Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inequalities in Dental Attendance throughout the Life-course

The purpose of this study was to identify socio-economic inequalities in regular dental attendance throughout the life-course. The analyses relied on data from SHARE (waves 1 to 3 of the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe), which includes retrospective information on life-course dental attendance of 26,525 persons currently aged 50 years or greater from 13 European countries (Austria, Poland, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Greece, the Czech Republic, France, Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, and Sweden). Inequalities in dental attendance were assessed by means of Concentration Indices. Socio-economic disparities in regular dental attendance were identified as early as childhood. Moreover, higher educational attainment resulted in increased probabilities of regular dental attendance throughout subsequent life-years in all nations. In most countries, inequality levels remained relatively inelastic throughout the life-course. These findings suggest that a considerable proportion of inequalities in dental care use is already established at childhood and persists throughout the life-course.
Channel Cognitive Wireless Sensor System Based on Spectrum Sensing Technology

A channel cognitive wireless sensor system is proposed for low-power sensor network applications. Based on an RF spectrum sensing technology, the proposed receiver system is designed with channel-selective operation only for a valid input RF signal at a designated frequency channel. The new receiver architecture was implemented at the ISM band of 2.4-2.5 GHz. The system performance was evaluated by Bit-Error-Rate (BER) measurements with a data-rate of 64 kbps and a random data pattern of 29-1 for the sensitivity and selective receptions, respectively, in various multichannel environments. From the experimental results, the proposed system features excellent channel selectivity for the allocated channels.
A study on smart fashion product development trends

ICT in the IOT era is the core basis of modern society. This study investigated and analyzed the recent commercialization trends of smart fashion products internationally and domestically, to utilize them as the basis of data for developing user-friendly smart fashion products that can meet the needs of consumers. Keyword research using the most representative search engines, Google and Naver was conducted for searching for various wearable items commercialized actively since 2010. The final 78 products were classified by the physical area, and the key features and benefits were analyzed. Smart fashion products were classified as four physical types for the head and face, torso, arms and hands, and ankles and feet. Smart fashion products for each body part were developed in various ways, such as hats, glasses, lenses, virtual screens, earphones, headsets, clothing, watches, wrist bands, gloves, rings, wallets, bags, anklets, shoes, socks, and insoles. The main features were music playback, bluetooth, a camera based on NFC, virtual effects, health and safety protection through measuring heartbeat and momentum, and social network sharing of all kinds of information, based on inter-working with a smartphone. These functions represent the physical, social, and emotional interactions among users and their surroundings, as well as the users, themselves. The research results are expected to be used in future studies on planning user-friendly and marketable products through in-depth analysis of the design characteristics of smart fashion products as well as consumer responses.
Incidence of premature discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation.

BACKGROUND Antiplatelet therapy in patients with sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) may be stopped because of bleeding or an invasive procedure. METHODS AND RESULTS In 254 patients with SES, the incidence of discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy and subsequent adverse cardiac events was evaluated. Follow-up was complete for 97.2% of the population and mean follow-up was 15.6+/-8.9 months. Discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy occurred for 46 patients (18.1%): 1 case of late stent thrombosis (2.2%) occurred 10 days after cessation of therapy because of pulmonary hemorrhage 7 months after SES deployment. CONCLUSION Discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy in patients with SES is not infrequent.
New Business Models for the Computer Gaming Industry: Selling an Adventure

Nowadays, managers in the computer and video gaming industry are forced to reevaluate their companies’ strategic position within the value-added chain, as traditional business models show a tendency to erode. While there are some striking parallels to the music industry, like facing the threat of acts of piracy, indicating what future developments might be expected, there are also best practice examples from the computer and video gaming industry to learn from. Thus, it is imperative to have a look at the changes in competitive settings within this industry and analyze adequate examples regarding how to setup new profitable business models. In order to evaluate the changed business models in a meaningful way a systematic approach is advisable. Therefore, a short ontology of business models is given first, supporting the illustration of recent developments in the industry and which will guide the presentation of selective cases. Three major implications for managers in the computer and video gaming industry will be identified. These include a need to centralize the game experience, a stronger shift towards online distribution channels and the development of a collective sense of identity by target communities.
Resource allocation techniques for cooperative AF wireless networks — Efficiency fairness trade-offs

Resource allocation is one of the critical problem in cooperative communication systems. The approach to allocate resources to maximize total network throughput favours sources with good channel condition. On the other hand, max-min fair technique suffers from the loss of efficiency to a larger extent. Looking at futuristic wireless applications, the demand of users vary on wider spectrum. Allocation of a fixed amount of resources cannot satisfy such requirements. In this context, satisfaction of the user is more important criteria compared to common achievable targeted data rate. The user satisfaction is represented in term of utility based on some network performance criteria. This paper presents the concept of utility based resource allocation. The utility is defined as a function of data rate achieved by the user in the cooperative mode. Extensive simulation is carried out considering different utility functions that resemble the satisfaction of the user for variable data rate applications. The results show with the proposed utility based allocation significant fairness can be achieved with vary nominal decrease in efficiency. We have also investigated the efficiency-fairness trade-off for each of the utility function.
Functionalized carbon nanotubes for anticancer drug delivery

In vitro and in vivo results reflect that functionalized carbon nanotubes (f-CNTs) are promising for the development of unique delivery systems of anticancer drugs. Functionalization of CNTs and drug loading are realized by covalent attachment and/or physical approaches. Poly(ethylene glycol) is the most adopted species for functionalization, which can increase the dispersity in aqueous solution and biocompatibility of CNTs. Several types of anticancer drugs, such as paclitaxel and doxorubicin, are loaded onto f-CNTs and their treatment efficacy has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. However, f-CNTs of well-controlled structures, such as uniform length and well-defined chemistry, which are not available so far, are important to solve the current controversy over the mechanisms of cell uptake of f-CNTs, and are a prerequisite to investigate whether f-CNTs can be platform materials for anticancer drug delivery with improved efficacy.
Evaluation of older persons with mild cognitive deficits: potential utility of magnetic resonance imaging.

BACKGROUND This study evaluated brain volumes in healthy older subjects without dementia who presented with memory complaints. The objective was to examine cortical volumes in relation to cognitive performance among patients who do not have dementia, but who do have mild cognitive deficits. METHODS Fifteen participants were evaluated (mean age = 71.8 +/- 6.2). Brain structure was measured via high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging to quantify gray and white matter volumes. Volumetric measures were assessed relative to cognitive function in separate regression models controlling for total cerebral volume. Reported here are measures of global cognitive performance using the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS) in relation to volumetric measures. RESULTS Baseline MMSE scores ranged from 27 to 30 (mean = 29.3; SD = 0.9). After controlling for total cerebral volume, we observed that lower white matter volume in the temporal lobe [F(1,14) = 5.72, p = 0.03] was associated with lower performance on the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (DRS). CONCLUSIONS Structural imaging may help provide useful clinical information in the context of mild cognitive decline. Currently, the diagnosis of dementia relies on longitudinal measures of cognition. Future studies will help determine whether the addition of brain imaging may enhance diagnostic certainty as well as predict long-term outcome.
A Team Effort for Treating Depression in Dementia

Abstract Managing depression or other challenging behaviors in people with dementia requires a team effort for optimal treatment outcomes. Developing a team approach in a dementia unit requires planning and coordination. Teamwork concepts and practical guidelines are described including: (a) Why a team approach is necessary, (b) Deciding who should be involved in a team effort, (c) When to involve the team in developing behavior management programs, (d) Using formal versus informal mechanisms to coordinate teamwork, (e) Focusing team based behavior management planning by using basic categories of intervention strategies, and (f) Different team dynamics to consider when developing or troubleshooting team functioning.
Cylinder deformations in orbit closures of translation surfaces

Let M be a translation surface. We show that certain deformations of M supported on the set of all cylinders in a given direction remain in the GL(2,R)-orbit closure of M. Applications are given concerning complete periodicity, field of definition, and the number of of parallel cylinders which may be found on a translation surface in a given orbit closure. The proof uses Eskin-Mirzakhani-Mohammadi's recent theorem on orbit closures of translation surfaces, as well as results of Minsky-Weiss and Smillie-Weiss on the dynamics of horocycle flow.
Fundamentals of the Neurologic Examination for Patients Undergoing Central Nervous System Interventional Procedures

Abstract The basic neurologic history and exam for the interventional radiologist performing intracranial procedures need not be exhaustive and will not supplant that by neurologic specialist. It should include a pertinent history, focused neurologic exam, and a brief physical exam. The interventional radiologist should be familiar with the grading scales commonly used for patients with intracranial pathology to understand the severity and prognosis of various pathologies. The goal of the examination is to mitigate risk, direct the evaluation, aid in medical decision making, and allow the establishment of an appropriate physician–patient relationship.
The Astrocyte as a Mediator for Self-Reflexive Agents

A model of synapse-astrocyte interactions is proposed which enables repeated neuron-to-neuron connections from the single synapse to the network level. Specifically, the possibility that astrocytes may be organized in networks and processes of a single astrocyte may enable intracellular signaling loops via gap junctions is suggested as a plausible biophysical correlate for hierarchical signaling organization of cyclic pathways. This process ultimately translates to abstract planning, intention and execution of complex actions. The formalism applied is called proemial counting and it enables the generation of cycles of various length in the astroglial network, interpreted as intended action programs. Furthermore, the implementation of a model of the reticular formation in a robot brain based on glial-neuronal interactions is suggested. Finally, the implementation of robot brains with self-reflexive capabilities is discussed.
Influenza vaccine--outmaneuvering antigenic shift and drift.

The winter of 2003–2004 will be remembered as a year in which stories about influenza dominated the news and patients young and old clamored for influenza vaccination. This intense interest is the result of the confluence of multiple circumstances. The onset of the annual influenza epidemic came earlier than expected and was accompanied by reports of severe disease in previously healthy children, associated with the isolation of antigenically variant influenzaviruses represented by the prototypic strain A/Fujian/411/2002 (H3N2). There was concern that the available influenza vaccine would not be optimally effective against this strain of virus, but at the same time, .
Innovation, Member Sorting, and Evaluation of Agricultural Cooperatives

markdownabstractThis dissertation aims to extend the current understanding of the agricultural cooperatives, and it is done by executing three studies regarding various aspects of the cooperatives. _First study_ investigates the relationship between communication, innovation, and (de)centralization in cooperatives. This study claims that the communication between members is related to process innovation, while the communication between managers and members is related to product innovation. The adopted (de)centralization depends on the two types of communication costs. _Second_, a sorting model is developed to examine how members sort themselves across enterprises and which governance structures are adopted. A cooperative pays a uniform price to all farmers to maximize members’ revenue and retains no profits, whereas investor-owned firm differentiates payments based on quality. The model shows that the farmers tend to choose the neighboring enterprise, and the farmers with high quality products tend to choose an investor-owned firm. Besides, the higher the quality payment, the more farmers are attracted by the investor-owned firm, and it has an impact on the market structure. _Last,_ this dissertation provides evidence from China for a better understanding of the different evaluations between CEOs and members, therefore helps CEOs to best serve the membership of the cooperatives. The survey shows that members have higher scores than CEOs regarding member profitability and overall performance, while CEOs have a higher evaluation regarding social influence. Moreover, the associated factors that may influence the evaluations are explored.
The Role of E-Business Adoption in the Business World

This chapter introduces the role of e-business adoption in the business world, thus explaining the concept of e-business, the significance of e-business, the application of e-business, the steps of e-business implementation, the advantages and disadvantages of e-business implementation, and the Critical Success Factors (CSFs) of e-business. E-business allows for the extended organization to be connected. This means that all employees, customers/clients, suppliers, and other stakeholders, regardless of geographic region, are interconnected. E-business facilitates data flows in business-to-business or system-to-system processes. E-business revolutionizes the way of effective communication between internal and external stakeholders within an organization. Connecting numerous information systems and integrating data streams can significantly increase the operational efficiency of the firm. E-business can lead to competitive advantage as well as profitability in the global business environments. Understanding the role of e-business adoption in the business world will significantly enhance the organizational performance and achieve business goals.
Finite elements and fast iterative solvers: with applications in incompressible fluid dynamics

The efficient numerical treatment of incompressible fluid dynamics is a formidable challenge in computational mathematics. To develop an efficient treatment, one needs to understand the basic equations of fluid dynamics; i.e., the Stokes and Navier–Stokes equations, together with the boundary conditions that give wellposedness. Next, for variational formulations, one needs a knowledge of finite element discretizations that are stable or finite element stabilization techniques, in order to generate accurate numerical solutions. Finally, one needs a grasp of fast iterative solution schemes, both linear and nonlinear, so that an overall efficient method can be constructed. To gain acquaintance with such a cutting-edge development, prior to the publication of this book, the main reference sources were technical journal articles on each of these treatment components. Finite Elements and Fast Iterative Solvers: with Applications in Incompressible Fluid Dynamics, by Elman, Silvester, and Wathen, now gives a thorough presentation of the state-ofthe-art techniques in one volume. The authors are acclaimed in this research field. Indeed, this book presents many of their own research results, but in a readable form accessible to a broad audience of both professionals and students of engineering, mathematics, and interdisciplinary computational science. The book is self-contained. Only basic knowledge of discretization methods for partial differential equations, fundamental functional analysis, and computational linear algebra are needed. Presentation of the basic partial differential equations underlying fluid dynamics, of finite element discretization, and of iterative linear system schemes start from the basics. The book then systematically progresses to more advanced theoretical and computational techniques for incompressible fluid dynamics. These advanced topics include continuous and discrete inf-sup stability and finite elements that satisfy them, stabilized finite element techniques and the patch-test to verify stability, Krylov iterative methods and the theory behind them, construction and justification of efficient preconditioners for the Stokes and Navier–Stokes equations, and a posteriori adaptive procedures. Even though these topics are often accessible only to experts in the field, the authors give a comprehendible yet thorough presentation, with concrete test-suite examples and appropriate analytical and computational exercises to give the reader a grasp of these concepts.
Quercetin Attenuates Manganese-Induced Neuroinflammation by Alleviating Oxidative Stress through Regulation of Apoptosis, iNOS/NF-κB and HO-1/Nrf2 Pathways

Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace element required for the development of human body and acts as an enzyme co-factor or activator for various reactions of metabolism. While essential in trace amounts, excessive Mn exposure can result in toxic accumulations in human brain tissue and resulting extrapyramidal symptoms called manganism similar to idiopathic Parkinson’s disease (PD). Quercetin (QCT) has been demonstrated to play an important role in altering the progression of neurodegenerative diseases by protecting against oxidative stress. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of QCT on Mn-induced neurotoxicity and the underlying mechanism in SK-N-MC human neuroblastoma cell line and Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rat brain. The results showed that Mn treatment significantly decreased the cell viability of SK-N-MC cell and increased the release of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), which was attenuated by QCT pretreatment at 10 and 20 µg/mL. Compared to the Mn alone group, QCT pretreatment significantly attenuated Mn-induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. Meanwhile, QCT pretreatment markedly downregulated the NF-κB but upregulated the heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and Nrf2 proteins, compared to the Mn alone group. Our result showed the beneficial effect of QCT on hematological parameters against Mn in rat brain. QCT decrease reactive oxygen species (ROS) and protein carbonyl levels and increased Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity induced in Mn-treated rats. QCT administration caused a significant reduction in the Mn-induced neuroinflammation by inhibiting the expression of inflammatory markers such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), interleukin-6 (IL-6) cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). QCT lowered the Mn elevated levels of various downstream apoptotic markers, including Bax, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-3 and polymerase-1 (PARP-1), while QCT treatment upregulated anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins and prevented Mn-induced neurodegeneration. Furthermore, administration of QCT (25 and 50 mg/kg) to Mn-exposed rats showed improvement of histopathological alteration in comparison to Mn-treated rats. Moreover, administration of QCT to Mn-exposed rats showed significant reduction of 8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), Bax, activated caspase-3 and PARP-1 immunoreactivity. These results indicate that QCT could effectively inhibit Mn induced apoptosis and inflammatory response in SK-N-MC cells and SD rats, which may involve the activation of HO-1/Nrf2 and inhibition of NF-κB pathway.
The Neogenin Intracellular Domain Regulates Gene Transcription via Nuclear Translocation

ABSTRACT Neogenin is a multifunctional receptor implicated in axon navigation, neuronal differentiation, morphogenesis, and cell death. Very little is known about signaling downstream of neogenin. Because we found that the neogenin intracellular domain (NeICD) interacts with nuclear proteins implicated in transcription regulation, we investigated further whether neogenin signals similarly to the Notch receptor. We show here that neogenin is cleaved by γ-secretase, an event that releases the complete NeICD. We also describe that NeICD is located at the nucleus, a feature regulated through a balance between nuclear import and export. NeICD triggers gene reporter transactivation and associates with nuclear chromatin. Direct transcriptional targets of NeICD were determined and were shown to be up-regulated in the presence of neogenin ligand. Together, we reveal here a novel aspect of neogenin signaling that relies on the direct implication of its intracellular domain in transcriptional regulation.
Polymer gel dosimetry

Polymer gels are chemical dosimeters based on dose dependent radiation-induced polymerization and cross-linking of monomers in an irradiated volume. The changes are spatially localized in the volume by incorporating the initial monomers in an aqueous gel matrix in the dosimeter and can be probed by various imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), x-ray computed tomography (CT), and optical CT. As they are chemical dosimeters, polymer gels are sensitive to preparation conditions. The three dimensional dose readout is sensitive to the imaging modality and also to the technical conditions in use during specific scans. This brief article is intended to present an introduction to these points which need to be taken into account as one attempts to establish this dosimetry in the clinic.