Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Logical foundations of peer-to-peer data integration

In peer-to-peer data integration, each peer exports data in terms of its own schema, and data interoperation is achieved by means of mappings among the peer schemas. Peers are autonomous systems and mappings are dynamically created and changed. One of the challenges in these systems is answering queries posed to one peer taking into account the mappings. Obviously, query answering strongly depends on the semantics of the overall system. In this paper, we compare the commonly adopted approach of interpreting peer-to-peer systems using a first-order semantics, with an alternative approach based on epistemic logic. We consider several central properties of peer-to-peer systems: modularity, generality, and decidability. We argue that the approach based on epistemic logic is superior with respect to all the above properties. In particular, we show that, in systems in which peers have decidable schemas and conjunctive mappings, but are arbitrarily interconnected, the first-order approach may lead to undecidability of query answering, while the epistemic approach always preserves decidability. This is a fundamental property, since the actual interconnections among peers are not under the control of any actor in the system.
Inhibitors to EDI Adoption in Small Businesses: An Empirical Investigation

While electronic data interchange (EDI) has been discussed in the literature as a technology that can provide several advantages, both strategic and operational, to its adopters, the adoption rate, especially that of small businesses, has not been as high as predicted. The question is why? Based on data collected from more than four hundred and sixty non-EDI adopters, our results suggest that the three most significant “inhibitors” to EDI adoption in small businesses are all related to the degree of “organizational readiness”, rather than to those factors related to the costs and benefits of adopting the technology or the influence exerted by external parties such as the government, industrial partners or EDI vendors. The small businesses that decide not to adopt EDI believe that (1) they do not possess sufficient knowledge and skills about the technology, (2) they do not have internal IT support at the level to support the use, and (3) adopting EDI is not as good for their companies as the technology advocates claim, i.e., they possess a nonpositive attitude towards adopting the technology. In the eyes of small businesses, the “ability to adopt” is more important than the “benefits of the adoption” when considering adopting EDI.
Quality Control for Estrogen and Progesterone Receptor Assay in Human Breast Cancer: The Influence of Computation Methods on Intra and Interlaboratory Variability

The importance of evaluating receptors for estrogen and progestin in human breast cancer has been pointed out by many authors. In the absence of a reference standard, receptor assays must be controlled by intra and interlaboratory quality control programs. Much interlaboratory variability exists due to non-uniform analytical protocols, non-uniform ligands, intrinsic errors and also errors in computation methods. The goals of our Italian Qualtiy Control Program on Multicenter Trials are to standardize the anaytical procedures and computation methods. Twenty Italian laboratories participated in the Quality Control Program. Each specimen was assayed for steroid receptor content according to the standardized dextran-coated-charcoal method. Data were subjected to computerized analyses by 5 different methods of calculation (Scatchard plot, direct plot, Lineweaver-Burk method, Brunauer-Emmet-Teller analysis, single-point approach). The results were than evaluated to identify intra- and inter-assay variation coefficients and to define other statistical parameters. The authors suggest different calculation methods depending on the specific experimental and/or physiopathological conditions.
Configuring a wafer-scale two-dimensional array of single-bit processors

An overview of the ELSA (European large SIMD array) project, which uses a two-level strategy to achieve defect tolerance for wafer-scale architectures implemented in silicon, is presented. The target architecture is a 2-D array of processing elements for low-level image processing. An array is divided into subarrays called chips. At the chip level, defect tolerance is proved by an extra column of PEs (processing element) and bypassing techniques. At the wafer level, a double-rail connection network is used to construct a target array of defect-free chips that is as large and as fast as possible. Its main advantage is being independent of chip defects, as it is controlled from the I/O pads. An algorithm for constructing an optimized two-dimensional array on a wafer containing a given number of defect-free PEs and connections, a method to program the switches for the target architecture found by the algorithm, and software for programming the switches using laser cuts are discussed. <<ETX>>
Combined Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Robot-Assisted Arm Training in Subacute Stroke Patients

Background. No rehabilitation intervention has effectively improved functional use of the arm and hand in patients with severe upper limb paresis after stroke. Pilot studies suggest the potential for transcranial direct current stimulation and bilateral robotic training to enhance gains. Objective. In a double-blind, randomized trial the combination of these interventions was tested. Methods. This study randomized 96 patients with an ischemic supratentorial lesion of 3 to 8 weeks’ duration with severe impairment of motor control with a Fugl-Meyer score (FMS) for the upper limb <18 into 3 groups. For 6 weeks, group A received anodal stimulation of the lesioned hemisphere, group B received cathodal stimulation of the nonlesioned side for 20 minutes at 2.0 mA, and group C received sham stimulation. The electrodes were placed over the hand area and above the contralateral orbit. Contemporaneously, the subjects practiced 400 repetitions each of 2 different bilateral movements on a robotic assistive device. Results. The groups were matched at onset. The FMS improved in all patients at 6 weeks (P < .001). No between-group differences were found; initial versus finish FMS scores were 7.8 ± 3.8 versus 19.1 ± 14.4 in group A, 7.9 ± 3.4 versus 18.8 ± 10.5 in group B, and 8.2 ± 4.4 versus 19.2 ± 15.0 in group C. No significant changes between groups were present at 3 months. Conclusions. Neither anodal nor cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation enhanced the effect of bilateral arm training in this exploratory trial of patients with cortical involvement and severe weakness. Unilateral hand training and upregulation of the nonlesioned hemisphere might also be tried in this population.
Automatic Stream Surface Seeding

The visualisation of 3D flow poses many challenges. Difficulties can stem from attempting to capture all flow features, the speed of computation, and spatial perception. Streamlines and stream surfaces are standard tools for visualising 3D flow. Although a variety of automatic seeding approaches have been proposed for streamlines, little work has been presented for stream surfaces. We present a novel automatic approach to the seeding of stream surfaces in 3D flow fields. We first describe defining seeding curves at the domain boundaries from isolines generated from a derived scalar field. We then detail the generation of stream surfaces integrated through the flow and discuss the associated challenges of surface termination and occlusion. We also present the results of this algorithm, how we achieve satisfactory domain coverage and capture the features of the flow field. Strategies for resolving occlusion resulting from seeding multiple surfaces are also presented and analysed.
Correction for partial-volume effects on brain perfusion SPECT in healthy men.

UNLABELLED The limited spatial resolution of SPECT scanners does not allow an exact measurement of the local radiotracer concentration in brain tissue because partial-volume effects (PVEs) underestimate concentration in small structures of the brain. The aim of this study was to determine which brain structures show greater influence of PVEs in SPECT studies on healthy volunteers and to investigate aging effects on SPECT after the PVE correction. METHODS Brain perfusion SPECT using (99m)Tc-ethylcysteinate dimer was performed in 52 healthy men, 18-86 y old. The regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was noninvasively measured using graphical analysis. SPECT images were corrected for PVEs using gray-matter volume, which was segmented from coregistered MR images and convoluted with spatial resolution of SPECT scanners. Absolute rCBF data were measured using a 3-dimensional (3D) stereotactic template for regions of interest on anatomically standardized SPECT. We examined correlation of advancing age with rCBF before and after the PVE correction. To validate the correction method for PVEs, a Hoffman 3D brain phantom experiment was also performed. RESULTS The PVE correction remarkably reduced the coefficient of variation for SPECT counts in the whole phantom. The PVE correction made the rCBF distribution more homogeneous throughout the brain with less intersubject variation than the original distribution. There were significant negative correlations between age and adjusted rCBF in the bilateral perisylvian and medial frontal areas. These correlations remained significant after the PVE correction. Instead of a positive correlation in the medial temporal structures between age and adjusted rCBF before the PVE correction, the sensorimotor and parietal areas mainly showed positive correlations after the correction. CONCLUSION SPECT data reflect both brain volume loss and functional changes. Use of the PVE correction in brain perfusion SPECT provides a more accurate determination of rCBF even in healthy volunteers.
Characterization of macromolecule resonances in the 1H NMR spectrum of rat brain

The 1H NMR spectrum of the macromolecule fraction of rat brain cytosol was investigated following centrifugation and dialysis to remove low molecular weight metabolites and peptides (<3500 daltons). At least seven well resolved resonances were detected between 0.9 and 3.0 ppm in the 1H NMR spectrum of rat brain cytosol after dialysis, several of which cannot be observed in vivo due to overlap with N‐acetylaspartate, glutamate, glutamine, creatine, and yaminobutyric acid. Several cross‐peaks detected in 2D COSY spectra of the cytosolic macromolecule fraction coincided with those measured in a previous study of rat brain tissue in vitro and in situ (K. L. Behar, T. Ogino, Magn. Reson. Med. 17, 285 (1991)). Treatment of the cytosolic macromolecule fraction with a nonspecific protease permitted partial assignments of resonances in the 1H NMR spectrum to specific amino acids. Fractionation of the dialyzed cytosol of rat brain by gel filtration yielded qualitatively similar 1H NMR spectra for elution volumes corresponding to molecular masses from 12.5 kDa to over 100 kDa. The results indicate that many of the background nonmetabolite resonances observed in the 1H NMR spectrum of normal brain tissue arise from cytosolic proteins.
Context-dependent decision-making: a simple Bayesian model

Many phenomena in animal learning can be explained by a context-learning process whereby an animal learns about different patterns of relationship between environmental variables. Differentiating between such environmental regimes or ‘contexts’ allows an animal to rapidly adapt its behaviour when context changes occur. The current work views animals as making sequential inferences about current context identity in a world assumed to be relatively stable but also capable of rapid switches to previously observed or entirely new contexts. We describe a novel decision-making model in which contexts are assumed to follow a Chinese restaurant process with inertia and full Bayesian inference is approximated by a sequential-sampling scheme in which only a single hypothesis about current context is maintained. Actions are selected via Thompson sampling, allowing uncertainty in parameters to drive exploration in a straightforward manner. The model is tested on simple two-alternative choice problems with switching reinforcement schedules and the results compared with rat behavioural data from a number of T-maze studies. The model successfully replicates a number of important behavioural effects: spontaneous recovery, the effect of partial reinforcement on extinction and reversal, the overtraining reversal effect, and serial reversal-learning effects.
Numerical and Experimental Analysis of the Influence of Edge Conditions on the Deflection of a Clamped-Clamped Asymmetric Sandwich Strip

Influence of different edge boundary conditions for the core and for the faces on deflections of the asymmetric sandwich strip and beam, with ends enabling carrying the bending moment are investigated in the paper. Two kinds of asymmetry of the clamped-clamped (C-C) sandwich structure are taken into account namely, asymmetry of faces and asymmetry of fastening of the faces to edge inserts. Numerical results which are presented to demonstrate the influence of the core conditions have been obtained according to a new analytical 2D model and by FEM. In order to make the analysis more valuable some experimental results have been compared. Influence of different edge conditions for the core, edge in-plane displacements of faces as well as asymmetry of faces and their fastening to inserts on the strip and beam deflection is examined. The usefulness of the new 2D model for validation of the FEM models is shown. All considerations and results refer to the sandwich structures composed of isotropic layers.
New classification of lingual arch form in normal occlusion using three dimensional virtual models

Objective The purposes of this study were 1) to classify lingual dental arch form types based on the lingual bracket points and 2) to provide a new lingual arch form template based on this classification for clinical application through the analysis of three-dimensional virtual models of normal occlusion sample. Methods Maxillary and mandibular casts of 115 young adults with normal occlusion were scanned in their occluded positions and lingual bracket points were digitized on the virtual models by using Rapidform 2006 software. Sixty-eight cases (dataset 1) were used in K-means cluster analysis to classify arch forms with intercanine, interpremolar and intermolar widths and width/depth ratios as determinants. The best-fit curves of the mean arch forms were generated. The remaining cases (dataset 2) were mapped into the obtained clusters and a multivariate test was performed to assess the differences between the clusters. Results Four-cluster classification demonstrated maximum intercluster distance. Wide, narrow, tapering, and ovoid types were described according to the intercanine and intermolar widths and their best-fit curves were depicted. No significant differences in arch depths existed among the clusters. Strong to moderate correlations were found between maxillary and mandibular arch widths. Conclusions Lingual arch forms have been classified into 4 types based on their anterior and posterior dimensions. A template of the 4 arch forms has been depicted. Three-dimensional analysis of the lingual bracket points provides more accurate identification of arch form and, consequently, archwire selection.
Selective induction of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 by interferon-gamma in human airway epithelial cells.

To evaluate the factors controlling migration of leukocytes into pulmonary airway epithelium, we determined the biochemical mechanisms responsible for the regulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) expression on cultured monolayers of human tracheal epithelial cells (HTECs) or SV40 virus-transformed human bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B). Validation experiments with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) demonstrated little detectable ICAM-1 expression on unstimulated cells or on cells incubated with interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), but HUVEC monolayers responded to interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) with significant increases in ICAM-1 and ICAM-1-dependent adherence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs). HTEC monolayers also exhibited no significant basal ICAM-1 expression but, in contrast to HUVEC monolayers, had marked increases in ICAM-1 expression and ICAM-1-dependent PMN adherence only after incubation with IFN-gamma (and not after IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha) treatment. BEAS-2B cells also exhibited relatively selective IFN-gamma stimulation of ICAM-1 expression and ICAM-1-dependent PMN adherence but (like late passage HTEC) showed significant basal ICAM-1 expression. Differences in IFN-gamma effect on ICAM-1 levels between HUVEC and HTEC monolayers were not due to differences in number or responsiveness of IFN-gamma receptors, because both cell types exhibited a similar number of receptors and other IFN-gamma-dependent responses of HUVECs remained active. In all analyses, ICAM-1 mRNA levels correlated closely with detection of ICAM-1 on the cell surface. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effects of alcohol on micronucleus in human exfoliated buccal cells

Background: Oral cancer is the most common malignancy in nearly ha f of Indian population. The main causes of oral carci noma are tobacco, alcohol, poor diet and infective ag nts. These agents damage the chromosomes to form several secondary nu clei known as micronuclei. This study identifies the occurrence of micronuclei and also e valuates the frequency of micronuclei in sta smears of oral exfoliative cells from healthy subje cts and alcoholic subjects. Materials and methods: A total number of 60 alcoholic subjects were referr ed to the Department of Anatomy, SRM Medical College Department of Dentistry. Equal numbers of controls were included with normal looking oral cavities. Results: Out of 60 alcoholic subjects 43 showed presence of micronuclei and out of 60 control subjects, only 6 showed micronuclei. With t factors of oral carcinoma. Conclusion: It is evident from our present study, it is clear t hat in alcohol consumption, the buccal mucosa, which are at high risk for development of o ral cancer, show an i frequencies.
Effects of vanadate on the rotational dynamics of spin-labeled calcium adenosinetriphosphatase in sarcoplasmic reticulum membranes.

We have studied the effects of vanadate on the rotational motion of the calcium adenosine-triphosphatase (Ca-ATPase) from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), using saturation-transfer electron paramagnetic resonance (ST-EPR). Vanadate has been proposed to act as a phosphate analogue and produce a stable intermediate state similar to the phosphoenzyme. This study provides evidence about the physical state of this intermediate. In particular, since ST-EPR provides a sensitive measure of microsecond protein rotational mobility, and hence of protein-protein association, these studies allowed us to ask (a) whether the vanadate-induced protein association observed in electron micrographs of SR vesicles also occurs under physiological (as opposed to fixed, stained, or frozen) conditions and (b) whether vanadate-induced changes in protein association also occur under conditions sufficient for enzyme inhibition but not for the production of large arrays detectable by electron microscopy (EM). At 5 mM decavanadate, a concentration sufficient to crystallize the ATPase on greater than 90% of the membrane surface area in EM, ST-EPR showed substantial immobilization of the spin-labeled protein, indicating protein-protein association in the unstained vesicles. Conventional EPR spectra of lipid probes showed that lipid hydrocarbon chain mobility is unaffected by decavanadate-induced protein crystallization in SR, suggesting that changes in protein-protein contacts do not involve the lipid hydrocarbon region. At 5 mM monovanadate, a concentration sufficient to inhibit the ATPase but not to form crystals detectable by EM, no changes were observed in ST-EPR or conventional EPR spectra of either protein or lipid. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
[Clinical study of preoperative analgesia for liposuction].

OBJECTIVE To observe the effect of the preoperative analgesia with Oxycodone/Acetaminophen for liposuction. METHODS In the double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, 40 patients undergoing the liposuction were randomly assigned into two groups which were received a single oral dose of Oxycodone/Acetaminophen or calcium gluconate respectively before the operation. The degrees of pain were evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) at the beginning and the end of the operation. Adverse effects and the overall satisfaction on analgesic therapy were assessed when operation finished. RESULTS The VAS scores of the experimental group were significantly lower than the control group at the beginning and the end of operation (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between the two groups in side effects (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Oxycodone/Acetaminophen could produce preemptive effect. Preoperative oral administration of Oxycodone/ Acetaminophen may provide patients with good analgesia in plastic and cosmetic operation.
Immunofluorescence studies on autoantibodies to steroid-producing cells, and to germline cells in endocrine disease and infertility.

This study was aimed at comparing the clinical significance of antibodies to steroid-producing cells with reactions to gonadal germline cells in patients with autoimmune polyendocrine diseases and isolated infertility or amenorrhoea respectively. Indirect immunofluorescence was used on human adrenal, ovary and testis. The gonad substrates were compared with rat, rabbit and monkey glands. 152 adrenal-positive sera were selected from 1030 that had been tested on adrenal cortex. Antibodies to steroid-producing cells in the gonads were found in fifty of these 152 selected cases and were studied in detail. When using human gonads as substrates, steroid-producing-cell antibodies were never detected in the absence of adrenal cortical immunofluorescence, though false-positive reactions were sometimes obtained on rat or rabbit gonads. Adrenal antibodies as well as those to steroid-producing cells were most frequent in Addisonian cases having one or more additional endocrine disease. The frequency of both types of antibody was lower in patients with Addison's disease and no other disorder but showing evidence of `polyendocrine serology'. Both antibodies were found least frequently when adrenalitis was unassociated with clinical or subclinical autoimmunity in other organs. We were able to confirm the immunofluorescence patterns described by other authors on adrenal gland and gonads, as well as the independent rise or fall in titre of these two types of antibodies in individual cases with time. Prolonged follow-up of forty-two Addisonian patients showed that adrenal antibodies disappeared in seven instances (17%). Ovum and sperm antibodies were found in about 25% of infertility cases and a smaller proportion of polyendocrine patients. Germline cell antibodies were rarely associated with other organ-specific reactions. In two cases, amenorrhoea was due to partial pituitary deficiency and the sera of the patients contained antibodies to pituitary prolactin-cells. Testicular `basement membrane' or `Sertoli-cell' immunofluorescence were each observed in isolated cases and are discussed in relation to known non-organ-specific and heterophile patterns. The significance of zona pellucida fluorescence in relation to blood group substances requires further study on human ova obtained by aspiration from mature Graafian follicles.