Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial, free radical scavenging and cytotoxic activities of Khaya grandifoliola C.DC extracts

Aims: Khaya grandifoliola C.DC is a plant used locally in Nigeria ethno medicine for remedy of various disease conditions. However, there is little scientific evidence to support the therapeutic claims of the plant. Therefore, these investigations were conducted to determine the antimicrobial activity, antioxidant and cytotoxic potentials of the plant extracts. Methodology and results: In vitro antimicrobial activity of the leaf and stem bark extracts of K. grandifoliola against some human pathogens was done using agar diffusion method. The free radical scavenging activity and cytotoxic property of the plant materials were evaluated using 2, 2diphenyl-1-pieryhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and brine shrimp lethality bioassay methods respectively. The yields of the plant material extracts ranged from 3.57±0.06 to 6.49±0.01% and 4.76±0.02 to 9.17±0.06% for the leaf and stem bark extracts respectively. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of KG-A and KG-E ranged from 2.5 to 200 mg/mL and recorded remarkable activity against the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Trichophyton rubrum and Aspergillus flavus. However, Strepcoccus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and T. rubrum were resistant to the KG-W. The plant extracts demonstrated high DPPH free radical scavenging activity when compared with ascorbic acid used as control in the assay and, also exhibited lethality against brine shrimp larvae with LC50 values ranging from: leaf extracts (0.67 to 1502 ppm) and stem bark extracts (0.91 to 1431 ppm). Conclusion, significance and impact of study: The results show that the KG-A and KG-E have great potentials as antimicrobial agent and may be used in the treatment of infectious diseases caused by the susceptible organisms.
Bifidobacterium thermophilum RBL67 Inhibits Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium in an In vitro Intestinal Fermentation Model

Infectious gastroenteritis caused by non-typhoidal serovars of Salmonella is usually self-limiting but life-threatening complications may require appropriate antibiotic therapies. Probiotics have evolved as potential alternatives to antibiotics in response to an increasing prevalence of resistant strains, but there are no studies comparing the effectiveness of both treatment strategies on the same intestinal microbiota. We used an in vitro intestinal fermentation system with immobilized fecal microbiota to model enteric Salmonella infection in children. The effects of antibiotics, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid at two dosages, and a probiotic candidate, Bifidobacterium thermophilum RBL67, on Salmonella counts, intestinal microbiota composition, and metabolic activity were compared. Antibiotic therapy, in agreement with current clinical reports, produced only a transient decrease of Salmonella concentrations but strongly modified bacterial population profiles and metabolic activity, confirming the suitability of the model. B. thermophilum RBL67 grew in the intestinal environment and exerted a strong inhibition on Salmonella when added before or after infection and was able to rebalance the metabolic activity of gut microbiota after antibiotic treatments. Our study revealed a high potential of B. thermophilum RBL67 for prevention and treatment of Salmonella infection. The exact mechanism has to be further elucidated.
Analysis of Genetic Diversity among Populations of Common Reed (Phragmites australis) in Iran

The common reed (Phragmites australis) is a perennial weed with the largest geographical distribution of any flowering plant in the world. In this study, 39 populations of common reed were collected and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to characterize the genetic diversity among these populations. The 16 primers used in this study, amplified 149 scorable RAPD bands among which 123 were polymorphic (82%). Genetic similarity coefficients ranged from 0.44 to 0.84, with an average of 0.60. Results showed that RAPD markers are suitable for the evaluation of genetic diversity of common reed. The results support the clonal nature of P.australis with its growth and spread primarily
Intrabrand spatial quantity competition and maximum retail price stipulations

In this paper, we use a spatial competition model developed by Pal (1998) to analyze producer imposed retail price ceilings and producer assigned exclusive geographic sales territories. Two wholesale distributors are presumed to each have a single collection point respectively from which they supply retail outlets at many locations. Each wholesaler chooses the quantity to ship to each outlet and the retail prices attain market clearing levels. Given that the costs of shipping depend on distance, this system results in a kind of waste in that the products are not shipped exclusively from the nearest collection point. As pointed out by Matsumura (2002) this wasteful crosshauling can be prevented if the manufacturer assigns exclusive geographic territories to the distributors. But the costs of administering an exclusive territory system may well outweigh any savings in shipping costs. In this instance a manufacturer stipulated price ceiling may be the preferred alternative. By controlling not only the manufacturer price but also the retail priceat each location, the manufacturer can deter wasteful cross-hauling and expand the overall channel profit, while also conferring enlarged consumer surplus. JEL classification: D43, L13, L42.
Combined Effect of Platelets and Anidulafungin against Aspergillus fumigatus Infections

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in severely immunocompromised patients. Despite the existence of antifungal treatment IA mortality rate remains extremely high and may reach up to 80%. Previous studies have suggested important role of platelets in antifungal host defence. In vitro data show that platelets are able to attenuate germination, hyphal elongation and viability of Aspergillus fumigatus. Interaction of platelets with Aspergillus fumigatus induces differential expressions of fungal genes associated with stress response regulation, cellular transport and metabolism. A new class of antifungals, echinocandins (caspofungin, micafungin and anidulafungin), have entered the market. Anidulafungin displays strong antifungal activity against Candida and Aspergillus species and has very few side effects due to its specific inhibiting effect on the fungal cell wall synthesis. Anidulafungin is currently licensed for the treatment of adult patients with invasive candidiasis. Clinical significance of anidulafungin for IA treatment has to be further evaluated. Recently published studies have shown that efficiency of antifungal substances can be enhanced when combined with platelets. In this review we discuss the literature on the potential combined effect of platelets and anidulafungin against Aspergillus fumigatus infections.
In vitro culture of Annona emarginata: a rootstock for commercial annonaceae species

Annona emarginata is a native fruit tree in the Brazilian Cerrado which, unlike the commercial species, does not present a high fruit quality. On the other hand, it stands out based on its rootstock value. However, there are some problems that hinder the largescale production of Annona emarginata seedlings for use as a rootstock. In order to overcome these difficulties, micropropagation has become a viable alternative for the rapid and efficient propagation of Annona spp, but Annona emarginata micropropagation has not yet been reported. Therefore, the aim of this study was to initiate Annona emarginata in vitro growth. For axillary shoot proliferation, in vitro nodal segments of 0.5 cm were transferred to MS or WPM supplemented with BA at different concentrations. Nodal segments were also cultured on WPM medium with ranging concentrations of different plant growth regulators, aiming for either shoot elongation or rooting. The results showed that the use of 1 μM BA in WPM medium is recommended for in vitro multiplication of Annona emarginata. This is based on the low adventitious shoot formation, combined with a higher number of buds and leaves. The use of GA3 at any concentration tested induced the formation of malformed plants. Root formation could not be stimulated, regardless the duration of auxin treatment.
Determining the speed of sound, density and bulk modulus of rapeseed oil, biodiesel and diesel fuel

Modern tendencies in the development of diesel engines include the operation of the system for injecting diesel fuel at pressures higher than 100 MPa. Knowing the characteristics of liquid fuels such as speed of sound, bulk modulus and density depending on pressure, is important for predicting the behavior of fuel injection systems for diesel engines and optimization of the same. The paper presents an original method and apparatus (device) for determining the speed of sound and density of fluids depending on the pressures. With this method, values of these characteristics for rapeseed oil, biodiesel, and conventional diesel fuel at pressures up to 160 MPa are determined. The method is non-destructive, it can also be applied to higher pressures than 160 MPa, as well as other liquid fluids that are used at high pressure – hydraulic oil, for example.
Competing Imperatives of Global Governance and National Interests within BRICS: An Indian Perspective

This paper revisits India’s contribution to institution building efforts in BRICS to suggest India’s keen interest in leveraging BRICS for fulfilling its national objectives on domestic economic growth and global governance. However, we note that multiple competing imperatives of global governance and national interests within BRICS lead to asymmetric gains among members. BRICS suffers from weak cooperation in global trade, technology and environmental regimes. This paper explores positions of BRICS members on selected trade issues in the WTO in areas like agriculture and NAMA to identify divergent national interests. We elaborate that the ITA, a plurilateral agreement under the WTO, has allegedly brought differential gains to India and China (with China gaining many times more than India in export performance). Faced with differential gains in sector specific economic performance and intra-BRICS competition, BRICS seeks greater coordination in its economic policies and global governance approaches.
The Pennsylvania State University The Graduate School Graduate Program in Plant Pathology UNDERSTANDING THE MECHANISM AND EVOLUTION OF VECTOR TRANSMISSION, VECTOR SPECIFICITY AND HOST SPECIFICITY FOR SOYBEAN DWARF VIRUS

Soybean Dwarf Virus (SbDV) is an important plant pathogen, causing economic losses in soybean. In North America, indigenous strains of SbDV mainly infect clover, with occasional outbreaks in soybean. To evaluate the risk of a US clover strain of SbDV adapting to other plant hosts, the clover isolate SbDV-MD6 was serially transmitted to pea and soybean by aphid vectors. Sequence analysis of SbDV-MD6 from pea and soybean passages identified 11 non-synonymous mutations in soybean, and 6 mutations in pea. The dN/dS analysis indicated that SbDV was under positive selection in soybean, but not in pea. Increasing virus titers with each sequential transmission supported this analysis. However, aphid transmission efficiency on soybean decreased until the virus was no longer transmissible. Results indicated that the clover strain of SbDV-MD6 adapts to soybeans. However, mutations that improve replication and/or movement may have trade-off effects resulting in decreased vector transmission. INTRODUCTION Soybean Dwarf Virus (SbDV), first identified as a pathogen of soybean plants in northern Japan in 1969, is capable of causing serious yield losses in soybean (Tamada et al., 1969). The host range of SbDV is largely limited to members of the Fabaceae except for a few species in Chenopodiaceae and Polemoniaceae (Damsteegt et al., 1990). Currently, four distinct strains of SbDV are recognized in Japan based on sequencing, symptomatology in infected soybean plants and aphid vector specificity (Yamagishi et al., 2006). The yellowing strains, SbDV-YS and SbDV-YP, cause severe interveinal chlorosis, rugosity and thickening of leaves in soybeans. The dwarfing strains, SbDV-DS and SbDV-DP, cause stunting with shortened internodes and brittle curled leaves. The YS and DS strains are transmitted specifically by the aphid Aulacorthum solani Kaltenbach, while YP and DP strains are transmitted by both Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris, and Nearctaphis bakeri Cowen. In the United States, SbDV-like isolates were identified in asymptomatic white
Investigation of the fire, thermal, and mechanical properties of zinc borate and synergic fire retardants on composites produced with PP-MDF wastes

Synergic effects of different fire retardant compounds and zinc borate on wood-plastic composites filled with polypropylene (PP) and medium-density fiberboard (MDF) waste fibers were investigated. For this purpose, zinc borate, synergic compounds (antimony trioxide, ammonium phosphate, and magnesium hydroxide), and a coupling agent, i.e., maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP), were used in the production of wood-plastic composites (WPCs). The composite samples were characterized in terms of the burning rate and limiting oxygen index (LOI) analyses, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) along with mechanical tests, i.e., flexural properties, tensile properties, elasticity modulus, and impact strength. It was found that the synergic influence of the combination of zinc borate, antimony trioxide, and magnesium oxide on WPCs increased the heat resistance according to the burning rate, LOI, TGA, and DSC tests. Also, the mechanical properties of the WPCs decreased slightly, but their elasticity modulus increased.
Experimental evidence for competitive exclusion of Myzus persicae nicotianae by Myzus persicae s.s. (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on sweet pepper, Capsicum annuum (Solanaceae)

The importance of interspecific competition as a force promoting specialization in phytophagous insects has been long debated. Myzus persicae sensu stricto (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is one of the most polyphagous aphids. Its subspecies, M. persicae nicotianae, is found mainly on tobacco, although it can survive and reproduce on a relatively wide range of plant species in the labo- ratory. Since life history traits of these taxa make competitive interactions likely, we hypothesize that asymmetrical competition occurs between M. p. nicotianae and M. persicae s.s. , and accounts for the exclusion of the former when they share a common resource. This hypothesis was tested in laboratory experiments, which examined the population growth of colonies of both taxa coexisting on sweet pepper. A replacement series experiment was set up with both aphid taxa on sweet pepper plants, and the rates of population growth (RPG) evaluated at 5 day intervals for 25 days. M. p. nicotianae showed a significantly lower RPG when inter- acting with M. persicae s.s. than when in monotypic colonies, while M. persicae s.s. RPG was unaffected by competition. The rela- tive population growth from the second census onwards of M. persicae s.s. was consistently higher than that of M. p. nicotianae. Finally, the RPG of M. p. nicotianae was significantly reduced when the plant was infested with M. persicae s.s. The results suggest that the absence of M. p. nicotianae from sweet pepper in the field in Chile can be partly explained by competitive exclusion by M. persicae s.s.
Systematic Variation in Willingness to Pay for Agricultural Land Preservation and Implications for Benefit Transfer: A Meta-Analysis

Despite prior studies examining willingness to pay for farmland preservation there has been no quantitative, systematic analysis of findings across the literature. This paper presents the first statistical meta-analysis of farmland preservation values. Results confirm systematic variations in willingness to pay, with value surfaces corresponding to theoretical expectations. Findings also provide significant insight into the potential for valid meta-analytic, function based benefit transfer. Results suggest, for example, that transfer validity is critically dependent on jurisdictional scale. Transfer errors are modest for community scale farmland preservation, but large for state scale preservation policies in which per acre welfare estimates are small.
Computed Tomography in Veterinary Medicine: Currently Published and Tomorrow's Vision

The utilisation of Computed Tomography (CT) in veterinary practice has been increasing rapidly in line with reduced cost, improved availability and the increase in expertise and technology. This review briefly examines the recent technological advancements in imaging in the veterinary sector, and explores how CT and micro-CT (μCT) have furthered basic understanding and knowledge, and influenced clinical practice and medicine. The uses of CT technology in veterinary research, especially in relation to bone, vasculature and soft tissues, are explored and compared in relation to the different species. CT is essential not only for the diagnosis and treatment of many disorders, but it is now being used to understand areas ranging from drug delivery and surgical advancements through to anatomical and educational uses throughout the world.
Periodontal healing after Root conditioning using TTC-HCI or citric acid:

Tissue healing after periodontal therapy includes epithelial and connective tissue repair by producing biocompatible root surface. The objective of this study was to investigate whether etching solutions such as Tetracycline-hydrochloride (TTC-HCl) or citric acid might enhance the healing after periodontal therapy in rats. Periodontal defects were induced on the left maxillary 2nd molar in 36 Wistar rats. The periodontal attachment was reduced using a ligature model. The experimental sites were mechanically treated and delineated by blindly preparing a notch at the most apical aspect of the pocket using a Hedstroen endodontic file. The experimental sites were irrigated with a 10% tetracycline hidrocloride solution, an 8% citric acid solution, or a 0,9% NaCl solution (control) thus forming 3 groups of 12 animals each. The animals were euthanized at 3, 7 and 21 days post-treatment when block sections of the experimental sites were collected for histometric analysis. The histological observations describe normal wound maturation without regeneration in the defective site. Using a grid point counting method and two-way analysis of variance, it was shown that tissue fill in the notch did not differ significantly between sites irrigated with the acid solutions. However, tissue fill in these sites was significantly smaller than in the control sites. The results also showed that the area occupied by inflamed connective tissue was wider in the control compared to sites treated with the acid solutions. Based on these results it was concluded that irrigation with an acid solution could enhance healing following periodontal therapy
ENTREPRENEURIAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PROSPECTIVE LI-IDPRENEURS

Over the years, there have been several definitions of an entrepreneur but the 21st century definition by Schumpeter is that of innovation which he saw as an engine of economic development. Architectural training in institutions of higher learning entails training of individuals to reason creatively through series of line drawings and ideas generation. This equips prospective students towards blending into the world of construction and contracts administration and without the basic knowledge or skills of engagement, it’s next to impossible surviving the competition. Further equipping the student with entrepreneurial skills makes him more versatile and thus become a Li-Id preneur (Lines-Ideas preneur) due to his training through lines drawings and ideas generation. This paper investigated the characteristics of the Li-Id preneurs of students in Covenant University, Nigeria. This was done by administering a well-structured questionnaire and interviews for proper conclusion on the subject matter from a cross section of students from final year in Architecture and Business Studies in 2016- 2017 academic sessions. The data collected was statistically analysed with SPSS software and it showed that it was imperative that entrepreneurial skills acquisition was key and fundamental towards business intelligence and making the student better equipped in all round skills acquisition. It also showed that while the Li-Id preneur had acquired skills in line drawings and ideas generation, having an alternative means of livelihood was a giant leap towards economic empowerment and national development. Also, the teaching of entrepreneurial skills should be part of the education curriculum during these formative years of the Li-Id preneur’s life
Being Conservative with a Limited Number of Test Results

combined loads. It is a common practice to repeat the element tests and then select the lowest test result as a conservative estimate of the mean failure stress. Thispractice is equivalent to reducing the average test failure stress by a knockdown factor (one that is quite variable). Instead, we propose using the average test result with an explicit knockdown factor obtained from statistical distribution of the test data. We show reductions in the variability of the estimated mean failure stress as well as the likelihood of unconservative estimate. In addition, when the initial distribution or confidence interval of the mean failure stresses is available, we can further decrease the chance of unconservative estimate using Bayesian updating. We demonstrate the gains associated with Bayesian updating when the upper and lower bounds of errors in the analytical predictions are available. Examples with uniform and lognormal distributions of failure stresses compare the lowest-result approach with the two alternatives with the explicit knockdown factor. Both approaches significantly reduce the likelihood of unconservative estimates of the mean failure stress. The average approach reduced this likelihood by about a half and the Bayesian approach by up toanorderofmagnitude(from12.5to1%). Wealsoexaminescenariosinwhichestimatesoferrorandvariabilityare substantially inaccurate. We show that, even then, the likelihood of unconservative estimates reduces significantly. Remarkably,anunderestimateofvariabilityalsoresultsinabouta2%higheraverageoftheestimatedmeanfailure stress. Thus, we are able to simultaneously use higher average failure stress (leading to lower weight) and reduce the likelihood of unconservative estimates.
Study on Fine-Grained View Mining based on Network Subjective Text

With the rapid development of e-commerce and social media, Internet users can express their own subjective comments for commodities including online news current affairs, public figures and personal experience, including a variety of subjects and objects. Such information includes user reviews of subjective personal subjective opinions, emotions, attitudes and opinions and the like. With the participation of users continues to increase, with Web as a medium of subjective comment text information in soaring. Faced with a flood of Web comment text, how specific information needs for effective user subjective opinion mining and analysis, which reviews Web text mining observations, increasingly become a hotspot intelligent information processing, data mining and computational linguistics and other fields . Web Comments Text opinion mining technology has important theoretical and practical value, it can be widely used in information retrieval, business intelligence, social public opinion analysis.