Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Anti-diabetic Synergism of Two African Plants ( Treculia africana and Bryophyllum pinnatum ) using STZ-diabetic Models

Diabetics’ mortality is mostly attributed to hyperglycaemia and its attendant vascular diseases and is conventionally managed with medicines functioning as hypoglycaemic agents, insulin production-modulators, and lipoprotein-lowering agents singly or in combinations. Some of these agents have adverse side effects hence alternatives are highly sought for the management of disease conditions. Bioactive compounds from plants are sought-after candidates for drug development since they provide lead structures for new or existing drug targets. Treculia africana and Bryophyllum pinnatum are ethnobotanically used in Africa for the management of diabetes. Effects of aqueous ethanol (80%) extracts of T. africana leaves and B. pinnatum plants singly and in (1:1) mixture on plasma glucose level (PGL), total triglycerides (TT), high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low density lipoproteins (LDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol (TC), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and plasma creatinine levels (PCL) in Streptozotocin (STZ)–induced diabetic rats was checked. A 1:1 T. africana and B. pinnatum mixture lowered the postprandial blood glucose level from 101.4 ± 2.2 mg/dl to 93.5 ± 1.1 mg/dl in two hrs. Significant reduction (P 0.05) in STZ-induced diabetic rats’ blood glucose levels, TT levels, and an increase in HDL were also observed. Our results suggest a rapid synergistic hypoglycaemic effect of a combined therapy of T. africana and B. pinnatum in the management of hyperglycaemia. It provides a very promising lead for a rapid-acting oral hypoglycaemic drug. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Analysis of Highly Piezoelectric SAWs by Procedures Combining Finite-Element and Analytical Method , and their Applications to Mobile Communication Devices

Surface acoustic waves (SAWs), which can be excited in thick aluminum (Al) grating, were analyzed in a simulation that combined both FEM and BEM. The simulation results were confirmed experimentally. First, we analyzed longitudinal leaky SAWs in an Algrating structure on a 171o-YZ'-lithium-niobate substrate. These SAWs have potential applications in high-frequency SAW devices because their velocities range from 6100 to 6500 m/s and their Q values are theoretically larger than 4000. Secondly, we analyzed SH-wave-type SAWs, which are suitable for wide-band resonators. These SAWs have a bandwidth of 10% in an Al-grating structure on a 15o-YXlithium-niobate substrate. Resonators using these SAWs were applied to 900-MHz-band voltagecontrolled oscillators. They provided high control-voltage sensitivity and good phase-noise performance.
The Impact of Contract Enforcement Costs on Value Chains and Aggregate Productivity

Abstract I study how supplier contracting frictions shape the patterns of intermediate input use and quantify the impact of these distortions on aggregate productivity. Using the frequency of litigation between US firms as a novel measure to capture the need for formal enforcement, I find a robust relationship between countries' input-output structure and their quality of legal institutions. In countries with high enforcement costs, firms have lower expenditure shares on intermediate inputs in sector pairs where US firms litigate frequently for breach of contract. A quantitative model shows that improvement of contract enforcement institutions would lead to sizable welfare gains.
Multiple Levels of Metacognition: Circumstances Interfering with Students’ Spontaneous Metacognitive Activities

A theoretical model of metacognition in complex modeling activities has been developed based on existing frameworks, by synthesizing the reconceptualization of metacognition at multiple levels by looking at the three sources that trigger metacognition. Using the theoretical model as a framework, this multiple-case study explores students’ spontaneous metacognitive activities while they collaboratively solve complex mathematical modeling tasks. This study used a series of model-eliciting activities—a type of problem-solving activity in which participants are required to verbalize their thoughts while working within a group—as an authentic method for analyzing verbal metacognitive actions. This study identified the circumstances facilitating or interfering with students’ spontaneous metacognitive activities. The findings of the study enrich our understanding of how to design metacognitive learning environments. The current study has the potential to guide teachers, teacher educators, and curriculum developers to create circumstances that support students’ spontaneous development of metacognitive abilities. It also has the potential to guide the development of effective instructional methods to integrate these circumstances into existing curricula.
Occupational Health of Brick Workers of India

Brick workers are one of the most vulnerable unorganised working class of India. It is often found that the brick workers suffer from morbidities because of indecent work and the unhygienic living environment. Nonetheless, it is a less studied subject in India. Thus, paper assessed the causative factors explaining the morbidity in brick workers, further the prevalence of disease and loss of household income on health care, and find out the gap in demand and supply of public healthcare facilities. In this study, the latest round of National Sample Survey data (2014) that is “A Key Indicators of Social Consumption in India: Health” conducted from January to June 2014were used. The binary logistic regression was run for the analysis of background characteristics and the probability of illness. The findings revealed that the self-reported morbidity among brick workers was around 11%, while it was 10% in the general population during the last 15 days of the survey. The most frequent occurrences of ailments in the brick kiln workers were injuries and infections. Out of total workers who were suffering from morbidity due to some accident or injury during the last 15 days of the survey, almost 57 % of them reported a loss of household income in their treatment. Among those, only 10% of the brick workers covered by healthcare schemes, rest of the 90% did not possess health insurance. Hence, the brick workers suffer from living environment induced communicable disease and work environment induced injuries. The workers do not avail a proper treatment because of unaffordability as well as the inaccessibility of healthcare facilities.
Study of potential advantages of pre-soaking on the properties of pre-cast concrete made with recycled coarse aggregate

Recycled aggregate (RA) from construction and demolition waste is traditionally used for the manufacture of concrete for different applications. Due primarily to high water content required by RA, the quality of the concrete is determined by the amount of replacement RA. The aim of this study is to determine if RA pre-soaking enhances the properties of pre-cast concrete for street furniture, with low mechanical and structural requirements, in which 100% of the coarse fraction is replaced. The results of physical and mechanical tests performed on concrete specimens in which the RA was pre-soaked using five different methods applied are compared with a reference concrete sample and a concrete sample made with non-pre-soaked RA. The results show that non-pre-soaked RA offers improved physical-mechanical properties for pre-cast concrete, except for the workability; problems arising from poorer workability could be improved with the use of plasticizers, which can be easily included in the production process.
Downregulation of miR 143 / 145 gene cluster expression promotes the aortic media degeneration process via the TGF-β 1 signaling pathway

Aortic dissection (AD) is a serious threat to human health; however, the cause of this condition has not yet been fully elucidated. In this study, we found significantly increased expression of phospho-Smad2/3 and phospho-ERK in AD tissues and downregulated expression of miR143 and miR145 in AD tissues. Knockdown of the miR143/145 gene cluster induced phenotypic switching of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and activation of the TGF-β1 signaling pathway. When the TFG-β1 signaling pathway was blocked by pretreatment with an LY364947 inhibitor, expression of miR143 and miR145, and VSMC phenotypic markers were not affected by knockdown of the miR143/145 gene cluster. Immunohistochemical staining of aortic tissues donated by AD patients and organ donors showed decrease alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) expression in pathological tissue, while osteopontin (OPN) expression increased and the arrangement of smooth muscle cells in the tunica media was dysregulated. In conclusion, our study suggests that downregulated expression of the miR143/145 gene cluster promotes phenotypic switching of VSMCs via the TGF-β1 signaling pathway. This may play an important role in the pathogenesis of AD.
GERMINATION AND GROWTH PERFORMANCE OF TWO LEAFY VEGETABLES IN RESPONSE TO THE ALLELOPATHIC EFFECTS OF Azadirachta indica A . JUSS

Biologically active compounds have been reported to be produced by plants and also their inhibitory effects on other plants. This research was carried out to assess the allelopathic effect of leaf leachate of Azadirachta indica A.Juss. (Neem) on the seed germination and growth performances of Hibiscus cannabinus L. and Amaranthus cruentus L. Thirty (30) experimental plastic containers were filled each with 2.5 kg of loamy soil and randomly allocated to the following regimes: control, 20 g, 40 g, 60 g and 80 g of powdered leaves of Azadirachta indica in three (3) replicates for each test crop respectively. It was observed that the response of the Hibiscus cannabinus L. and Amaranthus cruentus L. grown within different composition of Azadirachta indica leafs, were concentration dependent with respect to the germination and growth parameters studied at 2nd WAP. But at 4th-10th WAP, it was observed that all treatments grew well above the control. This indicates that Azadirachta indica L. has allelopathic effect on the studied vegetables and therefore it could be used for biological weed control and growth improvement.
Survey of lung affections in sheep and goats : A slaughterhouse study

The present investigation was carried to study the occurrence of lung affections in the sheep and goats. The slaughterhouse, Shimla, Himachal Pradesh was surveyed from December, 2017 to February, 2018 and 800 lungs of sheep and goats were examined for gross pathological lesions. Total 127 lungs (38 sheep, 89 goats) tissues were collected in 10% buffered formalin and processed for histopathology. Bronchopneumonia was the most common type of pneumonia (27.55%) diagnosed by histopathology, followed by interstitial pneumonia (16.54%), maedi (6.3%), OPA (2.36%) and verminous pneumonia (1.57%). Among bronchopneumonia, acute bronchopneumonia (18.11%) was most common, followed by chronic bronchopneumonia (5.51%) and fibrinous bronchopneumonia (3.94%). Chronic interstitial pneumonia (10.25%) was more frequent than acute type (6.3%). Further, miscellaneous lesions viz. emphysema and atelectasis (21.26%), pulmonary heamorrhage (5.51%) and pulmonary edema and congestion (18.89%) were also seen. This study concludes that the occurrence of bronchopneumonia was higher than interstitial pneumonia in sheep and goats.
Long-Run Purchasing Power Parity in Eastern and Southern African Countries : Evidence from panel data stationary tests with multiple structural breaks

The panel data stationary test with multiple struct ural breaks developed by Carrion-i-Silvestre, Del Barrio-Castro and Lopez -Bazo (Econometrics Journal, 2005) is used to study the Purchasing Power Parity in a set of 17 Eastern and Southern African economies for the period 1970-2007 . This latter is considered both in its traditional view, i.e. the reversion of the real exchange rate to a constant mean, and in the Balassa-Samelson view, i. the reversion of the real exchange rate to a constant trend. The results indi cate that taking into account the presence of structural breaks changes dramatically the conclusion about long-run Purchasing Power Parity. Indeed, in contrast with s tandard stationary tests, our study shows that Purchasing Power Parity holds in t he long-run for our panel when the Balassa-Samuelson version is considered.
Exploration of Student Development through Sonwriting

This research explored the personal development resulting from songwriting interactions of undergraduate liberal arts students in two sections of a first-year experience course working to develop and refine songwriting skill. The goal of the course was to help students communicate and express themselves through songwriting in a supportive and collaborative environment. In-class activities included students collaboratively analyzing and discussing existing songs, interacting with guest songwriters, and discussing two texts. Student assignments included creating five original songs, analyzing pre-existing self-chosen songs, mentoring and collaborating with each other regarding their original songs, performing in a coffee-house presentation, and reflecting on their development in a songwriter’s journal and final reflection paper. Data were the students’ final reflection papers and lyrics from the original songs. Analysis of the data revealed numerous rewards of engaging in the songwriting activity. Songwriting appears to facilitate student development through enabling emotional stability, offering therapeutic benefits, and providing a vehicle for self-expression, self-discovery, and overcoming challenges.
V . Preprint ISSN 2198-5855 Rough nonlocal diffusions

We consider a nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation driven by a deterministic rough path which describes the conditional probability of a McKean-Vlasov diffusion with “common” noise. To study the equation we build a self-contained framework of nonlinear rough integration theory which we use to study McKean-Vlasov equations perturbed by rough paths. We construct an appropriate notion of solution of the corresponding Fokker-Planck equation and prove well-posedness.
Educational Program on Safety Food Measures among Primary School Students

Food safety is an increasingly important public health issue. Governments all over the world are intensifying their efforts to improve food safety. The aim was to evaluate the effect of educational program on safety food measurs among primary school students. Design: a quasiexperimental design was used. Setting: This study conducted in all EzbetElwalda primary school at Helwan district in Cairo Government . Sample: A stratified multi-stage cluster random sample of 152 students , 6th grade primary schools students was recruited. Tools: Two tools were used for data collection in this study ; 1 st tool :An interviewing questionnaire to collect data about socio-demographic characteristics of students, past medical history in addition to assessment of students' knowledge and practiceabout safety food 2 nd tool : observational checklist to assess student hand washing practice and habits assessment as stated Results: the study denoted that there was a highly statistical significant improvement in the students' satisfactory knowledge regarding safety food measure ,it improvedat the immediate post educational program, than that of follow-up and preprogram 40% , 95% and 83% respectively , (P<0.001) also there were significant improvement in student practice and habits regarding safety food measures in the post and follow up program.Conclusion: There wasimprovement in students' knowledge, practice and habits regarding food safety with statistical significant differences after the implementation of the program. Recommendation: continuous educational program regarding safety food measures can be conduct at primary school student . As well, future researches should be conducted at different level of primary school student .
IN AROMA COMPOUND RETENTION BY MUCOSA DURING 1 CONSUMPTION THROUGH MATHEMATICAL MODELLING 2

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Insights in aroma compound retention by mucosa during consumption through mathematical modelling Isabelle Deleris, Anne Saint-Eve, Aurélie Saglio, Isabelle Souchon, Ioan-Cristian Trelea
Management of Deep Sternal Wound Infections: Open Dressing versus Vacuum Assisted Closure Device Therapy-An Institutional Experience

We present an ambispective analysis of the Management of Deep Sternal Wound Infections: Open Dressing versus Vacuum Assisted Closure Device Therapy at our Institute. Aim: The aim of our study is to compare and analyse our experience of Management of Deep Sternal Wound Infections with Open Dressing and Vacuum Assisted Closure Device Therapy and outcome. Methods: We analysed and compared our data (Group I) from 01 May 2009 to 31 May 2012 when the modality of management of DSWI was open dressings and irrigation (ie; Pre-VAC era at our institute) with data (Group II) from 01 May 2013 to 31 Apr 2017 when the modality of management of DSWI was changed to Vacuum Assisted Closure Device Therapy. 2228 patients underwent sternotomies from 01 May 2009 to 31 May 2012 and 2168 patients underwent sternotomies from 01 May 2013 to 31 Apr 2017. In Group I postoperative DSWI was diagnosed in 22 patients There were 14 (63.63 %) Males aged 45 to 81 years and 08 (36.37 %) Females aged 43 to 71 years. and in Group II postoperative DSWI was diagnosed in 20 patients. There were 11 (55 %) Males aged 39 to 74 years and 09 (45 %) Females, aged 44 to 66 years. The outcomes were investigated with Kaplan-Meier method, log-rank test, Student’s test and Fisher’s exact test. Results: In Group I 17 (77.27%) patients underwent Secondary suturing with tension bands and 01 (4.5 %) patient required flap cover to cover the defect. The mortality was 04 (18.18 %) (03 Male and 01 Female), whereas in Group II16 (80%) patients underwent Secondary suturing with tension bands and 02 (10 %) patient required flap cover to cover the defect. The mortality was 02 (10%) (01 Male and 01 Female). Conclusion: As compared to open dressings and irrigation, VAC therapy is safe and reliable option in Deep sternal wound infection after cardiac surgery, with excellent survival and low failure rate. VAC reduces mortality, increases sternal stability, patient comfort and can be used in any Hospital. Pre-operative Diabetes Mellitus, Renal Failure and Obesity are risk factors for mortality in patients treated with both modalities.
Spatial and temporal changes of soil properties in the experimental wetlands in 2003

It is estimated that 54% of the wetlands present in the U.S. at the time of settlement have been lost to anthropogenic causes (Kelly, 2001). Losses in some states, including Ohio, approach 90% of original wetlands (Dahl, 1995). High percentages of wetland losses have resulted in a greater awareness of wetland function, such as flood water retention, base flow augmentation, and water quality maintenance (Mitsch and Gosselink, 2000). Acknowledgement of the importance of wetlands to our environment has resulted in the implementation of wetland protection policies (Bishel-Machung et al., 1996). Under §401 and §404 of the Clean Water Act, United States policy requires developers to replace the wetlands they destroy in the process of building through compensatory mitigation. Wetland policy assumes parity of created and natural wetlands; however, there is evidence that created wetlands do not function as self-sustaining wetlands (National Research Council, 2001), causing concern that created wetlands are not adequate replacements for natural wetlands (Roberts, 1993; Mitsch and Wilson, 1996; Ehrenfeld and Toth, 1997; Cole and Brooks, 2000). Failures of created wetlands to compare to natural wetlands have been partially attributed to a lack of developed soils in created wetlands (Bishel-Machung et al. 1996; Stolt et al., 2000; Cole et al., 2001; Campbell et al., 2002). Soils have been described as “the physical foundation of every wetland ecosystem” (Stolt et al., 2000). They have tremendous importance in wetland function, as most biogeochemical processes and nutrient storage occur in the soil layers (Mitsch and Gosselink, 2000; Stolt et al., 2000). Nutrient cycling drives the wetland system, especially vegetative communities which are often used as indicators to determine wetland “success” (see Mitsch and Wilson, 1996). Mitsch and Wilson (1996) attribute the lack of success of created wetlands to an inadequate understanding of natural development and self-design of wetlands. The goal of this study was to evaluate soil development in two 10year-old created wetlands at the Olentangy River Wetland Research Park by addressing three specific questions: 1) are soils influenced by proximity to point source inflow, 2) how do the soil properties differ between created wetlands and upland areas, and 3) are wetland soils changing over time? In order to answer our questions, we compared bulk densities, soil moisture content, and organic matter content of wetland soils and upland soils, wetland soils from different locations throughout the wetlands, and data collected in 1993, 1995, and 2003.
Expression status of cytoskeleton regulatory protein Mena as a prognostic marker for human thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE In recent years, Mena (Mammalian Enabled) has been reported to be highly expressed in malignant tumors. However, data on the expression pattern and clinical relevance of Mena in thyroid carcinoma are unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression of Mena and its prognostic significance in human thyroid carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS Mena expression at the mRNA level was examined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in 8 paired thyroid carcinoma and adjacent normal tissues. Mena protein expression in clinical samples was analyzed in paraffin-embedded papillary thyroid carcinoma samples and normal thyroid tissues by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Statistical analyses were also performed to evaluate the clinicopathological significance of Mena expression. RESULTS The results show that expression of Mena mRNA is higher in thyroid carcinoma than in adjacent normal tissues in 8 paired samples. In paraffin-embedded tissue samples, the expression of Mena was higher in papillary thyroid carcinoma than normal thyroid tissues. Compared with normal thyroid tissues, overexpression of Mena was detected in 47.11% (57/121) of papillary thyroid carcinoma patients. Overexpression of Mena was significantly associated with T Stage (P = 0.007), capsular invasion (P = 0.015), lymph node metastasis (P = 0.000), and clinical stage (P = 0.029). CONCLUSION Mena is up-regulated in thyroid carcinoma and is associated with expression of T Stage, lymph node metastasis, clinical stage and disease-free survival. Mena may serve as a prognostic indicator for patients with thyroid carcinoma.