Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimization of Antibacterial Compounds Production by Aspergillus fumigatus Isolated from Sudanese Indigenous Soil

Submitted 5 May 2017; Accepted 22 Jun 2017; Published 30 Jul 2017 The purposes of the present study were to screen the ability of Aspergillus fumigatus to produce antibacterial compounds using different growth parameters namely, pH, temperature, agitation and time of fermentation and investigate the effect of the yield against bacterial isolates. A. fumigatus was isolated from arable lands in Sudan and identified macroscopically and microscopically. The pure fungal culture was inoculated in fermentation medium with different growth parameters. The fungal metabolites were extracted in intervals of 7, 8, and 9 days incubation period. No yield was observed at pH values of 6 and 8. A relatively high yield of active compounds was observed at pH 7, agitation speed of 75 rpm and 7 days contact time, while the highest yield was exhibited at pH 7, agitation speed of 100 rpm and 8 days contact time. These metabolites were investigated for their inhibitory effects against indicator bacterial species. All indicator bacterial species showed resistance to 2.5% concentration of the crude extract. The 5% crude extract concentration exhibited small inhibitory effect (8 mm) against Salmonella typhimurium, moderate inhibitory effect (19 mm) against Listeria monocytogenes and high inhibitory effect (25 mm) against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The pronounced inhibitory effect was observed with 10% concentration against Pseudomonas aeruginosa (40 mm) followed by Listeria monocytogenes (30 mm). A moderate inhibitory effect of the 10% crude extract was observed with Salmonella typhimurium (13 mm). The indicator bacteria Staphylococcus aureus showed resistance to all tested concentrations. The present study show that the growth parameters affect the yield but not the viability of Aspergillus fumigatus. The fungal metabolites have antibacterial effects.
Regional Branding: Building Brand Value

Regional branding is one of several ways to promote rural regions and support development of socially, culturally and environmentally oriented economies in areas that are interesting due to their natural and cultural heritage. The article attempts to review the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of branding as conveyed by leading authors in the marketing field. The aim of this paper is to define brand as a broad complex of variables, which are used in building of its identity as a basis for creating value proposition and the position of a brand. Article briefly describes the most comprehensive labeling system for regional products at the micro-regional level is the one guaranteed by Association of Regional Brands (ARB). The main contribution of this article is a theoretical model of strategic management of a regional brand, which captures the interdependence of the individual steps of brand building as well as stakeholders. The starting point for building of brand value is a strategic analysis of the brand, including analysis of customer and competitors. The analysis of external factors is followed by analysis of the brand itself. The resulting relationship between the brand and the customer is based on value proposition representing benefits (functional, emotional, self‑expression). The concept of total product is connected with the concept of total brand and it is offered to the customer as a regional product. Finally it suggests possibilities for further research.
LOGISTICS AS A PART OF INNOVATION PROCESS

The paper deals with the importance of logistics in innovation process. The issue is focused on management of different logistic processes building on the innovation and on innovation process. However, logistics is an essential part of this process. The results describe logistics chain within innovation process for the satisfaction of customers´ demand and fulfilment of customers’ requests on the innovation. This approach involves “7S of logistics” which means: “create proper innovation, in the proper quality, for the right place and in the right time, as well as, with the proper price and package”.
THE EFFECTS OF COGNITIVE FEEDFORWARD AND FEEDBACK ON THE PERCEIVED USEFULNESS AND EASE-OF-USE OF COMPLEX MODELS

This paper tailors Davis et al’s (1989) Technology Acceptance Model to the acceptance of complex Management Science/Operations Research (MS/OR) models. Narrowing the focus of TAM to this domain allows the development of explicit, theorized relationships from cognitive feed forward and feedback to perceived usefulness and ease-of-use. This theorized relationship indicates that DSS designers should use feedforward (training) and feedback (intermediate results) to reduce the effort and ambiguity associated with using complex models. A validating survey confirms that training and intermediate outcome measures may be the most useful types of cognitive feedforward and feedback for this problem domain.
The attribution of morality.

In two experiments, observers received information about a stimulus person and then attributed a given level of morality to that person. Attributions of morality based on the stimulus person's immoral (as opposed to moral) behavior were relatively unaffected by situational demands surrounding the behavior. That is, a person who stole or committed adultery was judged to be relatively immoral, regardless of situational pressures that appeared to facilitate the behavior. Varying the type of situational demand (reward vs. cost) did not alter this basic effect. Unlike morality attributions, causal attributions based on moral and immoral behavior were affected by situational demands to an equal extent. The results also indicated that impressions of morality formed in one context readily generalized to other aspects of morality. For example, a person who committed adultery was thought to be more likely to lie and steal than one who was not adulterous. It is well known that negative information weighs heavily in one's overall impression of a person (Kanouse & Hanson, 1972). For example, a single immoral behavior (such as stealing) is often enough to sour one's evaluation of a person. Further, this negative evaluation tends to persist even when the person is simultaneously credited with several very
On the development of thermohaline correlations as a result of nonlinear diffusive parameterizations

Some oceanographic mixing parameterizations assume that transports depend nonlinearly on the buoyancy gradient; e.g., diffusivities are proportional to some power of the buoyancy gradient. In this paper we examine the consequences of these nonlinear-diffusion parameterizations by solving an initial value problem in which the t = 0 thermohaline fields are prepared as random and uncorrelated distributions of temperature and salinity. Solutions of the nonlinear diffusion equation as a 'rundown' problem show that correlations develop between the temperature and salinity. These correlations are such that the evolving thermohaline gradients tend to be strongly compensating in their joint effect on buoyancy.
Determination of Antioxidant Activity of Various Extracts of Dracaena spicata

Indigenous knowledge of herbal medicines for skin diseases like boils, eczema, scabies, septic abscess, itching and skin allergy, burns, chicken pox, warts and leucoderma, fungal and bacterial infections, including healing cuts and wounds has been documented by randomly interviewing Chakma, Marma and Tanchangya tribes of the hill tracts districts of Bangladesh since 1995. The plant Dracaena spicata has been used for the general promotion of health and longevity by Asian tribal (especially Chakma, Marma and Tanchangya). It is used as a traditional medicine for the treatment of various diseases cough, syphilis, conjunctivitis, constipation; pills prepared from the leaves are taken with warm water twice daily for the treatment of measles by the Chakma etc. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity of petroleum Ether, Dichloromethane and Methanol extract of Dracaena spicata. The antioxidant activity was measured by DPPH, Total Phenol and Total Flavonoid tests. The IC50 values of DPPH test were 120.2492, 127.1228 and 48.8535 μg/ml for Petroleum Ether, Dichloromethane Methanol consecutively. The Total Flavonoid contents were 68, 56.6667 and 94.3334 in mg/g equivalent to Quercetin for Petroleum Ether, Dichloromethane Methanol consecutively. The Total Phenol contents were 216.2, 82, 58.6 mg/g equivalent to Gallic acid for Petroleum Ether, Dichloromethane Methanol consecutively. By determining antioxidant property, the present result suggests that the tested plant extracts have potent antioxidant activity. In conclusion, further investigations are needed to identify the active constituents and the exact mechanism(s) of action responsible for the reported antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Dracaena spicata.
Value Measurement and Value Creation Models in Europe and the US: A Comparison of the EFQM Excellence Model and the Baldrige Award Criteria

We have identified and characterized notable differences between the value-crea- tion models of the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) and Baldrige Quality Award (BQA). Specifically, we observe that the two models, despite sharing a common goal of identifying and measuring the firm characteristics associated with the process of value creation, propose very different descriptions and weightings of the elements of that process. The EFQM model places much more emphasis on tactical issues relating to the diffusion and imple- mentation of strategy and the monitoring of customer, employee and society results, while the BQA model emphasizes the development of strategy and the reporting and analysis of business (financial) results. We discuss these differences in light of the differing socioeconomic environ- ments of Europe and the United States and conclude that, given these differing environments, the two models are well suited to helping their respective constituencies achieve their common objective of value creation.
Numerical evaluation of magnetic absolute measurements with arbitrarily distributed DI-fluxgate theodolite orientations

Abstract. At geomagnetic observatories the absolute measurements are needed to determine the calibration parameters of the continuously recording vector magnetometer (variometer). Absolute measurements are indispensable for determining the vector of the geomagnetic field over long periods of time. A standard DI (declination, inclination) measuring scheme for absolute measurements establishes routines in magnetic observatories. The traditional measuring schema uses a fixed number of eight orientations (Jankowski et al., 1996). We present a numerical method, allowing for the evaluation of an arbitrary number (minimum of five as there are five independent parameters) of telescope orientations. Our method provides D , I and Z base values and calculated error bars of them. A general approach has significant advantages. Additional measurements may be seamlessly incorporated for higher accuracy. Individual erroneous readings are identified and can be discarded without invalidating the entire data set. A priori information can be incorporated. We expect the general method to also ease requirements for automated DI-flux measurements. The method can reveal certain properties of the DI theodolite which are not captured by the conventional method. Based on the alternative evaluation method, a new faster and less error-prone measuring schema is presented. It avoids needing to calculate the magnetic meridian prior to the inclination measurements. Measurements in the vicinity of the magnetic equator are possible with theodolites and without a zenith ocular. The implementation of the method in MATLAB is available as source code at the GFZ Data Center ( Brunke , 2017 ) .
Attached Segments and Cryovial Samples as a Useful Tool in Cord Blood Banking Quality Control

Background: Assessment of the umbilical cord blood (UCB) unit is a crucial issue in the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. A cord blood bank (CBB) must ensure that the final product of transplantation is represented accurately from quality control (QC) products of the UCB unit. The use of a tube segment attached to the UCB unit as well as a separate 1.8 mL cryovial containing an identical aliquot of the cryopreserved UCB unit product was exposed to the same post-processing freezing and storage conditions as the UCB unit. Eventually, the utility of the attached segment and the 1.8 mL cryovial was evaluated as valid QC tools in order the final UCB unit graft to be validated. Methods: A total of 30 cord blood (CB) units, stored in liquid nitrogen, with their attached segments and 1.8 mL cryovials were thawed and several QC parameters (total nucleated cells (TNCs), CD34 + cells, CD133 + cells, percent viability and recovery) were obtained. Functional tests such as clonogenic assays were also performed. Results: Non-statistical differences were observed between UCB units, attached segments and 1.8 mL cryovials for any of the examined parameters. The expected clonogenic efficiency (ECLONE) was above 80% for all the three kinds of thawed samples (UCB unit, attached segment and QC sample). Conclusions: The QC of attached segment and 1.8 mL cryovial linked to the cryopreserved UCB unit may be used as a means to predict the potency and functionality of the actual UCB unit before transplantation. J Hematol. 2015;4(1):125-130 doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.14740/jh198w
Framework for Real-Time Virtual Crowds in Cultural Heritage Environments.

The creation of real-time 3D representations of cultural heritage sites is be coming more common. However, empty streets can seem sterile and lifeless. We present a framework that coversthe processes required to bring static models of scenes/buildings from a 3D modelling package into a real-time navig ation & interaction system and the addition of crowds of virtual humans to the world. Creation of 3D chara cters is often a time consuming task and thus methods have been employed to create the illusion of greater varie ty in the crowd without additional modelling requirements. Efficient rendering of the crowd is also importan t; they should enrich the scene without detracting from the real-time experience. We also present the use of a grid based behaviour system which scales to sufficiently large crowds (in excess of 1000 individuals), and the use o a series of pre-computed image maps for fast retrieval of values for the automatic placement of people in the scen e, where they can move (including archways) and the changes to their behaviour near obstacles.
Fiscal and Monetary Interaction in Brazil

This paper investigates the interaction between fiscal and monetary authorities in Brazil in order to measure the degree of fiscal dominance in the Brazilian economy. To do that, a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model is used. The model was developed for an economy with sticky prices and inflationary trend, whose parameters of interest are estimated by Bayesian inference. It is concluded that the degree of fiscal dominance in the Brazilian economy is low vis-a-vis the U.S. and Canadian economies. This result has a direct impact on the conduct of policies targeted at reducing inflation, and this probably means having to bring inflation targets down, which would directly influence the agents’ expectation about future inflation.
Double exposure time-averaged in-line digital holography

Theory, analysis and applications of digital in-line holography are presented for metrological applications. Particularly time averaged in-line digital holography is explored for dynamic characterization of membranes and MEMS diaphragms. The analysis and capability of numerically reconstructed amplitude and phase information from time averaged holograms is presented. Reconstructed amplitude provides the vibration mode shapes by showing the time average fringes that are modulated by zero-order Bessel function, same as in conventional time-averaged holography. However the numerical phase information divided in two parts, the first part represents the surface roughness information of object and is a source of noise for single exposure, and the second part called the time average phase. By using a novel double exposure method, the reconstructed phase information from time averaged holograms can be used for mean static deformation as well for better visualization of time averaged fringes. In case of the vibrating objects with simultaneous mean static deformation, the phase information mixes together and used for precise analysis of vibration behaviors. The use of double exposure method also suppress the noise from the real image wave, caused by overlapping of zero-order term and twin image wave because of in-line geometry. The experimental results are presented for vibrations of aluminum membrane with 10mm in size, and also for a MEMS diaphragm with 6mm in size.
Inbreeding and inbreeding depression on body weight in sheep.

Any genetic improvement programs applied for livestock are based on two main approaches: selection and crossbreeding. By contrast to crossbreeding, intensive selection within a single population reduces genetic diversity and increases the inbreeding rate (Barczak et al. 2009). A definition for inbreeding is given by mating of individuals whose relatedness between them is greater than the average degree of relationship existing in population and capable changing genotypic frequencies on a population without modifying the gene frequencies (Lush, 1945). The rate of inbreeding needs to be limited to maintain diversity at an acceptable level, so that genetic variation will ensure that future animals can respond to changes in the environment and to selection. Without genetic variation, animals cannot adapt to these changes (Van Wyk et al. 2009). Heterozygosity and allelic diversities can be lost from small, closed, selected populations at a rapid rate. The loss of diversity and resulting increase in homozygosity might result in decreased productions and / or fitness of inbred animals (Lamberson and Thomas, 1994; Ercanbrack and Knight, 1991; Analla et al. 1998; Dario and Bufano, 2003). Furthermore, inbreeding depression in domestic animals can lead to a decrease in selection response and in potential genetic gains in economic traits. Measuring the effect of The aim of this study was to estimate amount of inbreeding coefficient in Shal sheep and its impact on growth performance. Pedigree information and body weight at different ages (birth weight, 3 month weight, 6 month weight, 9 month weight and 12 month weight) were used from 6692 lambs from 90 rams and 1007 ewes. Data were collected on Ghazvin sheep breeding station during 1997-2013. Estimation of inbreeding coefficient was done by CFC program and quantifying the individual inbreeding regression of traits was run by wombat software. Number of inbred animals at pedigree was 1616 lambs, equal to 24.15% of total population. The average of inbreeding coefficient on whole population and inbred population were 1.51% and 6.28%, respectively. Regression coefficients per 1% inbreeding for birth weight, 3 month weight, 6 month weight, 9 month weight and 12 months weight were estimated as -0.001, -0.017, -0.005, -0.019 and -0.019 kg, respectively. The highest inbreeding coefficient was 31.25% and most of inbred animals had inbreeding coefficients lower than 5%. These results confirmed the low level of inbreeding in the population. Annual trend of inbreeding coefficient on population average was 0.07 and non significant statistically. Applying a designed mating system like crossbreeding could be a suitable method to avoid inbreeding depression.
ANALYSIS OF CELLULAR MICROSTRUCTURE INFLATION IN SOLID POLYAMIC ACID PARTICLES CONTAINING CARBON NANOTUBES

SUMMARY: Solid particle inflation of polyamic acid nanocomposites containing carbon nanotubes has been studied. Solid polyamic acid nanocomposites have been produced through an in situ polymerization process. The inflation of polyamic acid powder precursors has been studied for samples containing different carbon nanotube volume fractions. An analysis of the influence of carbon nanotubes on polyamic acid bubble growth has been carried out to determine optimum process conditions for production of polyimide foams from powder precursors. Three different features relating to the inflation process have been analyzed: proportion of single cell structures, multiple cell structures and non-inflated particles, number of cells contained in a multiple cell structure and initial inflation temperature. The increase in volume fraction of well dispersed carbon nanotubes is shown to enhance the production of single cell structures and non-inflated particles and reduces the number of cells contained in multiple cell structures. The influence of carbon nanotubes on the diffusivity, viscosity and glass transition temperature of the polymer justifies the modifications caused by nanotube addition.
The Impact of Photo Aesthetics on Online Consumer Shopping Behavior: An Image Processing-Enabled Empirical Study

Determinants of consumer’s shopping behavior are of long-term interest to researchers. Since product photos directly aid consumers’ understanding of products, retailers often put a lot of effort into polishing them. However, there is limited research on the impact of product photos on shopping behavior. This research takes advantage of image-processing techniques to study product photos’ impact. These techniques allow us to investigate a large set of photo characteristics simultaneously in an empirical study. To rule out possible confounding factors, we use a real company dataset from a social shopping Website, which has a simple interface allowing consumers to judge products mainly based on their photos. We employ two-stage nested logit model embedded with differences-in-differences approach and examine product photo characteristics from the aspects of color, composition, complexity, and model face. We found that consumers prefer to click product photos with a warmer color, a larger key object, appropriate complexity.
Observational Study on Teachers’ Approach in Teaching Children with Autism to Read

Children with autism are characterized with unique cognitive and social emotional development which makes the process of teaching them to read to be difficult and complicated. In attending to the special needs and characteristics of children with autism, special education teachers should have necessary knowledge and techniques in teaching children with autism to read and taking their characteristics into consideration during the reading lesson. This research aims to examine the approaches used by teachers in teaching children with autism to read. A total of two special education teachers were willing to participate in the case study. A non-participant observation was carried out with the two respective teachers in different time frame in a selected autism centre. The findings were presented in different phases of the reading process which were carried out. There are no single theories which was used in teaching students to read in each phase. It involves the combination of various theories to help students to understand the content of the reading material. Based on the findings, the teachers used several theories in teaching reading to children with autism. These theories include reading theories (traditional, cognitive and metacognitive view of reading) and Vygotsky’s Sociocultural theory. Keywords: Observational Study, children with autism, teaching approach, reading.