Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On topological properties of ultraproducts of finite sets

In [3] a certain family of topological spaces was introduced on ultraproducts. These spaces have been called ultratopologies and their definition was motivated by model theory of higher order logics. Ultratopologies provide a natural extra topological structure for ultraproducts. Using this extra structure in [3] some preservation and characterization theorems were obtained for higher order logics. The purely topological properties of ultratopologies seem interesting on their own right. We started to study these properties in [2], where some questions remained open. Here we present the solutions of two such problems. More concretely we show 1. that there are sequences of finite sets of pairwise different cardinalities such that in their certain ultraproducts there are homeomorphic ultratopologies and 2. if A is an infinite ultraproduct of finite sets, then every ultratopology on A contains a dense subset D such that |D| < |A|. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Diurnal pattern of water potential in woody plants.

The dynamic relationship between the rates of water loss and uptake controls plant water status. Marked diurnal variations in water potential of both leaves and fruit occurred in all plants studied. Variations in water status during the day were most clearly related to changes in evaporative demand of the air and were different for the east and west sides of a tree. At night, the plant water potential reflected the soil moisture status.Changes in the water potential of pear fruit were correlated with changes in fruit diameter. Since water loss from fruit occurred mostly through the pedicel into the xylem of the tree, the fruit could be used as a crude gauge of xylem water potential, which also showed dramatic changes during the day.
Patterns of tobacco use and psychosocial risk factors among students in 6th through 10th grades in India: 2004-2006.

INTRODUCTION In 2004, baseline surveys of Project MYTRI, a randomized intervention trial in Chennai and Delhi, India, found that tobacco use among 6th graders was greater than that among 8th graders. These results were surprising - typically, tobacco use increases with grade level. The present study aimed to assess whether this unique differential was sustained over time, as students moved into higher grades. METHODS Self-reported data from a sample of youth (n=3,404) present at three annual surveys (2004, 2005, 2006) were analyzed. Mixed-effects regression models were used to compare prevalence of lifetime tobacco use and nine psychosocial risk factor scales between two student cohorts, 6th grade (or younger) cohort and 8th grade (or older) cohort. Stratified analyses were also conducted by gender, age, city and school type. RESULTS From 2004 to 2006, the 6th grade (or younger) cohort of students reported higher rates of lifetime tobacco use, and these differences were maintained over two years, even when the study sample was stratified by gender, age, city and school type. Similarly, students in the 6th grade (or younger) cohort scored greater risk for tobacco use on all psychosocial risk factors analyzed here. DISCUSSION Tobacco use was found to be problematic among students in two Indian cities, particularly so for those in younger grades. Projections of health impact due to tobacco may be larger than anticipated if these adolescents continue to use tobacco as young adults. Further epidemiologic research and interventions to curb tobacco use among young(er) adolescents are warranted.
Risk of Primary Non–Breast Cancer After Female Breast Cancer by Age at Diagnosis

Background: Women diagnosed with breast cancer at young age have been shown to be at higher risk of developing a new primary cancer than women diagnosed at older ages, but little is known about whether adjustment for calendar year of breast cancer diagnosis, length of follow-up, and/or breast cancer treatment alters the risk pattern by age. Methods: We identified 304,703 women diagnosed with breast cancer during 1943 to 2006 in the Cancer Registries of Denmark, Norway, and Finland. Relative risks (RR) of subsequent non–breast cancer by age at cancer diagnosis were calculated using Poisson regression models adjusted for country, calendar period, length of follow-up, and treatment. Excess absolute risks (EAR) were also calculated. Results: The RR for all cancer sites except breast cancer decreased with increasing age both with and without adjustments. The RR and the EAR differed for each age at diagnosis category until the women reached their late 70s. Many specific cancer forms contributed to the overall risk pattern by age with endometrial cancer as 1 exception. Conclusions: The age at breast cancer diagnosis is an essential risk factor for being diagnosed with a new primary non–breast cancer and the level of risk for specific ages at diagnosis may hold for many years after the diagnosis. Occurrence of endometrial cancer after breast cancer seems to follow a distinct age pattern different from that seen for most other cancer types. Impact: Future studies should aim at exploring the underlying explanations for the age-related findings. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(8); 1784–92. ©2011 AACR.
Early In Vivo Experience With Tissue-Engineered Trileaflet Heart Valves

Background—Tissue engineering is a new approach in which techniques are being developed to transplant autologous cells onto biodegradable scaffolds to ultimately form new functional autologous tissue. Workers at our laboratory have focused on tissue engineering of heart valves. The present study was designed to evaluate the implantation of a whole trileaflet tissue-engineered heart valve in the pulmonary position in a lamb model. Methods and Results—We constructed a biodegradable and biocompatible trileaflet heart valve scaffold that was fabricated from a porous polyhydroxyalkanoate (pore size 180 to 240 &mgr;m; Tepha Inc). Vascular cells were harvested from ovine carotid arteries, expanded in vitro, and seeded onto our heart valve scaffold. With the use of cardiopulmonary bypass, the native pulmonary leaflets were resected, and 2-cm segments of pulmonary artery were replaced by autologous cell-seeded heart valve constructs (n=4). One animal received an acellular valved conduit. No animal received any anticoagulation therapy. Animals were killed at 1, 5, 13, and 17 weeks. Explanted valves were examined histologically with scanning electron microscopy, biochemically, and biomechanically. All animals survived the procedure. The valves showed minimal regurgitation, and valve gradients were <20 mm Hg on echocardiography. The maximum gradient was 10 mm Hg with direct pressures. Macroscopically, the tissue-engineered constructs were covered with tissue, and there was no thrombus formation on any of the specimens. Scanning electron microscopy showed smooth flow surfaces during the follow-up period. Histological examination demonstrated laminated fibrous tissue with predominant glycosaminoglycans as extracellular matrix. 4-Hydroxyproline assays demonstrated an increase in collagen content as a percentage of native pulmonary artery (1 week 45.8%, 17 weeks 116%). DNA assays showed a comparable number of cells in all explanted samples. There was no tissue formation in the acellular control. Conclusions—Tissue-engineered heart valve scaffolds fabricated from polyhydroxyalkanoates can be used for implantation in the pulmonary position with an appropriate function for 120 days in lambs.
Hole tunneling current through oxynitride/oxide stack and the stack optimization for p-MOSFETs

A systematic study on hole-tunneling current through both oxynitride and oxynitride/oxide (N/O) stack is for the first time presented based on a physical model. The calculations are in good agreement with the available experimental data. With a given equivalent oxide thickness (EOT), and under typical operating gate voltages (|Vg|<2 V), hole-tunneling current (essentially the gate current) is found to be lowest through the oxynitride or N/O stack with /spl sim/33% of nitrogen (N). An optimized N/O stack structure with 33% (atomic percentage) nitrogen and with a 3 /spl Aring/ oxide layer for keeping acceptable channel interface quality is proposed to project the N/O gate dielectrics scaling limit using in MOSFETs.
Self-Regulated Strategy Development: Connecting Persuasive Writing to Self-Advocacy for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders often experience difficulties in expressive writing and social outcomes in school and beyond. Therefore, writing instruction and self-determination skills are critical for this population. This research study, in which special education teachers were trained to be implementers, successfully intertwined persuasive writing with self-determination instruction to improve students' writing and self-determination skills. Emphasis was given to teaching students how persuasive writing can be used to self-advocate for needs and wants. The Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD) model of writing instruction was examined with a multiple-probe-across-participants design to evaluate the instructional effects. Instruction was provided 4 days per week, 40 min per session, for 14 to 23 days. Visual analyses indicated level changes and a functional relation between the SRSD/self-determination instruction and students' writing skills. Students' essays increased for number of words written, transition words, number of essay parts, and overall quality. Furthermore, students' self-determination perceptions and knowledge as well as writing self-efficacy significantly increased as a result of instruction. Teachers implemented the intervention with high degrees of fidelity. Teacher and student interviews revealed an overall satisfaction with SRSD procedures and results.
Design and Implementation of a Ubiquitous Robotic Space

This paper describes a concerted effort to design and implement a robotic service framework. The proposed framework is comprised of three conceptual spaces: physical, semantic, and virtual spaces, collectively referred to as a ubiquitous robotic space. We implemented a prototype robotic security application in an office environment, which confirmed that the proposed framework is an efficient tool for developing a robotic service employing IT infrastructure, particularly for integrating heterogeneous technologies and robotic platforms.
Type and Location of Placenta Previa Affect Preterm Delivery Risk Related to Antepartum Hemorrhage

Purpose: To evaluate whether type and location of placenta previa affect risk of antepartum hemorrhage-related preterm delivery. Methods: We retrospectively studied 162 women with singleton pregnancies presenting placenta previa. Through observation using transvaginal ultrasound the women were categorized into complete or incomplete placenta previa, and then assigned to anterior and posterior groups. Complete placenta previa was defined as a placenta that completely covered the internal cervical os, with the placental margin >2 cm from the os. Incomplete placenta previa comprised marginal placenta previa whose margin adjacent to the internal os and partial placenta previa which covered the os but the margin situated within 2 cm of the os. Maternal characteristics and perinatal outcomes in complete and incomplete placenta previa were compared, and the differences between the anterior and the posterior groups were evaluated. Results: Antepartum hemorrhage was more prevalent in women with complete placenta previa than in those with incomplete placenta previa (59.1% versus 17.6%), resulting in the higher incidence of preterm delivery in women with complete than in those with incomplete placenta previa [45.1% versus 8.8%; odds ratio (OR) 8.51; 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.59-20.18; p < 0.001]. In complete placenta previa, incidence of antepartum hemorrhage did not significantly differ between the anterior and the posterior groups. However, gestational age at bleeding onset was lower in the anterior group than in the posterior group, and the incidence of preterm delivery was higher in the anterior group than in the posterior group (76.2% versus 32.0%; OR 6.8; 95% CI 2.12-21.84; p = 0.002). In incomplete placenta previa, gestational age at delivery did not significantly differ between the anterior and posterior groups. Conclusion: Obstetricians should be aware of the increased risk of preterm delivery related to antepartum hemorrhage in women with complete placenta previa, particularly when the placenta is located on the anterior wall.
Epidemiology of Mammalian Hepatitis E Virus Infection

Mammalian hepatitis E virus (HEV), the etiological agent of hepatitis E in humans, is a recently discovered infectious agent. It was identified for the first time in 1983 using electron microscopy on a faecal specimen of a person infected with non-A, non-B enterically-transmitted hepatitis. Based on retrospective and prospective studies, HEV was long described as one of the leading causes of acute viral hepatitis in tropical and subtropical countries, whereas in developed countries hepatitis E was considered an imported disease from HEV hyperendemic countries. Data from studies conducted during the past decade have greatly shifted our knowledge on the epidemiology and clinical spectrum of HEV. Recently, it has been shown that contrary to previous beliefs, hepatitis E is also an endemic disease in several developed countries, particularly in Japan and in Europe, as evidenced by reports of high anti-HEV immunoglobulin G prevalence in healthy individuals and an increasing number of non-travel-related acute hepatitis E cases. Moreover, a porcine reservoir and growing evidence of zoonotic transmission have been reported in these countries. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the epidemiology and prevention of transmission of mammalian HEV.
Artificial Intelligence in the Rising Wave of Deep Learning: The Historical Path and Future Outlook [Perspectives]

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a branch of computer science and a technology aimed at developing the theories, methods, algorithms, and applications for simulating and extending human intelligence. Modern AI enables going from an old world-where people give computers rules to solve problems-to a new world-where people give computers problems directly and the machines learn how to solve them on their own using a set of algorithms. An algorithm is a self-contained sequence of instructions and actions to be performed by a computational machine. Starting from an initial state and initial input, the instructions describe computational steps, which, when executed, proceed through a finite number of well-defined successive states, eventually producing an output and terminating at a final ending state. AI algorithms are a rich set of algorithms used to perform AI tasks, notably those pertaining to perception and cognition that involve learning from data and experiences simulating human intelligence.
Learning Sleep Stages from Radio Signals: A Conditional Adversarial Architecture

We focus on predicting sleep stages from radio measurements without any attached sensors on subjects. We introduce a new predictive model that combines convolutional and recurrent neural networks to extract sleep-specific subject-invariant features from RF signals and capture the temporal progression of sleep. A key innovation underlying our approach is a modified adversarial training regime that discards extraneous information specific to individuals or measurement conditions, while retaining all information relevant to the predictive task. We analyze our game theoretic setup and empirically demonstrate that our model achieves significant improvements over state-of-the-art solutions.
Contribution to Croatian mayfly fauna (Insecta: Ephemeroptera)

Dekić, S. , Ćuk, R. & Belfiore, C. : Contribution to Croatian mayfly fauna (Insecta: Ephemeroptera). Nat. Croat. , Vol. 25, No. 1, 101–108, 2016, Zagreb. Caenis lactea (Burmeister, 1839) from the family Caenidae has been recorded for the first time in Croatia in the reservoirs of HPP Dubrava and Čakovec on the Drava River. Additionally, new data on distribution of the species Heptagenia longicauda (Stephens, 1836) and Ephemerella mucronata (Bengtsson, 1909) are presented.
Pentoxifylline Accelerates Wound Healing Process by Modulating Gene Expression of MMP-1, MMP-3, and TIMP-1 in Normoglycemic Rats

ABSTRACT Background: Although numerous recent advances in wound healing have highlighted the importance of adjunct therapies in maximizing healing potential, abnormal wound healing continues to cause significant expense, morbidity, and mortality. Objective: This study examines the effects of pentoxifylline (PTX) on wound healing. Hypothesis: We are expecting that PTX administration can increase biomechanical parameters and modulate matrix metalloproteinaseses-1 (MMP-1) and MMP-3, and matrix metalloproteinase inhibitor-1 (TIMP-1) in normoglycemic (NG) rat model of wound healing. Methods: Each rat received an identical wound from a full-thickness incision on its back. Experimental rats received systemic administration of PTX. All rats underwent examinations for biomechanical and polymerase chain reaction(PCR) analysis. Maximum stress and energy absorption were calculated as the biomechanical examinations. Expressions of MMP-1, MMP-3 and TIMP-1 genes were evaluated semi-quantitatively by reverse transcriptional (RT)-PCR. Results: PTX significantly improved biomechanical parameters. Quantification of MMP-1, MMP-3, and TIMP-1 showed that PTX significantly reduced gene expressions of MMP-1 and MMP-3. There was a significant increase in TIMP-1 gene expression. Conclusion: Systemic administration of PTX significantly accelerated the wound healing process in NG rats.
Sex Differences in Functional Cerebral Asymmetries in a Repeated Measures Design

The aim of the present study was to analyze whether task repetitions which are an inevitable part of repeated measures designs might induce performance alterations specific for gender and hemisphere. Male and female subjects conducted twice a lexical decision, a polygon recognition, and a face discrimination task as a visual half field paradigm with the two experimental sessions repeated by 2 weeks. The results show that only in female subjects can a session effect for the lexical decision and the polygon recognition task be demonstrated which is hemisphere specific. Thus, repeated measures designs seem to have a gender- and hemisphere-specific effects of their own which could confound with other variables under study.
Biological Markers of Auditory Gap Detection in Young, Middle-Aged, and Older Adults

The capability of processing rapid fluctuations in the temporal envelope of sound declines with age and this contributes to older adults' difficulties in understanding speech. Although, changes in central auditory processing during aging have been proposed as cause for communication deficits, an open question remains which stage of processing is mostly affected by age related changes. We investigated auditory temporal resolution in young, middle-aged, and older listeners with neuromagnetic evoked responses to gap stimuli with different leading marker and gap durations. Signal components specific for processing the physical details of sound stimuli as well as the auditory objects as a whole were derived from the evoked activity and served as biological markers for temporal processing at different cortical levels. Early oscillatory 40-Hz responses were elicited by the onsets of leading and lagging markers and indicated central registration of the gap with similar amplitude in all three age groups. High-gamma responses were predominantly related to the duration of no-gap stimuli or to the duration of gaps when present, and decreased in amplitude and phase locking with increasing age. Correspondingly, low-frequency activity around 200 ms and later was reduced in middle aged and older participants. High-gamma band, and long-latency low-frequency responses were interpreted as reflecting higher order processes related to the grouping of sound items into auditory objects and updating of memory for these objects. The observed effects indicate that age-related changes in auditory acuity have more to do with higher-order brain functions than previously thought.
Centering Ability and Influence of Experience When Using WaveOne Single-File Technique in Simulated Canals

Introduction. WaveOne is a single endodontic instrument that reciprocates with a dedicated motor to shape root canal systems. The present study assessed the centering ability of this simplified protocol along with the effect of experience in simulated plastic canals. Methods. One experienced operator shaped two groups of simulated canals. Groups 1 and 3 each comprised 30 blinded L-shaped canals or S-shaped canals, respectively. Photographs were taken before and after shaping and digitally assessed centering after superimposition of the pictures. Time of shaping, number of passes, canal aberrations, and instrument degradation were recorded. In group 2 shaping was done on 30 blinded L-shaped canals by 30 different students with no prior experience with WaveOne. Results. All three groups yielded satisfactory, reproducible shaping. Centering ratios were low and homogeneous in all groups, with no significant differences between the experienced operator and the students. Apical transportation values were very low (≤0.138 mm) with no instances of blockage or separation. The average shaping time was short (43 to 101,6 sec). Conclusions. Within the limits of the study, the WaveOne instrument had excellent centering ability with a low risk of fracture or blockage and a short shaping time, regardless of the operator's level of experience.
Assessing sticky price models using the Burns and Mitchell approach

This article evaluates sticky-price models using the methods proposed by Burns and Mitchell, focusing on the monetary aspects of the business cycle. Recent research has emphasized the responses of models to shocks at the expense of its systematic component. Whereas sticky-price models have been successful at replicating impulse response functions from vector autoregressions, this article highlights that they are unable to mimic the data for nominal variables. Moreover, the results are robust to the specification of the Phillips curve, including its backward-looking variant, calibrated values and the inclusion of fiscal policy shocks. Since being able to mimic the data is the lowest hurdle a Model must pass, these results pose a challenge for sticky price models.
Fine needle aspiration cytology of the papillary thyroid carcinoma with a solid component: A cytological and clinical correlation

Solid variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma is a rare subtype of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) containing a solid component (SC), and thus its cytological and clinicopathological features remain elusive. We examined fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytological features of PTC with variable degrees of SC (20‐80% of the tumor)(PTCSC) in comparison to well‐differentiated PTC (WPTC).
On Minimization of Test Application Time for RAS

Conventional Random access scan (RAS) for testing has lower test application time, low power dissipation, and low test data volume compared to standard serial scan chain based design. In this paper, we present two cluster based techniques, namely, Serial Input Random Access Scan and Variable Word Length Random Access Scan to reduce test application time even further by exploiting the parallelism among the clusters and performing write operations on multiple bits. Experimental results on benchmarks circuits show on an average 2-3 times speed up in test write time and average 60% reduction in write test data volume.