Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the Bond Strengths between Dental Porcelain and Cobalt-Chromium Metal Frameworks Manufactured with Different Techniques after the Thermal Aging Process

Purpose The present study is aimed at examining the bond strength of cobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) metal frameworks, prepared through different techniques, to a single type of low-temperature porcelain system after the thermal aging process. Methods A hundred and twenty Co-Cr alloy framework specimens were prepared using conventional casting, CAD/CAM, and two commercially different laser sintering devices, and dental porcelain was applied to the specimens. A single type of dental porcelain (Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc., Tokyo, Japan) was applied to the specimens. After the subgroups were determined, half of the specimens were subjected to a thermal aging process. Bond strength of specimens was evaluated using a 3-point bending test. The surfaces of the fractured specimens were evaluated using a stereomicroscope. The metal-porcelain bonding area of samples randomly selected from 8 groups has been examined with SEM under ×1000 magnifications. Normality distribution of obtained data was examined using by a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. The obtained data of the present study was statistically analyzed with a statistical package program (SPSS for Windows 22.0, Chicago, IL, USA). Results There was a statistically significant difference between CAD/CAM and the other three methods, and the bonding value of the CAD/CAM group was the highest among the groups. Besides, the bond strength between dental porcelain and 4 differently produced metal frameworks was high enough to surpass the acceptable threshold (>25 MPa) according to the ISO 9693. There was no statistically significant difference between thermal aging applied and nonapplied groups. Conclusions Based on this study, it could be shown that the metal-ceramic bond strength is dependent on the manufacturing method used, but it is independent of the thermal aging application. It was found that the bond strength values of all samples with and without thermal aging application exceeded the minimum acceptable value of 25 MPa recommended by the ISO 9693.
Distribution of Fish Species in Great Bear Lake, Northwest Territories, with Reference to Zooplankton, Benthic Invertebrates, and Environmental Conditions

Benthic invertebrates in Great Bear Lake are most highly concentrated in the upper 20 m. Densities between 20 and 100 m are low; below 100 m only Mysis relicta and Myoxocephalus quadricornis exist at measurable densities. All benthic organisms exhibit a high degree of patchiness.Lake trout, Salvelinus namaycush, and M. quadricornis are two species that inhabit the lake at all depths (3–400 m) and temperatures (13.2 C for M. quadricornis and 15 C for S. namaycush). Whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis, inhabit only the bays, seldom being caught in water over 20 m deep. The distribution of whitefish is considered to be restricted mainly by the density of benthic organisms.Three species are confined to the periphery of the lake, Stizostedion vitreum, Lota lota, and Catostomus catostomus. Two species, Couesius plumbeus and Percopsis omiscomaycus, are present in the headwaters and Great Bear River but have not been able to establish themselves in Great Bear Lake. Extreme oligotrophy is considered to have had the e.
Influence of shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes on reproduction of Drosophila melanogaster

Influence of shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes on reproduction of Drosophila melanogaster Shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes is an edible basidiomycete cultivated worldwide, with high nutritious value and diverse biological activity. There has been an increase in its use as food supplement. Influence of shiitake mushroom extract on the reproductive function and development in an object fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is described in this research. Fruit flies were maintained on banana medium with or without supplementation of shiitake mushroom's extract, standardized per amount of crude polysaccharides. Shiitake extract supplement, 0.030% and 0.015% crude polysaccharides per volume, induced a statistically significant increase in total number of pupae and flies, and promoted pupae viability. Adult drosophilae males, which received shiitake extract supplement for seven days, had a statistically significant reduction in copulation latency, while thirty day exposure to extract promoted a statistically higher rate of mated flies. Females showed an increase in number of mated flies and reduction in copulation latency post seven day feeding period and had no significant effect on mating ability and fertility post thirty days. Further studies are planned to identify the biologically active components of shiitake mushroom hot water extract and to characterize their effects on reproductive function. Šitakē sēnes Lentinula edodes ietekme uz Drosophila melanogaster reproduktivitāti Šitakē sēne Lentinula edodes ir plaši kultivēta ēdamā bazidiomicēte ar augstu uzturvērtību un plašu biologiskās aktivitātes spektru, kas arvien plašāk tiek lietota kā pārtikas piedeva. Šajā darbā iegūti dati par L. edodes ekstrakta iedarbību uz modeļobjekta augļu mušas D. melanogaster vairošanās funkciju un attīstību. Šitakē karsta ūdens ekstrakts, standartizēts pēc polisaharīdu satura, tika izmantots kā barības piedeva, audzējot mušas banānu barotnēs. Lietojot kā barības piedevu ekstraktu ar polisaharīdu koncentrācijām 0.030% un 0.015%, novēroja statistiski būtisku kūniņu un mušu skaita palielināšanos, kā arī pozitīvu ietekmi uz kūniņu dzīvotspēju. Drozofilu tēviņiem, kas šitakē ekstrakta piedevu saņēma septiņas dienas, statistiski būtiski samazinājās kopulācijas latentais periods, bet pēc 30 dienu ilgstošas lietošanas statistiski būtiski palielinājās sakopulējošo mušu skaits. Mātītēm pēc septiņām dienām samazinājās kopulācijas latentais periods un palielinājās sakopulējušo mušu skaits. Pēc 30 dienu barošanās perioda mātītēm nenovēroja pārošanās spējas un auglības izmaiņas. Turpmākajos pētījumos plānots noteikt biologiski aktīvos savienojumus šitakē sēnes karsta ūdens ekstrakta frakcijās un raksturot to ietekmi uz vairošanās funkciju.
Resource dilution effects on specialist insect herbivores in a grassland biodiversity experiment

1. The resource concentration hypothesis predicts that specialist insect herbivores attain higher loads (density per unit mass of the host-plant species) when their food plants grow in high-density patches in pure stands. 2. We tested the resource concentration hypothesis for nine specialist insect herbivore species sampled from a field experiment where plant diversity had been manipulated experimentally, generating gradients of host-plant abundance. 3. The specialist insects responded to varying host-plant abundance in two contrasting ways: as expected, specialist herbivore species were more likely to be present when their host-plant species were abundant; however, counter to predictions, in plots where specialists were present we found strong negative linear relationships between herbivore loads and host-plant abundances - a 'resource dilution' rather than concentration effect. 4. Increased plant species-richness had an additional, but weak, negative influence on loads beyond that due to host-plant abundance. 5. We discuss the implications of resource dilution effects for biodiversity manipulation experiments and for the study of plant–herbivore interactions more generally.
Green Synthesis and Biological Assessments of Silver Nanoparticles Using the Plant Extract of Crataegus sinaica Boiss. Fruits

Crataegus sinaica Boiss is a hawthorn plant that was found as a hybrid of two species, C. azarolus and C. monogyna, which grows vastly in the mountains of the Protectorate of St. Catherine, South Sinai, Egypt. The fruits of the plant are rich in primary and secondary metabolites, for instance reducing, total sugars, flavonoids, and phenols as demonstrated by the phytochemical analysis. The aqueous extract of the fruits of the plant was used to prepare the silver nanoparticles by green method, in which the reducing and total sugars facilitate the preparation step as they act as reducing and stabilizing agents. The nanoparticles of the plant were efficiently synthesized through mixing Crataegus sinaica fruits aqueous extract with silver nitrate solution at room temperature following the predetermined procedures for nanoparticle preparation. The prepared nanoparticles were identified by means of spectroscopic and analytical measurements i.e. UV-vis, IR, TEM, and zeta sizer-zeta analyzer. The extract of the fruits of the plant and its silver nanoparticles were assessed as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents, in which the nanoparticle solution displayed the more potent activities against the diverse microbial species and potent antioxidant agent than the aqueous extract.
Does Malaysian Islamic Money Market Efficiently Predict Inflation in the Future? Evidence from Fisher Effect Theory

Fisher theory explains relationship between interest rate and expected inflation rate that indicates market efficiency. In Malaysia, the Islamic money market has gained importance since its own largest composition in Malaysian financial market. This study attempts to examine the existence of Fisher Effect relationship in Malaysian Islamic Money Market. Period of the time series data spanning from 2010 to 2017. Three variables include in this paper which are Inflation Rate (INF), 3-months Malaysian Islamic Treasury Bills Rate (MITB) and Islamic Interbank Rate (IIR). First stage of analysis is to examine the existence of the Fisher effect relationship by applying Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach as an estimation method. Second stage analysis is to determine the Fisher Effect relationship appear in a weak or strong form relationship. The findings suggest the Fisher Effect theory exists in Malaysian Islamic money market thus implies the efficiency of Islamic Money Market to predict inflation’s movement in the future. However, it appears in a weak form of relationship. Overall, the outcome of this study is highly benefit to policy maker as the role of Fisher Effect in predicting inflation reflect an effective monetary policy to promote economy growth and sustainable development.
Political Promise Evaluation (PPE)

PPE provides a unified view of promises made by Political Candidates while campaigning and the promises fulfilled during their tenure. PPE scours and summarizes Political Promises which are then matched with relevant articles to predict the current status of the the promise. The newspaper articles were extracted from the New York Times corpus and matched with the appropriate political promise to allow correct analysis of the promise in focus.
Optimizing Traffic Light of an Intersection by using Game Theory

The optimization of traffic light timing is a classic problem in control field and several approaches have been proposed for it so far based on different technologies such as wireless sensor networks, fuzzy-neural, agents, fuzzy-genetic algorithm, dynamic programming and Petri-nets. Recently, two approaches based on game theory have been proposed too. In this paper, we are going to propose a new optimization model based on game theory. The proposed game model is based on Cournot’s model of duopoly and includes two new features. Simulation showed that the proposed approach can optimize the traffic light timing significantly as compared to fix timing.
DEVELOPMENT OF A GEL PERMEATION CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHOD FOR THE ANALYSIS OF STARCHY PRODUCTS

A new gel permeation chromatographic (GPC) method using dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) for the analysis of starch components amylose and amylopectin and intermediate products was developed. The paper presents a new method for the sample preparation and the influence of flow rate, column temperature and injection volume on the accuracy of GPC analysis, by using two methods. The optimal conditions for the chromatographic analysis were: eluent flow rate 0.4 ml/min., injection volume 100 μl, column temperature 60°C.
Electrochemical biosensor for detection of copper ions in wine

Determination of copper content in wine is of particular importance due to the fact that a relatively high concentration of this element can lead to the development of copper casse. The presence of copper in wine is the results of using copper sulfate solutions in the treatment of vine and for the removal of sulfide odors in wine, and to a lesser extent is due to the accumulation of copper ions from soil and atmosphere. This paper describes an electrochemical method for the determination of copper traces in wine using a specific biosensor. Electrochemical biosensors are among the instrumental methods with high sensitivity that can be used to determine copper ions. The developed biosensor uses as recognition element an amino acid, namely glycine, and displays the response in the form of a cyclic voltammogram. In the first part of this paper a brief description of the biosensor used for the quantification is given, while the second half of the study comprises the results of the experimental analysis conducted. A comparative study was carried out between the experimental data regarding the detection limit of the proposed biosensor using 10 wine samples and the results of an ICP-MS analysis of the same wine samples.
Southern Steelhead, Hard Woody Debris, and Temperature in a California Central Coast Watershed

Abstract We surveyed large wood volumes in relation to the distribution and density of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss and steelhead (anadromous rainbow trout) in 15 stream reaches in the upper Salinas River watershed, California, which represents the southern end of the species’ range. The main tree species contributing to large wood were hardwoods: coast live oak Quercus agrifolia, California sycamore Platanus racemosa, red willow Salix laevigata, and valley oak Q. lobata. Large wood jams were important in pool formation and typically had red willow as their key pieces. Temperatures were exceptionally warm during the study period. No steelhead were observed at sites where the mean water temperature exceeded 21.5°C or the maximum water temperature exceeded 26°C. The combined importance of high temperatures and large wood on the distribution and abundance of southern steelhead indicates that suitable habitat may be reduced if climate change continues on its present course of warming and the frequency of.
Effect of Solid State Fermentation on Nutrient Content and Ileal Amino Acids Digestibility of Canola Meal in Broiler Chickens

The aim of the current study was to investigate the potential of Lactobacillus salivarius solid state fermentation for reduction of glucosinolate content in canola meal (CM) as well as the improvement of its nutrient digestibility for broiler chickens. Canola meal was treated with the L. salivarius in solid state fermentation for 30 days. Nutrients ileal digestibility was tested using 42-day-old broilers fed by either CM or fermented CM (FCM) as the sole source of energy and protein. The results showed that fermentation of CM using L. salivarius reduced glucosinolate content of CM by 38%. The digestibility coefficient was improved significantly for crude protein, Met, Cys, Arg, Asp, Glu, and Ser in FCM compared to CM. However, apparent metabolisable energy of CM was not affected by fermentation. It appears that fermentation treatment of CM using L. salivarius may improve the overall nutritive value of CM for broiler chickens, reducing its total glucosinolate and crude fibre content by 38 and 16%, respectively.
INCIDENCE AND TIME TREND OF HIP FRACTURES IN ROMANIA: A NATIONWIDE STUDY FROM 2008 TO 2018.

Background Hip fractures are a major issue of public health as they are responsible for high morbidity, excess mortality and costs. There are differences in Europe and worldwide in the incidence rates of hip fractures and time trends, in the context of the population aging. Ten years ago, we characterized the incidence of hip fracture in Romania using data from the national hospital discharge register. Objective This is the first Romanian study to assess the hip fracture incidence rates over a period of 11 years, between 2008 and 2018. Subjects and Methods This analysis is a nationwide retrospective study on hospitals reporting primary DRG data on hip fracture, using a rigorous definition with both diagnostic and surgical procedure codes. The population aged 40+ was stratified in 5-year intervals and both the crude incidence rates and the adjusted incidence rates of hip fracture using standardization on age for the 2018 reference population were calculated in women and men. Results From 2008 to 2018, the number of hip fractures rose by 53 % in women (from 7513 to 11512) and 22.4 % in men (from 4266 to 5220). Meanwhile, the Romanian population over 40 years increased by 12.5% in women and 14.2% in men. The crude incidence rate rose by 36.2% in women and 7.2% in men and the age-standardized incidence rates by 27.4% in women and 6% in men. These increases are mostly based on 85+ age populations' changes. Conclusions In Romania, the hip fractures incidence continues to grow throughout an 11-year-period, especially in women, representing an increasing burden for our society.
Phase Locking of Auditory Nerve Fibers: The Role of Lowpass Filtering by Hair Cells

Phase locking of auditory-nerve-fiber (ANF) responses to the temporal fine structure of acoustic stimuli, a hallmark of the auditory system's temporal precision, is important for many aspects of hearing. Previous work has shown that phase-locked period histograms are often well described by exponential transfer functions relating instantaneous stimulus pressure to instantaneous spike rate, with no observed clipping of the histograms. The operating points and slopes of these functions change with stimulus level. The mechanism underlying this apparent gain control is unclear but is distinct from mechanical compression, is independent of refractoriness and spike-rate adaptation, and is apparently instantaneous. Here we show that these findings can be accounted for by a model consisting of a static Boltzmann transducer function yielding a clipped output, followed by a lowpass filter and a static exponential transfer function. Using responses to tones of ANFs from cats of both sexes, we show that, for a given ANF, the period histograms obtained at all stimulus levels for a given stimulus frequency can be described using one set of level-independent model parameters. The model also accounts for changes in the maximum and minimum instantaneous spike rates with changes in stimulus level. Notably, the estimated cutoff frequency is lower for low- than for high-spontaneous-rate ANFs, implying a synapse-specific contribution to lowpass filtering. These findings advance our understanding of ANF phase locking by highlighting the role of peripheral filtering mechanisms in shaping responses of individual ANFs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Phase locking of auditory-nerve-fiber responses to the temporal fine structure of acoustic stimuli is important for many aspects of hearing. Period histograms typically retain an approximately sinusoidal shape across stimulus levels, with the peripheral auditory system operating as though its overall transfer function is an exponential function whose slope decreases with increasing stimulus level. This apparent gain control can be accounted for by a static saturating transducer function followed by a lowpass filter. In addition to attenuating the AC component, the filter approximately recovers the sinusoidal waveform of the stimulus. The estimated cutoff frequency varies with spontaneous rate, revealing a synaptic contribution to lowpass filtering. These findings highlight the significant impact of peripheral filtering mechanisms on phase locking.
Tumor-associated autoantibodies in combination with alpha-fetoprotein for detection of early stage hepatocellular carcinoma

Background Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to be a leading challenge in modern oncology. Early detection via blood-based screening tests has the potential to cause a stage-shift at diagnosis and improve clinical outcomes. Tumor associated autoantibodies (TA-AAbs) have previously shown the ability to distinguish HCC from patients with high-risk liver disease. This research aimed to further show the utility of TA-AAbs as biomarkers of HCC and assess their use in combination with Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) for detection of HCC across multiple tumor stages. Methods Levels of circulating G class antibodies to 44 recombinant tumor associated antigens and circulating AFP were measured in the serum of patients with HCC, non-cancerous chronic liver disease (NCCLD) and healthy controls via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). TA-AAb cut-offs were set at the highest Youden’s J statistic at a specificity ≥95.00%. Panels of TA-AAbs were formed using net reclassification improvement. AFP was assessed at a cut-off of 200 ng/ml. Results Sensitivities ranged from 1.01% to 12.24% at specificities of 95.96% to 100.00% for single TA-AAbs. An ELISA test measuring a panel of 10 of these TA-AAbs achieved a combined sensitivity of 36.73% at a specificity of 89.89% when distinguishing HCC from NCCLD controls. At a cut-off of 200 ng/ml, AFP achieved a sensitivity of 31.63% at a specificity of 100.00% in the same cohort. Combination of the TA-AAb panel with AFP significantly increased the sensitivity for stage one (40.00%) and two (55.00%) HCC over the TA-AAb panel or AFP alone. Conclusions A panel of TA-AAbs in combination with AFP could be clinically relevant as a replacement for measuring levels of AFP alone in surveillance and diagnosis strategies. The increased early stage sensitivity could lead to a stage shift with positive prognostic outcomes.
Surface runoff alters cave microbial community structure and function

Caves formed by sulfuric acid dissolution have been identified worldwide. These caves can host diverse microbial communities that are responsible for speleogenesis and speleothem formation. It is not well understood how microbial communities change in response to surface water entering caves. Illumina 16S rRNA sequencing and bioinformatic tools were used to determine the impact of surface water on the microbial community diversity and function within a spring pool found deep in the Monte Conca Cave system in Sicily, Italy. Sulfur oxidizers comprised more than 90% of the microbial community during the dry season and were replaced by potential anthropogenic contaminants such as Escherichia and Lysinibacillus species after heavy rains. One sampling date appeared to show a transition between the wet and dry seasons when potential anthropogenic contaminants (67.3%), sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (13.6%), and nitrogen-fixing bacteria (6.5%) were all present within the spring pool.
A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Clinical Study to Investigate the Efficacy of Herring Roe Oil for Treatment of Psoriasis

The effect of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid supplements in patients with psoriasis vulgaris has previously been investigated, but interventions varied in source, composition, dose, administration route and duration of treatment. The observed beneficial effects in patients with psoriasis vulgaris using herring roe oil as a dietary supplement prompted this investigation. This randomised, double-blind and placebo-controlled study was designed and performed to explore the efficacy and safety of herring roe oil supplementation in 64 patients with plaque psoriasis (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03359577). The primary end-point was comparing the change in mean Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores in the herring roe oil treatment group and the placebo group from baseline to week 26. In the intention-to-treat population, a statistically significant improvement in the mean PASI score was observed with herring roe oil compared to placebo at 26 weeks. In the recruited patient group, the measured improvement was greatest in patients with a PASI score from 5.5–9.9 at baseline.