Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of fermentation strategies for ethanol production from pretreated brewers spent grain

Brewers spent grain (BSG) is an important co-product derived from beer making process with limited practical applications. The bioconversion into ethanol of this renewable resource can be interesting because of its carbohydrate content. Untreated brewers spent grain contains 20.5 % glucans and 25 % hemicellulose, mainly xylose and arabinose. This work focuses on the bioethanol production from this feedstock after phosphoric acid pretreatment at previously determined optimal conditions. The sequential and simultaneous process configurations for saccharification and fermentation were compared at different solid loadings, 5 %, 10 % and 15 % (w/v). In the sequential process, the enzymatic hydrolysis showed good performance. The cellulose saccharification was almost complete even when the enzymatic hydrolysis was performed at the highest solid loading (15 % w/v). The final ethanol concentrations and yields did not differ significantly between both process configurations tested at 5% and 10% solid loading. However, at the highest solid loading the separate process appears to be more favourable. Thus, the best results were achieved when the pretreated BSG was saccharified and fermented by a sequential process with maximum bioethanol production of 22.5 g/L. This ethanol concentration corresponds to a yield of 37 g ethanol/100 g glucose in pretreated BSG and 72 % of the theoretical ethanol yield. Acknowledgments Financial support received from Universidad de Jaén (project UJA2015/07/21).
Efficacy observation of radiotherapeutic plans developed according to prognostic factors of brain metastases

This study aimed to assess the efficacies of different radiotherapeutic plans for brain metastases (BM). A total of 110 patients with BM treated from January 2008 to December 2012 were retrospectively included, and divided into the standard group (n=57) and the auxo-dose group (n=53) according to their Karnofsky scores (KPS) and extracranial lesions. The standard group underwent whole brain radiotherapy with 30 Gy in 10 doses over 2 weeks, while the auxo-dose group received an increased local boost dose compared to the standard group, according to the number and invasiveness of the metastases. The follow-up lasted 2 years to observe the effect of local auxo-dosage on the prognosis of BM. The median survival time (17 months vs. 5 months), 1-year survival rate (69.8% vs. 33.3%), and 2-year survival rate (41.5% vs. 0) of the auxo-dose group were higher than those of the standard group. The 1- year complete remission (42.5% vs. 13.3%) and 1-year partial remission (48.8% vs. 6.7%) rates of BM in the auxo-dose group were higher than that in the standard group; 48 patients of the auxo-dose group died, with the main cause being extracranial tumor (60.4%, 29/48). All patients of the standard group died during the observation period, with the main cause as intracranial tumor (42.1%, 24/57). All of the above comparisons were significant (P<0.05). Compared with standardized whole-brain radiation therapy, radiotherapy with an additional local dose improved remission rates while reducing the longterm mortality of BM.
Formulation Development of Metoprolol Succinate Controlled Release Tablets using Ethyl-cellulose-polyvinyl-pyrrolidone Coating

It is challenging to develop a controlled release (CR) formulation for a freely water soluble drug molecule without using rate controlling polymers in the core matrix. This study is aimed to develop and evaluate cost-effective ethyl cellulose (EC)-polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) film coating that can effectively control the release of freely water soluble drug, metoprolol succinate (MS) and to match that of release profile with its marketed tablet. Simple core tables of MS were compressed and coated with a solution composed of hydrophobic rate controlling polymer, EC and water soluble pore forming polymer, PVP. The effect of formulation parameters such as the ratio of EC to PVP and tablet coating weight gain on the in-vitro drug release were evaluated. Release profile of the optimized formulation at different pH conditions was determined and the similarity factor (f2) with marketed release profile was calculated.It was observed that drug release rate increased with a decrease in the ratio of ethyl cellulose to PVP and decreased with increased weight gain of the coating membrane. Among all the formulations, the formulation with EC and PVP at a ratio of 60:40 %w/w and 9% weight gain showed matching release profile to marketed tablet with f2 value of 72.25. The optimized formulation showed pH independent in-vitro release. This study successfully demonstrated that EC-PVP film coating can effectively control the release rate of freely soluble drugs. Once a day CR formulation of metoprolol succinate pharmaceutically equivalent to marketed tablet was developed.
Water Absorption of Chitosan, Collagen and Chitosan/Collagen Blend Membranes Exposed to Gamma-ray Irradiation

TThis study investigated the water absorption of chitosan, collagen, and chitosan/collagen blend membranes exposed to gamma-ray irradiation. These membranes were produced via the solvent evaporation method. All membranes then underwent irradiation at 15 or 25 kGy gamma-ray doses, while membranes without irradiation were used as controls. After immersing the membranes in distilled water for up to 180 min, water absorption was determined by calculating the percentage weight increase. The results showed changes in the water absorption curves with differing membranes and irradiation doses. However, after 60 min, all of the water absorption curves plateaued. With respect to membrane type, chitosan membranes exhibited the highest water absorption, the blend displayed the lowest, and collagen was in the mid range. With the use of higher radiation doses, chitosan membranes displayed lower water absorption, which was also true of the blend but not collagen membranes. To conclude, the water absorption of chitosan, collagen, and chitosan/collagen blend membranes with and without gamma-ray irradiation initially increased steadily and then plateaued. The water absorption values of the irradiated blend membranes were the lowest; however, the values were relatively steady.
Oyster (Crassostrea virginica [Gmelin, 1791]) Mortality at Prolonged Exposures to High Temperature and Low Salinity

ABSTRACT Mortality of two size classes (<35 and >35 mm) of eastern oysters Crassostrea virginica when exposed to combinations of low salinity (1, 2, 3, and 4) for extended periods (up to 30 days) at summer water temperatures typical of the Virginia Chesapeake Bay subestuaries was examined. A critical salinity-temperature combination of less than two at greater than 28°C for more than 1 wk exposure for oyster mortality is suggested. A review of limited historical salinity-temperature tolerance data suggest selection of local populations of oysters having differing salinity tolerances. Such selection may prove critical to persistence of low-salinity populations in the Chesapeake Bay subestuaries with projected climate change.
Impacts on wave-driven harbour agitation due to climate change in Catalan ports

Abstract. The objective of the present work is to analyse how changes in wave patterns due to the effect of climate change can affect harbour agitation (oscillations within the port due to wind waves). The study focuses on 13 harbours located on the Catalan coast (NW Mediterranean) using a methodology with general applicability. To obtain the patterns of agitation, a Boussinesq-type model is used, which is forced at the boundaries by present/future offshore wave conditions extracted from recently developed high-resolution wave projections in the NW Mediterranean. These wave projections were obtained with the SWAN model forced by present/future surface wind fields projected, respectively, by five different combinations of global and regional circulation models (GCMs and RCMs) for the A1B scenario. The results show a general slight reduction in the annual average agitation for most of the ports, except for the northernmost and southernmost areas of the region, where a slight increase is obtained. A seasonal analysis reveals that the tendency to decrease is accentuated in winter. However, the inter-model variability is large for both the winter and the annual analysis. Conversely, a general increase with a larger agreement among models is found during summer, which is the period with greater activity in most of the studied ports (marinas). A qualitative assessment of the factors of variability seems to indicate that the choice of GCM tends to affect the spatial pattern, whereas the choice of RCM induces a more homogeneous bias over the regional domain.
Comparison of Ketamine versus Fentanyl as an adjuvant with Propofol for inserting Laryngeal Mask Airway

Materials and Methods: 120 adult, ASA 1 and 2 patients were randomly allocated into two groups, propofol-ketamine (PK) and propofol-fentanyl (PF), (n=60 in each group) Baseline parametersoxygen saturation (SpO2), Mean Blood Pressure (BP), Pulse Rate (PR) and End Tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2), were recorded following which 1μg/ kg Fentanyl to the PF group & 0.5 mg/kg Ketamine to the PK group was given intravenously. Induction was initiated with infusion of 1% Propofol @ 1mg/ kg/ min with a syringe pump to avoid apnea. Tolerance to jaw thrust was regarded as end point for LMA insertion. Statistical analysis done by Parametric and non parametric values were analyzed using student’s unpaired t-test and Mann Whitney’s U test respectively. Intragroup differences analyzed by one-way ANOVA with significance using Tukey’s method. The incidence of apnea was analyzed using Chisquare test. P<0.05 was considered significant. Results: There was a significant(P<0.05) fall in heart rate, the systolic, diastolic & mean arterial pressures, from baseline to LMA insertion in the propofol-fentanyl group when compared to propofol-ketamine group. No significant difference in the insertion conditions was noted between the two groups. None of the patients in either of the two groups had any significant adverse events. Conclusion: we conclude that propofol-ketamine preserves hemodynamic and ventilatory stability compared to propofolfentanyl, while providing similar LMA insertion conditions. Key Message: Infused Propofol ketamine combination can be a better alternative to Infused propofol fentanyl for induction and insertion of LMA in selected group of patients where maintenance of blood pressure and ventilation are utmost important during induction.
The Teaching Habits of Mind, Their Relationship To Positive Behavior of Social Studies Teachers in Lower Basic Stage In University District - The Capital (Amman)

The study aimed at finding out the relationship between teaching habits of mind and positive behavior among the teachers of social studies in the lower basic stage in the university district in the capital governorate (Amman). The sample of this study was composed of (60) teachers, both males and females, who were chosen by the Stratified Random Sample method. Descriptive correlation approach was conducted by the researcher in this study to answer the study questions. The researcher used the following statistical methods: Pearson correlation coefficient, arithmetic means, and three-way Anova and Manova (Analysis of variance & multivariate analysis of variance). The study found the following results: The social studies teachers of the lower basic stage have a mean for the teaching habits of mind and positive behavior aspects. And there is an existence of statistically significant positive correlation coefficients between the areas of the teaching habits of mind scale and the scale as a whole and the areas of positive behavior scale (positive personal behavior, positive academic behavior) and the scale as a whole. The study also pointed out that there are statistically significant differences attributed to the variable of experience, and for the benefit of experts who have more than 10 years of experience, and there were statistically significant differences in the areas of the teaching habits of mind scale attributed to the gender variable, and for the benefit of males in the impulsivity control level, thinking flexibly, creativity, perception, and innovation. As well as there were statistically significant differences in the teaching habits of mind and the positive behavior scale according to the variable of experience, and for the benefit of those with more than 10 years of experience. Moreover, there were statistically significant differences in the areas of positive behavior scale attributed to the gender variable and for the benefit of males from the study sample.
A Survey on the Radiation Protection Status among Radiology Staff

Introduction: Radiation exposure during radiological examination is a health concern, of which radiology professionals should be cognizant. We sought to evaluate the radiation protection knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) amongst radiology staff of hospitals across 10 provinces of Iran. Materials and Methods: For evaluating the level of radiation protection KAP, 553 radiology staff were enrolled. A 32-item questionnaire was designed to assess radiation protection KAP, the validity which was confirmed by members of the Medical Physics and Biostatistics departments. The questionnaire evaluated the respondents' knowledge, practice, and attitudes towards the basic principles of radiation protection, the necessity of using protective equipment, and their performance in the implementation of radiation protection recommendations. Results: We found no significant difference in the level of radiation protection KAP between male and female radiology staff and among those with different educational levels and ages (P>0.05). However, there was a significant association between radiation protection KAP and working experience, hospital size, and hospital type (P 0.05). Conclusion: Our results showed that the level of radiation protection KAP among radiology staff is inadequate. This might be due to the lack of ongoing training courses concerning protection against ionizing radiation. Thus, sustained training of radiation protection principles can promote KAP among the staff of radiology departments, and in turn, reduce public dose from medical diagnostic modalities.
Prática de atividade física entre estudantes de graduação em enfermagem

OBJECTIVE: To compare physical activity practice among undergraduate students in nursing freshmen and in nursing seniors. METHODS: Cross-sectional study conducted with a sample of 154 students. The research instruments were a questionnaire with sociodemographic and academic life and for the data on physical activity practice we used the international physical activity questionnaire. For data analysis, we used descriptive statistics and for bivariate analysis Pearson chi-square test, Fisher exact test. RESULTS: We identified a predominance of female freshmen aged 20 to 24 years old, who were also single. Sedentarism were predominantly. There was statistically significant difference for sitting time and year of enrollment (p = 0.010). CONCLUSION: Sedentarism was predominant in the groups of freshmen and senior students. There was statistically significant difference for sitting time and year of enrollment, with higher percentage for freshmen.
The Effects of a Computer-Assisted Teaching Material, Designed According to the ASSURE Instructional Design and the ARCS Model of Motivation, on Students' Achievement Levels in a Mathematics Lesson and Their Resulting Attitudes.

This study examined the effects that computer-assisted instruction had on students‘ attitudes toward a mathematics lesson and toward learning mathematics with computer-assisted instruction. The computer software we used was based on the ASSURE Instructional Systems Design and the ARCS Model of Motivation, and the software was designed to teach fractions to fourth-grade students. The skill levels of these students were gauged before and after receiving the computer-assisted instruction. We structured our experimental design to use one group for both preand post-tests, which is considered to be one of the weak experimental designs. We conducted our research with 28 students studying in Balikesir, Turkey, for a period of six weeks, using the specifically developed teaching material. We gathered our research data by applying an attitude scale to our mathematics lesson and to computer-assisted instruction. We also applied the Academic Achievement Test for Fractions Unit in Mathematics, a test we developed for our research. We analyzed our gathered data with the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test (n 0.05). Based on the research results, we believe that similar materials can also be used for instructing other topics of mathematics, and similar computer-assisted activities can be developed for other courses.
Isolation and antibiotic resistance pattern of vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus fascium strains in clinical samples in Tabriz hospitals.

Background: In recent decades, Enterococci have been identified as an important pathogen. Resistance of these bacteria to antibiotics causes major problems in the therapeutic process. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the antibiotic resistance pattern of Enterococcus fascium strain in clinical samples. Methods: In this research, 219 samples of Enterococci from clinical specimens including: Blood and urine were studied in Tabriz hospitals. All strains were identified by standard and bacteriological tests, and then antibiotic resistance patterns of bacteria isolated by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method were performed. Also, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by E-Test method. Results: Of 219 strains of Enterococcus, 86 (39.26%) strains belong to the species of E. fascium. The highest resistance to antibiotics was tetracycline (83.7%) and erythromycin (65.1%), and lowest compared to linezolid (0%) and teicoplanin (18.6%). Based on the E-Test, 29 (33.7%) sample was resistant to vancomycin. Conclusion: Considering the increasing number of infectious diseases caused by resistant strains of Enterococcus genus and its dissemination in the hospital environment, it is very necessary to use infection control measures to eliminate the potential sources of infection and prevent it from developing.
Utilization of stored energy reserves during fasting varies by age and season in Steller sea lions

Nine captive Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776), 1.75-6 years of age) were fasted for 7- 14 d to test the effect of short-term fasting on changes in body mass and body condition. Trials were repeated during both the summer breeding season and the nonbreeding season in seven animals to elucidate whether there was a seasonal com- ponent to the ability of Steller sea lions to adapt to limited food resources. Mean percent mass loss per day was higher during the breeding season in juveniles (1.8% ± 0.2%d -1 ) than in subadults (1.2% ± 0.1%d -1 ), but there were no signifi- cant age-related differences during the nonbreeding season (juveniles, 1.5% ± 0.3%d -1 ; subadults, 1.7% ± 0.3%d -1 ). A decrease in the rate of mass loss occurred after the first 3 d of fasting only in subadults during the breeding season. Per- cent total body lipid ranged from 11% to 28% of total body mass at the initiation of fasting trials. Animals with lower ini- tial percent total body lipid exhibited higher subsequent rates of mass loss and a lower percentage of tissue catabolism derived from lipid reserves. There was no evidence of metabolic adaptation to fasting in juveniles, which suggests that ju- venile sea lions would be more negatively impacted by food limitation during the breeding season than would subadults. Resume´ : Neuf lions de mer de Steller (Eumetopias jubatus (Schreber, 1776), ages de 1,75-6 ans) ont etesoumis aun jeune de 7 a 14 j afin de verifier l'effet d'un jeune de courte duree sur les changements de masse et de condition corpo- relles. Nous avons repris les experiences a la fois durant la saison de reproduction et durant la periode non reproductive chez sept animaux afin de voir s'il y avait une composante saisonniere al'aptitude des lions de mer de Steller de s'adapter ades ressources alimentaires reduites. La perte moyenne de masse en pourcentage par jour est plus importante durant la saison de reproduction chez les jeunes (1,8 % ± 0,2 %j -1 ) que chez les subadultes (1,2 % ± 0,1 %j -1 ), mais il n'y a pas de difference significative en fonction de l'age durant la periode non reproductive (jeunes 1,5 % ± 0,2 %j -1 ; subadultes 1,7 % ± 0,3 %j -1 ). Une diminution du taux de perte de masse se produit apres les 3 premiers jours de jeune, mais seule- ment chez les subadultes durant la saison de reproduction. Le pourcentage des lipides corporels totaux variait de 11 % a ` 28 % de la masse corporelle totale au debut des experiences de jeune. Les animaux ayant un lipide corporel total initial plus faible ont subi des taux subsequents de perte de masse plus importants et ont connu un pourcentage plus faible de ca- tabolisme tissulaire derivedes reserves de lipides. Il n'y a aucune indication d'une adaptation metabolique des jeunes au jeune, ce qui indique que les jeunes lions de mer subiraient un impact negatif plus important lors d'une penurie de nourri- ture durant BS que les subadultes. (Traduit par la Redaction)
Surprisingly Easy Hard-Attention for Sequence to Sequence Learning

In this paper we show that a simple beam approximation of the joint distribution between attention and output is an easy, accurate, and efficient attention mechanism for sequence to sequence learning. The method combines the advantage of sharp focus in hard attention and the implementation ease of soft attention. On five translation tasks we show effortless and consistent gains in BLEU compared to existing attention mechanisms.
‘Poverty, Equity and Growth in Developing and Transition Countries: Statistical Methods and Empirical Analysis’

Credit rating agencies are frequently criticized for producing biased sovereign ratings. This article discusses how the home country of rating agencies could affect rating decisions as a result of political economy influences and cultural distance. Using data from nine agencies based in six countries, we test whether agencies assign better ratings to their home countries, as well as to countries economically, geopolitically and culturally aligned with them. Our results show biases in favor of the respective home country, culturally more similar countries, and countries in which home‐country banks have a larger risk exposure. Linguistic similarity seems to be the main transmission channel that explains the advantage of the home country. JEL classification: G24, F34, H63, F65, G15