Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Automated and Minimally Invasive Tool for Generating Autologous Viable Epidermal Micrografts

OBJECTIVE: A new epidermal harvesting tool (CelluTome; Kinetic Concepts, Inc, San Antonio, Texas) created epidermal micrografts with minimal donor site damage, increased expansion ratios, and did not require the use of an operating room. The tool, which applies both heat and suction concurrently to normal skin, was used to produce epidermal micrografts that were assessed for uniform viability, donor-site healing, and discomfort during and after the epidermal harvesting procedure. DESIGN: This study was a prospective, noncomparative institutional review board–approved healthy human study to assess epidermal graft viability, donor-site morbidity, and patient experience. SETTING: These studies were conducted at the multispecialty research facility, Clinical Trials of Texas, Inc, San Antonio. PATIENTS: The participants were 15 healthy human volunteers. RESULTS: The average viability of epidermal micrografts was 99.5%. Skin assessment determined that 76% to 100% of the area of all donor sites was the same in appearance as the surrounding skin within 14 days after epidermal harvest. A mean pain of 1.3 (on a scale of 1 to 5) was reported throughout the harvesting process. CONCLUSIONS: Use of this automated, minimally invasive harvesting system provided a simple, low-cost method of producing uniformly viable autologous epidermal micrografts with minimal patient discomfort and superficial donor-site wound healing within 2 weeks.
A New Framework for Theory-Based Interaction Design Applied to Serendipitous Information Retrieval

The activities of opportunistic and involuntary browsing offer the potential for many of a user's latent problems to be resolved serendipitously, with negligible cognitive effort. In this article, we demonstrate how the design of two novel artifacts to support such behavior was based on a set of Design Actions which were derived from a model of browsing behavior in combination with a cognitive model of human visual information processing. We propose the concept of Design Actions as a way of avoiding the need for an interaction designer associated with these and similar artifacts to understand the cognitive theories underlying them.
Prevalence of Rheumatic Heart Disease

With interest, we read the article by Hajar[1] “Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease: A Historical Perspective. ’’ We want to correct the mistake associated with the prevalence of rheumatic heart disease in this article. There was a mistake in Table 2 called “Summary of the American Heart Association revised 2015 Jones criteria. ” The statement “Low‐risk population: Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) incidence ≤2/100,000 school‐aged children of all age rheumatic heart disease (RHD) prevalence of ≤1/100,000 population year” was incorrect. This statement should be corrected as follows ‐ “Low‐risk population: ARF incidence ≤2/100,000 school-aged children of all-age RHD prevalence of ≤1/1000 population per year. ”[2]
Camera Source Identification Using Discrete Cosine Transform Residue Features and Ensemble Classifier

Machine Learning based model building and classification has proved to be extremely effective for the camera source identification problem. In this paper, we have proposed a camera source identification methodology, based on extraction of the Discrete Cosine Transform Residual features, and subsequent Random Forest based ensemble classification with AdaBoost. We improve the classification accuracy by incorporating dimensionality reduction by Principal Component Analysis. Our experimental results on 10,507 images captured by ten cameras from the Dresden Image Database gives an average classification accuracy of 99.1%, and also show low overfitting trends when the constructed classifier is applied on a different image database.
Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Inhibitors and Clinical Outcomes in Adult Kidney Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Emerging evidence from recently published observational studies and an individual patient data meta-analysis shows that mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor use in kidney transplantation is associated with increased mortality. Therefore, all-cause mortality and allograft loss were compared between use and nonuse of mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors in patients from Australia and New Zealand, where mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor use has been greater because of heightened skin cancer risk. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Our longitudinal cohort study included 9353 adult patients who underwent 9558 kidney transplants between January 1, 1996 and December 31, 2012 and had allograft survival ≥1 year. Risk factors for all-cause death and all-cause and death-censored allograft loss were analyzed by multivariable Cox regression using mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor as a time-varying covariate. Additional analyses evaluated mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor use at fixed time points of baseline and 1 year. RESULTS Patients using mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors were more likely to be white and have a history of pretransplant cancer. Over a median follow-up of 7 years, 1416 (15%) patients died, and 2268 (24%) allografts were lost. There was a higher risk of all-cause mortality with time-varying mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor use (hazard ratio, 1.47; 95% confidence interval, 1.23 to 1.76) as well as in the fixed time model analyses comparing mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor use at baseline (hazard ratio, 1.54; 95% confidence interval, 1.22 to 1.93) and 1 year (hazard ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.32 to 2.01). Time-varying mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor use was associated with higher risk of death because of malignancy (hazard ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.09 to 1.71). There were no statistically significant differences in the risk of all-cause (hazard ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 1.12) and death-censored (hazard ratio, 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.69 to 1.03) allograft loss between the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor use and nonuse groups in the time-varying model as well as the fixed time models. CONCLUSIONS Mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor use was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality but not allograft loss.
Finding optimal views for 3D face shape modeling

A fundamental problem in multi-view 3D face modeling is the determination of the set of optimal views (poses) required for accurate 3D shape estimation of a generic face. There is no analytical solution to this problem, instead (partial) solutions require (near) exhaustive combinatorial search, hence the inherent computational difficulty of this task. We build on our previous modeling framework, which uses an efficient contour-based silhouette method and extend it by aggressive pruning of the view-sphere with view clustering and various imaging constraints. A multi-view optimization search is performed using both model-based (eigenheads) and data-driven (visual hull) methods, yielding comparable best views. These constitute the first reported set of optimal views for 3D face shape capture and provide useful empirical guidelines for the design of 3D face recognition systems.
[Surgical management of diplopia in dysthyroid orbitopathy].

INTRODUCTION Forty percent of thyroid-related orbitopathies are associated with strabismus. In the healing phase of disease, fibrous hypertrophy of extraocular muscles may result in restrictive myopathy. We report our experience of surgical management in these cases. PATIENTS AND METHODS We present a retrospective case series conducted on 42 patients, operated between September 1998 and April 2003. All patients underwent complete oculoplastic and orthoptic examinations. Muscular recession was performed in all cases, with general anesthesia in cases of clinical muscular restriction; adjustable recession with topical anesthesia was performed in cases of moderate muscular restriction. Postoperative alignment and elimination of diplopia in the functional position of the gaze were evaluated. RESULTS The study included 42 patients (28 women, 14 men) with a mean age of 51 years. The mean follow-up was 48 months (range, 10 months to 6 years). Twenty-six patients presented vertical diplopia, 11 horizontal diplopia, and five mixed diplopia with a vertical and a horizontal component. These patients were operated on twice, beginning with vertical surgery. In cases of general anesthesia, muscular recession was adapted to an intraoperative forced duction test and a muscular elongation test. We obtained 94% good results for vertical diplopia and 81% for horizontal diplopia. Incomplete results were under correction. Adjustable muscular recession was adapted to intraoperative evaluation with patient participation. All patients had good results. CONCLUSION Successful surgical treatment depends on precise identification of the muscles that are restricting motility and producing misalignment. We insist on the importance of an intraoperative forced duction test and a muscular elongation test in case of clinical muscular restriction. Adjustable surgery is useful in cases of moderate muscular fibrosis.
Avian Atherosclerosis: Parrots and Beyond

Abstract Atherosclerotic lesions are prevalent in companion psittacine species. Parrots account for much of the veterinary scientific information on avian atherosclerosis, but the lesions have been described in virtually all avian orders. This review presents a synthesis of the epidemiologic, clinical, diagnostic, and therapeutic information known in psittaciformes, at this time, which may help in the veterinary management of atherosclerotic diseases. The article further expands on nondomestic avian species for which information is restricted to pathologic and prevalence studies. A thorough knowledge of atherosclerosis is of the upmost importance for avian clinicians as the disease is common, affects most species of birds, and seems to be associated with captive lifestyles characterized by decreased activity and nonnative diets. Therefore, avian veterinarians are expected to be largely exposed to this chronic medical condition through patient presentation and should be prepared to properly manage this disease.
Annealing of High-Temperature Stable Hydrogen Loaded Fiber Bragg Gratings

We compare the isothermal and isochronal annealing response of ultrafast laser-induced first-order gratings to that of the third-order gratings up to 1000 °C. Both devices are written in H2-loaded SMF-28 fiber with low-energy femtosecond laser pulses. With the first-order gratings, we observed a regeneration process that allows for a final peak index change of roughly 4% of the original grating. A high-temperature stable peak reflectivity of 39% is obtained (-2.14-dB transmission loss). The third-order gratings do not anneal out completely (they do not regenerate) and roughly 26% of the device persists at 1000 °C corresponding to a final peak reflectivity of 24% (-1.17-dB transmission loss). Due to their similar fabrication conditions, these findings suggest a strong link between the regenerated first-order gratings and the stable third-order devices. We estimate that both first- and third-order gratings of ~4.5 mm in length are good candidates for the development of high-temperature stable fiber sensors.
Can Social Exchange Theory Explain Individual Knowledge-Sharing Behavior? A Meta-Analysis

Motivating people to contribute knowledge has become an important research topic and a major challenge for organizations. In order to promote knowledge-sharing, managers need to understand the mechanism that drives individuals to contribute their valuable knowledge. Several theories have been applied to study knowledge-sharing behavior. However, the research settings and findings are often inconsistent. In this study, we use the social exchange theory as our base to develop an extended model that includes IT support and organizational type as moderators. A meta-analysis on 29 reported studies was conducted to examine how different factors in the social exchange theory affect knowledge-sharing behavior. The findings confirm that the social exchange theory plays an important role underlying individuals’ knowledge-sharing behavior. The results also demonstrate that social interaction and trust derived from the social exchange theory and moderated by IT contextual factors can predict individual’s knowledge-sharing behavior.
Urethane Foam Formation— Role of the Silicone Surfactant

The unusual surface active properties of polydimethylsiloxane-oxyalkylene copolymers have been given equal or greater weight than any other factor in the successful development of the &dquo;oneshot&dquo; urethane foam process (1). While considerable attention has been given to the reactions leading to urethane polymer formation (1, 2), the surface chemistry of urethane foams has been virtually neglected. In this paper we shall examine the influence of siloxane-oxyalkylene copolymers on the rapidly changing physical phenomena whic~l accompany urethane foam formation. The system studied is a typical one-shot flexible polyether formulation as given in Table 1. The steps and time sequence in the preparation of a foam are summarized in Table 2. As part of our investigation we have followed the complete sequence of events in foam formation with the aid of still and motion picture photomicrography. As a result, several unusual features have become apparent which are unexpected in view of previously
Tailoring kalman filtering towards speaker characterisation

This paper describes a method for obtaining smoothed vocal tract parameters from analysis during the closed phase of the glottis. The method is based upon Expectation Maximisa-tion (EM) and uses Kalman-Rauch forward-backward iterations through a voiced segment, in which the speech data during excitation and open phases are excluded by treating them as ‘missing data’. This approach exploits the non-independence of neighbouring spectra and compensates for small numbers of available points, while preserving speaker-characteristic information and tracking variations in it. The vocal tract ﬁlter parameters are then used for inverse ﬁltering the speech, thus obtaining estimates of the source excitation. The extracted excitation signal can be used to excite other sets of parameters to produce natural sounding speech.
Incorporation of large amounts of gentamicin sulphate into acrylic bone cement: Effect on handling and mechanical properties, antibiotic release, and biofilm formation

Bacterial infection remains a significant complication following total joint replacement. If infection is suspected when revision surgery is being performed, a large dose of antibiotic, usually gentamicin sulphate, is often blended with the acrylic bone cement powder in an attempt to reduce the risk of recurrent infection. In this in-vitro study the effect of small and large doses of gentamicin sulphate on the handling and mechanical properties of the cement, gentamicin release from the cement, and in-vitro biofilm formation by clinical Staphylococcus spp. isolates on the cement was determined. An increase in gentamicin loading of 1, 2, 3, or 4 g, in a cement powder mass of 40 g, resulted in a significant decrease in the compressive and four-point bending strength, but a significant increase in the amount of gentamicin released over a 72 h period. When overt infection was modelled, using Staphylococcus spp. clinical isolates at an inoculum of 1×107 colony-forming units/ml, an increase in the amount of gentamicin (1, 2, 3, or 4 g) added to 40 g of poly(methyl methacrylate) cement resulted in an initial decrease in bacterial colonization but this beneficial effect was no longer apparent by 72 h, with the bacterial strains forming biofilms on the cements despite the release of high levels of gentamicin. The findings suggest that orthopaedic surgeons should carefully consider the clinical consequences of blending large doses (1 g or more per 40 g of poly(methyl methacrylate)) of gentamicin into Palacos® R bone cement for use in revision surgery as the increased gentamicin loading does not prevent bacterial biofilm formation and the effect on the mechanical properties could be important to the longevity of the prosthetic joint.
Development of polyhydroxybutyrate based blends for compostable packaging

In this research, three polymers have been blended with polyhydroxybutyrate: poly(ethylene glycol), maize starch and polylactic acid. Their morphology, structure, thermal, rheological, mechanical properties and biodegradation behaviour have been studied. Blends of PHB and PEG, at three different concentrations (2, 5 and 10 wt %) were prepared by solvent-casting. For these blends the glass transition temperature and crystallization temperature decreased with increasing PEG content, while the addition of a low level of PEG (2% and 5%) did not change the thermal stability of the blends. Blends of PHB with maize starch (72% amylopectin), at different weight ratios of 100/0, 90/10, 80/20, 70/30, 60/40 and 50/50, respectively, were prepared by melt compounding. The physical properties were found to be optimum at a 70/30 ratio. Blends of PHB with two types of maize starch (28% amylose and 70% amylose) were prepared at a ratio of 70/30. The starch granules act as a filler and nucleating agent for PHB. Intermolecular hydrogen bonding was observed in the PHB/starch blends. Hydrogen bonding was found to be stronger between PHB and high amylose content starch. Thus the PHB/70% amylose starch blends showed greater improvement in thermal stability, melt viscosity and mechanical properties compared with the PHB/28% amylose starch blends. Blends of PHB and PLA at a number of different weight ratios (100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, 0/100) were prepared by melt compounding. The results indicate that PLA/PHB blends are immiscible but exhibit some molecular interaction. PHB is highly crystallisable and it enhances the recrystallization of PLA and results in an increase in the heat distortion temperature. Adding PLA to PHB improves the mechanical properties of PHB. In fact, blending with PHB is also a viable approach to improve the mechanical properties of PLA because the PLA/PHB 75/25 blend exhibits significantly improved tensile properties compared with pure PLA. This is due to the finely dispersed PHB crystals acting as a filler and nucleating agent in PLA. The biodegradability of the blends, studied by weight change measurement at room temperature, improved with increasing PHB content.
Phosphoinositide binding and phosphorylation act sequentially in the activation mechanism of ezrin

Ezrin, a membrane–actin cytoskeleton linker, which participates in epithelial cell morphogenesis, is held inactive in the cytoplasm through an intramolecular interaction. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) binding and the phosphorylation of threonine 567 (T567) are involved in the activation process that unmasks both membrane and actin binding sites. Here, we demonstrate that ezrin binding to PIP2, through its NH2-terminal domain, is required for T567 phosphorylation and thus for the conformational activation of ezrin in vivo. Furthermore, we found that the T567D mutation mimicking T567 phosphorylation bypasses the need for PIP2 binding for unmasking both membrane and actin binding sites. However, PIP2 binding and T567 phosphorylation are both necessary for the correct apical localization of ezrin and for its role in epithelial cell morphogenesis. These results establish that PIP2 binding and T567 phosphorylation act sequentially to allow ezrin to exert its cellular functions.
Development of Secondary Woodland in Oak Wood Pastures Reduces the Richness of Rare Epiphytic Lichens

Wooded pastures with ancient trees were formerly abundant throughout Europe, but during the last century, grazing has largely been abandoned often resulting in dense forests. Ancient trees constitute habitat for many declining and threatened species, but the effects of secondary woodland on the biodiversity associated with these trees are largely unknown. We tested for difference in species richness, occurrence, and abundance of a set of nationally and regionally red-listed epiphytic lichens between ancient oaks located in secondary woodland and ancient oaks located in open conditions. We refined the test of the effect of secondary woodland by also including other explanatory variables. Species occurrence and abundance were modelled jointly using overdispersed zero-inflated Poisson models. The richness of the red-listed lichens on ancient oaks in secondary woodland was half of that compared with oaks growing in open conditions. The species-level analyses revealed that this was mainly the result of lower occupancy of two of the study species. The tree-level abundance of one species was also lower in secondary woodland. Potential explanations for this pattern are that the study lichens are adapted to desiccating conditions enhancing their population persistence by low competition or that open, windy conditions enhance their colonisation rate. This means that the development of secondary woodland is a threat to red-listed epiphytic lichens. We therefore suggest that woody vegetation is cleared and grazing resumed in abandoned oak pastures. Importantly, this will also benefit the vitality of the oaks.