Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of DNA Damage in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes in Oral Potentially Malignant and Malignant Disorders by Comet Assay

Purpose: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and potentially malignant disorders (PMD) are associated with DNA damage which can be caused by exposure to carcinogens, genotoxins, or increased oxidative stress. Early detection and assessment of the amount of DNA damage using a biomarker such as a comet assay can prove to be extremely beneficial for the patients. The present study evaluated the efficacy of comet assay in assessing DNA damage in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBLs) in oral potentially malignant and malignant disorders. Materials and Methods: The study included fifty-five patients each of leukoplakia, oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF), and OSCC along with fifty-five healthy individuals as control. The patients with deleterious oral habits were categorized into smokeless, smoked, and mixed habit groups. DNA damage was evaluated by measuring the mean tail length (μm). Results: An increased mean tail length (μm) and higher DNA damage were found in OSCC (22.4335 ± 1.52341), and there was a progressive stepwise increase in mean tail length from control (6.8307 ± 0.84261) to PMD (leukoplakia [13.0022 ± 0.74316]; OSMF [10.6085 ± 0.88140]) to OSCC. Although there was a significant increase in the DNA damage in different habit groups (smokeless [14.9380 ± 5.18516]; smoked [15.4947 ± 4.59589], and mixed [16.3650 ± 5.62407]) compared to controls, there was no significant difference between the habit groups. Conclusion: Thus, comet assay technique can be used as a sensitive and reliable indicator for DNA damage evaluation.
EFL College Students’ Learning Experiences during Film-based Reading Class: Focused on the Analysis of Students' Reflective Journals

In the age of information, newly produced knowledge is mostly written in English. Therefore, there has been a strong demand for English language learning in the EFL context. However, most EFL learners possess a lack of interest and motivation in the text-based reading class. In this educational context, film is one of the most widely used materials in English reading classes considering that modern learners are predominantly familiar with various audiovisual materials. The purpose of this study is to investigate how Korean EFL learners experienced in the film-based reading class. Specifically, this study aims to analyze the EFL students' perceptions about the class and learning strategies that they used during the class. In order to comprehensively interpret the EFL learners’ experiences in the classroom, a coding system consisting of five categories was developed: report, emotion, reflection, evaluation, future plans. The results of data analysis showed that the use of movies in English reading classes had positive effects on reading comprehension and inference of word meaning. The most frequently used learning strategies were affective strategies which helped them control their emotion, attitude, motivations and values, whereas memorization strategies were rarely used. In this respect, this study suggests that the use of movies in the EFL reading classroom encourage students’ attention and help them obtain and activate schema which is useful in gaining a better understanding of text-based reading materials.
To study the outcome of previous one cesarean pregnancies in a rural tertiary center of Haryana, India

The 20 century witnessed a boom in caesarean rates from 5% (1970) to 25% (1988) and it is still continuing to rise with 31% in 2007. The dictum ‘once a caesarean always a caesarean’ was followed by the concept of TOLAC with TOLAC rates as good as 40-50% in 1996 but it reduced to only 8.5% by 2006, because of the reports of rupture uterus and more strict guidelines by ACOG. TOLAC is a good alternative to a repeat caesarean section to avoid future complication associated with multiple caesareans like morbidly adherent placenta, surgical difficulties, injuries to adjacent viscera, multiple blood transfusions etc. But this too is not 100% safe. Maternal mortality after a rupture uterus in this era is very low but main insult is to the foetus with high morbidity and mortality. On the other hand, multiple caesareans not only increase maternal morbidity but also burden health system with extra cost. In India the present caesarean section rates are quite variable ranging from 6.2% (Bihar) to unacceptably high of 58% (Telangana) according to the 4 NFHS 2015-2016. On analysing the ABSTRACT
Does Birthplace Diversity Affect Economic Complexity? Cross-Country Evidence

We empirically investigate the relationship between a country’s economic complexity and the diversity in the birthplaces of its immigrants. Our cross-country analysis suggests that birthplace diversity is strongly and positively associated with economic complexity. This holds particularly for diversity among highly educated migrants and for countries at intermediate levels of economic complexity. The results are robust to accounting for previous trends in birthplace diversity as well as to using alternatives diversity measures. We address endogeneity concerns by instrumenting diversity through predicted stocks from a pseudo-gravity model as well as from a standard shift-share approach. Finally, we provide evidence suggesting that birthplace diversity boosts economic complexity by increasing the diversification of the host country’s export basket.
PENGARUH IMPLEMENTASI STANDAR AKUNTANSI PEMERINTAHAN BERBASIS AKRUAL DAN EFEKTIVITAS FUNGSI PENGAWASAN TERHADAP KINERJA KEUANGAN PEMERINTAH DAERAH KABUPATEN DELI SERDANG

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh implementasi standar akuntansi pemerintahan berbasis akrual dan efektivitas fungsi pengawasan terhadap kinerja keuangan pemerintah daerah kabupaten Deli Serdang. Sampel dalam penelitian ini sebanyak 81 orang dari seluruh total populasi. Pengumpulan data menggunakan kuesioner,dan analisa secara kualitatif dan kuantitatif. Analisis data untuk melihat pengaruh variabel terikat dengan variabel bebas menggunakan analisis persamaan regresi berganda. Uji hipotesis menggunakan uji statistik ttest,dengan bantuan program komputer program SPSS V.22. 0 For windows. Hasil penelitian memperlihatkan hubungan linier positif dan berhubungan cukup erat antara implementasi standar akuntansi pemerintahan berbasis akrual dan efektivitas fungsi pengawasan terhadap kinerja keuangan pemerintah daerah kabupaten Deli Serdang. Selanjutnya terdapat pengaruh positif dan signifikan dari masing-masing variabel bebas terhadap kinerja keuangan pemerintah daerah kabupaten Deli Serdang. Perlu adanya percepatan pelaksanaan kegiatan-kegiatan yang telah dianggarkan sebelumnya, selain itu diklat yang diadakan harus lebih mengedepankan praktek di lapangan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan SDM, sedangkan dalam aspek IT diperlukan percepatan pengembangan aplikasi keuangan agar dapat menghasilkan laporan keuangan secara akrual.
Single-strand DNA breaks and oxidative changes in rat testes exposed to radiofrequency radiation emitted from cellular phones

Abstract The testes are a sensitive organ to electromagnetic pollution and people are concerned about the harmful effects of the radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitted from cellular phones. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of long-term exposure to different RFR frequencies on single-strand DNA breaks and oxidative changes in rat testicular tissue. Twenty-eight male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided randomly into four groups. Three groups were exposed to radiation emitted from 900, 1800 and 2100 MHz RF generators, 2 h/day for 6 months. The sham-control group was kept under the same experimental conditions but the RFR generator was turned off. Immediately after the last exposure, testes were removed and DNA damage, 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), malondialdehyde (MDA), total antioxidant status (TAS), total oxidant status (TOS) and oxidative stress index (OSI) were analyzed. The results of this study indicated that RFR increased TOS, OSI, MDA and 8-OHdG (p < 0.05). TAS levels in the exposed group were lower than in the sham group (p < 0.05). In terms of DNA damage, the tail intensities in the comet assay were higher in the exposure groups (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that long-term exposure to RFR emitted by cellular phones may cause oxidative stress and oxidative DNA damage in rat testicular tissue and may generate DNA single-strand breaks at high frequencies (1800 and 2100 MHz). Our results showed that some RFR emitted from cellular phones has potential to lead to cell damage in the testes.
Evaluation of Human Body Characteristics for Electric Signal Transmission Based on Measured Body Impulse Response

Human body communications (HBCs) have recently emerged as an innovative alternative to the current radio frequency communications for realizing wireless body area networks (WBANs) using the human body as a transmission channel without wired or wireless connections. This article addresses the provision of reliable modeling of the human body as a passage of the electric signal delivery based on the impulse response measurement through the proposal of a measurement setup and signal processing techniques applicable to wearable devices for healthcare and biosignal acquisition. In the experiments, customized impulse signals were applied to the body using battery-powered devices isolated to the earth ground for the operating environments of wearable devices. The impulse responses passed through the body were measured by considering 52 measurement conditions determined by the device locations from the head to ankle and the body postures. Body channel transfer functions (BCTFs) for the respective conditions were derived by an adaptive filter approach using an iterative algorithm to minimize the mean squared error between the measured and modeled impulse responses. The channel analysis parameters, such as mean path loss, root-mean-square delay spread, and mean and maximum excess delays, were analyzed based on the measured body impulse responses. In addition, the practical bit-error-rate performance for HBC based on the BCTFs reproducing intersymbol interference effects caused by the delay spreads of the body channels was explored to verify communication reliability in terms of the transmitter structures adopting digital transmission, sorts of human body channels, data rates, and operating frequencies.
Motor cortical plasticity in response to skill acquisition in adult monkeys

Cortical maps often undergo plastic changes during learning or in response to injury. In sensory areas, these changes are thought to be triggered by alterations in the pattern of converging inputs and a functional reassignment of the deprived cortical region. In the motor cortex, training on a task that engages distal effectors was shown to increase their cortical representation (as measured by response to intracortical microstimulation). However, this expansion could be a specific outcome of using a demanding dexterous task. We addressed this question by measuring the long-term changes in cortical maps of monkeys that were sequentially trained on two different tasks involving either proximal or distal joints. We found that motor cortical remodeling in adult monkeys was symmetric such that both distal and proximal movements can comparably alter motor maps in a fully reversible manner according to task demands. Further, we found that the change in mapping often included a switch between remote joints (e.g., a finger site switched to a shoulder site) and reflected a usage-consistent reorganization of the map rather than the local expansion of one representation into nearby sites. Finally, although cortical maps were considerably affected by the performed task, motor cortical neurons throughout the motor cortex were equally likely to fire in a task-related manner independent of the task and/or the recording site. These results may imply that in the motor system, enhanced motor efficiency is achieved through a dynamical allocation of larger cortical areas and not by specific recruitment of task-relevant cells.
Compositional Visual Generation with Energy Based Models

A vital aspect of human intelligence is the ability to compose increasingly complex concepts out of simpler ideas, enabling both rapid learning and adaptation of knowledge. In this paper we show that energy-based models can exhibit this ability by directly combining probability distributions. Samples from the combined distribution correspond to compositions of concepts. For example, given one distribution for smiling face images, and another for male faces, we can combine them to generate smiling male faces. This allows us to generate natural images that simultaneously satisfy conjunctions, disjunctions, and negations of concepts. We evaluate compositional generation abilities of our model on the CelebA dataset of natural faces and synthetic 3D scene images. We showcase the breadth of unique capabilities of our model, such as the ability to continually learn and incorporate new concepts, or infer compositions of concept properties underlying an image.
Tuberculosis treatment adherence in Ghana: patients’ perspectives of barriers and enablers to treatment

Tuberculosis (TB) treatment continues to be a daunting task in most low and middle- income countries due to cultural beliefs held by people and inadequate information about the importance of treatment adherence in the community. This study explored the patient-related factors influencing tuberculosis treatment adherence, with a focus on patient-related factors affecting such treatment adherence. Using a semi-structured interview guide, 10 participants (Five males, five females) were engaged in in-depth individual interviews. Miles and Huberman’s (1994) content analysis approach was used to analyse data. Three main themes emerged from the synthesised data: Knowledge on TB and its treatment, challenges associated with TB treatment and motivating factors to adherence. Patients’ belief about the cause of TB such as spiritual forces, poor knowledge about treatment duration and consequences of defaulting, and the side effect of drugs especially when taken with little or no food were found to be critical factors that negatively impacted treatment adherence. The desire to attain one’s ‘normal self’, making up mind to complete treatment and recognition of symptom improvement following the commencement of treatment supported adherence to TB treatment. Continuous education on TB and counselling during treatment are vital interventions that need sustained integration in TB prevention and adherence programmes. Maintaining continuous multi-level support for clients living with TB is critical for TB prevention and control, and adherence to full treatment course.
The Debate on Most Ideal Technique for Managing Recurrent Lumbar Disc Herniation: Where are we?

Background: Though different techniques have been previously employed in the treatment of recurrent lumbar disc herniation, the one which is most ideal has remained a controversial issue, particularly with no current generally accepted guidelines for surgical care. Objectives: We review previous publications comparing the available operative options, with the aim of determining if any of the available interventions gives better outcomes compared to others. Method: A systematic literature review of previous publications on the various techniques employed in the surgical treatment of recurrent disc herniation. Results: All publications investigated in this review clearly demonstrate quite comparable outcomes, and none of the studies shows any superiority of one method over the other. In spite of less time, less cost, faster recovery and early return to work commonly associated with the minimally invasive techniques, their overall results and outcomes still remain quite comparable to the older conventional techniques and they appear to have no overall advantage over the older techniques. We suggest that where the expertise is available, revision by minimally invasive techniques should be preferred to the conventional open surgical approaches. If otherwise, the choice of operative technique should simply be based on the experience of the surgeon, the armamentarium of available facilities and equipment. Fusion should not be undertaken in all recurrences or for subsequent herniations but should only be considered as an option for revision when spinal instability, spinal deformity or associated radiculopathy is present.
Indonesian Listed Bank Efficiency in 2008 – 2017 using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA)

These study objectives are to examine and compare the level of efficiency conventional bank listed in IDX using Data Envelopment Analysis with Intermediation approach, Input, and Output orientation method. Input Variables are Fixed Asset, Personal Cost, Deposit and output variables are Net Interest Income, Investment, Loan. Observes 34 conventional banks and uses ten years period Bank's Financial Report from 2008 until 2017. Findings from this research shows that Bank Rakyat Indonesia is the most efficient bank and furthermore state-owned banks is the most efficient with 0.966 efficiency score, followed by local government banks, mix national and foreign private banks, and national private banks with efficiency score of 0.956, 0.903 and 0.837 respectively and the area improvement of each group consecutively are 0.025, 0.019, 0.087 and 0.148. The result also shows from correlation analysis show that there is a weak relationship between bank efficiency result and performance ratio (ROA, ROE, NIM, BOPO, LDR) in the bank's financial report.
Climate Extremes and Compound Hazards in a Warming World

Climate extremes threaten human health, economic stability, and the well-being of natural and built environments (e.g., 2003 European heat wave). As the world continues to warm, climate hazards are expected to increase in frequency and intensity. The impacts of extreme events will also be more severe due to the increased exposure (growing population and development) and vulnerability (aging infrastructure) of human settlements. Climate models attribute part of the projected increases in the intensity and frequency of natural disasters to anthropogenic emissions and changes in land use and land cover. Here, we review the impacts, historical and projected changes,and theoretical research gaps of key extreme events (heat waves, droughts, wildfires, precipitation, and flooding). We also highlight the need to improve our understanding of the dependence between individual and interrelated climate extremes because anthropogenic-induced warming increases the risk of not only individual climate extremes but also compound (co-occurring) and cascading hazards. ▪ Climate hazards are expected to increase in frequency and intensity in a warming world. ▪ Anthropogenic-induced warming increases the risk of compound and cascading hazards. ▪ We need to improve our understanding of causes and drivers of compound and cascading hazards.
HUBUNGAN TINGKAT KECUKUPAN ENERGI DAN ZAT GIZI MAKRO DENGAN STATUS GIZI SISWI SMA DI PONDOK PESANTREN AL-IZZAH KOTA BATU

Nutrient intake can be used as an indicator of students health status. Imbalance adequacy level of nutrients can cause nutritional problems, both malnutrition and overnutrition. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between adequacy level of energy and macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrate) with nutritional status of female students at Islamic Boarding School Al-Izzah high school in Batu City. This study was an observational with cross sectional study design. Fourty-fi ve female students were chosen as a sample of the study and it was obtained by simple random sampling. Data respondent characteristics, adequacy level of energy, and macronutrients (through plate waste and recall meassurement), and nutritional status were collected in this study. The data analysis used was Spearman rank. The result showed that most of the students had inadequate intake of energy and macronutrients, and their nutritional status were normal. There was a signifi cant correlation between the adequacy level of energy (p = 0.049, r = 0.296), protein (p = 0.028, r = 0.328), fat (p = 0.049, r = 0.296), and carbohydrate (p = 0.02, r = 0.345) with the nutritional status. The conclusion is respondent’s nutritional status is determined by the adequacy level of energy and macronutrients intake. This study advised respondents to increase to the portions of meals, such as rice, side dish, and vegetables to achieve an adequate level of energy and macronutrients. Keywords: adequacy level of energy, adequacy level of macronutrients, the nutritional status
Supplementing Rumen Protected Choline with Green Tea Extract Improves Reproductive Performances in Transition Karan Fries Cows

The present experiment was carried out on thirty two pregnant Karan Fries (KF) cows. In control group, cows were fed basal diet. In T1 each cow was fed rumen protected choline (RPC) (55g/day), in T2 - green tea extract (GTE) (3g/d) and in T3-RPC + GTE (55+3)g/day along with basal diet. The duration of experiment was 30 days before calving to 60 days after parturition. Animals were evaluated on their reproductive performances. Diameter of cervix, uterine horn and service period reduced significantly (p£ 0.01) in the treatment groups compared to control group. Conception rate was highest for T3 (75 %) followed by T2 (62.5%), T1 (62.5%) and C (50%). There were lesser incidences of reproductive disorders in treatment groups. In conclusion, feeding of RPC and GTE in combination improved reproductive performance during transition period in Karan Fries cows.
Study of thyroid dysfunction and dyslipidemia in chronic kidney diseases

Background: Though there are many studies on thyroid dysfunction and dyslipidemia in Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), no study is conclusive. Aim of this study was to correlate abnormalities in thyroid function and lipid profile with the severity of renal failure and also to observe the difference of these abnormalities between patients on conservative management verses hemodialysis. Methods: Hundred consecutive CKD cases admitted to Medicine Department were taken up for the study. They were divided into two groups as Group-A [on conservative management] and Group-B [on regular Hemodialysis (HD)]. Hundred healthy persons were taken as control in Group-C. After evaluation of thyroid function and lipid profile statistical analysis was done by students t-test, chi-square and regression analysis. Results: Hundred CKD cases with 74% male (n=74) and 26% female (n=26) in a M: F ratio of 2.9:1 were found to be in different stages CKD (0, 2, 20, 28 and 50 in stage-1 to stage-5 respectively). In 50 cases of stage-5 CKD, 30 were on HD and 20 on conservative management. Diabetes Mellitus (DM) (40%) was the commonest etiology of CKD followed by Hypertension (HTN), obstructive uropathy, chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) and polycystic kidney disease (PKD). Thyromegaly was not found in a single case. In all CKD cases (Group-A+B) TT3 (TT3) was significantly low (P =0.0011) when compared with control (Group-C) and no difference was found between Group-A and Group-B. Fall in TT3 worsened with increasing severity of CKD. Lipid profile study revealed Decreased HighDensity Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDLc) and increased Triglyceride (TG), Total Cholesterol (TC), Low Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDLc), TC/HDLc and LDLc/HDLc in Group-A than Group-B but only TG and TC increase was statistically significant. The levels of TG and TC and TC/HDLc increased as the stage of CKD progressed and was statistically significant (P= 0.035). Conclusions: There occurs a state of biochemical hypothyroidism without overt clinical hypothyroid state in CKD, the extent of which correlates with the severity of CKD. Increased cardiovascular complications occur due to accelerated atherosclerosis in CKD. This study confirmed that atherogenic lipid profile and thyroid dysfunction worsen with the progression of disease. Difference between patients on conservative management and HD was not found.