Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinico-pathological analysis and re-evaluation of role of testicular biopsy in male factor infertility: A prospective study and review of literature

Context: For many years Testicular biopsy was considered the gold standard for diagnosis in men with unexplained infertility. However recent guidelines have limited the indications for a diagnostic testicular biopsy and there is paradigm shift towards prognostic and therapeutic significance. Aims1. To re-evaluate the role of testicular biopsy in male factor infertility and guide in planning the management protocols.2. To identify potential candidates who would benefit from assisted reproductive techniques.Settings and Design:The present study was conducted at the Department of pathology, Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, Narketpally over a period of 3 years, starting from June 2015 to June 2018. This study was a prospective study. Material and Methods:This study involved schematic evaluation of cases with male infertility which included clinical history, physical examination, semen analysis, hormone analysis, radiological evaluation (Scrotal and trans-rectal Ultrasonography) for obstructive etiology and finally testicular biopsy. Histomorphology of Testicular biopsy specimens were analyzed and the results were documented.Statistical analysis used: Simple percentages and Graphical representation of the data.Results: Testicular biopsy done in 71 patients revealed Hypo-spermatogenesis as the most common histological finding. Second most common abnormality reported was Sertoli cell only syndrome/Germ cell aplasia. Majority of cases of Varicocele, inguinal hernia and radiologically documented obstructive cases revealed normal spermatogenesis. And using microsurgical assisted reproduction techniques, sperms were retrieved from all cases of Hypo-spermatogenesis. Sperm retrieval rates were 70% and 31.3% in maturation arrest and Sertoli cell only syndrome respectively.Conclusions: Testicular biopsy in the management of Male factor infertility carries prognostic significance. In patients with obstructive azoospermia, presence of normal spermatogenesis and hypo-spermatogenesis carries good prognosis as surgical repair of the defects recovers fertility in majority of cases. In cases with non-obstructive azoospermia with findings of hypo-spermatogenesis, Sertoli cell only syndrome and maturation arrest, testicular biopsy predicts the chances of sperm retrieval by microsurgical TESE for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and thus carries prognostic and therapeutic significance.
Coagulation and Dissolution of CuO Nanoparticles in the Presence of Dissolved Organic Matter Under Different pH Values

The increased use of copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) in commercial products and industrial applications raises concerns about their adverse effects on aquatic life and human health. Therefore, the current study explored the removal of CuO NPs from water via coagulation by measuring solubility under various pH values and humic acid (HA) concentrations. The results showed that the media pH significantly affected the coagulation efficiency of CuO NPs (30 mg/L) under various (0–0.30 mM) ferric chloride (FC) dosages. The concentration of dissolved Cu2+ ions at pH 3–6 was (16.5–4.8 mg/L), which was higher than at other studied pH (7–11). Moreover, the simultaneous effect of coagulants and charge neutralization at pH 6–8 enhanced the removal of CuO NPs. At a lower FC (0–0.05 mM) dosage, the higher HA concentration inhibited the aggregation of CuO NPs. However, at the optimum dose of (0.2 mM) FC, the efficiency of turbidity removal and solubility of CuO NPs between pH 8 and 11 was above 98% and 5%, respectively, probably due to coagulant enmeshment. Our study suggested that coagulation was effective in removing the CuO NPs from the complex matrices with pH values ranging from 8–11. The findings of the present study provide insight into the coagulation and dissolution behavior of CuO NPs during the water treatment process.
Management Standard Certification and Firm Productivity: Micro-evidence from Africa

Using micro evidence from manufacturing and services firms located in 41 African countries, this paper shows that better management practice, reflected by international management certification, helps firms to raise productivity. Larger and older firms and firms operating closer to the technological frontier are more likely to possess international management standards certification, as do firms engaged in international transactions. Certification in turn raises productivity levels further, in line with a process of continuous improvement. The findings hold for both manufacturing and services firms.
Dispositional forgiveness and stress as primary correlates of executive functioning in adults

The purpose of this study was to explore the physical, social, and mental health correlates of executive functioning in adults. Our sample consisted of 250 adults aged 18–55 years who participated in a survey. Participants reported on their physical health behaviors, family closeness, and mental health. Using hierarchical linear regression, the final model explained 41 percent of executive functioning in adults. Dispositional forgiveness of situations, stress, and living in a single-family home were the only significant correlates of executive functioning. These results are useful for better understanding possible mechanisms through which to improve executive functioning in adults.
Modeling determinants of satisfaction with health care in youth with inflammatory bowel disease part 2: semiparametric distributional regression

Background: Methodological challenges arise with the analysis of patient satisfaction as a measure of health care quality. One of them is the necessity to adjust for differences in patient characteristics or other variables. A combination of several helpful extensions to regression analysis is shown based on patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to help identify important covariates associated with the distribution of satisfaction. Patients and methods: Analyses were based on cross-sectional data from a postal survey on the health care of patients with IBD aged 15–25, with satisfaction assessed using a 32-item validated questionnaire weighing experience by perceived relevance. The weighted summary score was modeled using a Beta distribution in a generalized additive model for location, scale and shape. Covariates were distinguished in 3 groups and the model was entered in separate, consecutive analyses. First, demographic and disease-related variables were included. Next, information about the IBD specialist was added. The third step added care quality indicators. Results are presented as OR with 95% CI. Results: In the survey, 619 questionnaires were returned and the data set had 453 complete cases for analysis. Satisfaction appeared increased for patients working (OR 1.59, 95% CI: 1.19–2.11) or studying (1.25, 1.00–1.56) as compared to those still at school or in non-academic job training. High anxiety scores and an older age of onset were associated with lower satisfaction. The variation of satisfaction is higher for patients with Crohn’s disease or who have statutory insurance (1.19, 1.01–1.40 and 1.22, 1.06–1.40). Conclusion: Modeling the entire distribution of the response uncovered additional influences on the variance of patient satisfaction not previously identified by classical regression. It also resulted in a richer model for the mean. The construction of a combined model for different features of the distribution also helped to improve the control of confounding.
Effects of Temperature on Damage to Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti) by the Scentless Plant Bug Niesthrea louisianica

In controlled-environment chambers, the scentless plant bug Niesthrea louisianica Sailer damaged reproductive structures of velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti Medik. # ABUTH) and reduced viable seed production by 98 to 99%, in comparison with insect-free control plants. The insect completed its life cycle on velvetleaf in two temperature regimes simulating warm growing-season conditions in Mississippi (29/23 C day/night) and Minnesota (24/18 C). Feeding by N. louisianica delayed flowering, capsule development, and capsule and seed maturation in biotypes of velvetleaf from Mississippi and Minnesota, in both temperature regimes. Numbers and weights of capsules and seed were lower in the infested plants. Augmentation of natural populations of N. louisianica to increase population density early in the growing season might be effective in reducing velvetleaf seed production.
Comparative in-vitro activity of Sch 34343, imipenem, cefpirome and cefotaxime.

The in-vitro activity of Sch 34343 was compared with that of imipenem, cefpirome and cefotaxime against clinical isolates of important bacterial pathogens. Sch 34343 was very stable to changes in media, human serum concentration, pH and inoculum size. Enterobacteriaceae, including strains resistant to aminopenicillins and established cephalosporins, were susceptible to Sch 34343. In the case of Acinetobacter spp. , imipenem was the only highly active antibiotic. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (and most other Pseudomonas spp.) were insensitive to Sch 34343. Activity against Haemophilus influenzae was greater than that of imipenem but less than that of cefotaxime and cefpirome. Sch 34343 activity against Gram-negative anaerobic rods was greater than that of cefoxitin and comparable to imipenem. All methicillin-sensitive staphylococci were inhibited by 1 mg/l of Sch 34343, 0.5 mg/l of imipenem, 2 mg/l of cefpirome and 8 mg/l of cefotaxime. Activity of all four against methicillin-resistant staphylococci was low. Streptococcus faecalis was inhibited by 16 mg/l of Sch 34343 and 2 mg/l of imipenem. The activity of Sch 34343 was not affected by a beta-lactamase inactivating third generation cephalosporins.
Interdecadal Variations in the Frequency of Persistent Hot Events in Boreal Summer over Midlatitude Eurasia

Based on the daily Japanese 55-year Reanalysis (JRA-55) dataset, this study reveals that southern Europe/western Asia (SEWA) and northern China are two large-scale regions that have exhibited consistent interdecadal variations in the frequency of persistent hot events (PHEs). Over the past 58 summers, the period approximately from 1973 to 1996 represents an inactive period for the occurrence of PHEs over the two regions, whereas the antecedent and subsequent periods are active periods. At the subseasonal time scale, the regional PHEs over SEWA are characterized by quasi-stationary wave train anomalies aloft from the northwest Atlantic to Europe, while the regional PHEs over northern China are characterized by quasi-stationary wave train anomalies over the Eurasian continent. The persistence of the quasi-stationary anomalies is associated with the Rossby wave propagation. Moreover, the energy extraction from the basic flow is also favorable for their persistence. Our study reveals that the above typical circulation anomalies for the PHEs over both SEWA and northern China are in phase with the background circulation changes during the two active periods. Thus, the interdecadal changes in background circulation can modulate the frequency of PHEs over the two regions simultaneously. Further analysis reveals that the background circulation changes are closely related to the interdecadal variation in the Silk Road pattern based on their similarities in both spatial pattern and temporal variation. The sea surface temperature over four particular regions seems to facilitate the phase shifts in the Silk Road pattern on the interdecadal time scale.
An Assessment of Social Interaction Responsiveness of Selected Online Resources for French Vocabulary Learning by Foreign Learners

This paper investigates the appropriateness of Internet-based learning resources in the acquisition of French vocabulary by foreign learners using the framework of the social interaction theory of learning. Five online French language learning platforms are randomly selected and an assessment of their responsiveness to the framework of the social interaction theory of foreign language learning is carried out. Findings show that the five online resources, although not on the same level of interactive effectiveness, would be of great assistance to foreign learners of French in their quest to acquire adequate vocabulary. Finally, far-reaching recommendations are made to developers of online vocabulary learning resources on how to best present their learning contents for optimal results. Recommendations are also made to French teachers and learners on ways by which the use of online platforms can be optimally utilized to facilitate the acquisition of French vocabulary.
Combinatorial Iterative Algorithms for Computing the Centroid of an Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Set

Computing the centroid of an interval type-2 fuzzy set (IT2 FS) is an important type-reduction method. The aim of this paper is to develop a new method to calculate the centroid of an IT2 FS when the problems of centroid computation of an IT2 FS are continuous. For the continuous centroid computation problems, the structures of optimal solutions are strictly proven from mathematics for the first time in this paper. Furthermore, we also prove that the structures of the optimal solutions are unique in the sense of almost everywhere equal, i.e., if there are two optimal solutions <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$f_1(x)$</tex-math></inline-formula> and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$f_2(x)$</tex-math></inline-formula>, the Lebesgue measure of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\{x|f_1(x)\neq f_2(x)\}$</tex-math></inline-formula> is equal to 0. Subsequently, a combinatorial iterative (CI) method is proposed to solve the roots of the sufficiently differentiable objective functions. It is proven that the convergence of the proposed iterative method is at least sixth order. Based on the proposed iterative method, two algorithms, called CI algorithms, are devised to compute the centroid of an IT2 FS. The efficiencies of CI algorithms are demonstrated by comparing the continuous Karnik–Mendel algorithms and the Hallye's methods with the CI algorithms through three numerical examples.
Presentation and Outcomes of Childhood Cancer Patients at Uganda Cancer Institute

Introduction. Limited data suggest that children with cancer in sub-Saharan Africa have poor survival. We aimed to describe the presentation, treatment outcomes, and factors associated with survival among children with cancer managed at Uganda Cancer Institute. Methods. We retrospectively evaluated patients with childhood cancer (age ≤19 years) from Kyadondo County treated at Uganda Cancer Institute from 2006 to 2009. Cox’s regression and Kaplan-Meier methods were used to study 1-year survival. Results. Among 310 patients studied, median age was 7 years (range = 0.25-19 years), 64% were boys, and 92% had histological confirmation of cancer diagnosis. The commonest diagnoses were Burkitt lymphoma (BL, N = 87), Kaposi sarcoma (KS, N = 68), non-BL non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL, N = 32), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, N = 28), Wilms (N = 28), and Hodgkin disease (HD, N = 20). Advanced disease at diagnosis was common for all cancers (ranging from 45% for KS to 83% for non-BL NHL). Overall, 33.2% abandoned treatment. One-year survival was 68% for HD (95% confidence interval [CI] = 11.3-40.6), 67% for KS (95% CI = 52.1-77.9), 55% for BL (95% CI = 42-66.9), 44% for Wilms (95% CI = 22.5-63), 43% for non-BL NHL (95% CI = 23.3-61.3), and 20% for ALL (95% CI = 6.4-38.7). In univariate and multivariate analysis, anemia and thrombocytopenia were associated with mortality for several cancers. Conclusion. Survival among children with cancer in Uganda is poor. Advanced stage disease and loss to follow-up likely contribute to poor outcomes. Anemia and thrombocytopenia may augment traditional staging methods to provide better prognostic factors in Uganda and warrant further evaluation.
Some Results concerning Generalized Positive Boolean Dependencies in relational Database

779 Abstract—This paper presents some concepts of Generalized Positive Boolean Dependencies (GPBDs) in relational database. Positive formulas means logic formulas formed by variables, constants 0/1 which is true if all variables are true. In fact, it shows that relational database expanded by Generalized Positive Dependencies can process complex database constraints, and traditional dependency is one case of Generalized Positive Dependencies. The first section of this paper is about some basic concepts and the need of Generalized Positive Dependencies in particular, major results involved in this dependency such as equivalence theorem among three types of reasoning for all logical dependency classes: reasoning in the world of all relations, reasoning in the world of 2-tuple relations and reasoning of propositional logic. It also shows that functional dependencies, strong, weak and dual dependencies are ones of cases of Generalized Positive Boolean dependencies. Through equivalence theorem, membership problem can be solved. It defines whether Generalized positive Boole dependency can be derived from set of Generalized positive Boole dependencies or not. The last section presents an algorithm to solve the above problems in general.
Machine-Learning-Based Error Detection and Design Optimization in Signal Integrity Applications

Evaluating the robustness of integrated circuits (ICs) against noise and disturbances is of crucial importance in signal integrity (SI) applications. In this paper, the addressed challenge is to build a software-based framework allowing for automated detection of failures and fast simulation-based evaluation of designs. In particular, these tasks are here addressed using anomaly detection (AD), a branch of machine learning (ML) techniques focused on identifying erroneous or deviant data. In the proposed framework, the ML model only requires the time-domain waveforms and no additional knowledge about the circuit nor about the errors to be identified. Specifically, a two-step approach to detect anomalous behaviors in output waveforms of digital ICs is proposed, comprising a first phase where the ML models are trained to learn relevant features describing the data and a second one where those features are used to identify anomalies with unsupervised or semisupervised AD techniques. Two relevant application examples validate the performance and flexibility of the proposed method.
Efficacy of Three Postemergence Grass Herbicides for Soybeans

The effects of herbicide concentration, adjuvants, and temperature on the phytotoxicity of CGA-82725 {2-propynyl 2-[4-[3,5-dichloro-2-pyridinyl)oxy] phenoxy] propionate}, RO 13-8895 {acetone-O-[D-2-[p-(α,α,α-trifluoro-p-tolyl)-oxy] phenoxy] propionyl] oxime}, and BAS 9052 OH {2-[1-(ethoxyimino)-butyl]-5-[2-(ethylthio)propyl]-3-hydroxy-2-cyclohexene-1-one} to large crabgrass [Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop. # DIGSA] were evaluated. The addition of adjuvants increased the toxicity of BAS 9052 OH at herbicide rates below 0.14 kg ai/ha, whereas the adjuvants had little effect on the activity of CGA-82725 or RO 13-8895. There were no differences among the adjuvants in enhancing grass control with any of the herbicides. Control of large crabgrass with CGA-82725 or BAS 9052 OH was not affected by temperature at the time of spraying; RO 13-8895 was slightly more toxic at 16 C than at 32 C. Soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] had good tolerance to the three herbicides at rates 3 to 10 times those recommended; no differences in tolerance were observed among seven soybean cultivars. Stage of growth and the addition of an emulsifiable oil adjuvant did not affect soybean tolerance to BAS 9052 OH.
The Politics of Government Decision Making: Regulatory Institutions the Politics of Government Decision Making: Regulatory Institutions

Public decision makers are given a vague mandate to regulate industries. Restrictions on their instruments or scope of regulation affect their incentives to identify with interest groups and the effectiveness of supervision by watchdogs. This idea is illustrated in the context of the regulation of a natural monopoly. Much of the theoretical literature has assumed that a benevolent regulator is prohibited from operating transfers to the firm and maximizes social welfare subject to the firm's budget constraint. The tension between the assumptions of benevolence and of restrictions on instruments in such models leads us to investigate the role played by the mistrust of regulators in the development of this institution. We compare two mandates: average cost pricing (associated with the possibility of transfers). The regulator may identify with the industry, but a regulatory hearing offers the advocacy groups (watchdogs) an opportunity to alter the proposed rule making. The comparison between the two mandates hinges on the dead-weight loss associated with collusion and on the effectiveness of watchdog supervision.
Pitfalls of Two-Step Testing for Changes in the Error Variance and Coefficients of a Linear Regression Model

In empirical applications based on linear regression models, structural changes often occur in both the error variance and regression coefficients, possibly at different dates. A commonly applied method is to first test for changes in the coefficients (or in the error variance) and, conditional on the break dates found, test for changes in the variance (or in the coefficients). In this note, we provide evidence that such procedures have poor finite sample properties when the changes in the first step are not correctly accounted for. In doing so, we show that testing for changes in the coefficients (or in the variance) ignoring changes in the variance (or in the coefficients) induces size distortions and loss of power. Our results illustrate a need for a joint approach to test for structural changes in both the coefficients and the variance of the errors. We provide some evidence that the procedures suggested by Perron et al. (2019) provide tests with good size and power.
Tooth Root Bending Fatigue Strength of High-Density Sintered Small-Module Spur Gears: The Effect of Porosity and Microstructure

The present paper is aimed at investigating the effect of porosity and microstructure on tooth root bending fatigue of small-module spur gears produced by powder metallurgy (P/M). Specifically, three steel variants differing in powder composition and alloying route were subjected either to case-hardening or sinter-hardening. The obtained results were interpreted in light of microstructural and fractographic inspections. On the basis of the Murakami a r e a method, it was found that fatigue strength is mainly dictated by the largest near-surface defect and by the hardness of the softest microstructural constituent. Owing to the very complicated shape of the critical pore, it was found that its maximum Feret diameter is the geometrical parameter that best captures the detrimental effect on fatigue.