Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Prospective, Nonrandomized, Multicenter Evaluation of Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion for the Treatment of Adult Degenerative Scoliosis: Perioperative Outcomes and Complications

Study Design. Prospective multicenter nonrandomized institutional review board-approved observational study of clinical and radiographic outcomes of the extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF) procedure in adult scoliosis. Objective. Perioperative measures from this longitudinal study were compiled to identify the short-term results and complications of the procedure. Summary of Background Data. The surgical treatment of adult scoliosis presents a treatment challenge. Neural decompression with combined anterior/posterior instrumented fusion is often performed. These procedures have been reported to carry a high risk of complication, particularly in the elderly patient population. Over the past decade, less invasive surgical approaches to neural decompression and fusion have been popularized and have recently been applied in the treatment of degenerative scoliosis. To date, there has been little published data evaluating these treatment approaches. Methods. A total of 107 patients who underwent the XLIF procedure with or without supplemental posterior fusion for the treatment of degenerative scoliosis were prospectively studied. Intraoperative data collection included surgical procedural details, operative time, estimated blood loss, and surgical complications. Postoperative complications, length of hospital stay, and neurologic status were recorded. For this report, perioperative data (inclusive of outcomes through the 6-week postoperative clinic visit) were evaluated. Results. In all, 107 patients (mean age, 68 years; range, 45–87) were treated with XLIF; 28% had at least 1 comorbidity. A mean of 4.4 levels (range, 1–9) were treated per patient. Supplemental pedicle screw fixation was used in 75.7% of patients, 5.6% had lateral fixation, and 18.7% had stand-alone XLIF. Mean operative time and blood loss were 178 minutes (58 minutes/level) and 50 to 100 mL. Mean hospital stay was 2.9 days (unstaged), 8.1 day (staged, 16.5%), 3.8 days overall. Five patients (4.7%) received a transfusion, 3 (2.8%) required intensive care unit admission, and 1 (0.9%) required rehabilitation services. Major complications occurred in 13 patients (12.1%): 2 (1.9%) medical, 12 (11.2%) surgical. Of procedures that involved only less invasive techniques (XLIF stand-alone or with percutaneous instrumentation), 9.0% had one or more major complications. In those with supplemental open posterior instrumentation, 20.7% had one or more major complication. Early reoperations (3) (all for deep wound infections) were associated with open posterior instrumentation procedures. Conclusion. The morbidity in adult scoliosis surgery is minimized with less invasive techniques. The rate of major complications in this study (12.1%) compares favorably to that reported from other studies of surgery for degenerative deformity.
Multiple output LC tank varactor VCO with ultra-low power consumption and low-phase noise

This paper presents the design of Varactor Tank Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO) with multiple outputs using Colpitts Oscillation. Design process followed industry guidelines in order to achieve ultra-low power consumption and low phase noise production. Each VCO proposed is a combination of main tank, Colpitts Oscillator, Varactor tank, negative resistance and utilized with super filter voltage, impedance matching, synthesizer and buffer for VCOs combination purpose. This design is verified by measurement of output frequency ranged 806 MHz to 1054 MHz with 3V to 10.5V supply respectively for each VCOs. Whereas power consumption varies in the range of 335.407 μ W to 486.1814 μ W. , The proposed VCO design shows significant improvements compared with earlier VCO design in terms of wider output operating frequency range, lower power consumption and better phase noise results.
Horseback Riding as Therapy for Children with Cerebral Palsy

A systematic review of the literature on horseback riding therapy as an intervention for children with cerebral palsy (CP) was carried out. The terms horse, riding, hippotherapy, horseback riding therapy, equine movement therapy, and cerebral palsy were searched in electronic databases and hand searched. Retrieved articles were rated for methodological quality using PEDro scoring to assess the internal validity of randomized trials and the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale to assess cohort studies. PICO questioning (Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcomes) was used to identify questions of interest to clinicians for outcomes within the context of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Levels of evidence were then accorded each PICO question. There is Level 2a evidence that hippotherapy is effective for treating muscle symmetry in the trunk and hip and that therapeutic horseback riding is effective for improved gross motor function when compared with regular therapy or time on a waiting list. No studies addressed participation outcomes.
Spectrally Efficient Cooperative Diversity Protocols Forwireless Networks

We design and analyze spectrally efficient cooperative diversity protocols using multiple relays (say N), which combat the multi-path fading by retransmitting the bit-interleaved coded information transmitted by a source to destination. In the first proposed protocol, called N-relay cyclic protocol, each relay will transmit only a portion of the signal transmitted by the source. In the second protocol, only the relay with the best mutual information will transmit all the source information-thus termed as best-relay protocol. We derive the probability density functions of the mutual information for both of these protocols and using these densities, we analyze the outage probability and outage capacity performances. The results show that the proposed protocols achieve the maximum diversity order N + 1.
COOLER-A Fast Multiobjective Fixed-outline Thermal Floorplanner

In this work, we study multiobjective thermal-aware floorplanning in the fixed-outline context. Our baseline implementation demonstrates a 14% average interconnect improvement over Parquet for ami49, and can additionally optimize peak on-chip temperature. To circumvent the expense of Compact Thermal Models, we develop a novel approach to power-density aware floorplanning, but rigorously evaluate final layouts using a standard methodology based on the Hotspot tool. With these techniques, our multiobjective floorplanner COOLER, reduces peak temperature on MCNC circuits by 15.3°C, which is similar to the 15.1°C reduction achieved by Hotfloorplan. However, our tool is 11-146 times faster than Hotfloorplan. We also show that solutions found by Hotfloorplan lie on the Pareto front generated by COOLER.
Evolving the Vnode interface

The vnode interface has succeeded in supporting a wide range of file system implementations over its 6-year history. During that time it has also had to accommodate evolution in file system semantics, and in the relationship between the file system and the virtual memory system. The effects of this evolution have been less than elegant, and pressures for further evolution are mounting. The evolution of the interface is reviewed in order to identify the problems it has caused, and a more robust revision of the interface design proposed. This design also permits new file systems to be implemented in terms of pre-existing file system implementations; it is more like the Streams interface in this respect. The current state of a prototype implementation is described and its performance characterized. MELENE (lazily). We are very well as we are. Life without a care − every want supplied by a kind and fatherly monarch, who, despot though he be, has no other thought than to make his people happy − what have we to gain by the great change that is in store for us? Gilbert & Sullivan, Utopia, Ltd.
Block adaptive filters with deterministic reference inputs for event-related signals: BLMS and BRLS

Adaptive estimation of the linear coefficient vector in truncated expansions is considered for the purpose of modeling noisy, recurrent signals. Two different criteria are studied for block-wise processing of the signal: the mean square error (MSE) and the least squares (LS) error. The block LMS (BLMS) algorithm, being the solution of the steepest descent strategy for minimizing the MSE, is shown to be steady-state unbiased and with a lower variance than the LMS algorithm. It is demonstrated that BLMS is equivalent to an exponential averager in the subspace spanned by the truncated set of basis functions. The block recursive least squares (BRLS) solution is shown to be equivalent to the BLMS algorithm with a decreasing step size. The BRLS is unbiased at any occurrence number of the signal and has the same steady-state variance as the BLMS but with a lower variance at the transient stage. The estimation methods can be interpreted in terms of linear, time-variant filtering. The performance of the methods is studied on an ECG signal, and the results show that the performance of the block algorithms is superior to that of the LMS algorithm. In addition, measurements with clinical interest are found to be more robustly estimated in noisy signals.
A Novel Method for Monitoring Data Quality in Electrical Impedance Tomography

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has the promise to help improve care for patients undergoing ventilation therapy by providing real-time bed-side information on the distribution of ventilation in their lungs. To realise this potential, it is important for an EIT system to provide a reliable and meaningful signal at all times, or alert clinicians when this is not possible. Because the reconstructed images in EIT are sensitive to system instabilities (including electrode connection problems) and artifacts caused by e.g. movement or sweat, there is a need for EIT systems to continuously monitor, recognize and, if possible, correct for such errors. Motivated by this requirement, our paper describes a novel approach to quantitatively measure EIT data quality suitable for online and offline applications. We used a publicly available data set of ventilation data from two pediatric patients with lung disease to evaluate the data quality on clinical data. Results suggest that the developed data quality could be a useful tool for real-time assessment of the quality of EIT data and, hence, to indicate the reliability of any derived physiological information.
AICA‐Riboside: Safety, Tolerance, and Pharmacokinetics of a Novel Adenosine‐Regulating Agent

AICA‐riboside (5‐amino‐4‐imidazole carboxamide ribonucleoside) is a novel adenosine‐regulating agent that is currently being investigated for the treatment of ischemic heart disease. In a placebo‐controlled, double‐blind study in healthy men, we evaluated the safety and kinetics of the drug after oral and IV administration of 10, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg doses. At each dose level, four subjects received active drug and two subjects received placebo with a 1‐week wash‐out period between the IV and oral doses. The drug was well tolerated at all dose levels with only mild and transient side effects reported in some instances by the subjects who received placebo and those patients who received the drug. The post‐infusion plasma concentrations of AICA‐riboside declined rapidly in a biphasic fashion, and the terminal elimination phase had a harmonic mean tt/2β of 1.4 hours. Total plasma clearance (CL), mean residence time (MRTIV), and volume of distribution at steady‐state (VSS) were 2.5 L/hr/kg, 0.7 hr, and 1.6 L/kg, respectively. The drug was not protein bound, and there was rapid uptake and phosphorylation in RBCs to its 5′‐monophosphate nucleotide. Renal clearance (CLR) was 0.2 L/hr/kg with only 8% of the IV dose excreted in the urine as intact AICA‐riboside. Although there was a trend towards a decrease in CL with increasing dose, there were no significant differences (P > .05) in the mean estimates of t1/2β, CL, CLR, MRTIV and VSS associated with dose. The drug was poorly bioavailable (<5%) when administered orally in solution.
Sites of maximal intestinal absorptive capacity for amino acids and peptides: evidence for an independent peptide uptake system or systems.

as reported by Barnard, Carter, CrosslandTaylor, and Stewart (1969) is approximately 5 (21p) cents (Australian) per test for reagents purchased from the manufacturer. In countries where importation of these solutions is necessary the operating cost is approximately 9 cents (4-p) per test. This compares unfavourably with the cost of operating systems such as the semiautomated system described by Davis and Kelly (1969). The Coulter model S requires two solutions for operation: a buffered sodium chloride solution and a lysing and haemoglobin conversion solution. The formulae for these solutions have not been published to date. The high cost of the commercial products has prompted formulation of alternative solutions. Excellent results have been obtained with the substitute buffered salt solution made up as follows:
Dye-sensitized solar cells using some organic dyes as photosensitizers

Eight organic dyes are used as sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells. These dyes are eosin Y, aniline blue, bromophenol blue, alcian blue, methyl orange, crystal violet, fast green, and carbol fuchsin. The absorption spectra of these dyes are carried out by UV–VIS spectrophotometry. Dye-sensitized solar cells are assembled using nanostructured, mesoporous TiO 2 films. Photovoltaic parameters of the fabricated cells are investigated and the highest overall conversion efficiency of 0.399% is obtained for the dye-sensitized solar cell sensitized with eosin Y.
Item Response Theory Analyses of Physical Functioning Items in the Medical Outcomes Study

Background:Constructing and evaluating item pools that measure a single domain of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is one of the fundamental objectives of the Patient Reported Outcome Measurement and Information System (PROMIS) project. The initial focus of PROMIS is on 5 HRQOL domains: physical function, fatigue, pain, emotional distress, and social/role participation. Analysis of related, available data can inform construction of these new banks. Objective:We sought to inform the building of the PROMIS physical function item bank by evaluating physical functioning items administered to participants in the Medical Outcomes Study. Research Design:Secondary analyses of physical functioning items administered at baseline (Fall, 1986) to 3223 individuals in the Medical Outcomes Study. Subjects:The mean age of participants was 54 years old; 15% had less than a high school education, 30% had a high school education, 27% had some but <4 years of college, and 28% had 4 or more years of college. Sixty-one percent were female; 80% were non-Hispanic white, 14% non-Hispanic black, 3% Hispanic, 1% Asian, and 2% other race/ethnicity. Measures:Fifteen physical functioning items were selected for analyses including the 10 SF-36 physical functioning items, an item assessing limitations in everyday physical activities because of health problems, an item measuring satisfaction with physical ability, and 3 mobility items. Results:Cronbach’s alpha was 0.94 for the 15-item scale and item-total correlations ranged from 0.51 (limited in bathing or dressing) to 0.80 (limited walking several blocks). A one-factor confirmatory categorical model fit the data well according to practical fit indices (comparative fit index = 0.95), but the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation was 0.12. Estimated factor loadings were all large (0.72 to 0.96) and statistically significant. We fit the graded response model with freely estimated and fixed slope estimates to compare 2-PL and 1-PL models. The difference between these 2 goodness of fit statistics for the 2 models was statistically significant: &khgr;2 (df = 14) = 772.9, P < 0.001. Slope estimates for some of the items in the 2-PL model varied from the 1-PL common slope to a noteworthy extent (eg, items 2, 5, 7, 8, and 9). Category threshold estimates generally were similar for the 2 models. Threshold estimates for the 2-PL model ranged from –2.90 (item 14: between no, never, and yes, occasionally in bed or in a chair most or all of the day because of health) to 1.55 (item 12: between very satisfied and completely satisfied with physical ability to do what you want to do). Information peaked at –1.0 theta (information = 33.60) for the 2-PL model. Information was only 7.43 at 0.8 theta (2-PL) and decreased with increasing theta. Conclusions:The 15 physical functioning items provide reasonably good fit to a unidimensional item response theory model that provides satisfactory coverage of the lower levels of physical functioning but does not provide very much information at higher levels of functioning.
Lumbar Spine Imaging: Role in Clinical Decision Making

&NA; Imaging studies are an integral component of the evaluation of the lumbar spine. For each study there is a specific role, an appropriate indication, and a correct time for utilization during the course of a patient's illness. The physician must know the specificity and sensitivity of each test, as well as the prevalence of abnormal findings in asymptomatic persons, to properly order and interpret the results of the studies. Many errors in decision making arise, not from misinterpretation of what is seen on imaging studies, but rather from misuse of imaging information in the clinical decision‐making process. Because all neurodiagnostic imaging modalities reveal abnormalities in at least a third of asymptomatic persons, the use of these tests for general screening is dangerous. The challenge for the future is to be able to better correlate what is seen on imaging studies with the patient's symptoms. Obtaining these expensive studies too early in the treatment of self‐limited disorders is costly and often misleading for both the physician and the patient. The authors outline an approach to the judicious timing of imaging studies and discuss pitfalls in their interpretation in the evaluation of degenerative diseases of the lumbar spine.
Diagnostic and clinical implications of the different genotypes of hepatitis C virus

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) samples in 155 sera, from patients with chronic non‐A, non‐B liver disease and blood donors, were grouped into four genotypes (I, II, III, and IV) by amplification of core‐gene sequences by polymerase chain reaction with type‐specific primers. HCV genotypes were compared with various HCV‐associated antibodies detectable by the first‐generation ELISA (ELISA‐1) with C100‐3 protein and a second‐generation immunoblot assay with four recombinant HCV proteins. Antibodies to C100‐3 protein and those to its subsequence (5–1–1) were detected in 13 (93%) and 12 (86%), respectively, of 14 sera with genotype I HCV; 56 (79%) and 58 (82%) of 71 sera with genotype II; 13 (34%) and 6 (16%) of 38 sera with genotype III; and 11 (34%) and 4 (13%) of 32 sera with genotype IV. Amino acid sequences of C100‐3 of genotype I HCV are conserved by ∼90% in genotype II, but only by ∼75% in genotypes III and IV. The sensitivity of ELSA‐1, therefore, would be influenced by heterogeneity in C100‐3 sequences of different genotypes.
FINANCIAL LITERACY AMONG AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

This research was undertaken as the prelude to a larger project to determine the financial literacy of the Australian population. Measuring the current state of preparedness provides a benchmark against which any improvements gained through financial education programs may be measured at a later stage. Additionally, the research instrument was structured so that the areas most or least in need of improvement were highlighted. The cohort sampled as the research population was the student body at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) located south-east Queensland.
Molecular signaling network complexity is correlated with cancer patient survivability

The 5-y survival for cancer patients after diagnosis and treatment is strongly dependent on tumor type. Prostate cancer patients have a >99% chance of survival past 5 y after diagnosis, and pancreatic patients have <6% chance of survival past 5 y. Because each cancer type has its own molecular signaling network, we asked if there are “signatures” embedded in these networks that inform us as to the 5-y survival. In other words, are there statistical metrics of the network that correlate with survival? Furthermore, if there are, can such signatures provide clues to selecting new therapeutic targets? From the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Cancer Pathway database we computed several conventional and some less conventional network statistics. In particular we found a correlation (R2 = 0.7) between degree-entropy and 5-y survival based on the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results database. This correlation suggests that cancers that have a more complex molecular pathway are more refractory than those with less complex molecular pathway. We also found potential new molecular targets for drugs by computing the betweenness—a statistical metric of the centrality of a node—for the molecular networks.
Detecting Changes in the Relative Expression of KRAS2 Splice Variants Using Polymerase Colonies

Because splice variants of a gene with multiple isoforms give rise to proteins with different functions, it seems plausible that changes in the expression levels of the splice variants could be a contributing factor to disease. In fact, recent examples in the literature clearly illustrate that altered expression levels of splice variants may play an important role in disease. Furthermore, these works demonstrate that changes in expression levels could potentially be used to (1) monitor disease progression, (2) diagnose disease, and/or (3) determine disease state. In this work an immobilized form of PCR, known as polony technology, was adapted to quantify the relative expression levels of splice variants. Specifically, the relative expression levels of the two splice variants of the oncogene K‐ras, namely, K‐RAS2A and K‐RAS2B, were determined using polony technology.
Low cost technology for transmit receive modules

The growing maturity of ESCAN radar for airborne applications calls for greater emphasis on cost-effective packaging in the active antenna. An attractive solution is to distribute the TRM components across a multi-channel PCB, adopting commercial assembly techniques where possible. Component design, PCB structure and antenna layout are key enablers of low cost manufacture.
Visualization for Radar Network Detection Ability via Blending Rendering of Multilayer Isosurface

Radar network detection performance is described by radar network detection probability. This paper presents two visualization methods of multilayer is surface which is extracted from radar network data for different requirements. The first algorithm, Multilayer Pseudo-sort Algorithm, boosts up the borderline using Per-Pixel Shading, improves the performance of rendering but the quality is low. Another algorithm, Improved Depth Peeling, solves the problem of nonuniform depth distributing of multi-fragment using slice map technology and obtains great improvement for large scenes with high complexity. The former can well balance between performance and quality while the latter can capture multiple fragments in a single process.