Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High Bone-Implant Contact Achieved by Photofunctionalization to Reduce Periimplant Stress: A Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis

Objective:A recent study demonstrated that UV treatment of titanium implants (photofunctionalization) enabled a higher level of osseointegration by establishing a 98.2% bone-implant contact (BIC) as opposed to a 53.0% BIC around untreated implants. This study examined whether, and how, the BIC increase affects the periimplant mechanical stress. Materials and Methods:Three-dimensional finite element analysis was performed on implants of different degrees of BIC (53.0% and 98.2%) based on the report of photofunctionalization. The different lengths of implants (7, 10, and 13 mm) were also tested. Results:Increasing the implant length from 7 to 13 mm diminished the periimplant stress level by only 15% under vertical load, whereas increasing BIC from 53.0% to 98.2% diminished it by 50%. Consequently, stress around 7-mm implants with 98.2% BIC was even lower than that around 13-mm implants with 53.0% BIC. High-stress areas, which were observed around implants in all lengths with 53.0% BIC, disappeared on implants with 98.2% BIC even on 7-mm implants. Similar results were obtained under oblique load. Conclusions:This study demonstrated that a BIC increase from 53.0% to 98.2%, which can be achieved by photofunctionalization, improves distribution and diffusion of periimplant stress more effectively than using longer implants, providing a potential novel strategy to counteract stress-induced periimplant marginal bone loss.
Instability of a Tandem network and its propagation under RED

The interaction between a random early detection (RED) gateway and transmission control protocol (TCP) connections has been shown to lead to a rich set of nonlinear phenomena in single bottleneck cases. We extend this work and study the interaction of TCP connections with RED gateways in a simple tandem network, using a nonlinear first-order discrete-time model. We demonstrate that the nonlinear behavior of TCP can result in both smooth and nonsmooth bifurcations, leading to chaos. We show that the instabilities can be induced at both bottlenecks by changing the system parameters only at one of the bottlenecks while fixing the parameters at the other, thus demonstrating the propagation of instability. Moreover, we show that locally sufficient conditions for stability based on single node analysis are not sufficient for global network stability.
The influence of paediatric HIV infection on circulating B cell subsets and CXCR5+ T helper cells

Antiretroviral therapy (ART) only partially restores HIV‐induced alterations in lymphocyte populations. We assessed B and T cell phenotypes in a cohort of children from a single centre in the United Kingdom with perinatally acquired HIV compared to healthy controls. The majority of HIV infected children (44 of 56) were on fully suppressive combination ART. Children with perinatally acquired HIV had significantly lower memory B and CD4+CD45RO+CXCR5+ [follicular T helper cell (Tfh)‐like] T cell percentages. Detectable viraemia was associated with higher CD21– (activated and exhausted/tissue‐like memory) B cells. A greater proportion of life spent on suppressive ART was associated with higher memory B cell percentages. These results suggest that early and sustained suppressive ART may preserve B and T cell phenotypes in perinatally acquired HIV and limit deficits in humoral immunity. A lower proportion of circulating Tfh‐like cells in HIV infected children appears to be independent of HIV treatment history and ongoing HIV viraemia and warrants further investigation.
Triclosan resistance in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium.

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to characterize the mechanisms of resistance to triclosan in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. METHODS Mutants resistant to triclosan were selected from nine S. enterica serovar Typhimurium strains. Mutants were characterized by genotyping, mutagenesis and complementation of fabI and analysis of efflux activity. Fitness of triclosan-resistant mutants was determined in vitro and in vivo. RESULTS Three distinct resistance phenotypes were observed: low- (LoT), medium- (MeT) and high-level (HiT) with MICs of 4-8, 16-32 and >32 mg/L of triclosan, respectively, for inhibition. The genotype of fabI did not correlate with triclosan MIC. Artificial overexpression and mutagenesis of fabI in SL1344 each resulted in low-level triclosan resistance, indicating that FabI alone does not mediate high-level triclosan resistance in Salmonella Typhimurium. Active efflux of triclosan via AcrAB-TolC confers intrinsic resistance to triclosan as inactivation of acrB and tolC in wild-type strains and the triclosan-resistant mutants led to large decreases in triclosan resistance, which were reversed by complementation. Exemplars of each phenotype were evaluated for fitness in vivo; no fitness cost was seen and mutants colonized and persisted in chickens throughout a 28 day competitive index experiment. CONCLUSIONS These data show that triclosan resistance can occur via distinct pathways in salmonella and that mutants selected after single exposure to triclosan are fit enough to compete with wild-type strains.
Pesticides, soft-tissue sarcoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma – historical aspects on the precautionary principle in cancer prevention

Background. After the 2nd World War a long range of chemical agents have been introduced on the market, both in Sweden and most other countries. From the 1950's several pesticides gained increasing use in agriculture and forestry. In the 1970's public concern increased in Sweden especially regarding use of phenoxy herbicides to combat deciduous wood, although statements from different authorities were reassuring of the safety. Materials and methods. At the end of the 1970's the author and his colleagues published the first scientific evidence of an association between exposure to phenoxyacetic acids, chlorophenols and certain malignant tumours, i.e., soft-tissue sarcoma and malignant lymphoma. The study subjects were also exposed to contaminating dioxins such as 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). Later studies showed also an association between certain persistent organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) with an interaction with titers of antibodies to Epstein-Barr virus early antigen. These results have been corroborated in other studies. Discussion. Over the years industry and its allied experts have attacked our studies, but in 1997 IARC classified TCDD as a human carcinogen, Group I. The increasing incidence of NHL in Sweden levelled off about 1990. The author postulated that the regulation or ban of the use of chlorophenols, certain phenoxy herbicides and some persistent organic pollutants in Sweden back in the 1970s has contributed to the now decreasing incidence of NHL. Unfounded criticism from industry experts may prohibit the precautionary principle and early warnings of cancer risk can be ignored. Cancer risks by certain chlorinated phenols may serve as a model of how the precautionary principle should be used by taking early warnings seriously.
Neurogenic potential of progenitors derived from human circulating CD14+ monocytes

We previously reported a primitive cell fraction derived from human circulating CD14+ monocytes, named monocyte‐derived multipotential cells (MOMC), that can differentiate along mesenchymal lineages, including bone, cartilage, fat, skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle. In this study, we investigated whether MOMC can differentiate into the neuronal lineage. MOMC were fluorescently labelled and cocultivated with a primary culture of rat neurons for up to 4 weeks. The protein and gene expressions of neuron‐specific markers in the human MOMC were evaluated over time using immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and reverse transcription followed by PCR. Shortly after cocultivation with rat neurons, nearly all the MOMC expressed early neuroectodermal markers, Mash1, Neurogenin2 and NeuroD, together with nestin, an intermediate filament expressed in neurogenesis. After 14 days of coculture, a subpopulation of MOMC displayed a multipolar morphology with elongated neurites and expressed mature neuron‐specific markers, including neurofilament, microtubule‐associated protein type 2, β3‐tubulin, NeuN and Hu. Transdifferentiation of monocytes into the neuroectodermal lineage was shown by the simultaneous expression of proneural markers and CD45/CD14 early in the differentiation process. The cocultivated MOMC retained their proliferative capacity for at least 16 days. Finally, the neuronal differentiation of MOMC was observed when they were cultured with neurons without cell‐to‐cell contact. The capacity of MOMC to differentiate into both mesodermal and neuroectodermal lineages suggests that circulating CD14+ monocytes are more multipotential than previously thought.
Teenagers' attitudes towards bicycle helmets three years after the introduction of mandatory wearing.

OBJECTIVES AND SETTING: To address helmet wearing by 13-17 year olds this study posed the following research questions: 'Do education programs continue to be necessary even after the community wearing rate has increased? ' and 'Are helmet laws more effective in encouraging wearing among certain age groups? ' Victoria was the first place in the world to introduce bicycle helmet legislation. Experiences in Victoria therefore provide a good model for the introduction of similar legislation in other areas. This study is the first to examine teenagers' attitudes towards helmet wearing after the introduction of compulsory helmet wearing legislation. METHODS: A survey of 1240 year 9 and year 10 students, aged 13-17 years, from 14 secondary schools in the outer south eastern suburbs of Melbourne, was conducted in September 1993. Information about bicycle use, helmet wearing, and attitudes towards helmets was obtained by a self report questionnaire. RESULTS: Bicycles are a popular form of wheeled recreation/self transport among teenagers. 65% of teenagers reported that they owned a helmet but only one third wore a helmet the last time they rode a bicycle. Fewer than 25% of students always wore a helmet when they rode a bicycle, despite compulsory helmet wearing legislation. Major factors leading to teenagers not wanting to wear a helmet were appearance and comfort. Both safety considerations and parental pressures were factors that influenced a teenager to wear a helmet. CONCLUSIONS: The major areas that need to be addressed are low helmet wearing rates; the low priority given to safety issues compared with comfort and peer acceptance; an ignorance of the need for helmets in all riding situations; and a perception that the legislation would not be enforced.
Dynamic changes to survivin subcellular localization are initiated by DNA damage

Subcellular distribution of the apoptosis inhibitor survivin and its ability to relocalize as a result of cell cycle phase or therapeutic insult has led to the hypothesis that these subcellular pools may coincide with different survivin functions. The PIK kinases (ATM, ATR and DNA-PK) phosphorylate a variety of effector substrates that propagate DNA damage signals, resulting in various biological outputs. Here we demonstrate that subcellular repartitioning of survivin in MCF-7 cells as a result of UV light-mediated DNA damage is dependent upon DNA damage-sensing proteins as treatment with the pan PIK kinase inhibitor wortmannin repartitioned survivin in the mitochondria and diminished it from the cytosol and nucleus. Mitochondrial redistribution of survivin, such as was recorded after wortmannin treatment, occurred in cells lacking any one of the three DNA damage sensing protein kinases: DNA-PK, ATM or ATR. However, failed survivin redistribution from the mitochondria in response to low-dose UV occurred only in the cells lacking ATM, implying that ATM may be the primary kinase involved in this process. Taken together, this data implicates survivian’s subcellular distribution is a dynamic physiological process that appears responsive to UV light-initiated DNA damage and that its distribution may be responsible for its multifunctionality.
Galactic Metallicity Gradients Derived from a Sample of OB Stars

The distribution of stellar abundances along the Galactic disk is an important constraint for models of chemical evolution and Galaxy formation. In this study we derive radial gradients of C, N, O, Mg, Al, and Si, as well as S, from abundance determinations in young OB stars. Our database is composed of a sample of 69 members of 25 open clusters, OB associations, and H II regions with Galactocentric distances between 4.7 and 13.2 kpc. An important feature of this abundance database is the fact that the abundances were derived self-consistently in non-LTE using a homogeneous set of stellar parameters. Such an uniform analysis is expected to reduce the magnitude of random errors, as well as the influence of systematics in the gradients defined by the abundance and Galactocentric distance. The metallicity gradients obtained in this study are, in general, flatter than the results from previous recent abundance studies of early-type stars. The slopes are found to be between -0.031 (for oxygen) and -0.052 dex kpc-1 (for magnesium). The gradients obtained for the studied elements are quite similar, and if averaged they can be represented by a single slope of -0.042 ± 0.007 dex kpc-1. This value is generally consistent with an overall flattening of the radial gradients with time.
Implicit color segmentation features for pedestrian and object detection

We investigate the problem of pedestrian detection in still images. Sliding window classifiers, notably using the Histogram-of-Gradient (HOG) features proposed by Dalal and Triggs are the state-of-the-art for this task, and we base our method on this approach. We propose a novel feature extraction scheme which computes implicit ‘soft segmentations’ of image regions into foreground/background. The method yields stronger object/background edges than gray-scale gradient alone, suppresses textural and shading variations, and captures local coherence of object appearance. The main contributions of our work are: (i) incorporation of segmentation cues into object detection; (ii) integration with classifier learning cf. a post-processing filter; (iii) high computational efficiency. We report results on the INRIA person detection dataset, achieving state-of-the-art results considerably exceeding those of the original HOG detector. Preliminary results for generic object detection on the PASCAL VOC2006 dataset also show substantial improvements in accuracy.
ROS-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition in mammary epithelial cells is mediated by NF-κB-dependent activation of Snail

Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is characterized by loss of cell-cell junctions, polarity and epithelial markers, and in turn, acquisition of mesenchymal features and motility. Changes associated with this developmental process have been extensively implicated in breast cancer progression and metastasis. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been identified as specific inducers of EMT in mammary epithelial cells. MMP-3 induces EMT associated with malignant transformation via a pathway dependent upon production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). While the process by which exposure to MMP-3 leads to induction of ROS has been extensively studied, exactly how the MMP-3-induced ROS stimulate EMT remains unknown. Here, we used profiling methods to identify MMP-3-induced transcriptional alterations in mouse mammary epithelial cells, finding common overlap with changes mediated by nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and found in advanced breast cancer. In cultured cells, we found that Snail, an ROS-dependent key mediator of MMP-3-induced changes, is regulated by NF-κB in response to MMP-3. More specifically, we found MMP-3 to cause binding of p65 and cRel NF-κB subunits to the Snail promoter, leading to its transcription. Our results identify a specific pathway by which MMPs induce EMT and malignant characteristics, and provide insight into potential therapeutic approaches to target MMP-associated breast cancers.
Endothelial function and dysfunction: testing and clinical relevance.

Atherosclerosis begins in childhood, progresses silently through a long preclinical stage, and eventually manifests clinically, usually from middle age. Over the last 30 years, it has become clear that the initiation and progression of disease, and its later activation to increase the risk of morbid events, depends on profound dynamic changes in vascular biology.1 The endothelium has emerged as the key regulator of vascular homeostasis, in that it has not merely a barrier function but also acts as an active signal transducer for circulating influences that modify the vessel wall phenotype.2 Alteration in endothelial function precedes the development of morphological atherosclerotic changes and can also contribute to lesion development and later clinical complications.3 Appreciation of the central role of the endothelium throughout the atherosclerotic disease process has led to the development of a range of methods to test different aspects of its function, which include measures of both endothelial injury and repair. These have provided not only novel insights into pathophysiology, but also a clinical opportunity to detect early disease, quantify risk, judge response to interventions designed to prevent progression of early disease, and reduce later adverse events in patients. The present review summarizes current understanding of endothelial biology in health and disease, the strengths and weaknesses of current testing strategies, and their potential applications in clinical research and patient care. Although only a simple monolayer, the healthy endothelium is optimally placed and is able to respond to physical and chemical signals by production of a wide range of factors that regulate vascular tone, cellular adhesion, thromboresistance, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and vessel wall inflammation. The importance of the endothelium was first recognized by its effect on vascular tone. This is achieved by production and release of several vasoactive molecules that relax or constrict the vessel, as …
Aggression Profiles in the Spanish Child Population: Differences in Perfectionism, School Refusal and Affect

The aim of this study was to identify the existence of combinations of aggression components (Anger, Hostility, Physical Aggression and Verbal Aggression) that result in different profiles of aggressive behavior in children, as well as to test the differences between these profiles in scores of perfectionism, school refusal and affect. It is interesting to analyze these variables given: (a) their clinical relevance due to their close relationship with the overall psychopathology; and (b) the need for further evidence regarding how they are associated with aggressive behavior. The sample consisted of 1202 Spanish primary education students between the ages of 8 and 12. Three aggressive behavior profiles for children were identified using Latent Class Analysis (LCA): High Aggression (Z scores between 0.69 and 0.7), Moderate Aggression (Z scores between −0.39 and −0.47) and Low Aggression (Z scores between −1.36 and −1.58). These profiles were found for 49.08%, 38.46% and 12.48% of the sample, respectively. High Aggression scored significantly higher than Moderate Aggression and Low Aggression on Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP), Self-Oriented Perfectionism (SOP), the first three factors of school refusal (i.e., FI. Negative Affective, FII. Social Aversion and/or Evaluation, FIII. To Pursue Attention), and Negative Affect (NA). In addition, Moderate Aggression also reported significantly higher scores than Low Aggression for the three first factors of school refusal and NA. Conversely, Low Aggression had significantly higher mean scores than High Aggression and Moderate Aggression on Positive Affect (PA). Results demonstrate that High Aggression was the most maladaptive profile having a high risk of psychological vulnerability. Aggression prevention programs should be sure to include strategies to overcome psychological problems that characterize children manifesting high levels of aggressive behavior.
New Method for Distance-based Close Following Safety Indicator

Objective: The increase in the number of fatalities caused by road accidents involving heavy vehicles every year has raised the level of concern and awareness on road safety in developing countries like Malaysia. Changes in the vehicle dynamic characteristics such as gross vehicle weight, travel speed, and vehicle classification will affect a heavy vehicle's braking performance and its ability to stop safely in emergency situations. As such, the aim of this study is to establish a more realistic new distance-based safety indicator called the minimum safe distance gap (MSDG), which incorporates vehicle classification (VC), speed, and gross vehicle weight (GVW). Method: Commercial multibody dynamics simulation software was used to generate braking distance data for various heavy vehicle classes under various loads and speeds. Results: By applying nonlinear regression analysis to the simulation results, a mathematical expression of MSDG has been established. The results show that MSDG is dynamically changed according to GVW, VC, and speed. Conclusions: It is envisaged that this new distance-based safety indicator would provide a more realistic depiction of the real traffic situation for safety analysis.
A Humanized Mouse Model of HPV-Associated Pathology Driven by E7 Expression

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the causative agent of human cervical cancer and has been associated with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma development. Although prophylactic vaccines have been developed, there is a need to develop new targeted therapies for individuals affected with malignant infected lesions in these locations, which must be tested in appropriate models. Cutaneous beta HPV types appear to be involved in skin carcinogenesis. Virus oncogenicity is partly achieved by inactivation of retinoblastoma protein family members by the viral E7 gene. Here we show that the E7 protein of cutaneous beta HPV5 binds pRb and promotes its degradation. In addition, we described an in vivo model of HPV-associated disease in which artificial human skin prepared using primary keratinocytes engineered to express the E7 protein is engrafted onto nude mice. Expression of E7 in the transplants was stably maintained for up to 6 months, inducing the appearance of lesions that, in the case of HPV16 E7, histologically resembled human anogenital lesions caused by oncogenic HPVs. Moreover, it was confirmed through biomarker expression analysis via immunodetection and/or quantitative PCR from mRNA and miRNA that the 16E7-modified engrafted skin shares molecular features with human HPV-associated pretumoral and tumoral lesions. Finally, our findings indicate a decrease of the in vitro capacity of HPV5 E7 to reduce pRb levels in vivo, possibly explaining the phenotypical differences when compared with 16E7-grafts. Our model seems to be a valuable platform for basic research into HPV oncogenesis and preclinical testing of HPV-associated antitumor therapies.
Longest alternating subsequences of permutations

The length is(w) of the longest increasing subsequence of a permutation w in the symmetric group Sn has been the object of much investigation. We develop comparable results for the length as(w) of the longest alternating subsequence of w, where a sequence a, b, c, d, . is alternating if a > b d < · · · . For instance, the expected value (mean) of as(w) for w ∈ Sn is exactly (4n + 1)/6 if n ≥ 2.