Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tyrosinase Inhibitory and Antioxidant Activity of Wild Prunus spinosa L. Fruit Extracts as Natural Source of Bioactive Compounds

In recent years, naturally derived tyrosinase inhibitors and antioxidants have become very important, since the synthetic ones are related with several side effects. As wild fruits are rich source of bioactive compounds, this study focused on the examination of Prunus spinosa L. (blackthorn) fruit extracts, widely distributed in our country. However, blackthorn extracts are not enough investigated, and there are only a few published works. Extraction efficiency of P. spinosa ultrasonic fruit extracts obtained by using different solvents (methanol, 70% (v/v) ethanol, 45% (w/w) propylene glycol and water) was evaluated, regarding polyphenolic profile, tyrosinase inhibitory and antioxidant activity. Results suggested that extracts with 45% propylene glycol and water were particularly rich in polyphenolic compounds (especially phenols, flavonoids and anthocyanins). The highest extraction yield was for 45% propylene glycol extract. This extract showed higher tyrosinase inhibitory and antioxidant activity compared to others, while the methanolic extracts had the highest chelating capacity. Therefore, P. spinosa fruit extracts, especially extracts obtained by ultrasonic extraction with 45% propylene glycol, have a great potential to be incorporated in some pharmaceutical formulations for obtaining tyrosinase inhibitory and antioxidant effects. ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 3, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********
The relationship between training and employee performance: the case of Mutare City Council, Zimbabwe

The Success of failure of an organization depends on the quality of its human resources and training being an integral part of the strategy to integrate human resources management with an organizations business strategy, coming at the age where employees are beginning to realize that employers have the potential to be much more dynamic and beneficial to the organization. Hence, this study was aimed to determine the relationship between training and employee performance in Mutare City Council, Zimbabwe. Correlational research design was used in this study, with an attempt describe and measure the degree of association between performance and training. A total of one hundred and thirty two (132) respondents (91 males and 41 females) were selected from the employees (population), purposive sampling technique and structured questionnaire were used in data collection. Data was analyzed using quantitative techniques, including inferential statistics. It was established that there was strong positive relationship between training and performance of employees. It was recommended that all stakeholders, be involved in one way or the other in training to enhance employee knowledge, skills, ability, competencies and behaviour.
In Vitro Antimicrobial Activity of GSQ1530, a New Heteroaromatic Polycyclic Compound

ABSTRACT GSQ1530 is a compound derived from a newly identified class of antibiotics referred to as heteroaromatic polycyclic (HARP) antibiotics. The aim of this study was to assess the in vitro antimicrobial activity of GSQ1530. By using an NCCLS broth microdilution assay, the activities of GSQ1530 and other antibiotics were coevaluated against 215 clinical isolates. The MICs at which 90% of isolates are inhibited (MIC90s) of GSQ1530 for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) were 2 and 4 μg/ml, respectively. The MIC90s of GSQ1530 for the streptococci tested were 2 μg/ml or less, regardless of their susceptibilities to other antibiotics. The MIC90 of GSQ1530 for the enterococci tested (including vancomycin-resistant enterococci) was 4 μg/ml. No cross-resistance was found between GSQ1530 and other known antibiotics. In a separate assay, GSQ1530 demonstrated excellent activity against vancomycin-intermediate-susceptible staphylococci (MIC90, 1 μg/ml). The minimal bactericidal concentration test was conducted with 73 clinical isolates; GSQ1530 was cidal against streptococci and staphylococci but static against enterococci. An in vitro killing kinetic study revealed a time-dependent profile, with at least a 3-log reduction of bacterial growth within 6 h after exposure to four times the MICs of GSQ1530 for both S. aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae. The checkerboard study showed that GSQ1530 had a synergistic interaction with rifampin against MRSA. The test medium was found to have little effect on in vitro antimicrobial potency. The MICs of GSQ1530 for gram-positive cocci were 4- to 32-fold higher in the presence of serum proteins. GSQ1530 has high levels of plasma protein binding (91 and 89% for rat and human plasma, respectively). These preliminary results demonstrate that GSQ1530, a representative compound of our novel HARP antibiotics, has broad-spectrum activity against gram-positive bacteria. This novel class of antibacterial compounds is profiled in vivo to assess the therapeutic potential in humans. Ongoing in vivo studies will assess whether this class of molecules has promising in vivo efficacy and safety profiles.
ATPase activity of the DEAD-box protein Dhh1 controls processing body formation

Translational repression and mRNA degradation are critical mechanisms of posttranscriptional gene regulation that help cells respond to internal and external cues. In response to certain stress conditions, many mRNA decay factors are enriched in processing bodies (PBs), cellular structures involved in degradation and/or storage of mRNAs. Yet, how cells regulate assembly and disassembly of PBs remains poorly understood. Here, we show that in budding yeast, mutations in the DEAD-box ATPase Dhh1 that prevent ATP hydrolysis, or that affect the interaction between Dhh1 and Not1, the central scaffold of the CCR4-NOT complex and an activator of the Dhh1 ATPase, prevent PB disassembly in vivo. Intriguingly, this process can be recapitulated in vitro, since recombinant Dhh1 and RNA, in the presence of ATP, phase-separate into liquid droplets that rapidly dissolve upon addition of Not1. Our results identify the ATPase activity of Dhh1 as a critical regulator of PB formation. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.18746. 001
An Inverse Problem for Maxwell's Equations in Bi-isotropic Media

In this paper, we consider Maxwell's equations in a bi-isotropic and inhomogeneous medium. We discuss an inverse problem of determining the coefficients $\varepsilon$, $\zeta$, $\mu$ in the constitutive relations from a finite number of interior measurements. We prove a Lipschitz stability estimate for the inverse problem by applying the argument on the basis of Carleman estimate.
Contrast-enhanced ultrasonographic findings in three dogs with lung lobe torsion

Lung lobe torsion is rare but life-threatening condition in the dog. Thoracic radiographs and conventional ultrasonography cannot be conclusive for the diagnosis, and computed tomography is useful but is limited by cost and availability. This report describes the findings of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in 3 dogs with lung lobe torsion. Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography showed the absence or reduction of pulmonary vascularization secondary to twisting of the lung lobe around its bronchovascular pedicle in all three dogs. Moreover, contrast-enhanced ultrasonography distinguished partial pulmonary atelectasis from a lung lobe torsion. These preliminary results suggest that contrast-enhanced ultrasonography can improve the accuracy of conventional ultrasonography for detection of pulmonary blood flow compromise in dogs with lung lobe torsion.
State-Space Analysis of Granger-Geweke Causality Measures with Application to fMRI

Abstract The recent interest in the dynamics of networks and the advent, across a range of applications, of measuring modalities that operate on different temporal scales have put the spotlight on some significant gaps in the theory of multivariate time series. Fundamental to the description of network dynamics is the direction of interaction between nodes, accompanied by a measure of the strength of such interactions. Granger causality and its associated frequency domain strength measures (GEMs) (due to Geweke) provide a framework for the formulation and analysis of these issues. In pursuing this setup, three significant unresolved issues emerge. First, computing GEMs involves computing submodels of vector time series models, for which reliable methods do not exist. Second, the impact of filtering on GEMs has never been definitively established. Third, the impact of downsampling on GEMs has never been established. In this work, using state-space methods, we resolve all these issues and illustrate the results with some simulations. Our analysis is motivated by some problems in (fMRI) brain imaging, to which we apply it, but it is of general applicability.
Comparison of peripheral arterial tonometry and flow-mediated vasodilation for assessment of the severity and complexity of coronary artery disease

ObjectiveNoninvasive flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD) is a widely used method to assess endothelial function, but its technical difficulty and problems remain obstacles for use in clinical practice. Reactive hyperemia-peripheral arterial tonometry (RH-PAT) was developed as a simpler and more reproducible method. We compared FMD and RH-PAT in patients with stable angina. Furthermore, the differences in these two techniques according to coronary artery disease (CAD) severity and complexity were also assessed. Materials and methodsWe consecutively enrolled 80 patients who underwent elective coronary angiography. Endothelial function was assessed before angiography using brachial artery FMD and RH-PAT. The complexity and extent of the coronary lesions were assessed angiographically. The extent of CAD was defined as the number of diseased coronary arteries (>70%) and complexity of CAD was assessed by the SYNTAX score algorithm. ResultsIn the overall study group (61±9 years, 57% men), the mean FMD was 8.5±5.1% and the mean reactive hyperemia index (RHI) measured by RH-PAT was 1.7±0.4. A significant correlation was observed between FMD and RHI irrespective of sex, diabetes, or presence of CAD. FMD and RHI were significantly lower in patients with multivessel and complex CAD. A receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that both techniques were comparable in terms of predicting the presence of CAD and complexity. ConclusionAssessment of RH-PAT could be a less operator-dependent and noninvasive method of evaluating vascular endothelial function in patients with stable angina.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FINANCIAL IMPACT AND COVERAGE OF DRUGS IN AUSTRALIA

Objectives: The aim of this study was to estimate the relationship between the financial impact of a new drug and the recommendation for reimbursement by the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC). Methods: Data in the PBAC summary database were abstracted for decisions made between July 2005 and November 2009. Financial impact—the upper bound of the values presented in the PBAC summary database—was categorized as ≤A$0, >A$0 up to A$10 million, A$10 million up to A$30 million, and >A$30 million per year. Descriptive, logistic, survival, and recursive partitioning decision analyses were used to estimate the relationship between the financial impact of a new drug indication and the recommendation for reimbursement. Multivariable analyses controlled for other clinical and economic variables, including cost per quality-adjusted life-year gained. Results: Financial impact was a significant predictor of the recommendation for reimbursement. In the logistic analysis, the odds ratios of reimbursement for drug submissions with financial impacts ≥A$10 million to ≥A$30 million or >A$0 to <A$10 million compared with ≤A$0 were 0.12 (95 percent confidence interval [CI]: 0.03–0.51) and 0.16 (95 percent CI: 0.04–0.60), respectively. In the recursive partition decision analysis, the first split of the data was for submissions with a positive financial impact compared with those with a zero or negative financial impact. Conclusions: In Australia, financial impact on the drug budget is an important determinant of whether a new drug is recommended for reimbursement when cost-effectiveness estimates and other clinical and economic variables are controlled.
Dosimetric verification of pre-treatment intensity modulated radiation therapy in the commissioning process

Background: Commissioning tests are recommended before implementing Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy. This study evaluated five different plans of IMRT mocks for different modulation indices. Materials and Methods: IMRT tests were done in slab phantom for both 6MV and 15 MV photon energies using a 2D array ion chamber dosimeter. Results: The acceptance criteria were based on 3 /3mm. All tests passed the gamma criteria except for the prostate test with 15 MV photon beams and C shape test for both 6 MV and 15 MV energies. The Ratio passing points for Multi target test in 6 MV and 15 MV plans were 93.1 and 91.5, respectively. The results of the prostate tests with 3/3mm was 92.3 for 6MV and 91.2 for 15 MV in 4/4 mm tolerance limit. For Head and Neck test with the same gamma criteria, the percentages of the points were 93.2 and 94 for 6 MV and 15 MV plans, respectively. For C shape tests, the used gamma criteria were 4/ 4 mm. The ratio passing points were 94.9 and 94.3 for 6MV and 15MV plans, respectively. However, C shape hard test could not pass the gamma criteria of 4/ 4mm for 6MV. Conclusion: results showed that by increasing the complexity of the IMRT plan, the verification test must be done in a more strict-manner, because a small change in dose delivery can cause a large discrepancy between planned and real dosimetry and may produce hot spots in organs or a cold spot in the target volume. 2018 © Novin Medical Radiation Institute. All Rights Reserved.
Echocardiographic assessment of early circulatory status in preterm infants with suspected intrauterine infection

Objective: To assess early circulatory status in very low birthweight (VLBW) infants with suspected intrauterine infections. Patients: Thirteen VLBW infants who were diagnosed with prenatal infections because of raised serum IgM at birth (infectious group), and 39 infants matched for gestational age and birth weight (control group). Methods: Echocardiographic assessments were performed consecutively from birth to day 28 in all VLBW infants. Left ventricular output (LVO) and left ventricular stroke volume (LVSV) were measured using Doppler echocardiography. Pulsed Doppler assessment of pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) was performed using the corrected ratio of the pulmonary artery acceleration time to the right ventricular ejection time (AT/RVET(c)). Blood flow in the superior mesenteric artery (SMA) was also evaluated by Doppler ultrasound. Results: Mean LVO and LVSV were both significantly higher in the infectious group than in the control group at 12 hours (LVO; 188 v 154 ml/kg/min) and 72 hours (LVO; 216 v 173 ml/kg/min) of life. Pulsed Doppler assessment of PAP showed that mean AT/RVET(c) values were significantly lower in the infectious group than in the control group at 48 hours, 96 hours, day 14, and day 28. In the analysis of SMA flow velocities, both peak systolic velocities and time averaged velocities had decreased significantly in the infectious group compared with the control group at 24 hours, 36 hours, 96 hours, and day 28. Conclusions: VLBW infants with suspected prenatal infection showed a unique circulation status, namely high cardiac output, latency of high PAP, and low organ flow.
Ranking Convolutional Recurrent Neural Networks for Purchase Stage Identification on Imbalanced Twitter Data

Users often use social media to share their interest in products. We propose to identify purchase stages from Twitter data following the AIDA model (Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action). In particular, we define the task of classifying the purchase stage of each tweet in a user’s tweet sequence. We introduce RCRNN, a Ranking Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network which computes tweet representations using convolution over word embeddings and models a tweet sequence with gated recurrent units. Also, we consider various methods to cope with the imbalanced label distribution in our data and show that a ranking layer outperforms class weights.
On the tightness of Marton's regions for semi-additive broadcast channels

We study cost constrained side-information channels, where the cost function depends on a state which is known only to the encoder. In the additive noise case, we bound the capacity loss due to not knowing the cost state at the decoder and show that it is small under various assumptions, and goes to zero in the limit of weak noise. This model plays an important role in the (non-degraded) broadcast channel. In the semi-additive noise case, we bound the gap between the best known single letter achievable region and the true capacity region, using tools developed for the first problem. In the limit of weak noise, we show that the bounds coincide, thus we get the complete characterization of the capacity region.
Review of seasonal influenza in Canada: Burden of disease and the cost-effectiveness of quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccines

ABSTRACT In the 2015/16 influenza season, the Canadian National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommended vaccination with quadrivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (QIV) for infants aged 6–23 months and trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (TIVs) or QIVs in adults. The objective of this review (GSK study identifier: HO-13-14054) is to examine the epidemiology and disease burden of influenza in Canada and the economic benefits of vaccination. To inform this review, we performed a systematic literature search of relevant Canadian literature and National surveillance data. Influenza B viruses from phylogenetically-distinct lineages (B/Yamagata and B/Victoria) co-circulate in Canada, and are an important cause of influenza complications. Modeling studies, including those postdating the search suggest that switching from TIV to QIV in Canada reduces the burden of influenza and would likely be cost-effective. However, more robust real-world outcomes data is required to inform health policy decision makers on appropriate influenza vaccination strategies for Canada.
Glutathione peroxidase is not a functional marker of selenium status in the neonatal period.

BACKGROUND The antioxidant enzyme glutathione peroxidase is a selenoprotein that, in adults with low selenium intakes, has a strong linear relationship with blood selenium and hence is used as a functional indicator of selenium status. Our aim was to evaluate glutathione peroxidase as a functional marker of selenium status in preterm infants. METHODS Erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity and plasma and erythrocyte selenium were measured between days 1-5 and then weekly until discharge in 63 preterm infants with mean +/- standard error birth weight and gestation of 1572+/-60g and 30.7+/-0.3 weeks. A healthy reference group of term infants (n = 46) was assessed at day 5 and at 6 weeks. RESULTS In preterm infants, over the first 3 months, the association of glutathione peroxidase activity with erythrocyte selenium was weak and inconsistent and nonexistent with selenium intake or plasma selenium. No correlations between any of these indicators were evident for term infants. In preterm infants, plasma and erythrocyte selenium declined over the first 6 weeks (p < 0.01), while glutathione peroxidase activity increased (p < 0.05). In term infants, plasma selenium increased (p < 0.001), but there was no change in erythrocyte selenium or glutathione peroxidase activity. For preterm infants, glutathione peroxidase activities at weeks 4 and 6 were associated with maximum inspired oxygen concentration, ventilator pressure, and days of ventilation. CONCLUSIONS This data is consistent with animal and in vitro evidence that glutathione peroxidase may be confounded by oxygen. We conclude that erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase activity is not a reliable functional marker of preterm selenium status in the neonatal period.
Are Pheromones Key to Unlocking Cryptic Lizard Diversity?

Animals use mating traits to compete for, attract, and choose mates. Because mating traits influence mate choice, the divergence of mating traits between populations can result in reproductive isolation. This can occur without associated morphological divergence, producing reproductively isolated cryptic species that are visually indistinguishable. Thus, identifying the mating traits in morphologically conservative groups is key to resolving diversity and speciation processes. Lizards contain many such groups, with phylogeographic studies often revealing highly divergent but morphologically cryptic lineages within species. Considering that cryptic lizard species can be sympatric but morphologically indistinguishable, we hypothesize that candidate species will exhibit divergent pheromones and that pheromones will have typically diverged more than morphology. To test this, we used gas chromatography to characterize pheromones (epidermal pore secretions) from 10 genetically divergent lineages of the Bynoe’s gecko (Heteronotia binoei) species complex in northern Australia. Multivariate analyses of pheromone blends and morphology indicate that pheromones are lineage specific and have diverged relatively more than morphology. Such specificity suggests that pheromones influence behavioral isolation in this morphologically conservative lizard radiation. These results suggest that pheromone data may unlock the tremendous cryptic diversity currently being uncovered in many lizard groups.
Expression of Stearoyl Co-enzyme A desaturase (SCD) gene during the juvenile age in layer chicken

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is key enzyme in the production of triglycerides and cholesterol. Present study was conducted to know the expression pattern of the Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) gene in liver during juvenile age (0 day, 14th day, 28th day and 42nd day) in layer birds. Expression of SCD gene increased from the day of hatch to 42nd day, as the body weight and fat deposition increased. The mRNA expression levels of SCD gene during day 0 was differed significantly (P less than 0.05) with expression levels during other juvenile ages. When compared with SCD expression levels on the day 0 expression levels were up-regulated by 8198.64, 7245.99 and 5587.77 folds over day 14, 28 and 42 respectively. Serum concentration of triglycerides and cholesterol were found to be proportional to the expression levels of SCD gene in liver. It is concluded that SCD expression varied among different age groups during juvenile stages and had significant association with serum triglycerides and cholesterol concentration in layer chicken.