Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Granular Sludge Properties and Performance Evaluation of Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket Reactor as a Pre-Treatment for Domestic Wastewater

Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) has traditionally being used in treating high strength wastewater to reduce the strength prior to the aeration treatment. The ability of UASB to reduce the strength of the wastewater via anaerobic mode help to reduce the aeration demand in the aerobic reactors, which in turn lower the energy demand for aeration. A pilot study of 131 m 3 working volume capacity bioreactor has been conducted to assess the potential and benefits of UASB as pre-treatment for domestic wastewater prior the aerobic biological treatment system. Based on monitoring assessment, the results showed that the integration with UASB performance as a pre-treatment able to reduce organic and solid loading from incoming influent (Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) ~ 50 % removal and Total Suspended Solid (TSS) ~ 60 % removal). Consequently, the downstream aerobic biological system will be able to operate efficiently with less aeration requirement, hence save energy consumption for overall plant and produce better quality of effluent. Furthermore, the formation of anaerobic granular sludge is also observed in the UASB reactor. The analysis proved that granules with size between 0.3 to 0.6 mm were obtained in the sludge bed of the UASB reactor, and the highest amount (volume) was obtained from bottom part. Based on physical properties analyses, these granules have an excellent settling ability and compact sludge settleability (SVI 30 55–95 mL/g, SV 25–30 m/h). In conclusion, this study is significantly indicated that UASB can be deployed for enhancement of domestic wastewater treatment, by using anaerobic granular sludge as seed sludge for subsequent activated sludge process, thus will improve the overall sludge settleability performance of the plant.
Improving sub-pixel accuracy in ultrasound localization microscopy using supervised and self-supervised deep learning

With a spatial resolution of tens of microns, ultrasound localization microscopy (ULM) reconstructs microvascular structures and measures intravascular flows by tracking microbubbles (1–5 μm) in contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) images. Since the size of CEUS bubble traces, e.g. 0.5–1 mm for ultrasound with a wavelength λ = 280 μm, is typically two orders of magnitude larger than the bubble diameter, accurately localizing microbubbles in noisy CEUS data is vital to the fidelity of the ULM results. In this paper, we introduce a residual learning based supervised super-resolution blind deconvolution network (SupBD-net), and a new loss function for a self-supervised blind deconvolution network (SelfBD-net), for detecting bubble centers at a spatial resolution finer than λ/10. Our ultimate purpose is to improve the ability to distinguish closely located microvessels and the accuracy of the velocity profile measurements in macrovessels. Using realistic synthetic data, the performance of these methods is calibrated and compared against several recently introduced deep learning and blind deconvolution techniques. For bubble detection, errors in bubble center location increase with the trace size, noise level, and bubble concentration. For all cases, SupBD-net yields the least error, keeping it below 0.1 λ. For unknown bubble trace morphology, where all the supervised learning methods fail, SelfBD-net can still maintain an error of less than 0.15 λ. SupBD-net also outperforms the other methods in separating closely located bubbles and parallel microvessels. In macrovessels, SupBD-net maintains the least errors in the vessel radius and velocity profile after introducing a procedure that corrects for terminated tracks caused by overlapping traces. Application of these methods is demonstrated by mapping the cerebral microvasculature of a neonatal pig, where neighboring microvessels separated by 0.15 λ can be readily distinguished by SupBD-net and SelfBD-net, but not by the other techniques. Hence, the newly proposed residual learning based methods improve the spatial resolution and accuracy of ULM in micro- and macro-vessels.
EngagedScholarship@CSU EngagedScholarship@CSU

: Sialidases, or neuraminidases, are enzymes that catalyze the hydrolysis of sialic acid (Sia)-containing molecules, mostly removal of the terminal Sia (desialylation). By desialylation, sialidase can modulate the functionality of the target compound and is thus often involved in biological pathways. Inhibition of sialidases with inhibitors is an important approach for understanding sialidase function and the underlying mechanisms and could serve as a therapeutic approach as well. Transition-state analogues, such as anti-influenza drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir, are major sialidase inhibitors. In addition, difluoro-sialic acids were developed as mechanism-based sialidase inhibitors. Further, fluorinated quinone methide-based suicide substrates were reported. Sialidase product analogue inhibitors were also explored. Finally, natural products have shown competitive inhibiton against viral, bacterial, and human sialidases. This Perspective describes sialidase inhibitors with different mechanisms and their activities and future potential, which include transition-state analogue inhibitors, mechanism-based inhibitors, suicide substrate inhibitors, product analogue inhibitors, and natural product inhibitors.
Synthesis, spectral characterization, and biological activities of Cobalt(II) complexes of Schiff bases derived from o-vanillin and p-vanillin with 3-aminopyridine

Two biologically active Schiff base GL1 and GL2 were synthesized in equimolar reaction of 3-aminopyridine with o -vanillin and p -vanillin. The synthesized Schiff bases were reacted with cobalt acetate, cobalt chloride or cobalt chloride with trimethylamine by using a molar ratio of Schiff base: cobalt salt as 2:1. The characterization of Schiff bases and cobalt complexes was done by UV–visible in methanol, diffused reflectance, FTIR (mid and far), mass spectrometry studies while 1 H NMR and 13 C NMR were used to further characterize the Schiff bases. The FTIR results confirmed the bidentate binding of the Schiff bases with cobalt center after the formation of the complexes. The UV-visible spectra and diffused reflectance spectra data obtained were used to further investigate the electronic structure as well as the properties of Schiff bases and their cobalt complexes. On the basis of the spectral studies, distorted tetrahedral geometry has been assigned for the Co(II) complexes. The antimicrobial activities of the two Schiff bases GL1, GL2 and their cobalt(II) complexes were tested against laboratory isolated Staphylococcus aureus , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Escherichia coli and one fungus strain, Aspergillus niger . The antimicrobial evaluation demonstrates significant activity of the Schiff bases and the cobalt complexes against the four known human pathogens. The brine shrimps lethality study confirmed that the compounds are concentration and geometry dependent. The studies showed the complexes were higher in biological activity than the corresponding Schiff bases. Keywords: 3-aminopyridine Schiff bases, cobalt(II), antimicrobial activity, brine shrimps test
Organizational Factors and Knowledge Sharing Behavior: Mediating Model of Knowledge Sharing Intention

This research investigates the mechanism of how organizational factors (including organizational climate, formalization, and centralization) impact knowledge-sharing behavior by considering knowledge-sharing intention as a mediator. After conducting online surveys and offline interviews, we utilized a quantities method with the PLS-SEM tool to examine the potential findings. This study’s respondents were employees selected randomly from information technology enterprises in Vietnam; the final data set included 529 responses. The findings demonstrate that the organizational climate has a favorable link with knowledge-sharing behavior, whereas the remaining organizational factors, namely formalization and centralization, have a negative influence. Besides, this study found that knowledge-sharing intention plays a mediating role in these relationships. This research also provides some theoretical and practical implications, limitations as well as future research directions for further studies.
Growth performance of broiler chickens of turmeric (Curcuma longa) turmeric aqueous extract

The effects of Turmeric Powder extract (TPE) on the growth performance of broiler chicken were evaluated in the 5-week study. On 240-day-old chicks weighing 40.9g, levels were supplemented with turmeric powder extracts (TPE) in the water of broiler chicken. In conclusion, there was increased final live weight and weight gain, a better feed conversion ratio (FRC), and body and feed intake with the highest TPE on water. The serum metabolites were not affected by the level of TP in the diets. It was concluded that levels supplemented with turmeric powder Extracts (TPE) in the water of broiler chicken appear to act as a growth promoter with no adverse effect on health status. Keywords: turmeric; broiler; growth performance.
Hydration layer dynamics and association mechanisms of food and antifreeze proteins

We present a novel transition path sampling shooting algorithm for efﬁcient sampling of complex (biomolecular) activated processes with asymmetric free energy barriers. The method employs a ﬁctitious potential that biases the shooting point toward the transition state. The method is similar in spirit to the aimless shooting technique by Peters and Trout [B. Peters and B. L. Trout, J. Chem. Phys. 125, 054108 (2006)], but is targeted for use with the one-way shooting approach, which has been shown to be more effective than two way shooting algorithms in systems dominated by diffusive dynamics. We illustrate the method on a 2D Langevin toy model, the association of two peptides and the initial step in dissociation of a β -lactoglobulin dimer. In all cases we show a signiﬁcant increase in efﬁciency.
Análise dos determinantes que influenciam no tempo até o diagnóstico de clientes com câncer

Objetivo: Visto que o atraso no diagnóstico e/ou tratamento do câncer implica menor chance de cura, pior prognóstico e diminuição da sobrevida, além de maiores custos para cliente, família e sistemas de saúde, objetiva-se determinar o tempo em que clientes do ambulatório de quimioterapia do Hospital de Câncer I, do Instituto Nacional de Câncer, obtêm um diagnóstico, destacando o impacto dos fatores analisados. Método: Foram entrevistados 105 clientes entre março e agosto de 2023 e utilizou-se análise de regressão multivariada para examinar as variáveis: diagnóstico, idade, sexo, cidade que reside, cor, renda familiar, escolaridade, estado civil, o intervalo entre o início dos sintomas percebidos pelo cliente até a procura ao primeiro serviço de saúde e o intervalo entre o primeiro contato com o serviço de saúde até o diagnóstico. Resultados: Observou-se uma média de 3 meses para buscar atendimento após o surgimento dos sintomas e os fatores que influenciaram até a primeira consulta incluem escolaridade, cor, estado civil, cidade de origem e idade. Entretanto, tais variáveis não mostraram influência no tempo médio da consulta até o diagnóstico, o que talvez se justifique pelo fato de que após o cliente entrar no sistema de saúde, as dificuldades (ou facilidades) de acesso nivelam todos, independentemente de suas particularidades e, nesse caso, os determinantes agem de forma aleatória. Considerações Finais: Atrasos entre sintomas iniciais e primeira consulta são associados à baixa escolaridade e falta de informação sobre a doença. Já atrasos entre a consulta e o diagnóstico normalmente relacionam-se ao contexto assistencial.
Instructional Leadership in The Development of School Organizational Culture: A Literature Review

This study is intended to describe how leadership can contribute to the development of organizational culture in schools. Qualitative methodology with a literature approach is used in the study. Data collection is carried out by reviewing and exploring several journals, books, and documents, as well as data sources and other information that is considered relevant to the study. This study found that the principal's instructional leadership prioritizes its activities on learning by influencing, directing, and guiding teachers in teaching and learning activities so that teachers can provide the best learning services to students. With good leadership, the values developed in the school can be passed on culturally to the students well.
Canadian Kidney Transplant Professionals’ Perspectives on Precision Medicine and Molecular Matching in Kidney Allocation

Background. Antibody-mediated rejection is an important cause of kidney transplant loss. A new strategy requiring application of precision medicine tools in transplantation considers molecular compatibility between donors and recipients and holds the promise of improved immunologic risk, preventing rejection and premature graft loss. The objective of this study was to gather Canadian transplant professionals’ perspectives on molecular compatibility in kidney transplantation. Methods. Seventeen Canadian transplant professionals (14 nephrologists, 2 nurses, and 1 surgeon) participated in semistructured interviews in 2021. The interviews were digitally recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the qualitative description approach. Results. Participants identified fair access to transplantation as the most important principle in kidney allocation. Molecular compatibility was viewed as a promising innovation. However, participants were concerned about increased waiting times, negative impact on some patients, and potential problems related to the adequacy of information explaining this new technology. To mitigate the challenges associated with molecular matching, participants suggested integrating a maximum waiting time for molecular-matched kidneys and expanding the program nationally/internationally. Conclusions. Molecular matching in kidney transplantation is viewed as a promising technology for decreasing the incidence of antibody-mediated rejection and improving graft survival. Further studies are needed to determine how to ethically integrate this technology into the kidney allocation algorithm.
Montagem espacial e potencialidades do audiovisual locativo no cenário urbano Spatial montage and the potential of locative audiovisual in urban scenes

O artigo aborda a complexificacao da cena audiovisual contemporânea, tendo como foco a analise de operacoes de montagem espacial entre diferentes tipos de midias no espaco urbano. Inicial- mente, e apresentado um apanhado geral das tecnicas de montagem espacial em diferentes midias. Em seguida, e analisada uma experiencia de audiovisual locativo -- o Street Museum of London -- a partir da metodologia das molduras. Este procedimento permitiu intuir a producao de sentidos praticada na experiencia com o Street Museum of London, que cria territorios de experiencia e sig- nificacao e reinventa espacialidades e temporalidades audiovisuais.
Types and Methods of Assessing the Value of Intellectual Property Pledge Financing

China has a large stock of intellectual properties and a strong capacity for indirect financing. In the process of shifting from factor inputs supporting high economic growth to technological innovation contributing to high-quality economic development, intellectual property pledge financing plays an extremely important role. Moreover, as a new financing channel, intellectual property pledge financing can effectively alleviate the financial pressure on the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. Additionally, intellectual property pledge financing can also help promote the transformation of knowledge achievements and alleviate the financial problems of enterprises to a certain extent. Although China's intellectual property pledge financing has seen rapid development in recent years, there is still a large gap compared to the number of intellectual properties and the financing needs of enterprises. This is mainly attributed to the easy depreciation of intellectual properties, instability of rights, and other characteristics, which cause difficulties in assessing the value of intellectual property pledge financing and aggravates the risk and difficulty of intellectual property pledge financing. Therefore, how to scientifically assess the value of intellectual properties for the purpose of pledge financing has become an issue worthy of in-depth study and exploration at this stage.
Opportunities and Obstacles in Individualized Pay-setting From a Manager Perspective

This study explored pay-setting managers’ experiences regarding the individualized pay-setting process. Seven semi-structured group-interviews with pay-setting managers (N = 28) from four private companies in Sweden were conducted. A thematic analysis identified three main themes: 1) Prerequisites for pay-setting, which included conditions for pay-setting work and experiences of these conditions; 2) Assessment and feedback, which included experiences of employee performance assessment and feedback provision; 3) Rewards, which covered experiences of different pay incentives and the relationship between performance and pay. The pay-setting process was considered to include many obstacles as well as a few opportunities. Without proper pre-requisites to assess employee performance, the possibilities to adequately reward performance were experienced as limited, which, in turn, hampered possibilities to justify both the assessment and pay raise. Taken together, this study underscores the conflict between intentions relating to how to carry out a pay-setting process and managers’ difficulties to actually accomplish this.
Predicting Early Indicators of Cognitive Decline From Verbal Predicting Early Indicators of Cognitive Decline From Verbal Utterances Utterances

—Dementia is a group of irreversible, chronic, and progressive neurodegenerative disorders resulting in impaired memory, communication, and thought processes. In recent years, clinical research advances in brain aging have focused on the earliest clinically detectable stage of incipient dementia, commonly known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Currently, these disorders are diagnosed using a manual analysis of neuropsychological examinations. We measure the feasibility of using the linguistic characteristics of verbal utterances elicited during neuropsychological exams of elderly subjects to distinguish between elderly control groups, people with MCI, people diagnosed with possible Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and probable AD. We investigated the performance of both theory-driven psycholinguistic features and data-driven contextual language embeddings in identifying different clinically diagnosed groups. Our experiments show that a combination of contextual and psycholinguistic features extracted by a Support Vector Machine improved distinguishing the verbal utterances of elderly controls, people with MCI, possible AD, and probable AD. This is the ﬁrst work to identify four clinical diagnosis groups of dementia in a highly imbalanced dataset. Our work shows that machine learning algorithms built on contextual and psycholinguistic features can learn the linguistic biomarkers from verbal utterances and assist clinical diagnosis of different stages and types of dementia, even with limited data
Biological and clinical significance of the AGE-RAGE axis in the aggressiveness and prognosis of prostate cancer

Dietary factors and chronic hyperglycemia are linked to the formation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and prostate cancer (PCa) risk. The activation of the receptor for AGEs (RAGE) acts as a bridge between various RAGE ligands and certain malignancies. This study showed that the interaction of AGEs and RAGE promoted PCa cell proliferation, invasion, and autophagy-mediated survival in response to chemotherapeutic agents. RAGE-overexpressed PCa cells underwent epithelial–mesenchymal transition and showed increased cancer stem cell-like properties. In mouse xenograft models, RAGE-overexpressed cells showed more substantial tumorigenic capacity than parental cells, whereas RAGE knockdown decreased tumorigenicity. The clinical data validated a positive correlation between high AGE and RAGE expressions with poor clinical outcomes. Our findings suggest that the AGE-RAGE axis facilitates PCa progression and aggressiveness. Prostatic AGEs and RAGE expression levels are associated with PCa prognosis. Adherence to a reduced-AGE diet and targeting RAGE are potential approaches to complement and synergize with the current PCa therapies.
The Austronesians in Madagascar and Their Interaction with the Bantu of the East African Coast: surveying the Linguistic Evidence for Domestic and Translocated Animals

The Malagasy language is generally considered part of the Barito languages of Borneo and these, in turn, have recently been linked to the Sama-Bajaw group. The dispersal of the Sama-Bajaw in the seventh century was impelled by the expansion of the Śrīvijaya Malay. Although there is evidence for Austronesian navigators crossing the Indian Ocean prior to 0 AD, they came from a different region of SE Asia, and were not associated with the settlement of Madagascar. The origin of Bantu words in the Malagasy lexicon has been attributed to a wide scatter of East African languages, but it appears that the source of nearly all of them is the Swahili/Sabaki group, which would have dominated the incipient trading networks in this region from the seventh and eighth centuries onwards. This paper takes as a case study the terminology of domestic animals, all of which appears to derive from languages of the Swahili group, except for nineteenth century introductions. Recent zoogeographic research also suggests the translocation of domestic and wild species across the Mozambique Channel and between the islands; and the Malagasy name for the wild pig, lambo, which reflects Austronesian names for ‘bovine’. A provisional list of Malagasy borrowings from Sabaki languages is given in an appendix.
The Qualitative Report The Qualitative Report

Abstract There are many challenges and criticisms attached to the conduct of research, none the least of which is a notion that much of the research undertaken in professional disciplines such as nursing may not have clinical and/or practical relevance. While there are a plethora of qualitative research methods that individuals must consider when designing research studies, one method stands out - Grounded Theory (GT). Grounded theory was developed in the early 1960’s by Glaser and Strauss. With its theoretical orientation based in sociology, GT strives to understand and explain human behavior through inductive reasoning processes (Elliott & Lazenbatt, 2005). Because of its emphasis on the utilization of a variety of data sources that are grounded in particular contexts, GT provides a natural theoretical fit when designing nursing research studies. In this article, the authors provide an overview of GT and then describe the appropriateness, advantages, and disadvantages of applying it as part of the research design process. Additionally, the authors highlight the importance of taking a reflexive position to stay engaged while interacting with the data, and explore how to apply GT theory to particular research questions and studies. Finally, the strengths and limitations of this method of inquiry as applied to nursing research using a brief case study approach is presented.