Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of bone healing following immediate and delayed dental implant placement.

AIM The purpose of this study was to compare bone healing and coronal bone remodeling following both immediate and delayed placement of titanium dental implants in extraction sockets. METHODS AND MATERIALS The study included 49 patients (28 women, 21 men) in need of implant treatment in the anterior teeth region of either the maxilla or mandible. Twenty-three subjects received 37 immediate (Im) implants and 26 subjects received 37 delayed (De) implants. The implants were placed immediately in the alveoli following the extraction in the Im group and the implants in the De group were placed approximately six months following the extractions. The width and depth of the marginal bone defects mesial and distal to the implants were evaluated radiographically using computer software designed to measure distances in digitized radiographs. The mean reduction of bone defect over time was 48% (from 3.4 to 1.3 mm) in the Im group which was statistically significant (P <0.05) when tested using a sample t-test, while the mean reduction was 17% (from 2.1 to 1.9 mm) in the De group. CONCLUSION The potential exists for bone healing and remodeling in fresh extraction socket defects associated with immediately placed implants. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE Im implantation offers the advantages of reduced operating time and the preservation of alveolar bone volume.
Biosynthesis of a Natural Polyketide-Isoprenoid Hybrid Compound, Furaquinocin A: Identification and Heterologous Expression of the Gene Cluster

ABSTRACT Furaquinocin (FQ) A, produced by Streptomyces sp. strain KO-3988, is a natural polyketide-isoprenoid hybrid compound that exhibits a potent antitumor activity. As a first step toward understanding the biosynthetic machinery of this unique and pharmaceutically useful compound, we have cloned an FQ A biosynthetic gene cluster by taking advantage of the fact that an isoprenoid biosynthetic gene cluster generally exists in flanking regions of the mevalonate (MV) pathway gene cluster in actinomycetes. Interestingly, Streptomyces sp. strain KO-3988 was the first example of a microorganism equipped with two distinct mevalonate pathway gene clusters. We were able to localize a 25-kb DNA region that harbored FQ A biosynthetic genes (fur genes) in both the upstream and downstream regions of one of the MV pathway gene clusters (MV2) by using heterologous expression in Streptomyces lividans TK23. This was the first example of a gene cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of a polyketide-isoprenoid hybrid compound. We have also confirmed that four genes responsible for viguiepinol [3-hydroxypimara-9(11),15-diene] biosynthesis exist in the upstream region of the other MV pathway gene cluster (MV1), which had previously been cloned from strain KO-3988. This was the first example of prokaryotic enzymes with these biosynthetic functions. By phylogenetic analysis, these two MV pathway clusters were identified as probably being independently distributed in strain KO-3988 (orthologs), rather than one cluster being generated by the duplication of the other cluster (paralogs).
Designing for Uncertainty in HCI: When Does Uncertainty Help?

End-users are often exposed to uncertain data in interactive systems such as personal health apps, intelligent navigation systems, and systems driven by machine learning. On one hand, communicating uncertainty may improve the understanding of data and predictions. On the other hand, communicating uncertainty can greatly confuse users and decrease trust. While some specialized guidelines for dealing with uncertainty exist within particular fields such as information visualization or context-aware computing, HCI lacks general design guidelines around the more basic question of "will communicating uncertainty rather help or confuse my users'" The goal of this workshop is to bring together researchers and practitioners from across HCI and related fields to establish a better understanding of when and how to design for uncertainty. The outcome of the workshop will be a set of real-world application scenarios with descriptions of the impact of presenting uncertainty in that scenario. Additionally, we will create a set of design guidelines that supports designers and researchers in this emerging space in evaluating whether and how to present uncertainty.
The Potential Role of the NLRP3 Inflammasome as a Link between Mitochondrial Complex I Dysfunction and Inflammation in Bipolar Disorder

Mitochondrial dysfunction and activation of the inflammatory system are two of the most consistently reported findings in bipolar disorder (BD). More specifically, altered levels of inflammatory cytokines and decreased levels of mitochondrial complex I subunits have been found in the brain and periphery of patients with BD, which could lead to increased production of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS). Recent studies have shown that mitochondrial production of ROS and inflammation may be closely linked through a redox sensor known as nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3). Upon sensing mitochondrial release of ROS, NLRP3 assembles the NLRP3 inflammasome, which releases caspase 1 to begin the inflammatory cascade. In this review, we discuss the potential role of the NLRP3 inflammasome as a link between complex I dysfunction and inflammation in BD and its therapeutic implications.
Evolutionary History and Global Spread of the Emerging G12 Human Rotaviruses

ABSTRACT G12 rotaviruses were first detected in diarrheic children in the Philippines in 1987, but no further cases were reported until 1998. However, G12 rotaviruses have been detected all over the world in recent years. Here, we report the worldwide variations of G12 rotaviruses to investigate the evolutionary mechanisms by which they managed to spread globally in a short period of time. We sequenced the complete genomes (11 segments) of nine G12 rotaviruses isolated in Bangladesh, Belgium, Thailand, and the Philippines and compared them with the genomes of other rotavirus strains. Our genetic analyses revealed that after introduction of the VP7 gene of the rare G12 genotype into more common local strains through reassortment, a vast genetic diversity was generated and several new variants with distinct gene constellations emerged. These reassortment events most likely took place in Southeast Asian countries and spread to other parts of the world. The acquirement of gene segments from human-adapted rotaviruses might allow G12 to better propagate in humans and hence to develop into an important emerging human pathogen.
Embedded systems education: future directions, initiatives, and cooperation

In this paper we present the summary of and results from the 2005 Workshop on Embedded Systems Education (WESE2005). This workshop was held in conjunction with EMSOFT 2005, the leading conference for research in embedded systems software. The workshop focused on presenting experiences in embedded systems and embedded software education. Workshop sessions included a diverse set of international presenters leading discussions on embedded systems curricula and content; teaching experiences; and labs and platforms used in embedded systems education. A summary panel discussion concluded the workshop.
May ratio of neutrophil to lymphocyte be useful in predicting the risk of developing preeclampsia? A pilot study

Abstract Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and preeclampsia. Methods: Demographic data and laboratory tests for NLR of 203 pregnant women (73 normotensive pregnants, 23 pregnants with mild preeclampsia and 107 pregnants with severe preeclampsia) were retrospectively analyzed. Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratios were compared between the study groups. Results: Preeclamptic pregnant women had smaller gestation weeks, lower hemoglobin level and fetal birth weight than that of normal pregnant women. NLR in preeclamptic group was significantly higher than that of normal group (p = 0.023) and area under ROC curve was found statistically significant (p = 0.023). However, there was no statistically significant relationship between NLR and severity, proteinuria level, subjective symptoms and onset time of the disease. Conclusion: The findings showed that the measurement of NLR periodically may be useful to predict high-risk pregnancies in terms of preeclampsia, but further studies are needed to determine its contribution.
Size-disparity correlation in human binocular depth perception

To use the small horizontal disparities between images projected to the eyes for the recovery of three–dimensional information, our visual system must first identify which feature in one eye's image corresponds with which in the other. The earliest level of disparity processing in primates (V1) contains cells that are spatial–frequency tuned. If such cells have a disparity range that covers only a single period of their mean tuning frequency, there will always be exactly one potential match within this range. Here, this ‘size–disparity’ hypothesis was tested by measuring the contrast sensitivity of stereopsis as a function of disparity for single bandpass–filtered items. It was found that thresholds were low and relatively constant up to disparities an order of magnitude larger than is predicted by this constraint. Furthermore, peak sensitivity was relatively independent of spatial frequency. A control experiment showed that binocular correlation of the carrier is necessary for this task. In a third experiment, the maximum disparity that supports threshold performance was compared for an isolated bandpass item and bandpass–filtered noise. This limit was found to be five times larger for the isolated stimuli. In summary, these findings show that the initial stage of disparity detection is not limited by the size–disparity constraint. For stimuli with multiple false targets, however, processes subsequent to this stage reduce the disparity range over which the correspondence problem can be solved.
Phase I/II study of the Src inhibitor dasatinib in combination with erlotinib in advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

PURPOSE Src family kinase (SFK) proteins are frequently activated in cancer and can coordinate tumor cell growth, survival, invasion, and angiogenesis. Given the importance of SFK signaling in cancer, known cooperation between SFK and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) signaling, and efficacy of EGFR inhibitors, we performed a phase I trial combining dasatinib, an SFK and multikinase inhibitor, with erlotinib, an EGFR inhibitor, in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients received erlotinib for 1 week before addition of dasatinib; pharmacokinetics were performed after weeks 1 and 2. Four cohorts were examined, including twice-daily and daily dasatinib dosing. Responses were assessed after 8 weeks. Plasma levels of angiogenic markers (vascular endothelial growth factor [VEGF], interleukin-8, and basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF]) were determined before and during treatment. RESULTS Thirty-four patients were enrolled. The average duration of treatment was 73 days. The main adverse events include GI (diarrhea, anorexia, and nausea), skin rash, cytopenias, pleural effusions, and fatigue. No effect of escalating doses of dasatinib was observed on erlotinib pharmacokinetics. Two partial responses and one bone response were observed, and the disease control rate was 63%. Reductions in plasma VEGF and bFGF were observed, and reductions in VEGF correlated with disease control. CONCLUSION The combination of erlotinib and dasatinib is tolerable, with adverse effects consistent with the two agents. Disease control and inhibition of plasma angiogenesis markers were observed. Personalized strategies for deployment of SFK should receive further attention.
From Database Repair Programs to Consistent Query Answering in Classical Logic (extended abstract)

Consistent answers to a query from an inconsistent database are answers that can be simultaneously retrieved from every possible repair; and repairs are consistent instances that minimally differ from the original instance. Database repairs can be specified as the stable models of a disjunctive logic program. In this paper we show how to use the repair programs to transform the problem of consistent query answering into a problem of reasoning wrt a concrete theory written in second-order predicate logic. It also investigated how a first-order theory can be obtained instead, by applying second-order quantifier elimination techniques.
NetworkING: using character relationships for interactive narrative generation

In this work, we revisit the duality between character and plot in Interactive Storytelling, and demonstrate the important role of social relationships between virtual characters in the generation of narrative: an aspect that has hitherto been overlooked as a generation mechanism. We argue that the structure of social relationships between characters can be used as a powerful mechanism to determine a narrative, putting less emphasis on the details of plot structure. This enables character relationships in the network and the situations which naturally arise from character interactions to act as key drivers for narrative generation. The mechanism is fully implemented in a demonstration system which allows the exploration of the impact of changes in the social network on narrative diversity using a baseline set of narrative actions typical of the popular medical drama genre. Experimental results confirm our expectation that changes in the relationships between virtual agents in a social network can yield significant qualitative difference in system-generated narratives. This constitutes a new mechanism for narrative generation somehow closer to how modern dramas are shaped in specific genres, where situations and relationships are determinant.
What Liberal Media? the Truth about Bias and the News

* What Liberal Media? The Truth About Bias and the News. Eric Alterman. New York: Basic Books, 2003. 322 pp. $25 hbk. This is one of the most depressing books I have ever read-and one of the most useful. Alterman, who writes a media column for The Nation and the "Altercation" web log for MSNBC.com, makes a compelling case that the media's presumed liberal bias is a myth, that any bias favors conservatives, and that conservatives have helped create a climate in which it is difficult to practice good journalism. The book, with forty pages of helpful citations, is meticulously documented, particularly compared to the tripe produced by Bernard Goldberg, Ann Coulter, and a few others who purport to document media bias. What Liberal Media? is depressing, whether you agree with the conclusions or not, because of what it says about the current state of journalism. Example after depressing example suggests that even reputable writers and news media are too often unfair, inaccurate, intellectually dishonest, timid, and mean-spirited. The chapters that recount the 2000 presidential campaign and the Florida election debacle are enough by themselves to make a professional or a teacher want to slit his or her wrists. One of many examples is the Washington Times' irresponsible story about candidate Al Gore's famous canoe trip down New Hampshire's Connecticut River, a story that damaged Gore's campaign. Although "almost nothing about the story was true," it was widely-and wildly-disseminated as a legitimate report by reputable media that did not verify its veracity. The book is depressing because "many conservatives who attack the media for its (sic) alleged liberalism do so because the constant drumbeat of groundless accusation has proven an effective weapon in weakening journalism's watchdog function. " Alterman calls the conservative strategy "working the refs," and he makes a compelling case that it is effective. It is depressing because Alterman's research shows clearly that too many journalists are lazy and too willing to put partisanship above fair and accurate reporting. It is depressing because there seem to be no consequences for truly awful journalism. NBC's Lisa Myers, for example, interviewing Linda Lay of Enron fame, did not challenge Mrs. Lay when she said she and husband Kenneth were "fighting for liquidity. " Nor did the sympathetic Myers challenge the statement, "Other than the home we live in, everything else is for sale. " In fact, only two of the Lays' eighteen properties were for sale, and they "were happily sitting on at least $10 million in non-Enron stocks. " Should not there be consequences for such shoddy reporting? …
Five Male Preservice Elementary Teachers: Their Understandings, Beliefs and Practice Regarding Science Teaching

Title of Dissertation: FIVE MALE PRESERVICE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS: THEIR UNDERSTANDINGS, BELIEFS AND PRACTICE REGARDING SCIENCE TEACHING Barbara Grambo Hoover, Doctor of Philosophy, 2004 Dissertation directed by: Professor J. Randy McGinnis Department of Curriculum and Instruction Many factors influence teacher choices concerning the frequency, instructional methods, and content of science teaching. Although the role of gender in science learning has been studied extensively, the gender of elementary teachers as it intersects their teaching of science has not been investigated. In this ethnographic study, I focused on five male preservice elementary teachers as they experienced their student teaching internship, aiming to understand their underlying beliefs about science and science teaching and how those beliefs influenced their practice. In an attempt to illuminate the complex interplay of personality, experience, interests, and gender in the professional lives of these men, this study emphasized the importance of context in the formation and expression of their science beliefs and pedagogy. For this reason, I collected data from a number of sources. From September, 2001 to May, 2002, I observed my participants in their science methods courses and on multiple occasions as they taught science in elementary classrooms in a suburban school district. I reviewed journal entries required for the science methods class and examined documents such as handouts, readings and teacher guides from their elementary teaching experience. I conducted semi-structured and informal interviews. I analyzed data from these sources using grounded theory methodology. Although these five men had many similarities, they differed in their love of science, their exposure to science, their avocational interests, and their views of science pedagogy. This study, however, revealed a unifying theme: each participant had his own set of personal and academic resources that he carried into the classroom and used to construct a distinctive science learning environment. Some of these resources intersect with gender. For example, several men had science-related avocational interests. There was a common emphasis on creating a relaxed, enjoyable, hands-on teaching environment as reported in other studies of male elementary teachers. These findings have implications for elementary school science teaching and recruitment goals for elementary teachers that should be further explored in additional studies. FIVE MALE PRESERVICE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS: THEIR UNDERSTANDINGS, BELIEFS AND PRACTICE REGARDING SCIENCE TEACHING
Psychosocial recovery and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for psychosis

Papers one and two have been prepared for submission to the journal Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. Paper one provided a review of studies investigating staff views about psychosocial aspects of recovery in psychosis. Fifteen studies met the criteria for the review. The first eight studies investigated staff views about recovery in psychosis more broadly. The remaining studies were grouped together according to similarities of recovery themes being investigated. Each study was summarised and critiqued with regards to their findings and limitations. Limitations to the review are also considered. The overall literature is evaluated and discussed with regards to clinical implications and suggestions for future research.Paper two investigated staff and service user views about mindfulness-based cognitive therapy groups for psychosis (MBCT). Q-methodology was used to explore participants? beliefs about a range of views about MBCT for psychosis and to compare similarities and differences between views. Staff and service user data were analysed separately. Analysis resulted in a single consensus factor for staff views, and four factors for service user views about MBCT for psychosis. Overall, the staff sample strongly disagreed that mindfulness is harmful but were uncertain about its usefulness in the treatment of psychosis. The service user sample advocated the utility of mindfulness interventions for promoting wellbeing and reducing the symptomatic distress associated with psychosis.Paper three provides a critical reflection of the systematic review (paper one), and the empirical paper (paper two). An appraisal of the research process as whole is provided, in addition to how findings from paper one and paper two relate to the wider context of theory, research and practice.
Implementation of a Speech Recognition System in a DSC

This paper describes the development and validation of an Embedded Isolated Word Recognition System (IWR) for the Argentinian Spanish language, implemented on the STM32F4-Discovery platform. Its front-end extracts Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC), while its classification step is based on the Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) algorithm. Since the system was conceived as a base platform for the research and development of speech based command and control applications, it was designed to be modular and to meet real-time performance. The system includes a Real Time Operating System (RTOS) to manage various processing and control tasks, which can be easily reconfigured with different acquisition, processing and recognition parameters using a single file. The validation was done using a scenario of robotic control, achieving performance rates which demonstrates the practical usefulness of the system.
Long-Term Follow Up of CSRP: Understanding Students' Academic Achievement Post-Treatment.

 The Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP), for example, is a multi-component mental health intervention that improved academic skills via increases in self-regulation (i.e., executive functioning, attention and impulse control) among preschoolers attending Head Start programs (Raver et al., 2011). But what happens when children leave randomly assigned and highly controlled intervention contexts for “real world” early elementary classroom contexts where there is tremendous variance in classroom and school quality?
On Histograms and Isosurface Statistics

In this paper, we show that histograms represent spatial function distributions with a nearest neighbour interpolation. We confirm that this results in systematic underrepresentation of transitional features of the data, and provide new insight why this occurs. We further show that isosurface statistics, which use higher quality interpolation, give better representations of the function distribution. We also use our experimentally collected isosurface statistics to resolve some questions as to the formal complexity of isosurfaces
Response generation based on statistical machine translation for speech-oriented guidance system

An example-based response generation is a robust and practical approach for a real-environment information guidance system. However, this framework cannot reflect differences in nuance, because the set of answer sentences are fixed beforehand. To overcome this issue, we have proposed response generation using a statistical machine translation technique. In this paper, we make use of N-best speech recognition candidates instead of manual transcription used in our previous study. As a result, the generation rate of appropriate response sentences was improved by using multiple recognition hypothesis.