Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Framework for Evaluating the Retrieval Effectiveness of Search Engines

This chapter presents a theoretical framework for evaluating next generation search engines. We focuson search engines whose results presentation is enriched with additional information and does notmerely present the usual list of “10 blue links”, that is, of ten links to results, accompanied by a shortdescription. While Web search is used as an example here, the framework can easily be applied tosearch engines in any other area.The framework not only addresses the results presentation, but also takes into account an extension ofthe general design of retrieval effectiveness tests. The chapter examines the ways in which this designmight influence the results of such studies and how a reliable test is best designed.
Biomechanical Assessment of the Anterolateral Ligament of the Knee: A Secondary Restraint in Simulated Tests of the Pivot Shift and of Anterior Stability.

BACKGROUND Injury to the lateral capsular tissues of the knee may accompany rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). A distinct lateral structure, the anterolateral ligament, has been identified, and reconstruction strategies for this tissue in combination with ACL reconstruction have been proposed. However, the biomechanical function of the anterolateral ligament is not well understood. Thus, this study had two research questions: (1) What is the contribution of the anterolateral ligament to knee stability in the ACL-sectioned knee? (2) Does the anterolateral ligament bear increased load in the absence of the ACL? METHODS Twelve cadaveric knees from donors who were a mean (and standard deviation) of 43 ± 15 years old at the time of death were loaded using a robotic manipulator to simulate clinical tests of the pivot shift and anterior stability. Motions were recorded with the ACL intact, with the ACL sectioned, and with both the ACL and anterolateral ligament sectioned. In situ loads borne by the ACL and anterolateral ligament in the ACL-intact knee and borne by the anterolateral ligament in the ACL-sectioned knee were determined. RESULTS Sectioning the anterolateral ligament in the ACL-sectioned knee led to mean increases of 2 to 3 mm in anterior tibial translation in both anterior stability and simulated pivot-shift tests. In the ACL-intact knee, the load borne by the anterolateral ligament was a mean of ≤10.2 N in response to anterior loads and <17 N in response to the simulated pivot shift. In the ACL-sectioned knee, the load borne by the anterolateral ligament increased on average to <55% of the load normally borne by the ACL in the intact knee. However, in the ACL-sectioned knee, the anterolateral ligament engaged only after the tibia translated beyond the physiologic limits of motion of the ACL-intact knee. CONCLUSIONS The anterolateral ligament is a secondary stabilizer compared with the ACL for the simulated Lachman, anterior drawer, and pivot shift examinations. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Since the anterolateral ligament engages only during pathologic ranges of tibial translation, there is a limited need for anatomical reconstruction of the anterolateral ligament in a well-functioning ACL-reconstructed knee.
Privacy-Preserving Applications on Smartphones

Smartphones are becoming some of our most trusted computing devices. People use them to store highly sensitive information including email, passwords, financial accounts, and medical records. These properties make smartphones an essential platform for privacy-preserving applications. To date, this area remains largely unexplored mainly because privacy-preserving computation protocols were thought to be too heavyweight for practical applications, even for standard desktops. We propose using smartphones to perform secure multi-party computation. The limitations of smartphones provide a number of challenges for building such applications. In this paper, we introduce the issues that make smartphones a unique platform for secure computation, identify some interesting potential applications, and describe our initial experiences creating privacy-preserving applications on Android devices.
Insulator‐based dielectrophoresis for the selective concentration and separation of live bacteria in water

Insulator‐based dielectrophoresis (iDEP) was utilized to separate and concentrate selectively mixtures of two species of live bacteria simultaneously. Four species of bacteria were studied: the Gram‐negative Escherichia coli and the Gram‐positive Bacillus subtilis, B. cereus, and B. megaterium. Under an applied direct current (DC) electric field all the bacterial species exhibited negative dielectrophoretic behavior. The dielectrophoretic separations were carried out in a glass microchannel containing an array of insulating posts. The insulating posts in the microchannel produced nonuniformities in the electric field applied along the channel. Mixtures of two species of bacteria were introduced into the microchannel and the electric field was applied. The bacterial species exhibited different dielectrophoretic mobilities under the influence of the nonuniform field. From these experiments a trapping order was established with E. coli trapping at the weakest applied electric field, while the Bacillus species were trapped at different characteristic threshold fields. At stronger applied electric fields, the two different species of bacteria in the microchannel were dielectrophoretically trapped into two spatially distinct bands. The results showed that iDEP has the potential to selectively concentrate and separate different species of bacteria.
Under the Tech Umbrella: Assessing the Landscape of Telemedicine Innovations (Telemechron Study)

The expanding role of technology assessment in telemedicine is the focus of this study. An umbrella review has been proposed to delve into emerging themes within telemedicine technology assessment by scrutinizing systematic reviews gathered from PubMed and Scopus. The proposed approach was based on a standard narrative checklist and a qualification process. The selection process identified 20 systematic reviews. The main findings underscore the transformative potential of telemedicine, emphasizing technology assessments focused on systematic evaluations, stakeholder engagement, societal impact recognition, targeted interventions, and structured frameworks. While offering valuable insights, the current studies highlight certain limitations that require attention. There is a need for the following: (I) First of all, a more focused approach, primarily centered on a process-centric, multidomain, and generalizable technology assessment (TA). (II) A deeper analysis in specific healthcare areas, including a comprehensive examination of the cost–benefit ratio, peer-to-peer interactions, and a broader inclusion of diagnostic technologies. (III) Greater emphasis on the involved stakeholders, ranging from patients to stakeholders. In conclusion, this study contributes to a comprehensive and nuanced understanding of the continually evolving landscape in telemedicine technology assessment, offering valuable insights for practitioners, researchers, and policymakers alike. Researchers are encouraged to further explore both the established and emerging themes identified in this study.
Speaker adaptation in the NIST speaker recognition evaluation 2004

New in the 2004 edition of the NIST Speaker Recognition Evaluation (SRE) was the condition where unsupervised adaptation of speaker models is allowed. Despite the promising results on development test material, hardly any beneficial results were obtained in the Evaluation itself. An analysis is made why this was the case, and it appears that a mimimum level of performance is essential to obtain results using adaptation that improve on the performance without adaptation. Further, the system should be well calibrated. For the conditions with 8 conversation sides we have been able to find improvement using unsupervised adaptation using the NIST 2004 evaluation, both for an UBM/GMM adaptation methodology, and a novel SVM adaptation methodology. The minimum DCF for a fused system drops from 0.259 for the unadapted condition to 0.231 for the adapted condition.
Effectiveness of Surgical Deroofing and Carbon Dioxide Laser in Moderate-to-Severe Hidradenitis Suppurativa Patients

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that causes pain and discomfort in various body regions. This review explores the comparative effectiveness of two surgical techniques, namely, surgical deroofing and carbon dioxide laser therapy, in managing symptomatic HS, particularly in patients with Hurley stage I-III disease. We conducted a systematic literature search on PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov. The clinical evidence suggests that surgical deroofing and carbon dioxide laser treatment are effective strategies for managing symptomatic HS. However, a comprehensive analysis of 1,120 patients indicates a higher recurrence rate with surgical deroofing. Further investigation into short-term and long-term follow-up data revealed comparable recurrence-free rates within 12 months post-procedure. Beyond 12 months, carbon dioxide laser treatment exhibited slightly higher recurrence-free rates, which necessitate more extensive studies for validation due to the limited sample size. In addition, surgical deroofing demonstrated quicker healing times, while carbon dioxide laser therapy showcased varying timelines, with primary closure after laser excision presenting a two-week healing time. Both procedures reported high patient satisfaction, emphasizing the need for personalized treatment decisions. Therefore, further research is essential to evaluate the efficacy of each treatment modality considering individual patient profiles and disease severity. It will benefit individuals affected by HS, leading to better health outcomes.
Designing Iranian hospital organizational charts: Global comparisons

Background Hospitals should have effective and efficient organizational charts to face the changing healthcare environment. Thus, for this purpose, the present study seeks to compile an organizational chart for Iranian hospitals. Materials and methods The present study was conducted in two phase overview and qualitative (using focus group discussion). In the overview phase, the organizational charts of hospitals were analyzed in terms of complexity (i.e., degree of horizontal and vertical separations), and the initial hospital organizational chart was developed based on the results. Subsequently, experts were interviewed in a focus group discussion to finalize and validate the initial organizational chart. Results The final organizational chart was designed to contain features such as internal divisions, specialization, reduction of organizational hierarchies, expansion of supervision scope, and moderate-sized organizational pyramid. Conclusion Using designed organizational chart would eliminate the redundant managerial levels since it reduces organizational hierarchies to two levels of management, expands the supervision scopes, fosters a moderate-sized organizational pyramid, and catalyzes communications.
Brain-wide slowing of spontaneous alpha rhythms in mild cognitive impairment

The neurophysiological changes associated with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) include an increase in low frequency activity, as measured with electroencephalography or magnetoencephalography (MEG). A relevant property of spectral measures is the alpha peak, which corresponds to the dominant alpha rhythm. Here we studied the spatial distribution of MEG resting state alpha peak frequency and amplitude values in a sample of 27 MCI patients and 24 age-matched healthy controls. Power spectra were reconstructed in source space with linearly constrained minimum variance beamformer. Then, 88 Regions of Interest (ROIs) were defined and an alpha peak per ROI and subject was identified. Statistical analyses were performed at every ROI, accounting for age, sex and educational level. Peak frequency was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in MCIs in many posterior ROIs. The average peak frequency over all ROIs was 9.68 ± 0.71 Hz for controls and 9.05 ± 0.90 Hz for MCIs and the average normalized amplitude was (2.57 ± 0.59)·10−2 for controls and (2.70 ± 0.49)·10−2 for MCIs. Age and gender were also found to play a role in the alpha peak, since its frequency was higher in females than in males in posterior ROIs and correlated negatively with age in frontal ROIs. Furthermore, we examined the dependence of peak parameters with hippocampal volume, which is a commonly used marker of early structural AD-related damage. Peak frequency was positively correlated with hippocampal volume in many posterior ROIs. Overall, these findings indicate a pathological alpha slowing in MCI.
Investigation of incidental findings of temporomandibular joint disorders on brain magnetic resonance imaging in three-dimensional T2-weighted SPACE sequence performed for brain imaging

Objectives The study aimed to determine the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) findings, to investigate the prevalence contribution of this sequence on cases in which cranial magnetic resonance examination was performed and three-dimensional (3D) T2-SPACE (T2-weighted sampling perfection with application-optimized contrasts using different flip-angle evolutions) sequence was used by retrospectively scanning the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) archive of our hospital, and to reveal the advantages of the 3D-T2 SPACE sequence in patients with TMJ disorders. Patients and methods The cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted with 499 patients (289 females, 210 males; mean age: 50.1±17.7 years; range, 8 to 92 years) who underwent brain MRI and had 3D-T2 SPACE between March 1, 2021 and March 1, 2022. Two radiologists analyzed the TMJs of the subjects included in the study in 3D-T2 SPACE sequences. Results At least one incidental finding was detected in the TMJ in 37.1% (n=185) of the patients included in our study. In our study, the most common (13.6%) MRI findings were osteoarthritic changes and synovial cysts. Joint effusion (13.2%) and disc displacement (9%) were less frequent. When the relationship between the age of the patients and the presence of incidental findings, degeneration, effusion, disc displacement, and cyst was examined, the age of the patients with incidental findings (p=0.001) and osteoarthritic changes (p<0.001) was statistically significantly higher. Conclusion Incidental findings, particularly osteoarthritic changes and synovial cysts, can be seen quite commonly in the TMJ in brain MRI using 3D T2-SPACE sequences in the general population. The 3D T2-SPACE sequence provides valuable information in the recognition of TMJ disorders.
Development of a Jordanian-European double degree master program in mechatronics engineering

This paper describes the procedure followed to implement a double-degree master program in mechatronics engineering between Jordanian and European universities. Initially, a study of world-wide master curricula was carried out, followed by a survey of Jordanian industry and academia. This helped clarify the structure and content of the desired master program, such that it addressed the needs of the perspective students and the job market in Jordan and the region. To formulate a final degree structure and course content, it was necessary to work closely with European partners in an iterative approach. Some of the problematic questions that had to be answered pertained to: varying course credit systems; amount of time students spend at each university; student academic background; country-specific accreditation rules; university specific needs. This work is one result of a three-year European funded TEMPUS project between October 2011 and October 2014. The first double degree students enrolled in the developed program at Philadelphia University, in Amman - Jordan, in October 2013 with two German universities as partners.
Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Growth Hormone Gene and Its Relationship with Growth Traits in Black Bengal Goats

Simple Summary Raising goats in tropical regions has become more popular in recent years. Black Bengal goats are meat-type goats that can resist hot environments. Identifying some selective genes related to growth is one of the most important factors for genetic improvement. The somatotropic axis is related to kid growth, while the growth hormone has been proven to be essential for the kid growth rate. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the growth hormone gene in dairy cows and many small ruminants showed that A781G and A1575G are related to growth rate. However, data on Black Bengal goats in Thailand are still limited and have shown variable results. The aims of the present study were to investigate genotypes and their association with the preweaning growth rate. Genotypes were identified from 77 goats of both sexes, and our results showed three different genootypes—AA, AB, and BB—for A781G, while only a CC genotype was found for A1575G. A relationship was found between preweaning growth and the genotypes of A781G, in which the AA genotype had the highest growth rate. Therefore, the identification of the genotypes of A781G can be applied in the management of breeding programs for Black Bengal goats in Thailand. Abstract The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the growth hormone (GH) gene could be related to growth traits, particularly in farm animals. This study aimed to identify the SNPs of the GH gene (A781G and A1575G) in Black Bengal (BB) goats in Thailand. Seventy-seven BB goats of both sexes were recruited, and their genotypes were identified. Preweaning growth at birth (weight, W0; height, H0; length, L0; and chest girth, C0) and at 10 weeks postpartum (W10, H10, L10, and C10), including average daily gain (ADG) at 0–4 weeks (ADG0–4W), 4–8 weeks (ADG4–8W), and 8–12 weeks (ADG8–12W), was compared among the different genotypes in goats born from twin litter-size dams. The results showed one genotype, CC, for A1575G and three genotypes, AA, AB, and BB, for A781G. The AA gene had significantly higher W10 than AB (p < 0.05) and BB (p < 0.05). The AA had significantly higher L10 than AB (p < 0.05), while C10 was only higher in male goats (p < 0.01). The ADG4–8W of the AA genotype was significantly higher than the BB genotype (p < 0.01). We came to the conclusion that A781G is associated with growth traits during the preweaning period, while the AA genotype showed better performance than the other genotypes.
Diel variability of vertical distributions of chlorophyll a at the SEATS and ALOHA stations: implications on remote sensing interpretations

ABSTRACT The effects of the diel (involving a 24 hour period) variations in the surface concentrations of chlorophyll a (C) on the use of once-daily remotely sensed C as the diel average were assessed from the diel records in the derived depth-weighted C (Cd) that should be detected by remote sensing and the in situ surface C at two time-series stations in the North Pacific: the SEATS (SouthEast Asian Time-series Study) station in the northern South China Sea and the ALOHA (A Long-Term Oligotrophic Habitat Assessment) station in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. In situ surface C varied by a factor of about 2.0 and 1.3 over a diel cycle, and by ±20% and ±9% over the diel average at the SEATS and ALOHA stations, respectively. As the overpass-times of the different satellites were not identical, Cd was satellite-dependent. While the Cd corresponding to MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on Aqua (MODIS-Aqua) and Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) overpass-times agreed to ±10%, the Cd corresponding to MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) overpass-time could differ from the other two by −22% to +28% at the SEATS station and −1% to +12% at the ALOHA station. In addition, Cd corresponding to the overpass-times of the three satellites deviated from the observed diel average in situ surface C by −19% to +32% at the SEATS station and by −6% to +13% at the ALOHA station. These results indicate that, as a result of diel variations, neither a one-time remotely-sensed nor a one-time observed in situ surface C can represent the diel average in situ surface C accurately. Furthermore, diel variations are an inherent source of uncertainty when data from multiple satellites are pooled for use. The magnitudes of these discrepancies can be comparable to the commonly claimed uncertainties in remotely sensed C and thus should be taken into consideration in its interpretation and use.
Open Research Online Deimination Protein Proﬁles in Alligator mississippiensis Reveal Plasma and Extracellular Vesicle-Speciﬁc Signatures Relating to Immunity, Metabolic Function, and Gene Regulation

in Plasma and Extracellular Vesicle-Speciﬁc Signatures Relating to Immunity, Metabolic Function, and Gene in alligator plasma revealed here contributes to current understanding of protein moonlighting functions and EV-mediated communication in these ancient reptiles, providing novel insight into their unusual immune systems and physiological traits. In addition, our ﬁndings may shed light on pathways underlying cancer resistance, antibacterial and antiviral resistance, with translatable value to human pathologies.
The impact of correlated link weights on QoS routing

Finding a path in a network based on multiple constraints (the MCP problem) is often referred to as QoS routing. QoS routing with constraints on multiple additive metrics has been proven to be NP-complete. This proof has dramatically influenced the research community, resulting in the common belief that exact QoS routing is intractable in practice. Hence, many heuristics for this problem were proposed, while hardly any exact algorithms. However, to our best knowledge, no one has ever examined which "worst-cases" cause NP-complete behavior. In fact, the MCP problem is not strong NP-complete, suggesting that in practice an exact QoS algorithm may work in polynomial time, making guaranteed QoS routing possible. The goal of this paper is to provide some properties and simulation results that indicate that NP-complete behavior hinges on a specific correlation structure between the link weights, which will be hardly ever encountered in practice.
Activity of fluconazole (UK 49,858) and ketoconazole against Candida albicans in vitro and in vivo

Fluconazole (UK 49,858), a new orally administered bis-triazole, was compared with ketoconazole for activity in synthetic broth dilution susceptibility tests against Candida albicans and also in treatment of experimental systemic candidal infections in rats. In vitro studies indicated that fluconazole activity is less sensitive to acidic medium than is that of ketoconazole. At physiologic pH, fluconazole was approximately 16-fold less active than ketoconazole against 35 representative isolates of C. albicans. Two additional isolates (K-1 and K-3) recovered from patients who had failed ketoconazole therapy were 32- to 64-fold more resistant than the median of each drug for other isolates. In animal studies, fluconazole was very effective in prolonging survival of rats infected with a representative candidal strain. With an inoculum sufficient to kill 29 of 38 sham-treated animals, only 1 of 18 animals treated with 0.5 mg of fluconazole per kg per day died compared with 13 of 20 animals treated with 10.0 mg of ketoconazole per kg per day. However, when similar fluconazole treatment was administered to rats infected with the more resistant strain, K-1, no prolongation of survival was found. Thus, in vivo and in vitro results between strains correlated well for fluconazole. However, in comparing results between drugs, ketoconazole was 16-fold more active in vitro and fluconazole was 20-fold more active in vivo. This discrepancy may be due to drug distribution, modes of drug metabolism, or other pharmacologic differences between the two agents.