Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE ANTI-HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC EFFECT OF ULVAN POLYSACCHARIDE EXTRACTED FROM THE GREEN ALGA ULVAFASCIATA ON AGED HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIC RATS

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the relation between hypercholesterolemia and aging, beside the role of Ulva fasciata polysaccharides (UFP) aqueous extracts in lowering cholesterol in aged hypercholesterolemia-induced rats was demonstrated. Method: A total of 140 male Wister rats weighing 120±10 g, 6-9 months old were used. Hypercholesterolemia was induced in rats by feeding rats high-fat diet (cholesterol), cholesterol was orally administrated at a dose of (30 mg/0.3 ml olive oil/1 kg animal) 5 times a week for 12 consecutive weeks, lard fat was mixed with normal diet (1 kg of animal lard was added to 5 kg of normal diet), the occurrence of hypercholesterolemia was determined by measuring the lipid profile (TC, LDL-C, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol [HDL-C], triglyceride [TG]), the old hypercholesterolemic (HC) rats were only used. Results: The antihypercholesterolemic (HC) effects of ulvan, the sulfated polysaccharide extracted from the green alga Ulvafasciata, in aged rats, were studied. Algal treatment declared a significant reduction in serum total lipid level while, elevation of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol level was noticed in HC rats. Moreover, the algal treatment significantly decreased serum liver and kidney functions biomarkers and improved the hepatic antioxidant levels in hyperlipidemic aged rats. In addition, ulvan administration significantly suppressed the expression of tumor necrosis factoralpha, myeloperoxidase and cell vascular and intracellular adhesion molecules-1, while increased the anti-inflammatory cytokine level; interleukin-10. Furthermore, the histopathological examination of aorta, liver and kidney of HC-treated rats indicated that the Ulva fasciata polysaccharides (UFP), is a potent natural hypolipidemic nutraceutical for the amelioration of hyperlipidemia in aged rats. Conclusion: It could be concluded that, in comparison with the standard anti-HC drug (fluvastatin) used in this study, both cold and hot UFP algal extracts of U. fasciata demonstrated appreciable anti-hypercholesterolemic property, in addition to their antioxidant activity even in the old HC stressed rats. Thus, it could be used as a natural lipid regulator. Keywords: Ulvafasciata, Hypercholesterolemia, Polysaccharides, Rats, Sulfated polysaccharides, Aging, Hyper-cholesterolemia.
DNN-based Voice Activity Detection for Speaker Recognition

Correspondence: biefh@cslt.riit. tsinghua.edu. cn Center for Speech and Language Technology, Research Institute of Information Technology, Tsinghua University, ROOM 1-303, BLDG FIT, 100084 Beijing, China Department of Computer Science and Technology, Tsinghua University, ROOM 1-303, BLDG FIT, 100084 Beijing, China Full list of author information is available at the end of the article Abstract Voice activity detection (VAD) plays an important role in speaker recognition. This paper proposes to use a novel DNN-based VAD which harnesses the power of deep neural networks (DNN) in learning speech patterns from a large labelled database designed for speech recognition, and thus deliberately optimizes the discrimination between speech and non-speech signals. More interestingly, the output of the DNN offers a noise prior, which may lend itself to a Bayesian treatment for the uncertainty of noise in speaker recognition. The experiments were conducted on the mismatched-microphone condition (C3) of the SRE08 core test. It was found that the DNN-based VAD offered a relative reduction of 22.0% in equal error rate (EER) when compared to a fine-tuned energy-based VAD. When the Bayesian approach was employed, additional gains were obtained, particularly in noise conditions.
Evaluation of Marginal and Internal Adaptation of CAD/CAM and Pressable Ceramic Veneers of Different Preparation Designs Using Silicone Replica Technique: (A Comparative in Vitro Study)

Background: Accurate marginal and internal adaptation is a significant considerations for the clinical success of all ceramic restorations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the marginal and internal adaptation of IPS e.max CAD and IPS e.max press ceramic veneers with two different preparation designs by using silicon replica technique. Materials and method: A typodont maxillary central incisor was used for veneer preparation. Metal die was fabricated for each preparation deign, then each metal die was used to make twenty stone dies. The forty stone dies divided into four groups (n=10)according to the preparation design and the technique of veneer fabrication as follow: Group I: butt joint incisal reduction restored with IPS e.max CAD. Group II: overlapped incisal reduction with palatal chamfer restored with IPS e.max CAD. Group III: butt joint incisal reduction restored with IPS e.max press. Group IV: overlapped incisal reduction with palatal chamfer restored with IPS e.max press.A silicone replica was obtained to measure marginal and internal adaptation of each ceramic veneer. A silicone replica was sectioned vertically and horizontally, Marginal and internal adaptations were evaluated by measuring the thickness of the light body silicone material at different points using digital microscope. Results: Replica scores were analyzed with Twoway ANOVA and Independent sample t-test. The highest marginal gap was recorded for Group IV with highly significant differences when compared with other groups, followed by Group III, II, and I respectively. The fabrication technique and the preparation design showed significant effect on marginal gap values. There is no significant difference in internal gap between these four ceramic groups. Conclusion: The pressable ceramic veneers with overlapped incisal reduction design produced higher marginal gap. There is no significant difference in internal gap between these four ceramic groups. Only CAD/CAM Groups (Group I and II) showed a clinically acceptable total gap.
Anthropometry and throwing velocity in elite water polo by specific playing positions

Anthropometry and throwing velocity in elite water polo by specific playing positions The purposes of this study were threefold: to present the specific physical structure of elite water polo players by playing positions, to access its throwing velocity in different conditions (without goalkeeper, with goalkeeper and with previous displacement), and to observe the relationships between the assessed anthropometric and throwing velocity parameters. Nineteen water polo players of the Spanish National Team (nine offensive wings, five center back and five center forwards) were evaluated. The anthropometric profile (particularly the lengths, breaths, girths and skinfolds) was obtained according to the International Working Group of Kinanthropometry, and the throwing velocity was assessed in 3 × 2 maximal intensity shoots (3 min interval) from the penalty line using a radar. It was possible to observe higher values of body mass, BMI, and muscle mass of the center forwards compared to the wings, and foot length of the center backs compared with the wings, reflecting a specific physical profile for each playing position. However, no difference was found between groups regarding the breadths values. In addition, the somatotype of the wings is a balanced mesomorph, and the center backs and center forwards endo-mesomorphs. Despite center backs have higher hand grip values in comparison with wings, no differences were observed between specific playing positions in each throwing condition, as well as between conditions in each specific playing position. Moreover, observing the correlation coefficient values between anthropometric and throwing velocity variables by specific position for the three throwing conditions, a higher number of relationships was found for the center backs and center forwards rather than for the wings. When the total sample was analysed, a superior number of relationships was observed between the studied parameters in throwing with goalkeeper situation. These data reflects the dependence of the throwing skill on the anthropometric characteristics of water polo players.
Mesoscale convective systems

Mesoscale convective systems (MCSs) have regions of both convective and stratiform precipitation, and they develop mesoscale circulations as they mature. The upward motion takes the form of a deep‐layer ascent drawn into the MCS in response to the latent heating and cooling in the convective region. The ascending layer overturns as it rises but overall retains a coherent layer structure. A middle level layer of inflow enters the stratiform region of the MCS from a direction determined by the large‐scale flow and descends in response to diabatic cooling at middle‐to‐low levels. A middle level mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) develops in the stratiform region, prolongs the MCS, and may contribute to tropical cyclone development. The propagation of an MCS may have a discrete component but may further be influenced by waves and disturbances generated both in response to the MCS and external to the MCS. Waves of a larger scale may affect the propagation velocity by phase locking with the MCS in a cooperative mode. The horizontal scale of an MCS may be limited either by a balance between the formation rate of convective precipitation and dissipation of stratiform precipitation or by the Rossby radius of the MCV. The vertical redistribution of momentum by an MCS depends on the size of the stratiform region, while the net vertical profile of heating of the large‐scale environment depends on the amount of stratiform rain. Regional variability of the stratiform rain from MCSs affects the large‐scale circulation's response to MCS heating.
Application of a Simplified Molecular Protocol to Reveal Mixed Infections with Begomoviruses in Cassava

Samples of cassava leaves exhibiting severe symptoms of cassava mosaic disease (CMD) were collected with the PhytoPASS kit in fields surrounding the city of Bujumbura (Burundi). These materials were then sent to Belgium for polymerase chain reaction determination of the CMD begomoviruses inducing the observed symptoms. Different pairs of specific primers were used to amplify DNA sequences specific to African cassava mosaic virus (ACMV), East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV), East African cassava mosaic Cameroon virus (EACMCV), East African cassava mosaic Malawi virus (EACMMV), East African cassava mosaic Zanzibar virus (EACMZV), the Uganda variant of East African cassava mosaic virus (EACMV-UG) and South African cassava mosaic virus (SACMV). It was revealed that mixed infections were prevailing in the analyzed materials. Most of the samples submitted to this analysis were found to be co-infected by three different begomoviruses (ACMV + EACMV + EACMV-UG). The so revealed mixed infections could explain the high severity of CMD symptoms noticed on cassava in the region of Bujumbura while the diversity within the CMD causal agents illustrates the importance to take this parameter into consideration for a successful use of plant genetic resistance to control the disease.
EFFECT OF INCORPORATING NANO-HYDROXYAPATITE AND NANO-ZINC OXIDE INTO RESIN MODIFIED GLASS IONOMER CEMENT ON METAL BRACKET DEBONDING

Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontic, School of Dentistry, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran Resident, Department of Orthodontic, School of Dentistry, Shahed University, Tehran, Iran Associate Professor, Department of Health Management and Economics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Assistant Professor, Department of Orthodontic, School of Dentistry, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Physical education cultures in Sweden: fitness, sports, dancing … learning?

In a significant article from 1993, Crum describes the purpose of physical education (PE) as a ‘planned introduction into movement culture’. In broad terms, this purpose is tantamount to the stated purpose of Swedish PE in national steering documents. Crum contends, however, that physical educators do not prioritise learning, which is largely due to the different ‘movement cultures’ that constitute the PE lessons. This article explores how practice unfolds in movement cultures that are included in Swedish PE and their implications for teaching and learning in the subject. Some 30 (indoor) PE lessons in eight secondary schools in four cities throughout Sweden were video recorded. At ‘first glance’ these lessons indicated the prevalence of four logics of practice: a physical training logic, a sports logic, a sport technique logic and a dance logic. However, further analysis revealed that the teachers' and students' actions were not entirely in line with a logic of practice of training the body, winning the game, learning sporting skills or learning to dance. Instead, the PE practice largely unfolded as a ‘looks-like-practice’, where the purpose of teaching was blurred, and where any ‘planned introduction into movement culture’ was difficult to identify. In the final section, the authors discuss how physical activity logics can be recontextualised in a PE setting in order to emphasise the educational contribution of PE.
Responsiveness of Bold MRI to Short-Term Temperature Changes in Rabbit Knees with Inflammatory Arthritis

Objectives: Tissue signal change caused by temperature-dependent alterations in the affinity of oxygen for hemoglobin contributes to BOLD contrast. Our goals were to test whether BOLD MRI contrast changes with short-term variations in joint temperature (internal responsiveness) and to determine whether an association exists between BOLD MRI and intraarticular pO2 and blood flow [reference standards] upon joint temperature changes (external responsiveness). Methods: Seven juvenile rabbits had the carrageenin (antigen)-injected knee imaged, 10 had the contralateral knee imaged and 11 had one of non-injection knees imaged. Assigned knees underwent experimentally forced increased (37°-42°C) or decreased (37°- 30°C) local temperature for 15-minute periods using heating/cooling pads and were subsequently imaged. Intra-articular pO2 and blood flow were measured in vivo during MRI scanning by polarographic probes. Results: Relative BOLD MRI measurements showed moderate (≤0.8 and >0.5) or large (>0.8) Standardized Response Mean (SRM) changes upon increased local temperature in contralateral knees. Significant substantial correlations were obtained between absolute BOLD MRI measurements and intraarticular pO2 measurements in contralateral knees (r = 0.71, P = 0.048) upon increased local temperature and high correlations were obtained in arthritic knees (r = 0.92, P = 0.004) upon decreased local temperature. Conclusions: BOLD MRI was responsive to short-term joint temperature changes. Imaging contralateral joints in addition to arthritic joints with BOLD MRI may help maximize identification of minimal early changes in subjects with arthritis if findings of this study are confirmed in larger sample size experiments.
THE EFFECT OF EMPLOYING DIFFERENT DESIGN METHODS ON THE DESIGN COGNITION OF SMALL DESIGN TEAMS

This paper presents the results of comparing the design cognition of 10 design teams, each composed of two students, when employing different design methods while they design assistive technology devices. The design cognition of the teams of designers is obtained from protocol analyses of two sets of design sessions. In one set, the designers use brainstorming, and in the other, morphological analysis as the ideation technique. The protocols are segmented and coded using the Function-Behaviour-Structure coding scheme. This produces the sequence of the design issues for each protocol. These are then analysed for rate of design issue production and the rates for the two sets compared. The results from using the Function-Behaviour-Structure coding scheme can be compared even when the designers are working with different designs. The preliminary results reported in this paper show that there are statistically significant differences in the design cognition of the designers when utilizing these two design methods. Some of these results are in line with expectations from the design methodologies being used. In addition, we report some unexpected results that need to be further investigated with more specific empirical studies.
Outbreak investigation of epidemic dropsy in Panchmahal district of Gujarat, 2012 -

Background: Epidemic dropsy is food born disease. The etiological agent responsible for epidemic dropsy is sanguinarine and found in seeds of argemone mexicana. Epidemic dropsy has been reported from time to time in various parts of India. This outbreak of epidemic dropsy was reported in Panchmahal district of Gujarat in 2012. Objectives: 1.To identify etiological agent, source of outbreak and mode of transmission.2. To propose control measures based on the outbreak investigation. Material and method: A community based cross section study in Dholkhakhara village was carried out by rapid response team (RRT) of medical college Vadodara. Data was collected through (1) in-depth interview of cases (2) case records of government and private health facilities (3) a house to house survey of Dholkhakhara village. Result: Attack rate of epidemic dropsy was 9.12 per 1000 population. Highest attack rate was 19.46 per 1000 population in 11-20 years of age group. Case fatality rate was 7.69%. Conclusion: It was sudden onset; common source outbreak of epidemic dropsy. Cause of outbreak was ingestion of contaminated mustard oil with poppy seeds (argemone mexicana).
Concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid ( EPA ) and docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA ) of Asian catfish oil by urea complexation : optimization of reaction conditions

Optimization of the concentrating conditions of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) extracted from Asian catfish oil was studied to obtain a maximum concentration. The crude fish oil was extracted from the belly flap and adipose tissue of Asian catfish, and the extracted oil was used as fresh crude oil. The EPA and DHA were concentrated by the urea complexation method. A hexagonal rotatable design was applied to examine the effects of crystallization temperature and urea-to-fatty acid ratio on the total content of EPA and DHA (Y1) and the liquid recovery yield (Y2). The second order polynomial regression models for Y1 and Y2 were employed to generate the response surfaces. Under the optimum conditions of -20 °C and a urea-to-fatty acid ratio of 4 (w/w), the total concentration of EPA and DHA could be increased by up to 88%, while a liquid recovery yield of 26% was obtained.
Efficacy and safety of intravenous acetaminophen versus intravenous butorphanol as post-operative analgesic in obstetrics and gynecology: a comparative study

Background: The purpose of this study is to provide effective pain management by administration of an analgesic that gives the patients maximum satisfaction. The goal was to evaluate and compare the analgesics efficacy of acetaminophen with butorphanol; to determine if there is an overall decrease in opioid consumption and opioid-related adverse effects; and detect any adverse effects of acetaminophen as post-operative analgesics. Methods: In this randomized parallel-group controlled trial, post-operative patients were given either 1 g intravenous (IV) acetaminophen or 2 g IV butorphanol as post-operative analgesics. The post‑operative pain was evaluated by pain intensity scales and was measured at rest and during a deep breath over 24 h. If the reading in the pain intensity scale was above 5 then rescue medicine injection. Tramadol 100 mg IV SOS was given in both the groups. Any adverse effects reported by the patients were recorded. Results: The butorphanol group achieved slightly better pain ratings in the first 2 h and acetaminophen group after 6 h post-operatively. The overall visual analogue scale score across time was significantly lower for acetaminophen group than the butorphanol group (p = 0.02). The secondary outcome measure, rescue analgesic consumption (injection tramadol) was comparable between the two groups. Side-effects were less in acetaminophen than butorphanol, predominantly headache and sedation which was seen in butorphanol but was absent in acetaminophen. Conclusion: IV acetaminophen is an effective analgesic in obstetric and gynaecological surgeries with a good safety profile. When used in combination with opioids, they reduce opioid consumption, and this reduction is sufficient to reduce opioid-induced adverse effects.
Abstract Association of Leg Length with Metabolic Abnormalities Underlying Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Association of Leg Length with Metabolic Abnormalities Underlying Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Luke W. Johnston Master’s of Science Graduate Department of Nutritional Sciences University of Toronto 2013 The objective of this thesis was to determine the association of leg length (LL), a marker of early childhood conditions, with metabolic abnormalities underlying type 2 diabetes. Utilizing data from a population at-risk for diabetes, the associations of LL with i) insulin resistance (IR) and β-cell dysfunction and ii) a continuous metabolic syndrome risk score (MetScore) were analyzed. Results showed that shorter LL was associated with IR and βcell dysfunction, and that the combination of short legs and large waist (a marker of adult obesogenic conditions) was associated with the greatest IR. Height, a marker of overall childhood conditions, was found to be inversely associated with the MetScore. Therefore, both adverse childhood conditions and early-late life mismatched conditions may increase the risk for diabetes through differing pathways. Improving childhood conditions (i.e. nutritionally or economically) may be an important strategy to prevent diabetes.
Measuring on Farm Diversity and Determinants of Barley Diversity in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

Maintaining on-farm diversity of crop varieties has received increasing attention as a strategy for mitigating production risk and protecting food security in resource-poor farming systems with few opportunities for insurance or trade. Barley is grown under a wide range of environmental conditions and in marginal areas or seasons where the production of other cereals is limited. Food consumption preferences and variable tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses influence the mixture and number of varieties to be grown. Phenotypic diversity was determined using Shannon diversity index. An econometric approach has been applied to identify the social and economic factors that influence levels of diversity maintained on-farm. A high phenotypic diversity index (0.79) was recorded from sampled barley varieties. Censored regression indicates that physical characteristics of the farm (land fragmentation index, farm size), agro climatic features of the site (altitude, rainfall, temperature) and household characteristics (only number of children) had a significant and positive impact on diversity and area allocation of barley. The significant negative relation of number of extension contact with barley diversity implies further attention and analysis.