Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative evaluation of cefazolin and clindamycin in the treatment of experimental Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis in rabbits

A rabbit model for Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis was used to compare treatment with clindamycin and cefazolin. Cefazolin (5 mg/kg), cefazolin (15 mg/kg), and clindamycin (70 mg/kg) were injected subcutaneously every 6 h for 28 days. After treatment, S. aureus was found in bone cultures from 22 of 23 control rabbits, 12 of 22 rabbits treated with cefazolin (5 mg/kg), 12 of 23 rabbits treated with cefazolin (15 mg/kg), and 2 of 20 rabbits treated with clindamycin. Drug concentrations in serum, uninfected bone, and infected bone were measured 30 min after cefazolin or clindamycin was injected into a group of rabbits which had been infected for 3 to 4 weeks. Clindamycin gave the highest concentration in infected and uninfected bone. The results of the study showed that clindamycin was superior to cefazolin in the eradication of S. aureus from infected bone in an experimental model.
Using Convex Relaxations for Efficiently and Privately Releasing Marginals

Differential privacy is a definition giving a strong privacy guarantee even in the presence of auxiliary information. In this work we pursue the application of geometric techniques for achieving differential privacy, a highly promising line of work initiated by Hardt and Talwar [26], focusing on the problem of marginal release. Here, a database is a collection of the data of n individuals, each characterized by d binary attributes. A k-way marginal query is specified by a subset S of k attributes, together with a |S|-dimensional binary vector β specifying their values. The true answer to this query is a count of the number of people in the database whose attribute vector restricted to S agrees with β. Information theoretically, the error complexity of marginal queries -- how "wrong" do the answers have to be in order to preserve differential privacy -- is well-understood: the perquery additive error is known to be at least Ω(min{√n,dk/2}) and at most Õ(√nd1/4,dk/2). However, no polynomial time algorithm with error complexity as low as the information theoretic upper bound is known for small n. We present a polynomial time algorithm that matches the best known information-theoretic bounds when k = 2; more generally, by reducing to the case k = 2, for any distribution on marginal queries, our algorithm achieves average error at most Õ(√nd[k/2]/4), an improvement over previous work on when k is small and when error o(n) is desirable. Using private boosting we are also able to give nearly matching worst-case error bounds. Our algorithms are based on the geometric techniques of Nikolov, Talwar, and Zhang [29], wherein a vector of "sufficiently noisy" answers is projected onto a particular convex body. We reduce projection, which is expensive, to a simple geometric question: given (a succinct representation of) a convex body K, find a containing convex body L that one can efficiently optimize over, while keeping the Gaussian width of L small. This reduction is achieved by a careful use of the Frank-Wolfe algorithm.
Kinetics of ATP-sensitive K+ channel revealed with oil-gate concentration jump method.

Kinetics for gating the ATP-sensitive K+ channel was studied by exposing the inside-out patch to instantaneous changes in the intracellular concentration of ATP ( [ATP]i) using the oil-gate concentration jump technique in guinea pig ventricular cells. The closing time course of the channel after increasing [ATP]i was exponential with a time constant (tau), which decreased with increasing [ATP]i. The linear 1/tau - [ATP]i relation revealed two different binding (closing) rate constants (mu) of 51.7 and 5.6 mM-1.s-1 and predicted a common unbinding (opening) rate constant (lambda) of 3.2 s-1. A variable latent period was observed before channel opening when [ATP]i was decreased. The mechanism of latency is not clear. Once the channel started to open at the change lowering [ATP]i, the opening time course was exponential. Measurements of the exponential tau obtained at 0 mM [ATP]i were divided into two groups with corresponding lambda of 2.8 and 20.1 s-1, respectively. The former agrees with the predicted value of 3.2 s-1, but in the latter case, tau for opening increased as [ATP]i was increased. This increase in tau was attributed to a decrease of lambda, which approached an asymptotic value of 3.2 s-1. We conclude that binding and unbinding of one molecule of ATP determine the gating of ATP-sensitive K+ channel. Different pairs of mu and lambda result in four types of gating patterns and practically two states of sensitivities to ATP.
Trends in the use of radical prostatectomy for treatment of prostate cancer.

CONTEXT The incidence of prostate cancer and rates of radical prostatectomy increased sharply in the Medicare population (men older than 65 years of age) after the introduction of prostate-specific antigen screening in the late 1980s. PRACTICE PATTERN EXAMINED Trends in age-specific rates of use of radical prostatectomy in U.S. men between 1989 and 1995. DATA SOURCE The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program. RESULTS Overall, rates of radical prostatectomy more than doubled between 1989 and 1992 (from 78 per 100,000 men to 206 per 100,000 men) but decreased by a third between 1992 and 1995 (to 146 per 100,000 men). The pattern in overall radical prostatectomy rates between 1992 and 1995, however, obscures changes that occurred for men in different age groups. Decreases in radical prostatectomy rates were most dramatic in elderly persons, dropping 51% in men 70 to 74 years of age and 71% in men 75 years of age or older. In contrast, rates in younger men continued to increase between 1992 and 1995, rising 42% in men 45 to 49 years of age and 18% in men 50 to 54 years of age. In each age group, trends in surgery rates mirrored trends in cancer detection rates. CONCLUSIONS Surgical treatment of prostate cancer in older men is decreasing; however, surgery rates are increasing in younger men. These divergent trends reflect the pattern of prostate cancer detection in clinical practice.
Insights into Microalga and Bacteria Interactions of Selected Phycosphere Biofilms Using Metagenomic, Transcriptomic, and Proteomic Approaches

Microalga are of high relevance for the global carbon cycling and it is well-known that they are associated with a microbiota. However, it remains unclear, if the associated microbiota, often found in phycosphere biofilms, is specific for the microalga strains and which role individual bacterial taxa play. Here we provide experimental evidence that Chlorella saccharophila, Scenedesmus quadricauda, and Micrasterias crux-melitensis, maintained in strain collections, are associated with unique and specific microbial populations. Deep metagenome sequencing, binning approaches, secretome analyses in combination with RNA-Seq data implied fundamental differences in the gene expression profiles of the microbiota associated with the different microalga. Our metatranscriptome analyses indicates that the transcriptionally most active bacteria with respect to key genes commonly involved in plant–microbe interactions in the Chlorella (Trebouxiophyceae) and Scenedesmus (Chlorophyceae) strains belong to the phylum of the α-Proteobacteria. In contrast, in the Micrasterias (Zygnematophyceae) phycosphere biofilm bacteria affiliated with the phylum of the Bacteroidetes showed the highest gene expression rates. We furthermore show that effector molecules known from plant–microbe interactions as inducers for the innate immunity are already of relevance at this evolutionary early plant-microbiome level.
Large Scale Comprehensive 3D Shape Retrieval

The objective of this track is to evaluate the performance of 3D shape retrieval approaches on a large-sale comprehensive 3D shape database that contains different types of models, such as generic, articulated, CAD and architecture models. The track is based on a new comprehensive 3D shape benchmark, which contains 8,987 triangle meshes that are classified into 171 categories. The benchmark was compiled as a superset of existing benchmarks and presents a new challenge to retrieval methods as it comprises generic models as well as domain-specific model types. In this track, 14 runs have been submitted by 5 groups and their retrieval accuracies were evaluated using 7 commonly used performance metrics.
Absence of growth hormone (GH) secretion after the administration of either GH-releasing hormone (GHRH), GH-releasing peptide (GHRP-6), or GHRH plus GHRP-6 in children with neonatal pituitary stalk transection.

GH-releasing peptide (GHRP-6; His-D-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2) is a synthetic compound that releases GH in a specific and dose-related manner through mechanisms and a point of action that are mostly unknown, but different from those of GHRH. In man, GHRP-6 is more efficacious than GHRH, and a striking synergistic action occurs when both compounds are administered together. To explain such a synergistic effect, it has been postulated, but not proven, that GHRP-6 acts through a double mechanism, with actions exerted at the pituitary and the hypothalamic level. On the other hand, patients with the syndrome of GH deficiency due to perinatal pituitary stalk transection have any hypothalamic factor nonoperandi. The aim of the present study was 3-fold: 1) to further understand how relevant, if at all, the hypothalamic action of GHRP-6 is for GH regulation; 2) to evaluate whether GHRP-6 plus GHRH could be a suitable diagnostic tool in children with pituitary stalk transection; and 3) to compare these results with similar published studies performed in patients with hypothalamo-pituitary disconnection, who developed the disease as adults. Seven patients with GH deficiency and different degrees of panhypopituitarism due to perinatal pituitary stalk transection and 7 age- and sex-matched normal controls were studied. The subjects underwent 3 different tests on separate occasions, being challenged with GHRH (1 microgram/kg, iv), GHRP-6 (1 microgram/kg, iv), or GHRH plus GHRP-6. GH was analyzed as the area under the curve (mean +/- SE; micrograms per L/90 min). In normal subjects, GH secretion was 1029 +/- 202 after GHRH treatment, 1221 +/- 345 after GHRP-6, and 3542 +/- 650 after GHRH plus GHRP-6; the latter value was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than the secretion elicited by GHRH or GHRP-6 alone. In the group of patients with perinatal pituitary stalk transection, the level of GH after GHRH treatment was 116 +/- 22 and was even more reduced (P < 0.05) after GHRP-6 treatment (37 +/- 8). After GHRH plus GHRP-6, GH secretion in those patients was 177 +/- 27, significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the secretion induced by either GHRH or GHRP-6 alone. Individually examined, none of the patients tested with the most potent stimulus known to date (GHRH plus GHRP-6) exhibited GH secretion greater than 5 micrograms/L. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Up-regulation, nuclear import, and tumor growth stimulation of the adhesion protein p120 in pancreatic cancer.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Cell adhesion proteins have been implicated as tumor suppressors because they prevent malignant cells from dissociating their cell contacts. We have studied the role of p120(ctn), a recently discovered member of the cadherin/catenin family, in human pancreatic cancer. METHODS In 32 resection specimens of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and 10 control samples the expression of p120(ctn) was studied by Northern blot, immunocytochemistry, and immunogold electron microscopy. Patient survival data, tumor grading, and staging were correlated to the experimental results. In PaTu 8889 T pancreatic cancer cells, p120(ctn) expression was suppressed with 21-nucleotide small interfering RNA (siRNA) duplexes and proliferation was determined by bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation. RESULTS In pancreatic cancer p120(ctn) messenger RNA (mRNA) was increased 3- to 4-fold. Although p120(ctn) was localized exclusively at cell contacts in controls it was found in the cytosol and nucleus of pancreatic cancer cells. This redistribution correlated to the degree of tumor dedifferentiation but was independent of tumor stage. The mean survival of patients with predominant membrane localization of p120(ctn) was 24 +/- 7 (SEM) months vs. 9 +/- 2 months for patients with predominant cytoplasmic p120(ctn) expression (P < 0.05). Silencing of p120(ctn) with siRNA duplexes reduced pancreatic cancer cell growth by 40%. CONCLUSIONS Up-regulation, cytoplasmic redistribution, and nuclear import of p120(ctn) are associated with a more malignant phenotype of pancreatic cancer. This study further represents conclusive evidence for a direct involvement of p120(ctn) in malignant tumor cell proliferation. Both p120(ctn)-defective tumor cell contacts and p120(ctn)-mediated growth signals appear to contribute to the aggressive spread of pancreatic cancer.
SUB-SAMPLING METHOD FOR EFFICIENT UNIVERSAL BACKGROUNDMODEL TRAINING IN SPEAKER VERIFICATION

Speaker recognition/verification systems require an extensive universal background model (UBM), which typically requires extensive resources, especially if new channel domains are considered. In this study we propose an effective and computationally efficient algorithm for training the UBM for speaker verification. A novel method based on Euclidean distance between features is developed for effective sub-sampling of potential training feature vectors. Using only about 1.5 seconds of data from each development utterance, the proposed UBM training method drastically reduces the computation time, while improving, or at least retaining original speaker verification system performance. While methods such as factor analysis can mitigate some of the issues associated with channel/microphone/environmental mismatch, the proposed rapid UBM training scheme offers a viable alternative for rapid environment dependent UBMs.
Quality assessment for stereoscopic images with JPEG compression errors

In this paper a new quality assessment method for stereoscopic image with compression distortion is proposed. This method is designed based on hybrid of 2D image quality metrics and stereoscopic depth map information. The proposed metric is tested on LIVE 3D image database with JPEG and JPEG2000 (JP2K) errors. As a result, this metric has shown an improved performance in assessing perceived quality for stereoscopic images.
Management of the exposure of e-PTFE membranes in guided bone regeneration.

UNLABELLED Guided bone regeneration (GBR) has been used extensively since its introduction in the late 1980s. In such treatment, e-PTFE membranes are often preferred because of their inert biological features and the predictability of the barrier effect. One complication of GBR is the premature exposure of the membrane. A consequence of the resulting soft tissue dehiscence is compromised bone regeneration. There are situations in which an exposed membrane can be maintained and obtain satisfactory results. This article discusses suggested guidelines for the treatment of exposed e-PTFE membranes. LEARNING OBJECTIVES This article discusses treatment options for e-PTFE membranes that are exposed with or without infection. Upon reading this article, the reader should: Be able to identify both Class I and Class II exposures. Understand how to properly treat both a Class I and Class II exposed e-PTFE membrane.
Direct Regulation of the Akt Proto-Oncogene Product by Phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate

The regulation of the serine-threonine kinase Akt by lipid products of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI 3-kinase) was investigated. Akt activity was found to correlate with the amount of phosphatidylinositol-3,4-bisphosphate (PtdIns-3,4-P2) in vivo, and synthetic PtdIns-3,4-P2 activated Akt both in vitro and in vivo. Binding of PtdIns-3,4-P2 occurred within the Akt pleckstrin homology (PH) domain and facilitated dimerization of Akt. Akt mutated in the PH domain was not activated by PI 3-kinase in vivo or by PtdIns-3,4-P2 in vitro, and it was impaired in binding to PtdIns-3,4-P2. Examination of the binding to other phosphoinositides revealed that they bound to the Akt PH domain with much lower affinity than did PtdIns-3,4-P2 and failed to increase Akt activity. Thus, Akt is apparently regulated by the direct interaction of PtdIns-3,4-P2 with the Akt PH domain.
High-peak-power diode-pumped actively Q-switched Nd:YAG intracavity Raman laser with an undoped YVO4 crystal

The efficient stimulated Raman scattering conversion in a diode-pumped actively Q-switched Nd:YAG laser was achieved with an undoped YVO4 crystal as a Raman shifter. With an incident pump power of 16.2 W, 1176-nm first Stokes average output power of 2.97 W was generated at a pulse repetition rate of 50 kHz. The maximum pulse energy is higher than 83 μJ at both 20 kHz and 30 kHz. With mode-locked modulation, the effective pulse width far above threshold is usually below 5 ns. With an incident pump power of 7.62 W, the peak-power of 43.5 kW was demonstrated at 20 kHz.
Modulation of electrically evoked serotonin release in cultured rat raphe neurons

Electrically evoked release of serotonin (5‐HT) and its modulation via 5‐HT autoreceptors and α2‐heteroreceptors was studied in primary cell cultures prepared from the embryonic (ED 15) rat mesencephalic brain region comprising the raphe nuclei. Cultures were grown for up to 3 weeks on circular glass coverslips. They developed a dense network of non‐neuronal and neuronal cells, some of which were positive for tryptophan hydroxylase. To measure 5‐HT release, the cultures were pre‐incubated with [3H]5‐HT (in the presence of the selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor oxaprotiline [1 μmol/L]), superfused with modified Krebs–Henseleit medium containing 6‐nitroqipazine [1 μmol/L] and electrically stimulated using two conditions. Condition A: 360 pulses, 3 Hz, 0.5 ms, 90 mA, or condition B: 4 pulses 100 Hz, 0.5 ms, 90 mA (a condition which diminishes interactions with endogenously released transmitters during ongoing stimulation). After only 1 week in culture, the electrically evoked overflow of [3H] was Ca2+ dependent and tetrodotoxin sensitive, suggesting an action‐potential‐induced exocytotic release of 5‐HT. Using stimulation condition A in cultures grown for 2 weeks, both basal and evoked 5‐HT release were strongly enhanced by methiotepine (1 μmol/L) but unaffected by the 5‐HT1B autoreceptor agonist CP‐93, 129 (1 μmol/L) and the α2‐adrenoceptor agonist UK‐14, 304 (1 μmol/L). Conversely, using stimulation condition B, not only CP‐93, 129 (IC50 8.1 ± 1.4 nmol/L) and UK‐14, 304 (IC50 14.9 ± 1.6 nmol/L) had inhibitory effects on cells grown for 2 weeks, but also the 5‐HT1A agonist 8‐hydroxy‐2‐(di‐n‐propylamino)tetralin. In conclusion, we describe for the first time electrically evoked release of 5‐HT from primary cultures of fetal raphe cells and its modulation via 5‐HT1B and 5‐HT1A auto‐ and α2‐heteroreceptors. Such cultured raphe cells may represent a suitable model to study expression and development of presynaptic receptors on serotonergic neurons in‐vitro.
Multiple, Recurrent, Refractory Vascular Malformations as the Primary Presenting Feature of a PTEN Mutation

Abstract: Complete history and physical examinations are very important in patients with a vascular anomaly. This brief report highlights the case of a five‐year‐old male who presented with recurrent arteriovenous malformations of the hand and forearm. The patient also demonstrated additional clinical and diagnostic imaging features consistent with a PTEN Hamartoma‐Tumor syndrome. The prompt identification of individuals with this condition is important, given the more locally aggressive nature to the malformations and the increased potential for future malignant disease. The etiology and clinical features associated with PTEN Hamartoma‐Tumor syndromes are reviewed in this case.
Growth Mechanism of Long and Horizontally Aligned Carbon Nanotubes by Chemical Vapor Deposition

The selective production of long, horizontally aligned carbon nanotubes (>1 mm) or short, randomly oriented carbon nanotubes (<50 μm) was achieved in a chemical vapor deposition process by influencing the catalyst pretreatment and reaction conditions. A detailed investigation was undertaken to elucidate the mechanism yielding the two different morphologies. It was found that the duration of the catalytic growth of a nanotube plays a vital role; that is, the actual growth period of long nanotubes is significantly higher (up to 15 min or more) compared to short nanotubes (10 s or less). Alignment with the gas flow occurs only when a nanotube reaches a critical length, which suggests that short growth durations limit not only the length of CNTs but also their alignment with the gas flow. Furthermore, it is concluded that differences in the nanoparticle's catalytic lifetime is the most probable factor determining the extension of growth duration and lengths to obtain long, horizontally aligned CNTs. This work.
Diversity analysis for generalized MIMO two-way x relay channel

We study the performance of a generalized multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) two-way X relay channel, where there are two groups of K source nodes and one relay node, and each source node in one group exchanges independent messages with all the source nodes in the other group via the relay node. It is assumed that every source node is equipped with M antennas while the relay is equipped with N antennas. We adopt a signal alignment based transmission protocol where all the information exchanges among the two groups of source nodes are accomplished in two time slots. Through analyzing the information outage probability, we prove that the diversity order of the generalized MIMO two-way X relay channel with random signal alignment is one. Further, we prove that the diversity order can be improved to 2M - N when the signal alignment vectors are carefully selected.
Motion of the patella during walking: a video digital-fluoroscopic study in healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVE The alignment of the quadriceps muscle and patella suggests that the patella should deviate laterally out of the patellar groove as the quadriceps muscle contracts during walking. The surgical treatment of patellar subluxation has been based on this presumption. The purpose of this study was to determine the movements of the patella in relation to the other bones of the knee joint during normal walking. This is the first study we know of that uses radiographs to show these movements. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Eight healthy adult volunteers with no previous complaints referable to the knee walked on a slowly moving treadmill while their patellae were imaged fluoroscopically in the anteroposterior plane with a Toshiba C-arm. Images were retrieved, transferred to radiographic film, and randomized to prevent the observers from knowing the order of images. The position of the patella was measured and plotted in relation to fixed points of the knee. RESULTS In each of the subjects at every gait cycle, the patella was observed to move vertically first, followed by a sudden shift to the medial side before returning to its original position. CONCLUSION Contrary to conventional understanding, our results show that the patella deviates medially rather than laterally during walking. This occurs because of differential contraction of the components of the quadriceps muscle during walking. The management of painful and subluxated patellae must be reevaluated in light of this finding.