Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relationship of running economy, ventilatory threshold, and maximal oxygen consumption to running performance in high school females.

The purpose of the study was to relate three determinants of distance running success, (a) maximal oxygen consumption (VO2max), (b) ventilatory threshold (VT), and (c) running economy (RE), to actual running time in a 5-km race (ART). Twenty-four female runners (M age = 15.9 years) from four high school teams that competed at the Massachusetts All-State 5-km Cross Country Championship Meet and placed 1st, 7th, 19th, and 20th were tested in the laboratory. The mean VO2max of these runners was 61.7 ml.kg-1.min-1, HRmax 201 b.min-1, VEmax 100 L.min-1, and RER 1.10. The VT occurred at 79% of the VO2max, and HR of 184 b.min-1 (92% of HRmax). The velocity at VT (vVT) and velocity at VO2max (vVO2max) was correlated with ART, r(22) = . 78 and . 77 (p less than .001), respectively. The VO2 at VT and at maximal exercise was correlated with ART by r(22) = -. 66 and -. 69 (p less than .001), respectively. The VO2 at 215 m.min-1 (8 mph) was poorly related to ART, r(22) = -. 05, p greater than . 05. It was concluded that either of the derived variables vVT and vVO2max appear to explain significant variation in distance running performance among adolescent female cross country runners.
Retinoschisin gene therapy and natural history in the Rs1h-KO mouse: long-term rescue from retinal degeneration.

PURPOSE The authors characterized the natural history of a retinoschisin gene knockout (Rs1h-KO) mouse model and evaluated the long-term effects of retinal rescue after AAV(2/2)-CMV-Rs1h gene delivery. METHODS Full-field scotopic electroretinograms (ERGs) were recorded from 44 male hemizygous Rs1h-KO and 44 male wild-type (WT) C57BL/6J mice at six ages between 1 and 16 months. Retinal morphometry included outer segment layer (OSL) width, photoreceptor cell count, and grading of schisis cavity severity. One eye each of seven Rs1h-KO mice at age 14 days was injected with AAV(2/2)-CMV-Rs1h, and retinal histology and ERG findings at 14 months were analyzed. RESULTS The outer nuclear layer (ONL) of 1-month-old Rs1h-KO mice was disorganized but had nearly normal cell counts. The OSL was thinned, rod outer segments were misaligned, and abundant schisis cavities spanned the inner nuclear and outer plexiform layers in all retinas. ERG a- and b-wave amplitudes at this age were reduced by 33% and 50%, respectively. ERG and ONL cell numbers decreased further between 1 and 16 months, with unequal changes in the a- and b-waves with age. The a-wave reduction correlated well with the steady decline in ONL cell number, whereas a rapid decline in the b-wave and a (b/a-wave) ratio less than in WT were associated with increasing severity of schisis cavities at young ages. At 4 months, the cavities were maximal, but they coalesced and disappeared at older ages. The (b/a-wave) ratio was inversely correlated with cavity severity across all ages (r = -0.74; P < 0.0001; n = 22). Considerable heterogeneity was observed at each age in the ERG amplitudes and retinal morphology. Mice injected with AAV-Rs1h at 14 days showed considerable structural and functional rescue at age 14 months, including improved rod outer and inner segment integrity, less photoreceptor cell loss, and larger ERG amplitudes compared with untreated fellow eyes. CONCLUSIONS The ERG of the Rs1h-KO mouse at early ages reflects disruption of photoreceptor and second-order neuron function. In mid to late ages, the ERG decline reflects primarily photoreceptor degeneration. The Rs1h-KO mouse is consistent with human clinical X-linked juvenile retinoschisis (XLRS) in showing schisis cavities, which affect primarily the b-wave, the regression of schisis cavities at older ages, and a considerable range in phenotypic severity across individuals. This mouse model also indicates the critical roll of RS-protein in photoreceptor survival consistent with decreased a-waves in some patients with XLRS. Long-term rescue of retinal morphology and function by AAV-Rs1h gene transfer may provide a basis for considering intervention in the homologous human XLRS condition.
Physiology of seed yield in mungbean: growth and dry matter production

Growth rate of mungbean was very slow during the vegetative phase in all the four genotypes. A relatively smaller portion of total dry matter (TDM) was produced before flower initiation and the bulk of it after anthesis. The maximum crop growth rate (CGR) was observed due to maximum leaf area (LA) development during the pod filling stage in all the genotypes. LA and CGR contributed to the superior TDM production. It appeared that a high yielding mungbean genotype should possess larger LA, high TDM production ability, superior CGR at all the growth stages, high relative growth rate and net assimilation rate at the vegetative stage as superior yield components. Key words: Seed yield; Mungbean; Growth; Dry matter DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/bjb.v40i2. 9768 Bangladesh J. Bot. 40 (2): 133-138, 2011 (December)
Option Pricing under Heston and 3 / 2 Stochastic Volatility Models : an Approximation to the Fast Fourier Transform

The purpose of this thesis is to build a fast and accurate technique for computing option prices under stochastic volatility assumption. Currently, the methodology based on the fast Fourier transform is widely used to deal with that issue. Here we derive and suggest a second order approximation, which offers faster, transparent and deeper interpretations in comparison with existing the ones. Thus, a tractable connection between the Black-Scholes prices and the stochastic volatility prices might be established.
Cognitive impairment and memory dysfunction after a stroke diagnosis: a post-stroke memory assessment

Cognitive impairment and memory dysfunction following stroke diagnosis are common symptoms that significantly affect the survivors’ quality of life. Stroke patients have a high potential to develop dementia within the first year of stroke onset. Currently, efforts are being exerted to assess stroke effects on the brain, particularly in the early stages. Numerous neuropsychological assessments are being used to evaluate and differentiate cognitive impairment and dementia following stroke. This article focuses on the role of available neuropsychological assessments in detection of dementia and memory loss after stroke. This review starts with stroke types and risk factors associated with dementia development, followed by a brief description of stroke diagnosis criteria and the effects of stroke on the brain that lead to cognitive impairment and end with memory loss. This review aims to combine available neuropsychological assessments to develop a post-stroke memory assessment (PSMA) scheme based on the most recognized and available studies. The proposed PSMA is expected to assess different types of memory functionalities that are related to different parts of the brain according to stroke location. An optimal therapeutic program that would help stroke patients enjoy additional years with higher quality of life is presented.
Leukemia markers expression of peripheral blood vs bone marrow blasts using flow cytometry.

BACKGROUND Flow cytometric techniques are widely used in clinical hematology. Characterization of leukemias by immunotyping is particularly helpful when the morphology is difficult to interpret. The major advantage of using immune markers by flow cytometry is the identification of particular leukemia subtype, not recognized by morphologic criteria, which may have prognostic significance. Current literature suggests when peripheral blood (PB) is consisted of 30% blasts or higher diagnosis of acute leukemia is most likely. However, bone marrow aspiration may also be performed as a confirmatory diagnosis. Immunotyping of PB and BM in leukemias not only determine the decision making for a specific therapeutic regimen, but also is a practical prognostic indicator. MATERIAL/METHODS We evaluated 18 patients with acute myeloid Leukemia (AML) and 13 patients with acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL). In all cases, the amount of blasts in PB was 30% or higher. Two ml PB and BM samples from each patient was collected. Following the preparation process, expression of markers was detected by using flow cytometry. The panel of monoclonal antibodies used in this study were consisted of CD3, CD7, CD5 (for T lymphocytes lineage); CD19, CD22, CD20, CD10 (for B lymphocytes lineage); CD13, CD14, CD33 (for myeloid subsets); and TDT, HLA-DR, CD45 (non lineage restricted). Expression levels of PB and BM markers were compared by using statistical analysis. RESULTS The results showed apparent discrepancies for some markers in ALL group. However, in AML patients most of the selected markers have shown considerable correlation between PB and BM samples. Only four markers (CD13, CD14, CD45, and HLA-DR) showed positive correlation. In contrast, most markers (CD3, CD5, CD13, CD14, CD19, CD45, HLA-DR, and TdT) showed strong correlation between PB and BM samples in AML group. CONCLUSIONS The findings of this study suggests that targeted gating strategy for blast population as well as selection of a suitable panel of monoclonal antibodies may be essential for diagnosis of leukemia resulting in similar immunotyping pattern in PB and BM. Although our results are preliminary, this can minimize the necessity of BM aspiration for leukemia patients.
Coping and its correlates among caregivers of patients with bipolar disorder: a preliminary study.

OBJECTIVES In contrast to schizophrenia, coping patterns of caregivers of bipolar patients have not received much attention. Previous evidence suggests that demographic factors, illness variables, caregiver burden, appraisal, etc can significantly influence coping styles. This study thus attempted to examine coping and its correlates in caregivers of bipolar patients, in comparison with schizophrenia. METHOD Structured assessments of dysfunction, burden, appraisal, social support available, and coping styles were carried out in caregivers of 38 bipolar patients and 20 patients with schizophrenia (ICD - 10 diagnoses). RESULTS Caregivers used a wide variety of coping strategies, both problem and emotion-focused. In bipolar disorder, demographic parameters, illness duration, levels of dysfunction, burden and social support, and appraisal by caregivers demonstrated significant associations with coping styles of caregivers. Problem-focused coping strategies were more common in caregivers of bipolar patients and emotion-focused strategies in caregivers of schizophrenic patients. These differences appeared to be linked to differences in caregiver-burden and appraisal between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Appraisal by, and burden on caregivers play a major role in determining their style of coping. These factors largely accounted for the differences in coping observed between caregivers of patients of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, in this study. Reducing burden on caregivers and enhancing their awareness of illness could lead to adoption of more adaptive coping styles by them.
Intrathecal Anesthesia and Recovery from Radical Prostatectomy: A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Trial

BackgroundPrevious studies suggest that intraoperative anesthetic care may influence postoperative pain and recovery from surgery. The authors tested the hypothesis that the addition of intrathecal analgesia to general anesthesia would improve long-term functional status and decrease pain in patients undergoing radical retropubic prostatectomy. MethodsOne hundred patients received either general anesthesia supplemented with intravenous fentanyl or general anesthesia preceded by intrathecal administration of bupivacaine (15 mg), clonidine (75 &mgr;g), and morphine (0.2 mg). Patients and providers were masked to treatment assignment. All patients received multimodal pain management postoperatively. Primary outcomes included pain and functional status over the first 12 postoperative weeks. ResultsPatients receiving intrathecal analgesia required more intravenous fluids and vasopressors intraoperatively. Pain was well controlled throughout the study (mean numerical pain scores < 3 in both groups at all times studied). Intrathecal analgesia decreased pain and supplemental intravenous morphine use over the first postoperative day but increased the frequency of pruritus. Pain and functional status after discharge from the hospital did not differ between groups. Intrathecal analgesia significantly decreased the duration of hospital stay (from 2.8 ± 2.0 to 2.1 ± 0.5 days; P < 0.01) as a result of five patients in the control group who stayed in the hospital more than 3 days. ConclusionsThe benefits of improved immediate analgesia and decreased morphine requirements resulting from intrathecal analgesia must be weighed against factors such as pruritus, increased intraoperative requirement for fluids and vasopressors, and resources needed to implement this modality. Further studies are needed to determine the significance of the decrease in duration of hospital stay.
Dual Identification of IS Offshoring Call Center Employees: Understanding Its Antecedents and Consequences

IS Offshoring call center employees engaging with both the vendor and the client when performing outsourced IS services may develop dual identification with the vendor and the client. However, the antecedents and consequences of such dual identification, and the relationships between them are poorly understood. We draw on social and organizational identity theory to seek answers to the preceding concerns by analyzing survey data from employees working in offshore IT call centers located in China. This study reveals that employees' dual identification with both the vendor and the client does not diminish but instead promotes service performance. Through understanding the issue of dual identification and national identity in a unique offshoring context, this study enriches the IS offshoring literature and has important managerial implications for both vendors and clients who wish to successfully exploit the benefits of IS offshoring.
A Prospective, Randomized, Controlled Cervical Fusion Study Using Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 With the CORNERSTONE-SR™ Allograft Ring and the ATLANTIS™ Anterior Cervical Plate

Study Design. A prospective, randomized, pilot clinical trial compared recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) with iliac crest autograft bone for the treatment of human cervical disc disease. Objective. To examine the safety and effectiveness of using INFUSE™ Bone Graft (rhBMP-2 applied to an absorbable collagen sponge), as compared with an autogenous iliac crest bone graft placed inside the CORNERSTONE-SR™ fibular allograft, in anterior cervical discectomy and interbody fusion. Summary of Background Data. Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 is an osteoinductive protein that induces a reliable fusion in the lumbar spine, but it has not been studied in patients with degenerative cervical disc disease. Methods. For this study, 33 patients with degenerative cervical disc disease were randomly assigned to investigational or control groups. The investigational group received a fibular allograft (CORNERSTONE-SR™ Allograft Ring) with an rhBMP-2–laden collagen carrier inside the graft along with an ATLANTIS™ anterior cervical plate. The control group received a fibular allograft with cancellous iliac crest autograft placed inside it, along with an ATLANTIS anterior cervical plate. The patients underwent plain radiographs at 6 weeks, then at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, and CT scans at 3 and 6 months after surgery. They also completed general health profiles and self-evaluation scales. Adverse events were evaluated for severity, duration, association with the implant, and the need for a second surgical procedure. Results. All the patients evaluated had solid fusions 6, 12, and 24 months after surgery. There were no device-related adverse events. At 24 months, the investigational group had mean improvement superior to that of the control group in neck disability and arm pain scores (P < 0.03 each). Conclusions. This pilot study demonstrates the feasibility of using rhBMP-2 safely and effectively in the cervical spine.
High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Stem Cell Rescue for Metastatic Breast Cancer: Superior Survival for Tandem Compared With Single Transplants

During 1990–1999, we treated 60 patients with breast cancer who had distant metastases with high-dose chemotherapy and autologous stem cell rescue (HDC) after they had responded to induction chemotherapy. HDC regimens were MiTepa (60 mg/m2 mitoxantrone by continuous intravenous infusion over 3 days plus 300 mg/m2 thiotepa intravenously over 2 hours daily × 3 days) and ICE (12 g/m2 ifosfamide, 1800 mg/m2 carboplatin, 2 g/m2 etoposide; all 3 by continuous intravenous over 4 days). At a median follow up >8 years, the median failure-free survival (FFS) was 13.9 months, median overall survival (OS) 29.1 months, 5-year FFS 12%s and 5-year OS 25%. Thirty-three patients underwent tandem (T) transplants; 27 underwent a single (S) HDC. Median ages for these 2 groups were 45 and 48 years; bone and liver metastases were more prevalent in the T cohort, whereas lung metastases were more prevalent in the S cohort. At a median follow up of 6.5 years for the S group and >9 years for the T group, there were 52 deaths. FFS was better for T: median 15.7 versus 7.7 months (p2 = 0.010) as was OS: median 32.7 versus 17.7 months, 2-year survival 68% versus 41%, and 5-year survival 32% versus 15% (p2 = 0.010). As a group, patients with distant metastatic breast cancer who underwent tandem transplants had a better posttransplant survival than patients who underwent a single HDC.
Blumgart’s Technique of Pancreaticojejunostomy: An Appraisal

Background: Although mortality of Whipple’s pancreaticoduodenectomy (WPD) is reduced to <5%, morbidity still remains between 30 and 50%. Pancreaticojejunal anastomosis remains the main cause of morbidity. Blumgart anastomosis using transpancreatic U sutures has been proposed to decrease the leak rate and its associated morbidity. We analyzed the results of Blumgart anastomosis applied in consecutive cases of WPD. Methods: Of 189 patients with periampullary or pancreatic cancer admitted, 100 patients underwent WPD. Except for 2 patients (no duct identified preoperatively), all patients underwent pancreaticojejunostomy by the Blumgart anastomotic technique. The records of 98 patients were analyzed for pancreatic leak and its related complications using the definitions given by the International Study Group for Pancreatic Surgery. Results: Of 98 patients, 63 were men. The mean operative time was 390 min (270–690 min) and blood loss was 275 ml (100–1,000 ml). Overall mortality was 3.06%. The clinically significant pancreatic anastomotic failure leak was seen in only 7 (7.14%) cases (grade B, n = 4; grade C, n = 3) with one patient requiring relaparotomy due to leak. Only one patient died due to a leak-related complication. Conclusion: Blumgart pancreaticojejunal anastomosis can be routinely used for reconstruction in WPD. It is a technically simple procedure and is associated with low rates of fistula and its related complications.
UV-written Bragg gratings in a flat-fiber platform as a bending and twisting sensor

High demand on structural health monitoring has encouraged the development of smart structure geometries to be more effective and competitive [1]. One of the technologies that has been integrated into these structures is the fiber Bragg grating (FBG) [2]. The FBG is a mature technology that has seen many applications, particularly the field of sensing where it has many advantages such as immunity to electromagnetic field, long lifetime, high sensitivity, lightweight and low loss. There are several types of optically based physical sensors. Most of which are fabricated in a standard dimension silica optical fiber which due to its cylindrical structure are unable to independently measure twist. Here we demonstrate a bending and twist sensor fabricated in a flat-fiber substrate. A Y-splitter and a series of Bragg gratings along the 50 mm length provides a differential signal providing distinction between bend and twist within the sample.
Measuring Trust in Medical Researchers

Background:Concern is widespread that the public’s and participants’ trust in medical research is threatened, but few empirical measures of research trust exist. This project aims to enable more rigorous study of researcher trust by developing and testing appropriate survey measures. Methods:Survey items were developed based on a conceptual model of the primary domains of researcher trust (safety, fidelity, honesty, global trust). Pilot testing was conducted on a regional convenience sample of adults (n = 124). Exploratory factor analyses of the data were performed, and an item selection procedure reduced the number of survey questions. A final set of 12 items was validated, and a 4-item short version of the researcher trust scale was selected and tested in a national web-based survey of asthma and diabetes patients (n = 3623). Further factor analysis and validation were performed on this larger sample. Results:Both the full and short scales have a single-factor structure with acceptable internal reliability (alphas of 0.87 [12 items] and 0.72 [4 items]). Trust in physician researchers and trust in medical researchers generally were found not to be separate constructs. In the national sample, the short scale was positively associated with better health status, prior participation in medical research, and willingness to participate in a hypothetical medical research study, and negatively associated with African-American race and higher education. Conclusions:Trust in medical researchers is a measurable single-factor construct including trust in safety, researcher fidelity, and honesty. This new scale provides an empirical tool for informing the ethics and public policy of medical research.
Market Design in Wholesale Electricity Markets CORE DISCUSSION PAPER 2006 / 100

As European countries move towards complete unbundling in electricity markets, some issues regarding market design are still under discussion. In particular, which market configuration would give the right incentives to promote efficiency and reduce final prices. In this paper we analyze a design in which prices are binding for more than one market period (like in the former British system or in the Australian system) and we compare price equilibria and collusive incentives under proportional and efficient rationing. To do so, we build on Le Coq (2002) and Crampes and Creti (2003) framework to account for stochastic demand. Our results suggest that with stochastic demand, incentives for strategically withholding capacity are still present but incentives to agree on market share are mitigated by efficient rationing.
Factors controlling Hadley circulation changes from the Last Glacial Maximum to the end of the 21st century

The Hadley circulation (HC) extent and strength are analyzed in a wide range of simulated climates from the Last Glacial Maximum to global warming scenarios. Motivated by HC theories, we analyze how the HC is influenced by the subtropical stability, the near‐surface meridional potential temperature gradient, and the tropical tropopause level. The subtropical static stability accounts for the bulk of the HC changes across the simulations. However, since it correlates strongly with global mean surface temperature, most HC changes can be attributed to global mean surface temperature changes. The HC widens as the climate warms, and it also weakens, but only robustly so in the Northern Hemisphere. On the other hand, the Southern Hemisphere strength response is uncertain, in part because subtropical static stability changes counteract meridional potential temperature gradient changes to various degrees in different models, with no consensus on the response of the latter to global warming.