Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rapid-Throughput Analysis of Human Milk Oligosaccharides from Filipino Breastmilk

Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), although considered indigestible to the infant, are the third most abundant solid component of breastmilk. They serve many health-related functions benefitting the infant, such as nourishment of gut bacteria, inhibition of pathogenic infection, and aiding in brain development. In this study, a rapid-throughput analytical method is validated for Filipino breastmilk HMOs. The method entails lipid extraction by centrifugation, protein precipitation using ethanol, alditol sugar reduction using sodium borohydride, and solid phase extraction purification using porous graphitized carbon, all in a 96-well plate format. Nano-HPLC Chip/TOF-MS, coupled with the use of Agilent MassHunter programs for filtering datasets using an in-house library, is then used to analyze purified HMOs. The results evidently show that the rapid-throughput method minimizes sample loss, ensures reproducible MS signals, and considerably shortens sample handling time. Furthermore, the method significantly reduced analysis time 5-fold and eliminated the individual sample preparation, which enabled simultaneous analysis of 386 samples (four 96-well plates) in a single run. Thus, the rapid-throughput analysis is highly efficient and effective for the profiling and structural determination of Filipino breastmilk HMOs even in large sample population sets.
Recent Trends in Chemical Sensors for Detecting Toxic Materials

Industrial development has led to the widespread production of toxic materials, including carcinogenic, mutagenic, and toxic chemicals. Even with strict management and control measures, such materials still pose threats to human health. Therefore, convenient chemical sensors are required for toxic chemical monitoring, such as optical, electrochemical, nanomaterial-based, and biological-system-based sensors. Many existing and new chemical sensors have been developed, as well as new methods based on novel technologies for detecting toxic materials. The emergence of material sciences and advanced technologies for fabrication and signal-transducing processes has led to substantial improvements in the sensing elements for target recognition and signal-transducing elements for reporting interactions between targets and sensing elements. Many excellent reviews have effectively summarized the general principles and applications of different types of chemical sensors. Therefore, this review focuses on chemical sensor advancements in terms of the sensing and signal-transducing elements, as well as more recent achievements in chemical sensors for toxic material detection. We also discuss recent trends in biosensors for the detection of toxic materials.
Understanding attribute and social circle correlation in social networks

Social circles, groups, lists, etc. are functionalities that allow users of online social network (OSN) platforms to manually organize their social media contacts. However, this facility provided by OSNs has not received appreciation from users due to the tedious nature of the task of organizing the ones that are only contacted periodically. In view of the numerous benefits of this functionality, it may be advantageous to investigate measures that lead to enhancements in its efficacy by allowing for automatic creation of customized groups of users (social circles, groups, lists, etc). The field of study for this purpose, i.e. creating coarse-grained descriptions from data, consists of two families of techniques, community discovery and clustering. These approaches are infeasible for the purpose of automation of social circle creation as they fail on social networks. A reason for this failure could be lack of knowledge of the global structure of the social network or the sparsity that exists in data from social networking websites. As individuals do in real life, OSN clients dependably attempt to broaden their groups of contacts in order to fulfill different social demands. This means that ‘homophily’ would exist among OSN users and prove useful in the task of social circle detection. Based on this intuition, the current inquiry is focused on understanding ‘homophily’ and its role in the process of social circle formation. Extensive experiments are performed on egocentric networks (ego is user, alters are friends) extracted from prominent OSNs like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. The results of these experiments are used to propose a unified framework: feature extraction for social circles discovery (FESC). FESC detects social circles by jointly modeling ego-net topology and attributes of alters. The performance of FESC is compared with standard benchmark frameworks using metrics like edit distance, modularity, and running time to highlight its efficacy.
A formação histórica da indústria vitivinícola do RS: aliando a Nova Economia Institucional à Teoria dos Jogos *

O presente artigo apresenta, a partir de uma discussao institucional, os elementos formadores da industria vitivinicola do Rio Grande do Sul (RS), historicamente localizada entre 1875 e 1930, com a chegada dos colonos italianos ao Estado. O objetivo e apresentar a importância de aspectos institucionais e historicos como elementos explicativos tanto da formacao das firmas vitivinicolas no Estado quanto da coordenacao de decisoes do sistema economico da epoca (que influencia as atividades empresariais do setor ate os dias atuais). Metodologicamente, os conceitos se articulam a partir da logica da Nova Economia Institucional (NEI), utilizando-se de um modelo da Teoria dos Jogos, que sintetiza algumas das possiveis escolhas dos agentes economicos e seus resultados de equilibrio. Para a construcao dos payoffs , utilizou-se uma construcao esquematica, haja vista nao existirem dados estatisticos ou economicos confiaveis para a epoca. Dentre os resultados, percebe-se a importância do papel do Estado e de normas legais para a promocao e a consolidacao da vitivinicultura no RS, em especial, no inicio do seculo XX. Palavras-chave: industria vitivinicola; Nova Economia Institucional; Teoria dos Jogos Titulo em ingles The historical formation of wine industry in the State of Rio Grande do Sul: putting together the New Institutional Economics and the Game Theory Abstract The main idea of this article is to present, from an institutional discussion, the formative elements of the wine industry in the State of Rio Grande do Sul (RS), historically located between 1875 and 1930, with the arrival of the first European settlers in the state. The goal is to present the importance of historical and institutional aspects as explanatory elements of both the formation of the wine firms in the state and the coordination of decisions in the economic system of the time (which has influenced the business activities in the sector until the present day). In terms of methodology, the background of this paper is the set of concepts of the New Institutional Economics (NIE). The analysis is done with the aid of a model of the Game Theory, which summarizes some of the possible choices available to economic agents and their possible outcomes of balance. For the construction of the payoffs, a schematic construction was used, as there were no reliable statistical or economic data at the time. Among the results, the importance of both the role of the government and the legal standards for promoting the growth of viticulture in RS can be seen, particularly in the early twentieth century. Keywords: w ine industry; New Institutional Economics; Game Theory Classificacao JEL: D02, D52, C71 Artigo recebido em jan. 2014 e aceito para publicacao em mar. 16.
Are global mangrove carbon stocks driven by rainfall?

Mangrove forests produce significant amounts of organic carbon and maintain large carbon stocks in tidally inundated, anoxic soils. This work analyzes new and published data from 17 regions spanning a latitudinal gradient from 22°N to 38°S to assess some of the global drivers (temperature, tidal range, latitude, and rainfall) of mangrove carbon stocks. Mangrove forests from the tropics have larger carbon stocks (895 ± 90 t C ha−1) than the subtropics and temperate regions (547 ± 66 t C ha−1). A multiple regression model showed that 86% of the observed variability is associated with annual rainfall, which is the best predictor of mangrove ecosystem carbon stocks. Therefore, a predicted increase in rainfall along the tropical Indo‐Pacific may increase mangrove forest carbon stocks. However, there are other potentially important factors that may regulate organic matter diagenesis, such as nutrient availability and pore water salinity. Our predictive model shows that if mangrove deforestation is halted, global mangrove forest carbon stocks could increase by almost 10% by 2115 as a result of increased rainfall in the tropics.
Smart nanogels for cancer treatment from the perspective of functional groups

Introduction: Cancer remains a significant health challenge, with chemotherapy being a critical treatment modality. However, traditional chemotherapy faces limitations due to non-specificity and toxicity. Nanogels, as advanced drug carriers, offer potential for targeted and controlled drug release, improving therapeutic efficacy and reducing side effects. Methods: This review summarizes the latest developments in nanogel-based chemotherapy drug delivery systems, focusing on the role of functional groups in drug loading and the design of smart hydrogels with controlled release mechanisms. We discuss the preparation methods of various nanogels based on different functional groups and their application in cancer treatment. Results: Nanogels composed of natural and synthetic polymers, such as chitosan, alginate, and polyacrylic acid, have been developed for chemotherapy drug delivery. Functional groups like carboxyl, disulfide, and hydroxyl groups play crucial roles in drug encapsulation and release. Smart hydrogels have been engineered to respond to tumor microenvironmental cues, such as pH, redox potential, temperature, and external stimuli like light and ultrasound, enabling targeted drug release. Discussion: The use of functional groups in nanogel preparation allows for the creation of multifunctional nanogels with high drug loading capacity, controllable release, and good targeting. These nanogels have shown promising results in preclinical studies, with enhanced antitumor effects and reduced systemic toxicity compared to traditional chemotherapy. Conclusion: The development of smart nanogels with functional group-mediated drug delivery and controlled release strategies represents a promising direction in cancer therapy. These systems offer the potential for improved patient outcomes by enhancing drug targeting and minimizing adverse effects. Further research is needed to optimize nanogel design, evaluate their safety and efficacy in clinical trials, and explore their potential for personalized medicine.
Microseismic imaging using a source-independent full-waveform inversion method

Using full waveform inversion (FWI) to locate microseismic and image microseismic events allows for an automatic process (free of picking) that utilizes the full wavefield. However, waveform inversion of microseismic events faces incredible nonlinearity due to the unknown source location (space) and function (time). We develop a source independent FWI of microseismic events to invert for the source image, source function and the velocity model. It is based on convolving reference traces with the observed and modeled data to mitigate the effect of an unknown source ignition time. The adjoint-state method is used to derive the gradient for the source image, source function and velocity updates. The extended image for source wavelet in z axis is extracted to check the accuracy of the inverted source image and velocity model. Also the angle gather is calculated to see if the velocity model is correct. By inverting for all the source image, source wavelet and the velocity model, the proposed method produces good estimates of the source location, ignition time and the background velocity for part of the SEG overthrust model.
Risk Posed by Anthropogenically Driven Toxic Pollutants in Abu Qir Bay, East Alexandria, Egypt

In an attempt to evaluate the environmental quality of Abu Qir Bay, an important highly productive area in Alexandria, Egypt, an environmental risk assessment was performed; including a screening level ecological risk assessment (SLERA) and a human health risk assessment (HHRA). The output of the SLERA revealed that Hg, Zn, Cd, DDD, DDTs, dieldrin, chlordane, lindane, heptachlor (all had PEC HQ > 1), Pb, p,p´-DDE and p,p´-DDT (TEC HQ > 1 > PEC HQ) could be considered as contaminants of potential concern and that adverse ecological effects are expected to occur for the benthic species when exposed to the bay sediments. At the same time, endosulfane, chlorpyrifos, heptachlor epoxides, which were evaluated based on the available screening benchmark concentration could also be regarded as contaminants of potential concern and could be included in a more detailed risk assessment with site specific studies. In the mussels, As, Cd, Cu, Hg and Zn concentrations were higher than the toxicity reference values aiming at the protection of 95 % of the benthic species and thus could possibly be a sign of the probability of occurrence of effects. On the other hand, tissue concentrations of all the investigated pollutants in this risk assessment were lower than all toxicity data available for Mytilus edulis and Mytilus galloprovincialis. In the HHRA, it was concluded that except for As, no adverse threshold or nonthreshold health effects are expected to occur from the ingestion of both mussel species at the available ingestion rate and thus both species can be ingested safely. In the case of As, the calculated cancer risk in Mactra corallina was between the 10-6 and 10-4 cancer level set by the USEPA as an acceptable level. Compared to other items of the normal Egyptian diet, carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic health effects could be more expected from the ingestion of other types of food such as fish, bread, meat and vegetables.
Fármacos em Uma Estação de Tratamento de Esgoto na Região Centro-Oeste do Brasil e os Riscos aos Recursos Hídricos

Drugs are part of a group of environmental contaminants frequently found in natural waters in recent years due to the disposal and discharge of effluents from sewage treatment plants (WWTP) without adequate treatment. These compounds can pose severe risks to human health and compromise aquatic life even at low levels when detected. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of pharmacological compounds in samples of influent sewage and effluent of a WWTP located in Três Lagoas MS, which were collected on a single occasion and subjected to the process of solid phase extraction and chromatographic analysis in order to detect and determine the concentration of drugs in the sewer. The presence of five drugs was confirmed, demonstrating the inefficiency of the city sewage treatment. This is a matter of concern because of risks to human health and aquatic biota associated with the contamination of bodies of water by these xenobiotic compounds. It is thus necessary to have an organized management for the treatment of municipal wastewater. Key-words: Contamination, Drugs, WWTP.
EEG Signal Classification Based on Orthogonal Polynomials, Sparse Filter and SVM Classifier

This work implements an Electroencephalogram (EEG) signal classifier. The implemented method uses Orthogonal Polynomials (OP) to convert the EEG signal samples to moments. A Sparse Filter (SF) reduces the number of converted moments to increase the classification accuracy. A Support Vector Machine (SVM) is used to classify the reduced moments between two classes. The proposed method’s performance is tested and compared with two methods by using two datasets. The datasets are divided into 80% for training and 20% for testing, with 5 -fold used for cross-validation. The results show that this method overcomes the accuracy of other methods. The proposed method’s best accuracy is 95.6% and 99.5%, respectively. Finally, from the results, it is obvious that the number of moments selected by the SP should exceed 30% of the overall EEG samples for accuracy to be over 90%.
Planar Single-Layer Wideband Electrically Small Quasi-Isotropic Antenna Characterized by Filtering Response

A single-layer, electrically small, quasi-isotropic antenna with filtering response is developed and experimentally investigated in this article. This electrically small antenna (ESA) incorporates a pair of orthogonally arranged crossed electric dipoles and the C-shaped elements serving as the near-field resonant parasitic (NFRP) structures and the driven elements. The driven elements are utilized to motivate a 90° phase difference, and then, with almost the same amplitudes and 90° phase difference between the crossed NFRP electric dipoles stimulated by the driven elements, a quasi-isotropic coverage can be realized. Owing to the C-shaped NFRP elements and the Egyptian axe structures of the crossed dipoles, the electrical size of the antenna can be efficiently decreased. Additionally, these C-shaped NFRP elements can introduce two radiation nulls in the lower and higher stopbands to enhance the frequency selectivity, respectively. The prototype of this quasi-isotropic ESA with filtering response was fabricated and measured, and the tested results exhibit good consistency with the simulated ones. This developed quasi-isotropic ESA demonstrates an electrically small size [ $\pi \times $ ( $0.145\,\,\lambda)^{2} \times 0.004\,\,\lambda $ and ka = 0.91]. The measured −10-dB impedance bandwidth is 14.2%. Furthermore, the bandwidth of 6-dB realized gain variation is 7%, which demonstrates that it possesses good isotropic coverage within the entire bandwidth. Specifically, the minimum realized gain difference of the quasi-isotropic ESA is 4.6 dB (4.2 dB in simulation). Moreover, due to the introduction of the two radiation nulls, this quasi-isotropic ESA exhibits a good frequency selectivity.
Using an extended model of the reasoned action approach to explore individual behavioral intentions regarding litter and plastic pollution prevention in a developing country

Implementing litter and plastic pollution prevention strategies is essential for cities of developing countries, mainly due to the prevailing high incidence of littering and the urgent need to realize the adverse per capita environmental impact target of the sustainable development goals. In this article, we report the use of the prominent reasoned action approach—in its original state and an extended model with moral norms—for exploring the critical socio-cognitive determinants of individuals’ litter prevention intentions in Ghana. By analyzing the valid answers of 447 participants to a structured questionnaire on litter prevention, we found attitudes (β = 0.35, SE = 0.014, p < 0.001) and moral norms (β = 0.57, SE = 0.099, p < 0.001) as the most influencing determinants to individual intentions in the original and the extended models, respectively. The analysis suggests that individuals will stop littering their environments if environmentally friendly interventions are implemented to elicit self-responsibility and moral obligation. Campaigns that demonstrate the effects of littering on drain blockage, flooding, and disease outbreaks may improve individual litter prevention attitudes. Installing waste receptacles in public spaces and communicating persuasive messages may facilitate personal antilittering intentions. Apart from contributing to the implementation of a litter management strategy to reduce the flood risk and enhance the resilience of the Greater Accra region of Ghana, this research helps to close the literature gaps in litter prevention behavior in developing countries, as well as support the implementation of the sustainable development goals and the global plastic action partnership.
Trauma and residual hearing loss after cochlear implantation surgery

To preserve residual hearing, techniques for monitoring and reducing the effects of trauma during cochlear implant surgery are being developed. This study examines the relationships between intraoperative recordings (electrode insertion force and electrocochleography), trauma, and hearing loss after cochlear implantation. The study also evaluated the efficacy of intravenous steroids for reducing hearing loss after implantation. Thirty-two normal-hearing guinea pigs were randomly implanted with electrode arrays of differing stiffness (‘hard’ or ‘soft’). These arrays used an intracochlear electrode to record electrode insertion force and electrocochleography responses to a multi-frequency acoustic stimulus during implantation. Additionally, sub-cohorts of animals were administered intravenous saline (‘control’) or dexamethasone (‘steroid’) prior to surgery. Subsequent hearing loss was assessed using electrocochleography recordings from the round window membrane prior to surgery and 4 weeks after implantation. After 4 weeks, cochleae were harvested and imaged with thin sheet laser imaging microscopy. After 4 weeks, compound action potential (CAP) thresholds did not differ between steroid and control groups. The CAP amplitude at low-mid frequencies decreased after implantation with a hard electrode, an effect which was partly negated by administering steroids. A decrease in the ‘intraoperative’ CAP amplitude preceded the reporting of insertion resistance by the surgeon by 5.94 s (±4.03 s SEM). Intraoperative CAP declines were also correlated with higher grades of trauma (r 1⁄4 0.56, p < 0.01) and greater hearing loss (r 1⁄4 0.56, p < 0.01). This relationship was not repeated with intraoperative cochlear microphonics. A rise in intraoperative force, which preceded the reporting of resistance by 0.71 s (±0.15 s SEM), was correlated with trauma (r 1⁄4 0.400, p 1⁄4 0.04) but not hearing loss (r 1⁄4 0.297, p 1⁄4 0.27). Preserving intraoperative CAP amplitudes during implantation was predictive of an atraumatic insertion and reduced post-implantation hearing loss. A rise in force usually preceded the reporting of resistance, although by less than 1 s. These results suggest that intraoperative CAPs may offer a more robust feedback mechanism for improving hearing preservation rates than cochlear microphonic and electrode insertion force recordings, especially considering the rapid changes in insertion force and relatively slow human reaction times. Pre-operative steroids were effective in reversing loss of CAP amplitude with hard electrodes and evoked by lower frequency tones, which suggests a possible role in reducing synaptopathy. Crown Copyright © 2017 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.