Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Molecular typing of Strongyloides stercoralis in Latin America, the clinical connection

Abstract Abstract This study analysed Strongyloides stercoralis genetic variability based on a 404 bp region of the cox1 gene from Latin-American samples in a clinical context including epidemiological, diagnosis and follow-up variables. A prospective, descriptive, observational study was conducted to evaluate clinical and parasitological evolution after ivermectin treatment of 41 patients infected with S. stercoralis. Reactivation of the disease was defined both by clinical symptoms appearance and/or direct larvae detection 30 days after treatment or later. We described 10 haplotypes organized in two clusters. Most frequent variants were also described in the Asian continent in human (HP24 and HP93) and canine (HP24) samples. Clinical presentation (intestinal, severe, cutaneous and asymptomatic), immunological status and eosinophil count were not associated with specific haplotypes or clusters. Nevertheless, presence of cluster 1 haplotypes during diagnosis increased the risk of reactivation with an odds ratio (OR) of 7.51 [confidence interval (CI) 95% 1.38–44.29, P = 0.026]. In contrast, reactivation probability was 83 times lower if cluster 2 (I152V mutation) was detected (OR = 0.17, CI 95% 0.02–0.80, P = 0.02). This is the first analysis of S. stercoralis cox1 diversity in the clinical context. Determination of clusters during the diagnosis could facilitate and improve the design of follow-up strategies to prevent severe reactivations of this chronic disease.
A high gain noninverting DC–DC converter with low voltage stress for industrial applications

A noninverting DC–DC converter with high voltage gain and low voltage stress on the switches for industrial applications is proposed in this research article. The proposed converter has used a voltage multiplier cell twice in the circuit that gives the proposed converter a symmetrical configuration and provides low voltage stress across both the switches. The symmetrical configuration of the proposed converter makes it easier to select the components. The proposed converter provides a voltage gain that is more than three times of the conventional boost converter. A 200‐W hardware prototype of the proposed converter has been developed and tested under continuous conduction for static and dynamic conditions. The power loss analysis is done using PLECS software by incorporating the real parameters of switches and diodes from the datasheet. The converter performance is found to be good in open‐loop conditions and is in agreement with the theoretical analysis.
Timing Generating Networks: Neural Network Based Precise Turn-Taking Timing Prediction in Multiparty Conversation

A brand new neural network based precise timing generation framework, named the Timing Generating Network (TGN), is proposed and applied to turn-taking timing decision problems. Although turn-taking problems have conventionally been formalized as users’ end-of-turn detection, this approach cannot estimate the precise timing at which a spoken dialogue system should take a turn to start its utterance. Since several conventional approaches estimate precise timings but the estimation executed only at/after the end of preceding user’s utterance, they highly depend on the accuracy of intermediate decision modules, such as voice activity detection, etc. The advantages of the TGN are that its parameters are tunable via error backpropagation as it is described in a differentiable form as a whole, and it is free from inter-module error propagation as it has no deterministic intermediate modules. The experimental results show that the proposed system is superior to a conventional turn-taking system that adopts the hard decisions on user’s voice activity detection and response time estimation.
The Dual Character of MAX Phase Nano-Layered Structure Highlighted by Supersonic Particles Deposition

MAX phase compounds offer an attractive mixture of ceramic–metallic properties due to their covalent ionic–metallic nature. Since their discovery, a great interest was attributed to their synthesis and potential applications, but the processing of pure compounds as coatings for industrial large-scale application is still considered a challenge. To date, a limited number of papers have evaluated the build-up of MAX phase coating by cold spray (CS), a novel cost-effective and productive spray technology used in both areas of research and industry. Employing CS, the hot gas-propelled material particles have ballistic impingement on a substrate where they undergo plastic deformation. Because of the brittleness, internal delamination, and limited deformability, the deposition of the pure MAX phase is rather challenging. This paper presents the building-up ability of dense MAX-phase coatings by CS with retained structures and compositions, in close relation with the substrate characteristics and phase composition that influences the dual character ceramic–metallic behaviour. Besides recent literature, the originality of this research consists of pioneering deposition of Ti3AlC2 that emphasizes the ceramic–metallic character influenced by the particle speed and the mechanical properties of both substrate and compound.
Physicochemical and thermal properties of durian seed flour from three varieties of durian native of Sabah

This study was aimed at assessing the physicochemical and thermal properties of flour, acquired from the seeds of three native Sabah durian species. The three durian species concerned are the Dalit, Sukang and Pulu. Flour deriving from the seeds of the dalit (DDSF), sukang (DSSF) and pulu (DPSF) durian species, were put through a physicochemical, pasting and thermal characteristics assessment process. The protein content in flours, derived from the seeds of durian native to Sabah, demonstrated a high capacity for the absorption of both water (r = -0.855, p<0.01), and oil (r = 0.921, p<0.01). DPSF, which holds the most protein content at 6.92%, demonstrated the lowest water absorption capacity, and greatest oil absorption capacity (p<0.05). Moreover, DPSF was observed to have the lowest swelling power, solubility and peak viscosity (p<0.05). In terms of pasting temperature, no outstanding disparities were detected between the three durian seed flours (p>0.05), but they were considered to have high pasting temperatures. The lowest setback viscosity (p<0.05) displayed by DPSF, is an indication that the following gelatinization, will quickly dissolve. Additionally, the enthalpy ΔH of DPSF revealed as 0.29 J/g (p<0.05) is deemed significantly low. This undertaking delves into the physicochemical and thermal characteristics of durian seed flour, to its use as composite flour.
Simplified calculation of airblast variability and reliability-based design load factors for spherical air burst and hemispherical surface burst explosions

There can be significant uncertainty and variability with explosive blast loading. Standards and codes of practice are underpinned by reliability-based principles, and there is little reason not to apply these to explosive blast loading. This paper develops a simplified approach where regression equations may be used to predict the probabilistic model of airblast variability and associated reliability-based design load factors (or RBDFs) for all combinations of range, explosive mass and model errors. These models are applicable to (i) hemispherical surface bursts, and (ii) spherical free-air bursts. The benefit of this simplified approach is that the equations can be easily programed into a spreadsheet, computer code or other numerical methods. There is no need for any Monte-Carlo or other probabilistic calculations. Examples then illustrate how model error, range and explosive mass uncertainty and variability affect the variability of pressure and impulse, which in turn affect the damage assessment of residential construction.
Species Identity of Large Trees Affects the Composition and the Spatial Structure of Adjacent Trees

Large trees are keystone structures for the functioning and maintenance of the biological diversity of wooded landscapes. Thus, we need a better understanding of large-tree–other-tree interactions and their effects on the diversity and spatial structure of the surrounding trees. We studied these interactions in the core of the Białowieża Primeval Forest—Europe’s best-preserved temperate forest ecosystem, characterized by high abundance of ancient trees. We measured diameter and bark thickness of the monumental trees of Acer platanoides L. , Carpinus betulus L. , Picea abies L. H. Karst, Quercus robur L. , and Tilia cordata Mill. , as well as the diameter and distance to the monumental tree of five nearest neighbor trees. The effects of the monumental tree on arrangements of the surrounding trees were studied with the help of linear models. We revealed that the species identity of a large tree had, in the case of C. betulus and T. cordata, a significant impact on the diversity of adjacent tree groupings, their distance to the central tree, and frequency of the neighboring trees. The distance between the neighbor and the large trees increased with the increasing diameter of the central tree. Our findings reinforce the call for the protection of large old trees, regardless of their species and where they grow from the geographical or ecosystem point of view.
O potencial de mercado dos municípios da região Sudeste do Brasil: uma avaliação do índice de acessibilidade

Neste trabalho é desenvolvido um índice de acessibilidade, aplicado à região Sudeste do Brasil. O índice considera os modais de transporte existentes, bem como as proximidades dos municípios com um grande mercado consumidor. O modelo teórico-empírico teve como objetivo explicar as variações no IDHM, resultante, em particular, de mudanças no índice de acessibilidade. Com o uso do método de análise exploratória de dados espaciais e de regressão com lag espacial, os resultados mostraram que a acessibilidade tem papel importante na melhoria do IDHM. Quanto melhor o acesso aos grandes mercados, mais oportunidades são alcançadas pela população dos municípios menores. Esse indicador capta os efeitos dos investimentos em infraestrutura de transporte, elemento essencial para a promoção do desenvolvimento econômico. Os estados de São Paulo e Minas Gerais foram aqueles que apresentaram os melhores desempenhos na evolução da acessibilidade. Consequentemente, foram também os estados com as maiores taxas de variação do IDHM.
Analysis of Investors’ Prediction Potential Using Holt Winters Model and Artificial Neural Networks

ABSTRACT This study analyses the predictive power of six categories of investors who traded Nifty Index future contracts on the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE). Quality data were collected from The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Investors’ predictive potential was estimated by analysing the effect of open interest and volume traded on volatility for each category. The Holt–Winters (HW) exponential smoothing model successfully captured seasonality and provided a satisfactory analytical model for linear forecast. Nonlinearity was captured by Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). A resilient backpropagation algorithm with backtracking was used to determine the weights triggered by a logistic activation function for smoothing neurons. The multilayer perceptron network was further trained for time series data on volatility considering volume and open interest as input neurons. Predictive powers were considered best for the method with the least Root Mean Square Error (RMSE). The results suggest that nonlinearity in the data was well captured by the ANN as the RMSE for the ANN was smaller compared to the RMSE for the HW model. The RMSE using ANN was least for Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) that suggests that FIIs have better prediction potential compared to other investors.
Thermoelectric properties of LaCo4Sb12 skutterudite materials by addition of Al, In, Ni & Te / Mohamed Bashir Ali Bashir

Skutterudite is a superior material used in thermoelectric application. In this work, the crystal structure and morphology of the ternary skutterudite (La/Yb)xCo4Sb12 were modified by incorporating of various addition such as Al, In, Ni and Te. This process was conducted via two step method namely mechanical alloying and spark plasma sintering technique. Specifically, the phase structure and morphology of the bulk samples were examined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy integrated energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis (SEM-EDS), respectively. The thermoelectric properties of the bulk samples were measured in a temperature range of 300 K to 800 K. Furthermore, the oxidation and thermal properties of the samples were studied using a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) that measured from 25 °C to 1000 °C. Evidently, it is proved that all of the samples demonstrated a dominant phase of polycrystalline CoSb3 skutterudite. Among the sample, Al0.05La0. 5Co4Sb12 exhibited an excellent electrical properties, as manifested by its optimum carrier concentration and lowest electrical resistivity of 7. 6μΩm at 314 K. In terms of the Seebeck coefficient, La0.5Co4Sb11. 7Te0.3 recorded a highest value of 300 μV/K at 404 K. In the thermal conductivity behaviors, Al0.3La0. 5Co4Sb12 sample showed the lowest thermal conductivity and lattice thermal conductivity values of 1.1 W/mK (314 K) and 0.64 W/mK (595 K), respectively. This occurrence can be related to the enhancement in phonon scattering by rattling Al atom into the lattice cages. Al0.05La0. 5Co4Sb12 also presented a highest dimensionless figure of merit (ZT) which is 1.36 at 789 K, validating the substantial mitigation in electrical resistivity and lattice thermal conductivity. In conclusion, it has been proven that the modified materials possess notable oxidation and thermal stability in high temperature regime up to 800 °C.
Expression of Interleukin-17, Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha, and Matrix Metalloproteinase-8 in Patients with Chronic Peri-Implant Mucositis

Background The present study aimed to evaluate whether non-surgical treatment interferes with clinical parameters and local patterns of osteo-immunoinflammatory mediators (IL-17 and TNF-α) and matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) that are found in peri-implant crevicular fluid (PICF) and biofilms during the progression of peri-implant mucositis. Material/Methods We selected 30 patients with peri-implant caused mucositis before (MP) and after treatment (TP) and 30 healthy people (HP) for the analysis of IL-17, TNF-α cytokine, and MMP-8 production in PICF and for analysis of colonization dynamics of periodontopathogenic bacteria in supra- and subgingival plaque samples. The levels of IL-17 and MMP-8 concentrations in samples were assayed by enzymatic immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and TNF-α levels were determined by enzyme amplified sensitivity immunoassay (EASIA) method in PICF. The micro-IDent test was used to detect 11 species of periodontopathogenic bacteria in subgingival biofilm. Results We found significantly (P<0.001) higher levels of IL-17, TNF-α, and MMP-8 in the PICF of the MP and TP groups in comparison to the HP group. A significant association was found in MP associated with Parvimonas micra, as TNF-α in PICF was significantly higher (P=0.034) than in patients without Parvimonas micra. TNF-α levels in the samples of PICF showed a moderate correlation with clinical parameters, including plaque index (PI) (P=0.007) and MMP-8 levels (P=0.001), in the MP group. Conclusions Assessment of levels of inflammatory cytokines in PICF can aid in the identification of peri-implant mucositis, which can assist in early diagnosis, prevention, and treatment.
Agentive Roles and Metalinguistic Negotiations: The Linguistic Capital in Interactions between Parents and Children from Mexican Immigrant Backgrounds

ABSTRACT This qualitative case study examined the interactions between four Mexican parents from immigrant backgrounds and their children during the process of creating two biliteracy family projects that centered on their experiential knowledge. Informed by a theoretical lens of sociocultural linguistics and community cultural wealth, this study examined the kinds of linguistic capital in parent-child interactions that present a contrastive micro analysis within the macro context of a school district with a history of linguistic oppression and discrimination. The main data sources were the recorded interactions between parents and children that took place in their homes and classroom workshops. Findings demonstrate the ways that children’s agentive roles were produced through discursive patterns, and how parents and children engaged in metalinguistic negotiations and co-constructions from oral to written descriptions that followed a gradual increase in complexity. Findings revealed how these linguistic resources supported children’s learning, literacy and identities, a dire contradiction to the oppressive and racist structures and policies in the school district.
Melt Electrowriting Allows Tailored Microstructural and Mechanical Design of Scaffolds to Advance Functional Human Myocardial Tissue Formation

Engineering native‐like myocardial muscle, recapitulating its fibrillar organization and mechanical behavior is still a challenge. This study reports the rational design and fabrication of ultrastretchable microfiber scaffolds with controlled hexagonal microstructures via melt electrowriting (MEW). The resulting structures exhibit large biaxial deformations, up to 40% strain, and an unprecedented compliance, delivering up to 40 times more elastic energy than rudimentary MEW fiber scaffolds. Importantly, when human induced pluripotent stem cell‐derived cardiomyocytes (iPSC‐CM) are encapsulated in a collagen‐based hydrogel and seeded on these microstructured and mechanically tailored fiber scaffolds, they show an increase in beating rate (1.5‐fold), enhanced cell alignment, sarcomere content and organization as well as an increase in cardiac maturation‐related marker expression (Cx43 1.8‐fold, cardiac Actin 1.5‐fold, SERCA2a 2.5‐fold, KCNJ2 1.5‐fold, and PPARGC1a 3.6‐fold), indicative of enhanced iPSC‐CM maturation, as compared to rudimentary fiber scaffolds. By combining these novel fiber scaffolds with clinically relevant human iPSC‐CMs, a heart patch that allows further maturation of contractile myocytes for cardiac tissue engineering is generated. Moreover, the designed scaffold allows successful shape recovery after epicardial delivery on a beating porcine heart, without negative effects on the engineered construct and iPSC‐CM viability.
Association of MMP-9, ADMA, and sCD40L with ischemic stroke and correlations with stroke severity: A case-control study

Background In the present study, we aimed to examine the correlation of serum levels of MMP-9, ADMA, and sCD40L with the occurrence and severity of acute ischemic stroke. Methods All routines analyses were performed using a Cobas platform. MMP-9, ADMA, and sCD40L were measured using ELISA kit. Results Compared with the controls, the stroke group showed higher MMP-9,higher sCD40L and higher ADMA. There were significant positive correlations between the NIHSS scores and MMP-9, sCD40L and ADMA. Conclusions Our study indicated that serum levels of MMP-9, sCD40L, and ADMA are associated with ischemic stroke and are correlated with the NIHSS scores at admission.
Hyperaccumulators for Potentially Toxic Elements: A Scientometric Analysis

Phytoremediation is an effective and low-cost method for the remediation of soil contaminated by potentially toxic elements (metals and metalloids) with hyperaccumulating plants. This study analyzed hyperaccumulator publications using data from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) (1992–2020). We explored the research status on this topic by creating a series of scientific maps using VOSviewer, HistCite Pro, and CiteSpace. The results showed that the total number of publications in this field shows an upward trend. Dr. Xiaoe Yang is the most productive researcher on hyperaccumulators and has the broadest international collaboration network. The Chinese Academy of Sciences (China), Zhejiang University (China), and the University of Florida (USA) are the top three most productive institutions in the field. China, the USA, and India are the top three most productive countries. The most widely used journals were the International Journal of Phytoremediation, Environmental Science and Pollution Research, and Chemosphere. Co-occurrence and citation analysis were used to identify the most influential publications in this field. In addition, possible knowledge gaps and perspectives for future studies are also presented.
Counting the Dead: 17 Million Vertebrates Directly Killed by the 2020’s Wildfires in the Pantanal Wetland, Brazil

Anthropogenic factors have significantly influenced the frequency, duration, and intensity of meteorological drought in many regions of the globe, and the increased frequency of wildfires is among the most visible consequences of human-induced climate change. Despite its role in determining biodiversity outcomes in different ecosystems, wildfires can cause negative impacts on wildlife. We conducted ground surveys along line transects to estimate the first-order impact of the 2020 wildfires on vertebrates in the Pantanal wetland, Brazil. We adopted the distance sampling technique to estimate the densities and the number of dead vertebrates in the 39,030 square kilometers affected by fire. Our estimates indicate that at least 16.952 million vertebrates were killed immediately by the fires in the Pantanal, demonstrating the impact of such an event in wet savanna ecosystems. The Pantanal case also reminds us that the cumulative impact of widespread burning would be catastrophic, as fire recurrence may lead to the impoverishment of ecosystems and the disruption of their functioning. To overcome this unsustainable scenario, it is necessary to establish proper biomass fuel management to avoid cumulative impacts caused by fire over biodiversity and ecosystem services.
A constructal view of prefractal dendritic flow networks using an exergy analysis

Evidence supports the interpretation that natural dendritic networks are described by fractal theory. It is recognised that the fractal description alone is not a complete description of nature of space filling. This study addresses the fundamental question of what the size of dendritic flow networks should be, in order to perform with the least irreversibilities, in addition to what fractal features-based pattern should have. Optimal shapes of symmetric and asymmetric networks for viscous flow and diffusion with junction loss effects are analysed based on exergy minimisation rate. Global size constraints included in the analysis are the volume and surface area. The optimal sizes of the flow networks are obtained, and prefractal dimensions that characterise these networks are computed. It is shown that the prefractal dimensions depend on both fluid transport mechanisms and space constraints. The physics link between prefractal regularity and optimal flow performance is clear presented.