Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of an Anthropometric Estimate of the Muscle and Bone Area in a Transversal Cross-Section of the Arm

To standardize the maximal static force (Fo) of the arm flexors, the accuracy of an anthropometric method for estimating the mid-arm cross-sectional muscle and bone area (MBA) was investigated. This was done by comparing the anthropometrically determined area (MBA.A) with the area measured by means of computerized tomography (MBA.S). In the same way, the accuracy of Heymsfield's equations (Heymsfield et al., 1982) for predicting MBA (MBA.H) from anthropometric measures was tested. MBA.A was significantly larger than MBA.S, the relative difference increasing with the thickness of the subcutaneous fat layer. This difference was attributed to a 27% underestimation of the fat layer thickness as measured with the skinfold caliper. Women being fatter than men, this caused the standardized maximal static force (Fo/MBA) to be lower in women than in men. MBA.H was 12% smaller than MBA.S. This may have been due to a difference in the way of measuring the arm circumference between the present authors and Heymsfield et al.
The Effects of Dual Listing on Share Prices and Liquidity in the Absence of Registration Costs

In the year 2000, the Israeli Securities Authority (ISA) initiated a new amendment to the Securities Law aimed at promoting dual listing of Israeli companies, already traded in the US, and not in Israel, by exempting them from the burden of additional reporting to the ISA. According to this amendment, the ISA agreed to rely solely on the reporting requirements of the US SEC. Since then, more than 30 Israeli companies, traded on Nasdaq decided to list their shares on the TASE as well. This event allows us to examine the effect dual listing had on share prices and liquidity in a unique setup that annuls the costs of dual listing registration. The main findings are as follows: 1) trade volume of the dual listed companies has grown by about 123% on; 2) about 42% of the total volume is on the TASE without adversely affect the trading volume on the Nasdaq; 3) as a result, share prices went up by about 9. One possible policy implication of these findings is the positive influence harmonized supervision may have over international capital markets such as the Single Passport in Europe.
Increased Low-Density Lipoprotein S-Homocysteinylation in Chronic Kidney Disease

Background: Since low-density lipoprotein (LDL) S-homocysteinylation has been recently reported to enhance atherogenicity of lipoprotein, we have investigated the levels of homocysteine (Hcy) linked to LDL in chronic proteinuric patients in which lipid abnormalities highly contribute to the excess of morbidity and mortality. Methods: We used capillary electrophoresis to measure LDL-bound thiol Hcy, cysteine (Cys), cysteinylglycine (Cys-Gly), glutathione (GSH), and glutamylcysteine (Glu-Cys) in 30 chronic kidney disease (CKD) individuals and 60 healthy volunteers. Results: We found more elevated levels of total plasma Hcy, Cys, GSH and Glu-Cys in patients than in controls and also found that Hcy and Cys bound to LDL were significantly increased in nephropathic subjects. By multiple linear regression, we found that in healthy people, total Hcy was the most important determinant of LDL-bound Hcy and Cys-Gly was negatively associated with apoB-Hcy concentrations. In CKD the most important determinant of homocysteinylation was creatinine while total plasma Hcy is weakly associated with apoB-Hcy. Conclusions: The increased levels in Hcy-LDL observed in CKD patients might account, at least in part, for the excess of cardiovascular risk; thus LDL S-homocysteinylation can be considered a key marker of risk for cardiovascular disease in these individuals.
Youth Empowerment Solutions for Peaceful Communities: Combining Theory and Practice in a Community-Level Violence Prevention Curriculum

This article describes the development and evaluation of an after-school curriculum designed to prepare adolescents to prevent violence through community change. This curriculum, part of the Youth Empowerment Solutions for Peaceful Communities (YES) program, is guided by empowerment and ecological theories within a positive youth development context. YES is designed to enhance the capacity of adolescents and adults to work together to plan and implement community change projects. The youth curriculum is organized around six themed units: (a) Youth as Leaders, (b) Learning about Our Community, (c) Improving Our Community, (d) Building Intergenerational Partnerships, (e) Planning for Change, and (f) Action and Reflection. The curriculum was developed through an iterative process. Initially, program staff members documented their activities with youth. These outlines were formalized as curriculum sessions. Each session was reviewed by the program and research staff and revised based on underlying theory and practical application. The curriculum process evaluation includes staff and youth feedback. This theoretically based, field-tested curriculum is designed to be easily adapted and implemented in a diverse range of communities.
A Model for Constitutive Lutropin Receptor Activation Based on Molecular Simulation and Engineered Mutations in Transmembrane Helices 6 and 7*

Many naturally occurring and engineered mutations lead to constitutive activation of the G protein-coupled lutropin receptor (LHR), some of which also result in reduced ligand responsiveness. To elucidate the nature of interhelical interactions in this heptahelical receptor and changes thereof accompanying activation, we have utilized site-directed mutagenesis on transmembrane helices 6 and 7 of rat LHR to prepare and characterize a number of single, double, and triple mutants. The potent constitutively activating mutants, D556(6.44)H and D556(6.44)Q, were combined with weaker activating mutants, N593(7.45)R and N597(7.49)Q, and the loss-of-responsiveness mutant, N593(7.45)A. The engineered mutants have also been simulated using a new receptor model based on the crystal structure of rhodopsin. The results suggest that constitutive LHR activation by mutations at Asp-556(6.44) is triggered by the breakage or weakening of the interaction found in the wild type receptor between Asp-556(6.44) and Asn-593(7.45). Whereas this perturbation is unique to the activating mutations at Asp-556(6.44), common features to all of the most active LHR mutants are the breakage of the charge-reinforced H-bonding interaction between Arg-442(3.50) and Asp-542(6.30) and the increase in solvent accessibility of the cytosolic extensions of helices 3 and 6, which probably participate in the receptor-G protein interface. Asn-593(7.45) and Asn-597(7.49) also seem to be necessary for the high constitutive activities of D556(6.44)H and D556(6.44)Q and for full ligand responsiveness. The new theoretical model provides a foundation for further experimental work on the molecular mechanism(s) of receptor activation.
Miniaturized RF MEMS switch cells for crossbar switch matrices

This paper proposes miniaturized RF MEMS switch cell units for wideband scalable switch matrices. Two switch cells named type 1 and type 2, each has four and three MEMS switches respectively, are presented. Both of the cells are miniaturized in physical dimensions. They are 340 µm × 340 µm. To authors' knowledge, these are the smallest cell units for RF MEMS switch matrices ever reported. RF performance of the proposed switch cell units are presented. Both of the designs exhibit excellent RF performance. The measured results demonstrated return loss (S11 and S44) better than 20 dB for both, while maintaining isolation (S41) better than 20 dB for state 1, across DC to 40 GHz bandwidth for both types. At state 2, 20 dB isolation is recorded across the bandwidth of interest. They also show better than 20 dB return loss (S11).
Histochemical and enzymatic comparison of the gastrocnemius muscle of young and elderly men and women.

To examine the effects of aging on human skeletal muscle, 10 men and 10 women, 64 +/- 1 yr old (Mean +/- SE), and 10 men and 10 women, 24 +/- 1 yr old, were studied. All subjects were sedentary nonsmokers who were carefully screened for latent cardiovascular, metabolic, or musculoskeletal disease. Needle biopsy samples were obtained from the lateral gastrocnemius muscle and examined using histochemical and biochemical techniques. The percentage of Type I, Type IIa, and Type IIb fibers did not differ with age. However, Type I fibers occupied a larger percent of total muscle area in the older men and women (60.6 +/- 2.6 vs 53.6 +/- 2.0%; p less than .05), because Type IIa and Type IIb fibers were 13-31% smaller (p less than .001) in these subjects. Muscle capillarization and mitochondrial enzyme (i.e., succinate dehydrogenase, citrate synthase, and beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase) activities were also approximately 25% lower (p less than .001-.05) in the old subjects. Although it is difficult to determine whether these differences are due to aging itself or are simply due to inactivity, these structural and biochemical changes probably contribute to the decreases in muscle mass, strength, and endurance often observed in healthy but sedentary older men and women.
Atraumatic Lateral Collateral Ligament Complex Signal Abnormalities by Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Patients With Osteoarthrosis of the Knee

Objectives: To determine the prevalence of atraumatic lateral collateral ligament complex (LCLC) abnormalities by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with osteoarthrosis (OA) of the knee. Methods: Magnetic resonance imaging scans in 96 subjects (25 with OA and 71 without OA) were retrospectively reviewed for the presence and severity of LCLC signal abnormalities. Abnormalities in the MRI scans of subjects with OA were compared with those of subjects without OA using &khgr;2 test and the Mantel-Haenszel test for trend. Results: Lateral compartment OA (23 of 25) was associated with abnormalities of the LCLC in 96% (22 of 23 subjects had fibular collateral ligament abnormalities, P < 0.0001). Medial compartment OA (25 of 25) was associated with abnormalities of the LCLC in 88% (22 of 25 subjects had fibular collateral ligament abnormalities, P < 0.0001). There was a positive trend for severity of MRI abnormalities with severity of OA (P < 0.0001 to P = 0.04). Conclusions: Lateral collateral ligament complex MRI signal abnormalities are common in patients with OA, in the absence of trauma.
Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain: Bipolar Disorder and Leptin

Novel antipsychotics impart substantial weight gain. Persons with bipolar disorder are frequently treated with these and other agents known to impart substantial weight gain. We sought to describe the influence of adjunctive risperidone and olanzapine on body weight, body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) and serum leptin levels over a prospective observation period of 6 months. Throughout the 6-month investigation, significant increases from baseline to end point in weight were noted with both agents; with significantly greater weight gain with olanzapine (t10 = 2.761, P = 0.023; t9 = 4.783, P = 0.001). Leptin levels were highly correlated with increases in weight and were significantly elevated from baseline at 4 months (r = 0.658, P < 0.05). Significant increases in weight and body mass index were apparent at 3 months (P < 0.05). The temporal association between weight increase and leptin changes does not support the notion that leptin is a primary promoter of antipsychotic-induced weight gain; however, a secondary perpetuating role cannot be ruled out.
Macrophages in corpora lutea of mice: characterization and effects on steroid secretion.

Cells with the ultrastructural features of macrophages were seen within corpora lutes of mice shortly after induction of ovulation with gonadotropins. Upon isolation, mononuclear phagocytes from luteal tissue had histochemical and functional properties characteristic of macrophages from other body sites. These attributes included intense staining for nonspecific esterase activity, phagocytosis of lgG-coated red blood cells via an Fc receptor, ingestion of latex beads, and trypsinresistant adherence to the surface of culture dishes. Furthermore, the ovarian macrophages specifically bound to their surface a monoclonal antibody against a plasma membrane protein of mononuclear phagocytes. When mouse granulosa cells were co-cultured with peritoneal macrophages, progesterone secretion was increased, and the magnitude of the increased steroidogenesis was directly related to the number of mononuclear phagocytes added to the cultures. Likewise, cultured luteal cells from superovulated mice secreted more progestins in the presence of peritoneal macrophages. Luteal cells also produced more progesterone when they were recombined in culture with autologous macrophages from corpora lutea. The mononuclear phagocytes from ovarian tissue appeared to have a greater ability to stimulate luteal cells than did peritoneal macrophages. Conditioned media from cultured macrophages failed to stimulate steroid secretion by granulosa cells, suggesting that close proximity of the two cells is required for the effect on luteal cell function. Thus, it appears that macrophages within corpora lutea may play a role in maintaining progesterone secretion by luteal cells.
Combined Statistical Model for the Leaching of Heavy Metals from Fly Ash Solidified/Stabilized Wastes

An adequate method for the disposal of hazardous wastes without causing pollution of groundwater is the solidification/stabilization process. This method consists of combining fly ash material with waste to obtain a solidified form. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) to establish the environmental acceptability of the solidified/stabilized waste for land disposal. In this test, the waste is contacted with an acidic media under non-equilibrium conditions. The concentration of material leached from the waste after 18 hours of continuous agitation is measured. The purpose of this article is to present the results obtained from the application of a combined statistical model developed to quantify the amount of heavy metals released from the solidified/stabilized waste to the leaching solution. The TCLP test is run in a semi-batch mode during 100 hours to simulate real environmental conditions. Three metals of relevant importance in the environmental pollution are analyzed namely, chromium, cadmium and aluminum. The model would allow selecting the most appropriate process conditions in the formation of the solidified waste and to minimize the release of the metals. The model is based on a simplex-centroid and a 2 6-3 fractional factorial experimental design. Fitted equations representing the maximum and final metal release to the leaching solutions are developed. A linear polynomial equation was found to quantify the amount of chromium and cadmium release, while a third degree polynomial was required for the same purpose for aluminum.
The Dark Side of the Moon: The PI3K/PTEN/AKT Pathway in Colorectal Carcinoma

Wild-type KRAS status is required but not sufficient to confer sensitivity to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) in colorectal cancer patients. As a consequence, one of the major challenges is to identify, in non-mutant KRAS patients, other markers that can predict lack of response to this therapy. Small series have investigated the clinical effect of PIK3CA mutations on resistance to anti-EGFR mAbs and discrepant results have been observed. Furthermore, PTEN loss in metastases may be predictive of resistance to anti-EGFR mAbs, even if PTEN determination is far from an immediate clinical application. The introduction of modulators of the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway as potential targeted anticancer drugs is encouraging, but this attractive therapy option is still at an early stage of development.
Gender: a primary homocysteine level-effecting factor for patients suffering homocysteine-related diseases

Introduction: Elevated homocysteine level (eHcy, or hyper-homocysteinemia) has proven as an independent risk for thrombotic vascular diseases. The digging of factors that effect homocysteine (Hcy) levels can benefit the prevention of the Hcy level elevation, aiming to decrease the prevalence of thrombotic vascular diseases. Methods: A total of 1371 subjects were recruited for the study. These subjects were divided into three groups according to the category of diseases. In Group 1, 842 patients who bear coronary atherosclerosis were involved. Group 2 consisted of 369 patients suffering from cerebral atherosclerosis. And the remaining 160 patients with acute pancreatitis (AP) made Group 3. The effects of gender, lifestyle conditions (such as cigarette smoking and alcohol consumption), and age on Hcy levels were individually investigated for the three groups. Results: Significant difference of the Hcy levels was not observed for the male patients having different smoking and drinking habits. The mean Hcy levels for the male patients were about 5 μmol/L higher than those for the female patients. Except those older than 85 years, patients in the same gender had similar Hcy levels between age periods. Conclusions: Our research results further strengthen the prevalent viewpoint that male patients suffering from the eHcy associated diseases bear higher Hcy levels than female patients, which may provide explanation why male population has higher prevalence of eHcy associated diseases. The results of this study also indicated that different genders may have different Hcy control targets, which means that the normal range of Hcy levels 5 ~ 15 μmol/L may not be suitable for both genders.
Dynamic Economic Dispatch of Generation

A set of procedures and algorithms are developed for dynamic economic dispatch of generation units. When coupled with a short-term load predictor, "look- ahead" capability is provided by the dynamic economic dispatch that coordinates predicted load changes with the rate-of- response capability of generation units. Dynamic economic dispatch also enables valve-point loading of generation units. Two examples are provided which demonstrate that our approach overcomes the severe limits on the number of units that could be dynamically dispatched in past approAches.
Department of Justice to prepare the following resource : Document Title : Sensitive Site Exploitation through Trace Chemical Analysis of Latent Fingerprints ( SETCAF )

The primary goal of this project was to provide a smart collection capability to gain enhanced information from chemicals extracted from fingermarks and smudges, with a focus on fatty acids that would expand the role of the traditional print collection and analysis process into an additional repository of probative information. To achieve this, latent prints were acquired from a diverse pool of individuals and a chemical print database was established to provide insight into fatty acid distribution in latent fingerprints. Personal characteristics of interest were age, gender, and ethnicity. This document is a research report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. This report has not been published by the Department. Opinions or points of view expressed are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 7
Cooperative Routing in Wireless Networks: A Comprehensive Survey

Cooperative diversity has gained much interest due to its ability to mitigate multipath fading without using multiple antennas. There has been considerable research on how cooperative transmission can improve the performance of the physical layer. During the past few years, the researchers have started to take into consideration cooperative transmission in routing, and there has been a growing interest in designing and evaluating cooperative routing protocols. Routing algorithms that take into consideration the availability of cooperative transmission at the physical layer are known as cooperative routing algorithms. This paper presents a comprehensive survey of the existing cooperative routing techniques, together with the highlights of the performance of each strategy. This survey also provides a taxonomy of different cooperative routing protocols and outlines the fundamental components and challenges associated with cooperative routing objectives. Existing cooperative routing algorithms are compared and lay the groundwork for further research.
"The very best of the millennium": longitudinal research and the demand-control-(support) model.

This study addressed the methodological quality of longitudinal research examining R. Karasek and T. Theorell's (1990) demand-control-(support) model and reviewed the results of the best of this research. Five criteria for evaluating methodological quality were used: type of design, length of time lags, quality of measures, method of analysis, and nonresponse analysis. These criteria were applied to 45 longitudinal studies, of which 19 (42%) obtained acceptable scores on all criteria. These high-quality studies provided only modest support for the hypothesis that especially the combination of high demands and low control results in high job strain. However, good evidence was found for lagged causal effects of work characteristics, especially for self-reported health or well-being outcomes.
The Effects of Intrathecal Neostigmine on Somatic and Visceral Pain: Improvement by Association with a Peripheral Anticholinergic

This study was designed to qualitatively evaluate the analgesic actions of intrathecal neostigmine alone and with intravenous (IV) N-butyl-scopolamine on somatic and visceral pain. Twenty-seven patients scheduled for both tubal ligation and vaginoplasty were divided into three groups. Patients received a standard anesthetic with thiopental, atracurium, and N2 O/O2/enflurane. N-butyl-scopolamine, 20 mg, or saline was administered as a 2-mL IV bolus 20 min before the end of the surgical procedure. The control group (CG) received spinal and IV saline; the neostigmine group (NG), spinal neostigmine and IV saline; and the neostigmine-N-butyl-scopolamine group (NSG), spinal neostigmine and IV N-butyl-scopolamine. Postoperatively, patients assessed their pain on a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS). The CG had both visceral and somatic pain at the first 30-min assessment, and all patients requested morphine. Patients from the NG had only visceral pain from the first assessment; however, they had lower VAS scores (P = 0.026) and requested less morphine (P = 0.037). Patients from the NSG were pain free during all assessment times (P < 0.0001). Neostigmine was more effective for somatic pain than visceral pain. N-butyl scopolamine administration acted peripherally as an effective complement for treatment of visceral pain, reflecting an association between central cholinergic effects and peripheral anticholinergic effects in the treatment of visceral postoperative pain. (Anesth Analg 1996;82:617-20)
Matrix splitting principles

The systematic analysis of convergence conditions, used in comparison theorems proven for different matrix splittings, is presented. The central idea of this analysis is the scheme of condition implications derived from the properties of regular splittings of a monotone matrix A=M1−N1=M2−N2. An equivalence of some conditions as well as an autonomous character of the conditions M1−1≥M2−1≥0 and A−1N2≥A−1N1≥0 are pointed out. The secondary goal is to discuss some essential topics related with existing comparison theorems.