Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thyroxine Supplementation May Improve Ovulation and Pregnancy Rates in Infertile Patients with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Subclinical Hypothyroidism

This prospective observational study was conducted on 220 patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) who were allocated into two groups; group one (n=112) received clomiphene citrate (CC) plus thyroxine while group two received only CC for ovulation induction. Patients receiving CC and thyroxine exhibited higher ovulation rate (p<0.001), higher endometrial thickness (p<0.05), higher number of dominant follicles (p<0.001) and higher pregnancy rate (p<0.001) compared to their counterparts receiving only CC. Thyroxine supplementation improves ovulation and pregnancy rates in infertile patients with PCOS and SCH receiving CC for ovulation induction who are therapy naïve.
Executive Functions and Problematic Internet Use among University Students: The Mediator Role of Self-Esteem

Information and communication technologies are transforming our daily lives in a wide variety of ways, such as the way we work, study, and interact with others. There are clear benefits to be gained from appropriate use, but a problem arises when addictive and problematic use of the Internet is experienced. In this sense, several predictive factors can be related to inappropriate or problematic Internet use. For this reason, the present study aimed to analyze whether inhibition, flexibility, emotional control (executive functions) and self-esteem directly influence all variables of problematic Internet use. Furthermore, it was examined whether executive functions, mediated by self-esteem, indirectly influence problematic Internet use. The study involved 514 university students who completed three scales, one for the assessment of problematic Internet use, one for self-esteem and one for executive functions. Mediation models showed that both executive functions and self-esteem had an influence on different problematic uses of the Internet. Specifically, it was found that flexibility and emotional control were the variables with the most direct effects, as they influenced all variables of problematic Internet use. However, when self-esteem was included as a mediator, inhibition was the variable with the most indirect effects.
Genetic diversity of Paramecium species on the basis of multiple loci analysis and ITS secondary structure models

Among ciliates, Paramecium has become a privileged model for the study of “species problem” particularly in the case of the “Paramecium aurelia complex” that has been intensely investigated. Despite extensive studies, the taxonomy of Paramecium is still challenging. The major problem is an uneven sampling of Paramecium with relatively few representatives of each species. To investigate species from the less discovered region (Pakistan), 10 isolates of Paramecium species including a standing‐alone FT8 strain previously isolated by some of us were subjected to molecular characterization. Fragments of 18S recombinant DNA (rDNA), ITS1‐5.8S‐ITS2‐5′LSU rDNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit II, and hsp70 genes were used as molecular markers for phylogenetic analysis of particular isolates. The nucleotide sequences of polymerase chain reaction products of all markers were compared with the available sequences of relevant markers of other Paramecium species from GenBank. Phylogenetic trees based on all molecular markers showed that all the nine strains had a very close relationship with Paramecium primaurelia except for the FT8 strain. FT8 consistently showed its unique position in comparison to all other species in the phylogenetic trees. Available sequences of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and ITS2 and some other ciliate sequences from GenBank were used for the construction of secondary models. Two highly conserved helices supported by compensatory base changes among all ciliates of ITS2 secondary structures were found similar to other eukaryotes. Therefore, the most conserved 120 to 180 base pairs regions were identified for their comparative studies. We found that out of the three helices in ITS1 structure, helix B was more conserved in Paramecium species. Despite various substitutions in the primary sequence, it was observed that secondary structures of ITS1 and ITS2 could be helpful in interpreting the phylogenetic relationships both at species as well as at generic level.
Control algorithms and implementation for variable speed stall regulated wind turbines

In this research control algorithms and implementation for variable speed stall regulated wind turbines are presented. This type of wind turbine has a simpler and more robust construction and can have lower requirements for maintenance than the existing pitch regulated wind turbines. Due to these features these wind turbines can have reduced cost, which is a crucial parameter especially for large scale wind turbines. However, this type is not commercially available yet due to existing challenges in its control. In this research a complete control scheme for variable speed stall regulated wind turbines has been developed and implemented in a fully dynamic hardware-in-loop simulator for variable speed wind turbines. The simulator was developed as part of the project in order to validate the designed control algorithms. The developed control system uses novel adaptive methods in order to maximize the energy production of the wind turbines at below rated wind speeds as well as to control the power of the wind turbine at above rated wind speeds. In addition, several types of controllers including robust controllers have been used and tested, which resulted to novel control solutions for stall regulated wind turbines. The main advantage of the proposed control method is that it uses existing hardware without requiring additional sensors, so it more effectively exploits information coming from measurements available in existing wind turbine converters. Through software and hardware simulations the proposed control algorithms seem to be quite promising and give confidence for the future development of variable speed stall regulated wind turbines. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank Prof. Dawei Gu and Dr Matt Turner for their help in robust control. Also, I would like to thank Dr Sajjad Fekriasl for his help in Kalman filtering. I would like to thank my supervisor Dr J.A. M Bleijs for his help as well as for his suggestions during the writing of the thesis. In addition, I would like to thank Mr Luigi Alessandro for his support and help in the laboratory, Dr John Twiddle for helping me with the use of dSPACE ds1102 and also Mr Jan Schwarz from dSPACE Ltd for his extensive help with the use of dSPACE ds1103. Further, I would like to thank Prof. Bill Leithead and Dr Stephen Dodd for their last remarks. I would like to thank my colleagues and my friends for their help and advice. Finally, I would like to thank EPSRC for providing the funding to pursue this research.
Portfolios as Learning and Alternative-Assessment Tools in EFL Context: A Review

Portfolio, i.e., a collection of evidence for learning progress, has been increasingly employed both as learning and assessment tools in foreign language education. However, prior researchers tend to utilize different theoretical frameworks as well as varying in their implementation procedures. This review firstly reports on the educational affordances and challenges of portfolio-based learning (PoBL) in EFL context. It also proposes a conceptual framework for future PoBL implementation and research based on previously adopted frameworks and empirical findings. An extensive journal search was conducted for selecting empirical papers for this review, resulting in 19 research papers that satisfied the preset criteria. Findings indicated that the commonly adopted theoretical frameworks for PoBL education involved learner-centered approach, self-regulated learning, digital literacy and portfolio as an assessment tool. Previous researchers normally followed seven stages for implementing PoBL programs. As for the educational affordances, PoBL was found to help enhance EFL learners’ foreign language achievements, metacognitive skills, self-regulated learning, assessment literacy and digital skills. Challenges in PoBL employment involves learners’ anxiety, lack of digital competence and the reliability of PoBL as an alternative assessment. Potential methodological issues in previous studies were raised and pedagogical implications for effective PoBL programs discussed.
Simulation of optical impacts of gravity-induced deformations of concentrating solar collectors

Concentrating solar power (CSP) is a large field of interest in the renewable energy sector. However, CSP has not yet become as economical as other renewable energy technologies. A possible solution to this issue is the ability to produce efficient and cost-effective solar collectors such as parabolic troughs, heliostats, and parabolic dishes. There are many different areas where costs can be reduced such as using cheaper materials, developing more efficient power cycles, designing better structures, reducing the control system cost, or improving the alignment of the mirrors. The research presented focuses on the area of mirror alignment. Properly aligned mirrors produce more concentrated solar energy output thereby increasing the thermal efficiency in the entire system. The first purpose of this research is to develop a cost-effective method to analyze gravity deformations in solar collectors. The deformations are found from Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on a true scale model. The second purpose of this research is to study the optical performance of the solar collector after gravity deformation. Ray tracing is used to fully analyze the optical performance of collectors. Together the deformations and beam characterization lead to a useful, cost-effective process to analyze solar collectors.
Making lesbian space at the edge of Europe: Queer spaces in Istanbul

Abstract There is limited research regarding queer spaces in Turkey, and even less on lesbians because women have struggled to have an active public presence in Turkey. Accordingly, lesbian spaces are more embodied and less explicitly visible in public spaces than in the West. This study aims to make the invisible more visible by examining the space-making strategies of the lesbian community during the late 20th and early 21st century when lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) activism reached a high point in Turkey. In particular, we examined the ways that lesbians challenged narrow conceptions of “territoriality,” through their use of spaces such as bars, homes, and restaurants in one neighborhood across time, by reviewing print media archives with LGBTQ coverage and interviewing a sample of activist lesbian women who participated in the lesbian scene in Istanbul during this period. Our findings reveal that lesbians opted to live in Beyoglu due to its multicultural and welcoming character, and formed their businesses as venues to socialize as well as serve LGBTQ clientele. They also expanded the openness of gay bars in the district and opened their houses for home parties within the lesbian community. Furthermore, they used all these arenas as meeting places for lesbian activist support groups.
Analysis of Humoral Immune Responses in Patients With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has caused a pandemic with tens of millions of cases and hundreds of thousands of deaths. The infection causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a disease of the respiratory system of divergent severity. In the current study, humoral immune responses were characterized in a cohort of 143 patients with COVID-19 from the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Germany.SARS-CoV-2-specific–antibodies were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). SARS-CoV-2 and human coronavirus NL63 neutralization activity was analyzed with pseudotyped lentiviral vectors.The severity of COVID-19 increased with age, and male patients encountered more serious symptoms than female patients. Disease severity was correlated with the amount of SARS-CoV-2–specific immunoglobulin (Ig) G and IgA and the neutralization activity of the antibodies. The amount of SARS-CoV-2–specific IgG antibodies decreased with time after polymerase chain reaction conformation of the infection, and antibodies directed against the nucleoprotein waned faster than spike protein-directed antibodies. In contrast, for the common flu coronavirus NL63, COVID-19 disease severity seemed to be correlated with low NL63-neutralizing activities, suggesting the possibility of cross-reactive protection.The results describe the humoral immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 and might aid the identification of correlates of protection needed for vaccine development.
Designing patient education with distance learning

Bakgrund: Sjalvforvaltning ar avgorande bland patienter med diabetes. Oka nivaerna av sjalvforvaltning kan hindra patienter fran att utveckla ytterligare komplikationer i samband med sin sjukdom. Skraddarsy utbildning till patientens behov och ge dem med uppfoljning utbildning om olika amnen av diabetes skulle avsevart forbattra patient forstaelse. Inforandet av distansundervisning, och sarskilt Massive Oppna onlinekurser (MOOC), i diabetesutbildning har inte varit betydande men. Vilka amnen bor en distansutbildning plattform fokuserar pa nar de erbjuder patientutbildning till typ 2 diabetiker? Hur gor patienterna upplever en sadan plattform? Och vilken utbildning metod bor anvandas for att battre na patienten forstaelse, i slutandan hjalpa diabetiker att na en battre sjalvforvaltning? Syfte: Att beskriva de behov och krav av denna typ 2-diabetiker for utveckling av ett online-larande plattform. Studien forsokte analysera vilka amnen patienter behover folja upp utbildningen pa att na en battre sjalvforvaltning och hur. Studien vill fa ett svar dar skulle patienter anvander en kunskapsstyrd beslutsstodsmetoden inuti patienten centrerad larande modell metoder: En kvalitativ metod for denna studie ingick 6 deltagare i aldern 30 till 65 ar gamla. De diagnosen typ 2-diabetes tidigast 6 manader innan denna studie och hade inga ytterligare diabetes relaterade komplikationer. De deltog i en intervju pa flera amnen relaterade till diabetes, som identifierats dar behovet av och krav pa utbildning ar. For att identifiera vilka amnen patienter ville fa uppfoljande utbildning om Diabetes Sjalvledarskapsutbildning (DSME) anvandes. Intervjun inneholl strukturerade och ostrukturerade fragor, och utfordes med en hog grad av engagemang for att ge relevant information i samband med diabetes under hela intervjun. Resultat: Deltagarna valkomnade iden att ta emot undervisning via en online-larande plattform. Inforlivandet av multimedia var rekommenderas, och metoden for att ta emot utbildning rekommenderades att andra per amne, inte per amne. Sammantaget patientcentrerade larande var en foredragen metod i alla amnen, men kunskapsdriven beslutsunderlag valkomnades som ett tillagg till nagra av amnena. Slutsats: Den nuvarande utbildning som erbjuds ar begransad till att ge grundlaggande forstaelse for att utfora egenvard. Deltagarna kande behovet av uppfoljande utbildning, men kunde inte forses med detta. Den foreslagna plattformen, med mojligheter att fa tillgang till information nar patienterna behovde, sags som ett valkommet tillskott till den aktuella utbildningen erbjuds i olika installningar. Anvanda patientcentrerad larande, i kombination med integration av kunskapsstyrd beslutsunderlag, kan ge utbildning och information nar det behovs och dra for att oka sjalvchefsnivaer bland diabetiker.
Angle of Attack and Distance-Based Criteria for Flange Climb Derailment

New flange climb derailment criteria are proposed, which include both a single wheel lateral to vertical (L/V) force ratio limit and a L/V distance limit. Results presented here indicate that both the single wheel L/V ratio limit and the L/V distance limit are strongly dependent on wheelset angle of attack. The existing L/V time duration criterion of 50 milliseconds, which is currently used during track worthiness tests in North America, is evaluated against the proposed new L/V distance limit and is shown to be unsafe for large angles of attack and higher speeds. The influence of parameters such as wheel/rail friction coefficient and longitudinal force on the proposed derailment criteria is discussed in the paper. For the covering abstract see ITRD E117109.
Regional Variation in West and East Coast African-American English Prosody and Rap Flows

Regional variation in African-American English (AAE) is especially salient to its speakers involved with hip-hop culture, as hip-hop assigns great importance to regional identity and regional accents are a key means of expressing regional identity. However, little is known about AAE regional variation regarding prosodic rhythm and melody. In hip-hop music, regional variation can also be observed, with different regions’ rap performances being characterized by distinct “flows” (i.e., rhythmic and melodic delivery), an observation which has not been quantitatively investigated yet. This study concerns regional variation in AAE speech and rap, specifically regarding the United States’ East and West Coasts. It investigates how East Coast and West Coast AAE prosody are distinct, how East Coast and West Coast rap flows differ, and whether the two domains follow a similar pattern: more rhythmic and melodic variation on the West Coast compared to the East Coast for both speech and rap. To this end, free speech and rap recordings of 16 prominent African-American members of the East Coast and West Coast hip-hop communities were phonetically analyzed regarding rhythm (e.g., syllable isochrony and musical timing) and melody (i.e., pitch fluctuation) using a combination of existing and novel methodological approaches. The results mostly confirm the hypotheses that East Coast AAE speech and rap are less rhythmically diverse and more monotone than West Coast AAE speech and rap, respectively. They also show that regional variation in AAE prosody and rap flows pattern in similar ways, suggesting a connection between rhythm and melody in language and music.
Multi-Responsive and Self-Healing Hydrogel via Formation of Polymer-Nanogel Interfacial Dynamic Benzoxaborole Esters at Physiological pH.

Nanocomposite hydrogels with multi-responsiveness and self-healing property are attracting extensive interest due to their enhanced performance for a wide range of applications. In this work, we have successfully developed novel hydrogels based on interfacial polymer-nanogel benzoxaborolate crosslinking at physiological pH. Temperature-sensitive nanogels (NG-Gal) containing galactose residues on the nano-surface were prepared and subsequently used as macro-crosslinkers to form hydrogel network through formation of dynamic adducts with benzoxaborole groups of a hydrophilic copolymer poly(DMA-st-MAABO). Benefiting from the low pKa value of benzoxaborole (~7.2), hydrogels can be constructed rapidly at physiological pH, which is of great significance for biomedical applications. Changing the molar ratio between benzoxaborole and galactose was found to alter the mechanical properties of hydrogels as confirmed by rheological measurements. The dynamic nature of benzoxaborole esters endowed the hydrogel with moldability and self-healing ability after disruption. Moreover, the hydrogel showed multi-responsiveness towards pH, sugar, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and temperature. Therefore, the novel nanocomposite hydrogel we demonstrated here exhibits great potential for biomedical applications such as tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery.
An Assessment of Flow and Pressure Control in Experimental Models of Glaucoma Drainage Surgery

There are a number of surgical methods for treating glaucoma, including trabeculectomy and the insertion of drainage devices. At the current time, these procedures are still associated with post-operative problems for a significant number of patients, particularly with the control of aqueous humour flow and pressure e.g. hypotony. The main aim of this work was to look at ways of improving the outcomes of the procedures. The usual approach in assessing surgical techniques is to test them on live human or animal eyes. This is inherently complex, with a significant challenge to keep some of the major parameters e.g. aqueous humour inflow and wound healing consistent throughout a series of tests, and with this the problem of reproducibility. The approach used in this work includes a review and analysis of the different surgical methods and devices from an engineering perspective, the use of scaling analysis and a large-scale physical model coupled with image processing to study trabeculectomy scleral flap characteristics and its effect on flow and pressure, and also the use of model drainage devices in ex vivo settings to look at flow and pressure. For each experiment, implications for clinical practice are discussed. Applying engineering principles to glaucoma procedures and devices provided novel insight into their functions. It was found that the trabeculectomy scleral flap acts as a valve to guard from excessive aqueous humour outflow and low pressures, and parameters such as the number and position of sutures and scleral flap geometry can be tailored to alter aqueous humour outflow. Additionally, 50 μm internal diameter tubes show promise for controlled aqueous humour flow into the subconjunctival space with avoidance of low pressures. Engineering methodology can be used in the development of new treatments and devices. However, some results may not translate exactly into the more complex living eye.
THE SAFETY OF FLEET CAR DRIVERS: A REVIEW

Britain is unlike most other European countries in that cars that are owned or financed by companies make up a significant proportion of the total vehicle fleet, with over half of the new cars sold each year in this country being registered in the name of an organisation. The drivers of company cars are an important sub-group of the driving population, and it has been suggested that they make a disproportionate contribution to the total numbers of road accidents. The aim of this report is to examine the evidence for such a 'fleet driver effect', the factors contributing to it, and the measures that could be employed to reduce the effect. After defining and describing the area of study, the report reviews the literature on accident risk to compare 'company' and 'private' drivers, drawing upon the programme of accident liability studies carried out by TRL in the last decade, It then examines the various measures to improve safety that have been used in the past, with special reference to fleet driver training, and assesses the evidence for their effectiveness. Following this, the results are presented of some qualitative research carried out with fleet managers, trainers, drivers and fleet insurers. (A)