Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effectiveness of ethanolic extract of propolis on wound healing in albino rats

Background: Wound healing is a complex process. So, the use of natural products such as propolis, which has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties to accelerate wound healing, was an important target. Aim of work: The aim of this study was to assess the possible wound healing effect of ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) on full-thickness wound model in albino rats. Materials and Methods: Healthy adult 72 albino rats were used in this study. Excision wound with 1.5 cm length was done on the posterior of the neck. Rats were randomly divided into equal four groups (negative control, positive control, ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) ointment and tetracycline ointment 1%). Each group was divided into three subgroups that received treatment for 4, 7 and 14 days. Wound area in the experimental group was covered twice daily with a fixed amount of EEP ointment and tetracycline ointment (1%), the negative control group did not receive any treatment, while positive control group treated with physiological saline solution (0.9 % Na Cl). Histological analysis was performed and counting fibroblast, neutrophils, macrophages and new blood vessels in the wound bed was done followed by statistical analysis. Results: The findings show that healing process of excision wound in albino rats treated with the EEP ointment started earlier and had a faster course than the standard tetracycline therapy. Conclusion: The powerful effect of EEP ointment on accelerating wound healing was revealed. This could be an effective strategy for managing delayed wound healing.
Dissociation of broadband high-frequency activity and neuronal firing in the neocortex

BHA (aka high gamma) correlates with neuronal firing, but is generated mainly by dendritic processes separable from firing. Broadband high-frequency activity (BHA; 70 to 150 Hz), also known as “high gamma,” a key analytic signal in human intracranial (electrocorticographic) recordings, is often assumed to reflect local neural firing [multiunit activity (MUA)]. As the precise physiological substrates of BHA are unknown, this assumption remains controversial. Our analysis of laminar multielectrode data from V1 and A1 in monkeys outlines two components of stimulus-evoked BHA distributed across the cortical layers: an “early-deep” and “late-superficial” response. Early-deep BHA has a clear spatial and temporal overlap with MUA. Late-superficial BHA was more prominent and accounted for more of the BHA signal measured near the cortical pial surface. However, its association with local MUA is weak and often undetectable, consistent with the view that it reflects dendritic processes separable from local neuronal firing.
Effect of selected yogic practice and bench step aerobics on improving selected physiological variables of females at Wollega University, Ethiopia: Randomized comparative trial

Background: Yoga is ultimate for developing harmony among body, mind and spirit. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of selected yogic practice and bench step aerobics training on improving selected physiological variables of females at Wollega University. Method: Sixty female students were divided into three equal groups on random basis (groups I, II, and III) consisting of 20 study participants in each group. Two out of the three groups were given experimental treatments: yogic practice (groupI), bench step aerobics (groupII) while the remaining one group (groupIII) was designated as control group. The study was formulated as completely randomized comparative trial, consisting of a pre-test and post-test. The collected data from the three group’s pretest and posttest were statistically analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). The Least significant difference (LSD) post hoc test was applied to determine significant differences among paired mean values. The 95% level of confidence was used and p-value <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: The findings of the study on physiological variables revealed that yogic practice (YP) group and bench step aerobics (BSAE) group showed significant superiority over the control group in reducing respiratory rate (p<0.05). The mean change made by the two experimental groups (p > 0.05) didn’t show statistically significant difference. The finding also revealed that YP group and BSAE group significantly improved breath holding time than control group (p>0.05). The mean change made by the two experimental groups (p<0.05) didn’t show statistically significant difference. BSAE training was found to be significantly better in decreasing resting heart rate of the study participants than YP group (Mean difference (MD)=2.18*, p < 0.05). Conclusion: The experimental groups; selected yogic practice groups (YPG) and bench step aerobics training (BSAEG) had significantly improved the selected physiological variables in contrast to control group. BSAE training was found to be significantly better on improving resting heart rate than yogic practice group and control group. *Correspondence to: Ginenus Fekadu, Clinical Pharmacy unit, Department of Pharmacy, Institute of Health Sciences, Wollega University, P.O Box 395, Nekemte, Ethiopia. E-mail: take828pharm@gmail.com
Distance Learning in Vocational High Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic in West Java Province, Indonesia

This study aims to investigate (1) the availability of learning facilities for distance learning (or online learning), (2) the ability of students and teachers to utilize the learning facilities, and (3) how distance learning activities take place at public or private vocational high schools, specifically whether it is perceived to be more interesting than ordinary learning. This study used a survey method to obtain data and a quantitative descriptive method to analyze the data. The type of data in this study was primary based on the responses of respondents or individuals from groups representing the population of public and private vocational high schools, especially in the Electrical Engineering Clusters in the entire areas of West Java. The results revealed that online learning has been carried out in many public and private vocational high schools in West Java. This study indicates that the availability of online learning facilities, the utilization of facilities, and the online learning process in public vocational high schools were better than those in private vocational high schools. In general, students of both public and private vocational high schools stated that online learning is not more interesting than ordinary learning, although most of them can understand the lessons taught and they were given an opportunity by their teachers to actively participate during the learning process.
Unequal expectations: Gender inequality in the salary expectations of university students

Students' expectations about their future wages are established in the literature as relevant determinants of the choices made for education progression and, at the university level, for the area and course to be studied. In this paper, the first comparable analysis in sub-Saharan Africa, we examine the evidence and causes of unequal wage expectations of Mozambican university students prior to their transition to the labour market. The measurements of segmentation, stratification, and inequality decomposition are applied to better understand the underlying causes of these.
On Power Minimization for IRS-Aided Downlink NOMA Systems

Both intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) are the cutting-edge technologies for future wireless communications. In this letter, we examine the effectiveness of IRS in NOMA system with respect to transmit power consumption. Towards this end, the power minimization problem for IRS-aided downlink NOMA system is formulated, taking into consideration the constraint of each user’s minimum signal-to-interference-ratio (SINR). To solve the joint power control and IRS phase shifts optimization problem, we first explore the relationship between individual user’s transmit power and the variables of phase shifts. Then, we solve the phase shift determination problem via the sequential rotation algorithm. Numerical results show that our designed joint optimization algorithm can significantly reduce the required transmit power when compared with various benchmarking schemes.
Simvastatin prevents articular chondrocyte dedifferentiation induced by nitric oxide by inhibiting the expression of matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 13

In this study, we investigated whether simvastatin (SVT), a statin commonly prescribed to decrease cholesterol levels, might have a therapeutic effect in OA. Primary rabbit chondrocytes were pre-treated with SVT (50 μM), then treated with sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 1 mM), a donor of nitric oxide (NO) known as a pro-inflammatory mediator, and analyzed for the expression levels of type II collagen, SOX-9, aggrecan, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) 1, and 13. SNP increased NO generation in a dose-dependent manner, causing a loss of type II collagen and aggrecan indicative of chondrocyte dedifferentiation, which was inhibited by SVT. SVT also reversed the increase in MMP-1 and -13 and inhibited NO production and NO synthase expression induced by SNP in articular chondrocytes. Given that MMP-1 and -13 knockdown by siRNA increased the level of type II collagen in SNP-treated cells, our results show that SVT prevented NO-induced chondrocyte damage and dedifferentiation through downregulation of MMP expression. This study showed that SVT could attenuate the degradation of articular cartilage components, which is characteristic for OA, through inhibition of MMPs in NO-treated chondrocytes, suggesting that SVT may be a novel candidate therapeutic agent for the prevention and/or treatment of OA. Impact statement Dedifferentiation of chondrocytes is the main character of cartilage degradation. Therefore the understanding of chondrocytes dedifferentiation is essential for arthritis therapy. However, the molecular mechanism of cartilage destroy is mostly unknown. In this work we show that simvastatin (SVT) inhibits dedifferentiation by nitric oxide by blocking the expression of matrix metalloproteinases 1 and 13. These effects of SVT on dedifferentiation suggest that SVT may be used as a drug for the cure of arthritis.
Do Rural Health Worker Incentive Schemes Work? Evidence from Thailand

This paper studies supply-side health interventions, which increased the monetary incentives and number of health professionals in the Deep South provinces of Thailand, and provides evidence on the effectiveness of provision of primary care providers on the health care utilization of the community. We use a difference-in-differences approach to estimate effects of this policy on child health by evaluating the probability of immunizations in the policy affected areas using two rounds of the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). We find that after the policy implementation, there is a decrease in immunizations that are given to children within 2 months and 1 year of their date of birth between 6.8 to 17.9 percentage points, controlling for cohort specific time-invariant unobservables. However, we note an increase in BCG vaccinations that are administered at the time of birth. Event studies suggest no presence of pre-trends before the policy implementation. We also observe heterogeneity of effects along the dimensions of residence, ethnicity, and education of the caretaker with children belonging to rural areas, non-Thai ethnicity, and uneducated caretakers experiencing stronger effects. We investigate the quality of services as a mechanism to explain these findings using Thai Health and Welfare Surveys (HWS) and find a shift from small government facilities to large government facilities for in-patient services, indicating a decrease in demand due to lower quality.
Impact of Synthetic Insecticides Against Aphis Gossypii Glover, Bemisia Tabaci (Genn.) and Their Associated Predators on Cotton Plants

Pyridinecarboxamide and neonicotinoids insecticides are used in small quantity and economically effective for control sucking pests in cotton fields. Therefore, the current study was conducted to evaluate the efficiency of flonicamid, imidacloprid and dinotefuran and its compared with abamectin, carbosulfan, malathion and cholorpyrifos against cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii Glover and whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) and its associated predators, Chrysoperle carnea (larvae and adults) and spiders in cotton fields at Sakha Agricultural Research Station, Kafr ElSheikh Governorate, Egypt during 2017 and 2018 cotton seasons. Seven insecticides were applied at their field recommended rates. The obtained results proved that imidacloprid, flonicamid and dinotefuran were recorded the highest mean reduction of aphids (92.95, 86.36 and 76.16%) at 2017 and (90.95, 82.48 and 78.44%) at 2018 season. Carbosulfan and chlorpyrifos caused moderate effective against Aphis gossypii, while the least effective compound was malathion. Concerning the whitefly, imidacloprid, flonicamid and dinotefuran statistically exhibited reduction in populations of adults' stage ranged from 67.54-78.46% in 2017 and 2018 seasons and 71.0487. 26% reduction in immature stages in both seasons, while carbosulfan was the least effective compound against Bemisia tabaci (adult and immature stages). It is important to note that flonicamid, imidacloprid and dinotefuran were less harmful effect on populations of tested predators than the tested organophosphates and cabosulfan. Accordingly, flonicamid, imidacloprid and dinotefuran are useful choice for use in IPM programs to control these pests in cotton fields.
Prevalence and Distribution of Enterotoxin Genes among Bacillus cereus Isolated from Meat and Meat Products in Egypt

| This study determined the incidence and distribution of two enterotoxin genes in Bacillus cereus isolates originating from meat and meat products. A total of 100 samples of meat, including minced meat, luncheon, sausage and pastrami (25 each), were randomly collected from different supermarkets at Gharbia Governorate, Egypt. The samples were cultured individually on mannitol-egg yolk-polymyxin (MYP) agar plates and sheep blood agar plates. Biochemical identification of presumptive colonies was performed. The cytotoxin K (cytK) and hemolysin BL (hblC) genes were detected in B. cereus strains (n=12) from minced meat and meat products by multiplex PCR. B. cereus was identified in 45% of the collected samples. A higher prevalence of B. cereus was detected in minced meat samples (76%) followed by luncheon (44%) and sausage (32%), while the lowest prevalence was observed in pastrami samples (28%). Pairwise comparisons showed significant differences in the distribution of B. cereus isolates between minced meat and pastrami samples (P=0.004), and minced meat and sausages(P=0.01). The co-occurrence of both cytK and hblC (66.7%) was dominant among enterotoxin genes, followed by cytK (25%) and hblC (8.3%). A higher incidence rate of B. cereus in minced meat indicates cross-contamination during processing and transportation, and therefore, represents a significant public health hazard for consumers.
Platelet Activation is a Risk Factor for Obesity

Objective: Obesity is known to be a triggering factor for many chronic diseases. Blood parameters, especially platelet (PLT)-related factors, have gained importance for a better understanding of obesity. In this study, we investigated the correlation between PLT-related parameters and bodily factors to enhance our knowledge of this important area of research. Material and Methods: Consenting volunteers between 18 and 65 years were included in the study. Their heights, weights, body mass indices (BMI), fat percentages, fat masses (FM), and fat-free masses (FFM) were determined. Fat mass index (FMI=fat mass/height m2) and fat-free mass index (FFMI=fat free mass/height m2) were calculated. Blood samples were taken to determine the parameters such as PLT, mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet distribution width (PDW), and plateletcrit (PCT). Results: In males, PLT increased with weight, fat percentage, FM, and FMI. However, there was no change in PCT values with these parameters. In females, PLT decreased with age, increased with weight, BMI, fat percentage, FM, FFM, and FMI. PCT increased with weight, BMI, fat percentage, FM, FFM, and FMI. Conclusion: A significant relationship between PLT activation and body fat content was observed in both genders in the present study. Thus, these blood parameters can be a useful tool for investigating inflammation-related complications in obese individuals. It is speculated that obese individuals may be encouraged toward becoming thrombocyte apheresis donors to reduce their PLT counts, which may lead to a decrease in the risk of obesity-related inflammation in such individuals.
Oncogenic PIK3CA promotes cellular stemness in an allele dose-dependent manner

Significance The PIK3CAH1047R mutation is a common cancer “driver” and also causes an array of benign but highly disfiguring overgrowth disorders. Human induced pluripotent stem cells engineered to express two copies of PIK3CAH1047R undergo cancer-like transcriptional remodeling and lose their ability to exit the stem cell state. A single mutant copy of PIK3CAH1047R, as observed in noncancerous overgrowth, had minimal effect on the stem cells and was fully compatible with normal differentiation. Combined with the finding of multiple PIK3CA mutant copies in human cancers, this suggests that a signaling threshold determines the disease consequences of PIK3CAH1047R, one of the commonest human oncogenic mutations. The PIK3CA gene, which encodes the p110α catalytic subunit of PI3 kinase (PI3K), is mutationally activated in cancer and in overgrowth disorders known as PIK3CA-related overgrowth spectrum (PROS). To determine the consequences of genetic PIK3CA activation in a developmental context of relevance to both PROS and cancer, we engineered isogenic human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with heterozygous or homozygous knockin of PIK3CAH1047R. While heterozygous iPSCs remained largely similar to wild-type cells, homozygosity for PIK3CAH1047R caused widespread, cancer-like transcriptional remodeling, partial loss of epithelial morphology, up-regulation of stemness markers, and impaired differentiation to all three germ layers in vitro and in vivo. Genetic analysis of PIK3CA-associated cancers revealed that 64% had multiple oncogenic PIK3CA copies (39%) or additional PI3K signaling pathway-activating “hits” (25%). This contrasts with the prevailing view that PIK3CA mutations occur heterozygously in cancer. Our findings suggest that a PI3K activity threshold determines pathological consequences of oncogenic PIK3CA activation and provide insight into the specific role of this pathway in human pluripotent stem cells.
Two Essays on Consumer Envy

TWO ESSAYS ON CONSUMER ENVY Murong Miao Old Dominion University, 2020 Director: Dr. Chuanyi Tang Consumer envy, which is a two-faceted emotion (benign versus malicious), could change consumer behavior in different ways. Although research on envy is abundant in the psychology field, little attention has been paid to envy in marketing research. This dissertation composes of two essays. Based on Social Comparison Theory (SCT), these two essays examine the envy mechanism in driving consumer behavior using different contexts (social media behavior and counterfeit luxury consumption). Essay one examines the relationship between envy and consumer’s intention to conduct different social networking sites (SNSs) activities. To test the hypothesized relationships, four experiments were conducted. Experiments 1, 2, and 3 together find that while benign envious consumers are more likely to conduct positive interactive SNSs activities, malicious envious consumers are more likely to conduct negative interactive SNSs activities. Also, benign envious consumers are more likely to conduct self-improvement SNSs activities (competition and evaluation) than malicious envious consumers. Moreover, Experiment 2 finds that the selfefficacy motive fully mediates the relationship between benign envy and consumers’ intentions to conduct competitive SNSs activities. Experiment 4 explores the relationship between the envier’s status and different types of envy and the moderating effect of envied person’s status. It finds that high-power member is more likely to generate envy and the relationships are weakened when the envied person is a high-power member.
Vacuum-Free Fabrication Strategies for Nanostructure-Embedded Ultrathin Substrate in Flexible Polymer Solar Cells

In this paper, we discuss a method for fabricating an ultrathin polymer substrate with one-dimensional nanograting patterns to improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of ultrathin polymer solar cells (PSCs) and suppress the dependence on the incident angle of light. Because the fabricating process of the ultrathin polymer substrate was carried out using a solution process, it can be manufactured in a large area, and the PCE of the patterned ultrathin substrate-based PSC is improved by 8.9% compared to the non-patterned device. In addition, triple-patterned ultrathin PSCs incorporating the same nanograting pattern as the substrate were fabricated in the electron transport (ZnO) layer and the photoactive layer (PBDTTT-OFT and PC71BM mixture (ratio-1: 1.5)) to achieve PCE of 10.26%. Thanks to the nanograting pattern introduced in the substrate, ZnO layer, and photoactive layer, it was possible to minimize the PCE change according to the incident angle of light. Moreover, we performed 1000 cycles of compression/relaxation tests to evaluate the mechanical properties of the triple-patterned ultrathin PSCs, after which the PCE remained at 71% of the initial PCE.
A comparison of three methods to evaluate otter latrine activity

We compared methods commonly used in the field of river otter (Lontra canadensis) ecology to estimate visitation rates. We evaluated visitation rates estimated from 2 survey protocols based on video detection—individual visitation rate (IVR) and recording visitation rate (RVR)—and one indirect method based on scat detection—scat visitation rate (SVR). From August 2011 through August 2012, overall scat detection and cumulative video data from 403 camera-days in 2 latrine sites (River and Pond, at a study site adjacent to the Salt Fork of the Vermilion River near Fairmount, Illinois, USA) located<50m apart did not reveal monthly or seasonal differences between SVR and video detection methods. We identified positive correlations among the 3 visitation rates and differences between overall IVR and RVR. All 3 methods resulted in peak visitation rates during winter. However, when these data were stratified by latrine site, we found both positive and negative correlations at the River latrine. Our work supports that SVR, IVR, and RVR are valuable methods to estimate otter visitation rates at latrine sites. However, it is clear that even within such a short distance between these 2 latrines, these methods detected differences in site utilization. The significant positive correlation observed between IVR and RVR (overall and by latrine site) suggests these methods can be used interchangeably. Otter detection using SVR may serve as a complementary assessment tool for IVR and RVR. To optimize cross-study comparisons and interpretation of results, future studies should detail the type of otter detection and visitation rate used, how variables are measured, formulas used in the calculation of the visitation rates, and detailed descriptions of scat counting efforts when using scat as a tool to evaluate otter visitation rates. 2019 The Authors. Wildlife Society Bulletin Published by WileyPeriodicals, Inc.