Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protecting Reader Privacy in Digital Books

What you choose to read says a lot about who you are, what you value, and what you believe. That’s why you should be able to learn about anything from politics to health without worrying that someone is looking over your shoulder. However, as books move into digital form, new reader privacy issues are emerging. In stark contrast to libraries that retain as little information about readers as possible, digital book services are capturing detailed information about readers: who they are, what books they browse and read, and even how long a given page is viewed, and the notes written in the “margins. ” Without strong privacy protections, all of this browsing and reading history can be collected, analyzed, and may end up in the hands of the government or third parties without a reader’s knowledge or consent. Retaining and strengthening reader privacy in the digital age requires a thorough examination of the potential privacy and free speech implications of digital book services and of the laws and policies that are needed to properly protect readers. Part I of this article discusses the history of strong legal and policy protections for reader privacy. Part II discusses current developments in digital book services. Part III discusses emerging privacy and free speech issues related to digital book services. Part IV proposes some policy and legislative solutions.
Education and the metabolic syndrome in women.

OBJECTIVE The main objective was to examine the association between the metabolic syndrome and socioeconomic position (as indicated by education) among women. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The study sample comprised healthy women (aged 30-65 years) in Sweden who were representative of the general population in a metropolitan area. Socioeconomic position was measured by educational level (mandatory [< or = 9 years], high school, or college/university). The metabolic syndrome was defined as the presence of two or more of the following components: 1) fasting plasma glucose level > or = 7.0 mmol/l; 2) arterial blood pressure > or = 160/90 mmHg; 3) fasting plasma triglycerides > or = 1.7 mmol/l and/or HDL cholesterol < 1.0 mmol/l; and 4) central obesity (waist-to-hip ratio > 0.85 and/or BMI > 30 kg/m2). RESULTS After adjustment for age, the risk ratio for the presence of the metabolic syndrome comparing the lowest (< or = 9 years) with the highest (college/university) education was 2.7 (95% CI 1.1-6.8). This association persisted after controlling for menopausal status, family history of diabetes, and behavioral risk factors. CONCLUSIONS Low education is associated with increased risk for metabolic syndrome in middle-aged women. These findings show that not only are women with low socioeconomic position at increased risk for individual risk factors that are associated with cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, they are also at increased risk for the metabolic clustering of risk factors.
Hormone-evoked Elementary Ca2+ Signals Are Not Stereotypic, but Reflect Activation of Different Size Channel Clusters and Variable Recruitment of Channels within a Cluster*

Previous studies of (InsP3)-evoked elementary Ca2+ events suggested a hierarchy of signals; fundamental events (“Ca2+ blips”) arising from single InsP3receptors (InsP3Rs), and intermediate events (“Ca2+ puffs”) reflecting the coordinated opening of a cluster of InsP3Rs. The characteristics of such elementary Ca2+ release signals provide insights into the functional interaction and distribution of InsP3Rs in living cells. Therefore we investigated whether elementary Ca2+ signaling is truly represented by such stereotypic release events. A histogram of >900 events revealed a wide spread of signal amplitudes (20–600 nm; mean 216 ± 4 nm; n = 206 cells), which cannot be explained by stochastic variation of a stereotypic Ca2+ release site. We identified elementary Ca2+ release sites with consistent amplitudes (<20% difference) and locations with variable amplitudes (∼500% difference). Importantly, within single cells, distinct sites displayed events with significantly different mean amplitudes. Additional determinants affecting the magnitude of elementary Ca2+release were identified to be (i) hormone concentration, (ii) day-to-day variability, and (iii) a progressively decreasing Ca2+ release during prolonged stimulation. We therefore suggest that elementary Ca2+ events are not stereotypic, instead a continuum of signals can be achieved by either recruitment of entire clusters with different numbers of InsP3Rs or by a graded recruitment of InsP3Rs within a cluster.
Prognostic factors for survival in adult patients with cerebral low-grade glioma.

PURPOSE To identify prognostic factors for survival in adult patients with cerebral low-grade glioma (LGG), to derive a prognostic scoring system, and to validate results using an independent data set. PATIENTS AND METHODS European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) trial 22844 and EORTC trial 22845 are the largest phase III trials ever carried out in adult patients with LGG. The trials were designed to investigate the dosage and timing of postoperative radiotherapy in LGG. Cox analysis was performed on 322 patients from EORTC trial 22844 (construction set), and the results were validated on 288 patients from trial 22845 (validation set). Patients with pilocytic astrocytomas were excluded from this prognostic factor analysis. RESULTS Multivariate analysis on the construction set showed that age > or = 40 years, astrocytoma histology subtype, largest diameter of the tumor > or = 6 cm, tumor crossing the midline, and presence of neurologic deficit before surgery were unfavorable prognostic factors for survival. The total number of unfavorable factors present can be used to determine the prognostic score. Presence of up to two of these factors identifies the low-risk group, whereas a higher score identifies high-risk patients. The validity of the multivariate model and of the scoring system was confirmed in the validation set. CONCLUSION In adult patients with LGG, older age, astrocytoma histology, presence of neurologic deficits before surgery, largest tumor diameter, and tumor crossing the midline were important prognostic factors for survival. These factors can be used to identify low-risk and high-risk patients.
Investigation of multi-bit upsets in a 150 nm technology SRAM device

Multi-bit upset (MBU) events collected from accelerated soft error rate (SER) measurements performed with a quasi-monoenergetic neutron beam were analyzed with a threefold purpose. The first goal was to qualitatively assess the applicability and effectiveness of single-bit Error Detection And Correction algorithms and circuits (EDAC). The second goal was to investigate the relationship with the memory core P-well tapping scheme. And the third goal was to identify "preferred" MBU shapes. The results showed that the memory architecture is critical in affecting the single-bit EDAC effectiveness. Also, it was put in evidence that the tapping scheme is very effective in reducing the MBU rate. And finally it was noted that the predominant MBU shape is strongly influenced by the vertical and horizontal distance of the active nodes of the memory cells.
Phoneme Perception in Two- and Three-Year-Old Children

20 2- and 3-yr. -old children were given a phoneme perception task in which they were to point to one of two pictures whose labels differed by minimally discriminable phonetic features. Results suggested that picture identification testing can be used successfully to test phoneme perception in Ss as young as 2 yr. , that place-of-articulation cues are not difficult for young children to distinguish, and that children's acquisition of expressive phonology must not be wholly dependent on their ability to process phonetic cues from the environment.
Signs of knee osteoarthritis common in 620 patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery for meniscal tear

Background and purpose — Recent evidence has questioned the effect of arthroscopic knee surgery for middle-aged and older patients with degenerative meniscal tears with or without concomitant radiographic knee osteoarthritis (OA). We investigated the prevalence of early or more established knee OA and patients’ characteristics in a cohort of patients undergoing arthroscopic surgery for a meniscal tear. Patients and methods — 641 patients assigned for arthroscopy on suspicion of meniscus tear were consecutively recruited from February 2013 through January 2015. Of these, 620 patients (mean age 49 (18–77) years, 57% men) with full datasets available were included in the present study. Prior to surgery, patients completed questionnaires regarding onset of symptoms, duration of symptoms, and mechanical symptoms along with the knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS). At arthroscopy, the operating surgeon recorded information about meniscal pathology and cartilage damage. Early or more established knee OA was defined as the combination of self-reported frequent knee pain, cartilage damage, and the presence of degenerative meniscal tissue. Results — 43% of patients (269 of 620) had early or more established knee OA. Of these, a large proportion had severe cartilage lesions with almost half having a severe cartilage lesion in at least 1 knee compartment. Interpretation — Based on a definition including frequent knee pain, cartilage damage, and degenerative meniscal tissue, early or more established knee OA was present in 43% of patients undergoing knee arthroscopy for meniscal tear.
A –90 dBm Sensitivity Wireless Transceiver Using VCO-PA-LNA-Switch-Modulator Co-Design for Low Power Insect-Based Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper presents a wireless transceiver intended for insect-based wireless sensor networks (WSNs). The transceiver utilizes several design techniques developed to meet the challenging low power and low size requirements in insect-based WSNs. The techniques include current reuse in the voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) and power amplifier (PA), fast PLL on/off switching for low-power on/off keying (OOK) modulation, and switching between transmit and receive (TX/RX) modes without an off-chip switch. Also, the VCO, PA, low noise amplifier (LNA), OOK modulator, and TX/RX switch are co-designed and integrated into a single block to reduce the system complexity significantly. The transceiver is designed and fabricated in a 0.13-μm CMOS process. The transmitter provides an output power in the range of -30 dBm to -4.4 dBm while consuming an average power of 1.2 mW to 4.5 mW. The phase locked-loop (PLL) does not use a high-Q external resonator, and its phase noise depends on the PA output power because of the current reuse in the VCO and PA. The PLL phase noise at 1 MHz offset at 2.4 GHz varies from -103.3 dBc/Hz to -116.7 dBc/Hz. The receiver achieves a sensitivity of -90 dBm at 1 Mbps data rate for a BER = 0.1%. An example wireless sensor node design utilizing the proposed wireless transceiver achieves a modest weight of 1 gram, and a small form factor of 12.5 mm × 12.5 mm.
Contrast-enhanced multi-shot echo-planar FLAIR in the depiction of metastatic tumors of the brain: comparison with contrast-enhanced spin-echo T1-weighted imaging

Background: The usefulness of fast fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery (FLAIR) sequences after administration of contrast medium (f-FLAIR (+)) has been shown in depicting brain tumors including metastases and meningeal carcinomatosis. Contrast-enhanced multi-shot echo-planar FLAIR (Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+)), comprising combined sequences of f-FLAIR (+) and Ms-EPI, may provide the advantages of f-FLAIR (+) along with rapid acquisition. Purpose: To compare Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+) with post-contrast spin-echo T1-weighted imaging (SE-T1WI (+)) in the depiction of brain metastases. Material and Methods: In 14 patients with metastatic tumors of the brain, spin-echo precontrast T1-weighted imaging (SE-T1WI (−)), fast spin-echo T2-weighted imaging (FSE-T2WI), fast-FLAIR, SE-T1WI (+), and Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+) were acquired. For qualitative evaluation of SE-T1WI (+) and Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed in two different readers. For quantitative analysis, the intensity ratios (intensity of tumor divided by intensity of peritumoral region) in SE-T1WI (+) and Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+) were compared. Results: Although pre-contrast f-FLAIR detected 84 of 106 tumors, Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+) detected 98 of 106 tumors. In the ROC analysis for observers A and B, Az values in SE-T1WI (+) did not differ from values in Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+). Quantitatively, the intensity ratio in Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+) also did not differ from that in SE-T1WI (+). Conclusion: Detectability of brain metastases with Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+) is almost similar to that with SE-T1WI (+). Ms-EPI-FLAIR (+) could be an alternative to SE-T1WI (+) in the depiction of brain metastases.
A survey of caesarean operations on cattle in general veterinary practice

The animal most frequently requiring operation for dystocia in this survey of 133 cases was the Friesian/Holstein heifer. In 38 per cent of cases the reason for surgery was an oversized calf and in 84 per cent the operation was performed on the farm of origin. The majority of the dams were operated on while standing, using a left flank incision, and under paravertebral or field infiltration with local anaesthetic solution. Exteriorisation of the uterus did not appear to be essential except when the calf was dead. Ninety-five per cent of the calves alive in utero and 91 per cent of the dams survived, although 30 per cent of the dams suffered ill-health afterwards. In nine cases neither dam nor calf survived. The fertility indices of those which were rebred were not markedly affected, but milk production was reduced by an estimated 12 per cent of the potential yield.
Microneedles for drug delivery: trends and progress

Abstract In recent years, there has been a surge in the research and development of microneedles (MNs), a transdermal delivery system that combines the technology of transdermal patches and hypodermic needles. The needles are in the hundreds of micron length range and therefore allow relatively little or no pain. For example, biodegradable MNs have been researched in the literature and have several advantages compared with solid or hollow MNs, as they produce non-sharp waste and can be designed to allow rapid or slow release of drugs. However, they also pose a disadvantage as successful insertion into the stratum corneum layer of the skin relies on sufficient mechanical strength of the biodegradable material. This review looks at the various technologies developed in MN research and shows the rapidly growing numbers of research papers and patent publications since the first invention of MNs (using time series statistical analysis). This provides the research and industry communities a valuable synopsis of the trends and progress being made in this field.
Partially Dominant Mutant Channel Defect Corresponding with Intermediate LQT2 Phenotype

Background: The hereditary Long QT Syndrome is a common cardiac disorder where ventricular repolarization is delayed, abnormally prolonging the QTc interval on electrocardiograms. LQTS is linked to various genetic loci, including the KCNH2 (HERG) gene that encodes the α‐subunit of the cardiac potassium channel that carries IKr. Here, we report and characterize a novel pathologic missense mutation, G816V HERG, in a patient with sudden cardiac death.
Dramatically reduced spliceosome in Cyanidioschyzon merolae

Significance The spliceosome—the molecular particle responsible for removing interrupting sequences from eukaryotic messenger RNA—is one of the most complex cellular machines. Consisting of five snRNAs and over 200 proteins in humans, its numerous changes in composition and shape during splicing have made it difficult to study. We have characterized an algal spliceosome that is much smaller, with only 43 identifiable core proteins, the majority of which are essential for viability in other organisms. We propose that this highly reduced spliceosome has retained only the most critical splicing factors. Cyanidioschyzon merolae therefore provides a powerful system to examine the spliceosome’s catalytic core, enabling future advances in understanding the splicing mechanism and spliceosomal organization that are challenging in more complex systems. The human spliceosome is a large ribonucleoprotein complex that catalyzes pre-mRNA splicing. It consists of five snRNAs and more than 200 proteins. Because of this complexity, much work has focused on the Saccharomyces cerevisiae spliceosome, viewed as a highly simplified system with fewer than half as many splicing factors as humans. Nevertheless, it has been difficult to ascribe a mechanistic function to individual splicing factors or even to discern which are critical for catalyzing the splicing reaction. We have identified and characterized the splicing machinery from the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae, which has been reported to harbor only 26 intron-containing genes. The U2, U4, U5, and U6 snRNAs contain expected conserved sequences and have the ability to adopt secondary structures and form intermolecular base-pairing interactions, as in other organisms. C. merolae has a highly reduced set of 43 identifiable core splicing proteins, compared with ∼90 in budding yeast and ∼140 in humans. Strikingly, we have been unable to find a U1 snRNA candidate or any predicted U1-associated proteins, suggesting that splicing in C. merolae may occur without the U1 small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particle. In addition, based on mapping the identified proteins onto the known splicing cycle, we propose that there is far less compositional variability during splicing in C. merolae than in other organisms. The observed reduction in splicing factors is consistent with the elimination of spliceosomal components that play a peripheral or modulatory role in splicing, presumably retaining those with a more central role in organization and catalysis.
Influence of early clinical exposure for undergraduate students on self-perception of different aspects of geriatric dental care: Pilot study between two colleges from Japan and India

Objective: The objective of this study is to identify the influence of early clinical exposure for undergraduate students on self-perception of different aspects of geriatric dental care. Materials and Methods: We have selected two different colleges from Japan and India, namely, Tokyo Dental College (TDC), Tokyo, and Government Dental College (GDC), Nagpur, respectively. The GDC students exposed to patients in a 3rd year and TDC in the 5th year of course. Survey of 74 undergraduate students GDC and 95 of TDC was conducted. The questionnaire was developed based on to the 50 points undergraduate curriculum by European College of Gerodontology. The questionnaire categorized into four parts; Part I (15 questions) on aging and medicine, Part II (15 questions) on communication skills, Part III (15 questions) on diagnosis/treatment, and Part IV (5 questions) on need of more training in Gerodontology. Their own-perception on self-knowledge and competency was scored on 4 level scale as 3, 2, 1, and 0 for response yes, rather yes, rather no, and no, respectively. Average scores were calculated and presented. Results: The differences of the opinions as per students' perception level were found to be slightly more affirmative in GDC students (1.9 for the 4th year and 2 for the 5th year) than TDC students (1.1 for 5th grade and 1.5 for 6th grade). Both clinical and didactic hours should be increased in curriculum according to the TDC (89%) and GDC (79%) students. Separate gerodontology subject is suggested from TDC (76%) to GDC (81%) students. Conclusion: Average scores about own-perception of knowledge and competency about aging, medicine, and communication skills were almost same in both GDC and TDC students. With early clinical exposure, GDC students appear have better self-perception regarding the different aspects of the geriatric dental care including subject knowledge, communications, diagnosis, and treatment planning than TDC students with late clinical exposure.
Neuropsychological Functioning Among Heart Transplant Candidates: A Case Control Study

Neuropsychological performance was examined among a group of patients with end-stage heart disease undergoing routine evaluation for transplantation using a matched case-control design. Heart transplant candidates and controls were matched case by case for gender, race, education and age range. In order to match all 44 controls, a clinical series of 303 heart transplant candidates evaluated between October 1995 through March 1998 were considered. Although not specifically matched on variables of estimated IQ and socioeconomic status, statistical analysis showed no group differences on these variables. A separate analysis of variance on each neuropsychological test indicated that the heart transplant candidates performed significantly worse than controls on tasks of fine motor speed and dexterity (i.e., Grooved Peg Board), psychomotor speed and mental flexibility (i.e., Trail Making Test,Part B), and reasoning and problem solving ability (i.e., Shipley Institute of Living Scale-Abstraction subtest). Implications of the results and future directions are discussed.
MicroRNA MiR-199a-5p Regulates Smooth Muscle Cell Proliferation and Morphology by Targeting WNT2 Signaling Pathway*

Background: MicroRNA miR-199a-5p, implicated in cell motility and proliferation, is highly expressed in bladder smooth muscle. Results: MiR-199a-5p regulates WNT, cytoskeleton, and cell cycle pathways in urothelial and smooth muscle cells and promotes myocardin-driven gene expression. Conclusion: MiR-199a-5p acts via its target WNT2 to control smooth muscle proliferation and morphology. Significance: MiR-199a-5p is a key modulator of smooth muscle hypertrophy, relevant for bladder organ remodeling. MicroRNA miR-199a-5p impairs tight junction formation, leading to increased urothelial permeability in bladder pain syndrome. Now, using transcriptome analysis in urothelial TEU-2 cells, we implicate it in the regulation of cell cycle, cytoskeleton remodeling, TGF, and WNT signaling pathways. MiR-199a-5p is highly expressed in the smooth muscle layer of the bladder, and we altered its levels in bladder smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to validate the pathway analysis. Inhibition of miR-199a-5p with antimiR increased SMC proliferation, reduced cell size, and up-regulated miR-199a-5p targets, including WNT2. Overexpression of WNT2 protein or treating SMCs with recombinant WNT2 closely mimicked the miR-199a-5p inhibition, whereas down-regulation of WNT2 in antimiR-expressing SMCs with shRNA restored cell phenotype and proliferation rates. Overexpression of miR-199a-5p in the bladder SMCs significantly increased cell size and up-regulated SM22, SM α-actin, and SM myosin heavy chain mRNA and protein levels. These changes as well as increased expression of ACTG2, TGFB1I1, and CDKN1A were mediated by up-regulation of the smooth muscle-specific transcriptional activator myocardin at mRNA and protein levels. Myocardin-related transcription factor A downstream targets Id3 and MYL9 were also induced. Up-regulation of myocardin was accompanied by down-regulation of WNT-dependent inhibitory Krüppel-like transcription factor 4 in miR-199a-5p-overexpressing cells. In contrast, Krüppel-like transcription factor 4 was induced in antimiR-expressing cells following the activation of WNT2 signaling, leading to repression of myocardin-dependent genes. MiR-199a-5p plays a critical role in the WNT2-mediated regulation of proliferative and differentiation processes in the smooth muscle and may behave as a key modulator of smooth muscle hypertrophy, which is relevant for organ remodeling.