Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bacterial aerosols in the dental clinic: effect of time, position and type of treatment.

OBJECTIVES The objectives of this study were to investigate changes in the concentration of total bacterial aerosols before, during, and after the working period at different positions within the same multichair dental clinics. Also to investigate the contribution to total bacterial aerosols, if any, of the aerosols generated from different types of dental procedures, as well as the environment. METHODS Air sampling using a Slit-to-Agar air sampler at three positions in a multichair dental clinic, performed three times per day over a three week period before work, during work and after work. The second part of the study, in another multichair dental clinic, was performed before working and during three types of dental procedures. RESULTS The concentration of total bacterial aerosols and Bacillus sp. in air which circulated in the dental clinic was lower at the end of the day than at the beginning. There was no significant change in the concentration of total bacterial aerosols in different positions in the dental clinic or after the three types of dental treatments. The concentration of Bacillus sp. in air not mainly generated during dental procedures and which may come from an environmental source, was reduced. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that the proportions of different types of bacteria in air may change before, during and after dental treatment. Preventive measures may need to be instituted to reduce build up of bacterial aerosols in the dental clinic during non-working periods.
Annulus fibrosus functional extrafibrillar and fibrous mechanical behaviour: experimental and computational characterisation

The development of current surgical treatments for intervertebral disc damage could benefit from virtual environment accounting for population variations. For such models to be reliable, a relevant description of the mechanical properties of the different tissues and their role in the functional mechanics of the disc is of major importance. The aims of this work were first to assess the physiological hoop strain in the annulus fibrosus in fresh conditions (n = 5) in order to extract a functional behaviour of the extrafibrillar matrix; then to reverse-engineer the annulus fibrosus fibrillar behaviour (n = 6). This was achieved by performing both direct and global controlled calibration of material parameters, accounting for the whole process of experimental design and in silico model methodology. Direct-controlled models are specimen-specific models representing controlled experimental conditions that can be replicated and directly comparing measurements. Validation was performed on another six specimens and a sensitivity study was performed. Hoop strains were measured as 17 ± 3% after 10 min relaxation and 21 ± 4% after 20–25 min relaxation, with no significant difference between the two measurements. The extrafibrillar matrix functional moduli were measured as 1.5 ± 0.7 MPa. Fibre-related material parameters showed large variability, with a variance above 0.28. Direct-controlled calibration and validation provides confidence that the model development methodology can capture the measurable variation within the population of tested specimens.
A Class of Stochastic Models for Invariant Recognition, Motion, and Stereo

We describe a general framework for modeling transformations in the image plane using a stochastic generative model. Algorithms that resemble the well-known Kalman filter are derived from the MDL principle for estimating both the generative weights and the current transformation state. The generative model is assumed to be implemented in cortical feedback pathways while the feedforward pathways implement an approximate inverse model to facilitate the estimation of current state. Using the above framework, we derive models for invariant recognition, motion estimation, and stereopsis, and present preliminary simulation results demonstrating recognition of objects in the presence of translations, rotations and scale changes.
Low prevalence of CDKN2A/ARF mutations among early-onset cancers of breast, pancreas and malignant melanoma in Poland

In this report the contribution of CDKN2A/ARF germline mutations to early-onset cancers of the breast, pancreas and malignant melanoma was examined. We screened 66 women with breast cancer diagnosed at age 30 and below, 72 melanoma patients with the median age at diagnosis ≤40 years and 51 pancreatic cancer patients diagnosed under the age of 50 years. In the total set of 189 patients we found a novel change Pro48Arg (nt 143 c>g), a novel intronic change IVS1+36 g>c and two common variants A148T and IVS3+29 c>g. The results of this study revealed a paucity of mutations in CDKN2A/ARF suggesting that in the Polish population this gene does not contribute significantly to early-onset breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and malignant melanoma.
Leakage of .onion at the DNS Root: Measurements, Causes, and Countermeasures

The Tor hidden services, one of the features of the Tor anonymity network, are widely used for providing anonymity to services within the Tor network. Tor uses the . onion pseudo-top-level domain for naming convention and to route requests to these hidden services. The . onion namespace is not delegated to the global domain name system (DNS), and Tor is designed in such a way that all . onion queries are routed within the Tor network. However, and despite the careful design of Tor, numerous . onion requests are still today observed in the global DNS infrastructure, thus calling for further investigation. In this paper, we present the state of . onion requests received at the global DNS and as viewed from two large DNS traces: a continuous period of observation at the A and J DNS root nodes over a longitudinal period of time and a synthesis of Day In The Life of the Internet data repository that gathers a synchronized DNS capture of two days per year over multiple years. We found that . onion leakage in the DNS infrastructure to be both prevalent and persistent. Our characterization of the leakage shows various features, including high volumes of leakage that are diverse, geographically distributed, and targeting various types of hidden services. Furthermore, we found that various spikes in the . onion request volumes can be correlated with various global events, including geopolitical events. We attribute the leakage to various causes that are plausible based on various assessments, and provide various remedies with varying benefits.
Inflammatory Markers and Onset of Cardiovascular Events: Results From the Health ABC Study

Background—Inflammation plays an important role in cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study is to investigate the predictive value of several inflammatory markers on the incidence of cardiovascular events in well-functioning older persons. Methods and Results—The subjects were 2225 participants 70 to 79 years old, without baseline cardiovascular disease, who were enrolled in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. Incident coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and congestive heart failure (CHF) events were detected during an average follow-up of 3.6 years. Blood levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP), and tumor necrosis factor-&agr; (TNF-&agr;) were assessed. After adjustment for potential confounders, IL-6 was significantly associated with all outcomes (CHD events, per IL-6 SD increase: RR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.48; stroke events, per IL-6 SD increase: RR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.86; CHF events, per IL-6 SD increase: RR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.40 to 2.12). TNF-&agr; showed significant associations with CHD (per TNF-&agr; SD increase: RR, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.04 to 1.43) and CHF (per TNF-&agr; SD increase: RR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.30 to 1.95) events. CRP was significantly associated with CHF events (per CRP SD increase: RR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.23 to 1.78). A composite summary indicator of inflammation showed a strong association with incident cardiovascular events, with an especially high risk if all 3 inflammatory markers were in the highest tertile. Conclusions—Findings suggest that inflammatory markers are independent predictors of cardiovascular events in older persons.
Marked and sustained increase in bone mineral density after parathyroidectomy in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism; a six‐year longitudinal study with or without parathyroidectomy in a Japanese population

objective Although many reports have demonstrated the sustained increase in bone mineral density (BMD) at trabecular sites in primary hyperparathyroidism (pHPT) after parathyroidectomy (PTX), there have been no data available on BMD changes over the long‐term in pHPT patients with and without PTX in Japanese population. The present study was designed to investigate long‐term BMD changes at both trabecular and cortical sites in Japanese pHPT patients with or without PTX.
A Peer-to-Peer Scheme to Discover and Select QoS Enhanced Alternate Paths

Increasing number of communication softwares are built on distributed architectures based on the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) model, such as Skype [1], and PeerCast [2]. This model provides several significant benefits, such as deployment scalability, resilience to single points of failure, communication cost sharing, and anonymity. In a former contribution, we proposed an unstructured Super-Peer architecture (SPAD) that further uses the P2P paradigm to provide enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) between two users of these communication softwares. SPAD allows the discovery and use of composite alternate end-to-end paths that experience better delay than the path given by the default IP routing mechanisms. This paper extends SPAD's capabilities to multi-QoS constrained alternate-paths. It presents two extensions: i) the capability to discover alternate paths with better packet-loss and/or delay, ii) multiple schemes to select among the discovered paths the ones that best meets the requirements of the users.
Motor Inhibition during Overt and Covert Actions: An Electrical Neuroimaging Study

Given ample evidence for shared cortical structures involved in encoding actions, whether or not subsequently executed, a still unsolved problem is the identification of neural mechanisms of motor inhibition, preventing “covert actions” as motor imagery from being performed, in spite of the activation of the motor system. The principal aims of the present study were the evaluation of: 1) the presence in covert actions as motor imagery of putative motor inhibitory mechanisms; 2) their underlying cerebral sources; 3) their differences or similarities with respect to cerebral networks underpinning the inhibition of overt actions during a Go/NoGo task. For these purposes, we performed a high density EEG study evaluating the cerebral microstates and their related sources elicited during two types of Go/NoGo tasks, requiring the execution or withholding of an overt or a covert imagined action, respectively. Our results show for the first time the engagement during motor imagery of key nodes of a putative inhibitory network (including pre-supplementary motor area and right inferior frontal gyrus) partially overlapping with those activated for the inhibition of an overt action during the overt NoGo condition. At the same time, different patterns of temporal recruitment in these shared neural inhibitory substrates are shown, in accord with the intended overt or covert modality of action performance. The evidence that apparently divergent mechanisms such as controlled inhibition of overt actions and contingent automatic inhibition of covert actions do indeed share partially overlapping neural substrates, further challenges the rigid dichotomy between conscious, explicit, flexible and unconscious, implicit, inflexible forms of motor behavioral control.
A Lesson from Robotics: Modeling Infants as Autonomous Agents

Although computational models are playing an increasingly important role in developmental psychology, at least one lesson from robotics is still being learned: Modeling epigenetic processes often requires simulating an embodied, autonomous organism. This article first contrasts prevailing models of infant cognition with an agent-based approach. A series of infant studies by Baillargeon (1986; Baillargeon & DeVos, 1991) is described, and an eye-movement model is then used to simulate infants' visual activity in this study. I conclude by describing three behavioral predictions of the eye-movement model and discussing the implications of this work for infant cognition research.
MALIGNANT MELANOMA OF THE SKIN

pitals been collected. Never has an analysis so detailed, so carefully checked and so impartial, been presented. " This is a strong claim, but a perusal of the report shows that it is fully justified. Lord Horder in a brief foreword tells us that this report "deals mainly with the question of differential treatment and its results". The five-year followup should be of exceptional service in the study of the treatment of this scourge. Every organ of the body attacked by cancer comes into detailed review. As an example we may take cancer of the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses and nasa-pharynx, which is dealt with under the following heads: number of cases, site of growth and sex ratios, age distribution, heredity, occupation and social class, relevant past history, history of syphilis, first symptom, interval from first symptom to first consulting a doctor, advice and treatment before admission to hospital, symptoms on admission to hospital, findings on examination, involvement of lymph nodes, transillumination of antrum, X-ray findings, exploratory puncture of antrum, Wassermann reaction, remote metastases, general condition, clinical stages, methods of treatment and five-year results, analysis of methods of treatment by stages, duration of symptoms at time of commencing treatment, five-year follow-up for all cases, actuarial estimation of survival after treatment, biopsy, pathological report, basis of diagnosis, other primary growths, cause of death in 126 patients, autopsy, recurrent cases.
Phasic Dopamine Transmission Reflects Initiation Vigor and Exerted Effort in an Action- and Region-Specific Manner

Initiating a reward-seeking behavior involves deciding on an action, how fast to initiate the action (initiation vigor), as well as how much effort to exert. These processes are thought to involve the mesolimbic dopamine system. Dopamine levels in the ventral striatum rise before initiating a reliably reinforced behavior. However, it is unknown whether dopamine is similarly involved with unreinforced actions (inactive lever presses, premature food port entries, insufficient number of active lever presses). Furthermore, does the dopamine response when initiating an action reflect specific aspects of motivated behavior, such as initiation vigor and exerted effort? Here, we analyzed voltammetry recordings of dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc) core and shell in rats working for food under a progressive ratio reinforcement schedule. We examined dopamine levels when rats initiated distinct actions (active lever presses, inactive lever presses, food port entries) that were temporally separated from cue- and reward-evoked dopamine release. Active lever pressing bouts were preceded by elevated dopamine release in the NAcc shell, as well as in the NAcc core, although only when rats exhibited high initiation vigor. Dopamine levels were transiently reduced in the NAcc core following an unreinforced food port entry and were unchanged throughout the NAcc when initiating inactive lever presses. The effort exerted and vigor to initiate a bout of active lever presses were signaled by dopamine transmission in the NAcc core, but not in the NAcc shell. These results demonstrate that the dopamine response when initiating a behavior is both region- and action-specific. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Exogenous activation of the mesolimbic dopamine system facilitates motivated behavior. However, a direct relationship has not been established between endogenous phasic dopamine transmission and measures of motivation, such as the vigor to initiate an action and the effort exerted in a bout of activity. The present work demonstrates that the dopamine response when initiating an action depends both upon where dopamine is released and what action is performed. Furthermore, dopamine reflects measures of motivated behavior selectively within the nucleus accumbens core.
Minimal Module Extraction from DL-Lite Ontologies Using QBF Solvers

We present a formal framework for (minimal) module extraction based on an abstract notion of inseparability w.r. t. a signature between ontologies. Two instances of this framework are discussed in detail for DL-Lite ontologies: concept inseparability, when ontologies imply the same complex concept inclusions over the signature, and query inseparability, when they give the same answers to existential queries for any instance data over the signature. We demonstrate that different types of corresponding minimal modules for these inseparability relations can be automatically extracted from large-scale DL-Lite ontologies by composing the tractable syntactic locality-based module extraction algorithm with intractable extraction algorithms using the multi-engine QBF solver AQME. The extracted minimal modules are compared with those obtained using non-logic-based approaches.
What Causes Public Assistance Caseloads to Grow?

This paper uses state panel data to investigate changes in public assistance caseloads. Compared to other research, it uses more extensive data, both across states and over time; it utilizes a particularly rich set of control variables; it investigates the different subcomponents of the AFDC program separately; and it investigates the extent to which changes in caseloads are driven by changes in take-up rates versus in eligibility. The results indicate that an unexplained increase in AFDC-Basic caseloads started in the mid-1980s. This trend appears to be driven by three underlying components: a rise in child-only cases, an increase in take-up rates over the early 1990s during the economic slowdown, and a long-term increase in eligibility which is not well explained by a large set of control variables. In contrast, AFDC-UP caseload changes are relatively well-explained by the model in this paper and are far more responsive to economic factors. Recent state policy changes are correlated with caseload declines, but more than half of their affect appears to precede their implementation, suggesting that other changes in client and caseworker behavior was occurring in states that adopted major policy changes.
Influenza M2 Proton Channel Activity Selectively Inhibits Trans-Golgi Network Release of Apical Membrane and Secreted Proteins in Polarized Madin-Darby Canine Kidney Cells

The function of acidification in protein sorting along the biosynthetic pathway has been difficult to elucidate, in part because reagents used to alter organelle pH affect all acidified compartments and are poorly reversible. We have used a novel approach to examine the role of acidification in protein sorting in polarized Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. We expressed the influenza virus M2 protein, an acid-activated ion channel that equilibrates lumenal and cytosolic pH, in polarized MDCK cells and examined the consequences on the targeting and delivery of apical and basolateral proteins. M2 activity affects the pH of only a subset of acidified organelles, and its activity can be rapidly reversed using ion channel blockers (Henkel, J.R., G. Apodaca, Y. Altschuler, S. Hardy, and O.A. Weisz. 1998. Mol. Biol. Cell. 8:2477-2490; Henkel, J.R., J.L. Popovich, G.A. Gibson, S.C. Watkins, and O.A. Weisz. 1999. J. Biol. Chem. 274:9854-9860). M2 expression significantly decreased the kinetics of cell surface delivery of the apical membrane protein influenza hemagglutinin, but not of the basolaterally delivered polymeric immunoglobulin receptor. Similarly, the kinetics of apical secretion of a soluble form of gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase were reduced with no effect on the basolaterally secreted fraction. Interestingly, M2 activity had no effect on the rate of secretion of a nonglycosylated protein (human growth hormone [hGH]) that was secreted equally from both surfaces. However, M2 slowed apical secretion of a glycosylated mutant of hGH that was secreted predominantly apically. Our results suggest a role for acidic trans-Golgi network pH in signal-mediated loading of apical cargo into forming vesicles.
Combinatorial Multi-Armed Bandit and Its Extension to Probabilistically Triggered Arms

We define a general framework for a large class of combinatorial multi-armed bandit (CMAB) problems, where subsets of base arms with unknown distributions form super arms. In each round, a super arm is played and the base arms contained in the super arm are played and their outcomes are observed. We further consider the extension in which more base arms could be probabilistically triggered based on the outcomes of already triggered arms. The reward of the super arm depends on the outcomes of all played arms, and it only needs to satisfy two mild assumptions, which allow a large class of nonlinear reward instances. We assume the availability of an offline (α β)-approximation oracle that takes the means of the outcome distributions of arms and outputs a super arm that with probability β generates an α fraction of the optimal expected reward. The objective of an online learning algorithm for CMAB is to minimize (α β)-approximation regret, which is the difference in total expected reward between the αβ fraction of expected reward when always playing the optimal super arm, and the expected reward of playing super arms according to the algorithm. We provide CUCB algorithm that achieves O(log n) distribution-dependent regret, where n is the number of rounds played, and we further provide distribution-independent bounds for a large class of reward functions. Our regret analysis is tight in that it matches the bound of UCB1 algorithm (up to a constant factor) for the classical MAB problem, and it significantly improves the regret bound in an earlier paper on combinatorial bandits with linear rewards. We apply our CMAB framework to two new applications, probabilistic maximum coverage (PMC) for online advertising and social in uence maximization for viral marketing, both having nonlinear reward structures. In particular, application to social in uence maximization requires our extension on probabilistically triggered arms.
Discrete-time sliding mode control for uncertain systems with state and input delays

This article presents a discrete-time sliding mode control method for the robust stabilisation of linear uncertain multi-input discrete-time systems with state and input delays. The systems are assumed to have structured mismatched time-varying parameter uncertainties. A specified switching surface is proposed and a sliding mode controller is derived to ensure the existence of the quasi-sliding mode. Based on the improved Lyapunov function and linear matrix inequality technique, delay-independent sufficient conditions for the design of a stable switching surface are given and the stability of the overall closed-loop system is guaranteed. Neither chattering phenomenon will occur nor the knowledge of upper bound of uncertainties is required. Finally, simulation results demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed control methodology.