Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
In Vivo Evaluation of Porous Titanium Implants with Biomimetic Coating

The osseointegration of porous titanium implants was evaluated in the present work. Implants were fabricated from ASTM grade 2 titanium by a powder metallurgy method. Part of these implants were submitted to chemical and thermal treatment in order to deposit a biomimetic coating, aiming to evaluate its influence on the osseointegration of the implants. The implants were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Electron Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDS) and Raman Spectroscopy. Three coated and three control (uncoated) implants were surgically inserted into thirty albino rabbits’ left and right tibiae, respectively. Tibiae samples were submitted to histological and histomorphometric analyses, utilizing SEM, optical microscopy and mechanical tests. EDS results indicated calcium (Ca) and phosphorous (P) at the surface and Raman spectra exhibited an intense peak, characteristic of hydroxyapatite (HA). Bone neoformation was detected at the bone-implant interface and inside the pores, including the central ones. The mean bone neoformation percentage in the coated implants was statistically higher at 15 days, compared to 30 and 45 days. The mechanical tests showed that coated implants presented higher resistance to displacement, especially after 30 and 45 days.
Dynamic complexity and the general equilibrium model

We introduce agent-based dynamics in a class of Arrow-Debreu economies with capital accumulation and technological progress. In this framework we conrm results obtained by [Gintis 2006] and [Gintis 2007] in an exchange economy: the micro-behavior of boundedly rational agents can lead to the emergence of equilibrium at the macro-level provided some form of collective optimization takes place via evolutionary mechanisms. An analysis of the necessary conditions for these results then helps us underline the challenges agent-based models might help to tackle in the development of a theory of out-of-equilibrium dynamics.
Design of Bituminous Mix with and without Partial Replacement of Waste Ceramic Tiles Material

Past few decades were the witnessed of tremendous growth in construction industry, this has both positive and negative impact on the society or we can say on environment. This construction activity leads to many kind of wastes in our society. This research mainly concentrates on the use of such industrial construction waste in the road pavement construction and optimizes their use for better replacement of natural aggregates. In the present study, using ceramic waste aggregate 5, 10, 15 & 20 % replacement of natural aggregate in bituminous macadam pavement. Marshal stability, flow value and were determined by replacement of ceramic aggregates and compare with the natural aggregate stability and flow value. It is observed that by replacing 5%, 10%, 15 % natural aggregates with ceramic waste there in not remarkable reduction in stability values.
Detection of QTL Underlying Milk Traits in Sheep: An Update

The worldwide production of sheep milk was 9,246,922 tonnes in 2009, whereas dairy cows produced 583,401,740 tonnes (FAOSTAT, at http://faostat.fao.org; accessed July 2011). The dairy sheep production is based on the utilization of local breeds of small or moderate effective and well adapted to local conditions in the different Mediterranean countries. This peculiarity contrasts with the "Holsteinization" which is observed in dairy cattle, where a single breed with small effective number and breed in very similar conditions throughout the world is responsible for most of the production of milk at the global level. Sheep milk is mainly addressed to the manufacturing of high quality artisanal cheese in most of the cases commercialised under Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) or other quality labels. Traditionally, classical dairy sheep breeding schemes have been mainly focused on increasing production traits. As in dairy cattle, the successful implementation of classical selection models on dairy sheep breeding schemes has led to an increased milk yield and milk fat and protein contents. In the case of dairy sheep the time and degree of selection progress are greatly variable depending on the population that the selection scheme is addressed to, especially when compared with the global/homogenous genetic improvement of the world-wide spread Holstein cattle breed. Nowadays, however, dairy sheep industry needs to face new challenges such as offering healthy and attractive products to consumers at the same time that providing local farmers the ability to keep their competitiveness. With this purposes, new selection objectives taking into account animal’s overall health, mammary and body conformation traits need to be defined with the aim of ensuring the progress of the dairy sheep industry. Also traits such as milk fatty acid composition may be of great interests from the consumer point of view.
Electrophoretic characterization of wheat grain allergens from different cultivars involved in bakers' asthma

In order to identify and characterize the wheat grain allergens involved in bakers' asthma, proteins were sequentially extracted from whole‐meal flour. The polypeptide composition of the individual solubility fractions (albumin/globulin, gliadin and glutenin) was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate‐gel electrophoresis (SDS‐PAGE), and high‐resolution two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis with immobilized pH gradient 4–9 in the first dimension (IPG‐Dalt). The resolved polypeptides were transferred onto an immobilizing polyvinylidene difluoride membrane and incubated with a pooled serum from four asthmatic bakers. Bound IgE was demonstrated by autoradiography using 125I‐labeled anti‐human IgE. Our study demonstrated that the serum of the bakers allergic to flour contained IgE antibodies which bound to numerous polypeptides of all three solubility fractions. The highest percentage of IgE binding was observed with certain albumin and/or globulin polypeptides, whereas the gliadins and glutenins exhibited considerably less allergenicity. SDS‐PAGE revealed that the protein which bound the highest percentage of IgE from the sera of the allergic bakers is a 27 kDa albumin. More detailed investigations using IPG‐Dalt demonstrated that this allergen is not a single polypeptide but consists of several polypeptide spots that differ in their isoelectric points. Quantitative studies using computer‐assisted laser densitometry revealed that the amount of patients' IgE bound by these particular polypeptides differed considerably between the seven wheat cultivars examined, ranging from 13% to 53% of the total radioactive uptake.
Guarantees of total variation minimization for signal recovery

In this paper, we consider using total variation minimization to recover signals whose gradients have a sparse support, from a small number of measurements. We establish the proof for the performance guarantee of total variation (TV) minimization in recovering one-dimensional signal with sparse gradient support. This partially answers the open problem of proving the fidelity of total variation minimization in such a setting [1]. We also extend our results to TV minimization for multidimensional signals. Recoverable sparsity thresholds of TV minimization are explicitly computed for 1-dimensional signal by using the Grassmann angle framework. In particular, we have shown that the recoverable gradient sparsity can grow linearly with the signal dimension when TV minimization is used. Stability of recovering signal itself using 1-D TV minimization has also been established through a property called “almost Euclidean property for 1-dimensional TV norm”.
Correlation of MRI Visual Scales with Neuropsychological Profile in Mild Cognitive Impairment of Parkinson's Disease

Few studies have evaluated magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) visual scales in Parkinson's disease-Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI). We selected 79 PD patients and 92 controls (CO) to perform neurologic and neuropsychological evaluation. Brain MRI was performed to evaluate the following scales: Global Cortical Atrophy (GCA), Fazekas, and medial temporal atrophy (MTA). The analysis revealed that both PD groups (amnestic and nonamnestic) showed worse performance on several tests when compared to CO. Memory, executive function, and attention impairment were more severe in amnestic PD-MCI group. Overall analysis of frequency of MRI visual scales by MCI subtype did not reveal any statistically significant result. Statistically significant inverse correlation was observed between GCA scale and Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), semantic verbal fluency, Stroop test, figure memory test, trail making test (TMT) B, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). The MTA scale correlated with Stroop test and Fazekas scale with figure memory test, digit span, and Stroop test according to the subgroup evaluated. Visual scales by MRI in MCI should be evaluated by cognitive domain and might be more useful in more severely impaired MCI or dementia patients.
Identification of Mycobacterial Species by Comparative Sequence Analysis of the RNA Polymerase Gene (rpoB)

ABSTRACT For the differentiation and identification of mycobacterial species, the rpoB gene, encoding the β subunit of RNA polymerase, was investigated. rpoB DNAs (342 bp) were amplified from 44 reference strains of mycobacteria and clinical isolates (107 strains) by PCR. The nucleotide sequences were directly determined (306 bp) and aligned by using the multiple alignment algorithm in the MegAlign package (DNASTAR) and the MEGA program. A phylogenetic tree was constructed by the neighbor-joining method. Comparative sequence analysis of rpoB DNAs provided the basis for species differentiation within the genusMycobacterium. Slowly and rapidly growing groups of mycobacteria were clearly separated, and each mycobacterial species was differentiated as a distinct entity in the phylogenetic tree. Pathogenic Mycobacterium kansasii was easily differentiated from nonpathogenic M. gastri; this differentiation cannot be achieved by using 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) sequences. By being grouped into species-specific clusters with low-level sequence divergence among strains of the same species, all of the clinical isolates could be easily identified. These results suggest that comparative sequence analysis of amplified rpoB DNAs can be used efficiently to identify clinical isolates of mycobacteria in parallel with traditional culture methods and as a supplement to 16S rDNA gene analysis. Furthermore, in the case of M. tuberculosis, rifampin resistance can be simultaneously determined.
Acute anterior uveitis following intravitreal bevacizumab but not subsequent ranibizumab

Purpose Previous reports have identified noninfectious uveitis as a potential sequela following both intravitreal bevacizumab and ranibizumab injections. We present two unique cases of acute anterior uveitis following intravitreal bevacizumab that did not occur with subsequent ranibizumab injections. Methods Case report. Conclusion These cases may reflect differences in the etiology of anterior uveitis following intravitreal bevacizumab and ranibizumab. Given these differences, it may be reasonable to offer ranibizumab to patients who have experienced presumed bevacizumab-induced anterior uveitis.
An exact solution to degree distribution optimization in LT codes

Since their invention Luby Transform (LT) codes have been regarded as an efficient capacity achieving channel code over binary erasure channels. Majority of the previous research is focused on designing the degree distribution of LT codes which are asymptotically optimal. Nevertheless, deigning the optimal degree distribution of LT codes for finite and small message lengths remains as an open problem. This work addresses the degree distribution optimization of LT codes over binary erasure channel. Based on AND-OR tree analysis of Belief Propagation (BP) algorithm, a new formulation of the problem in the form of standard semidefinite programming is presented. The new formulation is free of any approximation. The obtained semidefinite program is reduced to a linear program where its numerical solution is feasible for reasonable message lengths. Simulations confirm that the optimized degree distributions outperform Robust Soliton distribution, both in terms of overhead and Encoding/Decoding complexity.
Comparison of Practical Feedback Algorithms for Multiuser MIMO

We consider the problem of channel state infor- mation (CSI) transmission on a fast feedback link for a mul- tiuser MIMO system.We examine the relative merits of channel feedback schemes based on Shannon's source-channel separation theorem and non-separation based schemes and show that the latter are preferable in this application. For the non-separation based schemes, we first consider a simple analog transmission and then develop a hybrid digital-analog transmission scheme which quantizes the CSI using a few bits and sends these bits and also the quantization error using analog transmission. We show that the hybrid scheme achieves a higher throughput compared to both analog and digital transmissions and has a much lower computational complexity compared to a digital scheme.
Reduced brain glutamate in patients with Parkinson's disease

An understanding of the role played by glutamate (Glu) in idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) has remained somewhat elusive. Animal models of PD suggest that over‐activity of Glu receptors complicates the motor symptoms of PD and that Glu blockade may be a pharmacologic target in PD, whereas patient autopsy studies have proved less convincing for changes in Glu. No previous 1H MRS patient studies have documented changes in glutamate. All but one of these previous studies were performed at 1.5 T. We performed 3 T 1H MRS of the posterior cingulate gyrus in 12 non‐demented patients with PD and 12 age‐matched, neurologically normal control participants. Glu, N‐acetylaspartate (NAA) and choline‐containing compounds (Cho) measured in reference to creatine + phosphocreatine (Cr) were determined from single‐voxel proton MR spectra measured by PRESS at TE of 80 ms. The results show that the Glu/Cr ratio was reduced in patients with PD compared with controls (t = 2.54; P = 0.019), whereas no differences were observed in NAA/Cr or Cho/Cr ratios. These findings suggest that a reduction in Glu occurs in the cerebral cortex of patients with PD. 1H MRS at 3 T should be investigated in future studies as a means of tracking the course of metabolic brain changes in association with progression of disease in patients with PD. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Proximal Hamstring Repair Strength

Background: Proximal hamstring repair for complete ruptures has become a common treatment. There is no consensus in the literature about postoperative rehabilitation protocols following proximal hamstring repair. Some protocols describe bracing to prevent hip flexion or knee extension while others describe no immobilization. There are currently no biomechanical studies evaluating proximal hamstring repairs; nor are there any studies evaluating the effect of different hip flexion angles on these repairs. Hypothesis: As hip flexion increases from 0° to 90°, there will be a greater gap with cyclical loading. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: Proximal hamstring insertions were detached from the ischial tuberosity in 24 cadavers and were repaired with 3 single-loaded suture anchors in the hamstring footprint with a Krakow suture technique. Cyclic loading from 10 to 125 N at 1 Hz was then performed for 0°, 45°, and 90° of hip flexion for 1500 cycles. Gap formation, stiffness, yield load, ultimate load, and energy to ultimate load were compared between groups using paired t tests. Results: Cyclic loading demonstrated the least amount of gap formation (P < .05) at 0° of hip flexion (2.39 mm) and most at 90° of hip flexion (4.19 mm). There was no significant difference in ultimate load between hip flexion angles (326, 309, and 338 N at 0°, 45°, and 90°, respectively). The most common mode of failure occurred with knot/suture failure (n = 17). Conclusion: Increasing hip flexion from 0° to 90° increases the displacement across proximal hamstring repairs. Postoperative bracing that limits hip flexion should be considered. Clinical Relevance: Repetitive motion involving hip flexion after a proximal hamstring repair may cause compromise of the repair.
The Identification of English Consonants by Native Speakers of Italian

Abstract This study examined the identification of English consonants in noise by native speakers of Italian. The effect of age of first exposure to English was evaluated by comparing three groups of subjects who continued to use Italian relatively often but differed according to their age of arrival (AOA) in Canada from Italy (early: 7, mid: 14, late: 19 years). The subjects in the late group made more errors identifying word-initial consonants than subjects in the early group did; however, the effect of AOA was nonsignificant for word-final stops. The effect of amount of native language (L1) use was evaluated by comparing two groups of early bilinguals who were matched for AOA (mean = 7 years) but differed according to self-reported percentage use of Italian (early: 32%, early-low: 8%). The early bilinguals who used Italian often (early) made significantly more errors identifying word-initial and word-final consonants than native English (NE) subjects did, whereas the early bilinguals who used Italian seldom (early-low) did not differ from the NE subjects. The subjects’ phonological short-term memory was estimated by having them repeat Italian non-words. This was done in an attempt to identify the source of individual differences. The nonword repetition scores were in fact found to independently account for 15% of the variance in subjects’ errors identifying word-final English consonants and 8% of the variance for word-initial consonants.
Thread-modular shape analysis

We present the first shape analysis for multithreaded programs that avoids the explicit enumeration of execution-interleavings. Our approach is to automatically infer a resource invariant associated with each lock that describes the part of the heap protected by the lock. This allows us to use a sequential shape analysis on each thread. We show that resource invariants of a certain class can be characterized as least fixed points and computed via repeated applications of shape analysis only on each individual thread. Based on this approach, we have implemented a thread-modular shape analysis tool and applied it to concurrent heap-manipulating code from Windows device drivers.
Construction and Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes Mutants with In-Frame Deletions in the Response Regulator Genes Identified in the Genome Sequence

ABSTRACT Two-component systems are widely distributed in prokaryotes where they control gene expression in response to diverse stimuli. To study the role of the sixteen putative two-component systems of Listeria monocytogenes systematically, in frame deletions were introduced into 15 out of the 16 response regulator genes and the resulting mutants were characterized. With one exception the deletion of the individual response regulator genes has only minor effects on in vitro and in vivo growth of the bacteria. The mutant carrying a deletion in the ortholog of the Bacillus subtilis response regulator gene degU showed a clearly reduced virulence in mice, indicating that DegU is involved in the regulation of virulence-associated genes.
A Topological Approach to Meta-heuristics: Analytical Results on the BFS vs. DFS Algorithm Selection Problem

Search is a central problem in artificial intelligence, and breadth-first search (BFS) and depth-first search (DFS) are the two most fundamental ways to search. In this paper we derive estimates for average BFS and DFS runtime. The average runtime estimates can be used to allocate resources or judge the hardness of a problem. They can also be used for selecting the best graph representation, and for selecting the faster algorithm out of BFS and DFS. They may also form the basis for an analysis of more advanced search methods. The paper treats both tree search and graph search. For tree search, we employ a probabilistic model of goal distribution; for graph search, the analysis depends on an additional statistic of path redundancy and average branching factor. As an application, we use the results to predict BFS and DFS runtime on two concrete grammar problems and on the N-puzzle. Experimental verification shows that our analytical approximations come close to empirical reality.
Use of Laser Microdissection for Phylogenetic Characterization of Polyphosphate-Accumulating Bacteria

ABSTRACT Our novel approach for taxonomic identification of uncultured bacteria harboring specific physiological features in complex environmental samples combines cell collection by laser microdissection and subsequent DNA analysis. The newly developed approach was successfully tested for collection and phylogenetic characterization of polyphosphate-accumulating bacteria in activated sludge and lake sediment.
HIGH-ENERGY X-RAY IMAGING OF THE PULSAR WIND NEBULA MSH 15−52: CONSTRAINTS ON PARTICLE ACCELERATION AND TRANSPORT

We present the first images of the pulsar wind nebula (PWN) MSH 15−52 in the hard X-ray band (≳8 keV), as measured with the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). Overall, the morphology of the PWN as measured by NuSTAR in the 3–7 keV band is similar to that seen in Chandra high-resolution imaging. However, the spatial extent decreases with energy, which we attribute to synchrotron energy losses as the particles move away from the shock. The hard-band maps show a relative deficit of counts in the northern region toward the RCW 89 thermal remnant, with significant asymmetry. We find that the integrated PWN spectra measured with NuSTAR and Chandra suggest that there is a spectral break at 6 keV, which may be explained by a break in the synchrotron-emitting electron distribution at ∼200 TeV and/or imperfect cross calibration. We also measure spatially resolved spectra, showing that the spectrum of the PWN softens away from the central pulsar B1509−58, and that there exists a roughly sinusoidal variation of spectral hardness in the azimuthal direction. We discuss the results using particle flow models. We find non-monotonic structure in the variation with distance of spectral hardness within 50″ of the pulsar moving in the jet direction, which may imply particle and magnetic-field compression by magnetic hoop stress as previously suggested for this source. We also present two-dimensional maps of spectral parameters and find an interesting shell-like structure in the NH map. We discuss possible origins of the shell-like structure and their implications.