Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Normal Correction towards Smoothing Point-Based Surfaces

In recent years, surface denoising has been a subject of intensive research in geometry processing. Most of the recent approaches for mesh denoising use a two-step scheme: normal filtering followed by a point updating step to match the corrected normals. In this paper we propose an adaptation of such two-step approaches for point-based surfaces, exploring three different weighting schemes for filtering normals. Moreover, we also investigate three techniques for normal estimation, analyzing the impact of each normal estimation method in the whole point-set smoothing process. Towards a quantitative analysis, in addition to conventional visual comparison, we evaluate the effectiveness of different choices of implementation using two measures, comparing our results against state-of-art point-based denoising techniques.
Resection of Late Pulmonary Metastases from Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma: Is Surgery an Option?

ABSTRACT Patients with recurrences from pancreas adenocarcinoma have a poor survival rate despite new chemotherapy treatment options. Recurrences are mainly hepatic metastases or peritoneal dissemination and surgical treatment is not recommended. Late and single metachronous pulmonary recurrences are uncommon and may mimic primary lung carcinoma. We report two patients with late and unique pulmonary metastasis from pancreatic cancer. These two patients underwent surgical resection; three and five years later, they did not experience recurrences. Cases called for a surgical approach in late and unique pulmonary metastases from pancreatic cancer, and paved the way for a prolonged chemotherapy free period.
Complete Genomic Sequence of Salmonella enterica Serovar Enteritidis Phage SE2

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis has remained a major food-borne pathogen in humans. We isolated a virulent S. enterica serovar Enteritidis bacteriophage, SE2, which belongs to the family Siphoviridae. Phage SE2 could lyse S. enterica serovar Enteritidis PT-4, and its virulence was maintained even at ambient temperature. The genomic sequence of phage SE2 was composed of 43,221 bp with close similarity to those of Salmonella phage SETP3 and Salmonella phage SS3e. The strong and stable lytic activity of this phage might enable its use as a therapeutic or biocontrol agent against S. enterica serovar Enteritidis.
Bayesian Analysis of Continuous Time Markov Chains with Application to Phylogenetic Modelling

Bayesian analysis of continuous time, discrete state space time series is an important and challenging problem, where incomplete observation and large parameter sets call for user-deﬁned priors based on known properties of the process. Generalized linear models have a largely unexplored potential to construct such prior distributions. We show that an important challenge with Bayesian generalized linear modelling of continuous time Markov chains is that classical Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques are too ineﬀective to be practical in that setup. We address this issue using an auxiliary variable construction combined with an adaptive Hamiltonian Monte Carlo algorithm. This sampling algorithm and model make it eﬃcient both in terms of computation and analyst’s time to construct stochastic processes informed by prior knowledge, such as known properties of the states of the process. We demonstrate the ﬂexibility and scalability of our framework using synthetic and real phylogenetic protein data, where a prior based on amino acid physicochemical properties is constructed to obtain accurate rate matrix estimates.
An Assessment of Causal Inference in Smoking Initiation Research and a Framework for Future Research

Reliably identifying the causal factors underlying youth smoking initiation is an important part of developing effective smoking prevention programs and shaping other types of smoking-related policies. The establishment of reliable scientific evidence in support of a causal link between cigarette advertising and youth smoking initiation depends on both rich longitudinal data as well as careful empirical applications. We examine basic principles of empirical scientific investigation of potential causal relationships, discuss findings of recent research on causal factors of youth smoking, and evaluate evidence from the public health literature regarding the effects of cigarette advertising on youth smoking.
Fixed Fuzzy Points of Fuzzy Mappings in Hausdorff Fuzzy Metric Spaces with Application

Recently, Phiangsungnoen et al. (J. Inequal. Appl. 2014:201 (2014)) studied fuzzy mappings in the framework of Hausdor fuzzy metric spaces. Following this direction of research, we establish the existence of xed fuzzy points of fuzzy mappings. An example is given to support the result proved herein; we also present a coincidence and common fuzzy point result. Finally, as an application of our results, we investigate the existence of solution for some recurrence relations associated to the analysis of quicksort algorithms. 1. Introduction and Preliminaries Uncertainty is an essential part of the real world problems, then Zadeh (36) initiated the study of fuzzy set theory to deal with the phenomenon of uncertainty in control systems. Consequently, fuzzy set theory has been successfully applied in many branches of scientic and social sciences. In particular, combining the
Adult Psychopathology and Intimate Partner Violence among Survivors of Childhood Maltreatment

Childhood maltreatment is associated with psychopathology and revictimization in adulthood. Whether different types of childhood maltreatment have different long-term consequences, however, is largely unknown. The participants in this study included 42 female victims of intimate partner violence and 30 women with no history of serious trauma. These women completed measures of their trauma history, current psychological symptoms, and severity of current abuse. Regression-based techniques were used to assess the relationships among these constructs. Childhood maltreatment was associated with current distress and current conflict in relationships. There was a positive relationship between number of types of childhood traumatization and psychopathology. Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression were negatively associated with current relationships involving physical assault. This work underscores the importance of assessing multiple types of childhood maltreatment and of considering the cumulative effects of such experiences.
High-Accuracy Current Memory in HV CMOS Technology

This brief describes an improved current memory circuit aimed at circumventing problems inherent in using a high-voltage double-diffused MOS (DMOS) with CMOS technology. In addition to dealing with the excessive output conductance of a simple cell with cascoding in the familiar way, the circuit addresses the significant drain-gate feedthrough seen in such technologies. A replica bias scheme ensures that the gm of the memory device remains substantially constant notwithstanding the signal current level variations, leading to improved control over charge injection errors. The topology may also be used in conventional small geometry CMOS technology.
Cavernous Malformations of the Central Nervous System in the Pediatric Age Group

Objective: The main clinico-diagnostic features, risk factors and associated diseases of cavernous malformations (CMs), also called cavernous angiomas or cavernomas, of the central nervous system (CNS) in children are described, and the most relevant differences compared to the affected adult population are pointed out, focusing on the management of pediatric patients harboring cranial and spinal CMs. Materials: This was a retrospective study of a series of 42 children symptomatic for CMs of the cranial and spinal compartments (35 supratentorial brain lesions, 5 infratentorial and 2 in the spinal region) operated on between 1975 and 2005, with a clinical follow-up ranging from 12 to 192 months. The results were compared with those found in the most recent literature dealing with pediatric CMs of the CNS. Results: Surgical treatment produced excellent or good results in 69% of our 42 children. Unchanged neurological deficits were observed in 23.8% of cases, while morbidity from surgical procedures was 7.14%. Mortality was absent in this series. These surgical results are comparable with those found in the literature, where morbidity and mortality rates from surgery are 8.8 and 1.13%, respectively, and are mostly associated with procedures for the excision of deep, critically located cavernomas. Conclusion: CMs represent the most common CNS vascular lesion in children, although their incidence is 4 times lower than that of the adult population. The natural history of pediatric CMs throughout the neuraxis seems to be more aggressive than in adult patients; these lesions have higher rates of growth and hemorrhage, larger dimensions and often atypical radiological pictures at diagnosis. Beside the familial form of the disease, which is more often associated with multiple lesions and an earlier age of clinical presentation, the major risk factor for CMs in children seems to be radiotherapy for CNS tumors. Furthermore, a greater number of CMs coexistent with mixed angiomatous lesions have been reported in children than in adults. Surgical results are related to the preoperative neurological status of the children; symptomatic patients who are operated on early, before they develop severe neurological deficits or long-standing seizures, may achieve the best clinical outcome. Radiosurgery does not seem to be advisable in children as an alternative treatment for deep CMs or those causing epilepsy.
Normalization of local contrast in mammograms

Equalizing image noise has been shown to be an important step in automatic detection of microcalcifications in digital mammograms. In this study, an accurate adaptive approach for noise equalization is presented and investigated. No additional information obtained from phantom recordings is improved in the method, which makes the approach robust and independent of film type and film development characteristics. Furthermore, it is possible to apply the method on direct digital mammograms as well. In this study, the adaptive approach is optimized by investigating a number of alternative approaches to estimate the image noise. The estimation of high-frequency noise as a function of the grayscale is improved by a new technique for dividing the grayscale in sample intervals and by using a model for additive high-frequency noise. It is shown that the adaptive noise equalization gives substantially better detection results than does a fixed noise equalization. A large database of 245 digitized mammograms with 341 clusters was used for evaluation of the method.
Reduced neural activity of the prefrontal cognitive control circuitry during response inhibition to negative words in people with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is characterized by deficits in executive control and impairments in emotion processing. This study assessed the nature and extent of potential alterations in the neural substrates supporting the interaction between cognitive control mechanisms and emotion attribution processes in people with schizophrenia. METHODS Functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed during a verbal emotional go/no-go task. People with schizophrenia and healthy controls responded to word stimuli of a prespecified emotional valence (positive, negative or neutral) while inhibiting responses to stimuli of a different valence. RESULTS We enrolled 20 people with schizophrenia and 23 controls in the study. Healthy controls activated an extensive dorsal prefrontal-parietal network while inhibiting responses to negative words compared to neutral words, but showed deactivation of the midcingulate cortex while inhibiting responses to positive words compared to neutral words. People with schizophrenia failed to activate this network during response inhibition to negative words, whereas during response inhibition to positive words they did not deactivate the cingulate, but showed increased responsivity in the frontal cortex. LIMITATIONS Sample heterogeneity is characteristic of studies of schizophrenia and may have contributed to more variable neural responses in the patient sample despite the care taken to control for potentially confounding variables. CONCLUSION Our results showed that schizophrenia is associated with aberrant modulation of neural responses during the interaction between cognitive control and emotion processing. Failure of the frontal circuitry to regulate goal-directed behaviour based on emotion attributions may contribute to deficits in psychosocial functioning in daily life.
A hybrid manifold learning algorithm for the diagnosis and prognostication of Alzheimer's disease

The diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) requires a variety of medical tests, which leads to huge amounts of multivariate heterogeneous data. Such data are difficult to compare, visualize, and analyze due to the heterogeneous nature of medical tests. We present a hybrid manifold learning framework, which embeds the feature vectors in a subspace preserving the underlying pairwise similarity structure, i.e. similar/dissimilar pairs. Evaluation tests are carried out using the neuroimaging and biological data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) in a three-class (normal, mild cognitive impairment, and AD) classification task using support vector machine (SVM). Furthermore, we make extensive comparison with standard manifold learning algorithms, such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Multidimensional Scaling (MDS), and isometric feature mapping (Isomap). Experimental results show that our proposed algorithm yields an overall accuracy of 85.33% in the three-class task.
The modelling of particle systems with real shapes

The numerical modelling of particulate processes in environmental science increasingly requires an ability to represent the properties of individual natural particles. Considerable advances have been made in discontinuum modelling using spheres to represent particles. In this paper, we discuss recent developments that illustrate a way forward for tackling the complexity of realistically shaped bodies such as those exhibited by rock fragments. To address the validation of such approaches, we present a comparison of cube–packing experiments and their equivalent numerical simulation. Sensitivity to initial conditions, highlighted for non–spherical bodies, enters the discussion of problems with validation of numerical simulation. The algorithmic details behind these advances in modelling large systems of realistically shaped particles are summarized in our companion paper in this volume.
Study on the Effectiveness of Antibiotic Prophylaxis in External Dacryocystorhinostomy: A Review of 697 Cases

Purpose: To evaluate the prophylactic use of antibiotics in external dacryocystorhinostomy for the prevention of postoperative complications. Methods: This study included 697 patients diagnosed with distal nasolacrimal duct obstruction and who were operated on by the same surgeon. Direct culture of the lacrimal sac content was carried out. Data were collected regarding clinical signs and symptoms, use of intraoperative antibiotics, results of culture samples obtained during surgery, and antibiogram analysis. Also, the postoperative period was analyzed with regard to the presence of postoperative complications. Results: Out of 697 patients, 536 were women. The mean age at surgery was 67.0 ± 13.3 years. Prior to surgery, 19.5%, 18.5%, 11%, and 17.8% of patients showed recurrent conjunctivitis, mucocele, mucopyocele, and episodes of acute dacryocystitis, respectively. Seventy-three patients did not receive prophylactic treatment during surgery. A total of 8.3% of lacrimal sacs were culture positive, the most commonly isolated organism being Staphylococcus aureus. The use of antibiotics during surgery was not associated with a lower rate of postoperative complications. A statistically significant association was found between some clinical pictures, such as mucocele, mucopyocele, and dacryocystitis, and a higher rate of positive cultures. Conclusions: This study questions the generalized use of prophylactic antibiotics for external dacryocystorhinostomy, while providing evidence to indicate their use for patients who have had prior episodes of mucocele, mucopyocele, or acute dacryocystitis.
Quality of life of elderly patients after treatment in the ICU.

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of intensive care unit (ICU) treatment on quality of life (QOL) outcomes for critically ill elderly patients 4-6 months after ICU discharge. A mean overall score of 21.4 (SD=6.3) was obtained with the Quality of Life Index (Ferrans & Powers, 1985), indicating that all the ICU survivors in the sample (N=164) reported good QOL and were satisfied with areas of life that were important to them. Greater social support, better perceived health status, fewer days of hospitalization, and a hospital readmission since discharge were associated with higher QOL (R2=.51). This sample of elderly ICU survivors maintained a good QOL after their critical illness regardless of age.
Produção e composição bromatológica de genótipos diplóides e tetraplóides de azevém

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar a composicao bromatologica e producao de massa seca e de sementes em cinco genotipos de azevem submetidos em diferentes numero de cortes, com enfase no cultivo duplo proposito. Adotou-se o delineamento experimental em blocos ao acaso, com quatro repeticoes e os tratamentos distribuidos em esquema fatorial 5 x 5 (genotipos x numero de cortes). Foram utilizados cinco genotipos (Comum, Estanzuela 284, Avance, INIA Titan e Sao Gabriel) e o numero de cortes variou de um ate cinco. Foi observada significância (P<0,05) a interacao genotipos x numero de corte para todas as variaveis analisadas. O aumento do numero de cortes determinou maior acumulo de materia seca total (folha e colmo), porem menor producao de sementes para todos genotipos estudados. A resposta da composicao bromatologica da materia seca variou conforme o genotipo e o numero de cortes. O aumento do numero de cortes promoveu menor teor de proteina bruta de folha e colmo para todos os genotipos. Os genotipos apresentaram resposta quadratica quanto ao teor de fibra em detergente neutro de folhas, sendo que o menor teor foi observado quando se realizaram ate tres cortes. Visando o duploproposito, deve-se escolher de dois ate tres cortes, atendendo uma boa producao de materia seca para os animais, mas tambem promovendo uma producao de sementes satisfatoria. Palavras-chave: Lolium multiflorum Lam. , poacea, qualidade nutricional, semente.
A Dyadic Perspective on Speech Accommodation and Social Connection: Both Partners' Rejection Sensitivity Matters.

Findings from confederate paradigms predict that mimicry is an adaptive route to social connection for rejection-sensitive individuals (Lakin, Chartrand, & Arkin, 2008). However, dyadic perspectives predict that whether mimicry leads to perceived connection depends on the rejection sensitivity (RS) of both partners in an interaction. We investigated these predictions in 50 college women who completed a dyadic cooperative task in which members were matched or mismatched in being dispositionally high or low in RS. We used a psycholinguistics paradigm to assess, through independent listeners' judgments (N = 162), how much interacting individuals accommodate phonetic aspects of their speech toward each other. Results confirmed predictions from confederate paradigms in matched RS dyads. However, mismatched dyads showed an asymmetry in levels of accommodation and perceived connection: Those high in RS accommodated more than their low-RS partner but emerged feeling less connected. Mediational analyses indicated that low-RS individuals' nonaccommodation in mismatched dyads helped explain their high-RS partners' relatively low perceived connection to them. Establishing whether mimicry is an adaptive route to social connection requires analyzing mimicry as a dyadic process influenced by the needs of each dyad member.
New technique for chest opening in mice: U‐sternotomy

In cardiac xenotransplantation, transfections with recombinant adeno‐associated viruses could be a promising way of modulating the cardiomyocyte genome. Proteins like TRAIL, hDAF, Il‐10, Il‐4, and β‐galactosidase may be expressed on cardiomyocyte surfaces in order to prevent cellular rejection processes. However, after intracoronary perfusion with transfecting viruses, it takes up to 4 weeks before expression of the transgene can be detected. Mouse models have been established to create reliable transfection protocols. Currently, the major problem involves performing the intraaortic injection in mice without causing a lethal pneumothorax. Here we describe a new technique for chest opening to safely reach the mouse ascending aorta without opening the pleural space. This U‐sternotomy reduces the risk of animal death and therefore the amount of quite expensive virus solutions needed. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. MICROSURGERY 23:274–275 2003
Uma história social do conhecimento: De Gutenberg a Diderot

* Doutora em Filosofia e Teoria Geral do Direito pela Universidade de Sao Paulo; Professora de graduacao, mestrado e doutorado da UNIVALI. E-mail: croesler@terra.com. br ou croesler@cejurps.univali. br Peter Burke, renomado historiador e filosofo ingles, resume 40 anos de estudos dos primeiros textos modernos, bem como de obras secundarias a eles pertinentes, no livro A Social History of Knowledge (From Gutenberg to Diderot), publicado na Inglaterra em 2000 e no Brasil em 2003.1 O estudo de Peter Burke analisa, conforme o subtitulo expressamente menciona, o periodo no qual, na Europa, a difusao do conhecimento foi largamente favorecida pelo desenvolvimento tecnologico representado pela invencao da prensa tipografica por Gutenberg, trazendo a tona os multiplos elementos que favoreceram esta difusao. O autor, neste sentido, situa a sua analise como uma confluencia entre a historia do conhecimento, a sociologia do conhecimento, a antropologia do conhecimento e a geografia do conhecimento, todas elas necessarias a construcao do que chama de uma “historia social” do conhecimento.
Topological design of all‐ceramic dental bridges for enhancing fracture resistance

Layered all‐ceramic systems have been increasingly adopted in major dental prostheses. However, ceramics are inherently brittle, and they often subject to premature failure under high occlusion forces especially in the posterior region. This study aimed to develop mechanically sound novel topological designs for all‐ceramic dental bridges by minimizing the fracture incidence under given loading conditions. A bi‐directional evolutionary structural optimization (BESO) technique is implemented within the extended finite element method (XFEM) framework. Extended finite element method allows modeling crack initiation and propagation inside all‐ceramic restoration systems. Following this, BESO searches the optimum distribution of two different ceramic materials, namely porcelain and zirconia, for minimizing fracture incidence. A performance index, as per a ratio of peak tensile stress to material strength, is used as a design objective. In this study, the novel XFEM based BESO topology optimization significantly improved structural strength by minimizing performance index for suppressing fracture incidence in the structures. As expected, the fracture resistance and factor of safety of fixed partial dentures structure increased upon redistributing zirconia and porcelain in the optimal topological configuration. Dental CAD/CAM systems and the emerging 3D printing technology were commercially available to facilitate implementation of such a computational design, exhibiting considerable potential for clinical application in the future. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.