Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Vitamin C in the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Upper Respiratory Tract Infections

Background: The effectiveness of vitamin C in the prevention and treatment of pediatric upper respiratory tract infections was evaluated in a meta-analysis. Methods: A total 2,573 children with upper respiratory tract infections were included in the meta-analysis, 1,280 of whom received vitamin C and 1,293 who received control medication. The analysis of findings related to the studies included was done through random or fixed effects model to determine whether vitamin C supplementation could stop and control upper respiratory tract infections in children using mean difference (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: On average, vitamin C-treated children had fewer upper respiratory tract infection bouts, their illness lasted shorter (MD -0.84; 95% CI -1.47 to -0.20, P = 0.009), and they were less contagious than the control. Conclusions: The number of episodes and illness duration of upper respiratory tract-infected pediatric subjects were considerably reduced in the intervention group (vitamin C) compared to the control. Due to the small sample size in four of 11 studies and the limited number of studies included for comparison, the outcomes should be carefully examined.
Activity-Dependent Fluctuations in Interstitial [K+]: Investigations Using Ion-Sensitive Microelectrodes

In the course of action potential firing, all axons and neurons release K+ from the intra- cellular compartment into the interstitial space to counteract the depolarizing effect of Na+ influx, which restores the resting membrane potential. This efflux of K+ from axons results in K+ accumulation in the interstitial space, causing depolarization of the K+ reversal potential (EK), which can prevent subsequent action potentials. To ensure optimal neuronal function, the K+ is buffered by astrocytes, an energy-dependent process, which acts as a sink for interstitial K+, absorbing it at regions of high concentration and distributing it through the syncytium for release in distant regions. Pathological processes in which energy production is compromised, such as anoxia, ischemia, epilepsy and spreading depression, can lead to excessive interstitial K+ accumulation, disrupting sensitive trans-membrane ion gradients and attenuating neuronal activity. The changes that occur in interstitial [K+] resulting from both physiological and pathological processes can be monitored accurately in real time using K+-sensitive microelectrodes, an invaluable tool in electrophysiological studies.
Event-Based Synchronization for Multiple Neural Networks With Time Delay and Switching Disconnected Topology

This article discusses the synchronization problem for a class of multiple delayed neural networks (MDNNs) with a directed switching topology by using an event-triggering strategy. First, a new differential inequality with delay is shown, which is a generalization of Halanay-type inequalities. Then, the sufficient conditions of event-based synchronization (quasisynchronization) for MDNN with sequentially connected topology are obtained by using this inequality and the iterative method. Meantime, we prove that Zeno behavior can be avoided under the designed event-triggering rules. As an extension, MDNN with jointly connected topology is also discussed. Finally, a numerical example is listed to illustrate the results in theory analysis.
Smart sensor networks and information management for the future combat systems (FCS)

The vanguard US Army Science and Technology program for the transformation to a medium weight force is the Future Combat Systems (FCS). Critical to the effectiveness of this force is overarching knowledge of the distribution and intent of all the forces on the battlefield. Smart sensor networks and information management are key enablers for the FCS system of systems strategic goals. The role of sensors and information management is enabling FCS victory is described as well as the network centric warfare that will be the cornerstone of the battlefield in the near future. The US Army Communication-Electronics Command's development of sensors and information management assets is also reviewed as they influence the envisioned FCS.
Correlation between Nuclear Motion in the Core-Excited CF 4 Molecule and Molecular Dissociation after Resonant Auger Decay

K. Ueda,1,2 M. Simon,2,3 C. Miron,2,3 N. Leclercq,2,3 R. Guillemin,2,3 P. Morin,2,3 and S. Tanaka4 1Research Institute for Scientific Measurements, Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577, Japan 2LURE, Bat 209d, Universite Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France 3CEA DRECAM SPAM, CEN Saclay, 91191 Gif /Yvette Cedex, France 4CIAS, Osaka Prefecture University, Sakai 599-8231, Japan (Received 7 April 1999) Dissociation of the CF 1 4 molecular ion has been investigated using monochromatized synchrotron radiation and the energy-selected electron–ion coincidence method. The 2t 2 C ionic state produces fragment ions CF 1 2 and CF 1 3 . The branching ratio CF 1 2 CF 3 is increased by a factor of 6 by the C 1s excitation to the lowest unoccupied antibonding orbital, from the ratio at the direct ionization of the 2t 2 orbital. This increase is interpreted in the light of the nuclear motion in the core-excited state, with the help of theoretical calculations based on the vibronic model.
Bacterial Cellulose-Based Blends and Composites: Versatile Biomaterials for Tissue Engineering Applications

Cellulose of bacterial origin, known as bacterial cellulose (BC), is one of the most versatile biomaterials that has a huge potential in tissue engineering due to its favourable mechanical properties, high hydrophilicity, crystallinity, and purity. Additional properties such as porous nano-fibrillar 3D structure and a high degree of polymerisation of BC mimic the properties of the native extracellular matrix (ECM), making it an excellent material for the fabrication of composite scaffolds suitable for cell growth and tissue development. Recently, the fabrication of BC-based scaffolds, including composites and blends with nanomaterials, and other biocompatible polymers has received particular attention owing to their desirable properties for tissue engineering. These have proven to be promising advanced materials in hard and soft tissue engineering. This review presents the latest state-of-the-art modified/functionalised BC-based composites and blends as advanced materials in tissue engineering. Their applicability as an ideal biomaterial in targeted tissue repair including bone, cartilage, vascular, skin, nerve, and cardiac tissue has been discussed. Additionally, this review briefly summarises the latest updates on the production strategies and characterisation of BC and its composites and blends. Finally, the challenges in the future development and the direction of future research are also discussed.
Antihyperalgesic and Antiallodynic Effects of Amarisolide A and Salvia amarissima Ortega in Experimental Fibromyalgia-Type Pain

Salvia amarissima Ortega is an endemic species of Mexico used in folk medicine to alleviate pain and as a nervous tranquilizer. The S. amarissima extract and one of its abundant metabolites, identified and isolated through chromatographic techniques, were investigated to obtain scientific evidence of its potential effects to relieve nociplastic pain such as fibromyalgia. Then, the extract and amarisolide A (3–300 mg/kg, i.p.) were pharmacologically evaluated in reserpine-induced fibromyalgia-type chronic pain and in depressive-like behavior (as a common comorbidity) by using the forced swimming test in rats. The 5-HT1A serotonin receptor (selective antagonist WAY100635, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) was explored after the prediction of a chemical interaction using in silico analysis to look for a possible mechanism of action of amarisolide A. Both the extract and amarisolide A produced significant and dose-dependent antihyperalgesic and antiallodynic effects in rats, as well as significant antidepressive behavior without sedative effects when the antinociceptive dosages were used. The 5-HT1A serotonin receptor participation was predicted by the in silico descriptors and was corroborated in the presence of WAY100635. In conclusion, S. amarissima possesses antihyperalgesic, antiallodynic, and anti-depressive activities, partially due to the presence of amarisolide A, which involves the 5-HT1A serotonin receptor. This pharmacological evidence suggests that S. amarissima and amarisolide A are both potential alternatives to relieve pain-like fibromyalgia.
Recent Applications of Molecularly Imprinted Polymers (MIPs) on Screen-Printed Electrodes for Pesticide Detection

The overuse of pesticides in agricultural sectors exposes people to food contamination. Pesticides are toxic to humans and can have both acute and chronic health effects. To protect food consumers from the adverse effects of pesticides, a rapid monitoring system of the residues is in dire need. Molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) on a screen-printed electrode (SPE) is a leading and promising electrochemical sensing approach for the detection of several residues including pesticides. Despite the huge development in analytical instrumentation developed for contaminant detection in recent years such as HPLC and GC/MS, these conventional techniques are time-consuming and labor-intensive. Additionally, the imprinted SPE detection system offers a simple portable setup where all electrodes are integrated into a single strip, and a more affordable approach compared to MIP attached to traditional rod electrodes. Recently, numerous reviews have been published on the production and sensing applications of MIPs however, the research field lacks reviews on the use of MIPs on electro-chemical sensors utilizing the SPE technology. This paper presents a distinguished overview of the MIP technique used on bare and modified SPEs for the detection of pesticides from four recent publications which are malathion, chlorpyrifos, paraoxon and cyhexatin. Different molecular imprint routes were used to prepare these biomimetic sensors including solu-tion polymerization, thermal polymerization, and electropolymerization. The unique characteristics of each MIP-modified SPE are discussed and the comparison among the findings of the papers is critically reviewed.
Analogue input shaper for haptic interfaces

An analogue input shaper (AIS) is proposed as a means for stably increasing the displayable impedance range of haptic interfaces. Usually, high-frequency inputs can occur during collisions with very stiff virtual objects and induce instabilities. The proposed AIS is basically a nonlinear low-pass filter and acts as a frequency-dependent dissipative element, which can eliminate unwanted high-frequency inputs to haptic interfaces. The proposed AIS is not placed in the power stage but in the signal stage, so that the AIS can be designed independent of motor parameters and does not affect transparency in free motion. In addition, two linear half-wave rectifiers are incorporated into the AIS to allow for a fast decrease of impedance and no negative input to the haptic interface when a haptic pointer leaves a virtual object. Through virtual wall experiments using two different haptic interfaces, the effectiveness of the proposed AIS is shown.
Nanoemulgel: A Novel Nano Carrier as a Tool for Topical Drug Delivery

Nano-emulgel is an emerging drug delivery system intended to enhance the therapeutic profile of lipophilic drugs. Lipophilic formulations have a variety of limitations, which includes poor solubility, unpredictable absorption, and low oral bioavailability. Nano-emulgel, an amalgamated preparation of different systems aims to deal with these limitations. The novel system prepared by the incorporation of nano-emulsion into gel improves stability and enables drug delivery for both immediate and controlled release. The focus on nano-emulgel has also increased due to its ability to achieve targeted delivery, ease of application, absence of gastrointestinal degradation or the first pass metabolism, and safety profile. This review focuses on the formulation components of nano-emulgel for topical drug delivery, pharmacokinetics and safety profiles.
Survey on Exact kNN Queries over High-Dimensional Data Space

k nearest neighbours (kNN) queries are fundamental in many applications, ranging from data mining, recommendation system and Internet of Things, to Industry 4.0 framework applications. In mining, specifically, it can be used for the classification of human activities, iterative closest point registration and pattern recognition and has also been helpful for intrusion detection systems and fault detection. Due to the importance of kNN queries, many algorithms have been proposed in the literature, for both static and dynamic data. In this paper, we focus on exact kNN queries and present a comprehensive survey of exact kNN queries. In particular, we study two fundamental types of exact kNN queries: the kNN Search queries and the kNN Join queries. Our survey focuses on exact approaches over high-dimensional data space, which covers 20 kNN Search methods and 9 kNN Join methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work of a comprehensive survey of exact kNN queries over high-dimensional datasets. We specifically categorise the algorithms based on indexing strategies, data and space partitioning strategies, clustering techniques and the computing paradigm. We provide useful insights for the evolution of approaches based on the various categorisation factors, as well as the possibility of further expansion. Lastly, we discuss some open challenges and future research directions.
HYBRID CLASSICAL QUANTUM FORCE FIELD FOR MODELING VERY LARGE MOLECULES

A coherent computational scheme on a very large molecule in which the subsystem that undergoes the most important electronic changes is treated by a semiempirical quantum chemical method, though the rest of the molecule is described by a classical force field, has been proposed recently. The continuity between the two subsystems is obtained by a strictly localized bond orbital, which is assumed to have transferable properties determined on model molecules. The computation of the forces acting on the atoms is now operating, giving rise to a hybrid classical quantum force field (CQFF) which allows full energy minimization and modeling chemical changes in large biomolecules. As an illustrative example, we study the short hydrogen bonds and the proton-exchange process in the histidine-aspartic acid system of the catalytic triad of human neutrophil elastase. The CQFF approach reproduces the crystallographic data quite well, in opposition to a classical force field. The method also offers the possibility of switching off the electrostatic interaction between the quantum and the classical subsystems, allowing us to analyze the various components of the perturbation exerted by the macromolecule in the reactive part. Molecular dynamics confirm a fast proton exchange between the three possible energy wells. The method appears to be quite powerful and applicable to other cases of chemical interest such as surface reactivity of nonmetallic solids. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
c-axis correlated pinning behavior near the irreversibility fields

The authors found that the peak at the parallel external field (B‖c) to the c axis in the angular dependence of Jc shrinks and almost disappears with increasing a magnetic field but it grows again with further increasing of a magnetic field at various temperatures for high-Jc Sm1+xBa2−xCu3Oy films. These behaviors can be explained by the flux pinning properties of the interstitial vortices, which locate in between the vortices pinned by the c-axis correlated disorders. From the obtained experimental results, the collective correlated pinned glass state is proposed in a high field region in the vortex glass states.
A brief history of balance through time

We present methods for establishing the amount of reciprocity, transitivity and group balance (a generalization of structural balance) in sociometric structures. These methods are applied to the second time series of sociometric data provided by the Newcomb (1961) study. The amount of reciprocity was above chance levels at the outset and showed no systematic variation thereafter. Transitivity has a very different time scale. It climbed steadily through the first nine weeks and remained stable thereafter. While consistent with chance at the beginning of the study period, it grew to above chance levels at week 3. Group imbalance declined throughout the entire period. The reasons for these different time scales are discussed.
THE INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF COMPACT POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS CONTAINING UP TO 384 CARBONS

The mid- and the far-infrared spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) have been computed using density functional theory. This study has focused on PAHs in the highly symmetric, compact, coronene family with sizes up to 384 carbons. We have identified trends in the peak position and intrinsic strength of the vibrational modes of these species and compared these to trends previously reported for less symmetric and smaller PAHs. The computed spectral modes have been used to calculate the IR emission spectrum of PAHs pumped by UV photons. The results have been compared to observed interstellar spectra to elucidate the characteristics of the interstellar PAH family. The calculations show that highly symmetric PAHs are very stable and, hence, might be favored under the harsh conditions of interstellar space. Our calculated vibrational properties confirm and extend previous studies for small PAHs to the large compact PAHs studied here, specifically in terms of the dependence of the spectral characteristics on ionization and on H-adjacency. The calculations show that for PAHs larger than 150 carbons, the 6.3 μm feature becomes very broad and shifts to longer wavelengths, the 8.6 μm band becomes stronger than the “7.7” μm band, and the 11.0/12.7 band strength ratio gets too large compared with observations. Thus, PAHs with 150 carbons or more are unlikely to be the dominant species in interstellar space. The simplicity of the observed spectra in the 15–20 μm range points toward a preponderance of compact PAHs in the interstellar PAH family.
A Discussion of Transpiration Cooling Problems through an Analytical Solution of Local Thermal Nonequilibrium Model

To study transpiration cooling problems, an analytical solution of the local thermal nonequilibrium (LTNE) model with the second or third boundary conditions is presented. This solution is obtained through neglecting the thermal conduction of the fluid coolant in porous media. By the analytical solution, two problems are investigated. At first, the parameters which influence transpiration cooling effects are analyzed, and the analysis indicates that the cooling effects are dominated by coolant mass flow rate, the Biot number at the hot surface of porous plate, and the Biot number in the pores. Second, the error caused by the assumption of the local thermal equilibrium (LTE) model is quantitatively discussed, and the variation trend of the LTE error is analyzed. Based on the analytical solution and the error analysis, a quantitative criterion to choose the LTNE or LTE model is suggested, and the corresponding expression is also given in this paper.
Comparison of excimer laser recrystallized prepatterned and unpatterned silicon films on SiO2

The laser recrystallization of unpatterned and prepatterned silicon films on SiO2 is compared. For the prepatterned films, multiple-pulse laser irradiation at certain energy densities produces three well defined zones containing different microstructure. Two of these zones appear as bands along the edges of the prepatterned islands. The first zone, or “chill zone,’’ is found at the outer edge of the island, and consists of an ∼250-nm-wide band of heterogeneously nucleated fine grains. The second zone, or “columnar zone,’’ is found next to the chill zone, and is made up of large elongated grains, measuring about 1.5×0.5 μm, with their boundaries running perpendicular to the island edges. Finally, the third zone, or “equiaxed zone,’’ includes the remainder of the prepatterned island, and has a grain microstructure identical to the recrystallized unpatterned films. The creation and identification of these three zones for laser irradiated prepatterned Si films is presented. The laser conditions that create th.
ON PLANETARY-NEBULA NUCLEI OF THE SPECTRAL TYPE 'CONTINUOUS'

A detailed reexamination of existing and new IUE low- and high-resolution spectra, plus a search of recent literature, shows that for most of the central stars of planetary nebulae the spectral classification previously called "continuous type" does not really exist. The stellar continua show primarily photospheric absorption features of N V, O V, C IV, H, He II, Fe VII, and Fe V, and/or P Cygni profiles.
Achieving Low‐Voltage Operation of Intrinsically‐Stretchable Organic Light‐Emitting Diodes

A minimum operating voltage of intrinsically‐stretchable organic light‐emitting diodes (ISOLEDs) is always required for practical applications. However, the lack of protocols for the lamination complicates the task of attaining a reliable ISOLED without inducing degradation. Here, a solvent‐vapor‐assisted lamination (SVAL) method to reinforce the cathode interface is presented; this process lowers the operation voltage and increases the stretchability of ISOLEDs. Achieving a uniform contact and strong adhesion at the interface is the key to attaining reliable lamination. A cold‐pressing (CP) treatment is applied first to reduce the surface roughness of silver nanowires before the surface embedding process. A subsequent solvent vapor treatment before the lamination partially solvated the surface of the active layer with an increase in the segmental motion of polymer chains, which substantially increases the interfacial adhesion after lamination. The combination of CP and SVAL treatments considerably reduces threshold voltage Vth (i.e., voltage at which current shows an abrupt increase for light‐emission) from 6.7 to 2.7 V. The ISOLED also exhibts excellent mechanical stretchability, with no significant change in luminance under 30% strain. This study can assist in the development of practical applications of intrinsically‐stretchable optoelectronic devices.
Stretching of Grafted Polymer Layers

We calculate the osmotic pressure in a semi-dilute solution of stretched polymers in a good solvent. The results are applied to polymer brushes where polymers are stretched either directly or by application of shear. It is shown that when a brush is sheared against the solvent, the stretching proceeds always within the nonlinear regime of polymer elasticity. When the brush is subjected to a combination of compression and shear forces and the shear is gradually increased, there is a crossover between low-shear linear elastic behaviour to a nonlinear regime in which the brush swells and eventually reaches its full uncompressed thickness at high shear stress. The relevance of our results to present and future experiments is discussed.