Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ANTIBACTERIAL AND ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES OF THE METHANOLIC EXTRACT OF THE LEAVES OF PEUCEDANUM ZENKERI (APIACEAE)

Peucedanum zenkeri (Apiaceae) is largely used in Cameroon, China, West and Central Africa folk medicine in treatment of influenza and as antitussive, expectorant, antipyretic and stomachic. The antibacterial properties of the methanolic extract from leaves of Peucedanum zenkeri were tested against three Gram-positive bacteria and eight Gram-negative bacteria known to be pathogenic of the gastro-intestinal tract using Agar-well diffusion and Broth microdilution methods. Antioxidant activities of the crude extract were investigated by DPPH radical scavenging activity and β -carotene-linoleic acid assays. Moreover, a phytochemical screening of methanolic extract was done. The methanolic extract exhibited antibacterial activities that varied between the bacterial species (ID= 0.00-13.75 mm; MIC= 1562-12500 μg/ml). The activity of the crude extract is however very weak compared to the reference antibiotics (Amoxcillin, Ciprofloxacin and Gentamicin; MIC= 0.125-128 μg/ml). S. aureus was the most sensitive (MIC= 1562 μg/ml) while S. paratyphi A and S. paratyphi B (MIC= 12500 μg/ml) were the least sensitive. In addition, the crude extract showed good antioxidant potential with inhibition values ranging from 17.53-93.39%. These results provide promising baseline information for the potential use of this plant in the treatment of GE and oxidative stress.
How great tits maintain synchronization of their hatch date with food supply in response to long-term variability in temperature

Summary 1. Breeding birds increase their fitness by synchronizing their production of chicks with a peak of food abundance. Synchronization is primarily achieved by varying first egg date, but yearly temperature variations may delay or accelerate the food peak after the first egg has been laid. We tested the extent to which great tits ( Parus major L.) can strategically change their synchronization of hatch date with the food peak after the first egg has been laid by changing clutch size, laying interval and the amount of incubation. We also tested whether these possible synchronization change mechanisms resulted in changes in breeding success, because if the food peak is late relative to first egg date, we would predict more of the population to have larger clutches and/or a hatch date synchronous with the food peak date. 2. Great tits modified synchronization strategically by varying clutch size and the onset of incubation after clutch completion. When first egg date was early but then followed by cold weather so that the food peak was late, clutch sizes were larger, and when first egg date was late and temperatures were low, mean incubation periods were shorter if the food peak was early. 3. Over the 39-year period of the study, the period between the first egg date and food peak increased significantly by 1·7 days more than the period between the food peak and hatch date. Great tits have maintained synchronization by significantly increasing their incubation period. 4. Overall, the proportion of nests that had synchronous hatch dates depended on the yearly temperature pattern: the decline in variance between date of clutch completion and hatch was significantly greater in years where prelaying temperatures were higher (i.e. early first egg dates) and has therefore increased in recent years because of climate change. In warm early seasons (and more often in recent years) more of the great tits that laid relatively late had sufficient time to complete their clutches before having to start incubation in order to hatch in time for the food peak. 5. The increased proportion of synchronized nests in recent years probably resulted in increased chick output: a greater proportion of recent nests successfully fledged all of the chicks that hatched and the number of young fledged per successful nest also increased in recent years. These changes may have arisen because the proportion of nests with disadvantageous asynchronous hatching and/or smaller clutches has decreased. As the proportion of great tits that start nesting too late to synchronize has declined so selection for early laying has also declined in recent years.
Aiding and Abetting the Looting of Nations: The impact of Aid on growth in Autocracies

We examine the link between international aid, political instability and economic growth in autocratic countries. First, we discuss the manner in which externally provided liquidity can affect looting and instability in an autocratic country, through the generation of outside options for a dictator who has property rights over the resource wealth of the country. We then use a treatment-effects approach to analyze empirically the role of natural resource wealth and aid on instability and, in turn, on growth. We find that the interaction of natural resources with most forms of international aid results in increased political instability and reduced growth. Interestingly, some forms of government aid (principally humanitarian aid) do not have this effect. We explore the reasons behind the interaction between resources and specific flows of aid, and find that both flows of aid and the structure of those flows depend upon the presence of resource wealth. Specifically, we find that aid flows toward poor countries (in terms of resources, income and indebtedness), but that aid structured as loans is more likely to flow toward resource-rich countries. We conclude that aid can generally have the effect of inducing instability in resource-rich autocratic countries, and that this instability is the instrument through which growth is reduced.
The perioperative administration of dexamethasone and infection (PADDI) trial protocol: rationale and design of a pragmatic multicentre non-inferiority study

Introduction The intraoperative administration of dexamethasone for prophylaxis against postoperative nausea and vomiting is a common and recommended practice. The safety of the administration of this immunosuppressive agent at a time of significant immunological disruption has not been rigorously evaluated in terms of infective complications. Methods/analysis This is a pragmatic, multicentre, randomised, controlled, non-inferiority trial. A total of 8880 patients undergoing elective major surgery will be enrolled. Participants will be randomly allocated to receive either dexamethasone 8 mg or placebo intravenously following the induction of anaesthesia in a 1:1 ratio, stratified by centre and diabetes status. Patient enrolment into the trial is ongoing. The primary outcome is surgical site infection at 30 days following surgery, defined according to the Centre for Disease Control criteria. Ethics/dissemination The PADDI trial has been approved by the ethics committees of over 45 participating sites in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, South Africa and the Netherlands. The trial has been endorsed by the Australia and New Zealand College of Anaesthetists Clinical Trials Network and the Australian Society for Infectious Diseases Clinical Research Network. Participant recruitment began in March 2016 and is expected to be complete in mid-2019. Publication of the results of the PADDI trial is anticipated to occur in early 2020. Trial registration number ACTRN12614001226695.
Immune System and Its Relationships with Pathogens: Structure, Physiology, and Molecular Biology

Ticks are of vast medical and veterinary public health importance due to direct damage in livestock by its hematophagous feeding habits and its potential as a vector capable to transmit infectious agents such as Tick-borne diseases. Currently, the knowledge of vertebrates’ immune system contributes to the advance in vaccine and drug development, resulting in new drugs that help to control human and livestock pathogens. Unfortunately, very small advances have been achieved in tick’s immune system that could help to develop new strategies designated to control tick-borne diseases and other arthropod vectors. On this subject, the study of the mechanisms involved is transcendental as is also the study on molecules, cells, and regulation of immune response involved in signaling pathways in ticks. The progress on the understanding of ticks’ physiology represents a necessary advance in molecular approaches related with a tick’s immune response, involved in host-vector-pathogen interaction, and, in turn, evolutionary relationships. Current knowledge on tick’s immune response to different kinds of pathogens is described in this chapter and the use of modern molecular tools to fill the gaps on different aspects in tick immunobiology that still is unclear or under study.
City life alters the gut microbiome and stable isotope profiling of the eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii)

Urbanisation is one of the most significant threats to biodiversity, due to the rapid and large‐scale environmental alterations it imposes on the natural landscape. It is, therefore, imperative that we understand the consequences of and mechanisms by which, species can respond to it. In recent years, research has shown that plasticity of the gut microbiome may be an important mechanism by which animals can adapt to environmental change, yet empirical evidence of this in wild non‐model species remains sparse. Using an empirical replicated study system, we show that city life alters the gut microbiome and stable isotope profiling of a wild native non‐model species – the eastern water dragon (Intellagama lesueurii) in Queensland, Australia. City dragons exhibit a more diverse gut microbiome than their native habitat counterparts and show gut microbial signatures of a high fat and plant rich diet. Additionally, we also show that city dragons have elevated levels of the Nitrogen‐15 isotope in their blood suggesting that a city diet, which incorporates novel anthropogenic food sources, may also be richer in protein. These results highlight the role that gut microbial plasticity plays in an animals' response to human‐altered landscapes.
The interplay between thyroid hormones and the placenta: a comprehensive review†

Abstract Thyroid hormones (THs) regulate a number of metabolic processes during pregnancy. After implantation, the placenta forms and enhances embryonic growth and development. Dysregulated maternal THs signaling has been observed in malplacentation-mediated pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, miscarriage, and intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), but the molecular mechanisms involved in this association have not been fully characterized. In this review, we have discussed THs signaling and its roles in trophoblast proliferation, trophoblast differentiation, trophoblast invasion of the decidua, and decidual angiogenesis. We have also explored the relationship between specific pregnancy complications and placental THs transporters, deiodinases, and THs receptors. In addition, we have examined the effects of specific endocrine disruptors on placental THs signaling. The available evidence indicates that THs signaling is involved in the formation and functioning of the placenta and serves as the basis for understanding the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of dysthyroidism-associated pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia, miscarriage, and IUGR. Summary sentence Normal THs signaling promotes placentation; while abnormal THs signaling leads to malplacentation and its associated pregnancy complications, such as preeclampsia, miscarriage and IUGR.
An LC/ESI-MS/MS method to quantify the PI3K inhibitor GDC-0084 in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid: validation and clinical application.

A liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC/ESI-MS/MS) method was developed and validated to measure GDC-0084 in human plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Reverse-phase chromatography with gradient elution was performed by using a C18 column (50 × 2.0 mm, 3 μm). Solid-phase extraction of plasma and CSF was employed to give excellent recovery. MS detection was performed with positive ion screening in multiple reaction monitoring mode. The precursor to the product ions (Q1→Q3) selected for GDC-0084 and GDC-0084-d6 were 383.2→353.2 and 389.2→353.2, respectively. A separate calibration curve was established for human plasma and CSF. Both calibration curves, ranging from 0.2 to 200 ng/mL, were linear and had acceptable intra-day and inter-day precision and accuracy. The lower limit of quantitation and limit of detection for GDC-0084 in human plasma were 0.2 ng/mL (signal/noise ≥ 47) and 0.005 ng/mL (signal/noise ≥ 3.5), respectively, and for GDC-0084 in human CSF were 0.2 ng/mL (signal/noise ≥ 19.7) and 0.04 ng/mL (signal/noise ≥ 7.2). This method was successfully applied to analyze serial plasma samples obtained from children with diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas and other midline gliomas who participated in pharmacokinetic studies as part of a phase I clinical trial of GDC-0084.
The Relationship between Multiple Intelligences and L2 Reading Skill among Iranian EFL University Students

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between multiple intelligences (MI) and foreign language (L2) reading skill among Iranian EFL sophomores. Multiple intelligences and L2 reading measurements of participants – 29 males and 69 females who were selected from four intact classes – were obtained through McKenzie’s (1999) Multiple Intelligences Inventory and reading part of a Preliminary English Test PET, respectively, and then Pearson’s correlation analysis was run to determine the degree of the relationship between each component of multiple intelligences and L2 reading skill. Afterwards, through a multiple regression analysis those components of multiple intelligences which acted as the predictors of L2 reading skill were identified and the power of each predictor was calculated. The results of the correlation analyses revealed that linguistic-verbal, logical-mathematical, spatial, and interpersonal intelligences were significantly correlated with reading skill. In addition, the results showed that linguistic-verbal, interpersonal, and logical-mathematical intelligences were the best predictors of L2 reading skill scores of the participants. The results of the study can help coursebook designers, educational planners, foreign language institutes, teachers, learners and their parents to provide and use different methods of teaching and learning.
Human RECQL4 represses the RAD52‐mediated single‐strand annealing pathway after ionizing radiation or cisplatin treatment

Ionizing radiation (IR) and cisplatin are frequently used cancer treatments, although the mechanisms of error‐prone DNA repair‐mediated genomic instability after anticancer treatment are not fully clarified yet. RECQL4 mutations mainly in the C‐terminal region of the RECQL4 gene lead to the cancer‐predisposing Rothmund–Thomson syndrome, but the function of RECQL4ΔC (C‐terminus deleted) in error‐prone DNA repair remains unclear. We established several RECQL4ΔC cell lines and found that RECQL4ΔC cancer cells, but not RECQL4ΔC nontumorigenic cells, exhibited IR/cisplatin hypersensitivity. Notably, RECQL4ΔC cancer cells presented increased RPA2/RAD52 foci after cancer treatments. RECQL4ΔC HCT116 cells exhibited increased error‐prone single‐strand annealing (SSA) activity and decreased alternative end‐joining activities, suggesting that RECQL4 regulates the DNA repair pathway choice at double‐strand breaks. RAD52 depletion by siRNA or RAD52 inhibitors (5‐aminoimidazole‐4‐carboxamide‐1‐β‐D‐ribofuranoside [AICAR], (−)‐epigallocatechin [EGC]) or a RAD52‐phenylalanine 79 aptamer significantly restrained the growth of RAD52‐upregulated RECQL4ΔC HCT116 cells in vitro and in mouse xenografts. Remarkably, compared to single‐agent cisplatin or EGC treatment, cisplatin followed by low‐concentration EGC had a significant suppressive effect on RECQL4ΔC HCT116 cell growth in vivo. Together, the regimens targeting the RAD52‐mediated SSA pathway after anticancer treatment may be applicable for cancer patients with RECQL4 gene mutations.
Determination of Cloud Effect on the Performance of Photovoltaic Module

This letter investigates the effect of cloud on the performance of solar PV panel. The intensity of solar radiation is reduced in cloud condition, because cloud interrupts beam radiation reaching the earth surface as a result, this affect the output performance of the PV module. Outdoor experiment and simulations of parameters of the PV module are conducted using MATLAB to investigate this effect. Result shows that the cloud reducesthe efficiency of the PV module by blocking some part of the Sun insolation. In the three experimental locations of this work, the reduction in efficiency was found to be from 0.96% to 3.77%.
A TBB-CUDA Implementation for Background Removal in a Video-Based Fire Detection System

This paper presents a parallel TBB-CUDA implementation for the acceleration of single-Gaussian distribution model, which is effective for background removal in the video-based fire detection system. In this framework, TBB mainly deals with initializing work of the estimated Gaussian model running on CPU, and CUDA performs background removal and adaption of the model running on GPU. This implementation can exploit the combined computation power of TBB-CUDA, which can be applied to the real-time environment. Over 220 video sequences are utilized in the experiments. The experimental results illustrate that TBB
Fatherhood Matters: An Integrative Review of Fatherhood Intervention Research

Positive father involvement is critical to the healthy social, emotional, and academic outcomes of children at all stages of development. The purpose of this integrative review was to identify, categorize, and evaluate the potential impact of fatherhood interventions on father and child outcomes. A systematic search of four major research databases yielded 44 studies published between 1988 and 2018 that met study inclusion criteria. The most effective interventions were delivered in the community, with fathers convened in groups. Content focused on promoting positive parenting, co-parenting, and father/child relationships. Consequently, father involvement and child cognitive and socioemotional development were improved. Academic settings were underutilized in the fatherhood interventions in this review. We conclude that in order to optimize healthy child development, school officials must adopt a more inclusive stance toward the involvement of fathers in their children’s education. Future randomized trials of fatherhood interventions delivered within school-based settings are warranted.
Assessing the Association Among Smoking , Diabetes Mellitus , and Periapical Status Using Panoramic Radiography

Gaye Keser, Filiz Namdar Pekiner Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology, Marmara University School of Dentistry, İstanbul, Turkey Objective: This retrospective case-control study aimed to investigate the association between smoking and radiographically diagnosed apical periodontitis using panoramic radiographs and periapical index (PAI) scoring system. Methods: The records of 75 controls and 75 patients from the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology at Marmara University Dental Faculty, Turkey were selected and studied. Inclusion criteria were as follows: patients who were aged >20 years, had at least eight remaining teeth, and agreed to a complete clinical and radiographic examination. The case group comprised patients who had at least one periapical lesion, which was radiographically detectable in a tooth. The control group included patients who had no radiographically defined periapical lesion in any teeth. Results: In this retrospective case-control study, no statistically significant association was observed between smoking and periapical status (p>0.05). In addition, there was no significant association between diabetes mellitus and apical periodontitis in both control and case groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: As a result, no significant association was found among smoking, diabetes mellitus, and the presence of radiographically detected periapical lesions in this study.
Quality of life of patients with dementia in acute hospitals in Germany: a non-randomised, case–control study comparing a regular ward with a special care ward with dementia care concept

Objectives To identify factors that predict the quality of life (QoL) of patients with dementia in acute hospitals and to analyse if a special care concept can increase patients’ QoL. Design A non-randomised, case–control study including two internal medicine wards from hospitals in Hamburg, Germany. Setting and participants In all, 526 patients with dementia from two hospitals were included in the study (intervention: n=333; control: n=193). The inclusion criterion was an at least mild cognitive impairment or dementia. The intervention group was a hospital with a special care ward for internal medicine focusing on patients with dementia. The control group was from a hospital with a regular care ward without special dementia care concept. Outcome measures Our main outcome was the QoL (range 0–100) from patients with dementia in two different hospitals. A Bayesian multilevel analysis was conducted to identify predictors such as age, dementia, agitation, physical and chemical restraints, or functional limitations that affect QoL. Results QoL differs significantly between the control (40.7) and the intervention (51.2) group (p<0.001). Regression analysis suggests that physical restraint (estimated effect: −4.9), psychotropic drug use (−4.4) and agitation (−2.9) are negatively associated with QoL. After controlling for confounders, the positive effect of the special care concept remained (5.7). Conclusions A special care ward will improve the quality of care and has a positive impact on the QoL of patients with dementia. Health policies should consider the benefits of special care concepts and develop incentives for hospitals to improve the QoL and quality of care for these patients.
VS . MOODLE : WHAT DO STUDENTS REALLY THINK ?

In order to evaluate the educational benefits of Facebook, which plays an increasingly important role in students’ social life as well as their academic life, and to compare it with Moodle, we surveyed students on their attitudes toward Facebook and Moodle as productive online tools for teaching and learning. An analysis of the results was carried out using the SPSS software package. The results of our study provide insight on the question of whether using Facebook as an educational tool is more effective than using Moodle and how it affects their everyday learning activities. Introduction The emergence and growth of commercial social networking sites such as Facebook, Friendster, LinkedIn, LiveJournal, and MySpace has been extensive and widespread (Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Given the rising popularity of both Moodle and Facebook, it seems logical to merge these two popular tools with the goal of improving online teaching and learning. Further, since students facilitate the sharing of information, personal and otherwise, the technologies used in social networking sites aid discussion and create intimacy among online students, as they have the ability to connect and build community in a socially and educationally constructed network. See Table 1 for a comparison of typical social networking sites and traditional course management systems