Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PREVALENCE AND ANTIBIOGRAM OF EXTENDED SPECTRUM BETA- LACTAMASE PRODUCING ESCHERICHIA COLI

BACKGROUND: Beta lactams are the most extensively used group of antimicrobials, however growing resistance to these invaluable drugs mediated by extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) enzymes is a major concern. The frequency of ESBL producing strains among clinical isolates has been steadily increasing over the past few years that has generated a major problem in clinical therapeutics. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to determine the prevalence of ESBL producing Escherichia coli, study their antibiogram and to evaluate the association between ESBL production and antibiotic resistance in Escherichia coli. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This prospective study was conducted in the Department of Microbiology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Chi-square test was used to analyze the data statistically. Probability values less than 0.05 were considered significant. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two hundred and eighty six consecutive, non-repeated isolates of Escherichia coli obtained from pus, urine, blood, stool, throat swab, cervical swab, sputum, CSF and conjunctival swab samples received in our bacteriology laboratory were analyzed in this study. These bacterial isolates were identified and tested for antibiotic sensitivity by standard microbiological procedures. Subsequently, they were screened and then phenotypically confirmed for ESBL production by phenotypic confirmatory disk diffusion test (PCDDT). RESULTS : Out of 286 isolates of Escherichia coli screened for ESBL production, 65.03% (n=186) were detected to be positive using either ceftazidime or cefotaxime. In the screen positives, 91.94% (n=171) were phenotypically confirmed ESBL producers by PCDDT method. The overall prevalence of ESBL producing Escherichia coli was 59.79% (n=171/286) with 87.72% obtained from in-patients and 12.28% from out-patients. Majority of ESBL producing Escherichia coli were recovered from stool (73.33%), followed by pus (62.62%), urine (61.80%) and blood (60.61%) samples. The antibiogram revealed no resistance to imipenem, while the highest resistance rate was detected against cefoperazone, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, ampicillin, cefotaxime, aztreonam, cefoxitin, piperacillin, ceftazidime, and ceftriaxone. CONCLUSIONS: ESBL producing strains of Escherichia coli show extremely wide spectrum of antibiotic resistance including resistance to penicillins, cephalosporins, aminoglycosides, and fluoroquinolones. This leads to significant implications in the management of patients. Advanced drug resistance surveillance and determination of molecular characteristics of ESBL isolates are necessary to formulate antibiotic prescription policies, so as to ensure appropriate and judicious use of the available antimicrobial drugs.
Production, purification and characterization of polysaccharide lytic enzymes of a marine isolate, Bacillus cereus NRC-20 and their application in biofilm removal

In screening for marine bacterial polysaccharide lytic enzymes, the most potent isolate was identified as Bacillus cereus NRC-20. This strain showed high alginase, dextrinase, pectinase and carboxymethyle-cellulase productivity when production medium was adjusted at pH 6.0 and contains (g/l): 3.0 sodium alginate, 3.0 malt extract, 30.0 jatropha cake and inoculated with 8% (v/v) of a 24 h old cell suspension and incubated at 30°C for 48 h on a rotary shaker at 200 rpm. These enzymes mixture were precipitated by 60% acetone and purified by using sephadex G-100, whereas SDS-PAGE suggested a molecular weight of approximately 17, 20, 89 and 279 KDa, respectively. The optimum partially purified enzymes activity when enzyme protein concentration was 27.4 mg/ml and substrate concentration 5.0 g/l shown after 90 min of incubation at 30°C and pH 5 and stable at 60°C for 60 min. The enzymes activities were enhanced in the presence of 0.02 M Na+ and K+ ions and completely inactivated by Mg+2, Cu+2, Co+2 and Pb+2 The enzymes mixture affected the matrix integrity of different microbial biofilms artificially grown on stainless steel sheets of Bacillus subtilis NRRL B-4219, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 27953 and Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Key words: Bacillus cereus, polysaccharide lytic enzymes production, fermentation parameters, enzyme characterization, biofilm removal.
Analysis the most effective factors on the policy of share dividends in the Tehran Stock Exchange companies

This research aims to review factors affecting the dividend payment in companies registered with the Tehran Stock Exchange. We used six variables in this research which are effective on the dividend policy including shareholders' return on equity, cash flow, sales growth, company size, financial leverage systematic risk. To test the research hypothesis, we used the combination data analysis by using a sample of 130 companies registered with the Tehran Stock Exchange for the period of 2005-2012. According to research results, shareholders' return on equity, free cash flow, sales growth and company financial leverage were considered as effective variables on the ratio of dividend in the companies registered with the Tehran Stock Exchange.
The Moderating Role of Attachment Styles on the Relationship of Alexithymia and Fear of Intimacy with Marital Satisfaction

Attachment styles, alexithymia, and fear of intimacy are considered to be detrimental to degree of satisfaction within the couples relationships. The present study aimed to investigate the moderating role of attachment styles on the relationship of alexithymia and fear of intimacy with marital satisfaction in a sample of Iranian students. Participants (313 males, 375 females) filled the Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI), the Farsi version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (FTAS-20), Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS), and the Golombok Rust Inventory of Marital State Questionnaire (GRIMS). Secure attachment style showed a significant positive association with marital satisfaction, while insecure attachment styles as well as fear of intimacy and alexithymia showed significant negative associations with marital satisfaction. The relationship between fear of intimacy and marital satisfaction was moderated by secure and avoidant attachment styles. The results revealed that only avoidant attachment style could moderate the relationship between alexithymia and marital satisfaction. Results of the present study suggest that the relationship of alexithymia and fear of intimacy with marital satisfaction is not a simple linear one. This is moderated in part by attachment styles. Hence, secure and insecure attachment characteristics may have significant influence in marital relationship in opposite directions.
The University of Chicago Law School: Ruminations and Reminiscences

I have, I believe, been given the privilege of writing for this centennial issue primarily because of my well-aged and affectionate ties to the University of Chicago Law School. In 1934, I became a firstyear student there and thus began a connection spanning more than two-thirds of the Law School's existence. My connection as a faculty member began in 1946; and, if I may count my days as an emeritus (beginning in 1985), I have been on the faculty for more than one-half of the school's existence. Naturally, I have heard, repeated, and created a good deal of hearsay regarding the school, beginning with its founding. My memories of later events that I actually observed may, of course, have improved with age. Furthermore, they have undoubtedly been reshaped by hindsight. In any event, the core of much of what follows will be an old story to some of you. My working principle for birthday parties, and especially centennials, is nostalgia rather than novelty. Indeed, I am concerned that I may help validate Paul Freund's observation that nostalgia is not what it used to be. I will say something about three topics: (1) the birth pangs of the Law School, (2) my student days, and (3) the post-World War II reinvigoration of the Law School that reflected and reinforced its original conception of a broad-gauged legal education. My stopping point will, in general, be 1962, when Edward Levi left the deanship of the Law School in order to become Provost of the University.
Notes for a Political Ecology of Non-Sedentary People

The research group Political Ecology of Non-Sedentary Communities encompasses three research projects examining archaeological remains from various time periods in the Nile Delta, the foothills of the Kopet Dag and in the steppe region of western Eurasia; a fourth project in the group consists of climate and ecological modeling for Europe over the past 6000 years. The researchers in this group are investigating processes and dynamics which played out in different geographic spaces and different chronological periods between 9000 and 300 BCE. We propose a triad of three terms, Umgebung , Umwelt , and Mitwelt to serve as a conceptual basis for all of these projects, which vary greatly in terms of the chronological period, location and the way of life of the populations under study, as well as with respect to the archaeological database. The projects can be described on the basis of evidence of multifaceted practical actions. These actions on the part of the populations under study, revealed only fragmentarily in the archaeological record, are being investigated using the research strategies presented here. The strategies have been developed from the discussion on political ecology associated with discourses in the social sciences and humanities.
If a Tree Falls in the Forest, What Direction Does It Fall: Writing Direction's Role in Mental Simulation

6 Introduction. 7 Mental Representation. 9 Theory. 9 Research. 11 Process . 13 Analogs . 16 Movement . 20 Writing Direction. 21 Input . 24 Embodiment . 24 Choice . 25 Output . 26 Creation. 26 Interaction. 28 The Present Study. 30 Method. 32 Participants . 32 Materials . 32 Handedness Measures . 32 Demographics . 33 4 Mental simulation task. 33 Procedure . 34 Results . 35 Reaction Time . 35 Accuracy. 36 Filler Trials . 36 Discussion. 37 Appendix. 42 References . 49 5 Tables 1. Overview of Congruent and Incongruent Effects (Median RTs) for Current and Previous Studies . 48 6 If a Tree Falls in the Forest, What Direction Does It Fall: Writing Direction’s Role in Mental Simulation
The strongest gravitational lenses IV. The order statistics of the largest Einstein radii with cluster mergers

Based on techniques developed in the previous papers of this series, we investigate the impact of galaxy-cluster mergers on the order statistics of the largest Einstein radii. We show that the inclusion of mergers significantly shifts the extreme value distribution of the largest Einstein radius to higher values, typically increasing the expected value by 10%. A comparison with current data reveals that the largest observed Einstein radius agrees excellently well with the theoretical predictions of the CDM model at redshifts z > 0:5. At redshifts z < 0:5, our results are somewhat more controversial. Although cluster mergers also increase the expected values of the order statistics of the n largest Einstein radii by 10%, the theoretically expected values are notably lower ( 3 deviation for n = 12) than the largest Einstein radii of a selected sample of SDSS clusters in the redshift range 0:1 z 0:55. The uncertainties of the observed Einstein radii are still large, however, and thus the measurements need to be carefully revised in future works. Therefore, given the premature state of current observational data, overall, there is still no reliable statistical evidence for observed Einstein radii to exceed the theoretical expectations of the standard cosmological model.
Adult Education in Extension: Developing a Web-based Learning Module Based upon Expressed Needs

Numerous people assume that Extensionists have all the requisite skills needed to conduct effective educational programs. Realistically, in many situations, Extensionists have been hired because of their education, skills and abilities related to a particular program area, and very few have education, training or skills related to adult education. Successful extension educational programs not only depend upon quality content, but, in many cases, an ability to facilitate adult learning may be more critical to truly achieve clientele impact. An ex post facto study was conducted to determine critical professional development needs of University of Florida County Extension faculty in the area of adult education to guide the development of a web-based learning module. On average, faculty felt that they spend about 50% of their time on adult education, and the majority perceived themselves as effective adult educators. However, the majority also believed that they have a substantial need for additional training in adult education. Across all constructs measured, faculty rated perceived importance higher than possession, creating an educational needs gap. This gap served as the foundation upon which an adult education web module was created. The web module focused upon the most critical needs, and examples related to current Extension issues and program areas were integrated where appropriate. It was concluded that the Extension system could significantly benefit from active integration of adult education into formal training and professional development opportunities.
Are Spanish commercial banks rationing credit? The dynamics of the loan-deposit gap

Are banks denying credit to firms and households in Spain? A positive answer to this question seems to be a well installed presumption between analysts and politicians who demand and motivate government intervention in several forms, including direct public finance, publicly loan guarantee schemes and even interest rates subsidization. This paper presents a brief overview of the theoretical and empirical arguments for or against credit rationing and of the Spanish Bank System practices as a previous step to provide new empirical evidence of the commercial bank system practices during and before the current crisis in Spain, analyzing the long-run relationship between loans and deposits. Our results suggest that this relationship is time-varying, which supports the view that a new commercial bank practice emerged a few quarters before the starting of the current crisis leading it, a new phenomenon with negative potential effects over firms and households.
Talking about evidence in inquiry-based science: what role can software scaffolds play?

Evidence-based explanations are a core element of scientific reasoning. Nonetheless, the literature reports that middle school students often fail to support their hypotheses with evidence, do not always recognize that there is a need to do so, or try to support their arguments with ideas that are not grounded in the data they are investigating. Software scaffolds can serve as reminders for the need for evidence-based arguments and explanations, and can provide opportunities for students to be reflective in their inquiry-based investigations. This paper reports on the role of software scaffolding in facilitating students' thinking and talking about evidence. We report on a study of two 7th grade classes as they are working on an evolutionary biology, computer-based investigation. Students in one of these classes used the Progress Portfolio, an inquiry-support software tool, to manage their investigation and construct evidence-based explanations, whereas the other class used the traditional paper and pencil method of organization. Our data analysis included groups’ videotaped discussions, students’ computer artifacts, students’ science journals, and process video that followed students' work on the computer. Students in the Progress Portfolio condition were found to consistently engage in self-initiating interpretations of their data, in the light of their hypothesis. We argue that the Progress Portfolio scaffolding helped students to coordinate theory with evidence, as students using the Progress Portfolio engaged in data-specific, evaluative and planning sequences that sent them back to the investigation environment to collect more evidence and back to the Progress Portfolio to synthesize their findings.
Systematic palaeontology Dinosauria Owen , 1842 Saurischia Seeley , 1888 Theropoda Marsh , 1881 Theropoda indet

The dinosaur record in the South Pyrenees Basin is diverse and rich. A total of 142 theropod teeth were studied for this paper, which constitutes one of the richest samples for these remains in Europe. Eight upper Campanian to upper Maastrichtian outcrops from the Pyrenees produced six non-avian theropod taxa (Theropoda indet., Coelurosauria indet., ? Richardoestesia, ? Dromaeosauridae indet., ? Pyroraptor olympius, ? Paronychodon). These six taxa are added to two previously described theropods (a Richardoestesia-like form and a possible ornithomimosaurid), indicating that there was considerable theropod diversity on the Iberian Peninsula during the Late Cretaceous.
Do Conditional and Unconditional Conservatism Impact Earnings Quality and Stock Prices in Egypt?

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of conditional and unconditional conservatism on earnings’ quality and stock prices in Egyptian context and provide further insights on the effects of earnings’ quality on stock prices. This paper follows the asymmetric timeliness of earnings measure of Basu (1997) with further extension to measure the effect of conditional and unconditional on the quality of earnings and stock prices. This study employs cross sectional data analysis and multiple regression using data available for a sample of the largest 30 Egyptian listed firms during the period of 2005 to 2009. The results suggest that (i) conditional conservatism negatively affects both earnings quality and stock prices of Egyptian firms, and (ii) unconditional conservatism does not affect earnings quality but has a negative association with stock prices of Egyptian firms. The findings of this study would help Egyptian accounting standards setters to recommend accounting choices and policies that lead to high quality of earnings and provide financial reports that rationalize investors’ decisions. This study is the first to test the impact of both conditional and unconditional conservatism on earnings’ quality and stock prices in Egyptian setting.
Scholz’s Third Conjecture: A Demonstration for Star Addition Chains

This paper presents a brief demonstration of Scholz’s third conjecture [1] for n numbers such that their minimum chain addition is star type [2]. The demonstration is based on the proposal of an algorithm that takes as input the star-adding chain of a number n, and returns a string in addition to x = 2n - 1 of length equal to l (n) + n - 1. As for any type addition chain star of a number n, this chain is minimal demonstrates the Scholz’s third Conjecture for such numbers.
Environmentally degradable-thermoplastics: An overview

One of the key environmental issues facing the world today is the pl astic waste disposal problem and one of the approaches in solving this problem has been the development of environmentally degradable thermoplastics. A concise review of environmentally degradable materials is provided in the report . Both mechanisms of degradability, photodegradation and biodegradation are provided. The nature of the study necessitates a deeper understanding of biodegradable materials. Hence, materials, criteria, mechanism of degradation and evaluation methods are discussed. The objective in undertaking a review of environmentally degradable thermoplastics has been two-fold: (i) to establish a database on the development of environmentally degradable thermoplastics and (ii) more fundamentally, to look at the basic mechanism and criteria for biodegradability.
Genetic and Cytological Analysis of SPE-6, a C. elegans Tau Tubulin Kinase

To acquire motility, Caenorhabditis elegans sperm must undergo the regulated cellular remodeling process of sperm activation, but in the complete absence of new protein synthesis. Nematode sperm utilize two general mechanisms to overcome this obstacle: 1) They pre-package many proteins involved in this remodeling and subsequent sperm motility within the unique Fibrous Body-Membranous Organelle (FB-MOs) complexes; 2) They employ large numbers of protein kinases and phosphatases, including SPE-6, in the acquisition and regulation of motility. Genetically, spe-6 is represented by two classes of alleles. In null alleles, spermatocytes fail to assemble FB-MOs or complete their meiotic divisions. In a second class of special alleles, spermatocytes complete their meiotic divisions, but mutant sperm activate precociously in the absence of proper extracellular signals. In this study, we contextualize SPE-6 evolutionarily by demonstrating that SPE-6 is closest in sequence homology to Tau Tubulin Kinases and that SPE-6 itself is highly conserved throughout Nematoda. We then report the first description of the dynamic sub-cellular localization pattern of SPE-6 and how this pattern changes at key steps of C. elegans sperm development. Specifically, SPE-6 localization dramatically shifts during disassembly of FB-MOs and during sperm activation. Furthermore, we characterize spe-6 sperm activation alleles at the protein and phenotypic level to determine that mis-localization or partial loss of SPE-6 expression is sufficient to induce precocious sperm activation. We further examine SPE-6 localization under a number of genetic, pharmacological,
Quantitative evaluation of genetic diversity in wheat germplasm using molecular markers

Characterization of germplasm by means of DNA fingerprinting techniques provides a tool for precise germplasm identification and a quantitative estimate of genetic diversity. This estimate is important because a decrease in genetic variability might result in a reduction of the plasticity of the crops to respond to changes in climate, pathogen populations, or agricultural practices. In this study, 105 Argentine bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars released between 1932 and 1995 were characterized by simple sequence repeat (SSR) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers. A selected subset of 10 highly informative SSR was used to construct an Identification Matrix that allowed the discrimination of the 105 cultivars. Data obtained from SSR markers were complemented by information derived from AFLPs. Molecular data were used to quantify genetic diversity across Argentine wheat breeding programs and to determine if modern wheat cultivars have a lower genetic diversity than earlier cultivars (genetic erosion). No significant differences in genetic diversity were found among the large private and public breeding programs, suggesting that each of them contains a representative sample of the complete diversity of the Argentine germplasm. Significant differences were found for both SSR and AFLP only between breeding programs with large differences in number of released cultivars. No significant differences in genetic diversity were found between the group of cultivars released before 1960 and those released in each of the following three decades. Average diversity values based on SSR markers were almost identical for the four analyzed periods. Genetic diversity estimates based on AFLP data confirmed the absence of a reduction of genetic diversity with time, but significant differences (P = 0.01) were found between bread wheat cultivars released in the 1970s (PIC = 0.28) and those released in the 1980s (PIC = 0.34). These results show that the Argentine bread wheat germplasm has maintained a relatively constant level of genetic diversity during the last half century.