Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
It is not always as good as gold. Contact allergy to dental gold as a potential cause of burning mouth syndrome: A case report

Introduction: Inflammation and pain of the oral soft tissues is a common reason for presentation to a dental professional, and with a wide range of differential diagnoses, successful management often provides a significant clinical challenge. One such cause of these symptoms is burning mouth syndrome (BMS), a diagnosis of exclusion based on the presence of a burning sensation of the mouth every day over a period of at least four to six months in the absence of other clinical or laboratory finding to explain the symptoms. Burning mouth syndrome is notoriously difficult to treat and causes significant pain and psychological distress to those who suffer from it. Therefore, thorough investigation and adequate management of potential underlying causes are essential before a definitive diagnosis is made. Case Report: In this report, we discuss the case of an 80-year-old gentleman with a complex medical background referred to our dermatology clinic for epicutaneous patch testing following a diagnosis of Type 1 BMS who had undergone multiple interventions and trialed multiple therapies with very limited improvement in his symptoms. Epicutaneous patch testing revealed contact allergy to gold sodium thiosulfate, suggesting possible contact allergy to dental restorative alloy as an underlying cause Katherine M Darch1, Teagan L Holland2, Lynda J Spelman3 Affiliations: 1B Pharm Hons I, MD, Sub-Investigator, Veracity Clinical Research, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; 2BN, Nurse Specialist and Manager, Veracity Clinical Research, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; 3MBBS, FACD, Principal Investigator, Veracity Clinical Research, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia. Corresponding Author: Dr. Katherine M Darch, Veracity Clinical Research, Suite 18, Level 1, 250 Ipswich Rd, Woolloongabba, QLD 4102, Australia; Email: darchkatherine@ gmail.com Received: 03 March 2020 Accepted: 24 April 2020 Published: 11 May 2020 PEER REVIEWED | OPEN A CE S for his symptoms. Conclusion: Contact allergy may be a causative or contributing factor in patients who present with burning mouth or who are diagnosed with BMS, as in the case of our report, and epicutaneous patch testing should form an important part of the workup for these patients.
Utilization of Parthenium hysterophorus for the remediation of lead-contaminated soil

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to study the role of plant growth regulators, a chelating agent, and plant growth-promoting bacteria in lead (Pb) phytoextraction and their subsequent effect on the weed plant, Parthenium hysterophorus. Gibberellic acid (GA3) and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) were used as the foliar spray. Ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA) was applied in split doses. Bacillus and Rhizobium strains were used as a single culture and as co-cultures. The accumulation of Pb in different parts of the plant was analyzed by using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The amount of lead translocation and accumulation in the stems and leaves was significantly higher in the hormonal and EDTA treatments, while the microbial treatments showed no significant difference in the amount of Pb translocation into the stems and leaves, when compared to the control. The EDTA increased the amount of translocation into the shoots, but the dry biomass declined and subsequently reduced the total Pb phytoextraction. The GA3 treatment showed the maximum total Pb accumulation, along with a higher dry biomass. The microbial co-inoculated plants showed a significant increase in their dry biomass but the Pb accumulation did not increase like with the GA3 and IAA treatments. These findings encourage the use of the GA3 application for Pb phytoextraction by P. hysterophorus. One important feature of this weed plant is its unpalatable nature to herbivores, which could help in reducing the entrance of Pb into the food chain. Gibberellic acid is environmentally friendly compared to EDTA; therefore, more investigation of GA3 and P. hysterophorus is required.
Treating cattle with ivermectin : effects on the fauna and decomposition of dung pats

The old-growth, multiple ages, multispecies natural forest has played an important role in terrestrial ecosystem dynamics model and the global carbon budget. However, carbon fluxes of old forests in subtropical regions are rarely reported in China. In the present study, the CO₂ flux of an old-growth subtropical evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved mixed forest was observed using eddy covariance technique in Tianmu Mountain of Zhejiang Province. Based on the data sets which were observed from July 2013 to June 2014, the variations of net ecosystem exchange (NEE), eco-system respiration (Re), and gross ecosystem exchange (GEE) were analyzed. The results showed that during the study period, the monthly NEE all had a negative value (acted as a carbon sink) except for December and February (acted as a carbon source). The average monthly NEE was -61.52 g C · m⁻², the monthly carbon sequestration showed a double-peak curve and the maximum carbon sink was -149.40 g C · m⁻², which occurred in June while the maximum carbon source was 23.45 g C · m⁻², which occurred in February. The maximum of monthly mean CO₂ flux occurred in June with a value of -0.98 mg · m⁻² · s⁻¹, while the minimum value occurred in December with a value of -0.35 mg · m⁻² · s⁻¹. The NEE at the time point of positive and negative conversion had typical seasonal characteristics. The yearly NEE, Re, and GEE were -738.18, 931.05 and -1669.23 g C · m⁻², respectively. Compared with other forest ecosystems located at the similar latitude, the carbon fixation of the old-growth forest was larger, likely due to its complicated structure within the canopy and the presence of young-growth regeneration and successional stands. This showed that other than in carbon neutral, old-growth forests of Tianmu Mountain in subtropical China had a strong capability in carbon sequestration.
Reaction of vegetables and aromatic plants to Meloidogyne javanica and M. incognita

For this research we used 15 day-old seedlings which were transplanted to 2 L pots and inoculated with 4,000 nematode eggs plus juveniles (J2). After 60 days, the root systems were removed and the number of galls and eggs evaluated and used to calculate the nematode reproduction factor (RF). The tomato cv. Santa Cruz was used as a susceptible control. The experimental design was completely randomized, with six replications. Averages were compared using the Tukey or Scott-Knott test at 5%. For lettuce, Salad Bowl (Mimosa type), Elizabeth and Elisa (Lisa) and Vera cultivars (crisphead), the number of galls and the RF for M. javanica were statistically higher than for the control, whereas, for the other vegetable crops, the highest number of galls and eggs were found in chicory and basil. The highest susceptibility to M. incognita was observed in Mimosa lettuce cv. Salad Bowl, chicory cultivars, parsley cv. Grauda Portuguesa and basil. Marjoram exhibited no M. incognita galls.
The Road toward Smart Cities: A Study of Citizens’ Acceptance of Mobile Applications for City Services

Many local governments have started using smartphone applications to more effectively inform and communicate with citizens. This trend is of interest, as cities can only be smart if they are responsive to their citizens. In this paper, the intention to use such a mobile application among adult residents (n = 420) of a mid-sized city in the southeastern United States was examined using hierarchical linear regression analysis. The regression model that was tested indicated significant predictors of the intention to use the app in order to report municipal problems, such as power outages, and to request services for one’s home or community, including: Performance expectancy (e.g., citizens’ beliefs that the app would be efficient, helpful, convenient), effort expectancy (citizens’ beliefs about difficulty of using the app), social influence, perceived cost (e.g., privacy loss, storage space, unwanted notifications), and prior use of city apps. Consistent with current research on technology adoption, performance expectancy had the strongest influence on app-use intentions. Additionally, citizens’ trust in their city government’s ability to effectively manage an app was a weak, positive predictor of app-use intentions; general trust in the city government did not predict app-use intentions. Implications for city governments and city app developers are discussed.
Long- and short-term dynamics of submerged macrophytes in two shallow eutrophk lakes

SUMMARY 1. Periods with clear water and abundant submerged vegetation have alternated with periods of turbid water and sparse vegetation during recent decades in Lake Takern and Lake Krankesjon, two shallow, calcium-rich, moderately eutrophic lakes in southern Sweden, Between 1983 and 1991, submerged vegetation (predominant species: Chara tomentosa, Nitellopsis obtusa, Myriophyllum spicatum) covered about 50% of the open lake area in Lake Takern. In Lake Krankesjon, submerged vegetation was sparse during 1983–84, but increased continuously in the following years and covered about 50% of the open lake area by 1990 and 1991. Potamogeton pectinatus was the first species to expand in Lake Krankesjon, but was later replaced by C. tomentosa. 2. During 1983–84, turbidity was high in Lake Krankesjon, which indicated that submerged macrophytes were light-limited. During 1986–91, there was a negative correlation between the areal coverage of charophytes and angiosperms, indicating that competition for space had become an important limiting factor. The same negative correlation was found in Lake Takern for 1983–91. 3. Charophytes had much higher biomass per unit area than angiosperms in both lakes and reduced water movement considerably. This was probably one reason for the increase of water transparency in Lake Krankesjon during the spatial expansion of these plants. Charophytes also stored large amounts of phosphorus and nitrogen, Charophytes are probably superior competitors for both space and nutrients and thus have competitive advantage over angiosperms in this lake type. 4. In Lake Krankesjon, both P. pectinatus and C. tomentosa were negatively affected by high water level during the growing period. Total disappearance of submerged vegetation occurred in both lakes after catastrophic events (dry-out during summer or mechanical damage by ice) caused by extremely low water level. Changes in water level are thus one of the most important reasons for among-year fluctuations in areal coverage of submerged macrophytes in these lakes.
From terrestrial to aquatic habitats and back again — molecular insights into the evolution and phylogeny of Hydrophiloidea (Coleoptera) using multigene analyses

The phylogenetic relationships within Hydrophiloidea have been a matter of controversial discussion for many years and the supposedly repeated changes between aquatic and terrestrial lifestyles are not well understood. In order to address these issues we used an extensive molecular data set comprising sequences from six nuclear and mitochondrial genes. The analyses accomplished with the entire data set resulted in largely congruent tree topologies concerning the main branches, independent from the analytical procedures. However, only Bayesian analyses yielded sufficient high posterior probabilities, whereas bootstrap support values for most nodes were generally low. Our results are only partially congruent with hypotheses based on morphological analyses. Spercheidae were placed as the sister group of the remaining hydrophiloid subgroups. Hydrophiloidea excluding Spercheidae split into two clades: the ‘helophorid lineage’ comprising the small groups Epimetopidae, Hydrochidae, Georissidae and Helophoridae, and the largest family, Hydrophilidae. Within Hydrophilidae, Hydrophilinae do not form a monophylum. The predominantly terrestrial Sphaeridiinae were placed as a subordinate clade within this subfamily. Furthermore, our data suggest a single origin of the aquatic lifestyle in Hydrophiloidea, with numerous secondary changes to terrestrial habits and tertiary changes to aquatic habitats within Sphaeridiinae.
The Acquisition of Mandarin Consonants by English Learners: The Relationship between Perception and Production

This study investigates native English CFL (Chinese as a Foreign Language) learners’ difficulties with Mandarin consonants at the initial stage of learning and explores the relationship between second language (L2) speech perception and production. Twenty-five native English CFL learners read the eight Mandarin consonants (j/tɕ/, q /tɕʰ/, x /ɕ/, zh /tʂ/, ch /tʂʰ/, sh /ʂ/, z /ts/, and c /tsʰ/) in sentences and identified the target sounds in a forced-choice identification task. Native Mandarin listeners identified the consonants produced by the learners and rated the quality of each sound they identified along a scale of 1 (poor) to 7 (good). The learners’ mean percentage accuracy scores ranged from 29% to 80% for perception and 25% to 88% for production. Moderate correlations between the perception and production scores were found for two of the eight target sounds. The Mandarin retroflex, palatal, and dental fricatives and affricates, though all lack counterparts in English, pose different problems to the English CFL learners. The misperceived retroflex and palatal sounds were substituted with each other in perception but mis-produced palatal sounds were substituted with each other, not with retroflex sounds. The relationship between perception and production of L2 consonants is not straightforward. The findings are discussed in terms of current speech learning models.
Students as political actors? Similarities and differences across six European nations

Drawing on data from students, higher education staff and policymakers from six European countries, this article argues that it remains a relatively common assumption that students should be politically engaged. However, while students articulated a strong interest in a wide range of political issues, those working in higher education and influencing higher education policy tended to believe that students were considerably less politically active than their predecessors. Moreover, while staff and policy influencers typically conceived of political engagement in terms of collective action, articulated through common reference to the absence of a ‘student movement’ or unified student voice, students’ narratives tended not to valorise ‘student movements’ in the same way and many categorised as ‘political’ action they had taken alone and/or with a small number of other students. Alongside these broad commonalities across Europe, the article also evidences some key differences between nation-states, institutions and disciplines. In this way, it contributes to the comparative literature on young people’s political engagement specifically, as well as wider debates about the ways in which higher education students are understood.
Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Diarrheagenic and non-Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli Isolates from Libyan Children

Background: Diarrhea continues to be one of the most common causes of morbidity and mortality among infants and children in developing countries. This study was carried out among Libyan children in Benghazi to investigate the prevalence of diarrheagenic E.coli types and antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of E.coli isolates from their stools. Methods & patients: A total of 200 children with diarrhea and 90 without diarrhea were investigated for presence of E.coli in their stools using culture on MacConkey agar, and the isolates were examined for detection diarrheagenic E. coli types, antimicrobial susceptibility pattern, presence of ESBL-CTX-M genes and integrons using PCR . Results: The study indicated that diarrhoeagenic E. coli isolates were found only in stools of children with diarrhoea. The detected diarrhoeagenic E. coli types; were 4 (2%) enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC), 3 (1.5%) enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC), and 1(0.5%) enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), and both enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) were not present. It has also found that multidrug resistant E.coli ( > 3 drugs) was higher prevalent in commensal intestinal E.coli than in diarrheagenic E.coli , and both carried high rates of Class 1 integrons, bla(CTX-M) and fluroquinolone resistance genes . Conclusion: This study revealed the low incidence of diarrhoeagenic E. coli isolates and high prevalent of antimicrobial resistance among normal intestinal E.coli of hospitalized children in Benghazi/Libya.
Density and distribution of Patella ferruginea in a Marine Protected Area (western Sardinia, Italy): Constraint analysis for population conservation

The endemic limpet Patella ferruginea is the most endangered invertebrate of the Mediterranean Sea. Our study examined a population of P. ferruginea in the Marine Protected Area of Penisola del Sinis - Isola di Mal di Ventre (western Sardinia, Italy). During the summer 2009, we carried out a systematic census of P. ferruginea along a 8114 m georeferenced perimeter of coast in the no take-no entry zone to assess its density, spatial distribution, and morphometric characteristics. Our aim was to provide a detailed map of the distribution of P. ferruginea and to investigate the effects of accessibility, wave exposure and slope of the coast on its occurrence. Patella ferruginea showed the lowest mean density ever reported (0.02 ind/m) and a unimodal population structure characterised by fewer females and juveniles. Accessibility had a major negative effect on the occurrence of P. ferruginea . Exposure was also an important factor in influencing its density, size composition and specimen position within the mesolittoral, while the slope had little influence. Morphometric analysis showed the dominance of the Rouxi form, while the Lamarcki form was confined to exposed sites. Our results demonstrate a highly endangered population of P. ferruginea and suggest that human pressure represents the main risk factor.
Evaluation of antioxidant activity of agro-industrial waste of acerola (Malpighia emarginata D.C.) fruit extracts

Com o objetivo de avaliar a capacidade antioxidante de residuo agroindustrial de acerola, extratos hidroacetonico, hidroetanolico e hidrometanolico, obtidos por processo de extracao sequencial, foram submetidos a determinacao do teor de fenolicos totais e da atividade antioxidante em sistema modelo e em oleo de soja. A capacidade dos extratos de sequestrar os radicais DPPH• (1,1-difenil-2-picrilhidrazil) e ABTS•+ (2,2'-azino-bis-(3-etilbenzotiazolina-6-acido sulfonico), e de inibir a peroxidacao do acido linoleico pelo metodo tiocianato ferrico foi avaliada. Para o teste acelerado em estufa, o oleo acrescido dos extratos (200 ppm) foi incubado a 60 °C durante 28 dias e, em intervalos regulares de tempo, foram determinados os indices de peroxido e de dienos conjugados. Os extratos hidroetanolico e hidrometanolico exibiram forte capacidade de sequestro do radical DPPH• (baixo valor de EC50 e de TEC50, alta EA), elevada capacidade de sequestro do radical ABTS•+ (1.445,1 e 1.145,5 µMol TEAC/g, respectivamente) e elevado percentual de inibicao da peroxidacao do acido linoleico (96,12 e 91,84%, respectivamente). Estes extratos, tambem, apresentaram capacidade em retardar a formacao de peroxidos e de dienos conjugados.
Mindfully Scrolling: Rethinking Facebook After Time Deactivated

Many people express concern that Facebook’s users are overly connected. This article examines responses to survey questions asked after a large random sample of American Facebook users had been paid to deactivate Facebook. We find a recurring discourse of mind including, for example, references to mindfulness. Using iterative qualitative coding, we ask what meanings and practices are invoked in this discourse. Furthermore, we critically assess the potential of what respondents describe to address the problems of overconnection. We find explicit awareness of the automaticity of use, the value and content of Facebook, and how it makes users feel. We find that users came to practice disconnection at many nested levels of vernacular affordances. Ultimately, we argue that Facebook has become a landscape trap, altering daily life such that individual practices, such as mindful scrolling, cannot overcome the overconnection problems it may create. Mindfulness in this discourse may be power, but it is power to avoid elements of Facebook, not power to transform it.
Tail Docking in Pigs: A Review on its Short- And Long-Term Consequences and Effectiveness in Preventing Tail Biting

In spite of European legislation attempting to limit this practice, tail docking is nowadays the only preventive measure against tail biting which is widely adopted by farmers. Docking consists in amputating, usually without anaesthesia or analgesia, the distal part of the tail, in order to reduce its attractiveness and to sensitize it, increasing avoidance behaviour in the bitten pig. Tail docking results in both acute and chronic effects on pig welfare, and its effectiveness in preventing tail biting is limited, since it reduces the symptoms of a behavioural disorder, but does not address the underlying causes. The aim of the present paper is to review the available literature on the effects of tail docking on swine welfare. Although from a practical standpoint the welfare risks arising from tail docking may appear to be negligible compared to those arising during and after tail biting outbreaks, it should be considered that, apart from acute physiological and behavioural responses, tail docking may also elicit long-term effects on weight gain, tail stump sensitivity and animal freedom to express their normal behaviour. Such chronic effects have been poorly investigated so far. Besides, studies evaluating the effectiveness of anaesthetics or analgesic treatments are often conflicting. Within this framework, further research is recommended in order to reduce the acute and chronic pain and discomfort experienced by the animals, until preventive measures (e.g., environmental enrichment, stocking densities) are broadly adopted to prevent tail biting.
Protein Changes during Malting of Buckwheat

The proteinases of germinating common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) hydrolyze storage proteins into amino acids and small peptides that can be used by the growing plant or by the yeast during brewing. They are critical for malting and brewing processes because several aspects of brewing are affected by the amounts of proteins, peptides, and amino acids in the wort. Proteins in unmalted, steeped, germinated, and malted buckwheat were fractionated on the basis of their differential solubility and analyzed using a “lab-on-a chip” version of size-based capillary electrophoresis. In addition, proteolytic activity during buckwheat malting, along with the amino acid composition of the fractions, was investigated. Overall, it was observed that during malting there was a degradation of proteins in all four fractions of buckwheat, along with the appearance of new protein bands in the albumin and glutelin fractions. This is possibly indicative of enzyme synthesis, whereas the complete disappearance of protein bands in the globulin and glutelin fractions is most likely a result of complete protein degradation. The results concurred with changes observed in the free and total amino acid levels. Although earlier work investigated the susceptibility of buckwheat protein fractions to proteolytic action, the present work investigates the changes in buckwheat protein fractions and total amino acid composition throughout the overall malting process.