Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conventional Diagnostic Challenges in Periprosthetic Joint Infection

Periprosthetic joint infection remains a clinical challenge with no benchmark for diagnosis. The diagnosis is based on many different clinical variables that may be difficult to interpret, especially in the setting of chronic systemic disease. Synovial fluid aspiration, diagnostic imaging, traditional culture, peripheral serum inflammatory markers, and intraoperative frozen sections each have their limitations but continue to be the mainstay for diagnosis of periprosthetic joint infection. As molecular- and biomarker-based technologies improve, the way we interpret and diagnose periprosthetic joint infection will ultimately change and may even improve diagnostic accuracy and turnaround time. Future research on this topic should be focused on improving diagnostic criteria for low-virulence organisms, improving interpretation of intraoperative frozen sections, and establishing improved synovial fluid and peripheral serum biomarker profiles for periprosthetic joint infection.
Uniform Binary Sequence Generated over Odd Characteristic Field

—This paper has focused on a pseudorandom binary sequence for the security applications. The secureness of random numbers, namely the randomness of the sequence, is evaluated by some specific properties such as period, its linear complexity and bits distribution. Especially from the viewpoint of the security, the latter two properties are widely used to evaluate the randomness of a sequence. The authors have proposed a pseudorandom sequence which achieves the maximum linear complexity in their previous works. However, the distribution of bits is not balanced in one period of an NTU sequence. Therefore, this paper aims to derive the uniformly distributed sequence without fewer effects on the other properties. The approach will help to achieve the uniform distribution with almost no calculation costs.
Bidirectional Regulation of Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II Activity by Dopamine D4 Receptors in Prefrontal Cortex

The dopamine D4 receptor in prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a key role in normal mental functions and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the cellular mechanisms and physiological actions of D4 receptors remain elusive. In this study, we found that activation of D4 receptors in PFC exerts a complex regulation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), a multifunctional enzyme critically involved in synaptic plasticity that is fundamental for cognitive and emotional processes. In PFC slices with high neuronal activity, application of the D4 receptor agonist [4-phenylpiperazinyl)-methyl]benzamide (PD168077) produced a potent reduction of the CaMKII activity, whereas in PFC slices with low neuronal activity, PD168077 caused a marked increase of the CaMKII activity. The D4 up-regulation of CaMKII activity was through the stimulation of phospholipase C pathway and elevation of intracellular Ca2+ via ionsitol-1,4,5-triphosphate receptors. These results reveal a bidirectional regulation of CaMKII activity by PFC D4 receptors in response to changes in neuronal activity, and a nonclassic signaling pathway underlying the D4 up-regulation of CaMKII activity. This modulation provides a unique and flexible mechanism for D4 receptors to regulate CaMKII activity, which could lead to dynamic regulation of many targets of CaMKII by D4 receptors.
Mobile element based differentiated message delivery in wireless sensor networks

In recent years, mobile elements (MEs) have been proposed as mechanical carriers of data to prolong the lifetime of sensor networks and to overcome network partitioning problem. A scheduling approach is proposed in Y. Gu et al., (2005) for MEs to collect periodically generated data, also called regular messages (RMs), from nearby sensor nodes with no buffer overflow. However, increased delay in message delivery with ME-based communication compared to multi-hop communication may not be tolerated in some cases. Some messages can be more urgent than others due to critical values of the sensed data. Such messages maybe required to be delivered to the ME within a specified deadline. In this paper, this new problem of differentiated message delivery (DMD) considering both regular and urgent message collection is addressed. The proposed solution incorporates multi-hop communication into the ME scheduling problem. The investigated performance metrics are the minimum required ME speed to prevent data loss and guarantee the maximum tolerated urgent message delay, as well as urgent and regular message loss rates for a given ME speed. The proposed solution is shown to perform well in terms of these metrics in various network scenarios. Furthermore, comparisons with existing ME scheduling algorithms show that the proposed solution meets the urgent message delivery requirement with a reasonable increase in ME speed
Faster Univariate Microaggregation for Power Law Distributions: k-Degree-Anonymity for Big Graphs

Microaggregation is a well known and widely used statistical disclosure limitaton method. In the case of univariate microaggregation, there is a polynomial time algorithm that obtains optimal partitions by representing the optimal partition as a shortest path in a directed acyclic graph. Such algorithm is frequently used for obtaining optimal k-degree anonymizations of networks. Since there is a large and growing amount of information, and datasets are increasing in size and complexity, there is a need to obtain faster algorithms. Most of the times their precision is dropped for making them faster, this is not the case of our algorithm. We present a technique for obtaining optimal univariate microaggregation in such a way that the number of calculations is considerably reduced without affecting optimality. We apply this result for k-anonymization of the degree sequences of networks with a power law distribution. To show that this method increases its efficiency when increasing the size of the degree sequences, we generated discrete power law distributions for different exponents α with sizes of up to a billion vertices, and compared the reduction of the degree sequences obtained. Also we applied the method for real world networks to show its feasibility.
Not Just Any Volunteers: Segmenting the Market to Attract the High Contributors

Growing competition in the third sector has resulted in nonprofit organizations making more sophisticated use of marketing techniques to attract volunteers. Not only are organizations attempting to attract more volunteers but increasingly the focus is shifting to attracting the right type of volunteers, or those who will contribute the most hours. This study segments the volunteering market by number of hours contributed in the past 12 months, and identifies significant differences between the characteristics of high‐contribution and low‐contribution volunteers. High‐contribution volunteers are found to (a) exhibit distinctive sociodemographic characteristics; (b) have a greater number, and broader range, of motivations for volunteering; and (c) initially get involved in volunteering in different ways to low‐contribution volunteers. Findings are important because they provide practitioners with a description of those individuals most likely to contribute more hours, which can be used to increasingly attract these types of people and subsequently reduce the amount spent continually attracting new volunteers.
Can simple error sonification in combination with music help improve accuracy in upper limb movements?

While repetitive training is widely regarded to be a useful rehabilitation strategy, such training requires motivation that may be lacking. In order to improve motivation in a potentially inexpensive and simple manner, we introduce in this proof-of-concept study a combination of error sonification and music for upper limb training. Twelve healthy participants trained a figure tracing task for the upper limb, six receiving feedback in terms of error sonification and music and six without receiving feedback in the control group. The error-sonified feedback group decreased its amount of error significantly compared to the control group. Thus this particular paradigm can help teach planar reaching movements. Eventually this paradigm may become simple and useful enough to enhance existing therapeutic intervention in stroke rehabilitation.
Managing Uncertainty in Semantic Tagging

Low interannotator agreement (IAA) is a well-known issue in manual semantic tagging (sense tagging). IAA correlates with the granularity of word senses and they both correlate with the amount of information they give as well as with its reliability. We compare different approaches to semantic tagging in WordNet, FrameNet, PropBank and OntoNotes with a small tagged data sample based on the Corpus Pattern Analysis to present the reliable information gain (RG), a measure used to optimize the semantic granularity of a sense inventory with respect to its reliability indicated by the IAA in the given data set. RG can also be used as feedback for lexicographers, and as a supporting component of automatic semantic classifiers, especially when dealing with a very fine-grained set of semantic categories.
Physicochemical Characterization of Rutaecarpine-Loaded Microemulsion System

To develop an o/w microemulsion system containing poorly water-soluble rutaecarpine, the solubility of rutaecarpine in water, ethanol, various oils, and surfactants were investigated. Among the surfactants and oils tested, Tween 20/PEG 400 and castor oil were chosen as the surfactant system and oil phase of the microemulsion, as rutaecarpine was most soluble in them, respectively. Pseudoternary phase diagrams were constructed to obtain the concentration range of oil, surfactant, and cosurfactant for microemulsion formation, and the stability test of rutaecarpine delivered by microemulsion formation was then evaluated. Pseudoternary phase diagrams show that the areas of microemulsion appeared at those with 0–20% Smix (PEG 400/Tween80 = 60/40), 64–81% water, and 10–20% oil. The rutaecarpine (300 µg/g)-loaded microemulsion composed of 10.8% PEG 400, 7.2% Tween 80, 20% caster oil, and 72% water was physically and chemically stable for at least 6 months. Thus, the microemulsion system composed of castor oil, PEG 400, Tween 80, and water could be a stable dosage form for rutaecarpine.
Co-release of acetylcholine and GABA by the starburst amacrine cells

Rabbit retinas were isolated from the eye and maintained in vitro. When they were incubated for 60 min in the presence of 3H-GABA, subsequent autoradiography showed radioactivity to be present primarily in amacrine cells. Under these conditions, most of the radioactivity contained in the retinas remained in the chemical form of GABA. Autoradiography and immunohistochemistry of alternate sections showed the amacrine cells that accumulate 3H-GABA to be the same cells that contain endogenous GABA immunoreactivity. These include the starburst cells, the indoleamine-accumulating cells, and other, as yet unidentified amacrine cells. The localization confirms previous immunohistochemical findings. When retinas containing 3H-GABA were expressed to elevated concentrations of K+, their content of 3H-GABA decreased. Autoradiography showed a reduced 3H-GABA content in all of the cells that contained 3H-GABA. Since those include the starburst cells, previously shown to be cholinergic, the finding demonstrates that the starburst cells release both ACh and GABA. Retinas simultaneously labeled with 14C-GABA and 3H-ACh were superfused, and the release of radioactive compounds from the retina was studied. Depolarization by elevated K+ caused an increased recovery of both ACh and GABA in the superfusate, but the predominant mechanisms of their release appeared to be different. The stimulated release of ACh was entirely Ca2+ dependent, while the release of radioactivity originating from GABA was much less so. A concentration-dependent counterflux (homoexchange) of intracellular GABA was demonstrated by raising the extracellular concentration of GABA (or nipecotic acid). These results suggest that a large outward flux of GABA occurs via the GABA transporter, probably by the potential-sensitive mechanism studied by Schwartz (1982, 1987). Stimulation of double-labeled retinas by flashing light or moving bars always increased the release of ACh, and the release was entirely dependent on the presence of extracellular Ca2+. Stimulation with light never caused a detectable release of GABA. This was unexpected, since the two neurotransmitters are present in the same amacrine cells: stimulation adequate to release one neurotransmitter should release both. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
The type IV polymorph of KEu(PO3)4

Single crystals of KEu(PO3)4, potassium europium(III) polyphosphate, were obtained by solid-state reactions. This monoclinic form is the second polymorph described for this composition and belongs to type IV of long-chain polyphosphates with general formula A I B III(PO3)4. It is isotypic with its KEr(PO3)4 and KDy(PO3)4 homologues. The crystal structure is built of infinite helical chains of corner-sharing PO4 tetrahedra with a repeating unit of eight tetrahedra. These chains are further linked by isolated EuO8 square antiprisms, forming a three-dimensional framework. The K+ ions are located in pseudo-hexagonal channels running along [01] and are surrounded by nine O atoms in a distorted environment.
Wide variation in hospital and physician payment rates evidence of provider market power.

Wide variation in private insurer payment rates to hospitals and physicians across and within local markets suggests that some providers, particularly hospitals, have significant market power to negotiate higher-than-competitive prices, according to a new study by the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC). Looking across eight health care markets--Cleveland; Indianapolis; Los Angeles; Miami; Milwaukee; Richmond, Va. ; San Francisco; and rural Wisconsin--average inpatient hospital payment rates of four large national insurers ranged from 147 percent of Medicare in Miami to 210 percent in San Francisco. In extreme cases, some hospitals command almost five times what Medicare pays for inpatient services and more than seven times what Medicare pays for outpatient care. Variation within markets was just as dramatic. For example, the hospital with prices at the 25th percentile of Los Angeles hospitals received 84 percent of Medicare rates for inpatient care, while the hospital with prices at the 75th percentile received 184 percent of Medicare rates. The highest-priced Los Angeles hospital with substantial inpatient claims volume received 418 percent of Medicare. While not as pronounced, significant variation in physician payment rates also exists across and within markets and by specialty. Few would characterize the variation in hospital and physician payment rates found in this study to be consistent with a highly competitive market. Purchasers and public policy makers can address provider market power, or the ability to negotiate higher-than-competitive prices, through two distinct approaches. One is to pursue market approaches to strengthen competitive forces, while the other is to constrain payment rates through regulation.
Immunologic adverse reactions of β-blockers and the skin

β-Blockers are a widely utilised class of medication. They have been in use for a variety of systemic disorders including hypertension, heart failure and intention tremors. Their use in dermatology has garnered growing interest with the discovery of their therapeutic effects in the treatment of haemangiomas, their potential positive effects in wound healing, Kaposi sarcoma, melanoma and pyogenic granuloma, and, more recently, pemphigus. Since β-blockers are deployed in a variety of disorders, which have cutaneous co-morbidities such as psoriasis, their pertinence to dermatologists cannot be overstated. Likewise, β-blockers, like any other drug category, carry risks of side effects, some of which are dermatologic. These include triggering and exacerbation of psoriasis, psoriatic and rheumatoid arthritis, anaphylaxis, contact dermatitis, occupational contact dermatitis, Raynaud's disease, alopecia, lichen planus-like drug eruption, hyperhydrosis and vitiligo. While recent articles have focussed on the positive uses of β-blockers, it may also be wise to call our attention to the potential dermatologic adverse effects that may follow β-blocker use, as well as possible therapeutic approaches to these. This short review will focus on those dermatoses resulting from β-blocker use, which have an immunologic basis.
Asymmetry of Configuration Space Induced by Unequal Crossover: Implications for a Mathematical Theory of Evolutionary Innovation

Evolution can be regarded as the exploration of genetic or morphological state space by populations. In traditional models of population and quantitative genetics, the state space can be formally represented as a configuration space with clearly defined concepts of neighborhood and distance, defined by the action of variational operators such as mutation and/or recombination. In this paper, we describe a process where no genetic configuration space closure (and hence, no non-arbitrary notion of distance and neighborhood) exists. The process is gene duplication by means of unequal crossover, which we regard as an example of an innovation process that changes the state space of the system rather than exploring a closed state space. We assert that such processes are qualitatively distinct from representations of the adaptation process, which occur on regular configuration spaces.
Feasibility study of Composite Field Effect Transistor (COMFET) in submicron devices

A linear transconductor is highly desirable in many applications such as continuous time filtering and ADC. In long channel devices where the I-V characteristic of the transistor follows the square law, COMFET circuit achieves linearity without the need to invoke small signal. This paper studies the feasibility of implementing COMFET at submicron length where transistor do not follow square law and a variety of second order effects degrade the linearity of COMFET. The simulated THD at 1 kHz of COMFET and other transconductors are compared.
2nd International Workshop on Information Management for Mobile Applications Message from the Workshop Chairs Workshop Chairs and Program Committee Workshop Chairs Program Committee Keynote: Dynamic Context Management for Mobile Applications 4 a Hierarchical Approach to Resource Awareness in Dhts fo

Mobile devices pose tremendous challenges to the design and implementation of information systems suited for mobile environments. While users expect similar functionality on their smart-phone as provided on their laptop or desktop computer, the hardware and communication platforms are still limited. Especially, data-intensive mobile applications require new ways of data management, processing, and analysis. Crucial issues include energy-efficiency, limited CPU power and storage, real-time processing, small displays, and communication costs. The International Workshop on Information Management for Mobile Applications (IMMoA'12) targets to provide a forum for researchers and practitioners to present, share, and discuss insights, advancements, and challenges in technologies and mechanisms which support the management of mobile, complex, integrated, distributed, and heterogeneous data-focused applications. The workshop aims in particular at the challenges of managing complex data and data models in a mobile context. Mobile data management has become an important research area in the field of data management. Therefore, the 38th International Conference on Very Large Databases provides an interesting forum to discuss recent advancements in mobile data management research. The limitations but also new opportunities of mobile devices initiated new research topics which are addressed in this workshop. We received more than ten high quality submissions of which we could accept five as full papers and and one as short paper. The papers have been peer-reviewed by three to four reviewers each. The accepted papers discuss data management techniques for distributed mobile applications and peer-to-peer systems, integration of distributed mobile data sources, mechanisms for privacy preservation, and context-based systems. The workshop program is completed by an invited talk entitled " Dynamic Context Management for Mobile Applications " given by Prof. Dr. Daniela Nick-las from Oldenburg University. We hope that the workshop initiates inspiring and fruitful discussions and that the second edition will be as successful as the first workshop held in 2011. We would like to thank the for their support in organizing this event. Furthermore, we would like to thank the reviewers for their good work. Abstract: With the upcoming widespread availability of sensors, more and more applications depend on physical phenomena. Up-to-date real world information is embedded into business processes, in production environments, or in mobile applications, so that such context-aware applications can adapt their behavior to the current situation of their user or environment. For this, a high variety of so-called context information has to be managed, often in an push-based way (applications register for …
Body-mass index and mortality in Korean men and women.

BACKGROUND Obesity is associated with diverse health risks, but the role of body weight as a risk factor for death remains controversial. METHODS We examined the association between body weight and the risk of death in a 12-year prospective cohort study of 1,213,829 Koreans between the ages of 30 and 95 years. We examined 82,372 deaths from any cause and 48,731 deaths from specific diseases (including 29,123 from cancer, 16,426 from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and 3362 from respiratory disease) in relation to the body-mass index (BMI) (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters). RESULTS In both sexes, the average baseline BMI was 23.2, and the rate of death from any cause had a J-shaped association with the BMI, regardless of cigarette-smoking history. The risk of death from any cause was lowest among patients with a BMI of 23.0 to 24.9. In all groups, the risk of death from respiratory causes was higher among subjects with a lower BMI, and the risk of death from atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease or cancer was higher among subjects with a higher BMI. The relative risk of death associated with BMI declined with increasing age. CONCLUSIONS Underweight, overweight, and obese men and women had higher rates of death than men and women of normal weight. The association of BMI with death varied according to the cause of death and was modified by age, sex, and smoking history.