Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Levator ani muscle complex: anatomic findings in nulliparous patients at thin-section MR imaging with double opacification.

PURPOSE To determine levator ani muscle complex anatomic findings in nulliparous patients at magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examinations performed with opacification of the vagina and rectum with ultrasonographic gel. MATERIALS AND METHODS The institutional review board approved this retrospective study, and the informed consent requirement was waived. Findings from pelvic MR imaging examinations with double opacification in 123 consecutive nulliparous patients (mean age, 32.13 years; age range, 17-45 years) who were suspected of having endometriosis were reviewed. The pubococcygeal muscles were analyzed on coronal sections obtained through the middle part of the vagina, perineal body, and anal canal. The puborectalis muscles were analyzed on coronal sections obtained through the perineal body. The iliococcygeal muscles were analyzed on coronal sections obtained through the rectum. Miscellaneous findings such as visibility of deep transverse muscles of the perineum, perineal body, and focal muscle defects were also noted. RESULTS In 56% (69 of 123) of patients, at least one morphologic variant (thinning or aplasia) of a muscle of the levator ani complex was noted. Variants of puborectalis muscles were noted in 6% of patients. Variants of iliococcygeal muscles were noted in 13%. Variants of pubococcygeal muscles were noted in 32% at the anal canal level, in 49% at the perineal body level, and in 49% at the vaginal level. Variants of pubococcygeal muscles were noted on the left side in 53 patients (77% of pubococcygeal muscle variants). CONCLUSION Numerous morphologic variants of the levator ani muscle complex are noted at coronal thin-section MR imaging with double opacification. Most involve the pubococcygeal muscle on the left side at perineal body and vaginal levels. Whether some of these anatomic findings may favor prolapse after vaginal birth may be questioned.
Ignore These At Your Peril: Ten principles for trust design

Online trust has been discussed for more than 10 years, yet little practical guidance has emerged that has proven to be applicable across contexts or useful in the long run. 'Trustworthy UI design guidelines' created in the late 90ies to address the then big question of online trust: how to get shoppers online, are now happily employed by people preparing phishing scams. In this paper we summarize, in practical terms, a conceptual framework for online trust we've established in 2005. Because of its abstract nature it is still useful as a lens through which to view the current big questions of the online trust debate - large focused on usable security and phishing attacks. We then deduct practical 10 rules for providing effective trust support to help practitioners and researchers of usable security.
AdOn HDP-HMM: An Adaptive Online Model for Segmentation and Classification of Sequential Data

Recent years have witnessed an increasing need for the automated classification of sequential data, such as activities of daily living, social media interactions, financial series, and others. With the continuous flow of new data, it is critical to classify the observations on-the-fly and without being limited by a predetermined number of classes. In addition, a model should be able to update its parameters in response to a possible evolution in the distributions of the classes. This compelling problem, however, does not seem to have been adequately addressed in the literature, since most studies focus on offline classification over predefined class sets. In this paper, we present a principled solution for this problem based on an adaptive online system leveraging Markov switching models and hierarchical Dirichlet process priors. This adaptive online approach is capable of classifying the sequential data over an unlimited number of classes while meeting the memory and delay constraints typical of streaming contexts. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive “learning rate” that is responsible for balancing the extent to which the model retains its previous parameters or adapts to new observations. Experimental results on stationary and evolving synthetic data and two video data sets, TUM Assistive Kitchen and collated Weizmann, show a remarkable performance in terms of segmentation and classification, particularly for sequences from evolutionary distributions and/or those containing previously unseen classes.
Sizes of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms in relation to their sites and the ages of patients.

OBJECT The authors explore the risk of rupture in aneurysms categorized by size. METHODS A computerized database of 945 patients with aneurysms treated between 1967 and 1987 was retrospectively established. All available clinical and radiological studies were abstracted. Because of the recent interest in the size of intracranial aneurysms in relation to their likelihood of rupture, the database was searched with respect to this parameter. In 390 patients representing 41% of all cases, aneurysms were measured by neuroradiologists at the time of diagnosis. In 78% of the 945 patients there was only one aneurysm, and of the 507 aneurysms that were measured, 60% were solitary. Of all patients, 86% had ruptured aneurysms. The average age of all patients was 47 years, and for those with ruptured aneurysms it was 46 years. Of the ruptured aneurysms, 77% were 10 mm or smaller, compared with 85% of the unruptured aneurysms. It was found that 40.3% of the ruptured aneurysms were on the anterior cerebral artery or anterior communicating artery, compared with 13% of the unruptured aneurysms. None of the cavernous internal carotid artery (ICA) aneurysms were ruptured and 65% of the ophthalmic artery (OphA) aneurysms were. Of the unruptured aneurysms, 15% were located in the cavernous ICA or the OphA. Of the ruptured aneurysms, 29% were on the middle cerebral artery, compared with 36% of the unruptured aneurysms. The mean size of ruptured and unruptured aneurysms showed no statistically significant increase with patient age, although the difference in size between the ruptured and unruptured aneurysms decreased with increasing age. The mean size of all ruptured aneurysms (10.8 mm) was significantly larger than the mean size of all unruptured aneurysms (7.8 mm, p < 0.001); the median sizes were 10 mm and 5 mm, respectively. The size of ruptured aneurysms in patients who died in the hospital was significantly larger than those in the patients who survived (12 mm compared with 9.9 mm, p = 0.004). Symptomatic unruptured aneurysms were significantly larger than incidental unruptured aneurysms (14.6 mm compared with 6.9 mm, p = 0.032), which were, in turn, larger than aneurysms that were unruptured and part of a multiple aneurysm constellation. Both ruptured and unruptured aneurysms were larger in male than in female patients, but not significantly. CONCLUSIONS Site and patient age, as well as lesion size, may affect the chance of rupture.
Low contrast acuity at photopic and mesopic luminance under mild hypoxia, normoxia, and hyperoxia.

INTRODUCTION Visual acuity is compromised under low luminance, low contrast viewing conditions that occur in contemporary night flying, but the effect of hypoxia on low contrast acuity in dim light remains poorly defined. This study examined the effects of oxygenation state on the contrast thresholds required to maintain visual acuity in 12 subjects at low photopic (12 cd x m(-2)), upper mesopic (1 cd x m(-2)), and mid-mesopic (0.1 cd x m(-2)) luminance. METHODS The Contrast Acuity Assessment test (City University, London) was used to measure the contrast thresholds needed for gap orientation discrimination using a Landolt C stimulus. The thresholds were measured at the fovea and at eccentricities up to +/- 50 from fixation under mild hypoxia (breathing 14.1% oxygen), hyperoxia (100% oxygen), and normoxia (air). The diameter of the pupil was measured using infrared imaging and the influence of oxygenation state on pupil size assessed. Subsequently, normoxic thresholds were measured in detail under conditions of constant retinal illuminance to enable prediction of the effects of oxygenation state in the mesopic range. RESULTS Relative to normoxia, hypoxia caused the contrast thresholds to increase at all light levels, but particularly at mesopic luminance. Hyperoxia decreased contrast thresholds, but only at the lowest light level. In general, hypoxia caused a reduction in mean pupil size while hyperoxia caused the pupil to dilate. Subjects with naturally smaller pupils tended to exhibit greater hypoxic impairment. CONCLUSIONS Mild hypoxia degrades low contrast acuity progressively with decreasing mesopic luminance. At 0.1 cd x m(-2), supplementary oxygen enhances low contrast acuity, implying that visual performance is oxygen-dependent in the mid-mesopic range. Relative to performance under mild hypoxia at 3048 m (10,000 ft), supplementary oxygen can extend functionally useful vision to lower light levels. The findings are relevant to contemporary military night flying, viewing the external scene directly or through night vision devices, or viewing dimly illuminated flight deck instruments.
Antisense inhibition of amoebapore expression in Entamoeba histolytica causes a decrease in amoebic virulence

Amoebapores have been proposed to be a major pathogenicity factor of the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica, which is responsible for the killing of target cells. These 77‐residue peptides are structural and functional analogues of NK‐lysin and granulysin of porcine and human cytotoxic lymphocytes. Inhibition of amoebapore gene expression in amoebae was obtained following transfection with a hybrid plasmid construct (pAP‐R2) containing the Neo resistance gene and the gene coding for amoebapore A, including its 5′ and 3′ untranslated region (UTR) sequences, in reverse orientation under a promoter (g34) taken from one of the E. histolytica ribosomal protein (RP‐L21) gene copies. Transfectants of virulent E. histolytica strain HM‐1:IMSS, in which the expression of amoebapore was inhibited by ~ 60%, were significantly less pathogenic. Cytopathic and cytolytic activities of viable trophozoites against mammalian nucleated cells, as well as lysis of red blood cells, were markedly inhibited. Moreover, trophozoite extracts of pAP‐R2 transfectant displayed lower pore‐forming activity and were less potent in inhibiting bacterial growth compared with controls. Notably, liver abscess formation in hamsters by the pAP‐R2 transfectant was substantially impaired. These results demonstrate for the first time that amoebapore is one of the pathogenicity factors by which trophozoites of E. histolytica exert their remarkable cytolytic and tissue destructive activity.
HLAA, B, Cw. DRB1 and DQB1 Alleles in Multiple Sclerosis Patients in India

Abstract Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a clinically heterogeneous demylinating disease and an important cause of acquired neurological disability. MS has been reported from different regions of India and its infrequency has been attributed to have genetic implications. We analyzed the HLA A, -B, -Cw, -DRB1 and DQB1 allele associations in 23 clinically definite MS patients and compared with 146 clinically normal healthy controls. The HLA A, B, Cw, DRB1 and DQB1 alleles were identified the genomic DNA extracted using commercially procured DNA extraction kit (Qiagen kit), HLA A*, HLA B*, HLA Cw*, HLA DRB1*, and HLA DQB1* alleles were identified by PCR-SSOP typing using the commercially procured kits (Dynal or Innolipa)The study revealed a significant increase in HLA A*11:01:01 (pvalue=0.03), B*39:01:01:01 (OR=13.8; pValue=0.0006), Cw*07:01:01 (pValue003), DRB1*15:01:01: (pValue=0.002) and DQB1*02:01:01(OR=9.6;pvalue=9.57E-06) while a significant decrease in HLA A*24:02:01:01(pvalue=0.09), B*40:06:01:01(P value=0.06), Cw*03:02:01 (P value 0.002), DRB1*10:01:01(pValue=0.06) and DQB1*06:01:01 (pvalue=0.06). Our study reveals that there is a population specific HLA allele genetic susceptibility or protection to MS in different populations reported in literature.
Twitch and tetanus in mdx mouse muscle

We compared mdx and C57BL10 anterior tibial muscle force in situ (single pulse, multiple pulse, staircase, posttetanic potentiation, and fatiguing stimulation patterns) to define muscle strength, physiology, and fatigue resistance. The relatively hypertrophied mdx muscle showed: reduced strength (N/cm2), an increased twitch‐tetanus ratio, and resistance to postfatigue twitch slowing. These differences implicate altered mdx calcium regulation, and emphasize the importance of measuring both muscle function and morphology in mdx treatment trials. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Toll-like receptor-dependent discrimination of streptococci

Streptococcus pneumoniae and Streptococcus agalactiae cause distinct infectious diseases in small children. Similarly, these bacteria elicit very different host-cell responses in vitro. Inactivated S. agalactiae by far exceeds S. pneumoniae in the activation of inflammatory cytokines and upstream signaling intermediates such as the MAP kinase JNK. The inflammatory response to both Streptococcus spp. is mediated by MyD88, an essential adapter protein of Toll-like receptors (TLRs), although the specific TLRs that are involved have not been fully resolved. Furthermore, during logarithmic growth, S. pneumoniae releases pneumolysin that interacts with TLR4 whereas S. agalactiae releases diacylated molecules that interact with TLR2/6. Interaction of these soluble bacterial products with their cognate TLRs is critical for limiting bacterial dissemination and and systemic inflammation in mice. This might be due, in part, to TLR-mediated apoptosis induced by these factors. In conclusion related streptococcal species induce specific events in TLR-mediated signal transduction. Comparative analysis of the host-cell response to these bacteria reveals molecules such as JNK as valuable targets for adjunctive sepsis therapy.
Cognitive Radio Parameter Adaptation in Multicarrier Environment

Transmission parameter adaptation in a dynamic multicarrier environment is a challenging task for cognitive radio. We propose a novel adaptation method that uses binary ant colony optimization to optimize the cognitive radio parameters given a set of objectives. Simulation results show that proposed method performs better than genetic algorithm -based adaptation method in terms of convergence speed and converged fitness values. The proposed method gives a better solution to the parameter adaptation problem and provides higher fitness values in less number of iterations.
Design of a Polymer-Based Hollow-Core Bandgap Fiber for Low-Loss Terahertz Transmission

We use numerical simulations to design a hollowcore microstructured polymer optical fiber (HC-mPOF) suitable for broadband, terahertz (THz) pulse transmission with relatively low losses and small dispersion. The HC-mPOF consists of a central large air-core surrounded by periodically arranged wavelength-scale circular air holes in a hexagonal pattern, embedded in a uniform Teflon matrix. The THz guidance in this fiber is achieved by exploiting the photonic bandgap (PBG) effect. In our low index contrast Teflon-air (1.44:1) hexagonal periodic lattice, the PBG appears only for a certain range of non-zero values of the longitudinal wavevector. We have achieved PBG over a broad spectral range (bandwidth ~400 GHz) ranging from 1.65 to 2.05 THz in the proposed HC-mPOF. The achievable loss coefficient in our designed HC-mPOF is <;4 m-1 and the group velocity dispersion parameter is <;±5 ps/THz·cm over a 300-GHz bandwidth (1.65~1.95 THz).
Simple heuristic approach for training of Type-2 NEO-Fuzzy Neural Network

This paper describes the development of Interval Type-2 NEO-Fuzzy Neural Network for modeling of complex dynamics. The proposed network represents a parallel set of multiple zero order Sugeno type approximations, related only to their own input argument. As learning procedure a simple heuristic backpropagation approach, where the sign of the gradient is taken into account, is adopted. To improve the robustness of the network and the possibilities for handling uncertainties, Interval Type-2 Gaussian fuzzy sets are introduced into the network topology. The potentials of the proposed approach in modeling of Mackey-Glass and Rossler Chaotic time series are studied. A comparison is made with the classical Gradient Descent learning approach.
Virus Inhibition Activity of Effector Memory CD8+ T Cells Determines Simian Immunodeficiency Virus Load in Vaccinated Monkeys after Vaccine Breakthrough Infection

ABSTRACT The goal of an effective AIDS vaccine is to generate immunity that will prevent human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) acquisition. Despite limited progress toward this goal, renewed optimism has followed the recent success of the RV144 vaccine trial in Thailand. However, the lack of complete protection in this trial suggests that breakthroughs, where infection occurs despite adequate vaccination, will be a reality for many vaccine candidates. We previously reported that neutralizing antibodies elicited by DNA prime-recombinant adenovirus serotype 5 (rAd5) boost vaccination with simian immunodeficiency virus strain mac239 (SIVmac239) Gag-Pol and Env provided protection against pathogenic SIVsmE660 acquisition after repeated mucosal challenge. Here, we report that SIV-specific CD8+ T cells elicited by that vaccine lowered both peak and set-point viral loads in macaques that became infected despite vaccination. These SIV-specific CD8+ T cells showed strong virus-inhibitory activity (VIA) and displayed an effector memory (EM) phenotype. VIA correlated with high levels of CD107a mobilization and perforin expression in SIV-specific CD8+ T cells. Remarkably, both the frequency and the number of Gag CM9-specific public clonotypes were strongly correlated with VIA mediated by EM CD8+ T cells. The ability to elicit such virus-specific EM CD8+ T cells might contribute substantially to an efficacious HIV/AIDS vaccine, even after breakthrough infection.
An ultra-thin, decade (10∶1) Bandwidth, modular “BAVA” array with low cross-polarization

Rockwell Collins has developed a novel design for a decade bandwidth, dual-polarized Balanced Antipodal Vivaldi Antenna (BAVA) array. The BAVA element height and the array lattice spacing are about λ/2 at the high frequency end of a grating-lobe free operating band. This allows an ultra-thin array profile, and will minimize the number (hence, cost) of transmit/receive (T/R) modules needed for high performance, multifunction phased arrays. The elements are fed directly by a 50Ω stripline. No matching network or balun circuitry is needed to achieve an active VSWR &#60; 3∶1 across the entire bandwidth over wide scan volume. Although the design includes a ground plane, it provides a very low cross-polarization level due to its ultra-thin profile. The BAVA array produces below −25 dB cross-polarization at principal planes, and better than −17 dB at 45° scan-angles along the diagonal plane.
The Warp programming environment

This paper describes the environment for developing and executing Warp* programs. The center of the program development environment is a customized shell that ties together a compiler for the Warp array, the Warp run-time system, and a debugger. The compiler translates high-level language programs to microcode for the Warp machine. It achieves a high utilization of the computation power of the processor. The run-time system supports remote execution of Warp programs across a network and makes the Warp machine available as a shareable resource. The debugger permits symbolic debugging of Warp programs. The Warp programming environment makes the Warp machine an easily programmable and accessible attached processor in a UNIX™ environment .
[Verbal fluency: preliminary normative data in a Spanish sample of young adults (20-49 years of age)].

INTRODUCTION Verbal fluency tests are widely used to study, among other things, executive functions. The aim of this study is to establish pilot normative data of these tests (phonological and semantic fluency) for a healthy young adult Spanish population as well as to analyze the influence of age and years of formal education on test performance. SUBJECTS A total of 146 healthy young subjects (43.2 % male and 56.8 % female) were administered the tests. Age varied between 20 and 49 (mean age: 34.21 years) and years of formal education ranged from 8 to 20 (mean: 14.51 years). METHOD Phonological fluency tests (words starting with the phoneme F, A and S; words not containing A, E and S) and semantic fluency tests (fruits and vegetables, animals, tools) were administered. Performance within one minute was registered as total as well as by quartiles. Statistical analysis was based on the descriptive analysis of the sample. Influence of the variables age and education on each category was studied by simple regression analysis. RESULTS The variable formal years of education significantly influenced the scores of all independent variables. Scores were adjusted accordingly. Age was significant for the categories <<animals>> and <<words without E and without S>>. Correlation criteria for the variables that test performance were obtained. CONCLUSIONS Preliminary normative data obtained in the present study will be useful for an adequate neuropsychological assessment of young adult patients with regards to verbal fluency measures. Limitations of some of the categories are discussed.
The health of caregivers for children with disabilities: caregiver perspectives.

BACKGROUND There are an estimated 5.9 million children with severe disabilities in the USA, and most of them are cared for at home by their parents and families. Indirect evidence suggests that poor caregiver health may contribute to recurrent hospitalizations and out-of-home placements for children with chronic conditions and disabilities. Greater knowledge of caregiver health-related needs would allow for the improvement of existing services and the development of new strategies to sustain caregivers in their vital roles. This study explores caregiver perspectives of the health implications of long-term informal caregiving for children with disabilities. METHODS Forty parents/caregivers of children with disabilities residing in urban, suburban and rural regions of Utah completed questionnaires and participated in focus groups that explored their feelings regarding their current physical and emotional health and the factors that they viewed as either impairing or promoting their health. The sessions were audiotaped and transcribed. Summary statistics were generated for the questionnaire responses. Focus group content was analysed according to emerging themes and patterns in clusters of information. RESULTS The caregiving experience was captured by five themes: (i) stress of caregiving; (ii) negative impact on caregiver health; (iii) sharing the burden; (iv) worry about the future; and (v) caregiver coping strategies. Forty-one per cent of the caregivers reported that their health had worsened over the past year, and attributed these changes to a lack of time, a lack of control and decreased psychosocial energy. CONCLUSIONS Caregivers of children with disabilities describe negative physical, emotional and functional health consequences of long-term, informal caregiving. They have important insights regarding those aspects of caregiving that have positive and negative influences on their health. Interventions that address these issues may have the potential to positively impact caregiver health.