Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Can Pinon-Disk Testing Be Used to Assess the Wear Performance of Retrieved UHMWPE Components for Total Joint Arthroplasty ?

The objective of this study was to assess the suitability of using multidirectional pin-on-disk (POD) testing to characterize wear behavior of retrieved ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). The POD wear behavior of 25 UHMWPE components, retrieved after 10 years in vivo, was compared with 25 that were shelf aged for 10–15 years in their original packaging. Components were gamma sterilized (25–40 kGy) in an air or reduced oxygen (inert) package. 9mm diameter pins were fabricated from each component and evaluated against CoCr disks using a super-CTPOD with 100 stations under physiologically relevant, multidirectional loading conditions. Bovine serum (20 g/L protein concentration) was used as lubricant. Volumetric wear rates were found to vary based on the aging environment, as well as sterilization environment. Volumetric wear rates were the lowest for the pins in the gamma inert, shelf aged cohort. These results support the utility of using modern, multidirectional POD testing with a physiologic lubricant as a novel method for evaluating wear properties of retrieved UHMWPE components. The data also supported the hypothesis that wear rates of gamma-inert liners were lower than gamma-air liners for both retrieved and shelf aging conditions. However, this difference was not statistically significant for the retrieved condition.
Complicated Infantile Hemangioma of the Lip: Outcomes of Early versus Late Resection

Background: Lip hemangiomas have traditionally been approached with expectant management. However, intervention is warranted for associated complications, including facial disfigurement, feeding difficulties, speech impairment, and psychosocial manifestations. The authors evaluated outcomes of complicated lip hemangiomas resected during the proliferative as compared with the involutional phase. Methods: A retrospective review of patients with complicated lip hemangiomas managed with resection in the proliferative or involutional phase from 2005 to 2011 was performed. A transverse elliptical vermilion-mucosal resection technique was used. Review parameters included demographics, lesion size and location, growth phase, hemangioma-related complications, and preoperative management (corticosteroid or pulsed dye laser). Evaluated outcomes included surgical complications, recurrence, and patient- and surgeon-reported aesthetics. Results: Twenty-one patients underwent surgical resection of a lip hemangioma (10 proliferative and 11 involutional), with a mean follow-up of 21.4 and 23.3 months, respectively. The two groups were comparable with respect to lesion size and location. Patients in the involutional group experienced higher rates of hemangioma-related complications (bleeding, 45 percent versus 10 percent; speech impairment, 82 percent versus 0 percent; feeding difficulties, 82 percent versus 20 percent; and psychosocial issues, 100 percent versus 80 percent). There were no postoperative aesthetic concerns. One recurrence in the proliferative group was treated with reresection. Speech therapy was required for 82 percent of patients in the involutional group. Conclusions: Surgical resection is efficacious treatment for hemangiomas of the lip and yields acceptable aesthetic results during both the proliferative and involutional phases. Resection in the proliferative phase should be considered to prevent complications associated with delayed treatment. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, III.
Does Buddhism have much to offer in terms of reduction in global CO2 emissions? A panel data analysis

The primary intent of this paper is to statistically test whether Buddhist countries tend to contribute to global warming mitigation in comparison with other religious groups of countries. A sample of 160 countries were classified into seven groups coded as ‘Buddhist’, ‘Hindu’, ‘Muslim’, ‘Catholic’, ‘Protestant’, ‘Christian mixed’ and ‘None of the above’. This study modelled the religious heritage of a nation into the IPAT equation (Environmental Impact = Population × Affluence × Technology), religion being as a cultural proxy of the technology factor. ‘Buddhist’ countries were found likely to emit lower CO_2 compared with ‘Protestant’ and ‘Christian mixed’ countries, although likely to emit higher CO_2 compared than ‘Hindu’, ‘Muslim’ and ‘Catholic’ countries, all other factors being held equal. The relatively low group effect of ‘Buddhist’ countries on CO_2 emissions can be interpreted to support the argument that teaching Buddhist economics and ecology could be a useful ingredient to curb ever-increasing global CO_2 emissions. Thus, further study is warranted as to how teachings from Buddhism can translate into lower CO_2 emissions.
Agent-based semantic interoperability in infosleuth

The InfoSleuth T M Project i at MCC has developed a distributed agent architecture that addresses the need for semantic interoperability among information sources and analytical tools within diverse application domains [4, 13]. InfoSleuth is being used as a significant component of the Environmental Data Exchange Network (EDEN) 2. The current EDEN pilot demonstration enables integrated access via web browser to environmental information resources provided by offices of these agencies located in several states. At the application level, InfoSleuth provides for semantic interchange among users by allowing an application developer to express the concepts and relationships of the application domain in high-level terms that are then translated into the low-level types of database schemas or semantic analyses of text and image resources. At the system level, InfoSleuth employs accepted standards where possible, to simplify data interchange and communication among processes. To apply InfoSleuth in a specific application domain, it is necessary to identify the key elements of the business environment of the application, and create or discover an appropriate ontology for the domain, as well as identify the kinds of data that will be appropriate to the application. For the
PIE: Parser Identification in Embedded Systems

Embedded systems are responsible for the security and safety of modern societies, controlling the correct operation of cars and airplanes, satellites and medical equipment, military units and all critical infrastructures. Being integrated in large and complex environments, embedded systems need to support several communication protocols to interact with other devices or with their users. Interestingly, embedded software often implements protocols that deviate from their original specifications. Some are extended with additional features, while others are completely undocumented. Furthermore, embedded parsers often consist of complex C code which is optimized to improve performance and reduce size. However, this code is rarely designed with security in mind, and often lacks proper input validation, making those devices vulnerable to memory corruption attacks. Furthermore, most embedded designs are closed source and third party security evaluations are only possible by looking at the binary firmware. In this paper we propose a methodology to identify parsers and complex processing logic present in binary code without access to their source code or documentation. Specifically we establish and evaluate a heuristic for detecting this type of code by means of static analysis. Afterwards we demonstrate the utility of this heuristic to identify firmware components treating input, perform reverse engineering to extract protocols, and discover and analyze bugs on four widely used devices: a GPS receiver, a power meter, a hard disk drive (HDD) and a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC).
A 13.56MHz wireless power transfer system with reconfigurable resonant regulating rectifier and wireless power control for implantable medical devices

A 13.56MHz wireless power transfer system with a 1X/2X reconfigurable resonant regulating (R3) rectifier and wireless power control for biomedical implants is presented. Output voltage regulation is achieved through two mechanisms: the local PWM loop of the secondary side controls the duty cycle of switching the rectifier between the 1X and 2X modes; and to adapt to load and coupling variations, the duty cycle information encoded in Manchester code is fed back wirelessly to the primary side using a novel backscattering uplink technique to adjust the transmitter power of the primary coil. The primary transmitter and the secondary R3 rectifier are fabricated in 0. 35μm CMOS process. The measured maximum received power and receiver efficiency are 102mW and 92.6%, respectively.
Multidimensional Outcome Assessment in Cerebral Palsy: Is It Feasible and Relevant?

Background: To examine feasibility and relevance of a multidimensional outcome assessment approach using instrumented 3-dimensional gait analysis, via the Gillette Gait Index (GGI), and a set of validated functional and health-related quality of life tools in diplegic cerebral palsy children, before introduction as a nationwide evaluation set. Methods: A 3-year prospective government-funded multicenter study was conducted, recruiting patients during a 9-month period classified using the Gross Motor Function Classification System and the Rodda et al sagittal walking patterns. The Gross Motor Classification System Dimensions D and E, the 10-level Gillette Functional Assessment Questionnaire, the Energy Expenditure Index (EEI), the GGI out of 3D gait analysis, and health-related quality of life, assessed by self or proxy with the questionnaire "Vècu et Santè Perçu de l'Adolescent," were selected for the study. Results: Cross-sectional data subset at inclusion of 160 spastic diplegic cerebral palsy patients, the largest series in our country, 6 to 18 years old (mean age, 11.0 years), are reported. The GGI correlated significantly (P < 0.001) with the Gross Motor Classification System, the Functional Assessment Questionnaire, and the EEI for all the patients, and all but one (EEI) correlated if grouped according to Gross Motor Function Classification System or Rodda. No systematic correlation was found between the quality of life scores and the other outcome tools. Conclusions: The outcome evaluation instrument set tested in our study helps to adopt common tools, to be integrated in an evidence-based practice and to compare health status and treatment outcome between countries, specifically in different linguistic environments like in European countries. Level of Evidence: Level 1-Testing of previously developed diagnostic criteria in series of consecutive patients.
The Cognitive Mediation Hypothesis Revisited: An Empirical Response to Methodological and Theoretical Criticism

The cognitive mediation hypothesis has become a well-established assumption in persuasion theory. However, several theoretical and methodological criticisms have been raised to call this assumption into question. Three experiments that address these criticisms were conducted to provide a more direct test of the cognitive mediation hypothesis. Using the forewarning effect as a testing arena, Experiment I demonstrated that interference with either motivation or ability to counterargue reduced fore-warning-induced resistance to persuasion. Experiment 2 demonstrated that exposure to counterarguments generated by others and self-generated counterarguments were functionally equivalent and redundant. Experiment 3 used a path-analytic approach to demonstrate that the persuasion differences produced by forewarning were eliminated by covarying the effect of cognitive responses generated between forewarning and message exposure. Taken together, the three experiments provide converging support for the cognitive mediation hypothesis, reconfirming the central role of cognition in the persuasion process.
Attitudes, values and moral reasoning as predictors of delinquency

Attitudes to institutional authority, strength of support for moral values and maturity of socio-moral reasoning have all been identified as potential predictors of adolescent delinquency. In a sample of 12-15-year-old boys (N = 789), after checking for effects of age, IQ, social background and ethnicity, self-reported delinquency was significantly and independently predicted by attitudes to authority (r = -.47) and moral values (r = -.27), but not by a structural measure of moral reasoning level (r = -.04). The findings argue for closer attention to the developmental determinants of attitudes to institutional authority and strength of moral value commitments than these have received hitherto. On the other hand, lack of an association between moral reasoning level and delinquent conduct does leave unanswered questions about the consequences of this kind of moral competence.
Transcriptome Profiling to Understand the Effect of Citrus Rootstocks on the Growth of ‘Shatangju’ Mandarin

To obtain insight into potential mechanisms underlying the influence of rootstock on scion growth, we performed a comparative analysis of ‘Shatangju’ mandarin grafted onto 5 rootstocks: Fragrant orange (Citrus junons Sieb. ex. Tanaka), Red tangerine (Citrus reticulata Blanco), ‘Shatangju’ mandarin (Citrus reticulata Blanco), Rough lemon (Citrus jambhiri Lush) and Canton lemon (Citrus limonia Osbeck). The tree size of ‘Shatangju’ mandarin grafted onto Canton lemon and Rough lemon were the largest, followed by self-rooted rootstock trees, and the lowest tree sizes correspond to ones grafted on Red tangerine and Fragrant orange rootstocks. The levels of indoleacetic acid (IAA) and gibberellin (GA) were significantly and positively related to growth vigor. The differences of gene expression in leaves of trees grafted onto Red tangerine, Canton lemon and ‘Shatangju’ mandarin were analyzed by RNA-Seq. Results showed that more differentially expressed genes involved in oxidoreductase function, hormonal signal transduction and the glycolytic pathway were enriched in ‘Red tangerine vs Canton lemon’. qRT-PCR analysis showed that expression levels of ARF1, ARF8, GH3 and IAA4 were negatively correlated with the growth vigor and IAA content. The metabolism of GA was influenced by the differential expression of KO1 and GA2OX1 in grafted trees. In addition, most of antioxidant enzyme genes were up-regulated in leaves of trees grafted onto Red tangerine, resulting in a higher peroxidase activity. We concluded that different rootstocks significantly affected the expression of genes involved in auxin signal transduction pathway and GA biosynthesis pathway in the grafted plants, and then regulated the hormone levels and their signal pathways.
8-Oxo-dGTPase, Which Prevents Oxidative Stress-Induced DNA Damage, Increases in the Mitochondria From Failing Hearts

Background—Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can cause an oxidative modification of nucleotides, such as 8-oxo-7,8-dihydrodeoxyguanosine triphosphate (8-oxo-dGTP), which can lead to defects in DNA replication. The misincorporation of 8-oxo-dGTP into DNA is prevented by 8-oxo-dGTPase, which hydrolyzes 8-oxo-dGTP into 8-oxo-dGMP. The changes in this defensive system have not yet been examined in failing hearts, in which the generation of ROS increases. Methods and Results—Myocardial infarction (MI) was created in mice by ligating the left coronary artery. Four weeks later, the left ventricle was dilated and contractility was diminished on echocardiography. The generation of ROS, as measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy with 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-piperidine-N-oxyl, increased in the noninfarcted left ventricle from MI mice. The formation of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances also increased in the mitochondria from MI mice. 8-Oxo-dGTPase was detected in the mitochondrial fractions isolated from MI mice using a Western blot analysis with an antibody to its human homologue (hMTH1). Immunohistochemistry showed positive staining for hMTH1 was localized in the cardiac myocytes. Conclusions—The level of 8-oxo-dGTPase increased in the mitochondria isolated from post-MI hearts as oxidative stress increased, thus suggesting that a preventive mechanism is activated against ROS-induced DNA damage. As a result, 8-oxo-dGTPase is considered a useful marker of mitochondrial oxidative stress in heart failure.
Diverse Adaptability in Oryzias Species to High Environmental Salinity

Abstract The genus Oryzias containing freshwater (FW) and seawater (SW) species is a potential model for studying mechanisms of osmotic adaptation. In this study, we compared SW adaptability of four Oryzias species, O. javanicus, O. dancena, O. latipes and O. marmoratus inhabiting different osmotic environments. SW adaptability was evaluated at several stages of the lifecycle: (i) survival rates of adult fish after transfer from FW to 50%SW or SW, (ii) spawning ability in FW and SW, (iii) fertilization rates in FW and SW, and (iv) hatching rates in FW, 50%SW and SW. Results obtained agreed with the natural habitat of each species: O. javanicus, which inhabits SW or brackish water (BW), is fully adaptable to both SW and FW at all the stages examined. The BW species O. dancena also revealed high SW adaptability except for the hatching rate. O. marmoratus, confined in FW, exhibited low SW adaptability at all stages examined while O. latipes, another FW species, was adaptable to SW at most stages examined. Based on these results, the role of SW adaptability to the distribution area of each species is discussed.
Phonon dispersion and Raman scattering in hexagonal GaN and AlN

We present the results of room- and low-temperature measurements of second-order Raman scattering for perfect GaN and AlN crystals as well as the Raman-scattering data for strongly disordered samples. A complete group-theory analysis of phonon symmetry throughout the Brillouin zone and symmetry behavior of phonon branches, including the analysis of critical points, has been performed. The combined treatment of these results and the lattice dynamical calculations based on the phenomenological interatomic potential model allowed us to obtain the reliable data on the phonon dispersion curves and phonon density-of-states functions in bulk GaN and AlN. @S0163-1829~98! 06840-4#
The medium and long term effects of an expansion of education on poverty in Côte d Ivoire A dynamic microsimulation study

I use a dynamic microsimulation model to analyse the distributional effects of an expansion of education in Cote d'Ivoire in the medium and long term. The simulations are performed in order to replicate several policies in force or subject to debate in this country. Various hypotheses concerning the evolution of returns to education and labour demand are tested. The direct effects between education and income as well as the different transmission channels, such as occupational choices, fertility, and household composition, are analysed. The effects of the educational expansion on the growth of household incomes, their distribution and poverty depend very crucially on the hypothesis made on the evolution of returns to education and labour demand. If returns to education remain constant and the labour market segmented, the effects will be very modest.
A Controlled Study of the EEG During Transcendental Meditation: Comparison With Hypnosis

A controlled, quantitative investigation of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and transcendental meditation (TM) revealed that EEG changes during TM were rarely as pronounced or consistent as previous reports suggest. There was considerable variation between subjects, some displaying no EEG changes at all during TM compared with an equal period of non-meditation. Any changes that did occur in a particular individual were not necessarily repeated in a subsequent session. A comparison of mean EEG parameters of the experimental group revealed no consistent significant differences between meditation and non-meditation, although trends towards increased theta and decreased beta activity during meditation were apparent. The biggest differences in mean EEG parameters were between subject groups. In particular, the group of meditators exhibited significantly more theta activity (during both TM and non-meditation) than a randomly selected group of individuals that had never meditated or been hypnotized. The EEG characteristics of the group of meditators were similar to those of a group of subjects experienced in self-hypnosis. It is concluded that the most obvious EEG changes during meditation are long-term. In people who regularly practise TM (or self-hypnosis), the EEG gradually (over weeks or months) tends to "slow down. " Such a "slowed down" EEG is apparent during both normal waking conditions and altered states of consciousness in these individuals.
Conscious versus Unconscious Processing in Dynamic Decision Making Tasks

Recent research suggests that unconscious processing is superior to conscious processing in tasks involving many decision alternatives (Dijksterhuis et al., 2006). One explanation for these findings is the limited information processing capacity of the human working memory and the almost unlimited resources of unconscious processing. The current study further investigates this topic by using more complex tasks than previously used, i.e., two complex, dynamic, and transparent tasks. Contrary to previous findings, instructions for conscious processing led to better performance in the more complex task. Results are explained referring to methodological reasons and to literature on metacognition. Besides the theoretical relevance, findings could be relevant for training programs on dynamic decision making.
Female Leadership Advantage and Disadvantage: Resolving the Contradictions

In the United States, women are increasingly praised for having excellent skills for leadership and, in fact, women, more than men, manifest leadership styles associated with effective performance as leaders. Nevertheless, more people prefer male than female bosses, and it is more difficult for women than men to become leaders and to succeed in male-dominated leadership roles. This mix of apparent advantage and disadvantage that women leaders experience reflects the considerable progress toward gender equality that has taken place in both attitudes and behavior, coupled with the lack of complete attainment of this goal.
Creating a Safe Environment for Women’s Leadership Transformation

This study used qualitative data to describe how transformational learning was achieved in a women-only training (WOT) program. The article argues that an environment conducive to transformational learning for women was created from the harmonious coalescing of the presence of all-women participants and instructors with gender-sensitive teaching and learning practices. The integration of these elements created safety and participant willingness to break with habitual patterns. This article contributes to the transformational learning and WOT literatures by proposing a holistic explanation for creating safety and fostering women’s transformational learning in training settings. It also develops an analytic framework that expands current conceptions of the transformational learning process.
A Cloud Computing Platform Based on P2P

In recent years, the technology of cloud computing has been widely applied in e-business, e-education and etc. Cloud computing platform is a set of Scalable large-scale data server clusters, it provide computing and storage services to customers. The cloud storage is a relatively basic and widely applied service which can provide users with stable, massive data storage space. Our research shows that the architecture of current Cloud Computing System is central structured one, all the data nodes must be indexed by a master server which may become bottle neck of the system. In this paper, we propose a new cloud storage architecture based on P2P and design a prototype system. The system based on the new architecture has better scalability and fault tolerance.