Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Accelerated Weightbearing After Matrix-Associated Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation on the Femoral Condyle

Background: Long-term effects of different weightbearing (WB) modalities after matrix-associated autologous chondrocyte implantation (MACI) on changes in knee articular cartilage and clinical outcomes are needed to establish more evidence-based recommendations for postoperative rehabilitation. Hypothesis: There will be no differences between accelerated WB compared with delayed WB regarding knee articular cartilage or patient self-reported knee function or activity level 5 years after MACI. Furthermore, significant correlations between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–based outcomes and patient-reported outcome measures 5 years postoperatively will exist. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: After MACI, 31 patients (23 male, 8 female) were randomly assigned to the accelerated WB group (AWB group) or to the delayed WB group (DWB group). With the exception of time and increase to full WB, both groups underwent the same rehabilitation program. The AWB group was allowed full WB after 6 weeks and the DWB group after 10 weeks. Assessments were performed 3 months, 2 years, and 5 years postoperatively, but this long-term follow-up study only included changes from 2 to 5 years postoperatively. The magnetic resonance observation of cartilage repair tissue (MOCART) score (primary outcome), the MRI-based variables of bone edema and effusion, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS), and the Tegner scale were included. In addition, the association between MRI-based outcomes and the KOOS at 5 years postoperatively was investigated. Results: There was a significant decrease in the MOCART score and a significant increase in bone edema 2 and 5 years postoperatively but no significant group differences. The only significant correlation between the MRI-based variables and the KOOS was found for bone edema and the KOOS subscale of pain (r = −0.435, P < .05) at 5-year follow-up. Conclusion: There were no significant differences in the MRI-based or clinical outcomes between the AWB group and DWB group 5 years after MACI. While the clinical outcomes remained stable, a decline of the MRI-based findings was observed between 2 and 5 years postoperatively. Furthermore, a significant association between bone edema and pain was found. No occurrence of unintended effects was observed.
Distinct Characteristics of Small Cell Lung Cancer Correlate With Central or Peripheral Origin

AbstractSmall-cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is a type of lung cancer with neuroendocrine differentiation and a poor prognosis that is widely believed to arise in the central lung. Thyroid transcription factor-1 (TTF-1) is a peripheral marker of lung adenocarcinoma that is also highly expressed in SCLC. In this study, we examined whether SCLC is really a central-type tumor and the relationship between tumor location, TTF-1 expression and prognosis of SCLC.Ninety six SCLCs, diagnosed from biopsies or surgical materials, for which detailed computed tomography (CT) images were available, were collected consecutively from Japanese patients between 2004 and 2011. We examined the location of the primary tumor (central or peripheral) using thin-sliced CT, a TTF-1 immunohistochemical expression, and clinicopathology including prognosis.Of the 96 SCLCs, 74% (71/96) were of the peripheral type and found to have a significantly worse prognosis than central-type tumors. TTF-1 immunoreactivity was identified in 79 tumors (82%), 78% of which (62/79) were of the peripheral type and 22% of which were central. TTF-1 expression was significantly correlated with peripheral location (P = 0.030). Multivariate analysis revealed that high TNM stages and the peripheral location were independent markers for poor survival.The majority of SCLCs were of the peripheral type. The peripheral-type SCLC expressed TTF-1 more frequently and had a poorer prognosis than central-type tumors did. Further analysis on original sites of SCLC, using molecular methodology, or based on another ethnicity, should be warranted.
Prevalence of SENV-H and SENV-D Virus: Epidemiological Study in Blood Donors and Dialysis Patients

Introduction. Recently, the identification of the SEN virus as a possible etiological agent of parental transmission hepatitis led to the study of the prevalence of such pathogen agents, particularly SENV-H, in our population. This paper compares the rate prevalence in high-risk subjects, such as dialysis patients, and low-risk subjects, such as blood donors. Material and Methods. The study was carried out on SEN virus DNA extracted from serum of dialysis patients and blood donors, and the presence of viral genomes was performed by the nested PCR method. Results. The results showed a higher prevalence in male blood donors, supporting the hypothesis of an epidemiological role for sexual and also parental transmission, as is clearly demonstrated by the high prevalence in dialysis patients. The result reduced the importance of the possible etiological role of the SEN virus due to the high percentage of positivity in healthy population, and it induces one to consider poorly significant the pathogenicity of such viral agents. Conclusion. For this instance, the authors, in agreement with the phylogenically related TT virus, described SEN viruses as absolutely not pathogens and considered them as “simple guests. ”
Prospect theory and the CAPM : a contradiction or coexistence?

Under the assumption of normally distributed returns, we analyzenwhether the Cumulative Prospect Theory of Tversky and Kahneman (1992)nis consistent with the Capital Asset Pricing Model. We find that in everynfinancial market equilibrium the Security Market Line Theorem holds.nHowever, under the specific functional form suggested by Tversky andnKahneman (1992) financial market equilibria do not exist. We suggest annalternative functional form that is consistent with both, the experimentalnresults of Tversky and Kahneman and also with the existence of equilibria.
A Microstructural Investigation of Calcium Hydroxyapatites Synthesized from CaHPO4•2H2O and CA4(PO4)2O

This investigation determined the effects of reaction temperature and bulk composition on the microstructural features of hydroxyapatites (HAp) synthesized from reaction between particulate CaHP04 ·2H20 and Ca4(P04h0. These data were used in combination with previous work to further elucidate the mechanistic reaction path taken by these calcium phosphate cements. HAps having two different compositions (Ca/P = 1.50 and 1.67) were synthesized between 15.0 and 70.0°C. All reactions reached completion as indicated by X-ray diffraction. Single point nitrogen absorption was performed on all samples to determine specific surface areas. The HAp which is approximately stoichiometric (Ca/P = 1.67) had a surface area equal or greater than that of calcium-deficient HAp (Ca/P = 1.50) synthesized at the same temperature. All surface areas were equal to or greater than those typically reported for bone and were in accord with average crystallite sizes as determin,ed by dark field transmission electron microscopy (TEM) for all but one sample. Observations using scanning electron microscopy support previous X-ray diffraction studies and indicate the reactivity of Ca4(P04h0 limited the rate of HAp formation. Electron diffraction by TEM verified the presence of very small proportions of an electron amorphous phase. The proportion of this phase increased with a decrease in reaction temperature, and it was more prevalent in the calcium-deficient HAp. Two distinct morphologies, plates and nodules, were observed by TEM. The nodules contained more amorphous material, while the plates were determined to have the c-axis approximately perpendicular to the plate face.
An Area- and Energy-Efficient Multimode FFT Processor for WPAN/WLAN/WMAN Systems

This paper presents a multimode FFT processor for wireless personal area network (WPAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), and wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN) applications. Using the proposed flexible-radix-configuration multipath-delay-feedback (FRCMDF) architecture, variable-length/multiple-stream FFTs capable of achieving a high throughput can be performed in a hardware-efficient manner. Based on the FRCMDF structure, a dual-optimized multiplication scheme is also proposed to further improve the area and energy efficiency. In addition, the proposed configuration scheme can provide an architectural support for power scalability across FFT modes. A test chip for the proposed FFT processor has been designed and fabricated using a TSMC-0.18 m CMOS process with a core size of 3.2 mm^2 and a signal-to-quantization-noise ratio (SQNR) of over 40 dB. When the FFT mode is configured to operate as a 2.4 GS/s 512-point FFT at 300 MHz, the measured power consumption is 507 mW. Compared with previous multimode FFT designs, our FFT chip is more area- and energy-efficient as it is able to provide relatively higher throughput per unit area or per unit power consumption. Also, the power scalability across FFT modes is relatively exhibited in the proposed FFT processor.
MONOAMINE OXIDASE INHIBITORS AND ANAESTHESIA

Iproniazid was synthesized in the early 1950s and used in the treatment of tuberculosis. Its antituberculous properties failed to meet expectations, but clinicians noted evidence of central stimulation [34]. Research into this observation attributed the central effects of iproniazid to the inhibition of monoamine oxidase (MAO). There has been recent renewal of interest in the use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) [14], since other forms of treatment for depression and phobias are still far from satisfactory, especially in those patients who appear to respond to treatment with MAOI. During the past three decades, there have been numerous reports of MAOI-drug interactions, often serious or fatal. Some of these relate to routine anaesthetic practice.
Why Learning Styles Matter For Student Achievement In College Economics

This paper explores the link between student achievement and student learning styles in a college microeconomics course, based on the Dunn and Dunn model of learning styles. The Productivity Environmental Survey (PEPS) is utilized to measure learning style preferences for twenty elements. Factor analysis is applied to reduce the multidimensional preferences to a smaller set of common factors that identify analytic, global or indifferent learning styles. The common factors are used as explanatory variables to measure the correlation between student achievement and their learning styles. The empirical methodology developed in this study also provides a test of the internal validity of the Dunn and Dunn model, the construct validity of the PEPS instrument and the predictive validity of the model. The authors explain how the results of the current research could be utilized to more generally enhance student achievement in the instruction of introductory economics and potentially other subject matter.
Incorporating model uncertainties along with data uncertainties in microbial risk assessment.

Much research on food safety has been conducted since the National Food Safety Initiative of 1997. Risk assessment plays an important role in food safety practices and programs, and various dose-response models for estimating microbial risks have been investigated. Several dose-response models can provide reasonably good fits to the data in the experimental dose range, but yield risk estimates that differ by orders of magnitude in the low-dose range. Hence, model uncertainty can be just important as data uncertainty (experimental variation) in risk assessment. Although it is common in risk assessment to account for data uncertainty, it is uncommon to account for model uncertainties. In this paper we incorporate data uncertainties with confidence limits and model uncertainties with a weighted average of an estimate from each of various models. A numerical tool to compute the maximum likelihood estimates and confidence limits is addressed. The proposed method for incorporating model uncertainties is illustrated with real data sets.
Binary decision automata modelling stress in the workplace

This study builds on previous work modeling stress in the workplace. It incorporates a new and more sophisticated agent representation called a binary decision automata. Agent training uses inaccurate mimetic behaviour to adopt the successful behaviour of highly productive mentors. There are three tasks an agent can undertake; rest, a base job and a special project. The relative worth of these tasks vary stochastically week-to-week representing the changing priorities of management. Stress is accumulated through working long hours and impacts performance of the agent by decreasing productivity. Covert drug use is implemented into the model through the incorporation of a few individuals with much higher stress tolerance than the base agents. Binary decision automata have substantially greater learning capabilities, reflected in the increased productivity and lower overall monthly firings compared to previous research that used a simple string representation for agents. Moreover, with the inclusion of covet drug use amongst agents, the binary decision automata have the capabilities to learn effective behaviour and adapt to the challenging demands of the high performing drug agent mentors. This is in sharp contradistinction to the string agents.
Self-stabilized gradient algorithms for blind source separation with orthogonality constraints

Recently, developments in self-stabilized algorithms for gradient adaptation of orthonormal matrices have resulted in simple but powerful principal and minor subspace analysis methods. In this paper, we extend these ideas to develop algorithms for instantaneous prewhitened blind separation of homogeneous signal mixtures. Our algorithms are proven to be self-stabilizing to the Stiefel manifold of orthonormal matrices, such that the rows of the adaptive demixing matrix do not need to be periodically reorthonormalized. Several algorithm forms are developed, including those that are equivariant with respect to the prewhitened mixing matrix. Simulations verify the excellent numerical properties of the proposed methods for the blind source separation task.
Does interactive multimedia promote achievement and higher level thinking skills for today's science students?

This study examines the effects of Interactive Multimedia instruction upon the variables of achievement and problem solving skills on non-science majors in an Environmental Science course at a mid-western university. The findings indicate that the Interactive Multimedia had a significant effect on both of the variables. The findings are discussed in terms of the impact on self-study when students are learning outside of the classroom in a distance learning environment.
Study of interoperability between EFCI and ER switch mechanisms for ABR traffic in an ATM network

The rate-based flow control mechanism in asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) networks controls the transmission rate of available bit rate (ABR) traffic sources, based on feedback information contained in the resource management (RM) cells coming from the destination and/or the network switching nodes. While the source and destination end systems behavior are fully described in the ATM Forum Traffic Management Specification, the network switch mechanism is implementation dependent. Since there is a variety of algorithms an ATM switch vendor can choose from, different performance characteristics are expected. This paper investigates the interoperability issues in terms of network performance and fairness of bandwidth allocation when an ATM network consists of switches using different rate control mechanisms, namely, the explicit forward congestion indication (EFCI) mode and the explicit rate (ER) mechanism. Simulation results show that these algorithms will interoperate as long as the switch implementation conforms to the end system behavior for congestion notification and usage of RM cells. Moreover, the location of an ER switch in a given topology might be critical to solving the "beat-down" phenomenon, when traffic passing through a larger number of switches might get less bandwidth than single hop traffic.
Functional Dissociation of Hippocampal Mechanism during Implicit Learning Based on the Domain of Associations

Traditionally, the medial temporal lobe (MTL) was linked to explicit or declarative memory in associative learning. However, recent studies have reported MTL involvement even when volunteers are not consciously aware of the learned contingencies. Therefore, the mechanism of the MTL-related learning process cannot be described sufficiently by the explicit/implicit distinction, and the underlying process in the MTL for associative learning needs a more functional characterization. A possible feature that would allow a functional specification also for implicit learning is the nature of the material that is learned. Given that implicit memory tasks often comprise a combination of perceptual and motor learning, we hypothesized that implicit learning of the perceptual but not the motor component entails MTL activation in these studies. To directly test this hypothesis, we designed a purely perceptual and a purely motor variant of the serial reaction time task. In two groups of human volunteers, behavioral results clearly showed that both variants were learned without awareness. Neuronal recordings using fMRI revealed that bilateral hippocampal activation was observed only for implicit learning of the perceptual sequence, not for the motor sequence. This dissociation clearly shows that the functional role of the hippocampus for learning is determined by the domain of the learned association and that the function of the medial temporal lobe system is the processing of contingencies between perceptual features regardless of the explicit or implicit nature of the ensuing memory.
An insulin-like growth factor-I gene polymorphism modifies the risk of microalbuminuria in subjects with an abnormal glucose tolerance.

OBJECTIVE Microalbuminuria (MA) is related to cardiovascular disease both in diabetic patients and non-diabetic subjects. DESIGN We investigated whether a polymorphism near the promoter region of the IGF-I gene was related to the development of MA. METHODS For this study, 1069 participants of the Rotterdam study were selected (440 participants with an abnormal glucose tolerance (AGT), 220 participants with type 2 diabetes and 254 subjects with pre-diabetes, and 595 subjects with a normal glucose tolerance (NGT). RESULTS 787 subjects were carriers of the wild type IGF-I genotype (73.6%) and 282 subjects were variant carriers (26.4%) of this IGF-I gene polymorphism. Compared to subjects with NGT the risk for microalbuminuria was higher (Odds Ratio (OR): 3.1 (95% CI: 1.2-7.7); P = 0.02) in variant carriers with AGT than in carriers of the wild type of this IGF-I gene polymorphism (OR: 2.2 (95% CI: 1.2-4.0); P = 0.009). Compared with wild type carriers with AGT, the relative risk for MA was unadjusted and non-significantly increased in variant carriers with AGT (1.6; 95% CI: 0.8-2.9). However, after adjustment for possible confounding factors (age, gender, mean blood pressure, fasting insulin, fasting glucose and smoking) this risk became significant (OR: RR 2.1; 95% CI:1.1-4.4; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS In subjects with AGT, a higher risk for MA was observed in variant carriers than in carriers of the wild type genotype of this IGF-I gene polymorphism. Since MA is primarily associated with cardiovascular disease in subjects with AGT, our study suggests that variant carriers have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease than carriers of the wild type when they develop an AGT.
Pain-enhancing mechanism through interaction between TRPV1 and anoctamin 1 in sensory neurons

Significance The capsaicin receptor transient receptor potential cation channel vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and anoctamin 1 (ANO1) work as receptors activated by noxious stimuli in sensory nerve endings. It is believed that activation of the two channels causes cation influx and anion efflux, respectively, both of which lead to depolarization. We show that ANO1 is activated by calcium ions entering neurons through TRPV1 activation based on their physical binding on the cell membrane. Indeed, both capsaicin-activated inward currents in sensory neurons and capsaicin-induced pain-related behaviors in mice were inhibited significantly by ANO1 blockade. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence for a mechanism by which interaction between TRPV1 and ANO1 functions as a pain-enhancing mechanism. The capsaicin receptor transient receptor potential cation channel vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) is activated by various noxious stimuli, and the stimuli are converted into electrical signals in primary sensory neurons. It is believed that cation influx through TRPV1 causes depolarization, leading to the activation of voltage-gated sodium channels, followed by the generation of action potential. Here we report that the capsaicin-evoked action potential could be induced by two components: a cation influx-mediated depolarization caused by TRPV1 activation and a subsequent anion efflux-mediated depolarization via activation of anoctamin 1 (ANO1), a calcium-activated chloride channel, resulting from the entry of calcium through TRPV1. The interaction between TRPV1 and ANO1 is based on their physical binding. Capsaicin activated the chloride currents in an extracellular calcium-dependent manner in HEK293T cells expressing TRPV1 and ANO1. Similarly, in mouse dorsal root ganglion neurons, capsaicin-activated inward currents were inhibited significantly by a specific ANO1 antagonist, T16Ainh-A01 (A01), in the presence of a high concentration of EGTA but not in the presence of BAPTA [1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N′,N′-tetraacetic acid]. The generation of a capsaicin-evoked action potential also was inhibited by A01. Furthermore, pain-related behaviors in mice treated with capsaicin, but not with αβ-methylene ATP, were reduced significantly by the concomitant administration of A01. These results indicate that TRPV1–ANO1 interaction is a significant pain-enhancing mechanism in the peripheral nervous system.
Clinical diaries in COPD: compliance and utility in predicting acute exacerbations

Background Daily diaries are often used to collect data on disease activity, but are burdensome and compliance may be poor. Their use in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and impact on the prevention and treatment of exacerbations is poorly researched. Methods We investigated diary-keeping in COPD and ascertained items that best predicted emergency attendances for exacerbations. Participants in the active limb of a clinical trial in COPD kept daily diaries rating breathlessness, cough, sputum, physical activity, and use of reliever medication. Results Data on 55 participants, 67% of whom were female, showed that overall compliance with diary-keeping was 62%. Participants educated to primary school level only had lower compliance (P = 0.05). Twenty patients had at least one emergency attendance, in whom the relative risk of an acute exacerbation for an increase in item score rose from six days prior to hospitalization, most sharply in the last two days. Even for optimal combinations of items, the positive predictive value was poor, the best combination being cough, activity level, and inhaler use. Conclusion Good compliance can be achieved using daily diaries in COPD, although this is worse in those with a poor educational level. Diary-keeping is not accurate in predicting acute exacerbations, but could be substantially simplified without loss of efficiency.