Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plantar Pressure Distribution Among Asymptomatic Individuals

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to establish normative data on pressure distribution under the feet (plantar pressure) in standing using a free-mapping device and to find out the association of arch type to that of the plantar pressures. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among 628 participants aged between 6 and 81 years with no known foot problems or other ailments such as type 2 diabetes or neuropathy, which are known to have an impact on plantar pressures. Plantar pressure measurements were quantitatively recorded using a baropodometric platform (i-Step). Results: In both males and females of the specified age-group, metatarsal heads were overloaded in terms of magnitude. Increased overload noted in the static plantar pressure measurement is associated with type of the foot arch and gender. A statistically significant relationship between the pressures of left and right feet, pressures under 2 different areas of foot (forefoot and heel), and the average pressures of both feet was also observed. Conclusion: These data could be used to establish age-based normative plantar pressures in the Indian population and provide a basis to assess feet with planus and cavus deformities. Level of Evidence: Diagnostic, Level IV
Simian Rotaviruses Possess Divergent Gene Constellations That Originated from Interspecies Transmission and Reassortment

ABSTRACT Although few simian rotaviruses (RVs) have been isolated, such strains have been important for basic research and vaccine development. To explore the origins of simian RVs, the complete genome sequences of strains PTRV (G8P[1]), RRV (G3P[3]), and TUCH (G3P[24]) were determined. These data allowed the genotype constellations of each virus to be determined and the phylogenetic relationships of the simian strains with each other and with nonsimian RVs to be elucidated. The results indicate that PTRV was likely transmitted from a bovine or other ruminant into pig-tailed macaques (its host of origin), since its genes have genotypes and encode outer-capsid proteins similar to those of bovine RVs. In contrast, most of the genes of rhesus-macaque strains, RRV and TUCH, have genotypes more typical of canine-feline RVs. However, the sequences of the canine and/or feline (canine/feline)-like genes of RRV and TUCH are only distantly related to those of modern canine/feline RVs, indicating that any potential transmission of a progenitor of these viruses from a canine/feline host to a simian host was not recent. The remaining genes of RRV and TUCH appear to have originated through reassortment with bovine, human, or other RV strains. Finally, comparison of PTRV, RRV, and TUCH genes with those of the vervet-monkey RV SA11-H96 (G3P[2]) indicates that SA11-H96 shares little genetic similarity to other simian strains and likely has evolved independently. Collectively, our data indicate that simian RVs are of diverse ancestry with genome constellations that originated largely by interspecies transmission and reassortment with nonhuman animal RVs.
Recombinant Modified Vaccinia Virus Ankara Generating Excess Early Double-Stranded RNA Transiently Activates Protein Kinase R and Triggers Enhanced Innate Immune Responses

ABSTRACT Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) is an important molecular pattern associated with viral infection and is detected by various extra- and intracellular recognition molecules. Poxviruses have evolved to avoid producing dsRNA early in infection but generate significant amounts of dsRNA late in infection due to convergent transcription of late genes. Protein kinase R (PKR) is activated by dsRNA and triggers major cellular defenses against viral infection, including protein synthesis shutdown, apoptosis, and type I interferon (IFN-I) production. The poxviral E3 protein binds and sequesters viral dsRNA and is a major antagonist of the PKR pathway. We found that the highly replication-restricted modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) engineered to produce excess amounts of dsRNA early in infection showed enhanced induction of IFN-β in murine and human cells in the presence of an intact E3L gene. IFN-β induction required a minimum overlap length of 300 bp between early complementary transcripts and was strongly PKR dependent. Excess early dsRNA produced by MVA activated PKR early but transiently in murine cells and induced enhanced systemic levels of IFN-α, IFN-γ, and other cytokines and chemokines in mice in a largely PKR-dependent manner. Replication-competent chorioallantois vaccinia virus Ankara (CVA) generating excess early dsRNA also enhanced IFN-I production and was apathogenic in mice even at very high doses but showed no in vitro host range defect. Thus, genetically adjuvanting MVA and CVA to generate excess early dsRNA is an effective method to enhance innate immune stimulation by orthopoxvirus vectors and to attenuate replicating vaccinia virus in vivo. IMPORTANCE Efficient cellular sensing of pathogen-specific components, including double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), is an important prerequisite of an effective antiviral immune response. The prototype poxvirus vaccinia virus (VACV) and its derivative modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) produce dsRNA as a by-product of viral transcription. We found that inhibition of cellular dsRNA recognition established by the virus-encoded proteins E3 and K3 can be overcome by directing viral overexpression of dsRNA early in infection without compromising replication of MVA in permissive cells. Early dsRNA induced transient activation of the cellular dsRNA sensor protein kinase R (PKR), resulting in enhanced production of interferons and cytokines in cells and mice. Enhancing the capacity of MVA to activate the innate immune system is an important approach to further improve the immunogenicity of this promising vaccine vector.
Sagittal diameter of the lumbosacral spinal canal in normal (asymptomatic) adult Sudanese population 2014

Background: Although spinal stenosis has been recognized for many years as a clinical diagnosis, it has yet to be exactly defined and agreed upon. This lack of definition leads to difficulties in comparing and interpreting studies of prevalence, incidence and treatment. This could in part be to difference in spinal canal dimensions that exist between population groups. This is essential for the rational design and development of spinal implants and instrumentation such as pedicle screws and, in particular, with the evolution towards robotic surgery. Objectives: This study aims to determine the normal Anteroposterior diameter of the spinal canal in lumbosacral region among the adult Sudanese population using the MRI and to determine whether there are any differences related to age, sex and race regarding this diameter. Material and Method: The study was descriptive cross-sectional analytical study. MRI measurements were performed in Ribat Teaching Hospital for 142 normal Sudanese subjects to study the lumbosacral region. The data was collected through check list, analyzed by SPSS. Results: The majority of the participants were male (57%), young between 20and 28 years of age with mean height 168cm and mean weight 66 kilogram. The results showed that the longest mean AP diameter was at L1 (17.5±2.0mm) in male while (18.1±2.7) in female. The shortest mean AP diameter was at S1 (15.9±3.2mm) in male and (15.4±3.2) in female. The AP diameter gradually decreased from L1 to S1.there is no significant difference between both sexes. There is significant difference between people live in different zones. There is association between age, height and weight and the AP canal diameter.
Xilinx FPGA implementation of an image classifier for object detection applications

This paper describes an FPGA and distributed RAM architecture for an image classifier, implementing object classification stages of an object detection system. The system offers significant performance increase over current programmable DSP-based implementations. The paper shows that the considerable performance improvement using the FPGA solution results from the availability of high I/O resources and pipelined architecture. It also illustrates the suitability of an FPGA solution for tasks (such as real-time video processing) that have a large data throughput and require complex algorithmic manipulations. The system has been implemented using the RC1000-PP Virtex FPGA-based development platform and Handel-C hardware description language.
Bispecific Antibodies Targeting Different Epitopes on the HIV-1 Envelope Exhibit Broad and Potent Neutralization

ABSTRACT The potency and breadth of the recently isolated neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies to HIV-1 have stimulated interest in their use to prevent or to treat HIV-1 infection. Due to the antigenically diverse nature of the HIV-1 envelope (Env), no single antibody is highly active against all viral strains. While the physical combination of two broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) can improve coverage against the majority of viruses, the clinical-grade manufacturing and testing of two independent antibody products are time and resource intensive. In this study, we constructed bispecific immunoglobulins (IgGs) composed of independent antigen-binding fragments with a common Fc region. We developed four different bispecific IgG variants that included antibodies targeting four major sites of HIV-1 neutralization. We show that these bispecific IgGs display features of both antibody specificities and, in some cases, display improved coverage over the individual parental antibodies. All four bispecific IgGs neutralized 94% to 97% of antigenically diverse viruses in a panel of 206 HIV-1 strains. Among the bispecific IgGs tested, VRC07 × PG9-16 displayed the most favorable neutralization profile. It was superior in breadth to either of the individual antibodies, neutralizing 97% of viruses with a median 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 0.055 μg/ml. This bispecific IgG also demonstrated in vivo pharmacokinetic parameters comparable to those of the parental bNAbs when administered to rhesus macaques. These results suggest that IgG-based bispecific antibodies are promising candidates for the prevention and treatment of HIV-1 infection in humans. IMPORTANCE To prevent or treat HIV-1 infection, antibodies must potently neutralize nearly all strains of HIV-1. Thus, the physical combination of two or more antibodies may be needed to broaden neutralization coverage and diminish the possibility of viral resistance. A bispecific antibody that has two different antibody binding arms could potentially display neutralization characteristics better than those of any single parental antibody. Here we show that bispecific antibodies contain the binding specificities of the two parental antibodies and that a single bispecific antibody can neutralize 97% of viral strains with a high overall potency. These findings support the use of bispecific antibodies for the prevention or treatment of HIV-1 infection.
The Use of Poller Screws for Metaphyseal Tibia and Femur Fractures Treated With Small-Diameter Intramedullary Nails

Summary The intramedullary nailing of metaphyseal fractures is associated with an increased incidence of deformities, which can result from instability after fracture fixation. Poller screws or blocking screws, placed adjacent to an intramedullary nail, block transverse nail translation and enhance the stability of the bone-implant construct. The purpose of this article is to describe the clinical use of blocking screws in supplementing metaphyseal tibia and femur fractures stabilized with a small-diameter, statically interlocked intramedullary nail.
The prevalence of mistreatment among the elderly with mental disorders in primary health care settings

Elder mistreatment is a widespread medical and social problem that is often under‐recognised by primary care physicians. The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of elder mistreatment among elderly patients with mental disorders in Bosnia and Herzegovina. One‐hundred‐and‐eighty‐four patients with different mental disorders were asked to complete the EAST questionnaire as part of a comprehensive geriatric assessment. Screening results were evaluated, and patients who had responses associated with ‘mistreatment’ were invited back to the clinics for additional clinical evaluation. Different types of mistreatment were identified in 71% of all patients. This led to a conclusion that screening for elder mistreatment should be a part of the routine health assessment for all older persons and a part of comprehensive geriatric assessment.
Herpesvirus Evasion of Natural Killer Cells

ABSTRACT Natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in the host response against viral infections and cancer development. They are able to kill virus-infected and tumor cells, and they produce different important cytokines that stimulate the antiviral and antitumor adaptive immune response, particularly interferon gamma. NK cells are of particular importance in herpesvirus infections, which is illustrated by systemic and life-threatening herpesvirus disease symptoms in patients with deficiencies in NK cell activity and by the myriad of reports describing herpesvirus NK cell evasion strategies. The latter is particularly obvious for cytomegaloviruses, but increasing evidence indicates that most, if not all, members of the herpesvirus family suppress NK cell activity to some extent. This review discusses the different NK cell evasion strategies described for herpesviruses and how this knowledge may translate to clinical applications.
Searching for Spectrum Holes: A 400–800 MHz Spectrum Sensing System

A 400-800 MHz spectrum sensing system is designed and implemented using 0.18-μm CMOS technology for cognitive radios in the UHF TV band. Based on envelope detection, the system employs a down converter, a digitally controlled oscillator, a low-pass filter (LPF), a rectifier, a comparator, and a digital control unit to realize spectrum sensing with 10-bit frequency representation. With variable-gain function of the LPF, signal strength can be measured and presented with a 5-bit signal strength index.
Use of a Long-acting Inhaled β2-Adrenergic Agonist, Salmeterol Xinafoate, in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a condition in which continuous bronchodilation may have clinical advantages. This study evaluated salmeterol, a β -agonist bronchodilator with a duration of action substantially longer than that of short-acting β -agonists, compared with ipratropium, an anticholinergic bronchodilator, and placebo in patients with COPD. Four hundred and five patients with COPD received either salmeterol 42 μ g twice daily, ipratropium bromide 36 μ g four times daily, or placebo for 12 wk in this randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study. Patients were stratified on the basis of bronchodilator response to albuterol ( > 12% and > 200-ml improvement) and were randomized within each stratum. Bronchodilator response was measured over 12 h four times during the treatment period. Salmeterol provided similar maximal bronchodilatation to ipratropium but had a longer duration of action and a more constant bronchodilatory effect with no evidence of bronchodilator tolerance. Both a.
High-Density and High-Reliability Nonvolatile Field-Programmable Gate Array With Stacked 1D2R RRAM Array

The huge area overhead of the interconnect is one of the critical issues in static random access memory (SRAM)-based field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), resulting in high power consumption and slow operation speed. Another critical issue is the volatile feature of the SRAM, which leads to high standby leakage current and long power-ON time. Resistive random access memory (RRAM) with a high resistance ratio and zero standby power possesses great potential in the FPGA applications. The conventional RRAM-based nonvolatile FPGAs (NVFPGAs) may use one-transistor 2-RRAM (1T2R) storage element to replace the SRAM or the one RRAM (1R) cell to replace both nMOS switch and SRAM. However, those NVFPGA schemes may suffer from the issues of low reliability, high configuration power, and high active leakage power. In this paper, we propose a novel element [one-diode two-RRAM (1D2R) cells] to replace the nMOS switch and 6 Transistors (6T) SRAM. Meanwhile, the novel block structures of the logic block, connection block, switch block, and the FPGA architecture based on the 1D2R element are proposed. Compared with the conventional 1T2R-based NVFPGA, our novel structure could improve the operation speed by 53% with a 40.5% lower operation power. Compared with the conventional 1R-based NVFPGA, the proposed scheme could greatly reduce the write error rate by eight orders with more than 20 times lower write power.
No Increase in Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)-Specific CD8+ T Cells in Patients with HIV-1-HBV Coinfections following HBV-Active Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

ABSTRACT Following treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) monoinfection, HBV-specific T-cell responses increase significantly; however, little is known about the recovery of HBV-specific T-cell responses following HBV-active highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in HIV-HBV coinfected patients. HIV-HBV coinfected patients who were treatment naïve and initiating HBV-active HAART were recruited as part of a prospective cohort study in Thailand and followed for 48 weeks (n = 24). Production of gamma interferon (IFN-γ) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) in both HBV- and HIV-specific CD8+ T cells was quantified using intracellular cytokine staining on whole blood. Following HBV-active HAART, the median (interquartile range) log decline from week 0 to week 48 for HBV DNA was 5.8 log (range, 3.4 to 6.7) IU/ml, and for HIV RNA it was 3.1 (range, 2.9 to 3.5) log copies/ml (P < 0.001 for both). The frequency of HIV Gag-specific CD8+ T-cell responses significantly decreased (IFN-γ, P < 0.001; TNF-α, P = 0.05). In contrast, there was no significant change in the frequency (IFN-γ, P = 0.21; TNF-α, P = 0.61; and IFN-γ and TNF-α, P = 0.11) or magnitude (IFN-γ, P = 0.13; TNF-α, P = 0.13; and IFN-γ and TNF-α, P = 0.13) of HBV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses over 48 weeks of HBV-active HAART. Of the 14 individuals who were HBV e antigen (HBeAg) positive, 5/14 (36%) lost HBeAg during the 48 weeks of follow-up. HBV-specific CD8+ T cells were detected in 4/5 (80%) of patients prior to HBeAg loss. Results from this study show no sustained change in the HBV-specific CD8+ T-cell response following HBV-active HAART. These findings may have implications for the duration of treatment of HBV in HIV-HBV coinfected patients, particularly in HBeAg-positive disease.
Distinct Mechanisms Regulate Exposure of Neutralizing Epitopes in the V2 and V3 Loops of HIV-1 Envelope

ABSTRACT Broadly neutralizing antibodies targeting the HIV-1 envelope (Env) are key components for protection against HIV-1. However, many cross-reactive epitopes are often occluded. This study investigates the mechanisms contributing to the masking of V2i (variable loop V2 integrin) epitopes compared to the accessibility of V3 epitopes. V2i are conformation-dependent epitopes encompassing the integrin α4β7-binding motif on the V1V2 loop of HIV-1 Env gp120. The V2i monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) display extensive cross-reactivity with gp120 monomers from many subtypes but neutralize only few viruses, indicating V2i's cryptic nature. First, we asked whether CD4-induced Env conformational changes affect V2i epitopes similarly to V3. CD4 treatment of BaL and JRFL pseudoviruses increased their neutralization sensitivity to V3 MAbs but not to the V2i MAbs. Second, the contribution of N-glycans in masking V2i versus V3 epitopes was evaluated by testing the neutralization of pseudoviruses produced in the presence of a glycosidase inhibitor, kifunensine. Viruses grown in kifunensine were more sensitive to neutralization by V3 but not V2i MAbs. Finally, we evaluated the time-dependent dynamics of the V2i and V3 epitopes. Extending the time of virus-MAb interaction to 18 h before adding target cells increased virus neutralization by some V2i MAbs and all V3 MAbs tested. Consistent with this, V2i MAb binding to Env on the surface of transfected cells also increased in a time-dependent manner. Hence, V2i and V3 epitopes are highly dynamic, but distinct factors modulate the antibody accessibility of these epitopes. The study reveals the importance of the structural dynamics of V2i and V3 epitopes in determining HIV-1 neutralization by antibodies targeting these sites. IMPORTANCE Conserved neutralizing epitopes are present in the V1V2 and V3 regions of HIV-1 Env, but these epitopes are often occluded from Abs. This study reveals that distinct mechanisms contribute to the masking of V3 epitopes and V2i epitopes in the V1V2 domain. Importantly, V3 MAbs and some V2i MAbs display greater neutralization against relatively resistant HIV-1 isolates when the MAbs interact with the virus for a prolonged period of time. Given their highly immunogenic nature, V3 and V2i epitopes are valuable targets that would augment the efficacy of HIV vaccines.
Allied Health and Nursing Academic Programs at New Jersey county colleges: Holistic Health and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Content

Rising public interest in and use of holistic health (HH) practices and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has created a need for health care providers to become knowledgeable in these areas. HH/CAM content is increasingly included in curricula of professional health education, a trend less clear in associate, certificate, and diploma programs of 2-year colleges. A survey of directors and coordinators of allied health and nursing programs at New Jersey county colleges was conducted to determine curricular presence of HH/CAM and program constituency awareness of institutionally accessible HH/CAM information resources. Results indicated: rising interest in HH/CAM instruction; multiple forces influencing HH/CAM inclusion; HH/CAM strengthening programs; and uncertainty regarding knowledge of and perceived use of library HH/CAM resources. By including HH/CAM, New Jersey's allied health and nursing programs are progressively aligned with consumer use, and trends of professional health schools.
Fault Tolerant Parallel FFTs Using Error Correction Codes and Parseval Checks

Soft errors pose a reliability threat to modern electronic circuits. This makes protection against soft errors a requirement for many applications. Communications and signal processing systems are no exceptions to this trend. For some applications, an interesting option is to use algorithmic-based fault tolerance (ABFT) techniques that try to exploit the algorithmic properties to detect and correct errors. Signal processing and communication applications are well suited for ABFT. One example is fast Fourier transforms (FFTs) that are a key building block in many systems. Several protection schemes have been proposed to detect and correct errors in FFTs. Among those, probably the use of the Parseval or sum of squares check is the most widely known. In modern communication systems, it is increasingly common to find several blocks operating in parallel. Recently, a technique that exploits this fact to implement fault tolerance on parallel filters has been proposed. In this brief, this technique is first applied to protect FFTs. Then, two improved protection schemes that combine the use of error correction codes and Parseval checks are proposed and evaluated. The results show that the proposed schemes can further reduce the implementation cost of protection.