Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE GREAT ESCAPE How to Draft Exculpatory Clauses That Limit or Extinguish Liability

E xculpatory clauses extinguish or limit liability of a potentially culpable party through the use of disclaimer, assumption of risk and indemnification clauses as well as releases of liability. For decades, Florida courts have wrestled with issues relating to the enforcement of exculpatory clauses where liability arises from personal injury, real estate, construction, and commercial disputes. These provisions gain significance as parties seek to shift the monetary risk of business transactions to others. Frequently these clauses are showcased in contractual agreements involving common carriers, promoters of sporting events, providers of design/construction services, and among participants to e-commerce transactions. As lawyers, we constantly draft and interpret exculpatory clauses hoping that the product of our efforts will withstand judicial scrutiny. Recognizing that the economic stakes often are high, counsel must be aware of the pitfalls associated with the drafting and interpretation of such clauses. These issues should be of enormous interest to lawyers because when the deal goes sour, disgruntled clients may seek to recoup their losses by challenging the lawyer’s advice through claims for legal malpractice. This article examines how Florida courts interpret exculpatory language as utilized in releases, waivers of liability, assumption of risk and indemnification agreements as well as other types of contracts. As similar legal principles apply to drafting these various types of clauses, they will collectively be discussed and referred to throughout this article as “exculpatory clauses. ” In addition, this article will offer practical suggestions to assist counsel in drafting enforceable exculpatory clauses.
The great debate over iodine in wound care continues: a review of the literature

The use of iodine in wound management can be traced back hundreds of years and yet continues to divide and create debate amongst today's clinicians. Is there a place for this agent in either infected or non-infected wounds? The body of evidence and pharmacopeia of iodine-based products available can prove daunting. This review outlines the properties of iodine-based products and seeks to examine the relevant clinical studies in an attempt to provide an evidence-based structure to facilitate the choice of iodine-based product. The authors reviewed both animal and human studies. Over 50 studies have been conducted on the use of iodine in wound care. Analysis of the literature reveals that there does appear to be a place for iodine in wound management, particularly in the presence of infection. However, the literature highlights iodine may cause harm, therefore a sound knowledge of the factors that contribute to the activity of iodine and its potential for cytotoxicity is required for its judicious use.
An Efficient Motion Estimation Technique For High Efficiency Video Coding ( HEVC / H . 265 )

The High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC/H.265), the newest standard became finalized in 2013, will made to improve the efficiency in transmission and storage of video content for video transmission applications. H.265 provides improved performance gain when compared with its previous standard, the H.264 Advanced Video Coding standard (H.264/AVC), as it reduces the required data volume or bandwidth by up to fifty percent, while keeping the exact statistical visual quality. So, that is why H.265 is well suited for 4k and 8k Ultra High-Definition (UHD) multimedia applications and will most likely be the state of the art video coding standard for future. Among the advanced designs highlighted by Ohm et al [1], HEVC employs a highly flexible coding tree structure. Pictures are partitioned into Coding Tree Units (CTUs) with a maximum size of 64x64, which are further subdivided into Prediction Units (PU's), Coding Units (CU's), and Transform Units (TU's). In inter-prediction, PU’s are broken down into Prediction Blocks (PBs) using eight different modes, four of which are asymmetric. This feature is referred to as Asymmetric Motion Partitioning (AMP) and is one of the primary innovations of HEVC’s inter-prediction scheme. Meanwhile, the complexity of HEVC is high and particularly the encoder’s intricacy is the major drawback as analyzed by Bossen et al [2]. Recent studies attempted to reduce HEVC’s complexity. For example, Correa et al [3] proposed an algorithm that dynamically limits the coding Abstract: High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), also called as H.265 which is the present compression standard, which play a crucial role in many video transmission applications in the coming future. Its best compression performance enables H.265 to be specifically suitable for ultra high definition videos in multimedia environments, however, it comes with the high price and high computational complexity. The H.265 encoding process, involves the Motion Estimation (ME), which is very time consuming process, which makes H.265 unrealistic for real-time applications at this present moment. In this work, an efficient motion estimation algorithm is proposed, to perform bi-predictive ME in a highly efficient manner. The PSNR, Rate-Distortion (RD) and Time comparison performances are evaluated in this work.
The rising prevalence of chronic low back pain.

BACKGROUND National or state-level estimates on trends in the prevalence of chronic low back pain (LBP) are lacking. The objective of this study was to determine whether the prevalence of chronic LBP and the demographic, health-related, and health care-seeking characteristics of individuals with the condition have changed over the last 14 years. METHODS A cross-sectional, telephone survey of a representative sample of North Carolina households was conducted in 1992 and repeated in 2006. A total of 4437 households were contacted in 1992 and 5357 households in 2006 to identify noninstitutionalized adults 21 years or older with chronic (>3 months), impairing LBP or neck pain that limits daily activities. These individuals were interviewed in more detail about their health and health care seeking. RESULTS The prevalence of chronic, impairing LBP rose significantly over the 14-year interval, from 3.9% (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.4%-4.4%) in 1992 to 10.2% (95% CI, 9.3%-11.0%) in 2006. Increases were seen for all adult age strata, in men and women, and in white and black races. Symptom severity and general health were similar for both years. The proportion of individuals who sought care from a health care provider in the past year increased from 73.1% (95% CI, 65.2%-79.8%) to 84.0% (95% CI, 80.8%-86.8%), while the mean number of visits to all health care providers were similar (19.5 [1992] vs 19.4 [2006]). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of chronic, impairing LBP has risen significantly in North Carolina, with continuing high levels of disability and health care use. A substantial portion of the rise in LBP care costs over the past 2 decades may be related to this rising prevalence.
Novel roles of neuropeptide processing enzymes: EC3.4.24.15 in the neurome

Neuropeptide processing metalloenzymes, such as angiotensin converting enzyme, neprilysin, endothelin converting enzyme, neurolysin, and EC3.4. 24.15 (EP24.15), are central to the formation and degradation of bioactive peptides. We present EP24.15 as a paradigm for novel functions ascribed to these enzymes in the neurome. Although the neurome typically encompasses proteomes of the brain and central nervous system, exciting new roles of these neuropeptidases have been demonstrated in other organ systems. We discuss the involvement of EP24.15 with clinical sequelae involving the use of gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH; LHRH) analogs that act as enzyme inhibitors, in vascular physiology (blood pressure regulation), and in the hematologic system (immune surveillance). Hemodynamic forces, such as cyclic strain and shear stress, on vascular cells, induce an increase in EP24.15 transcription, suggesting that neuropeptidase‐mediated hydrolysis of pressor/depressor peptides is likely regulated by changes in hemodynamic force and blood pressure. Lastly, EP24.15 regulates surface expression of major histocompatibility complex Class I proteins in vivo, suggesting that EP24.15 may play an important role in maintenance of immune privilege in sites of increased endogenous expression. In these extraneural systems, regulation of both neuropeptide and other peptide substrates by neuropeptidases indicates that the influence of these enzymes may be more global than was anticipated previously, and suggests that their attributed role as neuropeptidases underestimates their physiologic actions in the neural system. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Failure of Internet-based audit and feedback to improve quality of care delivered by primary care residents.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of Internet-based audit and feedback to physicians to improve care for diabetes and hypertension. DESIGN Time-series analysis of an intervention. METHODS The study setting was Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, a 14-site multispecialty group in greater Boston. The study period was July 1997-June 1999. PARTICIPANTS were 12 primary care internal medicine residents who provided care to adult patients with diabetes (n = 76 pre-intervention and n = 88 post-intervention), hypertension (n = 329 pre-intervention and n = 338 post-intervention), or both (n = 62 pre-intervention and n = 71 post-intervention). We determined the proportion of each resident's patients whose care fulfilled national guidelines for quality (i.e. diabetes patients had hemoglobin testing in the previous 6 months or hypertension patients received a beta-blocker or diuretic in the same time period). After meeting individually with each resident to obtain informed consent and to encourage participation, we sent each resident information for accessing his or her practice profile on a secure website. The main outcome measures were (i) the proportion of resident physicians who accessed their profiles and (ii) change following the intervention in the proportion of patients whose care followed national guidelines. RESULTS Over a 1-year period, only four of the 12 residents accessed their websites. One of the residents visited her site three times, while the other three residents visited their sites once each. In interrupted time-series analyses, the intervention had no discernible effect on adherence to practice guidelines for diabetes or hypertension. CONCLUSION The lack of participation in this Internet-based intervention may have important implications for the development of future programs that require physicians to interact with technology to improve quality of care.
Simulation of Zitterbewegung by modelling the Dirac equation in metamaterials

Strong field processes which occur in intense laser fields are a test area for relativistic quantum field theory, but difficult to study experimentally and theoretically. Thus, modelling relativistic quantum dynamics and therewith the Dirac equation can help to understand quantum field theory. We develop a dynamic description of an effective Dirac theory in metamaterials in which the wave function is modelled by the corresponding electric and magnetic field in the metamaterial. This electromagnetic field can be probed in the experimental setup, which means that the wave function of the effective theory is directly accessible by measurement. Our model is based on a plane wave expansion which establishes the identification of Dirac spinors with single-frequency excitations of the electromagnetic field in the metamaterial. We check the validity of our relativistic quantum dynamics simulation by demonstrating the emergence of Zitterbewegung and verifying it with an analytic solution.
The impact of transient combination antiretroviral treatment in early HIV infection on viral suppression and immunologic response in later treatment

Objective:Effects of transient combination antiretroviral treatment (cART) initiated during early HIV infection (EHI) remain unclear. We investigate whether this intervention affects viral suppression and CD4+ cell count increase following its reinitiation in chronic infection (CHI). Design:Longitudinal observational study. Methods:We identified adult patients from Concerted Action of Seroconversion to AIDS and Death in Europe who seroconverted after 1/1/2000, had a 12 months or less HIV test interval and initiated cART from naive. We classified individuals as ‘pretreated in EHI’ if treated within 6 months of seroconversion, interrupted for at least 12 weeks, and reinitiated during CHI. Statistical analysis was performed using survival analysis methods and mixed models. Results:Pretreated and initiated in CHI groups comprised 202 and 4263 individuals, with median follow-up after CHI treatment 4.5 and 3 years, respectively. Both groups had similar virologic response and relapse rates (P = 0.585 and P = 0.206) but pretreated individuals restarted treatment with higher baseline CD4+ cell count (∼80 cells/&mgr;l; P < 0.001) and retained significantly higher CD4+ cell count for more than 3 years after treatment (re)initiation. Assuming common baseline CD4+ cell count, differences in CD4+ cell count slopes were nonsignificant. Immunovirologic response to CHI treatment was not associated with timing or duration of the transient treatment. Conclusion:Although treatment interruptions are not recommended, stopping cART initiated in EHI does not seem to reduce the chance of a successful outcome of treatment in CHI.
Inferring Contextual Laws with Rules for Regulations in Open Multi-Agent Systems *

Rules and Rule-based inference engines have become a powerful technology to support basic Semantic Web tasks. In this work, we focus our attention in the essential task of regulation in open domains. More precisely, the rule layer of DynaCROM – our approach for dynamic contextual regulation in open multi-agent systems (MAS) – will be detailed. The DynaCROM rule layer permits developers of system regulation to easily customize several compositions of contextual laws, by activating and deactivating (few) rules. Thus, by continuous snapshots of a regulated system, developers can analyze agents’ performance and, then, manually influence both law enforcement and agents’ behavior. The result is a more balanced regulation. Moreover, meta-rules can also be specified in order to automatically raise pre-defined sets of rules, when their conditions are satisfied. Therefore, the rule layer introduces flexibility and precision in the DynaCROM solution, as a straightforward method for regulation in open MAS.
Human Papillomavirus Immunity in Oropharyngeal Cancer: Time to Change the Game?

For the first time, human papillomavirus (HPV)–specific immunity has been linked directly to the beneficial prognosis of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC). Those patients lacking HPV immunity fare much worse. These results harbor crucial implications for future management of HPV-driven OPSCC as well as for its definition. Clin Cancer Res; 24(3); 505–7. ©2017 AACR. See related article by Welters et al., p. 634
Study on Periodontitis in Relation with Subgingival Calculus in Rajshahi Region, Bangladesh

Background: Bangladesh is a country possessing harmful lifestyle for oral health. The country culture put the people to be exposed to harmful factors responsible for development of periodontitis. However, effective health education can bring encouraging result to aware them for healthy practice. Objectives: The aims of the study were to describe and analyze the periodontal condition and oral hygiene practices among Bangladeshi population. Methods: A hospital-based cross sectional descriptive study was done over 200 subjects. Subjects were recruited from a wide age range (6–80 year) by random and cluster samplings. A total of 200 cases were interviewed and examined. Data were collected from all patients attended the dental outpatient department of Dental Unit of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital, Udoyon Dental College Hospital and Upozila Health Complex, Raninagar, Naogaon. All patients were interviewed (face-to-face) using a semi-structured questionnaire. Clinical examination was performed to measure the periodontal health status using standard calculus index and periodontal index. Plaque, calculus, gingival bleeding, periodontal pocket probing depth, gingival recession, and tooth loss were recorded using a mouth mirror, and Williams- and WHO periodontal probes. Statistical analysis was carried out using SPSS program version 16.0. Results: Among all participants 48% were female and 52% were male. Most of the participants were student (27%). The study showed high rate of peridontitis (63%). The peak prevalent age group was over 45 years. Most of the participants had supra- and sub-gingival calculus. Gingival bleeding (GB) on probing was found in 91% of the participants. At the age >45 years, a periodontal pocket probing depth (PPD) of 4–6 mm was found in 43.85% and a PPD >6 mm in 17.54%. Conclusion: The occurrence of severe periodontal disease was low. The factors cause periodontal diseases were age, male sex, low education, rural residence, plaque and calculus.
Complete Cellulase System in the Marine Bacterium Saccharophagus degradans Strain 2-40T

ABSTRACT Saccharophagus degradans strain 2-40 is a representative of an emerging group of marine complex polysaccharide (CP)-degrading bacteria. It is unique in its metabolic versatility, being able to degrade at least 10 distinct CPs from diverse algal, plant and invertebrate sources. The S. degradans genome has been sequenced to completion, and more than 180 open reading frames have been identified that encode carbohydrases. Over half of these are likely to act on plant cell wall polymers. In fact, there appears to be a full array of enzymes that degrade and metabolize plant cell walls. Genomic and proteomic analyses reveal 13 cellulose depolymerases complemented by seven accessory enzymes, including two cellodextrinases, three cellobiases, a cellodextrin phosphorylase, and a cellobiose phosphorylase. Most of these enzymes exhibit modular architecture, and some contain novel combinations of catalytic and/or substrate binding modules. This is exemplified by endoglucanase Cel5A, which has three internal family 6 carbohydrate binding modules (CBM6) and two catalytic modules from family five of glycosyl hydrolases (GH5) and by Cel6A, a nonreducing-end cellobiohydrolase from family GH6 with tandem CBM2s. This is the first report of a complete and functional cellulase system in a marine bacterium with a sequenced genome.
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M/S n° 11, vol. 24, novembre 2008 concentration d’As la plus elevee, que devrait eviter le puit. Y a-t-il possibilite d’une strategie exploitant ces donnees [7] ? Elle serait surement d’un cout eleve dans des zones aussi denses et irriguees que les deltas du Gange ou de l’Irrawady, mais valent d’etre envisagees en considerant la gravite dramatique des intoxications a l’As. ‡ Rice poisoning by arsenic REFERENCES
High susceptibility to Chikungunya virus of Aedes aegypti from the French West Indies and French Guiana.

OBJECTIVES To estimate the vector competence of Aedes aegypti populations sampled from distinct anthropogenic environments in French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique for the strain CHIKV 06.21. METHODS F(1)/F(2) females were orally infected at titres of 10(6) and 10(7.5) pfu/ml in blood-meals. Disseminated infection rates (DIR) of mosquitoes were estimated using indirect fluorescent antibody assay on heads' squashes, 7 or 14 days post-infection (pi). RESULTS At a titre of 10(7.5) pfu/ml, DIR ranged from 88.9% to 100.0% and were not significantly different whether assessed at day 7 or 14 pi. At a titre of 10(6) pfu/ml, DIR observed 7 days pi ranged from 37.6 to 62.0%. CONCLUSIONS Ae. aegypti from French Guiana and French West Indies are highly competent to transmit CHIKV. An evaluation of DIR 7 days rather than 14 days pi is adequate to estimate vector competence. The titre of 10(6) pfu/ml allows us to distinguish Ae. aegypti populations originating from distinct environments (dense or diffuse housing) by their vector competence. This assessment is a prerequisite to better evaluate the potential risk of Chikungunya outbreaks once the virus is introduced from endemic regions.
Effect of Anti Light‐Chain Antibodies on Rat Leukocytes in Vitro

The effect of the IgG fraction of rabbit anti rat L‐chain antibodies (aL) and their Fab fragments (Fab aL) on rat blood leukocytes cultured in vitro has been examined. Undigested aL increased the thymidine uptake in both mixed and unmixed leukocyte cultures over a very wide dose range. Fab aL had no effect on either mixed or unmixed leukocyte cultures. The nature of T lymphocyte receptors is briefly discussed.
Abductor tendons and muscles assessed at MR imaging after total hip arthroplasty in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients.

PURPOSE To prospectively evaluate magnetic resonance (MR) imaging findings of abductor tendons and muscles in asymptomatic and symptomatic patients after lateral transgluteal total hip arthroplasty (THA). MATERIALS AND METHODS The institutional review board approved the study, and all patients provided informed consent. Two musculoskeletal radiologists blinded to clinical information analyzed triplanar MR images of the greater trochanter obtained in 25 patients without and 39 patients with trochanteric pain and abductor weakness after THA. Tendon defects, diameter, signal intensity, and ossification; fatty atrophy; and bursal fluid collections were assessed. In 14 symptomatic patients, MR imaging and surgical findings were correlated. Differences in the frequencies of findings between the two groups were tested for significance by using chi2 analysis. RESULTS Tendon defects were uncommon in asymptomatic patients and significantly more frequent in symptomatic patients: Two asymptomatic versus 22 symptomatic patients had gluteus minimus defects (P < .001); four asymptomatic versus 24 symptomatic patients, lateral gluteus medius defects (P < .001); and no asymptomatic versus seven symptomatic patients, posterior gluteus medius defects (P = .025). In both patient groups, tendon signal intensity changes were frequent, with the exception of those in the posterior gluteus medius tendon, which demonstrated these changes more frequently in symptomatic patients (in 23 vs five asymptomatic patients, P = .002). Tendon diameter changes were frequent in both groups but significantly (P = .001 to P = .009) more frequent in symptomatic patients (all tendon parts). Fatty atrophy was evident in the anterior two-thirds of the gluteus minimus muscle in both groups, without significant differences. In the posterosuperior third of the gluteus minimus muscle, however, differences in fatty atrophy between the two groups were significant (P = .026). Fatty atrophy of the gluteus medius muscle was present in symptomatic patients only, with significant differences among all muscle parts. Bursal fluid collections were more frequent in symptomatic patients (n = 24) than in asymptomatic patients (n = 8, P = .021). The MR imaging-based diagnosis was confirmed in all 14 patients who underwent revision surgery. CONCLUSION Abductor tendon defects and fatty atrophy of the gluteus medius muscle and the posterior part of the gluteus minimus muscle are uncommon in asymptomatic patients after THA.