Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epiphytic bryophytes in natural forests and cacao agroforests of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia

This dissertation consists of several studies on the epiphytic bryophyte flora in natural forest sites and shaded cacao agroforests in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Agroforests can harbor high levels of biodiversity and therefore function as important tool in tropical biodiversity conservation. However, management intensification results in changes in the microclimate that can threaten native forest flora and fauna. Moreover, management practices still include the removal of species-rich epiphytic layers, a labor-intensive practice carried out because epiphytes are believed to impede cacao productivity. To evaluate biodiversity patterns of epiphytic bryophytes, species richness, composition, distribution and ecology (based on life-forms ) were studied and related to microclimate changes. The bryophyte species richness in the study sites was remarkably high and was highest in the inner crowns of forest canopy trees. However, the studies in this dissertation also underline that epiphytic bryophytes are sensitive to microclimatic changes due to their lack of a protective cuticle and their exposed habitat. The pronounced changes in bryophyte communities could be related to dry and warm microclimatic bottlenecks that were recorded during the afternoon in forest canopies and cacao agroforests. The changes were primarily driven by different ecological adaptations of species. Exposed life-forms that were sensitive to increased temperatures and drought characterized habitats in the understory and on tree trunks in the rainforest sites ( shade epiphytes ), whereas sun epiphytes occurred most in tree crowns and on cacao trees. Overall, bryophyte richness on cacao trees was comparable to that on trees in the natural forests and most of those species also occurred in canopy habitats in nearby rainforest sites. Although most of these species had a wide distribution and therefore a low conservation priority, the high richness supports the idea that shaded agroforests are valuable for tropical biodiversity conservation. Moreover, with experimental removal of epiphytic layers from cacao trees, it was shown that epiphytic bryophytes do not affect fruit-set and harvests. Hence, farmers labour can be reduced and conservation of the rich biodiversity outside natural forests supported. However, the species with restricted distribution and narrow microclimatic niches are threatened by forest conversion, which suggests that agroforests do not act as refuge for local epiphytic bryophyte species from natural forests. Only conservation aimed at the landscape scale may help to maintain this rich and unique biodiv! ersity of pristine forested habitats.
Preventing Occupational Cancer and Supporting Cancer Survivors’ Return to Work

Around 8,000 deaths in Britain each year are caused by occupational cancers. That equates to about five percent of all cancer deaths. However, it is difficult to determine a true figure for occupational cancers because of the latent nature of the disease. An individual might be exposed to a cause of cancer and not develop any noticeable symptoms until many years later. With current work patterns of people moving between different job roles and companies, it can be difficult to determine a specific exposure or cause.
Wolbachia in Aedes mosquitoes: towards biological control of vector-borne diseases

Dengue causes an enormous impact on global public health with 50 million cases every year. Vector control is predominantly focused on the application of insecticides against adult mosquitoes. However, current methods of vector control are often not sustainable for long periods because of the emergence of insecticide resistance. In this context, the discovery and application of alternative methods are extremely important. A new approach for biological control of diseases transmitted by mosquitoes has recently been proposed that uses an endosymbiotic bacterium ( Wolbachia pipientis) in order to interfere with the transmission of pathogens. The advantage of using this bacterium is that infected females have a reproductive advantage due to a cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), which leads to an increase in numbers of infected individuals in the wild. When Aedes aegypti mosquitoes (that naturally lack this bacterium) were transinfected with Wolbachia it was discovered that the presence of bacteria inhibits the replication of pathogens such as dengue and chikungunya viruses as well as filarial and avian malaria parasites. More recently Ae. aegypti mosquitoes harbouring a Drosophila-Wolbachia strain have been released in Australia and were able to quickly spread in the wild. In this chapter we review the possibility of applying this endosymbiotic bacteria as potential biological control of human diseases transmitted by mosquito vectors.
Lowering of blood sugar by water extract of Azadirachta indica and Abroma augusta in diabetes rats.

Combination ( I: I) of water extract of dri ed powder of roo t a nd leaves (200 mg/kg body wt) of A. augus/([ a nd A. indica respecti vely was admini stered ora ll y to a ll oxan diabetic rats once a day for 8 weeks. This treatm e nt caused s ig ni ficant lowerin g of blood s ugar in fa sted as estima ted by g lu cose to le ran ce test. The treatment resulted in a s ig nifi cant red uc ti o n in serum lipi ds . Aqueous extract a lso decreased thc formation of lipid peroxides estimated as thiobarbituric ac id reacti ve substance, (TBARS), a nd increased a nt iox id a nts (superoxide di smutase, catalase, g luta thi o ne peroxidase and glutathi o ne transferase) in e rythrocy tes. There was reduction in LPO as TBARS in heart , li ver, kidney, and muscles. It a lso prevented decrease in body weight. Present study showed that Abrollla augusta roots a nd A. il1dica leaves whe n give n togethe r as wate r cxtract had hypoglycaemi c action a nd had better effect than g iven alonc.
Effect of atropine on the response of human choroid to retinal image defocus in myopia

i Acknowledgements . iii Table of contents . iv List of abbreviations . xii List of tables. xiv List of figures . xvi 1 Rationale and overview . 1 2 Background . 4 2.1 Myopia significance . 4 2.1. 1 Evidence for visually guided refractive development of the eye . 4 2.1. 2 Natural course of refractive change in myopia. 5 2.1. 3 Risk factors for Myopia Development . 6 2.2 Optical control of myopia progression . 8 2.2.1 Undercorrection . 8 2.2.2 Bifocal & Progressive addition lenses (PALs) . 9 2.2.3 Orthokeratology . 11 2.2. 4 Dual focus / Multifocal contact lenses . 12 2.3 Pharmaceutical control of myopia progression . 14 2.3. 1 Clinical studies. 14 2.3. 2 Potential site and mode of action of atropine . 16 2.3. 2.1 Nitric oxide . 18
Organic farming : Its relevance to the Indian context

Increasing consciousness about conservation of environment as well as health hazards associated with agrochemicals and consumers' preference to safe and hazard-free food are the major factors that lead to the growing interest in alternate forms of agriculture in the world. Organic agriculture is one among the broad spectrum of production methods that are supportive of the environment. The demand for organic food is steadily increasing both in the developed and developing countries with an annual average growth rate of 20-25%. Organic agriculture, without doubt, is one of the fastest-growing sectors of agricultural production. However, there are certain issues that should be clarified before we go for a large-scale conversion to organic agriculture. The most important issues are -Can organic farming produce enough food for everybody? Is it possible to meet the nutrient requirements of crops entirely from organic sources? Are there any significant environmental benefits that accrue from organic farming? Is the food produced by organic farming superior in quality? Is it economically feasible? In this article, we review these aspects of organic farming. In India, vast stretches of arable land, which are mainly rain-fed and found in the Northeastern region where negligible amount of fertilizers and pesticides are being used and have low productivity, could be exploited as potential areas for organic agriculture. Considering the potential environmental benefits of organic production and its compatibility with integrated agricultural approaches to rural development, organic agriculture may be considered as a development vehicle for developing countries like India, in particular.
Efficacy of Blue light in mild and moderate facial acne vulgaris

Objective To determine the efficacy of blue light treatment in patients with mild and moderate facial acne vulgaris. Methodology This quasi-experimental study was performed at Department of Dermatology, Services Hospital, Lahore from 31st January 2015 to 30th July 2015. Total 105 patients were included in the study by non-probability consecutive sampling. The patients undergone 16 sessions of blue light for 15 minutes each, twice a week for 8 weeks. Global Acne Score (GAS) was calculated at the start of the treatment and at 8 weeks. Mean reduction in GAS was measured. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS version 16. Results 91(87%) patients were between 15-30 years of age while 14 (13%) were between 31-45 years of age with mean age of 22.90±5.97 years. 28 (26.7%) were male and 77 (73.3%) were females. Acne was mild in 50 (47.6 %) patients and moderate in 55 (52.4%). Pretreatment mean global acne score was 18.9905±6.24884 and posttreatment mean global acne score was 15.1143±5.1143. Mean reduction in global acne score after 08 weeks was 3.87619±3.33021 ( p <0.0038). Conclusion Blue light is an effective monotherapy in the treatment of mild and moderate facial acne vulgaris in our population.
Intestinal opportunistic parasites among different groups of immunocompromised hosts.

Abstract The present study was designed to find out the prevalence of different intestinal opportunistic parasites in different groups of immunocompromised hosts; patients suffering from malignancy with or without immuno-suppressive drugs, or with chronic renal failure, or diabetes mellitus, or subjects under cortisone therapy. Examination of stool samples collected from 427 immunocompromised hosts revealed the detection of intestinal opportunistic parasites in 98 samples, with a prevalence of 23%. Infection with opportunistic parasites was higher in males than in females (32.6% versus 12.9%). There was statistically significant association of infection with G. lamblia and Cryptosoporidium in the mixed infection detected. The highest group affected with the opportunistic parasites was the group of patients under corticosteroid therapy (31.7%), followed by patients suffering from renal failure (28.8%) and malignancy (25.7%), while the least group affected were the diabetic patients (8%). The highest prevalence rate was 10.3% for G. lamblia, being followed by E. histolytica (7%), C. parvum (6.3%), Microsporidia (2.3%) and the least one was for Strongyloides (0.7%). No cases of Isospora belli infection was detected. Relation between presence of opportunistic parasites and risk factors was discussed and evaluated.
ALLOZYME DIVERSITY OF KOOMPASSIA MALACCENSIS (LEGUMINOSAE) IN PENINSULAR MALAYSIA

Submitted January 2005Accepted in revised form April 2007LEE, C. T. , LEE, S. L. , NG, K. K. S. , SITI SALWANA, H. , NORWATI, M. & SAW, L. G. 2007. Allozyme diversity of Koompassia malaccensis (Leguminosae) in Peninsular Malaysia. Population genetic study of Koompassia malaccensis, an important tropical timber tree species, was carried out using allozyme markers. Six natural populations, namely, Bukit Bandi, Bukit Lagong, Jerangau, Pasoh, Sungai Lalang and Sungai Menyala were investigated. The results showed that K. malaccensis harboured a higher level of allozyme diversity (mean expected heterozygosity, H
FIML Estimation of an Endogenous Switching Model for Count Data

This paper presents code for fitting a fiml endogenous switching poisson count model for cross-sectional data in stata 7: the espoisson command. the poisson process depends on an unobserved heterogeneity term, ξ; a set of explanatory variables, x; and an endogenous dummy, d. the endogenous dummy depends on an unobserved random term, ν. correlation between ξ and ν is allowed. if a model with exogenous d is fitted instead, correlation between ξ and ν will result in simultaneous equation bias. the endogenous switching model corrects this problem. after describing the underlying econometric theory behind the command, an example is discussed.
INDUCTION EFFECT OF MICROALGAE SCENEDESMUS DIMORPHUS AGAINST HEMATOLOGY ON MICE (MUS MUSCULUS) SUFFERING ANEMIA DISEASES

Objective: This study aims to investigate the potential of Scenedesmus dimorphus as a cure for aplastic anemia in mice (Mus musculus). Methods: Fifty male mice divided into five groups, mice suffering anemia due to induction of chloramphenicol. Oral administrated of S. dimorphus for 28 days with a dose of 2.5 g/50 ml, 5.0 g/50 ml, and 7.5 g/50 ml, respectively, to cure aplastic anemia in mice and samcobion as standard drug.Results: Induction of chloramphenicol caused the mice to suffering aplastic anemia and weight loss in mice. Biomass of S. dimorphus has an effect of against hematological parameters and total blood count estimation. The result shows significant (p<0.05 ANOVA) on weight gain, an increase of erythrocyte counts, and hemoglobin level, whereas an increase of hematocrit and reticulocyte values have non-significant, and a dose of S. dimorphus 5.0 g/50 ml were the treatment most effective for anemia in mice.Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, S. dimorphus biomass has the healing benefit of aplastic anemia due to the administration of chloramphenicol.
Convection-diffusion analysis at high Peclet number by the boundary element method

Presents a two-dimensional convection-diffusion analysis under the condition of high Peclet number by the boundary element method. The newly developed Green's function which includes speed electromotive force and eddy currents is proposed for the formulation. In order to analyze the large Peclet number problem, attention is paid to the property of the Green's function; hence, the accuracy is improved. In order to examine the validity of the present method, it was applied to a magnetic sensor for nondestructive testing. >
Relative entropy in the Sherrington–Kirkpatrick spin glass model

It has been observed that in the Sherrington–Kirkpatrick spin glass model the relative entropy of the probability distribution of the product of two independent replicas with respect to the uniform distribution exhibits a sort of phase transition above the critical point of the model. In this paper, we show that this is not an isolated phenomenon as, for example, the product of three replicas shows analogous behaviour. We also study the probability distribution of the product of a spin glass and a ferromagnetic system.
Stem Cell Therapy: Recent Success and Continuing Progress in Treating Diabetes

Diabetes mellitus (DM), a cluster of metabolic diseases, resulting in high blood glucose levels, is prevalent in today’s world. The global costs of diabetes and its consequences are rising and are expected substantially increase by 2030, especially in middleand lower-income countries. Evidence-based therapies, specifically targeting the reduction of high blood glucose levels, and minimizing diabetic complications, are currently the choice of treatment. Stem cell therapy offers a promising vision to treat DM. Although challenges are still posed with this line of therapy, studies have produced regenerative beta-cells which closely resemble insulin-secreting cells. A number of sources for stem cells have been explored, ever since the proof-of-concept for cell therapy was laid down. This review summarizes stem cell therapy in the treatment of DM.
The impact of “The Art of Happiness” class on community dwelling older adults: a positive psychology intervention

ABSTRACT Mental health is often negatively impacted throughout the aging process and declines in psychological health can result in a decreased sense of well-being and overall quality of life in the older adult population. Research has shown that positive psychology interventions can enhance psychological well-being in older adults; however few studies have targeted this population. Researchers sought to evaluate a positive mental health intervention in an older adult population. The Art of Happiness is an 8-week intervention that was conducted at two senior centers. Pre and post intervention assessments of participant subjective happiness, stress, gratitude, life satisfaction, depression, mindfulness, arousal states, and general demographic and health information were completed. Compared to the control group, by the end of the intervention, participants experienced significantly less perceived stress, and were significantly calmer and less tired than before the intervention. Results from this study provide significant contributions to the field of positive psychology and suggest that interventions similar to “The Art of Happiness,” are applicable to older adult populations.
Detection of Multidrug Resistant Pseudomonas spp. in Clinical Cases and Hospital Environments at Thi-Qar Province

Yahia A. Abbas Bassam Y. Khudaier Hind A. Salih biology Dept., College of Science , Thi-Qar University Abstract A total of 260 swabs from clinical and hospital environments were collected during September 2011 to March 2012. Primary culturing on blood agar and MacConkey agar revealed that 25 ( 9.6%) were gave positive growth for pseudomonas spp. , 14 (56%) was from clinical cases as follow: 10 ( 71.42%) from burns, 2 (14.3%) from wounds, 1 ( 7.14%) from urinary tract infections, 1 (7.14%) of respiratory tract infections, and 11 (44%) from hospital environments . All the 25 isolates were screened for their resistance against 13 antibiotics of different classes by disk diffusion method . All the tested isolates were appeared resistant to at least seven of antibiotics , hence the isolates are considered to be multidrug resistant .
Studies of novel risk factors associated with chronic kidney disease in ethically diverse, high risk populations

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is common and often has a major impact on the health of those affected. In this thesis I have focused on areas of uncertainty that may have major implications for patient care. Firstly, I assessed the determinants of increased mortality in a multi-ethnic primary care population. Secondly, I investigated the differential progression of CKD between ethnicities. Thirdly, I assessed if tryptase, as a marker of mast cell activation, could be used to stratify risk in CKD. Finally, I investigated the impact of CKD on health related quality of life (HRQL) and the association between HRQL and clinical end-points. I found that: (i) comorbidity has a profound impact at a population level on survival in CKD; (ii) albuminuria is the principle modifiable risk factor for progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in people of South Asian ethnicity; (iii) serum tryptase is an independent prognostic factor for ESRD in patients with CKD receiving treatment with an ACEi or ARB; and (iv) Low HRQL is common in CKD and reduced HRQL is associated with a higher risk for death. The findings from this thesis contribute to the understanding of CKD in ethnically diverse, high-risk populations and form the basis for further studies.
Treatment Selection: Understanding What Works For Whom In Mental Health

Individuals seeking treatment for mental health problems often have to choose between several different treatment options. For disorders like depression and PTSD, many of the available treatments have been found to be, on average, equally effective. Research on precision medicine aims to identify the most effective treatment for each patient. This work is based on the idea that individuals respond differently to treatment, and that these differences can be studied and characterized. The push for personalized and precision approaches in mental health involves identifying moderators variables that predict differential response into treatment recommendations. Unfortunately, there has been little real-world application of these findings, in part due to the lack of systems suited to translating the information in actionable recommendations. This dissertation will review the history of treatment selection in mental health, and will present specific examples of treatment selection models in depression and PTSD. Differences between treatment selection in the context of two equivalently effective interventions and stratified medicine applications in which goal is to optimize the allocation of stronger and weaker interventions will be discussed. Methodological challenges in building (e.g., variable selection) and evaluating (e.g., cross-validation) treatment selection systems will be explored. Approaches to precision medicine being used by different groups will be compared. Finally, recommendations for future directions will be made. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Psychology First Advisor Robert J. DeRubeis
Constituents of Human Milk

Breastmilk contains all the nutrients required by the newborn baby. It also contains non-nutritional components that may promote infant health, growth, and development, such as antimicrobial factors, digestive enzymes, hormones, trophic factors, and growth modulators. In some situations, breastmilk may also contain harmful components, such as pollutants, drugs, allergens, and viruses. Human milk has a unique composition, which differs from that of other mammals in its ingredients and their concentrations. Breastmilk composition is not constant and varies with stage of lactation, breastfeeding pattern, season, and parity. It also differs among individuals and among communities, for reasons that are not well understood. Maternal nutrition is an obvious candidate, but the situation is complex. Supplementation studies and cross-cultural comparisons have demonstrated that the total concentrations of fat, protein, and lactose are relatively insensitive to current dietary intake and nutritional status, whereas the fatty acid profile and the concentrations of several micronutrients, particularly water-soluble vitamins, are responsive to maternal diet. For many infants, nutrient intake from breastmilk becomes insufficient after four to six months, and other foods should be added to the diet. Nevertheless, breastmilk can continue to be a valuable nutrient source and to provide non-nutritional factors even for older children. Consequently, breastfeeding for one to two years as part of a mixed diet has many advantages, particularly for children living in impoverished circumstances.