Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of dietary fiber on constipation: a meta analysis.

AIM To investigate the effect of dietary fiber intake on constipation by a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS We searched Ovid MEDLINE (from 1946 to October 2011), Cochrane Library (2011), PubMed for articles on dietary fiber intake and constipation using the terms: constipation, fiber, cellulose, plant extracts, cereals, bran, psyllium, or plantago. References of important articles were searched manually for relevant studies. Articles were eligible for the meta-analysis if they were high-quality RCTs and reported data on stool frequency, stool consistency, treatment success, laxative use and gastrointestinal symptoms. The data were extracted independently by two researchers (Yang J and Wang HP) according to the described selection criteria. Review manager version 5 software was used for analysis and test. Weighted mean difference with 95%CI was used for quantitative data, odds ratio (OR) with 95%CI was used for dichotomous data. Both I(2) statistic with a cut-off of ≥ 50% and the χ(2) test with a P value < 0.10 were used to deﬁne a signiﬁcant degree of heterogeneity. RESULTS We searched 1322 potential relevant articles, 19 of which were retrieved for further assessment, 14 studies were excluded for various reasons, five studies were included in the analysis. Dietary fiber showed significant advantage over placebo in stool frequency (OR = 1.19; 95%CI: 0.58-1.80, P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in stool consistency, treatment success, laxative use and painful defecation between the two groups. Stool frequency were reported by five RCTs, all results showed either a trend or a significant difference in favor of the treatment group, number of stools per week increased in treatment group than in placebo group (OR = 1.19; 95%CI: 0.58-1.80, P < 0.05), with no significant heterogeneity among studies (I(2)= 0, P = 0.77). Four studies evaluated stool consistency, one of them presented outcome in terms of percentage of hard stool, which was different from others, so we included the other three studies for analysis. Two studies reported treatment success. There was significant heterogeneity between the studies (P < 0.1, I(2) > 50%). Three studies reported laxative use, quantitative data was shown in one study, and the pooled analysis of the other two studies showed no significant difference between treatment and placebo groups in laxative use (OR = 1.07; 95%CI 0.51-2.25), and no heterogeneity was found (P = 0.84, I(2)= 0). Three studies evaluated painful defecation: one study presented both quantitative and dichotomous data, the other two studies reported quantitative and dichotomous data separately. We used dichotomous data for analysis. CONCLUSION Dietary fiber intake can obviously increase stool frequency in patients with constipation. It does not obviously improve stool consistency, treatment success, laxative use and painful defecation.
The structure of depression found in the general population

SYNOPSIS Principal component analysis was applied to data relating to depressive experiences collected from a general population sample. The structure of depression found in the general population showed strong similarities to that found in the psychiatric population. There were, however, important differences. Four substantial syndromes of depression were identified: ‘anxiety depression’, ‘cognitive depression’, ‘vegetative depression’ and depression characterized by the classic endogenous triad of diurnal variations, early wakening, and weight loss. These syndromes were essentially independent for this sample. Examination of component score distributions suggested that people simultaneously experience differing degrees of each syndrome. It was concluded that depression was most parsimoniously classified in dimensional rather than categorical terms within this sample.
Chromogranin A cell density in the rectum of patients with irritable bowel syndrome

In a previous study, chromogranin A (CgA) cell density in the colon of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) was found to be reduced. It has been suggested that intestinal CgA cell density may be used as a marker for the diagnosis of IBS. The rectum harbours a larger number of large intestinal endocrine cells and is more accessible for biopsies than the colon. The present study aimed at determining the CgA cell density in the rectum of IBS patients. A total of 47 patients with IBS that fulfilled the Rome Criteria III (39 females and 8 males; average age, 38 years) were included. A total of 28 patients had diarrhea (IBS-D) and 19 had constipation (IBS-C) as the predominant symptom. A total of 27 subjects that underwent colonoscopy with rectal biopsies were used as the controls. These subjects underwent colonoscopy due to gastrointestinal bleeding (the source of which was identified as haemorrhoids or angiodysplasia; 19 females and 8 males; average age, 49 years), or health worries. The rectal biopsies were immunostained for CgA and quantified by computer image analysis. The CgA density in the controls was 206.3±22.2 (mean ± SEM), in all IBS patients 190.2±14.3, in IBS-D patients 188.8±14.7 and in IBS-C patients 195.3±34.1. There was no statistically significant difference between the controls, IBS, IBS-D or IBS-C patients (P=0.5, 0.5 and 0.7, respectively). The present study showed that although the rectum comprises the same endocrine cell types as the colon, attention must be paid when drawing conclusions regarding the whole large intestine from studies carried out on the rectum. This particularly applies when endocrine cells are investigated. As CgA cell density represents the total endocrine cell content of the rectum, changes in specific endocrine cells in IBS patients cannot be excluded.
Effects of two types of clothing on the day-night variation of core temperature and salivary immunoglobulin A.

Circadian variations in core temperature, skin temperatures, heart rate, and salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA) were compared in subjects wearing two different types of clothing that covered, or left uncovered, their extremities. The experiments were carried out on six female subjects at an ambient temperature of 24 +/- 0.5 degrees C and relative humidity of 50 +/- 5%. One type of clothing consisted of long-sleeved shirts, full-length trousers, and socks (Type L: 1042 g, 1.048 clo); the other was half-sleeved shirts and knee-length trousers (Type H: 747 g, 0.744 clo). The main results were as follows: (i) The level of rectal temperature during night sleep was significantly lower with Type H than Type L clothing, and cosinor analysis indicated a significantly higher circadian amplitude with Type H clothing. (ii) Skin temperatures in the lower extremities increased significantly more on retiring to sleep with Type H than Type L clothing. (iii) Heart rate was significantly lower with Type H than Type L clothing during the sleep period. (iv) The day-night variation of salivary IgA showed a pattern that was the inverse of that of rectal temperature (i.e., low in the daytime and high in the nighttime), and the concentration of salivary IgA was significantly higher with Type H than Type L clothing at 02:30. (v) Subjectively, the self-assessed sleep quality was better with Type H clothing. These results suggest that clothing that leaves the extremities uncovered might be regarded as favorable at the moderate temperature since it induces good sleep and activates the immune response.
Study of Effect of Oligohydramnios on Maternal and Fetal Outcome

Background: Amniotic fluid acts like a cushion and helps in growth of fetus, decrease in amniotic fluid volume may lead to increased risk of intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), meconium aspiration syndrome, severe birth asphyxia, low APGAR scores and congenital abnormities. Objective: This study was done to see effects of Oligohydramnios on fetal outcome in the form of neonatal morbidity and mortality and maternal morbidity. Material and Methods: Present study was done in 100 patients who have completed 28 weeks of pregnancy and above with oligohydramnios, selected randomly after satisfying inclusion and exclusion criteria. Detailed examination done and oligohydramnios was confirmed by measuring AFI on ultrasonography. Associated complications, type of delivery conducted, and fetal outcome for perinatal morbidity&mortality studied. Results: Common causes for Oligohydramnios were idiopathic (56%) and PIH (24%). Most common reason to perform caesarean was fetal distress. Oligohydramnios was related to higher rate of growth retardation and neonatal intensive care unit admission. Conclusion: Oligohydramnios is frequent occurring condition. This condition requires antepartum and intrapartum care. Due to oligohydramnios intrapartum complications, perinatal morbidity and mortality are increasing. Decision between vaginal delivery and caesarean section should be well balanced. Unnecessary maternal morbidity can be prevented. Timely intervention can reduce perinatal morbidity and mortality.
Module Based Reinforcement Learning for a Real Robot

The behaviour of reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms is best understood in completely observable, finite stateand action-space, discrete-time controlled Markov-chains. Robot-learning domains, on the other hand, are inherently infinite both in time and space, and moreover they are only partially observable. Previous ways of over­ coming these difficulties included state-space discretization based on a fixed set of feat1ll'es and the use of behaviours 01' function approx­ imators to work with continuous spaces, but these approaches were limited both in their scope and practical utility. In this article we suggest a systematic method whieh unifies earlier solutions. The mo­ tivation of our method comes from the desire to transform the task­ to-be-solved into a finite-state, discrete-time, "approximately" Marko­ vian task, which is completely observable too. The key idea is to
The Effect of Attachment Styles on Attitude towards Help Seeking

The aim of the study is to determine whether there is a difference among university students’ attitudes towards help seeking in regard to their attachment styles. Participants of this study were composed of 572 university students (264 female, 308 male). The data was obtained by using the Attitudes toward Seeking Psychological Help – Shortened and Relationship Questionnaire. One way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to analyze the data. Dependent variable of the study was attitude towards help seeking, independent variable was attachment style and covariance was gender. The findings of the study indicated that students with secure attachment style was found to have more positive attitude towards psychological help seeking than preoccupied and fearful attachment styles.
Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation on work engagement in the hospitality industry: Test of motivation crowding theory

The aim of this study was to examine extrinsic and intrinsic motivations as the antecedents of work engagement and to empirically test the motivation crowding theory using hospitality employees. The findings showed that intrinsic motivation played an important role in improving employees’ work engagement. The study also found that there was no indication that employees’ intrinsic motivation diminished when extrinsic motivation entered. It is also suggested that employers need to understand that creating a comfortable workplace environment and making jobs more interesting and meaningful will increase employees’ intrinsic motivation, which will help employees to engage more at work. Motivational antecedents of work engagement have been rarely studied and no studies have been conducted to research impacts of extrinsic and intrinsic motivators on employees’ work engagement in the hospitality industry, particularly in small restaurant businesses. In addition, empirical studies on motivation crowding theory are needed due to the inconclusive results.
Popular perceptions of circumcision among Colombian men who have sex with men

Male circumcision has received increased attention for its potential to reduce sexual transmission of HIV. Research on the acceptability of circumcision as a means of HIV prevention among men who have sex with men is limited. Men who have sex with men in Bogotá, Colombia, either participated in a focus group in which they shared information regarding their perceptions of circumcision or completed a survey that assessed circumcision experiences, attitudes, beliefs and willingness. Few participants reported they were circumcised, yet most participants reported knowing something about the procedure. Overall, attitudes towards circumcision were mixed: although circumcision was viewed as safe, it was also viewed as unnatural and cruel to babies. Beliefs that circumcision could improve sexual functioning and protect against STIs and HIV were not widely endorsed by survey participants, although focus-group participants discussed the potential impacts of circumcision on the availability of sexual partners and sexual performance. Some focus-group participants and many survey participants reported a hypothetical willingness to get circumcised if strong evidence of its effectiveness could be provided, barriers removed and recovery time minimised.
Soft-output-decoding: Some aspects from information theory

Recent literature presents methods for the analysis of concatenated coding schemes by solely characterizing the behavior of the component codes [4], [12], [16], [9], [7]. Component codes are analyzed either analytically using unique properties of special component codes, e.g., single-parity-check code or accumulator, or via simulations. The goals of this paper are to find fundamental insights into concatenated codes by analyzing the input-output relation of their components from an information-theoretic point of view. We derive the Information Processing Characteristic (IPC), which completely characterizes the behavior of a coding scheme comprising encoder, code and decoder for the general class of linear codes. For time invariant convolutional codes it is studied how the IPC can be obtained in practice. (Less)
First Report on the Lipid Profile Late after Kawasaki Disease in Iranian Children

Background: Concerns have been raised about the possibility of a predisposition of Kawasaki disease (KD) to abnormal lipid profile after an acute phase of disease, which can predispose them to premature atherosclerosis later in life. We determined the lipid profile of children late after KD, and compared it with controls. Methods: This historical cohort was conducted on 32 subjects: 16 children with history of uncomplicated KD (age 11.8 ± 3.3 years, interval from the initial episode 7.1 years), and 16 healthy age-matched of their sibling or cousins. Fasting serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) levels were compared between groups. In addition, blood pressure and body mass index (BMI) were measured and compared. Results: Six out of 16 KD patients and 7 out of 16 controls had abnormal lipid values. No significant difference was found in mean values of systolic blood pressures, diastolic blood pressures, BMI, TG, TC, HDL-C, and LDL-C between cases and controls. Conclusions: We conclude that although Iranian KD children probably had no different lipid profile compared with controls, but due to finding dyslipidemia in more than one-third of KD subjects, we suggest that periodic control of lipid values in these patients is of crucial importance.
Long‐term feeding effects of stevioside sweetener on some toxicological parameters of growing male rats

Several attempts to decrease sugar demand by introducing stevioside as a sugar substitute in children's food products have been made, but safety issues were concerned. This exploratory study investigated the effects of stevioside low dose (SL), high dose (SH) and low dose with inulin (SL + I) for 12 weeks on the body weight, organ relative weight, hematological and biochemical parameters and enzyme activities of young male rats. The SL dose used in this study was 15 mg kg−1 per day and the SH dose was 100‐fold the low dose. Enormous similarities in most parameters were observed with no significant differences between SL, SL + I and control except in the lipid profile. Total lipid reduction in SL and SL + I and significant high‐density lipoprotein increase in SL + I were observed, which may be considered as clinically beneficial. Significant decreases in serum tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase activity were also observed in all treatments. Treatment with SH caused significant changes in all investigated toxicological parameters. The results indicated that, although the SL dose was higher than the stevioside temporary accepted daily intake (5.0 mg kg−1 body weight), no toxicological effects were observed in SL or SL + I on body weight, organ relative weight, hematological and biochemical parameters or enzyme activities investigated in this study, whereas stevioside high dose (1500 mg kg−1 per day) may be considered as a toxic dose for the same biological parameters in young male rats. However, the effects of SL, SH and SL + I on serum tartrate‐resistant acid phosphatase activity need more investigation. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
An Electric Model with Time Varying Resistance for a Pneumatic Membrane Blood Pump

To investigate the effects of an artificial heart and cardiac assist device on the cardiovascular system and determine the proper control method, an electrical model is an effective tool. An electric model with time varying resistance is proposed to represent a pneumatic membrane blood pump, by which the resistance of the valves in the pump is a function of time. The model is consistent over the whole cardiac cycle, and the important transitional processes between systole and diastole are considered. The calculated results based on this model are compared with the experimentally measured waveforms of the corresponding state-variables of a loaded pump, and the model parameters estimated using the least-squares criterion are compared with the measured physical values of corresponding functional parts. Results showed that this electric model is capable of representing a pneumatic membrane pump with quite satisfactory accuracy. They also showed that the transitional property of the valve resistance has a significant influence on the output characteristics of the pump.
Effects of ginger on motion sickness and gastric slow-wave dysrhythmias induced by circular vection.

Ginger has long been used as an alternative medication to prevent motion sickness. The mechanism of its action, however, is unknown. We hypothesize that ginger ameliorates the nausea associated with motion sickness by preventing the development of gastric dysrhythmias and the elevation of plasma vasopressin. Thirteen volunteers with a history of motion sickness underwent circular vection, during which nausea (scored 0-3, i.e., none to severe), electrogastrographic recordings, and plasma vasopressin levels were assessed with or without ginger pretreatment in a crossover-design, double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study. Circular vection induced a maximal nausea score of 2.5 +/- 0.2 and increased tachygastric activity and plasma vasopressin. Pretreatment with ginger (1,000 and 2,000 mg) reduced the nausea, tachygastria, and plasma vasopressin. Ginger also prolonged the latency before nausea onset and shortened the recovery time after vection cessation. Intravenous vasopressin infusion at 0.1 and 0.2 U/min induced nausea and increased bradygastric activity; ginger pretreatment (2,000 mg) affected neither. Ginger effectively reduces nausea, tachygastric activity, and vasopressin release induced by circular vection. In this manner, ginger may act as a novel agent in the prevention and treatment of motion sickness.
Determinants and structural relation of personal efficacy to collective efficacy.

Dans cette recherche, on eprouve un modele structurel concernant l’impact du statut socioeconomique sur l’efficacite individuelle percue et le rapport qu’elle entretient avec la perception de l’efficacite collective. Dans les travaux sociodemographiques, les jeunes, par comparaison aux plus âges, s’estiment moins efficaces dans la gestion de leur vie professionnelle, de leurs relations intimes et de leur situation financiere, mais plus aptes a promouvoir le changement social. Les hommes ont plus que les femmes le sentiment de pouvoir contribuer a la solution des problemes sociaux. En accord avec le modele structurel enonce, le statut socioeconomique contribue a la fois a la perception de l’efficacite personnelle dans la gestion des evenements de sa propre vie et dans la participation a l’amelioration de la societe. Ces deux aspects de l’efficacite individuelle percue contribuent a leur tour fortement a la conviction qu’une action collective peut effectivement induire le changement social. Un autre modele ou l’efficacite collective percue devient la cause premiere de l’efficacite individuelle percue se revela moins proche des donnees recueillies. This study tested a structural model regarding the impact of socioeconomic status on people’s perceived individual efficacy and its link to their perceived collective efficacy. In sociodemographic analyses younger participants, compared to their older counterparts, judged themselves less efficacious to manage their worklife, intimate partnerships, and financial condition, but of higher efficacy in promoting social change. Men had a higher sense of efficacy than women to contribute to the solution of social problems. In accord with the posited structural model, socioeconomic status contributed to both perceived personal efficacy to manage one’s life circumstances and individual efficacy to contribute to the betterment of societal conditions. Both forms of perceived individual efficacy, in turn, contributed substantially to a sense of collective efficacy to effect social change through unified action. An alternative model in which perceived collective efficacy is assigned causal primacy affecting perceived individual efficacy provided a poorer fit to the data.
What prompts users to click and comment: A longitudinal study of online news

This study examined the relationship between two mechanisms of online participation – clicking and commenting – as well as the characteristics of heavily clicked versus highly commented-upon news items. Based on 15,431 items from a popular Israeli website, correlations between clicking and commenting were calculated for 12 separately analysed months from 2006 to 2011. In addition, overlap rates were determined, showing that 40–59% of the heavily clicked items in any given month were different from the highly commented-upon items. A subsequent content analysis indicated that while sensational topics and curiosity-arousing elements were more prominent among the heavily clicked items than among the highly commented-upon items, political/social topics and controversial elements were more prominent among the highly commented-upon items. The study contributes to deepening our understanding of the role of user comments in constructing social/group identity and offers a new perspective on a prolonged controversy surrounding audiences’ news preferences.