Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reproductive and Developmental Effects

Health professionals have long considered exposure to tobacco smoke harmful to reproduction, affecting aspects from fertility and pregnancy outcome to fetal and child development. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of compounds, some of which are known to have toxic effects on reproductive health, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nicotine, and metals. Along with more than four million births in the United States annually, 10 to 20 percent of pregnancies end in miscarriage or stillbirth before delivery, and another 10 percent of couples who want to conceive a child experience infertility or reduced fertility. In 2007, 17.4 percent of all women and approximately 19 percent of women of reproductive age (18 through 44 years) smoked cigarettes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] 2008). Smoking rates among women of reproductive age vary by other factors such as education, race, and geographic area, ranging from about 10 percent in Utah to nearly 30 percent in Kentucky and West Virginia (CDC 2005). From 2002 to 2005, 17.3 percent of pregnant women reported smoking cigarettes in the past month (NSDUH Report 2007). CDC’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System is an ongoing, population-based surveillance system designed to identify and monitor selected self-reported maternal behaviors and experiences that occur before, during, and after pregnancy among women who deliver a live infant. In 2002, the prevalence of smoking in the three months before pregnancy ranged from 13.6 percent (Utah) to 37.0 percent (West Virginia); in the last three months of pregnancy, from 6.8 percent (Utah) to 25.3 percent (West Virginia); and after pregnancy, from 9.0 percent (Utah) to 33.7 percent (West Virginia) (Williams et al. 2006). Prevalence of smoking is generally higher among men. In 2003, 24.1 percent reported smoking and prevalence was higher among younger men than among older men. This chapter examines reproductive and developmental outcomes, although the term “reproductive” may be used generally to describe both, in relation to smoking.
Applications of Corticosteroids in Dentistry

Corticosteroids, since their introduction in the 1940s, have become one of the most widely prescribed class of drugs. They belong to a class of chemicals that includes steroid hormones that are produced naturally in the adrenal cortex of vertebrates and analogous to those that are synthesized in laboratories. They have been used extensively in managing many oral diseases, due to their excellent anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory effects. However, considering their potential and significant side-effects, they are sometimes termed as the "double-edged sword" in the field of medicine. Their successful use depends upon the comprehension of the disease process. This includes an appropriate diagnosis, a clear view of the desirable treatment outcome and understanding of whether the treatment is aimed at the management of a chronic disease or enhanced resolution of a short-term condition. The possible beneficial effects of systemic corticosteroids must be weighed against probable risks. This article is aimed at reviewing the use of corticosteroids in the treatment of various oral conditions and lesions, and deriving a certain protocol for the same.
THE QUALITY OF THE ASCAT 12.5 KM WIND PRODUCT

The Advanced Scatterometer (ASCAT) delivers high resolution measurements of the ocean surface vector winds since 2006. Level 2 processing is done with the ASCAT Wind Data Processor (AWDP). AWDP builds upon the experience gained with the European scatterometers on board ERS-1 and ERS-2 as well as the U.S. SeaWinds scatterometer carried by QuikSCAT. It has several advanced features, in particular Two Dimensional Variational Ambiguity Removal (2DVAR). Operational wind products on a 12.5 km grid are produced since early 2009. In this contribution the quality of the 12.5 km ASCAT wind products is compared to that of other operational scatterometer wind products using buoy collocations and spectral techniques. Also the effect of level 1 processing is investigated. Some developments for the near future are briefly discussed.
Barriers to Management Intensive Grazing by Southern Dairy Farmers

Interest in Management Intensive Grazing (MIG) [a situation where grazing animals are moved to a fresh pasture every few days in order to have access to adequate forage] practices by farmers have increased steadily over the years. Many research publications on grazing advocate the financial and environmental benefits of grazing. Understanding the challenges of MIG can be an important piece of information for a dairy farmer. A survey was conducted to determine how farmers in the southeastern region perceive the barriers to the adoption of MIG. A greater percentage of MIG southeastern farmers were satisfied or very satisfied with their farm profit level compared to other practices. However, the amount of work to start pasture management, and the lack of on-farm technical assistance were barriers for many MIG operations.
A sociocultural case study in translation as service-learning: Shaping the professional profile of Spanish heritage language learners and understanding their sense of multiculturalism

There is a growing demand for certifications (e.g., translation and interpretation) that validate the linguistic knowledge and professional capabilities of Spanish heritage language learners. Given the practicality of the accreditations in question, the engagement of Spanish heritage language learners in hands-on tasks that involve the surrounding community is also in the raise. Thus, this study mainly seeks to explore whether, and how the involvement in a Spanish translation course embedded in a service-learning task, shapes the professional and multicultural profile of a Spanish heritage language learner in the Midwest of the United States of America. A secondary objective of the present work is to establish any relationship between the tools (i.e., online and computerized visual resources) that were available for the participant to complete the outreach project and the way the task was approached. To achieve both aims, the obtained data was analyzed drawing upon activity theory. The results of this study suggest the multiculturalism, bilingualism, available tools, such as visual aids and specialized medical dictionaries, enabled a sense of preparation particularly corresponded to five factors. Two of these were language-related: (1) becoming aware of sociolinguistic features (i.e., formal vs. informal register), and (2) acquiring a more complex and professional jargon (i.e., medical lexicon); while the other three were embedded in translation matters. The latter implied the development of three specific techniques: (a) visiting with community members before the interpretation procedure takes place; (b) encouraging the latter group to maintain eye contact with the professionals with whom they intended to communicate; and (c) developing the ability to convey the message without doing a word for word linguistic equivalence. The results in the type of research suggested here are foreseen to provide knowledge that could facilitate further understanding of the relevance of service-learning when teaching Spanish to heritage language learners.
Fructose in different apple varieties Implications for apple consumption in persons affected by fructose intolerance

Fructose malabsorption (FM) and hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) are pathological diseases that should be clearly distinguished from one another, but for both of which fructose is a relevant substrate. The treatment for both diseases consists of fructose restriction, but with a completely different focus for each. In the case of HFI, consumption of fructose must be avoided completely, but in the case of FM, a desensitization strategy can be adopted. This strategy exploits the mechanism of glucose-induced fructose transport. Thus, for FM (unlike for HFI) it is not necessary to abstain from consuming foods containing fructose completely. Apples have a high fructose content, and also have an unfavorable fructose/glucose ratio of > 1, which means that at first glance, they appear unsuitable for patients with FM. Our investigations have shown that depending on the variety, the fructose content of apples can vary considerably. Although in every variety of apple, the fructose content is higher than the glucose content, it is still not necessary to abstain from the consumption of apples completely in the case of FM. In addition to selecting an apple variety with the lowest possible fructose content, other recommendations that can help to improve fructose absorption can also be taken into account. The extent to which glucose promotes the absorption of fructose or improves the symptoms of FM by doing so requires further investigation.
Hybrid Aqueous/Organic Electrolytes Enable the High-Performance Zn-Ion Batteries

Rechargeable aqueous zinc ion batteries (ZIBs) are considered as one of the most promising systems for large-scale energy storage due to their merits of low cost, environmental friendliness, and high safety. The utilization of aqueous electrolyte also brings about some problems such as low energy density, fast self-discharge, and capacity fading associated with the dissolution of metals in water. To combat the issues, we utilize a freestanding vanadium oxide hydrate/carbon nanotube (V2O5·nH2O/CNT) film as the cathode and probe the performance in aqueous/organic hybrid electrolytes. The corresponding structural and morphological evolution of both V2O5·nH2O/CNT cathode and Zn anode in different electrolytes is explored. The integrity of electrodes and the suppression of zinc dendrites during cycles are largely improved in the hybrid electrolytes. Accordingly, the battery in hybrid electrolyte exhibits high capacities of 549 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 100 cycles and 282 mAh g−1 at 4 A g−1 after 1000 cycles, demonstrating an excellent energy density of 102 Wh kg−1 at a high power of 1500 W kg−1 based on the cathode.
Palliative radiotherapy for Merkel cell carcinoma: single-centre experience and review of the literature

Abstract Background and purpose Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare and aggressive primary cutaneous neuroendocrine carcinoma with a high risk of loco-regional and distant metastasis. It is predominantly seen in the elderly, on the head and neck or extremities. Although treated primarily with surgery, some patients are too frail. A World Health Organization performance status of two or more with co-existing medical co-morbidities, or the site of the disease adjacent to a critical structure, can prevent surgical management. In this cohort of patients, primary palliative radiotherapy has been found to achieve excellent tumour regression and improve quality of life. A new palliative split-course hypofractionated regime has been used in North Middlesex University Hospital in this cohort of patients. The purpose of this case series was to provide supporting evidence on the efficacy of this dose and fractionation regime and review the literature for the palliative management of Merkel cell carcinoma. Materials and methods In total, four patients were treated with the palliative split-course hypofractionated regime. The regime consisted of an initial 20 Gray in 5 fractions over 1 week, a 2-week gap and then a further 20 Gray in 5 fractions over 1 week. Tolerability and response to treatment were evaluated by history and clinical examination. Results and conclusion The split-course hypofractionated regime was well tolerated, achieved excellent tumour regression and improved quality of life in all four patients. Since then, a further three patients have been successfully treated with the above regime. This case series demonstrates the efficacy of this dose and fractionation in a select group of patients too frail for radical management and adds to the evidence base for the optimal palliative management of Merkel cell carcinoma.
Contingency Recovery Typology and Corporate Entrepreneurship: From “Jumbled” to “Routine” Organizational States

The purpose of the current research study is to construct a Contingency Recovery Typology incorporating contingent and interrelated phases of recovery, for use by organizational leaders and policy makers to further their understanding and analysis of recovery contexts and contingent recovery pathways, and aid their strategic planning for recovery activities given organizational decline. To this end, this study presents a three-fold analysis. First, it discusses two representative recovery and re-equilibration models whose convergence leads to the identification of the proposed four contingent and interrelated recovery phases. The two recovery and re-equilibration models are the Contingency Typology [1] and Crisis, Breakdown and Re-equilibrium Model [2]. Secondly, four emergent and corresponding recovery stages are evaluated in light of the convergence of the above mentioned two recovery and re-equilibration models. Finally, the conclusion provides a discussion of the implications and contributions of the proposed Contingency Recovery Typology for management theory and practice, and presents directions for future research on corporate entrepreneurial-leadership networking under recovery, and consequential organizational recovery pathways.
A study of 5-HTT (SLC6A4) gene polymorphisms and antisocial behaviour in a population sample of young Portuguese adults

The 5HTT (SLC6A4) gene, encoding the serotonin transporter protein, is a key molecule in the regulation of serotonin (5HT) levels in the synaptic cleft [1]. Within the promoter region the VNTR polymorphism 5HTTLPR consists of different lengths of a repetitive sequence containing 20to 23-bp long repeat elements. The most common alleles are a L (long, 16-repeats) and a S (short, 14-repeats) allele [2]. The 5HTTLPR polymorphism is associated with variations in transcriptional activity: the long (L) variant has approximately three times the expression of the short (S) variant. In addition, SNP rs25531 A>G, located immediately outside the 5HTTLPR polymorphism [3], results in two forms of the L-allele denoted L-A and L-G, and two corresponding S-A and S-G alleles. The G-allele was shown to reduce the long-repeat expression levels to those of the short-repeat, resulting in a higher-expressing LA class (L’) and lower-expressing LG and S classes (clustered as S’) [3]. Several studies have described an association between the S allele of 5HTTLPR and a variety of neuropsychiatric conditions including impulsivity and aggression, while other studies reported nonreplications of these data [2; 4]. This study aimed to investigate the association between the two promoter 5-HTT polymorphisms (5HTTLPR and rs25531) and antisocial behaviour in a Portuguese sample of young adults.
Diseño, Modelado y Simulación de un Robot Bípedo

Este trabajo propone una estrategia experimental para el diseño, construcción de un robot bípedo de 6 grados de libertad, de forma que se logre la manipulación total de los parámetros de diseño del robot bípedo, tanto de sus componentes de hardware como de software, basados en el modelo de la cinemática directa de una pierna del robot propuesto con los mismos grados de libertad, a fin de contar con una arquitectura abierta que permita adquirir conocimientos experimentales en las áreas de la robótica, programación, telemando y control, entre otras. Se pretende que el robot sea una herramienta y una base experimental que permita desarrollar trabajos de investigaciones futuras en éstas áreas. La primera parte de la estrategia se basó en analizar trabajos realizados de robots bípedos con los mismos grados de libertad del robot propuesto. Analizar la forma de caminar humana para comprender sus diferentes fases y la relación que tienen con las partes del cuerpo que se involucran en este proceso biomecánico, posteriormente realizar el modelo cinemático directo de una pierna del robot para observar el comportamiento al modificar sus parámetros que nos ayude a comprender mejor los movimientos que se realizan en el proceso de caminata así como los posibles movimientos que realice el robot bípedo. La segunda parte de la estrategia se refiere al análisis de los materiales y piezas necesarias para construir el robot, tales como los servomotores, el microcontrolador y los componentes electrónicos, así como el diseño y construcción de las piezas que componen el robot bípedo y su ensamble.Se diseñó un algoritmo básico para generar el movimiento de los servomotores basado en el modelo cinemático directo que se analizó y se realizaron pruebas exhaustivas de estabilidad con los movimientos generados. Se analizaron las limitaciones del robot y las posibles mejoras y adecuaciones.
Contribution of winding space harmonics to average torque in fractional‐slot concentrated permanent magnet machines with equal/unequal teeth

This study investigates the modulation effects in any m-phase permanent magnet machines with fractional-slot concentrated windings and separates the average torque contributed by the winding space harmonics, with particular emphasis on unequal stator teeth. First, winding space harmonics of m-phase machines with double/single layer windings are analysed and modulation effects of equal/unequal teeth are studied. It is found that, apart from the conventional torque contributed by main harmonic (v = p) and modulated torque by v = p ± N s harmonics (N s is slot number and p is pole pair number), additional modulated torque owing to v = p ± N s/2 harmonic appears in the unequal teeth machines. Then, 12-slot/10-pole (12S10P) three-phase and 10S8P five-phase machines are employed to verify the analysis through finite element method. It is demonstrated that, for unequal teeth machine, v = p − N s and v = p − N s/2 harmonics have positive average torque contribution, around 6.5 and 6% to the total torque. The v = p + N s and v = p + N s/2 order harmonics produce negative average torque but with much smaller values. Finally, experiments are carried out on the 10S8P unequal teeth prototype.
An Improved Delay-Suppressed Sliding-Mode Observer for Sensorless Vector-Controlled PMSM

This article presents a delay-suppressed sliding-mode observer (SMO) to observe the real-time rotor position of a permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) controlled by vector control algorithms. First, in order to solve the low-pass filter (LPF) delay problem existing in the traditional signum function-based SMO, a brand new hyperbolic function is initially selected as the switching function. Because a hyperbolic function with a proper boundary layer is capable of reducing the chattering phenomenon of an SMO, it is not necessary to reemploy LPFs to eliminate the adverse impacts of chattering on the position estimation accuracy. In order to ensure the reachability and stability of the hyperbolic-function-based SMO, the observer gain is calculated by the means of a Lyapunov function in this article. Second, to solve the problem of calculation delay caused by digital computation, a current precompensation scheme based on dual-sampling strategy in one switching period is proposed. After compensating the calculation delay, the accuracy of position estimation as well as the motor control performance can be improved. Finally, the proposed SMOs with and without delay compensation are verified by both simulation and experiments that are conducted on a three-phase 1.5-kW PMSM drive prototype.
Does the Planning Fallacy Prevail in Social Infrastructure Projects? Empirical Evidence and Competing Explanations

The planning fallacy is at play in projects when optimism bias and/or strategic misrepresentation are present. We examine the cost performance of approximately US$ 6.5 billion worth of social infrastructure projects that were procured in Hong Kong and specifically the differences between their final accounts and the various types of estimates that were prepared prior to construction. We focus on the (honest) planning fallacy and hence aim to determine whether estimates are more optimistic than actual costs. Our data shows that 43% of projects incurred a cost underrun from their contract award. We therefore infer that at best 57% of projects may be explained by the presence of the planning fallacy. Based on our findings, we argue that optimism and pessimism bias coexist. Likewise, the planning fallacy and competing explanations can simultaneously account for cost deviations in social infrastructure projects. We submit that the prevalence of the planning fallacy has been exaggerated and hence provide an explanation as to why this has occurred. We finally suggest there is a need for additional empirical work to test the claim that the planning fallacy is the underlying cause of cost overruns and thus the best “theory” to explain “how projects work. ”
A biological approach to periodontal regeneration

F irst of all I will express my deep gratitude to the Scandinavian Society of Periodontology for awarding me The 1998 Jens Waerhaug Lecture in Periodontology. I feel very honoured and I admire the courage of the prize committee to select a person like me who is not a specialist in the field of periodontology. In my research I have been studying the development of the dental tissues including the periodontal ligament and alveolar bone. Research on the biology of mineralized tissues is now progressing very rapidly, and it will provide a better understanding of periodontal diseases and of the mechanisms involved in periodontal regeneration. In recent years a number of special treatment procedures have been introduced to promote regeneration of lost periodontal tissues. These include different modalities of flap procedures often combined with implantation of bone grafts of various types of bone substitutes [1–3], demineralization of the root surface [4–7], guided tissue regeneration [8, 9] and combinations of these modalities. More recently growth factors and attachment proteins have been tried experimentally [10–13]. These studies have shown that although it is possible to modify the healing response in various ways, true periodontal regeneration, i.e. restoration of original structure and function of the periodontal tissues, has been an elusive goal. The most common divergence from the original morphology concerns the type of cementum and its cohesion to the dentine surface. The hard tissue formed at the root surface is often cellular, and it easily separates from the dentineeee [10, 14–17]. Studies on cementum formation and periodontal regeneration are hampered by the scarcity of suitable experimental models. Small laboratory animals such as mice and rats have molar teeth with limited growth and roots like human teeth, but the small size of these animals’ molars make experimental studies very difficult. In addition, A biological approach to periodontal regeneration
Seismic Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Members Built with Recycled Aggregate

In connection with rapid urbanization and earthquakes, a huge number of structures have been demolished and generated lots of waste concrete for the last 40 years. Studies on the reclamation of the waste concrete is a pioneer subject for construction sectors in the world. Since the recycling of the waste concrete and reusing of recycled concrete aggregate in the production of new concrete is an important issue for saving of natural resources, economic, sustainable development, significant number of studies have been carried out on this subject. In the scope of this study, a literature review is conducted on the effect of recycled concrete aggregate on mechanical and durability characteristics of small-scale members. Furthermore, structural and seismic performances of full-scale reinforced concrete structural members produced with recycled concrete aggregate are discussed. The test results indicated that the structural members containing recycled aggregate exhibited similar structural performance with their counterparts containing natural aggregates. It was also observed that recycled concrete aggregate did not seem to have an adverse effect on seismic characteristics of the structural members such as ductility.