Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Suppressive Activity of Hyaluronic Acid on Adiponectin Production from Mouse Adipocytes In vitro

Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is well known to be a chronic degenerative joint disease in elderly people, which are characterized by pain and progressive functional limitation. Since one cause of these symptoms is the fact that hyaluronic acid (HA), a naturally occurring joint lubricant, breaks down in patients with OA, viscosupplementation with intra-articular injection of HA is frequently used as one of important treatment option in OA, especially knee OA. However, the therapeutic mechanisms of this treatment are not well understood. The present study, therefore, was undertaken to examine the influence of HA on the production of adiponectin, which is a key element in the development of articular degenerative diseases, including OA from adipocytes using an in vitro cell culture technique. Methods: Adipocytes derived from mouse 3T3-L1 fibroblasts were cultured in the presence of various concentrations of HA. After 24 h, adiponectin concentrations in culture supernatants were examined by ELISA. We also examined the effect of HA on transcription factor, Akt, activation and adiponectin mRNA expression in 24 h-cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes by ELISA and real time RT-PCR, respectively. Results: Treatment of adipocytes with HA inhibited adiponectin production through the suppression of both Akt phosphorylation and adiponectin mRNA expression. The minimum concentration that caused significant suppression was 3.0 mg/ml of HA. Conclusion: These results strongly suggest that suppressive effects of adiponectin production from adipocytes may be partially responsible for the attenuating effects of HA on the development of clinical conditions of OA, especially knee OA. Special Issue: Immunopharmacology and Immunotoxicology of Natural Products
The role of stream margins and pool habitats for Atlantic salmon parr in small streams during winter

We examined the habitat use of 255 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) parr in pools and along the stream margins during winter in small streams in the northern temperate zone. The presented data is based on three separate PIT (Passive Integrated Technology) studies from research projects conducted in Norway and Canada during the winter periods of 2004/5 and 2005/6 with variable physical characteristics. Overall, a high variability in spatial distribution of parr was found, habitat use covering the whole wetted width throughout the winter. Only a very few parr inhabited pool habitats, both in ice free and ice covered periods. Our results indicate that stream margins and pool habitats may be of less importance as habitats than previously thought and that coarse substrate and low embeddedness are the key factors determining the habitat choice by salmon parr in small streams during winter. Thus, location of such habitats is of major importance when determining the spatial distribution of salmon parr during winter.
Performance efficiency of the liberalised agricultural pesticide marketing system in Ghana

The Structural Adjustment Program in 1983 liberalized the procurement and delivery of agricultural inputs in Ghana to reduce government interventions. This study was designed to assess the postliberalized performance of the agricultural pesticide marketing system in Ghana. The investigation was conducted in the Humid Agro-ecological zone, comprising Ashanti, Central, Eastern, Brong Ahafo and Western Regions of Ghana. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to enumerate 87 pesticide dealers comprising 10 wholesalers, 2 industrial distributors and 75 retailers. Primary data were collected using structured questionnaires from the selected pesticide dealers, through personal interviews, in March 2010. Besides descriptive statistics, correlation and t-statistics, profitability model implying deconstructed market margins was used to examine the profitability and performance efficiency of the system within the structure-conduct-performance framework. Though the market was found profitable, it was not efficient in ensuring equality in vertical and horizontal profit distribution. As a result, the market could not ensure efficient distribution of pesticides to remote areas due to low profitability. Low level of education coupled with lack of technical backstopping to upgrade knowledge of pesticide dealers rendered the system inefficient in giving quality technical advice on safe use and handling of pesticides. Dealers understanding of pesticide characteristics were limited. They did not exhibit knowledge of safe use and handling of pesticides. Authorized measures to prevent harmful effects of pesticides were not complied. Pesticides were repacked without labels, trade names and application rates. Inadequate effort in enforcing regulations and maintaining the efficacy and shelf life of pesticides was found.
A Relational View Explaining the Process of Knowledge Seeking

Employees of engineering and construction organization are often exposed with problems they do not know how to solve and turn to other employees to find solutions. The process of knowledge seeking, or identifying and choosing a provider to ask for knowledge, represents the initial process in coordinating knowledge. While the process is essential for knowledge coordination, it has been understudied. We address this gap by identifying relational factors which influence individual knowledge seeking choices. Using qualitative data with thirty employees at an infrastructure engineering organization, we identified that relationships between the seeker and provider matter during the process of knowledge seeking. Specifically, we identified that the quality of relationships is based on knowledge provider’s engagement, shared and sustained work experiences, psychological safety and reciprocation. These factors emphasize the importance of relationships and the social-practice of knowledge seeking.
Driver Attention Monitoring using Facial Features

How can we assess the quality of human driving using AI? Driver inattention is one of the leading causes of vehicle crashes and incidents worldwide. Driver inattention includes driver fatigue leading to drowsiness and driver distraction, say due to the use of cellphone or rubbernecking, all of which leads to a lack of situational awareness. Hitherto, techniques presented to monitor driver attention evaluated factors such as fatigue and distraction independently. However, to develop a robust driver attention monitoring system, all the factors affecting a driver’s attention needs to be analyzed holistically. In this thesis, we present two novel approaches for driver attention analysis on the road using driver video and fusion of driver and road video. In the first approach, we propose the driver attention rating system that leverages the front camera of a windshield-mounted smartphone to monitor the driver attention by combining several features. We derive a driver attention rating by fusing spatio-temporal features based on the driver state and behavior such as head pose, eye gaze, eye closure, yawns, use of cellphones, etc. We present a few architectures for feature aggregation like AutoRate and Attention-based AutoRate. We perform an extensive evaluation of feature aggregation networks on real-world driving data and also data from controlled, static vehicle settings with 30 drivers in a large city. We compare the proposed method’s automaticallygenerated rating with the scores given by 5 human annotators. We introduce the kappa coefficient, an evaluation metric to compute the inter-rater agreement between the generated rating and the rating provided by human annotators. We observe that Attention-based AutoRate outperforms other proposed designs for feature aggregation by 10%. Further, we use the learned temporal and spatial attention to visualize the key frame and the key action, which justifies the model’s predicted rating. Finally, to provide driver-specific results, we fine-tune the Attention-based AutoRate model using the specific driver data to give personalized driver experience. In the second approach, we propose driver gaze mapping on the road using the fusion of driver and road videos as input. The proposed approach is used to estimate driver attention and determine which objects the driver is focusing on while driving. To solve such a task, we introduce a new dataset called DGAZE, which is an image dataset that contains the driver view and road view annotated with the driver gaze point on the road. The data is collected in a lab setting, mimicking road conditions using low-cost mobile phone cameras. It has a total of 100,000 images collected with 20 drivers and 103 unique objects on the road belonging to 7 classes, including cars, pedestrians, traffic signals, auto-rickshaw, etc. We also present I-DGAZE, a fused convolutional neural network trained on the DGAZE dataset for
Oncocytic Variant of Adrenocortical Carcinoma: Case Report of a Rare Malignancy

Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare cancer. Oncocytic tumors of the adrenal gland are rarer. Most Oncocytic Adrenal Neoplasms are benign and carry favourable prognosis. They are classified as oncocytoma, oncocytic neoplasm of uncertain malignant potential and oncocytic adrenal carcinoma. The malignant nature of oncocytic neoplasm of adrenal gland can only be confirmed on histopathology. We report a case of a 55-year-old male with newly diagnosed hypertension being evaluated for left adrenal mass concerning for adrenocortical carcinoma. Open radical left adrenalectomy and nephrectomy was done and histopathology confirmed oncocytic variant of adrenocortical carcinoma based on Lin-Weiss-Bisceglia scoring system which has been developed particularly for oncocytic type of tumor. Though rare, oncocytic neoplasm has to be considered as one of the differential diagnoses of adrenocortical mass, especially those presenting as a large mass because malignant oncocytic neoplasm of adrenal gland as large as 23cm have been reported. Imaging modalities like ultrasonography, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging, though useful in evaluating an adrenocortical mass, cannot predict malignant nature of an oncocytic neoplasm. Diagnosis of adrenocortical carcinoma is therefore reliably made only after histopathological examination of the surgical specimen. Surgical resection in those presenting with nonmetastatic resectable disease remains the mainstay of ACC treatment. Oncocytic ACC compared with conventional ACCs matched for age, gender, disease stage and status of surgical resection, shows significant better overall survival thus representing more indolent variant of an aggressive and often fatal disease.
Pressure settlement ratio behavior of plus shaped skirted footing on sand

The paper presents the results of the pressure-settlement ratio behaviour of plus shaped footing with and without skirt resting on sand. The study was carried out by varying the normalised skirt depth, relative density of sand and interface condition of the footing with sand. The results of this study revealed the improvement in the pressure-settlement ratio behaviour, bearing capacity and decrement in the settlement with the addition of the skirt to the plus shaped footing. The lowest and highest bearing capacity ratio observed was 1.26 and 3.90 corresponding to a relative density of 60 % and 30 % and at a normalised skirt depth of 0.25 and 1.50 respectively. Finally, the results obtained from this study were compared with the results of the H shaped skirted footing reported in literature. © 2018 Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh. All rights reserved.
Studies on effect of gamma irradiation on biochemical characteristics of peanut kernels (Arachis hypogaea L.)

The object of this study was to assess the effect of gamma irradiation dose level on biochemical characteristics of peanut kernels during storage. The healthy and mature kernels of peanut variety GG-20 and TG-37A were conditioned at three initial moisture contents (6.0%, 8.5% and 11.0%), w.b. and packed in Poly Propylene (PP) bags of 50μ thickness and sealed and these samples were irradiated with the different gamma irradiation dose (0 kGy, 2.5 kGy, 5.0 kGy, 7.5 kGy and 10.0 kGy) and stored at ambient temperature for three months. Biochemical composition including moisture content, protein content, oil content, carbohydrate content, fibre and ash content and peroxide value were determined for irradiated and non-irradiated peanut kernels. The results revealed that the gamma irradiation did not affect biochemical composition peanut kernels adversely just after irradiation and during storage of three month, however, the peroxide value of both peanut varieties kernels negatively correlate with gamma irradiation dose and initial moisture content. The steady rise in peroxide value was noted in all the irradiated peanut samples during storage.
Agricultural waste fibers towards sustainability and advanced utilization: a review.

The agricultural waste fibers are of notable economic and cultural significance all over the world are used for building materials, as a decorative product and as a versatile raw product. Agricultural waste fibers also have significant potential in composite due to its high strength, environmentally friendly nature, low cost, availability and sustainability. The agricultural waste is one of the most important problems that must be resolved for the conservation of global environment. The potential properties of agricultural waste fibers have sparked a lot of research to use these fibers as a material to replace man-made fibers for safe and environmentally friendly product. Agricultural waste is seen as one potential source of renewable energy. Their availability is obtained from oil palm plantations and some other agricultural industry such as rice husk, rice straw, sugarcane, pineapple, banana and coconut. Agricultural waste produces large amounts of biomass that are classified as natural fibers which until now only 10% are used as alternative raw materials for several industry, such as biocomposites, automotive component, biomedical and others.
FETAL RISK DURING LAPAROSCOPIC SURGERY IN PREGNANCY

Aim: To evaluate the indications, efficacy of laparoscopic surgery during pregnancy and the associated potential fetal risks. Material and Method: A literature search was performed using Medline and the search engine Google. Criteria for selection of literature were methods of analysis (statistical or non statistical), operative procedure (only universally accepted procedures were selected) and the institution where the study was done (Specialized institution for laparoscopic surgery).
Stress analysis of cemented glenoid prostheses in Total Shoulder Arthroplasty

Glenoid component loosening is the most-frequently encountered problem in the total shoulder arthroplasty. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether failure of the glenoid component is caused by stresses generated within the cement mantle, implant materials and at the various interfaces during humeral abduction, using 3-D FE analyses of implanted glenoid structures. FE models, one total polyethylene and the other, metal backed polyethylene, were developed using CT-scan data and submodelling technique, which was based on an overall solution of a natural scapula model acted upon by all the muscles, ligaments and joint reaction forces. Material interfaces were assumed to be fully bonded. Based on the FE stress analysis, the following observations were made. (1) The submodelling technique, which required a large-size submodel and the use of prescribed displacements at cutboundaries located far away from the glenoid, was crucial for evaluations on glenoid component. (2) Total polyethylene results in lower-peak stresses (tensile: 10MPa, Von-Mises: 8.31MPa) in the cement as compared to a metal-backed design (tensile: 11.5MPa, Von-Mises: 9.81MPa). The maximum principal (tensile) stresses generated in the cement mantle for both the designs were below its failure strength, but might evoke crack initiation. (3) The cement–bone interface adjacent to the tip of the keel seemed very likely to fail for both the designs. In case of metal-backed design, this interface adjacent to the tip of the keel appears even more likely to fail. (4) High metal–cement interface stresses for a moderate load might indicate failure at higher load. (5) It appears that both the designs were vulnerable to failure in some ways or the other. A part of the subchondral bone along the longitudinal axis of the glenoid cavity should be preserved to strengthen the glenoid structure and to reduce the use of cement. r 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Individual differences in second-language proficiency: Does musical ability matter? - eScholarship

This study examined the relation between musical ability and second-language (L2) proficiency in adult learners. L2 ability was assessed in four domains: receptive phonology, productive phonology, syntax, and lexical knowledge. Also assessed were various other factors that might explain individual differences in L2 ability, including age of L2 immersion, patterns of language use and exposure, and phonological short-term memory. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine if musical ability explained any unique variance in each domain of L2 ability after controlling for other relevant factors. Musical ability predicted L2 phonological ability (both receptive and productive) even when controlling for other factors, but did not explain unique variance in L2 syntax or lexical knowledge. These results suggest that musical skills may facilitate the acquisition of L2 sound structure and add to a growing body of evidence linking language and music.
THE EFFECT OF VOICING ASSIMILATION ON GESTURAL COORDINATION

The present study investigates the phonetic realization of voicing assimilation in consonant sequences in Spanish. The effects of voicing assimilation are investigated in terms of both the magnitude of the laryngeal gesture and the interarticulator timing between laryngeal and supralaryngeal gestures. We looked at the effects at the gestural level of a phonological process by which two segments with opposite specifications for voicing are placed side by side. The data have been collected using an EMMA system with simultaneous observation of the laryngeal behavior by means of laryngeal transillumination. The results show that the patterns of interarticulatory timing are affected by the assimilatory process. This supports an interpretation of assimilation as gestural blending, which is a more realistic explanation for voicing assimilation than is provided by traditional phonological accounts. It also provides an interpretation of gestural blending that is consistent with other similar types of assimilatory processes.
A Customer Satisfaction Analysis on Marine Salvage and Towage Services at Southern Region of Malaysia

In today’s competitive and dynamic business environment, delivering high quality service performance in marine salvage and towage industry is a key of winning competitive advantage. The objective is to measure the customer satisfaction level on the services provided by domestic salvage and towage companies in southern region of peninsular Malaysia. Cross Sectional Survey incorporation with interview sessions has used to the selected customers to determine their satisfaction level of the service quality delivery. The analysis shows that the overall service quality perceived by the customers is "Good" level, although some customers' expectations and requirements are not met.
The effects of Versa Gripp® on pull-ups failure and surface electromyography during pull-ups in strength trained females

This study compared the effects of Versa Gripps® compared to no grips on pull-ups to failure in and surface electromyographic (sEMG) signal amplitude during pull-ups on the wrist flexors (WF), wrist extensors (WE), latissimus dorsi (LAT), and infraspinatus (INF) muscles in strength-trained females. Material and Method. Seventeen healthy females volunteered to participate in the study. Pull-ups were performed to failure to the beat of a metronome. Surface EMG was computed using the root-mean-square (RMS) of the signal intensity with a sampling frequency of 1000 Hz, integrated over 500 ms, and normalized to the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) for the muscles being investigated. EMG data from the four muscles and number of pull-ups performed were analyzed using paired two tailed t-tests for Grip and No Grip conditions for each muscle and for the number of pull-ups performed. Results. There was a significant decrease (p = 0.035) in EMG activation of the wrist extensors with grips (102.6 ± 65.5% MVC) compared to no grips (89.5 ± 49.2% MVC). No change was noted in EMG activation during pull-ups of the infraspinatus, latissimus dorsi, wrist flexors, or in the number of pull-ups to failure. Conclusion. Wrist straps may be effective at decreasing the demand of the wrist extensors during pull-ups. This may be beneficial for those strength-training participants recovering from lateral epicondylitis who wish to perform pulling exercises and need to unload the wrist extensors. Furthermore, strength-training participants may be able to more effectively recruit larger muscle groups in pulling exercises as smaller muscle groups may be a limiting component when performing pulling exercises.
GENÇ BAYANLAR İLE ORTA YAŞ BAYANLARDA AEROBİK EGZERSİZİN BAZI FİZYOLOJİK PARAMETRELERE ETKİSİ

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of 12 week aerobic jog-walk exercise program on some physical and physiological parameters in young and middle aged women.The groups were composed of the women who had not done exercise regularly, who had not followed a special diet and who did not have any health problems preventing them doing any kind of exercise. During 12 weeks, both groups participated in a jog-walk exercise program with the duration of 30 min. and 3 times per week. The intensity of the exercise was %70 that was determined by Karvonen method. Before and after the training measurements of body weight, body mass index, rest pulse, blood pressure, vertical jump, flexibility, aerobic power and anaerobic power were done. Mean age and height weight of groups were determined as 40,53±2,93 years and 156,79±4,20 cm. for middle aged group n=49 and 26,17±3,53 years and 160,13±6,71 cm for young women n=23 . The results indicated that there was a significant decrease in body weight, body mass index and rest pulse values of both groups p
Immunodeficiency and other clinical immunology Replication of human immunodeficiency virus-1 in primary human T cells is dependent on the autocrine secretion of tumor necrosis factor through the control of nuclear factor-KB activation

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-~ controls T-cell activation and is a major inducer of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-I replication in chronically infected cells. Therefore, we have investigated its role in primary cultures of HIV-infected human T lymphocytes by using neutralizing anti-TNF-oL antibodies or TNF-o~. Primary resting T lymphocytes produced TNF-o~ and supported HIV replication after T-cell receptor activation. Addition of neutralizing anti-TNF-ot antibodies drastically reduced p24 antigen release and prevented CD4 + cell depletion associated with infection. Anti-TNF-a also prevented nuclear factor-KB (NF-KB) activation, and a good correlation between this inhibitio n and inhibition of H1V replication was observed. Moreover, supplementing the cultures with high doses of IL-2 reverted anti-TNF-oL inhibition of cell proliferation but did not affect the inhibition of HIV p24 antigen release or NF-KB activation in the same cultures. Moreover, anti-TNF-ot inhibited HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR)-driven transcription of a reporter gene in primary T cells in response to activation, either in the presence or the absence of HIV-1 Tat. Our results support an important role for autocrine TNF-o~ secretion in controlling HIV replication in primary T cells because of its ability to maintain NF-KB elevated in the nucleus of T cells. (J Allergy Clin Immunol 1997;100:838-45.)