LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Effects of abdominal massage in management of constipation--a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND
Associated with decreases in quality of life, constipation is a relatively common problem. Abdominal massage appears to increase bowel function, but unlike laxatives with no negative side effects. Because earlier studies have methodological flaws and cannot provide recommendations, more research is needed.


OBJECTIVE
This study investigates the effects of abdominal massage on gastrointestinal functions and laxative intake in people who have constipation.


DESIGN
Randomized controlled trial.


PARTICIPANTS AND METHOD
A sample of 60 people with constipation was included and randomized in two groups. The intervention group received abdominal massage in addition to an earlier prescribed laxative and the control group received only laxatives according to earlier prescriptions. Gastrointestinal function was assessed with Gastrointestinal Symptoms Rating Scale (GSRS) on three occasions; at baseline, week 4 and week 8. The statistical methods included linear regression, Wilcoxon sign rank test, and Mann-Whitney U-test.


RESULT
Abdominal massage significantly decreased severity of gastrointestinal symptoms assessed with GSRS according to total score (p=.003), constipation syndrome (p=.013), and abdominal pain syndrome (p=.019). The intervention group also had significant increase of bowel movements compared to the control group (p=.016). There was no significant difference in the change of the amount of laxative intake after 8 weeks.


CONCLUSIONS
Abdominal massage decreased severity of gastrointestinal symptoms, especially constipation and abdominal pain syndrome, and increased bowel movements. The massage did not lead to decrease in laxative intake, a result that indicates that abdominal massage could be a complement to laxatives rather than a substitute.
The effects of a supplemental, theory-based physical activity counseling intervention for adults with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND
Physical activity (PA) is a cornerstone in the management of type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This pilot investigation explores the effects of a standard diabetes education program compared with a supplemental PA intervention on diabetes-related health outcomes.


METHODS
Using a prospective 2-armed design, 96 adults with T2DM were randomly assigned to either standard care (diabetes education program; n = 49) or standard care supplemented with an 8-week, individualized-counseling and community-based PA component (n = 47). Measurements were taken at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months. Primary outcomes were changes in PA (self-report) and HbA1c. Between group changes were compared using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and changes over time using repeated-measures ANOVA.


RESULTS
In comparison with standard care, the supplemental group demonstrated an increase in PA (Ps < 0.01) and cardiorespiratory fitness (Ps < 0.05) from baseline to all follow-up time-points. HbA1c levels declined (P < .05) from baseline to all time points in the standard care group. Reduction in cholesterol-ratio (P < .01), increase in HDL (P < .05), and reductions in blood pressure, resting heart rate and BMI (approaching statistical significance Ps < 0.10) were also reported for both groups.


CONCLUSIONS
PA counseling in addition to standard care is effective for promoting PA behavior change and positive health-related outcomes among individuals with T2DM.
DNA Topology: Fundamentals

A typical DNA molecule consists of two complementary polynucleotide chains that are multiply interwound, forming a double helix. In the prevailing conformation, called B-DNA, this is a right-handed helix with a period of approximately 10.5 base pairs (bp) per turn at physiological conditions. Though locally (i.e. for a given sequence) DNA may be very different from the B conformation, the latter accurately describes the overall structure of a DNA molecule. Topological aspects of DNA structure arise primarily from the fact that the two DNA strands are repeatedly intertwined.Untangling these two strands, which occurs in all major genetic processes may prove rather difficult. In the simplest case of a linearDNA in solution, untangling is possible due to the free rotation of the ends of the DNA. However, for all natural DNAs, free end rotation is either restricted or forbidden altogether. Consequently, untangling the two DNA strands becomes topologically impossible. Figure 1 illustrates this for the imaginary case of a circular DNA molecule where the two strands are tangled only once. A DNA segment constrained so that the free rotation of its ends is impossible is called a topological domain (Figure 2). A canonical example of a topological domain is circular DNA, which is typical of bacteria, mitochondria, chloroplasts, many viruses, etc. In this case, there are obviously noDNA ends at all, since bothDNA strands are covalently closed. Although eukaryotic chromosomes are linear overall, they consist of large DNA loops firmly attached to the nuclear matrix. These loops represent Article
The Cell Phone in the Twenty-First Century : A Risk for Addiction or a Necessary Tool ?

This chapter was originally published in the book Principles of Addiction. The copy attached is provided by Elsevier for the author's benefit and for the benefit of the author's institution, for non-commercial research, and educational use. This includes without limitation use in instruction at your institution, distribution to specific colleagues, and providing a copy to your institution's administrator.
Risk Factors for Malnutrition in Older Adults: A Systematic Review of the Literature Based on Longitudinal Data.

The present systematic review critically examines the available scientific literature on risk factors for malnutrition in the older population (aged ≥65 y). A systematic search was conducted in MEDLINE, reviewing reference lists from 2000 until March 2015. The 2499 papers identified were subjected to inclusion criteria that evaluated the study quality according to items from validated guidelines. Only papers that provided information on a variable's effect on the development of malnutrition, which requires longitudinal data, were included. A total of 6 longitudinal studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the systematic review. These studies reported the following significant risk factors for malnutrition: age (OR: 1.038; P = 0.045), frailty in institutionalized persons (β: 0.22; P = 0.036), excessive polypharmacy (β: -0.62; P = 0.001), general health decline including physical function (OR: 1.793; P = 0.008), Parkinson disease (OR: 2.450; P = 0.047), constipation (OR: 2.490; P = 0.015), poor (OR: 3.30; P value not given) or moderate (β: -0.27; P = 0.016) self-reported health status, cognitive decline (OR: 1.844; P = 0.001), dementia (OR: 2.139; P = 0.001), eating dependencies (OR: 2.257; P = 0.001), loss of interest in life (β: -0.58; P = 0.017), poor appetite (β: -1.52; P = 0.000), basal oral dysphagia (OR: 2.72; P = 0.010), signs of impaired efficacy of swallowing (OR: 2.73; P = 0.015), and institutionalization (β: -1.89; P < 0.001). These risk factors for malnutrition in older adults may be considered by health care professionals when developing new integrated assessment instruments to identify older adults' risk of malnutrition and to support the development of preventive and treatment strategies.
Distributed Time-Varying Graph Filtering

One of the cornerstones of the field of signal processing on graphs are graph filters, direct analogues of classical filters, but intended for signals defined on graphs. This work brings forth new insights on the distributed graph filtering problem. We design a family of autoregressive moving average (ARMA) recursions, which (i) are able to approximate any desired graph frequency response, and (ii) give exact solutions for tasks such as graph signal denoising and interpolation. The design philosophy, which allows us to design the ARMA coefficients independently from the underlying graph, renders the ARMA graph filters suitable in static and, particularly, time-varying settings. The latter occur when the graph signal and/or graph are changing over time. We show that in case of a time-varying graph signal our approach extends naturally to a two-dimensional filter, operating concurrently in the graph and regular time domains. We also derive sufficient conditions for filter stability when the graph and signal are time-varying. The analytical and numerical results presented in this paper illustrate that ARMA graph filters are practically appealing for static and time-varying settings, accompanied by strong theoretical guarantees. Keywords— distributed graph filtering, signal processing on graphs, time-varying graph signals, time-varying graphs
Quad-Band Internal Mobile Phone Antenna

A novel internal, quad-band antenna placed inside a "foldable" type of mobile phone is presented. Its structure consists of a helical and a monopole element exciting two broad frequency bands. Using a simple matching circuit the proposed antenna covers several frequency bands including the global system for mobile communication (890-960 MHz), digital communication system (1710-1880 MHz), personal communication system (1850-1990 MHz), and universal mobile telecommunication system (1920-2170 MHz). It achieves a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of less than three across all frequency bands with total radiation efficiency of more than 50%. Its novel design and structure occupies only 1.8 cm3 of volume making this antenna very small and very suitable for internal use inside mobile terminals.
Theory of planning behavior (TPB) and customer satisfaction in the continued use of e-service: An integrated model

This study has devoted much effort to developing an integrated model designed to predict and explain an individual’s continued use of online services based on the concepts of the expectation disconfirmation model and the theory of planned behavior. Empirical data was collected from a field survey of Cyber University System (CUS) users to verify the fit of the hypothetical model. The measurement model indicates the theoretical constructs have adequate reliability and validity while the structured equation model is illustrated as having a high model fit for empirical data. Study’s findings show that a customer’s behavioral intention towards e-service continuance is mainly determined by customer satisfaction and additionally affected by perceived usefulness and subjective norm. Generally speaking, the integrated model can fully reflect the spirit of the expectation disconfirmation model and take advantage of planned behavior theory. After consideration of the impact of systemic features, personal characteristics, and social influence on customer behavior, the integrated model had a better explanatory advantage than other EDM-based models proposed in prior research. 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
A pathological, histological and ultrastructural study of diseased equine cheek teeth

The examination of 220 normal and 130 diseased equine (extracted) cheek teeth was performed using a variety of traditional and novel imaging techniques primarily to assess the aeti©pathogenesis of the important dental disorders of apical infection and "idiopathic11 dental fracture. Optimal settings for radiography and computer axial scanning of normal and diseased cheek teeth were determined. It was found that standard radiography of extracted cheek teeth was very poor at identifying intradental anatomical or pathological features, whilst computer axial scanning gave accurate information on both normal and abnormal radiographic features. Newly established histological techniques allowed preparation of undecalcified sections of 4-6pm thickness, and undecalcified sections of 50-60pm thickness. The current classification of equine dentine was modified, with primary, regular secondary, irregular secondary and tertiary dentine all being categorised separately. Previously undescribed histological features of normal and diseased equine teeth were identified such as dentinal pearls, interglobular dentine, caries and the presence of pioneer micro-organisms. The normal endodontic anatomy of all 24 cheek teeth was established, with individual pulp horns being identified using a unique numbering system. Anatomical parameters of dentine were established for normal cheek teeth, and these were compared to those of apieally infected cheek teeth. A decreased presence of primary and secondary dentine, predentine and intertubular dentine was found in diseased teeth compared with normal cheek teeth, but increased number of resting lines were present in diseased cheek teeth. Analysis of 50 individual apically infected cheek teeth showed anachoretic pulpitis to be the most common aetiology, with occlusal pulp exposure often being a secondary finding. Apical infection caused by periodontal disease or infundibular caries was uncommon finding. Fracture patterns to the clinical crown of equine cheek teeth were grouped, with most fractures involving the buccal pulp horns of both maxillaiy and mandibular cheek teeth.
A comparison of VoIP performance on IPv6 and IPv4 networks

We compare VoIP performance on IPv6 and IPv4 LANs in the presence of varying levels of background UDP traffic. A conventional softphone is used to make calls and a bare PC (operating systemless) softphone is used as a control to determine the impact of system overhead. The performance measures are maximum and mean delta (the time between the arrival of voice packets), maximum and mean jitter, packet loss, MOS (Mean Opinion Score), and throughput. We also determine the relative frequency distribution for delta. It is found that mean values of delta for IPv4 and IPv6 are similar although maximum values are much higher than the mean and show more variability at higher levels of background traffic. The maximum jitter for IPv6 is slightly higher than for IPv4 but mean jitter values are approximately the same. On an overloaded 100 Mbps link, packet loss can reach close to 18% for IPv4 and 24% for IPv6, and the MOS degrades significantly. At moderate levels of background traffic, the IPv4/IPv6 throughput ratio is close to the ideal (theoretical) throughput ratio, but at high levels of background traffic, throughput for IPv6 declines slightly faster than for IPv4. In general, our results indicate that the difference in VoIP performance for IPv6 and IPv4 is negligible. Results for the bare PC softphone confirm that reducing system and application overhead lowers delta and jitter values regardless of the IP version.
Bio-inspired mechanical design of a tendon-driven dexterous prosthetic hand

This paper presents the preliminary design of a new dexterous upper-limb prosthesis provided with a novel anthropomorphic hand, a compact wrist based on bevel gears and a modular forearm able to cover different levels of upper-limb amputations. The hand has 20 DoFs and 11 motors, with a dexterous three fingered subsystem composed by a fully actuated thumb, and an hybrid index and middle fingers to enable dexterous manipulation and enhance grasp performance.
Preferential Iron Trafficking Characterizes Glioblastoma Stem-like Cells.

Glioblastomas display hierarchies with self-renewing cancer stem-like cells (CSCs). RNA sequencing and enhancer mapping revealed regulatory programs unique to CSCs causing upregulation of the iron transporter transferrin, the top differentially expressed gene compared with tissue-specific progenitors. Direct interrogation of iron uptake demonstrated that CSCs potently extract iron from the microenvironment more effectively than other tumor cells. Systematic interrogation of iron flux determined that CSCs preferentially require transferrin receptor and ferritin, two core iron regulators, to propagate and form tumors in vivo. Depleting ferritin disrupted CSC mitotic progression, through the STAT3-FoxM1 regulatory axis, revealing an iron-regulated CSC pathway. Iron is a unique, primordial metal fundamental for earliest life forms, on which CSCs have an epigenetically programmed, targetable dependence.
Laser Induced Incandescence and Particle Size

The cooling rate of soot particles after laser induced incandescence (LII) is thought to provide an estimate of the size of nanoparticles (NPs) in the engine exhaust. It is shown that cooling rate is not applicable to NPs, and instead is only a measure of the size of micron-sized particles. The problem is that the conservation of absorbed laser photon energy in NPs is subject to quantum electrodynamics (QED) constraints. Although QED allows the temperature of the NPs to increase during the absorption of the laser photons, QED limits the amount of photon energy that may be absorbed by the NPs to insignificant fractions of the laser photon energy, and therefore the cooling rate of the absorbed laser energy following LII would not be detectable. In effect, the absorption of laser photons in a NP cannot be conserved by an increase in temperature. Instead, the absorbed photon energy is conserved by emission of visible (VIS) radiation in a broadband electromagnetic (EM) spectrum produced during confinement within the NP geometry. The broadband EM emission spectrum is known in LII terminology as the emission signal. Indeed, this paper recommends that the LII emission signal be used as measure of the NPs leaving the cooling rate as a measure of micron sized particles. Key-Words: Nanoparticle, heat transfer, suppressed IR, QED, conservation principle
Familial Occurrence of Systemic Mast Cell Activation Disease

Systemic mast cell activation disease (MCAD) comprises disorders characterized by an enhanced release of mast cell mediators accompanied by accumulation of dysfunctional mast cells. Demonstration of familial clustering would be an important step towards defining the genetic contribution to the risk of systemic MCAD. The present study aimed to quantify familial aggregation for MCAD and to investigate the variability of clinical and molecular findings (e.g. somatic mutations in KIT) among affected family members in three selected pedigrees. Our data suggest that systemic MCAD pedigrees include more systemic MCAD cases than would be expected by chance, i.e., compared with the prevalence of MCAD in the general population. The prevalence of MCAD suspected by symptom self-report in first-degree relatives of patients with MCAD amounted to approximately 46%, compared to prevalence in the general German population of about 17% (p<0.0001). In three families with a high familial loading of MCAD, the subtype of MCAD and the severity of mediator-related symptoms varied between family members. In addition, genetic alterations detected in KIT were variable, and included mutations at position 816 of the amino acid sequence. In conclusion, our data provide evidence for common familial occurrence of MCAD. Our findings observed in the three pedigrees together with recent reports in the literature suggest that, in familial cases (i.e., in the majority of MCAD), mutated disease-related operator and/or regulator genes could be responsible for the development of somatic mutations in KIT and other proteins important for the regulation of mast cell activity. Accordingly, the immunohistochemically different subtypes of MCAD (i.e. mast cell activation syndrome and systemic mastocytosis) should be more accurately regarded as varying presentations of a common generic root process of mast cell dysfunction, than as distinct diseases.
Effectiveness of problem-based learning curricula: research and theory.

PURPOSE
This article provides a critical overview of problem-based learning (PBL), its effectiveness for knowledge acquisition and clinical performance, and the underlying educational theory. The focus of the paper is on (1) the credibility of claims (both empirical and theoretical) about the ties between PBL and educational outcomes and (2) the magnitude of the effects.


METHOD
The author reviewed the medical education literature, starting with three reviews published in 1993 and moving on to research published from 1992 through 1998 in the primary sources for research in medical education. For each study the author wrote a summary, which included study design, outcome measures, effect sizes, and any other information relevant to the research conclusion.


RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
The review of the literature revealed no convincing evidence that PBL improves knowledge base and clinical performance, at least not of the magnitude that would be expected given the resources required for a PBL curriculum. The results were considered in light of the educational theory that underlies PBL and its basic research. The author concludes that the ties between educational theory and research (both basic and applied) are loose at best.
Service Use and Costs for People with Long-Term Neurological Conditions in the First Year following Discharge from In-Patient Neuro-Rehabilitation: A Longitudinal Cohort Study

BACKGROUND
Knowledge of the configuration and costs of community rehabilitation and support for people with long-term neurological conditions (LTNCs) is needed to inform future service development and resource allocation. In a multicentre prospective cohort study evaluating community service delivery during the year post-discharge from in-patient neuro-rehabilitation, a key objective was to determine service use, costs, and predictors of these costs.


METHODS
Patients consecutively admitted over one year to all nine London specialised (Level 1) in-patient neuro-rehabilitation units were recruited on discharge. They or their carers completed postal/web-based questionnaires at discharge and six and twelve months later, providing demographic data and measures of impairment, disability, service needs and provision. This paper describes health and social care service use, informal care and associated costs. Regression models using non-parametric boot-strapping identified predictors of costs over time.


RESULTS
Overall, 152 patients provided consistent data. Mean formal service costs fell significantly from £13,290 (sd £19,369) during the first six months to £9,335 (sd £19,036) from six-twelve months, (t = 2.35, P<0.05), mainly due to declining health service use. At six months, informal care was received on average for 8.2 hours/day, mean cost £14,615 (sd 23,305), comprising 52% of overall care costs. By twelve months, it had increased to 8.8 hours per day, mean cost £15,468 (sd £25,534), accounting for 62% of overall care costs. Being younger and more disabled predicted higher formal care costs, explaining 32% and 30% of the variation in costs respectively at six and twelve months.


CONCLUSION
Community services for people with LTNCs carry substantial costs that shift from health to social care over time, increasing the burden on families. Prioritising rehabilitation services towards those in greatest need could limit access to others needing on-going support to promote their independence and reduce their reliance on families. This argues for greater investment in future rehabilitation services.