Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fighting the Rising Spectre of Tough Bugs in Tough Clinical Scenario: A Ten Year Experience from a Hemato-Oncology Centre in Tertiary Health Care Facility in North India

Introduction: Infections with multi drug resistant (MDR) organisms pose a major challenge in achieving optimal success in pediatric oncology patients. Aim: We aimed to study the evolving blood stream flora, its antibiotic resistance pattern and impact of a rigorous antibiotic stewardship programme at our center. Materials and Methods: A 10 year retrospective analysis was performed on suspected episodes of septicemia in pediatric oncology patients. Blood culture isolates, resistance patterns and clinical outcome of corresponding septic episodes were studied over two time periods- TP1 (2007-2013) and TP2 (2014-2018). Results: Of 1423 blood culture samples, 285 were positive. TP1 showed predominant growth of Gram negative bacteria (GNB-48.5%) and TP2 showed isolates that were mainly Gram positive cocci (GPC-50.3%) reflecting increased use of central lines. Coagulase negative Staphylococcus (CoNS) was the commonest GPC and E. coli was the most common GNB isolated in TP2. Cefaperazone sulbactum monotherapy was used as the first line antimicrobial for neutropenic fever in our unit in TP2 and it was observed that 72% of the GNB were sensitive to this drug. In the comparative analysis of TP2 vs TP1, it was observed that the GNB isolates showed increasing resistance to Carbapenems. Interestingly, a declining trend of resistance was observed with Chloramphenicol for both GNB/GPC. Flouroquinolone resistance has consistently been high over the two time periods. No in vitro resistance was identified to Glycopeptides and Colistin over TP1 and TP2. Mortality rates in children blood culture positivity remained the same across TP1 and TP2 (2.2 vs. 2.6%). Conclusion: Despite rising incidence of MDR bacteria, a rigorous antibiotic stewardship programme helps maintain good outcomes in pediatric oncology patients with sepsis. Early diagnosis, judicious use of antibiotics and de-escalation after initial stabilization may help. Innovative strategies to fight drug resistance are being evolved.
Entre la emoción y el pensamiento crítico: un estudio con profesorado de ciencias sociales en formación

La formacion del pensamiento critico se viene investigando desde hace decadas y su estudio no ha dejado de tener vigencia. Autores como Tosar y Santisteban (2016), Ortega y Pages (2017) y Castellvi et al. (2018a; 2018b) coinciden en la importancia del enfoque que ofrece la literacidad critica a la formacion del pensamiento critico, y la relevancia de esta para el area de la didactica de las ciencias sociales. A partir del proyecto “Ensenar y aprender a interpretar problemas y conflictos contemporaneos ? Que aportan las ciencias sociales a la formacion de una ciudadania global critica? ”, nos enfrentamos a la incidencia del factor emocional, que podria condicionar el uso del pensamiento critico en determinadas situaciones, y que cobra especial relevancia en la era digital. Por ello nos preguntamos: ? como afectan las emociones al profesorado de ciencias sociales en formacion en el uso del razonamiento critico cuando leen en Internet? La muestra utilizada es alumnado del master de formacion del profesorado de ciencias sociales (n=80) de la Universidad de Malaga, la Universidad de Jaen y la Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. Los resultados nos muestran que las informaciones de la red que ponen en tension los valores del alumnado hacen aflorar emociones que suspenden el pensamiento racional y el razonamiento critico.
Egg maturation dynamics of the parasitoid Microplitis rufiventris: starvation speeds maturation in early life

The number of mature eggs carried by a female parasitoid at any given moment (egg load) is a fitness‐related parameter affecting reproductive potential and impacting upon host population dynamics. Microplitis rufiventris Kokujev (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a solitary koinobiont endoparasitoid wasp of several noctuid pests, including Spodoptera littoralis. The number of mature eggs carried by females at emergence is approximately 50. The rate of egg maturation is strongly affected both by feeding status and access to host larvae. In early adult life, egg maturation rates are lower for 6–72 h in fed wasps compared with food‐deprived wasps. When given access to hosts, honey‐fed wasps live for approximately 9 days with high lifetime fecundity (226 eggs). By contrast to early adult life, the total realized fecundity is positively affected by feeding status, where water‐fed and starved females have 140 and 107 eggs, respectively. Egg resorption is most pronounced in the later life of females. The results suggest, in addition to confirming the effect of honey‐feeding on total fecundity, that fecundity of starved wasps includes rapid egg maturation early in life, which potentially could improve the performance of the parasitoid as a biological control agent.
The Effectiveness of Al-Qurun Teaching Model (ATM) Viewed from Gender Differences: The Impact on Mathematical Problem-Solving Ability

This research aimed to see the ability to solve mathematical problems between genders by applying the Al-Qurun Teaching Model. The researchers report the results of the research on the effectiveness of Al-Qurun Teaching Model on mathematical problem-solving ability viewed from gender differences. The research method used is 2 x 2 factorial design of quasi-experimental with random sampling technique. Data collection techniques used were the test method to see the results of students’ mathematical problem-solving ability. The normality test employed was Liliefors test and the homogeneity test used was the similarity of two variances. Hypothesis testing used was two-way ANAVA. The results of the study are: (1) There are differences between the Al-Qurun Teaching Model and the conventional teaching model on mathematical problem-solving ability and the use of Al-Qurun Teaching Model is more effective than the conventional teaching model, (2) There are differences in the results of mathematical problem-solving ability between female and male students and the results of mathematical problem-solving ability of female students are higher than the male students, (3) There is no interaction between learning and gender on mathematical problem-solving ability.
Towards Assessing the Electricity Demand in Brazil: Data-Driven Analysis and Ensemble Learning Models

The prediction of electricity generation is one of the most important tasks in the management of modern energy systems. Improving the assertiveness of this prediction can support government agencies, electric companies, and power suppliers in minimizing the electricity cost to the end consumer. In this study, the problem of forecasting the energy demand in the Brazilian Interconnected Power Grid was addressed, by gathering different energy-related datasets taken from public Brazilian agencies into a unified and open database, used to tune three machine learning models. In contrast to several works in the Brazilian context, which provide only annual/monthly load estimations, the learning approaches Random Forest, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machines were trained and optimized as new ensemble-based predictors with parameter tuning to reach accurate daily/monthly forecasts. Moreover, a detailed and in-depth exploration of energy-related data as obtained from the Brazilian power grid is also given. As shown in the validation study, the tuned predictors were effective in producing very small forecasting errors under different evaluation scenarios.
Comparing chains versus independent hotels based on international sales: an exploratory study

Abstract The globalization of tourism has recently increased the importance of foreign demand for most European destinations. Hotel chains have been long investigated from several perspectives. However, no research has verified the alleged ability of chains to attract foreign demand, while this information is highly sought after by hotel investors and owners when evaluating affiliation opportunities. The present study covers Italy. It is based on a survey of 148 branded hotels for 21 destinations and 22 brands. Adopting a new metric to compare the ability of hotels to sell abroad (Foreign market Per Available Room; FmPAR), it has been found that chain-affiliated hotels perform better than independent hotels in attracting foreign demand. This is particularly true for international chains compared to domestic ones. On the other hand, the effect is stronger in three-star hotels than in four and five-star ones, in destinations where chain penetration is low.
Radio Univers: The Story of Ghana’s Pioneer Campus-Community Radio Station

ABSTRACT There is a paucity of academic literature on Radio Univers 26 years after it first took to the airwaves as Ghana’s first authorized campus-community broadcaster. Drawing mainly on direct observations and interviews, this paper accounts for the origins of the station, and the role it has played in Ghana’s mediascape, not only in contributions to the public sphere and local music industry but also the opportunities it has created for self-expression and capacity-building for volunteer broadcasters. With meager resources, Univers has developed a reputation for producing quality media practitioners. This paper concludes that going forward, it would be beneficial for Univers and other campus broadcasters if a dedicated broadcasting law is passed in Ghana and the nation’s broadcasting regulatory regime is updated.
A study to correlate association between vitamin D with fibroid and its supplementation in the progression of the disease

They are benign clonal tumor that arise from the smooth muscle cells of the uterus and contain excessive extracellular matrix (ECM). Leiomyoma are well known estrogen (E)-dependent tumors in the uterus of premenopausal females. Leiomyomas clinically affect more than 25% of reproductive age females and cause significant morbidity. Although the majority of females with uterine leiomyoma are asymptomatic, symptomatic leiomyomas can cause abnormal uterine bleeding, pelvic pressure and pain, and urinary incontinence or retention, and are associated with infertility and recurrent abortion.
The effect of initial larval stocking density on growth and survival in common barbel Barbus barbus (L.)

Summary Aim of the study was to determine the effect of initial larval density on growth and survival of the common barbel Barbus barbus (L.) under controlled conditions. The experiment examined fish density from 20 to 200 ind. L−1 during intensive rearing at 25°C. Rearing lasted 21 days whereby the average total fish length, weight and survival were recorded. During the entire period fish were fed live nauplii Artemia sp. The data provided the basis for calculating the specific growth rate (SGR), Fulton’s condition index (K), and analysis of the relationship between biomass and the stocking density. The documentation was also used to determine the level of ontogeny. The study data obtained indicated that initial larval density has no effect on survival (over 98% in each treatment), level of ontogeny, or on the rearing indexes. Fish achieved the juvenile stage during the second week of rearing ( 0.05). The findings of this study suggest that stocking density in common barbel larvae is not a factor limiting growth or the ontogenetic development rate during initial rearing. This creates considerable potential for improvement in stocking material production under controlled conditions and should have a positive effect on the economic effectiveness of production.
COMBATING β-CATENIN DRIVEN HEPATOCELLULAR CARCINOMA

Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) is the most common primary liver tumor and is a major cause of cancer related death worldwide with few avenues of treatment that benefit patients. There are many causes of HCC making the cancer difficult to treat as a homogenous disease. Many molecular pathways are deregulated during the onset of hepatocarcinogenesis, and one commonly activated signaling cascade in HCC is the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. β-Catenin plays multiple roles in cellular processes from maintenance of cellular adhesions to regulating regenerative signals required for the liver to grow. In cancer, β-catenin signaling is aberrantly regulated and has now been shown to play roles in tumor cell proliferation, survival and metabolism contributing to disease progression. Knowing the prevalence and importance of β-catenin in HCC, it is critical to develop targeted, personalized therapeutics which may impact multiple aspects of tumor biology. Here, we have identified several different avenues that target active Wnt signaling. We demonstrate the importance of computational biology to identify novel small molecules (SMs) to target β-catenin signaling. SM treatment results in decreased β-catenin signaling leading to decreases in downstream targets affecting HCC growth and survival. We also utilized antisense treatments which target β-catenin at the genetic level decreasing β-catenin protein expression and leading to subsequent cell death and decrease in tumor burden. Additionally, we identified angiogenesis as a notable event regulated by Wnt/β-catenin signaling. In fact, inhibiting Wnt signaling in HCC cells led to reduced production of pro-angiogenic secreted factors which in turn inhibited angiogenic characteristics in tumor associated endothelial cells. Our studies validate the significance of targeting β-catenin in HCC that should lead to notable effects on tumor growth and development. With the current studies providing the final proof-of-concept, we now believe that β-catenin directed therapies may in fact be plausible, and have potential clinical implications.
The fibre‐associated cellulolytic bacterial community in the hindgut of wood‐feeding higher termites (Nasutitermes spp.)

Summary Termites digest lignocellulose with the help of their symbiotic gut microbiota. In the hindgut of evolutionary lower termites, a dense community of cellulolytic flagellates sequesters wood particles from the hindgut content into their digestive vacuoles. In higher termites (family Termitidae), which possess an entirely prokaryotic microbiota, the wood particles are available for bacterial colonization. Substantial particle-associated cellulase activities have been detected in the hindgut of Nasutitermes species, but the microorganisms responsible for these activities and their potential association with the wood fibres remain to be studied. Here, we used density-gradient centrifugation to separate wood fibres and adherent bacterial cells from cells freely suspended in the hindgut fluid. In Nasutitermes corniger, the fibre fraction contained 28% of the DNA and 45% of the cellulase activity in the luminal contents (P3 region). Community fingerprinting (terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism) and pyrotag sequencing analysis of the bacterial 16S rRNA genes demonstrated that the wood fibres in the hindgut of both N. corniger and N. takasagoensis are specifically colonized by members of Fibrobacteres, the TG3 phylum, and certain lineages of Spirochaetes characteristic of the gut microbiota of wood-feeding higher termites. We propose that the loss of flagellates in higher termites provided a new niche for fibre-associated cellulolytic bacteria.
Performance Assessment of ERA5 Wave Data in a Swell Dominated Region

The present paper deals with a performance assessment of the ERA5 wave dataset in an ocean basin where local wind waves superimpose on swell waves. The evaluation framework relies on observed wave data collected during a coastal experimental campaign carried out offshore of the southern Oman coast in the Western Arabian Sea. The applied procedure requires a detailed investigation on the observed waves, and aims at classifying wave regimes: observed wave spectra have been split using a 2D partition scheme and wave characteristics have been evaluated for each wave component. Once the wave climate was defined, a detailed wave model assessment was performed. The results revealed that during the analyzed time span the ERA5 wave model overestimates the swell wave heights, whereas the wind waves’ height prediction is highly influenced by the wave developing conditions. The collected field dataset is also useful for a discussion on spectral wave characteristics during monsoon and post-monsoon season in the examined region; the recorded wave data do not suffice yet to adequately describe wave fields generated by the interaction of monsoon and local winds.
Self-Assessment of Driving Style and the Willingness to Share Personal Information

The availability of better behavioral information about their customer portfolios holds the promise for different and more accurate pricing models for insurers. Changes in pricing, however, are always fraught with danger for insurers, as they enter long-term commitments with incomplete historical information. On the other hand, sharing personal information is still viewed with skepticism by consumers. Which type of personal information are consumers willing to share with insurers, and for what purpose? How would they like to be rewarded for this openness? For insurers, how will the transition shift their risk portfolios? This paper addresses these questions for auto insurance, particularly how the self-assessment of one’s driving style impacts this dynamic. In a survey of approximately 900 Swiss residents, we found that offering a compensation, especially premium discounts, but also services, significantly improves willingness to share information. Higher trust in insurance increases sharing. Women and younger people are more willing to share information. On the other hand, customers are less willing to disclose, to insurers, information not traditionally associated with insurance. The self-assessment of driving style also plays a significant role. More risk-averse driving styles are correlated with higher sharing. Conversely, riskier driving styles are correlated with lower sharing. This result is significant for insurers, as new data-driven pricing and services models should tend to attract less risky customer portfolios.
Clarification of the taxonomic status of species formerly placed in Listroderes Schoenherr (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) : with the description of a new genus. American Museum novitates ; no. 3093

Nacodius, newgenus, isdescribed toaccommodateListroderes omissus Kuschel, L.brevirostris Voss(=L.incanus Kuschel), andtwonew species, N.martitae (type species) andN.alectrus. Thisgenusisendemic tothecentral andnorthern Andes, andits species follow thesequence N.omissus, N.alectrus, N.brevirostris, andN.martitae. Listroderes griseus Guerin istransferred toAcrostomusKuschel, andL.philippii GermaintoGermainiellus Morrone. Listroderes bicallosus (Bohe
Characterization and biological evaluation of a novel silver nanoparticle-loaded collagen-chitosan dressing

Abstract Effective coverage and protection is a priority in wound treatment. Collagen and chitosan have been widely used for wound dressings due to their excellent biological activity and biocompatibility. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have a powerful antibacterial effect. In this study, a macromolecular and small-molecular collagen mixed solution, a macromolecular and small-molecular chitosan mixed solution were prepared, and a silver nanoparticle-loaded collagen-chitosan dressing (AgNP-CCD) has been proposed. First, the effects of a collagen-chitosan mixed solution on the proliferation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells and the secretion of cytokines were evaluated. Then, the characteristics and antibacterial effects of the AgNP-CCD were tested, and the effects on wound healing and the influence of wound cytokine expression were investigated via a deep second-degree burn wound model. The results showed that at the proper proportion and concentration, the collagen-chitosan mixed solution effectively promoted cell proliferation and regulated the levels of growth factors (vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], epidermal growth factor [EGF], platelet-derived growth factor [PDGF], transforming growth factor [TGF-β1], basic fibroblastic growth factor [bFGF]) and inflammatory factors (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8). Moreover, AgNP solutions at lower concentrations exerted limited inhibitory effects on cell proliferation and had no effect on cytokine secretion. The AgNP-CCD demonstrated satisfactory morphological and physical properties as well as efficient antibacterial activities. An in vivo evaluation indicated that AgNP-CCD could accelerate the healing process of deep second-degree burn wounds and played an important role in the regulation of growth and inflammatory factors, including VEGF, EGFL-7, TGF-β1, bFGF, TNF-α and IL-1β. This AgNP-CCD exerted excellent biological effects on wound healing promotion and cytokine expression regulation.
Systems Biology: Definitions and Perspectives

Systems Biology of Apoptosis. - Mathematical Modeling of the Wnt-Pathway. - Modeling Signaling Pathways - A Yeast Approach. - Mechanistic and Modular Approaches to Modeling and Inference of Cellular Regulatory Networks. - Scientific and Technical Challenges for Systems Biology. - Integration of Metabolic and Signaling Networks. - From Isolation to Integration, a Systems Biology Approach for Building the Silicon Cell. - What's Systems Biology: From Genes to Function and Back. - Systems Biology: Recent Developments and New Trends. - A Modular Systems Biology Analysis of the Cell Cycle Entrance into S Phase. - Metabolic Control Analysis. - Mesoscopic Kinetics and its Applications in Protein Synthesis. - E. coli Glycolysis. - Kinetic Modeling of the E. coli Metabolism. - No Music without Melody: How to Understand Biochemical Systems by Understanding Their Dynamics. - Systems Biology of the Yeast Cell Cycle Engine. - Quantification of in vivo Molecular Fluxes: A Key Methodology for Metabolic Systems Biology. -Modeling the E. coli cell: The Need for Computing, Cooperation, and Consortia.
Identifying the best plant water status indicator for bio‐energy poplar genotypes

This contribution provides better insights in the water relations and the physiological traits of four commercial poplar genotypes of different genetic background, 'Bakan', 'Oudenberg', 'Koster' and 'Grimminge'. The main continuous (nondestructive and providing continuous and automated data records) and discontinuous (destructive and not allowing automation) plant water status (PWS) indicators were monitored at a multigenotype, commercial‐scale short‐rotation coppice plantation in East‐Flanders (Belgium), and their relationships with the principal environmental variables were assessed. All measurements were performed during the entire 2016 growing season on the third year of the third rotation in multistemmed trees. The discontinuous PWS indicators were measured on 10 separate days with a different evaporative demand and soil water content, while the continuous PWS indicators were recorded from April to November. The genotypes responded differently to environmental drivers and to soil conditions, based on the PWS indicators, featuring a different water behaviour in relation to the level of isohydricity. Poplar genotypes 'Koster' and 'Bakan' showed the typical water‐conserving behaviour of isohydric species, while 'Grimminge' was more in line with the anisohydric ones. A principal component analysis showed that sap flow (Fs) was the most suitable PWS indicator. The Fs and therefore the sap flow‐based canopy transpiration (Ec) were tightly linked to the phenological stage of the trees as well as to vapour pressure deficit and photosynthetic photon flux density, based on relationships between Ec and environmental variables. A quantitative predictive model was developed to estimate the crop water requirements for specific genotypes, by calculating transpiration per unit of ground area with a few environmental variables, monitored with easy‐to‐handle sensors.