Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Structural and Functional Analysis of the Levansucrase SacB from Bacillus megaterium

Levansucrase SacB from B. megaterium synthesizes high molecular weight, beta-(2,6) linked levan from sucrose by transfer of fructosyl units. In this study, the structures of SacB variants Y247A, Y247W, N252A, D257A and K373A at resolutions between 1.75 and 2.0 A have been determined. By means of SacB, it is shown for the first time that amino acids remote to the active site of a polysaccharide-forming enzyme have a well-defined and rationally explainable effect on the sugar polymer formation activity. The structural data is consistent with the kinetic and biochemical analyses. Conformational analyses of variants Y247A, Y247W, N252A and K373A reveal an unchanged active site architecture. Supporting the crystallographic data, the kinetic parameters of these variants are not significantly different compared to the wild-type SacB. Moreover, the structural data point towards a possible surface arrangement for the binding of an acceptor fructosyl chain. Residues Asn252, Lys373 and Tyr247 form a platform for a possible stabilization of the acceptor fructan chain. Defined subsites can be assigned to certain amino acids. Variants K373A, N252A and Y247A synthesize unique mixtures of oligosaccharides of clearly distinguishable and different chain lengths correlating to their subsites on the surface of SacB. These results lead to a better understanding of carbohydrate transfer mechanisms. However, structures of complexes between SacB and oligosaccharides of different length are still missing. They would provide a more comprehensive explanation of the transfructosylation process regarding oligo- and polysaccharide synthesis.
“In LANTITE, No One Can Hear You Scream!” Student Voices of High-Stakes Testing in Teacher Education.

This article investigates pre-service teachers’ experiences of undertaking LANTITE, a high-stakes literacy and numeracy test for initial teacher education students. In this mixed methods study, 189 initial teacher education students from 28 Australian universities participated in an online questionnaire, with 27 students going on to take part in semi-structured telephone interviews. Indicative findings give voice to those most impacted by the implementation of LANTITE in 2017, revealing student concerns about the processing and return of results, and test anxiety. This study provides a unique insight into the experiences of completing this high-stakes test.
Volatility Spillovers between Stock and Bond Returns

This paper uses a bivariate BEKK model to estimate volatility spillover effects between stock and bond markets for the Nordic countries Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway. Daily log returns between the years 2001 and 2018 are analyzed. No spillover effect from the bond to the stock market is found in any of the countries which is a result that is unusual compared to a large part of the preexisting literature. Regarding spillover effects from the stock market to the bond market, significant effects are found in Sweden, Denmark and Finland but not in Norway. Volatility Impulse Response Functions (VIRFs) are computed to present the results more intuitively. The VIRFs describe the effects on stock and bond markets after being hit by a shock which originates from either of the markets. The main conclusions drawn from the VIRFs are that a shock originating from the stock market has a persistent effect on bond market volatilities and that stock market to bond market volatility spillovers are higher when the financial markets are more unstable.
Potential Roles of Vitamins in the Management of COVID-19: A Comprehensive Review

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak has caused a public health crisis worldwide. However, data regarding the protective factors of the disease is limited. Consequently, preventive health measures that can decrease the risk of infection, progression, and severity are dreadfully required. It is well-documented that people with immunodeficiency, such as the elderly, people who already have comorbidities (e.g., diabetes mellitus, hypertension, respiratory and cardiovascular disorders), and underrepresented minorities, are placed in a group with a higher risk of getting infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). A diet rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants plays an essential role in strengthening the immune system and fighting against invading pathogens. The present comprehensive review has discussed published literature regarding the potential role of vitamins in strengthening the immune system and managing viral infections, particularly SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although there are controversial data regarding the plasma level of vitamin D and the severity of the disease, according to the limited evidence, vitamin D may lower the mortality rate. Moreover, vitamin C could reduce the development of inflammatory response; however, the results of ongoing clinical trials are required to confirm these primary findings.
Effect of Video-Taped Instruction and Gender on Senior Secondary Students’ Performance in Physics Practical in Port- Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of video-taped instruction and gender on Senior Secondary Students’ performance in practical physics. The design for the study is quasi-experimental, of the type, pretest-posttest control group design. The population of the study comprised of all SS3 physics students in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State. One hundred and three (103) students in 2 coeducational schools made up the sample size. Two groups namely the experimental group and control group were used for the study. The experimental group was taught practical physics using video-taped instruction (VTI) while the control group was taught practical physics using the conventional (real handling of apparatus) teaching method (CM). Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. The instrument used for the study was Physics Practical Skills Rating Scale (PPSRS). The data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions while t-test and two-way analysis of variance (2 x 2 – ANOVA) were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that use of video-taped instruction does not have any significant effect on gender. The following recommendations, among others were also made : that videotaped instruction as a method of teaching should be included in the physics curriculum because it raised students’ interest thereby improving performance irrespective of gender, use of ICT facilities and modern instructional materials should be encouraged in our schools, use of video taped instruction by teachers and students in the classrooms should be encouraged, teachers should be trained and retrained through in service programmes, workshops, conferences and seminars to keep them abreast with modern innovative teaching strategies. Implication of this study is that if VTI is fully implemented in our physics classes which improves performance irrespective of gender, there will be adequate manpower to provide for functional living in the
EVALUATION OF HEMATOPOIETIC AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITIES OF Urtica urens L

The plant was collected in Amecameca, Mexico. The dry leaves were crushed and consecutively soaked in hexane, dichloromethane, methanol, and water. For the hematopoietic activity assays, the femur and spleen of female CD1 mice 8-12 weeks of age were isolated to prepare cell suspensions of 4.5 x 10 cells/mL, which were cultured in RPMI-1640 medium-10% calf serum. The extracts were added to final concentrations of 1, 10 and 100 μg/mL. The cultures were incubated for 72 and 48 h, respectively, at 37C, with 5% CO2. Extract-free cultures with dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and colchicine were included as negative and positive witness, respectively. Cell proliferation was evaluated by the sulfrhodamine method. For antibacterial activity and to determine the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC), double dilutions of extracts were performed from 5-0.039 mg/mL of extracts, which were later added to cultures of Salmonella typhimurium, Shigella flexneri, Salmonella typhi, Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis, Bacillus subtilis, and Staphylococcus aureus (5 x 10 CFU/mL) cultured with RPMI-1640 medium and resazurin sodium salt. The cultures were incubated 24 h at 37C. The hexanic extract inhibited the proliferation of spleen cells. Dichloromethanic and methanolic extracts stimulated cell proliferation as the extract-free in bone-marrow cultures, and 1and 10 μg/mL of dichloromethanic and aqueous extracts and 1 μg/mL of hexanic extract inhibited cell proliferation. In contrast, 1 μg/mL of the methanolic extract and 10 and 100 μg/mL of the hexanic extract stimulated cell proliferation of bone marrow (p <0.001). The remaining extracts and concentrations acted cytostatically. The lowest MIC (0.039 mg/mL) was obtained with the hexane, dichloromethane, and methanol extracts against B. subtilis and hexane and dichloromethane extracts against S. aureus (0.156 mg/mL). U. dioica showed least activity. U. urens and U. dioica produced 14 and 7 inhibitory extracts, respectively.
THE EFFECT OF LEADER MEMBER EXCHANGE ON ARCHIVE FUNCTIONAL CAREER MODERATED BY COMPETENCY AND MOTIVATION VARIABLES AT THE MINISTRY OF MANPOWER

An organization will progress and develop if the resources owned by its employees are good and have a certain quality. The Ministry of Manpower as an organisation, experiences problems related to its human resources. One of them is regarding the in-passing of functional archive positions which are not going well. As a result, the fulfilment of the number of archivists through the archiving functional position in-passing program at the Ministry of Manpower was not achieved. This quantitative study aims to examine the effect of leader member exchange on career functional positions as archivists moderated by competence and motivation variables in the Ministry of Manpower. The random sampling results obtained 70 respondents. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using a simple linear regression analysis model using SPSS 20.The results of this study indicate that there is an effect of leader member exchange on careers, there is an influence of leader member exchange on careers moderated by competency variables, and (3) there is an influence of leader member exchange on careers moderated by motivation variables.
Evaluation of Correlations Between Bladder Detrusor Overactivity and Lower Urinary Tract Infections

Lower Urinary Tract Infections (LUTIs) are regarded as the most frequent form of bacterial infections and bladder Detrusor Overactivity (DO) are considered to contribute to (OAB), including urinary urgency, urinary frequency, with or without Urgency Incontinence (UI), which is common disorder and influences patient's health and quality of life. Since 1960s, studies had focused on whether DO is the etiological factors of recurrent LUTIs or the inverse. Although the definite correlation between DO and LUTIs have not been proved, urinary microbiota may play a role in genesis of DO that was found by mounting evidences using enhanced urine culture technique and pathophysiological variations of bladder detrusor facilitates bacterial colonization in bladder urothelium. In the future, clarification of correlation between DO and LUTIs needs more scheduled studies and more researches that link the urinary microbiota with Central Nervous System (CNS) function to provide accurately information to help us manage the patients more appropriately.
Assessment Nurses' Knowledge to Distinguishing between Infected and Suspected Patients with Novel Coronavirus Disease in the Holy City of Najaf

Novel coronavirus disease SARS-COV-2, known, as COVID-19, is a rapidly spreading pandemic caused by a novel human coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome-corona virus (SARS-COV-2). This poses a risk to health care workers (HCWs) and their families in general, and nurses in particular, as they are on the first frontline in the global battle against novel coronavirus disease. The current study aims to assess the nurses' knowledge about distinguishing between infected and suspected patients with novel coronavirus disease and to identify the relationship between nurses knowledge and their demographic characteristics. This study a descriptive (correlation) quantitative was carried out from 1 November 2020 to 1 July 2021 on the three hospitals in AL Najaf Al-Ashraf province. A non-probability sampling technique (convenience sample) accidentally. The study sample includes (200) nurses who work in Al-Sadr Medical City, Al-Hakim General Hospital, and Al-Amal Specialized Hospital for Communicable Diseases. The research instrument is a questionnaire that is tailored to the study's objectives. A team of experts and Cronbach's Alpha respectively established the validity and reliability of the questionnaire. The result showed that (54%) of nurses were males and (41%) for ages (25-29) years old. Overall nurses' knowledge to distinguish between infected and suspected patients with novel coronavirus disease was moderate. Overall knowledge assessment about coronavirus, shows that about (10%) of the nurses have good knowledge, (38 %) of them have moderate knowledge, while (52 %) have poor knowledge. It was found that the nurse's knowledge is significantly associated with (workplace, qualification, years of experience and continuing nursing education courses). The study concluded that the nurses' overall knowledge of the novel coronavirus disease was moderate. Nurses who involved in continuing nursing education courses have the strongest knowledge. The nurses with higher education degree are the ones who have the most knowledge of novel coronavirus disease. The nurses with the most years of experience are the ones who have the most level of knowledge of novel coronavirus disease. The nurses in isolation hospitals are the ones who have the most knowledge of novel coronavirus disease. Recommendation of the study that the ministry of health should hold training courses and seminars for nurses, in cooperation with the ministry of higher education and scientific research, to introduce them to the novel coronavirus disease. In addition, the hospital's management and continuing nursing education unit must implement an educational program for nurses to raise the level of knowledge about novel coronavirus disease.
The University of Reading Using model reduction methods within incremental 4D-Var

Incremental four-dimensional variational assimilation is a method of data assimilation that requires the minimization of a series of simplified cost functions. These simplified functions are usually derived from a spatial or spectral truncation of the full system being approximated. In this paper we propose a new method for deriving these simplified problems, based on model reduction. We show how this method can be combined with incremental 4D-Var to give an assimilation that retains more of the dynamical information of the full system. Numerical experiments are used to illustrate the superior performance to standard truncation methods.
ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF ACCREDITATION STANDARDSON QUALITY ASSURANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS: FACULTY MEMBERS’ PERCEPTIONS

The study examined the perceptions of faculty members at Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University on the impact of accreditation standards on quality assurance (QA) and risk management within Saudi Arabia higher education institutions. 305 participants responded to an e-survey. Interviews were conducted with QA consultants. Findings revealed that faculty members perceive accreditation standards to have a positive impact on QA procedures of: (1) program management regarding handbooks, strategic planning, committees, KPIs, feedback mechanisms, (2) missions and goals relating to stakeholders’ awareness and mission consistency, (3) teaching and learning concerning course portfolios, periodic reviews, quality of teaching, outcomes, and coursework plans, (4) faculty involvement in QA and research output, (5) risk management concerning resources and educational risks, (6) learning resources, facilities, and adequacy of equipment, and (7) students, with more emphasis on learning, admission policies, and involvement in assessment. Significant differences were found for gender, age, teaching experience, and academic rank.
Retirement and Weight

Retirement from physically demanding work has long served as a healthful respite from backbreaking labor, even if it came too late in life for many. In today’s era of expanding waistlines and increasingly sedentary jobs, however, leaving a physically demanding occupation may produce less healthful outcomes. We find that, during the first six years of retirement, males retiring from strenuous jobs appear to gain weight, while those retiring from sedentary jobs lose it. In particular, retirees from strenuous jobs gain approximately 0.5 more units of BMI, and exhibit relative declines in total exercise. The empirical facts suggest both a direct reduction in job-related exercise, and behavioral substitution towards more leisure-time exercise after retirement. Changes in food intake appear to play little to no role. Finally, the evidence suggests that those retiring from strenuous jobs are at least 25% more likely to contract diabetes in their retirement years. This is consistent with the negative health impacts of weight gain and reduced exercise. * The authors acknowledge funding from the National Institute on Aging.
BFJ-10-2020-0899_proof 88..104

Purpose –The objective of this study is to assess if Italian fish consumers are sensible to shark protection and if they would contribute paying more for small pelagic fishes coming from fisheries that are certified as “shark-free”. Design/methodology/approach – Contingent valuation is used to estimate willingness to paywith a double approach, including a dichotomous choice and an open-ended question. Inconsistency between the two answers is allowed. This allows the correction of two sources of bias (i.e. preference uncertainty and anchoring effect) and has permitted that the two estimation methods converged to the same result. Findings –Consumers show interest for the “shark-free” label. Premiumprice is estimated atþ26%. Variables affectingwillingness to pay (WTP) in the sample are age, income, environmental attitude, knowledge of organic labels and frequency of small pelagics’ consumption. Results need to be confirmed by a replication on a larger (probabilistic) sample and with a different distribution of bids. Originality/value –Ecosystems provide different benefits to humankind, including non-use services, such as the satisfaction to know that a species is well conserved. Generally, appreciation is higher for what are considered charismatic species. In this paper, the authors investigate if sharks can be considered charismatic species despite their “bad reputation”. The interest in shark survival ismeasured indirectly using a “shark-free” label on a commercial species like anchovy, allowing to increase the value added of this low-price species.
Effect of exogenous hormone and rooting medium on cutting propagation of golden Camellia (Camellia impressinervis)

Vegetative propagation method such as cutting, provides uniform plant materials from mother plants. The effect of medium and exogenous hormone pretreatment on rooting were studied for golden camellia Camellia impressinervis, a tree species which is used for healthcare. The results showed that different concentrations of exogenous hormones IBA (Indole-3-butyric acid), IAA (Indole-3acetic acid), significantly affected rooting efficiency. Cuttings treated with IBA and IAA had significantly higher rooting percentage than control (54.2 %). Higher rooting efficiency was obtained with IBA, which resulted in highest rooting percentage of 91.4 % at 4 months of growth by using concentration of 0.5 % (by weight). Hormone types and their concentrations did not affect mean root number (MRN) and mean root length (MRL). Rooting media significantly affected rooting efficiency, MRN per cutting, and MRL. Using medium of 100 % sand resulted in highest rooting percentage ( 91.4 %), roots per cutting (4.2) and MRL (5.4 cm) at 4 months of growth. It is concluded that to produce seedlings for C. impressinervis by cuttings, rooting medium of 100 % sand should be used and cuttings should be pretreated by 0.5 % IBA. In addition, cutting management is also important for rooting efficiency. It must be controlled with humidity of > 95 % and temperature of < 27 oC.
Another Brick in the Wall. Immigration and Electoral Preferences: Direct Evidence from State Ballots

IZA DP No. 14233 MARCH 2021 Another Brick in the Wall. Immigration and Electoral Preferences: Direct Evidence from State Ballots* Using information on actual ballots rather than survey data, we investigate the impact of immigration on both electoral outcomes and immigrant-related motives underlying political preferences. We take advantage of 94 votes, namely 54 policy propositions and 40 elections for candidates, that took place in Californian general elections between 2010 and 2018. We first analyze how the share of immigrants at the census tract level affects electoral outcomes. We find that a rise in immigration is associated with a decrease in people’s support for the Democratic party and for liberal measures. Using proposition topics, we show that this effect is driven by policies pertaining to redistribution, public good provision and justice/crime, while other propositions, less directly related to immigration are not impacted. The effect is stronger when immigrants are less assimilated and originate from poor and culturally distant countries. JEL Classification: F22, D31
Impact of seed priming on vigour in onion (Allium cepa L.)

An investigation was undertaken to identify the effect of seed priming on vigour in fresh and aged seeds of onion (var. Arka Kalyan). It was observed that seed priming with GA3 (50 ppm), KNO3 (3 %) and PEG (-1.5 Mpa) had significant impact on germination and vigour. Aged seeds responded to the priming treatments effectively than fresh seeds. Among various treatments studied, there was an increase of germination in fresh seeds to the extent of 5 % due to treatment with GA3, whereas in aged seeds it was to the extent of 11 % due to PEG treatment.
Sepsis, Cytokine Storms, and Immunopathology: The Divide

Sepsis can result from a variety of pathogens, originating from a range of sources. A vast range of presenting symptoms is included in the catch-all term of bacteremia, making diagnosis and prognosis particularly troublesome. One underexplored factor contributing to disparate outcomes is the age of the patient. Neonatal sepsis in very-low-birth-weight infants can result in vastly different immunological outcomes unique from sepsis in adults. It is also becoming increasingly clear, both from preclinical experimental models and clinical observations, that the age and history of previous microbial exposures can significantly influence the course of infection from sepsis and cytokine storms to immunopathology. In this study, we will explore key differences between neonatal and adult sepsis, experimental models used to study sepsis, and how responses to the surrounding microbial universe shape development of the immune system and impact, positively or negatively, the course of disease. ImmunoHorizons, 2021, 5: 512–522.