Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Finite Element Stress Analysis of Overdenture Abutment as a Function of Crown-to-root Ratio

Clinical significance In partially edentulous patients with considerable loss of tooth structure, it is recommended that a remaining tooth with a C/R ratio greater than approximately 1.5 should be used as an overdenture abutment to mini- mize lateral occlusal forces. Abstract Purpose: The clinical decision to use abutments for overdentures in cases with loss of tooth structure has not been fully assessed in relation to the periodontal condition. The aim of this study was to investigate the stresses around overdenture abutments with and without crown restoration for various bone heights. Methods: Three-dimensional finite element models of the mandibular right first and second premolars, a periodontal ligament, and one of five alveolar bone models of different heights were constructed. The crown-to-root ratios at the second premolar were 0.86 (Model A), 1.05 (Model B), 1.28 (Model C), 1.56 (Model D), and 1.96 (Model E). The second premolar root was also modeled without crown restoration. A single oblique load of 80 N at a 30-degree angle distal from the vertical axis was directed at the center of the oc- clusal or root surface of the second premolar. Results: The maximum stresses were observed at the distal cervical regions for all models. These increased as the crown-to-root ratio increased. The highest maximum stress in the cortical bone (35.8 MPa) was observed in Model E with crown restoration. In the re- gions near the overdenture abutments, the maximum stresses in the bone and the periodontal ligament were 33.9% to 61.7% lower than those observed near the crown restorations. Conclusion: The use of the premolar as an overden- ture abutment in cases with loss of tooth structure can effectively sustain the stress in the periodontal tissues, particularly under conditions of reduced bone height.
Regeneration of the aged thymus by a single transcription factor

Thymic involution is central to the decline in immune system function that occurs with age. By regenerating the thymus, it may therefore be possible to improve the ability of the aged immune system to respond to novel antigens. Recently, diminished expression of the thymic epithelial cell (TEC)-specific transcription factor Forkhead box N1 (FOXN1) has been implicated as a component of the mechanism regulating age-related involution. The effects of upregulating FOXN1 function in the aged thymus are, however, unknown. Here, we show that forced, TEC-specific upregulation of FOXN1 in the fully involuted thymus of aged mice results in robust thymus regeneration characterized by increased thymopoiesis and increased naive T cell output. We demonstrate that the regenerated organ closely resembles the juvenile thymus in terms of architecture and gene expression profile, and further show that this FOXN1-mediated regeneration stems from an enlarged TEC compartment, rebuilt from progenitor TECs. Collectively, our data establish that upregulation of a single transcription factor can substantially reverse age-related thymic involution, identifying FOXN1 as a specific target for improving thymus function and, thus, immune competence in patients. More widely, they demonstrate that organ regeneration in an aged mammal can be directed by manipulation of a single transcription factor, providing a provocative paradigm that may be of broad impact for regenerative biology.
Nondestructive assessment of wood beams using vibration response

A large number of wood poles are presently used in electrical power transmission industry in Canada. Many of these poles are subject to damage. Therefore wood poles need to be periodically examined for damage so that their in-service performance can be assured. The present study was initiated to examine the feasibility of applying vibration-based damage identification procedure to examine the integrity of transmission tower wood poles, having interior rotting or damage. The tower was represented by a rectangular cantilever beam model with the damage modelled as an interior rectangular slot. Three small-scale rectangular wood cantilever beams were tested using random excitation forces. Numerical and experimental studies were carried out. To identify and localise damage, a damage index was proposed. It was observed that the amplitude of the damage index increased significantly at a location which was close to the damage location, signifying that this index could be advantageously used to identify damage in such beams.
The research of miniaturized multi-stage LTCC bandpass filter to achieve high performance

In this paper, a multi-stage LTCC bandpass filter with an good performance is proposed, which composes of six resonators. Two transmission zeros were realized by cross-coupling to achieve good stop-band attenuation. The filter is implemented based on the theory of the tapped combline filter, 3-D EM simulation technology, and design of experiment (DOE) method. It presents a small size, high frequency selectivity, steep sideband, and high stopband rejection. The measured results of the filter match well with the electromagnetic simulation results. The six order band-pass filter has a central frequency of 2.775GHz, and its 3dB bandwidth is 170MHz. Stop-band attenuation is more than 35dB from 2.4GHz to 2.553GHz and from 2.997GHz to 3.1GHz. The size of the fabricated filter is 4.5mm×3.4mm×1.5mm.
Bounding worst case garbage collection time for embedded real-time systems

Execution of programs with various data structures often requires dynamic memory management based on garbage collection for better productivity, robustness and program integrity. In spite of its benefits, garbage collection has not been widely used in embedded real-time systems partly because it often causes unpredictable pause delay. Guaranteeing real-time operations with garbage collection aims to bound and estimate the worst case computation time of a garbage collector as well as application tasks. We introduce a new technique for bounding and estimating the worst case garbage collection time in light of task scheduling. Since the worst case live memory is the dominant factor to determine the worst case garbage collection time, we quantify the worst case live memory using the states of periodic tasks. We also present a predictable real-time copying collection algorithm in order to assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Performance evaluation shows that the proposed approach provides a safe and effective bound on the garbage collection time, thus reducing the upper bound of live memory size by up to 35% compared with the trivial bound. It also demonstrates that our algorithm can accomplish 7/spl sim/14% reduction in the memory requirement.
Discovering Homogeneous Web Service Community in the User-Centric Web Environment

The Web has undergone a tremendous change toward a highly user-centric environment. Millions of users can participate and collaborate for their own interests and benefits. Services computing paradigm together with the proliferation of Web services have created great potential opportunities for the users, also known as service consumers, to produce value-added services by means of service discovery and composition. In this paper, we propose an efficient approach to facilitating the service consumer on discovering Web services. First, we analyze the service discovery requirements from the service consumer's perspective and outline a conceptual model of homogeneous Web service communities. The homogeneous service community contains two types of discovery: the search of similar operations and that of composible operations. Second, we describe a similarity measurement model for Web services by leveraging the metadata from WSDL, and design a graph-based algorithm to support both of the two discovery types. Finally, adopting the popular atom feeds, we design a prototype to facilitate the consumers to discover while subscribing Web services in an easy-of-use manner. With the experimental evaluation and prototype demonstration, our approach not only alleviates the consumers from time-consuming discovery tasks but also lowers their entry barrier in the user-centric Web environment.
Determination of caprine serum albumin in milk using bromocresol green dye

The objective of this study was to develop and validate a colorimetric assay to measure caprine serum albumin (CSA) concentrations in milk. The principle of the say was based on the binding of albumin to bromocresol green (BCG) dye at pH 4.0. The absorption of the dye-albumin complex was determined spectrophotometrically at 640 nm. A linear relationship existed between CSA concentrations (0.01 to 8.0 mg/ml) and absorbance values. Intra-assay and interassay coefficients of variation for the proposed assay were 2.6% and 12% respectively. Recovery from milk samples spiked with albumins was 89.15% ± 7.6%. The developed assay was validated using 126 milk samples collected from lactating Saanen goats at various stages of lactation`. Caprine serum albumin concentrations in milk ranged between 0.31 and 0.52 mg/ml. The concentrations of CSA were significantly higher (p
Synthesis and engineering of polymeric latex particles for medical applications

of Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of the University of Florida in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy SYNTHESIS AND ENGINEERING OF POLYMERIC LATEX PARTICLES FOR MEDICAL APPLICATIONS By Sangyup Kim December 2005 Chair: Hassan El-Shall Major Department: Materials Science and Engineering Latex particles with well-defined colloidal and surface characteristics have received increasing attention due to their useful applications in many areas, especially as solid phase supports in numerous biological applications such as immunoassay, DNA diagnostic, cell separation, and drug delivery carrier. Hemodialysis membrane using these particles would be another potential application for the advanced separation treatment for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). It is desirable to remove middle molecular weight proteins with minimal removal of other proteins such as albumin. Thus, it is necessary to understand the fundamental interactions between the particles and blood proteins to maximize the performance of these membranes. This improvement will have significant economic and health impact. The objective of this study is to synthesize polymeric latex particles of specific functionality to achieve the desired selective separation of target proteins from the human blood. Semi-continuous seed emulsion polymerization was used to prepare monodisperse
Multiobjective Particle Swarm Optimization of Boresight Error and Transmission Loss for Airborne Radomes

The streamlined shapes of airborne radomes tend to cause severe degradation of the electromagnetic (EM) performance, which could be compensated by properly designing the thickness profile of the radome. Boresight error (BSE) and transmission loss (TL) are the two most important EM characteristics that need to be improved. Previous researches focused on the single-objective optimization of either BSE, or the linear combination of BSE and TL through the conventional weighted aggregation (CWA) method. However, the single-objective optimization is limited in reaching mutual balance between BSE and TL, and could not explain why the optimal solution obtained by optimizing BSE usually has a better TL than the constant thickness radomes. In this communication, the multiobjective particle swarm optimization (MOPSO) combined with 3-D ray-tracing method is employed to optimize the BSE and TL simultaneously for airborne radomes. The simulation results explain why the optimal solution on BSE usually has a better TL; the TL wall phenomenon in the multiobjective space is also explained. Both problems are due to the variation of mean incident angle of the radomes during antenna scanning, which is general for streamlined radomes. Significant conclusions are drawn and could benefit the radome design in engineering applications.
Sleep Oscillations Developing into Seizures in Corticothalamic Systems

Summary: Purpose: The aim of this article is to discuss the neuronal substrates of sleep oscillations leading to seizures consisting of spike–wave (SW) complexes at 2–4 Hz, mimicking those seen in absence epilepsy, or SW and polyspike–wave (PSW) complexes at 1.5–2.5 Hz, often associated with fast runs at 10–15 Hz, as in the Lennox–Gastaut syndrome.
Effect of Factors Affecting Fracture Energy of Asphalt Concrete at Low Temperature

ABSTRACT Low temperature cracking is considered one of the primary distress modes of asphalt pavements built in northern climates. The detrimental effects of low-temperature cracking of asphalt pavements have motivated new work in fracture testing of hot-mix asphalt (HMA). A comprehensive study was conducted to investigate the effect of various factors on the fracture resistance of asphalt mixtures at low temperatures. The Semi-Circular Bending (SCB) and Disc-Shaped Compact Tension Test (DCT) fracture tests were performed at three low temperatures to measure the fracture energy for 28 asphalt mixtures, which represent a combination of factors including binder type, binder modifier, aggregate type, asphalt content and air voids. In this study, the analysis from the experimental data indicates that fracture energy is strongly dependent upon temperature and significantly affected by type of aggregate and binder modifier. The results of the analysis show the significance of air voids in the SCB test, but no statistical difference was found for the DCT test data. The analysis also illustrates that richer mixtures, ones with more asphalt than the design optimum, are not necessarily more crack resistant.
Identification of Anziaic Acid, a Lichen Depside from Hypotrachyna sp., as a New Topoisomerase Poison Inhibitor

Topoisomerase inhibitors are effective for antibacterial and anticancer therapy because they can lead to the accumulation of the intermediate DNA cleavage complex formed by the topoisomerase enzymes, which trigger cell death. Here we report the application of a novel enzyme-based high-throughput screening assay to identify natural product extracts that can lead to increased accumulation of the DNA cleavage complex formed by recombinant Yersinia pestis topoisomerase I as part of a larger effort to identify new antibacterial compounds. Further characterization and fractionation of the screening positives from the primary assay led to the discovery of a depside, anziaic acid, from the lichen Hypotrachyna sp. as an inhibitor for both Y. pestis and Escherichia coli topoisomerase I. In in vitro assays, anziaic acid exhibits antibacterial activity against Bacillus subtilis and a membrane permeable strain of E. coli. Anziaic acid was also found to act as an inhibitor of human topoisomerase II but had little effect on human topoisomerase I. This is the first report of a depside with activity as a topoisomerase poison inhibitor and demonstrates the potential of this class of natural products as a source for new antibacterial and anticancer compounds.
COPD and osteoporosis: links, risks, and treatment challenges

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory airway disease associated with various systemic comorbidities including osteoporosis. Osteoporosis and its related fractures are common and have significant impacts on quality of life and even respiratory function in patients with COPD. COPD-associated osteoporosis is however extremely undertreated. Recent studies have suggested that both decreased bone mineral density (BMD) and impaired bone quality contribute to bone fragility, causing fractures in COPD patients. Various clinical risk factors of osteoporosis in COPD patients, including older age, emaciation, physical inactivity, and vitamin D deficiency, have also been described. It is critically important for pulmonologists to be aware of the high prevalence of osteoporosis in COPD patients and evaluate them for such fracture risks. Routine screening for osteoporosis will enable physicians to diagnose COPD patients with comorbid osteoporosis at an early stage and give them appropriate treatment to prevent fracture, which may lead to improved quality of life as well as better long-term prognosis.
Plateau onset for correlation dimension: When does it occur?

Chaotic experimental systems are often investigated using delay coordinates. Estimated values of the correlation dimension in delay coordinate space typically increase with the number of delays and eventually reach a plateau (on which the dimension estimate is relatively constant) whose value is commonly taken as an estimate of the correlation dimension ${\mathit{D}}_{2}$ of the underlying chaotic attractor. We report a rigorous result which implies that, for long enough data sets, the plateau begins when the number of delay coordinates first exceeds ${\mathit{D}}_{2}$. Numerical experiments are presented. We also discuss how lack of sufficient data can produce results that seem to be inconsistent with the theoretical prediction.
Implementation of a configurable router for embedded network-on-chip support in FPGAs

This paper presents the architecture and implementation of a configurable router intended for embedded network-on-chip support within field-programmable gate arrays. The router supports five network topologies and utilizes a dual-crossbar arrangement to reduce resource utilization. The router has been implemented in an Altera Stratix chip and in a 0.18-mum standard-cell process. For the routing and switching logic, the dual-crossbar arrangement is more area-efficient than a full crossbar, averaging a reduction of 24% in FPGA logic and 22% in gates for custom implementation. The average operating frequency of the dual-crossbar design is 123 MHz in FPGA logic and 340 MHz for custom implementation. Custom NoC support in an FPGA would therefore have adequate performance relative to components implemented in fully-programmable logic.
Risperidone-associated prolactin elevation and markers of bone turnover during acute treatment

Objective Prolactin elevation has been proposed as a risk factor for low bone density and potentially osteoporosis in patients on long-term treatment with prolactin-elevating antipsychotics. Our objective was to study the acute effects of prolactin elevation on serum markers of bone formation and resorption in patients treated with risperidone. Methods Thirty participants meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fourth edition criteria for schizophrenia, major depressive disorder with psychotic features, or bipolar disorder with psychosis were enrolled. At baseline, subjects were antipsychotic free. Subjects were evaluated before and after 4 weeks of risperidone treatment. Assessments included symptom ratings along with testosterone, estradiol, prolactin, osteocalcin (marker of bone formation), and n-telopeptide crosslinks (NTx marker of bone resorption). Primary analysis examined the impact of risperidone treatment on change in the bone markers and hormone levels from pre to post treatment. Results Prolactin levels significantly increased from 12.1 ± 1.9 ng/ml to 65.7 ± 12.2 ng/ml after treatment (p < 0.001). NTx markers of bone resorption significantly decreased from 18.31 ± 1.49 nM bone collagen equivalent (BCE) before treatment to 15.50 ± 1.22 nM BCE after treatment in the study sample as a whole (p < 0.05). A trend was observed indicating that NTx may increase in individuals who have the greatest increases in prolactin after treatment r = 0.33, p = 0.07). Conclusions These findings suggest that prolactin elevation is associated with changes in bone physiology very early in the course of treatment with risperidone. Bone resorption decreased in many subjects but higher levels of bone resorption occurred in patients with the greatest increases in prolactin. This may have important implications for prolactin monitoring or the periodic assessment of osteoporosis-related outcomes in patients requiring extended treatment.
Serum osteoprotegerin and renal function in the general population: the Tromsø Study

Background Serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) is elevated in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) and increases with decreasing renal function. However, there are limited data regarding the association between OPG and renal function in the general population. The aim of the present study was to explore the relation between serum OPG and renal function in subjects recruited from the general population. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study with 6689 participants recruited from the general population in Tromsø, Norway. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration equations. OPG was modelled both as a continuous and categorical variable. General linear models and linear regression with adjustment for possible confounders were used to study the association between OPG and eGFR. Analyses were stratified by the median age, as serum OPG and age displayed a significant interaction on eGFR. Results In participants ≤62.2 years with normal renal function (eGFR ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m2) eGFR increased by 0.35 mL/min/1.73 m2 (95% CI 0.13–0.56) per 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in serum OPG after multiple adjustment. In participants older than the median age with impaired renal function (eGFR <90 mL/min/1.73 m2), eGFR decreased by 1.54 (95% CI −2.06 to −1.01) per 1 SD increase in serum OPG. Conclusions OPG was associated with an increased eGFR in younger subjects with normal renal function and with a decreased eGFR in older subjects with reduced renal function. Our findings imply that the association between OPG and eGFR varies with age and renal function.
Dot Display Affects Approximate Number System Acuity and Relationships with Mathematical Achievement and Inhibitory Control

Much research has investigated the relationship between the Approximate Number System (ANS) and mathematical achievement, with continued debate surrounding the existence of such a link. The use of different stimulus displays may account for discrepancies in the findings. Indeed, closer scrutiny of the literature suggests that studies supporting a link between ANS acuity and mathematical achievement in adults have mostly measured the ANS using spatially intermixed displays (e.g. of blue and yellow dots), whereas those failing to replicate a link have primarily used spatially separated dot displays. The current study directly compared ANS acuity when using intermixed or separate dots, investigating how such methodological variation mediated the relationship between ANS acuity and mathematical achievement. ANS acuity was poorer and less reliable when measured with intermixed displays, with performance during both conditions related to inhibitory control. Crucially, mathematical achievement was significantly related to ANS accuracy difference (accuracy on congruent trials minus accuracy on incongruent trials) when measured with intermixed displays, but not with separate displays. The findings indicate that methodological variation affects ANS acuity outcomes, as well as the apparent relationship between the ANS and mathematical achievement. Moreover, the current study highlights the problem of low reliabilities of ANS measures. Further research is required to construct ANS measures with improved reliability, and to understand which processes may be responsible for the increased likelihood of finding a correlation between the ANS and mathematical achievement when using intermixed displays.