Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative estimation of serum levels of vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D and vitamin E in patients with recurrent aphthous stomatitis and normal individuals – A case-control study

Background: Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is a recurrent acute ulcerative lesion of oral mucosa. Till now, the exact cause and mechanism of this condition isn't very much clear; it is however believed to be multifactorial. Various studies indicate that genetically mediated disturbances of the innate and acquired immunity play an important role in the disease development. Vitamins and micro-elements deficiencies are one of the principal factors that modify the immunologic response in RAS. Aim: To probe for correlation between serum levels of Vitamin A, B12, D3, E, and RAS. Methods and Materials: The cross-sectional clinical study was conducted on persons seeking dental service at some private dental college in West Bengal, India between January 2017 and June 2018. Forty patients suffering from RAS were compared to forty normal individuals. Applying ELISA method, serum concentration of vitamins A, vitamin B12, vitamin D3 and vitamin E were measured in two groups. Statistical Analysis: The means between two groups were compared by Student's unpaired 't' test. A value of P < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Results: RAS patients had a significantly lower serum level of vitamin A, B12, D3 and E than normal individuals; and there were a positive relation between the serum level of vitamin B12 and vitamin E in RAS patients. Conclusion: Vitamin A, B12, D3 and E deficiency have a significant bearing on RAS; and serum level of vitamin B12 and E of RAS patients have a significant interrelationship.
Socio-Economic Determinants for Biochar Deployment in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania

Biochar may contribute to both agricultural productivity and atmospheric carbon dioxide removal. However, despite the many potential upsides of adding biochar to amend carbon-depleted soils in sub-Saharan Africa, deployment is largely lacking. This paper explores the socio-economic factors that can explain tendencies to avoid action. Based on a survey of 172 farming households, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions in the Mbeya and Songwe regions of Tanzania, which were targeted for a biochar aid program in 2014, several socio-economic drivers behind the continued use of biochar deployment were identified in this follow-up study. A key deployment driver was the increased crop yields, perceived to be the result of adding biochar to soils, increasing yields from 1 metric ton per hectare to 3 metric tons per hectare. Food security and family income were cited as the main reasons to engage in biochar production and use. Climate change mitigation and increased resilience were other key reasons that motivated adoption. In terms of socio-economic factors, farmers with low education and income, the majority being males aged 40–60 years, contributed to low adoption rates in the study area. Respondents often cited the alternative usage of biochar feedstocks, lack of government involvement or extension services, traditions, and farming customs as the main constraints limiting biochar deployment.
Development of Immunoglobulin M Nephropathy in a Pregnant Woman

Immunoglobulin M nephropathy (IgMN) is a glomerular disease that may be identified in all age groups, but children and young adults appear to have been affected more frequently in some series. The clinical picture could differ from hematuria to rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. The main characteristics in pathologic examination are mesangial hypercellularity with a diffuse and granular immunoglobulin M deposition in the glomerular structure. To date, a standardized protocol has not been proposed for IgMN treatment. Systemic corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab were agents reported in the literature. We present a 30-year-old woman admitted to the hospital for edema in the lower extremities at the 31st week of pregnancy. She had one abortus previously, and this was her second pregnancy. Renal biopsy performed after delivery was reported as IgMN with mesangial proliferation. She received 1 mg/kg/day prednisone therapy achieving complete remission. This report is the first case of IgMN developed in pregnancy.
ADSORPTION POTENTIAL FOR A MIXTURE OF CHEMICALLY AND THERMALLY TREATED CLAYS TO REMOVE ORANGE G DYE FROM WASTE-WATER

This study examined the adsorption behavior of anionic dye (orange G) from aqueous solution onto the raw and activated a mixture of illite, kaolinite and chlorite clays from area of Zorbatiya (east of Iraq). The chemical treatment involved alkali and acid activation. The alkali activation obtained by treated the raw clay (RC) with 5M NaOH (ACSO) and the acid activation founded by treated it with 0.25M HCl (ACH) and 0.25M H_2 〖SO〗_4 (ACS). The thermal treatment carried out by calcination the produce activated clay at 750oC for acid activation and 105oC for alkali activation. Batch adsorption method was used to study the adsorption of orange G dye onto raw and activated clays. The impact of different factors related to the adsorption process was studied such as: agitation time, clay dosage, solution pH, starting OG dye concentration, temperature and ionic strength. The adsorption process was described by using Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Raduchkevish isotherm models. Thermodynamic functions like change in enthalpy〖∆H〗^°, change in entropy 〖∆S〗^° and change in Gibbs free energy 〖∆G〗^°were estimated based on Vanʼt Hoff equation.
Searching memories of pleasures in local cuisine: how nostalgia and hedonic values affect tourists' behavior at hot spring destinations?

PurposeHistorically, hot springs have been regarded as hedonic and foodie destinations, yet the antecedents that affect tourists' intentions for local cuisine in hot springs remain unexplored. The present study aims to address this knowledge gap by considering the role of nostalgia and hedonic values in tourist food consumption.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 315 domestic tourists by intercept surveys conducted in the Beitou Hot Spring, Taiwan. Covariance-based structural equation modeling (SEM) and bootstrapping were used to test the hypotheses as well as mediating effects.FindingsNostalgia positively influences hedonic values, which affect tourists' intentions for local food consumption. Unexpectedly, nostalgia does not directly influence tourists' preferences due to complete mediation through hedonic values.Research limitations/implicationsGiven a growing number of young consumers visiting hot springs, hedonic experience is essential and more effective for pulling visitors and stimulating local food consumption than nostalgia vibes are. Cross-cultural samples and qualitative research are suggested for future studies.Originality/valueThe study demonstrates different levels of nostalgia in different ages. It highlights the mediating role of hedonic values between nostalgia and tourists' intentions for local cuisine in the hot spring destinations, which has been overlooked in previous studies. Originality is also established by simultaneously investigating hedonic values and behavioral intentions within the context of food tourism.
The Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on the Learning Outcomes of Medical Students in Taiwan: A Two-Year Prospective Cohort Study of OSCE Performance

Background/Aims: To avoid the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on clinical clerkship, supplemental teachings such as digital materials in the scenario-based distal simulations were implemented. This study utilized the OSCE (objective-structured clinical examination) to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the learning outcome of medical students from the regular group (class of 2020) and pandemic-impacted group (class of 2021). Methods: All medical students serially took, firstly, the mock-OSCE, secondly, the mock-OSCE, and the national OSCE. Then, the serial OSCE scores were compared between groups. Results: Although with similar scores in the first mock OSCE, the regular group (n = 78) had a higher average score in the national OSCE than the pandemic-impacted group (n = 80) (872.18 vs. 834.96, p = 0.003). In terms of improvement, the performances of the regular group were also better than the pandemic-impacted group between the second mock OSCE and the national OSCE (79.10 vs. 38.14, p = 0.014), and between the second mock OSCE and the national OSCE (125.11 vs. 77.52, p = 0.003). While separating distinct genres, the regular group had more of a score increment in standardized patient-based stations between the second mock OSCE and the national OSCE (regular vs. pandemic-impacted: 57.03 vs. 18.95, p = 0.003), as well as between the first mock OSCE and the national OSCE (75.97 vs. 26.36, p < 0.001), but there was no significant difference among the skill-based stations. In particular, the scores of the emergency medicine associated station in the national OSCE of the pandemic-impacted group was lower. Conclusions: Our study implies that the pandemic significantly hampered the learning outcomes of final year medical students in their clinical participation. Especially facing the COVID-19 pandemic, more supplemental teachings are needed to compensate the decreasing emergency medicine exposure.
Finite Element Mass-Conserving Cavitation Algorithm in Pure Squeeze Motion. Validation/Application to a Connecting- Rod Small End Bearing

A simple analytical approach using conditions of conservation of the mass is proposed for the 1-D negative squeeze lubrication problem in order to calculate the cavitation boundary position during oscillatory motion of two plates. The same geometrical case is analyzed using Bonneau's finite element code. Good agreements between analytical and numerical results support validation of Bonneau's algorithm. As an example of application of this algorithm to squeeze motion case, the EHD lubrication of an elastic connecting-rod small end bearing is analyzed. Influences of the shaft elasticity and lubricant piezoviscosity are presented.
Drip irrigation of corn in the Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) Area in Turkey

This study was designed to evaluate the yield response of trickle‐irrigated corn grown on a clay‐textured soil under the arid Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) area conditions during the 2000 growing season at Koruklu in Turkey. The effects of three different irrigation levels (100, 67 and 33% of cumulative Class‐A pan evaporation on a three‐ and six‐day basis), and two irrigation intervals (three‐ and six‐day) on yield were investigated. Trickle laterals were laid out on the soil surface at a spacing of 1.40 m. A total of 581 mm of water was applied to the full‐irrigation treatments (100%) for both irrigation intervals. Seasonal water use ranged from 358 to 562 mm across treatments. Highest average corn yield (11 920 kg ha−1) was obtained from the full‐irrigation treatment (100%) with six‐day interval. Corn grain yields varied from 7940 to 11 330 kg ha−1 and 7253 to 11 920 kg ha−1 for three‐ and six‐day irrigation intervals, respectively. Irrigation levels significantly increased yield. Maximum irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE) and water use efficiency (WUE) were 2.53 and 2.27 kg m−3 in treatment of I‐33 with six‐day interval. Both IWUE and WUE values varied with irrigation quantity and frequency. The research results revealed that the trickle irrigation system could be used successfully for irrigating corn crops under the arid climatic conditions of the Southeast Anatolia Project (GAP) area in Turkey. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Efficiency and Equity of an Outdoor Recreation Equipment Tax to Fund Public Lands

We analyze the efficiency and equity implications of a federal excise tax on outdoor recreation equipment for funding U.S. public lands. Using microdata on consumer expenditure, we estimate a two-stage quadratic almost ideal demand system for recreation equipment and simulate the effects of a 5% tax. The tax generates a modest welfare loss as a share of tax revenues raised: $0.04 for every $1 of revenue. It is approximately proportional to income across the entire income distribution, but households in the lowest-income quintile pay more as a share of income than do households in the other four income quintiles.
Evaluation of Integrated Electrodes for Electrical Capacitance Tomography

Noise immunity in the charge-discharge circuit, which has proved very effective for electrical capacitance tomography, is improved by increasing the clock frequency which, as a result, increases the gain of the circuit. This frequency is limited by the stray capacitance which is largely due to the connecting wires. The present paper describes a system which eliminates the coaxial wires by mounting the circuitry directly onto the electrodes. This is achieved by implementing as much of the circuitry as possible on a custom integrated circuit. Twelve "integrated electrodes" have been fabricated. These have been tested on a 10 cm diameter plastic pipe. Using 1 metre of coaxial cable the sensors exhibit a worst case signal to noise ratio of 48dB. When the circuitry is mounted directly onto the electrodes this is increased to 58dB. This is the first implementation of an electrical capacitance tomogram, using the charge-discharge circuit, that is based entirely on CMOS technology.
Small Angle X-ray Scattering Sensing Membrane Composition: The Role of Sphingolipids in Membrane-Amyloid β-Peptide Interaction

Simple Summary The early impairments in Alzheimer’s disease are related to neuronal membrane damage. Different lipids are present in biological membranes, playing relevant physiological roles. Some of them, such as sphingomyelin, cholesterol, and ganglioside GM1, interact with each other and, importantly, with the Aβ peptide. Here, these interactions are studied using small angle X-ray scattering in model membrane systems, such as large unilamellar liposomes. This technique gives information on the width of the bilayer and reveals structural differences due to the different lipid compositions, as well as some small differences due to the presence of the Aβ peptide. The analysis highlights the concentration-dependent effect of GM1 on membrane thickness and the interaction with the Aβ-peptide, together with the inhibiting effect that the presence of sphingomyelin has on the GM1–Aβ interaction. Abstract The early impairments appearing in Alzheimer’s disease are related to neuronal membrane damage. Both aberrant Aβ species and specific membrane components play a role in promoting aggregation, deposition, and signaling dysfunction. Ganglioside GM1, present with cholesterol and sphingomyelin in lipid rafts, preferentially interacts with the Aβ peptide. GM1 at physiological conditions clusters in the membrane, the assembly also involves phospholipids, sphingomyelin, and cholesterol. The structure of large unilamellar vesicles (LUV), made of a basic POPC:POPS matrix in a proportion of 9:1, and containing different amounts of GM1 (1%, 3%, and 4% mol/mol) in the presence of 5% mol/mol sphingomyelin and 15% mol/mol cholesterol, was studied using small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). The effect of the membrane composition on the LUVs–Aβ-peptide interaction, both for Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 variants, was, thus, monitored. The presence of GM1 leads to a significant shift of the main peak, towards lower scattering angles, up to 6% of the initial value with SM and 8% without, accompanied by an opposite shift of the first minimum, up to 21% and 24% of the initial value, respectively. The analysis of the SAXS spectra, using a multi-Gaussian model for the electronic density profile, indicated differences in the bilayer of the various compositions. An increase in the membrane thickness, by 16% and 12% when 2% and 3% mol/mol GM1 was present, without and with SM, respectively, was obtained. Furthermore, in these cases, in the presence of Aβ40, a very small decrease of the bilayer thickness, less than 4% and 1%, respectively, was derived, suggesting the inhibiting effect that the presence of sphingomyelin has on the GM1–Aβ interaction.
A new ZVT-PWM DC-DC converter

In this paper, a new active snubber cell that overcomes most of the drawbacks of the normal "zero voltage transition-pulse width modulation" (ZVT-PWM) converter is proposed to contrive a new family of ZVT-PWM converters. A converter with the proposed snubber cell can also operate at light load conditions. All of the semiconductor devices in this converter are turned on and off under exact or near zero voltage switching (ZVS) and/or zero current switching (ZCS). No additional voltage and current stresses on the main switch and main diode occur. Also, the auxiliary switch and auxiliary diodes are subjected to voltage and current values at allowable levels. Moreover, the converter has a simple structure, low cost, and ease of control. A ZVT-PWM boost converter equipped with the proposed snubber cell is analyzed in detail. The predicted operation principles and theoretical analysis of the presented converter are verified with a prototype of a 2 kW and 50 kHz PWM boost converter with insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT). In this study, a design procedure of the proposed active snubber cell is also presented. Additionally, at full output power in the proposed soft switching converter, the main switch loss is about 27% and the total circuit loss is about 36% of that in its counterpart hard switching converter, and so the overall efficiency, which is about 91% in the hard switching case, increases to about 97%.
Informative title: Guided bone regeneration with and without rhBMP‐2: 17‐year results of a randomized controlled clinical trial

Abstract Objectives To assess long‐term outcomes of implants placed in conjunction with guided bone regeneration (GBR) with or without recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (rhBMP‐2). Materials and Methods Eleven patients with at least two lateral bone defects (split‐mouth design) received a total of 34 implants. The defects were treated with a xenogenic bone substitute with (test) or without (control) rhBMP‐2 and covered with a collagen membrane. Eight patients could be reexamined after at least 17 years. Wilcoxon signed‐rank tests were performed to assess differences between test and control groups. Results The implant survival rate was 100% for all test and control sites. Mean marginal bone levels were 2.51 mm (SD ±1.64) (mesial test), 1.83 mm (SD ±0.93) (mesial control) (p = .055), 2.36 mm (SD ±1.70) (distal test), and 2.13 mm (SD ±0.84) (distal control) (p = 1.000). Compared with the mean values at baseline, a mean bone loss of 1.16 mm (SD ±1.60) (test) and 0.70 mm (SD ±1.02) (control) was found. The mean buccal bone gain after 17 years was 5.38 mm (test) and 3.14 mm (control) based on the comparison between the measurements at the cone beam CT after 17 years and the data from the intraoperative measurements at baseline. Further, mean values for (i) bone thickness ranged from 1.36 to 3.09 mm (test) and 1.18 to 3.39 mm (control) and for (ii) mucosal thickness of 1.24 mm (test) and 1.26 mm (control). Conclusion Implants placed in conjunction with GBR applying a xenogenic bone substitute and a collagen membrane with and without the addition of rhBMP‐2 demonstrate excellent clinical and radiographic results after at least 17 years.
Rate of removal of grass from mixed pastures by cattle, sheep and goat grazing

Abstract mm tillZSX@h7AXiSls on the GD3-treatmentA study was undertaken to compare the reductionremoved more of the tiller (50%) per grazing thanin the length of grass tillers in two temperate mixedpastures grazed by cattle, sheep and goats alone,on CD6 treatments (46%)(P<O.O5), but the average in spring. One hundred identified tillers in each ofnumber of grazings per tiller on CD3 and GD624 plots (2 reps per pasture type) were measureddaily during grazing periods of 3 (GD3) or 6 (GD6)days and disappearance rate of grass wasdetermined. Initial pasture mass was similar for alltreatments was similar (0.55 times/day). The lengthtreatments (mean = 3 500 kg dry matter/ha). of tillers at the end of grazing was shorter forPaddock area for CD6 was twice that for CD3 sothat the nominal daily DM allowance/kg live-cattle (68 mm) than goats (106 mm) or sheep (123weight0.9 was the same for each animal group atthe start of the trial. Cattle ate taller than averagetillers while sheep and goats ate tillers of a lengthcloser to that of the mean tiller length (PcO.01). Also, cattle removed a greater proportion (52%)of the tiller length available each time it was grazedthan sheep and goats (43-46%) (PcO.01). Lengthof tiller removed at grazing was highly correlated(r2 = 0.99) with length of the tiller prior to grazing,for each animal species, over the range 60-340
Impact of Dynamic Message Signs on Satisfaction and Diversion of Toll Road Travelers

Dynamic message signs (DMS) are electronic signs used on roadways to give travelers information about travel times, congestion, incidents, and other alerts. The reaction that travelers have to such sources depends on their perception of the utility of these sources. The effects of DMS on driver behavior and driver expectations of information for nontolled roads are well documented. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the impact of DMS on toll road users in Orlando, Florida, by using a predeployment (one DMS operational) and postdeployment (29 DMS operational) survey analysis. A detailed telephone survey was administered, and modeling was performed to estimate the effects of DMS deployment on attitudes and behavior of toll road travelers. The satisfaction of travelers with certain DMS aspects and their diversion response to information on DMS were compared between the pre- and postdeployment survey periods. The results for satisfaction models showed that in predeployment, travelers valued accuracy and hazard warnings highly toward overall satisfaction. In postdeployment, travelers highly valued special event information, hazard warnings, and accuracy. The postdeployment diversion behavior model showed that increased travel time savings, 511 service, and cash mode of toll payment encouraged diversion. Travelers who experienced abnormal travel times on DMS or who reported that DMS helped them during congestion were more likely to divert. Further, this study showed that toll road users might have a greater inertia and avoid leaving the toll road when compared with non–toll road users. Implications of the results are discussed.