Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ciprofloxacin enhances the biofilm formation of Staphylococcus aureus via an agrC-dependent mechanism

Staphylococcus aureus readily forms biofilms on host tissues and medical devices, enabling its persistence in chronic infections and resistance to antibiotic therapy. The accessory gene regulator (Agr) quorum sensing system plays a key role in regulating S. aureus biofilm formation. This study reveals the widely used fluoroquinolone antibiotic, ciprofloxacin, strongly stimulates biofilm formation in methicillin-resistant S. aureus, methicillin-sensitive S. aureus, and clinical isolates with diverse genetic backgrounds. Crystal violet staining indicated that ciprofloxacin induced a remarkable 12.46- to 15.19-fold increase in biofilm biomass. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed that ciprofloxacin induced denser biofilms. Phenotypic assays suggest that ciprofloxacin may enhance polysaccharide intercellular adhesin production, inhibit autolysis, and reduce proteolysis during the biofilm development, thus promoting initial adhesion and enhancing biofilm stability. Mechanistically, ciprofloxacin significantly alters the expression of various biofilm-related genes (icaA, icaD, fnbA, fnbB, eap, emp) and regulators (agrA, saeR). Gene knockout experiments revealed that deletion of agrC, rather than saeRS, abolishes the ciprofloxacin-induced enhancement of biofilm formation, underscoring the key role of agrC. Thermal shift assays showed ciprofloxacin binds purified AgrC protein, thereby inhibiting the Agr system. Molecular docking results further support the potential interaction between ciprofloxacin and AgrC. In summary, subinhibitory concentrations of ciprofloxacin stimulate S. aureus biofilm formation via an agrC-dependent pathway. This inductive effect may facilitate local infection establishment and bacterial persistence, ultimately leading to therapeutic failure.
Position of the Triassic-Jurassic boundary in South Africa and Lesotho : a multidisciplinary approach aimed at improving the chronostratigraphy and biostratigraphy of the Elliot Formation, Stormberg Group

viii 1 General introduction . 10 1.1 Thesis rationale . 11 1.2 Statement of research problem . 12 1.3 Literature review (general) . 14 End Triassic extinction event (ETE) . 14 1.3.1 Position of the Triassic-Jurassic boundary . 15 1.3.2 1.4 The structure of the dissertation . 17 2 Geological background . 19 2.1 Cape Orogeny and the main Karoo Basin . 19 2.2 The Stormberg Group (Upper Karoo Supergroup) . 21 2.3 Elliot Formation . 23 Historical background . 24 2.3.1 Lithostratigraphy . 25 2.3.2 Age the Elliot Formation . 28 2.3.3 3 Triassic-Jurassic fossil groups and biostratigraphic dating of the Elliot Formation . 30 3.1 Biostratigraphy of the Elliot Formation, Karoo Basin . 31 3.2 “Euskelosaurus” Range Zone . 33 Global correlatives of the lower Elliot Formation . 35 3.2.1 3.3 Massospondylus Range Zone . 42 Global correlatives of the upper Elliot Formation . 43 3.3.1 4 Magnetostratigraphy: a general introduction . 49 4.1 Late TriassicEarly Jurassic magnetostratigraphic work in South Africa . 49 The ‘Van Zijl reversal’ and palaeomagnetic data from the overlying Drakensberg Group 52 4.1.1 4.2 Global perspectives . 53 Triassic-Jurassic magnetostratigraphy problems and perspectives . 54 4.2.1 Time resolution of magnetostratigraphic correlation . 54 4.2.2 4.3 Late Triassic-Early Jurassic Tethyan marine magnetoand bio-stratigraphy, in brief . 55 Norian Rhaetian transition . 55 4.3.1
Self-esteem Levels in a Representative Sample of Spanish Adolescents: Analysis and Standardization

The objective of the present study was the standardization of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES; Rosenberg, 1989), adapted and validated by Martín-Albo et al. (2007) in the Spanish population at the secondary education stage. The sample consisted of 25,706 students, selected randomly. The analysis of the data obtained indicated an adequate factorial structure of the instrument and its invariance by sex. For a better adaptation of the scale, a division of the test was carried out according to the self-deprecation and self-confidence variables. The scales indicated an increase in self-confidence across both sexes with increasing age, but the girls’ scores were lower than the boys’ at all ages. The present research provides a self-esteem scale for Spanish adolescents through an assessment instrument that is easily applicable and accessible for the educational community.
TECHNOLOGY-ENHANCED FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT: UNRAVELING INDONESIAN EFL LEARNERS’ VOICES

The current research works have put great concern on the positive impacts of the implementation of formative assessment in EFL learning and teaching. Simultaneously, the swift technological development also takes effect on supporting the practices of formative assessment. This study aims to explore EFL learners’ voices on implementing technology-enhanced formative assessment in EFL classrooms. It is a case study intended to obtain detailed information from the participants for a particular case. Five EFL learners from different universities were involved in this study by using a telephone interview. The findings of this study reveal that EFL learners have positive views on the use of formative assessment in terms of getting a better understanding and promoting learning independence. Besides, most EFL learners also perceived that the integration of technology-enhanced positively affects them in working with formative assessments assigned by the lecturers. The last, the challenges of technology-enhanced formative assessment by EFL learners comprised the overload of work assignments, the difficulty of time management, the incapability of staring at laptops for a long time, the instability of LMS, and the unclear instructions as well as insufficient feedback by the lecturers. Several implications are provided in this study.Keywords: challenges; EFL learners; formativ
Measuring Deformation in Jakarta through Long Term Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Data Analysis

Jakarta as a home for more than 10 millions habitant facing complex environmental problems due to physical development that cause physical deformation. Physical deformation issues such as decreasing environmental carrying capacity, land cover changes and land subsidence have occurred. Recent studies shows that the long of shoreline changes in a span of 13 years from 2002 to 2015 around 14 km due to land reclamation in Jakarta bay. Previous studies also concluded that Jakarta suffer a sinking phenomena due to its rapid subsidence rate, approximately 260 mm/year in northern part of Jakarta. During the 2007 to 2011, the land subsidence phenomena in Jakarta was observed by InSAR based on ALOS-PALSAR data and found that the subsided areas only occurred in certain areas, mainly in Pluit and Cengkareng regions, with a subsidence of approximately 70 cm for 4 years. Land subsidence is generally related to geological subsidence i.e. sediment consolidation due to its own weight and tectonic movements; or related to human activities such as withdrawal of ground water and geothermal fluid, oil and gas extraction from underground reservoirs, and collapse of underground mines. The amount of subsidence or uplift can be estimated from the number of concentric fringes that appear in the interferogram. This research utilizes Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data observed from ALOS-2 (L-band) and Sentinel-1 (C-band) satellites. By interfering two single look complex (SLC) images from different observation epoch, it is found that the subsided area that has been identified before continues to subside. This occurs especially in Pluit region and has been revealed by interfering ALOS-2 data up to year 2016. The deformation in this area is approximately 12 cm from November 2015 to September 2016. The process of land reclamation also clearly identified by Sentinel-1 image by series data processing in Sentinels Application Platform (SNAP) software.
Diagnostic Test of Blood Eosinophil Level as a Marker of Ascaris lumbricoides Infection

A. lumbricoides infection is one from 17 neglected tropical diseases in Indonesia. But, Infection of A. lumbricoides in Indonesia often undiagnosed. This is because stool examination with Kato-Katz’s method still rarely done. So it needs something alternative examination that more practical and can be routinely carried out. This study was a diagnostic test for blood eosinofil levels in diagnosing A. lumbricoides infection. This research was conducted at a hospital in Medan. This study involved 63 children who had their parents approval. Children stool were examined by Kato-Katz method as a gold standard and blood eosinofil levels was examined as an index in this study. The results showed sensitivity level of eosinofil is 25% and specificity 96,08%, positive predictive value 60%, negative predictive value 84%, positive likelihood ratio 6,38% and negative likelihood ratio 0,78%. The conclusion is elevated blood eosinofil levels cannot be used as an alternative test Kato-Katz in diagnosing Infection of A. lumbricoides.
Development of an EKA application to help tuberculosis patients improve medication adherence and self efficacy

Tuberculosis treatment is carried out daily for a long time, causing boredom with taking medication and reducing medication adherence. It results in drug resistance and more prolonged treatment. In response to the situation, this study developed an android-based application called the education, calendar, and medication alarm (EKA) app to improve medication adherence and self-efficacy of tuberculosis patients. Research and development with four steps: evaluation of health education, medication adherence, and self-efficacy; application development; feasibility test; and application socialization. The sample in this study was 38 respondents. This study also uses morisky medication adherence scale (MMAS-8), self-efficacy, and system usability scale (SUS) questionnaires and evaluation sheets to collect the data. Data analysis was done descriptively. The outcomes of the application feasibility test showed that the EKA application received an acceptable value of 81.5 based on acceptance, B value (81.5) based on value scale, an excellent value (81.5) based on adjective rating, and good score (81.5) based on percentile. Socialization on the use of the application goes well, and the patient gets a good understanding and can use the EKA application easily. It proves that the android-based EKA application tested using the SUS questionnaire can be used as a medium for health education and supports medication adherence and self-efficacy.
Properties of Hemp Shive Panels with Different Resin Content

Wood-based panels are one of the leading materials for frame structures of furniture. The worldwide shortage of wood raw materials necessitates searching for alternative sources to produce panels. Hemp shives are a representative of precisely this type of raw material. They are characterised by low bulk density and high fibre strength. For this study, four types of one-layered panels from hemp shives were fabricated in laboratory conditions, with a resin content of 8, 10, 12, and 14%, respectively. Accordingly, their main physical and mechanical properties were determined and compared to those of particleboards from raw wood material. It was found that the obtained panels from hemp shives have very good mechanical properties, and their high edge screw withdrawal resistance is very promising in terms of applicability for furniture constructions. As a direct result of these findings, the resin content is not recommended to be above 10%.
A Model of Continual and Deep Learning for Aspect Based in Sentiment Analysis

Abstract Sentiment analysis is a useful tool in several social and business contexts. Aspect sentiment classification is a subtask in sentiment analysis that gives information about features or aspects of people, entities, products, or services present in reviews. Different deep learning models that have been proposed to solve aspect sentiment classification focus on a specific domain such as restaurant, hotel, or laptop reviews. However, there are few proposals for creating a single model with high performance in multiple domains. The continual learning approach with neural networks has been used to solve aspect classification in multiple domains. However, avoiding low, aspect classification performance in continual learning is challenging. As a consequence, potential neural network weight shifts in the learning process in different domains or datasets. In this paper, a novel aspect sentiment classification approach is proposed. Our approach combines a transformer deep learning technique with a continual learning algorithm in different domains. The input layer used is the pretrained model Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers. The experiments show the efficacy of our proposal with 78 % F1-macro. Our results improve other approaches from the state-of-the-art.
Speciation of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) in aqueous solution and their removal by oyster mushroom biomass

This study investigates the effectiveness of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus platypus) for the removal of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) from aqueous solutions by conducting a series of batch adsorption experiments. Results from the adsorption pH envelope experiments show that while the adsorption of Cr(III) increases with increasing pH, the adsorption of Cr(VI) decreases as the pH rises. These two distinct pH envelope patterns for Cr(III) and Cr(VI) suggest that the adsorption processes are primarily driven by the electrostatic force of attractions followed by the ligand exchange process. Findings from the adsorption isotherm experiments demonstrate that chromium binding to the adsorbent surface is better described by the Freundlich model than the Langmuir model, underscoring the presence of multiple surface binding sites. The study highlights the significance of identifying dominant chromium species before they are subjected to adsorptive removal from contaminated waters. J. Bangladesh Acad. Sci. 47(2); 267-275: December 2023
Develop and Validate a Stability-Indicating HPLC Assay Method for Paracetamol, and parabens in Pharmaceutical Dosages

The drug's stability, which is a prerequisite for good drug quality, cannot be simply established unless a reliable and trustworthy method for demonstrating stability is applied. Creating such a method is a challenging task. In this work, we developed and validated a reversed-phase stability indicating liquid chromatographic technique with photo diode-array detection to analyze paracetamol (PCM), methylparaben (MP), propylparaben (PP), and their degradants in commercial oral suspension. The compounds and their degradants were separated using a Phenomenex C8 column (250 mm x 4.6 mm, 5 µm) and a mobile phase of pH 4 consisting acetonitrile, potassium di-hydrogen ortho-phosphate, tri-ethylamine, and glacial acetic acid in a 40:58:1.5:0.5 ratio, at 1.2 mL/min. All chemicals separated in within 12 min. The developed method followed the guidelines of the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) and fulfilled all its requirements in terms of linearity, recovery, reproducibility, detection, and quantitation limits. The dependability of the developed method was shown by recoveries of 98.88% to 101.80% in 102 samples from 34 batches, indicating that it can be used in quality control step for paracetamol, methylparaben, and propylparaben in oral suspension products.
Signals of change in the Campania region rainfall regime: An analysis of extreme precipitation indices (2002–2021)

It is widely known that precipitation is a key variable of the hydrological cycle that is strongly affected by recent climate changes. Therefore, there is a growing interest in research activities focused on alteration of rainfall regime, as it conditions the planning of countermeasures against flood and landslide hazards. The available literature about precipitation tendencies over Italian peninsula offers a limited number of studies about recent changes of extreme events and precipitation intensity. This work aims at adding a contribution to fill this research gap, investigating the changes in rainfall regime observed over the 2002–2021 period in the Campania region (southern Italy). To pursue this aim, a dataset including daily precipitation records collected at 107 stations was analysed both through 11 indices developed by the Expert Team on Climate Change Detection and Indices and through the Standardized Precipitation Index in order to detect signals of changes in extreme events and to assess tendencies towards drier or wetter conditions. The Theil‐Sen method and the Mann–Kendall non‐parametric test were employed to evaluate the trends and their statistical significance. The main results emerging from this work are (i) an increasing tendency in precipitation intensity and in the frequency of occurrence of heavy rainfall events in autumn, mainly in the northern part of the region and in the mountainous areas, (ii) an upward trend of the duration of the longest wet spell in the coastal areas and (iii) an increasing trend of dry spells in spring and in summer in the Gulf of Salerno.
Pengaruh Promotional Mix terhadap Keputusan Mahasiswa Memilih Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk: (1) Mengetahui faktor promotional mix yang terdiri dari periklanan, promosi penjualan, hubungan masyarakat, penjualan perseorangan, pemasaran langsung memiliki pengaruh secara parsial terhadap keputusan mahasiswa memilih Universitas Sebelas Maret. (2) Mengetahui faktor promotional mix yang terdiri dari periklanan, promosi penjualan, hubungan masyarakat, penjualan perseorangan, pemasaran langsung memiliki pengaruh secara simultan terhadap keputusan mahasiswa memilih Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta. Sampel diambil dengan teknik quota sampling, teknik proportionate stratified random sampling. Pada penelitian ini besarnya jumlah sampel ditentukan sebanyak 100 responden. Teknik pengumpulan data yang digunakan adalah teknik kuesioner dengan skala Likert. Teknik analisis data yang digunakan adalah teknik analisis regresi linier berganda. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian dapat disimpulkan bahwa : (1) Adanya pengaruh promotional mix terhadap keputusan mahasiswa memilih Universitas Sebelas Maret Surakarta angkatan 2012. Hal ini ditunjukkan dengan nilai probabilitas 0,000 0,05. (2) Hasil perhitungan data untuk variabel periklanan memiliki tingkat signifikansi 0,032, variabel promosi penjualan memiliki tingkat signifikansi 0,036, variabel hubungan masyarakat memiliki tingkat signifikansi 0,043, variabel penjualan perseorangan memiliki tingkat signifikansi 0,026 dan variabel pemasaran langsung memiliki tingkat signifikansi 0,009 maka dapat disimpulkan bahwa variabel periklanan, promosi penjualan, hubungan masyarakat, penjualan perseorangan, dan pemasaran langsung memilki pengaruh terhadap keputusan mahasiswa. (3) Berdasarkan hasil perhitungan data nilai Adjusted R Square sebesar 0,511 sehingga dapat diartikan bahwa 51,1% keputusan mahasiswa memilih Universitas Sebelas Maret dipengaruhi oleh promotional mix yang terdiri dari periklanan, promosi penjualan, hubungan masyarakat, penjualan perseorangan, dan pemasaran langsung sedangkan sisanya dipengaruhi oleh faktor lain.Keywords: Promotional Mix, Keputusan Mahasiswa
TSP-GNN: a novel neuropsychiatric disorder classification framework based on task-specific prior knowledge and graph neural network

Neuropsychiatric disorder (ND) is often accompanied by abnormal functional connectivity (FC) patterns in specific task contexts. The distinctive task-specific FC patterns can provide valuable features for ND classification models using deep learning. However, most previous studies rely solely on the whole-brain FC matrix without considering the prior knowledge of task-specific FC patterns. Insight by the decoding studies on brain-behavior relationship, we develop TSP-GNN, which extracts task-specific prior (TSP) connectome patterns and employs graph neural network (GNN) for disease classification. TSP-GNN was validated using publicly available datasets. Our results demonstrate that different ND types show distinct task-specific connectivity patterns. Compared with the whole-brain node characteristics, utilizing task-specific nodes enhances the accuracy of ND classification. TSP-GNN comprises the first attempt to incorporate prior task-specific connectome patterns and the power of deep learning. This study elucidates the association between brain dysfunction and specific cognitive processes, offering valuable insights into the cognitive mechanism of neuropsychiatric disease.
Healthy Live Births after the Transfer of Mosaic Embryos: Self-Correction or PGT-A Overestimation?

The implementation of next generation sequencing (NGS) in preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy (PGT-A) has led to a higher prevalence of mosaic diagnosis within the trophectoderm (TE) sample. Regardless, mosaicism could potentially increase the rate of live-born children with chromosomic syndromes, though available data from the transfer of embryos with putative PGT-A mosaicism are scarce but reassuring. Even with lower implantation and higher miscarriage rates, mosaic embryos can develop into healthy live births. Therefore, this urges an explanation for the disappearance of aneuploid cells throughout development, to provide guidance in the management of mosaicism in clinical practice. Technical overestimation of mosaicism, together with some sort of “self-correction” mechanisms during the early post-implantation stages, emerged as potential explanations. Unlike the animal model, in which the elimination of genetically abnormal cells from the future fetal lineage has been demonstrated, in human embryos this capability remains unverified even though the germ layer displays an aneuploidy-induced cell death lineage preference with higher rates of apoptosis in the inner cell mass (ICM) than in the TE cells. Moreover, the reported differential dynamics of cell proliferation and apoptosis between euploid, mosaic, and aneuploid embryos, together with pro-apoptosis gene products (cfDNA and mRNA) and extracellular vesicles identified in the blastocoel fluid, may support the hypothesis of apoptosis as a mechanism to purge the preimplantation embryo of aneuploid cells. Alternative hypotheses, like correction of aneuploidy by extrusion of a trisomy chromosome or by monosomic chromosome duplication, are even, though they represent an extremely rare phenomenon. On the other hand, the technical limitations of PGT-A analysis may lead to inaccuracy in embryo diagnoses, identifying as “mosaic” those embryos that are uniformly euploid or aneuploid. NGS assumption of “intermediate copy number profiles” as evidence of a mixture of euploid and aneuploid cells in a single biopsy has been reported to be poorly predictive in cases of mosaicism diagnosis. Additionally, the concordance found between the TE and the ICM in cases of TE biopsies displaying mosaicism is lower than expected, and it correlates differently depending on the type (whole chromosome versus segmental) and the level of mosaicism reported. Thus, in cases of low-/medium-level mosaicism (<50%), aneuploid cells would rarely involve the ICM and other regions. However, in high-level mosaics (≥50%), abnormal cells in the ICM should display higher prevalence, revealing more uniform aneuploidy in most embryos, representing a technical variation in the uniform aneuploidy range, and therefore might impair the live birth rate.