Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Some Physicochemical and Rheological Properties of Zedo (Farsi) Gum Exudates from Amygdalus scoparia

Background and Objectives: Zedo gum is exuded in three colours (white, yellow, and red) from Amygdalus scoparia. It is used in both food and non-food industries, as well as in traditional medicine. This study aimed to determine the physicochemical and rheological properties of Zedo gum. Materials and Methods: Zedo gum was collected in Sirjan and classified into three groups, based on colour (samples W, Y, and R). Their soluble parts were separated by centrifuging the dispersions and freeze-drying the supernatants. Surface tension was determined using Du Nouy ring method and NMR spectroscopy was carried out using a Varian Inova-500 MHz spectrometer. Gel Permeation chromatography was used for determining molecular weight and rheological data were obtained with a Physica MCR 301 rheometer. Results: Surface tension decreased as the concentration decreased, except for sample R that had a maximum point at 1 %. The molecular weight of sample W was the highest, while its dispersity was the lowest. NMR spectroscopy indicated that Ara residues variously were linked to α-Araf residues, and Gal residues were determined as terminal α-Gal residues. Intrinsic viscosity values for samples W, Y, and R were 7.14±0.13, 6.45±0.11 and 5.40±0.15dl/gr, respectively. Rheological results showed that viscosity was inversely proportional to temperature and directly to concentration. Conclusions: As three samples of Zedo gum had different characteristics, colour can be a good tool in trade.
Prefrontal/accumbal catecholamine system processes emotionally driven attribution of motivational salience

Abstract Motivational salience regulates the strength of goal seeking, the amount of risk taken, and the energy invested, from mild to extreme. Emotional experiences promote highly persistent memories. Although this phenomenon is adaptive in normal conditions, experiences with extremely high levels of motivational salience can promote the development of memories, resulting in maladaptive outcomes such as compulsive seeking or avoidance. We have offered evidence that prefrontal cortical norepinephrine transmission is a necessary condition for motivational salience attribution to highly salient stimuli through modulation of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, a brain area involved in motivated behaviors. Moreover, the prefrontal-accumbal catecholamine system determines approach or avoidance responses to both reward- and aversion-related stimuli only when the salience of the unconditioned stimulus is high enough to induce sustained catecholamine activation, thus affirming that this system processes motivational salience attribution selectively to highly salient events. This system, when activated by highly salient stimuli, is likely to lead to motivational and neural processes that trigger mechanisms causing aberrant motivational salience attribution and to engage other frontal-subcortical systems, resulting in compulsion-driven behavioral disorders.
Sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of excretory secretory antigens in humans with fascioliasis

A sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay has been developed for the detection of Fasciola hepatica excretory secretory (ES) antigens in stool specimens of infected humans. The assay uses antibodies against F. hepatica ES antigens. A monoclonal antibody (ES78, mouse immunoglobulin G2a) was used to capture ES antigens, and a rabbit polyclonal antibody, peroxidase conjugate, was used to identify ES antigens. Thirteen of 14 patients with parasitological evidence of fascioliasis had a detectable concentration of ES antigens (more than 15 ng/ml). None of the stool specimens from controls and from patients with parasites other than F. hepatica showed a positive reaction, suggesting the absence of cross-reactions in this assay. When the 14 patients were retested 2 months after treatment, all of the specimens from the 11 parasitologically cured patients were negative by the antigen detection assay while the specimens from the 3 patients with persisting F. hepatica eggs in their stools remained positive.
An Evaluation of Postdepositional Changes in the Trace Element Content of Human Bone

A prerequisite to dietary reconstruction based on the trace element content of disinterred bone is the evaluation of postdepositional, or diagenetic, changes in the levels of trace elements contained in the bone. This study describes one method of assessing trace element permeation in disinterred bones from the Black Earth site, Illinois. The levels of several trace elements were determined in 50 samples of bone and associated soil. Correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate the degree to which variation in the bone levels corresponds to variation in the soil levels. The results suggest that no significant postdepositional exchange of Zn and Mn had occurred at the Black Earth site. Other methods of evaluating permeation and leaching are discussed.
Etude physicochimique de l'huile essentielle de Ruta Chalepensis L. de Tlemcen, Algérie

Ruta chalepensis L. (Rutacee), est une plante aromatique medicinale encore utilisee dans la medecine traditionnelle de nombreux pays comme laxatif, antiinflammatoire, analgesique, antipasmodique, abortif, antiepileptique, emmenagogue et pour le traitement de pathologies cutanees. Des screening phytochimiques ont mis en evidence la presence de coumarines en sus d’alcaloides et ont donne la composition chimique de l’huile essentielle de la partie aerienne de la plante provenant de differents pays. Ce travail a porte sur la composition chimique de l’huile essentielle de la plante provenant de l’Algerie, qui n’a jamais fait l’objet de publication. Les analyses ont ete realisees par chromatographie en phase gazeuse (CG) et CG – spectrometrie de masse (SM). 20 composes representant 64.66 - 93.99% de l’huile essentielle ont ete identifies et, comme compose majoritaire le 2-undecanone (20.40 - 82.74%). L’etude des variations du rendement, des proprietes physicochimiques et de la composition chimique de l’huile essentielle a ete realisee en fonction de la partie de la plante etudiee, la periode et le lieu de cueillette de la plante. Les resultats ainsi obtenus ont montre l’extreme variabilite du rendement, des proprietes physicochimiques et de la composition. Mots-cles : Ruta chalepensis, huile essentielle, composition chimique, chromatographie en phase gazeuse, spectrometrie de masse, chemotype, 2- undecanone.
The cardiac arrhythmia suppression trial (CAST).

The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial (CAST) was designed to examine the hypothesis that suppressing asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic ventricular ectopic activity after myocardial infarction would reduce the rate of sudden death. CAST, which was preceded by a well-designed feasibility study, the Cardiac Arrhythmia Pilot Study,1 is the first long-term, multicenter, multidrug, placebo-controlled trial of the safety and efficacy of antiarrhythmic drug therapy in reducing the risk of sudden death.2 The preliminary results, as presented in the media and in expanded form in this issue of the Journal,2 have astounded most observers and challenge much of the conventional wisdom about .
GOODS-Herschel: a population of 24 μm dropout sources at z < 2

Using extremely deep PACS 100- and 160 μm Herschel data from the GOODS-Herschel program, we identify 21 infrared bright galaxies previously missed in the deepest 24 μm surveys performed by Spitzer/MIPS. These MIPS dropouts are predominantly found in two redshift bins, centred at z ~ 0.4 and ~1.3. Their S_(100)/S_(24) flux density ratios are similar to those of local (ultra-) luminous infrared galaxies (LIRGs and ULIRGs), whose silicate absorption features at 18 μm (at z ~ 0.4) and 9.7 μm (at z ~ 1.3) are shifted into the 24 μm MIPS band at these redshifts. The high-z sub-sample consists of 11 infrared luminous sources, accounting for ~2% of the whole GOODS-Herschel sample and putting strong upper limits on the fraction of LIRGs/ULIRGs at 1.0 43 colour cut selects galaxies with a redshift distribution similar to that of the MIPS dropouts and when combined with a second colour cut, S_(16)/S_8 > 4, isolates sources at 1.0 < z < 1.7. We show that these sources have elevated specific star formation rates (sSFR) compared to main sequence galaxies at these redshifts and are likely to be compact starbursts with moderate/strong 9.7 μm silicate absorption features in their mid-IR spectra. Herschel data reveal that their infrared luminosities extrapolated from the 24 μm flux density are underestimated, on average, by a factor of ~3. These silicate break galaxies account for 16% (8%) of the ULIRG (LIRG) population in the GOODS fields, indicating a lower limit in their space density of 2.0 × 10^(-5) Mpc^(-3). Finally, we provide estimates of the fraction of z < 2 MIPS dropout sources as a function of the 24-, 100-, 160-, 250- and 350 μm sensitivity limits, and conclude that previous predictions of a population of silicate break galaxies missed by the major 24 μm extragalactic surveys have beenoverestimated.
Multiple apocrine cystadenomas

A 56‐year‐old man had approximately forty apocrine cystadenomas 01 the face and ears. Clinical examination and light microscopic findings were typical for apocrine cystadenomas. Electron micro‐ scopic findings showed an absence of annulate lamellae, thus dififering from the only previously reported study. Review of the literature indicates that a large number of apocrine cystadenomas, such as on our patient, has not been reported previously.
Police‐citizen encounters and field citations: Do encounter characteristics influence ticketing?

Purpose – To provide an empirical analysis of what influences police use of field citations (tickets) against citizens in nontraffic and traffic encounters.Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted using systematic social observations of police‐citizen encounters in Cincinnati, Ohio, from April 1997 to 1998. Multiple logistic regression models were used to examine the effects of legal and extralegal factors on the dependant variable (receipt of a citation) versus an officer doing nothing or arresting a citizen in nontraffic and traffic encounters.Findings – Officers appear to be more likely to issue citations, as opposed to doing nothing formal or making an arrest, in traffic encounters. The extant literature's focus on citation issuance being more relevant to police behavior in traffic encounters as opposed to other routine encounters may be appropriate. When the decision rests between issuing a citation or making a full‐custody arrest in traffic encounters, white officers are more likely .
Electronic Commerce and Business Performance: An Empirical Investigation of Business Organizations in Nigeria

This research paper examined the impact of e-commerce on business performance with particular reference to the selected supermarkets in Ibadan metropolis. The study sample was made up of 8 Supermarkets. Structured questionnaire designed by the researchers were used to collect data from each operator and 5 staff respectively, totaling 48 respondents. Data analysis was conducted with simple regression analysis. The result showed that e-commerce adoption has significant impact on service operations, cost operation reductions and profit levels. It was concluded that adoption of e-commerce by Nigerian supermarkets will reduce transaction cost, improve service operations, expand business base, better understand the needs of foreign customers, and increase profit levels. The paper recommended that the operators and staff of supermarkets should embark on more effective Information Technology (IT) training in order to further enhance their performance. And also management of supermarkets should procure quality IT gadgets that will enhance efficiency and customers’ retention. Classification-JEL:
Assessing Psychological Health and Empowerment in Women: The Personal Progress Scale Revised

ABSTRACT Empowerment is a primary outcome of many health interventions with women. Typical outcome measures, however, focus exclusively on specific symptoms, neglecting the clinically important attitudes and behaviors associated with increased empowerment and well-being. Empowerment is conceptualized as enabling women to access skills and resources to cope more effectively with current as well as future stress and trauma. This study investigated a new measure of personal empowerment in women, the Personal Progress Scale-Revised (PPS-R). Results suggest that the PPS-R is a promising measure of empowerment in women, demonstrating excellent reliability and validity in diverse sample of women. Additionally, the PPS-R demonstrated preliminary utility with a subgroup of abused women, a vulnerable group of women for whom empowerment is a variable of high importance.
Persistence of the dominant follicle during melengestrol acetate administration and its regression by exogenous estrogen treatment in beef cattle.

Experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that estrogen treatment will regress a persistent dominant follicle developed during melengestrol acetate (MGA) treatment in the absence of a functional corpus luteum (CL) with normal fertility following development and ovulation of a newly recruited follicle. In Exp. 1, nonlactating beef cows (n = 31) were administered . 5 mg.cow-1.d-1 of MGA (d 0) for 14 d with 25 mg of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) administered on d 6 and 8 to regress the CL. On d 11 of treatment, approximately half the MGA-treated cows received 5 mg of estradiol valerate (EV) i.m. (MGAEV, n = 14) and the remainder were maintained on MGA (n = 17). Ovaries were checked with ultrasound on d 8, 10, 12, and 14 of MGA treatment and every day until ovulation. A persistent dominant follicle developed in 90% of the MGA-treated cows by d 10 of treatment. Most of the MGA-treated cows ovulated the persistent dominant follicle (n = 13/17), whereas EV treatment regressed the persistent dominant follicle (n = 10/14) with the recruitment of a new follicle that ovulated (n = 8/10). Diameter of the ovulatory follicle was larger (P < .05) for the MGA (19.8 +/- .6 mm) than for the control (15.1 +/- .8 mm) and MGAEV (14.8 +/- .7 mm) cows. In Exp. 2, nonlactating, multiparous beef cows (n = 97) and yearling heifers (n = 38) were equally allotted to either a control, MGA alone, or MGA + estradiol-17 beta (MGAE) group with the same dose of MGA as administered in Exp. 1. The 1st d of MGA feeding was the 1st d of treatment. On d 10 of treatment half the MGA-treated animals were injected i.m. with 5 mg of estradiol-17 beta. In controls, behavioral estrus was detected and animals were artificially inseminated (AI) for 5 d (d 10 to 14 of experiment). All controls not exhibiting estrus by d 15 of experiment were injected with 25 mg of PGF2 alpha. The remaining controls and all MGA cows were observed for behavioral estrus and AI commenced for 7 d following withdrawal of MGA (d 15 to 21 of experiment). More (P < .05) controls (90.3%) than MGA (84.8%) or MGAE (63.6%) cows showed estrus within 7 d after MGA withdrawal. The percentage of animals conceiving to the synchronized estrus did not differ (P > .05) among treatments. The data support our hypothesis that a persistent dominant follicle developed and can be regressed with exogenous estrogen treatment followed by the recruitment and ovulation of a new follicle after MGA withdrawal and fertility of that estrus does not seem to be significantly compromised.
Effects of carvedilol on myocardial sympathetic innervation in patients with chronic heart failure.

UNLABELLED Carvedilol is a beta-blocking agent with antioxidant properties that has been shown to improve survival in chronic heart failure (CHF). Previous open-label studies have suggested that its use may have positive effects on the abnormalities of cardiac sympathetic innervation integrity and functioning. The present study aimed to test the hypothesis that carvedilol exerts its beneficial effects on hemodynamics in parallel with an action on myocardial sympathetic activity and with its antioxidant property. METHODS A randomized, multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of carvedilol was conducted on 64 CHF patients. Patients underwent-before and after 6 mo of therapy with either carvedilol or placebo-measurements of cardiac sympathetic activity, circulating catecholamine level, and hemodynamic indices. Myocardial meta-(123)I-iodobenzylguanidine ((123)I-MIBG) uptake was used to assess the changes in myocardial sympathetic activity. The antioxidant properties of the plasma were assessed by measuring the percentage of nonhemolyzed erythrocytes and the volume of plasma capable of inhibiting 50% of hemolysis after an oxidative stress. Echographic left ventricular (LV) diameters, radionuclide LV ejection fraction (LVEF), and exercise cardiopulmonary capacity were measured to evaluate the hemodynamic response. RESULTS End-diastolic and end-systolic LV diameters decreased (both P < 0.05) and LVEF increased (P = 0.03) in the carvedilol group, whereas these parameters remained unchanged in the placebo group. Carvedilol did not alter the submaximal exercise cardiopulmonary capacity or the circulating catecholamine level. The beneficial hemodynamic effects in the carvedilol group were associated with an increase in myocardial (123)I-MIBG uptake as assessed by both planar and tomographic imaging (P < 0.01). Carvedilol had no detectable effect on antioxidant properties of the plasma. CONCLUSION The benefits of carvedilol on resting hemodynamics appear to be associated with a partial recovery of cardiac adrenergic innervation functioning without detectable antioxidant effect in the plasma.
Activity of Posaconazole Combined with Amphotericin B against Aspergillus flavus Infection in Mice: Comparative Studies in Two Laboratories

ABSTRACT Posaconazole and/or amphotericin B was given to mice pretreated with a steroid and then infected by inhalation of Aspergillus flavus conidia. Two laboratories conducted studies using almost identical protocols to evaluate both survival and lung tissue burdens 8 days after infection. The results of the in vivo studies performed at both laboratories were consistent. We found that (i) up to 5 mg of amphotericin B per kg of body weight was poorly effective in treating invasive aspergillosis; (ii) posaconazole at 2 or 10 mg/kg/dose prolonged survival and reduced lung tissue CFU; and (iii) there was generally no antagonistic interaction of the drugs in combination, even when the experiments were designed to maximize the likelihood of antagonism. These studies do not confirm the antagonistic interaction of triazoles and polyenes reported by others.
Determination of proton strange form factors from nu p elastic scattering.

A previous [nu][ital p] elastic scattering experiment at BNL is reanalyzed, taking into account the strange vector and axial-vector form factors of the proton [ital F][sub 1][sup [ital s]], [ital F][sub 2][sup [ital s]], and [ital G][sub 1][sup [ital s]]. Values for these form factors are obtained, although with large errors due to correlations between [ital F][sub 1][sup [ital s]] and [ital F][sub 2][sup 2] and between [ital G][sub 1][sup [ital s]] and the axial vector dipole mass [ital M][sub [ital A]]. Future [nu][ital p] elastic scattering experiments could significantly improve the knowledge of these form factors.
The use of high-frequency ultrasound as a method of assessing the severity of a plaque of psoriasis.

BACKGROUND AND DESIGN Ultrasound imaging, while initially developed to visualize internal organs, is now being applied to image the skin. In this preliminary study, we used a high-frequency, 40-MHz ultrasound imaging system to provide high-resolution images in psoriasis and examined the relationship between clinical and ultrasound ratings in plaque-type psoriasis. The ultrasound image of a psoriatic plaque demonstrates a superficial echogenic band (band A), followed by a nonchogenic band (band B), and a deeper echogenic band (band C). RESULTS In psoriatic plaques (N = 145), the severity of the psoriasis as assessed according to the degree of scaling, erythema, and thickness (SET score) correlated best with the width of band B (P < .001, r = 0.86) and less well with the width of bands A (P < .001, r = 0.59) and C (P < .001, r = 0.44). For the treated psoriatic plaques (n = 64), for which paired readings were available before and after therapy, changes in the SET scores correlated best with the change in the width of band B (P < .001, r = 0.96) and less well with the change in the width of bands A (P < .001, r = 0.61) and C (P < .001, r = 0.45). Ultrasound analyses and clinical evaluation were performed by independent raters. CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that high-frequency ultrasound imaging may prove to be a noninvasive technique that can be used as an adjunct to the clinical evaluation of the lesional severity of psoriatic plaques.
Serum iron and ferritin levels in alopecia areata

Alopecia Areata (AA) is a recurring, nonscarring inflammatory hair loss that can affect any hair bearing area. Clinically, the prototype lesion is a discoid patch of alopecia without scaling or signs of inflammation. The presence of exclamation mark hair at the periphery of the lesion is pathognomonic. Although immunologic processes and hereditary factors are suggested to play an important role in AA, the specific etiology is unclear 1,2. Many theories have been suggested in the etiopathogenesis of AA including infectious, neural, genetic, and organ specific autoimmune hypotheses. There is increasing evidence that AA is a tissue-specific autoimmune disease as it has been associated with various autoimmune disorders 3-5. Another probable mechanism is oxidative stress characterized by increased free radical production exceeding the intracellular antioxidant defense 6. Environmental factors can trigger the disease 7,8. Ferritin has been reported to exhibit different immunological activities such as suppression of antibody production by lymphocytes and suppression of delayed type hypersensitivity. The ferritin levels are increased in inflammation, infections, malignancies and autoimmune diseases 9. Since AA is an autoimmune disease, there must be changes in serum ferritin and iron levels. The present study was undertaken to find any association between serum iron, ferritin and other haematological tests with AA.
The cell adhesion molecule, E‐cadherin, distinguishes mesothelial cells from carcinoma cells in fluids

The distinction between benign reactive mesothelial cells and well differentiated carcinoma can be difficult in pleural, peritoneal, and especially pericardial fluids. E‐cadherin is an adhesion protein that is specifically expressed in cells of epithelial lineage. In this study, anti‐E‐cadherin antibodies were used to identify and distinguish carcinoma cells from reactive mesothelial cells.