Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional Screening Tests: Interrelationships and Ability to Predict Vertical Jump Performance

Abstract There are several methods used in sports science to identify asymmetries in athletes, given their purported relevance to injury prevention and performance optimization. We aimed to verify whether asymmetries provided by isokinetic assessments, jump tests, and tensiomyography (TMG) are associated with each other, and whether their respective functional indices are related to jumping ability. TMG parameters, unilateral and bilateral squat-jump (SJ) and countermovement-jump (CMJ) performances, and peak torque in knee-extension and flexion with angular velocities of 60o/s and 300o/s for twenty-four soccer players were retained for analyses. Asymmetry was detected by examining the percentage difference between dominant and non-dominant legs. The median-split technique was used to identify the best and worst performers in SJ and CMJ tests. Results revealed that the asymmetries detected in the three different methods were not interrelated. Curiously, better performances in SJ and CMJ tests were associated with higher asymmetry levels. Furthermore, only the knee-extension peak torque at both angular velocities was correlated moderately to largely (r=0.48-0.66) with jump performance. Despite their recognized ability to predict the risk of injury, the absence of interrelationships between TMG, isokinetic tests, and unilateral jumps precludes their single use as a unique functional screening diagnostic. Finally, and very importantly, lower-limb asymmetry is not necessarily related to impaired vertical jump performance in soccer players.
Explorer Bibliometric Evidence for a Hierarchy of the

The hypothesis of a Hierarchy of the Sciences, first formulated in the 19 century, predicts that, moving from simple and general phenomena (e.g. particle dynamics) to complex and particular (e.g. human behaviour), researchers lose ability to reach theoretical and methodological consensus. This hypothesis places each field of research along a continuum of complexity and ‘‘softness’’, with profound implications for our understanding of scientific knowledge. Today, however, the idea is still unproven and philosophically overlooked, too often confused with simplistic dichotomies that contrast natural and social sciences, or science and the humanities. Empirical tests of the hypothesis have usually compared few fields and this, combined with other limitations, makes their results contradictory and inconclusive. We verified whether discipline characteristics reflect a hierarchy, a dichotomy or neither, by sampling nearly 29,000 papers published contemporaneously in 12 disciplines and measuring a set of parameters hypothesised to reflect theoretical and methodological consensus. The biological sciences had in most cases intermediate values between the physical and the social, with bio-molecular disciplines appearing harder than zoology, botany or ecology. In multivariable analyses, most of these parameters were independent predictors of the hierarchy, even when mathematics and the humanities were included. These results support a ‘‘gradualist’’ view of scientific knowledge, suggesting that the Hierarchy of the Sciences provides the best rational framework to understand disciplines’ diversity. A deeper grasp of the relationship between subject matter’s complexity and consensus could have profound implications for how we interpret, publish, popularize and administer scientific research. Citation: Fanelli D, Glänzel W (2013) Bibliometric Evidence for a Hierarchy of the Sciences. PLoS ONE 8(6): e66938. doi:10.1371/journal.pone. 0066938 Editor: Vincent Larivière, Université de Montréal, Canada Received February 14, 2013; Accepted May 10, 2013; Published June 26, 2013 Copyright: 2013 Fanelli, Daniele. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Funding: DF was funded by a Leverhulme Early-Career fellowship. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. * E-mail: dfanelli@exseed.ed.ac.uk
Mouse Cytoplasmic Dynein Intermediate Chains: Identification of New Isoforms, Alternative Splicing and Tissue Distribution of Transcripts

Background Intracellular transport of cargoes including organelles, vesicles, signalling molecules, protein complexes, and RNAs, is essential for normal function of eukaryotic cells. The cytoplasmic dynein complex is an important motor that moves cargos along microtubule tracks within the cell. In mammals this multiprotein complex includes dynein intermediate chains 1 and 2 which are encoded by two genes, Dync1i1 and Dync1i2. These proteins are involved in dynein cargo binding and dynein complexes with different intermediate chains bind to specific cargoes, although the mechanisms to achieve this are not known. The DYNC1I1 and DYNC1I2 proteins are translated from different splice isoforms, and specific forms of each protein are essential for the function of different dynein complexes in neurons. Methodology/Principal Findings Here we have undertaken a systematic survey of the dynein intermediate chain splice isoforms in mouse, basing our study on mRNA expression patterns in a range of tissues, and on bioinformatics analysis of mouse, rat and human genomic and cDNA sequences. We found a complex pattern of alternative splicing of both dynein intermediate chain genes, with maximum complexity in the embryonic and adult nervous system. We have found novel transcripts, including some with orthologues in human and rat, and a new promoter and alternative non-coding exon 1 for Dync1i2. Conclusions/Significance These data, including the cloned isoforms will be essential for understanding the role of intermediate chains in the cytoplasmic dynein complex, particularly their role in cargo binding within individual tissues including different brain regions.
Body Composition Changes After Very-Low-Calorie Ketogenic Diet in Obesity Evaluated by 3 Standardized Methods

Context: Common concerns when using low-calorie diets as a treatment for obesity are the reduction in fat-free mass, mostly muscular mass, that occurs together with the fat mass (FM) loss, and determining the best methodologies to evaluate body composition changes. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the very-low-calorie ketogenic (VLCK) diet-induced changes in body composition of obese patients and to compare 3 different methodologies used to evaluate those changes. Design: Twenty obese patients followed a VLCK diet for 4 months. Body composition assessment was performed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), multifrequency bioelectrical impedance (MF-BIA), and air displacement plethysmography (ADP) techniques. Muscular strength was also assessed. Measurements were performed at 4 points matched with the ketotic phases (basal, maximum ketosis, ketosis declining, and out of ketosis). Results: After 4 months the VLCK diet induced a −20.2 ± 4.5 kg weight loss, at expenses of reductions in fat mass (FM) of −16.5 ± 5.1 kg (DXA), −18.2 ± 5.8 kg (MF-BIA), and −17.7 ± 9.9 kg (ADP). A substantial decrease was also observed in the visceral FM. The mild but marked reduction in fat-free mass occurred at maximum ketosis, primarily as a result of changes in total body water, and was recovered thereafter. No changes in muscle strength were observed. A strong correlation was evidenced between the 3 methods of assessing body composition. Conclusion: The VLCK diet-induced weight loss was mainly at the expense of FM and visceral mass; muscle mass and strength were preserved. Of the 3 body composition techniques used, the MF-BIA method seems more convenient in the clinical setting.
Adolescent depression linked to socioeconomic status? Molecular approaches for revealing premorbid risk factors

The means by which social environmental exposures influence risk of mental disorders is a persistent and still open question. A key candidate mechanism for the biologic mediation of environmental effects involves epigenetic factors, which regulate gene function without altering underlying DNA sequence. Recent work has shown that environmental exposures such as childhood abuse, family history of mental disorder, and low socioeconomic status (SES) associate with differential DNA methylation (5mC) – a relatively stable, but modifiable, epigenetic factor. However, the longitudinal relation among SES, 5mC, brain function, and risk of depression remains to be elucidated. Here, we briefly review literature relevant to these associations and discuss recent findings that, for the first time, prospectively demonstrate sequential links between low SES, changes in 5mC, changes in brain function, and risk of depression in a cohort of adolescents.
Fat, Sugar, and Bone Health: A Complex Relationship

With people aging, osteoporosis is expected to increase notably. Nutritional status is a relatively easily-modified risk factor, associated with many chronic diseases, and is involved in obesity, diabetes, and coronary heart disease (CHD), along with osteoporosis. Nutrients, such as fats, sugars, and proteins, play a primary function in bone metabolism and maintaining bone health. In Western nations, diets are generally high in saturated fats, however, currently, the nutritional patterns dominating in China continue to be high in carbohydrates from starch, cereals, and sugars. Moreover, high fat or high sugar (fructose, glucose, or sucrose) impart a significant impact on bone structural integrity. Due to diet being modifiable, demonstrating the effects of nutrition on bone health can provide an approach for osteoporosis prevention. Most researchers have reported that a high-fat diet consumption is associated with bone mineral density (BMD) and, as bone strength diminishes, adverse microstructure changes occur in the cancellous bone compartment, which is involved with lipid metabolism modulation disorder and the alteration of the bone marrow environment, along with an increased inflammatory environment. Some studies, however, demonstrated that a high-fat diet contributes to achieving peak bone mass, along with microstructure, at a younger age. Contrary to these results, others have shown that a high-fructose diet consumption leads to stronger bones with a superior microarchitecture than those with the intake of a high-glucose diet and, at the same time, research indicated that a high-fat diet usually deteriorates cancellous bone parameters, and that the incorporation of fructose into a high-fat diet did not aggravate bone mass loss. High-fat/high-sucrose diets have shown both beneficial and detrimental influences on bone metabolism. Combined, these studies showed that nutrition exerts different effects on bone health. Thus, a better understanding of the regulation between dietary nutrition and bone health might provide a basis for the development of strategies to improve bone health by modifying nutritional components.
Visible DNA Microarray System as an Adjunctive Molecular Test in Identification of Pathogenic Fungi Directly from a Blood Culture Bottle

ABSTRACT A DNA microarray platform, based on the nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer regions (ITS1 and ITS2) of the rRNA gene, was developed to identify 32 fungal pathogens at the species level. The probe sequences were spotted onto polycarbonate slides with a mini-microarray printer, and after the hybridization, the results were visible with the naked eye. The performance of the microarray platform was evaluated against the commercial automated systems (Vitek 2 and BD Phoenix systems) and DNA sequencing (gold standard). A total of 461 blood culture bottles were tested: 127 positive for fungi, 302 positive for bacteria, and 32 that were negative. Once the microorganisms were identified by automated systems, fungal DNA was extracted directly from the blood culture bottles. The DNA products were tested using the microarray platform, and DNA sequencing was performed. The results of the microarray and DNA sequencing were concordant in 96.7% of cases, and the results from the automated systems and DNA sequencing were concordant in 98.4%. Of all the nucleotide sequences contained in the microarray platform, the microarray failed to identify four fungal isolates (one Candida parapsilosis, two Candida tropicalis, and one Cryptococcus neoformans). Of note, the microarray detected Candida krusei DNA in two blood cultures from the same patient, whereas the automated system was only positive for Enterococcus faecium. Our microarray system provided reliable and fast fungal identification compared to that from DNA sequencing and the automated systems. The simplicity of reading the results by the naked eye made this DNA platform a suitable method for fungal molecular diagnosis.
Access to magnetic resonance imaging of patients with magnetic resonance-conditional pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator systems: results from the Really ProMRI study

Aims The Really ProMRI study evaluates magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) access for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) as well as the performance of magnetic resonance (MR)-conditional leads when undergoing MRI. Methods and results Patients either with an MR-conditional pacemaker or implantable defibrillator (ICD) system or with at least a component (device or one or more leads) from an MR-conditional system, were asked to fill in a questionnaire when they were referred to a MR scan. The rate of prescription, denial, or execution of MR examinations was evaluated in a 1-year follow-up visit. In total, 555 patients [median age (interquartile range) 72.2 (62.2-78.6); 72% male] were enrolled, 49% (270) with a pacemaker, 51% (285) with an ICD system. Five-hundred and ten patients completed the follow-up period. A total of 37 MRI referrals were reported in 35 patients, with a consequent event rate of 7.0/100 patient-years (CI, 4.9-9.7). Fourteen were denied, while 23 [66%; (CI, 48-81%)] were performed. The number of patients with MR referrals was not statistically different between pacemaker and ICD groups (21 vs. 14; P = 0.178). The rate of scans performed was higher in the pacemaker subjects (19/23 vs. 4/14, P = 0.003), while it was similar between patients with or without a complete MR-conditional system (19/30 vs. 4/7, P = 0.606). Conclusion In this study, we reported a 7.0/100 patient-year's event rate of MR prescriptions in CIED patients. Many examinations were denied, despite MR-conditional systems, especially in ICD patients. Regulatory and cultural changes are needed to allow wider access to MR imaging in CIED patients with MR-conditional systems.
Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND The relation between sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and body weight remains controversial. OBJECTIVE We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the evidence in children and adults. DESIGN We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases through March 2013 for prospective cohort studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the SSB-weight relation. Separate meta-analyses were conducted in children and adults and for cohorts and RCTs by using random- and fixed-effects models. RESULTS Thirty-two original articles were included in our meta-analyses: 20 in children (15 cohort studies, n = 25,745; 5 trials, n = 2772) and 12 in adults (7 cohort studies, n = 174,252; 5 trials, n = 292). In cohort studies, one daily serving increment of SSBs was associated with a 0.06 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.10) and 0.05 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.07)-unit increase in BMI in children and 0.22 kg (95% CI: 0.09, 0.34 kg) and 0.12 kg (95% CI: 0.10, 0.14 kg) weight gain in adults over 1 y in random- and fixed-effects models, respectively. RCTs in children showed reductions in BMI gain when SSBs were reduced [random and fixed effects: -0.17 (95% CI: -0.39, 0.05) and -0.12 (95% CI: -0.22, -0.2)], whereas RCTs in adults showed increases in body weight when SSBs were added (random and fixed effects: 0.85 kg; 95% CI: 0.50, 1.20 kg). Sensitivity analyses of RCTs in children showed more pronounced benefits in preventing weight gain in SSB substitution trials (compared with school-based educational programs) and among overweight children (compared with normal-weight children). CONCLUSION Our systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies and RCTs provides evidence that SSB consumption promotes weight gain in children and adults.
Estradiol Protects Against Cardiorespiratory Dysfunctions and Oxidative Stress in Intermittent Hypoxia

Study Objectives We tested the hypothesis that estradiol (E2) protects against cardiorespiratory disorders and oxidative stress induced by chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) in adult female rats. Methods Sprague‐Dawley female rats (230‐250 g) were ovariectomized and implanted with osmotic pumps delivering vehicle or E2 (0.5 mg/kg/d). After 14 days of recovery, the rats were exposed to CIH (21%‐10% O2: 8 h/d, 10 cycles per hour) or room air (RA). After 7 days of CIH or RA exposure, we measured arterial pressures (tail cuff), metabolic rate (indirect calorimetry), minute ventilation, the frequency of sighs and apneas at rest, and ventilatory responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia (whole body plethysmography). We collected the cerebral cortex, brainstem, and adrenal glands to measure the activity of NADPH and xanthine oxidase (pro‐oxidant enzymes), glutathione peroxidase, and the mitochondrial and cytosolic superoxide dismutase (antioxidant enzymes) and measured lipid peroxidation and advanced oxidation protein products (markers of oxidative stress). Results CIH increased arterial pressure, the frequency of apnea at rest, and the hypoxic and hypercapnic ventilatory responses and reduced metabolic rate. CIH also increased oxidant enzyme activities and decreased antioxidant activity in the cortex. E2 treatment reduced body weight and prevented the effects of CIH. Conclusions E2 prevents cardiorespiratory disorders and oxidative stress induced by CIH. These observations may help to better understand the underlying mechanisms linking menopause and occurrence of sleep apnea in women and highlight a potential advantage of hormone therapy.
Low‐voltage high‐performance current mirrors: Application to linear voltage‐to‐current converter

Current mirror is one of the basic building blocks of analog VLSI systems. For high‐performance analog circuit applications, the accuracy and bandwidth are the most important parameters to determine the performance of the current mirror. This paper presents an efficient implementation of a CMOS current mirror suitable for low‐voltage applications. This circuit combines a shunt input feedback, a regulated cascade output and a differential amplifier to achieve low input resistance, high accuracy and high output resistance. A comparison of several architectures of this scheme based on different architectures of the amplifier is presented. The comparison includes: input impedance, output impedance, accuracy, frequency response and settling time response. These circuits are validated with simulation in 0. 18µm CMOS TSMC of MOSIS. In this paper, a linear voltage to current converter, based on the adapted current mirror, is proposed. Its static and dynamic behaviour is presented and validated with the same technology. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Psychosocial Pathways to Racial/Ethnic Inequalities in Late-Life Memory Trajectories

OBJECTIVES Blacks and Hispanics are at increased risk for dementia, even after socioeconomic and vascular factors are taken into account. This study tests a comprehensive model of psychosocial pathways leading to differences in longitudinal cognitive outcomes among older blacks and Hispanics, compared to non-Hispanic whites. METHODS Using data from 10,173 participants aged 65 and older in the Health and Retirement Study, structural equation models tested associations among race/ethnicity, perceived discrimination, depressive symptoms, external locus of control, and 6-year memory trajectories, controlling for age, sex, educational attainment, income, wealth, and chronic diseases. RESULTS Greater perceived discrimination among blacks was associated with lower initial memory level via depressive symptoms and external locus of control, and with faster memory decline directly. Greater depressive symptoms and external locus of control among Hispanics were each independently associated with lower initial memory, but there were no pathways from Hispanic ethnicity to memory decline. DISCUSSION Depression and external locus of control partially mediate racial/ethnic differences in memory trajectories. Perceived discrimination is a major driver of these psychosocial pathways for blacks, but not Hispanics. These results can inform the development of policies and interventions to reduce cognitive morbidity among racially/ethnically diverse older adults.
Treatment recidivism in adolescents with mental illness: A focused applied medical ethnography

PROBLEM Treatment recidivism, described as frequent unplanned relapse readmissions, is a national problem predominant in adolescents with mental illness. Because the main triggers of treatment recidivism are not fully understood, the purpose of this study was to explore treatment recidivism (i) to better understand treatment recidivism from the perspectives of recidivist adolescents with mental illness, (ii) to describe major factors that contribute to treatment recidivism and how best to minimize them from the perspectives of these adolescents, and (iii) to describe their interaction with the medical culture. METHODS A focused applied medical ethnography was used to study 16 purposively selected adolescents. Interviews were conducted together with unobtrusive unit observation of the participants and collection of demographic and clinical information. FINDINGS The participants were nearly unanimous in identifying the "additional stressors" of problematic parental relations and school bullying as the main triggers of treatment recidivism over and above their "routine stressors" of adolescence and mental illness. They had mixed perceptions of treatment recidivism and described their interaction with the medical culture as positive. CONCLUSION Further research is needed to determine the impact of parental relations and school bullying on recidivism in adolescents with mental illness.