Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blueberry inhibits LPS-induced murine microglia cell activation and cell death.

Microglia activation plays a pivotal role in varying stress conditions including oxidation, inflammation and certain neurodegenerative diseases. iNOS and PrxI are known to up regulate in LPS-activated microglia in vitro. Natural fruits including various berries containing both antioxidants and anti-inflammatory polyphenols may attenuate such stress conditions. We investigated the effects of blueberry extracts (BBE) on the LPS-activated stress related genes up regulation using BV-2 microglia cells in vitro. BV-2 cells were cultured in DMEM with 10% FBS, were pre-incubated with 50 µg/ml BBE for 0, 1 h and 12 h, and treated with 1µg/ml LPS for 24 h . The levels of mRNA and protein expression showed significant differences in iNOS and PrxI among the treatment groups. Hoechst and PI staining showed that BBE protects cells from activation induced death. Intracellular levels of ROS were increased by LPS stimulation over the level in the control cells whereas BBE treatment significantly lowered the LPS stimulated ROS levels at a time dependent manner. High expressions of iNOS and PrxI are indication of microglia activation and treatment with BBE in LPS-activated BV-2 cells cause down regulation of stress-related genes expression and protect the cells from over activation and death. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/bjvm.v10i1-2.15651
Bayesian Inference for Spatial Beta Generalized Linear Mixed Models

In some applications, the response variable assumes values in the unit interval. The standard linear regression model is not appropriate for modelling this type of data because the normality assumption is not met. Alternatively, the beta regression model has been introduced to analyze such observations. A beta distribution represents a flexible density family on (0, 1) interval that covers symmetric and skewed families. In this paper, a beta generalized linear mixed model with spatial random effect is proposed emphasizing on small values of the spatial range parameter and small sample sizes. Then some models with both fixed and varying precision parameter and different combinations of priors and sample sizes are discussed. Next, the Bayesian estimation of the model parameters is evaluated in an intensive simulation study. Selected priors improved the Bayesian estimation of the parameters, especially for small sample sizes and small values of range parameter. Finally, an application of the proposed model on data provided by Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) of Tehran city is presented.
Using Dictogloss Tasks: Attention to Form in a Collaborative Classroom Activity with Female Translation Students at King Saud University

This longitudinal study mainly attempted to investigate the effectiveness of one type of Focus on Form (FonF) language task (i.e. dictogloss) on female Translation university students’ grammatical competence. In general, since second language learners experience difficulties with grammatical tenses, these dictogloss tasks (which were developed by Wajnryb (1990) and preformed either with pairs or small groups) were utilized to find out whether their application lead to better performance on grammar tests, particularly in regard to verb tense accuracy. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of using the dictogloss task procedure on female Translation university students enrolled in Grammar (1) at the College of Languages and Translation (COLT), King Saud University (KSU), Riyadh. The study also aimed to survey participants' attitudes and perceptions toward the application of dictogloss tasks. The researcher applied a quasi-experimental design model and survey research. The findings of the study demonstrated that in general, there was no significant statistical difference in verb-tense performance between the three groups’ weekly test scores that were immediately administered after presenting dictogloss tasks, but most students, in both experimental groups, expressed satisfaction with the dictogloss task as a whole. It is recommended that future researchers investigate whether and to what extent FonF tasks, such as the dictogloss, are effective for the different proficiency levels for which they are intended to appropriately generalize the findings to other contexts and/or language skills, and identify how instruction and reinforcement can be best designed to promote second language learning.
A review of Chinese Cordyceps with special reference to Nepal, focusing on conservation

The Chinese caterpillar fungus, Ophiocordyceps sinensis (syn. Cordyceps sinensis) is an endemic species to alpine sub-meadow habitats of Nepal Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau. Owing to its crucial and elusive medicinal attributes and known rarity and availability in the high Himalayas, extraction and exploitation of this fungus has caused extreme biotic pressure on the Himalayan alpine meadows of Nepal. Changes in micro-climatic conditions, unprecedented collection intensity and profound economic dependence of rural communities certainly affect stages of the life-cycle of this fungus, which ultimately calls for sustainable resource management. Several studies strongly indicate that this fungus and its as yet unidentified relatives possess high amounts of potentially bioactive chemical compounds, endowing it with medicinal properties. These issues, together with its natural historical attributes, harvesting techniques, and an understanding of the genetic diversity and genesis of O. sinensis would provide important clues regarding its evolution as well as needed information for in situ and ex situ conservation of this fungus. Molecular analyses and the development of microsatellite markers would allow for the authentication of this medicinal fungus, differentiating it from several closely related Cordyceps species, thus preventing falsification and discouraging illicit trade and the marketing of available counterfeits. This review highlights the importance of this fungus through studies on its status, diversity, ecological niches, socio-economic, administrative and mycological perspectives, and practices that have been and should be performed for its effective sustainable management in the highly diverse Nepal Himalayas.
Vortex shedding from a circular cylinder near a moving ground

The flow and force characteristics have been experimentally investigated of a circular cylinder with an aspect ratio of 8.33, with and without end-plates, placed near and parallel to a moving ground, on which substantially no boundary layer developed to interfere with the cylinder. Mean drag and lift measurements, surface oil flow visualization, and particle image velocimetry (PIV) measurements were carried out at two upper-subcritical Reynolds numbers of 0.4 and 1.0×105 (based on the cylinder diameter d) to investigate the mechanisms of the ground effect, i.e., the effect of the gap-to-diameter ratio h∕d, where h is the gap between the cylinder and the ground. For the cylinder with end-plates, on which the oil flow patterns were observed to be essentially two-dimensional, the drag rapidly decreased as h∕d decreased to less than 0.5 but became constant for h∕d of less than 0.35, unlike that usually observed near a fixed ground. This critical drag behavior was found to be directly related to a global chang.
Community composition, demographic change, and the impact of spatial proximity to disadvantage on violence and gang presence in New Jersey municipalities

COMMUNITY COMPOSITION, DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE, AND THE IMPACT OF SPATIAL PROXIMITY TO DISADVANTAGE ON VIOLENCE AND GANG PRESENCE IN NEW JERSEY MUNICIPALITIES by Brian Engelmann Neighborhood composition, change, and disadvantage have been shown to influence crime and gang presence in communities. There is a dearth of research, however, that explores whether spatial proximity to disadvantaged areas affects crime and gang presence in nearby locations. Through maps and spatial analysis, this study investigates how neighborhood demographics may vary and may have changed by community type in New Jersey municipalities. Through quantitative analysis and interviews with school and law enforcement officials, the study then analyzes how such community-based phenomena, coupled with proximity to disadvantaged areas, may affect crime, violence, and gang presence in towns and schools. Findings indicate that: (1) From 2000 to 2010, suburban and rural municipalities in New Jersey have experienced significant demographic changes, while urban areas remained relatively static; (2) neighborhoodand school-based characteristics are stronger predictors of crime, school violence, and gang presence than proximity to disadvantage; and (3) school administrators and law enforcement officials in four municipalities have noticed that community change and proximity to disadvantage tend to encourage the presence of gangs, gang wannabes, and urban culture there. The study points to the need for: (1) a clear set of strategies at federal, regional, and local levels to alleviate the deep concentration of poverty in urban neighborhoods; (2) the expansion of aid programs and specialized school services for increasing poor populations in suburban areas; (3) more extensive gang awareness training for educators and gang prevention programs for at-risk youth in suburban communities; and 4) the implementation of intensive, mixed-methods investigations into how demographic change, proximity to disadvantaged areas, school size, and transfer students affect gang-related behavior, urban culture, and violence among youth. COMMUNITY COMPOSITION, DEMOGRAPHIC CHANGE, AND THE IMPACT OF SPATIAL PROXIMITY TO DISADVANTAGE ON VIOLENCE AND GANG PRESENCE IN NEW JERSEY MUNICIPALITIES
Incidence and etiology of maxillofacial trauma: A retrospective analysis of patients attending a provincial hospital in northern Thailand

This study aimed to identify cumulative incidences, causes, severity reflected by extent of damage and treatment modalities of maxillofacial traumas in Thai patients attending Phichit Hospital in northern Thailand. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed all maxillofacial trauma cases pursuing treatment from October 2009 to January 2014 (4 years and 3 months). Cumulative incidence was estimated for each calendar year (2010-2013). Helmet use and alcoholic drinking statuses prior to injuries and causes of trauma were obtained from records of injury surveillance system. Maxillofacial traumas were diagnosed according to ICD-10. Diagnoses and treatments were provided by a specialized oral and maxillofacial surgeon. There were 210 incident cases in this study period. Annual incidences in 2010-2013 ranged between 6.4-10.4 per 100,000 populations. Most cases were males (161, 76.7%) and average age was 37.1±16.0 (range 8-78 years old). Causes of trauma were identified in 194 cases. There were 142 fracture cases from motorcycle accident. From 107 cases with identifiable statuses of helmet use prior to motorcycle accident, 89 cases (83.2%) did not wear helmet. About half of the cases with identifiable statuses of alcoholic drinking were found drinking prior to injuries. The most common treatment was open reduction and internal fixation with plate. Incidences of maxillofacial traumas in Phichit Province were exiguous. Nonetheless, severity was consid- erable as indicated by several multiple fracture cases and common treatment by open reduction. Hypothesis of motorcycle driving without helmet use as a cause of maxillofacial fractures was supported.
The extreme synchronicity of stellar ages of red galaxies in the JKCS 041 cluster at z = 2.2

Above redshift z ~ 1.4, we known little or nothing about the stellar ages of red galaxies in clusters, yet at these high redshifts important changes are predicted by current renditions of galaxy formation models embedded in the standard hierarchical paradigm of structure formation. Red-sequence galaxies in the cluster JKCS 041 at z = 2.2 show a tight distribution in colour that indicates a star formation history that is highly synchronized across galaxies. Specifically, we measure a spread in stellar age of 160 ± 30 Myr, in marked disagreement with the current understanding of how massive red galaxies form in clusters, i.e. if they are produced somewhat stochastically in merging episodes that sometimes involve gas, hence star formation. The existence of a tight distribution in colour when the universe was at one quarter of its current age implies that mechanisms that have not yet been implemented in current galaxy formation scenarios long ago began to shape the star formation history of red cluster galaxies.
Evidence on the Determinants of Innovation in a Sample of Spanish Firms

This paper provides empirical evidence on the determinants of firms’ R&D investment and innovation decisions by using an original sample of Spanish firms from all business sectors (industry and services). The sample is the result of a survey conducted in Spain in 2006-2007 and includes firm-level data on innovative and noninnovative firms. The main findings of the econometric analysis are twofold. First, very few firm characteristics turn out to be associated with self-declared innovative or non-innovative firms while several ones appear to be associated with firms investing in R&D. Second, the higher the export intensity, the higher the probability for a firm to invest in R&D and innovate.
Jabberwocky Parsing: Dependency Parsing with Lexical Noise

Parsing models have long beneﬁted from the use of lexical information, and indeed current state-of-the art neural network models for dependency parsing achieve substantial improvements by beneﬁting from distributed representations of lexical information. At the same time, humans can easily parse sentences with unknown or even novel words, as in Lewis Carroll’s poem Jabberwocky . In this paper, we carry out jabberwocky parsing experiments, exploring how robust a state-of-the-art neural network parser is to the absence of lexical information. We ﬁnd that current parsing models, at least under usual training regimens, are in fact overly dependent on lexical information, and perform badly in the jab-berwocky context. We also demonstrate that the technique of word dropout drastically improves parsing robustness in this setting, and also leads to signiﬁcant improvements in out-of-domain parsing.
EVALUATION OF BANK PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND PROPOSES A COMMON MEASURE FOR COMMERCIAL BANKS IN THE EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY (EAC) COUNTRIES

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to Evaluate bank performance measures and proposes a common measure for commercial banks in the East African Community (EAC) countries Methodology: The study used cross country data analysis of 100 commercial banks and collected secondary data from annual published audited financial statements for the period 1997-2011 Results: The results indicate that the OPM which combines productivity and profitability captured a high percentage of similar banks when the top 20 commercial banks were ranked; 80% for return on assets, 60% for profit margin and 55% for net interest margin. Policy recommendation : The study recommended that OPM will enable central banks to assess the performance levels of banks and be able to detect those that are underperforming and take corrective measures to either improve productivity, profitability or both. For policy makers in the EAC secretariat, the measure will enable comparison on the performance of banks in East Africa for subsequent integration to the monetary union.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practice about Malaria in Maji District, Bench Maji Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

Background: Poor or lack of insecticide treated net (ITN) use as malaria preventive behaviour is one of the obstacles for the success of malaria prevention and control program. Therefore, Current information on insecticide treated net use as malaria preventive behaviour and its predictors are vital for malaria prevention and control program. Objective: To identify determinants of insecticide treated net use as malaria preventive behaviour among households in Maji district, Bench Maji Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. Methodology: Community based cross-sectional quantitative study supplemented by qualitative study was conducted from March ¬15 to 30/2015 in Maji district, Bench Maji Zone of South Nation and Nationality People Regional State (SNNPR). A total of 770 selected household heads were involved in the study. Data was collected through face to face interview technique by trained data collectors. Data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 statistical package. Multiple logistic regressions analysis was used to identify the independent predictors of insecticide treated net use as malaria preventive behaviour. Odds ratio, with 95% confidence level and P<0.05 were used to determine statistically significant association. Result: A total of 770 (91%) participants were actually involved in the study. Of the total study participants, 76.5% were males and 23.5% were females. Forty point eight percent, 40.8% of study participants were ITN users in night before data collection. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that ITN use had association with ever had malaria: OR=5.94 (0.545-0.64), Perceived susceptibility to malaria: OR=3.47 (1.92-6.26), perceived benefit of using ITN: OR=1.06 (1.02-1.106) and knowledge on malaria: OR 3.25(1.6-6.2). Conclusion and recommendation: This study had revealed that ITN use was low in Maji district. Existing efforts should be revised specifically for its effect on individual perception of ITN use. The research calls for the need to strength the health education and behaviour change activities.
Stock Market and Tax Revenue Collection in Malaysia: Evidence from Cointegration and Causality Tests

This study empirically examined the relationship between stock market performance and taxation in Malaysia over the period 1980 to 2008. The Gregory Hansen methodology was utilized to examine which tax collected by Malaysiaâ€™s Government most impacted stock market performance in Malaysia. The results show that stock market performance contributes most to the changes in company tax revenue as compared to personal taxes and real property gain taxes. In addition, the analysis detects a significance break, which impacts the nature of the relationship between variables. This finding indicates that stock market performance in Malaysia was influenced by strong growth of company tax revenue collection. Thus, fiscal policy authorities in Malaysia should enhance efforts to promote stock market activities, which will subsequently increase the tax revenue collection.
FIRST LIZARD REMAINS (TEIIDAE) FROM THE MIOCENE OF BRAZIL (SOLIMÕES FORMATION)

The South American Teiidae fossil record is restricted to the Cenozoic, and the most conspicuous remains were found in Early to Late Miocene of Argentina and Middle Miocene of Colombia and Peru, all represented by Tupinambinae lizards. Here, we describe a right fragmentary dentary and one dorsal vertebra collected in the Solimoes Formation at the Talisma locality, situated on the Purus River, in the southwestern Brazilian Amazonia (Late Miocene). The material is tentatively conferred to the extinct genus Paradracaena. It represents the first record of lizards for the Neogene southwestern Brazilian Amazonia.
A Low Cost and Compact RF Switching System for Wearable Microwave Head Imaging with Performance Verification on Artificial Head Phantom

This study presents a low-cost, compact and lightweight radio frequency (RF) switching system for wearable head imaging applications. The proposed switching system is made from commercial off-the-shelf components. The switching system provides a wideband performance which covers operating frequency band from DC to 4 GHz. A low-power microcontroller is integrated with two RF switches as a control system. An array of 12 wideband monopole antennas were connected to the proposed switching circuit and its performance was evaluated using an artificial human head phantom. To verify the performance of the system, a haemorrhagic stroke was mimicked by placing a spherical target of 30 mm in diameter inside the fabricated head phantom. Two data acquisition methods were applied using the switching system. In the first method, the reflection coefficients of the antennas were collected for healthy and unhealthy brain injury cases. For the second method, the transmission coefficients of the antennas were collected by utilising four antennas in the array as transmitting antennas while the rest of the antennas act as receiving antennas. The authors demonstrate that the proposed compact switching system could be used for future real-time wearable detection systems embedded in various headgear products.
Hybrid Search Approach for Retrieving Medical and Health Science Knowledge from Quran

Keyword-based technique has low accuracy and always leads to wrong information retrieved. Therefore, many researchers implement semantic search to overcome the above problems. Many researchers have built different Quran ontology in various domains to facilitate the knowledge representation in the Quran. Nevertheless, there are many domain concepts mentioned in the Quran which are not yet covered, especially for the Medical and Health Science domain. Hence, this research presents the development of ontology for the Medical and Health Science domain in the Quran and implementation of ontology-based search method to answer related queries in the Quran. The development of ontology adopts the ontology 101 approach which later evaluated by Quran experts. Furthermore, a hybrid search tool was developed that encompassed semantic-based and keyword based technique to answer a user query. The search tool was evaluated using the Recall and Precision measurements, which shows high accuracy in retrieving the Medical and Health Science knowledge in the Quran. For future work, this research can be used as a reference and basis to answer user queries, data integration with other applications or existing ontology can be further expanded.
Effects of Impaired ATP Production and Glucose Sensitivity on Human β-Cell Function: A Simulation Study

In this paper we used a mathematical model to explore the eects of impaired ATP production and glucose sensitivity on the electrical response and insulin secretion of human -cells. The model was extended by the addition of explicit empirical equations that describe recent experimental observations, namely, the increase of ATP as a function of glucose concentration and the oscillations in ATP at high glucose levels. Simulations were performed at selected glucose concentrations from an oral glucose tolerance test in normal subjects to evaluate the response of the human -cell in normal and pathological scenarios. Our simulations reproduced experimental observations, such as the impaired insulin secretion as a consequence of -cell dysfunction and restoration of electrical activity by the use of a sulfonylurea. Our results suggest that both reduced glucose sensitivity and impaired ATP production could be related to the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes.
Effectiveness of Abstract Vs. Concrete Challenge Strategies in Response to the Competitive Threat of Extensions From Mega Brands

This research investigates the competitive evaluation of extensions of mega brands (i.e., multi-category brands characterized by a predominance of abstract associations) relative to typical exemplar brands (i.e., a primarily single category brand characterized mainly by concrete attribute associations) that are firmly entrenched in far categories. Using the literatures on brand typicality and the alignment and adjustment model as theoretical underpinnings, this research also tested the efficacy of four abstract and two concrete attribute-based competitive defensive strategies. The findings of three lab experiments employing real brands suggest that exemplar competitor brands hold a slight competitive advantage over mega extensions which none of the abstract strategies could weaken. The only successful defense strategy was when the exemplar competitor brand explicitly provided competitively superior concrete attribute information.