Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Canadian minimum dataset for chronic low back pain research: a cross-cultural adaptation of the National Institutes of Health Task Force Research Standards.

BACKGROUND To better standardize clinical and epidemiological studies about the prevalence, risk factors, prognosis, impact and treatment of chronic low back pain, a minimum data set was developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Task Force on Research Standards for Chronic Low Back Pain. The aim of the present study was to develop a culturally adapted questionnaire that could be used for chronic low back pain research among French-speaking populations in Canada. METHODS The adaptation of the French Canadian version of the minimum data set was achieved according to guidelines for the cross-cultural adaptation of self-reported measures (double forward-backward translation, expert committee, pretest among 35 patients with pain in the low back region). Minor cultural adaptations were also incorporated into the English version by the expert committee (e.g., items about race/ethnicity, education level). RESULTS This cross-cultural adaptation provides an equivalent French-Canadian version of the minimal data set questionnaire and a culturally adapted English-Canadian version. Modifications made to the original NIH minimum data set were minimized to facilitate comparison between the Canadian and American versions. INTERPRETATION The present study is a first step toward the use of a culturally adapted instrument for phenotyping French- and English-speaking low back pain patients in Canada. Clinicians and researchers will recognize the importance of this standardized tool and are encouraged to incorporate it into future research studies on chronic low back pain.
Autoantibody Responses to Carbohydrate Epitopes in Endometriosis

Abstract: Autoantibody responses to endometrial and serum antigens are a common feature of endometriosis. We have shown that the serum autoantibody response in endometriosis to a number of previously identified antigens, including α2‐Heremans Schmidt glycoprotein and carbonic anhydrase, is specific for a carbohydrate epitope common to these proteins. Removal of carbohydrate moieties from these antigens resulted in a loss of antibody binding. Antibody reactivity was abolished following adsorption with the lectin jacalin, which specifically binds the Thomsen‐Friedenreich (T) antigen (Galβ1‐3GalNAc). Demonstration that the autoantibodies also reacted with other Thomsen‐Friedenreich antigen‐bearing proteins, such as serum IgA1, hemopexin, and MMP‐9, confirmed that this glycotope is involved in the autoantibody response. However, the autoantibody binding requires the presence of at least one sialic acid residue. Thus, the glycotope involved may be a sialylated T antigen. These findings allow us to hypothesize a number of mechanisms whereby the autoimmune response plays a direct role in several aspects of the disease process. The proposed mechanisms take into account the salient endocrine dependency of endometriotic lesions and other aspects of the disease process such as aberrant matrix metalloproteinase function and the ability of endometrial cells to implant at ectopic sites. The anti‐T‐like response may also be indicative of an underlying genetic defect in glycosylation or in the control of glycosylation by steroid sex hormones. Further characterization of this autoimmune response may prove useful in the development of serum‐based diagnostic tests for endometriosis and may lead to the development of therapeutic strategies.
Psychiatric comorbidities in movement disorders

Abstract Psychiatric comorbidities are common in movement disorders. This review provides a practical approach to help clinicians to recognize psychiatric disorders in the most frequent movement disorders. However, the extent of neurodegeneration, as well as the impact of medications with considerable CNS effects, influences the diverse psychiatric presentations that, in turn, are influenced by the stress of living with a movement disorder. Depression, anxiety, and psychosis are the most common psychiatric comorbidities in movement disorders and of the medications used to treat the motor disturbances. These psychiatric problems impair patients’ functioning throughout the course of the chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Due to the direct connection between brain dysfunction and psychiatric symptoms, there is hope that understanding the psychiatric comorbidities in movement disorders will lead to a better quality-of-life.
Evaluation of the feasibility of a novel distance adaptable steady-state visual evoked potential based brain-computer interface

Steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) based brain-computer interface (BCI) has attracted great attention in BCI research due to its advantages over the other electroencephalography (EEG) based BCI paradigms, such as high speed, high signal to noise ratio, high accuracy, commands scalability and minimal user training time. Several studies have demonstrated that SSVEP BCI can provide a reliable channel to the users to communicate and control an external device. While most SSVEP based BCI studies focus on encoding the visual stimuli, enhancing the signal detection and improving the classification accuracy, there is a need to bridge the gap between BCI “bench” research and real world application. This study proposes a novel distance adaptable SSVEP based BCI paradigm which allows its users to operate the system in a range of viewing distances between the user and the visual stimulator. Unlike conventional SSVEP BCI where users can only operate the system at a fixed distance in front of the visual stimulator, users can operate the proposed BCI at a range of viewing distances. 10 healthy subjects participated in the experiment to evaluate the feasibility of the proposed SSVEP BCI. The visual stimulator was presented to the subjects at 4 viewing distances, 60cm, 150cm, 250cm and 350cm. The mean classification accuracy across the subjects and the viewing distances is over 75%. The results demonstrate the feasibility of a distance adaptable SSVEP based BCI.
Scanning electron microscopy of the subarachnoid space in the dog. V. Macrophages challenged by bacillus calmette‐GUERIN

Mongrel dogs were anesthetized intraperitoneally with pentobar‐bitol. One cc of cerebrospinal fluid was drawn through a needle inserted into the cisterna magna and mixed with 1 cc (4–9 million viable BCG organisms) of freeze‐dried bacillus Calmette‐Guerin. One minute later this mixture was injected by the same needle into the cisterna magna. At 1 and 12 days postinjection, experimental animals were perfused with buffered aldehydes. Samples of the leptomeninges were post‐fixed in OsO4 and routinely prepared for scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Leptomeningeal samples of untreated, control animals were similarly prepared.
Comparison of the oropharyngeal cavity in the Starksiini (Teleostei: Blenniiformes: Labrisomidae): Taste buds and teeth, including a comparison with closely‐related genera

The present study describes the distribution of taste buds and teeth in the oropharyngeal cavity of 13 species of adult (18–60 mm SL) Starksiini fishes inhabiting subtidal waters of the Neotropical region. Four types of taste buds described previously in other fish groups were observed within the oropharyngeal cavity, of which type I, situated on prominent protruding papillae, is the most common. The number of taste buds in this cavity varies considerably, ranging from ca. 202 in Starksia lepicoelia to ca. 770 in S. sluiteri. In all the studied species, taste buds are more numerous on the posterior (160–396) than on the anterior (42–294) part of the oropharyngeal cavity. The presence of different numbers of taste buds in different Starksiini species of the same standard length suggests that numbers of taste buds are not directly correlated with size and may be species‐specific. Teeth are found on the premaxilla, dentary, vomer, palatine (in some species) and the upper and lower pharyngeal jaws (third pharyngobranchials and fifth ceratobranchials, respectively); the form and number of teeth and taste buds on each of these sites differs among the various species of Starksiini and between them and closely related species of the labrisomid tribes Labrisomini, Mnierpini, and Paraclinini. The results thus suggest potential systematic value in certain features of the oropharyngeal cavity for blenniiform fishes. It is also shown that benthic‐feeding omnivorous fishes have higher densities of taste buds than piscivorous fishes. A possible correlation among numbers of taste buds, their positions in the oropharyngeal cavity, and other parameters is discussed. J. Morphol. , 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Color enhancement for images from digital camera using a transformation-free approach

Digital color images, in three color channels, are capable of presenting hue, saturation, and intensity perceptions to the human visual system. Improvement on color images quality should therefore be considered to simultaneously enhance all these attributes. An efficient approach was here developed aiming at mitigating the heavy computational burden, in conventional approaches, arising from the need to transform the source color space into an alternative working space. Color correction based on the white-point assumption is first carried out, and then enhancement is derived from an intensity-guided operation that simultaneously improves the contrast and saturation qualities. Experiments were conducted using a collection of real-world images captured under various environment conditions and enhancements were obtained both in subjective viewing and metrics in colorfulness, saturation and contrast.
Cleaning Efficiencies of Three Cleaning Agents on Four Different Surfaces after Contamination by Gemcitabine and 5-fluorouracile

Occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs has been documented for decades showing widespread contamination in preparation and administration areas. Apart from preventive measures, efficient cleaning of surfaces is indispensable to minimize the exposure risk. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of three cleaning agents after intentional contamination by gemcitabine (GEM) and 5-fluorouracile (5-FU) on four different surface types usually installed in healthcare settings. Glass, stainless steel, polyvinylchloride (PVC), and laminated wood plates were contaminated with 20 ng/μl GEM and 2 ng/μl 5-FU solutions. Wipe samples were analyzed for drug residues after cleaning with a) distilled water, b) aqueous solution containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (10 mM) and 2-propanol (SDS-2P), and c) Incides N (pre-soaked) alcoholic wipes. Quantification was performed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for GEM and gas chromato-graphy-tandem mass spectrometry (GCMS/MS) for 5-FU. Recovery was determined and cleaning efficiency was calculated for each scenario. Mean recoveries were 77–89% for GEM and 24–77% for 5-FU and calculated cleaning efficiencies ranged between 95 and 100% and 89 and 100%, respectively. Residual drug amounts were detected in the range nd (not detected) – 84 ng GEM/sample and nd – 6.6 ng 5-FU/sample depending on surface type and cleaning agent. Distilled water and SDS-2P had better decontamination outcomes than Incides N wipes on nearly all surface types, especially for GEM. Regarding 5-FU, the overall cleaning efficiency was lower with highest residues on laminated wood surfaces. The tested cleaning procedures are shown to clean glass, stainless steel, PVC, and laminated wood with an efficiency of 89–100% after contamination with GEM and 5-FU. Nevertheless, drug residues could be verified by wipe samples. Pure distilled water and SDS in an alcoholic-aqueous solution expressed an efficient cleaning performance, especially with respect to GEM. The study results demonstrate the need to adapt cleaning procedures to the variety of drugs and surface types to develop effective decontamination strategies.
Role of glnB and glnD gene products in regulation of the glnALG operon of Escherichia coli

We have isolated insertion and deletion mutants in glnB, the structural gene of PII, a member of the adenylylation system for glutamine synthetase of Escherichia coli, to study the role of PII in the regulation of the synthesis of glutamine synthetase and of histidase in response to nitrogen deprivation or excess. We have studied the effects of this mutation alone and combined with null mutations resulting from the insertion of transposons or from a deletion in the other genes affecting this regulation, glnD, glnF (ntrA), glnG (ntrC), and glnL (ntrB). Our results confirm that only the products of glnF and glnG are essential for this regulation. In cells of the wild type, the response is mediated by the products of glnD and glnB via the product of glnL. In the condition of nitrogen excess, PII, the product of glnB, appears to convert the product of glnL to a form that prevents the activation of transcription of the structural genes for glutamine synthetase and for histidase by the products of glnF and glnG. During nitrogen deprivation, uridylyltransferase, the product of glnD, is activated by the intracellular excess of 2-ketoglutarate over glutamine and converts PII to PII-UMP and changes the form of the glnL product to one that stimulates the activation of transcription of glutamine synthetase and histidase by the products of glnF and glnG.
Exploring Environmental Entrepreneurship: Identity Coupling, Venture Goals, and Stakeholder Incentives

On the basis of a qualitative study of 25 renewable energy firms, we theorize why and how individuals engage in environmental entrepreneurship, inductively defined as: the use of both commercial and ecological logics to address environmental degradation through the creation of financially profitable organizations, products, services, and markets. Our findings suggest that environmental entrepreneurs: (1) are motivated by identities based in both commercial and ecological logics, (2) prioritize commercial and/or ecological venture goals dependent on the strength and priority of coupling between these two identity types, and (3) approach stakeholders in a broadly inclusive, exclusive, or co-created manner based on identity coupling and goals. These findings contribute to literature streams on hybrid organizing, entrepreneurial identity, and entrepreneurship's potential for resolving environmental degradation.
Perspectives in Organ Preservation

Maintaining organ viability after donation until transplantation is critically important for optimal graft function and survival. To date, static cold storage is the most widely used form of preservation in every day clinical practice. Although simple and effective, it is questionable whether this method is able to prevent deterioration of organ quality in the present era with increasing numbers of organs retrieved from older, more marginal, and even non-heart-beating donors. This review describes principles involved in effective preservation and focuses on some basic components and methods of abdominal organ preservation in clinical and experimental transplantation. Concepts and developments to reduce ischemia related injury are discussed, including hypothermic machine perfusion. Despite the fact that hypothermic machine perfusion might be superior to static cold storage preservation, organs are still exposed to hypothermia induced damage. Therefore, recently some groups have pointed at the beneficial effects of normothermic machine perfusion as a new perspective in organ preservation and transplantation.
A mixed method study of hurricane evacuation: demographic predictors for stated compliance to voluntary and mandatory orders

ABSTRACT The present paper examines the role of several demographic indicators on stated hurricane evacuation thresholds, or the lowest category storm for which participants indicated they would evacuate, for mandatory and voluntary orders. Quantitative analyses reveal that race was significantly associated with a lower stated evacuation threshold in both the bivariate and multivariate models and that previous refusal to comply with evacuation orders was associated with higher stated evacuation thresholds. Qualitative analyses reveal two key findings: (1) wind is perceived as more dangerous than water (rain and storm surge) associated with hurricanes; (2) traffic concerns were the most frequently cited reason listed for possible refusal to comply with evacuation orders. Implications of the findings include the value of future evaluations of race and trust, storm characteristics and threat perception, and other practical considerations for improving evacuation compliance such as the amelioration of traffic concerns. Findings also lead to the discussion of the social complexities of race and hurricane vulnerability as a key finding.
Classifying Salsa dance steps from skeletal poses

In this paper, we explore building classifiers to detect Salsa dance step primitives in choreographies available in the Huawei 3DLife data set. These can collectively be an important component of dance tuition systems that support e-learning. A dance step is reasoned as the shortest possible extract of bodily motion that can uniquely identify a particularly repeatable movement through time. The representation of dance steps adopted is a concatenation of vectorized matrices involving the 3D coordinates of tracked body joints. Under this modeling context, a Salsa dance performance is seen as an ordered sequence of Salsa dance steps, requiring a multiple of the variables allocated in the representation of a single step. Following a previous work by Masurelle & Essid that discusses the classification of six Salsa dance steps from 3DLife, we show that it is possible to obtain better classifiers under a similar experimental protocol in terms of both test accuracy and F-measure. By carefully re-annotating the data in 3DLife, we refocus on the six-step classification problem and then extend the protocol to the case of 20 dance steps. In comparison to common classifiers of the trade operating on full-dimensions, we show that it is possible to produce more accurate models by computing a subspace of the data. At the same time it is possible to reduce problematic bias in resulting models due to the uneven distribution of samples across step data classes. We provide and discuss experimental findings to support both hypotheses for the two experimental settings.
Simulation of delivery of subnanosecond electric pulses into biological tissues

Delivery of subnanosecond pulses into biological tissue can be undertaken by an impulse radiating antenna (IRA). Previous analysis shows that it is important to add a dielectric lens, which reduces the abrupt change of dielectric constant from air to tissue and therefore increases the transmission of the pulses. As a proof of concept, we have simulated subnanosecond pulsed radiation focused into a tissue simulant which consists of homogeneous, hemisphere tissues using 3-D electromagnetic solver, CST Microwave Studio. The simulation of an IRA in conjunction of a lens indicates subnanosecond pulses can be focused 6 cm below tissue surface with a spot diameter approximately 1 cm. The focal point coincides with the geometric focus of the IRA. However, this result is only valid for a tissue with a low conductivity (σ<; 0.3 S/m). For lossier tissues, the electric field decreases from the surface monotonically as the subnanosecond pulses penetrate in depth. Two approaches were proposed to solve this problem. One was to use an inhomogeneous dielectric lens, with lossy material partially filled, to attenuate the incident field in the small azimuthal angles but to spare the field in the larger azimuthal angels. A desirable focusing was observed. The second approach was to use a dipole antenna in conjunction with the impulse radiating antenna. The dipole antenna decreases the surface field intensity generated by the aperture antenna, but at the destination, the field will be mostly given by the aperture antenna, resulting in a focusing.
A general model for analysis of acoustic phonons in piezoelectric super-lattices. Application to the (111)-AlAs/GaAs super-lattice

A general model is established for the analysis of acoustic phonons in an arbitrarily oriented piezoelectric super-lattice (SL). Analytical expressions are derived allowing the dispersion relation, transmission (T) and reflection (R) properties of the phonons to be numerically calculated for any incidence angle. Numerical investigation is exemplified for the (111) GaAs/AlAs SL with incidence in the plane. The obtained band structures confirm that the stop bands for both the shear horizontal and the coupled longitudinal and shear phonons appear inside the folded Brillouin zone, contrary to the (100) SL case in which they appear at the zone centre and edges. Both classical dispersion curves and Floquet slowness diagrams are used to present the edges of the Brillouin zones. Locations and widths of the stop bands inside the folded zones, as well as the T and R rates taking into account mode conversion, are studied as a function of frequency and incidence angle.
Traffic Flow Analysis Using Uber Movement Data

Utilizing the Movement data set recently released by Uber, we propose a way to model traffic flow throughout the day by using centrality measures in a sequence of temporal directed graphs with dynamic weights. We analyze and discern traffic bottlenecks and rush hours in multiple cities by comparing these temporal graphs at different points in time to a spatial graph that models the underlying city structure. Further, we use our traffic flow models to uncover general traffic movement patterns throughout these cities at various times in the day and identify the main differences in mobility behavior between them. Finally, we identify communities in each city based on mean travel time and analyze how these communities change throughout the day as well as how they compare to communities based on distances in the spatial graph.
Volumetric calibration and registration of multiple RGBD-sensors into a joint coordinate system

We present an integrated approach for the calibration and registration of color and depth (RGBD) sensors into a joint coordinate system. Our application domain is 3D telepresence where users in front of a three-dimensional display need to be captured from all directions. The captured data is used to virtually reconstruct the group of people at a remote location. One key requirement of such applications is that contributions from different color and depth cameras match, as closely as possible, in spatially overlapping or adjacent regions. Our method employs a tracked checker-board to establish a number of correspondences between positions in color and depth camera space and in world space. These correspondences are used to construct a single calibration and registration volume per RGBD sensor which maps raw depth sensor values in a single step into a joint coordinate system and to their associated color values. This approach considerably reduces reconstruction latency by omitting expensive image rectification processes during runtime. Furthermore, our evaluation demonstrates a high measurement accuracy with an average 3D error below 3 mm and an average texture deviation smaller than 0.5 pixels for a space of about 1.5 m × 1.8 m × 1.5 m.
Alcohol and Creative Writing

A repeated-measures design was used to test for the effects of alcohol on creative writing as measured by use of novel figurative language. 11 male social drinkers participated in a creative writing task under two conditions, alcohol (high dose: 1.1 ml. ethanol/kilogram body weight) and placebo. In the alcohol condition, within-subject comparisons indicated significantly greater quantity of creative writing while intoxicated. These results were interpreted as supporting the belief that alcohol can reduce “writer's block,” at least amongst nonalcoholic subjects.