Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dental Appliances for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background and objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children is a debilitating disease, difficult to treat. Dental appliances have been proposed as a valid therapy for improving functional outcomes with good compliance rates. Herein, we aimed to perform a meta-analysis comparing clinical outcomes between OSA children treated with dental appliances versus controls. Materials Methods: The study was registered with PROSPERO. A systematic search was performed for all comparative studies examining outcomes in pediatric patients who underwent treatment of OSA with oral appliances versus controls. Data was extracted and analyzed using a random effects model via Rev Man 5.3. Results: Six studies including 180 patients were analyzed split into two groups: patients treated with dental appliances (n = 123) and the controls (n = 119). Therapy with dental appliances was shown to significantly improve the apnea–hypopnea index (p = 0.009) and enlarge the superior posterior airway space (p = 0.02). Maxilla-to-mandible measurements were not significantly different between the two groups, nor was the mean SO2 (p = 0.80). Conclusions: This is the most updated meta-analysis assessing the role of dental appliances for OSA in children; it shows that such devices can improve functional outcomes by decreasing the apnea–hypopnea index.
Inputs of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) to the sub-basins (2019)

A significant reduction of nutrients input has been achieved for the whole Baltic Sea. This assessment shows that the normalized total input of nitrogen1 was reduced by 11% and phosphorus by 28% between the reference period (1997-2003) and 2019 (Results figure 1). In 2018 the corresponding reductions were 12% for total inputs of nitrogen and 26% for total phosphorus. The maximum allowable input (MAI) of nitrogen in this period was fulfilled in the Bothnian Bay, Bothnian Sea, Danish Straits and Kattegat (Key message figures 1 and Results tables 1a and 1b). MAI for phosphorus input was also fulfilled in the Bothnian Bay, Bothnian Sea, Danish Straits and Kattegat. In the remaining sub-basin MAI was not fulfilled for either total nitrogen or for total phosphorus.
lncRNA read-through regulates the BX-C insulator Fub-1

Though long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) represent a substantial fraction of the Pol II transcripts in multicellular animals, only a few have known functions. Here we report that the blocking activity of the Bithorax complex (BX-C) Fub-1 boundary is segmentally regulated by its own lncRNA. The Fub-1 boundary is located between the Ultrabithorax (Ubx) gene and the bxd/pbx regulatory domain, which is responsible for regulating Ubx expression in parasegment PS6/segment A1. Fub-1 consists of two hypersensitive sites, HS1 and HS2. HS1 is an insulator while HS2 functions primarily as an lncRNA promoter. To activate Ubx expression in PS6/A1, enhancers in the bxd/pbx domain must be able to bypass Fub-1 blocking activity. We show that the expression of the Fub-1 lncRNAs in PS6/A1 from the HS2 promoter inactivates Fub-1 insulating activity. Inactivation is due to read-through as the HS2 promoter must be directed toward HS1 to disrupt blocking.
Immediate analgesic effect of interferential and Aussie currents in chronic low back pain: randomized clinical trial

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite the widespread use of mid-frequency currents in reducing pain in chronic low back pain (CLBP), there is still no consensus on the optimal parameters for treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the immediate analgesic effects of interferential (IC) and Aussie (AC) currents in CLBP. METHODS : This is a five-arm double-blind randomized controlled trial. Patients aged between 18 and 60 years with CLBP were randomly divided into 5 groups: CI4kHz/100Hz, CI4kH-z/2Hz, CA4kHz/100Hz, CA4kHz/2Hz and placebo (PG). Participants received a single application of Interferential current or Aussie current for 30 min. Main outcome measures were pain intensity by numeric pain scale (NPS), McGill pain questionnaire (MPQ) and pressure pain threshold. The secondary outcomes assessed were: abdominal strength test (AST), lumbar flexion test (modified Schober test), trunk and lower limb mobility (sit and reach test and finger tip test). RESULTS : There was a significant difference in NPS and MPQ groups (with the exception of the affective component) (p<0.05) in IC 4 kHz/100 Hz and IC 4 kHz/2 Hz groups in relation to
A PDMS–Agar Hybrid Microfluidic Device for the Investigation of Chemical–Mechanical Associative Learning Behavior of C. elegans

Associative learning is a critical survival trait that promotes behavioral plasticity in response to changing environments. Chemosensation and mechanosensation are important sensory modalities that enable animals to gather information about their internal state and external environment. However, there is a limited amount of research on these two modalities. In this paper, a novel PDMS–agar hybrid microfluidic device is proposed for training and analyzing chemical–mechanical associative learning behavior in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The microfluidic device consisted of a bottom agar gel layer and an upper PDMS layer. A chemical concentration gradient was generated on the agar gel layer, and the PDMS layer served to mimic mechanical stimuli. Based on this platform, C. elegans can perform chemical–mechanical associative learning behavior after training. Our findings indicated that the aversive component of training is the primary driver of the observed associative learning behavior. In addition, the results indicated that the neurotransmitter octopamine is involved in regulating this associative learning behavior via the SER-6 receptor. Thus, the microfluidic device provides a highly efficient platform for studying the associative learning behavior of C. elegans, and it may be applied in mutant screening and drug testing.
Post-feeding transcriptomics reveals essential genes expressed in the midgut of the desert locust

The digestive tract constitutes an important interface between an animal’s internal and external environment. In insects, available gut transcriptome studies are mostly exploratory or look at changes upon infection or upon exposure to xenobiotics, mainly performed in species belonging to holometabolan orders, such as Diptera, Lepidoptera or Coleoptera. By contrast, studies focusing on gene expression changes after food uptake and during digestion are underrepresented. We have therefore compared the gene expression profiles in the midgut of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, between three different time points after feeding, i.e., 24 h (no active digestion), 10 min (the initial stage of feeding), and 2 h (active food digestion). The observed gene expression profiles were consistent with the polyphagous herbivorous lifestyle of this hemimetabolan (orthopteran) species. Our study reveals the upregulation of 576 genes 2 h post-feeding. These are mostly predicted to be associated with digestive physiology, such as genes encoding putative digestive enzymes or nutrient transporters, as well as genes putatively involved in immunity or in xenobiotic metabolism. The 10 min time point represented an intermediate condition, suggesting that the S. gregaria midgut can react rapidly at the transcriptional level to the presence of food. Additionally, our study demonstrated the critical importance of two transcripts that exhibited a significant upregulation 2 h post-feeding: the vacuolar-type H(+)-ATPase and the sterol transporter Niemann-Pick 1b protein, which upon RNAi-induced knockdown resulted in a marked increase in mortality. Their vital role and accessibility via the midgut lumen may make the encoded proteins promising insecticidal target candidates, considering that the desert locust is infamous for its huge migrating swarms that can devastate the agricultural production in large areas of Northern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. In conclusion, the transcriptome datasets presented here will provide a useful and promising resource for studying the midgut physiology of S. gregaria, a socio-economically important pest species.
Usability of Mobile Application for Implementing Genetic Counselling Intervention among Thalassemia Patients and Caregivers: A Case Study of Cyber Gen

Utilization of communication and information technology has been widely used in the health sector, especially nursing. As one of the nursing interventions for thalassemia patients and caregivers, genetic counseling is not only done face to face but can use android-based telenursing facilities through the complete features available in the Cyber Gen application. This study aims to measure the usability level of Cyber Gen application as an indirect genetic counseling medium for thalassemia patients. This application was developed with four main services: basic information about diseases, consultation rooms, social support, and direct surveys. This application is built using the Flutter Framework, the Dart programming language, and Cloud Firestore as the database. Usability was measured by using the System Usability Scale in two groups of 30 respondents each with an incidental sampling technique. The usability score shows 81.75 for personal users and 82.25 for counselor users with a 100% readiness level for use. These results indicate that the Cyber Gen application can be used to deliver genetic counseling intervention to thalassemia patients and caregivers.
A review of halotherapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic, progressive disease and is treated with inhaled medication to optimize the patient’s lung health through decreasing their symptoms, especially breathlessness. Halotherapy is the inhalation of micronized dry salt within a chamber that mimics a salt cave environment. Recent media reports suggest that this therapy may help with the symptoms of COPD
Measuring mussel behavior and analyzing high frequency nitrate data to explore new phenomena in dynamic nutrient cycling

Recommended Citation Bril, Jeremy. "Measuring mussel behavior and analyzing high frequency nitrate data to explore new phenomena in dynamic nutrient cycling. ii To my amazing family iii The ultimate test of a man " s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First of all I would like to thank my incredible wife who has given me the love and support I have certainly needed throughout my work on this project. Secondly, I would like to thank my advisor Craig Just. Without your guidance and encouragement this project never would have been so enjoyable and successful. I have truly enjoyed working with you over the past two years and I am grateful for the friendship we have developed. I would also like to thank my advisor Gene Parkin. You have definitely been a joy to work (and golf) with over the past two years and I greatly appreciate the advice and support you have given me. Next I would like to thank all of the collaborators who were vital in making this project a success. I would like to thank the National Science Foundation for providing the funding which helped make this project possible. Jerry Schnoor all provided valuable advice throughout the course of the project. I would like to thank Anton Kruger and Nick Sitter for all of their hard work with the gape sensors and the light sensitivity testing. Collin Just provided countless hours of assistance in teaching me how to use the instruments in the lab. Additionally, I would like to thank Travis Anderson and Josh Livermore for all of their help with the T-RFLP analysis. I would like to acknowledge Benoit Van Aiken from Temple University and the University of Iowa " s DNA facility, who helped analyze several of our field samples. Finally, I would like to thank all of the faculty, staff, and students in the Environmental Engineering and Science Graduate Program. You all make Iowa a very special place to be and I feel fortunate to have you as colleagues and friends. Table 6.1: Estimated area of each peak/valley used to calculate total nitrate-N mass for Day 1 Table 6.2: Using observed mussel densities from mussel survey to calculate overall average mussel density in control volume. Table 6.6: Contribution of mussel ammonia-N excretion to mass of nitrogen under …
The First-year Integration Test: a validation study

To date, there has been little agreement on what important facets should be incorporated in quantitative measures of the academic and social first-year experience. Moreover, such scales are typically developed in academic higher education (HE) contexts (i.e., universities providing more theoretical and scientific education), and are disconnected from the experiences of students in professional HE contexts (i.e., university colleges, offering more vocational education that prepares students for practicing a specific occupation, such as social work). The First-year Integration Test (FIT) is a newly developed instrument that aims to map out students’ perceptions of how they are dealing with their academic and social transition in the first semester of HE, and was based on thorough qualitative research in professional HE. In the present study, the psychometric value of FIT is explored. Results show that FIT has good construct validity, and all scales are internally consistent. Also, evidence was found for the convergent, discriminant and criterion-related validity of the instrument. We argue that FIT holds potential as a tool for generating student feedback, as a monitoring tool within an institution’s quality assurance system, and as a valuable research instrument.
Gene name ambiguity of eukaryotic nomenclatures

MOTIVATION With more and more scientific literature published online, the effective management and reuse of this knowledge has become problematic. Natural language processing (NLP) may be a potential solution by extracting, structuring and organizing biomedical information in online literature in a timely manner. One essential task is to recognize and identify genomic entities in text. 'Recognition' can be accomplished using pattern matching and machine learning. But for 'identification' these techniques are not adequate. In order to identify genomic entities, NLP needs a comprehensive resource that specifies and classifies genomic entities as they occur in text and that associates them with normalized terms and also unique identifiers so that the extracted entities are well defined. Online organism databases are an excellent resource to create such a lexical resource. However, gene name ambiguity is a serious problem because it affects the appropriate identification of gene entities. In this paper, we explore the extent of the problem and suggest ways to address it. RESULTS We obtained gene information from 21 organisms and quantified naming ambiguities within species, across species, with English words and with medical terms. When the case (of letters) was retained, official symbols displayed negligible intra-species ambiguity (0.02%) and modest ambiguities with general English words (0.57%) and medical terms (1.01%). In contrast, the across-species ambiguity was high (14.20%). The inclusion of gene synonyms increased intra-species ambiguity substantially and full names contributed greatly to gene-medical-term ambiguity. A comprehensive lexical resource that covers gene information for the 21 organisms was then created and used to identify gene names by using a straightforward string matching program to process 45,000 abstracts associated with the mouse model organism while ignoring case and gene names that were also English words. We found that 85.1% of correctly retrieved mouse genes were ambiguous with other gene names. When gene names that were also English words were included, 233% additional 'gene' instances were retrieved, most of which were false positives. We also found that authors prefer to use synonyms (74.7%) to official symbols (17.7%) or full names (7.6%) in their publications. CONTACT lifeng.chen@dbmi.columbia. edu
Predicting protein functions with message passing algorithms

MOTIVATION In the last few years, a growing interest in biology has been shifting toward the problem of optimal information extraction from the huge amount of data generated via large-scale and high-throughput techniques. One of the most relevant issues has recently emerged that of correctly and reliably predicting the functions of a given protein with that of functions exploiting information coming from the whole network of proteins physically interacting with the functionally undetermined one. In the present work, we will refer to an 'observed' protein as the one present in the protein-protein interaction networks published in the literature. METHODS The method proposed in this paper is based on a message passing algorithm known as Belief Propagation, which accepts the network of protein's physical interactions and a catalog of known protein's functions as input, and returns the probabilities for each unclassified protein of having one chosen function. The implementation of the algorithm allows for fast online analysis, and can easily be generalized into more complex graph topologies taking into account hypergraphs, i.e. complexes of more than two interacting proteins. RESULTS Benchmarks of our method are the two Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein-protein interaction networks and the Database of Interacting Proteins. The validity of our approach is successfully tested against other available techniques. CONTACT leone@isiosf.isi. it SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION http://isiosf.isi. it/~pagnani
Comparative Investigation of the Spectroscopic Behavior Based on High-Concentrated Solution in Nitrogen and Air Atmospheres

In order to accurately obtain photometric information of high concentration SO42− and other substances in the process industry, the spectroscopy behavior of SO42−, S2−, Ni2+ and Cu2+ in air and nitrogen atmosphere was compared based on the UV-visible spectrophotometer with a nitrogen replacing the oxygen. Different from Ni2+ and Cu2+, the accuracy of SO42− and S2− in the ultraviolet region was effectively improved by using a nitrogen atmosphere (P detection results were regressed within the limited standard range, RE < 5%). The nitrogen atmosphere suppressed the additional light attenuation caused by its absorption of ultraviolet rays by isolating oxygen and was also reflected in the decrease in the degree of red shift of the characteristic wavelength for SO42− with increasing concentration. Therefore, the detection results of SO42− showed an effective improvement in sensitivity. Nevertheless, according to the complementary experimental results and theoretical calculations, in addition to oxygen absorption, the low detection accuracy of SO42− high concentration is also attributed to the reduction of the energy required for electronic excitation per unit group caused by the interaction between SO42− groups, resulting in a deviation of the C-A curve from linearity at high concentrations. The influence of this intermolecular force on the detection results is far more important than oxygen absorption. The research can provide reliable theoretical guidance and technical support for the pollution-free direct measurement of high-concentration solutions in the process industry and promote the sustainable development of the process industry.
Batch Training of Gaussian Process for Up-sampling Problems in S-Parameter Predictions

In using Machine Learning (ML) methods to predict S-parameters, handling the dimensionality problem of mapping the low-dimension design parameters to high-dimension responses is important. We propose to use batch training of Gaussian Process (GP) to map the design parameters into latent Gaussian space instead of linear mappings to create the non-linearity property as well as avoiding the saturation of activation functions before applying transposed kernels. Results show that the proposed model achieves better performance with regard to loss and normalized mean-squared error.
Status of Women after Joining the Profession as Lady Health Workers

In Pakistan's reproductive and basic healthcare system, which serves women and children, a key group of community-based health professionals is known as Lady Health Workers (LHWs), also known as Community Health Workers. The objective of this study was to identify the opinions and experiences of these women in relation to their status in the family and community after starting their careers as LHWs. Primary data was gathered using a quantitative research approach from 262 respondents who were chosen at random from a list of LHWs employed in the rural areas of Lahore District. For data collection, an interview schedule was used. According to the study's findings, mostly respondents said that their family had complained that they had neglected them because of their work obligations. Majority respondents reported that the community people respected and valued them for their services, but they never got any incentive from their respective department/government on good performance. Based on the study's findings, it is recommended that LHWs be given a supportive work environment so they may manage their job and family obligations.
Compressed sensing approach for temporal and spectral photoluminescence imaging of semiconductors

Continued improvement of production-scalable characterisation methods is necessary to support the growth of semiconductor industries. In this work we present the application of compressed sensing for photoluminescence imaging in the temporal and spectral domains. The application can be enabled by using a digital micromirror device to programmatically control the spatial information of the excitation or detection source, allowing the use of single-point detectors for imaging applications, with benefits in terms of reduced measurement time and dark noise. We present the methodology for successful compressed sensing acquisition and reconstruction of spectral and temporal photoluminescence signals, developed through computational modelling work.