Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Punica granatum (Pomegranate) fruit and its relevance in Oral Hygiene.

Herbal mouthwashes have been considered to be a more advantageous option to their chemical counterparts, for a long time. Neem, Honey bee extract and Cranberry extract, among others, have had scientists actively researching their properties. However, having demonstrated significant medicinal uses from treating cancers to lowering heart disease, pomegranate extract is the newest talk of the dental community. This is mainly because of its active component, polyphenolic flavonoid that is believed to prevent gingivitis and basic plaque formation through its anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-oxidant properties. Besides being able to exert considerable control over the levels of different enzymes in the oral cavity, the polyphenols are significantly active against notable oral bacteria like A. actinomycetemcomitans, S. aureus, P. intermedia and P. gingivalis. Through a series of laboratory tests and animal trials, the pomegranate extract has been shown to reduce the clinical signs associated with chronic, inflammatory periodontitis, among other indications such as treatment of oral ulcers. The aim of this systematic review is to propose pomegranate extract as an effective active ingredient in a mouthwash by describing the properties, significant trials and studies and past literature reviews that have marked it suitable for such a use.
Electromyographical analysis of selected lower extremity muscles during 5 unilateral weight-bearing exercises.

STUDY DESIGN Prospective single-group repeated-measures design. OBJECTIVES To quantify electromyographic (EMG) signal amplitude of the gluteus maximus, gluteus medius, vastus medialis oblique, and biceps femoris during 5 unilateral weight-bearing exercises. BACKGROUND Using normalized EMG (NEMG) signal amplitude as a measure of muscle activation and, therefore, an estimate of exercise intensity, the relative contributions and interaction of the hip and thigh muscles during unilateral weight-bearing exercise can be examined. With regard to potential efficiency for strengthening, data on the amount of EMG signal amplitude for these 4 muscles during commonly used exercises are limited. METHODS AND MEASURES Twenty-three healthy, asymptomatic subjects (16 men, 7 women; mean +/- SD age, 31.2 +/- 5.8 years) participated. A repeated-measures analysis was conducted using general linear models. The percent maximum voluntary isometric contraction was measured within each subject across 4 muscles during 5 exercises for 2 separate trials. Effect sizes of pairwise comparisons were computed. RESULTS Statistically significant differences were noted in the amount of mean NEMG signal amplitude for the 4 muscles across the 5 exercises. A similar recruitment pattern between muscles was observed across all exercises. CONCLUSION Even though all muscles except the biceps femoris demonstrated mean NEMG signal amplitudes sufficient for strengthening, the wall squat produced the highest levels of activation and should be considered the most efficient for targeting any of the 4 muscles or for training a cooperative effort among the muscles.
Isolated primary blast alters neuronal function with minimal cell death in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures.

An increasing number of U.S. soldiers are diagnosed with traumatic brain injury (TBI) subsequent to exposure to blast. In the field, blast injury biomechanics are highly complex and multi-phasic. The pathobiology caused by exposure to some of these phases in isolation, such as penetrating or inertially driven injuries, has been investigated extensively. However, it is unclear whether the primary component of blast, a shock wave, is capable of causing pathology on its own. Previous in vivo studies in the rodent and pig have demonstrated that it is difficult to deliver a primary blast (i.e., shock wave only) without rapid head accelerations and potentially confounding effects of inertially driven TBI. We have previously developed a well-characterized shock tube and custom in vitro receiver for exposing organotypic hippocampal slice cultures to pure primary blast. In this study, isolated primary blast induced minimal hippocampal cell death (on average, below 14% in any region of interest), even for the most severe blasts tested (424 kPa peak pressure, 2.3 ms overpressure duration, and 248 kPa*ms impulse). In contrast, measures of neuronal function were significantly altered at much lower exposures (336 kPa, 0.84 ms, and 86.5 kPa*ms), indicating that functional changes occur at exposures below the threshold for cell death. This is the first study to investigate a tolerance for primary blast-induced brain cell death in response to a range of blast parameters and demonstrate functional deficits at subthreshold exposures for cell death.
Design of an Optimal High Pass Filter in Frequency - Wave Number (F-K) Space for Suppressing Dispersive Ground Roll Noise from Onshore Seismic Data

The ultimate goal in seismic signal processing (pre- processing or main processing) is to enhance the signal to noise ratio (S-N-R). In this study, two high pass (low cut frequency) filters were designed in frequency - wave number (F-K) space and applied to onshore 3D seismic data acquired from a typical Niger Delta field to suppress dispersive ground roll in a bid to enhance S-N-R. The seismic shot records were initially displayed to show the seismic data ensembles in the conventional offset - time (X-T) domain. A frequency - wave number spectrum was then created using a VISTA software algorithm to analyze the spectral patterns of the signals and noise. Two high pass filters were then designed in the F-K space to mute the low frequency ground roll from the data. The filters were then applied to the entire seismic data ensemble for the filtering operation. The results obtained after the two filtering operations were compared to ascertain the optimal filter which was most effective for the suppression of the unwanted ground roll noise.
The evolution of sex education and students' sexual knowledge in Finland in the 2000s

Finland is probably the only country where sex education has been studied in two consecutive national surveys, in 1996 and 2006 directed at biology and health education teachers, and in 2000 and 2006 by measuring adolescents' sexual knowledge. In 2006, responses from teachers and students could be combined for 339 schools. The most important educational objectives of sex education in the 2000s were, based on teachers' reports, to educate students to act responsibly and to provide them with the correct facts. Among boys, sex education had a much more important role in relation to their sexual knowledge than among girls. For girls, performing well in school was a more important predictor of a higher level of sexual knowledge than the number of hours allocated to sex education in school. The level of students' sexual knowledge was promoted positively by teachers who wanted to teach attitudes of naturalness and tolerance toward sexuality, found sexual issues easy to talk about, told students of their own personal life, and used classroom techniques including drama and role-play methods and presentations, and lectures given by students themselves. In sum, Finland represents an advanced model of comprehensive sex education in Europe.
Despeckle Filtering for Ultrasound Imaging and Video, Volume I: Algorithms and Software, Second Edition

Abstract Download Free Sample It is well known that speckle is a multiplicative noise that degrades image and video quality and the visual expert's evaluation in ultrasound imaging and video. This necessitates the need for robust despeckling image and video techniques for both routine clinical practice and tele-consultation. The goal for this book (book 1 of 2 books) is to introduce the problem of speckle occurring in ultrasound image and video as well as the theoretical background (equations), the algorithmic steps, and the MATLABTM code for the following group of despeckle filters: linear filtering, nonlinear filtering, anisotropic diffusion filtering, and wavelet filtering. This book proposes a comparative evaluation framework of these despeckle filters based on texture analysis, image quality evaluation metrics, and visual evaluation by medical experts. Despeckle noise reduction through the application of these filters will improve the visual observation quality or it may be used as a pre-processing s.
Prognostic significance of the Ca(2+) binding protein S100A2 in laryngeal squamous-cell carcinoma.

We investigated by immunocytochemistry the expression of the Ca(2+) binding protein S100A2 in 62 cases of laryngeal squamous-cell carcinoma (SCC). S100A2 was detected in 18/19 (95%) low-grade tumors and in 22/43 (51%) high-grade tumors, which were partially keratinizing. The remaining 21/43 (49%) high-grade tumors were non-keratinizing, anaplastic tumors and clearly S100A2-negative. In normal laryngeal squamous epithelium and in laryngeal SCC, S100A2 expression was strictly associated with that of cytokeratins 14 (P = 0.0002) and 17 (P = 0.0021), suggesting an association of S100A2 expression and cell commitment to squamous differentiation. A correlation was found between S100A2 tumor positivity and longer relapse-free (P = 0.0005) and overall (P = 0.0095) survival.
Study of instantaneous color constancy mechanisms in human vision

We have extended the experiments of McCann et al. by incorporating their Mondrian stimulus into a dynamic color matching (DCM) technique that allows the subject to match accurately the color of any test patch under sequential changes of illuminant. Changes in the perceived color of a central test stimulus as a result of surround illuminant changes are investigated in a number of successful binocular and dichoptic experiments. The contribution made by distant patches to instantaneous color constancy (ICC) is found to be small, with the immediate surround (i.e., ,1.5-deg separation) contributing most of the constancy effect. A modified DCM technique was developed to study ICC in patients with unilateral damage to the primary visual cortex. The results of this part of the study suggest that retinal mechanisms do not contribute to ICC. Experiments carried out in subjects with cerebral achromatopsia reveal the existence of hidden constancy, even when the subjects are unable to see the result of functioning ICC mechanisms. Dichoptic implementation of the DCM technique yields reduced but significant ICC index values with more equal contribution from distant surrounds. Our findings suggest that early stage processing of chromatic information in the primary visual cortex contributes significantly to ICC, with only small contributions from extrastriate areas of the cortex. © 2004 SPIE and IS&T. [DOI: 10.1117/1.1636491]
Time and frequency characterization of radiated disturbances in telecommunication bands due to pantograph arcing

Radiated emissions from arcing between pantograph and overhead lines in electrical transportation systems extend up to the frequency bands currently used for telecommunications and may therefore affect the quality features of telecommunication systems. The paper investigates on the time and frequency characteristics of the disturbances. Transient amplitude, rise time and pulse duration were measured in the time domain to obtain the associated empirical distributions; the power spectrum and the frequency content were calculated in the bands of interest; finally a time-frequency representation has been used to observe the evolution of the power spectra over time and the location of the main contributions.
Title : Modulation of Brain Activity after Learning Predicts Long-Term Memory for Words Year : 2010 Version : Final

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Integrated geophysical surveys on waste dumps: evaluation of physical parameters to characterize an urban waste dump (four case studies in Italy)

Geophysical surveys were carried out on different waste dumps to evaluate key geometric and physical parameters. Depending on the dump dimensions and physical characteristics different geophysical techniques were used. Vertical electrical sounding, electrical resistivity tomography, induced polarization and seismic refraction techniques were integrated to eliminate the non-uniqueness of solutions and for a better understanding of the results. Physical parameters inside and outside the dumps were compared. The change of physical parameters such as resistivity, chargeability, and P-wave velocity allowed evaluation of waste dump geometry, leachate saturation levels, and thickness of waste. Furthermore, in illegal dumps, the size and waste type disposed could be evaluated. Calculated results were compared with plans and bookkeeping from the dumps investigated
Principles of Dynamic Psychiatry

315 but they, with the new are well presented. Dr. George Carrington's essay on "Medicine" is especially to be recommended, and the final essay by Nor-man Foerster "The Future of the Humanities in State Universities" deserves a much larger audience than it seems likely to reach. 322 pp. $4. Masserman has undertaken the difficult task of presenting fundamentals of modern dynamic psychiatry in 175 pages, enlarged by an appendix of 57 pages, a well-selected and comprehensive ibibliography, and a simple glossary of psychiatric terms. Part I outlines the task of psychiatry, defined as "The Science of Human Behavior," and presents a critical review of the organic, psychological, and psychoanalytic theories of behavior. This is followed by chapters on dynamics of adaptation in general and "neurotigenic and psychotic dynamisms. " Part II opens with a review of taxonfomic psychiatry, behaviorism, psychoanalytic theory, and Meyerian psychobiology. The bulk of Part II, 75 pages, develops Masserman's own "Biodynamic Theory of Behavior. " According to Masserman, behavior is governed 'by four principles and a number of corollaries. The first principle states that '%hehavior is basically actuated by the physiologic needs of the organism and is directed toward the satisfaction of those needs. " Second principle: "Behavior is contingent upon and adaptive to the organism's interpretation of its milieu as based on its capacities and previous experiences. " The third principle states that behavior 'becomes fragmented under stress and tends toward substitute satisfactions. The fourth principle deals with conflict. When two or more
A pan-genome method to determine core regions of the Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli genomes

Synthetic engineering of bacteria to produce industrial products is a burgeoning field of research and application. In order to optimize genome design, designers need to understand which genes are essential, which are optimal for growth, and locations in the genome that will be tolerated by the organism when inserting engineered cassettes. We present a pan-genome based method for the identification of core regions in a genome that are strongly conserved at the species level. We show that these core regions are very likely to contain all or almost all essential genes. We assert that synthetic engineers should avoid deleting or inserting into these core regions unless they understand and are manipulating the function of the genes in that region. Similarly, if the designer wishes to streamline the genome, non-core regions and in particular low penetrance genes would be good targets for deletion. Care should be taken to remove entire cassettes with similar penetrance of the genes within cassettes as they may harbor toxin/antitoxin genes which need to be removed in tandem. The bioinformatic approach introduced here saves considerable time and effort relative to knockout studies on single isolates of a given species and captures a broad understanding of the conservation of genes that are core to a species. Importance The pan-genome approach presented in this paper can be used to determine core regions of a genome and has many possible applications. Synthetic engineering design can be informed by which genes/regions are more conserved (core) versus less conserved. The level of conservation of adjacent non-core genes tends to define cassettes of genes which may be part of a pathway or system that can inform researchers about possible functional significance. The pattern of gene presence across the different genomes of a species can inform the understanding of evolution and horizontal gene acquisition. The approach saves considerable time and effort relative to laboratory methods used to identify essential genes in species.
Exact calculation to second order of the effective dielectric constant of a strongly nonlinear inhomogeneous composite.

We study strongly nonlinear and inhomogeneous dielectrics that follow a power-law relation between the electric and the displacement fields, D=\ensuremath{\epsilon}\ensuremath{\Vert}E${\ensuremath{\Vert}}^{\ensuremath{\beta}}$E. Considering a narrow distribution of local dielectric constants \ensuremath{\epsilon}(r), we find the first correction to the potential field. Using this result we present an exact calculation of the effective dielectric constant of an isotropic system to second order in the fluctuations \ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\epsilon}(r). Our result is independent of details of the local geometry and represents the nonlinear analog of the exact calculation in linear dielectrics.
COPD: early diagnosis and treatment to slow disease progression

SummaryAims Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is usually a progressive condition. Undiagnosed early-stage disease, particularly in symptomatic patients, is likely to become more severe with time. Hence, prevention or reduction in disease progression is highly relevant. We evaluated the published data and discussed the potential impact of early intervention on the course of COPD. Methods We performed PubMed searches of studies in early or mild COPD, focusing on those relating to lung function decline. Results Smoking cessation reduced lung function decline at all stages of COPD, and the earlier the intervention, the greater the impact on lung function. Accumulating data from placebo-controlled trials suggested that long-acting bronchodilators can slow the decline in lung function, as well as reduce exacerbation and mortality rates and improve health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with mild-to-moderate COPD. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) do not impact lung function in early COPD, and further research is needed on the role of long-acting β2-agonist-ICS combination therapy in these patients. Conclusions Initiating treatment early in the course of COPD is likely to slow disease progression and improve HRQoL. Current data support maintenance treatment with a long-acting bronchodilator in this patient group. However, many questions remain unanswered regarding the optimal treatment of mild COPD, and further research is required to develop evidence-based recommendations in this field.
On the visualization, verification and recalibration of ternary probabilistic forecasts

We develop a graphical interpretation of ternary probabilistic forecasts in which forecasts and observations are regarded as points inside a triangle. Within the triangle, we define a continuous colour palette in which hue and colour saturation are defined with reference to the observed climatology. In contrast to current methods, forecast maps created with this colour scheme convey all of the information present in each ternary forecast. The geometrical interpretation is then extended to verification under quadratic scoring rules (of which the Brier score and the ranked probability score are well-known examples). Each scoring rule defines an associated triangle in which the square roots of the score, the reliability, the uncertainty and the resolution all have natural interpretations as root mean square distances. This leads to our proposal for a ternary reliability diagram in which data relating to verification and calibration can be summarized. We illustrate these ideas with data relating to seasonal forecasting of precipitation in South America, including an example of nonlinear forecast calibration. Codes implementing these ideas have been produced using the statistical software package R and are available from the authors.
Real-Time Recognition Method of Counting Fingers for Natural User Interface

Communication occurs through verbal elements, which usually involve language, as well as non-verbal elements such as facial expressions, eye contact, and gestures. In particular, among these non-verbal elements, gestures are symbolic representations of physical, vocal, and emotional behaviors. This means that gestures can be signals toward a target or expressions of internal psychological processes, rather than simply movements of the body or hands. Moreover, gestures with such properties have been the focus of much research for a new interface in the NUI/NUX field. In this paper, we propose a method for recognizing the number of fingers and detecting the hand region based on the depth information and geometric features of the hand for application to an NUI/NUX. The hand region is detected by using depth information provided by the Kinect system, and the number of fingers is identified by comparing the distance between the contour and the center of the hand region. The contour is detected using the Suzuki85 algorithm, and the number of fingers is calculated by detecting the finger tips in a location at the maximum distance to compare the distances between three consecutive dots in the contour and the center point of the hand. The average recognition rate for the number of fingers is 98.6%, and the execution time is 0.065 ms for the algorithm used in the proposed method. Although this method is fast and its complexity is low, it shows a higher recognition rate and faster recognition speed than other methods. As an application example of the proposed method, this paper explains a Secret Door that recognizes a password by recognizing the number of fingers held up by a user.