Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Condylar Height of the Mandible in Skeletal Class I Orthodontic Patients with Facial Asymmetry

Purpose: To evaluate the difference of the condylar height of the temporomandibular joint between shifted and non-shifted sides of the mandible in skeletal Class I orthodontic patients with facial asymmetry. Methods: Twenty Japanese female patients with facial asymmetry with skeletal Class I malocclusion were examined. Pretreatment panoramic radiographs and cephalograms were used to measure condylar ratio and mandibular morphology, respectively. Results: Condylar ratio was significantly smaller on the deviation side of the chin than on the non-deviation side. On the deviation side, there was no significant difference in condylar ratio between subjects with Idiopathic Condylar Resorption (ICR) and without ICR. Conclusions: Condylar height was significantly longer on the non-deviation side of the chin than on the deviation side in skeletal Class I orthodontic patients with facial asymmetry. Facial asymmetry of skeletal Class I patients may be attributable to hemimandibular elongation on the non-shifted side of the mandible rather than ICR on the shifted side. H.E. , elongation of the mandible on the affected
The Inﬂuence of the Independent Non-Executive Board Members on the Financial Performance of the Companies Listed in the Bucharest Stock Exchange

: This paper studies the impact of independent board members on the ﬁnancial performance of companies listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange during the period 2016–2020. Different characteristics of the board of directors have been examined extensively in the literature and board independence was identiﬁed as one of the most effective corporate governance tools. In this context, the present study contributes to the relevant literature by examining recent data for Romania and investigating alternative performance indicators such as return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and Tobin’s Q. The correlation analysis, scatter plots, and regression results document that a higher share of the independent board members was associated with higher returns on equity ratio. Speciﬁcally, a 10% rise in the share of independent members was associated with an approximately 0.9%-point increase in ROE. there was some clustering in both variables. Namely, the board sizes were clustered at low values near three, moderate values near ﬁve, and higher values near seven. The proportion of independent board members was clustered at approximately 30% and 70%. The clustered nature of the board size was important as the regression model used the clustered standard errors.
An r-adaptive finite element method for the solution of the two-dimensional phase-field equations

An adaptive moving mesh method is developed for the numerical solution of two-dimensional phase change problems modelled by the phase-field equations. The numerical algorithm is relatively simple and is shown to be more efficient than fixed grid methods. The phase-field equations are discretised by a Calerkin finite element method. An adaptivity criterion is used that ensures that the mesh spacing at the phase front scales with the diffuse interface thickness.
The E ﬃ cacy Analysis of Determining the Wooded and Shrubbed Area Based on Archival Aerial Imagery Using Texture Analysis

: Open areas, along with their non-forest vegetation, are often threatened by secondary succession, which causes deterioration of biodiversity and the habitat’s conservation status. The knowledge about characteristics and dynamics of the secondary succession process is very important in the context of management and proper planning of active protection of the Natura 2000 habitats. This paper presents research on the evaluation of the possibility of using selected methods of textural analysis to determine the spatial extent of trees and shrubs based on archival aerial photographs, and consequently on the investigation of the secondary succession process. The research was carried out on imagery from six di ﬀ erent dates, from 1971 to 2015. The images di ﬀ ered from each other in spectral resolution (panchromatic, in natural colors, color infrared), in original spatial resolution, as well as in radiometric quality. Two methods of textural analysis were chosen for the analysis: Gray level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) and granulometric analysis, in a number of variants, depending on the selected parameters of these transformations. The choice of methods has been challenged by their reliability and ease of implementation in practice. The accuracy assessment was carried out using the results of visual photo interpretation of orthophotomaps from particular years as reference data. As a result of the conducted analyses, signiﬁcant e ﬃ cacy of the analyzed methods has been proved, with granulometric analysis as the method of generally better suitability and greater stability. The obtained results show the impact of individual image features on the classiﬁcation e ﬃ ciency. They also show greater stability and reliability of texture analysis based on granulometric / morphological operations.
Conceptualising the Factors that Inﬂuence the Commercialisation of Non-Timber Forest Products: The Case of Wild Plant Gathering by Organic Herb Farmers in South Tyrol (Italy)

: The gathering and commercialisation of non-timber forest products (NTFP) in Europe has repeatedly been praised for its potential to support rural development. However, political support mechanisms explicitly targeting NTFP remain underdeveloped. In this study, we aimed to contribute to the design of support mechanisms by understanding the factors that inﬂuence the commercialisation of wild plants by organic farmers. We ﬁrst developed a conceptual framework based on ﬁfteen factors and then applied the framework to a case study in South Tyrol (Alto Adige), Italy. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with all fourteen members of the Vereinigung Südtiroler Kräuteranbauer ( Associazione Coltivatori Sudtirolesi Piante Ofﬁcinali ), who commercialised wild plant species, and the data were then analysed using qualitative content analysis. Agricultural intensiﬁcation, pesticide drift, limited access to gathering sites suitable for organic certiﬁcation, legal restrictions, lack of consumer awareness about the additional value of organic wild plant certiﬁcation, and limited product diversity were perceived as limiting factors; management techniques in organic farming, organic certiﬁcation, a trend for wild, regional and healthy foods, the availability of training, and favourable cultural values and attitudes towards wild plant gathering were perceived as supportive. This study offers a comprehensive understanding of the many diverse factors that may inﬂuence wild plant commercialisation in Europe and beyond and provides guidance on how political support mechanisms could unlock the much heralded potential of wild plant commercialisation for rural development.
Identiﬁcation of Novel MicroRNA-Like Molecules Generated from Herpesvirus and Host tRNA Transcripts (cid:1)

We applied deep sequencing technology to small RNA fractions from cells lytically infected with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 ( (cid:1) HV68) in order to deﬁne in detail small RNAs generated from a cluster of tRNA-related polycistronic structures located at the left end of the viral genome. We detected 10 new candidate microRNAs (miRNAs), six of which were conﬁrmed by Northern blot analysis, leaving four as provisional. In addition, we determined that previously identiﬁed and annotated viral miRNA molecules were not necessarily represented as the most abundant sequence originating from a transcript. Based on these new small RNAs and previously reported (cid:1) HV68 miRNAs, we were able to further describe and annotate the distinctive (cid:1) HV68 tRNA-miRNA structures. We used this deep sequencing data and computational analysis to identify similar structures in the mouse genome and validated that these host structures also give rise to small RNAs. This reveals a possible convergent usage of tRNA/polymerase III (pol III) transcripts to generate small RNAs from both mammalian and viral genomes. Data from deep sequencing technologies suggest that the coding complexity of many genomes, from virus and plant to mouse and human genomes, has been underestimated. Re-searchers have identiﬁed a vast
Chaotic mixing by rod-stirring devices in open and closed flows

We have studied the mixing of viscous fluids in 2-D closed and open flows, where stirring rods create chaotic advection, i.e. complex Lagrangian trajectories. Our study, experimental, numerical and theoretical, is based on two types of chaotic mixing experiments, in a closed vat and in an open channel. For closed flows, we have first proposed a topological description of mixing by the entanglement of periodic orbits that we called "ghost rods". The experimental study of the concentration field of a dye has then revealed the role of the walls of the domain where mixing takes place, in closed and open flows as well. For closed flows, the chaotic or regular nature of trajectories initialized close to the wall determines the evolution of the concentration field, even far from the walls. In particular, we have observed slow (algebraic) dynamics of homogenization when the chaotic region extends to no-slip walls. In open flows, we have reported on the evolution of the concentration field in the mixing and downstream regions, resulting from the injection of a dye blob. We have described the poorly mixed elements that escape quickly, as well as the asymptotic onset of a permanent (self-similar) pattern determined by the periodic orbits inside the mixing region. Finally, various models derived from the baker's map have allowed us to understand most observed mechanisms.
Role of Type I (cid:1) Phosphatidylinositol-4-Phosphate 5-Kinase in Insulin Secretion, Glucose Metabolism, and Membrane Potential in INS-1 (cid:2) -Cells

Insulin secretion from (cid:1) -cells is regulated by a complex signaling network. Our earlier study has reported that Rac1 participates in glucose- and cAMP-induced insulin secretion probably via main-taining a functional actin structure for recruitment of insulin granules. Type I (cid:2) phosphatidylino-sitol-4-phosphate 5-kinase (PIP5K-I (cid:2) ) is a downstream effector of Rac1 and a critical enzyme for synthesisofphosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate(PIP 2 ). ByusinganRNAinterferencetechnique, PIP5K-I (cid:2) in INS-1 (cid:1) -cells could be specifically knocked down by 70–75%. PIP5K-I (cid:2) knockdown disrupted filamentous actin structure and caused changes in cell morphology. In addition, PIP 2 content in the plasma membrane was reduced and the glucose effect on PIP 2 was abolished but without affecting glucose-induced formation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. At basal conditions (2.8 m M glucose), PIP5K-I (cid:2) knockdown doubled insulin secretion, elevated glucose metabolic rate, depolarized resting membrane potential, and raised cytoplasmic free Ca 2 (cid:1) levels ([Ca 2 (cid:1) ] i ). The totalinsulinreleaseathighglucosewasincreaseduponPIP5K-I (cid:2) knockdown.However,thepercent incrementofinsulinsecretionbyhighglucoseandforskolinoverthebasalreleasewassignificantly reduced, an effect more apparent on the late phase of insulin secretion. Metabolism and [Ca 2 (cid:1) ] i rises at high glucose were also attenuated in cells after PIP5K-I (cid:2) knockdown. In contrast, PIP5K-I (cid:2) knockdown had no effect on cell growth and viability. Taken together, our data suggest that PIP5K-I (cid:2) may play an important role in both the proximal and distal steps of signaling cascade for insulin secretion in (cid:1) -cells. Endocrinology 150: 2127–2135,
Interactions between compressed sensing, random matrices, and high dimensional geometry

— These notes are an expanded version of short courses given at the occasion of a school held in Universite Paris-Est Marne-la-Vallee, 16–20 November 2009, by Djalil Chafai, Olivier Guedon, Guillaume Lecue, Alain Pajor, and Shahar Mendelson. The central motivation is compressed sensing, involving interactions between empirical processes, high dimensional geometry, and random matrices.
Assessment of the Relationship between Health and Sustainable Development in the Countries of the European Union

The social dimension of sustainable development (SD) and those aspects of it related to human health are crucial for SD. By means of hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) and principal component analysis (PCA) the European Union countries and other three developed countries were assessed using selected indicators reflecting aspects of health related to SD. Five indicators reflecting these aspects at the macroeconomic level were used. These were a pair of objective indicators, a pair of subjective indicators and one indicator reflecting resources for health care. They were applied in order to cluster the 31 countries for each year in the period 2011 – 2015 and also for the whole period. Four clusters were created for the years 2011 – 2014, three clusters for 2015, and five clusters for the overall period. Switzerland was evaluated as the best performing country in the sample, and Lithuania as the worst. Czechia exhibited a significant shift towards higher sustainability.
n (cid:1) 3 Fatty acid proportions in plasma and cognitive performance in older adults 1 (cid:1)

Background: Very-long-chain n (cid:1) 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n (cid:1) 3 PUFAs) are suggested to be related to cognitive performance in older adults. However, limited data exist on the association between n (cid:1) 3 PUFAs and performance in specific cognitive domains. Objective: We evaluated the association between plasma n (cid:1) 3 PUFA proportions and cognitive performance in 5 cognitive domains and determined whether plasma n (cid:1) 3 PUFA proportions predict cognitive change over 3 y. Design: We used data from the FACIT trial, in which participants receivedfolicacidorplacebocapsulesfor3y.Fattyacidproportions in plasma cholesteryl esters at baseline were measured in 807 men and women aged 50–70 y. Cognitive performance for memory, sensorimotor speed, complex speed, information-processing speed, and word fluency was assessed at baseline and after 3 y. The cross-sectional analyses were based on all 807 participants; the longitudinal analyses were based only on 404 participants in the placebo group. Results: Higher plasma n (cid:1) 3 PUFA proportions predicted less decline in sensorimotor speed (multiple linear regression coefficient, z score (cid:2) 0.31;95%CI:0.06,0.57)andcomplexspeed(0.40;95%CI: 0.10, 0.70) over 3 y. Plasma n (cid:1) 3 PUFA proportions did not predict 3-y changes in memory, information-processing speed, or word fluency. The cross-sectional analyses showed no association between plasma n (cid:1) 3 PUFA proportions and performance in any of the 5 cognitive domains. Conclusions: In this population, plasma n (cid:1) 3 PUFA proportions were associated with less decline in the speed-related cognitive domains over 3 y. These results need to be confirmed in randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr 2007;86:1479–85.
M On the functional form of the hedonic price function: a matching-theoretic model and empirical evidence

The key issue in the hedonic price theory is that although the literature emphasises intrinsic nonlinearity in the relationship between house prices and housing characteristics, very little theoretical guidance is provided with regards to a more appropriate mathematical specification for the hedonic price function. Thus, most empirical studies make use of flexible functional forms or simple linear models which possess a direct economic meaningfulness. This theoretical paper attempts to fill this gap by using the Mortensen-Pissarides matching model to show the nonlinearity of the hedonic price function and provide insights on the more appropriate functional relationship between prices and attributes.
The ﬂightless marine midge Pontomyia (Diptera: Chironomidae): ecology, distribution, and molecular phylogeny

Pontomyia Edwards, 1926 (Diptera: Chironomidae) is a genus of exclusively marine ﬂightless midges. There are four described species from the Indo-Paciﬁc, and one undescribed species known only from females, pupal skins, and larvae from the Atlantic/Caribbean. They are poorly known owing to their small size ( ~ 1.0 mm), extremely short adult life ( < 3 h), and unusual habitat for an insect (coastal lagoons, bays, or rock pools). We reviewed scattered literature on their biology and systematics, presented photomicrographs of the male hypogium, and updated the geographic distribution of each species. We carried out the ﬁrst molecular study to elucidate relationships among and within three of the species. Results from our four-gene phylogenetic reconstruction using combined gene tree and species tree approaches showed that Pontomyia natans , Pontomyia oceana , and Pontomyia paciﬁca are each well-supported clades, with P. natans as sister to P. oceana + P. paciﬁca . Genetic distances based on mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I are extraordinarily large within P. natans and P. paciﬁca , which suggests that they may be cryptic species complexes. zoj_680443. 456
Rethinking Mindfulness in Education within Two Frameworks: Articulating the “Threefold Model of Mindful Wisdom” with the “Theory of Mental Interference”

: The existent trend of implementing mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) into public education came along with an increasing scientiﬁc record regarding the deﬁnitional construct of mindfulness, effects of various mindfulness-based interventions and their basic mechanisms. In terms of the rising deﬁnitional discourse in the interdisciplinary ﬁeld of mindfulness, the “threefold model of mindful wisdom” (TMMW) was proposed. In the present paper’s quest of rethinking mindfulness in education, the relevance of the TMMW for didactics in modern Western educational systems (with special interest on the region of Germany) is examined, afﬁrmed in several points and—with the aid of the “Theory of Mental Interference” (TMI)—methodically linked to individual learners’ needs. The TMI has been developed at the University of Hamburg since 1984 by Wagner and colleagues. This is compatible with the TMMW with regard to the concept of self and basic psychological mechanisms of “mindful exercises”. Its basic approach conceives the epistemic level of cognitive processes (1) to be unbiased by affect and (2) to be different from a level of mental interference, which in case of an arising default habitually interferes with the cognitive processes. Implications for further research, for modern educational systems and for MBPs in education are discussed.
Quantum Hall Eﬀect on the Grassmannians Gr 2 ( C N )

Quantum Hall Eﬀects (QHEs) on the complex Grassmann manifolds Gr 2 ( C N ) are formulated. We set up the Landau problem in Gr 2 ( C N ) and solve it using group theoretical techniques and provide the energy spectrum and the eigenstates in terms of the SU ( N ) Wigner D -functions for charged particles on Gr 2 ( C N ) under the inﬂuence of abelian and non-abelian background magnetic monopoles or a combination of these thereof. In particular, for the simplest case of Gr 2 ( C 4 ) we explicitly write down the U (1) background gauge ﬁeld as well as the single and many-particle eigenstates by introducing the Pl¨ucker coordinates and show by calculating the two-point correlation function that the Lowest Landau Level (LLL) at ﬁlling factor ν = 1 forms an incompressible ﬂuid. Our results are in agreement with the previous results in the literature for QHE on C P N and generalize them to all Gr 2 ( C N ) in a suitable manner. Finally, we heuristically identify a relation between the U (1) Hall eﬀect on Gr 2 ( C 4 ) and the Hall eﬀect on the odd sphere S 5 , which is yet to be investigated in detail, by appealing to the already known analogous relations between the Hall eﬀects on C P 3 and C P 7 and those on the spheres S 4 and S 8 , respectively.
Privacy Preserved Authentication: A Neural Network Approach

—The anonymity of users during the authentication process for accessing computer-based Safety-Critical Systems (SCSs) is crucial for two reasons: (i) ever growing dependency of users on SCSs and (ii) Internet of Things (IoT), social media, and marketers put the privacy of users of SCS in jeopardy more than ever. The goal of this research effort is to introduce and develop a novel neural network-based system that is able to (a) employ Extracted Eelectro-Cardiogram (ECG) feature vectors of the user as biometric credentials for authentication, (b) preserve the privacy of users during the authentication process and (c) attest the authenticity of clients on a continuous basis during the time that the SCS serves the client. Such attestation is necessary to make sure the user, after initial successful authentication, has not been replaced by an entity with malicious intent. Ten datasets with the total of 246,690 synthesized ECG feature vectors were created to test the system. These vectors were generated out of borrowed real ECG feature vectors for 90 users. Each dataset had 2,169 legitimate users’ credentials and 22,500 illegitimate ones. Our neural network-based system revealed the accuracy of (99.98%), precision of (100%), and sensitivity of (99.82%).
Extreme mechanics in laminated shells: New insights. Extreme

Fibre-reinforced composite laminates are increasingly popular for lightweight applications in the aerospace, wind turbine and automotive industries. Apart from their excellent specific strength and stiffnessproperties,theirorthotropicandlayeredconstructioncanbeexploitedtocreatebistablesystems that are useful for shape-adaptive morphing or energy-harvesting applications. The nonlinear interaction between initial curvature and induced thermal stresses can lead to ‘‘extreme’’ mechanics with rich branchingandmulti-stablebehaviour.Here,weexplorethemulti-stabilityofcurvedcompositelaminates in the two-dimensional parameter space of temperature and mechanical loading. Analyses conducted via finite element discretisation and numerical continuation algorithms reveal possible snapping behaviour between five different mode shapes for different combinations of applied load and temperature. Fur- thermore, we show that a composite laminate can exhibit four stable, self-equilibrated mode shapes for a narrow temperature range. Hence, the multi-stable and nonlinear mechanics of composite laminates is much more complex than previously assumed, and this may influence the design of more versatile morphing structures. © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
TOWARD PREDICTION IN THE RESTORATION OF BIODIVERSITY Interpreting variation to advance predictive restoration science

remain poorly understood for most systems. 3. Variation associated with restoration outcomes is a consequence of how, where and when restoration is conducted; variation is also inﬂuenced by how the outcome of restoration is measured. We propose that variation should decrease with the number of factors constraining restoration and increase with the speciﬁcity of the goal. When factors (e.g. harsh environmental conditions, limited species reintroductions) preclude most species, little variation will exist among restorations, particularly when goals are associated with metrics such as physical structure, where species may be broadly interchangeable. Conversely, when few constraints to species membership exist, substantial variation may result and this will be most pronounced when restoration is assessed by metrics such as taxonomic composition. 4. Synthesis and applications . The variability we observe during restoration results from both restoration context (how, where and when restoration is conducted) and how we evaluate restoration outcomes. To advance the predictive capacity of restoration, we outline a research agenda that considers metrics of restoration outcomes, the drivers of variation among existing restoration efforts, experiments to quantify and understand variation in restoration outcomes, and the development of models to organise, interpret and forecast restoration outcomes.