Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A prospective, controlled clinical trial evaluating the clinical radiological and aesthetic outcome after 5 years of immediately placed implants in sockets exhibiting periapical pathology.

OBJECTIVE The aim was to compare the clinical, aesthetic and radiological outcome of immediately placed implants in sockets with or without periapical pathology 5 years after placement. MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-seven patients were followed 5 years after immediate implant placement (test-group: 12 patients with periapical pathologies; control-group: 15 patients without periapical pathology). Clinical (FMBS, FMPS, CAL, keratinized mucosa), aesthetical (length of clinical crown, Papilla index), and radiological (vertical distance implant shoulder to first bone to implant contact (IS-BIC)) parameters were assessed. Both 95% confidence intervals, as well as results of statistical tests (one-sample, two-sample, paired t-test) were provided. RESULTS After 5 years the implant survival rate was 100% for all 27 implants. In the test group the width of the keratinized mucosa increased significantly over the observation period (0.8 ± 1.0 mm). Concerning aesthetic parameters at the 3-month as well as at the 5-year examination no statistically significant difference could be found between the two groups. In the control-group the papilla mesial and distal to the implant increased statistically significant during the observation period by 0.5 ± 0.5 and 0.4 ± 0.6 index score points, respectively. The position of the gingival margin at the implant site and the two neighboring teeth remained stable. At the 5-year visit IS-BIC measured between 1.4 ± 0.5 mm (mesial, control) and 1.7 ± 0.7 mm (distal, test), no significant difference could be found between the two groups. Over the observation period no statistically significant change of IS-BIC could be found in the test- as well as in the control-group. None of the examined radiographs revealed any signs of retrograde peri-implantitis. CONCLUSION The replacement of teeth exhibiting periapical pathologies by implants placed immediately after tooth extraction can be a successful treatment modality with no disadvantages in clinical, aesthetical and radiological parameters to immediately placed implants into healthy sockets.
Vehicle Detection From Aerial Imagery

This paper presents a new technique for vehicle detection from aerial imagery. The proposed technique is simple but more effective than some of the existing techniques reported earlier. This research involves an overall cascade system that concentrates on vehicle detection mainly in rural and dense environments. This research uses and compares between certain feature extraction techniques and similar usage and comparisons are performed between four classification techniques. The overall efficiency of the overall cascade system is quite good but has certain false alarms and the efficiency is improved in the future work thereby reducing the amount of false alarms at the output.
Intra-Firm Wage Dispersion and Firm Performance

Personnel economics has suggested conflicting arguments about the impact of increased wage dispersion within firms on workers’ productivity and firm performance. Besides giving more advancement incentives, bigger wage differentials might also give rise to less cooperation and more politics between workers resulting in worse outcomes. We try to answer these questions using panel data for Austrian firms. As indicators for firm performance we use employment growth and standardized wages. For white-collar wages the following picture emerges: more dispersion leads to higher earnings up to some point where the relation changes direction. For blue-collar wages we find a positive association between dispersion and standardized wages between firms, but no relation within firms over time. For employment growth the results are ambiguous.
Individual variation in response to altitude training.

Moderate-altitude living (2,500 m), combined with low-altitude training (1,250 m) (i.e., live high-train low), results in a significantly greater improvement in maximal O2 uptake (V(02)max) and performance over equivalent sea-level training. Although the mean improvement in group response with this "high-low" training model is clear, the individual response displays a wide variability. To determine the factors that contribute to this variability, 39 collegiate runners (27 men, 12 women) were retrospectively divided into responders (n = 17) and nonresponders (n = 15) to altitude training on the basis of the change in sea-level 5,000-m run time determined before and after 28 days of living at moderate altitude and training at either low or moderate altitude. In addition, 22 elite runners were examined prospectively to confirm the significance of these factors in a separate population. In the retrospective analysis, responders displayed a significantly larger increase in erythropoietin (Epo) concentration after 30 h at altitude compared with nonresponders. After 14 days at altitude, Epo was still elevated in responders but was not significantly different from sea-level values in nonresponders. The Epo response led to a significant increase in total red cell volume and V(O2) max in responders; in contrast, nonresponders did not show a difference in total red cell volume or V(O2)max after altitude training. Nonresponders demonstrated a significant slowing of interval-training velocity at altitude and thus achieved a smaller O2 consumption during those intervals, compared with responders. The acute increases in Epo and V(O2)max were significantly higher in the prospective cohort of responders, compared with nonresponders, to altitude training. In conclusion, after a 28-day altitude training camp, a significant improvement in 5,000-m run performance is, in part, dependent on 1) living at a high enough altitude to achieve a large acute increase in Epo, sufficient to increase the total red cell volume and V(O2)max, and 2) training at a low enough altitude to maintain interval training velocity and O2 flux near sea-level values.
A Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Insects in Feed on Poultry Growth Performances

Simple Summary Today, insects are receiving great attention as a potential source of poultry feed and the number of experiences is exploding. However, it is difficult to obtain an evidence-based view from this large volume of and large diversity of information. A meta-analysis is the best method to summarize the findings of all these studies. Thus, we searched all recent studies that explore the effects of insects in feed on the growth performances of poultry species. Results showed that insects in feed do not modify performances if they substitute less than 10% of conventional protein sources and are not grasshoppers. Abstract We investigated and summarized results from studies evaluating the effects of feeding poultry with insects on their growth performances. After a systematic review of studies published since 2000, two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of each one based on predefined inclusion criteria. We extracted information on the study design, insects, avian species, and growth performances, i.e., average daily gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. Next, we estimated pooled differences between performances of poultry fed a diet with vs. without insects through random-effects meta-analysis models. Additionally, these models evaluated the effects of potential sources of heterogeneity across studies. Of the 75 studies reviewed, 41 met the inclusion criteria and included 174 trials. With respect to diets without insects, pooled differences in growth performances were statistically not different from the null, but heterogeneity was marked across studies. Average daily gain decreased with increasing inclusion rates of insects, going below the null for rates of 10% and more. Grasshoppers were negatively associated with the average daily gain and positively associated with feed intake. The country of publication was another source of heterogeneity across publications. Overall, our results show insects should substitute only partially conventional protein sources and not be grasshoppers to guarantee the appropriate growth of birds.
An FPGA receiver for CPSK spread spectrum signaling

In this paper, we present the design, implementation and testing of an M-ary direct sequence spread spectrum receiver suitable for wireless home networking applications. The receiver employs a novel code-phase-shift keying (CPSK) signaling scheme, in which each of the M signaling waveforms is derived from a different phase shift of a single pseudonoise code sequence. The receiver consists of an IF demodulator and a CPSK baseband decoder, implemented using discrete components and an FPGA (field programmable gate array) chip, respectively. A modified double-dwell serial search scheme is used for code acquisition and tracking, and the carrier-phase synchronization is solved by a Costas loop in the IF demodulator and a double threshold detection scheme in the CPSK decoder. Measurements of receiver performance are presented and compared with theoretical calculations.
Multicenter Study of the Impact of Community-Onset Clostridium difficile Infection on Surveillance for C. difficile Infection

Objective. To evaluate the impact of cases of community-onset, healthcare facility (HCF)-associated Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) on the incidence and outbreak detection of CDI. Design. A retrospective multicenter cohort study. Setting. Five university-affiliated, acute care HCFs in the United States. Methods. We collected data (including results of C. difficile toxin assays of stool samples) on all of the adult patients admitted to the 5 hospitals during the period from July I, 2000, through June 30, 2006. CDI cases were classified as HCF-onset if they were diagnosed more than 48 hours after admission or as community-onset, HCF-associated if they were diagnosed within 48 hours after admission and if the patient had recently been discharged from the HCF. Four surveillance definitions were compared: cases of HCF-onset CDI only (hereafter referred to as HCF-onset CDI) and cases of HCF-onset and community-onset, HCF-associated CDI diagnosed within 30, 60, and 90 days after the last discharge from the study hospital (hereafter referred to as 30-day, 60-day, and 90-day CDI, respectively). Monthly CDI rates were compared. Control charts were used to identify potential CDI outbreaks. Results. The rate of 30-day CDI was significantly higher than the rate of HCF-onset CDI at 2 HCFs (P < .01 ). The rates of 30-day CDI were not statistically significantly different from the rates of 60-day or 90-day CDI at any HCF. The correlations between each HCF's monthly rates of HCF-onset CDI and 30-day CDI were almost perfect (ρ range, 0.94-0.99; P < .001). Overall, 12 time points had a CDI rate that was more than 3 standard deviations above the mean, including 11 time points identified using the definition for HCF-onset CDI and 9 time points identified using the definition for 30-day CDI, with discordant results at 4 time points (k = 0.794; P < .001). Conclusions. Tracking cases of both community-onset and HCF-onset, HCF-associated CDI captures significantly more CDI cases, but surveillance of HCF-onset, HCF-associated CDI alone is sufficient to detect an outbreak.
The Impact of Immigration on International Trade: A Meta-Analysis

Since the early 1990s many empirical studies have been conducted on the impact of international migration on international trade, predominantly from the host country perspective. Because most studies have adopted broadly the same specification, namely a log-linear gravity model of export and import flows augmented with the logarithm of the stock of immigrants from specific source countries as an additional explanatory variable, the resulting elasticities are broadly comparable and yield a set of estimates that is well suited to meta-analysis. We therefore compile and analyze in this paper the distribution of immigration elasticities of imports and exports across 48 studies that yielded 300 observations. The results show that immigration complements rather than substitutes for trade flows between host and origin countries. Correcting for heterogeneity and publication bias, an increase in the number of immigrants by 10 percent may be expected to increase the volume of trade on average by about 1.5 percent. However, the impact is lower for trade in homogeneous goods. Over time, the growing stock of immigrants decreases the elasticities. The estimates are affected by the choice of some covariates, the nature of the data (cross-section or panel) and the estimation technique. Elasticities vary between countries in ways that cannot be fully explained by study characteristics; trade restrictions and immigration policies matter for the impact of immigration on trade. The migrant elasticity of imports is larger than that of exports in about half the countries considered, but the publication bias and heterogeneity-corrected elasticity is slightly larger for exports than for imports.
Flow through a cylindrical pipe with a periodic array of fractal orifices

We apply direct numerical simulation (DNS) of the incompressible Navier–Stokes equations to predict flow through a cylindrical pipe in which a periodic array of orifice plates with a fractal perimeter is mounted. The flow is simulated using a volume penalization immersed boundary method with which the geometric complexity of the orifice plate is represented. Adding a periodic array of orifice plates to a cylindrical pipe is shown to increase the mixing efficiency of the flow in the laminar regime. The average stretching rate is shown to increase by a factor of up to 5, comparing pipe flow without orifice plates to flow passing through an orifice plate derived from the Koch snowflake fractal. The dispersion rate is shown to increase by a factor of up to 4. In laminar flow, the viscous forces are most important close to the walls, causing orifice geometries with the largest perimeter to exhibit the largest axial velocities near the centerline of the pipe and the largest pressure drop to maintain the prescribed volumetric flow rate. The immersed boundary method is also applied to turbulent flow through a ‘fractal-orifices pipe’ at Re = 4300. It is shown that the pressure drop that is required to maintain the specified volumetric flow rate decreases by about 15% on comparing orifice plates with a circular opening to orifice plates with more complex shapes that contain several corners such as triangles, squares, stars and the Koch snowflake.
Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: Developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness

Abstract The clinical concept of psychopathy (“psychopathic personality”) is generally considered to entail persistent behavioral deviancy in the company of emotional–interpersonal detachment. However, longstanding debates continue regarding the appropriate scope and boundaries of the concept. Here, we review alternative historic descriptions of the disorder together with empirical findings for the best-established assessment instruments in use with adolescents and youth as a basis for formulating an integrative, triarchic model of psychopathy. The essence of the triarchic model is that psychopathy encompasses three distinct phenotypic constructs: disinhibition, which reflects a general propensity toward problems of impulse control; boldness, which is defined as the nexus of social dominance, emotional resiliency, and venturesomeness; and meanness, which is defined as aggressive resource seeking without regard for others (“dysaffliated agency”). These differing phenotypic components are considered in terms of relevant etiologic and developmental pathways. The triarchic conceptualization provides a basis for reconciling and accommodating alternative descriptive accounts of psychopathy, and a framework for coordinating research on neurobiological and developmental processes contributing to varying manifestations of the disorder.
Perfect Bayesian Equilibria in Sequential Reputation Games

We analyze reputation games where a strategic long-lived player acts in a sequential repeated game against a collection of short-lived players. The key assumption in our model is that the information of the short-lived players is nested in that of the long-lived player. Under this assumption, (i) We show that, given mild assumptions, the set of Perfect Bayesian Equilibrium payoffs coincide with Markov Perfect Equilibrium payoffs in the standard discounted average payoff setup. (ii) A dynamic programming formulation can be obtained for the computation of equilibrium strategies of the strategic long-lived player in the standard discounted average payoff setup. (iii) We consider the undiscounted average payoff setup separately where we obtain an optimal equilibrium strategy of the strategic long-lived player. (iv) We then use this optimal strategy in the undiscounted average payoff setup as a tool to obtain an upper payoff bound for the arbitrarily patient long-lived player in the standard discounted average payoff setup. (v) By using measure concentration techniques, we obtain a refined lower payoff bound on the value of reputation in the standard discounted average payoff setup. (vi) Under further assumptions, we establish the continuity of the equilibrium payoffs, in the standard discounted average payoff setup.
Event-related EEG time-frequency PCA and the orienting reflex to auditory stimuli.

We recently reported an auditory habituation series with counterbalanced indifferent and significant (counting) instructions. Time-frequency (t-f) analysis of electrooculogram-corrected EEG was used to explore event-related synchronization (ERS)/desynchronization (ERD) in four EEG bands using arbitrarily selected time epochs and traditional frequency ranges. ERS in delta, theta, and alpha, and subsequent ERD in theta, alpha, and beta, showed substantial decrement over trials, yet effects of stimulus significance (count vs. no-task) were minimal. Here, we used principal components analysis (PCA) of the t-f data to investigate the natural frequency and time combinations involved in such stimulus processing. We identified four ERS and four ERD t-f components: six showed decrement over trials, four showed count > no-task effects, and six showed Significance × Trial interactions. This increased sensitivity argues for the wider use of our data-driven t-f PCA approach.
Bovine lactoferrin in involuting mammary tissue

Bovine lactoferrin in involuting mammary tissue was identified by immunohistochemistry and tissue explant culture. Immunoreactive lactoferrin was associated with mammary epithelial cells. Immunostaining for lactoferrin increased during involution, in contrast to declining immunostaining of epithelia for the milk‐specific protein β‐lactoglobulin. Immunostaining for lactoferrin also was observed at the basal region of alveolar epithelia, perhaps in association with basement membrane components. Lactoferrin was preferentially synthesized in involuting mammary tissue compared with lactating tissue. Synthesis of lactoferrin in the involuting mammary gland occurs despite the apparent decline in synthesis of milk‐specific proteins.
Stroke-Gesture Input for People with Motor Impairments: Empirical Results & Research Roadmap

We examine the articulation characteristics of stroke-gestures produced by people with upper body motor impairments on touchscreens as well as the accuracy rates of popular classification techniques, such as the $-family, to recognize those gestures. Our results on a dataset of 9,681 gestures collected from 70 participants reveal that stroke-gestures produced by people with motor impairments are recognized less accurately than the same gesture types produced by people without impairments, yet still accurately enough (93.0%) for practical purposes; are similar in terms of geometrical criteria to the gestures produced by people without impairments; but take considerably more time to produce (3.4s vs. 1.7s) and exhibit lower consistency (-49.7%). We outline a research roadmap for accessible gesture input on touchscreens for users with upper body motor impairments, and we make our large gesture dataset publicly available in the community.
Effects of Aqueous Extracts of Raw Pu‐erh Tea and Ripened Pu‐Erh Tea on Proliferation and Differentiation of 3T3‐L1 Preadipocytes

Pu‐erh tea has shown anti‐obesity effects but little is known about its effect on proliferation and differentiation of preadipocytes. This study investigated the effects of the aqueous extracts of raw pu‐erh tea and ripened pu‐erh tea on proliferation and differentiation of murine 3T3‐L1 preadiopocytes. We examined dose and time effects of both aqueous extracts on proliferation of 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes. The contents of triglycerides in cytoplasm and the mRNA expression of critical transcriptional factors involved in differentiation were determined. Cytotoxicity and apoptosis rate of preadipocytes by pu‐erh tea extracts treatment were test for toxic and pro‐apoptotic effects. Both aqueous extracts of pu‐erh tea inhibited the proliferation of 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes at the selected time points. At lower concentration of raw pu‐erh tea extracts (less than 300 µg/ml) and ripened pu‐erh tea extracts (less than 350 µg/ml), no significant cytotoxic and pro‐apoptotic were observed. Ripened pu‐erh tea was more effective with lower IC50 than raw pu‐erh tea. Both extracts suppressed the differentiation and down‐regulated the gene expression of peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor‐γ and CCAAT/enhancer binding proteins‐α. Therefore, these results indicate that both aqueous extracts of pu‐erh tea can inhibit proliferation and differentiation with ripened pu‐erh tea more potent. Polyphenol rich in both extracts may play a role in the inhibition of proliferation and differentiation of 3T3‐L1 preadipocytes. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Full-Thickness Resection of Endophytic Gastric Submucosal Tumors Very Close to the Esophagogastric Junction

Purpose Gastric submucosal tumors (SMTs) located very close to the esophagogastric junction (EGJ) are a challenge for gastric surgeons. Therefore, this study reports on the experience of using endoscopic and laparoscopic full-thickness resection (ELFR) with laparoscopic two-layer suturing in such tumors. Materials and Methods Six patients with gastric SMTs very close to the EGJ underwent ELFR with laparoscopic two-layer suturing at Kyungpook National University Medical Center. With the patient under general anesthesia, the lesser curvature and posterior aspect adjacent to the EGJ were meticulously dissected and visualized using a laparoscopic approach. A partially circumferential full-thickness incision at the distal margin of the tumor was then made using an endoscopic approach under laparoscopic guidance. The SMT was resected using laparoscopic ultrasonic shears, and the gastric wall was closed using two-layer suturing. Thereafter, the patency and any leakage were checked through endoscopy. Results All the ELFR procedures with laparoscopic two-layer suturing were performed successfully without an open conversion. The mean operation time was 139.2±30.9 minutes and the blood loss was too minimal to be measured. The tumors from four patients were leiomyomas, while the tumors from the other two patients were gastrointestinal stromal tumors with clear resection margins. All the patients started oral intake on the third postoperative day. There was no morbidity or mortality. The mean hospital stay was 7.7±0.8 days. Conclusions ELFR with laparoscopic two-layer suturing is a safe treatment option for patients with an SMT close to the EGJ, as major resection of the stomach is avoided.