Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding Surface Forces and Interaction Mechanisms in Mineral Flotation by Atomic Force Microscopy

Bubble-particle interactions are ubiquitous and crucial to mineral flotation. The bubble-particle attachment process is mainly governed by three surface forces: van der Waals (vdW), electrical double-layer (EDL), and hydrophobic (HB) forces. Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) has become the most prominent technique to measure the surface forces due to its versatility and pico-Newton resolution. By anchoring a micron-sized oil droplet or bubble onto a tipless AFM cantilever, the so-called AFM bubble probe allows for accurate force measurement involving deformable bodies. In this study, a number of force measurements were performed with the advantage of the AFM bubble probe technique to understand the surface forces in mineral flotation. The interaction mechanisms were underpinned by the well-established Stokes-Reynolds-Young-Laplace (SRYL) model. Molybdenite (MoS2) is a mineral that has drawn great interest because of its potential application in various fields. To facilitate the flotation of molybdenite, the mineral pulp is commonly treated with nonpolar oil additives to promote hydrophobicity and to form an oil bridge between ultrafine molybdenite particles for agglomeration. In this study, dodecane was chosen as a model oil to investigate the flotation mechanisms of molybdenite with nonpolar oil. The interaction forces between a micrometer-sized dodecane droplet and the molybdenite basal plane in various electrolyte solutions were directly measured by the atomic force microscope droplet probe technique. The effects of added salts, ionic strength, and solution pH on interaction forces were evaluated by considering van der Waals, electrical double-layer (EDL), and hydrophobic forces. The experimentally measured force curves were found to agree well with the Reynolds lubrication model and the augmented Young-Laplace equation. The results show that the competition between repulsive EDL forces and attractive hydrophobic forces was directly responsible for oil-molybdenite attachment behavior. High pH and low salinity (<24 mM NaCl) led to strong repulsive EDL forces, which stabilized the interaction and prevented the attachment of oil to molybdenite. Both low pH and high salinity facilitated the attachment of oil to molybdenite through the depression of EDL force, allowing attractive hydrophobic force to dominate. The hydrophobic attraction was
Percutaneous patent foramen ovale closure for cryptogenic ischemic stroke: is it time for new guidelines?

Patent foramen ovale (PFO) mediated right-to-left shunting has been associated with a variety of medical syndromes including cryptogenic stroke, migraine headache, platypnea-orthodeoxia, sleep apnea and decompression sickness (1-7). Observational studies suggest that PFO occurs in 20–25% of the adult population, but up to 50% of patients with cryptogenic stroke have a PFO (8). While the etiology of PFO mediated stroke is attributed to paradoxical embolism, there is no increased benefit of anticoagulation with warfarin or newer oral anticoagulants for secondary prevention of cryptogenic stroke, in the absence of atrial fibrillation (9,10). Given the lack of a superior antithrombotic medication, non-randomized studies were performed to assess the efficacy of percutaneous PFO closure; these observational studies suggested that device closure reduces the rate of recurrent stroke compared with medical therapy in patients with cryptogenic ischemic stroke (1,8). Subsequently, five randomized controlled trials were completed in an effort to confirm these findings.
Athletes and Arrhythmias

Sudden cardiac death related to athletic competition is a rare but tragic event. The victims are typically young with no previous cardiovascular symptoms or limitations. The majority of sudden cardiac death events in athletes are due to ventricular arrhythmias as a result of underlying molecular and/or structural level pathologic substrate. In this article, we will review the physiologic cardiac adaptations to exercise along with arrhythmias seen in athletes with a focus on those commonly associated with sudden cardiac death
Advancing leptospirosis diagnostics in human and animal systems

Leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease with a world-wide distribution, causes significant disease in humans and animals. This thesis presents experimental work dealing with the serological diagnosis of leptospirosis in humans and animal populations. Chapters 2-5 of this thesis have been published, Chapter 6 has been accepted for publication pending acceptance of minor changes, and Chapter 7 is currently in review for publication. This thesis is produced as a collection of papers, with the intent that the work described herein is a coherent body work. The first chapter of this thesis presents a brief overview of leptospirosis and seeks to put the disease into historical context. It provides an overview of the classification of leptospires, as well as some general aspects of leptospirosis, including its transmission, incidence and clinical signs and symptoms in both humans and animals. This chapter also introduces the current methods of diagnosis, highlighting some major disadvantages of these assays and therefore the need for improved diagnostic assays and methods of detection. ; Submitted in the fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, University of the Sunshine Coast, 2015.
Romania’s ageing population: entrepreneurship opportunities and challenges

: A globally acknowledged growing phenomenon – ageing of the population – translates into an unprecedented reality. In 2015, the number of people aged 50 and over (seniors) reached 1.6 billion worldwide, with projections pointing to 3.2 billion by 2050. In the United States of America (US) alone, there were 111 million such senior citizens, representing one-third of its total population in 2015 (Oxford Economics 2016). Europe is confronted with a similar ‘greying’ trend as emphasized in official documents. The 2018 Ageing Report projects significant changes in the age structure of the European Union’s (EU) population in the coming decades, resulting in complex major impacts at all levels of the society. According to the document, the old-age dependency ratio (people over 65, relative to those aged 15 – 64), for example, might rise to 51.2 per cent by 2070 (EC 2018c). Romania is not an exception to this demographic trend. However, just as in other countries, the challenges generated by the country’s ageing population are accompanied by many opportunities to foster entrepreneurship, particularly senior entrepreneurship, as underlined further in this chapter.
Campus Criminal Victimization among Higher Education Students: A Diagnosis of Local Security in Porto

Abstract This study addressed and characterized direct and indirect criminal victimization among college students and examined the associations between victimization and other variables. The participants were 775 students of both genders with a mean age of 21.76 years. Data were collected through self-reports using the “Diagnosis of Local Security Questionnaire”. Overall, 8.6% of the students reported direct victimization, and 39.7% reported indirect victimization. The most reported crimes were robbery and theft, while the least prevalent were sexual offense, domestic violence, and fraud. Most incidents involved a stranger and occurred at night in the street. Direct victimization was associated with gender, age, marital status, student level, attendance status, and institution domain. There were significant associations between indirect victimization and nationality, student type, attendance status, and institution domain. The perception of (in)security was significantly associated with victimization. Therefore, physical and social measures are necessary to reduce crime and increase security.
Changes in macrolide resistance phenotype in pharyngeal group a streptococci isolates in children

Introduction: The second drugs of choice for treatment of pharyngitis caused by Streptococcus pyogenes (S.pyogenes; group A streptococcus – GAS) are macrolides. In the last few years in Serbia the resistance of GAS to erythromycin was moderately high. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine if there was a change in 2016 2017 in incidence and phenotypes of macrolide resistance in pharyngeal GAS isolates compared to previous years. Material and methods: The study included 107 isolates of GAS obtained from throat swabs of children with pharyngitis under the age of 18 during a two and a half month period in 2016–2017 in Belgrade. Resistance of GAS isolates to antibiotics was examined using disk diffusion method, macrolide resistance phenotypes by D test, and the minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of erythromycin and clindamycin was determined by E test. The results of this study were compared with results obtained from previous studies. Results: Resistance to erythromycin was observed in 6.5% isolates, which represents a fall in comparison with the period between 2008 and 2009. There was a change in the dominant macrolide resistant phenotype M phenotype was dominant in the above mentioned period, while cMLSb (71.4%) dominates in the present period. Resistance to trimethoprim + sulfamethoxazole (98.1%), clindamycin (4.7%) and tetracycline (2.8%) was noticed as well. Conclusion: S.pyogenes resistance to macrolides in Serbia is above regional average, even though there has been a fall in the resistance rate, as well as the change in macrolide resistance phenotype frequency compared to the 2008 – 2009 period. All this indicates the necessity of continuous monitoring of resistance and GAS resistance phenotype to macrolides.
Solid Pseudo-papillary Neoplasm of the Pancreas:A Rare Cause of Acute Pancreatitis

Solid pseudo-papillary neoplasms of the pancreas are rare tumors that typically affect women in the second to fourth decade of life. Although they are known to carry a low malignant potential and carry a favorable prognosis once removed, the presentation and treatment options can differ depending on the location and structures involved. In this case a 23 year-old female presented with an unusual cause for acute pancreatitis. A high index of suspicion and through diagnostic studies revealed a pseudo-papillary neoplasm in the tail of the pancreas obstructing the pancreatic duct. Definitive treatment included laparoscopic resection of the tail of the pancreas and spleen.
Prevalence of Anti- Hepatitis C Virus Antibodies among Patients Attending Sokoto Specialist Hospital, Sokoto State, Nigeria

Hepatitis C virus is among the most common cause of viral hepatitis which considered as a major public health problem worldwide. This study was aimed to determine the prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) antibody among patients attending Sokoto Specialist Hospital, using Acon ® Laboratory Inc, test kits, after the patients were advised on the need to know their status Of the 300 blood samples tested, 8 (2.7%) was positive for the presence of hepatitis C. Demographic variables (Occupation, Sex, Marital status and education) and risk factors (History of blood transfusion, history of sexual transmitted diseases, intravenous drug abuse and presence of tribal mark or tattoos) appeared not associated (p> 0.05) with the prevalence of HCV antibody. However, there is urgent need to take public health measures to reduce disease burden and transmission, by routine screening of all for HCV infections.
Prédicteurs de première lésion néoplasique colique chez les patients surveillés par coloscopies itératives pour maladie inflammatoire chronique intestinale

Objectif: Les determinants du risque de neoplasie colique ne sont pas connus chez les patients atteints de maladies inflammatoires chroniques intestinales (MICI) ayant realise une coloscopie de surveillance sans neoplasie identifiee. Notre objectif etait de mettre en evidence les determinants de premiere neoplasie colique dans cette population. Methodes: Tous les patients consecutifs ayant eu au moins 2 coloscopies a l’hopital Saint Antoine entre le 01/01/1996 et le 31/03/2015, dont la premiere avec un protocole de biopsies a la recherche de dysplasie, ont ete inclus. Une etude cas-temoins nichee a ete realisee pour etudier les determinants d’une premiere neoplasie en territoire inflammatoire. Resultats: 404 patients ayant eu au total 1236 coloscopies ont ete inclus dans la cohorte. 38 cas avec premiere neoplasie en territoire inflammatoire et 92 temoins ont ete inclus dans l’analyse. Le risque de premiere neoplasie colique etait augmente en cas de cholangite sclerosante primitive (CSP) (OR: 6,26; p=0,04) de polynucleaires neutrophiles (OR: 8,77; p=0,009) et distorsions glandulaires (OR: 8,09; p=0,03) sur plus de la moitie des coloscopies anterieures, alors qu’un effet protecteur etait associe a un traitement par 5-aminosalicyles (OR: 0,27; p=0,03) et thiopurines (OR: 0,18; p=0,01). Conclusion: Le risque de premiere neoplasie colique etait associe a la presence d’une CSP, la persistance d’une inflammation aigue et residuelle. L’exposition aux 5-aminosalicyles et aux thiopurines etait associee a une diminution du risque. Le choix des intervalles entre 2 coloscopies de surveillance apres une coloscopie de surveillance sans dysplasie pourrait tenir compte de ces parametres.
MATERNAL TOBACCO SMOKE EXPOSURE CAUSES SEX-DIVERGENT CHANGES IN PPAR γ AND WNT SIGNALING IN THE LUNG OF NEWBORN RAT PUPS

Fetal exposure to maternal tobacco smoke (MTS) causes growth restriction and alters lung development in humans and animal models. Lung development depends upon molecular mechanisms including PPAR γ and Wnt signaling. Recent reports suggest that chromatin-mediated negative cross-talk between PPAR γ and Wnt signaling reduces transcription of Wnt output genes. This chromatin-mediated cross-talk is initiated by the lysine histone methyltransferase, and PPAR γ target gene, Setd8. We previously showed that lung protein abundance of PPAR γ is decreased by MTS exposure in both male and female rat pups. However, the effect of MTS exposure on Setd8 abundance, Wnt signaling, and expression of Wnt target genes in the rat lung is unknown. We hypothesize that MTS exposure decreases Setd8 protein abundance in newborn rat lung. We also hypothesize that MTS exposure decreases transcription of Wnt output genes, in the context of increased Wnt signaling, in newborn rat lung. male
An Example of Controversies on Anti-fibrosis Therapies in Cardiovascular Diseases: Transforming Growth Factor β1

Transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) is the pleiotropic cytokine, the functions of which are diverse and often contradictory. In oxidative stress-associated cardiovascular diseases including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and ischemia-reperfusion injury and in normal aging process, the expression of TGF β1 is increased. TGF β1 induces the expression of the genes involved in the accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) [1]. ECM gives mechanical stiffness to the heart and vasculature to let them function properly, but its excessive accumulation could impair cardiac diastolic function and diminish arterial flow reserve. Furthermore, the higher than normal expression of TGF β1 enhances ECM accumulation in the renal mesangium. The resultant reduction of open capillary area in the glomerulus leads to the decrease in glomerular filration rate and chronic renal failure [2].
Enhanced Performance of Narrowband Power Line Communications using Recursive Least Squares Filter

Noises presented in a power line communication channel tend to distort the message signals, leading towards the reception of erroneous data at the receiver end. Mitigation of noise existent in power line has always been of prime interest and helped to improve the BER performance of a communication system as it accounts for efficient data transmission. In this work, adaptive filters based on the Recursive Least Squares (RLS) algorithm and Least Mean Square (LMS) algorithms have been implemented in Simulink to investigate the effectiveness of an Adaptive Noise Canceller for the mitigation of Gaussian and Impulsive Noises present in a narrowband power line channel model. The performance of the RLS algorithm against that of the LMS algorithm was compared in adaptive filtering for the same channel conditions. The error performances of BPSK and FSK schemes for the channel model in a generic digital communication system were also compared in Simulink. Furthermore, the use of convolutional codes and interleaving for the correction of random bit errors and for condensing the negative effect of burst errors respectively were investigated during the transmission of data signals over the generic communication system designed in Simulink. From the findings of the study, it has been concluded that the RLS algorithm proves to be more effective than the LMS algorithm. For a BER of 10-5, a coding gain of less than 10 dB is achievable for both Binary Phase Shift Keying and Binary Frequency Shift Keying. With the addition of convolutional coding and convolutional interleaving, the error performance of the channel is further improved, rendering the power line channel more reliable for data communication.
N-bit digital comparator High-speed and area-efficient scalable N-bit digital comparator

An area-efficient N-bit digital comparator with high operating speed and low-power dissipation is presented in this work. The proposed comparator structure consists of two separate modules. The first module is the comparison evaluation module (CEM) and the second module is the final module (FM). Independent from the input operand bitwidths, stages present in CEM involve the regular structure of repeated logic cells used for implementing parallel prefix tree structure. The FM validates the final comparison based on results obtained from the CEM. The presence of regular very large-scale integration topology in the proposed structure allows the analytical derivation of the area in terms of total number of transistors present in the design and total delay encountered in input-output flow as the function of input operand bitwidth. Spectre simulation results have been presented using 0.18 μm complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology at 1 GHz. The main advantages of the proposed comparator are minimum input-output delay of 0.57 ns, minimum fan-out-of-4 delay of 9.5 ns and low-power dissipation of 1.03 mw as compared with existing comparators designed using 180 nm CMOS technology for 64 bit comparison.
Max-Plus Linear Approximations for Deterministic Continuous-State Markov Decision Processes

We consider deterministic continuous-state Markov decision processes (MDPs). We apply a max-plus linear method to approximate the value function with a specific dictionary of functions that leads to an adequate state-discretization of the MDP. This is more efficient than a direct discretization of the state space, typically intractable in high dimension. We propose a simple strategy to adapt the discretization to a problem instance, thus mitigating the curse of dimensionality. We provide numerical examples showing that the method works well on simple MDPs.
Epicatechin as a Therapeutic Strategy to Mitigate the Development of Cardiac Remodeling and Fibrosis

Two-thirds of patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are older women, and risk factors include hypertension and excess weight/obesity. Pathophysiological factors that drive early disease development (before heart failure ensues) remain obscure and female animal models are lacking. The study evaluated the intersecting roles of ageing, oestrogen depletion and excess weight on altering cardiac structure/function. Female, 18-month-old, Fischer F344 rats were divided into an aged group, aged + ovariectomy (OVX) and aged + ovariectomy + 10% fructose (OVF) in drinking water (n = 8–16/group) to induce weight gain. Moises Bustamante is a second year PhD student from the National Polytechnic Institute based in Mexico City. He obtained a BS in Chemistry and an MS in Clinical Microbiology at the Autonomous University of Baja in Tijuana, Mexico. He is working in Dr Francisco Villarreal’s Laboratory at UCSD focusing on research in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction and how ageing, oestrogen depletion and metabolic syndrome impact cardiovascular structure and function in the female sex. He is also evaluating the beneficial potential of the flavanol (−)-epicatechin on skeletal and cardiac muscle, brain and other metabolic disorders. C © 2019 The Authors. The Journal of Physiology C © 2019 The Physiological Society DOI: 10.1113/JP277479 2 M. Bustamante and others J Physiol 00.0 Left ventricular (LV) structure/function was monitored by echocardiography. At 22 months of age, animals were anaesthetized and catheter-based haemodynamics evaluated, followed by histological measures of chamber morphometry and collagen density. All aged animals developed hypertension. OVF animals increased body weight. Echocardiography only detected mild chamber remodelling with ageing while intraventricular pressure–volume loop analysis showed significant (P < 0.05) decreases vs. ageing in stroke volume (13% OVX and 15% for OVF), stroke work (34% and 52%) and cardiac output (29% and 27%), and increases in relaxation time (10% OVX) with preserved ejection fraction. Histology indicated papillary and interstitial fibrosis with ageing, which was higher in the endocardium of OVX and OVF groups. With ageing, ovariectomy leads to the loss of diastolic and global LV function while preserving ejection fraction. This model recapitulates many cardiovascular features present in HFpEF patients and may help understand the roles that ageing and oestrogen depletion play in early (pre-HFpEF) disease development. (Received 20 November 2018; accepted after revision 24 January 2019; first published online 25 January 2019) Corresponding author F. Villarreal: UCSD School of Medicine, 9500 Gilman Drive BSB4028, La Jolla, CA 92093-0613J, USA. Email: fvillarr@ucsd.edu
Taxing Blockchain Forks

The tax treatment of cryptocurrency forks presents four unique challenges: parent/child designation, taxpayer access to the new token, assessment of fair market value, and assessment of comparable contemporaneous fair market values. We provide empirical evidence that each of these issues is a hurdle in determining whether income has been realized, or in apportioning the basis. We consider three existing approaches for assets acquired without a purchase. We conclude that the least problematic approach (adopted by Japan) is giving zero tax basis to the new coin and taxing the proceeds upon a sale, while treating the new coin as realized income (as recently ruled in the US) is the most problematic.
In silico analysis of wild-type and mutant KRAS

The mutations of the KRAS gene at codons 12, 13, and 61 have been widely reported with different prognosis. In silico is one approach to explain the characteristics of the mutant genes. This study aimed to reveal the potential energy and fluctuations of the binding site and active site of wild-type KRAS (KRAS Wt) and mutant KRAS (KRAS Mt) at codons 12, 13, and 61. The samples used in this study were the sequences of KRAS Wt and KRAS Mt genes, which were subjected to in-silico analysis that included molecular homology, docking, and dynamics using MOE, PyMOL, and online CABS servers. The results showed that fluctuations in the binding site of all KRAS Mt were lower than that of KRAS Wt. On the contrary, the active site (switch I and switch II) of KRAS Mt fluctuated more widely than KRAS Wt. The potential energy of KRAS Mt before forming a complex with GTP was higher (p<0.01) than KRAS Wt. After this formation, it remained higher at codons 12 and 61 but lower at codons 11 and 13 (p <0.001). Mt G12A did not show any changes. The higher fluctuations in the switch I and switch II regions and the post energy of KRAS-GTP complexes may explain why types of cancers with mutations at codons 11 and 13 have a better prognosis than those with mutations at codons 12 and 61.