Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strength and Power Predictors of Swimming Starts in International Sprint Swimmers

West, DJ, Owen, NJ, Cunningham, DJ, Cook, CJ, and Kilduff, LP. Strength and power predictors of swimming starts in international sprint swimmers. J Strength Cond Res 25(4): 950-955, 2011-Start performance (as defined by time to 15 m) has been shown to be a key performance indicator during 50-m freestyle swimming; however, there is limited information with regard to the key strength and power variables that influence start performance during sprint swimming. In light of the above, this study aimed to examine the key strength and power predicators of start performance in 50-m freestyle swimming. Eleven male British international sprint swimmers (age 21.3 ± 1.7 years; mass 78.1 ± 11.2 kg; and height 1.8 ± 0.1 m) participated in this study. Within 1 week, swimmers performed the following tests: 3 repetition maximum (3RM) squat strength, countermovement jump (CMJ) on a portable force platform, and a measure of start time performance (time to 15 m under 50-m freestyle conditions). The start time was measured using a standard racing platform to which a portable force platform was mounted, and all starts were recorded using 2 cameras. This setup allowed for the quantification of time to 15 m, peak vertical force (PVF), and peak horizontal force (PHF). Data were analyzed using Pearson's product moment correlation with significance set at p < 0.05. Start time was significantly related to 1RM strength (r = −0.74), jump height (r = −0.69), peak (r = −0.85), and relative power (r = −0.66) (p < 0.05) but not rate of force development (r = −0.56, p > 0.05). Furthermore, lower body strength was a key determinant of jump height (r = 0.69), power (r = 0.78), PVF (r = 0.62), and PHF (r = 0.71) (p < 0.05). This study provides evidence of the importance of lower body strength and power to start time in international 50-m sprint swimmers.
Organic Agriculture in China: do property rights matter?

Since the early 1990s, the Chinese government has been promoting organic agriculture as an alternative to the ‘conventional’ agriculture practised in the Chinese countryside. The latter uses increasingly large amounts of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and, as a result, threatens the environmental sustainability of the rural economy. Though absolute numbers of organic farmers remain small, there has been a dramatic increase in their rate of growth since 1995, aided and abetted by the work of the Chinese Organic Food Development Centre (OFDC) in Nanjing established in that year. In 2002, the OFDC gained full international accreditation and recognition, allowing Chinese organic products certified by it to be sold in lucrative markets throughout the world. At the same time, there is a vigorous debate going on inside China regarding changes in property rights over land, with many scholars advocating full privatisation. This paper, through case study research, contributes to this debate in the context of the extension of organic farming in China. It examines current land rights arrangements in nine organic villages in different parts of the Chinese countryside to investigate whether they are conducive to organic agriculture expansion or hostile to it. On the basis of this research, it argues that the extant ‘partially privatised common property regime’ associated with the Household Responsibility System, when combined with appropriate collective arrangements amongst farmers, can be a satisfactory basis for the adoption of organic agriculture, particularly amongst China's poorest farmers. As a result, it concludes that the Chinese government should encourage those collective arrangements rather than risk new forms of instability as well as environmental unsustainability through wholesale land privatisation.
Del manejo de personal a la dirección de personas

Este documento aborda el tema del factor humano en organizaciones bogotanas. Busca exponer una perspectiva critica al “manejo” que algunas empresas les dan a sus trabajadores. Por ello parte de la pregunta: ? Realmente las empresas les dan a las personas el valor que dicen darle? En el texto se asumen dos perspectivas: la gestion de recursos humanos y la gestion humana. De un lado, el articulo describe sucintamente tres falencias en los procesos de administracion de personal y, del otro, evidencia algunos elementos excluidos por la direccion de las organizaciones, tales como la necesidad de dialogo y el hecho de que toda persona necesita ser reconocida como tal por los otros para lograr su seguridad ontologica.
Domain-dependent and Observer-dependent Follow-up of Human Activity - A Normative Multi-agent Approach

We propose in this paper a novel approach for human activity follow-up that draws on a distinction between domain-dependent and observer-dependent viewpoints. While the domain-dependent (or intrinsic) viewpoint calls for the follow-up and interpretation of human activity per se, the observer-dependent (or extrinsic) viewpoint calls for a more subjective approach, which may involve an evaluative dimension, regarding the human activity or the interpretation process itself. Of interest are the mutual dependencies that tie both processes over time: the observer viewpoint is known to shape domain-dependent interpretation, while domain-dependent interpretation is core to the evolution of the observer viewpoint. We make a case for using a normative multi-agent approach to design monitoring systems articulating both viewpoints. We illustrate the proposed approach potential by examples from daily life scenarios.
CURRENT CHALLENGES IN THE ECONOMICS OF TRANSPORT SYSTEMS – a stakeholder and club good approach

In this article, after discussing the concept of transport systems and the importance of its sustainability, stakeholder theory and club good theory are presented as useful instruments for analyzing different challenges for the sustainability of transport systems. This approach goes beyond the traditional discussion on private vs. public ownership or provision, and may better grasp the increasing complexity of transport systems. Stakeholders have different strengths and different priorities which may trade-off. This creates serious challenges for the sustainability of transport systems as well as its influence on the quality of life of different stakeholders. It will be argued that there exists the threat of transport systems to become a kind of club good by excluding parts of society from access and other benefits.
Fiscal Adjustment, The Real Exchange Rate and Australia's External Imbalance

This article examines issues of relevance to Australia's external imbalance. We investigate the sharp fiscal consolidation over the past five years and examine why it did not reduce the current account deficit. We show that a disproportionate part of the fiscal consolidation was achieved by cutting public investment spending, and we discuss some of the negative consequences of such cuts. We compare the macroeconomic behaviour of six OECD countries which have recently increased net government savings. It has been a common experience that an increase in net government saving has not been associated with a reduction in the current account deficit. For Australia, we establish that the link between fiscal consolidation and a smaller current account deficit was severed by a private sector investment surge. This leads us to examine the behaviour of the relative price critical to the allocation of this investment between the traded and non-traded sectors - the real exchange rate. Over the medium term, we argue that a substantial real depreciation is necessary as part of the adjustment required to stabilise the ratio of net external liabilities to GDP. Copyright 1991 The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.
EFFECTS OF XENOESTROGENS ON STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED DIABETIC MICE

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disease related with glucose homeostasis due to lack of insulin production or impairment of insulin response within somatic cells (1, 2). As an indicator of DM, a high level of blood glucose is a classical symptom of polyuria, polydipsia, and polyphagia (3). In a few types of diabetes mellitus, type 1 DM results in failure of insulin production, and the latter was previously referred to as "insulindependent diabetes mellitus" (IDDM) or "juvenile diabetes". Otherwise, type 2 DM leads to development of insulin resistance in which cells fail to use insulin properly, eventually resulting in insulin deficiency for glucose homeostasis. Type 2 DM is generally referred to as either a non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or "adult-onset diabetes". As reported in earlier studies, DM is related to carbohydrate (4, 5), glucocorticoid (6), and compounds (7). In experimental animal models, DM is induced by administration of STZ (7, 8) in which a glucosamine-nitrosourea compound is derived from Streptomyces achromogenes and used as a chemotherapeutic agent for pancreatic β-cell carcinoma (9). Following selectivity to β-cells, STZ accumulates within pancreatic β-cells through glucose transporter channels (GLUT2) because this compound has a structural similarity to glucose (10). STZ appears to have the unique cytotoxic property of alkylation corresponding to nitrourea compounds, and it also elicits a proinflammatory response related to the release of glutamic acid decarboxylase (9, 11). After infiltration of immune cells in pancreatic islets, damage to pancreatic β-cells not only results in hyperglycemia but is also associated with side effects, including hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. Estrogen and its metabolites control expression of many genes, and plays a vital role in regulation of various physiological and pathological processes (12, 13). 17β-estradiol is known to enhance not only the secretion of insulin but also the proliferation of β-cells in a STZ-induced DM model (14). In aromatase or estrogen receptor alpha null mice model, STZinduced apoptosis in β-cells increased when compared with WT mice, and the latter reveal that 17β-estradiol induced insulin production and promoted β-cells survival via non-genomic signals of estrogen receptor alpha or G protein-coupled estrogen receptor (15, 16). For instance, estrogen-induced increases in second messengers are resistant to transcription and translation inhibitors both of which block steroid effects at the genomic level, and this non-classical mechanism of estrogen leads to the activation of a reporter gene that contains a cAMP response element rather than an estrogen response element (12). Although estrogen increases insulin secretion and promotes insulin sensitivity in β-cell (17), high doses of estrogen and xenoestrogens developed insulin resistance, such as chronic hyperinsulinemia, and alteration of insulin tolerance (18). These findings are particularly intersecting in light of reports indicating JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2014, 65, 2, 273-282 www.jpp. krakow.pl
Ultrastructure of the Eimer's organ of the star‐nosed mole

The nose of the star‐nosed mole consists of 22 fleshy appendages that fan out from around the nostrils and are covered with specialized epidermal sensory receptors called Eimer's organs. The Eimer's organs of the star‐nosed mole are domed epidermal papillae approximately 40 to 50 μm in diameter. The center of each papilla contains a column of stacked circular epidermal cells closely associated with five to ten neural processes that originate from three myelinated fibers in the underlying dermis. At middle and lower levels in the cell column, a single nerve fiber is located in the center of the column, enclosed by the epidermal cells which wrap around the fiber and form desmosomes between their own adjacent plasma membranes. An additional five to ten fibers travel up the sides of the column ensheathed in the margins of the epidermal cells. At the top of the cell column, the nerve fibers produce a repeated series of terminal swellings. These terminal swellings converge in the center of the column, where a single epidermal cell completely encapsulates each circular arrangement of nerve terminals. No synapses or other cellular junctions were observed between the nerve terminals where they converge within the cell column. There is a single Merkel‐like ending at the base of the cell column, and a single encapsulated corpuscle beneath the cell column, in the connective tissue of the dermis. The structure of Eimer's organs is consistent with a mechanoreceptive function. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL MEMBRANE AND NEUROMUSCULAR TRANSMISSION IN THE GUINEA‐PIG BASILAR ARTERY

1 The membrane properties of smooth muscle cells and neuromuscular transmission in the guinea‐pig basilar artery were investigated by use of microelectrodes 2 The membrane potential was −47.0 mV and the muscle tissue possessed cable‐like properties as determined by the current‐voltage relationships. The mean value of the space constant was 0.78 mm 3 An outward current produced a graded response and, in some cases, spike generation. This membrane response was enhanced in the presence of tetraethylammonium (TEA, 5 mM), and an increased concentration of TEA (10 mM) generated spontaneous spikes in most of the cells. Action potentials induced by TEA were abolished in the presence of MnCl2 (5 mM) but not by isoprenaline (4×10−6M) 4 Acetylcholine (ACh), over 10−7 M, hyperpolarized the membrane and decreased the membrane resistance. This hyperpolarization increased in the presence of low [K]o (below 5.9 mM), but decreased in [K]o concentrations over 17.8 mM. Pretreatment with atropine (10−6 m) suppressed the ACh‐induced hyperpolarization. Therefore, this action of ACh is due to an increase in the K‐conductance of the membrane produced by activation of the muscarinic receptors 5 Noradrenaline in concentrations up to 10−4m did not modify the membrane potential and resistance, while 10−5M, histamine, 5‐hydroxytryptamine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) depolarized the membrane. The depolarization induced by histamine or ATP was suppressed by reducing [Na]o. The histamine‐induced depolarization was accompanied by an increase and the ATP‐induced one by a decrease in the membrane resistance. The action of histamine was suppressed by treatment with H1‐ but not H2‐receptor blocking agents (dephenhydramine and cimetidine, respectively) 6 Perivascular nerve stimulation (0.2 ms pulse duration) evoked excitatory junction potentials (e.j.ps). An increase in the number and frequency of stimuli enhanced the e.j.p. amplitude. In the presence of 1 mM TEA, a spike was evoked on the e.j.ps. A very high concentration of phentolamine (3.6 × 10−4 m) or the usual concentration of tetrodotoxin (10−7 m) abolished the generation of e.j.ps. Spontaneously generated miniature e.j.ps were never recorded from the resting membrane 7 The results are discussed in relation to regional specificities of smooth muscle cells of cerebral arteries in the guinea‐pig.
Aplastic Anemia Associated with Oral Terbinafine: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Onychomycosis (OM) is a common fungal infection of the toenails and/or fingernails that is highly prevalent in the general population and also responsible for significant morbidity. OM is caused by dermatophytes, nondermatophytic molds, or yeast. Today systemic antifungal agents are considered as the gold standard for all types of OM. Here we report a case of aplastic anemia associated with oral terbinafine use and a review of the literature on hematological toxicities associated with terbinafine.
Ascorbate Restores Lifespan of Superoxide-dismutase Deficient Yeast

Yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) mutants lacking CuZn-superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) are hypersensitive to oxygen and have significantly decreased replicative life span. Both these defects can be ameliorated by exogenous ascorbate. The effect of ascorbate on life span is complicated by auto-oxidation of its compound in the medium. If negative effects of auto-oxidation are prevented by exchange of the medium, ascorbate prolongs not only mean but also maximal replicative life span of the yeast in the atmosphere of air and of pure oxygen. These results demonstrate that life span shortening due to the lack of a vital antioxidant enzyme can be ameliorated by a low-molecular weight antioxidant.
Obesity and cardiovascular risk factors in Hong Kong Chinese

The purpose of this cross‐sectional study was to examine the risk associations between obesity indexes body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC)], cardiovascular risk factors plasma glucose and lipids, blood pressure and urinary albumin excretion (UAE)] and morbidity conditions (Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidaemia and/or albuminuria) in Hong Kong Chinese. Seven‐hundred and two Hong Kong Chinese subjects (18–65 years of age, 59.4% of whom had at least one morbidity condition) were recruited from the Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong SAR. The measurements taken of the subjects included: height; weight; waist and hip circumferences; blood pressure; fasting plasma glucose and lipids; and 24‐h UAE. The mean BMI was 22.4 and 25.7 kg m−2 in healthy subjects and patients, respectively. The mean WC measurements of healthy subjects and patients were 77.1 and 86.4 cm in males and 71.0 and 81.8 cm in females, respectively. There were increasing trends between obesity indexes and the severity of cardiovascular risk factors and the prevalence of morbidity conditions (all P‐values for trend <0.05). Using 19.0–20.9 kg m−2 and <70 cm as a referent, subjects with a BMI of ≥25.0 kg m−2 (in both sexes) and/or a WC of ≥85 cm in males and ≥75 cm in females had an age‐adjusted odds ratio between 3.2 and 4.4 for the occurrence of at least one morbidity condition. Patients with a greater number of comorbidities also had higher BMI and WC measurements (all P‐values for the trend were <0.05 with adjustment for age and gender). Hence, despite Hong Kong Chinese being less obese than Caucasians, the intimate relationships among obesity, cardiovascular risk factors and morbidity conditions remain. Our data support using lower BMI and WC levels to define obesity and its associated health risks rather than using the criteria established from Caucasians who generally have larger body frames.
Of Marriages and Mortgages: The Second Demographic Transition and the Relationship between Marriage and Homeownership in Sweden

Past research has established a positive relationship between transitions to marriage and transitions into ownership. This paper explores how this relationship is changing by following a population as it advances through the Second Demographic Transition. Following a rational choice model for tenure decisions, it is hypothesized that the Second Demographic Transition is likely to affect the relationship between partnership and tenure in two ways. First, the preferences for ownership unique to marriage are likely to decline. Second, the importance of an extra income, especially for men, is likely to increase. Evidence is found supporting both these assertions for the population of Gävle, Sweden, between 1975 and 1990.
WHY FIRMS SEEK ISO 9000 CERTIFICATION: REGULATORY COMPLIANCE OR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE?

Proponents of iso 9000 certification claim that it is a low‐cost signal of a firm's commitment to quality and a meaningful component of total quality management (TQM). Critics claim that it has little relation to TQM and is a tariff on international trade. We test the hypothesis that firms obtain ISO 9000 certification to comply with government and customer demands by estimating a probit model of the certification decision. The results support the view of proponents of ISO 9000. After controlling for regulatory and customer pressures to obtain ISO 9000, other factors related to quality management and quality‐based competition explain the adoption decision.
Cooperation of Toll-Like Receptor 2 and 6 for Cellular Activation by Soluble Tuberculosis Factor and Borrelia burgdorferi Outer Surface Protein A Lipoprotein: Role of Toll-Interacting Protein and IL-1 Receptor Signaling Molecules in Toll-Like Receptor 2 Signaling1

Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4 play important roles in innate immune responses to various microbial agents. We have previously shown that human dermal endothelial cells (HMEC) express TLR4, but very little TLR2, and respond to LPS, but not to Mycobacterium tuberculosis 19-kDa lipoprotein, unless transfected with TLR2. Here we report that HMEC are unresponsive to several additional biologically relevant TLR2 ligands, including, phenol-soluble modulin (PSM), a complex of three small secreted polypeptides from the skin commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis, soluble tuberculosis factor (STF), and Borrelia burgdorferi outer surface protein A lipoprotein (OspA-L). Expression of TLR2 renders HMEC responsive to all these ligands. We further characterized the signaling pathway in response to STF, OspA-L, and PSM in TLR2-transfected HMEC. The TLR2 signaling pathway for NF-κB trans-activation shares the IL-1R signaling molecules. Dominant negative constructs of TLR2 or TLR6 inhibit the responses of STF and OspA-L as well as PSM in TLR2-transfected HMEC, supporting the concept of functional cooperation between TLR2 and TLR6 for all these TLR2 ligands. Moreover, we show that Toll-interacting protein (Tollip) coimmunoprecipitates with TLR2 and TLR4 using HEK 293 cells, and overexpression of Tollip inhibits NF-κB activation in response to TLR2 and TLR4 signaling. Collectively, these findings suggest that there is functional interaction between TLR2 and TLR6 in the cellular response to STF and OspA-L in addition to S. epidermidis (PSM) Ags, and that engagement of TLR2 triggers a signaling cascade, which shares the IL-1R signaling molecules, similar to the TLR4-LPS signaling cascade. Our data also suggest that Tollip may be an important constituent of both the TLR2 and TLR4 signaling pathways.
INTENSIVE TREATMENT PROGRAM IN A MENTAL HOSPITAL

This paper should be seen in connection with Froshaug's lecture on nPsychotherapeutic views on the organisation of a mental hospital,. After having analysed and reevaluated the function, adequacy and purpose of the hospital, he shows that the female department a t Dikemark Hospital has been changed totally during a period of ten years (10). The development has rendered necessary the establishing of departments trying to meet the special requirements of the different categories of patients. The purpose of this paper is to present some of our clinical observations during a period of three years in such a hospital department. I t was especially designed to take care of patients who, in addition to an optimal pharmacotherapy, needed other forms for treatment which demanded more time (5).
Shifting Death to Their Alternatives: The Case of Toll Motorways

A renewed interest on the use of tolls for funding motorways and regulating their demands has been recovered in the last years. However, less attention has been put to the road safety effects derived from this policy. Although toll motorways show quality levels equal or above free motorways, charging users for the use of better infrastructure shifts some traffic to their low quality adjacent alternatives. In the present study we test whether charging for the use of the better road might negatively affect road safety in the worst adjacent road. The results confirm our hypothesis opening a new concern.