Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two-Fingered Haptic Device for Robot Hand Teleoperation

A haptic feedback system is required to assist telerehabilitation with robot hand. The system should provide the reaction force measured in the robot hand to an operator. In this paper, we have developed a force feedback device that presents a reaction force to the distal segment of the operator's thumb, middle finger, and basipodite of the middle finger when the robot hand grasps an object. The device uses a shape memory alloy as an actuator, which affords a very compact, lightweight, and accurate device.
Implementation of continuous assessment in educational video games what, how and where to evaluate

In order for educational video games to continue aiding in the teaching / learning processes it is necessary to continue advancing, first, in their educational effectiveness and, secondly, in their ease of use for the teacher. This ease of use is multifaceted; one aspect is the assessment of learning achieved by students. In an educational environment where continuous assessment is a requirement and the acquisition of skills becomes element analysis, teachers have had to greatly increase the amount of work related to the assessment of students. And this problem grows when the number of students is very high, since the time available to meet the needs of the learning process decreases with the increasing time spent taking notes and analysing data in order to give a rating. Therefore, in this paper we address the aspect of assessing competencies through continuing evaluation, presenting a proposal that includes such assessment as part of the game itself. This proposal is in line with the latest laws of Spanish education, and refers to what to assess at each point of the game, how to do it and where to perform the evaluation itself, showing that these three issues need not coincide in time.
On Intelligent Mitigation of Process Starvation In Multilevel Feedback Queue Scheduling

CPU time-share process schedulers for computer operating systems have existed since Corbato published his paper on the Compatible Time Sharing System in 1962 [8]. With this new type of scheduler came the need to effectively divide CPU time between N processes, where N could be 2 or more processes. Modern time-sharing process schedulers which have been developed in the decades since have been designed to favor shorter, interactive processes over long-running processes, especially when incoming demand for CPU time exceeds supply and process starvation is inevitable. These schedulers, including Linux CFS, FreeBSD Ule, and the Solaris Fair Share Scheduler, are all effective at favoring interactive processes under starvation conditions. Sometimes it’s not desirable that long-running processes be sacrificed altogether, but none of these schedulers have safeguards under starvation conditions. This thesis revisits and extends the research conducted in [13], in which it was demonstrated that starvation of long-running processes could be safely and effectively mitigated without adversely affecting the performance of shorter, interactive processes. The questions this thesis will answer are: 1. Can MLFQ-NS, proposed in [13], be compared to other modern process schedulers? 2. Can MLFQ-NS be improved? To answer the first question, a scheduler must be found which is similar enough to MFLQ for a direct comparison. This will require a survey of current schedulers. To answer the second question, the research conducted in [13] must be duplicated MLFQ-NS to ascertain the following: 1. How much diverted time is actually used? 2. Why does MLFQ-NS become ineffective past a certain system-load threshold, i.e. stop reallocating time to long-runnning processes?
The effects of portal shunts on intestinal cytochrome P450 3A activity

To the Editor: Vu et al. (HEPATOLOGY 2001;34:116-120) recently showed depletion of mitochondrial DNA in liver from 2 patients with Navajo neuropathy (NN) and postulated that the primary defect is in nuclear regulation of mitochondrial DNA copy number. In 1997, we proposed that liver disease in children with NN may result from MDR3 deficiency (HEPATOLOGY 26(suppl):369A). Northern analysis of RNA from the liver of an affected child revealed severe reduction in MDR3 messenger RNA (mRNA) abundance (Fig. 1A), as did reversetranscription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis of liver biopsy samples from 3 other affected children. mRNAs for other canalicular transporters, including MDR1 and MRP2, showed no difference from normal controls. The relation between reduced MDR3 expression and the neurologic symptoms of NN was unclear. However, Northern analysis indicated that MDR3 is expressed in multiple areas of human brain (Fig. 1B). Mdr2, which is the murine form of MDR3, is expressed in the developing brain of normal mice, but is not detected in the brain or liver of mdr2 / mice. These findings suggested that MDR3 dysfunction may also contribute to neurologic aspects of NN. To further assess whether MDR3 deficiency is a causative factor, we attempted to identify a mutation in the MDR3 gene that could account for reduced expression in NN. Although MDR3 message was severely depleted in the liver samples, a weak signal was evident by Northern and RTPCR analysis, indicating the presence of MDR3 mRNA. Full-length complementary DNA clones were assembled from RT-PCR products generated from a patient’s liver RNA. Sequence analysis of these clones failed to identify a mutationintheMDR3mRNA,however,wecouldnotexclude mutations in nontranscribed sequences. To determine whether mutations in MDR3 transcriptional regulatory sequences are associated with decreased mRNA levels, we obtained genomic DNA from 1 NN patient. Sequence was determined from 2.5 kb upstream of the transcriptional start site through exon 1, from the 28 MDR3 exons, and from 100 to 300 nucleotides flanking each exon. No mutations were identified in these regions when the sequence of the patient was compared with that of 64 unaffected controls. These data do not exclude MDR3 as a possible causative factor in NN. Reduced levels of MDR3 expression may result from mutations in the interior of introns, more distal regions of the promoter, or a cis-acting regulatory gene located elsewhere in the genome. Alternatively, selective reduction in MDR3 expression may be secondary to liver damage caused by the primary defect. The search goes on.
Implementation-intention encoding in a prospective memory task enhances spontaneous retrieval of intentions

Although forming implementation intentions (Gollwitzer, 1999) has been demonstrated to generally improve prospective memory, the underlying cognitive mechanisms are not completely understood. It has been proposed that implementation-intention encoding encourages spontaneous retrieval (McDaniel & Scullin, 2010). Alternatively one could assume the positive effect of implementation-intention encoding is caused by increased or more efficient monitoring for target cues. To test these alternative explanations and to further investigate the cognitive mechanisms underlying implementation-intention benefits, in two experiments participants formed the intention to respond to specific target cues in a lexical decision task with a special key, but then had to suspend this intention during an intervening word-categorisation task. Response times on trials directly following the occurrence of target cues in the intervening task were significantly slower with implementation-intention encoding than with standard encoding, indicating that spontaneous retrieval was increased (Experiment 1). However, when activation of the target cues was controlled for, similar slowing was found with both standard and implementation-intention encoding (Experiment 2). The results imply that implementation-intention encoding as well as increased target–cue activation foster spontaneous retrieval processes.
Laparoscopic appendectomy in children with perforated appendicitis.

PURPOSE There is persistent controversy regarding the optimal surgical therapy for children with appendicitis. We have recently adopted laparoscopic appendectomy in lieu of the open technique for children with perforated appendicitis. We hypothesized that laparoscopic appendectomy would be as effective as open appendectomy in preventing postoperative complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS We reviewed the medical records of children admitted to our hospital over a 5-year period with the diagnosis of perforated appendicitis. Patients were divided into two groups based on the operative approach: laparoscopic vs. open appendectomy. Demographic data, duration of presenting symptoms, initial white blood cell (WBC) count, length of stay, and complications were abstracted. Data were compared using appropriate statistical analyses. RESULTS There was no difference between the laparoscopic (n = 43) and open (n = 77) groups with respect to gender, duration of presenting symptoms, initial WBC, or length of stay. However, patients in the laparoscopic group had a significantly lower complication rate than those in the open group (6/43 vs. 23/77, P = 0.05). Infectious complications were no different between groups. Patients in the laparoscopic group tended to be older than patients in the open group (10.6 +/- 3.3 years vs. 8.5 +/- 4.1 years, P = 0.003). CONCLUSION Laparoscopic appendectomy for children with perforated appendicitis has the same infectious complication rate and a lower overall complication rate than open appendectomy. A prospective study with standardized postoperative care would be needed to determine whether laparoscopic appendectomy for children with perforated appendicitis is the treatment of choice, but until then it remains an attractive alternative.
For patients taking herbal therapy--lessons from aristolochic acid nephropathy.

A defect inspection apparatus for inspecting a fine circuit pattern with high resolution to detect a defective portion is constructed to have an objective lens for detecting an image of a sample, a laser illumination unit for illuminating the sample through the objective lens, a unit for reducing the coherence of the laser illumination, an accumulation type detector, and a unit for processing the detected image signal.
Practical evaluation of code injection in encrypted firmware updates

Several firmware update mechanisms in microcontrollers still make use of confidentiality-only block cipher modes, ultimately lulling the users into a false sense of security. In this work we show how easy it is to apply well known malleability attacks to successfully inject arbitrary code into an encrypted firmware image. We demonstrate this vulnerability by attacking the Advanced Encryption Standard in Cipher Block Chaining mode on an ARM-based microcontroller. The attack makes use of patterns in the structure of the firmware image to obtain known-plaintexts which may be used to modify an encrypted image. Subsequently, malicious code may be injected to extract the memory contents of the device. This work shall help motivate the use of authenticated encryption modes even in resource constrained devices.
Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Nef increases the efficiency of reverse transcription in the infected cell

We have analyzed the replication of Nef+ and Nef- isogenic human immunodeficiency virus in CEM, HUT78, MT4 lymphoid, and U937 monocytic cell lines. At each passage of infected cells, we have assessed the relative infectivity of the virus particles released in culture media by measuring the number of infections units per nanogram of p24 protein. Values appeared to be 3- to 10-fold higher for the Nef+ virus than for the Nef- number The positive effect of Nef was observed regardless of the cell line, the multiplicity of infection, and the number of virus replication cycles achieved. We showed, by using cells expressing glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked CD4, that the enhancement of virion infectivity could be dissociated from the down-regulation of cell surface CD4 also induced by Nef. The gp120-to-p24 ratio and the RNA content of virus particles produced in the presence or in the absence of Nef were equivalent. Virions bound to cell surface CD4 receptors with equal efficiencies. Equivalent reverse transcriptase activities were measured both on exogenous substrate and on particle genomic RNAs. In contrast, reverse transcription in infected cells generated 5- to 10-fold less DNA when the virions were produced in the absence of Nef, indicating that these particles performed reverse transcription in a suboptimal environment. These data suggest that the expression of Nef in virus-producing cells is required for efficient processing of the early stages of virus replication in target cells, including the internalization in an appropriate cell compartment and the uncoating of the particle.
Endothelial Progenitor Cells Derived From CD34+ Cells Form Cooperative Vascular Networks

Studies were conducted to investigate whether endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) derived from CD34+ cells could differentiate to endothelial- and smooth muscle-like cells, respectively. Differentiation was induced by either basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) or platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). Further, the contribution of these cells to cooperative blood vessel formation was examined. Immunofluorescence microscopy and Western blot analysis were used to assess vascular smooth muscle (SMC) or endothelial (EC) cell differentiation. SMC (α-SM actin and calponin) or EC (CD31 and von Willebrand factor, vWF) markers showed significant expression. In contrast, expression of the stem/progenitor cell marker CD133 gradually decreased. To quantify the percentage of positive cells of smooth muscle cell marker and endothelial cell marker, flow cytometric analysis was performed, and the results demonstrated that up to 83.76% of PDGF-BB treated-cells were positive for α–SMA marker and up to 89.27% of bFGF-treated cells were positive for vWF marker. To assess functional properties of the endothelial- and smooth muscle-like cells and to demonstrate an association of the two cell types in vascular structures, we evaluated the capacity of these cells to form angiogenesis-like networks on Matrigel. Both endothelial-like cells plated in isolation and co-cultured with smooth muscle-like cells showed formation of vascular networks on Matrigel while smooth muscle-like cells alone did not. Co-culture of fluorescently labeled endothelial- (PKH26, red fluorochrome) and smooth muscle-like cells (PKH67, green fluorochrome) revealed that these cells formed cooperative networks of tubular structures on Matrigel. Collectively, our findings suggest that EPCs can differentiate into both smooth muscle- and endothelial-like cells and contribute to the development of cooperative vascular networks. Notably, this differentiation could also provide a stable foundation for maintenance of the newly formed vascular networks.
Adrenal atrophy and irreversible shock associated with cortisone therapy.

Recent clinical observations and animal experiments1have shown that prolonged administration of cortisone produces adrenal atrophy. According to the adaptation syndrome of Selye,2adrenal atrophy in turn may lessen the body's ability to withstand trauma and stress. One might suspect that patients receiving cortisone would not normally withstand major surgery; yet every day patients are successfully undergoing surgery while regularly taking cortisone in both the preoperative and postoperative periods. We wish to present the record of a patient who, while receiving a prolonged course of cortisone therapy, underwent a major operation, cup arthroplasty of the hip, and died of immediate postoperative shock, in spite of normally adequate, aggressive antishock therapy. Postmortem examination revealed marked bilateral adrenal atrophy and other conditions consistent with shock. REPORT OF A CASE A 34-year-old man had had rheumatoid arthritis for a period of seven years. Almost every joint of his body was involved,
A Comparison of Different Corneal Iontophoresis Protocols for Promoting Transepithelial Riboflavin Penetration.

PURPOSE To measure corneal riboflavin penetration using different transepithelial iontophoresis protocols. METHODS Freshly enucleated rabbit eyes were divided into nine treatment groups of 4 eyes. One group, in which 0.1% wt/vol riboflavin was applied for 30 minutes without iontophoresis after corneal epithelial debridement, acted as a control. The remaining groups were treated with an intact epithelium using different riboflavin formulations and varying iontophoresis current, soak, and rinse times. After riboflavin application, eyes were snap frozen in liquid nitrogen. Corneal cross sections 35 μm thick were then imaged immediately by two-photon fluorescence microscopy, using image processing software to quantify stromal riboflavin concentration at different corneal depths. RESULTS In the epithelium-on iontophoresis treatment groups, greater stromal riboflavin penetration was achieved with higher-concentration riboflavin solutions, greater iontophoresis dosage, and longer solution contact times. A protocol utilizing 0.25% wt/vol riboflavin with benzalkonium chloride (BAC) 0.01% and two cycles of applied current and subsequent soaking (1 mA 5 minutes, soak 5 minutes; 0.5 mA 5 minutes, soak 5 minutes) achieved similar stromal riboflavin penetration to epithelium-off controls. The best-performing non-BAC-containing protocol produced stromal riboflavin penetration approximately 60% that of epithelium-off controls. Riboflavin solutions containing saline resulted in minimal stromal penetration. Riboflavin loading within the epithelium was equivalent to or higher than that in the subjacent stroma, despite rinsing the ocular surface with balanced salt solution. CONCLUSIONS Modified iontophoresis protocols can significantly improve transepithelial riboflavin penetration in experimental corneal collagen cross-linking.
FIRST REPORT IN ROMANIA REGARDING SALIVARY IODINE LEVEL AND ITS CORRELATION WITH CARIOUS LESIONS , CHRONIC MARGINAL PERIODONTITIS AND PERIAPICAL PATHOLOGY

Since the beginning of administration of iodine to prevent iodine deficiency, children have less dental cavities; iodine seems to increase the resistance to dental caries, retarding the process and reducing its incidence (in Romania the law regarding universal salt iodization was implemented in January 2003). Given its antioxidant properties, iodide may act as an antimicrobial agent in saliva. In our studied groups (group I, II, III) we found a statistically significant difference between the smokers and nonsmokers on each of the above mentioned group. Our results confirm previous studies, showing that smoking had an increasing effect on the concentration of salivary thyocianate and a decreasing effect on the content of iodide in saliva.
The CXCR4 antagonist POL5551 is equally effective as sirolimus in reducing neointima formation without impairing re-endothelialisation

Summary Impaired endothelial recovery after the implantation of drug-eluting stents is a major concern because of the increased risk for late stent thrombosis. The disruption of the chemokine axis CXCL12/CXCR4 inhibits neointima formation by blocking the recruitment of smooth muscle progenitor cells. To directly compare a CXCR4-targeting treatment strategy with drugs that are currently used for stent coating, we studied the effects of the CXCR4 antagonist POL5551 and the drug sirolimus on neointima formation. Apolipoprotein E-deficient mice were treated with POL5551 or sirolimus continuously for 28 days after a carotid wire injury. POL5551 inhibited neointima formation by 63% (for a dosage of 2 mg/kg/day) and by 70% (for a dosage of 20 mg/kg/day). In comparison, sirolimus reduced the neointimal area by 69%. In contrast to treatment with POL5551 during the first three days after injury, injection of POL5551 (20 mg/kg) once per day for 28 days diminished neointimal hyperplasia by 53%. An analysis of the cellular composition of the neointima showed a reduction in the relative smooth muscle cell (SMC) and macrophage content in mice that had been treated with a high dose of POL5551. In contrast, the diminished SMC content after sirolimus treatment was associated with a neointimal enrichment of macrophages. Furthermore, endothelial recovery was impaired by sirolimus, but not by POL5551. Therefore, the inhibition of CXCR4 by POL5551 is equally effective in preventing neointima formation as sirolimus, but POL5551 might be more beneficial because treatment with it results in a more stable lesion phenotype and because it does not impair re-endothelialisation.
The national cancer data base report on the relationship of race and national origin to the histology of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

The development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma reflects interactions of genetics, diet, and viral agents. It is more common in Asians than non‐Asians, with different characteristic histologic types. This study examined nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the U.S. as a function of patient origin and histology.
Interaction of TLR2 and TLR4 Ligands with the N-terminal Domain of Gp96 Amplifies Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses*

Activation of dendritic cells by ligands for Toll-like receptors (TLR) is a crucial event in the initiation of innate and adaptive immune responses. Several classes of TLR ligands have been identified that interact with distinct members of the TLR-family. TLR4 ligands include lipopolysaccharide derived from different Gram-negative bacteria and viral proteins. Recent reports have demonstrated the TLR-mediated activation of dendritic cells by heat shock proteins (HSPs). However, doubts were raised as to what extent this effect was due to lipopolysaccharide contaminations of the HSP preparations. We re-examined this phenomenon using Gp96 or its N-terminal domain, nominally endotoxin-free (<0.5 enzyme units/mg). As described previously, innate immune cells are activated by Gp96 at high concentrations (≥50 μg/ml) but not at lower concentrations. However, preincubation of low amounts of Gp96 with TLR2 and TLR4 ligands at concentrations unable to activate dendritic cells by themselves results in the production of high levels of proinflammatory cytokines, up-regulation of activation markers, and amplification of T cell activation. Our results provide significant new insights into the mechanism of HSP-mediated dendritic cell activation and present a new function of HSPs in the amplification of dendritic cell activation by bacterial products and induction of adaptive immune responses.
Ethnobotanical and scientific aspects of Malva sylvestris L.: a millennial herbal medicine

Objectives Malva sylvestris L. , known as common mallow, is native to Europe, North Africa and Asia. In the Mediterranean region, this species has a long history of use as food, and due to its therapeutic relevance, some parts of this plant have been employed in traditional and ethnoveterinary medicines. The leaves in particular have been reported to have potent anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, anti‐complementary, anticancer and skin tissue integrity activity. Additionally, an anti‐ulcerogenic effect was recently proven, demonstrating that the aqueous extract was more effective than cimetidine, a potent medicine used to treat gastric ulcers. Due to its wide use and medicinal importance, many studies have been conducted; however, the information in the literature is very extensive and disseminated, making it difficult to use.
Design Considerations of Soft-Switched Buck PFC Converter With Constant On-Time (COT) Control

In contrast to the conventional boost power factor correction (PFC) converter, the buck PFC converter can achieve high efficiency in the entire universal input voltage range. A critical conduction mode (CRM) soft-switched buck PFC converter with constant on-time control is presented in this paper. The design methodology and criteria for zero-voltage switching range, high efficiency and low harmonics of the CRM buck ac-dc converter are achieved. A 100-W prototype built up according to the proposed design criteria shows that the input current harmonics meet the IEC61000-3-2 (Class D) standard and the efficiency is higher than 0.965 during the universal input range.