Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dental water jet efficacy in the plaque control of orthodontic patients wearing fixed appliance: A randomized controlled trial

Background Different studies assess the role of fixed orthodontic appliances in supragingival plaque accumulation. In patients wearing fixed orthodontic appliances a good management of oral hygiene is required in order to prevent complication like as decay, enamel demineralization, gingivitis, gingival hyperplasia and periodontitis. The aim of this Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT) is to evaluate the efficacy of the use of a DWJ in patients under orthodontic treatment with fixed multibracket appliance. Material and Methods The study design was single-blinded RCT with a split mouth protocol. Each patient followed a personal cleaning protocol using a DWJ in addition to traditional brushing only on one side while just brushing on the control side. The side on which was decided to use the DWJ was chosen randomly and the dental hygienist who took the measurements was blind. Plaque and gingival indexes were evaluated at baseline and at one, three and six-months follow-up. Results It did not emerge any difference in the plaque and gingival indexes trend between the two groups. Patients initially reported an worsening of the indexes at one month evaluation, then they set at baseline levels at three and six months. Conclusions The dental water jet does not improve significantly the efficacy of home oral hygiene in orthodontic patients wearing a multi-bracket fixed appliance. Patients did not show the traditional worsening during the whole orthodontic therapy. Key words:Dental water jet, fixed orthodontics, plaque index, gingival index.
A comprehensive methodology for computational fluid dynamics combustion modeling of industrial diesel engines

Combustion control and optimization is of great importance to meet future emission standards in diesel engines: increase in break mean effective pressure at high loads and extension of the operating range of advanced combustion modes seem to be the most promising solutions to reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions at the same time. Within this context, detailed computational fluid dynamics tools are required to predict the different involved phenomena such as fuel–air mixing, unsteady diffusion combustion and formation of noxious species. Detailed kinetics, consistent spray models and high quality grids are necessary to perform predictive simulations which can be used either for design or diagnostic purposes. In this work, the authors present a comprehensive approach which was developed using an open-source computational fluid dynamics code. To minimize the pre-processing time and preserve results’ accuracy, algorithms for automatic mesh generation of spray-oriented grids were developed and successfully applied to different combustion chamber geometries. The Lagrangian approach was used to describe the spray evolution while the combustion process is modeled employing detailed chemistry and, eventually, considering turbulence–chemistry interaction. The proposed computational fluid dynamics methodology was first assessed considering inert and reacting experiments in a constant-volume vessel, where operating conditions typical of heavy-duty diesel engines were reproduced. Afterward, engine simulations were performed considering two different load points and two piston bowl geometries, respectively. Experimental validation was carried out by comparing computed and experimental data of in-cylinder pressure, heat release rate and pollutant emissions (NO x , CO and soot).
Characteristics of indoor rough-and-tumble play (R&T) with physical contact between players in preschool

The purpose of this paper was to qualitatively identify and categorize the diverse characteristics of rough-and tumble play (R&T) with physical contact between players among 3- to 5-year-old children in preschool. Previous categorization of R&T has been, to a large extent, based on observations of school-age children. Thus, it is interesting to examine how younger children engage in R&T in preschool in order to obtain more descriptive data regarding the forms of physical activity play and the age-related trends through childhood. Analyses show that previous categories of R&T are applicable for indoor R&T in preschool. However, tumbling has emerged as a distinct category. This new insight contributes to the more accurate categorization of younger children’s R&T with physical contact between players, which can support the practitioner’s ability to make informed observations of individuals’ participation in R&T.
Duty Factor Is a Viable Measure to Classify Spontaneous Running Forms

Runners were classified using two different methods based on their spontaneous running form: (1) subjectively using the V®score from the Volodalen® scale, leading to terrestrial and aerial groups; and (2) objectively using the duty factor (DF), leading to high (DFhigh) and low (DFlow) DF groups. This study aimed to compare these two classification schemes. Eighty-nine runners were divided in two groups using the V®score (VOL groups) and were also ranked according to their DF. They ran on a treadmill at 12 km·h−1 with simultaneous recording of running kinematics, using a three-dimensional motion capture system. DF was computed from data as the ratio of ground contact time to stride time. The agreement (95% confidence interval) between VOL and DF groups was 79.8% (69.9%, 87.6%), with relatively high sensitivity (81.6% (68.0%, 91.2%)) and specificity (77.5% (61.6%, 89.2%)). Our results suggest that the DF and V®score reflect similar constructs and lead to similar subgroupings of spontaneous running form (aerial runners if DF < 27.6% and terrestrial runners if DF > 28.8% at 12 km·h−1). These results suggest that DF could be a useful objective measure to monitor real-time changes in spontaneous running form using wearable technology. As a forward-looking statement, spontaneous changes in running form during racing or training could assist in identifying fatigue or changes in environmental conditions, allowing for a better understanding of runners.
Unit Root Vector Autoregression with Volatility Induced Stationarity

We propose a discrete-time multivariate model where lagged levels of the process enter both the conditional mean and the conditional variance. This way we allow for the empirically observed persistence in time series such as interest rates, often implying unit-roots, while at the same time maintain stationarity despite such unit-roots. Specifically, the model bridges vector autoregressions and multivariate ARCH models in which residuals are replaced by levels lagged. An empirical illustration using recent US term structure data is given in which the individual interest rates are found to have unit roots, have no finite first-order moments, but remain strictly stationary and ergodic. Moreover, they co-move in the sense that their spread has no unit root. The model thus allows for volatility induced stationarity, and the paper shows conditions under which the multivariate process is strictly stationary and geometrically ergodic. Interestingly, these conditions include the case of unit roots and a reduced rank structure in the conditional mean, known from linear co-integration. Asymptotic theory of the maximum likelihood estimators for a particular structured case (so-called self-exciting) is provided, and it is shown that T-convergence to Gaussian distributions apply despite unit roots as well as absence of finite first and higher order moments. Monte Carlo simulations illustrate the asymptotic theory.
Influence of Single and Double Membrane Roofs on Thermal Behaviour of Enclosed Space

Even though membrane structures have been increasingly used in the world, their energy efficiency is very unfavourable due to poor thermal properties. This causes relatively high consumption of heating energy in the winter, as well energy consumed for the operation of air-conditioning during the summer, that is, under circumstances which require thermal comfort. Since thermal comfort depends on the air temperature and temperature of the interior surfaces of the envelope, this paper presents a study of the measurement and comparison of temperatures of single and double membrane structures in the summer period. Data collection was accomplished by measuring two adjacent structures, one covered with single and the other covered by a double membrane. Verification of the measured data was performed by comparing it with the official measured temperatures in the same period. The air temperatures were measured in all the separate air compartments and particular surfaces of each membrane. By analysing the measured data and their classification based on daylight and night-time periods, certain conclusions were drawn about the influence of an additional layer of membrane on the temperature of the air inside a covered structure.
Associations between cognitive errors and mental health status in New Zealand adolescents

Abstract Background: Cognitive models of psychopathology suggest that negatively biased thinking styles are involved in the development and maintenance of emotional disturbances. Aims: The present study examined the relationships between negative cognitive errors and indices of mental health status (i.e. anxiety and depression) in New Zealand adolescents. Method: A community sample of 490 youth aged 16–18 years completed an anonymous online survey consisting of the Children’s Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CNCEQ), the Trait subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Results: Negative cognitive errors correlated positively with greater levels of anxious and depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that overall cognitive error score was a strong predictor of adolescents’ self-reported anxious symptoms and, to a lesser extent, depressive symptoms. Moreover, cognitive errors significantly differentiated between adolescents with high scores from adolescents with low scores on both the anxiety (STAI-T) and the depression (CES-D) scales. Conclusions: These findings lend support to the generalizability of Beck’s cognitive theory to a New Zealand adolescent population and highlight the importance of focusing on prevention and early intervention programmes that directly target these faulty or biased ways of thinking in adolescents with anxious and/or depressive symptoms before meeting diagnostic criteria.
Endophytic Pestalotiopsis species associated with plants of Podocarpaceae, Theaceae and Taxaceae in southern China

A survey of endophytic Pestalotiopsis associated with ten plant species belonging to three families in southern China was carried out from 2001 to 2003. Colonization frequencies of endophytic Pestalotiopsis species varied with host plants, ages, tissues and sites. A total of 24 endophytic Pestalotiopsis species were isolated, of which 18, 16 and four species were obtained from Podocarpaceae, Theaceae and Taxaceae, respectively. The Shannon-Wiener diversity indices of Pestalotiopsis species in the three families were 2.22, 2.29 and 1.07, respectively. The number of Pestalotiopsis species isolated from different hosts varied from two to 16, with an average of 5.3 species per host. The community similarity of endophytic Pestalotiopsis species was higher between Podocarpaceae and Theaceae than between Podocarpaceae and Taxaceae as well as Theaceae and Taxaceae. There were higher community similarities of endophytic Pestalotiopsis species between Hangzhou and Nanning and between Hangzhou and Kunming than between Nanning and Kunming. Molecular phylogeny based on the analysis of ITS region (ITS1, 5.8S and ITS2) sequences of 41 Pestalotiopsis strains indicated that some Pestalotiopsis species could have endophytic and pathogenic stages in their life cycle. Our results support the conclusion that Pestalotiopsis species are not generally specific to host plants.
Engineering the Near-Edge Electronic Structure of SnSe through Strains

The layered semiconductor tin selenide has recently attracted much interest, particularly as a very promising candidate for thermoelectric applications. Unfortunately, natural samples are far from optimal, so the focus has been on understanding the fundamental physics for improvement through guided materials design. This work exploits the rich chemical-bonding characters of SnSe, its unusual multivalley electronic structure, and its strong electron-lattice coupling to engineering the near-edge electronic structure, with an eye toward strain-mediated $a\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}c\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}t\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}i\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}v\phantom{\rule{0}{0ex}}e$ control of device properties.
The NAO signal in daily rainfall series over the Iberian Peninsula

The North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) is the principal mode of climatic variability over the North Atlantic, playing an important role in the climate of the Iberian Peninsula. Generally, inves- tigations into the effect of the NAO over this area have been performed using data at a monthly scale. Here, we conducted a more detailed study using series of the daily rainfall over Iberia, defining sev- eral indices related to the frequency and intensity of the rainfall in this area. The objective was to search for possible relationships between these daily rainfall indices, which hold information that cannot be reproduced using monthly rainfall series, and the NAO index. The winter NAO index (wNAO) was found to have clear negative correlations with high values of both the frequency and the intensity of winter rainfall over certain regions of the peninsula, and with the winter rainfall maxima, and a positive correlation with winter dry spell maxima. The regions showing the strongest correla- tions were the west, southwest, and interior of the peninsula. While the wNAO was found to affect essentially the category of intense rainfall in this area, both in frequency and in accumulated values, other rainfall categories (especially light and moderate rainfall) were less affected by changes in the wNAO. In sum, the association between the wNAO and the winter total rainfall indices, in number of cases and in accumulated values, is primarily due to the effect that wNAO has on intense winter rainfall events.
Rational oral corticosteroid use in adult severe asthma: A narrative review

OCS play an important role in the management of asthma. However, steroid‐related AE are common and represent a leading cause of morbidity. Limited published studies suggest OCS usage varies across countries and recent registry data indicate that at least 25–60% of patients with severe asthma in developed countries may at some stage be prescribed OCS. Recent evidence indicate that many patients do not receive optimal therapy for asthma and are often prescribed maintenance OCS or repeated steroid bursts to treat exacerbations. Given the recent progress in adult severe asthma and new treatment options, judicious appraisal of steroid use is merited. A number of strategies and add‐on therapies are now available to treat severe asthma. These include increasing specialist referral for multidisciplinary assessments and implementing OCS‐sparing interventions, such as improving guideline adherence and add‐on tiotropium and macrolides. Biologics have recently become available for severe asthma; these agents reduce asthma exacerbations and lower OCS exposure. Further research, collaboration and consensus are necessary to develop a structured stewardship approach including realistic OCS‐weaning programmes for patients with severe asthma on regular OCS; education and public health campaigns to improve timely access to specialized severe asthma services for treatment optimization; and implementing targeted strategies to identify patients who warrant OCS use using objective biomarker‐based strategies.
A Miniaturized Pump Out Method for Characterizing Molecule Interaction with ABC Transporters

Characterizing interaction of newly synthetized molecules with efflux pumps remains essential to improve their efficacy and safety. Caco-2 cell line cultivated on inserts is widely used for measuring apparent permeability of drugs across biological barriers, and for estimating their interaction with efflux pumps such as P-gp, BCRP and MRPs. However, this method remains time consuming and expensive. In addition, detection method is required for measuring molecule passage across cell monolayer and false results can be generated if drugs concentrations used are too high as demonstrated with quinidine. For this reason, we developed a new protocol based on the use of Caco-2 cell directly seeded on 96- or 384-well plates and the use of fluorescent substrates for efflux pumps. We clearly observed that the new method reduces costs for molecule screening and leads to higher throughput compared to traditional use of Caco-2 cell model. This accelerated model could provide quick feedback regarding the molecule design during the early stage of drug discovery and therefore reduce the number of compounds to be further evaluated using the traditional Caco-2 insert method.
Estimation of Malaria-Attributable Fever in Malaria Test-Positive Febrile Outpatients in Three Provinces of Mozambique, 2018.

Like most malaria-endemic countries, Mozambique relies on tabulation of confirmed malaria test-positive febrile patients to track incidence of malaria. However, this approach is potentially biased by incidental malaria parasitemia in patients with fever of another etiology. We compared pan-Plasmodium aldolase and lactate dehydrogenase and Plasmodium falciparum HRP2 antigen concentrations measured using a laboratory bead-based assay of samples collected from 1,712 febrile and afebrile patients of all ages in Maputo, Zambézia, and Cabo Delgado provinces. We used a Bayesian latent class model to estimate the proportion of malaria-attributable fevers in malaria test-positive febrile patients. Depending on the antigen, estimated rates of malaria-attributable fever in malaria test-positive febrile patients were 100% in Maputo, 33-58% in Zambézia, and 63-74% in Cabo Delgado. Our findings indicate that most malaria test-positive febrile patients in the three provinces of Mozambique had a fever that was likely caused by the concurrent malaria infection. Counting malaria test-positive febrile patients for estimation of malaria incidence appears to be appropriate in this setting.
Gliadin Intake Causes Disruption of the Intestinal Barrier and an Increase in Germ Cell Apoptosis in A Caenorhabditis Elegans Model

Gliadin is a major protein component of gluten and causes gluten toxicity through intestinal stress. We previously showed that gliadin intake induces oxidative stress in the intestine and reduces fertility in a Caenorhabditis elegans model. To elucidate the possible link between intestinal stress and reproduction, changes in the intestine and germ cells of C. elegans after gliadin intake were examined at the molecular level. Gliadin intake increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in the intestine, decreased intestinal F-actin levels, and increased germ cell apoptosis. These gliadin-triggered effects were suppressed by antioxidant treatment. These results suggest that ROS production in the intestine induced by gliadin intake causes disruption of intestinal integrity and increases germ cell apoptosis. Gliadin-induced germ cell apoptosis (GIGA) was suppressed by depletion of cep-1, ced-13, egl-1, or mpk-1. However, HUS-1 was not activated, suggesting that GIGA is activated through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway and is CEP-1-dependent but is a separate pathway from that controlling the DNA damage response. Taken together, our results suggest that gliadin causes intestinal barrier disruption through ROS production and interacts with the germ cells to reduce fertility through GIGA.
Combining Contextualized Embeddings and Prior Knowledge for Clinical Named Entity Recognition: Evaluation Study

Background Named entity recognition (NER) is a key step in clinical natural language processing (NLP). Traditionally, rule-based systems leverage prior knowledge to define rules to identify named entities. Recently, deep learning–based NER systems have become more and more popular. Contextualized word embedding, as a new type of representation of the word, has been proposed to dynamically capture word sense using context information and has proven successful in many deep learning–based systems in either general domain or medical domain. However, there are very few studies that investigate the effects of combining multiple contextualized embeddings and prior knowledge on the clinical NER task. Objective This study aims to improve the performance of NER in clinical text by combining multiple contextual embeddings and prior knowledge. Methods In this study, we investigate the effects of combining multiple contextualized word embeddings with classic word embedding in deep neural networks to predict named entities in clinical text. We also investigate whether using a semantic lexicon could further improve the performance of the clinical NER system. Results By combining contextualized embeddings such as ELMo and Flair, our system achieves the F-1 score of 87.30% when only training based on a portion of the 2010 Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside NER task dataset. After incorporating the medical lexicon into the word embedding, the F-1 score was further increased to 87.44%. Another finding was that our system still could achieve an F-1 score of 85.36% when the size of the training data was reduced to 40%. Conclusions Combined contextualized embedding could be beneficial for the clinical NER task. Moreover, the semantic lexicon could be used to further improve the performance of the clinical NER system.
AC Electrothermal Effect in Microfluidics: A Review

The electrothermal effect has been investigated extensively in microfluidics since the 1990s and has been suggested as a promising technique for fluid manipulations in lab-on-a-chip devices. The purpose of this article is to provide a timely overview of the previous works conducted in the AC electrothermal field to provide a comprehensive reference for researchers new to this field. First, electrokinetic phenomena are briefly introduced to show where the electrothermal effect stands, comparatively, versus other mechanisms. Then, recent advances in the electrothermal field are reviewed from different aspects and categorized to provide a better insight into the current state of the literature. Results and achievements of different studies are compared, and recommendations are made to help researchers weigh their options and decide on proper configuration and parameters.