Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electrophoretic Deposition of Gelatin/Hydroxyapatite Composite Coatings onto a Stainless Steel Substrate

Biodegradable polymers and bioactive ceramics are being combined in a variety of novel materials for tissue engineering scaffolds. These composite systems, which combine the useful mechanical properties of polymers with the bioactivity of ceramics, seem to be a promising choice for bone tissue engineering. In recent years, the use of biopolymers that gelate on cooling has received a lot of attention with regards to the production of laminates and coatings. In this work, we report the incorporation of hydroxyapatite (HA) into a gelatin coating on stainless steel substrate using colloidal processing technology. A titania (Ti) buffer layer prepared by dip coating was inserted to improve the bonding strength between the HA/gelatin layer and stainless steel substrate. The suspensions, composed of 1 vol% of HA and three different additions of gelatin, were formulated with a focus on rheological properties for codeposition of both phases by electrophoretic deposition (EPD). The composite coatings performed by EPD were investigated in terms of deposition efficiency and kinetics over different deposition times. The EPD process was performed at both ambient temperature and the gelling temperature of the suspension. While at room temperature no electrophoretic growth of the layers was observed, the thermal gelation of gelatin promotes the growth of a homogeneous, well-adherent coating.
Critical factors for assembling a high volume of DNA barcodes

Large-scale DNA barcoding projects are now moving toward activation while the creation of a comprehensive barcode library for eukaryotes will ultimately require the acquisition of some 100 million barcodes. To satisfy this need, analytical facilities must adopt protocols that can support the rapid, cost-effective assembly of barcodes. In this paper we discuss the prospects for establishing high volume DNA barcoding facilities by evaluating key steps in the analytical chain from specimens to barcodes. Alliances with members of the taxonomic community represent the most effective strategy for provisioning the analytical chain with specimens. The optimal protocols for DNA extraction and subsequent PCR amplification of the barcode region depend strongly on their condition, but production targets of 100K barcode records per year are now feasible for facilities working with compliant specimens. The analysis of museum collections is currently challenging, but PCR cocktails that combine polymerases with repair enzyme(s) promise future success. Barcode analysis is already a cost-effective option for species identification in some situations and this will increasingly be the case as reference libraries are assembled and analytical protocols are simplified.
Computer Aided Diagnosis for Breast Diseases Based on Infrared Images

In this study, we propose a system to classify thermal images of the breast considering the presence or absence of disease not only tumor and cancer, as most of previous works did. The proposal, at present stage, separates a breast among presenting benign tumor, cancer or being normal and shows how new diagnostic can be included in the data base when a number of proved case of a disease is known. The methodology begins by pre-processing images to be free of those regions that are not of interest for the work before execution of an algorithm for textural features computation, then a set of characteristics is calculated and they are ranged by machine learning classifier, that identity the clinical condition of the patient's breasts. For this classification, a Support Vector Machine (SVM) was used and trained based on already classified diagnosis from two data bases. Tests performed present accuracy above 90%, showing that the proposal is very promising. The project is in the phase of final adjustments and critical use by the medical community for the diagnostic aid. In future work integrations with other examinations is the aim.
An enhanced statistical approach for median filtering detection using difference image

In image forensics, detection of image forgeries involving non-linear manipulations have received a great deal of interest in recent past. Median filtering (MF) is one such non-linear manipulation technique which is quite often used in number of applications such as to hide impulse noises. Unlike other linear filtering operations, non-linear characteristics of median filtering makes it harder to detect using traditional forensics methods designed for detecting linear operations. This work utilizes adjacent pixels of difference image corresponding to input as well as MF version of input image for extracting proposed Local Expectation Features (LEF). These features when combined with an existing feature set Global-Local feature show significant improvement in MF detection. Evaluation of the proposed method under various forensic scenarios demonstrate consistent improvement in classification accuracy for a wide range of image sizes and compression ratios as compared to the existing methods for MF detection.
A new species of Troglocharinus Reitter, 1908 (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Cholevinae, Leptodirini) from southern Catalonia, with a molecular phylogeny of the related species group.

In this paper we describe T. pallisei sp. n. , a new representative of the genus Troglocharinus Reitter, 1908 (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Leptodirini), a strictly subterranean genus restricted to the Eastern Pyrenees and some coastal areas in Catalonia. All known specimens of T. pallisei sp. n. were collected in a cave next to the town of La Riba, in the province of Tarragona (Spain), situated between the distribution areas of the species of the T. orcinus complex and T. espanoli Jeannel, 1930. It can be separated from the other members of the T. orcinus complex by the presence of penicillus in the apex of the parameres of the aedeagus and from T. espanoli by the presence of a mesoventral keel; it also differs from both by its long and erect pubescence. A Bayesian molecular phylogeny including representatives of the main lineages within the genus Troglocharinus, based on ca. 5211 Kb of 5 mitochondrial and 4 nuclear genes, placed T. pallisei sp. n. as sister to T. orcinus Jeannel, 1910, and both sister to T. espanoli, in perfect agreement with their geographic distributions and the inferred geographic expansion of the genus to the south, with an estimated divergence of ca. 1.3 Ma. In agreement with the results of a previous phylogenetic study, the subgenus Antrocharidius Jeannel, 1910 is synonymised with Troglocharinus (syn.n.).
Using a Guided Journal Club as a Teaching Strategy to Enhance Learning Skills for Evidence-Based Practice

ABSTRACT Journal clubs are used in both clinical and academic settings in order for clinicians and students to utilize current best-practices, become competent in evidence based practice and develop critical appraisal skills. Journal clubs encourage students to practice searching for relevant research, critically appraising articles, and contributing to open discussions with peers. Establishing the practice of reading and critiquing literature in the classroom can enable the creation of a habit of using current evidence when students enter practice. This article describes a strategy for delivering a structured academic journal club to support the learning of evidence based practice skills and students' perception of the journal club, including their overall satisfaction, knowledge base skills, and presentation skills. Students had an overall positive experience and perception of the guided journal club activity. From the instructor's perspective, this assignment was an excellent opportunity to engage students in learning the process of evidence based practice.
On the Trade-Off Between Computational Load and Reliability for Network Function Virtualization

Network function virtualization enables the “softwarization” of network functions, which are implemented on virtual machines hosted on commercial off-the-shelf servers. Both the composition of the virtual network functions into a forwarding graph (FG) at the logical layer and the embedding of the FG on the servers need to consider the less-than-carrier-grade reliability of COTS components. This letter investigates the tradeoff between end-to-end reliability and computational load per server via the joint design of VNF chain composition (CC) and FG embedding (FGE) under the assumption of a bipartite FG that consists of a controller and regular VNFs. Evaluating the reliability criterion within a probabilistic model, analytical insights are first provided for a simplified disconnected FG. Then, a block coordinate descent method based on mixed-integer linear programming is proposed to tackle the joint optimization of CC and FGE. Via simulation results, it is observed that a joint design of CC and FGE leads to substantial performance gains compared with separate optimization approaches.
Immediate implant placement and provisionalization with and without a connective tissue graft: an analysis of facial gingival tissue thickness.

Facial gingival tissue thickness (FGTT) is important for an esthetically pleasing anterior restoration since it determines the soft tissue's ability to conceal the underlying restorative material. The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in FGTT after immediate implant placement and provisionalization with and without a connective tissue graft. Patients with a failing maxillary anterior tooth planned for immediate implant placement and provisionalization with (CT group) or without (NCT group) a subepithelial connective tissue graft were included in this study. After tooth extraction, direct measurement of the FGTT was performed; subsequent measurements were performed at the time of definitive prosthesis placement. Data were analyzed using independent and paired t tests at a significance level of α = . 05. There was no statistically significant difference in the mean FGTT at tooth extraction between the CT and NCT groups. At prosthesis delivery, the mean FGTT for the CT group was significantly greater than that of the NCT group. The mean FGTT of both groups at prosthesis delivery was significantly higher than that at tooth extraction. The mean change in FGTT in the CT group was also significantly greater than that in the NCT group. Immediate implant placement and provisionalization in conjunction with a connective tissue graft is more likely to result in sufficient peri-implant tissue thickness to conceal underlying implant restorative materials than when performed without a connective tissue graft.
The Outcome of Patients with Mild Stroke Improves after Treatment with Systemic Thrombolysis

Introduction In up to one third of patients with mild stroke suitable to receive systemic thrombolysis the treatment is not administered because the treating physicians estimate a good spontaneous recovery. However, it is not settled whether the fate of these patients is equivalent to those who are thrombolysed. Methods We analyzed 203 consecutive patients (134 men and 69 women, mean age 69±14 years) without premorbid disability and a NIHSS score ≤5 at admission [median 3 (IQR 2–4)]. Intravenous thrombolysis was administered within 4.5 hours from stroke onset (n = 119), or it was withheld (n = 84) whenever the treating physician predicted a spontaneous recovery. The baseline risk factors, clinical course, infarction volume, bleeding complications, and functional outcome at 3 months were analyzed and declared to a Web-based registry which was accessible to the local Health Authorities. Results Expectedly, not thrombolysed patients had the mildest strokes at admission [median 2 (IQR 1–3.75)]. At day 2 to 5, the infarct volume on DWI-MRI was similar in both groups. There were no symptomatic cerebral bleedings in the study. An ordinal regression model adjusted for baseline stroke severity showed that thrombolysis was associated with a greater proportion of patients who shifted down on the modified Rankin Scale score at 3 months (OR 2.66; 95% CI 1.49–4.74, p = 0.001). Conclusions Intravenous thrombolysis seems to be safe in patients with mild stroke and may be associated with improved outcome compared with untreated patients. These results support the evaluation of the efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis in mild stroke patients in randomized clinical trials.
Heart Rate Monitoring in Soccer: Interest and Limits During Competitive Match Play and Training, Practical Application

Abstract Alexandre, D, Da Silva, C, Hill-Haas, S, Wong, DP, Natali, AJ, De Lima, JRP, Filho, MGB, Marins, JCB, Garcia, ES, and Chamari, K. Heart rate monitoring in soccer: Interest and limits during competitive match play and training–Practical application. J Strength Cond Res 26(10): 2890–2906, 2012—The identification of physiological loads imposed by soccer training or match play reveals essential information, which may help improve training and recovery strategies. Until today, the use of heart rate (HR) monitoring is not standardized in soccer. Thus, the aim of this review was to analyze, determine and compare the exercise intensity (EI) monitored by HR in professional, youth, and recreational soccer players during matches and training sessions using a meta-analysis. Heart rate is one of the most common physiological variables used to determine exercise internal training load. The mean EI recorded during competitive matches was described as 70–80% of V[Combining Dot Above]O2max or 80–90% of maximal heart rate (HRmax), independent of the playing level. With respect to HR training zones, approximately 65% of the total match duration is spent at intensity of 70–90% HRmax and rarely below 65% HRmax. However, although HRmax is mostly employed in the literature, monitoring EI should be expressed in relation to reserve heart rate, as it was described as a more reliable indicator of HR, allowing interindividual comparisons. The HR response according to the playing position indicates that midfielders are characterized by the highest EI, followed by forwards and fullbacks. Moreover, in the second half of the match, the EI is lower than that observed during the first half; this reduction could be correlated with the level of the player's physical conditioning. Consequently, coaches may favor the use of interval training or small-sided training games because these are shown to improve both aerobic capacity and the ability to repeat high-intensity actions. Small-sided games allow reaching similar HR responses to those found during interval training and match play but with greater heterogeneity values. Future investigations should include a larger sample of players with special reference to playing position and the expression of EI in percentage of the reserve heart rate, analyzing the possible intergender differences in HR response.
Towards patient-specific medializing calcaneal osteotomy for adult flatfoot: a finite element study

Abstract Clinically in medializing calcaneal osteotomy (MCO), foot and ankle surgeons are facing difficulties in choosing appropriate surgical parameters due to the individual differences in deformities among flatfoot patients. Traditional cadaveric studies have provided important information regarding the biomechanical effects of tendons, ligaments, and plantar fascia, but limitations have been reached when dealing with individual differences and tailoring patient-specific surgeries. Therefore, this study aimed at implementing the finite element (FE) method to investigate the effect of different MCO parameters to help foot and ankle surgeons performing patient-specific surgeries. This study constructed FE models of a flatfoot and a healthy foot based on computed tomography (CT) images. After validating the FE models with experimental measurements, differences in plantar stress were compared between two models and a criterion was established for evaluating the performance of surgical simulations. Four MCO parameters were then studied through FE simulations. Results suggested that the transverse angle, β, and translation distance, d, affected surgical performance. Therefore, special attentions may be recommended when choosing these two parameters clinically. However, the sagittal angle, α, and osteotomy position, p, were found to have less effect on the MCO performance.
Dynapenia and Sarcopenia as a Risk Factor for Disability in a Falls and Fractures Clinic in Older Persons

BACKGROUND: The role of sarcopenia and dynapenia in disability in older persons from falls and bone health clinics remain unknown. AIM: This study aims to compare the association of sarcopenia and dynapenia with physical and instrumental disability in a population of older persons attending a falls and fractures clinic. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study in Manizales, Andes Mountains, Colombia. A cohort of 534 subjects (mean age = 74, 75% female) Sarcopenia was measured according to the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (EWGSOP) including an index of skeletal mass, muscle strength, and gait speed. Dynapenia was defined as a handgrip force ≤ 30 kg for men and ≤ 20 kg for women. RESULTS: Dynapenia and sarcopenia were present in 84.6% and 71.2% respectively. Both were more prevalent in older subjects and women than men. While sarcopenia was associated with body mass index and hypertension, dynapenia was associated with hypothyroidism and visual impairment. After controlling for all covariates, sarcopenia was associated with low IADL and mobility disability. CONCLUSIONS: Sarcopenia was associated with mobility, ADL and IADL disability. Dynapenia was not associated with disability in this high - risk population. Systematic assessment of sarcopenia should be implemented in falls and fractures clinics to identify sarcopenia and develop interventions to prevent functional decline among elderly individuals.
Renewal of Bessy Ii Rf System - Solid State Amplifiers and Hom Damped Cavities

The BESSY II storage ring is a synchrotron light source in user operation since 1999. Due to the aging of the cavities and due to the fact that the klystron tubes run out of production a renewal of the BESSY II RF system was necessary. The old hardware has been replaced by solid state amplifiers (SSA) and HOM damped normal conducting (nc) single cell cavities. The parameters of the components, the installation phase and the impact on the beam are presented. RF PARAMETERS OF BESSY II BESSY II is a 1.7 GeV synchrotron light source in user operation since 1999. Typical beam current is up to 300 mA. The energy loss per turn is about 290 keV when all insertion devices are in operation. First installation were four 75 kWCW 500 MHz klystron based transmitters at the storage ring and one 40 kW transmitter at the booster synchrotron.
Compromised Ox40 Function in Cd28-Deficient Mice Is Linked with Failure to Develop Cxc Chemokine Receptor 5–Positive Cd4 Cells and Germinal Centers

Mice rendered deficient in CD28 signaling by the soluble competitor, cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated molecule 4–immunoglobulin G1 fusion protein (CTLA4-Ig), fail to upregulate OX40 expression in vivo or form germinal centers after immunization. This is associated with impaired interleukin 4 production and a lack of CXC chemokine receptor (CXCR)5 on CD4 T cells, a chemokine receptor linked with migration into B follicles. Germinal center formation is restored in CTLA4-Ig transgenic mice by coinjection of an agonistic monoclonal antibody to CD28, but this is substantially inhibited if OX40 interactions are interrupted by simultaneous injection of an OX40-Ig fusion protein. These data suggest that CD28-dependent OX40 ligation of CD4 T cells at the time of priming is linked with upregulation of CXCR5 expression, and migration of T cells into B cell areas to support germinal center formation.
Multiobjective Optimization for Train Speed Trajectory in CTCS High-Speed Railway With Hybrid Evolutionary Algorithm

A speed trajectory profile indicating the authorized train speed at each position can be used to guide the driver or the automatic train operation (ATO) system to operate the train more efficiently, which is the most important part of the Chinese Train Control System (CTCS) and will decide the safety and efficiency of train operation. The efforts produced by the train to follow the speed trajectory will directly affect the evaluation of train operation. This paper studies the optimization approach for the speed trajectory of high-speed train in a single section. First, we take the energy consumption as the measure of satisfaction of the railway company, and the trip time is being regarded as the passenger satisfaction criterion; then, we present optimal speed trajectory searching strategies under different track characteristics by dividing the section into some subsections according to different speed limitations. After that, we develop a multiobjective optimization model for the speed trajectory, which is subject to the constraints such as safety requirement, track profiles, passenger comfort, and the dynamic performance. For obtaining the Pareto frontier of train speed trajectory, which has equal satisfaction degree on all the objects, a hybrid evolutionary algorithm is designed and applied to solve the model based on the differential evolution and simulating annealing algorithms. By showing some numerical results of simulations, the efficiency of the proposed model and solution methodology is illustrated.
Evolution Storyboards: Visualization of Software Structure Dynamics

Large software systems have a rich development history. Mining certain aspects of this rich history can reveal interesting insights into the system and its structure. Previous approaches to visualize the evolution of software systems provide static views. These static views often do not fully capture the dynamic nature of evolution. We introduce the evolution storyboard, a visualization which provides dynamic views of the evolution of a software's structure. Our tool implementation takes as input a series of software graphs, e.g., call graphs or co-change graphs, and automatically generates an evolution storyboard. To illustrate the concept, we present a storyboard for PostgreSQL, as a representative example for large open source systems. Evolution storyboards help to understand a system's structure and to reveal its possible decay over time. The storyboard highlights important changes in the structure during the lifetime of a software system, and how artifacts changed their dependencies over time
A designed functional metalloenzyme that reduces O2 to H2O with over one thousand turnovers.

Rational design of functional enzymes with a high number of turnovers is a challenge, especially those with a complex active site, such as respiratory oxidases. Introducing two His and one Tyr residues into myoglobin resulted in enzymes that reduce O{sub 2} to H{sub 2}O with more than 1000 turnovers and minimal release of reactive oxygen species. The positioning of the Tyr residue is critical for activity.
Towards a performance-aware power capping orchestrator for the Xen hypervisor

In the last few years, multi-core processors entered into the domain of embedded systems: this, together with virtualization techniques, allows multiple applications to easily run on the same System-on-Chip (SoC). As power consumption remains one of the most impacting costs on any digital system, several approaches have been explored in literature to cope with power caps, trying to maximize the performance of the hosted applications. In this paper, we present some preliminary results and opportunities towards a performance-aware power capping orchestrator for the Xen hypervisor. The proposed solution, called XeMPUPiL, uses the Intel Running Average Power Limit (RAPL) hardware interface to set a strict limit on the processor's power consumption, while a software-level Observe-Decide-Act (ODA) loop performs an exploration of the available resource allocations to find the most power efficient one for the running workload. We show how XeMPUPiL is able to achieve higher performance under different power caps for almost all the different classes of benchmarks analyzed (e.g., CPU-, memory-and IO-bound).