Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Methanolic extract of Chlorella vulgaris protects against sodium nitrite‐induced reproductive toxicity in male rats

The current study aimed to investigate the protective potential of Chlorella Vulgaris (CV) extract against the reproductive dysfunction induced by sodium nitrite toxicity. Forty‐five male Wistar albino rats were assigned into five groups (n = 9). Control group received normal saline orally for 3 months, CV‐treated: administered CV extract (70 mg/kg.BW) orally for 3 months, sodium nitrite‐treated: received sodium nitrite (80 mg/kg.BW) orally for 3 months, co‐treated: simultaneously received CV along with sodium nitrite treatment, orally, daily for 3 months, and CV‐pre‐treated: pre‐treated with CV extract for 4 weeks followed by simultaneous treatment with sodium nitrite and CV extract for additional 8 weeks. Treatment with sodium nitrite significantly decreased serum testosterone and follicle‐stimulating hormone concentrations, sperm count, motility, and viability. Besides, it decreased testicular superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities while increased malondialdehyde concentration. This effect of sodium nitrite was associated with degenerative, necrotic, vascular, and inflammatory changes in testicular tissues. Treatment of sodium nitrite‐intoxicated rats with CV in co‐treated and pre‐treated groups significantly prevented sodium nitrite‐induced alterations of sperm parameters, hormonal concentrations, testicular oxidative–antioxidant status, and histological architecture. This study indicates that CV extract ameliorates the reproductive dysfunction induced by sodium nitrite toxicity via improving reproductive hormonal levels and testicular antioxidant activities.
[A Structural Equation Model of Health-Related Quality of Life among Older Women Following Bilateral Total Knee Replacement].

PURPOSE This study aimed to develop and test a structural equation model of health-related quality of life among older women following bilateral total knee replacement based on a literature review and Wilson and Cleary's model of health-related quality of life. METHODS One hundred ninety three women who were diagnosed with osteoarthritis, were older than 65 years, and were between 13 weeks and 12 months of having a bilateral total knee replacement were recruited from an outpatient clinic. Data were collected from July 2017 to April 2018 using a structured questionnaire and medical records. Data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 22.0, AMOS 22.0, and Smart PLS 3.2. 4. RESULTS The fitness of the hypothetical model was good, with coefficients of determination (R²) ranging between . 28 and . 75 and predictive relevance (Q²) between . 26 and . 73. The standardized root mean square residual of the model fit indices for the hypothetical model was . 04; which explained 64.2% of physical and 62.5% of mental health-related quality of life. Self-efficacy, symptom status, functional status, and general health perceptions had a significant direct effect on physical health-related quality of life, while social support, symptom status, and general health perceptions had a significant direct effect on participants' mental-health-related quality of life. CONCLUSION To improve the physical and mental quality of life of older women who receive bilateral knee replacement, nursing-based intervention strategies that reduce symptoms, improve functional status, and increase health perceptions, self-efficacy, and social support are needed. The most important factor is the symptom status.
Non-thalamic origin of zebrafish sensory nuclei implies convergent evolution of visual pathways in amniotes and teleosts

Ascending visual projections similar to the mammalian thalamocortical pathway are found in a wide range of vertebrate species, but their homology is debated. To get better insights into their evolutionary origin, we examined the developmental origin of a thalamic-like sensory structure of teleosts, the preglomerular complex (PG), focusing on the visual projection neurons. Similarly to the tectofugal thalamic nuclei in amniotes, the lateral nucleus of PG receives tectal information and projects to the pallium. However, our cell lineage study in zebrafish reveals that the majority of PG cells are derived from the midbrain, unlike the amniote thalamus. We also demonstrate that the PG projection neurons develop gradually until late juvenile stages. Our data suggest that teleost PG, as a whole, is not homologous to the amniote thalamus. Thus, the thalamocortical-like projections evolved from a non-forebrain cell population, which indicates a surprising degree of variation in the vertebrate sensory systems.
Risk factors associated with bleeding after prophylactic endoscopic variceal ligation in cirrhosis

Abstract Background Prophylactic endoscopic variceal band ligation (EVL) is frequently performed in patients with liver cirrhosis. The aim of our study was to identify factors associated with early upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) in cirrhosis patients after prophylactic EVL. Methods 787 nonemergency EVLs performed in 444 patients in two German University medical centers were analyzed retrospectively. Results Within 30 days after EVL, 38 UGIBs were observed (4.8 % of all procedures). Bilirubin levels (hazard ratio [HR] 1.5, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.2–2.0 for a 2-fold increase) and presence of varices grade III/IV according to Paquet (HR 2.6, 95 %CI 1.3–5.0 compared with absence or smaller sized varices) were independently associated with UGIB following EVL. International normalized ratio (INR) was associated with bleeding events in the univariate analysis but did not reach statistical significance after adjustment for bilirubin and presence of varices grade III/IV (HR 1.2, 95 %CI 0.9–1.6 for an increase by 0.25). There was no statistically significant association between platelet count or fibrinogen levels and UGIB. Substitution of coagulation products did not affect incidence of bleeding after EVL, which also applied to patients with “coagulopathy” (INR > 1.5 and/or platelet count < 50 × 109/L). No association between proton pump inhibitor therapy and post-EVL UGIB was observed. Conclusions EVL is a safe procedure and immediate bleeding complications are rare. Serum bilirubin levels and size of varices, rather than coagulation indices, are associated with UGIB after EVL. Our data do not support the preventive substitution of blood or coagulation products.
Evaluation of C-lingual retractor effects on anterior teeth using cone beam computed tomographic imaging

The purpose of this study was to analyze the en-masse retraction effects on the upper canines and incisors in Class II division 1 malocclusions using the C-lingual retractor appliance on these teeth by means of cone beam tomography imaging (CBCT). The sample consisted of 12 patients aged between 18-25 years with Class II division 1 malocclusion collected from the department of Orthodontics and Orthopedics in Hama University. Average treatment period was 9 months. Pre- and post-treatment CBCTs were taken, and the related variables were compared. Results: The current study showed significant retraction of the upper incisors using the C-Lingual Retractor Appliance with an average of (3.24 mm), with a vertical resorption of the alveolar crest with an average of (0.2 mm) from the labial aspect and (2.15 mm) from the palatal aspect, and a minimum root resorption of (1.58mm) in central incisors and (0.58 mm) in the canines, and a preferred torque control, where the average change of torque is (5.24°) in central incisors and (1.18°) in the canines, and a minimum loss of anchorage, with an average of (0.16mm) of upper first molar mesial drift. Correction of Class II division 1 malocclusion using the C-lingual Retractor appliance can be achieved without any significant damage to the supporting alveolar bone or inducing any significant root Resorption with preferred Torque control of the incisors and minimal anchorage loss.
Conditioning on "and nothing else": Simple Models of Missing Data between Naive Bayes and Logistic Regression

In situations where people report in a free-form way, we need to condition on the fact that some-one did not report something. While we need to take into account that something was not reported, often there are too many statements that could be reported to consider each one; we only want to reason about those that were reported. In this paper we start with two simple, common models, namely Naive Bayes and logistic regression, which are equivalent models that are trained differently as to how missing data is handled. Naive Bayes is traditionally trained in a generative way, to make optimal predictions assuming only one value is observed (and making independence assumptions for the rest) and logistic regression is traditionally trained in a discriminative way, assuming no data is missing. It is generally assumed that these are qualitatively different, but in this paper we show there is a continuum be-tween them. In particular, we show a model that is more general than both, but still simple, that can be trained to condition on missing data. In particular, it conditions on “and nothing else [was reported]” enabling us to avoid reasoning about the myriad of things that were not reported, but still take them into account.
RAPID CREATION OF VEHICLE LINE-UPS BY EIGENSPACE PROJECTIONS FOR STYLE TRANSFER

Abstract In product development, an automated generation of shape variations enables a rapid assessment of potentially appealing design directions. We present a framework for computing a product line-up of automotive body shapes based on spectral methods for mesh processing. We calculate the eigenspace projections of 3D vehicle meshes and identify the relevant style as well as content components based on the eigenvalues. The style of a model is then transferred to arbitrary prototype content car shapes, which allows for a rapid portfolio generation of various car types with minimal user interaction.
Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT): Central Nervous System Tumors

When Policy Topic is covered Intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) may be considered medically necessary for individuals with malignant or benign brain tumors when the tumor is in close proximity to organs at risk (brain stem, spinal cord, cochlea and eye structures including optic nerve and chiasm, lens and retina) and 3-D CRT planning is not able to meet dose volume constraints for normal tissue tolerance. (see Considerations)
Ecology and biogeography of the endemic scorpion Euscorpius carpathicus (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae): a multiscale analysis

Abstract We present a first analysis of the ecology and potential distribution of Euscorpius carpathicus (Linnaeus, 1767), a scorpion species endemic to southern Romania, and report on the overwintering habitat selection of this species. Using field data, literature review, species distribution modelling, and habitat selection models, we document the broad scale distribution and ecology of E. carpathicus, as well as habitat selection in the foothills of the Curvature Carpathians, including exclusive microhabitat selection of riverine clay banks. In contrast with other species of the genus that inhabit cracks in cliffs or walls, E. carpathicus has adapted to cracks in clay.
Trade Liberalization and Investment in Foreign Capital Goods: Evidence from India

We evaluate the impact of trade liberalization on the firm’s decision to invest in foreign capital goods. We employ Indian firm-level panel data from a period of a large-scale trade liberalization (1989-1997) to estimate an investment equation using the system-GMM estimator. Importantly, we control separately for the tariffs on capital goods, intermediate inputs and final goods, which allows us to estimate the price elasticity of investment in foreign capital goods. Consistent with theory, we find that reductions in the tariffs on capital goods, and intermediate inputs led to higher investment in foreign capital goods, whereas reduction in the output tariff resulted in lower investment. The impact of the capital goods tariffs is the largest. JEL Classification: E22, F13, O16, O24, D92
Developing Indicators for Farmers’ Satisfaction with Extension Services in Iran Utilizing Delphi Technique

The lack of accountability of government organizations to address the needs of stakeholders and the private sector and the provision of low-quality services to clients has increased dissatisfaction with government services. Therefore, providing quality services is essential to increase satisfaction with government organizations. Extension services are one of the main components of sustainable agriculture development in Iran and are provided to farmers through the Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Organization (AREEO). Considering the low level of farmers' satisfaction with extension services, development of a system for assessing farmers' satisfaction as a strategic project has been emphasized. This study was conducted to develop the components of farmers' satisfaction with extension services and determine the factors affecting their satisfaction, in 2019. In this study, the classic Delphi method was used during three rounds. The expert panel consisted of nine university faculty members, 14 faculty members of AREEO, and 19 headquarters extension experts (n= 42). Delphi results led to the selection of 37 components to assess the satisfaction of farmers with the extension services. These components were classified using the constant comparative method in four main factors. These factors include technical and professional features of the extension experts, service quality, perceived effectiveness, and policy, management, and planning.
The Obama Effect: Effect of Black Electoral Victory on Racial Prejudice and Inequality

Following the Obama presidency, pundits and researchers have asked how having a black leader affects white Americans’ attitude toward black Americans. Given theoretical ambiguity, I test for causal impact of a black leader on racial attitudes using local elections of black politicians at the municipal level. Using Race Implicit Attitude Test (IAT) scores as a measure of racial prejudice and close election regression discontinuity design for causal inference, I find that electoral victory of a black leader leads to a rise in racial prejudice among white Americans against black Americans. Following a close electoral victory, the IAT score rises by about 0.03, or 7% of the average black-white difference. Simultaneously, using the same discontinuity design, black politicians’ electoral victory causes lower employment and higher mortgage denial for black Americans relative to white Americans. Interpreting close electoral victory of black politicians as an instrument, I argue that the rise in racial prejudice caused black-white economic inequality to widen. ∗These views are those of the authors and do not reflect those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago or the Federal Reserve System. I am extremely grateful to my committee chair Amir Sufi and members Marianne Bertrand, Raghuram Rajan and Luigi Zingales for their continuous guidance and support. I also thank Lancelot Henry de Frahan, Lars Hansen, Paymon Khorrami, Canice Prendergast, as well as seminar participants at the University of Chicago Applied Microeconomics Lunch. All errors are my own. †Email: jung.sakong@frbchi.org
Exploiting Residual Edge Information in Deep Fully Convolutional Neural Networks For Retinal Vessel Segmentation

Accurate automatic segmentation of the retinal vessels is crucial for early detection and diagnosis of vision-threatening retinal diseases. A new supervised method using a variant of the fully convolutional neural network is pro-posed with the advantages of reduced hyper-parameters, reduced computational/memory requirements, and robust performance in capturing tiny vessel information. The fully convolutional architectures previously employed for vessel segmentation have multiple tunable hyperparameters and difficulty in end-to-end training due to their decoder structure. We resolve this problem by sharing information from the encoder for upsampling at the decoder stage, resulting in a significantly smaller number of tunable parameters and low computational overhead at the train and test stages. Moreover, the need for pre- and post-processing steps are eradicated. Consequently, the detection accuracy is significantly improved with scores of 0.9620, 0.9623, and 0.9620 on DRIVE, STARE, and CHASE_DB1 datasets respectively.
Open Comparison of Thermal and Microwave Paleointensity Estimates in Specimens Displaying NonIdeal Behavior in ThellierStyle Paleointensity Experiments

Comparison of Thermal and Microwave Paleointensity Estimates in Specimens Displaying NonIdeal Behavior in ThellierStyle Paleointensity Experiments. Abstract Determining the strength of the ancient geomagnetic field is vital to our understanding of the core and geodynamo but obtaining reliable measurements of the paleointensity is fraught with difficulties. Over a quarter of magnetic field strength estimates within the global paleointensity database from 0-5 Ma come from Hawaiʻi. Two previous studies on the SOH1 drill core gave inconsistent, apparently method-dependent paleointensity estimates, with an average difference of 30%. The paleointensity methods employed in the two studies differed both in demagnetization mechanism (thermal or microwave radiation) and Thellier-style protocol (perpendicular and Original Thellier protocols) – both variables that could cause the strong differences in the estimates obtained. Paleointensity experiments have therefore been conducted on 79 specimens using the previously untested combinations of Thermal-Perpendicular and Microwave-Original Thellier methods to analyze the effects of demagnetization mechanism and protocol in isolation. We find that, individually, neither demagnetization mechanism nor protocol entirely explains the differences in paleointensity estimates. Specifically, we found that non-ideal multi-domain-like effects are enhanced using the Original Thellier protocol (independent of demagnetization mechanism), often resulting in paleointensity overestimation. However, we also find evidence, supporting recent findings from the 1960 Kilauea lava flow, that Microwave-Perpendicular experiments performed without pTRM checks can produce underestimates of the paleointensity due to unaccounted-for sample alteration at higher microwave powers. Together, these findings support that the true paleointensities fall between the estimates previously published and emphasize the need for future studies (thermal or microwave) to use protocols with both pTRM checks and a means of detecting non-ideal grain effects. studies on the SOH1 drill core. New paleointensity data confirm the systematic offset observed from previous studies when using the same methods; Thermal-Original Thellier estimates were ~30% higher than Microwave-perpendicular estimates. For the first time, Thermal-Perpendicular experiments and Microwave-Original Thellier experiments were undertaken on these rocks. Our results confirm that Thermal-Original Thellier data can be too high in the presence of magnetic carriers that do not behave as non-interacting SD grains. We further confirm that perpendicular data, which lack pTRM checks for alteration, can be too low due to undetected thermochemical alteration. FORC data. raw data Martin Gratton for his systematic data archiving, from which we obtained the raw data from Gratton et al. (2005). All new raw data collected in this study can be found on MagIC at earthref.org/MagIC/16664. The authors helpful of the of JGR – Solid Earth.
Relative importance of island availability and terrestrial predation risk for nesting habitat selection of colonial Charadriiformes in Sfax salina (Tunisia)

Salinas are highly valued habitats for the conservation of ground-nesting colonial waterbirds in the Mediterranean, yet they often lack islets, preferred breeding habitats for these species. In this paper, we evaluated the relative importance of island availability and terrestrial predation risk for nesting habitat selection of five species of colonial Charadriiformes (Avocet, Little Tern, Common Tern, Gull-billed Tern and Slender-billed Gull) in the Sfax Salina (Tunisia), one of the most important breeding areas of these species along the southern Mediterranean coast. We monitored colony settlement pattern, colony size and colony site features used by the birds in 2004 and 2005. In total, 101 sites were occupied during the two years of study. These occupied sites included 19 isolated islets, which represent the total number of available inaccessible islets in the studied salina. 92.6% of the 8277 breeding pairs counted in 2004 and 86.3% of the 7844 breeding pairs counted in 2005 settled on accessible sites. Our results also show that the occupation of accessible sites began before the occupation of isolated ones. We propose that these accessible sites should be considered as ecological traps resulting from the overall lack of isolated sites. Finally, because dikes are an unlimited habitat for nesting, we identify the environmental cues selected by colonial Charadriiformes within this habitat to develop guidelines for the construction of attractive islets
Calculation of the Sticking Probability of a Water Molecule to a Water Cluster†

The sticking probabilities of a water molecule to a water cluster at several temperatures are calculated as a function of cluster size by using the models proposed for dissociation and stabilization rate constants of vibrationally excited clusters. The model for dissociation is built from RRK theory, while the model for stabilization is based on the general equation describing V→ T relaxation rates of diatomic molecules. The sticking probabilities calculated are strongly dependent on the size of the water clusters. They increase from zero to levels close to unity in the cluster-size region of 3 through approximately 20 and keep constant at levels close to unity at a cluster size larger than 20 at 253, 273, and 300 K.
Prognostic Role of Ammonia in Cirrhotic Patients

This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as doi: 10.1002/hep.30534 This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. DR. . SHALIMAR (Orcid ID : 0000-0003-1247-437X)
AC 0 lower bounds for PARITY

Complexity theorists have been trying to attack the question of whether NP * P/poly after shifting their attention to circuits instead of Turing Machines. However, we are (as of writing) no where close to showing this. Nonetheless, all hope is not lost. Some progress has been made in showing separations of classical complexity classes and circuit complexity classes. Some of them are “embarassing”, such as Ryan Williams’ result that NEXP * ACC [Wil14]. However, even that is a very non-trivial result. Today we shall look at such a separation for P and AC. In particular, we will see that PARITY / ∈ AC. There are several proofs of this fact. Ajtai [A+83], and independently Furst, Saxe, and Sipser [FSS84] first showed this result. Later, Yao, and Hastad [Has86] improved upon these results. These proofs generally use variants of “switching lemmas”. However, we present a proof credit to Razborov [Raz87], and Smolensky [Smo87] based on polynomials.