Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Randomized Controlled Trial Evaluating the Effects of New Task Chairs on Shoulder and Neck Pain Among Sewing Machine Operators: The Los Angeles Garment Study

Study Design. This is a 4-month randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effect of chair design on neck/shoulder pain among sewing machine operators. Objective. Determine whether a chair with a curved seat pan leads to improved changes in monthly neck/shoulder pain scores compared with a control intervention. Summary of Background Data. Sewing machine operators experience a high prevalence and severity of neck and shoulder pain in comparison to other working populations probably due to the sustained shoulder abduction and neck and upper back flexion required of the task. An adjustable height task chair that supports a forward sitting posture may reduce these posture-related risk factors and reduce neck/shoulder pain. Materials and Methods. A total of 277 sewing machine operators with neck/shoulder pain were assigned to receive 1) miscellaneous items (control group), 2) a chair with a flat seat pan plus miscellaneous items, or 3) a chair with a curved seat pan plus miscellaneous items. Participants completed a monthly questionnaire assessing neck/shoulder pain severity. Results. Based on estimates of pain score changes from a repeat-measures linear regression, participants who received the flat seat chair experienced a decline in pain of 0.14 (95% confidence interval, 0.07–0.22) points per month compared with those in the control group, while those who received the curved seat experienced a decline of 0.34 (95% confidence interval, 0.28–0.41) points per month compared with those in the control group. These estimates did not change after adjustment for potential covariates. Conclusions. These findings demonstrate that an adjustable height task chair with a curved seat pan can reduce neck and shoulder pain severity among sewing machine operators.
Online Purchase Intentions: An Empirical Testing of a Multiple-Theory Model

Security and privacy issues have drawn much attention in the electronic commerce research area, and e-vendors have adjusted their online shopping systems to convince customers that vendors and systems are trustworthy. Therefore, this study concentrates on how consumers choose their purchasing channel when the environment is relatively secure. Is the choice based on preferring conversation with customer service, complexity of product, prior online shopping experience, social influence or perception of system usefulness or ease-of-use? The technology acceptance model, media richness theory and social influence model were combined in a research model tested with a Web survey. Based on the responses of 1,501 customers of a passenger cruise company, prior experience of traditional and online channels and perceived usefulness had a substantial effect on behavioral intention to use the online channel in the future.
Active cycle of breathing technique for cystic fibrosis.

BACKGROUND People with cystic fibrosis experience chronic airway infections as a result of mucus build up within the lungs. Repeated infections often cause lung damage and disease. Airway clearance therapies aim to improve mucus clearance, increase sputum production, and improve airway function. The active cycle of breathing technique (ACBT) is an airway clearance method that uses a cycle of techniques to loosen airway secretions including breathing control, thoracic expansion exercises, and the forced expiration technique. OBJECTIVES To compare the clinical effectiveness of ACBT with other airway clearance therapies in cystic fibrosis. SEARCH METHODS We searched the Cochrane Cystic Fibrosis Trials Register, compiled from electronic database searches and handsearching of journals and conference abstract books. We also searched the reference lists of relevant articles and reviews.Date of last search: 02 August 2012. SELECTION CRITERIA Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled clinical studies, including cross-over studies, comparing ACBT with other airway clearance therapies in cystic fibrosis. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors independently screened each article, abstracted data and assessed the risk of bias of each study. MAIN RESULTS Sixty studies were identified of which 18 (375 participants) met the inclusion criteria. Five randomised controlled studies (127 participants) were included in the meta-analysis; four were of cross-over design. The 13 remaining studies were cross-over studies with inadequate reports for complete assessment.Included studies compared ACBT to autogenic drainage, airway oscillating devices, high frequency chest compression devices, conventional chest physiotherapy, and positive expiratory pressure. Patient preference varied: more patients preferred autogenic drainage over ACBT; more preferred ACBT over airway oscillating devices; and more were comfortable with ACBT versus high frequency chest compression. No significant difference was seen in sputum weight, lung function, or oxygen saturation between ACBT and autogenic drainage or between ACBT and airway oscillating devices. There was no significant difference in lung function and the number of pulmonary exacerbations between ACBT and ACBT plus conventional chest physiotherapy. All other outcomes were either not measured or had insufficient data for analysis. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS There is insufficient evidence to support or reject the use of ACBT over any other airway clearance therapy. Five studies, with five different comparators, found that ACBT was comparable to other therapies in outcomes such as patient preference, lung function, sputum weight, oxygen saturation, and number of pulmonary exacerbations. Longer-term studies are needed to more adequately assess the effects of ACBT on outcomes important for patients such as quality of life and patient preference.
Sex-based differences in food consumption: Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) Population Survey, 2006-2007.

BACKGROUND This analysis used data from the most recent Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network (FoodNet) Population Survey (May 2006 through April 2007) to examine differences in the consumption of various types of foods between men and women. METHODS Participants were surveyed by telephone and asked whether or not they had consumed certain foods in the past 7 days, including the following "high-risk" foods commonly associated with foodborne illness: pink hamburger, raw oysters, unpasteurized milk, cheese made from unpasteurized milk, runny eggs, and alfalfa sprouts. Data were weighted to adjust for survey design and to reflect the age and sex distribution of the population under FoodNet surveillance. RESULTS A total of 14 878 persons ≥ 18 years were interviewed, of whom 5688 (38%) were men. A higher proportion of men reported eating meat and certain types of poultry than women, whereas a higher proportion of women ate fruits and vegetables. A higher proportion of men than women reported consuming runny eggs (12% versus 8%), pink hamburger (7% versus 4%), and raw oysters (2% versus 0.4%). A higher proportion of women than men ate alfalfa sprouts (3% versus 2%). No differences by sex were observed for consumption of unpasteurized milk or cheese. CONCLUSIONS Data from the FoodNet Population Surveys can be useful in efforts to design targeted interventions regarding consumption of high-risk foods. Moreover, understanding the background rates of food consumption, stratified by sex, may help investigators identify the kinds of foods likely to be associated with outbreaks in which a preponderance of cases occur among members of one sex.
Complete functional rescue of the ABCA1−/− mouse by human BAC transgenesis Published, JLR Papers in Press, March 16, 2005. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M400506-JLR200

Humanized mouse models are useful tools to explore the functional and regulatory differences between human and murine orthologous genes. We have combined a bioinformatics approach and an in vivo approach to assess the functional and regulatory differences between the human and mouse ABCA1 genes. Computational analysis identified significant differences in potential regulatory sites between the human and mouse genes. The effect of these differences was assessed in vivo, using a bacterial artificial chromosome transgenic humanized ABCA1 mouse model that expresses the human gene in the absence of mouse ABCA1. Humanized mice expressed human ABCA1 protein at levels similar to wild-type mice and fully compensated for cholesterol efflux activity and lipid levels seen in ABCA1-deficient mice. Liver X receptor agonist administration resulted in significant increases in HDL values associated with parallel increases in the hepatic ABCA1 protein and mRNA levels in the humanized ABCA1 mice, as seen in the wild-type animals. Our studies indicate that despite differences in potential regulatory regions, the human ABCA1 gene is able to functionally fully compensate for the mouse gene. Our humanized ABCA1 mice can serve as a useful model system for functional analysis of the human ABCA1 gene in vivo and can be used for the generation of potential new therapeutics that target HDL metabolism.
Obesogenic and Diabetogenic Effects of High-Calorie Nutrition Require Adipocyte BK Channels

Elevated adipose tissue expression of the Ca2+- and voltage-activated K+ (BK) channel was identified in morbidly obese men carrying a BK gene variant, supporting the hypothesis that K+ channels affect the metabolic responses of fat cells to nutrients. To establish the role of endogenous BKs in fat cell maturation, storage of excess dietary fat, and body weight (BW) gain, we studied a gene-targeted mouse model with global ablation of the BK channel (BKL1/L1) and adipocyte-specific BK-deficient (adipoqBKL1/L2) mice. Global BK deficiency afforded protection from BW gain and excessive fat accumulation induced by a high-fat diet (HFD). Expansion of white adipose tissue–derived epididymal BKL1/L1 preadipocytes and their differentiation to lipid-filled mature adipocytes in vitro, however, were improved. Moreover, BW gain and total fat masses of usually superobese ob/ob mice were significantly attenuated in the absence of BK, together supporting a central or peripheral role for BKs in the regulatory system that controls adipose tissue and weight. Accordingly, HFD-fed adipoqBKL1/L2 mutant mice presented with a reduced total BW and overall body fat mass, smaller adipocytes, and reduced leptin levels. Protection from pathological weight gain in the absence of adipocyte BKs was beneficial for glucose handling and related to an increase in body core temperature as a result of higher levels of uncoupling protein 1 and a low abundance of the proinflammatory interleukin-6, a common risk factor for diabetes and metabolic abnormalities. This suggests that adipocyte BK activity is at least partially responsible for excessive BW gain under high-calorie conditions, suggesting that BK channels are promising drug targets for pharmacotherapy of metabolic disorders and obesity.
Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and Unfolded Protein Response in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Abstract:In eukaryotic cells, protein folding and modification in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is highly sensitive to disturbances of homeostasis. The accumulation of unfolded and misfolded proteins in the ER lumen, termed ER stress, activates intracellular signaling pathways to resolve the protein-folding defect. This unfolded protein response (UPR) increases the capacity of ER protein folding, reduces global protein synthesis, and activates ER-associated protein degradation. If ER stress is too severe or chronic, or the UPR is compromised and not able to restore ER protein-folding homeostasis, numerous apoptotic signaling pathways are activated. Preclinical and clinical studies in the past decade indicate that ER stress and the UPR have a significant impact on the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease. Paneth and goblet cells, 2 epithelial cell populations in the gut, rely on a robust ER function for protein folding and secretion. Several immune cells are orchestrated by ER stress and the UPR for differentiation, activation, migration, and survival. In addition, a variety of exogenous and endogenous molecules in the intestinal lumen affect ER function, making ER stress and the UPR relevant cellular signals in intestinal homeostasis. Recent studies demonstrated that unresolved ER stress and/or dysregulated UPR may cause inflammatory bowel disease by inducing epithelial cell death, impairing mucosal barrier function, and activating proinflammatory response in the gut. With our increased understanding of ER stress in inflammatory bowel disease pathogenesis, it is now possible to develop novel therapies to improve ER protein-folding homeostasis and target-specific UPR pathways in cells residing in the intestinal mucosa.
Exploring Word-of-Mouth Influences on Travel Decisions: Friends and Relatives vs. Other Travellers

Travel research consistently shows the importance of word-of-mouth (WOM) information sources in the travel decision-making process. Friends and relatives have been identified as organic image-formation agents, and it has been emphasized that this WOM information is one of the most relied-upon sources of information for destination selection. While there has been recognition of the importance of WOM information sources on consumer behaviour in tourism, little has been performed to understand more specifically how and what behaviour is influenced. This study examined the differing influences of friends and relatives vs. other travellers on the travel choices and behaviours of 412 visitors to the North Queensland Region in Australia. More specifically, the present study compared the following four groups of respondents: those who indicated that they obtained travel information from friends/relatives and other travellers (n = 70); those who obtained information from friends/relatives only (n = 121); those who obtained information from other travellers only (n = 105); and those who obtained information from neither (i.e. no WOM) (n = 116). The results indicated that there were significant differences across the four groups with respect to demographic characteristics, other information sources used, accommodation and transportation used, and travel activities in the destination. However, the groups did not differ in their image of the destination.
An extended vascular model for less biased estimation of permeability parameters in DCE‐T1 images

One of the key elements in dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) image analysis is the arterial input function (AIF). Traditionally, in DCE studies a global AIF sampled from a major artery or vein is used to estimate the vascular permeability parameters; however, not addressing dispersion and delay of the AIF at the tissue level can lead to biased estimates of these parameters. To find less biased estimates of vascular permeability parameters, a vascular model of the cerebral vascular system is proposed that considers effects of dispersion of the AIF in the vessel branches, as well as extravasation of the contrast agent (CA) to the extravascular‐extracellular space. Profiles of the CA concentration were simulated for different branching levels of the vascular structure, combined with the effects of vascular leakage. To estimate the permeability parameters, the extended model was applied to these simulated signals and also to DCE‐T1 (dynamic contrast enhanced T1) images of patients with glioblastoma multiforme tumors. The simulation study showed that, compared with the case of solving the pharmacokinetic equation with a global AIF, using the local AIF that is corrected by the vascular model can give less biased estimates of the permeability parameters (Ktrans, vp and Kb). Applying the extended model to signals sampled from different areas of the DCE‐T1 image showed that it is able to explain the CA concentration profile in both the normal areas and the tumor area, where effects of vascular leakage exist. Differences in the values of the permeability parameters estimated in these images using the local and global AIFs followed the same trend as the simulation study. These results demonstrate that the vascular model can be a useful tool for obtaining more accurate estimation of parameters in DCE studies.
Fluoride Varnish Efficacy in Preventing Early Childhood Caries

To determine the efficacy of fluoride varnish (5% NaF, Duraphat®, Colgate) added to caregiver counseling to prevent early childhood caries, we conducted a two-year randomized, dental-examiner-masked clinical trial. Initially, 376 caries-free children, from low-income Chinese or Hispanic San Francisco families, were enrolled (mean age ± standard deviation, 1.8 ± 0.6 yrs). All families received counseling, and children were randomized to the following groups: no fluoride varnish, fluoride varnish once/year, or fluoride varnish twice/year. An unexpected protocol deviation resulted in some children receiving less active fluoride varnish than assigned. Intent-to-treat analyses showed a fluoride varnish protective effect in caries incidence, p < 0.01. Analyzing the number of actual, active fluoride varnish applications received resulted in a dose-response effect, p < 0.01. Caries incidence was higher for ‘counseling only’ vs. ‘counseling + fluoride varnish assigned once/year’ (OR = 2.20, 95% CI 1.19–4.08) and ‘twice/year’ (OR = 3.77, 95% CI 1.88–7.58). No related adverse events were reported. Fluoride varnish added to caregiver counseling is efficacious in reducing early childhood caries incidence.
Novel, portable, cassette-sized, and wireless flat-panel digital radiography system: initial workflow results versus computed radiography.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to compare workflow efficiency between a conventional computed radiography (CR) system and a novel, portable, cassette-sized, and wireless flat-panel digital radiography (DR) system. MATERIALS AND METHODS Observational time-motion analyses were performed at one site at which CR and the new portable DR system are used concurrently. The workflow steps of both systems were identified and categorized to facilitate comparison. The times required for examination preparation, patient positioning, exposure, postacquisition processing, and the examination as a whole were recorded by a neutral observer. Timing differences between the CR and portable DR systems were compared, and all data were analyzed using commercially available statistical software. Nine general radiographic examination types were selected, with approximately 50 patients per examination type. RESULTS A total of 941 examinations (CR, n = 474; portable DR, n = 467) were timed in this study. Total examination time differences between CR and portable DR system (mean, 26.44 seconds; median 26.99 seconds) were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.001), with DR proving faster than CR. The single largest contributor to the time difference between CR and portable DR was postacquisition processing (mean, 26.58 seconds; median, 25.91 seconds), which was a composite of multiple individual steps, including cassette transport (CR only, mean, 13.22 seconds; median, 12.74 seconds), cassette readout (mean, 10.15 seconds; median, 10.4 seconds), and postprocessing (mean, 3.21 seconds; median, 3.11 seconds). CONCLUSION Overall radiographer time was significantly shorter when performing examination-related tasks with the novel, portable DR system than when performing comparable tasks with the CR system, a difference that appears to result largely from technology configuration.
Applications of a 3D Range Camera Towards Healthcare Mobility Aids

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has recently studied a new 3D range camera for use on mobile robots. These robots have potential applications in manufacturing, healthcare and perhaps several other service related areas beyond the scope of this paper. In manufacturing, the 3D range camera shows promise for standard size obstacle detection possibly augmenting existing safety systems on automated guided vehicles. We studied the use of this new 3D range imaging camera for advancing safety standards for automated guided vehicles. In healthcare, these cameras show promise for guiding the blind and assisting the disabled who are wheelchair dependent. Further development beyond standards efforts allowed NIST to combine the 3D camera with stereo audio feedback to help the blind or visually impaired to stereophonically hear where a clear path is from room to room as objects were detected with the camera. This paper describes the 3D range camera and the control algorithm that combines the camera with stereo audio to help guide people around objects, including the detection of low hanging objects typically undetected by a white cane
Volatile Markets and Institutional Trading

We investigate the trading behavior of mutual funds and pension plan sponsors on days when the absolute value of the market’s return is greater than two percent. Using a proprietary database of institutional trading activity from Abel Noser, we find that aggregate institutional imbalance on these days is negatively related to returns. In particular, we find that institutions are net sellers when markets are rising and net buyers when markets are falling. Further results suggest that the findings we document are due to implementation rather than position decisions. Specifically, it appears that institutions use large market movement days as an opportunity to rapidly execute pre-event trading decisions. In effect, they complete large buy (sell) decisions by buying (selling) against a falling (rising) market. We also show that positions established on these days significantly outperform a size-matched benchmark portfolio over the following six months. Taken together, these results suggest that institutions do not exacerbate market volatility during periods of market turmoil to the extent that prior literature suggests.
HIV-1 subtype C dissemination in southern Brazil

Objectives:To describe the molecular and epidemiological profile of HIV-1 in patients followed at the University Hospital of Rio Grande, Brazil. Design and methods:A cross-sectional study was conducted from September to December 2002. Plasma viral RNA of 85 patients was extracted and protease and reverse transcriptase genes were polymerase chain reaction-amplified and sequenced. Sequences were subtyped and examined to antiretroviral resistance mutations. Laboratory data and past history of antiretroviral treatment were also collected. Results:Most viruses were either subtype B (42%) or subtype C (45%). No risk behaviour, sexual orientation or laboratory parameter was associated with any specific subtype, but subtype C tended to be more frequently found in women (P = 0.06). The prevalence of subtype C has increased over the HIV/AIDS epidemic, accounting for almost 60% of cases diagnosed in 2002. Intra-subtype genetic distances were smaller in subtype C than in subtype B, suggesting a more recent introduction of the former in the epidemic. Of patients under treatment, 60% had at least one antiretroviral drug resistance mutation, but no mutation was specifically associated with any HIV-1 subtype. Only one resistance mutation each was found in drug-naive patients with subtypes B and C. Conclusion:Despite the fact that subtype C appeared in southern Brazil more recently than subtype B, it is now the predominant strain in Rio Grande. The epidemic spread of subtype C could be taking place in Brazil, and possibly in south America, a phenomenon similar to that seen in other countries where this subtype is now totally dominant.