Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Fluoride Topical Solutions on Enamel Demineralization by Lactate Buffers and Streptococcus mutans in vitro

Applications of APF and NaF solutions to extracted human teeth reduced the extent of enamel subsurface demineralization induced by colonization of S. mutans but were ineffective against demineralization by acid lactate buffers. It is concluded that the CaF 2 formed on the tooth surface during the treatment is responsible for the protection observed.
Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in children: The case of the Mbagala bomb blasts in Tanzania

In April 2009, military bombs stockpiled in Mbagala, Dar es Salaam, exploded uncontrollably, landing in the neighbourhood killing 26 people, injuring about 600 and destroying 9049 homes. This must have been a terrible experience, with psychological consequences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among the children involved in the bomb blasts. It was hypothesized that children would not exhibit PTSD symptoms, as well as not showing sex differences in exhibiting PTSD symptoms. The study findings show 93% of children bomb survivors had PTSD symptoms, with no sex differences in the PTSD reported.
Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Improves Survival of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients with Active HCV Infection – A Real-World Cohort Study

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has become less and less due to the use of direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs). Although it may be common to assume that eradication of the virus should improve the survival of HCC patients, large-scale randomized clinical data to support the correlation between viral load and prognosis are still lacking in China. The aim of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of antiviral therapy for HCC patients with active HCV infection. Patients and Methods We retrospectively enrolled 80 HCC patients with active HCV infection. Active HCV infection was defined as positive for HCV antibody with detectable HCV RNA by polymerase chain reaction. Results Forty-four patients (55.0%) received interferon combined with ribavirin treatment and 23 patients achieved sustained virological response (SVR). The 1-year survival rate in patients who achieved SVR was the highest, followed by those with non-SVR after antiviral treatment, and those without antiviral therapy (1-year survival rate were 91.3%, 88.4%, and 73.1%, respectively, P = 0.012). In the univariate analysis, alcohol intake and alpha-fetoprotein >20 ng/mL were associated with lower overall survival (OS) (P = 0.025 and P = 0.044, respectively), while SVR after antiviral treatment was associated with longer OS (P = 0.016). In the multivariate analysis, only SVR after antiviral treatment was significantly associated with OS (P = 0.014). Conclusion Our results ensured that the elimination of HCV substantially improved OS in HCC patients with active HCV infection, and the prognosis of those patients without antiviral therapy was poor.
Model simulations of cardiovascular changes at the onset of moderate exercise in humans

We have tested whether the cardiovascular changes at the onset of exercise could be simulated only by an increase in the baroreflex set point and locally induced vasodilatation in the exercising muscles. The mathematical model consists of a heart, a linear elastic arterial reservoir and two parallel resistive vascular beds. The arterial baroreflex loop is modelled by three separate time domain processing objects, each with its own gain, time constant and delay. These are intended to simulate the action of a sympathetic signal to the peripheral vascular bed, a parasympathetic signal to the heart and a sympathetic signal to the heart. We used this model with previously published experimental data to estimate the unknown parameters in the reflex control loop. In all 10 subjects and in the global averaged response, the short‐term cardiovascular responses were adequately simulated by using individual sets of parameters in the model. An increase in the baroreflex set point and locally induced vasodilatation in the exercising muscles can explain almost all of the cardiovascular changes in the recorded variables (mean arterial pressure, RR interval and stroke volume) at the onset of exercise.
The C Terminus of Brome Mosaic Virus Coat Protein Controls Viral Cell-to-Cell and Long-Distance Movement

ABSTRACT To investigate the functional domains of the coat protein (CP; 189 amino acids) of Brome mosaic virus, a plant RNA virus, 19 alanine-scanning mutants were constructed and tested for their infectivity in barley and Nicotiana benthamiana. Despite its apparent normal replicative competence and CP production, the C-terminal mutant F184A produced no virions. Furthermore, virion-forming C-terminal mutants P178A and D182A failed to move from cell to cell in both plant species, and mutants D181A and V187A showed host-specific movement. These results indicate that the C-terminal region of CP plays some important roles in virus movement and encapsidation. The specificity of certain mutations for viral movement in two different plant species is evidence for the involvement of host-specific factors.
Parental Atopy and Exposure to Pets on Asthma: A Hospital-Based Case-Control Study

Objectives: Studies of parental atopy, exposure to pets, and the risk of asthma have provided conflicting results. We aimed to assess the relationship between asthma among adults with parental atopy, pet keeping inside, and pet keeping outside the home. This study involved a total of 159 adults. The clinically diagnosed cases were 53 adults with asthma as per Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) guidelines and 106 controls without asthma. Methods: The study design was a hospital based case-control study. Information on parental atopy and exposure to pets was collected by using a self-administrated questionnaire. We used the exposure odds ratio and 95% confidence interval (CI) to quantify the relation between determinants of interest and the risk of asthma. These were estimated using logistic regression analysis with SPSS version 11.5. Results: The paternal and maternal history of asthma were found to have significant effect on asthma among adults with adjusted odds ratio (OR) of 6.70 (1.92-23.33 95%CI) and 3.33 (1.25-8.89 95% CI) respectively. Parental history and parental atopy significantly increased risk of asthma among adults with adjusted odds ratios of 5.78 (2.38-14.05 95% CI) and 3.65 (1.58-8.43 95% CI) respectively. There was no significant association between asthma and exposure to pets. The adjusted odds ratios for pet keeping inside and outside the house were 1.61 (0.55-4.7395%CI) and 1.32 (0.61-2.87 95%CI) respectively. Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that both parental history and parental atopy increase the risk of asthma among adults whereas pet keeping inside and outside the house during the previous 12-month period were not significantly associated with asthma among adults.
Coffee, tea, caffeine and risk of breast cancer: A 22‐year follow‐up

The relation between consumption of coffee, tea and caffeine and risk of breast cancer remains unsettled. We examined data from a large, long‐term cohort study to evaluate whether high intake of coffee and caffeine is associated with increased risk of breast cancer. This was a prospective cohort study with 85,987 female participants in the Nurses' Health Study. Consumption of coffee, tea and caffeine consumption was assessed in 1980, 1984, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998 and the follow‐up continued through 2002. We documented 5,272 cases of invasive breast cancer during 1,715,230 person‐years. The multivariate relative risks (RRs) of breast cancer across categories of caffeinated coffee consumption were: 1.0 for <1cup/month (reference category), 1.01 (95% confidence interval: 0.92–1.12) for 1 month to 4.9 week, 0.92 (0.84–1.01) for 5 week to 1.9 days, 0.93 (0.85–1.02) for 2–3.9 days, 0.92 (0.82–1.03) for ≥4 cups per day (p for trend = 0.14). Intakes of tea and decaffeinated coffee were also not significantly associated with risk of breast cancer. RRs (95% CI) for increasing quintiles of caffeine intake were 1.00, 0.98 (0.90–1.07), 0.92 (0.84–1.00), 0.94 (0.87–1.03) and 0.93 (0.85–1.01) (p for trend = 0.06). A significant inverse association of caffeine intake with breast cancers was observed among postmenopausal women; for the highest quintile of intake compared to the lowest RR 0.88 (95% CI = 0.79–0.97, p for trend = 0.03). We observed no substantial association between caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee and tea consumption and risk of breast cancer in the overall cohort. However, our results suggested a weak inverse association between caffeine‐containing beverages and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fate of excluded popliteal artery aneurysms.

OBJECTIVE Popliteal artery aneurysms (PAA) are frequently treated with ligation and exclusion bypass grafting. It is assumed that these aneurysms will shrink and remain asymptomatic. This may not always be true. We sought to elucidate the fate of excluded PAA over time. METHODS Data for all PAAs treated with ligation and exclusion bypass grafting between 1986 and 1999 were retrospectively reviewed. Computed tomography (CT) scans and duplex ultrasound scans provided aneurysm patency data and maximal transverse diameter measurements of the popliteal artery during late postoperative follow-up. This information was compared with that from similar preoperative studies. RESULTS Forty-one patients (39 men, 2 women) underwent 57 ligation and exclusion bypass grafting procedures. Both preoperative and late postoperative (mean, 4.0 years; range, 0.43-13.5 years) CT scans or duplex ultrasound scans were available for review of 25 PAAs in 18 patients (ages 42-80 years; mean, 63 years). Preoperative PAA size ranged from 14 to 45 mm (mean, 28.7 mm). In late follow-up, 12 (48%) PAA had decreased in size (mean, 7.3 mm), 5 (20%) remained unchanged, and 8 (32%) increased in mean transverse diameter (mean, 5.9 mm). One large aneurysm increased by 50%. Contrast material enhancement was identified in the excluded sac in 11 aneurysms. CONCLUSIONS PAA treated with ligation and exclusion bypass grafting often expand and can become symptomatic. This may be analogous to type II endoleak or endotension noted after aortic endovascular repair. We recommend PAA excision or endoaneurysmorrhaphy when feasible.
Multiple Mechanisms of Flaxseed: Effectiveness in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Materials and Methods Aqueous-methanolic crude extracts of Flaxseed (Fs.Cr) and Flaxseed oil were tested against 6% acetic acid- (AA-) induced colitis in BALB/c mice. Microscopic damage parameters of the hematoxylin and eosin-stained and periodic acid-Schiff-alcian blue-stained sections of the colon were scored to be assessed. Possible antispasmodic mechanism was studied on isolated rabbit jejunum, while antibacterial activity was assessed in vitro for microbes implicated in IBD. Results In AA-induced colitis, Flaxseed oil was found to be more effective in reducing mortality and colonic ulcers than Fs.Cr at 500 mg/kg dose. Fs.Cr was more efficacious in increasing mucin content as compared to oil, exhibiting slightly greater anti-inflammatory effect (50% vs 35%) and reducing depth of lesion (55% vs 42.31%, respectively). Antispasmodic activity of Fs.Cr (0.03 and 0.1 mg/ml) was mediated by phosphodiesterase inhibitors (PDEI, possibly PDE-4 subtype) with a resultant increase in cAMP levels. Flaxseed oil PDEI activity was mild (1 and 3 mg/ml). Fs.Cr (0.1 and 0.3 mg/ml) was potent in exhibiting anticholinergic activity, similar to dicyclomine, whereas Flaxseed oil showed anticholinergic effect at 1 and 3 mg/ml. Flaxseed oil (9 and 14 µg/ml) was bactericidal against enteropathogenic E.coli (EPEC), enterotoxigenic E.coli (ETEC), and enteroaggregative E.coli (EAEC), whereas Fs.Cr exhibited bactericidal effect against EPEC at 100 µg/ml. Conclusions Results of this study, taken together with previous studies, suggest that Flaxseed possesses anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antispasmodic action through multiple pathways and thus offers promising potential to be developed for IBD.
The Impact of Informed Consent Regulations On Response Rate and Response Bias

This paper reports an analysis of nonparticipation and bias in a survey research project conducted among seniors in 18 high schools under the federal "informed consent" regulations. Three major findings emerge. First, the use of voluntary participation and (among students under 18)parental consent procedures reduced the participation rate sharply from that obtained in a similar survey in 1964. However, the reduced participation did not introduce much bias into three criterion measures for which population data were available: mean intelligence score, mean GPA, and the intelligence-GPA correlation. Third, we found that bias in these measures on a school-by-school basis was not strongly correlated with the participation rate, suggesting that researchers need to consider factors other than the response rate in assessing the amount of bias in survey research on high school populations.
Threading the Needle in Health-Risk Communication: Increasing Vulnerability Salience While Promoting Self-Worth

Health interventions often draw attention to the risks associated with unhealthy choice but in the process produce a boomerang effect such that those targeted become more committed to risky behavior. In 2 studies designed to promote condom use among sexually active college students, the authors document strategies for highlighting risk while promoting healthy choices. Study 1 demonstrated that optimistic perceptions regarding the likelihood of contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) can be counteracted by drawing attention to the emotional consequences of contracting STDs, instead of its likelihood. Rather than promoting condom use, however, this procedure generated a boomerang effect: It decreased commitment to using condoms, especially among high self-esteem individuals. Study 2 showed that this unwanted effect could be reversed when emotional vulnerability was paired with a self-affirmation. This finding suggests that there can be benefits to adding threatening content to health interventions, provided that the message also contains elements designed to protect feelings of self-worth.
Serological Evaluation of Anaplasma phagocytophilum Infection in Livestock in Northwestern Spain

Abstract: A total of 1,098 serum samples were analyzed against Anaplasma phagocytophilum by immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) test. These serum samples belonged to four different populations distributed throughout two provinces of Galicia (Ourense and Pontevedra) located in northwestern Spain: bovine population (456 samples); ovine population (389 samples); caprine population (207 samples); and equine population (46 serum samples, all from Pontevedra). The seroprevalence against A. phagocytophilum within the bovine population was 3.07%. On the other hand, two of 389 (0.51%) sheep and one of 207 (0.48%) goats tested were seropositive, all of them showing low antibody titer. Seroprevalence within the equine population was 6.52% (3/46). Our results reveal the presence of antibodies against A. phagocytophilum in livestock from northwestern Spain, mainly in Pontevedra.
Elevated expression of glucose transporter‐1 in hypothalamic ependymal cells not involved in the formation of the brain–cerebrospinal fluid barrier

Glucose transporters play an essential role in the acquisition of glucose by the brain. Elevated expression of glucose transporter‐1 has been detected in endothelial cells of the blood–brain barrier and in choroid plexus cells of the blood–cerebrospinal fluid barrier. On the other hand, there is a paucity of information on the expression of glucose transporters in the ependymal cells that line the walls of the cerebral ventricles. The tanycytes are specialized ependymal cells localized in circumventricular organs such as the median eminence that can be segregated into at least three types, α, β1 and β2. The β2 tanycytes form tight junctions and participate in the formation of the cerebrospinal fluid–median eminence barrier. Using immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization, we analyzed the expression of hexose transporters in rat and mouse hypothalamic tanycytes. In both species, immunocytochemical analysis revealed elevated expression of glucose transporter‐1 in α and β1 tanycytes. Intense anti‐glucose transporter‐1 staining was observed in cell processes located throughout the arcuate nucleus, in the end‐feet reaching the lateral sulcus of the infundibular region, and in cell processes contacting the hypothalamic capillaries. On the other hand, there was very low expression of glucose transporter‐1 in β2 tanycytes involved in barrier function. In contrast with the results of the cytochemical analysis, in situ hybridization revealed that tanycytes α, β1, and β2 express similar levels of glucose transporter‐1 mRNA. Further analysis using anti‐glial fibrillary acidic protein antibodies to identify areas rich in astrocytes revealed that astrocytes were absent from areas containing α and β1 tanycytes, but were abundant in regions containing the barrier‐forming β2 tanycytes. Overall, our data reveal a lack of correlation between participation in barrier function and expression of glucose transporter‐1 in hypothalamic tanycytes. Given the virtual absence of astrocytes in areas rich in α and β1 tanycytes, we speculate whether the tanycytes might have astrocyte‐like functions and participate in the metabolic coupling between glia and neurons in the hypothalamic area. J. Cell. Biochem. 80:491–503, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Influence of nitrogen content on the structural , mechanical and electrical properties of TiN thin films

This paper reports on the preparation of TiNx thin films by d.c. reactive magnetron sputtering. The coating thickness ranged from 1.7 to 4.2 Am and the nitrogen content varied between 0 and 55 at. %. X-Ray diffraction showed the development of the hexagonal a-Ti phase, with strong [002] orientation for low nitrogen contents, where the N atoms fit into octahedral sites in the Ti lattice as the amount of nitrogen is increased. For nitrogen contents of 20 and 30 at. %, the q-Ti2N phase appears with [200] orientation. With further increasing the nitrogen content, the y-TiN phase becomes dominant. The electrical resistivity of the different compositions reproduces this phase behavior. The hardness of the samples varied from approximately 8 GPa for pure titanium up to 27 GPa for a nitrogen content of 30 at. %, followed by a slight decrease at the highest contents. A similar increase of stresses with nitrogen is observed. Structure and composition with the consequent changes in crystalline phases and the lattice distortion were found to be crucial in the evolution of the mechanical properties. D 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Source code classification using Neural Networks

Programming languages are the primary tools of the software development industry. As of today, the programming language of the vast majority of the published source code is manually specified or programmatically assigned based solely on the respective file extension. This work shows that the identification of the programming language can be done automatically by utilizing an artificial neural network based on supervised learning and intelligent feature extraction from the source code files. We employ a multi-layer neural network - word embedding layers along with a Convolutional Neural Network - to achieve this goal. Our criteria for an automatic source code identification solution include high accuracy, fast performance, and large programming language coverage. The model achieves a 97% accuracy rate while classifying 60 programming languages.
3 D segmentation of the tracheobronchial tree using multiscale morphology enhancement filter

In this article we present a new region growing algorithm for airway segmentation based on multiscale black tophat enhancement filter. Lung airways are tubular structures that display specific characteristics, such as highly variable intensity levels within the lumen and proximity to vessels. The proposed airways enhancement filter aims to separate airways from adjacent lung parenchyma and vessel. Based on the filter ouput, the region growing is performed in order to delineate the airways and then to reconstruct the tracheobronchial tree. The proposed method has been applied on various CT scans. In this paper, an experimental comparison study between our filter and the "gold standard" filters used to enhance tubular structures (Frangi, Sato and Krissian filters) followed by a region growing process is performed on data from the VESSEL12 challenge framework. Our approach outperforms the the other considered methods in terms of retrieved bronchi and computing time.
Understanding the adoption and usage of mobile payment services by using TAM3

This study aims at introducing a modified Technology Acceptance Model 3 TAM3 to investigate key factors that affect individuals' intention to adopt and use mobile payment M-payment in Jordan. It also helps merchandisers avoid spending thousands or even millions of dollars that, on investments, may have minimal and modest effect on whether or not the individuals tend actually to adopt and to use. To reach such ends, a questionnaire was distributed to collect data from 475 undergraduate university students by using a proportional stratified random sample, and analysed by using a structural equation modelling SEM. Results show that user's adoption and use of M-payment services can be anticipated from users' behavioural intentions, which are significantly affected by the following: perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm, image, output quality, self-efficacy, perceptions of external control, and playfulness. This study shows that there is a promising and bright future for M-payment services in Jordan as more than 62% of respondents said that they are willing to merchandise by using their mobile phones.
Carbohydrate Recognition Properties of Human Ficolins

Ficolins are oligomeric innate immune recognition proteins consisting of a collagen-like region and a fibrinogen-like recognition domain that bind to pathogen- and apoptotic cell-associated molecular patterns. To investigate their carbohydrate binding specificities, serum-derived L-ficolin and recombinant H- and M-ficolins were fluorescently labeled, and their carbohydrate binding ability was analyzed by glycan array screening. L-ficolin preferentially recognized disulfated N-acetyllactosamine and tri- and tetrasaccharides containing terminal galactose or N-acetylglucosamine. Binding was sensitive to the position and orientation of the bond between N-acetyllactosamine and the adjacent carbohydrate. No significant binding of H-ficolin to any of the 377 glycans probed could be detected, providing further evidence for its poor lectin activity. M-ficolin bound preferentially to 9-O-acetylated 2-6-linked sialic acid derivatives and to various glycans containing sialic acid engaged in a 2-3 linkage. To further investigate the structural basis of sialic acid recognition by M-ficolin, point mutants were produced in which three residues of the fibrinogen domain were replaced by their counterparts in L-ficolin. Mutations G221F and A256V inhibited binding to the 9-O-acetylated sialic acid derivatives, whereas Y271F abolished interaction with all sialic acid-containing glycans. The crystal structure of the Y271F mutant fibrinogen domain was solved, showing that the mutation does not alter the structure of the ligand binding pocket. These analyses reveal novel ficolin ligands such as sulfated N-acetyllactosamine (L-ficolin) and gangliosides (M-ficolin) and provide precise insights into the sialic acid binding specificity of M-ficolin, emphasizing the essential role of Tyr271 in this respect.