Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Root Development in Mice Lacking Functional Tissue Non-specific Alkaline Phosphatase Gene: Inhibition of Acellular Cementum Formation

Tissue non-specific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) is richly present in developing teeth including the cells of the periodontal ligament. Here, we investigated tooth and root development in mice lacking the TNAP gene. Heterozygous mutants were obtained from The Jackson Laboratory, Animal Resources (Bar Harbor, ME, USA) and bred. TNAP-deficient mice and their littermates were killed from 6 to 25 days after birth and their molar blocks processed for light and electron microscopy. It was observed that the eruption of the incisors into the oral cavity was delayed for 2 to 3 days. Also, the onset of mineralization of the mantle dentin in the roots of the developing molars was delayed for 2 to 3 days. Yet, dentin and enamel formation in the homozygous mutants showed a more or less normal pattern, with the exception of localized enamel hypoplasias. The most conspicuous finding was the defective formation of acellular cementum along the molar roots. Instead of a continuous layer, the cementum was deposited as very thin and irregularly shaped patches around the bases of the periodontal ligament fibers. Sharpey's fibers were short and poorly developed. In contrast, the development of the alveolar bone, the periodontal ligament, and the cellular cementum was seemingly unaffected. It is concluded that TNAP represents an essential factor in mantle dentin mineralization and in the formation of acellular cementum.
A functional view of data independence

Many researchers have used the term “data independence” without indicating a precise meaning. One common definition is—the isolation of a program from considerations of the data which it processes [1,2]. Another is—the ability of an applications program to execute correctly regardless of the actual storage of its data[3,4]. Although these suggest the general concept, a precise framework is clearly needed. The current paper provides such a framework and explores its ramifications.
Rapamycin Allosterically Inhibits the Proteasome

Rapamycin is a canonical allosteric inhibitor of the mammalian tarpet of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase with immunosuppressive and proapoptotic activities. We found that in vitro rapamycin also regulates the proteasome, which is an essential intracellular protease of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. Rapamycin inhibits proteinase and selected peptidase activities of the catalytic core proteasome at low micromolar concentrations. Moreover, the drug interferes with binding of the 19S cap essential for processing of polyubiquitinylated substrates and with the PA200 proteasome activator to the 20S catalytic core proteasome. These protein complexes are known to bind to specific grooves on the α face region of the 20S core. Treatment with rapamycin affects the conformational dynamics of the proteasomal gate, which is centrally positioned within the α face and allosterically regulated element responsible for the intake of substrates. We showed that rapamycin shares all the proteasome targeting properties not only with other two-domain, closed-ring analogs (rapalogs) but also with its single domain mimics and seco-rapamycin, which is the first in vivo open-ring metabolite of rapamycin that does not affect mTOR. We hypothesize that rapamycin and related compounds bind to the α face and allosterically impact proteasome function. This article discusses the implications of our findings for the mechanism of in vivo actions of rapamycin and for the design of novel allosteric drugs targeting the proteasome.
Dielectric properties of muscle and liver from 500 MHz–40 GHz

Dielectric properties are the most important parameters determining energy deposition when biological tissues are exposed to radio frequency and microwave fields. Energy absorption is determined by the specific absorption rate (SAR). SAR distributions can be computed accurately only if the complex relative permittivity of the target tissue is known to a sufficiently high accuracy, and currently there is a lack of data on the dielectric properties of biological tissues at high frequencies. In this study, tissue dielectric properties are measured using an open-ended coaxial probe technique from 500 MHz up to 40 GHz. We present dielectric data for ex vivo bovine and porcine muscle and liver tissues at 37 °C. One-pole Cole–Cole model is used to fit the measured data as a function of frequency and the dispersion parameters are presented. This data is supported by an accurate study on reference liquids such as methanol and ethanediol.
EFFECT OF FLUORIDATED VARNISH AND SILVER DIAMINE FLUORIDE SOLUTION ON ENAMEL DEMINERALIZATION: pH-CYCLING STUDY

Objective: In the present investigation, the anticariogenic effect of fluoride released by two products commonly applied in infants was evaluated. Methods: Bovine sound enamel blocks were randomly allocated to each one of the treatment groups: control (C), varnish (V) and diamine silver fluoride solution (D). The blocks were submitted to pH cycles in an oven at 37°C. Next, surface and cross-sectional microhardness were assessed to calculate the percentage loss of surface microhardness (%SML) and the mineral loss (∆Z). The fluoride present in enamel was also determined. Results: F/Px10-3(ANOVA, p<0.05) in the 1stlayer of enamel before pH-cycling were (C, V and D): 1.61a; 21.59band 3.98c. The %SMH (Kruskal-Wallis, p<0.05) were: - 64.0a, -45.2band -53.1c. %∆Z values (ANOVA, p<0.05) were: -18.7a, -7.7band -17.3a. Conclusion: The data suggested that the fluoride released by varnish showed greater interaction with sound enamel and provided less mineral loss when compared with silver diamine solution.
Navigation Strategies for Exploring Indoor Environments

In this paper, we investigate safe and efficient map-building strategies for a mobile robot with imperfect control and sensing. In the implementation, a robot equipped with a range sensor builds apolygonal map (layout) of a previously unknown indoor environment. The robot explores the environment and builds the map concurrently by patching together the local models acquired by the sensor into a global map. A well-studied and related problem is the simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) problem, where the goal is to integrate the information collected during navigation into the most accurate map possible. However, SLAM does not address the sensor-placement portion of the map-building task. That is, given the map built so far, where should the robot go next? This is the main question addressed in this paper. Concretely, an algorithm is proposed to guide the robot through a series of “good” positions, where “good” refers to the expected amount and quality of the information that will be revealed at each new location. This is similar to the next-best-view (NBV) problem studied in computer vision and graphics. However, in mobile robotics the problem is complicated by several issues, two of which are particularly crucial. One is to achieve safe navigation despite an incomplete knowledge of the environment and sensor limitations (e.g., in range and incidence). The other issue is the need to ensure sufficient overlap between each new local model and the current map, in order to allow registration of successive views under positioning uncertainties inherent to mobile robots. To address both issues in a coherent framework, in this paper we introduce the concept of a safe region, defined as the largest region that is guaranteed to be free of obstacles given the sensor readings made so far. The construction of a safe region takes sensor limitations into account. In this paper we also describe an NBV algorithm that uses the safe-region concept to select the next robot position at each step. The new position is chosen within the safe region in order to maximize the expected gain of information under the constraint that the local model at this new position must have a minimal overlap with the current global map. In the future, NBV and SLAM algorithms should reinforce each other. While a SLAM algorithm builds a map by making the best use of the available sensory data, an NBV algorithm, such as that proposed here, guides the navigation of the robot through positions selected to provide the best sensory inputs.
Multilevel LS sequences with flexible ZCZ length and their application to local positioning systems

In this paper multilevel complementary pairs of sequences without limitation in length and the generation of multilevel Loosely Synchronized (LS) sequences with flexible Zero Correlation Zones (ZCZ) length are proposed. The existence of efficient correlators and the fewer restrictions on the length of the multilevel LS sequences compared to binary LS ones, makes them worthwhile for their application to Local Positioning Systems (LPS).
Motion planning of legged vehicles in an unstructured environment

A planner for statically-stable motion of a legged robotic vehicle over an uneven terrain is presented that can plan the footplacement of individual legs for highly cluttered terrain. A method for determining the traversability over a generic discretised height map terrain is presented. Planning is broken into two levels of refinement to reduce the overall complexity and incorporates a number of heuristics. The planner has successfully planned the motion of 6 and 8 legged configurations of the XEROX PARC PolyBot modular reconfigurable robot as well as the CMU Ambler in simulation over arbitrarily complex terrain. A distributed implementation of the planner has also been shown on PolyBot's distributed computational platform.
Effectiveness of an Emergency Preparedness Training Program for Public Health Nurses in New York City

A public health workforce that is competent to respond to emergencies is extremely important. We report on the impact of a training program designed to prepare public health nurses to respond appropriately to emergencies. The program focused on the basic public health emergency preparedness competencies and the emergency response role of public health workers employed by the New York City School Department of Health and Mental Hygiene School Health Program. The evaluation methods included pre/post-testing followed by a repeat post-test one month after the program. The program resulted in positive shifts in both knowledge and emergency response attitudes.
Improved stability condition for fuzzy systems with interval time varying delay

In this paper, a new and improved stability condition is proposed for Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems subject to interval time varying delay. The stability analysis is carried out by constructing a new Lyapunov-Krasovskii (L-K) functional along with the use of tighter bounding integral inequality to approximate the integral term coming out from the derivative of L-K functional. Two numerical examples are included to show the effectiveness of the proposed theoretical results over some existing approaches.
T-homotopy and refinement of observation. III. Invariance of the branching and merging homologies

This series explores a new notion of T-homotopy equivalence of flows. The new definition involves embeddings of finite bounded posets pre- serving the bottom and the top elements and the associated cofibrations of flows. In this third part, it is proved that the generalized T-homotopy equiva- lences preserve the branching and merging homology theories of a flow. These homology theories are of interest in computer science since they detect the nondeterministic branching and merging areas of execution paths in the time flow of a higher-dimensional automaton. The proof is based on Reedy model category techniques.
Carrier Screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) in 107,611 Pregnant Women during the Period 2005–2009: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study

Background Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the most common neuromuscular autosomal recessive disorder. The American College of Medical Genetics has recently recommended routine carrier screening for SMA because of the high carrier frequency (1 in 25–50) as well as the severity of that genetic disease. Large studies are needed to determine the feasibility, benefits, and costs of such a program. Methods and Findings This is a prospective population-based cohort study of 107,611 pregnant women from 25 counties in Taiwan conducted during the period January 2005 to June 2009. A three-stage screening program was used: (1) pregnant women were tested for SMA heterozygosity; (2) if the mother was determined to be heterozygous for SMA (carrier status), the paternal partner was then tested; (3) if both partners were SMA carriers, prenatal diagnostic testing was performed. During the study period, a total of 2,262 SMA carriers with one copy of the SMN1 gene were identified among the 107,611 pregnant women that were screened. The carrier rate was approximately 1 in 48 (2.10%). The negative predictive value of DHPLC coupled with MLPA was 99.87%. The combined method could detect approximately 94% of carriers because most of the cases resulted from a common single deletion event. In addition, 2,038 spouses were determined to be SMA carriers. Among those individuals, 47 couples were determined to be at high risk for having offspring with SMA. Prenatal diagnostic testing was performed in 43 pregnant women (91.49%) and SMA was diagnosed in 12 (27.91%) fetuses. The prevalence of SMA in our population was 1 in 8,968. Conclusion The main benefit of SMA carrier screening is to reduce the burden associated with giving birth to an affected child. In this study, we determined the carrier frequency and genetic risk and provided carrier couples with genetic services, knowledge, and genetic counseling.
SSTP: A scalable and secure transport protocol for smart grid data collection

Emerging smart grid networks are expected to have massive amounts of data continuously generated from various measuring devices (intelligent sensors, advanced meters, electric vehicle charging stations) which are embedded in the power grid. Data generated from these measuring devices must be delivered securely and reliably to utility control centers for wide-area monitoring and control and to estimate the overall grid status in a timely and precise manner. The collected data is also used for incentivizing consumer participation for improving power stability. Transport protocol requirements for such periodic grid measurement data are characterized as lifetime-lived, secure, and reliable delivery of short flows (usually less than 1.5 KB) over utility-Wide Area Networks (WANs). However, our survey shows that there is no well-known transport protocol that can support the above characteristics in a scalable and light-weight manner. Motivated by this, we design a scalable and secure transport protocol, SSTP, exploiting the notion of a “State-token” which is issued with each server message and which is subsequently attached to corresponding client message delivered to the server. Compared with existing well-known transport and security schemes, SSTP enables scalable server deployments as servers do not keep state (for security and communication) per client and thus computation/memory overheads are significantly reduced.
A Structural Model for CASE Adoption Behavior

The adoption rate of computer-aided software engineering (CASE) technology continues to be low among information systems departments (ISDs). Some ISDs have reported significant hurdles in propagating CASE usage, while documenting the advantages of the technology. We construct and empirically test a theoretical model to explain CASE adoption behavior. Factors considered include need pull (environmental instability of the ISD and performance gap of the ISD), technology push (internal experimentation and learning from external information sources), and the adoption context (top-management support for the IS function, CASE championship, training availability, and job/role rotation). A national survey of 2,700 ISDs resulted in 405 usable responses for the data analysis.Our analysis suggests a reasonable fit between the model and the data. The results indicate that the need-pull factors do not directly promote CASE adoption behavior. Performance deficit promotes CASE championship behavior while negatively affecting other elements of the adoption context. The instability of ISDs, where the very existence of the ISD may be in question, negatively affects all elements of the adoption context. Learning about CASE from external information sources directly promotes CASE adoption. Both technology push factors positively affect all four elements of the adoption context. Of the contextual elements, CASE training availability, CASE championship, and job/role rotation positively affect CASE adoption behavior. Top management support does not affect CASE adoption behavior, which suggests that such support may be more critical for postadoption stages of the diffusion process.
The organization and development of compartmentalized innervation in rat extensor digitorum longus muscle.

1. We have examined the innervation of the rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscle by the two extramuscular branches formed from the bifurcation of its muscle nerve. Observations of muscle contractions, recordings of end‐plate potentials, and glycogen depletion of young adult muscles show that each branch innervates a separate region or 'compartment' in the muscle. The branch entering the muscle nearer the knee (the K branch) innervates fibres in the anteromedial half of the muscle whereas the branch entering closer to the foot (the F branch) innervates fibres located posterolaterally. Individual EDL motoneurones project either into the K or the F branch and therefore innervate fibres located in one compartment. The boundary between the compartments is usually sharply delineated. No obvious anatomical feature exists within the muscle which would explain the division of the muscle into two distinct regions. 2. The presence of a segmentotopic projection from the spinal cord to the muscle was investigated to evaluate its possible contribution to the compartmental pattern. The most posterior neurones of the EDL motor pool were found to project more frequently to the posterolateral F compartment; similarly, the most anterior neurones most frequently project to the anteromedial K compartment. However, each compartment is innervated by both anteriorly and posteriorly located motoneurones. The segmentotopic projection is too weak to explain the presence of neuromuscular compartments. 3. The post‐natal period of synapse elimination appears to play at best a minor role in setting up the compartmentalized innervation. Glycogen depletion and intracellular recording in 1‐2‐day‐old muscles show that each nerve branch innervates fibres in the same region of the muscle as in the adult. Most of the fibres in each compartment are polyneuronally innervated by axons in their own particular nerve branch, although fibres located near the boundary between the two compartments are innervated by axons from both nerve branches. This convergent innervation from the two branches disappears in concert with the elimination of polyneuronal innervation throughout the muscle. A random elimination of these convergent inputs appears adequate to explain the final compartmental pattern. 4. Our findings suggest that the compartmental pattern is primarily the consequence of te segregation of EDL motoneurones into two nerve branches which are directed into separate regions of the muscle.
Distribution extension, geographic distribution maps and comments on the advertisement call of Pseudopaludicola pocoto Magalhães, Loebmann, Kokubum, Haddad and Garda, 2014 (Anura: Leptodactylidae: Leiuperinae)

21 species of small frogs occurring from northern Argentina to Venezuela, associated with open areas across Neotropical forests and open formations (e.g., Chaco, Pampas, Cerrado, and Caatinga) east of the Andes (Carvalho, 2012; Pansonato et al., 2012; Andrade et al., 2016; Frost, 2017). Several Pseudopaludicola species have been described recently, increasing considerably our knowledge about this genus (Toledo, 2010; Toledo et al., 2010; Carvalho, 2012; Pansonato et al., 2012; Roberto et al., 2013; Magalhães et al., 2014). Nevertheless, recognition of these species based on external morphology only has become harder (Roberto et al., 2013), as a result, most species of this genus are similar and diagnosed based mainly through differences on their advertisement calls (Carvalho, 2012; Roberto et al., 2013; Magalhães et al., 2014). Pseudopaludicola pocoto Magalhães, Loebmann, Kokubum, Haddad and Garda, 2014 was described from the Municipality of Santa Quitéria, State of Ceará, Brazil. It was also recorded in the states of Rio Grande do Norte, Paraíba and Pernambuco, in northeastern Brazil, in areas associated with the Caatinga Biome (Magalhães et al., 2014; Santana et al., 2015; LantyerSilva et al., 2016). Recently, Andrade et al. (2015, 2017) extended the species’ distribution to the states of Bahia and Minas Gerais. The record by Andrade et al. (2015) was the first for the species in the Atlantic Forest, in southeastern Brazil. However, this new record, caused a large distribution gap, because about 800 km separates the records between the municipalities of Xique-Xique in the state of Bahia (Andrade et al., 2017) and Carlos Chagas in the state of Minas Gerais (Andrade et al., 2015). Herein, we present two new records for this species; a second record of P. pocoto in the state of Bahia, and the second record in the Atlantic Forest Biome, of the Herpetology Notes, volume 11: 1055-1059 (2018) (published online on 19 December 2018)
Transient leukaemia – a benign form of leukaemia in newborn infants with trisomy 21

Transient Leukaemia (TL) occurs frequently in newborn infants with Down Syndrome. Because in most cases the disease disappears spontaneously, it has been difficult to accept it as leukaemia, and as a result it has been referred by a variety of names including Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder and Transient Abnormal Myelopoiesis, suggesting that it is not leukaemia. In this review I shall present evidence that the disease is leukaemia and that although in most cases the course of the disease is transient in others it is life threatening. Also, I shall explore the nature of the leukaemic cell, its association with trisomy 21 and its relationship to other forms of leukaemia frequently found in children with Down Syndrome.
Neonatal maternal separation elevates thalamic corticotrophin releasing factor type 1 receptor expression response to colonic distension in rat.

OBJECTIVES Early life psychological stress is an essential factor contributing to the development of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), with corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) having been implicated in this common gastrointestinal disorder. The aim of our study is to examine the effect of neonatal maternal separation (NMS), an early life stress model, on the brain CRF expression following visceral pain induced by colorectal distension (CRD) stimuli in male rats. METHODS Male neonatal Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 3-hr daily maternal separation on postnatal day 2-21, with unseparated normal (N) rats serving as controls. Electromyogram signals (EMG) in response to phasic CRD were measured. The results demonstrated an increased pain response and EMG magnitudes in NMS rats as compared to N rats in response to CRD stimulation. The mRNA and protein expressions of CRF in hippocampus, cortex and thalamus of NMS and N group following the CRD stress were determined by real-time quantitative PCR and western-blotting studies respectively. RESULTS There was an increased mRNA and protein level of CRF in thalamus of NMS rats but no apparent change in CRF expression in hippocampus and cortex of both groups. Furthermore, an increased expression of CRF type 1 receptor (CRF-R1) was observed in the thalamus of NMS rats. CONCLUSION These results suggested an up-regulation of thalamus CRF-R1 is associated with visceral hyperalgesia in the rat model of NMS.