Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of a Brief Behavioral Training Program on Sleep Quality in Older Adults With Moderate Sleep Disturbances

Background: Sleep disturbances are very common among elderly population and mostly remain incurable. Practical, brief, and effective interventions are needed to promote sleep quality in older adults with moderate sleep disturbances. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a brief behavioral training program in ameliorating sleep quality in older adults suffering from moderate sleep disturbances. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 64 older adults with moderate sleep disturbances, as defined by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score ≥5. Participants were randomly allocated to either intervention (n=32) or control (n=32) group. Older adults in the intervention group received a brief behavioral-based sleep training program which was delivered in a single in-person session followed by four telephone sessions during 4 weeks. While their peers in the control group did not receive any intervention. The main outcome of the study was scores on the PSQI which was compared at pre- and post-intervention between both groups. Data were analyzed using the SPSS software version 19.0. Results: At 4 weeks, PSQI scores decreased in older adults receiving intervention, as compared with the scores of participants to the control group (P<0.001). Subjects in the intervention group also showed significant improvements in sleep latency, subjective sleep quality, sleep duration, and sleep efficiency (P<0.05). Conclusion: Brief behavioral interventions may be promising and useful for older adult population with moderate problems, and can be considered an efficacious and non-invasive intervention approach to improve elderly’s sleep quality.
Effects of early‐successional shrubland management on breeding wood thrush populations

In forested landscapes, creation of habitat for early-successional shrubland birds is controversial because of perceived conflicts with the conservation of mature-forest birds. Nonetheless, many mature-forest birds, especially fledglings, readily use early-successional stands during the post-breeding period. This suggests that for mature-forest birds, creating habitat for early-successional birds could involve a tradeoff: reduced abundance and nest survival due to the loss of nesting habitat versus enhanced fledgling survival in early-successional stands. Our research addressed the effects of the creation of early-successional habitat for shrubland birds on wood thrushes (Hylocichla mustelina) in western Massachusetts, USA. We compared wood thrush abundance, nest success, fecundity, and post-fledging survival in landscapes with high (∼20%) or low (∼1%) cover of early-successional stands suitable for shrubland birds. We found no differences in nest success, fecundity, and post-fledging survival between the 2 types of landscapes. Abundance of breeders, however, was significantly greater on the sites with high cover of early-successional habitat. We conclude that in forested landscapes, creation of early-successional habitat at levels recommended for the conservation of shrubland birds is compatible with viable wood thrush populations.
SolarDetector: Automatic Solar PV Array Identification using Big Satellite Imagery Data

Due to the intermittent nature of solar energy, it has been increasingly challenging for the utilities, third-parties, and government agencies to integrate distributed energy resources generated by rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) arrays into smart grids. Recently, there is a rising interest in automatically collecting solar installation information in a geospatial region that are necessary to manage this stochastic green energy, including the quantity and locations of solar PV deployments, and their profiling information. Most recent work focuses on using big aerial or satellite imagery data to train machine learning or deep learning models to automatically detect solar PV arrays. Unfortunately, these approaches are suffering low detection accuracy due to the insufficient sample and feature learning when building their models, and the separation of rooftop object segmentation and identification during their detection process. In addition, most recent approaches cannot report accurate multi-panel detection results. To address these problems, we design a new approach—SolarDetector that can automatically detect and profile distributed solar photovoltaic arrays in a given geospatial region without any extra cost. SolarDetector first leverages data augmentation techniques and Generative adversarial networks (GANs) to automatically learn accurate features for rooftop objects. Then, SolarDetector employs Mask R-CNN algorithm to accurately identify rooftop solar arrays and also learn the detailed installation information for each solar array simultaneously. In addition, SolarDetector could also integrate with large-scale data processing engine—Apache Spark and graphics processing units (GPUs) to further improve its training cost. We evaluate SolarDetector using 263,430 public satellite images from 11 geospatial regions in the U.S. We find that pre-trained SolarDetector yields an average MCC of 0.76 to detect solar PV arrays over two big datasets, which is ∼ 50% better than the most notable approach—SolarFinder. In addition, unlike prior work, we show that SolarDetector can also accurately report the profiling information for the detected rooftop objects.
The diagnostic value of extracellular protein kinase A (ECPKA) in serum for gastric and colorectal cancer

Background For the biomarkers of cancer, many chromosomal and genetic alterations have been examined as possible. However, some tumors do not display a clear molecular and genetic signature. While there are some cellular processes regulated by second messenger intracellular pathways indeed involved in carcinogenesis. The first intracellular second messenger was described as cyclic adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cAMP), and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) play a crucial role in several biological processes; The dysregulation of PKA-mediated signaling in several types of cancer should be investigated. More interesting, the alpha catalytic subunit of PKA (PKACα) could be secreted into the conditioned medium by different types of cancer cells, and it also existed in the serum of some cancer patients, defined as extracellular protein kinase A (ECPKA). Methods The levels of serum PKACα from healthy people, gastric cancer and colon cancer patients were detected by ELISA kits. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of PKACα in cancer tissue and the adjacent mucosa. Mann-Whitney test was applied to analyze the patients’ characteristics and serum PKACα. ROC analyses were performed to further evaluate the utility of PKACα in cancer diagnosis. The correlation of serum PKACα and T stage, age, and tumor markers were analyzed by Spearman rank and Pearson correlation analysis, respectively. Results There were significant differences of PKACα in serum between the volunteers and the gastric cancers (P<0.01), but not the colorectal cancers (P>0.05). ROC analyses evaluated the utility of PKACα for gastric cancer with 61.90% sensitivities and 87.50% specificities. The serum PKACα was correlated with tumor marker CA50, while there was no significant difference of PKACα expression between the gastric/colorectal cancer tissue and the adjacent mucosa. Conclusions The above results implied that PKACα levels might be a potential biomarker for the early screening of gastric cancers. Moreover, further research is still needed to investigate the role of secreted PKACα and the regulatory mechanism in tumor progression.
Effects of ethanol and ultraviolet-c treatments on inactivation of Rhizopus oryzae spores which cause postharvest rot

Ultraviolet light (UV) is classified based on wavelength as UVA (320-400 nm), UVB (280-320 nm), UVC (200-280 nm) and UVV (100-200 nm) (Guerrero-Beltrán & Barbosa-Cánovas, 2004). UV treatment is a physical method which produces neither undesirable by-products nor chemical residues (Keyser et al., 2008), therefore, this technology is widely used in the food industry for disinfection of air, control of contamination on the surface of plants and packaging materials or in post-harvest storage of fruits and vegetables (Begum et al., 2009). The mechanism of UV effect may vary according to species. UV radiation in the range of 250-260 nm is germicidal for most microorganisms, including fungi, yeast, bacteria, viruses, protozoa and algae (Begum et al., 2009).
Evaluate the Feeding Preference of Some Predator Mites Towards Red Spider Mites Untreated and Treated With Beauveria bassiana

Citation: Egypt. Acad. J. Biolog. Sci. (A. Entomology) Vol. 10(5)pp: 1120(2017) Egyptian Academic Journal of Biological Sciences is the official English language journal of the Egyptian Society for Biological Sciences, Department of Entomology, Faculty of Sciences Ain Shams University. Entomology Journal publishes original research papers and reviews from any entomological discipline or from directly allied fields in ecology, behavioral biology, physiology, biochemistry, development, genetics, systematics, morphology, evolution, control of insects, arachnids, and general entomology. www.eajbs. eg.net Provided for non-commercial research and education use. Not for reproduction, distribution or commercial use.
Self-Compassion, Psychological Resilience, and Social Media Use among Thai and British University Students

Previous research has suggested that self - compassion and psychological resilience likely positively influence the psychological wellbeing of university students . However, no previous study evaluated the effect of self - compassion and psychological resilience on the wellbeing of Thai and British students . The aims of this study were to explore the factors that affected self - compassion and psychological resilience among Thai and British university students and to explore the role that social media use has on these constructs . A total of 767 university students ( 482 Thai and 285 British undergraduate students ) took part in a questionnaire - based study; and 42 students ( 21 Thai and 21 British undergraduate students ) participated in the in - depth interviews . Our data show that gender, their years of study, as well as social media factors were predictors of self - compassion, while social support and perceived success influenced psychological resilience . In addition, our data indicate that Thai and British students encountered similar problems, but applied different strategies to deal with them . There were : 1 ) using social media to distract themselves from the difficulties in life; 2 ) using social media to receive social support and advice from their friends; 3 ) talking with their friends, family or teachers face - to - face; 4 ) thinking it through when they felt bad; and 5 ) keeping all the troubles on their minds or ignoring the problems to make them feel better . This study highlights the role that family and friends had on students ’ strategies to deal with their problems compared to teachers and social media . We discuss the comparison between the two groups in relation to social media and cultural factors, and consider the implications for higher education .
Genetic Studies on Parental Diversity in Relation to Yield of Promising Hybrids in Upland Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

Cotton (Gossypium spp.) is one of the most important crops among the natural fibre crops and back bone of Indian textile industry. It provides rural livelihood to a large number of people through cultivation. India ranks first in area (122.35 lakh ha) and production (377 lakh bales). Among four linted cotton species, upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is a predominant species of cotton across the globe as well as in India. By virtue of its wider adaptability, higher yield and good fibre quality, it gradually replaced Asiatic diploid cotton and is grown in irrigated as well as rainfed conditions. However, Indian cotton productivity (560 kg ha -1 ) is lower than world productivity of 788 kg ha -1 (Anon., 2018). Plant breeders usually rely on genetic variation between parents to create unique gene combinations necessary for higher yield and to produce superior cultivars. Genetic distance plays an important role in selection of parental genotypes for hybridization. Within a certain limit, hybridization of diverse parents is expected to enhance the level of heterosis in hybrids and generate wide range of variability in segregating generations (Joshi and Dhawan, 1966). Although the choice of parents is often the most important decision in a breeding International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 8 Number 01 (2019) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Using eDNA to biomonitor the fish community in a tropical oligotrophic lake

Environmental DNA (eDNA) is an effective approach for detecting vertebrates and plants, especially in aquatic ecosystems, but prior studies have largely examined eDNA in cool temperate settings. By contrast, this study employs eDNA to survey the fish fauna in tropical Lake Bacalar (Mexico) with the additional goal of assessing the possible presence of invasive fishes, such as Amazon sailfin catfish. Sediment and water samples were collected from eight stations in Lake Bacalar on three occasions over a 4-month interval. Each sample was stored in the presence or absence of lysis buffer to compare eDNA recovery. Short fragments (184-187 bp) of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene were amplified using fusion primers and then sequenced on Ion Torrent PGM and S5 before their source species were determined using a custom reference sequence database constructed on BOLD. In total, eDNA sequences were recovered from 75 species of vertebrates including 47 fishes, 15 birds, 7 mammals, 5 reptiles, and 1 amphibian. Although all species are known from this region, 6 fish species represent new records for the study area, while 2 require verification. Sequences for five species (2 birds, 2 mammals, 1 reptile) were only detected from sediments, while sequences from 52 species were only recovered from water. Because DNA from the Amazon sailfin catfish was not detected, we used a mock eDNA experiment to confirm our methods were appropriate for its detection. We developed protocols that enabled the recovery of eDNA from tropical oligotrophic aquatic ecosystems, and confirmed their effectiveness in detecting diverse species of vertebrates including an invasive species of Amazon catfish.
Spin-orbit coupling effects in O(2) activation by cofactor-independent 2,4-dioxygenase

The O2 (dioxygen) is paramagnetic molecule with two non-paired electron spins and triplet ground state (S = 1) while majority of organic molecules are diamagnetic species; they have all electron spins paired and the singlet ground state with the total spin S = 0. Oxygenases catalyze a concerted insertion of the triplet dioxygen into organic (diamagnetic) molecules in a strictly spin-forbidden process and this puzzle is not solved so far in modern enzymology. Many oxidases and oxygenases utilize the π-conjugated organic cofactor (like flavins, pterins) in a singlet ground state and reaction of cofactor with O2 is still spin-forbidden. It is clear that the protein environment in the enzyme active-site “helps” in some way to overcome spin prohibition, but this environment is definitely diamagnetic and the spin-puzzle still exists. Some oxidases and oxygenases use paramagnetic metal ions as a cofactor; in this case the spin prohibition is formally reduced. In recent years, a numbers of oxidative enzymes are discovered which do not contain any cofactor. In the present work, we considered a rather popular cofactor-free bacterial 2,4-dioxygenase and its oxygenolytic reactions with 2-nalkyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolones (aHQ’s). We presented results of quantum-chemical calculations of intermediate diradical proposed recently for direct reaction of dioxygen with aHQ substrate and made conclusion about the mechanism of spin-catalysis.
FORMULATION AND EVALUATION OF TOPICAL DICLOFENAC SODIUM GEL USING DIFFERENT GELLING AGENT

The present research has been undertaken with the aim to develop a topical gel formulation of Diclofenac sodium using different gelling agent carbopol, Na CMC, HPMC (K4M) and sodium alginate in different concentration, which would attenuate the gastrointestinal relater toxicities associated with oral administration. They were evaluated for physicochemical properties such as homogeneity, grittiness, viscosity, pH, Spreadability, drug content, skin irritancy, in vitro drug release, stability studies. The in vitro drug release rate of gel was evaluated using Franz diffusion cell containing cellophane membrane with phosphate buffer pH 6.8 as the receptor medium. Studies showed that drug release was decrease with increase in gelling agent concentration because polymer concentration increases, viscosity increases. Drug was absorbed from site of application as long as it remains in higher concentration gelling agent in solution form. Keywords: Diclofenac Sodium, carbopol, hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose, sodium alginate anti‐inflammatory activity.
Electrification as an alternative for combustion technologies in existing Finnish district heating networks

The phase-out of fossil fuels leads to new production side investments in the Finnish district heating (DH) networks. A natural option to replace fossil fuel-based heat production would be either biomass heat only boilers (HOB) or combined heat and power production (CHP). However, sustainable domestic biomass resource sufficiency may limit the potential of biomass especially in coastal areas in Finland. The future price level of biomass is highly uncertain and depends on most of all the future competition of the resource in and outside the heating sector, as well as the location of the studied network. As alternatives for biomass, heat pumps, electric boilers, and heat storage have been studied in this thesis. The power-to-heat technologies enable a wider sector coupling of electricity and heat sectors, where the heat sector with considerably larger inertia would provide valuable flexibility to the electricity sector with increasing amounts of intermittent renewable production. At the same time, the heat production would benefit by scheduling the production on the hours with low electricity prices. In a literature review, it was found that geothermal heat and ambient air would be the two heat sources that would be achievable anywhere in Finland and be unlimitedly available, and would thus be suitable for wider scale DH electrification. By analyzing the cost-optimal configurations of the combustion-based technologies, heat pumps, electric boilers, and heat storage, it was found out that the optimal share of air-source heat pumps would be 40% of the total base load production, the remaining part constituting of biomass CHP. Electric boilers would provide a more cost-effective peak load alternative compared to wood pellet boilers due to their lower investment costs. The optimal storage size for the system would be 1% of the total yearly DH demand or more. Full electrification by air-source heat pumps and electric boilers would lead to an increase in heat production costs by 2.2EUR/MWh compared to the cost-optimal system. Geo-source heat pumps were not found profitable according to the analysis. This was above all due to the high investment costs in the geothermal wells. Full electrification with geo-source heat pumps would lead to 11.7EUR/MWh higher heat production costs compared to the cost-optimal system. However, if the investment costs of the geothermal wells are to drop in the future, the geothermal heat would provide a more stable and technically more reliable heat source with a higher average coefficient of performance (COP) than ambient air. Nonetheless, the results of this thesis show that the air-source heat pumps would currently provide an interesting and scalable alternative for DH system electrification.
Indirect in vitro Regeneration of Viola canescens Wall. ex, Roxb. by using Leaf Calli

An efficient indirect plant regeneration protocol was developed for Viola canescens, an important medicinal herb used in broad spectra of diseases in number of folk medicines since aeon. Excessive use of this plant without any rehabilitating measure has led to decline its natural population. Present investigation reports the use of zeatin to regenerate the plant from the callus on MS following its acclimatization on the soil condition. Calli of the plant responded positively to zeatin and maximum number of shoots 13.07 ± 2.01 were obtained when 9.12 μM concentration of zeatin was used. Regenerated shoots were subsequently rooted with IBA on MS and half strength MS and showed maximum number of roots 14.13 ± 1.64 after 60 days when medium was fortified with 4.92 μM IBA, followed by transferring them to soil condition, acclimatization of the plantlet was carried in growth chamber and then finally to the field for their survival where it showed 80% survival. Plant Tissue Cult. & Biotech. 28(2): 215-222, 2018 (December)
High-solubility liquid crystal dye guest-host device

In this paper we investigate a dye guest-host liquid crystal device based upon the bistable electro-optic effect in the smectic A phase. The dye used is a pentamethyldisiloxane-grafted disperse red 1 moiety; the liquid crystal host is an organosiloxane liquid crystal based upon cyanobiphenyl. It is shown that extremely high dye solubilities can be achieved e.g. greater than 38 % w/w, without dye separation or adverse effect on device electro-optic properties. The typical solubility limit in liquid crystals is of the order of several percent. It is proposed that the beneficial degree of dye accommodation is the result of microsegregation of constituent moieties into siloxane, alkyl chain and cyanobiphenyl core/chromophore regions.
ASSESSMENT OF SCHOOL RECORD MANAGEMENT IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY

The study was carried out with the purpose of assessing school record management in FCT secondary schools. Record management is the area of administrative management that is concerned with achieving economy and efficiency in the creation, maintenance, use and disposal of records of an organization throughout its life cycle. Implementing good record management practices in schools would provide information for educational planners and administrators, serves as historical source for documenting history of the school. School records comprise all existing and accessible records, books, files and other documents containing useful information that relates to what goes on in the school system They are evaluation tools for accessing progress made by schools and also show evidence of compliance with legislative laws. The descriptive research design was used for this study. The population was drawn from ten (10) secondary schools in FCT. The instrument for data collection comprised of questionnaire titled “Assessment of School Record Management in Secondary Schools in FCT” (ASRMSS). A sample size of eighty respondents from schools was used. Simple percentage was adopted in analyzing the research questions while chi-square was adopted in analyzing the hypotheses. Research findings revealed that the various record books used in schools include: log-book, attendance register, lesson plan, syllabus, staff movement book, visitors’ book, admission and withdrawal register, to mention a few. It was also revealed in the findings that most of the records in school are not properly kept. Also, timely supply of school records, availability of funds, teachers’ training and proper back up of records were the solutions proffered by respondents. It was however recommended that stakeholders in the school should make use of the school’s record books for efficiency purposes. Furthermore, stakeholders should ensure timely update of record materials and finally, delegation and follow-up on record procedures should be given adequate attention by school principals. Odeniyi, O. A. | Department of Education Administration and Planning, National Open University, Abuja, Nigeria