Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Malawian prosthetic and orthotic users' mobility and satisfaction with their lower limb assistive device.

OBJECTIVE To investigate patients' mobility and satisfaction with their lower limb prosthetic or orthotic device and related service delivery in Malawi and to compare groups of patients regarding type and level of device and demographics. METHODS Questionnaires were used to collect self-report data from 83 patients. RESULTS Ninety percent of prostheses or orthoses were in use by patients, but approximately half of these needed repair. Thirty-nine percent reported pain when using their assistive device. The majority of patients were able to rise from a chair (77%), move around the home (80%), walk on uneven ground (59%) and travel by bus or car (56%). However, patients had difficulties walking up and down hills (78%) and stairs (60%). In general, patients were quite satisfied with their assistive device (mean of 3.9 out of 5) and very satisfied with the service provided (mean of 4.4 out of 5). Access to repairs and servicing were rated as most important, followed by durability and follow-up services. Lack of finances to pay for transport was a barrier to accessing the prosthetic and orthotic centre. CONCLUSION Patients were satisfied with the assistive device and service received, despite reporting pain associated with use of the device and difficulties ambulating on challenging surfaces.
CR3 (Mac-1, alpha M beta 2, CD11b/CD18) and Fc gamma RIII cooperate in generation of a neutrophil respiratory burst: requirement for Fc gamma RIII and tyrosine phosphorylation

Cooperation among plasma membrane receptors in activating signal transduction cascades is not well understood. For almost 20 years, it has been clear that when a particulate foreign body is opsonized with complement as well as IgG, the efficiency of IgG effector functions is markedly enhanced. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in cooperation between IgG Fc receptors and complement receptors have not been elucidated. In this work, we show that when human neutrophils (PMN) are plated on a surface coated with both anti-CR3 and anti-Fc gamma RIII antibodies, the respiratory burst which occurs is equivalent to that stimulated by anti-Fc gamma RII. The CR3 ligand iC3b is as effective as anti-CR3 for cooperating with anti-Fc gamma RIII in generation of a respiratory burst. The synergy between CR3 and Fc gamma RIII for activating the NADPH oxidase is abolished by Fab of anti-Fc gamma RII. Nonetheless, the observed synergy is not an artifact of unintended Fc gamma RII ligation, since (a) only this combination of antibodies works to generate H2O2; (b) coating plates with either of the antibodies alone cannot activate the respiratory burst at any dose; (c) LAD (CR3 deficient) cells, which are perfectly competent to mount a respiratory burst when Fc gamma RII is engaged, are incapable of activating the respiratory burst when adherent to wells coated with anti-Fc gamma RIII and anti-CR3; (d) direct engagement of Fc gamma RII activates the respiratory burst by a pathway pharmacologically distinguishable from the synergistic respiratory burst. Fc gamma RIII/CR3 synergy is abolished by cytochalasin B and herbimicin, suggesting that both the actin cytoskeleton and tyrosine phosphorylation are necessary for activation of the synergistic respiratory burst. Further analysis shows that CR3 and Fc gamma RIII have distinct roles in activation of this Fc gamma RII-dependent assembly of the NADPH oxidase. Ligation of CR3 is sufficient to lead to Fc gamma RII association with the actin cytoskeleton on the adherent PMN surface. Coligation of Fc gamma RIII is required for tyrosine phosphorylation of Fc gamma RII. These data are consistent with a model in which phosphorylation of Fc gamma RII or a closely associated substrate initiates activation of a signal transduction pathway leading to oxidase assembly. These are the first data to demonstrate a molecular mechanism for synergy between IgG Fc and complement receptors in activation of phagocyte effector functions.
Interactive deduplication using active learning

Deduplication is a key operation in integrating data from multiple sources. The main challenge in this task is designing a function that can resolve when a pair of records refer to the same entity in spite of various data inconsistencies. Most existing systems use hand-coded functions. One way to overcome the tedium of hand-coding is to train a classifier to distinguish between duplicates and non-duplicates. The success of this method critically hinges on being able to provide a covering and challenging set of training pairs that bring out the subtlety of deduplication function. This is non-trivial because it requires manually searching for various data inconsistencies between any two records spread apart in large lists.We present our design of a learning-based deduplication system that uses a novel method of interactively discovering challenging training pairs using active learning. Our experiments on real-life datasets show that active learning significantly reduces the number of instances needed to achieve high accuracy. We investigate various design issues that arise in building a system to provide interactive response, fast convergence, and interpretable output.
Clinical Analysis and Optimization of Postremission Therapy for Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients with Minimal Residual Disease as Determined by Flow Cytometry.

Background: Although several prognostic indicators of de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients have been identified, the clinical significance of minimal residual disease (MRD) needs to be evaluated further in Japanese adult patients. Methods: Using three color flow cytometry, we identified leukemia-associated phenotypes (LAP) in bone marrow specimens at diagnosis and assessed the relationship between clinical outcomes and the presence of marrow MRD in 33 patients who achieved a morphologic complete remission (CR) and were followed after CR. Results: Of 33 consecutive patients, we detected MRD in 20 patients after achieving CR (Group A) and did not in 13 patients (Group B), with 2-year overall survival (OS) rates of 49.0% and 84.6%, respectively (P =.0317), and relapse-free survival (RFS) rates of 13.7% and 91.7%, respectively (P=.0010). By multivariate analysis, MRD-positivity at post-induction was found to be associated with a shorter duration of RFS (P=.0042). Notably, we achieved MRD negativity in only 2 patients (10%) of Group A in spite of subsequent intensive consolidation therapies and found that the fluctuation of the MRD level during consolidation therapies was not a significant prognostic factor. Four patients in Group A underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) when in the CR state and did not experience relapse at a median follow-up period of 20.5 months after HSCT. Conclusions: MRD is critical for predicting de novo AML outcomes. Most MRD-positive patients cannot achieve MRD negativity with conventional chemotherapy. Thus, HSCT may be the primary therapeutic option for these patients.
Tissue-Specific Progenitor and Stem Cells The Infrapatellar Fat Pad as a Source of Perivascular StemCellsWith Increased Chondrogenic Potential for Regenerative Medicine

Perivascular stem cells (PSCs) are the natural ancestors ofmesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and are the stem cells responsible for homeostasis and repair in vivo. Prospectively identified and isolated PSCs have demonstrated increased plasticity and osteogenic potential. Cells from the infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) have demonstrated increased chondrogenic potential comparedwith those from subcutaneous fat. This research assessed the chondrogenic potential of IFP PSCs compared with MSCs from the IFP and bone marrow. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated the location of perivascular markers (CD146, CD34, neural/glial antigen 2 [NG2], platelet-derived growth factor receptor-b [PDGFRb], anda-smoothmuscle actin [a-SMA]) in relation toendothelialmarkers (CD31, CD144, vonWillebrand factor [vWF]). Pericytes and adventitial cells were isolated from the stromal vascular fraction (3.8% and 21.2%, respectively) using flow cytometrywith a viability of 88%. Themean numbers of pericytes and adventitial cells isolatedwere4.66 2.23 10 and 16.26 3.23 10, respectively, equating to 7.96 4.43 10 and 20.86 4.33 10 cells per gram of harvested tissue. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting demonstrated that cultured PSCs were CD44+CD90+CD105+; polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry demonstrated that pericytes retained their CD146+ phenotype and expressed the pericyte markers PDGFRb and NG2. Differentiation was confirmed using histochemical stains and genetic expression. Using a pellet model, the IFP PSCs and theMSCs generated significantly more extracellular matrix thanbonemarrowMSCs (p< .001andp= .011, respectively). The IFPPSCsgenerated significantly moreextracellularmatrix than IFPMSCs (p= .002). Micromassculturedemonstrated thatdifferentiated PSCswereupregulatedcomparedwithMSCs forCOL2A1,ACAN, andSOX9expressionby factorsof4.86 1.3, 4.360. 9, and7.06 1.7, respectively. The IFPwasa significantly better sourceof chondrogenic stem cells comparedwith bonemarrow. PSCs generated significantlymore extracellularmatrix than culturederived MSCs. STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE 2016;5:1–11
Zeta functions of 3-dimensional p-adic Lie algebras

We give an explicit formula for the subalgebra zeta function of a general 3-dimensional Lie algebra over the p-adic integers $\mathbb{Z}_p$. To this end, we associate to such a Lie algebra a ternary quadratic form over $\mathbb{Z}_p$. The formula for the zeta function is given in terms of Igusa's local zeta function associated to this form.
Saris and contemporary Indian womanhood: how middle-class women navigate the tradition/modernity split

Despite the major changes in urban middle-class Indian women’s clothing in the past 30 years, there are few accounts of women’s perspectives on their changing dress. This paper analyzes 31 semi-structured interviews with urban middle-class women in Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune to examine the changing meanings associated with saris in contemporary India. While the sari has entered the realm of global fashion and can thus be characterized as modern and sexy, the garment remains strongly associated with respect and maturity for women, particularly within their families, but also in public spaces and in the workplace. Women link their practices of sari wearing to modern aspirations by emphasizing saris as ‘modern’ fashionable attire, while simultaneously reinforcing the sari as a symbol of traditional, respectable married womanhood, thus exploiting the traditional meanings that the sari confers on them to their advantage. The emphasis on saris as simultaneously ‘modern’ and representative of Indian tradition indicates the cultural pressure placed on middle-class women to conform to dictates of traditional womanhood while also aligning themselves with modernity.
Scattering Analysis for Layered Cylindrical Object Perpendicularly Piercing the Wider Walls of a Rectangular Waveguide and Its Application to  ${\varepsilon _{r}}$ and  ${\mu _{r}}$ Measurement

This paper describes a novel analysis for the scattering problem of a layered cylindrical object that pierces a rectangular waveguide through a pair of holes made at the center of the wider walls. In this analysis, the S-parameters are rigorously formulated in terms of the modal scattering coefficients of the cylindrical object. Here, the modal scattering coefficients are expressed as solutions to a set of linear equations of infinite extent. The layered object is represented by the admittance function, which can readily be calculated for an arbitrary number of layers, using a recurrence formula. To show the applicability of the presented formulas, two types of dielectric samples (polytetrafluoroethylene and polyacetar) and a ferrite sample were measured, and reasonable values were obtained. In addition, the complex permittivity of water was determined by using a glass capillary tube as a liquid container, and an excellent agreement was shown with the value predicted by Debye's formula.
Idiosyncratic Risk Matters!

This paper takes a new look at the predictability of stock market returns with risk measures. We find a significant positive relation between average stock variance (largely idiosyncratic) and the return on the market. In contrast, the variance of the market has no forecasting power for the market return. These relations persist after we control for macroeconomic variables known to forecast the stock market. The evidence is consistent with models of time-varying risk premia based on background risk and investor heterogeneity. Alternatively, our findings can be justified by the option value of equity in the capital structure of the firms. Copyright 2003 by the American Finance Association.
Possible protection by inhaled budesonide against ischaemic cardiac events in mild COPD

Epidemiological studies have indicated that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be associated with an increased incidence of ischaemic cardiac events. The current authors performed a post hoc analysis of the European Respiratory Society’s study on Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (EUROSCOP); a 3-yr, placebo-controlled study of an inhaled corticosteroid budesonide 800 μg·day−1 in smokers (mean age 52 yrs) with mild COPD. The current study evaluates whether long-term budesonide treatment attenuates the incidence of ischaemic cardiac events, including angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, coronary artery disorder and myocardial ischaemia. Among the 1,175 patients evaluated for safety, 49 (4.2%) patients experienced 60 ischaemic cardiac events. Patients treated with budesonide had a significantly lower incidence of ischaemic cardiac events (18 out of 593; 3.0%) than those receiving placebo (31 out of 582; 5.3%). The results of the present study support the hypothesis that treatment with inhaled budesonide reduces ischaemic cardiac events in patients with mild chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Reduced Spine Density in Specific Regions of CA1 Pyramidal Neurons in Two Transgenic Mouse Models of Alzheimer's Disease

One major hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the massive loss of synapses that occurs at an early clinical stage of the disease. In this study, we characterize alterations in spine density and the expression of synapse-associated immediate early gene Arc (activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein) in the hippocampal CA1 regions of two different amyloid precursor protein (APP) transgenic mouse lines before plaque development and their connection to performance in hippocampus-dependent memory tests. The density of mushroom-type spines was reduced by 34% in the basal dendrites proximal to the soma of CA1 pyramidal neurons in 5.5-month-old Tg2576 mice, carrying the Swedish mutation, compared with wild-type littermates. A similar reduction of 42% was confirmed in the same region of 8-month-old APP/Lo mice, carrying the London mutation. In this strain, the reduction extended to the distal dendritic spines (28%), although no differences were found in apical dendrites in either transgenic mouse line. Both transgenic mice lines presented a significant increase in Arc protein expression in CA1 compared with controls, suggesting rather an overactivity and increased spine turnover that was supported by a significant decrease in number of somatostatin-immunopositive inhibitory interneurons in the stratum oriens of CA1. Behaviorally, the transgenic mice showed decrease freezing in the fear contextual conditioning test and impairment in spatial memory assessed by Morris water maze test. These data indicate that cognitive impairment in APP transgenic mice is correlated with impairment of synaptic connectivity in hippocampal CA1, probably attributable to loss of inhibitory interneurons and subsequent hyperactivity.
The mass of the black hole in Centaurus A from SINFONI AO-assisted integral-field observations of stellar kinematics

We present a determination of the mass of the supermassive black hole (BH) and the nuclear stellar orbital distribution of the elliptical galaxy Centaurus A (Cen A) (NGC 5128) using high-resolution integral-field observations of the stellar kinematics. The observations were obtained with SINFONI (Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observations in the Near Infrared) at the European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope in the near-infrared (IR) (K band), using adaptive optics (AO) to correct for the blurring effect of the Earth's atmosphere. The data have a spatial resolution of 0.17 arcsec full width at half-maximum and high signal-to-noise ratios (S/N) ≥ 80 per spectral pixel so that the shape of the stellar line-of-sight velocity distribution can be reliably extracted. We detect clear low-level stellar rotation, which is counter-rotating with respect to the gas. We fit axisymmetric three-integral dynamical models to the data to determine the best-fitting values for the BH mass M BH = (5.5 ± 3.0) x 10 7 M ⊙ (3σ errors) and (M/L) K = (0.65 ± 0.15) in solar units. These values are in excellent agreement with previous determinations from the gas kinematics, and in particular with our own published value, extracted from the same data. This provides one of the cleanest gas versus stars comparisons of M BH determination, due to the use of integral-field data for both dynamical tracers and due to a very well-resolved BH sphere of influence R BH ≈ 0.70 arcsec. We derive an accurate profile of the orbital anisotropy, and carefully test its reliability using spherical Jeans models with radially varying anisotropy. We find an increase in the tangential anisotropy close to the BH, but the spatial extent of this effect seems restricted to the size of R BH instead of that of R b ≈ 3.9 arcsec of the core in the surface brightness profile, contrary to detailed predictions of current simulations of the binary BH scouring mechanism. More realistic simulations would be required to draw conclusions from this observation.
A narrative exploration of identity in female adolescents with Type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is a chronic illness affecting approximately 200,000 children and adolescents in Canada (Canadian Diabetes Association, 2003). Throughout the school years, adolescents with diabetes go through a range of medical, emotional, educational, and familial challenges stemming from their experiences with diabetes (Kyngas, Hentinen, & Barlow, 1998). Research on identity formation in adolescents with diabetes, including youth voices, is limited. This research employed a narrative research design using auto-photography to explore narrative identity through female youth perspectives on self-descriptions and selfunderstanding. Content analysis and readings were conducted with interview transcripts. Analysis highlighted the complexity and multi-faceted nature of female adolescent identity. The salient aspects of across participant analysis included: (1) the importance of relationships, (2) diabetes as one aspect of self, (3) dislike of diabetes, (4) and the importance of knowing oneself (5) body awareness, (6) responsibility and strength. Implications for research, counselling, and health care practice were addressed.
SELF-ESTEEM RELATED PERSPECTIVES OF EFL LEARNERS REGARDING GENDER, AGE AND LANGUAGE LEVEL

In this study, an attempt has been made to investigate the perceptions of the EFL learners studying at the English Preparatory School of a university about self-esteem in relation to gender, language level and age. In order to explore the perceptions of the participants, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES) was employed. The participant learners were 40 EFL students. Of 40 participants 12 were female while 28 were male. The English language levels of the learners who took part in this study were pre-intermediate and intermediate levels. The ages of the participant EFL learners ranged between 18 and 30. A t-test was utilized to find out whether there were any significant differences in the perceptions of the male and female participants about self-esteem. Another t-test was carried out to explore if the perceptions of pre-intermediate and intermediate level learners differed regarding self-esteem. An ANOVA test was also administered to test whether there were any significant differences in the perceptions of the participants in different age categories in relation to their reported self-esteem scores. The findings of the study revealed that there were no significant differences in the reported perceptions of the participants about self-esteem in relation to gender, language level and age. Key words: Self-esteem, EFL, Language level, gender, age.
Appropriate growth policy: a unifying framework

In this lecture, we use Schumpeterian growth theory, where growth comes from quality-improving innovations, to elaborate a theory of growth policy and to explain the growth gap between Europe and the US. Our theoretical apparatus systematizes the case-by-case approach to growth policy design. The emphasis is on three policy areas that are potentially relevant for growth in Europe, namely: competition and entry, education, and macropolicy. We argue that higher entry and exit (higher firm turnover) and increased emphasis on higher education are more growth-enhancing in countries that are closer to the technological frontier. We also argue that countercyclical budgetary policies are more growth-enhancing in countries with lower financial development. The analysis thus points to important interaction effects between policies and state variables, such as distance to frontier or financial development, in growth regressions. Finally, we argue that the other endogenous growth models, namely the AK and product variety models, fail to account for the evidence on the relationship between competition, education, volatility, and growth, and consequently cannot deliver relevant policy prescriptions in the three areas we consider.
A proposed operational model of thermotolerance based on effects of nutrients and the initial treatment temperature.

The phenomenon of thermotolerance in mammalian cells has been extensively documented in the literature. Because of its potential clinical importance as well as the fundamental biological interest, we pursued additional studies investigating pH and nutritional effects. Split-dose experiments were performed using plateau phase Chinese hamster HA-1 cells. The effects of the nutritional environment during the initial 43 degrees incubation and the second 43 degree treatment on the induction of thermotolerance were studied by comparing survival in full medium at pH 7.4 or in Hanks' balanced salt solution at pH 6.7. In additional experiments, we examined the effect on thermotolerance of changing the temperature of the initial treatment to 41 degrees. Thermotolerance was induced independently of the nutrient conditions of the first treatment. However, survival at the time of maximum expression of thermotolerance depended primarily on the duration and temperature of the initial treatment. Temperatures of 43 degrees or higher inhibited the development of thermotolerance during the first heat exposure. In contrast, if the initial exposure was at 41 degrees, thermotolerance was almost fully expressed by the end of this initial treatment. Changing pH in Hanks' balanced salt solution from 6.7 to 7.4 did not affect survival. On the basis of these and other data, we suggest that thermotolerance can be divided into three complementary and sometimes competing processes: an initial event ("trigger"); the expression of resistance ("development"); and its disappearance ("decay"). Trigger is induced at all hyperthermic temperatures while development requires a permissive temperature, i.e., less than 43 degrees for HA-1 cells. This model can provide plausible interpretations of several currently puzzling aspects of the survival kinetics of heat-exposed mammalian cells.