Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Establishment of an in vitro micropropagation protocol for Boscia senegalensis (Pers.) Lam. ex Poir.

This report describes in vitro micropropagation of Boscia senegalensis, so-called famine foods, that helped the people in Darfur and Kordofan, Sudan survive during the 1984–1985 famine. Four types of explants prepared from green mature zygotic embryos were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium augmented with 1–5 mg/L 6-benzyladenine (BA). The highest number of shoots per explant (14.3±0.9) was achieved on MS medium supplemented with 3 mg/L BA, while the highest shoot length [(3.5±0.4) cm] was obtained with 1 mg/L BA. The shoot cluster, when subcultured to its same medium, significantly increased the rate of shoot multiplication by the end of the third subculture. The maximum mean number of shoots per explant (86.5±3.6) was produced after three multiplication cycles on 3 mg/L BA-supplemented medium. In vitro induced shoots were excised and rooted on half strength MS medium fortified with 0.25 mg/L indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) to obtain complete plantlets. B. senegalensis-regenerated plantlets obtained in vitro for the first time, were hardened and 95% survived under greenhouse conditions.
A Case of Pyomyositis due to Escherichia coli in a 14-Year-Old With Aplastic Anemia

Escherichia coli is a versatile microorganism and an essential normal flora of the human intestinal track; however, it can also be extremely pathogenic with virulence factors affecting a wide range of cellular processes. Fortunately, serious disease due to E coli is often limited to immunocompromised hosts. E coli is the most common cause of gram-negative bacteremia and has been well documented to cause diarrhea, meningitis, peritonitis, urinary tract infection, renal or other intraabdominal abscess, and sepsis. It has rarely been described in infections such as pyomyositis, particularly in the lower extremity. We describe a 14-year-old patient with severe aplastic anemia (SAA) and neutropenia who developed pyomyositis and soft tissue abscess of the right lower extremity caused by E coli.
Employee Perceptions of Service Quality in the Namibian Hotel Industry: A SERVQUAL Approach

This study assessed employee perceptions of service quality in the Namibian hotel industry using the SERVQUAL approach. The data for the study were collected from 77 employees drawn from two large hotels in Windhoek who were surveyed using a questionnaire covering five service quality dimensions of empathy, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and tangibles. Data were analyzed using gap score analysis and factor analysis. The gap score estimates revealed that on all the items, employee perceptions of quality service delivery in the hotels were lower than their expectations. The largest gap scores (-1.84 to -1.70) pointed to the presence of service gaps relating to: employers? fair treatment and care of employees; employees as a valued resource; employee empowerment to respond to customers without consulting managers; and employees trained and inducted for efficiency and effectiveness. Factor analysis extracted four factors which accounted for 73% of the total variance. The first factor being the most important accounted for 50% of the variance and it included items from the reliability and assurance dimensions namely: employees? comparable pay and benefits, flexible working hours, the use of employee feedback to improve service delivery, and training and inducting employees for efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery. Based on the results management of hotels should address the employees? concerns raised in gap analysis and factor analysis in their formulation of strategies to enhance and sustain quality service delivery in their hotels.
Survey on Presentation Slides Generation for Academic Papers

This paper discusses a method for automatically generating summary slides from a text, studying the automatic generation of presentation slides from a technical paper and also examines the challenging task of continuously creating presentation slides from academic papers. The created slides can be used as a draft to help moderators setup their systematic slides in a quick manner. This paper introduces a novel system called PPSGen to help moderators create such slides. The system uses the backslide procedure to determine the Noteworthiness Score of the sentences in an educational paper and then uses the whole number Integer Linear Programming (ILP) system to create well-organized slides by selecting and adjusting key expressions and sentences. Evaluation results, based on a test game plan of 200 arrangements of papers and slides assembled on the web, display that our proposed PPSGen structure can create slides with better quality. A customer study also exhibits that PPSGen has obvious advantage over baseline methods.
Bistatic SAR Experiments With PAMIR and TerraSAR-X—Setup, Processing, and Image Results

The spatial separation of the transmitter and the receiver in bistatic synthetic aperture radar (SAR) enables a variety of data acquisition geometries to achieve benefits like the increased information content of bistatic SAR data. In the case of hybrid bistatic SAR constellations where the transmitter is spaceborne and the receiver is onboard an aircraft, one has to deal with a huge discrepancy between platform velocities. This paper presents bistatic spaceborne/airborne SAR experiments, where the radar satellite TerraSAR-X is used as a transmitter and the airborne SAR sensor Phased Array Multifunctional Imaging Radar (PAMIR) of the Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques (FHR) is used as a receiver. Both sensors are equipped with phased-array antennas, which offer the possibility of beam steering and could be used for the first time for the “double sliding spotlight mode. ” In this mode, the space- and airborne sensors operate with different sliding factors (ratio between footprint and platform velocity). The performance of two different experiments is analyzed, and the novel double sliding spotlight mode is presented. This paper describes the experimental setups, the synchronization system, and the data acquisition. The image results were processed by a modified backprojection algorithm and a frequency-domain algorithm. The analysis of the final bistatic images comprises the spatial resolution and the scattering behavior of selected objects. Parts of the bistatic SAR images are compared with the corresponding monostatic images of PAMIR and TerraSAR-X. It will be shown that hybrid bistatic SAR is a worthwhile and helpful addition to current monostatic SAR.
The self renewal probability of hemopoietic stem cells

The probability of a colony which originated as a single stem cell to become extinct due to differentiation of all of its stem cells in any generation is closely connected to stem cell self renewal probability p. p can be determined from the coefficient of variation of the colony numbers received by reinjecting single colonies of the same age. Whole spleens containing a known average colony number can also be used with advantage for this purpose. The results of both procedures indicate a stem cell self renewal probability p =0.62 ± 0.04, which does not change significantly between the sixth and the fourteenth day of colony development, and an extinction probability ω = 0.63 ± 0.12.
Discrete influx events refill depleted Ca2+ stores in a chick retinal neuron

The depletion of ER Ca2+ stores, following the release of Ca2+ during intracellular signalling, triggers the Ca2+ entry across the plasma membrane known as store‐operated calcium entry (SOCE). We show here that brief, local [Ca2+]i increases (motes) in the thin dendrites of cultured retinal amacrine cells derived from chick embryos represent the Ca2+ entry events of SOCE and are initiated by sphingosine‐1‐phosphate (S1P), a sphingolipid with multiple cellular signalling roles. Externally applied S1P elicits motes but not through a G protein‐coupled membrane receptor. The endogenous precursor to S1P, sphingosine, also elicits motes but its action is suppressed by dimethylsphingosine (DMS), an inhibitor of sphingosine phosphorylation. DMS also suppresses motes induced by store depletion and retards the refilling of depleted stores. These effects are reversed by exogenously applied S1P. In these neurons formation of S1P is a step in the SOCE pathway that promotes Ca2+ entry in the form of motes.
A Mechanistic Theory of Consciousness

Recently we proposed a theory of consciousness, the attention schema theory, based on findings in cognitive psychology and systems neuroscience. In that theory, consciousness is an internal model of attention or an "attention schema". Consciousness relates to attention in the same way that the internal model of the body, the "body schema", relates to the physical body. The body schema is used to model and help control the body. The attention schema is used to model and help regulate attention, a data-handling process in the brain in which some signals are enhanced at the expense of other signals. We proposed that attention and the attention schema co-evolved over the past half-billion years. Over that time span, the attention schema may have taken on additional functions such as promoting the integration of information across diverse domains and promoting social cognition. This paper summarizes some of the main points of the attention schema theory, suggests how a brain with an attention schema might conc.
Awarding global grades in OSCEs: Evaluation of a novel eLearning resource for OSCE examiners

Background: A novel online resource has been developed to aid OSCE examiner training comprising a series of videos of OSCE performances that allow inter-examiner comparison of global grade decisions. Aims: To evaluate this training resource in terms of usefulness and ability to improve examiner confidence in awarding global grades in OSCEs. Method: Data collected from the first 200 users included global grades awarded, willingness to change grades following peer comparison and confidence in awarding grades before and after training. Results: Most (86.5%) agreed that the resource was useful in developing global grade scoring ability in OSCEs, with a significant improvement in confidence in awarding grades after using the training package (p < 0.001). Conclusions: This is a useful and effective online training package. As an adjunct to traditional training it offers a practical solution to the problem of availability of examiners.
Differential effects of cyclosporin A and tacrolimus on magnesium influx in Caco2 cells.

PURPOSE Hypomagnesemia with urinary magnesium (Mg) wasting is a well acknowledged side effect of cyclosporin A (CsA) and tacrolimus (FK506) treatments. TRPM6, TRPM7 and MagT1 are involved in the active transcellular Mg transport processes in intestine and kidney. Since Mg homeostasis is tightly controlled by the dynamic action of intestinal absorption of dietary Mg and renal excretion of Mg, we investigated whether CsA and FK506 in commercially available solutions for clinical use decrease the expression and the function of TRPM6, TRPM7 or MagT1 in the intestinal epithelial cell line Caco2. METHODS Changes of intracellular free Mg concentrations were measured by Mag-fura-2 imaging in Mg-free medium after the addition of 1 mM MgCl2. TRPM6, TRPM7 and MagT1 were evidenced in cells by immunofluorescence. Proteins and mRNAs were quantified after 18 hours of treatment with CsA or FK506 by western-blot and real-time RT-PCR analyses, respectively. RESULTS TRPM6 and MagT1 were evidenced on all cell membranes, TRPM7 only on the inner membranes. CsA was responsible for a profound decrease in Mg2+ influx in intestinal epithelial cells, which may result in a decrease of intestinal Mg absorption, whereas FK506 was responsible for a marked increase in Mg2+ influx. Neither CsA nor FK506 altered TRPM6, TRPM7 or MagT1 mRNA levels or MagT1 protein level. CONCLUSIONS In Caco2 cells, Mg2+ influx was inhibited by CsA solutions whereas enhanced by FK506 solutions, without alteration of MagT1, TRPM6 and TRPM7 expression, leading to the conclusion that CsA and FK506 have opposite effects in the functional activity of the Mg transporters herein examined. In clinical use, FK506 should be preferred for patients at risk for hypomagnesemia.
A 7.5-year prospective study of longer than 18 months type-specific human papillomavirus persistence in a routine cytology-based cervical screening population of about 31 000 women in West Germany

The objective of this study was to analyse the prevalence, infection pattern, duration and outcome of long-term, type-specific, persistent human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in a routine cytology-based cervical screening population of West German women followed up for 7.5 years. From a screening population of 31 000 women, a strictly selected cohort of 100 patients with ≥18-month persistent, type-specific HPV infection were prospectively followed up for a mean of 35.52 months (±13.0). HPV type prevalence and odds ratios for regression, progression and steady state were analysed, as well as the influence of age and HPV coinfection on outcome. Altogether, 21 different genotypes were detected. Seventy-two percent of women were infected with high-risk HPVs, 24% with low-risk and 4% with unknown risk HPV types; 44% of cases had coinfections with multiple HPV types. The risk of progression in low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions and high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions was the highest for infections with high-risk HPVs [odds ratio: 2.2 (0.79–6.11, 95% confidence interval)], whereas cases with low-risk and unknown risk HPVs tended to regress or remained unchanged during follow-up. The mean duration of infections showed considerable variation among the different HPV types and risk groups detected and ranged between 19.7 and 54.3 months. Age was not significantly associated with disease progression and infection duration, and histology had a poor sensitivity for detecting high-grade dysplasia. In conclusion, detecting long-term persistent HPV infections by genotyping may help to identify women with cervical intraepithelial lesions who are at lower and higher risk of developing high-grade precancer and cancer. This may influence future screening strategies and therapy decisions.
Last in first out? : An investigation of the regression hypothesis in Dutch emigrants in Anglophone Canada

This paper examines whether the order in which Dutch emigrants in the English-speaking part of Canada lose their first language is the reverse of that in which Dutch-speaking children first acquire their mother tongue. This idea, captured in the regression hypothesis, has not been extensively tested so far. Through an experimental research design, the study shows that regression does obtain in the case of morphology, but that syntax is more dominated by second language influence from English. The results furthermore indicate that regression is a much more subtle phenomenon than has previously been assumed with attriters showing more parallels with advanced L1 acquirers than with children in the initial stages of their linguistic development.
A Review of Cardiogenic Shock in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Cardiogenic shock continues to be the most common cause of death in patients hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction. It has also been frequently associated with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and patients with co-morbidities. Cardiogenic shock presents with low systolic blood pressure and clinical signs of hypoperfusion. Rapid diagnosis and supportive therapy in the form of medications, airway support and intra-aortic balloon counterpulsation is required. Initial stabilization can be followed by reperfusion by fibrinolytic therapy, emergent percutaneous intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). The latter two have been found to decrease mortality in the long term. Research is being carried out on the role of inflammatory mediators in the clinical manifestation of cardiogenic shock. Mechanical support devices also show promise in the future.
The Social Adjustment of Undergraduate White Students in the Minority on an Historically Black College Campus

White undergraduate students matriculating at an HBCU express less overt evidence of social adjustment barriers than Black students at predominantly White institutions. Although White students reported a sense of under-representation, they reported no direct experiences of overt racism and reported good relationships and strong support from HBCU faculty. Differences between the social adjustment experience of White undergraduate students and a similar study of White graduate students are discussed. Student affairs practitioners are challenged to consider racial-consciousness raising cocurricular and curricular educational programs that can assist White students in enriching their "temporary minority" experience. The eight student participants averaged 19 years of age and (with one exception) had attended the HBCU for at least one year. Data were gathered through focus groups, a Racial Identity Scale and a Faculty Support Scale.
Intelligent System for Real-Time Traffic Recommendations

Multi-agent systems have proven to be a powerful technology for the development of large-scale distributed systems that have to deal with highly dynamic systems. The traffic and transportation systems have this feature, which makes them an excellent application area of these systems. This paper proposes a multi-agent system able to make recommendations of travel routes in real time. An agent-based hierarchical architecture analyzes the information obtained from users, open Application Programming Interfaces and social networks to get information about traffic incidents and issues, such as construction sites and traffic congestion and approximate the existing traffic flow. This information is given to an agent-based app that, supported on the preferences and needs of the user, presents recommendations of optimal routes.
Comparative analysis of micrometastasis to the bone marrow and lymph nodes of node-negative breast cancer patients receiving no adjuvant therapy.

PURPOSE In node-negative patients, of whom up to 30% will recur within 5 years after diagnosis, markers are still needed that identify patients at high enough risk to warrant further adjuvant treatment. In the present study we analyzed whether a correlation exists between microscopic tumor cell spread to bone marrow and to lymph nodes and attempted to determine which route is clinically more important. PATIENTS AND METHODS According to a prospective design, bone marrow aspirates and axillary lymph nodes of level I (n = 1,590) from 150 node-negative patients with stage I or II breast cancer were analyzed immunocytochemically with monoclonal anticytokeratin (CK) antibodies. We investigated associations with prognostic factors and the effect of micrometastasis on patients' prognosis. RESULTS CK-positive cells in bone marrow aspirates were present in 44 (29%) of 150 breast cancer patients, whereas only 13 patients (9%) had such positive findings in lymph nodes; simultaneous microdissemination to bone marrow and lymph nodes was seen in merely two patients. No correlation of bone marrow micrometastases with other risk factors was assessed. Reduced 4-year distant disease-free and overall survival were each associated with a positive bone marrow finding (P =.032 and P =.014, respectively) but not with lymph node micrometastasis. Multivariate analysis revealed an independent prognostic effect of bone marrow micrometastasis on survival, with a hazards ratio of 6.1 (95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 31.3) for cancer-related death (P =.031) in our series. CONCLUSION Immunocytochemical detection of micrometastatic cells in bone marrow but not in lymph nodes is an independent prognostic risk factor in node-negative breast cancer that may have implications for surgery and stratification into adjuvant therapy trials.
Structural and Biochemical Characterization of the Early and Late Enzymes in the Lignin β-Aryl Ether Cleavage Pathway from Sphingobium sp. SYK-6*

There has been great progress in the development of technology for the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to sugars and subsequent fermentation to fuels. However, plant lignin remains an untapped source of materials for production of fuels or high value chemicals. Biological cleavage of lignin has been well characterized in fungi, in which enzymes that create free radical intermediates are used to degrade this material. In contrast, a catabolic pathway for the stereospecific cleavage of β-aryl ether units that are found in lignin has been identified in Sphingobium sp. SYK-6 bacteria. β-Aryl ether units are typically abundant in lignin, corresponding to 50–70% of all of the intermonomer linkages. Consequently, a comprehensive understanding of enzymatic β-aryl ether (β-ether) cleavage is important for future efforts to biologically process lignin and its breakdown products. The crystal structures and biochemical characterization of the NAD-dependent dehydrogenases (LigD, LigO, and LigL) and the glutathione-dependent lyase LigG provide new insights into the early and late enzymes in the β-ether degradation pathway. We present detailed information on the cofactor and substrate binding sites and on the catalytic mechanisms of these enzymes, comparing them with other known members of their respective families. Information on the Lig enzymes provides new insight into their catalysis mechanisms and can inform future strategies for using aromatic oligomers derived from plant lignin as a source of valuable aromatic compounds for biofuels and other bioproducts.
Recent Advancements in Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Generation Methods Using Carbohydrate-Coated Liposomes

Both tumor-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells have been identified, and the latter is known as a major effector of adaptive antitumor immune responses. Optimal antitumor immune responses are considered to require the concomitant activation of both CD8+ and CD4+ T cells and the additional selective activation of CD4+ T cells with helper, but not regulatory function. As optimal antitumor immune responses are generated by the concomitant activation of both T cell types, it is necessary for vaccine methods involving cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTLs) generation to possess a mechanism whereby antigen presenting cells can present administrated exogenous antigens on not only Major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II, but also MHC class I molecules.
Interest, enjoyment and pride after failure experiences? Predictors of students’ state-emotions after success and failure during learning in mathematics

The current investigation was designed to identify emotion states students experience during mathematics activities, and in particular to distinguish emotions contingent on experiences of success and experiences of failure. Students’ task-related emotional responses were recorded following experiences of success and failure while working with an individualised computer-based mathematics learning environment. In addition, relations between these patterns of emotional responses after success and failure experiences and trait-like motivational variables, self-concept of ability, subject value, orientation to learning from errors, goal orientation and causal attributions, were examined. Two separate studies are reported. In Study 1 emotions associated with success and failure experiences in mathematics were investigated in relation to self-concept of ability, subject value and orientation to learning from errors. In Study 2, patterns of emotion following success and failure were examined in relation to students’ goal orientation and their causal attributions for success in school.
First Occurrence of a given Gap between Consecutive Primes

Heuristic arguments are given, that the pair of consecutive primes separated by a distance d appears for the rst time at p f (d) p d exp 1 2 q ln 2 (d) + 4d. The comparison with the results of the computer search provides the support for the conjectured formula.