Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pharmacologyonline 2 : 95-108 ( 2009 ) Darbar et al . 95 A TIOXIDA T A D HEPATOPROTECTIVE EFFECT OF Andrographis paniculata LEAF EXTRACT O DICLOFE AC I DUCED HEPATOTOXICITY I RATS

Many plant products are known to exert antioxidative effects by quenching various free radicals and singlet molecular oxygen. Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh) is used extensively in the Indian traditional system of medicine as a hepatoprotective and hepatostimulative agent and has been reported to have antioxidant effects against different hepatotoxins. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effect of Andrographis paniculata (AP) against single dose of Diclofenac (DIC) induced hepatotoxicity in rats. Hepatoprotective activity of aqueous ethanol extract of AP was evaluated against repeated dose of Diclofenac (150 mg/kg, i.p) for 30 days in rat. Aqueous extract of AP significantly protected the hepatotoxicity. Serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP)levels were significantly (p < 0.01) elevated in the DIC alone treated animals. Antioxidant status in liver tissue such as activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione s-transferase (GST), a phase II enzyme, and levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) were declined significantly (p < 0.01) in the DIC alone treated animals. Hepatic lipid peroxidation (MDA content) was enhanced significantly (p < 0.01) in the DIC treated group. AP also significantly decreased the lipid peroxidation in liver. Administration of AP (200 and 400 mg/kg) prior to Diclofenac significantly declines the activities of serum transaminases, GGT and ALP levels. Furthermore the hepatic antioxidant status i.e. SOD, CAT, GPx, GST and GSH were enhanced in the Andrographis paniculata plus Diclofenac treated group than the DIC alone treated group. The results of the present study concluded that the hepatoprotective effect of aqueous ethanol extract of AP against DIC -induced acute toxicity is mediated either by preventing the decline of hepatic antioxidant status or due to its direct radical scavenging capacity.
Lattice dynamics and substrate-dependent transport properties of (In, Yb)-doped CoSb3 skutterudite thin films

Lattice dynamics, low-temperature electrical transport, and high-temperature thermoelectric properties of (In, Yb)-doped CoSb3 thin films on different substrates are reported. Pulsed laser deposition under optimized conditions yielded single-phase polycrystalline skutterudite films. Raman spectroscopy studies suggested that In and Yb dopants occupy the cage sites in the skutterudite lattice. Low-temperature electrical transport studies revealed the n-type semiconducting nature of the films with extrinsic and intrinsic conduction mechanisms, in sharp contrast to the degenerate nature reported for identical bulk samples. Calculations yielded a direct bandgap close to 50 meV with no evidence of an indirect gap. The carrier concentration of the films was identical to that reported for the bulk and increased with temperature beyond 250 K. The higher resistivity exhibited is attributed to the enhanced grain boundary scattering in films with a high concentration of grains. The maximum power factor of ∼0.68 W m−1.
The impact of war experiences and physical abuse on formerly abducted boys in northern Uganda

Objective: In this article, war experiences and the impact of physical abuse on formerly abducted boys in Northern Uganda are assessed. Method: In a cross-sectional self-report design, Impact of Events Scale ‐ Revised (IES-R), War Experiences Checklist questionnaires were administered to 216 formerly abducted boys between August and November 2004 and data from records at three rehabilitation centres were retrospectively assessed and analysed. Results: The boys were exposed to war events, participated in atrocities, were physically abused, and manifested many signs and symptoms of post traumatic stress. Consequently, many were psychologically distressed at the time of the study. Conclusions: The psychosocial intervention activities proposed include teaching better coping skills, entrepreneurial skills training, and provision of micro credit facilities.
Active layer distortion of annual air/soil thermal orbits

A straightforward procedure is proposed as a first order, initial approximation for assessing the character of the heat transfer process in the subsurface. Considering monthly averages of air and soil temperatures as a perpendicular superposition of simple harmonic motions, ‘phase-space’ figures can be generated to permit a rapid qualitative diagnostic of the subsurface thermal regime. It is found that for subsurface conductive regimes the shape of the interface thermal regime. It is found that for subsurface conductive regimes the shape of the interception figures is regular. For sites where an active layer and associated processes are present, the interception figures are highly irregular owing to non-conducive heat transfer. Implications for the prediction of soil temperatures and determination of climatic changes from geothermal data are discussed in this context.
Scale effects for strength, ductility, and toughness in “brittle” materials

Decreasing scales effectively increase nearly all important mechanical properties of at least some “brittle” materials below 100 nm. With an emphasis on silicon nanopillars, nanowires, and nanospheres, it is shown that strength, ductility, and toughness all increase roughly with the inverse radius of the appropriate dimension. This is shown experimentally as well as on a mechanistic basis using a proposed dislocation shielding model. Theoretically, this collects a reasonable array of semiconductors and ceramics onto the same field using fundamental physical parameters. This gives proportionality between fracture toughness and the other mechanical properties. Additionally, this leads to a fundamental concept of work per unit fracture area, which predicts the critical event for brittle fracture. In semibrittle materials such as silicon, this can occur at room temperature when the scale is sufficiently small. When the local stress associated with dislocation nucleation increases to that sufficient to break bonds, an instability occurs resulting in fracture.
The impact of macroeconomic policies on the growth of public health expenditure: An empirical assessment from the Indian states

Abstract The impact assessment of macroeconomic policies on public health expenditure is very relevant in Indian economy because of tax reform, fiscal consolidation, and expenditure policy reform. These have been undertaken after economic liberalization in order to sustain a high economic growth. Despite the several fiscal policy initiatives, there is a persistent slowing down of growth in public health expenditure and a huge disparity in the allocation of budget toward health care among the Indian states. Using the period 1990–2014, the study examines the dynamic relationships between public health expenditure and macroeconomic factors (economic growth, domestic revenue, domestic debt, fiscal balance, and central government transfer) of 15 major states of India. Our empirical result shows that state’s revenue (i.e. tax revenue and indirect tax) and central transfer (i.e. tax devolution) are the major public providers for financing the health care of Indian states. Other sources of revenue of the government, namely non-tax revenue and direct tax show no impact on public health expenditure in the short run, while it shows a positive impact in the long run. As a consequence, we find that economic growth and fiscal balance lead to a favorable impact on public health expenditure in the long run. The result suggests the improvement in revenue collection, increase in the tax base and the efficient utilization of central grants would generate fiscal space in the economy, and thereby the government can allocate more funds toward public health care.
IMPACT OF COOPERATIVE MASTERY LEARNING APPROACH ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN CHEMISTRY BY GENDER IN BOMET COUNTY, KENYA

Purpose: The study investigated the Impact of Cooperative Mastery Learning Approach (CMLA) on Students’ Achievement in Chemistry by Gender in Bomet County, Kenya. Methodology: Non-equivalent control group design under quasi-experimental research was used in which samples of four co-educational sub-county secondary schools were drawn from the schools in the County. Each school provided one Form Two class for the study. This translated to a total of 205 subjects. Students in all the four groups were taught the same chemistry content of the topic, Effect of Electric Current on Substances for a period of five weeks. In the experimental groups, CMLA teaching strategy was used while Conventional Teaching Methods were used in the control groups. Data was collected using a Chemistry Achievement Test (CAT) whose reliability coefficient was found to be 0.78, hence suitable for data collection since the value was greater than the threshold of 0.70. One null hypothesis was stated. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis at 0.05 α-level of significance using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer package. t-test statistics was used. Results: The findings from the study indicate that the achievement level was high for students taught using CMLA compared to those taught using Conventional Teaching Methods (CTM). The results also indicate that there was no gender difference in achievement when boys and girls were taught through CMLA implying that the teaching approach is suitable for teaching both male and female students. This in turn will help in bridging the persistent gender gap in chemistry achievement among secondary school students. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Since CMLA enhances students’ achievement in chemistry, educators and teachers should be encouraged to use it in an attempt to improve performance in chemistry. In addition, teacher education institutions should make it part of their teacher training curriculum content.
Salinity in the Sicily Channel corroborates the role of the Adriatic–Ionian Bimodal Oscillating System (BiOS) in shaping the decadal variability of the Mediterranean overturning circulation

Previous studies have demonstrated that the salin- ity in the Levantine basin depends on the intensity of the At- lantic water (AW) inflow. Moreover, its spreading eastward (to the Levantine basin) or northward (to the Ionian Sea) is determined by the Ionian circulation pattern, i.e. by the Adriatic-Ionian Bimodal Oscillating System (BiOS) mecha- nism. The aim of this paper is to relate salinity variations in the Levantine basin to the salt content variability in the core of the Levantine Intermediate Water (LIW) passing through the Sicily Channel (SC) and its possible impact on the West- ern Mediterranean Transition - WMT (i.e. the sudden salin- ity and temperature increase in the deep layer of the Algero- Provencal subbasin occurring since 2004). From the his- torical data set MEDAR/MEDATLAS in the Levantine and northern Ionian, we present evidence of decadal occurrences of extreme salinities associated with the varying influx of AW over the last 60 yr. Furthermore, we show that the salin- ity variations in the two subbasins are out of phase. High- salinity episodes in the Levantine are a pre-conditioning for the potential occurrence of the events like the Eastern Mediterranean Transient (EMT). Cross-correlation between the salinity time series in the Levantine basin and in the SC suggests that the travel time of the LIW is between 10 and 13 yr. Comparing the timing of the salinity increase asso- ciated with the WMT and the salinity in the LIW core in the SC, we estimate that the total time interval needed for the signal propagating from the Levantine to reach the deep mixed layers of the Algero-Provencal subbasin is about 25 yr. We also showed that the extra salt input from the eastern Mediterranean contribute up to about 60 % to the salt content increase in the bottom layer of the western Mediterranean.
Managing forensic recovery in the cloud

As organisations move away from locally hosted computer services toward Cloud platforms, there is a corresponding need to ensure the forensic integrity of such instances. The primary reasons for concern are (i) the locus of responsibility, and (ii) the associated risk of legal sanction and financial penalty. Building upon previously proposed techniques for intrusion monitoring, we highlight the multi-level interpretation problem, propose enhanced monitoring of Cloud-based systems at diverse operational and data storage level as a basis for review of historical change across the hosted system and afford scope to identify any data impact from hostile action or 'friendly fire'.
SHOCKTESTING OF CONCRETE ANCHOR BOLTS FOR SHOCK RESISTANT APPLICATIONS IN PROTECTIVE STRUCTURES

Metal anchors used as shock-safe fastenings for shelter equipment must be capable of transferring transient forces into cracked concrete without being pulled out. To evaluate suitable anchor systems, AC-Laboratorium Spiez conducts shock tests with anchors set in wide cracks. The results of anchor tests with varying shock loads and different types of anchors are presented. The analysis of the test results shows that anchor slip caused by the shock depends on the acting load. A simple mathematical function describing this relationship has been found.
Chronic Users of Supraphysiological Doses of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids Develop Hematological and Serum Lipoprotein Profiles That Are Characteristic of High Cardiovascular Risk

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of long-term anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) use on the hematological and lipoprotein profile of young men practicing sports at fitness centers. Twenty-two male subjects were divided in two groups: AAS (n = 11; 27.3 ± 4.5 years; 85.1 ± 6.8 kg; 174 ± 5.5 cm) and control (n = 11; 24.7 ± 3.6 years; 81.7 ± 7.6 kg; 178.5 ± 6.5 cm). The hemodynamic response, metabolic profile (blood glucose and lactate) and serum lipoprotein levels were measured prior to, during, and after a submaximal exercise test on a cycloergometer. Blood samples were obtained before the exercise test to determine the hematological profile (white and red cells). The hemodynamic response showed no statistically difference between groups before, during, or after submaximal exercise test. Hemoglobin, hematocrit, erythrocytes, leucocytes and monocytes were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in AAS users compared to control subjects. HDL-cholesterol level was significantly lower, whereas triglycerides levels, LDL-cholesterol level and the LDL-c/HDL-c ratio were significantly higher in the AAS group. Blood glucose and lactate levels were significantly higher in the AAS users after submaximal exercise test. In conclusion, young men practicing sports at fitness centers who are AAS users exhibit proatherogenic and prothrombotic profile, and premature metabolic disturb in despite of regular physical activity.
Determining the sample size and power for cox regression analysis.

Statistical power is the probability of rejecting a false null hypothesis and a larger sample size will increase the power of test. In the process of computing power, the sample size is determined. Therefore, the power of the study should be determined before starting to work. Cox regression analysis is a popular method of survival analysis and it examines the relationship between survival times and one or more covariates. In this study, power and sample size of cox regression analysis is determined for different situations of parameters by creating of study designs. As results of calculation, the practical tables and suggestions about determining the appropriate sample size were presented to the researches for clinical study.
Towards a new performance model integrating Health and Safety

This paper presents some analyses and results initiated in a research program held in an ambulance manufacturing company. The problem of our research program relate to the integration of Health and Safety variables in the decision-making process of the company. We first of all sought after understanding in-depth how the company adapted the Lean approach, and more precisely on what kind of performance model it based its implementation. Once the performance model was identified as "quality, cost, time, stock" variables, we tried to enrich this model by integrating Health and Safety, risk prevention and working conditions to improve it.
Effects of Pre Cutting Nitrogen Application Rate and Time on Seed Cane Quality of Sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum L.) Crop at Finchaa SugarEstate

Field experiment was conducted at Finchaa Sugar Estate during the 2010/11 cropping period to assess the effect of rate and time of pre-cutting nitrogen fertilization on seed cane quality of sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum L.) crop. The treatments consisted of four levels of N (0, 23, 46, 69 kg N ha-1) and four times of N application (8, 6, 4 and 2 Weeks before Cutting (WBC). The field experiment was laid out as a RCBD in a factorial arrangement and replicated three times. A sugarcane cultivar named N-14 was used as a planting material. The experiment was conducted on a sandy clay luvisol. Analysis of variance of the data revealed that the pre-cutting N application rate had no significant main effect on seed cane sett quality at the time of harvest. In contrast, pre-cutting N application time had significant main effect on seed cane stalk height, girth, reducing sugar, moisture and total N content. Thus, treating seed cane with N 8WBC for commercial planting resulted in improvement of seed cane stalk height, girth, reducing sugar and moisture content. However, significant improvement in total N content occurred in response to treating the crop with N 2WBC. The two main factors interacted to significantly influence only seed cane stalk height, reducing sugar and total N content. Pre-cutting N treatment with the rate of 23 kg ha-1 8WBC resulted in higher seed cane height. However, pre-cutting N treatment with the rate of 69 kg ha-1 8WBC resulted in higher reducing sugar and total N content. On the other hand, treating the seed cane with N at the rate of 23 kg ha-1 2WBC resulted in significantly higher total N content, but this value was in statistical parity with the nitrogen content of the seed cane that was obtained from the treatment of 69 kg N ha-1 applied 8 WBC. it was generally observed that early application (8WBC) of N at higher dose (69 kg ha-1) or also late application (2WBC) of N at lower dose (23 kg ha-1) improved seed cane quality through significantly enhancing reducing sugar and total N contents, respectively. Therefore, As the precutting N application rate had no significant main effect, it could be concluded that, treating the seed cane with N at the lower rate of 23 kg ha-1 8WBC had a dual advantage of improving quality (in terms of height, reducing sugar and total N content) of the seed cane crop.
Adult Health Outcomes during War: The Case of Afghanistan

In using spatial variations of the conflict experience in Afghanistan, I estimate mortality and health risks for adults, and thus a casual effect of war on these health outcomes. I find limited support that adults are more likely to die in areas more affected by the conflict than others. However, I find pronounced effects on adult health outcomes, e.g. adults are more likely to be sick in the provinces affected by violence. Though, this effect reverses in sign once focusing on women of reproductive age which could be driven by reported improvements in maternal health services in these provinces.
Minimizing Leakage Energy in FPGAs Using Intentional Post-Silicon Device Aging

The presence of process variation (PV) in deep submicron technologies has become a major concern for energy optimization attempts on FPGAs. We develop a negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) aging-based post-silicon leakage energy optimization scheme that stresses the components that are not used or are off the critical paths to reduce the total leakage energy consumption. Furthermore, we obtain the input vectors for aging by formulating the aging objectives into a satisfiability (SAT) problem. We synthesize the low leakage energy designs on Xilinx Spartan6 FPGA and evaluate the leakage energy savings on a set of ITC99 and Opencores benchmarks.
Related publications of the candidate in peer-reviewed Journals

This article deals with toxicological study of cadmium (Cd) as CdCl2 on the growth and cell morphology of Escherichia coli K-12 MG1655. The minimum inhibitory concentration of Cd was 15 mM. When cadmium was added at mid-log phase, growth was completely inhibited at 0.6 mM and 50% of the bacterial growth retardation was found at 0.3 mM concentration. At sublethal dose of Cd (0.2 mM), majority of the cells showed filamentous form, suggested the possible effect of Cd on cell division. AFM study of bacterial cell morphology revealed severe surface damage of the treated cells in comparison to untreated cells. The expression of FtsZ decreased both at transcriptional and translational levels with the time of Cd exposure, thus cell division was affected and as a result cells took filamentous form. Due to Cd exposure, the nucleoid segregation remained unaffected, but improper Z-ring formation was observed. Activities of peroxidase and superoxide dismutase significantly decreased in treated cells with exposure time, which might elevate intracellular ROS level, as a consequence metabolic dysfunction and toxic effect were resulted. & 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
More Than a "Touch" of Benefit in a New RIC Device

Michelle L. Hicks, Ph.D Andrea Hannan-Dawkes, Au.D. Michael J. Nilsson, Ph.D. BC-HIS Sonic Innovations, Inc., Salt Lake City, Utah Introduction This article reports on a recently completed study evaluating the performance and benefit received by hearing-impaired individuals wearing Sonic TouchTM, a new receiver-in-thecanal (RIC) product family introduced by Sonic Innovations® in April, 2009. The product family includes the premium-level Touch 24, the advanced-level Touch 12, and the mid-level Touch 6. The three technology levels differ in terms of their number of compression channels, their complement of features, and the number of available programs. The Sonic Touch family is based upon a micro RIC form factor shown in Figure 1. Touch defaults to an open-canal configuration, but software transforms allow clinicians to fit the device in occludedor closed-canal configurations (using a standard tulip or power dome or a custom earmold) when an extended fitting range is desired.
A Preliminary Investigation of Positive Imagery Training to Reduce Risk for Suicidal Behavior Among Adolescent Girls

Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents, with risk for suicidal thoughts and suicidal behavior emerging during adolescence particularly among girls. Consistent with theory and empirical evidence, the current study examined the effects of socially-focused positive imagery training among a small sample of adolescent girls evidencing suicidal thoughts. This preliminary small n design also allowed for a detailed assessment of acceptability of imagery training for the adolescent sample. Risk for suicidal intent was indexed by 1) negative affect, 2) positive affect, 3) greater resting right (relative to left) prefrontal asymmetry, 4) perceived social isolation, and 5) suicidal ideation. Although the training was generally perceived as acceptable, results suggested minimal to no changes in the primary outcome variables between baseline and intervention phases. Indeed, no clear pattern regarding intervention effects was observed. Findings are discussed in terms of the strengths and challenges of this small n study as a first step for better understanding and offsetting adolescent risk for suicidal intent.