Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of canal stenosis of herniated lumbar disc and its correlation to anterior-posterior diameter with magnetic resonance imaging morphometry

Background: The term disc prolapse is defined as extrusion of nucleus pulposus through a rent in annulus fibrosus. This prolapse disc causes impairment of function by nerve root compression compelling the patient to seek medical advice for low backache. A lumbar herniated disc is a common cause of low back pain radiating to the leg. The problem of prolapsed intervertebral disc is of great importance in this part of the world, because of the fact that people are subjected to various physical stress due to their living habits, low socioeconomic status. Ninety percent of lumbar disc extrusions occur at L4- L5or L5-S1. Central lesion may cause no symptoms with the exiting nerve roots unaffected whereas paracentral lesions cause symptoms due to compression of the exiting nerve root. Radio imaging technique has a pivotal role in the diagnosis of vertebral disc herniation. Various radiological procedures are used for the diagnosis, but MRI which is a relatively newer technique is treated as the gold standard in the field. Aim of the Study: In the present study, an attempt is made to establish the anatomy of herniated lumbar disc by the help of MRI technique in the patients of Eastern India & to correlate the occurance of disc herniation with age, sex & vertebral level. Methods and Material: The present study included 120 patients who have lumbar disc herniation syndrome & their MRI findingd are compared with MRI findings of 80 normal persons who are used as control. Results and Conclusions: The different parameters are compared & observed that the maximum number of disc prolapse occurs between 31- 40 age group. Taking the vertebral level into consideration, it is seen maximum number of herniation occurs at the level of L4- L5.
Cleft Lip and Palate in Tehran

Seventy-nine cleft lip and/or palate births were isolated from 21,138 live births between January 1, 1983 and December 31, 1988 in one hospital in Tehran. Among these, 21 (26.58 percent) were cleft lip (CL), 45 (56.96 percent) were cleft lip and palate (CLP), and 13 (16.45 percent) were cleft palate (CP). Chemical sulfur mustard gas was indicated as a major factor in 30 (37.97 percent) of the bilateral cleft lip and palate infants.
Three-Dimensional Computer Morphometry of the Maxilla and Face in Infants with Pierre Robin Sequence-A Comparative Study

Objective: To analyze the morphology of the maxillary crest in infants with Pierre Robin sequence using an anthropometric coordinate system and to compare the data with those of healthy infants. Setting: The study was performed at a craniofacial center servicing a large geographic area. Participants: The study involved eight infants aged 1–28 days (average, 7 days) with an established diagnosis of Pierre Robin sequence and six healthy infants aged 1–43 days (average, 22 days). Main Outcome Measures: Physical models of the maxilla and face obtained by alginate replication were analyzed by computer morphometry yielding the three-dimensional topology of the maxillary crest. Results: The maxillary crest of children with Pierre Robin sequence shows an increased inclination relative to the transverse plane (30 6 3.9 degrees) as compared with that of healthy infants (20 6 2.9 degrees). The maxillary crest of the patients is shortened in the sagittal direction by comparison with healthy controls. Conclusions: The increased inclination of the maxilla in infants with Pierre Robin sequence may aggravate the retroposition of the mandible and may thus be a pathogenetic factor contributing to the severe respiratory problems.
Knowledge, attitude and practices among patients of epilepsy attending tertiary hospital in Delhi, India and a review of Indian studies

Stigmatized psychosocial perception poses a serious challenge and source of discrimination which impedes epilepsy patients from attaining a satisfactory quality of life. The present study was aimed to obtain information on knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of epilepsy patients in Delhi and compare with the published data from India. We included 120 people with epilepsy (PWE) attending the Neurology outpatient services of the Institute of Human Behavior and Allied Sciences (IHBAS), Delhi. Demographic details and responses to a questionnaire assessing the knowledge, attitude and practices were recorded. Although majority of the patients belonged to low socioeconomic strata, the literacy rate was reasonably high (70%). A large majority (94%) of PWE had heard about epilepsy and 91% knew that epilepsy can be treated with modern drugs. Positive attitude was observed with respect to allowing a child with epilepsy to study (80%), not objecting children to play with a child with epilepsy (95%), marriage (89%) and having children (92%). Negative attitude was refl ected in the belief that epilepsy is due to supernatural powers (16%) and sins committed by patient or ancestors (21%). Analysis of Indian data revealed regional differences in KAP which could be attributed to local factors, such as literacy, awareness about epilepsy, and practice of different systems of medicine. Some of the differences can also be attributed to category of study population whether it included patients or non epilepsy individuals, since the former are likely to have less negative attitudes than the public. There is a need to create awareness about epilepsy on a nation-wide basis to dispel the misconceptions and stigma through effective and robust programs with the aim to lessen the disease burden.
Selected Socio-demographic Factors as a Correlates of Child Abuse and Neglect among Parents in Ibadan, Oyo State

Abstract This study examined four socio-demographic factors associated with child abuse among parents in Ibadan metropolis which include: economic status, large family size, parent’s upbringing and single parenthood. The descriptive survey research design was used. Simple random sampling techniques was used to select two thousand and sixty three subjects from the five metropolitan local government areas in Ibadan viz: Ibadan North, Ibadan North East, Ibadan North West, Ibadan South East, Ibadan South West. Chisquare was used to test the four hypotheses set at 0.05 alpha level. The findings of the study established that factors examined contributed significantly to the incidence of child abuse among parents in various degrees. It was recommended that government at all levels should pursue their poverty reduction and eradication programmes with vigour to stop child abuse due to poverty; population and family life education is necessary for all citizens to create awareness on the need to control family size for improved quality life; religious institutions should concentrate attention on premarital counseling and organize conferences, seminars and workshops focused on acquisition of parenting skills so as to stop or at least reduce the cases of child abuse associated with poor patterns of child rearing.
Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants in Biu local government area of Borno state, Nigeria

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out among the people of Biu Local Government Area of Borno State through the use of semi-structured questionnaire. Respondents included traditional medicine practitioners (TMP) and herbal medicine sellers. The survey was to identify the medicinal plants in this area, how these medicinal plants are sourced, used, preserved and the problems confronting the traditional medicine practitioners and hawkers in the area. Results obtained show that 27 plant species from 24 families were identified as medicinal plants, while the people sourced their medicinal plants from uncultivated land, protected forests and farms. The survey discovered some of the local uses of these plants and the different ailments they cured which include fever, diarrhoea, anaemia, snake bite and others. The majority of the traditional medicine practitioners and hawkers of medicinal plants had no formal education, mostly males with 5-8 years of practicing. The major problems confronting the practitioners and hawkers were transportation and police harassment.
Measuring time preferences and anticipation: a lab experiment*

Several biases related to time preferences, in particular present and future biases, have important consequences on economic decisions. Present bias concerns individuals’ self-control problem. Future bias can be defined as the anticipatory emotions individuals feel in the period preceding the consequences of their decision. Individual’s acumen for anticipating also has economics consequences. The individual aware of his bias seeks to constrain his action to overcome the consequences of his bias. Whereas a naive individual does not anticipate his bias and might choose the wrong commitment or the wrong action plan. This paper proposes a methodology for eliciting anticipation of time preferences using a lab experiment. Though extensive literature exists on the measurement of time preferences and related biases, scant attention has been given to the elicitation of the anticipation of these biases. Thus, this paper reports on a lab experiment in two rounds with the same subjects. The second round elicits their time preferences regarding the temporal allocation of monetary rewards, whereas the first round elicits their anticipation of their allocation choices. I find that even though a majority of the participants can not be considered as biased and accurately anticipate their time preferences, when they are biased, both presentor future-biased participants tend to be naive about their bias, i.e., they underestimate their bias.
Validation of reference genes for quantitative expression analysis by qPCR in various tissues of date mussel (Lithophaga lithophaga)

qPCR is a very popular method for identifying nucleotide sequences as a result of its sensitivity and relatively low cost and technical simplicity. Normalization is one of the most important steps in analyzing qPCR data and the use of reference genes is the most common normalization strategy. In the present study five commonly used reference genes (18S, 28S, ef1a, β-act, and α-tub) were evaluated for their stability in the mantle, gill, foot, and pallial gland of date mussel (L. lithophaga) in different seasons. Four different software packages were used for evaluation: geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and RefFinder. Although these programs contain different algorithms and analytical procedures, their ranking of the candidate reference genes was similar. Of the five selected reference genes 18S, 28S, and ef1a were determined as the three most stable in different tissues and seasons. A-tub was evaluated as the least stable reference gene and therefore inappropriate for normalization of quantitative gene expression data. The results will help improve the accuracy of gene expression analysis in samples of date mussel and at the same time provide guidance for selection of reference genes in future qPCR studies in the species.
Bunching on the Autobahn: Speeding responses to a stepwise penalty scheme

This paper studies drivers’ responses to a ‘notched’ penalty scheme in which speeding penalties are stepwise and discontinuously increasing in speed. We first present survey evidence suggesting that drivers in Germany are well aware of the notched penalty structure. Based on a simple analytical framework we then analyze the impact of the notches on drivers’ optimal speed choices. The model’s predictions are confronted with data on more than 150,000 speeding tickets from the Autobahn and 290,000 speed measures from a traffic monitoring system. The data provide evidence on bunching, despite several institutional features working against it. We discuss normative implications from our findings and assess the scope for welfare gains from moving from a simple, notched penalty scheme to a more complex but less salient Pigouvian scheme. JEL-Classification: K4, D04, R41
Psychological Functioning of Children with Craniofacial Anomalies and Their Mothers: Follow-Up from Late Infancy to School Entry

Twenty-three mothers and their 5- to 7-year-old children with craniofacial anomalies (CFA) who were assessed during the child's infancy were followed. Three types of CFA were Included: cleft lip and palate (CLP), isolated cleft palate (CP), and sagittal synostosis. Measures of child status focused on behavior-problem frequency and self-concept. Mothers completed self-report measures of emotional well-being, marital satisfaction, and social support. Results Indicated that (1) a sizable minority (18%) of the children with CFA had clinically significant behavior-problem scores shown in concordant reports by parent and teacher of behavior problems; (2) Individual differences In child functioning within the CFA group were predicted by observational measures of earlier mother-Infant interaction during play and teaching situations; (3) mothers of children with CLP reported less favorable social support than mothers of children with CP or sagittal synostosis.
Management of Alveolar Cleft Bone Grafting—State of the Art

Overview: Bone grafting of the alveolus is an essential step in the reconstruction of the orofacial cleft deformity. Secondary grafting with iliac marrow consistently produces trabecular bone to unify the maxilla and provide odontogenic support. It requires preoperative maxillary alignment, well designed mucoperiosteal flaps, and good oral hygiene to be optimally successful. Its high success rate currently makes it the preferred approach at most centers. Primary grafting with rib results in a unified maxilla, eliminates the oronasal fistula, and does not adversely affect midfacial growth. It assists in preventing maxillary segmental collapse, particularly in the bilateral cleft patient. Whether it can produce enough alveolar bone to support long-term odontogenic needs awaits further clinical documentation in the limited numbers of centers that routinely perform this procedure.
Impact of Education on Entrepreneurial Intentions among Students in Republic of North Macedonia

Entrepreneurship contributes to the development of small businesses which play a crucial role in the economic growth, productivity gains and job creation. Many authors argue that education is one of the main factors which may stimulate entrepreneurial intentions. Therefore, in this paper we explore the educational impact on entrepreneurial intentions among students in Republic of North Macedonia. We build the research on the basis of the Ajzen‟s Theory of planned behavior (TPB) that explains intentions by means of attitudes, perceived behavioral control and subjective norms. The research instrument and the sample were adopted from Global University Entrepreneurial Spirit Students‟ Survey from 2016 th and the sample envisaged 124 students from 3 universities on the territory of Republic of North Macedonia. The results identified that Perceived behavioral control differs between the students being exposed to entrepreneurial education and those who were not. Also, we identified that the university atmosphere is connected to the entrepreneurial intentions and students with entrepreneurial skills and knowledge possess higher entrepreneurial intentions. Attitude toward behavior has positive correlation with university atmosphere so exposing students to entrepreneurship training is expected to mobilize their attitudes and to have a positive effect on intentions to start a new business (Armitage & Conner, 2001) AICEI Proceedings, 2019, Volume 14, Issue 1
Mandibular Dysmorphology in Unicoronal Synostosis and Plagiocephaly without Synostosis

Patients with unicoronal synostosis (UCS) or plagiocephaly without synostosis (PWS) have distinctive skull dysmorphologies. Associated mandibular dymorphologies have been suspected but not quantified. This study was performed to test the hypothesis that discrete mandibular dysmorphology exists in both UCS and PWS. All patients at a tertiary referral center at a medical school-affiliated children's hospital with confirmed diagnosis of UCS or PWS with adequate pretreatment CT data were included in the study population, which population was comprised of 20 UCS, 23 PWS, and 8 normal infants. Each patient had a head CT scan using 2-mm slices. 3-D images were created using AnalyzeTM, a biomedical imaging program. The mandibles were isolated, and the coordinates of 8 landmarks were sampled from each mandible by a single investigator: a single volume value was measured, and 9 linear distances and 4 angles were calculated. Corresponding measurements from each hemimandible were expressed as ratios of ipsilateral/contra lateral side. In UCS, the affected side was defined as the side ipsilateral to the synostosis; in PWS, the affected side was defined as the side ipsilateral to the occipital flattening. The results from both groups were t tested for statistical significance. For UCS, statistically significant (p < .001) findings included: ipsilateral hemimandibular volume 5% smaller than contralateral; affected hemimandibular body length 1.9% shorter; affected gonial angle 2.6% more acute; affected coronoid process tilted anteriorly 2.5%; and distances from condylion and tip of the coronoid process to the chin landmarks 4% shorter on the affected side. For PWS, significant findings included: affected hemimandibular volume 3.8% larger; ramal height 3.5% shorter; mandibular body length 3% longer; and coronoid process tilted anteriorly by 2.3% on the affected side. In the UCS/PWS comparison, findings included: affected hemimandibular volume in UCS 8.7% less; affected gonial angle in UCS 3% more acute; affected mandibular corpus length in UCS 5% shorter; distances from the condylion and the tip of the coronoid process to the chin landmarks 4% shorter on the affected side in UCS. The hypothesized presence of diagnosis specific mandibular dysmorphology in UCS and PWS is confirmed. This analysis forms the baseline for study of the effects of unperturbed growth or therapeutic interventions upon the dentoskeletal dysmorphology of these anomalies.
AMELIORATIVE ROLE OF SPIRULINA AND TAMARIND FRUIT PULP ON GEN- ERAL HEALTH AND LIVER OF FLUORIDE EXPOSED SWISS ALBINO MICE

Hepatoprotective role of 2 diet supplements {Spirulina and tamarind fruit pulp (@ 230 mg/kg body weight)} is reported in the male Swiss albino mice exposed to fluoride (sub-acute @ 190 mg/kg bwt. for 7 days and sub-chronic @ 94 mg/kg bwt. for 90 days) including recovery of sub-chronic group after fluoride with drawl. The diets served were; standard chow alone and in combination with Spirulina/ tamarind fruit pulp/ Spirulina + tamarind fruit pulp. Standard protocols were followed for assessing histopathology and tissue biochemistry of liver and selective parameters of serum biochemistry. Compared with controls, there were reductions in feed intake (6-16%), body (18%) and liver (25%) weights of F treated and post-treated mice of standard feed groups. Histopathological disorders in the liver were; hydropic degeneration and vacuolization of hepatocytes, dilation of portal and central vein (12-123%), mononuclear and periportal inflammation and increase in Kupffer cell counts (21-25%) particularly in F treatments of standard feed groups. F exposure increased protein in the liver. AST and ALT levels declined in the serum of sub-acute treatments of standard feed groups were raised in sub-chronic treatments. In comparison to sub-chronic exposure, sub-acute exposure was found to be more toxic to the mice. Fluoride toxicity was comparatively less in the diet supplement groups and Spirulina in combination with tamarind was found to be the most protective.
Risk of diabetic foot ulceration: perception and behavioural change

Patients with diabetes must have an accurate understanding of their perceived risk of diabetic foot complications, although this alone does not demonstrate that preventive measures are being taken to avoid this risk. Various theories of health behaviour have been suggested to explain why people fail to engage in positive health behaviour. An understanding of where a patient might be in the process of behavioural change may enable the practitioner to select the intervention that might prove most effective for that patient.
Phenotypic and Molecular Analyses of A/WySn Mice

Objective: Since its first description, the A strain of mice have been utilized extensively as models to study the processes involved in clefting of the midfacial region. Of the A substrains, the A/WySn has a spontaneous rate of clefting of the lip of about 20% to 30%. The A/WySn mouse model was utilized in this study to analyze and compare the phenotypic and molecular changes in the midfacial region of embryos with and without cleft. Results: Scanning electron microscopy and skeletal and cartilage preparations of newborn A/WySn pups showed the presence of bilateral and unilateral clefts of the lips and the disruption of the skeletal and cartilaginous components of the mice with clefts of the lip. The expression of the msx1 homeobox gene was analyzed by whole mount in situ hybridization of A/WySn embryos at different stages of midfacial development. The results showed that there was misregulation of the expression of the msx1 gene in embryos with cleft, with a persistence of expression in the distal growing tips of the midfacial processes and in areas that have fused in normal embryos without cleft. Conclusions: Although the genetic defect in A/WySn mice is not known, a possible candidate gene has been mapped to a corresponding human chromosome carrying retinoic acid receptor a, and there exists a possibility that msx1 is in the same genetic pathway affected by the mutation of the gene in A/WySn.
Electricity Consumption, Future Earnings, and Stock Returns

In this paper, we examine whether the changes of electricity consumption are informative about future profitability and if so whether investors incorporate the implications of electricity consumption for future earnings in stock prices. To the extent that electricity consumption is necessary to produce goods and services and represents a firm’s real production activity, we anticipate that electricity consumption is a leading indicator for future sales and earnings. Using hand-collected data on electricity consumption for Korean firms for the sample period of 2006 – 2014, we find a positive association between changes in electricity consumption and subsequent earnings even after controlling for other factors that may affect future profitability. More importantly, we find that changes in electricity consumption predict future stock returns. A positive relation between electricity changes and future returns still holds even after controlling for various risk factors. A hedged portfolio strategy that purchases the top quintile of the changes of electricity consumption and sells the bottom quintile of the changes of electricity consumption leads to an economically significant 3.36 to 6.48 percent annual abnormal return. Overall, our findings suggest that firms’ electricity consumption is useful in predicting future profitability and investors do not fully assimilate the implications of electricity consumption for future profitability.