Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute toxicity and bioaccumulation of heavy metals in red tilapia fish

Juvenile hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) was tested with different concentration of heavy metals under varying exposure time to examine acute toxicity effect on their survival rate and bioaccumulation in fish tissues. Copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) was used at rates 0.0, 0.50, 1.0, 3.0 and 5.0 mg L-1. The medial lethal concentration of Cu, Cd and Zn (96h LC50) was determined to be 0.45, 0.7 and 2.1 mgL-1, respectively in a Probit transformed concentration - response curves. Fish tissues were digested in Nitric acid (65%) and Hydrogen pe roxide (35%) under microwave oven and analyzed by inductive coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES, Model Perkin Elmer Optima 5300DV, USA). Tilapia fish mortality was significantly higher with higher concentration of toxic metals. The fish toxicity by heavy metals was in the following order: Cu > Cd > Zn. The liver tissues obtained the highest accumulation of Zn (423 mg kg-1) followed by Cu (136 mg kg-1) with the highest concentration of each toxic metal. The gill tissues recorded the highest accumulation of Cd (121.0 mg kg-1) with the highest concentration of Cd while muscle tissues accumulated the highest Zn concentration (31.0 mg kg-1) with the highest concentration of Zn. Accumulation of heavy metals in fish tissues of different organs was in the following order: liver > gills > muscles for Cu and Zn while gills > liver > muscles for Cd. Regardless of tissue organs accumulation of toxic metals increased with higher concentrations of heavy metals and exposure period.
Rapid dimethyl sulfoxide-modified acid-fast stain of Cryptosporidium oocysts in stool specimens

A rapid dimethyl sulfoxide modification of an acid-fast technique was applied to direct fecal smears to monitor cryptosporidiosis in nonhuman primates. Brilliantly stained pink oocysts against a pale green background demonstrated well-preserved internal morphology and facilitated rapid, simple, noninvasive diagnosis without fluorescent or phase-contrast microscopy.
Evolution of transmission mode in obligate symbionts.

BACKGROUND A host obtains symbionts by horizontal transmission when infected from the environment or contagiously from other hosts in the same generation. In contrast, vertical transmission occurs when a host obtains its symbionts directly from its parents. Either vertical or horizontal transmission can sustain an association between a host and its symbiont. QUESTIONS What evolutionary forces are necessary to evolve from an ancestral state of horizontal transmission to a derived state of vertical transmission? MATHEMATICAL METHODS We explore a general model of fitness interaction, including both additive and epistatic effects, between host and symbiont genes. Recursion equations allow us to analyse the short-term behaviour of the model and to study long-term deterministic effects with numerical iterations. KEY ASSUMPTIONS Obligate interaction between a symbiont and a single host species with genetically determined horizontal and vertical transmission. No free-living symbionts or uninfected hosts and each host is infected by only a single symbiont genetic lineage (no multiple infections). No population structure. CONCLUSIONS Epistasis for fitness between host and symbiont genes, like that in a matching alleles model, is a necessary condition for the evolution of vertical from horizontal transmission. Stochastic individual-based simulations show that (1) mutation facilitates the switch to vertical transmission and (2) vertical transmission is a stable evolutionary endpoint for a matching alleles model.
The price of value : the difference between value and price of firms in the Dutch SME sector

The goal of this study is to find a gap between theory and practice regarding Dutch SME valuation methods and a trend in the difference between the initially calculated value and the transaction price – with corresponding variables which effect this difference – within the Dutch SME sector. In order to reach this goal, a case study has been conducted, in which twelve cases – transactions where de Jong & Laan Corporate Finance had a role as an external advisor – were studied. It has been found that the accuracy of the financial forecast is crucial and that it is hard to judge and estimate the effect of relating factors individually. Furthermore, the outcome of the negotiations has a direct influence on the difference between value and price.
Storage of elastic energy in skeletal muscles in man.

ASMUSSEN, E. and F. BONDE-PETERSEN. Storage of elastic energy in skeletal muscles in man. Acta physiol. scand. 1974. 91. 385-392 The question, if muscles can absorb and temporarily store mechanical energy in the form of elastic energy for later re-use, was studied by having subjects perform maximal verticaljumps on a registering force-platform. The jumps were performed 1) from a semi-squatting position, 2) after a natural counter-movement from a standing position, or 3) in continuation of jumps down from heights of 0.23, 0.40, or 0.69 m. The heights of the jumps were calculated from the registered flight times. The maximum energy level, Eneg, of the jumpers prior to the upward movement in the jump, was considered to be zero in condition 1. In condition 2 it was calculated from the force-time record ofthe force-platform; and in condition 3 it was calculated from the height of the downward jump and the weight of the subject. The maximum energy level after take-off, E,,,, was calculated from the height of the jump and the jumper’s weight. It was found that theheight of the jump and Epns increased with increasing amounts of Eneg, up to a certain level (jumping down from 0.40 m). The gains in Epos over t$at in condition 1, were expressed as a percentage of Eneg and found to be 22.9 % in condition 2, and 13.2, 10.5, and 3.3 % in the three situations ofcondition 3. It is suggested that the elastic energy is stored in the active muscles, and it is demonstrated that the muscles of the legs are activated in the downward jumps before contact with the platform is established. The elastic properties of muscles have been known and studied extensively for many years. The original concept of e.g. Levin and Wyman (1927), viz. that the energy liberated at contraction was immediately stored as elastic energy in the series elastic components for subsequent use in performing work, has been abandoned, not least after the discovery of the “Fenn effect” (Fenn and Marsh 1935). Nevertheless muscle elasticity has continued to arouse the interest of muscle physiologists, and its possible role as a buffer and temporary store of mechanical energy has anew been brought to the attention of work physiologists e.g. by the studies of Cavagna et al. (1968). One way of investigating this possible function of the elastic component in muscle is to compare the release of external mechanical energy without and with a previous stretching of the involved muscles. This was done by Marey and Demeny (1885) who compared the heights of vertical jumps performed without and with a preliminary counter-movement and found the height to be higher in the latter case. Recently Cavagna et al. (1971) repeated these experiments, using a force-platform
György Rákosi: Beyond identity: The case of a complex Hungarian reflexive

It is a well-known typological universal that long distance reflexives are generally monomorphemic and complex reflexives tend to be licensed only locally. I argue in this paper that the Hungarian body part reflexive maga ‘himself’ and its more complex counterpart önmaga ‘himself, his own self’ represent a non-isolated pattern that adds a new dimension to this typology. Nominal modification of a highly grammaticalized body part reflexive may reactivate the dormant underlying possessive structure, thereby granting the more complex reflexive variant an increased level of referentiality and syntactic freedom. In particular, the reactivation of the possessive structure in önmaga is shown to be concomitant with the possibility of referring to representations of the self, as well as a preference for what appears to be coreferential readings and the loss or dispreference of bound-variable readings.
Simultaneous pancreas kidney transplants in diabetic patients with end‐stage renal disease: the 20‐yr experience

We are reporting the results over a 20 yr period of simultaneous pancreas‐kidney transplants in patients with end‐stage renal disease and diabetes mellitus. The outcomes of the transplants, performed between 1989 and 2008, are stratified by pretransplant c‐peptide value.
Calibration of a thermal transfer standard using a pulse-driven Josephson voltage standard at frequencies up to 100 kHz

This paper describes the frequency extension from 10 kHz to 100 kHz of a system for the calibration of ac-dc thermal transfer standards against a pulse-driven Josephson voltage standard. Higher frequency operation requires careful consideration of the systematic error introduced by the on-chip inductance of the Josephson array, as well as careful selection of connecting cables. These considerations are discussed, and measurements using two different pulse sources are compared.
Growth of the room temperature Au/Si(111)-7 x 7 interface.

Synchrotron radiation photoemission spectroscopy suggests that the room temperature grown Au/Si(111) interface is an abrupt interface with the contact made by metallic Au and bulk Si. Si 2[ital p] core level spectra show no sign of an interface component, but only the surface reacted and bulk Si components during the growth of the interface. A surface Au-Si alloy film is first formed for Au coverages below 3 monolayers. The alloy is then stabilized into an Au[sub 3]Si-like film and detached from the Si substrate when metallic Au starts nucleation in between.
THE EFFECT OF SELF-DISCLOSURE ON SOCIAL CAPITAL AND WELL- BEING

The purpose of this study was to whether self-disclosure amount and depth related to bridging social capital and bonding social capital. And we also investigated the association between social capital and subjective well-being. Our results showed that self-disclosure amount and depth have an association with both bridging and bonding social capital. The increased self-disclosure amount and depth can result in increase of social interaction. This social interaction can contribute to the development of SNS social capital that can positively impact individuals’ subjective well-being through creating new relations and strengthening existing relations. Our results proved that social capital built by sharing personal experiences, thoughts, and status through self-disclosure leads subjective well-being. It means that social capital may increase satisfaction with their social contact, interpersonal communication, and daily real life. Therefore, social capital can bring forth positive benefits through both building relations and strengthening with existing relations.
A Novel Printed Wideband Dipole Antenna

We present a novel technique to improve the input bandwidth of a conventional printed dipole antenna without actually increasing its size. We show that the proposed modification results in a considerable improvement in the input bandwidth. We also propose an equivalent circuit model for this antenna and describe a procedure to determine the values of the circuit elements. Finally, the performance of the antenna is demonstrated by a fabricated model and a comparison of experimental results with simulation.
Mutants of Escherichia coli with temperature-sensitive malonyl coenzyme A-acyl carrier protein transacylase.

Abstract We have characterized two mutants of Escherichia coli in which fatty acid biosynthesis is adversely affected by elevated temperature. Under conditions which do not alter the activity of wild type cell-free extracts, virtually all of the malonyl coenzyme A-acyl carrier protein (ACP) transacylase and fatty acid synthetase activities present in mutant extracts are thermolabile. Malonyl transacylase from wild type cells restores normal fatty acid synthetase activity to inactivated mutant extracts. Furthermore, fatty acid synthesis in mutant extracts is corrected by malonyl-ACP. Malonyl transacylase and fatty acid synthetase activities are also restored in revertants which were selected for their ability to grow at elevated temperatures. These experiments furnish evidence that the mutants are altered in the structural gene for malonyl transacylase and that this is their only genetic defect. When these strains, defective in the synthesis of a substrate vital for fatty acid elongation, are grown at elevated temperatures, their phospholipids become deficient in long chain acyl groups. Supplementation of these cultures with long chain fatty acids permits sustained growth and the maintenance of a normal fatty acid composition.
Impression management in doctor-patient communication: experience in Taiwan

In a physical healthcare environment, a doctor's time for each patient is limited. The rise of internet technology has brought new opportunities. Using information gathered from a survey, this study attempted to use the communication platform of medical blogs to explore how impression management, health trust, and online social support affect the impacts of health communication. The partial least squares method was used to analyse these different constructs. According to the empirical results of this study, when doctors use impression strategies to respond to visitor questions on blogs, patients feel that they can understand health information better, and at the same time, patients' usage intention for doctor blogs will increase. In addition, when people receive more social support online, the communication effects of blog use are elevated. This study also demonstrated that health trust can influence medical blog usage intention and health communication.
FPGA accelerator for protein structure prediction algorithm

Bioinformatics applications are computationally very expensive programs. They work with large data sets and also consume a lot of CPU cycles and often require high degrees of precision. An important application in this area is tertiary structure prediction of proteins. This paper reports a codesign methodology to build hardware accelerators to minimize the running time of a protein energy minimization algorithm. It has been shown that significant speedups can be obtained by moving core time consuming functions onto an FPGA. It has been shown that a 5 fold decrease in the run time of the application can be achieved by simply moving one core function into hardware. Upto an order of magnitude improvement in runtimes can be obtained by moving two functions (core functions in many other bioinformatics applications) which consume 99% of the CPU cycles in the chosen application. A generalized speedup analysis using single and multiple FPGA cards has also been presented.
Treatment of Molluscum Contagiosum with Imiquimod in the United States: A Retrospective Cross‐Sectional Study

Since there are concerns that imiquimod is being overprescribed for children with molluscum despite its limited efficacy, we used data from two nationally representative surveys to determine the rate at which imiquimod was being prescribed for molluscum contagiosum in the United States. From 1999‐2010, there were an estimated 6.4 million visits for molluscum (95% CI: 5.5, 7.3 million), and imiquimod was prescribed at 7.0% of these visits (95% CI: 3.4, 11). Given the low frequency of patients being treated with imiquimod for molluscum, the concerns of its overuse may be unfounded.
Morphologic changes in the TMJ following splint wear

Intraoral splints are a commonly used dental treatment for a variety of conditions. Because such splints alter the condyle–disc–fossa relationship, they probably change the loading status of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ), including the TMJ disc. Collagen, a major constituent of the disc, acts to resist tensile loading, and it is presumed that the fiber orientations of the individual disc bands reflect their functional loading. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine effects of intraoral splint wear on TMJ morphology in general, and collagen orientation of the intra‐articular disc in particular. Young adult, female miniature pigs were divided into three groups: open‐bite splint, protrusive‐bite splint, and unsplinted control. Splints were worn for 2 months, after which the TMJ discs were harvested for histological examination and stereological analysis, and the skulls were cleaned. Although the splints had no effect on skull dimensions, changes were seen in the TMJs. The discs of the protrusively‐splinted group showed an increased thickness of the posterior band (P < 0.015) and minor changes in collagen orientation of the anterior band. The most striking change was the presence of a degenerative osseous defect on the medial side of the mandibular condyle in half of the splinted animals. These results indicate that prolonged splint wear can induce remodeling and even injury of TMJ tissues. Anat Rec 266:167–176, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) TOWARDS CONSUMER BUYING BEHAVIOR

Today, the level of awareness about corporate social responsibility(CSR) is at the rising trend. Consumers nowadays have set a higher level of expectation towards the companies. Therefore, CSR no longer can be negleted if the businesses would like to stay ahead from the rest. By recognizing the importance role of CSR, many of the businesses have started to engage themselves in this activities in order to gain competitive advantage. A great deal of research have been conducted in this area; however, limited research have been worked from consumer’s perspective. Moreover, the level of consumers’ awareness of CSR is still maintained moderately in Malaysia (Dusuki and Yusof, 2008). Hence the objective of this study is to examine the effect of CSR in affecting consumer buying behavior within Malaysia context. The data was gathered from 350 respondents located in Melaka and Kuala Lumpur. Data collection was based on voluntary and anonymity basis. The regression results indicated that ethical responsibility and philanthropic responsibility are associated with consumer buying behavior.
In Vitro Activities of Fluoroquinolones against the Spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi

ABSTRACT Little is known to date about the in vitro activity of fluoroquinolones against Borrelia species. Our study aimed at determining the in vitro activities of 15 quinolones against nine isolates of the Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato complex in addition to one Borrelia valaisiana and oneBorrelia bissettii tick isolate. For the determination of MICs, a standardized colorimetric microdilution method was applied. Determination of minimal borreliacidal concentrations providing 100% killing of the final inoculum (MBCs) after 72 h and time-kill experiments were performed by conventional culture in Barbour-Stoenner-Kelly medium in combination with dark-field microscopy. The rank order of potency on a microgram-per-milliliter basis for the substances with in vitro activity against B. burgdorferi was gemifloxacin (MIC at which 90% of the isolates tested are inhibited [MIC90], 0.12 μg/ml) > sitafloxacin (MIC90, 0.5 μg/ml), grepafloxacin (MIC90, 0.5 μg/ml) > gatifloxacin (MIC90, 1 μg/ml), sparfloxacin (MIC90, 1 μg/ml), trovafloxacin (MIC90, 1 μg/ml) > moxifloxacin (MIC90, 2 μg/ml), ciprofloxacin (MIC90, 2 μg/ml) > levofloxacin (MIC90, 4 μg/ml) > ofloxacin (MIC90, 8 μg/ml), norfloxacin (MIC90, 8 μg/ml) > fleroxacin (MIC90, >16 μg/ml), and pefloxacin (MIC90, 32 μg/ml) > nalidixic acid (MIC90, 256 μg/ml). After 72 h of exposure, gemifloxacin was borreliacidal (100% killing) against the isolates investigated at a median MBC of 4 μg/ml. In the other compounds tested, median MBCs were higher (≥8 μg/ml). Results of electron microscopy and time-kill studies clearly support an in vitro activity of some fluoroquinolones against borreliae. Our study demonstrates for the first time the enhanced in vitro effectiveness of some of the recently introduced 4-quinolones against B. burgdorferi.
Information Systems Strategy: Reconceptualization, Measurement, and Implications

Information systems strategy is of central importance to IS practice and research. Our extensive review of the literature suggests that the concept of IS strategy is a term that is used readily; however, it is also a term that is not fully understood. In this study, we follow a perspective paradigm based on the strategic management literature to define IS strategy as an organizational perspective on the investment in, deployment, use, and management of IS. Through a systematic literature search, we identify the following three conceptions of IS strategy employed implicitly in 48 articles published in leading IS journals that focus on the construct of IS strategy: (1) IS strategy as the use of IS to support business strategy; (2) IS strategy as the master plan of the IS function; and (3) IS strategy as the shared view of the IS role within the organization. We find the third conception best fits our definition of IS strategy. As such, we consequently propose to operationalize IS strategy as the degree to which the organization has a shared perspective to seek innovation through IS. Specifically, our proposed IS strategic typology suggests an organization's IS strategy falls into one of the two defined categories (i.e., IS innovator or IS conservative) or is simply undefined. We also develop measures for this new typology. We argue that the proposed instrument, which was cross-validated across both chief information officers and senior business executives, has the potential to serve as a diagnostic tool through which the organization can directly assess its IS strategy. We contend that our reconceptualization and operationalization of IS strategy provides theoretical and practical implications that advance the current level of understanding of IS strategy from extant studies within three predominant literature streams: strategic IS planning, IS/business strategic alignment, and competitive use of IS.
Insight into cyanobacterial circadian timing from structural details of the KaiB–KaiC interaction

Significance The Kai system is a widely studied model in theoretical biology and systems biology. It is to date the only known circadian clock that can be reconstituted in vitro. Essential to the rhythmicity of the system is the formation of the KaiC–KaiB complex. Many aspects of this interaction, such as the mode of binding of KaiB, the stoichiometry of the interaction, and the exact binding interfaces have long remained ambiguous. We present a mass spectrometry-based structural model of the KaiC–KaiB interaction that answers many of these outstanding questions on the basis of direct experimental evidence. This structural model sheds light on the intricate workings of the in vitro oscillator. Circadian timing in cyanobacteria is determined by the Kai system consisting of KaiA, KaiB, and KaiC. Interactions between Kai proteins change the phosphorylation status of KaiC, defining the phase of circadian timing. The KaiC–KaiB interaction is crucial for the circadian rhythm to enter the dephosphorylation phase but it is not well understood. Using mass spectrometry to characterize Kai complexes, we found that KaiB forms monomers, dimers, and tetramers. The monomer is the unit that interacts with KaiC, with six KaiB monomers binding to one KaiC hexamer. Hydrogen–deuterium exchange MS reveals structural changes in KaiC upon binding of KaiB in both the CI and CII domains, showing allosteric coupling upon KaiB binding. Based on this information we propose a model of the KaiB–KaiC complex and hypothesize that the allosteric changes observed upon complex formation relate to coupling KaiC ATPase activity with KaiB binding and to sequestration of KaiA dimers into KaiCBA complexes.