Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship of lameness to body condition score, udder health and milk quality in crossbred dairy cattle

three hundred and thirty-seven (337) crossbred dairy cows, at different stages of lactation and parity, from thirteen randomly selected dairy farms, were examined for locomotion score based on a five-point numerical scoring scale. Mild, moderate and severely lame cows were grouped together into the lame group and normal cows with locomotion score ‘0’ into the healthy non-lame group. Body condition score (BCS) in all the animals was also evaluated on a five-point scale ranging from 1 to 5. Cows having cow hock rear leg view (RLV) were assigned score ‘1’, and score ‘0’ for those with normal hocks. A quarter foremilk (QFM) and cow composite (CC) sample were collected from each cow maintaining aseptic conditions. QFM was used to determine the quarter health status of the cows, and CC for estimation of somatic cell count (SCC) and milk composition, in terms of fat, SNF, protein and lactose. It was concluded that lame cows had significantly (P<0.01) more milk SCC and poor quarter health status as compared to healthy cows. RLV increased with increasing lameness, although it did not affect milk SCC and composition. Likewise, milk composition was not affected by lameness. Lame cows had poor BCS, indicating a negative correlation with lameness.
Immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin and CD44 adhesion molecules in oral squamous cell carcinoma

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is the sixth most common cancer world wide. Despite greater emphasis on multi-modality therapy including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, advanced stage head and neck squamous cell carcinoma continues to have poor 5-year survival rates (0-40%) that have not significantly improved in the last (30) years. To improve outcomes for this deadly disease , It is required a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying head and neck squamous cell carcinoma tumor growth, metastasis, and treatment resistance. This study evaluates the Immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin and CD44 adhesion molecules in OSCC and to correlate the expression of either marker with each other, with lymph node metastasis and with tumor grade. Materials and methods: Thirty blocks of OSCC were included in this study. An immunohistoch emical staining was performed using anti E-cadherinand anti CD44 monoclonal antibodies. Results: Negative immunohistochemical expression of E-cadherin was found in(66.7%)of the cases and only (33.3%)revealed positive immunoexpression. Positive CD44 immunoreaction was seen in(86.7%)of the cases. There was no statistically significant correlation regarding either marker with respect to the tumor stage, grade and lymph node matastasis. Moreover anon-significant correlation was found between the expression of both markers. Conclusions: this study revealed negative E-cadherin expression in two thirds of the cases, while positive CD44 was illustrated in most of them. Non- significant correlation was found regarding the expression of both markers with tumor stage, grade and lymph node status. Inverse significant correlation was found regarding CD44 expression with the clinical presentation of the study sample. In addition, non significant correlation was found between the E-cadherin and CD44 immunoexpression.
Synthesis of colloidal Zn(Te,Se) alloy quantum dots

Colloidal Zn(Te1−xSex) quantum dots (QDs), which are highly mismatched semiconductor alloys, were synthesized by the hot injection of an organometallic solution, and the composition and size dependence of their optical gap were studied together with the theoretical calculation using the finite-depth-well effective mass approximation. The optical gaps exhibited considerable negative deviation from the mole fraction weighted mean optical gaps of ZnTe and ZnSe, i.e. a large optical gap bowing was observed, similar to the bulk and thin-film alloys. The composition and size dependence of optical gaps agreed well with theoretically calculated ones employing a bowing parameter similar to that of the bulk alloys; therefore, the extent of the optical gap bowing in these alloy QDs is concluded to be the same as that in bulk and thin-film alloys. The optical gaps of Zn(Te1−xSex) QDs with diameters of 3.5–5 nm, where x ~ 0.35, were close to the energy corresponding to green light, indicating that those QDs are very promising as green QD-phosphors.
THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SOFT TISSUE FOLLOWING ROOT COVERAGE PROCEDURES WITH TWO TYPES OF ACELLULAR DERMAL MATRIX ALLOGRAFTS by RAMZI V

ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS . iv LIST OF TABLES . vii LIST OF FIGURES . ix LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . x INTRODUCTION . 1 LITERATURE REVIEW . 6 Acellular Dermal Matrix Allografts (ADMA) . 6 ADMA to Increase the Width of Keratinized Gingiva . 7 ADMA versus CTG in the Treatment of Recessions . 8 ADMA versus CAF in the Treatment of Recessions . 10 ADMA versus ADMA in the Treatment of Recessions . 11 Role of Orientation of the Basement Membrane of ADMA. 12 Long-term Stability of Root Coverage with ADMA . 12 Histology of ADMA-Treated Sites . 14 SPECIFIC AIMS OF THE STUDY . 16 MATERIAL AND METHODS . 17 Study Design and Population . 17 Study Device . 23 Surgical Procedure . 26 Post-Surgical Care . 29 Statistical Analysis . 32 RESULTS . 34 DISCUSSION . 49 SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS . 58
Triple coronary artery revascularization on the stabilized beating heart: initial experience.

OBJECTIVE To decrease health costs and morbidity related to extracorporeal circulation, surgeons have modified the coronary artery bypass (CAB) technique so that it can be completed without the use of extracorporeal circulation. This study summarizes initial experience with direct coronary artery revascularization on the beating heart using a coronary stabilizer. DESIGN A case series. SETTING The Montreal Heart Institute, a university-affiliated centre, specializing in the treatment of cardiac illnesses. PATIENTS Ten patients underwent CAB by this technique. They presented with double or triple coronary artery disease with no intramyocardial, heavily calcified, diffused atheromatous coronary vessels, or left main coronary disease. INTERVENTION CAB grafting in the beating heart. The anterior wall was grafted in all patients, the inferior wall in 7 and the posterior wall in 7. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patient survival and graft patency. RESULTS One patient died of multiple organ failure not related to the grafting technique itself, and 1 patient suffered a non-Q myocardial infarction. Early coronary angiography performed on 8 patients showed 100% graft patency, most with excellent distal runoff (21/22 grafts). CONCLUSION In patients with adequate anatomy, performance of CAB without extracorporeal circulation can achieve excellent early results provided there is appropriate mechanical stabilization of the beating heart.
The Role of the Microglial Cx3cr1 Pathway in the Postnatal Maturation of Retinal Photoreceptors

Microglia are the resident immune cells of the CNS, and their response to infection, injury and disease is well documented. More recently, microglia have been shown to play a role in normal CNS development, with the fractalkine-Cx3cr1 signaling pathway of particular importance. This work describes the interaction between the light-sensitive photoreceptors and microglia during eye opening, a time of postnatal photoreceptor maturation. Genetic removal of Cx3cr1 (Cx3cr1GFP/GFP) led to an early retinal dysfunction soon after eye opening [postnatal day 17 (P17)] and cone photoreceptor loss (P30 onward) in mice of either sex. This dysfunction occurred at a time when fractalkine expression was predominantly outer retinal, when there was an increased microglial presence near the photoreceptor layer and increased microglial–cone photoreceptor contacts. Photoreceptor maturation and outer segment elongation was coincident with increased opsin photopigment expression in wild-type retina, while this was aberrant in the Cx3cr1GFP/GFP retina and outer segment length was reduced. A beadchip array highlighted Cx3cr1 regulation of genes involved in the photoreceptor cilium, a key structure that is important for outer segment elongation. This was confirmed with quantitative PCR with specific cilium-related genes, Rpgr and Rpgrip1, downregulated at eye opening (P14). While the overall cilium structure was unaffected, expression of Rpgr, Rpgrip1, and centrin were restricted to more proximal regions of the transitional zone. This study highlighted a novel role for microglia in postnatal neuronal development within the retina, with loss of fractalkine–Cx3cr1 signaling leading to an altered distribution of cilium proteins, failure of outer segment elongation and ultimately cone photoreceptor loss. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Microglia are involved in CNS development and disease. This work highlights the role of microglia in postnatal development of the light-detecting photoreceptor neurons within the mouse retina. Loss of the microglial Cx3cr1 signaling pathway resulted in specific alterations in the cilium, a key structure in photoreceptor outer segment elongation. The distribution of key components of the cilium transitional zone, Rpgr, Rpgrip1, and centrin, were altered in retinae lacking Cx3cr1 with reduced outer segment length and cone photoreceptor death observed at later postnatal ages. This work identifies a novel role for microglia in the postnatal maturation of retinal photoreceptors.
Comparative removal of emerging contaminants from aqueous solution by adsorption on an activated carbon

ABSTRACT Batch sorption experiments were performed to study the adsorption of six emerging pollutants from aqueous solutions using a commercial granular activated carbon as adsorbent. Caffeine, clofibric acid, diclofenac, gallic acid, ibuprofen and salicylic acid were selected as representative contaminants. The activated carbon was characterized by nitrogen adsorption at 77 K, and through the determination of point of zero charge. The effects of several operational parameters, such as pH, initial concentration of organic molecules, mass of adsorbent and contact time, on the sorption behaviour were evaluated. The contact time to attain equilibrium for maximum adsorption was found to be 40 min. The kinetic data were correlated to several adsorption models, and the adsorption mechanism found to follow pseudo-second-order and intraparticle-diffusion models with external mass transfer predominating in the first 15 min of the experiment. The equilibrium adsorption data were analysed using the Freundlich, Langmuir and Toth isotherm equation models. The similar chemical structure and molecular weight of the organic pollutants studied to make the adsorption capacity of the activated carbon used very similar for all the molecules. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Exploration of the Attitudes of Freshman Foreign Language Students toward Using Computers at a Turkish State University.

The present study expands the design of Warschauer (1996) surveying freshman foreign language students at a Turkish university. Motivating aspects of computer assisted instruction in terms of writing and e-mailing are explored through an exploratory factor analysis conducted on the survey developed by Warschauer (1996). Findings suggest that learners have positive attitudes towards CALL because of computers’ potential to sustain independence, learning, collaboration, instrumental benefits, empowerment, comfort and communication. Influence of several background variables on attitudes towards CALL is also explored through relevant parametric tests. Analyses revealed that gender and age did not have an effect on attitude scores whereas having a PC at home, PC experience and hours of Internet use were related to attitudes towards CALL. Implications of the present study and suggestions for further research are provided.
Influence of the Scandinavian climate pattern on the UK asthma mortality: a time series and geospatial study

Objective It is well known that climate variability and trends have an impact on human morbidity and mortality, especially during the winter. However, there are only a handful of studies that have undertaken quantitative investigations into this impact. We evaluate the association between the UK winter asthma mortality data to a well-established feature of the climate system, the Scandinavian (SCA) pattern. Methods Time series analysis of monthly asthma mortality through the period of January 2001 to December 2015 was conducted, where the data were acquired from the UK’s Office for National Statistics. The correlations between indices of important modes of climate variability impacting the UK such as the North Atlantic Oscillation as well as the SCA and the asthma mortality time series were computed. A grid point correlation analysis was also conducted with the asthma data with sea level pressure, surface wind and temperature data acquired from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Results We find that sea level pressure and temperature fluctuations associated with the SCA explain ~20% (>95% CL) of variance in the UK asthma mortality through a period of 2001–2015. Furthermore, the highest winter peak in asthma mortality occurred in the year 2015, during which there were strong northwesterly winds over the UK that were the result of a sea level pressure pattern similar to that associated with the SCA. Conclusions Our study emphasises the importance of incorporating large-scale geospatial analyses into future research of understanding diseases and its environmental impact on human health.
Does Education Affect Risk Aversion?: Evidence from the 1973 British Education Reform

Individual risk attitudes are widely used in order to predict decisions regarding education. These uses of risk attitudes as a control variable for education decisions, however, have been criticized due to potential reverse causality. The causality between risk aversion and education is not clear, and it is hard to disentangle the different directions. We here investigate the causal effect of education on risk aversion by looking at the 1973 British Education Reform. With the educational reform in 1973 when the end of compulsory education increased from 15 to 16, it is possible to see the average treatment effect of education reform on the individual risk attitude for different cohort groups. We find that years of schooling increase risk aversion level via IV2SLS , which is contrary to the existing literature to our knowledge. This result is especially stronger for those with lower education. We suggest that in early education, education makes individuals more risk averse, whereas in more adult education such as tertiary education, years of schooling diminish risk aversion as suggested in other literatures. In addition, this negative causal effect of education on risk aversion could relieve our concerns about the endogeneity/reverse causality issue when using risk aversion as an explanatory variable for education decisions, because the sign would still credible as coefficients are underestimated. JEL Classification: C36 ; I21 ; I28 ; J24
Towards Customizing Gameful Systems by Gameful Design Elements

Recently, several researchers have suggested that personalized game-ful systems can be more effective than generic approaches. However, there is still scarce empirical evidence that the suggested factors for personalization, such as gender, age, user types, and personality traits, will be effective in improving user engagement and performance for personalized gameful systems. In this work-in-progress, we present a research plan for empirical evaluation of a customizable gameful system. Upon completion of this study, we expect to provide empirical evidence that the participants’ selection of gameful design elements in a practical application will correspond to the theorized relationships suggested by prior survey-based research, and that the system can suggest the gameful design elements that users are more likely to enjoy. The results of this research will provide an actionable path for gamification designers to implement personalized gameful systems and for researchers to develop recommendation algorithms for gamification.
A Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Clinical Trial of Prazosin for the Treatment of Alcohol Use Disorder

Objectives: The noradrenergic system plays an important role in the pathophysiology of alcohol use disorder (AUD). Medications in this class may reduce drinking. Our aims were to investigate this in a unique sample of individuals with AUD. Methods: Thirty-six individuals with AUD were randomized to treatment with prazosin, an alpha-1 noradrenergic antagonist, or placebo, for 6 weeks (target daily dose 16 mg). Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the effect of treatment group on rate of change in primary (drinks per week [DPW]) and several secondary outcome measures. Results: Prazosin did not significantly affect rate of reduction in alcohol use in the intent to treat sample (n = 36) compared with placebo, but did significantly increase the rate of reduction in DPW in an optimal treatment exposure subgroup (beta = −0.3; P = 0.01; event rate ratio 0.74; confidence interval 0.59, 0.93; n = 27). Poor adherence and tolerability may have contributed to null effects. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) moderated the effects of treatment group on rate of reduction in drinks per drinking day, supporting previous work in doxazosin, another alpha-1 antagonist. Specifically, prazosin was associated with greater rates of reduction in drinking compared with placebo in individuals with high but not low DBP. Conclusions: Our findings do not support the clinical utility of prazosin for all treatment-seeking AUD, but post hoc analyses indicate that it might have some efficacy in individuals who can tolerate it. Further work exploring the clinical utility of DBP as a treatment matching variable, and defining optimal values using sensitivity and specificity analyses, is warranted.
Efficacy of different irrigation regimes on the push-out bond strength of various resin-based sealers at different root levels: An in vitro study

Aim: This study aims to evaluate and compare the efficacy of various irrigation regimens on push-out bond strength of AH Plus/gutta-percha, Real Seal/Resilon, and MetaSeal/gutta-percha at three different root levels. Materials and Methods: Single-rooted mandibular premolars (n = 120) were prepared and divided into four groups (n = 30) based on irrigation regimen used: I: 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl)-17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA); II: 5.25% NaOCl-2.25% Peracetic acid (PAA); III: 5.25% NaOCl-18% 1-hydroxyethylidene-1, 1-bisphosphonate (HEBP) (Etidronic Acid); and IV: Distilled Water. Each group was further divided into three subgroups (n = 10); A: AH Plus/gutta-percha; B: MetaSEAL/gutta-percha; C: RealSeal/Resilon. After obturation, roots were sectioned at 3 levels and push-out tests were performed. One-way ANOVA with post hoc Tukey-honestly significant difference tests were applied to assess the significance among various groups. Results: Among irrigants, 2.25% PAA showed significantly lower values when compared with rest of the irrigants. There was no significant difference found among EDTA and HEBP. The push-out bond strength of AH Plus was significantly higher among all sealers. The bond strength values were significantly decreased in apico-coronal direction. Conclusions: There was superior efficacy of EDTA and HEBP on the bond strength of AH Plus at apical root level when compared with other irrigants and sealers at various root levels.
Towards Dependable Perception : Guaranteed Inference for Global Localization

Reliable state estimation is an important enabler for robot operation in human environments. Uncertainty and unpredictability of these environments requires global uncertainty problems to be solved for dependable operation. Relative sensors — such as vision, laser and tactile — are common in these applications leading to challenging perceptual problems, for which modern inference methods fail to guarantee accurate estimates. Further, as we show, the reliability of these estimates degrades quickly as initial uncertainty increases. In this paper, our aim is to maximize the amount of information extracted from sensory data, allowing the robot to make the most of its sensors. We present an inference algorithm, which guarantees that all optimal solutions will be found and provides provable error bounds on the approximation of the underlying probability distribution. The approach is based on insight into the sensor model, which is used to guide the refinement process in an adaptive grid algorithm. The approach is applicable to a variety of pose estimation problems with relative sensors. We demonstrate the generality of the approach on the examples of indoor robot localization and tactile manipulation, where it dramatically outperforms state-of-the-art. Empirically, our method increased safety of decision making to 100%. The proposed algorithm also demonstrated logarithmic dependence on desired precision, allowing for efficient highaccuracy estimation. In indoor localization experiments, the approach led to 1mm accuracy of pose estimation based on the commonly used laser range finders. This high accuracy is useful for accurate maneuvering in tight spaces and is sufficient for reliable manipulation of stationary objects of interest within the environment (e.g. door handles, elevator buttons, etc.) It also opens up new potential applications during building construction, inspection and maintenance. In the tactile manipulation setting, the method results in efficient, accurate and reliable 6DOF object pose estimation from tactile data, allowing for reliable
Cannabinoids in pancreatic cancer: Correlation with survival and pain

Cannabinoids exert antiproliferative properties in a variety of malignant tumors, including pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). In our study, we quantitatively evaluated the immunoreactivity for cannabinoid‐1 (CB1) and cannabinoid‐2 (CB2) receptors as well as for the endocannabinoid metabolizing enzymes fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacyl glycerol lipase (MGLL). Furthermore, quantitative real‐time RT‐PCR for CB1, CB2, FAAH and MGLL in normal pancreas and pancreatic cancer tissues was performed. Levels of endocannabinoids were determined by liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry. Immunoreactivity scores and QRT‐PCR expression levels were correlated with the clinico‐pathological (TNM, survival, pain) status of the patients. Evaluation of endocannabinoid levels revealed that these remained unchanged in PDAC compared to the normal pancreas. Patients with high CB1 receptor levels in enlarged nerves in PDAC had a lower combined pain score (intensity, frequency, duration; p = 0.012). There was a significant relationship between low CB1 receptor immunoreactivity or mRNA expression levels (p = 0.0011 and p = 0.026, respectively), or high FAAH and MGLL cancer cell immunoreactivity (p = 0.036 and p = 0.017, respectively) and longer survival of PDAC patients. These results are underlined by a significant correlation of high pain scores and increased survival (p = 0.0343). CB2 receptor immunoreactivity, CB2 receptor, FAAH and MGLL mRNA expression levels did not correlate with survival. Therefore, changes in the levels of endocannabinoid metabolizing enzymes and cannabinoid receptors on pancreatic cancer cells may affect prognosis and pain status of PDAC patients. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.