Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antibacterial and Biofilm Inhibition Activities of Nicotiana tabacum Extracts against Streptococcus mutans Isolated from the Oral Cavity

Aim: To determine the antibacterial activity and biofilm inhibitory activity of Nicotiana tabacum leaf extract against Streptococcus mutans isolated from oral cavity. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Science, Imo State University, Owerri, Nigeria, between April and November 2019. Methodology: The study was carried out using the agar diffusion method for antibacterial activity and microtiter assay method for the biofilm inhibition effect. Results: All four extracts of hot water, ethanol, acetone and methanol tested against S. mutans had no antibacterial activity as no zone of inhibition was recorded. Likewise, all the extracts did not inhibit the formation of biofilm by the organism on glass. This is seen in the increase of the optical density (OD) values from 0.572 to 0.804 for water, 0.260 to 1.420 for ethanol, 0.216 to 0.626 for acetone and 0.236 to 0.725 for methanol extracts respectively. Conclusion: This study therefore indicates that N. tabacum does not have antibacterial and biofilm inhibitory against S. mutans. This also explains why a lot of tobacco users still suffer from dental caries and other oral infections caused by S. mutans. Original Research Article Nwanekwu; MRJI, 30(3): 1-6, 2020; Article no.MRJI. 56301 2
Relationship between Personality Traits and Course Subjective Well-Being: Mediating Effect of Self-Efficacy

More and more courses are no longer based on the examination results to evaluate the effect. As the main participants, students are paid more attention to, especially their mental feelings. This paper explores the mediating effect of self-efficacy and the mutual relationship between personality traits and course subjective well-being. A questionnaire was conducted among 310 students in the course “comprehensive experiment of management”, correlation and regression methods were used to investigate the relationship between variables. The course participation role, gender, family origin and subjective character identification all significantly affect the course subjective well-being. Openness has no significant correlation with course well-being, neuroticism has a negative correlation, and extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and self-efficacy have a positive correlation. Self-efficacy has a complete mediating effect between neuroticism and course well-being and a partial mediating effect between extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and course well- being. The course subjective well-being of students is influenced not only by their innate personality traits but also by their acquired self-efficacy.
A Nearly Zero-Energy Microgrid Testbed Laboratory: Centralized Control Strategy Based on SCADA System

Currently, despite the use of renewable energy sources (RESs), distribution networks are facing problems, such as complexity and low productivity. Emerging microgrids (MGs) with RESs based on supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) are an effective solution to control, manage, and finally deal with these challenges. The development and success of MGs is highly dependent on the use of power electronic interfaces. The use of these interfaces is directly related to the progress of SCADA systems and communication infrastructures. The use of SCADA systems for the control and operation of MGs and active distribution networks promotes productivity and efficiency. This paper presents a real MG case study called the LAMBDA MG testbed laboratory, which has been implemented in the electrical department of the Sapienza University of Rome with a centralized energy management system (CEMS). The real-time results of the SCADA system show that a CEMS can create proper energy balance in a LAMBDA MG testbed and, consequently, minimize the exchange power of the LAMBDA MG and main grid.
Influence of prey species on immature survival, development, predation and reproduction of Coccinella transversalis Fabricius (Col., Coccinellidae)

Six aphid species, viz. Aphis craccivora, Aphis gossypii, Aphis nerii, Myzus persicae, Lipaphis erysimi and Uroleucon compositae were provided as prey to the feeding stages of Coccinella transversalis (Fabricius). All of them were found to be essential prey, however the relative prey suitability varied. All the predatory stages of C. transversalis consumed and preferred A. gossypii, the most and A. nerii, the least. Significant effect of prey quality was observed on pre‐imaginal developmental periods, wet weights and adult longevity. The complete development was shortest on A. gossypii (13.01 ± 0.18 days) and longest on A. nerii (20.51 ± 0.25 days). The total prey consumption by larva, adult male and female in their lifetime was maximum (665.30 ± 5.75, 4831.10 ± 123.54 and 5412.30 ± 94.51, respectively) on A. gossypii and minimum (434.80 ± 4.03, 802.80 ± 34.37 and 905.20 ± 52.48, respectively) on A. nerii. Immature survival, growth index and adult emergence of C. transversalis was maximum (68.33, 7.82 and 88.21%, respectively) when larval instars consumed A. gossypii and minimum (37.75, 2.18 and 60.69%, respectively) after feeding on A. nerii. Female reproduction was also prey quality dependent showing maximum reproductive performance in terms of fecundity and percentage viability, with a highest reproductive period and lowest non‐reproductive period on A. gossypii, followed by A. craccivora, L. erysimi, M. persicae, U. compositae and A. nerii. Regression analysis revealed a positive correlation between: (1) daily prey consumption and relative growth rate, (2) adult weight and developmental rate, (3) weights of adult male and female, and (4) female longevity and fecundity.
Thirty million arthropod species – too many or too few?

The highest number of unknown life forms on earth live in tropical moist forests and our knowledge about this ecosystem is fragmentary (cf. Wilson 1988). A basic requirement for understanding the functioning of tropical biota is ecosystem analysis. The necessary faunal inventories are normally realized by short-term visits to distinct regions or, rarely, by long-term presence in selected areas, (cf. Adis & Schubart 1984). New results of this pathway, based on data of Coleoptera from canopies in Panama and the Amazon Basin, were as startling as actual deforestation rates (e.g. Fearnside 1985): an estimated number of 30-50 million species of arthropods or even of insects alone (Erwin 1982, 1983a, b, 1988). Only 990,000 species of invertebrates are described at present, including about 751,000 to 763,000 species of insects including 290,000 species of Coleoptera (Borror et al. 1981, Wilson 1987, 1988). These data created a vigorous discussion among taxonomists and ecologists and we now face two groups of 'believers', one favouring conservative estimates up to 5 million arthropod species worldwide (with about a million living in the Amazon) and the other accepting Erwin's theoretical calculation of 30 million or more (cf. May 1986, 1988, Stork 1988, Wilson 1988). Recent data that we have collected on Meinertellidae (Archaeognatha) in the Central Amazon show that discussion of these numbers may be even more complicated than previously thought. Neomachilellus scandens Wygodzinsky, a member of the Meinertellidae, was reported from inundation forests in the Rio Negro valley, which are annually flooded for 5-6 months, and from primary and secondary dryland forests in the vicinity of Manaus (Sturm & Adis 1984). Ecological studies showed that
Evolution and development of the primate limb skeleton

The order Primates is composed of many closely related lineages, each having a relatively well established phylogeny supported by both the fossil record and molecular data. 1 Primate evolution is characterized by a series of adaptive radiations beginning early in the Cenozoic era. Studies of these radiations have uncovered two major trends. One is that substantial amounts of morphological diversity have been produced over short periods of evolutionary time. 2 The other is that consistent and repeated patterns (variational tendencies 3 ) are detected. Taxa within clades, such as the strepsirrhines of Madagascar and the platyrrhines of the Neotropics, have diversified in body size, substrate preference, and diet. 2 , 4–6 The diversification of adaptive strategies within such clades is accompanied by repeated patterns of change in cheiridial proportions 7 , 8 (Fig. 1) and tooth‐cusp morphology. 9 There are obvious adaptive, natural‐selection based explanations for these patterns. The hands and feet are in direct contact with a substrate, so their form would be expected to reflect substrate preference, whereas tooth shape is related directly to the functional demands of masticating foods having different mechanical properties. What remains unclear, however, is the role of developmental and genetic processes that underlie the evolutionary diversity of the primate body plan. Are variational tendencies a signature of constraints in developmental pathways? What is the genetic basis for similar morphological transformations among closely related species? These are a sampling of the types of questions we believe can be addressed by future research integrating evidence from paleontology, comparative morphology, and developmental genetics.
A Study on the Way to Improve the Professional Quality of College English Teachers under the Mode of Ecological Foreign Language Teaching

: from the Point of View of Ecology, Traditional College English Education is a System of Ecological Balance. after Long-Term Development and the Integration of Various Ecological Factors, They Are in a Relatively Compatible and Stable State. However, When the Computer Network Information Technology Enters the College English Education, the Traditional Education Goals, Models, Textbooks, Courses and Other Factors Will Inevitably Change Accordingly. These Changes Have Destroyed the Original Ecological Balance and Caused Many Imbalances.
Sport mit implantiertem Defibrillator oder Schrittmacher

Zusammenfassung Die Zahl der Patienten mit implantiertem Kardioverter-Defibrillator (ICD) bzw. Schrittmacher nimmt stetig zu. Daher wird der sportärztlich tätige Kardiologe zunehmend mit der Frage der Sporttauglichkeit von Athleten bzw. sportlich aktiven Menschen mit ICD oder Schrittmacher konfrontiert. Frühere Empfehlungen disqualifizierten die Athleten mit ICD für nahezu jeglichen Leistungssport. Ein Wandel in der Sichtweise, der sich letzten Endes in den aktualisierten amerikanischen und europäischen Leitlinien niederschlug, ergab sich durch die Daten des „ICD Sports Safety“-Registers, in dem die Risiken der Sportteilnahme von Athleten mit leitliniengerechter ICD-Implantation systematisch erfasst wurden. Während der Beobachtungsdauer traten keine tachyarrhythmisch bedingten Todesfälle, extern terminierte Tachyarrhythmien während oder nach der Sportausübung und keine Verletzungen durch rhythmogene Synkopen oder Schockabgaben auf. Ob ein Athlet mit ICD Leistungssport treiben kann, ist gemäß den aktuellen Leitlinien eine Einzelfallentscheidung. Unter gewissen Bedingungen erscheint die Teilnahme am Leistungssport möglich, wobei Pro und Kontra sorgfältig abgewogen und insbesondere im Profisport auch rechtliche Aspekte berücksichtigt werden müssen. Gesundheitssport bei ICD-Trägern ist gemäß der aktuellen Studienlage als sicher anzusehen. Vergleichbar mit dem Leistungssport ist bei der Beurteilung der Sporttauglichkeit vor allem die kardiovaskuläre Grunderkrankung als wichtige Determinante zu beachten, es sollten aber auch ICD-spezifische Überlegungen mit in die individuelle Entscheidung mit einfließen. Bei Schrittmacherträgern ist die kardiopulmonale Leistungsfähigkeit durch die primär elektrische, bradykardisierende Erkrankung des Herzens und der sich damit in unbehandeltem Zustand in der Regel daraus ergebenden chronotropen Inkompetenz zunächst beeinträchtigt und kann durch den Schrittmacher behoben werden. Das Schrittmacheraggregat bzw. dessen Einstellung ist daher eine wichtige – bei Patienten mit rein elektrischer Erkrankung oftmals entscheidende – Determinante für die kardiopulmonale Leistungsfähigkeit. Die noch nicht aktualisierten europäischen Empfehlungen für die Sporttauglichkeit sind noch relativ restriktiv, wohingegen die neuen amerikanischen Richtlinien weitaus moderater formuliert sind: Die Sporttauglichkeit kann in der Regel erteilt werden, wenn es keine Limitationen hinsichtlich der kardialen Grunderkrankung oder Symptomen gibt, wobei einige schrittmacherspezifische Aspekte beachtet werden müssen.
Calibration of the Interaction Parameters between the Proppant and Fracture Wall and the Effects of These Parameters on Proppant Distribution

Saltation and reputation (creep) dominate proppant transport rather than suspension during slickwater fracturing, due to the low sand-carrying capacity of the slickwater. Thus, the interaction parameters between proppants and fracture walls, which affect saltation and reputation, play a more critical role in proppant transport. In this paper, a calibration method for the interaction parameters between proppants and walls is built. A three-dimensional coupled computational fluid dynamics–discrete element method (CFD–DEM) model is established to study the effects of the interaction parameters on proppant migration, considering the wall roughness and unevenly distributed diameters of proppants. The simulation results show that a lower static friction coefficient and rolling friction coefficient can result in a smaller equilibrium height of the sand bank and a smaller build angle and drawdown angle, which is beneficial for carrying the proppant to the distal end of the fracture. The wall roughness and the unevenly distributed diameter of the proppants increase the collision between proppant and proppant or the wall, whereas the interactions have little impact on the sandbank morphology, slightly increasing the equilibrium height of the sandbank.
Somatic polymorphism in the achenes of Tragopogon dubius

Achenes of Tragopogon dubius have previously been described as dimorphic with respect to size and colour. In this investigation we found that there is a continuum of weight change from lighter central achenes to the heavier peripheral achenes. The main component of change is the pericarp. Outer achenes may also contain larger quantities of phenolic compounds than inner achenes. The differences in mass, morphology, and chemical characteristics may be significant enough to result in differences in germination behaviour. No such differences were seen in standard laboratory germination tests, though in a greenhouse experiment, seedlings from peripheral achenes emerged later and were larger and taller than seedlings from central achenes. The presence of phenolic compounds in the fruits of T. dubius suggests that the peripheral morphs may retain viability longer in the seed bank. Key words: somatic polymorphism, heteromorphism, germination, emergence, Tragopogon.
Estimating the Toxicity of Pesticide Mixtures to Aquatic Organisms: A Review

ABSTRACT A major difficulty in addressing chemical mixtures through legislation or regulations revolves around our limited understanding of their potential impacts. This review provides an overview of recent research on pesticide mixture toxicity to aquatic biota and the methods employed to predict toxic effects. The most common approaches are to assume concentration-addition or independent action of chemicals in a mixture. There are a number of cases in the literature of interactions between pesticides. However, models accounting for possible interactions between mixture components are used infrequently. Although results are limited, studies investigating the effects of pesticide mixtures have not demonstrated significant synergism at environmentally relevant concentrations. Based on the results of our review, we conclude that the concentration-addition model is a generally conservative and practical first-tier model for the ecological assessment of pesticide mixtures in aquatic systems.
Characteristics of Biodegradation of Cyanobacterial Toxin Microcystin LR in Environmental Water Under the River Die-away Test

The biodegradability of microcystins produced by water-bloom was examined using the river die-away test. Although microcystin LR was not degraded during the first eight days after starting the test, after the eighth day, it began to be degraded rapidly, suggesting that microcystin LR was degraded by inductive metabolism and specific biodegradation. The activity of specific degradation of microcystin LR in the samples from a pond in which water-bloom was occurring was higher than from a pond with no water-bloom. Furthermore, the activity of specific degradation of microcystin LR in the samples taken during the water-bloom season (July 2001) was higher than on no water-bloom season (June 2001) . These results show that the bacteria that can degrade microcystin LR act accompanying the occurrence of water-bloom. Also, under the alkaline condition, microcystin LR was not degraded in the sample from the pond without water-bloom, but was degraded rapidly in the sample from the pond with water-bloom. We suggest that alkaliphilic or tolerant alkaline bacteria are strongly involved in the degradation of microcystin LR in the pond with water-bloom. We concluded that the fate of microcystin in the environment depend on specific bacteria which could adapt to two requirements, specific degradation metabolism for microcystin and tolerance to alkaline environment.
Patient-Derived Urothelial Cancer Xenograft Models: A Systematic Review and Future Perspectives

BACKGROUND: Lack of appropriate models that recapitulate the diversity, heterogeneity, and tumor microenvironment of urothelial cancer (UC) is a limitation to preclinical models. Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models are a promising tool to overcome some of these issues, and thus we present an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of UC PDX models to aid in their future use. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview on methodology, applications and limitations as well as future perspectives on bladder cancer PDX models. METHODS: Literature searches using PubMed and Web of Science databases were performed for relevant articles according to the following MeSH terms: “urothelial carcinoma(s)” OR “urothelial cancer” OR “urothelial tumor” OR “bladder cancer(s)” OR “bladder carcinoma(s)” OR “transitional cell carcinoma(s)” AND “xenograft(s)” OR “xenotransplant” at December 6th, 2019. We followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. RESULTS: Of the 49 studies extracted, 41 studies after the year 2000 were finally analyzed. Published studies show that (1) UC PDX platforms retained the histology and genomic characteristics of the corresponding patient tumors. (2) UC PDX can be applied to ask various questions including to study the mechanisms of disease progression and treatment resistance, to develop novel drugs and biomarkers, as well as to potentially realize personalized drug selection. Recent topics of research using PDX have included the development of humanized mice as well as the use of 3D culture to complement some of the limitations of PDX models. CONCLUSIONS: UC PDX models serve as tools for understanding cancer biology, drug development and empowering precision medicine. The improvement of experimental systems using humanized mice to recapitulate the immune microenvironment of tumors will optimize UC PDX to study future questions in the field of immunotherapy.
Subcellular structures in fermenting cocoa beans. Effect of aeration and temperature during seed and fragment incubation

Chemical reactions in cocoa seeds during fermentation and roasting may depend on post-mortem structural changes in the mesophyll cells. Aeration, temperature and acetic acid concentration vary considerably during commercial fermentation. Light and electron microscopic studies of seeds after artificial fermentations give evidence that the kind and the degree of subcellular structural changes depend on these variations. At 50°C in the presence of acetic acid (35 mM/litre, pH 4.0) water-containing compartments are destroyed shortly before the lipid vacuoles fuse. The hydrophilic particles of the plasm become dispersed within the lipid phase. These changes occur within 6–20 h independent of the presence of air. At 40°C in the absence of acetic acid (citric acid, pH 5.5) the seeds germinate and protein vacuoles in many cells of the mesophyll inflate considerably within 6 h, which is before post-mortem structural changes, different from those following treatment in acetic acid at 50°C, become obvious. Incubation of cotyledon fragments instead of whole seeds submerged in buffer induced these structural changes as well and were even more pronounced. The significance of temperature differences in the range of 40–50°C and induction of germination during fermentation is discussed.
Novel Platinum-Porphyrin as Sensing Compound for Efficient Fluorescent and Electrochemical Detection of H2O2

Metalloporphyrins are highly recognized for their capacity to act as sensitive substances used in formulation of optical, fluorescent, and electrochemical sensors. A novel compound, namely Pt(II)-5,10,15,20-tetra-(4-allyloxy-phenyl) porphyrin, was synthesized by metalation with PtCl2(PhCN)2 of the corresponding porphyrin base and was fully characterized by UV-vis, fluorimetry, FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR methods. The fluorescence response of this Pt-porphyrin in the presence of different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide was investigated. Besides, modified glassy carbon electrodes with this Pt-porphyrin (Pt-Porf-GCE) were realized and several electrochemical characterizations were comparatively performed with bare glassy carbon electrodes (GCE), in the absence or presence of hydrogen peroxide. The Pt-porphyrin demonstrated to be a successful sensitive material for the detection of hydrogen peroxide both by fluorimetric method in a concentration range relevant for biological samples (1.05–3.9 × 10−7 M) and by electrochemical method, in a larger concentration range from 1 × 10−6 M to 5 × 10−5 M. Based on different methods, this Pt-porphyrin can cover detection in diverse fields, from medical tests to food and agricultural monitoring, proving high accuracy (correlation coefficients over 99%) in both fluorimetric and electrochemical measurements.
The closed-subpopulation method and estimation of population size from mark-recapture and ancillary data

The algebraic relationships, underlying assumptions, and performance of the recently proposed closed- subpopulation method are compared with those of other commonly used methods for estimating the size of animal pop- ulations from mark-recapture records. In its basic format the closed-subpopulation method is similar to the Manly-Parr method and less restrictive than the Jolly-Seber method. Computer simulations indicate that the accuracy and precision of the population estimators generated by the basic closed-subpopulation method are almost comparable to those gener- ated by the Jolly-Seber method, and generally better than those of the minimum-number-alive method. The perfor- mance of all these methods depends on the capture probability, the number of previous and subsequent trapping occasions, and whether the population is demographically closed or open. Violation of the assumption of equal catchability causes a negative bias that is more pronounced for the closed-subpopulation and Jolly-Seber estimators than for the minimum-number-alive. The closed-subpopulation method provides a simple and flexible framework for illustrating that the precision and accuracy of population-size estimates can be improved by incorporating evidence, other than mark-recapture data, of the presence of recognisable individuals in the population (from radiotelemetry, mortality records, or sightings, for example) and by exploiting specific characteristics of the population concerned.