Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imaging Parameters and Recurrent Cerebrovascular Events in Patients With Minor Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack.

IMPORTANCE Neurological worsening and recurrent stroke contribute substantially to morbidity associated with transient ischemic attacks and strokes (TIA-S). OBJECTIVE To determine predictors of early recurrent cerebrovascular events (RCVEs) among patients with TIA-S and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores of 0 to 3. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A retrospective cohort study was conducted at 2 tertiary care centers (Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, and Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, Louisiana) between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014. All patients with neurologist-diagnosed TIA-S with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 0 to 3 who presented to the emergency department were included. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome (adjudicated by 3 vascular neurologists) was RCVE: neurological deterioration in the absence of a medical explanation or recurrent TIA-S during hospitalization. RESULTS Of the 1258 total patients, 1187 had no RCVEs and 71 had RCVEs; of this group, 750 patients (63.2%) and 39 patients (54.9%), respectively, were aged 60 years or older. There were 505 patients with TIA-S at Columbia University; 31 (6.1%) had RCVEs (15 patients had neurological deterioration only, 11 had recurrent TIA-S only, and 5 had both). The validation cohort at Tulane University consisted of 753 patients; 40 (5.3%) had RCVEs (24 patients had neurological deterioration only and 16 had both). Predictors of RCVE in multivariate models in both cohorts were infarct on neuroimaging (computed tomographic scan or diffusion-weighted imaging sequences on magnetic resonance imaging) (Columbia University: not applicable and Tulane University: odds ratio, 1.75; 95% CI, 0.82-3.74; P = .15) and large-vessel disease etiology (Columbia University: odds ratio, 6.69; 95% CI, 3.10-14.50 and Tulane University: odds ratio, 8.13; 95% CI, 3.86-17.12; P < .001). There was an increase in the percentage of patients with RCVEs when both predictors were present. When neither predictor was present, the rate of RCVE was extremely low (up to 2%). Patients with RCVEs were less likely to be discharged home in both cohorts. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In patients with minor stroke, vessel imaging and perhaps neuroimaging parameters, but not clinical scores, were associated with RCVEs in 2 independent data sets. Prospective studies are needed to validate these predictors.
Variable Stiffness Link (VSL): Toward inherently safe robotic manipulators

Nowadays, the field of industrial robotics focuses particularly on collaborative robots that are able to work closely together with a human worker in an inherently safe way. To detect and prevent harmful collisions, a number of solutions both from the actuation and sensing sides have been suggested. However, due to the rigid body structures of the majority of systems, the risk of harmful collisions with human operators in a collaborative environment remains. In this paper, we propose a novel concept for a collaborative robot made of Variable Stiffness Links (VSLs). The idea is to use a combination of silicone based structures and fabric materials to create stiffness-controllable links that are pneumatically actuated. According to the application, it is possible to change the stiffness of the links by varying the value of pressure inside their structure. Moreover, the pressure readings from the pressure sensors inside the regulators can be utilised to detect collisions between the manipulator body and a human worker, for instance. A set of experiments are performed with the aim to assess the performance of the VSL when embedded in a robotic manipulator. The effects of different loads and pressures on the workspace of the manipulator are evaluated together with the efficiency of the collision detection control system and hardware.
Digital art: challenging perspectives

In this SIG for the Digital Arts Community, we respond to the conference theme of changing perspectives by offering challenging perspectives. The challenge comes in a two-way exchange between Digital Art and HCI. On the one side we have the making of new and unique forms, i.e. synthesis. Whilst on the other, we have knowledge-making grounded in the human sciences and engineering, in other words, predicting and validating analysis. In this SIG session we will provoke a discussion on these contrasting challenging perspectives. How does knowledge emerge between synthesis and analysis?
A Novel Approach to Design SAR-ADC: Design Partitioning Method

This paper presents a successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR-ADC) design optimization platform. A novel ADC modeling approach, design partitioning method (DPM), is used in the proposed platform. It uses lookup tables along with conventional behavioral modeling technique, which captures the design parameters and process nonidealities. An individualistic as well as collective study of the impact of these parameters and nonidealities on the performance of SAR-ADC has been carried out. The proposed platform aims to achieve a perfect balance between architecture evaluation time (3.2% with respect to SPICE netlist) and accuracy in performance estimation (98% with respect to SPICE netlist). A comparative study between SPICE model, structural modeling, and the proposed modeling scheme (DPM) is reported here. As a case study, a 14-bit, 4.2MSPS SAR-ADC architecture is evaluated, designed, and verified.
Reverse Trojan-horse effect decreased wastewater toxicity in the presence of inorganic nanoparticles

We studied the toxicological interaction of 46 micropollutants from a biologically treated wastewater effluent in mixtures with silica, amine-modified silica, titanium dioxide and magnetite nanoparticles. The pollutants tracked in this work were polar pharmaceuticals belonging to different therapeutic groups, some of their metabolites and artificial sweeteners, the concentrations of which were mostly in the tens to hundreds of ng L−1 range. The results showed particularly high adsorption for furosemide, gemfibrozil and the aminopyrine metabolite 4FAA. There was preferential adsorption of the less polar compounds on the less polar nanoparticles. The total amounts of compounds adsorbed and quantified were 13.4, 4.8, 10.8 and 7.1 μg g−1 for SiO2, SiO2–NH2, TiO2 and Fe3O4, respectively. The toxicity of wastewater–nanoparticle mixtures was assessed using the bioluminescent cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 CPB4337. The interactions were quantified by means of the combination index (CI)-isobologram method. The binary mixtures of wastewater with SiO2, SiO2–NH2 and TiO2 displayed antagonism for the lower affected fractions, which corresponded to the lower concentrations. For higher effects and for the Fe3O4 nanoparticles over the whole tested range, the mixtures were additive leading to synergism for the higher affected fractions. No internalization was observed. The results showed that the reduced toxicant bioavailability due to the interaction with nanoparticles is relevant for micropollutants at environmental concentrations. The amount of anthropogenic pollutants retained by metal oxide nanoparticles has significant toxicological effects.
Subcellular localization of a variable surface glycoprotein phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase-C in African trypanosomes

African trypanosomes contain a membrane-bound enzyme capable of removing dimyristylglycerol from the membrane-attached form of the variable surface glycoprotein (mfVSG; Ferguson, M. A. J., K. Halder, and G. A. M. Cross, 1985, J. Biol Chem., 260:4963-4968). Although mfVSG phospholipase-C has been implicated in the removal of the VSG from the trypanosome surface (Cardoso de Almeida, M. L., and M. J. Turner, 1983, Nature (Lond.). , 302:349-352; Ferguson, M. A. J., K. Halder, and G. A. M. Cross, 1985, J. Biol Chem., 260:4963-4968), its precise function and subcellular location have not been determined. We have developed a procedure for the separation of the cell fractions and organelles of Trypanosoma brucei brucei (and other trypanosome species) by differential sucrose and isopycnic PercollR centrifugation. These fractions were tested for mfVSG phospholipase activity using Trypanosoma brucei mfVSG labeled with 3H-myristic acid as substrate. The highest enzyme-specific activity was associated with the flagella and evidence is presented to suggest that it is localized in the flagellar pocket. Some activity was also associated with the Golgi complex. These results suggest that the mfVSG phospholipase is localized primarily in the membrane of the flagella pocket and possibly other membrane organelles derived from and associated with this structure, and may be part of the VSG-membrane recycling system in African trypanosomes. The activity of mfVSG phospholipase amongst various trypanosome species was determined. We show that, in contrast to the bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma brucei, cultured procyclic Trypanosoma brucei and bloodstream Trypanosoma vivax had little or no mfVSG phospholipase activity. The activity found in bloodstream forms of Trypanosoma congolense was intermediate between Trypanosoma vivax and Trypanosoma brucei.
Associations between dietary folate intake and risks of esophageal, gastric and pancreatic cancers: an overall and dose-response meta-analysis

There are still some controversies on the association between dietary folate intake and the risk of upper gastrointestinal cancers including esophageal, gastric and pancreatic cancers. Hence, a comprehensive meta-analysis on all available literatures was performed to clarify the relationship between dietary folate intake and risks of upper gastrointestinal cancers. An electric search was performed up to December 12th, 2016 within the PubMed, MEDLINE AND EMBASE databases. Ultimately, a total of 46 studies which evaluated the association between folate intake and risks of upper gastrointestinal cancers were included. According to the data from included studies, the pooled results showed significant association between folate intake and esophageal (OR = 0.545, 95%CI = 0.432-0.658), gastric (OR=0.762, 95%CI=0.648-0.876) and pancreatic (OR=0.731, 95%CI=0.555-0.907) cancers. Linearity dose-response analysis indicated that with 100μg/day increment in dietary folate intake, the risk of esophageal, gastric and pancreatic cancers would decrease by 9%, 1.5% and 6%, respectively. These findings indicated that higher level of dietary folate intake could help for preventing upper gastrointestinal cancers including esophageal, gastric and pancreatic cancers.
Safety control of PHEVs in distribution networks using finite state machines with variables

Transportation electrification is viewed as one of the most viable ways of reducing CO2 emissions and gasoline dependency. However, how to manage the dramatically increasing Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) and Electric Vehicles (EVs) for the safety of distribution networks is still a vital challenge. To mitigate the influence of PHEVs, we propose that a distribute network be modeled by a Finite State Machine with Variables (FSMwV) method and then controlled by a corresponding safety controller. The calculation results of four scenarios verify the effectiveness of managing PHEVs by the FSMwV method. To manage a distribution network within a wider area, a supervisory control approach is proposed to cooperate with smart distribution network technologies. Therefore, the distribution network could be effectively managed with the safety controller on the bottom layer and supervisory control on the upper layer.
Mock communities highlight the diversity of host‐associated eukaryotes

Host‐associated microbes are ubiquitous. Every multicellular eukaryote, and even many unicellular eukaryotes (protists), hosts a diverse community of microbes. High‐throughput sequencing (HTS) tools have illuminated the vast diversity of host‐associated microbes and shown that they have widespread influence on host biology, ecology and evolution (McFall‐Ngai et al. ). Bacteria receive most of the attention, but protists are also important components of microbial communities associated with humans (Parfrey et al. ) and other hosts. As HTS tools are increasingly used to study eukaryotes, the presence of numerous and diverse host‐associated eukaryotes is emerging as a common theme across ecosystems. Indeed, HTS studies demonstrate that host‐associated lineages account for between 2 and 12% of overall eukaryotic sequences detected in soil, marine and freshwater data sets, with much higher relative abundances observed in some samples (Ramirez et al. ; Simon et al. ; de Vargas et al. ). Previous studies in soil detected large numbers of predominantly parasitic lineages such as Apicomplexa, but did not delve into their origin [e.g. (Ramirez et al. )]. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Geisen et al. ( ) use mock communities to show that many of the eukaryotic organisms detected by environmental sequencing in soils are potentially associated with animal hosts rather than free‐living. By isolating the host‐associated fraction of soil microbial communities, Geisen and colleagues help explain the surprisingly high diversity of parasitic eukaryotic lineages often detected in soil/terrestrial studies using high‐throughput sequencing (HTS) and reinforce the ubiquity of these host‐associated microbes. It is clear that we can no longer assume that organisms detected in bulk environmental sequencing are free‐living, but instead need to design studies that specifically enumerate the diversity and function of host‐associated eukaryotes. Doing so will allow the field to determine the role host‐associated eukaryotes play in soils and other environments and to evaluate hypotheses on assembly of host‐associated communities, disease ecology and more.
Zero-Knowledge Contingent Payments Revisited: Attacks and Payments for Services

Zero Knowledge Contingent Payment (ZKCP) protocols allow fair exchange of sold goods and payments over the Bitcoin network. In this paper we point out two main shortcomings of current proposals for ZKCP, and propose ways to address them. First we show an attack that allows a buyer to learn partial information about the digital good being sold, without paying for it. This break in the zero-knowledge condition of ZKCP is due to the fact that in the protocols we attack, the buyer is allowed to choose common parameters that normally should be selected by a trusted third party. We implemented and tested this attack: we present code that learns, without paying, the value of a Sudoku cell in the "Pay-to-Sudoku" ZKCP implementation. We also present ways to fix this attack that do not require a trusted third party. Second, we show that ZKCP are not suited for the purchase of digital services} rather than goods. Current constructions of ZKCP do not allow a seller to receive payments after proving that a certain service has been rendered, but only for the sale of a specific digital good. We define the notion of Zero-Knowledge Contingent Service Payment (ZKCSP) protocols and construct two new protocols, for either public or private verification. We implemented our ZKCSP protocols for Proofs of Retrievability, where a client pays the server for providing a proof that the client's data is correctly stored by the server.We also implement a secure ZKCP protocol for "Pay-to-Sudoku" via our ZKCSP protocol, which does not require a trusted third party. A side product of our implementation effort is a new optimized circuit for SHA256 with less than a quarter than the number of AND gates of the best previously publicly available one. Our new SHA256 circuit may be of independent use for circuit-based MPC and FHE protocols that require SHA256 circuits.
Quantifying the Connectivity of a Semantic Warehouse

In many applications one has to fetch and assemble pieces of information coming from more than one SPARQL endpoints. In this paper we describe the corresponding requirements and challenges, and then we present a process for constructing such a semantic warehouse. We focus on the aspects of quality and value of the warehouse, and for this reason we introduce various metrics for quantifying its connectivity, and consequently its ability to answer complex queries. We demonstrate the behavior of these metrics in the context of a real and operational semantic warehouse. The results are very promising: the proposed metrics-based matrixes allow someone to get an overview of the contribution (to the warehouse) of each source and to quantify the benefit of the entire warehouse. The later is useful also for monitoring the quality of the warehouse after each reconstruction.
Detailed design and evaluation of redundant multi-threading alternatives

Exponential growth in the number of on-chip transistors, coupled. with reductions in. voltage levels, makes each generation of microprocessors increasingly vulnerable to transient faults. In a multi-threaded environment, we can detect these faults by running two copies of the same program as separate threads, feeding them identical inputs, and comparing their outputs, a technique we call redundant multi-threading (RMT). This paper studies RMT techniques in the context of both single- and dual-processor simultaneous multi-threaded (SMT) single-chip devices. Using a detailed, commercial-grade, SMT processor design we uncover subtle RMT implementation complexities, and find that RMT can be a more significant burden for single-processor devices than prior studies indicate. However, a novel application of RMT techniques in a dual-processor device, which we term chip-level redundant threading, shows higher performance than lock-stepping the two cores, especially on multi-threaded workloads.
Coupling Hierarchical Word Reordering and Decoding in Phrase-Based Statistical Machine Translation

In this paper, we start with the existing idea of taking reordering rules automatically derived from syntactic representations, and applying them in a preprocessing step before translation to make the source sentence structurally more like the target; and we propose a new approach to hierarchically extracting these rules. We evaluate this, combined with a lattice-based decoding, and show improvements over state-of-the-art distortion models.
Intraoperative C-Arm Radiation Affecting Factors and Reduction by an Intervention Program

Background The increase in the utilization of fluoroscopy during surgical procedures carries with it an inherent increase in the exposure of both patients and surgical staff to ionizing radiation. The purpose of this study was to examine the ability to reduce radiation doses by the implementation of an intervention program targeted at the staff operating the fluoroscopy machinery and attempting to make a behavioral change in its utilization. Methods (1) Fluoroscopy technique was optimized after a series of simulation fluoroscopies. (2) A series of lectures was given to all staff operating fluoroscopy equipment (surgeons and x-ray technicians). (3) Directives for the reduction of radiation were included in the preoperative briefing, a sign was displayed next to the fluoroscopy screen, and radiation data was discussed in postoperative conferences. The index procedure chosen for the study was closed reduction and percutaneous fixation of Gartland III supracondylar humerus fractures. Fluoroscopy time and dosage were compared in 43 cases before the intervention program (group A) and in 40 cases after the program (group B). Reduction accuracy was assessed by the Bauman angle, humerocapitellar angle, and rotation index. Results The mean fluoroscopy time was 122 seconds (6-565) in group A and 54 seconds (1-188) in group B with a P value of 0.001. Radiation emission was 202 (5-1210) millirems in group A and 90 millirems (10-237) in group B (P=0.005). The mean fluoroscopy time for a surgery performed by a resident was 126 seconds (27-431) with 211 (38-766) millirems of radiation. The presence of a senior surgeon reduced these figures to 75 seconds (1-565) (P=0.003) and 127 millirems (5-1210) (P=0.001). The effect of the intervention program was similar regardless of the level of training of the surgical staff. Reduction accuracy and complication rate were no different in the 2 groups. Conclusions Radiation exposure is significantly affected by surgical and fluoroscopic techniques and by the surgeons' level of training. Exposure can be decreased significantly by awareness and behavioral modification. Level of Evidence Level II therapeutic study.
Visualization of a DNA-PK/PARP1 complex

The DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) are critical enzymes that reduce genomic damage caused by DNA lesions. They are both activated by DNA strand breaks generated by physiological and environmental factors, and they have been shown to interact. Here, we report in vivo evidence that DNA-PK and PARP1 are equally necessary for rapid repair. We purified a DNA-PK/PARP1 complex loaded on DNA and performed electron microscopy and single particle analysis on its tetrameric and dimer-of-tetramers forms. By comparison with the DNA-PK holoenzyme and fitting crystallographic structures, we see that the PARP1 density is in close contact with the Ku subunit. Crucially, PARP1 binding elicits substantial conformational changes in the DNA-PK synaptic dimer assembly. Taken together, our data support a functional, in-pathway role for DNA-PK and PARP1 in double-strand break (DSB) repair. We also propose a NHEJ model where protein–protein interactions alter substantially the architecture of DNA-PK dimers at DSBs, to trigger subsequent interactions or enzymatic reactions.
Effect of growth hormone on in vitro osteogenesis and gene expression of human osteoblastic cells is donor‐age‐dependent

It has been demonstrated that the effect of GH on bone tissue is reduced with aging. In this study we tested the hypothesis that the action of GH on osteoblastic cells is donor‐age‐dependent by investigating the effect of GH on the development of osteoblastic phenotype in cultures of cells from adolescents (13–16 years old), young adults (18–35 years old), and adults (36–49 years old). Osteoblastic cells derived from human alveolar bone were cultured with or without GH for periods of up to 21 days, and parameters of in vitro osteogenesis and gene expression of osteoblastic markers were evaluated. GH increased culture growth, collagen content and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in cultures from adolescents and young adults, whereas non‐significant effect was observed in cultures from adults. While GH significantly increased the bone‐like formation in cultures from adolescents, a slightly effect was observed in cultures from young adults and no alteration was detected in cultures from adults. Results from real‐time PCR demonstrated that GH upregulated ALP, osteocalcin, type I collagen, and Cbfa1 mRNA levels in cultures from adolescents. In addition, cultures from young adults showed higher ALP mRNA expression and the expression of all evaluated genes was not affected by GH in cultures from adults. These results indicate that the GH effect on both in vitro osteogenesis and gene expression of osteoblastic markers is donor‐age‐dependent, being more pronounced on cultures from adolescents. J. Cell. Biochem. 104: 369–376, 2008. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.