Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Efficacy of Dexmedetomidine as an Adjuvant to Epidural Lidocaine

Introduction: Efforts to find a better adjuvant in regional anesthesia are underway since long. Many agents were proved to be effective in providing a same pharmacological benefit by different mechanisms of action. In this study we sought to investigate the effect of Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists added to a local anesthetic in epidural space. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of Dexmedetomidine as an adjuvant to Lidocaine in epidural anesthesia. Methodology: Sixty patients scheduled for lower limb trauma orthopaedic surgeries under epidural anesthesia were divided into two groups D and C with 30 in each. Patients in group D received 12.5ml of 2% Lidocaine + Dexmedetomidine 0.5mcg/kg in 1.5ml solution making a total volume of 14ml. Patients in group C received 12.5ml of 2% Lidocaine + 1.5ml Normal saline making a total volume of 14ml. Onset, time for peak sensory level, time for two segment regression and the total Mephentermine consumed to maintain the hemodynamics were recorded, tabulated and statistically analysed. Results: The onset of sensory block was significantly fast, the time for two segment regression was significantly more and the Mephentermine consumption was significantly high in group D than in group C. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine is effective in hastening the onset and prolonging the duration of blockade when used as an adjuvant to epidural Lidocaine, but at the same time it has a propensity to cause frequent hypotension.
Public Opinion and Decisions About Military Force in Democracies

Abstract Many theories of international relations assume that public opinion exerts a powerful effect on foreign policy in democracies. Previous research, based on observational data, has reached conflicting conclusions about this foundational assumption. We use experiments to examine two mechanisms—responsiveness and selection—through which opinion could shape decisions about the use of military force. We tested responsiveness by asking members of the Israeli parliament to consider a crisis in which we randomized information about public opinion. Parliamentarians were more willing to use military force when the public was in favor and believed that contravening public opinion would entail heavy political costs. We tested selection by asking citizens in Israel and the US to evaluate parties/candidates, which varied randomly on many dimensions. In both countries, security policy proved as electorally significant as economic and religious policy, and far more consequential than nonpolicy considerations such as gender, race, and experience. Overall, our experiments in two important democracies imply that citizens can affect policy by incentivizing incumbents and shaping who gets elected.
Study on Seismic Performance of a Mold Transformer through Shaking Table Tests

This study presents an experimental seismic investigation of a 1000 kVA cast resin-type hybrid mold transformer through tri-axial shaking table tests. The input acceleration time histories were generated in accordance with the specifications recommended by the International Code Council Evaluation Services Acceptance Criteria ICC-ES AC156 code, with scaling factors in the range of 25–300%. The damage and the dynamic characteristics of the mold transformer were evaluated in terms of the fundamental frequency, damping ratio, acceleration time history responses, dynamic amplification factors, and relative displacement. The shaking table test results showed that the damage of the mold transformer was mainly governed by the severe slippage of the spacers and the loosening of the linked bolts between the bottom beam and the bed beam. In addition, the maximum relative displacement at the top beam in Y and Z-directions exceeded the boundary limit recommended by the Korean National Radio Research Agency. Moreover, the operational test of the specimen was performed based on the IEC 60076-11 Standard before and after the shaking table test series to ensure the operational capacity of the transformer.
Outcomes of Periodontal Treatment in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (OPERA) : quantitative and qualitative results of a pilot randomized controlled trial

Outcomes of Periodontal Treatment in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis (OPERA) was a pilot randomized controlled trial (RCT) that aimed to assess the feasibility for a larger, multi-center RCT which would investigate the efficiency of non-surgical periodontal treatment in reducing disease activity levels in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The OPERA trial used a mixed methods approach. The quantitative approach delivered pilot data regarding the clinical outcomes of the intervention, whilst the role of qualitative data was to provide a better insight into the experiences and values of the patients that would encourage their participation in the larger, definitive study. The findings of this trial highlighted the specific issues of the patient population, the logistic challenges and provided some possible solutions to facilitate patient participation.
Analyzing the Cost and Returns of Smallholder Farmers: A Case of Asante Akim South in Ghana

Managing crop production as a business among smallholder farmers is a challenge. This farmers’ survey therefore assessed farm activities and their economic implications to smallholder farmers, with special reference on cocoa farmers, using structured questionnaire. Farmers and their household were found to be greatly involved in providing labour for all key farm activities such as weed management, pesticide application and harvesting. This labour was not priced by most farmers and therefore estimated expenditure on managing the farms were lower than actual cost incurred. Cocoa formed 75% of total landholdings with 3-4 acres and < 3acres being the modal farm size for cocoa and supplementary crops (vegetables, plantain, oil palm, cassava and maize) respectively. Although applying fertilizer to cocoa increased yield by over 144%, majority of the farmers did not consistently apply it due to purported high price. Vegetables were the only crop that fertilizer was consistently applied to, and even that it was below recommended rates. Yearly variable margin from cocoa treated with fertilizer was GHS 837 (US$ 190)/acre compared to GHS 548 (US$ 125)/acre of cocoa without fertilizer, thereby justifying the use of fertilizer. The annual variable margin from supplementary crops ranged GHS 162-274 (US$37-62)/acre/year, depending on the type of crop. Based on the statistical mode of 4-6 persons per household, 3-4 acres of cocoa and 0.5-2.5 acres of supplementary crops, the yearly returns of GHS 2,511-3,348 (US$ 570-761) from cocoa (with fertilizer) and GHS 81-685 (US$ 18.41-155.68) from supplementary crops was inadequate. Promoting other low capital input ventures like snail rearing, mushroom production and bee keeping will be of immense support to the farmer’s household.
Performance of Solar Drying and Evaluation of Phytochemical Profile in an Underutilized Fruit (Capparis Decidua) Ker

Ker (C. decidua) is an important, underutilized fruit crop occurring in the arid region of western Rajasthan. This has gained special importance due to phytochemicals present in it with predominant medicinal properties. In the present study, the drying experiment of fresh ker fruit was conducted for 80 h in phase change material (PCM) based solar dryer to retain its original colour and other important quality attributes such as phenols, flavonoids, β-carotene, saponins and ascorbic acid. Colour of ker retained as per CIE scale ‘L’, ‘a’ and ‘b’ value 29.43, -11.2, and 12.15 respectively, in case of solar drying. It was observed that the β-carotene (4.38 mg), saponin (18.56 mg), and ascorbic acid (10.80 mg) decreased in pretreatments and solar drying compared to direct sun drying. On the contrary, the level of phenols (70.87 μg GAE/g) and flavonoids (18.56 μg RE/g) increased in blanching and solar drying. The level of β-carotene was found enough in one hundred gram of dried ker to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowances of this important precursor of vitamin–A.
Strigolactone defective mutants of Arabidopsis exhibit delayed sepal senescence

Flower sepals are critical for flower development and vary greatly in lifespan depending on their function postpollination. However, very little is known on what controls sepal longevity. Using a sepal senescence mutant screen, we directly connected strigolactones (SL) with sepal longevity. We identified two Arabidopsis mutants that harbour novel mutations in the SL biosynthetic gene MORE AXILLARY GROWTH1 (MAX1) and receptor DWARF14 (AtD14). The mutation in AtD14 caused a substitution of the catalytic Ser-97 to Phe in the enzyme active site. The lesion in MAX1 changed a highly conserved Gly-469 to Arg in the haem-iron ligand signature of the cytochrome P450 protein, which caused loss-of-function of MAX1. nCounter-based transcriptional analysis suggested an interaction between SL and sugar signalling in controlling dark-induced inflorescence senescence. The results uncover an important function for SL in regulating floral organ senescence in addition to its other diverse functions in plant development and stress response. One-sentence summary Two novel mutants in the strigolactone pathway demonstrate a role for the hormone in sepal senescence, and transcriptional analysis highlights interaction between strigolactones and sugar signalling.
A new model to determine the hierarchical structure of the wireless sensornetworks

Wireless sensor networks are one of the rising areas of scientific research. Common purpose of these investigations is usually constructing optimal structure of the network by prolonging its lifetime. In this study, a new model has been proposed to construct a hierarchical structure of wireless sensor networks. Methods used in the model to determine clusters and appropriate cluster heads are k-means clustering and fuzzy inference system (FIS), respectively. The weighted averaging based on levels (WABL) defuzzification method is used to calculate crisp outputs of the FIS. A new theorem for calculation of WABL values has been proved in order to simplify getting the crisp values from complex fuzzy outputs of the FIS. The proposed methodology is experimented via simulation example, and experiments confirm its validity.
Kidney Function Test of Female Wistar Rat (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769) of Subchronic Toxicity Test of Arthrospira maxima sp. and Chlorella vulgaris sp.

Arthrospira maxima and Chlorella vulgaris are contained a high protein and antioxidant levels that can be used as functional foods or supplements to improve health. Furthermore, this material needs to be monitored for safety. The aims of this research were determined the subchronic toxicity test of microalgae A. maxima and C. vulgaris on kidney function. Parameters of this research were creatinine levels, urea levels, kidney index, and histological structure of the kidney glomerular. Besides that, the progression of body weight was observed. Five teen female Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout,1769) divided into three groups randomly were one control group and two treatment groups using A. maxima and C. vulgaris in the same dose were 2500 mg/kg of body weight. Subchronic toxicity test was conducted by oral gavage every day during 90 days — the measurement of creatinine levels and urea levels on the 30 th , 60 th , and 90 th day. Kidney index and glomerular histology of rat’s kidney was prepared after necropsy at the end of this research. Base on the results, it can be concluded that consume of Arthrospira maxima, and Chlorella vulgaris at 2500 mg/kg of body weight increased creatinine and urea levels. Bodyweight, kidney index, and pathological glomerular cells of histological kidney were still in normal value.
Studies on secretor status, faecal flora and the humoral immune response in ankylosing spondylitis

Studies on Secretor Status, faecal flora and the Humoral immune Response in Ankylosing spondylitis. It has been suggested that ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a form of reactive arthritis similar to that observed among patients with genitourinary or intestinal infections. This hypothesis was supported by several studies in which some, but not all, found an increased isolation rate of Klebsiella species from the stools of AS patients. The strongest association known of a human leucocyte antigen (HLA) with disease is observed with HLA-B27 and AS. One hypothesis proposed to explain this association is molecular mimicry, in which crossreactivity between HLA-B27 and arthritogenic bacteria leads to a cross-reacting immune response and inflammation. Non-secretion of ABO blood group substances, an autosomal recessive characteristic, is another factor associated with susceptibility to disease, particularly to infection of mucosal surfaces. In a study in 1987, non-secretors were found to be over-represented in patients with AS, evidence which supported the hypothesis of an infectious aetiology in AS. The aims of this work were to reassess the association of non-secretion with AS; to study the faecal flora in a cohort of patients with spondyloarthropathy; to determine the prevalence of bacteria expressing antigens cross-reactive with the HLA-B27 antigen; to examine the humoral immune responses of patients and controls to their own faecal flora; and to correlate these findings with the disease activity of the patients as assessed clinically and by the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) as laboratory parameters of inflammation. The proportion of non-secretors in this AS population was identical to that in the control population when determined by haemagglutination inhibition assay (HAI) and confirmed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Lewis antigens. Careful scrutiny of the secretor status in a group of patients examined in both present and initial studies revealed that 27% of non-secretors in the previous survey had been wrongly typed and were indeed secretors. Enzymatic degradation of blood group antigens in some saliva specimens could explain this discrepancy and might have resulted from inadequate cooling prior to
An in vitro vesicle formation assay to analyze protein sorting in the secretory transport pathway

The fidelity of protein transport in the secretory transport pathway relies on the accurate sorting of proteins to their correct destination. To deepen our understanding of the underlying molecular mechanisms, it is important to develop a robust approach to systematically reveal cargo proteins that depend on a specific cargo sorting machinery to be efficiently packaged into vesicles. Here, we used an in vitro assay that reconstitutes packaging of human cargo proteins into vesicles to quantify cargo capture. Quantitative mass spectrometry analyses of the isolated vesicles revealed novel cytosolic proteins that are associated with vesicle membranes in a GTP-dependent manner or that interact with GTP-bound Sar1A on vesicle membranes. Functional analysis indicates that two of them, FAM84B and PRRC1, regulate anterograde trafficking. Comparing control cells with cells depleted of the cargo receptors, SURF4 or ERGIC53, we revealed specific clients of each of these two export adaptors. Moreover, our results indicate that vesicles enriched with a specific cargo protein contain specific transmembrane cargo and SNARE proteins. A SNARE protein, Vti1B, is identified to be in vesicles enriched with a planar cell polarity protein, Frizzled6, and promotes vesicular release of Frizzled6. Our results indicate that the vesicle formation assay in combination with quantitative mass spectrometric analysis is a robust and powerful tool to reveal novel cytosolic and transmembrane proteins that regulate trafficking of a specific cargo protein.
Sexual Orientation and Sleep Difficulties: Evidence from the National Health and Nutrition Examination (NHANES)

Abstract This study aimed to examine differences in sleep difficulties among adults in the United States (aged 18–59) as a function of sexual orientation and physical health. Data came from the 2013 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Participants (n = 4115) reported on demographics, sexual orientation, sleep, number of doctor visits, physical health, and depressive symptoms. In bivariate analyses, sleep difficulties that were confirmed by a healthcare professional were more likely among sexual minority than among heterosexual adults. After controlling for demographic variables, health problems, and depressive symptoms, bisexual adults were more likely than heterosexual adults to report confirmed sleep difficulties. Subsequent analysis revealed that depressive symptoms partially mediated the association of confirmed sleep difficulties and sexual orientation, particularly for bisexual women. Thus, our findings revealed that confirmed sleep difficulties were more common among bisexual adults – especially bisexual women - than among heterosexual or lesbian/gay adults. The results suggest that disparities in sleep, health, and depression warrant further investigation.
Energy-efficiency and coverage quality management for reliable diagnostics in wireless sensor networks

The processing of data and signals provided by sensors aims at extracting relevant features which can be used to assess and diagnose the health state of the monitored targets. Nevertheless, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) present a number of shortcomings that have an impact on the quality of the gathered data at the sink level, leading to imprecise diagnostics of the observed targets. To improve data accuracy, two main critical and related issues, namely the energy consumption and coverage quality, need to be considered. In this paper, we present a distributed algorithm based on a theory of domination in graphs, and we study its impact on diagnostics by using six machine learning algorithms. First, we give the correctness proofs and next we assess its behaviour through simulations. Obtained results show that the proposed algorithm exhibits good performances despite its lower complexity.
Nutritive and biological value of the germinated wheat grain

Wheat grain germination is necessary for higher solubilization of nutrients, making nutrients more available. During the germination process of the grain the amount of vitamins, such as B1, B6, B9, vitamin C decreases, whereas the content of vitamins B5, B2, E. increases. Among the minerals, calcium concentration increases from 52.0 mg/100g before germinating up to 100 mg/100 g after germinating. Such tendency also observed for sodium, phosphorous, iron, and magnesium. After germination the amount of five essential amino acids, such as valine, isoleucine, methionine, threonine, tryptophan increases. At the same time, the amount of three essential amino acids is reduced: leucine, lysine, phenylalanine.
Aquifer-eustasy as the main driver of short-term sea-level fluctuations during Cretaceous hothouse climate phases

Abstract A review of short-term (<3 myr: c. 100 kyr to 2.4 myr) Cretaceous sea-level fluctuations of several tens of metres indicates recent fundamental progress in understanding the underlying mechanisms for eustasy, both in timing and in correlation. Cretaceous third- and fourth-order hothouse sea-level changes, the sequence-stratigraphic framework, are linked to Milankovitch-type climate cycles, especially the longer-period sequence-building bands of 405 kyr and 1.2 myr. In the absence of continental ice sheets during Cretaceous hothouse phases (e.g. Cenomanian–Turonian), growing evidence indicates groundwater-related sea-level cycles: (1) the existence of Milankovitch-type humid-arid climate oscillations, proven via intense humid weathering records during times of regression and sea-level lowstands; (2) missing or inverse relationships of sea-level and the marine δ18O archives, i.e. the lack of a pronounced positive excursion, cooling signal during sea-level lowstands; and (3) the anti-phase relationship of sea and lake levels, attesting to high groundwater levels and charged continental aquifers during sea-level lowstands. This substantiates the aquifer-eustasy hypothesis. Rates of aquifer-eustatic sea-level change remain hard to decipher; however, reconstructions range from a very conservative minimum estimate of 0.04 mm a−1 (longer time intervals) to 0.7 mm a−1 (shorter, probably asymmetric cycles). Remarkably, aquifer-eustasy is recognized as a significant component for the Anthropocene sea-level budget.
Multinational corporations and tax havens: evidence from country-by-country reporting

A growing body of economics literature shows that multinational corporations (MNCs) shift their profits to tax havens. We contribute to this evidence by comparing a range of available data sets focusing on US MNCs, including country-by-country reporting data, a full sample of which has been released in December 2019 for the first time. With each of the data sets, we analyse the effective tax rates that US MNCs face in each country and the amount of profits they report. Using country-by-country reporting data, we have been able to establish that lower effective corporate tax rates are associated with higher levels of reported profits when compared with different indicators of real economic activity. This corresponds to the notion that MNCs often shift profits to countries with low effective tax rates—without also shifting substantive economic activity. Consequently, we identify the most important tax havens for US MNCs as countries with both low effective tax rates and high profits misaligned with economic activity.
Correlates of gambling

This study's main objective was to identify which of gamblers' demographic, geographic and socioeconomic characteristics correlate with more frequent lottery playing and stock market trading. The data were collected from two unrelated cross-sectional samples of equity investors and lottery players from a European country. Based on a multiple correspondence analysis of both samples, higher levels of spending on central state lotteries and stocks with lottery features were found to be associated with individuals who have similar socioeconomic characteristics.
Development Of Instructional Media Based On Mobile Technology To Enriching Teaching Material For Primary School Students In Indonesia Post-Learning In The Classrooms

: The unavailability of adequate time for elementary school teachers in Indonesia to deliver learning material in the classroom causes learning to be ineffective. Use of e-learning, e-module, and Compact Disk Interactive Learning Technology to help students learn independently outside the formal study time in class still has disadvantages. This paper proposes an instructional media model that utilizes Smart Phone-based mobile technology to help teachers deliver subject matter outside of formal learning time. This media serves as a medium for enriching subject matter that is not completed delivered in the classroom. This research uses the Research and Development (R&D) method which consists of three main stages, namely: analysis of system requirements, system development, and formative evaluation to test the effectiveness of the system. The result of expert validation (Media Design and Instructional Design) shows that the instructional media product based on mobile technology that is developed is very suitable to be used as a learning resource, with an average validation percentage of 82.8%. The students' responses to the large group trials show that the mobile technology-based instructional media products that are developed are very feasible to be used as teaching resources to enrich teaching materials for post-learning elementary school students in the classroom, with an average value (Attractive Display, User Friendly, Material Presentation) reached 81.2%.