Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effects of Rehabilitation Protocol on Functional Recovery After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

ABSTRACT Introduction: The use of rehabilitation protocol which corresponds to surgical technique results in optimal postoperative outcome and functional recovery of patients to a pre-injury level of activity. The aim of this paper is to show the effects of the official rehabilitation protocol in our Institute on functional recovery of patients after anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Patients and methods: In prospective study, we evaluated 70 males after ACL reconstruction using hamstring graft. Patients were divided into two groups according to the manner of conducting the postoperative rehabilitation. Group A consisted of 35 patients that followed postoperative rehabilitation according to the rehabilitation protocol. Group B also 35 patients, which did not undergo the rehabilitation protocol. We evaluated thigh muscle circumference and modified Tegner Lysholm Score, preoperatively and postoperatively after 1,3,6 and 12 months. In the statistical analysis, the Studentov T-test was used. Results: In the first postoperative month, the difference between groups in thigh muscle circumference is statistically significant (p<0,05). This difference between groups is statistically highly significant after 3, 6, and 12 months postoperative (p<0,01). Results of the modified Tegner Lysholm Score is statistically highly significant in 1, 3 and 6 postoperative months in patients from the experimental group (p<0,01). Conclusion: The positive effects of the rehabilitation protocol results in significant increase of the thigh muscle circumference and faster functional recovery of patients after ACL reconstruction.
Reliable Output Feedback Control for T-S Fuzzy Systems With Decentralized Event Triggering Communication and Actuator Failures

Due to the unavailability of full state variables in many control systems, this paper is concerned with the design of reliable observer-based output feedback controller for a class of network-based Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy systems with actuator failures. In order to better allocate network resources under the case that the sensor nodes are physically distributed, the decentralized event triggering communication scheme is adopted such that each sensor node is capable to determine the transmission of its local measurement information independently. Considering that the implementation of the controller may not be synchronized with the plant trajectories due to asynchronous premise variables with such communication mechanism, a novel piecewise fuzzy observer-based output feedback controller is developed. By applying a piecewise Lyapunov function and some techniques on matrix convexification, an approach to the design of observer and controller gain is derived for the augmented closed-loop system to be asymptotically stable with a guaranteed $ {\mathcal {H}}_{\infty }$ performance and reduced transmission frequency. Finally, two examples are given to show the effectiveness of the developed method.
Sphere decoder with dichotomic search

Sphere Decoder (SD) is a widely used and studied decoder for MIMO systems. As the number of antenna grows, SD becomes computationally intensive. To overcome this disadvantage, this paper proposes an improvement of SD consisting in an efficient radius update strategy using dichotomy. With no performance loss, the resulting algorithm allows a considerable complexity saving compared to conventional SD, up to 90% in some scenarios. This gain is due to the decrease in the number of visited lattice points in the spherical region shown to be logarithmic as a function of the SNR. We provide simulation results and a theoretical proof of the expected complexity reduction.
Characteristics Associated With Delivery of an Infant With Congenital Syphilis and Missed Opportunities for Prevention—California, 2012 to 2014

Background Congenital syphilis (CS), the transmission of Treponema pallidum from mother to fetus during pregnancy, can cause adverse birth outcomes. In 2012 to 2014, the CS rate in California increased more than 200% from 6.6 to 20.3 cases per 100,000 live births. Our objectives were to identify characteristics associated with delivering an infant with CS and missed opportunities for prevention among syphilis-infected pregnant women in California. Methods We linked California Department of Public Health syphilis surveillance records from women aged 15 to 45 years—diagnosed from March 13, 2012, to December 31, 2014—to birth records. We compared characteristics among mothers who delivered an infant with CS (CS mothers) with mothers who delivered an infant without CS (non-CS mothers) by using &khgr;2 or Fisher exact tests. To visualize gaps in prevention among syphilis-infected pregnant women, we constructed a CS prevention cascade, a figure that shows steps to prevent CS. Results During the selected period, 2498 women were diagnosed as having syphilis, and 427 (17%) linked to birth records; 164 (38%) were defined as CS mothers and 263 (62%) as non-CS mothers. Mothers with CS were more likely than non-CS mothers to have their first prenatal care visit in the third trimester. High proportions of mothers in both groups reported high-risk sexual behaviors, methamphetamine use, or incarceration (13%–29%). The CS prevention cascade showed decrements of 5% to 11% in prenatal care receipt, testing, and treatment steps; only 62% of potential CS births were prevented. Conclusions Multifaceted efforts are needed to address gaps in the CS prevention cascade and reduce CS cases in California.
Beyond the Required LISA Free-Fall Performance: New LISA Pathfinder Results down to 20  μHz.

In the months since the publication of the first results, the noise performance of LISA Pathfinder has improved because of reduced Brownian noise due to the continued decrease in pressure around the test masses, from a better correction of noninertial effects, and from a better calibration of the electrostatic force actuation. In addition, the availability of numerous long noise measurement runs, during which no perturbation is purposely applied to the test masses, has allowed the measurement of noise with good statistics down to 20 μHz. The Letter presents the measured differential acceleration noise figure, which is at (1.74±0.05) fm s^{-2}/sqrt[Hz] above 2 mHz and (6±1)×10 fm s^{-2}/sqrt[Hz] at 20 μHz, and discusses the physical sources for the measured noise. This performance provides an experimental benchmark demonstrating the ability to realize the low-frequency science potential of the LISA mission, recently selected by the European Space Agency.
Targeted Microbiome Intervention by Microencapsulated Delayed-Release Niacin Beneficially Affects Insulin Sensitivity in Humans

OBJECTIVE Gut microbiota represent a potential novel target for future prediabetes and type 2 diabetes therapies. In that respect, niacin has been shown to beneficially affect the host-microbiome interaction in rodent models. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We characterized more than 500 human subjects with different metabolic phenotypes regarding their niacin (nicotinic acid [NA] and nicotinamide [NAM]) status and their gut microbiome. In addition, NA and NAM delayed-release microcapsules were engineered and examined in vitro and in vivo in two human intervention studies (bioavailability study and proof-of-concept/safety study). RESULTS We found a reduced α-diversity and Bacteroidetes abundance in the microbiome of obese human subjects associated with a low dietary niacin intake. We therefore developed delayed-release microcapsules targeting the ileocolonic region to deliver increasing amounts of NA and NAM to the microbiome while preventing systemic resorption to avoid negative side effects (e.g., facial flushing). In vitro studies on these delayed-release microcapsules revealed stable conditions at pH 1.4, 4.5, and 6.8, followed by release of the compounds at pH 7.4, simulating the ileocolonic region. In humans in vivo, gut-targeted delayed-release NA but not NAM produced a significant increase in the abundance of Bacteroidetes. In the absence of systemic side effects, these favorable microbiome changes induced by microencapsulated delayed-release NA were associated with an improvement of biomarkers for systemic insulin sensitivity and metabolic inflammation. CONCLUSION Targeted microbiome intervention by delayed-release NA might represent a future therapeutic option for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.
Targeting EZH1 and EZH2 contributes to the suppression of fibrosis-associated genes by miR-214-3p in cardiac myofibroblasts

The role of microRNA-214-3p (miR-214-3p) in cardiac fibrosis was not well illustrated. The present study aimed to investigate the expression and potential target of miR-214-3p in angiotensin II (Ang-II)-induced cardiac fibrosis. MiR-214-3p was markedly decreased in the fibrotic myocardium of a mouse Ang-II infusion model, but was upregulated in Ang-II-treated mouse myofibroblasts. Cardiac fibrosis was shown attenuated in Ang-II-infused mice received tail vein injection of miR-214-3p agomir. Consistently, miR-214-3p inhibited the expression of Col1a1 and Col3a1 in mouse myofibroblasts in vitro. MiR-214-3p could bind the 3′-UTRs of enhancer of zeste homolog 1 (EZH1) and −2, and suppressed EZH1 and −2 expressions at the transcriptional level. Functionally, miR-214-3p mimic, in parallel to EZH1 siRNA and EZH2 siRNA, could enhance peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) expression and inhibited the expression of Col1a1 and Col3a1 in myofibroblasts. In addition, enforced expression of EZH1 and −2, and knockdown of PPAR-γ resulted in the increase of Col1a1 and Col3a1 in myofibroblasts. Moreover, the NF-κB signal pathway was verified to mediate Ang-II-induced miR-214-3p expression in myofibroblasts. Taken together, our results revealed that EZH1 and −2 were novel targets of miR-214-3p, and miR-214-3p might be one potential miRNA for the prevention of cardiac fibrosis.
Generalized Sobol sensitivity indices for dependent variables: numerical methods

The hierarchically orthogonal functional decomposition of any measurable function η of a random vector X=(X1, … , Xp) consists in decomposing η(X) into a sum of increasing dimension functions depending only on a subvector of X. Even when X1, … , Xp are assumed to be dependent, this decomposition is unique if the components are hierarchically orthogonal. That is, two of the components are orthogonal whenever all the variables involved in one of the summands are a subset of the variables involved in the other. Setting Y=η(X), this decomposition leads to the definition of generalized sensitivity indices able to quantify the uncertainty of Y due to each dependent input in X [Chastaing G, Gamboa F, Prieur C. Generalized Hoeffding–Sobol decomposition for dependent variables – application to sensitivity analysis. Electron J Statist. 2012;6:2420–2448]. In this paper, a numerical method is developed to identify the component functions of the decomposition using the hierarchical orthogonality property. Furthermore, the asymptotic properties of the components estimation is studied, as well as the numerical estimation of the generalized sensitivity indices of a toy model. Lastly, the method is applied to a model arising from a real-world problem.
Creep crack behaviour of a coarse grain nickel-base super alloy

Abstract The paper presents creep crack growth data, obtained for cast nickel-base super alloy IN-738 LC, which represents a typical large coarse grain structure. Long term creep crack growth experiments were performed at 700 and 850°C on side-grooved compact tension and corner crack specimens. In parallel, uniaxial creep tests on smooth specimens were conducted. The coarse grain structure has been examined using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Creep fracture in polycrystalline materials is observed to be typically intergranular and dominates along grain boundaries. These observations were confirmed for the investigated alloy. From metallographic examinations, an effect of grain orientation on creep crack behaviour, however, was not observed. The Nikbin – Smith –Webster (NSW) model, which is based on the creep fracture mechanics parameter C*, and a damage accumulation model, which considers only nominal stress in the ligament, lead to reasonable results when recalculating creep crack growth.
Higher Sensitivity of Foxp3+ Treg Compared to Foxp3- Conventional T Cells to TCR-Independent Signals for CD69 Induction

T lymphocytes elicit specific responses after recognizing cognate antigen. However, antigen-experienced T cells can also respond to non-cognate stimuli, such as cytokines. CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) exhibit an antigen-experienced-like phenotype. Treg can regulate T cell responses in an antigen-specific or bystander way, and it is still unclear as to which extent they rely on T cell receptor (TCR) signals. The study of the antigen response of Treg has been hampered by the lack of downstream readouts for TCR stimuli. Here we assess the effects of TCR signals on the expression of a classical marker of early T cell activation, CD69. Although it can be induced following cytokine exposure, CD69 is commonly used as a readout for antigen response on T cells. We established that upon in vitro TCR stimulation CD69 induction on Foxp3+ Treg cells was more dependent on signaling via soluble factors than on TCR activation. By contrast, expression of the activation marker Nur77 was only induced after TCR stimulation. Our data suggest that Treg are more sensitive to TCR-independent signals than Foxp3- cells, which could contribute to their bystander activity.
An empirical analysis of a network of expertise

In this paper, we analyze the network of expertise constructed from the interactions of users on the online question-answering (QA) community of Stack Overflow. This community was built with the intention of helping users with their programming tasks and, thus, questions are expected to be highly factual. This also indicates that the answers one provides may be highly indicative of one's level of expertise on the subject matter. Therefore, our main concern is how to model and characterize the user's expertise based on the constructed network and its centrality measures. We used the user's reputation established on Stack Overflow as a direct proxy to their expertise. We further made use of linear models and principal component analysis for the purpose. We found out that the current reputation system does a decent job at representing the user's expertise and that focus matters when answering factual questions. However, our model was not able to capture the other larger half of reputation which is specifically designed to reflect a user's trustworthiness besides their expertise. Along the way, we also discovered facts that have been known in earlier studies of the other/same QA communities such as the power-law degree distribution of the network and the generalized reciprocity pattern among its users.
A 24-µW 11-bit 1-MS/s SAR ADC with a bidirectional single-side switching technique

This paper presents a low-power SAR ADC with a bidirectional single-side (BSS) switching technique. It reduces the DAC reference power and the total number of unit capacitors by 86% and 75% respectively, compared to the conventional SAR switching technique. It also minimizes the DAC switch driving power as it has only 1 single-side switching event every comparison cycle. Unlike the existing monotonic switching technique that also has only 1 switching event, the comparator input common-mode voltage for the proposed technique does not converge to ground but to Vcm, and thus, obviates the need for a specially designed comparator. To further reduce power, a segmented common-centroid capacitor layout is developed to ensure good matching accuracy. An 11-bit prototype ADC fabricated in 0.18-μm 1P6M CMOS technology achieves an ENOB of 10.3 bits and an SFDR of 77 dB. Operating at 1 MS/s, it consumes only 24 μW from a 1V power supply, leading to a FOM of 19.9 fJ/conv-step.
Mitomycin C-augmented trabeculectomy: subtenon injection versus soaked sponges: a randomised clinical trial

Background/aims To compare the efficacy and safety of subtenon injection of mitomycin C (MMC) with that of conventional application of MMC-soaked sponges in trabeculectomy. Methods In this multicentre randomised clinical trial, 80 consecutive open-angle glaucoma cases were randomised into two groups; group 1 received a subtenon injection of 0.1 mL of 0.01% MMC, while group 2 received 0.02% MMC-soaked sponges. Primary outcome measure was intraocular pressure (IOP), and secondary outcome measures were endothelial cell count (ECC) changes and bleb morphology according to the Indiana Bleb Appearance Grading Scale. Outcome measures were compared at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Complete and qualified success was defined as IOP within 6–15 mm Hg without and with medications at month 6, respectively. Results Mean preoperative IOP was 21.8±5.1 in group 1, which reduced to 10.3±3.7 mm Hg at final visit (p<0.001). Corresponding values for group 2 were 21.8±5 and 10.8±3.5 mm Hg respectively (p<0.001). Complete success was 82.5% in both groups, and qualified success was 0 and 2.5% in groups 1 and 2, respectively. (p=0.316) The blebs tended to be more diffuse, less vascularised and shallower in group 1, at month 6 (p=0.45,<0.001 and <0.007 respectively). ECCs did not change significantly at final visit (p=0.813). Conclusions Subtenon injection of MMC is a safe and effective alternative to the conventional soaked sponge method. This method produces more favourable bleb morphology after trabeculectomy. Trial registration number NCT02385370, Post-results.
Radioactive Waste Forms for the Future

This volume presents a compilation of information on the range of radioactive waste forms that have been developed for the incorporation of high-level nuclear waste. A presentation is given on the properties and performance of non-crystalline waste forms (borosilicate glass), and crystalline waste forms (Synroc, tailored ceramics, TiO{sub 2} - ceramic matrix, glass-ceramics and FUETAP concrete). A chapter reviews a number of methods that warrant further development because of their potential superior performance and unique applications. The final chapter includes a tabulated comparison of important waste form properties and an extended discussion on the corrosion process and radiation damage effects for each waste form. Of particular interest is a performance assessment of nuclear waste borosilicate glass and the crystalline ceramic Synroc. The book compares these two waste forms on the basis of their materials properties. The discussion emphasizes the difficulties in making such a comparison and details the types of data that are required.
Negative Frequency-Dependent Selection Is Frequently Confounding

This preprint has been reviewed and recommended by Peer Community in Evolutionary Biology (http://dx.doi.org/10.24072/pci.evolbiol.100024). The existence of persistent genetic variation within natural populations presents an evolutionary problem as natural selection and genetic drift tend to erode genetic diversity. Models of balancing selection were developed to account for the high and sometimes extreme levels of polymorphism found in many natural populations. Negative frequency-dependent selection may be the most powerful selective force maintaining balanced natural polymorphisms but it is also commonly misinterpreted. The aim of this review is to clarify the processes underlying negative frequency-dependent selection, describe classes of natural polymorphisms that can and cannot result from these processes, and discuss observational and experimental data that can aid in accurately identifying the processes that generated or are maintain diversity in nature. Finally, I consider the importance of accurately describing the processes affecting genetic diversity within populations as it relates to research progress.
The Role of Pathological Margin Distance and Prognostic Factors After Primary Surgery in Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Vulva

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the impact of clear surgical margin distance and other factors associated with the recurrence and survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva. Methods/Materials A total of 107 patients operated for vulvar carcinoma from 1996 to 2016 were included in the analysis. Patients were divided into subgroups with clear pathological margin of 2 mm or less, greater than 2 to less than 8 mm, and 8 mm or greater for the analysis of the prognostic impact of the clear margin distance. Data were analyzed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results The median age of the patients was 66 years. The median follow-up was 69 months. The labia majora and/or labia minora were the most common sites of involvement. Radical local excision and radical vulvectomy were performed in 96 and 11 patients, respectively. Thirty-nine patients received adjuvant radiotherapy. The overall recurrence rate was 46%. At 231 months, the actuarial local recurrence rate was 18.6%. Patients with clear pathological margin of 2 mm or less had significantly higher local recurrence risk. Five-year disease-free survival was 32.7%. Older age and adjuvant chemotherapy were found as independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival. Conclusion Our data suggest that a more than 2 mm tumor-free margins is associated with better local control. In addition, older age is an independent prognostic factor for survival.
Aligning Collaborative Business Processes—An Organization-Oriented Perspective

Business collaboration encompasses the coordination of information flows among organizations as well as the composition of their business processes toward mutual benefits. While integrating business processes of different organizations seamlessly, it brings great challenges to keep participating organizations as autonomous entities. To address this issue, we propose a new perspective on modeling collaborative business processes with a novel concept called relative workflow (RWF). With its visibility control mechanism, the RWF model defines what a participating organization can perceive in collaboration and thereby allows each organization to customize its own collaboration process and behaviors. In this paper, we present a formal definition of RWFs and related algorithms for generating RWFs. A prototype is implemented on the Web service platform for the proof-of-concept purpose.
Genetic influences on cognition in progressive supranuclear palsy

Cognitive dysfunction is common in progressive supranuclear palsy, but the influence of genetics on cognition in this disorder has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of genes previously identified as risk alleles, including microtubule‐associated protein tau, myelin‐associated oligodendrocyte basic protein, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2‐alpha kinase 3, and syntaxin 6, as well as apolipoprotein E, on cognitive function in progressive supranuclear palsy.