Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of 0.2% chlorhexidine on microbial and fungal contamination of dental unit waterlines

Background: It is known that dental unit waterline can be a source of infection. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a mouthwash, chlorhexidine, in controlling microbial and fungal contamination of dental unit waterlines. Materials and Methods: In the present experimental study, the water in high-speed handpieces and air/water syringes of 35 dental units in a dental school was investigated microbiologically. Five of the units and one tap water served as controls; 100-200-mL water samples were collected aseptically in sterile containers in the morning after a 2-min purge. Water reservoir bottles were emptied and 50 mL of 0.2% chlorhexidine mouthwash was introduced into the tank. Then the water syringe was used to flush the waterline until the pink-colored chlorhexidine was observed to flow from the water syringe. Before the next day's session and before the students used the unit, two water samples from the water syringe and water turbine was collected. The samples were transferred to the laboratory. After 48 h at 37°C, the microbial colonies were counted. The number of these colonies was evaluated using colony forming unit CFU. Data were analyzed with Mann — Whitney U test and SPSS 13.5 statistical program. The statistical significance was defined at P ≤ 0.05. Results: All 35 units were contaminated before chlorhexidine use; no contamination was detected after adding chlorhexidine to the waterlines of the units. After week 1, 28 of the 30 treated dental unit waterlines (DUWLs) had values of CFU/mL less than 200. Conclusion: The present study showed that the use of chlorhexidine could reduce microbial counts in dental unit waterlines.
A markup language for describing interactive humanoid robot presentations

This paper presents a multi-modal presentation markup language for humanoid robots, MPML-HR ver. 3.0, which is able to describe presentation contents including speech-based interactions with audiences. Previous versions of MPML-HR do not feature any interaction functionality which dynamically changes the presentation according to the utterances by audiences, although such interaction makes the presentation more effective and understandable. Since MPML-HR ver. 3.0 inherits simple descriptions of previous versions of MPML-HR, the content designer can describe interactive presentations without configuring conventional complicated multi-modal interactive systems.
Continuous Monitoring of Mobility, Burial and Re exposure of Underwater Munitions in Energetic Near Shore Environments

6 1. Objectives . 8 SERDP Relevance . 8 2. Background . 8 Theory . 9 2.1. 1. Object Mobility . 9 2.1. 2. Object Burial . 11 Previous Measurements. 11 3. Materials and Methods . 12 Location Study Sites. 12 UXO Surrogate Objects . 14 3.2.1. GPS and Passive Buoys . 14 3.2. 2. Embedded Motion Sensors . 15 3.2. 3. Acoustic Tracking Systems . 15 Bathymetric Mapping Techniques . 16 3.3. 1. Wasque Shoals Bathymetry . 17 3.3.2. Long Point Surf Zone Bathymetry . 18 Measurement Techniques for Forcing Hydrodynamics and Small-Scale Bedforms . 18 4. Results and Discussion . 21 Wasque Tidal Shoals . 21 4.1. 1. Hydrodynamic Forcing . 21 4.1. 2. Small-Scale Bedforms . 23 4.1. 3. UXO Surrogate Deployments . 24 Long Point Surf Zone . 28 4.2.1. Hydrodynamic Forcing . 29 4.2. 2. Small-Scale Bedforms . 30 4.2. 3. UXO Surrogate Deployments . 31 Discussion of Theory and Hydrodynamic Forcing . 34 4.3. 1. Hydrodynamic Modeling . 34 4.3.2. Comparison to Parameterized Models . 35 5. Conclusions and Implications for Future Research/Implementation . 37 6. Literature Cited . 39 7. Appendices . 41
Inequality in Unemployment Risk and in Wages

Distinguishing between the relative roles of skills and luck in the determination of wages is a main concern for economic policy. Variation in observed characteristics of workers and firms typically account for one third of total variance in wages in the US. Luck, as a result of frictions in the process of job search, might explain some of the remaining proportion, but search models can only fill a tiny part of this gap when calibrated to mean transition rates. The aim of this paper is to highlight the existence of heterogeneity in finding and separation rates and to show its impact on inequality. In particular, we first reassess the role of frictions in wage dispersion by introducing heterogeneity in unemployment risk, both as exogenous fixed heterogeneity and with some duration dependence. Secondly, to endogenize this heterogeneity, we borrow from Ljungqvist and Sargent (1998), extending it to account for endogenous separation, and build a quantitative search model with human capital accumulation. In this context, a job is valuable for the inexperienced worker not only because of the wage but also for the opportunity to accumulate skills. At the same time, the unemployment spell is damaging for an experienced worker not only because of the foregone earnings but also for the loss of human capital that it entails. Thus, reservation wages and transition rates depend on individual labor market histories. We calibrate the model to match the observed heterogeneity in finding and separation rates and show that the implied wage dispersion is almost the residual wage dispersion in the data. Furthermore, when we shock the model to account for the change in human capital accumulation process in the US economy, we are able to explain all of the increase in inequality over the last decades. We conclude that heterogeneity in unemployment risk and the incentives related to human capital accumulation and depreciation are main drivers of frictional wage dispersions.
Anti-hyperglycemic effect and subchronic toxicity of the Anti-hyperglycemic effect and subchronic toxicity of the combined extract from Sattagavata-Mathurameha -Tubpikarn combined extract from Sattagavata-Mathurameha -Tubpikarn anti-diabetic herbal formulae anti-diabetic herbal formulae

Background: The three herbal formulae (Sattagavata, Mathurameha, and Tubpikarn) were prescribed to diabetic patients for a long time, and they included Sattagavata for circulatory system promotion, Mathurameha for diabetics and Tubpikarn for hepatoprotection with less scientific support about the effectiveness and toxicity. The in vivo anti-hyperglycemic activity and subchronic toxicity of the combined extract from three anti-diabetic Thai herbal formulae in diabetic rats were performed to prove the anti-diabetic effects and find out the subchronic toxicity of these herbal anti-diabetic formulae on kidney and liver in experimental animals. The antioxidant activity and phytochemical studies were also screened. Methods: Type II diabetes was induced in male rats with streptozotocin and nicotinamide. These three anti-diabetic Thai herbal formulae were separately extracted and combined at the ratio of 1:1:1. The combined extract was fed to the diabetic rats at the daily doses of 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg for 30 days. The anti-diabetic drug (glibenclamide) at a dose of 5 mg/kg was given as a positive control group. Results: It was found that the 2-hour post-prandial plasma glucose (2 h PPG) levels of 1 g/kg fed the group and the glibenclamide-fed group were decreased compared with control group ( P < 0.025) on day 15 th after feeding. In addition, the 2 h PPG levels and HbA 1C values of both treated groups and glibenclamide-fed group were significantly lower than those of control group ( P < 0.01) on day 30 th after feeding. Blood examination at day 30 th revealed no difference between the control diabetic group and treated groups. The unchanged parameters included blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, albumin, bilirubin, and cholesterol levels. The liver enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase, in the control, 1 g/kg extract-fed group and glibenclamide-fed group were not different. However, the blood AST level was increased in the 0.5 g/kg extract-fed group. From the blood study, it did not show the obvious renal and liver toxicity in an animal model after 30 days extract feeding. Phytochemical studies revealed the presence of rutin in Sattagavata formula and chlorogenic acid in Tubpikarn formula which supported the antioxidant effect of these herbal medicines. Conclusion: This study indicated that this these combined Thai anti-diabetic herbal formulae had the anti-hyperglycemic action in Type II diabetic animal model and also had the antioxidant action in vitro . No obvious renal and liver toxicity were found after feeding for 30 days.
An Unbiased Assessment of the Role of Imprinted Genes in an Intergenerational Model of Developmental Programming

Environmental factors during early life are critical for the later metabolic health of the individual and of future progeny. In our obesogenic environment, it is of great socioeconomic importance to investigate the mechanisms that contribute to the risk of metabolic ill health. Imprinted genes, a class of functionally mono-allelic genes critical for early growth and metabolic axis development, have been proposed to be uniquely susceptible to environmental change. Furthermore, it has also been suggested that perturbation of the epigenetic reprogramming of imprinting control regions (ICRs) may play a role in phenotypic heritability following early life insults. Alternatively, the presence of multiple layers of epigenetic regulation may in fact protect imprinted genes from such perturbation. Unbiased investigation of these alternative hypotheses requires assessment of imprinted gene expression in the context of the response of the whole transcriptome to environmental assault. We therefore analyse the role of imprinted genes in multiple tissues in two affected generations of an established murine model of the developmental origins of health and disease using microarrays and quantitative RT–PCR. We demonstrate that, despite the functional mono-allelicism of imprinted genes and their unique mechanisms of epigenetic dosage control, imprinted genes as a class are neither more susceptible nor protected from expression perturbation induced by maternal undernutrition in either the F1 or the F2 generation compared to other genes. Nor do we find any evidence that the epigenetic reprogramming of ICRs in the germline is susceptible to nutritional restriction. However, we propose that those imprinted genes that are affected may play important roles in the foetal response to undernutrition and potentially its long-term sequelae. We suggest that recently described instances of dosage regulation by relaxation of imprinting are rare and likely to be highly regulated.
Measuring disease activity in Crohn’s disease: what is currently available to the clinician

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by a relapsing-remitting clinical behavior and dominated by intestinal inflammation. Being a chronic disorder that with time develops into a disabling disease, it is important to monitor the severity of inflammation to assess the efficacy of medication, rule out complications, and prevent progression. This is particularly true now that the goals of treatment are mucosal healing and deep remission. Endoscopy has always been the gold standard for assessing mucosal activity in CD, but its use is limited by its invasiveness and its inability to examine the small intestine, proximal to the terminal ileum. Enteroscopy and the less invasive small bowel capsule endoscopy enable the small bowel to be thoroughly explored and scores are emerging for classifying small bowel disease activity. Cross-sectional imaging techniques (ultrasound, magnetic resonance, computed tomography) are emerging as valid tools for monitoring CD patients, assessing inflammatory activity in the mucosa and the transmucosal extent of the disease, and for excluding extra-intestinal complications. Neither endoscopy nor imaging are suitable for assessing patients frequently, however. Noninvasive markers such as C-reactive protein, and fecal biomarkers such as calprotectin and lactoferrin, are therefore useful to confirm the inflammatory burden of the disease and to identify patients requiring further investigations.
Evaluation of Relationships between Subtropical Marine Low Stratiform Cloudiness and Estimated Inversion Strength in CMIP5 Models Using the Satellite Simulator Package COSP

Using the Cloud Feedback Model Intercomparison Project Observation Simulator Package (COSP) outputs, subtropical marine low stratiform cloud (LSC) amounts simulated in 12 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) models are robustly evaluated in terms of the relationship with the estimated inversion strength (EIS). The International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) low-plus-middle cloud amounts with optical thickness > 3.6, corrected with the random-overlap assumption, are defined as the LSC amount. Although EISs are well-simulated in all the models, more than half of the models show weaker responses of the LSC amount to EIS (2%−3% K) than the observations (~4.5% K), and some models even show negative responses. The Cloud–Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) cloud amounts and layered EISs reveal that most models simulate inversion levels lower than observed, and that the vertical structure of LSCs has a key role for improvement in the modeled relationships. (Citation: Koshiro, T., M. Shiotani, H. Kawai, and S. Yukimoto, 2018: Evaluation of relationships between subtropical marine low stratiform cloudiness and estimated inversion strength in CMIP5 models using the satellite simulator package COSP. SOLA, 14, 25−32, doi:10.2151/sola.2018-005.)
Monetary Policy and Government Debt

We study how the level of government debt affects the effectiveness of monetary policy, i.e., the elasticity of economic aggregates to interest rate changes. We build a New Keynesian model where ﬁscal policy is non-Ricardian and government debt is risk-free. Wealth effects generated by government bonds weaken the transmission of changes in the policy rate to output. Using data on private ownership of public debt for the U.S., we ﬁnd that when the government debt-to-GDP ratio is one standard deviation above its mean, the response of industrial production and unemployment to a monetary shock is reduced by 0.75pp and 0.1pp, respectively, out to a three-year horizon.
Superlinear Population Encoding of Dynamic Hand Trajectory in Primary Motor Cortex

Neural activity in primary motor cortex (MI) is known to correlate with hand position and velocity. Previous descriptions of this tuning have (1) been linear in position or velocity, (2) depended only instantaneously on these signals, and/or (3) not incorporated the effects of interneuronal dependencies on firing rate. We show here that many MI cells encode a superlinear function of the full time-varying hand trajectory. Approximately 20% of MI cells carry information in the hand trajectory beyond just the position, velocity, and acceleration at a single time lag. Moreover, approximately one-third of MI cells encode the trajectory in a significantly superlinear manner; as one consequence, even small position changes can dramatically modulate the gain of the velocity tuning of MI cells, in agreement with recent psychophysical evidence. We introduce a compact nonlinear “preferred trajectory” model that predicts the complex structure of the spatiotemporal tuning functions described in previous work. Finally, observing the activity of neighboring cells in the MI network significantly increases the predictability of the firing rate of a single MI cell; however, we find interneuronal dependencies in MI to be much more locked to external kinematic parameters than those described recently in the hippocampus. Nevertheless, this neighbor activity is approximately as informative as the hand velocity, supporting the view that neural encoding in MI is best understood at a population level.
Extrapolation of Thermal Sensation: Warm-cold Stimulus Pair Elicits a Sense of Warmth Outside the Stimulus

Touching a warm stimulator with the base of the finger and a cold stimulator with the middle part of the finger causes a sense of warmth at the fingertip outside the cold stimulator, revealing Extrapolation of Thermal Sensation (ETS). Although ETS shares similarities with the Thermal Grill Illusion (TGI) regarding spatial thermal integration, the spatial distributions of sensations are different. The TGI is limited inside boundaries that envelop physical stimuli, whereas ETS crosses the boundaries. This difference indicates ETS, although TGI is reproduced accompanied by overestimation of the cold stimulus, which is influenced by the spinal segmental distance between warm and cold stimuli, it remains to be seen whether ETS carries out the same. The present study investigated ETS and TGI by simultaneous warm, cold, and neutral stimulation on the fingers or the lower leg. To show the difference between ETS and TGI, we manipulated the segmental distance between warm and cold stimuli and observed the resulting perceived temperature of neutral and cold stimulators. The perceived temperatures of ETS as well as TGI varied in units of segmental distance, however, ETS was not reproduced where TGI was. Thus, we concluded ETS has a different mechanism from the TGI. The experimental results suggest a non-uniform intersegmental connection contributes to the lower reproducibility of ETS on the lower leg
Cardiovascular , Pulmonary , and Renal Pathology Acid Sphingomyelinase Gene Deficiency Ameliorates the Hyperhomocysteinemia-Induced Glomerular Injury in Mice

Hyperhomocysteinemia (hHcys) enhances ceramide production, leading to the activation of NADPH oxidase and consequent glomerular oxidative stress and sclerosis. The present study was performed to determine whether acid sphingomyelinase (Asm), a ceramide-producing enzyme, is implicated in the development of hHcys-induced glomerular oxidative stress and injury. Uninephrectomized Asmknockout (Asm / ) and wild-type (Asm / ) mice, with or without Asm short hairpin RNA (shRNA) transfection, were fed a folate-free (FF) diet for 8 weeks, which significantly elevated the plasma Hcys level compared with mice fed normal chow. By using in vivo molecular imaging, we found that transfected shRNAs were expressed in the renal cortex starting on day 3 and continued for 24 days. The FF diet significantly increased renal ceramide production, Asm mRNA and activity, urinary total protein and albumin excretion, glomerular damage index, and NADPH-dependent superoxide production in the renal cortex from Asm / mice compared with that from Asm / or Asm shRNA-transfected wild-type mice. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that the FF diet decreased the expression of podocin but increased desmin and ceramide levels in glomeruli from Asm / mice but not in those from Asm / and Asm shRNA-transfected wild-type mice. In conclusion, our observations reveal that Asm plays a pivotal role in mediating podocyte injury and glomerular sclerosis associated with NADPH oxidase–associated local oxidative stress during hHcys. (Am J Pathol 2011, 179:2210–2219; DOI: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2011.07.019)
Space-like branes, accelerating cosmologies and the near `horizon' limit

It is known that there exist two different classes of time dependent solutions in the form of space-like (or S)-branes in the low energy M/string theory. Accelerating cosmologies are known to arise from S-branes in one class, but not in the other where the time-like holography in the dS/CFT type correspondence may be more transparent. We show how the accelerating cosmologies arise from S-branes in the other class. Although we do not get the de Sitter structure in the lowest order supergravity, the near `horizon' (t→0) limits of these S-branes are the generalized Kasner metric.
Where did we turn wrong?: unpacking the effect of culture and technology on attributions of team performance

Computer-mediated collaboration is becoming an increasingly prevalent form of work ([22]). At the same time, organizations are relying more and more on culturally diverse teams to staff knowledge-intensive projects (e.g., software development, customer service, corporate training,). We conducted a laboratory study examining the role of collaborative technologies and culture on 2-person team members' attributions of causes for their collaborative performance. Pairs of American, Chinese, and intercultural American-Chinese students collaborated on two map navigation tasks using one of three technologies: video, audio, or IM. As predicted, culture and technology interacted to affect the extent to which members attributed performance to dispositional factors (e.g., personality or mood) vs. situational factors (e.g., the technology or task difficulty). We discuss the implications of our results for cross-cultural collaborative work
Emerging Role and Targeting of Carcinoembryonic Antigen-related Cell Adhesion Molecule 6 (CEACAM6) in Human Malignancies

Background: Carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 6 (CEACAM6) is a member of the CEA family of cell adhesion proteins that belong to the immunoglobulin superfamily. CEACAM6 is normally expressed on the surface of myeloid (CD66c) and epithelial surfaces. Stiochiomertic expression of members of the CEA family (CEACAM1, 5, 6, 7) on epithelia maintains normal tissue architecture through homo-and hetero-philic interactions. Dysregulated over-expression of CEACAM6 is oncogenic, is associated with anoikis resistance and an invasive phenotype mediated by excessive TGFβ, AKT, FAK and SRC signaling in human malignancies. Methods: Extensive literature review through PubMed was conducted to identify relevant preclinical and clinical research publications regarding CEACAM6 over the last decade and was summarized in this manuscript. Results: CEACAM5 and 6 are over-expressed in nearly 70% of epithelial malignancies including colorectal cancer (CRC), pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA), hepatobiliary, gastric, breast, non-small cell lung and head/neck cancers. Importantly, CEACAM6 is a poor prognostic marker in CRC, while its expression correlates with tumor stage, metastasis and post-operative survival in PDA. CEACAM6 appears to be an immune checkpoint suppressor in hematologic malignancies including acute lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma. Several therapeutic monoclonal antibodies or antibody fragments targeting CEACAM6 have been designed and developed as a targeted therapy for human malignancies. A Llama antibody targeting CEACAM6 is being evaluated in early phase clinical trials. Conclusion: This review focuses on the role of CEACAM6 in the pathogenesis and signaling of the malignant phenotype in solid and hematologic malignancies and highlights its potential as a therapeutic target for anti-cancer therapy.
The Role of Justice in Development I: Mechanisms

Here, in the first of a pair of papers, we examine the crucial role that justice institutions play in economic development, conflict, and trust in institutions. The empirical evidence shows that justice institutions have a significant impact on credit markets and firm growth, the protection of vulnerable populations, the deterrence of violence, and people’s trust in formal institutions. As discussed in a companion paper, the data revolution brings ample opportunities to improve the efficiency, access, and quality of justice. We conclude by highlighting new research directions aimed at repositioning justice at the heart of the development discourse.