogeneity and smooth vertical variations of velocity due to age and/or confining pressure. The measurement of microtremors at 86 uniformly distributed points provides a map of the sedimentary thickness based on the previously calculated relationships, showing values greater than 200 m at the deeper zones.
Safe Extubation and Recovery of Trauma Patients in the Emergency Department

Trauma patients are frequently intubated in the Emergency Department (ED) of Major Trauma Centres (MTCs) and some of these patients are subsequently extubated shortly afterwards whilst they remain in the ED. The 4th National Audit Project in Anaesthesia (NAP4) demonstrated that a high proportion of significant airway incidents occur in the ED and during the recovery phase following anaesthesia, findings which are particularly pertinent to this group of patients. Currently there are no specific guidelines governing the safe extubation and recovery of trauma patients in ED, and the aim of our study was to assess current practice, compare this with the universally applicable AAGBI guidelines for Immediate Post Anaesthesia Care and evaluate awareness of the Difficult Airway Society (DAS) Extubation Guidelines. The study was undertaken at St Mary’s Hospital, London between November 2012 and January 2013 with questionnaires completed by all staff undertaking the extubation and recovery of adult trauma patients in the ED. We received 15 completed questionnaires, which demonstrated that all extubations were performed by anaesthetists rather than ED staff, poor awareness of the DAS guidelines and numerous other areas for improvement when compared with the AAGBI guidelines. In particular, inconsistencies were identified in the duration of recovery of patients and the level of training and availability of staff recovering them. Whilst the ED environment in which patients were recovered met AAGBI standards, the absence of discharge criteria specific to this unique cohort of patients was identified as an area for future development. Attempts to raise anaesthetists’ awareness of the DAS Extubation Guidelines have been made. A specific guideline for the extubation and recovery of trauma patients in the ED has been devised to improve patient safety and proposals have been made to address the variable staffing and training levels.
Establishing a Relationship between Hydraulic Efficiency and Treatment Performance in Constructed Wetlands

Best practices for managing drainage water quality include the use of constructed wetlands for reducing nutrient loads. Nutrient reduction can be related to the hydraulic performance of a wetland. Hydraulic indexes used for quantifying the hydraulic efficiency of a wetland have more value when they can be used to predict treatment ability. This paper evaluates a number of common indexes describing hydraulic efficiency and relates them to the expected treatment derived from time dependant first order nutrient reductions. There is a need for a hydraulic index demonstrating strong correlation to pollutant reduction in order to identify the optimal wetland configuration for maximizing residence time. Such an index should quantify the effects of the various wetland parameters that influence the residence time distribution and supply the bounds for pollutant reduction.
User-Driven Pattern Mining on knowledge graphs: an Archaeological Case Study

In this work, we investigate to what extent data mining can contribute to the understanding of archaeological knowledge, published as knowledge graph, and which form would best meet the communities’ needs. A case study was held which involved the user-driven mining of generalized association rules. Experiments have shown that the approach yielded mostly plausible patterns, some of which were rated as highly relevant by domain experts.
Conducting polymer coatings in electrochemical technology Part 1 – Synthesis and fundamental aspects

Abstract Conducting polymers are materials which combine the electronic characteristics of metals with the engineering properties of polymers. Poly(pyrrole) (PPy), poly(thiophene) (PTh) and poly(aniline) (PAn) are common examples of conducting polymers and can be produced either chemically or electrochemically from their respective heterocycles. This review describes the properties and synthesis of such materials.
Characteristics of magnetic solar-like cycles in a 3D MHD simulation of solar convection

We analyse the statistical properties of the stable magnetic cycle unfolding in an extended 3D magnetohydrodynamic simulation of solar convection produced with the EULAG-MHD code. The millennium simulation spans over 1650 years, in the course of which forty polarity reversals take place on a regular ∼40 yr cadence, remaining well-synchronized across solar hemispheres. In order to characterize this cycle and facilitate its comparison with measures typically used to represent solar activity, we build two proxies for the magnetic field in the simulation mimicking the solar toroidal field and the polar radial field. Several quantities that characterize the cycle are measured (period, amplitudes, etc.) and correlations between them are computed. These are then compared with their observational analogs. From the typical Gnevyshev-Ohl pattern, to hints of Gleissberg modulation, the simulated cycles share many of the characteristics of their observational analogs even though the simulation lacks poloidal field regeneration through active region decay, a mechanism nowadays often considered an essential component of the solar dynamo. Some significant discrepancies are also identified, most notably the in-phase variation of the simulated poloidal and toroidal large-scale magnetic components, and the low degree of hemispheric coupling at the level of hemispheric cycle amplitudes. Possible causes underlying these discrepancies are discussed.
The supra-long Scots pine tree-ring record for Finnish Lapland: Part 1, chronology construction and initial inferences

This paper reviews the development of the current ‘supra-long’ pine chronology for northern Finnish Lapland. In the forest-tundra ecotone region of northern Finnish Lapland over 250 samples from living Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris L.) and over 1700 samples of subfossil pines have been collected for dendrochronological studies. In addition, over 1400 subfossils have been sampled from the forested area of Finnish Lapland. The goal of the research was to build a more than 7000-year long continuous pine ring-width chronology. The construction of the chronology is now completed. The intensive phase of the data collection and chronology building lasted about 10 years, 1989 to 1999. The major part of the Finnish Lapland master curve was con structed several years ago, but it was extremely difficult to bridge the c. 300-year gap, prior to 165 bc between the ‘absolute’ younger part of the chronology and the “‘ oating’ older part. The crucial samples were identified and assembled in the chronology in early 1999, and there is now an unbroken pine chronology about 7500 years long constructed from the subfossil forest-limit pines of northern Finnish Lapland. The severe growth depression centred on 330 bc is likely to have been caused by increased wetness. A brief summary is presented of inferred tree-line changes from the location of the samples.
A fresh meat almost ideal demand system incorporating negative TV press and advertising impact

This paper investigates fresh meat consumption in Belgium during 1995-1998 through the specification of a three-equation almost ideal demand system (AIDS) incorporating a media index of TV coverage and advertising expenditures as explanatory variables. Estimated parameters and elasticity coefficients are plausible and consistent with demand theory. Own-price elasticities are relatively low, indicating a low fresh meat demand sensitivity to price changes over this period which was dominated by mass media reports about the potential health risks associated with meat consumption. The scope of the paper extends beyond the estimation of elasticity coefficients and includes the specification of a media index and simulations that provide insights into the impact of negative press relative to advertising efforts. Specifically, the impact of television publicity is shown to have been particularly negative on beef/veal expenditures in favour of pork/mixture. This finding conoborates expectations since mass media issues mainly pertained to BSE (mad cow disease) and hormone residues during the investigated period. With relatively little effort being undertaken and with its cunent strategy, fresh meat advertising is found to have only a minor impact compared with negative press. © 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Binary Neutron Star Mergers: Mass Ejection, Electromagnetic Counterparts, and Nucleosynthesis

We present a systematic numerical relativity study of the mass ejection and the associated electromagnetic transients and nucleosynthesis from binary neutron star (NS) mergers. We find that a few 10−3 M⊙ of material is ejected dynamically during the mergers. The amount and the properties of these outflows depend on binary parameters and on the NS equation of state (EOS). A small fraction of these ejecta, typically ∼10−6 M⊙, is accelerated by shocks formed shortly after merger to velocities larger than 0.6c and produces bright radio flares on timescales of weeks, months, or years after merger. Their observation could constrain the strength with which the NSs bounce after merger and, consequently, the EOS of matter at extreme densities. The dynamical ejecta robustly produce second and third r-process peak nuclei with relative isotopic abundances close to solar. The production of light r-process elements is instead sensitive to the binary mass ratio and the neutrino radiation treatment. Accretion disks of up to ∼0.2 M⊙ are formed after merger, depending on the lifetime of the remnant. In most cases, neutrino- and viscously driven winds from these disks dominate the overall outflow. Finally, we generate synthetic kilonova light curves and find that kilonovae depend on the merger outcome and could be used to constrain the NS EOS.