Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of tramadol/acetaminophen tablets (Ultracet) as add-on therapy for osteoarthritis pain in subjects receiving a COX-2 nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the efficacy and safety of tramadol 37.5 mg/acetaminophen 325 mg combination tablets (tramadol/APAP) as add-on therapy for subjects with osteoarthritis (OA) pain inadequately controlled by COX-2 nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID). METHODS This 91-day, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial enrolled subjects with symptomatic OA for >/= 1 year who experienced at least moderate pain [visual analog scale (VAS) score >/= 50/100 mm] despite treatment with stable doses of celecoxib (>/= 200 mg/day) or rofecoxib (>/= 25 mg/day). Tramadol/APAP or matching placebo was titrated to 4 tablets/day on Day 10 and thereafter as needed up to 8 tablets/day. The primary efficacy measure was final VAS score; secondary measures included final pain relief rating scores, subject/investigator overall medication assessments, rate and time to discontinuation due to lack of efficacy, and selected quality-of-life/physical functioning scores. RESULTS Of 307 subjects randomized, 306 taking celecoxib (56.5%) or rofecoxib (43.5%) were included in the intent-to-treat population (n = 153 tramadol/APAP, 153 placebo). Mean final VAS scores for tramadol/APAP plus COX-2 NSAID were significantly lower than placebo plus COX-2 NSAID (41.5 vs 48.3; p = 0.025) and mean final pain relief rating scores were significantly higher (p = 0.002). Subjects taking tramadol/APAP showed significant improvements compared with placebo in subject/investigator medication assessments, as well as in the WOMAC Physical Function and the Medical Outcome Study Short Form-36 Role-Physical measures. The most common treatment-related adverse events for tramadol/APAP were somnolence (6.5%), nausea (4.6%), and constipation (3.3%). Mean tramadol/APAP dose was 4.1 tablets (154 mg tramadol/ 1332 mg APAP). CONCLUSION Tramadol 37.5 mg/APAP 325 mg combination tablets were effective and safe as add-on therapy with COX-2 NSAID for treatment of OA pain.
Molecular Characterization of Antimicrobial Peptide Genes of the Carpenter Ant Camponotus floridanus

The production of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) is a major defense mechanism against pathogen infestation and of particular importance for insects relying exclusively on an innate immune system. Here, we report on the characterization of three AMPs from the carpenter ant Camponotus floridanus. Due to sequence similarities and amino acid composition these peptides can be classified into the cysteine-rich (e.g. defensin) and glycine-rich (e.g. hymenoptaecin) AMP groups, respectively. The gene and cDNA sequences of these AMPs were established and their expression was shown to be induced by microbial challenge. We characterized two different defensin genes. The defensin-2 gene has a single intron, whereas the defensin-1 gene has two introns. The deduced amino acid sequence of the C. floridanus defensins is very similar to other known ant defensins with the exception of a short C-terminal extension of defensin-1. The hymenoptaecin gene has a single intron and a very peculiar domain structure. The corresponding precursor protein consists of a signal- and a pro-sequence followed by a hymenoptaecin-like domain and six directly repeated hymenoptaecin domains. Each of the hymenoptaecin domains is flanked by an EAEP-spacer sequence and a RR-site known to be a proteolytic processing site. Thus, proteolytic processing of the multipeptide precursor may generate several mature AMPs leading to an amplification of the immune response. Bioinformatical analyses revealed the presence of hymenoptaecin genes with similar multipeptide precursor structure in genomes of other ant species suggesting an evolutionary conserved important role of this gene in ant immunity.
Data-Cell-Variation-Tolerant Dual-Mode Sensing Scheme for Deep Submicrometer STT-RAM

In the spin-transfer-torque random access memory design, the sensing scheme has become a bottleneck from the viewpoints of performance and read energy, because the required read current and time are too large to satisfy a target read yield. When the target read yield is greater than the fundamental read-yield limit determined by bit-to-bit data-cell variation, the conventional data-cell-variation-tolerant (DCVT) sensing scheme cannot satisfy the target read yield without requiring impractically high performance and energy overhead. To resolve this problem, this paper proposes a DCVT dual-mode sensing scheme (DMSS) that operates mostly in normal mode when correct sensing is assured, and infrequently in exception mode when correct sensing is uncertain. Using the dual-mode strategy, the DMSS can achieve the target read yield, while significantly mitigating the performance and energy overhead. Monte–Carlo HSPICE simulation results, using industry-compatible 45-nm model parameters, show that the proposed DMSS achieves a read yield of 6.1 sigma with a <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$3.2\times$ </tex-math></inline-formula> faster read time and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$4.5\times$ </tex-math></inline-formula> lower read energy than the destructive self-reference sensing scheme.
The Hopkins Verbal Learning Test and Screening for Dementia

The present study investigated the sensitivity and specificity of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT) for demented patients (n = 82, using NINCDS criteria) and 114 healthy controls – equivalent in age, years of education and gender-ratio – from the Oxford Project to Investigate Memory and Ageing. The HVLT ‘Total Recall’ score had 87% sensitivity and 98% specificity for dementia using a cut-off score of 14.5. Using a ‘Memory’ score (the sum of the ‘Total Recall’ and the ‘Discrimination Index’) with a cut-off score of 24.5 gave a 91% sensitivity and 98% specificity for Alzheimer’s disease cases when compared to controls. Unlike the MMSE, the HVLT has no ceiling effects and does not have to be adjusted for education. We conclude that the HVLT is an easy to administer, quick and well tolerated tool for the screening of dementia.
Phoenix: making cooperation more efficient through network coding in wireless networks

This paper introduces a novel MAC protocol for wireless networks, called Phoenix, that employs ideas from network coding to enhance decode and forward cooperation. A relay is allowed to code data of its own together with a corrupted packet during a retransmission at no additional cost in bandwidth. Therefore, while in conventional cooperative protocols a node becomes a relay only to assist other terminals, with our proposal a cooperator can also serve its own traffic. We evaluate Phoenix's performance by means of a theoretical model and extensive simulation campaigns. We show that Phoenix is especially beneficial in multihop settings and interesting gains over benchmark protocols can be achieved.
Browsing large collections of images through unconventional visualization techniques

In this paper we describe some alternative methods intended for rapid and effective browsing of large collections of images. Specifically, we address the user who, not having a clear idea about what to search, needs to explore the entire image database to identify what he or she likes. The purpose of our approaches is to find techniques characterized by good trade-offs between browsing time and quality of the exploration.
View-dependent information theory quality measures for pixel sampling and scene discretization in flatland

In this paper, we present view-dependent information theory quality measures for pixel sampling and scene discretization in flatland. The measures are based on a definition for the mutual information of a line, and have a purely geometrical basis. Several algorithms exploiting them are presented and compare well with an existing one based on depth differences.
Energy and switch area optimizations for FPGA global routing architectures

Low energy and small switch area usage are two important design objectives in FPGA global routing architecture design. This article presents an improved MCF model based CAD flow that performs aggressive optimizations, such as topology and wire style optimization, to reduce the energy and switch area of FPGA global routing architectures. The experiments show that when compared to traditional mesh architecture, the optimized FPGA routing architectures achieve up to 10% to 15% energy savings and up to 20% switch area savings in average for a set of seven benchmark circuits.
Robust motion capture system against target occlusion using fast level set method

This paper introduces a new motion capture system for recovering 3D models of multiple persons separately and robustly against occlusion in real-time. Various markerless motion capture systems using video cameras have been proposed so far. However, in case that there are multiple persons in the scene at the same time, it is quite difficult to reconstruct a precise 3D model of each person separately due to the occlusion between them. To deal with this problem, the fast level set method is utilized in the proposed system for integrating stereo range data which is captured by multiple stereo cameras located around the target people. To reconstruct precise 3D models in real-time, the proposed system is implemented on a PC cluster with seven PCs and four stereo cameras. Tracking experiment of multiple persons and real-time reconstruction of 3D human models using the proposed system are successfully carried out
Towards Seamless Network Music Performance: Predicting an Ensemble's Expressive Decisions for Distributed Performance

Internet performance faces the challenge of network latency. One proposed solution is music prediction, wherein musical events are predicted in advance and transmitted to distributed musicians ahead of the network delay. We present a context-aware music prediction system focusing on expressive timing: a Bayesian network that incorporates stylistic model selection and linear conditional gaussian distributions on variables representing proportional tempo change. The system can be trained using rehearsals of distributed or co-located ensembles. We evaluate the model by comparing its prediction accuracy to two others: one employing only linear conditional dependencies between expressive timing nodes but no stylistic clustering, and one using only independent distributions for timing changes. The three models are tested on performances of a custom-composed piece that is played ten times, each in one of two styles. The results are promising, with the proposed system outperforming the other two. In predictable parts of the performance, the system with conditional dependencies and stylistic clustering achieves errors of 15ms; in more difficult sections, the errors rise to 100ms; and, in unpredictable sections, the error is too great for seamless timing emulation. Finally, we discuss avenues for further research and propose the use of predictive timing cues using our system.
Unsupervised Learning of Contextual Role Knowledge for Coreference Resolution

We present a coreference resolver called BABAR that uses contextual role knowledge to evaluate possible antecedents for an anaphor. BABAR uses information extraction patterns to identify contextual roles and creates four contextual role knowledge sources using unsupervised learning. These knowledge sources determine whether the contexts surrounding an anaphor and antecedent are compatible. BABAR applies a Dempster-Shafer probabilistic model to make resolutions based on evidence from the contextual role knowledge sources as well as general knowledge sources. Experiments in two domains showed that the contextual role knowledge improved coreference performance, especially on pronouns.
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided double stenting for biliary and duodenal obstruction

Endoscopic biliary stenting for malignant biliary obstruction is currently the gold standard for biliary drainage. Biliary cancer treatment is crucial. Cases of gastric outlet obstruction that includes the duodenum because of cancer invasion and biliary obstruction are seldom observed. The required treatment for such cases is simple biliary stenting and a different treatment for duodenal obstruction. Hence, double stenting for bile duct and duodenal obstruction has drawn attention. In the present review, we state different treatment strategies for malignant duodenal obstruction and then describe double stenting in biliary obstruction that also includes non-biliary cancer malignant lesions and duodenal obstruction.
A Triassic plesiosaurian skeleton and bone histology inform on evolution of a unique body plan

The first plesiosaur skeleton from the Triassic informs about the evolutionary success of four-flippered marine reptile. Secondary marine adaptation is a major pattern in amniote evolution, accompanied by specific bone histological adaptations. In the aftermath of the end-Permian extinction, diverse marine reptiles evolved early in the Triassic. Plesiosauria is the most diverse and one of the longest-lived clades of marine reptiles, but its bone histology is least known among the major marine amniote clades. Plesiosaurians had a unique and puzzling body plan, sporting four evenly shaped pointed flippers and (in most clades) a small head on a long, stiffened neck. The flippers were used as hydrofoils in underwater flight. A wide temporal, morphological, and morphometric gap separates plesiosaurians from their closest relatives (basal pistosaurs, Bobosaurus). For nearly two centuries, plesiosaurians were thought to appear suddenly in the earliest Jurassic after the end-Triassic extinctions. We describe the first Triassic plesiosaurian, from the Rhaetian of Germany, and compare its long bone histology to that of later plesiosaurians sampled for this study. The new taxon is recovered as a basal member of the Pliosauridae, revealing that diversification of plesiosaurians was a Triassic event and that several lineages must have crossed into the Jurassic. Plesiosaurian histology is strikingly uniform and different from stem sauropterygians. Histology suggests the concurrent evolution of fast growth and an elevated metabolic rate as an adaptation to cruising and efficient foraging in the open sea. The new specimen corroborates the hypothesis that open ocean life of plesiosaurians facilitated their survival of the end-Triassic extinctions.
An Improved Frame Layer Rate Control Algorithm

A nonlinear exponential weighted algorithm is proposed for the MAD calculation based on deep research on the proposal of rate control-JVT-H017, as rate control is an important component of video compression technology which plays a great role in stabilizing rate and ensures a good reception quality. In addition, a new judging method of rate control effects is also introduced before representing the new algorithm. Experiment results show that the improved algorithm which keeps the video quality can make the actual rate closer to the target rate, compared with that of the original scheme.
Geographical Variation in Selection, from Phenotypes to Molecules

Molecular technologies now allow researchers to isolate quantitative trait loci (QTLs) and measure patterns of gene sequence variation within chromosomal regions containing important polymorphisms. I develop a simulation model to investigate gene sequence evolution within genomic regions that harbor QTLs. The QTLs influence a trait experiencing geographical variation in selection, which is common in nature and produces obvious differentiation at the phenotypic level. Counter to expectations, the simulations suggest that selection can substantially affect quantitative genetic variation without altering the amount and pattern of molecular variation at sites closely linked to the QTLs. Even with large samples of gene sequences, the likelihood of rejecting neutrality is often low. The exception is situations where strong selection is combined with low migration among demes, conditions that may be common in many plant species. The results have implications for gene sequence surveys and, perhaps more generally, for interpreting the apparently weak connection between levels of molecular and quantitative trait variation within species.
nnnn η / s at finite coupling

We compute the ratio of the coefficient of shear viscosity to entropy density at finite coupling and at zero chemical potential using holographic duality up to ten derivative terms in the low energy effective 5-dimensional action, of a specific kind, which may or may not be connected to the supersymmetric completion of Type IIB theory. The result suggests that this ratio can be positive only for the 8th derivative term even with the form of that term in the action as CklCmnCrsCij, where C is the Weyl tensor.
Dense sampling low-level statistics of local features

Recently, generic image recognition techniques are widely studied for automatic image indexing. However, much of these works are computationally too heavy for practical large setup. Thus, it is very important to properly balance the trade-off between performance and computational cost for realizing scalability. In recent years, methods based on the bag-of-keypoints technique have been quite successful and are widely used. However, preprocessing cost for building visual words becomes immense in large scale datasets. On the other hand, methods based on global image features have been used for a long time. Because global image features can be extracted rapidly, it is relatively easy to use them with very large datasets. However, the performance of global feature methods is usually poor compared to bag-of-keypoints. In this paper, we propose a very simple but powerful scheme of boosting the performance of global image features, by densely sampling low-level statistics (mean and correlation) of local features. Also, we use a highly scalable learning and classification method which is substantially lighter than SVM. Our method achieved the performance comparable to state-of-the-art methods in spite of its remarkable simplicity.
Performance of publish/subscribe middleware in mobile wireless networks

Publish/subscribe middlewares are becoming popular for distributed applications because of their flexible and scalable nature. Anonymous and loosely-coupled communication between publisher and subscriber, along with the inherently asynchronous nature of these systems, help them adapt quickly to changing environments, making them a good choice for mobile cellular networks. This paper studies publish/subscribe middleware performance in such networks in detail. As a first step, the paper characterizes a popular implementation of publish/subscribe system for the mobile domain, studying and analyzing the effect of different mobility parameters, which to the best of our knowledge is the first experimental research on the performance behavior of publish/subscribe systems in a mobile wireless domain. As a second step the paper presents the design, implementation and evaluation of middleware level handoffs, a well known solution to extend publish/subscribe systems to a mobile domain, and identifies the performance concerns of such extensions. The results show that such handoff protocols involving two brokers are impractical from a performance perspective under highly dynamic and unreliable mobile wireless settings. The paper identifies the basic reason for the limitations of middleware level handoffs.
Collapsibility of the relaxed pharynx and risk of sleep apnoea

The present study measured hypotonic pharyngeal collapsibility in subjects not known to have obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and assessed the variables that affect collapsibility and the relationship with OSA. The critical value of positive end-expiratory pressure (Pcrit) was measured under the hypotonic condition of anaesthesia in 227 subjects who underwent elective surgery. The risk of OSA in this population was estimated using the Berlin questionnaire. The mean Pcrit for all subjects was positive (above atmospheric), ranging from 0.69 (95% confidence interval (CI) -7.39–8.77) to 4.0 (CI -4.82–12.82) cmH2O for subjects with low and high prevalence of OSA, respectively. Pcrit ≤-5 cmH2O was only found in 3.1% of the study subjects. In the general population, Pcrit was similar in males and females and correlated positively with increasing age, while a correlation with neck circumference was found only in males. Pcrit accounted for only 12.25% of the variability in OSA risk score. In conclusion, subjects with high critical value of positive end-expiratory pressure are at an increased risk for developing obstructive sleep apnoea. However, the human pharynx is prone to collapse and occludes in most people in the absence of neuromuscular support. Therefore, in most subjects, the level of neuromuscular activity may ultimately determine the occurrence of sleep apnoea.
Regret Minimization for Branching Experts

We study regret minimization bounds in which the dependence on the number of experts is replaced by measures of the realized complexity of the expert class. The measures we consider are defined in retrospect given the realized losses. We concentrate on two interesting cases. In the first, our measure of complexity is the number of different “leading experts”, namely, experts that were best at some point in time. We derive regret bounds that depend only on this measure, independent of the total number of experts. We also consider a case where all experts remain grouped in just a few clusters in terms of their realized cumulative losses. Here too, our regret bounds depend only on the number of clusters determined in retrospect, which serves as a measure of complexity. Our results are obtained as special cases of a more general analysis for a setting of branching experts, where the set of experts may grow over time according to a tree-like structure, determined by an adversary. For this setting of branching experts, we give algorithms and analysis that cover both the full information and the bandit scenarios.
Optimum reactive ion etching of x-cut quartz using SF6 and Ar

In this paper we investigate the effect of Ar concentration and shadow mask material on the etch rate, surface roughness, and micromask pit density and depth for reactive ion etching (RIE) of x-cut alpha quartz. The ratio of SF6 to Ar is varied at constant power and pressure to find an optimum Ar concentration for thinning x-cut quartz while maintaining good surface quality. The recipe is used with an STS320 RIE system to produce smooth, through-hole-free, insulating quartz membranes of 7 µm thickness in selective locations on 100 µm thick x-cut quartz wafers. We demonstrate that surface quality is much improved by replacing at least 75% of the SF6 by volume with Ar, and that for non-inductively coupled plasma RIE the standard mask material nickel is detrimental to surface quality for long etch times.