Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Income, Income Inequality, Dental Caries and Dental Care Levels: An Ecological Study in Rich Countries

Research has shown that beyond a certain level of absolute income, there is a weak relationship between income and population health. On the other hand, relative income or income inequality is more strongly related to health than absolute income in rich countries. The objective of this study was to assess the relationships of income and income inequality with dental caries and dental care levels in 35- to 44-year-old adults among rich countries. Income was assessed by gross domestic product and gross national income, income inequality by Gini coefficient and the ratio between the income of the richest and poorest 20% of the population, dental caries by DMFT and dental care levels by the care, restorative and treatment indices. Pearson and partial correlation were used to examine the relationships between income, income inequality, caries experience and dental care. Income measures were not related to either dental caries or dental care levels. However, income inequality measures were inversely and significantly related to number of filled teeth, DMFT, care index and restorative index, but not to number of decayed or missing teeth. It is concluded that DMFT scores were higher in more equal countries and may be explained by greater levels of restorative care in those countries.
Measurement of intrascrotal temperature in normal and subfertile men.

Intrascrotal temperatures were measured bilaterally by a non-invasive method in 300 subfertile men (mean sperm count 21.4 x 10(6)/ml) and 30 normospermic control men (mean sperm count 118.7 x 10(6)/ml). The subfertile men had mean (s.d.) temperatures of 34.7 degrees C (0.8) for the right and 34.8 degrees C (0.7) for the left testis. The value for both testes of the control men was 33.4 degrees C (0.6). The difference (1.3-1.4 degrees C) was significant (P = 0.03). An intrascrotal temperature of greater than 34.1 degrees C was found in greater than 83% of subfertile men, regardless of clinical diagnosis. This method can therefore be used to survey large numbers of men. We suggest that small intrinsic temperature increases may interfere with the ability of the testis to accommodate to environmental temperature stresses and so lead to abnormal semen and subfertility.
Operations Management and Performance of Manufacturing Small and Medium Enterprises in Kenya

Manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the breeding ground for human capital competencies, creativity and innovation, which are important inputs for manufacturing competitiveness. In Kenya, manufacturing SMEs contribute 14% of gross domestic product (GDP), and train and employ 30% of the workforce. However, their growth and competitiveness are undermined by challenges in the firms’ operations management. Consequently, the firms struggle to survive as competitive enterprises, both domestically and globally. The purpose of this study was to establish how entrepreneurial orientation (EO) enhances the relationship between operations management and firm performance. Quantitative primary data were collected from managers of 83 firms registered by the Kenya Association of Manufacturers in the food and beverage sub-sector using a self-administered questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data for relationships between the study variables. The study found a positive relationship between operations management and EO, and between EO and firm performance. The study also found that EO is a mediator of the relationship between operations management and performance of manufacturing SMEs in Kenya. The study recommends that for manufacturing SMEs to effectively deploy operations management competencies and gain global competitiveness, they must engage EO as a strategy to foment organisational experimentation and exploration and commercialize the resultant innovations. At the macroeconomic level, the government should support manufacturing SMEs through enactment and promotion of policies that enable operations managers to exploit their firm’s EO stock.
Solution of Algebraic Riccati Equation for optimal control using Non-Square estimator

The Algebraic Riccati Equation (ARE) has increasingly played its role for the optimal control theory [1], [2]. Adaptive filters have been a widely used technique in the context of real time solution for ARE [3]. The least mean square (LMS) and the recursive least square (RLS) are among the most well known filters [4], [5]. Nevertheless, these algorithms have a lower learning rate for multivariable systems. The present study proposes to solve ARE using an adaptive filter. Unlike the RLS, it uses not only one error potency, but the sum of the pair error potencies. Such algorithm will be called Recursive Least Non-Squares (RLNS) and evaluated in two multivariable systems. The first is a first-order electrical circuit, and the second is a 6th order wind generator. The simulations show a convergence velocity for the RLNS algorithm of up to 70% faster than the RLS.
Facial feature extraction for head tilt images based on eye canthus

This paper addresses the problem of extracting facial parts such as eyes, nose and mouth from an inclined face. Face image is initially detected using the Viola-Jones algorithm and the facial parts are then cropped and used for many research applications like facial expression recognition, gender classification, identification systems, biometric science, human computer interaction (HCI), surveillance etc. The feature points detected and tracked for a tilted face is difficult using Viola Jones as they depend on rectangles. This work suggests an idea to find the inclined angle of the resultant face with respect to either left or right eye. At first, the eye canthus points are located using Harris corner points and the angle drawn between these localized points with reference to straight line is identified as inclined angle. The input image is then rotated along the inclined angle and the facial parts are detected effectively.
Transition State Regulator AbrB Inhibits Transcription of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB45 Phytase through Binding at Two Distinct Sites Located within the Extended phyC Promoter Region

ABSTRACT We have previously identified the phyC gene of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens FZB45, encoding extracellular phytase, as a member of the PhoP regulon, which is expressed only during phosphate starvation. Its σA-dependent promoter is positively and negatively regulated by the phosphorylated PhoP response regulator in a phosphate-dependent manner (O. Makarewicz, S. Dubrac, T. Msadek, and R. Borriss, J. Bacteriol. 188:6953-6965, 2006). Here, we provide experimental evidence that the transcription of phyC underlies a second control mechanism exerted by the global transient-phase regulator protein, AbrB, which hinders its expression during exponential growth. Gel mobility shift and DNase I footprinting experiments demonstrated that AbrB binds to two different regions in the phyC promoter region that are separated by about 200 bp. One binding site is near the divergently orientated yodU gene, and the second site is located downstream of the phyC promoter and extends into the coding region of the phyC gene. Cooperative binding to the two distant binding regions is necessary for the AbrB-directed repression of phyC transcription. AbrB does not affect the transcription of the neighboring yodU gene.
A Critical Examination of Geoengineering: Economic and Technological Rationality in Social Context

Geoengineering—specifically stratospheric aerosol injection—is not only risky, but supports powerful economic interests, protects an inherently ecologically harmful social formation, relegates the fundamental social-structural changes needed to address climate change, and is rooted in a vision of a nature as a set of passive resources that can be fully controlled in line with the demands of capital. The case for geoengineering is incomprehensible without analyzing the social context that gave birth to it: capitalism’s inability to overcome a contradiction between the need to accumulate capital, on the one hand, and the need to maintain a stable climate system on the other. Substantial emissions reductions, unlike geoengineering, are costly, rely more on social-structural than technical changes, and are at odds with the current social order. Because of this, geoengineering will increasingly be considered a core response to climate change. In light of Herbert Marcuse’s critical theory, the promotion of geoengineering as a market-friendly and high-tech strategy is shown to reflect a society that cannot set substantive aims through reason and transforms what should be considered means (technology and economic production) into ends themselves. Such a condition echoes the first-generation Frankfurt School’s central thesis: instrumental rationality remains irrational.
Grandmother hypothesis and primate life histories.

The adaptive significance of midlife menopause in human females has long engaged the attention of evolutionary anthropologists. In spite of extensive debate, the problem has only recently been examined in the context of primate life histories. Here I extend those investigations by comparing life history traits in 16 primate species to test predictions generated from life history theory. In humans, late ages of maturity and higher than expected birth rates are systematically associated with extended postmenopausal longevity. Links among these adjustments on the primate pattern can explain how selection could slow somatic senescence without favoring extension of the fertile span. This conclusion is consistent with the observation that our fertile spans are similar to those of other pongids. The shape of the argument herein demonstrates the utility of life history theory for solving problems of adaptive evolution in female life history traits, with consequences for broader arguments regarding human evolution.
Photobiomodulation in human muscle tissue: an advantage in sports performance?

Photobiomodulation (PBM) describes the use of red or near‐infrared (NIR) light to stimulate, heal, and regenerate damaged tissue. Both preconditioning (light delivered to muscles before exercise) and PBM applied after exercise can increase sports performance in athletes. This review covers the effects of PBM on human muscle tissue in clinical trials in volunteers related to sports performance and in athletes. The parameters used were categorized into those with positive effects or no effects on muscle performance and recovery. Randomized controlled trials and case‐control studies in both healthy trained and untrained participants, and elite athletes were retrieved from MEDLINE up to 2016. Performance metrics included fatigue, number of repetitions, torque, hypertrophy; measures of muscle damage and recovery such as creatine kinase and delayed onset muscle soreness. Searches retrieved 533 studies, of which 46 were included in the review (n = 1045 participants). Studies used single laser probes, cluster of laser diodes, LED clusters, mixed clusters (lasers and LEDs), and flexible LED arrays. Both red, NIR, and red/NIR mixtures were used. PBM can increase muscle mass gained after training, and decrease inflammation and oxidative stress in muscle biopsies. We raise the question of whether PBM should be permitted in athletic competition by international regulatory authorities.
Anatomical distribution and detection rate of colorectal neoplasms according to age in the colonoscopic screening of a Korean population

Purpose Because data as a basis for the determination of proper age and modality for screening of colorectal neoplasms is lacking, we evaluated detection rates and anatomical distribution of colorectal neoplasms according to age in healthy individuals who underwent total colonoscopy for health checkup. Methods A total of 16,100 cases that had received the colonoscopic examination from January to December in 2014 were analyzed. The total number of individuals who received total colonoscopy were divided by the number of individuals harboring colorectal adenoma to calculate the detection rate of colorectal adenoma. Individuals ≤50 years old were classified as young-age group and aged >50 were old-age group. Differences in anatomical locations of colorectal neoplasms were analyzed in the 2 age groups by chi-square test. Risk factors for colorectal adenoma in each age group were analyzed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results Detection rates of colorectal adenoma were 13.7% in all cases and 12.8% for those in their 40′s. The main anatomical location of colorectal adenoma was proximal colon in both age groups (P < 0.001). Hyperplastic polyp was mainly distributed to the distal colon in both age groups (P < 0.001). Distal colon was the major site for colorectal cancer in the old-age group (P = 0.001). Proximal location of neoplasms was a risk factor for colorectal adenoma in both age groups with multivariate analysis. Conclusion These data could be the bases for earlier initiation of screening for colorectal neoplasms with total colonoscopy to detect clinically significant colorectal polyps.
Dual Growing Rod Technique for the Treatment of Progressive Early-Onset Scoliosis: A Multicenter Study

Study Design. A retrospective case review of children treated with dual growing rod technique at our institutions. Patients included had no previous surgery and a minimum of 2 years follow-up from initial surgery. Objectives. To determine the safety and effectiveness of the previously described dual growing rod technique in achieving and maintaining scoliosis correction while allowing spinal growth. Summary of Background Data. Historically, the growing rod techniques have used a single rod and the reported results have been variable. There has been no published study exclusively on the results of dual growing rod technique for early-onset scoliosis. Methods. From 1993 to 2001, 23 patients underwent dual growing rod procedures using pediatric Isola instrumentation and tandem connectors. Diagnoses included infantile and juvenile idiopathic scoliosis, congenital, neuromuscular, and other etiologies. All had curve progression over 10° following unsuccessful bracing or casting. Of 189 total procedures within the treatment period, 151 were lengthenings with an average of 6.6 lengthenings per patient. Analysis included age at initial surgery and final fusion (if applicable), number and frequency of lengthenings, and complications. Radiographic evaluation included measured changes in scoliosis Cobb angle, kyphosis, lordosis, frontal and sagittal balance, length of T1–S1 and instrumentation over the treatment period, and space available for lung ratio. Results. The mean scoliosis improved from 82° (range, 50°–130°) to 38° (range, 13°–66°) after initial surgery andwas 36° (range, 4°–53°) at the last follow-up or post-finalfusion. T1-S1 length increased from 23.01 (range, 13.80–31.20) to 28.00 cm (range, 19.50–35.50) after initial surgery and to 32.65 cm (range, 25.60–41.00) at last follow-up or post-final fusion with an average T1–S1 length increase of 1.21 cm per year (range, 0.13–2.59). Seven patients reached final fusion. The space available for lung ratio in patients with thoracic curves improved from 0.87 (range, 0.7–1.1) to 1.0 (range, 0.79–1.23, P = 0.01). During the treatment period, complications occurred in 11 of the 23 patients (48%), and they had a total of 13 complications. Four of these patients (17%) had unplanned procedures. Following final fusion, 2 patients required extensions of their fusions because of curve progression and lumbosacral pain. Conclusion. The dual growing rod technique is safe and effective. It maintains correction obtained at initial surgery while allowing spinal growth to continue. It provides adequate stability, increases the duration of treatment period, and has an acceptable rate of complication compared with previous reports using the single rod technique.
Hemimegalencephaly and Intractable Epilepsy: Complications of Hemispherectomy and Their Correlations with the Surgical Technique

Hemispherectomy is required in most cases of hemimegalencephaly in order to control epilepsy refractory to medical treatment. Although there is a general agreement on the effectiveness of the procedure in controlling the seizure disorder, the choice of the surgical technique is still a subject of debate. In particular, anatomical hemispherectomy is blamed to be associated with a higher incidence of surgical complications, namely hydrocephalus and hemosiderosis, than other less ablative operations such as functional hemispherectomies. A series of 15 children with hemimegalencephaly, who had undergone anatomical hemispherectomy (11 cases), functional hemispherectomy (2 cases), and hemidecortication (2 cases) at the Pediatric Neurosurgery Section, Catholic University Medical School, Rome, is reported. Twelve of these patients presented with one or more complications in their postoperative course. Temporary complications, which resolved spontaneously or following medical therapy, included fever, wound breakdown, worsening of preoperative motor deficit, unilateral third cranial nerve deficit, dystonia, and anemia. In 8 patients, postoperative complications led to a second surgical procedure. A CSF shunt was necessary in 5 children, to control a secondary hydrocephalus. Two subjects underwent a toilette of the residual cavity because of persisting chemical abnormalities in CSF parameters. In a child a cranioplasty procedure was necessary as a consequence of an infection of the hemicranial bone flap. There was no apparent correlation between the rate and the type of complications with a specific surgical procedure. On the other hand, the age factor appeared to play an important role in the occurrence of secondary hydrocephalus, as all 5 children with this complication were less than 9 months old at the time of the hemispherectomy. Surgical mortality was nil in this series.
Linkage of antisocial alcoholism to the serotonin 5-HT1B receptor gene in 2 populations.

BACKGROUND In mice, quantitative trait locus studies and behavioral evaluation of animals deleted for 5-HT1B have implicated this serotonin autoreceptor in alcohol consumption and aggressive behavior. We therefore investigated whether the 5-HT1B gene (HTR1B) is linked to alcoholism with aggressive and impulsive behavior in the human, as represented by 2 psychiatric diagnoses: antisocial personality disorder and intermittent explosive disorder comorbid with alcoholism. METHODS Linkage was first tested in 640 Finnish subjects, including 166 alcoholic criminal offenders, 261 relatives, and 213 healthy controls. This was followed by a study in a large multigenerational family derived from a Southwestern American Indian tribe (n=418) with a high rate of alcoholism. All subjects were psychiatrically interviewed, blind-rated for psychiatric diagnoses, and typed for a HTR1B G861C polymorphism and for a closely linked short-tandem repeat locus, D6S284. Linkage was evaluated in sib pairs, and by using an association approach in which pedigree randomization corrects for nonindependence of observations on related subjects. RESULTS In Finnish sib pairs, antisocial alcoholism showed significant evidence of linkage to HTR1B G861C (P=.04) and weak evidence with D6S284 (P=.06). By association analysis, the 183 Finnish antisocial alcoholics had a significantly higher HTR1B-861C allele frequency than the other 457 Finns we studied (P=.005). In the Southwestern American Indian tribe, significant sib pair linkage of antisocial alcoholism to HTR1B G861C (P=.01) was again observed, and there was also significant linkage to D6S284 (P=.01). CONCLUSION These results suggest that a locus predisposing to antisocial alcoholism may be linked to HTR1B at 6q13-15.
Routledge Handbook of Physical Education Pedagogies

The term, qualitative research, is derived from its reference to “quality” through detailed narratives and observations. Such research typically involves the examination of phenomena in social settings, in which researchers give voice to participants. Qualitative investigations occur in the natural world, focus on context, and employ multiple methods to gain an understanding of the participants under study (Rossman & Rallis, 2012). Researchers who “support a way of looking at research that honors an inductive style, a focus on individual meaning, and the importance of rendering the complexity of a situation,” typically engage in qualitative research (Creswell, 2014, p. 4). The use of words rather than numbers or statistics typically characterizes this form of inquiry
Matching Demodulation Transform With Application to Feature Extraction of Rotor Rub-Impact Fault

Conventional time-frequency analysis (TFA) methods have played an important role in characterizing the TF pattern of nonstationary signals. In this paper, a new TFA algorithm, called matching demodulation transform (MDT), is introduced to extract the highly oscillatory frequency modulation (FM) feature of rotor rub-impact fault. When a rub-impact fault occurs in the rotor system, vibration signals will present the FM feature because of the periodic rub-impact between the stator and the rotor. Through a partial demodulation and stepwise refinement procedure, the highly oscillatory FM feature is represented with satisfactory energy concentration in the time-frequency plane. The validity and practical utility of the MDT is then demonstrated on an experimental rotor system and a practical heavy oil catalytic cracking machine set with a rotor rub-impact fault. The analysis results show that the MDT is powerful in the analysis of FM signals and is an effective tool for the feature extraction of rub-impact faults.
Participation frequency and perceived participation restrictions at older age: applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) framework

Purpose. To identify variables from different components of International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) associated with older people's participation frequency and perceived participation restrictions. Method. Participants (N == 186) were community-living, 65–88 years old and 52%% men. The dependent variables, participation frequency (linear regression) and perceived participation restrictions (logistic regression), were measured using The Late-Life Function and Disability Instrument. Independent variables were selected from various ICF components. Results. Higher participation frequency was associated with living in urban rather than rural community (β == 2.8, p < 0.001), physically active lifestyle (β == 4.6, p < 0.001) and higher cognitive function (β == 0.3, p == 0.009). Lower participation frequency was associated with being older (β == −0.2, p == 0.002) and depressive symptoms (β == −0.2, p == 0.029). Older adults living in urban areas, having more advanced lower extremities capacity, or that were employed had higher odds of less perceived participation restrictions (adjusted odds ratio [[OR]] == 5.5, p == 0.001; OR == 1.09, p < 0.001; OR == 3.7, p == 0.011; respectively). In contrast, the odds of less perceived participation restriction decreased as depressive symptoms increased (OR == 0.8, p == 0.011). Conclusions. Our results highlight the importance of capturing and understanding both frequency and restriction aspects of older persons' participation. ICF may be a helpful reference to map factors associated with participation and to study further potentially modifiable influencing factors such as depressive symptoms and advanced lower extremity capacity.