Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postoperative Complications Within the First Year After Extreme Lateral Interbody Fusion: Experience of the First 108 Patients

Study Design:Retrospective chart review. Objective:To determine complications within the first year after undergoing extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF). Summary of Background Data:There are a growing but limited number of reports in the literature regarding early postoperative complications after XLIF. Methods:We performed a retrospective chart review of perioperative complications of a case series of the first 108 patients to undergo XLIF at our institution between 2007 and 2009. We also recorded estimated blood loss, surgical time, and hospital length of stay for each procedure. Results:There were 25 complications (23%) overall in patients who underwent the XLIF procedure. Four patients (3.7%) experienced major complications including: vertebral body fracture, contralateral nerve root injury, dense quadriceps paresis, and persistent stenosis. Three of these patients underwent revision surgery. There were 21 minor (19.4%) complications the vast majority of which consisted of approach-related thigh pain and/or paresthesias that all ultimately resolved. Conclusions:Transient ipsilateral thigh numbness, pain, and/or hip flexor weakness is a frequent postoperative finding most commonly when the L4–L5 level is instrumented. Dense femoral nerve palsy is a debilitating complication that may occur despite intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring. It should be noted that this retrospective study may underreport the true incidence of complications among these patients. Level of Evidence:Retrospective review, level IV.
Behavioural characteristics of rapists

Abstract A substantial proportion of past research on rapists has focused on their motives. This paper reports on two studies that investigated the behavioural characteristics of rapists. The first study gathered behavioural data from police rape files to determine the types of behaviours exhibited by 130 men charged with rape. The second study was designed to validate the behavioural clusters found in study 1, using the transcripts of court cases from a sample of 50 accused rapists. The results demonstrated a high level of consistency in the behaviours of the accused rapists in the two studies. Rapists were most frequently a stranger, the rape occurred frequently in the victim's home, and the rapist used a range of different ways to communicate verbally with his victim. Five behavioural themes were identified in both studies: vaginal, kissing/fondling, oral, anal and brutal/physical themes. This analysis of the behavioural aspects of rape provides an understanding of the types of behaviours exhibited by men who reach the stage of court proceedings for the crime of rape. The difference between the current behavioural profile and that reported by members of the general community who have experienced rape is discussed.
The use of ERS-1 SAR data in snow melt monitoring

ERS-1 SAR data, airborne data and in situ snow data were acquired for the Sodankyla test site in northern Finland for the winters of 1991-1992 and 1992-1993. The test area consists of sparsely forested areas (pine, mixed forests, and mires) and open areas (bogs, lakes, clear-cut areas, and urban area). A set of multitemporal ERS-1 SAR images covering the two winters have been analyzed and the results have been compared with in situ surveys and a digital land-use map. The results indicate that even in the presence of forest canopies (1) wet snow can be distinguished from other soil/snow conditions (dry snow and bare ground), and (2) snow melt maps can be derived from SAR images. Snow-melt maps indicate areas fully covered with wet snow, partly melted areas and snow-free areas.
The Gibberellic Acid Signaling Repressor RGL2 Inhibits Arabidopsis Seed Germination by Stimulating Abscisic Acid Synthesis and ABI5 Activity[W]

Seed germination is antagonistically controlled by the phytohormones gibberellic acid (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA). GA promotes seed germination by enhancing the proteasome-mediated destruction of RGL2 (for RGA-LIKE2), a key DELLA factor repressing germination. By contrast, ABA blocks germination by inducing ABI5 (for ABA-INSENSITIVE5), a basic domain/leucine zipper transcription factor repressing germination. Decreased GA synthesis leads to an increase in endogenous ABA levels through a stabilized RGL2, a process that may involve XERICO, a RING-H2 zinc finger factor promoting ABA synthesis. In turn, increased endogenous ABA synthesis is necessary to elevate not only ABI5 RNA and protein levels but also, critically, those of RGL2. Increased ABI5 protein is ultimately responsible for preventing seed germination when GA levels are reduced. However, overexpression of ABI5 was not sufficient to repress germination, as ABI5 activity requires phosphorylation. The endogenous ABI5 phosphorylation and inhibition of germination could be recapitulated by the addition of a SnRK2 protein kinase to the ABI5 overexpression line. In sleepy1 mutant seeds, RGL2 overaccumulates; germination of these seeds can occur under conditions that produce low ABI5 expression. These data support the notion that ABI5 acts as the final common repressor of germination in response to changes in ABA and GA levels.
Is there a caustic crossing in the lensed quasar Q2237+0305 observational data record?

We re-investigate the gravitationally lensed system Q2237+0305 data record to quantify the probability of having a caustic crossing in the A component. Several works assume that this is the case, but no quantitative analysis is available in the literature. We combine the data sets from the OGLE and GLITP collaborations to accurately trace the prominent event in the light ' curve for the A component of the system. Then the observed event is compared with synthetic light curves derived from trajectories in magnification maps. These maps are generated using a ray-tracing technique. We take more than 10 9 trajectories and test a wide range of different physical properties of the lensing galaxy and the source quasar (lens transverse velocity, microlens mass, source intensity profile and source size). We found that around 75 per cent of our good trajectories (i.e. that are consistent with the observations) are caustic crossings. In addition, a high transverse velocity exceeding 300 km s -1 , a microlens mass of about 0.1 M ⊙ and a small standard accretion disc is the best parameter combination. The results justify the interpretation of the OGLE-GLITP event in Q2237+0305A as a caustic crossing. Moreover, the physical properties of the lens and source are in very good agreement with previous works. We also remark that a standard accretion disc is preferred to those simpler approaches, and that the former should be used in subsequent simulations.
Intact recognition of vocal expressions of fear following bilateral lesions of the human amygdala.

A recent case study found that bilateral damage to the amygdala impairs the normal appraisal of vocal expressions of fear. However, the single source of evidence for this auditory emotion-processing impairment is from a patient with extra-amygdaloid damage that may include the basal ganglia, which have been shown to be important for prosody evaluation. In this study we provide evidence of preserved evaluation of vocal expressions of fear in a female patient (S.P.) with bilateral damage to the amygdala but with intact basal ganglia. This same patient has previously been shown to be impaired in the evaluation of facial expressions, including fear. These results indicate that the analysis of nonverbal signals of fear from different input channels are dissociable, being at least partially dependent on different brain structures. We suggest that the amygdala, in conjunction with the basal ganglia, may support the normal appraisal of auditory signals of danger.
White gloves, feminist fists: race, nation and the feeling of ‘vintage’ in femme movements

This article raises the question of how the cultural politics of race and nation manifest within contemporary queer femme movements, performances and aesthetic practices. Focussing on the feeling of ‘vintage’, I specifically examine symbols, icons and aesthetics used in projects to queer femininity that invoke ‘the 1950s’. Grounded in femme-inist multi-sited ethnographic research in a movement to which I also belong, I draw on interviews and participant observation in queer subcultural spaces and analyse two examples of ‘vintage’ iconography within contemporary femme organizing where ‘vintage’ is a form of archival activism that also relates to a broader cultural imaginary of racialized femininity. Then I turn to an example of queer performance where ‘vintage’ is used as a critique of imperialism and whiteness. In closing, I discuss how the feeling of ‘vintage’ relates to whiteness and to a form of imperialist nostalgia.
Fast Decoding and Hardware Design for Binary-Input Compressive Sensing

Binary-input compressive sensing (BiCS) has recently been applied to wireless communications as a modulated coding scheme for seamless rate adaptation. Different from conventional channel codes which generate binary symbols with logical-OR (XOR) operations, BiCS generates multilevel symbols through weighted sum operation. Although BiCS can be decoded by message passing, it needs to compute the convolution of probability functions in each iteration. The high decoding complexity has prevented the technique from being applied to practical use. In this paper, we propose a fast BiCS decoding algorithm and its corresponding partial-parallel hardware design. In this algorithm, we first build lookup tables to solve the computationally intensive problem of convolution. Through these tables, we successfully convert the convolution of probabilities into the polynomial of some exponential terms. This key step allows us to use log-likelihood ratio as message in message passing decoding and a fast algorithm is developed by approximate computing. We further design a partial-parallel hardware decoder. To avoid memory collision, we propose a multilevel cyclic-shift approach to generate the CS measurement matrix. We design horizontal unit processors with the proposed tables for iterative computing. Our analyses show that the proposed fast algorithm can reduce multiplications by nearly 90%. The decoding speed of our field-programmable gate array design reaches the range of communication rate in modern wireless networks.
Association of Eating Behavior With Nutritional Status and Body Composition in Primary School–Aged Children

Problematic eating behaviors during childhood may lead to positive energy balance and obesity. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the association of eating behaviors with nutritional status and body composition in Malaysian children aged 7 to 12 years. A total of 1782 primary schoolchildren were randomly recruited from 6 regions in Malaysia. The multidimensional Children’s Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) was reported by parents to determine the 8 different dimensions of eating styles among children. Body mass index (BMI), BMI-for-age Z-score, waist circumference, and body fat percentage were assessed. Linear regression analyses revealed that both food responsiveness and desire to drink subscales were positively associated with a child’s body adiposity, whereas satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, and emotional undereating subscales were negatively associated with adiposity (all P < .05). A multidimensional eating style approach based on the CEBQ is needed to promote healthy eating behaviors in order to prevent excessive weight gain and obesity problems among Malaysian children.
A Potential Field-Based Model Predictive Path-Planning Controller for Autonomous Road Vehicles

Artificial potential fields and optimal controllers are two common methods for path planning of autonomous vehicles. An artificial potential field method is capable of assigning different potential functions to different types of obstacles and road structures and plans the path based on these potential functions. It does not, however, include the vehicle dynamics in the path-planning process. On the other hand, an optimal path-planning controller integrated with vehicle dynamics plans an optimal feasible path that guarantees vehicle stability in following the path. In this method, the obstacles and road boundaries are usually included in the optimal control problem as constraints and not with any arbitrary function. A model predictive path-planning controller is introduced in this paper such that its objective includes potential functions along with the vehicle dynamics terms. Therefore, the path-planning system is capable of treating different obstacles and road structures distinctly while planning the optimal path utilizing vehicle dynamics. The path-planning controller is modeled and simulated on a CarSim vehicle model for some complicated test scenarios. The results show that, with this path-planning controller, the vehicle avoids the obstacles and observes road regulations with appropriate vehicle dynamics. Moreover, since the obstacles and road regulations can be defined with different functions, the path-planning system plans paths corresponding to their importance and priorities.
Race and Juvenile Court Dispositions

Allegations of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system abound. Many theorists appear to accept such discrimination as a demonstrated fact. However, a review of research is not so conclusive; mixed results are apparent. The current analysis examines the relative impact of race and other social factors as compared to a set of legally relevant variables such as referral offense and referral source. The focus of the analysis is the processing of juveniles in California, in particular the decision at intake to release, handle informally, or handle case with a formal petition. The analysis indicates that the legally relevant set of variables has a greater impact on processing than race. Indeed, age of the juvenile has a greater impact on processing than race.
Clinical, radiological and genetic analysis of a male infant with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome

Surfactant protein B (SP-B) deficiency has become increasingly recognized as a cause of severe prolonged respiratory distress. However, little has been reported with regard to the genetic variability of SP-B in Chinese infants with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). One case of a Chinese male infant with neonatal RDS was analyzed for clinical manifestation and genetic variability of SP-B. The clinical manifestations, including grunting, intercostal retractions, nasal flaring, cyanosis and tachypnea were discovered in the physical examination. The initial chest X-ray indicated hyper-inflation, diffuse opacification and air bronchogram of the lungs. Pathological tests of lung tissue revealed RDS and SP-B deficiency. Atelectasis and pneumonedema were observed in the lobes of the lung. Molecular analysis of genomic DNA revealed a mutation of 121del2 in intron 4 of the SP-B gene. In conclusion, the variant in intron 4 of the SP-B gene was associated with neonatal RDS in a Chinese male infant.
Stereoselective Flunoxaprofen-S-acyl-glutathione Thioester Formation Mediated by Acyl-CoA Formation in Rat Hepatocytes

Flunoxaprofen (FLX) is a chiral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug that was withdrawn from clinical use because of concerns of potential hepatotoxicity. FLX undergoes highly stereoselective chiral inversion mediated through the FLX-S-acyl-CoA thioester (FLX-CoA) in favor of the (R)-(−)-isomer. Acyl-CoA thioester derivatives of acidic drugs are chemically reactive species that are known to transacylate protein nucleophiles and glutathione (GSH). In this study, we investigated the relationship between the stereoselective metabolism of (R)-(−)- and (S)-(+)-FLX to FLX-CoA and the subsequent transacylation of GSH forming FLX-S-acyl-glutathione (FLX-SG) in incubations with rat hepatocytes in suspension. Thus, when hepatocytes (2 million cells/ml) were treated with (R)-(−)- or (S)-(+)-FLX (100 μM), both FLX-CoA and FLX-SG were detected by sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry techniques. However, these derivatives were observed primarily from (R)-(−)-FLX incubation extracts, for which the formation rates of FLX-CoA and FLX-SG were rapid, reaching maximum concentrations of 42 and 2.8 nM, respectively, after 6 min of incubation. Incubations with (S)-(+)-FLX over 60 min displayed 8.1 and 2.7% as much FLX-CoA and FLX-SG area under the concentration versus time curves, respectively, compared with corresponding incubations with (R)-(−)-FLX. Coincubation of lauric acid (1000 μM) with (R)-(−)-FLX (10 μM) led to the complete inhibition of FLX-CoA formation and a 98% inhibition of FLX-SG formation. Reaction of authentic (R,S)-FLX-CoA (2 μM) with GSH (10 mM) in buffer (pH 7.4, 37°C) showed the quantitative formation of FLX-SG after 3 h of incubation. Together, these results demonstrate the stereoselective transacylation of GSH in hepatocyte incubations containing (R)-(−)-FLX, which is consistent with bioactivation by stereoselective (R)-FLX-CoA formation.
The interactive effects of competition and predation risk on dispersal in an insect

Dispersal dynamics have significant consequences for ecological and evolutionary processes. Previous work has demonstrated that dispersal can be context-dependent. However, factors affecting dispersal are typically considered in isolation, despite the probability that individuals make dispersal decisions in response to multiple, possibly interacting factors. We examined whether two ecological factors, predation risk and intraspecific competition, have interactive effects on dispersal dynamics. We performed a factorial experiment in mesocosms using backswimmers (Notonecta undulata), flight-capable, semi-aquatic insects. Emigration rates increased with density, and increased with predation risk at intermediate densities; however, predation had minimal effects on emigration at high and low densities. Our results indicate that factorial experiments may be required to understand dispersal dynamics under realistic ecological conditions.
How many individuals with asthma need to be vaccinated to prevent one case of invasive pneumococcal disease?

Several conditions have been recognized to predispose individuals to invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) (ie, the isolation of Streptococcus pneumoniae from a normally sterile site). Currently, individuals belonging to the groups known to be at high risk for IPD are vaccinated with the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine or the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. Advisory committees in other countries have recommended adding asthma to the list of conditions that should require immunization for IPD; however, Canada has not. Accordingly, the authors of this article performed an analysis of the number of asthmatic individuals needed to vaccinate against IPD to prevent a single case, and compared the results with those for a condition already classified as high risk.
Inhibition of a NEDD8 Cascade Restores Restriction of HIV by APOBEC3G

Cellular restriction factors help to defend humans against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). HIV accessory proteins hijack at least three different Cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases, which must be activated by the small ubiquitin-like protein NEDD8, in order to counteract host cellular restriction factors. We found that conjugation of NEDD8 to Cullin-5 by the NEDD8-conjugating enzyme UBE2F is required for HIV Vif-mediated degradation of the host restriction factor APOBEC3G (A3G). Pharmacological inhibition of the NEDD8 E1 by MLN4924 or knockdown of either UBE2F or its RING-protein binding partner RBX2 bypasses the effect of Vif, restoring the restriction of HIV by A3G. NMR mapping and mutational analyses define specificity determinants of the UBE2F NEDD8 cascade. These studies demonstrate that disrupting host NEDD8 cascades presents a novel antiretroviral therapeutic approach enhancing the ability of the immune system to combat HIV.
Change is an Ongoing Ethical Event: Levinas, Bakhtin and the Dialogical Dynamics of Becoming

In this article, we use the intersubjective ethics of Bakhtin and Levinas and a case illustration to explore change in therapy as an ethical phenomenon. We follow Lakoff and Johnson in their emphasis on the way our conceptions of change seem permeated by metaphors. Bakhtin and Levinas both suggest through a language in which metaphors play a crucial role, that human existence—the consciousness and the subject—emerge within the dialogue of the encounter. They both describe the dynamics of human existence as ethical in their origin. Following this, we argue that change may be seen as an ongoing ethical event and that the dynamics of change are found in the ways we constantly become in this event. We investigate the ethical dynamics of this ongoing event through three themes illuminating the contributions of both Bakhtin and Levinas: (1) we become as responsible, (2) we become in speaking, (3) we become in answering the unknown. We explore these themes through a case illustration. Finally, we briefly point out some possible implications for mental health practice.
On Lorentzian causality with continuous metrics

We present a systematic study of causality theory on Lorentzian manifolds with continuous metrics. Examples are given which show that some standard facts in smooth Lorentzian geometry, such as light-cones being hypersurfaces, are wrong when metrics which are merely continuous are considered. We show that the existence of time functions remains true on domains of dependence with continuous metrics, and that C0, 1 differentiability of the metric suffices for many key results of the smooth causality theory.
Identification and control of dynamic systems using recurrent fuzzy neural networks

Proposes a recurrent fuzzy neural network (RFNN) structure for identifying and controlling nonlinear dynamic systems. The RFNN is inherently a recurrent multilayered connectionist network for realizing fuzzy inference using dynamic fuzzy rules. Temporal relations are embedded in the network by adding feedback connections in the second layer of the fuzzy neural network (FNN). The RFNN expands the basic ability of the FNN to cope with temporal problems. In addition, results for the FNN-fuzzy inference engine, universal approximation, and convergence analysis are extended to the RFNN. For the control problem, we present the direct and indirect adaptive control approaches using the RFNN. Based on the Lyapunov stability approach, rigorous proofs are presented to guarantee the convergence of the RFNN by choosing appropriate learning rates. Finally, the RFNN is applied in several simulations (time series prediction, identification, and control of nonlinear systems). The results confirm the effectiveness of the RFNN.