Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early, intensified home-based exercise after total hip replacement--a pilot study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Despite a successful surgical procedure, deficits in muscle strength and physical function are documented 1-2 years after total hip replacement (THR). There is a lack of evidence concerning which rehabilitation strategy is the most effective after THR. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the feasibility of an early-initiated intensified, home-based training regime and to form the basis of future studies with regard to exercises, outcome measures and power calculations. METHODS The trial is a single-blinded, cluster-randomized controlled trial performed at an orthopaedic physiotherapy department in a public hospital in Denmark. A consecutive sample of 46 patients undergoing primary THR surgery for osteoarthritis between September 2008 and January 2009 was included. Forty-four patients completed the trial (96% follow-up). Participants were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG, n = 23) receiving 12 weeks of intensified exercises (e.g. rubber band resistance) or a control group (CG, n = 21) receiving standard rehabilitation exercises without external resistance. The outcome measurements were maximal gait speed, isometric hip abductor muscle strength, one-legged stance, health-related quality of life (EuroQol-5 Dimensions), patient satisfaction, and patient-evaluated function, stiffness and pain (Western and Ontario McMasters University Osteoarthritis Index). RESULTS There were significant increases in both groups in all the measurements during the 12 weeks of exercises. All participants in the IG were satisfied or very satisfied with the exercises compared with 85% in the CG (P = 0.095). In the IG, four participants (17.4%) had difficulties when performing the intensified exercises at home. Hip abduction strength was significantly weaker in the leg operated compared with the leg not operated on after the intervention in both groups (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION This pilot study indicates that the majority of THR patients tolerated early-initiated intensified exercises without additional pain and with high patient satisfaction. It seems that some of the patients need supervision to perform intensified exercises.
Wide-reaching Structural Reforms and Growth: A Cross-country Synthetic Control Approach

At a time of slow growth in several advanced and emerging countries, calls for more structural reforms are multiplying. However, estimations of the short- and medium-term impact of these reforms on GDP growth remain methodologically problematic and still highly controversial. We contribute to this literature by making a novel use of the non-parametric Synthetic Control Method to estimate the impact of 23 wide-reaching structural reform packages (including both real and financial sector measures) rolled out in 22 countries between 1961 and 2000. Our results suggest that, on average, reforms started having a significant positive effect on GDP per capita only after five years. Ten years after the beginning of a reform wave, GDP per capita was roughly 6 percentage points higher than the synthetic counterfactual scenario. However, average point estimates mask a large heterogeneity of outcomes. Benefits tended to materialise earlier, but overall to be more limited, in advanced economies than in emerging markets. These results are confirmed when we use a parametric dynamic panel fixed effect model to control for the rich dynamics of GDP, and are robust to a variety of alternative specifications, placebo and falsification tests, and to different indicators of reform.
Organ‐specific inflammation following acute ethanol and burn injury

Clinical and experimental evidence demonstrates that ethanol exposure prior to injury alters local and systemic inflammatory responses, increasing morbidity and mortality. Moreover, the aberrant inflammatory responses can directly and indirectly lead to the poor prognosis after injury by altering leukocyte infiltration into the wound site and remote organs and by suppressing immunity leading to increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections. Recent studies from our laboratory have focused on inflammatory responses at the wound site and in other distal organs after exposure to acute ethanol and burn injury. This combined insult leads to increased mortality after dermal or intratracheal pseudomonas infection, relative to infected mice given ethanol or burn injury alone. The increased mortality in mice given ethanol and burn injury parallels elevated serum levels of proinflammatory cytokines, IL‐6 and TNF‐α, marked infiltration of leukocytes into the lung and gut, as well as immunosuppression at the sites of infection. Bacterial translocation from the gut is likely to be responsible, in part, for the aberrant accumulation of leukocytes in the lungs of ethanol‐exposed, burn‐injured mice. Additionally, other factors, such as expression of adhesion molecules, increased chemokine production, and leakiness of the vascular endothelium, may also be involved.
FROM MOTIVES THROUGH DESIRES TO INTENTIONS: INVESTIGATING THE REPRODUCTIVE CHOICES OF CHILDLESS MEN AND WOMEN IN POLAND

Summary This study examined the potential of the theoretical model proposed by Warren Miller (the Traits/Motives–Desires–Intentions–Behaviour or TDIB model) for investigating the involuntary–voluntary childlessness continuum. The first three stages of the theoretical motivational sequence (motives to desires to intentions) were examined using a purposive sample of 314 childless Polish men and women aged 30–39 (at the time of data collection in September 2013). In Poland, this is the age range when the final decision for or against parenthood is taken. To model the motivational sequence, the Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) technique was applied. The results confirmed the hypothesized relations between the constructs for childless individuals in the analysed age group. Their childbearing desires were found to be good predictors of reproductive intentions, while negative and positive childbearing motives (independently) underpinned their desires. Moreover, positive motives appeared to have a stronger effect on desires than negative ones. The study also documented the psychometric properties of the Polish adaptation of the Childbearing Questionnaire, which was originally developed by Miller to measure childbearing motives. The advantages of using this tool for investigating the involuntary–voluntary childlessness continuum are discussed. Overall, the study validated the theoretical model as well as the adaptation of the Childbearing Questionnaire in the new research context: in the new cultural setting and for examining reproductive choices of a specific subpopulation. Directions for future research that could build on the TDIB model and allow for a deeper understanding of permanent childlessness are outlined.
Somatically acquired JAK1 mutations in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Aberrant signal transduction contributes substantially to leukemogenesis. The Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) gene encodes a cytoplasmic tyrosine kinase that noncovalently associates with a variety of cytokine receptors and plays a nonredundant role in lymphoid cell precursor proliferation, survival, and differentiation. We report that somatic mutations in JAK1 occur in individuals with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). JAK1 mutations were more prevalent among adult subjects with the T cell precursor ALL, where they accounted for 18% of cases, and were associated with advanced age at diagnosis, poor response to therapy, and overall prognosis. All mutations were missense, and some were predicted to destabilize interdomain interactions controlling the activity of the kinase. Three mutations that were studied promoted JAK1 gain of function and conferred interleukin (IL)-3–independent growth in Ba/F3 cells and/or IL-9–independent resistance to dexamethasone-induced apoptosis in T cell lymphoma BW5147 cells. Such effects were associated with variably enhanced activation of multiple downstream signaling pathways. Leukemic cells with mutated JAK1 alleles shared a gene expression signature characterized by transcriptional up-regulation of genes positively controlled by JAK signaling. Our findings implicate dysregulated JAK1 function in ALL, particularly of T cell origin, and point to this kinase as a target for the development of novel antileukemic drugs.
Lipoxin A4 and Aspirin-Triggered 15-epi-Lipoxin A4 Inhibit Human Neutrophil Migration: Comparisons Between Synthetic 15 Epimers in Chemotaxis and Transmigration with Microvessel Endothelial Cells and Epithelial Cells 1

Lipoxins (LX) are bioactive eicosanoids that can be formed during cell to cell interactions in human tissues to self limit key responses in host defense and promote resolution. Aspirin treatment initiates biosynthesis of carbon 15 epimeric LXs, and both series of epimers (LX and aspirin-triggered 15-epi-LX) display counter-regulatory actions with neutrophils. In this study, we report that synthetic lipoxin A4 (LXA4) and 15-epi-LXA4 (i.e., 15(R)-LXA4 or aspirin-triggered LXA4) are essentially equipotent in inhibiting human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) in vitro chemotaxis in response to leukotriene B4, with the maximum inhibition (∼50% reduction) obtained at 1 nM LXA4. At higher concentrations, 15-epi-LXA4 proved more potent than LXA4 as its corresponding carboxyl methyl ester. Also, exposure of PMN to LXA4 and 15-epi-LXA4 markedly decreased PMN transmigration across both human microvessel endothelial and epithelial cells, where 15-epi-LXA4 was more active than LXA4 at “stopping” migration across epithelial cells. Differences in potency existed between LXA4 and 15-epi-LXA4 as their carboxyl methyl esters appear to arise from cell type-specific conversion of their respective carboxyl methyl esters to their corresponding carboxylates as monitored by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Both synthetic LXA4 and 15-epi-LXA4 as free acids activate recombinant human LXA4 receptor (ALXR) to regulate gene expression, whereas the corresponding methyl ester of LXA4 proved to be a partial ALXR antagonist and did not effectively regulate gene expression. These results demonstrate the potent stereospecific actions shared by LXA4 and 15-epi-LXA4 for activating human ALXR-regulated gene expression and their ability to inhibit human PMN migration during PMN vascular as well as mucosal cell to cell interactions.
Minimum Fuel Consumption Strategy for PEM Fuel Cells

This paper proposes a proton exchange membrane fuel cell control strategy to produce the power requested by an electrical load, minimizing the fuel consumption and also providing a regulated DC bus voltage to the load. The power system consists of a hybrid fuel cell/capacitor topology, and the control objective is to follow the minimum fuel consumption points for a given load power profile. This is done by controlling the air pump voltage and regulating the fuel cell current through a DC/DC switching converter. Moreover, the design and control parameters of the output DC bus are discussed, and the calculations are adjusted to a Ballard 1.2-kW Nexa power module. Finally, the control results, fuel consumption, and fuel cell protection against oxygen starvation phenomenon are analyzed and experimentally validated, contrasting its performance with the Nexa power module internal control system.
The use of ivermectin in controlling an outbreak of scabies in a prison

Background Ivermectin is a potentially useful treatment for scabies. Objectives We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of ivermectin in the treatment of scabies in an institutional environment. Methods A single dose of ivermectin 150 μg kg−1 was given under supervision to 1153 prisoners in a prison in northern Tanzania where there was an outbreak of scabies. Results Thirty per cent of the prisoners were cured after 1 week, 88% after 4 weeks and 95·5% after 8 weeks. Of 16 prisoners with crusted scabies, seven (44%) still had scabies after 8 weeks. Those who were not cured were then treated with 1% lindane lotion topically, as were the prison staff who had scabies. This regimen eradicated scabies from the prison for the next 2 years. Conclusions Ivermectin is an effective and safe treatment for scabies, particularly in a closed community, such as a prison, where it is easy to administer and avoids problems with compliance. It was of limited efficiency in crusted scabies as a single dose and we recommend that for such patients oral ivermectin is used in combination with a topical scabicide.
Re-understanding corruption in the Indonesian public sector through three behavioral lenses

Purpose Based on the authors’ study, the purpose of this paper is to better understand why corruption in the Indonesian public sector is so resilient from three behavioral perspectives: the Schemata Theory, the Corruption Normalization Theory and the Moral Development Theory. Design/methodology/approach This paper examines corruption trends and patterns in the Indonesian public sector in the past decade through examination of reports from various institutions as well as other relevant documents regarding corruption-related issues to gain a better understanding of the behavioral mechanisms underlying the adoption of corruption into organizational and individual schemata. This paper also uses expert interviews and focus group discussions with relevant experts in Indonesia and Australia on various corruption-related issues. Findings The authors establish that the rampaging corruption in the Indonesian public sector is an outcome of cumulative decision-making processes by the participants. Such a process is influenced by individual and organizational schemata to interpret problems and situations based on past knowledge and experience. The discussion in this paper highlights the mechanisms of corruption normalization used to sustain corruption networks especially in the Indonesian public sector which will be very difficult to break with conventional means such as detection and prosecution. Essentially, the entire process of normalization will cause moral degradation among public servants to the point where their actions are driven solely by the fear of punishment and expectation of personal benefits. The three pillars of institutionalization, rationalization and socialization strengthen one another to make the entire normalization structure so trivially resilient that short-term-oriented anti-corruption measures may not even put a dent in it. The normalization structure can be brought down only when it is continuously struck with sufficient force on its pillars. Corruption will truly perish from Indonesia only when the societal, organizational and individual schemata have been re-engineered to interpret it as an aberration and not as a norm. Research limitations/implications Due to the limited time and resources, the discussion on the normalization of corruption in Indonesia is focused on corruption within the Indonesian public institutions by interviewing anti-fraud professionals and scholars. A more complete picture of corruption normalization in Indonesia can be drawn from interviews with incarcerated corruption offenders from Indonesian public institutions. Practical implications This paper contributes to the development of corruption eradication strategy by deconstructing corruption normalization processes so that the existing resources can be allocated effectively and efficiently into areas that will result in long-term benefits. Originality/value This paper demonstrates how the seemingly small and insignificant behavioral factors may constitute “regenerative healing factor” for corruption in Indonesia.
Possession Rituals of the Digital Consumer: a Study of Pinterest

This study examines how consumers collect, organize, and categorize images they find using Pinterest, a bookmarking and image sharing website. We re-visit McCracken’s (1986) theory of cultural meaning of consumer goods in the age of digital consumption to determine how virtual possessions have become an integral part of the user’s extended self (Belk 1988). Based on interviews, netnography, and participant-observation, our findings shed light on the possession rituals of digital consumers. We found that consumers’ image collection activities include claiming, personalizing, storing and hoarding, and sharing. Our research demonstrates how consumers engage in digital possession rituals and how they develop a symbolic sense of ownership even though they only possess a visual representation of that item and not the physical product.
Depressive symptomatology in young adults with a history of MDMA use: a longitudinal analysis

Research suggests that methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)/`ecstasy' can cause serotonin depletion as well as serotonergic neurodegradation that may result in depression. This longitudinal study used the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) to assess depressive symptomatology every six months over a two-year period among a community sample of young adult MDMA/`ecstasy' users (n = 402). Multilevel growth modeling was used to analyze changes in BDI scores. Between baseline and 24 months, the mean BDI score declined from 9.8 to 7.7. Scores varied significantly across individuals at baseline and declined at a rate of 0.36 points every six months. Persons with higher baseline scores were more likely to have their scores decrease over time. Several factors were significantly associated with score levels, independent of time: gender — men's scores were lower than women's; ethnicity — whites' scores were lower than those of non-whites; education — persons with at least some university education had scores that were lower than those without any college experience; benzodiazepines — current users' scores were higher than non-users'; opioids — current users' scores were higher than non-users'; and cumulative ecstasy use — people who had used MDMA more than 50 times had scores that were higher than persons who had used the drug less often. The results reported here show low levels of depressive symptoms among a sample that, after 24 months, consisted of both current and former MDMA users. The low and declining mean scores suggest that for most people MDMA/`ecstasy' use does not result in long-term depressive symptomatology.
Anxiolytic effects of a combination of Melissa ofcinalis and Valeriana ofcinalis during laboratory induced stress

Melissa ofcinalis (lemon balm) and Valeriana ofcinalis (valerian) have been used both traditionally and contemporaneously as mild sedatives, anxiolytics and hypnotics. Recent research has suggested that both may attenuate laboratory induced stress. As the two herbs are most often sold in combination with each other the current study assessed the anxiolytic properties of such a combination during laboratory‐induced stress.
Differential carrier lifetime in oxide-confined vertical cavity lasers obtained from electrical impedance measurements

Differential carrier lifetime measurements were performed on index-guided oxide-confined vertical cavity surface emitting lasers operating at 980 nm. Lifetimes were extracted from laser impedance measurements at subthreshold currents, with device size as a parameter, using a simple small-signal model. The carrier lifetimes ranged from 21 ns at 9 μA, to about 1 ns at a bias close to threshold. For a 6×6 μm2 oxide aperture device the threshold carrier density was nth∼2×1018 cm−3. The effect of carrier diffusion was also considered. An ambipolar diffusion coefficient of D∼11 cm2 s−1 was obtained.
Ultra-sensitive troponin I levels to exclude acute myocardial infarction from myocardial injury

Abstract Background: Third generation troponin assays should aid in the rule-out of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). The study aim was to assess the capability of admission measurement of ultra-sensitive troponin I (TnI-Ultra) to exclude AMI from other myocardial injury. Methods: The first TnI-Ultra sample from 856 patients at presentation to the Emergency Department and subsequent admission to the Cardiac Care Unit were considered in this case series. Myoglobin was simultaneously detected in 684 patients. Results: The sensitivity of the first single TnI-Ultra level was 82.5% in overall AMI, and similar in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), admitted, respectively at 3 and 8 h from symptoms. The diagnostic capability of a first single TnI-Ultra level was poor for both STEMI and NSTEMI to discriminate and rule-out overall AMI from myocardial injury, with an area under the receiver-operating curve of 0.65 and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.55. Adopting an optimal test threshold or adding myoglobin detection did not improve TnI-Ultra performances. Conclusions: The capability of a first single TnI-Ultra level to exclude AMI from other myocardial injury in early and late presenters is poor. Addition of myoglobin assay offered no further improvement and was not considered useful.
Camera trap placement and the potential for bias due to trails and other features

Camera trapping has become an increasingly widespread tool for wildlife ecologists, with large numbers of studies relying on photo capture rates or presence/absence information. It is increasingly clear that camera placement can directly impact this kind of data, yet these biases are poorly understood. We used a paired camera design to investigate the effect of small-scale habitat features on species richness estimates, and capture rate and detection probability of several mammal species in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, USA. Cameras were deployed at either log features or on game trails with a paired camera at a nearby random location. Overall capture rates were significantly higher at trail and log cameras compared to their paired random cameras, and some species showed capture rates as much as 9.7 times greater at feature-based cameras. We recorded more species at both log (17) and trail features (15) than at their paired control cameras (13 and 12 species, respectively), yet richness estimates were indistinguishable after 659 and 385 camera nights of survey effort, respectively. We detected significant increases (ranging from 11–33%) in detection probability for five species resulting from the presence of game trails. For six species detection probability was also influenced by the presence of a log feature. This bias was most pronounced for the three rodents investigated, where in all cases detection probability was substantially higher (24.9–38.2%) at log cameras. Our results indicate that small-scale factors, including the presence of game trails and other features, can have significant impacts on species detection when camera traps are employed. Significant biases may result if the presence and quality of these features are not documented and either incorporated into analytical procedures, or controlled for in study design.
A practical approach to user authentication

A method for user authentication is presented which analyzes keystroking data as the user types his or her name. This study utilizes the ADALINE (ADAptive LINear Element) and backpropagation neural nets to identify the typing pattern characteristic of a particular user. A simple measure of geometric distance is also used for comparison. This paper provides a brief introduction to this type of neural net. It then describes the research procedure and contrasts the initial and new results, followed by a conclusion with notes concerning future research. For an average 15-character name, a complete exclusion of imposters is obtained from a set of over 5000 imposter samples. <<ETX>>