Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antitrypanosomal Potentials of Ethanolic Leaf Extracts of Punica granatum against Trypanosoma brucei brucei Infection

The current treatment regimens based on chemotherapy for Human African Trypanosomiasis and Animal Trypanosomosis are limited, and are not ideal as they are often associated with severe side effects. The emergence of drug resistant parasites presents an additional and major problem. The urgent need for the development of new, cheap, safe, and easy-to-administer compounds for the treatment of these infectious diseases prompted this study. Three doses (20mg/kg, 40mg/kg,80mg/kg) of ethanolic extracts of the leaves of Punica granatum were screened for trypanocidal activity against Trypanosoma brucei bruce in Balb Strain Albino mice. Parasitaemia and disappearance of clinical signs were used as parameters to monitor the efficacy of the extracts using the rapid matching method. Packed cell volume and weights of the mice were determined before and after treatment with extracts. Packed cell volume and Weight improved significantly (p<0.05) in the group which was admnistered 40 mg/kg ethanol extract when compared to the negative group. The LD50 value calculated for intra-peritoneal route of administration was 90mg/kg. The findings are indicative of the trypanocidal potential of Punica granatum in the management of trypanosomosis. Keywords: Trypanosomosis, Trypanosoma brucei brucei , Trypanocidal activity, Punica granatum , Ethanol
Second response to the comments of the Reviewer 1

By using high concentrations of Be as an indicator, we clarify fast descent routes from within or near the stratosphere to Earth’s surface, with the study site being in Fukuoka, Japan. Most routes arise from high latitudes through the following processes. First, the descent associated with a tropopause fold occurs, followed by southward movement with slow descent at the rear side of a strong trough. Because this motion occurs along an isentropic surface, the descending air parcels 5 nearly conserve the potential temperature. As an extension, a strong descent associated with a sharp drop in the isentropic-surface height occurs at the southern edge of the trough; this transports air parcels to low altitudes. This process involves irreversible phenomena such as filamentation and cutoff of potential vorticity. Finally, upon meeting appropriate near-surface disturbances, parcels at low altitudes are transported to Earth’s surface. 10 In some cases, parcels descend within mid-latitudes. In such routes, because the potential temperature is much higher at high altitudes than at low altitudes, strong descent with conservation of the potential temperature is impossible, and the potential temperature decreases ::::: along ::: the :::::::::: trajectories. In these cases, the entire flow does not move downward; instead, only part of the flow in a diffluentwind field descends. When ::::::: Because : parcels descend, they push ::::::: pushing : low isentropic surfaces, and 15 their potential temperature decreases upon mixing with parcels having low potential temperature in the lower layers. The prevalence of the high-latitude route is explained as follows. In the mid-latitude route, because parcels at high and relatively low altitudes mix, the high concentrations of Be included in highaltitude parcels are difficult to maintain. Therefore, for parcels to arrive at low altitudes in the mid20 latitude while maintaining high concentrations of Be, i.e., conserving the potential temperature, their area of origin should be high altitudes in high latitudes where the potential temperature is almost the same as that in the arrival area. Moreover, the initial descent must occur, because parcels cannot descend in the stratosphere when moving from high to mid-latitudes; parcels must already have descended from the stratosphere to the troposphere in high latitudes for effective descent with 25 the movement to mid-latitudes.
Identifying the relationship between parents' and child's car attitudes: For long-term management of car ownership

Most research on individual car ownership decision have always asked an individual about their attitudes and norms. Mostly those questions are focused on perceived expectation of others instead of asking the significant others whether they do influence the individual him/herself. In this research, we explore whether the significant others, in this case, parents, influence the decision of students to buy a car or not. We collect data by finding sets of respondents which consist of father, mother and the child. All three answer questions on attitudes towards car ownership. In Japan, for the pilot study, we have collected 300 sets of respondents. We found that the parents’ car attitudes and the respect for their parents strongly influence the attitudes of the children. We also found that mother attitudes toward the car are overall less positive than those of the fathers. However, mother attitudes can explain the child’s attitude significantly better than father attitudes. This suggests that possibly influencing mothers’ attitudes will also influence the children in the long term. Other potential future work, is to compare attitudes of parents and possibly significant others in different countries. Since different context might have different social norms that influence person’s behavioral intention.
A Discussion of the Role of Complex Evolved Systems in the Development of Invasive Cardiovascular Interventions as Illustrated by the Blalock- Taussig Shunt and Intra-Arterial Stents

Scientific disciplines normally thought of as outside the sphere of medical science have experienced advances over the past twenty years that currently have profound implications for medical care and medical research. Evolutionary and developmental biology, complexity and chaos science, along with the Human Genome Project and spinoff projects, have dramatically altered our understanding of how the human body functions and what can be expected from research methods like animal modeling. In this article, I summarize these advances and examine one historical medical development, the Blalock-Taussig shunt, in order to ascertain whether historically accepted representations of this development are consistent with current knowledge. I also examine an ongoing technology-intra-arterial stent development-to compare human data to the known animal data and place this comparison in the context of the aforementioned advances.
The batch fractionation of Juniperus communis L. essential oil: Experimental study, mathematical simulation and process economy

The separation in a batch vacuum column of the essential oil of common juniper berries (Juniperus communis L., from the southern part of Serbia) was analyzed. The main goal of the analyzed separation process was to isolate several fractions from the essential oil which mainly contained α-pinene, sabinene and myrcene. These compounds contain about 65 mass% of the essential oil produced by hydrodistillation from the juniper berries originated from the southern part of Serbia. The results of experimental work in a laboratory column with 36 theoretical stages under vacuum (8.0-3.35 kPa) was simulated using Aspen software, and a proposed mathematical model was used to analyze some other operating conditions for fractionation of juniper berry’s oil (number of plates: 25, 36 and 45 and reflux ratio: 2-10). According to the results of performed simulations, the most acceptable separation procedure which takes into account the prices of raw materials and distillate (α-pinene) as well as consumed energy was proposed.
Genetic diversity of populations of an endangered medicinal plant species (Glycyrrhiza uralensis) in different environments of North China.

Glycyrrhiza uralensis is an endangered and national-protected medicinal plant species distributed in semi-arid and arid areas of North China. This study addresses the genetic diversity and relationship between populations in different habitats by amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). The plant materials consisted of 50 individuals from 5 different populating areas of Chifeng (Inner Mongolia), Hengjinqi (Inner Mongolia), Minqin (Ganshu), Aletai (Xinjiang) and Kashi (Xinjiang). Eight AFLP primer combinations generated a total of 1025 bands with 52.7% polymorphism. Unweighted pair group method based on arithmetic average (UPGMA) analysis was performed on Jaccard’s similarity coefficient matrix. According to results, the genetic resources and diversity in wild populations of G. uralensis were rich (polymorphism = 54.3%, He = 0.1932). The polymorphism among populations was Chifeng > Hangjinqi > Minqin > Aletai > Kashi and the genetic diversity varied from 0.1794 - 0.2061 and was in the order of Minqin > Chifeng > Hangjinqi > Aletai > Kashi. Genetic diversity was significantly correlated with annual mean precipitation and soil pH. Aletai and Kashi populations had close genetic relationship, and so Minqin and Chifeng populations. Conservational efforts have to be strengthened for all populations of the plant species in different habitats. Key words: Genetic characteristic, plant population, liquorice, semi-arid and arid area, biodiversity conservation.
Toxicological Assessment of Co-treatment with Rifampicin and Tenofovir on Serum Electrolytes and Kidney Histology of Albino Rats

Background: Tenofovir and rifampicin have been individually implicated in renal toxicity characterized by electrolytes imbalance; hence concurrent use in human immunodeficiency virus/tuberculosis co-infection might induced synergistic electrolytes imbalance and kidney damage. Objectives : This study comparatively evaluated the effects of treatment with tenofovir, rifampicin and a combination of tenofovir-rifampicin on serum electrolytes levels and kidney histology of male albino rats. Methodology: Healthy adult male albino rats used for this study were divided into five (5) groups of sixteen animals (16) each. Animals in group A (placebo control) were treated orally with water while animals in group B (solvent control) were treated orally with arachis oil. Animals in groups C-E were treated orally with 80mg/kg of rifampicin, 32 mg/kg of tenofovir and tenofovir-rifampicin combination for 1-8 weeks respectively. At the end of drug therapy the animals were sacrificed and blood samples collected. Serum was extracted from the blood samples and analyzed for chloride, sodium, calcium, potassium and bicarbonate levels. Animals were dissected, kidney collected and analyzed for histopathological changes. Results : Treatment with a combination of tenofovir-rifampicin for 1-8 weeks did not produce significant ( p> 0.05) time-dependent effects on serum electrolytes when compared to treatment using individual doses of these agents. Kidneys of animals treated with these agents showed tubular necrosis, collapsed glomerular and collection of fibrous material on bowman’s space. Discussion and Conclusion : Treatment with a combination of tenofovir-rifampicin did not produce synergistic effects on serum electrolytes and kidney damage. The use of tenofovir – rifampicin combination in human immunodeficiency virus/tuberculosis co-infection may not be associated with electrolytes imbalance and kidney damage considering the dose level used for this study. Keywords: Tenofovir, Rifampicin, Toxicity, Electrolytes, Kidney, Rats
Podcasting and its use in enhancing course content

Podcasting has recently seen rapid expansion as a means of delivering audio content to listeners. In this paper we report our experience with the use of podcasting as a means of delivering online recorded audio of classroom lectures to enhance the course materials. We achieved this with minimal institutional and infrastructure support in contrast to other such studies reported in the literature. We believe that podcasting will see rapid adoption in the higher education sector. Thus our experience sharing is intended to provide an example of how the new technology can be adopted in teaching and learning.
Competitive Capacity of Native Species From the Carajás National Forest, Brazil

The present research had the objective to use the factor analysis in the evaluation of the competitive capacity of three native species from the Carajás National Forest in competition with different plant densities of the Urochloa brizantha grass. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse and consisted in planting pots with the native species Bauhinia longipedicellata, Mimosa acutistipula and Solanum crinitum in competition with the exotic grass Urochloa brizantha. The exotic grass was established at densities ranging from 1 to 5 plants per pot, composing a 3 × 5 factorial arrangement with four replications that were delineated completely at random. Data were submitted to factor analysis for further analysis of variance and Tukey’s test at a 0.05 level of significance with the extracted factors. The effects of U. brizantha densities were evaluated by regression analysis. Out of the four extracted factors, three could be interpreted and were defined as vegetative growth index, infestation density index and physiological quality index. The Solanum crinitum species was slightly greater than the others in terms of vegetative growth rate and physiological quality. Generally speaking, native species maintain their vegetative growth in competitive conditions with up to two Urochloa brizantha plants; above that, the vegetative growth index tends to zero, while the infestation density index becomes positive.
The Effect of Crime on the Job Market: An ARDL approach to Argentina

This paper provides further evidence on the impact of crime on the job market using the time series data over the period 1980-2007 for Argentina. We also address methodological flaws by earlier crime studies by employing autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach to cointegration advocated by Pesaran et al (2001). The results show that unemployment has a statistically positive effect on the crime rate, depending on the model used.
"Consumer-Based Brand Equity: Improving the Measurement - Empirical Evidence"

Purpose: The present research aims to improve the measurement of consumer-based brand equity. Current measurement of consumer-based brand equity suffers from limitations, including: a lack of distinction between the dimensions brand awareness and brand associations, the use of non-discriminant indicators in the measurement scales and of student samples. Design/methodology/approach: Based on the recommendations of extant research, the scale constructed to measure consumer-based brand equity in this study included brand personality measures. Brand associations were measured using a different set of items. Unlike many of the previous studies that had used student samples, the present study used a sample of actual consumers from an Australian state capital city. Confirmatory factor analysis employing structural equations modeling was used to measure consumer-based brand equity in two product categories and across six brands. Findings: Results support the hypothesized four-dimension model of consumer-based brand equity across two product categories and six brands. Brand awareness and brand associations were found to be two distinct dimensions of brand equity as conceptualized in the marketing literature. The present study contributes to the understanding of consumer-based brand equity measurement by examining the dimensionality of this construct.
A Computational Study of Pressure Driven Flow in Waste Rock Piles

This thesis is motivated by problems studied as part of the Diavik Waste Rock Pile Project. Located at the Diavik Diamond Mine in the Northwest Territories, with academic support from the University of Waterloo, the University of Alberta, and the University of British Columbia, this project focuses on constructing mine waste rock piles and studying their physical and chemical properties and the transport processes within them. One of the main reasons for this investigation is to determine the effect of environmental factors on acid mine drainage (AMD) due to sulfide oxidation and the potential environmental impact of AMD. This research is concerned with modeling pressure driven flow through waste rock piles. Unfortunately, because of the irregular shape of the piles, very little data for fluid flow about such an obstacle exists, and the numerical techniques available to work with this domain are limited. Since this restricts the study of the mathematics behind the flow, this thesis focuses on a cylindrical domain, since flow past a solid cylinder has been subjected to many years of study. The cylindrical domain also facilitates the implementation of a pseudo-spectral method. This thesis examines a pressure driven flow through a cylinder of variable permeability subject to turbulent forcing. An equation for the steady flow of an incompressible fluid through a variable permeability porous medium is derived based on Darcy’s law, and a pseudo-spectral model is designed to solve the problem. An unsteady time-dependent model for a slightly compressible fluid is then presented, and the unsteady flow through a constant permeability cylinder is examined. The steady results are compared with a finite element model on a trapezoidal domain, which provides a better depiction of a waste rock pile cross section.
Effects of hall currents with heat and mass transfer on the peristaltic transport of a Casson fluid through a porous medium in a vertical circular cylinder

In the current paper, the peristaltic transport of a non-Newtonian fluid obeying a Casson model with heat and mass transfer inside a vertical circular cylinder is studied. The considered system is affected by a strong horizontal uniform magnetic field together with the heat radiation and the Hall current. The problem is modulated mathematically by a system of PDE that describe the basic behavior of the fluid motion. The boundary value problem is analytically solved with the appropriate boundary conditions in accordance with the special case, in the absence of the Eckert number. The solutions are obtained in terms of the modified Bessel function of the first kind. Again, in the general case, the system is solved by means of the homotopy perturbation and then numerically through the Runge-Kutta Merson with a shooting technique. A comparison is done between these two methods. Therefore, the velocity, temperature and concentration distributions are obtained. A set of diagrams are plotted to illustrate the influence of the various physical parameters in the forgoing distributions. Finally, the trapping phenomenon is also discussed.
EFFECT OF PROCESSING PARAMETERS, RESIN, AND WAX LOADING ON WATER VAPOR SORPTION OF WOOD STRANDS

The outdoor use of oriented strandboard (OSB) is undesirable if exposed to atmospheric vapor or rain; however, increasing resin and wax content can mitigate adverse sorption behavior of panels under such negative conditions. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of resin loading, emulsion wax loading, and pressing parameters on the water vapor sorption behavior of loblolly pine strands. Pure earlywood of loblolly pine ( Pinus taeda ) strands were cut and oven-dried at 50°C. The phenol-formaldehyde resin or wax was sprayed on the wood strands, which were oven-dried at 50°C for 900 s. All specimens were equilibrated at 11% relative humidity (RH) over a saturated salt solution. After equilibration, specimens were placed in a conditioning chamber with the RH increasing from 11-80%. The mass change was continuously recorded by a dynamic contact angle analyzer. The results show that platen temperature, wax loading, compression ratio, and resin loading were influential, in decreasing order, on sorption behavior.
Single-parenting: a case of class division on ideas of marriage and motherhood

R. bras. Est. Pop. , Rio de Janeiro, v. 29, n. 1, p. 213-216, jan./jun. 2012 * PhD Candidate in Sociology and Demography at University of California, Berkeley and Capes/FULBRIGHT Fellow. 1 One possible explanation for this is that stepparents do not have the same motivation to invest in their stepchildren as they have to invest in their own biological children (BIBLATZ; RAFTERY, 1999). Another explanation is the fact that stepfamilies are more likely to move and suffer from disruptions in access to community resources (MCLANAHAN; SANDEFUR, 1997). Single-parenting: a case of class division on ideas of marriage and motherhood
The Fama French Model or the Capital Asset Pricing Model: International Evidence

This research paper attempts to evaluate the benefits of using the Fama and French Model by comparing them with those resulting from the use of the Capital Asset Pricing Model. Local, International, and European Monetary Union functional forms were considered, in an attempt to raise the following questions: Does the calculation method to determine size and financial distress premium have any significance for the financial analyst? Do the foreign risk premiums of the Fama and French Model have any importance for the financial analyst? Firstly, models based on European Monetary Union factors produce the worst results, independently of any Capital Asset Pricing Model or Fama and French Model consideration. Secondly, independently of the model, the expected return of big and low book-to-market stocks is more reliable. This is particularly observable for big firms, as it does not occur for low book-tomarket firms using Fama and French Models. Finally, the Fama and French Model is notoriously preferable in comparison with the Capital Asset Pricing Model for small and high-book to market firms: in this case, the introduction of international factors increases the reliability of expected returns.
Numerical Simulation of High-Power Operation of 2 µm Co-doped Tm,Ho Solid-State Lasers

of the solid-state laser initiated the beginning of the laser era. Performance of solid-state lasers improved amazingly during five decades. Nowadays, solid-state lasers remain one of the most rapidly developing branches of laser science and become an increasingly important tool for modern technology. This book represents a selection of chapters exhibiting various investigation directions in the field of solid-state lasers and the cutting edge of related applications. The materials are contributed by leading researchers and each chapter represents a comprehensive study reflecting advances in modern laser physics. Considered topics are intended to meet the needs of both specialists in laser system design and those who use laser techniques in fundamental science and applied research. This book is the result of efforts of experts from different countries. I would like to acknowledge the authors for their contribution to the book. also wish to acknowledge Vedran Kordic for indispensable technical assistance in the book preparation and publishing.
A COMPUTER-ASSISTED LEARNING MODEL BASED ON THE DIGITAL GAME EXPONENTIAL REWARD SYSTEM

The aim of this research was to construct a motivational model which would stimulate voluntary and proactive learning using digital game methods offering players more freedom and control. The theoretical framework of this research lays the foundation for a pedagogical learning model based on digital games. We analyzed the game reward system, which is recognized as one of the most important mechanisms to engage players in active sustainable digital game playing. In general, the reward system is designed similar to an exponential learning model. This paper compares the reward systems of four typical digital games which have more than 10 million school-age players around the world. Based on the results, we propose a computer-assisted exponential learning model similar to that applied in digital game based learning models. By applying these results to educational algorithms associated with the field of artificial intelligence, we are able to motivate emergent learning. Using the proposed method, it is possible to form a model of computer-assisted learning, adequate for all learning levels.