Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of accuracy of age estimation in Indian children by measurement of open apices in teeth with the London Atlas of tooth development.

AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the accuracy of two age estimation methods in Indian children by using the open apex method proposed by Cameriere et al and the London Atlas of Tooth Development. MATERIALS AND METHOD Three hundred and thirty five archived digitised panoramic radiographs of healthy children (165 males and 170 females) in the age group of 5 to 15.99 years were retrieved and analysed. The observations were entered in the SPSS software (Version 19.0). The paired t-test and independent samples t-test were applied to assess the differences between chronological and estimated age in both genders. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION Inter-observer reliability was found to be excellent with Cronbach Alpha to be 1.000 and 0.997 for Cameriere's and London Atlas age estimation methods respectively. The difference of 0.59 years (SD ±1.32 years) was highly significant and indicated a consistent underestimation of age using Cameriere's method. While, applying the London Atlas, the difference of -0.03 years (SD± 0.69 years) was not significant and indicated a little overestimation of age. No significant difference was observed for both genders with the methods. Our results revealed that the methods are reliable for age estimation in Indian children, however, the London Atlas is simpler to use and is more accurate than Cameriere's method.
Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with negatively variable impacts on domains of sleep disturbances: evidence from a systematic review and meta-analysis

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to identify the impact of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on specific sleep quality domains and to determine its prevalence. A systematic literature search was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase until January 2018 to obtain eligible studies. Score of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used as the outcome measurement, and weight mean differences (WMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated. In total, eight studies were eligible for inclusion criteria, comprising 658 RA patients and 485 healthy controls. In this meta-analysis, each domain of the PSQI score: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disorders, use of sleep medication, daytime dysfunction and the total score were higher in RA patients than healthy controls. In addition, the relative risk of sleep disturbances among people with RA was 2.37 (95% CI: 1.80, 3.11) compared with people without RA.In conclusion, RA patients scored higher in each dimension of PSQI, and sleep disturbances was more prevalent in RA patients than in controls. Further research is needed to identify effective strategies for preventing and treating sleep disturbances among RA patients.
3D Printing of High-Strength, Porous, Elastomeric Structures to Promote Tissue Integration of Implants.

Despite advances in biomaterials research, there is no ideal device for replacing weight-bearing soft tissues like menisci or intervertebral discs due to poor integration with tissues and mechanical property mismatch. Designing an implant with a soft and porous tissue-contacting structure using a material conducive to cell attachment and growth could potentially address these limitations. Polycarbonate urethane (PCU) is a soft and tough biocompatible material that can be 3D printed into porous structures with controlled pore sizes. Porous biomaterials of appropriate chemistries can support cell proliferation and tissue ingrowth, but their optimal design parameters remain unclear. To investigate this, porous PCU structures were 3D-printed in a crosshatch pattern with a range of in-plane pore sizes (0 to 800 μm) forming fully interconnected porous networks. Printed porous structures had ultimate tensile strengths ranging from 1.9 - 11.6 MPa, strains to failure ranging from 300 - 486%, Young's moduli ranging from 0.85 to 12.42 MPa, and porosity ranging from 13 - 71%. These porous networks can be loaded with hydrogels, such as collagen gels, to provide additional biological support for cells. Bare PCU structures and collagen-hydrogel-filled porous PCU support robust NIH/3T3 fibroblast cell line proliferation over 14 days for all pore sizes. Results highlight PCU's potential in the development of tissue-integrating medical implants. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Home‐range analysis using radio‐tracking data–a review of problems and techniques particularly as applied to the study of mammals

Ninety-three papers on home-range analysis using radio-tracking data were reviewed; these papers were found in a literature search of 18 of the major journals likely to include such papers, published in the 5-year period to the end of 1988. The review showed that even 25 years after the first radio-tracking studies, in the majority of papers there was still insufficient attention given to accurate and sufficient data collection, and to using appropriate and sophisticated analytical techniques to assess home-range size and configuration. This paper is designed to help people undertaking a radio-tracking study to avoid some of the most common pitfalls. It is based on some of the problems we have experienced studying several species of larger mammals. We use our collective experience to produce a guide on how to plan a radio-tracking study, to highlight some of the potential problems in designing the study and collecting the data, and to identify some of the difficulties that may be encountered during the analytical stages. The advantages and disadvantages of the most frequently used methods of home-range analysis are discussed and methods for determining the minimum number of radio-fixes and techniques for adjusting inadequate sample sizes are described, as are the problems that may be caused by autocorrelated data.
Latitudinal forest advance in northernmost Norway since the early 20th century

The arctic forest–tundra boundary is expected to advance rapidly northwards in response to climate warming. The purpose of this study was: (1) to analyse region‐wide changes in the positions of the latitudinal forest line and tree line since the early 20th century; (2) to calculate rates of northward movement and to estimate uncertainties from different sources of data; (3) to analyse how rates of advance differ between two common tree species, Betula pubescens (downy birch) and Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine); and (4) to place the results in the context of dynamic global vegetation models.
Antibiosis in Soybean Breeding Lines for the Management of Corn Earworm for Sustainable Soybean Production

ABSTRACT Corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea Boddie), is one of the major insect pests of soybean in many soybean growing areas. A study was conducted during three soybean growing seasons to evaluate the antibiosis type of resistance in soybean breeding lines which were grown in replicated field trials. A plant introduction, ‘PI 229358’, with a known antibiosis type of resistance against corn earworm was included as a resistant check and four commercial varieties including Hutcheson, Stalwart, Charleston and Croton also were included in the experiments for comparison. The results of antibiosis tests showed that some breeding lines such as ‘E3582019’ and ‘D6874003’ provided level of antibiosis to corn ear-worm comparable to that found in the commercial variety Stalwart. Also, ‘M3583009’ and ‘D358B3010’ provided antibiosis to corn earworm which was similar to a commercial variety, Stalwart. However, none of the breeding lines provided the resistance which was similar to ‘PI 229358’. The intermediate antibiosis found in some of the breeding lines could play an important role in the management of corn earworm and other insect pests coupled with other desirable agronomic traits such as higher seed yield.
Release of human TFIIB from actively transcribing complexes is triggered upon synthesis of 7 nt and 9 nt RNAs

RNA polymerase II (Pol II) and its general transcription factors assemble on the promoters of mRNA genes to form large macromolecular complexes that initiate transcription in a regulated manner. During early transcription these complexes undergo dynamic rearrangement and disassembly as Pol II moves away from the start site of transcription and transitions into elongation. One step in disassembly is the release of the general transcription factor TFIIB, although the mechanism of release and its relationship to the activity of transcribing Pol II is not understood. We developed a single molecule fluorescence transcription system to investigate TFIIB release in vitro. Leveraging our ability to distinguish active from inactive complexes, we found that nearly all transcriptionally active complexes release TFIIB during early transcription. Release is not dependent on the contacts TFIIB makes with its recognition element in promoter DNA. We identified two different points in early transcription at which release is triggered, reflecting heterogeneity across the population of actively transcribing complexes. TFIIB releases after both trigger points with similar kinetics, suggesting the rate of release is independent of the molecular transformations that prompt release. Together our data support the model that TFIIB release is important to maintain the transcriptional activity of Pol II as initiating complexes transition into elongation complexes.
Host surface ectonucleotidase-CD73 and the opportunistic pathogen, Porphyromonas gingivalis, cross-modulation underlies a new homeostatic mechanism for chronic bacterial survival in human epithelial cells

ABSTRACT Cell surface nucleotide-metabolizing enzyme, ectonucleotidase-CD73, has emerged as a central component of the cellular homeostatic-machinery that counterbalances the danger-molecule (extracellular-ATP)-driven proinflammatory response in immune cells. While the importance of CD73 in microbial host fitness and symbiosis is gradually being unraveled, there remains a significant gap in knowledge of CD73 and its putative role in epithelial cells. Here, we depict a novel host-pathogen adaptation mechanism where CD73 takes a center role in the intracellular persistence of Porphyromonas gingivalis, a major colonizer of oral mucosa, using human primary gingival epithelial cell (GEC) system. Temporal analyses revealed, upon invasion into the GECs, P. gingivalis can significantly elevate the host-surface CD73 activity and expression. The enhanced and active CD73 significantly increases P. gingivalis intracellular growth in the presence of substrate-AMP and simultaneously acts as a negative regulator of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation upon eATP treatment. The inhibition of CD73 by siRNA or by a specific inhibitor markedly increases ROS production. Moreover, CD73 and P. gingivalis cross-signaling significantly modulates pro-inflammatory interleukin-6 (IL-6) in the GECs. Conversely, exogenous treatment of the infected GECs with IL-6 suppresses the intracellular bacteria via amplified ROS generation. However, the decreased bacterial levels can be restored by overexpressing functionally active CD73. Together, these findings illuminate how the local extracellular-purine-metabolism, in which CD73 serves as a core molecular switch, can alter intracellular microbial colonization resistance. Further, host-adaptive pathogens such as P. gingivalis can target host ectonucleotidases to disarm specific innate defenses for successful intracellular persistence in mucosal epithelia.
Enhanced HIV-1 Replication in CD4+ T Cells Derived from Individuals with Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infection.

BACKGROUND Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) and HIV co-infection increases mortality, accelerates progression to AIDS, and exacerbates tuberculosis disease. However, the impact of pre-existing Mtb infection on subsequent HIV infection has not been fully explored. We hypothesized that Mtb infection creates an immunological environment that influences the course of HIV infection and investigated whether pre-existing Mtb infection impacts the susceptibility of CD4+ T cells to HIV-1 infection. METHODS Plasma and blood CD4+ T cells isolated from HIV-negative individuals across the Mtb infection spectrum and non-Mtb-infected control individuals were analyzed for inflammation markers and T cell phenotypes. CD4+ T cells were infected with HIV-1 in vitro and were monitored for viral replication. RESULTS We observed differences in pro-inflammatory cytokines and the relative proportion of memory T cell subsets depending on Mtb infection status. CD4+ T cells derived from individuals with latent Mtb infection supported more efficient HIV-1 transcription, release, and replication. Enhanced HIV-1 replication correlated with higher percentages of CD4+ TEM and TTD cells. CONCLUSIONS Pre-existing Mtb infection creates an immunological environment that reflects Mtb infection status and influences the susceptibility of CD4+ T cells to HIV-1 replication. These findings provide cellular and molecular insights into how pre-existing Mtb infection influences HIV-1 pathogenesis.
A new approach to capturing pain disclosure in daily life in-person and online

This feasibility study employed a new approach to capturing pain disclosure in face-to-face and online interactions, using a newly developed tool. In Study 1, 13 rheumatoid arthritis and 52 breast cancer patients wore the Electronically Activated Recorder to acoustically sample participants’ natural conversations. Study 2 obtained data from two publicly available online social networks: fibromyalgia (343,439 posts) and rheumatoid arthritis (12,430 posts). Pain disclosure, versus non-pain disclosure, posts had a greater number of replies, and greater engagement indexed by language style matching. These studies yielded novel, multimethod evidence of how pain disclosure unfolds in naturally occurring social contexts in everyday life.
Testing for handling bias in survival estimation for black brant

We used an ultrastructure approach in program SURVIV to test for, and remove, bias in survival estimates for the year following mass banding of female black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans). We used relative banding-drive size as the independent variable to control for handling effects in our ultrastructure models, which took the form: S = S 0 (l - αD), where α was handling effect and D was the ratio of banding-drive size to the largest banding drive. Brant were divided into 3 classes: goslings, initial captures, and recaptures, based on their state at the time of banding, because we anticipated the potential for heterogeneity in model parameters among classes of brant. Among models examined, for which a was not constrained, a model with α constant across classes of brant and years, constant survival rates among years for initially captured brant but year-specific survival rates for goslings and recaptures, and year- and class-specific detection probabilities had the lowest Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Handling effect, a, was -0.47 ± 0.13 SE, -0.14 ± 0.057, and -0.12 ± 0.049 for goslings, initially released adults, and recaptured adults. Gosling annual survival in the first year ranged from 0.738 ± 0.072 for the 1986 cohort to 0.260 ± 0.025 for the 1991 cohort. Inclusion of winter observations; increased estimates of first-year survival rates by an average of 30%, suggesting that permanent emigration had an important influence on apparent survival, especially for later cohorts. We estimated annual survival for initially captured brant as 0.782 ± 0.013, while that for recaptures varied from 0.726 ± 0.034 to 0.900 ± 0.062, Our analyses failed to detect a negative effect of handling on survival of brant, which is consistent with an hypothesis of substantial inherent heterogeneity in post-fledging survival rates, such that individuals most likely to die as a result of handling also have lower inherent survival probabilities.
Lettuce grown on calcareous soils benefit from sewage sludge

Abstract The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of sewage sludge, manure and humic acid applications on soil properties and element concentrations of soil and plants. As a field experiment, lettuce was grown on soil amended with 0, 20, 40 and 80 t ha−1 of sewage sludge or manure. Humic acid was applied on sewage sludge amended plots as 250 kg ha−1. Addition of sewage sludge and manure increased lettuce yield, head circle, head height and leaf number and N, P, K and Mg levels to same extent. Leaf Cd concentration increased in sludge treated plots more than manure treated plots. Sewage sludge and manure applications increased organic matter, electrical conductivity, total N, available P, exchangeable K, total Cu, Ni and AB-DTPA (ammonium bicarbonate-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) extractable Mn, Cu and Cd concentrations of topsoil. Extractable Fe, Cr and Zn and total Cd, Cr and Zn increased in soil with added sludge. Soil pH was unaffected by either sludge or manure applications. Lettuce leaf concentrations of Cd from the plots treated with humic acid were lower than those not treated with humic acid. Sludge together with humic acid application significantly increased soil available P, and impeded the increase of the soil AB-DTPA extractable Zn concentration. It may be concluded that sewage sludge can be an alternative to manure to enrich organic matter, and rectify N, P, Fe and Zn deficiencies with high pH and calcareous soils. Also, humic substances can be used, to a limited extent, for controlling the availability of sludge-borne heavy metals.
Effect of probiotic supplementation on migraine prophylaxis: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

ABSTRACT Objective: The prevalence of migraine is higher in patients with gastrointestinal disorders. Possible underlying mechanisms could be increased intestinal permeability and systemic inflammation. Probiotics may reduce gut permeability as well as inflammation, and therefore may improve the clinical features of migraine. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the impact of probiotic supplementation on the frequency and severity of migraine attacks. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was conducted using ISI Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, Scopus, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Magiran.com and Sid.ir to identify eligible studies published up to October 2019. A meta-analysis of eligible trials was performed using the random-effects model to estimate pooled effect size. Results: Three randomized controlled trials with 179 patients (probiotic group = 94, placebo group = 85) were included. Probiotic supplementation had no significant effect on frequency (weighted mean difference (WMD) = −2.54 attacks/month, 95%CI: −5.31–0.22, p = 0.071) and severity of migraine attacks (WMD = −1.23 visual analog scale (VAS) score, 95%CI = −3.37–0.92, p = 0.262) with significant heterogeneity among the studies (I 2 = 98%, p < 0.001). Conclusions: A pooled analysis of available randomized controlled clinical trials showed that probiotic supplementation had no significant effect on the frequency and severity of episodic migraine attacks.
Locations for noninvasive brain stimulation in treating depressive disorders: A combination of meta-analysis and resting-state functional connectivity analysis

Objective: Many noninvasive brain stimulation techniques have been applied to treat depressive disorders. However, the target brain region in most noninvasive brain stimulation studies is the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Exploring new stimulation locations may improve the efficacy of noninvasive brain stimulation for depressive disorders. We aimed to explore potential noninvasive brain stimulation locations for depressive disorders through a meta-analysis and a functional connectivity approach. Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis of 395 functional magnetic resonance imaging studies to identify depressive disorder–associated brain regions as regions of interest. Then, we ran resting-state functional connectivity analysis with three different pipelines in 40 depression patients to find brain surface regions correlated with these regions of interest. The 10–20 system coordinates corresponding to these brain surface regions were considered as potential locations for noninvasive brain stimulation. Results: The 10–20 system coordinates corresponding to the bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, bilateral inferior frontal gyrus, medial prefrontal cortex, supplementary motor area, bilateral supramarginal gyrus, bilateral primary motor cortex, bilateral operculum, left angular gyrus and right middle temporal gyrus were identified as potential locations for noninvasive brain stimulation in depressive disorders. The coordinates were: posterior to F3, posterior to F4, superior to F3, posterior to F7, anterior to C4, P3, midpoint of F7–T3, posterior to F8, anterior to C3, midpoint of Fz–Cz, midpoint of Fz–Fp1, anterior to T4, midpoint of C3–P3, and anterior to C4. Conclusion: Our study identified several potential noninvasive brain stimulation locations for depressive disorders, which may serve as a basis for future clinical investigations.
Assistive Device Use among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Profile of Canadians Using Hearing, Vision, and Mobility Devices in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging

ABSTRACT There is increasing recognition that using assistive devices can support healthy aging. Minimizing discomfort and loss of function and increasing independence can have a substantial impact physically, psychologically, and financially on persons with functional impairments and resulting activity limitations, as well as on caregivers and communities. However, it remains unclear who uses assistive devices and how device use can influence social participation. The current analysis used CLSA baseline data from 51,338 older adults between the ages of 45 and 85. Measures of socio-demographic, health, and social characteristics were analyzed by sex and age groups. Weighted cross-tabulations were used to report correlations between independent variables and assistive device use for hearing, vision, and mobility. We found that assistive device use was higher among those who were of older age, had less education, were widowed, had lower income, and had poorer health. Assistive devices were used differently according to sex and social participation, providing insight into assistive device use for the well-being of older adults and their families.
Estimating Escapement of Pacific Salmon: Marking Practices to Discriminate Wild and Hatchery Fish

Abstract Accurate discrimination between river returns of wild and hatchery anadromous Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) is necessary if the status of the two stocks is to be monitored and if the success of hatchery mitigation programs is to be assessed. Usual hatchery management practices, including release of large numbers of unmarked fish and variable fractional marking of releases, prevent such discrimination. Many Pacific-coast salmon hatcheries presently release some fish with an adipose fin clip and a binary-coded wire tag inserted in the nasal region (AD-CWT). If a constant fraction of remaining releases carried a distinctive identifying mark, then the proportion of hatchery fish in subsequent spawning runs could be estimated. Should the majority of hatchery fish in the spawning escapement return to the hatcheries of origin, then the expected change in hatchery fish proportions between river entry and natural spawning grounds, combined with known returns to the hatcheries, may be used to estimate.