Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do ECJ judges all speak with the same voice? Evidence of divergent preferences from the judgments of chambers

A considerable body of scholarly work has asserted that the ECJ's institutional independence has implied behavioural independence: in short, that the ECJ has pursued a pro-integration agenda perhaps at odds with national governments' preferences. But, inside the black box of the court's collective decisions, do judges share a common preference for expanding the authority of the Court and EU generally? While individual behaviour is not directly observable, the ECJ's system of chambers provides a potentially valuable window on the impact of individual decisions by subsets of the judges. I develop a statistical model, extending the item-response model to account for selective participation in decisions, to ﬁnd evidence of individual behaviour in the collective judgments. Results for ECJ cases show that judges do not share uniform preferences, suggesting that institutional independence has provided cover for the court, and that judges' preferences lie on a continuum from Europhilia to Euroscepticism.
Topology Control and Channel Assignment in Multi-Radio Multi-Channel Wireless Mesh Networks

The aggregate capacity of wireless mesh networks can be improved significantly by equipping each node with multiple interfaces and by using multiple channels in order to reduce the effect of interference. Efficient channel assignment is required to ensure the optimal use of the limited channels in the radio spectrum. In this paper, a cluster-based multipath topology control and channel assignment scheme (CoMTaC), is proposed, which explicitly creates a separation between the channel assignment and topology control functions, thus minimizing flow disruptions. A cluster-based approach is employed to ensure basic network connectivity. Intrinsic support for broadcasting with minimal overheads is also provided. CoMTaC also takes advantage of the inherent multiple paths that exist in a typical WMN by constructing a spanner of the network graph and using the additional node interfaces. The second phase of CoMTaC proposes a dynamic distributed channel assignment algorithm, which employs a novel interference estimation mechanism based on the average link-layer queue length within the interference domain. Partially overlapping channels are also included in the channel assignment process to enhance the network capacity. Extensive simulation based experiments have been conducted to test various parameters and the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. The experimental results show that the proposed scheme outperforms existing dynamic channel assignment schemes by a minimum of a factor of 2.
Glutamate-cysteine ligase modulatory subunit in BAL alveolar macrophages of healthy smokers

The antioxidant glutathione (GSH) is increased in the epithelial lining fluid (ELF) of chronic smokers. The rate-limiting enzyme in GSH synthesis is glutamate-cysteine ligase (GCL), also known as γ‐glutamylcysteine synthetase, consisting of a heavy, catalytic (GCLC) and a light, modulatory (GCLM) subunit. To determine the contribution of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cells to GSH levels in ELF, BAL was performed in eight smokers and eight never-smokers. Intra- and extracellular total glutathione (GSHt) levels and GCL subunit expression were assessed. GSHt was increased in ELF from smokers (1,090.1±163.0 µM versus 559.2±48.2 µM). GSHt content of BAL cells (nmol·mg protein−1) was decreased in smokers without differences reaching statistical significance (8.0±1.4 versus 12.4±2.6). GCLM expression was also reduced in smokers (0.6±0.1 versus 2.8±0.4) and correlated with intracellular GSHt content. There was no significant difference in GCLC expression and in differential cell counts in BAL fluid. The authors conclude that smoking does increase glutathione levels in the epithelial lining fluid but not intracellular levels in bronchoalveolar lavage cells. The data suggest that the intracellular glutathione concentration of bronchoalveolar lavage cells (predominately alveolar macrophages) is regulated by the modulatory glutamate-cysteine ligase subunit rather than the catalytic subunit.
Biomedical Named Entity Recognition using Conditional Random Fields and Rich Feature Sets

As the wealth of biomedical knowledge in the form of literature increases, there is a rising need for effective natural language processing tools to assist in organizing, curating, and retrieving this information. To that end, named entity recognition (the task of identifying words and phrases in free text that belong to certain classes of interest) is an important first step for many of these larger information management goals.
Rem2 GTPase controls proliferation and apoptosis of neurons during embryo development

We have recently found that Rem2 GTPase, highly expressed in human embryonic stem cells (hESC), maintains the cell cycle and controls proper differentiation towards ectoderm, suggesting a role in neuronal development. We describe here the use of the zebrafish (Danio Rerio) model to determine the physiological significance of Rem2 during embryogenesis. We show that Rem2 RNA is highly expressed in zebrafish embryos up to 2 hours of development followed by a decrease in expression until 48 hours when afterwards Rem2 is switched on again until 5 days. In situexpression analysis reveals that Rem2 is expressed exclusively in the tectum of the brain and eye of the zebrafish. Rem2 morpholino demonstrates impaired embryo development resulting in loss of neural tissue.
Will cervical screening remain cost‐effective in women offered the next generation nonavalent HPV vaccine? Results for four developed countries

A next generation nonavalent human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (“HPV9 vaccine”) is being introduced in several countries. The aims of this study were to evaluate whether cervical screening will remain cost‐effective in cohorts offered nonavalent vaccines and if so, to characterize the optimal number of screening tests. We used a dynamic model of HPV vaccination and cervical screening to evaluate the cost‐effectiveness of strategies involving varying numbers of primary HPV tests per lifetime for cohorts offered the nonavalent vaccine as 12 year‐olds. For each of four countries—the USA, New Zealand (NZ), Australia and England—we considered local factors including vaccine uptake rates (USA/NZ uptake ∼50%; Australia/England uptake >70%), attributable fractions of HPV9‐included types, demographic factors, costs and indicative willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) thresholds. Extensive probabilistic sensitivity analysis was performed. We found that, in the USA, four screens per lifetime was the most likely scenario, with 34% probability of being optimal at WTP US$50,000/LYS, increasing to 84% probability at US$100,000/LYS. In New Zealand, five screens per lifetime was the most likely scenario, with 100% probability of being optimal at NZ$42,000/LYS, given the assumptions used. In Australia, two screens per lifetime was the most likely scenario, with 62% probability of being optimal at AU$50,000/LYS. In England, four screens per lifetime was the most likely scenario, with 32% probability of being optimal at GB£20,000/LYS, increasing to 96% probability at GB£30,000/LYS. We conclude that some cervical screening will remain cost‐effective, even in countries with high vaccination coverage. However, the optimal number of screens may vary between countries.
Association Between Socioeconomic Deprivation and Functional Impairment After Stroke: The South London Stroke Register

Background and Purpose— Previous findings of the association between socioeconomic deprivation and functional impairment after stroke are inconsistent. There is a lack of data on long-term association. We assessed the association and differences by age, sex, prestroke comorbidities, and stroke phenotypes. Methods— We examined data from the South London Stroke Register cohort of 1995 to 2011, recording all first-ever strokes in patients of all ages in South London. A total of 2104 patients were alive at 3 months after stroke. Socioeconomic deprivation was measured using the index of multiple deprivation based on patient postcodes, and functional impairment after stroke was defined as a Barthel index of <15. Results— At 3 months after stroke, 643 patients had functional impairment (30.6%; 95% confidence interval, 28.6%–32.5%). Compared with the first quartile of index of multiple deprivation (the least deprived), multivariate-adjusted odds ratios for functional impairment in patients with the second, third, and fourth quartiles were 1.29 (95% confidence interval, 0.94–1.76), 1.33 (0.97–1.82), and 1.78 (1.31–2.43), overall P=0.004. The association was significant in patients aged ≥65 years (corresponding odds ratios were 1.49 [1.02–2.17], 1.21 [0.83–1.75], and 1.94 [1.34–2.81]; P=0.003); in women, P=0.008, in patients who do not have prestroke comorbidities, P=0.009, and in patients with ischemic stroke, P<0.001, but not significant in their counterpart patients. There were similar patterns of the associations of socioeconomic deprivation with impairment at 3 years after stroke. Conclusions— There are significant inequalities in short- and long-term functional recovery after stroke. General socioeconomic improvement, targeting groups at high risk of functional impairment is likely to reduce inequality in functional recovery after stroke.
Cetuximab and biomarkers in non-small-cell lung carcinoma

Cancer progression is a highly complex process that is driven by a constellation of deregulated signaling pathways and key molecular events. In non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), as in several other cancer types, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and its downstream signaling components represent a key axis that has been found not only to trigger cancer progression but also to support advanced disease leading to metastasis. Two major therapeutic approaches comprising monoclonal antibodies and small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors have so far been used to target this pathway, with a combination of positive, negative, and inconsequential results, as judged by patient survival indices. Since these drugs are expensive and not all patients derive benefits from taking them, it has become both pertinent and paramount to identify biomarkers that can predict not only beneficial response but also resistance. This review focuses on the chimeric monoclonal antibody, cetuximab, its application in the treatment of NSCLC, and the biomarkers that may guide its use in the clinical setting. A special emphasis is placed on the EGFR, including its structural and mechanistic attributes.
Antecedents and Consequences of Procedural Justice Perceptions in Hierarchical Decision-Making Teams

A model is presented that posits positive and independent effects for process control and decision control on procedural justice perceptions in hierarchical decision-making teams with distributed expertise. It is proposed that procedural justice perceptions will be positively related to staff member self-efficacy and satisfaction with the leader, which will be negatively related to task withdrawal. A laboratory experiment was conducted with 126 participants performing a computerized decision-making task in 42 teams. Each team consisted of a leader in addition to 3 participants performing as subordinates. Path analysis results support the proposed model. Implications for applying justice theory to team effectiveness and leadership are discussed.
Learning torque control in presence of contacts using tactile sensing from robot skin

Whole-body control in unknown environments is challenging: Unforeseen contacts with obstacles can lead to poor tracking performance and potential physical damages of the robot. Hence, a whole-body control approach for future humanoid robots in (partially) unknown environments needs to take contact sensing into account, e.g., by means of artificial skin. However, translating contacts from skin measurements into physically well-understood quantities can be problematic as the exact position and strength of the contact needs to be converted into torques. In this paper, we suggest an alternative approach that directly learns the mapping from both skin and the joint state to torques. We propose to learn such an inverse dynamics models with contacts using a mixture-of-contacts approach that exploits the linear superimposition of contact forces. The learned model can, making use of uncalibrated tactile sensors, accurately predict the torques needed to compensate for the contact. As a result, tracking of trajectories with obstacles and tactile contact can be executed more accurately. We demonstrate on the humanoid robot iCub that our approach improve the tracking error in presence of dynamic contacts.
Passive transfer of autoantibodies from a patient with mutilating epidermolysis bullosa acquisita induces specific alterations in the skin of neonatal mice.

BACKGROUND Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita is a subepidermal bullous disease characterized by IgG autoantibodies directed against type VII collagen in anchoring fibrils. These autoantibodies are believed to play an important role in the pathogenesis of sub-lamina densa blister formation in this disease. OBSERVATIONS We describe a patient with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita who has developed mutilating acral involvement with early syndactyly and extensive scarring lesions of the scalp. The patient's serum contains IgG autoantibodies that bind the dermal side of 1-mol/L sodium chloride-separated human skin (at a titer up to 5120), as determined by indirect immunofluorescence microscopy, and type VII collagen, as determined by immunoblot. The severity of this patient's disease and the height of his immune response to type VII collagen prompted us to assess the pathogenicity of his autoantibodies in a murine model. Purified IgG from our patient (or that from a healthy volunteer who served as a control) was administered subcutaneously to BALB/c mice (10 mg/g of body weight) on 2 consecutive days. Light microscopy of normal-appearing skin showed pronounced dermal edema and a dense granulocyte-rich infiltrate in the superficial dermis. Deposits of human IgG, murine C3, and the membrane attack complex of complement were found in the epidermal basement membrane of all experimental mice. Immunogold electron microscopy demonstrated that deposits of human IgG in an experimental subject were localized to anchoring fibrils. Serum samples from mice receiving IgG antibodies from our patient had high titers of circulating antibodies directed against the dermal side of 1-mol/L sodium chloride-separated human skin (titer, 640 to 1280). Light, immunofluorescence, and immunogold electron microscopic studies did not detect such specific alterations in any control mice. CONCLUSIONS Acquired autoimmunity to type VII collagen in patients with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita may result in a clinical phenotype closely resembling that observed in patients with dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa. Passive transfer of purified IgG autoantibodies from a patient with severe epidermolysis bullosa acquisita to BALB/c mice produces histologic and immunopathologic alterations consistent with those seen in patients with this disease.
Simple Sequence Repeat Markers Distinguish among Morphotypes of Sphaeropsis sapinea

ABSTRACT Sphaeropsis sapinea is a fungal endophyte ofPinus spp. that can cause disease following predisposition of trees by biotic or abiotic stresses. Four morphotypes of S. sapinea have been described from within the natural range of the fungus, while only one morphotype has been identified on exotic pines in the Southern Hemisphere. The aim of this study was to develop robust polymorphic markers that could be used in both taxonomic and population studies. Inter-short-sequence-repeat primers containing microsatellite sequences and degenerate anchors at the 5′ end were used to target microsatellite-rich areas in an S. sapinea isolate. PCR amplification using an annealing temperature of 49°C resulted in profiles containing 5 to 10 bands. These bands were cloned and sequenced, and new short-sequence-repeat (SSR) primer pairs were designed that flanked microsatellite-rich regions. Eleven polymorphic SSR markers were tested on 40 isolates of S. sapinearepresenting different morphotypes as well as on 2 isolates of the closely related species Botryosphaeria obtusa. The putative I morphotype was found to be identical to B. obtusa. Otherwise, the markers clearly distinguished the remaining three morphotypes and, furthermore, showed that the C morphotype was more closely related to the A than the B morphotype. The B morphotype was the most genetically diverse, and the isolates could be further divided based on their geographic origins. Sequencing of different alleles from each locus showed that the most polymorphic markers had mutations within a microsatellite sequence.
The Refractory Period and Serial Choice-reactions

An experiment is described in which subjects had to make consecutive 2-choice reactions to light and sound stimuli, the interval between signals being fixed for anyone series of presentations. When under these conditions, reaction times to the second signal are compared to those obtained when the first signal is used only as a warning, delays are found for short intervals. These results and the wide individual differences obtained are discussed in relation to theories that have been put forward to account for the delays obtained in serial reaction tasks.
Do strict rules and moving images increase the reliability of sequential identification procedures

Live identification procedures in England and Wales have been replaced by use of video, which provides a sequential presentation of facial images. Sequential presentation of photographs provides some protection to innocent suspects from mistaken identification when used with strict instructions designed to prevent relative judgements (Lindsay, Lea, & Fulford, 1991). However, the current procedure in England and Wales is incompatible with these strict instructions. The reported research investigated whether strict instructions would enhance the reliability of identification from video. The effect of using moving rather than still video clips was also investigated. Participants witnessed a live staged incident, and attempted to identify the culprit later from police video lineups, which were run double blind. Strict instructions produced a significantly lower rate of correct identifications in culprit present lineups, but did not significantly reduce the rate of mistaken identification in culprit absent lineups. Moving images yielded fewer mistaken identifications in culprit absent lineups.
Assessment of anxiety in older adults: A systematic review of commonly used measures

Objectives: The authors set out to systematically review the research literature in order to identify the anxiety measures most commonly used in the assessment of older adults. Once identified, the literature was reviewed to determine the extent to which these instruments had age-relevant norms and psychometric data supporting their use with older adults. Method: Literature searches were conducted in PsycINFO and PubMed to identify research articles in which anxiety measures were completed by older adults. After screening for suitability, a total of 213 articles were reviewed to determine the most commonly used anxiety measures with older adults to examine the psychometric properties of these instruments and to evaluate whether the instruments are appropriate for use with older adults. Results: A total of 91 different anxiety measures were used in the 213 included articles. Twelve anxiety measures were most commonly used in the literature and of those three were specifically developed for older adults. Conclusions: Of the most commonly used measures, the majority lacked sufficient evidence to warrant their use with older adults. Based on psychometric evidence, three measures (Beck Anxiety Inventory, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, and Geriatric Mental Status Examination) showed psychometric properties sufficient to justify the use of these instruments when assessing anxiety in older adults. In addition, two measures developed specifically for older adults (Worry Scale and Geriatric Anxiety Inventory) were also found to be appropriate for use with older adults.
The relationship between preschool block play and reading and maths abilities in early elementary school: a longitudinal study of children with and without disabilities

The purpose of this study was to explore the predictive relationship between the level of symbolic representation in block constructions of preschoolers and reading and mathematics abilities and rate of growth in early elementary school for children with and without disabilities. Fifty‐one children participated, 22 of whom had identified disabilities. No predictive relationship between representational level of block constructions and maths abilities was found. However, growth curve analysis documented that preschoolers, who had higher levels of representation in their block constructions, had higher reading abilities and a faster rate of growth in reading abilities in the early elementary years. This predictive relationship held true for children with and without disabilities. Findings are discussed in relation to the importance of early experiences that are physically and socially organised to provide young children with the foundation for later learning.
Improving the Measurement of Communication Satisfaction

This article reexamines the psychometric properties of the Communication Satisfaction Questionnaire. Quantitative data were gathered in a major Australian retail organization resulting in 127 useable responses. A series of one-factor measurement models substantiated the validity of the factors. The study identified a second-order factor structure consisting of Informational and Relational Communication that was empirically superior to competing models. The instrument should make a worthwhile contribution to communication audits and encourage researchers and practitioners to use the instrument for empirical and diagnostic purposes to ultimately improve organizational communication.
The Impact of the Quality of Coal Mine Stockpile Soils on Sustainable Vegetation Growth and Productivity

Stockpiled soils are excavated from the ground during mining activities, and piled on the surface of the soil for rehabilitation purposes. These soils are often characterized by low organic matter (SOM) content, low fertility, and poor physical, chemical, and biological properties, limiting their capability for sustainable vegetation growth. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of stockpile soils of differing depth and quality on vegetation growth and productivity. Soils were collected at three different depths (surface, mid, and deep) as well as mixed (equal proportion of surface, mid and deep) from two stockpiles (named Stockpile 1: aged 10 and Stockpile 2: 20 years) at the coal mine near Witbank in the Mpumalanga province of South Africa. Soils were amended with different organic and inorganic fertilizer. A 2 × 4 × 5 factorial experiment in a completely randomized blocked design with four replications was established under greenhouse conditions. A grass species ( Digiteria eriantha ) was planted in the pots with unamended and amended soils under greenhouse conditions at 26–28 °C during the day and 16.5–18.5 °C at night. Mean values of plant height, plant cover, total fresh biomass (roots, stems and leaves), and total dry biomass were found to be higher in Stockpile 1 than in Stockpile 2 soils. Plants grown on soils with no amendments had lower mean values for major plant parameters studied. Soil amended with poultry manure and lime was found to have higher growth rate compared with soils with other soil amendments. Mixed soils had better vegetation growth than soil from other depths. Stockpiled soils in the study area cannot support vegetation growth without being amended, as evidenced by low grass growth and productivity in this study.