Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of methylprednisolone suspension by iontophoresis in patients with arthrosis of the knee

The knee arthrosis is very frequent rheumatic degenerative disease. It primarily represents a damaged joint cartilage, which causes pain and reduction in mobility, inability to walk and associated symptoms. In this clinical syndrome we found synovitis as attendant symptom of „activated knee arthrosis“. Therapeutic regiment is based on applications of non-specific inhibitors of inflammation, non-steroidal inflammatory drugs, and application of physical therapy. Later on, preparations of hyaluronic acid have been given. Application of corticosteroid by iontophoresis is not so common in clinical practice, instead of intraarticular injection of cortisone preparations (e.g. poorly soluble suspensions of methylprednisolone and betamethasone). In this work we have shown the importance of application of corticosteroids with iontophoresis in patients with arthrosis of the knee joint. The optimal iontophoretic application of methylprednisolone acetate in the cases with knee joint arthrosis was performed by the following protocol: application of the drug with negative electrode, the current of 120 mA*min/cm 2 , with the average time of application (depending on to patient individual sensitivity) of 20 minutes. The improvement of the signs and symptoms and the subjective discomfort in the knee joints were measured by Hubertus test and VAS scale. Our results showed that clinical and subjective improvement was larger and more sustained in the group which was treated with iontophoretic application of methylprednisolone, than in the group treated with placebo (distilled water). Abbreviations: VAS - visual analogue scale, NSAID - nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, TENS - transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation
Organisational performance improvement through quality award process participation

Purpose – The purpose of the study is to describe the activities initiated based on participation in a quality award process and with the intention to improve performance. Design/methodology/approach – This study presents a case study of three organisations that have participated in the Swedish Quality Award process. The cases were selected in order to clarify how this award process could be used to improve organisational performance. Findings – Several examples of activities on how to improve organisational performance are provided. Specifically, the areas of customer orientation, process orientation, continuous improvement, committed leadership and participation by everyone have been improved due to the initiated activities. Furthermore, the studied organisations have been successful in their development and communication of visions, and in their empowerment of employees. Research limitations/implications – An interesting area of further research would be to compare different methodologies for performance improvement with one another. Practical implications – Findings from the case studies, and of importance for organisations applying for quality awards, indicate that, if the goal is to get lasting results, it is not sufficient to participate in a quality award process only once. Instead one should participate in the process several times, with enough time in between the applications in order to complete as many as possible of the improvement projects resulting from the evaluations. Originality/value – It is the authors’ intention that the guidelines presented in the paper might be helpful for organisations considering a participation in a quality award process.
The Geography of Innovation: Regional Innovation Systems

There are two paradoxical characteristics of the contemporary global economy. First, innovative activity is not uniformly or randomly distributed across the geographical landscape. Indeed, the more knowledge-intensive the economic activity , the more geographically clustered it tends to be. The best examples include industries such as biotechnology or Wnancial services, which have become ever more tightly clustered in a small number of major centers, despite the attempts of many other places to attract or generate their own activities in these sectors. Second, this tendency toward spatial concentration has become more marked over time, not less contradicts longstanding predictions that the increasing use of information and communication technologies would lead to the dispersal of innovative activity over g g p p g Fagerberg / The Oxford Handbook of Innovation Revised Proof 31.7. 2004 5:38pm page 291
D Visualization of Bone Structure and Thickness

In this paper authors propose a method of bone structure 3D visualization is proposed, which is based on medical images and can separately visualize the cortical and trabecular bone. To visualize the bone structure, the cortical and trabecular bones are first extracted from the medical images using fully automatic image processing methods. The proposed method could be used when analyzing the medical images of patients with osteoporosis, where it is necessary to analyze changes in the microstructure of the bone. Keywords―Cortical bone, medical images, segmentation, trabecular bone, visualization.
GENETIC DIVERSITY AND DIFFERENTIATION OF PINUS SYLVESTRIS L. FROM THE IUFRO 1982 PROVENANCE TRIAL REVEALED BY AFLP ANALYSIS

DNA markers have become effective tools in genetic diversity studies of forest trees. However, molecular marker analyses are associated with laborious and costly effort. One of the possibilities to overcome these constraints is to analyze bulked samples per population, rather than individual plants. We have used bulked DNA-based AFLP analysis to investigate genetic variations in Pinus sylvestris L. (Scots pine) from the IUFRO 1982 provenance trial in Kornik (western Poland). Four AFLP primer combinations yielded a total of 309 bands, of which 208 (67.31%) were polymorphic. Thirty-six (11.65%) unique alleles were deployed randomly among the populations. Estimated genetic diversity and differentiation was high, as expressed by He = 0.238 and I = 0.356, and by genetic distance values which ranged from 0.154 to 0.363. A geographic pattern of interpopulation differentiation was observed, pointing to the individual character of populations from northeastern Europe. In the light of available data, we discuss the influence of historical migration routes, gene flow and human activity on observed genetic diversity and differentiation of Scots pine in Europe. Our results indicate that the AFLP method applied to DNA templates extracted from bulked leaf samples provides an efficient approach to elucidate genetic diversity and relationships among Scots pine populations.
Influence of continental advection on aerosol characteristics over Bay of Bengal (BoB) in winter: results from W-ICARB cruise experiment

Abstract. The transport of aerosols and pollutants from continental India to the adjoining oceanic areas is a major topic of concern and several experimental campaigns have been conducted over the region focusing on aerosol characteristics and their climate implications. The present study analyzes the spectral aerosol optical depth (AOD) variations over Bay of Bengal (BoB) during Winter-Integrated Campaign for Aerosols, gases and Radiation Budget (W-ICARB) from 27 December 2008 to 30 January 2009 and investigates the influence of the adjoining landmass to the marine aerosol field. High AOD500 values (>0.7) occurred over northern BoB due to outflow of aerosols and pollutants from the densely populated Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP); low AOD500 (0.1–0.2) was observed in central and southern BoB, far away from the mainland. The Angstrom exponent "α" was observed to be high (>1.2) near coastal waters, indicating relative abundance of accumulation-mode continental aerosols. On the other hand, over southern BoB its values dropped below ~0.7. National Center for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data on winds at 850 and 700 hPa, along with air-mass trajectories calculated using Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model, suggested transport of continental aerosols from central and northern India over the BoB. On the other hand, when the ship was crossing the eastern BoB, the aerosol loading was strongly affected by air-masses originating from Southeast Asia, causing an increase in AOD and α. Biomass-burning episodes over the region played an important role in the observed aerosol properties. Terra/Aqua Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) AOD550 and cruise measured AOD550 showed good agreement (R2 = 0.86 and 0.77, respectively) over BoB, exhibiting similar AOD and α spatio-temporal variation.
Citation: Brackenridge, Rachel, McKenzie, Karen, Murray, George and Quigley, April (2011) An examination of the effects of stimulant medication on response inhibition: A comparison between children with and without attention

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Some aspects of diffusion in ceramics

Experiments of diffusion are more difficult in ceramics than in metals, because of specific physical, chemical and mechanical properties of ceramic materials. Due to their high melting point, the amount of point defects is generally much less than in metals at the same temperature. That implies very low diffusion coefficients, comparatively to diffusion coefficients measured in metals. The nature of the chemical bond of ceramics gives rise to stronger bonding than in metals and less ability to solve impurities. In these conditions, more segregation and precipitation effects are to be expected in ceramics and these effects may have an influence on the values of the diffusion coefficients. The interpretation of diffusion coefficient values needs a good knowledge of the nature and amount of defects, which are not so easy to control and which depend on the way used to prepare the samples destined to diffusion tests. The aim of this paper is not to give a review of all the values of diffusion coefficients obtained in all ceramics, but to point out some difficulties encountered in determination of diffusion coefficients : penetration depths, comparatively high level of impurity or dopant content in regard with the low amount of intrinsic defects and segregation of impurities to the grain boundaries and to the surface. Examples are given for alpha alumina and chromia.
A Survey on Mono-, Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids, Desaturase Indices and Atherogenic Index in the Milk Fat of Local Breeds (Cabannina, Varzese and Valdostana) Reared in Northern Italy

In this paper the characteristics of the fatty acid profile in local Italian bovine breeds (Cabannina, Varzese and Valdostana) are compared with those of Friesian, a known cosmopolite breed during the first period of lactation. The local breeds show a general trend to have higher unsaturated fatty acid percentages, as well as lower desaturase indices (related to C14, C16 and C18) and atherogenic index, with respect to Friesian cows. The results can add further information aiming to re-evaluate an almost lost local treasure in Northern Italy.
Experimental auctions, collective induction and choice shift: willingness-to-pay for rice quality in Senegal

We propose a collective induction treatment as an aggregator of information and preferences, which enables testing whether consumer preferences for food quality elicited through experimental auctions are robust to aggregation. We develop a two-stage estimation method based on social judgement scheme theory to identify the determinants of social influence in collective induction. Our method is tested in a market experiment aiming to assess consumers' willingness-to-pay for rice quality in Senegal. No significant choice shift was observed after collective induction, which suggests that consumer preferences for rice quality are robust to aggregation. Almost three quarters of social influence captured by the model and the variables was explained by social status, market expertise and information. , Oxford University Press.
Exploring the Role of Bases and Suffixes When Reading Familiar and Unfamiliar Words: Evidence From French Young Readers

We examined whether French third- and fifth-grade children rely on morphemes when recognizing words and whether this reliance depends on word familiarity. We manipulated the presence of bases and suffixes in words and pseudowords to compare their contribution in a lexical decision task. Both bases and suffixes facilitated word reading accuracy and speed across all grades, even though the co-occurrence of a base and a suffix reduced the benefit associated to the presence of morphemes in third-grade children. Speed of pseudoword (i.e., unfamiliar word) reading was also influenced by base and suffix, and the combination of these units leaded to a high rate of false alarms. These results bring new evidence of morphological analysis in the reading of French familiar and unfamiliar words.
Financial and Nonfinancial Performance of Micro Enterprises in Selected Area in Malaysia

: Malaysian economic growth is greatly contributed by the micro enterprises as the highest establishment among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Thus, this study aims to measure their performance in term of financial and nonfinancial aspects. By using sampling methods include cluster, simple random and convenience sampling; a total of 200 sets of the questionnaire have been distributed to micro enterprises in service sector equally in Malaysia area includes Wilayah Persekutuan (WP) Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Kedah and Kelantan. The result of this study shows that most of the selected micro enterprises have good financial and nonfinancial performance. This study is valuable for practitioners such owners/managers which will help them to make a better strategy in order to improve and enhance their enterprises.
Direct Measurement of the Spatial Displacement of Bloch‐Oscillating Electrons in Semiconductor Superlattices

The absolute spatial displacement of Bloch-oscillating electrons in semiconductor superlattices ismeasured as a function of time with a few angstrom resolution using a novel experimental technique:The oscillating Bloch wave packet creates a small dipole ﬁeld which can be determined using the ﬁeldshift of the Wannier-Stark ladder transitions as a sensitive detector. The total amplitudes and theirdependence on the static electric ﬁeld are in good agreement with a theory including excitonic effects. [S0031-9007(97)03561-8]
An Improved MRI Image Denosing Using Global Thresholding Technique

: In medical image processing, image denoising plays very vital role in all through the diagnose. Medical images are usually corrupted by random noise in its acquisition and Transmission. Removing noise from the original signal is still a Bottleneck problem for researchers. The main objective of Image denoising techniques is necessary to remove such noises while retaining as much as possible the important signal features. There have been various denoising techniques; each has its own assumptions, advantages, and limitations. In this paper, a new thresholding technique using wavelet has been presented alongwith the standard thresholding techniques like soft and hard thresholding. Magnetic resonance (MR) images are routinely used for medical diagnosis. Denoising of these images to enhance their quality & Clinical parameter for an active area of research. This paper presents the wavelet-based thresholding scheme image denoising and noise suppression in MRI images. The performance of denoising scheme is evaluated in terms of PSNR, MSE and MAE.
In Vitro Multiplication in Celosia Argentea L . Var . Argentea

Celosia argentea L. is a herbaceous plant belongs to family Amaranthaceous. Traditionally the plant material is used for the treatment of jaundice, gonorrhea, wounds and fever. The leaves are also used for the treatment of inflammations, fever and itching. The seeds are bitter, useful in blood diseases, mouth sores. They are efficacious remedy in diarrhea. Hence, in vitro techniques for multiplication of Celosia argentea was developed using apical buds and shoot tip as an explant.
Interannual Variation of Seasonal Changes of Precipitation and Moisture Transport in the Western North Pacific

Interannual variation of seasonal changes of precipitation and moisture transport in the western North Pacific from June to August is studied using global monthly precipitation data, and NCEP-NCAR (National Center for Environmental Prediction-National Center for Atmospheric Research) reanalysis for 20 years from 1979 to 1998. According to the meridional shift of the intense precipitation area and precipitation amounts in June and August to the east of the Philippines, the seasonal changes of precipitation are categorized into Types A and B. Type A is characterized by the northward shift of intense precipitation area and the increase of precipitation from June to August. Type A is further classified into two: Sub-Types A1 and A2. The former is characterized by the gradual increase of precipitation and the northward shift of the intense precipitation area from 6 � Nt o 16 � N. The latter is characterized by a relatively intense precipitation in June, decrease of precipitation in July, significant increase of precipitation with a maximum in August, and the northward shift from 13 � Nt o 22 � N. Type B is characterized by a seasonal change, with almost no precipitation increase nor northward shift from June to August. Difference in the precipitation amount between Types A and B corresponds to the westerly moisture flux originating from the Indian Ocean, and the southerly moisture flux which comes across the equator at the lower level. It is found that the westerly and southerly moisture flux in Type B are much smaller than those in Type A, especially in August. The westerly moisture flux in Sub-Type A2 is larger than that in Sub-Type A1. The seasonal changes of westerly moisture flux show gradual increase in Sub-Type A1, and significant increase in June and August and decrease in July in Sub-Type A2. They are corresponding to those of the precipitation amount, respectively. The large westerly moisture flux and the strong moisture convergence to the east of the Philippines in August in Type A, are associated with the eastward extension of the trough from the Eurasian continent. The northward shift of the intense precipitation area corresponds to the intensification of the eastward extended trough.
Appendix : Convolutional Imputation of Matrix Networks

Exact recovery guarantee Theorem 1. We assume that A is a matrix network on a graph G, and its graph Fourier transform Â(k) are a sequence of matrices, each of them is at most rank r, and Â satisfy the incoherence condition with coherence μ. And we observe a matrix network A on the graph G, for a subset of node in Ω random sampled from the network, node i on the network is sampled with probability pi, we define the average sampling rate p = 1 N ∑N i=1 pi = |Ω|/(Nn), and defineR = 1 pPΩU ∗. Then we prove that for any sampling probability distribution {pi}, as long as the average sampling rate p > Cμ r n log (Nn) for some constants C, the solution to the optimization problem
An overview of biofilm formation in distribution systems and its impact on the deterioration of water quality

The impact of biofilms present in water distribution systems on the microbial quality of potable water is reported in this rev iew. The issues covered include the composition of bioflims, factors governing their formation and the effect and significance of biofilms on the microbial quality of drinking water. The review addresses the main factors governing the formation of biofilms such as the types of disinfectants and residual concentrations, resistance of bacteria to disinfectants, the influence of piping mat erial and the effect of temperature. Methods for the enumeration of bacteria in biofilms as well as emerging technologies for in situ monitoring of biofilms are discussed. Suggested control measures for managing and controlling the problem of biofilm formation in potable water distribution systems to ensure potable water of an acceptable microbiological quality are dealt with.
Facebook Usage among Somali Youth: A Test of Uses and Gratificaitons Approach

This study aims to investigate the uses and gratifications obtained by Somali youth from using Facebook based on the uses and gratifications theory. The study employed online survey to collect the data. A total of 311 respondents participated in the study. The results suggest that Somali youth are motivated by virtual companionship escape, interpersonal habitual entertainment, self-description of own country, self-expression, information seeking, and passing time gratifications. When regressed these factors against the time spent on the site, virtual companionship escape (β = .281 t = 3.226, p< .05), interpersonal habitual entertainment (β = .145, t= 1.972, P< .05) and self-description of own country (β =.184, t= 2.762, P< .05) appeared as the predictors of the model. Finally, the study found that Facebook can be used as promotion tool for a country. Thus, the study suggests examining that factor in the context of countries that are experiencing chaotic situation.
Taurine Modulates Hyperglycemia-Mediated Oxidative Stress and Protects Hepatocytes in Experimental Diabetes

The present study was conducted to investigate the beneficial effects of taurine (TAU) on glucose and lipid metabolism and its positive roles in the correction of oxidative stress diabetes-related complications in STZ diabetic rats. Diabetic rats showed significant (P<0.05) increase in the levels of glucose, HbA1c, AST, ALT, LDH, liver and kidney weights, urea, uric acid, creatinine and significant decrease in the levels of body and pancreas weights, insulin, pancreatic amylase, hexokinase, liver and muscle glycogen, total protein, albumin, antioxidant enzymes and HDL-C. Also, higher levels of cholesterol, TG, total lipids, LDL-C and MDA were noticed in diabetic rats. The taurine administration (50 mg/kg) showed antihyperglycemic effect as indicated by reduced glucose levels, HbA1c and improved insulin level and carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes. In addition, taurine supplementation normalized liver function and inhibited lipid prfile alterations while, kidney weight, urea, creatinine, uric acid, total protein and albumin levels were partially improved. The obtained results revealed that taurine exhibited an inhibitory effect on oxidative stress indices (MDA) and partially improved antioxidantlevels. Taurine could have potential as a pharmaceutical drug for diabetes mellitus (DM). Additional study is needed to investigate whether taurine has the same beneficial effects in human diabetic patients.
Seizmičko ocjenjivanje postojećih AB građevina prije i nakon pojačavanja posmičnim zidovima

U ovom se radu ocjenjuju postojeće armiranobetonske (AB) građevine prije i nakon pojačanja posmičnim zidovima. Za potrebe numeričkog proračuna odabrana je postojeća AB građevina koja je zatim pojačana pomoću posmičnih zidova. Provedene su inkrementalne dinamičke analize i analize postupnim guranjem (pushover analiza), a za to je primijenjena metoda raspoređenog plastičnog zgloba. Prema dobivenim rezultatima, seizmičkim pojačanjem pomoću posmičnih zidova ne samo da se poboljšava krutost i nosivost građevina već se i smanjuju bočni pomaci i oštećenja.