Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Reliability and Construct Validity of the Neck Disability Index and Patient Specific Functional Scale in Patients With Cervical Radiculopathy

Study Design. Cohort study of patients with cervical radiculopathy undergoing physical therapy. Objectives. Examine the test-retest reliability, construct validity, and minimum levels of detectable and clinically important change for the Neck Disability Index (NDI) and Patient Specific Functional Scale (PSFS) in cohort of patients with cervical radiculopathy. Summary of Background Data. To date, no studies have investigated the psychometric properties of the NDI or PSFS in a cohort of patients with cervical radiculopathy. Methods. Thirty-eight patients with cervical radiculopathy undergoing physical therapy completed the NDI and PSFS, and Numerical Pain Rating Scale (NPRS) at the baseline examination and at a follow-up. In addition, at follow-up, patients completed a 15-point global rating of change (GROC), which was used to dichotomize patients as improved or stable. Changes in the NDI and PSFS were then used to assess test-retest reliability, construct validity, and minimal levels of detectable and clinically important change. Results. Test-retest reliability was moderate for the NDI (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.30–0.90) and high for the PSFS (ICC = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.54–0.93). The PSFS was more responsive to change than the NDI. The minimal detectable change for the NDI was 10.2 and for the PSFS 2.1. The minimally clinically important change for the NDI was 7.0 and PSFS 2.0. Conclusions. Our results suggest that the PSFS exhibits superior reliability, construct validity, and responsiveness in this cohort of patients with cervical radiculopathy compared with the NDI. Further research is needed to examine the ability of these measures to accurately reflect changes in individuals, as well as large samples of patients.
Training CNNs With Normalized Kernels

Several methods of normalizing convolution kernels have been proposed in the literature to train convolutional neural networks (CNNs), and have shown some success. However, our understanding of these methods has lagged behind their success in application; there are a lot of open questions, such as why a certain type of kernel normalization is effective and what type of normalization should be employed for each (e.g., higher or lower) layer of a CNN. As the first step towards answering these questions, we propose a framework that enables us to use a variety of kernel normalization methods at any layer of a CNN. A naive integration of kernel normalization with a general optimization method, such as SGD, often entails instability while updating parameters. Thus, existing methods employ ad-hoc procedures to empirically assure convergence. In this study, we pose estimation of convolution kernels under normalization constraints as constraint-free optimization on kernel submanifolds that are identified by the employed constraints. Note that naive application of the established optimization methods for matrix manifolds to the aforementioned problems is not feasible because of the hierarchical nature of CNNs. To this end, we propose an algorithm for optimization on kernel manifolds in CNNs by appropriate scaling of the space of kernels based on structure of CNNs and statistics of data. We theoretically prove that the proposed algorithm has assurance of almost sure convergence to a solution at single minimum. Our experimental results show that the proposed method can successfully train popular CNN models using several different types of kernel normalization methods. Moreover, they show that the proposed method improves classification performance of baseline CNNs, and provides state-of-the-art performance for major image classification benchmarks.
Trade Reforms in a Global Competition Model: The Case of Chile

We use a global competition model of international trade with heterogeneous firms to evaluate the impact of trade reforms that occurred in Chile at the end of the 70s. We compare the predictions of the calibrated model in terms of productivity, plant turnover, job and trade flows with what occurred in reality using a comprehensive plant-level panel dataset for the manufacturing sector. The model explains several effects of liberalization reforms on industry performance. In contrast to the previous studies we use a general equilibrium approach that allows fully quantifying and identifying the trade liberalization effects on the tradeable and nontradeable sectors. We proceed by performing a counterfactual experiment aimed at exploring the impact of preferential trade agreements negotiated by Chile in recent years with the EU and NAFTA.
Parasites of Adriatic cage reared fish

With the rapid development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean, a number of parasitic diseases have emerged in cage-reared fish. In confined rearing conditions, the diseases can induce mortality and economic losses related to suppressed growth. With diversification of aquaculture products and the introduction of new fish species into the rearing system, new parasitic pathogens have found their way into new environments, resulting in adaptation of the parasite, new colonization on resident aquaculture species (primarily sea bass and sea bream), or increased parasite prevalence and abundance on the newly cultivated fish species. The parasitofauna of reared fish is impoverished in terms of species richness and has greater population values than in the wild fish population. While the parasitofauna of fish reared in the Mediterranean is discussed in numerous publications, only occasional findings specifically refer to the Adriatic Sea. Wild fish populations in the Adriatic Sea have been sampled for parasite isolation and identification but an overview of reared fish parasitofauna has never been reported. This was the main goal of this study.
Systemically Important Accounts, Network Topology and Contagion in Artis

This study investigates the relevance of network topology for the stability of payment systems in the face of operational shocks. The analysis is based on a large number of simulations of the Austrian large-value payment system ARTIS that quantify the contagion impact of operational shocks at participants’ sites. It uncovers that only few accounts are systemically important. We also find that network indicators at the node level can have some explanatory power, which is higher when the analysis focuses on contagion measured by the number of banks with unsettled payments than on that measured by the value of unsettled payments. The explanatory power is, however, lower than that of the more traditional measures of node activity(value and volume) of payments. At this stage of our research, network indicators at the network level seem to be of limited use for stability analysis.
Organizational Environments and Public-Service Failure: An Empirical Analysis

Organizational failure in the public sector is an increasingly topical issue. Media attention to high-profile cases of dysfunction has been matched by vigorous government determination to identify and remedy perceived weaknesses in the provision of public services. Research on organizational environments suggests that poor public-service performance may be the result of external pressures. However, few studies have systematically investigated the effects of the environment on public-service failure. We formalize and test a comprehensive model of the impact of environmental constraints on organizational failure across the public sector in England between 2002 and 2004. The results show that the munificence, complexity, and dynamism of organizational environments are significant predictors of the extent of public-service failure.
Combining emojis with Arabic textual features for sentiment classification

With the significant growth of user-generated content on the Web, sentiment analysis has gained increasing importance to draw insights of online social data and turn it into a valuable asset for supporting decision making. Lots of efforts have adopted text mining techniques with linguistic features to detect and track people's opinions. Yet, the results are not satisfactory. In this paper, we aim at exploring the impact of combining emojis based features, which are pictographic symbols that are becoming more commonly used in social media, with various forms of textual features on the sentiment classification of dialectical Arabic tweets. We extract textual features using four different methods: Bag-of-Words (BoW), Latent Semantic Analysis, and two forms of Word Embedding. The effect of fusing emojis with textual features is analyzed using a support vector classifier with and without feature selection. It has been observed that simpler models can be constructed with much better results when emojis are merged with word embedding and the selection of the most relevant subset of features as input to the classifier.
A probabilistic model for the arrangement of a subset of human chromosome territories in WI38 Human fibroblasts

There is growing evidence that chromosome territories have a probabilistic non‐random arrangement within the cell nucleus of mammalian cells. Other than their radial positioning, however, our knowledge of the degree and specificity of chromosome territory associations is predominantly limited to studies of pair‐wise associations. In this study we have investigated the association profiles of eight human chromosome pairs (numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9) in the cell nuclei of G0‐arrested WI38 diploid lung fibroblasts. Associations between heterologous chromosome combinations ranged from 52% to 78% while the homologous chromosome pairs had much lower levels of association (3–25%). A geometric computational method termed the Generalized Median Graph enabled identification of the most probable arrangement of these eight chromosome pairs. Approximately 41% of the predicted associations are present in any given nucleus. The association levels of several chromosome pairs were very similar in a series of lung fibroblast cell lines but strikingly different in skin and colon derived fibroblast cells. We conclude that a large subset of human chromosomes has a preferred probabilistic arrangement in WI38 cells and that the resulting chromosomal associations show tissue origin specificity. J. Cell. Physiol. 221: 120–129, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc
The Conserved Lysine 860 in the Additional Fatty-acylation Site of Bordetella pertussis Adenylate Cyclase Is Crucial for Toxin Function Independently of Its Acylation Status*

The Bordetella pertussis RTX (repeat in toxin family protein) adenylate cyclase toxin-hemolysin (ACT) acquires biological activity upon a single amide-linked palmitoylation of the ε-amino group of lysine 983 (Lys983) by the accessory fatty-acyltransferase CyaC. However, an additional conserved RTX acylation site can be identified in ACT at lysine 860 (Lys860), and this residue becomes palmitoylated when recombinant ACT (r-Ec-ACT) is produced together with CyaC in Escherichia coli K12. We have eliminated this additional acylation site by replacing Lys860 of ACT with arginine, leucine, and cysteine residues. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and microcapillary high performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometric analyses of mutant proteins confirmed that the two sites are acylated independently in vivo and that mutations of Lys860 did not affect the quantitative acylation of Lys983 by palmitoyl (C16:0) and palmitoleil (cis Δ9 C16:1) fatty-acyl groups. Nevertheless, even the most conservative substitution of lysine 860 by an arginine residue caused a 10-fold decrease of toxin activity. This resulted from a 5-fold reduction of cell association capacity and a further 2-fold reduction in cell penetration efficiency of the membrane-bound K860R toxin. These results suggest that lysine 860 plays by itself a crucial structural role in membrane insertion and translocation of the toxin, independently of its acylation status.
SOX2 Silencing in Glioblastoma Tumor‐Initiating Cells Causes Stop of Proliferation and Loss of Tumorigenicity

Glioblastoma, the most aggressive cerebral tumor, is invariably lethal. Glioblastoma cells express several genes typical of normal neural stem cells. One of them, SOX2, is a master gene involved in sustaining self‐renewal of several stem cells, in particular neural stem cells. To investigate its role in the aberrant growth of glioblastoma, we silenced SOX2 in freshly derived glioblastoma tumor‐initiating cells (TICs). Our results indicate that SOX2 silenced glioblastoma TICs, despite the many mutations they have accumulated, stop proliferating and lose tumorigenicity in immunodeficient mice. SOX2 is then also fundamental for maintenance of the self‐renewal capacity of neural stem cells when they have acquired cancer properties. SOX2, or its immediate downstream effectors, would then be an ideal target for glioblastoma therapy. STEM CELLS 2009;27:40–48
Detecting abandoned objects in crowded scenes of surveillance videos using adaptive dual background model

Detecting an abandoned object in crowded scenes of surveillance videos becomes more complex task due to occlusions, lighting changes, and other factors. In this paper, a new framework to detect abandoned object using dual background model subtraction is presented. In our system, the adaptive background model is generated based on statistical information of pixel intensity that robust against lighting condition. Foreground analysis using geometrical properties is then applied in order to filter out false region. Human and vehicle detection are then integrated to verify the region as static object, human or vehicle. The robustness and efficiency of the proposed method are tested on several public databases such as i-LIDS and PETS2006 datasets. These are also tested using our own dataset, ISLab dataset. The test and evaluation result show that our method is efficient and robust to detect abandoned object in crowded scenes.
A monoclonal antibody cytolytic to androgen independent DU145 and PC3 human prostatic carcinoma cells

While a range of therapeutic products is available for androgen‐dependent prostatic cancer, no specific intervention modality exists for androgen‐independent prostatic cancer. The objective of this research was to explore whether epitopes exist on androgen‐independent prostatic DU145 cancer cells, which could be susceptible to cytotoxic action of specific antibodies.
Response to clopidogrel is associated with early neurological deterioration after acute ischemic stroke

Purpose The relationship between response to clopidogrel and early neurological deterioration (END) after acute ischemic stroke (IS) is not well defined. The aim of present study was to evaluate the associations of clopidogrel resistance (CR) with END, and stratified analyze the effectiveness of clopidogrel alone and clopidogrel plus aspirin for the prevention of END. Results A total of 375 patients, 144 patients were received clopidogrel alone, 231 patients took clopidogrel plus aspirin. CR occurred in 153 patients (40.8%). 95 (25.3%) patients developed END within the first 10 days. Platelet aggregation was higher on admission, and inhibition of platelet aggregation was significantly lower in patients with END than patients without END. Diabetes mellitus, CR, and clopidogrel plus aspirin were independently associated with END. Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel can inhibit both arachidonic acid (AA)-induced and ADP-induced platelet aggregation Methods This was a prospective, two-center study. A total of 375 IS patients taking clopidogrel alone or clopidogrel plus aspirin were enrolled. Platelet aggregation was measured before and after the 7–10 day treatment. CR was assessed by adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet aggregation. The primary endpoint was END within the 10 days after admission. The secondary endpoint was a composite of recurrent ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, and death during the 10 days after admission. Conclusions CR and END are fairly common after acute IS. CR is associated with higher risk of END. Clopidogrel plus aspirin combination therapy provides greater inhibition of platelet aggregation, and may afford protection against END.
Executive Motivations, Earnings, and Consequent Equity Performance

In this paper the financial incentives of executives are analyzed, theoretically and econometrically, with particular emphasis on the relationship between executive motivations and the sales-maximization hypothesis. Executive financial incentives are found to be primarily related to firm stock market performance. The sales performance of the firm has no consistent positive or negative effect on executive financial return. The structures of individual firms' compensation packages were tested for effects on firm performance. It was found that firms with executives whose financial rewards more closely paralleled stockholders' interests performed better in the stock market over the postwar period. For this sample of firms it was concluded that the hypothesis of present-value maximization better explains firm behavior than the hypothesis of sales maximization. It is the conclusion of this author that the sales-maximization hypothesis does not usefully characterize the "typical oligopolist," as has been asserted by William J. Baumol.
Nanocluster of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with poly (dopamine) for magnetic field-targeting, highly sensitive MRI and photothermal cancer therapy

In this paper, a core–shell nanocomposite of clusters of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with poly(dopamine) (SPION clusters@PDA) is fabricated as a magnetic field-directed theranostic agent that combines the capabilities of highly sensitive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and photothermal cancer therapy. The highly concentrated SPION cluster core is suitable for sensitive MRI due to its superparamagnetic properties, and the poly(dopamine) coating layer can induce cancer cell death under near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation because of the photothermal conversion ability of PDA. MRI scanning reveals that the nanocomposite has relatively high r2 and r2* relaxivities, and the r2* values are nearly threefold higher than the r2 values because of the clustering of the SPIONs in the nanocomposite core. Due to the rapid response to magnetic field gradients, enhanced cellular uptake of our nanocomposite mediated by an external magnetic field can be achieved, thus producing significantly enhanced local photothermal killing efficiency against cancer cells under NIR irritation.
Reducing sewer corrosion through integrated urban water management

Sourcing corrosive sewer sulfides Sewer systems are corroding at an alarming rate, costing governments billions of dollars to replace. Differences among water treatment systems make it difficult to track down the source of corrosive sulfide responsible for this damage. Pikaar et al. performed an extensive industry survey and sampling campaign across Australia (see the Perspective by Rauch and Kleidorfer). Aluminum sulfate added as a coagulant during drinking water treatment was the primary culprit in corroding sewer systems. Modifying this common treatment strategy to include sulfate-free coagulants could dramatically reduce sewer corrosion across the globe. Science, this issue p. 812; see also p. 734 Decreasing sulfate added during drinking water treatment can prevent corrosion of sewers caused by wastewater. [Also see Perspective by Rauch and Kleidorfer] Sewer systems are among the most critical infrastructure assets for modern urban societies and provide essential human health protection. Sulfide-induced concrete sewer corrosion costs billions of dollars annually and has been identified as a main cause of global sewer deterioration. We performed a 2-year sampling campaign in South East Queensland (Australia), an extensive industry survey across Australia, and a comprehensive model-based scenario analysis of the various sources of sulfide. Aluminum sulfate addition during drinking water production contributes substantially to the sulfate load in sewage and indirectly serves as the primary source of sulfide. This unintended consequence of urban water management structures could be avoided by switching to sulfate-free coagulants, with no or only marginal additional expenses compared with the large potential savings in sewer corrosion costs.
Energy & throughput tradeoff in WSN with network coding

Recently, network coding emerged as a promising technology that can provide significant improvements in throughput and energy efficiency of wireless networks. Many implementations of network coding in wireless networks, such as COPE, encourage nodes to overhear to improve the coding opportunities so that they can create better opportunities for coding at the transmitter node through overhearing more packages. In this paper, we have shown that all overheard packets are not necessarily useful for coding; thus, a node can go to sleep mode and shutdown the transceiver to have low power consumption. In this approach, nodes use RL mechanism for duty cycling that is aware of network coding; thereby high throughput and low power consumption can be achieved. In this paper, the duty cycling decision problem is formulated as a Markov decision process. The objective is to maximize the expected total reward of overhearing according to the value of overheard packets.
Osteo-Anabol 22 Kand 20 K ic Effects of Daltons on Human Human Growth Hormone with Osteoblast-Like Cells

Human growth hormone with 22,000 Dal (22K-hGH) stimulates proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts as well as production of interleukin-6 in vitro and bone formation and remodeling in vivo. To investigate whether hGH isoform with 20Kd (20K-hGH), which accounts for 10% of circulating hGH, elicits similar metabolic effects on skeletal tissues, we studied the biological effects of 20K-hGH in cultured human osteoblast-like cells (HOB). HOB were obtained from trabecular bone explants and cultured in a-MEM supplemented with 10%oFCS. In subconfluent cultures, 22Kand 20KhGH stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation by 62 ± 27% and 63 ± 23 %, respectively (mean ± SD, n=8, P>0.1). In confluent cultures, 22Kand 20K-hGH increased alkaline phosphatase activity by 38 ± 23% and 41 ± 23% (P>0.1), respectively, and increased the osteocalcin concentration in the presence of 10-9 M 1,25-(OH)2D3 by 50% and 47% (P>0.1), respectively. Furthermore, both hGHs doubled the interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration in the conditioned medium. RT-PCR analysis revealed that 22Kand 20KhGH increased IL-6 gene expression 2.2 ± 0.6 and 2.4 ± 0.7 -fold, respectively. In summary, we have demonstrated that 20K-hGH elicits equipotent anabolic effects on HOB and stimulates to the same extent the production of IL-6, a cytokine which initiates osteoclastogenesis. These in vitro findings suggest that 22Kand 20K-hGH may equipotently stimulate bone remodeling and elicit anabolic effects on skeletal tissue when administered in vivo.
The Part-Time Wage Gap in Norway: How Large is it Really?

Norwegian working-life legislation has strict rules against discrimination between full-time and part-time work. Partly as a consequence of this, a large proportion of Norwegian women work part-time. The purpose of this paper is to establish whether there are systematic differences between part-time and full-time workers regarding the selection process and earnings capacity. We find wage differences between part-time and full-time workers are small in Norway, and there is no evidence of systematic selection bias. The results may be explained by some features of the Norwegian labour market, including, equal rights for part-time workers, strict rules against the discrimination of part-time workers, and a generous family policy enabling women to combine work and family life.