Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ambulatory Monitoring as a Measure of Disability in Chronic Low Back Pain Populations

PurposeThe link between chronic back pain and disability is well established. Despite this, the literature also reflects an inconsistency in methods of assessing disability, as studies interchangeably use self-report measures, clinical tests, and electronic monitoring. The purpose of this study was to conduct a multimethod comparison of disability measures to identify similarities and differences in the constructs measured by each. MethodTwenty chronic back pain patients participated in a clinic visit to complete questionnaires and clinical tests, followed by 5 days of wearing a wrist-worn electronic ambulatory monitoring device to measure activity. ResultsMultiple regression analyses were conducted to identify the significant predictors of each disability assessment. Results showed that operant variables were predictive of physical activity, cognitive-behavioral variables were predictive of perceived disability, and no variables were predictive of physical ability. DiscussionThe results indicate substantial differences in the types of variables that predict disability when measured through 3 different methods. This is suggestive of differences in the constructs measured by each type of disability assessment. The implications for researchers who assess predictors of disability and clinicians who use disability measures in their assessment of patients are that the measures of disability they select should be carefully matched to the proposed purposes. Strong theoretical and practical considerations support using electronic ambulatory monitoring in future research and clinical service.
Analysis of HLA-E Peptide-Binding Specificity and Contact Residues in Bound Peptide Required for Recognition by CD94/NKG2 1

The MHC class Ib molecule HLA-E is the primary ligand for CD94/NKG2A-inhibitory receptors expressed on NK cells, and there is also evidence for TCR-mediated recognition of this molecule. HLA-E preferentially assembles with a homologous set of peptides derived from the leader sequence of class Ia molecules, but its capacity to bind and present other peptides remains to be fully explored. The peptide-binding motif of HLA-E was investigated by folding HLA-E in vitro in the presence of peptide libraries derived from a nonameric leader peptide sequence randomized at individual anchor positions. A high degree of selectivity was observed at four of five total anchor positions, with preference for amino acids present in HLA-E-binding peptides from class Ia leader sequences. Selectivity was also observed at the nonanchor P5 position, with preference for positively charged amino acids, suggesting that electrostatic interactions involving the P5 side chain may facilitate assembly of HLA-E peptide complexes. The observed HLA-E peptide-binding motif was strikingly similar to that previously identified for the murine class Ib molecule, Qa-1. Experiments with HLA-E tetramers bearing peptides substituted at nonanchor positions demonstrated that P5 and P8 are primary contact residues for interaction with CD94/NKG2 receptors. A conservative replacement of Arg for Lys at P5 completely abrogated binding to CD94/NKG2. Despite conservation of peptide-binding specificity in HLA-E and Qa-1, cross-species tetramer-staining experiments demonstrated that the interaction surfaces on CD94/NKG2 and the class Ib ligands have diverged between primates and rodents.
Deep Brain Stimulation for Psychiatric Disorders

Abstract: Over the last decade, deep brain stimulation (DBS) has revolutionized the practice of neurosurgery, particularly in the realm of movement disorders. It is no surprise that DBS is now being studied in the treatment of refractory psychiatric disease. Deep brain stimulation has inherent advantages over previous lesioning procedures. It is fully reversible, and stimulation can be adjusted according to a patient’s changing symptoms and disease progression. Coupled with the fact that the stimulation can generally be turned on or off without the patient’s awareness, DBS provides a unique opportunity for double-blinding studies. To undertake DBS for psychiatric conditions, appropriate surgical targets must be chosen. What is most strongly supported is the role of cortico-striato-thalamocortical (CSTC) loops in the pathophysiology of psychiatric symptoms. Recent functional imaging studies have consistently found evidence that corroborate this model of psychiatric symptom pathogenesis. Based on the psychiatric and cognitive effects seen in recent movement disorder surgery, it is apparent that modulation of neural systems subserving psychiatric phenomenon can be accomplished by DBS. The few published studies on DBS for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suggest that this can be done safely. While efficacy data are still uncertain, initial data are promising.
A CMOS 10GHz voltage controlled LC-oscillator with integrated high-Q inductor

A 10GHz fully integrated Voltage Controlled Oscillator is presented. The circuit can be tuned from 8.1 GHZ to 10.9 GHz. This corresponds with a tuning range of 29.7%. The phase noise is -113dBc/Hz at 600kHz and - 127dBc/Hz at 3MHz. The VCO-core consumes 20 mA with a 2.5V power supply. The VCO is implemented in a 0. 25µm 4 metal layer standard CMOS technology. The circuit's integrated inductor has a Q-factor of approximately 50 making it comparable to bondwire and discreet coils.
Deep Cross-Modality Alignment for Multi-Shot Person Re-IDentification

Multi-shot person Re-IDentification (Re-ID) has recently received more research attention as its problem setting is more realistic compared to single-shot Re-ID in terms of application. While many large-scale single-shot Re-ID human image datasets have been released, most existing multishot Re-ID video sequence datasets containonly a few (i.e., several hundreds) human instances, which hinders further improvement of multi-shot Re-ID performance. To this end, we propose a deep cross-modality alignment network, which jointly explores both human sequence pairs and image pairs to facilitate training better multi-shot human Re-ID models, i.e., via transferring knowledge from image data to sequence data. To mitigate modality-to-modality mismatch issue, the proposed network is equipped with an image-to-sequence adaption module called cross-modality alignment sub-network, which successfully maps each human image into a pseudo human sequence to facilitate knowledge transferring and joint training. Extensive experimental results on several multi-shot person Re-ID benchmarks demonstrate great performance gain brought up by the proposed network.
Towards Strategic Human Resource Management: A Pilot Study in a Finnish Power Industry Company

Describes a process through which an organization moved from traditional personnel management towards a more strategically oriented human resource management. Focuses on tracking down, periodically, the actions taken by the human resource manager and his/her relationships with the strategic management team within the context of major structural and strategic changes. Suggests that the internal dynamism of the human resource function led by an innovative leader, serves as a critical mechanism to keep the change process going after its start under favourable organizational and strategic circumstances.
COMPETING THROUGH MANUFACTURING AND THE NEW MANUFACTURING PARADIGM: IS MANUFACTURING STRATEGY PASSE?

In light of the widespread adoption of advanced production concepts over the last decade, the traditional concern of manufacturing strategy–linking manufacturing structure and infrastructure to business strategy–has seemed less powerful in explaining competitive success or improving competitive performance. Companies that have introduced just‐in‐time, total quality management, continuous improvement, design for manufacturability, or concurrent engineering appear to have reaped the benefits of quality, dependability, flexibility, high variety, and low cost. This raises an important question: is manufacturing strategy in its traditional vintage passe? In this paper, I first explore the logic behind the traditional prescriptions in manufacturing strategy using a classic case on Searle's Medical Instruments Group. Then, using the term advanced manufacturing system (AMS) as shorthand for best practice in production, design and engineering, and logistics, I revisit the Searle case as taught in 1995 to illustrate the logic of the AMS. Finally, I offer a framework for synthesis, arguing that manufacturing's true competitive power lies in integrating the capabilities of an AMS with strategic management of manufacturing.
La value relevance incrementale dell’other comprehensive income rispetto al net income. Un’analisi sulle società quotate in Italia

L’obiettivo principale dello studio e quello di testare l’assunzione, validata da una parte della letteratura, che l’Other Comprehensive Income (OCI) items reporting sia value relevant per gli investitori in misura incrementale, ossia che fornisca loro informazioni aggiuntive rispetto al reddito netto. La rassegna della letteratura evidenzia risultati contraddittori. Gli autori ipotizzano che una delle principali cause dell’inconsistenza dei risultati dipenda dall’utilizzo di dati che si riferiscono a periodi precedenti l’introduzione degli standard contabili sul Comprehensive Income (CI). Di conseguenza, hanno testato l’ipotesi di ricerca utilizzando dati relativi a periodi successivi allo IAS 1 revised 2007, in cui e esplicitamente richiesto alle aziende di presentare le componenti in bilancio. Il campione e costituto dai gruppi quotati alla borsa valori di Milano. L’analisi di regressione fornisce evidenza della value relevance incrementale dell’OCI rispetto al reddito netto.
Mannose‐binding protein in preterm infants: developmental profile and clinical significance

The aim of this study was to determine the developmental profile of mannose‐binding protein (MBP) in preterm infants. MBP was measured in 885 longitudinally collected serum samples from 168 preterm infants, and 63 were genotyped with respect to the codon 54 mutation in the MBP gene. MBP level/codon 54 genotyping were also determined on the cord blood of 146/123 term infants and 138/123 adults, respectively. The best cut‐off values of MBP for dividing preterm, term infants and adults into ‘low’ and ‘high’ M BP groups were 400 ng/ml (55 low, 113 high), 700 ng/ml (35 low, 111 high) and 750 ng/ml (33 low. 105 high), respectively, by achieving the least number of misclassifications according to the codon 54 mutation. The relative risk of the ‘low’ groups for presence of the codon 54 mutation compared with ‘high’ groups were 42 4, 67–9 and 22–9 for preterm, term infants and adults, respectively (P KO 00001). The gestational age and birth weight of the ‘low’(n = 55) and ‘high’(n= 113) MBP groups of the 168 preterm infants were 29.5 ± 2.8 weeks, 30.5±2.8 weeks (p=0.03) and 1230±317g, 1277±289g (p = 0.35). respectively. The mean MBP levels of these two groups of preterm infants were different (P<0001) at all ages measured. As a whole group, the MBP level rose from a mean of 500 ng/ml at 25 weeks gestation to 1700ng/ml at 20 weeks post full‐term. The mortality rates of ‘low’ and ‘high’ MBP groups of preterm infants were 22% and 12%, respectively (p‐0.113). This difference in mortality was due to gestational age and birth weight standard deviation score (SDS) after adjusting for length of gestation and gender (p = 0.0001) rather than to low MBP levels (p = 0 65). MBP levels were not related to birthweight SDS score (P = 0 26). The mean ± sd. MBP levels for preterm, term infants and adults without the codon 54 mutation were 1225 ±701 ng/ml (n = 45), 2064 ± 829 ng/ml (n= 88) and 2473 ± 1395ng/ml (n = 95), respectively; the corresponding values for those with the codon 54 mutation were 130 ±275 ng/ml (n= 18), 533 ±665 ng/ml (n = 35)and 330±225ng/ ml (n= 28), respectively. Intra‐uterine growth retardation in preterm infants does not influence MBP levels. For those without the codon 54 mutation, there is a significant difference in MBP level between the three age groups. For those with the codon 54 mutation, there is a significant difference between preterm and term infants, but not between term infants and adults. We conclude that there is a maturation in MBP levels for preterm infants, and that a moderately low MBP phenotype does not affect survival. We cannot exclude an effect of profoundly reduced MBP levels (characteristic of individuals homozygous for the codon 54 mutation), since no such preterm infant was identified in this study.
Association between thyroid function and gallstone disease.

AIM To investigate those associations using data of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania. METHODS A study population of 3 749 residents aged 20-79 years without previously diagnosed thyroid disease was available for analyses. Serum TSH was used to assess thyroid function. Cholelithiasis was defined by either a prior history of cholecystectomy or the presence of gallstones on ultrasound. Logistic regression was performed to analyze independent associations between thyroid function and cholelithiasis. RESULTS There were 385 persons (10.3%) with low (<0.3 mIU/L), 3 321 persons (88.6%) with normal and 43 persons (1.2%) with high serum TSH levels (>3 mIU/L). The proportion of cholelithiasis among males and females was 14.4% and 25.3%, respectively. Among males, there was an independent relation between high serum TSH and cholelithiasis (OR 3.77; 95%-CI 1.06-13.41; P<0.05). Also among males, there was a tendency towards an elevated risk of cholelithiasis in persons with low serum TSH (OR 1.40; 95%-CI 0.96-2.02; P = 0.07). In the female population, no such relation was identified. CONCLUSION There is an association between thyroid and gallstone disease with a gender-specific relation between hypothyroidism and cholelithiasis.
Fibrinolytic Therapy with Low-Dose Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Retinal Vein Occlusion

Fibrinolytic therapy aimed at early restoration of blood flow appears to be a promising therapeutic approach in haemorrhagic retinopathy. The risk of bleeding complications, a major problem with fibrinolysis, can be reduced by the use of low-dose thrombolytic regimens. In our study, 14 patients with ischaemic central (CRVO) or branch (BRVO) retinal vein occlusion who presented with severe visual loss and recent onset of symptoms were treated with a low dose (50 mg) of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and intravenous heparin. In 10 of 14 patients (7 CRVO, 3 BRVO), an increase in visual acuity of one line or more on the logarithmic visual acuity chart was noted and in 8 patients (6 CRVO, 2 BRVO) a reduction of areas of capillary non-perfusion was observed, suggesting that a restoration of retinal capillary blood flow can be achieved if fibrinolysis is initiated in the early phase of haemorrhagic retinopathy. In view of the poor prognosis in the natural course of haemorrhagic retinopathy and the potential haemorrhagic risk in fibrinolysis, the use of low-dose rt-PA appears to constitute an encouraging approach in the management of this disease.
Identifiability in Array Processing Models with Vector-Sensor Applications

We present a bound on the number of sources identifiable in a class of array processing models with multiple parameters and signals per source. The bound is applied to determine the maximum number of uniquely resolvable plane-wave sources in various acoustic and electromagnetic vector-sensor models. We examine the use of a priori information about the sources, the effects of known and unknown noise characteristics, and the presence of nuisance parameters. Connections between identifiability and existence of the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) are investigated. We show quantitatively how assumptions about the parameters can fundamentally affect the maximum number of identifiable sources.
Projections of the claustrum to the primary motor, premotor, and prefrontal cortices in the macaque monkey

The claustrum is interconnected with the frontal lobe, including the motor cortex, prefrontal cortex, and cingulate cortex. The goal of the present study was to assess whether the claustral projections to distinct areas within the frontal cortex arise from separate regions within the claustrum. Multiple injections of tracers were performed in 15 macaque monkeys, aimed toward primary motor area (M1), pre‐supplementary motor area (pre‐SMA), SMA‐proper, rostral (PMd‐r) and caudal (PMd‐c) parts of the dorsal premotor cortex (PM), rostral (PMv‐r) and caudal (PMv‐c) parts of the ventral PM, and superior and inferior parts of area 46. The distribution of retrogradely labeled neurons showed no clear segregation along the rostrocaudal axis of the claustrum; they were usually located along the entire anteroposterior extent of the claustrum. For all motor cortical areas, there was a general trend of the labeled neurons to occupy the dorsal and intermediate parts of the claustrum along the dorsoventral axis. The same territories were labeled after injection in area 46, but in addition numerous labeled neurons were found in the most ventral part of the claustrum. At higher resolution, however, there was clear evidence that the territories projecting to pre‐SMA and SMA‐proper formed separate, interdigitating, clusters along the dorsoventral axis. A comparable local segregation was observed for the two subdivisions of area 46, whereas there was more local overlap among the subareas of PM. The projections from the claustrum to the multiple subareas of the motor cortex and to area 46 arise from largely overlapping territories, with, however, some degree of local segregation. J. Comp. Neurol. 454:140–157, 2002. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Redox-dependent dimerization of p38α mitogen-activated protein kinase with mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 3

The kinase p38α MAPK (p38α) plays a pivotal role in many biological processes. p38α is activated by canonical upstream kinases that phosphorylate the activation region. The purpose of our study was to determine whether such activation may depend on redox-sensing cysteines within p38α. p38α was activated and formed a disulfide-bound heterodimer with MAP2K3 (MKK3) in rat cardiomyocytes and isolated hearts exposed to H2O2. This disulfide heterodimer was sensitive to reduction by mercaptoethanol and was enhanced by the thioredoxin-reductase inhibitor auranofin. We predicted that Cys-119 or Cys-162 of p38α, close to the known MKK3 docking domain, were relevant for these redox characteristics. The C119S mutation decreased whereas the C162S mutation increased the dimer formation, suggesting that these two Cys residues act as vicinal thiols, consistent with C119S/C162S being incapable of sensing H2O2. Similarly, disulfide heterodimer formation was abolished in H9C2 cells expressing both MKK3 and p38α C119S/C162S and subjected to simulated ischemia and reperfusion. However, the p38α C119S/C162S mutants did not exhibit appreciable alteration in activating dual phosphorylation. In contrast, the anti-inflammatory agent 10-nitro-oleic acid (NO2-OA), a component of the Mediterranean diet, reduced p38α activation and covalently modified Cys-119/Cys-162, probably obstructing MKK3 access. Moreover, NO2-OA reduced the dephosphorylation of p38α by hematopoietic tyrosine phosphatase (HePTP). Furthermore, steric obstruction of Cys-119/Cys-162 by NO2-OA pretreatment in Langendorff-perfused murine hearts prevented the p38-MKK3 disulfide dimer formation and attenuated H2O2-induced contractile dysfunction. Our findings suggest that cysteine residues within p38α act as redox sensors that can dynamically regulate the association between p38 and MKK3.
The New Consensus, the Old Consensus and the Provision of Services for People Sleeping Rough

The British policy response to rough sleeping, or street homelessness, has been characterised by increasing consensus between government, the voluntary sector and academics. The dominant paradigm suggests that people sleeping rough are often individuals who are predisposed to becoming homeless because their individual characteristics make them especially vulnerable to changes in housing supply, labour markets and other structural factors that precipitate homelessness. Policy responses, such as the Rough Sleepers Initiative, have been increasingly characterised by their emphasis on reintegrating people sleeping rough into society on the basis that many in this group are vulnerable people who have become homeless essentially because they need assistance and care. However, there is a marked contrast between this broad consensus and popular views of the causes of rough sleeping. In the popular imagination, rough sleeping is caused by fecklessness, moral weakness and an active choice to sleep on the streets. This view has its origins in pre-20th century views of poverty and exclusion but has recently been reinforced by the ideology of a succession of Neo-Liberal governments in the UK. This paper is concerned with the impact of the popular view of rough sleeping on the environment in which services for people sleeping rough have to work. It is also concerned with the more subtle impact that the popular view of rough sleeping continues to have on the design and operation of such services.
Identification of a Peroxisome Proliferator-responsive Element Upstream of the Human Peroxisomal Fatty Acyl Coenzyme A Oxidase Gene (*)

Peroxisome proliferators cause a rapid and coordinated transcriptional activation of genes encoding the enzymes of the peroxisomal β-oxidation pathway in rats and mice. Cis-acting peroxisome proliferator responsive elements (PPREs) have been identified in the 5′-flanking region of HO-producing rat acyl-CoA oxidase (ACOX) gene and in other genes inducible by peroxisome proliferators. To gain more insight into the purported nonresponsiveness of human liver cells to peroxisome proliferator-induced increases in peroxisome volume density and in the activity of the β-oxidation enzyme system, we have previously cloned the human ACOX gene, the first and rate-limiting enzyme of the peroxisomal β-oxidation system. We now present information on a regulatory element for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)/retinoid X receptor (RXR) heterodimers. The PPRE, consists of AGGTCA C TGGTCA, which is a direct repeat of hexamer half-sites interspaced by a single nucleotide (DR1 motif). It is located at −1918 to −1906 base pairs upstream of the transcription initiation site of this human ACOX gene. This PPRE specifically binds to baculovirus-expressed recombinant rat PPARα/RXRα heterodimers. In transient transfection experiments, the maximum induction of luciferase expression by ciprofibrate and/or 9-cis-retinoic acid is dependent upon cotransfection of expression plasmids for PPARα and RXRα. The functionality of this human ACOX promoter was further demonstrated by linking it to a β-galactosidase reporter gene or to a rat urate oxidase cDNA and establishing stably transfected African green monkey kidney (CV1) cell lines expressing reporter protein. The human ACOX promoter has been found to be responsive to peroxisome proliferators in CV1 cells stably expressing PPARα, whereas only a basal level of promoter activity is detected in stably transfected cells lacking PPARα. The presence of a PPRE in the promoter of this human peroxisomal ACOX gene and its responsiveness to peroxisome proliferators suggests that factors other than the PPRE in the 5′-flanking sequence of the human ACOX gene may account for differences, if any, in the pleiotropic responses of humans to peroxisome proliferators.