Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Histomorphometric Study of Tissue Reaction to Mini-screws with Composite Coating Implanted in the Maxilla of Rabbits

Received: 19 Nov 2014 Accepted: 5 April 2016 Abstract Background and Aim: Stability of mini-screws in bone depends on mechanical factors in the primary phase and biological factors after osseointegration. mini-screws can transfer thermal shocks in the oral cavity to bone marrow. It has been shown that impaired osseointegration and inflammation can lead to failure of mini-screws. The aim of this study was to compare the tissue response to implanted mini screws with and without composite coating of the head. Materials and Methods: In this animal study, mini-screws with 1.4mm diameter and 6mm length were implanted in the maxilla of 12 male rabbits. One mini-screw was implanted in each of the right and left quadrants of the maxilla. The right side miniscrews received composite coating on their head. The left side mini screws did not receive coating. In the next three months, cold (1°C) and warm (40°C) water were injected into their mouth 10 times daily. After three months, the rabbits were sacrificed, and paraffinized tissue blocks were prepared. The tissue reaction was examined under light microscopy. The paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for statistical analysis. Results: The mean rate of osseointegration of mini-screws with and without composite coatings was 32.1±5.3 and 20.4±3.43, respectively. The rate of osseointegration was significantly higher around mini-screws with composite coating than mini-screws without coating (P<0.001). In both groups, the newly formed bone was woven and no inflammatory reaction was noted. Conclusion: The rate of osseointegration of mini-screws with composite coatingof the head was higher than that of mini-screws without it.
Random Number Conversion and LOCC Conversion via Restricted Storage

We consider random number conversion (RNC) through random number storage with restricted size. We clarify the relation between the performance of RNC and the size of storage in the framework of the first- and second-order asymptotics, and derive their rate regions. Then, we show that the results for RNC with restricted storage recover those for conventional RNC without storage in the limit of storage size. To treat RNC via restricted storage, we introduce a new kind of probability distributions named generalized Rayleigh-normal distributions. Using the generalized Rayleigh-normal distributions, we can describe the second-order asymptotic behavior of RNC via restricted storage in a unified manner. As an application to quantum information theory, we analyze LOCC conversion via entanglement storage with restricted size. Moreover, we derive the optimal LOCC compression rate under a constraint of conversion accuracy.
Reasoning about Transfinite Sequences

We introduce a family of temporal logics to specify the behavior of systems with Zeno behaviors. We extend linear-time temporal logic LTL to authorize models admitting Zeno sequences of actions and quantitative temporal operators indexed by ordinals replace the standard next-time and until future-time operators. Our aim is to control such systems by designing controllers that safely work on ω-sequences but interact synchronously with the system in order to restrict their behaviors. We show that the satisfiability problem for the logics working on ωk-sequences is expspace-complete when the integers are represented in binary, and pspace-complete with a unary representation. To do so, we substantially extend standard results about LTL by introducing a new class of succinct ordinal automata that can encode the interaction between the different quantitative temporal operators.
Convergence debugging

This paper proposes a new practical automatic debugging method, called Convergence Debugging, which isolates a set of test cases that converge on the internal root cause of a failure. This method involves evaluating the debugging effectiveness of a set of test case by utilizing a new measure of code-level distance between a set of debug test cases and the test case that caused the failure. The same distance measure could also be used to select a set of debug test cases that maximize debugging effectiveness. In order to gain insights into the root cause of a failure, the debug test cases could be used to analyze the differences between the failed test case of interest and the debug test cases.An industrial-strength tool, called Diversity Analyzer, for programs written in C, C++, C#, Java and VB in the Microsoft . NET environment, is used to experiment with the effectiveness of Convergence Debugging in locating faults in industrial software.
Performance comparison of HARQ with Chase combining and incremental redundancy for HSDPA

We compare two hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) combining strategies that currently are considered for the high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA) evolution of WCDMA. The two HARQ combining schemes are Chase combining, where the retransmissions are identical copies of the original transmission, and incremental redundancy (IR), where the retransmissions consist of new parity bits from the channel encoder. We show that the link-level performance of a HARQ type-II system can be significantly better with IR compared to Chase combining. The largest gains are obtained for high channel-coding rates and high modulation orders. For low modulation and coding schemes (MCS), the link-level performance gains with IR are less significant. We further show that in a system that uses link adaptation we can not expect any large gains with IR as long as the link adaptation errors are reasonably small. Furthermore, we show that on fading channels there are situations when an IR system actually performs poorer than a Chase combining system.
Effects of gamma oryzanol on factors of oxidative stress and sepsis-induced lung injury in experimental animal model

Objective (s): There is corroborating evidence to substantiate redox imbalance and oxidative stress in sepsis that finally leads to organ damage or even death. Gamma oryzanol (GO) is one of the major bioactive components in rice bran has been considered to function as an antioxidant. The present study was carried out to evaluate the antioxidant activity of gamma oryzanol in vitro and its efficacy in sepsis. Materials and Methods: To induce sepsis, cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method was performed on the rats. A study group of forty male Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: sham group; CLP group; 50 mg/kg GO- treated CLP group and 100 mg/kg GO- treated CLP group. GO was administered with an oral gavage 2 hr prior to inducing sepsis. Tissue and blood samples were collected 12 hr after CLP to prepare tissue sections for histopathological study and assay the oxidative stress biomarkers including: SOD (Superoxide Dismutase), TAC (total antioxidant capacity), MDA (Malondialdehyde), MPO (Myeloperoxidase) and PAI-1 (Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1). Data are given as mean ± SD. The ANOVA with Tukey post hoc test was used to determine the differences between groups and P <0.05 was considered as statistical significance. Results: TAC level increased in GO- treated CLP groups (P<0.05). Inflammation score of lung tissue and MPO activity were significantly lower in GO treated CLP group (P<0.05). Conclusion: It seems that GO has a protective effect on lung inflammation and improves the body redox capacity during sepsis.
Parallel dynamic st-numbering and applications

Given an arbitrary st-numbering of a biconnected graph of n vertices and m edges, parallel algorithms for dynamically finding another st-numbering of any specified pair of vertices on EREW P-RAM are presented. The algorithms run in O(log n) time using m/logn processors on EREW P-RAM. The dynamic st-numbering is applied to some network problems such as bipartition, centroid trees and centered trees construction. <<ETX>>
Robust road marking extraction in urban environments using stereo images

Most road marking detection systems use image processing to extract potential marking elements in their first stage. Hence, the performances of extraction algorithms clearly impact the result of the whole process. In this paper, we address the problem of extracting road markings in high resolution environment images taken by inspection vehicles in a urban context. This situation is challenging since large special markings, such as crosswalks, zebras or pictographs must be detected as well as lane markings. Moreover, urban images feature many white elements that might lure the extraction process. In prior work an efficient extraction process, called Median Local Threshold algorithm, was proposed that can handle all kinds of road markings. This extraction algorithm is here improved and compared to other extraction algorithms. An experimental study performed on a database of images with ground-truth shows that the stereovision strategy reduces the number of false alarms without significant loss of true detection.
Learning Local Components to Understand Large Bayesian Networks

Bayesian networks are known for providing an intuitive and compact representation of probabilistic information and allowing the creation of models over a large and complex domain. Bayesian learning and reasoning are nontrivial for a large Bayesian network. In parallel, it is a tough job for users (domain experts) to extract accurate information from a large Bayesian network due to dimensional difficulty. We define a formulation of local components and propose a clustering algorithm to learn such local components given complete data. The algorithm groups together most inter-relevant attributes in a domain. We evaluate its performance on three benchmark Bayesian networks and provide results in support. We further show that the learned components may represent local knowledge more precisely in comparison to the full Bayesian networks when working with a small amount of data.
Survey on Textile Electrode Technologies for Electrocardiographic (ECG) Monitoring, from Metal Wires to Polymers

Wearable technologies represent the new frontier of vital sign monitoring in different applications, from fitness to health. With the progressive miniaturization of the electronic components, enabling the implementation of portable and hand‐held acquisition and recording devices, the research focus has shifted toward the development of effective and unobtrusive textile electrodes. These electrodes can represent an alternative to the Ag/AgCl disposable gelled electrodes usually adopted in clinical practice. This survey presents the main requirements for these electrodes, with a particular emphasis on those conceived for electrocardiographic signals, and the main challenges to be faced. An overview of the main materials and fabrication technologies presented so far in the scientific literature for this purpose is also given. The pieces of evidence resulting from the test of these electrodes clearly reveal the virtues and vices of current technologies, prospectively opening to their use in smart garments for real application scenarios.
Load Testing of GFRP Composite U-Shape Footbridge

The paper presents the scope of load tests carried out on an innovative shell composite footbridge. The tested footbridge was manufactured in one production cycle and has no components made from materials other than GFRP laminates and PET foam. The load tests, performed on a 14-m long structure, were the final stage of a research program in the Fobridge project carried out in cooperation with: Gdańsk University of Technology (leader), Military University of Technology in Warsaw, and ROMA Co. Ltd.; and co-financed by NCBR. The aim of the tests was to confirm whether the complex U-shape sandwich structure behaves correctly. The design and technological processes involved in constructing this innovative footbridge required the solving of many problems: absence of standards for design of composite footbridges, lack of standardized material data, lack of guidelines for calculation and evaluation of material strength, and no guidelines for infusion of large, thick sandwich elements. Obtaining answers during the design process demanded extensive experimental tests, development of material models, validation of models, updating parameters and extensive numerical parametric studies. The technological aspects of infusion were tested in numerous trials involving the selection of material parameters and control of the infusion parameters. All scientific validation tests were successfully completed and market assessment showed that the proposed product has potential applications; it can be used for overcoming obstacles in rural areas and cities, as well as in regions affected by natural disasters. Load testing included static and dynamic tests. During the former, the span was examined at 117 independent measurement points. The footbridge was loaded with concrete slabs in different configurations. Their total weight ranged from 140 kN up to 202 kN. The applied load at the most heavily loaded structural points caused an effect from 89% to 120%, compared to the load specified by standards (5 kN/m2). Dynamic tests included standard actions (walking, running, synchronous jumps) as well as aggressive tests, all designed to confirm the usability of the footbridge. The performed trials allowed the identification of the modal and damping parameters of the structure. The designated first natural frequency with a value of 7.8 Hz confirmed the correctness of the U-shape cross-section design due to its significant structural rigidity.
Enhanced hybrid positioning in wireless networks I: AoA-ToA

Localization in wireless networks presents enormous challenges for scientists and engineers. Some of the most commonly used techniques for localization are based on time of arrival (ToA), received signal strength (RSS) and angle of arrival (AoA) of the signals. In this paper we analyze and propose improvements to the location accuracy of hybrid (AoA-ToA) localization systems. The location coordinates are obtained using a linear least squares (LLS) algorithm. A closed form expression for the mean square error (MSE) of the LLS estimator is derived. Furthermore, the information present in the covariance of the incoming signals is utilized and a novel weighted linear least squares (WLLS) method is proposed. It is shown via simulation that the theoretical MSE accurately predicts the performance of the LLS estimator. It is also shown via simulation that the WLLS algorithm exhibits better performance than the LLS algorithm.
On the Phase Behaviour of Soft Matter: Understanding Complex Interactions via Quantitative Imaging

The effect of microscopic colloid interactions on the resultant macroscopic phase behaviour is a frequently studied topic in soft matter resarch, and lies at the heart of this thesis. Key structural and dynamic properties of colloidal model systems across liquid-solid transitions are tracked using optical imaging techniques. The first studied system comprises of thermosensitive microgels. These are soft, crosslinked polymer networks of colloidal size, which have been used as model systems to investigate various phase transitions. They display a rich phase behaviour due to their soft potential and internal core-corona structure. Especially, their thermosensitivity allows us to use temperature as an external control to tune particle size, volume fraction and effective interaction potential in situ. However, a thorough understanding of the effective interactions between microgels is lacking, and constitutes a key research question in this thesis. We therefore quantitatively compare experimental and numerical pair correlation functions (g(r)s) across the phase diagram, obtained from confocal microscopy and simulations. We find that neutral, swollen microgel interactions are temperature-dependent, but also hinge on whether the core or corona of the microgel is explored. This approach is repeated for ionic microgels with varying crosslinker density, where the introduction of acrylic acid complicates the resultant swelling behaviour. For this reason, we start by decoupling the core and corona swelling response to various charge regimes via light scattering experiments, and found that dangling polymer strands can extend up to several 100 nm outside of the network. Dangling ends had a pronounced effect on the interactions and phase behaviour of ionic microgels, but their contribution is missing within the current theoretical framework. Finally, liquid-solid transitions in concentrated protein solutions are investigated. Two well studied globular proteins, lysozyme and γB-crystallin, were used as model systems with completely different interactions. No unambiguous experimental demonstration of the existence of an arrested glassy state had been published so far for either protein. A combination of two passive microrheology techniques now allowed us to confirm the formation of a glass phase at concentrations above a critical arrest concentration, and to obtain quantitative insight into the concentration dependence of the zero shear viscosity prior to arrest. (Less)
Spatiotemporal structure of somatosensory responses of many-neuron ensembles in the rat ventral posterior medial nucleus of the thalamus

Classically, the rat ventral posterior medial (VPM) nucleus of the thalamus has been considered as a simple passive relay for single- whisker information to the primary somatosensory cortex (SI). However, recent reports have suggested that the VPM could contain a much more coarsely coded and spatiotemporally complex representation of the rat whisker pad. To address this possibility properly, we have carried out chronic simultaneous recordings of large numbers (up to 23) of single neurons, distributed across the entire VPM, in both awake and lightly anesthetized adult rats. Quantitative, computer-based reconstruction of receptive fields (RFs) revealed that single VPM neurons exhibit significant responses to discrete stimulation of as many as 20 single whiskers (mean +/- SD RF size, 13.7 +/- 4.8 whiskers). By defining multiple response magnitude (RM) thresholds it was possible to subdivide these large VPM RFs quantitatively into a prominent center (mean +/- SD, 1.41 +/- 0.70 whiskers, RM > 95%) and an excitatory surround (up to 18 whiskers, RM < 95%). VPM neurons exhibited both short-latency responses (SLRs, from 4 to 10 msec poststimulus) and/or long-latency responses (LLRs, 15–25 msec), each followed by inhibitory responses. Though LLRs were weaker (mean +/- SD, 47.19 +/- 33.34 Hz) than SLRs (119.63 +/- 50.12 Hz), they often defined RFs that differed considerably from those defined by the SLRs of the same cell. In particular, VPM cells with short-latency RFs centered in caudal whiskers (e.g., C1, D1, E1) showed a poststimulus time-dependent shift of these RF centers toward the rostral whiskers (e.g., C4, D4, E4). These caudal-to-rostral (C-->RF shifts occurred in neurons with the largest RFs of our sample (17.2 +/- 2.4 whiskers). On the other hand, VPM cells with short-latency RFs centered in rostral whiskers had the smallest RFs (13.1 +/- 4.1 whiskers) and usually did not exhibit time- dependent RF center shifts. Multivariate analysis revealed that these two groups of VPM neurons, C-->R shifting and rostral position (RP) cells, could be statistically distinguished according to a combination of three RF attributes (short-latency RF center location, RF size, and magnitude of RF center shift). Quantitative, computer-based reconstruction of “population response maps” demonstrated that the “place” coding for each single whisker in the VPM involved a distinct weighted contribution from a large proportion of the simultaneously recorded neurons. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Gene Cloning and Biochemical Characterization of an Alcohol Dehydrogenase from Euglena gracilis 1

ABSTRACT. Euglena gracilis is a freshwater free‐living organism able to grow with ethanol as carbon source; to facilitate this metabolism several alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) activities have been detected. We report the gene cloning, over‐expression, and biochemical characterization of a medium‐chain NAD+‐dependent ADH from E. gracilis (EgADH). The enzyme's amino acid sequence displayed the highest percentages of similarity and identity with ADHs of bacteria and fungi. In the predicted three‐dimensional model, all the residues involved in Zn2+, cofactor, and substrate binding were conserved. A conventional signal peptide for import into mitochondria could not be clearly identified. The protein of 37 kDa was over‐expressed, purified to homogeneity, and kinetically characterized. The enzyme's optimal pH was 7.0 for ethanol oxidation displaying a Vm of 11.7±3.6 U/mg protein and a Km of 3.2±0.7 mM for this substrate. Isopropanol and isopentanol were also utilized, although with less efficiency. It showed specificity for NAD+ with a Km value of 0.39±0.1 mM and Mg2+ or Zn2+ were essential for activity. The recombinant EgADH reported here may help to elucidate the roles that different ADHs have on the metabolism of short‐ and long‐chain alcohols in this microorganism.
Experimental demonstration of the performance of flexible metamaterial absorber on planar and cylindrical surface

In this paper, an ultrathin polarization independent conformal metamaterial absorber for planar and cylindrical surface is presented. The proposed structure consists of a periodic array of truncated square patch element in the center with rectangular strips coupled to the edges. It is fabricated on low cost commercially available FR-4 substrate by photolithographic method and the performance of structure is studied for both planar and cylindrical surface configurations. The absorbing structure having a thickness of λ/128, displays angular stability up to 40° for TE polarization and 60° for TM polarization in the planar configuration. In the cylindrical configuration, the performance depends on the radius of curvature, since different elements are illuminated at different angles. This aspect is also studied and reported with experimental results.
A Fast and Energy Efficient Single-Chip Touch Controller for Tablet Touch Applications

In tablet touch applications, fast sensing is essential to enhance reporting rate and low power consumption is also essential to prolong battery life. To satisfy both essential demands, a fast and energy efficient single-chip touch controller for medium size (7 to 11.6 inch) of capacitive touch screen panels (TSP) is presented. The presented touch controller is designed with fast sensing methods which are proposed to enhance reporting rate and to reduce power consumption. In this paper, the proposed fast sensing methods are described in detail with their implementation and experimental results. The presented touch controller consumes power of 47.50 mA at 10.1 inch TSP, providing the minimum reporting rate of 129 Hz under 10 simultaneous touches.