Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emerging technologies for the diagnosis of viral infections and SARS-CoV-2/ Viral Enfeksiyonlar ve SARS-CoV-2'nin Tanisinda Yeni Teknolojiler

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerging infection caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Based on the rapid increase in the rate of human infection, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the COVID-19 outbreak as a pandemic. Considering that there is no specific drug or vaccine yet for COVID-19, effective rapid diagnosis of viruses has become very important in terms of early detection and control of the outbreak. The routine difficulties of isolating the virus necessitated the diagnosis to be made with more serological tests for many years. However, in recent years, molecular tests that provide fast and high-quality viral diagnosis information have started to take their place in laboratories. Syndrome-based PCR tests after PCR and multiplex PCR tests are also approaches that question the direct factor and accelerate the diagnosis and treatment. LAMP PCR technology has also developed rapidly, and the diagnosis time has been shortened in the field or at the bedside with very small portable devices. As a new technology, CRISPR diagnostic methods and portable DNA sequencing devices will be very useful in the diagnosis of viral infections in the clinic for rapid results per patient. With immunoprecipitation systems using luciferase-labeled antigens, virus identification, quantitation, antiviral efficacy can be monitored. COVID-19 outbreak management increased the need for very fast and reliable tests and triggered the laboratory biotechnology industry. The entire world is experiencing a dynamic pandemic process in which the benefits of new, highly sensitive, accessible and portable identification methods will be tested. The presence of a large number of applications in the approval process for these methods provides strong evidence that SARS-CoV-2 diagnostic algorithms will have richer and productive solutions in the near future. Experiences will be guiding in better understanding of other viral infections, establishing bedside diagnostic solutions, providing more effective treatments.
THE EVALUATION OF CHANGES IN THE LEVEL OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EMOTIONS IN SENIORS AFTER THE ACTIVATION PROGRAM

The emotional functioning of older people depends on many factors. Diverse and rich activity every day seems to be very important. Undertaking a large number of activities at an elderly age and fulfilling oneself in social roles (also ones newly started) is a condition for efficient functioning, life satisfaction, well-being and health. Older people are at risk of social exclusion, being unnecessary for others or even being a burden on one’s surroundings. Hence, support and inclusion programs for various tasks and activities become extremely important. The aim of the presented research was to present proposals and evaluate the effects of a program dedicated to seniors, which was to improve their quality of life, psychophysical and social health. The program involved 50 seniors from 2 different support centers, including 43 women and 7 men, average age 77.51 ± 9.51. The assessment used the SUPIN questionnaire (Positive and Negative Feelings Scale), MMSE (Mini-Mental State Examination) and the VAS pain scale. The obtained results confirmed the beneficial effect of the proposed activation program on the psychophysical health of the respondents. All subjects increased their level of positive emotions, while the level of negative ones decreased (p <0.05), hand functionality and general well-being improved, back and pain significantly decreased.
Food Transparency as a Useful Guide to Optimal Food Purchases

The present interview study, with consumers living in Washington state, USA, set out to explore consumers’ perceptions of quality, safety and transparency and see how these influence shopping preferences. The results indicate that consumers are guided by subjective perceptions of food quality, as well as concerns driven by personal values and ethical and environmental considerations. Food safety was found to be confusing for almost all of the consumers in this study, with many expecting stores to provide safe foods. The study also utilized a concept testing method, to evaluate the concept of food transparency and examine how it compares against the established food certifications (organic and free range). Consumers exhibited trust in organic labels, expecting organic farming to ensure good farming practices and quality of life for animals reared for consumption, however they were also aware that this trust is based on assumptions. As a result, they were receptive to more accurate and informative solutions, such as transparency, that could guide their decisions and give them more certainty. Transparency was seen as a useful tool in identifying quality products, which align with personal values and as such, it was received well with consumers in the present study.
Stable Algorithm Based On Lax-Friedrichs Scheme for Visual Simulation of Shallow Water

Many game applications require fluid flow visualization of shallow water, especially dam-break flow. A Shallow Water Equation (SWE) is a mathematical model of shallow water flow which can be used to compute the flow depth and velocity. We propose a stable algorithm for visualization of dam-break flow on flat and flat with bumps topography. We choose Lax-Friedrichs scheme as the numerical method for solving the SWE. Then, we investigate the consistency, stability, and convergence of the scheme. Finally, we transform the strategy into a visualization algorithm of SWE and analyze the complexity. The results of this paper are: 1) the Lax-Friedrichs scheme that is consistent and conditionally stable; furthermore, if the stability condition is satisfied, the scheme is convergent; 2) an algorithm to visualize flow depth and velocity which has complexity O(N) in each time iteration. We have applied the algorithm to flat and flat with bumps topography. According to visualization results, the numerical solution is very close to analytical solution in the case of flat topography. In the case of flat with bumps topography, the algorithm can visualize the dam-break flow and after a long time the numerical solution is very close to the analytical steady-state solution. Hence the proposed visualization algorithm is suitable for game applications containing flat with bumps environments.
Automation, Electrification, and Shared Mobility in Freight

Author(s): Jaller, Miguel; Otero, Carlos; Pourrahmani, Elham; Fulton, Lewis | Abstract: Understanding the potential benefits and unintended consequences of automation and electrification revolutions in freight is challenging for academics, practitioners, and decision-makers. On one hand, these revolutions could help mitigate the disproportionate impacts of freight transportation on externalities and improve efficiency; on the other hand, they could generate additional issues such as right-of-way conflicts, crashes, and traffic incidents. To shed light on these issues, this report conducts an extensive review of the state-of-the-practice of such innovations for both long-haul and last-mile freight distribution. The study concentrates on the potential barriers, challenges, and opportunities of the different innovations, and discusses the market readiness of some of the technologies. Finally, the authors discuss planning considerations for the advent and widespread use of these innovations, and provide research and policy considerations.
A Practical Algorithm for Max-Norm Optimal Binary Labeling of Graphs

This paper concerns the efficient implementation of a method for optimal binary labeling of graph vertices, originally proposed by Malmberg and Ciesielski (2020). This method finds, in quadratic time with respect to graph size, a labeling that globally minimizes an objective function based on the $L_\infty$-norm. The method enables global optimization for a novel class of optimization problems, with high relevance in application areas such as image processing and computer vision. In the original formulation, the Malmberg-Ciesielski algorithm is unfortunately very computationally expensive, limiting its utility in practical applications. Here, we present a modified version of the algorithm that exploits redundancies in the original method to reduce computation time. While our proposed method has the same theoretical asymptotic time complexity, we demonstrate that is substantially more efficient in practice. Even for small problems, we observe a speedup of 4-5 orders of magnitude. This reduction in computation time makes the Malmberg-Ciesielski method a viable option for many practical applications.
I Move, Therefore, I Am

Together with the artwork titled ‘No Man’s Land’ that was exhibited in the ANTARA exhibition, this paper presents an understanding of properties and attributes of presence and how they manifest through locative media. Building on the ideology of existentialism, the author equates the performativity of locative media with the intentionality to move. The work maps out the multiple ontologies of presence and space conditioned to locative technology usage. The author concludes by highlighting a new mode of existential location consciousness and reflecting upon the potential of this perception for future research in this area
EFEKTIVITAS EKSTRAK DAUN SIRSAK (ANNONA MURICATA L) TERHADAP KADAR IL-10 PADA MAMMAE TIKUS BETINA SPRAGUE DAWLEY YANG DIINDUKSI STAPHYLOCOCCUS AUREUS

Senyawa kimia yang terkandung dalam tanaman daun sirsak yaitu flavonoid, tanin, fitosterol, kalsium oksalat, alkaloid dan acetogenin. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui efektivitas ekstrak daun sirsak (Annona muricata L) terhadap kadar IL-10 pada mammae tikus betina sprague dawley yang diinduksi bakteri staphylococcus aureus. Penelitian ini menggunakan jenis penelitian true experimental dengan rancangan post-test Only Control Grup Design. Sampel penelitian ini adalah tikus betina Sprague dawley dengan berat badan 200 – 250 gram sebanyak 20 ekor yang dibagi menjadi 4 kelompok (masing-masing 5 ekor), yaitu kelompok kontrol, kelompok perlakuan 1, kelompok perlakuan 2 dan kelompok perlakuan 3 yang diberikan treatment selama 5 hari. Semua kelompok diinduksi Staphylococcus aureus 0.2 ml x 107 ml/CFU. Pemeriksaan kadar IL-10 menggunakan metode R & D system Elisa Rat. Penganalisisan data menggunakan uji Anova + posthoc dengan nilai signifikansi p ≤ 0.05 dan CI 95%. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa ada perbedaan kadar sitokin IL-10, baik pada kelompok kontrol maupun pada semua kelompok perlakuan setelah diberikan treatment dengan nilai p < 0,05. Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa ada perbedaan kadar IL-10 setelah diberikan perlakuan antar semua kelompok. Peningkatan kadar IL-10 yang lebih besar terjadi pada kelompok perlakuan 1 (Ekstrak daun sirsak tunggal) (rerata ± 45,8 pg/ml) dibandingkan dengan kelompok kontrol (rerata ± 15,5 pg/ml), kelompok perlakuan 1 (rerata ± 40,0 pg/ml) dan perlakuan 3 (rerata ± 30,0 pg/ml).
Vascular smooth muscle cell contractile function and mechanotransduction

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are the predominant cell type in the arterial wall and normally adopt a quiescent, contractile phenotype to regulate vascular tone. In the arterial wall, VSMCs are exposed to multiple mechanical cues, including stretch and matrix stiffness, which regulate VSMC contraction. However, during ageing and in vascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, hypertension and vascular calcification, the arterial wall stiffens and VSMC contraction contributes to this process. VSMCs display remarkable plasticity and changes in their mechanical environment promote VSMCs to adopt a proliferative, synthetic phenotype. VSMC phenotypic modulation is associated with altered expression of contractile proteins that generate actomyosin-based force. However, our understanding of precise mechanisms whereby altered mechanical landscape and mechanotransduction influence VSMC contraction remains limited. In this review, we discuss the present literature describing how VSMCs sense and respond to changes in their mechanical environment and how these changes influence VSMC contraction.
Effectiveness of the EMPOWER-PAR Intervention on Primary Care Providers’ Adherence to Clinical Practice Guideline on the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Pragmatic Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the EMPOWER- participatory action research (PAR) intervention, a multifaceted strategy based on the chronic care model (CCM) on primary care providers (PCP)’ adherence to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) clinical practice guideline (CPG) in the Malaysian primary care setting. METHODS: This was a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial –PAR conducted in ten public primary care clinics in Malaysia. Five clinics were randomly selected to provide the EMPOWER-PAR intervention for 1 year and another five clinics continued with usual care. The outcome measure was the absolute change in the proportion of PCP’s adherence to T2DM CPG captured using the “Indicators of Care Pro forma,” based on the recommendation by the Malaysian CPG on the Management of T2DM. Data were collected from the patients’ medical records, at baseline and at 1-year follow-up; and were analyzed using mixed method model. RESULTS: A total of 888 patients were recruited at baseline; 471 were in the intervention and 417 were in the control group. There was no significant demographic difference between the two groups at baseline except for ethnicity. At 1-year, 455 (96.6%) and 406 (97.3%) patients in the intervention and control groups completed the study, respectively. There were significant improvements in the absolute change in the proportion of PCPs’ adherence to T2DM CPG in the intervention group compared to the control group at 1-year follow-up in several indicators of care. These included the recording of BMI (0.6% vs. −1.8%, p<0.001); performing foot examination (2.4% vs. 0.6%, p<0.001); performing funduscopy/fundus photography (1.5% vs. 0.3%, p<0.001); monitoring renal profile (0.9% vs. −0.6%, p=0.001); measuring urine protein (1.2% vs. 0.6%, p<0.001), and giving lifestyle modification and self-management advice (1.2% vs. −0.3%, p<0.001) in the intervention versus control groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: The EMPOWER-PAR intervention has been proven to be effective in improving the PCPs’ adherence to T2DM CPG in several indicators of care. Findings from this study provided objective evidence of the effectiveness of multifaceted intervention based on the CCM in the Malaysian public primary care setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered with: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01545401. Date of registration: 1st March 2012.
Plant Extracts, Energy, and Immune Modulation in Broilers

This chapter presents information obtained from experiments involving male Ross 308 broiler chickens on the effects of a standardised combination of plant extracts (PE) including carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde and capsicum oleoresin, on bird performance, hepatic antioxidant concentration and immunomodulation. Birds were reared under industry-recognised environments and were fed one of four diets. There were two control diets based on either wheat or maize, formulated to be iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenic. The other two diets were the control diets supplemented with 100 g per tonne of PE, respectively. Feeding PE improved dietary feed efficiency, dietary net energy and hepatic antioxidant contents of the birds, but did not change dietary metabolisable energy (ME). Overall, feeding PE reduced the mRNA transcript levels of three cytokines (IL-12B, IFN-G, and IL-6) and the marker CD 40 LG in caecal tonsils. Dietary PE may maximise the nutritional value of feed through improving gut health by reducing intestinal inflammation. Their mode of action is associated with improved dietary energy availability, immune status and hepatic antioxidant contents of the birds. However, studies that have focused solely on the effect of PE on ME alone may not have detected their full benefit to improve the efficiency of broiler meat production.
Experimental Insights on the Constraints to Agricultural Technology Adoption

Author(s): Bridle, Leah; Magruder, Jeremy; McIntosh, Craig; Suri, Tavneet | Abstract: Policymakers interested in improving the productivity and profitability of smallholder farmers in SubSaharan Africa and South Asia need to understand what prevents farmers from adopting technologies and effectively accessing markets. We summarize recent experimental evidence on constraints to agricultural technology adoption among smallholder farmers in these regions. The evidence presented builds from a series of policy insight summaries produced by the Agricultural Technology Adoption Initiative (ATAI). The underlying studies have been selected (and in many cases funded) by ATAI because they provide evidence using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to understand and improve the low take-up of agricultural technology in the developing world. These summaries have been structured intellectually by the economic constraint they seek to address, and we present here the four constraints that have seen the largest amount of experimental work in recent years: credit and savings; risk; information; and input and output markets. In the sections that follow, we briefly motivate the role of each specific constraint, provide a summary of the recent experimental evidence and key outstanding questions, and work to draw a series of conclusions relevant for agricultural policy and practice.
Flower morphological diversity of cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum Presl) in Matara District, Sri Lanka

Abstract The cinnamon flowers exhibit protogynous dichogamy with 2 flower types “Type A” and “Type B” which first flowers during morning and evening respectively. This floral cycle causes a temporal barrier to the maintenance of elite breeding material and for hybridization with desired parents. Determination of variation in flower and inflorescence morphology can shed light on functional diversity in “Type A” and “Type B” flowers. In order to study these variations, a survey of cultivated cinnamon lands and wild habitats was conducted in fifteen locations in the Matara district. Peduncle length (PDL), flower length (FL), flower width (FW), and floral tube length (FTL) varied among cinnamon accessions collected. The variation in tepal shape was distinct: the two whorls of tepals of a single flower exhibited two shapes. The current investigation of differences in inflorescence, floral morphology and floral abnormalities of Cinnamomum verum provides information about their diversity, and recommends molecular analysis to further determine the genetic basis of two flower types in progynous dichogamy.
A NOVEL VALIDATED UHPLC METHOD FOR ESTIMATION OF ASSAY AND ITS RELATED SUBSTANCES OF TRICHOSTATIN-A

Objective: The main objective of the research work is to develop and validate a rapid UHPLC method for the estimation of assay and its related substances of Trichostatin A (TSA) in pharmaceutical samples. Methods: The UHPLC method developed for chromatographic separation between TSA and its related compounds on Poroshell 120 SB C18(50×4.6) mm; 2.7 µm RRLC column using Agilent RRLC (UHPLC) system with linear gradient elution. Results: The developed UHPLC method has shown excellent chromatographic separation between TSA and its related compounds within 12 min run time, during validation experiments, specificity study revealed that the peak threshold was more than the peak purity and no purity flag was observed. Repeatability, intra, and inter-day precision results were well within the tolerable limits. Limits of detection concentrations were found between 0.075 to 0.077 ppm and the limit of quantitation is between 0.252 to 0.258 ppm for related compounds and TSA. The related substances method recoveries were found between 80 and 120 % and assay method recovery was found between 98.0 to 102.0%. Conclusion: The developed method capability was proven for the assay of TSA and its related compounds in pharmaceutical samples and the method shows eco-friendlier than routine, conventional HPLC methods in terms of analysis time, cost and HPLC effluent waste.
Innovative Social Media for Foreign Language Learning: A Review of Social Media Types and Their Effects

This review sets out to summarize studies that consist of research-based evidence indicating the effect of social media on language teaching and learning . We probed Information and Communication Technology (ICT), social media, different social networks, and language teaching and learning in academic databases such as ERIC, Springer, Taylor and Francis, Sciencedirect, ProQuest, Elsevier, Scopus, Wiley, and Google Scholar. From 350 studies related to the effects of ICT and social networks on language teaching and learning in the literature, 9o Iranian and international core papers were reviewed. This meticulous review showed that SNSs positively influence the process of the teaching and learning foreign language.
Indigenous knowledge on highland bamboo (Yushania alpina) management and utilization practices in Kokosa Woreda, South East Ethiopia

Bamboo is one of the world’s most important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) which have been advocated for poverty alleviation in many regions. However, in Ethiopia it is utilized below its potential due to lack of scientific knowledge and awareness on its management and utilization. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to investigate the indigenous knowledge of highland bamboo management and utilization practices of local communities in Kokosa woreda. Five kebeles were purposively selected and 196 sample households (HHs) were selected randomly. Primary data was collected through face-to-face interview, direct observation, key informant interview and focus group discussion. The collected qualitative data was analyzed using simple descriptive statistics, mean and percentage values and standard error. The result of the study indicated that, local people have experience of developing bamboo stands using their indigenous knowledge on propagation techniques. Among the propagation techniques, bamboo offsetting (82%) was preferred most, where 89% of the source of bamboo offset was obtained from individual farmers. The local communities have experienced bamboo stand management practices of which fencing the bamboo stands (44%) was most applied followed by compost application (33%). Mean bamboo area coverage is 0.32 ha per household. The average number of bamboo landraces was 4. Bamboo landrace identification criteria used in the area are bamboo diameter (21.31%), length of internodes between nodes (21.20%), bamboo stem color (21.20%) and splitting nature (18.68%). Bamboo is used for a variety of traditional applications including house construction (100%), fencing (100%), fodder (99.48%), household furniture and utensils (92.34%), fuel wood (98.97%) and as cash source (100%). Traditionally, farmers somehow know how to take care for bamboo roots and rhizomes, which is a good habit to sustain bamboo resource utilization. Such habit has to be integrated with modern knowledge as skilled capability of the harvesters for scientific management is required. Key words: Bamboo, harvesting, landrace, management, offset, propagation, utilization.