Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sitagliptin attenuates Porphyromonas gingivalis virulence and inflammatory response in macrophage on titanium.

BACKGROUND In peri-implantitis, Porphyromonas gingivalis and macrophage play important roles. The aim of this study was to detect the attenuating effect of an anti-diabetic drug sitagliptin on Porphyromonas gingivalis virulence and inflammatory response in macrophage on titanium discs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Porphyromonas gingivalis and macrophage were cultured on titanium discs. Antibacterial and antibiofilm activities of sitagliptin were assessed and the morphology of Porphyromonas gingivalis was observed by SEM. Bacterial early adhesion, aggregation, hemolysis and Porphyromonas gingivalis virulence factors mRNA expression were assessed to preliminarily investigate the mechanisms of action. Flow cytometry assay, qRT-PCR assay and ELISA were used to assess the anti-inflammatory effect of sitagliptin on Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage. RESULTS The present study demonstrated the inhibiting effect of sitagliptin on the growth, biofilm and virulence factors of Porphyromonas gingivalis and the protective effect on the Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide-induced polarization in macrophage. And we also confirmed the anti-inflammatory effect of sitagliptin on the secretion of inflammation-related factors in macrophage. CONCLUSIONS Sitagliptin possesses the attenuating effect on Porphyromonas gingivalis virulence and inflammatory response in Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophage on titanium.
Thermal modeling and experimental validation of solar tunnel dryer: a clean energy option for drying surgical cotton

A battery of three walk-in-type solar tunnel dryers was commissioned at M/s Cotton Product of India, Udaipur (27′ 42°N, 75′ 33°E), for drying surgical cotton. Each dryer has a drying capacity of 600 kg of surgical cotton, with moisture content reduction averaging 40 to 5% (wb) in a single solar day. This investigation presents thermal modeling, energy and exergy analyses for a walk-in-type solar tunnel dryer. The predicted drying air temperature was 2–3°C higher than experimental values. The experimental and predicted values for energy efficiency of the drying process were found to vary from 1.051–1.793% and 1.298–2.224%, respectively, whereas those of exergy efficiency were found to vary from 0.039–0.072% and 0.030–0.058%, respectively. An economic analysis of the tunnel dryer under consideration has also been completed, and its greenhouse-gas mitigation potential has been calculated to better determine its usefulness as a replacement for light diesel oil (LDO) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) drying units. It was found that the payback periods of the solar tunnel dryer, when replacing LDO and LPG units, were 3.03 and 2.26 years, respectively whereas the benefit–cost ratio was 2.12 with respect to LDO units and 3.03 with respect to LPG units. Additionally, it was determined that a single unit of a tunnel dryer can reduce CO2 emissions by 12.15 tons per year when replacing an LDO unit, and by 6.72 tons per year when replacing an LPG unit.
Dairy Sheep and Goat Farmers: Socio-Demographic Characteristics and Their Associations with Health Management and Performance on Farms

The objectives were to determine the socio-demographic profiles of small ruminant dairy farmers and to study associations with management practices, production outcomes and health parameters on their farms. In total, 325 sheep flocks and 119 goat herds across Greece were included in the study and visited for collection of information. Socio-demographic characteristics of the dairy farmers and details of management practices, production outcomes and health parameters on their farms were recorded. For the analysis of results, multivariable models were created using mixed-effects logistic regression, with farms as the random effect. Most dairy farmers were male (93.2%), most were full-time professionals in farming (89.4%) and most had a farming family tradition (86.9%). The mean age was 47.0 years and the mean farming experience was 24.3 years. For 17.3% of the farmers, the highest level of education received was primary education, for 54.3% it was secondary education, for 16.4% it was post-secondary vocational training and for 12.0% it was tertiary education. In 35.4% of dairy farms, external farm workers were employed. Of the socio-demographic characteristics, farming experience was associated with geographical location of farms, management system, breed of animals, application of quarantine measures, laboratory evaluation of feedstuffs, ultrasonographic examination for pregnancy diagnosis, application of vaccination against clostridial infections, means of calculation of bodyweight for drug administration to animals, maintenance of colostrum bank, number of annual veterinary visits, annual milk production per animal, number of newborns and somatic cell counts and total bacterial counts in milk. Further, the employment of external farm workers on the farm was associated with management system, machine-milking, number and breed of animals, application of quarantine measures, laboratory evaluation of feedstuffs, ultrasonographic examination for pregnancy diagnosis, number of annual veterinary visits, annual milk production per animal, protein content in milk and number of newborns. The findings indicate that dairy sheep/goat farming is still a family-driven business, but, nevertheless, there are now younger people among these farmers, many of them with post-secondary education. Socio-demographic characteristics may influence the management practices applied, which in turn can have consequences for production and health results of the farms.
Migration behaviour of Atlantic salmon smolts (
 Salmo salar
 L.) in a short and highly fragmented gravel‐bed river stretch

The succession of migration barriers and different turbine types during downstream migration impede Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar L.) smolts from reaching the sea in time but is poorly studied. We investigated the isolated and cumulative impacts of 14 consecutive migration barriers (MBs) on downstream migration of 200 radio-tagged smolts over an 18.9 km stretch of gravel-bed river, by equipping five MBs with automated radio listening stations. At the level of isolated barriers, median research times (i.e. time between the first and the last detection upstream of a MB) varied between 0.1 and 0.7 h. The median crossing delays (i.e. time between the first detection up-stream and the first detection downstream of a MB) varied between 1 and 2.9 h. Considering successive MBs, median cumulative crossing delays varied between 2.6 and 32.1 h and increased with the number of MBs. We observed a global mortality rate between 33% and 76%, increasing with the distance travelled and the associated number of MBs. Only 48% of the migrating smolts reached the end of the studied river stretch. Results suggest that the dynamics of the smolt downstream migration over this short highly fragmented stretch had a significant effect in terms of delays, mortalities and seaward escapement rate.
Analysis of the polarization behavior of hybrid modes in highly birefringent fibers

The polarization properties of hybrid waveguide modes in highly birefringent fibers are theoretically and experimentally investigated. The Jones spatial polarization matrix of the fiber for a hybrid mode is derived. Both monochromatic and quasimonochromatic cases are considered. The case of stress nonuniformities and its consequences to polarization preservation is addressed. The problems related to the polarization preservation along single- and two-mode fibers are discussed.
Acceptance and barriers of COVID-19 vaccination among people with chronic diseases in Saudi Arabia.

INTRODUCTION Coronavirus Disease 2019 is a life-threatening disease, especially for people suffering from chronic diseases. As the vaccine is considered an essential tool to confront pandemics, many international medical institutions have developed vaccines. Countries around the world started immunizing their citizens. This study aims to assess the acceptance and barriers of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among Saudi Arabian people who suffer from chronic diseases. METHODOLOGY In February-March 2021, a cross-sectional study of Saudi Arabian people who have chronic diseases was undertaken. It was based on an Arabic self-administered online questionnaire and used a convenience sampling technique. 310 people were invited. The response rate was 97%. RESULTS 51.95% of the participants agreed to take the COVID-19 vaccine, 33.5% were unsure about being vaccinated, and 14.5% refused. The most frequent concerns between participants and receiving the vaccine were about the side effects and the perceived misconception that following preventative measures is enough to protect against the virus. Significant associations between age, education, and occupation with acceptance rate were found (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Although a higher acceptance for the targeted group was expected, the participants showed a moderate acceptance of the COVID-19 vaccine. Addressing the barriers in the current study regarding vaccine uptake and focusing on building trust in the safety and efficacy of the vaccine will aid in hesitancy and resistance toward the vaccine, specifically if these measures were undertaken by an authority such as the Saudi Ministry of Health.
Early neural activity changes associated with visual conscious perception

The neural mechanisms of visual conscious perception have been investigated for decades. However, the spatiotemporal dynamics associated with the earliest neural responses following consciously perceived stimuli are still poorly understood. Using a dataset of intracranial EEG recordings, the current study aims to investigate the neural activity changes associated with the earliest stages of visual conscious perception. Subjects (N=10, 1,693 grey matter electrode contacts) completed a continuous performance task in which individual letters were presented in series and subjects were asked to press a button when they saw a target letter. Broadband gamma power (40-115Hz) dynamics were analyzed in comparison to baseline prior to stimulus and contrasted for target trials with button presses and non-target trials without button presses. Regardless of event type, we observed early gamma power changes within 30-150 ms from stimulus onset in a network including increases in bilateral occipital, fusiform, frontal (including frontal eye fields), and medial temporal cortex, increases in left lateral parietal-temporal cortex, and decreases in the right anterior medial occipital cortex. No significant differences were observed between target and non-target stimuli until >150 ms post-stimulus, when we saw greater gamma power increases in left motor and premotor areas, suggesting a possible role of these later signals in perceptual decision making and/or motor responses with the right hand. The early gamma power findings suggest a broadly distributed cortical visual detection network that is engaged at early times tens of milliseconds after signal transduction from the retina.
MRI as a Tool to Assess Interstitial Cystitis Associated Bladder and Brain Pathologies

Interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS) is a chronic, often incapacitating condition characterized by pain seeming to originate in the bladder in conjunction with lower urinary tract symptoms of frequency and urgency, and consists of a wide range of clinical phenotypes with diverse etiologies. There are currently no diagnostic tests for IC/BPS. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a relatively new tool to assess IC/BPS. There are several methodologies that can be applied to assess either bladder wall or brain-associated alterations in tissue morphology and/or pain. IC/BPS is commonly associated with bladder wall hyperpermeability (BWH), particularly in severe cases. Our group developed a contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) approach to assess BWH in preclinical models for IC/BPS, as well as for a pilot study for IC/BPS patients. We have also used the CE-MRI approach to assess possible therapies to alleviate the BWH in preclinical models for IC/BPS, which will hopefully pave the way for future clinical trials. In addition, we have used molecular-targeted MRI (mt-MRI) to quantitatively assess BWH biomarkers. Biomarkers, such as claudin-2, may be important to assess and determine the severity of BWH, as well as to assess therapeutic efficacy. Others have also used other MRI approaches to assess the bladder wall structural alterations with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), by measuring changes in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), as well as using functional MRI (fMRI) to assess pain and morphological MRI or DWI to assess anatomical or structural changes in the brains of patients with IC/BPS. It would be beneficial if MRI-based diagnostic tests could be routinely used for these patients and possibly used to assess potential therapeutics.
Static and Dynamic Properties of Various Baseballs

In this study we investigated the compressive quasi-static mechanical properties and dynamic impact behavior of baseballs. Our purpose was to determine if static testing could be used to describe dynamic ball impact properties, and to compare static and dynamic properties between traditional and modified baseballs. Average stiffness and energy loss from 19 ball models were calculated from quasi-static compression data. Dynamic impact variables were determined from force–time profiles of balls impacted into a flat stationary target at velocities from 13.4 to 40.2 m/s. Peak force increased linearly with increasing ball model stiffness. Impulse of impact increased linearly with ball mass. Coefficient of restitution (COR) decreased with increasing velocity in all balls tested, although the rate of decrease varied among the different ball models. Neither quasi-static energy loss nor hysteresis was useful in predicting dynamic energy loss (COR2). The results between traditional and modified balls varied widely .
A critical review on the reporting of surveys in transdisciplinary research: A case study in Information Systems

Variability of goals and evolving research methodologies are fundamental characteristics of transdisciplinary research. This integration of research strategies from different fields complicates the evaluation of transdisciplinary research since the variability of goals drives variability of criteria and quality indicators. The aim of this research is to investigate the implications of using research methods across disciplinary boundaries by drilling down into the use of one research strategy in one research context (Information Systems) and a related sub-context (Human-Computer Interaction). Surveys with questionnaires as data-capturing tools were selected as an established research method which is widely used in transdisciplinary research. Questionnaires are one of the most established data capturing tools and yet the validity of questionnaire-based findings have often been questioned. The main problem areas have been identified as the sampling of the data, the questionnaire design and the interpretation of the results. This paper looks into questionnaire reporting practices - an essential determinant in the validity and reliability of survey-based research. The field of Information Systems and Human- Computer Interaction has been chosen as the research context. Information Systems research is by nature interdisciplinary in focusing on social and organisational issues regarding the development and use of software in organisations. Human-Computer Interaction studies address the challenges of making computers and computations useful, usable, and universally accessible to humans. Both Information Systems and Human- Computer Interaction studies address complex, heterogeneous, real-world problems, thereby meeting the first criteria to be classified as transdisciplinary research. The research design entails document analysis of papers presented at conferences in Computer Science and Information Systems over a three-year period to identify trends in the reporting of survey results, especially the questionnaire design. Transdisciplinary research methodology facilitates the application of research methods across fields. However, if the constraints of the method are not recognised the validity of the results may be compromised in a plethora of ways. While fusion of methods are encouraged on a theoretical level in transdisciplinary research the findings of this study are a warning about the dangers of interdisciplinary application of research strategies without due diligence in observing best practices in the parent discipline. The paper aims to advance the discussion on research design and practice beyond disciplinary research and should be of interest to researchers and practitioners who deal with multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary, and transdisciplinary research. Keywords: transdisciplinary, interdisciplinary, mutlidisciplinary, questionnaire design Disciplines: Research methodology, Information Systems, Human-Computer Interaction Studies
Electrostatic potential through a circular aperture in a thick conducting plane

The Hankel transform is applied to express the scattered potential in the spectral domain and the boundary conditions are enforced to obtain simultaneous equations for the transmitted potential inside the thick conducting plane. The simultaneous equations are solved to represent the transmitted and scattered potentials in series forms. Numerical computations are performed to illustrate the behavior of polarizability in terms of the aperture size. The numerical comparisons to other available data show excellent agreement. The presented series solution is fast convergent so that it is very efficient for numerical computation.
Artwork style transfer model using deep learning approach

Art in general and fine arts, in particular, play a significant role in human life, entertaining and dispelling stress and motivating their creativeness in specific ways. Many well-known artists have left a rich treasure of paintings for humanity, preserving their exquisite talent and creativity through unique artistic styles. In recent years, a technique called ’style transfer’ allows computers to apply famous artistic styles into the style of a picture or photograph while retaining the shape of the image, creating superior visual experiences. The basic model of that process, named ’Neural Style Transfer,’ has been introduced promisingly by Leon A. Gatys; however, it contains several limitations on output quality and implementation time, making it challenging to apply in practice. Based on that basic model, an image transform network was proposed in this paper to generate higher-quality artwork and higher abilities to perform on a larger image amount. The proposed model significantly shortened the execution time and can be implemented in a real-time application, providing promising results and performance. The outcomes are auspicious and can be used as a referenced model in color grading or semantic image segmentation, and future research focuses on improving its applications.
The impact of the cost of quality on serial supply‐chain network design

This paper presents a model for supply‐chain design that considers the Cost of Quality as well as the traditional manufacturing and distribution costs (SC‐COQ model). It includes three main contributions: (1) the SC‐COQ model internally computes quality costs for the whole supply chain considering the interdependencies among business entities, whereas previous works have assumed exogenously given Cost of Quality functions; (2) the SC‐COQ model can be used at a strategic planning level to design a logistic route that achieves a maximum profit while considering the overall quality level within a supply chain; and (3) we provide two solution methods based on simulated annealing and a genetic algorithm and perform computational experiments on test instances.
Progress in Retinal and Eye Research

The Argus II epiretinal prosthesis has been developed to provide partial restoration of vision to subjects blinded from outer retinal degenerative disease. To date, the device has been implanted in multiple subjects with profound retinitis pigmentosa as part of a worldwide clinical feasibility study (clinicaltrials.gov ID: NCT00407602). The Argus II is intended to provide partial restoration of functional vision. Most subjects showed an improvement in tasks assessing orientation & mobility, spatial-motor localization, and ability of discerning the direction of motion of moving stimuli. Roughly one third of subjects experienced measurable improvement in visual acuity with the implant. Some subjects identified words with high accuracy, a result that has also been reported by the leading subretinal implant group. Perceptual threshold was correlated with electrode-retina distance, electrode-fovea distance, and light sensitivity, either as single variables or in bivariate linear regression. Taken together these three variables may be used to inform patient selection and develop algorithms for the fitting of higher-electrode count systems. Visual acuity for future generations of the Argus implant may not hit theoretical limitations until arrays hold an excess of several hundreds of electrodes. Nevertheless, preliminary safety and efficacy data are supportive of the development of higher-resolution systems that target macular placement from implant design and surgical perspectives.
Conventional vs. disruptive products: a wearables and insideables acceptance analysis

ABSTRACT Determining the peculiarities of the technological acceptance of disruptive vs. conventional products is a need for both academics and practitioners. Forecasting how consumers will behave with emerging disruptive technology products is key to successfully launching them on the market. The UTAUT2 model has been widely used for new technologies, but not yet to compare conventional and disruptive technology products. A survey comparing the acceptance of wearables and insideables, which are implantable technologies aimed at human augmentation, was carried out. The sample consisted of 1,563 higher-education students in 7 countries. The findings show similarities and differences in expected behaviours with regard to conventional (wearables) and disruptive (insideables) technologies. The explanatory power of the model could be very valuable for both research and business decision-making in this field.