Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced External Counterpulsation and Recovery From a Plyometric Exercise Bout.

OBJECTIVE To analyze the effectiveness of enhanced external counterpulsation (EECP) on recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD). DESIGN This study followed a crossover, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced design. PARTICIPANTS Ten healthy active subjects (7 male; 27 ± 4 years). INTERVENTIONS Participants performed a plyometric exercise bout (10 sets of 10 jumps interspersed with 1-minute rests) and were then assigned to recover for 30 minutes with either EECP (cuff pressure = 80 mm Hg) or a Sham intervention (0 mm Hg) immediately after exercise and at 24 hours after exercise. Two weeks later, they repeated the protocol with the other recovery intervention. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Muscle soreness, creatine kinase (CK) activity, jump performance, and tensiomyographic variables were measured before exercise, and 24 and 48 hours after exercise. RESULTS The mean jump height of the plyometric bout did not differ between EECP and Sham (P > 0.05). Exercise resulted in increased muscle soreness (P < 0.001) and CK levels (P < 0.001), as well as in impaired jump performance (P < 0.05). No changes were observed in tensiomyographic variables. No significant differences were found between interventions for any of the study outcomes. CONCLUSIONS No benefits on recovery from EIMD after a plyometric exercise bout were observed with EECP.
Predicting effective remifentanil concentration in 95% of patients to prevent emergence cough after laryngomicroscopic surgery

Abstract Smooth emergence or cough prevention is a clinically important concern in patients undergoing laryngomicroscopic surgery (LMS). The purpose of this study was to estimate the effective concentration of remifentanil in 95% of patients (EC95) for the prevention of emergence cough after LMS under propofol anesthesia using the biased coin design (BCD) up-down method. A total of 40 adult patients scheduled to undergo elective LMS were enrolled. Anesthesia induction and maintenance were performed with target-controlled infusion of propofol and remifentanil. Effective effect-site concentration (Ce) of remifentanil in 95% of patients for preventing emergence cough was estimated using a BCD method (starting from 1 ng/mL with a step size of 0.4 ng/mL). Hemodynamic and recovery profiles were observed after anesthesia. According to the study protocol, 20 patients were allocated to receive remifentanil Ce of 3.0 ng/mL, and 20 patients were assigned to receive lower concentrations of remifentanil, from 1.0 to 2.6 ng/mL. Based on isotonic regression with a bootstrapping method, EC95 (95% CI) of remifentanil Ce for the prevention of emergence cough from LMS was found to be 2.92 ng/mL (2.72–2.97 ng/mL). Compared with patients receiving lower concentrations of remifentanil, the incidence of hypoventilation before extubation and extubation time were significantly higher in those receiving remifentanil Ce of 3.0 ng/mL. However, hypoventilation incidence after extubation and staying time in the recovery room were comparable between the 2 groups. Using a BCD method, the EC95 of remifentanil Ce for the prevention of emergence cough was estimated to be 2.92 ng/mL (95% CI: 2.72–2.97 ng/mL) after LMS under propofol anesthesia.
Study of Penetration Kinetics of Sodium Hydroxide Aqueous Solution into Wood Samples

The kinetics of unidirectional penetration of NaOH aqueous solution into rectangular samples of wood oriented parallel to a stern axis were studied. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), European larch (Larix decidua), blackthorn (Prunus spinosa), white willow (Salix alba), and horse-chestnut wood (Aesculus hippocastanum) were studied in this work. The time dependence of liquid incorporation was measured by the volumetric method as a change of total volume of coexisting liquid (NaOH/H2O) phase. The total thickness of the swollen surface layer d and mean value of the apparent diffusion coefficient of aqueous NaOH solution at 22 °C were determined.
QTL for capitulum resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in sunflower

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for sunflower capitulum resistance to head rot (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum) were studied on a population of recombinant inbred lines (RIL), by infection at flowering with suspensions of ascospores. In addition, hybrids made between the RIL and 2 tester lines were observed under natural Sclerotinia attack in yield trials and under re-enforced Sclerotinia attack in trials made specially to observe disease reaction. The inbred lines were genotyped with RFLP and SSR markers which were mapped to give correspondence between different widely published maps and so permit comparison of QTL results in different sunflower populations. Two or three QTL were shown for each character, generally each representing only 8-15% of phenotypic variance. Mostly the same QTL were found for percent infection and latency index as in results for F3 families of the same population or other populations of F3 progenies or RIL. They were also observed in the hybrids, but the latter also showed significant QTL on other linkage groups.
Impact of performance in a mandatory postgraduate surgical examination on selection into specialty training

The Intercollegiate Membership of the Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS) examination is undertaken by large numbers of trainees in the UK and internationally as a mandatory step within surgical training. Unlike some high‐stakes medical examinations, the MRCS is yet to be validated. A quantitative study was undertaken to assess its predictive validity by investigating the relationship between MRCS (Parts A and B) and national selection interview scores for general and vascular surgery in the UK.
Knowledge Towards Antenatal Care and Service Utilization Among Women in Fiche Town, North Shewa, Ethiopia

Maternal mortality is the highest in sub- Saharan Africa, where the life time risk of death from pregnancy related conditions is 1 in 16, compared with 1 in 2800 in developed countries, In Ethiopia, like other sub Saharan Africa countries, maternal and infant mortality remains to be a problem of public health importance. There are 350 maternal deaths for every 100000 live births. Antenatal care, the care that the women receive during pregnancy, helps to ensure healthy outcome for women and new born. A community based cross sectional study design was conducted. Systematic random sampling technique was used. A total of 345 women who delivered in the 5 years before the date of survey were interviewed. Two hundred twenty three (64.6%) women were reported to have received antenatal care at least once during their last pregnancy. Of these, 89 (39.9%) had four or more antenatal care follow ups during their last pregnancy. This is low coverage compared to other developing country. The government sector and health worker need to give great attention for antenatal care.
Nanocomposites with Polymer Grafted Nanoparticles

A recurring challenge in the field of nanocomposites is to control the spatial distribution of nanoparticles (NPs) in a polymer matrix. This issue is of critical importance since it is now well-established that a specific NP dispersion state is necessary to optimize a desired property of polymer nanocomposites (PNCs). This Perspective focuses on one particular approach to controlling NP spatial dispersion, and hence the properties of polymer-based nanocomposites: the use of polymer-grafted NPs. Novel developments over the past decade in synthesis techniques allow us to controllably functionalize NPs with polymer chains. This has ignited considerable interest in this field, leading to significant advances in creating nanocomposites with tunable physical properties. We begin by briefly outlining the various synthetic strategies for functionalizing NPs and then discuss various methods for controllably dispersing them in a polymer matrix. The consequences of having states with controlled NP dispersion on nano.
Prevalence of hypertension and glycaemic control in adult type-2 diabetes patients: A preliminary retrospective cohort study in Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia

Introduction: Hypertension (HPT) is the most common co-morbidity among type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients which ominously increased their morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVD). We aimed to determine the prevalence and control status of HPT, and also the glycemic control among T2DM patients in a primary care clinic in Kuantan, Pahang. Methods: It was a retrospective study of 154 T2DM patients’ records, aged ≥18 years selected by random sampling. The statistical analysis is done by using Chisquare test, paired sample “t” test and ANOVA “F” test. Results: Among T2DM patients; 47% were Malay, 45% Chinese and 9% Indian. The prevalence of HPT was 72.1% and majority of T2DM patients were women (60%). Out of 82 T2DM aged >60 years, 80.5% were hypertensive. 67.2% of T2DM patients between the age of 40-60 years and 25% age 60 years showed increments in systolic HPT and diastolic HPT which were significant (p<0.0001). Regarding glycemic parameters, 71.4% T2DM patients had poor controlled level of Hb1Ac (≥6.5) and only 20.1% remained controlled after one year (p<0.0001). Conclusions: This pilot study found high prevalence of HPT, increasing prevalence of systolic HPT and diastolic HPT in older age group as well as poor glycemic control among T2DM patients.
THREE Understanding Sound : Auditory Skill Acquisition

Psych ISSN http: Research on auditory perception often starts from an assumed theoretical framework of bottom-up acoustic signal decoding followed by pattern matching of signal information to memory. Some specific forms of auditory perception such as speech perception are often assumed to be mediated by specialized mechanisms, shaped by evolution to address the challenges of speech perception. However, neither of these broad approaches conceives of these systems as intrinsically adaptable and plastic; learning is typically considered as a separate process. This chapter addresses the question of auditory perceptual understanding and plasticity and argues that auditory perception, including speech perception, is an active cognitive process that incorporates learning. In contrast to a passive process in which patterns are mapped into memory in a direct comparative process, an active process forms hypotheses about pattern identity, and ology of Learning and Motivation, Volume 67 0079-7421 //dx.doi. org/10.1016/bs.plm. 2017.03. 003 © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. 53 j 54 Shannon L.M. Heald et al. tests these hypotheses to adaptively shift attention to aspects of signal information. The process of hypothesis testing for signal understanding comes into play in cases of signal ambiguity or uncertainty, and involves auditory working memory and the control of attention. This conceptualization of adaptive processing incorporates contextsensitive change into the perceptual system. We argue that perception should be viewed not as a fixed instrument of information reception, but as a dynamic, adaptive system that is changed by the act of perception. We present evidence for these claims, outline a framework for a theory of active auditory perception, and argue further against claims of critical periods as biological determinism for perceptual plasticity given that auditory perception is auditory learning.
Self-Regulation as a Mediator of the Effects of a Brief Behavioral Economic Intervention on Alcohol-Related Outcomes: A Preliminary Analysis

Behavioral economic theory suggests that increased engagement in constructive, substance-free activities that are in the service of long-term goals (e.g., college graduation, career development, health) can decrease alcohol use and related problems. However, engaging in activities such as these in the high-risk college environment requires the ability to self-regulate by avoiding rewarding but risky behaviors (e.g., drinking) while also effectively organizing behavior in the pursuit of delayed academic and career-related rewards. The current secondary data analyses evaluated self-regulation as a potential mechanism of behavior change in an alcohol intervention trial that compared a standard alcohol-focused brief motivational intervention (BMI) plus a behavioral economic substance-free activity session (SFAS) with an alcohol BMI plus relaxation training (reaction time [RT]) session (Murphy et al., 2012). Participants were 82 first-year undergraduate students (50% women; Mage = 18.5, SD = .71) who reported 2 or more past-month heavy drinking episodes. After completing a baseline assessment and an individual alcohol-focused BMI, participants were randomized to either the SFAS or the RT session. The BMI + SFAS condition reported greater mean self-regulation at 1 month compared with BMI + RT. Furthermore, self-regulation at 1 month significantly mediated the relation between condition and alcohol-related outcomes at 6-month follow-up. Although preliminary, these results suggest that brief behavioral economic intervention elements that an attempt to increase future goal pursuit and substance-free activities can enhance the short-term efficacy of standard alcohol BMIs and that this effect may be due in part to increases in self-regulation.
Impact of receptor phenotype on nodal burden in patients with breast cancer who have undergone neoadjuvant chemotherapy

Optimal evaluation and management of the axilla following neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) in patients with node‐positive breast cancer remains controversial. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of receptor phenotype in patients with nodal metastases who undergo NAC to see whether this approach can identify those who may be suitable for conservative axillary management.
A new 3D printed titanium metal trabecular bone reconstruction system for early osteonecrosis of the femoral head

Abstract Presently, biomechanical support therapy for the femoral head has become an important approach in the treatment of early osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH). Previous studies have reported that the titanium metal trabecular bone reconstruction systems (TMTBRS) achieved satisfactory clinical results for the treatment of early femoral head necrosis. Electron beam melting technology (EBMT) is an important branch of 3D printing technology, which enables the construction of an interface that is required for support of bone in-growth. However, the effect of TMTBRS created using EBMT for clinical applications for early ONFH is still unknown. At present, there are no reports on this topic worldwide. The purpose of this study was to assess the safety of a new 3D printed TMTBRS implant and to evaluate its clinical efficacy in early ONFH. Thirty patients who underwent surgery for ONFH were selected. The stages of ONFH were classified according to the Association Research Circulation Osseus (ARCO) classification. They were followed-up and radiological examination was performed at 6, 12, and 24 months post-surgery to assess TMTBRS stability and bone growth in the bone trabecular holder portion surface. To evaluate hip function, postoperative Harris and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) scores were used. The postoperative Harris score increased significantly and VAS score decreased significantly at the 12-month follow-up compared to the 24-month follow-up, wherein the Harris score declined slightly and the VAS score was slightly elevated with the aggravation of ONFH. With the passage of time, postoperative improvement rates were 100% for IIA, 70% for IIB, and 0% for IIC. Hip-preserving rates were 100% for IIA, 100% for IIB, and 50% for IIC. The effect of TMTBRS treatment for early ONFH in ARCO IIA and ARCO IIB is satisfactory. However, it is not recommended for a relatively large area of necrosis such as in ARCO IIC.
Hierarchical Coded Computation

Coded computation is a method to mitigate “stragglers” in distributed computing systems through the use of error correction coding that has lately received significant attention. First used in vector-matrix multiplication, the range of application was later extended to include matrix-matrix multiplication, heterogeneous networks, convolution, and approximate computing. A drawback to previous results is they completely ignore work completed by stragglers. While stragglers are slower compute nodes, in many settings the amount of work completed by stragglers can be non-negligible. Thus, in this work, we propose a hierarchical coded computation method that exploits the work completed by all compute nodes. We partition each node's computation into layers of sub-computations such that each layer can be treated as (distinct) erasure channel. We then design different erasure codes for each layer so that all layers have the same failure exponent. We propose design guidelines to optimize parameters of such codes. Numerical results show the proposed scheme has an improvement of a factor of 1.5 in the expected finishing time compared to previous work.
Influence of Foam Rolling Velocity on Knee Range of Motion and Tissue Stiffness: A Randomized, Controlled Crossover Trial.

CONTEXT Foam rolling (FR) increases joint range of motion (RoM), but the optimal training parameters are unknown. OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of FR velocity on RoM and tissue stiffness. DESIGN Randomized, controlled crossover trial. SETTING University. PARTICIPANTS A total of 17 healthy, physically active adults (10 females; 25 [2] y). INTERVENTIONS (1) Four 45-second high-velocity FR of the anterior thigh (FAST-FR), (2) four 45-second slow-velocity FR of the anterior thigh (SLOW-FR), and (3) inactive control. OUTCOME MEASURES Maximal knee-flexion RoM (ultrasonic movement analysis) and anterior thigh tissue stiffness (semielectronic tissue compliance meter) assessed pre, immediately post (T0), as well as 5 (T5) and 10 (T10) minutes postintervention. Statistical analysis included Friedman tests with adjusted post hoc comparisons (Wilcoxon tests). RESULTS According to omnibus testing, RoM remained unchanged in all 3 conditions and at all time points (P > .05), while differences were found for tissue stiffness (P < .05). Post hoc tests revealed significant decreases following FAST-FR (T5: -17%, T10: -24%; P < .05) and SLOW-FR (T10: -15%; P < .05). The observed stiffness changes were significant in comparison with control (P < .01), but no difference was found between the 2 FR conditions (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS FR of the anterior thigh decreases myofascial stiffness regardless of velocity. The lack of effects on RoM contrasts findings of recent literature and warrants further investigation.
Labour market marginalisation in obsessive–compulsive disorder: a nationwide register-based sibling control study

Abstract Background The impact of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) on objective indicators of labour market marginalisation has not been quantified. Methods Linking various Swedish national registers, we estimated the risk of three labour market marginalisation outcomes (receipt of newly granted disability pension, long-term sickness absence and long-term unemployment) in individuals diagnosed with OCD between 2001 and 2013 who were between 16 and 64 years old at the date of the first OCD diagnosis (n = 16 267), compared with matched general population controls (n = 157 176). Hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Cox regression models, adjusting for a number of covariates (e.g. somatic disorders) and stratifying by sex. To adjust for potential familial confounders, we further analysed data from 7905 families that included full siblings discordant for OCD. Results Patients were more likely to receive at least one outcome of interest [adjusted HR = 3.63 (95% CI 3.53–3.74)], including disability pension [adjusted HR = 16.36 (95% CI 15.34–17.45)], being on long-term sickness absence [adjusted HR = 3.07 (95% CI 2.95–3.19)] and being on long-term unemployment [adjusted HR = 1.72 (95% CI 1.63–1.82)]. Results remained similar in the adjusted sibling comparison models. Exclusion of comorbid psychiatric disorders had a minimal impact on the results. Conclusions Help-seeking individuals with OCD diagnosed in specialist care experience marked difficulties to participate in the labour market. The findings emphasise the need for cooperation between policy-makers, vocational rehabilitation and mental health services in order to design and implement specific strategies aimed at improving the patients’ participation in the labour market.
To what degree did EU and EMU memberships protect trade during the financial crisis of 2008 ?

This thesis examines whether EU and EMU memberships appeared to protect the member countries’ trade, measured in exports, during the 2008 global financial crisis. The panel data analysis is based on a country sample of 40 OECD and EU countries during the period from 2000 to 2016. By employing a pooled Ordinary Least Squared (OLS) regression and an augmented gravity model, we investigate how the EU and EMU countries’ trade was impacted in comparison to the average of the OECD countries’ trade during the crisis. The results indicate that being a member of the EU or the currency union did not pose additional protection, as the member countries’ trade seemed to be more negatively impacted by the crisis than the average trade in the OECD countries.
Improving access to brain-based assessment: a pilot study of mobile EEG.

While mental health problems are prevalent, the availability of services to assess and treat them is limited, particularly for underserved populations. Brain-based assessments may be useful to inform services for a variety of mental health problems in underserved populations. Thus far, current methods of brain-based assessments are generally costly and not widely available. The purpose of the present pilot study is to evaluate mobile EEG as a potential way to bring more brain-based assessments to the community. The current pilot study compares mobile wireless EEG to traditional wired EEG at three midline electrode sites (Fz, Cz, and Pz). The goal of this pilot study is to begin to establish mobile EEG as a tool for assessing brain function in underserved mental health settings. Paired sample t-tests of the P300 component of event related potentials (ERPs) measured during a standardized response inhibition task indicated that there were not statistically significant differences between the mobile and traditional EEG assessments. There were no statistically significant differences in ERP peak latency or peak amplitude at the electrode sites. This suggests that that mobile EEG may be a useful tool for reducing health disparities in underserved communities with limited resources while still providing similar results as traditional EEG.
Do Political Detachment Users Receive Various Political Information on Social Media?

In the election, political parties communicate political information to people through social media. The followers receive the information, but can users who are not followers, political detachment users, receive the information? We focus on political detachment users who do not follow any political parties, and tackle the following research question: do political detachment users receive various political information during the election period? The results indicate that the answer is No. We determined that the political detachment users only receive the information of a few political parties.