Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association Between Periodontitis and Impaired Fasting Glucose and Diabetes

OBJECTIVE Many studies have reported that periodontal disease is associated with diabetes, but its relation with impaired fasting glucose (IFG) has been understudied. This study investigated the relationship between chronic periodontitis, IFG, and diabetes in the U.S. population. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, aged ≥20 years, who received periodontal examinations and provided blood samples (n = 12,254) were grouped into quintiles of mean clinical attachment loss (CAL) and pocket depth, with the lowest category being the reference. Plasma fasting glucose was categorized into three groups (normal, <100 mg/dL; IFG, ≥100 but <126 mg/dL; and diabetic, ≥126 mg/dL). Sociodemographic factors and other potential risk factors were obtained by interview or examination. SAS 9.1 was used for statistical analysis accounting for the complex weighted sampling. RESULTS Participants in the top quintile category of CAL had higher prevalence odds of IFG (odds ratio [OR] 1.55 [95% CI 1.16–2.07]) and diabetes (4.77 [2.69–8.46]) after adjustment for related confounders, compared with those in the bottom quintile. The highest quintile of pocket depth was positively associated with IFG (1.39 [1.00–1.92]) and diabetes (1.63 [1.10–2.42]) compared with the lowest quintile. ORs for CAL increased from the lowest to the highest quintile (P value test for trend <0.01) for all outcomes. The ORs for pocket depth also tended to rise across quintiles. CONCLUSIONS Chronic periodontitis measured by CAL and pocket depth was positively associated in a linear relation with IFG and diabetes in U.S. adults.
Automatic Processing of Large Corpora for the Resolution of Anaphora References

Manual acquisition of semantic constraints in broad domains is very expensive. This paper presents an automatic scheme for collecting statistics on cooccurrence patterns in a large corpus. To a large extent, these statistics reflect semantic constraints and thus are used to disambiguate anaphora references and syntactic ambiguities. The scheme was implemented by gathering statistics on the output of other linguistic tools. An experiment was performed to resolve references of the pronoun "it" in sentences that were randomly selected from the corpus. The results of the experiment show that in most of the cases the cooccurrence statistics indeed reflect the semantic constraints and thus provide a basis for a useful disambiguation tool.
Electrical Properties and Excitation-Contraction Coupling in Skeletal Muscle Treated with Ethylene Glycol

The contractility of the frog sartorius muscle was suppressed after treatment with a Ringer solution added with ethylene glycol (EGR). No contraction was elicited by nerve stimulation when the muscle was brought back to normal Ringer solution after having been soaked in 876 mM EGR for 4 hr or in 1095 mM EGR for 2 hr. However, the action potential of normal amplitude was generated and followed by a depolarizing afterpotential. The resting membrane potential was slightly decreased from the mean normal value of –91.1 mv to –78.8 mv when 1095 mM EGR was used, and to –82.3 mv when 876 mM EGR was used, but remained almost constant for as long as 2 hr. The afterpotential that follows a train of impulses and a slow change in membrane potential produced by a step hyperpolarizing current (so-called "creep") were suppressed after treatment with ethylene glycol. The specific membrane capacity decreased to about 50% of the control values while the specific membrane resistance increased to about twice the control values Therefore, the membrane time constant remained essentially unchanged. The water content of the muscle decreased by about 30% during a 2 hr immersion in 1095 mM EGR, and increased by about 30% beyond the original control level after bringing the muscle back to normal Ringer. The intracellular potassium content did not change significantly during these procedures. Some differences between the present results and those obtained with glycerol are discussed.
Role of tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes in the host defense mechanism against lung cancer

Tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and tumor‐associated macrophages (TAM) were recovered from 22 patients with primary lung cancer. The TIL did not exhibit any cytolytic activity against various target cells. The average percentage of TIL recovered was 6.7 ± 1.3% in patients without recurrence, as compared to 3.6 ± 0.6% in those with recurrence within 2 years after complete resection of lung cancer (P<0.05). The average cytostatic activity of TAM was 38.5 ± 6.8% in patients without recurrence, although it was 25.2 ± 4.6% in those with recurrence within 2 years after complete resection (P<0.1). The activity of macrophage activating factor (MAF) induced by TIL was also higher in patients showing no recurrence. A significant positive correlation was observed between MAF activity induced by TIL and the cytostatic activity of individual TAM. These results suggest that antitumor activity of TAM may be controlled by specifically sensitized TIL through lymphokines.
Commentary on effects of anthropogenic and natural organic chemicals on development, swimming behavior, and reproduction of Daphnia, a key member of aquatic ecosystems.

Because of their trophodynamic role, small invertebrates are often critical components of ecosystems. An especially important group of freshwater invertebrates is the water fleas of the genus Daphnia. These animals are often the dominant herbivores in lakes and ponds. They play a key role in determining water clarity (by grazing on algae) and they are an important part of the diet of fish. Natural chemical signals (kairomones) produced by predators affect the development, life history strategy, and behavior of zooplankton. Laboratory studies of anthropogenic chemicals that have biological activity (xenobiotics), such as the insecticide carbaryl, have demonstrated effects of concentrations in the 1 to 5 ppb range on Daphnia development, growth rate, and swimming behavior in our laboratory experiments. Low concentrations of carbaryl inhibit growth and reproduction and delay maturation, whereas survivorship was not effected. These sublethal exposures to carbaryl reduced Daphnia population growth rate (productivity) by about 15% (at 5 ppb), enough to have significant ecological effects on the rest of the lake community. The insecticide carbaryl showed synergistic interactions with natural chemicals associated with predators (kairomones) that modify Daphnia development and life history characteristic. In addition, there were complex synergisms between carbaryl, the predator odors, and oxygen concentration (low oxygen concentration can be either a natural environmental stress or an anthropogenic stress). Daphnia produce males facultatively, usually in late fall; at other times, reproduction is asexual. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Echoes in motion : An acoustic camera ( DIDSON ) as a monitoring tool in applied freshwater ecology

5 Introduction . 6 Material and Methods . 13 Results and Discussion . 21 CHAPTER I . 21 CHAPTER II . 39 CHAPTER III . 55 Conclusions . 71 References . 73 KURZZUSAMMENFASSUNG . 85 ERKLÄRUNG . 87 Curriculum vitae . 89 Abbreviations and terms 2 Abbreviations and terms 0+ same definition as young of the year fishes, that had hatched within that year Beam Defined volume of water ensonified by the sonar ARIS Adaptive Resolution Imaging Sonar Bull The phrase “bulls” originates from the Garonne River and is related to the Occitan language (Cassou-Leins et al., 2000). It has been established among French scientists and describes a typical A. alosa mating with circling individuals. DIDSON Dual Frequency Identification Sonar Echogram A chart plotting received sonar data over time. Typically the x-axis shows the time or the pings and the y-axis the received intensities over the range. EFA Elliptic Fourier Analysis Fish trace Footprint of an object (fish) in the sonar beam plotted in an echogram over the time. HPP Hydro power plant NEFD Normalised Elliptic Fourier Descriptor PCA Principal Component Analysis YOY Young of the year fishes, that had hatched within that year
Near-optimal landmark selection for mobile robot navigation

The ability to accurately localize themselves is a fundamental pre-condition for service robots designed to carry out navigation and transportation tasks. Because of the high degree of dynamics in populated and real-world environments, often artificial landmarks are used to achieve the desired accuracy in localization. In this paper we consider the problem of optimally placing landmarks for robots navigating frequently on similar trajectories. Our method maximizes conditional mutual information of the states of the robot given the landmark observations. It uses a greedy algorithm which approximates the solution of the NP-hard maximization problem. For this algorithm, we derive a tight constant-factor bound on the approximation error. We furthermore evaluate the selected landmark sets in extensive experiments carried out both in simulation and with a real robot.
Divide and Conquer Local Average Regression

The divide and conquer strategy, which breaks a massive data set into a se- ries of manageable data blocks, and then combines the independent results of data blocks to obtain a final decision, has been recognized as a state-of-the-art method to overcome challenges of massive data analysis. In this paper, we merge the divide and conquer strategy with local average regression methods to infer the regressive relationship of input-output pairs from a massive data set. After theoretically analyzing the pros and cons, we find that although the divide and conquer local average regression can reach the optimal learning rate, the restric- tion to the number of data blocks is a bit strong, which makes it only feasible for small number of data blocks. We then propose two variants to lessen (or remove) this restriction. Our results show that these variants can achieve the optimal learning rate with much milder restriction (or without such restriction). Extensive experimental studies are carried out to verify our theoretical assertions.
The Unique Properties , Manufacturing Processes and Applications of Near Equatomic NiTi Alloys

iii 1 Fundamental Properties of Ni-Ti 1 1.1 Fundamentals of Thermoelastic Behaviour . 2 1.2 Pseudoelasticity of Ni-Ti Alloys . 4 1.3 Shape Memory Effect of Ni-Ti Alloys . 5 1.3.1 One-Way Shape Memory Effect . 5 1.3.2 Two-Way Shape Memory Effect . 7 2 Manufacturing and Post-Processes: Training the Ni-Ti Alloy 9 2.1 Manufacturing of Ni-Ti:Advantages,Drawbacks and Properties . 10 2.1.1 Cast-Produced Ni-Ti . 10 2.1.2 Ni-Ti Produced via Powder Metallurgical Methods . 12 2.2 Thermo-mechanical Treatments of Ni-Ti Alloys . 14 2.2.1 Phase Diagram of Binary Ni-Ti Alloy . 14 2.2.2 Influence of Precipitation in Properties . 14 2.3 The ”Training” Procedure of Ni-Ti Alloys . 16 2.3.1 Shape Setting of a SMA . 16 2.3.2 Training Procedure for the TWSME . 16 3 Important Applications of Ni-Ti Alloys 20 3.1 Biomedical Applications . 21 3.1.1 Cardiovascular Applications . 21 3.1.2 Orthopedic Applications . 23 3.1.3 Aplications in other biomedical areas . 24 3.2 Industrial Applications . 26
Investigating linkages between economic growth, energy consumption and pollutant emissions in Tunisia

The aim of this study is to understand long and short-run linkages between economic growth, energy consumption and carbon emission using Tunisian data over the period 1971-2004. Cointegration procedure is used to analyze the time series properties of the series and error-correction terms were considered to test for the direction of Granger causality. Statistical findings indicate that economic growth, energy consumption and CO2 emission are related in the long-run and provide some evidence of inefficient use of energy in Tunisia, since environmental pressure tends to rise faster than economic growth. The short-run analysis, provide support for causality running from CO2 emissions growth to output growth, both in the short-run and the long-run. The results provide also some support of mutual causal and feedback relationship in the long-run. In addition, the results show strong evidence of causality running from output growth to energy consumption in the short-run and mutual causality in the long-run implying that Tunisia is an energy dependent economy. From a policy perspective, policy makers in Tunisia should be mindful that a persistent decline in environmental quality may exert negative externalities to the economy.
Aspergillus Bio fi lm In Vitro and In Vivo

In vivo, Aspergillus fumigatus grows as a typical biofilm with hyphae covered by an extracellular matrix (ECM) composed of polysaccharides, galactomannan, and galactosaminogalactan. α1,3 glucans and melanin are also constitutive of the ECM in aspergilloma but not in invasive aspergillosis. In vitro, two biofilm models were established to mimic the in vivo situation. The first model (model 1) uses submerged liquid conditions and is characterized by slow growth, while the second model (model 2) uses agar medium and aerial conditions and is characterized by rapid growth. The composition of the ECM was studied only in the second model and has been shown to be composed of galactomannan, galactosaminogalactan (GAG), and α1,3 glucans, melanin, antigens, and hydrophobins. The presence of extracellular DNA was detected in model 1 biofilm but not in model 2. Transcriptomic analysis employing both biofilm models showed upregulation of genes coding for proteins involved in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites, adhesion, and drug resistance. However, most data on A. fumigatus biofilms have been obtained in vitro and should be confirmed using in vivo animal models. There is a need for new therapeutic antibiofilm strategies that focus on the use of combination therapy, since biofilm formation poses an important clinical problem due to their resistance to antifungal agents. Furthermore, in vivo investigations of A. fumigatus biofilms that incorporate the associated microbiota are needed. Such studies will add another layer of complexity to our understanding of the role of A. fumigatus biofilm during lung invasion.
Development of smoothing filter for range image using reflectance data

This paper proposes a new smoothing filter for range images taken by a Time-of-Flight range finder. A Time-of-Flight range finder gives a range value from the sensor to the target by measuring the transmitted time of the reflected light. At the same time, the power of the reflected light is also measured as a side product of the range value for the most of range finders. The basic idea of the propose technique is that the reflectance and range images are utilized for smoothing the range image corrupted by noise while preserving detailed shapes by applying the trilateral filter. Simulations and experiments using a laser range finder are successfully carried out for verifying the performance of the proposed filter.
Chapter 2 Gelatin and Collagen Nanofiber Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

One of the main complications that can present a person with second and third degree burns is the possibility of being infected by opportunistic bacteria or viruses that are present in the environment. Nowadays, the majority of the burn injuries are treated with conventional gauze, which involves a high probability of infection and pain for the patient being treated with this method. In order to obtain low-cost scaffolds, natural and abundant polymers were used such as gelatin (GEL) and collagen (COL). The GEL functions as a base scaffold, stable and flexible, and also biocompatible because it is a byproduct of the partial hydrolysis of COL, which is an indispensable component for the stability of the cell membrane and it is present in great extent in the human epithelium.
IDENTITY PROBLEMS IN TURKEY: ALEVIS and AKP

As successive Turkish governments have attempted, AKP too is trying to solve the perennial Alevi problem as part of its broader agenda regarding the question of minorities. However, this paper argues that there are two fundamental obstacles facing Turkey's conservatives in reaching a meaningful solution. First, there is the ontological issue that AKP itself does not represent a radical break with the country's tumultuous past in terms of perception toward Alevis. Secondly, there is the ideological issue that the Sunni majority, who are at the core of AKP's concept of oppressed Muslims, are hardly sympathetic to Alevi rituals or complaints. Decades long effects of Turkish-Islamic synthesis did not bode well for that effort also. So, any recognition of equal status on religious grounds for Alevis would create a backlash for the ruling party among its rural electorate.
03 10 16 8 v 1 1 7 O ct 2 00 3 Gravity from Lie algebroid morphisms

Inspired by the Poisson Sigma Model and its relation to 2d gravity, we consider models governing morphisms from TΣ to any Lie algebroid E, where Σ is regarded as d-dimensional spacetime manifold. We address the question of minimal conditions to be placed on a bilinear expression in the 1-form fields, S(X)AiAj , so as to permit an interpretation as a metric on Σ. This becomes a simple compatibility condition of the E-tensor S with the chosen Lie algebroid structure on E. For the standard Lie algebroid E = TM the additional structure is identified with a Riemannian foliation of M , in the Poisson case E = T ∗M with a sub-Riemannian structure which is Poisson invariant with respect to its annihilator bundle. (For integrable image of S , this means that the induced Riemannian leaves should be invariant with respect to all Hamiltonian vector fields of functions which are locally constant on this foliation). This provides a huge class of new gravity models in d dimensions, embedding known 2d and 3d models as particular examples.
Mass Repression and Political Loyalty: Evidence from Stalin’s ‘Terror by Hunger’

States use repression to enforce obedience, but repression—especially if it is violent, massive, and indiscriminate—often incites opposition. Why does repression have such disparate effects? We address this question by studying the political legacy of Stalin’s coercive agricultural policy and collective punishment campaign in Ukraine, which led to the death by starvation of over three million people in 1932–34. Using rich micro-level data on eight decades of local political behavior, we find that communities exposed to Stalin’s “terror by hunger” behaved more loyally toward Moscow when the regime could credibly threaten retribution in response to opposition. In times when this threat of retribution abated, the famine-ridden communities showed more opposition to Moscow, both short- and long-term. Thus, repression can both deter and inflame opposition, depending on the political opportunity structure in which post-repression behavior unfolds.
Valley splitting in Si quantum dots embedded in SiGe

We examine energy spectra of Si quantum dots embedded in Si0.75Ge0. 25 buffers using atomistic numerical calculations for dimensions relevant to qubit implementations. The valley degeneracy of the lowest orbital state is lifted and valley splitting fluctuates with monolayer frequency as a function of the dot thickness. For dot thicknesses ≤6 nm, valley splitting is found to be >150 μeV. Using the unique advantage of atomistic calculations, we analyze the effect of buffer disorder on valley splitting. Disorder in the buffer leads to the suppression of valley splitting by a factor of 2.5; the splitting fluctuates with ≈20 μeV for different disorder realizations. Through these simulations we can guide future experiments into regions of low device-to-device fluctuations.
DYRK1A controls the transition from proliferation to quiescence during lymphoid development by destabilizing Cyclin D3

Thompson et al. identify the dual specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) as a new player in the control of lymphopoiesis. Loss of DYRK1A in mice results in Cyclin D3 stabilization and failure to repress E2F target genes, thus impairing cell cycle exit and proper pre–B and pre–T cell differentiation.
Parental Socioeconomic Status or IQ? An Exploration of Major Determinants of U.S. Poverty

The Bell Curve by Charles Murray and Richard Herrnstein is one of the most controversial academic works of the last few decades. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youths (1979), we performed a number of regressions of poverty status in 1989 on parental socioeconomic status, IQ, race, sex, and age. We replicate their results which show that IQ is a more important predictor of poverty status than parental socioeconomic status (SES). We extend their analysis to other groupings and find that, while similar, the underlying relationship between the variables and poverty status varies across groups. We then compared ratios of the percentage of the top 25% to bottom 25% of either IQ or parental SES in poverty. We found that parental SES had three times the predictive power as SES for black respondents and twice the predictive power for Hispanic respondents over whites, also finding a greater proportion of respondents in poverty at all levels for minority groups than for white respondents with a similar relationship for females compared to males.
Divorce Risk, Wages, and Working Wives: A Quantitative Life-Cycle Analysis of Female Labor Force Participation

This paper develops a quantitative life-cycle model to study the increase in married women's labor force participation (LFP). We calibrate the model to match key life-cycle statistics for the 1935 cohort and use it to assess the changed environment faced by the 1955 cohort. We find that a higher divorce probability and changes in wage structure are each able to explain a large proportion of the LFP increase. Higher divorce risk increases LFP not because the latter contributes to higher marital assets or greater labor market experience, however. Instead, it is the result of conflicting spousal preferences towards the adjustment of marital consumption in the face of increased divorce risk.
CREDIT RISK. DETERMINATION MODELS

The internationalization of financial flows and banking and the rapid development of markets have changed the financial sector, causing him to respond with force and imagination. Under these conditions, the concerns of financial and banking institutions, rating institutions are increasingly turning to find the best solutions to hedge risks and maximize profits. This paper aims to present a number of advantages, but also limits the Merton model, the first structural model for modeling credit risk. Also, some are extensions of the model, some empirical research and performance known, others such as state-dependent models (SDM), which together with the liquidation process models (LPM), are two recent efforts in the structural models, show different phenomena in real life.