Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Young Investigator Award 2001 Winner: Risk Factors for Lumbar Disc Degeneration: A 5-Year Prospective MRI Study in Asymptomatic Individuals

Study Design. A longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging investigation of lumbar disc degeneration in asymptomatic individuals was conducted. Objective. To investigate risk factors for the development or deterioration of lumbar disc degeneration. Summary of Background Data. Numerous studies have explored the significance of certain risk factors for the development or progression of disc degeneration, but no comprehensive longitudinal magnetic resonance imaging–based study has been reported that simultaneously considers clinical, morphologic, physical, psychosocial, and occupational risk factors. Methods. In the 5-year follow-up evaluation of 41 asymptomatic individuals, the risk factors for the development of lumbar disc degeneration and its progression were investigated. All 41 individuals had a magnetic resonance imaging scan at baseline and at the minimum 5-year follow-up assessment using the same scanner and protocol. The magnetic resonance images were analyzed independently by two radiologists with regard to disc degeneration. Various predictor variables were assessed both at baseline and follow-up, with special emphasis on physical job characteristics, sports activities, and magnetic resonance image–based morphologic findings. Results. Of the 41 individuals, 17 (41%) exhibited a deterioration of the disc status. In 10 individuals, the progression of disc degeneration was one grade or more. Only a weak correlation existed between progressive disc degeneration and low back pain development during a 5-year follow-up period. Multiple logistic regression analysis demonstrated that the extent of disc herniation (odds ratio [OR], 12.63; confidence interval [CI], 1.24–128.49), the lack of sports activities (OR, 2.71; CI, 1.04–7.07), and night shift work (OR, 23.01; CI, 1.26–421.31) were significant predictors for disc degeneration during follow-up evaluation when control was used for the number of degenerated discs at baseline, gender, age, and body mass index. Conclusions. The results indicate that the extent of disc herniation, the lack of sports activities, and night shift work are significant risk factors for the development of lumbar disc degeneration and its progression.
Normal pio-dural arterial connections

The arterial blood supply to the dura mater is rich, complex and is derived from both the internal and external carotid systems. Endovascular management of a variety of intracranial diseases necessitates a thorough understanding of the dural arterial network. In this article we review the normal contributions of the pial arteries to the blood supply of the dura mater and discuss some aspects of its role in the supply of dural arteriovenous shunts (DAVS).
Using 2-Aminopurine Fluorescence to Measure Incorporation of Incorrect Nucleotides by Wild Type and Mutant Bacteriophage T4 DNA Polymerases*

The ability of wild type and mutant T4 DNA polymerases to discriminate in the utilization of the base analog 2-aminopurine (2AP) and the fluorescence of 2AP were used to determine how DNA polymerases distinguish between correct and incorrect nucleotides. Because T4 DNA polymerase incorporates dTMP opposite 2AP under single-turnover conditions, it was possible to compare directly the kinetic parameters for incorporation of dTMP opposite template 2AP to the parameters for incorporation of dTMP opposite template A without the complication of enzyme dissociation. The most significant difference detected was in the K d for dTTP, which was 10-fold higher for incorporation of dTMP opposite template 2AP (∼367 μm) than for incorporation of dTMP opposite template A (∼31 μm). In contrast, the dTMP incorporation rate was reduced only about 2-fold from about 318 s−1 with template A to about 165 s−1 for template 2AP. Discrimination is due to the high selectivity in the initial nucleotide-binding step. T4 DNA polymerase binding to DNA with 2AP in the template position induces formation of a nucleotide binding pocket that is preshaped to bind dTTP and to exclude other nucleotides. If nucleotide binding is hindered, initiation of the proofreading pathway acts as an error avoidance mechanism to prevent incorporation of incorrect nucleotides.
Fine‐grain data management directory for OpenMP 4.0 and OpenACC

Today's trend to use accelerators in heterogeneous systems forces a paradigm shift in programming models. The use of low‐level APIs for accelerator programming is tedious and not intuitive for casual programmers. To tackle this problem, recent approaches focused on high‐level directive‐based models, with a standardization effort made with OpenACC and the directives for accelerator in the latest OpenMP 4.0 release. The pragmas for data management automatically handle data exchange between the host and the device. To keep the runtime simple and efficient, severe restrictions hinder the use of these pragmas. To address this issue, we propose the design for a directory, along with a reduced runtime application binary interface, to handle correctly data management in these standards. A few improvements to our directory allow a more flexible use of data management pragmas, with negligible overhead. Our design fits a multi‐accelerator system. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Playing with Presence: How meditation can increase the experience of embodied presence in a virtual world

Feeling deeply connected to yourself and your body creates a richer experience of presence in a virtual world, even when your body is sitting in a chair wearing VR googles. We call this embodied presence. Connection to the self and body (paying attention to present-moment sensations and feelings) enhances the sense of self and the sense of presence, regardless of whether you are in the natural world or a VR world. Our Beach VR Meditation demonstrates how meditation can be designed to increase the experience of embodied presence in a virtual world.
Updating on understanding and managing chronic wound

The art of healing wounds is quite complex. It requires the patient's local condition in conjunction with their systemic condition to provide the most ideal wound environment. As wound care is expanding with advances in technology, we are facing a variety of different wound care products based on an assortment of bioengineered skin substances, growth factors, oxygen therapies, low frequency ultrasound and even low energy light. While these emerging evidence‐based treatments prove to be promising in improving clinical outcomes and quality of life, it challenges providers to provide cost‐effective treatment plans. The goal of this paper is to introduce a discussion regarding practical clinical application of various forms of advanced wound technologies in order to optimize the art of wound healing.
Novel iris segmentation and recognition system for human identification

The richness and apparent stability of the iris texture make it a robust biometric trait for personal authentication. The performance of an automated iris recognition system is affected by the accuracy of the segmentation process used to localize the iris structure. In case of wrong segmentation, wrong features will be extracted and hence, may lead to false identification results. Most of the authors propose Circular Hough Transform to localize the boundary of IRIS. But the problem with this technique is its high consumption of time and memory. It also requires a precise estimated range of the boundary and it fails to localize the IRIS if the correct estimation is not provided. The proposed technique follows a basic strategy and obtains the major boundaries, by using canny edge detector. Features have been extracted using Curvelets Transform; Principal Component Analysis is then used to reduce the dimension of the features. Then SVM has been used as classifier. The implementation of recognition method has shown encouraging results.
[Mechanisms of resveratrol bovine serum albumin nanoparticle-induced cell death in human ovarian cancer SKOV3 cells].

OBJECTIVE To study the effect of resveratrol bovine serum albumin nanoparticles on SKOV3 cell line and its mechanisms. METHODS The morphological changes of the cells exposed to the nanoparticles were observed by apoptotic body/cell nucleus DNA staining under inverted microscope and fluorescence microscope, and the pathway of cell death was determined by phosphatidylserine translocation. Western blotting was performed to detect the activation of cyto.c, caspase-3 and caspase-9. RESULTS DNA ladder was detected with gel electrophoresis and the cell death was partially inhibited by the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK. Gel electrophoresis displayed both DNA ladder and smear in RES-BSANP exposed groups, while DNA ladder disappeared in Z-VAD-FMK group and only the smear was left. Cyto.c in the cytoplasm was released at 2 h, while the expression of caspase-9 protein reached the peak level at 4 h and caspase-3 expression was obvious enhanced at 8 h. At 4 h, caspase-9 expression in the cells exposed to 100 µmol/L RES-BSANP was decreased significantly as compared to the cells treated with 50 µmol/L RES-BSANP (P>0.05). CONCLUSION RES-BSANP can induce the necrosis and apoptosis of SKOV3 cells via either caspase-dependent or caspase-independent pathways.
Complementarities between information sources to support the implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies

Recently, manufacturers have invested significantly in the implementation of advanced manufacturing technologies (AMT) in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage. The outcomes of these investments have been varied. Yet, the impact of information supports on AMT implementations and the complementarities that exist between such supports have not been determined. This study develops a model of manufacturing plant productivity using complementarity assumptions developed by and . Constrained regression analysis reveals that implementing the appropriate set of information supports results in a significant improvement in the return on the AMT implementation. Demonstrating the practical application of the results, the optimal information support practices are provided for an example plant using a solution lattice from this study.
Transfer Learning for Adaptive Relation Extraction Principal Investigators :

This project addresses the relation extraction problem in resource-poor domains. The relation extraction problem is the problem of extracting information regarding relationships between entities (e.g. individuals, organizations). This involves extracting the text spans specifying the entities involved and classifying the relationship between these entities into one of several pre-defined classes (e.g. person-organization affiliation). The primary technique for solving such problems is machine learning: given a set of examples of text and the extracted information, a machinelearning algorithm learns a statistical model that can be used to extract information from new text. An obstacle to the widespread application of machine-learning methods is the necessity for relatively large amounts of annotated training data: while free text are abundantly available, it is costly to employ humans to annotate the free text with information that should be extracted from it. The focus of this project is to research into technologies that could enable relation extraction systems to be quickly adapted to resource-poor domains. We apply (1) transfer learning approaches for transferring the models learned in one domain to new domains, and (2) structured learning approaches that could remove the need for powerful pre-processing modules (e.g. parsers, named entity recognizers) that may not be available in resource-poor domains.
l-Glucitol Catabolism in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Ac

ABSTRACT The carbohydrate catabolism of the bacterium Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Ac (previously named Pseudomonas sp. strain Ac), which is known to convert the unnatural polyol l-glucitol to d-sorbose during growth on the former as the sole source of carbon and energy, was studied in detail. All enzymes operating in a pathway that channels l-glucitol via d-sorbose into compounds of the intermediary metabolism were demonstrated, and for some prominent reactions the products of conversion were identified. d-Sorbose was converted by C-3 epimerization to d-tagatose, which, in turn, was isomerized to d-galactose. d-Galactose was the initial substrate of the De Ley-Doudoroff pathway, involving reactions of NAD-dependent oxidation of d-galactose to d-galactonate, its dehydration to 2-keto-3-deoxy-d-galactonate, and its phosphorylation to 2-keto-3-deoxy-d-galactonate 6-phosphate. Finally, aldol cleavage yielded pyruvate and d-glycerate 3-phosphate as the central metabolic intermediates.
A Case Report of Takayasu’s Arteritis

E-mail: Gtatyana@email.ua Background: Takayasu’s arteritis is a non-specific autoimmune disease affecting large-size blood vessels, with a predilection for the aorta and its major branches. The most characteristic symptoms include absence or decrease of arterial pulses in the arms and CNS-related abnormalities (arm numbness, pain and paresthesia; fatigue; dizziness; syncope; seizures; aphasia; and hemipareses). Purpose: To exemplify the ocular manifestations of Takayasu disease. Materials and Methods: The patient underwent general clinical tests, comprehensive ophthalmological examination, duplex Doppler sonography of carotid and cerebral vessels, and brain MRI. Results and Conclusion: Our case report demonstrates the severity of the course of the disease and that the prognosis for vision and life in patients with Takayasu's arteritis can be unfavorable. Takayasu's arteritis can be seen in young men, with one of the symptoms being ocular alterations (corneal edema, mydriatic pupil, cataract, changes in retinal vessel caliber, retinal edema and ischemia, and reduced blood flow velocity in the ophthalmic artery).
3D reconstruction from two orthogonal views using simulated annealing approach

The technique of 3-dimensional (3D) reconstruction from two orthogonal images is mainly used in ventricle or vessel reconstruction. In the literature, the 3D object is considered to be a stacked 2-dimensional (2D) slice set and 3D reconstruction can be achieved by constructing a stack of 2D slice reconstructions, by rendering each slice into two 1-dimensional profiles corresponding to a pair of rows obtained from the segmented projections. Previous work has modelled each slice as a 2D Markov-Gibbs random field and simulated annealing approach is used to solve the 2D reconstruction problem based on two infinite-source orthogonal views. The current work applies this approach to 3D space in particular. We find this approach can be applied to more wide application, rather than only in cardiac reconstruction. The results obtained by reconstructing binary and multiple objects of the human voxel phantom from two orthogonal projections, yield low reconstruction errors and the shapes of the reconstructed objects are observed to match the original objects to a high degree.
At the crossroad of lifespan, calorie restriction, chromatin and disease: Meeting on sirtuins

Longevity, lifespan, cancer, cellullar transformation, energy, calorie restriction, diabetes…what can tie together such a diversity of hot topics in biomedical research? Emerging findings suggest that the answer lies in understanding the functions of the recently discovered family of proteins known as Sirtuins. Barcelona hosted the first scientific meeting completely focused on these evolutionary conserved protein deacetylases, bringing together experts in the biochemistry to cellular biology, mice models, drug targeting and pathophysiology of these molecules. Their work, summarized here, establishes the Sirtuins as major players in cellular homeostasis and human diseases that act through a whole range of biochemical substrates and physiological processes. Undoubtedly, this is an increasingly expanding field that it is here to stay and growth.
Trust, commitment and team working: the paradox of virtual organizations

In this article we take an agent-centred approach to explore the role of trust and commitment in the virtual organization. The findings of a case study in an international information technology consultancy indicate that multiple relationships arising from the alliance-based structure require clear commitment to enable the development of trust as a basis for longer-term partnership. Paradoxically, the perceived low level of commitment from the organization does not engender the high level of trust and commitment required from virtual teams to maximize their per- formance. However, over time and with extended exchanges, the commitment level and form may evolve, thus necessitating a realignment of existing psychological understanding and trust between the actors. If there is general agreement that an upward shift from short-term to long-term commitment is beneficial to all, then the virtual arrangement will continue to be effective.
Splanchnic Oxygen Consumption Is Impaired during Severe Acute Normovolemic Anemia in Anesthetized Humans

Background:In conscious humans, reduction in hemoglobin concentration to 5 g/dl did not produce inadequate systemic oxygenation. However, systemic measures of inadequate oxygenation may not be sufficiently sensitive to detect inadequate oxygenation in individual organs such as splanchnic organs. The authors tested the hypothesis that acute normovolemic anemia to hemoglobin less than 6.0 g/dl in anesthetized humans reduces splanchnic oxygen consumption because of diminished whole body oxygen delivery. Methods:Elective spine (n = 12) and abdominal (n = 7) surgery patients underwent acute normovolemic anemia to decrease the hemoglobin concentration close to 6.0 g/dl. The authors assessed the development of supply-dependent conditions in systemic and regional vascular beds by two primary measures before and after acute normovolemic anemia: oxygen consumption and surrogate biochemical markers of anaerobic metabolism, including plasma lactate, regional lactate kinetics, and ketone body ratio. Results:When hemoglobin was reduced from 13.6 ± 1.2 to 5.9 ± 0.3 g/dl, oxygen supply dependency occurred in the splanchnic and preportal tissues but not at the systemic level. Regional supply dependency was accompanied by biochemical markers of anaerobic metabolism. Conclusions:In anesthetized humans, a reduction in hemoglobin to 5.9 g/dl by acute normovolemic anemia diminished splanchnic and preportal whole body oxygen delivery and impaired splanchnic and preportal oxygen consumption. This was accompanied by increased plasma levels of regional lactate and an increased &bgr;-hydroxybutyrate–to–acetoacetate ratio. These findings suggest that the risk to the gastrointestinal tract during acute normovolemic anemia may be underestimated.
Beyond Heart Rate Variability

Abstract: The autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays a role in a wide range of somatic and mental diseases. Whereas the role of the ANS in the regulation of the cardiovascular system seems evident, its role in the regulation of other systems associated with allostasis is less clear. Using a model of neurovisceral integration we describe how the ANS and parasympathetic tone in particular may be associated with the regulation of allostatic systems associated with glucose regulation, hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis function, and inflammatory processes. Decreased vagal function and heart rate variability (HRV) were shown to be associated with increased fasting glucose and hemoglobin A1c levels, increased overnight urinary cortisol, and increased proinflammatory cytokines and acute‐phase proteins. All of these factors have been associated with increased allostatic load and poor health. Thus, vagal activity appears to play an inhibitory function in the regulation of allostatic systems. The prefrontal cortex and the amygdala are important central nervous system structures linked to the regulation of these allostatic systems via the vagus nerve. Finally, the identification of this neurovisceral regulatory system may help to illuminate the pathway via which psychosocial factors may influence health and disease.
Validation of death certificates in asbestos workers

Newhouse, M. L. , and Wagner, J. C. (1969). Brit. J. industr. Med.,26, 302-307. Validation of death certificates in asbestos workers. The Registrar General has supplied the certified cause of death of 436 past workers in an asbestos factory. An attempt was made to follow up the 301 (69%) deaths which had occurred in hospital or had been the subject of an inquest or coroner's post-mortem examination. Necropsy reports were obtained for 158 (52%) of this group and histological material was reviewed in 84 (28%). The additional information, particularly that obtained from review of the histology, led to the revision and extension of the diagnosis suggested by the certified cause of death in a number of cases. The incidence of carcinoma of the bronchus had not been grossly underestimated, four additional tumours of this type were identified by scrutiny of the necropsy reports, and a further four by review of histological sections. The incidence of mesothelial tumours was underestimated, endothelioma or mesothelioma was the certified cause of death in four of the series, and a further 15 mesotheliomata were identified by review of histological material. Five patients with pleural mesotheliomata had been certified as dying of carcinoma of the lung or pleura. Ten deaths from peritoneal mesotheliomata had been attributed either to carcinomatosis without mention of a primary tumour or to cancer of the gastro-intestinal tract. Lung sections were submitted for review in 67 of the series; some degree of asbestosis was found in all but seven. Asbestosis graded as either moderate or severe was found in all the confirmed cases of carcinoma of the lung.
H∽ performance controller parameterisation of linear switching plants under uncontrolled switching

ABSTRACT This paper addresses the problem of H∽ performance controller parameterisation for a plant switching amongst a finite family of given configurations. It is assumed that switching is uncontrolled, namely governed by some arbitrary switching rule, and that the controller has the information of the current configuration. Based on Riccati inequalities, there exists a set of controller parameterisation which ensures that the closed-loop switching linear system under uncontrolled switching achieves certain H∽ controlled performance.
Interlingua Design for translator

The interlingua approach to machine translation (MT) is characterized by the following two stages: 1) translation of the source text into an intermediate representation, an artificial language (interlingua) which is designed to capture the various types of meaning of the source text and 2) translation from the interlingua into the target text. Over the years a number of MT projects tried to develop interlinguabased systems. In these projects the amount of linguistic and encyclopaedic knowledge used to produce intermediate representations was quite limited. However, even at that level difficulties connected with encoding knowledge seemed overwhelming. The TRANSLATOR project at Colgate University benefits from recent developments in knowledge representation techniques. The text of its interlingua text reflects syntactic, lexical, contextual, discourse (including speech situation) and pragmatic meaning of the input This paper discusses the lexicon and grammar of the interlingua used in TRANSLATOR, and touches upon the structure of the bilingual (source language to interlingua) dictionaries. The actual compilation of the interlingua dictionary and additional knowledge bases is an empirical process during which modifications to the original formulations are expected to occur. At all times in the design process the authors were guided by the desire to make decisions that are 'literate' from the point of view of linguistic theory and the experience of knowledge representation in artificial intelligence.