Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
One-Stage Cartilage Repair Using a Hyaluronic Acid–Based Scaffold With Activated Bone Marrow–Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Compared With Microfracture

Background: Articular cartilage injury is frequently encountered, yet treatment options capable of providing durable cartilage repair are limited. Purpose: To investigate the medium-term clinical outcomes of cartilage repair using a 1-stage technique of a hyaluronic acid–based scaffold with activated bone marrow aspirate concentrate (HA-BMAC) and compare results with those of microfracture. A secondary aim of this study was to identify specific patient demographic factors and cartilage lesion characteristics that are associated with superior outcomes. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. Methods: Fifty physically active patients (mean age, 45 years) with grade IV cartilage injury of the knee (lesion size, 1.5-24 cm2) were treated with HA-BMAC or microfracture and were observed prospectively for 5 years. Patients were placed into the HA-BMAC group if the health insurance policy of the treating institution supported this option; otherwise, they were placed into the microfracture group. Objective and subjective clinical assessment tools were used preoperatively and at 2 and 5 years postoperatively to compare treatment outcomes. Results: Significant improvements in outcome scores were achieved in both treatment groups at 2 years (P < .001). In the microfracture group, 64% were classified as normal or nearly normal according to the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) objective score at 2 years, compared with 100% of those treated with HA-BMAC (P < .001). Normal or nearly normal objective assessments in the microfracture group declined significantly after 5 years to 28% of patients (P = .004). All patients treated with HA-BMAC maintained improvement at 5 years according to Lysholm, Tegner, IKDC objective, and IKDC subjective scores. Tegner, IKDC objective, and Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) assessments demonstrated higher scores in the HA-BMAC treatment group compared with microfracture at 5 years. Lysholm and IKDC subjective scores were similar between treatment groups at 5 years. Poorer outcomes in the microfracture group were demonstrated in cases of lesions larger than 4 cm2 and nonsolitary lesions. Age greater than 45 years, large size of lesion, and treatment of multiple lesions were not associated with poorer outcome in patients treated with HA-BMAC. Conclusion: Repair of chondral injury using a hyaluronic acid–based scaffold with activated bone marrow aspirate concentrate provides better clinical outcomes and more durable cartilage repair at medium-term follow-up compared with microfracture. Positive short-term clinical outcomes can be achieved with either microfracture or HA-BMAC. Cartilage repair using HA-BMAC leads to successful medium-term outcomes independent of age or lesion size.
Stimulant use and sexual risk behaviors for HIV in rural North Carolina.

CONTEXT While literature exists on sexual risks for HIV among rural populations, the specific role of stimulants in increasing these risks has primarily been studied in the context of a single drug and/or racial group. PURPOSE This study explores the use of multiple stimulants and sexual risk behaviors among individuals of different races and sexual identities in rural North Carolina. METHODS In-depth interviews were conducted with 41 individuals in 3 rural North Carolina counties between June 2004 and December 2005. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and reviewed for accuracy. Edited interviews were imported into Atlas.ti and askSam for analysis. FINDINGS Along with marijuana, stimulants-including powder cocaine, crack, and methamphetamine-were the most frequently used illicit drugs in these counties. Powder cocaine use was more closely associated with white participants, crack with African Americans, and both were more commonly used by female participants. Participants reported 3 overlapping behaviors involving stimulant use that may be associated with increased risk of HIV infection: engaging in sex while using drugs, sex trading and group sex. Nearly half of participants reported engaging in group sex activity. CONCLUSIONS HIV risk through injection appears to be low in these rural counties. However, nearly all study participants reported some form of sexual risk behavior that may increase transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Further research is warranted focusing on the nexus between substance abuse and risky sexual behaviors.
2. Classification and Diagnosis of Diabetes

1. Type 1 diabetes (due to b-cell destruction, usually leading to absolute insulin deficiency) 2. Type 2 diabetes (due to a progressive loss of insulin secretion on the background of insulin resistance) 3. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) (diabetes diagnosed in the second or third trimester of pregnancy that is not clearly overt diabetes) 4. Specific types of diabetes due to other causes, e.g., monogenic diabetes syndromes (such as neonatal diabetes and maturity-onset diabetes of the young [MODY]), diseases of the exocrine pancreas (such as cystic fibrosis), and drugor chemical-induced diabetes (such as with glucocorticoid use, in the treatment of HIV/AIDS or after organ transplantation)
A small-scale, low-cost isolation system for the incubation and rearing of low bacterial load chicks as a model to study microbial–intestinal interactions

Summary A small-scale, economical isolator system was adapted to hatch and raise chicks in a bacteria-free environment as a means to observe bacterial interactions with the intestinal mucosa during early development. The design and construction of flexible plastic isolators for incubation and brooding are described along with methodologies for preparation of eggs for entry into the isolators, incubation and hatching. Two trials were conducted, the first in August 2005 and the second in March 2006. Results from both trials showed no differences in body weights of chicks raised in isolation when compared with those raised conventionally. Growth of bacteria was detected from rectal swabs at day 2 post-hatch, with both trials, showing a light growth of Bacillus sp. , coagulase-negative staphylococci and haemolytic streptococcus in trial 1, and a light growth of Bacillus cereus only in trial 2. Although not germfree, the growth of bacteria in chicks raised in isolation was decreased or absent when compared with chicks raised conventionally. Feed was negative for contamination and surface swabs of equipment were also negative until day 3 post-hatch, suggesting possible contamination within the eggs themselves. Despite the presence of bacterial species, the isolator system was successful in producing low bacterial load chicks for comparison studies with conventionally raised chicks.
Ask the consumer: An innovative approach to dementia-related adult day service evaluation

Historically, family caregivers have been considered the “consumers” when evaluating respite programs for persons with dementia offered by adult day service (ADS) centers. The purpose of this article is to describe a unique evaluation of ADS conducted directly with persons with dementia. Seventeen persons who regularly attended the Silver Club, an ADS program associated with the University of Michigan Turner Geriatric Clin ic, were interviewed by an independent, trained interviewer using a single group, one-time, cross-sectional administration of a consumer satisfaction survey. Fifteen persons were able to complete the interview successfully. The implication of this evaluation is that when specially designed procedures are used, persons with dementia are capable of contributing usable data to consumer satisfaction surveys. Including the voice of this vulnerable population improves the quality of an agency's overall evaluation process and supports the basic philosophy of ADS to preserve the self-worth, independence, and dignity of cognitively impaired individuals.
Influence of Processing on Dietary Fiber, Tannin and in Vitro Protein Digestibility of Pearl Millet

From the nutritional point of view, data on dietary fiber content, tannin and in vitro protein digestibility of processed millet is of importance, because millets are never eaten raw. Effects of commonly used traditional methods on dietary fiber, tannin content and %IVPD of two locally available pearl millet varieties (Kalukombu and Maharashtra Rabi Bajra) were investigated. The millet was subjected to various processing methods like milling (whole flour, semi refined flour and bran rich fraction) roasting, boiling, pressure cooking & germination respectively. Processing had little effect on the total dietary fiber (TDF) content in both varieties; however the bran rich fraction showed highest TDF content of around 29%. Tannins effectively lowered upon boiling and pressure cooking respectively, but significantly increased (P ≥ 0.05) upon germination. Although the % IVPD of the millet (45.5 – 49.3 g/100g) was low, it significantly increased upon milling (bran rich fraction), roasting and germination respectively.
Maximum likelihood methods for direction-of-arrival estimation

Five methods of direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimation which can be derived from the maximum-likelihood (ML) principle are considered. The ML method (MLM) results from the application of the ML principle to the statistics of the observed raw data. The standard multiple signal classification (MUSIC) procedure, called MUSIC-1, is obtained as a brute-force approximation of the MLM. An improved MUSIC procedure, named MUSIC-2, is obtained by applying the ML principle to the statistics of certain linear combinations of the sample noise space eigenvectors. A procedure which compromises between the good performance of the MLM and the computational simplicity of MUSIC is a method of direction estimation (MODE-1) which is derived as a large sample realization of the MLM. A fifth method, called MODE-2, is obtained by using the ML principle on the statistics of certain linear combinations of the sample eigenvectors. MODE-2 is computationally less demanding than the MLM (it is of the same complexity as MODE-1) and statistically more efficient. A numerical comparison of these five DOA estimation methods is presented. It confirms the analytic results on their theoretical performance levels. >
Interactive Component Visualization - Visual Representation of Component-based Applications using the ENT Meta-model

UML is considered to be a universal solution for diagramming any application, but UML also has its shortcomings. It needs several diagrams to describe one problem, it cannot create different views on one diagram and it is not interactive. This leads to hours spent drawing the same thing from different views, any change has to be applied several times and the author of a UML diagram has to balance between good readability and providing a sufficient amount of information. In particular, the UML component diagram has insufficient expressive power to capture all the facts of even today’s component models and architectures. In this paper, we propose a visualization aimed at modular and composed architecture that is content-aware, so it can present the model of component-based architecture in different ways, depending on user needs. By default, it presents minimum information to reduce cognitive load and keep the diagrams comprehensible, while making the additional information available when the user needs it. This paper thus suggests a possible substitute for UML in the domain of component-based applications.
Contemporary American Attitudes toward U.S. Immigration 1

This article aims to contribute to an understanding of contemporary American attitudes toward immigration. It extends work by Espenshade and Calhoun (1993) who analyzed data from a southern California survey in June 1983 about the impacts of undocumented migrants and illegal immigration. There has not been a follow-up study that evaluates more recent evidence to see how residents throughout the United States feel about overall levels of immigration (legal and undocumented). The paper uses data from a CBS News/New York Times poll conducted in June 1993. Respondents were asked whether they would like to see the level of immigration to the United States increased, decreased or kept the same. We test several hypotheses about factors influencing respondents’ attitudes, including the importance of previously unexamined predictors. These new hypotheses relate to views about the health of the U.S. economy, feelings of social and political alienation, and isolationist sentiments concerning international economic issues and foreign relations. One important discovery is the close connection between possessing restrictionist immigration attitudes and having an isolationist perspective along a broader array of international issues.
Free schedules for free agents in workflow systems

This paper investigates workflow systems in which the enactment and completion of activities have to satisfy a set of quantitative temporal constraints. Different activities are usually performed by autonomous agents, and the scheduling of activities by the enactment service has among its goals the minimization of communication and synchronization among the agents. The paper formally defines the notion of a schedule for these workflow systems and its identifies a particularly useful class: free schedules. A schedule specifies a time range for the enactment, duration and completion of each activity in order to satisfy all the temporal constraints in the workflow. In a free schedule, an agent has to start its activity within the range specified in the schedule, but it is free to use any amount of time to finish the activity as long as it is between a minimum and maximum time he has declared when the workflow is designed. No synchronization with other agents is needed. The paper provides a method to characterize all the free schedules admitted by a workflow specification and an algorithm to derive them.
A Multicomponent RNA-Based Control System Regulates Subgenomic mRNA Transcription in a Tombusvirus

ABSTRACT During infections, positive-strand RNA tombusviruses transcribe two subgenomic (sg) mRNAs that allow for the expression of a subset of their genes. This process is thought to involve an unconventional mechanism involving the premature termination of the virally encoded RNA-dependent RNA polymerase while it is copying the virus genome. The 3′ truncated minus strands generated by termination are then used as templates for sg mRNA transcription. In addition to requiring an extensive network of long-distance RNA-RNA interactions (H.-X. Lin and K. A. White, EMBO J. 23:3365-3374, 2004), the transcription of tombusvirus sg mRNAs also involves several additional RNA structures. In vivo analysis of these diverse RNA elements revealed that they function at distinct steps in the process by facilitating the formation or stabilization of the long-distance interactions, modulating minus-strand template production, or promoting the initiation of sg mRNA transcription. All of the RNA elements characterized could be readily incorporated into a premature termination model for sg mRNA transcription. Overall, the analyses revealed a complex system that displays a high level of structural integration and functional coordination. This multicomponent RNA-based control system may serve as a useful paradigm for understanding related transcriptional processes in other positive-sense RNA viruses.
Aberrant Hypermethylation of p14ARF and O6‐methylguanine‐DNA Methyltransferase Genes in Astrocytoma Progression

The aim of the present study was to elucidate genetic alterations that are critically involved in astrocytoma progression. We characterized 27 World Health Organization grade II fibrillary astrocytomas which later underwent recurrence or progression, paying specific attention to the CpG island methylation status of critical growth regulatory genes. p14ARF and O6‐methylguanine‐DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) hypermethylation represented frequent events (26% and 63%, respectively), which were mutually exclusive except in one case, with alternate or simultaneous methylation of these two genes occurring in 85% of our tumor series. Seventeen tumors (63%) contained TP53 mutations, which were closely related to the presence of MGMT methylation. Methylation of the p21Waf1/Cip1, p27Kip1 and p73 genes and homozygous deletion of the p16INK4a, p15INK4b and p14ARF genes were not detected in any of the primary low‐grade tumors. The presence of p14ARF methylation at first biopsy was associated with shorter patient survival, whereas the presence of MGMT methylation carried a better clinical outcome after salvage therapy. Examination of 20 cases whose histological data for recurrent tumors were available revealed that malignant progression occurred in all of the tumors with p14ARF methylation but less frequently (50%) in the lesions with MGMT methylation. On analysis of their respective recurrent tumors, five of six patients whose primary low‐grade tumors carried p14ARF methylation exhibited homozygous co‐deletions of the p14ARF, p15INK4b and p16INK4a genes, which were restricted to glioblastoma as the most malignant end point. Our findings suggest that p14ARF hypermethylation and MGMT hypermethylation constitute distinct molecular pathways of astrocytoma progression, which could differ in biological behavior and clinical outcome.
The Lack of Effect of Low Temperature and High Turbidity on Operational Bacillus thuringiensis Subsp. Israelensis Activity Against Larval Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae)

Abstract Black fly suppression programs are conducted across a wide range of environmental conditions, targeting a variety of pest species with diverse life histories. Operational applications of Vectobac® 12AS (Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis) were conducted during times characterized by water temperature and turbidity extremes. Applications were conducted in the Yellow River in central Wisconsin targeting Simulium annulus and S. johannseni when water temperatures were 1–2°C. Applications were conducted in the Green River in western North Carolina targeting the S. jenningsi group after a rain event, when portions of the treatment zone experienced turbidities of 276 nephelometric turbidity units. Excellent larvicidal activity was observed in both programs, with 97% mortality or greater being observed at distances over 5 km downstream of a treatment site. Mortality data for larval black flies in 2 operational suppression programs conducted in 2011 demonstrated a negligible effect of near-freezing water temperatures and exceptionally high turbidity on Bti activity.
‘Motor cognition’ — what is it and is the cerebellum involved?

Motor cognition encompasses how we understand our own movement, and how movement helps us to understand the world. Here, the role of the cerebellum is discussed in two processes that could be considered aspects of motor cognition: predicting movement outcomes and understanding the meaning of movements. Recent behavioral, anatomical, and neurophysiological findings related to these processes are discussed. There are data to support a cerebellar role in predicting movement outcomes, which could be used both for motor control and for distinguishing sensory inputs due to our own movements from external influences. The data for a cerebellar role in understanding the meaning of movement are mixed, although anatomical findings suggest that it probably has some influence that bears further study.
Knowledge, attitude & practices about cervical cancer and screening among nursing staff in a teaching hospital -

Background : Estimated cervical cancer screening practice is very low and load of cases very high in India. The studies document that nurses play a crucial role of enlightening community about need and availability of Pap smear. It is important therefore to understand the perceptions and practices of nurses about cervical cancer and screening. Objectives: To evaluate the Knowledge Attitude & Practices (KAP) of the Nurses on cervical cancer and screening. Methods: A self-administered, structured, open ended and pretested questionnaire covering the general characteristics, KAP about cervical cancer and screening (Pap smear) was used to collect responses of nurses in a Teaching Hospital at Surat. The information thus collected was entered and analysed in Epi Info and Microsoft Excel software. Results: Responses from 200 female nurses were recorded and analysed. Majority (88%) were married; most common age of marriage being 21 to 25 years. Nurses linked multiple sexual partners (61%), sex at an early age (44%), Human Papilloma Virus infection (38.6%) and heredity (31%) to cervical cancer. Approximately 70% believed that Ca cervix is preventable, detectable and curable if detected early. Pap smear was recognized as major screening technique by 74% nurses. Major (84%) source of information was health professional. Eighty percent nurses never took cervical screening while 87.5% did not recommend it to others. Conclusions: For successful implementation of cervical screening program, the nurses should be targeted first by education and sensitization so that they can play pivotal role in developing the awareness, confidence and compliance of women.
Alcohol and cardiovascular disease: the status of the U shaped curve.

Alcohol is responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality and for considerable social problems. Excess mortality associated with alcohol consumption has been estimated at 28 000 per year in England and Wales,' and the annual cost of alcohol associated illness in Britain was calculated to be £167 million in 1986; this is in addition to a social cost of about £1600 million. The public health importance of limiting alcohol consumption is not questioned. This is the context within which to place the debate on the effect of moderate levels of alcohol consumption on morbidity and mortality associated with coronary heart disease. This debate has centred on the so called U shaped curve describing the relation of alcohol consumption to risk of death from all causes. Heavy drinkers have an increased risk ofdeath compared with moderate drinkers, but moderate drinkers have a lower mortality than abstainers. One commentator, surprisingly, labelled this U shaped curve a myth. ' It is not mythical. Its existence is now not seriously in doubt. It is due largely to the lower death rate from coronary heart disease among moderate drinkers. What has been questioned is whether this is a consequence of a protective effect of alcohol. Abstainers include people who have stopped drinking because of ill health ("sick quitters") and people who are at higher risk for other reasons. Either of these groups may account for the higher risk among non-drinkers. The only major prospective study that failed to show that moderate drinkers had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease was that from Alameda County. ' On p 553 in a follow up to this study, Lazarus et al have reported that among the women former drinkers had a higher risk of death than lifetime non-drinkers, but this was not true for the men. Among the men lifetime abstainers had a higher relative risk estimate than drinkers, although the confidence limits overlapped.4 A study from New Zealand reported recently in this journal showed that moderate drinkers had a lower incidence and mortality from coronary heart disease compared with both former drinkers and never drinkers. ' What then is the status of the U shaped curve? Does it represent causation? Is moderate drinking protective? Against the possible protective effect of moderate alcohol consumption on the risk of coronary heart disease has to be set the direct effect on blood pressure and the possible effect on risk of stroke.