Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Effect of a Senior Jazz Dance Class on Static Balance in Healthy Women Over 50 Years of Age: A Pilot Study

The purpose of this pilot study is to assess the impact of a senior jazz dance class on static balance for healthy women over 50 years of age using the NeuroCom Smart Balance Master System (Balance Master). A total of 12 healthy women aged 54—88 years completed a 15-week jazz dance class which they attended 1 time per week for 90 min per class. Balance data were collected using the Sensory Organization Test (SOT) at baseline (pre), at 7 weeks (mid), and after 15 weeks (post). An equilibrium score measuring postural sway was calculated for each of six different conditions. The composite equilibrium score (all six conditions integrated to 1 score) was used as an overall measure of balance. Repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) were used to compare the means of each participant's SOT composite equilibrium score in addition to the equilibrium score for each individual condition (1—6) across the 3 time points (pre, mid, post). There was a statistically significant difference among the means, p < . 0005. Pairwise (Bonferroni) post hoc analyses revealed the following statistically significant findings for SOT composite equilibrium scores for the pre (67.33 + 10.43), mid (75.25 + 6.97), and post (79.00 + 4.97) measurements: premid (p = .008); prepost (p < .0005); midpost (p = .033). In addition, correlational statistics were used to determine any relationship between SOT scores and age. Results indicated that administration of a 15-week jazz dance class 1 time per week was beneficial in improving static balance as measured by the Balance Master SOT.
Could simvastatin be considered as a potential therapy for chronic lung diseases? A debate on the pros and cons

ABSTRACT Introduction: Simvastatin (SV) is a drug from the statin class, currently used orally as an anti-cholesterolemic drug. It inhibits the 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-Coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase to reduce cholesterol synthesis. Recently, it has been found that SV also has several other protective pharmacological actions unrelated to its anti-cholesterol effects that might be beneficial in the treatment of chronic airway diseases. Areas covered: This review summarizes the evidence relating to SV as a potential anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and muco-inhibitory agent, administered both orally and via pulmonary inhalation, and discusses its pro and cons. Evidence could potentially be used to support the delivery of SV as inhaled formulation for the treatment of chronic respiratory diseases. Expert opinion: The use of SV as anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and muco-inhibitory agent for drug delivery to the lung is promising. Inhaled SV formulations could allow the delivery profile to be customized and optimized to take advantage of the rapid onset of action, low systemic side effect and improved physico-chemical stability. This treatment could potentially to be used clinically for the localized treatment of lung diseases where inflammation and oxidative stress production is present.
The Effect of Brand Image and Product Knowledge on Purchase Intention Moderated by Price Discount

Most of previous studies either take product knowle dge as a moderator, or involve varying degree of product knowledge on the consumers’ perceived evalu ation as an influential factor. It is rare to come across research that discusses how both brand image and product knowledge affect purchase intention. Thus, this research has chosen both an intrinsic an d an extrinsic product cue─brand image and product knowledge ─as independent variables while using price discount as a moderator and conducted research on purchase intention.
The Effect of Inhibitor on the Corrosion of Aluminium in Acidic Solutions

metals. Most of the severe corrosion problems encountered involve the mineral acids or their derivatives. Use of inhibitors is one of the most practical methods for protection against corrosion especially in acid solution to prevent metal dissolution and acid consumption. [11]. When compared to other mineral acids, methane sulphonic acid is usually described as a “green acid” due to its environmental advantages [12, 13]. Methane Sulphonic Acid is a colourless liquid with the chemical formula CH3SO3H. M S A may be considered as intermediate compound between sulphuric acid and methyl sulfonyl methane, effectively replacing an –OH group with a –CH3 group at each step. MSA is a strong organic acid with pka=-1.9[14] with low tendency to oxidize organic compounds. MSA is far less corrosive and toxic than usual mineral acids employed industrial processes [15]. MSA is biodegradable within 28 days, only carbondioxide and sulphates being formed [16] and it is recyclable up to 80%. It is environmentally advantageous electrolyte. There is several manufacturing process. In the chloro oxidation process (the conventional one, developed by pennwalt corporation in 1967[17]), methane thiol is oxidized by chlorine to form methane sulphonyl chloride, which is then to be hydrolyzed to form MSA with HCl.
Physical and Mechanical Properties of Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate (LECA)

Lightweight aggregate is the generic name of a group of aggregates having a relative density lower than normal aggregates (natural sand, gravel, and crushed stone), sometimes is referred to as low density aggregate. Depending on the source and the method of production, lightweight aggregates exhibit considerable differences in particle shape, texture and properties. Lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) is among the common lightweight materials that have been applied successfully in civil engineering works. Many studies have been conducted to investigate the performances of LECA used in structural and geotechnical applications. They are favourable materials used in projects where weight is an issue because the materials can help reduce dead loads and lateral forces by more than half in installations over structures and those with soft soils. LECA is an eco-friendly nature-based waste product that combines the same benefits as brick tiles. LECA is indestructible, non-combustible, and impervious to attack by dry-rot, wet-rot and insects. This paper focused on the properties of LECA aggregates supplied by LEXCA Sdn. Bhd. through laboratory tests in accordance to the standard specifications. The properties of several LECA produced from different country and production plants are also reviewed for comparative purpose. In addition, the material properties evaluated from previously conducted research also was discussed. It was found that, even though LECA was produced from the same raw materials, it has certain range of property values. The properties of LECA shows their suitability and potential for replacing natural aggregates in many civil engineering works. It is hoped that, the properties presented in this paper could help others who conduct study especially numerical analysis using LECA as geotechnical materials.
Human exposure to endocrine disrupters: Standardisation of a marker of estrogenic exposure in adipose tissue

In many epidemiological studies based on the direct measurement of exposure to organochlorines, the chemicals of concern are determined directly from adipose tissue samples. Although the measurement of all possible organochlorines, their metabolites, isomers and congeners may be desirable, it is expensive and time‐consuming and many chemicals with hormonal activity may not yet have been identified. Testing systems are therefore required to screen for estrogenicity and to identify appropriate biomarkers of human exposure. To address this issue, we developed and standardised a method to assess the total estrogenic xenobiotic burden in human adipose tissue. The method extracts and separates the more lipophilic xenoestrogens from ovarian estrogens, with a subsequent bioassay determination of the cumulative effect of the xenoestrogens. It was applied to 400 women, using 200 mg of adipose tissue: 65% of samples showed measurable estrogenicity in the fraction where most non‐polar xenoestrogens eluted, and 76% of fractions where ovarian estrogens eluted were positive for estrogenicity. Residues of 16 organochlorine pesticides were determined. No correlation was found between pesticide content and estrogenicity of the samples. The high percentage of positive samples suggests that the method is sensitive enough to be used as a biomarker of human exposure to estrogenic xenobiotics and can be applied in epidemiological studies.
Evaluation of the effective parameters on shear resistance of interface in a geocomposite-reinforced pavement

Abstract Application of geosynthetics is known as an important way to reduce and delay emergence of reflective cracks. However, reliance on these materials can have some disadvantages, including reduction of shear resistance in the interface between two HMA layers, along with emergence of some defects in areas on which vehicles brake, accelerate or turn. A large number of parameters affect the interlayer shear resistance. In this research activity, a double-shear device has been developed and evaluated in order to measure shear resistance between layers in the interface zone. The device is equipped by a system for application and control of normal compressive and tensile loading. In this research, using the L16 (2 × 2–4 × 4) orthogonal array, the factors that are most influential on the shear resistance of the interlayer zone reinforced by geocomposite are evaluated. Temperature, with effectiveness 2.4 times greater than that of the other parameters, the effect of which is relatively uniform, is found to be the most relevant parameter, followed by the tack-coat application rate. The findings indicate that the shear loading rate and geocomposite grid size have the next most significant contribution to the maximum shear resistance, both with and without application of normal load.
Pinocytosis as the cause of sucrose nephrosis.

Sucrose-14C was administered to rats in solutions of 12.5 and 50%. Radioactivity was found in renal cortical cells and was partly sedimentable on centrifugation of homogenates. Over a 24-hour period, there was a sharp decrease in the amount of non-sedimentable radioactivity whereas no net change in sedimentable radioactivity occurred during this period. Utilizing isopycnic density gradient centrifugation, it was found that part of the sedimentable radioactivity distributed with lysosomal acid phosphatase. These findings, in conjunction with histochemical data of others, suggest that sucrose-induced vacuolization of renal cortical cells is a reflection of the incorporation of sucrose into phagolysosomes. Since this process is most likely mediated through pinocytosis and not by osmotic changes, the term ‘osmotic nephrosis’ appears to be inappropriate when applied to describe the etiology of sucrose nephrosis.
Minor salivary glands and dental caries: Approach towards a new horizon

Introduction: Reduction of functioning minor salivary glands may contribute to emergence of mucosal infections, mucosal ulceration, and possibly dental caries. A study was, therefore, designed to understand the exact role of minor salivary gland secretions over dental caries. Methodology: We studied the average labial distribution of functional minor salivary glands using various pre-defined locations, counted the minor salivary gland secretion imprints, and correlated the decayed missing filledlevels in subjects. The functional level and amount of secretion of minor salivary gland were evaluated. The radial immunodiffusion was performed by Diffu-Plate kit and the dimensions of the ring were correlated with the amount of immunoglobulin A in saliva. Results: The mean number of functional labial minor salivary glands, amount of secretion, level of glycoprotein secretion, and immunoglobulin A secretion levels could very well dictate the functional status and role of minor salivary glands over caries assessment. Conclusion: The above-mentioned tests could be of major significance in routine diagnosis of the most common oral disease, i.e., dental caries.
On What Makes Certain Dynamical Systems Cognitive: A Minimally Cognitive Organization Program

Dynamicism has provided cognitive science with important tools to understand some aspects of “how cognitive agents work” but the issue of “what makes something cognitive” has not been sufficiently addressed yet and, we argue, the former will never be complete without the latter. Behavioristic characterizations of cognitive properties are criticized in favor of an organizational approach focused on the internal dynamic relationships that constitute cognitive systems. A definition of cognition as adaptive-autonomy in the embodied and situated neurodynamic domain is provided: the compensatory regulation of a web of stability dependencies between sensorimotor structures is created and pre served during a historical/developmental process. We highlight the functional role of emotional embodiment: internal bioregulatory processes coupled to the formation and adaptive regulation of neurodynamic autonomy. Finally, we discuss a “minimally cognitive behavior program” in evolutionary simulation modeling suggesting that much is to be learned from a complementary “minimally cognitive organization program”
Acute effects of low levels of ambient ozone on peak expiratory flow rate in a cohort of Australian children.

BACKGROUND We enrolled a cohort of primary schoolchildren with a history of wheeze (n = 148) in an 11-month longitudinal study to examine the relationship between ambient ozone concentrations and peak expiratory flow rate. METHODS Enrolled children recorded peak expiratory flow rates (PEFR) twice daily. We obtained air pollution, meteorological and pollen data. In all, 125 children remained in the final analysis. RESULTS We found a significant negative association between daily mean deviation in PEFR and same-day mean daytime ozone concentration (beta-coefficient = 0.88; P = 0.04) after adjusting for co-pollutants, time trend, meteorological variables, pollen count and ALTERNARIA: count. The association was stronger in a subgroup of children with bronchial hyperreactivity and a doctor diagnosis of asthma (beta-coefficient = -2.61; P = 0.001). There was no significant association between PEFR and same-day daily daytime maximum ozone concentration. We also demonstrated a dose-response relationship with mean daytime ozone concentration. CONCLUSIONS Moderate levels of ambient ozone have an adverse health effect on children with a history of wheezing, and this effect is larger in children with bronchial hyperreactivity and a doctor diagnosis of asthma.
Antitumor activity and safety of tivozanib (AV-951) in a phase II randomized discontinuation trial in patients with renal cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE The antitumor activity and safety of tivozanib, which is a potent and selective vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1, -2, and -3 inhibitor, was assessed in patients with advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). PATIENTS AND METHODS In this phase II, randomized discontinuation trial, 272 patients received open-label tivozanib 1.5 mg/d (one cycle equaled three treatment weeks followed by a 1-week break) orally for 16 weeks. Thereafter, 78 patients who demonstrated ≥ 25% tumor shrinkage continued to take tivozanib, and 118 patients with less than 25% tumor change were randomly assigned to receive tivozanib or a placebo in a double-blind manner; patients with ≥ 25% tumor growth were discontinued. Primary end points included safety, the objective response rate (ORR) at 16 weeks, and the percentage of randomly assigned patients who remained progression free after 12 weeks of double-blind treatment; secondary end points included progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS Of 272 patients enrolled onto the study, 83% of patients had clear-cell histology, 73% of patients had undergone nephrectomy, and 54% of patients were treatment naive. The ORR after 16 weeks of tivozanib treatment was 18% (95% CI, 14% to 23%). Of the 118 randomized patients, significantly more patients who were randomly assigned to receive double-blind tivozanib remained progression free after 12 weeks versus patients who received the placebo (49% v 21%; P = .001). Throughout the study, the ORR was 24% (95% CI, 19% to 30%), and the median PFS was 11.7 months (95% CI, 8.3 to 14.3 months) in the overall study population. The most common grade 3 and 4 treatment-related adverse event was hypertension (12%). CONCLUSION Tivozanib was active and well tolerated in patients with advanced RCC. These data support additional development of tivozanib in advanced RCC.
Study of Metal Concentration in Lubricating Oil with Predictive Purposes

Aims: To determine the concentration of the metals present in a lubricating oil of mineral base, before, during and after its use in the engine of a truck, to know its variation for predictive purposes. Study Design: In the study, a truck was used in which the lubricating oil of mineral base, diesel grade 15W/40 was tested. Periodically, a sample of the oil contained in the crankcase was taken and the concentration of the metals present in it was determined to know its variation. Duration of Study: The study was carried out during the period corresponding to 57000 km of operation of the lubricating oil in the engine. Methodology: The determination of the metals concentration of both new and used lubricating oil samples, extracted from the crankcase after regular periods of its use, was carried out by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. Results and Conclusion: The analysis of the lubricating oil allowed to know that what was Original Research Article Fernández-Feal et al.; CJAST, 27(6): 1-12, 2018; Article no.CJAST. 41472 2 happening inside the engine. It helps to detect wear problems of its components, as well as detecting contamination and degradation suffered by the lubricating oil itself. Thus, it can be considered a valid method in the predictive maintenance of the engine.
Brain damage in divers

Diving involves risk of neurological injuries. These may arise from decompression illness (a label which recognises the difficulty in distinguishing clinically decompression sickness due to gas nucleation from gas invasion caused by pulmonary barotrauma), anoxia (caused by near drowning), and the toxic effects of high partial pressures of breathing gases. The possibility that divers and others working in hyperbaric conditions may acquire neuropsychological damage without a clear history of a precipitating event is worrying. Since 1978 five international meetings have discussed this possibility, but no consensus exists whether diving per se causes brain damage. Much of the evidence of functional abnormalities in divers with no history of decompression illness is anecdotal. Many reports describe findings in mixed groups of divers, some with and some without prior decompression illness.1 2 The most quoted study involved a snapshot assessment of intellectual function in Australian abalone divers,3 with no assessment of change over time and no controls. The psychological assessment probably failed to reflect the characteristics of these particular individuals, and their dive practices. Nevertheless, degeneration and vasculopathy are seen after death in the brains and spinal cords of unaffected divers which resemble the abnormalities found after decompression illness.4 5 Retinal fluorescein angiography in …
Trends in the outcomes of end-stage renal disease secondary to human immunodeficiency virus-associated nephropathy.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the trends in the incidence and outcomes of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) attributed to human immunodeficiency virus-associated nephropathy (HIVAN). We sought to define relative incidence among ESRD patients, changes in mortality among patients with ESRD attributed to HIVAN, as well as changes in the excess mortality experienced by patients with ESRD attributed to HIVAN compared with otherwise similar ESRD patients with non-HIVAN causes. METHODS We used the US Renal Data System to identify all individuals with reported HIVAN who initiated treatment for ESRD between 1989 and 2011. We plotted their counts and proportions among all incident ESRD patients and tabulated their characteristics across years. We then compared mortality within the HIVAN group across years using Cox regression. In addition, we studied the trends in relative mortality of HIVAN patients versus those with ESRD not reported as HIVAN. RESULTS Overall, 14 719 individuals with HIVAN-ESRD were recorded, with significant reductions in recent years (893 in 2006; 525 in 2011). Compared with patients initiating dialysis between 1989 and 1992, mortality declined by 40% (HR = 0.60; 95% CI, 0.55-0.65) and 64% (HR = 0.36; 95% CI, 0.32-0.40) for patients initiating dialysis in 1999/2000 and 2009-11, respectively. The adjusted excess mortality of HIVAN-ESRD patients versus incident ESRD patients from other causes was >5-fold in 1989-92 (HR = 5.21; 95% CI, 4.84-5.60); this excess mortality has subsequently declined but remained at almost 3-fold in recent years (e.g. HR = 2.58; 95% CI, 2.37-2.80, 2009-11 incidence cohort). CONCLUSIONS Concurrent with the increasing availability of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), both the incidence of ESRD due to HIVAN and the mortality of such patients have decreased substantially. However, HIVAN patients reaching ESRD continue to experience substantial excess mortality compared with other ESRD patients even in the current era of modern HAART.
Self-efficacy moderates the relationship between stress appraisal and quality of life among rescue workers

Abstract Rescue workers are frequently exposed to highly stressful situations during their everyday work activity. Stress and coping theory emphasizes the interaction between primary and secondary appraisal in determining coping responses to stressful events and quality of life. According to Social Cognitive Theory, stress reactions depend on self-appraisal of coping capabilities. The present study investigated whether self-efficacy moderates the relationship between stress appraisal and professional quality of life. A self-administered questionnaire was submitted to a sample of 451 Italian rescue workers (firefighters, paramedics, and medical technicians), including the Professional Quality of Life Scale, which measures three dimensions of emergency workers' quality of working life: compassion fatigue, burnout, and compassion satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses indicated that the relationship between stress appraisal and professional quality of life was significant only among rescue workers with low levels of self-efficacy but not among those with higher levels of self-efficacy. These results confirmed the expectations based on Social Cognitive Theory that self-efficacy buffers the impact of perceived stressful encounters on professional quality of life. Results suggest the usefulness of interventions aimed at increasing rescue workers' psychosocial skills.
Distributionally Scrambled Set for an Annihilation Operator

This paper investigates distributionally scrambled sets for an annihilation operator of the unforced quantum harmonic oscillator. Precisely, for each positive integer N, the Nth iteration of the annihilation operator admits infinitely many densely invariant distributionally e-scrambled linear manifolds for any 0 < e < 2.