Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Gas-Plasma Sterilization on the Osteoinductive Capacity of Demineralized Bone Matrix

The current study evaluated the effect of low-temperature hydrogen peroxide gas plasma sterilization on the osteoinductive capability of human demineralized bone matrix using a rat model. Twelve athymic rats received three separate implants consisting of steam-sterilized demineralized bone matrix (negative control), sterile-harvest demineralized bone matrix (positive control), and gas-plasma–sterilized demineralized bone matrix. A demineralized bone matrix pellet from each sterilization group was placed individually into one of three separate soft tissue pockets created in the epaxial musculature of each rat. All 12 rats were euthanized 9 weeks after implantation. Each implantation site was removed along with 0.5-cm normal tissue around the implant. Histologic examination was done on each implant site to determine the presence or absence of new bone, cartilage, or bone marrow elements. All 12 sterile harvest demineralized bone matrix sites histologically contained new bone elements, whereas none of the negative control or gas plasma sterilized demineralized bone matrix sites contained any of these same elements. The results of this study indicate that demineralized bone matrix sterilized with low-temperature, gas-plasma sterilization loses its osteoinductive capacity in a manner similar to that of steam-sterilized demineralized bone matrix, making low-temperature, gas-plasma sterilization unsuitable as a method of secondary sterilization of demineralized bone matrix.
Impact of supramolecular interactions of dextran‐β‐cyclodextrin polymers on invertase activity in freeze‐dried systems

β‐Cyclodextrin (β‐CD)‐grafted dextrans with spacer arms of different length were employed to evaluate the impact of supramolecular interactions on invertase activity. The modified dextrans were used as single additives or combined with trehalose in freeze‐dried formulations containing invertase. Enzyme activity conservation was analyzed after freeze‐drying and thermal treatment. The change of glass transition temperature (Tg) was also evaluated and related to effective interactions. Outstanding differences on enzyme stability were mainly related to the effect of the spacer arm length on polymer–enzyme interactions, since both the degree of substitution and the molecular weight were similar for the two polymers. This change of effective interactions was also manifested in the pronounced reduction of Tg values, and were related to the chemical modification of the backbone during oxidation, and to the attachment of the β‐CD units with spacer arms of different length on dextran. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 31:791–798, 2015
Numerical computation of reconfigurable multibody dynamics

There has been much research on capturing and berthing damaged satellites in space, and such systems are categorized as reconfigurable multibody systems whose constraint conditions are time varying. On the other hand the theory for reconfigurable multibody dynamics is not well developed. There are many technical issues such as the dynamics algorithm with topological changes, contact dynamics, collision detection and computation of Jacobian matrices concerned with constraint conditions, and so on. We propose the algorithms to solve and implement some of these issues.
Impact of musical fits and image of different malls on consumer purchase behaviour

This paper aims to explore the process by which the influence of retail environment, especially the music on consumer perception and behaviour in eight malls. The data was obtained using a structured questionnaire from 436 respondents in eight malls survey conducted in India. Our study reveals that females are happier with the music played in the background in the mall compared to males. However, music in the malls has more effect on males purchase behaviour compared to females musical fit with the image of the mall increasing the duration of their stay. Emotional behaviour due to atmospherics will affect purchase decision especially of low involved products. The higher the music fit, the higher will be the shopping behaviour and frequency of visit.
Effect of final irrigation protocols on microhardness and erosion of root canal dentin

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of final irrigation protocols (17% EDTA, BioPure MTAD, SmearClear, and QMiX) on microhardness and erosion of root canal dentin. Fifty roots were sectioned transversely at the cement–enamel junction and each root was sectioned horizontally into 4‐mm‐thick slices. The samples were divided into five groups (n = 10) according to the final irrigation protocol: G1: distilled water (control group); G2: 17% EDTA; G3: BioPure MTAD; G4: SmearClear; and G5: QMiX. The dentin microhardness was then measured with a load of 25 g for 10 s. Initially, the reference microhardness values were obtained for the samples without any etching. The same samples were then submitted to the final irrigation protocols. A new measure was realized and the difference between before and after the procedures was the dentin microhardness reduction. In sequence, the specimens were submitted to SEM analysis to verify the dentinal erosion. The Kruskal Wallis and Dunn tests (α = 5%) were used to compare the results. The dentin microhardness decreased for all final irrigation protocols. There was no significant difference between groups 2, 3, 4, and 5 (P > 0.05), but this groups presented significant dentin microhardness reduction than G1 (P < 0.05). In G2, occurred the highest incidence of dentinal erosion (P < 0.05). 17% EDTA, BioPure MTAD, SmearClear, and QMiX promoted significant dentin microhardness reduction. Dentinal tubules erosion was promoted by 17% EDTA. Microsc. Res. Tech., 76:1079–1083, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The effect of directed and open disambiguation prompts in authentic call center data on the frequency and distribution of filled pauses and possible implications for filled pause hypotheses and data collection methodology

This paper studies the frequency and distribution of filledpauses (FPs) in ecologically valid data where unaware andauthentic customers called in to report problems with theirtelephony and/or Internet services and were met by a novelWizard-of-Oz paradigm using real call center agents aswizards. The data analyzed were caller utterances followinga directed or an open disambiguation prompt. While nosignificant differences in FP production were observed as afunction of prompt type, FP frequency was found to beconsiderably higher than what is usually reported in theliterature. Moreover, a higher proportion of utterance-initialFPs than normally reported was also observed. The results arecompared to previously reported FP frequencies. Potentialimplications for data collection methodology are discussed.
Gene therapy for pulmonary diseases.

Gene therapy has not yet met the high expectations of "the early days. " However, it is a promising new treatment for lung diseases. Not only single gene disorders such as CF are potential candidates for gene therapy, but also cancer and chronic lung diseases characterized by an imbalance of damaging and protective mechanisms. This review summarizes the recent advances in the development of more efficient gene transfer systems and highlights areas of clinical application of gene therapy.
Application of active edible coating from chitosan incorporated with Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) leaf extracts for extending shelf life of lime fruits

Chitosan coating is one of excellent technique to prolong shelf life of fruits. Many studies reported that chitosan incorporated with plant extracts such as guava leaves, papaya seeds, basil leaves, clove buds and cashew leaves can be used for coating fruits. The previous research found that cashew leaf extracts expressed the biological properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, analgesic and anti-inflammatory. Currently, lime fruit is one of the economic crops in Thailand and its marketing is limited due to climate change and diseases, which lower the quality of fruits. This research aimed to study and compare the antimicrobial properties of cashew leaf extracted with water and 70% ethanol. The effect of chitosan coating incorporated with cashew leaf extracts on lime ( Citrus latifolia Tanaka) fruits qualities (firmness, color, TA, TSS, weight loss, vitamin C, and antioxidant property) during storage was also investigated. The result showed that 10% ethanolic and aqueous extracts could be inhibited the growth of Aspergillus niger . An ethanolic extract had lower minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC = 6.25 µg/100µl) than the aqueous extract (12.5 µg/100µl), but the had similar minimum fungicidal concentration (MFC = 25 µg/100µl). For application part, lime fruits were separated into four groups: uncoated (control), coated with 2% chitosan, 2% chitosan combined with 5% ethanolic extracts (CLE), and 2% chitosan combined with 5% aqueous extracts (CLW). All lime fruits were stored at 15°C, 90% RH for 42 days. The coated fruits combined with 5% CLE showed the higher firmness, color (a*), TA, vitamin C content, antioxidants activities, and the lower weight loss and TSS than those of other treatments. Furthermore, coating fruits with 5% CLE presented the inhibitory efficiency against the growth of A. niger in inoculated lime fruit as it showed the lowest percent disease incidence and disease severity index. Cashew leaf extract can be one choice of a natural antifungal agent which can be used in agricultural produce.
Performance evaluation of reverse tone mapping operators for dynamic range expansion of SDR video content

When displaying Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) video on High Dynamic Range (HDR) displays a reverse tone mapping operation can be employed to expand the dynamic range of the SDR video to that offered by the display. This paper presents a subjective performance evaluation of existing reverse Tone Mapping Operators (rTMOs). The presented study evaluates the performance of rTMOs acting on both well exposed SDR video and video that exhibits exposure variation, as is often the case with user generated content (e.g. captured on mobile phones). The paper highlights flickering artefacts that arise in such cases and evaluates the effect on perceived quality of an adapted de-flickering method.
Interspecies Implantation and Mitochondria Fate of Panda-Rabbit Cloned Embryos1

Abstract Somatic cell nuclei of giant pandas can dedifferentiate in enucleated rabbit ooplasm, and the reconstructed eggs can develop to blastocysts. In order to observe whether these interspecies cloned embryos can implant in the uterus of an animal other than the panda, we transferred approximately 2300 panda-rabbit cloned embryos into 100 synchronized rabbit recipients, and none became pregnant. In another approach, we cotransferred both panda-rabbit and cat-rabbit interspecies cloned embryos into the oviducts of 21 cat recipients. Fourteen recipients exhibited estrus within 35 days; five recipients exhibited estrus 43–48 days after embryo transfer; and the other two recipients died of pneumonia, one of which was found to be pregnant with six early fetuses when an autopsy was performed. Microsatellite DNA analysis of these early fetuses confirmed that two were from giant panda-rabbit cloned embryos. The results demonstrated that panda-rabbit cloned embryos can implant in the uterus of a third species, the domestic cat. By using mitochondrial-specific probes of panda and rabbit, we found that mitochondria from both panda somatic cells and rabbit ooplasm coexisted in early blastocysts, but mitochondria from rabbit ooplasm decreased, and those from panda donor cells dominated in early fetuses after implantation. Our results reveal that mitochondria from donor cells may substitute those from recipient oocytes in postimplanted, interspecies cloned embryos.
Diversity of locations for Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein genes

The location of crystal protein genes in 22 crystalliferous Bacillus thuringiensis strains representing 14 subspecies was investigated by hybridization of an intragenic restriction fragment from a cloned crystal protein gene to whole plasmid preparations. Hybridization was found to a single plasmid in eight strains, to more than one plasmid in seven strains, and to one or both of two large, unresolved plasmids in two strains. The sizes of the hybridized plasmids ranged from 33 to over 150 megadaltons. In one additional subspecies, hybridization was only to linear DNA fragments, suggesting a chromosomal crystal protein gene, and for four other subspecies, not reported to be toxic to lepidopteran insects, no hybridization was found to either plasmids or to total cell DNA. Hybridization to restriction digests of plasmids and total cell DNA of several strains of subspecies thuringiensis and kurstaki revealed that all homology to the cloned crystal protein gene was plasmid associated and that several of these strains contained multiple regions of homology, implying the presence of multiple crystal protein genes.
Accurate and Interpretable Computational Modeling of Chemical Mutagenicity

We describe a method for modeling chemical mutagenicity in terms of simple rules based on molecular features. A classification model was built using a rule-based ensemble method called RuleFit, developed by Friedman and Popescu. We show how performance compares favorably against literature methods. Performance was measured through the use of cross-validation and testing on external test sets. All data sets used are publicly available. The method automatically generated transparent rules in terms of molecular structure that agree well with known toxicology. While we have focused on chemical mutagenicity in demonstrating this method, we anticipate that it may be more generally useful in modeling other molecular properties such as other types of chemical toxicity.
Epstein–Barr virus‐encoded poly(A)− RNA supports Burkitt's lymphoma growth through interleukin‐10 induction

Akata and Mutu cell lines are derived from Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) and retain the in vivo phenotype of Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) expression that is characterized by expression of EBV‐determined nuclear antigen 1 (EBNA1), EBV‐encoded RNAs (EBERs) and transcripts from the BamHI A region (BARF0). We found that EBV‐positive Akata and Mutu cell clones expressed higher levels of interleukin (IL)‐10 than their EBV‐negative subclones at the transcriptional level. Transfection of an individual EBV latent gene into EBV‐negative Akata cells revealed that EBERs were responsible for IL‐10 induction. Recombinant IL‐10 enabled EBV‐negative Akata cells to grow in low (0.1%) serum conditions. On the other hand, growth of EBV‐positive Akata cells was blocked by treatment either with an anti‐IL‐10 antibody or antisense oligonucleotide against IL‐10. EBV‐positive BL biopsies consistently expressed IL‐10, but EBV‐negative BL biopsies did not. These results suggest that IL‐10 induced by EBERs acts as an autocrine growth factor for BL. EBERs, EBER1 and EBER2, are non‐polyadenylated RNAs and are 166 and 172 nucleotides long, respectively. The present findings indicate that RNA molecules could regulate cell growth.
The increasing focus on managing relationships and customer retention.(Published in the Journal of Language, Technology and Entrepreneurship (JOLTE), February 2009.

There has been unprecedented need for firms and organizations today to focus on customer service, retention and loyalty as a way of increasing their competitive advantage and improving their bottom line. This paper discusses the increasing focus on managing relationships and customer retention in recent years. Initially customer retention strategies are identified, followed by an analysis of the benefits of value creation for both customers and services providers, key indicators of customer relationship and managing relationship. The study identified the competitive nature of business today and hence many businesses devising strategies such as switching barriers and retaining employees to retain customers. Consumers are increasingly developing relationships with numerous services providers rather than committing to one, hence associating loyalty with repeat patronage rather than long-term commitment. Key words : Customer, relationship, retention, business, management
Online Participation and Information Inclusion – A Study of Internet Users with Vision Impairments

Our presentation will highlight the need to move beyond Web Accessibility for Internet users with vision impairments to Information Inclusion through facilitation of their online participation and knowledge sharing. Our empirically grounded suggestions emanate from our study of the everyday information practices of sixty residents of Ontario with vision impairments.Cette communication met en evidence la necessite d'aller au-dela de l'accessibilite sur le web pour les internautes souffrant de troubles de la vision pour privilegier plutot l'inclusion par l'information au moyen d'une meilleure participation en ligne et du partage des connaissances. Nos suggestions se basent sur des donnees empiriques provenant de l'analyse des pratiques quotidiennes de soixante residents ontariens souffrant de troubles de la vision.
8Gbps CMOS ASK modulator for 60GHz wireless communication

In this paper we present a millimeter-wave CMOS amplitude-shift-keying (ASK) modulator for 60 GHz wireless communication at greater than 1 Gbps. It is designed using shunt NMOSFET switches between the signal and the ground line of a transmission line. A reduced-switch architecture is used to achieve high speed. The transmission line length between switches is adjusted to achieve high isolation with a reduced number of switches. A 60 GHz millimeter-wave ASK modulator is successfully realized by using a 6-metal 1-poly 90 nm CMOS process. The size of the chip is 0.8 mm times 0.48 mm including the pads. The core size is 0.61 mm times 0.3 mm. The isolation and maximum data rate of the modulator at 60 GHz are measured to be 26.6 dB and 8 Gbps, respectively. The product of the maximum data rate and the isolation of this modulator is 170 GHz, which is the highest value among over-Gbps ASK modulators.
Abortion incidence and services in the United States in 2000.

CONTEXT Nearly half of unintended pregnancies and more than one-fifth of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion. No nationally representative statistics on abortion incidence or on the universe of abortion providers have been available since 1996. METHODS In 2001-2002, The Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) conducted its 13th survey of all known U.S. abortion providers, collecting information for 1999, 2000 and the first half of 2001. Trends were calculated by comparing the survey results with data from previous AGI surveys. RESULTS From 1996 to 2000, the number of abortions fell by 3% to 1.31 million, and the abortion rate declined 5% to 21.3 per 1,000 women 15-44. (In comparison, the rate declined 12% between 1992 and 1996.) The abortion ratio in 2000 was 24.5 per 100 pregnancies ending in abortion or live birth, 5% lower than in 1996. The number of abortion providers decreased by 11% to 1,819 (46% were clinics, 33% hospitals and 21% physicians' offices); clinics provided 93% of all abortions in 2000. In that year, 34% of women aged 15-44 lived in the 87% of counties with no provider, and 86 of the nations 276 metropolitan areas had no provider. About 600 providers performed an estimated 37,000 early medical abortions during the first six months of 2001; these procedures represented approximately 6% of all abortions during that period. Abortions performed by dilation and extraction were estimated to account for 0.17% of all abortions in 2000. CONCLUSIONS Abortion incidence and the number of abortion providers continued to decline during the late 1990s but at a slower rate than earlier in the decade. Medical abortion began to play a small but significant role in abortion provision.
Domestic Costs of Default: Interactions and Policy Implications

DOMESTIC COSTS OF DEFAULT: INTERACTIONS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS Javier H. Beverinotti, PhD George Mason University, 2012 Dissertation Director: Dr. Andrew Hughes Hallett Since the 1990s, economic crises are characterized by the joint occurrence of banking crises and debt restructuring. The literature has mostly focused on two types of costs associated with debt restructuring: reputation effects and direct sanctions. However, defaults also involve costs to the domestic economy. For instance, this occurs since the local banking sector is usually a major holder of government bonds. Then, defaults could be accompanied with a crisis in the banking sector and a reduction in the credit available for the private sector. This dissertation presents a study of the exposure of local financial intermediaries to episodes of debt restructuring, with special emphasis on the consequences to the private sector. Ultimately, the objective of this dissertation is to understand the effects of the governments’ decisions to default or not. In chapter 2, we’ll focus on a static model to study the interactions between the sectors of the economy and the role that financial institutions play for the real economy in this context. Latter, we’ll analyze these interactions with a dynamic model. This new model will explain better the interactions and sequence of events during recent and past sovereign debt crises. The dissertation then follows with a chapter of case studies where well-known debt episodes will be explained using the analytical tools developed in previous chapters. Understanding the basics of the interactions between sectors of the economy will help us recognize the main effects that defaults cause to the real economy. Also, it will help us generate policies to mitigate risks and reduce costs attached to the new features of financial crises observed during the last few years. In Chapter 5 we will conclude the dissertation with some policy recommendations and a summary of the main contributions. Chapter 1: Introduction and Literature Review
La valutazione dell'agricoltura biologica: un modello aziendale economico-ambientale

Sempre piu la PAC pone il problema di favorire lo sviluppo di un settore agricolo realmente multifunzionale, sostenibile e competitivo. Il lavoro presentato fornisce un contributo metodologico per facilitare la valutazione in termini monetari della compensazione da attribuire, agli agricoltori con produzioni di tipo biologico, per i servizi ambientali, al fine di assicurare loro il mantenimento della competitivita. La ricerca ha posto a confronto, attraverso l’uso di un modello di Programmazione Lineare Parametrica, due simulazioni relative ai sistemi di produzione “convenzionale” e “biologico” in una azienda con allevamento di bovini da latte. Si e studiato l’andamento dei costi marginali dei servizi ambientali in funzione del decremento dell’impatto ambientale degli inquinanti azotati, del consumo di energia e dell’erosione del suolo.