Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concussion Frequency Associates with Musculoskeletal Injury in Retired NFL Players.

OBJECTIVE Concussion is commonly associated with immediate and persistent alterations in motor function affecting postural control and gait. Patients with lower extremity joint injury have demonstrated functional alterations in the cerebral cortex, suggesting that musculoskeletal injury may be linked to alterations in brain function. Therefore, we examined the associations between concussion frequency and lower extremity musculoskeletal injury sustained during professional careers of National Football League (NFL) players in a cross-sectional study. METHODS An inclusive health history survey was mailed to 3647 NFL players who retired during 1930-2001. Respondents reported total concussion frequency (zero, one, two, or three or more) and presence (yes/no) of specific knee and ankle musculoskeletal injury during their NFL career. Separate logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between concussion frequency and each musculoskeletal injury type, adjusting for number of years played in the NFL, body mass index while playing in the NFL, and playing position. RESULTS Data from 2429 players (66.6% response rate) were available for analysis. Nearly 61% reported experiencing a concussion while competing in the NFL. Meniscal tear was the most commonly reported musculoskeletal injury (32%). Compared with NFL players who did not sustain a concussion, retired NFL players with one, two, or three or more concussions had between 18% and 63%, 15% and 126%, and 73% and 165% higher odds of reporting various musculoskeletal injuries, respectively. CONCLUSIONS A history of concussions was associated with a history of musculoskeletal injuries during NFL careers. These data suggest that a higher number of concussions is linked with higher odds of reporting a musculoskeletal injury.
Maize opaque10 Encodes a Cereal-Specific Protein That Is Essential for the Proper Distribution of Zeins in Endosperm Protein Bodies

Cereal storage proteins are major nitrogen sources for humans and livestock. Prolamins are the most abundant storage protein in most cereals. They are deposited into protein bodies (PBs) in seed endosperm. The inner structure and the storage mechanism for prolamin PBs is poorly understood. Maize opaque10 (o10) is a classic opaque endosperm mutant with misshapen PBs. Through positional cloning, we found that O10 encodes a novel cereal-specific PB protein. Its middle domain contains a seven-repeat sequence that is responsible for its dimerization. Its C terminus contains a transmembrane motif that is required for its ER localization and PB deposition. A cellular fractionation assay indicated that O10 is initially synthesized in the cytoplasm and then anchored to the ER and eventually deposited in the PB. O10 can interact with 19-kD and 22-kD α-zeins and 16-kD and 50-kD γ-zeins through its N-terminal domain. An immunolocalization assay indicated that O10 co-localizes with 16-kD γ-zein and 22-kD α-zein in PBs, forming a ring-shaped structure at the interface between the α-zein-rich core and the γ-zein-rich peripheral region. The loss of O10 function disrupts this ring-shaped distribution of 22-kD and 16-kD zeins, resulting in misshapen PBs. These results showed that O10, as a newly evolved PB protein, is essential for the ring-shaped distribution of 22-kD and 16-kD zeins and controls PB morphology in maize endosperm.
CDC-defined diseases and opportunistic infections in Jamaican children with HIV/AIDS.

OBJECTIVE To document the frequency of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-defined clinical conditions, opportunistic and co-infections among children with HIV/AIDS. METHODS This prospective, observational study reports the findings of 110 HIV-infected children followed in multicentre ambulatory clinics during September 1, 2002, to August 31, 2003, from the 239 children enrolled in the Kingston Paediatric and Perinatal HIV/AIDS Programme, Jamaica. We describe the clinico-pathologic characteristics of these children with HIV/AIDS, using the CDC criteria. RESULTS The client distribution by clinic site was as follows: the University Hospital of the West Indies, 71 (64.6%), Bustamante Hospital for Children, 23 (20.9%), Comprehensive Health Centre 13 (11.8/%) and Spanish Town Hospital, 3 (2.7%). The median age of the 110 children with HIV/AIDS was 6.0 years (range 0.9-17.5). Mode of transmission was primarily mother-to-child (88.0%) and only 4% maternal/infant pairs received antiretroviralprophylaxis. Grouped by CDC category: 17 (15.4%) were asymptomatic (N), 22 (20.0%) mildly symptomatic (A), 30 (27.3%) moderately symptomatic (B) and 41 (37.3%) severely symptomatic (C). The most common CDC-defining symptoms were lymphadenopathy (12, 42.8%) and asymptomatic (6, 21.4%) in category N; lymphadenopathy (30, 29.7%), dermatitis (20, 19.8%) and persistent or recurrent upper respiratory tract infections (20, 19.8%) in category A; bacterial sepsis (18, 34.6%) and recurrent diarrhoea (11, 21.2%) in category B; and wasting (28, 30.0%), encephalopathy (26, 27.9%), and serious bacterial infections (15, 16.1%) in category C; Pulmonary tuberculosis (7, 7.5%) and Pneumocystis (jiroveci) carinii pneumonia; (5, 5.4%) were the most frequent opportunistic infections. Streptococcus pneumoniae (10, 30.3%) was the most common invasive bacterial pathogen causing sepsis and Escherichia coli (14, 34.2%) was the most common bacterial pathogen causing urinary tract infections, among the cohort. Thirty-three per cent commenced antiretroviral drugs (ARVs). There were 57 hospitalizations and five deaths. CONCLUSIONS The study is an important step toward documentation of the natural history of paediatric HIV/AIDS in a primarily ARV-naive population from a developing country. It promotes training in paediatric HIV management as we move toward affordable access to antiretroviral agents in the wider Caribbean and the implementation of clinical trials.
Fumigant potential of some essential oils against the cowpea beetle “ callosobruchus maculatus ” ( F . ) Under laboratory conditions

Some essential oils namely, Garlic, Rose Mary, Mint, Thyme, Geranium, Jojoba and Moringa in comparison with Neem Azal T/S formulation were screened after 72 hr for fumigant activity against the cowpea beetle Callosobruchus maculatus F. under laboratory conditions of 27± 2ᴏC, 65±5 % R.H. and 16:8 L:D photoperiod. Responses varied according to the kind of essential oil (ESO) and the concentrations used. In the fumigation tests, garlic, rosemary and mint gave 100% mortality to all the individuals and for all the concentrations used after 72 hr. Whereas, Thymes, Geranium, Jojoba and Moringa gave 88, 76.66, 66.67 and 50 % mortalities for the above mentioned ESO used at 3% concentration and after 72 hrs. Neem Azal T/S gave 43.34% mortality at 0.3 % compared with 8 % for control. The obtained data clarified strong insecticidal activity of Garlic, Mint and Rosemary in fumigation test even at lower concentrations. Garlic was the most potent oil used. The LC50 values were arranged ascending as follows: Garlic< Rosemary< Mint< Neem< Thyme< Geranium < Jojoba< Moringa. Whereas, LC90 behaved different from LC50 where rosemary oil was the most potent against the cowpea beetle. Moringa oil was the least effective one against C. maculatus adults.The most efficient oils used in the present study had significant biological efficacy against the adult beetles. Using LC50 values decreased the female and male longevities significantly in comparison with the control for all oils used. Also, the fecundity and percentage of adult emergence were significantly reduced in comparison with the control. Mixing each potent essential oil used individually at LC25 with Neem Azal T/S show that both male and female longevities were decreased significantly in comparison with the control. Also, all the biological aspects studied were significantly reduced. The ESO studied have potential for application in IPM program for stored product pests because of their high volatility and fumigant activity.
Protective effect of Moringa oleifera oil against HgCl2-induced hepato- and nephro-toxicity in rats

Abstract: Background: Various parts of the Moringa oleifera (M. oleifera) tree are widely accepted to have ameliorative effects against metal toxicity. In the present study, M. oleifeira oil (MO) was tested against HgCl2-induced tissue pathologies and oxidative stress. Methods: Male Wistar rats were administered MO (1.798 mg/kg p.o.) or HgCl2 (5 mg/kg body wt) alone or in combination (5 mg/kg HgCl2+1.798 mg/kg MO p.o.) three times per week for 21 days. After exposure and treatment periods, rats were sacrificed; blood collected and the oxidative status of the liver and kidney homogenates were evaluated. Results: In the liver, malondialdehyde (MDA) level, glutathione (GSH), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were higher whereas catalase (CAT) activity was lower in the HgCl2 group than in the control group. In the kidney, MDA level, SOD, and CAT activities were higher whereas GSH activity was unchanged in the HgCl2 group compared to the control group. In the liver, MDA level, SOD, and CAT activities were lower in the HgCl2+MO group than in the HgCl2 group. In the kidney, MDA level, SOD and CAT activities were lower in the HgCl2+MO than in the HgCl2 group. Furthermore, Hg-induced increases in creatinine and bilirubin levels as well as the increase in γ-glutamyl transferase, lactate dehydrogenase, and alkaline phosphatase activities were attenuated in the combine exposure group and the animals showed improvement in the histology of the liver and kidney. Conclusions: MO decreased the negative effects of Hg-induced oxidative stress in rats.
Do Our Children Become Healthier and Wiser? A Study of the Effect of Medicaid Coverage on School Absenteeism

Children make up nearly half of Medicaid enrollees. While the impact of Medicaid coverage on the use of medical care has been extensively examined, few studies have addressed the impact of Medicaid on children's health and schooling. This article reports estimates of the effect of Medicaid enrollment on children's school absenteeism. Schooling is a particularly important outcome because it influences children's productivity and earnings as adults. I use panel data from five years of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey to estimate the impact of Medicaid enrollment on the number of school absences in reduced form and structural equation models. The structural model includes equations for children's medical care use, health status, and school absences. Econometric methods employed include instrumental variable techniques, fixed effects estimation, and coarsened exact matching. I find that children with Medicaid coverage have significantly more doctor visits, doctor visits are significantly associated with better health, and children in better health miss significantly fewer days of school. I conclude that Medicaid enrollment significantly reduces school absences.
Habit Formation and Persistence in Health Behaviors : Evidence from Stationary Exercise

This paper investigates the rate at which habits form and depreciate in the context of stationary exercise. Using a novel data set from a manufacturer of stationary fitness equipment, we examine the relationship between the number of days that an individual exercises during their first two, four, six, and eight weeks and the probability that they continue to exercise regularly going forward. Using a two-stage duration model with weather variables as exclusion restrictions, our model predicts that both the length of the initial period and frequency of activity during that initial period lead to more persistent exercise over the next six months, but that any stock of habituation depreciates quickly in the absence of observed workouts. Our findings imply that for interventions to lead to persistent behavioral change, they must require more frequent activity or longer intervention periods than recent incentive-based field experiments.
Mathematics for 2 d Interfaces

We present here a survey of recent results concerning the mathematical analysis of instabilities of the interface between two incompressible, non viscous, fluids of constant density and vorticity concentrated on the interface. This configuration includes the so-called Kelvin-Helmholtz (the two densities are equal), Rayleigh-Taylor (two different, nonzero, densities) and the water waves (one of the densities is zero) problems. After a brief review of results concerning strong and weak solutions of the Euler equation, we derive interface equations (such as the Birkhoff-Rott equation) that describe the motion of the interface. A linear analysis allows us to exhibit the main features of these equations (such as ellipticity properties); the consequences for the full, non linear, equations are then described. In particular, the solutions of the Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor problems are necessarily analytic if they are above a certain threshold of regularity (a consequence is the illposedness of the initial value problem in a non analytic framework). We also say a few words on the phenomena that may occur below this regularity threshold. Finally, special attention is given to the water waves problem, which is much more stable than the Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor configurations. Most of the results presented here are in 2d (the interface has dimension one), but we give a brief description of similarities and differences in the 3d case.
Archean spherule layers in the Barberton greenstone belt, South Africa: A discussion of problems related to the impact interpretation

This review of the current knowledge of impact spherule layers in the Barberton greenstone belt, together with new petrographic, geochemical, and field data on a number of impact and volcanic spherical particle horizons, highlight a number of problems with the proposition of frequent and large meteorite impacts during mid-Archean times. Field data indicate that some of the four previously proposed impact spherule layers may be laterally correlative units that may have formed from the same impact event. Petrographic work reveals the presence of volcaniclastic particles associated with some spherule layers, while other layers not regarded as impact deposits contain clasts commonly observed in the spherule beds. Major and trace element compositions of spherule layers reflect the composition of the immediate host rocks. The existing platinum group element and chromium isotope data are difficult to reconcile with the current knowledge of the composition of meteoritic debris. A thorough discussion of these problems is necessary before meaningful estimates of Archean impact flux and bolide diameters should be attempted.
Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells After Kidney Transplantation

Circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) promote vascular repair and maintain integrity of the endothelial monolayer. Reduced EPCs number has been associated with endothelial dysfunction in various cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular disease risk is higher in renal transplant patients (RT) than the general population. We studied EPCs number and proliferation in RT, and examined the association with other cardiovascular risk factors such as reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and LDL cholesterol. EPCs concentration was determined in 94 RT and 39 control subjects (C) by flow cytometry. EPCs proliferation was also studied after 7 days in culture. EPCs concentration was significantly reduced in RT versus C (median 33.5 [5–177] vs. 53 [9–257] EPCs/105 PMN cells, p = 0.006). EPCs proliferation was also reduced in RT versus C (mean ± SD; 372.7 ± 229.3 vs. 539.8 ± 291.3 EPCs × field, p = 0.003). In multiple regression analysis, GFR, HDL, LDL and body weight were independent predictors of EPCs concentration in RT (r2= 0.25, p < 0.001). EPCs number is reduced in RT, particularly in patients with reduced GFR. Moreover, EPCs from RT studied in vitro, showed reduced proliferation, which is a sign of functional impairment. These alterations may be involved in increased cardiovascular risk of RT.
A Multidimensional Corporate Social Responsibility Study

This paper intends to contribute to a better understanding of the corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Portuguese Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) 1 . In the Portuguese context, where SME represent the majority of companies in the country, the social responsibility is many times confused with philanthropy or patronage, being an occasional practice and not aligned with the company‟s business. Some authors question themselves if some types of actions can be called CSR or if they are only to be seen as altruism or even political actions in order to achieve business success. Supported by several case studies in Portuguese SME 2 , some of the questions that led this research were: Do the SME studied have CSR practices? If so, what kind of practices? Which is the content and scope of these practices? Are they integrated with the SME business strategies?
Reclassification of Nocardia corynebacterioides

The type strain of Nocardia corynebacterioides was the subject of a polyphasic taxonomic study. The 16S rRNA gene sequence was aligned with the sequences of representatives of the genera Corynebacterium, Dietzia, Gordonia, Mycobacterium, Nocardia, Rhodococcus, Skermania, Tsukamurella and Williamsia, and phylogenetic trees were constructed by using maximum-parsimony, maximum-likelihood and neighbour-joining methods. It was evident from the phylogenetic analysis that N. corynebacterioides represents a distinct phyletic line within the genus Rhodococcus. Menaquinone analysis showed that the organism contained dihydrogenated menaquinone with eight isoprene units, MK-8(H2), as the major isoprenologue. The genealogical evidence, together with chemotaxonomic and phenotypic data from this and previous studies, indicates that N. corynebacterioides DSM 20151 (=CIP 104510) should be reclassified in the genus Rhodococcus as Rhodococcus corynebacterioides comb. nov.
PET Imaging of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Whiplash Associated Disorder

Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of brain injury in our society with 235 per 100,000 inhabitants per year in the European Union and about 500 per 100,000 inhabitants per year in the United States. About 80% of all these events are accounted for as mild cases. At the same time, whiplash-associated disorder is one of the most frequent consequences of motor vehicle related accidents affecting about 300 per 100,000 inhabitants per year in the United States and Western European countries. Both brain injuries are frequently underestimated due to their apparent low severity and because in many cases these symptoms disappear within few weeks. Nevertheless, several patients describe long-lasting discomfort in the absence of detectable alterations with conventional clinical diagnostic tools or imaging studies, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT). Therefore, the mechanism behind the long-lasting manifestations remains unknown. It is within this context that functional imaging techniques, such as positron emission tomography (PET) have the potential to provide insight into the undetected changes related to mild traumatic brain injury and whiplash-associated disorder.
Muon Trigger for Mobile Phones

The CRAYFIS experiment proposes to use privately owned mobile phones as a ground detector array for Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays. Upon interacting with Earth’s atmosphere, these events produce extensive particle showers which can be detected by cameras on mobile phones. A typical shower contains minimally-ionizing particles such as muons. As these particles interact with CMOS image sensors, they may leave tracks of faintly-activated pixels that are sometimes hard to distinguish from random detector noise. Triggers that rely on the presence of very bright pixels within an image frame are not efficient in this case. We present a trigger algorithm based on Convolutional Neural Networks which selects images containing such tracks and are evaluated in a lazy manner: the response of each successive layer is computed only if activation of the current layer satisfies a continuation criterion. Usage of neural networks increases the sensitivity considerably comparable with image thresholding, while the lazy evaluation allows for execution of the trigger under the limited computational power of mobile phones.
Multiclock selection and synthesis for CDFGs using optimal clock sets and genetic algorithms

Selecting a clock period is an essential step in implementing hardware from behavioral descriptions. Current methods either estimate the clock prior to scheduling or involve exhaustive runs of the high-level synthesis tools to obtain a globally optimum clock period. Further, the potential benefits of allowing the use of multiple clocks for performance optimization has not been investigated. This paper presents a clock selection method that works simultaneously with synthesis by selecting a clock from an optimal clock set. The synthesis is iterative and is optimized by evolutionary techniques. The method is very flexible and can accommodate a large set of potentially optimal clocks. We also present multirate clock synthesis with path-dependent clock selection where different paths in a control data flow graph (CDFG) are optimized with different clock periods. The results shown prove the method's effectiveness.
Did corporate governance safeguard investor interest in the global financial crisis? Evidence from Hong Kong SAR

The global financial crisis of 2008 aroused renewed interest in the effectiveness of corporate governance mechanisms to safeguard investor interests. In this paper, we measure the effects of the crisis from 2008 to 2009 on the share performance of 976 companies listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in the Hong Kong SAR and examine the link between share performance and corporate governance mechanisms. Our results present evidence that firms with a higher proportion of independent directors and a greater concentration of ownership had lower share performance, but lower price volatility, during the global financial crisis. These results suggest that no single corporate governance mechanism is fit for all economic environments and time frames. To strengthen investors' confidence, companies should enhance the efficiency and adaptability of their governance mechanisms in turbulent times.