Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A prospective study of cognitive behavioural factors as predictors of pain, disability and quality of life one year after lumbar disc surgery

Purpose. The primary aim of this study was to analyse the predictive value of cognitive and behavioural factors, in relation to pain, disability and quality of life (QoL) one year after lumbar disc surgery. Method. The study design was prospective. Fifty-nine patients scheduled for first time lumbar disc surgery were included. Pain, disability, QoL, coping, fear avoidance beliefs, expected outcome and sick leave were assessed preoperatively and 12 months after surgery. Multiple backward stepwise logistic regression analyses were performed to study the contribution of the preoperatively measured independent behavioural/cognitive factors (coping, fear avoidance beliefs and assessed chance to return to work within 3 months) to the dependent variables pain, disability and quality of life at 12 months after surgery. Results. Low expectations on work return within 3 months after surgery was significantly predictive for residual leg pain, odds ratio (OR) = 8.2, back pain, OR = 9.7, disability, OR = 13.8 and sick leave, OR = 19.5. Low QoL, was best predicted by preoperatively high scores on fear avoidance beliefs OR = 6.6 and being a woman OR = 6.0. The regression model explained 26–40% of the variance in pain, disability, QoL and sick leave. Conclusions. Eliciting patients' expectations on work return after surgery could contribute to early identification of those who run the risk of developing long-term disability and sick-leave.
The nucleator

A new, fundamental stereological principle is described which allows unbiased estimates of absolute structural quantities in arbitrarily shaped structures to be made from observations sampled in arbitrary points on independently isotropic probes. As an introduction to the principle, method(s) are described which lead to assumption‐free estimates of mean volume from the usual number‐distribution of particle sizes. Specifically, the estimation is unbiased when arbitrarily shaped particles are sampled with uniform probability using the disector or one of its many modifications. A special case, of interest when observations are restricted to sections, occurs when the particles are associated with some recognizable unit, like eukaryotic cells in biology. The estimation may then be carried out on a few sections of unknown thickness, or—under verifiable assumptions—on just one random section.
Beginning Teachers’ Technology Use

Abstract This empirical research study addresses the issues of new teacher development and the role of the institutional context on new teachers’ instructional technology use. The study examines two first year teachers, their development during their initial year of classroom experience, and how the institutional context they entered affected their instructional decisions about technology use with students. Results underscore the challenges many beginning teachers face and how those challenges affect instructional decisions of beginning teachers. Results also stress the importance of the institutional context in valuing beginning teachers’ instructional decisions about technology use with students.
A study about the asymmetry of government debts in the European monetary union based on long-term rates

Recent sovereign-debt crisis in a few member countries reflects the serious problem concerning the imbalance of government debts in the European monetary union. The aim of this paper is to investigate such imbalance by using a proxy, the rate of 10-year government bonds, which represents the view from the financial market in the long-run perspective. We employ tests of the bivariate fractional co-integration on the rates from 10 member countries against German one, respectively. Based on the observations from the beginning of 2000 up to April of 2007, we can not identify the bilateral long-run relations with the strong evidences. This result indicates that the idiosyncratic country specifi cs hocks play great roles in determinations of the bonds rates. It further suggests that the financial market did recognize the imbalances of government debts among the member countries long before the crisis, despite the considerable convergence of rates has been achieved after introducing the common currency. Preliminary version
On The Determinants Of Currency Unions

This paper studies the determinants of currency union membership. Geographical distance, colonial heritage, language, sizes and bilateral trade between two countries as predictors of their propensity to adopt a common currency are accounted for. To deal with endogeneity, two-step probit estimation method is performed. The estimation results show that geography, colonial heritage, size, and speaking the same language predict monetary unions quite well. However, bilateral trade does not enter significantly in the second-stage estimation, thus revealing that bilateral transactions between two countries are not a useful indicator of their membership in a common currency area.
AN ANALYSIS OF ECONOMIC INFRASTRUCTURE INVESTMENT IN SOUTH AFRICA

This paper analyses long-term trends in the development of South Africa's economic infrastructure and discusses their relationship with the country's long-term economic growth. A database covering national accounts data, railways, roads, ports, air travel, phone lines and electricity was established for this purpose, and may facilitate further quantitative research. PSS (Pesaran, Shin and Smith, 1996, 2001) F-tests are used to identify directions of association between economic infrastructure and economic growth. These indicate long-run forcing relationships from public-sector economic infrastructure investment and fixed capital stock to gross domestic product (GDP), from roads to GDP, and from GDP to a range of other types of infrastructure. There is also evidence of potential simultaneity between specific types of infrastructure and GDP. The evidence suggests three main findings. Firstly, the relationship between economic infrastructure and economic growth appears to run in both directions. Inadequate investment in infrastructure could create bottlenecks, and opportunities for promoting economic growth could be missed. Secondly, South Africa's stock of economic infrastructure has developed in phases. Policymakers should focus on choosing or encouraging the right type of infrastructure at the right time. Thirdly, the need for investment in economic infrastructure never goes away. The maintenance and expansion of infrastructure are important dimensions of supporting economic activity in a growing economy, provided that individual projects are chosen on the basis of appropriate cost-benefit analyses. Copyright 2005 Economic Society of South Africa.
Modelling the factors that influence mobile government services acceptance

This is an exploratory study on the mobile government (m-government) in Malaysia. M-government can be a powerful component of the e-government that could facilitate more and better services to the citizens. In recent years, the advancement of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and particularly the rapid changes in mobile technologies have led to the development of new applications and services. Furthermore, there is a possibility of changes in the current applications of the m-government services. Therefore, it is important to investigate the factors that influence the intention to use m-government services among Malaysians. This study integrates constructs from the technology acceptance model (TAM), theory of reasoned action (TRA), unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) and trust model. The study was conducted by surveying different groups of Malaysian community. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 566 respondents. Results of the study prove that the proposed model is comprehensive to study the acceptance of m-government service. Key words: Acceptance, e-government, m-government services, mobile, technology acceptance model (TAM).
Small molecule enoxacin is a cancer-specific growth inhibitor that acts by enhancing TAR RNA-binding protein 2-mediated microRNA processing

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNA molecules that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and are critical for many cellular pathways. The disruption of miRNAs and their processing machineries also contributes to the development of human tumors. A common scenario for miRNA expression in carcinogenesis is emerging that shows that impaired miRNA production and/or down-regulation of these transcripts occurs in many neoplasms. Several of these lost miRNAs have tumor-suppressor features, so strategies to restore their expression globally in malignancies would be a welcome addition to the current therapeutic arsenal against cancer. Herein, we show that the small molecule enoxacin, a fluoroquinolone used as an antibacterial compound, enhances the production of miRNAs with tumor suppressor functions by binding to the miRNA biosynthesis protein TAR RNA-binding protein 2 (TRBP). The use of enoxacin in human cell cultures and xenografted, orthotopic, and metastatic mouse models reveals a TRBP-dependent and cancer-specific growth-inhibitory effect of the drug. These results highlight the key role of disrupted miRNA expression patterns in tumorigenesis, and suggest a unique strategy for restoring the distorted microRNAome of cancer cells to a more physiological setting.
Emerging Derivatives Markets: The Case of Chile

Despite impressive growth in derivatives markets around the world, there is considerable heterogeneity in the degree of development across countries. In Latin America, derivatives markets in Chile lag far behind those in Brazil and Argentina. What accounts for these differences? The analytical pricing machinery of Black and Scholes (1973), as well as the voluminous literature on contingent claims that has developed since, is freely available, so the answer probably lies in institutional and legal factors. We discuss different institutional aspects of derivatives markets in Chile and simulate the potential benefit for hedgers of using these instruments. Specifically, under different scenarios, most currency risk may be reduced by rolling-the-hedge strategies involving Chilean peso-U.S. dollar (CLP/USD) forwards. In our view, low liquidity of spot markets, high trading costs, and stringent regulations governing institutional investors--in particular, pension funds--appear to be driving factors in the thinness of the domestic derivatives market.
Detection of glaucoma using operator-dependent versus operator-independent classification in the Heidelberg retinal tomograph-III

Objective: To compare the abilities of a new Glaucoma Probability Scoring (GPS) system and Moorfields regression analysis (MRA) to differentiate between glaucomatous and normal eyes using Heidelberg retinal tomograph (HRT)-III software and race-specific databases. Methods: In this prospective study, one eye (refractive error ⩽5 D) each of consecutive normal patients and those with glaucoma was enrolled. All patients underwent a full eye examination, standard achromatic perimetry (Swedish Interactive Threshold Algorithm-standard automated perimetry (SITA-SAP), program 24-2) and confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (HRT-II) within 1 month. Normal patients had two normal visual fields in both eyes (pattern standard deviation (PSD) >5% and Glaucoma Hemifield Test within 97% normal limits) and a normal clinical examination. Glaucoma was defined on the basis of SITA-SAP visual field loss (PSD<5% or Glaucoma Hemifield Test outside normal limits) on two consecutive visual fields. HRT-II examinations were exported to the HRT-III software (V.3.0), which uses an enlarged race-specific database, consisting of 733 eyes of white people and 215 eyes of black people. Race-adjusted MRA for the most abnormal sector (operator-dependent contour line placement) was compared with the global race-adjusted GPS (operator independent). MRA sectors outside the 99.9% confidence interval limits (outside normal limits) and GPS ⩾0.64 were considered abnormal. Results: 136 normal patients (72 black and 64 white patients) and 84 patients with glaucoma (52 black and 32 white patients) were enrolled (mean age 50.4 (SD 14.4) years). The average visual field mean deviation was −0.4 (SD 1.1) db for the normal group and −7.3 (SD 6.7) db for the glaucoma group (p<0.001). Mean GPS values were 0.21 (SD 0.23) and 0.73 (SD 0.27) for normal and glaucomatous eyes, respectively (p<0.001). Sensitivity and specificity values were 77.1% and 90.3% for GPS, and 71.4% and 91.9% for MRA, respectively. Conclusions: In this cohort, GPS software sensitivity and specificity values are similar to those of MRA, which requires placement of an operator-dependent contour line. The development of software to detect glaucoma without a contour line is critical to improving the potential use of HRT as a tool for glaucoma detection and screening.
Aggregating web-based ideation platforms

Today, lots of online communities co–exist where users suggest and discuss ideas and problems. However, the diversity of such idea networks and the high launch rate of new platforms make it hard to keep track of the current idea community landscape. This article presents an approach to integrate arbitrary online ideation platforms that allow users to publicly utter and discuss new ideas or provide solutions to previously announced problems. We introduce our prototypical implementation of the approach that provides a single point of access for innovation managers, problem solvers and solution seekers.
Evidence‐based genetic counselling implications for Huntington disease intermediate allele predictive test results

Intermediate alleles (IAs) for Huntington disease (HD) contain 27–35 CAG repeats, a range that falls just below the disease threshold of 36 repeats. While there is no firm evidence that IAs confer the HD phenotype, they are prone to germline CAG repeat instability, particularly repeat expansion when paternally transmitted. Consequently, offspring may inherit a new mutation and develop the disease later in life. Over the last 5 years there has been a renewed interest in IAs. This article provides an overview of the latest research on IAs, including their clinical implications, frequency, haplotype, and likelihood of CAG repeat expansion, as well as patient understanding and current genetic counselling practices. The implications of this growing evidence base for clinical practice are also highlighted. These evidence‐based genetic counselling implications may help ensure individuals with an IA predictive test result receive appropriate support, education, and counselling.
Educational expansion, intergenerational mobility and over-education

There is a vast literature on intergenerational mobility in sociology and economics. Similar interest has emerged for the phenomenon of over-education in both disciplines. There are no studies, however, linking these two research lines. We study the relationship between social mobility and over-education in a context of educational expansion. Our framework allows for the evaluation of several policies, including those aecting social segregation, early intervention programs and the power of unions. Results show the evolution of social mobility, over-education, income inequality and equality of opportunity under each scenario.
Social Support, Work-Family Enrichment and Life Satisfaction among Married Nurses in Health Service

Abstract—The objectives of this research are i) to examine the psychometric properties of the constructs of social-support, work-family enrichment and life satisfaction, ii) to validate the hypothesized interrelationships among the constructs of social support, work-family enrichment and life satisfaction among nurses of public hospitals in Malaysia and iii) to examine the likely mediation effect of work-family enrichment on support-satisfaction relationship. Survey questionnaire was administered to 689 married nurses of public hospitals in Malaysia. A full structural modeling testing was used in SEM with AMOS 17 data-fitting program, supported the hypothesized relationship. The results substantiated the psychometric adequacy of the measure and produced a good-fitting life satisfaction model among nurses.
Treatment of Lateral Epicondylitis With Platelet-Rich Plasma, Glucocorticoid, or Saline

Background: Lateral epicondylitis (LE) is a common musculoskeletal disorder for which an effective treatment strategy remains unknown. Purpose: To examine whether a single injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is more effective than placebo (saline) or glucocorticoid in reducing pain in adults with LE after 3 months. Study Design: Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1. Methods: A total of 60 patients with chronic LE were randomized (1:1:1) to receive either a blinded injection of PRP, saline, or glucocorticoid. The primary end point was a change in pain using the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation (PRTEE) questionnaire at 3 months. Secondary outcomes were ultrasonographic changes in tendon thickness and color Doppler activity. Results: Pain reduction at 3 months (primary end point) was observed in all 3 groups, with no statistically significant difference between the groups; mean differences were the following: glucocorticoid versus saline: −3.8 (95% CI, −9.9 to 2.4); PRP versus saline: −2.7 (95% CI, −8.8 to 3.5); and glucocorticoid versus PRP: −1.1 (95% CI, −7.2 to 5.0). At 1 month, however, glucocorticoid reduced pain more effectively than did both saline and PRP; mean differences were the following: glucocorticoid versus saline: −8.1 (95% CI, −14.3 to −1.9); and glucocorticoid versus PRP: −9.3 (95% CI, −15.4 to −3.2). Among the secondary outcomes, at 3 months, glucocorticoid was more effective than PRP and saline in reducing color Doppler activity and tendon thickness. For color Doppler activity, mean differences were the following: glucocorticoid versus PRP: −2.6 (95% CI, −3.1 to −2.2); and glucocorticoid versus saline: −2.0 (95% CI, −2.5 to −1.6). For tendon thickness, mean differences were the following: glucocorticoid versus PRP: −0.5 (95% CI, −0.8 to −0.2); and glucocorticoid versus saline: −0.8 (95% CI, −1.2 to −0.5). Conclusion: Neither injection of PRP nor glucocorticoid was superior to saline with regard to pain reduction in LE at the primary end point at 3 months. However, injection of glucocorticoid had a short-term pain-reducing effect at 1 month in contrast to the other therapies. Injection of glucocorticoid in LE reduces both color Doppler activity and tendon thickness compared with PRP and saline.
Coronal and Sagittal Plane Correction in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Comparison Between All Pedicle Screw Versus Hybrid Thoracic Hook Lumbar Screw Constructs

Study Design. This was a retrospective cohort study using a previously matched convenience sample of 34 patients. Objective. This study sought to determine the relative corrective benefits of these 2 types of constructs in the correction of coronal and sagittal curves in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). In addition, the 2 constructs were compared for coronal and sagittal balance. Summary of Background Information. Recent clinical research suggests that thoracic pedicle screw constructs (all-screw constructs) are more effective than hybrid lumbar screw thoracic hook constructs (hybrid constructs) in correcting spine deformity. Methods. The sample consisted of patients with AIS who underwent isolated posterior spinal fusion and instrumentation. Seventeen patients underwent fusion using all-screw constructs, and 17 underwent fusion with hybrid constructs; preoperative and postoperative radiographs and measurements were compared. Results. There was no significant difference observed when comparing the 2 groups, although there was a trend toward better correction of the main thoracic curve in the all-screw construct group (P = 0.089). In the all-screw group, mean thoracic kyphosis decreased from 29.6° to 19.4° (P = 0.012). Sagittal balance changed in the hybrid group from −21.2 mm to 8.2 mm, and in the all-screw group changed from −28.8 mm to 1.5 mm. The major curve in the hybrid group improved from 54.06° to 20.25° and improved from 54.88° to 15.06° in the all-screw group. Conclusions. There was no statistically significant difference comparing the 2 groups, although a trend was observed toward better correction of the main thoracic curve in the all-screw construct group. The all-screw group demonstrated a significant decrease in kyphosis, which was not seen in the hybrid group. Hybrid constructs were comparable to all-screw constructs in the correction of coronal plane deformity and sagittal balance.
Economic Voting and Regionalism in South Korea: A Statistical Analysis of the 2007 Presidential Election

Economic Voting and Regionalism in South Korea: A Statistical Analysis of the 2007 Presidential Election by Sophie Jiseon Lee Department of Political Science Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ Emerson Niou, Supervisor ___________________________ Sunshine Hillygus ___________________________ William Keech An abstract of a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Political Science in the Graduate School of Duke University 2011 Copyright by Sophie Jiseon Lee 2011 iv Abstract Although economic voting is a common phenomenon in most democracies, voters in young democracies do not necessarily vote based on the economy because at the early stage of democratization, the salience of political issues, regarding transition, overwhelms economic issues. Similarly, economic voting has not been observed in newly democratized South Korea since its first meaningful election in 1987. The absence of economic voting in Korea has widely been attributed to the overriding effect of regionalism, the phenomenon in which Jeolla and Gyeongsang natives vote for candidates born in their provinces. Against this backdrop, this paper argues that economic voting recently gained strength with 1) the consolidation of Korean democracy and 2) the traumatic experience of the IMF. In the meantime, the pre-democratic resource allocation political division, regionalism, has developed into the ideologies of native Jeolla and Gyeongsang voters today; liberal Jeolla natives tend to value distributive justice and freedom of speech, while conservative Gyeongsang natives value economic growth and security. To support this theory, the study provides empirical evidence for the rise of economic voting in Korea. The results of the empirical analysis are fourfold. First, a time series regression model shows that economic voting in Korea is not observed over time at the macro level. Yet, a correlation analysis shows that economic indicators have stronger relationships with recent presidential electoral outcomes. Second, a
On the Reasons for the Vexing CSP-CFP Relationship: Methodology, Control Variables, Stakeholder Groups, and Measures. The Review of 63 Studies from 1990s

Prior studies on the relationship between corporate social performance and corporate financial performance are inconclusive. In the paper, we review 63 studies, and find (1) there are three methodology, which are empirical analysis, normative analysis and meta-analysis; (2) control variables, such as industry, size and risk, have been playing the important role in these studies; (3) different researchers discuss different stakeholder groups; (4) measures of both CSP and CFP are the complex phenomenon, and still uncertain. We assert that the variations of methodology, industries, control variables, stakeholder groups, and measures of both CSP and CFP should be responsible for the vexing relationship.