Three Dimensional Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Geometry of the Visible Human Female and Male.

Models and simulations of human function impact medicine and medical technology. Particularly, musculoskeletal modeling provides an avenue for insight into the human body, which might not be otherwise possible. However, reaching the ultimate goal of functional multi-scale human models has been slowed by the lack of freely available datasets of anatomical models and geometries. Moreover, female-specific geometries have been neglected with a widespread emphasis on male geometry. To help realize this goal, we have developed and shared complete three-dimensional musculoskeletal geometries extracted from the National Libraries of Medicine Visible Human Female and Male cryosections. Muscle, bone, cartilage, ligament, and fat from the pelvis to the ankle were digitized and exported. These geometries provide a foundation for continued work in human musculoskeletal simulation with high-fidelity deformable tissues that enable a better understanding of normal function and the evaluation of pathologies and treatments. This work is novel as it includes both the male and female Visible Human specimens, outputs at multiple levels of post-processing for maximum data reuse, and is publicly available.

Management matters: sustaining funds for youth development programs.

Drawing on data collected through evaluations of youth development (YD) programs, including those offered in community-and school-based after-school programs, this article describes practices that support program managers' quests for funds that will sustain programs. Designing YD activities to incorporate skills building (including educational) and recreational and fun activities for adolescents can enlarge the resource pool to include funds for educational activities and youth engagement. Strong behavioral management of programs encourages youth attendance and provides a safe environment to develop positive peer and adult relationships, both of which are crucial to YD. Strong attendance, in turn, can keep program costs in line with expectations and reduce the marginal costs for additional participants. Faithful implementation of previously tested program models increases the likelihood that the program will be effective, and positive outcomes are essential to sustained funding.