Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High school and college biology: a multi-level model of the effects of high school courses on introductory course performance

In a climate where increasing numbers of students are encouraged to pursue post-secondary education, the level of preparedness students have for college-level coursework is not far from the minds of all educators, especially high school teachers. Specifically within the biological sciences, introductory biology classes often serve as the gatekeeper or a pre-requisite for subsequent coursework in those fields and pre-professional programmes (eg pre-medicine or pre-veterinarian). Thus, how helpful high school science and mathematics experiences are in preparing students for their introductory biology classes is important and relevant for teachers, science educators and policy makers alike. This quantitative study looked at the association between students' high school science and mathematics experiences with introductory college biology performance. Using a nationally representative sample of US students (n = 2667) enrolled in 33 introductory college biology courses, a multi-level statistical model was developed to analyse the association between high school educational experiences and the final course grade in introductory biology courses. Advanced high school science and mathematics coursework, an emphasis on a deep conceptual understanding of biology concepts and a prior knowledge of concepts addressed in well-structured laboratory investigations are all positively associated with students' achievement in introductory college biology.
Effect of asymptomatic malaria parasitemia on the uterine and umbilical artery blood flow impedance in third-trimester singleton Southwestern Nigerian pregnant women

Background: Asymptomatic malaria parasitemia (AMP) in pregnancy is a major public health issue in tropical countries and represents a vast percentage of malaria infection in pregnancy. It is nonsymptomatic, neglected from treatment but significantly affects uteroplacental and fetoplacental hemodynamic blood flow, with negative pregnancy outcome that includes miscarriages, preterm labor/delivery, low birth weight, and intrauterine fetal death. Doppler ultrasound is a reliable, non-invasive, ionizing radiation-free, and repeatable method in the assessment of uterine and umbilical arteries vascular flow dynamics and resistance in malaria parasitemia in pregnancy. Materials and Methods: This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2016 and January 2017 was to assess and compare the vascular flow of the uterine and umbilical arteries in healthy pregnant women with AMP and those without malaria parasitemia in the third trimester of singleton pregnancy using Doppler ultrasound. Results: The mean uterine arteries Doppler indices were significantly higher in AMP than controls. The mean Doppler indices values for pulsatility index (PI), resistive index (RI), and systolic to diastolic ratio (SDR) were 0.85 ± 0.16, 0.59 ± 0.11, and 2.12 ± 0.17 for the subjects and 0.77 ± 0.09, 0.51 ± 0.06 and 2.05 ± 0.22 for the controls, respectively. These differences were statistically significant: PI was (P < 0.001; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.11, −0.051), RI was (P < 0.001; 95% CI: −0.10, −0.063) and SDR was (P = 0.01; 95% CI: −0.11, −0.015). However, the mean umbilical arteries PI and RI were not significantly different between subjects and the controls. Conclusion: There were statistically higher uterine artery impedance indices in the third trimester among singleton pregnant women with AMP than controls. This study also showed that the uterine artery impedance indices increased with the severity of malaria parasitemia.
Using Scrap Tires in EAFs as a Substitute for Carbon

EAF plants normally consume coal and coke as reactants, alloying elements, or fuel. The price of these materials varies from € 0.20-0.35/kg. This is while nearly 10 million pieces of tires are annually discarded in Iran. The present study shows that scrap tires can be used as a substitute for coal and coke in EAF plants. Thirteen grades of steel including low, medium, and high carbon steels as well as low and high alloys were produced during 73 heats in a 6t EAF. Coke consumption reduced from 18.00 to 0.00 kg/ton of steel produced and power consumption decreased from 448 to 388 kWh/t. Stack gas analysis and measurements were performed to find that the gaseous pollutants released such as CO, NOx, and SO2 were far less than the permitted standard limits. More than 200 heats have so far been carried out using waste tires in Esfahan Steel Co. (ESCo) where experiments were conducted in this study. Industrial tests were replicated in Iran Alloy Steel Company (IASCo) where 20 heats were made in a 40t EAF, which resulted in coke consumption to reduced from 15 to 0 kg/ts and power consumption to reduce by 10%. Similar results were obtained in the EAF Unit of Malayer Alloy Steel Company operating a 25-ton heat capacity EAF. The results of this study show that the process is reliable, economical, and eco-friendly leading to a production cost reduction of 5 €/t.
İlköğretim Okul Yöneticilerinin Stratejik Planlamaya İlişkin Görüşleri Üzerine Nitel Bir Çalışma (Gaziantep İli Örneği)

Bu calismada, egitim alaninda yeni bir uygulama olan ve ilkogretim okullarinda yapilmasi zorunlu kilinan stratejik planlama calismalari uzerinde durulmustur. Bu baglamada planlama surecinin liderleri, organizatorleri ve motivatorleri olarak okul yoneticilerinin stratejik planlamaya bakis acilari ortaya cikarilmistir. Belirlenen okullarin okul yoneticileri ile yapilan gorusmeler sonucunda okul yoneticilerinin bu konu hakkinda cok fazla bilgiye sahip olmadiklari ve bununla beraber bazi problemlerden dolayi stratejik planlamayi gerceklestiremedikleri ortaya cikmistir
The functional cytology of Bonamia sp. (Haplosporidia) infecting oysters Tiostrea chilensis: an ultracytochemical study

Bonamia sp. , a serious pathogen of oysters Tiostrea chilensis, was studied using the zinc iodide-osmium tetroxide technique (ZIO), the imidazole-osmium technique for lipids (IM), and reactivity for acid phosphatases [P-glycerophosphatase (P-GPase), cytidine monophosphatase at pH 5.0 (CMPase 5.0) and pH 2.7 (CMPase 2.7), thiamine pyrophosphatase (TPPase)], and P-galactosidase to try and determine the function of cytoplasmic organelles. Z10 reacted with the nuclear membrane, Golgi, endoplasmic reticulum (ER), cytoplasmic vesicles, and variably with putative phagosomes, the mitochondrial matrix, haplosporosomes and multivesicular bodies, but not lipoid bodies. IM strongly labelled lipoid bodies, and lipids in the nuclear membrane, ER except anastomosing ER (aER) and mitochondrial membranes and cristae, but was weak in aER and on haplosporosomes. P-GPase occurred in the nuclear membrane, some elements of ER, Golgi and mitochondrla, and in lipoid bodies. CMPase 5.0 was variable in Golgi and ER, but was stronger at pH 2.7 and occurred in the nuclear membrane. TPPase only occurred in a single Golgi cisterna, or very weakly in a few lipoid bodies. P-galactosidase was rarely seen, and only within Golgi. As there was considerable metabolism of unsaturated lipids and little hydrolytic enzyme content, it was concluded that Bonarnla sp. may synthesise lipids from triglycerides hydrolysed by haemocyte enzymes, reducing the need for parasite hydrolytic enzymes.
Angiotensin II Induces α3(IV) Collagen Expression in Cultured Murine Proximal Tubular Cells

Angiotensin II (ANG II) induces cellular hypertrophy of cultured proximal tubular cells from various species. This hypertrophic response is associated with an increase in synthesis of basement membrane-associated collagen type IV. Previous investigations by our group have shown that ANG II stimulates mRNA and protein expression of the "classic" alpha1 and alpha2(IV) chains in cultured murine proximal tubular cells (murine cortical tubules [MCT cells]). Since it is clearer today that kidney basement membranes also contain heterotrimers of novel type IV collagens, the aim of the present study was to evaluate whether ANG II may influence the expression of alpha3 and alpha5(IV) collagen chains in MCT cells. A single dose of 10-8-10-6 M ANG II stimulated mRNA expression of alpha3(IV), but not of alpha5(IV), in MCT cells cultured in serum-free media. This response was mediated through AT1-receptors because losartan, but not an AT2-receptor antagonist, abolished the ANG II-induced expression of alpha3(IV) transcripts. Transient transfection of MCT cells with transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) antisense phosphorothioate-modified oligonucleotides partly abolished the ANG II-induced alpha3(IV) mRNA expression. Furthermore, Western blots of cellular lysates incubated with polyclonal antibodies generated against the recombinant collagen chains revealed that ANG II stimulated alpha3(IV) but not alpha5(IV) protein expression. This stimulation was partly prevented by co-incubation with a neutralizing anti-TGF-beta1-3 antibody. In summary, our data indicate that ANG II stimulates expression of the alpha3(IV) collagen chain in cultured MCT cells, due in part to TGF-beta1 activation.
Role of Health Extension Worker in Tuberculosis Prevention and Control in Ethiopia: Systematic Review

Background: Health Extension Program was designed to serve the rural community of Ethiopia and has brought significant change in improving utilization of family planning, antenatal care, postnatal care, birth preparedness, initiating breast feeding immediately after birth and HIV testing. In relation to Tuberculosis (TB) prevention and control, TB patients believe that they learnt about TB from HEWs and some patients stated that they could not have been diagnosed without the work of HEWs. HEWs focus on Education of the community, Identification of suspects, referral of suspects to health Facilities, Support for adherence to treatment, retrieval of absentees and contact tracing. Objective: The objective of this review was to assess the role of Ethiopian health extension workers in prevention and control of TB. Method: Computerized systematic search was conducted through PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science direct databases. After reviewing for relevance of articles based on title, abstract and eliminating for redundancies five articles were included for this review. Studies presented to the original article, studies that examine contribution of HEWs to TB prevention, studies conducted in Ethiopia; studies written in English were included in the review. Results: Large number of people with TB symptom which is the base for TB prevention and elimination strategy was identified by the HEWs. The health extension workers identified not only new patients but also the retreatment (defaulters) which are the major contributors to (multi drug resistant TB (MDR-TB). From the identified TB suspects by HEWs, majority of them were found to be positive for the disease. Health extension worker remain the health worker who identify TB suspects and refer patient to health facilities. They were also the source of community health educator in relation to TB.
International GAAP Differences: The Impact on Foreign Analysts

This paper investigates the relation between differences in accounting standards across countries and foreign analyst following and forecast accuracy. We develop two measures of differences in generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) for 1,176 country‐pairs. We then examine the impact of these measures of accounting differences on foreign analysts. In so doing, we utilize a unique database that identifies the location of financial analysts around the world, creating a sample that covers 6,888 foreign analysts making a total of 43,968 forecasts for 6,169 firms from 49 countries during 1998–2004. We find that the extent to which GAAP differs between two countries is negatively related to both foreign analyst following and forecast accuracy. Our results suggest that GAAP differences are associated with economic costs for financial analysts.
Caenorhabditis elegans-Aspergillus fumigatus (nematode-mould) model for study of fungal pathogenesis.

Aims : Caenorhabditis elegans nema tode pathosystem has been used to study both bacterial and fungal pathogenesis. Apart from Candida and Cryptococcus , studies using this model for other fungal infections especially filamentous fungi however, are still lacking. This work aimed at developing a C. elegans - Aspergillus fumigatus (nematode - mould) killing assay model. Study Design : Infection model of Caenorhabditis elegans with Aspergillus fumigatus . Place and Duration of Study: Centre for Molecular Microbiology and Infection, Imperial College Lo ndon, London SW7 2AZ, United kingdom , between October 2011 and April 2012. Methodology: Double mutant glp - 4;sek - 1 strain of C. elegans worms were propagated and maintained on nematode growth medium (NGM) with Escherichia coli non - pathogenic strain HB101 us ed as food prior to a fungal killing assay. L4 stage of the worms were infected with spores of A. fumigatus wild - type strain AF293, and incubated in 30% brain heart infusion (BHI) in M9 buffer at room temperature for 72 h. The survival of the worms was stu died within this period. Results: The scenario presented after killing of the worms by A. fumigatus appears to be the same
Treatment of multiple gingival recession using coronally advanced flap combined with button application

BACKGROUND: Gingival recession is treated to reduce root sensitivity and to improve esthetics. Various surgical techniques have been proposed for treating gingival recession. Coronally advanced flap is one of the most widely used surgical technique for the treatment of Miller’s class I gingival recession. Various modifications of the coronally advanced flap have been proposed for treating gingival recession. AIM OF THE STUDY: To evaluate the effectiveness of coronally advanced flap combined with orthodontic button application for the treatment of Miller’s class I multiple adjacent gingival recession. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 10 systemically healthy subjects of age ranging from 18 to 50 years with Miller’s class I multiple adjacent gingival recession in maxillary arch. Recession defects were treated by coronally advanced flap with orthodontic button. Clinical parameters like plaque index (PlI), gingival index (GI), recession depth (RD), recession width (RW), relative attachment level (RAL), gingival thickness (GT), and keratinized tissue width (KTW) were evaluated at baseline, 1 month and 3 months. Percentage of root coverage was evaluated at 1 month and 3 months. The paired ‘t’ test was used to test the significance of the change. RESULTS: In this study, clinical parameters like RD, RAL and GT showed a statistically significant value between baseline and 1month and between baseline and 3 months. There was no significant difference in RW, KTW at baseline and 1 month and 3 months. Mean percentage of root coverage at 1 month was 76.82 % and 3 month was 75.89%. CONCLUSION: In the present study, results showed that coronally advanced flap with orthodontic button is effective for the treatment of Miller’s class I multiple adjacent gingival recession.
Influence of linseed oil on performance and egg quality of semi-heavy laying hens

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the influence of the linseed oil addition in replacement of soybean oil in laying hens diets on performance and internal and external egg quality. A total of 192 laying hens Bovans Godline line with 29 week-old, were distributed to six treatments, that consisted of a control diet (without vegetal oil) and of five diets containing 2% of linseed oil in replacement of 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% of soybean oil, generating levels of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 % of linseed oil in the diets. The evaluated parameters were: production (PROD), egg weight (EW) and mass (EM), feed:egg mass ratio (FEM) and feed:egg dozen ratio (FED), albumen, yolk and shell weights and percentages, specific gravity, albumen and yolk dry matter, ashes and protein, yolk cholesterol and coloration. The production , EW, EM, FEM and FED, as for internal and external egg quality, were not influenced by the linseed oil levels in the diet. Likewise, no effect was observed on egg chemical composition and only yolk coloration was intensified with the levels above 1% of linseed oil in the diet. The addition of up to 2% f linseed oil on diet did not alter the performance on semi-heavy laying hens, and the internal and external egg quality and cholesterol.
Coloration and Chromatophores of the Domino Damsel, Dascyllus trimaculatus

Abstract The general background hue of the skin of the domino damsel (Dascyllus trimaculatus; Pomacentridae) is velvet-black, but three white spots, one on the median parietal region and the other two around the base of the dorsal fin, form a characteristic, conspicuous pattern for this species. In the dark background region, dermal melanophores form a dense monolayer, while in the white spots, a thick accumulation of non-dendritic iridophores is present in the dermis, which is lined with a layer of melanophores. The melanophores in the velvet-black area extend their processes parallel to the plane of the skin, and respond to various stimuli by aggregating or dispersing their melanosomes, which result in the hue changes there. Iridophores in the white spots contain many piles of thin light-reflecting platelets which are responsible for the whiteness of the spots through the multilayered thin-film interference phenomenon. In response to certain stimuli, the spectral reflectance peak shifts to some extent, and such responses may be due to simultaneous changes in the distance of platelets in those piles. The melanophores underlying the white spots extend their cellular processes through spaces among iridophores in order to cover them. When melanosomes migrate peripherally into the tips of the dendrites, they cover the underlying iridophores and the spot darkens; the whiteness reappears when the melanosomes move back down the dendrites into the perikarya of the melanophores.
Nitrogenous constituents in the urine of cattle, sheep and goats

Ten samples of urine from dairy cows, five from sheep and four from goats were analysed to assess the distribution of urinary nitrogen (N) among various chemical constituents in order to gain a better understanding of the reactions undergone by urinary N in soil. Total N in the cow urine ranged from 6.8 to 21.6 g N litre−1, of which an average of 69% was present as urea, 7.3% as allantoin, 5.8% as hippuric acid, 3.7% as creatinine, 2.5% as creatine, 1.3% as uric acid, 0.5% as xanthine plus hypoxanthine, 1.3% as free amino acid N and 2.8% as ammonia. In the sheep urine, total N ranged from 3.0 to 13.7 g litre−1 of which an average of 83 % was present as urea; creatine accounted for 5.3% of the N; hippuric acid and allantoin both accounted for 4.3%, while each of the other constituents amounted to less than 1% of the total N. The goat urine was similar to the sheep urine but with a lower ratio of creatine to creatinine and a somewhat higher proportion (2.0 %) of the total N as amino acid.
Randomized phase III trial of paclitaxel/carboplatin with or without PF-3512676 as first line treatment of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC)

8017 Background: Gemcitabine/cisplatin (GC) is standard first line therapy for patients (pts) with Stage IIIB/IV NSCLC. PF- 3512676 (PF-676) is an oligodeoxynucleotide toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) a.
Optimal penalty for investment delay in public procurement contracts

Our aim in this paper is to provide a general framework in which to determine the optimal penalty fee inducing the contractor to respect the contracted delivery date in public procurement contracts (PPCs). We do this by developing a real option model that enables us to investigate the contractor's value of investment timing flexibility which the penalty rule - de facto - introduces. We then apply this setting in order to evaluate the range of penalty fees in the Italian legislation on PPCs: according to our calibration analysis, there is no evidence that the substantial delays recorded in the execution times of Italian investments are to be due to incorrectly set penalty fees. This result opens the way for other explanations of delays in PPCs: we thus extend our model to include the probability that the penalty is ineffectively enforced and study how calibration results are accordingly affected. We finally show how our model can be used to investigate both the case of a penalty/premium rule and the one of an optimal penalty fee in a concession contract.
The Formation of Test Arrays and a Core Collection in Cucumber Using Phenotypic and Molecular Marker Data

Genetic relationships among 970 cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) plant introductions (PIs) in the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System (NPGS) were assessed by observing variation at 15 isozyme loci. Allozyme frequency data for these PIs were compared to allozyme variation in heirloom and modern (HM 178 accessions), and experimental commercial (EC) germplasm (EC germplasm; 82 accessions) in use after 1985. Multivariate analysis defined four distinct groups of accessions (Groups A-D), where Group A consisted of PIs received by the NPGS before 1992, Group B contained PIs from India and China obtained by NPGS after 1992, Group C consisted of EC germplasm, and Group D contained H&M cultivars. Morphological, abiotic stress (water and heat stress tolerance) and disease resistance evaluation data from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN) for the PIs examined were used in conjunction with estimates of population variation and genetic distance estimates to construct test arrays and a core collection for cucumber. Disease resistance data included the evaluation of angular leafspot (Pseudomonas lachrymans (E.F. Smith) Holland), anthracnose (Colletotrichum lagenarium (Ross.) Ellis & Halst), downy mildew (Pseudoperonospora cubensis (Berk. & Curt) Rostow), rhizoctonia fruit rot (Rhizoctonia solani Kuhn), and target leafspot (Corynespora cassiicola (Berk. & Curt) Wei) pathogenicity. The test arrays for resistance-tolerance to angular leafspot, anthracnose, downy mildew, rhizoctonia fruit rot, target leafspot, and water and heat stress consisted of 17, 16, 17, 16, 17, 16, and 16 accessions, respectively. The core collection consisted of accessions in these test arrays (115) and additional 32 accessions that helped circumscribe the genetic diversity of the NPGS collection. The core collection of 147 accessions (115 + 32) represents ≈11% of the total collection's size (1352). Given estimates of genetic diversity and theoretical retention of diversity after sampling, this core collection could increase curatorial effectiveness and the efficiency of end-users as they attempt to identify potentially useful germplasm. improve managerial effectiveness of germplasm curation, and increase the availability of unique genetic resources for plant
TRUNK AND LOWER EXTREMITY MUSCLE ENDURANCE: NORMATIVE DATA FOR ADULTS

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to establish a gender and age referenced table of normative values for seven standardized tests of trunk and lower extremity muscular endurance. Subjects. 548 volunteers (276 women and 272 men) who had not missed work in the preceding six months due to back or neck pain. Methods. Experienced therapists followed a standardized protocol to measure subjects' endurance on five isometric and two dynamic endurance tests. Analysis and Results. For each test, 25th, 50th and 75th percentile scores were determined for 10 age/gender categories. Conclusion and Discussion. In clinical practice, these tests can be used at intake or as an outcome measure by comparing a patient’s scores with the normative percentile data to assess which muscles exhibit dysfunction and to what degree.