Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Validation of the oral health impact profile (OHIP-20sp) for Spanish edentulous patients

Objectives: The purposes of this study are to validate the indicator of Oral Health Impact Profile for edentulous patients (OHIP-20sp) in the Spanish population and to analyze the factorial construct of the prosthetic well-being. Study Design: A total of twenty-one (n=21) edentulous patients wearing mandibular implant-over dentures on Locator® (LO) and twenty (n=20) with complete dentures (CD) were retrospectively evaluated in this study. All participants were recruited consecutively and were treated in the previous academic year 2009-2010 by professors of the University of Salamanca. Reliability analyses and validity tests were performed in order to evaluate the psychometric properties of OHIP-20sp employing two different total score methods (additional and simple count). A retrospective evaluation of the impact of the prosthetic treatment was captured with an evaluative instrument derived from OHIP-20, and named POST-OHIP-13. Results: The reliability coefficient (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.91) has shown a high internal consistency. Item-total correlations coefficients ranged from 0.46 and 0.81. Five factors, named as disability, functional comfort, psychosocial impact, pain-discomfort and functional limitations were identified as principal components of the construct, explaining almost 85% of the variance. The 48% of the sample felt at least one impact in an occasional or more frequently manner (generally food packing). The global transition judgment of the prosthetic treatment using the POST-OHIP-13 was significantly higher in group LO than in the CD group. Conclusions: OHIP-20 seems to be a reliable and valid indicator to measure oral impact and satisfaction in the Spanish edentulous population. The underlying construct is comprised by 5 factors named as disability, functional comfort, psychosocial impact, pain-discomfort and functional limitations. Key words:Oral health-related quality of life, edentulous, satisfaction, validation.
Fuzzy-based spectrum handoff and Channel selection for Cognitive Radio Networks

Cognitive Radio Networks have changed the communication paradigm by opportunistically using available spectrum. In such networks, Secondary User vacates the channel when it detects the Primary User. The frequent channel switching degrades the throughput of Cognitive Radio Networks. Current schemes suggest only the selection of Primary Channel if there is not any licensed user available. We propose the fuzzy-based system to estimate gain of candidate channels so that the most advantageous channel can be selected. We also incorporate the Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise Ratio with Primary User Interference to take handoff decision. We claim that Quality-aware channel selection along with primary user susceptibility is important to improve the throughput of Cognitive Radio Networks. Particularly, in multi-radio, multi-channel cognitive radio networks, the throughput can be increased by not only parallel transmissions but also by selecting the channels with higher channel gain.
Elite athlete receptivity to sport psychology consulting in Ireland

This study assessed the willingness of elite athletes from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to seek sport psychology consulting (SPC), their perceptions of the potential benefits of SPC to themselves or their team and how accessible they perceive SPC to be. A sample of elite and sub-elite athletes (n = 68) completed an online survey and a sub-sample (n = 7) also participated in a semi-structured interview. Results showed that athletes were willing to seek assistance from SPC for a wide range of topics such as building confidence, improving focus and dealing with injury, although a preference was displayed for topics more readily perceived as directly related to enhancing performance. All SPC topics explored were perceived to be of benefit, with a similar preference expressed for topics more readily associated with enhancing performance, for example, competing as well in competition as in practice, over dealing with personal issues or communication. Chi-square tests revealed athletes with highl.
Mesothelin-Specific Chimeric Antigen Receptor mRNA-Engineered T Cells Induce Antitumor Activity in Solid Malignancies

Beatty, Haas, and colleagues report antitumor activity in two patients treated with autologous T cells transfected with mRNA encoding a chimeric antigen receptor that recognizes mesothelin and contains the CD3-ζ and 4-1BB costimulatory domains (CARTmeso). The short-lived CARTmeso cells induced novel antiself antibodies and a broadly directed epitope spreading. Off-target toxicity due to the expression of target antigens in normal tissue represents a major obstacle to the use of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-engineered T cells for treatment of solid malignancies. To circumvent this issue, we established a clinical platform for engineering T cells with transient CAR expression by using in vitro transcribed mRNA encoding a CAR that includes both the CD3-ζ and 4-1BB costimulatory domains. We present two case reports from ongoing trials indicating that adoptive transfer of mRNA CAR T cells that target mesothelin (CARTmeso cells) is feasible and safe without overt evidence of off-tumor on-target toxicity against normal tissues. CARTmeso cells persisted transiently within the peripheral blood after intravenous administration and migrated to primary and metastatic tumor sites. Clinical and laboratory evidence of antitumor activity was shown in both patients, and the CARTmeso cells elicited an antitumor immune response revealed by the development of novel antiself antibodies. These data show the potential of using mRNA-engineered T cells to evaluate, in a controlled manner, potential off-tumor on-target toxicities and show that short-lived CAR T cells can induce epitope spreading and mediate antitumor activity in patients with advanced cancer. Thus, these findings support the development of mRNA CAR-based strategies for carcinoma and other solid tumors. Cancer Immunol Res; 2(2); 112–20. ©2013 AACR.
Evaluating Coarray Fortran with the CGPOP Miniapp

The Parallel Ocean Program (POP) is a 71,000 line-of-code program written in Fortran and MPI. POP is a component of the Community Earth System Model (CESM), which is a heavily used global climate model. Now that Coarrays are part of the Fortran standard one question raised by POP’s developers is whether Coar-rays could be used to improve POP’s performance or reduce its code volume. Although Coarray Fortran (CAF) has been evaluated with smaller benchmarks and with an older version of POP, it has not been evaluated with newer versions of POP or on modern platforms. In this paper, we examine what impacts using CAF has on a large climate simulation application by comparing and evaluating variants of the CGPOP miniapp, which serves as a performance proxy of POP.
A Similarity-Oriented RDF Graph Matching Algorithm for Ranking Linked Data

Linked Data is an RDF-based transition from the document oriented Web into the Semantic Web, and the amount of data published as linked data steadily. Hence, The RDF graph matching algorithm becomes the technical foundation of many tasks in Semantic Web, such as semantic search, data fusion, ontology matching, data filter and dissemination. An RDF-graph-matching-based query can enables searching with additional semantic information, so that it can be utilized for obtaining expected ranking in semantic search and personalized information retrieval on the web of data. Yet, the need for this approach is disregarded. This paper proposes a novel similarity-oriented RDF graph matching approach for ranking linked data, which considering the element-level and structure-level similarity of statements, and also the similarity of URIs and blank nodes in RDF graphs. The efficiency of this approach is improved over the traditional RDF graph matching algorithm. And the effectiveness is improved by analyzing and measuring the structure-level similarity of statements. The experimental results shows that this approach can effectively measure the similarity between RDF graphs, and also returns results with respect to a query RDF graph as a ranked set of promising alternatives.
The Feedback Regulation of PI3K-miR-19a, and MAPK-miR-23b/27b in Endothelial Cells under Shear Stress

Mechanical stimulation regulates endothelial cell (EC) functions through the modulation of signaling networks and gene expression. Our recent studies have identified that shear stress regulation of microRNAs (miRs)-19a, 23b and 27b, led to the modulation of EC proliferation. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms by which shear stress regulates these miRs have not been explored. Previous studies showed that shear stress activates multiple signaling pathways, including phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase (PI3K) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK). In this work we demonstrate that inhibition of the PI3K pathway attenuated the shear-induced miR-19a, and inhibition of the MAPK pathway attenuated miR-23b, 27b. The knockdown of miR-19a using antagomir-19a oligonucleotide (AM19a) decreased the shear-induced PI3K activation; whereas AM-23b, 27b reduced the shear-induced MAPK activation. Furthermore, the overexpression of miR-19a overrode the suppressive effects of PI3K inhibitors on shear-induced PI3K activation; the overexpression of miR-23b, 27b had similar effects on ERK activations, but had little effect on P38 and JNK activation. Our findings suggest a positive feedback loop whereby PI3K and MAPK mediate the shear regulation of miR expression, which in turn modulates the shear-regulated PI3K/MAPK signaling events in ECs.
Congestion Pricing and Non-cooperative Games In

We consider congestion pricing as a mechanism for sharing bandwidth in communication networks, and model the interaction among the users as a game. We propose a decentralized algorithm for the users that is based on the history of the price process, where user response to congestion prices is analogous to " fictitious play " in game theory, and show that this results in convergence to the unique Wardrop equilibrium. We further show that the Wardrop equilibrium coincides with the welfare maximizing capacity allocation .
The Effect of Ship Department on Crew Sleep Patterns and Psychomotor Vigilance Performance

U.S. Navy ship crews are organizationally divided into departments, i.e., functional groups with specific tasks and an officer in charge. The objective of this study is to assess the effect of ship departments on crew sleep patterns and psychomotor vigilance performance. Crewmembers (N=93) from an Arleigh Burke-type destroyer participated in a 16-day quasi-experimental study while the ship was forward deployed. Each sailor wore an actigraph, completed a daily activity log, and performed a 3-minute psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) before and after standing watch. Actigraphy results show that crewmembers were chronically sleep deprived, receiving on average 6.6 hours of daily sleep. Rest and sleep opportunities were varied significantly depending on the department to which the crewmember belongs. Specifically, the Operations department, followed by Engineering, had the worst sleep patterns as indicated by reduced and fragmented sleep. Using actigraphic recordings, approximately 22% of the participants occasionally napped during their night watch. Although not statistically significant due to its large variability, the pattern of PVT results agrees with the sleep analysis. In conclusion, this study provides evidence that the department to which a crewmember belongs is a factor to be taken into account when assessing performance at sea. In our sample, results demonstrate that the two departments most affected are the Operations and the Engineering. Both of these departments have critical duties while underway, yet they experience the most sleep deprivation. Future efforts should strive to further quantify this phenomenon and to address methods to ameliorate the problem.
RELATIONAL SUBGROUP DISCOVERY FOR GENE EXPRESSION DATA MINING

We propose a methodology for predictive classification from gene expression data, able to combine the robustness of highdimensional statistical classification methods with the comprehensibility and interpretability of simple logic-based models. We first construct a robust classifier combining contributions of a large number of gene expression values, and then search for compact summarizations of subgroups among genes associated in the classifier with a given class. The subgroups are described by means of relational logic features extracted from publicly available gene annotations. The curse of dimensionality pertaining to the gene expression based classification problem due to the large number of attributes (genes) is turned into an advantage in the secondary subgroup discovery task, as here the original attributes become learning
Retrieval of Mangrove Aboveground Biomass at the Individual Species Level with WorldView-2 Images

Previous research studies have demonstrated that the relationship between remote sensing-derived parameters and aboveground biomass (AGB) could vary across different species types. However, there are few studies that calibrate reliable statistical models for mangrove AGB. This study quantifies the differences of accuracy in AGB estimation between the results obtained with and without the consideration of species types using Worldview-2 images and field surveys. A Back Propagation Artificial Neural Network (BP ANN) based model is developed for the accurate estimation of uneven-aged and dense mangrove forest biomass. The contributions of the input variables are further quantified using a “Weights” method based on BP ANN model. Two types of mangrove species, Sonneratia apetala (S. apetala) and Kandelia candel (K. candel), are examined in this study. Results show that the species type information is the most important variable for AGB estimation, and the red edge band and the associated vegetation indices from WorldView-2 images are more sensitive to mangrove AGB than other bands and vegetation indices. The RMSE of biomass estimation at the incorporation of species as a dummy variable is 19.17% lower than that of the mixed species level. The results demonstrate that species type information obtained from the WorldView-2 images can significantly improve of the accuracy of the biomass estimation.
The impact of caching in a loosely-coupled clustered software DSM system

As interconnected local-area workstation networks are widely available, the idea of offering a software distributed shared memory (SDSM) layer across them is quite an attractive alternative for compute-intensive applications. However, the higher cost of sending a message over an inter-cluster link than over an intracluster can limit applications' performance on a multicluster SDSM system. In this paper, we present the extensions that we have added to TreadMarks SDSM in order to adapt it to a loosely-coupled cluster-based platform. We have implemented a logical per-cluster cache in order to exploit cluster locality. By accessing its local cache, a processor can share data previously requested by another processor of its cluster, thereby hiding the cost of inter-cluster communication.
Multiscale comparative spectral analysis of satellite total solar irradiance measurements from 2003 to 2013 reveals a planetary modulation of solar activity and its nonlinear dependence on the 11 yr solar cycle

Herein we adopt a multiscale dynamical spectral analysis technique to compare and study the dy- namical evolution of the harmonic components of the overlapping ACRIMSAT/ACRIM3 (Active Cavity Ra- diometer Irradiance Monitor Satellite/Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitor 3), SOHO/VIRGO (Solar and Heliopheric Observatory/Variability of solar Irradiance and Gravity Oscillations), and SORCE/TIM (So- lar Radiation and Climate Experiment/Total Irradiance Monitor) total solar irradiance (TSI) records during 2003.15 to 2013.16 in solar cycles 23 and 24. The three TSI time series present highly correlated patterns. Significant power spectral peaks are common to these records and are observed at the following periods: 0.070 yr, 0.097 yr, 0.20 yr, 0.25 yr, 0.30-0.34 yr, and 0.39 yr. Less certain spectral peaks occur at about 0.55 yr, 0.60-0.65 yr and 0.7-0.9 yr. Four main frequency periods at 24.8 days ( 0.068 yr), 27.3 days ( 0.075 yr), at 34-35 days ( 0.093-0.096 yr), and 36-38 days ( 0.099-0.104 yr) characterize the solar rotation cycle. The amplitude of these oscillations, in particular of those with periods larger than 0.5 yr, appears to be modulated by the 11 yr solar cycle. Similar harmonics have been found in other solar indices. The observed periodicities are found highly coherent with the spring, orbital and synodic periods of Mercury, Venus, Earth and Jupiter. We conclude that solar activity is likely modulated by planetary gravitational and electromagnetic forces acting on the Sun. The strength of the Sun's response to planetary forcing depends nonlinearly on the state of internal solar dynamics; planetary-Sun coupling e ects are enhanced during solar activity maxima and attenuated during minima.
Motion segmentation using the Hadamard product and spectral clustering

In this paper we present a motion segmentation algorithm for image sequences based on the Hadamard (or Schur) product of shape interaction matrices computed over a range of dimensions of the ambient space and using a spectral clustering algorithm. Most motion segmentation algorithms proposed to date are based on the use of a shape interaction matrix, obtained via factorization, since it encodes the essential information to segment independently moving rigid objects. However, so far, most studies have been limited to using a single shape interaction matrix to cluster the motions of different objects. In this paper, we propose to combine the shape interaction matrices computed for different subspace dimensions using the Hadamard product. The benefit of this approach is that the affinity of trajectories belonging to the same object is stressed while the affinity between trajectories belonging to different objects is diminished. Once the final shape interaction matrix is computed, we use a spectral clustering algorithm to segment the different motions. Experiments on the Hopkins 155 data set for both independent and articulated motions show that our new algorithm provides a lower miss-classification error rate, outperforming other state of the art algorithms.
Succinyl Coenzyme A Synthetase of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with a Broad Specificity for Nucleoside Triphosphate (NTP) Synthesis Modulates Specificity for NTP Synthesis by the 12-Kilodalton Form of Nucleoside Diphosphate Kinase

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa secretes copious amounts of an exopolysaccharide called alginate during infection in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. A mutation in the algR2 gene of mucoid P. aeruginosa is known to exhibit a nonmucoid (nonalginate-producing) phenotype and showed reduced activities of succinyl-coenzyme A (CoA) synthetase (Scs) and nucleoside diphosphate kinase (Ndk), implying coregulation of Ndk and Scs in alginate synthesis. We have cloned and characterized the sucCDoperon encoding the α and β subunits of Scs from P. aeruginosa and have studied the role of Scs in generating GTP, an important precursor in alginate synthesis. We demonstrate that, in the presence of GDP, Scs synthesizes GTP using ATP as the phosphodonor and, in the presence of ADP, Scs synthesizes ATP using GTP as a phosphodonor. In the presence of inorganic orthophosphate, succinyl-CoA, and an equimolar amount of ADP and GDP, Scs synthesizes essentially an equimolar amount of ATP and GTP. Such a mechanism of GTP synthesis can be an alternate source for the synthesis of alginate as well as for the synthesis of other macromolecules requiring GTP such as RNA and protein. Scs from P. aeruginosa is also shown to exhibit a broad NDP kinase activity. In the presence of inorganic orthophosphate (Pi), succinyl-CoA, and either GDP, ADP, UDP or CDP, it synthesizes GTP, ATP, UTP, or CTP. Scs was previously shown to copurify with Ndk, presumably as a complex. In mucoid cells ofP. aeruginosa, Ndk is also known to exist in two forms, a 16-kDa cytoplasmic form predominant in the log phase and a 12-kDa membrane-associated form predominant in the stationary phase. We have observed that the 16-kDa Ndk-Scs complex present in nonmucoid cells, synthesizes all three of the nucleoside triphosphates from a mixture of GDP, UDP, and CDP, whereas the 12-kDa Ndk-Scs complex specifically present in mucoid cell predominantly synthesizes GTP and UTP but not CTP. Such regulation may promote GTP synthesis in the stationary phase when the bulk of alginate is synthesized by mucoid P. aeruginosa.
A simplified climate model with combined atmospheric-hydrological processes

Abstract Global climate change can be reproduced in detail by using three-dimensional general circulation models (GCMs). However, such complex models require super-computers and extensive hours of computational time for a single attempt at reproducing long term climate change. An alternative approach is to make simplifying assumptions that retain the essential physics for the desired simulation. Energy balance and Radiative-convective models are examples of such models. The model in this study follows the simplified approach using physics-based climate processes as well as interactions between atmospheric and hydrological processes. The vertically and latitudinally averaged mean temperature and mean water vapour content between 30°N-50°N latitudes are considered as atmospheric state variables while soil and sea temperatures and water storage amount are considered for describing the behaviour of the hydrological system. Temperatures in both the atmosphere and ground are calculated by a thermal energy equat.
Disaster Experience, Perception and Perceived Stress of Nursing Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate nursing students’ disaster experience, perception and stress. Data were collected from 374 nursing students from three nursing colleges in Seoul with self- reported questionnaires. Analysis was performed by descriptive statistics and t-test. The average score of disaster perception was 3.2 out of 5 points, while disaster stress was 5.7 out of 10 points. There was a significant difference in disaster stress with disaster experience. In conclusion, a program is needed to educate nursing students about management of disaster stress. It is also recommended to establish a curriculum which provides opportunities to learn internationally standardized essential disaster nursing tasks.
Variational Action Selection for Influence Diagrams

Influence diagrams provide a compact way to represent problems of decision making under uncertainty. As the number of variables in the problem increases, computing exact expectations and making optimal decisions becomes computationally intractable. A new method of action selection is presented, based on variational approximate inference. A policy is approximated where high-probability actions under the policy have high utility. Actions are then selected which have high probability under the approximating policy. The variational action selection method is shown to compare favorably to greedy and sampling-based action selection. Variational Action Selection for Influence Diagrams Brian Sallans ÖFAI Neural Computation Group