Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Screening of MRSA in and outside Benghazi Hospitals

Background and Purpose: Data on the carriage rate and antibiotic sensitivity pattern of Staphylococcus aureus strains prevalent in the community are not available for many developing countries including Libya. To estimate the extent of community S. aureus transmission, in particular methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), the prevalence of S. aureus nasal colonization in a population of healthy adults was determined. Factors associated with S. aureus nasal carriage and antibiotic sensitivity patterns of the isolates were also analyzed. Methods: A cross-sectional study involving 643 adults was conducted. Nasal swabs were examined for the presence of MRSA. Epidemiological information concerning risk factors for nasal carriage was also obtained. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method according to the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards guidelines. MRSA strains isolated were further subjected to Automated BD Phoenix. Results: Screening for suspected carriers of MRSA showed that most of the healthcare workers (technicians, nurses, and doctors) were asymptomatically MRSA-positive. S. aureus isolates were confirmed by various biochemical tests as per latest CLSI guidelines. Cefoxitin Disk Diffusion test was performed for the detection of methicillin resistance and antibiotic susceptibility was performed against different antibiotics as per CLSI guidelines. Statistical analyses showed that there was no significant relation between MRSA carriage and age and sex of the study population. The prevalence of MRSA nasal carriage was (21.4%) among HCWs, with some differences between hospitals, also prevalence of MRSA nasal carriage was (9.6%) among community. Hospital acquired MRSA were more susceptible to various antibiotics as compared to Community acquired MRSA. Conclusion: MRSA nasal colonization was found to be low outside of the health care environment.
Vortex shedding patterns, their competition, and chaos in flow past inline oscillating rectangular cylinders

The flow past inline oscillating rectangular cylinders is studied numerically at a Reynolds number representative of two-dimensional flow. A symmetric mode, known as S-II, consisting of a pair of oppositely signed vortices on each side, observed recently in experiments, is obtained computationally. A new symmetric mode, named here as S-III, is also found. At low oscillation amplitudes, the vortex shedding pattern transitions from antisymmetric to symmetric smoothly via a regime of intermediate phase. At higher amplitudes, this intermediate regime is chaotic. The finding of chaos extends and complements the recent work of Perdikaris et al. [Phys. Fluids 21(10), 101705 (2009)]. Moreover, it shows that the chaos results from a competition between antisymmetric and symmetric shedding modes. For smaller amplitude oscillations, rectangular cylinders rather than square are seen to facilitate these observations. A global, and very reliable, measure is used to establish the existence of chaos.
Cyclophosphamide Induced Histologial and Immunohistochemical Alterations in Kidney of Albino Rats: The Ameliorative Effect of Fennel Oil

Cyclophosphamide (CPA) is a nitrogen mustard alkylating agent from the oxazaphosphorine group. It is used as an anticancer, anti-neoplastic agents and immunosuppressive agent widely used in chemotherapy. Fennel oil is traditionally used as a treatment for different diseases. The present work studied the effect of Fennel oil on CPA-induced nephrotoxicity in albino rats. Male albino rats were divided into 4 groups; gp1; control, gp2: Each rat was orally given Fennel oil (1 ml/kg body weight once a week for six weeks), gp3: animals were each orally treated with CPA at a dose of 15mg/kg body weight once a week for six weeks, gp4: CPA plus Fennel oil treated group. The obtained results showed that CPA induced histopathological alterations in the kidney including intertubular leucocytic infiltrations,congestion of blood vessels, degeneration of renal tubules and atrophy of glomeruli. Immunohistochemical observations revealed increase in expression of PCNA, caspase-3 and α -SMA. In addition, creatinine and urea levels increased in sera of treated rats. Treating rats with CPA and fennel oil caused an improvement in the histological structure of the kidney and decreased PCNA, caspase-3 and α-SMA. Moreover, creatinine and urea values were decreased. In conclusion, fennel oil showed ameliorative effect against nephrotoxicity of CPA due to its antioxidant activity.
The Guggenheim Bilbao Museum in the Basque nationalist press: discursive and rhetorical analysis

This study analysed the reporting of the debate over the Guggenheim Bilbao in the Basque nationalist newspapers Egin and Diario Vasco. I was looking at differences/similarities between the newspapers, and at how argumentation changed over time (1997/1998), drawing upon content analysis, discourse analysis of the ideological themes in the reporting and an indepth analysis of two editorials, one in Spanish and one in Basque. The content analysis confirmed that economy and Basque culture/identity were highly controversial themes; and that in 1998 the museum became more accepted. An analysis of rhetorical strategies e.g. quantification rhetoric for economic predictions; vagueness/evasiveness to portray the Basques' reception of modem architecture/art, permitted the examination of intragroup/intergroup models of interaction, strategies and underlying ideological dilemmas (Billig et ai, 1988). After the inauguration, Diario Vasco claimed that the museum was concerned with Basque modem art, while Egin maintained a cautious distance. The in-depth comparative analysis of political rhetoric in two Egin's editorials, reporting similar events in Basque or Spanish, confirmed that the use of these different languages involves different construction of the readership; and different strategies to convey communality between writer/reader. In the Basque language editorial, communality was cautiously constructed until an assertive we Basques stressed search of unity, differentiation, and sovereignty: conflict/differences between Basques were omitted, backgrounded or ironized, while differences with the Spanish foregrounded. In the Spanish editorial, an impersonal third person tone avoided using the rhetoric of we. Specific Basques were blamed for the repression of Basque secessionism. A dramatic tone suggested subtle criticism against ETA, yet implying that it was reasonable to include ETA among the human victims. The explicit nation state's deixis in the Spanish editorial implied Spain was the nation state. In the Basque context the nation state's deixis was ambiguous: we Basques might be used to address Basques beyond French-Spanish boundaries, suggesting a long-term representation/project that imagined Basqueness beyond its present-day administrative division or actual political influence. The implications of such fine detail differences were discussed.
The Influence of Ownership Structure on the Firms Dividend Policy Based Lintner Model

This study investigates the relationship between types of ownership structure and dividend payments of Malaysian listed companies. A crosssectional analysis of 100 sample firms listed on the main board of Bursa Malaysia for the years 2010 is utilized. The study examines the explanatory power of two alternative models of dividend policy, the full adjustment model and the partial adjustment model modified which are moderated by the possible effects of five types of ownership structure, namely ownership concentration, ownership dispersion, institutional ownership, managerial ownership and foreign ownership. Only ownership concentration variable are found to be positively and statistically significant in influencing dividends in both type of dividend model. The finding is consistent with agency theory since high dividend payments can be used for mitigating agency conflict as dividends can be substituted for shareholder monitoring. Further, the empirical results reveal that the partial adjustment model is better in compared to the full adjustment model in explaining the variation in dividends with variables associated with ownership classes.
FDI, International Outsourcing and Linkages

We investigate the trade-off between FDI and international outsourcing of interme-diate inputs by a producer of a final good. To this extent, we characterize an industry equilibrium where fixed sunk costs exist for the setting up of foreign subsidiaries and the latter are heterogeneous in productivity levels. We relate the resulting trade-off between outsourcing and FDI to the degree of contract completeness prevailing in the host country and explore its implications in terms of linkages existing between final producers and local suppliers. We find that an increase in competition levels has a non-monotonic effect on the profit of the local suppliers. Therefore, the host country has an incentive to contrast the entry of new final producers with a reduction in the degree of contract completeness.
Conjugation of DNA to Silanized Colloidal Semiconductor Nanocrystalline Quantum Dots

Water-soluble, highly fluorescent, silanized semiconductor nanocrystals with different surface charges were synthesized. To covalently attach the nanocrystals to biological macromolecules with a variety of mild coupling chemistries, the outermost siloxane shells were derivatized with thiol, amino, or carboxyl functional groups. Single- or double-stranded DNA was coupled to the nanocrystal surfaces by using commercially available bifunctional cross-linker. Conjugation had little effect on the optical properties of the nanocrystals, and the resulting conjugates were more stable than previously reported systems. By using the strategies developed in this study, most biomolecules can be covalently coupled to semiconductor nanocrystals. These nanocrystal-DNA conjugates promise to be a versatile tool for fluorescence imaging and probing of biological systems.
The influence on birthweight of maternal living conditions a decade prior to giving birth

The study’s aim was to correlate measures of mothers’ socio-economic status, a decade prior to giving birth, with their children’s birthweight. As part of a larger study, information on birth characteristics from 706 babies born 1970-73 were linked with census data obtained from their mothers near the time of birth as well as one decade earlier. The 706 individuals were selected at random from two national surveys in 1998 and 2000 and traced back to the time of birth in the period 1970-73. Information on birth characteristics was linked to census data obtained from the mothers in 1960 and 1970. Included was information on parent’s living conditions (e.g. income, type of dwelling, indoor plumbing, telephone, number of people in the household). Information on mother’s health during pregnancy, a decade before childbirth and near childbirth, and data on mothers’ and the infants’ health at birth was obtained from the Medical Birth Registry of Norway. In analysis that included both early and current socio-economic conditions maternal education and rural residency at the time of giving birth were observed as statistical significant predictors of birthweight. Results were adjusted for maternal age, parity, plurality, gender and diagnoses before and during pregnancy, all factors observed to attenuate birthweight. Indicators of women’s socio-economic conditions a decade prior to giving birth were not significantly associated with birthweight. These findings do not clearly support suggestions in the literature that an infant’s vitality may be influenced by the family’s socio-economic conditions years before birth.
Calving rates in fresh water: new data from southern Patagonia

Abstract Data relating to calving dynamics in fresh water are scarce, especially for deep-water sites. A linear dependence of calving velocity (Vc) on water depth (Hw) is commonly accepted for both tidewater and fresh-water calving glaciers. Here we use recent data from temperate Patagonian glaciers to propose a revised relationship for calving in fresh water. The new ratio is derived from glaciers calving rapidly into deep water, documented using sequential satellite images and depth soundings. The main data source is a detailed remotely sensed dataset of the rapidly retreating Glaciar Upsala, complemented with global positioning system field surveys and precise ice-proximal bathymetric surveys. The area-integrated mean water depth between glacier positions in 1996 and 2000 is 490 m, with a maximum recorded depth of >700m. In the same period, image analysis reveals surface area loss of 1.37 km2 a–1 (4.8 km2) and an average calving rate of 1880ma–1. The resulting Vc/Hw ratio is of a similar order of magnitude to that recently derived for nearby Glaciar Moreno, but is well above the range of values commonly reported for lacustrine calving.
Isoflavones: Biosynthesis, Health Promoting Effects and Bioavailability

Soybean is the most important legume crop grown around the globe. It is believed to have first domesticated in China around eleventh century B.C. or perhaps a bit earlier. It is used mainly for edible oil extraction, animal feed and food purpose. Soybean seed contains about 18% oil, 38% protein and 15% each of soluble and insoluble carbohydrates (http://www.nrcsoya.nic.in/soyfood.htm). Its oil contains a large proportion (61%) of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) about 15% saturated and 24% monounsaturated fatty acid. Among the PUFAs 55% is linoleic acid while the linolenic acid content is about 10%. Soybean oil has omega 3/omega 6 fatty acids ratio around 1:7.5 which is significantly higher than other vegetable oils. Due to high amount of PUFAs soybean oil is effective in lowering the blood cholesterol level and low density lipoprotein thus is good for heart patients. It also contains high quantity of vitamin E (tocopherols) which is helpful in coronary heart diseases and cancer and possibly acts through synergistic mechanism along with other phytochemicals (Rui, 2004). High biological value and PDCAAS (protein digestibility corrected amino acid score) make soy protein nutritionally comparable to animal proteins like casein, egg and beef (Sarwar, 1989).
An Empirical Evidence from Malaysia: What Makes the Muslim Entrepreneurs Succeed?

The objectives of this study are of two fold, first: to examine the profile of successful Muslim entrepreneurs and the information of their entrepreneurial activities, second: to examine the associated factors influencing their success. The successful Muslim entrepreneurs who are beneficiaries of the micro-credit financing from Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia (AIM) particularly in Manjung Branch, Perak have been selected as the sample of this study. Only those who have been running their businesses for at least 10 years are selected. The data were collected using a self administered questionnaire. The non-financial performance indicators are used to represent the success factors while the following four factors are considered as independent variables: the source of capital, cultural environment, religious values and characteristics of entrepreneurs. The regression analysis was taken place to discover the existence of any relationship after the factor analysis was carried out. The result of the regression analysis thus indicated a significant relationship for all the factors with the exception of social environment in relation to the non-financial performance. Based on the result, some recommendations were proposed together with the limitation of the study which provides opportunity for further research.
Regional Inequality and Convergence in Europe, 1995-2005

The paper presents new results on within-country regional inequality in per capita income for 36 countries during 1995-2005; focusing on Europe but with some non-European countries included for comparison. In 23 of the 36 countries there was a significant increase in regional inequality during the period, and in only three cases there was a reduction. Regional inequality increased in all countries of Central and Eastern Europe, while for most Western European countries there was little change. For the EU-27 as a whole, there was a modest increase in within-country regional inequality, but convergence across countries. The latter effect was quantitatively more important, so on the whole there was income convergence in the EU-27, especially after 2000. Regional inequality is particularly important for some large middle-income countries such as China, Russia and Mexico. In such countries there may however be considerable price differences across regions, and the use of common price deflators for the whole country may lead to a biased assessment of regional inequality.
Highlights,Rangeland Ecology & Management, November 2008

The natural fi re cycle in chaparral ecosystems of southern California has been modifi ed by fi re suppression and, as a result, quality and distribution of habitat for mountain sheep (Ovis canadensis) has been affected. We modeled effects of fi re history on winter ranges used by those specialized ungulates in the San Gabriel Mountains. There was a positive relationship between distributions of mountain sheep in otherwise suitable areas that had burned within 15 yr, but that relationship was negative in the absence of such fi res. Use of prescribed fi re to enhance availability and suitability of habitat for mountain sheep inhabiting chaparral should receive serious consideration by land managers.
Microcredit Programs and Economic Indicators: Are the Higher Income Borrowers Better Off? Evidence from Bangladesh

Microcredit program in Bangladesh provides small loans to rural people especially to the poor with the purpose of eradicating poverty. This study investigates the impact of microcredit on economic indicators of the borrowers and compares if the impact is the same across borrowers having different income levels. Household savings, assets and income are considered as causal factors that may contribute towards eradicating poverty. To estimate the impact of microcredit on such indicators we have used simultaneous equations model. Primary data has been collected from the Grameen Bank and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) borrowers of some selected villages from three major districts in Bangladesh. The Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) estimation results show that the microcredit programs is effective in generating higher income, assets and savings for the borrowers in general. However, that impact is not found to be uniform across income levels of the borrowers and higher income borrowers seem to be better off compared to the middle and lower income borrowers. This study further shows that the age and education of the household head and his/her partner in the family are significant in bringing about better household impact.
At Admission Evaluation of the Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology (SNAP II) and Estimation of Serum Procalcitonin Allow Early Diagnosis of Early-Onset Neonatal Sepsis

Objectives: The study aimed to evaluate the discriminative ability of, at admiss ion, estimation of serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and procalcitonin (PCT) between neonates with various grades of early-onset sepsis (EOS) using the Score for Neonatal Acute Physiology (SNAP II). Patients & Methods: The study included 87 neonates with suspected EOS within the 1st week of life. All neonates were evaluated using the SNAP II and scores >40 ind icate severe, 20-40 indicate moderate and score <20 indicate mild infection. At admission, venous blood samples were obtained for blood culture, total (TLC) and differential leucocytic count and ELISA estimation of serum hsCRP, IL-6 and PCT.Results: EOS neonates were categorized as Confirmed (n=44), Suspected (n=18) and EOS -free (n=25) accord ing to severity of clin ical sepsis and result of blood culture. Estimated laboratory parameters were significantly higher in patients than controls and in EOS than EOS-free neonates. Serum hsCRP and IL-6 levels could not, while PCT could d ifferentiate between neonates with confir med or suspected EOS. ROC curve analysis defined high serum PCT and IL-6, SNAP II score, neutrophil percentages, serum hsCRP and TLC as significant predictors for positive blood culture in decreasing order of significance, while Regression analysis defined high serum PCT as a persistently significant predictor for positive culture, followed by high serum IL-6 and high SNAP II score. Combined SNAP II scoring and serum PCT could define 61.4%, while combined estimation of serum hsCRP, IL-6 and PCT levels could define 52.3% of neonates with combined EOS. Conclusion: Combined estimation of hsCRP, IL-6 and PCT could increase the diagnostic yield of neonatal sepsis; however, clinical evaluation using SNAP II score and serum PCT did better and could define neonates with positive blood culture earlier so as to allow early t reatment.
An Empirical Investigation on the Impact of Trust Mediated Determinants and Moderating Factors on the Adoption of Cloud Computing

In a prior study we found out that trust is an effective factor in the acceptance and adoption of cloud computing using the UTAUT. However, various relationships from the original UTAUT were not confirmed in the extended model for cloud computing. Therefore, we present here a study aimed at investigating the mediation effect of trust on users’ attitude toward the adoption of cloud computing using UTAUT. It is also aimed to examine the role of five moderating factors which are gender, age, education, managerial level and job domain on subjects’ behavioral intention to use cloud computing services. Data were collected from 219 subjects in order to test the modified model and were analyzed using Partial Least Square (PLS) algorithm. Experimental results demonstrated that Performance Expectancy and Facilitating Conditions are strongly mediated by trust for the behavioral intention to adopt cloud computing. Statistical results, on the other hand, indicated that the majority of the moderating factors did not have a significant impact on the acceptance of cloud computing. The paper finally concludes with the limitations of current study and directions for future work.
Response of low voltage networks with high penetration of photovoltaic systems to transmission network faults

The installed capacity of photovoltaic (PV) systems connected to low voltage (LV) networks in Germany has increased to more than 25 GW. Current grid codes still mandate these PV systems to disconnect in case of voltage dips below 0.8 p.u. The resulting response of LV distribution systems with high penetration of PV systems to faults in the transmission network is investigated for an integrated power system model that comprises all relevant voltage levels. Sensitivity studies with respect to the pre-fault power flow, various steady state and fault ride-through (FRT) control modes were performed. Our simulations for a realistic 2022 scenario show that a lack of FRT capability can cause the distribution system load to increase by 35-70 % of its peak value. It was found that for under-excited operation of PV systems prior to the fault, an overvoltage can occur post-fault at some busbars in the distribution system. Therefore, we conclude that new LV-connected PV systems and other DG installations should be requested to perform FRT.