Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Split-face comparative study of 1550 nm fractional photothermolysis and trichloroacetic acid 15% chemical peeling for facial melasma in Asian skin

Fractional photothermolysis (FP) therapy and chemical peels have been reported to be effective in patients with recalcitrant melasma. However, there is little information to compare the efficacy of single treatment session in Asian women. The aim of this study was to examine the efficacy, long-lasting outcomes and safety of a single session of 1550-nm erbium-doped FP in Asian patients, compared with trichloroacetic acid (TCA) peel with a medium depth. Eighteen Korean women (Fitzpatrick skin type III or IV) with moderate-to-severe bilateral melasma were randomly treated with a single session of 1550-nm FP on one cheek, and with a 15% TCA peel on the other cheek. Outcome measures included an objective melasma area severity index and subjective patient-rated overall improvement at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. Melasma lesions were significantly improved 4 weeks after either treatment, but melasma recurred at 12 weeks. Post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation developed in 28% of patients at 4 weeks but resolved in all but one patient by 12 weeks. There was no difference between FP treatment and TCA peeling with respect to any outcome measure. FP laser and TCA peel treatments were equally effective and safe when used to treat moderate-to-severe melasma, but neither treatment was long-lasting. We suggest that multiple or periodic maintenance treatments and/or supplemental procedures may be required for the successful treatment of melasma in Asian women.
Effects of ketoconazole on the excretion kinetics of methandienone . An in vivo study

This research is part of a wider project designed to provide more information on the implications that metabolic (phase I and phase II) drug-drug interactions might have on the effectiveness of doping control strategies, currently adopted by the antidoping laboratories, to detect drug intake. In the first part of this project we showed that the in vitro metabolic profile of several prohibited substances, e.g. methandienone, was extensively altered in the presence of the azole-antifungal agents ketoconazole, itraconazole, miconazole and of the antidepressant nefazodone. To confirm the occurrence of these observations, we report here the results of excretion studies (methandienone single dose of 5 mg per os) with and without the application of ketoconazole (single dose of 200 mg per os). The results obtained showed that the urinary levels of methandienone and of most of its metabolites were extensively altered by ketoconazole administration. Furthermore, our data also showed that ketokonazole significantly modified the excretion kinetics and windows of detection of methandienone and most of its metabolites. Notably, also the "diagnostic markers" selected as long-term detected methandienone metabolites were included in this group of effected compounds.
The relationship between Customer Relationship Management ( CRM ) and performance in the hotel industry

The aim of the study was to establish the levels of customer relationship management (CRM) practices among hotels in the City of Tshwane (COT), South Africa. It also aimed at establishing the relationship between the practice of CRM and performance. A cross sectional, quantitative approach was used in the study. A structured questionnaire was administered to all the 106 hotels in the COT municipality and 41 responses were received and used in the study. The practice of CRM among the hotels in the City of Tshwane was found to be high. A positive and significant correlation was found between CRM and performance. The study recommends that hotel management should continuously embark on various CRM practices in order to improve performance. Literature confirms that hotel competitiveness is dependent on the application of CRM. The results are based on a small sample of hotels, confined to a single municipality in South Africa, and the results may not be universally applicable to different localities. Future research could be extended to a wider population of South African hotels and comparative studies with other international destinations could also be done. No known studies to measure the practice of CRM had been done on local hotels. A hybrid performance construct, comprising of customer loyalty, sales turn over, market share and profitability was validated and used in the study. The study confirms that CRM leads to better performance.
Nitrogen Requirements of Potatoes

Nitrogen fertilizer applications, for maximum fertilizer efficiencies and crop yields, should be based on the N required by the crop during its various growth stages. The objectives of this paper were to identify the N requirements of the potato plant (Solanum tuberosum L.) during growth and to evaluate selected soil and plant tissue tests as indicators of the plant's N status. Growth analysis data and soil and petiole NO₃-N concentrations were obtained at predetermined time intervals from N fertilization treatments in replicated field studies on a coarse-silty mixed, mesic Durixerollic Calciorthrid soil. Maximum early tuber growth occurred when leaf area index was between 2.5 and 3.2 and the tops contained between 79 and 100 kg N ha⁻¹ at the start of linear tuber growth. A preplant N fertilizer application between 67 and 134 kg ha⁻¹ gave these characteristics under the experimental conditions. The maximum dry matter production rate per day (approx. 250 kg ha⁻¹) occurred when there was between 80 and 140 kg N ha⁻¹ in the plant tops and roots. An average tuber growth rate of 0.75 Mg ha⁻¹ day⁻¹ required a N uptake rate of 3.7 kg ha⁻¹ day⁻¹ to prevent the loss of N and dry matter from the tops and roots. Sufficient N was available for this rate when the soil NO₃-N concentration was > 7.5 mg kg⁻¹ (0.46-m soil depth), corresponding to 15 000 mg kg⁻¹ NO₃-N in the fourth petiole. Soil and petiole NO₃-N concentrations may be used to adjust the N fertilization rates during the growing season. This practice has the potential of increasing the overall N fertilizer use efficiency and final tuber yields within the climatic, disease, and variety limitations.
Aflatoxin contamination of foods in developing countries: Implications for hepatocellular carcinoma and chemopreventive strategies

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth leading cause of cancer mortality in the world and, in certain parts of Asia and Africa, it accounts for about 70% of cancer deaths. Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and dietary exposure to aflatoxin B 1 (AFB 1 ) are the two major risk factors in multi factorial aetiology of HCC. Multiple lines of evidence indicate synergistic interaction between these two agents in the development of HCC. Several mechanisms of interaction have been suggested including activation of cytochrome P450s by HBV infection leading to the metabolism of inactive AFB 1 to the mutagenic AFB 1 -8,9-epoxide as well as the generation of reactive oxygen species by HBV and AFB 1 sensitising the cells to AFB 1 -induced p53 249 ser mutations. The poor survival rate achieved by the current surgical procedures and chemotherapy treatment has motivated a number of scientific investigations to elucidating the molecular events involved in HCC thus providing the scientific rationale for prevention strategies, including primary and chemoprevention approaches. Recent findings have implicated intracellular signalling cascades involving nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) and nuclear transcription factor erythroid 2p45 (NF-E2)-related factor 2 (Nrf2) as molecular targets of a wide range of chemopreventive agents. The new findings thus raise the intriguing possibility that chemopreventives modulating these molecular targets in the liver might provide a novel therapeutic approach to the development of liver cancer. Keywords: Hepatocellular carcinoma, chronic hepatitis B virus, aflatoxin B1, chemoprevention
Quantum vacuum properties of the intersubband cavity polariton field

We present a quantum description of a planar microcavity photon mode strongly coupled to a semiconductor intersubband transition in presence of a two-dimensional electron gas. We show that, in this kind of system, the vacuum Rabi frequency ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{R}$ can be a significant fraction of the intersubband transition frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{12}$. This regime of ultrastrong light-matter coupling is enhanced for long-wavelength transitions, because for a given doping density, effective mass and number of quantum wells, the ratio ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{R}∕{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{12}$ increases as the square root of the intersubband emission wavelength. We characterize the quantum properties of the ground state (a two-mode squeezed vacuum), which can be tuned in situ by changing the value of ${\ensuremath{\Omega}}_{R}$, e.g., through an electrostatic gate. We finally point out how the tunability of the polariton quantum vacuum can be exploited to generate correlated photon pairs out of the vacuum via quantum electrodynamics phenomena reminiscent of the dynamical Casimir effect.
The use of a best-fit allometric model to estimate aboveground biomass accumulation and distribution in an age series of teak ( Tectona grandis L . f . ) plantations at Gambari Forest Reserve , Oyo State , Nigeria

Biomass accumulation and distribution in four selected plots of an age series (5, 8, 11 and 14 years) of teak plantations were studied. Ten trees per plot (50 m x 50 m) were randomly selected and destructively sampled for the fresh and oven-dry weights of their tree components. The dry weights of the tree components were regressed with their trunk diameters at breast height. The log : log allometric model was used to estimate the biomass. The trends in the biomass accumulation and distribution, as well as those of the mean annual increase in biomass, percentage contribution of the leaf biomass to the overall tree biomass and the undergrowth and litter were discussed. Because of its rapid rate of biomass accumulation compared to species of natural and other timber plantations, the use of teak as an alternative source of timber is justified. Resumen: Se estudió la acumulación y la distribución de la biomasa en cuatro parcelas seleccionadas de plantaciones de teca que conforman una serie de edad (5, 8, 11 y 14 años). Se seleccionaron al azar diez árboles por parcela (50 m × 50 m), de los cuales se tomaron muestras destructivas para determinar el peso fresco y seco de sus componentes. Se calcularon las regresiones de los pesos secos de los componentes arbóreos sobre sus diámetros del tronco a la altura del pecho. La biomasa fue estimada usando el modelo alométrico log:log. Se discuten las tendencias en la acumulación y la distribución de biomasa, así como aquellas correspondientes al incremento anual promedio en biomasa, la contribución porcentual de la biomasa foliar a la biomasa arbórea general, y la biomasa subterránea y el mantillo. Si se considera la rápida tasa de acumulación de biomasa en comparación con especies de plantaciones naturales y de otras maderas, el uso de la teca como una fuente alternativa de madera está justificado. Resumo: A acumulação e distribuição de biomassa em quatro parcelas seleccionadas de uma serie etária (5, 8, 11, e 14 anos) de plantações de teca foram estudadas. Seleccionaram-se de forma casual dez árvores por parcela e, das árvores, foram retiradas de forma destrutiva amostras de cada componente para determinação dos pesos verdes e secos em estufa. Foi efectuada uma análise de regressão entre os pesos secos das componentes das árvores e os diâmetros das árvores à altura do peito. O modelo alométrico log: log foi utilizado para estimar a biomassa. As tendências da acumulação e distribuição da biomassa, bem como os dos acréscimos médios anuais da mesma, a contribuição percentual da biomassa foliar em relação à biomassa total, a subterrânea e a folhada foram discutidas. Por causa da sua rápida taxa de * Corresponding Author; e-mail: drmbaekwe@yahoo.com 260 BIOMASS AND DISTRIBUTION IN TEAK acumulação de biomassa quando comparada com as espécies naturais e outras plantações madeireiras, o uso da teca com o fonte alternativa de madeira é justificada.
LIME ENHANCES DENITRIFICATION RATE AND DENITRIFIER GENE ABUNDANCE IN PASTURE SOILS TREATED WITH URINE AND URINE + DCD

Denitrification is one of the major soil processes that produce nitrous oxide (N2O) in grazed pastures. Year-round grazing, animal excretion, heavy rainfall, and the use of nitrogen (N) fertilisers lead to high denitrification rates in grazed pastures. Complete denitrification produces harmless dinitrogen (N2) as its end product, whereas N2O (a potent greenhouse gas) is produced by incomplete denitrification. Soil pH is one of the key factors controlling denitrification end-products. Soil pH below 6.5 leads to higher N2O emissions than N2. Liming of soils to raise its pH and enhance denitrification activity has therefore been suggested to reduce N2O to N2. Application of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) to urine-affected soils offers another mitigation strategy to reduce N2O production from soils. We incubated two soils for 42 days at three liming levels amended with deionised water only, water + cattle urine (600 mg-N kg –1 soil), and water + cattle urine (600 mg-N kg – 1 soil) + DCD (10 mg kg –1 soil) at near saturation soil water content, at 10 o C and 15 o C. We tested the influence of liming-induced pH increase on denitrification and denitrifier gene abundance in amended soils. We observed higher denitrifier gene abundance in the lime-applied soils than in the soils where no lime was applied. We did not find any significant change in the denitrifier gene abundance with urine and urine + DCD amendments in two soils. The addition of urine along with water that created near-saturated conditions increased cumulative N2O-emissions and denitrification in soils, and these increases were higher in the urine-amended limed soil than in the urine amended un-limed soils. DCD with urine reduced cumulative N2O emission (62% for allophanic soil and 48% for fluvial soil at 15 o C) and total denitrification (48% for allophanic soil and 40% for fluvial soil at 15 o C) in urine-amended limed soil. Our results indicate liming could offer a mitigation option to increase denitrifier population in soils and reduce N2O production from grazed pasture soils.
DP 2017-29 New Hires ’ Job Satisfaction Time Trajectory *

This study is aimed at quantifying the job satisfaction trajectory of new hires. The authors compared job satisfaction of 815 new hires to 1,925 remaining (non-new) employees, asking all participating employees a simple question daily for ten months: “How happy are you today at work? ” With a full sample of 177.000 data points, we found high heterogeneity in job satisfaction among employees from 12 different companies that participated in our study. Also, supporting previous research, new hires started with very high levels of satisfaction compared to the remaining employees. The level of job satisfaction kept on decreasing (until 64 day), continuing at a slower pace, gradually bottoming out around the middle of the 7th month (195 day), when job satisfaction began an upward trend.
Effects of shallomin and podophyllin solution 25% for genital HPV warts in women: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To compare the effect of shallomin (pure fraction of Allium hirtifolium) with podophyllin 25% solution on external genital human papillomavirus warts in women. Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial which was performed on two groups of 25 Iranian women with external genital warts at Imam Khomeini Hospital in Ahvaz, Iran. In the first group, shallomin was used once a day for six weeks at home. In the second group, 25% podophyllin solution, was applied on the lesion once weekly for six weeks. Results: Shallomin and podophyllin resulted in wart clearance in 13/23 (56.5%), and 12/24 (50%) of patients, respectively. The clearance rate for shallomin was not significantly different from that of podophyllin (P=0.082). Six weeks after the treatment, the sizes of the lesions in the shallomin group and the podophyllin group decreased by (1.43±0.53) mm and (1.64±0.70) mm, respectively. Conclusion: Shallomin is an effective treatment for genital warts, with similar efficacy to that of podophyllin.
Seed Burial in the Seagrass Zostera marina: The Role of Infauna

In terrestrial systems, seed burial is widely recognized as a vital process that influences smalland large-scale plant population patterns. Despite its demonstrated importance in terrestrial literature, very little is known about seed burial in seagrasses. Zoster a marina is a perennial seagrass found in northern temperate oceans worldwide, and is the dominant seagrass found in the Chesapeake Bay. In terrestrial systems, seed burial is frequently mediated by soil-dwelling invertebrates. The goal of this work was to determine the role that benthic infauna play in the burial of Z. marina seeds by addressing the following questions: 1. Are seeds on sediments containing infauna buried more quickly than sediments without infauna, and 2. Does the infaunal feeding mode (e.g. head-up vs. head-down feeder, sessile vs. errant, or deposit feeder vs. omnivore) affect seed burial? Three mesocosm studies were conducted in sediment cores (80cm x 11cm) collected from the Chesapeake Bay, defaunated, and populated with single specimens of infauna of different feeding modes: Amphitrite ornata (sessile head-up deposit feeder), Neanthes succinea (errant omnivore), or Ciymeneiia torquata (sessile head down deposit feeder), or Pectinaria gouidi (errant head down deposit feeder). Control cores had no specimen added. Ten particles (either Z. marina seeds or colored beads) were added to the surface of each core, and the depth of the particles was determined at different time scales up to 14 days. Seeds in all animal cores were significantly more likely to be buried than seeds in control cores (p<l .03x1 O'6), although burial rates varied by species. N. SUCCinea and P. gouidi showed the most dramatic burial: -55% of seeds buried after 3 days and seeds buried below 2.5cm and 4.0cm, respectively, after 2 weeks. N. SUCCinea also showed evidence for actively burying seeds. A. ornata and C. torquata had 12% and 24% of seeds buried, respectively, after 3 days and both had seeds buried below 1.0cm after 2 weeks. The results of this study indicate that Z. marina seed burial is facilitated by infaunal activity, and that burial patterns are species specific. In addition, burial is rapid and occurs on a time scale of days. While abiotic processes may be initially important in seed burial, the direct (active movement of sediment), and indirect (formation of mounds and holes) consequences of biotic processes by infauna may prove to be dominant and relevant to seed escape from predation, retention in suitable settlement sites, and movement to a sediment depth suitable for germination. Seed Burial in the Seagrass Zostera marina:
From Single to Multistage Marine Propulsor : A Fully Numerical Design Approach

The limitations of classical theories for the design of contra-rotating propellers suggest the necessity to develop fully numerical procedures to address designs with different front/rear rotational speed and/or number of blades, as well as unbalanced distributions of thrust between the propellers and the presence of hub and ducts. The present paper compares the design of a couple of contra-rotating propellers carried out by a classical Morgan-Lerbs approach and a fully numerical procedure based on a variational approach (Coney 1989) for the bounded circulation. Results in terms of circulation distribution, self-induced velocities and blade geometry are presented. Three different analysis tools, a lifting surface, a panel method and a RANS solver are finally applied to analyze the hydrodynamic performance of the generated designs in order to validate the design approach. It will be shown that the propellers designed with the two proposed approaches satisfy the design requirements as confirmed by all the three analysis methods. Moreover, it will be stated that the balanced load solution is the more efficient.
SPECTRAL ANALYSIS OF THE TURBULENT ENERGY SPECTRUM IN SINGLE AND TWO-PHASE BUBBLY FLOWS IN DIFFERENT GEOMETRIES BASED ON DIRECT NUMERICAL SIMULATION RESULTS

The spectral analysis of turbulent single and two-phase direct numerical simulation (DNS) data in flat plane channel, circular pipe, and reactor subchannel geometries is performed by using the recorded DNS velocity fluctuations as a function of time and applying the fast Fourier transformation (FFT). This results in an energy spectrum of the liquid turbulence in a frequency domain. The complexity of multiphase flows results in mixed velocity time history coming from either the liquid or gas phase. A modified single-phase signal that mimics the presence of bubbles (“pseudo-void”) is developed to quantify the effect of the liquid signal intermittency as the bubble passes through a virtual probe. Comparisons of single-phase, pseudo-void, and two-phase results quantify the changes to the expected -5/3 slope of the energy spectrum for single-phase flows due to turbulent interactions caused by the wakes behind a bubble. The two-phase energy spectra show a slope close to -3 while single-phase energy spectra exhibit the expected -5/3 slope in the different geometries. Pseudo-void results indicate that the change to the energy spectrum in bubbly two-phase flows is due entirely from liquid turbulence interactions with
Effect of variation in noise absorption in open-plan office : a field study with a cross-over design

Noise has repeatedly been shown to be one of the most recurrent reasons for complaints in openplan office environments. The aim of the present study was to investigate if enhanced and worsened noise absorption in open-plan offices is reflected in the employees’ ratings of disturbances, health, and performance. For one of the floors, the manipulations were from better to worse to better acoustical conditions, while for the other the manipulations were worse to better to worse. The acoustical effects of these manipulations were assessed according to the new ISOstandard 3382-3: 2012 for open-plan room acoustics. In addition, the employees responded to questionnaires after each change. Our analyses showed that within each floor enhanced acoustical conditions were associated with lower perceived disturbances and cognitive stress. There were no effects on personal efficiency. The results furthermore suggest that even a small deterioration in acoustical room properties measured according to the new ISO-standard for open-plan office acoustics has a negative impact on self-rated health and disturbances.
Causes of Financial Distress: A Survey of Firms Funded by Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation in Kenya

This study was undertaken with the aim of analyzing the causes of financial distress and its effects in firms funded by Industrial and Commercial Development Corporation in Kenya. The study analyzed the causes of financial distress using Weighted Mean Score and Factor Analysis. The period of study was from 2009 to 2012. It was established that the main causes of financial distress are endogeneous variables which had the highest weighted mean score as compared to exogeneous variables. Similarly, it was noted that the most significant causes of distress were improper capital decision, inadequacy of capital, access to credit, shortage of skilled manpower, poor accounting records and poor internal Management. Through Factor Analysis, Finance Factor was the main cause of financial distress in comparison with Management, Accounting System, Policy Changes and Liquidity Factors.