Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of Constant Torque Stretching at Different Stretching Intensities on Flexibility and Mechanical Properties of Plantar Flexors.

Oba, K, Samukawa, M, Nakamura, K, Mikami, K, Suzumori, Y, Ishida, Y, Keeler, N, Saitoh, H, Yamanaka, M, and Tohyama, H. Influence of constant torque stretching at different stretching intensities on flexibility and mechanical properties of plantar flexors. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000-000, 2018-The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of constant torque stretching (CTS) at different stretching intensities on the maximal range of motion (ROM) and muscle-tendon unit (MTU) stiffness of plantar flexors. Fourteen healthy men performed 4 trials of differing stretch intensities: no stretching (control), 50, 75, and 100%. Stretch intensity was defined as maximum passive resistive torque predetermined at a familiarization trial. Each stretch trial consisted of 5 sets of 60-second CTS at the designated stretch intensity. Both maximal ROM and passive resistive torque were assessed during passive dorsiflexion, and MTU stiffness was calculated using the torque-angle curves measured before and after CTS. There were no significant differences in maximal ROM or MTU stiffness at the baseline condition. After the intervention, significantly greater maximal ROM and significantly lower MTU stiffness were observed in the 100% CTS condition than the control condition, whereas there were no significant differences between the submaximal intensity condition (i.e., 50 or 75% intensity) and the control condition. Therefore, our findings suggest that maximal intensity stretching is the most effective approach for improving both flexibility and MTU stiffness with CTS.
Die Gitarrenverzerrung in der Rockmusik: Studien zu Spielweise und Ästhetik

Das Thema "Verzerrung" fand trotz seiner Bedeutung fur die Spielweise und Ausdrucksfahigkeit der Rockgitarre bislang wenig Beachtung in der Musikwissenschaft und Popmusikkulturforschung. Die vorliegende experimentell-analytische Studie begegnet dieser Forschungslucke, indem musiktheoretische und klanganalytische Methoden mit Erkenntnissen aus der Musikpsychologie, Akustik und Tontechnik kombiniert werden. Befragungen und historische Nachzeichnungen technologisch-asthetischer Entwicklungen erganzen diese Perspektiven. Das Buch richtet sich an Musik- und Kulturwissenschaftler und an Gitarristen. The topic of "distortion", despite its importance for the playability and expressiveness of the rock guitar, has so far received little attention in the field of musicology and pop music culture research. The present experimental-analytical study encounters this research gap by combining musical-theoretical and sound-analytical methods with findings from music psychology, acoustics and sound engineering. Surveys and historical traces of technological and aesthetic developments supplement these perspectives. The book is aimed at music and cultural scientists and guitarists.
Two-layer inverse model for improved longitudinal preclinical tumor imaging in the spatial frequency domain

Abstract. Spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) is a widefield, noncontact, and label-free imaging modality that is currently being explored as a new tool for longitudinal tracking of cancer therapies in the preclinical setting. We describe a two-layer look-up-table (LUT) inversion algorithm for SFDI that better accounts for the skin (top layer) and tumor (bottom layer) tissue geometry in subcutaneous tumor models. Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were conducted natively in the spatial frequency domain, avoiding discretization errors associated with Fourier or Hankel transforms of conventional MC simulation results. The two-layer LUT was validated using two-layer tissue mimicking optical phantoms, in which the optical property extractions of the bottom (tumor) layer were determined to be within 20% and 11% of the true values for μa and μs′, respectively. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to evaluate how imperfect top layer estimates affect bottom-layer optical property extractions. Finally, the two-layer LUT was used to reanalyze a prior longitudinal data set, which revealed larger therapy-induced changes in optical scattering and a more hypoxic tumor environment compared to the homogeneous LUT. The two-layer LUT described here improves the accuracy of subcutaneous tumor imaging, and the general methodology can be applied for arbitrary multilayer SFDI applications.
Reproductive period and epigenetic modifications of the oxidative phosphorylation pathway in the human prefrontal cortex

Purpose Human females have a unique duration of post-reproductive longevity, during which sex-specific mechanisms ma influence later-life mechanisms of neuronal resilience and vulnerability. The maintenance of energy metabolism, through the oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) apparatus, is essential for brain health. Given the known association between reproductive period (years from menarche to menopause) and cognitive aging, we examined the hypothesis that cumulative estrogen exposure across the lifetime may be associated with differential methylation of genes in the OXPHOS pathway. Methods Using DNA methylation patterns in the post-mortem dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of 426 women prospectively followed until death in the Religious Orders Study and Rush Memory and Aging Project, we examined the relationship between reproductive period (subtracting age at menarche from age at menopause) and DNA methylation of a published set of autosomal OXPHOS genes previously implicated in stroke susceptibility. We then performed an unsupervised analysis of methylation levels across the Hallmark pathways from the Molecular Signatures Database. Results We observed a strong association between reproductive period and DNA methylation status across OXPHOS CpGs. We replicated this association between reproductive period and DNA methylation in a much larger set of OXPHOS genes in our unsupervised analysis. Here, reproductive period also showed associations with methylation in genes related to E2F, MYC and MTORC1 signaling, fatty acid metabolism and DNA repair. Conclusion This study provides evidence from both a supervised and unsupervised analyses, that lifetime cumulative endogenous steroid exposures may play a role in maintenance of post-menopausal cellular balance, including in brain tissue.
ERS/EACTS statement on the management of malignant pleural effusions

Malignant pleural effusions (MPE) are a common pathology, treated by respiratory physicians and thoracic surgeons alike. In recent years, several well-designed randomised clinical trials have been published that have changed the landscape of MPE management. The European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) established a multidisciplinary collaboration of clinicians with expertise in the management of MPE with the aim of producing a comprehensive review of the scientific literature. Six areas of interest were identified, including the optimum management of symptomatic MPE, management of trapped lung in MPE, management of loculated MPE, prognostic factors in MPE, whether there is a role for oncological therapies prior to intervention for MPE and whether a histological diagnosis is always required in MPE. The literature revealed that talc pleurodesis and indwelling pleural catheters effectively manage the symptoms of MPE. There was limited evidence regarding the management of trapped lung or loculated MPE. The LENT score was identified as a validated tool for predicting survival in MPE, with Brims' prognostic score demonstrating utility in mesothelioma prognostication. There was no evidence to support the use of oncological therapies as an alternative to MPE drainage, and the literature supported the use of tissue biopsy as the gold standard for diagnosis and treatment planning. Management options for malignant pleural effusions have advanced over the past decade, with high-quality randomised trial evidence informing practice in many areas. However, uncertainties remain and further research is required http://ow.ly/rNt730jOxOS
Blood meal identification in the cryptic species Anopheles gambiae and Anopheles coluzzii using MALDI-TOF MS

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has recently emerged in entomology as a technique to identify arthropods and their blood meal source. In this study, female Anopheles gambiae were fed on five host blood sources: ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), binturong (Arctictis binturong), springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis), jaguar (Panthera onca) and Hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas), while Anopheles coluzzii were fed on three hosts: dromedary (Camelus dromedarius), Barbary sheep (Ammotragus lervia) and pig (Sus scrofa). We obtained the MS spectra from 240 engorged mosquito abdomens and selected high quality ones from 72 mosquito abdomens to upgrade our home-made database. We excluded from the analysis any spectra of low quality (n = 80), and the remaining 88 specimens were subjected to a blind test analysis against the home-made database. We obtained 100% correct identification of the blood meal source for the specimens collected, 1, 12 and 24 h post-feeding, whereas for the specimens collected 36 h post-feeding, the correct identification rate decreased dramatically. We confirm here that MALDI-TOF MS can be used to identify the blood meal origin of freshly engorged mosquitoes, which opens new perspectives for further studies, including the impact of the mosquito species on blood meal identification.
A reality check for climate change experiments: Do they reflect the real world?

Experiments are widely used in ecology, particularly for assessing global change impacts on ecosystem function. However, results from experiments often are inconsistent with observations made under natural conditions, suggesting the need for rigorous comparisons of experimental and observational studies. We conducted such a "reality check" for a grassland ecosystem by compiling results from nine independently conducted climate change experiments. Each experiment manipulated growing season precipitation (GSP) and measured responses in aboveground net primary production (ANPP). We compared results from experiments with long-term (33-yr) annual precipitation and ANPP records to ask if collectively (n = 44 experiment-years) experiments yielded estimates of ANPP, rain-use efficiency (RUE, grams per square meter ANPP per mm precipitation), and the relationship between GSP and ANPP comparable to observations. We found that mean ANPP and RUE from experiments did not deviate from observations. Experiments and observational data also yielded similar functional relationships between ANPP and GSP, but only within the range of historically observed GSP. Fewer experiments imposed extreme levels of GSP (outside the observed 33-yr record), but when these were included, they altered the GSP-ANPP relationship. This result underscores the need for more experiments imposing extreme precipitation levels to resolve how forecast changes in climate regimes will affect ecosystem function in the future.
Ultrastructural basis of strong unitary inhibition in a binaural neuron

Neurons of the lateral superior olive (LSO) in the brainstem receive powerful glycinergic inhibition that originates from the contralateral ear, and that plays an important role in sound localization. We investigated the ultrastructural basis for strong inhibition of LSO neurons using serial block face scanning electron microscopy. The soma and the proximal dendrite of an LSO neuron are surrounded by a high density of inhibitory axons, whereas excitatory axons are much sparser. A given inhibitory axon establishes contacts via several large axonal thickenings, called varicosities, which typically elaborate several active zones (range 1–11). The number of active zones across inhibitory axon segments is variable. These data thus provide an ultrastructural correlate for the strong and multiquantal, but overall variable, unitary IPSC amplitude observed for inhibitory inputs to LSO neuron.
Review of a priori dietary quality indices in relation to their construction criteria

Abstract A multitude of indices measure the healthiness of dietary patterns. Because validation results with respect to health outcomes do not sufficiently facilitate the choice of a specific dietary quality index, the decision of which index to use for a particular research objective should be based on other criteria. This review aims to provide guidance on which criteria to focus upon when choosing a dietary index for a specific research question. A review of 57 existing specifications of dietary quality indices was conducted, taking explicitly into account relevant construction criteria explicated in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development handbook on constructing composite indicators. Index construction choices regarding the following criteria were extracted: theoretical framework, indicator selection, normalization and valuation functions, and aggregation methods. Preferable features of dietary indices are discussed, and a summarizing toolbox is provided to help identify indices with the most appropriate construction features for the respective study aim and target region and with regard to the available database. Directions for future efforts in the specification of new diet quality indices are given.
Psychological Readiness to Return to Sport Is Associated With Knee Kinematic Asymmetry During Gait Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

• BACKGROUND: Gait asymmetry is frequently observed following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). Psychological readiness to return to sport is associated with functional and activity‐related outcomes after ACLR. However, the association between gait asymmetry and psychological readiness to return to sport is unknown. • OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between kinematic and kinetic measures of knee symmetry during gait and psychological readiness to return to sport following ACLR. • METHODS: In this controlled laboratory, cross‐sectional study, 79 athletes (39 women) underwent gait analysis following impairment resolution after ACLR (ie, full range of motion, minimal or no effusion, quadriceps strength index of 80% or greater). Interlimb differences during gait were calculated for sagittal plane knee angles at initial contact, peak knee flexion, and peak knee extension, as well as for peak knee flexion moment and peak knee adduction moment. Athletes completed the Anterior Cruciate Ligament‐Return to Sport after Injury scale (ACL‐RSI) to assess psychological readiness to return to sport. Pearson correlations were used to examine the association between ACL‐RSI score and each gait symmetry variable. • RESULTS: Significant negative correlations were observed between the ACL‐RSI and 2 kinematic variables: knee flexion angle at initial contact (r = ‐0.281, P = .012) and peak knee flexion (r = ‐0.248, P = .027). In general, lower scores on the ACL‐RSI were associated with greater interlimb asymmetry. • CONCLUSION: There was a weak association between psychological readiness to return to sport and knee kinematic asymmetry during gait.
Role of DNA Repair and Protective Components in Bacillus subtilis Spore Resistance to Inactivation by 400-nm-Wavelength Blue Light

Effective methods of spore inactivation would be of considerable interest in the health care and medical products industries, particularly if the decontamination method effectively killed spores while remaining benign to both humans and sensitive equipment. Intense blue light radiation is one such treatment that has drawn significant interest. In this work, all known spore-protective features, as well as universal and spore-specific DNA repair mechanisms, were tested in a systematic fashion for their contribution to the resistance of spores to blue light radiation. ABSTRACT The high intrinsic decontamination resistance of Firmicutes spores is important medically (disease) and commercially (food spoilage). Effective methods of spore eradication would be of considerable interest in the health care and medical product industries, particularly if the decontamination method effectively killed spores while remaining benign to both humans and sensitive equipment. Intense blue light at a ∼400 nm wavelength is one such treatment that has drawn significant interest. This work has determined the resistance of spores to blue light in an extensive panel of Bacillus subtilis strains, including wild-type strains and mutants that (i) lack protective components such as the spore coat and its pigment(s) or the DNA protective α/β-type small, acid-soluble spore proteins (SASP); (ii) have an elevated spore core water content; or (iii) lack enzymes involved in DNA repair, including those for homologous recombination and nonhomologous end joining (HR and NHEJ), apurinic/apyrimidinic endonucleases, nucleotide and base excision repair (NER and BER), translesion synthesis (TLS) by Y-family DNA polymerases, and spore photoproduct (SP) removal by SP lyase (SPL). The most important factors in spore blue light resistance were determined to be spore coats/pigmentation, α/β-type SASP, NER, BER, TLS, and SP repair. A major conclusion from this work is that blue light kills spores by DNA damage, and the results in this work indicate at least some of the specific DNA damage. It appears that high-intensity blue light could be a significant addition to the agents used to kill bacterial spores in applied settings. IMPORTANCE Effective methods of spore inactivation would be of considerable interest in the health care and medical products industries, particularly if the decontamination method effectively killed spores while remaining benign to both humans and sensitive equipment. Intense blue light radiation is one such treatment that has drawn significant interest. In this work, all known spore-protective features, as well as universal and spore-specific DNA repair mechanisms, were tested in a systematic fashion for their contribution to the resistance of spores to blue light radiation.
Longitudinal Associations Between Loneliness and Cognitive Ability in the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936

Abstract Objectives Loneliness is associated with poorer cognitive function in old age; however, the direction of this association is unknown. We tested for reciprocal associations between loneliness and the cognitive ability domains of processing speed, visuospatial ability, verbal memory, and crystallized ability. Method We used three triennial waves of longitudinal data from the Lothian Birth Cohort Study 1936, and tested for cross-lagged associations between loneliness and cognitive abilities using cross-lagged panel models. Results Better processing speed, visuospatial ability, or crystallized ability at age 73, was associated with less positive changes in loneliness between ages 73 and 76; however, these associations were not replicated between ages 76 and 79. Loneliness at ages 73 and 76 did not predict subsequent changes in cognitive abilities. Discussion Our findings indicate an association between cognitive ability and loneliness, such that individuals with lower cognitive abilities at age 73 may be at a slightly higher risk of becoming lonely. However, we did not find support for the hypothesis that loneliness causes a decline in cognitive health.
Children Are Exposed to Fecal Contamination via Multiple Interconnected Pathways: A Network Model for Exposure Assessment

In recent decades, quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) has been widely used to assess exposure to fecal microbes and associated health risks. In this study, a multipathway exposure assessment model was developed to evaluate exposure to fecal microbes for children under 5 in highly contaminated urban environments. Children had contact with various environmental compartments. The contamination levels of these compartments were estimated from fecal indicator counts in the environmental samples. Structured observations of child behavior (including activities, locations, and time) were used to model behavioral sequences as a dynamic network. The exposure model combines behavior sequences with environmental contamination, using additional exposure factors when needed, to estimate the number of fecal microbes transferred from environmental sources to human oral ingestion. As fecal exposure in a highly contaminated urban environment consists of contributions from multiple pathways, it is imperative to study their relative importance. The model helps us better understand the characteristics of the exposure pathways that may be driven by variation in contamination and by variable behavior, like hygiene and high‐risk activities. Importantly, the model also allows prediction of the quantitative effects of an intervention—the expected reduction in exposure due to infrastructural or behavioral changes—by means of scenario studies. Based on experience with this exposure model, we make specific recommendations for additional studies of child behavior and exposure factors in order to fill critical information gaps and improve the model structure and assumptions.
Identifying conservation priorities for threatened Eastern Himalayan mammals

To augment mammal conservation in the Eastern Himalayan region, we assessed the resident 255 terrestrial mammal species and identified the 50 most threatened species based on conservation status, endemism, range size, and evolutionary distinctiveness. By using the spatial analysis package letsR and the complementarity core‐area method in the conservation planning software Zonation, we assessed the current efficacy of their protection and identified priority conservation areas by comparing protected areas (PAs), land cover, and global ecoregion 2017 maps at a 100 × 100 m spatial scale. The 50 species that were most threatened, geographically restricted, and evolutionarily distinct faced a greater extinction risk than globally nonthreatened and wide‐ranging species and species with several close relatives. Small, medium‐sized, and data‐deficient species faced extinction from inadequate protection in PAs relative to wide‐ranging charismatic species. There was a mismatch between current PA distribution and priority areas for conservation of the 50 most endangered species. To protect these species, the skewed regional PA distribution would require expansion. Where possible, new PAs and transboundary reserves in the 35 priority areas we identified should be established. There are adequate remaining natural areas in which to expand current Eastern Himalayan PAs. Consolidation and expansion of PAs in the EH requires strengthening national and regional transboundary collaboration, formulating comprehensive regional land‐use plans, diversifying conservation funding, and enhancing information sharing through a consolidated regional database.