Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial Effects of Guava ( Psidium guajava L.) Extracts Against Food Borne Pathogens

Guava is commonly used as a medicine against gastroenteritis and child diarrhea by those who cannot afford or do not have access to antibiotics. The present study was conducted to clarify the possible effects of antimicrobial activities of guava extracts. Its antimicrobial activities was determined against five food-borne pathogens: Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Bacillus cereus (BTCC 19), Shigella sonnei (BTCC) and Salmonella typhi (BTCC 197) using disc diffusion method at four different concentrations: 10%, 50%, 75% and 100%. Its antibacterial activity was also determined at three different temperatures: 50°C, 75°C and 100°C. The test organisms differed in their reaction to these different extracts, but as a whole inhibition of bacterial growth increased with the increased concentration. All the samples showed antibacterial activity after heat treatment at 50°C, 75°C and 100°C suggesting that the temperature does not affect the activity. Guava extracts showed higher antibacterial activity against gram positive bacteria compared to gram negative bacteria. None of the extracts (10%) showed antibacterial activity against these pathogens. The results of the present study assume that guava extracts possess compounds containing antibacterial properties that can potentially be useful to control food borne pathogens especially diarrhea causing organisms.
Three global carbon isotope shifts in the Silurian of Podolia (Ukraine): stratigraphical implications

Podolia is a classical Silurian area in the southwestern part of the Ukraine. Shallow to open shelf rocks cropping out there are usually, except for a few dolomitic horizons, highly fossiliferous and therefore the biostratigraphy of the region has a long successful history. The Ukrainian meeting of the Subcommission on Silurian Stratigraphy of the International Union of Geological Sciences, held in 1983, became an important milestone. Tsegelnyuk et al. summarized different results and views in a field guide published for the meeting (The Silurian of Podolia. The Guide to Excursion. Naukova Dumka, Kiev, 1983) and introduced a practically new stratigraphical terminology, and in some parts of the section, also new age interpretation of the beds. For our paper carbon isotopes were studied in eight sections on the banks of the Dniester River and its tributaries, covering ca 80% of the Silurian succession (Pridoli excluded). Three positive δ 13 C excursions were identified. The first excursion in the Kitaigorod 30 section reaches its peak value of 4.0‰ in the very bottom of the Demshin Subformation. The second shift reaches the peak value of 4.3‰ in the middle of the Muksha Subformation. The third shift is the most prominent one identified in the Silurian of Podolia - δ 13 C values increase steadily through the Isakovtsy Subformation, reaching 6.9‰ in the top, and a slightly lower value of 6.6‰ occurs in the bottom of the Prigorodok Formation. In the "middle" Silurian of the World three major positive excursions have been identified: in the early and latest Wenlock and in the late Ludlow. The general character of the carbon isotope trend and stratigraphical positions of the excursions established in this paper demonstrate that in Podolia there occurs the same set of global shifts, which can be used for the improvement of regional and global correlation of Wenlock and Ludlow sections of that area. Some refinements are suggested, but some details need additional study.
β-Cyclodextrin as an Ionophore for Membrane Electrode

This chapter included an explanation of the role of cyclodextrin as an ionophore for the preparation of voltammetric and potentiometric sensors for different compounds. There was a surveying of the different recorded cyclodextrin-based sensors for drug, organic, or inorganic cations. It also explained the performance characteristics for the first reported sensor for nickel based on β-cyclodextrin as an example.
8-6-2011 Generating User Stories in Groups with Prompts

Communicating about system requirements with user stories is a distinctive feature of Agile Software Development methods. While user stories make system requirements intelligible to both customers and technical developers, they also create new challenges for the requirements elicitation process such as personal bias and requirements coverage. In this study we propose that when elicited from groups instead of individuals, and with prompts, the number of stories generated and comprehensiveness of the stories is likely to increase. A lab experiment was conducted to examine these hypotheses is delineated in this paper. We found that prompting significantly increased the number of user stories generated as well as the comprehensiveness of the stories generated. We did not find a difference in user stories generated or comprehensiveness of stories generated by groups and individuals.
Seed dispersal in the seagrass Zostera marina is mostly within the parent bed in a protected bay

Seed production and dispersal are key processes in plant population dynamics and gene flow. However, few quantitative studies have followed these processes in aquatic plants. We investigated the abundance of seeds produced and dispersed by the seagrass Zostera marina L. at a protected site within an enclosed bay. We also examined the buoyancy potential of seed disper- sal units (diaspores) in the laboratory. Field observations showed that 31% of the total potentially produced seeds were dispersed as decayed reproductive shoots on the sea bottom of the parent bed, whereas 14% were dispersed in spathes (a component of reproductive shoots; seeds are con- tained inside) detached from live reproductive shoots. However, more than half of the dispersed spathes were negatively buoyant because of the weight of the ripe seeds they contained. Thus, <6% of potentially produced seeds were dispersed by rafting away from the parent bed. The abundance of ripe seeds dispersed was comparable to that of seeds in the parent bed sediment. The fate of the remaining 54% of total potentially produced seeds was not detected, and they were assumed to be immature or to have been consumed by herbivores. Fewer than 5% of the dis- persed seeds had germinated. Our results show that most seeds were dispersed within the parent bed, supporting one of the fitness-related seed-dispersal hypotheses, namely that dispersal mech- anisms play a role in bed maintenance and increased genetic diversity.
Stock Return Prediction with Fully Flexible Models and Coefficients

We evaluate stock return predictability using a fully flexible Bayesian framework, which explicitly allows for different degrees of time-variation in coefficients and in forecasting models. We believe that asset return predictability can evolve quickly or slowly, based upon market conditions, and we should account for this. Our approach has superior out-of-sample predictive performance compared to the historical mean, from a statistical and economic perspective. We also find that our model statistically dominates its nested models, including models in which parameters evolve at a constant rate. By decomposing sources of prediction uncertainty into five parts, we find that our fully flexible approach more precisely identifies time-variation in coefficients and in forecasting models, leading to mitigation of estimation risk and forecasting improvements. Finally, we relate predictability to the business cycle.
Impact of Microfiltration on Particle Size Distribution, Volatile Compounds and Protein Quality of Pasteurized Milk during Shelf Life

The effects of microfiltration on particle size, volatiles, protein quality and proximate compositions in pasteurized milk were studied over 7 days at 4°C. Changes in proximate compositions, pH, particle size, amino acids and volatile compounds of microfiltered and pasteurized milk (MPM) and pasteurized milk (PM) were evaluated. The MPM had lower values of proteins and total solids, and possessed higher particle size compared with PM. The D10 and D50 in MPM were individually reduced by 8.3% and 3.1% from day 0 to 7, and there were no differences for the D90. Sixty-one and 65 compounds were identified in the MPM and PM, respectively. The total contents of aliphatic hydrocarbons and alcohols in MPM decreased with storage length, while those of hydrocarbons, ketones, phenols, nitrogenous compounds and sulfide in PM increased with storage time. Other compounds clearly started to increase on day 4 and were reduced markedly by day 7. After 7 days, aliphatic hydrocarbons and alcohols decreased by 21.8% and 47.3% in MPM, while hydrocarbons, ketones and sulfide increased by 57%, 5.4% and 35.4% in PM, respectively. At the same storage time, the hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, acid and ketones were less in MPM than in PM. MPM had higher EAAI, BV and ePER values. These highlighted that microfiltration changes the compositions of volatiles and improves protein quality and stability during MPM shelf life.
Low prevalence of methicillin resistant as determined by an automated identification system in two private hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya: a cross sectional study

Background: Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) is a major cause of both healthcare and community acquired infections. In developing countries, manual phenotypic tests are the mainstay for the identification of staphylococci with the tube and slide coagulase tests being relied upon as confirmatory tests for S. aureus. The subjectivity associated with interpretation of these tests may result in misidentification of coagulase negative staphylococci as S.aureus. Given that antibiotic resistance is more prevalent in CONS, this may result in over estimation of methicillin resistant S.aureus (MRSA) prevalence. Methods: A review of susceptibility data from all non-duplicate S.aureus isolates generated between March 2011 and May 2013 by the Vitek-2 (bioMerieux) automated system was performed by the authors. The data was generated routinely from processed clinical specimens submitted to the microbiology laboratories for culture and sensitivity at the Aga Khan University Hospital and Gertrude’s children’s hospital both situated in Nairobi. Results: Antimicrobial susceptibility data from a total of 731 non-duplicate S.aureus isolates was reviewed. Majority (79.2%) of the isolates were from pus swabs. Only 24 isolates were both cefoxitin and oxacillin resistant while 3 were resistant to oxacillin but susceptible to cefoxitin giving an overall MRSA prevalence of 3.7% (27/731). None of the isolates were resistant to mupirocin, linezolid, tigecycline, teicoplanin or vancomycin. Conclusion: The prevalence of MRSA in this study is much lower than what has been reported in most African countries. The significant change in antibiotic susceptibility compared to what has previously been reported in our hospital is most likely a consequence of the transition to an automated platform rather than a trend towards lower resistance rates.
Language Learning Beliefs of Non-English Majors: Examining the Role of English Language Proficiency

This study investigates language learning beliefs of non-English majors with different levels of English language proficiency on language learning. The participants surveyed in this study were 125 (86 female and 39 male) Iranian non-English majors who were studying in biology, geography, accounting and science. Two instruments, i.e. the Michigan Language Proficiency Test (ECPE) and the translated version of Beliefs about Language Learning Inventory (BALLI) were administered to collect the required data sets. Statistical procedures used to analyze data revealed that proficiency level had a significant effect on the motivation of students. The more proficient participants reported holding strong beliefs in the category of ''motivation and expectations''. Also results indicate that there is a significant difference among the aptitude of the four groups of participants. The results obtained in this study also demonstrate that no statistical significance was observed between male and female non-English majors' beliefs in English language learning. The interaction between male and female students in these disciplines shows that these are significantly different in the foreign language aptitude and the nature of language learning.
Prevalence of Oncogenic HPV Types in Sardinia (Italy): Implications for the Impact of Prophylactic Anti-HPV Vaccines

Infection with high-risk HPV genotypes is considered an essential step in cervical carcinogenesis. Recently, prophylactic anti-HPV vaccines have shown to provide effective protection in clinical trials. However, protection appears to be type-restricted, thus, its real extent will depend on HPV types prevalence in the target population. Here we report HPV prevalence in 555 Italian women with various stages of HPV-related cervical disease (343 CIN1/L-SIL, 156 CIN2-3/HIGH-SIL, 43 invasive squamous cervical carcinoma and 13 adenocarcinoma), as well as in 315 women with smears negative for intraepithelial lesions or malignancy (NIL). HPV was found in 50.7% of CIN1/L-SIL, 87.2% of CIN2-3/HIGH-SIL, 97.7% of squamous carcinomas, 69.2% of adenocarcinomas and in 29.5% of NIL. HPV 16 was present in 69.0% of squamous carcinomas, 58.8% of CIN2-3/HIGH-SIL, in 22.9 and 16.1% of CIN1/L-SIL and NIL, respectively. HPV 18 was found in 7.3% and 4.8%, respectively, while in 35.3% and 26.2% of CIN2-3/HIGH-SIL and invasive carcinomas, respectively, were present high-risk HPV types other than type 16 and 18. Based on these data, it is expected that current HPV prophylactic vaccines could effectively prevent up to 70% of invasive cervical cancers and a slightly smaller proportion of high-grade lesions, in our population.
AMELIORATIVE ROLE OF PALMITOLEIC ACID ON PALMITATE INDUCED LIPOTOXICITY IN THE RAT CARDIOMYOCYTES

1. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. 2. Department of Basic Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. 3. Department of Theriogenology, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. 4. Department of Biochemistry, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. *Corresponding Author: E-mail: e.zadehhashem@urmia.ac. ir Ameliorative Role of Palmitoleic Acid on Palmitate Induced Lipotoxicity in the Rat Cardiomyocytes Elham Zadeh Hashem*, Mohammad Kazem Koohi , Mohsen Eslami , Farzad Asadi , Reza Taleb Zadeh , Mina Khodadadi , Sepideh Hassani-Dizaj 1
Beyond Free Lunch: Which Family Background Measures Matter?.

Most studies of school achievement use free-lunch eligibility or other basic indicators to adjust for differences in students’ socioeconomic backgrounds. This study determines whether these variables are enough to separate the confounding effects of students’ backgrounds from the main variables of interest in education studies. The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study dataset from the kindergarten class cohort of 1998-99 (ECLS-K) provides an unusually vast array of information regarding children’s home resources and experiences. This plethora of parent-reported data raises questions about which variables researchers should include in their analyses, and it provides an extraordinary opportunity to examine this question. Using a split-sample design, stepwise regression, and multi-level modeling, this study systematically examines over 200 ECLS-K student background variables to determine which factors predict reading and mathematics achievement after typical SES controls are employed. The study identifies several variables that are important supplements to traditional SES measures, including the number of children in the household, mother’s age at first birth, and children’s books at home. Results indicate the extent to which “value added” studies can be flawed when using only basic demographic variables. The findings hold implications for data collection and accountability efforts, including NCLB, teacher evaluation plans, and the design of state longitudinal data systems.
The Impact of Direct-to-Consumer Advertising of Prescription Medications on Healthy Lifestyle

In the U.S. where Direct-to-Consumer Advertising (DTCA) of prescription medications is permitted, spending on DTCA has been accelerating. As a result, it has been an issue of intense public policy attention regarding whether DTCA is beneficial to the public by promoting a healthy lifestyle. Most of the literature concerning DTCA focuses on its impact on demand and empirical evidence regarding its impact on health-related behavior is scant. This study uses a database of DTCAs for high blood cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes, and overweight treatment medications that have appeared in nationally circulated U.S. consumer magazines during 2000 to 2004 and the Simmons National Consumer Survey in order to compute the level of individual advertising exposure and examines whether those who are exposed to DTCA are more likely to engage in regular exercise and diet control. The study finds evidence that for those with chronic conditions, greater exposure to DTCA leads to less exercise but more diet control. By therapeutic class level, exposure to DTCA leads to less exercise for those with hypertension and who are overweight, whereas those with high blood cholesterol are more likely to engage in regular exercise. Looking into differential responses by socioeconomic status, those with less education are more likely to engage in exercise after being exposed to DTCA. The results imply that the effects of DTCA vary by therapeutic class. In order to enhance the benefits of DTCA, it is important to closely monitor the messages in DTCA and require it to include messages that promote lifestyle change should it be a part of the treatment.
The Influence of Running Extreme Obstacle Courses on Positive Affect, Character Strengths, and Well-Being

A large body of research demonstrates the positive benefits of numerous types of physical activity. However, the outcomes of running extreme obstacle courses (EOCs) remain unexamined. The aim of the present study was to explore the influence of running EOCs on positive affect, character strengths and well-being. The study utilized a pre-existing sample of 21 participants who filled out an online survey at two time points (pre-and-post race). The findings showed that participating in an EOC was related to increased positive affect (PA) and psychological well-being. Running an EOC with a team was associated with increased post-race teamwork and the number of prior EOCs run was negatively correlated with post-race scores on PA and teamwork. Furthermore, significant relationships were found between post-race pride and psychological well-being and zest. The implications of these findings are discussed.
EXPLORING ORAL LANGUAGE CHOICE BETWEEN THE TARGET LANGUAGE AND THE L 1 s IN MAINSTREAM CLIL AND EFL SECONDARY EDUCATION

This case study explores the purposes for which the target language (TL) and the L1s were used orally by students (N=60) and teachers (N=3) in a mainstream CLIL secondary education context compared to EFL instruction in the Balearic Islands (Spain). Data were gathered by means of questionnaires addressed to students and teachers, oral interviews to instructors and observations of class sessions. The findings show some differences in the languages chosen to speak according to pedagogical functions –i.e. planned subject-based discourse– and real functions –i.e. unplanned discourse such as disciplinary or organizational matters– (Chavez 2003), with the TL being much more spoken in the former and with much lesser presence of the TL in the latter, especially in the case of the pupils. Moreover, specialized subject-matter terminology was almost always used in the TL by both the students and the teachers, even when speaking in the L1.
Riemannian barycentres and geodesic convexity

Consider a closed subset of a complete Riemannian manifold, such that all geodesics with end-points in the subset are contained in the subset and the subset has boundary of codimension one. Is it the case that Riemannian barycentres of probability measures supported by the subset must also lie in the subset? It is shown that this is the case for 2-manifolds but not the case in higher dimensions: a counterexample is constructed which is a conformally-Euclidean 3-manifold, for which geodesics never self-intersect and indeed cannot turn by too much (so small geodesic balls satisfy a geodesic convexity condition), but is such that a probability measure concentrated on a single point has a barycentre at another point.
In vitro e ffi cacy of selected medicinal plants from Cholistan desert , Pakistan , against gastrointestinal helminths of sheep and goats

Gastrointestinal helminths are a major constraint to small ruminants in extensive husbandry systems of tropical regions. Yet, unavailability, high prices, side effects, and development of parasite resistance often limit the use of synthetic anthelmintics. Traditional medicinal plants might be an effective low-cost alternative. Therefore the in vitro anthelmintic activity of leaf extracts of the ligneous plants Capparis decidua, Salsola foetida, Suaeda fruticosa, Haloxylon salicornicum, and Haloxylon recurvum from Cholistan, Pakistan, was investigated against adult worms of Haemonchus contortus, Trichuris ovis, and Paramphistomum cervi. Various concentrations (from 7.8 to 500 mg dry matter ml−1) of three extracts (aqueous, methanol, and aqueous-methanol) of each plant were tested at different time intervals for their anthelmintic activity via adult motility assay. Plant species (p≤ 0.01), extract type (p≤ 0.001), parasite species (p≤ 0.001), extract concentration (p≤ 0.001), time of exposure (p≤ 0.001) and their interactions (p≤ 0.001) affected the number of immobile or dead helminths. The 50 % lethal concentration (LC50) values indicated that the methanol and aqueous-methanol extracts of C. decidua, H. recurvum, and H. salicornicum as well as the methanol extract of S. fruticosa have the potential to be developed into plant-based remedies against the studied helminths. Further studies are needed to investigate the in vivo anthelmintic activity of these extracts, in order to develop effective, cheap and locally available anthelmintics for pastoralists in Cholistan and neighbouring desert regions.
One-Year Survival After In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest- does Pre-Arrest Sepsis Matter?

AIM Cardiac arrest is not a common complication of sepsis, although sepsis has been recognized as one condition behind cardiac arrest. Our aim was to evaluate the prevalence of sepsis among patients with in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA), and to determine if sepsis is associated with inferior outcome after IHCA. METHODS All consecutive emergency team dispatches in Turku University Hospital in 2011-2014 (n = 607) were reviewed retrospectively to identify the patients undergoing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for IHCA (n = 301). The patient records were reviewed for the criteria of severe sepsis, organ dysfunction and chronic comorbidities before IHCA. Outcome was followed for one year. RESULTS The criteria for pre-arrest severe sepsis were met by 83/301 (28%) of the patients, and 93/301 (31%) had multi-organ dysfunction (3 or more organ systems). The patients with severe sepsis had higher mortality than those without severe sepsis, increasing from 30-day-mortalities of 63/83 (76%) and 151/218 (69%), respectively (p = 0.256), to one-year-mortalities of 72/83 (87%) and 164/218 (75%), respectively (p = 0.030). Emergency admission, age, immunosuppression, DM, multi-organ dysfunction and a non-shockable rhythm were independent predictors of one-year-mortality by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Six out of 83 patients with severe sepsis before IHCA (7%) survived one year with good neurological outcome (CPC scale 1). CONCLUSION A high proportion of patients with IHCA have sepsis and multi-organ dysfunction, and their prognosis is worse than the prognosis of patients with IHCA in general.