Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A comparative study to evaluate the postoperative results between tympanoplasty alone and tympanoplasty with cortical mastoidectomy in chronic suppurative otitis media

<div class="WordSection1"><div class="WordSection1"><p class="keywords"><strong>Background:</strong> Chronic suppurative otitis media (CSOM) is a common ear disease presenting to the ENT OPD. It’s the most common cause of hearing dysfunction in our country. Most of these cases requires surgery but still controversial. In the surgical management of CSOM even well experienced otologist have the dilemma whether to combine mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty or not. Objectives of the study was to study and evaluate whether the additional mastoidectomy procedure helps in the outcome in the surgical treatment of CSOM in terms of graft uptake, perforation closure, improvement in hearing, disease eradication and recurrence. </p><p class="keywords"><strong>Methods:</strong> The 40 patients of age group 12 to 65 years diagnosed with CSOM of tubotympanic type in inactive or quiescent stage was taken as study group. Tympanoplasty alone was done in 20 cases and tympanoplasty with cortical mastoidectomy was done in 20 cases. Hearing gain following surgery and factors influencing the outcome were measured. Study done was prospective comparative study. </p><p class="keywords"><strong>Results:</strong> Graft uptake was seen in 17 cases (85%) in tympanoplasty alone group and 15 cases (75%) in Tymapanomastoidectomy group at the end of 2nd month. Graft uptake was found to be same in terms of significance in both groups. Post-operative hearing gain was observed in 75% of patients in each group</p><p class="keywords"><strong>Conclusions:</strong> Hearing improvement, graft uptake were statistically incomparable in two groups. Combining cortical mastoidectomy with tympanoplasty will not give additional benefits in terms of hearing gain, graft uptake and disease eradication if the middle ear mucosa is healthy. </p></div></div>
Nearly a Decade of Cosmic Ray Observations in the Very Local Interstellar Medium

In 2012, the centennial year of the discovery of cosmic rays, Voyager 1 crossed the heliopause and began making the very first in-situ measurements of the surrounding interstellar medium. Joined by Voyager 2 in 2018, these twin spacecraft continue to provide critical data of cosmic rays in a surprising, previously-unexplored plasma regime. Here, we highlight some of the discoveries and insights that have emerged from nearly a decade of cosmic ray observations in the very local interstellar medium, addressing topics such as: i) the behavior of cosmic rays at the heliopause boundary, ii) the characteristics of the low-energy spectrum (down to a few MeV/nuc), iii) the discovery of a time-varying, species-dependent anisotropy, and iv) their relationship to solar-transients that pass through the heliosphere and transmit pressure waves into the VLISM.
Resonant Alfvén Waves in the Lower Auroral Ionosphere: Evidence for the Nonlinear Evolution of the Ionospheric Feedback Instability

During the “Auroral Jets” experiment from Poker Flat, Alaska on 2 March 2017, two NASA sounding rockets were simultaneously launched into the active auroral ionosphere. The rockets were equipped with instrumentation to measure DC and AC electric fields, magnetic fields, energetic electrons, plasma density, and neutral winds and achieved apogees of 190 and 330 km. A prominent feature of the electric and magnetic field observations is the presence of localized large‐amplitude (±40 mV/m and ±100 nT) small‐scale (λ⊥∼ 1 km) Alfvén wave structures at altitudes as low as 150 km in the vicinity of up‐ and down‐ward current regions. We interpret the oscillations as representing standing waves associated with the ionospheric Alfvén resonator formed between the ionosphere and the lower magnetosphere. The electric field components of the Alfvén waves show signatures of wave steepening in correlation with electron precipitation and large variations of the background plasma density. The signatures are discussed in the context of nonlinear evolution of the ionospheric feedback instability.
Understanding and Estimating the Value Travelers Place on Their Trips on Managed Lanes

Understanding and Estimating the Value Travelers Place on Their Trips on Managed Lanes. (December 2009) Sunil Narayan Patil, B.E. , Mumbai University; M.Tech., Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Mark W. Burris Travelers’ value of travel time savings (VTTS) are often used to estimate the benefits of transportation facilities, including managed lanes (MLs). With various eligibility criteria and time of day pricing on the MLs, the VTTS estimation is complicated. This is evident by the underestimation of VTTS on MLs in many of the previous studies. This study investigates stated preference (SP) survey design strategies and differentiating the VTTS for ordinary and some common urgent situations faced by the travelers in an attempt to improve on VTTS estimation on MLs. This study used three different survey design strategies (including a D-efficient design) in an internet based survey of Katy Freeway travelers. It was found that a random attribute level generation strategy, where the VTTS presented in the alternative was adjusted based on the answer to a previous SP question, performs better than the other two designs with respect to VTTS estimation and other survey design efficiency criteria. The analysis to differentiate the VTTS for ordinary and urgent trips was carried out using the state of art in the mixed logit model estimation. It was found that travelers value their travel time savings much more when facing most of these urgent situations rather than ordinary situations. Both peak and off-peak period travelers’ VTTS were also found to be significantly greater when on urgent trips. Survey design attribute level ranges were found to significantly affect the VTTS estimation.
Ear nose throat manifestation of tuberculosis: a retrospective study in a tertiary care health centre of North India

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) involving organs other than the lungs is termed as 'extra pulmonary TB'. Very few studies on otorhinolaryngeal manifestations of TB have been conducted. The aim of this study was to find out incidence of head and neck TB, its varied presentations and clinical manifestations and its association to risk factors such as smoking and alcohol consumption.Methods: A retrospective randomized observational study was conducted in the department of otorhinolaryngology and head neck surgery, CHC, Chenani, Udhampur, on 120 patients, diagnosed with extra pulmonary TB in ear, nose and throat region of 11 and above age group, over a period of eight months and a follow-up of 6 months.Results: Out of the 120 selected for the study, majority belonged to the 36-60 years age group (56.67%). Most of the patients were males (57.5%). TB lymphadenopathy was found to be the most common lesion (84.17%), followed by laryngeal TB (6.67%). There were multiple matted lymph nodes in 69 cases and single lymph node in 8 cases; bilateral lymph node involvement was noted in 38 cases. Fever and swelling in the neck were most common presentations. No association was found between specific TB lesions and Smoking or alcohol consumption. 55% of patients showed no co-existing illness. FNAC was the principal diagnostic investigation for the lymph node TB.Conclusions: Changing patterns of presentations of laryngeal, aural and nasal TB was observed in the study. Therefore, otorhinolaryngologists must keep TB in mind while dealing with head and neck lesions.
Single plus one-port robotic surgery using the da Vinci Single-Site Platform versus conventional multi-port laparoscopic surgery for left-sided colon cancer

Introduction Recently, single plus one-port robotic surgery (SPORS) was introduced to overcome the limitations of single-port laparoscopic surgery for the treatment of various diseases. Aim To compare the clinical and cosmetic outcomes of SPORS with those of multi-port laparoscopic surgery (MPLS), which is presently the standard surgical treatment for colon cancer. Material and methods The study included 36 patients who underwent SPORS and 61 patients who underwent MPLS for left-sided colon cancer between August 2014 and January 2016. The Patient Scar Assessment Questionnaire (PSAQ) was used to assess cosmetic outcomes. Results SPORS involved a longer median operative time than MPLS (232 vs. 155 min, p = 0.009). There were no apparent differences in the time before diet tolerance, length of hospital stay, postoperative pain score, and postoperative complication rate. However, SPORS patients had a shorter total incision length (5.0 vs. 8.0 cm, p < 0.001). The median proximal and distal resection margins and the median number of harvested lymph nodes were comparable between the two groups. The PSAQ favored the SPORS approach, revealing significant differences in appearance (15 vs. 18, p < 0.001), consciousness (9 vs. 11, p < 0.001), satisfaction with appearance (14 vs. 17, p < 0.001), satisfaction with symptoms (9 vs. 10, p = 0.022), and overall score (47 vs. 55, p < 0.001). Conclusions The clinicopathologic outcomes of SPORS were comparable but its cosmetic outcomes were superior to those of MPLS for left-sided colon cancer.
Design Optimization Of Overhead EOT Crane Box Girder Using Finite Element Analysis

The design optimization of an overhead crane with a double box girder has been proposed [6]. In this paper the design optimization of double box girder has been done and a comparative study of results of finite element analysis of a crane with 10 ton capacity and 12 m span length has been conducted. It is not possible for the real experimental studies to take into consideration the influence of the connections between the main beams and the rest parts of the construction, the influence of the longitudinal and transverse ribbings as well as the influence of the supports on the overall stressed state of the construction. Moreover, the researches that use for the majority of the test cases different strain measurements turn out to be quite hard and expensive. All these problems could be solved successfully by the use of computer modelling procedures. It is possible to perform 2D or 3D computer studies. The 2D computer studies give idea of the planar behaviour of the construction and lack the opportunity of showing the influence of supports or the connections of the construction. It is only the 3D models that could satisfy all the requirements for examining the general stressed state of the carrying metal construction. With regard to this, the creation of 3-D models for researching and analysing the behaviour of an overhead crane box girder, becomes the main goal of the present work. In the initial phase of the study, conventional design calculations proposed by Indian Standard Rules were performed. The crane design was modelled with solids, Loads and boundary conditions were applied to solid model. Assign material to the solid model. Finite Element meshes were generated from the solid model. After a comparison of the finite element analyses, and the conventional calculations, the analysis was found to give the most realistic results. As a result of this study, a design optimization for an overhead crane box girder has been done.
Does Mentor's Ability Matter for Compensation?

We use an agency model with moral hazard and adverse selection to study the effect of a mentor's ability on the compensation of his mentees. An agent who is trained by a mentor of higher ability receives valuable experience that increases not only his productivity but also his output sensitivity to effort. In our model's equilibrium, the greater productivity translates into higher total compensation, and the greater output sensitivity of effort leads to stronger incentives. We test these predictions by using data from college football coaches and we find strong empirical support for our hypotheses. Football coaches who have previously worked as assistants to head coaches of superior ability, are on average more productive. We find that, 1% increase in mentor's performance (our proxy for mentor's ability) increases head coach's total compensation by $7,800. Finally, head coaches who had better mentors received on average stronger incentives in the form of bonus payments, a result which is consistent with our model's predictions.
Service migration cost modeling

Network operators are continuously performing techno-economic studies trying to minimize the cost of their networks. Nowadays, most of these studies investigate the Capital Expenditures (CapEx) of a certain technology, which are related to the network dimensioning and design. However, it is well known that not only CapEx but also the Operational Expenditures (OpEx) highly impact the overall cost of the network. This fact has triggered the interest of network operators in modeling the operational costs of their networks, aiming at minimizing the overall cost of their networks (i.e. the sum of CapEx and OpEx). Incumbent network operators are running different service specific platforms, based on different technologies, and the maturity of each technology is evolving quite fast. Currently, operators are trying to converge their platforms in order to reduce cost. The suitability of technology and network architecture underlying the operator's production platform(s) depends on the service portfolio the operator intends to offer. From the service point of view, the operator has to decide on the services that are offered, which technology will support which services (there may be several technologies able to support the same type of service), and which platform is suitable for offering a service. One important aspect in the decision process is related to existing services in platforms that should not be upgraded any more but substituted by a new platform. The existing services can either remain in the "old" platform, requiring this platform in operation until the end of life of all services, or they are migrated to a "new" platform. For minimizing the cost of old platform operation and service migration, it needs to be investigated a) how much it would cost to migrate these services from an old platform to a new platform; and b) how much should be invested to migrate services within a given period of time. In this study we present how the operational steps of service migration can be modeled, and the relation between cost, required number of employees and the total number of services that are effectively migrated (i.e. that are not released during the migration time).
Innovative Farmer Advisory Services using ICT

Over the past 10 years, there has been a remarkable progress in the use of ICT in African agriculture, especially in the area of farmers' access to market information. Various projects have been developed that integrate ICTs into the dissemination of agricultural information to farmers. Farmers Information Services at the national and regional level are a promising new field of research and application in the emerging field of e-agriculture. This paper discusses several innovative projects using ICTs to deliver information to farmers, focussing its analysis largely on mobile telephony, which has become more widespread recently as a means of disseminating agricultural information to farmers and offers various means of providing agricultural information in areas where internet infrastructure is limited and unreliable. It draws its findings from The Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA)'s Inventory of Innovative Farmer Advisory Services using ICT, that was compiled of all known innovative farmer advisory services or systems currently in design, in existence or recently completed in Africa. The inventory (66 pages) is the result of an online consultation with the FARA Regional Agricultural Information & Learning System (RAILS) discussion group held during October 2008 and desk study. While not a lot of information was available for some of the projects found, the inventory reveals that many projects are of a pilot nature, implemented by international organizations, have been of short duration and often have not remained after the original donor funding has ceased. This has exposed the need to upscale projects, taking into account the individual context and information needs of farmers and thereby developing services with carefully integrated platforms, with the support not only of private companies and NGOs but investment from national governments as well.
Damage zone prediction for rock blasting

Modern mining systems frequently use drill and blast techniques for rock excavation. Rock blasting not only fragments rock but also creates overbreak in the rock surrounding the excavation. The unwanted damage often results in higher mining costs and severe safety concerns.To reduce unwanted damage, the ability to predict damage caused by rock blasting is essential. A shock wave based, engineer-friendly technique is developed in this dissertation. The design procedure is based on charts, graphs, and a computer program. The dissertation deals with three major aspects of developing a damage prediction model, namely, theoretical development, experimental research, and validation of the model using laboratory and field results. The theoretical development includes calculation of stress and response of rock for fully-coupled and decoupled blasting using the theory of shock wave transfer. This new procedure will be referred to as SWT. The objective is to use the properties of explosives and the properties of rock materials to develop a reasonable algorithm for predicting the extent of the damage zone caused by rock blasting.To validate the SWT model, three approaches are presented: (1) currently available experimental data in the literature; (2) large-scale laboratory experiments; and results of a field application in an underground mine. Based on Esen’s (2003) laboratory experiments and large-scale laboratory experiments conducted as part of this dissertation, the SWT model successfully estimates the extent of the crush zone. Based on the work presented by Olsson (Olsson 1993) SWT provides reasonable estimates for the crack zone. Based on the comparison with other approaches, the SWT model is close to the Modified Ash (Energy-based), Modified Ash (Pressure-based), Holmberg Explosive Factor, and Sher Quasi-Static models. However, the crack zone did not conform to that observed in large scale laboratory models. The likely reason for this is the relatively small size of the laboratory models and lack of complete confinement. Application of this new method under field conditions, however, confirms the usefulness of SWT for practical blast design. Several new insights and useful information developed as a result of this research are valuable for the caution blast design at surface and underground mining.
Inflation Dynamics in Pakistan

This study explains the correlation among consumer price behavior and inflation in Pakistan by employing weekly micro data of retail price survey from October 2013 till September 2016, which is considered as the period of high inflation. Inflation is a product of extensive margin (the frequency of price change) and intensive margin (magnitude of price change). The study decompose the variance of inflation into contribution from both margins thus to determine if the prices of various groups of commodities follows State dependent pricing model or Time dependent pricing model. The extensive margin is a source of inflation in most of the State dependent pricing model while intensive margin is a basis of inflation in Time dependent pricing model. The analysis reveals a greater correlation of inflation with the intensive margin of price change compared to the extensive margin. Mounting inflation is although related more with greater frequencies of the price increase and lower frequency of price decrease, however, the size of the price increase and decrease also plays an important role. Findings of the study reveals important role of price change behavior in explaining the inflation dynamics and are believed to assist policy makers in assessing the pricing mechanism and inflation dynamics in Pakistan
License to Retaliate: Good Deeds as a Moral License for Misdeeds in Reaction to Abusive Supervision

ABSTRACT Abusive supervision research demonstrates that subordinates often engage in deviance following abuse despite the negative consequences of doing so. Drawing on moral licensing theory, we propose that the relationship between abusive supervision and deviance is moderated by the extent to which subordinates perform positive voluntary work behaviors. We further suggest that moral disengagement moderates this moral licensing effect and that this relationship will hold when controlling for social exchange principles. In Study 1, we found that the relationship between abusive supervision and organizational deviance was strengthened by high organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and was not significant at low levels of OCB. In Study 2, we found that the moral licensing effect was strengthened in individuals with a propensity to morally disengage, even when controlling for negative reciprocity beliefs and social exchange orientation. Implications for moral licensing and abusive supervision research are discussed.
Carvacrol Suppresses Inflammatory Biomarkers Production by Lipoteichoic Acid- and Peptidoglycan-Stimulated Human Tonsil Epithelial Cells

Pharyngitis is an inflammation of the pharynx caused by viral, bacterial, or non-infectious factors. In the present study, the anti-inflammatory efficacy of carvacrol was assessed using an in vitro model of streptococcal pharyngitis using human tonsil epithelial cells (HTonEpiCs) induced with Streptococcus pyogenes cell wall antigens. HTonEpiCs were stimulated by a mixture of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) and peptidoglycan (PGN) for 4 h followed by exposure to carvacrol for 20 h. Following exposure, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, human beta defensin-2 (HBD-2), epithelial-derived neutrophil-activating protein-78 (ENA-78), granulocyte chemotactic protein-2 (GCP-2), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and prostaglandin (PGE2) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, IL-8, ENA-78, and GCP-2 were decreased in a carvacrol dose-dependent manner. The production of HBD-2 was significantly suppressed over 24 h carvacrol treatments. PGE2 and COX-2 levels in the cell suspensions were affected by carvacrol treatment. TNF-α was not detected. The cell viability of all the tested carvacrol concentrations was greater than 80%, with no morphological changes. The results suggest that carvacrol has anti-inflammatory properties, and carvacrol needs to be further assessed for potential clinical or healthcare applications to manage the pain associated with streptococcal pharyngitis.