Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seaweed defence against bacteria: a poly-brominated 2-heptanone from the red alga Bonnemaisonia hamifera inhibits bacterial colonisation

It has previously been shown that the red alga Bonnemaisonia hamifera is less fouled by bacteria relative to co-occurring seaweeds and that surface extracts of B. hamifera inhibit bacterial growth at natural concentrations. In the present study, we isolated the antibacterial metabolite by bioassay-guided fractionation of extracts of B. hamifera using standard chromatographic methods. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry were used for molecular identification. The antibacterial activity in the extracts was caused by a previously described poly-halogenated 2-heptanone: 1,1,3,3-tetrabromo-2-heptanone. To further investigate the role of this compound as an ecologically relevant antifoulant against bacterial colonisation, we quantified it on the surface of B. hamifera specimens collected in the field. Levels of 1,1,3,3-tetrabromo-2-heptanone on the surface of the algae were on average 3.6 µg cm–2. Natural surface concentrations of this secondary metabolite were used to test for growth-inhibiting effects against 18 bacterial strains isolated from red algae co-occurring with B. hamifera. The test indicated a phylogenetic specificity of the metabolite, and gram-positive bacteria and flavobacteria proved to be particularly sensitive. In a further test, natural surface concentrations of 1,1,3,3-tetrabromo-2-heptanone were applied to artificial panels and incubated in the sea. After 4 and 7 d, the number of settled bacteria was significantly lower on all treated panels compared to controls. Thus, this study shows that 1,1,3,3-tetrabromo-2-heptanone has an ecologically relevant role as an antifoulant against bacterial colonisation on the surface of B. hamifera. This study is also one of only a few to quantify natural surface concentrations of a seaweed secondary metabolite.
Effects of 1-methyl-cyclopropene on the physico-chemical properties of cherry fruit during storage.

This study examined the effects of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) on basic physicochemical characteristics of sweet cherry fruits, ‘Burlat’ cultivar. The fruits were exposed to 1methylcyclopropene at concentrations of 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 ppm, for 20 hours at 5°C. After treatment, the fruits were stored in the cold room (3°C) with normal atmosphere for 15 days, followed by 5 days storage at room temperature (shelf life). The average fruit weight, fruit firmness and total soluble solids in the fruit juice were determined and compared to the average values of these parameters before treatment. The obtained results indicate that 1methylcyclopropene has an impact on the studied parameters. Fruit weight loss was the lowest in samples treated with 0.05 ppm 1-MCP and the highest at 0.5 ppm 1-MCP. The average fruit firmness was the lowest in the fruits treated with 0.05 ppm 1-MCP, and the highest in the non-treated fruits. The average value of the soluble solids content in the fruit juice was the lowest in fruits treated with 0.05 ppm, and the highest at 0.1 ppm.
The Effects of PowerPoint Presentations on EFL Learners' Performance and Attitude

This study examined the effects of PowerPoint presentation on sophomore university students’ performance and attitudes. The participants from intact classes were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups; the experimental group was instructed via PowerPointpresentationsalongwiththetextbook in simple prose texts whereas the control group was taught only through the textbook. The results of an independent sample t-test demonstrated that the experimental group outperformed the control group in terms of their post-test scores. Besides, these students had strong positive attitudes towards the use of PowerPoint in the course.
Human Disturbance is the Major Determinant of the Habitat and Prey Preference of the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) in the Chitwan National Park, Nepal

Abstract We studied the impact of human disturbances on the habitat and prey preference of tiger by walking along transects in different sites of the Chitwan National Park, Nepal. The study found that tiger mostly preferred successional forests, grasslands and floodplains while avoiding the Shorea forests. Tiger strongly preferred prey abundant areas and strongly avoided the human disturbed areas. The prey preference of tiger obtained through scat analysis showed the highest preference of medium sized prey and less preference of large sized prey while avoidance of small, very small sized prey and domestic mammals. Tiger utilized higher numbers of domestic prey in the areas where there was high disturbance and less abundance of wild prey. The low preference of large sized prey and high preference of medium sized prey might be due to the low availability of large prey (e.g., sambar, gaur) and comparatively high availability of medium sized prey (e.g., chital, wild boar) in this area. For the effective use of habitat and prey, a predator like tiger needs considerable behavioural plasticity with the lonely wilderness. The regular disturbances caused by human activities could invite a dramatic change in the behavior of such predators which consequently increases conflict with people and declines in prey population. Hence, the habitat and prey preference of tiger not only depends on prey abundance but also depends on the degree of habitat disturbances in the human dominated landscapes like Chitwan. Proper management of parks by delineating the core areas as the prohibited zone and having only the buffer zone area as the free access zone for the local people to accommodate their daily needs, could help minimize the human disturbance in this park.
PROTEIN ULTRAMETRICITY AND DESIGNING OF SYNTHETIC MOLECULAR MACHINES

The idea of protein ultrametricity proposed nearly 35 years ago pertaining to CO binding by myoglobin is still questionable. In this overview, the contradicting attempts to describe the CO-rebinding kinetics in the framework of familiar approaches are discussed together with the ultrametric description. The overview is extended by new angle devoted to designing synthetic molecular machines using hierarchy and self-similarity as the design principles.
Stimulating Agricultural Technology Adoption: Lessons from Fertilizer Use Among Ugandan Potato Farmers

In the context of a growing population in an already densely populated area, agricultural yields will need to increase without putting additional stress on the environment. The adoption of modern inputs by smallholders is an important ingredient of agricultural transformation. In this study we explore plot-level, household-level, and institutional-level characteristics associated with agricultural technology adoption behavior among smallholder farmers. The aim is to uncover correlations that can guide the design of policies and incentives that are likely to increase adoption. We explicitly differentiate between fixed costs that are likely to affect the decision to use the technology and variable costs that are more relevant for the decision regarding use intensity. In addition, we examine how the importance of each of these characteristics differs with asset status. To do so, we use data from about 1,880 potato plots cultivated by 500 randomly selected potato growers in southwestern Uganda. We first categorize households into poorly endowed and well-endowed asset classes based on their access to productive assets. We then estimate double-hurdle models for take-up and use intensity of fertilizer for each group. The results show that the factors associated with the decision to use fertilizer are often different from those associated with the decision about how much fertilizer to use and that the characteristics correlated with fertilizer adoption differ between asset-poor and asset-rich farmers. For instance, asset-poor female-headed households are less likely to use fertilizer, but if they do, they use more of it than male-headed households. Our results also suggest fertilizer packaging and distribution are important factors in fertilizer adoption decisions due to their impact on costs related to both indivisibilities and uncertainty about the quality. We derive a range of policy recommendations.
Making More of IT: Enabling Intensive Motor Cognitive Rehabilitation Exercises in Geriatrics Using Information Technology Solutions

Although the health benefits of physical activity and exercise for older people are well established, a largely sedentary lifestyle still prevails in ageing western societies. Finding new ways to make exercise more accessible and acceptable for older adults must be developed to fully unleash its potential in preventing and weakening age-related physical and cognitive decline. Existing barriers to implement effective exercise-based treatment plans include motivational reservations on both the clinician's and patient's side, but also physical limitations caused by disease or deconditioning. Particularly in the more senior population, debilitating conditions do not allow adherence to currently recommended exercise regimes. A major rethinking of age- and user-adapted exercise is overdue. The high intensities required for physical and mental adaptations must be modifiable and personalized according to the functional status of each patient. Emerging information and communication technologies (ICT) have brought forward a plethora of attractive solutions for smart and adapted exercise, but there remains a vast gap between technological advancement and clinical relevance. Where in the beginning ICT for active ageing mainly focussed on aspects of usability and user experience, the current status of IT as applied in ageing populations noticeably shifted toward new services, applications, and devices that can be offered with the aim to prevent, compensate, care, and/or enhance daily life functioning of senior citizens. In this perspective paper, we aim to summarize the current state of the art in ICT-based interventions aimed at improved motor-cognitive control and make suggestions about how these could be combined with high-intensive interval exercise regimes to make rehabilitation for the impaired older adults more effective, and more fun.
DELIVERY OF ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROTEINS ACROSS THE HUMAN BLOOD BRAIN BARRIER FOR THE TREATMENT OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY AND RELATED PATHOLOGIES

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an injury that occurs following sudden head trauma and results in extensive damage to brain tissue primarily due to the acute inflammatory response. However, current treatment options for TBI are limited due to the difficulty in delivering therapeutic agents to the brain. The severity and consequences of pathologies directly and indirectly associated with TBI have attracted significant medical attention and have stimulated research directed at finding new therapeutic options for the treatment of the inflammation that accompanies TBI. Many studies have identified the crucial role of chemokines and chemokine receptors in triggering and perpetuating this inflammatory response. This study reports a potent drug target for combatting TBI induced inflammation, which is constructed by conjugating the chemokine antagonist, vMIP-II and single chain variable fragment, scFv8D3, of the antibody that selectively binds to Transferrin receptors expressed on external side of the human blood brain barrier (BBB). Combining the functionality of these well-studied anti-inflammatory and transport-oriented proteins would greatly facilitate the delivery of therapeutic agents to the brain. The chimeric protein vMIP-II-L-scFv was successfully designed, expressed in an E. Coli system and refolded using stepwise dialysis with different concentration of Gnd-HCl, Arginine-HCl, and oxidizing agent GSSG, providing a solid platform for the investigation of its BBB transport and anti-inflammatory properties in future studies.
ACCOUNTING FOR CHANGE AND INNOVATIVENESS: ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE CHANGE OR RENEWABLE ORGANIZATIONAL ENERGY?

This paper examines how understanding the current climate for change and innovativeness in an organisational unit can inform decision making, strategic management and future change initiatives to enhance innovativeness. Specifically, this study contributes to the growing literature with a focus on using management control systems in pursuit of innovation outcomes and assesses the current climate for change and innovativeness in three organisational units. Using the data collected from a quantitative survey, this study demonstrates that intangible elements that influence change and innovation initiatives can be measured, understood and managed through decision-making and strategy development to drive future outcomes. The results show that each of the sample organisations has different strengths and weaknesses, each individual unit is unique, and analysis of the current climate highlights areas that may impede change and innovative processes. This is useful tool for managers and management accountants when interpreting performance results and/or developing strategies and future actions.
Analysis of the Demand for Private Healthcare in South Africa

Abstract Access to a good and healthy life is a human right recognised globally. The fight to deal with poverty and food insecurity as the top two sustainable development goals (SDGs) under the global agenda 2030 can only be achieved if a majority of the world population is able to participate in economic activities. However, the provision of healthcare is complicated by the nature of the demand and supply function. There is inefficient provision due to the positive externalities associated with healthcare provision and consequently the social efficiency is not achieved, especially when private provision is considered, and therefore the need for government involvement. This paper analyses the demand for private healthcare in South Africa, using the data collected from a general household survey with a sample of 21601 households. The results of the logistic regression model show that the gender of the head of a household, income, food security status, age of head of household and social grant and pension status were among the significant predictors of demand for private healthcare. The study provides insights on how provision of healthcare should be tailored so as to achieve maximum efficiency in public provision of healthcare.
LISA Pathfinder: the experiment and the route to LISA

LISA Pathfinder (LPF) is a science and technology demonstrator planned by the European Space Agency in view of the LISA mission. As a scientific payload, the LISA Technology Package on board LPF will be the most precise geodesics explorer flown as of today, both in terms of displacement and acceleration sensitivity. The challenges embodied by LPF make it a unique mission, paving the way towards the space-borne detection of gravitational waves with LISA. This paper summarizes the basics of LPF, and the progress made in preparing its effective implementation in flight. We hereby give an overview of the experiment philosophy and assumptions to carry on the measurement. We report on the mission plan and hardware design advances and on the progress on detailing measurements and operations. Some light will be shed on the related data processing algorithms. In particular, we show how to single out the acceleration noise from the spacecraft motion perturbations, how to account for dynamical deformation parameters distorting the measurement reference and how to decouple the actuation noise via parabolic free flight.
Neural Effects of Cognitive Intervention in Healthy Aging and Dementia

Abstract: Cognitive intervention being recognized as a viable non-pharmacological approach for age-related cognitive changes and as a complementary therapy to pharmacological therapies in dementia, in recent years has been gaining substantial scientific and public attention. Indeed, recent studies have shown promising results concerning the efficacy of cognitive intervention in the amelioration of cognitive deficits with benefits in functionality and quality of life. Despite an increasing amount of studies with neuropsychological, behavioral, functionality and quality of life outcomes, the neural bases of cognitive intervention remain comparatively less explored and understood. In the present work we review existing evidence concerning the impact of cognitive intervention in brain functioning of healthy older adults as well as people with dementia. Keywords: Brain aging, Cognitive aging, Cognitive intervention, Cognitive rehabilitation, Cognitive stimulation, Cognitive training, Dementia, Neuroimaging.
Financial Performance in Nigerian Quoted Companies: The Influence of Political Connection and Governance Mechanisms

The study examines political connection, governance mechanisms and financial performance relationship, drawing from the agency theory. The study employs a quantitative design, employing cross-sectional data from the annual reports of the sampled companies. The results provide evidence of partial support for the agency theory, as gender was positively related to financial performance, while political connection and CEO incentives were negatively related with performance. The finding of the study should interest organisational stakeholders such as auditors shareholders and managers.
Influence of shelter availability on interactions between Caribbean spiny lobsters and moray eels: implications for artificial lobster enhancement

The Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus is a valuable fishing resource, but local populations may be limited by availability of crevice shelter on juvenile (seagrass) habitats. This has prompted research into the potential density enhancement of juvenile lobsters with 'casitas', large (1.1 m 2 surface area) but low-lying (3.8 cm entrance height) artificial shelters that exclude large predators. Moray eels (Muraenidae), however, fit into casitas and could therefore pose a threat to lob- ster enhancement. In a shelter-poor reef lagoon, we examined potential interactions between juve- nile lobsters and the locally dominant morays Gymnothorax vicinus and G. moringa in the absence (four 1 ha control sites) and presence of casitas (five 1 ha 'casita sites', each with 10 casitas), before (6 surveys) and after (22 surveys) deployment. Morays and lobsters did not interact as predator-prey, as morays neither consumed nor intimidated co-occurring lobsters. Rather, the 2 taxa appeared to compete for limited shelter on the reef lagoon, as suggested by a significant increase in density and mean size of both taxa on casita sites after deployment. Casitas significantly increased cohabitation of morays and lobsters, yet they tended to co-occur less often than expected by chance, but this result likely reflects behavioral differences between the highly gregarious, more numerous lobsters and the typically solitary, cannibalistic morays. Our study exemplifies the influence of habitat complexity on the nature of interspecific interactions and shows that G. vicinus and G. moringa would not pose a threat to lobster enhancement with casitas.
The occurrence and pathogenicity of Phoma exigua Desm. var. exigua for selected species of herbs

P. exigua var. exigua was isolated from underground and aboveground organs of different herb plant species in the years 1998-2006. Pathogenicity tests of three randomly chosen isolates of the fungus T 299, T 261 and T 277 for thyme and of three isolates M 1657, M 1193 and M 1635 for lemon balm were carried out. The effect of water suspension of fungus spores on the germination ability of schizocarps and of infected soil on sprouting and seedling health was studied. The study of microscopic structures of the fungus developing on plants, isolation of the fungus on artificial media and macro- and microscopic analysis on standard media are essential for the correct identification of P. exigua var. exigua . The polyphagous nature of the fungus is confirmed by the obtained results. The tested isolates were found to be occasional pathogens of thyme and lemon balm in the studied conditions. The harmfulness of the tested isolates pointed to inhibition of schizocarp germination, sprouting of plants and the ability to cause necrosis of germs, roots and epicotyl.
The Relationship between Androgenic Alopecia and Prostate Cancer

Prostate cancer (PC) and Androgenic Alopecia (AGA) i are both common diseases in elder men. It seems that androgen plays a crucial role in the growth and development of prostate cancer. Therefore, the current study intended to investigate the relationship between androgenic alopecia and prostate cancer. The present study is a case-control study conducted on 75 patients with prostate cancer (case group) referring to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Sari, Iran. The case group was compared with the control group (75 healthy individuals). The intended questionnaire of the study included information such as the age, sex, duration of disease, stage of disease, level of PSA, time diagnosis and time of interview for all the participants. The results of interview and clinical examination along with the patient’s information all were filled in the questionnaire and were statistically analyzed by SPSS after data collection. The mean age of PC group and healthy group was respectively 69.08 ± 8.97 and 68.45 ± 10.16 years. The average level of PSA was 10.86 ± 11.7 and 2.66 ± 2.7 ng/ml in PC and healthy group in turn. The average duration of cancer was 12.63 ± 9.19 months in PC group. Furthermore, about 6.7% of cancer patients were in stage I, 48% were stage II, 29.3% were in stage III and 16% were in stage IV of prostate cancer. Besides, the number of cancer patients who had both frontal and vertex alopecia (baldness) altogether exceeded healthy individuals (P=0.002). According to the results of the present study, there was a significant relationship between prostate cancer and androgenic alopecia which might have been caused by the effect of androgens on both diseases. Consequently, androgenic alopecia can be considered as one of the risk factors associated with prostate cancer.
Assessment of Trace Gas Emissions From Wild Fires in Different Vegetation Types in Northern Ghana: Implications for Global Warming

Biomass burning in Northern Ghana is a major cause for concern because of its potential contribution to global warming, hence climate change. This study assessed the emission of trace gases from human activities in the Guinea savanna of Northern Ghana using the guidelines of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Carbon content of biomass was determined from four different vegetation covers in the study area; namely, widely open savanna woodland, grass/herb with scattered trees, open savanna woodland and closed savanna woodland. Under each vegetation cover, five plots (1 m x 1 m) were demarcated for the estimation of above-ground biomass density. Using the combustion furnace method, emitted carbon, methane and carbon monoxide were estimated. Results showed that the emitted methane (CH4) and carbon monoxide (CO) differed significantly (p<0.05) under all the vegetation types. The gases were in perfect correlation (r=1.00) with the quantity of above-ground biomass density and carbon released, with more CO being emitted. Emission of CH4 and CO per hectare of burnt area in the open savanna woodland category was the highest with 0.001719 ton and 0.045119 ton respectively. Over time, emission of these gases may increase their atmospheric concentration, causing major health problems. The contribution to global warming, thus climate change, may also become quite significant. This underscores the fact that existing flaws in the wild fire management policy of Ghana must be effectively dealt with and appropriately implemented with regular reviews to reduce the annual wild fires that are very rampant in Northern Ghana, especially during the dry season.