Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Club Drug Use Among Young Men Who Have Sex with Men in NYC: A Preliminary Epidemiological Profile

This paper describes findings from a study of young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in New York City. Using a cross-sectional design and a community-based targeted sampling approach, a total of 569 YMSM were recruited during 2000 and 2001 for a structured survey interview. High rates of lifetime exposure to a variety of club drugs (including methamphetamine, ketamine, and MDMA) are observed in the overall sample. Among those who use club drugs on a chronic basis (N = 145), we found high rates of a prior suicide attempt (including high rates of multiple suicide attempts), high rates of lifetime exposure to multiple types of drugs, high rates of current poly drug use (including multiple types of club drugs), and high rates of current depressive symptoms. Chronic club drug users had a mean CES-D score of 8.5 and nearly two-thirds had a score of 7 or more. Although high rates of condom use are reported in some types of sexual exchanges, data show multiple types of sexual risk among chronic club drug users, including high rates of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) with most frequent partners and comorbid drug use among both YMSM and their sexual partners.
High-intensity Interval Training Has Positive Effects on Performance In Ice Hockey Players

Abstract In spite of the well-known benefits that have been shown, few studies have looked at the practical applications of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on athletic performance. This study investigated the effects of a HIIT program compared to traditional continuous endurance exercise training. 24 hockey players were randomly assigned to either a continuous or high-intensity interval group during a 4-week training program. The interval group (IG) was involved in a periodized HIIT program. The continuous group (CG) performed moderate intensity cycling for 45–60 min at an intensity that was 65% of their calculated heart rate reserve. Body composition, muscle thickness, anaerobic power, and on-ice measures were assessed pre- and post-training. Muscle thickness was significantly greater in IG (p=0.01) when compared to CG. The IG had greater values for both ∆ peak power (p<0.003) and ∆ mean power (p<0.02). Additionally, IG demonstrated a faster ∆ sprint (p<0.02) and a trend (p=0.08) for faster ∆ endurance test time to completion for IG. These results indicate that hockey players may utilize short-term HIIT to elicit positive effects in muscle thickness, power and on-ice performance.
Student effort: standards vs. tournaments

In this article we compare a competency system based on an absolute standard vs. a competitive grading system (tournament) in terms of the student effort level they are able to motivate. We prove, unlike other previous work, that more risk does not always discourage effort under a competency grading system. Furthermore, relative advantage depends crucially on the nature of the noise distorting academic achievement. If systematic factors prevail then a tournament is preferred to a competency system based on absolute standards, while if idiosyncratic factors predominate the last is more efficient. Comparisons are effective only and only if the passing standard is fixed at the efficient level that promotes in the student the highest optimal effort.
Technology transfer and regional economic growth issues

This paper explores the potential of technology transfer policy as a stimulus for regional economic development. It provides information relating to university research activities and the resulting productivity growth rates in national and regional economies. Problems and barriers encountered in managing the transfer of government and university technology across organisational boundaries are addressed. The role of the US Government laboratory system, however, as a source of new technologies for regional and national growth, needs to receive more attention in scholarly literature. Endogenous growth theory and knowledge spillovers, regional technology transfer issues and technology transfer process are discussed in the paper. A survey and case studies relating to technology transfer from government laboratories are also presented.
Effects of crop rotations on carrot yield and on the nematodes Pratylenchus penetrans and Meloidogyne hapla

Carrot yield (Daucus carota) and population levels of the root-lesion nematode Pratylenchus penetrans and the northern root-knot nematode Meloidogyne hapla were measured in five rotation crops and in subsequent carrot crops at three field sites (1998-1999, 1999-2000, and 2000-2001). Total and marketable carrot yields averaged over the three sites did not differ in the crop sequences but there was a difference among sites. The total yields at sites 1, 2, and 3 were 77.86, 68.12, and 30.33 tonnes ha-1, respectively. Marketable yields were 59.04, 60.62, and 24.11 tonnes ha-1 at sites 1, 2, and 3, respectively. The lower yields were attributed primarily to less rainfall during July and August in 2001, and possibly to northern root-knot nematodes that were more prevalent at site 3. Mean levels of root-lesion nematodes in soil were highest (2690 nematodes kg-1) in carrot that followed timothy (Phleum pratense cv. Common), lowest (1100 nematodes kg-1) in carrots that followed marigold (Tagetes erecta cv. Crackerjack), and intermediate after barley (Hordeum vulgare cv. Chapais), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum cv. Millet 101), and annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum cv. Lemtal). Root-lesion nematode populations were also lower in marigold than in the other crops. Northern root-knot nematodes were not detected in rotation crops. The study indicated that carrot yields did not differ irrespective of the previous crop, but root-lesion nematode populations in soil at harvest were highest in carrots that followed timothy and lowest in carrots that followed marigolds. Population levels of root-knot nematodes in carrots did not differ among the crop sequences.
Crisis in the Cockpit? The Role of Market Forces in Promoting Air Travel Safety

This article examines the brand-name effect of airline crashes. These disasters raise several financial issues. A crash represents the loss of a plane, the loss of lives, the loss of scheduling capacity, higher insurance costs, and the potential loss of consumer goodwill. This article focuses on the last of these. Are consumers reluctant to fly with airlines that have poor safety records or do they treat crashes merely as random events that bear no reflection on the quality of the airline?
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy

Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was first reported in the United Kingdom in 1987 as a previously unrecognized spongiform encephalopathy affecting dairy cows (1). Bovine spongiform encephalopathy is grouped with a number of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies affecting a range of animal species, the more important of which are scrapie of sheep and goats, transmissible mink encephalopathy of ranched mink, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease of man. Up to October 1993, approximately 114 000 adult cattle had been destroyed in the United Kingdom under the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy Order as amended in 1988 and 1991. The postulate that BSE resulted from the ingestion of meat and bone meal contaminated with a scrapie-like agent (2) has been supported only indirectly by epidemiological data (3). There are no reports of experimental data that demonstrate that scrapie can be transmitted to cattle by the oral route. The introduction of a ban on the inclusion of ruminant-derived protein in cattle rations in July 1988 has resulted in a reduction in the incidence of BSE in younger cattle since 1991 (4), which has continued during 1993. This report describes the clinical and laboratory findings in a cow, confirmed as a case of BSE on histological examination of brain tissue by regulatory authorities, born 14 mo following the introduction of the ban on ruminant-derived protein feed. The subject was a 4-year-old cow, 8 months pregnant with her 3rd calf, in a herd of 220 pedigreed British Holsteins, owned by the University of Edinburgh, which had experienced no previous cases of BSE. During August 1993, the subject was frequently observed by the farmer to separate herself from the remainder of the dry cow group. Following calving on September 15, 1993, she displayed pelvic limb ataxia, which progressively increased in severity. She occasionally slipped on wet concrete floors and had difficulty in raising herself. She was isolated in a loose box and presented for veterinary examination on October 6, 1993. She had a history of having had a poor milk yield and a rapid weight loss since calving. During her second lactation, she had yielded 5845 kg of milk at 3.81% butterfat and 3.13% protein, and she had no history of illness during that lactation. The cow's dam and older sibling were still present in the herd and showed no signs of illness. No further cases of BSE have occurred in the herd in the subsequent 12-month period to October 1, 1994.
Expression of CCR6 in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma and its effects on epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most common esophageal cancer associated with poor prognosis. We detected the expression of C-C motif chemokine receptor 6 (CCR6) and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers in esophageal tissues/cells, and evaluated the effects of CCR6 on ESCC cells proliferation, migration and invasion in response to C-C motif chemokine ligand 20 (CCL20) treatment. Our data showed CCR6 was highly expressed in ESCC cell lines (ECA-109 and TE-1), whereas kept in a low expression in normal cell lines HEEC (P < 0.001). CCL20 stimulus induced a significant decrease in the proliferation ability of ESCC (P < 0.05). The healing speed of CCL20 group was significantly higher than control in ECA-109 (P < 0.01), whereas significantly lower in αCCR6+CCL20 group than CCL20 group (P < 0.05). The number of cells permeabling through the polycarbonate membrane in CCL20 group was higher than control (P < 0.01). The cell number in αCCR6+CCL20 group was significantly reduced compared to CCL20 group in ECA-109 (P < 0.05). Moreover, after CCL20 stimulated in ECA-109, both mRNA and protein level of E-cadherin significantly decreased compared to control, while Vimentin was significantly higher. In αCCR6+CCL20 group, mRNA and protein level of E-cadherin significantly increased compared to CCL20 group, while Vimentin was much lower than CCL20 group. There was no significant difference in TE-1. In summary, high expression of CCR6 existed in the lymph node metastasis and TNM stage of ESCC. CCR6 play an important role in the regulation of tumor cell proliferation, invasion and migration. CCR6 may participate in regulating the occurrence of EMT in ESCC.
High performance poly Si junctionless transistors with sub-5nm conformally doped layers by molecular monolayer doping and microwave incorporating CO2 laser annealing for 3D stacked ICs applications

A junctionless (JL) fin thin film transistor (FinTFT) with a novel shell doping profile (SDP) formed by a damage-free conformal molecular monolayer doping (MLD) method and a combination of microwave annealing (MWA) and CO2 laser spike annealing (COLSA) is demonstrated and studied. MWA drives in and partially activates the MLD dopants; the resultant SDP features an ultra-shallow depth (<; 5nm) and an abrupt steepness (<; 0.8 nm/dec). The dopant activation of the devices experienced MLD and MWA is further enhanced by the nonmelting COLSA without dopant diffusion, and which can also avoid fin deformation and recover surface defects left by fin patterning. Thanks to the enhanced dopant activation by COLSA, the SDP-FinTFTs overall exhibit better performance than the SDP-FinTFTs without COLSA and the conventional implanted (imp) FinTFTs in terms of subthreshold swing (S.S.), on-currents (Ion by 160% compared to the SDP-FinTFTs without COLSA) and on/off current ratio (Ion/Ioff >107) for 3D stacked ICs applications. Our results reveal the potential of the proposed SDP formed by MLD, MWA and COLSA enabling a JLFinTFT showing excellent performance.
The operating leverage impact on systematic risk within a context of choice: An analysis of the US trucking industry

Purpose - Strategic cost structure choices determine how firms divide operating costs between fixed and variable components, and therefore have important implications for financial performance. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effect of operating leverage on equity Betas when managers have discretion over firms' cost structures. Design/methodology/approach - Using panel data for publicly listed trucking firms over years 1994-2006, market model Betas are regressed on controls and alternatively measured proxies for operating leverage: degree of operating leverage, assets in place and percentage of company employed drivers. Findings - Results of this study generally show positively significant coefficients on all three operating leverage variables. Originality/value - Operating characteristics of many industries require that firms make substantial investments in long-lived assets that result in high fixed costs (e.g. depreciation), and for these firms cost structure is exogenously or technologically constrained leaving managers with little discretion. In contrast to these types of firms, the authors examine the effect of operating leverage (OL) on Betas when managers have discretion over firms' cost structures. Trucking firms are a particularly interesting industry group for analyzing the impact of operating OL choices on Beta because distinct strategic cost structure choices are available to the management of trucking firms that result in various degrees of OL throughout the industry.
The components of bid‐ask spread and their determinants: TAIFEX versus SGX‐DT

This paper compares the intraday components of bid-ask spread in Taiwan stock index futures traded on Taiwan Futures Exchange (TAIFEX) and Singapore Exchange Derivatives Trading Limited (SGX-DT). Variables that determine the components of spread are also examined. SGX-DT uses a floor trading system while TAIFEX uses an electronic call system. This study finds that both information asymmetry and order processing cost components exhibit U-shaped patterns in the two markets, in contrast to previous findings for U.S. equity markets. Moreover, the information asymmetry components are lower in the TAIFEX relative to the SGX-DT futures, suggesting that the continuous open outcry markets are more vulnerable to information asymmetry than the electronic call markets. The regression results show that volatility and information are the major determinants of the components while number of trades is not the major determinant of the order processing and information asymmetry components for both markets. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 24:835–860, 2004
Transport and deposition patterns in drying sessile droplets

The literature on drying sessile droplets and deposition of suspended material is reviewed including the simple explanation of the “coffee ring” deposit given by Deegan et al.1 Analytical and numerical solutions for the flow are given, including the effect of Marangoni stresses, pinning or movement of the contact line, and viscous, thermal, gravitational, and other effects. The solution space is explored using dimensionless groups governing mass, momentum, and heat transfer effects in the droplet, external gas, and substrate. The most common types of deposition patterns are summarized, including those produced by pinned contact lines, sticking-and-slipping contact lines, and Marangoni effects. The influence of contact-line deposits is also reviewed, and the effects of colloidal, polymeric, and other depositing materials. Advanced applications from ink-jet printing to disease diagnosis are discussed as well. The review helps readers take stock of what has been learned and what remains incompletely explained. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1538–1571, 2014
Nicotine reversal of anticonvulsant action of topiramate in kainic acid-induced seizure model in mice.

INTRODUCTION Tobacco smoking is a widespread phenomenon, and nicotine is the addictive component of tobacco. Nicotine acts through nicotinic cholinergic receptors and has been associated with different types of psychophysical disorders in human beings. The present study had explored the proconvulsive action of nicotine and its effect on the antiseizure efficacy of topiramate against kainic acid (KA)-induced seizures in mice. METHODS The study had evaluated the dose-response curves for nicotine and KA and for KA in nicotine-pretreated mice and for topiramate against KA-induced seizures. Mecamylamine was used to antagonize the nicotinic receptor-mediated actions of nicotine. CD50 (convulsive dose in 50% of animals) for KA and nicotine and ED50 (effective dose in 50% of animals as anticonvulsant) for topiramate were determined. Brain lipid peroxidation studies were also undertaken in the treated mice. RESULTS Nicotine significantly potentiated the convulsive action of KA acid and reduced the CD50 (95% confidence limits [CL]) value for KA from 2.6 mg/kg (2.3-3.1) to 1.4 mg/kg (0.9-2.1), intraperitoneally (i.p.). Topiramate pretreatment significantly inhibited KA-induced seizures and brain lipid peroxidation with ED50 (95% CL) value of 21.90 mg/kg (17.3-28.2), i.p. Nicotine pretreatment caused dose-dependent antagonism to the antiseizure and antilipid peroxidative actions of topiramate. Mecamylamine had antagonized the proconvulsant action of nicotine. CONCLUSION The study highlights the fact that intake of nicotine, through agonism to nAChR, might predispose epileptic patients to lower seizure threshold and induce a state of refractoriness to the protective effects of the antiepileptic drugs, resulting in possible breakthrough seizure attacks.
An Empirical Investigation into the Cause of Economic Growth in the Third World using Full Information Maximum Likelihood Estimators

Many empirical studies of economic growth in Third World countries are cross-national studies that have adopted single-equation OLS estimation to identify the determinants of economic growth. The problem with such an approach is that it often suffers from simultaneity bias. The present study adopts Full Information Maximum Likelihood Estimators. The analysis in this paper reveals that simultaneity must not be dismissed and that the conclusions drawn from standard OLS analysis are to be interpreted carefully and in many cases not taken seriously.
Risikofaktoren für Suizide und Suizidversuche an einem Universitätsklinikum

Zusammenfassung Anliegen: Prävalenz und Prädiktoren für Suizide/Suizidversuche während einer stationär-psychiatrischen Behandlung. Methode: Die Basisdokumentation (BADO) der Psychiatrischen Klinik der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (1995 – 2010) wurde hinsichtlich Suizide/Suizidversuche untersucht, um Risikofaktoren mit einem multivariaten logistischen Regressionsmodellen zu identifizieren. Ergebnisse: Von 16 251 berücksichtigten Patienten begingen 42 Suizid und 166 einen Suizidversuch (ohne Suizid). Folgende Risikofaktoren für einen Suizid im stationären Setting wurden identifiziert: männliches Geschlecht, eine höhere Anzahl früherer stationär-psychiatrischer Behandlungen, Suizidalität gemäß klinischem Eindruck bei Aufnahme bzw. Suizidversuch im Vorfeld der klinischen Aufnahme, affektive (F3) und schizophrene (F2) Erkrankung. Risikofaktoren für einen stationären Suizidversuch waren: weibliches Geschlecht, emotional instabile Persönlichkeitsstörung (F60.3), affektive (F3) und schizophrene (F2) Erkrankung, eine höhere Anzahl früherer stationär-psychiatrischer Behandlungen, Suizidalität gemäß klinischem Eindruck bei Aufnahme bzw. Suizidversuch im Vorfeld der klinischen Aufnahme, kürzere Erkrankungsdauer und Erkrankungsbeginn in jüngeren Jahren. Schlussfolgerung: Eine differenzierte Beachtung der identifizierten Risikofaktoren ist im klinischen Alltag erforderlich.
Approximation-Based Discrete-Time Adaptive Position Tracking Control for Interior Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors

This paper considers the problem of discrete-time adaptive position tracking control for a interior permanent magnet synchronous motor (IPMSM) based on fuzzy-approximation. Fuzzy logic systems are used to approximate the nonlinearities of the discrete-time IPMSM drive system which is derived by direct discretization using Euler method, and a discrete-time fuzzy position tracking controller is designed via backstepping approach. In contrast to existing results, the advantage of the scheme is that the number of the adjustable parameters is reduced to two only and the problem of coupling nonlinearity can be overcome. It is shown that the proposed discrete-time fuzzy controller can guarantee the tracking error converges to a small neighborhood of the origin and all the signals are bounded. Simulation results illustrate the effectiveness and the potentials of the theoretic results obtained.
Postoperative outcomes and reliability of “sensation‐sparing” sural nerve biopsy

Sural nerve biopsy is a valuable tool for the diagnosis of neuropathic disorders. However, concerns of persisting pain and numbness resulting from traditional whole sural nerve biopsy have led to interfascicular dissection techniques with inconsistent benefits over whole nerve biopsy. In this study we describe a novel technique of atraumatic anterior fascicular sural nerve biopsy designed to preserve calcaneal sensation while maintaining diagnostic benefit, without requiring significant interfascicular dissection. A 10‐year chart review was conducted to identify patients who underwent anterior fascicular sural nerve biopsy. Pathology reports were reviewed to confirm specimen adequacy, and clinical notes were reviewed to determine if a diagnosis was rendered. Retrospective questionnaires were conducted to evaluate perioperative and long‐term sequelae and patient satisfaction. The proportion of patients with symptoms involving the heel versus the dorsolateral foot was evaluated with Fisher's exact test. Specimens from all 53 patients were acceptable and permitted a diagnosis. Twenty‐two patients completed the retrospective survey with an average follow‐up of 5 years (1.2–11.4 years). Eight patients (34%) experienced numbness of the dorsolateral foot, and 1 patient (4.5%) reported numbness of the lateral heel that lasted >6 months (P = 0.001). Persistent dorsolateral foot pain and cold sensitivity were reported by 5 patients (22.7%), but no patients reported lateral heel symptoms (P = 0.04). Symptoms were noted by patients most commonly while standing or walking, but they did not result in functional impairment in any case. Atraumatic anterior fascicular sural nerve biopsy predictably preserved essential lateral heel sensation in patients with neuropathic disorders while providing diagnostic utility. Muscle Nerve 40: 603–609, 2009