LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Arthroscopic evaluation of cartilage degeneration using indentation testing--influence of indenter geometry.

BACKGROUND
It has been suggested that the early onset of cartilage degeneration might be detected with a handheld indentation probe during knee arthroscopy, prior to any visible change on the articular surface. Collagen degradation has been considered as the first sign of cartilage degeneration. Therefore, it is important to consider the collagen network as a distinct constituent in the study of arthroscopic evaluation of cartilage degeneration.


METHODS
The tip of an arthroscopic probe (indenter) was modeled as rigid and in contact with a cartilage/bone disk of sufficiently large radius to simulate an indentation in a joint. A fibril-reinforced model of cartilage, including streaming potentials and distinct constitutive laws for the proteoglycan matrix and collagen network, was used to determine the contact mechanics of indenter and cartilage. The finite element package ABAQUS was employed to obtain numerical solutions.


FINDINGS
A spherical indenter produces a relatively uniform deformation in cartilage, but can easily slide on the articular surface. In contrast, a cylindrical indenter produces great deformation gradients for quick compression rates, but does not slide as easily on the articular surface as the spherical indenter. Small porous and large solid indenters should be used to evaluate the properties of the proteoglycan matrix and collagen network, respectively, in order to minimize or maximize the fluid pressure in the corresponding case. When the collagen network is substantially degraded, the gradients of fluid pressure and deformation are greatly reduced regardless of indenter geometry.


INTERPRETATION
The indenter geometry including its porosity is important to the material safety of articular cartilage in indentation and precise evaluation of cartilage degeneration.
Colour Filter Array Demosaicking using Cubic Spline Interpolation

When a single image sensor is used to capture colour images, only one colour value is acquired at each pixel location. Colour filter array (CFA) demosaicking refers to the estimation of the other two missing colour values in order to produce a full colour image. In this paper, we have shown that cubic spline interpolation is suitable for CFA demosaicking for producing a smooth colour image due to the known fact that it can generate a smooth curve to fit a set of data points. In our approach to obtain a unique solution for cubic spline interpolation, the two required extra conditions were derived based on the correlation between colour planes. Our proposed method, by applying cubic spline interpolation in conjunction with a selector based on edge orientation, has been shown to outperform other existing demosaicking methods.
ELECTORAL RULES AS CONSTRAINTS ON CORRUPTION

This paper investigates how electoral rules influence political corruption. We show that closed-list and open-list proportional representation (PR) systems are more susceptible to corruption relative to plurality systems. We argue that this effect is due to differences in the locus of rents between PR and plurality systems, and to monitoring difficulties under PR. Monitoring is limited under PR because (1) such systems produce districts with large numbers of voters producing severe collective action problems for voters, and (2) under PR opposition parties face incentive problems in monitoring corrupt incumbents. In addition, in CLPR systems the link between re-election and performance in office is weaker than in plurality or OLPR systems, making them especially susceptible to corruption. We also examine interaction effects between electoral rules and presidentialism. We empirically test our main predictions, interaction effects, and the proposed causal mechanism on a crosssection of up to 99 countries, controlling for economic, political, and social background factors. The empirical findings strongly support our theoretical hypothesis that closed-list PR systems, especially together with presidentialism, are associated with higher levels of corruption. This result is robust to different model specifications and to the deletion of influential observations. ____________________________ * We would like to thank José Antonio Cheibub, Rafael DiTella, Aaron Edlin, Eduardo Engel, Philip Levy, Fiona McGillivray, Jonathan Rodden, Frances Rosenbluth, Matthew Shugart, Peter Siavelis, Alastair Smith, and Georg Vanberg for helpful discussions and comments on earlier drafts, and Phil Keefer and Jessica Seddon for sharing their data. We also benefited from comments received in seminar presentations at Yale, Berkeley Law School, the Public Choice Society, the Midwest Political Science Association, and the Society for Comparative Research. All remaining errors are ours. Rose-Ackerman’s contribution was partially supported by the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. Contact Information: jana.kunicova@yale.edu; susan.roseackerman@yale.edu.
Reply to "A remark on the 'Theory of neutrino oscillations'"

It is shown that the derivation of standard oscillation phase in the plane wave approximation without equal energy assumption is fraught with inconsistencies. The literature on quantum mechanics of neutrino oscillations is vast and controversial. Therefore, the words in ref [1] “Let us briefly describe the covariant derivation of the neutrino oscillation probability in the plane wave approach” attract special attention. The derivation in ref. [1] is given in six equations on one page and is based on the substitution t ≃ x = L in the phase Ekt− pkx for each of the three mass states (k = 1, 2, 3): Ekt − pkx ≃ (Ek − pk)L = E k − p k Ek + pk L = m k Ek + pk L ≃ m k 2E L , (1) where L is the distance between the source and detector of neutrinos. Our Eq.(1) reproduces the key equation of ref. [1], namely, Eq.(5). It is further noticed in ref. [1]: “It is important to notice that Eq.(5) shows that the phase of massive neutrinos relevant for the oscillations are independent from any assumptions on the energies and momenta of different massive neutrinos, as long as the relativistic dispersion relation E k = p k + m k is satisfied. This is why the standard derivation of the neutrino oscillation probability gives the correct result, in spite of the unrealistic equal momenta assumption.” We would like to point out that the replacing t ≃ x = L is fraught with at least two problems: 1. If one assumes that x = t, then the so-called space velocities v̄ = x/t of all three neutrinos are identical. But in this case the plane wave approximation is not valid. 2. If, on the other hand, one considers the so-called kinematical velocities vk = pk/Ek, according to the plane-wave picture, then there appears a correction to the Eq.(5) of ref. [1]: ITEP, Moscow, 117218, Russia e-mail: okun@heron.itep.ru MIPT, Moscow, 141700, Russia; ITEP, Moscow, 117218, Russia e-mail: mrotaev@mail.ru ITEP, Moscow, 117218, Russia e-mail: schepkin@heron.itep.ru ITEP, Moscow, 117218, Russia e-mail: zuckerma@heron.itep.ru
Genetics and personality traits in patients with social anxiety disorder: A case-control study in South Africa

BACKGROUND
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is among the most common of all psychiatric disorders with lifetime prevalence estimates ranging from 7% to 13%. Although there is evidence that SAD has a strong familial basis, there are few studies of potential candidate genes. In addition to a genetic association, there is also the possibility that temperamental risk factors for the disorder may be genetically transmitted. Against this background, our aims were threefold: i.) to compare patients and controls with respect to personality traits, ii.) to genotype a subgroup of these participants to investigate the role of genes encoding components of serotonergic (5-HT) and dopaminergic (DA) pathways in patients with SAD and iii.) to compare differences in temperament dimensions between carriers of different (dominant vs. recessive) alleles for selected polymorphisms in SAD patients.


METHODS
Sixty-three patients (n=63; 35 male, 28 female) with a DSM-IV diagnosis of generalized SAD and SPIN-scores >18, and age-matched control participants (n=150; 31 male, 119 female) were included in the study. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was used to measure behaviours associated with specific personality dimensions (i.e. temperament/character). DNA was extracted and genotyped to investigate the role of select candidate genes encoding components in serotonergic and dopaminergic pathways in mediating the development of SAD. To achieve this, the frequency of variants in 5-HT and DA genes was compared between a Caucasian subset of SAD patients (n=41) and a convenience sample of Caucasian controls (n=88), using case-control association analyses. We also investigated the frequency of variants in 5-HT and DA-related genes across temperament characteristics in SAD patients, using analyses of variance (ANOVA).


RESULTS
Patients scored significantly higher on harm avoidance (p<0.001) but lower on novelty seeking (p=0.04) and self-directedness (p=0.004) compared to controls. In the Caucasian subset, there was a difference between patients and controls in distribution of the 5-HT(2A)T102C polymorphism, with significantly more patients harboring T-containing genotypes (T-containing genotypes: [T/T+T/C] vs. [C/C]) (chi2=7.55; p=0.012). Temperament dimensions did not, however, differ significantly between carriers of different (dominant vs. recessive) alleles for the 5-HT(2A)T102C polymorphism in SAD patients.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest a possible role for the 5-HT(2A)T102C polymorphism in the development of SAD. To date genetic findings in SAD have been inconsistent; nevertheless, serotonergic variants, and their associations with temperaments (e.g. reward dependence) deserve further exploration, in the hope that endophenotypes relevant to SAD can ultimately be delineated.
The Structural Geology and Volcanic Petrology of the Rattlesnake Hills, Wyoming

Abstract The Rattlesnake Hills, covering 150 square miles in central Wyoming, are the eroded remnants of a northwest plunging Laramide anticline on the north flank of the Sweetwater Arch. The topography has been modified by Middle and Late Eocene intrusive and extrusive activity with associated local faulting, and by Miocene or Pliocene normal faulting. At least 42 discrete intrusive bodies, radiometrically dated as Late Eocene, are present in the map area. These intrusives are divisible into seven rock types: rhyolite, quartz latite, latite, trachyte, soda trachyte, alkali mela-trachyte, and phonolite. The alkalic intrusives are clustered in a 20 square mile area, with the quartz latite and rhyolite intrusives occurring in 2 groups to the northeast and southwest of the central alkalic group. The pyroclastic debris in the Middle and Late Eocene Wagon Bed Formation appears to be primarily from the quartz latite eruptive centers. The alkalic centers were primarily laccoliths and volcanic domes, with little extrusive activity. The petrogenesis of the intrusive rocks is thought to involve the generation of two separate magmas, quartz latite and phonolite, by partial fusion in the lower crust, followed by occasional fractional crystallization and/or mixing of the two magmas to produce the observed suite of undersaturated, saturated, and over saturated rocks. The structural development of the Rattlesnake Hills is related to the known structural history of Central Wyoming given by Love (1970) and Keefer (1970). After the end of the Laramide orogeny in the earliest Eocene, the Sweetwater Arch continued to rise and resulted in the formation of a horst at the end of Early Eocene time. The development of this horst may have lowered the pressure in the lower crust, favoring the formation of magma for the volcanic activity in the Rattlesnake Hills during the Middle and Late Eocene. The Oligocene was a time of crustal stability in the Rattlesnake Hills, when a major erosion surface was cut on the Precambrian hornblende schist and the Middle and Late Eocene Wagon Bed Formation. Boulder channel deposits of northeast flowing Oligocene streams now form linear ridges resulting from topographic inversion on the north flank of the Rattlesnake Hills. A detailed study of the faulting in the Rattlesnake Hills indicates three main periods of faulting: 1) faulting during the Laramide orogeny, 2) faulting associated with the intrusive activity of the Middle and Late Eocene volcanic episode, and 3) faulting in conjunction with the subsidence of the Granite Mountains after Middle Miocene time. A new estimate of 1000 −1200 feet of post Middle Miocene offset on the North Granite Mountains fault system is in agreement with earlier estimates by Love (1970).
Physicochemical Parameters in Soil and Vegetable Samples from Gongulon Agricultural Site , Maiduguri , Borno State , Nigeria

Anthropogenic activities are a leading cause of metal emission, often associated with high elevated soil and plant metal concentrations. The accumulation of heavy metals and anions in soil and vegetables in the vicinity of Gungulung agricultural site were investigated. Soil samples were collected at depths of 0-5 cm, 5-10 and 10-20 cm. Soil properties including pH, electrical conductivity (EC), organic matter, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity (CEC) and heavy metals content were determined using standard procedures. Vegetable samples (spinach, Amaranthus caudatus; carrot, Daucus carota; lettuce, Lactuca sativa; cabbage, Brassica oleracea; tomato, Lycopersicon sculenetum; waterleaf, Talinum Triangulare and onion Allium cepa were used for this research. The plant samples were prepared for heavy metals and anions determination using standard procedures. Results show that the soil metal content, conductivity and organic carbon decreased with depth, suggesting anthropogenic sources of contamination while pH, organic matter and CEC decreased with depth. The results obtained from this analysis revealed that Zn and Mn show the highest concentrations, Ni shows the lowest levels. Similarly, the results also revealed that Fe, Zn and Cu show the highest concentrations, while Pb shows the lowest levels in the whole vegetables parts studied. The leaves contained much higher concentrations of heavy metals and anions than roots and stems. The concentrations of the above parameters in the vegetable samples were higher than the FAO, WHO/EU and FAO/WHO allowed limit. The high values might be attributed to the use of wastewater from river Ngada and application of sewage sludge by farmers for the irrigation of these vegetables. The results of this study suggest that the vegetables grown in the vicinity of Gugulung agricultural site are subjected to anthropogenic activities. Thus, the high values of these metals in the vegetable samples could put the consumers of these vegetables at health risk with time due to bioaccumulation.
A Functional Logic Programming Approach to Graphical User Interfaces

We show how the features of modern integrated functional logic programming languages can be exploited to implement graphical user interfaces (GUIs) in a high-level declarative style. For this purpose, we have developed a GUI library in Curry, a multi-paradigm language amalgamating functional, logic, and concurrent programming principles. The functional features of Curry are exploited to deene the graphical structure of an interface and to implement new graphical abstractions, and the logic features of Curry are used to specify the logical dependencies of an interface. Moreover, the concurrent and distributed features of Curry support the easy implementation of GUIs to distributed systems.
Impaired TNFα-induced A20 expression in E1A/Ras-transformed cells

Background:Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) is capable of activating the cell death pathway, and has been implicated in killing transformed cells. However, TNF also activates survival signals, including NF-κB activation and the subsequent expression of anti-apoptotic genes, leading to protection against TNF toxicity.Methods:In this study, we show that, although untransformed mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) were resistant to TNF killing, E1A/Ras-transformed MEFs were susceptible to extensive apoptosis induced by TNF. The key factors for determining TNF sensitivity were explored by comparing wild-type and E1A/Ras-transformed MEFs.Results:TNF signalling to NF-κB and to its target genes such as IκBα seemed to be mostly intact in E1A/Ras-transformed cells. Instead, the induction of A20 was completely abolished in E1A/Ras-transformed MEFs, although A20 is known to be NF-κB dependent. Reintroduction of A20 into E1A/Ras-transformed MEFs rescued these cells from TNF-induced death and reduced the formation of the FADD/caspase-8 complex. This impaired A20 induction in E1A/Ras MEFs was not because of the stabilisation of p53 or a defective TNF-induced p38 and Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signalling. Consistently, we found a reduced A20 promoter activity but normal NF-κB activity in TNF-treated E1A/Ras MEFs. However, Bcl-3 seemed to have a role in the transactivation of the A20 promoter in E1A/Ras cells.Conclusions:Our results suggest that specific inhibition of certain survival factors, such as A20, may determine the sensitivity to TNF-induced apoptosis in transformed cells such as E1A/Ras MEFs.
Improved estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) by comparison of eGFRcystatin C and eGFRcreatinine

OBJECTIVE
GFR-prediction equations based upon cystatin C and creatinine have better diagnostic performance in estimating GFR than equations based upon only one of the two markers. The present work concerns in what way a comparison between separate estimations of GFR based upon cystatin C (eGFR(cystatin C)) or creatinine (eGFR(creatinine)) can be used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of a combined cystatin C- and creatinine-based estimation of GFR.


METHODS
The difference between eGFR(cystatin C) and eGFR(creatinine) was compared with measured GFR (iohexol clearance) and a combined cystatin C- and creatinine-based estimation of GFR in a Swedish-Caucasian cohort of 857 adult patients.


RESULTS
A difference between eGFR(cystatin C) and eGFR(creatinine) of ≥ 40% indicated a markedly reduced diagnostic performance of the combined cystatin C- and creatinine-based estimation of GFR.


CONCLUSION
Comparison of the agreement between eGFR(cystatin C) and eGFR(creatinine) can be used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of combined cystatin C- and creatinine-based estimations of GFR. If 'threshold values' for discordance are exceeded, it must be considered whether the clinical context requires the use of an invasive gold standard method to measure GFR. In some clinical contexts either creatinine or cystatin C are known to be invalidated as markers of GFR and in these situations the use of only the cystatin C- or the creatinine-based GFR estimate should be considered when the 'threshold values' are exceeded.
Application optimization in mobile cloud computing: Motivation, taxonomies, and open challenges

In Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC), migrating an application processing to the cloud data centers enables the execution of resource-intensive applications on the mobile devices. However, the resource-intensive migration approaches and the intrinsic limitations of the wireless medium impede the applications from attaining optimal performance in the cloud. Hence, executing the application with low cost, minimal overhead, and non-obtrusive migration is a challenging research area. This paper presents the state-ofthe-art mobile application execution frameworks and provides the readers a discussion on the optimization strategies that facilitate attaining the effective design, efficient deployment, and application migration with optimal performance in MCC. We highlight the significance of optimizing the application performance by providing real-life scenarios requiring the effective design, efficient deployment, and optimal application execution in MCC. The paper also presents cloud-based mobile application-related taxonomies. Moreover, we compare the application execution frameworks on the basis of significant optimization parameters that affect performance of the applications and mobile devices in MCC. We also discuss the future research directions for optimizing the application in MCC. Finally, we conclude the paper by highlighting the key contributions and possible research directions in cloud-based mobile application optimization. & 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Conway's problem for three-word sets

We prove two results on commutation of languages. First, we show that the maximal language commuting with a three-element language, i.e. its centralizer, is rational, thus giving an affirmative answer to a special case of a problem proposed by Conway in 1971. Second, we characterize all languages commuting with a three-element code. The characterization is similar to the one proved by Bergman for polynomials over noncommuting variables (see Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 137 (1969) 327 and Algebraic Combinatorics on Words, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2000): A language commutes with a three-element code X if and only if it is a union of powers of X.
Effects of Syzygium Cumini Bark on Blood Glucose, Plasma Insulin and C-peptide in Streptozotocin induced Diabetic rats

n recent years, several plant extracts have been examined for their antidiabetic propertics in an effort to identify alternative treatment strategies that pose less of a risk for diabetics. The present study was undertaken to investigate the antidiabetic effects of Syzygium cumini bark in experimental diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: Diabetes was induced in male albino Wistar rats by a single intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (45 mg/kg body weight), after which, the animals were randomly allocated into five experimental groups as follows: Group 1: normal rats, Group 2: normal rats received Syzygium cumini bark extract (SBEt; 300mg/kg body weight), Group 3: diabetic control rats, Group 4: diabetic rats receiving SBEt (300mg/kg), Group 5: diabetic rats received glibenclamide (600μg/kg body weight). The effects of 45 days treatment of SBEt on blood glucose, plasma insulin, C-peptide, urine sugar and body weight were studied in comparison to those of glibenclamide. Results: Blood glucose levels (268.10±19.25 mg/dL) and urine sugar increased significantly whereas the levels of plasma insulin (5.01±0.29 μU/L) and C-peptide (167.68± 8.50 pmol/L) decreased significantly in diabetic rats as compared to normal rats. Oral administration of SBEt exhibited antidiabetic activity by significantly (p<0.05) lowering blood glucose (84.30±4.25) and urine sugar levels in diabetic rats. Additionally, diabetic rats treated with SBEt had significantly (p<0.05) elevated levels of plasma insulin (10.29±0.59) and C-peptide (236.50±11.87). During OGTT, long-term administration of SBEt was able to significantly (p<0.05) decrease blood glucose concentrations (93.94 ± 3.17; 120min) at various time intervals when compared to the OGTT pattern of diabetic rats (316.03 ± 18.03). As compared to glibenclamide, SBEt has better antidiabetic effects. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate that the antidiabetic activity of SBEt, and both the pancreatic and the extrapancreatic mechanisms might be involved such apparent dual actions of SBEt would be more advantageous to the existing oral antidiabetic monotherapy.