Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adipose tissue-derived stem cells in oral mucosa tissue engineering: Enhanced migration and proliferation in co-culture with oral keratinocytes in vitro

Tissue-engineered oral mucosa holds a great prospect in urethroplasty and adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) may play an important role in this field. In this research, canine oral keratinocytes (OKs) and ADSCs were harvested and cultured in vitro. The affinity between the two cell lines was evaluated by analyzing their migration and proliferation patterns in a co-culture environment. The results demonstrate that both canine ADSCs and OKs showed improved migration in the presence of the other cell line as a co-culture when compared to monoculture. Further, conditioned medium using the supernatant of one cell line accelerated the other cell line’s proliferation rate. Hence, it was concluded that the affinity between OKs and ADSCs was fitting; the presence of ADSCs accelerated the migration and proliferation of OKs in vitro. These results indicate that it is practical to use ADSCs and OKs to construct a tissue-engineered oral mucosa, since the presence of the former could activate the latter in vitro, maybe even in vivo. This may help to build tissue-engineered oral mucosa, which may be a new method for urethroplasty. Key words : Urethroplasty, adipose tissue-derived stem cells, oral keratinocytes, tissue engineering.
Mobility of Heavy Metals in Plants and Soil: A Case Study From A Mining Region in Canada

Understanding the dynamic of metals in soil and plantsis essential for ecosystem management and risks assessment of environmental pollution and sustainability.The main objective of the present study is to determine the mobility of Ni, Cu, Fe, Mg and Zn in soil and their translocation in D. cespitosa plants in a mining region in Northern Ontario.The total amount of Cu, Ni, Fe, Mg and Zn were significantly higher in the top horizon (LFH) compared to the adjacent layer Ae. The vertical distribution of metals in soil varied with the type of metals. The results of this study indicated that only a small portion of total metal was bioavailable to plants. The enrichment factor values for the targeted elements were far above the value of contamination resulting in high availability and distribution of metals in soil. The average bioconcentration/bioaccumulation factors (metal concentration ratio of plant roots to soil) was high and varied from 3.1 to 40 for Cu, 24.5 to 91.6 for Fe, 18.2 to 398.6 for Mg, 10.3 to 75.5 for Ni and 24.9 to 73 for Zn. The translocation factor values were very low for the five metals. They ranged from 0.05 to 0.46 for Cu, 0.03 to 0.1 for Fe, 0.28 to 1.48 for Mg, 0.15 to 0.38 for Ni and 0.68 to 1.16 for Zn. Based on existing classification, Deschampsia. cespitosa is an excluder as it has high levels of metals in the roots but with a shoot/root ratio less than 1. This plant has a high potential for phytoextraction of metals from Northern Ontario soils.
Trade Liberalization and Investment: Firm-level Evidence from Mexico

Plant-level panel data from Mexico's Annual Industrial Survey is employed to evaluate the impact of reductions in tariffs and import license coverage on final goods, as well as intermediates, on firms'investment decisions. Using data from 1984 to 1990, a period during which a large scale trade liberalization occurred, a dynamic investment equation is estimated using the system-GMM estimator developed by Arellano and Bover (1995) and Blundell and Bond (1998). Consistent with theory, the empirical analyses show that a reduction in import protection on final goods leads to lower plant-level investment, whereas reductions in tariffs and import license coverage on intermediate inputs result in higher investment. Also, firms with larger import costs experience a larger increase in investment following a reduction in import protection. On the other hand, higher markup firms lower investment more aggressively following reductions in tariffs and import license coverage on final goods. Copyright 2012, Oxford University Press.
Observations on the biology of a predatory nematode belonging to Diplogasteridae

The use of predatory nematodes as biological control agents of phytoparasitic nematodes has been re-evaluated only recently. To be effective, predatory nematodes should be easy to grow, cheap, and available on a commercial scale. In addition, they must show a reproductive rate sufficient to sustain a high population density and a significant longevity and stability for storage. The predators are not phytopathogenic nematodes, and among the positive outcomes of their introduction are remarkable their environment compatibility and safety for other non-target organisms, as well as the ability to search for prey. These features are present in Diplogasteridae. Their adaptability enables them to withstand changing climatic conditions, as well as the temporal variability between predator and prey. It should also be emphasized the ability to disperse, persist and reproduce in the absence of prey, the spectrum of action, all factors ideal for the management of phytoparasitic species. Adverse factor is cannibalism, due the lack of preys, that can reduce their biological control potential. We herein present preliminary data on occurrence, reproduction and intestine bacterial flora of the predatory nematode, Koerneria sudhausi.
ESTIMATION OF TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY AMONG SMALLHOLDER MAIZE FARMERS IN UGANDA: A CASE STUDY OF MASINDI DISTRICT OF UGANDA

The Ugandan government, NGOs and the private sector in recent years have embarked on supporting poor small-scale farmers to alleviate poverty through transformation of low input/output subsistence farming to commercially competitive agriculture. Support included extension services, input subsidies and demonstration plots of specific crops including maize. However, there is little information on the impact of such support on technical efficiency of maize farmers in Uganda, especially in Masindi District where the crop is a major source of income among poor rural households. Therefore, this study estimated technical efficiency (T.E) and its’ determinants in three sub counties in Masindi District were selected namely, Kigumba, Pakanyi and Miria, covering a total sample of 170 maize farmers. Findings indicated that most farmer were men with an average age of 41 years, mean household size of 7 people, married and primary school dropouts. On average, they owned 2.48 ha of land, planted improved maize varieties, harvested 1860.77 Kg/ha and sold their produce at the farm gate. On average, 57% of smallholder maize farmers were operating above 60% technical efficiency. Determinants that had positive relationship with T.E included group membership, household size, respondent’s spouse education level, respondent’s spouse major occupation and variety of seed planted. Selling at the farm gate was found to have a significant negative relationship with technical efficiency. Therefore, among other factors, there is need to consider all determinants of T.E based on the signs and magnitude of coefficients for increased productivity of maize farmers in
Auditor Engagement Decision: An Exploratory Study in the Tunisian Context

This study seeks insights into the determinants of the acceptance decision made by Tunisian auditors. Through measurement scales of the auditors’ perception of the decision‘s factors, the Factors Analysis highlights the decision‘s attributes. In our study, we used questionnaire surveys from 41 Tunisian auditors of 4 big affiliates and local audit firms. The results show that the audit Risk is the most important risk factor, followed by the client business Risk and finally the auditor’s business Risk. Moreover, this study underlines the influence of investigation sources on this decision and the importance of the Risk Management Strategies in the compensation of the possible risks such as they were evaluated.
A Reflection on Distorted Views of Science and Technology in Science Textbooks as Obstacles to the Improvement of Students' Scientific Literacy.

Scientific literacy has been increasingly considered a major goal of science education. While text- books remain the most widespread tools for pursuing this goal within classrooms, they have been slow to adapt to the most recent epistemological paradigms, often still conveying distorted views of science and technology. Accordingly, we present herein a theoretical framework specifically in- tended to highlight the potential of textbooks to promote students’ scientific literacy. It is addi- tionally argued that, often, the misconceptions conveyed by textbooks represent obstacles to the acquisition of a fair image of science and, therefore, to the acquisition of scientific literacy. Finally, a textbook analysis is suggested.
Decoding the Myths of the Native and Non-Native English Speakers Teachers (NESTs & NNESTs) on Saudi EFL Tertiary Students

Many people believe the myth that being taught by a native speaker is the best way to learn a language. This belief has influenced many Saudi schools, language institutes, and universities to include the nativeness factor as part of a language instructor’s job requirements. Using an open ended questionnaire, this study aims to investigate the impact of native English speaking teachers (NESTs) and non-native English speaking teachers (NNESTs) on EFL university Saudi students. It also explores how the teachers’ background and accents influence the students’ achievement in terms of the development of their language skills. The participants are students who are in their preparatory year program at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah taught by NEST and NNEST. The findings of the study indicate that teachers’ nativeness and backgrounds have no significant effects on the EFL Saudi students’ learning processes. However, a few factors have been detected that play roles in supporting EFL learning, which can be summarized as follows: 1) Teachers’ competence and experience are what make the teachers qualified, regardless of their nationalities. 2) Teachers sharing the students’ L1 play positive roles in the EFL learning process. 3) The teacher’s accent has an effect on students, which might hinder the learning process in the case of an unfamiliar accent. 4) The teacher’s personality is more involved in the classroom communications and interactions than is the teacher’s nativeness. Based on the findings of this study, implications are made on the topic of the effect of NEST and NNEST on EFL learning.
Chiral primordial gravitational waves from dilaton induced delayed chromonatural inflation

We study inflation driven by a dilaton and an axion, both of which are coupled to a SU(2) gauge field. We find that the inflation driven by the dilaton occurs in the early stage of inflation during which the gauge field grows due to the gauge kinetic function. When the energy density of magnetic fields catches up with that of electric fields, chromo-natural inflation takes over in the late stage of inflation, which we call delayed chromo-natural inflation. Thus, the delayed chromo-natural inflation driven by the axion and the gauge field is induced by the dilaton. The interesting outcome of the model is generation of chiral primordial gravitational waves on small scales. Since the gauge field is inert in the early stage of inflation, it is viable in contrast to the conventinal chromo-natural inflation. We find the parameter region where chiral gravitational waves are generated in a frequency range higher than nHz, which are potentially detectable in future gravitational wave interferometers and pulsar timing arrays such as DECIGO, eLISA and SKA.
Acceptance of Tourism E-Entrepreneurship: Application to Educational Balearic Islands Context

This paper investigates acceptance of e-entrepreneurship by future tourism entrepreneurs in the Balearic Islands. It suggests a model referring to constructs from the relevant models mobilized to predict acceptance of Information technology. This study was conducted at the Faculty of tourism, located at Palma de Mallorca. It concerned undergraduate students from the third year in tourism and considered as future entrepreneurs. They represented 70.83% of the target population (120 students). Results pointed out that, the proposed model explained 47.8% of total variance in the intention to accept tourism. They also revealed that Anxiety and Perceived Ease of Use factors influenced significantly this intention. However, Attitude and Perceived Usefulness factors showed no significant impact on the future entrepreneurs’ intention. Furthermore, this paper generates a useful knowledge on future e-entrepreneurship in the age of the digital economy that could be very useful for decision makers, policymakers of tourism industry.
Laser argon‐40‐argon‐39 age studies of Dar al Gani 262 lunar meteorite

Abstract— The laser 40Ar‐39Ar dating technique has been applied to the Dar al Gani (DaG) 262 lunar meteorite, a polymict highland regolith breccia, to determine the crystallisation age and timing of shock events experienced by this meteorite. Laser stepped‐heating analyses of three dominantly feldspathic fragments (DaG‐1, DaG‐2, and DaG‐3) revealed the presence of trapped Ar, mostly released at intermediate and high temperatures, with an 40Ar/36Ar value of ∼2.8. Trapped Ar is most likely released from melt glass present as small veins within the fragments. The 40Ar‐39Ar ages determined for the three fragments are ∼3.0 Ga for DaG‐1 and DaG‐2 and 2.0 Ga for DaG‐3 and probably relate to major impact events. Laser spot analyses were performed on a feldspathic clast, an impact crystalline melt basalt (ICMB), and the matrix in a polished section of DaG 262. The feldspathic and ICMB clasts have low contents of trapped Ar compared with that in the matrix. The feldspathic clast shows a wide range of ages from 3.0 to 1.7 Ga similar to those obtained by stepped heating. The younger age is interpreted as a minimum age for the last major event that assembled this meteorite. The ICMB shows two age clusters at 3.37 and 3.07 Ga, where the older age may be that of the impact event that formed the impact melt. Several cosmic‐ray exposure (CRE) ages were obtained as expected for a polymict regolith breccia. The CRE ages are 106 and 141 Ma for the feldspathic clast and the ICMB, respectively. One of the feldspathic fragments, DaG‐2, shows a range between 200–400 Ma. These CRE ages, which are similar to those determined for returned samples of the lunar regolith, indicate that the different components of DaG 262 experienced preexposure prior to assemblage of the meteorite.
Properties of greedy trees

Properties of greedy trees Valisoa Razanajatovo Misanantenaina Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Stellenbosch, Private Bag X1, Matieland 7602, South Africa. Thesis: MSc December 2014 A greedy tree is constructed from a given degree sequence using a simple greedy algorithm that assigns the highest degree to the root, the second, the third, . , -highest degree to the root’s neighbours, etc. This particular tree is the solution to numerous extremal problems among all trees with given degree sequence. In this thesis, we collect results for some distancebased graph invariants, the number of subtrees and the spectral radius in which greedy trees play a major role. We show that greedy trees are extremal for the aforementioned graph invariants by means of two different approaches, one using level greedy trees and majorization, while the other one is somewhat more direct. Finally, we prove some new results on greedy trees for additive parameters with specific toll functions. ii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
Combustion and Performance of Syngas Dual Fueling in a CI Engine with Blended Biodiesel as Pilot Fuel

Simulated syngas produced from biomass gasification was evaluated in a compression ignition (CI) engine under a dual fueling mode. Syngas is an economical solution with a carbon-neutral system that could replace petroleum diesel fuel. Syngas can be introduced into CI engines through a dual fueling process. However, syngas dual fueling combustion is very complicated because it consists of several combustion phases. In addition, CI engines operating under the syngas dual fueling mode suffer from low performance. Therefore, this study examined the performance of syngas dual fueling in a CI engine with blended biodiesel as pilot fuel. Two types of simulated syngas, namely typical syngas and high hydrogen syngas, were considered. The simulated high hydrogen syngas was assumed to be the product of biomass gasification with introduction of a carbon dioxide adsorption. The effect of carbon dioxide removal from syngas on the performance of syngas dual fueling in a CI engine at constant engine speed, half load, and different pilot fuel substitution rates was investigated. The combustion characteristics showed a maximum pilot fuel substitution of up to 47% with simulated syngas. Better engine performance was achieved with the simulated typical syngas in terms of brake specific energy consumption and brake thermal efficiency.
Does education strengthen the life skills of adolescents

Life skills, sometimes referred to as noncognitive skills or personality traits (e.g. conscientiousness or locus of control—the belief to influence events and their outcomes), affect labor market productivity. Policy makers and academics are thus exploring whether such skills should be taught at the high school or college level. A small portfolio of recent studies shows encouraging evidence that education could strengthen life skills in adolescence. However, as no uniform approach exists on which life skills are most important and how to best measure them, many important questions must be answered before life skill development can become an integral part of school curricula.
Speech intelligibility as a function of time compression, age, word position, and signal-to-noise ratio

Among other parameters, speech intelligibility depends on the rate of speech. Therefore, variation of time compression might be useful for adjusting the threshold of 50% intelligibility in speech in noise tests at fixed positive signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Speech rate can be modified with uniform and non-uniform algorithms. Uniform algorithms delete equally spaced segments, while non-uniform algorithms first characterize the structure of the speech and then increase the speech rate dependent on the classification. Referring to studies using fast speech, age effects have to be taken into account. To investigate fast speech in a German speech intelligibility test, sentences speeded to different time compressions were presented at different SNRs and intelligibility measurements were conducted with young and elderly normal-hearing listeners. The outcomes were used to calculate SNR-dependent discrimination functions. The results showed increasing SNRs for 50% intelligibility with increasing time compression. As expected, young listeners reached higher intelligibility than elderly listeners at equal time compressions and SNRs for 50% intelligibility were shifted to lower values. Additionally, increasing the speech rate affected word intelligibility in dependence on the words’ position within the sentences. These differences in intelligibility led to shallower slopes of the discrimination functions and could possibly constrain the accuracy of the test.
Immunogenic Activity of Lipopolysaccharide Isolated from Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Conjugated with Liposome in Albino Male Mice.

This study was designed to evaluate the role of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium as a causative pathogen in hospitalized diarrhoeal patients younger than five years old, extract and purify endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) from isolated and identified S. Typhimurium, and determine the immunogenic activity (humoral and cellular immune responses) of LPS-liposome conjugate in albino male mice. The patients (95 cases) were admitted to the Central Pediatric Hospital and Al- Kadhiymiah Pediatric Hospital in Baghdad during the period 24/10/2010 - 30/11/2010, because of severe diarrhoea and fever. Bacterial evaluation of stool samples revealed the identification of two (2.1%) S. Typhimurium isolates (S1 and S2). Antibiotic sensitivity test demonstrated that S1 isolate was more resistance than S2 isolate; therefore it was considered more virulent and subjected for extraction and purification of LPS. Chemical characterization of the extracted LPS revealed that the carbohydrate content was 2.34 mg/ml, while the protein concentration was very low (0.52 μg/ml). Partial purification of extracted LPS by using gel-filtration chromatography (Sephacryl S200) showed three peaks, and after determination of protein and carbohydrate concentrations for each peak, peak two was observed to have the highest carbohydrate content (25%) and the lowest contaminated protein (0.001%). The LPS of this peak was immunologically evaluated in mice at a concentration of 100 μg/ml, alone or in conjugation with a commercially available liposome (LIP). These evaluations revealed that LPS-LIP conjugate was able to modulate the humoral and cellular immune responses against live S. Typhimurium.
A shorter snowfall season associated with higher air temperatures over northern Eurasia

The temperature sensitivity of the snowfall season (start, end, duration) over northern Eurasia (the former USSR) is analyzed from synoptic records of 547 stations from 1966 to 2000. The results find significant correlations between temperature and snowfall season at approximately 56% of stations (61% for the starting date and 56% for the ending date) with a mean snowfall season duration temperature sensitivity of −6.2 days °C−1 split over the start (2.8 days) and end periods (−3.4 days). Temperature sensitivity was observed to increase with stations’ mean seasonal air temperature, with the strongest relationships at locations of around 6 °C temperature. This implies that increasing air temperature in fall and spring will delay the onset and hasten the end of snowfall events, and reduces the snowfall season length by 6.2 days for each degree of increase. This study also clarifies that the increasing trend in snowfall season length during 1936/37–1994 over northern European Russia and central Siberia revealed in an earlier study is unlikely to be associated with warming in spring and fall seasons.
Prognostic Value of CEA and CA 19.9 in Gastric Cancer

Introduction: Gastric cancer (GC) is still a major health problem due to the majority of patients present with advanced disease. This considerably reduces the possibility of curative treatment. A critical decision in the treatment of GC is related to staging, which is mainly assessed by the use of the TNM classification. There are other factors that can influence in the prognosis during the preoperative period: pathological type, degree of differentiation or tumor markers level. The most commonly used tumor markers (TM) in GC are CEA and CA 19.9. The aim of the present study is to analyze the relationship between CEA and CA 19.9 markers with certain characteristics of the patients and tumors and to evaluate the utility of these TM determined at the time of diagnosis as prognostic factors. Material and methods: A prospective collection of the data of all pacients operated by GC at our centre. A total of 501 cases were diagnosed. Mean age was 68.2 years. We analyzed age, sex, tumor location, clinical stage, tumor markers determined in the preoperative period, the use of perioperative chemotherapy and response to chemotherapy, the pathological characteristics and disease follow-up. Results: At the time of diagnosis 23,3 % of the patients presented high values of CEA, 32,6 % presented high values of CA 19.9 and 14,1% presented with both elevated markers. Patients who were diagnosed at an advanced stage and presented high levels of CEA or CA 19.9 or both TM had worse survival compared to those with normal values. Conclusion: the presence of an elevated serum level of tumor markers is related to advanced tumor stage and worse prognosis in terms of overall survival.