Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impacts of the Invasive Impatiens glandulifera: Lessons Learned from One of Europe’s Top Invasive Species

Simple Summary Plants and animals are a part of a larger system, commonly referred to as an ecosystem. This generally implies a balance existing between prey and predators. The unintentional introduction of a species in a new environment can lead to a significant alteration of the ecosystem(s) and the uncontrolled spread of the species. When this takes place, the introduced species is referred to as invasive. Invasives can affect the ecosystem in profound ways, and generally, negatively impacting on the native species. This manuscript reviewed the current knowledge of one of Europe’s top invasives, the Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera). It provides insights on the species and what have we learned from this invasive species. Abstract Biological invasions are renowned for their negative ecological and economic implications, however from studying invasions invaluable insights can be gained in the fields of ecology and evolution- potentially contributing towards conservation plans to deal, not only with biological invasion, but with other concerning issues, such as climate change. Impatiens glandulifera, or Himalayan balsam, is widely considered to be a highly problematic invasive, having spread across more than thirty countries during the past century. This paper will examine the findings which have arose from studying I. glandulifera and its impacts on the invaded ecosystem.
Sentence Repetition Tasks to Detect and Prevent Language Difficulties: A Scoping Review

Sentence repetition tasks (SRTs) have been widely used in language development research for decades. In recent years, there has been increasing interest in studying performance in SRTs as a clinical marker for language impairment. What are the characteristics of SRTs? For what purposes have SRTs been used? To what extent have they been used with young children, in different languages, and with different clinical populations? In order to answer these and other questions, we conducted a scoping review. Peer reviewed studies published in indexed scientific journals (2010–2021) were analyzed. A search in different databases yielded 258 studies. Research published in languages other than English or Spanish, adult samples, dissertations, case studies, artificial models, and theoretical publications were excluded. After this exclusion, 203 studies were analyzed. Our results show that most research using SRT were conducted with English monolingual speakers older than 5 years of age; studies with bilingual participants have mostly been published since 2016; and SRTs have been used with several non-typical populations. Research suggests that they are a reliable tool for identifying language difficulties and are specifically suitable for detecting developmental language disorder.
Current psychology letters, Vol. 26, Issue 1, 2010 | 2010

The main objective of our study was to confirm that the distinctiveness effect could emerge in implicit memory tasks and to show that the specificity of an item can be varied by manipulating the contextual information associated with the item during encoding. In an encoding phase and Distinctiveness effect due to contextual information in a categorization task Current psychology letters, Vol. 26, Issue 1, 2010 | 2010 9
SUPPLY CHAIN 4.0: DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION DISRUPTIONS AND STRATEGIES

Around the world, traditional manufacturing industry is in the throes of a digital transformation that is increased by exponentially growing technologies. Disruptive innovations are presently changing the landscape of many industries and their business models. Supply chains are also affected by industry 4.0. A theoretical framework is employed to evaluate key technologies and concepts with respect to their impact on the supply chain. Networking within IoT, services, data and people will transform the future of manufacturing. This paper explains how manufacturing companies can position themselves in relation to this digital transformation and the opportunities the switch to industry 4.0 offers them.
Clindamycin as an Alternative Option in Optimizing Periodontal Therapy

Periodontal disease is an oral infectious and inflammatory disease caused by microorganisms that determine the host-mediated destruction of soft and hard periodontal tissues, which ultimately leads to tooth loss. Periodontitis affects a large part of the population, with various degrees of severity. Treatment consists of etiologic therapy: the removal of biofilm through mechanical debridement plus microbial elimination by supplementary measures. Antibiotic administration, either systemically or through local delivery, has been shown to improve clinical outcomes after mechanical periodontal treatment. Clindamycin is a lincosamide with a broad spectrum, being active against aerobic, anaerobic, and β-lactamase-producing bacteria. This antibiotic offers several advantages and some disadvantages and has been used in periodontal treatment both systemically and locally with various degrees of success. Among the properties that recommend it for periodontal treatment is the bacteriostatic effect, the inhibition of bacterial proteins synthesis, the enhancement of neutrophil chemotaxis, phagocytosis and the oxidative burst–oxidative stress storm. Furthermore, it is easily absorbed at the level of oral tissues in a considerable amount. This substantial tissue penetration, especially inside the bone, is synergistic with a stimulating effect on the host immune system. The aim of this review is to explore the applicability of this antibiotic agent and to evaluate its antimicrobial potential and limitations at the level of the oral biofilm associated with periodontal disease.
Sensing the Environment With Whiskers-Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Neuroscience

Whiskers (vibrissae) are prominent on the snout of many mammals, both terrestrial and aquatic. The defining feature of whiskers is that they are rooted in large follicles with dense sensory innervation, surrounded by doughnut-shaped blood sinuses. Some species, including rats and mice, have elaborate muscular control of their whiskers and explore their environment by making rhythmic back-and-forth “whisking” movements. Whisking movements are purposefully modulated according to specific behavioral goals (“active sensing”). The basic whisking rhythm is controlled by a premotor complex in the interme­ diate reticular formation.
Running title: DECELLULARIZATION OF MURINE SKELETAL MUSCLES Academy Section: CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Volumetric muscle loss causes functional weakness and is often treated with muscle grafts or implant of biomaterials. Extracellular matrices, obtained through tissue decellularization, have been widely used as biological biomaterials in tissue engineering. Optimal decellularization method varies among tissues and have significant impact on the quality of the matrix. This study aimed at comparing the efficacy of four protocols, that varied according to the temperature of tissue storage and the sequence of chemical reagents, to decellularize murine skeletal muscles. Tibialis anterior muscles were harvested from rats and were frozen at -20°C or stored at room temperature, followed by decellularization in solutions containing EDTA + Tris, SDS and Triton X-100, applied in different sequences. Samples were analyzed for macroscopic aspects, cell removal, decrease of DNA content, preservation of proteins and three-dimensional structure of the matrices. Processing protocols that started with incubation in SDS solution optimized removal of cells and DNA content and preserved the matrix ultrastructure and composition, compared to those that were initiated with EDTA + Tris. Freezing the samples before decellularization favored cell removal, regardless of the sequence of chemical reagents. Thus, to freeze skeletal muscles and to start decellularization with 1% SDS solution showed the best results.
Enzymes modulation by dried grape pomace from the manufacture of wines and juices

The processing of grapes for the manufacture of juices and wines, generates large quantities of by-products rich in metabolites with antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and cicatrizing activities. The high homology between human enzymes and snake venoms makes the latter valuable laboratory tools for the study of pathophysiological processes. Proteases and phospholipases A2 act in processes related to hemostasis and inflammatory response. Thus, in this work, dried pomace obtained from grape (Isabel, Niagara, Bordo, BRS Violeta and Blend cultivars) processing were evaluated on phospholipase, proteolytic, hemolytic and thrombolytic activities induced by snakes venoms and the content of phenolic compounds and minerals was evaluated. The dried pomace exerted inhibitory and potentiating actions in all analyzed activities. The enzymatic modulators present in the evaluated dried pomace have potential for therapeutic use, although their broad characterization is still necessary, in order to define adequate amounts and formulations to obtain efficacy and safety in their use.
ICGSM 2014 Defaulters profile in Malaysia Sukuk market aMohd

The issue of sukuk default had gained particular attention in the recent years especially after the global financial crisis that hit the world economy. This study analyzes and profiling the sukuk defaulters in Malaysia. This study includes issuers of sukuk from 2000 to 2010. Information of the selected issuers of sukuk is extracted from their annual report in the CCM database. The study found that the highest number of sukuk default occurred in 2009. Mixed result was found on initial rating as default occurred for short-term and long-term instrument. © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the Accounting Research Institute, Universiti Teknologi MARA.
Performance Analysis of NOMA Multicast Systems Based on Rateless Codes With Delay Constraints

To achieve an efficient and reliable data transmission in time-varying conditions, a novel non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) transmission scheme based on rateless codes (NOMA-RC) is proposed in the multicast system in this paper. Using rateless codes at the packet level, the system can generate enough encoded data packets according to users’ requirements to cope with adverse environments. The performance of the NOMA-RC multicast system with delay constraints is analyzed over Rayleigh fading channels. The closed-form expressions for the frame error ratio and the average transmission time are derived for two cases which are a broadcast communication scenario (Scenario 1) and a relay communication scenario (Scenario 2). Under the condition that the quality of service for the edge user is satisfied, an optimization model of power allocation is established to maximize the sum rate. Simulation results show that Scenario 2 can provide better block error ratio performance and exhibit less transmission time than Scenario 1. When compared with orthogonal multiple access (OMA) with rateless codes system, the proposed system can save on the transmission time and improve the system throughput.
Loss of aim Radiosensitizes Multiple p53 Null Tissues1

An unusual clinical finding in ataxia-telangiectasia, a human disorder caused by mutations in Â«tut.is exquisite sensitivity to y irradiation. By contrast, homozygous deletion ofp53 is marked by radiation resistance in certain tissue compartments. Previous studies (A. J. Levine, Cell, NX: 323-331, 1997) have shown that, in vitro, p53-deficient bone marrow cells are resistant to y irradiation. Furthermore, the gastrointestinal radiosensitization engendered by the loss of aim has recently been shown (C. H. Westphal et al., Nat. Genet., 16: 397-401, 1997) to be independent of p53, Expanding on previous work, we have looked at in vivo bone marrow resistance in /o. Ã¬-delÃ¬dcnlmice. Our results indicate that inbred FVB strain p53 null mice survive lethal irradiation doses because of bone marrow resistance. Moreover, the deletion ofatm radiosensitizes even/753 null bone marrow and mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. The results presented here argue that the loss of aim radiosensitizes multiple tissues in a /75-Ã®-independentmanner. Hence, functional inhibition ofatm inp53 null iind /;5. Ã®wild-type human tumors may be a useful adjunct to y irradiation-based antitumor therapy.
Horizontal UHS Amplitudes for Regions with Deep Soil Atop Deep Geological Sediments—An Example of Osijek, Croatia

In this paper, we demonstrate how UHS-based seismic microzonation can be applied in low-to-medium seismicity areas with deep local soil and deep geological deposits under the local soil. The case study area surrounds the city of Osijek, Croatia, which is in the south–central region of the Pannonian Basin. New frequency-dependent scaling equations are derived, and the empirical response spectra are compared to the spectra of real strong motions in the surrounding region. Empirical calculations for deep soil atop deep geological strata show a 37% reduction in short-period spectral amplitudes when compared to rock locations. This demonstrates that local soil amplification is mitigated by energy dissipation in deep soils. For vibration periods longer than 0.3 s, spectral amplitudes are being amplified. This amplification goes up to 2.37 times for vibration periods around 0.5 s. UHS spectra for Osijek are computed using regional seismicity estimates, data on local soil and deeper geological surroundings, and newly created regional empirical equations for scaling various spectral amplitudes. UHS amplitudes for Osijek are also compared to the Eurocode 8 spectra for ground type C. The results show that ratios of the maximum UHS amplitudes to PGA values are up to 46% larger than the corresponding 2.5 factor that is recommended by Eurocode 8 for horizontal spectra. The UHS results might be viewed as preliminary for Osijek and regions with similar seismicity and local soil and deep geology conditions. When the number of regional strong-motion records grows many times beyond what it is currently, it will be feasible to properly calibrate the scaling equations, resulting in more reliable and long-term UHS estimations for the area under consideration.
Spatial-Frequency Domain Imaging: An Emerging Depth-Varying and Wide-Field Technique for Optical Property Measurement of Biological Tissues

Measurement of optical properties is critical for understanding light-tissue interaction, properly interpreting measurement data, and gaining better knowledge of tissue physicochemical properties. However, conventional optical measuring techniques are limited in point measurement, which partly hinders the applications on characterizing spatial distribution and inhomogeneity of optical properties of biological tissues. Spatial-frequency domain imaging (SFDI), as an emerging non-contact, depth-varying and wide-field optical imaging technique, is capable of measuring the optical properties in a wide field-of-view on a pixel-by-pixel basis. This review first describes the typical SFDI system and the principle for estimating optical properties using the SFDI technique. Then, the applications of SFDI in the fields of biomedicine, as well as food and agriculture, are reviewed, including burn assessment, skin tissue evaluation, tumor tissue detection, brain tissue monitoring, and quality evaluation of agro-products. Finally, a discussion on the challenges and future perspectives of SFDI for optical property estimation is presented.
Targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Lung Cancer: An Update Regarding Potential Drugs and Natural Products

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers and has a high mortality rate. Due to its high incidence, the clinical management of the disease remains a major challenge. Several reports have documented a relationship between the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/ protein kinase B (AKT)/ mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and lung cancer. The recognition of this pathway as a notable therapeutic target in lung cancer is mainly due to its central involvement in the initiation and progression of the disease. Interest in using natural and synthetic medications to target these signaling pathways has increased in recent years, with promising results in vitro, in vivo, and in clinical trials. In this review, we focus on the current understanding of PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling in tumor development. In addition to the signaling pathway, we highlighted the therapeutic potential of recently developed PI3K/AKT/mTOR inhibitors based on preclinical and clinical trials.
Factors which affect cerebral uptake and retention of /sup 13/NH/sub 3/. [Testing in monkeys]

The single pass extraction of ammonia (E) by cerebral capillaries was studied in vivo in Rhesus monkeys with /sup 13/N. The value of E for /sup 13/N-ammonia was found to be less than 100%, inversely related to cerebral blood flow and to be limited by the permeability of the blood brain barrier for ammonia. A vaue of the permeability surface area product was determined to be 0.0040 x 10/sup -4/ cm/sup 3//sec/gm. The single pass extraction fraction, E, for /sup 13/N-ammonia was found to be independent of arterial blood pH (in the range of 7.2 to 7.6) and of arterial blood ammonia concentration (in the range of 80-1400 .mu.gms/100 cc). An insulin induced hypoglycemic reduction in the cerebral metabolic rate for glucose and oxygen of 54% produced a reduction in E of about 24%. When a condition of elevated arterial blood ammonia was added to hypoglycemia, the value of E and cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen remained low while the cerebral metabolic rate for glucose increased by a factor of 2.5 indicating the presence of a detoxification shunt for ammonia. Positron tomographic images of the equilibrium cross section distribution of /sup 13/N-ammonia appeared to reflect regional differences in capillary densitymore » of the cerebral tissue. « less
Molecular clusters Cs3X3 and Cs4X4 (X = Br, I): Quantum chemical study of structure and thermodynamic properties

Abstract The properties of trimer Cs3X3 and tetramer Cs4X4 (X = Br, I) molecules have been studied using DFT with B3LYP5 functional and MP2 and MP4 methods. Two equilibrium geometrical structures of trimers, hexagonal (D3 h) and “butterfly-shaped” (Cs), and one for tetramers, distorted cubic (Td), are confirmed to exist; geometrical parameters and vibrational spectra are determined. The relative concentration of Cs3X3 isomers has been evaluated; the butterfly-shaped isomer dominates over hexagonal in saturated vapour in a broad temperature range. The dissociation reactions through different channels have been considered and enthalpies of formation ΔfH°(0) of clusters determined:−858 ± 20 kJ mol−1 (Cs3Br3), −698 ± 20 kJ mol−1 (Cs3I3), −1270 ± 30 kJ mol−1 (Cs4Br4) and −1045 ± 30 kJ mol−1 (Cs4I4). The Gibbs free energies ∆rG°(T) calculated for the dissociation reactions of trimer and tetramer molecules have indicated that these molecules are resistive in narrow temperature range only and decompose spontaneously with temperature increase with elimination of dimer molecules.
Power and Performance Evaluation of Memory ‐ Intensive

In terms of power and energy consumption, DRAMs play a key role in a modern server system as well as processors. Although power‐aware scheduling is based on the proportion of en‐ ergy between DRAM and other components, when running memory‐intensive applications, the en‐ ergy consumption of the whole server system will be significantly affected by the non‐energy pro‐ portion of DRAM. Furthermore, modern servers usually use NUMA architecture to replace the orig‐ inal SMP architecture to increase its memory bandwidth. It is of great significance to study the en‐ ergy efficiency of these two different memory architectures. Therefore, in order to explore the power consumption characteristics of servers under memory‐intensive workload, this paper evaluates the power consumption and performance of memory‐intensive applications in different generations of real rack servers. Through analysis, we find that: (1) Workload intensity and concurrent execution threads affects server power consumption, but a fully utilized memory system may not necessarily bring good energy efficiency indicators. (2) Even if the memory system is not fully utilized, the memory capacity of each processor core has a significant impact on application performance and server power consumption. (3) When running memory‐intensive applications, memory utilization is not always a good indicator of server power consumption. (4) The reasonable use of the NUMA architecture will improve the memory energy efficiency significantly. The experimental results show that reasonable use of NUMA architecture can improve memory efficiency by 16% compared with SMP architecture, while unreasonable use of NUMA architecture reduces memory efficiency by 13%. The findings we present in this paper provide useful insights and guidance for system designers and data center operators to help them in energy‐efficiency‐aware job scheduling and energy conservation.
The Time-of-Day Travel Demand Elasticity Paradox

Driving demand and congestion are known to peak throughout the day, but temporal heterogeneity in travel demand elasticities is often overlooked. I estimate how the fuel economy elasticity of travel demand — a measure of the rebound effect from fuel economy standards — varies across peak and off-peak periods. The results present a paradox. Drivers are most elastic during peak demand periods. Mode switching for shorter commute trips appears to drive the heterogeneity, and the pollution benefits of fuel economy standards are shown to be more than offset by exacerbated congestion costs due to the timing of the rebound effect.
Mechanics of Global Value Chains: India's Perspective

The global production as a system of creating values is eventually forming a vast web of value chains. It explains the transitional structures of world trade and development of the world economy. It is truly a new wave of globalisation, and we term it as the global value chains (GVCs), creating the nexus among firms, workers and consumers around the globe. The emergence of this new scenario raises some crucial questions. It asks how an economy's businesses, producers and employees are connecting to the global economy. How are they capturing the gains out of it regarding different dimensions of economic development? Indeed, this GVC approach is very crucial for understanding the organisation of the global industries and firms. It requires analysing the statics and dynamics of different economic players involved in this complex global production network. Its widespread notion deals with diverse global, regional, and local issues from the top-down to bottom-up, building scope for policy analysis. In this context, this study will attempt to quantify the extent and impacts of India's engagement in GVCs, based on available data. It will also strive to propose a comprehensive strategic framework to identify the objectives of India's GVC participation and development with some suitable economic strategies to achieve them.
Flexible inflation targeting with active fiscal policy

This paper studies optimal time‑consistent monetary policy in a simple New Keynesian model with long‑term nominal government debt. Fiscal policy is ‘active’, so that stabilisation of the government debt stock is a binding constraint on monetary policy. Away from the lower bound on the monetary policy rate, optimal monetary policy cannot fully offset the effects of shocks to the natural rate of interest, reducing welfare. At the lower bound, recessionary shocks increase the real value of government debt, generating the anticipation of higher future inflation to stabilise real debt. Higher inflation expectations reduce real interest rates, mitigating the effects of recessionary shocks. If debt duration is long enough, improved performance at the lower bound may outweigh higher welfare losses in normal times, compared with the case in which fiscal policy is ‘passive’. <br>