Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Current Situation and Future Prospects of Simulators in Dental Education

The application of virtual reality has become increasingly extensive as this technology has developed. In dental education, virtual reality is mainly used to assist or replace traditional methods of teaching clinical skills in preclinical training for several subjects, such as endodontics, prosthodontics, periodontics, implantology, and dental surgery. The application of dental simulators in teaching can make up for the deficiency of traditional teaching methods and reduce the teaching burden, improving convenience for both teachers and students. However, because of the technology limitations of virtual reality and force feedback, dental simulators still have many hardware and software disadvantages that have prevented them from being an alternative to traditional dental simulators as a primary skill training method. In the future, when combined with big data, cloud computing, 5G, and deep learning technology, dental simulators will be able to give students individualized learning assistance, and their functions will be more diverse and suitable for preclinical training. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of current dental simulators on related technologies, advantages and disadvantages, methods of evaluating effectiveness, and future directions for development.
Local strain-induced band gap fluctuations and exciton localization in aged WS 2 monolayers

Optical properties of aged WS2 monolayers grown by CVD method on Si/SiO2 substrates are studied using temperature dependent photoluminescence and reflectance contrast spectroscopy. Aged WS2 monolayers have a typical surface roughness about 0.5 nm and, in addition, a high density of nanoparticles (nanocaps) with the base diameter about 30 nm and average height of 7 nm. The A-exciton of aged monolayer has a peak position at 1.951 eV while in as-grown monolayer the peak is at about 24 meV higher energy at room temperature. This red-shift is explained using local tensile strain concept, where strain value of 2.1% was calculated for these nanocap regions. Strained nanocaps have lower band gap energy and excitons will funnel into these regions. At T=10K a double exciton and trion peaks were revealed. The separation between double peaks is about 20 meV and the origin of higher energy peaks is related to the optical band gap energy fluctuations caused by random distribution of local tensile strain due to increase.
Impact of childhood maltreatment and resilience on behavioral and neural patterns of inhibitory control during emotional distraction

Abstract Exposure to childhood maltreatment (CM) may disrupt typical development of neural systems underlying impulse control and emotion regulation. Yet resilient outcomes are observed in some individuals exposed to CM. Individual differences in adult functioning may result from variation in inhibitory control in the context of emotional distractions, underpinned by cognitive–affective brain circuits. Thirty-eight healthy adults with a history of substantiated CM and 34 nonmaltreated adults from the same longitudinal sample performed a Go/No-Go task in which task-relevant stimuli (letters) were presented at the center of task-irrelevant, negative, or neutral images, while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging. The comparison group, but not the maltreated group, made increased inhibitory control errors in the context of negative, but not neutral, distractor images. In addition, the comparison group had greater right inferior frontal gyrus and bilateral frontal pole activation during inhibitory control blocks with negative compared to neutral background images relative to the CM group. Across the full sample, greater adaptive functioning in everyday contexts was associated with superior inhibitory control and greater right frontal pole activation. Results suggest that resilience following early adversity is associated with enhanced attention and behavioral regulation in the context of task-irrelevant negative emotional stimuli in a laboratory setting.
Conscience and conscientious objection in nursing: A personalist bioethics approach

The ability of nurses to act as moral agents in accordance with their conscience is both an essential human freedom and an important part of professional ethics. Recent developments in Canada related to Medical Assistance in Dying have revealed new and important challenges related to conscientious objection – challenges that may require rethinking of how nurses do professional ethics. Notably, the inclusion of a personalist bioethical approach is needed to introduce and explicate what conscience is for nurses to be able to apply it to nursing practice. In this article, we explore the importance of conscience and conscientious objection as ethical concepts to support nurses in addressing issues of conscience amid ethically challenging situations. We discuss how a personalist basis for conscience can support nurses to inclusively engage with one another across diverse moral perspectives.
Improved Strength and Recovery After Velocity-Based Training: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PURPOSE The present intervention study examined the effects of intensity-matched velocity-based strength training with a 10% velocity loss (VL10) versus traditional 1-repetition maximum (1RM) based resistance training to failure (TRF) on 1RM and maximal oxygen uptake (V˙O2max) in a concurrent training setting. METHODS Using the minimization method, 21 highly trained rowers (4 females and 17 males; 19.6 [2.1] y, 1.83 [0.07] m, 74.6 [8.8] kg, V˙O2max: 64.9 [8.5] mL·kg-1·min-1) were either assigned to VL10 or TRF. In addition to rowing endurance training (about 75 min·d-1), both groups performed strength training (5 exercises, 80% 1RM, 4 sets, 2-3 min interset recovery, 2 times/week) over 8 weeks. Squat, deadlift, bench row, and bench press 1RM and V˙O2max rowing-ergometer ramp tests were completed. Overall recovery and overall stress were monitored every evening using the Short Recovery and Stress Scale. RESULTS Large and significant group × time interactions (P < .03, ηp2>.23, standard mean differences [SMD] > 0.65) in favor of VL10 (averaged +18.0% [11.3%]) were observed for squat, bench row, and bench press 1RM compared with TRF (averaged +8.0% [2.9%]). V˙O2max revealed no interaction effects (P = .55, ηp2=.01, standard mean difference < .23) but large time effects (P < .05, ηp2>.27). Significant group × time interactions (P = .001, ηp2>.54, SMD > |0.525|) in favor of VL10 were also observed for overall recovery and overall stress 24 and 48 hours after strength training. CONCLUSIONS VL10 serves as a promising means to improve strength capacity at lower repetitions and stress levels in highly trained athletes. Future research should investigate the interference effects of VL10 in strength endurance sports and its effects when increasing weekly VL10 sessions within one macrocycle.
Intratumoral CD103+ CD8+ T cells predict response to PD-L1 blockade

Background CD8+ tissue-resident memory T (TRM) cells, marked by CD103 (ITGAE) expression, are thought to actively suppress cancer progression, leading to the hypothesis that their presence in tumors may predict response to immunotherapy. Methods Here, we test this by combining high-dimensional single-cell modalities with bulk tumor transcriptomics from 1868 patients enrolled in lung and bladder cancer clinical trials of atezolizumab (anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1)). Results ITGAE was identified as the most significantly upregulated gene in inflamed tumors. Tumor CD103+ CD8+ TRM cells exhibited a complex phenotype defined by the expression of checkpoint regulators, cytotoxic proteins, and increased clonal expansion. Conclusions Our analyses indeed demonstrate that the presence of CD103+ CD8+ TRM cells, quantified by tracking intratumoral CD103 expression, can predict treatment outcome, suggesting that patients who respond to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade are those who exhibit an ongoing antitumor T-cell response.
Epidemiology of acute respiratory viral infections in children in Vientiane, Lao People's Democratic Republic

Respiratory infections are one of the most frequent reasons for medical consultations in children. In low resource settings such as in Lao People's Democratic Republic, knowledge gaps and the dearth of laboratory capacity to support differential diagnosis may contribute to antibiotic overuse. We studied the etiology, temporal trends, and genetic diversity of viral respiratory infections in children to provide evidence for prevention and treatment guidelines. From September 2014 to October 2015, throat swabs and nasopharyngeal aspirates from 445 children under 10 years old with symptoms of acute respiratory infection were collected at the Children Hospital in Vientiane. Rapid antigen tests were performed for influenza A and B and respiratory syncytial virus. Real‐time reverse‐transcription polymerase chain reactions (RT‐PCRs) were performed to detect 16 viruses. Influenza infections were detected with a higher sensitivity using PCR than with the rapid antigen test. By RT‐PCR screening, at least one pathogen could be identified for 71.7% of cases. Human rhinoviruses were most frequently detected (29.9%), followed by influenza A and B viruses combined (15.9%). We identify and discuss the seasonality of some of the infections. Altogether these data provide a detailed characterization of respiratory pathogens in Lao children and we provide recommendations for vaccination and further studies.
Retinal vascular bed area on ultra-wide field fluorescein angiography indicates the severity of diabetic retinopathy

Aims To quantify retinal vascular bed area (RVBA) in square millimetres on stereographically projected ultra-wide field (UWF) fluorescein angiography (FA) in eyes with diabetic retinopathy (DR). Methods A prospective, observational study. Baseline Optos 200Tx UWF FA images of 80 eyes with DR from the DAVE (NCT01552408) and RECOVERY (NCT02863354) studies were stereographically projected at the Doheny Image Reading Center to adjust for peripheral distortion. The early-phase FA frame was used to extract the retinal vasculature as a mask for calculating RVBA. The pixels of the retinal vasculature were automatically computed in square millimetres using manufacturer-provided software. Results Eighteen of 80 diabetic eyes were excluded because image quality and contrast were insufficient for automatic extraction of the retinal vasculature from the background fluorescence. The remaining 62 eyes were included in the final analysis. In comparison with age-matched and sex-matched normal controls, eyes with DR had a higher global RVBA for the entire retina (p<0.001), and RVBA correlated with DR severity (p<0.001), with a higher RVBA in eyes with proliferative DR (66.1±16.2 mm2) than in those with non-proliferative DR (56.2±16.6 mm2) or in normal controls (37.2±9.9 mm2). This tendency was also present in the posterior retina and mid-periphery but absent in the far-periphery. RVBA did not correlate with retinal ischaemia (p>0.05). Conclusions Eyes with DR harboured a larger global RVBA for the entire retina than normal controls, and RVBA appeared to indicate DR severity. However, this biomarker was not observed to be a good indicator of retinal ischaemia.
An epidemiological study to define the recent clinical characteristics and outcomes of infective endocarditis in southern Turkey.

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to characterise the recent features of patients with infective endocarditis (IE) at one referral centre in southern Turkey, in order to be able to identify the high-risk subgroup and revise preventative measures and management strategies. METHODS Medical records of patients 18 years and older, who had been diagnosed with IE according to the Duke criteria between January 2009 and October 2019, were retrospectively evaluated in a referral general hospital. RESULTS The total of 139 IE cases comprised 59.7% males and 40.3% females, with a mean age of 55 ± 16 years. The most encountered symptom was fever (55.4%) and the mitral valve (54%) was the most frequently involved. The most common causative micro-organisms were coagulase-negative staphylococci (30.2%). The in-hospital mortality rate was 30.2%, with congestive heart failure, chronic renal disease and chronic dialysis found to be significantly associated with in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS The study results demonstrate the recent epidemiological features of IE in southern Turkey that are important for clinicians to manage diagnostic and therapeutic processes successfully. Older age, the predominance of staphylococci and higher surgery rates are consistent with the changing trends of IE in some parts the world.
Motorcycle helmet selection and usage for improved safety: A systematic review on the protective effects of helmet type and fastening

Abstract Objective Motorcycle helmets are the most common and effective protective device to reduce head injuries and mortality in crashes among powered two-wheeler riders. Even if they are globally recognized as effective, there are still concerns regarding their correct use, which is necessary to achieve maximum head protection. The goal of this systematic review is to assess which characteristics of helmet design and use showed a positive influence on rider safety, in order to provide insights to improve end-user helmet usage. Methods A literature search was carried out combining two sets of keywords, one related with either motorcycle or rider and the other referring to either protective equipment or injuries. After the exclusion of duplicates, 977 papers were screened by reviewers, thus identifying 32 papers that were analyzed in group discussions. Results Among the papers included in this study, no strong conflicting conclusions emerged in their results. The studies focusing on the use of different types of helmets highlighted that full-face helmets, compared with other standard helmets, have a positive influence on head injuries and facial injuries. Correct fastening was clearly beneficial for head and facial injuries, induced injuries, and helmet ejection. Conclusions This systematic review provides important insights to improve the usage of helmets by end-users. Correct fastening is a crucial factor to avoid helmet roll-off during a crash. Most studies agreed that full-face helmets provide higher protection in comparison with other standard helmets, especially for facial injuries, and no negative influence with respect to neck and spinal injuries.
Noninvasive Diagnosis of Viral Keratouveitis with Retro-corneal Endothelial Plaques: A Case Series

ABSTRACT Purpose The aim of this study was to evaluate the noninvasive diagnostic methods in managing the herpetic keratouveitis with retro-corneal endothelial plaques. Methods 12 patients suspected to have unilateral herpetic keratouveitis with retro-corneal endothelial plaques were included. Slit lamp photos, AS-OCT, IVCM and corneal scraping culture were taken in all cases to help diagnosing and managing the disease. All patients received systemic and topical anti-viral treatment immediately and combined with topical steroids three days later. Results Corneal scraping culture ruled out bacterial and fungal infection. AS-OCT showed that the boundaries between the corneal endothelial surface were clear in all patients. Corneal endothelial density and subbasal nerve plexus significantly decreased in all patients. Endothelial plaques reduced or disappeared in all patients with the treatment. Conclusions Retro-corneal endothelial plaques and hypopyon are associated clinical manifestations of viral keratouveitis. AS-OCT and IVCM enhanced early detection and assessment during the follow-ups of the disease.
Interoception Primes Emotional Processing: Multimodal Evidence from Neurodegeneration

Recent frameworks in cognitive neuroscience and behavioral neurology underscore interoceptive priors as core modulators of negative emotions. However, the field lacks experimental designs manipulating the priming of emotions via interoception and exploring their multimodal signatures in neurodegenerative models. Here, we designed a novel task that involves interoceptive and control-exteroceptive priming conditions followed by post-interoception and post-exteroception facial emotion recognition (FER). We recruited 114 participants, including healthy controls (HCs) as well as patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). We measured online EEG modulations of the heart-evoked potential (HEP), and associations with both brain structural and resting-state functional connectivity patterns. Behaviorally, post-interoception negative FER was enhanced in HCs but selectively disrupted in bvFTD and PD, with AD presenting generalized disruptions across emotion types. Only bvFTD presented impaired interoceptive accuracy. Increased HEP modulations during post-interoception negative FER was observed in HCs and AD, but not in bvFTD or PD patients. Across all groups, post-interoception negative FER correlated with the volume of the insula and the ACC. Also, negative FER was associated with functional connectivity along the (a) salience network in the post-interoception condition, and along the (b) executive network in the post-exteroception condition. These patterns were selectively disrupted in bvFTD (a) and PD (b), respectively. Our approach underscores the multidimensional impact of interoception on emotion, while revealing a specific pathophysiological marker of bvFTD. These findings inform a promising theoretical and clinical agenda in the fields of nteroception, emotion, allostasis, and neurodegeneration. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We examined whether and how emotions are primed by interoceptive states combining multimodal measures in healthy controls and neurodegenerative models. In controls, negative emotion recognition and ongoing HEP modulations were increased after interoception. These patterns were selectively disrupted in patients with atrophy across key interoceptive-emotional regions (e.g., the insula and the cingulate in frontotemporal dementia, frontostriatal networks in Parkinson's disease), whereas persons with Alzheimer's disease presented generalized emotional processing abnormalities with preserved interoceptive mechanisms. The integration of both domains was associated with the volume and connectivity (salience network) of canonical interoceptive-emotional hubs, critically involving the insula and the anterior cingulate. Our study reveals multimodal markers of interoceptive-emotional priming, laying the groundwork for new agendas in cognitive neuroscience and behavioral neurology.
Selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 on mixed alumina–iron (III) oxide pillared montmorillonite “Cheto” Arizona, modified with hexamminecobalt (III) chloride

Montmorillonite intercalated with mixed alumina–iron (III) oxide pillars and promoted with hexamminecobalt (III) chloride was studied in selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3. Pillaring process extended the interlayer spacing by 0.236 nm and increased specific surface area (SSABET) from 33 m2 up to 299 m2. Interlayer space width did not change after calcination process, but high temperature could cause decomposition of hexamminecobalt (III) – [Co(NH3)6]3+, possibly to Co2+. Promotion of hexamminecobalt (III) chloride to pillared clay did not significantly change SSABET. The intercalation process influenced positively selective catalytic reduction activity, but very high formation of N2O was observed. Pillared clay, promoted with [Co(NH3)6]3+, showed higher selective catalytic reduction activity and much lower N2O formation than unpromoted, pillared sample. Clay with interlayer cations exchanged for [Co(NH3)6]3+, without pillaring, showed no selective catalytic reduction activity, but still produced high amounts of N2O.
2-D numerical study of ferrofluid droplet formation from microfluidic T-junction using VOSET method

Abstract This article conducts a two-dimensional numerical model to simulate the ferrofluid droplet formation from microfluidic T-junction under inhomogeneous magnetic fields with diverse strengths. This external magnetic field is produced by two electric straight wires in a finite computational domain. A coupled volume-of-fluid and level-set interface tracking method (VOSET) is adopted to capture the evolution of two-phase interface. Meanwhile, a two-region computational domain method is designed for situations that the droplets are in close contact with the solid boundaries for the fluid flow. All 2-D numerical simulations are implemented by a self-developed CFD code, named as MHT (Multi-concept Heat Transfer). The numerical results show a significant inhibition effect in droplet formation at the presence of external magnetic field. With the increase of the current intensity, the magnetic force of the ferrofluid droplet increases and decreases periodically, especially when the electric current intensity is less than 60 A. The increasing current intensity enlarges the departure diameter and prolongs the departure period of ferrofluid droplet, especially when the current intensity in the range 12 A∼54A. In the cases of electric current within [12A, 54 A], the departure diameter growths monotonically and nearly in a quadratic manner with the increase of the current intensity. However, when the current intensity exceeds 60 A, the departure characteristic of ferrofluid will be changed due to ferrofluid droplet absorbed on the upper wall of the main channel.
A comparative analysis of Covid-19-related prejudice: the United States, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand

ABSTRACT Following the global outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), different countries took different approaches to informing their citizens about the pandemic and planned local public health initiatives. We use online participant panels in 4 affected countries – the US, Spain, Italy, and New Zealand – to explore the extent to which prejudice to Asian ethnic groups differed in these countries during the first wave of the pandemic. We argue that New Zealand’s lower scores on most indices of prejudice can be understood in part due to New Zealand’s cohesive, centralized government response to the pandemic that started early, included clear stages of response, and was led consistently by an a-political, public health and facts-base framing.
Physicochemical and nutraceutical properties of barley grass powder microencapsulated by spray drying

ABSTRACT Barley grass (Triticum aestivum L.) is popular, commonly known as a nutritional supplement in China. To obtain the highest chlorophyll and flavonoid content as well as other physicochemical characteristics, spray drying from barley grass juice was carried out for two different maltodextrin concentrations (10 and 20%, dried basis) and four different inlet air temperatures (140, 150, 160, and 170°C). After drying, color, water activity, odor, taste, density, particle size, glass transition temperature, and chlorophyll and flavonoid contents of the dried product were measured. Highest contents of flavonoid (5.66 mg/kg) and chlorophyll (7.29 mg/kg) were obtained under 150°C inlet air temperature, 10% maltodextrin concentration, at a feed flow rate of 1.8 L/h for the drying. Corresponding particle size was 19.58–13.33 µm. The glass transition temperature (Tg) increased with the increasing of maltodextrin concentration; and two max Tg of powder obtained from 10 and 20% maltodextrin concentration were 74.4 and 77.4°C, respectively. Retention of taste and flavor were highest with 20% maltodextrin. High inlet air temperature was contributed to the large discrepancy of odor and taste substances. The best color (lightness L* = 64.44 and greenness b* = −11.53) was obtained at 150°C inlet air temperature and 10% maltodextrin concentration. Both maltodextrin concentrations resulted in poor flowability of the dried product (CI ≤ 32.51).