Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A pilot study examining the impact of exercise training on skeletal muscle genes related to the TLR signaling pathway in older adults following hip fracture recovery.

Older adults after hip fracture surgery experience progressive muscle atrophy and weakness, limiting full recovery. Further understanding of the molecular mechanisms in muscle with adaptation to exercise training in this vulnerable population is necessary. Therefore, we conducted a pilot study to investigate the skeletal muscle inflammatory and ceramide biosynthesis gene expression levels associated with the toll-like receptor (TLR) pathway before (Pre) and following a 3-mo multicomponent exercise training program in older adults (3M, 4F; 78.4 ± 13.3 yr; 25.5 ± 2.3 kg/m2) ~4 mo after repair from hip fracture (HipFx). Vastus lateralis biopsies from the surgical limb were obtained before (Pre) and after training. Molecular end points and muscle function data were also compared with matched nonexercise healthy controls (CON). As a follow-up analysis, we evaluated specific sphingolipid pools in HipFx and CON muscle. Following training, quadriceps cross-sectional area, strength, and 6-min walk (6MW) increased in the surgical limb (P < 0.05). Additionally, MYD88, TAK1, NFKB1, IL6, SPT2, and CERS1 gene expression decreased after training (P ≤ 0.05), but some remained elevated above CON levels. Interestingly, MYD88 mRNA was inversely correlated to quadriceps CSA, strength, and 6MW. Finally, muscle dihydroceramides and phosphoceramides in HipFx were lower than CON at Pre (P ≤ 0.05), but after training differences from CON were removed. Together, our pilot data support that exercise training alters skeletal muscle inflammation and ceramide metabolism associated with TLR signaling in older adults recovering from hip fracture surgery and may be related to improvements in muscle function recovery. NEW & NOTEWORTHY These pilot data demonstrate that 3 mo of exercise training in older adults recovering from hip fracture surgery was able to mitigate skeletal muscle gene expression related to inflammation and ceramide metabolism while also improving surgical limb lean tissue, strength, and physical function.
Clinical Application of the Free Thin Anterolateral Thigh Flap in 31 Consecutive Patients

&NA; In this retrospective study, 31 reconstructions using thin anterolateral thigh flaps and six cadaveric dissections of the thigh were investigated in consideration of the anatomic variations of the perforator vessels in the adipose layer, the safe area of flap circulation, and the clinical indications. Three variations of the perforator vessel course in the adipose layer were predicted correctly. The safe radius of a thin anterolateral thigh flap with a thickness of 3 to 4 mm was determined to be approximately 9 cm from the point where the perforator met the skin. The use of a thin anterolateral thigh flap for reconstruction of the neck, axilla, anterior tibial area, dorsum of the foot, circumference on the ankle, forearm, and dorsum of the hand was therefore recommended. (Plast. Reconstr. Surg. 108: 1197, 2001.)
The Rising Cesarean Section Rate: Can It Safely Be Reversed?

Reports from the United States and around the world have marked a steadily rising cesarean section rate. Although the indications that account for the increase are generally agreed upon (previous cesarean section, dystocia, fetal distress, and malpresentation), the benefits derived from the liberalized use of cesarean section to deal with these diagnoses have not been carefully documented. In an attempt to determine if the cesarean section rate could be lowered with no adverse effect on neonatal outcome, 105,848 deliveries at Downstate-Kings County Hospital from 1961 through 1977 were reviewed. The 9727 cesarean sections performed were evaluated to determine the reasons for the increasing rates and the effect on perinatal outcome. It was concluded that by the use of fetal scalp blood sampling in cases of fetal distress, the use of internal pressure transducers in patients who fail to progress in labor, and allowing selected patients with previous sections to labor, the cesarean section rate might be substantially lowered. The maternal morbidity and mortality were also analyzed.
The Women of the National Supported Work Demonstration

This paper re-creates three of the samples from LaLonde’s famous 1986 paper that began the literature on “within-study designs” that uses experiments as benchmarks against which to assess the performance of nonexperimental identification strategies. In particular, we recreate the experimental data for the target group of women on welfare from the National Supported Work (NSW) Demonstration and two of the corresponding comparison groups drawn from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). The loss of these data resulted in the (sizable) subsequent literature devoting its attention solely to the NSW men. In addition to repeating LaLonde’s analyses on our recreations of his files for the AFDC women, we apply (many of) the estimators from later papers by Dehejia and Wahba and by Smith and Todd to these data. Our findings support the general view in the literature that women on welfare pose a less difficult selection problem when evaluating employment and training programs. They also call into question the generalizability of some of the broad conclusions that Dehejia and Wahba and Smith and Todd draw from their analyses of the NSW men.
High Prevalence of Respiratory Viral Infections in Patients Hospitalized in an Intensive Care Unit for Acute Respiratory Infections as Detected by Nucleic Acid-Based Assays

ABSTRACT Forty-seven bronchoalveolar lavages (BAL) were obtained from 41 patients with acute pneumonia attending an intensive care unit. By molecular diagnosis, 30% of total BAL and 63% of bacteria-negative BAL were positive for respiratory viruses. Molecular detection allows for high-rate detection of respiratory viral infections in adult patients suffering from severe pneumonia.
Essays on the Economics of Higher Education: The Academic and Labor Market Outcomes to Four to Two-Year Transfer, Summer Enrollment, and Year-Round Pell

Essays on the Economics of Higher Education: The Academic and Labor Market Outcomes to Four to Two-Year Transfer, Summer Enrollment, and Year-Round Pell Yuen Ting (Vivian) Liu As the demand for skilled labor continues to rise, the College Completion agenda has become more important than ever in our higher education discussion and policy. The agenda has created an atmosphere of support for evidence-base policies that improve completion rates and promise gainful employment. As such, my dissertation explores two potential solutions to meet the shortage of college graduates and examines the academic and labor market outcomes of students engaged in these paths. These solutions include transfer from four-year to two-year colleges and providing financial incentives for summer classes. These strategies have the potential to help students with graduation and become competitive in the job market. My dissertation also has important implications for colleges and policy makers that work with non-traditional students and especially those with financial constraints. My dissertation is structured as follows: Chapter one explores student transfer from four-year to two-year (4–2) college and how improved academic match through transfer can benefit individuals. Facilitating student transfer from two-year to four-year institutions has been a focus of research and policy in recent years. Much less attention has been given to the phenomenon of four-year to two-year (4–2) college transfer. About 16 percent of students who begin in a four-year college transfer to a two-year college within six years. I develop a stylized model to explain how 4–2 transfer among struggling students can increase academic match and academic and labor market outcomes. Using public higher education data from one small state and using distance to the closest two-
Effect of Curcumin on the Apoptosis of Rodent and Human Nonproliferating and Proliferating Lymphoid Cells

Curcumin, a major active component of turmeric, has been recognized as an anticarcinogenic agent because of its propensity to induce apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. Previously, we showed that curcumin protects cells against oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation and induces a novel apoptosis-like pathway in Jurkat cells (Piwocka et al. Exp Cell Res 249, 299-307, 1999). Here, we have studied the ability of curcumin to induce cell death in other human and rodent transformed as well as normal cells. Normal cells were quiescent or stimulated to proliferate. We showed that 50 μM pigment is able to induce cell death in all studied cells, but cell death symptoms varied for different cells. All the cells died as assessed by the TdT-mediated UTP nick end labeling method or trypan blue exclusion test. No one type of cells showed oligonucleosomal DNA fragmentation (DNA "ladder") due to curcumin action, although in HL-60 cells, we were able to observe sub-G1 formation and caspase-3 activation. Together, these data showed that curcumin induces cell death in all tested cells that can be classified as apoptosis-like, and only in HL-60 cells can it be recognized as classical apoptosis.
Enabling External Factors for Inflation Rate Forecasting Using Fuzzy Neural System

Inflation is the tendency of increasing prices of goods in general and happens continuously. Indonesia's economy will decline if inflation is not controlled properly. To control the inflation rate required an inflation rate forecasting in Indonesia. The forecasting result will be used as information to the government in order to keep the inflation rate stable. This study proposes Fuzzy Neural System (FNS) to forecast the inflation rate. This study uses historical data and external factors as the parameters. The external factor using in this study is very important, which inflation rate is not only affected by the historical data. External factor used are four external factors which each factor has two fuzzy set. While historical data is divided into three input variables with three fuzzy sets. The combination of three input variables and four external factors will generate too many rules. Generate of rules with too many amounts will less effective and have lower accuracy. The novelty is needed to minimalize the amount of rules by using two steps fuzzy. To evaluate the forecasting results, Root Means Square Error (RMSE) technique is used. Fuzzy Inference System Sugeno used as the comparison method. The study results show that FNS has a better performance than the comparison method with RMSE that is 1.81.
Persistent hyperendemicity of hepatitis C virus infection in Taiwan: The important role of iatrogenic risk factors

The purpose of this study was to investigate determinants of endemic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection within communities in Taiwan. A two‐phase study, including a seroprevalence survey and a prevalent case‐control study at the first phase, which has been published previously, and a follow‐up seroconversion determination and an incident case‐control study during the second phase, was carried out to evaluate correlates of persistent endemic HCV infection. At the first phase, a total of 12,021 men and 1,819 women who were 30–64 years old and living in seven townships in Taiwan were tested for the seroprevalence of antibodies to HCV (anti‐HCV). In addition, a prevalent case‐control study involving 272 HCV‐positive cases and 282 seronegative controls identified from the anti‐HCV testing was conducted to investigate risk factors associated with HCV prevalence. During the second phase, a total of 2,728 men and 834 women who were seronegative at recruitment participated in the 1‐year prospective study on anti‐HCV seroconversion. Subsequently, an incident case‐control study based on 39 seroconverters and 81 persistently seronegative controls were carried out to elucidate determinants of HCV seroconvertion. Antibodies to HCV were tested by the second‐generation enzyme immunoassay. Information on risk factors of HCV infection was collected from subject interviews. The prevalence of anti‐HCV consistently increased with age (range 2.9–5.4%), whereas no apparent age trend was observed for anti‐HCV seroconversion rate (range 0.9–1.7%). A striking geographical variation in seroprevalence and seroconversion rates of anti‐HCV was observed in the study townships. Furthermore, a significant geographical correlation between HCV seroprevalence and seroconversion rates was noted (r = 0.962, P = 0.001). From the results of both prevalent and incident case‐control comparisons, medical injections were found to be the main mode to sustain the persistent endemic state of HCV infection within a community (odds ratios for prevalent and incident case‐control studies were 2.5 (95% CI = 1.7–3.6) and 3.1 (95% CI = 1.4–7.1), respectively. The data indicate that the basis for HCV transmission has already been existed in study areas and the iatrogenic risk factor tended to be the major determinant for sustaining persistent endemicity within a community. J. Med. Virol. 65:30–34, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Brain Gray Matter Deficits in Patients with Chronic Primary Insomnia.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To investigate the structural changes in patients with chronic primary insomnia and the relationships with clinical features of insomnia. DESIGN Statistical parametric mapping 8-based voxel-based morphometry was used to identify differences in regional gray and white matter between patients with chronic primary insomnia and normal controls. SETTING University hospital. PATIENTS AND PARTICIPANTS Twenty-seven patients and 27 age/sex-matched controls. INTERVENTIONS Regional differences were compared using two-sample t-tests with age, sex, and intracranial volume as covariates. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS The patients were a mean age of 52.3 y and had a mean history of insomnia of 7.6 y. Patients displayed cognitive deficits in attention, frontal/executive function, and nonverbal memory. Patients also displayed significantly reduced gray matter concentrations (GMCs) in dorsolateral prefrontal and pericentral cortices, superior temporal gyrus, and cerebellum and decreased gray matter volumes in medial frontal and middle temporal gyri compared with control patients with the cluster threshold ≥ 50 voxels at the level of uncorrected P < 0.001. Negative correlations were found between GMC of the prefrontal cortex and insomnia severity and the wakefulness after sleep onset, and between GMC of pericentral cortex and sleep latencies. None of the findings continued to be significant after correction for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSIONS We found gray matter deficits in multiple brain regions including bilateral frontal lobes in patients with psychophysiologic insomnia. Gray matter deficit of the pericentral and lateral temporal areas may be associated with the difficulties in sleep initiation and maintenance. It is still unclear whether gray matter reductions are a preexisting abnormality or a consequence of insomnia. CITATION Joo EY; Noh HJ; Kim JS; Koo DL; Kim D; Hwang KJ; Kim JY; Kim ST; Kim MR; Hong SB. Brain gray matter deficits in patients with chronic primary insomnia. SLEEP 2013;36(7):999-1007.
Factors influencing the participation of women in the informal sector in Funyula division of Busia district

This study was on the factors that influence women’s participation in the informal sector in Funyula Division of Busia District. The study aimed at investigating the socio-cultural and socio-economic factors that influence informal trade among women. Specifically, the study sought to examine the following factors: demographic factors such as age, marital status and number of dependants; cultural factors as beliefs and perceptions and economic factors such as education and training, husband’s occupation and property ownership. Primary data was collected between the months of December 2006 and February 2007. The study design was cross-sectional and adopted both qualitative and quantitative methods o f data collection where both interview guides and structured questions were used. In-depth information was obtained through focus group discussions and case studies, which collaborated the findings from the structured questionnaires. Secondary data was obtained through the review of the existing literature on the informal sector. The literature consisted of documents, books, journals and the Internet. Qualitative data was analysed thematically and the findings presented in direct quotations and ethnographic summaries. On the other hand, quantitative data was analysed using the SPSS computer programme and findings presented in tables of frequencies and percentages. The study findings suggest that factors like age, marital status, number o f dependants, husband’s occupation, property ownership, level o f education and training, affect women’s trade activities in a significant way. However, factors such as beliefs and perceptions do not bring about any significant drawback on trade. This could be attributed to factors such as change in socio-economic trends and disintegration of
Targeting mitochondrial cardiolipin and the cytochrome c/cardiolipin complex to promote electron transport and optimize mitochondrial ATP synthesis

Cardiolipin plays an important role in mitochondrial respiration and cardiolipin peroxidation is associated with age‐related diseases. Hydrophobic interactions between cytochrome c and cardiolipin converts cytochrome c from an electron carrier to a peroxidase. In addition to cardiolipin peroxidation, this impedes electron flux and inhibits mitochondrial ATP synthesis. SS‐31 (D‐Arg‐dimethylTyr‐Lys‐Phe‐NH2) selectively binds to cardiolipin and inhibits cytochrome c peroxidase activity. Here, we examined whether SS‐31 also protected the electron carrier function of cytochrome c.
Insulation contamination of overhead transmission lines by extreme service conditions

This paper investigates the specifications of suspended linear insulators under extreme contamination conditions: entrainments of agricultural chemical plants combined with alkaline soil dust. The authors outline the performance properties of insulators with a large extended surface when contaminated by highly adhesive dust. The authors also give recommendations on the test procedure as well as the selection of optimal insulator configuration for extreme service conditions.
Longitudinal study of the influence of life events and personality status on diagnostic change in three neurotic disorders

It has been known for many years that diagnosis within the neurotic spectrum of disorders is temporally unstable and also that life events can be major precipitants of change in symptoms. Reasons for this instability could include inherent inadequacy of current diagnostic practice, the influence of life events as an agent of diagnostic shift, and an innate course of disorder with features dependent on the stage at which disorder presents (e.g., development of panic to agoraphobia). These possibilities were examined in a prospective study that was initially a randomised controlled trial. Two hundred ten patients recruited from primary care psychiatric clinics with DSM‐III diagnosed dysthymic, generalised anxiety, and panic disorders were randomly allocated to either drug treatment (mainly antidepressants), cognitive‐behaviour therapy, or self‐help therapy over a 2 year period, irrespective of original diagnosis. Life events were recorded by using a standard procedure over the period 6 months before starting treatment and at five occasions over 2 years; 181 (86%) of the patients had follow‐up data and 76% maintained compliance with the original treatment allocated over the 2 years; and 155 of the 181 patients (86%) had at least one diagnostic change in this period. There was no difference in the number of diagnostic changes between the three original diagnostic groups, but dysthymic disorder changed more frequently to major depressive episode than did GAD or panic disorder (20;11;12) (%) and panic disorder changed more frequently to agoraphobia (with or without panic) than did dysthymia or GAD (18; 8; 6) (%). There was no relationship between loss events and depressive diagnoses or between addition events and anxiety diagnoses, but greater numbers of conflict events were associated with diagnostic change. More life events were associated with the flamboyant and dependent personality disorders, reinforcing other evidence that many life events are internally generated by personality characteristics and cannot be regarded as truly independent. Depression and Anxiety 11:105–113, 2000. © 2000 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Assessment of Patient Pain at Colonoscopy: Are Nurses Better than Endoscopists?

The pain that patients recollect having experienced at colonoscopy is likely to influence uptake of the procedure. We used visual analogue scales to assess recollected pain shortly before discharge, and compared these scores with assessments by the endoscopist and the attending nurse. Data were complete for 426 procedures (90%). The mean perceived pain score for patients was 3.2, for endoscopists 2.8 and for nurses 3.1. On multivariate analysis, the endoscopists’ assessments of pain had little predictive value over and above those of nurses, whereas nurses’ assessments remained significant when adjusted for endoscopists’ assessments. Nurses were more accurate than endoscopists in gauging the pain of colonoscopy. This may be because endoscopists are focused on the video monitor while nurses are focused on the patient. More active use of nurses’ assessments might help keep pain to a minimum.
Antiplatelet Agents for Stroke Prevention Following Transient Ischemic Attack

Regardless of extent or duration of acute effects, transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a marker for cerebrovascular ischemia and carries risk for secondary stroke comparable to that associated with ischemic stroke. Pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions aimed at reducing risk of secondary stroke should be implemented as soon as possible after characterization of the initial event. Medical strategies for secondary prevention include modifying general cardiovascular risk factors but are centered on the specific reduction of stroke risk by antiplatelet agents. Aspirin and clopidogrel have each demonstrated efficacy in reducing secondary event risk; however, clopidogrel has not been shown specifically to prevent secondary events in patients who have had a TIA or stroke. Combination therapy using aspirin plus dipyridamole is the only combination approach to demonstrate additive benefit that is significantly greater than that conferred by aspirin. In contrast, the combination of clopidogrel plus aspirin has not demonstrated significant benefit over monotherapy with either agent and has been associated with increased risk of bleeding episodes.
Credit Booms and Busts in Emerging Markets

We investigate to what extent corporate governance and risk management mitigate the involvement of banks in credit boom and bust cycles. We study a unique, hand-collected dataset covering 156 banks from Central and Eastern Europe during 2005–2012. We document that stronger risk management is associated with more moderate pre-crisis credit growth but not with fewer credit losses in the crisis. With respect to bank governance, we find that a higher share of foreign members on the supervisory board is associated with less rapid credit growth in the pre-crisis period and a lower level of credit losses during the crisis period.