Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Centella asiatica phenolic extract-mediated bio-fabrication of silver nanoparticles: characterization, reduction of industrially relevant dyes in water and antimicrobial activities against foodborne pathogens

In this article, we have reported an environmentally benign and cost-effective method for the synthesis of monodispersed silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), based on Centella asiatica phenolic extracts (CAPE). The presence of phenolics was confirmed by ultra high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time of flight mass spectrometry (UHPLC-ESI-qTOF-MS). Colloidal AgNPs synthesized under different concentrations of silver nitrate were monitored with a UV-vis spectrophotometer. Maximum absorption spectra intensity was found to range between 430–440 nm, during a synthesis time of 90 minutes at room temperature. The as-synthesized CAPE-AgNPs, was subjected to various instrumental characterizations such as, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and zeta potential. At the optimized synthesis conditions, spherical and monodispersed CAPE-AgNPs were obtained, with an absorption maximum at 430 nm. The crystalline CAPE-AgNPs had a face-centered-cubic (fcc) crystallographic structure, possessing average sizes estimated from TEM, to be between 20–25 nm diameter, a hydrodynamic diameter from DLS of about 90 nm and a zeta potential value of −28.7 mV. FTIR results validated the presence of phenolics on the surfaces of CAPE-AgNPs. The anti-microbial capacity of CAPE-AgNPs was further demonstrated on different pathogenic bacterial strains with satisfactory performances. As a result of the high surface area to volume ratio of CAPE-AgNPs, it was investigated as a catalyst towards the reduction of prominent environmental pollutants, 4 nitrophenol (4 NP), Congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB). Pseudo first order kinetics were obtained with rate constants of 3.9 × 10−3 s−1 for 4 NP, 54.7 × 10−3 min−1 for MB and 5.6 × 10−3 s−1 for CR. The catalytic performance and antimicrobial activities of CAPE-AgNPs suggest its potential application in wastewater treatment and control of pathogenic microbes.
Wavelet analyses of neural networks based river discharge decomposition

The problem of discharge forecasting using precipitation as input is still very active in Hydrology, and has a plethora of approaches to its solution. But, when the objective is to simulate discharge values without considering the phenomenology behind the processes involved, Artificial Neural Networks, ANN give good results. However, the question of how the black box internally solve this problem remains open. In this research, the classical rainfall‐runoff problem is approached considering that the total discharge is a sum of components of the hydrological system, which from the ANN perspective is translated to the sum of three signals related to the fast, middle and slow flow. Thus, the present study has two aims (a) to study the time‐frequency representation of discharge by an ANN hydrologic model and (b) to study the capabilities of ANN to additively decompose total river discharge. This study adds knowledge to the open problem of the physical interpretability of black‐box models, which remains very limited. The results show that total discharge is adequately simulated in the time frequency domain, although less power spectrum is evident during the rainy seasons in the ANN model, due to fast flow underestimation. The wavelet spectrum of discharge represents well the slow, middle and fast flow components of the system with transit times of 256, 12–64 and 2–12 days, respectively. Interestingly, these transit times are remarkably similar to those of the soil water reservoirs of the studied system, a small headwater catchment in the tropical Andes. This result needs further research because it opens the possibility of determining MMT on a fraction of the cost of isotopic based methods. The cross‐power spectrum indicates that the error in the simulated discharge is more related to the misrepresentation of the fast and the middle flow components, despite limitations in the recharge period of the slow flow component. With respect to the representation of individual signals of the slow, middle and fast flows components, the three neurons were uncapable to individually represent such flows. However, the combination of pairs of these signals resemble the dynamics and the spectral content of the aforementioned flows signals. These results show some evidence that signal processing techniques may be used to infer information about the hydrological functioning of a basin.
Poverty and Social Justice: The Building Stones of Social Work Identity

ABSTRACT Poverty and social justice have historically been integral components of the social work profession. This profession has earned national and international recognition for its contribution to the welfare of society. Indeed, social workers celebrate the national social work month in the United States and Canada, and the world social work day in the United Kingdom, Australia, and other parts of the globe. Unfortunately, factors such as social work practice and education as well as political ideology and power dynamics plunge the discipline into an identity crisis. This paper uses the analogy of masonry construction to emphasize the importance of poverty and social justice in social work. It is argued that social work has been erected on two building stones: poverty as the cornerstone and social justice as the keystone. Thus, a recommitment to these two areas is needed for social work to overcome this crisis of identity.
Relationship Mechanisms among Soils Fertility Degradation and Physicochemical Properties in Siwa Oasis Soils

The recent soil fertility evaluations are evidence of the serious development challenges that many agricultural regions in Egypt; and with growing food demand, soil evaluation will become even more important for the regions in the coming years. The soils studied revealed that the highest ions concentration measured in soil paste extracts were Na+ and Cl- ions. The soil pH could be categorized as slightly to moderately alkaline. Alkaline soils, that have ESP more than 15% and high pH values. In general, most soils were relatively sandy loam. Else, CEC of the soils in the study area was between 3.16 to 24.96 cmolc kg-1. Most soil study high content of CaCO3 and considered as very slightly; slightly; moderately and highly gypsiferous. Data indicated that the available macro and micronutrients in the study area are low. Also, the exchangeable cations were significantly affected by recently environmental changes. This study was undertaken to investigate the spatial variability of selected soil properties using SFI modeling. Up to on the quantitative evaluation of SFI using spatial variability of soil data and modeling techniques is a very important operation. SFI in our study area is very poor fertility (S4= <20) according to classes and values of SFI. Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the significant positive correlation among SFI and soil pH; EC; CaCO3; OM; total N; available of P, Fe, Mn and Cu; exchangeable of Ca, Na and K. In addition, the SFI is insignificantly and positively correlated with available Zn and exchangeable Mg.
Intermittent versus continuous epidural infusion technique for post operative analgesia

Background and Aim: A consensus is yet to evolve over which of the two techniques, continuous epidural infusion or intermittent epidural bolus is better for post-op pain relief. The present study was undertaken to compare the efficacy of postoperative pain relief between continuous and bolus administrations of epidural bupivacaine and fentanyl solution. Material and Methods: The prospective, randomized study was conducted in 60 ASA I and ASA II patients of either sex, 20-50 years age scheduled for orthopedic lower limb surgery. Combined spinal epidural anaesthesia was administered to all the patients. Following an epidural loading dose of 10 ml of 0.0625% bupivacaine with fentanyl 1.5 μg ml-1 post-operatively, group I (n = 30) patients received intermittent bolus of 10 ml of 0.0625% bupivacaine with fentanyl 1.5 μg ml-1 at an hourly interval for 24 hours and group II (n = 30) patients received same drug combination through continuous epidural infusion technique at a rate of 10 ml hr-1 for 24 hours. Following variables were assessed during the study period of 24 hours: Pulse rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate, pulse oximetry (SpO2), pain score (VAS), pruritus score, sedation score, sensory block and motor block. All the parameters were analysed statistically by adopting appropriate statistical tests. Results: On comparison, pain scores were statistically not significant in both groups (p>0.05). When compared within the respective groups, variation in pain score, both at rest and on movement, from the baseline value (zero hours postoperatively) were statistically not significant at all the time intervals in both the groups (p>0.05). Fifteen patients in the group I and five patients in group II required rescue analgesia (p<0.05). Thirteen patients (46.6%) in group I and 19 patients (63.33%) in group II assessed pain relief as excellent at the end of 24 hours of epidural analgesia (p<0.05). No adverse effects were observed in any of the patients. Conclusion: Continuous epidural infusion of a combination of bupivacaine and fentanyl provides better postoperative analgesia requiring less rescue analgesia than intermittent epidural bolus technique.
The Effect of Corporate Governance and Corporate Strategy Toward Family Firm Performance in Indonesia

This paper analyzes the influence of corporate governance and corporate strategy on the performance of family owned or controlled firms listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. The Corporate Governance proxy is Family Ownership and Independent Commissioner, and Corporate Strategy proxies are Diversification and Compensation Strategy of Directors. This study uses a sample of 70 companies that are family owned or controlled companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) from 2014 to 2018. Data analysis was performed using multiple linear regression methods. The results of this study indicate that family ownership has a significant negative effect on company performance (ROE). While diversification and compensation strategy of directors have no effect, firm performance is measured by ROE.
Industrial Policy and Firm’s R&D Choice under Process and Product R&D

This study clarifies how governments’ industrial policies affect the firm’s R&D choice when firms simultaneously conduct both cost - reducing process and quality improving product R&D. We found the following results. Under Cournot competition, while output increases when quality improves and/or the production cost decreases, output decreases as the proportion of product R&D becomes higher compared to that of process R&D. Under Bertrand competition, whether prices become higher or lower depends on the degree of fraction of investment in two types of R&D. If firms only conduct one of the two kinds of R&D, this effect does not exist. A government always subsidizes its domestic firm’s R&D investments.
Szkoła i nauczyciel wobec współczesnych wyzwań promocji zdrowia dzieci i młodzieży

Health promotion in schools includes health education and actions aimed at creating an environment conducive to the physical and psychosocial health of students. This process is conditioned by educational and organizational factors and factors which are related to the competence of teacher. In fact today the particular context of actions taken by the school is created by a socio-cultural factors. The author analyzes the assumptions of health education program in school, academic curricula of teachers and selected aspects of the school environment and she sees in them the barriers to the effectiveness of health promotion in school.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERIODONTAL DISEASES AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASES (CAD) IN PATIENTS ATTENDING SHAHID MOSTAFA KHOMEINI HOSPITAL IN ILAM, IRAN; 2015

Introduction: In the last two decades, studies have shown that periodontal disease affects a wide range of human organs. These diseases affect body organs through various mechanisms. This study was performed in order to analyze the association between periodontal disease and coronary artery diseases among patients attending SH.M. KH hospital in Ilam during 2015. Materials and Method: In the present case-control study, the case group consisted of ninety patients with coronary artery disease and the control group consisted of ninety individuals without CAD who had referred to SH.M. KH hospital was examined. Periodontal examinations were performed for groups and their clinical parameters (PPD), BOP ، Gingival color) were determined and recorded in each person separately in the Dental Clinic. Results: There were 93 male and 87 female participants in this study. 23 people from the case group and 14 people from the control group had abnormal gingiva color and this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.97). In terms of pocket probing depth, 29 people from the case group and 11 from the control group had a probing depth of over 5mm, a difference which was statistically significant (p=0.001). In the terms of the bleeding on probing (BOP) index, there was no statistically significant difference as 48 people from the case group and 42 people from the control group had BOP. The control groups were chosen from the patients who had referred to the heart clinic and their heart’s health was verified by a cardiologist. These patients were referred to a dental clinic for periodontal examinations in terms of gingiva color, pocket probing depths (PPD) and bleeding on probing (BOP). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study and the higher probe depth in the case group it can be concluded that periodontal disease can be considered a risk factor for ischemic heart disease.
The microscopic origin of magnon-photon level attraction by traveling waves: Theory and experiment

The dissipative light-matter coupling can cause the attraction of two energy levels, i.e., level attraction, when competing with the coherent coupling that induces usual Rabi-level splitting. The level attraction shows attractive potential for topological information processing. However, the underlying microscopic quantum mechanism of dissipative coupling still remains unclear although the behavior has been understood to root in the non-Hermitian physics, which brings difficulties in quantifying and manipulating the competition between coherence and dissipation and thereby the flexible control of level attraction. Here, by coupling a magnon mode to a cavity supporting both standing and traveling waves, we identify the traveling-wave state to be responsible for magnon-photon dissipative coupling. By characterizing the radiative broadening of a magnon linewidth, we quantify the coherent and dissipative coupling strengths and their competition. The effective magnon-photon coupling strength, as a net result of competition, is analytically presented using quantum theory to show good agreement with measurements. In this manner, we extend the control dimension of level attraction by tuning field torque on magnetization or global cavity geometry. Our findings provide insights on engineered coupled harmonic oscillator systems.
Executives' gender and firm value

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of executives’ gender on the firm value of Indonesian manufacturing firms. Executives' gender is measured by the existence of women as CEOs and CFOs, and corporate value is measured by Tobin’s Q. This study hypothesizes that both female CEO’s and CFO’s have a positive association with firm value. The sample of this research is manufacturing firms listed on the Indonesian Stock Exchange in the period of 2016-2017. Data was collected from companies’ annual reports and their websites; while financial data was obtained from the Thomson Reuters Eikon database. The results of the descriptive data showed the percentage of female CFO’s in the studied sample was 19%, and the results from a panel regression indicate a positive effect on firm value. Meanwhile, women as CEOs only made up 4% of the total observed sample and the results showed that it does not affect firm value. Previous studies have produced mixed results regarding female CEO’s and female CFO’s on firm value. This study showed an increase in the value of the company's financial management when led by women. Some previous findings indicate that women are more responsive to moral and ethical norms. Women’s ability to listen, motivate, persuade, and inspire others makes them more suitable than their male counterparts for leading financial functions. This result brings a practical implications for companies to consider women as CFOs. In addition, this research can add to the academic literature related to executives’ gender and firm value.
Effect of Age and Body Mass Index on Various Clinical and Anthropometric Parameters of Type 2 Diabetic Patients: A Case-Control Study. -

Background: Though much research has been carried out, still the pathological pathway of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is unclear. Prevalence of the disease is increasing with increment in comorbidities in younger to older Indian population. Aim: The aim of this case-control study was to investigate the association of age intervals and Body Mass Index (BMI) with various clinical and anthropometric parameters in T2DM and age-matched healthy controls (AMHCs). Methods: Total 300 subjects (150 T2DM and 150 AMHCs) were enrolled from urban and rural Northern India. Clinical and anthropometric parameters [BMI, Waist Circumference (WC) and Waist-Hip Ratio (WHR)] were analyzed in all subjects and associated with age groups (25-35 years, 36-45 years, 46-55 years, 56-65 years and 66-75 years) and BMI groups (underweight, normal weight, overweight and obese). Statistical analysis: P values were calculated by ANOVA unpaired t-test. p
Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety, and Enjoyment During Study Abroad: A Review of Selected Paper

From as simple as speaking up to speaking in public, from finishing a test to studying abroad, anxiety is historically a negative variable affecting many language learners. This paper reviews one of the latest research articles purposively involving anxiety, second language acquisition, and studying abroad written by Dewey, D. P., Belnap, R. K. , & Steffen, P. (2018), entitled â€œAnxiety: Stress, Foreign Language Classroom Anxiety, and Enjoyment During Study Abroad in Amman, Jordan. â€ This study conducted in Jordan is a follow up to all the authorsâ€™ project in 2016 with participants who are beneficiaries of a quarter of a century experimentation. This present paper did not adequately funneled its aims but excellently analyzed previous literatureâ€™s and its own research design in a way that the average reader would understand, linking its findings with previous literatureâ€™s findings to give vivid seminal and contemporary context so despite the inconsistent flow. Moreover, this articleâ€™s content is valid (as all references are accurate) and well-argued. Not only is it highly recommended for its innovative anxiety-measure, but also because this research explored three gaps in anxiety and SLA studies: anxiety and L2 development in communicative environment (outside of classroom) abroad, degree of anxiety after receiving interventions to cope with anxiety, and anxiety levels in positive situation (enjoyable classroom). The research found despite levels of classroom enjoyment increasing, learners still show physiological signs of increased anxiety levels, more so if they have the tendency toward anxiety and low proficiency score prior to SA. Therefore this paper seen anxiety as a physiological conditions on â€œworry about an eventâ€ (p. 2), which makes this study believes that anxiety in language education context is an emotional state in which learnersâ€™ feel negative about their knowledge and skill in their language performance.
Effects of Short-Duration and Diel-Cycling Hypoxia on Predation of Mussels and Oysters in Two Tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay

Although the effects of persistent hypoxia have been well established, few studies have explored the community-level effects of short-duration and diel-cycling hypoxia, for example on predator–prey interactions. Consumer stress models predict that mobile predators will flee hypoxia, while prey stress models predict that sessile species, unable to avoid hypoxic water, will be more susceptible to predation. To test these hypotheses, we studied the effects of diel-cycling hypoxia on predation of the hooked mussel, Ischadium recurvum, and eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica, in field experiments in two Chesapeake Bay, USA tributaries. We conducted a complementary laboratory experiment that tested the impact of short-duration hypoxia on predation of the two bivalve species by the ecologically and commercially important blue crab, Callinectes sapidus. Although we did not observe a significant effect of diel-cycling hypoxia on predation in the field, we did observe an effect of short-duration hypoxia in the laboratory. Callinectes sapidus exhibited depressed feeding rates and reduced preference for I. recurvum in hypoxic conditions. In both field and lab results, we observed a strong preference of predators for I. recurvum over C. virginica, indicating that the relatively understudied mussel I. recurvum merits greater consideration as a part of estuarine food webs.
Neuromuscular Function in Women Postpartum

NEUROMUSCULAR FUNCTION IN WOMEN POSTPARTUM Rita Deering, DPT Marquette University, 2017 Efficient abdominal muscle function is important for functional mobility in men and women, and dysfunction of these muscles has been associated with impaired function such as low back pain. This dissertation explored abdominal muscle function in healthy young men and young women who have never been pregnant (nulligravid). As pregnancy and child birth also impact the tissues of the abdominal wall, this dissertation will also explore abdominal muscle function in postpartum women. This dissertation involved three primary aims. Aim1 compared abdominal muscle function and experimental pain perception in males and nulligravid females. Maximal strength over a range of trunk angles, force steadiness and fatigability of the trunk flexor muscles were assessed. Although the trunk flexor muscles of males were stronger than females, there were minimal differences in fatigability during an intermittent submaximal contraction. Aim 2 determined the impact of pregnancy and childbirth on trunk flexor strength and fatigability at 8-10 weeks and 24-26 weeks postpartum. To determine the impact of delivery method, trunk flexor function was also compared in women who underwent Cesarean or vaginal delivery. Postpartum women were significantly weaker and more fatigable than control women up to 26 weeks postpartum. At 8-10 weeks postpartum, women who experienced Cesarean delivery were more fatigable than women who delivered vaginally, with no difference between delivery types at 26 weeks postpartum. Finally, Aim 3 assessed a novel test of abdominal function that may be used in the clinic, and compared fatigability of the lumbopelvic stabilizing muscles and experimental pain in postpartum and nulligravid women, and across delivery types. The lumbopelvic stabilizing muscles of postpartum women were more fatigable than control women up to 26 weeks postpartum in the clinically adapted test. Postpartum women were also more sensitive to pain at the abdomen than control women at 8 weeks and 26 weeks after childbirth. Thus, women had impaired abdominal function and increased pain at least 6 months after childbirth, with greater initial decrements in function after Cesarean delivery compared with vaginal delivery. These findings highlight the importance of assessment and rehabilitation of the abdominal muscles after pregnancy.