Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vitro Evaluation of Microleakage and Microhardness of Ethanolic Extracts of Propolis in Different Proportions Added to Glass Ionomer Cement.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of ethanolic extracts of propolis (EEP) addition in different proportions to glass ionomer cement (GIC) on microleakage and microhardness of GIC. STUDY DESIGN The cement was divided into four groups: one using the original composition and three with 10%, 25%, and 50% EEP added to the liquid and then manipulated. For microleakage assessment, sixty primary molars were randomly divided into four groups (n=15). Standard Class II cavities were prepared and then filled with EEP in different proportions added to GICs. Microleakage test was performed using a dye penetration method. The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Mann-Whitney U tests (α = 0.05). Disc shaped specimens were prepared from the tested GIC to determine Vickers hardness (VHN). The data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and post hoc Tukey test (α = 0.05). RESULTS There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in terms of microleakage (p > 0.05). There were statistically significant differences between the VHN values of groups (p < 0.05). Increasing addition of EEP to GIC statistically significantly increased VHN value of GIC (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The addition of EEP to GIC increased the microhardness of the GIC and did not adversely affect the microleakage. Thus, it might be used during routine dental practice due to its antibacterial properties.
Effects of blood flow restriction duration on muscle activation and microvascular oxygenation during low‐volume isometric exercise

The purpose of the investigation was to observe how varying occlusion durations affected neuromuscular activation and microvascular oxygenation during low‐volume isometric knee extension exercise. Healthy, recreationally active males performed isometric knee extension at a variety of submaximal intensities under different blood flow restriction (BFR) occlusion durations. The occlusion pressure (130% SBP) was applied either 5 min prior to exercise (PO), immediately prior to exercise (IO) or not during exercise (CON). Surface electromyography (sEMG) and near‐infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to record the neuromuscular activation and microvascular oxygenation of the knee extensors during exercise. No difference in sEMG was observed in the vastus lateralis or vastus medialis during any exercise condition or any submaximal intensity. PO elicited greater microvascular deoxygenation (deoxy‐[Hb + Mb]) compared to CON (P≤0·05) at all submaximal intensities and also compared to IO at 20% maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). IO resulted in a greater deoxy‐[Hb + Mb] response during low‐intensity exercise (20% and 40% MVC) compared to CON (P≤0·05). These findings suggest that applying BFR 5 min before exercise can enhance the exercise‐induced metabolic stress (i.e. deoxy‐[Hb + Mb]), measured via NIRS, during low‐intensity exercise (20% MVC) compared to applying BFR immediately prior to exercise. Furthermore, the increased metabolic stress observed during IO is attenuated during high‐intensity (60% MVC, 80% MVC) exercise when compared to CON conditions. Knowledge of the changes in exercise‐induced metabolic stress between the various occlusion durations may assist in developing efficient BFR exercise programmes.
Fear of Death in Parachute Jumpers

I r ha k e n suggrrred (Fcifel, ct 01. 1967) rhzr srrlrudrr ron,ard dearh may partially derrrmine choicr of occupation. An activlry may be engaged in ro gain and arscrr mastery over rhe fear. In line wirh rhls conccprualizarion. Feifel, el a1 noted rhar doctors had a higher consciour fear of dcarh rhan comparison groups. The presenr rrudy roughr ro examine the fear of dearh in rhorc engagcd i n rhe high risk rporr of parachute jumping. Sr were 31 sky divers and 15 Sr rraining ro sky dive, from t w o clubs i n uprrare New York. Flfrrrn Sr had nor yet jumped. 15 had made 25 or fewer free-fall jumpr, and 16 had made from 25 ro 350 free-fall jumpr. Of she 31 Sr 10 wcrc female; rhe mcdian age was 21 yr. (rangc 18 to 49). Each S was mnrchcd for age and scx wirh a srudcnr at on? of raro collegcs in upstare Ncw York Each S war adminlrrerrd nvo fear o f denrh rcalcs (Collerr & Lerrrr. 1969; Lcrr~r . 1967) and rhe remanric dlfferenrial on whlch Sr rarcd the concrprs of rhrill, desrh, life, suicide, and fear on the mndard rcalcr. Eighteen of rhr sky divrrs were rested ar rhr airport and 13 compler~d rhe quesrionnalrr ar homc. Control Ss wrre tested whilc at college. The rhrcc sky-drving groups were compared on all mcasurps using one-way analys~s of variance. No rignificnnr dlfferencer were found (rhc largerr F = 2.46, dt = 2 / 4 3 ) . A l l sky divers were combined and compared wirh conrrol Sr by mcanr of r r e r u Again. no rigniiicanr differences were found on any mesrurc (rhr largerr t = 0.85, dt = 90) Producr-momenr correlations were computed krween measures of the [ear of dearh and rhe n u m h r of free-fall jumps. On rhe subrcales of rhe Collerrlcrrer scaler. 6 of the 8 corcelar~ons wcre negative bur only one rrrchcd signifxcance: for rhe rnexperienced lumprrs, rhere was a greater fcar of dearh of self in chore with fewer free.fall lumps ( r = -0.70. one-railed p < 0.005). The present dara rhowed icw dtfferencer bctwcen sky divers and conrrol $5, rhough rhc lone rignlficant rerulr d ~ d supporr rhe guidlng concrptualizarion. I r may be rhar, as Frnz (1964) hnr ruggerred. denial is a malor defcnse mechanism i n sky diverr and rhir serve, ro obrcurr daffercncer in conscious fear of dearh. If rhlr be $0, subsequent rcsearch should cry ro tap non-conrcious mrarures of dearh anxiery, such as perceprual drfense rcch. niqucr (Lester & Lerrer. 1970).
Obesity and Multiple Sclerosis: A Mendelian Randomization Study

Background Observational studies have reported an association between obesity, as measured by elevated body mass index (BMI), in early adulthood and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, bias potentially introduced by confounding and reverse causation may have influenced these findings. Therefore, we elected to perform Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses to evaluate whether genetically increased BMI is associated with an increased risk of MS. Methods and Findings Employing a two-sample MR approach, we used summary statistics from the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) consortium and the International MS Genetics Consortium (IMSGC), the largest genome-wide association studies for BMI and MS, respectively (GIANT: n = 322,105; IMSGC: n = 14,498 cases and 24,091 controls). Seventy single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genome-wide significant (p < 5 x 10−8) for BMI in GIANT (n = 322,105) and were investigated for their association with MS risk in the IMSGC. The effect of each SNP on MS was weighted by its effect on BMI, and estimates were pooled to provide a summary measure for the effect of increased BMI upon risk of MS. Our results suggest that increased BMI influences MS susceptibility, where a 1 standard deviation increase in genetically determined BMI (kg/m2) increased odds of MS by 41% (odds ratio [OR]: 1.41, 95% CI 1.20–1.66, p = 2.7 x 10−5, I2 = 0%, 95% CI 0–29). Sensitivity analyses, including MR-Egger regression, and the weighted median approach provided no evidence of pleiotropic effects. The main study limitations are that, while these sensitivity analyses reduce the possibility that pleiotropy influenced our results, residual pleiotropy is difficult to exclude entirely. Conclusion Genetically elevated BMI is associated with risk of MS, providing evidence for a causal role for obesity in MS etiology. While obesity has been associated with many late-life outcomes, these findings suggest an important consequence of childhood and/or early adulthood obesity.
The effects of integrating service learning into computer science: an inter-institutional longitudinal study

This study is a follow-up to one published in computer science education in 2010 that reported preliminary results showing a positive impact of service learning on student attitudes associated with success and retention in computer science. That paper described how service learning was incorporated into a computer science course in the context of the Students & Technology in Academia, Research, and Service (STARS) Alliance, an NSF-supported broadening participation in computing initiative that aims to diversify the computer science pipeline through innovative pedagogy and inter-institutional partnerships. The current paper describes how the STARS Alliance has expanded to diverse institutions, all using service learning as a vehicle for broadening participation in computing and enhancing attitudes and behaviors associated with student success. Results supported the STARS model of service learning for enhancing computing efficacy and computing commitment and for providing diverse students with many personal and professional development benefits.
Robust Control of Nonlinear Time-Delay Systems via Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Models

Robust control theory is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering and applied mathematics literature. Since its introduction in 1980’s, it has grown to become a major scientific domain. For example, it gained a foothold in Economics in the late 1990 and has seen increasing numbers of Economic applications in the past few years. This theory aims to design a controller which guarantees closed-loop stability and performances of systems in the presence of system uncertainty. In practice, the uncertainty can include modelling errors, parametric variations and external disturbance. Many results have been presented for robust control of linear systems. However, most real physical systems are nonlinear in nature and usually subject to uncertainties. In this case, the linear dynamic systems are not powerful to describe these practical systems. So, it is important to design robust control of nonlinear models. In this context, different techniques have been proposed in the literature (Input-Output linearization technique, backstepping technique, Variable Structure Control (VSC) technique, . ). These two last decades, fuzzy model control has been extensively studied; see (Zhang & Heng, 2002)-(Chadli & ElHajjaji, 2006)-(Kim & Lee, 2000)-(Boukas & ElHajjaji, 2006) and the references therein because T-S fuzzy model can provide an effective representation of complex nonlinear systems. On the other hand, time-delay are often occurs in various practical control systems, such as transportation systems, communication systems, chemical processing systems, environmental systems and power systems. It is well known that the existence of delays may deteriorate the performances of the system and can be a source of instability. As a consequence, the T-S fuzzy model has been extended to deal with nonlinear systems with time-delay. The existing results of stability and stabilization criteria for this class of T-S fuzzy systems can be classified into two types: delay-independent, which are applicable to delay of arbitrary size (Cao & Frank, 2000)-(Park et al., 2003)-(Chen & Liu, 2005b), and delay-dependent, which include information on the size of delays, (Li et al., 2004) (Chen & Liu, 2005a). It is generally recognized that delay-dependent results are usually less conservative than delay-independent ones, especially when the size of delay 2
Long-Term Stroke Risk Due to Partial White-Coat or Masked Hypertension Based on Home and Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurements: The Ohasama Study

The prognostic significance of white-coat hypertension (WCHT) is controversial, and different findings on self-measured home measurements and 24-h ambulatory monitoring make identifying WCHT difficult. We examined whether individuals with partially or completely defined WCHT, as well as masked hypertension, as determined by different out-of-office blood pressure measurements, have a distinct long-term stroke risk. We followed 1464 participants (31.8% men; mean age, 60.6±10.8 years) in the general population of Ohasama, Japan, for a median of 17.1 years. A first stroke occurred in 212 subjects. Using sustained normal blood pressure (events/n=61/776) as a reference, adjusted hazard ratios for stroke (95% confidence intervals; events/n) were 1.38 (0.82–2.32; 19/137) for complete WCHT (isolated office hypertension), 2.16 (1.36–3.43; 29/117) for partial WCHT (either home or ambulatory normotension with office hypertension), 2.05 (1.24–3.41; 23/100) for complete masked hypertension (both home and ambulatory hypertension with office normotension), 2.08 (1.37–3.16; 38/180) for partial masked hypertension (either home or ambulatory hypertension with office normotension), and 2.46 (1.61–3.77; 42/154) for sustained hypertension. When partial WCHT and partial masked hypertension groups were further divided into participants only with home hypertension and those only with ambulatory hypertension, all subgroups had a significantly higher stroke risk (adjusted hazard ratio ≥1.84, P⩽0.04). In conclusion, impacts of partial WCHT as well as partial masked hypertension for long-term stroke risk were comparable to those of complete masked hypertension or sustained hypertension. We need both home and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure measurements to evaluate stroke risk accurately.
Protein 4.1R regulates cell migration and IQGAP1 recruitment to the leading edge

In red blood cells, multifunctional protein 4.1R stabilizes the spectrin–actin network and anchors it to the plasma membrane. To contribute to the characterization of functional roles of 4.1R in nonerythroid cells, we have analyzed the participation of protein 4.1R in cell migration. The distribution of endogenous 4.1R is polarized towards the leading edge of migrating cells. Exogenous 4.1R isoforms containing a complete membrane-binding domain consistently localized to plasma membrane extensions enriched in F-actin. Silencing of 4.1R caused the loss of persistence of migration in subconfluent cells and of directional migration in cells moving into a wound. Coimmunoprecipitation and pull-down assays identified the scaffold protein IQGAP1 as a partner for protein 4.1R and showed that the 4.1R membrane-binding domain is involved in binding IQGAP1. Importantly, we show that protein 4.1R is necessary for the localization of IQGAP1 to the leading edge of cells migrating into a wound, whereas IQGAP1 is not required for protein 4.1R localization. Collectively, our results indicate a crucial role for protein 4.1R in cell migration and in the recruitment of the scaffold protein IQGAP1 to the cell front.
Genetic Risk Assessment of a Threatened Remnant Population of Hairy Prairie-Clover (Dalea villosa var. villosa) in the Canadian Prairie

Hairy prairie-clover [Dalea villosa (Nutt.) Spreng. var. villosa] is a threatened Canadian wildflower. To facilitate the efforts of conserving this threatened plant, amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) technique was applied to assess genetic diversity in a remnant hairy prairie-clover population in the Canadian Prairie. Three AFLP primer pairs were employed to genotype 610 individual plants from the population and 15 plants from a North Dakota composite population, and 100 polymorphic AFLP bands were analyzed. The assayed plants displayed 23% AFLP variation present between the remnant population and the North Dakota composite population, but maintained a high level (91%) of AFLP variation within patches of the remnant population. The individual genetic distinctiveness measured by average AFLP dissimilarity was positively associated with latitude and negatively with elevation. The among-patch AFLP variation was significantly related to inter-patch distance, indicating local genetic differentiation within the remnant population. However, the proportions of within-patch AFLP variation were not associated with any patch characteristics assessed (i.e., patch size, perimeter, nearest neighbor distance, mean inter-patch distance). No fine-scale genetic structure was found within three large patches, suggesting little genetic correlations present for plants five meters apart. Some genetically distinctive and diverse patches were also identified. These findings indicate that the genetic risk of the remnant hairy prairie-clover population in the Canadian Prairie is low.
Pegylated and non-pegylated interferon-alfa and ribavirin for the treatment of mild chronic hepatitis C: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: Traditionally, patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have not received treatment until their infection reaches the moderate to severe stage. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the clinical effectiveness of pegylated (PEG) and non-pegylated interferon (IFN) alfa and ribavirin (RBV) for the treatment of adults with histologically mild HCV. Methods: We performed a sensitive search of fourteen electronic bibliographic databases for literature that met criteria defined in a research protocol. Two reviewers independently selected studies, extracted data and assessed methodological quality. Results: Ten randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) were included. Treatment with PEG + RBV combination therapy resulted in significantly higher sustained virological response (SVR) rates than treatment with IFN + RBV combination therapy. Treatment for 48 weeks with PEG + RBV was significantly more effective than the same treatment for 24 weeks. Significantly higher SVR rates were seen with IFN + RBV compared with either IFN monotherapy or no treatment. In the meta-analysis (four IFN trials), the relative risk of not experiencing an SVR was 0.59 (95 percent CI, 0.51 – 0.69) and was statistically significant (p < .00001). SVRs were higher for patients with genotype non-1 compared with genotype 1 for both PEG + RBV and IFN + RBV treatments. Conclusions: Patients with histologically mild HCV can be successfully treated with both PEG and IFN combination therapy, and response rates are broadly comparable with those achieved in patients with advanced disease. Treating patients in the early milder stages of HCV is, therefore, a clinically effective option.
An analysis technique to increase testability of object‐oriented components

Object‐oriented component engineering is increasingly used for system development, partly because it emphasizes portability and reusability. Each time a component is used, it must be retested in the new environment. Unfortunately, the data abstraction that components usually use results in low testability. First, internal variables cannot be directly set. Second, even though a test input may trigger a fault, the failure does not propagate to the output. This paper presents a technique to increase object‐oriented component testability, thereby making it easier to detect faults. Components are often sealed so that source code is not available. The program analysis is performed at the Java component bytecode level. A component's bytecode is analysed to create a control and data flow graph, which is then used to increase component testability by increasing both controllability and observability. We have implemented this technique and applied it to several components. Experimental results reveal that fault detection can be increased by using our increasing testability process. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Activities of Antioxidant Enzymes in Relation to Oxidative and Nitrosative Challenges in Childhood Asthma

Background. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between antioxidant enzyme activities, extent of airway inflammation, and systemic oxidative stress in children suffering from atopic asthma. Methods. A total of 35 asthmatic (AG) and 21 healthy children (CG) participated in this study. The volume of fractionated exhaled NO (Feno) was measured with the NIOX test system. The activities of the erythrocyte antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined photometrically. Plasma interleukin (IL)-6 was measured using ELISA; malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were analyzed using HPLC. Results. Compared to healthy controls, asthmatic children exhaled a significantly (p < .001) higher mean volume of Feno, had significantly reduced plasma concentrations of TAC (p = .006), and significantly enhanced levels of MDA (p < .001) and IL-6 (p = .012). SOD (p = .027), CAT (p < .001), and GSH-Px (p = .005) were significantly less active in the asthma group and significantly negatively associated with Feno (SOD/Feno: p = .017; CAT/Feno: p = .008; GSH-Px/Feno: p = .001); the oxidative stress marker MDA showed such correlations in both investigated groups (SOD/MDA: AG: p = .001, CG: p = .381; CAT/MDA: AG: p = .003, CG: p = .020; GSH-Px/MDA: AG: p = .006, CG: p = .011). Furthermore, there was a significant (p< .01) positive correlation between MDA/Feno and MDA/IL-6 observed in both groups. Conclusions. These results indicate that inflammation of the bronchial tree, reflected by increased NO formation in the airways and enhanced systemic oxidative stress, is related to an alteration of antioxidant enzyme activities in childhood asthma. Modulating the activity of antioxidant enzymes may therefore have beneficial effects on pulmonary and systemic antioxidant defense mechanisms and could reduce airway inflammation and oxidative stress in asthmatics.
Properties of the linearly polarized radiation from PSR B0950+08

Measurements of average pulse profiles made with a single linear polarization over the range 41-112 MHz are presented for PSR B0950+08. We show that the observed variable structure of the pulse profiles is a result of Faraday sinusoidal modulation of the pulse intensity with frequency. The rotation measure corresponding to this effect, RM ≈ 4r ad m −2 , is about 3 times greater than the published value of RM = 1.35 rad m −2 (Taylor et al. 1993).
Non-Abelian vacua in D = 5, N = 4 gauged supergravity

We study essentially non-abelian backgrounds in the five dimensional N = 4 gauged SU(2) × U(1) supergravity. Static configurations that are invariant under either the SO(4) spatial rotations or with respect to the SO(3) rotations and translations along the fourth spatial coordinate are considered. By analyzing consistency conditions for the equations for supersymmetric Killing spinors we derive the Bogomol'nyi equations and obtain their globally regular solutions. The SO(4) symmetric configurations contain the purely magnetic non-abelian fields together with the purely electric abelian field and possess two unbroken supersymmetries. The SO(3) configurations have only the non-abelian fields and preserve four supersymmetries.