Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of Hepatitis C Virus Infection on the in-Hospital Mortality of Patients with Alcoholic Hepatitis

Background and Aim: There is limited data on the impact of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection on alcoholic hepatitis (AH). The present study was performed to assess the effect of HCV on inhospital mortality of AH. Methods: Using Nationwide Inpatient Sample (1998-2007), AH admissions were stratified based on the presence or absence of HCV. Results: Of 111,726 AH admissions, 7,240 (6.5%) were HCV +ve. These patients were different from HCV -ve subjects in age, race, Charlston Comorbidity index, pay source, hospital characteristics, complications, and interventions needed. In-hospital mortality from AH was higher in presence of HCV (3.8% vs. 3.1%; P=0.001). On multivariate logistic regression, HCV infection independently predicted in-hospital mortality of AH after controlling for other variables including calendar year [OR 1.29 (CI: 1.12-1.49; P=0.0005)]. Other strong predictors were hepatic encephalopathy and renal failure. Conclusion: Concomitant HCV infection is an important risk factor for in-hospital mortality in AH. Further studies with longer follow up are needed to assess the impact of HCV on AH patients at 6 months and at one year.
FT-IR Spectroscopic Study of 1,5-Pentanedithiol and 1,6-Hexanedithiol Adsorbed on NaA, CaA and NaY Zeolites

The adsorption of 1,5-pentanedithiol (1,5-PDT) and 1,6-hexanedithiol (1,6-HDT) in liquid phases on NaA (or 4A-type), CaA (or 5A-type) and NaY zeolites has been studied by using infrared spectroscopy. From the IR spectra it is found that the peak positions of the symmetric as well as the antisymmetric modes of the methylene (CH2) groups are observed at almost the same band values for the title dithiolates adsorbed on the A-type and NaY zeolites. On the other hand, the weak SH stretching vibration, observed for all samples, can be attributed to the sulphure atoms of 1,5-PDT and 1,6-HDT coordinatively adsorbed on cationic sites of the zeolites.
Graphene, Transition Metal Dichalcogenides, and Perovskite Photodetectors

Recent years have witnessed a tremendous progress in 2D materials photodetector. Their unique properties including wide photoresponse wavelength, passivated surfaces, strong interaction with incident light, and high mobility enable dramatical superiority in photo- detector application. The photophysics, device structure, working mechanism, and performance of three kinds of 2D materials photodetectors including graphene, transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), and halide perovskite are discussed in detail to give a profound understanding for the readers. In addition, we highlight the challenges and opportunities faced in studying 2D materials photodetector, and various strategies are summarized to help on the development of photodetection research and find ways to approach major problems.
Fixed Orthodontic Retention

The aim of the study is to draw attention to the problem of instability of the results of orthodontic treatment. This article presents recommendations and contraindications for using fixed retention. The most common positions and types of bonded retainers have been presented. Preparatory procedures related to installation of a fixed retainer and retainer installation methods have been described. The effects of such therapy on the condition of the periodontium and dental hard tissue have also been presented. Comparable research has been shown following a 3-year period of retention of four kinds of retainers: fixed retainers made of plain wire and spiral wire bonded only to canines, fixed six-point retainers made of flexible, multistrand wire and removable retainers. The differences in use have been described in terms of: accumulation of plaque and calculus around the wire and along the marginal periodontium, loss of attachment, Little’s index, and failure during the application of a fixed retainer. The research of FSWR retainers and vacuum-formed retainers in contrast to the Schwarz retainer have been presented. The most frequent complications and side effects of retention therapy have been shown. Chemical and photo polymerization composites to cement retainers and the reasons of losing them have been compared. The impact of this kind of therapy on the condition of the soft and hard tissue of the periodontium has been described. The research has proved that, in the case of removable retainers and fixed retainers, a change can be observed in occlusion in the period of retention, however its intensity is not statistically significant (Dent. Med. Probl. 2013, 50, 3, 355–361).
Whales as marine ecosystem engineers

Baleen and sperm whales, known collectively as the great whales, include the largest animals in the history of life on Earth. With high metabolic demands and large populations, whales probably had a strong influence on marine ecosystems before the advent of industrial whaling: as consumers of fish and invertebrates; as prey to other large-bodied predators; as reservoirs of and vertical and horizontal vectors for nutrients; and as detrital sources of energy and habitat in the deep sea. The decline in great whale numbers, estimated to be at least 66% and perhaps as high as 90%, has likely altered the structure and function of the oceans, but recovery is possible and in many cases is already underway. Future changes in the structure and function of the world's oceans can be expected with the restoration of great whale populations.
The feasibility of methane as a feed-source for a microbial fuel cell.

i Acknowledgments . iii List of figures . vii List of tables. x Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 1.1 Background . 1 1.2 Research objectives . 2 1.3 Thesis organization . 2 Chapter 2: Literature review. 3 2.1 Energy in the 21 century . 3 2.2 Methane as a biological resource . 3 2.3 Anaerobic digestion . 4 2.4 Aerobic methanotrophs . 5 2.4.1 Metabolic pathways . 6 2.4.2 Alternative substrates . 7 2.5 Anaerobic methanotrophs . 8 2.5. 1 AOM coupled to sulfate reduction . 8 2.5. 2 AOM coupled to nitrate reduction . 9 2.5. 3 AOM coupled to metal ion reduction. 9 2.6 Microbial fuel cells . 10 2.6. 1 General overview . 10 2.6. 2 Electron transfer . 11 2.6. 3 Thermodynamic considerations . 12 2.6. 4 Mediators . 13 2.6. 4.1 Background . 13 2.6. 4.2 Selection criteria . 15 2.6. 5 Methane in a MFC . 16 Chapter 3: Materials and methods . 18 3.1 Culturing of microorganisms . 18 3.1.1 Nutrient preparation . 18 3.1.2 Stock revival . 18
Development of a Forensically Important Fly, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) (Diptera: Phoridae) on Cow’s Liver and Various Agar-based Diets

In forensic entomology practice, it is more common to use raw animal tissue to breed dipteran larvae and it often brings unpleasant odour in the laboratory. Few studies suggested the use of synthetic diets, mainly agar-based media, as alternatives to animal tissue but it is rarely being practiced in forensic entomology laboratory. The present study observed the growth of a forensically important fly, Megaselia scalaris (Loew) on raw cow’s liver, nutrient agar, casein agar and cow’s liver agar. A total of 100 M. scalaris eggs were transferred each into the different media and placed in an incubator at 30°C in a continuous dark condition. Data on length and developmental period were collected by randomly sampling three of the largest larvae from each rearing media, twice a day at 0900 and 1500 hours until pupariation. M. scalaris larvae reared on raw cow’s liver recorded the highest mean length (4.23 ± 1.96 mm) followed by cow’s liver agar (3.79 ± 1.62 mm), casein agar (3.14 ± 1.16 mm) and nutrient agar (3.09 ± 1.11 mm). Larval length in raw liver and liver agar were significantly different from those in nutrient and casein agar (p < 0.05). Larvae bred in liver agar and raw liver recorded the shortest larval duration before entering the post-feeding stage (89 hours), followed by nutrient agar (119 hours) and casein agar (184 hours). Total developmental time from oviposition until adult emergence for M. scalaris in liver agar and raw liver was approximately 163 hours. All puparia in nutrient agar and casein agar failed to hatch. This research highlighted the potential use of cow’s liver agar as an alternative diet of raw liver to culture M. scalaris in laboratory.
Exocometary gas structure, origin and physical properties around β Pictoris through ALMA CO multitransition observations

Recent ALMA observations unveiled the structure of CO gas in the 23 Myr old β Pictoris planetary system, a component that has been discovered in many similarly young debris discs. We here present ALMA CO J = 2−1 observations, at an improved spectro-spatial resolution and sensitivity compared to previous CO J = 3−2 observations. We find that (1) the CO clump is radially broad, favouring the resonant migration over the giant impact scenario for its dynamical origin, (2) the CO disc is vertically tilted compared to the main dust disc, at an angle consistent with the scattered light warp. We then use position-velocity diagrams to trace Keplerian radii in the orbital plane of the disc. Assuming a perfectly edge-on geometry, this shows a CO scaleheight increasing with radius as R0.75, and an electron density [derived from CO line ratios through non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) analysis] in agreement with thermodynamical models. Furthermore, we show how observations of optically thin line ratios can solve the primordial versus secondary origin dichotomy in gas-bearing debris discs. As shown for β Pictoris, subthermal (NLTE) CO excitation is symptomatic of H2 densities that are insufficient to shield CO from photodissociation over the system's lifetime. This means that replenishment from exocometary volatiles must be taking place, proving the secondary origin of the disc. In this scenario, assuming steady state production/destruction of CO gas, we derive the CO+CO2 ice abundance by mass in β Pic's exocomets to be at most ∼6 per cent, consistent with comets in our own Solar system and in the coeval HD181327 system.
Assessing movement coordination

One criticism of sports biomechanists has been that we focus too much on discrete data, such as jump take-off angles, or durations of movement phases, or maximum joint torque in a throw, thereby discarding much of the richness of information contained in time series data. This becomes increasingly the case when we consider movement coordination, something important also to motor learning or motor control specialists. The interpretation of various coordination patterns is the topic of this chapter. These coordination patterns are particularly relevant when we ask the question ‘How are sports and exercise movements coordinated to produce the desired outcome? ’ To obtain the coordination patterns that are the focus of this chapter, we need to be able to measure joint angles, even though the analysis of these patterns can be almost entirely qualitative, as well as quantitative. Two-dimensional (planar) joint angles can be easily measured using software packages for qualitative biomechanical analysis, such as Kinovea, or, usually more accurately, using quantitative video analysis packages, such as SIMI Motion (see also Chapter 4). The focus in most of this chapter will be on data obtained in the sagittal plane. For analysis of movement patterns that occur in multiple planes, three-dimensional motion analysis, using video or online analysis systems, is usually necessary (see also Chapters 4 and 5). The chapter will also emphasise the qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of the coordination patterns that we will discuss, mainly because we consider movement coordination to be a ‘qualitative’ process. We feel strongly that even quantitative analysts need to be able to describe and to analyse coordination patterns qualitatively, if they are to understand them fully. Coordination patterns can add substantially to our understanding of sports and exercise movements and help us to assess ways in which changes might be made to im-
Pharmacological options for the protection of ovarian function in patients undergoing chemotherapy

Abstract Chemotherapy, particularly alkylating agents, can be toxic to germ cells, and may lead to treatment amenorrhoea in young women. The age at which chemotherapy is administered is a strong predictor of subsequent premature ovarian failure, with older patients being at the highest risk. Smaller primordial follicles may survive the insult of chemotherapy better, and the suppression of follicle development may protect the germ cell pool. The suppression of follicle development by gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists (or antagonists) or combined oral contraceptives has been reported in the literature. The results are promising, but conflicting reports on the protection makes further studies essential.
An ALMA Survey of Faint Disks in the Chamaeleon I Star-forming Region: Why Are Some Class II Disks so Faint?

ALMA surveys of nearby star-forming regions have shown that the dust mass in the disk is correlated with the stellar mass, but with a large scatter. This scatter could indicate either different evolutionary paths of disks or different initial conditions within a single cluster. We present ALMA Cycle 3 follow-up observations for 14 Class II disks that were low signal-to-noise (S/N) detections or non-detections in our Cycle 2 survey of the ∼2 Myr old Chamaeleon I star-forming region. With five times better sensitivity, we detect millimeter dust continuum emission from six more sources and increase the detection rate to 94% (51/54) for Chamaeleon I disks around stars earlier than M3. The stellar-disk mass scaling relation reported in Pascucci et al. is confirmed with these updated measurements. Faint outliers in the Fmm–M* plane include three non-detections (CHXR71, CHXR30A, and T54) with dust mass upper limits of 0.2 M⊕ and three very faint disks (CHXR20, ISO91, and T51) with dust masses ∼0.5 M⊕. By investigating the SED morphology, accretion property and stellar multiplicity, we suggest for the three millimeter non-detections that tidal interaction by a close companion (≲100 au) and internal photoevaporation may play a role in hastening the overall disk evolution. The presence of a disk around only the secondary star in a binary system may explain the observed stellar SEDs and low disk masses for some systems.
High production of fructooligosaccharides by levansucrase from Bacillus subtilis natto CCT 7712

Fructooligosaccharides (FOSs) are fructose oligomers known as prebiotics that beneficially affect the host by selectively stimulating the growth and/or activity of one or a limited number of bacteria in the colon, and thus improving host’s health. FOS can be produced by the action of fructosyltranferases from microorganisms, including the Bacillus subtilis natto. The objective of the present study was applying response surface methodology in order to optimize the FOS production by levansucrase from B. subtilis natto CCT 771. The variables evaluated were sucrose concentration, pH and temperature. From the analysis of the results, the significant variables were pH and sucrose concentration (p < 0.05). Levansucrase of B. subtilis natto synthesized fructooligosaccharides in all experimental conditions, showing its potential for use in an industrial process of producing FOS from sucrose. The use of response surface methodology allowed the determination of the concentration of sucrose (334 g . L -1 ), pH (6.0) and temperature (45.8°C) for a maximum yield of 54.86 g . L -1 FOS. Keywords: Fructooligosaccharides, Bacillus subtilis , levansucrase, prebiotics. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol 13(27) 2734-2740
From Small World Phenomenon to Correlation Analysis in a Temporal Landline Phone Call Network Graph Series

Is a temporal landline phone call network graph series led by the presence of small world phenomenon? Are order and average vertex degree of the network graphs associated to small – world – ness? How are related size and order of the network graphs in this temporal series? A continuously graded notion of small – world – ness is used to study the presence of small world phenomenon. Spearman’s and Kendall’s correlation coefficients are used to perform a non – parametric correlation analysis between small – world – ness and order/average vertex degree. Linear regression on log – transformed quantities is used to analyse the relationship between size and order. It is achieved by the study that, the presence of small – world – ness is confirmed in each time step of the series, and there is no significant association between small – world – ness and graph order/average vertex degree. A significant positive power relationship between size and order is found.
Polyaromatic disordered carbon grains as carriers of the UV bump: Far-UV to mid-IR spectroscopy of laboratory analogs

A multiwavelength study of laboratory carbons with varying degrees of hydrogenation and sp2 hybridization is required to characterize the structure of the carbonaceous carriers of interstellar and circumstellar extinction. We study the spectral properties of carbonaceous dust analogs from the far-ultraviolet to the mid-infrared and correlate features in both spectral ranges to the aromatic/aliphatic degree. Analogs to carbonaceous interstellar dust encountered in various phases of the interstellar medium have been prepared in the laboratory. These are amorphous hydrogenated carbons (a-C:H), analogs to the diffuse interstellar medium component, and soot particles, analogs to the polyaromatic component. Thin films (d<100 nm) have been measured in transmission in the vacuum- ultraviolet (VUV; 120 - 210 nm) within the atmospheric pressure experiment (APEX) chamber of the DISCO beam line at the SOLEIL synchrotron radiation facility. Spectra of these films were further measured through the UV-Vis (210 nm - 1µm) and in the mid-infrared (3 - 15µm). Tauc optical gaps, Eg, are derived from the visible spectra. The major spectral features are fitted through the VUV to the mid- infrared to obtain positions, full-widths at half maximum (FWHM), and integrated intensities. These are plotted against the position of the π- π* electronic transitions peak. Unidentified or overlapping features in the UV are identified by correlations with complementary infrared data. A correlation between the optical gap and position of the π- π* electronic transitions peak is found. The latter is also correlated to the position of the sp3 carbon defect band at ~8µm, the aromatic C=C stretching mode position at ~6µm, and the H/C ratio. Ultraviolet and infrared spectroscopy of structurally diverse carbon samples are used to constrain the nanostructural properties of carbon carriers of both circumstellar and interstellar extinction, such as the associated coherent lengths and the size of polyaromatic units. Our study suggests that carriers of the interstellar UV bump should exhibit infrared bands akin to the A/B classes of the aromatic infrared bands, while the circumstellar bump carriers should exhibit bands corresponding to the B/C classes.
E-learning and Distance Education: A Study of Iranian Teaching English as a Foreign Language Masters Students

This study aimed at investigating the application of e-learning for master's students of Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) at Payame Noor University, the biggest distance education university in Iran and the Middle East. To do this, a questionnaire was sent to all students studying in five different Payame Noor centers around the country. After eliminating the incomplete questionnaires, 122 were analysed. Besides, 14 students as well as ten teachers were interviewed and 10 classes were observed to take advantage of a triangulated data collection method. The results revealed that distance learning students find some features of e-learning such as flexibility in time and class location very convincing; however, the status quo is not satisfactory due to shortcomings in areas including the Learning Management System (LMS) quality, web-based materials, and lack of interaction between students and teachers. Furthermore, despite their dissatisfaction, the students were happy to take e-learning courses because of their convenient features. Similarly, the teachers believed that e-learning can serve distance education, but many aspects such as teacher training courses, the number of students in each class, and the quality of under-web materials need to be improved. The results have some implications for using e-learning in distance education.
Top-down Bottom-up Experiments on Detecting Co-speech Gesturing in Conversation

Automatic analysis of conversational videos and detection of gesturing and body movement of the partners is one of the areas where technology development has been rapid. This paper deals with the application of video techniques to human communication studies, and focuses on detecting communicative gesturing in conversational videos. The paper sets to investigate the top-down-bottom-up methodology, which aims to combine the two approaches used in interaction studies: the human annotation of the data and the automatic analysis of the data.
Understanding the rise of African business : In search of business perspectives on African enterprise development

Purpose - – In light of recent enthusiasm over African private sector development, the purpose of this paper is to review the business literature on African enterprise development with a view of identifying lacunas in the literature and of developing an analytical framework that may guide future research on this issue. Design/methodology/approach - – The paper provides a review of the extant literature on African enterprise development by juxtaposing the traditional pessimistic view of African business performance with more recent, optimistic accounts. Based on the literature review, lacunas in the literature are identified and an integrative framework for analysing African enterprise development is developed. The framework is used to provide an overview of the received literature on African enterprise development, to identify voids and lacunas and to identify new research agendas. Findings - – While a growing number of studies suggest profound improvements in the performance of African enterprises, data limitations, conceptual ambiguities and absence of comprehensive studies still cautions against sweeping generalizations. The paper reviews the literature on factors shaping the performance of African enterprises, observing that while much research is focusing on the role of the African business environments for enterprise development, much less attention has been devoted to the role of firm-specific capabilities, strategies and management. The paper concludes by advocating a contingency approach to research on African enterprise development that emphasizes the interplay between firm-specific factors and the specificities of the African business environment. Originality/value - – The paper provides a comprehensive literature review on African enterprise development and presents a novel framework for understanding African enterprise development from a business perspective.