Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Personalised Fuzzy Recommendation for High Involvement Products

In this paper we introduce a content-based recommendation approach for assisting buyers of high involvement products with their purchasing choice. The approach incorporates a group-based, fuzzy multi-criteria method and provides personalized recommendation to end-users of e-Furniture. E-Furniture is an agent-based system that offers decision making and process networking solutions to furniture manufacturing SMEs. Two are the main characteristics of the proposed approach: (i) it handles vagueness in customer preferences and seller evaluations on furniture products by utilizing the 2-tuple fuzzy linguistic information processing model and ii) it follows a similarity degree-based aggregation technique to derive an objective assessment for furniture bundles and individual furniture products that can match the customer preferences. A numerical example is given as a proof of concept, to demonstrate the applicability of the approach for providing recommendations to customers.
Early pregnancy Selective karyotyping in recurrent miscarriage : are recommended guidelines adopted in daily clinical practice ?

E. van den Boogaard 1,*, R.P.M.G. Hermens2, H.R. Verhoeve3, J.A.M. Kremer4, F. van der Veen1, A.C. Knegt5, and M. Goddijn1 Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Academic Medical Centre, PO box 22660, 1100 DD Amsterdam, Netherlands Scientific Institute for Quality of Health Care (IQ healthcare), Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Amsterdam, Netherlands Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, Netherlands Department of Clinical Genetics, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Is Zoledronate Toxic to Human Periodontal Fibroblasts?

Exposed necrotic alveolar bone is a hallmark of bisphosphonate-related osteonecrosis of the jaw. However, it is unknown whether zoledronate causes soft-tissue damage via adverse actions toward periodontal fibroblasts. We therefore examined whether zoledronate causes a cytotoxic response in fibroblasts isolated from the gingiva and the periodontal ligament. We report that micromolar concentrations of zoledronate and serum-free conditions decreased cell activity, as measured by assays for formazan formation, proliferation, and protein synthesis. Under these conditions, periodontal fibroblasts underwent apoptosis and necrosis, as indicated by cleavage of PARP and membrane disruption, respectively. However, these adverse effects of zoledronate were mitigated by the presence of serum. Moreover, zoledronate bound to calcium phosphate failed to reduce cell activity. Analysis of these data suggests that the cytotoxic responses of periodontal fibroblasts require high concentrations of zoledronate and depend on the in vitro experimental conditions. Whether these findings translate into soft-tissue damage will require further investigation.
Hepatitis B Outbreak Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, Serbia.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reported that there were 2896 acute hepatitis B cases in 24 EU/EEA countries in 2013.1 The incidence ranged from 0.1 cases per 100,000 in France and Portugal to 4.3 per 100,000 in Latvia, with a male-to-female ratio of 2.2:1 in EU/EEA countries, and transmission among men who have sex with men (MSM) reported in 9.4% of all cases of acute hepatitis B.1 Some authors consider hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection to be endemic in the MSM population with the incidence 20 times higher in MSM than in the general population worldwide.2 However, data on HBV prevalence among MSM are available for only four EU/EEA countries.3 Six to ten percent of MSM infected with HBV worldwide are co-infected with HIV.4 In
Influence of external forces (pressure and shear force) on superficial layer and subcutis of porcine skin and effects of dressing materials: Are dressing materials beneficial for reducing pressure and shear force in tissues?

The purpose of this study was to measure the impact of external shear force and pressure on a superficial layer of skin and subcutaneous layer with an underlying bony prominence, and also to verify how the influence of these external forces can be reduced after dressings are applied. For this purpose, an experimental model was prepared, consisting of porcine skin and a Predia sensor capable of measuring pressure and shear force simultaneously. External force was applied to the skin model using a 1 kg weight consisting of metal beads. As a result, the control of the shear force value in the subcutaneous layer became approximately 35% smaller than the control in the superficial layer. The shear forces present in the subcutaneous layer were significantly reduced to within 31–45% when compared with the control values, depending on the dressing applied. Regarding the maximum pressures in the subcutaneous layer, the pressure measured following movement was 2.4 times higher in the control than the static pressure and they were also 1.3–1.8 times higher than the static pressure in all instances with the dressing tested. All the dressing materials tested proved to be effective in reducing pressure in the subcutaneous layer compared with the control. Film dressings and hydrocolloid dressings were more effective than hydropolymer and hydrocellular dressings. From the above results, we conclude that efforts made to reduce shear force and pressure may be clinically important.
TWO FORMS OF SECONDARY HAWAIIAN VOLCANISM A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOLOGY AND GEOPHYSICS

This thesis addresses causes of two forms of secondary Hawaiian volcanism: rejuvenated onshore eruptions and offshore Hawaiian Arch flows. It is proposed that secondary volcanism is generated as a direct consequence of lithospheric flexural uplift that surrounds new volcanic shields as they grow. This uplift causes decompression of the underlying asthenosphere, which is assumed to be chemically and isotopically heterogeneous, near its solidus, and derived from the Hawaiian mantle plume. Uplift is modeled as the axisymmetric response of an elastic plate to a (volcanic) point load that grows linearly in time. To model flow in the asthenosphere, the rate of flexure of the lithosphere is taken as the upper boundary condition on an isoviscous, incompressible, fluid half-space. The first feature of secondary volcanism this model explains is the observed spatial gap between secondary volcanism and active shields. Best agreement is found with the majority of the observed spatial gaps with a lithosphere of effective elastic thickness Te =25-35 km. Secondly, this work demonstrates that the flexural model can produce observed crustal production if some magma focusing toward individual eruption sites occurs from the mantle over an area two to ten times the eruption area. The third feature this model addresses is that secondary lavas are isotopically distinct from shield lavas. In this model, melting the same two-component mantle forms the secondary and shield lavas, but the components are sampled by melting at rates that differ between the locations as predictable functions of depth. Flexural decompression produces melts that preferentially sample the mantle component that begins melting shallowest and which is associated with Sr and Nd isotope ratios most like those of secondary lavas. Melting in the center of a mantle plume is assumed to generate shield volcanism and is predicted to iv preferentially sample the component that begins melting deepest which is associated with Sr and Nd isotope ratios more similar to shield lavas. Models therefore successfully predict the observed mean difference in 87Sr/86Sr and 143Nd/Nd compositions between the secondary and shield lavas. The fourth feature addressed is that secondary lavas are alkalic and shield lavas are dominantly tholeiitic. To explain this difference, the mean extent of partial melting is computed, and it is found that a model plume composed mostly of depleted peridotite (90%) and some pyroxenite (10%) will yield a lower extent of melting for secondary lavas than shield lavas. This particular model assumes lithospheric thicknesses (90-100 km) and plume potential temperatures (mean of 1550 °C) that are consistent with independent studies of the Hawaiian hotspot. Thus, asthenospheric melting by flexural decompression is a viable mechanism of intraplate volcanism, which can explain many general characteristics of secondary Hawaiian volcanism.
Efficiency of irrigation water application in sugarcane cultivation in Pakistan.

BACKGROUND Diminishing irrigation water supplies are threatening the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in Pakistan. Within the context of dwindling water resources and low agricultural water productivity, it is imperative to improve efficiency in agricultural production and to make efficient use of available water resources. This study employs a non-parametric approach to estimate the extent of technical and irrigation water efficiency in sugarcane cultivation in Pakistan. RESULTS The mean technical efficiency score is 0.96 for tube-well owners whereas it is 0.94 for water buyers. The mean irrigation water efficiency score is 0.86 for tube-well owners whereas it is 0.72 for water buyers. We find that across all farms, 59% of the tube-well owners and 45% of the water buyers are fully technically efficient, whereas only 36% of the tube-well owners and 30% of the water buyer are fully efficient in irrigation water use. CONCLUSIONS This study finds that sugarcane growers are operating at fairly high technical efficiency levels. But, there is considerable potential to improve irrigation water efficiency. This study proposes expanding the role of agricultural extension services from merely agronomic grounds to guide farmers to undertake cost benefit analysis of the available production technology, would help achieve higher efficiency levels.
Corneal structure and sensitivity in type 1 diabetes mellitus.

PURPOSE Corneal wound healing is impaired in diabetic cornea. The purpose of this study was to examine patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus for changes in corneal morphology and to correlate corneal sensitivity, subbasal nerve morphology, and degree of polyneuropathy with each other. METHODS Forty-four eyes of 23 patients with diabetes and nine control eyes were included. Corneal sensitivity was tested with a Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer (Luneau, Paris, France), and corneal morphology and epithelial and corneal thickness were determined by in vivo confocal microscopy. The density of subbasal nerves was evaluated by calculating the number of long subbasal nerve fiber bundles per confocal microscopic field. The degree of polyneuropathy was evaluated using the clinical part of the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) classification, and retinopathy was evaluated using fundus photographs. RESULTS A reduction of long nerve fiber bundles per image was noted to have occurred already in patients with mild to moderate neuropathy, but corneal mechanical sensitivity was reduced only in patients with severe neuropathy. Compared with control subjects the corneal thickness was increased in patients with diabetes without neuropathy. The epithelium of patients with diabetes with severe neuropathy was significantly thinner than that of patients with diabetes without neuropathy. CONCLUSIONS Confocal microscopy appears to allow early detection of beginning neuropathy, because decreases in nerve fiber bundle counts precede impairment of corneal sensitivity. Apparently, the cornea becomes thicker in a relatively early stage of diabetes but does not further change with the degree of neuropathy. A reduction in neurotrophic stimuli in severe neuropathy may induce a thin epithelium that may lead to recurrent erosions.
A toast to health and performance! Beetroot juice lowers blood pressure and the O2 cost of exercise.

the pioneering work of scientists such as A. V. Hill ([7][1]) and August Krogh ([10][2]), investigating the dynamics of O2 uptake during exercise, challenged our understanding of bioenergetics and energy homeostasis. Applied physiologists continue to advance our knowledge of altered energy transfer
Effects of Pediococcus spp. on the Quality of Vacuum-Packed Horse Mackerel during Cold Storage

Istavrit ( Trachurus trachurus , Linnaeus 1758) filetolari bakteriosin-benzeri metabolit ureten ve uretmeyen Pediococcus spp. ile ikonule edilmis (7 log CFU/g), ve daha sonra vakum paketlenerek depolanmistir (4 o C/10 gun). Inokule edilmis orneklerin duyusal puanlari depolama suresince kontrollerden yuksektir (p 0.05). Boylece her ne kadar uygulama yapilmis orneklerin duyusal kalitesi daha iyiyse de kullanilan Pediococcus spp. ’un istavrit filetolarinin ozellikle dusuk sicaklikta muhafaza edilmesi konusunda yeterli olmadigi sonucuna varilmistir.
Estimation of liver size for liver transplantation: The impact of age and gender

In general, the liver is considered to be larger in males than in females. In the present study, data on liver weight from 728 legal autopsies were analyzed with respect to gender, age, body height (BH), body weight (BW), body mass index (BMI), and body surface area (BSA). Descriptive statistics revealed that liver weight increases with age, reaching maximum values between 41 and 50 years in men and between 51 and 60 years in women. Thereafter, liver weight decreases again. Because this loss in liver weight starts earlier in men while liver weight continues to rise in women, the difference in liver weight between men and women is lost above the age of 50. Thus, this age defines a threshold value below which gender is expected to be a critical factor in the calculation of liver weight. When demographic data mentioned above were subjected to multiple stepwise linear regression analysis, liver weight (LW) was best predicted in younger people (16–50 years) by body weight, age, and gender: LW (g) = 452 + 16.34 × BW + 11.85 × age − 166 × gender (r2 = 0.381; “gender”: 1 = female, 0 = male). In contrast, in elderly people (51–70 years) LW was best predicted by BW and age only. Gender was not a significant factor. LW (g) = 1390 + 15.94 × BW − 12.86 × age (r2 = 0.35). When these formulas were applied to demographic data from 97 organ donors and compared to published formulas (which, however, do not consider the age‐dependent effects of gender), the new formulas best predicted male to female liver weight ratios in younger and elderly donors. In conclusion, the new formulas might better predict liver weight in organ donors and transplant recipients to avoid liver size mismatch. (Liver Transpl 2004;10:678–685.)
A Prospective Randomized Study Comparing Arthroscopic Single-Bundle and Double-Bundle Posterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstructions Preserving Remnant Fibers

Background: Several controversies exist regarding the superiority of double-bundle (DB) posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) reconstruction versus single-bundle (SB) reconstruction, although DB reconstruction has been shown to restore the intact knee kinematics more closely than SB reconstruction. Hypothesis: Double-bundle PCL reconstruction will present better results than SB reconstruction in postoperative outcomes. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: The authors prospectively analyzed 25 cases of SB reconstruction and 28 cases of DB reconstruction using Achilles tendon allograft with a minimum 2-year follow-up. They compared preoperative and postoperative range of motion, posterior stability by posterior stress radiography, Tegner activity score, Lysholm score, and International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective knee evaluation form and knee examination form between the 2 groups. Results: There was no difference in range of motion, Tegner activity score, Lysholm score, and IKDC subjective knee evaluation form between the 2 groups at last follow-up. The side-to-side difference in posterior translation significantly improved in both groups. There was no preoperative difference in posterior instability between the groups but a significant difference at last follow-up. On the IKDC knee examination form, the DB reconstruction group presented better results in grade distribution. Conclusion: The DB reconstruction for PCL ruptures using the Achilles allograft showed better results in posterior stability and IKDC knee examination form than the SB reconstruction did. Although the difference of 1.4 mm in posterior stability was statistically significant, it is unclear that DB reconstruction is definitely superior to SB reconstruction clinically and functionally because there was no difference in the subjective scores.
Growth Performance of Crossbred Lambs and Productivity of Kurdi Ewes as Affected by the Sire Breed under Extensive Production System

Crossbreeding of four Iranian fat-tailed sheep breeds, namely Kurdi (K), Chaal (C), Afshari (A) and Sanjabi (S) was carried out to determine the ram breed effects on productivity of Kurdi fat-tailed ewes (K) under extensive production system. A total of 475 Kurdi ewes were mated to 24 rams from the above four breeds resulting in 454 lambs. Ram breed had a significant influence on early growth traits of the lambs. Lambs sired by C rams were heavier than the other lambs (P 0.05). Greasy fleece weight of lambs at first shearing (GFW) and fat-tail measurements were significantly affected by ram breed. Number of lambs born and number of lambs weaned per ewe lambed or per ewe joined were similar among the four groups, whereas there was significant effect on productivity. In general, ewes mated to Chaal ram had higher productivity than those mated to other ram breeds.
An Error Modified Grey Theory for Forecasting International Oil Price

The international oil price has fluctuated in a relatively large amplitude fluctuation in recent years, so the accurately prediction of the crude oil price is very important for a country and a company. There are a lot of means to forecast the trend of things, but if the problem is uncertain and the information is lacking, grey system theory (GST) is an efficient method. In this work we forecast the international crude oil price by using the grey system theory and creating a MATLBA program to achieve it. In order to improve the prediction accuracy, we modified the prediction results.
Beyond the Numbers: Measuring the Information Content of Earnings Press Release Language

Earnings press releases are the primary mechanism by which managers announce quarterly earnings and make other concurrent disclosures to investors and other stakeholders. A largely unexplored element of earnings press releases is the language that managers use throughout the press release, which we argue provides a unifying framework for these disclosures and an opportunity for managers to signal, both directly and more subtly, their expectations about future performance. We analyze the full texts of approximately 23,000 earnings press releases issued between 1998 and 2003 and examine whether the language used in these earnings press releases provides a signal about expected future firm performance and whether the market responds to this signal. Using categories derived from linguistic theory, we count words characterized as optimistic and pessimistic and construct a measure of managers’ net optimistic language for each earnings press release. We find that this measure is positively associated with future ROA and generates a significant market response in a short window around the earnings announcement date. We include in our models the earnings surprise as well as other quantifiable, concurrent disclosures identified in prior research as associated with the market’s reaction to earnings press releases. Our results support the premise that earnings press release language provides a signal regarding managers’ future earnings expectations to the market and that the market responds to this signal. We interpret our evidence to suggest that managers use language in earnings press releases to communicate credible information about expected future firm performance.
Drug susceptibility testing of Mycobacterium leprae in the BACTEC 460 system

The susceptibility of Mycobacterium leprae to clinical and experimental antileprosy agents was assessed in the BACTEC 460 system. Nude-mouse-derived M. leprae (10(7) cells), incubated in BACTEC 12B medium at 33 degrees C under reduced oxygen, maintained a fairly constant growth index (14CO2 evolution) for 2 to 3 weeks. At concentrations ranging from 0.031 to 2.0 micrograms/ml, dapsone, rifampin, clofazimine, ethionamide, ofloxacin, clarithromycin, and minocycline all effected reductions in the growth index within 1 to 2 weeks, the extent of inhibition increasing with the incubation time. An in vivo rifampin-resistant isolate displayed markedly reduced susceptibility to rifampin compared with an in vivo-susceptible strain. This system appears to be highly suitable for in vitro drug susceptibility testing of M. leprae.
Novel combination treatment for colorectal cancer using Nek2 siRNA and cisplatin

Nek2 (NIMA‐related kinase 2) is involved in cell division and mitotic regulation by centrosome splitting. We previously reported that Nek2 depletion causes growth suppression and cell death in cholangiocarcinoma and breast cancer cells. In this report, we examine the effect of a combination treatment using Nek2 siRNA with the cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin (CDDP) on colorectal cancer. Nek2 was overexpressed in all colorectal cancer cell lines examined (HCT‐15, DLD‐1, Colo205, and Colo320). Nek2 short‐interfering RNA (siRNA) resulted in the inhibition of cell proliferation and the induction of apoptosis in vitro. Nek2 siRNA suppressed tumor growth compared to control siRNA in a xenograft mouse model. To investigate the potential utility of Nek2 siRNA for clinical cancer therapy, we examine the effect of a combination treatment using Nek2 siRNA with CDDP on colorectal cancer. The combined administration of both Nek2 siRNA and CDDP inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptotic cell death in vitro. Furthermore, the combined administration of both Nek2 siRNA and CDDP suppressed tumor growth compared to either the single administration of Nek2 siRNA or the combined administration of control siRNA and CDDP. Our results suggest that combination treatment using Nek2 siRNA and chemotherapeutic agents may be an effective therapeutic option for colorectal cancer.