Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Left ventricular assist device-associated infections: incidence and risk factors

Background Left ventricular assist device (LVAD)-associated infections are major complications that can lead to critical outcomes. The aims of this study were to assess the incidence of and to determine the risk factors for LVAD-associated infections. Methods We included all consecutive patients undergoing LVAD implantation between January 1, 2010, and January 1, 2019, in a single institution. Infection-related data were retrospectively collected by review of patient’s medical files. LVAD-associated infections were classified into three categories: percutaneous driveline infections, pocket infections and pump and/or cannula infections. Results We enrolled 72 patients. Twenty-one (29.2%) patients presented a total of 32 LVAD-associated infections. Eight (38.1%) patients had more than one infection. Five (62.5%) pocket infections and one (50.0%) pump and/or cannula infection were preceded by a driveline infection. The median delay between the operation and LVAD-associated infection was 6.5 (1.4–12.4) months. The probability of having a LVAD-associated infection at one year after receiving an implant was 26.6% (95% CI: 17.5–40.5%). Percutaneous driveline infections represented 68.7% of all LVAD-associated infections. Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative staphylococci were the predominant bacteria in LVAD-associated infections (53.1% and 15.6%, respectively). Hospital length of stay (sdHR =1.22 per 10 days; P=0.001) and postoperative hemodialysis (sdHR =0.17; P=0.004) were statistically associated with infection. Colonization with multidrug-resistant bacteria was more frequent in patients with LVAD-associated infections than in others patients (42.9% vs. 15.7%; P=0.013). Conclusions LVAD-associated infections remain an important complication and are mostly represented by percutaneous driveline infections. Gram-positive cocci are the main pathogens isolated in microbiological samples. Patients with LVAD-associated infections are more frequently colonized with multidrug-resistant bacteria.
In search for the hotspots of Disease X: A biogeographic approach to mapping the predictive risk of WHO s Blueprint Priority Diseases

Anthropization of natural habitats including climate change along with overpopulation and global travel have been contributing to emerging infectious diseases outbreaks. The recent COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, highlights such threats to human health, social stability and global trade and economy. We used species distribution modelling and environmental data from satellite imagery to model Blueprint Priority Diseases occurrences. We constructed classical regression and Support Vector Machine models based on environmental predictor variables such as landscape, tree cover loss, climatic covariates. Models were evaluated and a weighed mean was used to map the predictive risk of disease emergence. We mapped the predictive risk for filovirus, Nipah, Rift Valley Fever and coronavirus diseases. Elevation, tree cover loss and climatic covariates were found to significant factors influencing disease emergence. We also showed the relevance of disease biogeography and in the identification potential hotspots for Disease X in regions in Uganda and China.
Biology of Tetrahymena

Imagine that you get such certain awesome experience and knowledge by only reading a book. How can? It seems to be greater when a book can be the best thing to discover. Books now will appear in printed and soft file collection. One of them is this book biology of tetrahymena. It is so usual with the printed books. However, many people sometimes have no space to bring the book for them; this is why they can't read the book wherever they want.
Therapeutic Importance and Application of Boswellic Acid From the Plant Boswellia serrata

Traditionally, the gum resin produced from the Boswellia serrata plant has been used in as a therapeutical compound. The gum that contains a chemical known as boswellic acid, AKBA (3-O-acetyl-11 keto-β-boswellic acid), and widely in ayurvedic medicines. This is used to treat the disease like reduction in various inflammatory conditions of the skin, eye, as well as respiratory disorders such as asthma, bronchitis, and laryngitis. The boswellic acids were also found capable to inhibit both hemolysis and chemotaxis of leukocytes and were shown to work by inhibiting C3-convertase, a key enzyme of the classical complementary pathway. In addition to this, the compound shows beneficial effects in various pharmacological properties like immunomodulation activity, polyarthritis, activity against Hepatitis C-virus and other harmful microbes, Colitis and Crohn's disease, and so on. The boswellic acid is also used to treat patients with memory disorders. In this chapter, the chemical nature and isolation of boswellic acid and its therapeutic importance have been highlighted.
Screening for Heat Tolerant Traits in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) Genotypes by Physio-biochemical Markers

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the principal cereal crops grown worldwide and one of the important staples of nearly 2.5 billion of world population. Wheat is the major staple food crop, providing almost half of all calories in the region of North Africa and West and Central Asia. Being next to rice, wheat constitutes one of the key sources of protein in least developed countries and middle-income nations and in terms of calories and dietary intake. The crop being cultivated as winter and spring in the world, winter wheat is grown in cold countries like Europe, the USA, Australia, Russian Federation, etc., while spring wheat is grown in Asia and in some parts of the USA. India, being blessed and enriched with a diverse agro ecological condition, ensuring food and nutrition security to a majority of the Indian population (Ramadas et al., 2019). International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 2 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Rutin in herbs and infusions: screening of new sources and consumption estimation

Rutin belongs to the family of flavonoids and could be more specifically classified as a flavonol. Ot is a molecule of quercetin with the addition of a disacchari de (rhamnose and glucose). Due to rutin’s pharmacological activities, associated with different properties, such as anti-inflammatory and antioxidant actions, it became of great importance for the pharmaceutical industry, and many drugs registered worldwide contains rutin in their composition (Abarikwu et al., 2017; Chua, 2013; Ganeshpurkar & Saluja, 2016; Ghorbani, 2017).
Bellows Suction Cup Equipped With Force Sensing Ability by Direct Coating Thin-Film Resistor for Vacuum Type Robotic Hand

This article proposes a novel object handling device for a robot, in which a conventional vacuum suction cup is equipped with a force sensing ability by coating its surface with a conductive thin-film polymer, poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT). It can detect the applied force by measuring the resistance change of the coated conductive thin film. The feature of this article is that the suction cup can work, not only as a grasping tool, but also as a force sensor. PEDOT thin film was prepared using the dip-coating method, which can coat thin film directly on a three dimensional surface. We fabricated the sensing suction cup and evaluated its sensing ability by measuring the signal-to-noise ratio, sensitivity, reliability, and frequency response. The resistance changed linearly with respect to the applied force, showing the device's applicability as a force sensor for a vacuum-type robotic hand. Grasping tests for an inclined object, a misaligned object, and an undulated surface were conducted using two or four sensing suction cups attached to the end of the robot. All suction cups showed positive results and the robot successfully picked up the object in each scenario.
La relación entre Inteligencia de Negocio e Inteligencia Competitiva: un análisis retrospectivo y bibliométrico de la literatura de 1959 a 2017

Actualmente, las organizaciones se encuentran inmersas en escenarios complejos y variables, pero sobre todo intensos en la producción, demanda y consumo de datos, información y conocimiento. Esto les ha llevado a desarrollar e incorporar modelos de inteligencia que mejoren su competitividad a través de la definición, recopilación, análisis, utilización y diseminación de información. No obstante, la complejidad de los escenarios y la diversidad de las organizaciones hace que no exista un modelo único de inteligencia, siendo la Inteligencia de Negocio e Inteligencia Competitiva los más difundidos y utilizados. En este sentido, este trabajo analiza los documentos disponibles en Scopus desde 1959 hasta 2017 sobre estos modelos, identificando las áreas temáticas más representativas, relaciones y evolución, estableciendo las bases para la integración de estos modelos bajo un mismo marco organizacional. Para ello, se ha evaluado su productividad y elaborado sus mapas científicos a través del uso de técnicas y herramientas bibliométricas.
A Novel UAV-Assisted Positioning System for GNSS-Denied Environments

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are extensively used for location-based services, civil and military applications, precise time reference, atmosphere sensing, and other applications. In surveying and mapping applications, GNSS provides precise three-dimensional positioning all over the globe, day and night, under almost any weather conditions. The visibility of the ground receiver to GNSS satellites constitutes the main driver of accuracy for GNSS positioning. When this visibility is obstructed by buildings, high vegetation, or steep slopes, the accuracy is degraded and alternative techniques have to be assumed. In this study, a novel concept of using an unmanned aerial system (UAS) as an intermediate means for improving the accuracy of ground positioning in GNSS-denied environments is presented. The higher elevation of the UAS provides a clear-sky visibility line towards the GNSS satellites, thus its accuracy is significantly enhanced with respect to the ground GNSS receiver. Thus, the main endeavor is to transfer the order of accuracy of the GNSS on-board the UAS to the ground. The general architecture of the proposed system includes hardware and software components (i.e., camera, gimbal, range finder) for the automation of the procedure. The integration of the coordinate systems for each payload setting is described, while an error budget analysis is carried out to evaluate and identify the system’s critical elements along with the potential of the proposed method.
Tea Polysaccharide (TPS) Reduces Astrocytes Apoptosis Induced by Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation/Reoxygenation by Regulating the miR-375/SRXN1 Axis

Objective. To investigate the effect of tea polysaccharides (TPS) mediated by miR-375/SRXN1 axis on mice with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and proliferation and apoptosis of astrocytes (AS) conducted with oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R). Methods. Mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and OGD/R-induced AS injury model were established; brain obstruction volume was measured by TTC staining; dry/wet weight ratio was used for measuring brain water content; hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) content in brain tissue was measured by H2O2 assay kit; cell viability and apoptosis rate were detected by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively; the expression level of miR-375 in OGD/R-AS was detected using qPCR; dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to verify the targeting relationship between miR-375 and SRXN1; mRNA levels of miR-375, SRXN1, Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 were measured by qPCR; the protein levels of SRXN1, Bcl-2, Bax, and caspase-3 were measured by Western blotting. Results. The volume of cerebral obstruction, brain water content and H2O2 content in mice decreased gradually with the increase of TPS concentration. TPS treatment in vitro could effectively improve OGD/R-AS viability and reduce the apoptotic rate; overexpression of miR-375 inhibited AS viability but increased the apoptotic rate; TPS treatment resulted in a decrease in the expression of miR-375 in OGD/R-AS; MiR-375 targeted SRXN1 in AS; inhibition of miR-375 expression significantly upregulated SRXN1 levels; TPS treatment with simultaneous overexpression of SRXN1 significantly increased OGD/R-AS activity and reduced apoptosis; however, TPS treatment with simultaneous overexpression of SRXN1 and miR-375 resulted in no significant difference in cell viability and apoptosis rate compared with the control group. Conclusion. TPS reduces astrocyte injury induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in mice by regulating the miR-375/SRXN1 molecular axis.
A Review on the Fate of Nutrients and Enhancement of Energy Recovery from Rice Straw through Anaerobic Digestion

Open field burning and tilling the rice straw (RS) back into the fields causes environmental threats by contributing to the increased greenhouse gas emissions. Energy and nutrient recovery from RS through anaerobic digestion (AD) is an effective solution for its utilization. Although RS has good methane potential, its characteristics make it a difficult substrate for AD. This paper reviews the characteristics of RS, mass balance, and distribution of nutrients into liquid and solid digestate in the AD. The present review also discusses the effect of temperature, co-digestion, mixing, inoculum, organic loading rate, recycling liquid digestate, the addition of trace elements, and their bioavailability on the enhancement of biogas/methane yield in the AD of RS. In addition, the digestion of RS at various scales is also covered in the review.
Are Internal Audits Associated with Reductions in Perceived Risk?

We examine whether internal auditing provides value to organizations by reducing risk. We compare the changes in risks between audited business units and matched non-audited units within the same company. This design allows us to isolate the importance of an internal audit while holding constant changes in risk due to the organization and time period. Based on ratings from the heads of audited and non-audited units, we find that managers of audited units perceive a greater decline in risk as well as a greater increase in performance compared to managers of non-audited units. We also find that companies that have had a quality assurance review and are used as a management training ground are associated with greater reductions in risk and improved overall performance. Our study contributes to the academic literature by documenting a new facet of internal audit benefits—risk reduction—and internal audit characteristics that increase risk reduction.
Arts and Culture in Lisbon’s Recent Revitalization : Observing Mouraria and Intendente Square through Alternative Local Initiatives as Drivers of Marginal Gentrification

cities” and “artistic neighborhoods” have become regular concepts within hegemonic narratives and practices related to centralized urban revitalization processes. Creativity is now sold as a symbol of status and the “creative city” has become a widespread trend common to contemporary cities. At the same time, artists and social movements use art and culture as an instrument of resistance, change and transformation of social relations, implementing in their practices the criticism of the neoliberal city. This paper discusses the links between (i) neoliberal culture-led revitalization strategies; (ii) artists and community groups; and (iii) gentrification. We show that in a free-market context, bottom-up artistic initiatives revalorize areas and the resulting increase in property values are appropriated by private investors, accelerating a process of gentrification.
Associational resistance to both insect and pathogen damage in mixed forests is modulated by tree neighbour identity and drought

Tree health declines can be caused by interactions between pests and pathogens and many studies have shown a reduction in their damage in mixed species forests compared to monocultures. Yet few authors have considered tree diversity effects on both groups simultaneously. Moreover, it is unclear whether diversity effects on tree pests and pathogens are robust to changes in abiotic conditions, such as drought. We addressed tree diversity effects on foliar insect herbivory, oak powdery mildew and their interaction under contrasting water regimes in a large-scale tree diversity experiment in SW France. Using an irrigation treatment that alleviated drought conditions, we were able to experimentally assess the effects of tree diversity under contrasting abiotic environments. We surveyed plots along a richness gradient from one to four tree species, in which a focal study species of oak (Quercus robur) was mixed with other oak species (Q. pyrenaica and Q. ilex) and a taller, broadleaved species (Betula pendula). Increasing tree species richness lowered leaf miner abundance, leaf chewer damage and oak powdery mildew infection, consistent with a protective effect of resource dilution. However, richness effects on leaf miners were stronger in irrigated compared to non-irrigated blocks, indicating that environmental conditions can modulate diversity effects. Separate from the effect of tree species richness, the presence of birch in a plot increased damage by leaf chewers and powdery mildew, but lowered leaf miner damage, suggesting additional tree neighbour identity effects potentially linked to modulation of microclimate. We found a negative association between leaf miner abundance and oak powdery mildew, consistent with antagonism between oak damage agents. Synthesis. Overall, our study illustrates the importance of considering both tree diversity and composition (neighbour identity) in designing forests more resistant to pest and pathogen damage.
Shaping the (dis)advantage: the impact of partisan and demographic factors on ethnic minority candidates’ success in preferential voting systems. Evidence from the Brussels case

ABSTRACT This article asks whether Turkish and North African origin candidates experience an electoral (dis)advantage in the Brussels preferential voting system. We examine the impact of candidates’ ethnicity on their intraparty share of preference votes, and whether and how the strength of this relationship is influenced by their partisan orientation and the district concentration of their own ethnic group. Our results indicate that Turkish and North African origin candidates receive higher shares of preference votes on average compared to their co-partisans. We find that North African origin candidates’ advantage does not vary according to their ethnic group concentration in the district, but their share of preference votes is higher than their co-partisans when they compete on left and center-left lists. However, Turkish origin candidates get more successful than their co-partisans as their ethnic group concentration increases, especially when they compete on left and center-left lists. Our research overall highlights the importance of candidates’ ethnicity as an information shortcut for voters in the context of intraparty competition. We conclude that strong preferential voting systems do generate more opportunities for the inclusion of ethnic minority groups, but that parties’ strategies and voters’ behavior are more determinant than the rules themselves.
Biological Activities of Steamed Miang (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze var. assamica (J.W. Mast.) Kitam) Juice Extracts

Miang (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze var. assamica (J.W. Mast.) Kitam. ) is an Assam tea which is mainly found in northern Thailand. Fermented Miang is made from young and semi-mature Miang leaves by the local wisdom. Briefly, Miang leaves are harvested and steamed for approximately 2 hours prior to cooling down and subsequently packed into a container with close lid. Fermentation process will take place and run for 1-3 months normally. Steaming step renders a high quantity of steamed Miang juices (SMJ) which will be discarded afterwards. Evaluation of this biological waste will bring about ways of making value-added products. The purpose of this study aims to investigate the effects of steaming time and ages of Miang leaves on biological activities of SMJ obtained. Fresh, young and semi-mature, Miang leaves were collected and steamed for 30 minutes, 1, 2 and 3 hours. Meanwhile, young and old Miang leaves were steamed for 2 hours as compared with the conventional method. All SMJ were further evaporated and lyophilized to obtain SMJ crude extracts (CE). The 3-hour SMJ-CE had the highest antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (p<0.05), 548.4±13 μg GAE/ g extract and 460.24±11.8 μg GAE/g extract, respectively. Comparing between SMJ-CE of young and old Miang leaves, the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of the young leaves SMJ-CE was significantly higher than the old leaves SMJ-CE (p<0.05). Moreover, all SMJ-CE had antibacterial activities to inhibit growth of some gastrointestinal pathogenic bacteria including Bacillus cereus, Escherichia coli, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella Typhi, Shigella dysenteriae, Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Vibrio cholerae with the young leaves SMJ-CE showed the highest activities. The information obtained will be further used as a guideline in food and cosmetic application using SMJ-CE as a raw material.
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HELMINTH PARASITES IN SMALL RUMINANTS OF LADAKH, INDIA

A study was conducted to determine the prevalence and various risk factors associated with helminth parasitism in small ruminants of Ladakh (India) during 2007-2008. A total of 581 small ruminants including 313 sheep and 268 goats were considered during the study. The gastrointestinal tracts including heart and lungs of the host animals were collected from different slaughtered houses and were subjected for the presence of larvae and adult helminth parasites using standard parasitological methods (Boomker et al, 1968). The study reveals overall prevalence as (69.70%) with (68.37%) and (71.26%) in sheep and goats respectively. A significant difference was observed in prevalence of helminth parasites with respect to season, wherein higher prevalence (76.50%) was observed during the wet season as compared to dry season 58.13%. Similarly an association was observed between sex and age of the host with prevalence of helminth infections. Females and young animals of either of the host species were more infected than their counter partners. Likewise an association was observed between prevalence and agro-ecology of the study area where in higher values (76.50%) were recorded for comparatively lowland (Kargil) areas as compared to highland (Leh) areas (58.13%). Hence, it was concluded that species of the animal, season, sex, age, and agro-ecology are important risk factors associated with helminth parasitism in this area.