Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Severity scoring of atopic dermatitis: a comparison of three scoring systems

In studies on atopic dermatitis (AD), different scoring systems are used to evaluate the severity of the disease. The objective of this study was to investigate agreement between observers in the assessment of the overall severity of AD, and interobserver variation in the assessment of severity of AD for each scoring item separately, using the Simple Scoring System (SSS), the Scoring Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, and the Basic Clinical Scoring System (BCSS), and, furthermore, to investigate agreement between these three scoring systems in the assessment of the overall severity of AD. Eighty‐two patients (42 male) with AD, mean age 13.4 years (range 0.2−67.0), were included. Agreement between observers in assessing the overall AD severity scores, and interobserver variation in assessing AD severity of each scoring item separately were determined in 34 of these 82 patients by two physicians scoring the severity of AD by the three scoring systems. To determine agreement between the scoring systems, one physician scored the severity of AD in all patients with the three scoring systems. Agreement between observers and agreement between the three scoring systems was calculated by Cohen's kappa (κ) and by the measure of agreement according to Bland & Altaian. κ>0.4 represents fair agreement; κ>0.75 excellent agreement. In addition, interobserver variation for each scoring item separately was calculated by the Wilcoxon signed rank test. The mean differences (d) and the limits of agreement (d±2 SD of the differences) between observers by the SSS and the SCORAD were −0.82±5.58 and −0.28±7.49, respectively. κ between observers for the BCSS was 0.90 (95% CI 0.79−1.03). By the SSS, significant interobserver variation was found in assessing the severity of excoriations (P=0.02) and scales (P=0.02). By the SCORAD, significant interobserver variation was found in assessing the severity of edema/papulation (P=0.04), erythema (P=0.04), and excoriations (P=0.01). No significant interobserver variation was found in assessing the extent of AD. The mean difference and the limits of agreement between the SSS and the SCORAD were −4.17±9.52. k between the SSS and the BCSS was 0.21 (95% CI 0.09−0.33), and k between the SCORAD and the BCSS was 0.38 (95% CI 0.26−0.51). We found good agreement between observers assessing the overall severity of AD in the lower and higher scoring rates by the SSS and the SCORAD, and excellent agreement by the BCSS. Significant interobserver variation was found on the isolated intensity items scales, excoriations, edema/papulation, and erythema. We found poor agreement between the three scoring systems in assessing the overall severity of AD, indicating that the SSS, the SCORAD, and the BCSS cannot be used interchangeably to assess the overall severity of AD.
Ensembles of novel visual keywords descriptors for image categorization

Object recognition systems need effective image descriptors to obtain good performance levels. Currently, the most widely used image descriptor is the SIFT descriptor that computes histograms of orientation gradients around points in an image. A possible problem of this approach is that the number of features becomes very large when a dense grid is used where the histograms are computed and combined for many different points. The current dominating solution to this problem is to use a clustering method to create a visual codebook that is exploited by an appearance based descriptor to create a histogram of visual keywords present in an image. In this paper we introduce several novel bag of visual keywords methods and compare them with the currently dominating hard bag-of-features (HBOF) approach that uses a hard assignment scheme to compute cluster frequencies. Furthermore, we combine all descriptors with a spatial pyramid and two ensemble classifiers. Experimental results on 10 and 101 classes of the Caltech-101 object database show that our novel methods significantly outperform the traditional HBOF approach and that our ensemble methods obtain state-of-the-art performance levels.
Angiotensin receptor regulates cardiac hypertrophy and transforming growth factor-beta 1 expression.

The role of angiotensin II via the angiotensin type 1 or type 2 receptor in the development of cardiac hypertrophy was determined in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to coarctation of the abdominal aorta. Five groups of animals were studied: coarctation, coarctation plus DuP 753, coarctation plus PD 123319, sham plus DuP 753, or sham operation. Type 1 receptor blockade was accomplished with DuP 753 given in the drinking water and type 2 blockade with PD 123319 delivered by osmotic minipumps beginning with the day of surgery until 72 hours after aortic coarctation. Mean carotid blood pressures and the carotid-femoral artery blood pressure gradients were not different among coarctation, coarctation plus DuP 753, and coarctation plus PD 123319 animals. However, ratios of heart weight to body weight were higher in coarctation (4.95 +/- 0.8) or coarctation plus PD 123319 (4.52 +/- 0.5) than in sham animals (3.6 +/- 0.4; P < .005 and .05, respectively). In coarctation plus DuP 753-treated animals heart weight-body weight ratios were not different from sham or sham plus DuP 753 animals (3.9 +/- 0.4 versus 3.6 +/- 0.4 or 3.3 +/- 0.08, respectively). Type 1 receptor mRNA levels were significantly increased in the coarctation group, with the highest levels in the coarctation plus DuP 753 and sham plus DuP 753 groups. To determine whether growth factors were involved in the hypertrophic process, we measured transforming growth factor-beta 1 mRNA levels. Northern analysis demonstrated a twofold increase in coarctation animals compared with sham or coarctation plus DuP 753-treated animals. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
REXband: a multi-user interactive exhibit for exploring medieval music

We present REXband, an interactive music exhibit for collaborative improvisation to medieval music. This audio-only system consists of three digitally augmented medieval instrument replicas: the hurdy gurdy, harp, and frame drum. The instruments communicate with software that provides users with both musical support and feedback on their performance using a "virtual audience" set in a medieval tavern. REXband builds upon previous work in interactive music exhibits by incorporating aspects of e-learning to educate, in addition to interaction design patterns to entertain; care was also taken to ensure historic authenticity. Feedback from user testing in both controlled (laboratory) and public (museum) environments has been extremely positive. REXband is part of the Regensburg Experience, an exhibition scheduled to open in July 2007 to showcase the rich history of Regensburg, Germany.
Phosphate/Pyrophosphate and MV-related Proteins in Mineralisation: Discoveries from Mouse Models

During the process of matrix vesicle (MV)-mediated initiation of mineralisation, chondrocytes and osteoblasts mineralise the extracellular matrix by promoting the seeding of basic calcium phosphate crystals of hydroxyapatite (HA) along the collagen fibrils. This orchestrated process is carefully regulated by the balanced action of propagators and inhibitors of calcification. The primary antagonistic regulators of extracellular matrix mineralisation are phosphate (Pi) and inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi). Studies in mouse models and in humans have established critical roles for Pi/PPi homeostasis in biomineralisation. In this review, we present the regulators of Pi/PPi, as derived from animal models, and discuss their clinical relevance to physiological and pathological mineralisation.
Efficient power modeling and software thermal sensing for runtime temperature monitoring

The evolution of microprocessors has been hindered by increasing power consumption and heat dissipation on die. An excessive amount of heat creates reliability problems, reduces the lifetime of a processor, and elevates the cost of cooling and packaging considerably. It is therefore imperative to be able to monitor the temperature variations across the die in a timely and accurate manner. Most current techniques rely on on-chip thermal sensors to report the temperature of the processor. Unfortunately, significant variation in chip temperature both spatially and temporally exposes the limitation of the sensors. We present a compensating approach to tracking chip temperature through an OS resident software module that generates live power and thermal profiles of the processor. We developed such a software thermal sensor (STS) in a Linux system with a Pentium 4 Northwood core. We employed highly efficient numerical methods in our model to minimize the overhead of temperature calculation. We also developed an efficient algorithm for functional unit power modeling. Our power and thermal models are calibrated and validated against on-chip sensor readings, thermal images of the Northwood heat spreader, and the thermometer measurements on the package. The resulting STS offers detailed power and temperature breakdowns of each functional unit at runtime, enabling more efficient online power and thermal monitoring and management at a higher level, such as the operating system.
The Predictron: End-To-End Learning and Planning

One of the key challenges of artificial intelligence is to learn models that are effective in the context of planning. In this document we introduce the predictron architecture. The predictron consists of a fully abstract model, represented by a Markov reward process, that can be rolled forward multiple "imagined" planning steps. Each forward pass of the predictron accumulates internal rewards and values over multiple planning depths. The predictron is trained end-to-end so as to make these accumulated values accurately approximate the true value function. We applied the predictron to procedurally generated random mazes and a simulator for the game of pool. The predictron yielded significantly more accurate predictions than conventional deep neural network architectures.
Endothelial-Specific Deletion of Connexin40 Promotes Atherosclerosis by Increasing CD73-Dependent Leukocyte Adhesion

Background— Endothelial dysfunction is the initiating event of atherosclerosis. The expression of connexin40 (Cx40), an endothelial gap junction protein, is decreased during atherogenesis. In the present report, we sought to determine whether Cx40 contributes to the development of the disease. Methods and Results— Mice with ubiquitous deletion of Cx40 are hypertensive, a risk factor for atherosclerosis. Consequently, we generated atherosclerosis-susceptible mice with endothelial-specific deletion of Cx40 (Cx40del mice). Cx40del mice were indeed not hypertensive. The progression of atherosclerosis was increased in Cx40del mice after 5 and 10 weeks of a high-cholesterol diet, and spontaneous lesions were observed in the aortic sinuses of young mice without such a diet. These lesions showed monocyte infiltration into the intima, increased expression of vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, and decreased expression of the ecto-enzyme CD73 in the endothelium. The proinflammatory phenotype of Cx40del mice was confirmed in another model of induced leukocyte recruitment from the lung microcirculation. Endothelial CD73 is known to induce antiadhesion signaling via the production of adenosine. We found that reducing Cx40 expression in vitro with small interfering RNA or antisense decreased CD73 expression and activity and increased leukocyte adhesion to mouse endothelial cells. These effects were reversed by an adenosine receptor agonist. Conclusions— Cx40-mediated gap junctional communication contributes to a quiescent nonactivated endothelium by propagating adenosine-evoked antiinflammatory signals between endothelial cells. Alteration in this mechanism by targeting Cx40 promotes leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium, thus accelerating atherosclerosis.
Binding of SP1 to the immediate-early protein-responsive element of the human cytomegalovirus DNA polymerase promoter

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a member of the herpesvirus family of DNA viruses, encodes two major immediate-early (IE) transcription factors, IE72 and IE86, that are important for regulated expression of the viral genome. The purpose of this study was to identify the host cellular components required for regulation of the HCMV DNA polymerase promoter (UL54) by HCMV IE proteins. Extensive mutagenesis defined a DNA element located between -54 and -43 relative to the transcription start site that was required for both basal transcriptional activity and transactivation by viral IE proteins. A single copy of the UL54 -54/-43 sequence enhanced the responsiveness of a heterologous minimal promoter to HCMV IE proteins. Fractionation of extracts prepared from uninfected cells led to the isolation of two cellular proteins with apparent molecular masses of 95 and 105 kDa that bound specifically to the UL54 -54/-43 element. Biochemical and immunochemical analyses identified this protein as the transcription factor SP1. Although initial inspection of the UL54 -54/-43 sequence did not predict an SP1 binding site, subsequent analyses indicated that it is indeed a nonconsensus GC box. We propose that SP1 is required to direct basal levels of promoter activity and that SP1-regulated transcription complexes allow the entry of HCMV IE proteins into the transcription cycle.
Peritoneal metastases: detection with spiral CT in patients with ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE To determine the accuracy of spiral computed tomography (CT) in the depiction of peritoneal metastases by using surgical findings in patients with ovarian cancer as the standard of reference. MATERIALS AND METHODS Three independent readers reviewed the preoperative CT scans obtained in 64 patients who underwent primary surgery for ovarian cancer. Readers rated the likelihood of peritoneal metastases on a five-point scale and recorded the presence or absence of ascites, parietal peritoneal thickening or enhancement, and small-bowel wall thickening or distortion. Peritoneal metastases were identified as nodular, plaquelike, or infiltrative soft-tissue lesions in the peritoneal fat or on the peritoneal surface. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was calculated for each reader. Interreader agreement was evaluated with the kappa statistic. Descriptive statistical data were determined with dichotomized ratings (1-3 = absent; 4-5 = present). RESULTS Areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for the three readers were 0.95, 0.93, and 0.89. Paired kappa values ranged from 0.75 to 0.91. Reader sensitivity for metastases 1 cm or smaller in maximum diameter (25%-50%) was significantly (P <.05) lower than overall sensitivity (85%-93%). Ascites, parietal peritoneal thickening or enhancement, and small-bowel wall thickening or distortion demonstrated positive predictive values of 72%-93%, with kappa values of 0.12-0.80. CONCLUSION Spiral CT is accurate in the depiction of peritoneal metastases from ovarian cancer, although sensitivity is reduced in patients with tumor implants 1 cm or smaller. Ancillary signs of peritoneal malignancy are limited by low interobserver agreement.
The evolution and masses of the neutron star and donor star in the high mass X-ray binary OAO 1657−415

ABM acknowledges support from an STFC studentship. JSC acknowledges support from an RCUK fellowship. This research is partially supported by grantsAYA2008-06166-C03-03 and Consolider-GTC CSD-2006-00070 from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (MICINN).
Identification of Multiple Osteoclast Precursor Populations in Murine Bone Marrow

Murine BM was fractionated using a series of hematopoietic markers to characterize its osteoclast progenitor populations. We found that the early osteoclastogenic activity in total BM was recapitulated by a population of cells contained within the CD11b−/low CD45R−CD3−CD115high fraction.
Analysis of natural variants of the hepatitis C virus internal ribosome entry site reveals that primary sequence plays a key role in cap-independent translation

The HCV internal ribosome entry site (IRES) spans a region of ∼340 nt that encompasses most of the 5′ untranslated region (5′UTR) of the viral mRNA and the first 24–40 nt of the core-coding region. To investigate the implication of altering the primary sequence of the 5′UTR on IRES activity, naturally occurring variants of the 5′UTR were isolated from clinical samples and analyzed. The impact of the identified mutations on translation was evaluated in the context of RLuc/FLuc bicistronic RNAs. Results show that depending on their location within the RNA structure, these naturally occurring mutations cause a range of effects on IRES activity. However, mutations within subdomain IIId hinder HCV IRES-mediated translation. In an attempt to explain these data, the dynamic behavior of the subdomain IIId was analyzed by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Despite the loss of function, MD simulations predicted that mutant G266A/G268U possesses a structure similar to the wt-RNA. This prediction was validated by analyzing the secondary structure of the isolated IIId RNAs by circular dichroism spectroscopy in the presence or absence of Mg2+ ions. These data strongly suggest that the primary sequence of subdomain IIId plays a key role in HCV IRES-mediated translation.
Safe and Practical Energy-Efficient Detour Routing in IP Networks

The Internet is generally not energy-efficient since all network devices are running all the time and only a small fraction of consumed power is actually related to traffic forwarding. Existing studies try to detour around links and nodes during traffic forwarding to save powers for energy-efficient routing. However, energy-efficient routing in traditional IP networks is not well addressed. The most challenges within an energy-efficient routing scheme in IP networks lie in safety and practicality. The scheme should ensure routing stability and loop- and congestion-free packet forwarding, while not requiring modifications in the traditional IP forwarding diagram and shortest-path routing protocols. In this paper, we propose a novel energy-efficient routing approach called safe and practical energy-efficient detour routing (SPEED) for power savings in IP networks. We provide theoretical insight into energy-efficient routing and prove that determining if energy-efficient routing exists is NP-complete. We develop a heuristic in SPEED to maximize pruned links in computing energy-efficient routings. Extensive experimental results show that SPEED significantly saves power consumptions without incurring network congestions using real network topologies and traffic matrices.
Physicomimetics for mobile robot formations

In prior work we established how physicomimetics can be used to self-organize hexagonal and square lattice formations of mobile robots. In this paper we extend the framework to moving formations, by providing additional theoretical analysis and showing how this theory facilitates the implementation of seven robots in a hexagonal formation moving towards a goal.
Energy Starved Candidatus Pelagibacter Ubique Substitutes Light-Mediated ATP Production for Endogenous Carbon Respiration

Previous studies have demonstrated that Candidatus Pelagibacter ubique, a member of the SAR11 clade, constitutively expresses proteorhodopsin (PR) proteins that can function as light-dependent proton pumps. However, exposure to light did not significantly improve the growth rate or final cell densities of SAR11 isolates in a wide range of conditions. Thus, the ecophysiological role of PR in SAR11 remained unresolved. We investigated a range of cellular properties and here show that light causes dramatic changes in physiology and gene expression in Cand. P. ubique cells that are starved for carbon, but provides little or no advantage during active growth on organic carbon substrates. During logarithmic growth there was no difference in oxygen consumption by cells in light versus dark. Energy starved cells respired endogenous carbon in the dark, becoming spheres that approached the minimum predicted size for cells, and produced abundant pili. In the light, energy starved cells maintained size, ATP content, and higher substrate transport rates, and differentially expressed nearly 10% of their genome. These findings show that PR is a vital adaptation that supports Cand. P. ubique metabolism during carbon starvation, a condition that is likely to occur in the extreme conditions of ocean environments.
Associations between Subjective Happiness and Dry Eye Disease: A New Perspective from the Osaka Study

Importance Dry eye disease has become an important health problem. A lack of concordance between self-reported symptoms and the outcome of dry eye examinations has raised questions about dry eye disease. Objective To explore the association between subjective happiness and objective and subjective symptoms of dry eye disease. Design The study adopted a cross-sectional design. Setting All the employees of a company in Osaka, Japan. Participants 672 Japanese office workers using Visual Display Terminals (age range: 26–64 years). Methods The dry eye measurement tools included the Schirmer test, conjunctivocorneal staining, the tear film break-up time, as well as the administration of a dry eye symptoms questionnaire. Happiness was measured by the Subjective Happiness Scale. Main Outcome Measures Dry eye examination parameters, dry eye symptoms questionnaires, and the Subjective Happiness Scale score. Results Of the 672 workers, 561 (83.5%) completed the questionnaires and examinations. The mean Subjective Happiness Scale score was 4.91 (SD = 1.01). This score was inversely correlated with the dry eye symptom score (r = -0.188, p < 0.001), but was not associated with objective findings which include conjunctivocorneal staining, low Schirmer test score, or low tear film break-up time. The level of subjective happiness was the lowest in the group without objective results, but reported subjective symptoms of dry eyes (p < 0.05). Conclusions and Relevance There is evidence of the relationship between subjective happiness and self-reported symptoms of dry eyes. Findings of this study revealed a new perspective on dry eye disease, including the potential for innovative treatments of a specific population with dry eye disease.