Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lead exposure and periodontitis in US adults.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Lead is known to have significant effects on bone metabolism and the immune system. This study tested the hypothesis that lead exposure affects periodontitis in adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study used the data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988-94). It analyzed data from 2500 men and 2399 women, 20-56 yr old, who received complete periodontal examination. Periodontitis was defined as the presence of > 20% of mesial sites with >or= 4 mm of attachment loss. Lead exposure was grouped into three categories: < 3; 3-7; and > 7 microg/dL. Covariates were cotinine levels, poverty ratio, race/ethnicity, education, bone mineral density, diabetes, calcium intake, dental visit, and menopause (for women). All analyses were performed separately for men and women and considering the effect design. Univariate, bivariate, and stratified analysis was followed by multivariable analysis by estimating prevalence ratios through poisson regression. RESULTS After adjustment for confounders, the prevalence ratios, comparing those with a lead blood level of > 7 microg/dL to those with a lead blood level of < 3 microg/dL was 1.70 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 2.85) for men and 3.80 (95% CI: 1.66, 8.73) for women. CONCLUSION The lead blood level was positively and statistically associated with periodontitis for both men and women. Considering the public health importance of periodontitis and lead exposure, further studies are necessary to confirm this association.
An Implementation of Dynamic Spectrum Access on Handheld Radios

Dynamic Spectrum Access provides a group of radios with the ability to adapt to a changing RF environment by coordinating simultaneous changes to known, good frequencies amongst all radios in the group. This paper describes an implementation of DSA on a previously fielded software defined radio supporting networks of up to 16 radios. A TDMA protocol operating at the application level was used for DSA control communications using the same waveform as the voice communications. The DSA application controlled switching between the voice waveform and an FM waveform used for radio spectrum sensing. All nodes in the network shared spectrum quality data implementing a distributed channel quality algorithm enabling cooperative as well as individual or “blind” switching to new frequencies as required to maintain optimal network voice communications. Frequency harvesting, the discovery of new frequencies for use in the network, was performed using a third party broadband receiver running channel quality analysis software.
Symptomatic progression of asymptomatic rotator cuff tears: a prospective study of clinical and sonographic variables.

BACKGROUND The purposes of this study were to identify changes in tear dimensions, shoulder function, and glenohumeral kinematics when an asymptomatic rotator cuff tear becomes painful and to identify characteristics of individuals who develop pain compared with those who remain asymptomatic. METHODS A cohort of 195 subjects with an asymptomatic rotator cuff tear was prospectively monitored for pain development and examined annually for changes in various parameters such as tear size, fatty degeneration of the rotator cuff muscle, glenohumeral kinematics, and shoulder function. Forty-four subjects were found to have developed new pain, and the parameters before and after pain development were compared. The forty-four subjects were then compared with a group of fifty-five subjects who remained asymptomatic over a two-year period. RESULTS With pain development, the size of a full-thickness rotator cuff tear increased significantly, with 18% of the full-thickness tears showing an increase of >5 mm, and 40% of the partial-thickness tears had progressed to a full-thickness tear. In comparison with the assessments made before the onset of pain, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons scores for shoulder function were significantly decreased and all measures of shoulder range of motion were decreased except for external rotation at 90° of abduction. There was an increase in compensatory scapulothoracic motion in relation to the glenohumeral motion during early shoulder abduction with pain development. No significant changes were found in external rotation strength or muscular fatty degeneration. Compared with the subjects who remained asymptomatic, the subjects who developed pain were found to have significantly larger tears at the time of initial enrollment. CONCLUSIONS Pain development in shoulders with an asymptomatic rotator cuff tear is associated with an increase in tear size. Larger tears are more likely to develop pain in the short term than are smaller tears. Further research is warranted to investigate the role of prophylactic treatment of asymptomatic shoulders to avoid the development of pain and loss of shoulder function.
Transformational vs. Transactional Leadership Theories: Evidence in Literature

Transactional and Transformational leadership styles have attracted the interest of many researchers in recent time. While some believe that they are the same, others believe they are different. This paper gives an introductory perspective into the the difference between transformational and transactionary leadership drawing from evidence in literature. The paper concludes that although they are conceptually different, some elements of transactionary leadership exists in transformational leadership.
Detecting Stream Events in Distributed Streams

Events detection is one of the most important issues in data stream processing. Outlier event, change event and burst event are three typical types of event that need to be identified. In this paper, we explore the relationship of these three types of events, and then present a unified framework, named DSED (distributed stream events detection), to handle all of them simultaneously. Rather than collecting all the data in one coordinator node for centralized processing, we also use pre-computing to reduce the communication cost for events detection. Experiment results verify the efficiency of DSED, and also show that our proposed framework can dramatically reduce the communication cost with little false position.
Behavior control of multiple agents by Cartesian Genetic Programming equipped with sharing sub-programs among agents

In this paper, we focus on evolutionary optimization of multi-agent behavior. There are two representative models for multi-agent control, homogeneous and heterogeneous models. In the homogeneous model, all agents are controlled by the same controller. Therefore, it is difficult to realize complex cooperative behavior such as division of labors. In contrast, in the heterogeneous model, respective agents can play different roles for cooperative tasks. However, the search space becomes too large to optimize respective controllers. To solve the problems, we propose a new multi-agent control model based on Cartesian Genetic Programming (CGP). In CGP, each individual represents a graph-structural program and it can have multiple outputs. The feature is utilized for controlling multiple agents in our model. In addition, we propose a new genetic operator dedicated to multi-agent control. Our method enables multiple agents to not only take different actions according to their own roles but also share sub-programs if the same behavior is needed for solving problems. We applied our method to a food foraging problem. The experimental results showed that the performance of our method is superior to those of the conventional models.
Word level script identification for scanned document images

In this paper, we compare the performance of three classifiers used to identify the script of words in scanned document images. In both training and testing, a Gabor filter is applied and 16 channels of features are extracted. Three classifiers (Support Vector Machines (SVM), Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM) and k-Nearest-Neighbor (k-NN)) are used to identify different scripts at the word level (glyphs separated by white space). These three classifiers are applied to a variety of bilingual dictionaries and their performance is compared. Experimental results show the capability of Gabor filter to capture script features and the effectiveness of these three classifiers for script identification at the word level.
Resource aware packet scheduling for multi-resource in-network nodes

Network has been widely reported as a bottleneck resource for amounts of data transferring in cloud and big data computing frameworks. In this paper, we focus on the heterogeneous flows problem that various flows consuming different amount of multiple resources. We develop a Resource Aware Queuing (RAQ) system to classify various flows into different categories according to their resource requirement amounts, and then schedule their processing order based on the switch multiple resource utilization. Based on the resource aware scheduling we also modify the packets dropping strategy so that the sending rates of different flows are also correspondingly modulated. We evaluate RAQ performance via simulation experiments and the results demonstrate that RAQ can improve network resources utilization and throughput without imposing serious negative impact on packets delays.
Cavalcade neural network for mobile robot

Spiking neural networks are usually limited in their applications due to their complex mathematical models and the lack of intuitive learning algorithms. In this paper, a simpler, novel neural network derived from a leaky integrate and fire neuron model, the ‘cavalcade’ neuron, is presented. A simulation for the neural network has been developed and two basic learning algorithms implemented within the environment. These algorithms successfully learn some basic temporal and instantaneous problems. Inspiration for neural network structures from these experiments are then taken and applied to process sensor information so as to successfully control a robot.
Spatially Resolved STIS Spectroscopy of α Orionis: Evidence for Nonradial Chromospheric Oscillation from Detailed Modeling

Four spatially resolved near-UV raster scans across the chromospheric disk of α Ori, obtained with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on the Hubble Space Telescope, reveal mean chromospheric infall from 1998 January to April, which reversed to upflow in deeper layers between 1998 September and 1999 March. In 1998 September we detect systematic reversals in the component maxima of four double-peaked emission lines of Si I (UV 1), Fe II (UV 36), Fe II (UV 61), and Al II] (UV 1), when scanning across the UV disk. Detailed modeling of the Si I λ2516 resonance line with radiative transport calculations in spherical geometry constrain the mean radial velocity structure in the projected slit area (25 × 100 mas) for different aperture positions, observed off-limb to 157.5 mas. Hence, we determine with semiempirical models that these spatial reversals of emission-line components correspond to average opposite flow velocities of ~2 km s-1 across the chromospheric disk. We determine that the chromospheric velocity field cannot be represented by a unique radial velocity structure across the stellar disk in order to match the observed peak ratios of this raster scan. These subsonic velocities indicate (local) nonradial movements of chromospheric fluid in confined regions during a chromospheric oscillation phase, which reverses from global contraction into expansion over this monitoring period of 15 months.
Online prophet-inequality matching with applications to ad allocation

We study the problem of online prophet-inequality matching in bipartite graphs. There is a static set of bidders and an online stream of items. We represent the interest of bidders in items by a weighted bipartite graph. Each bidder has a capacity, i.e., an upper bound on the number of items that can be allocated to her. The weight of a matching is the total weight of edges matched to the bidders. Upon the arrival of an item, the online algorithm should either allocate it to a bidder or discard it. The objective is to maximize the weight of the resulting matching. We consider this model in a stochastic setting where we know the distribution of the incoming items in advance. Furthermore, we allow the items to be drawn from different distributions, i.e., we may assume that the tth item is drawn from distribution Dt. In contrast to i.i. d. model, this allows us to model the change in the distribution of items throughout the time. We call this setting the Prophet-Inequality Matching because of the possibility of having a different distribution for each time. We generalize the classic prophet inequality by presenting an algorithm with the approximation ratio of 1--1/√k+3 where k is the minimum capacity. In case of k=2, the algorithm gives a tight ratio of 1/2 which is a different proof of the prophet inequality. We also consider a model in which the bidders do not have a capacity, instead each bidder has a budget. The weight of a matching is the minimum of the budget of each vertex and the total weight of edges matched to it, when summed over all bidders. We show that if the bid to the budget ratio of every bidder is at most 1/k then a natural randomized online algorithm has an approximation ratio of 1-kk/ekk! H 1--1/√2πk compared to the optimal offline (in which the ratio goes to 1 as k becomes large). We also present the applications of this model in Adword Allocation, Display Ad Allocation, and AdCell Model.
A hybrid extended finite element/level set method for modeling phase transformations

A hybrid numerical method for modelling the evolution of sharp phase interfaces on fixed grids is presented. We focus attention on two‐dimensional solidification problems, where the temperature field evolves according to classical heat conduction in two subdomains separated by a moving freezing front. The enrichment strategies of the eXtended Finite Element Method (X‐FEM) are employed to represent the jump in the temperature gradient that governs the velocity of the phase boundary. A new approach with the X‐FEM is suggested for this class of problems whereby the partition of unity is constructed with C1(Ω) polynomials and enriched with a C0(Ω) function. This approach leads to jumps in temperature gradient occurring only at the phase boundary, and is shown to significantly improve estimates for the front velocity. Temporal derivatives of the temperature field in the vicinity of the phase front are obtained with a projection that employs discontinuous enrichment. In conjunction with a finer finite difference grid, the Level Set method is used to represent the evolution of the phase interface. An iterative procedure is adopted to satisfy the constraints on the temperature field on the phase boundary. The robustness and utility of the method is demonstrated with several benchmark problems of phase transformation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Quantum Algorithm for the Ferromagnetic Ising Model (Manuscript in preparation)

This manuscript presents a quantum algorithm for the (classical) ferromagnetic Ising model discovered by us in 1997, and refined in subsequent years. A more complete version that includes a discussion of the earlier and related work on the subject, a comparison of the time complexity of the algorithm with the known ecient classical algorithm, and possible improvements and extensions will appear shortly.
Resource Allocation Architecture with Improved QoS for SLA in Next Generation Mobile Systems

The Internet Engineering Task Force is working on expanding and extending the TCP/IP model to support mobility and multimedia and real-time applications on the Internet. Thus, new protocols, amendment of existing protocols have been developed. Also there has been a significant increase of interest in enhancing quality of service (QoS) constraints in mobile systems. The proposed network system architecture and mechanisms to provide real-time services to mobile users. Mobility experiences wide variations of quality of service and to obtain mobility independent service guarantees, a mobile system needs to make advance resource reservations. In this paper Transport Layer Management System (TLMS) is introduced at Transport Layer of TCP/IP reference model. TLMS ensure user's service level agreement (SLA) by monitoring, controlling and allocation of resources at server side with the help of application layer and network layer adaptation engine.
Absence of Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 Promotes Oligodendroglial Repopulation of Demyelinated White Matter

This study takes advantage of fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) knock-out mice to determine the contribution of FGF2 to the regeneration of oligodendrocytes in the adult CNS. The role of FGF2 during spontaneous remyelination was examined using two complementary mouse models of experimental demyelination. The murine hepatitis virus strain A59 (MHV-A59) model produces focal areas of spinal cord demyelination with inflammation. The cuprizone neurotoxicant model causes extensive corpus callosum demyelination without a lymphocytic cell response. In both models, FGF2 expression is upregulated in areas of demyelination in wild-type mice. Surprisingly, in both models, oligodendrocyte repopulation of demyelinated white matter was significantly increased in FGF2 −/− mice compared with wild-type mice and even surpassed the oligodendrocyte density of nonlesioned mice. This dramatic result indicated that the absence of FGF2 promoted oligodendrocyte regeneration, possibly by enhancing oligodendrocyte progenitor proliferation and/or differentiation. FGF2 −/− and +/+ mice had similar oligodendrocyte progenitor densities in normal adult CNS, as well as similar progenitor proliferation and accumulation during demyelination. To directly analyze progenitor differentiation, glial cultures from spinal cords of wild-type mice undergoing remyelination after MHV-A59 demyelination were treated for 3 d with either exogenous FGF2 or an FGF2 neutralizing antibody. Elevating FGF2 favored progenitor proliferation, whereas attenuating endogenous FGF2 activity promoted the differentiation of progenitors into oligodendrocytes. Thesein vitro results are consistent with enhanced progenitor differentiation in FGF2 −/− mice. These studies demonstrate that the FGF2 genotype regulates oligodendrocyte regeneration and that FGF2 appears to inhibit oligodendrocyte lineage differentiation during remyelination.
Identification of Tumor Endothelial Cells with High Aldehyde Dehydrogenase Activity and a Highly Angiogenic Phenotype

Tumor blood vessels play an important role in tumor progression and metastasis. It has been reported that tumor endothelial cells (TECs) exhibit highly angiogenic phenotypes compared with those of normal endothelial cells (NECs). TECs show higher proliferative and migratory abilities than those NECs, together with upregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2). Furthermore, compared with NECs, stem cell markers such as Sca-1, CD90, and multidrug resistance 1 are upregulated in TECs, suggesting that stem-like cells exist in tumor blood vessels. In this study, to reveal the biological role of stem-like TECs, we analyzed expression of the stem cell marker aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) in TECs and characterized ALDHhigh TECs. TECs and NECs were isolated from melanoma-xenografted nude mice and normal dermis, respectively. ALDH mRNA expression and activity were higher in TECs than those in NECs. Next, ALDHhigh/low TECs were isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting to compare their characteristics. Compared with ALDHlow TECs, ALDHhigh TECs formed more tubes on Matrigel-coated plates and sustained the tubular networks longer. Furthermore, VEGFR2 expression was higher in ALDHhigh TECs than that in ALDHlow TECs. In addition, ALDH was expressed in the tumor blood vessels of in vivo mouse models of melanoma and oral carcinoma, but not in normal blood vessels. These findings indicate that ALDHhigh TECs exhibit an angiogenic phenotype. Stem-like TECs may have an essential role in tumor angiogenesis.
Evaluation of shared digital economy adoption: Case of Airbnb

Electronic market is a new economic space created by the development of the Internet and it has more than a billion of potential customers. In addition to all of the elements that define a classic market, e-market generates entirely new ways of doing business, such as the shared economy. Shared economy is a sustainable economic system built around the sharing of private assets. This rather new system mostly relies on information technology (P2P) to empower individuals and other profit and non-profit organizations with ways of sharing excess capacity in goods, knowledge and services. Considering the fact that reliance and safety are crucial factors when it comes to sharing private assets, the value of those assets is increased just by sharing information about them. Airbnb.com, as an outstanding example of the new e-business model, enables individuals to rent their unoccupied living space and other short-term accommodation to guests. Besides being a rental mediator, Airbnb is also a social network used by its users to exchange experiences and interests related to traveling. The research was conducted by an online survey that was posted on the Airbnb Facebook wall. The objective of this research is to determine the structure of Airbnb users and certain advantages and disadvantages of this type of ebusiness. The data acquired by this research was processed by the methods of descriptive statistics.
Traditional authority and community leadership: Key factors in community-based marine resource management and conservation

Community-based marine resource management (CBMRM) is more widespread in Oceania than in other tropical region. In this article, I examine the relationship between community leadership and CBMRM, based on a Fijian example. During 2004, sociological community surveys were conducted in five communities on two remote islands, to investigate the status of local traditional authority, with strong leadership being deemed as a critical foundation for successful local marine resource management. Findings show that local traditional customs, for example around the instalment of chiefs, are eroding and one result is that village leadership generally weakens. This local foundation therefore requires more careful attention — without it, implemented management measures may be impractical and unsustainable.