Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Arthroscopic Findings in Patients with Chronic Ankle Instability

Background There are little objective data on structural changes of the chronically unstable ankle. Such knowledge could help with preoperative planning. Hypothesis Preoperative ankle arthroscopy provides important insights into the causes and mechanisms of ankle instability and the resulting disability. Study Design Case series. Methods From 1993 to 1999, arthroscopic examination was performed in the ankles of 148 patients with symptomatic chronic ankle instability that had lasted 6 months or more. All structural changes were recorded and compared with the clinical diagnosis. Results A rupture or elongation of the anterior talofibular ligament was noted in 86% of ankles, of the calcaneofibular ligament in 64%, and of the deltoid ligament in 40%. Cartilage damage was noted in 66% of ankles with lateral ligament injuries, whereas 98% of the ankles with deltoid ligament injuries had cartilage damage. Although lateral instability could be verified arthroscopically in 127 patients, medial instability was presumed clinically in 38 patients but was actually detected in 54 patients arthroscopically. Conclusion Preoperative ankle arthroscopy revealed an essential amount of information that would otherwise have been undetected. For instance, the ligaments showed typical abnormalities corresponding to different entities of ankle instability and different intra-articular pathologic conditions.
Dependable and Secure Storage in Pervasive Peer-to-Peer Systems

This paper describes an appro ach to dependable and secure storage for pervasive systems based on the fragmentationredundancy-scattering (FRS) technique . FRS is able to tolerate both accidental and intentional faults by fragmenting confidential information into insignificant fragments, and scattering these fragments in a redundant fashion acr oss a system. The goal is that the original information that has been fragmented and scattered can only be reassembled by a trusted agent. The system architecture is based on the peer-to-peer architectural style in which each peer (agent) is able to request services for the storage of information, store informati on fragments, and forward to other agents those fragments that are to be stored elsewhere. The feasibility of the approach is de monstrated in the context of a multi-agent prototype implemented using IBM’s Aglet System.
Tabletop territoriality and social context: examining medical simulation

We are interested in the inﬂuence that speciﬁc social contexts have on tabletop territorial behaviour. To study this, we observed use of the collaborative educational simulation application SimMed by students and experienced doctors. In this particular setting, we found very little evidence of territorial behaviour. We report on the results of the study, examine possible causes for the absence of territories and discuss potential implications for application design
Recalls and Unemployment Duration : Evidence from Sweden

Temporary layoffs represent an important source of worker-firm attachment. We investigate the determinants of the duration of temporary layoffs using a matched employee-employer dataset from Sweden. The impacts of covariates and the shapes of hazard functions vary depending on the destination of transition: recall or new job. We reject the hypothesis that firms tend to recall workers who exhaust benefits. However, we are not able to rule out the possibility that firms behave strategically through prioritizing rehiring the individuals with relatively short periods of unemployment compensation entitlement.
Bacterial adherence to pharyngeal cells in smokers, nonsmokers, and chronic bronchitics

Selective adherence to host mucosal surfaces is probably a requirement for colonization and infection by bacteria. Since pharyngeal colonization may be an important determinant in the pathogenesis of pneumonia, we studied the adherence of 10 different bacteria to pharyngeal cells obtained from nonsmokers, smokers, and chronic bronchitics. Various patterns of adherence among the different groups of subjects were found. Young healthy smokers had increased adherence of Streptococcus pneumoniae type I and, to a lesser extent, S. pneumoniae type III and Staphylococcus aureus when compared with nonsmokers. Middle-aged smokers with a long history of chronic bronchitis had significantly increased adherence only of untypable Haemophilus influenzae when compared with age-matched nonsmokers. The acquisition of pneumococcal pneumonia by smokers and the role of nontypable Haemophilus species in chronic bronchitis may be determined, in part, by bacterial adherence to pharyngeal cells.
Adaptive second-order leader-following consensus of nonlinear multi-agent systems with time-varying delay

The paper investigates the second-order leader-following consensus problem of nonlinear multi-agent systems with time-varying delay. Based on graph theory and the neighbor-based coupling rule, the adaptive control strategy is proposed for the following agents to track the leader, the consensus condition is derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities, which can be easily solved by various convex optimization algorithms. It is worth noting that the interaction diagraph is not necessarily strongly connected or contains a directed spanning tree. Some simulation examples are provided to show the efficiency of the control scheme.
Discovery of slow X-ray pulsations in the high-mass X-ray binary 4U 2206+54

Context. The source 4U 2206+54 is one of the most enigmatic high-mass X-ray binaries. In spite of intensive searches, X-ray pulsations have not been detected in the time range 10 −3 –10 3 s. A cyclotron line at ∼30 keV has been suggested by various authors but never detected with significance. The stellar wind of the optical companion is abnormally slow. The orbital period, initially reported to be 9.6 days, disappeared and a new periodicity of 19.25 days emerged. Aims. The main objective of our RXTE monitoring of 4U 2206+54 is to study the X-ray orbital variability of the spectral and timing parameters. The new long and uninterrupted RXTE observations allow us to search for long (∼1 h) pulsations for the first time. Methods. We divided the ∼7-day observation into five intervals and obtained time-averaged energy spectra and power spectral density for each observation interval. We also searched for pulsations using various algorithms. Results. We have discovered 5560-s pulsations in the light curve of 4U 2206+54. Initially detected in RXTE data, these pulsations are also present in INTEGRAL and EXOSAT observations. The average X-ray luminosity in the energy range 2–10 keV is 1.5 × 10 35 erg s −1 with a ratio Fmax/Fmin ≈ 5. This ratio implies an eccentricity of ∼0.4, somewhat higher than previously suggested. The power spectrum is dominated by red noise that can be fitted with a single power law whose index and strength decrease with X-ray flux. The source also shows a soft excess at low energies. If the soft excess is modelled with a blackbody component, then the size and temperature of the emitting region agrees with its interpretation in terms of a hot spot on the neutron star surface. Conclusions. The discovery of X-ray pulsations in 4U 2206+54 confirms the neutron star nature of the compact companion and definitively rules out the presence of a black hole. The source displays variability on time scales of days, presumably due to changes in the mass accretion rate as the neutron star moves around the optical companion in a moderately eccentric orbit. If current models for the spin evolution in X-ray pulsars are correct, then the magnetic field of 4U 2206+54 at birth must have been B 10 14 G.
Stored-crop loss due to deer consumption

Deer (Odocoileus spp.) cause an estimated loss of $100 million in United States agricultural production each year (Conover 1997). In 1984 the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection surveyed producers in the state and estimated that white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) damage to all agricultural products exceeded $36 million annually (Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection 1984). Nationwide, for stored crops alone, wildlife reportedly caused $26 million in losses in 1989 (Wywialowski 1994). Despite sometimes biased producer estimates of the value of wildlife-caused losses (Wywialowski 1994), many landowners are willing to accept a certain level of damage for the aesthetics and recreation deer provide. Thus, although agricultural producers' tolerance of deer is influenced strongly by crop-damage concerns (Brown et al. 1978), they are typically willing to accept damages of <10% of the crop's value (Craven et al. 1992). Sociological and ecological factors, however, complicate crop-damage management decisions (Campa et al. 1997). Many producers believe that during the winter when food is limited, deer arrive at stored crop sites with empty stomachs and consume large amounts of crop. Managers need methods to accurately estimate agricultural losses caused by deer and other wildlife, but few have been developed. Techniques developed for evaluating damage have targeted crops standing in the field rather than stored crops. Our literature search of several databases found no citations enumerating losses of stored crops to wildlife. In Wisconsin, agricultural producers who meet certain eligibility requirements may be reimbursed by the Wildlife Damage Abatement and Claims Program (WDACP) for deer damage to crops, including stored crops. Personnel from the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Wildlife Services (WS) program, or a trained county representative, are responsible for assessing deer damage to crops in Wisconsin. These assessments are used by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to compensate eligible agricultural producers through the WDACP (Horton and Craven 1997). In 2000 the WDACP identified over $1.5 million in deer damage to agricultural crops (Carter et al. 2001). Because they currently have no validated method to assess stored-crop damage, the WDNR, WS, and other agencies that measure and provide compensation for wildlife damage base their decisions on subjective, observational, educated estimates. These managers need reliable, objective, and efficient methods for estimating losses of stored crops to deer. Our objective was to determine the quantity and value of stored agricultural crops (alfalfa haylage, whole-kernel corn, and corn silage) consumed by
Decreased dopamine D2 receptor availability is associated with reduced frontal metabolism in cocaine abusers

Decreased dopaminergic function has been postulated to underlie cocaine addiction. To examine the possibility that dysfunction of brain regions subserved by the dopamine system could promote cocaine self‐administration, positron emission tomography and a dual‐tracer approach was used to examine dopamine D2 receptor availability and regional brain glucose metabolism in cocaine abusers. When compared to normal controls, cocaine abusers showed significant decreases in dopamine D2 receptor availability which persisted 3‐4 months after detoxification. Decreases in dopamine D2 receptor availability were associated with decreased metabolism in several regions of the frontal of these brain areas which are involved in the channeling of drive and affect could lead to loss of control resulting in compulsive drug‐taking behavior. © 1993 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
HANNAH : THE RECEIVER AND GIVER OF A GREAT GIFT

1 Samuel begins with the description of a man named Elkanah ("God is possessing"), whose home town was Ramathaim-Zophim. ' A brief ancestral history is provided, which initially prompts the reader to expect that Elkanah will be the hero of the narrative. As the story line develops, however, Elkanah takes a supporting role. This secondary role begins with the introduction of Elkanah's two wives. At that time, polygamy was an accepted practice, but as the story unfolds there is a subtle jab at the practice. The introduction of Elkanah's wives, Peninnah and Hannah, provides the tension and focal point for the story by contrasting the issue of childbearing versus childlessness: "Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children" (1:2b). These juxtaposed realities point to the idea of rivalry and echo the contention between other pairs of biblical women such as Leah and Rachel (Gen 29~30, 30:2) and, to a lesser extent, Sarah and Hagar (Gen 21:l-14). The narrator presents a second contrast between the upbringing of the child Samuel by Elkanah and Hannah and the rearing of Hophni and Phinehas by the priest Eli. The narrator begins by portraying Elkanah as devoutly religious and noting his yearly trips to Shiloh to worship God and to offer sacrifice (1:3a). Then he adds a curious insert: "And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there" (1:3b). This statement is strategic, for it was during this particular visit to Shiloh that a series of events was launched that changed the course of Israelite history-the divine attention was drawn to the infertile woman and her pleas for a child. It is her child who eventually replaced Hophni and Phinehas (2:34-35).
Intelligent detection of electrical equipment faults in the overhead substations based machine vision

This paper introduces a method for the intelligent detection of electrical equipment faults with thermo vision technology, multi-class support vector machine (MSVM) as a classifier and Pseudo Zernike moment as image feature. The aim of this paper is to detect the electrical equipment faults by making use of the moment method and statistical features of thermo images. The classifier effectiveness and accurateness depends on the moment order that was used. By attention to the commonly occurring faults in the substations of distribution networks, four major faults occurring in overhead substations have been chosen. Simulation results are carried out on practical databases of real images of the distribution networks of North West of Tehran.
A Survey of State Abstraction Techniques for Markov Decision Processes

In many real-world applications of Markov Decision Processes (MPDs), the number of states is so large as to be infeasible for computation. State abstraction is a means by which similar states are aggregated, resulting in reduction of the state space size. Under certain conditions, it can be shown that the optimal policy derived from the “abstract state space” will also be optimal for the “ground state space”. We consider the five abstraction schemes presented in [1] and the related theoretical results on optimality therein. 1 Markov Decision Processes Li et al. present the following definition for a Markov Decision Process (MPD) in [1]. Definition 1.1. A Markov Decision Process (MPD) is a five-tuple 〈S,A, P,R, γ〉 where • S is a finite set of states, • A is a finite set of actions, • P is the transition function with P a ss′ denoting the next-state distribution after taking action a in state s, • R is a bounded reward function with Ra s denoting the expected immediate reward gained by taking action a in state s, and
Retraction: Mast Cells Express Novel Functional IL-15 Receptor α Isoforms

We wish to retract the article titled “Mast Cells Express Novel Functional IL-15 Receptor α Isoforms” by Elena Bulanova, Vadim Budagian, Zane Orinska, Hans Krause, Ralf Paus, and Silvia Bulfone-Paus, The Journal of Immunology , 2003, 170: [5045–5055][1]. This retraction follows a formal
The Hypertension Optimal Treatment study and the importance of lowering blood pressure.

OBJECTIVES The Hypertension Optimal Treatment (HOT) Study had two objectives: (1) to define the optimal target blood pressure when treating hypertensive patients (i.e. the level of blood pressure associated with the lowest incidence of major cardiovascular events such as fatal and non-fatal stroke and myocardial infarction and other cardiovascular mortality); and (2) to assess the effect of a low dose of acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) compared with placebo on major cardiovascular events. METHODS The HOT study recruited 18 790 hypertensive subjects aged 50 to 80 years with diastolic blood pressure (DBP) between 100 and 115 mmHg (mean DBP 105 mmHg). Subjects were randomly assigned to be treated with the goal of reaching one of three target DBPs: < or = 90 mmHg (n = 6264), < or = 85 mmHg (n = 6264), or < or = 80 mmHg (n = 6262) using felodipine as initial therapy with the addition of other agents according to a 5-step regimen. In addition, subjects were randomly assigned to receive either 75 mg/day aspirin (n = 9399) or placebo (n = 9391). RESULTS DBP was reduced by 20.3, 22.3, and 24.3 mmHg in the < or = 90, < or = 85, and < or = 80 mmHg target groups, respectively. The incidence of all major cardiovascular events (fatal and non-fatal stroke, myocardial infarction, and other cardiovascular mortality) decreased, although not significantly, in relation to the randomized target blood pressure. There were 84, 64, and 61 fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarctions in the < or = 90 mmHg, < or = 85 mmHg, and < or = 80 mmHg groups, respectively (P = 0.05). The overall effect of aspirin on cardiovascular events was positive, most noticeably on fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarctions; aspirin reduced events by 36%. There were seven fatal episodes of bleeding (two cerebral) in the aspirin group compared with eight (three cerebral) in the placebo group, and 129 versus 70 non-fatal major episodes of bleeding in the two groups, respectively. The lowest incidence of all major cardiovascular events combined was found at an achieved DBP of 82.6 mmHg and at an achieved systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 138.5 mmHg. In the subgroup with diabetes mellitus at baseline (n = 1501), the effect of intensive lowering of blood pressure was especially noticeable. CONCLUSIONS Most cardiovascular end-points showed a declining frequency in relation to target blood pressure. The optimal protection against combined major cardiovascular end-points was observed in the range 80-85 mmHg for DBP and in the range 130-140 mmHg for SBP. It is worth noting that 92% of all subjects reached a DBP of < or = 90 mmHg and that side-effects gradually declined from 16.9% at 3 months to 2.2% at the end of the study. A substudy showed that quality of life was linked to the level of blood pressure obtained: the lower the blood pressure, the better the quality of life.
Absence of Polymerase Protein in Virions of Alpha-Type Rous Sarcoma Virus

Noninfectious particles of a mutant of Rous sarcoma virus failed to exhibit DNA polymerase activity even with the use of the most sensitive synthetic template-primer complexes. A neutralization blocking test against antibody to DNA polymerase revealed that these mutants did not contain protein immunologically related to the DNA polymerase.
Helicobacter pylori Hp(2–20) Promotes Migration and Proliferation of Gastric Epithelial Cells by Interacting with Formyl Peptide Receptors In Vitro and Accelerates Gastric Mucosal Healing In Vivo1

Helicobacter pylori-derived peptide RpL1 aa 2–20 (Hp(2–20)) in addition to its antimicrobial action exerts several immunomodulatory effects in eukaryotic cells by interacting with formyl peptide receptors (FPRs). It has recently been shown that activation of FPRs facilitates intestinal epithelial cell restitution. We investigated whether Hp(2–20) induces healing of injured gastric mucosa and assessed the mechanisms underlying any such effect. We investigated the expression of FPRs in two gastric epithelial cell lines (MKN-28 and AGS) at mRNA and protein level. To determine whether FPRs were functional we performed chemotaxis experiments and proliferation assays and studied the Hp(2–20)-activated downstream signaling pathway. The effect of Hp(2–20) on mucosal healing was evaluated in rats after indomethacin-induced injury. Here we show that: (1) FPRs were expressed in both cell lines; (2) Hp(2–20) stimulated migration and proliferation of gastric epithelial cells; (3) this effect was specifically mediated by formyl peptide receptor-like 1 (FPRL1) and FPRL2 and was associated with activation of FPR-related downstream signaling pathways; (4) Hp(2–20) up-regulated the expression and secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor; and (5) Hp(2–20) accelerated healing of rat gastric mucosa after injury brought about by indomethacin at both the macroscopic and microscopic levels. In conclusion, by interacting with FRPL1 and FPRL2, H. pylori-derived Hp(2–20) induces cell migration and proliferation, as well as the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor, thereby promoting gastric mucosal healing. This study provides further evidence of the complexity of the relationship between H. pylori and human gastric mucosa, and it suggests that a bacterial product may be used to heal gastric mucosal injury.
Trisomy 8 mosaicism a controversial prenatal diagnosis

Case report A 35-year-old woman, gravida 4, was referred to our institution for a routine 1st-trimester scan at 12 1 weeks ’ gestation. Her obstetric history was complicated, involving one 2nd trimester elective termination of pregnancy (TOP) for trisomy 18 and one 1st-trimester spontaneous miscarriage. She had a healthy daughter who was born by caesarean section. Ultrasound examination showed absence of sonographic markers of chromosomal abnormalities. Nuchal translucency was 2.3 mm and by the combined test, a risk of trisomy 21 of 1:65 was calculated. Th e patient requested fetal karyotyping by chorionic biopsy. Cytogenetic study of the villi by G-banding showed a cell line with 47,XY,  8 chromosome formula in three metaphases analysed, and a second line of 46,XY in 29 metaphases: a result suggesting a male fetus with a mosaic trisomy 8 (T8M). Due to the nature of the sample (extraembryonic tissue), a study of amniotic fl uid was recommended, since the chromosome alteration might be confi ned to the placenta, and therefore not fully representative of the fetal somatic karyotype. Amniocentesis at 16 weeks showed a chromosome formula of 46,XY in 40 metaphases examined. Following genetic counselling, the patient decided to continue the pregnancy. Fetal ultrasound at 20 3 weeks showed bilateral pyelic ectasia and a hyperechoic focus in the left heart ventricle. An ultrasound scan at 26 2 weeks showed mild ventriculomegaly (12.6 mm) of the posterior horn of the right lateral cerebral ventricle and a 15 mm irregular echogenic formation near the anterior horn of the ventricle, with associated periventricular reinforcement. Colour Doppler was negative (Figure 1). A ‘ TORCH ’ (viral and protozoal) screen was requested and was negative. Neurosonography was compatible with intraventricular and periventricular intraparenchymal haemorrhage associated with right ventriculomegaly. Th e patient declined fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and fetal blood sampling in utero because she preferred to wait for neonatal studies. Ultrasound follow-ups did not show any progressive changes or other abnormalities. Elective caesarean section was performed at 38  5 weeks due to footling breech presentation, delivering a male infant weighing 2,910 g (25 percentile), with Apgar scores at 1 and 5 min of 9 and 10 and umbilical cord pH was 7.23/7.31.
Generation of raw stepped-frequency waveform echoes using RCS chamber measurements

Complicated microwave scattering characteristics of non-point targets are often examined using radar cross section (RCS) chamber measurements. These measurements are designed to be waveform independent. Attempting to gather waveform dependent data on complex target responses typically requires a robust (and expensive) waveform generation and sampling capability beyond that of most RCS chambers. This paper introduces a technique to convert standard RCS chamber measurements into raw stepped-frequency waveform echoes. By controlling the construction and processing of these echoes, many waveformdependent target effects can be examined. After demonstrating the validity of the proposed technique using both 1-D range profiles and 2-D inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) images, the paper examines the effects of linear frequency modulation (LFM) waveform filtering mismatches on an RCS chamber target.