Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Surgical Outcome Prediction Using a Four-Dimensional Planning Simulation System With Finite Element Analysis Incorporating Pre-bent Rods in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Simulation for Spatiotemporal Anatomical Correction Technique

An optimal surgical strategy for adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is to provide maximal deformity correction while preserving spinal mobile segments as much as possible and obtaining a balanced posture. From a spatiotemporal deformity correction standpoint, we recently showed that anatomical four-dimensional (4D) spinal correction could be accomplished by curving the rod. In the surgical procedure, two rods are bent identically to confirm spinal anatomical alignment without referring to the intraoperative alignment of the deformity. Therefore, anatomically designed rods have been developed as notch-free, pre-bent rods for easier anatomical reconstruction. In addition to providing the best spinal instrumentation configurations as pre-bent rods, prediction of surgical outcome along with its biomechanical impact can be obtained by simulation of the surgical procedures with computer modeling. However, an objective model that can simulate the surgical outcome in patients with AIS has not been completely elucidated. The present study aimed to compare simulated deformity corrections based on our newly developed spatiotemporal morphological 4D planning simulation system incorporating pre-bent rods and actual deformity corrections in patients with AIS. A consecutive series of 47 patients who underwent anatomical posterior correction for AIS curves were prospectively evaluated. After multilevel facetectomy, except for the lowest instrumented segment, 11 types of pre-bent rods were used. Patient demographic data, radiographic measurements, and sagittal rod angles were analyzed within 1 week of surgery. Our simulation system incorporating pre-bent rods showed a significant correlation with the actual postoperative spinal alignment. The present study demonstrated the feasibility of our simulation system and the ability to simulate the surgical procedure using the pre-bent rods. The simulation system can be used to minimize the differences between the optimal and possible outcomes related to the instrumentation levels and rod shapes. Preoperative assumption of rod shape and length can contribute to a reduction in operative time which decreases blood loss and risk of infection. The results of the finite element analysis in the simulation system measured for each individual patient would also provide a more realistic representation of the surgical procedures.
Fe-TiO2 Nanoparticles Synthesized by Green Chemistry for Potential Application in Waste Water Photocatalytic Treatment

Anatase TiO2 nanoparticles doped with iron ions have been synthesized via the green chemistry method using aqueous extract of lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) obtained from Soxhlet extraction and doped by wet impregnation. The TiO2 anatase phase has been doped with Fe3+ (0.05, 0.075, and 0.1 Fe3+ : Ti molar ratio) at 550°C and 350°C, respectively. The scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM-EDS) shows nanoparticle clusters and efficiencies of impregnations between 66.5 and 58.4% depending on the theoretical dopant amount. The electron transmission microscopy (TEM) reveals final particle sizes ranging between 7 and 26 nm depending on the presence or not of the dopant. The cathodoluminescence (CL) and photoluminescence (PL) studies of the doped and undoped nanoparticles show a luminescence signal attributed to surface oxygen vacancies (visible CL emission 380–700 nm and PL emission 350–800 nm); additionally, a decrease in emission intensity is observed due the inhibition of the recombination of the photogenerated electron-holes pairs; moreover, nanopowders were analyzed by UV-Vis spectrophotometry of diffuse reflectance, and the absorption edge of the Fe-TiO2 in comparison to undoped TiO2 is extended greatly toward the visible light. The six bands (A1g + 2B1g + 3Eg) found by Raman spectroscopy and the x-ray diffraction pattern (XRD) confirm that synthesized TiO2 is only anatase phase, which is commonly used as a catalyst in waste water treatment, specifically in heterogeneous photocatalytic processes.
Operation of biofilters : a numerical approach to some couplings between hydrodynamic and biofilm growth Modeling

Solute transport coupled with biofilm growth in porous media is encountered in many engineered applications, for instance biofiltration of wastewater and air pollutant treatment. In terms of modelling, the interaction between biology, hydrodynamic and chemistry are still difficult to understand at the fine scale: that led to a wide dissemination of macroscopic model, simpler to handle. However, one issue consists in providing a macroscopic model complex enough to take into account the relevant processes accounting for the coupling between the biomass development and system functioning, but simple enough for operational use. This thesis focused on few selected processes that influence the macroscopic behavior of such system. First, we investigated the permeability reduction modeling accounting for biofilm development. A model including two features that result in permeability reduction (pore radius reduction and pore plugging) was developed. This model was assessed in a wide range of experimental data. Another part of the thesis focused on the initial biomass attachment that is an important feature to characterize the system initial state. Following the concept that bacterial cell can be treated as soft colloids, a new correlation equation was developed to estimate the bacteria attachment efficiency. This correlation is based on the regression analysis of a wide range of experimental data of colloid deposition in various electrolyte conditions, flowrates and geometries of porous media. New dimensionless parameters have been introduced to represent the coupled effects of Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) forces, hydrodynamic forces and to account for geometry of porous media. These features were introduced in a 1D dimensional model that have been developed for the numerical simulation of solute transport coupled with biofilm growth. An important issue in this model was to properly represent biofilm detachment. Another distinctive feature of our model is an attempt to account for the “sloughing” process in modeling biofilm detachment. Sloughing is a different process than erosion which corresponds to a discrete removal of large fraction of biofilm. In this study, biofilm sloughing has been separately accounted in the numerical modeling porous media bioclogging. Biofilm sloughing was considered as a stochastic process and quantified by random generator. So this discrete events could be incorporated into other continuous processes to determine the biomass transfer from biofilm to the liquid phase. Numerical simulations have been performed using OpenFoam to implement the model. Simulation with and without the sloughing term were performed and discussed in the frame of available literature data
The Influence of Environmental, Social and Governance Reporting on Firm Value: Malaysian Evidence

Companies are expected to be more proactive in offering accurate and useful knowledge to their stakeholders. Consequently, companies must integrate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) elements into their business behaviour while ensuring the corporation earns long-term sustainable financial returns. Nevertheless, minimal studies are being performed to investigate the implications of incorporating the ESG components directly in financial areas on the efficiency of companies. ESG reporting are indicators of non-financial performance which will assist to determine the financial performance of the company. Hence, this paper aims to identify the standard of transparency based on various regulatory criteria for information on ESG reporting while exploring its impact on the firm value of the company among public listed companies in Malaysia. A total of 65 companies are selected from Bursa Malaysia for the financial data from 2017 to 2019 inclusive. The results indicate that there is a relationship between environmental practices and governance practices on firm value but no relationship between social practices on firm value. This study also showed that there is an improvement in ESG practices among the public listed companies in Malaysia over the three-year period. This study sheds light in the understanding of ESG reporting in the future.
Serum Protein Profile of Juvenile Pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) and Dourado (Salminus brasiliensis) Fed Bovine Colostrum as Partial Source of Protein in the Diet

DOI: 10.26650/EurJBiol.2018. 400108 Objective: The electrophoretic profile of serum proteins was investigated in juvenile Piaractus mesopotamicus and Salminus brasiliensis fed with diets containing bovine colostrum, a nutraceutical food, in lyophilized form (LBC) for either 30 or 60 days. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from juveniles of P. mesopotamicus and S. brasiliensis fed for either 30 or 60 days with diets containing 0%, 10% or 20% of LBC. Serum protein fractions were then determined by electrophoresis in agarose gel. Results: The P. mesopotamicus, an omnivorous fish, showed six serum protein fractions, while the S. brasiliensis, a carnivorous fish, showed four serum protein fractions. In both species the albumin fraction showed higher protein content at 30 days than at 60 days (p<0.05), indicating an inverse relationship with growth. The 5th and 4th fraction in mobility from the P. mesopotamicus and S. brasiliensis serum, respectively, were positioned in a gamma-globulin zone. In P. mesopotamicus, the concentration of protein in the gamma-globulin zone was higher at 60 days than at 30 days (p<0.05). In S. brasiliensis, in turn, the concentration of protein in the gamma-globulin zone was higher at 30 days than at 60 days (p<0.05). In juvenile P. mesopotamicus, a higher concentration of protein was also observed in the gamma-globulin zone in the 0% LBC compared to 10% and 20% LBC (p<0.05). Thus, the feeding period influenced only the fractions that were positioned in the albumin and gamma-globulin migration zone in both species. Conclusion: The consumption of bovine colostrum decreased the concentration of protein in gamma-globulin fraction of the P. mesopotamicus, indicating that these juveniles had either less stimulus for their own synthesis of defense elements or an immunosuppressive effect of bovine colostrum ingestion.
GROUNDWATER QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF AL-DAKHLA CITY, THE NEW VALLEY, EGYPT

This study aimed to clarify the hygienic quality of groundwater samples collected from multiple wells from AlDakhla city, The New Valley, with special reference to heavy metals pollution. Groundwater samples from 10wells were investigated (3 samples each). Metals concentrations were determined using the ICP [Inductively Coupled Plasma Emission Spectrometer (ICAP 6200)]. The results revealed that the levels (ppm) of estimated metals were 0.803±0.011 (0.250-3.033) for Pb; 0.0082±0.0008 (0.0001-0.0325) for Cd; 30.595±0.197 (4.22556.325) for Mn; 326.233±3.077 (27.75-512.75) for Fe; 0.375±0.002 (0.150-1.125) for Cu and 9.256±0.222 (5.150-14.833) for Zn. The levels of tested water chemical parameters were 1476.380±14.711 (441.6-2028.8) mg/l for TDS; 2.307±0.061 (0.6903.170) dc/m for EC; 6.186±0.082 (5.4 6.7) for pH and 467.5±13.352 (275525) for TH.It is found that lead, iron, manganese and zinc mean values are exceeding the MCL (maximum contaminant level) in 100%of the examined wells. However, copper recorded mean values within the permissible limits listed by each of Egyptian Standards (2007), EPA (2009), WHO (2011) and EU (2014). Eighty percent of examined wells showed total dissolved solids higher than the limits of Egyptian Standards (2007), EPA (2009), WHO (2011). Eighty percent of examined wells recorded EC in higher levelsthan Egyptian standers (2007). Total hardness exceeded the permissiblelevelsin 100% of the examined wells while pH values were all in the acidic range which was slightly around the permissible limits.
Effect of Novel Formulations using Lipophilic Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate against Influenza Virus Infection

Influenza virus infection is associated with high morbidity and mortality, and effective prophylactic and therapeutic methods to reduce infection outbreaks are lacking. Vaccination and current prevention/treatment approaches are not associated with a decline in morbidity or mortality, either globally or in the United States. Neither vaccination nor current anti-viral drugs prevent viral entry into the body and host cells, but rather target post-infection events in individuals. Hand washing and sanitizing do not prevent aerosol viral transmission, which accounts for the majority of influenza virus infections. Therefore, protection of the epithelia of the respiratory tract from viral entry is a significant gap in preventive strategies that needs to be filled. We hypothesize that lipophilic epigallocatechin3-gallate (L-EGCG), and EGCG-palmitate (EC16) in particular, is able to fill this gap and become a first-in-class prophylactic and therapeutic approach against influenza virus infection. The objective of the current study was to investigate a proof-of-concept for the use of EC16 to prevent and treat influenza virus infection. The experimental design included direct contact of formulations containing EC16 with H1N1 influenza virus prior to infection assay (TCID50) in MDCK cells, incubation of cells with EC16 formulations either before or after H1N1 viral infection (without direct formulation contact with the virus), and coating the cell surface with EC16 formulations prior to H1N1 viral infection, followed by TCID50 assays. The results demonstrated that at a 0.1% concentration, EC16 formulations were effective (>95%) in blocking H1N1 infection regardless of direct contact with the virus. In conclusion, formulations containing EC16 could be an effective prophylactic and therapeutic approach to combat influenza infection in the respiratory tract, pending further in vitro and in vivo studies.
Extração, caracterização físico-química, nutricional e reológica do azeite do coco babaçu ( Orbignya spp).

Neste trabalho foi realizado um estudo sobre a caracterizacao fisico-quimica, nutricional e reologica do azeite de coco babacu (Orbignya spp). Na caracterizacao foram determinados, teor de agua, indice de saponificacao, indice de acidez, indice de iodo, indice de peroxido, indice de refracao, valor calorico, ponto de solidificacao, densidade, pH, colesterol, teor de proteinas, teor de carboidratos e teor de cinzas. Foi realizado uma analise sensorial para se saber a aceitacao do produto. A viscosidade foi estudada nas temperaturas de 25, 30, 35, 40, 45 e 50 °C. Os valores obtidos das analises, foram, teor de agua 0,296%, indice de saponificacao 271 mgOKH/goieo, indice de acidez 0,002 mgOKH/goieo, indice de iodo 16 giodo/100 goieo, indice de peroxido 7 meq/100 g, indice de refracao 1,472, ponto de solidificacao 24,5 °C, densidade 0,920 a 25 °C, pH 6, colesterol (ausente), teor de proteinas (ausente), teor de carboidratos (ausente) e cinzas l,33g. Os resultados encontrados da caracterizacao fisico-quimica e nutricional, quando comparados com os resultados do azeite de oliva obtidos da literatura, observou-se que os valores foram proximos, caracterizando-o como um oleo de boa qualidade. Os resultados obtidos para caracterizacao organoleptica de odor, aspecto e cor obteve-se um indice de 85% de aceitabilidade para o azeite de coco babacu, as viscosidades decresceram consideravelmente a altas temperaturas e estes valores foram: 26,27 cP a 25 °C; 18,66 cP a 30 °C ; 15,73 cP a 35°C; 13,55 cP a 40°C e 11,69 cP a 45°C e 9,39 cP a 50 °C. O modelo exponencial, proposto por Andrade, se ajusta bem aos dados experimentais, apresentando um coeficiente de correlacao de 99,11%. Ainda com relacao a viscosidade, concluiu-se que o azeite de babacu, e apresenta comportamento Newtoniano, colocando—se entre agua e oleo e portanto pode ser considerado fino.
Acceptance of Using Cricket Flour as a Low Carbohydrate, High Protein, Sustainable Substitute for All-Purpose Flour in Muffins

ABSTRACT Our aim is to assess the nutritive value and acceptability (enjoyment, palatability, and desirability) of a cricket flour (CF) muffin compared to an all-purpose flour (AP) muffin. Participants (n = 198) completed a blind taste test and survey about demographics, muffin characteristics, and attitudes toward food products. Scores for enjoyment did not differ significantly but scores were significantly higher for the texture of the CF muffin. Rejection of crickets emerged as a primary reason for low desirability of CF muffins. These findings indicate that CF may be used to create an enjoyable muffin but one that may not be widely accepted.
Efficacy of 1-MCP on controlling ethylene sensitivity and extending vase life of sensitive and less sensitive cut orchid flowers

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of 1-MCP on the sensitivity to ethylene and postharvest quality of selected cut orchid ﬂowers. Cut orchid ﬂowers are considered as the ethylene sensitive but there are apparently variation in sensitivity among species, cultivars and hybrids. Low effective concentration of 1-MCP and its minimum residues have caused that 1-MCP been viewed as an important and safe candidate for replacing STS. Inﬂorescences of each Dendrobium Darren Glory (DDG), D. Sonia Bom (DSB), Mokara Calypso Jumbo (MCJ) and M. Chiti Gold (MCG) hybrids were purchased from a commercial farm. After harvest and transport to the Postharvest Lab they were divided into two groups and placed in two chambers. They exposed to 0 and 300 nL L-1 1-MCP for 4 hours. The chambers were opened for 1 hour airing. Then inﬂorescences of each chamber divided to two subgroups and treated with 0 and 1 µL L-1 ethylene gas, balanced with nitrogen. After 24 hours the chambers were opened and the inﬂorescences were taken out from them. The inﬂorescences were kept in the laboratory with normal condition. The most weight loss and longest vaselife was recorded in DDG and MCG with 44% and 14 days respectively. Meanwhile, maximum postharvest quality improvement was obtained by 1-MCP pretreatment in very sensitive cut orchid hybrids.
The Development of Turnover Intention Prediction Model for Out-of-Office Workers in Thailand

Journal homepage : http://jmss.dusit. ac.th The study of the development of turnover intention prediction model for out-of-office workers in Thailand aims to investigate the factors affecting probability of turnover intention and to develop the most suitable turnover intention prediction model for out-of-office workers by using binary logistic regression approach. This is a quantitative social science survey research. The population of the study are professional employees that are assigned to work outside the office, including but not limited to salespersons, financial auditors, management consultants, medical representatives, real estate agents and other professional jobs that often work outside an office. Research tools are questionnaires and rating scales. A convenience sampling method was applied. Self-administrative questionnaires both hard copy and electronic form were directly distributed to various out-of-office workers in Thailand. In this study, 420 sample size was collected and separate into 67% of training set and 33% of test set. The well-fitted turnover intention prediction from binary logistic regression approach for out-of-office worker can be deliberately developed and fitted with empirical data. It is obvious and clear that all thelegacy negative work-related factors are still relevant and contribute to the prediction of turnover intention of employees. Organizations should utilize any possible countermeasures to mitigate these risks. For future research, qualitative research should be done so as to gain more insights regarding turnover intention. Introduction Nowadays, there are several professions where there is not a need to be in an office. These fields of work are mostly related to jobs that require employees to be at the client site or customer office. In a modern working world, mobile technology and innovation focused on the internet of things are dynamic and are used by those who work outside the office as a method to get their jobs done even though they are not at the company’s headquarters. The digital disruption has gradually encouraged modern day employees to work outside an office. In Thailand, teleworking plays an important role in various fields of work including financial auditors in finance and accounting industry, medical representatives in healthcare industry, real estate agents in real estate industry and management consultants in business consulting industry.
Betacyanin and Growth of Beetroot (Beta vulgaris L.) in Response to Nitrogen Fertilization in a Tropical Condition

A series of studies was carried out to explore the possibility of beetroot cultivation in the tropics on highlands. This was initiated by a study on the effect of temperature and duration of beetroot storage on betacyanin content after determination of a wavelength giving the maximum absorbance of betacyanin extracts from beetroots. The second study was designed to examine the response of betacyanin and plant growth to nitrogen (N) fertilization. A randomized block design was used to impose the treatment of N fertilizer (Urea) consisting of 0, 0.15, 0.30, 0.45, and 0.60 g N per plant with five replicates. The maximum absorbance of betacyanin extracts from fresh beetroots was attained at the wavelength of 536 nm. Betacyanin content of beetroots increased with duration of storage up to 7 days from 229 ml l -1 to 639 ml l -1 when stored at room temperature (± 22 0 C), and was reduced after slight increases when stored at lower temperatures. Nitrogen fertilization reduced betacyanin content of beetroots with a reduction of up to 25%, from 351.5 to 257.6 ml l -1 , with the application of 0.6 g N plant -1 . Root yield and total dry weight (TDW) increased with the supply of N fertilizer.
Alzheimer Disease and Metabolism : Role of Cholesterol and Membrane Fluidity

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an age-related disorder characterized by deposition of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) and degeneration of neurons in brain regions such as the hippocampus, re‐ sulting in progressive cognitive dysfunction. The causes of Alzheimer's disease (AD) have not been fully discovered, there are three main hypotheses to explain the phenomenon: a) The deficit of acetylcholine; b) The accumulation of beta-amyloid (Aβ and / or tau protein; and c) Metabolic disorders.
How can the Student Portfolio Help Improve Teaching Practices?

*goretti.orbea@ehu.eus **esther.cruz@ehu.eus ***itziar.rekalde@ehu.eus Abstract The purpose of this work was to inquire into the aspects that college students consider as significant of the faculty collected in the portfolios so that, in the light of this exploration, the faculty can reflect on their teaching practices and put forward proposals for improvement and change. It is proposed as qualitative research where the case is the analysis of student portfolios of the Management of Specific Projects course of the Interculturality Module (Minorkult). The tool being studied, also the main strategy for the generation of data, was the student portfolio and the analytical procedure consisted of a hermeneutic analysis of thematic contents. As a result, it is worth noting that, by opting for the portfolio, the faculty has strengthened the voice and visibility of the students, as well as their autonomy in the learning process, and has generated reflective processes within the faculty aimed at improving their teaching practice.