Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hegu acupuncture for chronic low-back pain: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Acupuncture has long been employed for the treatment of chronic low back pain (CLBP). However, very few studies have characterized the effectiveness of the different acupuncture modes for CLBP. METHODS In total, 187 patients with CLBP participated in this study. Eligible patients were randomized to Hegu acupuncture, Standard acupuncture, or Usual Care groups. Eighteen (18) treatments were provided over 7 weeks. Back-related dysfunction and symptom severity were assessed by the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), which were collected at baseline and at 8 and 48 weeks after beginning the treatment. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed for factorial analyses. RESULTS Significant differences were found between follow-up and the baseline scores (p<0.05). The Hegu acupuncture group had higher RMDQ scores (8 weeks, 5.3 versus 2.1; 48 weeks, 5.7 versus 3.3; p<0.001 for both) and VAS scores (8 weeks, 1.5 versus 0.5; 48 weeks, 2.6 versus 1.6; p<0.001 for both) compared with the usual care group. The standardized acupuncture group also had higher RMDQ scores (8 weeks, 4.2 versus 2.1; 48 weeks, 4.6 versus 3.3, p<0.001 for both) and VAS scores (8 weeks, 1.3 versus 0.5; 48 weeks, 2.4 versus 1.6, p<0.001 for both) compared with the Usual Care group. The Hegu group had higher RMDQ scores (8 weeks, p<0.05; 48 weeks, p<0.001) and VAS scores (48 weeks, p<0.05) compared with the standardized group. There was a significant difference between the Hegu and standardized acupuncture groups in repeated-measures ANOVA (p<0.05). Across the three testing points, significant differences were found in the RMDQ and VAS scores between the usual care group and both treatment groups (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Both acupuncture modes have beneficial and persistent effectiveness against CLBP compared with the usual care group; Hegu acupuncture is significantly more effective than standardized acupuncture, especially in the long term.
The competitive advantage of organizational learning

Aims to understand how training and communication help an organization to learn and gain a competitive advantage. Explores the link between training, communication and measurement with individual and organizational learning by conducting a specific qualitative analysis looking for insights into how the concepts sometimes work and how they fail. Also touches on the general themes that have shaken management and employees over the last 15 years as they struggle to survive and prosper in the global village, and compares this concept with ideas that have been prevalent in organizations since the early 1970s. The objective is to understand how organizations can tap their intangible assets and increase their value to the organization, the individual who holds the knowledge and the society that benefits from a healthy economy.
Computer-aided B-mode ultrasound diagnosis of hepatic steatosis: a feasibility study

Fatty liver (steatosis) occurs in obese patients, among others, and is related to the development of diabetes type-2. Timely diagnosis of steatosis is therefore of great importance. Steatosis is also the most common liver disease of high-yielding dairy cattle during early lactation. This makes it a suitable animal model for studying liver steatosis. Furthermore, reference of derived ultrasound parameters against a "gold standard" is possible in cattle by taking a liver biopsy for the assessment of fat concentration. The authors undertook this pilot study to investigate the hypothesis that quantitative, computer-aided B- mode ultrasound enables the noninvasive detection of hepatic steatosis. Echographic images were obtained postpartum from dairy cows (n = 12) in transcutaneous and direct (intraoperative) applications using a convex array transducer at 4.2 MHz. During surgery, a biopsy was taken from the caudate lobe to assess the liver fat content (fat score). A custom-designed software package for computer-aided ultrasound diagnosis (CAUS) was developed. After linearizing the post-processing look-up-table (LUT), the image gray levels were transferred into echo levels in decibels relative to the mean echo level in a tissue-mimicking phantom. The quantitative comparison of transcutaneous and intraoperative images enabled the correction for the attenuation effect of skin and subcutaneous fat layer on the mean echo level in the liver, as well as for the effects of the beam formation and attenuation of liver tissue on the echo level vs. depth. The residual attenuation coefficient (dB/cm) in fatty liver vs. normal liver was estimated and compensated for. Finally, echo level was estimated relative to the phantom used for calibration, and echo texture was characterized by the mean axial and lateral speckle size within the regions of interest. In the no fat/low fat group (n = 5) skin plus fat layer attenuation was 3.4 dB/cm. A correlation of skin layer thickness vs. fat score of r = 0.48 was found. The mean transcutaneous liver tissue echo level correlated well with fat score: r = 0.80. A residual liver attenuation coefficient of 0.76 dB/cm and 1.19 dB/cm was found in medium and high fat liver, respectively. In transcutaneous images, correlation of residual attenuation coefficient with fat score was r = 0.69. Axial and lateral speckle sizes were on the order of 0.2 and 1.0 cm, respectively, and no correlation was found with liver fat content. Results for transcutaneous and intraoperative images were similar. The authors conclude that this pilot study shows the feasibility of calibrated, computer-aided ultrasound for noninvasively diagnosing, possibly even screening, steatosis of the liver.
A History of the Use of Groups in Probation Work: Part One - From 'Clubbing the Unclubbables' to Therapeutic Intervention

In recent times, groupwork with people supervised by probation staff has become a central part of the government driven effective practice strategy: it has not always been so. For most of the history of the probation service, groupwork, with some notable exceptions, has been a peripheral activity sustained mainly by the energy and commitment of enthusiastic practitioners. Moreover, it has been a relatively neglected part of the story of probation. This, then, is the first of two articles that set out to tell that story. This first part describes the development of groupwork from the late mission period (characterised by moral exhortation) to the era of professionalisation (characterised by casework treatment). In so doing, it seeks to emphasise the importance of groupwork's contribution to the epistemological history of the supervision of offenders in the community.
Spitzer Observations of Optically “Invisible” Radio and X-Ray Sources: High-Redshift Active Galactic Nuclei

We have combined a survey at 24 μm to 0.3 mJy with the Multiband Imaging Photometer (MIPS) on the Spitzer Space Telescope, a 20 cm A-configuration Very Large Array (VLA) survey covering 0.5 deg2, and an existing 172 ks Chandra X-Ray Observatory exposure to investigate the nature of optically faint radio and X-ray sources in the NOAO Deep Wide-Field Survey (NDWFS) in the Bootes field. A catalog of 392 radio sources is defined with optical identifications or magnitude limits. We find little overlap between the radio- and infrared-selected populations: only 9% of the infrared sources are detected in the radio, and only 33% of the radio sources are detected in the infrared. Thirty-six (10%) of the 377 compact radio sources lack optical counterparts in the NDWFS BW, R, and I images. We refer to these objects as optically invisible radio sources (OIRSs). Only four (13%) of the 31 OIRSs observed with MIPS are detected at 24 μm. Comparisons of the radio and infrared properties of the OIRSs with various galaxy spectral energy distributions demonstrate that most of these sources are powered by active galactic nuclei (AGNs) rather than starbursts. Similarly, 11 X-ray sources observed by both MIPS and the VLA are classified as optically invisible X-ray sources (OIXSs). None is detected at 24 μm or 20 cm. All seven OIXSs detected in Chandra's 0.5-2 keV band have infrared to X-ray flux ratios consistent with their luminosity being dominated by an unobscured AGN. From these results we conclude that both the optically invisible radio and X-ray source populations are primarily AGNs, relatively unaffected by dust, and most likely at z > 1. No OIRSs are detected in X-ray emission, and no OIXSs are detected at 20 cm. However, given the wide range in radio and X-ray properties of known AGNs and the size of our samples, this lack of overlap does not necessarily imply different AGN source populations.
Exploring the Truth

This article examines the structural problems that have accompanied South Korea’s increasing emphasis on success in elite international sport. After discussing how this was brought about by the political context of the 1960s and 1970s, we focus on three particular social issues: the educational problems experienced by student-athletes, the problems these cause in later life, and the physical and sexual abuse that is committed by coaches. The study draws on evidence from three selected investigative documentary programs aired by the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) in 2007 and 2008, and this is supplemented by data from other media publications, official government documents, research reports, and a series of interviews. We draw on the concept of path dependency and the notion of Confucianism to provide insight into how these issues accompanied by the nation’s elite sport-focused policy have proved enduring. Overall, and with reference to wider socio-cultural factors, we show how South Korea’s emphasis on sport has brought success for the nation but problems for the athletes who have contributed to it.
Practical Simpli cation of English Newspaper Textto Assist Aphasic

Aphasia is a disability of language processing often suffered by people as a result of a stroke or head injury. In order to assist aphasic readers we are developing a system which automatically simpliies English newspaper texts as available on the Internet. The system combines state-of-the-art natural language processing tools with innovative research on text simpliication. We present the architecture of the system, discuss the analysis of newspaper text and a number of criteria for simpliication. In addition, we provide some initial implementation details and propose an evaluation method.
Modeling spatial sound in contextual augmented reality environments

This paper describes spatial sound modeling in Contextual Augmented Reality Environments (CARE) with the use of the CARL language. To support 3D sound presentation in CARE environments, the CARL language has been extended with new sound elements. The concept has been implemented in the CARL Browser that enables displaying augmented reality presentations enriched with 3D sound. As a result, extended CARE environments enable combining visual and audio content in AR scenes in a flexible and seamless way.
Evaluation of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma using Protein-Protein Interaction Networks

Aim: In the current study, we analysised only the articles that investigate serum proteome profile of cirrhosis patients or HCC patients versus healthy controls. Background: Increased understanding of cancer biology has enabled identification of molecular events that lead to the discovery of numerous potential biomarkers in diseases. Protein-protein interaction networks is one of aspect that could elevate the understanding level of molecular events and protein connections that lead to the identification of genes and proteins associated with diseases. Methods: Gene expression data, including 63 gene or protein names for hepatocellular carcinoma and 29 gene or protein names for cirrhosis, were extracted from a number of previous investigations. The networks of related differentially expressed genes were explored using Cytoscape and the PPI analysis methods such as MCODE and ClueGO. Centrality and cluster screening identified hub genes, including APOE, TTR, CLU, and APOA1 in cirrhosis. Results: CLU and APOE belong to the regulation of positive regulation of neurofibrillary tangle assembly. HP and APOE involved in cellular oxidant detoxification. C4B and C4BP belong to the complement activation, classical pathway and acute inflammation response pathway. Also, it was reported TTR, TFRC, VWF, CLU, A2M, APOA1, CKAP5, ZNF648, CASP8, and HSP27 as hubs in HCC. In HCC, these include A2M that are corresponding to platelet degranulation, humoral immune response, and negative regulation of immune effector process. CLU belong to the reverse cholesterol transport, platelet degranulation and human immune response. APOA1 corresponds to the reverse cholesterol transport, platelet degranulation and humoral immune response, as well as negative regulation of immune effector process pathway. Conclusion: In conclusion, this study suggests that there is a common molecular relationship between cirrhosis and hepatocellular cancer that may help with identification of target molecules for early treatment that is essential in cancer therapy.
Prediction of Female Breast Cancer Incidence among the Aging Society in Kanagawa, Japan

Owing to the increasing number of elderly “baby boomers” in Japan, the number of cancer patients is also expected to increase. Approximately 2 million baby boomers from nearby local areas are residing in metropolitan areas; hence, the geographical distribution of cancer patients will probably markedly change. We assessed the expected number of breast cancer (BC) patients in different regions (urban, outer city, town, rural) using estimates of the nation’s population and Kanagawa Cancer Registry data. To estimate future BC incidence for each region, we multiplied the 2010 rate by the predicted female population for each region according to age group. The incidence cases of BC in those aged ≥65 years is expected to increase in all areas; in particular, compared to rates in 2010, the BC incidence in urban areas was predicted to increase by 82.6% in 2035 and 102.2% in 2040. Although the incidence in all BC cases in urban areas showed an increasing trend, until peaking in 2040 (increasing 31.2% from 2010), the number of BC patients would continue to decrease in other areas. The number of BC patients per capita BC specialist was 64.3 patients in 2010; this value would increase from 59.3 in 2010 to 77.7 in 2040 in urban areas, but would decrease in other areas. Our findings suggest that the number of elderly BC patients is expected to increase rapidly in urban areas and that the demand for BC treatment would increase in the elderly population in urban areas.
CR1/CR2 Deficiency Alters IgG3 Autoantibody Production and IgA Glomerular Deposition in the MRL/lpr Model of SLE

CR1 and CR2 expression is decreased by ∼50% on B cells of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Expression is also decreased in the MRL/lpr murine model of SLE prior to the development of clinical disease, suggesting that this alteration may play a role in pathogenesis. To determine whether the decrease in receptor levels affects the development of SLE, we analyzed MRL/lpr mice in which CR1/CR2 expression was altered by gene targeting. Mice from each cohort (Cr2+/+, Cr2+/-, and Cr2-/-) were analyzed biweekly for the development of proteinuria and autoantibodies. Kidneys were examined at 12 and 16 weeks for evidence of immune complex deposition and renal disease. Deficiency of CR1/CR2 did not affect survival or development of renal disease as measured by proteinuria. Mice deficient in CR1/CR2 had significantly lower levels of IgG3 rheumatoid factor (RF) and total serum IgG3, suggesting a specific defect in production of IgG3 in response to endogenous autoantigens. Since IgG3 RF has been associated with the development of vasculitis in this model, we examined the mice for alterations in development of this clinical manifestation. Although there was no difference in the development of ear necrosis among the three groups, renal arteritis was not identified in any of the Cr2-/- mice, whereas it was present in 20% of the Cr2+/- and 40% of the Cr2+/+ mice. Finally, significantly higher levels of IgA were seen in the glomeruli of Cr2-/- mice compared to Cr2+/- or Cr2+/+ mice, suggesting that CR1/CR2 are involved in either the regulation of IgA production or the clearance of IgA immune complexes. Together these data support the concept that alterations in CR1/CR2 expression or function affect the regulation of autoantibody production and/or clearance and may have clinical consequences.
The directional effects on cursor dragging kinematics

There has been no study to substantiate the kinematical characteristics of cursor dragging movement. In this present study, we developed a computerized measuring program and used the quantitative experimental research method to explore the effect of moving direction on the kinematics of cursor dragging in 24 normal participants. The results of multiple one way repeated measures ANOVAs and post hoc LSD tests demonstrated that the dragging direction had effects on movement time and movement unit. Dragging leftward showed better efficiency than dragging upward and downward. These directional effects partially clarify how the dragging performances were influenced by the moving direction. Moreover, it can guide us to re-arrange the toolbars and icons under window interfaces, especially for individuals with physical disabilities, whose performances can be easily interrupted while controlling the cursor in specific directions.
Abandoned Object Detection using Temporal Consistency Modeling

In this paper an effective approach for detecting the abandoned object/ luggage for video surveillance is present. Here the long-term and short-term background models are combined to extract foreground objects, where each pixel in an input is classified as two bit code. To identify the static foreground regions, a framework is used based on the temporal transition of code pattern and it also determines whether the candidate regions contain the abandoned object by analyzing the back traced trajectories of luggage owner. This paper also introduces the real-time application of proposed method. The real-time application is performed by using raspberry-pi processor and the raspberry-pi camera. The experimental results show that, the proposed approach is effective for detecting abandoned object/ luggage.
Comparison of Three Diagnostics Methods of Mycoplasma Gallisepticum in Batna Governorate (Algeria)

Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection is commonly designated as chronic respiratory disease in chickens. It is the most pathogenic avian Mycoplasma; however, strains may differ markedly in virulence. In this study, the technical performance of culture, a commercially available polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and rapid plate agglutination (SPA) test were compared for the detection of Mycoplasma gallisepticum infections from 18 birds. Results showed a high percentage of positive samples of both culture and PCR tests (72.22% and 63.63% respectively). SPA showed a less positive rate (61.11%). the utilization of SPA towards MG diagnosis is limited by its reduced specificity and the high incidence of false positives Contradictory to other studies, bacteriology was more sensitive than PCR. Several studies support strongly the use of the PCR as a technique for the diagnosis of Mycoplasma infections since this technique is more sensitive than serology and culture. This study showed that it is not advisable to rely completely on one test (system) only.
Negative interpretation of bodily sensations in social anxiety

The relationship between negative interpretation of bodily sensations and social anxiety was investigated, and hypothesized cognitive models were tested using structural equation modeling in performance and social interactive situations. The following interpretations of bodily sensations were examined: (1) the overestimation of the visibility of bodily sensations and (2) the fear of negative evaluation of bodily sensations by others. Undergraduate students (N = 293) responded to a set of measures including the Social Phobia Scale and the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale. Correlation analyses indicated that the two interpretations were positively correlated with each other, as well as with social anxiety. Results of structural equation modeling indicated different structures for models of performance and social interactive situations. In both situations, the fear of negative evaluation of bodily sensations by others mediated the relationship between overestimating the visibility of bodily sensations and so.
Signature-Based Hybrid Spill-Tree for Indexing High-Dimensional Data

Because video data, especially UCC(User Create Content), has recently attracted much interest, high-dimensional indexing schemes are required to support the content-based retrieval of video data. However, most high-dimensional indexing schemes, except Hybrid Spill-Tree, are not efficient in terms of retrieval performance because they are weak in either retrieval accuracy or retrieval time. Therefore, we, in this paper, propose a new efficient high-dimensional indexing scheme to support the content-based retrieval of a large amount of video data. For this, we extend Hybrid Spill-tree by using a newly designed clustering technique and by adopting a signature technique. In addition, we provide both an insertion algorithm and a k-NN search algorithm for our high-dimensional indexing scheme. Finally, we show that our signature-based high-dimensional indexing scheme achieves better retrieval performance than M-Tree and Hybrid Spill-Tree.
Retracted: The Cf-9 Disease Resistance Protein Is Present in an ∼420-Kilodalton Heteromultimeric Membrane-Associated Complex at One Molecule per Complex

The tomato Cf-9 gene confers race-specific resistance to the fungal pathogen Cladosporium fulvum expressing the corresponding avirulence gene Avr9. In tobacco, Cf-9 confers a hypersensitive response to the Avr9 peptide. To investigate Cf-9 protein function in initiating defense signaling, we engineered a functional C-terminal fusion of the Cf-9 gene with the TAP (Tandem Affinity Purification) tag. In addition, we established a transient expression assay in Nicotiana benthamiana leaves for the production of functional Cf-9:myc and Cf-9:TAP. Transiently expressed Cf-9:myc and Cf-9:TAP proteins induced an Avr9-dependent hypersensitive response, consistent with previous results with stably transformed tobacco plants and derived cell suspension cultures expressing c-myc–tagged Cf-9. Gel filtration of microsomal fractions solubilized with octylglucoside revealed that the Cf-9 protein, either as c-myc or TAP fusions, migrated at a molecular mass of 350 to 475 kD. By using blue native gel electrophoresis, the molecular size was confirmed to be ∼420 kD. Our results suggest that only one Cf-9 protein molecule is present in the Cf-9 complex and that Cf-9 is part of a membrane complex consisting of an additional glycoprotein partner(s). The high structural similarity between Cf proteins and Clavata2 (CLV2) of Arabidopsis, together with the similarity of molecular mass between Cf-9 and CLV complexes (420 and 450 kD, respectively), led us to investigate whether Cf-9 is integrated into membrane-associated protein complexes like those formed by CLV1 and CLV2. Unlike CLV2, the Cf-9 protein did not form disulfide-linked heterodimers, no ligand (Avr9)-dependent shift in the molecular mass of the Cf-9 complex was detected, and no Rho-GTPase–related proteins were found associated with Cf-9 under the conditions tested. Thus, Cf-9–dependent defense signaling and CLV2-dependent regulation of meristem development seem to be accomplished via distinct mechanisms, despite the structural similarity of their key components Cf-9 and CLV2.