Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advancement of the Subjective Vitality Scale: examination of alternative measurement models for Japanese and Singaporeans

The Subjective Vitality Scale (SVS: Ryan & Frederick, 1997) is a 7‐item self‐report instrument to measure one's level of vitality and has been widely used in psychological studies. However, there have been discrepancies in which version of the SVS (7‐ or 6‐item version) employed between as well as within researchers. Moreover, Item 5 seems not be a good indicator of vitality from a content validity perspective. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the validity and reliability of the SVS for Japanese and Singaporeans rigorously by comparing 3 measurement models (5‐, 6‐, and 7‐item models). To this end, the scale was first translated from English to Japanese and then the Japanese and English versions of the scale were administered to Japanese (n = 268) and Singaporean undergraduate students (n = 289), respectively. The factorial and concurrent validity of the three models were examined independently on each of the samples. Furthermore, the covariance stability of the vitality responses was assessed over a 4‐week time period for another independent Japanese sample (n = 140). The findings from this study indicated that from methodological and content validity perspectives, the 5‐item model is considered most preferable for both language versions of the SVS.
Fabrication of novel elastosomes for boosting the transdermal delivery of diacerein: statistical optimization, ex-vivo permeation, in-vivo skin deposition and pharmacokinetic assessment compared to oral formulation

Abstract Diacerein (DCN) is a hydrophobic osteoarthritis (OA) drug with short half-life and low oral bioavailability. Furthermore, DCN oral administration is associated with diarrhea which represents obstacle against its oral use. Hence, this article aimed at developing elastosomes (edge activator (EA)-based vesicular nanocarriers) as a novel transdermal system for delivering DCN efficiently and avoiding its oral problems. For achieving this goal, elastosomes were prepared according to 41.21 full factorial design using different EAs in varying amounts. The prepared formulae were characterized regarding their entrapment efficiency percentage (EE%), particle size (PS), polydispersity index (PDI), zeta potential (ZP) and deformability index (DI). Desirability function was employed using Design-Expert® software to select the optimal elastosomes (E1) which showed EE% of 96.25 ± 2.19%, PS of 506.35 ± 44.61 nm, PDI of 0.46 ± 0.09, ZP of −38.65 ± 0.91 mV, and DI of 12.74 ± 2.63 g. In addition, E1 was compared to DCN-loaded bilosomes and both vesicles exhibited superior skin permeation potential and retention capacity compared to drug suspension. In-vivo histopathological study was performed which ensured the safety of E1 for topical application. Furthermore, the pharmacokinetic study conducted in albino rabbits demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the rate and extent of DCN absorption from topically applied E1 compared to oral suspension. Multiple level C in-vitro in-vivo correlation showed good correlation between in-vitro release and in-vivo drug performance for E1 and DCN oral suspension. Overall, results confirmed the admirable potential of E1 to be utilized as novel carrier for transdermal delivery of DCN and bypassing its oral side effects.
Location Estimation via Sparse Signal Reconstruction in Subsampled Overcomplete Dictionaries for Wireless 4G Networks

We present a simple and effective means for position estimation designed to be deployed in urban and dense multipath environments characteristic of 4G wireless networks. To address the multipath channel of such environments a fingerprinting scheme is proposed. One of the drawbacks to this class of methods is the large initial cost associated with establishing a database matrix. This issue is addressed by using a multi-channel filtering method adapted from the H.264 video standard to recover the incomplete data. Position estimation is accomplished via a modified k-nearest neighbor approach to pattern matching. We show through simulation that not only are we able to achieve compelling fidelity in the reconstructed databases from highly incomplete data, but that we are able to do so at a relatively low computational cost. Finally, our results demonstrate that we are able to achieve accurate position estimates vis-à-vis severe under sampling and noisy channel conditions.
A randomized trial to determine the duration of analgesia following a 15- and a 30-minute application of acupuncture-like TENS on patients with chronic low back pain

ABSTRACT Background: Acupuncture-like TENS (AL-TENS) has been shown to produce prolonged pain relief, but no study has yet investigated its duration on a population suffering from chronic low back pain (CLPB). Objective: Our objective was to quantify the duration and magnitude of analgesia induced by a 15- or 30-minute application of AL-TENS. Methodology: We recruited a sample of 11 participants presenting with CLBP and conducted a randomized, crossover study, where participants were given AL-TENS for 15 and 30 minutes on two separate occasions. The pain intensity of their CLBP was assessed with a visual analogue scale before, during, and after AL-TENS applications. Magnitude and duration of analgesia were determined for each subject and for both AL-TENS application times. Results: The AL-TENS applications induced a clinically and statistically significant (p = 0.003) analgesia in all participants. Median duration of analgesia was 9 hours and 10 hours 30 minutes following the 15- and 30-minute AL-TENS applications, respectively; this 1.5-hour difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.55). Furthermore, we observed no significant difference in the magnitude of analgesia between both applications of AL-TENS (p > 0.56), suggesting that the duration of application of AL-TENS does not influence the magnitude of analgesia. Conclusion: Our results suggest that clinicians could use a 15-minute AL-TENS application to provide significant analgesia in patients presenting with low back pain since if provides a comparable analgesia versus a 30-minute application.
H2 metabolism is widespread and diverse among human colonic microbes

ABSTRACT Microbial molecular hydrogen (H2) cycling is central to metabolic homeostasis and microbial composition in the human gastrointestinal tract. Molecular H2 is produced as an endproduct of carbohydrate fermentation and is reoxidised primarily by sulfate-reduction, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis. However, the enzymatic basis for these processes is incompletely understood and the hydrogenases responsible have not been investigated. In this work, we surveyed the genomic and metagenomic distribution of hydrogenase-encoding genes in the human colon to infer dominant mechanisms of H2 cycling. The data demonstrate that 70% of gastrointestinal microbial species listed in the Human Microbiome Project encode the genetic capacity to metabolise H2. A wide variety of anaerobically-adapted hydrogenases were present, with [FeFe]-hydrogenases predominant. We subsequently analyzed the hydrogenase gene content of stools from 20 healthy human subjects. The hydrogenase gene content of all samples was overwhelmingly dominated by fermentative and electron-bifurcating [FeFe]-hydrogenases emerging from the Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes. This study supports that H2 metabolism in the human gut is driven by fermentative H2 production and interspecies H2 transfer. However, it suggests that electron-bifurcation rather than respiration is the dominant mechanism of H2 reoxidation in the human colon, generating reduced ferredoxin to sustain carbon-fixation (e.g. acetogenesis) and respiration (via the Rnf complex). This work provides the first comprehensive bioinformatic insight into the mechanisms of H2 metabolism in the human colon.
Von Economo Neurons and Fork Cells: A Neurochemical Signature Linked to Monoaminergic Function

The human anterior cingulate and frontoinsular cortices are distinguished by 2 unique Layer 5 neuronal morphotypes, the von Economo neurons (VENs) and fork cells, whose biological identity remains mysterious. Insights could impact research on diverse neuropsychiatric diseases to which these cells have been linked. Here, we leveraged the Allen Brain Atlas to evaluate mRNA expression of 176 neurotransmitter-related genes and identified vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptor subunit θ (GABRQ), and adrenoreceptor α-1A (ADRA1A) expression in human VENs, fork cells, and a minority of neighboring Layer 5 neurons. We confirmed these results using immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization. VMAT2 and GABRQ expression was absent in mouse cerebral cortex. Although VMAT2 is known to package monoamines into synaptic vesicles, in VENs and fork cells its expression occurs in the absence of monoamine-synthesizing enzymes or reuptake transporters. Thus, VENs and fork cells may possess a novel, uncharacterized mode of cortical monoaminergic function that distinguishes them from most other mammalian Layer 5 neurons.
Impact of Internally Developed Electronic Prescription on Prescribing Errors at Discharge from the Emergency Department

Introduction Medication errors are common, with studies reporting at least one error per patient encounter. At hospital discharge, medication errors vary from 15%–38%. However, studies assessing the effect of an internally developed electronic (E)-prescription system at discharge from an emergency department (ED) are comparatively minimal. Additionally, commercially available electronic solutions are cost-prohibitive in many resource-limited settings. We assessed the impact of introducing an internally developed, low-cost E-prescription system, with a list of commonly prescribed medications, on prescription error rates at discharge from the ED, compared to handwritten prescriptions. Methods We conducted a pre- and post-intervention study comparing error rates in a randomly selected sample of discharge prescriptions (handwritten versus electronic) five months pre and four months post the introduction of the E-prescription. The internally developed, E-prescription system included a list of 166 commonly prescribed medications with the generic name, strength, dose, frequency and duration. We included a total of 2,883 prescriptions in this study: 1,475 in the pre-intervention phase were handwritten (HW) and 1,408 in the post-intervention phase were electronic. We calculated rates of 14 different errors and compared them between the pre- and post-intervention period. Results Overall, E-prescriptions included fewer prescription errors as compared to HW-prescriptions. Specifically, E-prescriptions reduced missing dose (11.3% to 4.3%, p <0.0001), missing frequency (3.5% to 2.2%, p=0.04), missing strength errors (32.4% to 10.2%, p <0.0001) and legibility (0.7% to 0.2%, p=0.005). E-prescriptions, however, were associated with a significant increase in duplication errors, specifically with home medication (1.7% to 3%, p=0.02). Conclusion A basic, internally developed E-prescription system, featuring commonly used medications, effectively reduced medication errors in a low-resource setting where the costs of sophisticated commercial electronic solutions are prohibitive.
Comparison study on green coupling agents from different type of plants oil for agrowaste-based thermoplastic composites

In the present work, a different green coupling agent (GCA) was developed from virgin coconut oil (GCA-C). The GCA-C were a kind of glycidyl fatty acid ester which are reactive to natural filler. A comparison between GCA made from palm oil (GCA-P) and coconut oil (GCA-C) was studied. The results indicated the tensile strength and tensile modulus of composites increased with increasing the GCA content, and the 3 wt% of GCA content was the optimum content to achieve maximum improvement. Meanwhile, the increased GCA content slightly reduced the elongation at break of composites, but the elongation at break increased at 5 wt% of GCA content. The GCA-C had better performance in improving interfacial adhesion compared to GCA-P due to different fatty acid content. The micrographs of scanning electron microscope evidenced that the modified cocoa pod husk (CPH) with 3 wt% GCA had better filler–matrix adhesion with polypropylene matrix.
Electrospinning of Chitosan-Based Solutions for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Electrospinning has been used for decades to generate nano-fibres via an electrically charged jet of polymer solution. This process is established on a spinning technique, using electrostatic forces to produce fine fibres from polymer solutions. Amongst, the electrospinning of available biopolymers (silk, cellulose, collagen, gelatine and hyaluronic acid), chitosan (CH) has shown a favourable outcome for tissue regeneration applications. The aim of the current review is to assess the current literature about electrospinning chitosan and its composite formulations for creating fibres in combination with other natural polymers to be employed in tissue engineering. In addition, various polymers blended with chitosan for electrospinning have been discussed in terms of their potential biomedical applications. The review shows that evidence exists in support of the favourable properties and biocompatibility of chitosan electrospun composite biomaterials for a range of applications. However, further research and in vivo studies are required to translate these materials from the laboratory to clinical applications.
MP Penetration through Obturated Root Canals -A Basis for LSTR 3Mix-MP NIET retreatment-

The ability of a mixture of macrogol and propylene glycol (MP) to penetrate through root canal obturation was tested using a total of 30 root canals of single-canal extracted teeth, being obturated using lateral condensation method. The obturation was judged to be good radiographically. The MP + dye (Red food dye) was placed at the orifices of root canals, and time that MP + dye exited to the root apex was measured. In all the samples, Dye + PM passed through obturation and exited to the root apex, while water + dye did not exit except for 3 cases. The penetration time of MP + dye was within 24 hours in 11 samples (37%), 48 hours in 8 samples (27%), 72 hours in 7 samples (23%), 96 hours in 2 samples (7%), and 112 hours in the remaining 2 samples (7%). This indicates that propylene glycol may be good vehicle to carry medicaments, such as 3Mix-MP, through root canal obturation without removal of previous root canal obturation.
Menarcheal Age and Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: A Community-Based Cohort Study

Objective: It has been reported that early menarche is associated with higher risk for type 2 diabetes. We aimed to explore the association between age at menarche and risk of type 2 diabetes in a population-based cohort study. Methods: For the purpose of the present study, 5191 subjects of reproductive age who were participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study and also met the eligibility criteria were selected. Demographic, lifestyle, reproductive, and anthropometric data as well as risk factors for metabolic diseases were collected. Menarcheal age was categorized into five categories, as <11 years, 11-12 years, 13-14 years, 15-16 years, and >17 years. Diabetes and pre-diabetes were defined according to the American Diabetes Association criteria. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess the risk of the menarcheal age group for type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes. Results: Of 5625 participants, 673 women had pre-diabetes and 187 had diabetes. Early menarche was associated with higher risk of diabetes and pre-diabetes, compared to the reference group (13-14 years), (OR=3.55, 95% CI: 1.6-7.8 and OR=2.55, 95% CI:1.4-4.8, respectively), an association which remained after further adjustment for potential confounders including family history of diabetes, parity, education, age, body mass index, waist circumference, smoking history, physical activity, and duration of oral contraceptives use. Conclusion: Results showed early menarche to be a potential risk factor for type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes.
Corrosion Resistance of Austenitic Stainless Steel in Cassava Fluid, Maize Pulp, and Seawater.

One of the methods of protecting steel against corrosion is by alloying addition as found in stainless steel. Corrosion resistance of Austenitic Stainless Steel is investigated in cassava fluid, maize pulp, and seawater. The rate of corrosion of stainless steel was highest in seawater (0.00179 mm/y) than in maize pulp (0.001217 mm/y) and cassava fluid (0.001149 mm/y) after eighteen days of immersion. The salinity of seawater affected the performance of stainless steel in it as exposure of stainless steel surface to seawater under conditions in which there is no restriction on the availability of oxygen, gives evidence of pitting and crevice corrosion. The SEM pictures of stainless steel soaked in cassava fluid, maize pulp, and seawater for 288 hours showed white grain boundary which is an indication of the effect of corroding medium. Thus, Austenitic Stainless Steel is a good material for cassava and maize processing machinery.
Interfacial p-n heterojunction of polyaniline-nickel ferrite nanocomposite as room temperature liquefied petroleum gas sensor

Abstract In this work, we introduce polyaniline–nickel ferrite (PANI-NF) nanostructured composite to detect liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at room temperature. The composite synthesized by relatively simple method of in-situ chemical polymerization was structurally characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques. The presence of characteristic absorption bands of both PANI and NF in the FTIR spectrum of the composite with small shifts confirmed interfacial interaction of PANI with NF. The XRD studies also confirmed interfacial interaction between PANI and NF in the composite and its crystalline nature with an average crystallite size of 20 nm. Highly agglomerated granular porous morphology favourable for LPG adsorption was revealed by SEM image of the composite. The TEM image of the composite clearly showed nanosized NF particles embedded in PANI matrix. The LPG sensing performance of the composite at room temperature was tested using a film prepared by depositing the composite on an ordinary glass substrate by cost-effective spin coating technique. The maximum sensing response of the composite was found to be 57% at 700 ppm of LPG, with a response time of 50 s and a recovery time of 200 s. The composite was found to be stable for a period of one month. The sensing mechanism has been discussed on the basis of formation of interfacial p–n heterojunction barrier.
Not all TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis are created equal: important clinical differences

ABSTRACT Introduction: Anti-TNF therapy has dramatically changed how we manage rheumatoid arthritis. There are many similarities among the five approved agents but also some important differences. Rheumatologists have 5 different options to choose from when they are ready to commence anti-TNF therapy. Although all block the TNF cytokine, there are important critical differences among them that affect their safety profile and clinical utility in certain scenarios. Unfortunately, there are no head to head trials to compare the different anti-TNF agents and none appear to be in the horizon. Areas covered: This article reviews the various clinical situations where it may be important to use a particular anti-TNF agent. The authors also give their expert opinion and future perspectives on the area. Expert opinion: Although there are many similarities among the five different TNFi that are clinically available, there are important clinical niches, where the limited data that are available, that clearly support the preferential use of a particular agent or class of agents. Assays or tests that allow us to find the ‘sweet spot’ of TNF inhibition at the level of each patient are long overdue.
Influence of facial hair length, coarseness, and areal density on seal leakage of a tight-fitting half-face respirator

ABSTRACT Background: OSHA regulations state that an employer shall not permit tight-fitting respirators to be worn by employees who have facial hair that comes between the skin and facepiece seal. Studies have shown that facial hair in the face seal zone can increase penetration and decrease the fit factor (FF), although the relationship between the amount and characteristics of facial hair and the increase in penetration is not well quantified. This article examines the influence of facial hair length, areal density, and coarseness on FF for one model of half-face elastomeric negative-pressure air purifying respirator. Approach: Quantitative fit tests (QNFT) were performed on 19 subjects with beards initially 0.500-in long and subsequently trimmed to 0.250, 0.125, and 0.063 in, then after a razor shave. Three fit tests were performed at each of the 5 lengths, for 285 total tests. The average diameter and areal density of cheek and chin hair were measured. Penetration was modeled as a function of hair length category, beard areal density, and hair coarseness. Results: FF decreased with beard length, especially beyond 0.125 in. However, passing FF scores were achieved on all tests by all subjects at the smooth shave and 0.063 in conditions, and 98% of tests were passed at 0.125 in; seven subjects passed all tests at all conditions. Chin and cheek areal densities were significantly different and were only weakly correlated. Beard hair diameters were normally distributed across subjects (mean 76 µm, standard deviation 7.4 µm). Beard length and areal density, but not coarseness, were statistically significant predictors of fit using an arcsine transformed penetration model. FF decreased with increasing beard length, especially beyond 0.125 in, although FF with a “stubble” beard did not differ significantly from a smooth shave. FF also decreased with increasing areal beard hair density. Conclusion: Beard length and areal density negatively influence FF. However, tight-fitting half-face negative-pressure respirator fit tests can achieve adequate fit factor scores even with substantial facial hair in the face seal area.