Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The erosion and abrasion-inhibiting effect of TiF(4) and NaF varnishes and solutions on enamel in vitro.

OBJECTIVE. Previous in vitro study has shown that TiF(4) varnish might reduce enamel erosion. No data regarding the effect of this experimental varnish on enamel erosion plus abrasion, however, are available so far. Thus, this in vitro study aimed to analyse the effect of TiF(4) compared with NaF varnishes and solutions, to protect against enamel erosion with or without abrasion. METHODS. Enamel specimens were pre-treated with experimental-TiF(4) (2.45% F), experimental-NaF (2.45% F), NaF-Duraphat (2.26% F), and placebo varnishes; NaF (2.26% F) and TiF(4) (2.45% F) solutions. Controls remained untreated. The erosive challenge was performed using a soft drink (pH 2.6) 4 × 90 s/day (ERO) and the toothbrushing abrasion (ERO+ABR) 2 × 10 s/day, for 5 days. Between the challenges, the specimens were exposed to artificial saliva. Enamel loss was measured profilometrically (μm). RESULTS. Kruskal-Wallis/Dunn tests showed that all fluoridated varnishes (TiF(4) -ERO:0.53 ± 0.20, ERO+ABR:0.65 ± 0.19/NaF-ERO:0.94 ± 0.18, ERO+ABR:1.74 ± 0.37/Duraphat-ERO:1.00 ± 0.37, ERO+ABR:1.72 ± 0.58) were able to significantly reduce enamel loss when compared with placebo varnish (ERO:3.45 ± 0.41/ERO+ABR:3.20 ± 0.66) (P < 0.0001). Placebo varnish, control (ERO:2.68 ± 0.53/ERO+ABR:3.01 ± 0.34), and fluoridated (NaF-ERO:2.84 ± 0.09/ERO+ABR:2.40 ± 0.21/TiF(4) -ERO:3.55 ± 0.59/ERO+ABR:4.10 ± 0.38) solutions did not significantly differ from each other. CONCLUSION. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the TiF(4) varnish seems to be a promising treatment to reduce enamel loss under mild erosive and abrasive conditions in vitro.
The Pattern of Entrainment of the Human Sleep-Wake Rhythm by the Natural Photoperiod in the North

Recently, it was shown that the sleep-wake rhythm of the inhabitants of the temperate zone is entrained to sun time. In the North, significant seasonal changes in the photoperiod may interfere with entrainment of the circadian system to sunlight. This investigation assessed the influence of photoperiod characteristics on the sleep length and sleep-wake rhythm of residents of high latitude. The study was conducted in four towns and six villages located between 59.5°N and 67.6°N latitude between the months of October and May from 2009 through 2011 and included 2822 subjects aged 10 to 97 yrs, 1621 of whom were females and 1201 males. The chronotype and sleep length of the subjects were assessed using the Munich Chronotype Questionnaire. The instructions for the questionnaire stressed the need to specify the sleep-wake schedule during the week preceding the date of completing the questionnaire. The study found that the length of sleep and the chronotype of the inhabitants surveyed in Northern European Russia depend on age, sex, type of settlement, and place of residence. The time of sunrise was a stronger predictor of sleep length and chronotype than the time of sunset and day length. A later chronotype and shorter sleep length were found for the subjects during the equinox (sunrise at 06:00 h) than under long-photoperiod conditions (sunrise at 04:00–05:00 h). During short-photoperiod conditions (sunrise at 07:00–10:00 h), no significant changes in the self-reported sleep-wake rhythm were found. The time of sunrise had the strongest impact on the sleep-wake rhythm of 30- to 97-yr-old persons. Sunrise had a stronger influence on chronotype and sleep length in January to May, when the days become longer, than in October to December, when the days become shorter. Age- and season-associated changes were found in the entrainment of the sleep-wake rhythm by photoperiod in the North. (Author correspondence: borisenkov@physiol.komisc.ru)
Organisational requirements definition for information technology systems

We describe a model of the requirements determination process based on four concurrent subprocesses which we term scoping, modelling, requirements and options. The main features of each of these subprocesses are described and we propose that the concept of responsibility is a boundary object which links them all. We also argue that analysing an organisation in terms of responsibilities leads to requirements definition in a more natural manner than basing the organisational analysis on activities. <<ETX>>
Store layout optimization using indoor positioning system

Indoor positioning systems have attracted considerable attention from practitioners and firms seeking to optimize the consumer shopping experience with the goal of attaining increased revenue and profitability. Acknowledging the importance of indoor positioning systems in store layout optimization, we conducted a field experiment for 11 months in order to develop algorithms for connecting indoor positioning data with customer transaction data. Using fingerprinting as a primary data collection technique, we compared positioning and transaction data before and after critical store layout optimization decisions in order to identify which customer movement patterns generated the highest sales. In contrast to previous works on indoor positioning systems, which focused solely on developing algorithms or techniques to increase accuracy rates, our algorithms in principle integrate computing and marketing perspectives. Our findings can be applied to store layout optimization and personalized marketing.
Application of automated fetal valve motion identification to investigate fetal heart anomalies

Electromechanical coupling of the fetal heart can be evaluated using the intervals between the onset of the QRS complex of the fetal electrocardiogram (fECG) and opening and closing of the cardiac valves. An automated method was proposed in our previous study to estimate these intervals from Doppler Ultrasound (DUS) signal and fECG for normal fetuses. In the current study this method was applied to the fetuses with heart anomalies to investigate the effect of anomalies on fetal cardiac intervals. Results show that the Pre-ejection period (PEP) and Isovolumetric Contraction Time (ICT) were affected by the anomalies. They were both shortened for three out of four anomalies and lengthened for one heart anomaly case. Results will be a background for a further study on more heart anomaly cases to develop a reliable marker for early diagnosis.
Multi-frequency ECRH system at ASDEX upgrade

A new ECRH system is currently under construction at the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. It employs for the first time depressed collector gyrotrons, step-tunable in the range 105–140 GHz. In its final stage it will consist of 4 gyrotrons with a total output power of 4 MW and a pulse length of 10 s. In this paper we describe recent extensions of the system and some experimental results.
Characteristics of performance in skeleton World Cup races

Abstract Little is known about performance characteristics in the Winter Olympic sport of skeleton, in which athletes push and then drive a sled down an ice track. In this study, official race times from World Cups held on 11 tracks over four competitive seasons were analysed with linear models for athletes placed in the top 10 (35 males in 22 races; 28 females in 25 races). Mean run time ranged from ∼50 to ∼70 s between tracks. Predictability of individual performance expressed as race-to-race correlations was modest (0.36 for males and females). Differences between tracks in run-to-run variability expressed as coefficients of variation (men: 0.19–0.56%; women: 0.24–0.89%) paralleled differences in popular opinion of technical difficulty of the tracks. There was an inconsistent and overall small relationship between push time and performance time on different tracks (range of correlations, 0.57 to −0.14; mean, 0.21). The home advantages of 0.15% for men and 0.32% for women were trivial and substantial respectively in relation to the smallest important performance changes of 0.18% and 0.23%, derived from race-to-race variability. In conclusion, skeleton athletes show less variability in performance time than athletes in other sports, but tracks vary substantially in difficulty and race outcomes are largely unpredictable.
Phospholipase C, p38/MAPK, and NF-κBmediated induction of MIP-3α/CCL20 by Porphyromonas gingivalis

Macrophage inflammatory protein-3α/C-C chemokine ligand 20 (MIP-3α/CCL20) is an antimicrobial peptide that plays an important role in innate immunity. In addition to direct microbicidal effects, MIP-3α/CCL20 also exhibits cytokine-like functions that are critical during dendritic cell activation. The aim of the present study was to investigate further which signaling pathways are involved in the MIP-3α/CCL20 mRNA expression in response to whole-cell Porphyromonas gingivalis. Primary gingival epithelial cells (GECs) and the immortalized oral keratinocyte cell-line OKF6/TERT-2 were stimulated with whole-cell P. gingivalis. Prior to stimulation, GECs and OKF6/TERT-2 cells were pretreated with specific inhibitors for nuclear-factor-κB (NF-κB), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phospholipase C (PLC), and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K). In GECs and OKF6/TERT-2 cells, activation of NF-κB was examined after exposure to P. gingivalis. The gene expression of MIP-3α/CCL20 was significantly induced in response to P. gingivalis (P ≤ 0.05) compared to unstimulated control cells. This induction was specifically blocked when cells were pre-incubated with inhibitors for NF-κB, MAPK, and PLC (P ≤ 0.05), but not for PI3K. These results demonstrate that P. gingivalis induces the MIP-3α/CCL20 mRNA in a NF-κB-, PLC-, and MAPKdependent manner.
Subwavelength hole arrayed stack: Towards terahertz high resolution imaging systems

We report on the electromagnetic response of a stack of sub-wavelength hole metal arrays. The samples were designed for exhibiting left-handed dispersion branches under normal incidence and their transmissivity were optimized via the fabrication of elliptic-shaped holes. An experimental evidence of ground left handed dispersion branches was found around 0.45 THz by time-domain terahertz spectroscopy, supported by full wave simulations. The insertion losses are 3dB for a five-layer structure, this good level being explained by successful impedance matching. This result paves the way of high transmissivity high resolution focusing devices.
Clinical study on minimally invasive liquefaction and drainage of intracerebral hematoma in the treatment of hypertensive putamen hemorrhage.

OBJECTIVE This study aims to compare the curative effect of different treatment methods of hypertensive putamen hemorrhage, in order to determine an ideal method of treatment; and to explore the curative effect of the application of soft channel technology-minimally invasive liquefaction and drainage of intracerebral hematoma in the treatment of hypertensive putamen hemorrhage. METHODS Patients with hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage, who were treated in our hospital from January 2015 to January 2016, were included into this study. Patients were divided into three groups: minimally invasive drainage group, internal medical treatment group and craniotomy group. In the minimally invasive drainage group, puncture aspiration and drainage were performed according to different hematoma conditions detected in brain CT, the frontal approach was selected for putamen and intracerebral hemorrhage, and drainage was reserved until the hematoma disappeared in CT detection. Drug therapy was dominated in the internal medical treatment group, while surgery under general anesthesia was performed to remove the hematoma in the craniotomy group. RESULTS Post-treatment neurological function defect scores in minimally invasive drainage group and internal medical group were 16.14 ± 11.27 and 31.43 ± 10.42, respectively; and the difference was remarkably significant (P< 0.01). Post-treatment neurological function defect scores in the minimally invasive drainage group and craniotomy group were 16.14 ± 11.27 and 24.20 ± 12.23, respectively; and the difference was statistically significant (P< 0.05). There was a remarkable significant difference in ADL1-2 level during followed-up in survival patients between the minimally invasive drainage group and internal medical treatment group (P< 0.01), and there was a significant difference in followed-up mortality between these two groups (P< 0.01). CONCLUSION Clinical observation and following-up results revealed that minimally invasive drainage treatment was superior to internal medical treatment and craniotomy.
Daily Short-Term Intratympanic Dexamethasone Treatment Alone as an Initial or Salvage Treatment for Idiopathic Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss

Objective: Intratympanic (IT) steroid therapy has been proposed as an alternative treatment option for patients with idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (ISSNHL). However, the number and frequency of IT treatments and drug delivery methods remain to be determined. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of daily short-term IT dexamethasone (DEX) treatment alone in ISSNHL patients using laser-assisted myringotomy (LAM) for the drug delivery route as an initial and/or salvage treatment. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: University hospital. Patients: Seventy-six ISSNHL patients receiving IT DEX. Patients with low-tone hearing loss, unilateral or bilateral fluctuating hearing loss or contralateral hearing loss were excluded. Intervention: DEX (4 mg/ml) was injected through a perforation made by LAM. IT DEX administration was performed on 8 sequential days. Main Outcome Measures: Pre- and postprocedure hearing levels. The average hearing level was determined by 5 frequencies (250, 500, 1000, 2000 and 4000 Hz). Results: Nineteen out of 76 patients fit the criteria for initial treatment in the study (group I), while 24 patients, who had failed systemic therapy, received salvage treatment (group S). The mean age of the patients in groups I and S was 56.2 years with a range from 31 to 73 years of age and 46.0 years with a range from 11 to 76 years of age, respectively. The mean number of days from onset of symptoms to IT therapy in groups I and S was 4.8 days with a range of 1–23 days and 15.3 days with a range of 6–28 days, respectively. In group I, 18 of the 19 patients (95%) showed improvement of more than 10 dB in the pure-tone audiogram, with a mean improvement of 40 dB. Twelve patients (63%) recovered completely and 16 patients (84%) demonstrated successful results with an improvement of more than 30 dB. In group S, 14 of the 24 patients (58%) showed improvement of more than 10 dB with a mean improvement of 16 dB. Two (8%) of the 7 patients (29%) with successful results recovered completely. Conclusions: Daily short-term IT DEX administration using LAM for ISSNHL patients without concurrent therapy showed a high response rate and high cure rate and proved to be an alternative therapeutic option to high-dose systemic steroids as a first- and/or second-line treatment.
Overview and Principles of Internet Traffic Engineering

This document describes the principles of Traffic Engineering (TE) in the Internet. The document is intended to promote better understanding of the issues surrounding traffic engineering in IP networks and the networks that support IP networking, and to provide a common basis for the development of traffic engineering capabilities for the Internet. The principles, architectures, and methodologies for performance evaluation and performance optimization of operational networks are discussed throughout this document. This work was first published as RFC 3272 in May 2002. This document obsoletes RFC 3272 by making a complete update to bring the text in line with current best practices for Internet traffic engineering and to include references to the latest relevant work in the IETF.
Uncovering Cryptic Asexuality in Daphnia magna by RAD Sequencing

The breeding systems of many organisms are cryptic and difficult to investigate with observational data, yet they have profound effects on a species’ ecology, evolution, and genome organization. Genomic approaches offer a novel, indirect way to investigate breeding systems, specifically by studying the transmission of genetic information from parents to offspring. Here we exemplify this method through an assessment of self-fertilization vs. automictic parthenogenesis in Daphnia magna. Self-fertilization reduces heterozygosity by 50% compared to the parents, but under automixis, whereby two haploid products from a single meiosis fuse, the expected heterozygosity reduction depends on whether the two meiotic products are separated during meiosis I or II (i.e., central vs. terminal fusion). Reviewing the existing literature and incorporating recombination interference, we derive an interchromosomal and an intrachromosomal prediction of how to distinguish various forms of automixis from self-fertilization using offspring heterozygosity data. We then test these predictions using RAD-sequencing data on presumed automictic diapause offspring of so-called nonmale producing strains and compare them with “self-fertilized” offspring produced by within-clone mating. The results unequivocally show that these offspring were produced by automixis, mostly, but not exclusively, through terminal fusion. However, the results also show that this conclusion was only possible owing to genome-wide heterozygosity data, with phenotypic data as well as data from microsatellite markers yielding inconclusive or even misleading results. Our study thus demonstrates how to use the power of genomic approaches for elucidating breeding systems, and it provides the first demonstration of automictic parthenogenesis in Daphnia.
Redirecting adenovirus tropism by genetic, chemical, and mechanical modification of the adenovirus surface for cancer gene therapy

ABSTRACT Introduction: Despite remarkable advancements, clinical evaluations of adenovirus (Ad)-mediated cancer gene therapies have highlighted the need for improved delivery and targeting. Area covered: Genetic modification of Ad capsid proteins has been extensively attempted. Although genetic modification enhances the therapeutic potential of Ad, it is difficult to successfully incorporate extraneous moieties into the capsid and the engineering process is laborious. Recently, chemical modification of the Ad surface with nanomaterials and targeting moieties has been found to enhance Ad internalization into the target by both passive and active mechanisms. Alternatively, external stimulus-mediated targeting can result in selective accumulation of Ad in the tumor and prevent dissemination of Ad into surrounding nontarget tissues. In the present review, we discuss various genetic, chemical, and mechanical engineering strategies for overcoming the challenges that hinder the therapeutic efficacy of Ad-based approaches. Expert opinion: Surface modification of Ad by genetic, chemical, or mechanical engineering strategies enables Ad to overcome the shortcomings of conventional Ad and enhances delivery efficiency through distinct and unique mechanisms that unmodified Ad cannot mimic. However, although the therapeutic potential of Ad-mediated gene therapy has been enhanced by various surface modification strategies, each strategy still possesses innate limitations that must be addressed, requiring innovative ideas and designs.
A Super-bandwidth Three-stage Amplifier with Single Miller-capacitor Compensation

A novel super-bandwidth three-stage amplifier with a new stability method are proposed in this paper. It could produce two left-half-plane zeros to compensate the two non-dominant poles and the dominant pole, which makes the amplifier had very large bandwidth and good phase margin. Moreover, only one Miller capacitor is required, and consumes not large power consumption when driving a large load capacitor. The simulation results show that for 1.5V power supply, a GBW of 22MHz, DC gain of 100 dB, PM of 62° and power dissipation of 0.708mW can be achieved for a load capacitor of 120pF and 2pF Miller compensation capacitor in 0.5¿m CMOS technology. Finally, corner analysis shows that the proposed amplifier is suitable for engineering applications.
The use of neural networks in statistical process control charts

Neural networks (NNs) are massively parallel computing mechanism emulating a human brain. It has been proved that they had a satisfactory performance when they were used for a wide variety of applications. In the recent years, the efficiencies that provided the NNs also began to be applied in statistical process control (SPC). SPC charts have become one of the most commonly used tools for monitoring process stability and variability in today's manufacturing environment. These tools are used to determine whether the process is statistically under or out of control but in some cases such as the presence of autocorrelation as well as the presence of a specific pattern in the data do not provide the possibility of correctly and quickly detecting and classifying the existing fault. These problems have led many researchers to propose alternative methods for monitoring processes such as the use of NNs. In this paper, we discuss issues concerning the combination of both tools. Specifically, we study the NNs for the detection and determination of mean and/or variance shifts as well as in pattern recognition in the SPC charts. Furthermore, the use of NNs when the data are correlated is discussed. Finally, the use of NNs in multivariate control charts is addressed. The networks architectures that were used for each case, the way of operation and the performance of the proposed NNs applications are pointed out. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Parameters of oxidative stress status in healthy subjects: their correlations and stability after sample collection

It has been proposed that sample storage may have some influence on the parameters of oxidative stress status (OSS) in biological fluids. We measured four important OSS parameters in plasma of 23 healthy subjects and repeated the measurements in the same samples kept at –70°C after different time intervals. Hydroperoxides and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were determined by ferrous ion oxidation in presence of xylenol orange (FOX) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assays, respectively. Sulfhydryls and carbonyls were measured spectrophotometrically. In fresh samples, OSS seemed to increase with age and relatively good correlations were found among different parameters. The meanvalues of hydroperoxides (6.08 µM), TAC (0.334 mM Trolox equivalent), and sulfhydryls (0.562 mM) in fresh samples did not show any significant change after 1, 7, and 30 days of storage. Mean carbonyl concentration determined after 1 day storage (2.0 nmol/mg protein) did not change after 30 days. However, extents of changes in hydroperoxide concentrations varied considerably from one individual to another, even after 1 day. A similar phenomenon was observed in TAC, but after 7 days. We suggest measuring hydroperoxides in fresh samples and TAC maximally after 1 week. Sulfhydryls and carbonyls showed more stability and can be measured at least 1 month after sample collection. J. Clin. Lab. Anal. 20:139–148, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.