Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative detection and correlation of Epstein - Barr Virus in plasma with gingivitis and severity of chronic periodontitis by using real-time polymerase chain reaction technique

This study aimed to detect EBV quantitatively in plasma using real-time polymerase chain reaction technique in chronic periodontitis and gingivitis patients and to compare the finding with control subjects (healthy periodontium) and to investigate the relationship between the presence of EBV & the severity of periodontal diseases using the clinical periodontal parameters (PLI ,GI , BOP ,PPD and CAL) between each of (chronic periodontitis and gingivitis) patients and compare with control (healthy periodontium) subjects . Materials and methods: The study sample consisted of (101) individual of both genders, (61) chronic periodontitis patients which were subdivided into (mild, moderate & severe) depending on the scores of clinical attachment level, (20) gingivitis patients and (20) control subjects (healthy periodontium) with age ranged from (30-50) years. All the groups were without any history of systemic diseases. Clinical periodontal parameters used in this study were (PLI ,GI , BOP ,PPD and CAL) . Blood samples were collected from all individuals and examined by Real-Time PCR technique for the detection of EBV. Results: The result of comparison for the occurrence of EBV among study and control groups according to sequential responding of EBV appears to be highly significant at negative level of EBV, significant in (100 - 500 copy/105 cells) level and the results of leftover levels appear non significant difference. The result of correlation between the actual occurrence of EBV and PPD scores in severe chronic periodontitis subgroup appears to be significant at PPD score (1) and non significant at scores (2&3). The correlations between EBV and PPD scores in moderate and mild chronic periodontitis subgroups appear to be non significant with all scores. The results of correlation between EBV and CAL parameter appear to be non significant among all scores of chronic periodontitis subgroup. Concerning plaque index, the correlation appears to be significant in mild chronic periodonttis subgroup and highly significant in control group. In case of gingival index, the correlation appears to be significant in severe chronic periodontitis subgroup and control group . The result of correlation with (B.O.P. score 1) appears to be highly significant in severe subgroup of chronic periodontitis group and significant in gingivitis group, while in case of (B.O.P. score 0), the correlation appears to be significant only in severe chronic periodonttis subgroup. Conclusions: The present findings revealed that there may be an association between EBV infection and the severity of periodontal diseases and thus coinfection with EBV may play a role in increase destruction of periodontal tissues. Keyword: Chronic periodontitis, EBV, Real-Time PCR. (J Bagh Coll Dentistry 2014; 26(4):133-140).
Increase in growth and haematological parameters by Bacillus licheniformis dietary supplementation to climbing perch, Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792)

An experiment was conducted for 60 days to assess the probiotic potential of Bacillus licheniformis, a Gram-positive, aerobic, spore forming bacterium in climbing perch, Anabas testudineus juvenile having average weight of 10±2 g. fifteen rectangular fiber tanks of 100 liters capacity were taken for study and each tank was stocked randomly with 12 fishes. Treatment groups T1, T2, T3 and T4 were fed with four different diet containing (1.0 x 107 cfu g-1, 0.5 x 108 cfu g-1, 1.0 x 108 cfu g-1, and 0.5 x 109 cfu g-1 diet respectively) B. licheniformis for 60 days and the control group (C) was fed with diet without B. licheniformis for the same period. The growth, haematological and serum parameters were monitored at fortnight interval. In treatment groups the weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) were significantly high (p<0.05) in comparision to control. Fishes fed with diet containing 1.0 x 108 cfu g-1 B. licheniformis showed highest weight gain (87.47±2.98%) and SGR (1.47±0.03). The TEC and haemoglobin content increased significantly in treatment groups in comparision to control group. The highest TEC (2.08±0.04 x 106/mm3) and haemoglobin content (7.47±0.02 g%) was observed in T4. The present study suggests that B. licheniformis at 1.0 x 108 cfu g-1 feed could be used in climbing perch farming to enhance growth and haematological parameters.
ANTIGENC PROTEINS OF SHRMP WHITE SPOT SYNDROME VIRUS AND USES THEREOF

The present invention relates to antigenic proteins derived from White Spot Syndrome virus having an estimated size of 19 kDa (VP19) or 13 kDA (VP13), to the use of these proteins in vaccines and to vaccines on the basis of these proteins. Furthermore, the invention relates to antibodies against these proteins and to the use of antibodies in vaccines, to nucleic acid Sequences encoding these proteins and to their use in vaccines. Also, the invention relates to the use of Said proteins in the manufacture of a vaccine for prophylaxis and/or treatment of White Spot Syndrome in crustaceans, to vector vaccines and to diagnostic kits com prising Said nuclei acids or antibodies.
An Exploration of the Views of Teachers Concerning the Effects of Texting on Children's Literacy Development

Texting, or text messaging, refers to the use of mobile phones to type and send brief, elec-tronic messages over a telephone network. Because such messages are limited to 160 char-acters and are typed on a small phone keypad, texters tend to employ a great many abbrevi-ations in conveying their messages. This has led to widespread spelling adaptations, for ex-ample, “BRB” (be right back), “LOL” (laughing out loud), and “CUL8ER” (see you later). The research in this paper aimed to examine the views and opinions held by teachers about the impact of texting on children’s literacy development. Twenty-seven primary teachers were interviewed in depth and a number of key themes emerged. These teachers did ex-press some negative view about the impact of texting, and of technology use generally, up-on their students’ literacy, although many also mentioned some positive effects. A majority did feel concerned about the effects of textisms, but these feelings were tempered by a range of other factors. None of them blamed the use of textisms exclusively for declining levels of student literacy, suggesting also that the impact of student “street slang” was a sig-nificant influence as was the fact that many of their students spoke English as an additional language. These outcomes suggest that the media portrayal of this issue has been over-simplistic at best.
Comparative Analysis of Three Methods for Determination of Imipenem Resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Background : These days, the antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates to imipenem has significantly increased. Therefore the study of resistance to imipenem in this organism to imipenem in determining the appropriate treatment is crucial and necessary. The goal of this study is to compare three phenotypic methods of E-test, disk diffusion and micro broth dilution in the study of resistance to imipenem in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa . Methods : Within a 6-month interval, 120 clinical specimens were collected and evaluated. All isolates were identified as P. aeruginosa by standard biochemical tests and amplification of 16S rRNA gene. Three phenotypic methods of E-test, disk diffusion, and micro broth dilution were used to determine imipenem resistance in P. aeruginosa isolates. Results : Of the 96 P. aeruginosa isolates studied for their resistance to imipenem by the use of E-test, disk diffusion and micro broth dilution methods, 38.5% of the strains in micro broth dilution method and 33.3% in the two methods of E-test and disk diffusion were resistant to imipenem. The rate of sensitivity and specificity of disk diffusion and E-test methods were 100%, 90.1%, and they were 100% and 83.1% for micro broth dilution, respectively. Conclusion : With regard to the results obtained from the comparison of the three methods 100% agreement were observed among the antimicrobial susceptibility results obtained by the E-test and disk diffusion methods (P ≥ 0.05). Therefore, the use of disk diffusion method can be an appropriate replacement for E-test method with regard to its being easy and cost-effective.
Teaching black-box testing techniques through specification patterns

Software verification is one of the most important activities in the software development cycle, and testing remains the most common approach to verification used in industry. The goal of blackbox testing (functional testing) is to verify the system’s adherence to specifications. The notion of patterns and scopes developed by Dwyer et al. provides a cohesive and rich set of examples to teach black-box testing strategies. A pattern describes a recurring software property, and a scope specifies the interval of program execution where a pattern must hold. A property specified using a pattern and scope combination has characteristics that must be satisfied if it is to hold. Based on these characteristics, there is a large set of behaviors that can be examined using black-box testing techniques. In a complementary fashion, the behaviors specified by patterns and scopes provide clear and simple examples that can enhance the understanding of these testing techniques. In this paper, we describe an approach and present general lessons and exercises that demonstrate how patterns and scopes can be used to teach boundary value analysis and equivalence class testing, which are two of the most commonly used black-box testing techniques. As a side effect of this approach, students are exposed to, and become familiar with, formally specifying system behavior.
Transparency and Educational Improvement – Friends or Foes? The Case of Croatia

This paper seeks to discuss the recent introduction of standardised assessment in Croatia in form of a school leaving examination, called the State Matura. It examines the relationship between the apparent priority of procedural justice and transparency over questions relating to educational quality in Croatian secondary education. The paper calls for more research on how issues of procedural justice affect educational quality in post-socialist settings.
Predicting the future of species diversity: macroecological theory, climate change, and direct tests of alternative forecasting methods

Accurate predictions of future shifts in species diversity in response to global change are critical if useful conservation strategies are to be developed. The most widely used prediction method is to model individual species niches from point observations and project these models forward using future climate scenarios. The resulting changes in individual ranges are then summed to predict diversity changes; multiple models can be combined to produce ensemble forecasts. Predictions based on environment-richness regressions are rarer. However, richness regression models, based on macroecological diversity theory, have a long track record of making reliable spatial predictions of diversity patterns. If these empirical theories capture true functional relationships between environment and diversity, then they should make consistent predictions through time as well as space and could complement individual species-based predictions. Here, we use climate change throughout the 20th century to directly test the ability of these different approaches to predict shifts of Canadian butterfly diversity. We found that all approaches performed reasonably well, but the most accurate predictions were made using the single best richness-environment regression model, after accounting for the effects of spatial autocorrelation. Spatially trained regression models based on macroecological theory accurately predict diversity shifts for large species assemblages. Global changes provide pseudo-experimental tests of those macroecological theories that can then generate robust predictions of future conditions.
Enhanced Oral Bioavailability of Alitretinoin by Lipid Drug Delivery System

Alitretinoin is an endogenous retinoid and acts as a pan-agonist at retinoid receptors, binding with high affinity to both retinoic acid receptors and retinoid X receptors. Oral alitretinoin once daily is approved for use in patients with severe chronic hand eczema unresponsive to treatment with potent topical corticosteroids. The bioavailability of alitretinoin after oral administration is low and subject to large inter-individual variation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship of solubility and dissolution profiles of alitretinoin in vitro and their impact on the oral bioavailability of alitretinoin in rats. The work plan involves using simple and widely used practices under small scale pharmaceutical industry set-ups in India. The solubility of alitretinoin in vehicles of varying Hydrophilic lipophilic balance (HLB) values was determined and selected components were used to formulate different compositions for in vitro drug release dissolutions studies. The prototypes composition of soybean oil and stearoyl macrogol-32 glycerides provided a stable and maximum drug releasing product. The pharmacokinetic study in rats for the optimized formulation was performed and compared against innovator composition. Lipid formulation system of alitretinoin had significantly increased the peak serum concentration (Cmax), area under the curve (AUC) and reduction was observed in time to reach peak serum concentration (Tmax) compared to marketed formulation. The data although reaffirms established correlations between dissolution and bioavailability, it interestingly points towards a complex relationship exist between HLB and thermodynamic activity profile of drug in vehicles in affecting alitretinoin’s solubility, dissolution and bioavailability.
Optimization of p-GaN/InGaN/n-GaN Double Heterojunction p-i-n Solar Cell for High Efficiency: Simulation Approach

We have conducted numerical simulation of p-GaN/In0.12Ga0. 88N/n-GaN, p-i-n double heterojunction solar cell. The doping density, individual layer thickness, and contact pattern of the device are investigated under solar irradiance of AM1.5 for optimized performance of solar cell. The optimized solar cell characteristic parameters for cell area of 1 × 1 mm2 are open circuit voltage of 2.26 V, short circuit current density of 3.31 mA/cm2, fill factor of 84.6%, and efficiency of 6.43% with interdigitated grid pattern.
Polar stratospheric clouds over Antarctica from the CALIPSO spaceborne lidar

[1] This paper presents statistics of polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) above Antarctica from June to October 2006 using observations from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) spaceborne lidar, part of the CALIPSO mission. Synoptic-scale changes in geographic and temporal distribution are documented weekly and correlated with temperature fields. A high spatial and temporal variability tends to contradict the hypothesis that PSCs are mostly created via slow processes mainly governed by large-scale temperature changes. Linear depolarization ratios reveal strongly typed PSCs with distinct characteristics (implying different microphysics), but unique cloud compositions cannot be singled out. A west/east imbalance is observed in the depolarization distribution, symptomatic of microphysical disparities. A classification based on depolarization and scattering ratios suggests more than 60% of mixed PSCs, followed by more than 20% of STS, and a roughly equal concentration of nitric acid trihydrate (NAT)-based and pure ice PSCs (∼8%). Up to the beginning of August, supercooled ternary solution (STS) PSCs experience a steady decrease in concentration correlated with an increase in ice-based and mixed PSCs; this tendency gets reversed after the first week of August, hinting at the existence of a large-scale seasonal cycle in PSC population.
Estimation of the frequency boundaries of the inertial range for wind noise spectra in anechoic wind tunnels

Wind noise generated by the intrinsic turbulence in the flow can affect the outdoor noise measurements. Various attempts have been made to investigate the wind noise generation mechanism. Wind noise spectra in anechoic wind tunnels can be divided into three frequency regions. In the low frequency region known as the energy-containing range, the wind noise spectrum does not change significantly with frequency. In contrast, in the middle frequency region (or inertial range) the decay rate of the wind noise spectrum curve follows the 7/3 power law, but in the high frequency region (or dissipation range) the decay rate of the wind noise spectrum curve is faster than the 7/3 power law. The boundaries of the 7/3 power law frequency range depend on the Reynolds number; however, no exact value is known according to current literature. This paper proposes a method for predicting the boundary values based on the energy cascade theory. Large eddy simulations of free jet were performed to validate the proposed method and the results were found to be in reasonable agreement with existing experiment measurements obtained in an anechoic wind tunnel. Additional simulations were also conducted with different inflow entrance sizes to further verify the predictions from the proposed method.
The effect of financial development on economic growth: a meta-analysis

ABSTRACT In this article, we contribute to the current debate on the sign and size of the finance–growth relation. To this purpose, we use a meta-analysis with 551 estimates from 68 empirical studies that take private credit to GDP as a measure for financial development. We distinguish between linear and logarithmic specifications. First, we find evidence of significantly positive publication bias in both the linear and log-linear specifications. It suggests the literature has exaggerated the size of the finance–growth effect in the past. Second, we find suggestive evidence that the logarithmic specification is superior to the linear specification. In the logarithmic specification when accounting for publication bias, a 10% increase in credit to the private sector increases economic growth with 0.09 percentage points. For the linear estimates, no significant effect of credit to the private sector on economic growth is found on average. Overall, the evidence points to a positive but decreasing effect of financial development on growth and supports the ‘too much’ finance hypothesis.
Préparation du détecteur de poussières ODS pour la mission martienne Exomars 2018

Les travaux presentes dans ce manuscrit sont consacres a l'etudie du un petit instrument sophistique de mesure d'epaisseur optique : ODS (Optical Depth Sensor) a ete concu pour etudier l'atmosphere martienne et terrestre. L'une de ses principales missions consiste a fournir des mesures journalieres de l'epaisseur optique des aerosols (AOD: Aerosol Optical Depth) et de detecter et caracteriser les nuages optiquement minces a l'aube et au crepuscule. Les methodes d'analyses sont basees sur l'utilisation de tables d'intensite reproduisant les signaux observes ODS en fonction de differents parametres cles. Ces tables ont ete realisees a l'aide d'un code de transfert radiatif dans une geometrie en plans paralleles pour l'estimation de l'opacite des poussieres, tandis que les proprietes des nuages sont issues d'un modele de type Monte-Carlo en geometrie spherique. Le premier objectif de ce travail a consiste a developper les algorithmes d'analyses necessaires a l'etude du signal d'ODS.
Simplified Mapreduce Mechanism for Large Scale Data Processing

MapReduce has become a popular programming model for processing and running large-scale data sets with a parallel, distributed paradigm on a cluster. Hadoop MapReduce is needed especially for large scale data like big data processing. In this paper, we work to modify the Hadoop MapReduce Algorithm and implement it to reduce processing time.
SPH Study of Immiscible Flow in Porous Media and the Relation Between Capillary Pressure, Saturation and Interfacial Area

The classical macroscale approach to modeling two-phase flow of immiscible fluids through porous media is based on a phenomenological extension of Darcy’s law and an additional closing equation that relates macroscopic capillary pressure to wetting phase saturation. Hysteretic effects and nonequilibrium contributions are typically lumped into the algebraic capillary pressure-saturation relationship, wherefore correspondings fitting coefficients lack general validity. Contemporary approaches explicitly acknowledge the role of interfacial area in hysteresis, and saturation rate in dynamic capillary pressure [1]. However, these macroscale approaches introduce new balance equations with unknown microstructure-dependent terms yet to be explored. Besides fast x-ray tomography-based experiments, pore-scale direct numerical simulations must be considered a valuable complementary tool for these problems. Our approach to pore-scale resolved simulations of immiscible, multiphase flow is a weakly compressible SPH method which incorporates the Navier-Stokes equations together with the continuum surface force method to account for the interfacial momentum balances. Attractive features of SPH in this context include its meshfree nature, which makes spatial discretization of complex pore-spaces less computationally expensive as compared to traditional grid or mesh-based methods. Furthermore, the Lagrangian nature, due to which non-linear convective terms are not required to be modeled, thus enhancing stability for locally large Reynolds numbers [2]. The Lagrangian nature of SPH reveals to be particularly useful for multiphase processes since the phase indicator field is intrinsically advected through particle motion and no additional advection equation is required to be considered. The proposed discrete SPH equations are additionally compliant to Galilean invariance and exact mass and linear momentum conservation. In contrast to SPH approaches where the effects of capillarity and interfacial tension are modeled using empirical Lennard-Jones type interaction forces, the present approach is based on the discretization of the governing interfacial mass and momentum balances following [3]. Hence, model calibration routines become unnecessary. We discuss suitable numerical parameterizations and the predictive capability of the SPH method with respect to immiscible multiphase flow processes in porous media. Subsequently, the aim of our contribution is to discuss the effects of microstructure polydispersity on the equilibrium relationship between capillary pressure, saturation and interfacial area.
An Improvement Approach for Wide-Angle Impedance Matching Using ELC Metasurface Slabs for SIW Slot Array Antennas

The effects of mutual coupling in beam scanning arrays increase degradation in gain as the beam is scanned off the broadside. A simple and effective approach for a deployed SIW slot array antenna through the use of artificially structured materials is proposed to improve its performance of wide-angle scanning in the E-plane. Metasurface slabs of one-tenth wavelength electric-inductive-capacitive (ELC) resonators are vertically placed halfway between the adjacent waveguides without changing the antenna structure to realize wide-angle impedance matching (WAIM). The ELC metasurface is designed to operate at a linear region rather than at a resonance region to use its transmission property for greatly weakening mutual couplings. Inserting metasurface slabs between two adjacent waveguides to reduce the mutual coupling can achieve impedance matching at large scan angles. A 10 × 10 SIW slot array operating at X-band is modelled and simulated to study how the vertically placed ELC metasurface slabs over the antenna affect the array’s beam scanning performance. The simulated results show that the scan range of the antenna is extended from −50° to 50° to −70° to 70° under the criteria that radiating efficiency is greater than 80%.