Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of hydrocolloids on acorn starch physical properties.

The effect of hydrocolloids (arabic gum, carrageenan, carboxymethyl cellulose, and xanthan gum) on the physical properties of acorn starch was investigated. First order mixture response surface model was used and the effects of 1% hydrocolloids on acorn starch water holding capacity, starch solution viscosity, gel strength, freeze–thaw stability, and pasting properties were evaluated. Contributions of each hydrocolloid on determining acorn starch functionality were also calculated. Hydrocolloid combinations significantly (p < 0.05) decrease acorn starch water holding capacity held at 23.3°C from 213.6% of 100% starch to less than 208.3% with minor exceptions. The increase in holding temperature, however, increased water holding capacity (WHC) irrespective of the hydrocolloids set used. The flow behavior indices of treatments ranged from 0.43 to 0.99 and were significantly (p < 0.05) greater than that of pure acorn starch (i.e., 0.66) for most treatments. The consistency coefficient of treatments were significantly (p < 0.05) greater than that of the control and were best fit for the shear-thickening model. Significant (p < 0.05) improvement in gel strength and decrease in freeze–thaw stability of treatments compared to the control was also reported. The pasting properties of treatments increased with the use of hydrocolloids, thus showing the significant role of hydrocolloids in dictating the pasting characteristics of the acorn–hydrocolloids interaction.
The impact of procalcitonin to C-reactive protein ratio (PCR) kinetics as a predictor of mortality in nosocomial bloodstream infections

Purpose: To investigate the combination of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) kinetics in predicting mortality in nosocomial blood stream infections (BSIs). Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients ≥ 18 years of age with nosocomial BSIs hospitalized in intensive care units (ICU). Clinical, microbiological and biochemical data were compared in patients who survivors and deaths. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors. The kinetic changes were defined the as difference between level on 5th day and level at 1st day of BSI.Results: Of the 84 included patients, 49 (58.4%) had survivors and 35 (41.6%) had deaths. In univariate analysis, renal disease (p=0.007), cardiac disease (p=0.042), septic shock (p=<0.001), SOFA (p=<0.001) and APACHE-II (p <0.001), ΔCRP (p=0.004), ΔPCT (p=<0.001), and ΔPCR (p=0.025) were significantly higher in non-survivors. In the logistic regression analysis, APACHE-II score (OR=1.46, 95% CI=1.20-1.78, p <0.001), ΔCRP (OR=1.18, %95 CI =1.04-1.34, p=0.009), ΔPCT (OR=0.87, 95% CI=0.79-0.95, p=0.001), and ∆PCR (OR=36.78, 95%C = 4.52-299.01, p=0.001) were independent predictors of 28-day mortality.Conclusions: The ∆PCR kinetic was a strong independent predictor of mortality in nosocomial BSIs in ICUs.
Some Histogenetic Aspects of Methotrexate Associated with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA) Treatment Doses

A total of (36) mice in the age of (1-3) weeks were selected to evaluate the methotrexate effect on somehistogenetic aspects of kidneys. Treatment lasted for three months, and results showed marked hemorrhage,cortical tubular basophilia, necroses, and degeneration in the autopsied organ of animals with low oralhydration. Besides, changes in the DNA methylation pattern were noticed in the RAPD-PCR profile uponanalysis with agarose gel electrophoresis.
High voltage trapping effects in GaN-based metal–insulator–semiconductor transistors

This paper presents an analysis of the high voltage trapping processes that take place in high-electron mobility transistors based on GaN, with a metal–insulator–semiconductor (MIS) structure. The study is based on combined pulsed and transient measurements, carried out with trapping voltages in the range from 50 to 500 V. The results indicate that: (i) dynamic Ron is maximum for trapping voltages between 200 and 300 V, and decreases for higher voltage levels; (ii) Ron-transient measurements reveal the presence of a dominant trap with activation energy Ea1 = 0.93 eV and of a second trap with activation energy equal to Ea2 = 0.61 eV; (iii) the deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) signal associated to trap Ea1 is completely suppressed for high trapping voltages (VDS = 500 V). The results are interpreted by considering that the trap Ea1 is located in the buffer, and originates from CN defects. The exposure to high drain voltages may favor the depletion of such traps, due to a field-assisted de-trapping process or to the presence of vertical leakage paths.
Effects of the German Renewable Energy Act and Environmental, Social and Economic Factors: Biogas Plants Adoption and Agricultural Landscape Change

Background: The German energy transition strategy calls for reform of the German energy sector. Against this background, the Germany Renewable Energy Sources Act, or EEG, was issued in 2000 and is widely regarded as a successful legislation for promoting bioenergy development, as more than 9000 biogas plants were built in Germany until 2017. However, the impact from different EEG periods on regional biogas plants’ development and the long-term influence to regional landscape change are rarely simultaneously studied. Methods: This study aimed to quantitatively analyse the impact of the EEG on promotion the biogas plant development in central Germany (CG) by using the event study econometric technique. A GIS-based spatial analysis was further conducted to provide insight into the changes of the agricultural landscape, which was resulted from the development of biogas plants during the EEG from 2000 to 2014. Results: One of the main findings was that the EEGs had time-varying effects on motivating biogas plants construction and selecting the plants size. The comparison between different EEG emendations suggested that the EEG 2009 was the most successful one in market implementation. Besides, the adoption of the biogas plant in CG was mainly driven by the farmer’s financial incentive and taken as an investment to secure the farming business. At the landscape scale, the expansion of silage maize was remarkable in CG from 2000 to 2014. The silage maize was intensively cultivated in the regions with high biogas plant installed capacity. Since EEG 2009, the regional livestock number increased rapidly, which was also associated with increasing pasture land area in CG. This phenomenon suggested a promising regional animal farming and its potential of manure as biogas feedstock. Conclusions: These findings imply that the policy makers should take the EEG 2009 emendation as reference to promote the marketing of future new renewable energy technologies and cautions should be paid on the potential land conflicts of agricultural-based bioenergy development.
Virulent gene detection and antibiogramic profile of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus isolated from birds of a poultry farm

Methicillin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are gaining global attention, largely due to their potential public health significance. In the current study, we investigated the prevalence of MRSA in poultry birds from Benson Idahosa University farm. Twenty-five samples each from poultry droppings, cloacae and nostrils were collected aseptically and screened for total heterotrophic and Staphylococcus aureus counts usingstandard culture-based methods. Phenotypic identification of MRSA was carried out using mannitol-oxacillin agar, while the presence of virulence genes (mecA, entA, entB, entC, SCCmec (I, II, III) and tsstI) was investigated by polymerase chain reaction using specific primers. Also, the antibiogramic activities and multi drug-resistant index were investigated against 6 clinically relevant antibiotics (oxacillin (1 μg), vancomycin (30 μg), ceftazidime (30 μg), ceftriaxone (30 μg), amikacin (30 μg) and ofloxacin (5 μg)). The results showed that total heterotrophic bacterial and S. aureus are prevalent in poultry birds, with mean heterotrophic counts of 243.08 ± 21.01 × 105 cfu, 169.37 ± 25.30 × 105 cfu and 216 ± 15.89× 105 cfu for poultry droppings, cloacae and nostrils respectively and mean S. aureus counts of 176.30 ± 28.85 × 105 cfu for poultry droppings, 16.52 ± 11.92 × 105 cfu for cloacae and 5 2.72 ± 0.41 × 105 cfu for nostrils. Interestingly, 93.33%, 25% and 10.5% of S. aureus isolated from the droppings, cloacae and nostrils respectively were methicillin resistant. The antibiogramic activities showed the majority of isolates to be multi drug-resistant, while only one MRSA (from poultry droppings) had the mecA gene. The presence of these isolates in poultry birds is of a potential public health concern as they may travel through the food chain and efforts should be made by poultry owners to avoid the indiscriminate use of antibiotics. Keywords: Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Poultry; Public Health; Virulence Gene
Desorption isotherms and thermodynamic properties of Solanum gilo

Solanum gilo is a plant belonging to the family Solanaceae with a probable origin in Africa. It was introduced to Brazil by workers. The fruit is cultivated by small producers in Brazil and it is a source of food for the low-income population. Its seeds are harvested with high moisture contents, and the drying process is necessary. Sorption isotherms consist of the relation between water activity (aw) and moisture content of an agricultural product at a constant temperature. This information contributes to the drying process, thus favoring an increased longevity of agricultural products, such as seeds. This research aims to determine the desorption isotherms of Solanum gilo seeds and calculate their thermodynamic properties (enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs free energy). Sorption experiments were performed by the gravimetric static method using saline solutions. Several mathematical models were fitted to the experimental data, and the selection of the best model was performed by statistical criteria. Equilibrium moisture contents were obtained at 10, 20 and 30°C and at water activities between 0.111 and 0.985 (decimal). The modified Oswin model best represents moisture desorption isotherms of Solanum gilo seeds under the studied conditions. The energy required for the process was 0.22-555.68 kJ kg-1. The latent heat of vaporization (L), the enthalpy (Qst), the entropy (ΔS) and the Gibbs free energy (ΔG) increased with the reduction of the equilibrium moisture content of seeds. The theory of isokinetics is valid for the desorption process.
A Simple and Accurate Network for Hydrogen and Carbon Chemistry in the Interstellar Medium

Chemistry plays an important role in the interstellar medium (ISM), regulating the heating and cooling of the gas and determining abundances of molecular species that trace gas properties in observations. Although solving the time-dependent equations is necessary for accurate abundances and temperature in the dynamic ISM, a full chemical network is too computationally expensive to incorporate into numerical simulations. In this paper, we propose a new simplified chemical network for hydrogen and carbon chemistry in the atomic and molecular ISM. We compare results from our chemical network in detail with results from a full photodissociation region (PDR) code, and also with the Nelson & Langer (NL99) network previously adopted in the simulation literature. We show that our chemical network gives similar results to the PDR code in the equilibrium abundances of all species over a wide range of densities, temperature, and metallicities, whereas the NL99 network shows significant disagreement. Applying our network to 1D models, we find that the CO-dominated regime delimits the coldest gas and that the corresponding temperature tracks the cosmic-ray ionization rate in molecular clouds. We provide a simple fit for the locus of CO-dominated regions as a function of gas density and column. We also compare with observations of diffuse and translucent clouds. We find that the CO, , and abundances are consistent with equilibrium predictions for densities , but the predicted equilibrium C abundance is higher than that seen in observations, signaling the potential importance of non-equilibrium/dynamical effects.
Research practices and research misconduct

Background: Research on research integrity has tended to focus on frequency of research misconduct and factors that might induce someone to commit research misconduct. A definitive answer to the first question has been elusive, but it remains clear that research misconduct occurs too often. Answers to the second question are so diverse, it might be productive to ask a different question: What about how research is done allows research misconduct to occur? Methods: With that question in mind, research integrity officers (RIOs) of the 62 members of the American Association of Universities were invited to complete a brief survey about their most recent instance of a finding of research misconduct. Respondents were asked whether one or more good practices of research (e.g., openness and transparency, keeping good research records) were present in their case of research misconduct. Results: Twenty-four (24) of the respondents (39% response rate) indicated they had dealt with at least one finding of research misconduct and answered the survey questions. Over half of these RIOs reported that their case of research misconduct had occurred in an environment in which at least nine of the ten listed good practices of research were deficient. Conclusions: These results are not evidence for a causal effect of poor practices, but it is noteworthy that good research practices such as those listed would make it more difficult if not impossible for someone in such an environment to commit research misconduct.
The Effect of Memorizing Particle Phrases through Student-Generated Sketches on EFL Learners’ Spoken Fluency

Using chunks is said to bring about fluency into speech as they save speakers from constructing their speech upon a word-by-word basis. Particle phrases (A term coined in this study to refer to phrasal verbs and their derived and deviated nouns and adjectives) are also among those chunks. This study seeks to see whether memorizing them will affect EFL learners' spoken fluency. To this end, 51 Persian speaking participants (37 females, 14 males) who were selected from 3 intact classes based on their performance in narrative video-based retelling constituted the sample of the study. The study was a quasi-experimental one in design because of the non-random assignment of the participants into either of the experimental and control groups. They were assigned to three groups: two experimental and one control. Both experimental groups received the same instructions on metaphorical concepts of particles (out, off, etc.) in the 150 phrasal verbs available in Garnier and Schmitt’s (2015) frequency list. They both engaged in self-generated contexts except that those in the first came up with hands-on task of drawing sketches, too. The control group, however, received none of the above treatments. The results of a one-way ANOVA procedure in the immediate post-test indicated that the participants in the first experimental group significantly outperformed not only the control group, but also the second experimental group that made more relative gains than their counterparts in the control group. The outperformance of the first experimental group was also found in the delayed post-test, which represented the long-term effects of the methods. The findings suggest several implications for this vital but surprisingly neglected issue of engaging students with self-generated sketches.
Comparative Purity Study by UV Spectrophotometric and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopic (FTIR) Techniques for the Simultaneous Determination of Amoxicillin Tri-hydrate Capsules

by the introduction of amoxicillin Amoxicillin, is a congener of ampicillin, provides similar broad-spectrum antibacterial activity of ampicillin but with the advantages of better oral absorption achieving blood concentrations approximately twice as high as obtained with ampicillin ABSTRACT This studies aims to determine and compare the quality and purity of amoxicillin capsules available in local market as well as identifying the suitable analytical method for its analysis. Amoxicillin is the most commonly prescribed antibiotic in Malaysia. In this study, UV spectrophotometry and FTIR spectroscopy are the technique used for determination of amoxicillin tri-hydrate capsules. Ethanol and 0.1 N NaOH were used as solvent in UV spectrophotometric method. The absorbance was measured at λmax 272 nm for ethanol or 247 nm for 0.1 N NaOH. For FTIR technique, the analysis was conducted in absorbance and the spectra were obtained by Agilent MicroLab FTIR software. No sample preparation was required for the FTIR spectrometer. Using UV method, five out of six samples which are brand A, B, D, E and F complied with U.S.P. official limits (not less than 90.0 % and not more than 120.0 % of the labelled amount of amoxicillin) with percentage purity of 112.07 %, 111.97 %, 114.35 %, 118.02 %, and 119.20 % respectively. All FTIR spectra obtained for different samples of amoxicillin have the similar absorption bands with the FTIR spectrum of standard amoxicillin. The similarity between the spectra is a strong indicative of the identity of amoxicillin in all of the samples analysed using FTIR technique. The prominent characteristic peaks in the region 1800-1650 cm-1 was used to compare the amoxicillin standard and samples. For FTIR technique, brand A, B and E resemble the most to the standard. By comparing both methods, FTIR spectroscopy is a more accurate method as it allowed analysis of drug without being affected by the solvent. Nevertheless, UV spectroscopy is also a simple, low cost, reproducible and accurate method of analysis which is suitable for analysis of amoxicillin tri-hydrate in pharmaceutical formulations. In conclusion, UV spectrophotometry and FTIR techniques are comparable and suitable for routine analysis of amoxicillin tri-hydrate in capsules. (FTIR)
Sociodemographic disparity in health-related behaviors and dietary habits among governmental employees in Hunan, China

BackgroundHealth-related behaviors and dietary habits have played essential roles in shaping population health and are related to morbidity or mortality. We aimed to estimate the distribution of health-related behaviors and dietary habits by socio-demographics among governmental employees in China.MethodA total of 5029 participants were included in this study. Information on their sociodemographic characteristics, health-related behaviors and dietary habits was collected. Socioeconomic status (SES) scores were calculated by multiplying ordinal numerical values assigned to consecutive categories of education level and annual household income. Adjusted multinomial logistic regression analysis and categorical principal component analysis were used to estimate differences in health-related behaviors and dietary habits by socio-demographics.ResultsThe distribution of health-related behaviors and dietary habits varied by sociodemographic groups. Middle-aged males (41–60 years) were more likely to smoke, use alcohol and have short sleep duration. Young participants (≤ 30 years) were more likely to have multiple unhealthy behaviors and dietary habits. Those in high-SES have a lower level of smoking and leisure-time physical inactivity, but a high level of late sleeping than those in low-SES. Notably, older males (≥ 51 y) with low-SES preferred the ‘smoked and pickled foods, and dessert’ and ‘fish and nut’ pattern. In high-SES groups, 41–50 y people preferred the ‘traditional foods’ and ‘cereals and dairy product’ pattern. No difference in dietary patterns by socio-demographics were found among females.ConclusionsOur findings of the disparity distribution of health-related behaviors and dietary habits by specific-gender, age and SES among Chinses governmental employees have important policy implications for developing targeted health interventions to facilitate health-related behaviors and dietary habits in this population.
Determination of Occlusal Splint Thickness for TMJ Derangement based on MRI- A Review

Aim: To review the accuracy of thickness of occlusal splints, used for particular temporomandibular joint derangement based on MRI findings. Objective: To understand the various aspects of managing Temporomandibular joint derangement and the accuracy of MRI scans in determining the thickness of occlusal splints. Background: Occlusal splints are a standard method to treat the pain associated with temporomandibular joint derangement. They can be further classified into three groups on the basis of function: stabilization splints, distraction splints and anterior repositioning splint. MRI findings help clinicians in complete assessment and determining the strategy of management of TMJ dysfunction. Its main advantages include: higher accuracy of the anatomical structures, detection of changes in soft tissue, necrosis, edema, is a noninvasive procedure and does not offer exposure to ionizing radiation. Reason: To gain knowledge and understanding about the occlusal splint thickness for particular temporomandibular joint derangement based on MRI findings.
Drying kinetics and quality of uvaia (Hexachlamys edulis (O. Berg)) powder obtained by foam-mat drying

Summary Investigations were carried out to study the influence of the formulation on the drying characteristics and the final quality of foam-mat-dried uvaia pulp powder, such as total phenolic content, carotenoids and antioxidant activity. Two formulations were developed (one with 3.5% albumin (Alb.), 0.25% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) and 0.25% xanthan gum (XG), and the other containing only 7% albumin) and dried at 60 and 70 °C. Drying kinetics showed only a falling rate at both temperatures and formulations. Mathematical models were fitted to the experimental data to describe the drying kinetics. The Page model provided the best description of the foams. The higher temperatures reduced the drying time and increased the effective diffusivity. Compared with the fresh pulp, the uvaia powder at 70 °C exhibited decreased antioxidant activity, total phenolics and carotenoids contents.
Analysis of Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter-Related Complications and Causes: a Retrospective Study of 2974 Children Blood Disease Patients in Single Center in China

Background: The peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) has been widely used. However, there is still a lack of large sample size-based relevant risk factor investigation in children with blood diseases in china. Methods: We performed a retrospective, the single-center cohort study of child blood disease patients with PICC insertion. Totally, 2974 patients were enrolled for our study. Results: B-ultrasound plus Seldinger technology significantly improved the success rate of PICC insertion. The most common non-infectious complications were rash, followed by catheter blockage, mechanical phlebitis, and catheter broke. the male, 1-3 years old, Power PICC solo catheter and spring are risk factors for the rash. The power PICC solo catheter was the most important risk factor for catheter blockage. Insertion site under the elbow was the most important risk factor for phlebitis and catheter damage. Conclusion: Our finding first shed new light on the risk factors associated with PICC complications for Chinese blood disease children.