Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Total hip arthroplasty versus resurfacing arthroplasty in the treatment of patients with arthritis of the hip joint: single centre, parallel group, assessor blinded, randomised controlled trial

Objectives To compare the clinical and cost effectiveness of total hip arthroplasty with resurfacing arthroplasty in patients with severe arthritis of the hip. Design Single centre, two arm, parallel group, assessor blinded, randomised controlled trial with 1:1 treatment allocation. Setting One large teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Participants 126 patients older than 18 years with severe arthritis of the hip joint, suitable for resurfacing arthroplasty of the hip. Patients were excluded if they were considered to be unable to adhere to trial procedures or complete questionnaires. Interventions Total hip arthroplasty (replacement of entire femoral head and neck); hip resurfacing arthroplasty (replacement of the articular surface of femoral head only, femoral neck remains intact). Both procedures replaced the articular surface of the acetabulum. Main outcome measures Hip function at 12 months after surgery, assessed using the Oxford hip score and Harris hip score. Secondary outcomes were quality of life, disability rating, physical activity level, complications, and cost effectiveness. Results 60 patients were randomly assigned to hip resurfacing arthroplasty and 66 to total hip arthroplasty. Intention to treat analysis showed no evidence for a difference in hip function between treatment groups at 12 months (t test, P=0.242 and P=0.070 for Oxford hip score and Harris hip score, respectively); 95% of follow-up data was available for analysis. Mean Oxford hip score was 40.4 (95% confidence interval 37.9 to 42.9) in the resurfacing group and 38.2 (35.3 to 41.0) in the total arthroplasty group (estimated treatment effect size 2.23 (−1.52 to 5.98)). Mean Harris hip score was 88.4 (84.4 to 92.4) in the resurfacing group and 82.3 (77.2 to 87.5) in the total arthroplasty group (6.04 (−0.51 to 12.58)). Although we saw no evidence of a difference, we cannot definitively exclude clinically meaningful differences in hip function in the short term. Overall complication rates did not differ between treatment groups (P=0.291). However, we saw more wound complications in the total arthroplasty group (P=0.056) and more thromboembolic events in the resurfacing group (P=0.049). Conclusions No evidence of a difference in hip function was seen in patients with severe arthritis of the hip, one year after receiving a total hip arthroplasty versus resurfacing arthroplasty. The long term effects of these interventions remain uncertain. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN33354155, UKCRN 4093.
On the cusp form motives in genus 1 and level 1

We prove that the moduli space of stable n-pointed curves of genus one and the projector associated to the alternating representation of the symmetric group on n letters define (for n>1) the Chow motive corresponding to cusp forms of weight n+1 for SL(2,Z). This provides an alternative (in level one) to the construction of Scholl.
Support for Question-Answering in Interactive Information Retrieval: Rutgers' TREC-9 Interactive Track Experience

We compared two different interfaces to the InQuery IR system with respect to their support for the TREC-9 Interactive Track Question-Answering task. One interface presented search results as a ranked list of document titles (displayed ten at one time), with the text of one document (the first, or any selected one) displayed in a scrollable window. The other presented search results as a ranked series of scrollable windows of the texts of the retrieved documents, displayed six documents at a time, each document display beginning at the system-computed “best passage”. Our hypotheses were that: multiple-text, best passage display would have an overall advantage for question answering; single-text, multiple title display would have an advantage for the listoriented question types; and that multiple-text, best passage display would have an advantage for the comparison-oriented question types. The two interfaces were compared on effectiveness, usability and preference measures for sixteen subjects. Results were equivocal.
Constant curvature foliations in asymptotically hyperbolic spaces

Let (M,g) be an asymptotically hyperbolic manifold with a smooth conformal compactification. We establish a general correspondence between semilinear elliptic equations of scalar curvature type on ∂M and Weingarten foliations in some neighbourhood of infinity in M. We focus mostly on foliations where each leaf has constant mean curvature, though our results apply equally well to foliations where the leaves have constant σk-curvature. In particular, we prove the existence of a unique foliation near infinity in any quasi-Fuchsian 3-manifold by surfaces with constant Gauss curvature. There is a subtle interplay between the precise terms in the expansion for g and various properties of the foliation. Unlike other recent works in this area, by Rigger and Neves-Tian, we work in the context of conformally compact spaces, which are more general than perturbations of the AdS-Schwarzschild space, but we do assume a nondegeneracy condition.
Learning to Play Stackelberg Security Games

As discussed in previous chapters, algorithmic research on Stackelberg Security Games has had a striking real-world impact. But an algorithm that computes an optimal strategy for the defender can only be as good as the game it receives as input, and if that game is an inaccurate model of reality then the output of the algorithm will likewise be flawed. Consequently, researchers have introduced Bayesian frameworks that capture uncertainty using a probability distribution over possible games. Others have assumed that the unknown parameters of the game lie within known intervals. These approaches are discussed in Chapter 17 of this book [17]. In this chapter, we present an alternative, learning-theoretic approach for dealing with uncertainty in Stackelberg security games. In order to paint a cohesive picture, we focus on one type of uncertainty: unknown attacker utilities. Learning will take place in a repeated Stackelberg security game, where the defender gathers information about the attacker purely by observing the attacker’s responses to mixed strategies played by the defender. In more detail, we wish to learn a good strategy for the defender without any initial information about the utility function of the attacker (Section 1); when given a distribution over attacker types (Section 2); and when faced with an unknown sequence of attackers (Section 3). In each section we present, in some generality, the relevant learning-theoretic techniques: optimization with membership queries, Monte Carlo tree search, and no-regret learning, respectively. In Section 4 we briefly discuss additional work at the intersection of machine learning and Stackelberg security games.
Immune Response to Pneumococcal Polysaccharides 4 and 14 in Elderly and Young Adults: Analysis of the Variable Light Chain Repertoire

ABSTRACT Streptococcus pneumoniae is a human bacterial pathogen responsible for serious infections including pneumonia. The currently licensed polysaccharide vaccine provides 60 to 80% protection in young adults, but in the elderly the vaccine efficacy is drastically reduced despite normal antibody levels. We hypothesized that the reduced vaccine efficacy in the elderly results from altered variable gene family usage. We have analyzed the light chain gene usage in 20 young (20 to 30 years of age) and 20 elderly (65 to 86 years of age) adults in response to pneumococcal polysaccharide 4 (PPS4) and PPS14. We generated a variable light chain library using B cells specific for PPS4 and PPS14 from each vaccinated individual. We determined complete sequences and somatic mutation frequencies in all isolated variable light chain fragments. Six gene families, κ1, κ2, κ3, κ4, λ1, and λ3, were identified in response to PPS4 and PPS14 in both age groups. Comparison of young and elderly adults demonstrated significant differences in κ4, λ1, and λ3 gene usage in response to PPS4 and PPS14. With aging, there was a significant increase in κ4 gene usage and a significant decrease in λ1 and λ3 gene usage in response to both PPS4 and PPS14. Although both Vκ1 and Vλ3 gene products demonstrated extensive mutations, there was no age-related difference in mutational frequency per gene family. These findings suggest an age-related change in light chain gene usage in response to PPS4 and PPS14.
A study on the association of diabetic dermopathy with nephropathy and retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background Diabetic dermopathy is one of the most prevalent skin complications in diabetes patients. Some studies have pointed to association of diabetic dermopathy with retinopathy and nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes as microangiopathy presentations, but no rigorous study has been conducted to confirm this association. Objectives This study investigated association of diabetic dermopathy with nephropathy and retinopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes referring specialty clinic of Shahrekord. Patients and Methods This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted on 102 type 2 diabetes patients with dermopathy referring clinic constantly or as outpatient. Dermatological and ophthalmological examinations and examination for nephropathy were done for all patients. Demographic data and results of examinations and patients history, and biochemical tests were gathered and recorded by researcher developed checklists. Results Mean age of patients was 83.8 2.60 years, of whom 64 (63.7%) were female and 37.3% were male. Prevalence of retinopathy in patients was 4.31% and nephropathy 3.33%. In this study, significant associations of diabetic dermopathy with diabetic nephropathy (P = 0.001), with retinopathy (P < 0.001), age (P < 0.001), duration of diabetes (P = 0.001), and also with glycosylated hemoglobin (P < 0.01) was detected. No significant association between diabetic dermopathy and other studied variables was seen (P > 0.05). Conclusions Results of this study confirm the association of diabetic dermopathy with retinopathy and nephropathy in patients with type 2 diabetes. Since dermopathy is usually developed before retinopathy and nephropathy, dermopathy could be used as a clinical finding in early diagnosis and prevention of retinopathy and nephropathy in diabetes patients.
COMPARISON OF SPECTRAL SLOPES OF MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMIC AND HYDRODYNAMIC TURBULENCE AND MEASUREMENTS OF ALIGNMENT EFFECTS

We performed a series of high-resolution (up to 10243) direct numerical simulations of hydro and magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence. Our simulations correspond to the “strong” MHD turbulence regime that cannot be treated perturbatively. We found that for simulations with normal viscosity the slopes for energy spectra of MHD are similar to ones in hydro, although slightly more shallower. However, for simulations with hyperviscosity the slopes were very different, for instance, the slopes for hydro simulations showed a pronounced and well defined bottleneck effect, while the MHD slopes were relatively much less affected. We believe that this is indicative of MHD strong turbulence being less local than the Kolmogorov turbulence. This calls for revision of MHD strong turbulence models that assume local “as-in-hydro case” cascading. Nonlocality of MHD turbulence casts doubt on numerical determination of the slopes with currently available (5123–10243) numerical resolutions, including simulations with normal viscosity. We also measure various so-called alignment effects and discuss their influence on the turbulent cascade.
Muscle MRI in female carriers of dystrophinopathy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy carriers represent a rare condition that needs to be recognized because of the possible implications for prenatal diagnosis. Muscle biopsy is currently the diagnostic instrument of choice in sporadic patients. We wanted to verify whether muscle magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could identify a pattern of involvement suggestive of this condition and whether it was similar to that reported in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy.
Relationships between Emotional Well-Being, Patient Activation and Social Support among Adults with Severe Obesity Who Have Undergone Gastric Bypass Surgery

Objective: To examine the relationship between emotional well-being, patient activation and social support in a cohort of adults with severe obesity who underwent gastric bypass surgery from January to December 2012. Design: Cross-sectional survey. Subjects: Of a total population of 129 people, aged 18 - 68 years, at a local hospital in central Norway, 64 (50%) responding to the questionnaire, 52 (81%) being women. Main Outcome Measures: The World Health Organization—Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the 13-item Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13), a 16-item instrument on the frequency and content of social support, and demographic and clinical data. Results: A significant positive association was found between higher level of patient activation and better emotional well-being (P = 0.02) in linear regression analysis. A higher level of family support was significantly associated with better emotional well-being (practical social support from the family (P = 0.04), emotional social support from family (P = 0.01) and from friends (P = 0.005)). Conclusion: Screening tools for emotional well-being should be used systematically in postoperative consultations to recognize those who need a more individually tailored post-surgery follow-up care after gastric bypass surgery. In addition, health care providers in both specialist and primary health care settings should consider assessing the level of social support as part of regular follow-up routines.
Minimal Residual Disease Diagnostics and Chimerism in the Post-Transplant Period in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the selection of poor-risk patients for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is associated with rather high post-transplant relapse rates. As immunotherapeutic intervention is considered to be more effective before the cytomorphologic manifestation of relapse, post-transplant monitoring gains increasing attention in stem cell recipients with a previous diagnosis of AML. Different methods for detection of chimerism (e.g., microsatellite analysis or quantitative real-time PCR) are available to quantify the ratio of donor and recipient cells in the post-transplant period. Various studies demonstrated the potential use of mixed chimerism kinetics to predict relapse of the AML. CD34+-specific chimerism is associated with a higher specificity of chimerism analysis. Nevertheless, a decrease of donor cells can have other causes as well. Therefore, efforts continue to introduce minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring based on molecular mutations in the post-transplant period. The NPM1 (nucleophosmin) mutations can be monitored by sensitive quantitative real-time PCR in subsets of stem cell recipients with AML, but for approximately 20% of patients, suitable molecular mutations for post-transplant MRD monitoring are not available so far. This emphasizes the need for an expansion of the panel of MRD markers in the transplant setting.
Pre-Service Reading Teachers as Tutors: An Examination of Efficacy and Content Knowledge

Title of Document: PRE-SERVICE READING TEACHERS AS TUTORS:AN EXAMINATION OF EFFICACY AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE Heather Rogers Haverback, Doctor of Philosophy, 2007 Directed By: Dr. Susan J. Parault, Department of Education and Human Development This research examined pre-service teachers’ efficacy and content knowledge in the domain of reading. The Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) was adapted to create a domain specific reading TSES (RTSES). This scale was used to investigate whether the opportunity to engage in a one-on-one tutoring experience or the opportunity to observe children being taught reading related skills would result in differences in changes in efficacy beliefs of pre-service teachers enrolled in a required reading course. In addition, this research investigated whether observation or tutoring experiences in reading were related to changes in growth of pedagogical knowledge in reading. Analyses of pre-test and post-test data showed that both the tutoring and observation groups rated themselves higher in the area of reading teacher efficacy and grew in their reading content knowledge from the beginning of the course to the end. However, there was only a marginally significant difference in the amount of change between the tutors and observers in their total RTSES and RTSES reading motivation scores, and there was not a difference between group in RTSES reading assessment efficacy or reading content knowledge scores. Both of the marginal differences, total RTSES and the RTSES reading motivation efficacy subscale, showed that the observers rated themselves higher in efficacy beliefs than the tutors after participation in this study. Additional analyses showed that reading efficacy and content knowledge were not correlated in either group, and that tutors with high pre-test efficacy scores did not use significantly more instructional practices while tutoring than those with low pre-test efficacy scores. However, 100% of tutors felt that the field experience should be implemented in future classes opposed to 57% of the observers. While the tutors had a hands-on experience that they found valuable, the observers who did not have a hands-on experience reported higher post-test efficacy scores. However, one may question on what these efficacy scores were based. This question suggests that there is a need for more research to further investigate whether this field experience is a benefit to pre-service teachers. PRE-SERVICE READING TEACHERS AS TUTORS:AN EXAMINATION OF EFFICACY AND CONTENT KNOWLEDGE By Heather Rogers Haverback Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2007 Advisory Committee: Assistant Professor Susan J. Parault, Chair Professor Patricia Alexander Professor Mariam Jean Dreher Adjunct Professor Amy Hendrickson Assistant Professor Min Wang © Copyright by [Heather Rogers Haverback] [2007]
A neuro-fuzzy controller for mobile robot navigation and multirobot convoying

A Neural integrated Fuzzy conTroller (NiF-T) which integrates the fuzzy logic representation of human knowledge with the learning capability of neural networks is developed for nonlinear dynamic control problems. NiF-T architecture comprises of three distinct parts: (1) Fuzzy logic Membership Functions (FMF), (2) a Rule Neural Network (RNN), and (3) an Output-Refinement Neural Network (ORNN). FMF are utilized to fuzzify sensory inputs. RNN interpolates the fuzzy rule set; after defuzzification, the output is used to train ORNN. The weights of the ORNN can be adjusted on-line to fine-tune the controller. In this paper, real-time implementations of autonomous mobile robot navigation and multirobot convoying behavior utilizing the NiF-T are presented. Only five rules were used to train the wall following behavior, while nine were used for the hall centering. Also, a robot convoying behavior was realized with only nine rules. For all of the described behaviors-wall following, hall centering, and convoying, their RNN's are trained only for a few hundred iterations and so are their ORNN's trained for only less than one hundred iterations to learn their parent rule sets.
A meta-analysis of alcohol toxicology study findings among homicide victims.

AIM To synthesize the results of alcohol toxicology reports for homicide victims and examine variations in these results across person and setting characteristics. METHODS We meta-analyzed 61 independent studies from 57 published manuscripts which met the study inclusion criteria and reported alcohol toxicology test results for homicide victims. A total of 71, 031 toxicology test results, derived from 78, 265 homicide victims across 13 countries (most from the United States), were examined. RESULTS On average, 48% of homicide victims tested positive for alcohol and 33% (using the 0.08 threshold) or 35% (using the 0.10 threshold) were determined to be intoxicated. The proportion of homicide victims testing positive for alcohol appeared to be decreasing over time. Further, the proportion testing positive increased with age is higher for female than for male victims, and differs by race. Finally, the overall estimates were relatively stable across study sites. CONCLUSION Alcohol toxicology test results remain an important method for measuring the success of efforts to manage the consequences of alcohol. However, future toxicology studies should focus upon collecting information on evidence processing time, establishing measurement standards for reporting data and ensuring that subgroup estimates are included for purposes of cross-site comparisons.
Awareness and uptake of cervical cancer screening in Owerri, South-Eastern Nigeria.

BACKGROUND Cancer of the cervix is the most common cancer of the female genital tract and accounts for about two hundred and fifty thousand deaths yearly most of which occur in the developing countries. It has assumed greater prominence with the decrease in deaths due to infective causes and the increase in the incidence of HIV/AIDS which is a predisposing factor. A significant drop in its incidence has been recorded in the developed countries as a result of intensive program of cervical screening. This study determines the level of awareness and uptake of cervical screening in Owerri, South Eastern part of Nigeria. METHOD This is a cross sectional study in which self administered questionnaires returned by eight hundred and forty six respondents were analysed using simple percentages. RESULTS The level of awareness of cervical screening was 52.8% (447), while 7.1% (60) had ever done the test. The major sources of information about cervical smear were hospital/health facilities (31.3%) and friends (30.9%). The most common reasons given for not doing the test were lack of awareness 390 (46.1%), no need for it 106 (12.5%) and fear of a bad result 98 (11.6%). CONCLUSION The level of awareness of cervical screening is low and worse still, is the level of uptake at the present level of uptake no significant impact will be made on the incidence of cervical cancer which needs to be reduced. A national cervical smear screening policy is advocated but in the interim, greater public education and the greater use of opportunistic screening by physicians should be vigorously pursued.