Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of grape products containing polyphenols on C-reactive protein levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

Abstract Although grape polyphenols can decrease chronic inflammations, their effect on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels is still controversial. So, this meta-analysis was conducted to investigate the effect of grape products containing polyphenols on CRP concentrations. In order to collect the relevant randomised controlled trials (RCT), the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Google Scholar were searched up to 30 March 2020. The random effects model, standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95 % CI were applied in data analysis. Meta-analysis was conducted over seventeen eligible RCT containing a total of 668 participants. The study registration number is CRD42018110169. Based on the results, grape products containing polyphenols decreased CRP levels significantly (SMD = −0·229; 95 % CI −0·41, −0·05; P = 0·013). Sensitivity analysis was performed by removing each individual study and the results did not change. According to the subgroup analysis, higher doses of grape polyphenols (>500 mg/d) and longer intervention periods (≥12 weeks) had significant effects on CRP levels. Furthermore, grape polyphenols significantly reduced the CRP levels in patients with a clinical condition. In the same vein, grape seed extract and other grape products, such as grape extract, juice and raisins, decreased CRP levels significantly. According to the meta-regression results, the CRP level depends on the dose and duration of the grape polyphenol supplementation. Based on the findings, grape products containing polyphenols had a significant effect on CRP levels. Further well-designed and long-term clinical trials are highly recommended to achieve more comprehensive and accurate results.
Animal models for the discovery of novel drugs for post-traumatic stress disorder

ABSTRACT Introduction Existing pharmacological treatments for PTSD are limited and have been used primarily because of their effectiveness in other psychiatric conditions. To generate novel, PTSD specific pharmacotherapy, researchers must utilize animal models to assess the efficacy of experimental drugs. Areas covered This review includes a discussion of factors that should be considered when developing an animal model of PTSD, as well as descriptions of the most commonly used models. Researchers have utilized physical stressors, psychological stressors, or a combination of the two to induce PTSD-like physiological and behavioral sequelae in animals. Such models have provided researchers with a valuable tool to examine the neurobiological mechanisms underlying the condition. Expert opinion PTSD is a heterogeneous disorder that manifests as different symptom clusters in different individuals. Thus, there cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach to modeling the disorder in animals. Preclinical investigators must adopt a concentrated effort aimed at modeling specific PTSD subtypes and the distinct symptom profiles that result from specific types of human trauma. Moreover, researchers have focused so much on modeling a single PTSD syndrome in animals that studies examining only specific facets of the disorder are largely ignored. Future research employing animal models of PTSD requires greater focus on the nuances of PTSD.
Effects of a biomimetic analog‐based experimental bonding system on caries‐affected and sound dentin

This study compared the ultrastructure, chemical composition, and proteases activity (PA) of sound (SD) and caries‐affected dentin (CAD) in the dentin hybrid layer after using an experimental bonding system containing pyromellitic dianhydride glycerol methacrylate and biomimetic analogs. The bonding system used a three step and a total‐etch procedure. Polyacrylic acid (5%) and sodium trimetaphosphate (5%) were added to the primer and monocalcium phosphate monohydrate (9%), beta‐tricalcium phosphate (10.5%), and calcium hydroxide (0.5%) were added to the adhesive. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to evaluate the resultant structure, particularly the adhesive‐dentin and the demineralized‐SD interfaces. The chemical composition was evaluated through energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy (EDS) and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The PA was measured with the Coomassie Blue‐G250 coloring test, and the PA data were analyzed by ANOVA. EDS identified the presence of isolated calcium phosphate nanoparticles in the demineralized region; however, the SAED analysis did not show any evidences of hydroxyapatite (HA) neoformation in SD and CAD. The biomimetic analog‐based adhesive system inhibited the activities of dentin proteases immediately after treatment. Additionally, the proteolytic activity on the affected dentin resembled that of the SD. In conclusion, no HA formed in the demineralized SD and CAD although there were calcium and phosphate deposits. The experimental adhesive system inhibited dentin proteases.
Genetics of yield in Indian mustard

The inheritance of 8 quantitative characters was studied in three crosses of Indian mustard. Additive gene effects were found having larger contribution than dominant gene effects in the inheritance of days to flower, primary branches (crosses RL 18 × Varuna and Varuna × Appressed mutant) while dominance gene effects were higher than additive effects for secondary branches, siliquae on main raceme, seeds per siliqua, plant height (crosses RL 18 × Varuna and Varuna × Appressed Mutant), length of main raceme (crosses RL 18 × Varuna and Varuna × Appressed Mutant) and yield per plant.
Agriculture Output and Economic Growth? A Causality Test in Nigeria

The connection between economic growth and agriculture output is well recognized in the literature, but the causation of the relationship is quite confusing. Understanding the direction of causality between the two variables is good for policy formulation. This study examines the relationship between economic growth and agriculture output from 1970 to 2015. The variables used are real GDP and agriculture output. Engel-Granger causality test was used to test the route of causality between the two variables. The results show a bi-directional causality between them. Given the inevitability of economic recession, this paper recommends programmatic diversification from oil related products to agriculture based production.
The physical and rheological properties of egg albumin emulsions are influenced by basil seed gum as the stabilizer

In this study, the effect of basil seed gum (BSG) on the stability and rheological properties of egg white albumin (EWA) emulsions was investigated. A constant amount of EWA (0.5% w/v) and different concentrations of BSG (0-0.3% w/v) were used for the manufacture and stabilization of oil-in-water emulsions (30% w/w). The results showed that by increasing BSG concentration, the storage (21 days) stability of the emulsions was significantly (p < 0.05) improved. The highest creaming index was obtained in the case of the control emulsion (containing no BSG). Negative zeta potential was observed for all emulsion samples, with the emulsion containing 0.3% BSG showing the most negative surface charge, indicating the improvement in the stability of the manufactured emulsions in the presence of BSG. All of the emulsions showed shear-thinning flow behavior. The apparent viscosity increased with the increase in BSG concentration. Hysteresis area increased due to the increase in BSG concentration. The results of the frequency sweep test showed that storage and loss moduli increased by increasing the frequency and both of these moduli increased due to the increase in BSG concentration. Fitting frequency sweep data with power-law model confirmed a gel-like behavior for the emulsions containing a higher concentration of BSG. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrated that basil seed gum at an optimum concentration (0.3%) could be used as a natural stabilizer in the food emulsions containing egg albumin.
Back-Crossing of Superior Hybrids ‘Sonpari’ and ‘Neelphonso’ with ‘Alphonso’ Mango (Mangifera indica L.)

The study was carried out during 2012–13 cropping season to find out the ability of Alphonso pollen with its two newly developed superior hybrids Sonpari (Alphonso x Baneshan) and Neelphonso (Neelam x Alphonso) as female parents in hybridization programme. To further incorporate the desirable traits of Alphonso into these hybrids back crossing was done with Alphonso as donor parent. The results revealed that fruit set was 88.91% in crossed Sonpari x Alphonso and 78.43% in crossed Neelphonso x Alphonso. Fruit retention percentage reduced drastically from fruit set stage till 14 days after pea stage (DAPS) but attained almost steady percentage from 35 DAPS onward till harvesting. The fruit retention percentage at harvest was higher in the crossed fruits of Sonpari x Alphonso (3.13%) compared to Neelphonso x Alphonso (0.94%). Combination of Sonpari x Alphonso produced higher fruit length (13.4 cm) and fruit width (9.9 cm) than crossed fruits of Neelphonso x Alphonso with fruit length (10.8 cm) and fruit width (5.7 cm). Similarly, fruit weight of hybrid fruits derived from crossed Sonpari x Alphonso (512.4 g) was higher compared to that of Neelphonso x Alphonso (235.2 g). Based on this experiment, pollens of Alphonso showed good compatibility with both Sonpari and Neelphonso and therefore, may be utilized as pollen source for pollination in these two newly developed hybrid varieties in mango breeding programme.
Regulation of Core Splicing Factors by Alternative Splicing and Nonsense-mediated mRNA Decay

The majority of human genes are transcribed into a precursor messenger RNA (pre-mRNA) that is processed to produce multiple mRNA variants through alternative splicing. Although alternative splicing is known for its role in generating proteomic diversity, it can also regulate gene expression by introducing premature termination codons that target the spliced transcript for nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (AS-NMD). In order to understand the impact of AS-NMD on gene expression, I performed quantitative AS microarray profiling of NMD-inhibited human cells. Using this system, I address the prevalence, trans-acting factor requirements and the range of cellular functions regulated by AS-NMD. While this pathway had been implicated in homeostatic feedback regulation of genes encoding splicing-regulatory proteins, my results revealed highly conserved alternative exons regulated by AS-NMD in genes encoding basal or ‘core’ splicing factors. I further characterized one of these exons in the gene encoding SmB/B′, and demonstrated that SmB/B′ autoregulates its expression through AS-NMD. Furthermore, AS profiling revealed that knockdown of this core splicing factor affects the inclusion levels of additional alternative exons enriched in genes with functions in RNA processing and RNA binding. In summary, my results reveal a role for AS-NMD in regulating the expression of core splicing factors, as well as a role for the core spliceosomal machinery in coordinating a network of alternative exons in RNA processing factor genes.
When Can I Get a Robot for my Home?: A Constrained Design Approach to Feasible, Deployable Companion Robots

— Research in personal care and companion robotics has successfully demonstrated potential for social robots to support people and improve general wellness. Despite this, we still have not reached even modest adoption and deployment of actual robots in use, in people’s homes or in care centers. We posit that this problem – that research successes have not translated to domestic robots – results from a predominant design approach in social human-robot interaction: research often studies idealized social interaction with near-perfect simulated robot behaviors (e.g., via Wizard of Oz). However, without the sophisticated teams and infrastructure needed for this research, the behaviors are often not feasible in dynamic home environments. We propose an alternate design approach that works within the practical constraints of currently feasible and deployable robotic technology and present a set of design strategies that can be helpful in creating these robots.
Annotator Rationales for Labeling Tasks in Crowdsourcing

When collecting item ratings from human judges, it can be difficult to measure and enforce data quality due to task subjectivity and lack of transparency into how judges make each rating decision. To address this, we investigate asking judges to provide a specific form of rationale supporting each rating decision. We evaluate this approach on an information retrieval task in which human judges rate the relevance of Web pages for different search topics. Cost-benefit analysis over 10,000 judgments collected on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk suggests a win-win. Firstly, rationales yield a multitude of benefits: more reliable judgments, greater transparency for evaluating both human raters and their judgments, reduced need for expert gold, the opportunity for dual-supervision from ratings and rationales, and added value from the rationales themselves. Secondly, once experienced in the task, crowd workers provide rationales with almost no increase in task completion time. Consequently, we can realize the above benefits with minimal additional cost.
Do CEO-Board ties affect the firm’s cost of equity?

The education of the French elite within a restricted circle of prestigious schools leads to strong social ties inside the boardroom. This paper examines the impact of these ties on a firm’s cost of equity. Our results show that the strength of CEO-Board ties is associated with a higher cost of equity due to the risk of managerial opportunism induced by weaker board monitoring. This effect is amplified when the CEO is firmly entrenched due a longer tenure or dual role as chairman of the board. It is however moderated when other control mechanisms, such as the presence of a large controlling shareholder or extensive analyst following, can substitute for deficient board monitoring. Overall, our results highlight the cost arising from the existence of social networks in the boardroom.
The Oligocene/Miocene boundary in the ON-Mol-1 and Weelde boreholes along the southern margin of the North Sea Basin, Belgium

1. Introduction During the late Oligocene and Neogene, glauconitic sands were deposited in shallow marine conditions across the southern North Sea Basin (Fig. 1). The deposition of these glauconitic sands was not continuous, but interrupted by several hiatuses. One of the most important and widespread hiatuses in the southern North Sea Basin coincides with the Oligocene/Miocene boundary, in the Netherlands often referred to as Savian phase (in Wong et al., 2001; Verbeek et al., 2002; Munsterman & Brinkhuis, 2004). In the northern Campine Block, a structural entity along the southern margin of the North Sea Basin, this hiatus coincides with the boundary between the Voort and Berchem Formations (Figs 2 and 3). Here, age information on the late Oligocene Voort Formation was mainly based on biostratigraphic and radiometric studies on cored sections of the ON-Mol-1 (DOV ON-Mol-1) and Weelde boreholes (DOV kb8d8e-B161; cf. Van Simaeys, 2004; Van Simaeys et al. 2004; 2005; De Man & Van Simaeys, 2004; De Man et al., 2010). The age information on the early to middle Miocene Berchem Formation was then again based on biostratigraphic studies in its outcropping areas near and within the city of Antwerp and in several boreholes across the northern Campine Block (Louwye, 2005 and references therein), not including the ON-Mol-1 and Weelde boreholes. As the Voort and Berchem Formations were studied separately, the boundary between them or the Oligocene/Miocene hiatus was not yet biostratigra
Sleep disorders in children with cerebral palsy

To determine the frequency and predictors of sleep disorders in children with cerebral palsy (CP) we analyzed the responses of 173 parents who had completed the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children. The study population included 100 males (57.8%) and 73 females (42.3%; mean age 8y l0mo [SD 1y 11mo]; range 6y–11y 11mo). Eighty‐three children (48.0%) had spastic diplegia, 59 (34.1%) congenital hemiplegia, 18 (10.4%) spastic quadriplegia, and 13 (7.5%) dystonic/dyskinetic CP. Seventy‐three children (42.2%) were in Gross Motor Function Classification System Level 1,33 (19.1%) in Level II, 30 (17.3%) in Level in, 23 (13.3%) in Level IV, and 14 (8.1%) in Level V. Thirty children (17.3%) had epilepsy. A total sleep problem score and six factors indicative of the most common areas of sleep disorder in childhood were obtained. Of the children in our study, 23% had a pathological total sleep score, in comparison with 5% of children in the general population. Difficulty in initiating and maintaining sleep, sleep‐wake transition, and sleep breathing disorders were the most frequently identified problems. Active epilepsy was associated with the presence of a sleep disorder (odds ratio [OR]=17.1,95% confidence interval [CI] 2.5–115.3), as was being the child of a single‐parent family (011=3.9,95% CI 1.3–11.6). Disorders of initiation and maintenance of sleep were more frequent in children with spastic quadriplegia (OR=12.9,95% CI 1.9–88.0), those with dyskinetic CP (OR=20.6,95% CI 3.1–135.0), and those with severe visual impairment (OR=l2.5,95% CI 2.5–63.1). Both medical and environmental factors seem to contribute to the increased frequency of chronic sleep disorders in children with CP.
Arabica coffee accessions originated from Ethiopia with resistance to nematode Meloidogyne paranaensis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the resistance of Ethiopian Coffea arabica from IAPAR’s germplasm bank to Meloidogyne paranaensis. Two experiments were carried out in a greenhouse in IAPAR, Londrina, Paraná State, Brazil. A completely randomized design was used with 15 treatments, eight replications and one plant per plot. 14 accessions of C. arabica from Ethiopia were evaluated and the cultivar Mundo Novo IAC 376-4 was used as a susceptible control. Seedlings with three to four pairs of leaves were transplanted into plastic cups with a capacity of 700 mL and 1200 eggs and/or J2 of M. paranaensis (IP) were inoculated after one month. The evaluations were performed 130 days after inoculation, when the data of the number of eggs and J2 per gram of roots, the final population of nematodes (FP) were obtained and the reproduction factor (RF) was calculated using the formula: RF = IP / FP. To classify the resistance levels of the genotypes, the reduction of the reproduction factor (RRF) was used. The Ethiopian accessions were classified from highly resistant to highly susceptible. Most of the Ethiopian coffees were highly resistant to M. paranaensis. The genotype Geisha also showed resistance, but is still in heterozygous condition.
The Influence of Transformational Leadership Style, Motivation and Organizational Communication on Employee Performance

DOI: 10.21276/sjebm.2018. 5.7. 16 Abstract: This study aims to examine and analyze the influence of transformational leadership style, motivation and organizational communication on employee performance of indirect staff of PT ABC either partially or simultaneously. Population of this research is all indirect worker that totaled 410 people by spreading using Slovin formula sampling with error tolerance 5% or reliability 95 %, but due to but due to the limited responses to questionnaires that are returned, the total number of samples used are 165 employee. Data were collected using questionnaire, with Likert scale measurement and the analysis of data using simple and multiple linear regression with SPSS program.
Chromosomal aberrations induced by Markhamia tomentosa (Benth.) K. Schum. Ex Engl. ethanolic leaf extract on Allium cepa root cells

Markhamia tomentosa (Benth.) K. Schum. Ex Engl. (Bignoniaceae) is used traditionally in the treatment of pain, oedema, pulmonary troubles and cancer. The genotoxic and cytotoxic effects of the ethanolic extract of the leaves of M. tomentosa was investigated using the Allium cepa root chromosomal aberration assay. The mitotic index, chromosomal aberrations and mean root length effects of the plant extract on onion bulbs were determined using 50, 100, 200, 400 and 1000 μg/ml concentrations of the plant extract. Tap water was used as the negative control. The result showed a significant (p<0.05) decrease in mitotic index of the onion root tip cells with increased concentration. The plant extract induced stickiness, c-mitosis, bridges and fragments, vagrant, bi-nucleus, multipolar anaphase and laggard chromosomal aberrations in the tested concentrations with no observable chromosome aberrations in the control group. A significant difference (p<0.05) in the mean root length of onions treated with 400 and 1000 μg/ml concentrations and the control group was recorded. Thus, Markhamia tomentosa ethanol extract exerted mito-depressive, genotoxic and cytotoxic effects on Allium cepa root cells.
A Collection of Costa Rican Fungi

The fungi here listed were collected by W. W. Rowlee and H. E. Stork in Costa Rica during July and August of 1920. The collection consists of specimens picked up during a trip in the northern part of Costa Rica, the Limon District. The majority of them are from the hot, humid, lowland zone, but a few are from the more temperate Alpine zone. The dried specimens are accompanied by detailed field notes and unusually good photographs made by Mr. Stork from the fresh material. The writer wishes to express her indebtedness to Dr. V. C. Dunlap, Dr. W. A. Murrill, Dr. F. J. Seaver, and Dr. E. A. Burt for their kind assistance in determining material.
THE MAIN EQUATION OF INVERSE PROBLEM FOR DIRAC OPERATORS

The theory of inverse problems for differential operators plays an important role in the development of the spectral theory of linear operators. The inverse spectral problem is the reconstruction of a linear operator from some of its spectral characteristics, such as spectral data, spectral function, spectra (for different boundary conditions), scattering data, Weyl function, etc. According to the spectral characteristic, different inverse problems can be considered. The most comprehensive information on the theory of inverse problems can be found in the books [4, 8, 13]. The direct and inverse problems for Dirac operators have attracted considerable attention in both mathematics and physics. Especially, since Dirac equation is related to nonlinear wave equation (this was discovered in [1, 3]), there has been many investigations based on Dirac equation and the investigations have been continuing to be developed in many directions. In this paper, our aim is to prove the uniqueness theorem of inverse problems for Dirac operators with discontinuous coefficient according to the sequences of eigenvalues and normalized numbers and give an algorithm to construct the potential function. Then, we consider the following boundary value problem Bu′ +Q(x)u = λr(x)u, 0 < x < π, (1)