Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effects of stabilizing exercises on pain and disability of patients with lumbar segmental instability.

BACKGROUND DATA Lumbar segmental instability (LSI) is one of the subgroups of non-specific chronic low back pain. Pain, functional disability and reduced muscle endurance are common in such patients. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the effects of stabilization exercise on pain, functional disability and muscle endurance in patients with LSI. METHODS A randomized clinical trial was carried out on 30 patients who had LSI aged between 18-45 years. They were divided into two groups; the control group underwent routine exercise only while the experimental group performed routine exercise plus stabilization training for 8 weeks. Both had 3 months follow-up. The variables included pain intensity, functional disability and flexion and extension range of motion and flexor, extensor and lateral flexor muscles endurance which were evaluated 3 times; before, post treatment and after three months. The data were analyzed using repeated measurement ANOVA. RESULTS The results revealed that after treatment, the trunk muscle endurance and flexion range of motion increased significantly and the pain intensity and functional disability decreased significantly in both groups; however the rate of improvement was significantly higher in the experimental group. The process of decreasing pain intensity and functional disability in addition to increasing muscle endurance time %was were significantly faster in the experimental group during the three months follow up. CONCLUSION Regarding the positive effects of stabilizing exercises with routine exercises in reduction of pain intensity, increasing functional ability and muscle endurance, it is recommended to use this method in treatment of patients with lumbar segmental instability.
Detection of Facial Wrinkle based on Improved Maximum Curvature Points in Image Profiles

Face wrinkles, as an important sign of aging and the focus of anti-aging, have great research significance in detecting them. However, rough skin result in more noises, and the intensity difference between the fine wrinkles and the skin background is too small, which ultimately leads to low detection rate of wrinkles. An improved maximum curvature method is proposed for wrinkle detection. Firstly, the intensity gradient caused by wrinkles is highlighted by combining the image features of Gabor filter bank and Frangi filter. Then, the filtered result image is binarized, and the connected component eccentricity distribution is counted to judge the wrinkle feature extraction effect. According to the effect of wrinkle feature extraction, the image is selected, and the local maximum curvature of the cross-sectional contour is calculated to detect wrinkles. At the same time, combined with the complex geometric features of wrinkles, the connection method in the algorithm is improved. Compared with the existing wrinkle detection methods, the proposed method greatly improves the detection rate of wrinkles, especially in rough skin images.
The growth in military expenditure in Germany 1951–2011: did parties matter?

We examine whether government ideology was correlated with the growth in military expenditure in Germany over the period 1951–2011. Using various measures of government ideology, the results do not show any effect. The exception is an ideology measure based on the Comparative Manifesto Project (left-right scale): using this measure, the results show that the growth in military expenditure increased by about 2.4 percentage points, when the ideology variable (right-wing) increased by one standard deviation. This effect, however, is based on observations until the early 1960s and cannot be generalized. The major political parties agreed on how to evaluate international risks and threats. Government ideology retired to the background. We conjecture that the consensus among the major parties will persist – even if military spending needs to be increased in response to new international risks and threats.
Correlated aggregation operators for simplified neutrosophic set and their application in multi-attribute group decision making

The simplified neutrosophic set (SNS) is a generalization of the fuzzy set that is designed for some incomplete, uncertain and inconsistent situations in which each element has different truth membership, indeterminacy membership and falsity membership functions. In this paper, we propose the simplified neutrosophic correlated averaging (SNCA) operator and the simplified neutrosophic correlated geometric (SNCG) operator, and further study the properties of the operators. Then, an approach to multi-attribute group decision making (MAGDM) within the framework of SNS is developed by the proposed aggregation operators. Finally, a practical application of the developed approach to the problem of investment is given, and the result shows that our approach is reasonable and effective in dealing with uncertain decision making problems.
No evidence of an intracellular lactate shuttle in rat skeletal muscle

The concerted view is that cytosolic pyruvate is transferred into mitochondria and after oxidative decarboxylation further metabolized in the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Recently this view has been challenged. Based on experimental evidence from rat skeletal muscle it has been concluded that mitochondria predominantly oxidize lactate in vivo and that this constitutes part of an ‘intracellular lactate shuttle’. This view appears to be gaining acceptance in the scientific community and due to its conceptual importance, confirmation by independent experiments is required. We have repeated the experiments in mitochondria isolated from rat soleus muscle. Contrary to the previously published findings we cannot find any mitochondrial respiration with lactate. Analysis of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) by spectrophotometry demonstrated that the activity in the mitochondrial fraction was only 0.7 % of total activity. However, even when external LDH was added to mitochondria, there were no signs of respiration with lactate. In the presence of conditions where lactate is converted to pyruvate (external additions of both LDH and NAD+), mitochondrial oxygen consumption increased. Furthermore, we provide theoretical evidence that direct mitochondrial lactate oxidation is energetically unlikely. Based on the present data we conclude that direct mitochondrial lactate oxidation does not occur in skeletal muscle. The presence of an ‘intracellular lactate shuttle’ can therefore be questioned.
An office-place stepping device to promote workplace physical activity

Objective: It was proposed that an office-place stepping device is associated with significant and substantial increases in energy expenditure compared to sitting energy expenditure. The objective was to assess the effect of using an office-place stepping device on the energy expenditure of lean and obese office workers. Methods: The office-place stepping device is an inexpensive, near-silent, low-impact device that can be housed under a standard desk and plugged into an office PC for self-monitoring. Energy expenditure was measured in lean and obese subjects using the stepping device and during rest, sitting and walking. 19 subjects (27±9 years, 85±23 kg): 9 lean (BMI<25 kg/m2) and 10 obese (BMI>29 kg/m2) attended the experimental office facility. Energy expenditure was measured at rest, while seated in an office chair, standing, walking on a treadmill and while using the office-place stepping device. Results: The office-place stepping device was associated with an increase in energy expenditure above sitting in an office chair by 289±102 kcal/hour (p<0.001). The increase in energy expenditure was greater for obese (335±99 kcal/hour) than for lean subjects (235±80 kcal/hour; p = 0.03). The increments in energy expenditure were similar to exercise-style walking. Conclusion: The office-place stepping device could be an approach for office workers to increase their energy expenditure. If the stepping device was used to replace sitting by 2 hours per day and if other components of energy balance were constant, weight loss of 20 kg/year could occur.
How Leaders Respond to Diversity: The Moderating Role of Organizational Culture on Performance Information Use

Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognize and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim.
New adsorbed coatings for capillary electrophoresis

New acrylic polymers bearing oxirane groups were synthesized to be used in the production of coated capillaries. A fully automated coating procedure was devised based on the use of diluted water solutions of these polymers. The whole procedure required less than 30 min. The new polymers rapidly adsorbed from water onto the capillary wall, thus suppressing electroosmotic flow (EOF) to a negligible value. The adsorbed coatings were stable for hundreds of hours at high pH, temperature, and in the presence of 8 M urea. Efficient separations of acidic and basic proteins were achieved in the new phases.
Cerebrovascular Protective Effect of Boldine Against Neural Apoptosis via Inhibition of Mitochondrial Bax Translocation and Cytochrome C Release

Background In the present study, we explored the protective effect and mechanism of action of boldine (BOL) against neural apoptosis, which is a mediator of TBI. Material/Methods The effect of BOL on mitochondrial and cytosol proteins of extracted from cerebral cortical tissue of mice was evaluated. The grip test was used to assess the neurological deficit and brain water content of the subjects after administration of BOL to assess its effect on SOD, GSH, and MDA activity in brain ischemic tissues. To further confirm the effect of the BOL, the histopathological analysis and morphology of neurons were studied by Nissl staining. The effect of BOL against TBI-induced neural apoptosis by immuno-histochemistry and Western blotting assay were also studied. Result BOL showed significant improvement against TBI in a dose-dependent manner. In the BOL-treated group, the apoptotic index was significantly reduced, but the level of caspase-3 was greatly diminished. Additionally, the level of the Bax in mitochondria (mit) and cytosol was elevated in the TBI-treated group as compared to the sham group. Further BOL at the test dose causes significant reduction in the level of mitochondrial MDA together with increase in SOD activity as compared to the TBI alone group. Conclusions BOL showed a cerebroprotective effect against TBI by attenuating the oxidative stress and the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. It also inhibited mitochondrial Bax translocation and cytochrome c release.
THE GENESIS OF THE MILKY WAY'S THICK DISK VIA STELLAR MIGRATION

We compare the spatial, kinematic, and metallicity distributions of stars in the Milky Way disk, as observed by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Geneva–Copenhagen Survey, to predictions made by N-body simulations that naturally include radial migration as proposed by Sellwood & Binney. In these simulations, stars that migrate radially outward feel a decreased restoring force, consequentially they reach larger heights above the mid-plane. We find that this model is in qualitative agreement with observational data and can explain the disk's double-exponential vertical structure and other characteristics as due to internal evolution. In particular, the model reproduces observations of stars in the transition region between exponential components, which do not show a strong correlation between rotational velocity and metallicity. Although such a correlation is present in young stars because of epicyclic motions, radial migration efficiently mixes older stars and weakens the correlation. Classifying stars as members of the thin or thick disk by either velocity or metallicity leads to an apparent separation in the other property, as observed. We find a much stronger separation when using [α/Fe], which is a good proxy for stellar age. The model success is remarkable because the simulation was not tuned to reproduce the Galaxy, hinting that the thick disk may be a ubiquitous Galactic feature generated by stellar migration. Nonetheless, we cannot exclude the possibility that some fraction of the thick disk is a fossil of a more violent history, nor can radial migration explain thick disks in all galaxies, most strikingly those which counterrotate with respect to the thin disk.
Network classification

Conceptual clustering plays an important role in machine learning. In this paper, we propose a quasi-clustering method, network classification, which improves upon the computational efficiency of traditional conceptual clustering methods. Network classification is based on the Power Law assumption and the concept of hub observations/instances. The method is evaluated in several domains and compared with examples of both unsupervised learning and supervised learning methods. The results show that network classification maintains a comparable forecasting accuracy, while exhibiting an improved computing performance over conceptual clustering methods.
Early Inhibition of Cellular DNA Synthesis by High Multiplicities of Infectious and UV-Inactivated Reovirus

Inhibition of cellular DNA synthesis began 6 to 8 h after reovirus infection at a multiplicity of infection of 10 PFU per cell. However, as the multiplicity of infection was increased to a maximum of 103 PFU/cell, inhibition of DNA synthesis began earlier after infection (2-4 h postinfection), and the initial rate of inhibition increased. The enhanced inhibition of DNA replication at high virus multiplicities appeared to be selective since RNA synthesis was not detectably altered as late as 9 h postinfection and inhibition of protein synthesis did not begin until 7 to 9 h after infection. Early inhibition of DNA synthesis did not appear to be related to changes in thymidine pool characteristics, thymidine kinase activity, or detectable degradation of cellular DNA. Even though the particle-to-PFU ratio was increased by ultraviolet light inactivation of virus, the ability to induce early inhibition of DNA synthesis was not diminished.
Evaluation of Web Based Behavioral Interventions Using Spoken Tutorials

The clumsy and the inconsistent web interface of spoken-tutorial.org impedes its use by creators, reviewers, users and workshop organisers. Based on the analytics, such as the traversal paths taken by the learner to access the content and the duration of time spent, and the informal feedback, we have created a new integrated interface for the spoken tutorials. Cluster analysis of usability studies conducted on 82 engineering college students has confirmed that the new interface addresses the shortcomings of the old interface. The results also indicate that computer experience is a key factor that influences their preference towards e-learning interfaces as investigated through learner behavioral interventions.
Methods and algorithms for optical coherence tomography-based angiography: a review and comparison

Abstract. Optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based angiography is increasingly becoming a clinically useful and important imaging technique due to its ability to provide volumetric microvascular networks innervating tissue beds in vivo without a need for exogenous contrast agent. Numerous OCT angiography algorithms have recently been proposed for the purpose of contrasting microvascular networks. A general literature review is provided on the recent progress of OCT angiography methods and algorithms. The basic physics and mathematics behind each method together with its contrast mechanism are described. Potential directions for future technical development of OCT based angiography is then briefly discussed. Finally, by the use of clinical data captured from normal and pathological subjects, the imaging performance of vascular networks delivered by the most recently reported algorithms is evaluated and compared, including optical microangiography, speckle variance, phase variance, split-spectrum amplitude decorrelation angiography, and correlation mapping. It is found that the method that utilizes complex OCT signal to contrast retinal blood flow delivers the best performance among all the algorithms in terms of image contrast and vessel connectivity. The purpose of this review is to help readers understand and select appropriate OCT angiography algorithm for use in specific applications.
Theory of the Impedance of Electron Diffusion and Recombination in a Thin Layer

This paper analyzes the small signal ac impedance of electron diffusion and recombination in a spatially restricted situation with application in systems such as porous TiO2 nanostructured photoelectrodes and intrinsically conducting polymers. It is shown that the diffusion−recombination model with the main types of boundary conditions assumes a finite set of possible behaviors in the frequency domain, which are classified according to relevant physical parameters. There are four possible cases: (i) the impedance of finite diffusion with reflecting boundary, (ii) the impedance of finite diffusion with absorbing boundary, (iii) the impedance of diffusion-reaction in semiinfinite space or Gerischer impedance, and (iv) the impedance that combines Warburg response at high frequency and a reaction arc at low frequency. The generality of the approach is discussed in terms of the spatial distribution of the electrochemical potential or quasi-Fermi level and also in terms of the transmission line representation.
The Demand for Nominal and Real Money Balances in a Large Macroeconomic System

Cointegration has become a popular empirical technique used to estimate the existence and stability of money demand relationships. A common approach has been to estimate a single equation system with real money balances (Ml), real income and an interest rate, although Hafer and Jansen [13], Friedman and Kuttner [10] and Stock and Watson [29] find only minimal support for this specification. Baba, Hendry and Starr [6] estimate a more complicated Ml relation by including specific opportunity cost variables and find stronger support for the Ml relation using post WWII data. There have been four reasons put forth to explain the lack of a cointegrating relation between Ml, real income and the interest rate. Stock and Watson [29] conclude that a stable money demand relation exists in data from 1900-89 but not for the post-war period alone. Their explanation is that sufficient variation exists in the longer sample to identify money demand, but excessive multicollinearity among variables during the post-war period prevents unique identification. Baba, Hendry and Starr [6] (BHS) maintain that misspecification of the Ml relation is the reason for poor results. They augment the money demand function with inflation, a measure of long term bond yield and risk, and learning curve weighted yields on newly introduced Ml and M2 assets. BHS claim their specification is able to account for the missing money period of 1975-76, the velocity decline of 1982-83 and the Ml explosion of 1985-86 while standard Ml models cannot. Friedman and Kuttner [10] offer a third reason why the simple money demand equation fails. They estimate a single equation model for several periods and conclude that a money demand vector exists over the 1960.2-79.4 period for Ml. However, when data is included
OVER-REPORTING OF HOUSEHOLD CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE ESTIMATES IN THE FIFTH ROUND OF GHANA LIVING STANDARDS SURVEY

The effectiveness of government policies and programs relies heavily on measurements of poverty and inequality. Living Standards Surveys (LSS), such as the recent Ghana Living Standards Survey of 2005/2006 provides information on both income and expenditure collected from 8687 households survey across the country. The survey identifies six (6) different sources of income and expenditure including income from employment, household agriculture, non-farm self-employment, rent, remittances and other incomes whilst expenditure were on food, housing, remittances and other expenditures. The objectives of the study are to compare estimates from the two indicators of poverty and to determine the magnitude of over-reported households estimates of the consumption expenditure. Results seem to indicate that the total average annual household income is GH¢1,288.74 vs . GH¢1,983.24 (Ghana Cedis) for expenditure for an average household size of four. With respect to income, regional comparisons show Greater Accra region to have the highest income (GH¢ 1,673.60). In general, the coastal regions have income higher than the national average except Volta Region (GH¢ 961.57). Households in Greater Accra have a higher expenditure (GH¢ 3,061.07) followed by households in Ashanti region (GH¢ 2,055.67). In all levels of comparison, the reported expenditure estimates are significantly higher (31%) than estimates from income (p-value < 0.001). Estimated Gini coefficients are also different in the two indicators. They are 0.57 and 0.40 for total expenditure and total income
EFM study of the influence of humidity on charge injection and charge relaxation in silicon nitride used in electrostatically actuated MEMS

In this work, spots of charges have been injected on typical silicon nitride used for RF-MEMS switches. Several relative humidity (RH) conditions have been used for the charge injections. The evolution of these spots with time has been assessed thanks to electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) measurements. Experimental results confirm the hypothesis of surface conduction enhancement but also show a 30% increase of the density of injected charge by humidity. It has been also shown that a level of 40% RH decreases the charge relaxation time by a factor 10 to more than 100 compared to a charge relaxation process occurring under dry atmosphere. This phenomenon may be due to the ability of protons contained in the water to diffuse trough silicon nitride.