Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk Factors Associated With Knee Joint Degeneration After Arthroscopic Reshaping for Juvenile Discoid Lateral Meniscus

Background: Although arthroscopic meniscal reshaping for discoid lateral meniscus (DLM) has better outcomes than total or subtotal meniscectomy, degenerative changes on radiographs are still seen in some patients with meniscal reshaping. Purpose: To assess the risk factors associated with knee joint degeneration after reshaping surgery for juvenile DLM. Study Design: Case-control study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Forty patients (45 knees) with a mean age of 12.0 years who underwent arthroscopic meniscal reshaping for DLM were enrolled at a mean of 39.6 months after surgery. For all patients, meniscal saucerization was performed first. Then, if the residual meniscus was unstable, stabilization was provided with suture fixation. At final follow-up, we obtained radiographs to assess degenerative changes to the knee joint using the classification by Tapper and Hoover. Residual meniscal width and meniscal extrusion (defined as a relative percentage of extrusion [RPE]) were measured with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Then, the correlation between radiographic evidence of degenerative changes (Tapper and Hoover grade), residual meniscal width, and RPE were assessed with Pearson and Spearman correlation analyses. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine whether preoperative characteristics correlated with degeneration and residual meniscal width. Results: The mean residual meniscal width was 4.6 mm (range, 3.8-6.0 mm), and the mean ± SD RPE was 25.5% ± 21.8% at the final follow-up. There were 28 knees with Tapper and Hoover grade 0, 10 knees with grade 1, and 7 knees with grade 2. The residual meniscal width and RPE were significantly correlated with Tapper and Hoover grade (ρ = −0.489, P = .0007; ρ = 0.414, P = .005, respectively). The residual meniscal width was also significantly correlated with RPE (r = −0.416, P = .004). The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that a 5.0-mm residual meniscal width was the cutoff value leading to evidence of degeneration. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that an anterocentral shift on preoperative MRI was a risk factor for degeneration (odds ratio, 27.2; 95% CI, 1.1-360.5; P = .012) and residual meniscal width less than 5.0 mm (odds ratio, 20.9; 95% CI, 1.5-281; P = .022). Conclusion: Smaller meniscal width and greater severity of meniscal extrusion correlated with knee joint degeneration. An anterocentral shift on preoperative MRI was a risk factor for degenerative changes and smaller residual meniscal width.
Impact of ATM and SLC22A1 Polymorphisms on Therapeutic Response to Metformin in Iranian Diabetic Patients

Metabolic syndrome and its pathological sequel, type 2 diabetes are considered as important global health problems. Metformin is the most common drug prescribed for patients with this disorder. Consequently, understanding the genetic pathways involved in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of this drug can have a considerable effect on the personalized treatment of type 2 diabetes. In this study, we evaluated the association between rs11212617 polymorphism of ATM gene and rs628031 of SLC22A1 gene with response to treatment in newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes patients. We genotyped rs11212617 and rs628031 polymorphism by PCR based restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and assessed the role of this polymorphisms on response to treatment in 140 patients who have been recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and were under monotherapy with metformin for 6 months. Response to metformin was defined by HbA1c and fasting blood sugar (FBS) values. Based on such evaluations, patients were divided into two groups: responders (n= 63) and non-responders (n= 77). No significant association was found between these polymorphisms and response to treatment (OR= 0.86, [95% CI 0.52–1.41], P= 0.32) for rs11212617 and (OR= 0.45, [95% CI 0.64–1.76], P= 0.45) for rs 628031. The reported gene variants in ATM and SLC22A1 are not significantly associated with metformin treatment response in type 2 diabetic patients in an Iranian population.
College Students' IQS

Wechsler-Bellevue IQ scores obtained by college level Ss were reviewed. Some indications suggest a rise in college students' IQ level. WAIS scores for college-age Ss in different areas of the United States were compared in the interest of gathering local norms, as an aid to guidance personnel in recommending students for college eligibility.
Immigrants as victims of crime: the australian experience

Purpose – This paper summarises what is known about the victimisation of immigrants in Australia. Methodology – A review of the literature. Findings – Immigrants in Australia appear to be less victimised than natives. However, this may be an unwillingness of report victimisations and/or not defining certain events as victimisations. Immigrants are more likely than natives to perceive their victimisations as racially motivated and they experience higher levels of fear of crime. Value – This paper provides a succinct look at the experiences of immigrants based upon the findings of victimisation surveys in Australia.
CHAPTER 10 Statistical Measures for Usage-Based Linguistics

The advent of usage-/exemplar-based approaches has resulted in a major change in the theoretical landscape of linguistics, but also in the range of methodologies that are brought to bear on the study of language acquisition/learning, structure, and use. In particular, methods from corpus linguistics are now frequently used to study distributional characteristics of linguistics units and what they reveal about cognitive and psycholinguistic processes. This paper surveys a range of psycholinguistic notions that arebecomingevermoreimportantintheoreticalandcognitivelinguistics—forexample, frequency, entrenchment, dispersion, contingency, surprisal, Zipfian distributions—and current corpus-linguistic approaches toward exploring these notions and their roles for linguistic cognition.
Medication discrepancy: A concordance problem between dialysis patients and caregivers

Objectives. Extensive drug utilization, and non-concordance between the patient and the caregiver about prescriptions and actual medicine intake, are associated with the risk of non-adherence to medication as well as medication-related illness. To achieve reliable estimates of drug use, it is important to consider the patient's self-reported drug utilization as well as to consult his/her medical record. The present multicentre study was conducted with the aim of examining the self-reported drug consumption of dialysis patients and its congruence with medical records. Material and methods. Consumption of pharmaceutical agents was recorded by 204 patients undergoing haemo- or peritoneal dialysis at 10 Swedish clinics. Drug record discrepancies were identified by comparing the self-reported use of prescribed medicines with the subsequently obtained medication lists. Results. The median drug intake was 11 prescribed medicines and by including on-demand drugs this increased to 12. Discrepancies between the self-reported use of prescribed drugs and the medical record were prevalent in 80.4% of cases, with a median of three discrepancies per patient. Conclusions. Dialysis patients have an extensive need for medication but there is an undesirable deviation between consumption and prescription. A single medication list, accessible for the patient and for all prescribers, is a possible solution to achieve concordance but other measures, such as analysis of the reasons for discrepancy and tailored measures, would also benefit concordant medicine-taking.
Kinematic Validation of a Multi-Kinect v2 Instrumented 10-Meter Walkway for Quantitative Gait Assessments

Walking ability is frequently assessed with the 10-meter walking test (10MWT), which may be instrumented with multiple Kinect v2 sensors to complement the typical stopwatch-based time to walk 10 meters with quantitative gait information derived from Kinect’s 3D body point’s time series. The current study aimed to evaluate a multi-Kinect v2 set-up for quantitative gait assessments during the 10MWT against a gold-standard motion-registration system by determining between-systems agreement for body point’s time series, spatiotemporal gait parameters and the time to walk 10 meters. To this end, the 10MWT was conducted at comfortable and maximum walking speed, while 3D full-body kinematics was concurrently recorded with the multi-Kinect v2 set-up and the Optotrak motion-registration system (i.e., the gold standard). Between-systems agreement for body point’s time series was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Between-systems agreement was similarly determined for the gait parameters’ walking speed, cadence, step length, stride length, step width, step time, stride time (all obtained for the intermediate 6 meters) and the time to walk 10 meters, complemented by Bland-Altman’s bias and limits of agreement. Body point’s time series agreed well between the motion-registration systems, particularly so for body points in motion. For both comfortable and maximum walking speeds, the between-systems agreement for the time to walk 10 meters and all gait parameters except step width was high (ICC ≥ 0.888), with negligible biases and narrow limits of agreement. Hence, body point’s time series and gait parameters obtained with a multi-Kinect v2 set-up match well with those derived with a gold standard in 3D measurement accuracy. Future studies are recommended to test the clinical utility of the multi-Kinect v2 set-up to automate 10MWT assessments, thereby complementing the time to walk 10 meters with reliable spatiotemporal gait parameters obtained objectively in a quick, unobtrusive and patient-friendly manner.
The Effect of Stock Spam on Financial Markets

Spam messages are ubiquitous and extensive interdisciplinary research has tried to come up with effective countermeasures. However, little is known about the response to unsolicited e-mail, partly because spammers do not disclose sales figures. This paper correlates incoming spam messages that promote the investment in particular equity securities with financial market data. We use multivariate regression models to measure the impact of stock spam on traded volume and conduct an event study to find effects on market valuation. In both cases we have found evidence for significant reactions to spam campaigns in the short run. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are addressed.
Roles of Stem Cell Factor/c-Kit and Effects of Glivec®/STI571 in Human Uveal Melanoma Cell Tumorigenesis*

The B-RafV599E-mediated constitutive activation of ERK1/2 is involved in establishing the transformed phenotype of some uveal melanoma cells (Calipel, A., Lefevre, G., Pouponnot, C., Mouriaux, F., Eychene, A., and Mascarelli, F. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 42409–42418). We have shown that stem cell factor (SCF) is involved in the proliferation of normal uveal melanocytes and that c-Kit is expressed in 75% of primary uveal melanomas. This suggests that the acquisition of autonomous growth during melanoma progression may involve the SCF/c-Kit axis. We used six human uveal melanoma tumor-derived cell lines and normal uveal melanocytes to characterize the SCF/c-Kit system and to assess its specific role in transformation. We investigated the possible roles of activating mutations in c-KIT, the overexpression of this gene, and ligand-dependent c-Kit overactivation in uveal melanoma cell tumorigenesis. Four cell lines (92.1, SP6.5, Mel270, and TP31) expressed both SCF and c-Kit, and none harbored the c-KIT mutations in exons 9, 11, 13, and 17 that have been shown to induce SCF-independent c-Kit activation. Melanoma cell proliferation was strongly inhibited by small interfering RNA-mediated depletion of c-Kit in these cells, despite the presence of V599EB-Raf in SP6.5 and TP31 cells. We characterized the signaling pathways involved in SCF/c-Kit-mediated cell growth and survival in normal and tumoral melanocytes and found that constitutive ERK1/2 activation played a key role in both the SCF/c-Kit autocrine loop and the gain of function of V599EB-Raf for melanoma cell proliferation and transformation. We also provide the first evidence that Glivec®/STI571, a c-Kit tyrosine kinase inhibitor, could be used to treat uveal melanomas.
Widely linear equalization for space-time block-coded transmission over fading ISI channels

We develop receivers for transmission with space-time block codes (STBCs) over fading intersymbol interference (ISI) channels. The focus lies on Alamouti's STBC, but the results may be generalized to related codes. It turns out that a straightforward combination of conventional equalizers and a space-time block decoder is only possible if at least as many receive antennas as transmit antennas are employed, but not for the practically interesting case of pure transmit diversity. This restriction is circumvented by our approach. Equalizers with widely linear (WL) processing are designed, exploiting the structure of Alamouti's STBC, which is shown to produce an improper (rotationally variant) transmit signal. The presented receivers are especially well suited for high-level modulated signals, which are used in third-generation time-division multiple access (TDMA) mobile communications standards such as EDGE (enhanced data rates for GSM evolution). In contrast to block-based STBCs which have recently been proposed for ISI channels, our approach of combining a symbol-based STBC and equalization can be easily accommodated to channels with time-variant behaviour inside a transmission burst. Furthermore, for our scheme, the present burst structure of the EDGE system can be retained.
EMOTION AND THE DEFENSE CASCADE: MODULATION OF VOLUNTARY AND INVOLUNTARY MOVEMENT

level and is more closely related to the processing, integration, and maintenance of relevant sensory information than response selection or execution (Cunnington et al., 2002; Kurata et al., 2000; Lee et al., 1999; Sakai et al., 2000). Alternatively, SMA proper activation only occurs during movement-related components of visual or auditory tasks, and appears to be more involved with the pure movement portions of specified tasks (Boecker et al., 1998; Cunnington et al., 2002; Stephan et al., 1995). Functionally and anatomically distinct from the SMA proper, overt behavioral data coupled with anatomical data suggest that the pre-SMA may be functionally considered as a region of the prefrontal cortex (Picard & Strick, 2001). In conclusion, the two portions of the SMA are such that the pre-SMA and SMA proper combined may well be capable of planning and executing voluntary movements independent of M1. PMd. Human data has corroborated evidence from animal research suggesting a functional segregation within the premotor cortex (Picard & Strick, 2001). Attention to the short-term storage and processing of visuospatial information engages the PMdr (Coull & Nobre, 1998; Courtney et al., 1998; Petit et al., 1996; Stern et al., 2000), whereas motor planning, initiation, and execution engage the PMdc (Grafton et al., 1998; Lee et al., 1999; Simon et al., 2002). CMA/RCZ. Human movements are altered via the internal and external state of the organism (including the emotional state of the organism via amygdala projections). Considered a possible homolog of the CMAr in monkeys (Walton et al., 2004) the human RCZ of the ACd is closely connected to the motor system, and is involved in monitoring self-generated movements and in signaling the need for immediate changes of behavior (Jenkins et al., 1994; Picard & Strick, 1996; Ullsperger & von Cramon, 2004).
Handwritten Khmer text recognition

This paper proposes a model for an offline handwritten Khmer character recognition. We make use of two dimensional Fourier transformation for feature selection and feed-forward Artificial Neural Net as classification tool. The recognition system allows using the nature of Khmer writing, which is an example of alphasyllabary (Abugida) writing systems. The recognition of the normalized handwritten images has been performed for comparison purposes. The results suggest that the recognition rate increases with reduced feature set.
Fixed-term Contracts, Transitions and Wage Growth: Evidence from Spain

Employment instability is considered one of the main problems of the Spanish labour market. Thus, the proportion of temporary workers in Spain is around 30 per cent that is the highest rate of the European Union countries. The persistence of this situation could increase the risk of labour market segmentation. This paper presents new evidence of the factors affecting workers' transition from temporary work to permanent one and analyses whether this transition has a positive effect on wage growth. The former objective is obtained by estimating discrete choice models and the latter by estimating a wage growth equation correcting for selectivity bias through the two-step method developed by Trost and Lee (1984). The data are obtained from the second and third waves of the Spanish Household Panel Survey (INE 1996) conducted over the period 1995–1996. The main results are, on the one hand, that personal and job characteristics have a significant influence on the probability of becoming a permanent worker and, on the other hand, that this transition has an important positive effect on wage growth.
Investigating the relationship between working memory and emotion regulation in mothers

ABSTRACT Recent work suggests that executive functions, specifically working memory, may facilitate emotion regulation (ER). Here we examined whether measures of visuospatial working memory and verbal working memory relate to ER in a group of recent mothers. We found that while visuospatial working memory was associated with, and predictive of, self-reported measures of ER and emotion dysregulation—verbal working memory was correlated to only one dimension of emotion dysregulation. These findings suggest that working memory may play a unique role in everyday regulatory functioning. We frame our results in terms of the broader implications they may have for the potential role of executive functioning in parenting.
Vitamin B1 de novo synthesis in the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum depends on external provision of 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine

Abstract Vitamin B1 (thiamine) is an essential cofactor for several key enzymes of carbohydrate metabolism. Mammals have to salvage this crucial nutrient from their diet to complement their deficiency of de novo synthesis. In contrast, bacteria, fungi, plants and, as reported here, Plasmodium falciparum, possess a vitamin B1 biosynthesis pathway. The plasmodial pathway identified consists of the three vitamin B1 biosynthetic enzymes 5-(2-hydroxy-ethyl)-4-methylthiazole (THZ) kinase (ThiM), 4-amino-5-hydroxymethyl-2-methylpyrimidine (HMP)/HMP-P kinase (ThiD) and thiamine phosphate synthase (ThiE). Recombinant PfThiM and PfThiD proteins were biochemically characterised, revealing K m app values of 68 μM for THZ and 12 μM for HMP. Furthermore, the ability of PfThiE for generating vitamin B1 was analysed by a complementation assay with thiE-negative E. coli mutants. All three enzymes are expressed throughout the developmental blood stages, as shown by Northern blotting, which indicates the presence of the vitamin B1 biosynthesis enzymes. However, cultivation of the parasite in minimal medium showed a dependency on the provision of HMP or thiamine. These results demonstrate that the human malaria parasite P. falciparum possesses active vitamin B1 biosynthesis, which depends on external provision of thiamine precursors.
Antibacterial activities of OPC-17116, ofloxacin, and ciprofloxacin against 200 isolates of Neisseria gonorrhoeae

OPC-17116 is a new fluoroquinolone with potent activity against aerobic and anaerobic organisms. We evaluated the susceptibilities of 200 clinical gonococcal isolates including organisms with plasmid and chromosomally mediated resistance to beta-lactams and tetracycline. The antibiotics studied included OPC-17116, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, penicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, azithromycin, and ceftriaxone. All isolates tested were susceptible to the quinolone class of antibiotics. The MICs of ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin, and OPC-17116 for 90% of isolates tested were 0.004, 0.03, and 0.004 micrograms/ml, respectively. For organisms with chromosomally mediated resistance to penicillin and tetracycline, geometric mean MICs of all antibiotics including the quinolones were increased.
Endothelial Dysfunction Correlates with Liver Fibrosis in Chronic HCV Infection

Background. Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection can exert proatherogenic activities due to its direct action on vessel walls and/or via the chronic inflammatory process involving the liver. Aims. To clarify the role of HCV in atherosclerosis development in monoinfected HCV patients at different degrees of liver fibrosis and with no risk factors for coronary artery disease. Methods. Forty-five patients were included. Clinical, serological, and anthropometric parameters, liver fibrosis (transient liver elastometry (fibroscan) and aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index (APRI)), carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT), and brachial artery flow-mediated vasodilatation (FMD) were assessed. Patients were divided into 3 tertiles according to fibroscan values. Results. Patients in the third tertile (fibroscan value >11.5 KPa) showed FMD values were significantly lower than second and first tertiles (4.7 ± 1.7% versus 7.1 ± 2.8%, p = 0.03). FMD values were inversely related to liver elastomeric values. c-IMT values were normal. The risk for endothelial dysfunction development in the third tertile (p = 0.02) was 6.9 higher than the first tertile. A fibroscan value >11.5 KPa had a positive predictive power equal to 79% for endothelial dysfunction. Conclusions. HCV advanced liver fibrosis promotes atherosclerosis by inducing endothelial dysfunction independently of common cardiovascular risk factors.
Hubble Space Telescope Imaging of the Poststarburst Quasar UN J1025−0040: Evidence for Recent Star Formation

We present new Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera images of the poststarburst quasar UN J1025−0040, which contains both an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and a 400 Myr old nuclear starburst of similar bolometric luminosity (∼1011.6 L⊙). The F450W and F814W images resolve the AGN from the starburst and show that the bulk of the starlight (∼ 6 × 1010 M⊙) is contained within a central radius of about 600 pc and lacks clear morphological structures at this scale. Equating the point‐source light in each image with the AGN contribution, we determined the ratio of AGN‐to‐starburst light. This ratio is 69% in the red F814W image, consistent with our previous spectral analysis, but ≤50% in the blue F450W image, whereas we had predicted 76%. The HST images are consistent with previous photometry, ruling out variability (a fading AGN) as a cause for this result. We can explain the new data if there is a previously unknown young stellar population present, 40 Myr or younger, with as much as 10% of the mass of the dominant 400 Myr old population. This younger starburst may represent the trigger for the current nuclear activity. The multiple starburst ages seen in UN J1025−0040 and its companion galaxy indicate a complex interaction and star formation history.