Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) for measurement of muscle stiffness of the shoulder: feasibility with a 3 T MRI system

Background Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) at 3 T MR has the potential to improve the objective detection of skeletal muscle stiffness. Purpose To determine the feasibility of MRE using 3 T MR for measurement of the stiffness of shoulder muscles in subjects. Material and Methods This study prospectively evaluated 16 healthy subjects (mean age, 29.8 years; range, 25–51 years). MRE was acquired with 3 T MR through the use of a 2D-gradient-echo-based MRE sequence at two different excitation frequencies (90 and 120 Hz). The mean stiffness values (MSV) of the trapezius and infraspinatus muscles were measured by two radiologists. Differences between the MSV in the x, y, and z motion-sensitization directions were assessed. Inter-observer agreement was also measured. Results The MSV of the trapezius muscle were 2.72 kPa ± 0.6 (SD) at 90 Hz and 4.66 kPa ± 1.2 at 120 Hz, while the MSV for the infraspinatus muscle were 3.2 kPa ± 0.52 at 90 Hz and 4.38 kPa ± 0.92 at 120 Hz. The MSV for both muscles were significantly higher at 120 Hz than at 90 Hz (P < 0.05). The MSV in the three different directions were significantly different from each other in the infraspinatus muscle (P < 0.05). Levels of inter-observer agreement regarding MSV were good to excellent for both the trapezius (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = 0.979–0.996) and infraspinatus muscles (ICC = 0.614–0.943). Conclusion MRE at 3 T is a feasible technique for the evaluation of shoulder muscle stiffness. Extended application of skeletal muscle MRE at 3 T will contribute to the evaluation and treatment of skeletal muscle disorders.
Equilibrium Real Options Exercise Strategies with Multiple Players: The Case of Real Estate Markets

This article derives a closed-form solution for an equilibrium real options exercise model with stochastic revenues and costs for monopoly, duopoly, oligopoly and competitive markets. Our model also allows one option holder to have a greater production capacity than others. Under a monopolistic environment we find that the optimal option exercise strategy in real estate markets is dramatically opposite to that in a financial (warrant) market, indicating the importance of paying attention to the institutional details of the underlying market when analyzing option exercise strategies. Our model can be generalized to the pricing of convertible securities and capital investment decisions involving both stochastic revenues and costs under different types of market structures.
Dystonia, clinical lateralization, and regional blood flow changes in temporal lobe seizures

We analyzed the lateralizing value of ictal dystonia and head-turning in temporal lobe epilepsy, and sought the biologic basis of these clinical signs by studying the regional changes in perfusion with ictal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). We identified unilateral temporal lobe epilepsy in 40 of 42 patients undergoing evaluation for temporal lobe surgery, and with ictal SPECT all 40 showed striking hyperperfusion of the epileptogenic temporal lobe. Twenty-five of the 40 patients showed unilateral or predominantly unilateral upper limb dystonia, which was opposite the epileptic temporal lobe in all cases. Analysis of regional count ratios in cases with ictal dystonia, compared with those without, showed significant changes only in the basal ganglia. Specifically, we found that ictal dystonia was associated with a relative increase in perfusion of the basal ganglia opposite the dystonic limb. Although we found 26 cases with head-turning, the sign was of no lateralizing value, even when only those with major or “tonic” versions (n = 11) were analyzed. Slight increases in cortical blood flow on the side opposite the direction of version were associated with head-turning, irrespective of the side of seizure focus. In clinical practice, ictal SPECT is a highly accurate aid in the lateralization of temporal lobe foci, in addition to providing a new method to investigate the pathophysiology of clinical signs in focal seizures.
Los gneros de videojuegos como gneros de mundos virtuales

A carriage arm assembly for swingably supporting a magnetic head which includes a slider, a suspension carrying the slider, a carriage arm to which the suspension is attached, and a body section. The carriage arm extends from the body section and includes first and second arm members extending substantially in parallel with a swinging plane of the carriage arm, and a fixing portion provided at a distal end of the carriage arm for mounting the suspension thereon. Each of the first and second arm members have narrow sections in a distal end area and a base end area thereof, wherein a width of the narrow sections in a swinging direction is smaller than a width of an intermediate area of the first and second arm members.
Olfactory Fingerprints for Major Histocompatibility Complex-Determined Body Odors

Recognition of individual body odors is analogous to human face recognition in that it provides information about identity. Individual body odors determined by differences at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC or H-2) have been shown to influence mate choice, pregnancy block, and maternal behavior in mice. Unfortunately, the mechanism and extent of the main olfactory bulb (MOB) and accessory olfactory bulb (AOB) involvement in the discrimination of animals according to H-2-type has remained ambiguous. Here we study the neuronal activation patterns evoked in the MOB in different individuals on exposure to these complex, biologically meaningful sensory stimuli. We demonstrate that body odors from H-2 disparate mice evoke overlapping but distinct maps of neuronal activation in the MOB. The spatial patterns of odor-evoked activity are sufficient to be used like fingerprints to predict H-2 identity using a novel computer algorithm. These results provide functional evidence for discrimination of H-2-determined body odors in the MOB, but do not preclude a role for the AOB. These data further our understanding of the neural strategies used to decode socially relevant odors.
Source/drain doping influence on heterojunction graphene nanoribbon tunneling field effect transistors

We investigate the device performance of heterojunction graphene nanoribbons tunneling field-effect transistors as a function of the doping concentrations based on the non-equilibrium Green's function. We observe that variation in source doping changes the OFF-state currents (IOFF), the ON-state currents (ION) and the subthreshold slope (SS) significantly while variation in drain doping changes mainly the IOFF. Additionally, low SS and large ION/IOFF ratio can be achieved by applying proper asymmetric source-drain doping.
Population–development debate revisited: evidence from Asian countries

ABSTRACT This study revisits an on-going debate regarding the nature of relationship between population growth and economic development. It has selected 12 Asian countries as a case study to examine the possible existence of a significant relationship between population expansion and economic development in these countries. Empirical findings indicated that, contrary to popular beliefs, there is a significant positive relationship between the variables. This suggests that population growth has been beneficial to economic development in the region and not detrimental.
Reversible biotinylated oligosaccharides: a new approach for a better management of anticoagulant therapy

Summary. Objective: In order to obtain a neutralizable antithrombotic, a chimeric molecule (SSR126517E) containing the sequence of a long‐lasting antithrombin (AT)‐dependent anti‐factor Xa pentasaccharide, idraparinux, linked to a biotin molecule was synthesized and tested for anticoagulant and antithrombotic activity. Methods: SSR126517E was tested in several models in vitro and in vivo for its pharmacological properties as well as its ability to be neutralized by avidin. Results: SSR126517E displayed exactly the same properties as idraparinux. In vitro, SSR126517E had a very high affinity for AT (Kd < 1 nm) and showed a potent anti‐FXa effect and inhibition of thrombin generation with IC50 values similar to those of idraparinux. Ex vivo, after intravenous administration to rats, SSR126517E produced a potent and long‐lasting anti‐FXa effect comparable to that obtained with idraparinux; as with idraparinux, the subcutaneous bioavailability was 100%. In vivo, SSR126517E was a potent antithrombotic in rat and mouse venous and arterial thrombosis models. Direct comparison in rats showed that SSR126517E was as active as idraparinux, when administered at the same molar dose. Furthermore, injection of avidin triggered the immediate elimination of SSR126517E from the bloodstream, resulting in complete neutralization of the antithrombotic activity of SSR126517E. Conclusions: These results show for the first time that coupling an oligosaccharide with biotin has no effect on the former’s pharmacokinetic and pharmacologic properties and renders neutralization easy by injection of avidin.
Morals and education

It is commonly argued that government schools in a pluralist society should be non-judgmental and value-free on moral questions. Student teachers are constantly told that the only significant moral questions are those about power in society: who has the power to define what is right or wrong and to enforce this definition on others. Given the essential subjectivity or relativity of values, they are told, all the school can do and all it ought to seek to do is to enable students to clarify their own values, not to impose values upon them. Individual teachers, student teachers are often told, are (or ought to be) free to express to their classes their personal opinions about the most controversial questions, provided that they make it clear that these are opinions and have no more force than those of the students or of any other adults.
Effect of Altitude on Football Performance: Analysis of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Data

Abstract Nassis, GP. Effect of altitude on football performance: Analysis of the 2010 FIFA World Cup data. J Strength Cond Res 27(3): 703–707, 2013—Laboratory studies show that altitude ascent impairs endurance performance. Limited data exist on football, and information from official matches is very scarce even for other team sports. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of altitude on football performance during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It was hypothesized that (a) total distance covered, an index of endurance, would be reduced above the altitude of 580 m, and (b) technical skills would be affected because altitude alters ball flight characteristics. Physical performance, goals scored, and goalkeepers' errors that resulted in goals conceded were recorded from the official game statistics of Fédération Internationale de Football Association during the South Africa 2010 World Cup. Matches were played at sea level (altitude: 0 m), 660, 1200–1400, and 1401–1753 m. After testing for data normality, mean differences were checked with a one-way analysis of variance. Results show a 3.1% lower total distance that was covered by the teams during the matches played at 1200–1400 and 1401–1753 m (p < 0.05) compared with sea level. Indices of technical skills, including number of goals scored per game and errors made by the goalkeepers that resulted in goals conceded, did not differ with altitude. It is concluded that playing football above 1200 m had negative effects on endurance but not on technical skills during World Cup 2010 matches. It seems that teams should follow several days of acclimatization before playing at altitude as low as 1200 m, to ameliorate the negative effects of altitude on physical performance.
Cytochrome d But Not Cytochrome o Rescues the Toluidine Blue Growth Sensitivity of arc Mutants of Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT The Arc (anoxic redox control) two-component signal transduction system, consisting of the ArcB sensor kinase and the ArcA response regulator, allows adaptive responses of Escherichia coli to changes of O2 availability. The arcA gene was previously known as the dye gene because null mutants were growth sensitive to the photosensitizer redox dyes toluidine blue and methylene blue, a phenotype whose molecular basis still remains elusive. In this study we report that the toluidine blue O (TBO) effect on the arc mutants is light independent and observed only during aerobic growth conditions. Moreover, 16 suppressor mutants with restored growth were generated and analyzed. Thirteen of those possessed insertion elements upstream of the cydAB operon, rendering its expression ArcA independent. Also, it was found that, in contrast to cythocrome d, cythocrome o was not able to confer toluidine blue resistance to arc mutants, thereby representing an intriguing difference between the two terminal oxidases. Finally, a mechanism for TBO sensitivity and resistance is discussed.
Avaliando as medidas de núcleo da inflação no Brasil

This paper evaluates four core inflation indicators used by the Central Bank of Brazil; that is, the exclusion indicator, the exclusion ex2 indicator, the smoothed trimmed mean and the double weight indicator. Econometric time series models were used to assess the unbiasedness, the dynamic adjustment, and the predictive ability of core inflation indicators. The results show that only the exclusion ex2 and smoothed trimmed mean were unbiased and they can serve as indicators of dynamic adjustment for in- flation. With respect to forecast ability, one can say that the core inflation indicators used by the Central Bank are not suitable to forecast long-term inflation
Influence of the work function on the electric field at the cathode surface in a diode

The cathode plays an important role in high power microwave devices, the paper studies the time-dependence laws of the electric field at the cathode surface in a planar vacuum diode with a field emission cathode. The influence of the work function on the electric field at the cathode surface has been investigated. To analyze the effects of the space charge of emitted electrons on the electric field at the cathode surface, Poisson's equation was solved numerically for different parameters of applied electric field in a finite-difference time-domain particle in cell simulation. It has been shown that the self-consistent electric field at the cathode surface oscillates initially and finally yields a steady state, the increase in the value of work function results not only in an decrease in the absolute steady value of the electric field at the cathode surface, but also in an shorter time which is cost to reach the steady state for it.
Leptin-replacement therapy for lipodystrophy.

BACKGROUND The adipocyte hormone leptin is important in regulating energy homeostasis. Since severe lipodystrophy is associated with leptin deficiency, insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridemia, and hepatic steatosis, we assessed whether leptin replacement would ameliorate this condition. METHODS Nine female patients (age range, 15 to 42 years; eight with diabetes mellitus) who had lipodystrophy and serum leptin levels of less than 4 ng per milliliter (0.32 nmol per milliliter) received recombinant methionyl human leptin (recombinant leptin). Recombinant leptin was administered subcutaneously twice a day for four months at escalating doses to achieve low, intermediate, and high physiologic replacement levels of leptin. RESULTS During treatment with recombinant leptin, the serum leptin level increased from a mean (+/- SE) of 1.3 +/- 0.3 ng per milliliter to 11.1 +/- 2.5 ng per milliliter (0.1 +/- 0.02 to 0.9 +/- 0.2 nmol per milliliter). The absolute decrease in the glycosylated hemoglobin value was 1.9 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 1.1 to 2.7 percent; P=0.001) in the eight patients with diabetes. Four months of therapy decreased average triglyceride levels by 60 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 43 to 77 percent; P<0.001) and liver volume by an average of 28 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 20 to 36 percent; P=0.002) in all nine patients and led to the discontinuation of or a large reduction in antidiabetes therapy. Self-reported daily caloric intake and the measured resting metabolic rate also decreased significantly with therapy. Overall, recombinant leptin therapy was well tolerated. CONCLUSIONS Leptin-replacement therapy improved glycemic control and decreased triglyceride levels in patients with lipodystrophy and leptin deficiency. Leptin deficiency contributes to the insulin resistance and other metabolic abnormalities associated with severe lipodystrophy.
Dynamic eye plant models and the control of eye movements

Models of the oculomotor plant (globe, muscles, pulleys, and orbital tissues) fall into three categories: 1) one-dimensional dynamic with lumped plant elements, 2) three-dimensional dynamic with lumped plant elements, or 3) three-dimensional static with distinct plant elements. The second class of models is most often used when studying the neural control of 3-D eye movement, because they best represent the plant dynamics. However, they are often faulted because they make two unrealistic assumptions: 1) muscle pairs act along the three orthogonal axes ( symmetry assumption ); and 2) the force generated by the muscles depends only on their innervation ( force assumption ). It turns out that the symmetry assumption is quite benign, because in a realistic model of the plant the deviations from orthogonal axes can be easily accounted for by simple adjustments to the innervation. In contrast, the force assumption introduces some serious problems. In the present paper, the authors show that a realistic, dynamic model of the geometry of the orbit, with independent muscles, makes different predictions than a similar model with lumped muscles. This difference arises because muscle force is a function of both innervation and muscle length.
Social Inequalities: Media Approaches and Society Expectations

The article deals with the ways of media coverage of financial and ethnic distinctions in society. Analysis is based on the comparative Russian-Swedish research of regional media. The research revealed that material divides are mostly covered through several discourses: social policies aimed at elimination of material differences, information on individual solutions for financial problems, mass media as the helpline for the underprivileged. The audience in Russia finds the coverage of these problems unsatisfactory as it does not touch the structural material divides. The “disparity” discourse was apparent in discussions of ethnic divides and migration. Media also do not present ethnic differences as inequalities; they are either built into the overall context of material divides or placed into “us and they” discourse. Keywords : social inequality, regional media, public, dissonance, discourse. JEL Classifications: H75; I38; J18; Z1; Z13; Z18
Renaming and shifted code in structured merging: Looking ahead for precision and performance

Diffing and merging of source-code artifacts is an essential task when integrating changes in software versions. While state-of-the-art line-based merge tools (e.g., git merge) are fast and independent of the programming language used, they have only a low precision. Recently, it has been shown that the precision of merging can be substantially improved by using a language-aware, structured approach that works on abstract syntax trees. But, precise structured merging is NP hard, especially, when considering the notoriously difficult scenarios of renamings and shifted code. To address these scenarios without compromising scalability, we propose a syntax-aware, heuristic optimization for structured merging that employs a lookahead mechanism during tree matching. The key idea is that renamings and shifted code are not arbitrarily distributed, but their occurrence follows patterns, which we address with a syntax-specific lookahead. Our experiments with 48 real-world open-source projects (4,878 merge scenarios with over 400 million lines of code) demonstrate that we can significantly improve matching precision in 28 percent of cases while maintaining performance.
Variability and Reliability of Normal Liver 18F-FDG Standardized Uptake Value in Relation to Placement of Volume of Interest

Background: The impact of volume-of-interest (VOI) placement on liver standardized-uptake-value (SUV) measurement remains unclear. Objectives: To investigate variability and reliability of liver SUV in relation to placement of VOI within the right lobe of the liver. Patients and Methods: Positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) of 343 patients with normal liver were retrieved. Liver mean SUV (SUVmean) were measured by placing spherical VOIs at upper, portal vein and lower level of the right-lobe liver. The general linear model, Bland-Altman analysis, one-way ANOVA were performed and the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to identify impacts of reader and VOI position on variations of liver SUVmean. Results: The liver SUVmean at the upper, lower and portal vein level were 1.85 ± 0.435, 1.88 ± 0.409, and 1.89 ± 0.414, respectively, with no significant inter-location difference (P = 0.449). The coefficients of variation were close among locations (21.9% - 23.5%). The inter-location ICCs controlling for reader were 0.955 for reader 1 and 0.980 for reader 2, while the inter-reader ICCs controlling for location were between 0.930 and 0.937, indicating great reliability and reproducibility. However, inter-reader bias of SUVmean were significantly different among locations (P < 0.001). Bias at portal vein level (0.069 ± 0.112) was significantly larger than those at the upper level (0.004 ± 0.144, P < 0.001) and lower level (0.002 ± 0.136, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Liver SUVmean measured by placing VOI at the portal vein level exhibited a relatively larger variation and less precision between readers, which was not recommended.
Partisan Infighting Among House Republicans: Leaders, Factions, and Networks of Interests

Congressional parties are commonly regarded as highly unified legislative teams, but the Tea Party Caucus has revealed factional divisions with the Republican Party. Using annual ratings from 290 interest groups, we estimate the ideological locations of Republican legislators to map their party’s factional structure. We project a bipartite network of annual scores to relate interest groups by the similarity of their ratings and legislators by the similarity in which they have been rated. Cluster analysis identifies factions of moderate and extreme Republicans. Further investigation shows that Republican leaders withhold legislative rewards from both subgroups, but that moderates are denied disproportionately.
Promoting Judicial Acceptance and Use of Limited Guardianship

Guardianship comes within the special province of judges. In the great majority of guardianship hearings, there is no jury. The presiding judge is the sole arbiter of whether the alleged incapacitated person meets the legal standard of mental incapacity and whether that person would benefit from the appointment of a guardian. If a guardian is appointed, the judge determines the type and extent of the powers granted to the guardian. Of course, the judge is not simply free to follow his or her own instincts or desires, for the judge is bound to determine the facts carefully and apply the law faithfully. Still, as the saying has it, "reasonable persons can disagree," and the judge has some latitude in how he or she responds to the facts and circumstances that arise during the guardianship hearing. Within that zone of discretion, the judge may have a range or set of choices, any of which is defensible on legal and ethical grounds. No matter which course of action the judge takes, his or her decision is unlikely to be overturned on appeal. How, then, does a judge decide what to do? Put another way, what motivates a judge who presides at a guardianship hearing and how do those motivations translate into judicial action?