Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ecological effects of microplastics on microorganism characteristics in sediments of the Daihai Lakeshore, China

Abstract Microplastics are contaminants of emerging concern. In particular, research on the ecological effects of microplastics on microorganisms has attracted widespread attention. In this study, the role of characteristics of microplastics and environmental factors on microorganisms in sediments along the Daihai Lakeshore were investigated. Microscopic identification of microplastics revealed that the most common characteristics of microplastics were fiber, black color and particle size <0.5 mm. The results of Pearson correlation analysis verified that the characteristics of microplastics with particle size <0.5 mm and the main physicochemical characteristics of the sediments (pH, salinity) were positively correlated with the abundance of dominant microorganisms (P < 0.05). In addition, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) functional pathway analysis that the proportion of functional metabolic pathways related to DNA replication, recombination and reparation was higher in the sampling sites with higher microplastics abundance. This study will provide valuable information for assessing the microbial ecological effects of microplastics contamination in sediments.
Way-finding behaviour and technical guidance systems

Three way-finding systems were tested with large number of human voluteers: an existing system (IMO-compliant) and two new systems: one offering directional information along the skirting board; the other an electrical system, programmable in direction. The tests used almost 300 volunteers who evacuated from an imitated ship's interior. Most volunteens were asked to find their own way to the assembly stations; the others were allowed to work in groups of foui. Way-finding behaviour was recorded with cameras. The proportion of way-frnding errors was 24% for the existing system, showing ample roorn for improvements. Way-finding eror:s were reduced for the new skirting-board system. This system is recommended because it can þe implemented easily. The programmable system was a failure: It was invisible in the light, and confusing in the dark Irrespective of the particular system, the tests revealed doors as the main source of way-finding errors. Measues to reduce their"difficilty" were designed and tested For passage doors, one meaiiure reduced the errors by 2/3. For cabin doors, an assembly-route sign at the door's inside was a similar success' The discussion of ggidance systems includes (a) clarity including line.of-sigbt consideration, adequate luminance, and a good ratio of 'simals' (evacuation signs) to 'noise' (advertisements); (b) technical robustness; and (c) programmable direction including situation awareness at the ship's bridge.
High-performance and selective adsorption of ZIF-8/MIL-100 hybrids towards organic pollutants

Environmental contamination by organic pollutants has become a pressing concern. In this study, metal–organic framework composites with a core–shell structure of MIL-100 wrapped around ZIF-8 (ZIF-MIL hybrids) were synthesized and characterized for their effectiveness to remove organic pollutants. First, a sequence of routine characterizations will examine the ZIF-MIL series samples' physicochemical properties and morphological characteristics. Then, the adsorption capacities of ZIF-MIL towards organic pollutants, including cationic dyes (methylene blue (MB), and rhodamine B (RHB)), anionic dyes (methyl orange (MO)), neutral pollutants (Sudan III (SD-III), tetracycline (TC) and amoxicillin (AMX)), were investigated. Among the ZIF-MIL series, ZIF-MIL-4 has an excellent specific surface area with high uptake of TC (1288 mg g−1) and RHB (1181 mg g−1). Based on the adsorption data from kinetic and dynamic studies, the adsorption process was closest to the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Freundlich isotherm. In terms of thermodynamic parameter values, the adsorption of TC is an endothermic and spontaneous process, while the adsorption of RHB is an exothermic and spontaneous process. Furthermore, the reusability and selectivity studies of ZIF-MIL-4 towards TC and RHB exhibited significant regeneration ability and high selectivity. The effects of ionic strength and pH on pollutant removal efficiency were also tested. The experimental results showed that the main interactions between ZIF-MIL-4 and RHB or TC were weak coordination, electrostatic, hydrogen bonding, and π–π stacking interactions. Thus, the proposed MOF hybrid, by forming mixtures with other MOFs, can be a potential purifier with improved adsorption capacity and selectivity for organic pollutants as well as self-reusability.
Integration of Transcriptome and Exome Genotyping Identifies Significant Variants with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism is a complex disease with genetic predisposition factors. Real factors for treatment and early diagnosis are yet to be defined. This study integrated transcriptome and exome genotyping for identifying functional variants associated with autism spectrum disorder and their impact on gene expression to find significant variations. More than 1800 patients were screened, and 70 (47 male/23 female) with an average age of 7.56 ± 3.68 years fulfilled the DSM-5 criteria for autism. Analysis revealed 682 SNPs of 589 genes significantly (p < 0.001) associated with autism among the putative functional exonic variants (n = 243,345) studied. Olfactory receptor genes on chromosome 6 were significant after Bonferroni correction (α = 0.05/243345 = 2.05 × 10−7) with a high degree of linkage disequilibrium on 6p22.1 (p = 6.71 × 10−9). The differentially expressed gene analysis of autistic patients compared to controls in whole RNA sequencing identified significantly upregulated (foldchange ≥0.8 and p-value ≤ 0.05; n = 125) and downregulated (foldchange ≤−0.8 and p-value ≤ 0.05; n = 117) genes. The integration of significantly up- and downregulated genes and genes of significant SNPs identified regulatory variants (rs6657480, rs3130780, and rs1940475) associated with the up- (ITGB3BP) and downregulation (DDR1 and MMP8) of genes in autism spectrum disorder in people of Arab ancestries. The significant variants could be a biomarker of interest for identifying early autism among Arabs and helping to characterize the genes involved in the susceptibility mechanisms for autistic subjects.
Comparison of clinical indices and therapeutic effect of a mucoadhesive system containing Melissa 1% and triamcinolone 0.1% on lichenoid reactions

Background: Lichenoid reaction (LR) is a relatively common mucocutaneous disease with an unknown etiology. Since the cause of the LRs is unknown, many drugs have been studied to palliate the symptoms. Previous studies reported that corticosteroids are often effective in the management of several oral inflammatory diseases. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of Melissa gel and triamcinolone 0.1% paste on clinical indices of oral LRs. Materials and Methods: In this randomized clinical trial, sixty patients with erosive oral LRs were randomly divided into two groups, and each group was treated with Melissa gel or triamcinolone acetonide 0.1% paste, three times a day, for 4 weeks. The recovery rate and severity of pain and burning sensation were assessed after 2 and 4 weeks. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 20, IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and repeated measures ANCOVA, Mann–Whitney test, Chi-square test, paired t-test, and survival analysis. (α = 0.05). Results: The Visual Analog Scale scores for recovery rate, pain, and burning mouth sensation and objective scoring for oral lichen planus were significantly improved at 2 and 4 weeks in both the groups. However, the pain intensity decreased significantly in the Melissa group, as compared to the triamcinolone 1% group. Conclusion: In general, we showed that Melissa gel has a better effect than triamcinolone on pain intensity. Although Melissa gel is effective in reducing lesion size, triamcinolone significantly showed better results.
A Comprehensive Review of Deep Learning-Based Crack Detection Approaches

The application of deep architectures inspired by the fields of artificial intelligence and computer vision has made a significant impact on the task of crack detection. As the number of studies being published in this field is growing fast, it is important to categorize the studies at deeper levels. In this paper, a comprehensive literature review of deep learning-based crack detection studies and the contributions they have made to the field is presented. The studies are categorised according to the computer vision aspect and at deeper levels to facilitate exploring the studies that utilised similar approaches to address the crack detection problem. Moreover, the authors perform a comparison between the studies which use the same publicly available data sets, in order to find the most promising crack detection approaches. Critical future directions for research are proposed, based on these reviewed studies as well as on trends and developments in areas similar to the crack detection area.
Opportunistic infections in HIV

This chapter looks at the timely recognition and treatment of HIV-associated opportunistic infections (OIs), which remains an important skill for practicing physicians worldwide. It reviews the incidence of infections, which has fallen sharply since the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy, in which OIs remain the most serious threat to well-being and survival amongst HIV-infected individuals with advanced immunosuppression. It also mentions how morbidity from OIs is often the first indication of previously undiagnosed HIV infection despite improved access to global screening. The chapter offers a clinical overview of the most frequently encountered OIs, including its current concepts and approaches to management. It looks at CD4 cell count as an integral part of OI surveillance, prevention, and treatment.
First Description of Ceftazidime/Avibactam Resistance in a ST13 KPC-70-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae Strain from Portugal

The combination of ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) is a novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor with activity against Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Enterobacterales. Emerging cases caused by CZA-resistant strains that produce variants of KPC genes have already been reported worldwide. However, to the best of our knowledge, no CZA-resistant strains were reported in Portugal. In September 2019, a K. pneumoniae CZA-resistant strain was collected from ascitic fluid at a surgery ward of a tertiary University Hospital Center in Lisboa, Portugal. The strain was resistant to ceftazidime/avibactam, as well as to ceftazidime, cefoxitin, gentamicin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and ertapenem, being susceptible to imipenem and tigecycline. A hypermucoviscosity phenotype was confirmed by string test. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis revealed the presence of an ST13 KPC70-producing K. pneumoniae, a KPC-3 variant, differing in two amino-acid substitutions (D179Y and T263A). The D179Y mutation in the KPC Ω-loop region is the most common amino-acid substitution in KPC-2 and KPC-3, further leading to CZA resistance. The second mutation causes a KPC-70 variant in which threonine replaces alanine (T263A). The CZA-resistant strain showed the capsular locus KL3 and antigen locus O1v2. Other important virulence factors were identified: fimbrial adhesins type 1 and type 3, as well as the cluster of iron uptake systems aerobactin, enterobactin, salmochelin, and yersiniabactin included in integrative conjugative element 10 (ICEKp10) with the genotoxin colibactin cluster. Herein, we report the molecular characterization of the first hypervirulent CZA-resistant ST13 KPC-70-producing K. pneumoniae strain in Portugal. The emergence of CZA-resistant strains might pose a serious threat to public health and suggests an urgent need for enhanced clinical awareness and epidemiologic surveillance.
The Effect of RADA16-I and CDNF on Neurogenesis and Neuroprotection in Brain Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Scaffold materials, neurotrophic factors, and seed cells are three elements of neural tissue engineering. As well-known self-assembling peptide-based hydrogels, RADA16-I and modified peptides are attractive matrices for neural tissue engineering. In addition to its neuroprotective effects, cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) has been reported to promote the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs). However, the role of RADA16-I combined with CDNF on NSCs remains unknown. First, the effect of RADA16-I hydrogel and CDNF on the proliferation and differentiation of cultured NSCs was investigated. Next, RADA16-I hydrogel and CDNF were microinjected into the lateral ventricle (LV) of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats to activate endogenous NSCs. CDNF promoted the proliferation of NSCs, while RADA16-I induced the neural differentiation of NSCs in vitro. Importantly, both RADA16-I and CDNF promoted the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of endogenous NSCs by activating the ERK1/2 and STAT3 pathways, and CDNF exerted an obvious neuroprotective effect on brain ischemia-reperfusion injury. These findings provide new information regarding the application of the scaffold material RADA16-I hydrogel and the neurotrophic factor CDNF in neural tissue engineering and suggest that RADA16-I hydrogel and CDNF microinjection may represent a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of stroke.
The concept of the intellectual capital: Theoretical contribution to the managerial theory of the firm

Given that the concept of Intellectual capital (IC) came from business practice, it can be said that it is a practice in search of a theory. Studying the theoretical contribution of this concept is challenging as it demands the systematization of all relevant theories in which it finds its foundation and all aspects of its research. The crucial issues addressed in the concept of IC are: Has the economy based on knowledge influenced the emergence of a new matrix of value creation, and, if so, how is it possible to identify the essential resources which have the most influence on the process of value creation? To answer these questions, the concept of IC develops both the theoretical basis and practical guidelines and tools that contribute to a more precise definition of the strategic assets of the firm and their role in the process of value creation. For the concept of intellectual capital, the articulation of the value creation process is the essential precondition for firms' success because that is something intrinsic to the firm and cannot be imitated by competitors. This study aims to determine the contribution of the IC concept to the managerial theories of the firm.
A Cellular Automata Model for Heterogeneous Traffic Flow Incorporating Micro Autonomous Vehicles

Despite the fact that significant research efforts have been made to the traffic flow theory of autonomous vehicles and manual vehicles, few existing studies have incorporated different modes of both vehicles in their analysis. In this study, we develop a cellular automata simulation model to investigate the impact of different modes of autonomous vehicles (autonomous car, autonomous bus, and autonomous micro car) and conventional vehicles (manual car, manual bus, and manual micro car) on the characteristics of traffic flow. A new type of autonomous mode, i.e., autonomous micro car, is investigated in the model to study the effects of this vehicle mode on the overall capacity of the network. Furthermore, two types of lane-changing behavior, i.e., aggressive lane changing and polite lane changing, are incorporated into the model. The results reveal that micro cars (manual and autonomous) have the potential to reduce traffic congestions and increase the capacity or flow rate (vehicles/hour) of the road. Where the average vehicle occupancy is less than 2, if autonomous micro cars are deployed alongside autonomous cars, the flow rate (vehicles/hour) can be increased significantly. The results highlight the significance of the autonomous micro cars to traffic flow, passenger occupancy, and road capacity.
Romantic nostalgia as a resource for healthy relationships

Nostalgia is an emotion that confers psychological benefits. The literature has neglected romantic nostalgia—that is, nostalgia specifically for past experiences shared with one’s partner—and its potential advantages for relationships. We examined romantic nostalgia in one correlational study, two experiments, and one daily diary study (N = 638). Romantic nostalgia was positively associated with greater relationship commitment, satisfaction, and closeness (Study 1). Additionally, inducing romantic nostalgia via a writing task (Study 2) or music (Study 3) strengthened relational benefits. Finally, participants reported more positive relationship-specific experiences on days when they felt greater romantic nostalgia (Study 4). We discuss contributions to the nostalgia and relationships literatures.
Research on Device Modeling Technique Based on MLP Neural Network for Model Parameter Extraction

The parameter extraction of device models is critically important for circuit simulation. The device models in the existing parameter extraction software are physics-based analytical models, or embedded Simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE) functions. The programming implementation of physics-based analytical models is tedious and error prone, while it is time consuming to run the device model evaluation for the device model parameter extraction software by calling the SPICE. We propose a novel modeling technique based on a neural network (NN) for the optimal extraction of device model parameters in this paper, and further integrate the NN model into device model parameter extraction software. The technique does not require developers to understand the device model, which enables faster and less error-prone parameter extraction software developing. Furthermore, the NN model improves the extraction speed compared with the embedded SPICE, which expedites the process of parameter extraction. The technique has been verified on the BSIM-SOI model with a multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural network. The training error of the NN model is 4.14%, and the testing error is 5.38%. Experimental results show that the trained NN model obtains an extraction error of less than 6%, and its extraction speed is thousands of times faster than SPICE in device model parameter extraction.
Coalitional Distributed Model Predictive Control Strategy for Vehicle Platooning Applications

This work aims at developing and testing a novel Coalitional Distributed Model Predictive Control (C-DMPC) strategy suitable for vehicle platooning applications. The stability of the algorithm is ensured via the terminal constraint region formulation, with robust positively invariant sets. To ensure a greater flexibility, in the initialization part of the method, an invariant table set is created containing several invariant sets computed for different constraints values. The algorithm was tested in simulation, using both homogeneous and heterogeneous initial conditions for a platoon with four homogeneous vehicles, using a predecessor-following, uni-directionally communication topology. The simulation results show that the coalitions between vehicles are formed in the beginning of the experiment, when the local feasibility of each vehicle is lost. These findings successfully prove the usefulness of the proposed coalitional DMPC method in a vehicle platooning application, and illustrate the robustness of the algorithm, when tested in different initial conditions.
SPAR: A New Test-Point Insertion Using Shared Points for Area Overhead Reduction

Test-point insertion (TPI) is an effective technique for improving the random pattern testability of digital circuits. However, it introduces area and performance overhead. Because the test-point area takes a significant portion of the test logic area, many techniques have been studied to reduce the area impact, such as sharing a control point (CP) driver with multiple CPs or replacing a dedicated CP driver with an existing flip-flop. This article proposes shared point insertion for area overhead reduction (SPAR) to simultaneously reduce the area impact of CPs and observation points (OPs). SPAR inserts a shared point instead of inserting a pair of CP and OP individually. Consequently, the pair of CP and OP is provided requirements, such as a control signal or propagation path from each other through the shared point—accordingly, the shared point simultaneously functions as the CP and OP. Furthermore, a signal that drives a shared point can be chosen to ensure the fair propagation of faults. The proposed flow searches for appropriate CP–OP pairs to insert shared points while avoiding potential issues from the newly created path. Experimental results on benchmarks demonstrate that SPAR can significantly reduce area overhead caused by test points while achieving almost identical or even slightly improved test coverage.
B-cell epitope mapping of TprC and TprD variants of Treponema pallidum subspecies

Several recent studies have focused on the identification, functional analysis, and structural characterization of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of Treponema pallidum (Tp). The Tp species encompasses the highly related pallidum, pertenue, and endemicum subspecies of this pathogen, known to be the causative agents of syphilis, yaws, and bejel, respectively. These studies highlighted the importance of identifying surface-exposed OMP regions and the identification of B-cell epitopes that could be protective and used in vaccine development efforts. We previously reported that the TprC and TprD OMPs of Tp are predicted to contain external loops scattered throughout the entire length of the proteins, several of which show a low degree of sequence variability among strains and subspecies. In this study, these models were corroborated using AlphaFold2, a state-of-the-art protein structure modeling software. Here, we identified B-cell epitopes across the full-length TprC and TprD variants using the Geysan pepscan mapping approach with antisera from rabbits infected with syphilis, yaws, and bejel strains and from animals immunized with refolded recombinant TprC proteins from three syphilis strains. Our results show that the humoral response is primarily directed to sequences predicted to be on surface-exposed loops of TprC and TprD proteins, and that the magnitude of the humoral response to individual epitopes differs among animals infected with various syphilis strains and Tp subspecies. Rather than exhibiting strain-specificity, antisera showed various degrees of cross-reactivity with variant sequences from other strains. The data support the further exploration of TprC and TprD as vaccine candidates.