Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Augmented reality system training for minimally invasive spine surgery

The minimally invasive spine surgery has been popular in recent years as it reduces the chances of complications during intraoperation and postoperation. However, the procedure of pedicle screw insertion is complicated and has a steep learning curve during this surgery. A minimally invasive spine system training is developed with real force feedback and an assessment of performance as a training tool for a common spine minimally invasive procedure-pedicle screw insertion, helping to minimize possible risks and expenses due to the learning curve of trainees. The minimally invasive spine system training based on augmented reality consists of a physical and a virtual components. A physical model of the spine is created with a three-dimensional printer using specific patient data. The virtual one is created with the computed tomography scan of the physical spine model attached with four markers displaying on a screen of computer called the virtual three-dimensional space. Two IR cameras are used to track the movement of the training instrument in the real-world space. The position of the training instrument in virtual three-dimensional space can be obtained by the space registration algorithm according to the position of the training instrument in the real-world space. Using the aforementioned techniques, we have developed the minimally invasive spine system training providing the trainee with real force feedback in real time and creating a standardized scoring system that compares a trainee's performance to that of an expert. The design and implementation of the minimally invasive spine system training are presented.
Effects of a physical activity intervention on autonomic and executive functions in obese young adolescents: A randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES The primary goals of this study were to determine the effects of a physical activity intervention on the set-shifting aspect of executive function and to explore the potential mechanistic role of cardiac autonomic control, as assessed by heart rate variability (HRV), in the relationship between physical activity and executive function in obese young adolescents. METHOD Obese young adolescents were randomized either to participate in a physical activity program (n = 25) or to serve as the wait-list control (n = 25) for a 3-month intervention. Outcome measures included physical fitness, obesity status, executive function, and HRV; these measures were assessed at baseline and within 1 week of the conclusion of the intervention. RESULTS The physical activity program improved the participants' physical fitness and obesity status. The program also improved executive function-related set-shifting performance, as measured by the total number of errors, and increased the HRV indices of normalized low frequency (nLF) and normalized high frequency (nHF). A positive correlation between the nHF time changes and the total number of errors was also observed. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that 3 months of a physical activity intervention effectively increase physical fitness and improve the set-shifting aspect of executive function in obese young adolescents. Furthermore, the physical activity-related alterations in cardiac autonomic control, particularly the parasympathetic response, may be associated with enhanced executive function. (PsycINFO Database Record
Liquid chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry analysis of halogenated benzoates for characterization of the underlying degradation reaction in Thauera chlorobenzoica CB-1T.

RATIONALE Halogenated benzoic acids occur in the environment due to their widespread agricultural and pharmaceutical use. Compound-specific stable isotope analysis (CSIA) has developed over the last decades for investigation of in situ transformation and reaction mechanisms of environmental pollutants amenable by gas chromatography (GC). As polar compounds are unsuitable for GC analysis we developed a method to perform liquid chromatography (LC)/CSIA for halogenated benzoates. METHODS LC/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) utilizing a LC-Surveyor pump coupled to a MAT 253 isotope ratio mass spectrometer via a LC-Isolink interface was applied. For chromatographic separation a YMC-Triart C18 column and a potassium hydrogen phosphate buffer (150 mM, pH 7.0, 40°C, 200 μL mL-1 ) were used, followed by wet oxidation deploying 1.5 mol L-1 ortho-phosphoric acid and 200 g L-1 sodium peroxodisulfate at 75 μL mL-1 . RESULTS Separation of benzoate and halogenated benzoates could be achieved in less than 40 min over a concentration range of 2 orders of magnitude. Under these conditions the dehalogenation reaction of Thauera chlorobenzoica 3CB-1T using 3-chloro-, 3-bromo- and 4-chlorobenzoic acid was investigated resulting in inverse carbon isotope fractionation for meta-substituted benzoic acids and minor normal fractionation for para-substituted benzoic acids. Together with the respective growth rates this led to the assumption that dehalogenation of para-halobenzoic acids follows a different mechanism from that of meta-halobenzoic acids. CONCLUSIONS A new LC/IRMS method for the quantitative determination of halogenated benzoates was developed and used to investigate the in vivo transformation pathways of these compounds, providing some insights into degradation and removal of these widespread compounds by T. chlorobenzoica 3CB-1T .
Bactericidal effect of photocatalytically-active nanostructured TiO2 surfaces on biofilms of the early oral colonizer, Streptococcus oralis.

This study evaluated the photocatalytic bactericidal effect of nanostructured anatase-rich titanium dioxide (TiO2 ) on microbial biofilms. Commercially pure titanium discs were spin-coated with photocatalytic TiO2 nanoparticles (P25). Uncoated discs were used as control (CTRL). Half of the CTRL and half of the P25-coated surfaces were coated with purified saliva (SAL) to give four different groups (CTRL, CTRL + SAL, P25 and P25 + SAL). Streptococcus oralis were allowed to form biofilms on the discs for 18 h and non-adherent cells were rinsed off. Bacterial viability was assessed at time 0 with Live/Dead BacLight staining and epifluorescence microscopy. The remaining discs were divided into a non-UV group and UVA-irradiated (+UV) group (irradiation time, 6 or 24 h). Thereafter, viability was assessed as above. Viability at time 0 was high and no dead cells were seen on any of the surfaces, even after 24 h, in the absence of UVA. However, after 24 h of exposure, the proportion of viable cells was reduced by 40% on the P25 discs compared to 0 and 6 h, and this effect was enhanced with a salivary pellicle. Members of mixed species biofilms differ in their susceptibility to the bactericidal effect of the surfaces tested and further investigations are needed to optimize the conditions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2321-2328, 2017.
Pharmacognostic Evaluation of Roots of Benincasa Hispida (Thunb.)Cogn.(Cucurbitaceae)

Received: September 13, 2017 Revised: January 22, 2018 Accepted: March 05, 2018 Abstract: Background: Herbals have been proven to be offering a wide number of medicinal uses and are having multiple benefits when considered as a complete system of medicine. Benincasa plant is rich in phytoconstituents, present almost in every part of the plant. Roots are the parts on which minimum work has been done.
Preparation of high affinity antibody for ribavirin with new haptens and residue analysis in chicken muscle, eggs and duck muscle

ABSTRACT In this work, high affinity polyclonal antibodies for ribavirin (RBV) from new haptens were prepared and were used to analyse RBV residues in chicken muscle, eggs and duck muscle. The new haptens were synthesised with different spacers, and the best antibody was obtained with an IC50 value as low as 0.61 ng/mL in indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The cross-reactivities with another five antiviral drugs including amantadine, rimantadine, moroxydine, zanamivir and oseltamivir were less than 0.1%, which indicated the good specificity of the antibody. An ELISA was developed based on the antibody and applied to detect RBV in multi-food matrices. The sample preparation prior to detection only needed simple dilution after trichloroacetic acid extraction. The limits of detection were 1.07, 1.18 and 1.03 μg/kg in chicken muscle, eggs and duck muscle, respectively. Recoveries ranged from 89.0% to 112.7% with coefficients of variation below 13.0%. Ten blind samples of chicken muscle were analysed simultaneously by ELISA and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and a good correlation between the methods was observed. The results indicated that the high affinity antibody could be applied for the simple and fast detection of RBV in multi-food matrices.
The Dietary Inflammatory Index, Shift Work, and Depression: Results From NHANES

Objectives: Abnormal physiology (e.g., inflammation), brought on by environmental exposures (e.g., diet or shift work [SW]), can affect numerous bodily systems, including the brain, and may be associated with depressive symptomatology. The study examined the associations between SW and depressive symptoms and diet-related inflammation (estimated by the Dietary Inflammatory Index [DII]) and depressive symptoms. Additionally, diet was examined as a mediator between SW and depressive symptoms. Method: Data were obtained from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). SW data were based on self-report. Dietary data were collected using 24-hr dietary recalls for DII calculation. Depressive symptoms were defined using a cut-point of 10 (moderate) on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for depressive symptoms by SW and DII quartiles. Results: DII scores were associated with depressive symptoms among women. Women in DII quartile 4 were 30% more likely to report depressive symptoms than women in quartile 1 (95% CI [1.00–1.68]). There was no association between symptoms and SW when using a PHQ-9 cut-point of 10. When using a cut-point of 5 (mild depressive symptoms), those working any form of SW were more likely to suffer from mild symptoms than day workers (odds ratio = 1.22; 95% CI [1.04–1.43]). There was some evidence for mediation by the DII between SW and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Future longitudinal studies should examine effects of reductions in inflammation through diet on depressive symptoms, especially among shift workers, to elucidate the role of diet on depression among these groups.
Effects of postoperative pain management educational interventions on the outcomes of parents and their children who underwent an inpatient elective surgery: A randomized controlled trial

AIM To examine the effects of a postoperative pain management educational intervention on the outcomes of parents and their children who underwent inpatient elective surgery. BACKGROUND Equipping parents with knowledge and skills to manage their children's postoperative pains is essential. Very limited studies have examined the effects of educational interventions on parents' knowledge, attitudes and use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological pain relief methods. DESIGN Three-group pre- and post-test randomized controlled trial. METHODS Parent-child pairs (N = 152) were recruited from September 2013-January 2015 and randomly assigned to either the control group or one of the two intervention groups. Valid and reliable instruments and diary entries were used to collect data at the baseline, 6, 12 and 24 hr and 2 weeks after the surgery. IBM SPSS 23.0 was used to analyse the data. RESULTS Parents reported moderate levels of knowledge, attitudes, pain relief methods used and children's postoperative pain. Except for parents' knowledge, types and frequencies of non-pharmacological methods used, there were no statistically significant differences among the three groups in parents' attitudes on pain management and pain medication, their uses of pain relief strategies (questionnaire data), satisfaction with postoperative pain management and children's worst postoperative pain in 2 weeks after surgery. CONCLUSION Education seemed effective in improving parents' knowledge and use of non-pharmacological methods, but not attitudes, satisfaction with pain management and children's postoperative pain. Future studies are needed to develop modern digitalized ways for educating and supporting parents to optimize their children's postoperative pain management. TRIAL REGISTRATION This study has been registered with BioMed Central Ltd. (Registration No.: ISRCTN24910957).
Peri-ovulatory endocrine regulation of the prostanoid pathways in the bovine uterus at early dioestrus.

We hypothesised that different endocrine profiles associated with pre-ovulatory follicle (POF) size would impact on uterine prostanoid pathways and thereby modulate the histotroph composition. Beef cows (n = 15 per group) were hormonally manipulated to have small (SF-SCL group) or large (LF-LCL group) pre-ovulatory follicles (POF) and corpora lutea (CL). Seven days after induction of ovulation, animals were slaughtered and uterine tissues and flushings were collected for quantification of prostanoids. The POF and CL size and the circulating progesterone concentrations at Day 7 were greater (P < 0.05) in the LF-LCL cows than in the SF-SCL group, as expected. The abundance of 5 out of 19 genes involved in prostanoid regulation was different between groups. Transcript abundance of prostaglandin F2α, E2 and I2 synthases was upregulated (P < 0.05) and phospholipase A2 was downregulated (P < 0.05) in endometrium of the LF-LCL group. No difference (P > 0.1) in prostanoid concentrations in the endometrium or in uterine flushings was detected between groups. However, prostaglandin F2α and E2 concentrations in the uterine flushings were positively correlated with the abundance of transcripts for prostaglandin endoperoxide synthase 2 (0.779 and 0.865, respectively; P < 0.002). We conclude that endometrial gene expression related to prostanoid synthesis is modulated by the peri-ovulatory endocrine profile associated with POF size, but at early dioestrus differences in transcript abundance were not reflected in changes in prostanoid concentrations in the uterine tissue and fluid.
Dynamic Tensile Testing of Structural Materials Using a Split Hopkinson Bar Apparatus

Abstract : Stress-strain curves in tension obtained on a large number of structural materials at strain rates up to 1000/s are presented. A modified split Hopkinson bar apparatus used for high strain rate tensile testing is described. Data are compared with other published results. The flow stress of all the materials tested is seen to increase to some extent over the range in strain rates from 0.001 to 1000/s.
Recovery of shape and size in a developing organ pair

Background: Paired organs in animals are largely bilaterally symmetric despite inherent noise in most biological processes. How is precise organ shape and size achieved during development despite this noise? Examining paired organ development is a challenge because it requires repeated quantification of two structures in parallel within living embryos. Here we combine bilateral quantification of morphology through time with asymmetric perturbations to study regulation of organ shape, size, and symmetry in developing organ pairs. Results: We present quantitative live imaging tools to measure the shape and size of the developing inner ears on both the left and right side simultaneously over time. By quantifying variation between the left and right inner ear (intrinsic noise) and between different individuals (extrinsic noise), we find that initial variability decreases over time in normal development to achieve symmetry. Early asymmetry is increased by environmental stress, but symmetry is still recovered over subsequent developmental time. Using multiple unilateral perturbations including Fgf signaling and ultraviolet light, we find that growth can be adjusted to compensate for a range of initial size and shape differences. Conclusions: We propose that symmetry in developmental systems does not emerge through precise deterministic bilateral development, but rather through feedback mechanisms that adjust morphogenesis rates to account for variation. Developmental Dynamics 246:451–465, 2016. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Polypropylene and Potato Starch Biocomposites: Physicomechanical and Thermal Properties

To determine the possibility of using starch as biodegradable filler in the thermoplastic polymer matrix, starch-filled polypropylene (PP) composites were prepared by extrusion of PP resin with 5, 10, 15, and 20 wt % of potato starch in corotating twin-screw extruder. The extruded strands were cut into pellets and injection molded to make test specimens. These specimens were tested for physicomechanical properties such as tensile and flexural properties, Izod impact strength, density, and water absorption. These PP composites were further characterized by melt flow index (MFI), vicat softening point (VSP), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) techniques. It was found that, with increase in starch content, tensile modulus, flexural strength, and flexural modulus of the PP composites increased along with the increase in moisture, water absorption, and density, while retaining the VSP; but, tensile strength and elongation, impact strength, hardness, and MFI of the PP composites also decreased. DSC analysis of the PP composite revealed the reduction in melting temperature, heat of fusion, and percentage of crystallization of PP with increase in starch content. Similarly, TGA traces display enhanced thermal degradability for PP as starch content increases. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
The Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Metabolic Status of Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

Abstract Data on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic status of patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are scarce. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on metabolic status of patients with PCOS. This randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was performed on 70 vitamin D-deficient (serum concentrations<20 ng/ml) women with phenotype B-PCOS according to the Rotterdam criteria aged 18–40 years old. Participants were randomly allocated into 2 groups to take either 50 000 IU vitamin D (n=35) or placebo (n=35) every 2 weeks for 12 weeks. Metabolic, endocrine, inflammation, and oxidative stress biomarkers were quantified at the beginning of the study and after 12-week intervention. After the 12-week intervention, compared to the placebo, vitamin D supplementation significantly decreased fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (−3.1±7.3 vs. +0.5±6.3 mg/dl, p=0.02), insulin (−1.4±3.6 vs. +2.6±7.0 μIU/ml, p=0.004), homeostasis model of assessment-estimated insulin resistance (−0.3±0.8 vs. +0.6±1.6, p=0.003), homeostasis model of assessment-estimated B cell function (−4.9±13.4 vs. +9.9±26.9, p=0.005), and increased quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (+0.01±0.01 vs. −0.02±0.05, p=0.007). Supplementation with vitamin D also led to significant reductions in serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (−0.7±1.4 vs. +0.5±2.1 μg/mL, p=0.009) and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA) levels (−0.1±0.5 vs. +0.9±2.1 μmol/l, p=0.01) compared to the placebo. Overall, vitamin D supplementation for 12 weeks in vitamin D-deficient women with phenotype B-PCOS had beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis parameters, hs-CRP, and MDA.
Single Image Super-resolution Based on Residual Learning

Patch-based learning methods, such as sparse coding, are by far one of the most dominant ways to handle the single image super-resolution (SISR) issue. However, due to the great success of deep learning, several advanced models based on deep neural networks have been proposed for SISR more recently, gradually revealing its superiority over other counterparts. Therefore, in this paper, we carry on this promising line of work and propose a well-designed network mainly on the basis of residual learning. The key idea of our model is to extract the mean part from the input first in order to lower the impact of background and obtaining two individual components from it. Then, residual learning is applied to mapping the remainder of the input to target high-resolution space, while the mean part is quickly connected to the final output via identity shortcuts. Consequently, our final model conceptually integrates all the above procedures into a completely end-to-end trainable deep network. Thorough experimental results indicate that the proposed method can perform effectively, and is superior to many recently published baselines in terms of both visual fidelity and objective evaluation.
Cross-section calculations for positron scattering from pyrimidine over an energy range from 0.1 to 10000 eV

We report a computational investigation of positron scattering by pyrimidine (C4H4N2) in the gas phase. Integral and differential cross sections have been calculated over a broad energy range by employing two distinct ab initio quantum scattering methods: the R-matrix method and a corrected form of the independent-atom representation, at low and high energies, respectively. Since pyrimidine is a strong polar molecule further dipole-induced excitations have been calculated in the framework of the first Born approximation. Good agreement is found between the different computational models and fair agreement is found with prior experimental results.
Sensitivity Towards Copper: Comparison of Stygal and Surface Water Species’ Biomonitoring Performance in Water Quality Surveillance

In a rapidly urbanizing global environment, anthropogenic sources of pollution [e.g., heavy metals, pharmaceuticals] have increasingly contaminated drinking water sources like surfaceor groundwater, jeopardizing the safe provision of potable water. Due to the lack of appropriate technology, continuous water surveillance is yet not feasible and while biological early warning systems have shown promising application possibilities, their associated drawbacks limit their practical utility. In this study, two stygal species, Niphargopsis casparyi [Pratz, 1866] and Proasellus slavus [Remy, 1948], were introduced as novel biomonitoring candidates that may reduce maintenance time and cost. Firstly, copper sensitivity of the stygal and two surface species, Gammarus fossarum and Daphnia magna, were defined in acute and chronic toxicity tests. Secondly, using the Multispecies Freshwater Biomonitor [MFB], behavioural responses of all species were examined and compared in multiple copper pulse experiments. Lastly, in a 2-month long field experiment, the applicability of N. casparyi in water quality survey was tested in a local waterworks. Its performance was then compared to G. fossarum and an implemented biomonitor using daphnids. Regarding mortality, copper toxicity tests showed low impact of acute copper pulses onto the two stygal species N. casparyi and P. slavus, but high impact on the surface water species. Chronic exposure led to increased mortality in G. fossarum and P. slavus, but not on N. casparyi. Overall, the pulse and field experiments revealed pronounced, useful, and reproducible behavioural responses towards copper for G. fossarum, N. casparyi, D. magna, but not for P. slavus, making them promising candidates for online biomonitoring.