Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Update on Minimally Invasive Surgery for Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: Techniques, Risks, and Efficacy

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a common cause of lower urinary tract symptoms in the elderly male population, has conventionally treated by transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP). During recent years, newer minimally invasive therapies (MITs) have entered the playing field and challenged TURP with their convenience, lack of sexual side effects, and overall safety. The present paper provides an update on the more heavily studied and most recent MITs, analyzing their mechanism of action, tolerability, and efficacy in clinical practice. Particularly, robust clinical data have propelled UroLift and Rezuum to the forefront in the armamentarium of minimally invasive BPH treatment. Newer mechanical therapies such as the temporary implantable nitinol device, ClearRing, ZenFlow Spring, and Butterfly are appealing options as they forego cutting, ablation, heating, or removing prostatic tissue. It is obvious that there is wide variation in the degree of clinical readiness of each modality and only time and long-term, multicenter studies will decide which of these therapies are accepted by the patient and urologist.
Determinants of Halal Purchase Intention: Case in Perlis

This study is to determine the factors that influence purchase intention of Halal products among consumers at selected supermarkets around Perlis. 100 were randomly selected to be respondents in this study through the questionnaire. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 19.0. Descriptive analysis and correlation were applied to this study. The results indicated that attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control had positive impact on intention to purchase Halal products. It is suggested that future research can be done in fast growing cities and the result that we get will be more comparable and provide workable direction in Halal products.
Larvicidal Activity of Constituents Identified in Piper nigrum L. Fruit Against the Diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella

The larvicidal activities of Piper nigrum fruit methanol extracts and its constituents against larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella, were investigated using the leaf dipping method. Administering the P. nigrum methanol extract resulted in 100 and 97% mortality against diamondback moth larvae at 5.0 and 2.5 mg/mL concentrations, respectively. Larvicidal activities of the P. nigrum fruit-derived piperidine alkaloids, piperine, and N-isobutylamide, as well as pellitorine, guineensine, pipercide, and retrofractamide A against P. xylostella varied according to test compound. Based on the 48 h LC50 values, the most toxic compound to diamondback moth larvae was guineensine (0.013 mg/mL) followed by retrofractamide A (0.020mg/mL), pipercide (0.033mg/mL), and pellitorine (0.046 mg/mL). The LC50 value of piperine was >0.5 mg/mL.
Are the ‘resident’ dolphins of Doubtful Sound becoming less resident?

Patterns of habitat use by wide-ranging animals may change in response to pertur- bations within their environment. In 2009, a group of 15 bottlenose dolphins, known to be part of the population in Doubtful Sound, New Zealand, were seen in another nearby fiord. This popula- tion has been closely monitored since 1990, and this was the first time that a group from Doubtful Sound was seen elsewhere. Since this first occurrence there have been at least 6 other occasions on which 'resident' dolphins were missing for at least 3 d, to later reappear in the fiord. During these absences, the other members of the population were routinely sighted. We use capture- recapture modelling based on photo-ID data to demonstrate a dramatic difference in capture probability between 2005 to 2009 and 2010 to 2011. Given the extremely high capture probability in the first period, and the fact that field effort has significantly increased from 2009 through to 2011, it is unlikely that these groups were within the fiord and simply missed. These findings suggest the possibility that the habitat use of this population has changed to include relatively frequent excursions beyond the fiord complex.
Interaction Induced Quantum Valley Hall Effect in Graphene

E. C. Marino, Leandro O. Nascimento, Van Sergio Alves, and C. Morais Smith Instituto de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CP 68528, Rio de Janeiro, RJ 21941-972, Brazil Institute for Theoretical Physics, Centre for Extreme Matter and Emergent Phenomena, Utrecht University, Leuvenlaan 4, 3584CE Utrecht, Netherlands Faculdade de Fisica, Universidade Federal do Para, Avenida Augusto Correa 01, 66075-110 Belem, Para, Brazil (Received 8 October 2013; revised manuscript received 22 September 2014; published 31 March 2015)
WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH TRAINING IN DAIRY FARMING

Woman empowerment is the process of building a woman's capacity to be self-reliant and to develop her sense of inner strength. Dairying in India is a female dominated enterprise. It is established beyond doubt that women always participated in dairy and animal husbandry activities in addition to their daily household chores. Women spent more time than men in dairy production activities. Training is one of the important aspects of empowerment, which can enhance knowledge, improve skill and change the attitude of rural women. Selection of breed, compounding balanced feed using locally available ingredients, feeding during pregnancy, health care and banking and insurance were the most preferred areas of training in dairy farming. The overall adoption level of the trained dairy farm women was higher than untrained dairy farm women.
A Loophole in Bell's Theorem? Parameter Dependence in the Hess‐Philipp Model

The hidden‐variables model constructed by Karl Hess and Walter Philipp is claimed by its authors to exploit a “loophole” in Bell's theorem; according to Hess and Philipp, the parameters employed in their model extend beyond those considered by Bell. Furthermore, they claim that their model satisfies Einstein locality and is free of any “suspicion of spooky action at a distance. ” Both of these claims are false; the Hess‐Philipp model achieves agreement with the quantum‐mechanical predictions, not by circumventing Bell's theorem, but via Parameter Dependence.
Black Carbon Aerosol in the Industrial City of Xuzhou, China: Temporal Characteristics and Source Appointment

Black carbon (BC) aerosol in urban environments potentially affects the local environment, the regional climate cycle, and even human health. A two-year field measurement (May 2014 to July 2016) of BC and particulate matter in Xuzhou, a large industrial city and the economic center of Huaihai Economic Zone in central China, was conducted. The average annual concentrations of BC, PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 were 2.44 µg m–3, 56.6 µg m–3, 61.8 µg m–3, and 75.8 µg m–3, respectively. The highest daily average for the BC concentrations was 11.6 µg m–3, and more than 10% of the hourly BC measurements had concentrations above 5 µg m–3. All of the BC and PM concentrations displayed two diurnal peaks (during rush hours in the morning and in the evening) and one valley (in the afternoon). The overall BC concentrations, and the BC fractions in the PM were higher in winter and spring, whereas the overall PM concentrations were higher in winter and autumn. The backward trajectory analysis indicated that most of the high BC concentrations in Xuzhou were associated with north and northwest winds, and the potential source contribution function (PSCF) model proved that the provinces of central China were the most likely source regions. Our findings can be used to set appropriate atmospheric pollution control measures for these central provinces and to increase the accuracy of air quality forecasting.
Atmospheric scattering - state of the art

Atmospheric scattering is the natural phenomenon mainly responsible for the colours we observe in the sky. Over the years, several realistic computer graphics algorithms have been proposed in order to reproduce these colours. This state of the art is motivated by the large amount of scattered information, and by its great potential usage in a wide range of applications like flight simulators, video games and movies. This paper will cover the most important models and will present their evolution over the years. The first part contains a small introduction to the mechanics behind the light scattering phenomena. The second part will cover the earlier models, very much focused in the physical phenomenon. The third section will cover GPU based models, more focused on performance.
Foreign Banks’ Presence and Domestic Bank Performance: Evidence from Indonesia

We examine the impact of foreign presence on domestic banks’ performance by studying conventional commercial banks in Indonesia. We use monthly financial information of 97 commercial banks from 2003 through 2013 resulting in 8,600 observations. We use a panel data regression (Panel Least Square method) to test our hypotheses. Our results show that overall, foreign presence decreases the performance of domestic banks. Going deeper, we find that foreign presence reduces state-owned banks’ profitability as well as private domestic banks’ profitability. However, there is no significant effect of foreign presence on the performance of regional development banks. Little evidence found on the effect of foreign presence on overhead cost.DOI:10.15408/etk.v17i2. 7769
HOW DO HIGH-SKILL FOREIGN WORKERS ASSIMILATE

This paper seeks to understand how high-skill foreign IT professionals assimilate in the United States by examining the wage trajectories of foreign and American information technology (IT) professionals. While prior research shows that on average foreign IT professionals earn more compared to US citizen IT professionals, our focus here is on temporal evolution of differences in wages to understand how the wages of foreign and American IT professionals evolve over time. We use data on skills and compensation of more than 50,000 IT professionals in the U.S. over the period 2000-2005 to test our hypotheses. The results indicate that IT professionals on H-1B or other work visa earn a significant salary premium over the entire duration of work experience when compared with IT professionals with U.S. citizenship. Interestingly, the difference in wages appears to grow over time suggesting that foreign IT professionals with substantial work experience on work visa earn significantly more premium than those with less work experience. The IT professionals on H-1B or other work visa exhibit steeper wage trajectories than either greencard holders or American workers; the wage trajectories of greencard holders and American workers have similar slopes. The wages of IT professionals on H-1B or other work visa with somewhere between 15-20 years of work experience is higher than that of greencard holders. We discuss implications for researchers, policy-makers, managers and individual workers.
Spatial dynamics of a primary succession: nucleation

Changes in spatial pattern during the course of succession have attracted considerable interest in recent years. Such changes are of interest not only for their own sake, but because they may throw light on mechanisms of successional change. Greig-Smith (1964) summarized the currently accepted hypothesis of successional variations in pattern. He suggested that the variations are determined by the establishment and growth of clumps (often clones) of persistent species. As these clumps enlarge, and eventually coalesce, the scale of pattern will increase, not necessarily smoothly, to a maximum at climax; on the other hand, the intensity of pattern will decline as the range of scale of contagion increases with age. Work by Whitford (1949), Greig-Smith (1952), Margalef (1958), Kershaw (1958), Pielou (1966) and Brereton (1971) supports this view. Williams et al. (1969) have examined the question of whether succession is a gradual or stagewise process, i.e. does the rate of change of composition of the vegetation fluctuate? In a secondary succession in a Queensland rain forest they found a change from predominantly temporal to predominantly spatial variation after 6 years. If successional stages exist they are likely to influence variations in spatial pattern: patterns may differ from stage to stage but the pattern at times of transition may also differ from that within stages. Shafi & Yarranton (1973) have demonstrated stages of differing heterogeneity during a post-fire succession in the boreal forest. Their discovery that a stage may be succeeded by another of greater homogeneity implies that the scale of pattern may decrease during at least part of a succession. Anderson (1967) has also noted a decrease in the scale of pattern early in a succession. Morrison & Yarranton (1973) showed that heterogeneity is greatest during a sand dune succession at the transition between stages. Webb, Tracey & Williams (1972) raise the question of whether patches of vegetation occurring in a succession represent different stages of maturity; both Morrison & Yarranton and Shafi & Yarranton (1973) suggest that transitions from stage to stage take place heterogeneously on the ground so that this is indeed the case. If this is admitted as at least a possibility, it establishes the connection between the mechanism of succession and variations in spatial pattern. On the basis of this reasoning it was decided that detailed examination of the pattern of vegetation on the ground before, during and after a stage-to-stage transition in a succession might not only clarify the sequence of spatial pattern but also help to elucidate the mechanism of succession itself. The sand dune succession at Grand Bend, Ontario, previously described by Morrison (1973), was selected for such a study.
Hydrogels based on collagen and fibrin – frontiers and applications

Abstract Hydrogels are a versatile tool for a multitude of applications in biomedical research and clinical practice. Especially collagen and fibrin hydrogels are distinguished by their excellent biocompatibility, natural capacity for cell adhesion and low immunogenicity. In many ways, collagen and fibrin represent an ideal biomaterial, as they can serve as a scaffold for tissue regeneration and promote the migration of cells, as well as the ingrowth of tissues. On the other hand, pure collagen and fibrin materials are marked by poor mechanical properties and rapid degradation, which limits their use in practice. This paper will review methods of modification of natural collagen and fibrin materials to next-generation materials with enhanced stability. A special focus is placed on biomedical products from fibrin and collagen already on the market. In addition, recent research on the in vivo applications of collagen and fibrin-based materials will be showcased.
Ability Bias and the Rising Education Premium in the United States: A Cohort‐Based Analysis

I use differences in educational attainment by birth cohorts to estimate the rise in the return to education in the United States. If average ability is similar among nearby cohorts, then differences in educational attainment lead to differences in earnings only if education is productive. The results reveal that (i) the return to a year of schooling increased from 4.8 percent to 8.4 percent between 1964 and 2003, (ii) the ability bias rose from 1.8 percent to 4.7 percent during the same period, and (iii) the acceleration in the education premium after 1980 is explained almost entirely by the rise in the ability bias.
Bridging Intergroup Difference in a Community Youth Program

This article provides an intensive case study of a change process in which members of a youth program developed relationships with and altered attitudes and behavior toward diverse groups, including those defined by ethnicity, social class, religion, and sexual orientation. Latino and African American members of a community youth activism program were interviewed over a 4-month period, and supplementary data were obtained from participant observations and from interviews with the lead organizer. Qualitative analyses revealed a process in which youth were active agents of self-change. Their reports suggest three stages of change: developing relationships across groups, learning and discovery, and coming to act with awareness in relation to difference. The program facilitated this change not only by providing Allport's contact conditions and affording youth personalized experiences but also by providing them with critical understanding of the interpersonal and systemic processes that create marginalization and injustice.
An in vitro evaluation of fit of the crowns fabricated by zirconium oxide-based ceramic CAD/CAM systems, before and after porcelain firing cycles and after glaze cycles

ABSTARCT Background: The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the vertical marginal fit of crowns fabricated with ZrO2 CAD/CAM, before and after porcelain firing cycles and after glaze cycles. Materials and Methods: An acrylic resin model of a left maxillary first molar was prepared and duplicated to have Nickel-Chromium master die. Ten die stone dies were sent to the CAD/CAM (Amann Girrbach) for crowns fabrication. Marginal gaps along vertical planes were measured at four indentations at the (mid mesial, mid distal, mid buccal, mid palatal) before (Time 0) and after porcelain firing cycles (Time 1) and after glaze cycles (Time 2) using a light microscope at a magnification of ×100. One way ANOVA LSD tests were performed to determine whether the mean and standard deviation of sub group Time 2. Results: The mean values of the ZrO2 CAD/CAM Time 0 were (6.77μm), Time 1(8.75μm) and Time 2(10.62 μm). One way ANOVA test revealed highly statistical significance(P<0.01). LSD test results showed that there is highly significant difference between time (0) and time (2), while there is no any significant difference between time (0) and time (1), and between time (1) and time (2). Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, it was concluded that the ZrO2 CAD/CAM demonstrated acceptable marginal fit; The porcelain firing and the glaze firing cycles affected the marginal gap.
Diurnal variation of B parameters over Havana at low solar activity

We present a preliminary table of mean values of the F2 region bottomside parameters B0 (thickness parameter) and B1 (shape parameter) for the time interval 00.00 LT-23.00 LT. Data from vertical ionospheric soundings at Havana (23°N; 278°E; Dip 54.6°N; Modip 44.8°N) during wintertime and low solar activity (R12≈15) were used in the study. The diurnal variation of B0 shows higher values during nighttime than during daytime. The B1 parameter tends to be lower during nighttime than during daytime.
Views on Leadership and Competence among Formal Leaders in Care of Older Adults: Differences Over Time

Background: Leaders play an essential role in the health care of older adults. The leadership role has changed over the years because of new demands in providing care for older adults with multiple chronic conditions, as well as a lack of resources. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe formal leaders’ views over time on their leadership and the competence among staff in care of older adults. Method: Individual interviews and focus group discussions with leaders in care of older adults were conducted with a total of 46 formal leaders in 2000 (n=20) and 2011 (n=26). The analysis took a qualitative approach, using interpretative description. Results: The leaders’ descriptions of leadership encompassed two different views on leadership over time, from “I as a leader” to “We together”. The leaders interviewed in 2011 saw practical wisdom (phronesis) as a central aspect of staff competence. Throughout the interviews, a greater focus on personal characteristics was seen over time. Conclusions: Differences over time in views of the leaders’ role and staff competence, especially the increased focus on personal characteristics, may have an impact on the health care provided to older adults. This is particularly true if formal education is not prioritized. Strategies within organizations and continuing development and education must take these changes into consideration.
Left Main Coronary Artery Disease Revascularization According to the SYNTAX Score.

BACKGROUND The SYNTAX (Synergy Between Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Taxus and Cardiac Surgery) score (SS), a measure of anatomic coronary artery disease (CAD) extent and complexity, has proven useful in past studies to determine the absolute and relative prognosis after revascularization with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) versus coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). We sought to assess contemporary outcomes after PCI and CABG in patients with left main CAD according to SS and revascularization type from a large randomized trial. METHODS The EXCEL trial (Evaluation of XIENCE Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery for Effectiveness of Left Main Revascularization) randomized patients with left main CAD and site-assessed SS≤32 to PCI with everolimus-eluting stents or CABG. Four-year outcomes were examined according to angiographic core laboratory-assessed SS using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS A total of 1840 patients with left main CAD randomized to PCI (n=914) versus CABG (n=926) had angiographic core laboratory SS assessment. The mean SS was 26.5±9.3 (range 5-74); 24.1% of patients had angiographic core laboratory-assessed SS ≥33. The 4-year rate of the primary major adverse cardiac event end point of death, stroke, or myocardial infarction was similar between PCI and CABG (18.6% versus 16.7%, respectively; P=0.40) and did not vary according to SS (Pinteraction=0.33). Rates of ischemia-driven revascularization rose with increasing SS after PCI, but not after CABG. As a result, the major secondary composite end point of major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events (major adverse cardiac event or ischemia-driven revascularization) occurred more frequently with PCI than CABG (28.0% versus 22.0%, P=0.01), a difference which rose progressively with increasing SS (Pinteraction=0.03). CONCLUSIONS In the EXCEL trial, the 4-year primary composite major adverse cardiac event end point of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke was similar after PCI with everolimus-eluting stents and CABG and was independent of the baseline anatomic complexity and extent of CAD. In contrast, the relative and absolute hazard of major adverse cardiac or cerebrovascular events with PCI compared with CABG rose progressively with the SS. These data should be considered by the heart team when deciding between PCI versus CABG for revascularization in patients with left main CAD. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION URL: https://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier NCT01205776.