Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Removal of chromium from aqueous solution by borasus flabellifer coir powder as adsorbent

Chromium has been widely used in various industries like textile, leather, chemical manufacture, metal finishing, paint industry and many other industries. Since hexavalent chromium is a priority toxic, mutagenic and carcinogenic chemical when present in excess, it is very much required to remove chromium from effluents before allowing it to enter any water system or on to land. In the present study, the removal of hexavalent chromium by adsorption on the Borasus flabellifer coir powder as adsorbent has been investigated in the batch experiments. The agitation time, the adsorbent size, adsorbent dosage, initial chromium concentration, temperature and the effect of solution pH are studied. Adsorption mechanism is found to follow Freundlich. The adsorption behavior is described by a second order kinetics. Percentage removal of chromium (VI) is found to be 97.16% at pH=2, w=0.5g, dp=63μm and temperature=303 K. The results obtained in this study illustrate that Borasus flabellifer coir powder is an effective and economically viable adsorbent for hexavalent chromium removal from industrial waste water. © 2013 Elixir All rights reserved. ARTICLE INF O Artic le h istory: Received: 5 January 2013; Received in revised form: 4 February 2013; Accepted: 4 March 2013;
N ov 2 00 9 SUPERMATRIX MODELS , LOOP EQUATIONS , AND DUALITY

We study integrals over Hermitian supermatrices of arbitrary size p + q, that are parametrized by an external field X and a source Y , of respective size m+ n and p+ q. We show that these integrals exhibit a simple topological expansion in powers of a formal parameter ~, which can be identified with 1/(p − q). The loop equation and the associated spectral curve are also obtained. The solutions to the loop equation are given in terms of the symplectic invariants introduced in [10]. The symmetry property of the latter objects allows us to prove a duality that relates supermatrix models in which the role of X and Y are interchanged.
A Challenges of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Definition

For a long time, the ARDS had taken the name of the causative injury (insults) like, for instance, Da Nang lung, shock lung, posttraumatic lung, etc. It until 1967 when an article published in The Lancet Journal, that Ashbaugh, Bigelow, Petty, and Levine were first describing the clinical entity they called (Acute Respiratory Distress in adults). Since that time many researchers, investigators, as well as intensivists, were trying to put a definition for this complicated syndrome, which may fulfill the precise diagnosis.
05 03 2 v 2 1 6 A ug 1 99 8 Instantons from Low Energy String Actions

We look for instanton solutions in a class of two scalar field gravity models, which includes the low energy string action in four dimensions. In models where the matter field has a potential with a false vacuum, we find that non-singular instantons exist as long as the Dilaton field found in string theory has a potential with a minimum, and provide an example of such an instanton. The class of singular instanton solutions are also examined, and we find that depending on the parameter values, the volume factor of the Euclidean region does not always vanish fast enough at the singularity to make the action finite.
Parallel and successive interference cancellation in a digital front end of SDR receiver

Software Defined Radio (SDR) is a radio technique that has the capability of replacing several receivers with a single universal receiver. It includes a Digital Front-End (DFE) with the ultimate goal to implement all processing in digital domain. As the receiver has to adapt to various communication standards with different characteristics, the objective is to develop an optimum detection algorithm to combat Multiple Access Interference (MAI). Subtractive Interference Cancellation (IC) detectors like SIC and PIC are proposed and are employed in both uplink and downlink transmissions. Suitability of linear detectors like MRC and MMSE based MUD is being analyzed in multistage receiver.
Investigations on Nuclear Counting System using Data Acceptance Tests

This invest igat ion uses Mul t i Channel Analyser (MCA) coupled wi th Gamma Ray Spectroscope (GRS) to invest igate some common counting stat is t ics used for rad iat ion measurements o f a 1 3 7 Cs gamma source. Few sta t i s t ical tes ts involving 25 and 100 tr ials for data acceptance were app lied to s tudy the stabi l i ty o f count ing sys tem. The s ta t i st ical analys is evaluated count data on on four pr imary cr i ter ia ; the Rat io Test , Chauvenet’ s Cr i te r ion, the Chi -square test , and a control char t . The control char t a l so ref lect ed almost accura te stat is t ica l da ta except for a minor error during few points o f the 25 tr ial tes t . Fano factor was also eva lua ted for bo th tr ia ls to ascer tain the measure o f re l iabi l i ty and signal to noise ra t io o f the equipment. The resul ts demonstrated tha t the counting sys tem was fai r ly accurate , wi th a few except ions . The Rat io Test , Chauvenet’ s Cr i te r ion, and the Chi -square test each, was passed successfully. After eva lua ting the stat i s t ical da ta, Po isson distr ibut ion was created to bet ter analyze th e data. © 2016 Elixir All rights reserved. Elixir Nuclear & Radiation Phys. 98 (2016) 42482-42485 Nuclear and Radiation Physics Available online at www.elixirpublishers. com (Elixir International Journal) Atul Bhalla et al./ Elixir Nuclear & Radiation Phys. 98 (2016) 42482-42485 42483 set of counts, outlier points can significantly change the mean and standard deviation [1]. If xi and xm are i th trial and mean value respectively, then
Do Triphasic Waves and Nonconvulsive Status Epilepticus Arise From Similar Mechanisms? A Computational Model

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Purpose: Triphasic waves arising in patients with toxic metabolic encephalopathy (TME) are often considered different from generalized periodic discharges (GPDs) in patients with generalized nonconvulsive status epilepticus (GNCSE). The primary objective of this study was to investigate whether a common mechanism can explain key aspects of both triphasic waves in TME and GPDs in GNCSE. Method: A neural mass model was used for the simulation of EEG patterns in patients with acute hepatic encephalopathy, a common etiology of TME. Increased neuronal excitability and impaired synaptic transmission because of elevated ammonia levels in acute hepatic encephalopathy patients were used to explain how triphasic waves and GNCSE arise. The effect of gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic drugs on epileptiform activity, simulated with a prolonged duration of the inhibitory postsynaptic potential, was also studied. Results: The simulations show that a model that includes increased neuronal excitability and impaired synaptic transmission can account for both the emergence of GPDs and GNCSE and their suppression by gamma-aminobutyric acid-ergic drugs. Conclusions: The results of this study add to evidence from other studies calling into question the dichotomy between triphasic waves in TME and GPDs in GNCSE and support the hypothesis that all GPDs, including those arising in TME patients, occur via a common mechanism.
Ethylene production and its effect on storage respiration rate in wounded and unwounded sugarbeet roots

Ethylene is a natural plant hormone that induces respiration in most plant tissues and organs. Ethylene is produced endogenously by most postharvest plant organs and exogenously by many bacterial and fungal pathogens (Fukuda et al., 1993; Kay, 1997; Qadir et al., 1997). Endogenous ethylene production is controlled by developmental cues and, in many plant tissues, is strongly stimulated by mechanical injury and other stresses including chilling and low oxygen conditions (Yang and Hoffman, 1984). Although it is expected that sugarbeet roots produce measurable quantities of ethylene and that their respiration rate is induced by ethylene, ethylene production and its effect on respiration rate in postharvest sugarbeet roots has not been previously quantified. Here, we describe a series of experiments that were conducted to (1) quantify ethylene production in wounded, unwounded and conventionally harvested sugarbeet roots, (2) determine the effect of ethylene on storage respiration rate, and (3) determine the effect of ethylene synthesis and response inhibitors on basal and wound-induced respiration.
CALM supports clathrin-coated vesicle completion upon membrane tension increase

Significance Clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs) are endocytic carriers responsible for the internalization of receptor-bound ligands and extracellular fluids. CCV assembly occurs by the sequential recruitment of clathrin, adaptors, and other accessory molecules that promote curvature formation. To form, CCVs need to overcome the local plasma membrane tension that varies during cell cycle, development, and cell polarization. Using quantitative fluorescence microscopy, we demonstrate that the adaptor CALM is a major determinant of CCV formation upon membrane tension increase. Since CALM is differentially expressed, our results demonstrate that competence in clathrin-mediated endocytosis is tissue specific, providing mechanistic explanation why CALM depletion strongly affects embryo development and red blood cell differentiation with minor effects in other systems. The most represented components of clathrin-coated vesicles (CCVs) are clathrin triskelia and the adaptors clathrin assembly lymphoid myeloid leukemia protein (CALM) and the heterotetrameric complex AP2. Investigation of the dynamics of AP180-amino-terminal-homology (ANTH) recruitment during CCV formation has been hampered by CALM toxicity upon overexpression. We used knock-in gene editing to express a C-terminal–attached fluorescent version of CALM, while preserving its endogenous expression levels, and cutting-edge live-cell microscopy approaches to study CALM recruitment at forming CCVs. Our results demonstrate that CALM promotes vesicle completion upon membrane tension increase as a function of the amount of this adaptor present. Since the expression of adaptors, including CALM, differs among cells, our data support a model in which the efficiency of clathrin-mediated endocytosis is tissue specific and explain why CALM is essential during embryogenesis and red blood cell development.
Simiao Qingwen Baidu decoction inhibits Epstein–Barr virus-induced B lymphoproliferative disease and lytic viral replication

Abstract Context Simiao Qingwen Baidu decoction (SQBD), a traditional Chinese medicine prescription, can ameliorate Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) induced disease. However, its mechanism still remains unknown. Objective To detect the mechanism of SQBD in EBV-induced B lymphoproliferative disease in vitro. Materials and methods Sprague–Dawley (SD) rats (n = 20) were given SQBD (10 mL/kg) by gavage once a day for 7 d. SQBD-containing serum was obtained from abdominal aortic blood of rats, and diluted with medium to obtain 5%, 10% or 20%-medicated serum. SD rats (n = 10) were given normal saline, and normal serum was collected as a control. EBV-transformed B cells (CGM1) were cultured in medium containing 5%, 10% or 20%-medicated serum. CGM1 cells were treated with normal serum as a control. Cell viability and apoptosis were examined. The expression and activity of proteins were assessed. Results We found that IC50 (83 ± 26.07%, 24 h; 69.88 ± 4.69%, 48 h) of 10% medicated serum was higher than that of 5% (25.47 ± 6.98%, 24 h; 21.62 ± 7.30%, 48 h) and 20%-medicated serum (51 ± 7.25%, 24 h; 56.03 ± 2.56%, 48 h). Moreover, SQBD promoted apoptosis of CGM1 cells by regulating EBV latency proteins expression. SQBD inhibited EBV-induced lytic viral replication. Conclusions Our data confirmed that SQBD inhibits EBV-induced B lymphoproliferative disease and lytic viral replication. This work provides a theoretical basis for the mechanism of SQBD in EBV-induced B lymphoproliferative disease, and SQBD may be an effectively therapeutic drug for EBV-induced B lymphoproliferative disease.
A Primed Subpopulation of Bacteria Enables Rapid Expression of the Type 3 Secretion System in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The expression of specific virulence traits is strongly associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa’s success in establishing acute infections but is thought to carry a cost for bacteria. Producing multiprotein secretion systems or motility organelles is metabolically expensive and can target a cell for recognition by innate immune system receptors that recognize structural components of the type 3 secretion system (T3SS) or flagellum. ABSTRACT Type 3 secretion systems (T3SS) are complex nanomachines that span the cell envelope and play a central role in the biology of Gram-negative pathogens and symbionts. In Pseudomonas aeruginosa, T3SS expression is strongly associated with human disease severity and with mortality in murine acute pneumonia models. Uniform exposure of isogenic cells to T3SS-activating signal results in heterogeneous expression of this critical virulence trait. To understand the function of such diversity, we measured the production of the T3SS master regulator ExsA and the expression of T3SS genes using fluorescent reporters. We found that heterogeneous expression of ExsA in the absence of activating signal generates a “primed” subpopulation of cells that can rapidly induce T3SS gene expression in response to signal. T3SS expression is accompanied by a reproductive trade-off as measured by increased division time of T3SS-expressing cells. Although T3SS-primed cells are a minority of the population, they compose the majority of T3SS-expressing cells for several hours following activation. The primed state therefore allows P. aeruginosa to maximize reproductive fitness while maintaining the capacity to quickly express the T3SS. As T3SS effectors can serve as shared public goods for nonproducing cells, this division of labor benefits the population as a whole. IMPORTANCE The expression of specific virulence traits is strongly associated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa’s success in establishing acute infections but is thought to carry a cost for bacteria. Producing multiprotein secretion systems or motility organelles is metabolically expensive and can target a cell for recognition by innate immune system receptors that recognize structural components of the type 3 secretion system (T3SS) or flagellum. These acute virulence factors are also negatively selected when P. aeruginosa establishes chronic infections in the lung. We demonstrate a regulatory mechanism by which only a minority subpopulation of genetically identical P. aeruginosa cells is “primed” to respond to signals that turn on T3SS expression. This phenotypic heterogeneity allows the population to maximize the benefit of rapid T3SS effector production while maintaining a rapidly growing and nonexpressing reservoir of cells that perpetuates this genotype within the population.
Time to Think Differently About Sarcomere-Negative Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

The first genetic insights into hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) arose from linkage analyses in families with many affected individuals. The findings were compatible with monogenic inheritance, implying a “necessary and sufficient” role for the underlying genetic variant, albeit with incomplete, age-related penetrance and variable expressivity, even within families. Early studies from specialist referral centers suggested that the majority of individuals with HCM (>60%) carried a pathogenic variant on testing a panel of sarcomere genes. Clinical utility and cost-effectiveness of genetic testing were shown, leading to endorsement in guidelines and widespread adoption as an indispensable aid for managing affected families.
Deep learning for classification of pediatric chest radiographs by WHO’s standardized methodology

Background The World Health Organization (WHO)-defined radiological pneumonia is a preferred endpoint in pneumococcal vaccine efficacy and effectiveness studies in children. Automating the WHO methodology may support more widespread application of this endpoint. Methods We trained a deep learning model to classify pneumonia CXRs in children using the World Health Organization (WHO)’s standardized methodology. The model was pretrained on CheXpert, a dataset containing 224,316 adult CXRs, and fine-tuned on PERCH, a pediatric dataset containing 4,172 CXRs. The model was then tested on two pediatric CXR datasets released by WHO. We also compared the model’s performance to that of radiologists and pediatricians. Results The average area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) for primary endpoint pneumonia (PEP) across 10-fold validation of PERCH images was 0.928; average AUC after testing on WHO images was 0.977. The model’s classification performance was better on test images with high inter-observer agreement; however, the model still outperformed human assessments in AUC and precision-recall spaces on low agreement images. Conclusion A deep learning model can classify pneumonia CXR images in children at a performance comparable to human readers. Our method lays a strong foundation for the potential inclusion of computer-aided readings of pediatric CXRs in vaccine trials and epidemiology studies.
Letter to “The application of PAX1 methylation detection and HPV E6/E7 mRNA detection in cervical cancer screening”

Dear Editor-in-Chief, I read with great interest the article published by Li and collegues. The most ancient evidence regarding an inflammatory process dates back to Roman Emperor, when the Roman encyclopedist Aulus Cornelius Celsus firstly reported in the De Medicina the description of four cardinal signs related to inflammation: rubor (redness), tumor (swelling), calor (heat), and dolor (pain), known as “Celsus tetrad of inflammation. ” Inflammation is a part of a complex biological response to cellular injures in which the immune system attempts to control and destroy damaging stimuli, then initiating healing and regenerative processes. Inflammation is classically seen as an essential mechanism of innate immune response, which diverges from adaptive immunity by the receptors mediating its activation and its rapid onset. Innate immunity is also more evolutionarily ancient than adaptive immunity and is activated by foreign microbial and viral structures, known as pathogenassociated molecular patterns. Chronic and uncontrolled inflammation often results in severe tissue damage causing pathogenicity due to an overkeen immune response. In the context of a reduced host immunity, a persistent low grade but chronic inflammation caused by immune deregulation and autoimmunity can be the perfect milieu to host tumorigenesis. Some tumorigenic pathogens (e.g., HPV) are also able to threaten host immunity and establish unrelenting persistent infections, favoring cancer development and progression. In 19th century, Rudolph Virchow firstly highlighted a possible correlation between inflammation and cancer, and added a fifth sign to the originals describing inflammation, known as functio laesa. An inflammatory microenvironment can enhance mutation rates, in addition to promoting the proliferation of mutated cells. Furthermore, production of tumor supporting cytokines by immune/inflammatory cells that trigger transcription factors is a major tumor endorsing mechanism. Tumor-promoting inflammation is part of the normal reaction to injury and infections mediated by host immune system that it has been arrogated by cancer cells as their own benefit, whether it effectively heads or pursues tumor progression. Balancing the positive and negative effects of the inflammatory response is crucial for planning clinical treatments in several diseases, including cancers. Removing damaging foreign agents and infected or injured cells, require to be considered as an important advantage against chronic or uncontrolled inflammation, as friendly inflammatory fire can lead to precancerous changes until tumor. In this context, primary prevention of HPV infections and pro-inflammatory status by re-establishing a balanced vaginal ecosystem has to be thought as the first anti-tumor weapon.
Integrated docking and enhanced sampling-based selection of repurposing drugs for SARS-CoV-2 by targeting host dependent factors

Abstract Since the onset of global pandemic, the most focused research currently in progress is the development of potential drug candidates and clinical trials of existing FDA approved drugs for other relevant diseases, in order to repurpose them for the COVID-19. At the same time, several high throughput screenings of drugs have been reported to inhibit the viral components during the early course of infection but with little proven efficacies. Here, we investigate the drug repurposing strategies to counteract the coronavirus infection which involves several potential targetable host proteins involved in viral replication and disease progression. We report the high throughput analysis of literature-derived repurposing drug candidates that can be used to target the genetic regulators known to interact with viral proteins based on experimental and interactome studies. In this work we have performed integrated molecular docking followed by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and free energy calculations through an expedite in silico process where the number of screened candidates reduces sequentially at every step based on physicochemical interactions. We elucidate that in addition to the pre-clinical and FDA approved drugs that targets specific regulatory proteins, a range of chemical compounds (Nafamostat, Chloramphenicol, Ponatinib) binds to the other gene transcription and translation regulatory proteins with higher affinity and may harbour potential for therapeutic uses. There is a rapid growing interest in the development of combination therapy for COVID-19 to target multiple enzymes/pathways. Our in silico approach would be useful in generating leads for experimental screening for rapid drug repurposing against SARS-CoV-2 interacting host proteins. Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma
Executive functions in Persian-speaking preschool children with speech sound disorders and comparison with their typically developing peers

Abstract This study aimed to compare working memory, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility, the core components of executive functions, among two prevalent subtypes of preschool children with speech sound disorder, i.e., phonological delay (n = 16) and consistent phonological disorder (n = 15), and a group of typically developing children (n = 18). The correlation between executive function components and the accuracy of speech sound production were also investigated. Nonword repetition task and syllable repetition task were used to evaluate the phonological loop of working memory. Backward digit span was administered to examine the central executive of working memory. Cognitive flexibility was assessed using the second selection of the flexible item selection task and inhibitory control using Stroop-like and Go/No-Go tasks. The percentage consonants correct was applied to calculate the accuracy of speech sound production. Results of a one-way multivariate analysis of covariance revealed statistically significant differences between groups in the combined dependent variables after controlling for age (F(14, 80) = 17.289, p < . 001, Pillai’s trace = 1.503, partial ηƞ 2 = . 752). Typically developing children outperformed in all measurements of executive functions than both speech sound disorder subgroups. Moreover, children with phonological delay performed better in nonword repetition and corrected responses of Stroop-like than consistent phonological disorder group. All executive function measurements also correlated with speech sound production. The results of the present study highlight the importance of including domain-general cognitive skills in current assessment protocols for children with phonological delay and consistent phonological disorders.