Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acetaminophen, like conventional NSAIDs, may reduce synovitis in osteoarthritic knees.

OBJECTIVE To determine the extent to which treatment of patients with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA) with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and acetaminophen (ACET) reduces total effusion volume and synovial tissue volume, as quantified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS Sequential pilot studies used subjects whose knee OA was treated with NSAIDs (n=10) or with ACET <or=4 g/day (n=20), respectively. After a five half-lives washout of their pain medication, the OA knee with the higher pain score >or=15 of 25 on the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities' pain scale underwent l.5T MRI. Effusion was quantified in axial short tau inversion recovery images; to measure synovial tissue volume, fat-suppressed T1-weighted axial images were obtained 3 min after i.v. injection of gadolinium contrast. After the initial MRI examination, patients resumed their customary pain medications until the severity of knee pain returned to baseline, when pain was again measured and the MRI was repeated. RESULTS Pain severity after washout was similar in subjects taking ACET and NSAIDs. Reinstitution of ACET resulted in a 50% decrease in the mean of pain scores (P=1.7 x 10(-12)) that was comparable with that seen after the reinstitution of NSAID (49%, P=6.0 x 10(-7)). The mean total effusion volume measured during the flare of knee pain induced by the withdrawal of the two drugs was comparable (ACET 16.9 ml, NSAID 16.2 ml; P=0.884). Significant decreases in mean total effusion volume were observed after reinstitution of both ACET (-4.5 ml, P=0.009) and NSAID (-3.3 ml, P=0.013); the difference between drugs was not significant. Analyses of synovial volume yielded similar results. CONCLUSION While uncontrolled and derived from small samples, these data suggest that ACET may have a significant anti-inflammatory effect in patients with knee OA, comparable with that achieved with NSAIDs, possibly through an effect on neurogenic inflammation. Joint pain is the clinical feature of OA that most often leads the affected individual to seek medical attention. Because many patients with OA improve symptomatically with the use of NSAIDs, it has been widely assumed that the pain of OA is due to synovial inflammation. However, the origins of OA pain are numerous and may vary from patient to patient and, within the same subject, from visit to visit. Although the articular cartilage is usually the site of the most obvious pathological changes in this disease, it is aneural and, therefore, is not the source of joint pain. However, in addition to the synovium, the subchondral bone, joint capsule, osteophytes, menisci, ligaments, periarticular tendons, entheses and bursae all contain nociceptive nerve endings, stimulation of which by chemical or physical mediators may be a basis for OA pain.
Authenticated group key agreement with admission control

In this paper we present an authenticated group key agreement scheme with admission control for dynamic peer groups. Admission control is a necessary part of group communication. The scheme uses secret sharing to achieve integration of admission control and key agreement and addresses the pre-requisite for key management. Identity-based cryptosystems are used for mutual authentication and key agreement, and it avoids bandwidth consuming and expensive computation arising from certificates in PKI.
A COMPARISON OF THE AVASCULAR CAPSULE SURROUNDING FREE FLOATING INTRAPERITONEAL BLOOD CLOTS IN MICE AND RABBITS

&NA; The development of the avascular fibrous capsule which surrounds free floating intraperitoneal blood clots in mice and rabbits is described. In mice, the capsule at 2 wk consisted of an outer layer of partially flattened macrophage‐like cells overlying a thick layer of myofibroblasts embedded in a collagenous stroma. In contrast, in rabbits the capsule at 2 wk consisted of 3 distinct layers: an outer layer of mesothelial cells; an underlying relatively acellular layer containing a few macrophages; and, immediately adjacent to the clot, an innermost layer of variable thickness consisting mostly of myofibroblasts. The myofibroblasts of the rabbit capsule were fewer in number than those of the mouse. Detailed examination of the formation of these capsules suggests that myofibroblasts may develop from cells within the peritoneal cavity that show morphological features characteristic of monocytes/macrophages.
Flexible Docking Mechanism with Error-Compensation Capability for Auto Recharging System

The docking and recharging system for a mobile robot must guarantee the ability of the mobile robot to perform its tasks continuously without human intervention. In this paper, two docking mechanisms are proposed with localization error-compensation capability for the auto recharging system. Friction forces or magnetic forces are used between the docking parts of the docking module and those of the docking station. In addition, an auto recharging system is developed to control the power. Since the system is modularized, it can easily be adapted to other robots.
Fine-Grained Butterfly and Moth Classification Using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

We focus on the problem of fine-grained classification of butterflies and moths. Accurate recognition of these lepidopteran insects has huge practical significance, e.g., it could facilitate the biodiversity study and species analysis. To this end, several datasets on butterflies and moths have been constructed to serve as benchmarks for the classification techniques. However, the existing datasets either contain noise or are too small to scale up to the practical applications. In this project, we build a relatively large dataset which covers 636 butterfly and moth species with up to 14,270 images. Our dataset is of little inter-class difference and large intra-class variation, rendering it a challenging dataset. On this dataset, we present and compare the classification results using different deep convolutional neural networks. We conclude with several potential applications and future research directions with our dataset.
Toward an Information Morality : Imperatives Derived from a Statistical Mechanics of Meaning

The evolution of the cosmos describes the great arc from the initial singularity onward to the ultimate end of the universe. The Big Bang in its extreme improbability is effectively the zero point of entropy from which the universe unwinds, entropy ever increasing. However, within the closed system of our planet and its diaphanous aura, the steady influx of our suns energy is able to locally drive the entropy down, consistent with thermodynamics second law, leading to the improbable, myriad order of life on earth. This ordering of life is manifest not only physically, but also in the cognitive capacities of sentient beingsin their creation of mental representations of their experience. These cognitive patterns too constitute diminutions in the ineluctable flux of entropy.
Effects of Inorganic Polyphosphate on the Proteolytic and DNA-binding Activities of Lon in Escherichia coli*

Lon belongs to a unique group of proteases that bind to DNA and is involved in the regulation of several important cellular functions, including adaptation to nutritional downshift. Previously, we revealed that inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) increases in Escherichia coli in response to amino acid starvation and that it stimulates the degradation of free ribosomal proteins by Lon. In this work, we examined the effects of polyP on the proteolytic and DNA-binding activities of Lon. An order-of-addition experiment suggested that polyP first binds to Lon, which stimulates Lon-mediated degradation of ribosomal proteins. A polyP-binding assay using Lon deletion mutants showed that the polyP-binding site of Lon is localized in the ATPase domain. Because the same ATPase domain also contains the DNA-binding site, polyP can compete with DNA for binding to Lon. In fact, an equimolar amount of polyP almost completely inhibited DNA-Lon complex formation, suggesting that Lon binds to polyP with a higher affinity than it binds to DNA. Collectively, our results showed that polyP may control the cellular activity of Lon not only as a protease but also as a DNA-binding protein.
Hydrolysis of 4-Hydroxybenzoic Acid Esters (Parabens) and Their Aerobic Transformation into Phenol by the Resistant Enterobacter cloacae Strain EM

ABSTRACT Enterobacter cloacae strain EM was isolated from a commercial dietary mineral supplement stabilized by a mixture of methylparaben and propylparaben. It harbored a high-molecular-weight plasmid and was resistant to high concentrations of parabens. Strain EM was able to grow in liquid media containing similar amounts of parabens as found in the mineral supplement (1,700 and 180 mg of methyl and propylparaben, respectively, per liter or 11.2 and 1.0 mM) and in very high concentrations of methylparaben (3,000 mg liter−1, or 19.7 mM). This strain was able to hydrolyze approximately 500 mg of methyl-, ethyl-, or propylparaben liter−1 (3 mM) in less than 2 h in liquid culture, and the supernatant of a sonicated culture, after a 30-fold dilution, was able to hydrolyze 1,000 mg of methylparaben liter−1 (6.6 mM) in 15 min. The first step of paraben degradation was the hydrolysis of the ester bond to produce 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, followed by a decarboxylation step to produce phenol under aerobic conditions. The transformation of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid into phenol was stoichiometric. The conversion of approximately 500 mg of parabens liter−1 (3 mM) to phenol in liquid culture was completed within 5 h without significant hindrance to the growth of strain EM, while higher concentrations of parabens partially inhibited its growth.
Secure Cyber Deception Architecture and Decoy Injection to Mitigate the Insider Threat

We propose a novel dynamic host mutation (DHM) architecture based on moving target defense (MTD) that can actively cope with cyberattacks. The goal of the DHM is to break the cyber kill chain, expand the attack surface to increase the attacker’s target analysis cost, and disrupt the attacker’s fingerprinting to disable the server trace. We define the participating entities that share the MTD policy within the enterprise network or the critical infrastructure, and define functional modules of each entity for DHM enforcement. The threat model of this study is an insider threat of a type not considered in previous studies. We define an attack model considering an insider threat and propose a decoy injection mechanism to confuse the attacker. In addition, we analyze the security of the proposed structure and mechanism based on the security requirements and propose a trade-off considering security and availability.
Development and experimental evaluation of a single-winding, dual-stator, spoke-array vernier permanent magnet machines

A dual-stator spoke-array (DSSA) vernier permanent magnet (VPM) machine has been proved to be high torque density and power factor in the previous paper. However, Inner stator thermal issues could be a concern for the DSSA VPM machines, and the inner stator cooling structure is complex. This paper proposes a single-winding, dual-stator, spoke-array (SDSSA) VPM machine. The double-sided machine with only single-side winding configuration makes the DSSA VPM machine free from the thermal issue of inner stator winding. Detailed structure features and experimental tests, such as inductance, back EMF waveforms, torque vs current and so on, of the SDSSA VPM machine are presented. It is shown that torque density and power factor of the SDDSA VPM prototype with less than 3A/mm2 are larger than 65kNm/m3 and 0.78, respectively while the torque per magnet mass is almost 120 Nm/kg. Finally, this paper proposes the comparison of experimental tests on the DSSA and SDSSA VPM prototypes.
Rapid Detection of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Directly from Sterile or Nonsterile Clinical Samples by a New Molecular Assay

ABSTRACT A rapid procedure was developed for detection and identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) directly from sterile sites or mixed flora samples (e.g., nose or inguinal swabs). After a rapid conditioning of samples, the method consists of two main steps: (i) immunomagnetic enrichment in S. aureus and (ii) amplification-detection profile on DNA extracts using multiplex quantitative PCR (5′-exonuclease qPCR, TaqMan). The triplex qPCR assay measures simultaneously the following targets: (i) mecA gene, conferring methicillin resistance, common to both S. aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis; (ii) femA gene from S. aureus; and (iii) femA gene from S. epidermidis. This quantitative approach allows discrimination of the origin of the measured mecA signal. qPCR data were calibrated using two reference strains (MRSA and methicillin-resistant S. epidermidis) processed in parallel to clinical samples. This 96-well format assay allowed analysis of 30 swab samples per run and detection of the presence of MRSA with exquisite sensitivity compared to optimal culture-based techniques. The complete protocol may provide results in less than 6 h (while standard procedure needs 2 to 3 days), thus allowing prompt and cost-effective implementation of contact precautions.
Predictors of influenza vaccination in HIV-infected patients in the United States, 1990-2002.

BACKGROUND Although annual influenza vaccination of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients has been recommended in the United States since the early 1990s, vaccine coverage in this population is reported to be low. The objectives of the present study were to assess trends in influenza vaccination coverage in HIV-infected patients and to determine predictors of influenza vaccination. METHODS We analyzed data from the medical records of 51,021 HIV-infected patients from 10 US cities observed in a longitudinal cohort study between 1990 and 2002. Using multivariate logistic regression, we determined predictors of influenza vaccination for both the pre-highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and HAART eras. RESULTS Vaccination coverage increased from 28.5% in the 1990 to 41.6% in the 2002 influenza season. Vaccine coverage increased with increasing age and frequency of medical visits. In the HAART era, persons prescribed antiretroviral therapy were more likely and those with higher viral loads and lower CD4 T cell counts were less likely to have received influenza vaccine. CONCLUSIONS Although influenza vaccination coverage in this population has increased in recent years, it is well below the Healthy People 2010 target of 60%. Efforts should be undertaken to increase influenza vaccination in HIV-infected persons.
Combined NODDI and qMT for full-brain g-ratio mapping with complex subvoxel microstructure

Discussion: The correlation between the DTIand NODDI-based FVF was relatively high in the skeleton of the corpus callosum, where the voxels are expected to contain relatively straight, parallel white matter fibers, as required by the DTI-based FVF model (Fig.s 1 and 2). The DTI-based FVF is, however, lower than that from NODDI even in the corpus callosum, probably due to partial volume averaging with cerebrospinal fluid, or slight curvature or splay of fibers. There are voxels in which the FVF is lower than the MVF, which is not physically possible. Elsewhere in the brain, the DTI-based FVF drops significantly due to partial volume averaging of fiber orientations (Fig. 3). Simulation corroborated this observation (Fig. 4), and it indicated that the NODDI Watson model of fiber dispersion is robust to crossing fibers for the estimation of fiber volume fraction. NODDI can therefore be expected to work for all subvoxel distributions of fibers. Using NODDI, the g-ratio map for the full brain is relatively constant (Fig. 3). A flat g-ratio profile in healthy brain is expected, as the g-ratio has been shown to have an optimal value for signal conduction. g-ratio mapping in humans in vivo has the potential to be a sensitive marker of pathology in myelinated axons. Using a combination of qMT and NODDI acquisition and processing provides an imaging protocol for full-brain g-ratio computation without explicit calculation of the axon diameter distribution. Fig. 2: Maps of (top) FVF from DTI and (bottom) FVF from NODDI in the corpus callosum. Combined NODDI and qMT for full-brain g-ratio mapping with complex subvoxel microstructure Jennifer S.W. Campbell, Nikola Stikov, Robert F. Dougherty, and G. Bruce Pike McConnell Brain Imaging Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, Stanford Center for Neurobiological Imaging, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States, Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The economic value of spatial network accessibility for UK cities: A comparative analysis using the hedonic price approach

Spatial network accessibility was found to be significant when associating with house prices using the hedonic price approach. These results suggest some individuals are willing to pay more for spatial isolation while some individuals will pay more for spatial co-presence. An obvious limitation of earlier research is a lack of comparative analysis between cities. Focusing on a single case study reduces the generalisability of the results and the extent to which different spatial contexts might value accessibility differently. The aim of this research was therefore to study the extent to which spatial network accessibility effects differ across cities in the UK. A hedonic price approach was used to explore the extent to which these differences are related to social-economic-mobility factors. Results show, both visually and quantitatively, the economic value of accessibility, measured using space syntax analysis, differs across geographical regions. The accessibility effect on house price ranges from strongly significant in London to insignificant in Birmingham. In general, the economic effect is weaker in smaller, more car dependent cities, with a greater proportion of the population employed in the manufacturing sector, and is stronger in cities that are denser, more walkable with greater productivity and a greater proportion of residents in the education sector. This exploration therefore suggests that the economic value placed upon urban accessibility may be related to a combination of mobility factors, its urban form and its economic profile. Finally, it appears that city productivity as measured by GVA is correlated with increased value placed upon accessibility.
A Review of Some Experimental Spray Methods for Marine Cloud Brightening

Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB), should it ever need to be deployed, envisions the formation of 1017salt Cloud Condensation Nuclei (CCN) per second coming from each of several thousand vessels deployed worldwide. The creation of this many nuclei on such a vast scale, from micron- or submicron-sized seawater droplets, preferably mono-disperse, poses a considerable engineering challenge. Various existing or experimental spray methods were investigated for feasibility, resulting in the identification of a few with promising results. Electro-spraying from Taylor cone-jets, using either silicon micromachined long capillaries or short capillary polymer substrates attached to a porous substrate, appears to have the best potential for implementation of all the methods that have been investigated so far.
Clinical Characteristics, Surgical Management and Adjuvant Therapy of Patients with Uterine Carcinosarcoma: A Retrospective Case Series

Abstract Purpose: To review a single-center experience over a 27-year period of managing uterine carcinosarcoma (UCS), focusing on surgical practice, adjuvant therapy and clinical outcome. Material and Methods: This was a retrospective study of women with histologically proven UCS treated at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Tübingen, Germany, between 1983 and 2010. Inpatient and outpatient records were reviewed; follow-up and survival data were ascertained. Results: The study population comprised 18 patients with UCS. Primary surgical treatment consisted of total abdominal hysterectomy in 12 patients (67 %) and laparoscopic total hysterectomy in 4 patients (22 %). Bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy was performed in 94 % of patients (17/18). Lymph nodes were evaluated in 15 patients (83 %). Positive pelvic lymph nodes were present in 2 patients (11 %). A total of 17 patients (94 %) received adjuvant therapy. Disease recurred in 7 (39 %) patients of our study group, with no recurrence noted in the 4 patients who underwent laparoscopic surgical staging. Median disease-free survival (DFS) was 48.7 months (95 % CI: 0.0–157.3) and median overall survival (OS) was 49.9 months (95 % CI: 0.0–108.2). The 5-year survival rate was 40 %. Conclusion: UCS is a rare and aggressive uterine neoplasm with high recurrence rates and metastatic potential. Surgical staging consisting of total hysterectomy with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy and systematic lymphadenectomy is the most important treatment for patients with UCS. Adjuvant radiation therapy appears to decrease pelvic recurrence, but there is a high incidence of distant recurrence, indicating the need for additional systemic treatment.
Running in the real world: adjusting leg stiffness for different surfaces

A running animal coordinates the actions of many muscles, tendons, and ligaments in its leg so that the overall leg behaves like a single mechanical spring during ground contact. Experimental observations have revealed that an animal's leg stiffness is independent of both speed and gravity level, suggesting that it is dictated by inherent musculoskeletal properties. However, if leg stiffness was invariant, the biomechanics of running (e.g. peak ground reaction force and ground contact time) would change when an animal encountered different surfaces in the natural world. We found that human runners adjust their leg stiffness to accommodate changes in surface stiffness, allowing them to maintain similar running mechanics on different surfaces. These results provide important insight into the mechanics and control of animal locomotion and suggest that incorporating an adjustable leg stiffness in the design of hopping and running robots is important if they are to match the agility and speed of animals on varied terrain.
Cloud Computing Performance Evaluation under Dynamic Resource Utilization and Traffic Control

Cloud computing has emerged as a new commercial infrastructure paradigm which has revolutionized the IT industry. It has particularly the advantage of delivering a flexible, high-performance, pay-as-you-go, on-demand service. Maintaining the Quality of Service (QoS) at an acceptable level for cloud customers requires an accurate and well adapted performance analysis mechanism. The QoS required by customers is guaranteed using a Service Level Agreement (SLA) document. This has increased the complexity for service providers as they now have to not only managed their resources but also they need to provide expected QoS for customers. In this paper, we study a model which associates a scheme for Virtual Machine (VM) instantiation in a given physical machine (PM) with a mechanism to control the access for incoming requests to the Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM). In this model the number of activated VMs in the PM is defined according to the number of jobs in the system, and the control access is based on the load of the system. We develop an analytical model, derive performance parameters expressions and give numerical examples to show how the model estimates these QoS parameters. In particular, we plot the loss probability, mean number of requests in the system and mean requests delay while varying the incoming request arrival rate for two systems (system under control and system with no control). We cross-validate our analytical model using MATLAB software implementation. Analysis results obtained show the positive impact of the proposed mechanism on the QoS parameters.