Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Three types of Tooth Brushes on Plaque and Gingival Indices: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective: To compare clinical results of three types of manual tooth brushes on plaque removal efficacy and gingivitis. Method: This study is a single blind randomized trial with crossover design which involved 30 periodontaly healthy individuals. Professional plaque removal and oral hygiene instruction were performed for all the participants in the first step of our study followed by asking them to avoid brushing for 2 days. Thereafter plaque and gingivitis scores were measured using plaque and gingival indices (PI and GI). Then subjects were instructed to use Pulsar tooth brush for a two-week period and then, GI and PI indices were assessed again. After passing one-week period for wash out, subjects didn't brush for 2 days and indices were recorded again. The same procedure was done for CrossAction, and Butler 411 tooth brushes respectively and at the end of the study these variables were analyzed using SPSS software ver.16. Repeated measurement ANOVA test was used to compare the scores between different brushes. Result: Finding of this study reveals that using all three types of tooth brushes resulted in significant plaque and gingivitis reduction compared to baseline levels. Pulsar tooth brush was significantly more effective in diminishing PI and GI than Butler tooth brush (p=0.044 and 0.031 respectively). Conclusion: According to our findings all 3 types of tooth brushes are effective in reduction of plaque and gingivitis and this reduction is significantly greater for Pulsar tooth brush compared to Butler and CrossAction tooth brushes.
Tracing the birth of an OSN: social graph and profile analysis in Google+

This paper leverages the unique opportunity of Google launching the Google+ OSN. Through multiple crawls of the Google+ OSN, before and after the official public release of the network, our results provide insights into the social graph dynamics of the birth of an OSN. Our findings underline the impact of peculiar aspects of Google+ such as (a) Google's large initial user base taken over from other Google products and (b) Google+'s provision for asymmetric friendships, on its graph structure, especially in light of previously studied OSN graphs. In addition, we study the geographic distribution of the users and links of Google+, and correlate the social graph with additional information available from the public profiles.
EFFECTS OF SEQUENTIAL DECISION-MAKING AND COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING TECHNIQUES ON STRESS AMONG FEMALE STUDENTS OF COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN KANO STATE, NIGERIA

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN GUIDANCE AND COUNSELLING DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELLING, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA
Bio-inspired Neuro-Fuzzy Based Dynamic Route Selection to Avoid Traffic Congestion

this paper presents the bio-inspired neuro- fuzzy based route selection system to avoid traffic congestion. The proposed neuro-fuzzy system selects the best multi-parameters direction between two desired nodes: source and the endpoint. This research practices a mixture of neuro-fuzzy logic and ant colony system (ACS) algorithm for the principal routing to fulfill all the preferred requirements of the user using operational traffic data directly carried by the traffic control room and predicted by artificial neural networks for forthcoming minutes of the traffic.
Steroid Hormones and Immune Function: Experimental Studies in Wild and Captive Dark‐Eyed Juncos (Junco hyemalis)

Monogamous and polygynous male songbirds generally differ in their breeding season profiles of circulating testosterone. Testosterone level spikes early in the breeding season of monogamists and then declines, but it remains high in polygynists. Male dark‐eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) are socially monogamous and exhibit the usual pattern, but experimental maintenance of high testosterone throughout the breeding season alters normal behavior and physiology and affects various components of annual reproductive success but not overall annual success. Because stabilizing selection predicts that alteration of naturally existing phenotypes should reduce lifetime reproductive success, we asked whether prolonged testosterone exposure might impair immune function and perhaps thereby reduce life span. We assessed immune function in captive and wild male juncos that we treated with either testosterone‐filled or empty Silastic implants. Results indicate that prolonged elevation of testosterone suppresses antibody production in captive males and cell‐mediated immunity in wild males. Together these results suggest that testosterone‐treated males may be more susceptible to disease or parasitic infection. As earlier studies have shown, levels of corticosterone as well as testosterone are higher in testosterone‐treated males, so it is unclear whether the immune suppression we observed is due to testosterone’s direct effects on immunity or testosterone’s influence on glucocorticoid production. We discuss results in the context of recent hypotheses regarding life‐history theory and potential endocrine‐immune interactions.
Bose-Einstein condensation in liquid 4He near the liquid-solid transition line

We present precision neutron scattering measurements of the Bose-Einstein condensate fraction, $n_0(T)$, and the atomic momentum distribution, $$n^{\star}({\bf k})$$, of liquid $^4$He at pressure $p=$24 bar. Both the temperature dependence of $n_0(T)$ and of the width of $$n^{\star}({\bf k})$$ are determined. The $n_0(T)$ can be represented by $$n_0(T) = n_0(0) [1 - (T/T_\lambda )^\gamma]$$ with a small $$n_0(0) = 2.80 \pm 0.20$$ \% and large $$\gamma = 13\pm 2$$ for $$T 0$ states. The experimental results are well reproduced by Path Integral Monte Carlo calculations.
BRAF Mutation Is Frequently Present in Sporadic Colorectal Cancer with Methylated hMLH1, But Not in Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colorectal Cancer

Purpose: The BRAF gene encodes a serine/threonine kinase and plays an important role in the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathway. BRAF mutations in sporadic colorectal cancer with microsatellite instability (MSI) are more frequently detected than those in microsatellite stable cancer. In this study, we sought to compare the frequencies of BRAF mutations in sporadic colorectal cancer with MSI with those in hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC). Experimental Design: We analyzed BRAF mutations in 26 colorectal cancer cell lines, 80 sporadic colorectal cancers, and 20 tumors from HNPCC patients by DNA sequencing and sequence-specific PCR. The methylation status of the hMLH1 gene was measured by either sequencing or restriction enzyme digestion after NaHSO3 treatment. Results: We observed a strong correlation of BRAF mutation with hMLH1 promoter methylation. BRAF mutations were present in 13 of 15 (87%) of the colorectal cell lines and cancers with methylated hMLH1, whereas only 4 of 91 (4%) of the cell lines and cancers with unmethylated hMLH1 carried the mutations (P < 0.00001). Sixteen of 17 mutations were at residue 599 (V599E). A BRAF mutation was also identified at residue 463 (G463V) in one cell line. In addition, BRAF mutations were not found in any cancers or cell lines with K-ras mutations. In 20 MSI+ cancers from HNPCC patients, however, BRAF mutations were not detectable, including a subset of 9 tumors with negative hMLH1 immunostaining and methylated hMLH1. Conclusions: BRAF mutations are frequently present in sporadic colorectal cancer with methylated hMLH1, but not in HNPCC-related cancers. This discrepancy of BRAF mutations between sporadic MSI+ cancer and HNPCC might be used in a strategy for the detection of HNPCC families.
ENVIRONMENTAL DEPENDENCE OF ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEUS ACTIVITY. I. THE EFFECTS OF HOST GALAXY

Using a large sample of local galaxies (144,940) with −17.5 < Mr < −22 and 0.025 < z < 0.107, selected from Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 5, we compare active galactic nucleus (AGN) host galaxies with non-AGN galaxies at matched luminosity, velocity dispersion, color, color gradient, or concentration index, to investigate how AGN activity is related to galaxy properties. The AGN sample is composed of Type II AGNs identified with flux ratios of narrow emission lines with signal-to-noise ratio >6. We find that the fraction of galaxies hosting an AGN (fAGN) depends strongly on morphology together with color, and very weakly on luminosity or stellar velocity dispersion of host galaxies. In particular, fAGN of early-type galaxies is almost independent of luminosity or velocity dispersion when color is fixed. The host galaxy color preferred by AGNs is u − r ≈ 2.0 for early-type hosts and u − r = 2.0 ∼ 2.4 for late-type hosts. This trend suggests that AGNs are dominantly hosted by intermediate-mass late-type galaxies because early-type galaxies with u − r ≈ 2.0 are very rare. We also investigate how the accretion power varies with galaxy properties. While the Eddington ratio ([O iii] line luminosity normalized by black hole mass) ranges over three orders of magnitude for both morphological types, late-type galaxies are the dominant hosts over all AGN power. Among late-type galaxies, bluer color galaxies host higher power AGNs. These results are consistent with a scenario that more massive and redder galaxies are harder to host AGNs since these galaxies already consumed gas at the center or do not have sufficient gas supply to feed the black hole. In contrast, intermediate-mass, intermediate-color, and more concentrated late-type galaxies are more likely to host AGNs, implying that perhaps some fraction of low-mass, blue, and less concentrated late-type galaxies may not host massive black holes or may host very low power AGNs.
REGIONAL INEQUALITIES IN GREECE : DETERMINING FACTORS , TRENDS AND PERSPECTIVES

In Greece, regional inequalities measured by per capita GDP have widened over time, through the augmentation of the capital region‟s relative size, and a polar development model has been established which economic policy has not achieved mitigating. This paper attempts to investigate the above issues, by empirically testing the impact of a number of basic determinants on regional growth and divergence, for the period 1995/972007/9. In interpreting empirical results, and beyond the model, factors like the deepening of European economic integration, globalization and economic crises are also evaluated. Finally, the possible role of regional policy is examined.
Stable Invitations

We consider the situation in which an organizer is trying to convenean event, and needs to choose whom out of a given set of agents to invite.Agents have preferences over how many attendees should be at the eventand possibly also who the attendees should be.This induces a stability requirement: All invited agents should preferattending to not attending, and all the other agents should not regretbeing not invited.The organizer's objective is to find an invitation of maximum size,subject to the stability requirement. We investigate the computational complexity of finding such an invitation when agents are truthful, as well as the mechanism design problem when agents act strategically.
Bidirectional Modulation of GABA Release by Presynaptic Glutamate Receptor 5 Kainate Receptors in the Basolateral Amygdala

The activation of kainate receptors modulates GABAergic synaptic transmission, but the mechanisms are currently a matter of intense debate. In the basolateral amygdala (BLA), the glutamate receptor 5 (GluR5) subunit of kainate receptors is heavily expressed, and GluR5 antagonists block a novel form of synaptic plasticity; yet little is known about the role of GluR5-containing kainate receptors in the physiology of the amygdala. Here we show that GluR5 agonists bidirectionally modulate the strength of synaptic transmission from GABAergic interneurons to pyramidal cells in a concentration-dependent manner. Low concentrations of (RS)-S-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-tert-butylisoxazol-4-yl) (ATPA) (0.3 μm) or glutamate (5 μm) reduced the number of failures of GABAergic synaptic transmission and enhanced the frequency of miniature IPSCs (mIPSCs). High concentrations of ATPA (10 μm) or glutamate (200 μm) increased the number of synaptic failures and reduced the frequency of mIPSCs. The facilitation or suppression of GABAergic transmission by the GluR5 agonists did not require activation of voltage-gated calcium channels or presynaptic GABAB receptors. It was also found that extracellular, endogenous glutamate tonically reduces the rate of failures of GABAergic transmission. These results suggest that the terminals of GABAergic neurons in the BLA carry two subtypes of GluR5-containing kainate receptors, which have different agonist affinities and activate opposing mechanisms of action. The GluR5-mediated, bidirectional modulation of GABA release by glutamate in the BLA may play an important role in the regulation of synaptic plasticity and neuronal excitability in this structure, under normal and pathological conditions.
THE ROLE OF FACILITATING CONDITION AND SOCIAL INFLUENCE TOWARDS CONTINUANCE INTENTION TO USE E-LEARNING

—The success of an e-learning service depends on both its initial adoption (acceptance) and its continued usage. Given its vital role in today’s education processes, uncommon, inappropriate, and ineffective long-term use of information system (e-learning) often contributes to corporate failures. Current study proposed two determinants based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to explain the intention to continue using e-learning. The objective of this research is to analyze the impact of social influence and facilitating conditions on intention to continue e-learning usage among Malaysian public higher education students. Stratified random sampling was used in this study with a total sample of 416 university students. Research model is developed and tested using questionnaires. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences Ver. 19 (SPSS 19) and Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results indicate that social influence (β = 0:41, p < 0.01) and facilitating condition (β = 0.44, p < 0.01) were positively related to continuance intention explaining a total of 58% variance. Therefore, this study is able to improve the understanding of the factors influencing continuance intention to use e-learning.
Does Popularity in Social Networks Influence Purchasing and Lifestyle Decisions? The Meaning Of Online Friendship

Abstract Nowadays, millions of people use social network sites (SNSs) to communicate with each other, but little is known about the real effects that online popularity (i.e., the number of friends on a SNS) has on users’ behaviors. This paper explores the social influence of SNSs and demonstrates that the number of online friends on an SNS does not influence its users’ purchasing and lifestyle choices. This study also reveals that so-called low-popular users (i.e., users with few friends on a SNS) are influenced by the intensity of their perceived friendships (i.e., how strong they perceive their relations with their online friends). On the contrary, high-popular users (i.e., users with many friends on a SNS) are influenced by their online friends’ perceived coolness (i.e., how “cool” they consider their online friends), and, in particular, their influence on purchasing decisions increases with the value of the products that they intend to buy. Results shed light on a new meaning of the term “friendship” on a SNS, which is substantially different from what is common in offline contexts: this new construct, which we call “Friendoolness”, can be intended as a mix of friendship and coolness (i.e., social attractiveness, likeability and desirability) and it is mainly based on taking actions to demonstrate that a person has a large number of “cool” friends.
Reprojecting Partially Observed Systems with Application to Interest Rate Diffusions

Abstract We introduce reprojection as a general purpose technique for characterizing the dynamic response of a partially observed nonlinear system to its observable history. Reprojection is the third step of a procedure wherein first data are summarized by projection onto a Hermite series representation of the unconstrained transition density for observables; second, system parameters are estimated by minimum chi-squared, where the chi-squared criterion is a quadratic form in the expected score of the projection; and third, the constraints on dynamics implied by the nonlinear system are imposed by projecting a long simulation of the estimated system onto a Hermite series representation of the constrained transition density for observables. The constrained transition density can be used to study the response of the system to its observable history. We utilize the technique to assess the dynamics of several diffusion models for the short-term interest rate that have been proposed and to compare them to a ne.
Does reducing spasticity translate into functional benefit? An exploratory meta-analysis

Background: Spasticity and loss of function in an affected arm are common after stroke. Although botulinum toxin is used to reduce spasticity, its functional benefits are less easily demonstrated. This paper reports an exploratory meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between reduced arm spasticity and improved arm function. Method: Individual data from stroke patients in two randomised controlled trials of intra-muscular botulinum toxin were pooled. The Modified Ashworth Scale (elbow, wrist, fingers) was used to calculate a “Composite Spasticity Index”. Data from the arm section of the Barthel Activities of Daily Living Index (dressing, grooming, and feeding) and three subjective measures (putting arm through sleeve, cleaning palm, cutting fingernails) were summed to give a “Composite Functional Index”. Change scores and the time of maximum change were also calculated. Results: Maximum changes in both composite measures occurred concurrently in 47 patients. In 26 patients the improvement in spasticity preceded the improvement in function with 18 showing the reverse. There was a definite relationship between the maximum change in spasticity and the maximum change in arm function, independent of treatment (ρ = −0.2822, p = 0.0008, n = 137). There was a clear relationship between the changes in spasticity and in arm function in patients treated with botulinum toxin (Dysport) at 500 or 1000 units (ρ = −0.5679, p = 0.0090, n = 22; ρ = −0.4430, p = 0.0018, n = 47), but not in those treated with placebo or 1500 units. Conclusions: Using a targeted meta-analytic approach, it is possible to demonstrate that reducing spasticity in the arm is associated with a significant improvement in arm function.
Mechanistic Analysis of a DNA Damage-Induced, PTEN-Dependent Size Checkpoint in Human Cells

ABSTRACT Following DNA damage, human cells undergo arrests in the G1 and G2 phases of the cell cycle and a simultaneous arrest in cell size. We previously demonstrated that the cell size arrest can be uncoupled from the cell cycle arrest by mutational inactivation of the PTEN tumor suppressor gene. Here we show that the cell size checkpoint is inducible by DNA-damaging chemotherapeutic agents as well as by ionizing radiation and is effectively regulated by PTEN but not by its oncogenic counterpart, PIK3CA. Mutational analysis of PTEN and pharmacological inhibition of Akt revealed that modulation of Akt phosphorylation is unnecessary for cell size checkpoint control. To discover putative PTEN regulators and/or effectors involved in size checkpoint control, we employed a novel endogenous epitope tagging (EET) approach, which revealed that endogenous PTEN interacts at the membrane with an actin-remodeling complex that includes actin, gelsolin, and EPLIN. Pharmacological inhibition of actin remodeling in PTEN+/+ cells recapitulated the lack of size checkpoint control seen in PTEN−/− cells. Taken together, these results provide further support for the existence of a DNA damage-inducible size checkpoint that is regulated by a major tumor suppressor, and they provide a novel Akt-independent mechanism by which PTEN controls cell size.
Individuals' Perceptions and Misperceptions of Time Series Properties of Quarterly Earnings

This study uses experiments to examine whether individuals' earnings forecasts correctly reflect the time series properties of quarterly earnings, in particular, the positive autocorrelation in seasonal quarterly changes and the negative fourth-order moving average term documented by Brown and Rozeff (1979). We find that individuals' forecasts are sensitive to the magnitude of these time series components; however, individuals typically underweight the moving average term and under(over-)weight the most recent seasonal quarterly change when it has a strong (weak) effect on future earnings. Individuals also place slightly more weight on quarterly changes when earnings are reported relative to those four quarters prior. These results suggest that the documented stock market underreaction to quarterly earnings may not hold universally; rather, it may be composed of under-reactions to firms with strong autocorrelation in seasonal changes and over-reactions to firms with weak autocorrelation in seasonal changes.
Immunoreactivity evaluation of a new recombinant chimeric protein against Brucella in the murine model

Background and Objectives: Brucellosis is an important health problem in developing countries and no vaccine is available for the prevention of infection in humans. Because of clinically infectious diseases and their economic consequences in human and animals, designing a proper vaccine against Brucella is desirable. In this study, we evaluated the immune responses induced by a designed recombinant chimera protein in murine model. Materials and Methods: Three immunodominant antigens of Brucella have been characterized as potential immunogenic and protective antigens including: trigger factor (TF), Omp31 and Bp26 were fused together by EAAAK linkers to produce a chimera (structure were designed in silico), which was synthesized, cloned, and expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3). The purification of recombinant protein was performed using Ni-NTA agarose. SDS-PAGE and anti-His antibody was used for confirmation purified protein (Western blot). BALB/c immunization was performed by purified protein and adjuvant, and sera antibody levels were measured by ELISA. otted. Results: SDS-PAGE and Western blotting results indicated the similarity of in silico designing and in vitro experiments. ELISA result proved that the immunized sera of mice contain high levels of antibodies (IgG) against recombinant chimeric protein. Conclusion: The recombinant chimeric protein could be a potential antigen candidate for the development of a subunit vaccine against Brucella.