Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fitts' law is not continuous in reciprocal aiming

It takes longer to accomplish difficult tasks than easy ones. In the context of motor behaviour, Fitts' famous law states that the time needed to successfully execute an aiming movement increases linearly with task difficulty. While Fitts' explicit formulation has met criticism, the relation between task difficulty and movement time is invariantly portrayed as continuous. Here, we demonstrate that Fitts' law is discontinuous in reciprocal aiming owing to a transition in operative motor control mechanisms with increasing task difficulty. In particular, rhythmic movements are implemented in easy tasks and discrete movements in difficult ones. How movement time increases with task difficulty differs in both movement types. It appears, therefore, that the human nervous system abruptly engages a different control mechanism when task difficulty increases.
Is there a distress risk puzzle in the Norwegian market? : a hazard model approach

A fundamental principle in the financial literature is that assets with exposure to systematic risk should be compensated with a risk premium in returns. Thus, assuming financial distress risk is systematic, rational investors are expected to demand a premium for holding stocks with exposure to financial distress. However, several academic papers find anomalously low returns for stocks with a high degree of financial distress. This anomaly is referred to as the “distress risk puzzle”. In this paper we explore the relationship between distress risk and stock returns for publicly traded companies in Norway in the period from June 2004 to September 2018. We use default probability as a proxy for financial distress and estimate default probabilities by incorporating Campbell, Hilscher and Szilagyi’s (2008) best model. We allocate the stocks into eight different portfolios depending on their level of financial distress and measure the respective returns of the different portfolios. The returns are measured for three months, before the portfolios are re-balanced based on updated default probabilities. Assuming distress risk is systematic, we would expect the distressed stocks to carry a premium. Thus, our null hypothesis is that investors who hold the most distressed stocks in the market over time will receive a risk premium. However, we find that the portfolio with the most distressed stocks significantly underperforms the portfolio with the least distressed stocks. This finding is also prevalent in risk-adjusted returns, estimated by regressing the portfolio returns on the risk factors in the Fama-French three-factor model. We also find that the most distressed firms on average are smaller in size, have higher market-to-book ratios and a higher degree of leverage. From the results of our analysis, we can reject the null hypothesis that the most distressed stocks carry a premium. This indicates that there is a distress risk puzzle in the Norwegian market.
Crown Lengthening for Aesthetic Purposes from the Islamic Perspective: a Case Discussion

The aim of dental treatment is to restore function and improve oral health condition. It is an advantage if the treatment conducted can also improve aesthetic. However, current trend of patient’s demand for aesthetic treatment is challenging. This alarming scenario sometimes does not comply with Shariah and Islamic jurisprudence. Crown lengthening is a procedure to facilitate restoration in certain clinical conditions simultaneously improves the aesthetic in anterior region. It involves manipulation of gingiva which requires removal of soft tissue and/or hard tissue. This paper was aimed to discuss the management of missing teeth with crown lengthening surgery from Islamic perspective. In the selected case, a lady requested to replace her denture with a fixed prosthesis that requires surgery. Initially, the surgical procedure was only planned on the right anterior region. However, during the preliminary stage of determining the treatment outcome; crown lengthening on both sides is advice to harmonize the gingival line. The final decision was to carry out surgical procedure on the site of complaint and crown lengthening surgery on both sides. As expected, the outcome of the treatment significantly improved the aesthetic of the patient. This study employs mainly the comparative case study approach where the detail description of the selected case is mapped to the Shariah principles and guidelines related to aesthetic treatment. The selected Shariah principles and guidelines are based on the commonly accepted school of law. In conclusion, this study found that the treatment proposed by the specialist that is based on function first, followed by correction of aesthetics is in line with the guidelines and principles of Shariah as well as legal maxim that falls under acts are judged by their goals and purpose (al-’Umur-bimaqasidiha). Therefore, basic knowledge on Islamic principle is favourable for dentist and patient in deciding the final treatment plan.
Identification of unintegrated forms of Kirsten murine sarcoma viral DNA and restriction endonuclease cleavage map of linear DNA

We detected unintegrated linear 7.0-kilobase pair DNA and covalently closed circular DNA species in NIH3T3 cells recently infected with Kirsten murine sarcoma virus. Using the linear DNA, we constructed a restriction endonuclease cleavage map and compared it with the map of Harvey murine sarcoma virus. The restriction endonuclease maps of two segments, one 1.2 kilobase pairs (SmaI site) to 3.7 kilobase pairs (HindIII site) from the right end (corresponding to the viral 3' side) and the other 0.5 kilobase pair (SmaI and KpnI sites) to 0.9 kilobase pair (KpnI site) from the left end, were identical in the two virus types.
Poverty alleviation in the contex of fiscal decentralization in Indonesia

DOI: 10.14254/2071789X.2019/12-1/16 ABSTRACT. Acceleration of poverty reduction in Indonesia is largely determined by the role of regional governments in implementing fiscal decentralization. Three indicators of fiscal decentralization were used to measure their effects on poverty reduction, i.e., regional government expenditures, regional government revenues, and intergovernmental transfers. This study investigated the panel data regression models for 33 provinces in Indonesia during 2010-2016. The results show that regional government revenues and intergovernmental transfers had a statistically significant effect on reducing poverty while regional government expenditures did not. This study confirms that in the context of fiscal decentralization in Indonesia, the increase of regional government revenues both from own source revenues and intergovernmental transfers appear to be more effective in encouraging poverty reduction than the increase of the total regional government expenditures. Therefore, it is very important for policymakers at the regional level to encourage the increase of regional revenues in order to create enough fiscal space to fund poverty alleviation programs on the one hand. On the other hand, it is necessary to increase the proportion of regional government expenditures to priority programs for poverty alleviation more than regional government operational expenditures.
Opisthorchis viverrini: pathogenesis of infection in immunodeprived hamsters

Summary Opisthorchis viverrini infections were established in immunologically intact and T cell deprived hamsters. T cell deprivation appeared to have no effect on worm establishment or egg production. Histopathologically, intact and deprived animals showed similar degrees of bile duct hyperplasia and periductular fibrosis, though there was a marked reduction in the intensity of the periportal inflammation in the majority of T cell deprived animals. Serum transaminase levels were significantly raised in intact animals by 25 days after infection, whilst levels remained within normal limits throughout the infection period for the majority of the T cell deprived animals. The antibody response to parasite antigens as determined by immunoelectrophoresis, was impaired in T cell deprived animals. Attempts to correlate the serological picture with transaminase levels at three time points after infection and also with the extent of periductular inflammation seen on killing, proved largely unsuccessful. These results indicate that T cell deprivation of the hamster host ameliorates the periductular inflammatory response provoked by O. viverrini in this species. It is suggested that such inflammatory responses are evoked by parasite antigens which gain access to portal tract and surrounding areas, and that such reactions are immunopathologi‐cal in their outcome to the host, resulting in liver cell death and subsequent replacement of resolving inflammatory and necrotic areas with fibrotic tissue.
Identification of breakpoint cluster regions at 1p36.3 and 3q21 in hematologic malignancies with t(1;3)(p36;q21)

The reciprocal translocation t(1;3)(p36;q21) is associated with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) characterized by trilineage dysplasia, in particular dysmegakaryocytopoiesis, and a poor prognosis. As yet no molecular genetic analyses of the t(1;3) have been reported. In four patients with t(1;3), all of whom had AML‐M4, which evolved from MDS, the breakpoints at 3q21 clustered within a 60‐kb region centromeric to the breakpoint of the inv(3)(q21q26), whereas the breakpoints at 1p36 clustered within a 90‐kb region at 1p36.3. The presence of novel clusters in both the 3q21 and 1p36 breakpoints (BCRs) suggests a common, underlying molecular mechanism for the development of t(1;3)‐positive MDS/AML. The Ribophorin I (RPN1) gene close to the BCR at 3q21 was highly expressed without gross structural changes, whereas the GR6 gene located within the BCR at 3q21 was not expressed. No other highly expressed genes were isolated in a 150‐kb region at 3q21. Thus, it is likely that a gene at 1p36.3 is activated by the translocation of the 3q21 region or a gene important for transformation lies on 3q21, outside the 150‐kb region. Further characterization of the BCRs at 1p36.3 and 3q21 should provide important insights into the molecular genetic mechanisms involved in the genesis of t(1;3)‐positive MDS/AML. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 27:229–238, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Third-Party Signals in Crowdfunded Microfinance: The Role of Microfinance Institutions

Crowdfunded microfinance research has routinely examined how campaign characteristics drive funding to crowdfunding campaigns but has neglected to examine the critical role of the microfinance institution (MFI). We leverage signaling theory to contend that entrepreneurs’ MFI affiliation is a salient third-party signal that shapes the performance of their crowdfunding campaign and examine how the financial and social performance of MFIs drive campaign funding. Our examination of 220,649 loans paired 173 MFIs supports our arguments. We provide insight into the importance of third-party signals in crowdfunding and into how investors seek to balance social motives with financial concerns in crowdfunded microfinance.
Dissociation between MEG alpha modulation and performance accuracy on visual working memory task in obsessive compulsive disorder

Oscillatory brain activity in the alpha band (8–13 Hz) is modulated by cognitive events. Such modulation is reflected in a decrease of alpha (event‐related desynchronization; ERD) with high cognitive load, or an increase (event‐related synchronization) with low cognitive demand or with active inhibition of distractors. We used magnetoencephalography to investigate the pattern of prefrontal and parieto‐occipital alpha modulation related to two variants of visual working memory task (delayed matching‐to‐sample) with and without a distractor. We tested nonmedicated, nondepressed patients suffering obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD), and pair‐matched healthy controls. The level of event‐related alpha as a function of time was estimated using the temporal‐spectral evolution technique. The results in OCD patients indicated: (1) a lower level of prestimulus (reference) alpha when compared to controls, (2) a task‐phase specific reduction in event‐related alpha ERD in particular for delayed matching‐to‐sample task with distractor, (3) no significant correlations between the pattern of modulation in prefrontal and parietal‐occipital alpha oscillatory activity. Despite showing an abnormally low alpha modulation, the OCD patients' performance accuracy was normal. The results suggest a relationship of alpha oscillations and the underlying thalamocortical network to etiology of OCD and an involvement of a compensatory mechanism related to effortful inhibition of extrinsic and intrinsic interference. Hum Brain Mapp 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effects of two continuous hormone therapy regimens on C-reactive protein and homocysteine

Objective: To compare the effects of two continuous hormone therapy (HT) regimens on the cardiovascular risk markers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine. Design: A prospective study in which 43 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned to either tibolone 2.5 mg/day (n = 20) or 0.625 mg/day conjugated equine estrogens (CEE) plus continuous medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) 5 mg/day (n = 23). Serum levels of CRP, homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folate were determined before and during 12 weeks of therapy. Results: C-reactive protein levels were increased by tibolone (76%; P < 0.001) and CEE+MPA (81%; P < 0.001). Neither tibolone nor CEE+MPA had any significant effect on homocysteine levels, but there was a significant difference between the effects of treatment over time (P = 0.046). Both tibolone and CEE+MPA reduced vitamin B12 levels (11%; P < 0.001, and 8%; P < 0.01, respectively), but had no statistically significant effect on folate levels. Individual changes in homocysteine levels were negatively associated with changes in vitamin B12 levels (r = −0.68; P < 0.01) after tibolone therapy. Conclusion: Both tibolone and CEE plus MPA increased CRP levels and reduced levels of vitamin B12. Neither therapy had any significant effect on homocysteine levels. Further long-term studies into the effect of HRT on these markers, and the relationship to cardiovascular disease risk, are required.
Reversal agents for use with direct and indirect anticoagulants.

PURPOSE The properties of three oral anticoagulant-specific reversal agents are reviewed, and guidance is presented to assist pharmacists in planning for the agents' introduction to the market. SUMMARY Idarucizumab, which received Food and Drug Administration approval in October 2015, is a humanized monoclonal antibody fragment that immediately neutralizes the anticoagulant effect of dabigatran, as evidenced by reduced unbound dabigatran concentrations and normalized coagulation tests. Preliminary Phase III trial results demonstrated a median maximum reversal of 100%, a median time to bleeding cessation of 11.4 hours, and normal intraoperative hemostasis in 92% of patients requiring anticoagulation reversal before an urgent procedure. Andexanet alfa is a factor Xa (FXa) decoy that binds to direct and indirect FXa inhibitors. In Phase III trials in healthy volunteers, andexanet alfa reduced anti-FXa activity by more than 90%, reduced the concentration of unbound direct FXa inhibitor, and inhibited thrombin generation. Ciraparantag is a reversal agent under development for reversal of anticoagulation with direct and indirect FXa inhibitors and certain factor IIa inhibitors; it exerts its effect through hydrogen bonding. Concerns for thromboembolic events directly related to administration of idarucizumab, andexanet alfa, or ciraparantag have not arisen. Pharmacists need to begin preparing for the introduction of these specific reversal agents through protocol development and provider education; in addition, pharmacy departments need to plan for procurement and storage. The specific reversal agents should be incorporated into antithrombotic stewardship or other clinical pharmacy programs for surveillance. CONCLUSION As agents that provide rapid reversal of direct oral anticoagulant activity become available, advance planning will help hospitals to optimize their use.
Effects of high‐intensity intermittent training on potassium kinetics and performance in human skeletal muscle

A rise in extracellular potassium concentration in human skeletal muscle may play an important role in development of fatigue during intense exercise. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of intense intermittent training on muscle interstitial potassium kinetics and its relationship to the density of Na+,K+‐ATPase subunits and KATP channels, as well as exercise performance, in human skeletal muscle. Six male subjects performed intense one‐legged knee‐extensor training for 7 weeks. On separate days the trained leg (TL) and the control leg (CL) performed a 30 min exercise period of 30 W and an incremental test to exhaustion. At frequent intervals during the exercise periods interstitial potassium ([K+]I) was determined by microdialysis, femoral arterial and venous blood samples were drawn and thigh blood flow was measured. Time to fatigue for TL was 28% longer (P < 0.05) than for CL (10.6 ± 0.7 (mean ±s.e.m.) versus 8.2 ± 0.7 min). The amounts of Na+,K+‐ATPase α1 and α2 subunits were, respectively, 29.0 ± 8.4 and 15.1 ± 2.7% higher (P < 0.05) in TL than in CL, while the amounts of β1 subunits and ATP‐dependent K+ (KATP) channels were the same. In CL [K+]I increased more rapidly and was higher (P < 0.05) throughout the 30 W exercise bout, as well at 60 and 70 W, compared to TL, whereas [K+]I was similar at the point of fatigue (9.9 ± 0.7 and 9.1 ± 0.5 mmol l−1, respectively). During the 30 W exercise bouts and at 70 W during the incremental exercise femoral venous potassium concentration ([K+]v) was higher (P < 0.05) in CL than in TL, but identical at exhaustion (6.2 ± 0.2 mmol l−1). Release of potassium to the blood was not different in the two legs. The present data demonstrated that intense intermittent training reduce accumulation of potassium in human skeletal muscle interstitium during exercise, probably through a larger re‐uptake of potassium due to greater activity of the muscle Na+,K+‐ATPase pumps. The lower accumulation of potassium in muscle interstitium in the trained leg was associated with delayed fatigue during intense exercise, supporting the hypothesis that interstitial potassium accumulation is involved in the development of fatigue.
ELT and Empowerment: Questions, Observations, and Reflections for Christian Educators

As a field, English language teaching (ELT) has come under attack from a number of critical practitioners. In the classroom, English language teachers aim to empower our students by helping them improve their English abilities and skills. Yet there are discrepancies in terms of who learns and uses English for various purposes. Are English as a second or foreign language (ESL/EFL) teachers helping, or are we part of the ‘problem’ in ELT, as critics suggest? This article poses four questions in order for readers to consider issues in ELT and empowerment. In doing so, it summarizes observations from both the author’s experience and potential resources in the ELT literature, and closes with some reflections to help Christians in ELT consider their understanding of and response to some important current topics in our field.
The Forecasting of Weekly Tourists Visiting a Scenic Area in Off-Season by Using Goodness of Fit Weight

Due to the impact of external objective factors, the weekly number of tourist distribution is imbalance and shows strong nonlinear characteristics, especially more obvious in the off-season. Aiming at this problem, this paper built two different forecasting models by SVR and BP neural network in order to guess about the weekly tourist numbers and then, put forward the Goodness of Fit Weight (GFW) and used it to make three SVR-BP combination models (LCM, GEOM-WTD, and HARM). In order to support the results empirically, Data of the Huangshan Scenic Area has been used and the dynamic virtual variable was adopted to deal with the objective factors that influence the weekly visitor numbers. Finally, we compare the results with the two combination models that based on the VARW and MSEW, it shows that the GFW combination model is helpful for the combination forecasting and can be used as one of selections just like other weights, and the use of dynamic virtual variables can further improve the forecasting precision.
Reference Values for the Diffusing Capacity Determined by the Single-Breath Technique at Different Altitudes: The Latin American Single-Breath Diffusing Capacity Reference Project

BACKGROUND: The lung diffusion capacity (DLCO) determined by the single-breath technique greatly helps in the differential diagnosis and classification of severity of common lung diseases. However, widespread use of single-breath DLCO tests in Latin America has been limited, in part, by the lack of appropriate reference values. Our objective was to derive robust reference equations for single-breath DLCO from healthy Hispanic adults, using the most recent guidelines and taking into account altitude above sea level and hemoglobin. METHODS: We recruited healthy adults from Caracas (690 m), Santiago (650 m), Mexico City (2,240 m), and Bogota (2,640 m). DLCO testing was completed using an instrument that exceeds American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society 2005 guidelines for spirometry and single-breath DLCO and provided centralized training and a quality assurance program. RESULTS: We included 480 healthy Hispanic adults (58.3% women) with a mean age of 46 y (range 22–83 y). Their mean ± SD single-breath DLCO was 30.4 ± 9.2 mL/min/mm Hg. Results as a percentage of predicted by Crapo's reference values (the closest to obtained values) were 83 ± 10% (Caracas), 91 ± 10% (Santiago), 104 ± 17% (Mexico City), and 118 ± 19% (Bogota), and current suggested adjustments by hemoglobin or altitude did not correct differences, especially in Santiago and Caracas. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend these new single-breath DLCO reference equations to predict single-breath DLCO in Latin America performed with current instruments and procedures and including as a predictor altitude above sea level.
Immune receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (IREM‐1) inhibits B cell activation factor (BAFF)‐mediated inflammatory regulation of THP‐1 cells through modulation of the activities of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK)

The immune receptor expressed on myeloid cells 1 (IREM‐1) has been known to regulate the activities of myeloid cells through its immunoreceptor tyrosine‐based inhibition motifs (ITIMs) in its intracellular region. In order to investigate its effect on macrophage activation, a human macrophage cell line (THP‐1) was tested after stimulation of its membrane‐bound form of B cell activation factor (BAFF), which has been shown to modulate inflammatory activities through induction of proinflammatory mediator expression and suppression of phagocytosis. IREM‐1‐specific monoclonal antibodies detected the expression of high levels of IREM‐1 in THP‐1 cells. Cross‐linking of IREM‐1 with these antibodies resulted in the blockage of the BAFF‐mediated expression of interleukin (IL)‐8 and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)‐9 through inhibition of the activation of extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) and phosphorylation/degradation of IκB. Furthermore, cross‐linking of IREM‐1 also reversed the BAFF‐mediated inhibition of phagocytosis. In order to demonstrate the role of ITIM in the IREM‐1‐mediated suppression of BAFF signalling, a decapeptide containing YADL (an ITIM in IREM‐1) was fused with HIV–TAT48–57 which was required for the internalization of the synthetic polypeptide (TAT–YADL). TAT–YADL, but not control peptides, recapitulated the effect of the anti‐IREM‐1 monoclonal antibody. These observations indicate that IREM‐1 exerted its inhibitory effect on BAFF‐medicated signalling through ITIM‐mediated regulation of ERK activities in THP‐1 cells.