Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Attenuation of Vanadium-Induced Neurotoxicity in Rat Hippocampal Slices (In Vitro) and Mice (In Vivo) by ZA-II-05, a Novel NMDA-Receptor Antagonist

Exposure to heavy metals, such as vanadium, poses an ongoing environmental and health threat, heightening the risk of neurodegenerative disorders. While several compounds have shown promise in mitigating vanadium toxicity, their efficacy is limited. Effective strategies involve targeting specific subunits of the NMDA receptor, a glutamate receptor linked to neurodegenerative conditions. The potential neuroprotective effects of ZA-II-05, an NMDA receptor antagonist, against vanadium-induced neurotoxicity were explored in this study. Organotypic rat hippocampal slices, and live mice, were used as models to comprehensively evaluate the compound’s impact. Targeted in vivo fluorescence analyses of the hippocampal slices using propidium iodide as a marker for cell death was utilized. The in vivo study involved five dams, each with eight pups, which were randomly assigned to five experimental groups (n = 8 pups). After administering treatments intraperitoneally over six months, various brain regions were assessed for neuropathologies using different immunohistochemical markers. High fluorescence intensity was observed in the hippocampal slices treated with vanadium, signifying cell death. Vanadium-exposed mice exhibited demyelination, microgliosis, and neuronal cell loss. Significantly, treatment with ZA-II-05 resulted in reduced cellular death in the rat hippocampal slices and preserved cellular integrity and morphological architecture in different anatomical regions, suggesting its potential in countering vanadium-induced neurotoxicity.
The effect of global warming on dry bean and maize production on the highlands of Mexico.

Global warming may affect growth and production of maize and beans. A study was conducted in the Georgia Environtron Laboratory of the University of Georgia. A factorial experiment with four temperatures (20, 25, 30 and 35°C) and two CO2 levels (400 and 800 ppm) was established in chambers with control environment. Data were taken on dry matter production, plant height, stages of development and yield per plant. For maize, temperatures had a significant effect on plant height, flowering and dry matter accumulation but plant response to CO2 concentrations was not significant. Dry beans responded to both, temperatures and CO2 treatments. For 20 and 30°C, the increment of dry matter was 72 and 76% increasing CO2 from 400 to 800ppm. Beyond 30°C, accumulation of dry matter in beans was drastically diminished. No reduction on maize yield was observed in the range of temperatures treatments, but for dry bean, seed production showed a significant decreased with temperatures above 25°C. A GIS system was used to estimate the risk of maize and bean production areas under a global warming scenario (+3°C). It was found that more than 100 000 ha planted with beans are under higher risk. Maize production seems not to be affected neither for increasing temperatures nor greater concentration of CO2.
With the gospel to Maasailand : Lutheran mission work among the Arusha and Maasai in Northern Tanzania 1904-1973

ISBN 951-765-310-7 In With the Gospel to Maasailand Kim Groop studies the Lutheran mission among the Arusha and Maasai peoples in Tanzania. The book provides interesting insight into nearly 70 years of mission work. It takes the reader from the initial pioneer efforts of the Leipzig Mission in 1904, through two world wars and the end of colonisation, up to 1973 when the Arusha and Maasai founded their own Church Synod. The author examines various aspects of the Lutheran work, which was characterized by significant challenges, a solid determination and – under the circumstances – quite satisfying results. Kim Groop’s book is a valuable contribution not only to the history of the Lutheran Church in Tanzania, but also to European, American and African mission history in general. Kim Groop
System parameter optimization with improved genetic algorithm for laser triangulation sensors

Laser triangulation ranging sensors, with their micron precision, simple principles and compact structures, are widely applied in the industry for instance for workpiece shape and defect measurements. However, the determination of system parameters for laser triangulation sensors currently depends on the experience and manual attempts of designers, which is not only time-consuming but also enables additional measurement errors. In this work, we present a genetic algorithm based method to accurately, fast, and adaptively determine the optimal system parameters for various measurement requirements. Based on the Scheimpflug principle, measurement range and resolution expressions are first derived for laser triangulation systems. The formulas of laser spot size in the x- and y-directions of image detectors are presented and the system geometric dimension is constrained when setting the measured surface on the calibration reference plane. Furthermore, a nonlinear programming genetic algorithm (NP-GA) is proposed to evaluate system parameters for certain measurement conditions, in which the local search capability is significantly improved with rapid convergence to the optimal solution. The algorithm allows determining the parameters by setting diverse measurement resolutions with a relative uncertainty below 3.7% in 3 s. ZEMAX simulations of the sensor systems are performed with non-sequential mode to validate NP-GA determined system parameters. Simulation and computed results show the relative differences of the parameters dependent RMS radius of the laser spot on the image detector are below 0.35% and 8.72% in the x- and y-directions, respectively.
Fishermen Behavior In Managing Coastal Tourism In Lovina Beach At Buleleng , Bali

Fishermen living around the Lovina Beach Tourism Area had other productive activities besides catching fishes. The fishermen living in coastal villages of Lovina offered services such as guides for tourists who were interested in diving, snorkeling, and watching dolphin’s attraction in their habitat. The objectives of this research were to portray the fishermen’s behavior in managing the tourism services and to determine the variables correlated to the fishermen behavior and the tourist satisfaction. The research showed that the fishermen’s competencies in managing the tourism related activities need improvement, especially in the management of coastal resources and services. Furthermore, all of the fishermen’ variables, whether internal or external, were positively and significantly correlated with their coastal tourism management behavior and the tourists satisfaction. It was recommended that along with the purposes of promoting tourism and the fishermen quality of life, learning programs that were developed based upon the fishermen’s problems and needs were required. The programs could include hospitality training, eco-tourism, and tourism management. Additionally, coordination amongst the fishermen groups, local government, non government organization, and private sector involved in these activities was needed to improve the performance of the tourism service.
The level of sophistication of management accounting practices: A case of the developing economy

This study aims to identify the extent to which management accounting practices (MAPs) are used in the Tunisian context. To achieve this goal, the research is based on semi-structured interviews with 192 Tunisian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We used descriptive statistics to interpret our results. The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) model was then applied to analyze the evolution stage of MAPs. This inquiry highlights the traditional practices as the most used ones. Sophisticated or more advanced practices remain an exception as in all developed countries. The limit of our research is that it is interested only in the industrial sector; other sectors have their own specific problems and require separate in depth studies. The expectations of this study are the enrichment of the limited literature on MAPs at the scale of developing countries in the broad sense and Arab countries in a more specific context. The originality of this study is that it examines the level of sophistication of MAPs in the Tunisian context, using a set of MAPs (38 practices) instead of focusing on a singular number of practices. It is also the first analysis to determine its level in Tunisian enterprises using the IFAC model.
Agriculture's prominence in the INDCs

As of 15 November 2015, 133 Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) have been submitted, reflecting the contributions of 160 Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Collectively, these Parties account for nearly 90 percent of global emissions. While the commitments vary, agriculture appears in a majority of the submissions. Agriculture in mitigation contributions
Importance of Parkia biglobosa (African Locust Beans) to the Women Livelihoods in Ibarapa North and Ibarapa Central Local Government Areas of Oyo State, Nigeria

Parkia biglobosa is a multi-purpose species of fruit tree which have contributed to the women livelihood in the study areas, it has served as raw materials for local soup and it is a good source of plant protein. This work assessed the importance of Parkia biglobosa among the women in Ibarapa North and Ibarapa Central Local Government areas of Oyo State, Nigeria using a well-structured questionnaire to obtain information from 120 locust bean sellers. Data obtained showed that the demographic distribution of the respondents were 100% females of which 43.3% were between the age of 41 and 50 years with No formal education of about 58.3%. 41.6% of the respondents had between 11 and 20 family (household) size while household size below 11 and above 20 are 50% and 8.4% respectively. Parkia biglobosa has been discovered to treat various ailments such as eye defects, diabetes, asthma, arterial blood pressure, ulcer and diarrhoea amongst others. Parkia biglobosa has provided job opportunities for women to enable them to take care of their children and other family domestic expenses. Parkia biglobosa trees plantation should be encouraged and established for large scale production.
Metal Pollution and Potential Ecological Risk of the Sediment in Dianchi Lake

Sediment samples were collected from 126 sites in the Dianchi Lake and tested for concentrations for copper, zinc, lead, cadmium, chromium, mercury, and arsenic in different layers (0 ~ 5 cm, 5 ~ 10 cm and 10 ~ 20 cm). It was found that concentrations of these metals in these samples were much higher than their respective references, indicating that the sediments of Dianchi were polluted to a varying degree. metal concentrations in the sediment did vary significantly with depth and sampling site. Concentrations of Zn, Pb, Cd, Hg, and As were generally high in the upper layer except for Cu and Cr, which might suggest that the pollution of Zn, Pb, Cd, Hg, and As is getting more and more severe, while the pollution of Cu and Cr is put under control. With the H? k? nson potential ecological risk index approach, ecological risk of the heavy metal pollution of the sediment in Dianchi Lake was analyzed. Results showed that the pollution of Cu, Zn, Pb, Cr, and As did not pose much ecological risk to the Dianchi Lake, while that of Cd and Hg did a moderate ecological risk. On the whole, the sediment in the Dianchi Lake was moderately polluted with heavy metals with a potential ecological risk index RI being 205.03, which was though moderate, but displays a trend of speeding up towards gravity.
Pravega: A Tiered Storage System for Data Streams

The growing popularity of the data stream abstraction entails new challenging requirements when it comes to data ingestion and storage. Many organizations expect to retain data streams for extended periods of time and to store such stream data in a cost-effective manner. It is also crucial to reconcile apparently opposite properties, like data durability and consistency, along with high performance. Furthermore, data streams should not only deal with a high degree of parallelism, but also adapt to fluctuating workloads with little or no admin intervention. To our knowledge, no storage system for data streams fully copes with all these requirements. In this paper, we present Pravega: a distributed, tiered storage system for data streams. Pravega streams are unbounded by design and cost-effective, as the system automatically moves data to a long-term storage tier (e.g., S3, NFS) and transparently manages it for the user. Pravega guarantees no duplicate or missing events, as well as per routing-key event ordering, while providing high performance streaming IO and historical reads. As a unique feature, Pravega streams are elastic: they can automatically change their degree of parallelism based on the ingestion workload. We compared the performance of Pravega with Apache Kafka and Apache Pulsar on AWS. Our results certify that Pravega can deliver performance improvements over them in many scenarios.
In vitro study of the biphasic calcium phosphate/chitosan hybrid biomaterial scaffold fabricated via solvent casting and evaporation technique for bone regeneration

Abstract Biphasic calcium phosphate (BCP)/chitosan (Cs) composites (BCP/Cs) were assessed for reinforcement in vitro bone regeneration. BCP ceramics have been used to overcome the limitations of single-phase biomaterials. In this study, composite samples were prepared using solvent casting and the evaporation technique. The BCP powder at different concentrations (20, 30, 40, and 50%) was added to the Cs solution to obtain the composite samples. The morphologies and physicochemical properties of the prepared composites were investigated using physical methods. The biocompatibility of composites (BCP/Cs) was studied in vitro by immersion in simulated body fluid. Additionally, the cytotoxicity and viability of the composite samples were evaluated. The results showed that the addition of BCP improves the apatite-forming ability and enhances the bioactivity and biomineralization of the BCP/Cs composites. The mechanical stability of the composite sample was improved essentially by the strong interaction between BCP and the Cs matrix. In addition, the higher the amount of BCP added (50 wt%), the higher the amount of adsorbed protein, and the suitable bioactivity of composites was enhanced. Furthermore, BCP/Cs composites boosted the cell viability and cell proliferation of normal human osteocyte cells. Hence, BCP/Cs composites could be an excellent alternative to bone implants in tissue engineering applications. Graphical abstract
Machine learning identified MDK score has prognostic value for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis based on integrated bulk and single cell expression data

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fatal lung disease that poses a significant challenge to medical professionals due to its increasing incidence and prevalence coupled with the limited understanding of its underlying molecular mechanisms. In this study, we employed a novel approach by integrating five expression datasets from bulk tissue with single-cell datasets; they underwent pseudotime trajectory analysis, switch gene selection, and cell communication analysis. Utilizing the prognostic information derived from the GSE47460 dataset, we identified 22 differentially expressed switch genes that were correlated with clinical indicators as important genes. Among these genes, we found that the midkine (MDK) gene has the potential to serve as a marker of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis because its cellular communicating genes are differentially expressed in the epithelial cells. We then utilized midkine and its cellular communication-related genes to calculate the midkine score. Machine learning models were further constructed through midkine and related genes to predict Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis disease through the bulk gene expression datasets. The midkine score demonstrated a correlation with clinical indexes, and the machine learning model achieved an AUC of 0.94 and 0.86 in the Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis classification task based on lung tissue samples and peripheral blood mononuclear cell samples, respectively. Our findings offer valuable insights into the pathogenesis of Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, providing new therapeutic directions and target genes for further investigation.
A Weight Mapping Strategy for More Fully Exploiting Data in CIM-Based CNN Accelerator

Compute-in-memory accelerators have been extensively researched to overcome the limitations of the von Neumann architecture. However, the current mapping strategy and dataflow results in inefficient utilization of the array and input data. In this brief, we propose a new mapping method named Squeezemapping that leverages spare space in each array and optimizes the utilization of input dataset. We employed NeuroSim to simulate the inference of various networks of different scales. Experimental results demonstrate that our method performs 36.51% higher in energy efficiency and 48.15% higher in speedup when applied to the VGG16 large-scale model under area constraints.
Assessment of Phenolic Compounds in Surface Waters from New Calabar River and Orashi River in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria

Phenolic compounds are hazardous with diverse health implications. The presence of phenolic compounds in rivers is triggered by several activities including petroleum products. The Niger Delta is one of the world’s major hydrocarbon provinces with several health hazards created by oil exploration and exploitation and slow in action to oil spillages. Therefore this paper assessed phenolic compounds in surface waters from New Calabar River and Orashi River in the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria using GC/MS technique (Agilent 6890N Gas agilent 5975 mass selective Detector). Data obtained reveal that the average phenolic compounds recorded during the dry and wet seasons were 37. 7156μg/l and 37. 5878μg/l for New Calabar River and 94. 3078μg/l and 85. 5222μg/l for Orashi River, respectively. The level of phenolic compounds in the water samples indicated that both rivers were contaminated and not suitable for domestic use. Therefore, the people located within the riverbank, particularly Orashi River, are advised not to use the river water domestically except after treatment.
Shear partitioning near the central Japan triple junction: the 1923 great Kanto earthquake revisited—I

SUMMARY We propose the existence of a major right-lateral transform fault which we call the Boso transform fault. It is related to the Sagami trough, a portion of the Philippine Sea plate boundary south of the Kanto area (central Japan). This Boso transform fault is the result of shear partitioning due to oblique subduction and has delimited a Boso sliver for 2 Myr. The rate of motion is estimated at 16 mm yr-' and the total offset at 30 km. The fault cuts through the Miura and Boso peninsulas onland, where it has a multiple surface expression roughly along the limit of a steeply dipping Miocene ophiolitic body. These subaerial faults have been identified as active, and their cumulated rate of slip across the Miura peninsula can be estimated to be greater than 12 mm yr-', in reasonable agreement with the above estimate. We propose that the slip on the Boso transform fault was responsible for two large (M = 7.0 and 7.5) aftershocks which occurred on the second day after the 1923 great Kanto earthquake. This explains the unusual duration of the aftershock sequence, and the large magnitudes of some of the aftershocks.
Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella from stool samples of healthy human carriers are genetically similar to blood culture isolates: a report from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella (iNTS) (serotypes Typhimurium and Enteritidis) are major causes of bloodstream infections in sub-Saharan Africa, but their reservoir is unknown. Aiming to demonstrate human carriers as a reservoir, we assessed an iNTS disease endemic rural community (Kikonka health area, Democratic Republic of the Congo) for intestinal carriage of iNTS. After a census, healthy subjects from randomly selected households provided three successive stool samples for Salmonella culture. We next compared the stool isolates for genetic relatedness with time and health area-matched blood culture isolates obtained from hospitalized patients by multiple locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) and performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) on a subset of stool and blood isolates. Among 2,354 eligible subjects, 2,234 (94.9%) consented and provided at least one stool sample, and 2,219 (94.3%) provided three stool samples. The cumulative proportion of Salmonella carriers after 3 days was 4.4% (n = 98). S. Typhimurium and Enteritidis were found in 26 and 3 carriers, respectively, representing 1.3% (29 out of 2,234) of participants living in 6.0% (26 out of 482) of households. MLVA types of all 26 S. Typhimurium stool isolates matched with the corresponding MLVA types of blood isolates. The MLVA type of one out of three Enteritidis stool isolates matched the single MLVA type of the five Enteritidis blood isolates. WGS analysis of S. Typhimurium (n = 20) and S. Enteritidis (n = 4) isolates revealed Typhimurium multilocus sequence type (ST)313 Lineage 2 and Enteritidis ST11 Central/Eastern African and Outlier clades and confirmed the MLVA clustering. More than three-quarters of Typhimurium isolates showed combined multidrug resistance, ceftriaxone resistance, and fluoroquinolone non-susceptibility. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated iNTS carriage among healthy community members, with stool isolates that were genetically similar to blood culture isolates obtained in patients from the same community. These findings contribute to the evidence of a human reservoir of iNTS.
Initial investigation of site and topographic effects at Robinwood Ridge, California

Following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, a dense array of seven digitally recorded, three-component seismograph stations was deployed on Robinwood Ridge 7.3 km northwest of the epicenter. The purpose of this array was to investigate the cause of high levels of structural damage and ground cracking observed on the ridge crest. Aftershocks recorded by the array allow a comparison of ground motion up the slope of the ridge from the base to the crest. The data present an extremely complicated pattern of ground motion that demonstrates the importance of the three-dimensionality of the problem. Slowness analysis of P wave trains show initial arrivals propagating away from the source with small angles of incidence and large apparent velocities, consistent with direct arrivals. After 0.5 sec, propagation azimuths become more random and apparent velocities drop, indicating nearly horizontal wave propagation and multiply reflected and diffracted phases within the ridge. Slowness analysis and particle motion diagrams of horizontal components of motion show dramatic variations in ground motion with changes in azimuth of the source and a complicated interaction between body waves and Rayleigh and Love waves. Results suggest that the larger amplitude, more coherent arrivals at the array stations favor a propagation direction parallel to the ridge axis. An amplification factor of from 1.5 to 4.5 is seen for frequencies from 1.0 to 3.0 Hz with wavelengths comparable to the base of the ridge, part of which may be caused by local site effects and part by topographic amplification. In addition, amplifications of up to a factor of 5 are seen at higher frequencies and are attributed to local site effects. These effects are most notable from 4 to 8 Hz on the vertical components, and from 6 to 9 Hz on the horizontal components. The entire Robinwood Ridge area may also have been situated in a region of heightened mainshock ground motion due to source directivity and radiation pattern effects.