Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cochlear Implantation in Adults With Single-sided Deafness: Outcomes and Device Use

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objective: To describe our experience with adults undergoing cochlear implantation (CI) for treatment of single-sided deafness (SSD). Study Design: Retrospective case review. Setting: Tertiary referral center. Patients: Fifty-three adults with SSD. Intervention(s): Unilateral CI. Main Outcome Measure(s): Speech perception testing in quiet and noise, tinnitus suppression, and device usage from datalogs. Results: The mean age at CI was 53.2 years (SD 11.9). The mean duration of deafness was 4.0 years (SD 7.8). The most common etiology was idiopathic sudden SNHL (50%). Word recognition improved from 8.7% (SD 15) preoperatively to 61.8% (SD 20) at a mean follow-up of 3.3 years (SD 1.8) (p < 0.0001). Adaptive speech recognition testing in the “binaural with CI” condition (speech directed toward the front and noise toward the normal hearing ear) revealed a significant improvement by 2.6-dB SNR compared to the preoperative unaided condition (p = 0.0002) and by 3.6-dB SNR compared to when a device to route sound to the contralateral side was used (p < 0.0001). Tinnitus suppression was reported to be complete in 23 patients (43%) and improved in 20 patients (38%) while the device was on. The addition of the CI did not lead to a decrement in hearing performance in any spatial configuration. Device usage averaged 8.7 (SD 3.7) hours/day. Conclusions: Cochlear implantation in adult SSD patients can suppress tinnitus and achieve speech perception outcomes comparable with CI in conventional candidates. Modest improvements in spatial hearing were also observed and primarily attributable to the head shadow effect. Careful patient selection and counseling regarding potential benefits are important to optimize outcomes.
Proteomic Analysis to Explore the Effect of Zishen Jiangtang Pills on Diabetic Osteoporosis Rats

Context Zishen Jiangtang Pill (ZJP) is a Chinese herbal compound that could play a positive role in the treatment of Diabetic osteoporosis (DOP) by regulating glucose and bone metabolism. However, the specific mechanisms are still unclear.Background To explore the effect and mechanism of ZJP on DOP rats by proteomic analysis.Materials and methods After the establishment of diabetes model by 0.2% STZ, 40 Wistar rats were equally divided into normal group, model group (diabetic rats), high dose group (3.0 g/kg/d ZJP) and low dose group (1.5 g/kg/d ZJP), and received 3 months of treatment. Histological changes in bone and pancreas tissues were observed by Hematoxylin and eosin staining, electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence. Proteomic and bioinformatics analyses were performed to identify the differentially expressed proteins. The fingerprint and active ingredients of ZJP were identified via HPLC.Results Compared with the model group, ZJP could rescue the weight, fasting blood glucose and fasting insulin of rats in both high and low dose group. ZJP could also improve the micro-structures of pancreatic islet cells, and bone mass, trabecular and marrow cavities in DOP rats. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that ZJP might influence DOP via multiple pathways, mainly including ribosomes, vitamin digestion and absorption, and fat digestion and absorption. The primary active ingredients, including notoginsenoside R1, ginsenoside Rg1, ginsenoside Re, icariin, and ginsenoside Rb1 were detected.Conclusion ZJP could significantly improve the histomorphology and ultrastructure of bone and islets tissues, and might serve as an effective alternative medicine for the treatment of DOP.
A Multiscale Investigation on the Thermal Transport in Polydimethylsiloxane Nanocomposites: Graphene vs Borophene

Graphene and borophene are highly attractive two-dimensional materials with outstanding physical properties. In this study we employed a combined atomistic continuum multiscale modeling to explore the effective thermal conductivity of polymers nanocomposites made of PDMS polymer as the matrix and graphene and borophene as nanofillers. We first conduct classical molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the interfacial thermal conductance between graphene/PDMS and borophene/PDMS interfaces. Acquired results confirm that the interfacial thermal conductance between nanosheets and polymer increases from the single-layer to multilayered nanosheets and finally converges. The data provided by the atomistic simulations were then used in the finite element method simulations to evaluate the effective thermal conductivity of polymer nanocomposites at continuum level. We explore the effects of nanofillers type, their volume content, geometry aspect ratio and thickness on the nanocomposites effective thermal conductivity. As a very interesting finding, we show that borophene nanosheets, despite almost two orders of magnitude lower thermal conductivity than graphene, can yield very close enhancement in the effective thermal conductivity in comparison with graphene, particularly for low volume content and small aspect ratios and thicknesses. We conclude that for the polymer-based nanocomposites, significant improvement in the thermal conductivity can be reached by improving the bonding between the fillers and polymer or in another word enhancing the thermal conductance at the interface. By taking into account the high electrical conductivity of borophene, our results suggest borophene nanosheets as promising nanofillers to simultaneously enhance the polymers thermal and electrical conductivity.
Magnesium oxide-catalysed reaction of carbon dioxide with anepoxide with retention of stereochemistry

Magnesium oxide is an efficient catalyst for the cycloaddition of carbon dioxide to epoxides under mild conditions; the reaction of carbon dioxide with (R)-styrene oxide in the presence of magnesium oxide gives (R)-phenyl carbonate in 97% ee with retention of stereochemistry.
Interactive comment on “Order of operation for multi-stage post-processing of ensemble wind

This manuscript proposes and evaluates an extension of the RAFT (rapid adjustment of forecast trajectories) approach, which updates previously generated probabilistic forecasts based on new observations that become available as time elapses. While the original approach applied the RAFT approach only to the predictive mean, the extension proposed here combines the RAFT approach with ECC (ensemble copula coupling) to test whether it is beneficial to apply RAFT to individual, post-processed ensemble members. A comprehensive comparison with the alternative strategy (applying RAFT only to the predictive mean and generate calibrated ECC ensembles as the final step of the calibration procedure) is performed using MOGREPS-UK ensemble wind speed forecasts and wind speed observations at 152 SYNOP observation sites across the British Isles.
Properties of Glued Laminated Timber Made from Fast-growing Species with Mangium Tannin and Phenol Resorcinol Formaldehyde Adhesives

1) This study characterized the chemical compounds in tannin from mangium (Acacia mangium) bark extract and determined the physical–mechanical properties of glued laminated timber (glulam) made from sengon (Falcataria moluccana), jabon (Anthocephalus cadamba), and mangium wood. The adhesives used to prepare the glulam were based on mangium tannin and phenol resorcinol formaldehyde resin. Five-layer glulam beams measuring 5 cm × 6 cm × 120 cm in thickness, width, and length, respectively, were made with a glue spread of 280 g/m for each glue line, cold pressing at 10.5 kgf/cm for 4 h and clamping for 20 h. Condensed mangium tannin consisted of 49.08% phenolic compounds with an average molecular weight of 4745. The degree of crystallinity was 14.8%. The Stiasny number was 47.22%. The density and the moisture content of the glulams differed from those of the corresponding solid woods with mangium having the lowest moisture content (9.58%) and the highest density (0.66 g/cm). The modulus of rupture for all glulam beams met the JAS 234-2003 standard but the modulus of elasticity and the shear strength values did not. Glulam beams made with tannin had high delamination under dry and wet conditions, but glulam made from sengon and jabon wood met the standard’s requirements. All glulam beams had low formaldehyde emissions and were classified as F**** for formaldehyde emissions according to the JAS 234 (2003) standard.
A Monte Carlo binary collision model for BF{sub 2} implants into (100) single-crystal silicon

This paper describes a physically based Monte Carlo model and simulator for accurate simulation of BF{sub 2} ion implantation in (100) single-crystal silicon. An improved electronic stopping model and a damage generation model have been developed and implemented in the simulator. These new, physically based, models greatly improve the capability for predicting BF{sub 2} as-implanted profiles. The profile dependence on the implant tilt and rotation angles as well as on the implant dose and energy can be very well predicted over the energy range from 15 to 65 keV.
Tissue-Specific Knockdown of Genes of the Argonaute Family Modulates Lifespan and Radioresistance in Drosophila melanogaster

Small RNAs are essential to coordinate many cellular processes, including the regulation of gene expression patterns, the prevention of genomic instability, and the suppression of the mutagenic transposon activity. These processes determine the aging, longevity, and sensitivity of cells and an organism to stress factors (particularly, ionizing radiation). The biogenesis and activity of small RNAs are provided by proteins of the Argonaute family. These proteins participate in the processing of small RNA precursors and the formation of an RNA-induced silencing complex. However, the role of Argonaute proteins in regulating lifespan and radioresistance remains poorly explored. We studied the effect of knockdown of Argonaute genes (AGO1, AGO2, AGO3, piwi) in various tissues on the Drosophila melanogaster lifespan and survival after the γ-irradiation at a dose of 700 Gy. In most cases, these parameters are reduced or did not change significantly in flies with tissue-specific RNA interference. Surprisingly, piwi knockdown in both the fat body and the nervous system causes a lifespan increase. But changes in radioresistance depend on the tissue in which the gene was knocked out. In addition, analysis of changes in retrotransposon levels and expression of stress response genes allow us to determine associated molecular mechanisms.
Distribution of Total, Water-Unextractable, and Water-Extractable Arabinoxylans in Wheat Flour Mill Streams

ABSTRCT Arabinoxylans are a minor but important constituent in wheat that affects bread quality, foam stability, batter viscosity, and sugar snap cookie diameter. Therefore, it is important to determine the distribution of arabinoxylans in flour mill streams to better formulate flour blends. Thirty-one genetically pure grain lots representing six wheat classifications common to the western U.S. were milled on a Miag Multomat pilot mill, and 10 flour mill streams were collected from each. A two-way ANOVA indicated that mill streams were a greater source of variation compared to grain lots for total arabinoxylans (TAX), water-unextractable arabinoxylans (WUAX), and water-extractable arabinoxylans (WEAX). TAX and WUAX were highly correlated with ash at r = 0.94 and r = 0.94, respectively; while the correlation for WEAX and ash decreased in magnitude at r = 0.60. However, the 5th middlings mill streams exhibited disparity between TAX and ash content as well as between WUAX and ash content. This may indicate t.
EFFECT OF DIFFERENT ROOTSTOCKS ON GROWTH, CHLOROPHYLL A FLUORESCENCE AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF TWO GRAFTED SCIONS OF TOMATO

Two tomato scions (cvs. ‘Raf’ and ‘Gorety’) were grafted on three different rootstocks: S. torvum, ‘Beaufort’ (Lycopersicum esculentum × Lycopersicum hirsutum) and intermediate grafting of eggplant ‘Cristal’ between tomato and S. torvum (double graft). Plants were grown in Mediterranean greenhouse conditions. The response to grafting was measured through growth parameters, Fv/Fm and leaf macronutrients analysis, and it was compared with non-grafted plants. The scions grafted on S. torvum in simple and double graft showed lower fresh and dry weight of leaves, number of commercial fruits, plant height, Fv/Fm and decreased their capacity to absorb several nutrients resulting in a lower mineral concentration in scions leaves, as a result of a thickened graft union. On the other hand, both scions showed a good response when grafted on the rootstock ‘Beaufort’, with which growth parameters, yield and photosynthetic capacity were similar to non-grafted plants.
Risk and Protective Factors Associated Mental Health among Female Military Veterans: Results from the Veterans’ Health Study

Background: This study focuses on factors that may disproportionately affect female veterans’ mental health, compared to men, and is part of a larger study assessing the prevalence of mental health disorders and treatment seeking among formerly deployed US military service members.Methods: We surveyed a random sample of 1,730 veterans who were patients in a large non-VA hospital system in the US. Based on previous research, women were hypothesized to be at higher risk for psychological problems. We adjusted our results for confounding factors, including history of trauma, childhood abuse, combat exposure, deployments, stressful life events, alcohol misuse, psychological resources, and social support. Results: Among the veterans studied, 5% were female (n=85), 96% were White (n=1,161), 22.9% were Iraq/Afghanistan veterans (n=398), and the mean age was 59 years old (SD=12). Compared to males, female veterans were younger, unmarried, college graduates, had less combat exposure, but were more likely to have lifetime PTSD (29% vs. 12%.), depression (46% vs. 21%), suicidal ideation (27% vs. 11%), and lifetime mental health service use (67% vs. 47%). Females were also more likely to have low psychological resilience and to have used psychotropic medicines in the past year. Using multivariate logistic regression analyses that controlled for risk and protective factors, female veterans had greater risk for lifetime PTSD, depression, suicidal thoughts, and for lifetime use of psychological services, compared to males. Since 95% of the population in this study were male and these results may have been statistically biased, we reran our analyses using propensity score matching. Results were consistent across these analyses.Conclusion: Using a sample of post-deployment veterans receiving healthcare services from a large non-VA health system, we find that female veterans are at greater risk for lifetime psychological problems, compared to male veterans. We discuss these findings and their implications for service providers.
Impact of FDI inflow, crude oil prices, and economic growth on CO2 emission in Tunisia: Symmetric and asymmetric analysis through ARDL and NARDL approach

ARTICLE INFO Tarek Ghazouani (2021). Impact of FDI inflow, crude oil prices, and economic growth on CO2 emission in Tunisia: Symmetric and asymmetric analysis through ARDL and NARDL approach. Environmental Economics, 12(1), 1-13. doi:10.21511/ee.12(1). 2021.01 DOI http://dx.doi. org/10.21511/ee.12(1). 2021.01 RELEASED ON Thursday, 14 January 2021 RECEIVED ON Wednesday, 02 December 2020 ACCEPTED ON Tuesday, 12 January 2021
SOLID-PHASE SPECIATION AND SURFACE ASSOCIATION OF METALS IN SERPENTINITIC SOILS

Serpentinitic soils are of great ecological and environmental interest, yet pedologic studies of such soils are relatively rare, particularly concerning heavy metal solidphase speciation. This study examined the surface association and solid-phase speciation of metals, the mineralogy and the surface chemistry of serpentinitic soils. Surface association and solid-phase speciation were assessed by selective wet chemical methods. Mineralogy was determined by X-ray diffraction and surface chemistry by potentiometric titration. The morphology of clay minerals was studied by transmission electron microscopy. Surface-as-sociated metals were divided into exchangeable and nonexchangeable fractions. Adsorbed Mg and Ca were predominantly in exchangeable form. More than 10% of adsorbed Mn and Ni were present in exchangeable form, but generally
On the Use of Model Selection in Multivariate Processes with Applications in Economics

In this article we introduce a multivariate version of the AIC selection criterion, which is based on the trace of the autocovariance matrix. This new criterion follows naturally from the quadratic penalty function, namely the mean squared error of prediction, which is obtained for a zero mean infinite order stationary Gaussian Multivariate autoregressive process. Key-Words: AIC, mean squared error, multivariate processes
Personal Identification Using a Ballistocardiogram During Urination Obtained from a Toilet Seat

Many sensors have been developed to measure physiological information in the toilet for healthcare management and disease prevention. These sensors require personal identi cation to classify toilet users, assuming that several people use the same toilet. We aimed to provide biometrics based on cardiovascular physiological information obtained from a toilet seat. An electrocardiogram was measured by the toilet seat, and personal identi cation was performed, as in the previous study. In this study, we developed a ballistocardiographic (BCG) monitoring system using two vibration sensors installed beneath a toilet seat. We recorded 70 BCGs from seven healthy males during their urination. Peaks H, I, J, K, and L of the BCGs were clearly obtained. Twenty-six features such as amplitude and interval were calculated from the BCG peaks. Personal identi cation was performed using the Mahalanobis distance, and the accuracy of identi cation and equal error rate (EER) were calculated. The average identi cation accuracy was found to be 92.2%, and the average EER was found to be 34.1%. Although the EER was not suf ciently low, the average accuracy suggested that the proposed method using a toilet seat could provide adequate biometrics for application in the healthcare system.
Hypertension in the Kidney Transplant Recipient

Despite normalization of renal function and improvement in volume control with kidney transplantation, the prevalence of post-transplant hypertension (HTN) is substantial. The prevalence of post-transplant HTN reported in the literature varies considerably depending on the study population and the criteria used to define HTN, although most studies report a prevalence of between 60-80% [1-3]. In one cross-sectional study of 409 adults with stable kidney allograft function, the prevalence of HTN, defined as BP > 150/90 mmHg, was 77.3% [4]. Most subjects (68.9%) required multiple antihypertensive medications. However, for patients with diabetes or estimated GFR below 60 mL/min, treatment guidelines recommend blood pressure (BP) goals below 130/80 mmHg. Applying these more stringent recommendations, the true prevalence of post-transplant HTN is likely in excess of 95%.
Effect of fertilizers, biofertilizers and micronutrients on yield and quality of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) in Alfisols of Konkan

The field experiment was laid out in Factorial Randomized Block Design during rabi season of 2017-18 at Research Farm of the Department of Agronomy, College of Agriculture, Dapoli, Dist. Ratnagiri Maharashtra. The four levels of N and P application viz. F1RDF (150:50:50 Kg NPK ha), F2-75% RDN + Full dose of P & K + N-Fixer (Azotobacter chroococcum), F3-75% RDP + Full dose of N & K +P-Solublizer (Aspergillus niger) and F4-75% RDN+ 75% RDP+ Full dose of K+ N-Fixer + PSolubilizer were added as a factor-1 and four foliar applications of micronutrients as a factor-2 replicated thrice. Foliar application of micronutrients S1Control (Water Spray), S2Foliar spray of Zinc (ZnSO4@0.5%) and S3Foliar spray of Boron (Borax @0.2%) and S4Foliar spray of Zinc and Boron (ZnSO4@0.5%) + (Borax @0.2%)Soil application of fertilizers and bio fertilizers with foliar spray of zinc and boron was showed significant result with respect to yield. The treatment receiving F4S4 (75% RDN+ 75% RDP+ Full dose of K+ N-Fixer + P-Solubilizer and foliar spray of ZnSO4@ 0.5% + Borax @0.2%) showed highest yield (27.21 t ha) which was found significantly superior over rest of the treatments except F4S3 treatment combination. Interaction effect of application of fertilizers along with biofertilizers and foliar spray of micronutrients found highest anthocyanin content (14.83 mg 100g) and total phenol content (24.95 mg 100g) of brinjal fruit significantly increased due to application of 75% RDN + Full dose of P & K + N-Fixer and foliar spray of Zinc and Boron.
Psychosocial and biological risk factors of anxiety disorders in adolescents: a TRAILS report

Anxiety disorders are a common problem in adolescent mental health. Previous studies have investigated only a limited number of risk factors for the development of anxiety disorders concurrently. By investigating multiple factors simultaneously, a more complete understanding of the etiology of anxiety disorders can be reached. Therefore, we assessed preadolescent socio-demographic, familial, psychosocial, and biological factors and their association with the onset of anxiety disorders in adolescence. This study was conducted among 1584 Dutch participants of the TRacking Adolescents’ Individual Lives Survey (TRAILS). Potential risk factors were assessed at baseline (age 10–12), and included socio-demographic (sex, socioeconomic status), familial (parental anxiety and depression), psychosocial (childhood adversity, temperament), and biological (body mass index, heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol) variables. Anxiety disorders were assessed at about age 19 years through the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed with onset of anxiety disorder as a dependent variable and the above-mentioned putative risk factors as predictors. Of the total sample, 25.7% had a lifetime diagnosis of anxiety disorder at age 19 years. Anxiety disorders were twice as prevalent in girls as in boys. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that being female (OR = 2.38, p < .01), parental depression and anxiety (OR = 1.34, p = .04), temperamental frustration (OR = 1.31, p = .02) and low effortful control (OR = 0.76, p = .01) independently predicted anxiety disorders. We found no associations between biological factors and anxiety disorder. After exclusion of adolescents with an onset of anxiety disorder before age 12 years, being female was the only significant predictor of anxiety disorder. Being female was the strongest predictor for the onset of anxiety disorder. Psychological and parental psychopathology factors increased the risk of diagnosis of anxiety, but to a lesser extent. Biological factors (heart rate, blood pressure, cortisol, and BMI), at least as measured in the present study, are unlikely to be useful tools for anxiety prevention and intervention strategies.