Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Virtual Reality Immersion and Walking Speed on Coordination of Arm and Leg Movements

The present study focused on the impact of immersive virtual reality (VR) technology on the coordination dynamics of walking, because of VR-induced symptoms and effects (e.g., motion sickness, postural instability, and disorientation) reported in the literature. Subjects were instructed to walk on a treadmill in a virtual and a real environment, while walking speeds were systematically varied. The virtual laboratory environment closely resembled the real laboratory environment. A third experimental condition was included controlling for the restricted view of a head mounted display (HMD) of the VR system. Movement of arms and legs were recorded with an Optotrak system. The main finding was that, for all speed conditions, there was an increased stride frequency in the VR environment compared to the other conditions. At the lower walking speeds, this coincided with a stronger locking of the arm movements on the stride frequency, and an increased mean relative phase between left arm and right arm movements as well as between ipsilateral arm and leg movements. No significant differences in the stability of the walking patterns were observed. Most importantly though, the impact of VR immersion was not large, was primarily limited to the lower walking velocity range, and could be further reduced by correcting for the effects of increased stride frequency by applying dimensionless analysis. The restricted view of the HMD did not significantly influence walking coordination. On the basis of these findings, it is concluded that immersive VR is a suitable tool to investigate perception-action coupling during walking, allowing for a systematic manipulation of optic flow parameters.
The Importance of Nutrition in the Prevention of Ocular Disease with Special Reference to Cataract

Background: The lens is the ocular structure most susceptible to oxidative damage. Antioxidants, micronutrients and phytochemicals have been extensively studied for their possible effects to prevent or delay the progression of various eye diseases. Objectives: A brief overview of the updated literature on the role of antioxidants and micronutrients in the prevention and treatment of ocular diseases is to be presented with an emphasis on cataract. Data Sources: PubMed search and individual papers from journals. Data Synthesis: The review discusses linkages of various micronutrients and antioxidants as well as oxidative stress with cataract. Dietary interventions as strategy for prevention of cataract and other ocular disorders are also reviewed. Conclusions: Consumption of food-based antioxidants like β-carotene lutein and zeaxanthin seem to be useful for the treatment of macular degeneration and cataracts. Supplements of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E and zinc may prevent advanced age-related macular degeneration only in high-risk individuals.
Chemical Imaging of Heterogeneous Muscle Foods Using Near-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging in Transmission Mode

Foods and biomaterials are, in general, heterogeneous and it is often a challenge to obtain spectral data which are representative for the chemical composition and distribution. This paper presents a setup for near-infrared (NIR) transmission imaging where the samples are completely trans-illuminated, probing the entire sample. The system measures falling samples at high speed and consists of an NIR imaging scanner covering the spectral range 760–1040 nm and a powerful line light source. The investigated samples were rather big: whole pork bellies of thickness up to 5 cm, salmon fillets with skin, and 3 cm thick model samples of ground pork meat. Partial least square regression models for fat were developed for ground pork and salmon fillet with high correlations (R = 0.98 and R = 0.95, respectively). The regression models were applied at pixel level in the hyperspectral transmission images and resulted in images of fat distribution where also deeply embedded fat clearly contributed to the result. The results suggest that it is possible to use transmission imaging for rapid, nondestructive, and representative sampling of very heterogeneous foods. The proposed system is suitable for industrial use.
Ultrasonic Mechanical, Dialectical and Morphology Characterizations of Unsaturated Copolyesters and Terpolyesters

In a previous study we focused on the synthesis of new family of unsaturated copolyesters and terpolyesters by interfacial condensation polymerization. Here, in this study as complementary work of physical characterizations, we focused on the morphological features using X-ray and SEM investigation. Further, the mechanical properties of solid polymers were also studied by a new technique echo-pulse using ultrasonic impulses. This technique was used for solid polymers to determine the elastic moduli involving, Young’s modulus, shear modulus, bulk modulus and micro-hardness modulus. The statistical relation between different kinds of copolyesters and terpolyesters with Poisson’s ratio (υ) and micro-hardness were shown. The dielectric constant (? ) and the electrical resistance (Rp) of the solid copolyesters and terpolyesters including aliphatic, aromatic and azo group in the main chain have been studied at room temperature. Moreover, the relation between frequency and dielectric constant for the selective polymers has been also illustrated.
Management of infections due to KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae

The emergence of the Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases in K. pneumoniae and other Gram-negative bacteria, usually on a background of multidrug resistance, has led to difficult therapeutic choices. Among available antibiotics, tigecycline and the polymyxins are the most frequently active against these organisms in vitro. Optimal therapy of infections due to these bacteria may involve maximization of antibiotic dose as well as their use in combination.
Traditional Chinese Medicine for Fibromyalgia.

Over 15 million people live with fibromyalgia (FM), a disorder with an estimated annual direct cost that exceeds $20 billion. FM is associated with a multiplicity of symptoms, such as pain (1) (2), work limitations (3), poor quality of life (4), poor coping (1), poor physical functioning (5), and multiple chronic comorbidities that make it particularly challenging to treat. Rational evidence-based treatment paradigms are emerging, but there remains a research-to-practice gap, leaving patients to seek out their own treatment options. Alternatively, patients may seek guidance from their provider about adding complementary therapies to their existing treatment plan. Therefore, patients are increasingly seeking out Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for answers concerning FM. Evidence-based clinical studies suggest that there are Eastern and Western interventions treat FM symptoms, provide maximization of function and enhance quality of life. However, Western educated health care providers may be uncertain as to the scope, efficacy or safety of TCM therapies. The purpose of this paper is to describe the components of TCM, overview the state of the science in regards to safety and efficacy, and, when appropriate help patients find the best trained TCM practitioners.
Physicochemical and sensorial characteristics of noodle enriched with oyster mushroom (Pleorotus ostreatus) powder

Oyster Mushroom is a mushroom that can be used for food and medicine. It contains highly nutritious and functional substances such as statins and beta-glucan. A comprehensive evaluation of noodle-enriched with Oyster Mushroom powder has not been performed so far. In this study, we performed a comprehensive evaluation of noodle-enriched with Oyster Mushroom powder. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of enrichment of Oyster Mushroom Powder (OMP) on the quality of noodle. The quality of noodle was evaluated based on physical, chemical and sensorial characteristics. This study was done by substituting wheat flour with OMP at the level of 0 (control); 5; 7.5; 10; 12.5; and 15%. The results showed that OMP significantly affected (P<0.05) the chemical, physical and sensorial quality of enriched noodles. Increased OMP level concurrently increased ash, crude fiber content and water activity (Aw) of resulting noodles. The enrichment was significantly raised the redness and yellowness of noodles, but decreased whiteness index. In addition, the enrichment of OMP significantly affected the sensorial properties of enriched noodles including color, taste, aroma and texture. OMP enrichment can be done at the level of 5% without compromising color, aroma, and texture of noodle, but 12.5% for taste attribute. Thus, OMP enrichment is feasible to enhance the nutritional values of noodle.
A fuzzy expert system for fault detection in statistical process control of industrial processes

Little work has previously been reported on the use of fuzzy logic within statistical process control when this is used for fault detection as part of quality control systems in industrial manufacturing processes. Therefore, the paper investigates the potential use of fuzzy logic to enhance the performance of statistical process control (SPC). The cumulative sum of the deviation in the monitored parameter is combined with the deviation in an attempt to discriminate between false alarms and real faults and, consequently, to improve the quality of the solution. Combinations of control rules are utilized and trained to cope with different inputs such that rejection of false alarms is achieved and quick detection of real faults is obtained. The design and implementation of this fuzzy expert system (FES) are presented, and a comparative rule based study is performed.
A new chronotype of Schistosoma mansoni: adaptive significance

Objectives To optimise host‐to‐host transmission, digenean trematodes (parasites) synchronize their cercarial emission patterns with the aquatic activities of their vertebrate hosts. Schistosoma mansoni has a strictly diurnal shedding pattern involving two circadian chronotypes: an early shedding pattern with a mean peak occurring at 11:00 h and a late pattern with a mean peak occurring at 16:00 h. We analysed the cercarial emergence pattern of three schistosome populations from Oman where S. mansoni is resurgent.
Segmentation and Translation of Japanese Multi-word Loanwords

The Japanese language has absorbed large numbers of loanwords from many languages, in particular English. As well as using single loanwords, compound nouns, multiword expressions (MWEs), etc. constructed from loanwords can be found in use in very large quantities. In this paper we describe a system which has been developed to segment Japanese loanword MWEs and construct likely English translations. The system, which leverages the availability of large bilingual dictionaries of loanwords and English n-gram corpora, achieves high levels of accuracy in discriminating between single loanwords and MWEs, and in segmenting MWEs. It also generates useful translations of MWEs, and has the potential to being a major aid to lexicographers in this area.
Unfavourable results in the repair of the cleft lip

Introduction: Unfavorable results in unilateral and bilateral cleft lip repair are often easy to spot but not always easy to prevent as to treat. We have tried to deal with the more common problems and explain possible causes and the best possible management options from our experience. Unilateral cleft lip repair: Unfavorable results immediately after repair involve Dehiscence and Scaring. Delayed blemishes include vermillion notching, a short lip, deficiency in the height of the lateral vermillion on the cleft side, white roll malalignment, oro-vestibular fistula, the cleft lip nose deformity, a narrow nostril and a “high-riding” nostril. We analyze the causes of these blemishes and outline our views regarding the treatment of these. Bilateral cleft lip: Immediate problems again include dehiscence as also loss of prolabium or premaxilla. Delayed unfavorable results are central vermillion deficiency, a lip that is too tight, bilateral cleft lip nose deformity, problems with the premaxilla and maxillary growth disturbances. Here again we discuss the causation of these problems and our preferred methods of treatment. Conclusion: We have detailed the significant unfavorable results after unilateral and bilateral cleft lip surgery. The methods of treatment advocated have been layer from our own experience.
Where next with revalidation?

Self regulation should survive, but revalidation must offer education as well as performance review A century ago, Cornford described how a conservative faculty at Cambridge University, England, struggled to deflect the pressure to reform.1 Some aspects of that treatise have been reprised in the BMJ series on the United Kingdom General Medical Council, which ends this week, as regulators take on the public's need for a mechanism to ensure that doctors provide good care for patients throughout their careers.2–8 Three themes emerge from this series and from the broader debate: revalidation is necessary; revalidation must be comprehensive; and medicine should be self regulated. In his article, Irvine espouses the view that doctors are personally responsible for their own ability to provide good care and that they share in the collective responsibility for their colleagues.4 In this context, revalidation is an essential expression of professionalism and a means of establishing accountability to patients and the public. Overwhelmingly, patients also feel that revalidation is necessary. Cain, …
Dynamic Nonprehensile Manipulation: Controllability, Planning, and Experiments

We are interested in using low-degree-of-freedom robots to perform complex tasks by nonprehensile manipulation (manipulation without aformorforce-closure grasp). By notgrasping, the robot can usegravitational, centrifugal, and Coriolisforces as virtual motors to control more degrees of freedom of the part. The part s extra motionfreedoms are exhibited as rolling, slipping, and free flight. This paper describes controllability, motion planning, and implementation ofplanar dynamic nonprehensile manipukltion. We show that almost any planar object is controllable by point contact, and the controlling robot requires only twvo degrees of freedom (a point translating in the plane). We then focus on a one-joint manipulator (with a two-dimensional state space), and show that even this simplest of robots, by using slipping and rolling, can control a planar object to a fulldimensional subset of its six-dimensional statespace. We have developed a one-jointrobotto perform a variety of dynamic tasks, including snatching an object ftom a table, rolling an object on the surface of the arm, and throwing and catching. Nonlinear optimization is used to plan robot trajectories that achieve the desired object motion via coupling forces though the nonprehensile contact.
Review of the Recent Trends in Development Economics Research: With Experience from the Federal Region of Kurdistan

This study is a review of the recent trends in development economics research. The focus is on the development in the recent decades as a result of increased globalization of knowledge, technologies and economies. In particular I look at the development in a number area where similar trends are observed. The areas studied include globalization, in-sourcing and outsourcing activities, the increased flow of direct foreign investment and its heterogeneous regional distribution, the increased public investment in information and communication technologies as infrastructure for development, the importance of commercialization and transfer of technologies, and increased income inequality and concentration of severe poverty in certain regions. In addition I briefly elaborate on the role of education, research, and training to enhance development capability and capacity, the increased strategic importance of natural resources and the increased interregional trade flow. I also investigate the development in the Federal Region of Kurdistan since its gained self-governance in 1991 as a case study by referring to the above developments.
Sleep quality and its association with delirium among veterans enrolled in hospice.

OBJECTIVES : The objectives of this study were to describe sleep quality and evaluate the association of sleep quality with delirium onset among patients enrolled in hospice. DESIGN : The study utilized secondary data from a prospective, observational, longitudinal study. SETTING : Veterans enrolled in hospice were recruited from the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Portland, Oregon. PARTICIPANTS : The cohort consisted of 105 patients, of whom 73% had at least one sleep measurement. MEASUREMENTS : Sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Delirium was measured with the Confusion Assessment Method. Other important variables were recorded from the medical record and/or longitudinal interviews with patients and their caregivers. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) to measure the association between sleep quality and delirium onset. RESULTS : Of the patients who could be assessed, 44% had poor average sleep quality and 58% reported at least one episode of poor sleep. Overall, sleep quality did not appear to worsen as patients neared death although an increasing number of patients were unable to report on sleep quality. Poor sleep quality was associated with an increased risk of developing delirium, with an HR of 2.37 (95% CI: 1.50-3.74), for every one point worsening in the sleep quality score on a 4-point scale. CONCLUSIONS : Poor sleep quality was common among Veteran patients enrolled in hospice. These findings may help guide decision making between clinicians, patients, and families regarding the likely impact of sleep disturbance and may help identify patients at higher risk of developing delirium.
Mining eclipse for cross-cutting concerns

Software may contain functionality that does not align with its architecture. Such cross-cutting concerns do not exist from the beginning but emerge over time. By analysing where developers add code to a program, our history-based mining identifies cross-cutting concerns in a two-step process. First, we mine CVS archives for sets of methods where a call to a specific single method was added. In a second step, such simple cross-cutting concerns are combined to complex cross-cutting concerns. To compute these efficiently, we apply formal concept analysis---an algebraic theory. History-based mining scales well: we are the first to report aspects mined from an industrial-sized project like ECLIPSE. For example, we identified a locking concern that crosscuts 1284 methods.
Stimulated Contractions Delay and Prolong Central Fatigue Compared With Voluntary Contractions in Men

Abstract Chaubet, V, Cormery, B, Maitre, J, and Paillard, T. Stimulated contractions delay and prolong central fatigue compared with voluntary contractions in men. J Strength Cond Res 27(5): 1378–1383, 2013—Voluntary and stimulated contractions are commonly used in sports training and rehabilitation, and it is well known that both these kinds of contractions generate central fatigue. However, to date, there is a lack of research on the comparison of the mechanisms by which these 2 exercises induce central disturbances. Central fatigue can be characterized by central activation failure during maximal voluntary contraction (MVC). Superimposition of an electrical stimulation onto MVC has been used to detect central activation failure. Completeness of activation has been quantified by the central activation ratio (CAR) = MVC/(MVC + stimulated force). The aim was not only to evaluate the CAR immediately after fatiguing voluntary (VOL) and stimulated (STIM) contractions but also to compare recovery duration over different time periods (prefatigue: PRE condition; immediate postfatigue: POST condition; after a 5-minute recovery: POST 5 condition; after a 30-minute recovery: POST 30 condition) (n = 18). Results showed that in the POST condition, the CAR is more affected for the VOL contractions than for the STIM contractions (p < 0.001). The CAR was affected for the STIM contractions only in the POST 5 condition (p < 0.05). In the POST 30 condition, the CAR was incomplete for the STIM contractions, whereas it was complete for the VOL contractions (p < 0.01). In conclusion, the VOL contractions alter the CAR more than the STIM contractions immediately after their completion. However, the effects of the STIM contractions on the CAR are delayed and prolonged.
Characterizing nurse practitioner practice by sampling patient encounters: An APRNet study

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to characterize nurse practitioners' (NPs') practice by using reports of patient encounters to more accurately reflect practice patterns than has been previously performed. This study was part of a larger primary care practice survey by a consortium of 20 practice-based research networks (PBRNs). Therefore, comparisons, when appropriate, were also made between this network of NPs (Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Network, APRNet) and the other 19 physician-run research networks. Data sourcesA descriptive survey was developed by the 20 PBRN consortium under grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The consortium's goal was to collect primary care data over a 6-month period and to document and compare primary care practice in the United States. The data were collected immediately following members' encounters with patients rather than from billing spreadsheets. Nineteen PBRNs may have had NPs in the practices that comprised their networks. However, the data from these NPs were collected under the study ID numbers of the physician owners of each practice. APRNet, therefore, was the sole research network comprised exclusively of NPs who collected and reported data under their own study ID numbers. ConclusionsAcute health problems comprised 45% of all episodes treated by NPs compared to 30% of episodes for exacerbations of chronic conditions and 24.5% for nonillness and health promotion visits. In addition, our findings suggest that NPs provide counseling in 84% (vs. 61% for physicians) of their primary care visits, regardless of the reason for visit, and the type of counseling varies by the type of NP. Implications for practiceDespite many studies on the comparability and outcomes of NP practice, the need to identify, clarify, and document the practices of NPs in primary care settings remains. The present survey provides an important and useful first step in providing a systematic way to characterize these practices through a survey of APRNs immediately following their patient encounters.