Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial Activities of Plant Extracts against Solanum tuberosum L. Phytopathogens

The purpose of the study was to select an environmentally friendly plant biopesticide to protect seed potatoes against phytopathogens. The scope included the evaluation of the antimicrobial activities of 22 plant water extracts, 22 water-glycol extracts, and 3 subcritical carbon dioxide extracts using the agar diffusion method against 10 potato phytopathogens. For the most effective extracts, minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC), chemical composition analysis by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry and in situ assays on seed potatoes were performed. Garlic water extract was finally selected as the most effective in phytopathogen growth inhibition, both in vitro and in situ, with MIC values ranging between 6.3–25 mg/mL. 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural was determined to be the main component of this extract (33.24%). Garlic water extract was proposed as a potential biopesticide against potato phytopathogens.
Superiority of a Novel Multifunctional Amorphous Hydrogel Containing Olea europaea Leaf Extract (EHO-85) for the Treatment of Skin Ulcers: A Randomized, Active-Controlled Clinical Trial

This 8-week, multicenter, randomized, active-controlled, observer-blinded clinical trial was designed to demonstrate the accelerating effect on wound healing of the novel Olea europaea leaf extract hydrogel (EHO-85) by comparing it to a widely used amorphous hydrogel. Results showed that EHO-85 significantly accelerated wound healing, regardless of ulcer etiology (pressure, venous leg or diabetic foot) and prognosis, doubling the median wound area reduction compared with a reference amorphous hydrogel (79.4% vs. 39.7%; difference: −39.7%, 95% CI: −71.1 to −21.3%; p < 0.001). The intention-to-treat analysis was conducted on 195 patients from 23 Spanish health centers/nursing homes. This novel treatment balances the ulcer microenvironment by modulating reactive oxygen species and pH. These actions complement the moistening and barrier functions inherent to amorphous hydrogels, whilst also conferring EHO-85 its documented granulation formation and pain relief properties. Furthermore, efficacy was achieved safely and in a cost-efficient manner due to its multi-dose format, which reduced the amount of product needed by 85.8% over 8 weeks compared to single-use hydrogel. The present randomized controlled trial is a relevant milestone in evidence-based practice for being the first to demonstrate (i) the effectiveness of an amorphous hydrogel in accelerating wound healing and (ii) the superiority of a specific hydrogel over another.
Pre- and In-service Teachers’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs: A Case Study of an English Language Teacher Education Programme in Albania

This study explores self-efficacy beliefs of pre- and in-service teachers enrolled at an English language teacher (ELT) education programme in a non-public university in Albania. Self-efficacy was assessed overall and in three dimensions: the use of instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management. It also investigates possible relationships between experience in teaching and teacher efficacy beliefs. The 51 participants in the study are all students at the ELT education programme, who are at the same time either pre- or in-service teachers. The data were collected through a teacher efficacy questionnaire delivered via Google forms, and descriptive, comparative, and correlational analyses were performed. The results revealed high rates of the respondents’ overall efficacy perceptions in teaching efficacy and each of its three dimensions. No significant correlation was found between the participants’ teaching experience and their self-efficacy or between their teaching experience and self-efficacy dimensions. Despite limitations, the study has implications for the ELT teacher education programme and suggests future directions for research in the sources of and aspects that influence teacher efficacy beliefs.
Ganoderma zonatum Is the Causal Agent of Basal Stem Rot in Oil Palm in Colombia

Basal stem rot (BSR), caused by Ganoderma spp. , is one of the most important emerging oil palm diseases in Colombia, and is restricted to two oil palm production areas in the country. To identify the causal agent of the disease, basidiocarp of oil palms affected by BSR were used to prepare isolates, and their pathogenicity was then assessed in pre-nursery plants. Four-month-old oil palm seedlings were inoculated with rubber wood (Hevea brasiliensis) blocks colonized with dikaryotic mycelia of Ganoderma. The incidence, severity, and symptoms of the pathogen were assessed. A multiregional analysis (ITS, rpb2, and tef1-α) was carried out to identify the isolates; all isolates were determined to be Ganoderma zonatum. Phylogenetic analyses with the three regions yielded concordant phylogenetic information and supported the distinction of the isolates with high bootstrap support. Seven isolates (CPBsZN-01-29, CPBsZN-02-30, CPBsZN-03-31, CPBsZN-04-34, CPBsZN-05-35, CPBsZN-06-36, and CPBsZN-07-38) were pathogenic in oil palm, with incidences greater than 90% and a maximum severity of 34%, and the highest severity index was found in isolates CPBsZN-03-31, CPBsZN-04-34, and CPBsZN-06-36. The pathogen was recovered from inoculated oil palms in all cases. This study reveals the pathogenic association of Ganoderma zonatum with BSR in Colombia.
An Efficient Way to Screen Inhibitors of Energy-Coupling Factor (ECF) Transporters in a Bacterial Uptake Assay

Herein, we report a novel whole-cell screening assay using Lactobacillus casei as a model microorganism to identify inhibitors of energy-coupling factor (ECF) transporters. This promising and underexplored target may have important pharmacological potential through modulation of vitamin homeostasis in bacteria and, importantly, it is absent in humans. The assay represents an alternative, cost-effective and fast solution to demonstrate the direct involvement of these membrane transporters in a native biological environment rather than using a low-throughput in vitro assay employing reconstituted proteins in a membrane bilayer system. Based on this new whole-cell screening approach, we demonstrated the optimization of a weak hit compound (2) into a small molecule (3) with improved in vitro and whole-cell activities. This study opens the possibility to quickly identify novel inhibitors of ECF transporters and optimize them based on structure–activity relationships.
Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation in Individuals Living Alone in South Korea

This study compared the prevalence of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation in individuals living alone compared with those living with others and assessed the contribution of socio-demographic factors and physical health to these differences. We analyzed 2221 individuals living alone and 19,397 individuals living with others aged 20–80 years, drawn from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey dataset in South Korea. The study group divided into three subgroups based on age to determine whether there were differences in mental health according to age. Depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation were evaluated by self-reported questionnaires. The sex- and age-adjusted prevalence rates of depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation were higher in those living alone than those living with others. The proportion of socio-economic status and physical health explaining the differences of depressive mood and suicidal ideation between the two groups was greater in the age group over 35 years old. Considering the difference in factors that explain depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation among individuals living alone in the age group over 35 years of age and younger groups under 34 years of age, policies should be developed that will address the mental health needs of each age group.
Vertical and Horizontal Coordination in Developing Countries’ Agriculture: Evidence from Vietnam and Implications

Despite policy reforms and the integration of various linkages in rice production by the Vietnamese government, small-scale farmers' (small farmers’) access to the market is limited. A value chain link is a powerful tool for improving small farmers' market access and competitiveness. The benefits of horizontal and vertical coordination on farm household performance were investigated using a dataset of 160 farmers. Twenty-two stakeholders were also directly interviewed to analyze the value chain and farmers' access to markets in the Mekong River Delta, where 75% of people live in rural areas and contribute to 90% Vietnam's total rice production. According to our findings, farmers' profits are higher than in the past and total chain economic value is more efficient when farmers participate in vertical or horizontal coordination. Logit regression revealed that the determinants of farmers' decision to participate in cooperatives are training and expected benefits obtained from cooperatives. As a result, collective actions, such as contracting firms and cooperative engagement, are required to assist farmers in accessing the market. The findings also show that participation in value chain links, coordination, and integration benefits food companies significantly. However, financial assistance and insurance are required to adequately cover farmers' production costs and secure contract firms. Furthermore, a written contract should be made to strengthen the value chain. Cooperatives or farmers' organizations can be used as intermediaries to improve vertical and horizontal coordination by establishing links between small farmers and other market stakeholders.
Engineered Nanotechnology: An Effective Therapeutic Platform for the Chronic Cutaneous Wound

The healing of chronic wound infections, especially cutaneous wounds, involves a complex cascade of events demanding mutual interaction between immunity and other natural host processes. Wound infections are caused by the consortia of microbial species that keep on proliferating and produce various types of virulence factors that cause the development of chronic infections. The mono- or polymicrobial nature of surface wound infections is best characterized by its ability to form biofilm that renders antimicrobial resistance to commonly administered drugs due to poor biofilm matrix permeability. With an increasing incidence of chronic wound biofilm infections, there is an urgent need for non-conventional antimicrobial approaches, such as developing nanomaterials that have intrinsic antimicrobial-antibiofilm properties modulating the biochemical or biophysical parameters in the wound microenvironment in order to cause disruption and removal of biofilms, such as designing nanomaterials as efficient drug-delivery vehicles carrying antibiotics, bioactive compounds, growth factor antioxidants or stem cells reaching the infection sites and having a distinct mechanism of action in comparison to antibiotics—functionalized nanoparticles (NPs) for better incursion through the biofilm matrix. NPs are thought to act by modulating the microbial colonization and biofilm formation in wounds due to their differential particle size, shape, surface charge and composition through alterations in bacterial cell membrane composition, as well as their conductivity, loss of respiratory activity, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitrosation of cysteines of proteins, lipid peroxidation, DNA unwinding and modulation of metabolic pathways. For the treatment of chronic wounds, extensive research is ongoing to explore a variety of nanoplatforms, including metallic and nonmetallic NPs, nanofibers and self-accumulating nanocarriers. As the use of the magnetic nanoparticle (MNP)-entrenched pre-designed hydrogel sheet (MPS) is found to enhance wound healing, the bio-nanocomposites consisting of bacterial cellulose and magnetic nanoparticles (magnetite) are now successfully used for the healing of chronic wounds. With the objective of precise targeting, some kinds of “intelligent” nanoparticles are constructed to react according to the required environment, which are later incorporated in the dressings, so that the wound can be treated with nano-impregnated dressing material in situ. For the effective healing of skin wounds, high-expressing, transiently modified stem cells, controlled by nano 3D architectures, have been developed to encourage angiogenesis and tissue regeneration. In order to overcome the challenge of time and dose constraints during drug administration, the approach of combinatorial nano therapy is adopted, whereby AI will help to exploit the full potential of nanomedicine to treat chronic wounds.
Liver venous deprivation for resection of advanced hilar cholangiocarcinoma—a case report and review of the literature

Hilar cholangiocarcinoma is a rare primary malignancy associated with a dismal prognosis. Currently, complete extended right or left-sided hepatectomy is the primary curative therapy. Achieving a negative resection margin is associated with long-term survival and better quality of life, while post-hepatectomy liver failure (PHLF) due to insufficient liver remnant remains the most dreaded complication with a negative effect on overall survival. Precise preoperative management with sufficient future remnant liver (FRL) volume is the key to achieving good results in the treatment of bile duct carcinoma. To present a case report and a literature review for preoperative FRL optimization prior to major hepatectomies for hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Improvement of postoperative outcomes after extended liver resections in the case of hilar cholangiocarcinoma. A 62-year-old Caucasian woman with Lynch syndrome presented to our department with a hilar cholangiocarcinoma Bismuth type IIIa. The patient had an insufficient future liver volume for extended liver resection. She underwent preoperative preconditioning using a liver venous deprivation (LVD) and underwent two weeks later a right trisectorectomy without any interventional complications. Liver function remained stable postoperatively. The patient was discharged on the 20th postoperative day without major surgical post-operative complications or the need for readmission. LVD is a technically feasible, safe, and effective procedure to increase the FRL in a short period of time with low intra and post-operative complications and therefore improving the survival of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma.
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level is unreliable as a risk factor and prognostic marker in papillary thyroid cancer

Background Low levels of vitamin D and altered local vitamin D metabolism have been associated with the prevalence and aggressiveness of several cancers. However, the effect of vitamin D on papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of preoperative serum vitamin D levels and local vitamin D metabolism on the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of PTC. Methods In total, 1,578 patients with PTC and 128 patients with benign thyroid diseases were included. Clinical and pathologic data were analyzed to evaluate the role of vitamin D as a risk factor and prognostic marker in PTC. Moreover, a tissue microarray was used to investigate the role of local vitamin D metabolism in PTC progression. Results Participants with PTC were younger compared to those with benign disease. No significant differences in 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels were observed between benign and malignant cases. Among patients with PTC, analyses of prognostic features revealed that decreased 25(OH)D levels were not overtly associated with poor prognosis in PTC. Additionally, local vitamin D metabolism was not associated with the aggressiveness of PTC. Conclusions Serum 25(OH)D determination may not contribute to risk assessment workup of thyroid nodules. Moreover, decreased preoperative serum vitamin D and local vitamin D metabolism were not associated with poor prognosis of PTC.
Wideband Dual-Circularly Polarized Antennas Using Aperture-Coupled Stacked Patches and Single-Section Hybrid Coupler

This paper presents a dual-circularly polarized (dual-CP) antenna with simple configuration, low-profile, and wide bandwidth. Its primary radiating element is an aperture-coupled patch loaded with a stacked patch for a wide operational bandwidth. A single-section hybrid coupler is utilized as a feeding structure of the antenna to generate dual-CP radiation. Different from the priors normally requiring both wideband radiator and wideband feeding structure, this work demonstrates that the wideband dual-CP radiation can be obtained by combining a wideband radiator and a conventional hybrid coupler. A design operating at the center frequency of 5.5 GHz has been fabricated and tested. The measurements result in a −10-dB reflection coefficient bandwidth of 30.0% (4.66 – 6.31 GHz), a 10-dB isolation bandwidth of 30.9% (4.66 – 6.35 GHz), a 3-dB axial ratio (AR) bandwidth of 29.1% (4.70 – 6.30 GHz), and a realized broadside gain of 5.5 – 7.05 dBic. For a more robust dual-CP radiation, a low-sidelobe 4 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\times $ </tex-math></inline-formula> 4 element array of the proposed antenna has been designed, fabricated, and measured. Compared to the single element design, the array prototype yields similar impedance and 3-dB AR bandwidths, but a higher isolation. The measurements on the array prototype result in an isolation of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\geq 14$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dB, a peak gain of 16.3 dBic, a side-lobe level of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\leq -20$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dB, and a cross-polarization of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\leq -16$ </tex-math></inline-formula> dB across the frequency range of 4.7 – 6.3 GHz (29.1%).
An analytical study of gallstones by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique

Background: Cholelithiasis continues to be a serious human health concern and presently cholecystectomy is the only adopted standard treatment option. Gallstones’ chemical structures differ in different demographic groups. Accurate analysis of the constituents of gallstones may help us to understand their etiopathogenesis. Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR) can identify the composition of gallstones by creating a spectrum of infrared absorption.Methods: A hospital based one year observational study was conducted in KLES’ Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belagavi and 120 gallstones were collected post laparoscopic/open cholecystectomy. After FTIR spectroscopic analysis gallstones were classified based on the FTIR spectrum peaks.Results: Cholesterol, bilirubin and calcium carbonate are the components identified based on the standard FTIR spectrum characteristics with cholesterol being the commonest followed by bilirubin. Brown colored stones were more common followed by black. We classified gallstones into 3 groups based on FTIR analysis as: pure cholesterol stones, pure bilirubin stones and mixed type of stones. Mixed type of gallstones containing cholesterol and bilirubin were more common.Conclusions: The study concludes cholelithiasis is common in females and in age group more than 40 years. Mixed types of gallstones are the commonest. Cholesterol followed by bilirubin are the major constituents of the gallstones.
Cognitive Test Scores and Progressive Cognitive Decline in the Aberdeen 1921 and 1936 Birth Cohorts

The Aberdeen birth cohorts of 1921 and 1936 (ABC21 and ABC36) were subjected to IQ tests in 1932 or 1947 when they were aged about 11y. They were recruited between 1997–2001 among cognitively healthy community residents and comprehensively phenotyped in a long-term study of brain aging and health up to 2017. Here, we report associations between baseline cognitive test scores and long-term cognitive outcomes. On recruitment, significant sex differences within and between the ABC21 and ABC36 cohorts supported advantages in verbal ability and learning among the ABC36 women that were not significant in ABC21. Comorbid physical disorders were self-reported in both ABC21 and ABC36 but did not contribute to differences in terms of performance in cognitive tests. When used alone without other criteria, cognitive tests scores which fell below the −1.5 SD criterion for tests of progressive matrices, namely verbal learning, digit symbol and block design, did not support the concept that Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is a stable class of acquired loss of function with significant links to the later emergence of a clinical dementia syndrome. This is consistent with many previous reports. Furthermore, because childhood IQ-type data were available, we showed that a lower cognitive performance at about 64 or 78 y than that predicted by IQ at 11 ± 0.5 y did not improve the prediction of progress to MCI or greater cognitive loss. We used binary logistic regression to explore how MCI might contribute to the prediction of later progress to a clinical dementia syndrome. In a fully adjusted model using ABC21 data, we found that non-amnestic MCI, along with factors such as female sex and depressive symptoms, contributed to the prediction of later dementia. A comparable model using ABC36 data did not do so. We propose that (1) MCI criteria restricted to cognitive test scores do not improve the temporal stability of MCI classifications; (2) pathways towards dementia may differ according to age at dementia onset and (3) the concept of MCI may require measures (not captured here) that underly self-reported subjective age-related cognitive decline.
Analytical Solution for Bending and Free Vibrations of an Orthotropic Nanoplate based on the New Modified Couple Stress Theory and the Third-order Plate Theory

In the present work, the equations of motion of a thin orthotropic nanoplate were obtained based on the new modified couple stress theory and the third-order shear deformation plate theory. The nanoplate was considered as a size-dependent orthotropic plate. The governing equations were derived using the dynamic version of Hamilton’s principle and natural boundary conditions were formulated. An analytical solution in the form of a double Fourier series was obtained for a simply supported rectangular nanoplate. The eigenvalue problem was set and solved. It was analytically shown that the displacements of the median surface points in the plane of the plate do not depend on the material length scale parameters in the same directions; these in-plane directional displacements depend on the material length scale parameter in the out-of-plane direction only. On the other hand, the out-of-plane directional displacement depends on the length scale parameter in the plane directions only. The cross-section rotation angles depend on all length scale parameters. It was shown that the size-dependent parameters only have a noticeable effect on the deformed state of the plate if their order is not less than the order (plate height)-1.