Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CBVT analysis of canal configuration of the mesio-buccal root of maxillary first permanent molar teeth: An in vitro study

Context: For successful endodontic treatment, it's imperative to locate and obturate all root canals. As concluded by Ingle, the major cause for failure of root canal therapy is in ability to recognize all theexisting canals and subsequent failure in their obturation. Aim: To analyze the canal configuration of the mesio-buccal root of maxillary first permanent molar teeth. Materials and Methods: A total of 30 recently extracted human permanent maxillary first molars were collected and stored in a container with 5% Sodium Chloride solution for four days. Teeth with open apices, external resorption, improperly formed roots and teeth with previous restorations were excluded. Using the dental modeling wax, teeth were arranged in a ‘U’ shaped arch with roots embedded inside the wax and occlusal surface remaining free. 10 teeth were arranged in each arch and three such sample plates were prepared. Flat surface of the base encasing enabled the plate to be mounted on flat plastic bite plate. With bite plate roughly centered in the focal trough area Axial, Coronal and Sagittal section Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images were taken with Kodak 9000 Extra-oral Imaging System. Images displayed on a monitor were inspected by two endodontists using Kodak Dental Imaging Software 3D Module V2.2. Statistical Analysis: When the data was observed, it was found that 24 teeth out of total 30 teeth examined showed some variation (i.e. possible additional canal) along the length of the mesio-buccal root canal. Out of these 24 teeth, 13 showed presence of additional canal at coronal third, 7 showed presence of additional canal at middle third and four showed presence of additional canal in apical third level. Percentage analysis was done as there was no group comparison to be done. Results: Cone-Beam Volumetric Tomography (CBVT) evaluation positively identified the variations in mesio-buccal canal in 80% of samples. Out of these, 54.16% were in coronal 3rd, 29.16% in middle 3rd and 16.66% were in apical 3rd. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that- (1) more than half of maxillary first molars have four canals and (2) most of the additional canals were located in the MBR and CBVT is a good diagnostic tool to help diagnose these additional canals. Further investigations using larger sample sizes would be helpful.
Living Donor Liver Transplantation in Patients 70 Years or Older

Introduction Previous published studies have shown that age is not a contraindication for deceased donor liver transplantation. The data about elderly recipient after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) is unsatisfactory. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcome of the LDLT with recipients aged 70 years or older. Patients and Methods Between 2005 and 2013, 469 patients underwent LDLTs. The clinical characteristics, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative data, graft, and patients' survival of these patients were retrospectively analyzed. All recipients who were 70 years or older at the time of liver transplantation were indentified. The results were compared to the results of the patients younger than 70 years. Results There were 12 patients (2%) 70 years or older. All patients received the right lobe of their donor in a standard technique. One patient died postoperatively because of pulmonary infection, and one patient died 6 months after the operation because of graft failure after cardiac infarction. The comorbidity score of these two patients were significantly higher compared to the other ten patients without any complications (8.5 vs. 4.6, P = 0.01). The 1-year and 3-year patient and graft survival was 84%. There were no significant differences in complications, hospital stay, perioperative mortality, or median survival compared to the younger group. Conclusion Although the number of the patients is small, our study emphasizes that LDLT of patients 70 years or older can be performed safely in patients without major comorbidities. Elderly patients with increased risk for postoperative complications should be excluded from LDLT.
Inhibition of SMAD2 expression prevents murine palatal fusion

Transforming growth factor (TGF)‐beta 3 is known to regulate the disappearance of murine medial edge epithelium (MEE) during palatal fusion. Our previous studies showed that SMAD2, a TGF‐beta signaling mediator, was expressed and phosphorylated primarily in the MEE and that SMAD2 phosphorylation in the MEE was temporospatially regulated by TGF‐beta 3. The goal of this study was to examine the requirement for SMAD2 to complete the developmental events necessary for palatal fusion. SMAD2 expression was inhibited with Smad2 siRNA transfection into palatal tissues in vitro. The results showed that Smad2 siRNA transfection resulted in the maintenance of MEE cells in the palatal midline. Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses confirmed that the endogenous SMAD2 and phospho‐SMAD2 levels were reduced following siRNA transfection. The SMAD3 level was not altered by the Smad2 siRNA transfection. The persistence of the MEE and the decreased SMAD2/phospho‐SMAD2 levels were coincident with increased MEE cell proliferation. Addition of exogenous TGF‐beta 3 increased p‐SMAD2 level but not the total SMAD2 level. Therefore, exogenous TGF‐beta 3 was not able to induce p‐SMAD2 enough to rescue the palatal phenotype in the Smad2 siRNA group. The results indicated that the endogenous SMAD2 level is crucial in the regulation of disappearance of MEE during palatal fusion. Developmental Dynamics 235:1785–1793, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Effects of Free Childcare on Labor Supply and Children

Many governments have introduced generous childcare subsidies to allow all children access to early childhood education. The effects of these costly programs are however still debated. In this paper, we use the introduction of free public childcare in several states in Germany to analyze its effects on children and their families. Our results suggest that the effects of public childcare depend on the child's age: free public childcare for 3-year-olds increases attendance and female labor supply, while it reduces childcare attendance for 5-and 6-year-olds. After the policy reforms, 3-year-olds improve their developmental skills in the short-run while there might be some detrimental effects for older preschool children.
Effect of personal protective eyewear on postural stability

Vision is a significant factor in postural stability; this study is the first to report on the effect of OSHA regulated personal protective eyewear on physiological factors associated with postural stability. Twenty college students between the ages of 19 and 25 were randomly tested in each of three eyewear conditions (control, new, and artificially aged) using a NeuroCom® Balance Master System and the mCTSIB protocol. Subjects were pre-tested with no eyewear (control) on each day followed by a 5-min assembly task with random eyewear assignment. Subjects were then post-tested following the same protocol while wearing the eyewear. Data were evaluated using a two (pre/post) × three (eyewear) repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). There was a significant main effect for both the eyes open/firm flat surface, and eyes open/foam flat surface conditions (p ⩽ .05). These findings suggest that while personal protective eyewear may serve to protect an individual from eye injury, an individual's use of such personal protective eyewear may have deleterious effects on sensory input from the visual system and compensatory strategies to maintaining or regaining postural stability. Individuals who employ protective eyewear on a daily basis need to be aware of the effect of altered visual input resulting from eyewear on their postural stability, especially during sensory-challenging tasks, such as navigating ladders, scaffolding and elevated surfaces, typically found in construction environments.
Nutritional support for low birth weight infants: insights from animal studies

Abstract Infants born with low birth weights (<2500 g, LBW), accounting for about 15 % of newborns, have a high risk for postnatal growth failure and developing the metabolic syndromes such as type 2 diabetes, CVD and obesity later in life. Improper nutrition provision during critical stages, such as undernutrition during the fetal period or overnutrition during the neonatal period, has been an important mediator of these metabolic diseases. Considering the specific physiological status of LBW infants, nutritional intervention and optimisation during early life merit further attention. In this review, the physiological and metabolic defects of LBW infants were summarised from a nutritional perspective. Available strategies for nutritional interventions and optimisation of LBW infants, including patterns of nutrition supply, macronutrient proportion, supplementation of amino acids and their derivatives, fatty acids, nucleotides, vitamins, minerals as well as hormone and microbiota manipulators, were reviewed with an aim to provide new insights into the advancements of formulas and human-milk fortifiers.
Caffeine Improves Cognitive Performance After Strenuous Physical Exercise

The effects of three carbohydrate electrolyte solutions (CES) containing different amounts of caffeine on cognitive function and the combined effects of these drinks and exercise on cognitive functions were investigated in a double-blind, cross-over study. On five separate occasions, fifteen endurance trained male athletes (23.3 years) received water placebo, CES placebo (68.8 g/l), and three CES drinks containing low, medium and high dosages of caffeine (150, 225 and 320 mg/l). Each occasion, 8 ml/kg of the drink was consumed before -- and 6 ml/kg of the drink was consumed during an all-out 1 hour time trial on a bicycle ergometer. Cognitive (attentional, psychomotor, and memory) tests were carried out immediately before and immediately after exercise. Before exercise, long term memory was improved by CES plus low dose caffeine compared to both placebos. Immediately after exercise, all cognitive functions were improved by CES plus low- and medium-dose caffeine compared to placebo. These results comprise the first practical demonstration of the cognition improving effects of low amounts of caffeine in CES after strenuous physical exercise.
A Genomic Pathway Approach to a Complex Disease: Axon Guidance and Parkinson Disease

While major inroads have been made in identifying the genetic causes of rare Mendelian disorders, little progress has been made in the discovery of common gene variations that predispose to complex diseases. The single gene variants that have been shown to associate reproducibly with complex diseases typically have small effect sizes or attributable risks. However, the joint actions of common gene variants within pathways may play a major role in predisposing to complex diseases (the paradigm of complex genetics). The goal of this study was to determine whether polymorphism in a candidate pathway (axon guidance) predisposed to a complex disease (Parkinson disease [PD]). We mined a whole-genome association dataset and identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that were within axon-guidance pathway genes. We then constructed models of axon-guidance pathway SNPs that predicted three outcomes: PD susceptibility (odds ratio = 90.8, p = 4.64 × 10−38), survival free of PD (hazards ratio = 19.0, p = 5.43 × 10−48), and PD age at onset (R 2 = 0.68, p = 1.68 × 10−51). By contrast, models constructed from thousands of random selections of genomic SNPs predicted the three PD outcomes poorly. Mining of a second whole-genome association dataset and mining of an expression profiling dataset also supported a role for many axon-guidance pathway genes in PD. These findings could have important implications regarding the pathogenesis of PD. This genomic pathway approach may also offer insights into other complex diseases such as Alzheimer disease, diabetes mellitus, nicotine and alcohol dependence, and several cancers.
The role of neuroticism and extraversion in the stress–anxiety and stress–depression relationships

Abstract Though there is a considerable amount of research supporting the association between stressful life events and major depression, there is a paucity of research concerning a range of other life stress constructs, non-depressive disorders, the role of stable personality traits, and gender differences. This study addresses these deficits by: (a) focusing on the association between interpersonal and non-interpersonal chronic life stress (CLS) and both depressive and anxiety disorders; (b) examining the roles of neuroticism and low extraversion in these associations; and (c) assessing gender differences. Participants were 603 adolescents from a study examining risk factors for emotional disorders. Depression and social phobia were associated with interpersonal CLS (IP-CLS), with neuroticism partially accounting for these associations. Low extraversion partially accounted for the association between social phobia and IP-CLS. Depression was also associated with non-interpersonal CLS (NI-CLS), but only in females. This study provides preliminary evidence for the importance of personality variables in explaining shared associations between stress and depression. Additionally, the stress–social phobia relationship is highlighted with no evidence supporting an association between other anxiety disorders and CLS.
Spinal Serum-Inducible and Glucocorticoid-Inducible Kinase 1 Mediates Neuropathic Pain via Kalirin and Downstream PSD-95-Dependent NR2B Phosphorylation in Rats

The coupling of the spinal postsynaptic density-95 (PSD-95) with the glutamatergic N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor NR2B subunit and the subsequent NR2B phosphorylation contribute to pain-related plasticity. Increasing evidence reveals that kalirin, a Rho-guanine nucleotide exchange factor, modulates PSD-95-NR2B-dependent neuroplasticity. Our laboratory recently demonstrated that serum-inducible and glucocorticoid-inducible kinase 1 (SGK1) participates in inflammation-associated pain hypersensitivity by modulating spinal glutamatergic neurotransmission. Because kalirin is one of the proteins in PSD that is highly phosphorylated by various kinases, we tested whether kalirin could be a downstream target of spinal SGK1 that participates in neuropathic pain development via regulation of the PSD-95–NR2B coupling-dependent phosphorylation of NR2B. We observed that spinal nerve ligation (SNL, L5) in male Sprague Dawley rats resulted in behavioral allodynia, which was associated with phosphorylated SGK1 (pSGK1), kalirin, and phosphorylated NR2B (pNR2B) expression and an increase in pSGK1–kalirin–PSD-95–pNR2B coprecipitation in the ipsilateral dorsal horn (L4–L5). SNL-enhanced kalirin immunofluorescence was coincident with pSGK1, PSD-95, and pNR2B immunoreactivity. Small-interfering RNA (siRNA) that targeted spinal kalirin mRNA expression (10 μg, 10 μl; i.t.) reduced SNL-induced allodynia, kalirin and pNR2B expression, as well as kalirin–PSD-95 and PSD-95–pNR2B coupling and costaining without affecting SGK1 phosphorylation. Daily administration of GSK-650394 (an SGK1 antagonist; 100 nm, 10 μl, i.t.) not only exhibited effects similar to the kalirin mRNA-targeting siRNA but also attenuated pSGK1–kalirin costaining and SGK1–kalirin coupling. We suggest that nerve injury could induce spinal SGK1 phosphorylation that subsequently interacts with and upregulates kalirin to participate in neuropathic pain development via PSD-95–NR2B coupling-dependent NR2B phosphorylation.
The Nithsdale Schizophrenia Surveys. VIII: Do Relatives Want Family Intervention – And Does It Help?

Sixty-three relatives of 52 schizophrenics living at home were offered a package of treatments by professionals working in an everyday NHS setting: educational seminars, relatives' groups, and family meetings. Thirty-two relatives refused intervention. Of the 31 relatives who agreed, 14 attended neither the educational seminars nor the relatives' groups. Seventeen relatives had a mean of ten treatment sessions, but there was little change in their level of expressed emotion after intervention. The number of patients who relapsed was the same in the 18 months before and after intervention, although the total number of relapses fell after intervention. British Journal of Psychiatry (1991), 158, 110–113
The COL5A1 genotype is associated with range of motion measurements

There is an interest in identifying the intrinsic risk factors, including altered musculotendinous flexibility, that may be associated with musculotendinous injuries. We have recently shown that a sequence variant, namely the BstUI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), within the COL5A1 gene is associated with chronic Achilles tendinopathy. Mutations within COL5A1 have been implicated in Ehlers Danlos syndrome, a condition that is characterized by joint hypermobility. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of sequence variants within COL5A1 and musculotendinous range of motion (ROM). The sit and reach (SR) and the passive straight leg raise (SLR) were measured on 119 Caucasian subjects with either a past, current or no history of Achilles tendon injuries. The subjects were genotyped for four sequence variants within the 3′‐UTR of the COL5A1 gene. Gender (P=0.016), age (P=0.011) and the BstUI RFLP (P=0.010) jointly contributed significantly to the optimal SLR model which accounted for 19.3% of the variance. The factors contributing significantly to SR, which accounted for 28.8% of the variance, were weight (P=0.004), age (P<0.001) and the BstUI RFLP (P=0.001). These data suggest that the COL5A1 BstUI RFLP is independently associated with lower limb ROM within the cohort investigated in this study.
Thiazolidinediones inhibit the progression of established hypertension in the Dahl salt-sensitive rat

We evaluated the effects of two thiazolidinediones (TZDs), the potent PPARγ agonist rosiglitazone currently being used to treat diabetes, and a structurally similar experimental compound that is a poor PPARγ agonist, in a non-diabetic, established hypertension model with continuous measurement of blood pressure by telemetry. Hypertension was induced in male Dahl salt-sensitive rats by a three-week pre-treatment with 4% salt before initiation of treatment. Fasting blood samples were taken for analysis of a biomarker panel to assess metabolic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity of the treatments. Both TZDs significantly reduced both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. When used at the maximally effective doses established for metabolic improvement, both compounds produced equivalent reduction in lipids and elevation of adiponectin, yet the poorer PPARγ agonist produced significantly greater reductions in blood pressure. Neither compound had a significant effect on circulating glucose or insulin in this animal model. The data demonstrate that these TZDs lower blood pressure significantly in Dahl rats and that this cardiovascular pharmacology is not directly correlated with the metabolic actions or with the magnitude of PPARγ activation. These data suggest that it may be possible to find insulin-sensitising agents that have beneficial cardiovascular pharmacology with broad applications for disease prevention.
PotTS: The Potsdam Twitter Sentiment Corpus

In this paper, we introduce a novel comprehensive dataset of 7,992 German tweets, which were manually annotated by two human experts with fine-grained opinion relations. A rich annotation scheme used for this corpus includes such sentiment-relevant elements as opinion spans, their respective sources and targets, emotionally laden terms with their possible contextual negations and modifiers. Various inter-annotator agreement studies, which were carried out at different stages of work on these data (at the initial training phase, upon an adjudication step, and after the final annotation run), reveal that labeling evaluative judgements in microblogs is an inherently difficult task even for professional coders. These difficulties, however, can be alleviated by letting the annotators revise each other’s decisions. Once rechecked, the experts can proceed with the annotation of further messages, staying at a fairly high level of agreement.
A reduction of asymmetric dimethylarginine in renal transplant recipients receiving sirolimus-based regimen.

OBJECTIVE Sirolimus may be of benefit in terms ofa reduction of cardiovascular disease in renal transplant recipients. The aim of the present study was to investigate cardiovascular risk markers in renal transplant recipients receiving calcineurin inhibitors (CNI-based regimen), as compared to those receiving sirolimus (SRL-based regimen). MATERIAL AND METHOD 42 patients were recruited (21 patients for each regimen). Plasma concentrations of cardiovascular risk markers, including asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), nitric oxide (NO), homocysteine (Hcy), and total antioxidant status (TAOS) were measured. RESULTS Plasma ADMA concentrations were lower in patients with SRL-based regimen, as compared to those with CNI-based regimen (0.52 ± 0.02 and 0.60 ± 0.02 μmol/L, p = 0.027). There were no statistically significant differences seen in NO, Hcy, and TAOS between the two treatments. CONCLUSION As compared to CNI-based regimen, cardiovascular risk marker (ADMA) levels are lower in patients with SRL-based regimen.
Design and implementation of a four-phase converter with digital current sharing control for battery charger

This paper designs and implements a charger with high output current for EV batteries, the structure of the charger is formed of a four-phase interleaved buck converter with synchronous rectification and associated with the digital controller, in which the current sharing control is realized. The interleaved control scheme can reduce the output ripple and decrease the power component stress in battery charger application. In addition, synchronous rectification is utilized to improve power efficiency of the interleaved buck converter. This paper uses TMS32F28035 by TI as the digital controller to control the implemented four-phase buck converter to perform interleaved control, charging function and current sharing control. The specification of the used Yttrium Lithium battery is 20V/40Ah for experiments. The validity of the charger formed of the designed interleaved buck converter is conducted with the experiment results for constant current 40A output and the verification of current sharing control.
Dimensional analysis of objects in a 2D image

The volume calculation and weight estimation of objects is used in many real world applications, such as calculating the nutritional content in food items, in forensic science, etc. While there are several existing models on volume estimation, a majority of these models are based on 3 dimensional images, which are difficult to obtain in real time and require expensive equipment. In this paper, a method is introduced to estimate the dimensions of an object in a 2D image provided by the user. Three tasks are performed-object recognition using the algorithm of Haar Cascades, dimension calculation using a reference object and a Conversion Factor, and volume estimation using conventional 3D shape models for regular objects and a prediction model based on regression analysis for human body. The observed values are compared with the ground truth and obtained an accuracy of 93.69%.