Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Treatment of endodontically induced periapical lesions using hydroxyapatite, platelet-rich plasma, and a combination of both: An in vivo study

Aim and Objectives: To evaluate bone regeneration in endodontically induced periapical lesions using Hydroxyapatite, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP), and a combination of Hydroxyapatite and Platelet-Rich Plasma for a period of one year. Materials and Methods: Twenty systemically healthy patients of both genders between the ages 20 and 40 years were included. To qualify, the patient had to have a tooth where non-surgical root canal therapy had failed, periapical radiolucency was present, and periapical root end surgery was required. The bony defect had to be confined to the apical area, with the bone covering the entire root surface coronally, with an intact lingual cortical plate. Patients were randomly divided into four groups, with five patients each, as follows: Group I — Replacement with Hydroxyapatite, Group II — Replacement with PRP, Group III — Replacement with PRP and Hydroxyapatite, and Group IV — Control group with no substitutes. The patients were evaluated both clinically and radiographically. Results: The radiographic evaluation revealed that Group I patients showed complete bone regeneration with evidence of a trabecular pattern, at the end of one year, Group II patients showed complete bone regeneration at the end of nine months, Group III patients showed complete bone regeneration at the end of six months, and Group IV patients showed bone regeneration, which was not satisfactory even after one year. Conclusions: The PRP and Hydroxyapatite combination facilitated better and faster bone regeneration when compared to PRP alone.
Survey on Graph and Cluster Based approaches in Multi-document Text Summarization

In today's era of World Wide Web, on-line information is increasing exponentially day by day. So there is a need to condense corpus of documents into useful information automatically. Automatic Text summarization plays an important role to extract salient feature from corpus of documents, which helps user to get useful information in short time and less effort. Summarization reduces the complexity of a document while retaining its important features. Recently, most researchers have transferred their efforts from single to multi document summarization but they have to be aware of the issues of redundancy, sentence ordering, fluency, etc. There are wide varieties of approaches in Multi-document Text Summarization like Graph Based, Cluster Based, Time Based and Term frequency -Inverse document frequency Based etc. The survey starts introducing Multi-document text Summarization (MDS) and then discusses various methods of MDS which fall under the Graph and Cluster Based methods. In this paper, we have analysed Graph and Cluster Based methods proposed by various researchers in the field and we sort out some of the problems in applied procedures and also pin out advantages, which would help future researchers working in the area, to get significant instruction for further analysis. Using this information one can generate new or even hybrid methods in Multi-document summarization.
Reid et al. reply

SIR–Reid et al. reported on the long-term survival of persons with cerebral palsy in the Australian state of Victoria. They found that rates, predictors, and causes of mortality were in line with reports from other countries. They also found that ‘contrary to expectation, no improvement in survival was seen over the 40 years of the study. ’ We wish to raise two issues, possibly related, regarding this last point. The first issue is methodological. The authors’ approach was to identify four cohorts according to the decade of birth, the first being the 1970s and the fourth being the 2000s. The authors found no difference in the survival of these cohorts. There are several potential difficulties with this approach. By working with mortality of cohorts followed over several decades rather than with observed mortality in a specific calendar year, it does not answer the question of real interest: is mortality lower in later years – the year 2000, say – than it was in 1975? The children in the 1970s cohort, for example, may contribute data to all four decades. A better approach is to work directly with person-years, as in the California studies cited by the authors. A further methodological difficulty with the authors’ approach is that it does not take into account the severity of disabilities, a factor known to be of critical importance to survival. Conceivably, for example, because of advances in neonatal medicine, more of the children with the most extreme disabilities survive infancy in the later decades than in the earlier decades. If that were the case then the comparison of birth cohorts would be biased, as the later cohorts would have a greater proportion of very fragile children. Once again, this problem could have been avoided with the use of the personyear approach. This brings us to the second issue, the use of gastrostomy feeding. The authors write: ‘We did not present data on feeding, as tube feeding is an indicator that an individual has severe problems and a poor prognosis for survival, but it is also performed to improve survival and quality of life. ’ We agree with the assertions in the second half of this sentence, but they scarcely constitute a reason to ignore the data on tube feeding. As is well known, the need for tube feeding is a powerful predictor of mortality and the use of gastrostomy feeding has become far more common in recent decades. It would therefore be important to take gastrostomy dependence into account, along with a measure of motor function, etc. when examining the mortality data for a possible trend over time. Had the authors taken a person-year approach that properly took account of motor function, gastrostomy dependence, etc. in addition to calendar year, they may have found improved survival over the decades. At the least, if they still did not observe such a trend it would represent much better evidence that it had not occurred.
Bispecific antibodies in cancer immunotherapy

ABSTRACT Cancer immunotherapy has recently generated much excitement after the continuing success of the immunomodulating anti-CTLA-4 and anti-PD-1 antibodies against various types of cancers. Aside from these immunomodulating antibodies, bispecific antibodies, chimeric antigen receptor T cells, and other technologies are being actively studied. Among the various approaches to cancer immunotherapy, 2 bispecific antibodies are currently approved for patient care. Many more bispecific antibodies are now in various phases of clinical development and will become the next generation of antibody-based therapies. Further understanding of immunology and advances in protein engineering will help to generate a greater variety of bispecific antibodies to fight cancer. Here, we focus on bispecific antibodies that recruit immune cells to engage and kill tumor cells.
A Space Vector Modulator for the High-Switching Frequency Control of Three-Level SiC Inverters

Operating three-level inverters at very high switching frequency improves the dynamics of servo drives. It reduces the cost and size of harmonic filters that lessen the dv/dt stress of drive motor windings and bearings. Low harmonic current distortion is a further benefit. Other applications are line-side front end converters, uninterruptable power supplies (UPS), and photovoltaic installations. The requirements of very high-switching frequency control are beyond the computing power of modern microcontrollers and digital signal processors. The problem is overcome by a three-level space vector modulation scheme that defines the switching sequence by taking a sequence of logic decisions instead of doing time-consuming arithmetic operations. The control of the inverter neutral point potential is an inherent part of the scheme and does not need additional algorithms. Implementation in an FPGA permits operating at switching frequencies up to 100 kHz. Experimental results are presented.
Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis in a non-immunosuppressed patient: successful management with systemic amphotericin and flucytosine and inhaled amphotericin.

Invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is an increasingly recognised condition, occurring almost exclusively in severely immunocompromised patients. ' Fewer than 30 cases of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis have been described in apparently immunocompetent hosts; most of these patients had one or more possible risk factors, such as fibrotic lung disease,2 use of corticosteroids,3 recent influenza or psit-tacosis infection,4 and possibly alcoholism. The prognosis of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis is dismal in both immunosuppressed and immunocompetent patients. We report a non-immunosuppressed patient who was apparently cured after systemic treatment with amphotericin and flucytosine, together with inhalations of aerosolised amphotericin.
Do Foreign-Owned Firms Provide Better Working Conditions than Their Domestic Counterparts? A Comparative Analysis

This paper analyses to what extent working conditions in foreign-owned firms differ from those in their domestic counterparts. It makes three main contributions. First, we replicate the consensus in the empirical literature by applying a standardised methodology to firm-level data for three developed (Germany, Portugal, UK) and two emerging economies (Brazil, Indonesia). We show that, consistent with previous evidence, foreign-owned firms offer substantially higher average wages than domestic firms and that this difference is particularly important in emerging economies. Second, we show that these positive wage effects of foreign takeovers reduce in size when controlling for changes in the composition of the workforce, although they tend to remain positive and statistically significant. However, the wage effects associated with worker movements from domestic to foreign firms are potentially important, particularly in emerging economies. Third, we look not only at wage outcomes but also consider other working conditions such as working hours, job stability and union coverage. We find that foreign takeovers of domestic firms tend to have a small positive effect on wages, but little effect on other aspects of working conditions.
Mutations of PARK Genes and Alpha-Synuclein and Parkin Concentrations in Parkinson’s Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive neurological disorder characterized by resting tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia, affecting at least 2% of individuals above the age of 65 years. Parkinson’s disease is a result of degeneration of the dopamine-producing neurons of the substantia nigra. Available therapies in PD will only improve the symptoms but not halt progression of disease. The most effective treatment for PD patients is thera‐ py with L-3,4-dihydroxy-phenylalanine (L-dopa) [Olanow, 2008].
Pharmacologic distinction of different orthostatic hypotension syndromes

We studied the pressor responses to vasoactive agents in patients with orthostatic hypotension. Greater-than-normal slopes of the stimulus-response curves in patients with multiple system atrophy (Shy-Drager syndrome) and idiopathic orthostatic hypotension (IOH) were consistent with deficient reflex modulation. Patients with IOH also had a shift to the left of the plasma norepinephrine-blood pressure curves, suggesting ‘denervation supersensitivity. ’This was consistent with the deficient plasma norepinephrine response to tyramine in these patients. Patients in whom orthostatic hypotension is attended by tachycardia are subsensitive to administered catecholamines, and may suffer from deficient effector organ responsivity.
Psychosocial aspects in home hemodialysis: A review

Psychosocial aspects related to home hemodialysis (HD) play an important role in the success of home HD programs. Once patients commence HD at home, unique psychosocial issues related to patient and care partner burden can emerge. Proactive professional support, peer support, respite care, travel support, and financial support from the home HD health care team must be a priority for patient care. If the psychosocial aspects are not proactively addressed, patients receiving HD at home may return to in‐center HD and the program may struggle as a result. This review provides a psychosocial guide for new start‐up home HD programs.
Analyzing technological convergence trends in a business ecosystem

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a framework for understanding core technological competencies and identifying the trends on the technological convergence of a business ecosystem using the patent information of leading firms in the system. Design/methodology/approach – The proposed framework is composed of two steps: time-sequential text clustering analysis for comprehending changes in general technological fields and association rule analysis for identifying the trends of convergences in each field. The authors applied the proposed framework to the patents applied to United States Patent Trademark Office by Samsung Electronics, a market leader of the electronics industry, during the period from 2000 to 2011. Findings – In the sequential text clustering analysis, trends of 14 technological fields such as data storage medium and data processing, mobile, lights and heats and memory are identified. Moreover, changes of technological convergence in each field are identified using association .
A comparative study of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and high-sensitive C-reactive protein in normal and preeclamptic pregnancies.

BACKGROUND Preeclampsia is characterized by hypertension, dyslipidemia, and systemic inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to determine the level of serum level of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) and high-sensitive C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in preeclampsia and to compare normal pregnant, mild preeclamptic, and severe preeclamptic women. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the plasma concentrations of sVCAM-1 and hsCRP in peripheral blood obtained from normal pregnant (n = 40), mild preeclamptic (n = 37), and severe preeclamptic women (n = 38). A concentration of soluble adhesion molecule was determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. hsCRP was measured with immunoturbidometric. RESULTS There was significant difference in the means serum hsCRP between normal pregnant women and mild preeclamptic women (P < 0.05). Serum concentration of hsCRP and sVCAM-1 (ng/mL) were significantly higher in severe preeclampsia (P < 0.05) than normal pregnancy. There were also significant differences in hsCRP and sVCAM-1 levels between mild and severe (P < 0.05). There was no difference in the mean sVCAM-1 between normal pregnant and mild preeclamptic women. CONCLUSION We have determined the serum concentration of VCAM-1 and hsCRP in normal pregnancy and preeclampsia. sVCAM-1 is elevated in severe preeclampsia compared with normal pregnancy, and hsCRP is elevated in severe preeclampsia compared with mild preeclampsia and normal pregnancy.
An Improved Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm for Solving Mixed Integer Programming Problems

Operational readiness and mission availability are two important standards in equipment supportability. To evaluate these two standards, an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm to solve the mixed integer programming (MIP) problems has been developed. The augmented Lagrange multiplier method is employed to deal with the constraints, and special update strategy employed to restrict the swarm particles to lies only in integer positions. Tests on the two former mathematical models have verified the effectiveness of the proposed mixed technique, and it can be easily applied to other mixed integer programming with Constraint problem.
Zotarolimus-eluting stents reduce experimental coronary artery neointimal hyperplasia after 4 weeks.

AIMS The addition of drug elution to coronary stents plays an integral role in coronary restenosis prevention. The present study was undertaken to determine the mechanism of action and the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of zotarolimus, a new chemical entity designed specifically for elution from phosphorylcholine (PC)-coated stents, for the reduction of neointimal hyperplasia in porcine coronary arteries. METHODS AND RESULTS In vitro studies of Zotarolimus bound to FKBP-12 potently inhibited smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cell (EC) proliferation. Twenty PC-only and 20 stents eluting zotarolimus 10 microg/mm were implanted in the coronary arteries of 20 domestic juvenile swine. After 28 days, zotarolimus stents exhibited less area stenosis (22.4+/-8.6 vs. 35.7+/-13%, P = 0.01), less neointimal area (1.69+/-0.55 vs. 2.78+/-1.07 mm(2), P = 0.01), less neointimal thickness (0.25+/-0.07 vs. 0.38+/-0.13 mm, P = 0.01), and greater lumen area (6.07+/-1.39 vs. 5.02+/-1.3 mm2, P = 0.01). All arteries in both the polymer-only and polymer/drug stent showed near-complete healing and minimal toxicity. Zotarolimus did not affect the extrastent segments nor alter the overall artery size (external elastic lamina cross-sectional area 9.18+/-1.19 vs. 9.06+/-1.28 mm2, P = 0.7). CONCLUSION Zotarolimus binds to FKBP-12 and in vitro inhibits SMC and EC proliferation. Zotarolimus applied to PC-coated stents reduces neointima in the swine coronary model after 28 days. These results suggest potentially promising human clinical application for coronary stenting with this polymer/drug combination.
Changing the game : The art of deception against sophisticated attackers

The number and complexity of cyber-attacks has been increasing steadily in the last years. Adversaries are targeting the communication and information systems (CIS) of government, military and industrial organizations, as well as critical infrastructures and are willing to spend large amounts of money, time and expertise for reaching their goals. In addition, we have recently witnessed sophisticated insider attacks that have resulted in the exfiltration of highly classified information to the public. Traditional security solutions have failed repeatedly to mitigate these threats in time. In order to defend against such sophisticated adversaries we need to redesign our defenses, aiming more on detective instead of preventive technologies. In this paper, we are focusing on Advanced Persistent Threats (APT) and malicious insiders, highlighting the common characteristics of these two groups. In addition, we are proposing the use of multiple deception techniques, which can be used to protect both the external and internal resources of an organization and significantly increase the possibility of early detection of such sophisticated attackers.
The synthesis of TiO2 and TiO2–Pt and their application in the removal of Cr (VI)

The deposition of noble metal on titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been considered as an effective strategy to improve the activity of TiO2. In this paper, TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared via a sol‐gel route, followed by heat treatment at elevated temperatures. TiO2–Pt catalyst was prepared by deposition of platinum (Pt) on the surface of as‐prepared TiO2 nanoparticles. TiO2 and TiO2–Pt were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet‐visible differential reflectance spectra and infrared spectroscopy. TiO2 and TiO2–Pt were used as heterogeneous catalysts for the removal of Cr (VI) under ultraviolet‐light illumination. TiO2 prepared at low temperature had smaller particle size and higher specific surface area, and consequently had higher activity on the removal of Cr (VI). The Pt deposited on the surface of TiO2 favoured the separation of photo‐produced electrons (e−) and holes (h+), inhibited the recombination of e− and h+, and enhanced Cr (VI) removal. However, its blocking of active sites also inhibited the removal of Cr (VI). The deposition of 1% (wt.%) Pt to TiO2 produced the optimum activity for the removal of Cr (VI). A lower pH favoured the adsorption of Cr (VI) on the surface of TiO2, and correspondingly enhanced the removal of Cr (VI).
Synthesis of a Double-Network Supramolecular Hydrogel by Having One Network Catalyse the Formation of the Second.

Self-assembly of biomolecules catalytically controls the formation of natural supramolecular structures, giving highly ordered complex materials. Such desirable hybrid systems are very difficult to design and construct synthetically. A hybrid double-network hydrogel with a maximum storage modulus (G'max ) of up to 55 kPa can be synthesized by using a self-assembled hydrogel that catalyses the formation of another kinetically arrested hydrogel network. Tuning of the catalytic efficiency of the first network allowed spatiotemporal control over the evolution of the second network and the resulting mechanical properties. The distribution of active catalytic sites was optimal for catalytic fibres prepared at the minimum gelation concentration (MGC) to give the double-network hydrogel with highest storage modulus. This approach could be very useful in preparing complex hierarchical structures with tailor-made properties.
Simulated feedforward neural network coordination of hand grasp and wrist angle in a neuroprosthesis.

This study presents a possible solution of the general problem of coordinating muscle stimulation in a neuroprosthesis when multiarticular muscles introduce mechanical coupling between joints. In a hand-grasp neuroprosthesis, extrinsic hand muscles cross the wrist joint and introduce large wrist flexion moments during grasp. In order to control hand grasp and wrist angle independently, a controller must take the mechanical coupling into account. In simulation, we investigated the use of artificial neural networks to coordinate hand and wrist muscle stimulation. The networks were trained with data that is easily obtained experimentally. Feedforward control showed excellent hand and wrist coordination when the properties of the system were fixed and there were known external loads. Predictable disturbances (e.g., gravity acting on the hand) can be compensated by sensing arm orientation. However, since wrist angle is sensitive to unpredictable disturbances (e.g., fatigue or object weight), voluntary intervention or feedback control may be required to reduce residual errors.
Novel costimulators in the immune gene therapy of cancer.

One of the major goals of cancer immunotherapy is the induction of tumour-specific T-lymphocyte responses that will be effective in the rejection of established tumours. The prospects for such therapy rely on the identification of tumour antigens, and although there is persuasive evidence for the presence of such antigens,1,2 the occurrence of the disease does illustrate that the immune system is at least, on some occasions, unable to recognise and destroy these targets. Tumour antigens may be novel proteins (from genetic lesions or viral infections), modified existing antigens (eg, abnormally glycosylated cell surface proteins), or inappropriately expressed normal gene products (eg, CA125, carcinoembryonic antigen, and alpha-fetoprotein). 1 Involvement of the immune system in the normal surveillance and suppression of cancer is further suggested by the increased incidence of tumours in immunocompromised patients.3 However, recent evidence has shown that, at least in model systems, cancer cells can be modulated in such a way that they stimulate cells of the immune system to recognise and destroy these malignant cells. This review summarizes the costimulatory molecules involved in the activation of such cells, the principles and mechanisms underlying their activation, and how such knowledge can be used to persuade the immune system to challenge cancer.