Determination of Caries Lesion Activity: Reflection and Roughness for Characterization of Caries Progression

Used by permission. © Operative Dentistry, Inc. Transmission or reproduction of protected items beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of Operative Dentistry, Inc.Caries lesion progression is difficult to determine with visual and tactile examinations. The hypothesis of this study was that reflection and roughness measurements could determine caries progression. Ground/polished sound human enamel specimens were analyzed at baseline (sound) and after two four-day demineralization periods for reflection using optical reflectometry (ORef) and for roughness using optical surface profilometry (SPro). Specimens were demineralized using a microbial–Streptococcus mutans aries model. Comparisons among the periods for ORef and SPro were performed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Two-sample t-tests were used for differences in transverse microradiography. The integrated mineral loss and depth of the four-day demineralization period were significantly smaller than those for the eight-day demineralization period (p<0.01). With increased demineralization time, reflection was significantly decreased and roughness was significantly increased (p<0.01). Correlation between ORef and SPro was moderate (r=−0.63). Both reflection and roughness can be characterized for nondestructive longitudinal assessment of caries lesion progression

Resurrecting Minimal Yukawa Sector of SUSY SO(10)

Supersymmetric $SO(10)$ models with Yukawa coupling matrices involving only a $10_H$ and a $\overline{126}_H$ of Higgs fields can lead to a predictive and consistent scenario for fermion masses and mixings, including the neutrino sector. However, when coupled minimally to a symmetry breaking sector that includes a $210_H$ and a $126_H$, these models lead either to an unacceptably small neutrino mass scale, or to non-perturbative values of the gauge couplings. Here we show that with the addition of a $54_H$ to the symmetry breaking sector, the successful predictions of these models for fermion masses and mixings can be maintained. The $54_H$ enables a reduction of the $B-L$ symmetry breaking scale to an intermediate value of order $10^{12}$ GeV, consistent with the observed neutrino mass spectrum, while preserving perturbative gauge coupling unification. We obtain an excellent fit to all fermion masses and mixings in this framework. We analyze carefully the prediction of the model for CP violation in neutrino oscillations. Consistency with proton lifetime, however, requires a mini-split SUSY spectrum with the squarks and sleptons having masses of order 100 TeV, accompanied by TeV scale gauginos and Higgsinos. Such a spectrum may arise from pure gravity mediation, which would predict the partial lifetime for the decay $p \rightarrow \overline{\nu} K^+$ to be an order of magnitude above the current experimental limit.Comment: 29 pages, 3 figures, replacement to match the published versio

QueRIE: Collaborative Database Exploration

Interactive database exploration is a key task in information mining. However, users who lack SQL expertise or familiarity with the database schema face great difficulties in performing this task. To aid these users, we developed the QueRIE system for personalized query recommendations. QueRIE continuously monitors the user’s querying behavior and finds matching patterns in the system’s query log, in an attempt to identify previous users with similar information needs. Subsequently, QueRIE uses these “similar” users and their queries to recommend queries that the current user may find interesting. In this work we describe an instantiation of the QueRIE framework, where the active user’s session is represented by a set of query fragments. The recorded fragments are used to identify similar query fragments in the previously recorded sessions, which are in turn assembled in potentially interesting queries for the active user. We show through experimentation that the proposed method generates meaningful recommendations on real-life traces from the SkyServer database and propose a scalable design that enables the incremental update of similarities, making real-time computations on large amounts of data feasible. Finally, we compare this fragment-based instantiation with our previously proposed tuple-based instantiation discussing the advantages and disadvantages of each approach

Pituitary-adrenal axis in Prader Willi syndrome

Purpose: Prader Willi syndrome (PWS) is a rare genetic condition that has concurrent endocrinological insufficiencies. The presence of growth hormone deficiency has been well documented, but adrenal insufficiency (AI) is not widely reported. A review was conducted to investigate its prevalence and relevance in PWS in both adults and children. Methodology: A literature review was performed with the search terms “Prader-Willi syndrome” and “adrenal insufficiency”. Results: The review found studies disagree on the prevalence and method of investigation of AI in PWS. Case studies demonstrate that patients with PWS are at risk of premature death, often secondary to respiratory infections. The possibility that this may be the result of the inability to mount an effective cortisol response has been studied, with some evidence confirming AI in PWS patients. Most reports agreed AI is present in PWS, however, Farholt et al. showed no HPA axis dysfunction in adults, suggesting that perhaps it is rare in adults, and children should be the focus of further studies. Conclusion: AI is present in some patients with PWS. Further research is required to ensure optimal treatment can be implemented and to prevent premature deaths related to adrenal insufficiency. Clinicians should have a low threshold for testing the adrenal axis and considering treatment for adrenal insufficiency in PWS patients

A new perspective on the anomalies in the monthly closings of the Dow Jones Industrial Average

Version of RecordThis study explores three types of month effects in the Dow Jones Industrial Average: (a) for a given period, if the mean of monthly percentage changes of each month was different from zero, (b) for a given period, if the mean of monthly percentage changes for a month was different from the means of all the other months, and (c) for a given period, if the variance of the monthly percentage changes for a month was different from the variances of all the other months. For our entire data set (May 1896 to December 2002) we find that the means of monthly percentage changes of only July, August, January and December were significantly greater than zero (months put in descending order). But the means of none of these three months were significantly higher compared to the means of all the other months. With a mean percentage change of -1.25%, only September appears with significant negative returns. And this mean is significantly lower compared to the means of all the other months. In other words, for the entire data set, we have a negative September effect. Month effect with respect to variance (variance of monthly percentage changes for a month being significantly different from all the other months) was found for January, February and December (lower variances), and April (higher variance). When we look at the first half of the twentieth century versus the second half, we see more pronounced month effects in the second half - considering all three types of effects we analyze. December exhibited all three types of effects in this period. When we sub-divide the last century into four 25-year periods, we find more pronounced month effects in the last quarter than in the previous three quarters. When we sub-divide the data into 10-year periods, we do not find any consistent and discernible pattern. The month effect varies with the time period we consider and the type of effect we analyze. Though one would expect the DJIA stocks to be free from seasonal patterns since each one of them are closely followed by a large number of analysts, the existence of any type of month effect is surprising. However, given that no discernible pattern is detectable is a reflection of efficiency of the DJIA stocks to a large degree.Hamid, S. A. & Dhakar, T. S. (2003). A new perspective on the anomalies in the monthly closings of the Dow Jones Industrial Average (Working Paper No. 2003-04). Southern New Hampshire University, Center for Financial Studies