Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preoperative Risk Factors for Recurrent Lumbar Disk Herniation in L5–S1

Background Context: Although numerous studies have reported on recurrent lumbar disk herniation (rLDH), few have reported on recurrence of L5–S1 level. Purpose: We investigated whether the preoperative risk factors, such as disk degeneration, disk height, sagittal range of motion (sROM), width of L5 vertebral transverse process, and iliac crest height, have any effect on rLDH in L5–S1. Study Design: A retrospective case control study. Patient Sample: A total of 467 patients were enrolled in this study. Outcome Measures: The disk degeneration, disk height, sROM, width of L5 vertebral transverse process, and iliac crest height were calculated using magnetic resonance imaging and simple radiography. Materials and Methods: We compared the clinical parameters (age, sex, body mass index, symptom duration, diabetes, smoking, preoperative visual analogue scale, herniation type, annular defect size) and preoperative radiologic parameters [disk degeneration, disk height, sROM, relative width of L5 vertebral transverse process (RT), iliac crest height index (IHI)] of recurrent and nonrecurrent groups. Results: Patient with rLDH had its onset 39.4±17.9 months (7–90 mo) after primary surgery. Of the 39 rLDH cases, herniation was ipsilateral to previous LDH in 29 patients and contralateral in 10. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that moderate disk degeneration with preserved height (group B), a large sROM, a small RT, a low IHI, and being male were significant risk factors for rLDH. Conclusions: Moderate disk degeneration, a large sROM, a small RT, and a low IHI are biomechanical risk factors of rLDH in L5–S1. The results also suggested being male and having a large annular defect increase recurrence after discectomy, especially in cases of ipsilateral rLDH.
Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells inhibit the proliferation of hepatic stellate cells by inhibiting the transforming growth factor β pathway

Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are considered to be a potential therapy for end-stage liver disease. However, the therapeutic mechanism of BM-MSCs remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of paracrine signaling in BM-MSCs in liver cirrhosis in vitro. Human BM-MSCs and hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) were cultured using a vertical double cell co-culture system. Groups were divided into HSCs alone (control group) and the co-culture system of BM-MSCs with HSCs (experimental group). HSC morphology was observed by inverted phase contrast microscopy. The proliferative capacity of HSCs was measured with the MTT assay and flow cytometry. Hoechst staining was performed to examine the apoptosis of HSCs. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 and Smad7 mRNA expression were detected by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. BM-MSCs did not inhibit the proliferation of HSCs at 24 h, however significantly inhibited the proliferation of HSCs at 48 and 72 h. BM-MSCs additionally induced the apoptosis of HSCs at 48 h. The concentration of TGF-β1 in the supernatant at 24 h and 48 h in the co-cultured system was observed to be significantly lower than in the control group (P<0.05). The level of TGF-β1 mRNA in the experimental group at 48 h was significantly lower than the control group, however Smad7 mRNA levels were significantly greater than in the control group. Additionally, TGF-β1 protein levels were significantly lower than in the control group, however levels of Smad7 were greater than the control group. It was concluded that BM-MSCs are able to inhibit the proliferation and promote the apoptosis of HSCs. In addition, the mechanism may be associated with inhibition of the TGF-β1/Smad pathway in HSCs.
Mindfully Educating Our Future: The MESG Curriculum for Training Emergent Counselors

The 2009 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs standards (II.G.6.e) and the Association for Specialists in Group Work both promote and support counselors in training (CITs) having direct experience as group members. Counselor educators must develop experiential group curricula, which intentionally facilitate CIT growth and development, while meeting ethical and accreditation standards. The Mindfulness Experiential Small Group (MESG) Curriculum was developed to assist in meeting and exceeding these standards. The skills obtained through the MESG can provide CITs with ways to manage academic and emotional challenges while facilitating counselor development in a group context.
Structural basis for the regulation of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels: interactions between the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain and Ca2+-calmodulin

It is well-known that the opening of L-type voltage-gated calcium channels can be regulated by calmodulin (CaM). One of the main regulatory mechanisms is calcium-dependent inactivation (CDI), where binding of apo-CaM to the cytoplasmic C-terminal domain of the channel can effectively sense an increase in the local calcium ion concentration. Calcium-bound CaM can bind to the IQ-motif region of the C-terminal region and block the calcium channel, thereby providing a negative feedback mechanism that prevents the rise of cellular calcium concentrations over physiological limits. Recently, an additional Ca2+/CaM-binding motif (NSCaTE, N-terminal spatial Ca2+ transforming element) was identified in the amino terminal cytoplasmic region of Cav1.2 and Cav1.3. This motif exists only in Cav1.2 and Cav1.3 channels, and a pronounced N-lobe (Ca2+/CaM) CDI effect was found for Cav1.3. To understand the molecular basis of this interaction, the complexes of Ca2+/CaM with the biosynthetically produced N-terminal region (residues 1–68) and NSCaTE peptide (residues 48–68) were investigated. We discovered that the NSCaTE motif in the N-terminal cytoplasmic region adopts an α-helical conformation, most likely due to its high alanine content. Additionally, the complex exhibits an unusual 1:2 protein:peptide stoichiometry when bound to Ca2+-CaM, and the N-lobe of CaM has a much stronger affinity for the peptide than the C-lobe. The complex structures of the isolated N- and C-lobe of Ca2+/CaM and the NSCaTE peptide were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and data-driven protein-docking methods. Moreover, we also demonstrated that calcium binding protein 1, which competes with CaM for binding to the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain, binds only weakly to the NSCaTE region. The structures provide insights into the possible roles of this motif in the calcium regulatory network. Our study provides structural evidence for the CaM-bridge model proposed in previous studies.
Experimental study of statistical and spectral characteristics of wake flow around the rear view side mirror of a passenger car

In order to study the turbulent structure of wake flow around the rear view side mirror of a passenger car, moment property and energy spectra in the mirror wake and fluctuating pressure distribution on the mirror surface have been measured by several experimental tools in an open circuit wind tunnel at the Reynolds number of 2 × 10 5 . It was found that time-averaged streamwise velocity very near the tip region of the mirror housing was accelerated, and the recirculation zone was observed up to 1.2d downstream of the mirror. Also, peak values of rms fluctuation velocity appeared in the edge of the mirror wake due to significant vortex shedding. The corresponding skewness and kurtosis factors were deviated from a Gaussian distribution. It was also found that dominant energy of vortex shedding in the near mirror wake appeared behind side tip region of the mirror surface. Vortex shedding frequency behind outside edge of the mirror housing has lower values than those of the upper and lower edges of the mirror housing. It was concluded that strong turbulent energy at the near wake was induced by significant vortex shedding having non-random characteristics, resulted in intermittent force around tip region of the mirror surface.
"Move the couch where?" : developing an augmented reality multimodal interface

This paper describes an augmented reality (AR) multimodal interface that uses speech and paddle gestures for interaction. The application allows users to intuitively arrange virtual furniture in a virtual room using a combination of speech and gestures from a real paddle. Unlike other multimodal AR applications, the multimodal fusion is based on the combination of time-based and semantic techniques to disambiguate a users speech and gesture input. We describe our AR multimodal interface architecture and discuss how the multimodal inputs are semantically integrated into a single interpretation by considering the input time stamps, the object properties, and the user context.
Female Education and Nigeria's Development Strategies: Lots of Talk, Little Action?

This article analyses the various strategies and policies implemented by successive Nigerian governments since the 1985 Nairobi Declaration and the World Declaration on Education for All and ascertains whether policy initiatives were effective in ensuring access to and improving the quality of education for girls and women. This article analyses prima y secondary and university enrolment figures by gender for the period 1986-2004. Findings indicate that gender stereotypes in the educational system and wide male-female gaps in education continue despite education being a high priority area. The reasons include a weak institutional framework lack of coordination of policy initiatives and inadequate funding. Engendering education is vital to Nigerias development programmes.
Malaria and Fetal Growth Alterations in the 3rd Trimester of Pregnancy: A Longitudinal Ultrasound Study

Background Pregnancy associated malaria is associated with decreased birth weight, but in-utero evaluation of fetal growth alterations is rarely performed. The objective of this study was to investigate malaria induced changes in fetal growth during the 3rd trimester using trans-abdominal ultrasound. Methods An observational study of 876 pregnant women (398 primi- and secundigravidae and 478 multigravidae) was conducted in Tanzania. Fetal growth was monitored with ultrasound and screening for malaria was performed regularly. Birth weight and fetal weight were converted to z-scores, and fetal growth evaluated as fetal weight gain from the 26th week of pregnancy. Results Malaria infection only affected birth weight and fetal growth among primi- and secundigravid women. Forty-eight of the 398 primi- and secundigravid women had malaria during pregnancy causing a reduction in the newborns z-score of −0.50 (95% CI: −0.86, −0.13, P = 0.008, multiple linear regression). Fifty-eight percent (28/48) of the primi- and secundigravidae had malaria in the first half of pregnancy, but an effect on fetal growth was observed in the 3rd trimester with an OR of 4.89 for the fetal growth rate belonging to the lowest 25% in the population (95%CI: 2.03–11.79, P<0.001, multiple logistic regression). At an individual level, among the primi- and secundigravidae, 27% experienced alterations of fetal growth immediately after exposure but only for a short interval, 27% only late in pregnancy, 16.2% persistently from exposure until the end of pregnancy, and 29.7% had no alterations of fetal growth. Conclusions The effect of malaria infections was observed during the 3rd trimester, despite infections occurring much earlier in pregnancy, and different mechanisms might operate leading to different patterns of growth alterations. This study highlights the need for protection against malaria throughout pregnancy and the recognition that observed changes in fetal growth might be a consequence of an infection much earlier in pregnancy.
`Surviving the Rigs': Safety and Surveillance on North Sea Oil Installations

This article examines the politics of accident reporting on North Sea oil installations. In the context of an all-pervasive safety culture and performance assessment system, offshore workers restricted the reporting of accidents. Other studies suggest that workers often respond to increased monitoring by engaging in defensive practices that manipulate performance information. Accordingly, a central contention of this article is that performance assessment frequently creates employee performances. In turn, the paper highlights the value of linking the work of Goffman to that of Foucault for the critical analysis of culture, performance assessment and safety in contemporary organizations.
WHEN WHAT YOU WANT IS NOT WHAT YOU GET: MOTIVATIONAL CORRELATES OF INTERPERSONAL PROBLEMS IN CLINICAL AND NONCLINICAL SAMPLES

Abstract Current interpersonal theory and research considers motives and goals as important determinants of interpersonal functioning. In this article we examine the relationships between goals and interpersonal problems. In a survey with clinical and nonclinical samples we analyze the associations of two goal types (approach and avoidance goals) and two goal dimensions (goal intensity and goal satisfaction) with diverse interpersonal problems. We specify the relationships of goals with interpersonal problems by locating the goals in the interpersonal space via their correlations with the Dominance and Love dimensions of the interpersonal circle. Intensity and satisfaction of approach– and avoidance–goal scales can be reliably localized in the interpersonal space across samples. The findings contribute to the continuous revision of the interpersonal model and their implications for psychotherapeutic practice are discussed.
Are Religious Children Bigger Liars?

1,088 fourth and fifth year English Secondary School pupils completed a scale of attitude towards religion, Form ASC4B, and the Junior Eysenck Personality Inventory. A positive relationship was found between Lie scale scores and religiosity scores. The results are discussed in relation to the various interpretations of the Lie scale.
Self-consistent quasi-particle $GW$ and hybrid functional calculations for Al/InAs/Al heterojunctions: band offset and spin-orbit coupling effects

The electronic structure of surfaces and interfaces plays a key role in the properties of quantum devices. Here, we study the electronic structure of realistic Al/InAs/Al heterojunctions using a combination of density functional theory (DFT) with hybrid functionals and state-of-the-art quasi-particle $GW$ (QS$GW$) calculations. We find a good agreement between QS$GW$ calculations and hybrid functional calculations which themselves compare favourably well with ARPES experiments. Our study confirm the need of well controlled quality of the interfaces to obtain the needed properties of InAs/Al heterojunctions. A detailed analysis of the effects of spin-orbit coupling on the spin-splitting of the electronic states show a linear scaling in $k$-space, related to the two-dimensional nature of some interface states. The good agreement by QS$GW$ and hybrid functional calculations open the door towards trust-able use of an effective approximation to QS$GW$ for studying very large heterojunctions.
Role of Context in Risk-Based Reasoning

In this article we report the influence of contextual factors on mathematics and science teachers' reasoning in risk-based decision-making. We examine previous research that presents judgments of risk as being subjectively influenced by contextual factors and other research that explores the role of context in mathematical problem-solving. Our own approach has been to develop carefully designed software tools that support the user to empathize with a hypothetical person, Deborah, who suffers from a medical condition. The tools were used by a group of teachers who were asked to help Deborah decide whether to have an operation that could cure the condition but which carries particular risks. In order to make this decision, the teachers were required to model the risks of the operation and also the lifestyle decisions that Deborah might make. We trace the teachers' efforts to coordinate judgments of likelihood and impact. The data emphasize the sensitivity of reasoning to matters of context; we set out in detail the various ways in which the process was affected by context.
Screening for Common Neurologic Diseases Among Israeli Adolescents

Neurologic disorders are the common causes of morbidity among adolescents. The estimated prevalence of common neurologic disorders relies on relatively small samples. We aimed to identify the prevalence of common neurologic disorders among Israeli adolescents. In Israel, all 17-year-old Israeli nationals are required to undergo a health-screening examination at the Israel Defense Forces recruiting office. Neurology specialists evaluate and classify suspected neurologic disorders. The findings included a high prevalence of neurologic morbidity among the 94 805 adolescents (61.5% males and 39.5% females) examined in 2001. The most prevalent diagnoses were headaches and learning disorders. The frequency of chronic headache in this study was relatively low. A significant difference in morbidity patterns between male and female adolescents was noted. Overall, we found that the prevalence of chronic, frequent headaches among adolescents is much lower than that reported previously. Headache, learning disability, epilepsy, and infectious or traumatic head injury were the most common diagnoses.
Risk and Protective Factors, Parenting Stress, and Harsh Parenting in Mexican Origin Mothers with Toddlers

In a community sample of Mexican origin mothers with toddlers (n = 58), we examined risk and protective factors associated with mothers’ feelings of parenting stress and reports of harsh parenting practices. We evaluated maternal depressive symptoms, economic hardship, and child negative affect as risk factors and mothers’ global social support and romantic relationship quality as protective factors. Results indicated that depressive symptoms and economic hardship were unique predictors of increased parenting stress, whereas romantic relationship quality was associated with decreased parenting stress. Maternal depressive symptoms and romantic relationship quality were uniquely associated with harsh parenting practices; moreover, these statistical associations were accounted for by mothers’ feelings of parenting stress. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for programs that work with Mexican origin families with young children who are experiencing parenting stress, highlighting the importance of comprehensive interventions for reducing parenting stress in this rapidly growing population.
Seasonality of birth in patients with schizophrenia in Japan

Abstract Although most Western studies have found a birth excess during winter or early spring among patients with schizophrenia, this has not been found in Japanese samples. The purpose of the present paper was to investigate this finding using a large Japanese sample. Distributions of monthly birth numbers of patients with schizophrenia were compared to those of the general population. Patients were from the governmental data, numbering 88 788. A significant birth excess during winter to early spring was found in male and female subjects with schizophrenia compared to the general population. There is a significant birth excess during winter to early spring for schizophrenia in Japan. The authors consider that the discrepancy between the current study and the previous Japanese studies was caused by small sample size and selection bias in the previous Japanese studies.
Critical Role for Cd8 in T Cell Receptor Binding and Activation by Peptide/Major Histocompatibility Complex Multimers

Recent data using MHC/peptide tetramers and dimers suggests that the T cell coreceptors, CD4 and CD8, although important for T cell activation, do not play a direct role in facilitating T cell receptor (TCR) binding to multivalent MHC/peptide ligands. Instead, a current model proposes that coreceptors are recruited only after a stable TCR–MHC/peptide complex has already formed and signaled. In contrast, we show using multimeric class I MHC/peptide ligands that CD8 plays a critical (in some cases obligatory) role in antigen-specific TCR binding. T cell activation, measured by calcium mobilization, was induced by multimeric but not monomeric ligands and also showed CD8 dependency. Our analysis using anti-CD8 antibodies revealed that binding to different epitopes of CD8 can either block or augment TCR–MHC/peptide interaction. These effects on TCR binding to high-affinity agonist ligands were even more pronounced when binding to multimeric low-affinity ligands, including TCR antagonists, was studied. Our data have important implications for the role of CD8 in TCR binding to MHC/peptide ligands and in T cell activation. In addition, our results argue against the view that multimeric MHC/peptide ligands bind directly and solely to the TCR; rather, our data highlight a pivotal contribution of CD8 for this association.
Segmenting Food Festival Visitors: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior and Lifestyle

Based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB), this study developed a behavioral model for food festival visitors. Behavioral models for visitors with different lifestyles were also examined by classifying participants according to lifestyle. This quantitative study implemented a questionnaire survey and literature review to design TPB and lifestyle scales. A total of 489 participants completed a survey during the Eighth Macau Food Festival 2008 (n = 244) and the 2008 Taiwan Culinary Exhibition (n = 245). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was then used for model fitting and verification. The analytical results indicated that visitors with different lifestyles exhibited different behavioral patterns that affected the influences of TPB variables on behavioral intention. Integrating lifestyle factors and TPB thus increase the completeness of the theory. In terms of festival organization, this study also proposed practical suggestions and theoretical implications. Finally, the limitations of this study and proposed future research directions were also presented.
Enhancing scientific essay writing using peer assessment

To report and document well, scientific and engineering professionals systematically collect, evaluate and synthesize the work of their peers with their own. The product of such effort is a technical report or scientific paper that reviews the existing body of knowledge, presenting it in a logical and ordered manner where claims are supported by evidence and referenced by citation. It is also usual in the scientific community that peer review then precedes the publication of such papers. This paper reports on a trial of introducing Computer Science students to the task of technical and scientific writing including the process of peer review. Upon completion of the trial, the students were surveyed anonymously. An overwhelming majority of respondents claimed to have initial reservations about participating. However, upon completion of the exercise, the majority reported that the entire process was intellectually simulating to complete and that it had enhanced their knowledge of subject matter.