Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bone Cement Improves Suture Anchor Fixation

Suture anchor fixation failure can occur if the anchor pulls out of bone. We hypothesized that suture anchor fixation can be augmented with polymethylmethacrylate cement, and that polymethylmethacrylate can be used to improve fixation in a stripped anchor hole. Six matched cadaveric proximal humeri were used. On one side, suture anchors were placed and loaded to failure using a ramped cyclic loading protocol. The stripped anchor holes then were injected with approximately 1 cc polymethylmethacrylate, and anchors were replaced and tested again. In the contralateral humerus, polymethylmethacrylate was injected into anchor holes before anchor placement and testing. In unstripped anchors, polymethylmethacrylate increased the number of cycles to failure by 34% and failure load by 71% compared with anchors not augmented with polymethylmethacrylate. Polymethylmethacrylate haugmentation of stripped anchors increased the cycles to failure by 31% and failure load by 111% compared with unstripped uncemented anchors. No difference was found in cycles to failure or failure load between cemented stripped anchors and cemented unstripped anchors. Polymethylmethacrylate can be used to augment fixation, reducing the risk of anchor pull-out failure, regardless whether the suture anchor hole is stripped or unstripped.
Complex analysis of novel insulation material for rotating machines based on polymer/MgO

Composite insulation systems are an inseparable part of high voltage equipment. The strongly inhomogeneous structure of these materials is the main problem which may lead to defect during its operation. The main aim of this paper is to describe new composite insulation material with the polymer matrix, magnesium oxid filler and polyethylene naphthalate carrier. Dielectric properties like dissipation factor, dielectric strength and volume resistivity are described in this paper. Measurement of partial discharge (PDs), charge dynamics during voltage -on and voltage -off measurements and broadband dielectric spectroscopy measurement were performed, as well.
CYTOEMBRYOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF CAUSES FOR POOR SEED SET IN ALFALFA (MEDICAGO SATIVA L.)

Poor seed set is a limiting factor in alfalfa breeding, as it slows the selection response. One strategy used to overcome this problem is to search for mutations of inflorescence morphology. Long-peduncle (lp), branched-raceme (br) and top-flowering (tf) inflorescence mutations increase the number of flowers per inflorescence, but they do not improve seed set per flower. Here we assessed pollen tube growth in styles of those inflorescence mutants and we observed embryo and endosperm development in seeds 1 to 16 days after pollination (DAP). The number of pollen tubes penetrating the style and the ovary was similar in all tested mutants and in the reference cultivar Radius. At 2 DAP, fertilized ovules were 2.7–3.9 times less numerous in certain inflorescence mutants than in the short-raceme cv. Radius. Ovule degeneration progressed at 2–4 DAP in all analyzed plants. Most ovules were not properly developed in the control cultivar (62%), nor in the forms with mutated inflorescence morphology (69–86%). The number of seeds per pod was lowest in the tf form despite its having the highest number of ovules per ovary. It appears that the number of ovules per pistil is not a crucial factor in seed set in alfalfa when fertilization efficiency is very low. Both poor fertilization and gradual ovule degeneration were factors causing poor seed set in the investigated alfalfa genotypes.
Inactivation of the gene for phospholipid N‐methyltransferase in Sinorhizobium meliloti: phosphatidylcholine is required for normal growth

In phosphatidylcholine (PC)‐containing prokaryotes, only the methylation pathway of PC biosynthesis was thought to occur. However, a second choline‐dependent pathway for PC formation, the PC synthase (Pcs) pathway, exists in Sinorhizobium (Rhizobium) meliloti in which choline is condensed with CDP‐diacylglyceride. Here, we characterize the methylation pathway of PC biosynthesis in S. meliloti. A mutant deficient in phospholipid N‐methyltransferase (Pmt) was complemented with a S. meliloti gene bank and the complementing DNA was sequenced. A gene coding for a S‐adenosylmethionine‐dependent N‐methyltransferase was identified as the sinorhizobial Pmt, which showed little similarity to the corresponding enzyme from Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Upon expression of the sinorhizobial Pmt, besides phosphatidylcholine, the methylated intermediates of the methylation pathway, monomethylphosphatidylethanolamine and dimethylphosphatidylethanolamine, are also formed. When Pmt‐deficient mutants of S. meliloti are grown on minimal medium, they cannot form PC, and they grow significantly more slowly than the wild type. Growth of the Pmt‐deficient mutant in the presence of choline allows for PC formation via the Pcs pathway and restores wild‐type‐like growth. Double knock‐out mutants, deficient in Pmt and in Pcs, are unable to form PC and show reduced growth even in the presence of choline. These results suggest that PC is required for normal growth of S. meliloti.
a Boccia ( indoor bowling ) group : innovative practice

This qualitative study explored the impact of a Boccia (modified indoor bowls) group on the lives of people with dementia and their carers. Semi-structured interviews with people with dementia (N=6), carers (N=10) and the group organisers (N=6) analysed using thematic analysis revealed four main themes. ‘The struggle of being a carer’ was relieved by participating in the group and benefiting from the caring support and social aspects of “This group is a family”. “The unique nature of Boccia” helped it to provide physical and mental stimulation as well as being an inclusive and enjoyable group. These aspects contributed to many participants describing the group as a Dementia friendly environment where “Here everyone is the same:” treated as equals, without feeling hindered or defined by dementia. Boccia appears an exciting initiative but further research is needed to see if these findings can be replicated with other groups. (146
Phylogenomics resolves the timing and pattern of insect evolution

Toward an insect evolution resolution Insects are the most diverse group of animals, with the largest number of species. However, many of the evolutionary relationships between insect species have been controversial and difficult to resolve. Misof et al. performed a phylogenomic analysis of protein-coding genes from all major insect orders and close relatives, resolving the placement of taxa. The authors used this resolved phylogenetic tree together with fossil analysis to date the origin of insects to ~479 million years ago and to resolve long-controversial subjects in insect phylogeny. Science, this issue p. 763 The phylogeny of all major insect lineages reveals how and when insects diversified. Insects are the most speciose group of animals, but the phylogenetic relationships of many major lineages remain unresolved. We inferred the phylogeny of insects from 1478 protein-coding genes. Phylogenomic analyses of nucleotide and amino acid sequences, with site-specific nucleotide or domain-specific amino acid substitution models, produced statistically robust and congruent results resolving previously controversial phylogenetic relations hips. We dated the origin of insects to the Early Ordovician [~479 million years ago (Ma)], of insect flight to the Early Devonian (~406 Ma), of major extant lineages to the Mississippian (~345 Ma), and the major diversification of holometabolous insects to the Early Cretaceous. Our phylogenomic study provides a comprehensive reliable scaffold for future comparative analyses of evolutionary innovations among insects.
Intrauterine Growth Restriction Not Only Modifies the Cecocolonic Microbiota in Neonatal Rats But Also Affects Its Activity in Young Adult Rats

Objective: Elucidating why intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) predisposes to some intestinal pathologies would help in their prevention. Intestinal microbiota could be involved in this predisposition; its initial setup is likely to be altered by IUGR because IUGR delays perinatal intestinal development and strongly interacts with intestinal physiology. Furthermore, because initial colonization determines adult intestinal microbiota, an IUGR-induced defect in initial microbiota would have long-term consequences. Thus, to characterize the effect of IUGR on intestinal microbiota, we compared the composition and activity of cecocolonic microbiota from birth to adulthood in rats with and without IUGR. Materials and Methods: IUGR was induced by gestational isocaloric protein restriction. Pups were fed by unrestricted lactating mothers. At different ages (days 5, 12, 16, 22, 40, and 100), cecocolonic contents from rats with IUGR and controls were analyzed for concentrations of bacterial end products and numbers of main bacterial groups, and submitted to in vitro fermentation tests. Results: IUGR affected gut colonization: bacterial density was increased at day 5 and decreased at day 12. In adulthood, rats with IUGR still differed from controls, harboring fewer Bifidobacterium sp at day 40 and more bacteria related to Roseburia intestinalis at day 100. In vivo, propionate concentration was decreased by IUGR before weaning, whereas the concentrations of other short-chain fatty acids were decreased at day 40, although the in vitro metabolic capability was unaffected overall. Conclusions: We showed that IUGR induced, per se, some neonatal and long-lasting alterations of the intestinal microbiota. The physiological consequences of these changes and their relation to the predisposing effect of IUGR to gut pathologies must now be explored.
Introduction of a Novel Mapping for Cochlear Implant Speech Processing

In this paper we present a novel method for stimulation of the electrodes in cochlear implants. The method is based on a wavelet packet decomposition strategy (db4, for 7 levels) which generates a series of channels with bandwidths exactly the same as Nucleus device. Finally, Performance of the recommended mapping is evaluated by estimating the correlation between reconstructed and original signals with/without the mapping for 10 sample sum of sinus signals of various frequencies, and real audio signals.
Defining the Mechanisms by Which the Reactive Oxygen Species By-Product, 4-Hydroxynonenal, Affects Human Sperm Cell Function1

ABSTRACT Lipid peroxidation products such as the naturally occurring aldehyde 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) are known to be cytotoxic toward different cell types, including spermatozoa. In order to understand this at the molecular level, we have employed a proteomic approach to characterize direct 4-HNE adducts on human spermatozoa. Several proteins were identified to be of particular interest, including aldehyde labeling of histone methyltransferase and dynein heavy chain. In addition, we found that 4-HNE bound to part of the activation segment, cysteine residue 199, of protein kinase A (PKA). Interestingly, at low levels, addition of 4-HNE had a stimulatory effect on PKA. However, this did not correlate to increased phosphotyrosine levels during capacitation. This data explains the link between reactive oxygen species and sperm toxicity. Given that epigenetic regulation is likely affected in oxidative-stressed spermatozoa, this data show that spermatozoa appear to shut down under these conditions before reaching the egg.
Pixel fusion based stereo image retargeting

Image retargeting attempts to adapt images to different devices while preserving the salient contents. Most existing methods address retargeting of a single image. In this paper, we propose a novel image retargeting method for resizing a pair of stereo images. Naively retargeting each image independently will distort the geometric structure and will impair the perception of the 3-D structure of the scene. We introduce an extension to the 2-D image retargeting method that works on a pair of stereo images. We demonstrate the performance of our method on a number of challenging indoor and outdoor stereo images. Experimental results show that our method is able to provide visually comfortable resized images when the resizing ratio is relatively high.
Entrepreneurial Motivations as Determinants ofWomen Entrepreneurship Challenges

Motivation is the set of forces that initiate behaviour and determine its form, direction, intensity and duration. Women are motivated into business by different factors. This article looked at the relationship between motivations and entrepreneurial challenges among women entrepreneurs. Examining the relationship between motivations and women entrepreneurial challenges tends to provide some useful insights into some theoretical issues on the one hand and on the other hand, it raises some practical implications for policy makers both in the government and women entrepreneurs. The results of the correlation analysis revealed that a positive relationship exists between motivational factors and women entrepreneurial challenges. Based on this finding, this study among others recommends that women entrepreneurs should take some time to study the nature of challenges women entrepreneurs face in business and possibly proffer solutions to them before starting their own business.
Tree-based induction of decision list from survival data

The paper presents an algorithm for induction of de cision list from survival data. The algorithm uses a urvival tree as the inner learner which is repeatedly execu ted in order to select the best rule at each iterat on. The effectiveness of the algorithm was empirical tested for two imple mentations of survival trees on 15 benchmark datase ts. The results show that proposed algorithm for survival decision list construction is able to induce more compact mo dels than corresponding survival tree without the loss of the accuracy of predictions.
Explication et réduction de l’impact des violations d’inégalités triangulaires dans Vivaldi

RESUME. Les systemes de coordonnees sont des systemes distribues ayant po ur but, a partir de mesures de distance (par exemple RTT) entre certaines paires de nœud s, d’associer des coordonnees a chaque nœud dans un espace metrique. Toutefois, de tels sys temes ne fonctionnent pas correctement lorsque les distances mesurees ne respectent pas les inegalites triangulaires. Or, les violations de ces inegalites, appelees TIV, sont frequentes dans l’ Internet. Nous proposons une etude approfondie de l’impact des TIV sur le systeme de coord onnees Vivaldi. Nous quantifions et expliquons les erreurs de prediction de distance et l’instab ilite des coordonnees causees par les TIV selon leur frequence et leur severite. Nous montro ns aussi que la distance entre deux nœuds, mesuree par le RTT, est correlee a la probabilite d’e xistence d’une TIV. Enfin, nous recommandons un systeme de coordonnees hierarchique,et nous montrons, par des simulations sur une matrice de delais reelle, qu’une telle approche reduit l’ impact des TIV.
Dual-Beam Directional Modulation Technique for Physical-Layer Secure Communication

A dual-beam directional modulation (DM) technique is proposed for physical-layer secure communication. The main idea is that the in-phase and quadrature (IQ) baseband signals are used to excite two different antennas unlike a traditional transmitter, which is used to excite the same antenna. In this way, the constellation points of the transmit signal maintain their positions as traditional digital modulation signal at the desired direction, but scramble in the phase at the undesired directions because of the transmit signal both modulated at the baseband and the antenna level. Simulation results show that this dual-beam DM technique offers a security transmission method for wireless communication.
Scan Power Reduction Through Scan Architecture Modification And Test Vector Reordering

Due to higher switching activity within scan chain for scanning in/out of the stimuli/response pair, during testing average and peak power dissipation is much higher than the normal mode operation of a circuit. In our paper we propose a method of reducing dynamic power consumption in scan chain by introducing XOR gate at selected places in the traditional scan chain, there by converting the D flip-flops into T flip-flops temporarily during scan. This approach involves reordering of test vectors but not reordering of the scan cells. Our proposed method is verified with ISCAS89 benchmark circuits, which shows that upto 34% reduction in switching activity within modified scan architecture is possible.
The Categorising Characteristics of Facebook Pages: Using the K-Means Grouping Method

This study conducts the K-means grouping analysis on 1,373 Facebook pages in order to find the difference and characteristics between groups, and furthermore attempt to understand the behavioural characteristics of Facebook page users. The study produces four clusters with different characteristics, all of which are named and defined according to their qualities. The four types of pages are the “functional video and audio informational pages,” “audio and video entertainment with low discussion pages,” “high-identifying celebrity pages”, and “food and travel with active discussion pages . ” The result of this study not only provides a clear understanding of the grouping structure of Facebook pages, but also provides reference for fan page managers when constructing management strategies.
Determinação de residuos de herbicidas em aguas utilizando extração em fase solida seguida de separaçaõ por cromatografia liquida e alta eficiencia

O sucesso da producao agricola depende da aplicacao de substâncias quimicas, os pesticidas, que controlam as pestes. Se por um lado a aplicacao de pesticidas e indispensavel, por outro lado, pode ser muito perigosa para o meio ambiente e a saude humana. Os pesticidas podem ser transportados para fontes de agua causando contaminacoes. No mundo, tem crescido a preocupacao com a qualidade das aguas e devido a isto, torna-se necessario o desenvolvimento de metodos para analisar estes contaminantes no meio ambiente. No presente trabalho, foi desenvolvido um metodo rapido, simples e eficiente para separar, identificar e quantificar nove herbicidas presentes em amostras de agua, sao eles: bentazona; 2,4D; cianazina; simazina; acido fluazifop; atrazina; diuron; linuron e ametrin. O metodo consiste de cromatografia liquida de alta eficiencia (CLAE) por fase reversa, utilizando fase estacionaria Nova-Pak C-18, fase movel MeOH:H2O 60:40, v/v, pH=4,6 (ajustado com acido fosforico) e deteccao UV em 230 nm. Para atender o rigoroso limite permitido, que e de 0,1 mg/L para pesticidas individuais, foi feita uma etapa de extracao e pre-concentracao dos herbicidas, empregando a extracao em fase solida (EFS) com tubos C-18. Depois do desenvolvimento do metodo o mesmo foi validado utilizando os parâmetros: precisao (repetibilidade) e exatidao, calibracao, linearidade, recuperacao e sensibilidade (limites de quantificacao e de deteccao). As precisoes e exatidoes obtidas foram menores que 15%, a linearidade foi boa para todos os herbicidas (r > 0,999), as recuperacoes obtidas ficaram entre 63,1 e 97,8% e o limite de deteccao medio foi aproximadamente 21,4 ng/L, exceto para o acido fluazifop (12,0 mg/L), conseguindo desta forma atingir os baixos limites estabelecidos pelos orgaos internacionais. Abstr
Molecular Basis of Exosomal Function during Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection

MOLECULAR BASIS OF EXOSOMAL FUNCTION DURING RIFT VALLEY FEVER VIRUS INFECTION. N. A. Ahsan1, G. Sampey1, B. Lepene2, R. Barclay1, S. Iordanskiy1, F. Kashanchi1 & R. M. Hakami1, 1George Mason University, Manassas, VA,and 2Ceres Nanosciences, Inc., Manassas, VA. Exosomes are small “bioactive” extracellular vesicles that play a central role in intercellular communication and have garnered tremendous interest given the recent discovery of their critical role in a variety of diseases, including infectious diseases. Among these are immunomodulation, alteration of dissemination/infectivity during infection, and modulation of pathogenesis. However, their mechanisms of action remain largely unknown and their role during infections with biodefense agents remains unexplored. We have examined the role of host exosomes during infection with the Rift Valley Fever Virus (RVFV), a Category A priority Pathogen that carries the potential for both devastating public health and agricultural impacts. To assess the role of exosomes, clones of Vero cells that show resistance to RVFV infection and are unable to release functional virions were first generated. Exosomes from these clones contained exosomal markers such as CD63 and were able to activate the TLR3 pathway in recipient reporter cells. Interestingly, these exosomes contained viral RNA (signal for L, M, and S segments). Furthermore, exosomes derived from some of the resistant clones contained viral proteins such as N. Finally, treatment of immune recipient cells (T cells and monocytic cells) with some of the exosome preparations showed a drastic rate of apoptosis through PARP cleavage and caspase-3 activation. Collectively, our data suggest that exosomes from RVFV-infected cells alter the dynamics of the neighboring cells and may contribute to disease pathology.
Trichomonas vaginalis Metronidazole Resistance Is Associated with Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Nitroreductase Genes ntr4Tv and ntr6Tv

ABSTRACT Metronidazole resistance in the sexually transmitted parasite Trichomonas vaginalis is a problematic public health issue. We have identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in two nitroreductase genes (ntr4Tv and ntr6Tv) associated with resistance. These SNPs were associated with one of two distinct T. vaginalis populations identified by multilocus sequence typing, yet one SNP (ntr6Tv A238T), which results in a premature stop codon, was associated with resistance independent of population structure and may be of diagnostic value.
Cardiovascular risk assessment in rheumatoid arthritis: impact of the EULAR recommendations on a national calibrated score risk index.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of the application of the EULAR task force recommendations in the cardiovascular (CV) risk assessment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients according to a national calibrated SCORE. METHODS Two hundred and one consecutive RA patients seen at the rheumatology outpatient clinics of the University Hospital 'San Cecilio', Granada, Southern Spain, were studied. Information on demographic, classic CV risk factors, history of CV events and disease clinical features were obtained. Both the systematic coronary risk evaluation (SCORE) risk index and the modified SCORE (mSCORE) following the EULAR recommendations were performed. RESULTS Based on the classic CV risk factors the mean ± standard deviation SCORE was 2.2 ± 2.6 (median 2). Twenty-two (11%) patients were above the threshold of high risk for the Spanish population. Following the EULAR recommendations 52 of the 124 patients (41.93%) initially classified as having intermediate risk were reclassified as having high CV risk. Therefore, the mean mSCORE was 3.3 ± 4 (median 3) and, due to this, 74 (36.8%) patients were above the threshold of high CV risk for the Spanish population. As expected, patients who had experienced CV events were older, had more CV risk factors and higher mSCORE than those without CV events. CONCLUSIONS These observations support the claim that the mSCORE should be specifically adapted to the population to be assessed. However, the use of additional tools should be considered in an attempt to fully identify high-risk RA patients.