Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Features and Surgical Management of Bile Duct Cyst in Adults

Objectives Bile duct cyst (BDC) is a rare congenital biliary malformation with 20% of cases initially diagnosed during adulthood. Although the incidence of BDC in adults is increasing worldwide, the clinical features of adult BDC remain unclear. The present study was aimed at characterizing the demographic and clinical features of this rare disease. Methods We constructed a retrospective database and analyzed records of 106 patients (mean age, 41.0 ± 14.8 years; 18 men (17.0%)) with BDC treated at our institution from May 2012 to October 2018. Data collected included demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, surgical patterns, and prognoses. We compared the characteristics of patients undergoing their primary BDC resection against those of patients undergoing reoperation. Risk factors for bile duct infection (BDI), a common complication of BDC, were identified using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results Abdominal pain was the most common preoperative symptom, but 12 patients (11.3%) were asymptomatic. Ninety-nine patients underwent their primary BDC resection, and 7 patients received reoperation at our hospital. There was no significant difference in the postoperative complication rate between the two groups. Ninety-four patients were followed up for 37.8 ± 23.8 months, and BDI occurred in 33 patients (35.1%). Hilar anastomosis was an independent risk factor for BDI (odds ratio = 3.561; 95%confidence interval = 1.101, 11.517; and p = 0.034). Conclusion BDC was more frequent in women and abdominal pain was the most common preoperative symptom. The primary reason for reoperation was anastomotic stenosis. Reoperation had similar outcomes to primary resection and may be considered safe and acceptable if performed by a skillful surgeon. BDI was the most frequent postoperative complication with hilar anastomosis being the only independent risk factor. This highlights the importance of proper bile duct flow for surgical outcomes of BDC.
Single-Phase Distribution Transformer Modeling for Narrowband Power Line Communications

This paper proposes three different black-box models for a 10-kVA 7.967 kV–120/240 V distribution transformer that is suitable to narrowband power line communication studies. One is valid in the 3–500 kHz range, while the remaining two are simpler models valid for the CENELEC band (3–148.5 kHz). The models are represented as equivalent circuits derived from the rational approximation of the transformer admittance matrix using either phase- or modal-domain theory. All parameters needed for their implementation in electrical circuit solvers are given. Validation is performed not only in frequency domain, but also in time domain, with the application of voltage signals that excite the 3–500 kHz and 3–148.5 kHz frequency bands uniformly. The models are shown to accurately predict the attenuation and distortion of signals transferred through the transformer for a wide range of load conditions for both downstream and upstream signal transmission. Signal attenuation is shown to be load dependent, frequency dependent, and sensitive to the considered transmission path (downstream or upstream).
Effect of Planting Dates and Mulching on Growth and Flowering of Tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) cv. Sikkim Selection

Tuberose is an important flower crop grown in India mainly for its beautiful and fragrant cut flowers as well as loose flowers, belongs to family Amaryllidaceae and is commonly known as Rajnigandha or Nishigandha. It is native to Mexico. Tuberose is most important commercial flower among bulbous ornamental. They are valued much by the aesthetic world for their beauty and fragrance. It has long been cherished for the aromatic oils extracted from its fragrant flowers. There is high demand for tuberose concrete and absolute in the international markets which fetch a very good price. Tuberose can successfully be grown in pots, borders, beds and commercially cultivated for its various uses, as for making artistic garlands, floral ornaments and bouquets. Its importance among the commercially grown flowers is due to its potential for cut flower trade, long International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 05 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Mechanothermal Approach for N-, S-, P-, and B-Doping of Carbon Nanotubes: Methodology and Catalytic Performance in Wet Air Oxidation

The texture and the surface chemistry of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were modified using a solvent-free methodology involving a ball-milling mechanical treatment and thermal treatment under nitrogen in the presence of adequate precursors (melamine, sodium thiosulfate, sodium dihydrogen phosphate, and boric acid) of different heteroatoms (N, S, P, and B, respectively). The incorporation of these heteroatoms promotes significant changes in the pristine textural and chemical properties. This easy post-doping method allows the introduction of large concentrations of heteroatoms. Their effect on the catalytic activity of the materials was evaluated in the oxidation of oxalic acid by catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO), as an alternative to the noble metal and rare earth oxide catalysts traditionally used in this process. Improved catalytic activities were obtained using the N-, P-, and B-doped CNTs in oxalic acid oxidation, while the S-doped CNT sample underperformed in comparison to the pristine material.
Causes and possible consequences of hybridisation in angelfishes at Christmas Island

i Use of thesis . iii Declaration.iv Acknowledgements.v List of publications included as part of the thesis.vi List of figures. x List of tables and appendices.xiii Chapter 1. General introduction.1 1.1 Hybridisation . 1 1.2 Hybridisation in fish.2 1.3 Angelfishes and hybridisation.4 1.4 Aims and structure.5 Chapter 2. Review of natural hybridisation in angelfishes of the world.6 2.
The relationship between precursor concentration and antibacterial activity of biosynthesized Ag nanoparticles

The Origanum vulgare L. -mediated synthesis of Ag nanoparticles was successfully realized within the present study. Various concentrations of the AgNO 3 used as a silver precursor (1, 2.5, 5, 10 and 100 mM) were used. Very rapid formation of Ag nanoparticles was observed, as only minutes were necessary for the completion of the reaction. With the increasing concentration, red shift of the surface plasmon resonance peak was observed in the Vis spectra. According to photon cross-correlation spectroscopy results, the finest grain size distribution was obtained for the 2.5 mM sample. The transmission electron microscopy analysis of this sample has shown bimodal size distribution with larger crystallites with 100 nm size and smaller around 10 nm. The antibacterial activity was also the best for this sample so the positive correlation between good grain size distribution and antibacterial activity was found. The in-depth discussion of antibacterial activity with related works from the materials science point of view is provided, namely emphasizing the role of effective nanoparticles distribution within the plant extract or matrix. The antibacterial activity seems to be governed by both content of Ag nanoparticles and their effective distribution. This work contributes to still expanding environmentally acceptable field of green synthesis of silver nanoparticles.
The Evolution of Fluoroquinolone-Resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis is Modulated by the Genetic Background

Fluoroquinolones (FQ) form the backbone in experimental treatment regimens against drug-susceptible tuberculosis. However, little is known on whether the genetic variation present in natural populations of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) affects the evolution of FQ-resistance (FQ-R). To investigate this question, we used a set of Mtb strains that included nine genetically distinct drug-susceptible clinical isolates, and measured their frequency of resistance to the FQ ofloxacin (OFX) in vitro. We found that the Mtb genetic background led to differences in the frequency of OFX-resistance (OFX-R) that spanned two orders of magnitude and substantially modulated the observed mutational profiles for OFX-R. Further in vitro assays showed that the genetic background also influenced the minimum inhibitory concentration and the fitness effect conferred by a given OFX-R mutation. To test the clinical relevance of our in vitro work, we surveyed the mutational profile for FQ-R in publicly available genomic sequences from clinical Mtb isolates, and found substantial Mtb lineage-dependent variability. Comparison of the clinical and the in vitro mutational profiles for FQ-R showed that 45% and 19% of the variability in the clinical frequency of FQ-R gyrA mutations in Lineage 2 and Lineage 4 strains, respectively, can be attributed to how Mtb evolves FQ-R in vitro. As the Mtb genetic background strongly influenced the evolution of FQ-R in vitro, we conclude that the genetic background of Mtb also impacts the evolution of FQ-R in the clinic. Significance Newer generations of fluoroquinolones form the backbone in many experimental treatment regimens against M. tuberculosis (Mtb). While the genetic variation in natural populations of Mtb can influence resistance evolution to multiple different antibiotics, it is unclear whether it modulates fluoroquinolone-resistance evolution as well. Using a combination of in vitro assays coupled with genomic analysis of clinical isolates, we provide the first evidence illustrating the Mtb genetic background’s substantial role in fluoroquinolone-resistance evolution, and highlight the importance of bacterial genetics when studying the prevalence of fluoroquinolone-resistance in Mtb. Our work may provide insights into how to maximize the timespan in which fluoroquinolones remain effective in clinical settings, whether as part of current standardized regimens, or in new regimens against Mtb.
Soil biota and chemical interactions promote co‐existence in co‐evolved grassland communities

Plant populations can exhibit local adaptation to their abiotic environment, such as climate and soil properties, as well as biotic components such as the chemical signatures of dominant plant species and mutualistic and pathogenic microbial populations. While patterns of local adaptation in individual species are widely recorded, the importance of microevolutionary processes for plant community assembly and function is poorly understood. Here, we examined how a history of long‐term co‐existence, and thus potential for local co‐adaptation, influenced the process of plant community assembly. Soil inocula and seeds of eight plant species were collected from three calcareous grasslands with a long history of grazing within a single geographical region. Mesocosm communities were established using local genotypes from a single site or an artificial mixture of genotypes from two different sites. To investigate the role of root exudates and local (‘home’) and non‐local (‘away’) soil biota as mediators of plant species co‐existence, the population origin treatment was combined with the addition of activated carbon, which is known to adsorb exudates from soil, and sterilization of soil inocula. Individual‐, species‐ and mesocosm‐level responses were measured over the course of three growing seasons. We found that root exudates promoted seedling survival, species co‐existence and productivity in assemblages of genotypes originating from the same community but had a weak impact in mixed, novel communities. Soil biota promoted the growth of subordinate forbs and restrained the growth of dominant graminoids, particularly in communities composed of local genotypes. The effects of population origin were significant in the first 2 years of the experiment but were not detectable in the third year when interbreeding and new seedling establishment took place. Plant genotypes coupled with ‘home’ microbial inoculum experienced a stronger reduction in growth compared with genotypes exposed to ‘away’ inoculum, indicating that plants experienced home‐field disadvantage in interactions with soil biota. Synthesis. Our study demonstrates that the mechanisms of initial grassland community assembly depend on community history, with below‐ground chemical interactions and plant interactions with soil biota becoming stronger drivers of dynamics in established and potentially co‐evolved communities.
Individual variation and the role of L1 in the L2 development of English grammatical morphemes: insights from learner corpora

The overarching goal of the dissertation is to illustrate the relevance of learner corpus research to the field of second language acquisition (SLA). The possibility that learner corpora can be useful in mainstream SLA research has a significant implication given that they have not been systematically explored in relation to SLA theories. The thesis contributes to building a methodological framework to utilize learner corpora beneficially to SLA and argues that learner corpus research contributes to other disciplines. This is achieved by a series of case studies that quantitatively analyze individual variation and the role of native language (L1) in second language (L2) development of English grammatical morphemes and explain the findings with existing SLA theories. The dissertation investigates the L2 development of morphemes based on two largescale learner corpora. It first reviews the literature and points out that the L2 acquisition order of English grammatical morphemes that has been believed universal in SLA research may, in fact, vary across the learners with different L1 backgrounds and that individual differences in morpheme studies have been relatively neglected in previous literature. The present research, thus, provides empirical evidence testing the universality of the order and the extent of individual differences. In the first study, the thesis investigates L1 influence on the L2 acquisition order of six English grammatical morphemes across seven L1 groups and five proficiency levels. Data drawn from approximately 12,000 essays from the Cambridge Learner Corpus establish clear L1 influence on this issue. The study also reveals that learners without the equivalent morpheme in L1 tend to achieve an accuracy level of below 90% with respect to the morpheme even at the highest proficiency level, and that morphemes requiring learners to learn to pay attention to the relevant distinctions in their acquisition show a stronger effect of L1 than those which only require new form-meaning mappings. The findings are interpreted
Assessment of Patients Satisfaction towards Nursing Care in Mosul City Hospitals Basher

Background and aim: Patients' satisfaction has been used as a significant indicator of quality services provided by health care personnel. Consequently, the most important predictor of patients, overall satisfaction with hospital care is particularly related to their satisfaction with nursing care. Because nurses comprise the majority of health care providers. The aim of the current study is to assess the patients‘ satisfaction toward nursing care provided in medical and surgical units in Mosul city hospitals. Materials and method: A descriptive study represented in a purposive sample consisted of 1000 patients, the study was carried out at three different hospitals include Ibn Sina, Al Jumhory and Al Salam teaching hospitals. The study was conducted at medical and surgical Units; the data were collected through the use of constructing a questionnaire which consists of two parts, demographic characteristics and patients' satisfaction toward nursing care. Content validity was determined by presenting the questionnaire to a panel of 17 experts. The data were analyzed through the application of descriptive statisticas and inferential statistical analysis. Results: Results of the current study revealed that more than half of patients were male 569(56.9%). The most of patients was married 785(78.5%). The majority of patients were from rural 562(56.2%), additionally, the male more satisfied than female and surgical patients‘ satisfaction more than medical patients. the old age satisfaction more than another age groups, such as the lower level education high satisfied, the married patients more satisfied from other, the unemployed patients more satisfaction, the patients had not previous hospitalization more satisfaction. The patients are more satisfaction toward nursing skills from other domains. While there were a statistical significant difference between patient satisfaction toward nursing care provided and patients characteristics. Conclusion: The current study concluded that patients were satisfied to nursing care Recommendation: the study recommended that further studies should be conducted concerning patients satisfaction with nursing care provided in all hospitals.
Prochlorococcus rely on microbial interactions rather than on chlorotic resting stages to survive long-term nutrient starvation

Many microorganisms produce resting cells with very low metabolic activity that allow them to survive phases of prolonged nutrient or energy stress. In cyanobacteria and some eukaryotic phytoplankton, the production of resting stages is accompanied by a loss of photosynthetic pigments, a process termed chlorosis. Here, we show that a chlorosis-like process occurs under multiple stress conditions in axenic laboratory cultures of Prochlorococcus, the dominant phytoplankton linage in large regions of the oligotrophic ocean and a global key player in ocean biogeochemical cycles. In Prochlorococcus strain MIT9313, chlorotic cells show reduced metabolic activity, measured as C and N uptake by NanoSIMS. However, unlike many other cyanobacteria, chlorotic Prochlorococcus cells are not viable and do not re-grow under axenic conditions when transferred to new media. Nevertheless, co-cultures with a heterotrophic bacterium, Alteromonas macleodii HOT1A3, allowed Prochlorococcus to survive nutrient starvation for months. We propose that reliance on co-occurring heterotrophic bacteria, rather than the ability to survive extended starvation as resting cells, underlies the ecological success of Prochlorococcus. Importance The ability of microorganisms to withstand long periods of nutrient starvation is key to their survival and success under highly fluctuating conditions as is common in nature. Therefore, one would expect this trait to be prevalent among organisms in the nutrient-poor open ocean. Here, we show that this is not the case for Prochlorococcus, a globally abundant and ecologically impactful marine cyanobacterium. Instead, Prochlorococcus rely on co-occurring heterotrophic bacteria to survive extended phases of nutrient and light starvation. Our results highlight the power of microbial interactions to drive major biogeochemical cycles in the ocean and elsewhere with consequences at the global scale.
Design of Power Aware on Chip Embedded Memory based FSM Encoding in FPGA

A new design methodology to reduce power consumption and minimization of area in FSM based system is fore fronted into FPGA using Finite State Machines (FSMs) mapping in this proposed work. This FSM is mapped into the On Chip Embedded Memory (OCEM) through clock gating technique. FSM encoding is stored using OCEM as it reduces the Flip-Flop (FF) and combinational function usage. Clock gating technique will reduce the power consumption additionally through blocking the clock while OCEMP is in idle state. The proposed design is tested and analyzed using ALTERA cyclone II FPGA for Arithmetic Logic Units (ALU), Advanced Encryption Standard core (AES), SRAM controller and Synchronous FIFO. OCEM based implementation of One- Hot encoding is performed and compared with conventional Flip-Flop based One-hot encoding and analyzed. The FSM implemented using proposed method consumes less power and fewer areas when compared with FF based FSM implementation or using binary encoding technique. The OCEM based implementation can be clocked to maximum clock frequency. Experimental results and analyses shows that OCEM based FSM consumes 4 to 26 % less power than FF based techniques.
On Throughput-Reliability-Delay Tradeoffs in Wireless Networks

In wireless communication networks, performance goals are often conflicting with each other. For example, in point-to-point multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) links, spectrum efficiency and reliability are in a tradeoff relation; in ad-hoc wireless networks, we need to sacrifice throughput to decrease packet delay. In this dissertation, we investigate problems on the diversity-multiplexing tradeoff (DMT) in cellular wireless communication networks and problems on the throughput-delay tradeoff in adhoc wireless networks. We first consider two topics on the DMT in cellular uplinks (or multiple-access channels, MACs): (1) the diversity-multiplexing-delay tradeoff (DMDT) in a randomaccess scenario and (2) an explicit construction of space-time coding scheme achieving the DMT. For the random-access scenario, we propose an incremental-redundancy automatic repeat request (IR-ARQ) scheme. We prove that our scheme successfully exploits both ARQ diversity and joint-decoding advantage, and achieves a better DMT than other existing protocols, such as Tsatsanis et al.’s network-assisted diversity multiple-access (NDMA) and Gallager tree algorithm. Next, we propose a latticespace time (LAST) coding/decoding scheme in MACs and prove that it achieves the optimal DMT in MACs. Although our result is established using a random coding argument, it is important to note that the proposed scheme is explicit in a sense that
Efektivitas Antibakteri Fraksi Aktif Serai (Cymbopogon citratus) terhadap Bakteri Streptococcus mutans

Bakteri yang paling berperan dalam menyebabkan karies adalah Streptococcus mutans yang merupakan flora normal rongga mulut. Serai (Cymbopogon citratus) adalah salah satu bahan alam yang dapat digunakan untuk pengobatan tradisional. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui efektivitas antibakteri fraksi aktif serai (Cymbopogon citratus) terhadap Streptococcus mutans, menentukan fraksi aktif, menentukan konsentrasi hambat minimum (KHM) dan menentukan golongan senyawa aktif dari serai. Uji efektivitas antibakteri fraksi etil asetat dengan 6 konsentrasi dilakukan dengan metode difusi agar terhadap Streptococcus mutans. Amoksisilin digunakan sebagai kontrol positif. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa fraksi yang aktif adalah etil asetat dengan nilai KHM 125 ? g/ml. Golongan senyawa aktif yang terkandung adalah alkaloid dengan nilai Rf 0,1. Dapat disimpulkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan efektivitas antibakteri yang bermakna antara fraksi aktif serai dengan Amoksisilin terhadap Streptococcus mutans.
Role of Eg5 regulation and motor properties in bipolar spindle assembly in Xenopus laevis egg extract

In this study, we show that Eg2 phosphorylation of Eg5 is not important for its function in bipolar spindle formation in Xenopus egg extract. Conversely, Eg5 needs to be phosphorylated by Cdk1 to be targeted to spindle microtubules and hence assemble a bipolar spindle in Xenopus egg extract. These findings confirm previous studies and furthermore indicate that Cdk1 phosphorylation site is not only conserved among kinesin-5 members but also that its mechanism of regulation is conserved among this subfamily. Although further experiments are required to fully characterize Eg5 motor properties in by means of our microtubule gliding assay in Xenopus egg extract, Eg5 intrinsic motor properties are definitely crucial for bipolar spindle assembly as none of the Eg5 chimeras could rescue spindle formation in Xenopus egg extract. Moreover, these experiments provide the first experimental evidence that the classification of kinesins in different subfamilies, according to their conserved motor domain sequences, has also yielded to classify them according to their diverse function.