Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Shock Absorption Behavior of Elastic Polymers for Sports Mouthguards: An In Vitro Comparison of Thermoplastic Forming and Additive Manufacturing

Background. There are several in vitro testing options to investigate the efficacy of sports mouthguards. None of these represent everyday situations, but the effects of simple laws of physics can be observed. This enables the comparison of conventional materials for mouthguards towards fabrications from additive manufacturing. Methods. A ball-drop experiment measured the maximum force and temporospatial distribution of a vertical impact on six material groups and a reference group (No-MG). Three conventional materials (ethylenvinylacetate) with 1, 2, and 3 layers were compared with additively manufactured (AM) specimens of comparable layering with a respective thickness of 4 mm, 5 mm, and 6.8 mm. Results. A maximum force of 8982.35 N ± 305.18 (No-MG) was maximum damped to 2470.60 N ± 87.00 (conventional 6.8 mm) compared with 5585.09 N ± 203.99 (AM 6.8 mm) Thereby, the ratio between shock absorption per millimeter was best for 4 mm thickness with means of 1722 N (conventional) and 624 N (AM). Conclusions. Polymer layers demonstrated a force reduction up to 71.68%. For now, additively processed resins of comparable hardness and layering are inferior to conventional fabrications.
Neurodevelopmental Disorders Associated with PSD-95 and Its Interaction Partners

The postsynaptic density (PSD) is a massive protein complex, critical for synaptic strength and plasticity in excitatory neurons. Here, the scaffolding protein PSD-95 plays a crucial role as it organizes key PSD components essential for synaptic signaling, development, and survival. Recently, variants in DLG4 encoding PSD-95 were found to cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with a variety of clinical features including intellectual disability, developmental delay, and epilepsy. Genetic variants in several of the interaction partners of PSD-95 are associated with similar phenotypes, suggesting that deficient PSD-95 may affect the interaction partners, explaining the overlapping symptoms. Here, we review the transmembrane interaction partners of PSD-95 and their association with neurodevelopmental disorders. We assess how the structural changes induced by DLG4 missense variants may disrupt or alter such protein–protein interactions, and we argue that the pathological effect of DLG4 variants is, at least partly, exerted indirectly through interaction partners of PSD-95. This review presents a direction for functional studies to elucidate the pathogenic mechanism of deficient PSD-95, providing clues for therapeutic strategies.
Impact of athletic recovery parameters of hemodynamics in disabled powerlifters with cerebral palsy

Sport as one of physical culture components renders extremely complex impact on various environments and is enormously popular. In Poland disabled powerlifting represents top world standards. Aim of work: aims at examination of impact of biological regeneration on blood pressure and pulse in CP class 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 disabled power-lifters with normal upper extremities function. Material: The research material comprised twenty 18-30 years old disabled power-lifters with cerebral palsy and normal function of upper extremities who are active members of "Start-Impel" sports club in Wroclaw. The research was carried out in 2 identical cycles on the same disabled sportsmen. Cycle I comprised primary research, while Cycle II, as secondary research, was carried out 5 months later. The micro-cycles were identical as regards training and biological regeneration schedules on particular weekdays, which guaranteed optimal research conditions. Results: Results of the research allowed formation of the following parameters of pressure and pulse dynamics: 1. Post-training systolic blood pressure shows increasing dynamics; 2. During training meso-cycle with biological regeneration in Group A systolic pressure parameters were considerably lower than during the meso-cycle without biological renovation; 3. Diastolic pressure measured before training in both groups remains at 70-80 mm Hg, while post-training pressure increases to 82-86 mm Hg; 4. Post-training pulse measures are always higher than starting measures. Conclusions: Combination of strength training and complex biological regeneration has positive impact on dynamics of blood pressure and pulse hemodynamic parameters, which in turn boosts training effectiveness.
Clinical and biochemical comparative study between alternate and every day clofibrate – lovastatin combination therapy on mixed hyperlipidaemia

Mixed hyperlipidaemia is the most common form of hyperlipidaemias,where the patients have an elevation in both triglycerides and cholesterol levels with a high risk of atherosclerosis and chronic heart diseases. The therapeutic approach for this disorder described a range from nonpharmacologic lifestyle modifications to newly introduced pharmacologic options.Depending on the basis of recent reports involve fibrate - statin combination and associated with increase the incidence of side effects (myopathy, hepatotoxicity) and therapeutic cost, we suggest and investigate in our study a clinical trial for management of this metabolic disorder by using clofibrate and lovastatin on alternate days instead of the standard daily combination of the same drugs. The study compares the safety, efficacy and cost of both therapeutic regimens for three months follow- up period. A total of 44 patients with a known mixed hyperlipidaemia were enrolled in this study. Of the 40 patients who completed the study, 20 (10 males, 10 females) received alternate - day therapy (group I), their age and weight ranges were (40-65) years and (62-85) Kg, respectively. The remaining 20 (10 males, 10 females) received every day therapy (group II), their age and weight ranges were (42- 67) years and (65-89) Kg, respectively. Ten healthy age – matched control subjects (5 males , 5 females) . The biochemical investigations involve measuring total serum cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and HDL cholesterol levels as parameters of lipid - lowering agent efficacy; while SGOT,SGPT and CK levels as parameters of safety. All of these parameters were determined at baseline (day 0) and after three months of treatment for both therapeutic groups.The study revealed that there was no significant difference between both treatment groups regarding the percent changes in lipid profiles from baseline values. These profiles had been returned to normal limits in all patients in both groups. The mean of SGOT levels for both treatment groups was significantly higher than that of control, but with group II the extent was more, while for SGPT levels group II only was significantly higher (less safety) than control one. With respect to CK levels and for both treatment groups, only slight elevation (not significant) occurred compared with control, but with group II the extent was more.With group I, the therapeutic cost was reduced by nearly 50% compared with group-II. By this clinical and biochemical trial, we decreased the side effects and cost of fibrate - statin combination while keeping their efficacy in lowering serum lipids.
Visualizing Ryderian Comparative Cohort Careers: Trends in Tolerance for Homosexuality, 1886 to 2001

Sociologists and demographers have long been interested in using population-level data to understand the nature and extent of life-cycle and social change. Examining tolerance for homosexuality using data on more than 116 cohorts born across three centuries in the United States, the author presents a novel visualization of Ryderian comparative cohort careers that parsimoniously summarizes intra- and intercohort trends, or life-cycle and social change. Results indicate dramatically rising levels of tolerance within and across cohorts, with the greatest amount of progress occurring among successive cohorts born before the middle of the twentieth century.
RAPPING EXPERIMENT OF ROLLING MILL PRESSURE SCREW-PAIRS AND PLASTIC BULGE OF NUT TEETH ANALYSIS

A 1/8 mill screw pair experiment model of heavy and medium plate mill is made to analyse the rapping mechanism and the forming reason of plastic bulge quantitatively. Based on the experiment model, a series of experiments are done like rapping distance testing, vibration experiment and FEM nu- merical simulation of the copper nut tooth plastic bulge. The mill screw pair is oriented on medium radius, which is force constraint and is unreliable. There is time difference betweenthe mill screw and balance mechanism when bite and toss of steel, which is the main reason for the forming of rapping and plastic bulge. Compound nut is provided, which can take place of force constraint with geometric constraint which depends on the rear of nut tooth. In the compound nut, the back side of slave nut tooth is the working face. The results of 1/8 model experiment show that it can control screw-pair dynamic gap, realize self-balance of screw, reduce the effect of mill screw-pairs rapping and prevent the emergence of a plastic bulge of copper nut tooth with compound nut. At the same time, adopting compound nut can reduce the abrasion of copper nut effectively and elongate the nut lifetime.
Cannabis Use, Use Motives and Cannabis Use Disorder Among Berlin College Students

This study described cannabis use behavior among college students in Berlin, in particular, differences in use motives between subjects with frequent use and those with signs of cannabis use disorder (CUD). Cross-sectional data were collected via an online survey among Berlin college students (N=9350; 50.7% women; Mage=24.4). Motivation scales were computed based on an exploratory factor analysis. Effects of these motive scales were compared using multivariate regression models, where the dependent variable was use intensity (ordinal), frequent use (twice or more per week, binary) or a positive substance use disorder screening test (binary). Cannabis use is known to be particularly prevalent among Berlin college students, which was confirmed by our data. The most frequent use motive was enhancement, which, however, was not associated with frequent use or CUD. The motives predicting frequent use (sociability) are different from motives predicting CUD (coping), even when controlling for a wide array of covariates.
Modeling the Diffusion of Residential Photovoltaic Systems in Italy: An Agent-Based Simulation

We propose an agent-based model to simulate how changes to the Italian support scheme will affect the diffusion of PV systems among single- or two-family homes. The adoption decision is assumed to be influenced by (1) the payback period of the investment, (2) its environmental benefit, (3) the household's income, and (4) communication with other agents. The estimation of the payback period considers investment costs, local irradiation levels, governmental support, earnings from using self-produced electricity vs. buying electricity from the grid, administrative fees, and maintenance costs. The environmental benefit is estimated by a proxy for the CO2 emissions saved. The household income accounts for the specific economic conditions across different regions and the agent's age group, level of education, and household type. Finally, the influence of communication is measured by the number of links with other households that have already adopted a PV system. In each simulation step, the program dynamically updates the social system and the communication network, while the PV system's investment costs are revised according to a one-factor experience curve. The model's structure is applied for a case study based on the evolution of residential PV systems in Italy over the 2012–2026 period. The model's initial state is calibrated on the basis of the actual diffusion of residential PV in Italy over the 2006–2011 period. Our results show that, following Italy's new feed-in tariff scheme, domestic PV installations are already beyond an initial stage of rapid growth and, though likely to spread further, they will do so at a significantly slower rate of diffusion.
Profiling Metabolites through Chemometric Analysis in Orthosiphon aristatus Extracts as α-Glucosidase Inhibitory Activity and In Silico Molecular Docking

Orthosiphon aristatus (called kumis kucing in Indonesia) is a valuable herb for diabetes mellitus treatment. In this study, LC-MS/MS and PCA analyses were used to investigate the metabolite profile, classify O. aristatus extracts, and assess the inhibitory activity of a-glucosidase and the probable bioactive compounds through in silico study. Results showed that the methanol and ethanol extracts of O. aristatus were active in α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Both extracts contained 86 compounds as known from the LC-MS/MS analysis. PCA analysis identified 10 metabolites that correlated with α-glucosidase inhibitory activity. Results of in silico analysis obtained rosmarinic acid compound potentially act as anti-diabetic activity, which can be developed for further research.
Effects of knife angles and cutting speeds on pulverization of sweet potato vines

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of three different knife angles (30, 40 and 50°) and three different speeds (1830, 2066 and 2440 rpm) of a Mower on sweet potato vine slashing (pulverizing) The results showed that all the treatments were significant at 99% significance level on the percentage of pulverized vines. The best results were for the first knife angle (30°) with the lowest vine pulverized of 57.59%. The third speed (2440 rpm) had the best vine pulverized percentage of 54.00%. The best performance for overlapping effect between knife angle and speed of mower was achieved by the 30° knife angle at 2440 rpm with average vine pulverized percentage of 38.73%.
Preferred Obstetrician-gynaecologist Gender among Female Residents in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: A number of studies have investigated female patient’s preference for their obstetrician/gynecologist (OG) physician. This topic was rarely investigated in Saudi Arabia. Aims: This study investigated OG gender preference among female resident in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and factors that influence their choice. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 596 female participants answered a self-reported questionnaire. Participants were recruited from shopping malls in four different areas in Jeddah using convenient sampling. The participants were asked or questioned about their OG gender preference and factors affecting it. Results: OG gender preference was found to be an important issue among females in Jeddah, as 66.6% of the participants do ask about the OG gender before their visit, and 39.4% would feel uncomfortable if the preferred OG gender is not available. The results showed that 57.89% preferred female OG, 20.47% preferred male and 21.64% had no preference. Participants answered that for presence at delivery, 50.34% preferred female OG, 27.35% preferred male OG and 22.32% had no preference. Also, in the case of OG emergency and critical surgery, 9.2% reported they would refuse surgery if the preferred OG was not available and seek an alternative solution such as changing hospital. The most important factors that influenced the participant’s choice were: the ability to handle OG emergencies situations with confidence (53.40%), OG knowledge about women health (45%), and OG sympathy (42%). Conclusions: OG gender is an important issue for Saudi female, as the majority prefer female OG in general, but prefer male OG in critical conditions.
A Systematic Review of Atypical Endometriosis-Associated Biomarkers

Ovarian endometriosis may increase the risk of malignancy. Several studies have suggested atypical endometriosis as the direct precursor of endometriosis-associated ovarian cancer. We performed an advanced, systematic search of the online medical databases PubMed and Medline. The search revealed n = 40 studies eligible for inclusion in this systematic review. Of these, n = 39 were finally included. The results from included studies are characterized by high heterogeneity, but some consistency has been found for altered expression in phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT/mTOR pathway, ARID1a, estrogen and progesterone receptors, transcriptional, nuclear, and growth factors in atypical endometriosis. Although many targets have been proposed as biomarkers for the presence of atypical endometriosis, none of them has such strong evidence to justify their systematic use in clinical practice, and they all need expensive molecular analyses. Further well-designed studies are needed to validate the evidence on available biomarkers and to investigate novel serum markers for atypical endometriosis.
Assessment of Maxillary Molars Interradicular Septum Morphological Characteristics as Criteria for Ideal Immediate Implant Placement—The Advantages of Cone Beam Computed Tomography Analysis

The aim of this study was to evaluate the interradicular septum bone morphometric characteristics using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images, as well as to establish quantitative shortcuts to allow clinicians to make a faster and more reliable plan for immediate implant placement in the maxillary molars area. This retrospective quantitative study was conducted on CBCT images obtained from 100 patients. The morphometric analysis of the maxillary molars region was based on the parameters obtained on the sagittal and axial slices. The analysis performed on sagittal slices showed that the first maxillary molars had a wider interradicular septum when compared to the second molars, but the septum height in the first molars was significantly below the height in the second maxillary molars. The axial CBCT slices analysis showed that both interradicular septum perimeter and surface area were significantly more pronounced in the first than in the second maxillary molars. The interradicular furcation angle significantly correlated with the surface area (positively) and septum height (negatively) for both molars. The results of this study may recommend CBCT image analysis as a useful tool in predefining the circumstances that can allow for substantially better planning of immediate implant placement procedures in the region of maxillary molars.
The Antioxidant Effect of the Metal and Metal-Oxide Nanoparticles

Inorganic nanoparticles, such as CeO3, TiO2 and Fe3O4 could be served as a platform for their excellent performance in antioxidant effect. They may offer the feasibility to be further developed for their smaller and controllable sizes, flexibility to be modified, relative low toxicity as well as ease of preparation. In this work, the recent progress of these nanoparticles were illustrated, and the antioxidant mechanism of the inorganic nanoparticles were introduced, which mainly included antioxidant enzyme-mimetic activity and antioxidant ROS/RNS scavenging activity. The antioxidant effects and the applications of several nanoparticles, such as CeO3, Fe3O4, TiO2 and Se, are summarized in this paper. The potential toxicity of these nanoparticles both in vitro and in vivo was well studied for the further applications. Future directions of how to utilize these inorganic nanoparticles to be further applied in some fields, such as medicine, cosmetic and functional food additives were also investigated in this paper.
The Effect of Corporate Governance on Firm Dividend Policy: Evidence from Ghana

The purpose of this research is to reveal at the influence of board independence on dividend policy of firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. We employ a panel dataset covering the period 2008-2018 and apply the generalized method of moments technique. The results reveal that dividend per share is positively and significantly driven by board independence. We also find that larger audit committees are more likely to result in higher dividend payouts. On the other hand, frequent board meetings and remuneration committees reduce dividend payments. We further document that firm age has a significant positive impact on dividend payment. The findings suggest that increasing the proportion of non-executive directors will help preserve shareholders' interest by allowing for higher dividend payments
The Treatment of Heart Failure in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: Doubts and New Developments from the Last ESC Guidelines

Patients with heart failure (HF) and associated chronic kidney disease (CKD) are a population less represented in clinical trials; additionally, subjects with more severe estimated glomerular filtration rate reduction are often excluded from large studies. In this setting, most of the data come from post hoc analyses and retrospective studies. Accordingly, in patients with advanced CKD, there are no specific studies evaluating the long-term effects of the traditional drugs commonly administered in HF. Current concerns may affect the practical approach to the traditional treatment, and in this setting, physicians are often reluctant to administer and titrate some agents acting on the renin angiotensin aldosterone system and the sympathetic activity. Therefore, the extensive application in different HF subtypes with wide associated conditions and different renal dysfunction etiologies remains a subject of debate. The role of novel drugs, such as angiotensin receptor blocker neprilysin inhibitors and sodium glucose linked transporters 2 inhibitors seems to offer a new perspective in patients with CKD. Due to its protective vascular and hormonal actions, the use of these agents may be safely extended to patients with renal dysfunction in the long term. In this review, we discussed the largest trials reporting data on subjects with HF and associated CKD, while suggesting a practical stepwise algorithm to avoid renal and cardiac complications.
A Detailed Study of Fan-Shaped Film-Cooling for a Nozzle Guide Vane for an Industrial Gas Turbine

The goal of a gas turbine engine designer is to reduce the amount of coolant used to cool the critical turbine surfaces, while at the same time extracting more benefit from the coolant flow that is used. Fan-shaped holes offer this opportunity, reducing the normal jet momentum and spreading the coolant in the lateral direction providing better surface coverage. The main drawback of fan-shaped cooling holes is the added manufacturing cost from the need for electrical discharge machining instead of the laser drilling used for cylindrical holes. This research focused on examining the performance of fan-shaped holes on two critical turbine surfaces; the vane and endwall. This research was the first to offer a complete characterization of film-cooling on a turbine vane surface, both in single and multiple row configurations. Infrared thermography was used to measure adiabatic wall temperatures, and a unique rigorous image transformation routine was developed to unwrap the surface images. Film-cooling computations were also done comparing the performance of two popular turbulence models, the RNG-kε and the v-f model, in predicting film-cooling effectiveness. Results showed that the RNG-kε offered the closest prediction in terms of averaged effectiveness along the vane surface. The v-f model more accurately predicted the separated flow at the leading edge and on the suction side, but did not predict the lateral jet spreading well, which led to an over-prediction in film-cooling effectiveness. The intent for the endwall surface was to directly compare the cooling and aerodynamic performance of cylindrical holes to fan-shaped holes. This was the first direct comparison of the two geometries on the endwall. The effect of upstream injection and elevated inlet freestream turbulence was also investigated for both hole geometries.