Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EXTERNAL DCR WITH SUTURING OF BOTH ANTERIOR AND POSTERIOR FLAPS VERSUS ANTERIOR FLAPS ALONE

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY: To study the external DCR with suturing of both anterior and posterior flaps or only anterior flaps in patients with chronic dacryocystitis attending MMC and RI Mysore. MATERIALS AND METHOD OF STUDY: The study was carried out in the department of ophthalmology, MMC & RI, Mysore over a period of 3 years from January 2012 to December 2014. RESULTS: out of 100 patients, there were 40 males (40%) and 60 females (60%). Age group ranged from 15 -65yrs. Chronic dacryocystitis was commonly seen in the age group of 3145yrs 60 (60%) of which 25 were males and 35 were females (Table 1). The patients were divided into 2 groups, (Group A) External DCR with suturing both anterior and posterior flaps and (Group B) suturing anterior flap alone. Success rate following both groups were similar (94%). CONCLUSION: The present study shows that the clinical outcome in terms of success of External DCR is similar in both Anterior and posterior flap suture and anterior flap suture alone.
Numerical Investigations of Vortex-Induced Vibration of Two-Dimensional Circular Cylinder Experiencing Oscillatory Flow

Sinusoidal motion of a cylinder in viscous flow has been extensively studied in the past decades. Distinction of flow patterns exists between cylinders in cross-flow freedom restricted and freely vibrating conditions when experiencing oscillatory flow. In this paper, a series of numerical simulations are carried out by the in-house CFD code naoeFOAM-SJTU, which is developed basing on the open source code OpenFOAM with overset grid capability. The diameter of the cylinder is 0.02m and the KC numbers varies from 3 to 12 corresponding to the attached vortices regime and the transverse street regime. Results of vortex evolution, flow regimes and hydrodynamic force coefficients are compared.
AIDS-related knowledge, attitude and behaviour among selected adolescents in Nigeria

To obtain baseline data for the design and implementation of a school-based AIDS prevention program 482 male and 488 female adolescents enrolled at 10 secondary schools in Ilorin Nigeria were surveyed about their AIDS-related knowledge attitudes and behaviors. Respondents ranged in age from 10 to 19 years; a proportionate sampling technique was used to ensure that the schools selected included low middle and high socioeconomic clusters. About 75% of students were aware of AIDS; major knowledge sources were the mass media (57.8%) and peers (13.9%). 42% had received education about AIDS at school; but only 39% had discussed AIDS with their parents. 49.5% of students knew that HIV is the causative agent of AIDS. Correct knowledge pertaining to the etiology and transmission of AIDS was positively associated with school-based AIDS education. This effect was strongest for younger adolescents (10-14 years) and females. 18.2-41.1% of students had misconceptions about HIV transmission (e.g. via casual contact). 34% of males and 14% of females were sexually active; the mean age at first intercourse was 14.6 years for males and 15.1 years for females. These students had higher awareness of the sexual route of HIV transmission than their nonsexually active peers (89% vs. 76% respectively) and were more knowledgeable about the preventive roles of condoms (66 vs. 47%) and having a single sexual partner (63% vs. 44%); on the other hand these sexually experienced students were more apt to perceive their personal risk of HIV as low than their inexperienced counterparts (77% vs. 89% respectively) and to believe AIDS is curable (30% vs. 17%). 36% of sexually active males and 20.7% of females were condom users. Overall these findings suggest the effectiveness of school-based AIDS education programs especially if introduced before age 14 prior to the typical age at onset of sexual activity.
Multimedia Application Development With Islamic Critical Reflection Through 3-2-1 Technique for Novice Teacher Internship Program

The use of technology in the learning process has become the most significant point in helping teachers reaching the objectives of the learning. This study focuses on the use of multimedia by novice teachers in comprehending the internship program’s guidance. The Islamic Critical Reflection model is a new and innovative model in the field of education which development is a result of integration between Islamic value and science. This study aims to answer problems related to the internship supervision which occurs among novice teachers. The multimedia application in the form of Flash Macromedia is developed using Islamic Critical Reflection model for internship program of novice teachers at the Tarbiyah and Teacher Training Faculty UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya. The research design of this study is Research and Development. It includes the process of collecting information, designing a product, validating the design, improving the design, piloting the product, rerevising the product, trying out the product, revising further and creating products for large numbers. The results of this study indicate that the products produced by Macromedia Flash application integrated with Islamic Critical Reflection Model for Tarbiyah and Teacher Training Faculty of UIN Sunan Ampel Surabaya’s internship program are feasible to use. The results are from the experts’ analysis and users’ trials. Experts involved in the validation of this product are Islamic Education specialists, application experts, educational technology experts, and curriculum expert
An innovative hapten and monoclonal antibody-based immunoassay for determining tebuconazole residues in aqueous samples

ABSTRACT Tebuconazole is widely applied for controlling pathogenic fungi of crops and proved hazardous to human being. To better measure tebuconazole residues, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for screening tebuconazole residues in aqueous samples was established using an innovative hapten (hapten1) designed via molecular model. The work concentration of calibration standard curves based on aqueous matrices ranged from 0.51 to 10.71 ng mL–1. The cross-reactivities of other analogs were less than 6%. The detection limits of the assay were in the range of 0.197–0.297 ng mL–1 for tebuconazole in water samples. The average recoveries of tebuconazole in the spiked water samples varied from 76.76% to 107.52% with the variation coefficient scope of 4.54–13.26%. The obtained immunoassay was verified by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry with high correlation coefficients (r > 0.9868). Herein, the proposed immunoassay offers a cost-effective, convenient, reliable tool for the determination of tebuconazole residues in aqueous samples.
The prevalence of inguinal hernia in adult Ghanaian males.

: Indirect inguinal hernia imposes a heavy patient caseload on surgical services in Africa. This study, conducted in rural southern Ghana in 1973, showed a marked increase in prevalence in adult males aged 55 years and older. In contrast, hospitalized patients undergoing herniorrhaphy in Accra were evenly distributed through all age groups. As hospital services expand and rural patients have better access to surgical care, recent innovations such as short stay surgery may be important for coping with rising patient demand.
A comparison of neural network architectures for the classification of three types of infant cry vocalizations

The analysis of infant cry vocalization has been the focus of a number of efforts over the past thirty years. Since the infant cry is one of the only means that an infant has for communicating with its care-giving environment, it is thought that information regarding the state of an infant, such as hunger or pain, can be determined from cry vocalizations. To date, research groups have determined that a number of different types of cries can be determined auditorily and at least one group has attempted to automate this classification process. This paper presents the results of another attempt at automating the discrimination process, this time using artificial neural networks (ANNs). The input data consists of successive frames of 10 mel-cepstrum coefficients ranging in length from 0.75 seconds to 1 second. The mel-cepstrum coefficients were extracted from anger, fear, and pain cries. The ANNs used were a simple feed-forward network (FF), a recurrent neural network (RNN), and a time-delay neural network (TDNN). From tests conducted to date, it is determined that ANNs are a useful tool for cry classification and merit further study in this domain.
A Zeta‐based switched‐capacitor DC‐DC converter topology

This article proposes a new Zeta‐based switched‐capacitor (SC) dc‐dc converter, which has many advantages such as increased voltage gain, decreased duty‐cycle, lower voltage stress on components such as its capacitors and input switch, and increased output power over traditional dc‐dc converter structures. In traditional converters such as Zeta converter, there is only one coupling capacitor, which works as a medium for transferring the power between input and the output. However, in the proposed Zeta‐based converter, there are multiple coupling capacitors, which are used based on dc‐dc SC converter principles. By using these switched coupling capacitors, the mentioned advantages are obtained for the proposed structure, which in turn make this converter more applicable for industrial applications. The analysis has been validated by comprehensive and precise comparisons and experimental results.
Neuro-fuzzy control using reinforcement learning

This paper proposes a general control strategy that combines reinforcement learning with approximate reasoning-based methods. We use a neuro-fuzzy controller, because of its ability to capture human knowledge in the form of fuzzy IF-THEN rules. Starting from a roughly tuned set of rules, we propose an on-line self-tuning method, using only a simple real signal to evaluate the current process state and to tune the controller parameters. This method is applied to an unstable second order system and demonstrates good performances. <<ETX>>
Characterization of Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Associated with Diarrhea Among Iranian Infants

Background: Diarrhea is a cause of concern due to high morbidity and mortality in children. Enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strains contribute to outbreaks of infantile diarrhea, especially in developing countries. Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the contribution of EPEC as a cause of infectious diarrhea among Iranian infants. Methods: A total of 140 E. coli isolates from children with diarrhea and 110 from children without diarrhea were evaluated for the presence of EPEC. The E. coli isolates were examined for uidA, eae, and stx genes by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The eae positive isolates were tested for the bfpA gene to differentiate typical and atypical EPEC. The EPEC isolates were typed by random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD-PCR). Results: The E. coli isolates were confirmed by the presence of the uidA gene. The EPEC was diagnosed in 6 cases (4.2%) with diarrhea, which were positive for the eae gene, compared with negative results in the asymptomatic group. The bfpA were positive in 5 isolates (3.6%) that were categorized as tEPEC and 1 (0.09%) as aEPEC. All isolates showed genetically different patterns in RAPD-PCR. Conclusions: This study suggests that EPEC strains are important contributors to diarrhea in Iranian children. Because of the weakness of routine microbiological tests and poor specifity of serological tests, it is recommended that the EPEC strains are better detected by molecular methods.
Broadband CPW-fed circularly polarized antenna for IoT-based navigation system

Abstract The paper presents a new coplanar waveguide (CPW)-fed rectangular patch antenna with a square-shaped ground plane that can be employed in modern advanced navigation systems. For realizing broad impedance bandwidth in the proposed antenna, a wide slot is introduced in the square ground plane and the rectangular patch is shifted toward the left edge of the ground surface. In addition, by means of introducing square-shaped stubs near the left and right edge of the ground plane, the circular polarization is achieved at L1, L2, and L5 satellite bands. As per the simulation results, the proposed antenna provides a wide impedance bandwidth (S11<−10 dB) of 123% (1.12–4.72 GHz) and 3 dB axial ratio bandwidth of 11% (1.15–1.29 GHz) and 18% (1.5–1.8 GHz) suitable for multipurpose wireless applications. The designed single feed circularly polarized antenna is low profile, small size, light weight and easily integrable with other high-frequency communication devices. To validate radiation performance of the proposed structure, the antenna is fabricated and integrated with the commercially available Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver and it is found that the measured values are in close agreement with the desired results.
Sustainable Production of Cellulose-Based Hydrogels with Superb Absorbing Potential in Physiological Saline

Nowadays, most of the commonly used superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) are derived from synthetic polymers, particularly acrylic acid and its copolymers made with acrylamide. Here, we describe a novel and environmentally friendly aqueous-based process for fabrication of a new, natural, cellulose-based SAP (hydrogel). In this two-step process, cellulose was first reacted with sodium monochloroacetate (MCA) to obtain carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and then cross-linked with epichlorohydrin (ECH). In distilled water (d-water), the water retention value (WRV) of the newly fabricated hydrogels reached 725 g d-water/g gel, which is significantly greater than any other commercially available superabsorbent cellulose-based material (WRV of 10–100 g/g) and comparable to the commercial synthetic (polyacrylate) SAP gels (WRV of up to 1000 g/g). In saline water (s-water; 0.9% NaCl), the maximum WRV attained was 118 g s-water/g gel, which exceeds more than 2-fold the WRV of commercial gels (40–50 g/g). Compositional analysis was carried out to determine the amount of carboxyl groups and average molecular mass, and the parameters for hydrogel preparation were optimized. The natural SAP was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The hydrogels showed good re-swelling properties losing only 5–10% of their capabilities to reabsorb d-water when reused in four consecutive cycles. Because of their superior swelling properties in physiological saline, the new hydrogels can compete with their synthetic counterparts in applications such as high-value hygiene and biomedical products.
Effect of plant extracts derived from thyme and chamomile on the growth performance, gut morphology and immune system of broilers fed aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A contaminated diets

Abstract This study was conducted to evaluate the ability of chamomile flower extract (CFE) and thyme-oil extract (TOE) for the preventing effect of ochratoxin A (OTA) and aflatoxin B1 (AFB) in broiler productivity, biochemical parameters, gut morphology and immune response of broilers. The experiment was conducted as a 3 × 4 factorial arrangement, being the factors: phytogenic additives (control, 3 g/kg diet of CFE, or 3 g/kg diet of TOE) and dietary contaminated diets (none, 0.50 mg/kg diet of AFB, 0.25 mg/kg diet of OTA, or 0.50 mg/kg diet of AFB + 0.25 mg/kg diet of OTA). Each of the 12 dietary treatments was fed to six replicate pens (10 birds/pen) from 0 to 28 d of age. Inclusion of phytogenic additives increased average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI), and decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR) from day 11 to 28 and day 0 to 28 in the birds fed OTA-AFB toxin diets. Significantly increased levels of HDL, IgG, IgM and anti-Newcastle disease virus (NDV) antibody titre were observed in the two essential oil-treated groups when compared with the control group. When compared with the control, relative weights of gizzard, liver and pancreas were significantly higher for broilers fed diets containing OTA alone. The results indicated that OTA and AFB toxins, alone or in combination, reduced villous height (VH) and ratio of VH to crypt depth in the jejunum. The levels of triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and plasma immunoglobulin, as well as NDV antibody titre were significantly decreased by AFB-OTA toxin combination. In summary, the combination of OTA and AFB impaired chick immune function even at combined concentrations as low as 0.25 mg/kg diet of OTA and 0.50 mg/kg diet of AFB. The inclusion of TOE and CFE can be an alternative to ameliorate the adverse effects of low doses of AFB and OTA in broiler diets. Highlights Ochratoxin A and aflatoxin B1, alone or in combination, affect negatively productive performance and immune function. Dietary inclusion of chamomile flower extract (CFE) and thyme-oil extract (TOE) had positive effects on growth performance and immune response. Addition of CFE and TOE to diets can ameliorate the adverse effects of mycotoxins in broiler diets.
On-Chip Smart Temperature Sensors for Dark Current Compensation in CMOS Image Sensors

This paper proposes various types of on-chip smart temperature sensors, intended for thermal compensation of dark current in CMOS image sensors (CIS). It proposes four different architectures of metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS)-based and bipolar junction transistor (BJT)-based temperature sensors inside and outside the CIS array. Both of the MOS-based temperature sensors make use of the thermal dependence of MOS transistors working in the subthreshold region with ratiometric currents and are quantized by the 14-bit first-order incremental delta–sigma analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). Fabricated using 0.18-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> CIS technology and measured on four chips, the proposed temperature sensors are compared, on their resolution and process variability, as well as on their effects on the neighboring image pixels implemented on the same chip. Experimental results show that the MOS-based temperature sensors inside and outside the array consume a power of 36 and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$40~\mu \text{W}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, respectively, both achieving 3-sigma (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sigma$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) inaccuracy less than ±0.75 °C on four different chips, over a temperature range from −20°C to 80 °C at a conversion time of 16 ms. The temperature sensors facilitate the digital thermal compensation of dark current in the CIS array, by at least 80%, in experiments.
Seed Dormancy in Corn Chamomile

Differential germination of corn chamomile (Anthemis arvensis L.) achenes was associated with achene size. Germination increased with reduction in achene size. Lower germination of large achenes was caused by a physical restriction of embryo expansion rather than by chemical inhibition or the preventive entrance of water or oxygen through the pericarp. This physical restriction was caused by lignified portions of the pericarp surrounding the seed.
Socio-ecological conditions and female infidelity in the Seychelles warbler

Abstract Within socially monogamous breeding systems, levels of extra-pair paternity can vary not only between species, populations, and individuals, but also across time. Uncovering how different extrinsic conditions (ecological, demographic, and social) influence this behavior will help shed light on the factors driving its evolution. Here, we simultaneously address multiple socio-ecological conditions potentially influencing female infidelity in a natural population of the cooperatively breeding Seychelles warbler, Acrocephalus sechellensis. Our contained study population has been monitored for more than 25 years, enabling us to capture variation in socio-ecological conditions between individuals and across time and to accurately assign parentage. We test hypotheses predicting the influence of territory quality, breeding density and synchrony, group size and composition (number and sex of subordinates), and inbreeding avoidance on female infidelity. We find that a larger group size promotes the likelihood of extra-pair paternity in offspring from both dominant and subordinate females, but this paternity is almost always gained by dominant males from outside the group (not by subordinate males within the group). Higher relatedness between a mother and the dominant male in her group also results in more extra-pair paternity—but only for subordinate females—and this does not prevent inbreeding occurring in this population. Our findings highlight the role of social conditions favoring infidelity and contribute toward understanding the evolution of this enigmatic behavior.
Allowing for human socioeconomic impacts in the conservation of plants under climate change

Abstract The impact of climate change on conservation planning is affected by the availability of data (especially in data-sparse countries) and socioeconomic impacts. We build models using MaxEnt for Egyptian medicinal plants as a model system, projecting them to different future times under two IPCC 4th assessment emission scenarios (A2a and B2a) assuming unlimited and no dispersal. We compare the effect of two indices of socioeconomic activity [Human Influence Index (HII) and human population density/km2] as cost layers in spatial prioritization for conservation using zonation. We assess the efficacy of Egypt's network of Protected Areas (PAs) by comparing the predicted conservation value inside and outside each PA under the various scenarios. The results show that there are many locations in Egypt (the main cities, agricultural land, coastal areas) that are highly ranked for conservation before human socioeconomic impacts are included. The HII had a stronger impact than using human population density. The PA value excess (inside–outside) varied significantly with the type of cost and dispersal, but not with climate-change scenario or Zonation settings. We conclude that human socioeconomic impacts add new scope and insights for future conservation; and conservation planning without consideration of such impacts cannot be complete.
Evaluation of the potential astringency of the skins and seeds of different grape varieties based on polyphenol/protein binding

Abstract The potential astringency of eight grape cultivars was evaluated based on polyphenol/protein binding. The parameters such as weights, sizes, total phenols, flavanols and tannins of different grape tissues were determined, and the polyphenol/protein binding was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and spectroscopy. The Cabernet Sauvignon had the highest skin proportion, while the Blue French had the highest seed proportion. The Blue French seeds had the highest total phenolic content, while the Cabernet Sauvignon skins had the highest total phenolic content. SDS-PAGE showed that the seed extracts had a better affinity than skin extracts for saliva proteins, but fluorescence spectra demonstrated that the interactions of skin polyphenols with protein were more complex. These results may provide some useful information on grape potential astringency’s evaluation and wine-making in China.