Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The short-term effect of prosthodontic treatment on self-reported oral health status: the use of a single-item questionnaire.

PURPOSE To describe self-reported oral health status before and after treatment in patients treated with fixed, removable, and complete dentures. MATERIALS AND METHODS Subjects were a convenience sample of 119 prosthodontic patients (patients treated with fixed prostheses (n=61), removable dentures (n=48), and complete dentures (n=10); mean age: 57.3 +/- 15.6 years; 47% women). Self-reported oral health status before and 1 month after treatment was measured with a 5-point question (responses ranging from "excellent" to "poor") frequently used in epidemiologic studies and health services research. Pretreatment and posttreatment self-ratings of oral health were compared with the findings from a national general population sample (n=2016; age: 16 to 79 years) categorized by their denture status. Change of oral health status was evaluated using Wilcoxon matched pairs signed ranks test. RESULTS "Excellent" or "very good" ratings were observed for 4% of the patients at baseline and for 16% of the patients at follow-up, which was identical to the prevalence of these ratings in the general population for subjects with removable dentures (16%) and better than for complete dentures wearers (13%). The change from pretreatment to posttreatment self-reported oral health status was statistically significant (P < .001). Substantial differences in change patterns among groupings of prosthodontic therapies (fixed, removable, or complete dentures) were not observed. CONCLUSIONS Self-reported oral health status improved considerably comparing pretreatment and posttreatment status. Single questions describing the overall situation of perceived oral health or its changes may provide simple and easy-to-interpret information about the impact of prosthodontic treatment.
Online Nearest Neighbor Search in Hamming Space

We address the K Nearest Neighbors (KNN) problem in large binary datasets which is of major importance in several applied areas. The goal is to find the K nearest items in a dataset to a query point where both the query and the items lie in a Hamming space. We address this problem in its online setting, that is, data items are inserted sequentially into the dataset. We propose a data structure that partitions the feature space by exploiting the Hamming weights of the binary codes and their substrings. The proposed data accommodates efficient similarity search and fast insertion of new items. Empirical evaluations on large-scale datasets used in binary hashing techniques show significant speedup over the best known solutions.
Outcomes of preoperative radiotherapy and resection of retroperitoneal sarcoma

Preoperative radiotherapy (RT) is an important component of the management of retroperitoneal sarcoma (RPS). We aimed to establish the feasibility of this approach by determining the accuracy of computed tomography (CT)‐guided core biopsy, proportion of patients completing treatment, rates of acute toxicity and surgical complications, and treatment outcomes.
Génétique des populations d'organismes marins

Les recherches sur la genetique des populations et l'evolution des organismes marins relevent d'une thematique au sens propre, du fait qu'elles sont envisagees essentiellement a travers les consequences d'une phase larvaire planctonique, trait original et quasi-general chez ces organismes, dans un environnement oceanique qui est a la fois dense, dispersif, homogene horizontalement et stratifie verticalement. La phase larvaire est synonyme de fecondite et de potentiel de dispersion sans equivalents en milieu terrestre. Ces caracteristiques autorisent a leur tour des dynamiques de reproduction extremes, ainsi qu'une gamme etendue de combinaisons genetiques a chaque generation. Mes recherches sont presentees selon trois axes principaux. Axe 1 : structure geographique des especes marines en relation avec leur phase de dispersion ; axe 2 : identification des barrieres au flux genique en milieu dispersif ; axe 3 : systematique moleculaire. Les objectifs en sont a la fois fondamentaux et appliques. Les resultats acquis sur la structure geographique et la phylogeographie des especes economiquement importantes ont des implications en matiere de gestion des " stocks ", mais aussi vis-a-vis de la conservation des especes et des ecosystemes.
A Description of the Second species of the Family Dipteromimidae (Insecta, Ephemeroptera), and Genetic Relationship of Two Dipteromimid Mayflies Inferred from Mitochondrial 16S rRNA Gene Sequences

Abstract A new mayfly species, Dipteromimus flavipterus sp. nov., of the family Dipteromimidae is described on the basis of specimens of males, females and mature nymphs collected from Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, Japan. This new Dipteromimus species is characterized by a large body size, a yellowish body color (especially the frontal border of the forewings), short penis lobes, a slight elongation backwards of the female 7th abdominal sternum, and a rounded backward projection of the female 9th abdominal sternum, etc., in comparison with another known dipteromimid mayfly Dipteromimus tipuliformis McLachlan, 1875. Full descriptions of males, females, mature nymphs and eggs of this new species have been provided. We also examined and discussed the genetic relationship of two dipteromimid mayflies to settle the taxonomic status, inferred from the partially sequenced large mitochondrial ribosomal subunit (16S rRNA) genes. Consequently, phenetic and molecular phylogenetic analyses agreed in terms of clustering.
Quasi-mode damping in two-dimensional fully non-uniform coronal loops

Resonantly damped fast kink quasi-modes are computed in fully resistive magnetohydrodynamics for fully non-uniform two-dimensional equilibrium models. The equilibrium model is a straight cylindrically symmetric flux tube with a plasma density that is non-uniform both across and along the loop. The variation of density across the loop can cover the whole loop. Our results indicate that the period and damping of coronal loop oscillations mainly depend on the density contrast and the inhomogeneity length-scale and are independent of the details of longitudinal stratification. This study extends previous studies on coronal loop oscillations, and allows for a better comparison between observations and theory.
Malaysia crude oil production estimation: an application of ARIMA model

Monthly Malaysia crude oil production data for the period of January 2005 to May 2010 were analyzed using time-series method called Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. Autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation functions were calculated to examine the stationarity of the data. Then, an appropriate Box-Jenkins ARIMA model was fitted. Validity of the model was tested using Box-Pierce statistic and Ljung-Box statistic techniques. The predictability of future crude oil production as a forecast is measured for three leading months.
A Fast Method for Testing Covariates in Population PK/PD Models

The development of covariate models within the population modeling program like NONMEM is generally a time-consuming and non-trivial task. In this study, a fast procedure to approximate the change in objective function values of covariate–parameter models is presented and evaluated. The proposed method is a first-order conditional estimation (FOCE)-based linear approximation of the influence of covariates on the model predictions. Simulated and real datasets were used to compare this method with the conventional nonlinear mixed effect model using both first-order (FO) and FOCE approximations. The methods were mainly assessed in terms of difference in objective function values (ΔOFV) between base and covariate models. The FOCE linearization was superior to the FO linearization and showed a high degree of concordance with corresponding nonlinear models in ΔOFV. The linear and nonlinear FOCE models provided similar coefficient estimates and identified the same covariate–parameter relations as statistically significant or non-significant for the real and simulated datasets. The time required to fit tesaglitazar and docetaxel datasets with 4 and 15 parameter–covariate relations using the linearization method was 5.1 and 0.5 min compared with 152 and 34 h, respectively, with the nonlinear models. The FOCE linearization method allows for a fast estimation of covariate–parameter relations models with good concordance with the nonlinear models. This allows a more efficient model building and may allow the utilization of model building techniques that would otherwise be too time-consuming.
The pathology of a radial nerve biopsy in leprosy: Light and electron microscopy

MYCOBACTERIUM LEPRAE appears to be the only bacterium which invades peripheral nerves in man and animals. Early studies on the ultra-structure of peripheral nerves in leprosy in man concerned the site of entry and habitat of Myco. leprae in the nerves (Nishiura, Harada and Imaeda, 1957; Nishiura, 1960; Imaeda and Convit, 1963). Job (1970, 1971) reported on Myco. leprae in nerve lesions in lepromatous leprosy in ultrastructural studies of the radial cutaneous nerve in 5 and 20 patients respectively. In the present study a radial nerve biopsy from a patient who had suffered from leprosy for 17 yr and had received continuous treatment for 4 yr was examined by light and electron microscopy. Ultrastructural studies of a longstanding lesion in a large peripheral nerve in man do not appear to have been recorded before.
The Chloride Permeation Pathway of a Glutamate Transporter and Its Proximity to the Glutamate Translocation Pathway*

Excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) regulate glutamate concentrations in the brain to maintain normal excitatory synaptic transmission. A widely accepted view of transporters is that they consist of a pore with alternating access to the intracellular and extracellular solutions, which serves to couple ion movement to the movement of substrate. However, recent observations that EAATs, and also a number of other neurotransmitter transporters, can also function as ligand-gated chloride channels have blurred the distinctions between transporters and ion channels. Here we show that mutations in the second transmembrane domain (TM2) of EAAT1 alter anion permeation properties without affecting glutamate transport and that a number of TM2 residues are accessible to the external aqueous solution. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the extracellular edge of TM2 is in close proximity to a membrane-associated domain that influences glutamate transport. This study will provide the foundation for beginning to understand how transporters can function as both transporters and ion channels.
Sox12 Is a Cancer Stem-Like Cell Marker in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Recent studies on molecular carcinogenesis suggest that the chemo-resistance of some cancers is largely due to presence of cancer stem cells (CSCs), which affect the chemotherapy outcome for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, currently no consensus on a CSC phenotype in HCC has been obtained. Here, we examined Sox12 as a novel CSC marker in HCC. Sox12+ versus Sox12− cells were purified from HCC cell lines. The Sox12+ cells were compared with Sox12− HCC cells for tumor sphere formation, chemo-resistance, tumor formation after serial adoptive transplantations in nude mice, and the frequency of developing distal metastasis. We found that compared to Sox12− HCC cells, Sox12+ HCC cells generated significantly more tumor spheres in culture, were more chemo-resistant to cisplatin, were detected in circulation more frequently, and formed distal tumor more frequently. Moreover, Sox12 appeared to functionally contribute to the stemness of HCC cells. Thus, we conclude that Sox12 may be a novel marker for enriching CSCs in HCC.
Hands-On Experience in HPC With Secondary School Students

It is a global concern that the number of students in computing-related fields has been decreasing in the last few years. As a way to improve this situation, several institutions have been implementing programs to attract and keep students in science and technology majors. This work describes a high-performance computing (HPC) course intended for secondary school students, which requires only the most basic infrastructure. In this hands-on workshop, the students learn how to assemble, install, and test a cluster. In parallel, students are exposed to a complete new area of knowledge, obtaining a more accurate view of the discipline of computer science and increasing their confidence in their ability to follow computer science. This course also provides opportunities for students to meet scientists and lose any misconceptions and negative stereotypes about science in general and computer science in particular. The aim of this paper is to detail the key concepts conveyed to students, share the course organization, materials, and examples used, and describe the overall experience.
Dynamic reorganization of object databases

We consider the problem of optimizing the number of I/O operations by means of an effective clustering, with the objective to overcome deficiencies of existing solutions. Our main objective is to dynamically adapt physical database organizations, online, according to the access patterns of the users without adding significant overhead on processing workload. We propose a clustering schedule that may be convenient for any object database management systems (ODBMS); it combines flexibility, dynamics, and efficiency. The paper describes relative partial validation of our approach using Versant.
Constitutive silencing of IFN‐β promoter is mediated by NRF (NF‐κB‐repressing factor), a nuclear inhibitor of NF‐κB

Transcriptional regulation of the interferon‐β (IFN‐β) gene is characterized by strict constitutive repression and virus‐specific activation. Previous studies have shown that the IFN‐β promoter is constitutively repressed by a negative regulatory element (NRE). Isolated NRE acts as a constitutive and position‐independent silencer on the NF‐κB‐binding sites. Here, we describe the identification and functional characterization of the NRE‐binding protein, called NRF (NF‐κB‐repressing factor), which abolishes the transcriptional activity of the bordering NF‐κB‐ binding sites by a distance‐independent mechanism. Deletion studies show that a minimal repression domain of NRF is sufficient to exert its inhibitory effect. In vitro, NF‐κB proteins bind to purified NRF by a direct protein–protein interaction. We demonstrate that NRF is a ubiquitous and constitutive nuclear protein. In fibroblasts, the expression of the NRF antisense RNA releases the endogenous IFN‐β gene transcription. Our data strongly suggest that the NRF‐mediated inhibition of NF‐κB is a critical component of the IFN‐β gene silencing prior to viral infection.
Kinetics and Mechanism of Electron Transfer Reaction of an Adipato Bridged Iron(III)-Salen Complex with Dithionite Ion in Perchloric Acid Medium

Redox kinetics of the reaction of an adipato bridged iron(III)-salen complex, [(Fe(salen))2adi] with dithionite ion, S2O42–, was investigated in perchloric acid at I = 0.05 mol dm–3 (NaClO4) and T = 29 ± 1 °C. Spectrophotometric titrations indicated consumption of one mole of S2O42– per mole of [(Fe(salen))2adi] reduced. Under pseudo-first order conditions of [S2O42–] above ten-fold excess of concentration of [(Fe(salen))2adi], observed rates increased with increase in [S2O42–] and second order rate constants were fairly constant (0.285 ± 0.01 dm3 mol–1 s–1) indicating first order dependence of the rate on [(Fe(salen))2adi]. A plot of logkobs versus log[S2O42–] was linear and gave a slope of 1.0 indicating first order dependence of the rate on [S2O42–]. The reaction rate increased with increase in [H+] within 3 × 10–3 mol dm–3 ≤ [H+] ≤ 14 × 10–3 mol dm–3. The reaction was unaffected by variation of ionic strength and dielectric constant of the medium. Addition of anion and cation did not catalyze the reaction. The reaction has been analyzed on the basis of an inner-sphere mechanism mediated by proton transfer.
Crustal structure and seismicity distribution adjacent to the Pacific and North America plate boundary in southern California

New three-dimensional (3-D) V_P and V_P/V_S models are determined for southern California using P and S-P travel times from local earthquakes and controlled sources. These models confirm existing tectonic interpretations and provide new insights into the configuration of geological structures at the Pacific-North America plate boundary. The models extend from the U.S.-Mexico border in the south to the southernmost Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada in the north and have a 15-km horizontal grid spacing and an average vertical grid spacing of 4 km, down to 22 km depth. The heterogeneity of the crustal structure as imaged by V_P and V_P/V_S models is larger within the Pacific plate than the North American plate. Similarly, the relocated seismicity deepens and shows more complex 3-D distribution in areas of the Pacific plate exhibiting compressional tectonics. The models reflect mapped changes in the lithology across major geological terranes such as the Mojave Desert, the Peninsular Ranges, and the Transverse Ranges. The interface between the shallow Mono of the Continental Borderland and the deep Moho of onshore California forms a broad zone to the north beneath the western Transverse Ranges, Ventura basin, and the Los Angeles basin and a narrow zone to the south, along the Peninsular Ranges. The near-surface increase in velocity, from the surface to up to 8 km depth, is rapid and has a logarithmic shape for stable blocks and mountain ranges but is slow with a linear shape for sedimentary basins. At midcrustal depths a rapid increase in V_P is imaged beneath the sediments of the large sedimentary basins, while beneath the adjacent mountain ranges the increase is small or absent.
Habilidades no cognitivas y diferencias de rendimiento en PISA 2009 entre las comunidades autónomas españolas

El objetivo de este trabajo es analizar el papel que las habilidades no cognitivas o rasgos de personalidad de los estudiantes y, en concreto, el componente territorial de las mismas, tiene en la determinacion de las diferencias observadas en rendimiento escolar en PISA, entre las distintas comunidades autonomas espanolas. Hasta la fecha, el debate sobre el origen de estas diferencias territoriales se ha circunscrito a las diferencias en dotacion de caracteristicas familiares y escolares que favorecen el rendimiento escolar. Estos trabajos, no obstante, suelen encontrar que una proporcion relevante de las diferencias observadas queda sin explicar sobre la base de estos factores. Utilizando los microdatos de PISA 2009, encontramos que una parte relevante de las diferencias observadas entre comunidades autonomas en el rendimiento de sus estudiantes en PISA se debe a la diferente dotacion de habilidades no cognitivas de los estudiantes de cada comunidad. En concreto, nuestras estimaciones sugieren que una reduccion en una medida standard, esto es, en una desviacion tipica, de la dispersion observada entre las comunidades autonomas en habilidades no cognitivas vinculadas al rendimiento educativo, conduciria a una reduccion de las diferencias observadas en nota media en PISA entre las distintas comunidades autonomas de aproximadamente un 25 %. Este es un efecto notable, habida cuenta de que una reduccion equivalente en la dispersion territorial de la proporcion de padres con estudios superiores o de padres ocupados en las mejores categorias profesionales conduciria a una reduccion de las diferencias en nota media entre comunidades autonomas de, como mucho, un 2 %
Method of evaluating the impact of ERP implementation critical success factors – a case study in oil and gas industries

The so far implemented enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have in many cases failed to meet the requirements regarding the business process control, decrease of business costs and increase of company profit margin. Therefore, there is a real need for an evaluation of the influence of ERP on the company's performance indicators. Proposed in this article is an advanced model for the evaluation of the success of ERP implementation on organisational and operational performance indicators in oil–gas companies. The recommended method establishes a correlation between a process-based method, a scorecard model and ERP critical success factors. The method was verified and tested on two case studies in oil–gas companies using the following procedure: the model was developed, tested and implemented in a pilot gas–oil company, while the results were implemented and verified in another gas–oil company.
Characterization of the cDNA Coding for Rat Brain Cysteine Sulfinate Decarboxylase

Abstract : Cysteine sulfinate decarboxylase (CSD) is considered as the rate‐limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of taurine, a possible osmoregulator in brain. Through cloning and sequencing of RT‐PCR and RACE‐PCR products of rat brain mRNAs, a 2,396‐bp cDNA sequence was obtained encoding a protein of 493 amino acids (calculated molecular mass, 55.2 kDa). The corresponding fusion protein showed a substrate specificity similar to that of the endogenous enzyme. The sequence of the encoded protein is identical to that encoded by liver CSD cDNA. Among other characterized amino acid decarboxylases, CSD shows the highest homology (54%) with either isoform of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD65 and GAD67). A single mRNA band, ~2.5 kb, was detected by northern blot in RNA extracts of brain, liver, and kidney. However, brain and liver CSD cDNA sequences differed in the 5′ untranslated region. This indicates two forms of CSD mRNA. Analysis of PCR‐amplified products of genomic DNA suggests that the brain form results from the use of a 3′ alternative internal splicing site within an exon specifically found in liver CSD mRNA. Through selective RT‐PCR the brain form was detected in brain only, whereas the liver form was found in liver and kidney. These results indicate a tissue‐specific regulation of CSD genomic expression.
ORAL WATER-SOLUBLE VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTATION OF THE MARE IN LATE GESTATION, ITS EFFECTS ON SERUM VITAMIN E LEVELS IN THE PRE- AND POSTPARTUM MARE AND THE NEONATE: A PRELIMINARy INVESTIGATION

Vitamin E, a fat-soluble vitamin, is recognized as an essential nutrient shown to affect equine immune response (Baalsrud and Overnes, 1986). Few studies have been conducted to examine vitamin E status in the equine beyond those that established the levels in the blood (Schweigert and Gottwald, 1999). Serum vitamin E concentrations are reported to range from 1.6-7.5 μg/ml in normal horses (Butler and Blackmore, 1983). Gay et al. (2004) reported that vitamin E levels (measured as plasma beta tocopherol levels) decreased in mares after foaling (6.05 μg/ml to 5.0 μg/ml). The diffuse epitheliochorial placenta of the equine does not allow fat-soluble vitamins to cross in any appreciable amounts making neonates highly susceptible to vitamin E deficiency. Newborns therefore rely heavily on ingestion of colostrum as a source of vitamin E (Schweigert and Gottwald, 1999). This study examined the effect of oral supplementation of pregnant mares with a water-soluble form of vitamin E (d-alpha tocopherol; Elevate®, KPP) from a natural source during the last two weeks of gestation. The effect of supplementation on serum vitamin E concentrations was investigated in mares prior to foaling and in mares and their foals following birth.