Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between missed canals and apical periodontitis

AIM To evaluate the frequency of post-treatment apical periodontitis associated with root filled teeth with at least one untreated root canal. METHODOLOGY Eight hundred and seven cone beam computed tomography images containing at least one root filled tooth were selected from a collection of 1543 images from Brazilian individuals. Scans were taken using ICAT Classic devices (Imaging Sciences, Hatfield, PA, USA) in a private oral radiology clinic from January to April 2015. All root filled teeth were analysed for the presence of missed canals and apical periodontitis. The chi-square and odds ratio tests were used to verify if there were an association and risk relationship between the occurrence of untreated canals and apical periodontitis. RESULTS A total of 2294 teeth with evidence of root fillings were identified. Two hundred and eighty-one teeth had at least one untreated missed canal (12%). The frequency of apical periodontitis in teeth with at least one untreated canal was significantly greater in comparison to teeth with all canals treated (274/281, 98% versus 1736/2013, 86%) (P < 0.01). The odds for apical periodontitis to be present was 6.25 times greater for teeth with an untreated canal. The mesiobuccal roots of maxillary first molars had the greatest frequency of untreated canals (114/154, 74%), with the second mesiobuccal canal being the most frequently missed (n = 106/114, 93%). CONCLUSION Root filled teeth with at least one missed canal had a high prevalence of post-treatment apical periodontitis.
Community origins and regional differences highlight risk of plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone resistant Enterobacteriaceae infections in children

Background: Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are uncommonly prescribed in children, yet pediatric multidrug-resistant (MDR)-Enterobacteriaceae (Ent) infections often reveal FQ resistance (FQR). We sought to define the molecular epidemiology of FQR and MDR-Ent in children. Methods: A case-control analysis of children with MDR-Ent infections at 3 Chicago hospitals was performed. Cases were children with third-generation-cephalosporin-resistant (3GCR) and/or carbapenem-resistant (CR)-Ent infections. PCR and DNA analysis assessed bla and plasmid-mediated FQR (PMFQR) genes. Controls were children with 3GC and carbapenem susceptible-Ent infections matched by age, source and hospital. We assessed clinical-epidemiologic predictors of PMFQR Ent infection. Results: Of 169 3GCR and/or CR Ent isolates from children (median age 4.8 years), 85 were FQR; 56 (66%) contained PMFQR genes. The predominant organism was E. coli and most common bla gene bla CTX-M-1 group. In FQR isolates, PMFQR gene mutations included aac6’1b-cr, oqxA/B, qepA, and qnrA/B/D/S in 83%, 15%, 13% and 11% of isolates, respectively. FQR E. coli was often associated with phylogroup B2, ST43/ST131. On multivariable analysis, PMFQR Ent infections occurred mostly in outpatients (OR 33.1) of non-black-white-Hispanic race (OR 6.5). Residents of Southwest Chicago were >5 times more likely to have PMFQR-Ent infections than those in the reference region, while residence in Central Chicago was associated with a 97% decreased risk. Other demographic, comorbidity, invasive-device, antibiotic use, or healthcare differences were not found. Conclusions: The strong association of infection with MDROs showing FQR with patient residence rather than with traditional risk factors suggests that the community environment is a major contributor to spread of these pathogens in children.
Image-Based Computational Evaluation of the Effects of Atrial Wall Thickness and Fibrosis on Re-entrant Drivers for Atrial Fibrillation

Introduction: Catheter ablation (CA) is a common treatment for atrial fibrillation (AF), but the knowledge of optimal ablation sites, and hence clinical outcomes, are suboptimal. Increasing evidence suggest that ablation strategies based on patient-specific substrates information, such as distributions of fibrosis and atrial wall thickness (AWT), may be used to improve therapy. We hypothesized that competing influences of large AWT gradients and fibrotic patches on conductive properties of atrial tissue can determine locations of re-entrant drivers (RDs) sustaining AF. Methods: Two sets of models were used: (1) a simple model of 3D atrial tissue slab with a step change in AWT and a synthetic fibrosis patch, and (2) 3D models based on patient-specific right atrial (RA) and left atrial (LA) geometries. The latter were obtained from four healthy volunteers and two AF patients, respectively, using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A synthetic fibrotic patch was added in the RA and fibrosis distributions in the LA were obtained from gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the same patients. In all models, 3D geometry was combined with the Fenton-Karma atrial cell model to simulate RDs. Results: In the slab, RDs drifted toward, and then along the AWT step. However, with additional fibrosis, the RDs were localized in regions between the step and fibrosis. In the RA, RDs drifted toward and anchored to a large AWT gradient between the crista terminalis (CT) region and the surrounding atrial wall. Without such a gradient, RDs drifted toward the superior vena cava (SVC) or the tricuspid valve (TSV). With additional fibrosis, RDs initiated away from the CT anchored to the fibrotic patch, whereas RDs initiated close to the CT region remained localized between the two structures. In the LA, AWT was more uniform and RDs drifted toward the pulmonary veins (PVs). However, with additional fibrotic patches, RDs either anchored to them or multiplied. Conclusion: In the RA, RD locations are determined by both fibrosis and AWT gradients at the CT region. In the LA, they are determined by fibrosis due to the absence of large AWT gradients. These results elucidate mechanisms behind the stabilization of RDs sustaining AF and can help guide ablation therapy.
Quadcopter Modelling, Control Design and PIL Verification Based on DSP F28377s

This paper focuses on modeling and controlling a nonlinear quadcopter plant system using two different approaches. The first represents a pure mathematical model calculated based on Euler Lagrange formalism using only Matlab/Simulink environment, the second one shows a physical model (CAD model) imported from Solidworks to Simscape multibody which include a 3d simulation environment. The controller part of both models are constituted from two cascaded loop, an inner-loop for attitude control and an outer-loop for position and altitude control. Finally, in order to make sure that the result obtained in the simulation environment matched the real implementation, the paper offers a processor-in-the loop simulation using as a hardware target LAUNCHXL-F28377s.
Zinc source influences the gene expression of zinc transporters in jejunum and cecal tonsils during broiler challenge with Eimeria maxima and Clostridium perfringens

ABSTRACT The objective of this experiment was to study the effects of dietary zinc (Zn) source on gene expression of Zn transporters (metallothionein [MT], ZIP 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14, and ZnT 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10) in the jejunum and cecal tonsils of broilers challenged with coccidia or coccidia plus Clostridium perfringens. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used with 2 Zn sources (90 mg Zn/kg from either ZnSO4 or an organic Zn, Bioplex® Zn) and challenged with approximately 5,000 oocysts of Eimeria maxima at 14 d of age with or without C. perfringens (108 CFU/bird) at 18, 19, and 20 d of age (8 pens per treatment and 8 birds per pen) after which 1 bird/pen was sampled at 21 d of age. In the jejunum, co‐infection resulted in higher ZnT 5 and 6 gene expression, while organic Zn fed birds had lower ZIP 5 and 11, and higher ZnT1. Additionally, an interaction of challenge by Zn source was noted wherein ZnT10 was unaffected by the C. perfringens in the organic Zn treatment but was 2.7‐fold lower in the co‐infected ZnSO4 fed birds. S100A9 gene expression, a biomarker of inflammatory response in necrotic enteritis, increased 2 and 2.8‐fold in the cecal tonsils and jejunum with the co‐infection, respectively. Supplementation with organic Zn lowered S100A9 by 1.9 and 4.4‐fold in the cecal tonsils and jejunum, respectively, when birds were supplemented with ZnSO4. Notably, MT, ZIP 3, 8, 9, 10, 13, or 14, and ZnT 4, 7, and 9 were unaffected by Zn source and/or method of challenge. An interaction of challenge by Zn source was also noted for serum Zn concentration, which was reduced when birds were challenged with C. perfringens and fed ZnSO4 but no difference between challenge method when birds were fed organic Zn. Based on the expression of ZnT and ZIP genes, more Zn trafficking due to treatment occured in the jejunum than cecal tonsils, but further studies are needed to ascertain how Zn source regulates intracellular free Zn concentrations and whole‐body Zn status during an enteric challenge.
Characterization of a novel bacteriophage specific to Exiguobacterium indicum isolated from a plateau eutrophic lake

Exiguobacterium is a versatile genus with potential in industry and agriculture. No bacteriophage that infects Exiguobacterium has been reported, despite its potential impacts on the utilization of Exiguobacterium. E. indicum EI9 was isolated from Dianchi Lake, a plateau eutrophic lake in China, which can significantly inhibit the growth of Microcystis aeruginosa. To isolate and characterize Exiguobacterium‐infecting bacteriophage, a virulent bacteriophage, DCEIV‐9 that specifically infects E. indicum EI9 was isolated from Dianchi lake water sample. DCEIV‐9 produced tiny, round, and clear plaques with 0.5–1 mm in diameter. Electron microscopy showed that DCEIV‐9 is a typical representative of the Siphoviridae, with an icosahedral head (56 nm in diameter) and a non‐contractile tail (163 nm in length). Based on a one‐step growth curve, latent period of 20 min and burst size of 51 PFU/infected cell were determined. DCEIV‐9 was sensitive to temperature over 50 °C and prefers acid environment. DCEIV‐9 was extremely sensitive to proteinase K, chloroform, ethanol, Triton X‐100 but not sensitive to SDS. Restriction endonucleases analysis indicated that DCEIV‐9 is a dsDNA virus. DCEIV‐9 can only infect E. indicum, indicates that it has a narrow host range. DCEIV‐9 is a potential new species.
Sliding Mode Control for a Transformerless Single-Phase Grid-Connected Photovoltaic System

In this paper, a nonlinear control of the active and reactive power for a photovoltaic system is presented. A transformless voltage source inverter is used to ensure the connection into the electrical network. The design of the controller is based on the Sliding mode approach to establish the inverter control laws. An analysis based on Lyapunov stability approach is developed to guarantee the global asymptotic stability of the system. So as to verify the effectiveness of the proposed controller, the obtained results are compared with those of the conventional linear controllers under changing in solar irradiance. The results show that the proposed control is efficient and gives good performance in terms of unity power factor and references tracking. Moreover, the power quality injected into the grid is enhanced by decreasing the total harmonic distortion, even under low irradiance.
Two Proposed Indoor Multi-Cameras Positioning Systems Compared to Classical Geometry System

Positioning systems in indoor environments are of a great concern in automation and robotics domains where performing critical tasks requires precision. However, to make these systems widely applicable they must be cost-effective. The objective of this paper is to develop two different 3D positioning systems based on neural networks and adaptive neuro-fuzzy techniques. Sample images of a recognizable object were taken using three low-cost cameras as training and testing data for these systems. Positioning results of the proposed systems are compared with results of the classical geometrical method. The results show positioning errors on the scale of millimeters and the neural network system produces the smallest error.
N Balance Studies Emphasize the Superior Protein Quality of Pig Diets at High Inclusion Level of Algae Meal (Spirulina platensis) or Insect Meal (Hermetia illucens) when Adequate Amino Acid Supplementation Is Ensured

Simple Summary This study aimed to evaluate diets with complete substitution of soybean meal (SBM) by an algae meal from Spirulina platensis (SM) or partly defatted larvae meal from Hermetia illucens (HM) as feed for piglets and growing pigs. Main feed ingredients of the experimental diets were wheat, barley, and SM or HM. The final diets contained 21% (piglets) and 13% (growing pigs) of SM or HM and nitrogen (N) balance studies were applied to measure parameters of apparent N digestibility, complex dietary protein quality, and individual amino acid (AA) efficiency according to the ‘Goettingen approach’. Diets were well accepted by the animals and an extended level of AA supplementation yielded improved dietary protein quality with both of the alternative feed proteins. However, HM based diets provided superior apparent N digestibility. Abstract Two age-dependent nitrogen (N) balance studies (average body mass 25 and 60 kg) utilized 16 male castrated piglets and 16 barrows to measure N utilization parameters of diets with complete substitution of SBM by alternative protein sources (SM, HM), but different AA fortifications. Lysine supplementation up to 80% of the recommended lysine (Lys) supply in diets HM (A) and SM (A) yielded similar protein quality data (63.6 ± 2.1 and 63.7 ± 3.4). Surprisingly, only in piglet diet HM (AA) did the extended AA supplementation (Lys, methionine (Met), threonine (Thr)) enhance protein quality (72.8 ± 6.7) significantly (p = 0.004). Similar trends were observed in growing pigs. However, when the level of histidine (His) in diet SM (AA) was increased, feed protein quality (71.8 ± 1.3) was significantly (p < 0.001) improved indicating the importance of adequate His supply in diets with a complete substitution of SBM by the algae meal (SM) under study. AA efficiency data extend the possibilities to explain the observed responses on protein quality. When an adequate AA balancing in the diet is guaranteed, from nutritional point of view both of the alternative proteins may replace SBM in pig diets.
Framework Design of Storage and Visualization System for Massive Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Remote Sensing Data

With the wide application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in remote sensing, the magnitude of the images obtained by UAVs has increased dramatically. How to manage and utilize those massive images effectively is challenging work. In order to provide a basic platform for agricultural analysis, this study aims to develop a systematical framework for efficient storage and web-based interactive display of UAV remote sensing data. In the framework, we deal with the massive tile-data with high performance clusters based on distributed storage and then establish an effective cache mechanism. Meanwhile, Node.js is used to develop the system's backend, as its event-driven asynchronous IO model is beneficial to concurrence. Additionally, based on the rich-client technology, the application services such as dynamic combination of multi-spectral images are completed in the browser to relieve the pressure of the server. This framework is easy to migrate to the cloud platform, which shows advantages of high storage efficiency, short data query time, strong scalability, and high concurrency performance.
On the Effect of Aging in Detecting Hardware Trojan Horses with Template Analysis

With the outsourcing of design flow, ensuring the security and trustworthiness of integrated circuits has become more challenging. Potential malicious modification of circuits, so-called Hardware Trojans Horses (HTH), has emerged as a major security threat. When triggered, the HTH delivers its payload resulting in denial of service, decreasing the device performance, or leaking sensitive information. Deploying VLSI testing schemes to detect HTH may fail in most cases as HTH are designed such that they are rarely activated. Side-channel analysis schemes have a higher detection coverage. The template analysis is the most powerful side-channel tool from an information theoretic point of view. In this paper, we focus on the template analysis used for detecting HTH in cryptographic devices, and study the effect of device aging on the success of these HTH detection schemes. Due to aging, electrical specifications of transistors, and in turn the power signatures used by template schemes change over time. We focus on Negative-Bias Temperature Instability and Hot-Carrier Injection aging mechanisms. We use the PRESENT cipher as a target, and mount several template attacks at different aging times on target devices and a genuine device used as reference. We deduce the authenticity of the target devices based on the attack success rates obtained by template analysis. Our results show that aging makes template-based HTH detection easier as it needs less traces in old devices compared to the new one (137 traces for a 20-week old device versus 195 traces for a new one).
Appliance Flexibility Analysis Considering User Behavior in Home Energy Management System Using Smart Plugs

The home energy management system (HEMS) plays an important role in enabling residential customers to participate in demand response (DR) programs autonomously via appliance-level dispatch with smart plugs, and the flexibility analysis could help the HEMS to dispatch appliances efficiently without harming user's comfort level. This paper presents a bottom-up method to obtain the flexibility of appliances. With the use of smart plugs in the HEMS, the type of the appliance attached to each smart plug is inferred with consideration of measurement uncertainty as well as user behavior. Then, the flexibility of an appliance is analyzed based on the extrapolated power consumption of the appliance as well as the owner's usage behavior. In the case study, the types of appliances recognized for individual smart plugs as well as the corresponding flexibilities are used as reference for appliance dispatching in the HEMS under various DR applications. The case study demonstrates the performance of the proposed appliance load monitoring method and the application of the proposed flexibility analysis.
Time Series Clustering via NMF in Networks

Time series data mining has attracted a lot of attention in the last decade, especially the research on the clustering of time series data. Network-based clustering technology, transforming data of time series into a network and then used community detection methods of network to cluster time series, is a new approach to cluster time series data. This approach takes the advantage that a network can describe the relationship between any pair or any group of data samples, but the effectiveness of clustering heavily dependent on the performance of algorithms of community detection. In this paper, we cluster time series by transforming them into network and detecting communities by non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). Experimental evaluations illustrate the superiority of our approach compared with the state-of-the-arts such as Multilevel.
Comparative Analysis Of Incremental Conductance And Perturb & Observe Mppt Methods For Single-Switch Dc/Dc Converter

The main objective of the proposed system is to design the various MPPT controllers for single-switch DC/DC converter (SSC) with PV system and compare the efficiency of the proposed system in each case. This is done by using the modeling of the photovoltaic generation system with perturb and observe, incremental conductance techniques and also executed using MATLAB.
Analysis of CMOS-Memristive Analog Multiplier Design

The conventional CMOS analog multiplier circuits used in different architectures suffer from linearity problems, low processing speed, low accuracy large on-chip area and high power consumption. One of the possible solution to overcome these problems is to use memristive components in analog multiplier design. This paper proposes a CMOS analog multiplier design with memristive components. The aim of the paper is to compare the power consumption and overall characteristic of the memristor-based multiplier with the performance conventional CMOS multiplier circuit. The circuit is designed using TSMC 180nm CMOS technology, and the simulations are conducted in SPICE. The effects of channel modulation and temperature on the multiplier performance are discussed.
Inferring Disease-Associated microRNAs in Heterogeneous Networks with Node Attributes

Identification of disease-associated microRNAs (disease miRNAs) is an essential step towards discovering causal miRNAs and understanding disease pathogenesis. Two sources of information can be exploited for predicting disease miRNAs: one includes the connections between miRNAs, between diseases, and between miRNAs and diseases, and the other has the attributes of miRNA nodes. The former contains information of miRNA similarities, disease similarities, and miRNA-disease associations. The latter includes the information of the families and clusters that miRNAs belong to. Similar diseases are usually associated with miRNAs that have similar functions and common attributes. However, most of the existing methods for disease miRNA prediction focus only on the connections of miRNAs and diseases. It remains challenging to adequately integrate the connections and miRNA node attributes to identify more reliable candidate disease miRNAs. We propose a non-negative matrix factorization based method, FamCluRank, for predicting disease miRNAs in heterogeneous networks with node attributes. One of the novelties of FamCluRank is to fully utilize these two oversighted characteristics of miRNAs and focuses particularly on a deep integration of miRNA families and cluster attributes. In particular, the integration was achieved by three different means. We first constructed a miRNA-disease heterogeneous network with node attributes where the miRNA nodes have their family and cluster attributes. Second, miRNAs sharing more common families and clusters are more likely to be associated with the diseases that are also related to these families and clusters. On the basis of the biological premise, we constructed a novel prediction model of FamCluRank to deeply integrate the family and cluster attributes of miRNAs. Third, two similar diseases tend to be associated with more common miRNA families and clusters, and vice versa. Hence, FamCluRank's prediction model is constructed by concerning not only the possible associations between miRNAs and diseases but also the possible disease-family and disease-cluster associations. Comparison with the state-of-the-art methods showed FamCluRank's superior performance not only on the well-characterized diseases but also on the new ones. Case studies on colorectal neoplasms, pancreatic neoplasms, lung neoplasms, and 32 new diseases demonstrated its ability for discovering potential disease miRNAs. FamCluRank is a potent prioritization tool for screening the reliable candidates for subsequent studies concerning their involvement in the pathogenesis of diseases. The web service of FamCluRank, the candidate disease miRNAs for 329 diseases, and the dataset used to develop FamCluRank are available at http://www.famclurank. top.