Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation of Pelvic Parameters with Isthmic Spondylolisthesis

Study Design A retrospective radiological evaluation. Purpose To verify that PI is related with progression of IS as well as development of IS and to assess the differences of pelvic parameters between the L4 & L5 IS, as well as between single & two level IS. Overview of Literature High pelvic incidence (PI) has been known to be related with development of IS. However, the previous studies were limited to just L5 spondylolisthesis or there was no differentiation between L4 & L5 spondylolisthesis Methods Sixty five IS patients and 30 persons as a control group participated the study. Among the 65 patients, 30 had L4 IS, 30 had L5 IS and 5 had bi-level IS. We used the whole spine lateral radiographs to measure the slip percentage, the pelvic tilt (PT) and the pelvic incidence (PI), and we compared them between the normal control group and the IS patients, as well as between single-level and bi-level spondylolisthesis, and we investigated the correlation between the degree of slip of spondylolisthesis and the pelvic parameters. Results The averages of the PT, PI and lumbar lordosis (LL) in the control group and the IS group were 11.0° vs 21.4° (p<0.001), 49.1° vs 61.8° (p<0.001) and 48.5° vs 57.6° (p<0.001), respectively. On comparison between the L4 and L5 IS groups, there was no difference in all the pelvic parameters (p>0.05). On comparison between the single-level IS group and the bilevel IS group, there was a significant difference of the PT and PI (p<0.05), and the slip percentage had a correlation with only the PI among all the pelvic parameters (Spearman's r=0.293, p=0.023). There was a significant correlation of the degree of slip with the PI for the L5 single level IS, but not with the L4 single level IS (r=0.362, p=0.05). Conclusions The high pelvic incidence can be a factor of L4 & L5 spondylolysis and it may have an influence on the slip progression in patients with L5 isthmic spondylolisthesis, but not on the slip progression in patients with L4 IS. Yet other factors seem to have an influence on the slip progression in patients with L4 isthmic spondylolisthesis.
Histamine‐1 receptor is not required as a downstream effector of orexin‐2 receptor in maintenance of basal sleep/wake states

Aim: The effect of orexin on wakefulness has been suggested to be largely mediated by activation of histaminergic neurones in the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) via orexin receptor‐2 (OX2R). However, orexin receptors in other regions of the brain might also play important roles in maintenance of wakefulness. To dissect the role of the histaminergic system as a downstream mediator of the orexin system in the regulation of sleep/wake states without compensation by the orexin receptor‐1 (OX1R) mediated pathways, we analysed the phenotype of Histamine‐1 receptor (H1R) and OX1R double‐deficient (H1R−/−;OX1R−/−) mice. These mice lack OX1R‐mediated pathways in addition to deficiency of H1R, which is thought to be the most important system in downstream of OX2R.
Gephyrin accumulates at specific plasmalemma loci during neuronal maturation in vitro

The distribution of glycine receptor (GlyR)‐associated gephyrin has been investigated in rat spinal cord neurons maintained in vitro by means of immunocytochemical techniques. Gephyrin, which is crucial for the stabilization of postsynaptic GlyR microdomains, is present in mature neurons at postsynaptic differentiations.
A case-control study of the etiology of Ewing's sarcoma.

An interview case-control study was undertaken to search for risk factors for Ewing's sarcoma. The 208 cases, aged 5 months to 22 years at diagnosis and all white but one, were identified from hospitals participating in the Intergroup Ewing's Sarcoma Study therapeutic trials. Two controls were sought for each case: a sibling control and an age-matched regional population control identified through random-digit dialing telephone procedures. A questionnaire was administered to the parents of cases and controls. Parents were more likely to have smoked during the pregnancy with the case than during the pregnancy with the unaffected sibling. Risks rose with the number of cigarettes the mother smoked per day during the pregnancy. Concepti exposed to less than 1 pack/day were at 3.2 times the risk, and those exposed to 1 pack or more were at 6.7 times the risk of the nonexposed. However, risks associated with smoking were lower and not statistically significant in analyses using the region-matched controls. Hernias, mostly umbilical and inguinal, were diagnosed six times more frequently among the cases compared to region-matched controls. However, hernias occurred in just 10% of cases, and the matched siblings had hernias diagnosed with the same frequency as the cases. An apparent excess of heart disorders among cases versus siblings seems likely to be an artifact of increased medical surveillance of cases. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Cognitive reserve is associated with the functional organization of the brain in healthy aging: a MEG study

The proportion of elderly people in the population has increased rapidly in the last century and consequently “healthy aging” is expected to become a critical area of research in neuroscience. Evidence reveals how healthy aging depends on three main behavioral factors: social lifestyle, cognitive activity, and physical activity. In this study, we focused on the role of cognitive activity, concentrating specifically on educational and occupational attainment factors, which were considered two of the main pillars of cognitive reserve (CR). Twenty-one subjects with similar rates of social lifestyle, physical and cognitive activity were selected from a sample of 55 healthy adults. These subjects were divided into two groups according to their level of CR; one group comprised subjects with high CR (9 members) and the other one contained those with low CR (12 members). To evaluate the cortical brain connectivity network, all participants were recorded by Magnetoencephalography (MEG) while they performed a memory task (modified version of the Sternberg's Task). We then applied two algorithms [Phase Locking Value (PLV) and Phase Lag Index (PLI)] to study the dynamics of functional connectivity. In response to the same task, the subjects with lower CR presented higher functional connectivity than those with higher CR. These results may indicate that participants with low CR needed a greater “effort” than those with high CR to achieve the same level of cognitive performance. Therefore, we conclude that CR contributes to the modulation of the functional connectivity patterns of the aging brain.
Evolving Cluster Mixed-Membership Blockmodel for Time-Evolving Networks

Time-evolving networks are a natural representation for dynamic social and biological interactions. While latent space models are gaining pop-ularity in network modeling and analysis, previous works mostly ignore networks with temporal behavior and multi-modal actor roles. Furthermore, prior knowledge, such as division and grouping of social actors or biological speciﬁcity of molecular functions, has not been systemati-cally exploited in network modeling. In this paper, we develop a network model featuring a state space mixture prior that tracks complex actor latent role changes through time. We provide a fast variational inference algorithm for learning our model, and validate it with simulations and held-out likelihood comparisons on real-world time-evolving networks. Finally, we demonstrate our model’s utility as a network analysis tool, by applying it to United States Congress voting data.
A novel narrow mist spray device using surface acoustic wave with a channel

This paper presents a novel device which can atomize a droplet into narrow mist spray using surface acoustic wave (SAW). A channel was cut into piezoelectric substrate between two IDT electrodes which drives SAWs in opposing directions. Then, SAW streaming in opposing directions are isolated in both sides of the channel, which converged atomized mist into narrow mist spray, whose width is nearly 1/4 compared with that of no-channel device.
A Comprehensive Review of Research in IT Adoption

Technology adoption has been an important research topic in information systems (IS) field. Many theories were developed and tested since 1980s. Tremendous efforts have been made to modify, integrate, and extend these theories to explore IT adoption issues in various contexts. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the current state of IT adoption research. The paper presents results of analysis based on review of 211 IT adoption research papers published in leading IS journals and conference proceedings between 2000 and 2006 from five perspectives, namely, theoretical foundation, research level, research method, IT/IS type and dependent variable. The characteristics and emerging trends of IT adoption research were identified.
Multi-view Response Selection for Human-Computer Conversation

In this paper, we study the task of response selection for multi-turn human-computer conversation. Previous approaches take word as a unit and view context and response as sequences of words. This kind of approaches do not explicitly take each utterance as a unit, therefore it is difﬁcult to catch utterance-level discourse information and dependencies. In this paper, we propose a multi-view response selection model that integrates information from two different views, i.e., word sequence view and utterance sequence view. We jointly model the two views via deep neural networks. Experimental results on a public corpus for context-sensitive response selection demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed multi-view model, which signiﬁcantly outperforms other single-view baselines.
A health services framework of spiritual care.

AIMS To introduce a health services framework of spiritual care that addresses the empirical and applied issues surrounding spirituality and nursing practice. BACKGROUND Despite over 20 years of study, the concept of spirituality is still under development, which limits application to nursing practice. METHODS Three studies using a health services framework are reviewed: (1) a survey study of dying patients and family that describes the providers, types and outcomes of spiritual care; (2) an exploratory study of the process of spiritual care; and (3) a multi-level study of the structure and outcomes of spiritual care in long-term care facilities. RESULTS Spiritual care recipients identify family or friends (41%), clergy (17%) and health care providers (29%) as spiritual care providers. The most frequently reported type of spiritual care was help in coping with illness (87%). Just over half (55%) were satisfied with the care that they received. The processes of spiritual care involved: (1) presence, (2) opening eyes, and; (3) co-creating, which was a mutual and fluid activity between patients, family members and care providers. In long term care facilities, decedents who received spiritual care were perceived as receiving better overall care in the last month of life, when compared with those decedents who did not receive spiritual care. CONCLUSIONS A health services framework provides a holistic view of spiritual care, one that is consistent with integrated nursing models. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT By focusing on the structure, process and outcome elements of spiritual care within organisational settings, nursing management can develop feasible approaches to implement, improve and evaluate the delivery of this unique type of care.
On the capacity of k-MPR wireless networks using multi-channel multi-interface

Multi-packet reception (MPR) offers increased number of concurrent transmissions, which improves the capacity of wireless ad hoc networks. By equipping each node with multiple wireless interface, the transmissions can be separated into different channels and the throughput can be increased. Combining these two technologies, this work studies the capacity of wireless networks wherein each node is equipped with multiple interfaces and each interface can decode at most k concurrent transmissions within its receiving range.
The activation of OsEIL1 on YUC8 transcription and auxin biosynthesis is required for ethylene-inhibited root elongation in rice early seedling development

Rice is an important monocotyledonous crop worldwide; it differs from the dicotyledonous plant Arabidopsis in many aspects. In Arabidopsis, ethylene and auxin act synergistically to regulate root growth and development. However, their interaction in rice is still unclear. Here, we report that the transcriptional activation of OsEIL1 on the expression of YUC8/REIN7 and indole-3-pyruvic acid (IPA)-dependent auxin biosynthesis is required for ethylene-inhibited root elongation. Using an inhibitor of YUC activity, which regulates auxin biosynthesis via the conversion of IPA to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), we showed that ethylene-inhibited primary root elongation is dependent on YUC-based auxin biosynthesis. By screening phenotypes of seedling primary root from mutagenesis libraries following ethylene treatment, we identified a rice ethylene-insensitive mutant, rein7-1, in which YUC8/REIN7 is truncated at its C-terminus. Mutation in YUC8/REIN7 reduced auxin biosynthesis in rice, while YUC8/REIN7 overexpression enhanced ethylene sensitivity in the roots. Moreover, YUC8/REIN7 catalyzed the conversion of IPA to IAA, truncated version at C-terminal end of the YUC8/REIN7 resulted in significant reduction of enzymatic activity, indicating that YUC8/REIN7 is required for IPA-dependent auxin biosynthesis and ethylene-inhibited root elongation in rice early seedlings. Further investigations indicated that ethylene induced YUC8/REIN7 expression and promoted auxin accumulation in roots. Addition of low concentrations of IAA rescued the ethylene response in the rein7-1, strongly demonstrating that ethylene-inhibited root elongation depends on IPA-dependent auxin biosynthesis. Genetic studies revealed that YUC8/REIN7-mediated auxin biosynthesis functioned downstream of OsEIL1, which directly activated the expression of YUC8/REIN7. Thus, our findings reveal a model of interaction between ethylene and auxin in rice seedling primary root elongation, enhancing our understanding of ethylene signaling in rice.
2 V-operated InGaP-AlGaAs-InGaAs enhancement-mode pseudomorphic HEMT

A low-voltage single power supply enhancement-mode InGaP-AlGaAs-InGaAs pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor (PHEMT) is reported for the first time. The fabricated 0.5/spl times/160 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ device shows low knee voltage of 0.3 V, drain-source current (I/sub DS/) of 375 mA/mm and maximum transconductance of 550 mS/mm when drain-source voltage (V/sub DS/) was 2.5 V. High-frequency performance was also achieved; the cut-off frequency(F/sub t/) is 60 GHz and maximum oscillation frequency(F/sub max/) is 128 GHz. The noise figure of the 160-/spl mu/m gate width device at 17 GHz was measured to be 1.02 dB with 10.12 dB associated gain. The E-mode InGaP-AlGaAs-InGaAs PHEMT exhibits a high output power density of 453 mW/mm with a high linear gain of 30.5 dB at 2.4 GHz. The E-mode PHEMT can also achieve a high maximum power added efficiency (PAE) of 70%, when tuned for maximum PAE.
An Effective Mechanism for Improving Performance of TCP over LEO/MEO Satellite IP Networks

TCP protocol is widely used in terrestrial Internet, but the terrestrial TCP protocol satellite cannot be directly applied to satellite network with high-transmission delay and high bit error rate. The congestion control is the most core mechanism of TCP protocol, and has direct impact on the overall performance of transmission. The improved scheme of existing TCP control mechanisms such as TCP-Vegas, TCP-Peach and TCP-westwood have improved congestion control mechanisms and error control mechanism of TCP from different angles in order to make it adapt to satellite link's characteristics like signal attenuation and high bit error rate. However, there exist some gaps between these strategies in the multimedia service transmission and user’s needs. Based on LEO / MEO network structure, aiming at the issues in transmission such as the slow growth of the congestion window, the low utilization of bandwidth and constrained throughout, this paper put forward an improved algorithm TCPQ (TCP QoS) of transmission on the basis of multi-indicators guarantee. TCPQ includes three parts: accelerated start algorithm, nonlinear congestion avoidance algorithm, and adaptive threshold error-identification algorithm. Analysis and simulation experiments show that TCPQ algorithm can make full use of link resource and have a better performance in terms of throughout, transmission efficiency, etc.
Vaccination strategies to improve outcome of hematopoietic stem cell transplant in leukemia patients: early evidence and future prospects

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) has largely improved the prognosis of leukemia patients. However, relapse is still a major concern. One promising option for the prevention of relapse is vaccination therapy. The post allogeneic HSCT period provides a unique platform for vaccination, because tumor burden is minimal, lymphopenic condition allows for rapid expansion of cytotoxic T cells (CTLs), donor-derived CTLs are not exhausted and inflammatory condition is caused by allo reactions. Tumor cells, dendritic cells and peptides have been used as vaccines targeting leukemia-associated antigens or minor histocompatibility antigens. Clinical trials with several types of vaccines for post-HSCT patients showed that the vaccination induced immunological response and might benefit patients with minimal residual disease, while their effect in patients with advanced disease were limited. To enhance the effect, vaccination in combination with other immune-modulatory drugs such as checkpoint antibodies is now being considered.
Basic aspects of the treatment for hepatitis C: mechanisms of action of interferon alpha and ribavirin and the bases of individualization

The treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C hasdeveloped considerably in recent years. However, it is stillbased on the use of interferon alpha (IFN-α) as an antiviraland immunomodulatory agent against the hepatitis C virus(HCV). The IFNs are a family of proteins that are naturallyproduced by the cells of the immune system. The IFN-a proteinpresents antiviral, antiproliferative and immunomodulatoryactivity [1-3]. Its mechanism of biological action occursthrough the activation of specific genes, influencing cellgrowth and division, as well as modulating some immunesystem activities. Therefore, IFNs have an indirect antiviraleffect on HCV [2,4]. Commercially, IFN- α is produced by means of recombinantDNA techniques and is available in preparations of two distinctsubtypes (IFN-α 2a or IFN-α 2b), which can be combinedwith other molecules, such as polyethylene glycolor, morerecently, albumin [5,6]. The only difference between IFN- α 2aand IFN- α 2b is in the amino acid present at position 23 of theprotein: IFN- α 2a has a lysine at that position, whereas IFN- α2b has an arginine [7]. After the binding with its specific receptor (IFNAR) onthe surface of the target cells, IFN- α activates an intracellularsignaling cascade, which takes the induction of IFN-stimulatedgenes (ISGs), establishing a non-virus-specific antiviral stateinside the cell [3,7]. The principal signaling mechanism usedby IFN- α is the so-called Janus kinase/signal transducers andactivators of transcription (Jak/STAT) pathway [3]. Therefore,two cytoplasmatic proteins with the activity of tyrosine kinaseassociated with IFNAR, activated Jak1 and tyrosine kinase 2(Tyk2), are activated by the dimerization of the receptors.Activated Jak1 and Tyk2 perform the phosphorylation ofSTAT1 and STAT2, respectively. The phosphorylated STAT1and STAT2 bond with the protein p48 forming IFN-stimulatedgene factor 3 (ISGF3), which translocates into the nucleusand bonds with IFN-stimulated regulatory element in thesequences which promote a variety of genes inducible byIFN-α including antiviral proteins such as 2’5’-oligoadenylatesynthetase (2’5’OAS), protein kinase RNA, and Mx protein[1,3,7,8]. The absorption of IFN-α (2a or 2b) is high (above 80%)when administrated intramuscularly or subcutaneously. Theconcentration typically peaks at 3-12 h after administration [9]. The metabolism and elimination of IFN- α occurs principallyvia the kidneys, with a half-life of 3-8 h [9].
An Empirical Examination of the Effects of Web Personalization at Different Stages of Decision Making

Personalization agents are incorporated in many Web sites to tailor content and interfaces for individual users. In contrast to the proliferation of personalized Web services worldwide, empirical research on the effects of Web personalization is scant. How does exposure to personalized offers affect subsequent product consideration and choice outcome? Drawing on literature in human-computer interaction (HCI) and user behavior, this research examines the effect of three major elements of Web personalization strategies on users' information processing through different decision-making stages: personalized content quality, feature overlapping among alternatives, and personalized message framing. These elements can be manipulated by a firm during implemention of its personalization strategy. A study using a personalized ringtone download Web site was conducted. The findings provide empirical evidence of the effects of Web personalization. In particular, when users are forming their consideration sets, the agents can play a role in helping users discover new products or generate demand for unfamiliar products. Once a decision has been made, however, the personalization agent's persuasive effects diminish. These results establish that the role of personalization agents changes at different stages of users' decision-making process.
Isopropyl Alcohol Compared with Isopropyl Alcohol plus Povidone-Iodine as Skin Preparation for Prevention of Blood Culture Contamination

ABSTRACT Despite a number of studies on the efficacies of antiseptics for the prevention of blood culture contamination, it still remains unclear which antiseptic should be used. Although the combination of povidone-iodine and isopropyl alcohol has been traditionally used in many institutions, the application of povidone-iodine needs extra time, and there is little evidence that this combination could have an additive effect in reducing contamination rates. To elucidate the additive efficacy of povidone-iodine, we compared two antiseptics, 70% isopropyl alcohol only and 70% isopropyl alcohol plus povidone-iodine, in a prospective, nonrandomized, and partially blinded study in a community hospital in Japan between 1 October 2007 and 21 March 2008. All blood samples for culture were drawn by first-year residents who received formal training on collection techniques. Skin antisepsis was performed with 70% isopropyl alcohol plus povidone-iodine on all inpatient wards and with only 70% isopropyl alcohol in the emergency department. For the group of specimens from inpatient wards cultured, 13 (0.46%) of 2,797 cultures were considered contaminated. For the group of specimens from the emergency department cultured, 12 (0.42%) of 2,856 cultures were considered contaminated. There was no significant difference in the contamination rates between the two groups (relative risk, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.41 to 1.98; P = 0.80). In conclusion, the use of a single application of 70% isopropyl alcohol is a sufficient and a more cost- and time-effective method of obtaining blood samples for culture than the use of a combination of isopropyl alcohol and povidone-iodine. The extremely low contamination rates in both groups suggest that the type of antiseptic used may not be as important as the use of proper technique.