Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neuroprotective Effect of Melissa officinalis in Animal Model of SpinalCord Injurya

Pathophysiology of spinal cord injury has classically bad prognosis in primary and secondary processes. This process causes inflammation, deformity and cell loss. It has been shown that Melissa officinalis is a useful herbal plant in the prevention of various neurological diseases. The present study evaluated the effects of three doses of Melissa officinalis on spinal cord injury. Thirty five adult male wistar rats were used in this study. The weight-drop contusion method was employed to induce spinal cord injury in rats. Three doses of Melissa officinalis (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg) were intraperitoneally injected once a day for 14 days in all treatment groups and all injections started one day after injury. After neurological and electrophysiological evaluations, rats were sacrificed for histological and immunohistochemistry assessments. Our results showed motor function was improved in groups received 100 and 150 mg/kg of Melissa officinalis and sensory recovery was better in 150 mg/kg of Melissa officinalis treated group compared to spinal cord injury group (p<0. 01, p<0. 001 respectively). Mean cavity area in 100 and 150 mg/kg (p<0. 01) significantly decreased compared to spinal cord injury group. In addition, three doses of Melissa officinalis considerably prevented loss of lower motor neurons in the ventral horn of spinal cord (p<0. 05, p<0. 01). Also, Melissa officinalis (100 and 150 mg/kg) prevented of astrogliosis effectively (p<0. 01). Furthermore, the findings showed a significant augmentation of EMG recruitment index in groups which treated by 100 mg/ kg (P <0. 01) and 150 mg/ kg (P <0. 001) of Melissa officialis. The results showed that Melissa Officinalis could be considered as a neuroprotective agent in spinal cord injury.
Auditory-visual speech perception in older people: The effect of visual acuity

This study aimed to investigate the benefit gained by older people in auditory-visual speech perception compared to auditory-only perception and to investigate the correlation between visual acuity and benefit gained. A total of 77 community-based older people participated in the study. Pure-tone audiometry showed that 36% had normal hearing, 40% had a mild hearing loss and the remainder (23%) had a moderate or greater loss. Objective measurements of corrected distance and near visual acuities were obtained using the Bailey-Lovie logMAR distance and near visual acuity tests. According to the criteria used in the present study, 34% had some distance vision impairment and 9% had some near vision impairment. The benefit gained in auditory-visual speech perception was determined by comparing auditory-only and auditory-visual performance on the Bamford-Kowal-Bench Australian Version Speech reading Test. An average visual benefit of 28.8% was achieved by the participants, and, for the vast majority of participants (86%), the benefit gained was statistically significant. A significant correlation was not found between either distance or near visual acuity and benefit gained in auditory-visual speech perception. The implications of these findings are that it is important for audiologists to recommend the use of lipreading to older clients, irrespective of their visual impairment, as the majority will gain significant benefit from the use of visual cues.
ORAL CLONIDENE IN CHILDREN: EFFICACY AS PREMEDICANT AND EFFECT ON POSTOPERATIVE RECOVERY. (COMPARISON OF TWO DIFFERENT DOSES 3µg/kg AND 4µg/kg)

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to see the efficacy of two different doses of oral clonidine as a premedication in pediatric patients. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In a prospective randomized study of 60 cases of 4-12 year old children receiving oral clonidine either 3µg/kg (group C 3) or 4µg/kg (group C 4) as a premedication 90 minutes prior to surgeries. Preoperatively, the level of sedation, response to parental separation, mask acceptance, intravenous cannulation and response to intubation as well as hemodynamic were noted. Postoperative recovery was assessed using Alderate recovery room score. RESULTS: Clonidine 4µg/kg group had higher sedation score compared to clonidine 3µg/kg. At 90 minutes, almost 90% children in C 4 group were asleep but arousable on calling and in C 3 group 33% were asleep, 60% were drowsy and rest 7% children were calm. Parental separation and mask acceptance scores were also higher with clonidine 4µg/kg group. The response to intubation was better attenuated in clonidine 4µg/kg group. There was no respiratory depression or oxygen desaturation at any point of time in our study perioperatively and no delay in postoperative recovery as well as no significant difference in the incidence of post operative nausea and vomiting in both the groups. CONCLUSION: Oral clonidine 4 µg/kg provided better sedation than clonidine 3µg/kg without prolonging the postoperative recovery.
VARIATION IN PEREGRINE FALCON EGGS

Eggs collected from captive and wild Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) were used to examine variation in eggshell thickness, length, breadth, and initial weight to resolve questions about eggshell data from wild falcons. For captive falcons, shell thickness of first clutches did not change over the years a falcon laid or with embryonic development. Egg- shells in third clutches, but not second clutches, were significantly thinner than those from first clutches. Greatest variation in shell thickness existed between eggs within a clutch and did not differ significantly between wild and captive eggs. Entire clutches of wild falcons should be represented in future studies to maximize the chance of obtaining a representative sample in regard to shell thickness. Egg size (L, B, and fresh weight) decreased over the years a captive falcon laid. A significant decrease in size (B and fresh weight) also occurred in second and third clutches laid the same year. Ratcliffe's Index generally appeared to be a reliable indicator of shell thickness in shell thickness relating to embryonic devel- opment, the laying female's age, and produc- tion of multiple clutches has somewhat cloud- ed an elucidation of the precise relationships between DDE and eggshell thinning. Papers on nonraptorial birds have focused on variation in eggshell thickness, and some have defined sampling schemes to maximize the detection of thickness changes. Thickness decreases with embryonic development have been reported in Cedar Waxwings (Botnbycilla cedrorutn; Rothstein 1972), Japanese Quail (Co- turnix japonica; Kreitzer 1972), and White-faced Ibises (Plegadis chihi; Capen 1977). In Cedar Waxwings, but not in the White-faced Ibis, eggs from smaller clutches also have thicker shells. In a study of museum eggshells of Clapper Rails (Railus longirostris), Black-crowned Night Her- ons (Nycticorax nycticorax), White Ibises (Eudo- citnus albus), Northern Mockingbirds (Mitnus polygottos), and Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius lu- dovicianus), variation in shell thickness among eggs within clutches contributed as much to the sample variance as variation between
Magnitude and reasons of initial default among new sputum positive cases of pulmonary tuberculosis under RNTCP in a district of West Bengal, India

Under the Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), Tuberculosis services are provided free of charge in India; all diagnosed TB patients are initiated on treatment within 7 days. Initial default is a potentially serious problem, particularly in cases of smear positive patients because they may continue transmitting the disease. This study was conducted to estimate the proportion of new sputum positive pulmonary TB patients who dropped out before initiating treatment, and their reasons for not registering for treatment. A cross-sectional study was carried out at Darjeeling District from July 2011 to April 2012 among 132 initial defaulters. Initial defaulter rate was 23.5%. A majority of the defaulters were 15-29 years old (59.10%); male (70.45%); from rural areas (80.06%); literate (78.79%); employed (86.36%); married (71.97%); non-smokers (77.27%); and had a mean per capita monthly income of Rs 741.40. Age, literacy, employment, marital status, smoking habits, alcohol consumption and pre treatment counseling were associated more among males than females and the differences were statistically significant. Among ‘busy with other jobs’, 76.19 % of patients were from a rural area, 71.43%were below the mean age, 73.81% had below mean per capita income. Among ‘temporary vocational migration’, 87.8% of patients were from rural areas, 56.1% were below the mean age, 63.41% had below mean per capita income. Among ‘idle at home’, 78.57% patients were from rural areas, 60.71% were below mean age, 75% had below mean per capita income. There is a need to convince the tuberculosis patients for initiating and completing treatment. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/seajph.v4i1. 21839 South East Asia Journal of Public Health Vol.4(1) 2014: 41-47
Strain by environmental interaction effects on broiler chickens performance in the derived southern guinea Savannah region of Nigeria.

The study was conducted at a poultry farm along kilometer three, Gboko road, Makurdi, Nigeria. A total of 1004 day-old chicks of three commercial broiler strains, 360 marshal, 322 Arbor Acre and 322 Hubbard) were procured from three different reputable farms. The birds were brooded according to standard brooding technique. The birds were fed ad-lib with a commercial pelletized broiler starter feed containing 20% crude protein and 2800 kcal/kg metabolisable energy (from day one to 5th week. This was followed by a commercial broiler pelletized finisher diet containing 19% crude protein and 2900 kcal/kg ME to eight weeks of age. The study was conducted to provide information on the performance of some broiler brands to identify those that are suited for use under the humid tropical conditions of Nigeria. There were significant (P<0.05) differences in the effect of strain on daily body weight gain, feed consumption and feed conversion efficiency. Marshal consumed significantly more feed (129.00 g) than Hubbard and Arbor Acre (126.93 g and 123.19 g), respectively. Daily body weight gain was also highest in the marshal (320.00 g). This was followed by Arbore Acre (318.20 g) and least in the Hubbard strain (301.40 g). Arbore Acre had significantly highest feed conversion efficiency (2.5154 ± 0.09), followed by marshal (2.3913 ± 0.08) and least with Hubbard (2.3064+0.08). The energy requirement for body maintenance was least in Arbore acre strain, followed by Hubbard while Marshal Strains had highest energy requirement for maintenance. In the event of conditions limiting feed intake, the performance of Marshal and Hubbard strains will be grossly affected. These strains will be easily heat stressed compared to Arbore acre strain which require small amount of energy for maintenance. Feed intake limiting factors may not affect Arbore acre significantly as little feed energy will be diverted for maintenance. Arbore acre has superior performance. Marshal strain can be adopted and manage to attain market weight at six weeks exploiting the fast body weight gain while avoiding the large feed energy that will be required for maintenance at weeks 7 and 8.
Study of Metadiscourse in ESP Articles: A Comparison of English Articles written by Iranian and English Native Speakers

This study aims to examine the use of interactive and interactional metadiscoursal features in ESP articles written by Iranian and English native speakers. The analysis is based on a corpus of 15 research articles from Persian-written and 15 from English-written in ESP field. The selected corpus was analyzed through the model suggested by Hyland (2005). Results of the study showed that both groups used interactive and interactional features in their articles. In both groups, writers used an interactive metadiscourse more than an interactional one. Moreover, there were significant differences on the particular occurrence of some categories in interactive and interactional features.
Effects of positioning upon the vertical dimension on cone beam computed tomography

Aims: the present study was performed to investigate the effects of different positioning modalities on vertical dimensional measurements of potential implant sites in cone beam computed tomography (cbct) images. Methods: twenty-eight implant shaped stainless steel pins were placed in every tooth location in a dry skull and cbct images of these pins were obtained with the skull in different positions in lateral and forward-backward planes. the following angles were used in both planes: –10o, –5o, 0o, +5o and +10o. the cbct images were obtained with the Kodak 9000 cbct imaging system (carestream Health Inc, rochester NY, UsA). Panoramic slice views were used for measurement allowing all pins to be viewed on the same slice. the measurements of vertical dimensions of the pins were performed twice on the obtained images by the same observer according to tooth regions and the data was statistically analyzed. results: statistical analysis revealed that for forward-backward movements measurement differences were statistically significant in maxillary anterior, mandibular anterior and mandibular premolar regions and for lateral position changes statistically significant differences were observed in the maxillary premolar and maxillary molar regions Derya İçöz1, Faruk Akgünlü1 Affiliations: 1Selcuk University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, Konya, Turkey. Corresponding Author: Derya İçöz, Selcuk University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, Konya, Turkey; E-mail: dyilmaz.icoz@hotmail.com Received: 28 March 2016 Accepted: 26 May 2016 Published: 15 June 2016 for imaging modalities changing between the angles of –10o and +10o. conclusion: changing the skull position reduces the accuracy of vertical dimensions on cbct scans. the results of the present study showed that skull movements between –10o and +10o effects the anterior regions significantly, but for other regions of the jaws the measurements are within a clinically acceptable range.
The effect on earnings persistence and the market's reaction to the alignment of employee and customer relations with competitive strategy

Prior literature suggests that a focus on employee and customer relations alone improves financial performance. However, I find that a focus on employee and customer relations alone is not related to higher earnings persistence, but rather I hypothesize and find that the alignment of employee and customer relations with competitive strategy is related to higher earnings persistence. I further explore this relation by examining the contextual environment in which the firm operates. I consider the moderating variables of firm size, leverage, growth, and corporate governance and find that alignment impacts the persistence of earnings for leverage and governance but not for firm size or growth. I then examine the relation between a firms alignment and the markets reaction to the firms reported earnings. The analysis suggests that alignment is critical for cost leaders but is relatively less important for differentiators. Taken as a whole the findings suggest that firm alignment plays a role in earnings quality and is useful to investors in their interpretation of earnings.
Effects of Exchange Rate Volatility On Non-Traditional Exports In Ghana

The government of Ghana has implemented a number of policies to strengthen the production and export of non-traditional products as a way of diversifying exports in Ghana with very little success. Foremost among these policies is the liberalisation of exchange rate. Meanwhile, the exchange rate has been very volatile. The study, therefore, examines the effects of exchange rate volatility on non-traditional exports in Ghana.This study employed Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) cointegration estimation technique for the investigation. The results indicate that exchange rate volatility negatively impacts Ghana’s non-traditional exports. Also, the effect is greater in the long- run than it is in the short-run. Other results also show that world income, growth rate of the economy and Treasury bill rate promote non-traditional exports, but real effective exchange rate does not. rThe value of the paper lies in the discussion of the short-run and long-run effects of exchange rate volatility on non-traditional exports in the Ghanaian context.
Formation of sustainable land-use systems in erosion dangerous landscapes

During the last 50 years the humus content in the arable layer of the soil in the basic agrarian regions of Ukraine (steppe and forest steppe) has diminished by 15-18 %. Optimisation of the structure of land areas and stabilisation of agricultural landscapes should be based on the soil indicators that ensure conservation of land. It has been substantiated that the contour-meliorative system of land use under the conditions of the development of farming enterprises as the main form of the contemporary land system should be modernised. Primary water collectors should be selected as the object of formation of this system. There are proposed new directions of measures to improve the protection of the soil mantle. The results of the conducted investigation will help stop the soil fertility deterioration process because of excessively high share of arable land and disregard of the ecological and agronomic land-use norms. It is prognosticated that the area of the arable land will decrease by 5.1 mln. ha, but the area of forests and protective plantations will increase by 2.7 million hectares, reaching the proportion of the territory covered by forests to 22 %.
Causes Of Death At Autopsy In Hospitalized Adult Patients With Diabetes Mellitus: A Study From A Developing Country

In order to determine the causes of death at autopsy in hospitalized adult diabetic patients at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI), we reviewed the autopsy reports of consecutive autopsies performed over a 14-year period (1991 – 2004) in the Department of Pathology at the UHWI. Of the two thousand five hundred and forty-one adult autopsy reports retrieved, 400 (15.7%) represented patients with diabetes mellitus. The commonest cause of death was infection, followed by cardiovascular disease, which showed increasing frequency with time. Hyperglycaemic coma showed a significant decrease in frequency from the first seven-year period to the second. A reduction in mortality may possibly be accomplished through: patient education protocols that re-emphasise the importance of preventing injury and infection and the need for prompt solicitation of medical attention if infections occur; aggressive management of infections; and careful monitoring of cardiovascular function. Factors influencing the presence and severity of vascular disease require further investigation.
Phase Equilibrium and Emulsion Stability on Ethyl Biodiesel Production

Liquid-liquid equilibrium data was measured for ethyl soybean oil biodiesel + glycerol + ethanol ternary system at 300.15 K and compared with data obtained from literature. Thermodynamic model UNIQUAC was used to correlate experimental data at 300.15, 323.15 and 343.15 K. Results show that the model was capable to correlate experimental liquid-liquid equilibrium behavior for the system studied. Two systems were considered in order to investigate emulsion stability. The first one is composed by all the transesterification reaction products before and after glycerol enriched phase separation. It can be observed that remove glycerol enriched phase after the reaction avoid the formation of stable emulsion in the presence of water. The second system contains only purified biodiesel with 5, 10 and 20 % (v/v) of water. The emulsions stability decrease with an increase on water content.
ENHANCED AVAILABILITY OF BIOFUEL AND BIOMASS COMPONENTS IN ASPERGILLUS NIGER AND ASPERGILLUS FUMIGATUS TREATED RICE HUSK

Aspergillus fumigatus (AF) and Aspergillus niger (AN) were isolated from consortia of other microorganisms from an over 8 months decomposing rice husk dump using potato dextrose agar (PDA). Pure strains of individual Aspergillus species were obtained and identified. Measured quantities of freshly processed rice husk in Mandle’s medium were heat pre-treated in an autoclave at 121C for 20 minutes, cooled and inoculated with the fungi. Seven days fungal treated rice husks were assayed for the following biomass content: Carbohydrate (total sugar), simple sugar, non-reducing sugar, cellulose, lignin and protein. Saccharomyces cerevisae from baker’s yeast and from palm wine were introduced into some of the fungal treated rice husks and fermented for 7 days for their bio-ethanol content. All samples data were in triplicate before analysis. The data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVASPSS 16 ) data package). Differences were considered significant at p < 0.05. Data were presented in percentages. European Scientific Journal June 2014 edition vol.10, No.18 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e ISSN 18577431 97 The result obtained in the work showed that rice husks treated with Aspergillus fumigatus had the highest cellulose (45 ± 3.31 %), hemicelluloses (31 ± 3.00 %), carbohydrate (19.52 ± 10.05 %), reducing sugar(2.60 ± 0.30 %) and non reducing sugar (16.92 ± 9.75 %) yields; ethanol from palm wine yeast yield was 6.60 ± 0.48 % while bakers yeast yielded 5.60 ± 0.42 % ethanol. Diculture combination of Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger (AF+AN) gave the greatest total lignin value of 33.34 ± 3.14 %. The values obtained in the various bio-fuel and biomass components of fungal monocultures of Aspergillus fumigatus (AF) and Aspergillus niger (AN) treated rice husk had no significant difference in increase of product yield at P > 0.05. However, there were significant differences in product yield between the fungal treated rice husks and those of the controls at P < 0.05. The optimized condition involved in bio-product estimation showed that 30C and pH 5 gave the maximum carboxymethylcellulase activity in crude enzyme of products respectively. It was discovered that heat pre-treated rice husks with additional hydrolysis using the fungi (Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger) showed increase in biomass and biofuel yields.
The Aleutian Low and Winter Climatic Conditions in the Bering Sea. Part I: Classification*

Abstract The Aleutian low is examined as a primary determinant of surface air temperature (SAT) variability in the Bering Sea during the winter [December–January–February–March (DJFM)] months. The Classification and Regression Tree (CART) method is used to classify five types of atmospheric circulation for anomalously warm months (W1–W5) and cold months (C1–C5). For the Bering Sea, changes in the position of the Aleutian low are shown to be more important than changes in its central pressure. The first two types, W1 and C1, account for 51% of the “warm” and 37% of the “cold” months. The W1-type pattern is characterized by the anomalously deep Aleutian low shifted west and north of its mean position. In this situation, an increased cyclonic activity occurs in the western Bering Sea. The C1-type pattern represents a split Aleutian low with one center in the northwestern Pacific and the other in the Gulf of Alaska. The relative frequency of the W1 to C1 types of atmospheric circulation varies on decadal time.