Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge of Smoking Health Effects , Perception of Smoking Policies and Cessation Scenarios among Smokers in Amassoma Community in Nigeria

Cigarette smoking has varieties of adverse effects on human health, both acute and chronic. Policies have been enunciated globally to attenuate the scourge of smoking and also to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke. This study sought to evaluate the knowledge of smokers in Amassoma community of smoking adverse effects, their perceptions of smoking policies and cessation scenarios. 254 questionnaires were administered randomly to recipients that consented after carefully explaining the objective of the study. Data was analyzed with SPSS version 20. 94.3% of smokers were aware that smokers are liable to die young; 24.8% still smoked because they were addicted to it; 70.9% claimed they found it difficult to quit smoking; 46.8% of respondents had attempted quitting once. Reasons adduced for the failed quit attempts included extreme temptation (62.9%); 91.2%) had been advised to stop smoking; such advice came from family members (38%) and the church (26.4%). Place of residence was correlated (p=0.002*) with willingness to quit smoking. Over half of respondents linked smoking with Cancer, Asthma, Cough, Heart Disease, Kidney disease, Liver Disease, Respiratory Disease, Lung cancer, Stained teeth, Bad breadth, Reduced life-span and Death. 48.9% expressed their willingness to quit smoking; 43.7% and 22.8% respectively were in support of banning smoking inside family houses and on the streets; 34% of the recipients were in support of restricting advertisement of cigarette in media whereas, 26.6% recommended that cigarette manufacture should be banned in Nigeria. Aggressive public enlightenment is indicated in this community.
Automatic Test Case Generation for UML Class Diagram using Data Flow Approach

To reduce the high cost of manual software testing and at the same time to increase the reliability of the testing processes, a novel method has been tried to automate the testing process. This paper presents general criteria for generating test cases from UML Class diagram using Data flow testing. The approach of deriving test cases from UML diagrams provides the software tester with a model to generate effective test cases and to commence the testing process early in the software development cycle. The Class diagram of a real time application created using Rational Rose Tool has been taken for generating test cases automatically. The effectiveness of the test cases are evaluated by using a fault injection technique called Mutation Analysis.
An energy-efficient low voltage DC grid powered smart LED lighting system

Inefficiency of the common lightings like incandescent, fluorescent and halogen lamps presents an ample opportunity to retrofit high efficacy, long life-time and low maintenance LED solid-state lighting, which has significantly reduced in cost on an annual basis. LED lights and many electronic loads used within in-built environment are DC in nature. As such, in this paper, an energy-efficient low voltage DC (LVDC) grid powered LED lighting system with automated energy saving control is simulated, designed and implemented. An energy saving mechanism is introduced into the LED lighting system to tune its illuminance level accordingly to the users' preferences and to further achieve energy conservation. Experimental results show that the proposed LED lighting system with an energy saving mechanism incorporated is able to achieve similar lighting performance as the conventional lighting condition, while at the same time, able to attain about 44.2% energy saving as compared to the original AC fluorescent system. The LED lighting system test-bed has also demonstrated that the users have the flexibility to choose their own lighting preferences for their desks.
Novel Method to Assess Cardiac Electrophysiology in the Rat: Characterization of Standard Ion Channel Blockers

The rat continues to be an important tool to assess cardiac electrophysiologic (EP) effects of test agents and to study the distribution/role of ion channels in cardiovascular diseases. However, no data have been described that accurately measure discrete cardiac EP parameters in rats in vivo. Therefore, we developed a method to assess cardiac EP in rats and then profiled several ion channel agents. Briefly, rats were instrumented with endocardially placed electrodes to assess cardiac refractoriness and conduction. Administration of class I agents resulted in a dose-dependent slowing of ventricular conduction. The potassium channel blocker 4-aminopyridine caused significant increases in atrial and ventricular refractoriness. An IKr blocker had little or no effect on atrial and ventricular refractoriness but significantly increased AV nodal refractoriness. Additionally, an IKs blocker had little effect on rat cardiac EP. The L-type blocker diltiazem caused a dose-dependent delay in AV node conduction and an increase in AV node refractoriness. Overall, this study provides normative data that describe the roles of Na+, Ca2+, and K+ channels in rat cardiac electrophysiology, in vivo. Furthermore, the model provides a method to assess changes in cardiac electrophysiology in the setting of disease by using well-established rat models of induced or genetic cardiovascular disease.
Datalution: a tool for continuous schema evolution in NoSQL-backed web applications

When an incremental release of a web application is deployed, the structure of data already persisted in the production database may no longer match what the application code expects. Traditionally, eager schema migration is called for, where all legacy data is migrated in one go. With the growing popularity of schema-flexible NoSQL data stores, lazy forms of data migration have emerged: Legacy entities are migrated on-the-fly, one at-a-time, when they are loaded by the application. In this demo, we present Datalution, a tool demonstrating the merits of lazy data migration. Datalution can apply chains of pending schema changes, due to its Datalog-based internal representation. The Datalution approach thus ensures that schema evolution, as part of continous deployment, is carried out correctly.
Characterization of Vitamin C-Induced Cell Sheets Formed from Primary and Immortalized Human Corneal Stromal Cells for Tissue Engineering Applications

The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of primary human corneal stromal cells (HuFib cells) and SV40-immortalized human corneal keratocytes (HCK cells) to synthesize their own extracellular matrix induced by vitamin C supplementation. Therefore, the amount of collagen secreted and resulting biomechanical properties based on the culture duration were assessed. Cells were cultivated for several weeks with or without vitamin C. The amount of collagen secreted by the cells was quantified based on the culture duration. Cell viability was simultaneously determined via the MTT assay. Collagen secretion was increased as a result of vitamin C supplementation. The effect was stronger in primary cells. In addition, vitamin C supplementation had a positive effect on HuFib cell viability. Vitamin C supplementation induced the formation of detachable cell sheets in both primary and immortalized cells. The biomechanical properties of the sheets were evaluated using a static material testing machine, and the ultrastructure of the cell sheets was examined using scanning electron microscopy. The cell sheets formed from HuFib cells had a higher percentage of light transmission between 400 and 800 nm and were superior in terms of E-modulus and ultimate strength testing. Indirect immunofluorescence and Western blot confirmed the presence of collagen type I in the HuFib and HCK cell cultures. Stimulating secretion of the extracellular matrix in corneal stromal cells is a promising approach for corneal stroma reconstruction for tissue engineering applications.
Relationship between Gender and Performance with Respect to a Basic Math Skills Quiz in Statistics Courses in Lebanon Hiba Naccache

Abstract—The present research investigated whether gender differences affect performance in a simple math quiz in statistics course. Participants of this study comprised a sample of 567 statistics students in two different universities in Lebanon. Data were collected through a simple math quiz. Analysis of quantitative data indicated that there wasn’t a significant difference in math performance between males and females. The results suggest that improvements in student performance may depend on improved mastery of basic algebra especially for females. The implications of these findings and further recommendations were discussed.
Unusual chromosomal mosaicism as a cause of mental retardation and congenital malformations in a familial reciprocal translocation carrier, t(17;22)(q24.2;q11.23)

Familial reciprocal translocations are generally without phenotypic effect, although there is some evidence for a small excess of mental retardation and congenital malformations (MR/CM) in children carrying familial reciprocal translocations. Possible mechanisms whereby such translocations could have a phenotypic effect include cryptic unbalanced rearrangements, uniparental disomy, and disruption of putative genes at the breakpoints, unmasking recessive alleles on the normal homologs. Mosaicism for a supernumerary derivative chromosome in a carrier of a familial reciprocal translocation has not yet been described. We report a boy presenting with MR/CM and a familial reciprocal translocation, t(17;22)(q24.2;q11.23), inherited from the mother. Cytogenetic analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes showed a balanced karyotype in all 32 analyzed metaphase spreads. Molecular genetic analysis was consistent with biparental origin of the normal homologs. In metaphase spreads from skin fibroblasts a supernumerary chromosome was found in all 24 cells analyzed and could be identified as der(22)t(17;22)(q24.2;q11.23). Several possible segregation modes at meiosis I followed by meiosis II or postzygotic nondisjunction of the der(22) might have led to this unusual chromosomal mosaicism. We propose hidden mosaicism as a possible cause for MR/CM in patients who apparently carry a balanced familial reciprocal translocation.
Adaptive Manifold Regularized Matrix Factorization for Data Clustering

Data clustering is the task to group the data samples into certain clusters based on the relationships of samples and structures hidden in data, and it is a fundamental and important topic in data mining and machine learning areas. In the literature, the spectral clustering is one of the most popular approaches and has many variants in recent years. However, the performance of spectral clustering is determined by the affinity matrix, which is usually computed by a predefined model (e.g., Gaussian kernel function) with carefully tuned parameters combination, and may not optimal in practice. In this paper, we propose to consider the observed data clustering as a robust matrix factorization point of view, and learn an affinity matrix simultaneously to regularize the proposed matrix factorization. The solution of the proposed adaptive manifold regularized matrix factorization (AMRMF) is reached by a novel Augmented Lagrangian Multiplier (ALM) based algorithm. The experimental results on standard clustering datasets demonstrate the superior performance over the exist alternatives.
Efficacy evaluation of Bauhinia variegata L. stem bark powder as adjunct therapy in chronic Staphylococcus aureus mastitis in goat

Objective: The objective was to study the effect of Bauhinia variegata L. stem bark powder as adjunct therapy in chronic Staphylococcus aureus mastitis in goat. Materials and Methods: Mastitis was induced by intracisternal inoculation of coagulase positive S. aureus (J638) at the concentration of 2000 colony forming units. Group I animals were treated with repeated dose of ceftriaxone at 20 mg/kg intravenously, and Group II animals were treated with once daily oral administration of B. variegata L. stem bark powder at 6 g/kg for 7 days followed by maintenance dose at 3 g/kg for next 7 days along with repeated dose of the antibiotic at 20 mg/kg intravenously at 4 days interval. Results: No significant improvement in the clinical condition of the udder was noticed in the group treated with repeated dose of ceftriaxone alone. However, in the group treated with B. variegata L. stem bark powder along with repeated dose of ceftriaxone, no S. aureus colony was seen at 96 h and onwards in milk samples with a marked decrease in somatic cell count and milk alkaline phosphatase activity and increased lactoperoxidase activity. Further, plasma and milk concentration of ceftriaxone/ceftizoxime was increased, which indicated antibacterial, bioenhancing and antiinflammatory properties of the bark powder. The Group II animals also exhibited marked reduction in polymorphonuclear cells and fibrous tissue indicating antifibrotic property of B. variegata L. Conclusion: B. variegata L. stem bark powder can be considered as an effective adjunct therapy to intravenous ceftriaxone in S. aureus chronic mastitis in goat.
The Impact of European Integration and Enlargement on Regional Structural Change and Cohesion EURECO Final report Project HPSE — CT-2002-00118

9 3. Scientific Description of the Project Results and Methodology 27 4. Conclusions and Policy Implications 59 Annex 2: Maps and Diagrams 81 Annex 1: Data Sets 75 References 69 Acknowledgements 67 2. Background and Objectives of the Project 23 1. Executive Summary 11
Exposure of pregnant mice to chromium picolinate results in skeletal defects in their offspring.

BACKGROUND Chromium(III) picolinate, [Cr(pic)(3)], is a widely marketed dietary supplement. However, Cr(pic)(3) has been associated with oxidative damage to DNA in rats and mutations and DNA fragmentation in cell cultures. In isolated case reports, Cr(pic)(3) supplementation has been said to cause adverse effects, such as anemia, renal failure, liver dysfunction, and neuronal impairment. To date, no studies have been published regarding the safety of chromium picolinate supplementation to a developing fetus, although Cr(pic)(3) has been recommended for pregnant women who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes. METHODS From gestation days (GD) 6-17, pregnant CD-1 mice were fed diets containing either 200 mg/kg Cr(pic)(3), 200 mg/kg CrCl(3), 174 mg/kg picolinic acid, or the diet only to determine if Cr(pic)(3), CrCl(3), or picolinic acid could cause developmental toxicity. Dams were sacrificed on GD 17, and their litters were examined for adverse effects. RESULTS The incidence of bifurcated cervical arches was significantly increased in fetuses from the Cr(pic)(3) group as compared to the diet-only group. Fetuses in the picolinic acid-treated group had an incidence double that of the control group; however, this increase was not statistically significant. Fetuses in the CrCl(3) group did not differ from the controls in any variable examined. No maternal toxicity was observed in any of the treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS High maternal oral exposures to chromium picolinate can cause morphological defects in developing offspring of mice.
Association of the Pro12Ala Polymorphism with the Metabolic Parameters in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

AIM: To investigate the association of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARG) Pro12Ala polymorphism with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and its effect on the metabolic parameters in PCOS women. METHODS: The study used PCR to identify the presence of the PPARG Pro12Ala polymorphism in 100 PCOS women and 120 age-matched healthy women. All participants were subjected to anthropometry, biochemical and metabolic evaluation. RESULTS: Significant difference in the genotypes distributions of PPARG Pro12Ala polymorphism was observed among PCOS women and controls (p = 0.03). The frequency of the polymorphic allele Ala was significantly higher in PCOS cases than that in the controls (OR = 2.01, p = 0.01). The carries of the variant allele Ala in PCOS women showed significant higher values in body mass index (BMI), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, sum of skin folds, fasting blood glucose, fasting blood insulin, HOMA-IR, fasting triglycerides, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein than non-carriers. CONCLUSION: The PPARG Pro12Ala polymorphism might contribute to the risk of PCOS and abnormal metabolic parameters and could be considered as a biomarker for early diagnosis and clinic prediction of metabolic complications.
Translatibility from English into Arabic : Words andBeyond

This paper is an attempt to investigate the current problems the students graduating in English at the ISLT are likely to encounter when setting out to render English into Arabic. My teaching experience with them was beneficial, albeit quite short (one year-long only, 2000-2001). The material gathered, on the other hand, was wide-ranging and, better still, so provocative that I readily agreed to venture onto dangerous ground. Studies in the past have often failed to delve deep into possible meanings and extend beyond traditional boundaries so as to assess the scope of words and explore the meaning potentials. Recent advances in the literature argue that translators should be sensitive to the losses and gains of cultural elements and assess the “weight” of these elements in the source text in order to bring about the same/similar effects. It is true that loss of meaning is inevitable and the transference to the translator’s language can only be approximate (Newmark 1988, 7). The current trend in translation theory is to explore situations to make it possible to transcend linguistic as well as cultural barriers. Translators will continue to reproduce only restricted facets of meaning so long as they do not vanquish ordinary processes of thought and approach the words in the SL text as units of discourse. I make no pretence at being able to offer definitive solutions. This account aims at identifying the potentially problematic areas in translating English into Arabic. The sense of new in this experience embodies a larger vision, apparently a different quality of recognition since the focal interest is laid on the interpretive weight of words as constituent parts of the act of communication.
Engineering of the Recombinant Expression and PEGylation Efficiency of the Therapeutic Enzyme Human Thymidine Phosphorylase

Human thymidine phosphorylase (HsTP) is an enzyme with important implications in the field of rare metabolic diseases. Defective mutations of HsTP lead to mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE), a disease with a high unmet medical need that is associated with severe neurological and gastrointestinal complications. Current efforts focus on the development of an enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) using the Escherichia coli ortholog (EcTP). However, bacterial enzymes are counter-indicated for human therapeutic applications because they are recognized as foreign by the human immune system, thereby eliciting adverse immune responses and raising significant safety and efficacy risks. Thus, it is critical to utilize the HsTP enzyme as starting scaffold for pre-clinical drug development, thus de-risking the safety concerns associated with the use of bacterial enzymes. However, HsTP expresses very poorly in E. coli, whereas its PEGylation, a crucial chemical modification for achieving long serum persistence of therapeutic enzymes, is highly inefficient and negatively affects its catalytic activity. Here we focused on the engineering of the recombinant expression profile of HsTP in E. coli cells, as well as on the optimization of its PEGylation efficiency aiming at the development of an alternative therapeutic approach for MNGIE. We show that phylogenetic and structural analysis of proteins can provide important insights for the rational design of N’-terminus-truncation constructs which exhibit significantly improved recombinant expression levels. In addition, we developed and implemented a criteria-driven rational surface engineering strategy for the substitution of arginine-to-lysine and lysine-to-arginine residues to achieve more efficient, homogeneous and reproducible PEGylation without negatively affecting the enzymatic catalytic activity upon PEGylation. Collectively, our proposed strategies provide an effective way to optimize enzyme PEGylation and E. coli recombinant expression and are likely applicable for other proteins and enzymes.
X-band GaAs mHEMT LNAs with 0.5 dB noise figure

Two X-band LNA ICs have been demonstrated using a 0.15 /spl mu/m metamorphic GaAs HEMT technology. The amplifiers have an average noise figure of 0.5 dB and power gain greater than 31 dB from 7-10 GHz. A current-shared version had gain flatness better than 1 dB, return losses greater than 11 dB, and power consumption of 42 mW. A high linearity version has an output third-order intercept point greater than 20.5 dBm from 6-12 GHz.
trans-Protease Activity and Structural Insights into the Active Form of the Alphavirus Capsid Protease

ABSTRACT The alphavirus capsid protein (CP) is a serine protease that possesses cis-proteolytic activity essential for its release from the nascent structural polyprotein. The released CP further participates in viral genome encapsidation and nucleocapsid core formation, followed by its attachment to glycoproteins and virus budding. Thus, protease activity of the alphavirus capsid is a potential antialphaviral target to arrest capsid release, maturation, and structural polyprotein processing. However, the discovery of capsid protease inhibitors has been hampered due to the lack of a suitable screening assay and of the crystal structure in its active form. Here, we report the development of a trans-proteolytic activity assay for Aura virus capsid protease (AVCP) based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for screening protease inhibitors. Kinetic parameters using fluorogenic peptide substrates were estimated, and the Km value was found to be 2.63 ± 0.62 μM while the k cat/Km value was 4.97 × 104 M−1 min−1. Also, the crystal structure of the trans-active form of AVCP has been determined to 1.81-Å resolution. Structural comparisons of the active form with the crystal structures of available substrate-bound mutant and inactive blocked forms of the capsid protease identify conformational changes in the active site, the oxyanion hole, and the substrate specificity pocket residues, which could be critical for rational drug design. IMPORTANCE The alphavirus capsid protease is an attractive antiviral therapeutic target. In this study, we have described the formerly unappreciated trans-proteolytic activity of the enzyme and for the first time have developed a FRET-based protease assay for screening capsid protease inhibitors. Our structural studies unveil the structural features of the trans-active protease, which has been previously proposed to exist in the natively unfolded form (M. Morillas, H. Eberl, F. H. Allain, R. Glockshuber, and E. Kuennemann, J. Mol. Biol. 376:721–735, 2008, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmb.2007.11.055). The different enzymatic forms have been structurally compared to reveal conformational variations in the active and substrate binding sites. The flexible active-site residue Ser218, the disordered C-terminal residues after His261, and the presence of a water molecule in the oxyanion hole of AVCPΔ2 (AVCP with a deletion of the last two residues at the C terminus) reveal the effect of the C-terminal Trp267 deletion on enzyme structure. New structural data reported in this study along with the fluorogenic assay will be useful in substrate specificity characterization, high-throughput protease inhibitor screening, and structure-based development of antiviral drugs.