Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
First Report of Hemipenial Variation among Some Genera and Species of Shieldtail Snakes (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from India and Sri Lanka

Hemipenial characteristics have historically provided a wealth of comparative morphological characters for the systematic classification of snakes. However, the organs remain poorly known in many groups, particularly tropical and burrowing lineages. Here, we report on hemipenial morphology for 12 species from five genera from the family Uropeltidae: Melanophidium punctatum, M. cf. wynaudense, Plectrurus perrotetii, Rhinophis karinthandani, R. melanoleucus, R. saffragamus, R. sanguineus, Teretrurus cf. hewstoni, Uropeltis bhupathyi, U. cf. ceylanica, U. macrolepis, and U. rajendrani. Many are photographed or illustrated here for the first time. In Melanophidium, the organ is bulbous and mushroom-shaped, with the sulcus spermaticus winding through numerous convoluted folds. In Plectrurus and Teretrurus, it is simple, smooth, and conical. In Sri Lankan Rhinophis and some Uropeltis, the organ generally resembles previously described hemipenes from other species in those genera in being simple, subcylindrical, and covered in fine spines. However, a median lobular process is observed in the Indian species R. karinthandani, R. melanoleucus, and R. sanguineus, seemingly representing a novel bilobate morphology. One species, U. bhupathyi, exhibits a novel, bulbous morphology, but this may be an artifact of preservation. The hemipenes of the Uropeltidae and their sister group Cylindrophiidae resemble some typhlopoid blindsnakes more than their henophidian relatives such as pythons and boas. Whether this is due to convergence related to microhabitat, a form of sexual selection unrelated to ecomorphology, or symplesiomorphy from an ancestral snake morphology is unclear. Gross hemipenial morphology can now serve to diagnose uropeltids to the genus level or species group, though more data and comparative series are needed to determine whether other characters, such as the number and location of spines, can potentially differentiate taxa at finer scales.
Prosodic imitation of audiovisual and audio-only prompts in L2 English

Speech entrainment, also alignment, convergence, or accommodation, is a pervasive, sub-conscious, and complex tendency of interlocutors to speak more similarly over time. It has been shown that audiovisual speech facilitates this tendency more than auditory-only speech, and that this applies to both segmental features such as VOT or vowel formants and prosodic features such as f0. The effect of audio-visual vs. audio-only prompts on the prosodic imitation of non-native speakers, as a special case of this tendency, has not been extensively studied but can add to our understanding of how the visual modality might be relevant in imitation and second-language distant learning. 90 L2 speakers produced triplets of words first on their own and then imitating a model speaker presented either as a video clip or as a sound only. The words varied in their f0 contours (fall, rise, fall-rise). The imitation of f0 and duration was assessed acoustically, not perceptually. Contrary to the expectation, the audiovisual modality did not facilitate greater imitation than the audio-only prompts for f0, and for duration the audio-only modality resulted in slightly better imitation scores. We discuss how the specific features of this dataset might have influenced the results. ,
The Effect of Role Conflict and Ethical Sensitivity on Auditor Performance with Moderation of Emotional Intelligence

Auditors are required to be professional to carry out their duties properly in examining the client's financial statements to provide benefits to the client and interested parties on the audit results. However, this professional attitude cannot be separated from the auditor's role conflict and his ability to make ethical decisions. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the effect of role conflict and ethical sensitivity in improving the auditor’s performance using emotional intelligence as a moderating variable. The cluster sampling technique was used to determine the number of samples, as many as 86 auditors at the Medan City Public Accounting Firm. The data was collected using a questionnaire method. Fifty-six auditors were used for hypothesis testing and research analysis, while 30 other auditors were used to determine validity and reliability tests. This study uses a structural equation model to test the hypothesis. The results show that role conflict harms auditor performance, while ethical sensitivity increases auditor performance. On the other hand, emotional intelligence does not mediate the effect of role conflict and ethical sensitivity on auditor performance. The implication of the results of this study is the need for public accounting firms to manage internal competition between auditors so as not to lead to personal conflicts that can decrease audit quality. Public accounting firms also need to develop an ethical culture among their auditors.
Penicillin-Binding Proteins, β-Lactamases, and β-Lactamase Inhibitors in β-Lactam-Producing Actinobacteria: Self-Resistance Mechanisms

The human society faces a serious problem due to the widespread resistance to antibiotics in clinical practice. Most antibiotic biosynthesis gene clusters in actinobacteria contain genes for intrinsic self-resistance to the produced antibiotics, and it has been proposed that the antibiotic resistance genes in pathogenic bacteria originated in antibiotic-producing microorganisms. The model actinobacteria Streptomyces clavuligerus produces the β-lactam antibiotic cephamycin C, a class A β-lactamase, and the β lactamases inhibitor clavulanic acid, all of which are encoded in a gene supercluster; in addition, it synthesizes the β-lactamase inhibitory protein BLIP. The secreted clavulanic acid has a synergistic effect with the cephamycin produced by the same strain in the fight against competing microorganisms in its natural habitat. High levels of resistance to cephamycin/cephalosporin in actinobacteria are due to the presence (in their β-lactam clusters) of genes encoding PBPs which bind penicillins but not cephalosporins. We have revised the previously reported cephamycin C and clavulanic acid gene clusters and, in addition, we have searched for novel β-lactam gene clusters in protein databases. Notably, in S. clavuligerus and Nocardia lactamdurans, the β-lactamases are retained in the cell wall and do not affect the intracellular formation of isopenicillin N/penicillin N. The activity of the β-lactamase in S. clavuligerus may be modulated by the β-lactamase inhibitory protein BLIP at the cell-wall level. Analysis of the β-lactam cluster in actinobacteria suggests that these clusters have been moved by horizontal gene transfer between different actinobacteria and have culminated in S. clavuligerus with the organization of an elaborated set of genes designed for fine tuning of antibiotic resistance and cell wall remodeling for the survival of this Streptomyces species. This article is focused specifically on the enigmatic connection between β-lactam biosynthesis and β-lactam resistance mechanisms in the producer actinobacteria.
Chemosensitization of U-87 MG Glioblastoma Cells by Neobavaisoflavone towards Doxorubicin and Etoposide

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most common type of glioma, which is distinguished by high mortality. Due to the rapid progression of the tumor and drug resistance, the treatment is often ineffective. The development of novel therapies in a big part concerns the application of anti-cancer agents already used in clinical practice, unfortunately often with limited effects. This could be overcome through the use of compounds that possess chemosensitizing properties. In our previous work, it has been shown that neobavaisoflavone (NBIF) enhances the in vitro activity of doxorubicin in GB cells. The aim of this study was a further investigation of the possible chemosensitizing effects of this isoflavone. The experimental panel involving image cytometry techniques, such as count assay, examination of mitochondrial membrane potential, Annexin V assay, and cell cycle analysis, was performed in human glioblastoma U-87 MG cells and normal human astrocytes (NHA) treated with NBIF, doxorubicin, etoposide, and their mixes with NBIF. NBIF in co-treatment with etoposide or doxorubicin caused an increase in the population of apoptotic cells and prompted alterations in the cell cycle. NBIF enhances the pro-apoptotic activity of etoposide and doxorubicin in U-87 MG cells, which could be a sign of the chemosensitizing properties of the isoflavone.
ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SLEEP DURATION, SLEEP QUALITY AND BODY MASS INDEX IN MEDICAL STUDENTS

Background: Medical students are normally under extreme pressure due to the vast syllabus they have to cover within few years of their student life. The stress due to academic pressure and sudden change in lifestyle tend to affect their sleeping habits, which is considered as one of the potential risk factors for obesity. This study aimed to observe the association between sleep duration, sleep quality and body mass index in medical students. Methods: This is a cross-section study conducted among 269 medical students. Self-reported sleep duration was noted, sleep quality was assessed with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) ques­tionnaire. Height in cm and weight in kg was recorded and BMI was calculated. The data obtained was divided into different groups according to sleep duration, sleep quality and BMI. ANOVA and independent t-test was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 25 for statisti­cal analysis. p< 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: In general, 24 (8.9%) of students were underweight, 187 (69.5%) had normal weight, 51 (19%) were overweight and 7 (2.6%) were obese. 94 (34.9%) students reported to spent <7 hours in bed and 98 (36.4%) students had poor sleep quality. Mean BMI was significantly higher in students with short sleep (p-value=0.001, ANOVA) and in students with poor sleep quality (p-value=0.000, independent t-test). Conclusions: Higher BMI was observed in the group of students having poor sleep quality and short sleep duration. Furthermore, poor sleep quality was more prominent in women than in men.
A Preliminary Intonation Model of Torres-Martinez Desert Cahuilla

This paper presents an analysis of the intonational patterns and phrasal domains in simple declaratives in Torres-Martinez Desert (TMD) Cahuilla, a critically endangered Uto-Aztecan language spoken in Southern California. While the word-prosodic system of Cahuilla has been addressed in previous literature [1], [2], [3], no intonational analysis has been proposed for any Cahuilla variety. Using novel data, I motivate a preliminary intonational model for declarative sentences in TMD Cahuilla within the AM (autosegmental-metrical) framework. Specifically, I analyze TMD Cahuilla as having two distinct levels of prosodic constituency: the Intonational Phrase (IP), which is composed of at least one Accentual Phrase (AP), and the AP, which consists of at least one prosodic word, has an obligatory H* pitch accent on the lexically stressed syllable and an La edge tone aligned to the right edge of the phrase. The IP ends in a L% boundary tone, which overwrites the La when they co-occur. Phrase-final lengthening and optional pauses delineate the IP. Given the paucity of intonational research on American Indian languages, this paper contributes to a growing body of cross-linguistic research that tests the ability of an AM-based system of annotation such as ToBI, to model a wide range of intonation systems.
Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant and Antifungal Activity of Thymus capitatus, a Medicinal Plant Collected from Northern Morocco

Thymus capitatus is a Mediterranean endemic plant commonly known as “Zaïtra” in northern Morocco. As T. capitatus is widely used in traditional medicine and food, this present work aims to investigate the chemical compositions and biological activities of the T. capitatus leaves essential oil (TcLEO), acetonic (TcLAE), and methanolic extract (TcLME). The spectrophotometric determination demonstrated that T. capitatus is a natural source rich in phenolic contents (TPC) and flavonoid contents (TFC) and that TcLME revealed the highest TPC and TFC than TcLAE and TcLEO. The LC-MS analysis of phenolic compounds showed that paraben acid was predominant in both TcLME and TcLAE, followed by cinnamic acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid. GC-MS analysis of the TcLEO revealed the presence of a total of 10 compounds, which were predominated by carvacrol. The antioxidant activity by ORAC was observed to be significantly higher in TcLEO and TcLAE than in TcLME. All samples used to assess DNA degradation effectively prevented DNA oxidation and, at the same time, had a prooxidant effect. The genotoxicity test showed that the T. capitatus were devoid of any mutagenic activity. Concerning antifungal activity, all samples were able to inhibit the growth of all microorganisms tested at low concentrations. TcLAE showed higher activity than TcLME, and in general, dermatophytes were more susceptible, being Microsporum canis the most sensitive one. Overall, the results obtained from this study confirm the wide uses of T. capitatus. Furthermore, the finding results suggest that the T. capitatus essential oil and extracts can be highly useful for pharmaceutical industries.
The use of passive ultrasonic irrigation and photodynamic therapy as an adjuvant in endodontic retreatment associated with endoperiodontal injury

Endodontic retreatment continues to be a challenge for Endodontics, as well as supporting techniques that aim to improve and assist in the elimination of microorganisms that have infected root canal systems and led to the development of peripicopathies, such as Passive Ultrasonic Irrigation (PUI) and Photodynamic Antimicrobial Therapy (aPDT) have been frequently used. Thus, the aim of this paper is to report a clinical case of endodontic retreatment of tooth 47 with a diagnosis of endoperiodontal injury associated with periapical lesion. The treatment was carried out in two sessions, using as intracanal medication calcium hydroxide with parachlorophenol with camphor, PUI in both final irrigations and previously the root filling was performed with aPDT. At the end of the treatment it was possible to observe a reduction in the radiolucent areas, suggesting the beginning of bone repair. This case report suggests that PUI and aPDT associated with endodontic retreatment can improve disinfection, favoring the regression of periapical alterations and, consequently, favoring the bone repair process.
Investigation of the protective and therapeutic effects of Lactobacillus casei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a breast cancer mouse model

Introduction The development of novel strategies for cancer therapy is crucial to improve standard treatment protocols. Aim This study aimed to determine the protective and therapeutic effects of heat-killed preparations of Lactobacillus casei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae in a breast cancer mouse model. Methods Forty-two female BALB/c mice (7–8 weeks old) were divided into six groups (seven mice per group). Four groups were injected with 107 Ehrlich ascites tumor (EAT) cells suspended in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) subcutaneously into the left side of the mammary fat pad. Tumor growth was monitored weekly until all animals developed a palpable tumor. The tumor-bearing mice in the experimental groups received heat-killed L. casei or S. cerevisiae three times per week for 35 days. The mice in the control group received PBS. The remaining two groups received heated L. casei or S. cerevisiae and then were injected with EAT cells. After 35 days, all mice were sacrificed to determine the immune response. Results Animals that received heated S. cerevisiae exhibited the lowest rate of tumor growth compared with the other groups. TGF-β and IL-4 secretion was increased in all mice, whereas the secretion of INF-γ and IL-10 was decreased in breast tissues. Moreover, at the histopathological level, the volume of viable tumor in the control group was higher than in the treated groups. Conclusion Supplementary treatment with S. cerevisiae resulted in the best outcome in the breast cancer model compared with other treated and vaccinated groups.
Piezoelectric Effect of Antibacterial Biomimetic Hydrogel Promotes Osteochondral Defect Repair

The lack of vascular tissue and the low metabolism and biological activity of mature chondrocytes lead to the low regeneration ability of articular cartilage. People try to solve this problem through various methods, but the effect is not very ideal. Inspired by the piezoelectric effect of collagen in cartilage tissue, this work focused on the design of a biomimetic hydrogel by introducing piezoelectric materials and silver nanowires into hydrogel to endow them with piezoelectric and antibacterial properties to promote tissue regeneration. Additionally, the mechanical and swelling properties of the material were adjusted to match natural articular cartilage. Based on bionic principles, a double-layer piezoelectric hydrogel was prepared and applied for the repair of osteochondral defects. An enhanced repair effect of osteochondral defects has been seen, which has demonstrated potential values for future application in bionics principle- and piezoelectric effect-based osteochondral tissue engineering. Furthermore, piezoelectric effect-induced degradation was observed. These results fully indicated the positive effect of the piezoelectric effect on promoting the regeneration of osteochondral tissue and in vivo degradation of materials.
Self-Esteem Levels of Physical Education Teacher Candidates in Turkey and Iran: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

The aim of this study was to compare the levels of self-esteem of pre-service teachers studying in the physical education and sports teaching department in Turkey and Iran. 80 Turkish and 111 Iranian students constituted the participant group of the study designed using the cross-cultural comparative research method. The Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, the validity and reliability studies of which were conducted in both countries, was used as a data collection tool in the study. Two-way analysis of variance (was used to analyze the data. When pre-service teachers' self-esteem scores were analyzed, it was observed that pre-service teachers both in Turkey and in Iran were above the moderate level. However, in terms of mean self-esteem scores, although it appeared that the mean scores of preservice teachers in Turkey were higher than the mean scores of pre-service teachers in Iran, it can be said that pre-service teachers' levels of self-esteem did not differ according to the culture they live in, in other words, they were at similar levels. According to the results of the study, it was determined that self-esteem scores were not significantly different according to both gender, grade level, perceived level of academic achievement and culture variables.
Direct and Indirect Macroeconomic Effects of Malaria in Senegal

Malaria constitutes, beyond a public health problem, a major challenge for the development of endemic countries. The objective of this study is to estimate the economic cost of malaria in Senegal. A logarithmic double model with interaction effect is used and estimated, using a time series data from 1995 to 2019, by Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method. At the macroeconomic level, when malaria morbidity increases by 1%, GDP per capita falls by 0.00467. Applied to total GDP, this corresponds to an average annual loss of US $ 108 million. In addition, the study shows a decrease of the labour factor impact when taking into account the interaction effect of malaria. In fact, in the case of a 1% increase in malaria, the contribution resulting from a 1% increase in the labour force decreases by 0.48 point. Such consequences due to malaria can lead in the long run to adverse effects on economic growth and on efforts to fight poverty in Senegal.
Postoperative nursing care for patients undergoing uterine myomectomy at Babylon governorate

Myomectomy is a surgical procedure focus on removing the leiomyomas from the uterine cavity, these fibroids is growth that noncancerous nature manifest in uterus. Post-operative nursing care includes a set of activities and interventions that the nurse performed towards the patient after leaving the operating room, the aim of this study is to evaluate postoperative nursing care practices towards patients undergoing to myomectomy. Observational study carried out in five hospitals at Babylon governorate in order to evaluate post-operative nursing care in surgical maternal wards by observe the practices of nursing staff in this wards, 103 nurse were chosen as a sample for this study from the morning and night duties in the hospitals of Babylon province. The results of this study indicated the majority of nurse with age group less than 30 years’ old, more of them with secondary nursing school, work in morning shift and no attendance to any training session regarding the nursing care in postoperative phase through the period of working in hospitals. As well as, the results showed the majority of nurses with poor practice regarding the aspect of postoperative nursing care for patient underwent to surgery for removing uterine fibroids.
Loosely Coupled Time Integration of Fluid- Thermal-Structural Interactions in Hypersonic Flows

This dissertation describes time integration strategies for fluid-thermal-structural interactions in hypersonic and high speed (Mach 1) flow using separate solvers for each discipline. The development of reusable hypersonic cruise vehicles requires analysis capability that can capture the coupled, highly-nonlinear interactions between the fluid flow, structural mechanics, and structural heat transfer. This coupled analysis must also be performed over significant portions of the flight trajectory due to the long-term thermal evolution of the vehicle. The fluid and structural physics operate at significantly smaller time scales than the thermal evolution, requiring time marching that can capture the small time scales for time records that encapsulate the longer time scale of the thermal response. This leads to extreme computational times and motivates research that seeks to maximize efficiency of the time integrations for the coupled problem. The goal of this dissertation is to develop time integration procedures that significantly improve computational efficiency while also maintaining time accuracy
Handbook of Food Science and Technology 3: Food Biochemistry and Technology

This third volume in the Handbook of Food Science and Technology Set explains the processing of raw materials into traditional food (bread, wine, cheese, etc.). The agri-food industry has evolved in order to meet new market expectations of its products; with the use of separation and assembly technologies, food technologists and engineers now increasingly understand and control the preparation of a large diversity of ingredients using additional properties to move from the raw materials into new food products. Taking into account the fundamental basis and technological specificities of the main food sectors, throughout the three parts of this book, the authors investigate the biological and biochemical conversions and physicochemical treatment of food from animal sources, plant sources and food ingredients.