Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Descureania Sophia L. and Prunus Domestica L. in Prevention of Constipation among Iranian Hajj Pilgrims, Saudi Arabia

It is still common for travelers to complain of gastrointestinal problems such as constipation. Different complementary and alternative modalities were reported to overcome constipation. This study investigated the effect of Descureania sophia L. and Prunus domestica L. in prevention of constipation among Iranian Hajj pilgrims in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In a randomized clinical trial among Hajj pilgrims who traveled from Shiraz, Iran to Saudi Arabia for their religious ceremony in November, 2010, 87 were considered as the case and 67 as the control group. In case group, each time, the participants received 10-15 g of flixweed (Descurainia sophia L.) seeds and 4050 g of prune (Prunus domestica L.). They consumed this daily medication before lunch and dinner for three weeks. During this period, the control group continued having daily meal without any intervention. Rome III criteria was used to define constipation. To evaluate the participants’ health status in defecation, a ten-point Visual Analogue Scales (VAS) was used. No significant difference was noticed between the case and control groups regarding sex, age, body mass index (BMI) and cigarette smoking but there was a significant difference between the groups regarding improvement in frequency of feelings of pain, incomplete defecation, fullness, nausea, distention, reflux, the frequency of bowel movements bowel habits and the amount of daily fluid intake. Only for bleeding on defecation, no significant difference was noticed. As these herbals are inexpensive, available and without any complications, they can be safely administered in prevention of constipation especially among travelers.
In vitro interaction of Trichoderma isolates against Aspergillus niger , Chaetomium sp . and Penicilium sp .

A biocontrol agent that can possess many modes of action is preferable for effective control of plant pathogens. In the present study in vitro screening using the dual culture technique was undertaken to assess the potential of interaction of seven Trichoderma sp. against Aspergillus niger, Chaetomium sp. and Penicilium sp. The test pathogens were isolated from the seeds of Chickpea. The test antagonists grow faster than the pathogen and produced inhibition zones thereby limiting the growth of the pathogen. These antagonistic interactions influence the incidence and severity of the disease caused by the pathogen. The present communication describes the impact of different Trichoderma isolates on growth inhibition of seed borne pathogens under in vitro conditions. The results revealed that the bioagents used were able to inhibit the growth of the pathogen mycelia significantly.
Cross-cultural probing: an examination of university student ICT ownership and use of e-learning materials in Thai and Australian Contexts

This paper reports on the second phase of an ongoing project being carried out at Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Western Australia examining ECU Education students’ ownership and use of information and communication technologies (ICT). It is critical that modern universities understand their students’ ICT capabilities in terms of hardware ownership, software facility, and preferences in order that online course and content delivery may be tailored to deliver effective, usable and engaging learning resources (Smith & Caruso, 2010). In addition, with universities placing greater focus upon attracting students from beyond the borders of any one country though e‐learning, it is equally important that we understand these basic capabilities more globally. In this second phase data was collected at a Thai university as well as in Australia. The objective being to both inform the individual institutions, and to provide comparative data. In particular the study gathered information concerning students’ self‐perceived software skills and frequency of use, hardware ownership and frequency of use, access to and location of Internet use, preference for various types of online learning materials, and access and use of university email and university online learning environments. An online survey consisting of both Thai and English language versions was used that fed respondent data into a common database for analysis.
Studies on the Adsorption of Heavy Metals in a Paint Industry Effluent Using Activated Maize Cob

This research work on the studies of adsorption of heavy metal in an effluent from a paint industry using chemically activated maize cob as adsorbent was aimed at removal of Pb 2+ contaminants from Lead based paint effluent. The results of production, characterization and adsorption studies showed that activated maize cob with surface area of 1195.12 m 2 /g and pore volume of 1.28 cm 3 /g was achieved at 500 0 C and 90ml concentration by volume of phosphoric acid and zinc chloride as activating agents. It was observed that sample C3 using activating agents concentration by volume 50 – 120 ml at 500 0 C gave the optimum value for characteristic performance in adsorption of Pb ions from effluent. Langmuir isotherm model, pseudofirst order kinetic equations were fitted with generated data. The Langmuir and pseudofirst order model fitted favourably with a correlation coefficient of 0.98 and a rate constant of 0.00104 mgg -1 min -1 . Keywords—adsorption; heavy metal; effluent; maize cob; activating agent
Graphical User Interface for Virtualized Mobile Handsets

Type-1 hypervisors have been suggested as a solution to bring your own device (BYOD) for their ability to enforce strong isolation. However, the lack of graphics acceleration support, crucial to good user experience, in mobile virtual machines (VMs) has limited the appeal of such solutions. We present a system architecture for providing access to graphics acceleration hardware to mobile VMs as well as a trusted and identifiable input and output path between the user and a VM. We built a prototype based on a small type-1 hypervisor and determined the GPU virtualization penalty on the performance to be only 5 %. A small impact on the trusted computing base (TCB) makes our architecture a viable solution even for high security demands.
Item Selection by an Extended Latent Class Model: An Application to Nursing Homes Evaluation

The evaluation of nursing homes and the assessment of the quality of the health care provided to their patients are usually based on the administration of questionnaires made of a large number of polytomous items. In applications involving data collected by questionnaires of this type, the Latent Class (LC) model represents a useful tool for classifying subjects in homogenous groups. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for item selection, which is based on the LC model. The proposed algorithm is aimed at finding the smallest subset of items which provides an amount of information close to that of the initial set. The method sequentially eliminates the items that do not significantly change the classification of the subjects in the sample with respect to the classification based on the full set of items. The LC model, and then the item selection algorithm, may be also used with missing responses that are dealt with assuming a form of latent ignorability. The potentialities of the proposed approach are illustrated through an application to a nursing home dataset collected within the ULISSE project, which concerns the quality-of-life of elderly patients hosted in Italian nursing homes. The dataset presents several issues, such as missing responses and a very large number of items included in the questionnaire.
USING SUPPORT VECTOR MACHINES IN ANOMALY INTRUSION DETECTION

Using Support Vector Machines in Anomaly Intrusion Detection Eric M Nyakundi Advisor: University of Guelph, 2015 Dr. Charlie Obimbo Recent increase in hacks and computer network attacks around the world, including Sony Pictures (2014), Home Depot (2014), and Target (2014) gives a compelling need to develop better Intrusion Detection and Prevention systems. Network intrusions have become larger and more pervasive in nature. However, most anomaly intrusion detection systems are plagued by large number of false positives thus limiting their use. In this Thesis as a contribution to building better Intrusion Detection Systems, we classify intrusions using Support Vector Machines and perform experiments to determine their performance and compare them to other classifiers e.g näıve-Bayes, multilayer perceptrons on the network intrusion detection classification task. The classifiers are evaluated on the ISCX2012 dataset. The proposed Support Vector Machine classifier achieves 99.1% average detection accuracy which demonstrates better performance compared to the modified gravitational search algorithm (MGSA) neural network which achieved 97.8% accuracy and the multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) multilayer perceptron which achieved 97% average detection accuracy.
A creative cocktail: creative teaching in initial teacher education

Despite government rhetoric, higher education lecturers and schoolteachers in the UK remain under pressure to focus on standards and measurement in the core curriculum at the relative expense of a wider and more creative education. This article argues that the balance needs redressing and explores the nature of creative teaching in the context of initial teacher education. It reports an investigation into creative teaching, undertaken through peer review and analysis of sessions in geography, music and English. Students' responses were collected and interviews conducted. The sessions were examined in relation to content, teaching style and student experience, from which common themes were then identified. These themes included: contextualisation; using metaphor; style and pace of delivery; tutor confidence and ability to inspire; valuing students; emotional engagement; and challenging students to reflect upon their own learning. It is suggested that creative teaching is a complex and invigorating cocktail. The ingredients of the cocktail can be identified and may be taught, but much depends upon the vigour of the mixing and the individual experiences of those who attend each ‘cocktail party’.
Uniform versus Discriminatory Tariffs: When Will Export Taxes Be Used?

This paper examines the noncooperative interactions between two exporting countries and one importing country when all of them are seeking the optimal policies to improve their welfare. Whereas the importing country has the incentive to impose tariffs on the goods coming from the two exporting countries, the export policies chosen by the exporting countries depend on the tariff regime, whether uniform or discriminatory tariffs are used. It is argued that export taxes are chosen by both exporting countries in some cases, and that whereas the importing country prefers a uniform tariff regime, the exporting countries find a discriminatory tariff regime preferable.
PREVENTING METASTASIS AND ACHIEVING ONCOLYSIS IN SOLID TUMORS BY INHIBITING SPECIFIC METALLOPROTEINASES AND MANIPULATING KEY METABOLIC PATHWAYS

APPROXIMATELY 50% of solid tumors bear mutations to the p53 gene and typically contain hypoxic microclusters. By artfully manipulating key metabolic anaerobic biochemical pathways, it should be possible to increase lactate and block its excretion, resulting in lethal reductions in intracellular pH. Compounds are advanced for accomplishing this as well as helping eradicate non-hypoxic regions of tumors, based on predecessor methods which results in long term remissions in persons with a host of solid tumor malignancies. A number of measures are also introduced for inducing oncostasis and preventing metastasis. Any remaining tumor mass can be treated using whatever standard chemotherapeutic, radiotherapeutic, surgical or immunologic interventions or combinations thereof are deemed most likely to result in oncolysis. R E V IE W ◊ H Y PO T H E SI S *ADDRESS ALL CORRESPONDENCE TO: DR. ANTHONY G. PAYNE, STEENBLOCK RESEARCH INSTITUTE, 1064 CALLE NEGOCIO #B, SAN CLEMENTE, CA 92673 USA. PHONE: 949-248-7034; FAX: 949-388-3441. E-MAIL: DrAGPayne@yahoo.com ● M E D IC A L H Y PO T H E SE S A N D R E SE A R C H ● T H E JO U R N A L FO R IN N O V A TI V E ID EA S IN B IO M ED IC A L R ES EA R C H ●
Orbital and physical parameters of eclipsing binaries from the ASAS catalogue – IX. Spotted pairs with red giants

We present spectroscopic and photometric solutions for three spotted systems with red giant components. Absolute physical and orbital parameters for these double-lined detached eclipsing binary stars are presented for the first time. These were derived from the V-, and I-band ASAS and WASP photometry, and new radial velocities calculated from high quality optical spectra we obtained with a wide range of spectrographs and using the two-dimensional cross-correlation technique (TODCOR). All of the investigated systems (ASAS J184949-1518.7, BQ Aqr, and V1207 Cen) show the differential evolutionary phase of their components consisting of a main sequence star or a subgiant and a red giant, and thus constitute very informative objects in terms of testing stellar evolution models. Additionally, the systems show significant chromospheric activity of both components. They can be also classified as classical RS CVn-type stars. Besides the standard analysis of radial velocities and photometry, we applied spectral disentangling to obtain separate spectra for both components of each analysed system which allowed for a more detailed spectroscopic study. We also compared the properties of red giant stars in binaries that show spots, with those that do not, and found that the activity phenomenon is substantially suppressed for stars with Rossby number higher than $\sim$1 and radii larger than $\sim$20 R$_\odot$.
Quantitative analysis of Roundup Ready soybean content in soy-derived food and animal feed by using Real-time PCR incorporated with cloned DNA fragments

Malaysia, Biosafety Bill 2006 was approved by Parliament in July 2007, and labeling legislation will be implemented soon. In this study, duplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was carried out to detect endogenous soybean lectin gene and exogenous cp4-epsps (5’-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phospate synthase) gene simultaneously. Additionally, real-time PCR utilizing SYBR Green fluorescence dye were established for the quantitative analysis of Roundup Ready soybean (RRS), which is based on the two established calibration curve from cloned fragment of cp4-epsps gene and lectin gene respectively. Approximately, 39.5% (45/114) of the samples examined in this study contain RRS, animal feeds (31), processed food (13) and raw soybean (1). Additionally, 75.6% (34/45) of the positive samples were found contained RRS above 0.9%. The sensitive GMO quantitative approach described in this study enable the analysis of various samples and this will facilitate the labeling process.
Co‐amplification of cytochrome b and D‐loop mtDNA fragments for the identification of degraded DNA samples

We propose a simple and effective approach to simultaneously co-amplify both cytochrome b and D-loop fragments to evaluate DNA preservation and to monitor possible contaminations in the analysis of degraded animal DNA samples. We have applied this approach to over 200 ancient salmon samples and 25 ancient whale DNA samples, clearly demonstrating its multiple benefits for analysis of degraded DNA samples, and the ease in which co-amplification can be optimized for different taxa. This simple, cost-efficient and genomic DNA-saving approach can be used routinely in the analysis of minute and degraded DNA samples in wildlife forensics, food inspection, conservation biology and ancient faunal remains.
A visco‐elasto‐plastic model for granular materials under simple shear conditions

The numerical simulation of rapid landslides is quite complex mainly because constitutive models capable of simulating the mechanical behaviour of granular materials in the pre‐collapse and post‐collapse regimes are still missing. The goal of this paper is to introduce a constitutive model capable of capturing the response of dry granular flows from quasi‐static to dynamic conditions, in particular when the material experiences a sort of solid‐to‐fluid phase transition. An ideal assembly of identical spheres under simple shear conditions is considered. In the constitutive model, void ratio and granular temperature have been chosen as state variables, and both shear and normal stresses are computed as the sum of two contributions: the quasi‐static one and the collisional one. The former is determined by using a perfect elasto‐plastic model including the critical state concept, while the latter is derived from the kinetic theory of granular gases. The evolution of the granular temperature, fundamentally governing the material phase transition, is obtained by imposing the kinetic fluctuating energy balance. The constitutive relationship has been integrated, under both constant pressure and constant volume conditions, and the influence of shear strain rate, initial void ratio and normal pressure on the mechanical response has been investigated. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The living and the fossilized: how well do unevenly distributed points capture the faunal information in a grid?

Background: Fossil data sets are typically point-like, i.e. they provide information about a fossil fauna only for scattered localities. Modern distribution data are typically based on grid cells, and provide a (nearly) full description of the fauna. Question: How good are estimates of the characteristics of the whole fauna that one obtains by looking only at point-like data similar to fossil data sets? Data: Locality-based occurrence data for Neogene terrestrial mammals taken from the NOW database, and grid-based modern mammal distribution data for extant terrestrial mammals of Europe taken from the EMMA database. Analytical methods: We used the EMMA dataset to generate subsets of the data, which contain only information about those grid cells that correspond to the location of at least one fossil locality in the NOW data. For each such dataset, we compared the different characteristics of the fauna (such as diversity, trophic structure, hypsodonty, occupancy, and representation of spatial patterns) to the whole EMMA dataset. Results: Grid cells corresponding to fossil localities detect about 60% of the known species. Community structure can be estimated very accurately from the data on these localities. Conclusions: Grid cells containing fossil localities give good estimates about the total fauna known from all grid cells, especially for relative measures such as community structure. Limitation to grid cells has a stronger effect on spatial patterns, but the main trends are still observed. Adding noise to the data has a negligible effect in most cases. The terrestrial mammals present in the NOW database can thus be regarded as a reasonably good representation of the real fauna from which they are drawn.
A Comparison of Two Shallow-Water Models with Nonconforming Adaptive Grids

Abstract In an effort to study the applicability of adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) techniques to atmospheric models, an interpolation-based spectral element shallow-water model on a cubed-sphere grid is compared to a block-structured finite-volume method in latitude–longitude geometry. Both models utilize a nonconforming adaptation approach that doubles the resolution at fine–coarse mesh interfaces. The underlying AMR libraries are quad-tree based and ensure that neighboring regions can only differ by one refinement level. The models are compared via selected test cases from a standard test suite for the shallow-water equations, and via a barotropic instability test. These tests comprise the passive advection of a cosine bell and slotted cylinder, a steady-state geostrophic flow, a flow over an idealized mountain, a Rossby–Haurwitz wave, and the evolution of a growing barotropic wave. Both static and dynamics adaptations are evaluated, which reveal the strengths and weaknesses of the AMR techniques. Overa.
Integrated urban flood risk assessment – adapting a multicriteria approach to a city

Abstract. Flood risk assessment is an essential part of flood risk management. As part of the new EU flood directive it is becoming increasingly more popular in European flood policy. Particularly cities with a high concentration of people and goods are vulnerable to floods. This paper introduces the adaptation of a novel method of multicriteria flood risk assessment, that was recently developed for the more rural Mulde river basin, to a city. The study site is Leipzig, Germany. The "urban" approach includes a specific urban-type set of economic, social and ecological flood risk criteria, which focus on urban issues: population and vulnerable groups, differentiated residential land use classes, areas with social and health care but also ecological indicators such as recreational urban green spaces. These criteria are integrated using a "multicriteria decision rule" based on an additive weighting procedure which is implemented into the software tool FloodCalc urban. Based on different weighting sets we provide evidence of where the most flood-prone areas are located in a city. Furthermore, we can show that with an increasing inundation extent it is both the social and the economic risks that strongly increase.
IS THERE A NEED TO IMPROVE THE INFORMED CONSENT PROCEDURES IN CROATIA - A PILOT FIELD SURVEY ON A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE, A FOOD FOR THOUGHT?

Background: The informed consent, if obtained properly, can bring additional value to the physician-patient relationship and in many cases to the patients’ safety. The previous research studies done in Croatia show the formality of the process of informed consent which often lacks quality and substance, as well as the poor knowledge of patients' rights. Therefore, the authors sought to elucidate the main issues related to the experience and assess the knowledge of general patient population about informed consent after several years of application of the Act on Protection of Patients' Rights. Methods: A short survey was conducted using an independently created questionnaire on a nationally representative sample of 1023 adult subjects divided into two groups: those who had been or not in a hospital for treatment in the past five years. Results: 60% of respondents had only partial knowledge of patients' rights. The level of knowledge about the informed consent was average but not in depth. 25% of respondents stated that they have received complete information during the informed consent procedure, and graded the level of the received information as high in nine percent of the cases. 15% of respondents could not remember whether they have signed or not an informed consent form. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained in our research there is need for improvement of the informed consent procedures and for further research in the issues surrounding the practices of informed consent in Croatia especially in the areas of quality and comprehension of the information, as well as the physician-patient decision-making process and education of physicians and general public.