Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: Current Understanding of Risk Factors

Reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is a common surgical procedure with an estimated 50,000 procedures in the US annually. Injury of the ACL often requires costly treatment, extensive rehabilitation, and results in early osteoarthritis. While ACL ruptures occur secondary to a complex interplay of multiple variables, a number of risk factors have been identified that increase risk of ACL rupture. We will analyze a variety of identified risk factors including anatomic, neuromuscular control, hormonal, genetic, and external variables. In terms of intrinsic risk factors, multiple recent studies have identified neuromuscular risk factors that put the ACL at risk for injury. These studies show differences in neuromuscular control of knee joint mechanics, hamstring muscle strength and core stability in patients who sustain ACL injury. Anatomical variants between individuals, genders and races have also been implicated as risk factors for ACL injury. These risk factors include femoral intercondylar notch width, tibial slope geometry, ACL dimensions, and generalized ligamentous laxity. Studies have sought to evaluate the interactions between absolute femoral notch width, notch width index, and intercondylar notch shape and how these factors relate to ACL injury risk. Postulating that an increased anterior directed shear force on the tibia correlates with higher incidence of ACL injury, studies have identified an increased posterior inferior directed tibial slope and shallow medial depth of the tibial plateau, as significant risk factors for ACL injury. Newer research suggests that meniscal geometry factors into this equation as well. Other studies have suggested that decreased ACL volume is a contributing factor, while further studies propose that ACL injury risk can be predicted as a factor of generalized joint laxity. Lastly, prior ACL injury and reconstruction have been implicated as risk factors for future knee injury. Patients undergoing ACL reconstruction are at higher risk for contralateral ACL injury and ACL rerupture post reconstruction compared to individuals without prior ACL injury. Additionally, hormonal and genetic factors have been connected to ACL injury. After estrogen and progesterone receptor sites were found on the ACL, multiple studies have analyzed hormone levels and ACL rupture risk. Overall, the results of these studies are varied and controversial, but suggest an increased risk in the pre ovulatory menstrual cycle phase. Genetic studies have shown specific mutations that place patients at risk for ACL injury and other tendon injury. Also, a study has shown that patients with an ACL rupture were more than 4 times as likely to have a relative with history of ligament injury.
Transforming the Public University: Market Citizenship and Higher Education Regulatory Projects

Paper explores the shifts within the mass higher education and its governance over the last three decades. Mass higher education has changed substantially in tandem with the broader changes associated with the social and political compromises over the last few decades. The crisis and transformation of the public university needs to be understood in this context. The paper seeks to analyse the transformation of the public university as it relates to broader state and governance projects. It attempts to focus on the crucial shift from the 80s onwards with the emergence of new notions of market citizenship, bringing with it what has been referred to as ‘structured opportunity markets’ in higher education. These notions of market citizenship are given shape through an emerging higher education regulatory state, now governed by a range of formal and informal instruments including measures to enhance inclusion and participation within the market. It is these regulatory projects that develop and give legitimacy to the higher education market. Consequently the development of the regulatory state and market-making has been deeply intertwined. In conclusion, we argue that the ‘public’ university does not disappear as such, but is reconstituted within these new regulatory arrangements and projects. We illustrate this argument with reference to recent initiatives in the Australian higher education sectors, such as the Bradley Report and the establishment of TESQA.
Accurate nonrigid 3D human body surface reconstruction using commodity depth sensors

In the last decade, 3D modeling techniques enjoyed a booming development in both hardware and software. High‐end hardware generates high fidelity results, but the cost is prohibitive, whereas consumer‐level devices generate plausible results for entertainment purposes but are not appropriate for medical uses. We present a cost‐effective and easy‐to‐use 3D body reconstruction system using consumer‐grade depth sensors, which provides reconstructed body shapes with a high degree of accuracy and reliability appropriate for medical applications. Our surface registration framework integrates the articulated motion assumption, global loop closure constraint, and a general as‐rigid‐as‐possible deformation model. To enhance the reconstruction quality, we propose a novel approach to accurately infer skeletal joints from anatomical data using multimodality registration. We further propose a supervised predictive model to infer the skeletal joints for arbitrary subjects independent from anatomical data reference. A rigorous validation test has been conducted on real subjects to evaluate the reconstruction accuracy and repeatability. Our system has the potential to make accurate body surface scanning systems readily available for medical professionals and the general public. The system can be used to obtain additional health data derived from 3D body shapes, such as the percentage of body fat.
Human immune cells infiltrate the lesioned spinal cord and impair recovery after spinal cord injury in humanized mice

Immune compromised mice require ~4 months of engraftment with human umbilical cord blood CD34+ stem cells to develop a full and functional human immune system The human neuroinflammatory response elicited after spinal cord injury in humanized mice is limited at 2 months post-engraftment but matures by 4 months Intraspinal neuroinflammation consists of a florid human T cell and macrophage response, and human T cells co-localize with human macrophages A human intraspinal neuroinflammatory response exacerbates lesion pathology and impairs functional recovery Abstract Humanized mice are a useful tool to help better understand how the human immune system responds to central nervous system (CNS) injury. However, the optimal parameters for using humanized mice in preclinical CNS injury models have not been established. Here, we show that it takes 3-4 months after engraftment of neonatal immune compromised mice with human umbilical cord stem cells to generate a robust human immune system. Indeed, sub-optimal human immune cell responses occurred when humanized mice received spinal contusion injuries at 2 months vs. 4 months post-engraftment. Human T cells directly contact human macrophages within the spinal cord lesion of these mice and the development of a mature human immune system was associated with worse lesion pathology and neurological recovery. Together, data in this report establish an optimal experimental framework for using humanized mice to help translate promising preclinical therapies for CNS injury.
Effect of Cataract Grade according to Wide-Field Fundus Images on Measurement of Macular Thickness in Cataract Patients

Purpose To investigate the effects of cataract grade based on wide-field fundus imaging on macular thickness measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and its signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Methods Two hundred cataract patients (200 eyes) with preoperative measurements by wide-field fundus imaging and macular SD-OCT were enrolled. Cataract severity was graded from 1 to 4 according to the degree of macular obscuring by cataract artifact in fundus photo images. Cataract grade based on wide-field fundus image, the Lens Opacity Classification System III, macular thickness, and SD-OCT SNR were compared. All SD-OCT B-scan images were evaluated to detect errors in retinal layer segmentation. Results Cataract grade based on wide-field fundus imaging was positively correlated with grade of posterior subcapsular cataracts (rho = 0.486, p < 0.001), but not with nuclear opalescence or cortical cataract using the Lens Opacity Classification System III. Cataract grade was negatively correlated with total macular thickness (rho = −0.509, p < 0.001) and SD-OCT SNR (rho = −0.568, p < 0.001). SD-OCT SNR was positively correlated with total macular thickness (rho = 0.571, p < 0.001). Of 200 eyes, 97 (48.5%) had segmentation errors on SD-OCT. As cataract grade increased and SD-OCT SNR decreased, the percentage of eyes with segmentation errors on SD-OCT increased. All measurements of macular thickness in eyes without segmentation errors were significantly greater than those of eyes with segmentation errors. Conclusions Posterior subcapsular cataracts had profound effects on cataract grade based on wide-field fundus imaging. As cataract grade based on wide-field fundus image increased, macular thickness tended to be underestimated due to segmentation errors in SD-OCT images. Segmentation errors in SD-OCT should be considered when evaluating macular thickness in eyes with cataracts.
Investigation of LINAC Structural Effects on Photoneutron Specified Parameters Using FLUKA code

Introduction: The utilization of high-energy photons in the medical linear accelerator can lead to photoneutron production. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the physical components of the head, including flattening filter (FF) andmultileaf collimator (MLC), as well as the dependence of therapeutic field size on the photoneutron spectrum, dose, and flux. Material and Methods: The present study reported the simulation of the fundamental linac head components of the Varian Clinac 2100 performing in X-ray mode with 18 MV energy by the FLUKA code. The percentage depth dose and lateral dose profile were measured using a PTW thimble chamber to ensure the simulation reliability. Results: Photoneutron spectrum analysis indicated that neutrons with highest relative biological effectiveness were delivered to the phantom surface, and opening the field from 0×0 to 40×40 shifted the spectrum by 24.545% to the higher energies. The target and the vicinity parts played the most prominent roles in neutron contamination. The relationship between the field size and the photoneutron dose was non-linear, and it reached a peak of 20×20 . Although using small fields formed by the MLC contribute to a lower dose compared to those shaped by the jaws, MLC-equipped machines result in 21.98% higher dose. Moreover, the flattening filter removal unexpectedly increased the isocenter photoneutron dose by 11.63%. This undesirable dose can be up to 2.54 mSv/Gy for the reference field at the isocenter while the out-of-field dose is about 0.5 mSv/Gy for most of the field dimensions. Conclusion: As a result, it is critical to consider this unwanted absorbed dose, which is seriously influenced by the implemented therapeutic conditions.
Prevalence of Peg-Shaped Laterals in South Western Nigeria: A Comparison of Field and Clinic Findings

Background and Aim: Peg-shaped laterals are dental anomalies that are likely to be connected to defects in certain genes. Presence of peg-shaped laterals in the mouth often occurs concurrently with other forms of dental and occlusal anomalies. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of peg-shaped laterals in the south western region of Nigeria. Materials and Methods: One thousand and seventy individuals (405 field-, and 665 clinic-based) were assessed by intra-oral examination and case files respectively for the presence of peg-shaped laterals and other dental anomalies.Results: Prevalence of peg-shaped laterals was found to be 1% and 2.3% in field and clinic samples respectively. Field sample showed a higher right-sided presentation than clinic sample which showed an equal distribution of right, left, and bilateral presentation. Associated dental anomalies in the clinic sample included missing contralateral tooth (40%), buccally displaced canines (30%), and rotated teeth (20%). While in the field sample missing contralateral tooth (50%) was the only recorded dental anomaly. Presence of pegshaped laterals were significantly higher in patients presenting with class 1 malocclusion (p 0.05). Conclusion: The prevalence of peg-shaped laterals is significant to be of concern to dental specialists and orthodontists, more importantly appropriate treatment of associated malocclusion should be done along with the management of the peg-shaped laterals.
Dynamic Asset Allocation under Regime Switching, Predictability and Parameter Uncertainty

This paper solves the dynamic asset allocation problem under stock return predictability based on the dividend price ratio with regime shifts and parameter uncertainty in a fully Bayesian framework. Intertemporal hedging demands are simultaneously induced by predictability, regime shifts, parameter uncertainty, and learning about the regimes. Optimal policies display non-monotonic horizon effects whereby regime shifts tend to induce negative hedge demands in the short-run, while predictability induces positive hedge demands in the long-run. The economic costs of ignoring regime switching and predictability are high even in the light of regime and parameter uncertainty.
Real-Time QoE Monitoring System for Video Streaming Services with Adaptive Media Playout

Quality of Experience (QoE) of video streaming services has been attracting more and more attention recently. Therefore, in this work we designed and implemented a real-time QoE monitoring system for streaming services with Adaptive Media Playout (AMP), which was implemented into the VideoLAN Client (VLC) media player to dynamically adjust the playout rate of videos according to the buffer fullness of the client buffer. The QoE monitoring system reports the QoE of streaming services in real time so that network/content providers can monitor the qualities of their services and resolve troubles immediately whenever their subscribers encounter them. Several experiments including wired and wireless streaming were conducted to show the effectiveness of the implemented AMP and QoE monitoring system. Experimental results demonstrate that AMP significantly improves the QoE of streaming services according to the Mean Opinion Score (MOS) estimated by our developed program. Additionally, some challenging issues in wireless streaming have been easily identified using the developed QoE monitoring system.
The relationship between inertial measurement unit-derived ‘force signatures’ and ground reaction forces during cricket pace bowling

Abstract This study assessed the reliability and validity of segment measured accelerations in comparison to front foot contact (FFC) ground reaction force (GRF) during the delivery stride for cricket pace bowlers. Eleven recreational bowlers completed a 30-delivery bowling spell. Trunk- and tibia-mounted inertial measurement units (IMUs) were used to measure accelerations, converted to force, for comparisons to force plate GRF discrete measures. These measures included peak force, impulse and the continuous force–time curve in the vertical and braking (horizontal) planes. Reliability and validity was determined by intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV), Bland–Altman plots, paired sample t-tests, Pearson’s correlation and one-dimensional (1D) statistical parametrical mapping (SPM). All ICC (0.90–0.98) and CV (4.23–7.41%) were acceptable, except for tibia-mounted IMU braking peak force (CV = 12.44%) and impulse (CV = 18.17%) and trunk vertical impulse (CV = 17.93%). Bland–Altman plots revealed wide limits of agreement between discrete IMU force signatures and force plate GRF. The 1D SPM outlined numerous significant (p < 0.01) differences between trunk- and tibia-located IMU-derived measures and force plate GRF traces in vertical and braking (horizontal) planes. The trunk- and tibia-mounted IMUs appeared to not represent the GRF experienced during pace bowling FFC when compared to a gold-standard force plate.
Long-distance movements of little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus)

Abstract Quantifying distributions, home ranges, and individual movements for wildlife species is crucial for understanding their ecology and is important for conservation. This has become especially urgent for bat species affected by white-nose syndrome, a new disease of hibernating bats associated with the fungus Geomyces destructans. We studied within- and between-season movements of individual little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) throughout a 337,540-km2 study area in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario, Canada. Our objectives were to quantify proportions of male and female bats that relocated from hibernacula and/or summer roosts between years, proportions of males and females captured at swarms that hibernated at those sites versus other hibernacula, and distances traveled by males and females during relocation events. We predicted that bats would exhibit male-biased dispersal, with males significantly more likely to relocate and more likely to travel long distances during relocation events. Between 1989 and 2010, we recaptured 1,459 of 10,432 banded individuals. Seasonal movements from hibernacula and/or swarms to summer colonies ranged widely from 10 to 647 km. Consistent with previous studies we found high fidelity to summer colonies and hibernacula across years. However, some individuals switched sites between years and the median relocation distance was 315 km, with over 20% of individual movements exceeding 500 km. Surprisingly, we found that females were significantly more likely to relocate than males. Our data could help explain apparent jumps in the distribution of G. destructans, but more data on transmission of the fungus in the wild are needed.
ASR for Documenting Acutely Under-Resourced Indigenous Languages

Despite its potential utility for facilitating the transcription of speech recordings, automatic speech recognition (ASR) has not been widely explored as a tool for documenting endangered languages. One obstacle to adopting ASR for this purpose is that the amount of data needed to build a reliable ASR system far exceeds what would typically be available in an endangered language. Languages with highly complex morphology present further data sparsity challenges. In this paper, we present a working ASR system for Seneca, an endangered indigenous language of North America, as a case study for the development of ASR for acutely low-resource languages in need of linguistic documentation. We explore methods of leveraging linguistic knowledge to improve the ASR language models for a polysynthetic language with few high-quality audio and text resources, and we propose a tool for using ASR output to bootstrap new data to iteratively improve the acoustic model. This work serves as a proof-of-concept for speech researchers interested helping ﬁeld linguists and indigenous language community members engaged in the documentation and revitalization of endangered languages.
Exploring the Benefits of a Collaborative Inquiry Team in Education (CITE) Initiative to Develop a Research Community and Enhance Student Engagement.

This study examined a collaborative inquiry process, facilitated by university faculty in an elementary school, intended to develop a research community, foster knowledge mobilization, and enhance student engagement. The Collaborative Inquiry Team in Education (CITE) initiative consisted of five school-based sessions that included videos, discussions, and the completion of a research action plan. Data collection and analysis involved sessions’ transcripts, feedback from participants, documents such as brainstorming charts, and student artifacts. Findings indicate that the collaborative inquiry process with enablers of time, flexibility, and support from university faculty increased educators’ research acumen and student engagement in classrooms. The CITE initiative is an effective example of applied education research and knowledge mobilization with the inclusion of faculty and technological support, innovative resources, and the co-construction of new understandings.
The Loss of Production Work: Identification of Demand Shifts Based on Local Soviet Trade Shocks

This paper examines changes in the structure of labor demand in panel data on Finnish manufacturing plants. I exploit general equilibrium effects on unit labor costs in local labor markets induced by the 1990 collapse of Fenno-Soviet trade to identify labor demand schedules for plants producing for the non-Soviet markets, which were not directly affected by the fall of Soviet-import demand. The estimated model implies that the relative demand for noninterpersonal, manual task-intensive production labor activities is stagnant in the 1990s, but starts to decline rapidly in the early 2000s, coinciding with a surge of imported intermediate inputs. In this period, the industry patterns of the shift also begin to diverge. Offshoring and ICT explain both one-third of the overall shift.
Developmental States and Sustainability Transitions: Prospects of a Just Transition in South Africa

Abstract Since the onset of the global economic crisis in 2007/2008 two key trends have made it necessary to reconceptualize the relationship between development and sustainability: the rapid rise of the so-called ‘BRICS’ and the emergence of the green economy discourse and now since 2015 the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals. To address this challenge with respect to developing economies in the global South, this paper endeavours to fuse the core conceptual concerns of the developmental state and sustainability transition literatures. It is argued that a just transition would consist of a dual commitment to human well-being (with respect to income, education and health) and sustainability (with respect to decarbonization, resource efficiency and ecosystem restoration). However, to understand these processes we need a better understanding of political dynamics, and for this purpose the notion of a socio-political regime is introduced. A case study of South Africa's dual developmental and environmental trajectories is presented, revealing how different it is to the East Asian experience. Although a just transition in South Africa is currently unlikely, the rapid emergence of the renewable energy niche signals what may be possible if political and environmental shocks are experienced by key actors within the socio-political regime.