Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Radiographic and scintigraphic evaluation of spondylosis in the equine thoracolumbar spine: a retrospective study.

REASONS FOR PERFORMING STUDY Clinical, radiographic and scintigraphic signs associated with spondylosis of the equine thoracolumbar spine have been poorly documented. OBJECTIVES To establish an objective radiographic and scintigraphic grading system for spondylosis lesions; to estimate the prevalence of spondylosis in a population of horses with back pain; and to compare the results of radiography and scintigraphy. METHODS Radiographic images of the thoracolumbar spine from 670 horses with clinical signs of back pain were graded. Scintigraphic images from horses with spondylosis lesions underwent subjective and objective analysis. Sensitivity and specificity of scintigraphy for detection of spondylosis relative to radiography for identification of spondylosis were calculated, and Chi-squared analysis was performed to test for an association between location and severity of lesions. RESULTS Twenty-three of 670 horses (3.4%) with back pain had radiographic evidence of spondylosis. Of these horses, 14 (61%) had more than one lesion and 44% (n=22) of lesions occurred between T11-T13 vertebral bodies. Only 33% (n=28) of locations with radiographic changes had increased radiopharmaceutical uptake. CONCLUSION Spondylosis occurs at a low prevalence in horses with back pain. It may be present alone or in association with other osseous abnormalities. The clinical significance of spondylosis needs further investigation. POTENTIAL RELEVANCE Spondylosis is uncommon but may be a contributor to back pain in the horse.
Compact Labeling Scheme for Ancestor Queries

We consider the following problem. Given a rooted tree $T$, label the nodes of $T$ in the most compact way such that, given the labels of two nodes $u$ and $v$, one can determine in constant time, by looking only at the labels, whether $u$ is ancestor of $v$. The best known labeling scheme is rather straightforward and uses labels of length at most $2\log_2 n$ bits each, where $n$ is the number of nodes in the tree. Our main result in this paper is a labeling scheme with maximum label length $\log_2 n + \Oh(\sqrt{\log n})$. Our motivation for studying this problem is enhancing the performance of web search engines. In the context of this application each indexed document is a tree, and the labels of all trees are maintained in main memory. Therefore even small improvements in the maximum label length are important.
Experimentally augmenting an intelligent tutoring system with human-supplied capabilities: adding human-provided emotional scaffolding to an automated reading tutor that listens

We present the first statistically reliable empirical evidence from a controlled study for the effect of human-provided emotional scaffolding on student persistence in an intelligent tutoring system. We describe an experiment that added human-provided emotional scaffolding to an automated Reading Tutor that listens, and discuss the methodology we developed to conduct this experiment. Each student participated in one (experimental) session with emotional scaffolding, and in one (control) session without emotional scaffolding, counterbalanced by order of session. Each session was divided into several portions. After each portion of the session was completed, the Reading Tutor gave the student a choice: continue, or quit. We measured persistence as the number of portions the student completed. Human-provided emotional scaffolding added to the automated Reading Tutor resulted in increased student persistence, compared to the Reading Tutor alone. Increased persistence means increased time on task, which ought lead to improved learning. If these results for reading turn out to hold for other domains too, the implication for intelligent tutoring systems is that they should respond with not just cognitive support-but emotional scaffolding as well. Furthermore, the general technique of adding human-supplied capabilities to an existing intelligent tutoring system should prove useful for studying other ITSs too.
Memetic algorithms with multi-local-search for resource allocation in multiuser OFDM based Cognitive Radio systems

Cognitive radio (CR) is a novel concept for improving spectrum utilization in wireless communication systems by permitting secondary (unlicensed) users to access those frequency bands which are not currently being used by primary (licensed) users. A CR user has the ability to change its transmit parameters rapidly according to the environment it senses. Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) modulation is a good candidate for CR systems due to its flexibility in allocating resources among secondary users. In this paper, the design of a fast and efficient method for dynamically allocating subcarriers, transmit powers and bits to secondary users in a multiuser (MU) OFDM-based CR system is considered. A memetic algorithm (MA) combined with multi-local-search methods (MLS-MA) is proposed and shown to provide an improved performance over previously reported algorithms.
Neuroprotective Effect of Xueshuantong for Injection (Lyophilized) in Transient and Permanent Rat Cerebral Ischemia Model

Xueshuantong for Injection (Lyophilized) (XST), a Chinese Materia Medica standardized product extracted from Panax notoginseng (Burk.), is used extensively for the treatment of cerebrovascular diseases such as acutely cerebral infarction clinically in China. In the present study, we evaluated the acute and extended protective effects of XST in different rat cerebral ischemic model and explored its effect on peroxiredoxin (Prx) 6-toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 signaling pathway. We found that XST treatment for 3 days could significantly inhibit transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) induced infarct volume and swelling percent and regulate the mRNA expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), IL-17, IL-23p19, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in brain. Further study demonstrated that treatment with XST suppressed the protein expression of peroxiredoxin (Prx) 6-toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 and phosphorylation level of p38 and upregulated the phosphorylation level of STAT3. In permanent MCAO rats, XST could reduce the infarct volume and swelling percent. Moreover, our results revealed that XST treatment could increase the rats' weight and improve a batch of functional outcomes. In conclusion, the present data suggested that XST could protect against ischemia injury in transient and permanent MCAO rats, which might be related to Prx6-TLR4 pathway.
Direct Angiotensin II Type 2 Receptor Stimulation Ameliorates Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetes Mice with PPARγ Activation

Objectives The role of angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) receptor stimulation in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance is still unclear. Therefore we examined the possibility that direct AT2 receptor stimulation by compound 21 (C21) might contribute to possible insulin-sensitizing/anti-diabetic effects in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) with PPARγ activation, mainly focusing on adipose tissue. Methods T2DM mice, KK-Ay, were subjected to intraperitoneal injection of C21 and/or a PPARγ antagonist, GW9662 in drinking water for 2 weeks. Insulin resistance was evaluated by oral glucose tolerance test, insulin tolerance test, and uptake of 2-[3H] deoxy-D-glucose in white adipose tissue. Morphological changes of adipose tissues as well as adipocyte differentiation and inflammatory response were examined. Results Treatment with C21 ameliorated insulin resistance in KK-Ay mice without influencing blood pressure, at least partially through effects on the PPARγ pathway. C21 treatment increased serum adiponectin concentration and decreased TNF-α concentration; however, these effects were attenuated by PPARγ blockade by co-treatment with GW9662. Moreover, we observed that administration of C21 enhanced adipocyte differentiation and PPARγ DNA-binding activity, with a decrease in inflammation in white adipose tissue, whereas these effects of C21 were attenuated by co-treatment with GW9662. We also observed that administration of C21 restored β cell damage in diabetic pancreatic tissue. Conclusion The present study demonstrated that direct AT2 receptor stimulation by C21 accompanied with PPARγ activation ameliorated insulin resistance in T2DM mice, at least partially due to improvement of adipocyte dysfunction and protection of pancreatic β cells.
Narrow band imaging to differentiate neoplastic and non-neoplastic colorectal polyps in real time: a meta-analysis of diagnostic operating characteristics

Purpose Many studies have reported on the use of narrow band imaging (NBI) colonoscopy to differentiate neoplastic from non-neoplastic colorectal polyps. It has potential to replace pathological diagnosis of diminutive polyps. We aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis on the real-time diagnostic operating characteristics of NBI colonoscopy. Methods We searched PubMed, SCOPUS and Cochrane databases and abstracts. We used a two-level bivariate meta-analysis following a random effects model to summarise the data and fit hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristic (HSROC) curves. The area under the HSROC curve serves as an indicator of the diagnostic test strength. We calculated summary sensitivity, specificity and negative predictive value (NPV). We assessed agreement of surveillance interval recommendations based on endoscopic diagnosis compared to pathology. Results For NBI diagnosis of colorectal polyps, the area under the HSROC curve was 0.92 (95% CI 0.90 to 0.94), based on 28 studies involving 6280 polyps in 4053 patients. The overall sensitivity was 91.0% (95% CI 87.6% to 93.5%) and specificity was 82.6% (95% CI 79.0% to 85.7%). In eight studies (n=2146 polyps) that used high-confidence diagnostic predictions, sensitivity was 93.8% and specificity was 83.3%. The NPVs exceeded 90% when 60% or less of all polyps were neoplastic. Surveillance intervals based on endoscopic diagnosis agreed with those based on pathology in 92.6% of patients (95% CI 87.9% to 96.3%). Conclusions NBI diagnosis of colorectal polyps is highly accurate—the area under the HSROC curve exceeds 0.90. High-confidence predictions provide >90% sensitivity and NPV. It shows high potential for real-time endoscopic diagnosis.
Sparse Stabilization and Control of the Cucker-Smale Model

From a mathematical point of view self-organization can be described as patterns to which certain dynamical systems modeling social dynamics tend spontaneously to be attracted. In this paper we explore situations beyond self-organization, in particular how to externally control such dynamical systems in order to eventually enforce pattern formation also in those situations where this wished phenomenon does not result from spontaneous convergence. Our focus is on dynamical systems of Cucker-Smale type, modeling consensus emergence, and we question the existence of stabilization and optimal control strategies which require the minimal amount of external intervention for nevertheless inducing consensus in a group of interacting agents. First we follow a greedy approach, by designing instantaneous feedback controls with two dierent sparsity properties: componentwise sparsity, meaning that the controls have at most one nonzero component at every instant of time and their implementation is based on a variational criterion involving ‘1-norm penalization terms; time sparsity, meaning that the number of switchings is bounded on every compact interval of time, and such controls are realized by means of a sample-and-hold procedure. Controls sharing these two sparsity features are very realistic and convenient for practical issues. Moreover we show that among the controls built out of the mentioned variational principle, the maximally sparse ones are instantaneously optimal in terms of the decay rate of a suitably designed Lyapunov functional, measuring the distance from consensus. As a consequence we provide a mathematical justication to the general principle according to which \sparse is better" in the sense that a policy maker, who is not allowed to predict future developments, should always consider more favorable to intervene with stronger action on the fewest possible instantaneous optimal leaders rather than trying to control more agents with minor strength in order to achieve group consensus. We then establish local and global sparse controllability properties to consensus. Finally, we analyze the sparsity of solutions of the nite time optimal control problem where the minimization criterion is a combination of the distance from consensus and of the ‘1-norm of the control. Such an optimization models the situation where the policy maker is actually allowed to observe future developments. We show that the lacunarity of sparsity is related to the codimension of certain manifolds in the space of cotangent vectors.
An Extensive Network of Information Flow through the B1b/c Intersubunit Bridge of the Yeast Ribosome

Yeast ribosomal proteins L11 and S18 form a dynamic intersubunit interaction called the B1b/c bridge. Recent high resolution images of the ribosome have enabled targeting of specific residues in this bridge to address how distantly separated regions within the large and small subunits of the ribosome communicate with each other. Mutations were generated in the L11 side of the B1b/c bridge with a particular focus on disrupting the opposing charge motifs that have previously been proposed to be involved in subunit ratcheting. Mutants had wide-ranging effects on cellular viability and translational fidelity, with the most pronounced phenotypes corresponding to amino acid changes resulting in alterations of local charge properties. Chemical protection studies of selected mutants revealed rRNA structural changes in both the large and small subunits. In the large subunit rRNA, structural changes mapped to Helices 39, 80, 82, 83, 84, and the peptidyltransferase center. In the small subunit rRNA, structural changes were identified in helices 30 and 42, located between S18 and the decoding center. The rRNA structural changes correlated with charge-specific alterations to the L11 side of the B1b/c bridge. These analyses underscore the importance of the opposing charge mechanism in mediating B1b/c bridge interactions and suggest an extensive network of information exchange between distinct regions of the large and small subunits.
Comparison of a novel non‐contact biomotion sensor with wrist actigraphy in estimating sleep quality in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea

Ambulatory monitoring is of major clinical interest in the diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. We compared a novel non‐contact biomotion sensor, which provides an estimate of both sleep time and sleep‐disordered breathing, with wrist actigraphy in the assessment of total sleep time in adult humans suspected of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Both systems were simultaneously evaluated against polysomnography in 103 patients undergoing assessment for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in a hospital‐based sleep laboratory (84 male, aged 55 ± 14 years and apnoea–hypopnoea index 21 ± 23). The biomotion sensor demonstrated similar accuracy to wrist actigraphy for sleep/wake determination (77.3%: biomotion; 76.5%: actigraphy), and the biomotion sensor demonstrated higher specificity (52%: biomotion; 34%: actigraphy) and lower sensitivity (86%: biomotion; 94%: actigraphy). Notably, total sleep time estimation by the biomotion sensor was superior to actigraphy (average overestimate of 10 versus 57 min), especially at a higher apnoea–hypopnoea index. In post hoc analyses, we assessed the improved apnoea–hypopnoea index accuracy gained by combining respiratory measurements from polysomnography for total recording time (equivalent to respiratory polygraphy) with total sleep time derived from actigraphy or the biomotion sensor. Here, the number of misclassifications of obstructive sleep apnoea severity compared with full polysomnography was reduced from 10/103 (for total respiratory recording time alone) to 7/103 and 4/103 (for actigraphy and biomotion sensor total sleep time estimate, respectively). We conclude that the biomotion sensor provides a viable alternative to actigraphy for sleep estimation in the assessment of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. As a non‐contact device, it is suited to longitudinal assessment of sleep, which could also be combined with polygraphy in ambulatory studies.
Dendritic Cell-Like Cells Accumulate in Regenerating Murine Skeletal Muscle after Injury and Boost Adaptive Immune Responses Only upon a Microbial Challenge

Skeletal muscle injury causes a local sterile inflammatory response. In parallel, a state of immunosuppression develops distal to the site of tissue damage. Granulocytes and monocytes that are rapidly recruited to the site of injury contribute to tissue regeneration. In this study we used a mouse model of traumatic skeletal muscle injury to investigate the previously unknown role of dendritic cells (DCs) that accumulate in injured tissue. We injected the model antigen ovalbumin (OVA) into the skeletal muscle of injured or sham-treated mice to address the ability of these DCs in antigen uptake, migration, and specific T cell activation in the draining popliteal lymph node (pLN). Immature DC-like cells appeared in the skeletal muscle by 4 days after injury and subsequently acquired a mature phenotype, as indicated by increased expression of the costimulatory molecules CD40 and CD86. After the injection of OVA into the muscle, OVA-loaded DCs migrated into the pLN. The migration of DC-like cells from the injured muscle was enhanced in the presence of the microbial stimulus lipopolysaccharide at the site of antigen uptake and triggered an increased OVA-specific T helper cell type 1 (Th1) response in the pLN. Naïve OVA-loaded DCs were superior in Th1-like priming in the pLN when adoptively transferred into the skeletal muscle of injured mice, a finding indicating the relevance of the microenvironment in the regenerating skeletal muscle for increased Th1-like priming. These findings suggest that DC-like cells that accumulate in the regenerating muscle initiate a protective immune response upon microbial challenge and thereby overcome injury-induced immunosuppression.
Observer influences on pain: an experimental series examining same-sex and opposite-sex friends, strangers, and romantic partners

Abstract Despite the well-documented sex and gender differences, little is known about the relative impact of male–female social interactions on pain. Three experiments were conducted to investigate whether the type of interpersonal relationship men and women have with an observer affects how they respond to experimental pain. Study 1 recruited friends and strangers, study 2 examined the effects of same- and opposite-sex friends, whereas study 3 investigated the differences between opposite-sex friends and opposite-sex romantic partners. One hundred forty-four dyads were recruited (48 in each study). One person from each dyad completed 2 pain tasks, whereas the other person observed in silence. Overall, the presence of another person resulted in an increase in pain threshold and tolerance on the cold-pressor task and algometer. The sex status of the dyads also had a role, but only within the friendship groups. In particular, male friends had the most pronounced effect on men's pain, increasing pain tolerance. We suggest that the presence of an observer, their sex, and the nature of the participant–observer relationship all influence how pain is reported. Further research should focus on dyadic relationships, and their influence on how men and women report and communicate pain in specific contexts.
Wireless secret key sharing based on the use of a Variable-Directional Antenna over multipath channels

It has been proposed recently an approach to generate secret key exploiting reactance-domain scalar response of multipath fading channel. However, the security of the shared key has not been adequately investigated. In this paper we propose a mathematical model of the key distribution protocol based on the use of a Variable-Directional Antenna (VDA) acting on multipath wireless channels. The security of the key distribution protocol (KDP) is estimated in terms of Shannon's information leaking to an eavesdropper. Statistical properties of VDA are investigated by simulation that results in an opportunity to calculate the security of the KDP depending on the mutual locations of the legal user and the eavesdropper. Antenna diversity is considered as a measure to enhance a level of the KDP security.
An Optimization Approach for Radiosurgery Treatment Planning

We outline a new approach for radiosurgery treatment planning, based on solving a series of optimization problems. We consider a specific treatment planning problem for a specialized device known as the gamma knife, which provides an advanced stereotactic approach to the treatment of tumors, vascular malformations, and pain disorders within the head. The sequence of optimization problems involves nonlinear and mixed integer programs whose solution is required in a given planning time (typically less than 30 minutes). This paper outlines several modeling decisions that result in more efficient and robust solutions. Furthermore, it outlines a new approach for determining starting points for the nonlinear programs, based on a skeletonization of the target volume. Treatment plans generated for real patient data show the efficiency of the approach.
An Integrated Framework of Mobile Apps Usage Intention

Over the past decade, mobile devices such as cellular phones and tablet computers have become an essential part of our lives. Mobile devices outsold personal computers for the first time in 2011 and users spend more time with mobile apps than the Internet. Although mobile apps are growing popularity, a number of questions remain to be addressed concerning the usage of mobile apps: What factors contribute to mobile apps usage intentions and how personal traits impact the actual mobile apps usage? This paper classified mobile apps usage motivations into extrinsic, intrinsic and social motives according to user’s variety of personal use of mobile apps. Based on literature review, mobile apps users’ intrinsic motives (i.e., flow theory), extrinsic motives (i.e., perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use) and social motives (i.e., social influences) should impact on usage intentions. This study, applying the technology readiness (TR) concept as personal consumer traits, investigates how the four TR constructs (i.e., innovativeness, optimism, discomfort and insecurity) affect the actual usage intensity of mobile apps. This study further proposes the moderating effect of innovativeness on the relationship between extrinsic motives and mobile apps usage intentions.
Private Searching on Streaming Data Based on Keyword Frequency

Private searching on streaming data is a process to dispatch to a public server a program, which searches streaming sources of data without revealing searching criteria and then sends back a buffer containing the findings. From an Abelian group homomorphic encryption, the searching criteria can be constructed by only simple combinations of keywords, for example, disjunction of keywords. The recent breakthrough in fully homomorphic encryption has allowed us to construct arbitrary searching criteria theoretically. In this paper, we consider a new private query, which searches for documents from streaming data on the basis of keyword frequency, such that the frequency of a keyword is required to be higher or lower than a given threshold. This form of query can help us in finding more relevant documents. Based on the state of the art fully homomorphic encryption techniques, we give disjunctive, conjunctive, and complement constructions for private threshold queries based on keyword frequency. Combining the basic constructions, we further present a generic construction for arbitrary private threshold queries based on keyword frequency. Our protocols are semantically secure as long as the underlying fully homomorphic encryption scheme is semantically secure.