Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of vehicle emissions on the morphological and physiological changes of Taraxacum officinale web

Road transport is one of the main pollutants of atmospheric air and soil in modern cities, therefore, an important issue is the comprehensive diagnosis of the state of the environment, which can be carried out by phytoindication methods, and which make it possible to comprehensively assess the environmental risks of the roadside environment for living organisms. The article analyzes the morphological and physiological changes of Taraxacum officinale Web. that occurred under the influence of vehicle emissions. For research, we chose a territory with significant aerotechnogenic loads due to both stationary sources of pollution and traffic flows – the southwestern district of the city for the analysis of plants, the following indicators were studied: mass of plants; leaf length; proportion of altered forms; ascorbic acid content; chlorophyll concentration. In the study, biometric, spectrophotometric and statistical methods were used. The results of the studies showed that in all plants inhibition of parameters was observed in comparison with the control samples. An analysis of the tightness of the relationship between the morphophysiological parameters of the plant, the traffic intensity and the distance from the road were influenced by the average mass of plants (r=0.97) in the area with heavy traffic, the content of chlorophyll (r=0.92) in the same area, the proportion of altered forms (r=-0.94). The correlation coefficient of the proportion of altered forms is negative, since the number of altered forms decreases with increasing distance from the road. It was found, that content of chlorophyll depends on traffic intensity and the distance from the road (the correlation coefficient ranged from 0.88–0.97). Indicators of leaf length and vitamin C content turned out to be less informative, since there is no clear relationship between these indicators and distance from the road (r=0.54), although with an increase in the distance from the highway, there is a slight increase in leaf length, but the content of vitamin C did not show depending on the distance to the road. The further developments lies in the refinement of the information content of such an indicator as the content of ascorbic acid in order to use it to indicate invisible changes in the vegetation cover.
Mental Disorder and Suicide: What’s the Connection?

Abstract This paper offers a philosophical analysis of the connection between mental disorder and suicide risk. In contemporary psychiatry, it is commonly suggested that this connection is a causal connection that has been established through empirical discovery. Herein, I examine the extent to which this claim can be sustained. I argue that the connection between mental disorder and increased suicide risk is not wholly causal but is partly conceptual. This in part relates to the way suicidality is built into the definitions of some psychiatric diagnoses. It also relates to the broader normative assumption that suicidal behavior is by definition mentally disordered behavior. The above has significant epistemological implications, which I explore. I propose that the claim that suicide is connected with mental disorder cannot be justified solely by appealing to empirical evidence but also warrants a justification on conceptual and normative grounds.
Influence of different establishment methods of rice on the parameters of water, weed, growth and yield under rice - rice - blackgram system

Field experiments were conducted at Tamil Nadu Rice Research Institute, Aduthurai during 2016-2018. Field experiments were laid out in randomized block design with four replications. The six treatments under system basis were T1 - NPTR (Kharif) - NT (Rabi) - NT (Summer), T2 - NPTR (Kharif) - PTR (Rabi) - NT (Summer), T3- DSR (Kharif) - NT (Rabi) - NT (Summer), T4 – DSR (Kharif) - PTR (Rabi) - NT (Summer), T5 – PTR (Kharif) - NT (Rabi) - NT (Summer) and T6- PTR (Kharif) - PTR (Rabi) - NT (Summer). The results revealed that among different crop establishment methods, dry seeded rice(DSR) produced significantly higher growth attributes, weed and water parameters which ultimately resulted in higher yield attributes, grain and straw yields during both the years of kharif season. During rabi seasons, among different crop establishment methods, puddled transplanted rice (PTR) preceded by dry seeded rice (DSR) produced significantly higher growth parameters, weed and water parameters which eventually resulted in higher yield attributes, grain and straw yields.
Pruritus in Patients on Maintenance Hemodialysis in Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria

Background and Objectives: Pruritus is an unpleasant cutaneous sensation prompting a desire to scratch. It can be very disturbing and is common in patients on maintenance hemodialysis (HD). Its pathogenesis is not very clear but has been attributed to diverse factors including uremia and iron deficiency anemia. The aims and objectives of this study are to determine the frequency of pruritus in HD patients in Benin City, to evaluate the relationship of pruritus in these patients with age, sex, body mass index (BMI), skin changes, peripheral neuropathy, duration of dialysis, and laboratory findings including packed cell volume (PCV), creatinine, urea, calcium, and phosphate, and to get the percentage of patients with increasing pruritus during and after dialysis. Methods: Consenting patients on maintenance HD were consecutively recruited into the study. Some relevant clinical and laboratory parameters (age, sex, BMI, skin changes, neuropathy, presence of pruritus, severity and intensity of pruritus, serum urea, creatinine, calcium, and phosphate) were evaluated using the SPSS version 17 package. Results: A total of fifty patients participated in the study. Twenty-four (48%) of these patients had pruritus. Of the 24 patients with pruritus, 14 (58.3%) were males while 10 (41.7%) were females. The mean age, BMI, and duration of HD of the patients with pruritus were 51.0 ± 13.61 years, 23.3 ± 1.77 kg/m 2 , and 7.4 ± 9.31 months, respectively. In addition, the mean serum urea, calcium, and PCV of the patients were 252.1 ± 65.10 mg/dL, 7.0 ± 1.04 mg/dL, and 25.5% ±4.38%, respectively. Eight (33.3%) had an increasing intensity of pruritus during and after HD. Twelve (50%) of the patients had mild pruritus while another 12 (50%) had moderate pruritus. There was no case of severe pruritus. Anemia, serum urea, duration of HD and increasing the age of patients were found to be significantly related to pruritus. Conclusion: Pruritus is relatively prevalent among our patients on maintenance HD and factors significantly associated with this condition include anemia, serum urea, and increasing the age of the patient as well as duration on HD.
Twenty-First Century Streamflow and Climate Change in Forest Catchments of the Central Appalachian Mountains Region, US

Forested catchments are critical sources of freshwater used by society, but anthropogenic climate change can alter the amount of precipitation partitioned into streamflow and evapotranspiration, threatening their role as reliable fresh water sources. One such region in the eastern US is the heavily forested central Appalachian Mountains region that provides fresh water to local and downstream metropolitan areas. Despite the hydrological importance of this region, the sensitivity of forested catchments to climate change and the implications for long-term water balance partitioning are largely unknown. We used long-term historic (1950–2004) and future (2005–2099) ensemble climate and water balance data and a simple energy–water balance model to quantify streamflow sensitivity and project future streamflow changes for 29 forested catchments under two future Relative Concentration Pathways. We found that streamflow is expected to increase under the low-emission pathway and decrease under the high-emission pathway. Furthermore, despite the greater sensitivity of streamflow to precipitation, larger increases in atmospheric demand offset increases in precipitation-induced streamflow, resulting in moderate changes in long-term water availability in the future. Catchment-scale results are summarized across basins and the region to provide water managers and decision makers with information about climate change at scales relevant to decision making.
Broad analysis of MTB-specific CD4 T cell responses reveals long lasting effect from previous active TB

We have performed a side-by-side comparison of the immunogenicity of 11 antigens currently in candidate TB vaccines in clinical trials and known CD4 epitopes using PBMCs from healthy individuals with latent M. tuberculosis (MTB) infection (LTBI, n=42) or with prior active TB disease (PATB, n=21). The PATB samples were further divided based on time since TB diagnosis; less or more than 6 years ago. The epitopes identified in these cohorts were categorized into (1) maintained latency (LTBI/PATB ratio >2), (2) associated with continued control of MTB infection i.e. LTBI status, and (3) shared epitopes (LTBI/PATB ratio <2). Interestingly, the response to the maintained latency epitopes was significantly higher in LTBIs and PATBs with a longer time since diagnosis compared to PATB less than 6 years ago, but no difference was observed for the shared epitopes. This suggests that progression to active TB and/or chemotherapy is associated with loss of recognition of the maintained latency epitopes, with reactivity gradually regained several years after TB treatment, when these individuals may have become re-infected. Differential reactivity in these cohorts was also revealed at the antigen level. The biological relevance of this was further demonstrated by phenotypic differences of MTB-specific T cells in these cohorts. These results demonstrate that a large panel of epitopes is required to reveal differences in immune reactivity between LTBIs and PATB and suggest that previous active TB disease provokes a long lasting influence on the immune response.
Properties of the adjective category in Runyambo

The identification of adjectives in many languages seems to be a point of concern to many linguists. It has been established by some scholars that adjectives form a closed word category in many languages of the world, while in others they are said to form an open word category. The aim of this article is to determine the nature of adjectives in Runyambo, using the prototype theory. Any item deviating from the prototypical features of a category tends to be morphologically or syntactically marked. The items discussed in this article therefore range from core adjectives to adjectives derived from other word categories. Runyambo falls in a group of languages with a closed class of adjectives forming only 13 items. Among these 13 items, there are only six core adjectives, two adjectives derived from nouns, two from verbs and three flexible adjectives.
Implications of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Theory on Healthcare Employees’ Performance

The purpose of this study is to provide a new perspective of the motivation-performance link, and the influence of satisfying each basic human needs, described by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, on employees’ professional performance. We assumed that the positive relationship between each dimension of motivation and professional performance is mediated by work satisfaction. The proposed conceptual model was operationalized by seven latent constructs (the five dimensions of motivation, inspired by the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, job satisfaction and the professional performance), each of them measured by several observed indicators. The survey conducted for this occasion, was filled in by 824 employees from Romanian health organizations. Based on the research results, we can state that the Romanian health system employees are mostly motivated by meeting the needs of higher level, especially the need of self-actualization, and to a lesser extent by meeting the lower level ones. Those findings may serve as useful insights for health system policy makers and managerial practices in designing and implementing the most effective motivational strategies, able to generate increased professional performance.
Forgiveness in Children Placed in Children's Homes: Understanding, Process and Motivation for Forgiveness

ABSTRACT Children placed in children's homes encounter negative experiences in the form of abuse from caregivers, interpersonal conflicts with peers and victimizations from community members. How these children negotiate forgiveness of these negative experiences is unknown due to limited studies on the subject. The present study explored the nature of negative experiences reported by children in residential care, their understanding of forgiveness, as well as the process and motivations for extending forgiveness. Participants were 10 children in residential care, aged between 9 and 18 years, resident in two Children's Homes in Accra. Results from these interviews show that while participants have cordial relationships with their peers and caregivers, they experience daily relational problems in the form of insults, bullying, being lied about, teasing and denial of gift items. Their knowledge of the meaning of forgiveness is largely different from all the three existing conceptualizations of the concept, and is influenced by religious, contextual factors in their relationships and the perceived benefits of forgiveness. Forgiveness process involved deferral to God, educating or confronting the offender on the impact of their behavior and reporting the offender to an authority. Implications of the findings are discussed.
A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Parallel Study Evaluating the Efficacy of Bacillus subtilis MB40 to Reduce Abdominal Discomfort, Gas, and Bloating

Introduction Bloating is a common yet poorly managed complaint among healthy people, with a complex etiology that impacts health and general well-being. The study intended to evaluate the efficacy and safety of supplementation with a probiotic, Bacillus subtilis MB40 (MB40), on bloating, abdominal discomfort, and gas in healthy participants. Methods In this multi-center, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel trial, 100 participants were randomized to receive either MB40 at 5 × 109 colony forming units (CFU; n = 50) or a placebo (n = 50) once daily for 4-weeks. Participants completed 3 questionnaires daily: a modified Abdominal Discomfort, Gas, and Bloating (mADGB) questionnaire, a modified Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale (mGSRS), and a Bowel Habits Diary (BHD). Participants' responses to each question were combined into weekly averages. Results At the end of 4-weeks, there were no significant differences in average weekly change in daily bloating intensity, number of days with and duration of bloating, abdominal discomfort and gas between MB40 and placebo groups. However, the male sub-group on MB40 achieved clinical thresholds with a greater decrease over placebo in the intensity of (1.38) and number of days with (1.32) bloating, the number of days (1.06) and duration (86-minutes) of gas, the number of days with abdominal discomfort (1.32) and diarrhea symptom score (1.02). Role limitation (physical; P = .026), vitality (P = .034) and social functioning (P = .037) were significantly improved from baseline to week 4 in the MB40 group. At 2-weeks, physical functioning (P = .017) significantly improved in the MB40 group versus placebo. Conclusions Although MB40 supplementation did not significantly improve bloating across all populations, the male sub-group demonstrated clinically significant reductions in bloating intensity, number of days with abdominal discomfort, gas, bloating, and duration of gas, compared to placebo. Additionally, the male sub-group receiving MB40 had a 10% improvement in general health score. MB40 supplementation at a dose of 5 × 109 CFU daily for 4-weeks was also safe and well-tolerated as all biometric, vital, and hematological measures remained within normal laboratory ranges (Clinical Trials NCT02950012).
Antithrombin III activity in healthy pregnant women seen at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City

Background: Antithrombin (AT III) is a glycoprotein synthesized by the liver. It has anticoagulant and antiinflammatory properties. Pregnancy is a hypercoagulable state due to increased synthesis of coagulation protein and depletion in the activity of natural anticoagulant due to consumption by activated coagulation proteins. Varying AT III activities have been reported in normal pregnancy but this has not been investigated in our environment. Objective: This study aims to determine antithrombin (AT III) levels in normal pregnancy, to compare changes in second and third trimester and to correlate AT III levels with gestational age and haematological parameters. Methods: This is a cross sectional study conducted at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. Eighty apparent normal pregnant women recruited at the antenatal clinic were evaluated for AT III activity using Technoclone chromogenic AT III kit and haematological parameters using automated Hematology Analyzer, ERMA INC (Tokyo model FCE 2.0). The data was analyzed using SPSS version 16. Result: The average age of the women was 31.2 ± 4.3years at a mean gestational age of 28.1±5.5 weeks. Their mean haematocrit, white blood cell count, platelet counts and AT III activity were 33.6 ± 3.6%, 6.5 ± 2.0 x 10 9 /L, 193.3 ± 48.7 x 10 9 /L and 82.2±30.2% respectively. AT activity was significantly reduced in the third trimester (p = 0.005). A negative correlation coefficient was found between AT III activity and gestational age (r = -0.337; p = 0.003). Conclusion: The mean AT III levels is within normal range in pregnancy however there is a significant decline in activity in the third trimester. Keywords: Antithrombin III activity, Haematological parameters, Healthy Pregnancy, Benin City
ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN FISH FARMING IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

The potentials of ICTs in fish farming has not been fully harnessed by farmers in Nigeria. This study assessed farmers’ awareness of the use of ICTs in fish farming, determined level of use, identified the determinants of use, and the constraints to the use of ICTs in fish farming. A two-stage random sampling technique was applied to select 133 respondents on whom a questionnaire was administered. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Multiple Regression Analysis and the Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation. Respondents’ level of awareness of the use of ICTs in fish farming was high (71.4%), but use was low (48.3%). The major constraint to the use of ICTs was the high cost of internet subscription (M = 3.53). At p < 0.001, number of ponds (β = 0.095), cosmopoliteness (β = 0.271), household size (β = 0.159) and fre­quency of extension contact (β = 0.078) determined the use of ICTs. Also, awareness of ICTs had a significant relationship with its use (r = 0.339, p < 0.01). The study concluded that the level of use of ICTs in fish farming in the state was low in spite of a high level of awareness. It recommends among others, the regulation of the activities of ICT service providers in the country for quality service at reduced prices.
Characterizing the Genomic Diversity, Evolution and Phylogeography of Respiratory Syncytial Virus Genotype ON1 in Kenya

Background: In December 2010, a new genotype of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) with a 72-nucleotide duplication within the attachment (G) gene was identified in Ontario, Canada, and named ON1. Using the ON1 as a unique tag, this study aimed to understand; (1) how new RSV variants are introduced, spread and persist in communities, (2) the genomic signatures that define the emergent RSV variants and whether such substitutions may be associated with potential fitness advantages, and (3) the patterns of RSV spread across geographically defined regions (local and global). Methods: Partial G gene (n=483) and whole genome (n=184) sequence datasets collected between 2010 and 2016 were analyzed using genetic diversity, phylogenetics and statistical methods to understand the molecular epidemiology of RSV in Kilifi County, Coastal Kenya. Further, Kenyan (partial G gene; n=2526) and global (full G gene, n=2238; whole genome, n=1194) sequence datasets collected between 1977 to 2016 were analysed in a Bayesian framework for the inference of the phylogeographic history of local and global RSV spread, respectively. Results: Following initial detection of the genotype ON1 in Kilifi in 2012, there was rapid replacement of the previously circulating RSV group A genotype GA2 by ON1 in subsequent epidemics. While this suggests elevated fitness of ON1 viruses, there was no clear evidence of altered pathogenicity of ON1 relative to GA2 in Kilifi. Signature amino acid substitutions were identified between surface proteins (G, F), polymerase (L) and matrix M2-1 proteins of Kilifi ON1 and GA2 viruses, suggesting co-evolution amongst antigenic and non-antigenic genes of RSV variants. Genetic and phylogenetic analyses reaffirmed previous conclusions that each RSV epidemic is characterized by the frequent introduction of multiple variants, few of which persist across epidemics. Finally, the phylogeographic analyses predicted the northern hemisphere to be the major source population of RSV into the tropics and the southern hemisphere and virus spread between locations in close proximity to be important for virus persistence within a country. Conclusions: Tracking the ON1 tag offered important insights into RSV evolution and transmission. The use of whole genome sequencing and surveying all the variation throughout the genome will be crucial for greater understanding, and potentially improved control, of this important pathogen. However, there is a need for a more targeted approach to RSV surveillance and sequencing that will help build a better picture of RSV spread at different scales.
Clinical Management of Canine Demodicosis with Acaricides and Herbal Immunomodulator

The study was undertaken to evaluate the clinical efficacy of herbal immunomodulator in therapy for canine demodicosis. Eight dogs suffering from demodicosis were randomly divided in two groups, dogs of group I were treated with Benzoyl peroxide shampoo, Amitraz application weekly and tablet Ivermectin at the dose rate 400mcg/kg b.wt. for ten weeks while dogs of group II were treated similarly but additionally given polyherbal immodulory syrup. Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that immunomodulation enhances the recovery in dogs affected by demodicosis.
Comparative evaluation of tensile properties of simulated heat affected zones of P91 steel weld joint

ABSTRACT The present work aims to understand the contribution made by each heat affected zone (HAZ) to the overall tensile behavior of the P91 steel weld joint. The three principal microstructures of heat-affected zones such as inter-critical (IC), fine grain (FG) and coarse grain (CG) were simulated through isothermal furnace heat treatments at 1138 K, 1208 K and 1473 K respectively. The simulated microstructures predominantly developed tempered martensite after oil quenching followed by tempering. The grain size and hardness across the P91steel weld joint vary in a complex manner. Tensile tests were carried out on each simulated HAZ and actual weld joint at 823K and a strain rate of 3 × 10-3 s-1. The weld joint specimen has failed in the base metal region. An increase in microhardness at the ICHAZ was found after tensile deformation. Higher initial strain/work hardening behavior of soft ICHAZ attributes the shifting of strain localization, consequently failure at the base metal.