Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Malnutrition Has No Effect on the Timing of Human Tooth Formation

The effect of nutrition on the timing of human tooth formation is poorly understood. Delays and advancements in dental maturation have all been reported as well as no effect. We investigated the effect of severe malnutrition on the timing of human tooth formation in a large representative sample of North Sudanese children. The sample (1102 males, 1013 females) consisted of stratified randomly selected healthy individuals in Khartoum, Sudan, aged 2-22 years using a cross-sectional design following the STROBE statement. Nutritional status was defined using WHO criteria of height and weight. Body mass index Z-scores and height for age Z-scores of ≤−2 (cut-off) were used to identify the malnourished group (N = 474) while the normal was defined by Z-scores of ≥0 (N = 799). Clinical and radiographic examination of individuals, with known ages of birth was performed including height and weight measurements. Mandibular left permanent teeth were assessed using eight crown and seven root established tooth formation stages. Mean age at entry and mean age within tooth stages were calculated for each available tooth stage in each group and compared using a t-test. Results show the mean age at entry and mean age within tooth stages were not significantly different between groups affected by severe malnutrition and normal children (p>0.05). This remarkable finding was evident across the span of dental development. We demonstrate that there is little measurable effect of sustained malnutrition on the average timing of tooth formation. This noteworthy finding supports the notion that teeth have substantial biological stability and are insulated from extreme nutritional conditions compared to other maturing body systems.
Pricing randomized allocations

Randomized mechanisms, which map a set of bids to a probability distribution over outcomes rather than a single outcome, are an important but ill-understood area of computational mechanism design. We investigate the role of randomized outcomes (henceforth, "lotteries") in the context of a fundamental and archetypical multi-parameter mechanism design problem: selling heterogeneous items to unit-demand bidders. To what extent can a seller improve her revenue by pricing lotteries rather than items, and does this modification of the problem affect its computational tractability? Our results show that the answers to these questions hinge on whether consumers can purchase only one lottery (the buy-one model) or purchase any set of lotteries and receive an independent sample from each (the buy-many model). In the buy-one model, there is a polynomial-time algorithm to compute the revenue-maximizing envy-free prices (thus overcoming the inapproximability of the corresponding item pricing problem) and the revenue of the optimal lottery system can exceed the revenue of the optimal item pricing by an unbounded factor as long as the number of item types is at least 4. In the buy-many model with n item types, the profit achieved by lottery pricing can exceed item pricing by a factor of Θ(log n) but not more, and optimal lottery pricing cannot be approximated within a factor of O(nε) for some ε > 0, unless NP ⊆ ∩Δ>0 BPTIME(2O(nΔ)). Our lower bounds rely on a mixture of geometric and algebraic techniques, whereas the upper bounds use a novel rounding scheme to transform a mechanism with randomized outcomes into one with deterministic outcomes while losing only a bounded amount of revenue.
Loss of Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog in APCs Impedes Th17-Mediated Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis

The PI3K signaling cascade in APCs has been recognized as an essential pathway to initiate, maintain, and resolve immune responses. In this study, we demonstrate that a cell type–specific loss of the PI3K antagonist phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) in myeloid cells renders APCs toward a regulatory phenotype. APCs deficient for PTEN exhibit reduced activation of p38 MAPK and reduced expression of T cell–polarizing cytokines. Furthermore, PTEN deficiency leads to upregulation of markers for alternative activation, such as Arginase 1, with concomitant downregulation of inducible NO synthase in APCs in vitro and in vivo. As a result, T cell polarization was dysfunctional in PTEN−/− APCs, in particular affecting the Th17 cell subset. Intriguingly, mice with cell type–specific deletions of PTEN-targeting APCs were protected from experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, which was accompanied by a pronounced reduction of IL-17– and IL-22–producing autoreactive T cells and reduced CNS influx of classically activated monocytes/macrophages. These observations support the notion that activation of the PI3K signaling cascade promotes regulatory APC properties and suppresses pathogenic T cell polarization, thereby reducing the clinical symptoms and pathology of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
Using real options to manage Technical Debt in Requirements Engineering

Despite the importance of Requirements Engineering (RE) for the success of software products, most of the requirements decisions such as requirements specification and prioritization are still ad hoc and depend upon the managers' preferences and the trade-offs they make. The Technical Debt (TD) metaphor looks into the trade-offs between short term and long-term goals in software development projects that may lead to increased cost in the future. This problem is mainly due to the lack of a systematic and well-defined approach to manage the high level of uncertainty in requirements decisions. In this paper, we propose to apply the real options thinking to develop a quantitative method for managing requirements decisions under uncertainty and, more specifically for managing requirements debt in software development projects. A real option is a right without an obligation to make a specific future decision depending on how uncertainty resolves. We demonstrate the application of real options in the context of requirements debt valuation by using the binomial model combined with dynamic programming. We provide an illustrative example to show how uncertainty creates option value and influences requirements decisions and finally outline a future research agenda.
An access point selection mechanism based on cooperation of access points and users movement

Public areas, such as train stations and airports, providing wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) services are increasing and expanding because of the rapid development of WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 standard. Moreover, because of the advances in smartphone tethering technology, portable access points (APs) such as mobile Wi-Fi routers are being utilized more frequently. Consequently, there are increasing circumstances where a user needs to select and connect to one of the many APs. AP selection significantly determines the quality of service of the subsequent communication session. Existing AP selection algorithms consider user movement but not AP movement. We propose an AP selection method that handles both types of movement effectively. Moreover, we show that the proposed method improves the throughput significantly compared to the existing method.
Short-Term Forecasting of Electricity Load Using Recurrent ANNs

—One solution to the problem of one-step-ahead prediction of the electricity power consumption in suburban areas is proposed. It is based on implementation of artificial neural networks (ANN) that are properly structured for prediction. Architecture named Extended Time Controlled Recurrent (ETCR) ANN is introduced. A proper arrangement of training data is advised. After implementation, promising results were obtained giving, in some instances, predictions with an error less than 1%. In the worst situation observed, the discrepancy between the target and predicted values go as large as 14% what we consider as acceptable and in the same time as an inspiration for further research in improving the method. The method is intended to be integrated into a remote power reading and billing system giving an opportunity to the energy supplier to plan his business. The method proposed implements ANNs that are generally widely known but creates new architecture that is fully original. It is our opinion that it may be implemented with equal success to one-step-ahead prediction of broader class of time series exhibiting inherent quasi-periodical properties.
Continuous Convective-Sedimentation Assembly of Colloidal Microsphere Coatings for Biotechnology Applications

Continuous convective-sedimentation assembly (CCSA) is a deposition method that constantly supplies the coating suspension to the meniscus behind the coating knife by inline injection, allowing for steady-state deposition of ordered colloids (which may include particles or cells or live cell-particle blends) by water evaporation. The constant inflow of suspended particles available for transport to the drying front yields colloidal arrays with significantly larger surface areas than previously described and thus expands the ability of convective assembly to deposit monolayers or very thin films of multiple sizes of particles on large surfaces. Using sulfated polystyrene microspheres as a model system, this study shows how tunable process parameters, namely particle concentration, fluid sonication, and fluid density, influence coating homogeneity when the meniscus is continuously supplied. Fluid density and fluid flow-path sonication affect particle sedimentation and distribution. Coating microstructure, analyzed in terms of void space, does not vary significantly with relative humidity or suspended particle concentration. This study evaluated two configurations of the continuous convective assembly method in terms of ability to control coating microstructure by varying the number of suspended polymer particles available for transport to the coating drying front through variations in the meniscus volume.
Effekte einer frühen Sozialisierung von Ferkeln auf das Verhalten, unter anderem auf das Schwanzbeißen

Zusammenfassung Ziel dieser Studie war, die Einflüsse einer frühen Sozialisierung von Ferkeln auf das spätere Verhalten, unter anderem auf das Schwanzbeißen, zu zeigen. Material und Methoden: In drei Durchgängen erfolgten Verhaltensbeobachtungen von insgesamt 183 Tieren von der Geburt bis zum Mastende. Zusätzlich wurden das Gesäuge der Muttersauen sowie das Integument und die Schwänze der Masttiere bonitiert. Für die Sozialisierung wurde den vier Ferkelwürfen der Versuchsgruppe (V) ab dem 10. Lebenstag des jüngsten Wurfes zusätzlicher Raum (Arbeitsgang) zur Verfügung gestellt. Die Ferkel der Kontrollgruppe (K) wurden in konventionellen Abferkelbuchten im gleichen Stallabteil gehalten. Nach Umstallung in den Aufzuchtstall wurden die Ferkel in drei Gruppen eingeteilt: Versuchsgruppe (V/V; zwei Würfe aus Gruppe V), Kontrollgruppe (K/K; zwei Würfe aus Gruppe K) und Mischgruppe (V/K; je ein Wurf aus den Gruppen K und V). Ergebnisse: Nach dem Türenöffnen spielten die Tiere der Gruppe V signifikant (p ≤ 0,01) mehr als die der Gruppe K, wobei sie vor allem den zusätzlichen Raum nutzten. Zudem stieg das agonistische Verhalten in Gruppe V an. Am Tag der Umstallung in den Aufzuchtstall zeigte sich in Gruppe V/V signifikant weniger agonistisches Verhalten als in Gruppe K/K. Schwanzbeißen trat auch im Aufzuchtstall auf, jedoch nur in den Durchgängen zwei und drei. Am 100. Masttag hatten in den Gruppen V/V, V/K und K/K noch 58,7%, 51,7% bzw. 43,3% der Tiere intakte Schwanzspitzen. Schweine der Gruppe K/K wiesen signifikant kürzere Schwänze auf als die der anderen beiden Gruppen. Schlussfolgerung und klinische Relevanz: Die frühe Sozialisierung steigerte das Wohlbefinden der Ferkel im Abferkelstall durch Förderung des Spielverhaltens. Geringeres Auftreten von agonistischem Verhalten bei der Umstallung führte zu einer Stressreduktion zu diesem Zeitpunkt. Das Ziel, die Inzidenz des Schwanzbeißens zu verringern, ließ sich nicht zufriedenstellend erreichen. Die Sozialisierung könnte jedoch in Verbindung mit weiteren Maßnahmen zu einer Beeinflussung des Beißverhaltens beitragen.
Question Answering with LCC's CHAUCER at TREC 2006

C HAUCER is a Q/A system developed for (a) combining several strategies for modeling the target of a series of questions and (b) optimizing the extraction of answers. Targets were modeled by (1) topic signatures; (2) semantic types; (3) lexico-semantic patterns; (4) frame dependencies; and (5) predictive questions. Several strategies for answer extraction were also tried. The best-performing strategy was based on the use of textual entailment.
FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH IN NICKEL-BASED SUPERALLOYS AT 500-700°C. I: WASPALOY

— The effects of cyclic frequency, hold time, and stress-intensity-factor range (δK) on rates of fatigue crack growth in air at 500-700°C have been studied for Waspaloy—a nickel-based superalloy used for gas-turbine engine discs. The main effects observed were: (i) higher rates of crack growth for lower cyclic frequencies at high δK at 600 and 700°C. and (ii) lower rates of crack growth at low δK (and higher δK thresholds) for longer hold times at 700°C, compared with those at a baseline frequency of 2 Hz. Metallographic and fractographic observations suggested that the effects of cyclic frequency and hold time could be rationalised in terms of the competing effects of enhancement of cracking due to creep and inhibition of cracking caused by oxide-induced crack closure, fracture-surface-roughness induced crack closure, and crack-branching/deflection. Possible mechanisms for promoting intergranular and transgranular cracking at low cyclic frequencies or long hold times are discussed.
ALTree: association detection and localization of susceptibility sites using haplotype phylogenetic trees

Finding the genes involved in complex diseases susceptibility and among those genes, localizing the variant sites explaining this susceptibility is a major goal of genetic epidemiology. In this context, haplotypic methods that use the joint information on several markers may be of particular interest. When the number of haplotypes is large, a grouping may be required. Phylogenetic trees allow such groupings of haplotypes based on their evolutionary history and may help in the detection and localization of disease susceptibility sites. In this paper, we present a new software to perform phylogeny-based association and localization analysis.
Corresponding author KNOWLEDGE-BASED CLASSIFICATION OF LAND COVER FOR THE QUALITY ASSESSEMENT OF GIS DATABASE

Valid classification of remotely sensed data is one of the most studied issues in the geoinformation science. In recent years knowledge-based approach to image analysis has been developing for assessment and improvement of traditional statistically-based image classification. Knowledge-based classification procedure integrates remote sensing imagery with ancillary geospatial information from GIS. Data about land cover stored in GIS database are usually subjected to an intensive change processes that diminish their relevance and include different types of discrepant information. Classification of land cover by up-to-date satellite imagery and automatic updating of GIS database allows revision of discrepant or erroroneous data. The knowledge-based classification doesn’t require any assumptions regarding the data distribution and allows straightforward incorporation of ancillary data from GIS. Compared to traditional mapping approaches knowledge-based classification has the advantages of lower cost, area-wide coverage, and possibility to frequent updating. In perspective of large GIS maintenance the knowledge-based classification may contribute to detection of change and assist automatic updating of spatial databases. The objective of this study was to perform knowledge-based classification of land cover using satellite remote sensing data and GIS ancillary data. The selected target groups of land cover from the Israeli National GIS have been characterized spectrally by multispectral IKONOS data and geometrically by GIS data. The formalized knowledge about the target groups was incorporated into classification of remote sensing data. By means of classification results the discrepant land cover polygons have been detected and suggested for revision. Discussed are classification results and the analysis of detected discrepancies. The classification results have provided an indication of the utility of formalized knowledge for classification of land cover. The proposed method could be one possible approach to quality assessment and may contribute to automatic updating of existing spatial databases.
On the role of query refinement in searching for information: the librarian agent query refinement process

In this paper we present an approach for the query refinement called librarian agent query refinement process, which simulates the role a human librarian plays in the searching for information resources in a library. The process consists of two phases: problem discovery, in which the potential problems (ambiguities) of the initial query are discovered and estimated and query refinement, which analyses these ambiguities in order to provide suitable modification of that query that increases the precision and recall of the searching process. The agent performs comprehensive analyses of a query, based on the structure of the used vocabulary in an information portal and the content of its information repository. Moreover, the information about the previous users' behaviour and the activities of the current user are used for making the query refinement process more efficient (i.e. usage-driven and personalized). From the user's point of view, the main advantage of such an approach is that it enables a user to satisfy his information need in a more intuitive and efficient way.
THE SYLLABLE AS A PERCEPTIVE CRITERION TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN VOWELS AND ‘ GLIDES ’

This study deals with the syllable as a reliable unit to distinguish between ‘glides’ and vowels. Starting from a gestural framework implemented in an articulatory speech synthesizer we generated stimuli varying from syllabic to non-syllabic /i/sounds in prevocalic pos itions of German. Avoiding qualitative effects we reduced the corresponding vocalic gestures in their magnitude by manipulating the gestural eigenperiod which controls the velocity of the gesture-executing articulator towards its spatial target. The transition of syllabic (vowel) to non-syllabic (‘glide’) function were tested by two groups of listeners: 150 native speakers of German and 69 speakers of German as a second language.
PACMAN: Personal Agent for Access Control in Social Media

Given social media users’ plethora of interactions, appropriately controlling access to such information becomes a challenging task for users. Selecting the appropriate audience, even from within their own friend network, can be fraught with difficulties. PACMAN is a potential solution for this dilemma problem. It’s a personal assistant agent that recommends personalized access control decisions based on the social context of any information disclosure by incorporating communities generated from the user’s network structure and utilizing information in the user’s profile. PACMAN provides accurate recommendations while minimizing intrusiveness.
CS EDUCATION RESEARCHThe naughties in CSEd research: a retrospective

continued all, constructing automata is not much different from designing an algorithm or a program. The language is probably much more primitive than the programming languages with which we usually work; yet, essentially constructing an automaton is like programming a solution to a problem. The students experience with design in other parts of the CS high school program, algorithmic design and program design in various paradigms. This course is not a design course. It is an opportunity to introduce other aspects of CS. It is an opportunity to expose students to abstraction (e.g., through definitions of abstract models), abstract flexibility and the ability for abstract generalization (e.g., by changing or generalizing definitions of computational models, changes which are not motivated just by modeling " real-life " situations, but sometimes by scientific theoretical " curiosity "), and the ability to reason about abstract objects. It is also an opportunity to introduce students to some general important CS concepts and terms related to formal language theory such as nondeterminism. This can be done, but how? After all, in the college and university level this course it has a (not unjustified) reputation of an advanced, difficult, and challenging course. How can we adapt it to the high school level, keeping the principles mentioned above? I will elaborate on the " how " question in the next column. Meanwhile, I hope I succeeded in convincing at least some readers of the importance of teaching these topics to high school students and of the interesting challenge it bears for high school CS educators and curricular designers. ir This parTicular column on CSEd Research is both the first in the new form of the ACM Inroads, and the first of a new decade. It therefore seemed appropriate to reflect on CSEd Research in the years 2000–2009 (the " naugh-ties "), and to speculate a little on the coming decade (the " teenies "). My goal is to convey some subjective impressions, and not to review the last decade systematically. The publications I cite are to illustrate a point, and those publications are most certainly not my personal " hit pick " of the decade. Recruitment The very first year of the decade was a heady time. Student numbers were booming. In those days, I do not recall many people talking about how to attract even more students to computer science. Some of us complained about there …
Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) hyperspectral remote sensing for dryland vegetation monitoring

UAV-based hyperspectral remote sensing capabilities developed by the Idaho National Lab and Idaho State University, Boise Center Aerospace Lab, were recently tested via demonstration flights that explored the influence of altitude on geometric error, image mosaicking, and dryland vegetation classification. The test flights successfully acquired usable flightline data capable of supporting classifiable composite images. Unsupervised classification results support vegetation management objectives that rely on mapping shrub cover and distribution patterns. Overall, supervised classifications performed poorly despite spectral separability in the image-derived endmember pixels. In many cases, the supervised classifications accentuated noise or features in the mosaic that were artifacts of color balancing and “feathering” areas of flightline overlap. Future mapping efforts that leverage ground reference data, ultra-high spatial resolution photos and time series analysis should be able to effectively distinguish native grasses such as Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda), from invasives such as burr buttercup (Ranunculus testiculatus).
Effective Removal of Cadmium Ions from a Simulated Gastrointestinal Fluid by Lentinus edodes

Lentinus edodes, a functional food, was evaluated as a potential antidote for adsorption/removal of cadmium ion from simulated gastrointestinal fluids. An adsorption/removal capacity of 65.12 mg/g was achieved by L. edodes in solutions with a pH ranging from 2.5 to 6.0, while little if any adsorption was observed in solutions with a pH under 2.5. In solutions with pH 6.0, 84% of the cadmium adsorption by L. edodes occurred in the first minute. Scanning electronic microscopic examination showed that the cell wall polysaccharides of L. edodes provided a rough sponge-like surface for effective cadmium adsorption. FTIR indicated that the carboxyl, hydroxyl and –NH groups of the cell wall polysaccharides and proteins were the primary functional groups that chemically bind with cadmium ions. The energy dispersive spectrometry further revealed that cation exchange might be attributed to cadmium biosorption. These results suggested that L. edodes was effective for cadmium detoxication, especially in low concentration.