Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Study of Biofilm Production and Antifungal Susceptibility of Clinical Isolates of Candida Species.

Purpose: The biofilm formation of an organism can be considered as virulence factor, which turns sensitive organisms into the resistant one for antimicrobial agents. Candida biofilms are observed in blood, mucosal surface and most medical devices, such as stents, shunts, implants, endotracheal tubes, pacemakers, and various types of catheters i.e. nonliving objects in patient’s body. This study was designed to characterise speciation of Candida, biofilm production and antifungal activity after biofilm formation. Materials and Methods: Speciation of Candida was done by Dalmau plate technique on corn meal agar, also sugar assimilation and fermentation test were performed by using 2% concentration of sugars. Quantitative measurement of biofilm formation was assessed by microtitre plate assay for 425 Candida isolates using XTT {2, 3-bis (2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-5-[(phenylamino) carbonyl]-2Htetrazolium hydroxide} reduction assay. Antifungal susceptibility was done to biofilm forming and non biofilm forming Candida using Percentage Transmission (%T) assay and confirmation by XTT reduction assay. Results: Out of 425 strains, XTT reduction assay gave 72 biofilm positive strains accounting for 16.94 %. Out of 72, 56 strains became resistant to amphotericin B and 41 strains became resistant to fluconazole after induced biofilm production which is significant. Conclusion: The biofilm formation of an organism can be considered as virulence factor, which turns sensitive organisms into resistant organisms for antimicrobial agents. Candida biofilm formation is observed in blood, mucosal surface and most medical devices in patient’s body.
EFFECT OF NONLINEARITY ON THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF PILE GROUPS

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the use of a hybrid method in studying the effect of nonlinearity on the seismicbehavior of the soil-pile system. The dynamic behavior of a 2*2 pile group, with a rigid pile cap is analyzed under strong ground motion. The nonlinear near-field is modeled using finite elements and the elastic far-field is modeled using a boundary finite element method – CIFECM (Consistent Infinitesimal Finite Element Cell Method). For the near-field, material-nonlinearity due to plasticity and strain hardening has been considered. The Hierarchical Single Surface (HiSS) model available in literature has been used for dealing with nonlinearity. The Hybrid Time-Frequency Domain (HTFD) method of iterative solution is used in conjunction with CIFECM to model the non-linearity and the unbounded nature of the medium respectively. The effect of material nonlinearity on seismic response of the soil-pile system is presented.
EXPERIENCE OF FODDER GALEGA ( GALEGA ORIENTALIS LAM . ) AND TRADITIONAL FODDER GRASSES USE FOR FORAGE PRODUCTION IN ORGANIC FARM

Fresh mass of fodder galega is protein rich and contains bio-active substances (vitamins, especially C, carotene, and minerals), and therefore is high valuable fodder. Moreover, fodder galega produce heavy yield (60–70 t ha fresh mass, 15 t ha hay, and 12 t ha dry materials) without mineral fertilizer supplement, thus biomass is ecologically safe feed. The main object of this study was to evaluate galega chemical composition, selective consumption as well as the effects of increasing cattle daily liveweight gain of stable feeding and grazing. Feeding and grazing experiments were carried out at organical farm conditions during years 2008–2009. Agrochemical analyses of timothy, red clover and galega biomass were done at Agrochemical Laboratory of Lithuanian Agriculture University. Biomass of fodder galega has better chemical content and metabolisable energy (9.6 MJ kg) than traditional feed grasses, namely timothy (8.1 MJ kg) and red clover (9.3 MJ kg). Moreover, galega fresh mass and hay of fodder galega were suitable for feeding due to good edibility (4–5 points). Galega enriched animal ration with protein’ (223.2 g kg), vitamins’ as well as with Ca (12.41g kg), Mg (3.62 g kg), Fe (80 mg kg) and Cu (8.0 mg kg). Therefore galega improved feed value and selective consumption of animal feeds. The daily liveweight gains of free grazing and stall-feeding heifers came up to 634 and 863 g, respectively, and average increase by 70 and 61 g in comparison with heifers’ intake of cultural pasture grass was observed.
Tax Evasion and missing imports : Evidence using Transaction Level Data in Ethiopia

The literature on tax evasion and international trade taxes relies on the crucial assumption that trade costs (insurance, freight, and other related costs) are not related to tax rate. This assumption implies that failing to take trade costs into account do not affect the estimated effect of tax rate on tax evasion. In addition, it doesn’t sufficiently account for various exemptions in the tax code that create significant difference between the statutory and actual tax rates. In this paper, we test the robustness of the relationship between tax evasion and tax rate for the presence of trade costs and tax exemptions using transaction level administrative data. We find that ignoring trade costs overestimates the level of evasion. The amount of overstatement depends on the way the trade cost is included in the estimation. In addition, we find that taking exemptions into account makes a significant difference in the estimated evasion parameter. While we do not find any statistically significant relationship between evasion and the statutory tax rate, we find positive and statistically significant relationship between the two when we use the actual effective tax rate that takes into account exemptions in the Ethiopian trade tax system.
Inverse problem in the surface EMG: a feasibility study

The aim of this work is the development of a localisation algorithm of the bioelectric sources using surface electromyographic (SEMG). In this paper, a feasibility study is presented : we simulate the resolution of the SEMG inverse problem. Firsts we developed a program modelling the SEMG signal of the biceps brachii. To resolve the inverse problem, the localisation algorithm uses an estimation procedure. We minimise the difference between calculated potential and observed potential by successive iterations. The procedure is applied successively to the defined zones of the geometrical arm cross-section. The program locates accurately an active motor unit in a given zone, regardless of time and distance.
Brazilian Journal of Chemical Engineering UTILIZATION OF ORANGE BAGASSE AND MOLOKHIA STALK FOR PRODUCTION OF PECTINASE ENZYME

Studies were conducted on the production and extraction of exo-polygalacturonase (PG) in solidstate fermentation (SSF) using orange bagasse (Ob) and molokhia stalks (Ms) as a new solid support by Penicillium pinophlilum Hedg 3503 NRRL. The parameters affecting PG production under SSF were optimized. The maximum PG activity of ~ 3270 U/ g dry solid substrate was obtained from P. pinophlilum Hedg 3503 NRRL grown for 7 days on Ob and Ms in the ratio 1:3 (w/w), moistened with distilled water at 68.2% initial moisture content. Highest enzyme titers occurred in SSF without added nutrients, indicating nutrient sufficiency of the Ob and MS mixture to sustain growth and a high level of pectic substances which induced PG production. The extraction of PG from the fermented biomass was optimized. Among the various solvents tested, the maximum level of enzyme activity was achieved when acetate buffer (0.05 M; pH 5.0) was used. The optimum volume of buffer was 50 mL, an extraction time of 60 min was sufficient to extract most enzyme, which yielded 3269.6 U/ g dry solid substrate of enzyme activity. Repeated washes under the optimum conditions showed that most of the enzyme (about 98%) was recovered in three repeated extractions. Moreover, 68.9% of total activity was achieved in the first wash.
Chapter 4 From biology to language change and diversity

Establishing causality (or at least, attempting to) must rank as one of the most important aims of science, but despite the widespread impression to the contrary, any cursory look at the vast literature dedicated to it or, for that matter, to the scientific literature where claims to have established, supported or refuted causal stories abound, shows that this is a very complex, multifaceted and slippery concept. Indeed, the philosophical literature abounds with proposals of what causality is and how it can be established, as well as counter-examples and counter-proposals, while there recently has been an explosion in the methodological literature mostly fueled by the seminal work of Judea Pearl (Pearl 2000; see also Blasi & Roberts 2017, in this volume). Given the complexity of this literature and the brevity of this chapter, I will use here the guide laid down by the “Causality in the Sciences” (CitS) movement1 (Illari, Russo & Williamson 2011; Illari & Russo 2014) which, very helpfully, distinguishes between scientific and philosophical questions. The five scientific questions concern inference (what are the causal relations between X and Y and what is their quantitative form, what are the causes of effects, what are the effects of causes), prediction (how do we know and with what accuracy), explanation (how to causally explain, how much is explained by statistics, what level of explanation), control (how and when to control for confounds, the experimental setting, how to interfere with a system), and reasoning (how to think about
The Optimal Control of Invasive Species in Heterogeneous Landscapes Job Market Paper

The problem of managing an invasive species is inherently spatial and dynamic, since populations spread over space through time. However, many invasive species also have the ability to grow in intensity within a spatial unit, or patch. This paper develops a spatial dynamic model of optimal control for a general affliction and solves for optimal management pathways in a variety of spatially heterogeneous landscapes. This model is capable of exhibiting variation across patches in several ways including the carrying capacities, the intensities of the invasion, the human populations, the damages inflicted by the invasive, and costs of control. Solving the optimization problem using numerical methods, this paper identifies several new insights not present in the existing literature on the spatial dynamic control of invasives. Preventing populations from spreading is very unlikely to be an optimal strategy in most landscape configurations. Instead populations that are not immediately eradicated are generally allowed to spread throughout the landscape, but their intensities are managed. Patches with different carrying capacities are shown to have varying degrees of tolerance for the affliction, yet the optimal management strategies minimize the variation between adjacent patches. These results provide a new motivation for the need for heterogeneous policy.
Production of bioethanol from millet husk using fungal consortium

The study was aim to evaluate the potential of millet husk in the generation of bioethanol through fermentation using Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Samples of millet husks were obtained from Rugga Waru shafting center of Bado area in Wamakko Local Government and was sun dried. The sample was pretreated using 600 mls of dilute-sulfuric acid and was later hydrolyzed using the enzyme Aspergillus niger for five days. The reducing sugar content of the hydrolyzed sample was also obtained to be 0.02 mg/ml. The hydrolyzed samples were fermented using reactivated yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) for five days at 35°C. The fermented broth was finally distilled at 78°C to obtain the bioethanol. The quantity of the bioethanol was (79 g/l) and the concentration of the bioethanol produced was obtained to be (0.621%). The thermal property of the millet husk was also obtained to be -7.907 mg, and the rate of production was high.
RETROFIT OF UNREINFORCED MASONRY BUILDINGS: THE STATE-OF-THE-ART

The vulnerability of unreinforced masonry buildings to impaired performance is a serious problem facing structural engineers today. Unreinforced masonry (URM) walls usually constructed from bricks or blocks and in some older buildings from cut stone, were designed primarily to resist gravity loads with little or no consideration for lateral loads. Although URM buildings perform satisfactorily under service loads, there is evidence that they may suffer serious damage under high lateral loads such as earthquake inertia forces. Besides seismic loads, URM buildings may require upgrading due to abnormal loads, environmental loads, or other causes of deterioration. Several techniques have been found to be effective in retrofitting masonry buildings. However, what is appropriate for one building may not necessarily be appropriate for another. The selected method must be consistent with aesthetics, function, and the strength, ductility, and stiffness requirements. This paper reviews and discusses the limitations of the most commonly used field retrofitting techniques namely: repointing, grout and epoxy injection, anchoring and tying, overlays, bracing, internal reinforcement, external reinforcement, post-tensioning, and base isolation. Experimental investigations on retrofitting of URM structures are also reviewed. In light of the presented review, it is clear that a successful retrofit strategy requires a full understanding of the expected response mechanisms of the rehabilitated URM structures and how retrofit measures can alter the complete building response. Axial loads, height to width (or thickness) ratios, boundary conditions, diaphragm behavior, and connections between components tend to govern the response of URM structures and play important roles in guiding the choice of the appropriate retrofit strategy.
An ab initio approach to the modulation of galactic electrons and positrons

The modulation of galactic electrons and positrons is investigated with an ab initio three-dimensional steady state cosmic-ray modulation code. The effects of turbulence on both the diffusion and drift of these cosmic-rays are treated in a self-consistent manner, utilizing a recent two-component turbulence transport model that yields results in reasonable agreement with observations of turbulence quantities throughout the heliosphere. The sensitivity of computed galactic electron intensities to choices of turbulence parameters pertaining to the dissipation range of the slab turbulence spectrum will be demonstrated, and comparisons of computed electron and positron intensities with spacecraft observations will be made.
EFFECT OF NITROGEN AND SEED RATES ON GROWTH AND YIELD OF FORAGE SORGHUM ( Sorghum bicolor

A field experiment was conducted to study the effect of nitrogen and seed rates on growth and yield of forage sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L Moench cv. Abusabien) at of Sudan University of Science and Technology, Shambat, Sudan during 2004-05 and 2005-06. The experiment was lied out in randomized complete block design with three replications. There were three seed rates viz. 20 kg/fed (S1), 40 kg/fed (S2) and 60 kg/fed (S3) and two levels of nitrogen 0 kg/fad (N0) and 80 kg/fad (N1). The observations including plant height, number of leaves and leaves area index were recorded periodically at 15 days interval ( three cuttings), and then plant population, fresh and dry weight were also obtained for two seasons. The results showed that increasing doses of nitrogen increased all growth attributed but there were no variation due to seed rate. On the other hand the results revealed significant differences for second cutting and third cutting of first and second seasons respectively for plant height and leaves area index. The number of leaves showed significant differences in the second cutting in the first season only. The results also indicated that there were significant differences for plant population, dry weight for two season but for fresh weight the significant difference was appeared only in the first season only , and also the variation is due to nitrogen nor seed rate.
Impact of tumor size and cirrhotic background for differentiating HCC and ICC with CEUS: does it matter for patients undergoing hepatectomy?

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in differentiating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) vs. intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) and primary liver cancer vs. benign liver lesions for surgical decision making. Methods Data from 328 patients (296 primary liver cancer patients: 232 HCC and 64 ICC patients and 32 benign hepatic lesion patients) who underwent hepatectomy at our center were retrospectively collected from 2010 to 2015. Conventional ultrasound (US) and CEUS were performed for all patients before hepatectomy. Enhancement patterns in CEUS were classified and compared for HCC vs. ICC and for primary liver cancer vs. benign lesions. Results Primary liver cancer and hepatic benign lesions could be distinguished by CEUS in different phases. The most obvious differences were in the portal and delayed phases, in which benign lesions could still show hyperenhancement (46.9% vs. 0.0% and p < 0.001 in the portal phase; 43.7% vs. 0.0% and p < 0.001 in the delayed phase). For differentiating HCC and ICC, our results revealed that HCC and ICC displayed different enhancement patterns in the arterial phase (p < 0.001) and the portal phase (p < 0.001). In the subgroup analyses, both HCC and ICC showed a high rate of homogeneous hyperenhancement during the arterial phase when tumors were ≤5 cm (87.2% vs. 64.0% and p = 0.008) or the Ishak score was ≥5 (75.8% vs. 42.9% and p = 0.023), although there was statistical difference. However, during the portal phase, ICC > 5 cm showed significantly more frequent hypoenhancement (92.3% vs. 54.5% and p < 0.001) and less isoenhancement (7.7% vs. 45.5% and p < 0.001) than HCC; additionally, during the portal phase, there was no statistical difference in the enhancement patterns of ICC with different hepatic backgrounds. Conclusions Tumor size and hepatic background should be taken into consideration when distinguishing HCC and ICC before surgery. However, CEUS is a helpful tool for differentiating malignant and benign hepatic lesions. For patients who require surgical treatment, CEUS may help with surgical decision making.
Poly (2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate –co–methylmethacrylate)/Lignocaine Contact Lens Preparation, Characterization, and in vitro Release Dynamic

2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, methylmethacrylate, ethylene glycol dimethyl methacrylate, and lignocaine (drug) were mixed together and the monomers were copolymerized at 60 °C through a free radical polymerization in the presence of α,α′-Azoisobutyronitrile in tetrahydrofuran. A series of copolymer/drug composites with different monoacrylate monomer compositions were prepared by solvent evaporation and characterized by different methods such as nuclear magnetic resonance, differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction, and mechanical and optical testing. The water content in the copolymers and the cell viability test on the samples were also examined in this investigation. The results of the analyses of the properties of this drug-carrier system are promising, indicating that this material may be a potential candidate for contact lens applications. The release dynamic of this medication from the prepared drug-carrier systems was investigated in neutral pH media. The results obtained revealed that the diffusion of lignocaine through the copolymer matrix obeys the Fick model and the dynamic release can be easily controlled by the methyl methacrylate content in the copolymer.
Interaction between Copper Oxide Nanoparticles and Amino Acids: Influence on the Antibacterial Activity

The increasing concern about antibiotic-resistance has led to the search for alternative antimicrobial agents. In this effort, different metal oxide nanomaterials are currently under investigation, in order to assess their effectiveness, safety and mode of action. This study focused on CuO nanoparticles (CuO NPs) and was aimed at evaluating how the properties and the antimicrobial activity of these nanomaterials may be affected by the interaction with ligands present in biological and environmental media. Ligands can attach to the surface of particles and/or contribute to their dissolution through ligand-assisted ion release and the formation of complexes with copper ions. Eight natural amino acids (L-Arg, L-Asp, L-Glu, L-Cys, L-Val, L-Leu, L-Phe, L-Tyr) were chosen as model molecules to investigate these interactions and the toxicity of the obtained materials against the Gram-positive bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 35984. A different behavior from pristine CuO NPs was observed, depending on the aminoacidic side chain. These results were supported by physico-chemical and colloidal characterization carried out by means of Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) and Thermo-Gravimetric Analysis (TGA), Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) and light scattering techniques (Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), Electrophoretic Light Scattering (ELS) and Centrifugal Separation Analysis (CSA).
Evaluation of a Recombinant Mouse X Pig Chimeric Anti-Porcine DEC205 Antibody Fused with Structural and Nonstructural Peptides of PRRS Virus

Activation of the immune system using antigen targeting to the dendritic cell receptor DEC205 presents great potential in the field of vaccination. The objective of this work was to evaluate the immunogenicity and protectiveness of a recombinant mouse x pig chimeric antibody fused with peptides of structural and nonstructural proteins of porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus (PRRSV) directed to DEC205+ cells. Priming and booster immunizations were performed three weeks apart and administered intradermally in the neck area. All pigs were challenged with PRRSV two weeks after the booster immunization. Immunogenicity was evaluated by assessing the presence of antibodies anti-PRRSV, the response of IFN-γ-producing CD4+ cells, and the proliferation of cells. Protection was determined by assessing the viral load in the blood, lungs, and tonsils using qRT-PCR. The results showed that the vaccine exhibited immunogenicity but conferred limited protection. The vaccine group had a lower viral load in the tonsils and a significantly higher production of antibodies anti-PRRSV than the control group (p < 0.05); the vaccine group also produced more CD4+IFN-γ+ cells in response to peptides from the M and Nsp2 proteins. In conclusion, this antigenized recombinant mouse x pig chimeric antibody had immunogenic properties that could be enhanced to improve the level of protection and vaccine efficiency.