Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurement Properties of a Self‐Administered Outcome Measure in Lumbar Spinal Stenosis

Study Design The measurement properties and validity of a newly developed patient questionnaire for the assessment of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis was tested in an ongoing prospective multicenter observational study of patients undergoing decompressive surgery in three teaching hospitals. Objective The goal of the study was to develop a short, self‐administered questionnaire on symptom severity, physical functional status, and patient satisfaction. Summary of Background Data The measure is intended to complement existing generic measures of spinal‐related disability and health status. The questionnaire includes three scales with seven questions on symptom severity, five on physical function, and six on satisfaction. Methods The internal consistency of the scales was assessed with Cronbach's coefficient alpha on crosssectional data from 193 patients before surgery. The test‐retest reliability was assessed on data from a random sample of 23 patients using Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The responsiveness was assessed on 130 patients with 6‐month follow‐up data using the standardized response mean. Results The test‐retest reliability of the scales ranged from 0.82 to 0.96, the internal consistency from 0.64 to 0.92, and the responsiveness from 0.96 to 1.07. The direction, statistical significance, and strength of hypothesized relationships with external criteria were as expected. Conclusions This short self‐administered spinal stenosis measure is reproducible, internally consistent, valid, and highly responsive. It can be used to complement generic instruments in outcome assessment of patients with lumbar spinal stenosis.
Substitution Mechanism of Mn and Fe Ions in  ${\rm Bi}_{4}{\rm Ti}_{3}{\rm O}_{12}$

Single-phased polycrystalline Mn- and Fe-doped Bi<sub>4</sub>Ti<sub>3</sub>O<sub>12</sub> were fabricated using a solid-state reaction technique, doping with various concentrations of Mn and Fe ions. Substitution mechanism of Mn and Fe ions in Bi<sub>4</sub>Ti<sub>3</sub>O<sub>12</sub> were investigated with X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) measurements and first-principles calculations. The valence states of the Mn and Fe ions are 4+ and 3+, respectively, inferred from the L<sub>2,3</sub>-edge XANES profiles. From the K-edge XANES analysis, it is determined that Mn and Fe ions are substituted at one of the Ti sites, i.e., Ti(2a) or Ti(4e) sites. Our first-principles total electronic energy calculations suggest that Mn ions are likely to substitute at Ti(2a) sites rather than at Ti(4e) sites, whereas the opposite is true for Fe substitution. Taken together, these results give a clear description of the locations and charge states of the Mn and Fe dopants in Bi<sub>4</sub>Ti<sub>3</sub>O<sub>12</sub>.
IMF-Supported Programs in Low Income Countries: Economic Impact Over the Short and Longer Term

This paper studies the short and longer-term impact of IMF engagement in Low-Income Countries (LICs) over nearly three decades. In contrast to earlier studies, we focus on a sample composed exclusively of LICs and disentangle the different effects of IMF longer-term engagement and short-term financing using a propensity score matching approach to control for selection bias. Our results indicate that longer-term IMF support (at least five years of program engagement per decade) helped LICs sustain economic growth and boost resilience by building fiscal buffers. Interestingly, the size of IMF financing has no significant impact on economic growth, possibly pointing to the prominent role of IMF policy advice and institutional capacity building in the context of longer-term engagement. We also present evidence that the short-term IMF engagement through augmentations of existing programs or short-term and emergency facilities is positively associated with a wide range of macroeconomic outcomes. Notably, the IMF financial support has the greatest impact on short-term growth when LICs are faced with substantial macroeconomic imbalances or exogenous shocks.
Molecular Diagnosis of Toxoplasmosis in Immunocompromised Patients: a 3-Year Multicenter Retrospective Study

ABSTRACT Toxoplasmosis is a life-threatening infection in immunocompromised patients (ICPs). The definitive diagnosis relies on parasite DNA detection, but little is known about the incidence and burden of disease in HIV-negative patients. A 3-year retrospective study was conducted in 15 reference laboratories from the network of the French National Reference Center for Toxoplasmosis, in order to record the frequency of Toxoplasma gondii DNA detection in ICPs and to review the molecular methods used for diagnosis and the prevention measures implemented in transplant patients. During the study period, of 31,640 PCRs performed on samples from ICPs, 610 were positive (323 patients). Blood (n = 337 samples), cerebrospinal fluid (n = 101 samples), and aqueous humor (n = 100 samples) were more frequently positive. Chemoprophylaxis schemes in transplant patients differed between centers. PCR follow-up of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (allo-HSCT) patients was implemented in 8/15 centers. Data from 180 patients (13 centers) were further analyzed regarding clinical setting and outcome. Only 68/180 (38%) patients were HIV+; the remaining 62% consisted of 72 HSCT, 14 solid organ transplant, and 26 miscellaneous immunodeficiency patients. Cerebral toxoplasmosis and disseminated toxoplasmosis were most frequently observed in HIV and transplant patients, respectively. Of 72 allo-HSCT patients with a positive PCR result, 23 were asymptomatic; all were diagnosed in centers performing systematic blood PCR follow-up, and they received specific treatment. Overall survival of allo-HSCT patients at 2 months was better in centers with PCR follow-up than in other centers (P < 0.01). This study provides updated data on the frequency of toxoplasmosis in HIV-negative ICPs and suggests that regular PCR follow-up of allo-HSCT patients could guide preemptive treatment and improve outcome.
Conservative ecological and evolutionary patterns in liverwort–fungal symbioses

Liverworts, the most ancient group of land plants, form a range of intimate associations with fungi that may be analogous to the mycorrhizas of vascular plants. Most thalloid liverworts contain arbuscular mycorrhizal glomeromycete fungi similar to most vascular plants. In contrast, a range of leafy liverwort genera and one simple thalloid liverwort family (the Aneuraceae) have switched to basidiomycete fungi. These liverwort switches away from glomeromycete fungi may be expected to parallel switches undergone by vascular plants that target diverse lineages of basidiomycete fungi to form ectomycorrhizas. To test this hypothesis, we used a cultivation-independent approach to examine the basidiomycete fungi associated with liverworts in varied worldwide locations by generating fungal DNA sequence data from over 200 field collections of over 30 species. Here we show that eight leafy liverwort genera predominantly and consistently associate with members of the Sebacina vermifera species complex and that Aneuraceae thalloid liverworts associate nearly exclusively with Tulasnella species. Furthermore, within sites where multiple liverwort species co-occur, they almost never share the same fungi. Our analyses reveal a strikingly conservative ecological and evolutionary pattern of liverwort symbioses with basidiomycete fungi that is unlike that of vascular plant mycorrhizas.
Testing of a Prototype PWR Design Gamma Thermometer for Use as a Local Power Monitor in the Thimble Tube of a Nuclear Reactor

Out-of-pile tests were performed on a 0.185-in. OD gamma thermometer (GT) designed for insertion in existing thimble tubes of W¿ pressurized water reactors (PWR). The experimental measurements were conducted with the GT inserted in a simulated thimble tube. The measurements were performed to examine the effect on the sensitivity, response time, and repeatability of the GT output signal when surrounded by an ai r-and a water-filled thimble tube with random and controlled physical contact between the two units. The results showed that the linearity of the instrument is not affected when operated in an air- or water-filled thimble tube. However, the response time of the GT to a step change in power increased from 9 s to about 30 s for water and dry thimble tube conditions respectively. Results are also presented which show that the sensitivity, mV/W/cm3, of the GT with and without controlled physical contact between the inner surface of the simulated thimble tube and the outer surface of the GT did not vary significantly.
Personalized robotic service using N-gram affective Event model

N-gram affective Event model which consists of 5W1H event episode ontologies and affection ontologies is suggested for personalized robotic service. Nowadays, personalization technology is increasingly becoming an essential component in education. Here, robotic service can be another field to meet personal need. The case study shows that even though two students missed same question, robots suggests different reviews according to the his own personal tendency.
Analysis of promoter activity and 5′ genomic structure of the neural cell adhesion molecule L1

To gain insight into the molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule L1 and into the exon–intron structure of the L1 gene, a genomic clone from the mouse was characterized. The clone was identified by screening an EMBL3 library with an L1‐specific cDNA probe and comprises approximately 15 kb, in which the first 2,206 nucleotides of the coding region are included. Of the 5 of 6 immunoglobulin (Ig)‐like domains sequenced, all are encoded by 2 exons, with the first exon being smaller than the second. The exon encoding the signal peptide is separated from a mini‐exon containing 15 bp by a large intron, approximately 2.6 kb in length, whereas the other introns are smaller, with the coding information for the Ig‐like domains 3–5 clustered in a 1,643‐bp‐long fragment with introns only 110–217 bp in length. The 5′ upstream region of the clone comprises 5 kb, with the first 112 bp lying upstream to the coding sequence and containing a start site for transcription. No consensus sequence for a TATA box was found. Consensus DNA sequences for the binding of the gene products of Hox 1.3, engrailed and bicoid, are localized upstream to the transcription start site. A 1,262‐bp fragment containing part of the first exon showed promoter activity in neuroblastoma cells, but hardly in L cells and not in CHO cells, indicating that this fragment is sufficient for neural cell directed promoter activity. © 1992 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Panel Cointegration Tests with Deterministic Trends and Structural Breaks

This paper proposes Lagrange multiplier (LM) based tests for the null hypothesis of no cointegration in panel data. The tests are general enough to allow for heteroskedastic and serially correlated errors, individual specific time trends, and a single structural break in both the intercept and slope of each regression, which may be located different dates for different individuals. The limiting distributions of the test statistics are derived, and are found to be standard normal and free of nuisance parameters under the null. In particular, the distributions are found to be invariant not only with respect to trend and structural break, but also with respect to the presence of stochastic regressors. A small Monte Carlo study is also conducted to investigate the small-sample properties of the tests. The results reveal that the tests have small size distortions and good power even in very small samples.
Mutant KRAS promotes hyperplasia and alters differentiation in the colon epithelium but does not expand the presumptive stem cell pool.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Adenomatous polyps are precursors to colorectal cancer (CRC), whereas hyperplastic polyps (HPPs) have low risk of progression to CRC. Mutations in KRAS are found in ∼40% of CRCs and large adenomas and a subset of HPPs. We investigated the reasons why HPPs with KRAS mutations lack malignant potential and compared the effects of Kras/KRAS activation with those of Apc/APC inactivation, which promotes adenoma formation. METHODS We activated a KrasG12D mutant allele or inactivated Apc alleles in mouse colon epithelium and analyzed phenotypes and expression of selected genes and proteins. The mouse data were validated using samples of human HPPs and adenomas. Signaling pathways and factors contributing to Kras/KRAS-induced phenotypes were studied in intestinal epithelial cells. RESULTS Activation of Kras led to hyperplasia and serrated crypt architecture akin to that observed in human HPPs. We also observed loss of Paneth cells and increases in goblet cell numbers. Abnormalities in Kras-mediated differentiation and proliferation required mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling and were linked to activation of the Hes1 transcription factor. Human HPPs also had activation of HES1. In contrast to Apc/APC inactivation, Kras/KRAS activation did not increase expression of crypt stem cell markers in colon epithelium or colony formation in vitro. Kras/KRAS activation was not associated with substantial induction of p16(INK4a) protein expression in mouse colon epithelium or human HPPs. CONCLUSIONS Although Kras/KRAS mutation promotes serrated and hyperplastic morphologic features in colon epithelium, it is not able to initiate adenoma development, perhaps in part because activated Kras/KRAS signaling does not increase the number of presumptive stem cells in affected crypts.
Hydrologic data assimilation with a hillslope‐scale‐resolving model and L band radar observations: Synthetic experiments with the ensemble Kalman filter

Soil moisture information is critical for applications like landslide susceptibility analysis and military trafficability assessment. Existing technologies cannot observe soil moisture at spatial scales of hillslopes (e.g., 100 to 102 m) and over large areas (e.g., 102 to 105 km2) with sufficiently high temporal coverage (e.g., days). Physics‐based hydrologic models can simulate soil moisture at the necessary spatial and temporal scales, albeit with error. We develop and test a data assimilation framework based on the ensemble Kalman filter for constraining uncertain simulated high‐resolution soil moisture fields to anticipated remote sensing products, specifically NASA's Soil Moisture Active‐Passive (SMAP) mission, which will provide global L band microwave observation approximately every 2–3 days. The framework directly assimilates SMAP synthetic 3 km radar backscatter observations to update hillslope‐scale bare soil moisture estimates from a physics‐based model. Downscaling from 3 km observations to hillslope scales is achieved through the data assimilation algorithm. Assimilation reduces bias in near‐surface soil moisture (e.g., top 10 cm) by approximately 0.05 m3/m3and expected root‐mean‐square errors by at least 60% in much of the watershed, relative to an open loop simulation. However, near‐surface moisture estimates in channel and valley bottoms do not improve, and estimates of profile‐integrated moisture throughout the watershed do not substantially improve. We discuss the implications of this work, focusing on ongoing efforts to improve soil moisture estimation in the entire soil profile through joint assimilation of other satellite (e.g., vegetation) and in situ soil moisture measurements.
Extended information criterion (EIC) approach for linear mixed effects models under restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimation

In clinical data analysis, the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) method has been commonly used for estimating variance components in the linear mixed effects model. Under the REML estimation, however, it is not straightforward to compare several linear mixed effects models with different mean and covariance structures. In particular, few approaches have been proposed for the comparison of linear mixed effects models with different mean structures under the REML estimation. We propose an approach using extended information criterion (EIC), which is a bootstrap‐based extension of AIC, for comparing linear mixed effects models with different mean and covariance structures under the REML estimation. We present simulation studies and applications to two actual clinical data sets. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
C-terminal COOH of Integrin β1 Is Necessary for β1 Association with the Kindlin-2 Adapter Protein*

Background: Modulation of integrin/kindlin interactions can lead to human disease pathogenesis. Results: Interaction between integrin β1 and the kindlin-2 is mainly governed by the β1 C-terminal carboxylate moiety. Conclusion: The interaction chemistry identified here between integrin β1 and kindlin-2 appears to represent a novel protein-protein interaction mode. Significance: The unusual integrin β1/kindlin-2 association chemistry sheds new light on this aspect of integrin biology. Protein-protein interactions are driving forces in cellular processes. As a prime example, transmembrane integrins link extracellular matrix and intracellular proteins, resulting in bidirectional signaling that regulates cell migration, proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Here we provide the first evidence that interaction between the integrin β1 cytoplasmic tail and kindlin-2, a member of a family of adapters implicated in human disease pathogenesis, is mainly governed by the β1 C-terminal carboxylate moiety and is required for laterality organ development in zebrafish. Affinity measurements indicate that this unusual protein-protein interaction mode is coordinated by a putative carboxylate-binding motif in the kindlin-2 FERM subdomain F3. Contrary to the C terminus of proteins that engage PDZ domains, the C-terminal three residues of β1, per se, do not contribute to kindlin-2 binding or to laterality organ development. Thus, by employing zebrafish as an in situ physiological tool to correlate protein structure and function, we have discovered an unexpected association chemistry between an integrin and a key adapter involved in integrin signaling.
Fostering Knowledge Management Deployment in R&D Workspaces: A Five-Stage Approach

In recent years, R&D institutes have encountered various intensified challenges. New instruments are needed to manage knowledge-related activities more effectively and efficiently. This paper presents and discusses the lessons learned from a case study in fostering knowledge management (KM) initiatives and systems in a research-oriented institute serving the metal industry, specifically the Metal Industries Research and Development Center (MIRDC) in Taiwan. We perform a comparative review of the experience of embarking on KM among Taiwanese R&D institutes, a very rarely performed job. Following this, we investigate, by conducting the primary and secondary researches, how MIRDC has adopted a five-stage approach to develop a deliberate framework of KM deployment in order to manipulate the KM operations in the context of a Chinese R&D institute. The MIRDC case demonstrates a sophisticated KM process that provides an activity-based perspective of the plan, control, coordination and evaluation framework in an R&D workspace. This paper argues that well-defined deployment frameworks embody qualities of goal pursuing that are important to KM activities and compel managers to examine more closely how to realize the KM initiatives. This paper also reveals that a rigid hierarchical R&D structure inhibits the dynamics of the knowledge cycle due to technology segmentation. A parallel R&D structure supported by mission offices and a pioneer and innovation program that is cross-departmental and industry-focused can positively motivate horizontal co-opertition networking so as to better exploit and leverage knowledge assets. The practices applied in these elemental KM activities are useful to other R&D organizations by suggesting how each of the KM activities can be configured and implemented.
Rabbit calcium-sensing receptor (CASR) gene: chromosome location and evidence for related genes

Abstract. Diverse cellular functions are regulated by the calcium-sensing receptor, encoded by the CASR gene, which plays an important role in calcium homeostasis. Here we provide the sequence for exon VII of the rabbit CASR gene and show that it is 91% identical to the human gene at the nucleotide level, and 95% identical at the amino acid level. The gene was mapped by fluorescence in situ hybridization, using a cosmid isolated from a genomic library, to chromosome 14q11 and this was confirmed independently by PCR amplification of flow sorted chromosomes. In addition, the cosmid detected sites with lower frequencies on four other chromosomes: 3q, 5p, 8p, and 13p. Two of these sites (5p and 13p) were also detected by a related but unidentical cosmid, and map to regions that are homologous to the mouse calcium-sensing receptor related sequences (Casr-rs); suggesting that they may represent CASR-related sequences in the rabbit. The data support the presence of a family of genes related to the calcium-sensing receptor in the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) superfamily, as well as extend the existing knowledge of homology for several human and rabbit chromosomes.
Evolution and Biological Characterization of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Subtype E gp120 V3 Sequences following Horizontal and Vertical Virus Transmission in a Single Family

ABSTRACT It has been suggested that immune-pressure-mediated positive selection operates to maintain the antigenic polymorphism on the third variable (V3) loop of the gp120 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). Here we present evidence, on the basis of sequencing 147 independently cloned env C2/V3 segments from a single family (father, mother, and their child), that the intensity of positive selection is related to the V3 lineage. Phylogenetic analysis and amino acid comparison of env C2/V3 and gagp17/24 regions indicated that a single HIV-1 subtype E source had infected the family. The analyses of unique env C2/V3 clones revealed that two V3 lineage groups had evolved in the parents. Group 1 was maintained with low variation in all three family members regardless of the clinical state or the length of infection, whereas group 2 was only present in symptomatic individuals and was more positively charged and diverse than group 1. Only virus isolates carrying the group 2 V3 sequences infected and induced syncytia in MT2 cells, a transformed CD4+-T-cell line. A statistically significant excess of nonsynonymous substitutions versus synonymous substitutions was demonstrated only for the group 2 V3 region. The data suggest that HIV-1 variants, possessing the more homogeneous group 1 V3 element and exhibiting the non-syncytium-inducing phenotype, persist in infected individuals independent of clinical status and appear to be more resistant to positive selection pressure.