Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on Temporomandibular Joint Disorders Among Postgraduate Dental Students

Aims and objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitude and practice on temporomandibular joint disorders among post graduate dental students of Karnataka. Study design: A total of 75 post graduate dental students belonging to department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Prosthodontics and Oral and Maxillofacial surgery of various dental colleges of Karnataka were included in this study. The questionnaire was pretested for validation and distributed online through e-mails and other online portals. Statistical analysis used: Descriptive statistics were used in analysing the data. Results: Attitude on management of temporomandibular joint disorders varied among the subjects from different specialities. It was noted from the responses that the current curriculum provides minimal knowledge on diagnosing and management at graduation level. Majority of the respondents have expressed that they have only a little confidence in managing temporomandibular joint disorders. Conclusions: Temporomandibular joint disorders are prevalent in day today life and often are overlooked due to lack of clinical skills in diagnosing and appropriate management. This indicates the need of imparting education that provides in depth knowledge and skills for diagnosing and managing temporomandibular joint disorders in clinical practice.
Writer identification through information retrieval: the allograph weight vector

We show a number of promising results in writer identification, by recasting the traditional information retrieval (IR) problem of finding documents based on the frequency of occurrence of their terms. In IR, the tf-idf is a well-known statistical measure that weighs the importance of certain terms occurring in a database of documents. Here, writers are searched on the basis of the frequency of occurrence of particular character shapes: the allographs. The results show a high retrieval score. Moreover, by using the af-iwf (allograph frequency - inverse writer frequency) measure, qualitative and quantitative analyses can be made that elaborate on the particular allograph shapes that lead to a succesful writer identification. In this paper, we sketch the application of these techniques in forensic science
Genetic Diversity among Ancient Nordic Populations

Using established criteria for work with fossil DNA we have analysed mitochondrial DNA from 92 individuals from 18 locations in Denmark ranging in time from the Mesolithic to the Medieval Age. Unequivocal assignment of mtDNA haplotypes was possible for 56 of the ancient individuals; however, the success rate varied substantially between sites; the highest rates were obtained with untouched, freshly excavated material, whereas heavy handling, archeological preservation and storage for many years influenced the ability to obtain authentic endogenic DNA. While the nucleotide diversity at two locations was similar to that among extant Danes, the diversity at four sites was considerably higher. This supports previous observations for ancient Britons. The overall occurrence of haplogroups did not deviate from extant Scandinavians, however, haplogroup I was significantly more frequent among the ancient Danes (average 13%) than among extant Danes and Scandinavians (∼2.5%) as well as among other ancient population samples reported. Haplogroup I could therefore have been an ancient Southern Scandinavian type “diluted” by later immigration events. Interestingly, the two Neolithic samples (4,200 YBP, Bell Beaker culture) that were typed were haplogroup U4 and U5a, respectively, and the single Bronze Age sample (3,300–3,500 YBP) was haplogroup U4. These two haplogroups have been associated with the Mesolithic populations of Central and Northern Europe. Therefore, at least for Southern Scandinavia, our findings do not support a possible replacement of a haplogroup U dominated hunter-gatherer population by a more haplogroup diverse Neolithic Culture.
Power Versus Conventional Color Doppler Sonographic Diagnosis Of Acute Cholecystitis: Comparison In The Depiction Of Mural Flow

Background: Gray-scale sonography is generally considered as a first-line diagnostic tool for patient with suspected acute cholecystitis. It is suggested by gallstones, Murphy's sign, thickening of the gallbladder wall and bile sludging, but the specificity of these sonographic findings are not as high as their sensitivity. Blood flow of the gallbladder wall is increased in acute inflammation. Objective: To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of power Doppler sonography and compared with conventional color Doppler and gray-scale sonography in diagnosing patients with acute cholecystitis.Type of the study: This was a cross sectional study.Patients and methods: The study was conducted through the period from August 2014 to August 2015 on 80 patients with acute right upper quadrant abdominal pain and clinically suspected acute cholecystitis. Firstly, gray-scale sonography of the abdomen was performed. Next, color Doppler and power Doppler sonography of the gallblader wall was done to detect mural flow. Quantifying intramural vascularity was performed using Uggowitzer scoring system. Grading of vascularity ++ and +++ were suggestive of acute cholecystitis. Results of gray-scale and Doppler sonography were compared with post cholecystectomy histopathological results.Results: The overall sensitivity of gray-scale sonography was 83% while the specificity ranges from 43% for the presence of calculi to 100% for the presence of pericholecystic fluid. Sensitivity of color Doppler sonography for acute cholecystitis was 21%, with a specificity of 86%. Sensitivity of power Doppler sonography for acute cholecystitis was 94%, with a lower specificity 72%. Conclusion: Power Doppler sonography adds a significant amount of specificity to gray-scale sonography and sensitivity to conventional color Doppler sonography and may further improve confidence in diagnosing acute cholecystitis.
The Effect of Consuming Canola and Flax Oils in Modulation of Vascular Function and Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease RisksThe Effect of Consuming Canola and Flax Oils in Modulation of Vascular Function and Biomarkers of Cardiovascular Disease Risks

ii Acknowledgements . iv List of tables . xiv List of figures . xvii Abbreviations . xix Chapter I. 1 Overall introduction . 1 1.1 Background . 1 1.2 Rationale. 5 1.3 Objectives . 6 1.4 References . 8 Bridge to chapter II . 11 Chapter II . 12 Literature review . 12 2.1 Dietary fatty acids and cardiovascular disease . 12 2.1.1 Monounsaturated fatty acids . 15 2.1.2 Polyunsaturated fatty acids . 18
Observations of interplanetary dust by the Juno magnetometer investigation

One of the Juno magnetometer investigation's star cameras was configured to search for unidentified objects during Juno's transit en route to Jupiter. This camera detects and registers luminous objects to magnitude 8. Objects persisting in more than five consecutive images and moving with an apparent angular rate of between 2 and 18,000 arcsec/s were recorded. Among the objects detected were a small group of objects tracked briefly in close proximity to the spacecraft. The trajectory of these objects demonstrates that they originated on the Juno spacecraft, evidently excavated by micrometeoroid impacts on the solar arrays. The majority of detections occurred just prior to and shortly after Juno's transit of the asteroid belt. This rather novel detection technique utilizes the Juno spacecraft's prodigious 60 m2 of solar array as a dust detector and provides valuable information on the distribution and motion of interplanetary (>μm sized) dust.
Virtual Reality Experiments on Emotional Face Recognition Find No Evidence of Mood-Congruent Effects

Mood-congruent effects have been demonstrated many times, but few studies have managed to replicate the effect with natural moods. Additionally, the ecological validity of mood induction and real-time observation deficiency remain unresolved. Using a newly developed, virtual-reality-based eye-tracking technique, the present study conducted real-time observations of mood effects on emotional face recognition with simulated “real-life” pleasant and grisly scenes. In experiment 1, participants performed an emotional face recognition task in both positive and negative virtual reality scenes. The recognition tests and gaze tracking results failed to support mood-congruent effects but did show a mood effect independent of a strong emotional face effect. In experiment 2, participants performed a neutral face recognition task in pleasant and grisly scenes that were matched for arousal levels, and the mood effect disappeared. The results also revealed a robust negativity bias in emotional face recognition, which was found to accompany a mood repair effect.
Evaluating Personalization: The AB Testing Pitfalls Companies Might Not Be Aware of—A Spotlight on the Automotive Sector Websites

The importance of companies' website as instrument for relationship marketing activities is well-known both in the academia and in the industry. In the last decades, there has been great interest in studying how technology can be used to influence people's attitudes and motivate behavior change. With this, web personalization has had increasing research and practitioner interest. However, the evaluation of user interaction with companies' websites and personalization effects remains an elusive goal for organizations. Online controlled experiments (A/B tests) are one of the most commonly known and used techniques for this online evaluation. And, while there is clearly value in evaluating personalized features by means of online controlled experiments, there are some pitfalls to bear in mind while testing. In this paper we present five experimentation pitfalls, firstly identified in an automotive company's website and found to be present in other sectors, that are particularly important or likely to appear when evaluating personalization features. In order to obtain the listed pitfalls, different methods have been used, including literature review, direct, and indirect observation within organizations of the automotive sector and a set of interviews to organizations form other sectors. Finally, the list of five resulting pitfalls is presented and some suggestions are made on how to avoid or mitigate each of them.
CD44 and hyaluronan promote the bmp7 signaling response in chondrocytes

Cell-matrix interactions are important in maintaining cartilage homeostasis. Hyaluronan binding to its principal receptor CD44 is essential for such interactions. Hyaluronan-CD44 interactions are required for the retention of proteoglycan in the pericellular matrix the most active region of matrix assembly and turnover. In previous work SMAD1 the downstream transcriptional modulator of the canonical bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) signaling pathway was found to interact with the cytoplasmic domain of CD44. Therefore in this study the response to BMP7 stimulation was studied with murine chondrocytes isolated from CD44-/- and BALB/c mice to determine the role of CD44 as well as CD44-hyaluronan interactions in the BMP7 signaling pathway. The two part hypothesis is that chondrocytes from CD44-/- mice will be less responsive to BMP7 compared to wild type chondrocytes and that hyaluronan will have no effect on BMP7 signaling in CD44-/- mouse chondrocytes but will promote BMP7 signaling in wild type chondrocytes. The results demonstrated that both CD44-/- murine chondrocytes and wild type chondrocytes transfected with CD44 siRNA were less responsive to BMP7 compared to wild type murine chondrocytes. CD44-/- murine chondrocytes transfected with pCD44 showed a BMP7 sensitivity similar to wild type chondrocytes. There were no dose response differences observed between wild type and CD44-/- murine chondrocytes found upon EGF stimulation thus the hyaluronan-CD44 interaction appears selectively involved in the BMP7 signaling pathway. In both CD44-/- and wild type murine chondrocytes hyaluronidase treatment decreased cellular responses to BMP7. However with hyaluronan regrowth SMAD1 phosphorylation upon BMP7 stimulation was restored. Treatment of chondrocytes with 4-methylumbelliferone in order to reduce synthesis of endogenous hyaluronan also indicated that hyaluronan promoted the BMP7 signaling pathway. Taken together these investigations into the mechanisms underlying BMP7 signaling in chondrocytes reveal that while hyaluronan is vital for optimal BMP7 signaling in chondrocytes the functional significance of CD44 is more subtle and is dose dependent.
Nevertheless, She Resisted – Role of the Environment on Listeria monocytogenes Sensitivity to Nisin Treatment in a Laboratory Cheese Model

The growth of Listeria monocytogenes on refrigerated, ready-to-eat food products is a major health and economic concern. The natural antimicrobial nisin targets the bacterial cell wall and can be used to inhibit L. monocytogenes growth on cheese. Cell wall composition and structure, and therefore the efficacy of cell wall acting control strategies, can be severely affected by environmental and stress conditions. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of a range of pH and temperatures on the efficacy of nisin against several strains of L. monocytogenes in a lab-scale, cheese model. Cheese was made with or without the addition of nisin at different pH and then inoculated with L. monocytogenes; L. monocytogenes numbers were quantified after 1, 7, and 14 days of incubation at 6, 14, or 22°C. While our data show that nisin treatment is able to reduce L. monocytogenes numbers, at least initially, growth of this pathogen can occur even in the presence of nisin, especially when cheese is stored at higher temperatures. Several environmental factors were found to affect nisin efficacy against L. monocytogenes. For example, nisin is more effective when cheese is stored at lower temperatures. Nisin is also more effective when cheese is made at higher pH (6 and 6.5), compared to cheese made at pH 5.5, and this effect is at least partially due to the activity of cell envelope modification genes dltA and mprF. Serotype was also found to affect nisin efficacy against L. monocytogenes; serotype 4b strains showed lower susceptibility to nisin treatment compared to serotype 1/2 strains. Overall, our results highlight the importance of considering environmental conditions specific to a food matrix when developing and applying nisin-based intervention strategies against L. monocytogenes.
Rhinovirus Infection Is Associated With Airway Epithelial Cell Necrosis and Inflammation via Interleukin-1 in Young Children With Cystic Fibrosis

Introduction: The responses of cystic fibrosis (CF) airway epithelial cells (AEC) to rhinovirus (RV) infection are likely to contribute to early pathobiology of lung disease with increased neutrophilic inflammation and lower apoptosis reported. Necrosis of AEC resulting in airway inflammation driven by IL-1 signaling is a characteristic finding in CF detectable in airways of young children. Being the most common early-life infection, RV-induced epithelial necrosis may contribute to early neutrophilic inflammation in CF via IL-1 signaling. As little is known about IL-1 and biology of CF lung disease, this study assessed cellular and pro-inflammatory responses of CF and non-CF AEC following RV infection, with the hypothesis that RV infection drives epithelial necrosis and IL-1 driven inflammation. Methods:Primary AEC obtained from children with (n = 6) and without CF (n = 6) were infected with RV (MOI 3) for 24 h and viable, necrotic and apoptotic events quantified via flow cytometry using a seven-step gating strategy (% total events). IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-1Ra, IL-8, CXCL10, CCL5, IFN-β, IL-28A, IL-28B, and IL-29 were also measured in cell culture supernatants (pg/mL). Results:RV infection reduced viable events in non-CF AEC (p < 0.05), increased necrotic events in non-CF and CF AEC (p < 0.05) and increased apoptotic events in non-CF AEC (p < 0.05). Infection induced IL-1α and IL-1β production in both phenotypes (p < 0.05) but only correlated with necrosis (IL-1α: r = 0.80; IL-1β: r = 0.77; p < 0.0001) in CF AEC. RV infection also increased IL-1Ra in non-CF and CF AEC (p < 0.05), although significantly more in non-CF AEC (p < 0.05). Finally, infection stimulated IL-8 production in non-CF and CF AEC (p < 0.05) and correlated with IL-1α (r = 0.63 & r = 0.74 respectively; p < 0.0001). Conclusions:This study found RV infection drives necrotic cell death in CF AEC. Furthermore, RV induced IL-1 strongly correlated with necrotic cell death in these cells. As IL-1R signaling drives airway neutrophilia and mucin production, these observations suggest RV infection early in life may exacerbate inflammation and mucin accumulation driving early CF lung disease. Since IL-1R can be targeted therapeutically with IL-1Ra, these data suggest a new anti-inflammatory therapeutic approach targeting downstream effects of IL-1R signaling to mitigate viral-induced, muco-inflammatory triggers of early lung disease.
A study to assess sexual dysfunction in patients with major depressive disorder

Consultant Psychiatrist, Param Multispeciality Psychiatry Clinic, Mulund, Mumbai, India, Prof., Department of Psychiatry, K.J. Somaiya Medical College & Research Centre, Somaiya Ayurvihar, Sion, Mumbai, India, Prof. & H.O. D. , Department of Psychiatry, K.J. Somaiya Medical College & Research Centre, Somaiya Ayurvihar, Sion, Mumbai, India, Hon. Prof., Department of Psychiatry, K.J. Somaiya Medical College & Research Centre, Somaiya Ayurvihar, Sion, Mumbai, India
Persistence of EEG Alpha Entrainment Depends on Stimulus Phase at Offset

Neural entrainment is the synchronization of neural activity to the frequency of repetitive external stimuli, which can be observed as an increase in the electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectrum at the driving frequency, -also known as the steady-state response. Although it has been systematically reported that the entrained EEG oscillation persists for approximately three cycles after stimulus offset, the neural mechanisms underpinning it remain unknown. Focusing on alpha oscillations, we adopt the dynamical excitation/inhibition framework, which suggests that phases of entrained EEG signals correspond to alternating excitatory/inhibitory states of the neural circuitry. We hypothesize that the duration of the persistence of entrainment is determined by the specific functional state of the entrained neural network at the time the stimulus ends. Steady-state visually evoked potentials (SSVEP) were elicited in 19 healthy volunteers at the participants’ individual alpha peaks. Visual stimulation consisted of a sinusoidally-varying light terminating at one of four phases: 0, π/2, π, and 3π/2. The persistence duration of the oscillatory activity was analyzed as a function of the terminating phase of the stimulus. Phases of the SSVEP at the stimulus termination were distributed within a constant range of values relative to the phase of the stimulus. Longer persistence durations were obtained when visual stimulation terminated towards the troughs of the alpha oscillations, while shorter persistence durations occurred when stimuli terminated near the peaks. Source localization analysis suggests that the persistence of entrainment reflects the functioning of fronto-occipital neuronal circuits, which might prime the sensory representation of incoming visual stimuli based on predictions about stimulus rhythmicity. Consequently, different states of the network at the end of the stimulation, corresponding to different states of intrinsic neuronal coupling, may determine the time windows over which coding of incoming sensory stimulation is modulated by the preceding oscillatory activity.
Microplastics Effects on Reproduction and Body Length of the Soil-Dwelling Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

Microplastics (MP) are pervasive in the environment. There is ample evidence of negative MP effects on biota in aquatic ecosystems, though little is known about MP effects in terrestrial ecosystems. Given numerous entry routes of MP into soils, soil organisms are likely to be exposed to MP. We compared potential toxicological effects of MP from (i) low-density polyethylene (LDPE) (mean diameter ± standard deviation: 57 ± 40 μm) and (ii) a blend of biodegradable polymers polylactide (PLA) and poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) (40 ± 31 μm) on the reproduction and body length of the soil-dwelling bacterivorous nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Feed suspensions without (control) or with MP (treatments) at concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 mg MP L–1 were prepared and nematodes were exposed to those suspensions on agar plates until completion of their reproductive phase (∼6 days). Using Nile red-stained PLA/PBAT MP particles and fluorescence microscopy, we demonstrated the ingestion of MP by C. elegans into pharynges and intestines. Under MP exposure, nematodes had fewer offspring (up to 22.9%) compared to nematodes in the control group. This decline was independent on the plastic type. We detected a tendency toward greater decreases in offspring at higher concentrations. Despite hints of negative effects on nematode body length under MP exposure, we could not derive a consistent pattern. We conclude that in MP-contaminated soils, the reproduction of nematodes, central actors in the soil food web, can be affected, with potentially negative implications for key soil functions, e.g., the regulation of soil biogeochemical cycles.
Chemistry and Toxicology of Quinoxaline, Organotin, Organofluorine, and Formamidine Acaricides*

Quinoxaline, organotin, organofluorine, and formamidine compounds are among the newer pesticide chemicals used for acarine control. Included in these four classes are some of the most selective synthetic organic toxicants currently in the acaricide/insecticide arsenal. Oxythioquinox, Plictran (tricyclohexylhydroxytin), Nissol [2-fluoro-N-methyl-N-(l-naphthyl)acetamide], and chlordimeform are examples of quinox- aline, organotin, organofluorine, and formamidine acaricides, respectively. The chemistry and toxicology of these and related compounds are discussed.