Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of Cervical Resting Posture among Apparently Healthy Individuals Using an Adapted Linear Excursion Measurement Device

Background: The relationship between all the segments of the human body is an indicator of biomechanical efficacy, equilibrium, and neuromuscular coordination. The unique anatomical characteristics and complex biomechanical nature of the cervical spine gives it a wide range of mobility but less stability; thus poor cervical posture has been shown to be a risk factor for neck pain. Objective: The study aimed at investigating the cervical resting posture and its relationship with age, gender, and height; with a view of ascertaining possibility of disposition to developing neck pain. Method: The study adopted an ex-post facto design in which 522 individuals (235 males, 287 females) consenting apparently healthy undergraduates were randomly selected. Cervical excursion angle was measured using an adapted Linear Excursion Measuring Device (LEMD). Data was summarized using descriptive statistics of mean, standard deviation and percentages and analyzed using independent t-test and Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Co-efficient at the < 0.05 level of significance. Results: Significant gender difference existed at only the excursion angles of the upper cervical spine (p=0.007). Height, sex and age showed positive significant correlation with the degree of movement at the upper and lower cervical spine (p=0.05 in all cases), while age significantly correlated with only excursion at the lower cervical spine (p=0.039). Combinations of extremely small and/or extremely large excursion angles were found at the upper and lower cervical spine of 61 (11.69%) individuals. Also, 59% had at least one of their excursion angles at either of the two extremes. Conclusion: Although most of the participants did not exhibit poor cervical posture, the finding of extreme small and/or large excursion angles may suggest the possibility of future cervical postural problems. Thus, it would still be of importance that greater awareness of proper ergonomics be taught among this group.
Hush Money

We provide a simple incomplete-information model wherein an initially uninformed plaintiff makes a menu of settlement demands (one of which involves confidentiality) of the informed defendant. The defendant is informed about both his culpability in the harm suffered by the current plaintiff and the existence of other plaintiffs. The possibility that there are other plaintiffs the defendant might face improves the current plaintiff's bargaining position, as the likelihood of follow-on suits depends upon the visibility of the outcome of the case. For this reason, the defendant may be willing to be "hush money. "
Institutional Quality, Culture, and Norms of Cooperation: Evidence from Behavioral Field Experiments

We examine the causal effect of legal institutional quality on informal norms of cooperation and study the interaction of institutions and culture in sustaining economic exchange. A total of 346 subjects in Italy and Kosovo played a market game under different and randomly allocated institutional treatments, which generated different incentives to behave honestly, preceded and followed by a noncontractible and nonenforceable trust game. Significant increases in individual trust and trustworthiness followed exposure to better institutions. A 1-percentage-point reduction in the probability of facing a dishonest partner in the market game, which is induced by the quality of legal institutions, increases trust by 7–11 percent and trustworthiness by 13–19 percent. This suggests that moral norms of cooperative behavior can follow improvements in formal institutional quality. Cultural origin, initial trust, and trustworthiness influence opportunistic behavior in markets, but only in the absence of strong formal institutions.
Prognostic value of CtIP/RBBP8 expression in breast cancer

CtIP/RBBP8 is a multifunctional protein involved in transcription, DNA replication, DNA repair by homologous recombination and the G1 and G2 checkpoints. Its multiple roles are controlled by its interaction with several specific factors, including the tumor suppressor proteins BRCA1 and retinoblastoma. Both its functions and interactors point to a putative oncogenic potential of CtIP/RBBP8 loss. However, CtIP/RBBP8 relevance in breast tumor appearance, development, and prognosis has yet to be established. We performed a retrospective analysis of CtIP/RBBP8 and RB1 levels by immunohistochemistry using 384 paraffin‐embedded breast cancer biopsies obtained during tumor removal surgery. We have observed that low or no expression of CtIP/RBBP8 correlates with high‐grade breast cancer and with nodal metastasis. Reduction on CtIP/RBBP8 is most common in hormone receptor (HR)‐negative, HER2‐positive, and basal‐like tumors. We observed lower levels of RB1 on those tumors with reduced CtIP/RBBP8 levels. On luminal tumors, decreased but not absence of CtIP/RBBP8 levels correlate with increased disease‐free survival when treated with a combination of hormone, radio, and chemo therapies.
“Bury Don’t Discuss”: The Help-Seeking Behaviour of Family Members Affected by Substance-use Disorders

ABSTRACT The impact of substance-use disorders on families is well documented in the literature, with families experiencing physical, emotional and psychological stress. Also documented is the perceived stigma experienced by those living alongside family members with substance-use disorders. This paper focuses on the help-seeking behaviour of those affected by substance use within their families, exploring the ways in which informal, semi-formal and formal supports are drawn on. The prohibitive factors and barriers influencing decision making by families in need is also discussed. Through a qualitative research approach this study collates the perspectives of a cohort of family members in Ireland, with a view to informing and enhancing the design and delivery of support services. While participants positively endorsed most forms of formal support, services were sought and accessed in an ad-hoc fashion, with a range of psychological, geographical and emotional barriers presenting. The availability of services and the stigma associated with having family members affected by substance-use disorders are also highlighted. The paper provides opportunities and recommendations for potential ways of overcoming such barriers in order to access Family Support at an earlier stage.
How citizens (could) turn into an informed public: Explaining citizens’ attentiveness for European parliamentary elections

Abstract Being attentive to European Parliamentary (EP) elections is a decisive prerequisite in becoming more knowledgeable about EU affairs as well as eventually participating in EU politics. Even though attentiveness to politics is a common way of acquiring political information en passant, empirical studies in this realm are scarce. By systematically integrating content analysis data (N = 6432 news stories) with a three-wave panel survey (N = 1497), this study examines the explanatory factors for citizens’ attentiveness to the 2014 EP election. OLS regression models demonstrate that turnout intention and political activity predict citizens’ attentiveness to the election. Media consumption of EU news marginally drives attention to the election.
Pairwise Permutation Coding Neural Classifier

In this paper we propose pairwise permutation coding neural classifier (Pairwise PCNC). This classifier develops the idea of the permutation coding neural classifier (PCNC), a multipurpose image recognition system based on random local descriptors (RLD). Previous tests of PCNC demonstrated good results in different image recognition tasks including: handwritten digit recognition, face recognition, and micro work piece shape recognition. Main advantage of the pairwise PCNC is its ability to deal with large displacements of the object in the image due to utilization of pairs of RLDs instead of individual RLDs. Pairwise PCNC was tested on the MNIST database and comparative results suggest the potential of the proposed approach.
Crystallographic Characteristics of Grain Boundaries in Dense Yttria‐Stabilized Zirconia

Grain-boundary plane, misorientation angle, grain size, and grain-boundary energy distributions were quantified using electron backscatter diffraction data for dense polycrystalline yttria-stabilized zirconia, to understand interfacial crystallography in solid oxide fuel cells. Tape-cast samples were sintered at 1450°C for 4 h and annealed for at least 100 h between 800°C and 1650°C. Distributions obtained from both three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions and stereological analyses of 2D sections demonstrated that the (100) boundary planes {(111)} have relative areas larger {smaller} than expected in a random distribution, and that the boundary plane distribution is inversely correlated to the boundary energy distribution.
Review of Agile Software Development Methodologies

— Looking at the software engineering principles from a historical perspective, we can see how the software processing methodologies evolved since past 50 years, but probably the most discernible exchange to software business in recent years has been the introduction of evince "Agile”. As numerous areas have overblown, there is a requirement to realize the components and narration, as easily as how the agile methodologies are diverse from the traditional one. Nimble practices to develop software projects are rattling hot and are advantageously glorious today. Methods like SCRUM, Extreme programming (XP), Feature driven Development (FDD), Adaptive software development (ASD) etc are increasingly being used to develop software using an adaptation approach rather than a predictive one. But, there is a scarcity of the resources which describe on how these resources can be integrated with the agile methodologies. This paper basically reviews different agile methodologies, how they are divergent from the conventional process methods, the pros and cons of applying agile processes to the research projects, and what are the difficulties faced during enforcement of agile methodology in the project.
Effectiveness of Problem-Focused Coping Strategies on the Burden on Caregivers of Hemodialysis Patients

Background Studies have shown that family caregivers of hemodialysis patients experience high levels of burden. However, these caregivers are often neglected, and no studies are available on the effectiveness of coping strategies on the burden of care among these caregivers. Objectives This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of problem-focused coping strategies (communication skills, anger management, and deep breathing) on the burden on caregivers of hemodialysis patients. Patients and Methods A randomized controlled clinical trial was conducted on 76 family caregivers of hemodialysis patients referred to Shahid Hasheminejad hemodialysis center in Tehran, Iran. The subjects were equally allocated into two groups of 38. Through a coin-tossing method, caregivers of patients who referred on even or odd days of the week were randomly assigned into the intervention group or the control group, respectively. The intervention group received four training sessions on problem-focused coping strategies, but the control group did not receive any intervention. Both groups answered the caregiver’s burnout inventory at the start and six weeks after the last educational session. Descriptive statistics, chi-square, Fisher’s exact test, independent-samples t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test were used to analyze the data. Results The majority of caregivers (54%) were in the age range of 35 - 55 years, female (68.4%), and married (70%). No significant difference was found between the baseline mean caregivers’ burden scores of the intervention and control groups (88.56 ± 11.74 vs. 84.97 ± 15.13, P = 0.308). However, the mean caregivers’ burden in the intervention group decreased, and the two groups were significantly different at the end of the study (58.77 ± 6.64 vs. 87.84 ± 11.74, P < 0.001). Conclusions The current study showed the effectiveness of problem-focused coping strategies on reducing the burden on caregivers of hemodialysis patients. Authorities and policymakers in the healthcare system are responsible for developing strategies to integrate educational programs, such as the program implemented in the current study, into the country’s healthcare system.
Emotional Reactivity and Mortality: Longitudinal Findings From the VA Normative Aging Study.

OBJECTIVES Evidence suggests a predictive association between emotion and mortality risk. However, no study has examined dynamic aspects of emotion in relation to mortality. This study used an index of emotional reactivity, defined as changes in positive or negative affect in response to daily stressors, to predict 10-year survival. METHODS An 8-day daily diary study was conducted in 2002 on 181 men aged 58-88. Multilevel models were employed to estimate emotional reactivity coefficients, which were subsequently entered into a Cox proportional hazards model to predict mortality. RESULTS Results indicated that positive emotional reactivity, that is, greater decreases in positive affect in response to daily stressors, increased mortality risk. Negative emotional reactivity did not predict mortality. DISCUSSION Findings highlight the potential importance of dynamic aspects of positive affect in prediction of physical health outcomes such as mortality.
Kinetic modeling of cellulosic biomass to ethanol via simultaneous saccharification and fermentation: Part I. Accommodation of intermittent feeding and analysis of staged reactors

The model of South et al. [South et al. (1995) Enzyme Microb Technol 17(9): 797–803] for simultaneous saccharification of fermentation of cellulosic biomass is extended and modified to accommodate intermittent feeding of substrate and enzyme, cascade reactor configurations, and to be more computationally efficient. A dynamic enzyme adsorption model is found to be much more computationally efficient than the equilibrium model used previously, thus increasing the feasibility of incorporating the kinetic model in a computational fluid dynamic framework in the future. For continuous or discretely fed reactors, it is necessary to use particle conversion in conversion‐dependent hydrolysis rate laws rather than reactor conversion. Whereas reactor conversion decreases due to both reaction and exit of particles from the reactor, particle conversion decreases due to reaction only. Using the modified models, it is predicted that cellulose conversion increases with decreasing feeding frequency (feedings per residence time, f). A computationally efficient strategy for modeling cascade reactors involving a modified rate constant is shown to give equivalent results relative to an exhaustive approach considering the distribution of particles in each successive fermenter. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2009;102: 59–65. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A systematic review to evaluate the accuracy of electronic adverse drug event detection

OBJECTIVE Adverse drug events (ADEs), defined as adverse patient outcomes caused by medications, are common and difficult to detect. Electronic detection of ADEs is a promising method to identify ADEs. We performed this systematic review to characterize established electronic detection systems and their accuracy. METHODS We identified studies evaluating electronic ADE detection from the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. We included studies if they contained original data and involved detection of electronic triggers using information systems. We abstracted data regarding rule characteristics including type, accuracy, and rationale. RESULTS Forty-eight studies met our inclusion criteria. Twenty-four (50%) studies reported rule accuracy but only 9 (18.8%) utilized a proper gold standard (chart review in all patients). Rule accuracy was variable and often poor (range of sensitivity: 40%-94%; specificity: 1.4%-89.8%; positive predictive value: 0.9%-64%). 5 (10.4%) studies derived or used detection rules that were defined by clinical need or the underlying ADE prevalence. Detection rules in 8 (16.7%) studies detected specific types of ADEs. CONCLUSION Several factors led to inaccurate ADE detection algorithms, including immature underlying information systems, non-standard event definitions, and variable methods for detection rule validation. Few ADE detection algorithms considered clinical priorities. To enhance the utility of electronic detection systems, there is a need to systematically address these factors.
SafeProtect: Controlled Data Sharing With User-Defined Policies in Cloud-Based Collaborative Environment

There are many cloud-based applications consumed by users, which encourage data sharing with not only peers, but also new friends and collaborators. Data are increasingly being stored outside the confines of the data owner's machine with little knowledge to the data owner, how and where the data are being stored and used. Hence, there is a strong need for the data owner to have a stronger control over their data, similar to the level of control they possess when the data are stored on their own machine. For instance, when a data owner shares a secret file with a friend, he cannot guarantee what his friend will do with the data. In this paper, we attempt to address this problem by monitoring and preventing unauthorized operations by the data consumer. We present a solution called SafeProtect, which bundles the data owner's data and policy, based on XACML, in an object. SafeProtect enforces the policies set out by the data owner by communicating with the SaaS applications to disable certain commands and/or run a background process monitor for auditability/accountability purposes. We define a protocol that will enable secure data sharing in the cloud and leverage the use of the trusted extension device for authentication purposes.
Analyzing Exercise Behaviors during the College Years: Results from Latent Growth Curve Analysis

The objective of this study is to analyze changes in the predictors of physical activity behavior among college students. The Theory of Planned Behavior served as its theoretical framework. Methods: Among an initial sample of 417 college students, 195 participants completed a validated questionnaire measuring attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, intentions and self-reported physical activity, at the beginning and end of each of 3 college semesters. Latent growth curve modeling analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between the trajectories of changes in PA, intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control. Results: Good fit indices supported the validity of the proposed longitudinal model (CFI > .97, RMSEA < .05). Changes in perceived control (γ = 0.57) were significantly linked with changes in intentions (p < .05). Perceived control (γ = 0.28) and intention growth (γ = 0.36) predicted behavior changes (p < .05). No gender differences were observed on attitudes, subjective norms and perceived control (p > .10). However, girls tend to have higher growth parameters on intentions and physical activity (p < .05). In summary, intentions and physical activity has significantly increased over 3 college semesters (growth parameters significant at p < .05). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that attitudes and perceived control are key determinants regarding the intentions of being active. On a longer term perspective, future physical activity interventions should focus on the enhancement of students’ perceived control. Such educational context should help in promoting the adoption of an active lifestyle during college.
Do Type Ia Supernovae Provide Direct Evidence for Past Deceleration of the Universe?

Observations of SN 1997ff at z ~ 1.7 favor the accelerating universe interpretation and provide some direct evidence that the universe was once decelerating. We show that the strength of this conclusion depends upon the nature of the dark energy causing the present acceleration. Only for a cosmological constant is the SNe evidence definitive. Using a new test which is independent of the contents of the universe, we show that the SN data favor recent acceleration (z < 0.5) and past deceleration (z > 0.5).
Provided for Non-commercial Research and Educational Use Only. Not for Reproduction, Distribution or Commercial Use. Decorrelation Learning in the Cerebellum: Computational Analysis and Experimental Questions 7 Author's Personal Copy

research and educational use including without limitation use in instruction at your institution, sending it to specific colleagues who know you, and providing a copy to your institution's administrator. All other uses, reproduction and distribution, including without limitation commercial reprints, selling or licensing copies or access, or posting on open internet sites, your personal or institution's website or repository, are prohibited. For exceptions, permission may be sought for such use through Elsevier's permissions site at: Abstract Many cerebellar models use a form of synaptic plasticity that implements decorrelation learning. Parallel fibers carrying signals positively correlated with climbing-fiber input have their synapses weakened (long-term depression), whereas those carrying signals negatively correlated with climbing input have their synapses strengthened (long-term potentiation). Learning therefore ceases when all parallel-fiber signals have been decorrelated from climbing-fiber input. This is a computationally powerful rule for supervised learning and can be cast in a spike-timing dependent plasticity form for comparison with experimental evidence. Decorr-elation learning is particularly well suited to sensory prediction, for example, in the reafference problem where external sensory signals are interfered with by reafferent signals from the or-ganism's own movements, and the required circuit appears similar to the one found to mediate classical eye blink conditioning. However, for certain stimuli, avoidance is a much better option than simple prediction, and decorrelation learning can also be used to acquire appropriate avoidance movements. One example of a stimulus to be avoided is retinal slip that degrades visual processing, and decorrelation learning appears to play a role in the vestibulo-ocular reflex that stabilizes gaze in the face of unpredicted head movements. Decorrelation learning is thus suitable for both sensory prediction and motor control. It may also be well suited for generic spatial and temporal coordination, because of its ability to remove the unwanted side effects of movement. Finally, because it can be used with any kind of time-varying signal, the cerebellum could play a role in cognitive processing.