Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dental Caries in the Molar Teeth of Rats

,Ai NUMBER of different methods are now in use for evaluating experimental dental caries in rats. '-6 As it is now possible to induce caries on almost all surfaces of the molar dentition of these animals,6-8 there is need for a system of scoring which will permit the simultaneous evaluation of each of the various types of lesions. In this respect the method of diagnosis and scoring to be described has proved useful. However, it should be mentioned that several of the various methods now employed have features sufficiently similar to permit the adoption of a standardized system of recording which could be more universally applied and understood. A possible approach toward such a method, which could supplement present procedures, will be suggested. Differences in caries activity have been compared on the basis of the number of lesions in each category without any attempt to score variations in the intensity of attack. For example, the system for recording rat caries used by Stephan and Harris6 entails a simple count of "gross" lesions revealed by low-power magnification. Losee and Nemes7 scored both smooth surface and occlusal sulcal lesions. For the latter type they ground all occlusal surfaces according to the method of Schlack, Howell, and Taylor,2 to expose the various lesions otherwise hidden within the coronal grooves. They found that evaluation of occlusal various areas by grinding resulted in a 20 per cent increase over clinical inspection and concluded that this refinement was essential for precise scoring of occlusal caries. McClure's procedure3 does not include either sectioning, grinding, or staining. Lesions along buccal and lingual surfaces are evaluated, but occlusal and proximal forms are included only when gross enough to be "clinically" obvious. Severity scores represent composites which are more qualitative than quantitative. Dalderup and Jansen4 describe a detailed technic for evaluating incipient stages of "fissure and approximal caries. " Jaws are cut into multiple sagittal sections, stained with fuchsin, and then examined at a magnification of 40 times. Marthaler, Miihlemann, and K6nig5 allocate lesions into 3 divisions: initial (score A), medium (score B), and severe (score C). They point out that a single caries index is not satisfactory because it will not separate initiation from pro-
Novel Engineered Nanostructured Complex Oxide for High Temperature Thermoelectric Power Generation

Thermoelectric power generators are a promising technology that can produce electrical power directly from waste heat emitted in energy production and consumption systems. The essential component of thermoelectric generators is the thermoelectric material which performs the energy conversion process. In order to make thermoelectric devices to be considered a significant contributor to US energy infrastructure, it is essential first to foster improvements in high performance thermoelectric materials. They must possess not only a high conversion efficiency, but also need be composed of nontoxic and abundantly available elemental materials having high chemical stability in air up to 800-1000 K. In comparison with the conventional thermoelectric materials (intermetallic compounds); the layered oxide materials, such as the newly developed nontoxic p-type Ca3Co4O9, are particularly promising for thermoelectric applications because of their high stability at high temperatures in air. In recent years, the layered cobalt oxide Ca3Co4O9 system has gained great attention due to its outstanding thermoelectric performance (ZT=0.83 at 973 K) for the single crystal. Single crystals, however, are too small and expensive for practical applications. The current challenge for developing oxide thermoelectric materials is to improve the conversion efficiency of the polycrystalline Ca3Co4O9 ceramic, which is currently lower than that of the conventional thermoelectric materials. The distinctive objective in this research is to optimize the energy inter-conversion properties of p-type Ca3Co4O9 ceramic, through nano-structure engineering approaches. Novel methods of introducing the appropriate dopants and other nano-structures into the oxide were investigated, and the effect of dopants and nano-structure engineering on the thermoelectric performance of the Ca3Co4O9 system was evaluated. The above study will be instrumental for fabricating polycrystalline Ca3Co4O9 with optimized microstructure and enhanced thermoelectric properties.
Human Impacts on the Vegetation of the Juan Fernández (Robinson Crusoe) Archipelago

The human footprint on marine and terrestrial ecosystems of the planet has been substantial, largely due to the increase in the human population with associated activities and resource utilization. Oceanic islands have been particularly susceptible to such pressures, resulting in high levels of loss of biodiversity and reductions in the numbers and sizes of wild populations. One archipelago that has suffered from human impact has been the Juan Fernández (Robinson Crusoe) Archipelago, a Chilean national park located 667 km west of Valparaíso at 33° S. latitude. The park consists of three principal islands: Robinson Crusoe Island (48 km2); Santa Clara Island (2.2 km2); and Alejandro Selkirk Island (50 km2). The latter island lies 181 kms further west into the Pacific Ocean. No indigenous peoples ever visited or lived on any of these islands; they were first discovered by the Spanish navigator, Juan Fernández, in 1574. From that point onward, a series of European visitors arrived, especially to Robinson Crusoe Island. They began to cut the forests, and such activity increased with the establishment of a permanent colony in 1750 that has persisted to the present day. Pressures on the native and endemic flora increased due to the introduction of animals, such as goats, rats, dogs, cats, pigs, and rabbits. Numerous invasive plants also arrived, some deliberately introduced and others arriving inadvertently. At present, more than three-quarters of the endemic and native vascular species of the flora are either threatened or endangered. The loss of vegetation has also resulted in a loss of genetic variability in some species as populations are reduced in size or go extinct. It is critical that the remaining genetic diversity be conserved, and genomic markers would provide guidelines for the conservation of the diversity of the endemic flora. To preserve the unique flora of these islands, further conservation measures are needed, especially in education and phytosanitary monitoring.
Efficacy of the D-Design Ifakara Tent Trap for Sampling Malaria Vectors in An Area of Mass Long Lasting Insecticidal Bed Nets Use

The quest to develop alternative mosquito surveillance tools that substitute for Human Landing Catches and that are effective, exposure free and easy to use has resulted in the development of a variety of traps. These include Centres for Disease Control miniature light traps, Ifakara Tent Traps, Mbita traps, Furvela tent traps and Back Pack Aspirators. With the global agenda currently mentored to eradicate malaria, effective sampling tools that can detect low mosquito vector densities and low transmission levels will be increasingly needed so that successful control programmes can monitor and manage their efforts to achieve local elimination. Ifakara Tent Trap (ITT) was a promising outdoor mosquito sampling tool. The Band C designs of the ITT have previously proven to have acceptable sampling sensitivity levels in urban and rural Tanzania. However, they require a large amount of space to set up due to the ropes and pegs used to stretch them horizontally. In this study, the D design (lIT-D), modified from C design (ITT-C) and which uses a smaller space, was evaluated in parallel with ITT-C and CDC-LT in Lupiro in southern Tanzania where ITT-B and C had been earlier proven effective relative to CDC-LT or HLC. Surprisingly, both ITT-C and ITT-D exhibited very poor sampling sensitivity relative to CDC-LT with relative rates, at 95% CI, 0.131 (0.119 0.144) and 0.044 (0.37 0.51) respectively. The mean catches for IIT-C, ITT-D and CDC-LT was 12.4 ± 18.77, 3.96 ± 0.424 and 90.5 ±18.77 respectively. To understand the reason for this reduced efficiency of ITT -C, F 1 generation of Lupiro An. arabiensis of 2011, laboratory reared An. arabiensis adults from Sakamaganga and Lupiro colonized in 2008 and 2009 respectively, were compared on their likelihood to enter ITT-C. The wild mosquito populations in Lupiro of 2011 were less likely to enter ITT-C, relative rate 0.056 (95% CL 0.015 0.201, P< 0.001). Lupiro 2009 colony were more likely to enter ITT-C, relative rate 0.813 (95% CL 0.415-l.5010, P= 0.545). From time of development of ITT, time trend analysis of trap's sampling sensitivity from conducted studies showed declining trapping sensitivity. This study showed that, in addition to other factors not investigated due to resource limitation, reluctance by Lupiro 2011 mosquito population to enter ITT-C appears to be a heritable trait passed to offspring. This reluctance to enter ITT-C appears to be associated with altered host-seeking patterns resulting from scale up ofLLIN use in Kilombero Valley. It was thus concluded that ITT-D was not a better tool for sampling malaria vectors in this valley.
Dynamic Task Shaping for High Throughput Data Analysis Applications in High Energy Physics

Distributed data analysis frameworks are widely used for processing large datasets generated by instruments in scientific fields such as astronomy, genomics, and particle physics. Such frameworks partition petabyte-size datasets into chunks and execute many parallel tasks to search for common patterns, locate unusual signals, or compute aggregate properties. When well-configured, such frameworks make it easy to churn through large quantities of data on large clusters. However, configuring frameworks presents a challenge for end users, who must select a variety of parameters such as the blocking of the input data, the number of tasks, the resources allocated to each task, and the size of nodes on which they run. If poorly configured, the result may perform many orders of magnitude worse than optimal, or the application may even fail to make progress at all. Even if a good configuration is found through painstaking observations, the performance may change drastically when the input data or analysis kernel changes. This paper considers the problem of automatically configuring a data analysis application for high energy physics (TopEFT) built upon standard frameworks for physics analysis (Coffea) and distributed tasking (Work Queue). We observe the inherent variability within the application, demonstrate the problems of poor configuration, and then develop several techniques for automatically sizing tasks to meet goals of resource consumption, and overall application completion.
Introducing thermoelectric generator concept to energy internet approach of electrical power system: Modeling analysis and assessment

With increase in environmental concerns, the idea of generating pollution‐free electricity like solar photovoltaic energy (SPV) is explored among researchers and industrialists. Despite the fact that photovoltaic is a direct and simple method of power production, it has lesser effectiveness in terms of quantum effect. The incident solar irradiance on the surface of the photovoltaic module heats the rear side of the module during the process of heat to electricity conversion giving rise to heating of the module and hence, rises its temperature. Nevertheless, when integration of solar PV system takes place, it suffers from the curse of being lower quantum efficient. Diverse integration of renewable sources makes the system complex, making regulating system parameters a difficult task; to avoid this, the system has been studied under incorporation of thermo electric generator (TEG) along with fuel cell technology (FCT) and in absence of TEG. This combined hybrid system generates substantial amount of electricity, which is helpful for residential application as well as to the utility. Nevertheless, the proposed system has only dc sources in order to make the system more reliable in terms of conversion, controlling, and feeding to the utility. Therefore, in this article, two systems have been studied and modeled, one is incorporated with TEG and another is without TEG. The performances of both the systems have been compared and analyzed on the basis of delivering real power and absorbing reactive power. It is evident from the study that the solar PV system with TEG has the ability of maintaining constant voltage at PCC terminals, absorbing lesser amount of reactive power and consequently delivering ample amount of real power without much complexity such as controlling of AC sources and grid activity. Around 41.0534% of higher real power has been supplied, and around 22.14% of lesser reactive power has been absorbed during the incorporation of TEG with this aforementioned hybrid system. On MATLAB‐based Simulink environment, the entire system has been studied, designed, and analyzed.
Allogeneic double-negative CAR-T cells inhibit tumor growth without off-tumor toxicities

The development of autologous chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cell therapies has revolutionized cancer treatment. Nevertheless, the delivery of CAR-T cell therapy faces challenges, including high costs, lengthy production times, and manufacturing failures. To overcome this, attempts have been made to develop allogeneic CAR-T cells using donor-derived conventional CD4+ or CD8+ T cells (Tconvs), but severe graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) and host immune rejection have made this challenging. CD3+CD4−CD8− double-negative T cells (DNTs) are a rare subset of mature T cells shown to fulfill the requirements of an off-the-shelf cellular therapy, including scalability, cryopreservability, donor-independent anticancer function, resistance to rejection, and no observed off-tumor toxicity including GvHD. To overcome the challenges faced with CAR-Tconvs, we evaluated the feasibility, safety, and efficacy of using healthy donor–derived allogeneic DNTs as a CAR-T cell therapy platform. We successfully transduced DNTs with a second-generation anti–CD19-CAR (CAR19) without hampering their endogenous characteristics or off-the-shelf properties. CAR19-DNTs induced antigen-specific cytotoxicity against B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). In addition, CAR19-DNTs showed effective infiltration and tumor control against lung cancer genetically modified to express CD19 in xenograft models. CAR19-DNT efficacy was comparable with that of CAR19-Tconvs. However, unlike CAR19-Tconvs, CAR19-DNTs did not cause alloreactivity or xenogeneic GvHD-related mortality in xenograft models. These studies demonstrate the potential of using allogeneic DNTs as a platform for CAR technology to provide a safe, effective, and patient-accessible CAR-T cell treatment option. Description Allogeneic CAR-DNTs with minimal genetic modification show potent anti-tumor activity without off-tumor toxicities. A CAR that drives killing but not toxicity Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)–T cell therapies are FDA-approved for treating blood cancers but are often limited by toxicities, and difficult and expensive production. Thus, developing more streamlined CAR-T cell therapies is crucial. Here, Vasic et al. used mouse and human double-negative (DN) T cells as a CAR-T cell therapy, showing robust efficacy in mouse models of blood and lung cancers. They found that the DN CAR-T cells were just as effective as conventional CAR-T cells but induced no toxicity. The double-negative CAR-T cells could be produced from mixed donors, were not rejected from hosts, and could be frozen for long periods of time. Thus, DN CAR-T cells are an attractive “off-the-shelf” CAR-T cell therapy option.
vVerbs A Paravirtual Subsystem for RDMA-capable Network Interfaces

Recent development in data center applications puts extra pressure on the network stack. Unfortunately, traditional socket-based networking technologies are limited by copies on the data path, which not only increases latency, but also adds extra processing overhead. One decade ago, the remote direct memory access technology (RDMA) has been developed by the super computing community to provide ultra low-latency and high-throughput. RDMA allows to perform data path operations without the involvement of the operating system, thus, keeping CPU overhead to a minimum. Hence, recently there has been a growing interest in RDMA to be used in cloud environments. However, existing RDMA virtualization solutions, like single-root I/O virtualzation (SR-IOV), are inherently static, e.g. supporting migration is complex, which is in contrast to flexibility and manageability requirements of cloud systems. In this work, we propose vVerbs, a paravirtual subsystem for RDMA-capable network interfaces. We believe that RDMA’s way of separating control and data plane is predestined to be used in virtualized environments. We leverage this property by allowing applications inside a VM to completely bypass the hypervisor on data path operations. Control path operations, e.g. used to setup resources, are performed by a paravirtual driver. We show that vVerbs can achieve bare-metal VM-to-VM latency and throughput without the need for I/O hardware virtualization support, such as SR-IOV. Furthermore, we believe that, with this approach, we can provide flexible and manageable, high-performance I/O virtualization which allows for large-scale deployments and enables new applications in the cloud.
Visual experience is not necessary for the development of face-selectivity in the lateral fusiform gyrus

Significance Here we show robust face-selectivity in the lateral fusiform gyrus of congenitally blind participants during haptic exploration of 3D-printed stimuli, indicating that neither visual experience, nor fovea-biased input, nor visual expertise is necessary for face-selectivity to arise in its characteristic location. Similar resting fMRI correlation fingerprints in individual blind and sighted participants suggest a role for long-range connectivity in the specification of the cortical locus of face-selectivity. The fusiform face area responds selectively to faces and is causally involved in face perception. How does face-selectivity in the fusiform arise in development, and why does it develop so systematically in the same location across individuals? Preferential cortical responses to faces develop early in infancy, yet evidence is conflicting on the central question of whether visual experience with faces is necessary. Here, we revisit this question by scanning congenitally blind individuals with fMRI while they haptically explored 3D-printed faces and other stimuli. We found robust face-selective responses in the lateral fusiform gyrus of individual blind participants during haptic exploration of stimuli, indicating that neither visual experience with faces nor fovea-biased inputs is necessary for face-selectivity to arise in the lateral fusiform gyrus. Our results instead suggest a role for long-range connectivity in specifying the location of face-selectivity in the human brain.
International Trends in Colorectal Cancer Incidence Rates

Background: Previous studies have documented significant variations in colorectal cancer incidence rates and trends regionally and across countries. However, no study has examined the worldwide pattern using the most recently updated incidence data from the IARC. Methods: We obtained sex-specific colorectal cancer incidence for 1953-57 through 1998-2002 by cancer registry from Cancer Incidence in Five Continents (CI5) databases. For 51 cancer registries with long-term incidence data, we assessed the change in the incidence rates over the past 20 years by calculating the ratio of the incidence rates in 1998-2002 to that in 1983-87. Results: Colorectal cancer incidence rates for both males and females statistically significantly increased from 1983-87 to 1998-2002 for 27 of 51 cancer registries considered in the analysis, largely confined to economically transitioning countries including Eastern European countries, most parts of Asia, and select countries of South America. These increases were more prominent for men than for women. We also observed substantial variations in colorectal cancer incidence trends within countries such as Japan. Similarly, trends in Israel and Singapore varied significantly according to ethnicity. The United States is the only country where colorectal cancer incidence rates declined in both males and females. Conclusions: Colorectal cancer incidence rates continue to increase in economically transitioning countries, with incidence rates among men in the Czech Republic and Slovakia exceeding the peak incidence observed in the United States and other long-standing developed nations. Targeted prevention and early detection programs could help reverse the trend in these countries. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2009;18(6):1688–94)
Performances dans les systèmes répartis : des outils pour les mesures

Le theme general de cette these est la construction d'outils pour mesurer les performances dans les systemes repartis. Dans la premiere partie, nous presentons les problemes de mesures de performance qui ont conduit a la construction d'un prototype de systeme reparti destine a l'etude d'applications reparties dans un reseau heterogene d'ordinateurs. Dans la partie principale, nous developpons une methode d'estimation du temps global dans un systeme reparti. Apres avoir presente la demarche de construction et de validation de notre estimateur, nous formalisons le probleme pour obtenir une solution plus generale et prouver la validite statistique de notre methode. Cette approche nous conduit a un principe d'incertitude et a un resultat d'optimalite qui s'appliquent a toutes les methodes de synchronisation d'horloges et d'estimation d'un temps global dans les systemes repartis. Nous appliquons ensuite notre methode a l'estimation d'un temps global au moyen d'horloges a granularite forte. Enfin, nous etudions les qualites "pratiques" de notre methode pour son application dans des systemes operationnels. Dans une derniere partie, nous presentons la construction d'un outil logiciel portable permettant l'inclusion automatique de modules de mesure dans des applications reparties.
Microbes in Bronchiectasis: The Forest or the Trees?

DP, Nelson DR, Lowry SF. Effects of drotrecogin alfa (activated) in human endotoxemia. Shock 2004;21:222–229. 14. Minhas N, Xue M, Fukudome K, Jackson CJ. Activated protein C utilizes the angiopoietin/Tie2 axis to promote endothelial barrier function. FASEB J 2010;24:873–881. 15. Feistritzer C, Riewald M. Endothelial barrier protection by activated protein C through PAR1-dependent sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor-1 cross activation. Blood 2005;105:3178–3184. 16. Seok J, Warren HS, Cuenca AG, Mindrinos MN, Baker HV, Xu W, Richards DR, McDonald-Smith GP, Gao H, Hennessy L, et al.; Inflammation and Host Response to Injury, Large Scale Collaborative Research Program. Genomic responses in mouse models poorly mimic human inflammatory diseases. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2013;26;110: 3507–3512.