Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ASSESSMENT OF PHYSIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF SOME LACTIC ACID BACTERIA ISOLATED FROM THE INTESTINE OF CHICKENS USE AS PROBIOTICS AND ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AGAINST ENTEROPATHOGENIC BACTERIA

The aim of the present study was to isolate lactic acid bacteria able to produce antibacterial compounds from healthy chicken intestine against enteropathogenic bacteria. Isolates were characterized morphologically and biochemical tests were carried out for identification. The agar diffusion method was used to evaluate the antimicrobial activities. Growth with bile salts and resistance to acidic pH were tested in broth medium. Susceptibility to antibiotics was also tested. Fifteen strains were isolated and characterized. All the strains proved to tolerate bile salts at concentration of 0.4% and only three strains were resistant to pH 3.0. The antimicrobial test showed that all the lactic acid bacteria isolates provide an antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli, Salmonella arizonae, Enterococcus avium and Enterococcus casseliflavus. The isolates were resistant to trimethoprim, cefixim and erythromycin and susceptible to chloramphenicol, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and tetracyclin. Among all the isolates, three strains Enterococcus faecium 1LC, Lactococcus cremoris NPL and Pediococcus spp. L4 were selected for several properties, tolerance to acid, bile salts and susceptibility to antibiotics. Selected strains were the most promising that may be useful as probiotic adjunct in poultry.
Are Virtual School Graduates College and Career Ready? Evidence from a Comparative Survey

ABSTRACT A survey tasks young adults who graduated from virtual charters managed by a large education management organization to assess the degree to which virtual schools prepared them for postsecondary and career success. The same survey questions were also administered to a nationally representative group of American adults ages 18–29. Overall, comparison of survey responses reveals that virtual charter graduates report statistically significant advantages when it comes to career readiness and mixed responses with regard to college readiness. Implications are discussed.
Wetland Protection Basing on Basin Ecological Management in the Middle-Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

The middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are characterized by the existence of many large lakes hydrologically associated with the Yangtze River.Existence of such lakes indicates that floodwater coming from the lake basins can be temporarily stored in the lake before entering the Yangtze.The lakes,therefore,contribute to retarding the flood peak water in flood hydrographs.The lakes are considered also to contribute to retarding the rate of sediment transport from lake basins into the Yangtze River.Meanwhile in the lakes area,the wetlands around the lakes provide habitats for many important and endangered species.The soil and water resources in the wetlands around the lake were used for human activities,such as agriculture and urbanization.Owing to population pressures and needs of foods and land,the wetlands around the lakes were converted into it other land uses,including agriculture,urbanization,particularly during the period of 1950 s to 1980 s.The ecological and hydrological functions of wetlands were not taken into consideration in the process of lake drainage;this has leaded to unsustainable and unbalanced social-economic development.Wetland is a unique ecosystem that has multi-function in the world.It is one of the most important living environments of human being.Wetland protection of middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River should be programmed and protected from the point of basin management,which is to transform from single wetland protection in the past to wetland protection of the whole basin area.It is important to protect and utilize wetland resources of the mid-lower reaches of Yangtze River reasonably;meanwhile we should strengthen the research of wetland science.In this paper,firstly,a brief introduction of the wetlands in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River was given,and analyze the actualities of wetland evolvements affected by integrated physical and anthropic factors,including atrophy of wetland area,decline of wetland functions,immoderate and excessive exploitation and utilization of wetland resources,the decrease of bio-diversity,increasingly serious pollution of the wetland environment and damage of the wetland whole value were analyzed.And then the evolvement of several driving relationships in the evolving process of the wetland,including relationships between the Yangtze River and related lakes,flood storage and discharge,related mountains and lakes(rivers),lakes and polders were discused.Finally,it was suggested the prospect of wetland conservation by proposing some countermeasures on the basis of integrated river basin management(IRBM),including unify the river basin integrative management,better program wetland conforming to the principles of IRBM and organizing all relationships in or/and out wetland systems,strengthen ecological management pattern research,strengthen comprehensive treatment of the soil and water loss in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze River,strengthen the construction and management of wetland nature reserve,and protect the wetland bio-diversity.
Long-term harmful effects of crested wheatgrass on Great Plains grassland ecosystems

Invasions by exotic plants are occurring at an increasing rate and are considered a serious threat to both agricultural systems as well as native communities (Drake et al. 1989). Many of the most harmful exotics in North America were introduced intentionally (Ruesink et al. 1995, Williams 1980). Exotic plants such as tamarisk ( Tamarix spp.), Russian olive ( Elaeagnus angustifolia ), purple loosestrife ( Lythrum salicaria ), African lovegrasses ( Eragostis lehmanniana, E. curvula ) and smooth bromegrass ( Bromus inermis ) were originally brought to North America for agricultural or horticultural purposes but have displaced native species and threaten biological diversity of native communities (Malecki et al. 1993; Robinson 1965; Romo and Grilz 1990; Bock et al. 1986; Shafroth et al. 1995). Many Eurasian grasses have been intentionally introduced throughout temperate North America, primarily for hay and pasture. The most commonly planted exotic grass in western North America is crested wheatgrass ( Agropyron cristatum, A. desertorum ). There are between 15 and 26 million acres of crested wheatgras on this continent (Holchek 1981; Rogler and Lorenz 1983). The conversion of native priarie to crested wheatgrass primarily occurred after the drought of the late 1920s and 1930s when large areas of marginal cropland were abandoned and then seeded with non-native …
The Effect of Varying Levels of GH Treatment on the Body Composition of Obese and Diabetic Mice

PALMER, AMANDA J., M.S., March 2008, Food and Nutrition The Effect of Varying Levels of GH Treatment on the Body Composition of Obese Mice (89 pp) Director of Thesis: Darlene E. Berryman This study examined the effects of various doses of Growth Hormone (GH) on obesity and diabetes in mice. Male C57Bl/6J mice were either placed on a low-fat (LF) or high-fat (HF) diet at 3 weeks of age and maintained on that diet for 16 weeks. The HF group was divided into five injection groups and received either daily saline injections or increasing doses of bGH, while the LF group was injected with saline. Injections were performed daily for 6 weeks. Obese mice injected with the highest dose of GH (5 μg/g BW) had the greatest increase in lean mass and the greatest decrease in fat mass. Remarkably, these animals did not differ significantly from the LF saline-injected controls after 6 weeks of GH treatment and had virtually no change in overall body weight while continuing on a HF diet. Furthermore, the highest dose of GH improved blood glucose levels to near LF control levels, despite the known diabetogenic effect of GH, but was unable to return plasma insulin to control levels suggesting some level of insulin resistance. Approved: ___________________________________________________________ Darlene E. Berryman Associate Professor of Human and Consumer Sciences
A BOTTOM UP APPROACH TO EVALUATE RISK ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR DRINKING WATER SAFETY IN FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITIES

A BOTTOM UP APPROACH TO EVALUATE RISK ASSESSMENT TOOLS FOR DRINKING WATER SAFETY IN FIRST NATIONS COMMUNITIES Janice Catherine Levangie Advisor: University of Guelph, 2009 Dr. K. Farahbakhsh Safe drinking water is a basic need; and risk assessment tools may assist in prioritizing actions to improve water safety. The objective of this research was to determine the appropriateness of current risk assessment approaches for First Nations drinking water systems. Criteria to evaluate risk assessment approaches were developed by combining common elements from literature, key informant interviews, and surveys. The criteria were compared against selected tools for drinking water risk assessment, including tools developed by Australia, Montana, Indian and Northern Affairs, and the University of Guelph. None of the tools, as available, met all of the criteria. Important considerations were found to include the operator, monitoring and recordkeeping, maintenance, technical considerations, emergency response plans, and source water protection. The tools were generally weak in assessing some potential challenges facing small, remote, and First Nations communities; including financial constraints, and taking a holistic view of water.
State Capacity, Conflict and Development

We report on an on-going project, which asks a number of questions relevant to the study of state capacity. What are the main economic and political determinants of the state's capacity to raise revenue and support private markets? How do risks of violent conflict affect the incentives to invest in state building? Does it matter whether conflicts are external or internal to the state? When are large states associated with higher income levels and growth rates than small states? What relations should we expect between resource rents, civil wars and economic development? The paper is organized into three main sections: 1. The origins of state capacity, 2. Sate capacity and the genius of taxation, and 3. State capacity and the strategy of conflict. Each of these begins with a specific motivation. A simple model is formulated to analyze the determinants of state capacity in the first section, and modified to address the new issues that arise in subsequent sections. The theoretical results are summarized in a number of propositions. We discuss the implications of the theory, comment on its relation to existing literature, and briefly mention some empiric applications.
System Identification and Robust Control for the LNLS UVX Fast Orbit Feedback

This paper describes the optimization work carried out to improve the performance of the LNLS UVX storage ring fast orbit feedback system. Black-box system identification techniques were applied to model the dynamic behavior of BPM electronics, orbit correctors, communication networks and vacuum chamber eddy currents. Robust control techniques were employed to analyze and optimize closed-loop performance and robustness.
Three-dimensional seismic monitoring of enhanced oil recovery project

The 3-D seismic survey technique has been used to monitor the progress of an enhanced oil-recovery project in which production is stimulated by in-situ combustion driven by injected gas. A baseline 3-D data volume was recorded previous to the initiation of the combustion program. After combustion had been allowed to proceed for some time, the 3-D survey was repeated. Since the basis for tracking the effects of the combustion process is comparison, great care was taken to duplicate field geometry, recording parameters, and data processing. VSP data were also recorded to locate precisely the target sand reflection time and character. Previous to the analysis of the 3-D data, synthetic traces were generated from well log data modified in several ways to simulate the effects of the combustion process. The target sand is characterized seismically by an impedance contrast due to low density. The predicted changes in reflection character are primarily due to changes in density caused by increased gas saturation. Complex trace attributes were computed to examine amplitude and other waveform changes. Comparison of preburn to postburn data shows differences that can be explained by increased gas saturation.
Anuncios Macroeconómicos Y Mercados Accionarios: El Caso Latinoamericano (Macroeconomics and the Stock Market: The Case of Latin America)

Spanish Abstract: Reflejan los mercados accionarios los fundamentales macroeconomicos de un pais? La hipotesis de eficiencia semifuerte (Fama 1970) implica que los mercados accionarios deben reaccionar inmediatamente, y sin sobre ni subreaccion predecible, a las sorpresas en los anuncios macroeconomicos relevantes. Ponemos a prueba esta implicacion en los seis principales mercados accionarios de Latinoamerica: Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico y Peru ante los anuncios de inflacion, tasa de interes del banco central, PIB, balanza comercial y desempleo. Se discute el efecto esperado de una sorpresa en el anuncio de cada variable economica. Siguiendo a Flannery y Protopapadakis (2002), se estima el efecto sobre la media y la volatilidad de dichos anuncios mediante modelos de serie de tiempo univariados de volatilidad heterocesdastica controlando por los efectos de los rendimientos de indices internacionales y de la tasa de cambio. Entre los principales hallazgos se encuentra que los efectos de los anuncios solo son significativos y con el signo esperado para la inflacion en Mexico, para la tasa de interes en Chile y Colombia, y para el desempleo en estos tres mercados. Se encuentra ademas que, en determinados casos, los mercados no incorporan toda la informacion en el dia del anuncio, y en otros, que reaccionan ante el anuncio en si mismo controlando por la sorpresa, contrario a lo postulado por la hipotesis de eficiencia de mercado. Se concluye que los mercados accionarios latinoamericanos, solo reaccionan parcialmente a la informacion macro, y no con total eficiencia.English Abstract: Do stock markets reflect changes on the macroeconomic fundamentals? The semi-strong form of the Efficient market hypothesis (HEM - Fama 1970) asserts that stock prices should react immediately to the surprise content on announcements of macroeconomic variables, without predictable over or under reaction. We test this in the six main Latin-American equity markets: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru, for the announcements of Consumer Price Inflation, Central Bank interest rate, GDP growth, Trade Balance and Unemployment rate. Following Flannery and Protopapadakis (2002), we estimate the effect of the surprises of such announcements, using time series models of conditional volatility, controlling of the exchange rate and international stock markets. We found that the effects on the market returns are significant and with the expected sign only for the CPI in Mexico, for the interest rate in Chile and Colombia, and for Unemployment on those three markets. Moreover, in some cases the stock markets incorporate the announcement with a lag, whereas in others, they react to the announcement rather than to the surprise, in conflict with the HEM. We conclude that the Latin-American stock markets react only partially to the macroeconomic announcements and not fully incorporating the new information in an efficient manner.
Regional impacts of infrastructural programmes: ex-post assessment methodologies revisited

This communication inserts in the scope of the increasing planning concerns with the economic evaluation of public investments, within a regional perspective in order to fukfill efficiency criteria.The research reported here settles, on the one hand, in a revision of recent literature about this issue and, on the other, in a case study applied to the Portuguese Northern Region.The study develops through the following steps: (i) ex-post analysis of the aggregated impact of public investments in infrastructures and public works, (ii) evaluation of the degree of attainment of the ex-ante settled goals of efficiency, economic growth and inter-regional fairness, (iii) development of an integrated set of decision-support tools concerning the aggregated ex-post evaluation of these kinds of investments.It is expected that this assessment of the impact of past public investments allows to take implications for the future, in order to improve regional policies of integrated, balanced and efficient development through: (i) the definition of transparency and efficiency criteria in the application of the public money, (ii) the redesign of future policies for public investments, and (iii) the support to a more balanced inter-regional development.
Anxiety, depression, and religiosity—a controlled clinical study

Abstract Studies on religiosity and mental health have yielded mixed results. There are few studies in clinical settings, many of which are limited to an older population. This study had the goal of firstly exploring the interrelation of neuroticism and religiosity in clinically diagnosed patients compared with a group of healthy controls, and secondly, exploring differential aspects of positive or negative perceptions of religion in the individual. Method: Measurements of religiosity and neuroticism were conducted in 44 patients (mean age 34.4 years) with affective, anxiety and personality disorders, and 45 healthy controls. In addition, a battery of questions regarding the interaction of religion and mental health was applied. Results: There was no correlation between neuroticism and religiosity, neither in the patient nor in the control group. However, marked differences were found in causal attributions and religious experience between patients and healthy controls. Anxiety concerning sexuality, super.
Could Do Better: The Effectiveness of Incentives and Competition in Schools

This paper studies the effects of incentive mechanisms and of the competitive environment on the interaction between schools and students, in a set-up where the students' educational attainment depends on their peer group, on their effort, and on the quality of the school's teaching. We show that increasing the power of the incentive scheme and the effectiveness of competition may have the counterintuitive effect of lowering the students' effort, with ambiguous effects on their attainment. In a simple dynamic set-up, where the reputation of the schools affects recruitment, we show that increased competition leads to segregation of pupils by ability.
Fabricating Engagement: Benefits and Challenges of Using 3D Printing to Engage Underrepresented Students in STEM Learning

Erin Buehler is a PhD candidate in the Human-Centered Computing program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County advised by Dr. Amy Hurst. Her research supports universal access to education for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Erin’s work has explored the use of rapid fabrication tools and individualized interface design to improve the accessibility of curriculum in both formal and informal educational settings.
Stress in police officers: a study of the origins, prevalence and severity of stress-related symptoms within a county police force.

BACKGROUND High levels of stress-related illness are causing concern across industry. Against a background of impending legislative moves to try to improve this situation, there is a need to identify key work-related stressors. Police work tends to be regarded as inherently stressful because of the personal risk of exposure to confrontation and violence and the day-to-day involvement in a variety of traumatic incidents. As a result, high levels of stress-related symptoms might be expected in this population. OBJECTIVE To examine the sources of stress-related symptoms within police officers and measure the prevalence of significant associated mental ill-health. METHOD A cross-sectional questionnaire survey of a population of 1206 police officers was performed to assess levels of strain associated with a series of potential home and work related stressors. Participants were then split into low and high scoring groups on the basis of a General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) threshold score in order to identify those stressors most associated with mental ill-health effects. RESULTS Occupational stressors ranking most highly within the population were not specific to policing, but to organizational issues such as the demands of work impinging upon home life, lack of consultation and communication, lack of control over workload, inadequate support and excess workload in general. The high scoring group constituted 41% of the population and differed significantly from those with low scores in perception of all stressors, ranking both personal and occupational stressors more highly, and from personality constraints appeared significantly more 'stress-prone'. A significant association between gender and mental ill-health was found, with females more likely to score more highly on the GHQ than males. CONCLUSION This study confirms previous findings of organizational culture and workload as the key issues in officer stress. Given that the degree of symptomatology appears to be worsening, management action is required. Further research is indicated within the police population into a possible increased susceptibility in female officers.
Relevance of mutations in the TLR4 receptor in patients with gram-negative septic shock.

BACKGROUND Septic shock remains a significant health concern worldwide, and despite progress in understanding the physiological and molecular basis of septic shock, the high mortality rate of patients with septic shock remains unchanged. We recently identified a common polymorphism in toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) that is associated with hyporesponsiveness to inhaled endotoxin or lipopolysaccharide in humans. METHODS Since TLR4 is a major receptor for lipopolysaccharide in mammals and gram-negative bacteria are the prevalent pathogen associated with septic shock, we investigated whether these specific TLR4 alleles are associated with a predisposition to a more severe disease outcome for patients with septic shock. We genotyped 91 patients with septic shock as well as 73 healthy blood donor controls for the presence of the TLR4 Asp299Gly and TLR4 Thr399Ile mutations. RESULTS We found the TLR4 Asp299Gly allele exclusively in patients with septic shock (P =.05). Furthermore, patients with septic shock with the TLR4 Asp299Gly/Thr399Ile alleles had a higher prevalence of gram-negative infections. CONCLUSION Mutations in the TLR4 receptor may predispose people to develop septic shock with gram-negative microorganisms.
THE UNIVERSAL COVER OF 3-MANIFOLDS BUILT FROM INJECTIVE HANDLEBODIES IS R 3.

This paper gives a proof that the universal cover of a closed 3-manifold built from three π1-injective handlebodies is homeomorphic to R 3. This construction is an extension to handlebodies of the conditions for gluing of three solid tori to produce non-Haken Seifert fibered manifolds with infinite fundamental group. This class of manifolds has been shown to contain non-Haken non-Seifert fibered manifolds.