Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AVALIAÇÃO DA FORÇA MÁXIMA NECESSÁRIA PARA FRATURA OU FLEXÃO DE “CANTILEVERS” EM PROTOCOLOS TOTAIS FIXOS SOBRE IMPLANTES

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar, em supraestruturas metalicas implanto-suportadas, a forca maxima necessaria para fratura ou flexao de cantilevers com tres diferentes configuracoes de barras cilindricas pre-fabricadas em titânio ASTM grau 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) soldadas pelo metodo TIG (Tunsgtein Inert Gas), tendo como controle supraestruturas soldadas a laser. Foram confeccionadas doze supraestruturas implanto-suportadas em titânio, obtidas a partir de modelo mestre em resina de poliestireno com tres analogos de implantes regulares (3,75mm x 13mm) seguindo disposicao similar ao sistema Branemark Novum®. Cada supraestrutura consistia de tres pilares UCLA em titânio unidos entre si por barras de 3,18mm de diâmetro e duas extremidades livres (direita e esquerda) variando o diâmetro e o numero das barras, mas padronizando o comprimento de 15mm na barra distal superior e 7,5mm na barra distal inferior. Foram divididos quatro grupos (n=6), sendo um controle (GC), com barras distais simples de o3,18mm soldadas a laser, e tres experimentais, todos soldados a TIG: (GDS) com barras distais simples de o3,18mm; (GDD) com barras distais duplas de o2,5mm soldadas entre si; e (GDDM) com barras distais duplas mistas de o 3,18mm e o2,5mm soldadas entre si. Apos a soldagem, as supraestruturas metalicas foram submetidas ao teste de flexao por compressao pela aplicacao de forca perpendicular nas extremidades das barras distais ate que devido a flexao ou fratura nao houvesse mais nenhuma resistencia. Os valores de forca maxima registrados apresentaram distribuicao nao-normal sendo por isso analisados estatisticamente por meio do teste nao-parametrico de Kruskall-Wallis seguido pelo teste U de Mann Whitney, ambos com nivel de significância estabelecido em 0,05. Os resultados mostraram que o grupo Controle apresentou diferencas estatisticamente significantes com os grupos GDS e GDD, tendo valores mais elevados de forca do que estes, e que quando comparado a GDDM nao houve diferencas estatisticas significantes. Assim sendo, conclui-se que GDDM, em relacao aos demais grupos experimentais, e o mais promissor ja que seu desempenho se assemelha ao das supraestruturas de titânio soldadas a laser. Entretanto, mais estudos laboratoriais simulando outros testes mecânicos ainda sao necessarios antes da indicacao de testes clinicos.
The Darfur Crisis: Associated Mental Health Problems Among Internally Displaced Women

This study aimed at investigating the effects of the Darfur crisis on the mental health of internally displaced women; in particular, the traumatic events and resulting living conditions inside camps for internally displaced persons. It was hypothesized that a high prevalence of nonpsychotic psychiatric symptoms would be found. Participants were 212 internally displaced women in Darfur between 15 and 80 years old. Participants were interviewed using two measures: the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and another questionnaire specially designed to assess living conditions and relief services. Results showed that 72% of the participants were classified as nonpsychotic psychiatric cases. Findings also imply that living conditions inside camps need to be improved and security should be provided or enforced.
Lee Responds to “Testing for Hardy-Weinberg Disequilibrium”

I appreciate Weinberg and Morris’ thoughtful commentary (1) on my paper (2). In their article, they put my work under the perspective of gene mapping in the postgenomic era. I share the same view with them that the method proposed in my paper amounts to a tree-shaking approach to harvesting the high-hanging fruit (a low-cost approach to generating hypotheses aimed at localizing diseasesusceptibility genes for complex human diseases). However, some issues raised by Weinberg and Morris (1) deserve scrutiny. These are 1) the power of the HardyWeinberg disequilibrium test (HWT) when a single-nucleotide polymorphism is a “marker” but is not a diseasesusceptibility “gene” itself; 2) the utility of the proposed method as a gene-localization tool; and 3) the false alarm due to unmeasured ethnicity. To address the first issue, consider a marker, M, which is in linkage disequilibrium with a disease-susceptibility gene, A. Jiang et al. (3) showed that, for the M marker, the HardyWeinberg disequilibrium coefficient in the affected population is (with the notations changed to be consistent with my paper (2)):
Body Self-Awareness for Social Robots

Just as humans show conscious of their body, social robots, in the way to be truly autonomous, they should also be able to recognize its own configuration. Our research group is working on a project named BertsoBot which aims to develop social minstrel robots for entertainment. The work presented here focuses on the automatic recognition of robot self body postures. Only proprioceptive information is being used and several supervised classifiers are compared to make the approrpiate choice that fulfills the task requirements. A ROS module that performs the online classification has been implemented for endowing the robot with self awareness capabilities. The developed implementation allows our NAO minstrel robot to make decisions based on its body posture and state instead of just relying on a blind finite state automaton. A demo is provided in a link to a video.
Cathelin‐related antimicrobial peptide differentially regulates T‐ and B‐cell function

Mammalian antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) play an important role in host defense via direct antimicrobial activity as well as immune regulation. The mouse cathelin‐related antimicrobial peptide (mCRAMP), produced from the mouse gene Camp, is the only mouse cathelicidin identified and the ortholog of the human gene encoding the peptide LL‐37. This study tested the hypothesis that mouse B and T cells produce and respond to mCRAMP. We show that all mature mouse B‐cell subsets, including follicular (FO), marginal zone (MZ), B1a, and B1b cells, as well as CD4+ and CD8+ T cells produce Camp mRNA and mCRAMP protein. Camp−/− B cells produced equivalent levels of IgM, IgG3, and IgG2c but less IgG1 and IgE, while Camp−/− CD4+ T cells cultured in Th2‐inducing conditions produced more IL‐4‐expressing cells when compared with WT cells, effects that were reversed upon addition of mCRAMP. In vivo, Camp−/− mice immunized with TNP‐OVA absorbed in alum produced an enhanced TNP‐specific IgG1 response when compared with WT mice. ELISpot analysis revealed increased numbers of TNP‐specific IgG1‐secreting splenic B cells and FACS analysis revealed increased CD4+ T‐cell IL‐4 expression. Our results suggest that mCRAMP differentially regulates B‐ and T‐cell function and implicate mCRAMP in the regulation of adaptive immune responses.
Edge Detection Improvement by Ant Colony Optimization Compared to Traditional Methods on Brain MRI Image

An image is considered as a set of pixels that are connected in such a manner to form a boundary between two disjoints regions. Typically, the edge detection approach goes through the segmentation process by segmenting an image into regions of discontinuity. Hence it is a technique for marking sharp intensity changes. In this paper, it presents the Ant Colony Optimization based mechanism to compensate broken edges. There are various traditional edge detection techniques as Prewitt, Robert, Sobel, Marr Hildrith and Canny operators. On comparing them, it can be seen that Canny edge detector performs better than all other edge detectors on aspects such as it is adaptive in nature, generally performs better for noisy image by giving sharp images. Also it has been seen that remainders of pheromone trail as compensable edges are needed after finite iterations. Experimental results prove that compared to traditional image edge detection operators, the proposed Ant Colony Optimization(ACO) approach is very efficient in broken edges and more efficient than the traditional ones. The proposed ACO-based edge detection approach is to establish particularly a pheromone matrix that represents the edge information presented at each pixel of the image, according to the movements of a number of ants which are supposed to be dispatched in order to move on the image. General Terms Image Processing, Pattern Recognition, Multi-objective Optimization Algorithms
Rendering techniques for transparent objects

Three techniques are proposed for more realistic image synthesis of transparent objects. The techniques simulate important phenomena due to refraction and/or reflection, such as focuses and dispersion. For efficient simulation of focuses and caustics, a method called grid-pencil tracing is proposed, based on the ideas of pencil tracing and backward ray tracing. An anti-aliasing filter is designed for grid-pencil tracing in area-source illumination environments. The theory of pencil tracing is also applied to dispersion simulation. An extension of the theory provides a basis for dispersi ve pencil tracing, where both spatial coherency and 'wavelength coherency' is effectively used for fast image synthesis of dispersive objects. Furthermore, a linear filtering technique is applied to effectively express extremely bright spots such as sunshine reflection. The technique is based on an analysis of a special camera filter called a 'cross-screen filter,' which emphasizes bright spots by producing star-like lines around the spots on the image. With these techniques, the realism of transparent object images can be much enhanced in an inexpensive way.
Central forkhead domain of human TFIIEβ plays a primary role in binding double‐stranded DNA at transcription initiation

The human general transcription factor, TFIIE, consists of two subunits, α and β. Structural analyses indicated the presence of a forkhead motif within the central region of TFIIEβ. This motif was essential for transcription and possessed a double‐stranded DNA‐binding activity. Protein‐DNA photo‐cross‐linking studies indicated that TFIIEβ binds within the promoter region, adjacent to the transcription initiation site where promoter melting begins at transcription initiation. Furthermore, neither TFIIE nor the other general transcription factor TFIIH, were required for basal transcription of adenovirus major late promoter artificially pre‐melted at the initiation site. These data suggest a model in which TFIIE binds to a position adjacent to the initiation site via the forkhead domain, enabling TFIIH to begin opening the promoter. Here, we used systematic point mutations to further investigate the functional roles of this domain. The mutant proteins were expressed in bacteria, purified and used to examine transcription of two different forms of template, phosphorylation of the C‐terminal domain of RNA polymerase II, as well as dsDNA‐binding. Taken together, our results strongly demonstrated that the primary function of the forkhead region is dsDNA‐binding in transcription. In addition, we identified three positively charged lysine residues which play a key role in this function.
Root Flexibility and Untwist Effects on Vibration Characteristics of a Gas Turbine Blade

Abstract : Blade vibration is generally recognised as one of the most significant causes of high cycle fatigue failure in gas turbine engines. The blade root flexibility often cannot be determined easily in the assessment of blade vibration behaviour and exclusion of this effect may lead to a false prediction of vibration characteristics. This report outlines a study of root flexibility and aerofoil untwist effects on the vibration characteristics of a turbine blade using 3-D finite element analysis, together with laboratory testing. The vibration characteristics of the blade were analysed and the predicted results were correlated with laboratory test results at ambient temperature. The vibration characteristics of the blade assembly during engine operation were then predicted through a pre-stressed modal analysis, including the centrifugal stiffening effect, the temperature effect and the interactions between the blade and disc. The root flexibility effect due to differences in clamping condition was then investigated in detail. Untwist effects due to creep were also revealed in this analysis.
Thermodynamic projection of the antibody interaction network: the fountain energy landscape of binding

The complexity of the adaptive immune system in humans is comparable to that of the central nervous system in terms of cell numbers, cellular diversity and the network of interactions between components. While the application of molecular biological methods and bioinformatics has brought about an ever deepening and sharpening static description of the molecular and cellular components of the system, a unifying theoretical understanding of the laws governing the dynamics of the system is still lacking. We have recently developed a quantitative model for the description of antibody homeostasis as defined by the dimensions of antigen concentration, antigen-antibody interaction affinity and antibody concentration. In this paper we develop the concept of a novel thermodynamic representation of multiple molecular interactions in a system, the fountain energy landscape of binding. We show that the hypersurface of the binding fountain corresponds to the antibody-antigen interaction network projected onto an energy landscape defined by conformational entropy and free energy of binding. We demonstrate that thymus independent and thymus dependent antibody responses show distinct patterns of changes in the energy landscape. Overall, the binding fountain energy landscape concept allows a systems biological, thermodynamic perception of the functioning of the clonal humoral immune system.
Useful computer vision techniques for a robotic head

This paper describes some simple but useful computer vision techniques for human-robot interaction. First, an omnidirectional camera setting is described that can detect people in the surroundings of the robot, giving their angular positions and a rough estimate of the distance. The device can be easily built with inexpensive components. Second, we comment on a color-based face detection technique that can alleviate skin-color false positives. Third, a person tracking and recognition system is described. Finally, a simple head nod and shake detector is described, suitable for detecting affirmative/negative, approval/disapproval, understanding/disbelief
Improving object detection via improving accuracy of object localization

Object detection performance, as measured on the PASCAL VOC dataset, has achieved a prominent result since systems based on the deep convolution neural network (CNN) was proposed. However, inaccurate localization remains a major factor causing error for detection. Building upon high-capacity CNN architectures, we address the problem by 1)combining a high-recall algorithm proposing candidate regions for an object bounding box with an algorithm reducing localization bias, and 2)utilizing box alignment which penalizing deviation via taking object boundaries into account, to instruct the procedure of proposing input of CNN. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed methods improve the detection performance over the baseline and many other methods on the PASCAL VOC 2007 dataset.
Evaluation of a Grief Group for Women in Residential Substance Abuse Treatment

Most women in substance abuse treatment have experienced significant losses. This preliminary study examined the effectiveness of a therapy group addressing grief and loss among women enrolled in a gender-specific residential substance abuse treatment program. The intervention group consisted of 24 grief group participants and the comparison group consisted of 31 nonparticipants. Qualitative analysis revealed a pattern: participants identified traumatic loss, moved to emotional loss and abandonment by their own mothers, then focused on their own children. Data obtained at induction and at exit or follow-up were used for quantitative analysis. Length of stay, self-esteem, depression, mood, and parenting attitudes were assessed using standardized instruments. Women who participated in the grief group remained in treatment longer. While both groups were depressed and had low self-esteem at induction, the self-esteem of nonparticipants was significantly lower than that of participants. Both groups improved over time on mood, depression, and parenting. At exit or follow-up, participants had higher self-esteem. Based on these findings, we hypothesized that higher self-esteem at induction made it possible for women to participate in and benefit from the grief group, thus contributing to length of stay. To test this hypothesis we conducted regression analyses which found that, individually, group status (participation) and self-esteem explained 11% of the variance in length of stay. However, since the number of women with available data varied for group status and self-esteem, group status was a significant predictor of length of stay and self-esteem showed only a trend toward significance. These findings support our hypothesis. The women's pattern of disclosure and the hypotheses drawn from the results of this preliminary analysis will be examined further in an evaluation of a series of groups focused on loss and grief.
Game-Theoretic Design of Secure and Resilient Distributed Support Vector Machines with Adversaries

With a large number of sensors and control units in networked systems, distributed support vector machines (DSVMs) play a fundamental role in scalable and efficient multi-sensor classification and prediction tasks. However, DSVMs are vulnerable to adversaries who can modify and generate data to deceive the system to misclassification and misprediction. This work aims to design defense strategies for DSVM learner against a potential adversary. We establish a game-theoretic framework to capture the conflicting interests between the DSVM learner and the attacker. The Nash equilibrium of the game allows predicting the outcome of learning algorithms in adversarial environments, and enhancing the resilience of the machine learning through dynamic distributed learning algorithms. We show that the DSVM learner is less vulnerable when he uses a balanced network with fewer nodes and higher degree. We also show that adding more training samples is an efficient defense strategy against an attacker. We present secure and resilient DSVM algorithms with verification method and rejection method, and show their resiliency against adversary with numerical experiments.
Growing into Generativity : Adolescent Roots of a Generative Self in Emerging Adulthood

In this paper, I want to describe in overview a program of research on the roots of generativity development in adolescence. This is part of a broader project on the family and generativity, but here I will concentrate on two complementary aspects of the question of origins – what one might call the traditional personality roots, and then the moral roots, of generativity development from adolescence to early adulthood. I will base this description on two longitudinal studies which explore the relations between adolescent personality and moral development and the expression of a sense of generativity in emerging adulthood. I first describe the construct of generativity, then the studies and the rationale for the research, and then focus on the two topics in turn.
Complexes of magnetic nanoparticles and scFv antibodies for targeting and visualizing cancer cells

In this work we describe a design of multifunctional complexes based on magnetic nanoparticles and anti-cancer mini-antibodies of scFv format that selectively recognize oncomarker HER2/neu on the surface of human breast adenocarcinoma cells. ScFv, having small size and being fully genetically encoded, offer significant advantages over full size antibody for targeted delivery of nanoparticles both in vitro and in vivo, such as low cross-reactivity and immunogenicity and ease of biotechnological production in prokaryotic expression systems. These structures were obtained through the use of the barnase*barstar protein pair as a “molecular glue” between nanoparticles and recognizing antibodies. Moreover, for demonstrating the ability of obtaining a high diversity of scFv and magnetic nanoparticles-based constructions, we obtained complexes of magnetic nanoparticles and fusion protein of anti-HER2/neu mini-antibody 4D5scFv and fluorescent protein mCherry that specifically stained HER2/neu positive cells. Application of such targeted nanoparticles opens up new possibilities for designing new effective methods of cancer diagnostics.
Electronic inelastic lifetime near a mobility edge.

We calculate the inelastic quasiparticle lifetime ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\mathrm{in}}$ due to a Coulomb interaction in disordered bulk metals. The calculation is perturbative with respect to the interaction, but for an arbitrary disorder. We find that ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\mathrm{in}}$ is very sensitive to the critical current dynamics in the vicinity of a metal-insulator transition. Wegner scaling at the mobility edge yields a linear temperature dependence of ${\ensuremath{\tau}}_{\mathrm{in}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, in agreement with a recent experiment.
Myocardial efficiency in heart failure : non invasive imaging

Any mechanical pump is far from efficient. Only a fraction of its input energy is ultimately converted to external work. In the case of the heart, this fraction is approximately 25%, and is defined as mechanical efficiency. Heart failure as a result of dilated cardiomyopathy is characterized by a reduction in efficiency, the extent of which serves as an important prognostic marker. Despite its relevance in studying disease and monitoring interventions, mechanical efficiency is not routinely determined, as it requires a highly invasive procedure In recent years, however, advances in imaging techniques have made possible the non invasive assessment of this parameter. In this review, we discuss these currently available techniques, including their pitfalls, and place into clinical perspective the studies in which they have been applied. ■ Heart Metab. 2008;39:14-19.
Inhibition of MDM2 by RG7388 confers hypersensitivity to X‐radiation in xenograft models of childhood sarcoma

Curative therapy for childhood sarcoma presents challenges when complete resection is not possible. Ionizing radiation (XRT) is used as a standard modality at diagnosis or recurrence for childhood sarcoma; however, local recurrence is still problematic. Most childhood sarcomas are TP53 wild type at diagnosis, although approximately 5–10% have MDM2 amplification or overexpression.
Mapping out the multifunctionality of speakers’ gestures

Although it is widely acknowledged that gestures are complex functional elements of human communication, many current functional classification systems are rather rigid, implicitly assuming gestures to perform only one function at any given time. In this paper, we present a theoretical view on the inherent multifunctionality of speakers’ gestures, inspired by frameworks in structural-functional linguistics (Halliday’s Systemic Functional Grammar and Hengeveld & Mackenzie’s Functional Discourse Grammar). Building upon this view, we report on a large-scale internet-based gesture perception study, designed in a way open to the potential for complex multifunctionality of gestural expression. The results provide quantitative support for the view that speakers’ gestures typically contribute to multiple semantic and meta-communicative functions of the ongoing discourse simultaneously. Furthermore, we identify clusters of functions that tend to be combined, as well as correlations between pairs of them. As a whole, this paper achieves some degree of convergence between ecological and experimental views on gesture functionality.