Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Time‐of‐Day Effect on the Torque and Neuromuscular Properties of Dominant and Non‐Dominant Quadriceps Femoris

The study was conducted first, to determine the possibility of a dichotomy between circadian rhythm of maximal torque production of the knee extensors of the dominant and non‐dominant legs, and second, to determine whether the possible dichotomy could be linked to a change in the downward drive of the central nervous system and/or to phenomena prevailing at the muscular level. The dominant leg was defined as the one with which subjects spontaneously kick a football. Tests were performed at 06:00, 10:00, 14:00, 18:00, and 22:00 h. To distinguish the neural and muscular mechanisms that influence muscle strength, the electromyographic and mechanical muscle responses associated with electrically evoked and/or voluntary contractions of the human quadriceps and semi‐tendinosus muscles for each leg were recorded and compared. The main finding was an absence of interaction between time‐of‐day and dominance effects on the torque associated with maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) of both quadriceps. A significant time‐of‐day effect on MVC torque of the knee extensors was observed for the dominant and non‐dominant legs when the data were collapsed, with highest values occurring at 18:00 h (p<0.01). From cosinor analysis, a circadian rhythm was documented (p<0.001) with the peak (acrophase) estimated at 18:18±00:12 h and amplitude (one‐half the peak‐to‐trough variation) of 3.3±1.1%. Independent of the leg tested, peripheral mechanisms demonstrated a significant time‐of‐day effect (p<0.05) on the peak‐torque of the single and doublet stimulations, with maximal levels attained at 18:00 h. The central activation of the quadriceps muscle of each leg remained unchanged during the day. The present results confirmed previous observations that muscle torque changes in a predictable manner during the 24 h period, and that the changes are linked to modifications prevailing at the muscular, rather than the neural, level. The similar rhythmicity observed in this study between the dominant and non‐dominant legs provides evidence that it is not essential to test both legs when simple motor tasks are investigated as a function of the time of day.
The Role of Polygyny in the Intra-Household Efficiency of Agricultural Production in West Africa

Polygyny is an institution with deep roots in West Africa. Many papers have attempted to explain the rationality and persistence of this phenomenon through time. Less effort has been devoted to studying the effect of polygyny on household economic behavior. This question is policy relevant given the pressure underway to eliminate polygyny. This paper provides new empirical evidence on whether polygyny leads to an improvement or a worsening of intra-household efficiency for three countries with high levels of polygyny: Benin, Burkina Faso and Senegal. The evidence we obtain is mixed. In Benin, polygyny does not seem to have an impact on intra-household efficiency, while it appears, in the longer run, to improve it in Burkina Faso, but to decrease it in Senegal.
Segmental- and normal-mode dielectric relaxation of poly(propylene glycol) under pressure

Dielectric measurements were obtained on poly(propylene glycol) (molecular weight: 4000 Da) at pressures in excess of 1.2 GPa. The segmental (α process) and normal-mode (α′ process) relaxations exhibited different pressure sensitivities of their relaxation strengths, as well as their relaxation times. Such results are contrary to previous reports, and (at least for the dielectric strength) can be ascribed to the capacity for intermolecular hydrogen-bond formation in this material. With equation-of-state measurements, the relative contributions of volume and thermal energy to the α-relaxation times were quantified. Similar to other H-bonded liquids, temperature is the more dominant control variable, although the effect of volume is not negligible. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 3047–3052, 2003
Surgical Management of Posterior Hip Dislocations Associated With Posterior Wall Acetabular Fracture: A Study With a Minimum Follow-Up of 15 Years

Objectives: To evaluate the long-term outcome after surgical management of posterior hip dislocations associated with posterior wall acetabular fracture and to depict prognostic factors that may affect surgical results. Design: Retrospective review. Setting: Level I trauma center. Patients and Methods: Between 1983 and 1991, 19 patients with traumatic posterior hip dislocation associated with posterior wall fracture of the acetabulum were retrospectively reviewed. The clinical criteria proposed by Merle d'Aubigne were used for the evaluation of the patient's clinical status. Matta's radiologic scoring system was used for the analysis of the radiologic data. The Brooker scoring system was used to assess the extent of heterotopic ossification after acetabular fracture surgery. Results: There were 17 male patients and two female. The age range at the time of injury was 16 to 54 years with a mean age of 36 years. Follow-up ranged from 15 to 23 years (mean, 18.5 years). At final follow-up, radiographic outcomes were excellent in six patients (31.58%), good in 11 (57.89%), and fair in two (10.53%) patients. The mean clinical score was 15, ranging from 9 to 18. Clinical outcome was excellent in 10 cases (52.63%), good in six cases (31.58%), and fair in three cases (15.79%). When an anatomic reduction was achieved intraoperatively, excellent or good radiographic and clinical results were shown in 100% and 87.50% of the patients, respectively. Conclusion: The adequacy of surgical reduction will determine the long-term outcome of surgically managed posterior hip dislocations associated with posterior wall acetabular fracture. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level IV. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Anthropometry as a Predictor of Vertical Jump Heights Derived From an Instrumented Platform

Caruso, JF, Daily, JS, Mason, ML, Shepherd, CM, McLagan, JR, Marshall, MR, Walker, RH, and West, JO. Anthropometry as a predictor of vertical jump heights derived from an instrumented platform. J Strength Cond Res 26(1): 284–292, 2012—The current study purpose examined the vertical height-anthropometry relationship with jump data obtained from an instrumented platform. Our methods required college-aged (n = 177) subjects to make 3 visits to our laboratory to measure the following anthropometric variables: height, body mass, upper arm length (UAL), lower arm length, upper leg length, and lower leg length. Per jump, maximum height was measured in 3 ways: from the subjects' takeoff, hang times, and as they landed on the platform. Standard multivariate regression assessed how well anthropometry predicted the criterion variance per gender (men, women, pooled) and jump height method (takeoff, hang time, landing) combination. Z-scores indicated that small amounts of the total data were outliers. The results showed that the majority of outliers were from jump heights calculated as women landed on the platform. With the genders pooled, anthropometry predicted a significant (p < 0.05) amount of variance from jump heights calculated from both takeoff and hang time. The anthropometry-vertical jump relationship was not significant from heights calculated as subjects landed on the platform, likely due to the female outliers. Yet anthropometric data of men did predict a significant amount of variance from heights calculated when they landed on the platform; univariate correlations of men's data revealed that UAL was the best predictor. It was concluded that the large sample of men's data led to greater data heterogeneity and a higher univariate correlation. Because of our sample size and data heterogeneity, practical applications suggest that coaches may find our results best predict performance for a variety of college-aged athletes and vertical jump enthusiasts.
Physical Demands of Women’s Rugby Sevens Matches: Female Athletes in Motion (FAiM) Study

Abstract This cross-sectional study characterized the locomotor, heart rate and metabolic power characteristics of women’s rugby sevens matches. 4 Canadian teams were monitored during the USA Rugby Sevens event using global positioning system technology with players classified as International (n=16) or Developmental (n=13). Dependent variables were compared between these 2 groups using an ANOVA with duration played as a covariate. International players covered greater distances (1 468±88 m) than Developmental (1 252±135 m); mostly from more high-intensity (224±55 m vs. 131±44 m) and sprint distances (128±67 m vs. 57±44 m). International players also had more distance in high (264±36 m vs. 210±54 m), elevated (118±17 m vs. 76±20 m) and maximal (69±17 m vs. 30 ± 15 m) metabolic power categories. Time in various heart rate zones was similar between standards; however peak (187±6 bpm vs. 194±5 bpm) and mean (172±7 bpm vs. 180±9 bpm) heart rate values were lower for International players. International players had greater fitness scores (YoYo IRT1-1 160±191 m vs. 781±129 m) and maximal sprint speed (27.3±0.7 vs. 26.0±1.5 km·h−1). The current findings highlight developmental gaps in match demands between standards and show that field-based fitness tests discriminate among levels of play. The external and internal loads should be used by sport organizations to assist in forming appropriate training plans and utilize the performance tests to help monitor player development.
Biological degradation and microbial function effect of norfloxacin in a soil under different conditions

This paper investigated the degradation kinetics of norfloxacin in a soil, and its effects on soil respiration and nitrogen transformation under different conditions. Compared to the sterile control, the degradation rates of norfloxacin in the non-sterile soil were greatly enhanced, suggesting that microorganisms played a major role in the degradation. Accelerated degradation for norfloxacin in the soil was observed with decreasing concentrations (30 mg/kg to 5 mg/kg) with its half-life decreasing from 62 days to 31 days. Amending swine manure into the soil and increasing the soil moisture level enhanced the biological degradation of norfloxacin. No obvious inhibition of norfloxacin on soil respiration was observed in the soil, while only slight effect on nitrogen transformation was found. The results suggested that norfloxacin at the reported environmental concentrations (<100 mg/kg) would have little effect on microbial activity and functions in the soils.
Management after Myocardial Infarction: A Controlled Trial of the Effect of Group Psychotherapy

A controlled clinical trial was conducted to determine the feasibility of offering group psychotherapy to post-myocardial infarction patients for one year, and to test its effects upon prognosis. Shortly after discharge from a coronary care unit, 118 patients were approximately equally allocated to therapy and control groups. The acceptance, the average attendance at the weekly sessions, and the drop-out rates per cent were 84, 69 and 15.5 respectively. No statistically significant changes were shown in the physiological and psychological factors. Favorable effects were suggested by survival experience, changes in social alienation, length of hospital stay and the patients' reported attitudes toward this form of therapy.
Tidal debris of dwarf spheroidals as a probe of structure formation models

Recent observations suggest that Carina and other nearby dwarf spheroidal galaxies (dSphs) are surrounded by unbound stars tidally stripped by the Milky Way. We have run high-resolution N-body simulations of dwarf galaxies orbiting within the Milky Way halo to determine if such observations can be explained with dark matter potentials like those implied by current structure formation models. We show that tidal forces acting on dwarfs with constant density cores or with cuspy profiles having a low concentration parameter (c 7) lead to flat outer stellar density profiles like that of Carina for a variety of orbital configurations. On the contrary, it is more difficult to remove stars from cuspy dark matter haloes with concentrations as high as predicted by cold dark matter (CDM) models at the mass scale of dwarf galaxies (c > 10), and the data can only be reproduced assuming nearly radial orbits. Our simulations show that Carina is losing mass at a fractional rate <0.1 Gyr −1 and its mass-to-light ratio could be inflated by at most a factor of 2 due to unbound stars projected along the line of sight. We follow the evolution of the tidal debris within a triaxial clumpy cold dark matter Milky Way halo which causes differential precession and small-scale heating of the stellar streams. This renders them useless as a dynamical tracer of the Galactic potential in CDM cosmogonies. Models with warm dark matter (WDM) or collisional fluid dark matter (FDM) produce dwarf haloes with lower central densities than CDM and would be consistent with the observed tidal tails even for orbits with eccentricities as low as indicated by current data on nearby dwarf spheroidals. Galactic haloes in models with FDM are expected to be smooth and spherical and would be favoured by the detection of cold coherent streams such as that associated with the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal. In this respect the distribution of stellar streams on the plane of the sky can provide a novel test of the nature of the dark matter. On the other end, the streams could be similarly dispersed in lumpy CDM haloes and in smoother, triaxial WDM haloes.
Stochastic Comparison, Boundedness, Weak Convergence, and Ergodicity of a Random Riccati Equation with Markovian Binary Switching

This paper considers the dynamical behavior of a discrete-time random Riccati equation with Markovian binary switching arising from a Kalman filter with intermittent observations. A number of properties of the random Riccati equation are studied such as comparability, monotonicity, boundedness, weak convergence, and ergodicity. A stochastic order method is used to compare random Riccati equations and establish the monotonicity property in an expectation sense. By using the idea of stopping times, we present a sufficient condition for an expectation boundedness property. Moreover, the contraction and nonexpansion, the Riemannian metric, and the Markov-Feller operator are applied to the analysis of weak convergence and ergodicity properties. These properties allow us to establish a relation between time average and the limit of the expectation of covariance matrices. We also revisit the independently and identically distributed case. By making use of the comparison and boundedness results in this paper, we present a variant of the existence theorem about a critical value in existing literature.
Infrared Spectroscopic Characterization of the Interaction of Cationic Lipids with Plasmid DNA*

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to characterize the interaction of the cationic lipids 1,2-dioleoyl-3-trimethylammonium-propane and dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide with plasmid DNA. The effect of incorporating the neutral colipids cholesterol and dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine on this interaction was also examined. Additionally, dynamic and phase analysis light scattering were used to monitor the size and ζ potential of the resulting complexes under conditions similar to the Fourier transform infrared measurements. Results suggest that upon interaction of cationic lipids with DNA, the DNA remains in the B form. Distinct changes in the frequency of several infrared bands arising from the DNA bases, however, suggest perturbation of their hydration upon interaction with cationic lipids. A direct interaction of the lipid ammonium headgroup with and dehydration of the DNA phosphate is observed when DNA is complexed with these lipids. Changes in the apolar regions of the lipid bilayer are minimal, whereas the interfacial regions of the membrane show changes in hydration or molecular packing. Incorporation of helper lipids into the cationic membranes results in increased conformational disorder of the apolar region and further dehydration of the interfacial region. Changes in the hydration of the DNA bases were also observed as the molar ratio of helper lipid in the membranes was increased.
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Daycare and Overnight Stay Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy.

BACKGROUND This present study sought to review the feasibility and patients' satisfaction of laparoscopic cholecystectomy to be perform as daycare procedure. MATERIAL AND METHODS Sixty-two patients with symptomatic gallstones were recruited within a year. They were randomized into overnight stay and daycare groups. The outcomes and post-operative complications were analyzed. RESULTS Fifty-eight patients were eligible for analysis and four patients were excluded because of conversion to open cholecystectomy. All patients in daycare group reported no fever but two patients in the overnight stay group complaint of post-operative fever (p=0.150). The mean pain score using Visual Analogue Score (VAS) in daycare group was 2.93 but in the overnight stay was recorded as 3.59 (p=0.98). Five patients had post-operative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in daycare group compared to 2 patients in the overnight stay group (p=0.227). Patient's satisfaction were higher in the daycare group (p=0.160). All patients in daycare group were back at work within a week but in overnight stay, 11 patients had to stay off work for more than one week (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS Daycare laparoscopic cholecystectomy is safe and feasible. The satisfaction of daycare surgery is higher than overnight stay group. Patients' selection is an important aspect of its success.
Communication in palliative care: a review of recent literature

Purpose of review The quality of communication with patients, family, and team members is an extremely important element in palliative cancer care. The current paper reviews the literature on these topics as published in 2004. Recent findings Trust was found to be a major factor for relationship building. Information gathered by patient self-report is the method of choice, given improved insight in symptom prevalence, duration, frequency, and interference. Cultural factors in information giving, the optimal process and content, and the difficulty of conveying hope were addressed. Decision making in palliative care requires a complex integration of conceptual knowledge, ethical and legal implications, and communication skills. Aspects of manageability are explored. Although health care providers must communicate about emotions, the existential distress of cancer patients and carers often goes overlooked in the last phases of life. Summary Themes included the education of health care providers, the need to care for carers, and interdisciplinary communication. Little attention was given to the growing population of elderly patients. Observer-based studies are unfortunately scarce, making the practice of palliative communication unseen. Finally, few studies report the cost-effectiveness of palliative care interventions though such studies may enhance palliative care and convince policy makers of the need to support such care. More empirical work is needed to improve the level of quality needed to ensure a good remaining lifetime for cancer patients whose disease cannot be cured.
Assessment of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus Aureus detection methods: analytical comparative study

Introduction The heterogeneous expression of methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) affects the efficiency of tests available to detect it. The objective of this study was to assess four phenotypic tests used to detect MRSA. Methods This is an analytical comparative study conducted among sudanese patients during period from May 2012 to July 2014, Staphylococcus aureus strains were isolated and identified by conventional methods, and then confirmed by PCR detection of coagulase gene. PCR detection of mecA gene was used as a gold standard to assess oxacillin resistance screen agar base (ORSAB), oxacillin disc, cefoxitin disc (at different temperatures and incubation periods) and MRSA-latex agglutination test. S.aureus ATCC 25923 was used as control. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated. Results MRSA- latex agglutination was the most accurate test; it showed 100% of both sensitivity and specificity, followed by cefoxitin disc with sensitivity of 98.48% and specificity of 100%. However, both of oxacillin disc and oxacillin resistance screen agar base showed less accurate results, and were affected by incubation periods. Oxacillin disc after 24 h incubation both at 30°C and 35°C showed sensitivity and specificity values of 87.88% and 96.23%, respectively. However, after 48h incubation the test at 30°C showed sensitivity and specificity values of 89.39%, and 94.34%, respectively. At 35°C (48h) it showed values of 89.39%, 92.45% respectively. Specificity of ORSAB was more than oxacillin disc at 35°C after 24h incubation 98.11% and 96.23%, respectively. Conclusion MRSA- latex agglutination and cefoxitin disc diffusion tests are recommended for routine detection of MRSA.
Bovine Streptococcal Mastitis in Southwest and Northern States of Nigeria

An investigation was carried out to identify the streptococci species isolated from clinical cases of bovine mastitis in Kwara, Kaduna and Oyo States of Nigeria. Milk samples from 200 clinically mastitic udders were bacteriological studied. A total of 130 streptococci isolate belonging to six species of streptococci, namely S. uberis, S. agalactiae, S. dysgalactiae, S. epidemicus, S. bovis, S. equinus were recovered from the milk examined. Streptococcus uberis was the most frequently encountered species with an incidence of (55.4%) followed by Streptococcus agalactiae (24.6%), Streptococcus dysgalactiae (12.3%) Streptococcus zoopidemicus (3.9%) Streptococcus bovis (2.3%) and Streptococcus equinus (1.5%). These species of streptococcus are of great public importance.
α-THALASSEMIA DOES NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CONTRIBUTE TO THE LOW MCV LEVEL OF Hb C TRAIT

Microcytosis, defined as a mean corpuscular volume (MCV) level of less than 82 f L, is a result of impaired hemoglobin (Hb) synthesis in thalassemias and in disorders of iron metabolism. It also occurs in some structural hemoglobinopathies with Hb E [b26(B8)Glu! Lys] and Hb C [b6(A3)Glu! Lys]. In Hb C, the replacement Glu! Lys results in an increased positive charge that causes the adherence of this abnormal Hb to the red cell membrane, leading to the loss of Kþ and water, and increasing the mean corpuscular Hb concentration (MCHC) and cell density. In homozygous Hb C disease and in Hb SC disease there is a reduction of erythrocyte diameter, intracellular crystallization of Hb and formation of microspherocytes. In Hb C trait, a low MCV value is frequently observed and has sometimes been suggested be the result of a co-existent aþ-thalassemia (thal), which reaches high frequencies in endemic malaria areas where Hb C is also common. However, there are little available data on the hematological aspects of the association Hb C trait and a-thal. In the Brazilian Black population, Hb C and aþ-thal (the a rightward deletion) are found in frequencies around 1 and 23%, respectively. To evaluate the presence and the effects of this interaction on MCV levels, the a deletion was investigated in 136 adult Hb C trait individuals (Hb AC), referred to the UNICAMP University Hospital, in Campinas, State of São Paulo, in the