Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical performance of cast clasp-retained removable partial dentures: a retrospective study.

PURPOSE This retrospective study investigated the survival rate of 174 clasp-retained removable partial dentures (CR-RPDs) made at the Department of Prosthodontics of the Regensburg University Medical Center over a 25-year period (1984 to 2009). MATERIALS AND METHODS The study analyzed the frequency of and time to the fracture of clasps, connectors, or denture bases; the occurrence of caries or periodontal lesions; the loss of abutment teeth; and the necessity of maintenance procedures such as relining or treatment of pressure areas. RESULTS The median follow-up time of 3 years was calculated using the inverse Kaplan-Meier method. The 5-year survival rate (time to renewal) of all CR-RPDs was 96.4%; the 10-year survival rate was 89.8%. Fractures most frequently occurred in clasps (n = 28, 16.1%) followed by major connectors (n = 9, 5.1%) and minor connectors (n = 6, 3.4%). The 5-year event-free rate for clasp fracture was 80.4%; the 10-year event-free rate was 76.9%. Caries lesions on abutment teeth were seen in 31.6% of patients, and 35.6% showed inflammation of the periodontal tissue surrounding the abutment teeth. The 5-year event-free rate for caries was 58.4%; the 10-year rate was 39.6%. A frequent complication was loss of abutment teeth (n = 15), but this complication was not age-dependent. After insertion of their prostheses, one-third of patients (n = 53, 30.5%) showed pressure areas of the mucosa. Significantly more (P < .001) pressure areas were caused by prostheses of the mandible (39.6%) than by those of the maxilla (12.5%). CONCLUSIONS CR-RPDs showed a survival rate of approximately 90% after 10 years of oral service. The predominant complications during oral service were caries lesions, loss of abutment teeth, and fracture of clasps.
Integrating Project Management Applications as Web Services

Many related software applications can be employed at various stages of a project, at different locations and for disparate purposes. Integrating these tools can help extend the capabilities of individual software applications. This paper addresses some of the issues related to the integration of distributed software applications as Web services. Specifically, information modeling for project management applications and communication mechanisms are examined. Process Specification Language (PSL) is employed as the information modeling language. The implementation efforts required towards the development of an integrated service architecture are discussed. A variety of project management tools, including Primavera Project Planner, Microsoft Project, Vite SimVison and Microsoft Excel, are employed as a demonstration of the distributed integration infrastructure.
Blind maximum likelihood sequence detection over fast fading channels

Maximum a posteriori (MAP) sequence detection for channels with intersymbol interference (ISI) has previously required knowledge of the channel sampled impulse response (SIR). Generally the SIR coefficients are determined via least mean square (LMS) or recursive least squares (RLS) estimation algorithms. For many unguided media channels such as mobile radio and high frequency radio which exhibit a time-varying SIR, these estimators must be adaptive. Adaptive estimators often fail to track adequately and are a major source of detector deterioration. A novel, blind maximum likelihood sequence detection (BMLSD) formulation without the need for external channel SIR estimation is proposed. The BMLSD performance is evaluated via simulation over several fast Rayleigh fading channels, which indicates substantial improvement compared to the conventional MLSD.
Through-silicon via filling process using pulse reversal plating

Though silicon vias filled by pulse reversal current, and influences of frequency of pulse current and reverse current density are investigated. Chronopotentiometry was applied to analyze the principle of these effects. It was found that when frequency is too high, the reverse current was mainly consumed in process of charge-discharge of electric double layer; it cannot play the role of dissolving copper deposit on surface of via and orifice. For pulse reversal plating, low frequency is required. Generally frequency less than 40Hz is suitable in this system. High reverse current density could suppress copper growth on surface and at the orifice. It is beneficial for bottom-up via filling. However, if reverse current is too high, plating speed could be serious inhibited. In our study, 1:2 is the best ratio of forward and reverse current density.
Tinnitus-Related Changes in the Inferior Colliculus

Tinnitus is highly complex, diverse, and difficult to treat, in part due to the fact that the underlying causes and mechanisms remain elusive. Tinnitus is generated within the auditory brain; however, consolidating our understanding of tinnitus pathophysiology is difficult due to the diversity of reported effects and the variety of implicated brain nuclei. Here, we focus on the inferior colliculus (IC), a midbrain structure that integrates the vast majority of ascending auditory information and projects via the thalamus to the auditory cortex. The IC is also a point of convergence for corticofugal input and input originating outside the auditory pathway. We review the evidence, from both studies with human subjects and from animal models, for the contribution the IC makes to tinnitus. Changes in the IC, caused by either noise exposure or drug administration, involve fundamental, heterogeneous alterations in the balance of excitation and inhibition. However, differences between hearing loss-induced pathology and tinnitus-related pathology are not well understood. Moreover, variability in tinnitus induction methodology has a significant impact on subsequent neural and behavioral changes, which could explain some of the seemingly contradictory data. Nonetheless, the IC is likely involved in the generation and persistence of tinnitus perception.
Effects of a 2-year randomized soy intervention on sex hormone levels in premenopausal women.

OBJECTIVE Several epidemiologic studies have described protective effects of soy consumption against breast cancer. The goal of this trial among premenopausal women was to examine the effect of soy foods on menstrual cycle length and circulating sex hormone levels. METHODS This 2-year dietary intervention randomized 220 healthy premenopausal women. The intervention group consumed two daily servings of soy foods containing approximately 50 mg of isoflavones; the control group maintained their regular diet. Five blood samples (obtained in months 0, 3, 6, 12, and 24) were taken 5 days after ovulation as determined by an ovulation kit. The serum samples were analyzed for estrone, estradiol, sex hormone binding globulin, androstenedione, and progesterone by immunoassay. RESULTS At baseline, both groups had similar demographic, anthropometric, and nutritional characteristics. The dropout rates of 15.6% (17 of 109) in the intervention group and 12.6% (14 of 111) in the control group did not differ significantly. According to soy intake logs, 24-hour recalls, and urinary isoflavone excretion, the women closely adhered to the study regimen. Menstrual cycles became slightly shorter in both groups but did not differ by group. Mixed general linear models indicated no significant intervention effect on any of the serum hormones. However, androstenedione and progesterone decreased significantly over time in both groups. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study suggest that the preventive effects of soy on breast cancer risk in premenopausal women may not be mediated by circulating sex hormone levels. Different mechanisms of actions or effects of exposure earlier in life are alternate hypotheses that require further investigation.
The Contributions of Domain-General and Numerical Factors to Third-Grade Arithmetic Skills and Mathematical Learning Disability

Explanations of the marked individual differences in elementary school mathematical achievement and mathematical learning disability (MLD or dyscalculia) have involved domain-general factors (working memory, reasoning, processing speed, and oral language) and numerical factors that include single-digit processing efficiency and multidigit skills such as number system knowledge and estimation. This study of 3rd graders (N = 258) finds both domain-general and numerical factors contribute independently to explaining variation in 3 significant arithmetic skills: basic calculation fluency, written multidigit computation, and arithmetic word problems. Estimation accuracy and number system knowledge show the strongest associations with every skill, and their contributions are independent of both each other and other factors. Different domain-general factors independently account for variation in each skill. Numeral comparison, a single digit processing skill, uniquely accounts for variation in basic calculation. Subsamples of children with MLD (at or below 10th percentile, n = 29) are compared with low achievement (LA, 11th to 25th percentiles, n = 42) and typical achievement (above 25th percentile, n = 187). Examination of these and subsets with persistent difficulties supports a multiple deficits view of number difficulties: Most children with number difficulties exhibit deficits in both domain-general and numerical factors. The only factor deficit common to all persistent MLD children is in multidigit skills. These findings indicate that many factors matter but multidigit skills matter most in 3rd grade mathematical achievement.
A Cellular Function for the RNA-Interference Enzyme Dicer in the Maturation of the let-7 Small Temporal RNA

The 21-nucleotide small temporal RNA (stRNA) let-7regulates developmental timing in Caenorhabditis elegans and probably in other bilateral animals. We present in vivo and in vitro evidence that in Drosophila melanogaster a developmentally regulated precursor RNA is cleaved by an RNA interference-like mechanism to produce mature let-7 stRNA. Targeted destruction in cultured human cells of the messenger RNA encoding the enzyme Dicer, which acts in the RNA interference pathway, leads to accumulation of the let-7 precursor. Thus, the RNA interference and stRNA pathways intersect. Both pathways require the RNA-processing enzyme Dicer to produce the active small-RNA component that represses gene expression.
The Power of a Ranking: Quantifying the Effects of Rankings on Online Consumer Search and Choice∗

When consumers face many options, intermediaries can help by ranking them, which in turn can influence how consumers search and what they ultimately purchase. To understand such influence, it is crucial to separate the role the ranking plays in consumer search from other characteristics of the firm. As the ranking is endogenous, separately identifying the role of the ranking is challenging. In this paper, I identify the causal effect of the ranking by using a data set on search impressions that includes both a random ranking and the default ranking of a popular online travel agent. I show both the direction and the magnitude of the endogeneity bias of position under the default ranking and propose a method to mitigate this bias when the researcher does not have access to the random ranking. Then, I describe how consumers’ search and choices are affected by the type of ranking they observe. Finally, I model consumer choices using a sequential search model. Using this model’s search and preference parameter estimates, I construct several counterfactual experiments of interest comparing the welfare of the default ranking with that of alternative rankings.
A novel asymptotic deterministic randomness based image encrytion scheme

To improve systemspsila resistance to attack based on symbolic dynamics, this paper presents a new digital image encryption scheme utilizing asymptotic deterministic randomness. Different from most of the existing chaotic image encryption methods, the asymptotic deterministic randomness with private key is utilized to encrypt image. The simulation results show that this proposed system has better security performance than chaotic map based systems.
LNS Subtraction Using Novel Cotransformation and/or Interpolation

The logarithmic number system (LNS) makes multiplication, division and powering easy, but subtraction is expensive. Cotransformation converts the difficult operation of logarithmic subtraction into the easier operation of logarithmic addition. In this paper, a new variant of cotransformation is proposed, which is simpler to design and more economical in hardware than previous cotransformation methods. The novel method commutes operands differently for addition than for subtraction. Simulation results show how many guard bits are required by the new cotransformation to guarantee faithful rounding and that, even without guard bits, cotransformation produces an LNS unit more accurate than a previously published hardware-description-language (HDL) library for LNS arithmetic that uses only multipartite tables or 2nd-order interpolation.
Fuzzy relational structures: Learning alternatives for fuzzy modeling

Fuzzy models offer a convenient way to describe complex and nonlinear systems. Fuzzy relational equations, viewed as a certain class of fuzzy models, play a pivotal role in fuzzy modeling. Their theory supports ways in which these equations could be solved and offers a characterization of the resulting families of solutions. Assuming that the corresponding relational equation or a system of relational equations is solvable, the theory provides a suite of analytical results. If this essential solvability assumption is not satisfied, we have to resort to approximate solutions and optimization techniques. In this study, we review several approaches to construct fuzzy relational models. Those methods include analytical methods, gradient-based (GB) methods, particle swarm optimization (PSO), and differential evolution (DE). We compare these methods with a hybridization of the different techniques, namely PSO-GB and DE-GB. The optimization techniques are used to design a fuzzy logic processor (FLP), which employs fuzzy logic operations in the realization of this network. Fuzzy C-Means (FCM) transforms real-world numeric data into fuzzy sets, which are used to design the fuzzy model.
Epidemiology of mental disorders in children and adolescents

This article provides a review of the magnitude of mental disorders in children and adolescents from recent community surveys across the world. Although there is substantial variation in the results depending upon the methodological characteristics of the studies, the findings converge in demonstrating that approximately one fourth of youth experience a mental disorder during the past year, and about one third across their lifetimes. Anxiety disorders are the most frequent conditions in children, followed by behavior disorders, mood disorders, and substance use disorders. Fewer than half of youth with current mental disorders receive mental health specialty treatment. However, those with the most severe disorders tend to receive mental health services. Current issues that are now being identified in the field of child psychiatric epidemiology include: refinement of classification and assessment, inclusion of young children in epidemiologic surveys, integration of child and adult psychiatric epidemiology, and evaluation of both mental and physical disorders in children.
The oviduct: A key organ for the success of early reproductive events

Fertilization in a large number of animals occurs in a specific region of the female genital tract called the oviduct (uterine tube or Fallopian tube), which adjoins into the uterus and is located close to the ovary (Figures 1 and 2). The oviduct is a complex fibromuscular conduct with several layers comprising the mucosa, muscular layer, and a connective serosa. The size of these different layers depends on the anatomical region of the oviduct observed. In the ampulla, where the fertilization takes place, a highly folded mucosa was observed; however, the size and the number of the folds are reduced in the isthmus region and even more so at the uterine tubal junction (Figure 2c). The isthmus region is commonly associated with the storage of sperm before ovulation. Very important events for fertilization take place in the oviduct. For example, the oviductal environment is responsible of the final maturation of female and male gametes, fertilization, and early embryo development. It is important to take into consideration that early embryos spend several days in the oviduct before they reach the uterus, where implantation occurs. Consequently, the oviduct is a dynamic organ adapted to different situations that are mainly regulated by the varying hormone levels in the blood. The understanding of the oviductal secretions in which gametes and embryos are temporarily placed is continually
Adaptive QoS provisioning in wireless ad hoc networks: a semi-MDP approach

The paper presents a joint bandwidth allocation and buffer management scheme for QoS provisioning in a differentiated services framework on a wireless ad hoc network. Our proposed scheme models the system as a semi-Markov decision process (SMDP) and uses a novel model-free average reward reinforcement learning (RL) algorithm that considers maximizing the average long term reward for our network and, at the same time, minimizing QoS violations with respect to bandwidth, queueing delay and buffer loss. Due to the nature of the provisioning problem of having continuous and multi-dimensional state and action spaces, we also present a novel function approximation technique (wire-fitted CMAC) that uses a linear tile-coding structure together with a wire-fitted interpolation. Using a linear approximator facilitates the convergence of our proposed RL algorithm. The wire-fitted CMAC also generalizes both the state and action values. Simulation results show the effectiveness and convergence of the proposed provisioning scheme with respect to the average long term reward.
A low power frequency synthesizer chip with aperture phase detector and phase to analog converter

This paper presents a 0.18 μm CMOS low power frequency synthesizer with aperture phase detector (APD) and phase to analog converter (PAC) to reduce noise and power, and achieves lower reference spur. In locked state, the synthesizer can capture and compare the reference and VCO output signal directly by APD, and then PAC generates signal to control the current amplitude of charge pump. At 1.2 V supply voltage, measured results of the synthesizer shows a tuning range from 2.256 to 2.481 GHz, corresponding to 9.5%, a phase noise of -113.22 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset from 2.406 GHz, a power consumption of 4.5 mW, and a reference spur of the synthesizer is less than -60 dBc. Including pads, the chip area occupies 0.82 (0.941 × 0.871) mm2 for wireless communication.
The effect of a combination of peer coaching and research lessons on Physical Science teachers

This paper describes one part of a long-term study aimed at developing and testing a model for holistic teacher development. Phase 1 involved obtaining baseline data, Phase 2 involved constructing the model and Phase 3 trialling elements of the model identified in Phase 2. Three dimensions, namely content knowledge, teaching approaches and professional attitudes were identified to develop simultaneously.
Effect of Long-Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Supplementation on Neurodevelopmental Outcome in Full-Term Infants

It takes more than 20 years before the human brain obtains its complex, adult configuration. Most dramatic developmental changes occur prenatally and early postnatally. During development, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) such as doxosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA) are accreted in the brain. Since breastfeeding is associated with a better developmental outcome than formula feeding, and human milk in contrast to traditional standard formula contains LCPUFA, the question arose whether LCPUFA supplementation of infant formula may promote the neurodevelopmental outcome. The current paper reviews the evidence available in full-term infants. It concludes that postnatal supplementation of formula with LCPUFA is associated with a beneficial effect on short-term neurodevelopmental outcome. However, no evidence is available that LCPUFA supplementation enhances neurodevelopmental outcome in full-term infants beyond the age of four months. Nevertheless, it should be realized that very limited information is available on the effect of LCPUFA supplementation on neurodevelopmental outcome at school age or later. It is conceivable that effects of LCPUFA supplementation first emerge or re-emerge at school age when more complex neural functions are expressed.
Bénévolat et salariat: quelle coexistence dans les associations ?

Cet article propose une reflexion sur la coexistence du salariat et du benevolat dans les associations. Quelle division du travail, quelle definition des fonctions s'etablissent entre les benevoles et les salarie-e-s ? Quels conflits y voient le jour et que traduisent-ils des brouillages de frontieres et des decalages dans les attentes vis-a-vis des uns et des autres ? Que nous apprennent ces elements des processus de professionnalisation1 a l'œuvre dans ces organisations ? Nous nous appuierons principalement sur les cas de deux secteurs qui se distinguent nettement par leur degre d'avancement dans le processus de professionnalisation et quant a leur recours au travail salarie et au travail benevole : les services aux personnes et l'environnement (encadres 1 et 2). Historiquement, le milieu associatif est d'abord le lieu de l'engagement benevole. Ce n'est qu'apres un certain temps d'existence, de formalisation, voire d'institutionnalisation des organisations, que le salariat y apparait, sans supprimer la presence benevole, ne serait-ce qu'au sein des instances dirigeantes, par definition benevoles.
Chemical screening methods to identify ligands that promote protein stability, protein crystallization, and structure determination

The 3D structures of human therapeutic targets are enabling for drug discovery. However, their purification and crystallization remain rate determining. In individual cases, ligands have been used to increase the success rate of protein purification and crystallization, but the broad applicability of this approach is unknown. We implemented two screening platforms, based on either fluorimetry or static light scattering, to measure the increase in protein thermal stability upon binding of a ligand without the need to monitor enzyme activity. In total, 221 different proteins from humans and human parasites were screened against one or both of two sorts of small-molecule libraries. The first library comprised different salts, pH conditions, and commonly found small molecules and was applicable to all proteins. The second comprised compounds specific for protein families of particular interest (e.g., protein kinases). In 20 cases, including nine unique human protein kinases, a small molecule was identified that stabilized the proteins and promoted structure determination. The methods are cost-effective, can be implemented in any laboratory, promise to increase the success rates of purifying and crystallizing human proteins significantly, and identify new ligands for these proteins.