Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antitumor activity of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides with different molecular weights: an in vitro and in vivo study

ABSTRACT The antitumor activity of Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) has been reported, but the structure–bioactivity relationship has still not been fully elucidated. In this study, four water-soluble LBP fractions with serial different molecular weights (MWs) were separated from LBP, designated LBP-2, LBP-3, LBP-4, and LBP-5. After a characteristic analysis, the relationship between MW and antitumor activity of LBP was investigated both in vitro using murine hepatoma H22 cells and in vivo using H22 tumor-bearing mice. In vitro, the results showed that all the LBP fractions had significant inhibition on H22 cells, in which LBP-3 had the best activity. LBP-3 could induce apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential destruction, and S phase arrest in H22 cells. In vivo, the results showed that LBP-2, LBP-3, LBP-4, and LBP-5 could inhibit the tumor growth in H22 tumor-bearing mice by 18.18%, 37.97%, 9.09%, and 14.44%, respectively. However, only LBP-3 was able to decrease the tumor weight significantly in H22 tumor-bearing mice. Meanwhile, all the LBP fractions did not show significant toxicity to murine splenocytes, thymus, and spleen. Taken together, these results demonstrated that the antitumor activity of LBP was closely related to its MW, and LBP-3 with medium MW (40–350 kDa) was the main active fraction.
Determination of factors influencing pre-service teachers' sense of self-efficacy

This study examined the factors that influence the sense of self efficacy of pre-service teachers at a university of technology in South Africa. To this end, a questionnaire was used in a survey to collect data from the population of fourth-year Bachelor of Education students. The Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) was used to measure the teaching self-efficacy of pre-service teachers, whilst the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) was used to measure their personality dimensions. The findings revealed that pre-service teachers differed in terms of the extent of their teaching self-efficacy. The findings also revealed that gender and study programme had no influence on pre-service teachers’ teaching self-efficacy. The findings further revealed that there is no relationship between pre-service teachers’ teaching self-efficacy and personality factors, namely neuroticism (N) and extraversion (E). Furthermore, the findings revealed that the programme of study emerged as a significant predictor of efficacy in the classroom management subscale of teaching self-efficacy.
Automated optical image analysis of goethitic iron ores

To optimise processing/beneficiation procedures a detailed characterisation of goethitic ores is needed, including mineral liberation, association and textural classification. The identification of different iron oxides and oxyhydroxides is already reliably performed by optical image analysis (OIA). Automated OIA identification of different gangue materials, particularly quartz, can be problematic, however. The article demonstrates the capability of OIA software Mineral4/Recognition4 to characterise goethitic iron ores. Characterisation includes identification of the different types of goethite, hydrohematite and gangue materials such as quartz and kaolinite. XRD and XRF analysis results are compared with those from OIA. Correlation of these results and visual comparison shows that optical image analysis can be an effective tool for characterisation of low and medium grade iron ores. The work highlights issues regarding discrimination of aluminous goethite and gangue, micro and nano-porosity and effective density, for further study.
Coworking, a Way to Achieve Sustainable Mobility? Designing an Interdisciplinary Research Project

Sustainable mobility has been one of the central paradigms of research in the field of transport and mobility for several decades. However, the implications of adopting the concept of “sustainable mobility” for the conduct of interdisciplinary research has been little discussed within the relevant research community. Research in the field of transport and mobility has nevertheless been the setting for major debates in recent years on the question of interdisciplinarity, or even transdisciplinarity, with the emergence of mobility studies as opposed to transportation studies. The objective of this paper is to show, empirically, how researchers who are specialised in mobility and transport issues, but who belong to different disciplines (anthropology, computer science, economics, geomatics, sociology and urban planning) have sought to build an interdisciplinary research project—which is currently ongoing—around the links between the development of coworking, which is a new way of organising work, mobility and sustainability. This paper sets out to highlight cross-fertilisation between disciplines, the issues raised, and the difficulties encountered. As such, it provides an account that is as faithful as possible to our experience of conducting interdisciplinary research in the area of sustainable mobility.
International Consensus Conference Statement of the 5 th International Consensus Conference in Critical Care Challenges in end-of-life care in the ICU > Brussels, Belgium,April 2003

Death, previously a private, usually spiritual or religious event involving family and friends is today by contrast, often public and technological. The severity of illness of hospitalised patients has progressively increased over recent decades, whilst sophisticated technological support has allowed such patients to survive longer.At the same time it is increasingly accepted that continued aggressive care might not always be beneficial. Death in the ICU, therefore, now frequently follows limitation of life-supporting therapies. As a result, the mission of intensive care has expanded to encompass the provision of the best possible care to dying patients and their families. The International Consensus Conference was convened to discuss some of the challenges posed by these social and medical changes. On 24‐25April 2003, in Brussels, Belgium, a jury of 10 persons, including an anthropologist and nine intensivists, attended the presentations of 30 experts in the field of end-of-life care, and the subsequent discussions, with the objective to answer five specific questions. (1) Is there a problem with end-of-life care in the ICU? (2)What is the epidemiology of death in the ICU? (3) How does one explain the differences between and within countries and cultures regarding end-of-life care? (4) Who decides to limit life-sustaining treatments in the ICU? (5) What is the optimal care for patients dying in the ICU? The following document is a synthesis of the experts’opinion, the available literature and 2 days of deliberation by the jury. © 2004 Published by Elsevier SAS on behalf of Societe de reanimation de langue francaise.
Histopathological Evaluation of Lung Autopsy: 100 Cases Study

Background: Autopsy histopathology is useful in cases of undiagnosed cases or suspected cases to confirm the diagnosis in routine and medicolegal cases. There is involvement of lung in various infectious and tumour conditions along with end events of cardiovascular events. Objective: The present study was done to find spectrum of lung lesions by histopathological examination of lung autopsy tissues. Material and Methods: The present study was conducted in the Department of Pathology, M.G. M. Medical College Indore, from January 2016 to December 2017. Total 100 cases were studied. The diagnosis in all the cases were made on Hematoxylin and Eosin stained slides of processed tissue. Results: Among the 100 cases, 37% shows congestion, 17% shows pneumonia, 38% shows nonspecific inflammation, 4% cases show tuberculosis, 1% shows emphysema, 3% shows normal finding. Among all cases 80 were males and 20 were females. Conclusion: Histopathology examination of autopsy lung tissue is useful for evaluation of underlying lung pathology. The common finds were congestion, nonspecific inflammation and Pneumonia.
The Role of the Gravity Forces on Firms’ Trade

This paper offers both a theoretical framework and empirical evidence on the role that the two gravity forces, namely market size and geographical distance, have indirectly through imports, on firms’ exports patterns. The model shows that sourcing from bigger and closer markets implies higher productivity gains that, in turn, increase firms’ ability to enter export market as well as their export value. Exploiting data on product‐ and destination‐level transactions of a large panel of Italian firms, the paper shows that, on average, the indirect effects of the gravity forces are about one third of their direct effects. Resume. Role des forces de gravite sur le commerce des entreprises. Cet article offre a la fois un cadre theorique et des preuves empiriques sur le role que deux forces de gravite, a savoir la taille du marche et l’eloignement geographique, peuvent indirectement exercer sur les profils d’exportation des entreprise en fonction de leurs importations. Ce modele montre que l’approvisionnement sur des marches plus vastes et plus proches engendre de meilleurs gains de productivite, augmentant ainsi la capacite des entreprises a integrer le marche d’exportation ainsi que la valeur de leurs exportations. En s’appuyant sur des donnees provenant d’un large panel d’entreprises italiennes et relatives aux transactions par type de produit et par destination, cet article montre qu’en moyenne, les effets indirects des forces de gravite representent environ un tiers de leurs effets directs.
Effect of Thyme Oil on the Transdermal Permeation of Pseudoephedrine HCl from Topical Gel

The aims of the current study were to prepare pseudoephedrine gel formulations for skin permeability and to assess the effect of thyme oil on the permeability of the formulations. Thyme oil was used in the gel formulations at a range of concentrations (0–3%) and its effects on pseudoephedrine permeation profiles in vitro were observed. Several physicochemical characteristics of the formulated gels were analyzed to assess their suitability for topical application. A standard pseudoephedrine calibration curve was prepared to analyze the quantity of drug released from the samples. In vitro drug permeability was studied using a Franz diffusion cell apparatus with a cellulose membrane and excised rabbit skin. Several kinetic models were used to assess the drug permeability behavior, and the Korsmeyer-Peppas kinetic model was found to correspond to the in vitro drug release profiles of the pseudoephedrine gels. The formulation was physiochemically stable, the drug was released, and thyme oil did enhance the permeation of the drug up to 69.87%.
Toll-Like Receptors are Associated with Helicobacter pylori Infection and Gastric Mucosa Pathology

Background: Toll-like receptors (TLRs) mediate recognition of Helicobacter pylori and initiate the innate immune response to infection. Toll-like receptors polymorphisms are thought to influence susceptibility to H. pylori infection and H. pylori-related diseases. Objectives: To investigate the association of TLR polymorphisms with the susceptibility to H. pylori infection and various types of gastritis in Thai patients. Methods: The single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) TLR1 rs4833095, TLR2 rs3804099 and rs3804100, TLR4 rs10759932 and TLR10 rs10004195 were analysed in 400 gastritis patients by real-time PCR using a TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assay. The association between TLR polymorphisms and the risk of H. pylori infection was investigated in 196 uninfected and 204 H. pylori-infected patients. The associations between TLR genotypes and the risk of gastric pathology changes, including chronic gastritis (N = 312 cases) and precancerous gastric lesions/gastric cancer (GC) (N = 88 cases), were examined. Univariate analysis was used to determine odds ratios (ORs) with confidence intervals (95% CIs). Results: Patients with the CC -or TT homozygous genotype for TLR1 rs4833095 had a significantly increased risk of H. pylori susceptibility (OR = 2.28, 95% CI = 1.27 7.60, P = 0.02 and OR = 1.34, 95% CI = 0.97 1.86, P = 0.04, respectively). Patients with the AA homozygous genotype for TLR10 rs10004195 had a significantly increased risk of H. pylori susceptibility (OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 0.98 1.76, P = 0.01) and exhibited a significantly increased risk of precancerous gastric lesions/GC (OR = 8.75, 95% CI = 2.78 14.24, P < 0.01). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the TLR1 rs4833095 and TLR10 rs10004195 polymorphisms are potential genetic risk factors that modify the H. pylori infection susceptibility and influence the clinical manifestation of chronic gastritis, precancerous gastric lesions and GC in Thai patients.
Isolation, Screening and Identification of Cellulolytic Bacteria from Soil

Background: Cellulose is the most abundant carbohydrate on earth and is considered as a good candidate for production of second generation biofuel (ethanol) and many other products of routine use. For degradation, cellulases are used which are mostly secreted by microbes such as fungi. Cellulases also play an important role in senescence of plants and in host-parasite relationship for invading the plant cell wall. However, comparatively lesser studies have been carried out on cellulase producing bacteria. Therefore, present study was aimed to isolate cellulase (Endo-β-1,4-D-glucanase; EC. 3.2.1.4.) from bacterial sources. Methodology: To isolate thermophilic/ mesophilic cellulase producing bacteria, soil samples were collected from wood furnishing area and agricultural farm around Indore. Besides, soil sample was also collected from the vicinity of Amlai Paper Mill in Budhar district, Madhya Pradesh. These soil samples after suitable dilutions were streaked on different nutrients agar petri-dishes having carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) as an inducer. After screening, four colonies were isolated capable of producing good amount of cellulase. Screening was done using Congo red staining and confirmation was done after growth of the bacteria in liquid nutrient medium having CMC. These colonies individually were grown in suitable nutrient media having CMC as an inducer and enzyme activity was determined in the nutrient media after harvesting bacterial cells by centrifugation. Results: The highest enzyme producing bacteria were identified as Bacillus lichenoformis and Ochrobactrum anthropi after biochemical analyses, 16S rRNA sequencing and subsequently phylogenetic tree analysis.
Genetic and Non-Genetic Factors Affecting Post-Weaning Growth and Morphometric Traits in Assam Hill Goat

The present work was conducted to evaluate the performance in respect of post-weaning growth and morphometric traits of Assam Hill goat. Data on 960 animals belonging to 3 populations of Assam Hill goat maintained at three field units viz., Batabari, Nahira and Tetelia under All India Coordinated Research Project on Goat Improvement were utilized. The least-squares means for body weight, height at withers, heart girth and body length were 7.557 ± 0.049 kg, 41.231 ± 0.121 cm, 44.621 ± 0.115 cm and 50.778 ± 0.172 cm at 6 months; 9.934 ± 0.044 kg, 43.902 ± 0.120 cm, 48.890 ± 0.099 cm and 55.552 ± 0.170 cm at 9 months and 12.549 ± 0.046 kg, 46.791 ± 0.112 cm, 52.765 ± 0.090 cm and 58.392 ± 0.207 cm at 12 months of age, respectively. Location had significant effect on body weight and height at withers at all age groups; on heart girth at 6, 9 and 12 months and on body length at 6 and 12 months of age. Season of birth exerted significant effect on body weight at 9 and 12 months; on height at withers at 12 months and on body length at 6, 9 and 12 months of age. Significant effect of sex was observed on body weight at 9 and 12 months, on height at withers at 6, 9 and 12 months and on heart girth and body length at 9 and 12 months of age. The heritability estimates for body weight and body measurements were moderate indicating scope of selection. The phenotypic and genetic correlation among body weights and body measurements at 6, 9 and 12 months of age were positive in direction and high in magnitude.
Prevalence of sickle cell disease among children attending plateau specialist hospital, Jos, Nigeria

Background: An estimate of 250,000 children are born annually with sickle cell disease (SCD) worldwide and 75%–85% of the affected children are born in Africa; where mortality rates for those under age 5 years range from 50% to 80%. Objective: The present study was conducted to estimate the prevalence of SCD among children in Plateau State Specialist Hospital (PSSH), Jos, Nigeria. Methodology: Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Ethics Committee of the Hospital. Secondary data on age, gender, and region from the case notes of infants, children and/or adolescents; who received medical care in PSSH from 2012 to 2014 were used. Data were analyzed using frequency tables and Chi-square statistics. Results: The findings revealed that the prevalence of SCD in PSSH, Jos from 2012 to 2014 was 26.9/1000 population of pediatric patients. There was a gradual increase in the prevalence rate from 25.8/1000 in 2012 to 26.8/1000 in 2013 and 28.1/1000 in 2014. However, the case fatality rate of SCD gradually decreased from 15.4% in 2012 to 11.1% in 2013 and 10.3% in 2014. Chi-square test shows that the prevalence of the disease in relation to sex, age, and residence was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Even though the case fatality rate of the disease decreased, its prevalence increased during the study. Conclusion: Therefore, preventive measure for SCD such as premarital genetic screening and counseling should be emphasized, especially in the southern and central geopolitical zones of Plateau state, where the prevalence was found to be higher.
A Probabilistic Framework for Moving-Horizon Estimation: Stability and Privacy Guarantees

This article proposes a probabilistic framework for the design of robustly asymptotically stable moving-horizon estimators (MHE) for discrete-time nonlinear systems, and a mechanism to incorporate differential privacy in moving-horizon estimation. We formulate the moving-horizon estimator as an iterative proximal descent scheme in the space of probability measures with respect to the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L^2$</tex-math></inline-formula>-Wasserstein metric, which we name <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$W_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>-MHE. We then investigate asymptotic stability and robustness properties of the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$W_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>-MHE against the backdrop of the classical notion of strong local observability. Motivated by applications where the measurement data used by the estimator is to be kept private, we then propose a mechanism to incorporate differential privacy in the estimation method, based on an entropy regularization of the MHE objective functional. In particular, we find sufficient bounds on the regularization parameter to achieve the desired level of differential privacy. We then demonstrate the performance of the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$W_2$</tex-math></inline-formula>-MHE in numerical simulations.
Short-term Cost-effectiveness of Reteplase versus Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients with Acute STEMI a Tertiary Hospital in Iran

Introduction: This study aimed to compare primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) versus reteplase in terms of clinical and para-clinical outcomes; as well as cost-effectiveness in patients with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Primary percutaneous coronary intervention is the method of choice in all patients especially those at higher risks. But an on-site professional team in a 24/7 facilitated system is a difficult goal to achieve in many areas and countries, therefore the cost-effectiveness of these two treatment strategies (PPCI and reteplase) needs to be discussed. Methods: This prospective cohort study included 220 patients presented with STEMI who were admitted to a university hospital between January 2014 to July 2016. Patients were divided into two groups of 120, either receiving reteplase or PPCI. Clinical outcomes were considered duration of hospital stay and MACE (Major Advanced Cardiovascular Events) including death, cerebrovascular accident, need for repeat revascularization, and major bleeding. LVEF (Left ventricular ejection fraction) was considered as a para-clinical outcome. The outcomes and total hospital cost were compared between two treatment groups. Results: Demographic characteristics between two groups of PPCI or reteplase didn’t show any significant differences. But in para-clinical outcomes, patients in PPCI group showed higher LVEF, compared with reteplase group (45.9 ± 11.5% versus 42.0 ± 11.8%; P = 0.02). Complication rates were similar in both groups but repeat revascularization or coronary artery bypass surgery was more prevalent in those who received thrombolytic therapy (P < 0.05). Length of hospital stay in both groups was similar in two groups but total cost was higher in patients who have received PPCI. (147769406.9 ± 103929358.9 Tomans vs. 117116656.9 ± 67356122.6 Tomans; respectively, P = 0.01). Conclusions: In STEMI patients who present during off-hours, thrombolytic therapy seems to represent a safe alternative to PPCI. Higher costs for patients with PPCI may be decreased with shorter duration of hospital stays according to guidelines.
Expansion of Eastern Redcedar (Juniperus virginiana L.) into the Deciduous Woodlands within the Forest–Prairie Ecotone of Kansas

North America’s midcontinent forest–prairie ecotone is currently exhibiting extensive eastern redcedar (ERC) (Juniperus virginiana L.) encroachment. Rapid expansion of ERC has major impacts on the species composition and forest structure within this region and suppresses previously dominant oak (Quercus) species. In Kansas, the growing-stock volume of ERC increased by 15,000% during 1965–2010. The overarching goal of this study was to evaluate the spatio-temporal dynamics of ERC in the forest–prairie ecotone of Kansas and understand its effects on deciduous forests. This was achieved through two specific objectives: (i) characterize an effective image classification approach to map ERC expansion, and (ii) assess ERC expansion between 1986 and 2017 in three study areas within the forest–prairie ecotone of Kansas, and especially expansion into deciduous forests. The analysis was based on satellite imagery acquired by Landsat TM and OLI sensors during 1986–2017. The use of multi-seasonal layer-stacks with a Support Vector Machine (SVM)-supervised classification was found to be the most effective approach to classify ERC distribution with high accuracy. The overall accuracies for the change maps generated for the three study areas ranged between 0.95 (95 CI: ±0.02) and 0.96 (±0.03). The total ERC cover increased in excess of 6000 acres in each study area during the 30-year period. The estimated percent increase of ERC cover was 139%, 539%, and 283% for the Tuttle Creek reservoir, Perry reservoir, and Bourbon County north study areas, respectively. This astounding rate of expansion had significant impacts on the deciduous forests where the conversion of deciduous woodlands to ERC, as a percentage of the total encroachment, were 48%, 56%, and 71%, for the Tuttle Creek reservoir, Perry reservoir, and Bourbon County north study areas, respectively. These results strongly affirm that control measures should be implemented immediately to restore the threatened deciduous woodlands of the region.