Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
3D object reconstruction using image scanner with multiple light sources

This study proposes a 3D shape measurement device based on an image scanner. The shape reconstruction method using the image scanner is one of the photometric stereo method which uses multiple parallel light sources, but our proposed method is applied to linear light sources. This method is constructed by several processes. First, we estimate an object shape using four images taken by two groups of two light sources located in same direction. And then, the color and specular components are estimated by using several images taken by light sources located in a circular path. In experiments, we investigate optimal number and location of light sources to estimate object shape, color and specular components.
Brief communication: comparing loading scenarios in lower first molar supporting bone structure using 3D finite element analysis.

Finite element analysis (FEA) is a widespread technique to evaluate the stress/strain distributions in teeth or dental supporting tissues. However, in most studies occlusal forces are usually simplified using a single vector (i.e., point load) either parallel to the long tooth axis or oblique to this axis. In this pilot study we show how lower first molar occlusal information can be used to investigate the stress distribution with 3D FEA in the supporting bone structure. The LM(1) and the LP(2) -LM(1) of a dried modern human skull were scanned by μCT in maximum intercuspation contact. A kinematic analysis of the surface contacts between LM(1) and LP(2) -LM(1) during the power stroke was carried out in the occlusal fingerprint analyzer (OFA) software to visualize contact areas during maximum intercuspation contact. This information was used for setting the occlusal molar loading to evaluate the stress distribution in the supporting bone structure using FEA. The output was compared to that obtained when a point force parallel to the long axis of the tooth was loaded in the occlusal basin. For the point load case, our results indicate that the buccal and lingual cortical plates do not experience notable stresses. However, when the occlusal contact areas are considered, the disto-lingual superior third of the mandible experiences high tensile stresses, while the medio-lingual cortical bone is subjected to high compressive stresses. Developing a more realistic loading scenario leads to better models to understand the relationship between masticatory function and mandibular shape and structures. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
2 Volt pulse-driven josephson arbitrary waveform synthesizer

We created a Josephson Arbitrary Waveform Synthesizer (JAWS) with a root-mean-square (rms) output magnitude of 2 V. This system is composed of two 1 V chips operating on a cryocooler. By controlling the relative phase of the two chips' output voltage, we add the voltages in quadrature and create rms output voltages between (1+1) V=2 V and (1-1) V=0 V. We use this control to compare the two halves of the system as a function of the relative phase, and measure a difference of 8 parts in 108 at a nominal rms amplitude of 1 V and 1 kHz.
Enantioselective Hydroazidation of Trisubstituted Non-Activated Alkenes.

A one-pot procedure for the enantioselective hydroazidation of non-activated trisubstituted alkenes is described. Hydroboration with monoisopinocampheylborane (IpcBH2 ) provides dialkylboranes that are in situ selectively converted into monoalkyl-substituted catecholboranes; these undergo radical azidation upon treatment with benzenesulfonyl azide and a radical initiator. Enantiomerically enriched azides were thus obtained in yields of 59-81 % and enantioselectivities of up to 94:6 e.r. (98:2 e.r. if the intermediate dialkylborane is purified by crystallization). A rapid access to enantiomerically pure (+)-rodocaine is also described. The use of other arenesulfonyl radical traps enables enantioselective hydroallylation, hydrosulfanylation, and hydrobromination reactions with yields of 71-86 %.
Methods for Measuring the Impact of Health Information Technologies on Clinicians' Patterns of Work and Communication

Evidence regarding how health information technologies influence clinical work patterns and support efficient practices is limited. Traditional paper-based data collection methods are unable to capture clinical work complexity and communication patterns. Our objective was to design and test an electronic data collection tool for work measurement studies which would allow efficient, accurate and reliable data collection, and capture work complexity. We developed software on a personal digital assistant (PDA) which captures details of nurses' work; what task, with whom, and with what; multi-tasking; interruptions and event duration. During field-testing over seven months across four hospital wards, fifty-two nurses were observed for 250 hours. Inter-rater reliability scores were maintained at over 85%. Only 1% of tasks did not match the classification developed. Over 40% of nurses' time was spent in direct care or professional communication, with 11.8% in multi-tasking. Nurses were interrupted approximately every 49 minutes. One quarter of interruptions occurred while nurses were preparing or administering medications. This approach produces data which provides greater insights into patterns of clinician's work than has previously been possible.
Changes in Cerebral CO2 Responsivity over Time During Isoflurane Anesthesia in the Dog

&NA; We assessed cerebrovascular responsivity to changes in arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) during 3 h of 1 MAC isoflurane anesthesia to determine whether it parallels previously reported time-dependent decrease in normocapnic cerebral blood flow (CBF). Twelve dogs were studied under pentobarbital anesthesia (30 mg kg−1 iv bolus) and twelve dogs under isoflurane anesthesia (1.4% end-tidal). In six animals of each anesthetic group, hypocapnia was compared to normocapnia; in the remaining six animals, hypercapnia was compared to normocapnia. At 1, 2, and 3 h after anesthesia induction, and again 10 min after blood gas alteration (hypocapnia or hypercapnia) normocapnic CBF was determined by the radiolabelled microsphere method. In animals receiving pentobarbital, total CBF during normocapnia, hypocapnia, and hypercapnia at 1 h was 40 ± 4, 24 ± 3, and 113 ± 13 ml min−1 100g−1, respectively, and there was no significant change (p >0.05) at each respective level of CO2 over the 3 h of the study. Cerebral metabolic rate for oxygen (CMRO2) was unchanged with time or CO2 alteration. CO2 responsivity (change in CBF/change in PaCO2) during hypercapnia was 0.8 ± 0.2 ml min−1 100g−1 mm Hg−1 and during hypercapnia was 3.4 ± 0.6 ml min−1 100g−1 mm Hg−1 at 1 h and both were unchanged from those value at 3 h. In animals receiving isoflurane and subjected to hypocapnia, total CBF during normocapnia at 1 h was 97 ± 10 ml min−1 100 g−1 and declined to 56 ± 9 ml min−1 100 g−1 at 3 hr (p <0.05). Over the same time period (1–3 h), hypocapnic CBF decreased from 44 + 5 to 27 ± 3 ml min−1 100g −1 (p <0.05). In animals receiving isoflurane and subjected to hypercapnia, normocapnic CBF decreased from 68 ± 10 to 46 ± 6 ml min−1 100 g−1 at 3 h (p <0.05) and hypercapnic flow over the same time declined from 184 ± 24 ml min−1 100 g−1 to 135 ± 18 ml min−1 100g−1 (p <0.05). CMRO2 was not changed by either time or CO2 alteration. Between 1 and 3 h, CO2 responsivity during hypecapnia decreased from 4.1 ± 0.9 to 1.8 ± 0.4 ml min−1 100 g−1 mm Hg−1 (p <0.05). CO2 responsivity during hypocapnia decreased from over the same period decreased from 9.0 ± 1.0 to 5.1 ± 0.9 ml min−1 100 g−1 mm Hg−1 (p <0.05). Similar time-dependent trends were observed in most brain regions. We conclude that normocapnic CBF and cerebral CO2 responsivity decrease over time during isoflurane anesthesia and that these changes are not caused by changes in brain metabolism
Detection, diagnosis, and repair of faults in memristor-based memories

Memristors are an attractive option for use in future memory architectures due to their non-volatility, high density and low power operation. Notwithstanding these advantages, memristors and memristor-based memories are prone to high defect densities due to the non-deterministic nature of nanoscale fabrication. The typical approach to fault detection and diagnosis in memories entails testing one memory cell at a time. This is time consuming and does not scale for the dense, memristor-based memories. In this paper, we integrate solutions for detecting and locating faults in memristors, and ensure post-silicon recovery from memristor failures. We propose a hybrid diagnosis scheme that exploits sneak-paths inherent in crossbar memories, and uses March testing to test and diagnose multiple memory cells simultaneously, thereby reducing test time. We also provide a repair mechanism that prevents faults in the memory from being activated. The proposed schemes enable and leverage sneak paths during fault detection and diagnosis modes, while still maintaining a sneak-path free crossbar during normal operation. The proposed hybrid scheme reduces fault detection and diagnosis time by ~44%, compared to traditional March tests, and repairs the faulty cell with minimal overhead.
Hepatitis C Virus-Multispecific T-Cell Responses without Viremia or Seroconversion among Egyptian Health Care Workers at High Risk of Infection

ABSTRACT Hepatitis C virus (HCV)-specific cell-mediated immunity (CMI) has been reported among exposed individuals without viremia or seroconversion. Limited data are available regarding CMI among at-risk, seronegative, aviremic Egyptian health care workers (HCW), where HCV genotype 4 predominates. We investigated CMI responses among HCW at the National Liver Institute, where over 85% of the patients are HCV infected. We quantified HCV-specific CMI in 52 seronegative aviremic Egyptian HCW using a gamma interferon (IFN-γ) enzyme-linked immunospot assay in response to 7 HCV genotype 4a overlapping 15-mer peptide pools covering most of the viral genome. A positive HCV-specific IFN-γ response was detected in 29 of 52 HCW (55.8%), where 21 (40.4%) had a positive response for two to seven HCV pools and 8 (15.4%) responded to only one pool. The average numbers of IFN-γ total spot-forming cells (SFC) per million peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) (± standard error of the mean [SEM]) in the 29 responding and 23 nonresponding HCW were 842 ± 141 and 64 ± 15, respectively (P < 0.001). Flow cytometry indicated that both CD4+ and CD4− T cells produced IFN-γ. In summary, more than half of Egyptian HCW demonstrated strong HCV multispecific CMI without viremia or seroconversion, suggesting possible clearance of low HCV exposure(s). These data suggest that detecting anti-HCV and viremia to determine past exposure to HCV can lead to an underestimation of the true disease exposure and that CMI response may contribute to the low degree of chronic HCV infection in these HCW. These findings could have strong implications for planning vaccine studies among populations with a high HCV exposure rate. Further studies are needed to determine whether these responses are protective.
Routes of drug delivery into the nail apparatus: Implications for the efficacy of topical nail solutions in onychomycosis

Abstract The route of antifungal drug entry into the nail plate and the underlying nail bed plays an important role in determining the efficacy of therapy. Oral antifungal agents reach the nail bed and nail plate by being ingested and achieving antifungal levels in the blood stream that are well in excess of the minimum inhibitory concentration. The reticular circulation at the distal end of the digit enables the drug to reach the nail bed, the proximal matrix and the lateral nail folds. The drug then diffuses into the proximal, ventral and lateral nail plate. The primary route of drug delivery for topical lacquers is transungual, with drug applied to the dorsal aspect of the nail plate and penetrating to the underlying nail bed. The new topical agents approved in the US for the treatment of onychomycosis are solutions with lower viscosity and increased nail penetration characteristics; therefore, these agents penetrate through the transungual route, but also through the space between the nail plate and the nail bed. This subungual route is an important method of drug delivery and is able to in part circumvent the thickness of the nail plate.
Time interval to conversion of interferon-&ggr; release assay after exposure to tuberculosis

The proper interval for repeating an interferon-&ggr; release assay (IGRA) among tuberculosis contacts with initially negative results is unknown. The interval for IGRA conversion after exposure to patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis in an outbreak setting was evaluated. In a platoon of 32 soldiers, four active pulmonary tuberculosis patients, in addition to one index patient, were diagnosed during a contact investigation. For the other 27 contacts, a tuberculin skin test (TST) and QuantiFERON® TB-Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assay were performed. For soldiers with a negative result on the initial QFT-GIT assay, the test was repeated at 2, 4, 8, 14, 18 and 30 weeks until positive conversion occurred. When conversion was identified, the subject was treated for latent tuberculosis infection. Initially, 17 (63.0%) soldiers gave positive QFT-GIT results, whereas 21 (77.8%) showed positive TST results. Among 10 participants with initially negative QFT-GIT results, three showed conversion at 2 weeks, three at 4 weeks and three at 14 weeks. Conversion did not occur during the 30-week observation period in one contact. Based on the tuberculosis exposure time-points among the contacts, IGRA conversion generally occurred 4–7 weeks after exposure, although it could occur as late as 14–22 weeks after exposure.
Risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease among health care workers, Chiang Rai, Thailand.

SETTING A provincial referral hospital in northern Thailand, where a cross-sectional study during 1995-1996 reported on the occupational risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis transmission. OBJECTIVE To describe the effectiveness of prevention strategies for nosocomial tuberculosis (TB). DESIGN A prospective study among health care workers (HCW) including annual tuberculin skin test (TST) screening and active TB surveillance. Following a comprehensive risk assessment, preventive interventions were implemented targeting HCWs, hospitalised patients, and the hospital environment. RESULTS The number of pulmonary TB cases diagnosed increased steadily from 102 in 1990 to 356 in 1999. The TST conversion rate was 9.3 (95% CI 3.3-15) per 100 person-years (py) in 1995-1997, but declined steadily to 2.2 (95% CI 0.0-5.1) in 1999. HCWs first screened within 12 months of employment had higher TST conversion rates (adjusted RR = 9.5, 95% CI 1.8-49.5) compared to those employed for longer than 12 months. The annual rate of active TB per 100 000 HCWs was 536 in 1995-1999. CONCLUSION These HCWs were exposed to active TB patients and were at risk for M. tuberculosis infection, particularly during their first 12 months of employment. Implementation of nosocomial TB control measures in 1996 was followed by declining TST conversion rates, despite increasing exposure to active TB patients.
Neurohumoral Activity, Heart Failure and Prognosis in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Treated by Hemodialysis

Background: Chronic renal failure treated by regular hemodialysis is frequently accompanied by chronic heart failure; the mortality of both is high. Aim: To evaluate the role of markers of neurohumoral activation for the prognosis of patients treated with regular dialysis. Patients: 99 patients with end-stage renal disease were followed up for 3 years. Methods: Clinical evaluation, echocardiography, biochemistry including NT-proBNP and big endothelin (Big-ET). Results: The incidence of heart failure was 97% and the 3-year mortality was 50%. The sensitivity of NT-proBNP and Big-ET level for the prediction of death was 0.712 and 0.824, respectively, and specificity 0.642 and 0.695, respectively. The cut-off points were NT-proBNP ≧2,000 pg/ml and Big-ET ≧1.55 pmol/l. Neither NT-proBNP nor Big-ET could be incorporated in the multivariate model for overall survival, which means that although both parameters significantly influenced overall survival as single risk factors, they were not effective in competition with the other significant predictors. Conclusion: Overall survival seems to be influenced namely by age, hemoglobin, left atrium diameter or pulmonary congestion class on chest X-ray, while probability of early risk was associated with Big-ET, history of diabetes mellitus, C-reactive protein, uric acid and hemoglobin. The only intersection of the models is hemoglobin as a thoroughly significant predictor.
DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMICS

Competition between political parties is a process that unfolds over time whereas formal theories of party competition have tended to take an essentially static, or one-shot, approach. This leaves some gaps in our understanding of the dynamics of campaigning. The aim of this paper is to make up some of this gap. This is done using a differential game theory model to analyse a situation in which support for a party depends on the amount spent on marketing relative to the expenditure of the other party. One of the main results is that, even when voters are not myopic, the logic of the competition forces parties to accelerate expenditure on campaigning during the period between elections.
MR measurement of coronary blood flow

The functional significance of coronary arterial stenosis can be evaluated by measuring the pharmacological flow reserve. Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging has a unique potential for noninvasive measurement of coronary blood flow and flow reserve in the native coronary artery and bypass graft. Restenosis after coronary balloon angioplasty and stenting in the left anterior descending artery can be detected noninvasively with serial MR measurements of the coronary flow reserve. Further refinement of the MR pulse sequences to improve spatial and temporal resolutions may permit accurate quantification of blood flow volume and flow reserve in all major coronary arterial branches. MR assessments of blood flow volume and flow pattern allow noninvasive detection of significant stenosis in the coronary artery bypass graft as well. By integrating MR blood flow measurement in the coronary sinus and cine MR assessment of left ventricular myocardial mass, altered myocardial micro‐circulation in patients with diffuse myocardial diseases, such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and cardiac transplant, has been documented. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 1999;10:728–733. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Small-Signal Analysis of Decananometer Bulk and SOI MOSFETs for Analog/Mixed-Signal and RF Applications Using the Time-Dependent Monte Carlo Approach

A state-of-the-art Monte Carlo simulator is applied to the investigation of the radio-frequency performance of bulk and ultrathin-body single-gate SOI MOSFETs that are designed according to the prescriptions of the 2005 ITRS for analog and mixed-signal applications. We provide an analysis of the signal-delay buildup along the channel and an investigation of the scaling properties of the parameters of the ac equivalent circuit, the transition frequency, and the 3-dB bandwidth of the voltage gain in common-source configuration. A comparison with a standard drift-diffusion approach is presented in order to discuss the main differences between the two transport models in terms of high-frequency ac analysis.
Disruption of six unknown open reading frames from Saccharomyces cerevisiae reveals two genes involved in vacuolar morphogenesis and one gene required for sporulation

In this report we describe the construction and basic phenotypic analysis of deletion mutants in six open reading frames (ORFs) of unknown function from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Using the dominant kanMX marker and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methods, deletion cassettes were constructed for five ORFs (YNL099c, YNL100w, YNL101w, YNL106c and YNL242w ) located on chromosome XIV and one ORF (YOR109w ) located on chomosome XV. The recovery of viable haploid deletant strains among the meiotic products of heterozygous deletants for each ORF demonstrated that none of the analysed ORFs was essential. With the exception of YNL242w, no alterations in growth characteristics or mating and sporulation efficiencies associated with deletion of the ORFs were observed. Homozygous diploid ynl242wΔ cells obtained in three different genetic backgrounds were unable to sporulate, indicating that the product of this ORF is required for sporulation. Complementation of the sporulation defect by the cognate gene clone confirmed this observation. YNL106c and YOR109w are very similar and show strong sequence homology with a mammalian phosphatidylinositol‐phosphate 5‐phosphatase, synaptojanin, known to be involved in synaptic vesicle cycling. Strains bearing single and double deletions of YNL106c and YOR109w were seen to display abnormal vacuolar morphologies of varying degrees. Complementation tests indicated that YNL106c and YOR109w are redundant genes. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long-term clinical outcomes following drug-eluting or bare-metal stent placement in patients with severely reduced GFR: Results of the Massachusetts Data Analysis Center (Mass-DAC) State Registry.

BACKGROUND Patients with chronic kidney disease have been under-represented in randomized trials of drug-eluting stents relative to bare-metal stents and are at high risk of mortality. STUDY DESIGN Cohort study with propensity score matching. SETTINGS & PARTICIPANTS All adults with chronic kidney disease and severely decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR; serum creatinine >2.0 mg/dL or dialysis dependence) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with stent placement between April 1, 2003, and September 30, 2005, at all acute-care nonfederal hospitals in Massachusetts. PREDICTOR Patients were classified as drug-eluting stent-treated if all stents were drug eluting and bare-metal stent-treated if all stents were bare metal. Patients treated with both types of stents were excluded from the primary analysis. OUTCOMES & MEASUREMENTS 2-year crude mortality risk differences (drug-eluting - bare-metal stents) were determined from vital statistics records, and risk-adjusted mortality, myocardial infraction (MI), and revascularization differences were estimated using propensity score matching of patients with severely reduced GFR based on clinical and procedural information collected at the index admission. RESULTS 1,749 patients with severely reduced GFR (24% dialysis dependent) were treated with drug-eluting (n = 1,256) or bare-metal stents (n = 493) during the study. Overall 2-year mortality was 32.8% (unadjusted drug-eluting stent vs bare-metal stent; 30.1% vs 39.8%; P < 0.001). After propensity score matching 431 patients with a drug-eluting stent to 431 patients with a bare-metal stent, 2-year risk-adjusted mortality, MI, and target-vessel revascularization rates were 39.4% versus 37.4% (risk difference, 2.1%; 95% CI, -4.3 to 8.5; P = 0.5), 16.0% versus 19.0% (risk difference, -3.0%; 95% CI, -8.2 to 2.1; P = 0.3), and 13.0% versus 17.6% (risk difference, -4.6%; 95% CI, -9.5 to 0.3; P = 0.06). LIMITATIONS Observational design, ascertainment of serum creatinine level >2.0 mg/dL and dialysis dependence from case report forms. CONCLUSIONS In patients with severely decreased GFR, treatment with drug-eluting stents was associated with a modest decrease in target-vessel revascularization not reaching statistical significance and was not associated with a difference in risk-adjusted rates of mortality or MI at 2 years compared with bare-metal stents.