Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long-Term Marginal Bone Loss Around Single Dental Implants Affected by Current and Past Smoking Habits

Purpose:To compare the long-term marginal implant bone loss, survival, and radiographic success of single dental implants among current, past smokers, and nonsmokers. Participants and Methods:The study was based on a consecutive cohort of patients who received single implants between 2 adjacent natural teeth. Only implants with 5 or more years follow-up were considered with no less than 3 follow-up radiographs at different time points with at least 1 year interval between radiographs. All radiographs were analyzed for changes in marginal bone loss. Results:The study consisted of 64 patients, ranging in age from 18 to 78 (mean, 45 years) with a total of 64 single implants. Average follow-up time was 6.14 years (range, 5–14). Success rate was 93.75%; 4 implant failed. Two of the failures were due to mechanical neck brake and 2 resulted from peri-implantitis and bone loss. Survival rates were not related to smoking habits. The mean marginal bone loss measured for all implants was 0.145 mm during the first year, 0.07 mm per year during years 1 throughout 5 and 0.026 mm per year from the sixth year till the end of follow-up. Current smokers demonstrated higher marginal bone loss during all time intervals than former smokers and both demonstrated higher marginal bone loss during all time intervals than nonsmokers. Conclusion:Our results reaffirm the relation between smoking and peri-implant bone loss. Former smokers still demonstrated an increase in marginal bone loss as compared with nonsmokers. There was no difference in implant survival in relation to smoking habits.
Two-staged parallel layer-aware partitioning for 3D designs

As compared to two-dimensional (2D) ICs, 3D integration is a breakthrough technology of growing importance that has the potential to offer significant performance and functional benefits. This emerging technology allows stacking multiple layers of dies and resolves the vertical connection issue by through-silicon vias (TSVs). However, though a TSV is considered a promising solution for vertical connection, it also occupies significant silicon estate and incurs reliability problem. Because of these challenges, minimizing the number of TSVs becomes an important design issue. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a parallel layer-aware partitioning algorithm, featuring both divergence stage and convergence stage, for TSV minimization in 3D structures. In the divergence stage, we employ OpenMP for the parallelization of 2-way min-cut partitioning and get the initial solution, and then refine it in the convergence stage. Experimental results show that the proposed two-staged algorithm can reduce the number of TSVs by up to 39% as compared to several existing methods.
Organizational learning management systems: time to move learning to the cloud!

Purpose – This paper aims to understand the need for organizations to make a shift from traditional to cloud-based organizational learning management systems (LMSs). Design/methodology/approach – In-depth interviews with people responsible for managing learning management systems. Findings – This study identifies six reasons why organizations should select cloud-based learning systems as against traditional LMS. Research limitations/implications – The six identified reasons to move to the cloud can further be validated with empirical study. Practical implications – LMSs adopted and managed properly provide actionable insights on a timely basis to better manage people – the critical assets of an organization – for HR personnel and business managers. Originality/value – Adopting cloud-based organizational learning solutions can help in making the management of LMS very easy for administrators as well as managers.
Structural Abnormalities of the Central Auditory Pathway in Infants with Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and/or Palate

Objective To investigate possible structural abnormalities of the central auditory pathway in infants with nonsyndromic cleft lip and/or palate (NSCL/P). Participants Twenty-seven Chinese infants with NSCL/P, aged from 6 to 24 months. Intervention Morphological magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of the central auditory nervous system (CANS) in infants with NSCL/P were analyzed and compared with those of age- and sex-matched normal controls. Results No significant group differences were found in general brain measurements, including volumes of the brain stem and right hemisphere. However, infants with NSCL/P had statistically significantly smaller volumes of the left thalamus and left auditory cortex and notably decreased thickness of the left auditory cortex. Conclusion Cortical abnormalities were more marked compared with other MRI measurements. Structural CANS abnormalities in infants with NSCL/P may be located mainly in the left cerebral hemisphere. The development and maturation of the auditory cortex in infants with NSCL/P may be abnormal when compared with those of normal children.
Adolescent Playfulness, Stress Perception, Coping and Well Being

The focus of this study was to investigate the relationship between adolescent playfulness, the perception of daily stressors and the coping strategies engaged by adolescents within the context of school and leisure. A mixed method approach was used including semi-structured interviews, scales and survey questionnaires. Two hundred ninety adolescents' ages 12 to 19 participated in the study. Results suggest that playful teens are less prone to experience stress of a personal nature or in relation to their peers. Yet they were more prone to experience stress concerning their future or their parents' future. A number of contextual variations were identified. Playfulness as a personality disposition had significant predictive value pertaining to the adolescents' leisure experience, the perception of daily stressors and overall well being. No significant differences across gender or coping mechanisms (active, internal, and withdrawal) were observed. Contrary to previous assumptions, high playful and low playful teens appear to engage in very similar coping processes for very similar stressors, thus playfulness has a low predictability in terms of adolescent coping. Practical implications of this study are discussed.
Fault tolerance in distributed systems : a coding-theoretic approach

Selected Projects Fault Tolerance in Data Structures Introduced a technique to tolerate faults in data structures hosted on a set of distributed servers, that is much more space efficient than replication. Presented the design of these backups, referred to as fused data structures, and implemented a library of backups for all the data structures in the JAVA Collection Framework. Further, described an efficient design for fault tolerance in Amazon’s highly available key-value store, Dynamo, using a combination of replication and fused data structures.
Practical low bit rate predictive image coder using multi-rate processing and adaptive entropy coding

The modified differential pulse coded modulation (DPCM) codec with multi-rate processing has been shown to able to efficiently code the source with monotonically decreasing spectrum at low bit rates [A.N. Kim and T.A. Ramstad]. A practical image coder is designed based on this approach. Two dimensional DPCM is used along with decimation and interpolation to reduce the number of transmitted samples. The decimation rate depends on the signal spectrum and the bit rate. Further bit rate reduction is achieved through adaptive entropy coding. Wiener filter is appended in the decoder for minimizing distortion caused by quantization noise. The decimation filter can be implemented using simple IIR filters. The necessary side information is low. Simulation results show that the coder is able to give good compression performance at low bit rates which is superior to conventional DPCM codec and JPEG. Subjective quality can be as good as JPEG2000. While at very low bit rates the proposed codec is able to retain certain image characteristics better than JPEG2000.
Novel Stability Criteria for T--S Fuzzy Systems

In this paper, novel stability conditions for Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems are presented. The so-called nonquadratic membership-dependent Lyapunov function is first proposed, which is formulated in a higher order form of both the system states and the normalized membership functions than existing techniques in the literature. Then, new membership-dependent stability conditions are developed by the new Lyapunov function approach. It is shown that the conservativeness of the obtained criteria can be further reduced as the degree of the Lyapunov function increases. Two numerical examples are given to demonstrate the effectiveness and less conservativeness of the obtained theoretical results.
Casos de (Re)Uso: Uma Abordagem para Reuso de Software Interativo Dirigida por Casos de Uso e Padrões Concretos de Interação,

This paper aims to present an use case driven software reuse approach for interactive systems, integrating – by means of some aspects of use case life cycle (from modeling to implementation) several well-known reuse concepts and techniques like use case patterns, interaction patterns and design patterns. The approach focuses on how to promote user interface reuse integrated to reuse of applicationdomain related software artifacts and by means of concrete interaction patterns (CIPs) usage. A CIP extends the usual interaction pattern documentation describing interactions and user interface behaviour through User Interface Description Language (UIDL), allowing reuse and implementation of an abstract user interface to different platforms anduser interface to different platforms and
Clinical Study of Serum Homocysteine and Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Euglycemic Patients

Background Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a chronic liver disease. NAFLD includes a spectrum of hepatic pathologies: simple fatty liver, steatohepatitis and cirrhosis. Insulin resistance may contribute to NAFLD. The liver plays an important role in the production and metabolism of homocysteine (HCY), which is known to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. High HCY level can aggravate NAFLD by increasing the reactive oxygen species and activating oxidative stress. In this study, we investigated the relationship between HCY and NAFLD in euglycemic patients. Material/Methods A total of 1143 euglycemic patients were recruited: 519 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and 624 sex and age-matched controls without NAFLD. Results The NAFLD group had significantly higher HCY level (13.78±5.84 vs. 11.96±3.58 mmol/L, p<0.001), as well as higher body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (ALT), glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase (AST), fasting plasma glucose (FPG), fasting insulin (FINS), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), homeostasis model assessment for beta cell function (HOMA-B), and lower high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). HCY level was positively correlated with HOMA-IR (r=0.239, p<0.001), TG (r=0.356, p<0.001) and negatively correlated with HDL-C (r=−0.161, p<0.001). In the logistic regression analysis, BMI (beta=0.345, p<0.001), HOMA-IR (beta=0.654, p<0.01), TG (beta=0.881, p<0.001), and HCY (beta=0.04, p=0.044) were the predictors of NAFLD. Conclusions Higher HCY level existed in NAFLD patients and was correlated with the severity of insulin resistance. HCY is an independent risk factor for NAFLD.
The psychology of physical attraction

Preface: The Difficulty of Being a Scientist-Interested-in-Physical-Attraction. What Pythagoras Unleashed Upon the World. What is Beautiful is Good. Darwin, Sexual Selection and the Peacock's Tail. The Naked Woman and Man. Of Hourglasses and Triangles: Human Body Weight and Shape. The Venus of Willendorf, Rubens and Milking Huts. Welcome to the Mating Market. No One is an Island. What Future for Physical Attraction?
Le consumérisme politique : Une innovation régulatoire à l’ère de la mondialisation

Cet article etudie le potentiel regulatoire du consumerisme politique a travers l’analyse de deux nouveaux mouvements sociaux economiques : la finance et la consommation responsables. La nouvelle generation de mouvement social, dont ces deux innovations temoignent, preside a l’institutionnalisation de mecanismes inedits ayant pour ambition de reguler le marche en fonction de criteres sociaux et environnementaux. Mais ces mecanismes sont sujets a une derive commerciale susceptible d’annihiler leur potentiel transformateur. Ces mecanismes meritent par ailleurs l’attention, dans la mesure ou ils revelent un compromis social au chapitre du contenu de la responsabilite sociale des acteurs economiques et donc des balises regulatoires a l’ere de la mondialisation.
Kız ve Erkek On Birinci Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Kariyer Yetkinlik Beklentisi, Kariyer Seçenekleri Zenginliği, Akademik Performans ve Yetenekleri Arasındaki İlişkiler

Bu arastirmada 11. siniflardan olusan orneklem uzerinde, kariyer yetkinlik beklentisi, algilanmis kariyer secenekleri zenginligi ve yetenek puanlari arasindaki iliskiler cinsiyet farki goz onunde bulundurularak incelenmistir. Arastirmanin birinci ana denencesinde, Hackett ve Betz’in (1981) cinsiyet roluyle ilgili toplumsallasmanin kariyer yetkinlik beklentisi uzerindeki etkisi hakkmdaki modellerinin, Turk kulturu icin gecerli olup olmayacagi arastirilmistir, ikinci ana denencede ise, Lent, Brown ve Hackett'in (1994) secim ve performans modelleriyle ilgili uc denencesi sinanmis ve genelde her iki durum icin de destekleyici bulgular elde edilmistir. Tartisma kisminda ise, matematik yetkinlik beklentisinin universiteye giris sinavlarinda, ozellikle kiz ogrenciler icin onemli bir degisken oldugu ve her iki modelin Turk ergenlerinin mesleki kararlari acisindan kullanisli olabilecegi sonuclarina ulasilmistir.
ΔNp73 Enhances Promoter Activity of TGF-β Induced Genes

The p53 homolog p73 is frequently overexpressed in cancers. Especially the transactivation domain truncated isoform ΔNp73 has oncogenic properties and its upregulation is associated with poor patient survival. It has been shown that ΔNp73 has an inhibitory effect on the transactivation capacity of p53 and other p73 isoforms. Here, we confirm this finding but surprisingly find that ΔNp73 may also stimulate the expression of TGF-β signaling targets. Promoter-reporter analysis indicated that the presence of Smad Binding Elements (SBE) in the promoter is sufficient for stimulation of gene expression by ΔNp73. TGF-β signaling was less efficient in ΔNp73 downregulated cells, whereas tetracycline induced ΔNp73 increased expression of endogenous TGF-β regulated genes PAI-1 and Col1a1. Pull-down assays with SBE DNA suggest that ΔNp73 enhances smad3/4 binding to SBEs, thereby stimulating TGF-β signaling. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirmed a direct interaction between ΔNp73 and SBE. Given the role of TGF-β signaling in carcinogenesis, tumor invasion and metastasis via targets like PAI-1 and Col1a1, our data suggest a model on how this effect of ΔNp73 could be a contributing factor in cancer progression.
The value of temporary external lumbar CSF drainage in predicting the outcome of shunting on normal pressure hydrocephalus

Objective: It has been reported that temporary external lumbar CSF drainage (ELD) is a very accurate test for predicting the outcome after ventricular shunting in patients with normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). However, only a limited number of patients have been studied for assessing the predictive accuracy of ELD. Therefore, the value of ELD in predicting the outcome after a ventriculoperitoneal shunt in patients with presumed NPH was assessed. Methods: All patients with presumed NPH were invited to participate in this study. Clinical assessment, MRI, and neuropsychological evaluation were followed by a lumbar CSF tap test consisting of removing 40 ml CSF. When this test resulted in marked clinical improvement of gait impairment, mental disturbances, or both, the patient was shunted without further tests. In patients with either questionable or no improvement after the CSF tap test, ELD was carried out. The value of ELD for predicting the outcome after shunting was calculated by correlating the results of ELD with that of ventriculoperitoneal shunting. Results: Between January 1994 and December 2000, 49 presumed NPH patients from three institutes were included. Forty three had idiopathic, and the remaining six had secondary NPH. Forty eight patients were shunted; 39 had an ELD of whom 38 completed the test. After 2 months 35 of the 48 (73%) shunted patients had improved. The predictive value of a positive ELD was 87% (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 62–98) and that of a negative ELD 36% (95% CI 17–59). In two patients serious test related complications (meningitis) occurred without residual deficit. Conclusion: The study suggests that although the predictive value of a positive ELD is high, that of a negative ELD is deceptively low because of the high rate of false negative results. The costs and invasiveness of the test and the possibility of serious test related complications further limits its usefulness in managing patients with presumed NPH.
Centre of mass movement and mechanical energy fluctuation during gallop locomotion in the Thoroughbred racehorse

SUMMARY During locomotion cyclical interchange between different forms of mechanical energy enhances economy; however, 100% efficiency cannot be achieved and ultimately some mechanical work must be performed de novo. There is a metabolic cost associated with fluctuations in mechanical energy, even in the most efficient animals. In this study we investigate the exchanges between different forms of mechanical energy involved in high-speed gallop locomotion in Thoroughbred race horses during over-ground locomotion using innovative, mobile data collection techniques. We use hoof-mounted accelerometers to capture foot contact times, a GPS data logger to monitor speed and an inertial sensor mounted over the dorsal spinous processes of the fourth to sixth thoracic vertebrae (the withers) of the horse to capture trunk movement with six degrees of freedom. Trunk movement data were used to estimate the movement of the centre of mass (CoM). Linear (craniocaudal, mediolateral and dorsoventral) and rotational (roll, pitch and heading) kinematic parameters (displacement, velocity and acceleration) were calculated for seven horses at gallop speeds ranging from 7 to 17 m s-1 during their regular training sessions. These were used to estimate external mechanical energy (potential energy and linear kinetic energy of the CoM) as well as selected components of internal energy (angular kinetic energy). Elastic energy storage in the limbs was estimated from duty factor, sine wave assumptions and published leg stiffness values. External mechanical energy changes were dominated by changes in craniocaudal velocity. Potential energy change, which was in phase with craniocaudal energy during the front limb stances, was small. Elastic energy storage in the limbs was small compared to the overall amplitude of fluctuation of external mechanical energy. Galloping at high speeds does not therefore fit classical spring mass mechanics.
Humour Theory and Conversational Agents: An Application in the Development of Computer-based Agents

Much of the literature on the development of conversational agents comes from the domain of Human Computer Interaction (HCI) (Buchanan 2008; Cassell et al. 2000; Laurel 1993; Reeves and Nass 1996). The Computers Are Social Actors (CASA) paradigm suggests that a user will respond to a computer-based conversational agent in the same manner they would respond to a real person (Nass, Isbister, and Lee 2000). Shechtman and Horowitz, although critical of the conclusions of the CASA paradigm, suggest there is an “inextricable link between the use of natural language and social interaction. Perhaps relationship behaviors are simply difficult to filter out of communication and may arise as an artefact of using natural language in a conversational situation” (2003, p.288). Whether computers and humans are equal social actors or not may be an unnecessary distinction if the use of natural language is alone sufficient to generate the perception of social interaction and personality. If humour is one of the defining features of ‘human-ness’ then for a computer to truly be a social actor it must be able to engage in novel, surprising and humorous exchanges. This paper surveys a range of humour theories in search of a theory that can be applied to interactions of computer-based conversational agents.
Visual cortex on the GPU: Biologically inspired classifier and feature descriptor for rapid recognition

We present a biologically motivated classifier and feature descriptors that are designed for execution on single instruction multi data hardware and are applied to high speed multiclass object recognition. Our feature extractor uses a cellular tuning approach to select the optimal Gabor filters to process a given input, followed by the computation of scale and rotation-invariant features that are sparsified with a lateral inhibition mechanism. Neighboring features are pooled into feature hierarchies whose resonant properties are used to select the most representative hierarchies for each object class. The feature hierarchies are used to train a novel form of adaptive resonance theory classifier for multiclass object recognition. Our model has unprecedented biologically plausibility at all stages and uses the programmable graphics processing unit (GPU) for high speed feature extraction and object classification. We demonstrate the speedup achieved with the use of the GPU and test our model on the Caltech 101 and 15 Scene datasets, where our system achieves state-of-the-art performance.
A signal-specific successive-approximation analog-to-digital converter

This paper presents a modified structure and a new switching algorithm in successive-approximation analog-to-digital converters to reduce the power consumption. This technique is more efficient in applications where the input signal activity is low most of the time such as biomedical signals. For slow-varying samples, only the least significant bits of the new analog sample are extracted leading to power saving in both the capacitor-based DAC and the comparator. For an Electrocardiogram signal and with the proposed structure, the simulated power consumption of the DAC, the comparator and the entire ADC for an 8-bit 1-kS/s converter are 75%, 43% and 50% smaller than those of a conventional architecture, respectively.
A robust immunoassay for anti-interferon autoantibodies that is highly specific for patients with autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1

Context: High titer antibodies to type 1 interferons have been recently reported as being highly specific for patients with autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 1 (APS1) in patients with mutations in the AIRE gene. Methods: This study established a competitive europium time resolved fluorescence assay for IFNautoantibodies and measured sera from subjects with APS1, first-degree relatives of APS1 patients, patients with Addison’s disease or type 1 diabetes. Results: The Ab index for 6/7 APS1 patients was strongly positive and 3 standard deviations or more above that of the normal controls. Using a cutoff of 2 standard deviations above normal controls, relatives of APS1 patients were negative for type I interferon autoantibodies as were 71 patients with Addison’s disease (non-APS1) and 141 type 1 diabetes patients. Conclusion(s): This simple high throughput competitive europium time resolved fluorescence assay had a sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 99.5%.