Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Three Techniques of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction with Bone-Patellar Tendon-Bone Graft: Differences in Anterior Tibial Translation and Tunnel Enlargement with Each Technique

Background: Anatomic fixation of the graft in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction has improved stability of the reconstructed knee joint in experimental studies. Hypothesis: Anatomic fixation of the bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft will reduce tunnel enlargement and improve clinical results. Study Design: Prospective cohort study. Methods: Sixty patients were randomly divided into three groups: a nonanatomic fixation group (traditional single-incision reconstruction), an anatomic fixation group (reconstruction in which a bone plug was grafted into the tibial tunnel), and an anatomic fixation group with all-inside reconstruction. Stability of the knee joint was examined with a KT-1000 arthrometer at 2, 4, 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. At 12 months, anteroposterior and lateral radiographs were made to assess tunnel enlargement. Results: Although the magnitude of tibial displacement gradually increased after reconstruction in all three groups, the anatomic fixation group had significantly better stability than the groups undergoing nonanatomic fixation or all-inside anatomic fixation at 4 and 6 months after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. However, there was no significant difference between the three groups at 24 months. Regarding the tibial tunnel, residual rates and enlargement of tunnels were different between the reconstruction techniques. The nonanatomic reconstruction group had significantly greater tunnel enlargement. Conclusion: Anatomic fixation of the graft decreased the tunnel enlargement but had no effect on knee stability at 2-year follow-up.
No association between gender inequality and peak HIV prevalence in developing countries – an ecological study

The prevalence of both gender inequality and HIV prevalence vary considerably both within all developing countries and within those in sub-Saharan Africa. We test the hypothesis that the extent of gender inequality is associated with national peak HIV prevalence. Linear regression was used to test the association between national peak HIV prevalence and three markers of gender equality – the gender-related development index (GDI), the gender empowerment measure (GEM), and the gender inequality index (GII). No evidence was found of a positive relationship between gender inequality and HIV prevalence, either in the analyses of all developing countries or those limited to Africa. In the bivariate analyses limited to Africa, there was a positive association between the two measures of gender “equality” and peak HIV prevalence (GDI: coefficient 28, 95% confidence interval (CI) 9.1–46.8; GEM: coefficient 54.8, 95% CI 20.5–89.1). There was also a negative association between the marker of gender “inequality” and peak HIV prevalence (GII: coefficient −66.9, 95% CI −112.8 to −21.0). These associations all disappeared on multivariate analyses. We could not find any evidence to support the hypothesis that variations in the extent of gender inequality explain variations in HIV prevalence in developing countries.
Virtual Communities and their Importance for Informal Learning

This paper deals with the concept of informal learning in virtual communities on the Internet. Initially we discuss the need for continuing education and its relation with informal learning. Virtual communities are next defined and then compared to real communities. Case studies are employed, focused on some specific kinds of virtual communities. We examine how they operate, how their members interact, what values they share and what kind of knowledge they gather. The learning process within virtual communities is then examined. We look at the kind of information and knowledge available in some particular virtual communities, and comment on its organisation. Next, the learning process of virtual communities is compared to that of Open Universities. Finally, we claim that the participation in virtual communities is not only a form of continuing education but also a contribution towards the multiliteracies needed for working as well as living in the 21st century.
A configurable cascaded continuous-time ΔΣ modulator with up to 15MHz bandwidth

A reconfigurable cascaded continuous-time 3–1 ΔΣ modulator with low PVT sensitivity was developed and implemented in 65nm digital CMOS. The 0.17mm2 chip achieves 67/55dB SNR and 70/61dB DR at 10/15MHz bandwidth with only 208MHz clock frequency and 10.5mW power consumption from a 1.3V supply.
Disparities in stage at diagnosis, treatment, and survival in nonelderly adult patients with cancer according to insurance status.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine the association of insurance status with disease stage at presentation, treatment, and survival among the top 10 most deadly cancers using the SEER database. PATIENTS AND METHODS A total of 473,722 patients age 18 to 64 years who were diagnosed with one of the 10 most deadly cancers in the SEER database from 2007 to 2010 were analyzed. A Cox proportional hazards model was used for multivariable analyses to assess the effect of patient and tumor characteristics on cause-specific death. RESULTS Overall, patients with non-Medicaid insurance were less likely to present with distant disease (16.9%) than those with Medicaid coverage (29.1%) or without insurance coverage (34.7%; P < .001). Patients with non-Medicaid insurance were more likely to receive cancer-directed surgery and/or radiation therapy (79.6%) compared with those with Medicaid coverage (67.9%) or without insurance coverage (62.1%; P < .001). In a Cox regression that adjusted for age, race, sex, marital status, residence, percent of county below federal poverty level, site, stage, and receipt of cancer-directed surgery and/or radiation therapy, patients were more likely to die as a result of their disease if they had Medicaid coverage (hazard ratio [HR], 1.44; 95% CI, 1.41 to 1.47; P < .001) or no insurance (HR, 1.47; 95% CI, 1.42 to 1.51; P < .001) compared with non-Medicaid insurance. CONCLUSION Among patients with the 10 most deadly cancers, those with Medicaid coverage or without insurance were more likely to present with advanced disease, were less likely to receive cancer-directed surgery and/or radiation therapy, and experienced worse survival.
Cardioprotective effects of authentic nitric oxide in myocardial ischemia with reperfusion

Background and MethodsThe purpose of this study was to determine the effects of nitric oxide (NO), believed to be endothelium-derived relaxing factor on reperfusion injury after myocardial ischemia (MI). The effects of NO were investigated in a 6-hr model of MI with reperfusion in open-chest, anesthetized cats. A solution containing NO was infused iv starting 30 min after occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery, continuing through reperfusion 1 hr later, and lasting for 5.5 hr. Estimated NO concentration in the circulation was 1 to 2 × 10−9 M. ResultsThe areas-at-risk expressed as a percentage of the total left ventricular weights were not significantly different among either of the MI groups. However, the necrotic area (expressed as a percentage of the myocardial area-at-risk) was significantly (p < .01) lower in the NO-treated MI cats compared with the MI + vehicle group. Cardiac myeloperoxidase activities indicated that significantly (p < .05) fewer neutrophils were attracted to the necrotic zone of the NO-treated MI cats when compared with MI cats receiving only the vehicle. Sodium nitrate (NaNO2) (pH 7.4), a major breakdown product of NO, failed to exert any protective effect in this same model of MI and reperfusion. ConclusionsNO appears to provide significant myocardial protection after ischemia and reperfusion. NO may afford cardioprotection by incorporation into circulating blood cells (i.e., neutrophils, platelets), thereby inhibiting their accumulation and adherence in the ischemic region, or by a direct cardiac cytoprotective effect. Further studies using NO donors rather than NO would be an appropriate clinically relevant mode of treatment in MI. (Crit Care Med 1991; 19:244)
Assessing disease onset and progression in the SOD1 mouse model of ALS

&NA; SOD1 transgenic mice are the most widely used animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In addition to providing valuable insights into the pathogenesis of ALS, these animals are used intensively in many laboratories as an in vivomodel for investigating novel therapeutic interventions towards this devastating motorneuron disease. Such pre‐clinical studies require objective and reliable quantification of the clinical phenotype of individual mice, most importantly of the neuromuscular abnormalities. Here we compare four parameters of the clinical phenotype: motor signs, body weight, rotarod performance and paw grip endurance for their usefulness in monitoring the SOD1 mouse model. We found that paw grip endurance is a sensitive and inexpensive alternative to the widely used rotarod test.
Small model theorems for data independent systems in Alloy

A system is data independent in a type T if the only operations allowed on variables of type T are input, output, assignment and equality testing. This property can be exploited to give procedures for the automatic verification of such systems independently of the instance of the type T. Alloy is an extension of first-order logic for modelling software systems. Alloy has a fully automatic analyzer which attempts to refute Alloy formulas by searching for counterexamples within a finite scope. However, failure to find a counterexample does not prove the formula correct. A small model theorem is a theorem which shows that if a formula has a model then it has a model within some finite scope. The contribution of this thesis is to give a small model theorem which applies when modelling data-independent systems in Alloy. The theorem allows one to detect automatically whether an Alloy formula is data independent in some type T and then calculate a threshold scope for T, thereby completing the analysis of the automatic analyzer with respect to the type T. We derive the small model theorem using a model-theoretic approach. We build on the standard semantics of the Alloy language and introduce a more abstract interpretation of formulas, by way of a Galois insertion. This more abstract interpretation gives the same truth value as the original interpretation for many formulas. Indeed we show that this property holds for any formula built with a limited set of language constructors which we call data-independent constructors. The more abstract interpretation is designed so that it often lies within a finite scope and we can calculate whether this is the case and exactly how big the finite scope need be from the types of the free variables in the formula. In this way we can show that if a formula has any instance or counterexample at all then it has one within a threshold scope, the size of which we can calculate.
A novel structural design of wireless lithium-ion battery management system (BMS) by using pulse width modulation method for charging and discharging

In this work, the design and realization of a wireless lithium-ion battery management system (BMS) was accomplished. This system is composed of feedback circuits, a microcontroller, pulse-width modulated (PWM) boost circuits, a boost/buck converter, a wireless monitoring system, and a Boston Sonata 4400 battery. The microcontroller could automatically regulate the PWM signal to change the charging and discharging rates of the boost/buck converter. Finally, we can successfully use the wireless transmission to monitor the charging and discharging status of battery.
A Novel Sol–Gel  $\gamma $ -Al2O3 Thin-Film-Based Rapid SAW Humidity Sensor

In this paper, we are proposing a novel rapid sol-gel thin-film porous metal-oxide-based surface acoustic wave (SAW) humidity sensor. For the SAW sensor, the center frequency of 433.92 MHz has been selected, and the device has been configured in a high-frequency oscillator circuit to explore the frequency response in the presence of water vapor. The sensitive thin film of sol-gel γ-Al2O3 coated with a drop dry method offers very high surface-to-volume ratio with the distribution of micropores making the sensor highly sensitive for moisture detection. Pore morphologies of the film have been studied by field emission scanning electron microscope and atomic force microscopy. The γ phase of alumina of the film has been characterized with X-ray diffraction. The sensor has been tested from 3% relative humidity (RH) to 85% RH. The proposed sensor has very fast (Tr = 1 s) response time and excellent yield ratio in comparison with the conventional commercial capacitive aluminum oxide sensor. The sensitivity (3%-20% RH) and the hysteresis (3%-85% RH) are found to be 120-Hz/ % RH and 0.3%, respectively. The sensor can be useful for different applications, including moisture dispersion inside electronic gadgets, dryers, ovens, textile production, semiconductor device processing, food processing, medicine, and sealed packages.
19.6 A 1.9mm-precision 20GS/S real-time sampling receiver using time-extension method for indoor localization

Contrary to conventional continuous-wave communication technologies, Impulse-radio Ultra-Wideband (IR-UWB) allows to have various functionalities such as communication, localization and radar by using a short pulse [1-4]. Also the short pulse occupies an extremely small period of time of the entire transmission period, so it is possible to consider a special technique for digitization of the short pulse which is essential for above applications.
Daptomycin Use in Children: Experience With Various Types of Infection and Age Groups

Background: In Greece, there are high rates of methicillin (40%–60%) and clindamycin (15%–25%) resistance among community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Therefore, we sought to identify other antimicrobial treatment options such as daptomycin. Methods: We studied retrospectively all pediatric infections treated with daptomycin at the University General Hospital of Larissa, Greece, from January 1, 2007, to June 16, 2016. Results: Of a total of 128 patients (median age: 2.8 years; range: 8 days to 14.5 years; 76.6% <7 years) treated with daptomycin, 45 (35.2%) had invasive infection, most frequently musculoskeletal, and 83 (64.8%) had noninvasive infection, that is, complicated skin and soft tissue infection. S. aureus was the most commonly recovered pathogen (n = 61) (63.9% methicillin-resistant isolates, 21.3% clindamycin-resistant). The average daily dose of daptomycin was 10 mg/kg qd, and the median duration of therapy was 10 days. Daptomycin was administered alone (n = 61) or in combination therapy (n = 67), most frequently with rifampin (n = 40) and/or a &bgr;-lactam antibiotic (n = 33). Open or closed drainage was performed in 86 (67.2%) of the total number of patients. Of 128 treated patients, 123 (96.1%) achieved clinical success, 114 (89.1%) had complete remission, and 9 (7%) had improvement of their disease. There were no failures with daptomycin therapy. The adverse events were of no clinical significance. Conclusions: Daptomycin administered alone or in combination with other antimicrobial agents to children was efficacious and well tolerated in the treatment of complicated infections of suspected or proven staphylococcal etiology.
Four New Nonaoxygenated C 18 Dibenzocylcooctadiene Lignans from Kadsura philippinensis

Four new nona-oxygenated C 18 dibenzocyclooctadiene lignans, kadsuphilins C—F (1—4), were isolated from the EtOAc soluble portion of the alcoholic extract of the aerial parts of Kadsura philippinensis . The structures of 1—4 were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic analyses, including 2D NMR (HMQC, HMBC, and NOESY) experiments, comparison of the spectral data with those of the related metabolites. The stereochemistries of the biphenyl and octadiene moieties were deduced from circular dichorism (CD) and the NOESY spectra, respectively. The in vitro antiplatelet aggregation activity of metabolites 1—4 also have been evaluated.
Verification of NCEP Reanalysis Shortwave Radiation With Mesoscale Remote Sensing Data

This letter contains a validation of the National Center for Environmental Prediction/National Center for Atmospheric Research 40-year reanalysis radiation data sets to evaluate their accuracy in the determination of radiation fluxes. Unlike other recent studies that operate on a global scale, this letter concentrates on the regional aspects of climate research using high-resolution remote sensing data as a reference. These data sets are derived from Meteosat Second Generation, and the focus lies in the area between 35deg N to 60deg N, 10 deg N to 25deg E covering Central and Southern Europe and the surrounding sea. The examination of the incoming shortwave radiation, the surface albedo, and the solar radiation budget shows the influence of cloud cover parameterization and land-sea distribution as well as orographic and subgrid phenomena. The results lead to the conclusion that on a regional scale, the accuracy of the reanalysis products concerning solar radiation fluxes is limited.
Complete upper urinary tract obstruction caused by penetrating pellet injury of the ureter

Ureteral injuries due to gunshots are tend to be misdiagnosed because of concomitant vascular and intraabdominal organ wounds. Our case is a 23-year-old man who was admitted to the hospital with multiple abdominal gunshot wounds. Laboratory findings showed worsening anemia, and the computed tomography (CT) scan showed multiple lead bullets inside the abdomen and retroperitoneum. Patient was then taken to the operation room for laparatomy. There were many intestinal injuries and also a stable retroperitoneal hematoma. There was no ureteral injury mentioned in the operation note or the initial CT report. Two weeks after this operation, the patient developed significant urine leakage from the abdominal wounds. Ureteral J stent placement was our first choice of treatment. This was complicated with a late ureteral obstruction. The final treatment was an ureteroureterostomy. Diagnosing ureteral injuries due to traumatic causes can be hard in most of the cases. Physicians should consider early evaluation of the patient for ureteral leakage if there is suspicion about ureteral injury.
The contribution of proteomics to understanding epididymal maturation of mammalian spermatozoa

The acquisition of the ability of the male gamete to fertilize an ovum is the result of numerous and sequential steps of differentiation of spermatozoa that occur as they transit from the testis to the end of the epididymal tubule. The post gonadal sperm modifications are mostly related to motility, egg binding, and penetration processes. As the activity of the epididymis and its luminal fluid composition are believed to be directly related to ‘sperm maturation’, a review on epididymal proteins is presented. Comparative studies have shown that the epididymal activities are species specific. Nevertheless, for all mammalian species studied, similarities exist in the sequential proteomic changes of the luminal composition of the epididymal tubule and proteins on the sperm surface. The potential roles of these modifications are discussed.
Adolescent Celiac Disease and Diabetes : Using Diabetes Research to Frame Celiac Counseling Practice

Celiac disease and diabetes are autoimmune disorders that are directly affected by individuals’ lifestyle choices. While each share various commonalities, including their medical basis and potential psychological symptoms, the prevalence of research on diabetes in various settings appears to overshadow research on celiac disease, providing minimal guidance to addressing aspects of celiac disease in a counseling context. The current article will utilize a biopsychosocial model to target both conditions and will investigate whether foundations of diabetes research may be beneficial to targeting celiac disease in counseling practice. A case illustration is provided.
ACUA: A software tool for automated codon usage analysis

Currently available codon usage analysis tools lack intuitive graphical user interface and are limited to inbuilt calculations. ACUA (Automated Codon Usage Tool) has been developed to perform high throughput sequence analysis aiding statistical profiling of codon usage. The results of ACUA are presented in a spreadsheet with all perquisite codon usage data required for statistical analysis, displayed in a graphical interface. The package is also capable of on-click sequence retrieval from the results interface, and this feature is unique to ACUA. Availability The package is available for non-commercial purposes and can be downloaded from: http://www.bioinsilico. com/acua.
Prognostic significance of histologic grade and nuclear expression of beta-catenin in synovial sarcoma.

Synovial sarcoma, which has a wide spectrum of biologic behavior, warrants accurate grading to assess the patient's prognosis. We studied the clinicopathologic and immunohistochemical features of 44 cases of synovial sarcoma in patients treated primarily or secondarily at the National Cancer Center, Tokyo, to identify independent prognostic factors. There were local recurrences in 16 patients (36%), and 25 (57%) developed metastases, primarily to the lungs. The estimated cumulative 5-year and 10-year survival rates were 68% and 41%, respectively. Variables associated with an adverse outcome included tumor size > 6.7 cm; initial treatment outside the National Cancer Center; poorly differentiated subtype; high nuclear atypia; mitosis count > 27/10 high-power fields; tumor necrosis; absence of stromal calcification; nuclear expression of beta-catenin, which was found in 25 cases (57%); Ki-67 (MIB-1) index > 27%; and histologic grade 3. Nuclear accumulation of beta-catenin as a cell-signaling event may play an important role in the progression of synovial sarcoma and therefore might be predictive of short survival. However, multivariate analysis clearly showed that only histologic grade, as defined by using categorized variables for the MIB-1 index and tumor necrosis, was an independent prognostic factor. Most variables were correlated with lung metastasis and histologic grade. High-grade synovial sarcoma assessed by a histologic grading system based on the proliferative activity of the neoplastic cells can be viewed as high risk with the patients most likely to die of disease within 10 years after surgery and in need of improved chemotherapy. HUM PATHOL 32:257-263.
The Usher N Terminus Is the Initial Targeting Site for Chaperone-Subunit Complexes and Participates in Subsequent Pilus Biogenesis Events

ABSTRACT Pilus biogenesis on the surface of uropathogenic Escherichia coli requires the chaperone/usher pathway, a terminal branch of the general secretory pathway. In this pathway, periplasmic chaperone-subunit complexes target an outer membrane (OM) usher for subunit assembly into pili and secretion to the cell surface. The molecular mechanisms of protein secretion across the OM are not well understood. Mutagenesis of the P pilus usher PapC and the type 1 pilus usher FimD was undertaken to elucidate the initial stages of pilus biogenesis at the OM. Deletion of residues 2 to 11 of the mature PapC N terminus abolished the targeting of the usher by chaperone-subunit complexes and rendered PapC nonfunctional for pilus biogenesis. Similarly, an intact FimD N terminus was required for chaperone-subunit binding and pilus biogenesis. Analysis of PapC-FimD chimeras and N-terminal fragments of PapC localized the chaperone-subunit targeting domain to the first 124 residues of PapC. Single alanine substitution mutations were made in this domain that blocked pilus biogenesis but did not affect targeting of chaperone-subunit complexes. Thus, the usher N terminus does not function simply as a static binding site for chaperone-subunit complexes but also participates in subsequent pilus assembly events.