Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Varying Level Terrain on Wheelchair Propulsion Biomechanics

Hurd WJ, Morrow MMB, Kaufman KR, An K-N: Influence of varying level terrain on wheelchair propulsion biomechanics. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2008;87:984–991. Objective:To evaluate manual wheelchair propulsion across level ground conditions that are encountered during everyday life. Design:Subjects included 14 individuals (13 with spinal cord injury [SCI], 1 with spina bifida) who were experienced manual wheelchair users and had no current upper extremity injury or pain complaints. Subjects propelled their wheelchairs at a self-selected speed across four different level ground conditions, including smooth and aggregate concrete and tile and carpet flooring. Temporal and kinetic measurements were obtained bilaterally from instrumented wheelchair rims during the steady-state phase of propulsion. Results:There were no side-to-side differences for any of the temporal or kinetic variables. Propulsion velocity and pushrim contact time were consistent across ground conditions. Propulsion frequency was significantly greater during both concrete conditions than either tile or carpet ground conditions. Forces and moments were greatest during the aggregate concrete ground condition and lowest during propulsion across tile flooring. Conclusions:The rolling resistance of level surface terrain significantly impacts wheelchair propulsion biomechanics. Identification of environmental conditions that may contribute to upper extremity pathology is a step toward injury prevention and maintenance of functional abilities for the manual wheelchair user. These results may be used to assist with home and community terrain design to minimize the demands associated with wheelchair propulsion.
Prototyping of embedded digital systems from SDL language: a case study

The goal of this paper is to evaluate the performance of embedded digital systems generated from a system level description language. The target language is SDL, which is automatically synthesized with a codesign tool, resulting in VHDL and C descriptions. The codesign tool is responsible for software, hardware and communication synthesis. Two case studies are presented, exploring area and delay results. The results concern only the hardware synthesis, since the goal is to compare the performance of systems generated from hand coded HDL descriptions against a synthesized HDL. The analysis of the advantages and drawbacks of this automatic hardware design flow and the evaluation of the commercial tools integration are also reported.
What Motivates Local Governments to Invest in Critical Infrastructure? Lessons from Chile

In this study, we identify institutional factors and processes that foster local government decisions about disaster risk reduction, especially critical infrastructure investments and maintenance. We propose that municipal institutional capacities, organization, leadership, and multilevel governance will affect critical infrastructure investments by local governments. To examine these ideas, we employ qualitative analysis to compare two representative medium–sized cities in Chile. Our results suggest that there are two main institutional factors that constitute the foundation for improvements in critical infrastructure in Chile: municipal institutional context and the local administration’s links with decision makers at higher levels of governance. These results imply that future interventions to strengthen local government efforts for disaster risk reduction in terms of critical infrastructures would benefit from a pre-intervention diagnosis of the target location’s existing institutional context and linkages with external governance actors.
Induction of mammotroph development by a combination of epidermal growth factor, insulin, and estradiol-17β in rat pituitary tumor GH3 cells

Abstract Several reports have indicated that prolactin-secreting cells (PRL cells) are generated from growth hormone-secreting cells (GH cells). We have shown that treatment with a combination of epidermal growth factor (EGF), insulin, and estradiol-17β (E2) induces the appearance of PRL cells in pituitary tumor GH3 cells. The aim of the present study was to clarify the involvement of mitosis in the cytogenesis of PRL cells in rat pituitary and GH3 cells. The effects of the treatment with EGF, insulin and E2 on DNA-replication were studied by detecting the uptake of bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) into the nucleus. In cultured rat pituitary cells, BrdU-labeled PRL cells were observed irrespective of the hormone treatment. In GH3 cells, BrdU-labeled GH cells and mammosomatotrophs (MS cells) were detected; BrdU-labeled PRL cells were not detected, however, when GH3 cells were treated with BrdU for 3 hr and then immediately examined for BrdU-labeling. BrdU-labeled PRL cells were found only when GH3 cells treated with BrdU were allowed to grow for another 3 days. This finding suggests that during the additional 3-day culture, BrdU-labeled PRL cells were generated from BrdU-labeled cells other than PRL cells. These results indicate that PRL cells are transdifferentiated from GH cells or MS cells in GH3 cells by a combined treatment with EGF, insulin and E2, while PRL cells in rat pituitaries are able to proliferate in response to the hormone treatment. Thus, there may be two pathways for cytogenesis of PRL cells: the transdifferentiation of GH cells or MS cells, and a self-duplication of PRL cells.
2:1 Multiplexer based design for ternary logic circuits

This paper presents a design methodology using multiplexers to implement any ternary logic function with carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNFETs). Ternary logic is one of the promising alternatives to conventional binary logic, since it is possible to achieve simplicity and low power dissipation due to the reduced circuit such as interconnects and chip area. The paper presents a design methodology which uses the combination of Binary 2:1 multiplexers and Ternary multiplexers, to implement Ternary logic circuits. A 1-bit half adder circuits is implemented using the proposed methodology. The proposed implementations are compared with the existing designs for parameters like delay, power etc. Two kinds of 1-bit half adders i.e., delay optimized and power optimized half adders have been designed. Simulation results indicate that the proposed multiplexer based 1-bit half adder design results in 58% average power reduction and 64% power delay product reduction when compared to the existing multiplexer based design.
Executive Dysfunction and Functional Impairment Associated With Sluggish Cognitive Tempo in Emerging Adulthood

Objective: Research has identified a relationship between sluggish cognitive tempo (SCT) symptoms and symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, and depression; however, no study has controlled for symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, and depression when examining impairment related to SCT symptoms. This study aimed to examine (a) the extent to which functional impairment and executive function (EF) problems were accounted for by SCT symptoms when controlling for ADHD, anxiety, and depression symptoms, and (b) which type of symptoms were associated with the greatest amount of impairment. Method: College students (N = 458) completed self-report scales of ADHD, SCT, anxiety, and depression symptoms, as well as functional impairment and EF problems. Results: Thirteen percent of the sample was found to have high levels of SCT symptoms. SCT symptoms showed a moderate to strong correlation with the other symptom sets; however, high levels of SCT symptoms often occurred separate from high levels of ADHD, anxiety, or depression symptoms. SCT symptoms accounted for the most unique variance for both EF problems and functional impairment. Students with high levels of SCT symptoms, with or without high levels of ADHD symptoms, exhibited more impairment and EF problems than the controls. Conclusion: SCT is a clinical construct worthy of additional study, particularly among college students.
The Nexus between School-Related Factors and Boy-Child Participation and Retention in Public Secondary Schools: Lessons from Baringo County, Kenya

In many developing countries, the participation of the boy-child in education is characterized by low retention and poor performance and Baringo County, Kenya, is no exception. The problem of increased secondary school dropouts among the boys is a concern to educationists and the general public in Baringo County. The boy child in Baringo County is endangered due to low retention and participation in secondary education. To find ways of mitigating against the vagaries of such an unfortunate scenario, a study was carried out with an aim of establishing the relationship between school-related factors and boy-child participation and retention in public secondary schools education in Baringo County. The discussions in this paper are anchored on the findings of the study. Guided by selected tenets of the education production function theory, the study adopted a pragmatic world view and had a sample size of 573 participants comprising form three boys’ students, teachers and Quality Assurance and Standards Officers from Baringo County. The researcher adopted stratification, simple random sampling and purposive strategies for setting up samples. Questionnaires, interview schedules and document analysis were used for data collection and data analyzed using SPSS (ver 20). From the findings, it The study concluded that participation and retention of the boy-child in public secondary schools in Baringo County is hindered by the absence of an environment that is more boy-child-centred. To address this malady, the paper advocates for the need to ensure that stakeholders in the education sector create a child-friendly environment that will facilitate the participation and retention of the boy-child in school.
Complexity, risk and simulation in learning procedural skills

Background A complex chain of events underpins every clinical intervention, especially those involving invasive procedures. Safety requires high levels of awareness and vigilance. In this paper we propose a structured approach to procedural training, mapping each learner's evolving experience within a matrix of clinical risk and procedural complexity. We use a traffic light analogy to conceptualise a dynamic awareness of prevailing risk and the implications of moving between zones.
Incorporating the Notion of Relative Importance of Objectives in Evolutionary Multiobjective Optimization

This paper describes the use of decision maker preferences in terms of the relative importance of objectives in evolutionary multiobjective optimization. A mathematical model of the relative importance of objectives and an elicitation algorithm are proposed, and three methods of incorporating explicated preference information are described and applied to standard test problems in an empirical study. The axiomatic model proposed here formalizes the notion of relative importance of objectives as a partial order that supports strict preference, equality of importance, and incomparability between objective pairs. Unlike most approaches, the proposed model does not encode relative importance as a set of real-valued parameters. Instead, the approach provides a functional correspondence between a coherent overall preference with a subset of the Pareto-optimal front. An elicitation algorithm is also provided to assist a human decision maker in constructing a coherent overall preference. Besides elicitation of a priori preference, an interactive facility is also furnished to enable modification of overall preference while the search progresses. Three techniques of integrating explicated preference information into the well-known Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA)-II are also described and validated in a set of empirical investigation. The approach allows a focus on a subset of the Pareto-front. Validations on test problems demonstrate that the preference-based algorithm gained better convergence as the dimensionality of the problems increased.
‘Cool Japan’: Anime, soft power and Hong Kong generation Y travel to Japan

ABSTRACT The ‘Cool Japan’ strategy was launched in 2012 as a ‘soft-power’ initiative to promote the unique culture of Japan. Tourism motivated by Japanese animation, or anime, plays an important role in this campaign. While this aspect of Japanese popular culture has been a particular element of attraction, especially for youth travelers, little is known empirically about the degree to which it actually motivates desire to travel to Japan. This paper examines the influence of anime on Hong Kong Generation Y travel to Japan. Based on a quantitative approach, respondents were divided into four clusters – enthusiastic, interested, low viewers, and indifferent – distinguished by varying degrees of interest in anime and corresponding travel motivation. This study contributes to the existing literature by elucidating how anime serves as a travel motivator, proposing a conceptual framing of the relation between anime consumption and travel to Japan in terms of ‘soft power,’ the application of cultural ideas and artifacts to encourage positive associations with a country and its values. The findings have implications for destination marketing organization in developing anime products and events that meet the unique needs and preferences of different groups of anime fans, constituting different potential tourism subniches.
Sleep and manipulations of the sleep–wake rhythm in depression

Objective: Disturbed sleep is typical for most depressed patients and complaints about disordered sleep are the hallmarks of the disorder. Polysomnographic sleep research has demonstrated that besides impaired sleep continuity, sleep in depression is characterized by a reduction of slow wave sleep and a disinhibition of random eye movement (REM) sleep, with a shortening of REM latency, a prolongation of the first REM period and increased REM density.
An ITPR1 gene deletion causes spinocerebellar ataxia 15/16: A genetic, clinical and radiological description

the purpose of this study was to characterise a novel family with very slowly progressive pure spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) caused by a deletion in the inositol 1,4,5‐triphosphate receptor 1 (ITPR1) gene on chromosome 3. This is a detailed clinical, genetic, and radiological description of the genotype. Deletions in ITPR1 have been shown to cause SCA15/SCA16 in six families to date. A further Japanese family has been identified with an ITPR1 point mutation. The exact prevalence is as yet unknown, but is probably higher than previously thought. The clinical phenotype of the family is described, and videotaped clinical examinations are presented. Serial brain magnetic resonance imaging studies were carried out on one affected individual, and genetic analysis was performed on several family members. Protein analysis confirmed the ITPR1 deletion. Affected subjects display a remarkably slow, almost pure cerebellar syndrome. Serial magnetic resonance imaging shows moderate cerebellar atrophy with mild inferior parietal and temporal cortical volume loss. Genetic analysis shows a deletion of 346,487 bp in ITPR1 (the second largest ITPR1 deletion reported to date), suggesting SCA15 is due to a loss of ITPR1 function. Western blotting of lymphoblastoid cell line protein confirms reduced ITPR1 protein levels. SCA15 is a slowly or nonprogressive pure cerebellar ataxia, which appears to be caused by a loss of ITPR1 function and a reduction in the translated protein. Patients with nonprogressive or slowly progressive ataxia should be screened for ITPR1 defects. © 2010 Movement Disorder Society.
Targeting membrane androgen receptors in tumors

Introduction: In the last decade androgen actions that are originated from non-genomic, rapid signaling have been described in a large number of cell models and tissues. These effects are initiated through the stimulation of membrane androgen-binding sites or receptors (mAR). Although the molecular identity of mARs remains elusive, their activation is known to trigger multiple non-genomic signaling cascades and to regulate numerous cell responses. In recent years specific interest is being paid to the role of mARs in tumors. Specifically, it was demonstrated that mAR activation by non-permeable testosterone conjugates induced potent anti-tumorigenic responses in prostate, breast, colon and glial tumors. In addition, in vivo animal studies further emphasized the potential clinical importance of these receptors. Areas covered: This review will summarize the current knowledge on the mAR-induced non-genomic, rapid androgen actions. It will focus on the molecular signaling pathways governed by mAR activation, discuss latest attempts to elucidate the molecular identity of mAR, address the plethora of cell responses initiated by mAR and evaluate the potential role of mAR and mAR-specific signaling as possible therapeutic targets in tumors. Expert opinion: mAR and mAR-induced specific signaling may represent novel therapeutic targets in tumors through the development of specific testosterone analogs.
Organ weights and fat volume in rats as a function of strain and age.

The Fischer 344 (F344) rat and the Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat are used commonly to evaluate potential adverse health effects resulting from environmental exposure to chemicals. They are also the most common rat strain/stock used in physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. Accurate characterization of model input parameters will improve the usefulness of PBPK model predictions. Thus, organ (i.e., liver, kidneys, spleen, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, heart, lungs, brain) weights and body fat were measured in male SD rats of different ages (4 to 40 wk) and in young (9 to 10 wk) and old (22 to 23 mo) male F344 rats. Comparison of age-matched (9 to 10 wk) F344 and SD rats revealed that the SD rats weighed significantly more and had significantly higher absolute organ weights. These significant differences usually disappeared when organ weights were expressed as a percentage of body weight (relative organ weight). Percent body fat was significantly lower in the age-matched SD rats (6.48%) than in their F344 counterparts (8.67%). As expected, both body weight and absolute organ weights were significantly higher in old than in young F344 rats. However, these differences were largely reversed when relative organ weights were considered, with most relative organ weights significantly lower in the old F344 rats. Body fat as a percentage of body weight was 14.02% in the old F344 rats. When SD rats of various ages were examined, relative organ weights declined between the ages of 4 and 14 wk. In contrast, significant differences in percent body fat were not detected among the SD rats of different ages and weights examined in this study (4 to 40 wk, approximately 75 to approximately 450 g). In summary, values for physiological input parameters are provided that should prove useful in development and implementation of more accurate PBPK models.
Durability of Second Antiretroviral Regimens in the Italian Cohort Naive Antiretrovirals Foundation Study and Factors Associated with Discontinuation

Abstract The study was designed to investigate the median duration of second antiretroviral regimens and factors associated with early discontinuation in HIV patients who switched with an undetectable viral load. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the Italian Cohort Naive Antiretrovirals Foundation Study (ICONA), which collects data throughout the country. Patients who started first antiretroviral therapy (ART) after January 1, 2008 in any center involved in this cohort and then switched to a second regimen were included in the study. Second ART failure was described as two HIV‐RNA >200 copies/mL or the discontinuation of any drug. Statistical analysis was performed utilizing Kaplan‐Meier curves and Cox regression model. The study population included 835 patients and the median duration of first ART regimens was 16 months with HIV‐RNA undetectable for 13 months. The main causes of switch to second ART regimens were toxicity (42.5%) and simplification (37.5%). The switch mostly involved the third drug (63.5%) and almost one third of the population received a single‐tablet regimen (STR) as second treatment (30.6%). The median duration of second ART regimens was 9.2 months and the probabilities of treatment discontinuation at 12, 24, and 36 months were 21%, 35%, and 48.2%, respectively. STR formulations had a protective effect against second ART discontinuation. Almost half of our population needed a third regimen within 3 years, but STR could improve second ART durability.
Sixty years after Titmuss: New findings on occupational welfare in Europe

Following the seminal work of Richard Titmuss, who coined the term occupational welfare (OW) 60 years ago, the article approaches OW provision in Europe today. We first define OW as the sum of extra‐statutory social benefits and services provided by employers and/or trade unions as a result of employment. We then look at its recent evolution: OW expenditure and coverage have been increasing significantly in Europe since the 1990s. While pensions are still the main policy area of OW, the latter has also advanced in other social protection areas (e.g., health insurance, reconciliation). This has led to four different ideal types of OW—defined on the base of their organizing principle (voluntarism vs. collectivism) and the level of OW scheme coverage and expenditure. By looking at the main drivers of OW, the analysis has found no evidence of a “crowding out” effect between public welfare and OW. Collective bargaining, national political economy, and the timing of reforms prove to be important factors explaining the OW development. As for the present and future of OW, dualization is a major risk. At present, the main fault lines created by OW follow sectoral, industry, company size, and occupational group lines. To avoid the worsening of inequalities originated by OW, even in those countries which were able in the past to avoid dualization, strong industrial relations may play a key role. The article concludes with some suggestions on the agenda of future OW research.