Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Xenograft versus extraction alone for ridge preservation after tooth removal: a clinical and histomorphometric study.

BACKGROUND The preservation of bone volume immediately after tooth removal might be necessary to optimize the success of implant placement in terms of esthetics and function. The objectives of this randomized clinical trial were two-fold: 1) to compare the bone dimensional changes following tooth extraction with extraction plus ridge preservation using corticocancellous porcine bone and a collagen membrane; and 2) to analyze and compare histologic and histomorphometric aspects of the extraction-alone sites to the grafted sites. METHODS Forty subjects who required tooth extraction and implant placement were enrolled in this study. Using a computer-generated randomization list, the subjects were randomly assigned to the control group (EXT; extraction alone) or to the test group (RP; ridge-preservation procedure with corticocancellous porcine bone and collagen membrane). The following parameters were assessed immediately after extraction and 7 months prior to implant placement: plaque index, gingival index, bleeding on probing, horizontal ridge width, and vertical ridge changes. A bone biopsy was taken from the control and test sites 7 months after the surgical treatment. Histologic and histomorphometric analyses were also performed. RESULTS A significantly greater horizontal reabsorption was observed at EXT sites (4.3+/-0.8 mm) compared to RP sites (2.5+/-1.2 mm). The ridge height reduction at the buccal side was 3.6+/-1.5 mm for the extraction-alone group, whereas it was 0.7+/-1.4 mm for the ridge-preservation group. Moreover, the vertical change at the lingual sites was 0.4 mm in the ridge-preservation group and 3 mm in the extraction-alone group. Forty biopsies were harvested from the experimental sites (test and control sites). The biopsies harvested from the grafted sites revealed the presence of trabecular bone, which was highly mineralized and well structured. Particles of the grafted material could be identified in all samples. The bone formed in the control sites was also well structured with a minor percentage of mineralized bone. The amount of connective tissue was significantly higher in the extraction-alone group than in the ridge-preservation group. CONCLUSIONS The ridge-preservation approach using porcine bone in combination with collagen membrane significantly limited the resorption of hard tissue ridge after tooth extraction compared to extraction alone. Furthermore, the histologic analysis showed a significantly higher percentage of trabecular bone and total mineralized tissue in ridge-preservation sites compared to extraction-alone sites 7 months after tooth removal.
Trade effects based on general equilibrium

The Rybczynski theorem describes the trade effect within production analyses between factor endowments and outputs. The Stolper-Samuelson theorem focuses on cost analyses between factor reward and commodity price. This paper examines the trade effect of changes of factor endowments on prices, based on general equilibrium. The study shows that changes of factor endowments cause domestic output changes (the Rybczynski effect), which affect output prices and factor prices (the Stolper-Samuelson effect). It is like a chain of effects that the Rybczynski’s trade effect triggers the Stolper-Samuelson’s trade effect. The analysis of this paper shows that a small increase of a factor endowment of any country rewards another factor and the commodity using the latter factor intensively. It displays a tuneful circle. Trade brings a well-balanced development to the world.
Effects of FM-receiver gain on speech-recognition performance of adults with cochlear implants

The primary aim of this study was to examine the effects of frequency-modulated (FM) settings on speech-recognition performance in noise of listeners using two different cochlear implant speech processors. Participants included eight users of ESPrit 3G speech processors and nine users of Auria speech processors. A modified adaptive-testing paradigm was used to assess speech recognition in noise with the cochlear implant and FM system at four receiver-gain settings: +6, +10, +14, or +20. In the no-FM condition, performance differences were not detected between the two processor groups. In the FM conditions, significantly better performance was found for participants with the Auria processor compared to those using the ESPrit 3G processor. Increases in receiver gain did not significantly improve speech recognition of participants using ESPrit 3G processors, but did significantly influence performance for those using Auria processors. For Auria users, the +6 setting resulted in significantly poorer performance than all other conditions, and optimal FM performance was found in the +14 and +20 gain settings. Clinical recommendations will be provided according to results of the study.
3-D Spatial Spread Quantifiers for Multipath Fading Wireless Channels

This letter proposes a novel generalized method to quantify the angular dispersion of radiated energy in realistic 3-D space. Based on the first three coefficients of the 2-D Fourier transform, simple mathematical expressions are derived to independently or jointly quantify the angular dispersion of energy in a reduced 2-D or realistic 3-D space, respectively. The proposed quantifiers include mean direction of arrival, circular variance, true standard deviation, angular spreads, angular constriction, and direction of maximum fading. The proposed quantifiers are helpful in establishing an appropriate mechanism to measure the angular dispersion in 3-D space. These quantifiers provide results in radians with true physical meaning unlike their counterparts in the literature. Moreover, an analysis on the impact of distribution truncation/distortion on the degree of accuracy in measuring the angular dispersion is presented which signifies the importance of true angular spread quantification. The proposed quantifiers can thus be considered as an appropriate goodness-of-fit criterion in the characterization of spatial statistics of multipath fading channels.
A Magnetically Tuned Quadrature Oscillator

Continuous frequency tuning by control of the magnetic field of a transformer - capacitor tank, in a selective oscillator, is explored in this work. A quadrature generator is built connecting two identical transformer - capacitor oscillator cells in a feedback loop. The topology itself assures the currents in the transformer windings are aligned in phase, while their relative amplitude determines, via magnetic coupling, oscillators' tank reactance, i.e., oscillation frequency. This paper introduces the idea, analyzes oscillation amplitude, frequency tuning band, phase noise, and phase accuracy, and discusses design and experiments. Prototypes, realized in 65 nm CMOS, employing MOS varactors to further extend operation bandwidth, show the following performances: 3.2 GHz and 7.3 GHz minimum and maximum oscillation frequency, respectively. Phase noise figure of merit of 176.5 dB at 3.2 GHz and 170.5 dB at 6.4 GHz is observed, with 24 mW maximum power consumption and 1.5 maximum deviation from quadrature.
TimeTree: a public knowledge-base of divergence times among organisms

UNLABELLED Biologists and other scientists routinely need to know times of divergence between species and to construct phylogenies calibrated to time (timetrees). Published studies reporting time estimates from molecular data have been increasing rapidly, but the data have been largely inaccessible to the greater community of scientists because of their complexity. TimeTree brings these data together in a consistent format and uses a hierarchical structure, corresponding to the tree of life, to maximize their utility. Results are presented and summarized, allowing users to quickly determine the range and robustness of time estimates and the degree of consensus from the published literature. AVAILABILITY TimeTree is available at http://www.timetree. net
Study on the distribution of trap levels in PI by OPO laser

In this paper, the photo-stimulated discharge (PSD) current spectra of polyimide (PI) are obtained by the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) laser to characterize the deep space charge traps in the dielectric materials. The result shows that the energy level of charge traps in the PI film is distributed in 3.10∼4.10eV, and the main part concentrates in 3.35∼3.85eV. These data can provide experimental basis for the further research and improvement on electrical properties of materials.
The long-term effect of doxazosin, finasteride, and combination therapy on the clinical progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

BACKGROUND Benign prostatic hyperplasia is commonly treated with alpha-adrenergic-receptor antagonists (alpha-blockers) or 5alpha-reductase inhibitors. The long-term effect of these drugs, singly or combined, on the risk of clinical progression is unknown. METHODS We conducted a long-term, double-blind trial (mean follow-up, 4.5 years) involving 3047 men to compare the effects of placebo, doxazosin, finasteride, and combination therapy on measures of the clinical progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia. RESULTS The risk of overall clinical progression--defined as an increase above base line of at least 4 points in the American Urological Association symptom score, acute urinary retention, urinary incontinence, renal insufficiency, or recurrent urinary tract infection--was significantly reduced by doxazosin (39 percent risk reduction, P<0.001) and finasteride (34 percent risk reduction, P=0.002), as compared with placebo. The reduction in risk associated with combination therapy (66 percent for the comparison with placebo, P<0.001) was significantly greater than that associated with doxazosin (P<0.001) or finasteride (P<0.001) alone. The risks of acute urinary retention and the need for invasive therapy were significantly reduced by combination therapy (P<0.001) and finasteride (P<0.001) but not by doxazosin. Doxazosin (P<0.001), finasteride (P=0.001), and combination therapy (P<0.001) each resulted in significant improvement in symptom scores, with combination therapy being superior to both doxazosin (P=0.006) and finasteride (P<0.001) alone. CONCLUSIONS Long-term combination therapy with doxazosin and finasteride was safe and reduced the risk of overall clinical progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia significantly more than did treatment with either drug alone. Combination therapy and finasteride alone reduced the long-term risk of acute urinary retention and the need for invasive therapy.
T Cell-Intrinsic Expression of c-Rel Regulates Th1 Cell Responses Essential for Resistance to Toxoplasma gondii1

The ability of many microbial and inflammatory stimuli to activate members of the Rel/NF-κB family of transcription factors is associated with the regulation of innate and adaptive responses required to control infection. Individual family members play distinct roles during different infectious and inflammatory responses. For example, c-Rel is essential for the production of IL-12 in response to LPS, but dispensable for IL-12 production in response to Toxoplasma Ag. To assess the role of c-Rel during immunity to the intracellular pathogen Toxoplasma gondii, wild-type (WT) and c-Rel−/− mice were infected with Toxoplasma and the immune response was analyzed. c-Rel−/− mice developed severe toxoplasmic encephalitis with increased numbers of parasites compared with WT controls and succumbed to infection within 5–8 wk. Although increased susceptibility of c-Rel−/− mice was associated with decreased T cell activation, proliferation, and production of IFN-γ, these mice were able to generate Th1 effector cells that were present in the brain during chronic infection. In vitro mixing studies using WT and c-Rel−/− dendritic cells and WT and c-Rel−/− TCR transgenic T cells indicated that c-Rel−/− dendritic cells are defective in their ability to stimulate T cell responses. However, when c-Rel−/− T cells were transferred into T cell-deficient hosts, early defects in T cell activation, proliferation, and IFN-γ production persisted, and these mice remained susceptible to infection. Together, these studies indicate that although c-Rel is an important regulator of innate immune responses, it also plays an important role in optimization and maintenance of adaptive T cell responses during infection.
"Normal" talar tilt angle.

A study to determine the degree of normal talar tilt in individuals with no history of ankle injuries was performed on 404 ankles of 202 midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy. Manual inversion stress roentgenograms were used to test this group of young healthy adults, most of whom were males. Of the 404 ankles tested, only 39 (9.7%) had any measurable talar tilt and only 7 ankles (1.7%) had a tilt over 5 degrees. Normal talar tilt does not range to 23 degrees. A normal ankle in a healthy young adult with no history of trauma has a small probability of having any talar tilt. When stress roentgenograms are used to evaluate a fresh lateral ankle ligament sprain in this type of individual, there is a very high probability that talar tilt over 5 degrees would represent significant injury to one or more of the lateral supporting structures.
Electrotactile EMG feedback improves the control of prosthesis grasping force

Objective. A drawback of active prostheses is that they detach the subject from the produced forces, thereby preventing direct mechanical feedback. This can be compensated by providing somatosensory feedback to the user through mechanical or electrical stimulation, which in turn may improve the utility, sense of embodiment, and thereby increase the acceptance rate. Approach. In this study, we compared a novel approach to closing the loop, namely EMG feedback (emgFB), to classic force feedback (forceFB), using electrotactile interface in a realistic task setup. Eleven intact-bodied subjects and one transradial amputee performed a routine grasping task while receiving emgFB or forceFB. The two feedback types were delivered through the same electrotactile interface, using a mixed spatial/frequency coding to transmit 8 discrete levels of the feedback variable. In emgFB, the stimulation transmitted the amplitude of the processed myoelectric signal generated by the subject (prosthesis input), and in forceFB the generated grasping force (prosthesis output). The task comprised 150 trials of routine grasping at six forces, randomly presented in blocks of five trials (same force). Interquartile range and changes in the absolute error (AE) distribution (magnitude and dispersion) with respect to the target level were used to assess precision and overall performance, respectively. Main results. Relative to forceFB, emgFB significantly improved the precision of myoelectric commands (min/max of the significant levels) for 23%/36% as well as the precision of force control for 12%/32%, in intact-bodied subjects. Also, the magnitude and dispersion of the AE distribution were reduced. The results were similar in the amputee, showing considerable improvements. Significance. Using emgFB, the subjects therefore decreased the uncertainty of the forward pathway. Since there is a correspondence between the EMG and force, where the former anticipates the latter, the emgFB allowed for predictive control, as the subjects used the feedback to adjust the desired force even before the prosthesis contacted the object. In conclusion, the online emgFB was superior to the classic forceFB in realistic conditions that included electrotactile stimulation, limited feedback resolution (8 levels), cognitive processing delay, and time constraints (fast grasping).
Caenorhabditis elegans P5B‐type ATPase CATP‐5 operates in polyamine transport and is crucial for norspermidine‐mediated suppression of RNA interference

Physiological polyamines are required in various biological processes. In the current study, we used norspermidine, a structural analog of the natural polyamine spermidine, to investigate polyamine uptake in the model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. Norsper‐midine was found to have two remarkable effects: it is toxic for the nematode, without affecting its food, Escherichia coli; and it hampers RNA interference. By characterizing a norspermidine‐resistant C. elegans mutant strain that has been isolated in a genetic screen, we demonstrate that both effects, as well as the uptake of a fluorescent polyamine‐conjugate, depend on the transporter protein CATP‐5, a novel P5B‐type ATPase. To our knowledge, CATP‐5 represents the first P5‐type ATPase that is associated with the plasma membrane, being expressed in the apical membrane of intestinal cells and the excretory cell. Moreover, genetic interaction studies using C. elegans polyamine synthesis mutants indicate that CATP‐5 has a function redundant to polyamine synthesis and link reduced polyamine levels to retarded postembryonic development, reduced brood size, shortened life span, and small body size. We suggest that CATP‐5 represents a crucial component of the pharmacologically important polyamine transport system, the molecular nature of which has not been identified so far in metazoa. —Heinick, A. , Urban, K. , Roth, S. , Spies, D. , Nunes, F. , Phanstiel IV, O. , Liebau, E. , Lüersen, K. Caenorhabditis elegans P5B‐type ATPase CATP‐5 operates in polyamine transport and is crucial for norspermidine‐mediated suppression of RNA interference. FASEB J. 24, 206–217 (2010). www.fasebj. org
X-ray diffraction evidence for the lack of stereospecific protein interactions in highly activated actomyosin complex.

The structure of actomyosin complex while hydrolyzing ATP was investigated by recording X-ray diffraction patterns from rabbit skeletal muscle fibers, in which exogenously introduced rabbit skeletal subfragment-1 (S1) was covalently cross-linked to the endogenous actin filaments in rigor by 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC). Approximately two-thirds of the introduced S1 was cross-linked. The cross-linking procedure did not affect the profile of the S1-induced enhancement of the actin-based layer line reflections in rigor, indicating that the acto-S1 interactions remained highly stereospecific. In the presence of ATP, the MgATPase of the S1 was highly activated regardless of calcium levels, presumably because the availability of the stereospecific binding sites for both proteins was maximized by the cross-linking. However, the diffraction pattern in the presence of ATP was striking in that the intensity profile of the strong 1/5.9 nm(-1) layer lines was indistinguishable from that from bare actin filaments, despite the fact that the majority of the S1 was still associated with actin. The change of the intensity profiles upon addition of ATP was completely reversible. Model calculations showed that this result can be explained if the S1 is not only swinging around its pivoting point, but the pivoting point itself is also moving on the actin surface in a range of a few nanometers. The results suggest that the stereospecific binding sites, which have been considered important for actomyosin cycling, are paradoxically left unoccupied for most of the time in this highly activated actomyosin complex.
Code coverage for any kind of test in any kind of transcompiled cross-platform applications

Code coverage is a widely used measure to determine how thoroughly an application is tested. There are many tools available for different languages. However, to the best of our knowledge, most of them focus on unit testing and ignore end-to-end tests with ui- or web tests. Furthermore, there is no support for determining code coverage of transcompiled cross-platform applications. This kind of application is written in one language, but compiled to and executed in a different programming language. Besides, it may run on a different platform. In this paper, we propose a new code coverage testing method that calculates the code coverage of any kind of test (unit-, integration- or ui-/web-test) for any type of (transcompiled) applications (desktop, web or mobile application). Developers obtain information about which parts of the source code are uncovered by tests. The basis of our approach is generic and may be applied in numerous programming languages based on an abstract syntax tree. We present our approach for any-kind-applications developed in Java and evaluate our tool on a web application created with Google Web Toolkit, on standard desktop applications, and on some small Java applications that use the Swing library to create user interfaces. Our results show that our tool is able to judge the code coverage of any kind of test. In particular, our tool is independent of the unit- or ui-/web test-framework in use. The runtime performance is promising although it is not as fast as already existing tools in the area of unit-testing.
Automated Mechanical Passaging: A Novel and Efficient Method for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Expansion

There is a need for more standardized methods of maintenance and propagation of human embryonic stem cell (hESC) cultures. Enzymatic passaging currently represents the most widely used method for expansion of hESCs. Although rapid and straightforward, this technique results in variable‐sized cell clusters and significant cellular trauma, which may apply selective pressure in long‐term culture. Mechanical passaging has the potential advantages of defined colony fragment sizes, reduced cellular trauma, and the possibility of selecting undifferentiated colonies for transfer. However, manual dissection of individual colonies is a prohibitively time‐consuming process unsuitable for maintaining large numbers of hESCs without the use of additional chemical means. In this study we report an efficient automated method for mechanically passaging hESCs. We have used this method exclusively to maintain hESCs in long‐term undifferentiated culture without the use of enzymatic digestion for longer than 100 days. This automated technique can thus be used routinely to culture hESCs in the laboratory.
The expression and function of NKG2D molecule on intrahepatic CD8+ T cells in chronic viral hepatitis

Summary. The natural killer (NK) cell receptor, NKG2D is a member of the c‐type lectin‐activating receptor family. It is expressed by all NK cells and by a sub‐population of CD8+ T cells. NKG2D engagement with its ligands directly activates NK cells and acts as a co‐stimulator on CD8+ T cells. Recent reports, however, have demonstrated a role for NKG2D in direct T‐cell activation in chronic inflammation. The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of expression and the functional role of NKG2D on circulating and intrahepatic CD8+ T cells in chronic viral hepatitis. Peripheral blood lymphocytes and intrahepatic lymphocytes from 45 patients with chronic viral hepatitis (HBV and HCV) were studied. Phenotypic NKG2D expression and its functional ability to activate intrahepatic and circulating lymphocytes were analysed. Intrahepatic CD8+ T cells display increased NKG2D expression in chronic viral hepatitis in comparison with circulating CD8+ T cells. NKG2D co‐stimulates intrahepatic CD8+ T cells and hepatitis B virus‐specific CD8+ T cells. However, we could not demonstrate an ability to directly activate CD8+ T cells through the NKG2D signalling pathway alone. NKG2D is up‐regulated on intrahepatic CD8+ T cells in type B and C chronic viral hepatitis; however, its function appears to be restricted to that of a co‐stimulatory molecule.