Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasma lipid profiles and risk of cardiovascular disease on occupational exposure in Karimnagar

Occupational exposure is unregulated in developing countries like India, and becoming the most common cause of disease of environmental origin. The present study was aimed to investigate the effects of occupational exposure on plasma lipid profiles, and risk of cardiovascular diseases. A total of 79 human volunteers were included in the study. Control subjects were healthy housewives of Karimnagar, India. Occupationally exposed individuals included different occupational workers like petrol station attendants, battery chargers, drivers, welders, pesticide-exposed workers, painters, and auto mechanics. These subjects were shown to be chronic occupationally-exposed for at least three years, and neither associated with any other chronic pathological conditions like hypertension or diabetes, nor under any medication other than analgesics during the month preceding the study. Subjects with excessive high or low caloric intake were excluded from the study. Total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), VLDL cholesterol, LDL/HDL cholesterol, and TC/HDL ratio in these subjects were significantly higher than those in control subjects, whereas HDL cholesterol was not markedly affected. Blood pressure (systolic and diastolic), and other anthropometric parameters (body mass index (BMI), body fat index (BFI), body surface area (BSA)) were not significantly different between groups. Data suggest that chronic occupational exposure increases plasma lipid levels and is thereby associated with cardiovascular complications.
DIATOMS FROM A NEOLITHIC EXCAVATION ON THE FORMER ISLAND OF SCHOKLAND, IJSELMEERPOLDERS, THE NETHERLANDS

In the Occupation area of Schokland (IJsselmeerpolder) sediment samples as well as sherds from Neolithic and Early Bronze Age pottery have been investigated for their diatom content in order to find out if the pottery was of local origin or not. There is a good correlation between the species found in the samples and those found in the local clay. Import of the pottery from elsewhere is therefore unlikely.
Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia

Reptiles and Amphibians of Australia is a complete guide to Australia’s rich and varied herpetofauna, including frogs, crocodiles, turtles, tortoises, lizards and snakes. For each of the 1218 species there is a description of its appearance, distribution and habits. Each species is accompanied by a distribution map and, in most cases, a colour photograph of the living animal. The book includes 130 simple-to-use dichotomous keys that in most cases allow a specimen in hand to be identified. In addition, it has a comprehensive list of scientific references for those wishing to conduct more in-depth research, an extensive glossary, and basic guides to the collection, preservation and captive care of specimens. This classic work, originally published in 1975, has been completely brought up to date. This seventh edition includes all species described prior to October 2013.
Identification of trehalose and glycine betaine as compatible solutes in the moderately halophilic sulfate reducing bacterium, Desulfovibrio halophilus

Increasing NaCl concentrations in the growth medium inhibited the growth of Desulfovibrio halophilus due to both an increase in the lag phase of growth and a reduction in the specific growth rate. Addition of 1 mM glycine betaine to the growth medium partially relieved this inhibition. Natural abundance 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy identified the disaccharide α-α trehalose and glycine betaine as the major organic solutes accumulated by D. halophilus during growth in mineral salts medium and mineral salts medium supplemented with 1 mM glycine betaine, respectively. The presence of a weak glycine betaine transport system was confirmed by following the accumulation of [methyl-14C]glycine betaine during osmotic upshock. In the absence of exogenous glycine betaine the intracellular trehalose concentration of D. halophilus was dependent upon the osmolarity of the growth medium, with a maximum concentration of 8.3 μmol trehalose mg protein−1 recorded in cultures grown in the presence of 15% w/v NaCl. Intracellular K+ concentrations were also dependent upon the osmolarity of the growth medium over the range 3–9% w/v NaCl, but showed little further increase at higher NaCl concentrations.
Insect damage to cones and other mortality factors limiting natural regeneration potential of Swiss stone pine (Pinus cembra L) in the northern French Alps

Les degats d'insectes des cones et autres facteurs de mortalite limitant les potentialites de regeneration naturelle du pin cembro dans les Alpes francaises du Nord. Un suivi demographique de cones de pin cembro sur un cycle reproductif complet a ete realise en 1992 et 1993. Au total, 84 % de la production potentielle de graines a ete detruite. La majorite des pertes a ete causee par des facteurs abiotiques la premiere annee, et par des insectes pour les cones de deuxieme annee. L'entomofaune ne comprend que trois especes phytophages et differe largement de celle observee dans les autres essences des coniferes alpins.
The Bait Shrimp Fishery of Galveston Bay, Texas

Abstract From June 1957 through May 1959 the bait shrimp fishery in Galveston Bay, Texas, was studied to determine the species composition and the magnitude of the catch. Total production for the 2-year period amounted to over 676,000 pounds, having a retail value of almost $779,000. The fishery is chiefly in summer and fall; over 90 percent of the production occurred from May through October. Brown shrimp (Penaeus aztecus) and white shrimp (Penaeus setiferus) were the major species taken. Occurring sporadically were pink shrimp (Penaeus duorarum), seabobs (Xiphopeneus kroyeri), and Trachypeneus sp. The median weight of brown shrimp in samples obtained from the fishery was almost static at 2.0 to 4.0 grams and did not exceed 5.0 grams. The median weight of white shrimp fluctuated and ranged up to 15.5 grams. Young white shrimp apparently enter the bay later in the year than brown shrimp, stay longer, and grow to a larger size before leaving for offshore waters. Length-weight relationships for brown and wh.
SECONDARY METABOLITES AS WELL AS ANTIOXIDANT AND P-GLUCOSIDASE INHIBITORY POTENTIAL OF Hopea

Four compounds were isolated from the petroleum ether and ethyl acetate extracts of the stem bark of Hopea scaphula Roxb. The structures of the isolated compounds were elucidated as stigmasterol (1), 1,2dimethoxy-4-allylbenzene (2), 3,4-dimethoxycinnamaldehyde (3) and fi-amyrin (4) by extensive spectroscopic studies. The isolated compounds and crude extracts were subjected to antioxidant screening through free radical scavenging activity by DPPH (1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl), where compounds 1 and 2 showed substantial antioxidant activity with IC50 value 18.0 and 63.0 fig/ml, respectively. In case of fi-glucosidase inhibition assay, the ethyl acetate extract revealed strong inhibitory activity (94.18%) while the petroleum ether extract showed 79.11% enzyme inhibition. This is the first report of antioxidant and fi-glucosidase inhibitory activities of H. scaphula Roxb.
Cloud Computing Simulation Using CloudSim Toolkits

Cloud simulation aims to power the next generation data centers and enables application service providers to lease data center capabilities for deploying applications depending on user QoS (Quality of Service) requirements. Cloud Simulation applications have different composition, configuration, and deployment requirements. Quantifying the performance of resource allocation policies and application scheduling algorithms at finer details in Cloud computing environments for different application and service models under varying load, energy performance (power consumption, heat dissipation), and system size is a challenging problem to tackle. in this paper we propose CloudSimulation:an extensible simulation toolkit that enables modeling and simulation of various Cloud Simulation environments. The CloudSim toolkit supports modelling and creation of one or more virtual machines (VMs) on a simulated node of a Data Center, jobs, and their mapping to suitable VMs. It also allows simulation of multiple Data Centers to enable a study on federation and associated policies for migration of VMs for reliability and automatic scaling of applications between user and hosts due to cloudlet
Understanding Facilitators and Barriers of Online Cancer Information Utilization among Cancer Survivors and their Families: Focus on the Theory of Planned Behavior

Objective: Cancer survivors have various health care needs and are willing to be proactive with their health maintenance. Online information would be a useful resource to guide cancer survivors and their family members. Therefore, identifying the factors that influence Internet searching behaviors among cancer survivors and their family members is a first step toward providing better health care services for cancer care. Methods: We performed focus group interviews that were based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, with thirty-one participants to explore factors related to Internet search behaviors among cancer survivors and their family members. Results: Six themes were identified in the analysis of participant interviews. Attitudes toward searching for health information on the Internet included the themes “Fulfilling unmet needs” and “Confirmation through second opinion. ” Themes related to social norms included “a required step for sure” and “helping each other. ” In terms of perceived behavioral control, themes included “difficult to choose because of being ‘overwhelmed with information,’” and “complex searching milieu. ” Conclusion: It was clear that cancer survivors and their family members had unmet needs for maintaining their health status. They wanted to be informed and actively involved in the decision-making process regarding health management. Consultation and education provided to patients by doctors should not only include information on diet and nutrition but also information on the resulting complications to satisfy their need for reliable health information.
Determination of bacteriocin‐encoding plasmids of Pediococcus acidilactici strains by Southern hybridization *

A 3.5 kb (2.3 MDa) plasmid probe (pRBI) containing the pap gene (pediocin AcH production) was used in Southern hybridization tests to determine the presence or absence of a plasmid‐encoded pediocin gene in various isolates of Pediococcus. This probe hybridized with a 9.4 kb (6.2 MDa) plasmid found present in all pediocin‐producing Pediococcus acidilactici strains tested. Conversely, this probe showed no reactions with Ped. acidilactici RS2‐1, AB6‐1 and PC, strains which did not produce pediocin and lacked the 9.4 kb (6.2 MDa) plasmid. This probe also did not hybridize with the plasmids from a bacteriocin producing Ped. pentosaceus strain.
Spatial dynamics in breeding performance of a predator: the connection to prey availability

Using nationwide long-term data on goshawk and grouse populations in Finland we study the spatial dynamics of the numbers of breeding northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) pairs, goshawk brood size and offspring sex ratio and their connection to the abundance of grouse. Our first large-scale data comprise of observations on goshawk nests during 1986–2001 pooled to 21 different regions. The second set are annual (1989–1998) observations of brood size and offspring sex ratio (females over the sum of females and males) in goshawk nests all over the country, aggregated to 50 km grid level (n =28 grid units). The third set comprises counts (1989–2001) of four species of woodland grouse, split to adults and juveniles, also given in the same 50 km grid units. Using these data, we show that the annual numbers of northern goshawk nests in the different regions fluctuate in synchrony. Synchrony is also found in long-term fluctuations of northern goshawk brood size and offspring sex ratio. Moreover, synchrony is found in annual numbers of grouse juveniles and adults, the main prey for the northern goshawk. In the brood size and offspring sex ratio of the goshawk, as well as in the annual numbers of grouse juveniles and adults the degree of synchrony falls off with increasing distance. However, only in sex ratios and in grouse dynamics are the slopes of synchrony vs distance roughly matching. We also found that sex ratio either vs grouse juveniles or grouse adults has a more matching spatial dimension (50 km radius) that sex ratio vs brood size. These observation lend support to the hypothesis that goshawk offspring sex ratio and grouse abundance are interconnected. Despite the reason, consequences of spatial coupling in sex ratio could have repercussions on other life history events.
Brand Experience: How Does It Affect Brand Personality and Brand Loyalty in the Egyptian Telecommunications Industry?

Brand experience has received a lot of attention within the business industry. Customers are looking for not only valuable brand benefits but also, emotional skills as well as brand experience theory. In this regard, the Egyptian Telecommunications Industry tries, also, to provide answers on how to measure brand experience and how it affects customers’ behaviors. This research examines in the context of the Egyptian telecommunications market the relationship between Brakus et al.’s (2009) four whole experience dimensions (sensory, affective, intellectual, and behavioral), brand personality, and brand loyalty. The author produced an online questionnaire, which, based on a simple sampling method, was distributed to and collected from the Egyptian telecommunications industry (Vodafone Egypt, Orange Egypt, Etisalat Egypt, and We Egypt). Four hundred fifty questionnaires were distributed and, excluding those that were incomplete, the author obtained 392 samples. This represented an 87% response rate. The results indicate that brand experience has a positive impact on the brand’s personality. Brand experience has, also, a strong positive effect on brand loyalty and, ultimately, brand personality has a strong positive effect on brand loyalty. Besides the brand experience’s direct effect on brand loyalty, it has a significant indirect effect on brand loyalty by impacting on brand personality. Among the relationships between the variables, the relationship between brand personality and brand loyalty is the strongest. More particularly, it is noteworthy that the correlation with the findings shows that the relationship between brand experience and brand loyalty is greater than the direct relationship. Therefore, in order to strengthen customer brand loyalty, telecommunications managers should pay more attention to customer brand personality.
STOCHASTIC METHOD OF DATA TRANSFORMATION RDOZEN+

Analysis of information security threats and the trends in the development of computer technology allows to make an unambiguous conclusion about the increasing role of stochastic methods of information protection. The most promising method of protection, namely the method of introducing the unpredictability in the work of the funds and the objects protection is universal. It can be used in conjunction with any other method of protection automatically raising their quality. A special case of stochastic methods are cryptographic methods of information protection. The trend of recent years has been the advent of algorithms based on the use of 2D and 3D stochastic transformations. This article proposes a new algorithm of 3D stochastic data transformation, which is basically aimed for information security solutions. The algorithm is characterized by the high degree of parallelism at the level of elementary operations
In vitro regeneration of periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus L.) and fidelity analysis of regenerated plants with ISSR Markers

Catharanthus roseus is an important multipurpose medicinal plant. In this study, in vitro proliferation and root induction of periwinkle were optimized and regenerated plants were subsequently surveyed for genetic homogeneity using the inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Shoot tips and nodal segments were cultured in Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentrations of benzylamino-purine (BAP), gibberellic acid (GA3), and indol-3-butyric acid (IBA) hormones. ISSR profiling of regenerated plants as well as the mother plant were surveyed with five primers. The highest establishment rate (80.67%) was obtained in the MS medium containing 1.0 mg L-1 GA3 and 1.0 mg L-1 BAP. Highest proliferation rate (5.20 shoots/explant) and average shoot length (6.30 cm) were observed in 1.5 mg L-1 BAP + 0.5 mg L-1 IBA. Moreover, the best rooting response (85.30%) was observed on half strength MS containing 1.0 mg L-1 IBA. Genetic fidelity analysis using ISSR markers showed the monomorphic banding pattern of the micro-propagated plants and the mother plant, which highlighted their genetic uniformity. This implies that periwinkle micropropagation through shoot tip is the most reliable method for true-to-type production of C. roseus in a large scale.
Archives or Palimpsests? Bacterial Genomes Unveil a Scenario for the Origin of Life

The three processes needed to create life, compartmentalization, metabolism, and information transfer (memory stored in nucleic acids and manipulation operated by proteins) are embedded in organized genome features. The core of life puts together growth and maintenance (which drives survival), while life in context explores and exploits specific niches. Analysis of gene persistence in a large number of genomes shows that the former constitutes the paleome, which recapitulates the three phases of the origin of life: metabolism of small molecules on surfaces, substitution of surfaces by an RNA-world where transfer RNA played a central role, and invention of templatemediated information transfer. Colonization of each niche is performed using an almost unlimited set of genes, forming the cenome. The agreement of the paleome structure with a consistent scenario for the origin of life is such that we may consider extant genomes as providing us with an archive of the origin rather than as a palimpsest where most of our past would be irremediably hidden.
Ontogenetic Development of Growth Rates in Larval Pacific Herrings, Clupea harengus pallasi, Measured with RNA–DNA Ratios in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia

During the spring of 1986, a cohort of Pacific herring, Clupea harengus pallasi, larvae was sampled for 36 d in the Strait of Georgia to measure growth rates using RNA–DNA ratios for individual larvae. Concurrent with the field study, a population of herring larvae was starved from hatching in captivity for comparison with those caught in the field. The mean RNA–DNA ratio at hatching for the starved larvae was close to 2 but it quickly rose to 3.4 by age 4 d. The mean RNA–DNA ratio subsequently dropped back to 2 and below by age 8 d, presumably reflecting the exhaustion of the endogenous food supply of the yolk sac. The mean RNA–DNA ratio at the calculated point-of-no-return was 2.06 which was very similar to the zero protein growth rate or what we define as the "critical ratio. " Herring larvae from the field generally showed an increase in the RNA–DNA ratio over the 36 d from approximately 2 to 7 although the first 18 d showed more variation than the latter. There was no evidence of mass starvation ("cri.
Phytoplankton Exopolymers Enhance Adhesion of Microplastic Particles to Submersed Surfaces

Intense pollution of marine environments with plastic waste, including micro- and nanoplastics, is a new and poorly studied threat measured in tens of million tonnes annually. Despite a huge scale of the problem, almost nothing is known about pathways and mechanisms of involvement of micro- and nanoplastics in marine food webs, trophic processes, global biogeochemical cycles. In this study, a hypothesis is considered and experimentally verified about the role exopolymers from marine phytoplankton play in flocculating micro- and nanoplastics and forming their aggregates in marine environments to transfer and deposit them further in bottom sediments. In experiments with non-axenic cultures of the cryptophyte Rhodomonas salina (RHO) and the green alga Tetraselmis suecica (TET) exposed to micro-polystyrene particles (MP, 4.3 μm diam., about 0.4 × 106 particles/ml, 16 mg/L), microalgal exudates were shown to promote MP flocculation and immobilization on vertical glass surfaces. The highest levels of MP were “cleared” from the medium by the TET culture which released more extracellular polysacharides. Hetero-aggregation of MP and algal cells was not observed, probably owing to turbulent mixing and cell motility. Abundant bacterial consortia relealed in the cultures (up to 9 × 106 cells ml-1) could be an additional source of exopolymers and serve an agent of MP flocculation and adhesion. Thus, the results obtained highlight the potential for phytoplankton exudates to interact with micro- and nanoplastics, and potentially affect their bioavailability and vertical transport in marine environments.
Metabolic Allometry of Larval and Juvenile Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens): In Situ Estimates and Bioenergetic Models

Measurements of in situ food consumption and growth rates of young-of-the-year (YOY) yellow perch, Perca flavescens, indicated that extrapolations of the metabolic allometry of adult perch to larval and juvenile perch were inappropriate. YOY active metabolism had the same weight dependent slope as adults but was 4.4 times adult standard respiration. Adult active respiration is typically 1–2 times standard. YOY consumption rates were also higher than predicted from adult allometry. Model simulations demonstrate that consumption and growth dynamics of larval and juvenile fish are more sensitive to variation in temperature and prey availability than are adults.
Interaction of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α- and Thiazolidinedione-Regulated Pathways in Obesity

Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are potent insulin-sensitizing compounds and high-affinity ligands for the transcription factor peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor γ. The mechanism through which TZDs improve insulin sensitivity, however, is not clear. In this study, we asked whether the ability of TZD to suppress and antagonize TNFα is an underlying mechanism for its molecular and physiological effects, using obese (ob/ob) mice lacking TNFα function. We found that the lipid-lowering effects of TZD are completely independent of TNFα suppression, and the insulin-sensitizing effects of TZD are partially independent. TZD treatment improved insulin sensitivity in ob/ob mice both with and without functional TNFα, albeit with different absolute potency. To characterize the potential interdependency of TZD- and TNFα-regulated pathways at the molecular level, we also performed four-way transcriptional profiling of white adipose tissue of TZD- and vehicle-treated ob/ob mice, with and without TNFα function. The ma.