Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gluteal Muscle Group Activation and its Relationship With Pelvis and Torso Kinematics in High-School Baseball Pitchers

Oliver, GD and Keeley, DW. Gluteal muscle group activation and its relationship with pelvis and torso kinematics in high-school baseball pitchers. J Strength Cond Res 24(11): 3015-3022, 2010-The purpose of this study was to examine the activation patterns of the gluteal muscle group and their relationship to pelvis and torso kinematics throughout the high-school pitching motion. A single group, repeated-measures design was used to collect gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscle activity through surface electromyography for the preferred and nonpreferred sides during the various phases of the pitching motion. In addition, data describing the kinematics of the pelvis and torso were collected at foot contact, maximum shoulder external rotation, ball release, and maximum shoulder internal rotation. For all pitchers, preferred gluteus maximus activity was observed to be in excess of 100% of their maximum voluntary isometric contraction throughout the stride and arm-cocking phases of the pitching motion. The observed means for the preferred gluteus medius, nonpreferred gluteus maximus, and nonpreferred gluteus medius, although different in magnitude, were similar in pattern. From the conclusion of the stride phase, through the conclusion of the arm-cocking phase, muscle activity increased for all pitchers. In examining the relationship between the rate of axial pelvis rotation and gluteal activity, several significant relationships were observed. In contrast, no significant relationships were observed with gluteal activity parameters and the rate of axial torso rotation. However, because the pitching motion progresses sequentially from the pelvis to the torso, variability in pelvis rotation may be directly related to variability in torso rotation. The findings from this study indicate that during the baseball pitch, there is a need for greater control of gluteal activation throughout the pitching motion.
Evaluation of the effect of smoking on complete blood counts, serum C-reactive protein and magnesium levels in healthy adult male smokers.

OBJECTIVE To examine the effect of smoking on complete blood count, serum C-reactive protein and magnesium levels in male smokers. METHODS The prospective case-control study was conducted in two villages of Matiari district in rural Sindh, Pakistan, from July to December 2013, and comprised healthy adult male smokers and an equal number of matching non-smokers as controls.The complete blood count, serum C-reactive protein and magnesium levels in all the subjects were measured to assess the effect of smoking on these parameters. RESULTS The two groups had 48 subjects each with an overall age range of 20-40 years. The results of complete blood count were comparable except for lymphocyte, which was significantly higher (p<0.001), and neutrophil, which was lower (p<0.001) in smokers than in the non-smokers. Serum C-reactive protein concentrations among the cases (14.62±0.16mg/L) compared to the controls (4.81±0.38mg/L) were significantly higher (p<0.001). However, reverse was true for serum magnesium levels which were significantly higher (p<0.001) in the controls (2.52±0.18mg/L) as against the cases (1.09±0.38mg/dl). Serum C-reactive protein-to-magnesium ratio was significantly higher (p<0.001) in smokers than in the non-smokers. CONCLUSION Lymphocyte count was higher while neutrophil count was lower in smokers. Smoking also caused significant increase in serum C-reactive protein concentration concomitant to decrease in magnesium concentration in the smokers.
Prevalence of Self-Management Versus Formal Service Use for Common Mental Disorders in Australia: Findings from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

Objective: To determine the proportion of Australian adults who use non-practitioner led support services and self-management strategies for common mental disorders. Method: Data were drawn from the 2007 National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing, a representative survey of 8841 Australian adults aged 16 to 85 years. This survey included the Composite International Diagnostic Instrument to obtain diagnosis of International Classification of Diseases (Version 10; ICD-10) mental disorders. Information about consultations with health professionals for mental health problems and the use of support services and self-management strategies was also collected. Results: Half of all adults who met the criteria for an affective or anxiety disorder in the last 12 months reported using non-practitioner led support services and/or self-management strategies for their mental health problems. Six per cent used support services, including Internet and non-online support groups and telephone counselling, and 51.9% used self-management strategies such as doing ‘more of the things you enjoy’ to ‘help deal with’ their mental health problems. Of people with a 12-month common mental disorder, 24% used support services and/or self-management strategies without additional formal services; 29.3% used both. Of adults with a 12-month affective or anxiety disorder, 37% used neither formal services nor self-management strategies. A substantial proportion of people who reported using self-management strategies for their mental health did not have a diagnosable affective or anxiety disorder. Conclusions: The use of non-practitioner led support services and self-management strategies for mental health problems, with and without adjunct use of formal health services, is widespread in Australia. Future research is needed to investigate why people may select these strategies over formal services, or whether self-management reflects the presence of barriers to use of formal services.
A New On-Orbit Geometric Self-Calibration Approach for the High-Resolution Geostationary Optical Satellite GaoFen4

With the successful launch of GaoFen4 (GF4), on-orbit high accuracy geometric calibration for the high-resolution geostationary optical satellite will be a new research topic. With the improvement in the geometric resolution from geostationary orbit, it will become more and more difficult to meet the requirements of both high geometric resolution and large coverage for the available reference data. The purpose of this paper is to explore a new self-calibration mode for GF4 and future high-resolution geostationary optical area array cameras based on the fewest ground control points (GCPs). To overcome the problems of overparameterization, strong correlation and lower significance of the traditional rigorous imaging model, the simplified physical internal model is proposed, and its effectiveness in describing and compensating for the camera internal distortion is verified. Based on the simplified physical internal model, the self-calibration method based on two GCPs and evenly distributed tie points of two images is proposed for the high accuracy estimation of the calibration parameters. The GCPs can be used to provide the absolute geographical constraints for scale information, and the tie points can be used to provide the global constraints for optimum estimation. After calibration, the internal distortion is well compensated, and the positioning accuracy with relatively few GCPs is shown to be better than 1.0 pixels for both the panchromatic and near-infrared sensor and the intermediate infrared sensor. This paper will provide a new usable concept and approach for the future higher resolution geostationary area array optical camera to overcome the stringent requirements of both high resolution and a large area of reference data for the traditional calibration method.
Clinical features and predictive markers of disease progression in cynomolgus monkeys experimentally infected with simian immunodeficiency virus

ObjectiveTo study the pathogenicity of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIVsm) in cynomolgus monkeys in order to establish an animal model for human AIDS. MethodsThirty-three cynomolgus monkeys were monitored for more than 2 years following experimental infection with SIVsm. ResultsAll the macaques became SIV-infected, as demonstrated by virus recovery from peripheral blood lymphocytes and by the appearance of viral antibodies. SIVsm was found to be pathogenic, killing 29 out of the 33 monkeys (88%) within 26 months. Clinically, infected monkeys developed lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, diarrhoea, weight loss, neurological symptoms and a remarkably high incidence (39%) of malignant lymphomas. All lymphomas were high-grade malignant and of B-cell origin. Disease progression was associated with low CD4+ lymphocyte count, involution of initially hyperplastic follicular B-cell areas in lymph nodes, reappearance of viral antigen in serum, loss of anti-Gag antibodies and development of systemic giant cell disease in 55% of the monkeys. ConclusionsThere are many similarities between SIVsm-induced AIDS in cynomolgus monkeys and human AIDS with regard to clinical, virological, immunological and pathological manifestations.
Hemodynamic Actions of Insulin in Rat Skeletal Muscle: Evidence for Capillary Recruitment

Insulin-induced increases in blood flow are hypothesized to enhance overall glucose uptake by skeletal muscle. Whether the insulin-mediated changes in blood flow are associated with altered blood flow distribution and increased capillary recruitment in skeletal muscle is not known. In the present study, the effects of insulin on hemodynamic parameters in rat skeletal muscle in vivo were investigated. Mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, femoral blood flow, hind leg vascular resistance, and glucose uptake were measured in control and euglycemic insulin-clamped (10 mU · min−1 · kg−1) anesthetized rats. Blood flow distribution within the hind leg muscles was assessed by measuring the metabolism of 1-methylxanthine (1-MX), an exogenously added substrate for capillary xanthine oxidase. Insulin treatment had no effect on heart rate but significantly increased arterial blood pressure (12 mmHg) and femoral blood flow (80%) and decreased hind leg vascular resistance (31%). Changes were similar in magnitude and in time of onset to those reported in humans. Insulin treatment increased hind leg glucose uptake approximately fourfold and also increased hind leg 1-MX metabolism by 50%, suggesting increased exposure to endothelial xanthine oxidase. To ascertain whether the increased 1-MX metabolism was simply due to increased bulk femoral blood flow, epinephrine was infused at a dose (0.125 pg · min−1 · kg−1) chosen to match the insulin-induced increase in femoral blood flow. This dose of epinephrine had no significant effects on arterial blood pressure or heart rate but increased femoral blood flow and lowered hind leg vascular resistance to a similar extent as insulin. Epinephrine did not significantly alter 1-MX metabolism as compared with control animals. These results demonstrate that insulin increases total hind leg blood flow and metabolism of 1-MX, suggesting a recruitment of capillary blood flow in rat hind leg not mimicked by epinephrine.
Treatment classification of Class III malocclusion.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to identify Class III malocclusions within a pediatric practice that lend themselves to a more favorable treatment outcome at an earlier age (before 10 years) rather than initiating treatment at later adolescent growth stages and also to identify the degree of difficulty of the treatment of the Class III malocclusion. METHODS Review of the current dental literature pertaining to the different clinical types of Class III malocclusions and their respective treatment protocols was performed. Various classification systems were studied and compared. A new treatment classification system of Class III malocclusions utilizing three dentoalveolar and three skeletal components combined with cephalometric information derived from commonly used cephalometric analyses was developed. RESULTS Class III treatment types were conclusively identified: 1. ) Early orthodontics only, 2. ) Early combined orthodontics and orthopedics, 3. ) Combined orthodontics and orthognathic surgery. CONCLUSIONS The conclusion supports Edward H. Angle's finding: "In studying a case of malocclusion, give no thought to the methods of treatment or appliances until the case shall have been classified and all peculiarities and variations from the normal type, occlusion and facial lines have been thoroughly comprehended. Then the requirements and proper plan of treatment becomes apparent".
Chapter 1 Wheat Evolution , Domestication , and Improvement

Cereals, including wheat (Triticum spp.), rice (Oryza sativa L.), and maize (Zea mays L.), are the major food crops for all humans and are the principal resources that have led to the emergence of human civilization as we know it today. Domestication of cereals during the past 10 millennia is one of the most dramatic demonstrations involving humans’ manipulation of the evolutionary processes of speciation, natural selection, and adaptation. Plant domestication revolutionized human cultural evolution and is primarily responsible for the advances that have occurred in our civilization. A post-Pleistocene global temperature increase following the ice age may have induced the expansion of economically important thermophilous plants, which in turn promoted the change from a world of hunter–gatherer societies to complex foraging and plant-cultivating societies. The shift from foraging to steady production defi nitely led to the occurrence of an incipient agriculture in many parts of the world and to a decline in genetic diversity of the world’s crops, which has been accelerated by domestication and the recent breeding of modern cultivars. The evolution of domestication should be considered in two main contexts: (i) the evolution of new species of crop plants by humans through strong artifi cial selection (see Darwin 1859); (ii) the evolution of human civilizations, and the current consequences of population explosion and increasing world hunger in developing countries. Both contexts provide fascinating insight into the evolutionary process. SUMMARY
S-crystallin and arginine kinase bind F-actin in light- and dark-adapted octopus retinas

Purpose. Rhabdomere microvilli dramatically reorganize in conditions of light and dark. This reorganization involves remodeling of the microvillus actin cytoskeleton. We are using the rhabdomeric retina of Octopus bimaculoides to identify actin-binding proteins that may be involved in this remodeling. Methods. Octopus were light-/dark-adapted, retinas separated into dorsal and ventral halves, and homogenized. Actin-binding proteins were recognized using F-actin overlay blot assays and selected proteins from the overlays were identified using N-terminal sequencing methods or mass spectroscopy. Protein concentrations were quantified and compared by statistical analysis. Results. Total protein gels of light-/dark-adapted, ventral/dorsal halves were almost identical except for a protein band at 26 kD. The relative amount of this protein in the dark was almost double that found in the light. The levels of other proteins did not vary significantly between the light and dark. F-actin overlays also showed matching patterns of actinbinding proteins except for the 26 kD protein. Although the 26 kD protein from light-adapted retinas transferred to the blotting membranes, it did not bind F-actin while the 26 kD protein on overlays from dark-adapted retinas always demonstrated F-actin binding. Besides the 26 kD protein, other proteins at 200 kD, 80 kD, 40 kD appeared on the overlays. These proteins and the 26 kD protein were sequenced and identified as hemocynanin, transitional ER ATPase, arginine kinase and S-crystallin, respectively. Conclusions. The amount of S-crystallin present in the octopus retina is significantly greater in dark-adapted retinas and it binds to F-actin. In the light, the level of S-crystallin is greatly reduced and there is no apparent F-actin binding. No other studies, to our knowledge, show that S-crystallin binds to the actin cytoskeleton or that its expression is regulated by light. Arginine kinase may provide energy for cytoskeletal remodeling as it may in other neural tissues.
The Marketing of Guns to Women: Factors Influencing Gun-Related Attitudes and Gun Ownership by Women

The authors examine factors that influence women's attitudes toward guns and the ownership of firearms. They investigate the recent promotion of guns and gun-related products to women within the framework of the current problems facing American women (e.g., safety). The authors conduct two studies; the first tests the effect of gun-related advertisements on women's and men's attitudes toward owning guns or firearms, in general. The second examines how social and personal experiences influence women's attitudes toward guns. The authors apply their results to public policy and marketing concerns by addressing issues of legality and ethics in the sale and promotion of firearms.
Artificial saliva contamination effects on bond strength of self-etching primers.

OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that there is no difference in the bond strength with or without contamination with artificial saliva when using two different self-etching primers (Transbond Plus and iBond) in comparison with a conventional acid-etching method (37% phosphoric acid and Transbond XT) for bonding of orthodontic brackets. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred fifty extracted human premolars were randomly allocated to six different groups, with 25 teeth in each group. Orthodontic metal brackets (APC II, Victory Twin 22 UNIV) were used. For contamination, a saliva replacement (Ptyalin) was applied. After contamination the surface was air-dried for 5 seconds and the bonding procedure continued. The bonded teeth were stored in deionized water at 37 degrees C for 30 days and then thermocycled for 24 hours before debonding with a universal testing machine. The load was recorded at bond failure. The location of adhesive failure was determined under magnification using the adhesive remnant index (ARI). RESULTS Clinically acceptable bond strengths were found for all primers used in this study. The contamination by saliva significantly decreased the bond strength when using the conventional acid-etching method (t = 0.0001). Self-etching primers were less influenced by saliva contamination. There was no significant difference in the ARI score among the groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS Saliva contamination significantly decreased the bond strength when the conventional acid-etching method was used. The self-etching primers were influenced the least. The bond strengths achieved for the self-etching primers and the conventional etching method after saliva contamination were not significantly different.
Cic1, an adaptor protein specifically linking the 26S proteasome to its substrate, the SCF component Cdc4

In eukaryotes, the ubiquitin–proteasome system plays a major role in selective protein breakdown for cellular regulation. Here we report the discovery of a new essential component of this degradation machinery. We found the Saccharomyces cerevisiae protein Cic1 attached to 26S proteasomes playing a crucial role in substrate specificity for proteasomal destruction. Whereas degradation of short‐lived test proteins is not affected, cic1 mutants stabilize the F‐box proteins Cdc4 and Grr1, substrate recognition subunits of the SCF complex. Cic1 interacts in vitro and in vivo with Cdc4, suggesting a function as a new kind of substrate recruiting factor or adaptor associated with the proteasome.
Development, differentiation and manipulation of chicken germ cells

Germ cells are the only cell type capable of transmitting genetic information to the next generation. During development, they are set aside from all somatic cells of the embryo. In many species, germ cells form at the fringe of the embryo proper and then traverse through several developing somatic tissues on their migration to the emerging gonads. Primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the only cells in developing embryos with the potential to transmit genetic information to the next generation. Unlike other species, in avian embryos, PGCs use blood circulation for transport to the future gonadal region. This unique accessibility of avian PGCs during early development provides an opportunity to collect and transplant PGCs. The recent development of methods for production of germline chimeras by transfer of PGCs, and long‐term cultivation methods of chicken PGCs without losing their germline transmission ability have provided important breakthroughs for the preservation of germplasm , for the production of transgenic birds and study the germ cell system. This review will describe the development, migration, differentiation and manipulation of germ cells, and discuss the prospects that germ cell technologies offer for agriculture, biotechnology and academic research.
Risk assessment in the face-based watchlist screening in e-borders

This paper concerns with facial-based watch list technology as a component of automated border control machines deployed in e-borders. The key task of the watch list technology is to mitigate effects of mis-identification and impersonation. To address this problem, we developed a novel cost-based model of traveler risk assessment and proved its efficiency via intensive experiments using large-scale facial databases. The results of this study are applicable to any biometric modality to be used in watch list technology.
Explaining Job Searching Through Social Networking Sites: A Structural Equation Model Approach

This paper examines job searching among employed job seekers through the social networking sites. One hundred ninety survey questionnaires were distributed to employed job seekers who have used online social networking sites via the snowball sampling approach. The collected data were analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique via the Analysis of Moment Structure (AMOS 16) computer program. The results showed that perceived usefulness and perceived enjoyment are positively and significantly related to the behavioural intention to use online social networking sites as a job search tool, whereas perceived ease of use is not positively and significantly related. The study implies that the developers of online social networking sites must provide additional useful functionalities or tools to help users with their job searches. These sites must also assure that they do not disclose individualsâ€™ private and confidential information without the consent. The paper provides insight for employed jobseekers by using online social networking sites as a job search tool.