Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Demograhic pattern, clinical features and treatment outcome of patients with infective keratitis in the eastern region of Nepal.

BACKGROUND corneal ulcer is one of the major causes of monocular blindness in developing countries. OBJECTIVE to determine demographic pattern, risk factors, microbiological pattern and treatment outcome of infective keratitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS a retrospective analysis of hospital records of 44 patients with clinically-diagnosed infective keratitis presenting to B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences in the eastern region of Nepal was carried out. OUTCOME MEASURES the parameters studied were risk factors and organisms responsible for keratitis. RESULTS the infective keratitis was mostly prevalent among the males between 21-40 years of age (50%). 79.5 % of them were engaged in agricultural work. Ahistory of corneal injury was found in 30 eyes (68.1%). Vegetative matter was the most common agent of trauma in 17 (56.6%). Culture positivity for microorganisms was observed in 20 (45.5%) samples. Of these, 8 (40%) patients had purely bacterial corneal ulcer. Purely fungal growth was seen in 4 (20%) and mixed in 8 (40%). Staphylococcus aureus was the most commonly isolated bacteria (70%). The other bacteria included Pseudomonas species, E. coli and Acinetobactor. Aspergillus species was the most common fungal organism isolated in 8 (40%) samples. 65.9 % of the patients improved with medical treatment alone. Perforation, endophthalmitis and panophthalmitis were the common complications encountered in 11.3%, 4.5% and 4.5% respectively. CONCLUSION corneal ulcer is prevalent in males, predominantly amongst the farmers. Ocular trauma with vegetative matter is the commonest predisposing factor. Staphylococcus aureus and Aspergillus species are the most commonly isolated organisms in corneal ulcers.
Congressional Elections: Campaigning at Home and in Washington

Praised for combining solid empirical research with real-world politics, Paul Herrnson provides a thorough and balanced assessment of congressional campaigns and elections. Arguing that successful candidates actually run two campaigns, one for votes, the other for resources. "Congressional Elections" shows how this dual strategy affects not only who wins individual races, but who impacts representation in Congress more broadly, and ultimately the entire electoral system. Using campaign data, original survey research, and hundreds of interviews with candidates and political insiders, Herrnson systematically analyzes candidate, party, and PAC strategies to give students a feel for how these crucial avenues of political influence converge. Case studies of individual campaigns are woven throughout to paint vivid portraits of real people raising money, giving speeches, serving constituents, and tackling important policy issues. It includes new coverage and analysis such as: the 2006 campaign and election results, including the impact the national parties had on the outcomes of individual races; the Democrats winning control over the House and Senate; the effects of the war in Iraq and political corruption on candidates' issue positioning; the role of the Internet in waging political campaigns; and, the use of outside campaigning, advocacy ads, and grassroots activities to influence election outcomes.
Petrogenesis and Solidification Depth of the Jurassic Daebo and Cretaceous Bulguksa Granitic Rocks in South Korea

We investigated the Jurassic Daebo and Cretaceous Bulguksa granitic rocks in South Korea. The former are distributed mainly in the Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs and the latter are present in the Gyeongsan basin and Ogcheon belt. The Daebo granitic rocks generally are of ilmenite series and I to S type. These rocks are associated with Au–Ag hydrothermal deposits, whereas the Bulguksa granitic rocks are of magnetite series and I type, and are associated with Pb–Zn, Cu and Mo–W hydrothermal deposits, as well as Au–Ag hydrothermal deposits. The Daebo granitic rocks show adakitic signatures in their chemical compositions. They are considered to have been derived from partial melting of the thick lower continental crust. Conversely, the Bulguksa granitic rocks in the Gyeongsan basin are non‐adakitic and are considered to have been derived from partial melting of a mantle wedge. Magmas of the Daebo granitic rocks formed at relatively shallow levels, but solidified at deep levels compared with those of the Bulguksa granitic rocks. The Bulguksa granitic rocks in the central to western Ogcheon belt are considered to have been formed by fractionation of magmas derived from partial melting of continental crust. The total Al contents of biotite and hornblende in the granitic rocks increased, with the Bulguksa granitic rocks in the Gyeongsan basin < the Bulguksa granitic rocks in the Ogcheon belt and Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs and the Daebo granitic rocks in the Ogcheon belt < the Daebo granitic rocks in the Gyeonggi and Yeongnam massifs. This order corresponds to an increase in solidification depth.
Intraspecific variation of diagnostic rDNA genes in Paramecium dodecaurelia, P. tredecaurelia and P. quadecaurelia (Ciliophora: Oligohymenophorea)

Institute of Biology, Educational Academy,Krakow, PolandSummary. Fragments of the 3’ end of SSU rRNA - ITS1 (210bp) and the 5’ end of LSU rRNA (350bp) were analysed in a study ofintraspecific polymorphism in species of the Paramecium aurelia complex. These species have shown various levels of intraspecificpolymorphism in previous RAPD, RFLP and ARDRA analyses, i.e. Paramecium dodecaurelia (high intraspecific polymorphism),P. quadecaurelia and P. tredecaurelia (no intraspecific polymorphism). Studies were performed on six strains of P. dodecaurelia and in twostrains each (only available) of P. tredecaurelia and P. quadecaurelia , originating from geographically remote collecting sites. Alignment ofboth rDNA gene fragments containing 3’SSU rRNA-ITS1 and 5’ LSU rRNA revealed a distinct polymorphism within P. dodecaurelia, i.esix polymorphic sites were found in a fragment of rDNA at the 3’ end of SSU rRNA-ITS1, only one site differentiating strains ofP. tredecaurelia, and no changes in P. quadecaurelia. Similarly, at 5’ LSU several polymorphisms characteristic for the particular strainsof P. dodecaurelia were observed, three polymorphic sites when two strains of P. tredecaurelia were compared, and one polymorphic sitein the case of two strains of P. quadecaurelia . Neighbor- joining and maximum parsimony phylogenies showed that P. dodecaurelia strainsare scattered, particular strains differ as much as different species of the P. aurelia complex. Our present study confirmed previous results(RAPD, RFLP, and ARDRA analyses) which revealed such exceptional intraspecific differentiation in P. dodecaurelia. This is the firstanalysis of the 5’end fragment of LSU rRNA at the intraspecific level in the P. aurelia complex, showing that the fragment seems very usefulat this level.Key words: intraspecific polymorphism, ITS1 region, LSU rRNA gene sequences, Paramecium aurelia species complex, P. dodecaurelia ,P. quadecaurelia, P. tredecaurelia, ribosomal DNA, sequence analyses, SSU rRNA gene sequences.Abbreviations used: bp - base pairs, ITS1 - internal transcribed spacer, LSU - large subunit ribosomal RNA, SSU - small subunit ribosomalRNA.
Temporal change in coda Q before the Tangshan Earthquake of 1976 and the Haicheng Earthquake of 1975

A new earthquake precursor called “coda Q” is demonstrated for the Tangshan earthquake of 1976 and for the Haicheng earthquake of 1975. The precursor is based on the measurement of coda decay rate for small local earthquakes in the general area that is preparing for a major earthquake. During the 3-year period preceding the Tangshan earthquake the coda Q was about 3 times lower than it was before or after this period. A comparable change also occured at the time of the Haicheng earthquake. The observed change cannot be due to the change in the source parameters, such as the focal depth or the source spectrum. The coda Q precursor appears to detect the same physical process detected by other precursors such as b value, quiescence, radon, water quality, Vp/Vs, and animal behavior but has advantages over them in its clearer physical mechanism, easier sampling, and better defined anomalous region.
Studying Student Benefits of Assigning a Service-Learning Project Compared to a Traditional Final Project in a Business Statistics Class

The present study addresses the efficacy of using service-learning methods to meet the GAISE guidelines (http://ww2.amstat.org/education/gaise/GAISECollege.htm) in a second business statistics course and further explores potential advantages of assigning a service-learning (SL) project as compared to the traditional statistics project assignment. Second semester business students were given the choice of participating in a SL project or doing a traditional project assignment. When the projects were completed, students reflected on their experiences via survey. Both groups responded equally (agree or strongly agree) to the Likert scale questions: 96.15% reinforced learning objectives, 98.08% applied to real world, 84.62% positive experience. Responses to the open ended questions revealed that more students in the SL group (p = 0.019) wrote about the benefits of dealing with real world data, more SL students felt their work benefited others (65% felt their statistical expertise was valuable) and more (p=0.005) SL students felt that the experience will help them in future classes. These results suggest that while both groups were able to effectively support the GAISE guidelines, participation in the SL option offered an enhanced learning experience that included elements of social responsibility and personal growth. The experience was perceived more enjoyable and relevant to the real world adding elements of student empowerment while assisting a local agency in need of statistical expertise suggesting one can reap positive learning benefits by introducing service-learning pedagogy into a non-majors statistics course.
Impact of Antibacterial Activity of Physical Storage Extracts on Pathogenic Bacteria

The overuse of antibiotics can lead to resistance among pathogenic bacteria. A new antibiotic that is effective against new and resistant bacterial strains is needed. Plants and marine organisms may offer such novel treatments. In this study, extracts of the seaweed U. lactuca, and the plant seeds N. sativa were tested against strains of Gram-positive cocci and Gram-negative bacilli S. aureus, and P. aeruginosa. The results of the bacterial inhibitor showed high activity in both extracts with inhibition of S. aureus growth up to 30 mm and 20 mm and P. aeruginosa growth inhibition was up to 12 mm and 15 mm, after the treated with 100 μl U. lactuca and N. sativa extracts, respectively. The MICs and MBCs were reflected with the growth inhibitor with values of 2 μl, 8 μl and 4 μl, 8 μl for S. aureus and P. aeruginosa after treated with N. sativa respectively. Kill-time increases as concentrations of U. lactuca and N. sativa extracts increase. Moreover, extracts stored in the transparent bottle decreased in effectiveness after one month of storage with percentage of 58.85%. After three months, heating the extracts of U. lactuca and N. sativa to 90°C increased their antibacterial activity.
Phase space structures generated by an absorbing obstacle in a streaming plasma

The dynamic behavior of an ion flow around an obstacle in a collisionless plasma is investigated. The obstacle consists here of an absorbing cylinder, and a 2 dimensional electrostatic particle‐in‐cell simulation is used to study the flow characteristics. The formation of irregular filamented density depletions, oblique to the flow, is observed. The dynamics of these structures depend on the physical parameters of the plasma. The structures form at the edges of the wake behind the obstacle, in a region with a strong velocity shear, and are found to be associated with phase‐space vortices, observed specially in the velocity direction perpendicular to the flow. The results can be of interest in the interpretation of structures in space plasmas as observed by instrumented space crafts.
Detailed modelling of fluid-particle interaction in sediment transport with applications in rivers

Flood risks, channel and bank erosions are directly related to the sediment transport discharge, its understanding and control. Moreover the prediction of sediment entrainment, transport and deposition, predicting the river bed-form (e.g. ripples and dunes) changes is an important research field due to its substantial practical worth. The prediction process of sediment transport over bed-forms in open-channel flow is strongly affected by the complex turbulence structures. Witnessing effects of small and large turbulent scales on particles while considering inter-particle collisions remain challengeable. On the other hand it is clear that, not only the movement of sediments at river beds is influenced by turbulent flows the but also on most cases the solid particles have a direct impact on the flow regime. One of the tasks remain in this regard is to measure the aforementioned effects, on a very small scales where the momentum exchange at the particulate scales occurs. In order to study such challenges in a more faithful approach, four-way coupling through open source code of CFD-DEM (a coupling code between Computational Fluid dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Method (DEM)), is demonstrated in this research for bed-load sediment transport on a particulate scale. Understanding the fluid-particle interaction for application in rivers where the presence of micro and macro turbulent structures in the fluid plays a significant role, have been the focus of this study. Furthermore this thesis is furnished by conducting numerical and experimental investigations to obtain better understanding of turbulent flows in geometries similar to river bed-forms, e.g. dune-form and bar-form. This research demonstrates that complexity of particle-laden turbulent flows is a result of particle-fluid, fluid-particle, particle-particle and particle-structures that takes place close to bed. Turbulence and near-bed flow velocity along with its irregular risings and fallings have a direct impact on the sediment particles motion. By utilising Large Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulent modelling, turbulent scales are captured. Moreover inter-particle collision of sediments has been highlighted by the means of four-way coupling. Consequently the effect of fluid on the particles and vice versa is demonstrated. It is revealed that the presence of sediment particles in turbulent flows affect the fluid motion along with its accompanying turbulent activities. Particles are lifted as a result of applied forces from eddies and significant influence is therefore captured on the moving particles that are in the vicinity of eddies. The effects that sediments apply on the turbulent structures in the flow have also been captured due to momentum exchange between particle and fluid phase. This has been shown by the means of fluctuation variations at the location of interacting particles.
The Treasures of Darkness : A History of Mesopotamian Religion

The above work is in large measure a recapitulation of theories and interpretations propounded by Jacobsen in earlier writings— in particular, The intellectual adventure of ancient man (ed. H. Frankfort and others, Chicago, 1946), and those articles on religious topics collected in Toward the image of Tammuz (ed. W. L. Moran, Harvard, 1970). In the latter volume are to be found jacobsen's analysis of Dumuzi and his cult (pp. 52-71, 73-101; for a critique see B. Alster, Dumuzi's dream, Copenhagen, 1972, 10-12), the proposal to distinguish between ' transitive' and ' intransitive ' deities in the early Sumerian pantheon (pp. 1-15), and the attempt to characterize certain periods of Mesopotamian religious history in terms of key ' metaphors ' (pp. 39-46). These and other issues are treated again in the present work (in passages, verbatim), but without the detailed annotation of most of Jacobsen's earlier presentations. In many respects it is hard to judge what readership is envisaged for The treasures of darkness. The Assyriologist will regret the lack of annotation, especially in those many instances in which, without comment, Jacobsen's interpretation departs strikingly from the customary. The general reader is likely to regret the absence of historical introduction, maps, and glossary, and the fact that references to texts discussed are usually to cuneiform publications rather than to accessible editions or translations. The sub-title proclaims the book to be ' A history of Mesopotamian religion '. While it is true that the ' history of religion ' may mean different things to scholars in different disciplines (see, for example, M. Eliade and J. M. Kitagawa (ed.), The history of religions: essays in methodology, Chicago, 1959), Jacobsen's interpretation of the term is singular. He compares the task of the historian of religion to that of the literary historian and argues that it is incumbent on both to select for discussion only what the historian judges to be the highest achieve-
The Structure and Dynamics of Tropical Forests In Relation to Climate Variability

Although trends and changes in environmental forcing over tropical regions have been recognized, the question remains: how do tropical forests respond to current and future global climate change? Results from long-term studies of permanent forest plots have reported different, and in some cases opposing, trends in tropical forest dynamics in response to climate variability. Researchers remain divided as to whether tropical forests are likely to become net carbon sources or net carbon sinks under ongoing climate change. In this thesis, I use both empirical field measurement data analyses and mathematical modeling approaches to study the structure and dynamics of tropical forests in relation to climate variability. I examine tree growth rates calculated from long-term plot censuses with 5-year intervals and dendrometer band measurements with 3or 6-month intervals to analyze changes in trees’ growth responses to differences in the mean climate forcing at different sites and to temporal variation in precipitation, temperature and solar radiation at different locations. The results reveal new information about relationships between tree growth and climate variability and offer plausible explanations for conflicting trends in tree growth rates observed across iv different tropical forests over time. In the modeling studies, I use an integral projection model combined with allometric scaling theories to relate tree demographic rates to differences in forest structure. The ability of this model to predict steady-state stem size-frequency distributions of the forests provides the opportunity to gain insights into the demographic history of the forest. I then develop a new dynamic scaling theory that incorporates the two-way interaction between tree demography and forest structure. It can predict the transient, time-dependent dynamics of forest demography and structure as forests reach their steady-state equilibrium, and can capture the characteristic timescales for these processes. This dynamic scaling theory can also be applied in non-equilibrium situations, such as the dynamics of forest re-growth following natural or human disturbances, or transient changes in forest demography and size distributions following climate change.
Long-Term Changes in Rainfall over Eastern China and Large-Scale Atmospheric Circulation Associated with Recent Global Warming

Using precipitation data from rain gauge stations over China, the authors examine the long-term variation of the durations of persistent rainfall over eastern China for the past 40 years. The variation in the regional rainfall was related to a change in the global-mean surface temperature from the relatively cold period of the 1960s‐70s to the relatively warm period of the 1980s‐90s. Compared to the cold period, the persistent rainfall in the warm period began earlier and ended later over southern China, lengthening the rainy season by 23 days, but it began later and ended earlier over northern China, shortening the rainy season by 14 days. This change in the durations of persistent rainfall contributed to the pattern of the long-term change in rainfall: southern floods and northern droughts. The earlier beginning of the rainy season over southern China was associated with a more westward subtropical high over the western North Pacific and a stronger low-level low near the eastern Tibetan Plateau during spring. On the other hand, the later ending of the rainy season over southern China and the shorter rainy season over northern China were related to a more westward subtropical high over the western Pacific and a weaker trough near the eastern Tibetan Plateau during summer. The snow cover over the Tibetan Plateau exhibited a positive trend in winter and spring, which increased the local soil moisture content and cooled the overlying atmosphere during spring and summer. The sea surface temperature over the tropical Indian Ocean and the western North Pacific also displayed a positive trend. The cooling over land and the warming over oceans reduced the thermal contrast between East Asia and the adjacent oceans. Moreover, the low-level low pressure system over East Asia weakened during summer. Under such circumstances, the East Asian summer monsoon circulation weakened, with anomalous northerly winds over eastern China. Correspondingly, the mei-yu front stagnated over the Yangtze River valley, and the associated pattern of vertical motions increased the rainfall over the valley and decreased the rainfall over northern China.
An Ecotoxicological Recovery Assessment of the Clinch River Following Coal Industry-related Disturbances in Carbo, Virginia (USA): 1967-2002

This study was designed to determine whether survival and growth of Asian clams (Corbicula fluminea [Müller]) differed significantly between two types of enclosures. Enclosures consisted of either flexible mesh bags or rigid cages (hereto after referred as bioboxes) designed to homogenize substrate among study sites and more effectively accommodate Asian clam feeding mechanisms. For 96-d, cages remained at 12 Clinch River (CR), Hurricane Fork (HF), and Dump’ s Creek (DC) sites upstream and downstream of a coalfired power plant discharge, coal mining effluent, and coal-combustion related disposal facilities in Carbo, Virginia. Although survival was not significantly different between caging devices, mean growth of clams in bioboxes was significantly greater overall (p=0.0157). Despite the difference in growth between the two cages, both confirmed significant impairment of survival and growth directly below the power plant discharge. Additionally, coefficient of variation values for biobox growth data were reduced at 8 of 12 study sites (averages of 14.5% for bioboxes versus 23% for mesh bags), suggesting that measurements of growth were more precise from bioboxes at most study sites. Our results have implications toward strengthening weightof-evidence approaches used to link impairment of transplanted bivalves to environmental contaminants. 2.
The oldest known bryozoan: Prophyllodictya (Cryptostomata) from the lower Tremadocian (Lower Ordovician) of Liujiachang, south‐western Hubei, central China

A new cryptostome bryozoan, Prophyllodictya simplex sp. nov., is described from the Nantzinkuan Formation (Lower Ordovician, lower Tremadoc) of Liujiachang, central China. This antedates the previously oldest known bryozoan by several million years. Colony morphology and the phylogenetic position of Prophyllodictya within Cryptostomata are explored. Phylogenetic analysis suggests that Cryptostomata (except Prophyllodictya) can be divided into two major groups, and that Prophyllodictya occupies a basal position in the cryptostome tree, which accords with its simple morphology and antiquity. A close relationship is evident between bryozoans from the South China palaeoplate and those from Baltica.