Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changes in Plasma Haemoglobin Concentration in Citrate Phosphate Dextrose Adenine-1(CPDA-1) Stored Blood

Aim: This study assessed the level of plasma haemoglobin concentration in CPDA-1 stored blood with a view to determine the extent of haemolysis during the 35 days storage period. Study Design: This is an observational and comparative case-control study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted using healthy male donors residing in Port Harcourt. Analysis was carried out at the Blood Bank of Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, formerly Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital (BMSH), Port Harcourt, Nigeria, from February 1st to March 8th, 2017. Methodology: Blood for transfusion was collected from prospective male blood donor found to be in good health, aged between 18 and 52 years, with haemoglobin level within the range of 13.5 g/dl – 16 g/dl, body weight within 55 kg – 75 kg, and body temperature within 37.0 to 37.50C / 99.50F, into plastic bags containing anticoagulant CPDA-1, and handled under strict sterile condition to prevent bacterial contamination. The blood was stored in a blood bank refrigerator with a constant temperature of +2 to +60C under proper inspection at intervals for colour, turbidity, haemolysis and clot formation. Two milliliters of the sample was collected aseptically at different interval days of collection from the blood bag and analyzed using the HemoCue photometer. Results: Results showed no significant changes in plasma haemoglogin from day 1, 5, and 10, while significant increase in haemolysis occurred from day 15, 20, 25, 30, and 35 (p = 0.000), a significant increase (p<0.05) in plasma haemoglobin was observed from day 15 to day 35 of storage. Conclusion: It is pertinent therefore to note that the use of CPDA-1 does not completely stop the changes that occur in RBC as there are several changes occurring in stored blood collectively called “storage lesions”. Therefore, it is advisable that blood should be transfused within 14 days of storage to avoid transfusion of blood products that has lost most of its benefits to recipients, and where possible whole blood should be processed and components separated before storage to reduce the level of non-viable red blood cells.
Carbon Nanofibers Prepared via Electrospinning

Carbon nanofibers prepared via electrospinning and following carbonization are summarized by focusing on the structure and properties in relation to their applications, after a brief review of electrospinning of some polymers. Carbon precursors, pore structure control, improvement in electrical conductivity,and metal loading into carbon nanofibers via electrospinning are discussed from the viewpoint of structure and texture control of carbon.
Validation of a Rapid Test Method for the Quantification of Priority Anions inDrinking Water by Ion Chromatography-Suppressed Conductivity Detection

A simple, rapid (8 min) ion chromatographic test method, using post-column electrolytic suppression, with conductivity detection, is validated for the quantification of Cl-, NO2 -, NO3 -, SO4 2- in river, dam, potable, waste water and in trade effluent, over the linear range: 1-100 mg/L for chloride, 0.05-5 mg/L for nitrite and nitrate, and 0.5-50 mg/L for sulphate. The ion chromatographic separation was carried out using a Dionex Ion PacTM AS22-fast 4 μm column (4 × 150 mm), with a flow rate of 1.2 mL/min, using Na2CO3/NaHCO3 (4.5 mM/1.4 mM) as eluent. The LOQ was in the range 0.025-0.50 mg/L, with an injection volume of 25 μL. The %RSD for retention time and peak area responses was <1%. Spiked recoveries were 87-107% for all 4 target anions. The method was suitable for routine drinking water quality assessment in line with the national regulations. The method was fully validated for accuracy, precision, recovery, LOQ, bias/trueness, selectivity, Measurement Uncertainty (MU), etc. The method validation data complied with the international requirements for testing laboratories for ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation.
C Analyzing the Impact of Service Quality Antecedents on Customer Satisfaction : The Case of Foreign Users of China Mobile Services in Shanghai

Among other sectors such as trade, financial affairs, economics, shipment, and IT appliances, Shanghai has become one of the fastest growing and largest international metropolises in the world. With its 500 thousand foreign residents, Shanghai has been ranked as the city with the highest rate of international residents in China. Unfortunately, there are no appropriate or tailor-made service packages within China’s mobile telecom services allocated to foreign users of the mobile communication industry in Shanghai. The current paper aims to find out about the key factors of the mobile telecommunication industry, which are strongly correlated to customer satisfaction in China. The exploratory study is primarily based on data collected among China Mobile’s foreign users in Shanghai. The sample consists of 259 foreign residents randomly selected from the population frame offered by the ones who have settled down in Shanghai. Although the findings of this study are specific to China Mobile, they can also be generalized to other companies operating in this business area in China. Suggestions are also offered for further
Working Paper No 17 / 10 Liquidity Concepts , Ideas and the Financial Crisis

This report is one of a series of papers and reports published by the Institute for Research in Economics and Business Administration (SNF) as part of its research programme “Crisis, Restructuring and Growth”. The aim of the programme is to map the causes of the crisis and the subsequent real economic downturn, and to identify and analyze the consequences for restructuring needs and ability as well as the consequences for the long-term economic growth in Norway and other western countries. The programme is part of a major initiative by the NHH environment and is conducted in collaboration with the Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry and the Research Council of Norway.
epiphytic neotropical orchids ( Pucciniomycotina ) form mycorrhizae with terrestrial and Atractiellomycetes belonging to the ' rust ' lineage

Supplementary data tml http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing. org/content/suppl/2009/12/01/rspb.2009. 1884.DC1. h "Data Supplement" References ml#ref-list-1 http://rspb.royalsocietypublishing. org/content/early/2009/12/01/rspb.2009. 1884.full. ht This article cites 32 articles, 9 of which can be accessed free P<P Published online 9 December 2009 in advance of the print journal. Subject collections (1250 articles) evolution  (1051 articles) ecology  (184 articles) taxonomy and systematics  Articles on similar topics can be found in the following collections
E-commerce diffusion: exploring the determinants of the adoption and extent of usage at firm-level

In the last years great attention has been paid to understand the factors driving ICT diffusion at firm-level. However, most studies have focused on the analysis of the adoption of the new technology and there is no much evidence on the intensity of use of ICT by firms. Within, this context this paper attempts to throw some light on such issue by presenting a joint-analysis of the adoption and extent of usage of e-commerce among Luxembourgish firms. In particular, the two sides of e-commerce are analyzed: epurchasing and e-selling. Results show that competitive pressures together with absorptive capacity and infrastructure are the main drivers of adoption. Regarding intensity, human capital and the type of competition faced by firms are key determinants. Additionally, there is some evidence that the Internet helps to overcome distance barriers only to a certain extent.
Hispanic thyroid cancer cases and the role of known genetic variants on disease risk Permalink

Thyroid cancer (TC) is the second most common cancer among Hispanic women. Recent genome-wide association (GWA) and candidate studies identified 6 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; rs966423, rs2439302, rs965513, rs6983267, rs944289, and rs116909374), associated with increased TC risk in Europeans but their effects on disease risk have not been comprehensively tested in Hispanics. In this study, we aimed to describe the main clinicopathological manifestations and to evaluate the effects of known SNPs on TC risk and on clinicopathological manifestations in a Hispanic population. We analyzed 281 nonmedullary TC cases and 1146 cancer-free controls recruited in a multicenter population-based study in Colombia. SNPs were genotyped by Kompetitive allele specific polymerase chain reaction (KASP) technique. Association between genetic variants and TC risk was assessed by computing odds ratios (OR) and confidence intervals (CIs). Consistent with published data in U.S. Hispanics, our cases had a high prevalence of large tumors (>2cm, 43%) and a high female/ male ratio (5:1). We detected significant associations between TC risk and rs965513A (OR=1.41), rs944289T (OR=1.26), rs116909374A (OR=1.96), rs2439302G (OR=1.19), and rs6983267G (OR=1.18). Cases carried more risk alleles than controls (5.16 vs. 4.78, P=4.8 10 ). Individuals with ≥6 risk alleles had>6-fold increased TC risk (OR=6.33, P=4.0 10 ) compared to individuals with 2 risk alleles. rs944289T and rs116909374A were strongly associated with follicular histology (ORs=1.61 and 3.33, respectively); rs2439302G with large tumors (OR=1.50); and rs965513A with regional disease (OR=1.92). To our knowledge, this is the first study of known TC risk variants in South American Hispanics and suggests that they increase TC susceptibility in this population and can identify patients at higher risk of severe disease. Abbreviations: ACS= American Cancer Society, ASR= age standardized rate, AUC= area under the curve, CGRS= cumulative genetic risk score, CIs = confidence intervals, FTC = follicular thyroid carcinoma, GWA = genome-wide association, HWE = Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, OR = odds ratio, PTC = papillary thyroid carcinoma, ROC = receiver/operator characteristic, SD = standard deviation, SIR = standardized incidence ratio, SNP = single nucleotide polymorphism, TC = thyroid cancer, wCGRS = weighted cumulative genetic risk score.
Inheritance of seedlessness in grapevine ( Vitis vinifera L.)

Despite considerable efforts made by breeders for over 70 years, inheritance of seedlessness in grapevine is not clearly defined. None of the numerous hypotheses proposed until now is satisfying, whether they are based on recessive or dominant genes. We measured precisely the phenotypic expression of the seeded/seedless character in a progeny obtained by crossing two partially seedless selections and using in ovulo and in vitro culture to rescue embryos. We propose the hypothesis that inheritance of seedlessness in grapevine is based on a complex system whereby the expression of three independently inherited recessive genes is controlled by a dominant regulator gene. This hypothesis was compared to other results published in the scientific literature and appeared coherent enough to be used as a theoretical basis for further work on seedlessness inheritance in grapevine. Attempts to explain the control of seedlessness involve interactions with endogenous gibberellins. The consequences of such a model for the development of breeding programs for seedless table grapes, and particularly for the use of molecular biology techniques, are discussed.
Developing and implementing a strategic plan for controlling invasive

Ecological Restoration, Vol. 22, No. 3, 2004 ISSN 1522-4740 E-ISSN 1543-4079 ©2004 by the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System. Non-native plants invade about 1.7 million acres (700,000 ha) of wildlife habitat every year in the United States (Pimental and others 2000). There is no doubt that weedy plants (those that persist only in disturbed areas) and invasive plants (those that persist in disturbed areas and in previously undisturbed plant communities) are a serious concern for restorationists. Because they are so aggressive and detrimental to our restoration goals, we must decide whether to manage these species and, if so, when and where to start our management efforts. This paper presents simple procedures for assessing nonnative plants in prairie and woodland restorations and provides guidelines for making decisions about how best to manage them.
Insecticide Resistance in Potato Tuber Moth Phthorimaea Operculella Zeller in Egypt

The potato tuber moth Phthorimaea operculella Zeller (Lepidoptera Gelechiidae), is a major pest of the potatoes world-wide attacking the foliage and infest the tubers in both field and store causing serious economic damage. In this study, the efficacies of seven insecticides [organophosphate (Fenitrothion & Pirimiphos-methyl), carbamate (Carbosulfan & Aldicarb), pyrethroid (Lambda-cyhalothrin & Deltamethrin) and imidaclopride (Confidor)] were determined against four strains of P. operculella collected from four Governorates in Egypt [Damytta (DAM), Dakahlia (DAK), Behera (BEH) and Menofia (MEN)]. Collected strains were bioassayed and compared with a reference susceptible strain. DAM and BEH strains recorded 193.4 and 23.3-fold resistance, respectively to fenitrothion and also recorded 133.7 and 23.6-fold resistance, respectively to pirimiphos-methyl. DAM and MEN strains recorded 87.2 and 23.8-fold resistance, respectively to lambda-cyhalothrin while DAM and BEH strains recorded 81.2 and 13.7-fold resistance, respectively to deltamethrin. DAM and MEN strains demonstrating 36.1 and 16.6-fold resistance, respectively to carbosulfan while DAM and BEH strains demonstrated 63.4 and 7.1-fold resistance, respectively to aldicarb, and also DAM and BEH strains recorded 134.7 and 15.3-fold resistance, respectively to confidor. These results are discussed in relation to the possible mechanisms of resistance present in the studied P. operculella strains and underpin the resistance management strategy for potato tuber moth in Egypt. [Hafez El-kady Insecticide Resistance in Potato Tuber Moth Phthorimaea Operculella Zeller in Egypt. Journal of American Science 2011; 7(10):263-266]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.americanscience. org.
High-pressure syntheses and crystal structures of orthorhombic DyGaO3 and trigonal GaBO3

Abstract Orthorhombic dysprosium orthogallate DyGaO3 and trigonal gallium orthoborate GaBO3 were synthesized in a Walker-type multianvil apparatus under high-pressure/high-temperature conditions of 8.5 GPa/1350 °C and 8 GPa/700 °C, respectively. Both crystal structures could be determined by single-crystal X-ray diffraction data collected at room temperature. The orthorhombic dysprosium orthogallate crystallizes in the space group Pnma (Z = 4) with the parameters a = 552.6(2), b = 754.5(2), c = 527.7(2) pm, V = 0.22002(8) nm3, R1 = 0.0309, and wR2 = 0.0662 (all data) and the trigonal compound GaBO3 in the space group R3̅c (Z = 6) with the parameters a = 457.10(6), c = 1419.2(3) pm, V = 0.25681(7) nm3, R1 = 0.0147, and wR2 = 0.0356 (all data).
Weak cosmic censorship, dyonic Kerr–Newman black holes and Dirac fields

It was investigated recently, with the aim of testing the weak cosmic censorship conjecture, whether an extremal Kerr black hole can be converted into a naked singularity by interaction with a massless classical Dirac test field, and it was found that this is possible. We generalize this result to electrically and magnetically charged rotating extremal black holes (i.e. extremal dyonic Kerr–Newman black holes) and massive Dirac test fields, allowing magnetically or electrically uncharged or nonrotating black holes and the massless Dirac field as special cases. We show that the possibility of the conversion is a direct consequence of the fact that the Einstein–Hilbert energy-momentum tensor of the classical Dirac field does not satisfy the null energy condition, and is therefore not in contradiction with the weak cosmic censorship conjecture. We give a derivation of the absence of superradiance of the Dirac field without making use of the complete separability of the Dirac equation in the dyonic Kerr–Newman background, and we determine the range of superradiant frequencies of the scalar field. The range of frequencies of the Dirac field that can be used to convert a black hole into a naked singularity partially coincides with the superradiant range of the scalar field. We apply horizon-penetrating coordinates, as our arguments involve calculating quantities at the event horizon. We describe the separation of variables for the Dirac equation in these coordinates, although we mostly avoid using it.
Uncovering the Uncultivated Majority in Antarctic Soils: Toward a Synergistic Approach

Although Antarctica was once believed to be a sterile environment, it is now clear that the microbial communities inhabiting the Antarctic continent are surprisingly diverse. Until the beginning of the new millennium, little was known about the most abundant inhabitants of the continent: prokaryotes. From then on, however, the rising use of deep sequencing techniques has led to a better understanding of the Antarctic prokaryote diversity and provided insights in the composition of prokaryotic communities in different Antarctic environments. Although these cultivation-independent approaches can produce millions of sequences, linking these data to organisms is hindered by several problems. The largest difficulty is the lack of biological information on large parts of the microbial tree of life, arising from the fact that most microbial diversity on Earth has never been characterized in laboratory cultures. These unknown prokaryotes, also known as microbial dark matter, have been dominantly detected in all major environments on our planet. Laboratory cultures provide access to the complete genome and the means to experimentally verify genomic predictions and metabolic functions and to provide evidence of horizontal gene transfer. Without such well-documented reference data, microbial dark matter will remain a major blind spot in deep sequencing studies. Here, we review our current understanding of prokaryotic communities in Antarctic ice-free soils based on cultivation-dependent and cultivation-independent approaches. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of both approaches and how these strategies may be combined synergistically to strengthen each other and allow a more profound understanding of prokaryotic life on the frozen continent.
Black Hole's Information Group

We suggest a group-theoretic approach to black holes, which is remotely analogous to the eightfold-way for mesons. As the black hole symmetry group we single out the group SO(2N+1) with N the black hole entropy. The Hilbert space is identified with the spinor irrep of SO(2N+1). Evaporation processes of m-quanta are associated to the breaking SO(2N+1) to SO(2(N-m)+1) X SO(2m). Under these assumptions we get a group-theoretic understanding of the evaporation process and of some typical time scales of black holes, such as Page's and scrambling times. We also discuss from the group theory point of view the mechanism of generation of entanglement both between the black hole and the radiated quanta as well as among the black hole constituents themselves.
Chemoradiotherapy-Induced CD4+ and CD8+ T-Cell Alterations to Predict Patient Outcomes in Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Purpose and Objectives: Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) is an important component of treatment for patients with locally advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Recent research findings support the role of CRT in activating an anti-tumor immune response. However, predictors of CRT efficacy are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to measure CRT-induced changes to lymphocyte subpopulations and to evaluate the prognostic value of lymphocyte alterations for patients with ESCC. Materials and Methods: In total, this pilot study enrolled 64 patients with ESCC who received neo-adjuvant CRT or definitive CRT. Peripheral blood samples were collected before and during treatment and were analyzed by flow cytometry for CD19, CD3, CD4, CD8, CD56, and CD16. Relationships between lymphocyte subset alterations and overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were evaluated using the log-rank test and a Cox regression model. Results: The median follow-up period was 11.8 months (range, 4.0–20.2 months). Compared to pre-treatment specimens, post-treatment blood samples had decreased proportions of CD19+ B-cells and increased proportions of CD3+ and CD8+ T-cells (all P < 0.05). Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that increased CD4+ T-cell ratios after CRT independently predicted superior PFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.383; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.173–0.848, P = 0.017) and that increased CD8+ T-cell ratios predicted improved OS (HR = 0.258; 95% CI = 0.083–0.802, P = 0.019). Patients with both increased CD4+ and CD8+ ratios had a superior PFS and OS, compared to patients with an increased CD4+ ratio only or CD8+ ratio only or neither (1-year PFS rate 63 vs. 25%, 1-year OS rate 80 vs. 62%, P = 0.005 and 0.025, respectively). Conclusions: CRT-induced increases in CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell ratios are reliable biomarker predictors of survival in patients with ESCC.
Carbon Materials for Chemical Capacitive Energy Storage

Carbon materials have attracted intense interests as electrode materials for electrochemical capacitors, because of their high surface area, electrical conductivity, chemical stability and low cost. Activated carbons produced by different activation processes from various precursors are the most widely used electrodes. Recently, with the rapid growth of nanotechnology, nanostructured electrode materials, such as carbon nanotubes and template‐synthesized porous carbons have been developed. Their unique electrical properties and well controlled pore sizes and structures facilitate fast ion and electron transportation. In order to further improve the power and energy densities of the capacitors, carbon‐based composites combining electrical double layer capacitors (EDLC)‐capacitance and pseudo‐capacitance have been explored. They show not only enhanced capacitance, but as well good cyclability. In this review, recent progresses on carbon‐based electrode materials are summarized, including activated carbons, carbon nanotubes, and template‐synthesized porous carbons, in particular mesoporous carbons. Their advantages and disadvantages as electrochemical capacitors are discussed. At the end of this review, the future trends of electrochemical capacitors with high energy and power are proposed.
Design and optimization of small inductors on extra-thin PCB for flexible cooking surfaces

The following paper describes the design and optimization method for a small inductor in printed circuit board, which is later used in the implementation of a flexible cooking surface prototype. The method combines an analytical model of an induction system formed by rectangular cross-sectional conductors and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulations, providing an important decrease of the computational costs. This is followed by the corresponding calculations in order to minimize conduction and proximity losses in the winding while the copper volume and the power dissipation in the inductor are optimized. A parametric analysis is carried out to define the induction system that leads to the optimal efficiency, which, moreover, proves extra-thin PCBs as the most suitable solution. A laboratory prototype was implemented using a PCB litz structure and tested under real working conditions. The empirical characterization produced good results, being consistent with the simulations and showing a proper thermal behavior.