Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physiological impact of wearing a surgical face mask during walking in the COVID-19 pandemic

Background and Study Aim Common use of surgical face masks is recommended for social and individual health due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is no systematic report for responses of organism to wearing a surgical face mask during different exercises. In this context the purpose of this study was to examine the impacts of wearing a surgical face mask during a one-hour brisk walking. Material and Methods A total of thirty male (n=16) and female (n=14) volunteers (mean age and BMI of 32 +/- 1.07 years and 25.1 +/- 0.68 kg/m(2), respectively) completed the protocol. This was a multiple cross-over trial for healthy volunteers. All participants took a one-hour brisk walking with and without a surgical face mask. Specific physiological measurements (HR - heart rate;BP - blood pressure, SaO(2) - arterial oxygen content) were compared before and immediately after two brisk walking. Each subject served their own control. Results The evaluation found that there was no statistically significant difference between the mean HR and blood pressure values during the brisk walking with and without a surgical face mask, while there was a statistically significant difference in the SaO(2) values on behalf of no-mask-walking (p<0.05). Conclusions: The use of surgical face masks in healthy volunteers causes a decrease in SaO(2) during brisk walking. However, it does not affect the mean pulse rate and blood pressure. Although there was a statistically significant decrease in the SaO(2) parameter during mask-walking, it is possible to state that brisk walking with a surgical face mask does not have a physiologically negative impact, because this decrease is in ranges that are accepted to be normal.
Institutional Investors Ownership and Firm Value: Evidence from Malaysia

Institutional investors play a significant role as an external watchdog to promote good governance to uphold firm value. The existence of institutional investors as shareholders is able to reduce the agency problem and the costs that arise from shareholder-manager relationship. This study aimed to examine the influence of institutional investors’ shareholdings and firm value among public listed firms in Malaysia. Specifically, it is argued that only pressure-insensitive institutional investors play an active monitoring role to increase a firm’s value, while pressure-sensitive investors, do not. This study employed 595 public listed firms from the main market in Bursa Malaysia for the period 2013 to 2017 (2795 firm-year observations). The results show that the pressure-sensitive and pressure-insensitive investors are positively significant to a firm’s value. These findings revealed that institutional investors in Malaysia play a significant role in increasing a firm’s value. This study will have a significant contribution to firms and the academic literature which states that all types of institutional investors in Malaysia are effectively monitoring their roles as an external corporate governance watchdog. The existence of these investors will be able to promote better governance and increase a firm’s value. Keywords: institutional ownership, pressure-insensitive and pressure sensitive institutional investors, firm’s value
Evaluation of association between asymptomatic COVID-19 and ventricular arrhythmias

Purpose: Electrocardiography (ECG) is the first-line diagnostic tool to evaluate cardiac involvement in any disease and COVID-19 patients The objective of this study is to investigate the ventricular arrhythmia forming effect of COVID-19 and to guide the treatment Materials and Methods: A total of 74 patients (mean age 52 63 +/- 17 85 years) under follow-up for asymptomatic COVID-19 and 74 healthy volunteers (mean age 50 71 +/- 6 02 years) were enrolled in the study Heart rate, QRS duration, QT distance, T-wave morphology (Tp-e interval), Tp-e/QT ratio, and index of c ardioelectrophysiological balance (iCEB) were analyzed and compared to both groups Results: The heart rate was higher, and the QT interval was shorter on ECG in the COVID-19 group QTc interval, Tp-e intervals, and Tp-e/QT ratio were not different between groups Furthermore, iCEB and iCEB-c values were not different between groups A significant positive but weak correlation was observed between CRP and troponin values in patients with COVID-19 Moreover, there was no correlation between troponin levels and Tp-e/QT ratio and iCEB in patients with COVID-19 Conclusion: The chronic cardiac effects of the COVID-19 have not been elucidated Prospective clinical trials with long-term and a high number of patient populations are needed to reveal this Notably, patients with significantly elevated troponin values should be followed up for long-term development of cardiomyopathy and arrhythmias
Parameter tuning in the process of optimization of reinforced concrete structures

espanolEl ajuste de parametros consiste en encontrar la mejor configuracion de los parametros de un metodo de optimizacion ante un determinado problema. En la optimizacion estructural, este puede ser un proceso muy extenso y costoso. Una forma de evitar este inconveniente es el uso de funciones analiticas (o de referencia) para la simulacion de las caracteristicas principales de los problemas reales. En este estudio se aplica Optimizacion Basada en Biogeografia en la optimizacion de estructuras aporticadas de hormigon armado y la funcion Ackley para el ajuste de parametros en la simulacion de casos reales. El metodo ajustado mejoro el rendimiento de otras meta-heuristicas. Los resultados estructurales demostraron que al no incluir la interaccion suelo-estructura estatica se obtienen diferencias significativas en costos directos de la superestructura. Con la resolucion del caso de estudio, se brindan algunas recomendaciones de diseno para vigas, columnas y cimentaciones superficiales EnglishParameter tuning deals with finding the best parameter configuration of an optimization method in a given problem. In structural optimization, it could be an extensive and high-computing cost process. One way to avoid this drawback is to use analytical functions (or benchmark functions), for simulating main features of objective functions in real problems. In this paper, Biogeography-Based Optimization is applied during structural optimization of reinforced concrete frame structures, and Ackley function for parameter tuningin real cases simulation. The tuned method outperformed other meta-heuristics in the actual optimization problem. Structural results show that by not including static soil-structure interaction, differences in direct cost of the superstructure of up to 4.42% are obtained for predominantly cohesive soils and 11.55% for predominantly frictional ones. In beams, L/h ratios around 15 and high reinforcement ratios are highly recommended. In columns and shallow foundations, best rectangularity reaches values of 1.15 and 2.00 respectively
The interplay between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants in cancer progression and therapy: a narrative review

Objective To unveil the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants in signaling and involvement in cancer progression and therapy. Background Cancer is considered one of the main causes of mortality in developed countries and expected to be more in developing countries as well. Although some cancers may develop at young age, yet almost all types of cancers are an accumulation of genetic and epigenetic cell damages. Cancer is considered a diverse collection of diseases on a cellular level rather than a single disease; and each disease has a different cause as well. ROS have been seen as harmful toxic molecules; however, they are recognized for cellular signaling capabilities. Elevated levels of ROS have protumorigenic activities; they induce cancer cell proliferation, and adaptation to hypoxia in addition to other effects like DNA damage and genetic instability. They are produced excessively by cancer cells to hyperactivate cellular transformation meanwhile increasing antioxidant capacity to avoid cell death. Methods We discussed peer reviewed published research work from 1987 to 2021. In this paper, we review the role of antioxidants as defensive barrier against excessive ROS levels for maintaining oxidation-reduction (redox) balance; however, antioxidant can also strive in tumor cells with their scavenging capacities and maintain protumorigenic signaling and resist the cancer cell oxidative stress and apoptosis. High doses of antioxidant compounds could be toxic to cells as they are capable of reacting with the physiological concentrations of ROS present for normal cellular processes and signaling. Conclusions Maintaining cellular redox homeostasis is vital for healthy biological system. Therefore, therapeutic modalities for cancer including antioxidants and ROS management should be used at certain doses to target specific redox pathways involved in cancer progression without disrupting the overall redox balance in normal cells.
Incorporation of sarcolemmal calcium transporters into the Shorten et al. (2007) model of skeletal muscle: equations, coding, and stability

We describe a major development of the Shorten et al. (Shorten et al., 2007) model of skeletal muscle electrophysiology, biochemistry, and mechanics. The model was developed by incorporating equations for sarcolemmal transport of calcium ions, including L-type calcium channel, sodium-calcium exchange, calcium pump, and background calcium channel. The extended model also includes an addition to the equations for extracellular potassium ion movements to enable the exchange of potassium ions between bulk (plasma) concentration and the interstitial and tubular compartments to be modeled. In further research in an accompanying paper (Tasaki et al, 2019), we succeeded in reproducing muscle cramp, as well as its prevention and reversal, by investigating muscle contraction and cramp using this extended model in comparison with the original model.
LncRNA OIP5-AS1 Affects the Malignant Biological Behavior of Ovarian Cancer via the miR-153-3p/KLF5 Axis

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the expression and clinical significance of LncRNA OIP5-AS1 in ovarian cancer , as well as its effect on malignant biological behavior of ovarian cancer cells. Methods: The expression of OIP5-AS1, miR-153-3p and KLF5 in ovarian cancer (OC) tissues and cells were detected by RT-qPCR. Western Blotting was used to detect KLF5 expression. The expression patterns of OIP5-AS1, U6 and GAPDH in nuclear and cytoplasm fractions were detected using qRT-PCR. Besides, CCK-8 assay, clone formation assay, transwell, scratch test, and flow cytometry were respectively used to detect the cell activity, proliferation, invasiveness, healing of cells, and apoptosis rate of OC cells. Furthermore, The interaction between OIP5-AS1 and miR-153-3p and between miR-153-3p and KLF5 were verified by luciferase reporter assay, and the correlations among these three genes were analyzed.Results: OIP5-AS1 expression was up-regulated in ovarian cancer cell lines and tissues. Si-OIP5-AS1 inhibited cell proliferation, invasion and migration, and induced the apoptosis to a certain extent. Subcellular fraction assay revealed the location of OIP5-AS1 was mainly situated in the cytoplasm. In addition, miR-153-3p was a target of OIP5-AS1, and KLF5 was directly targeted by miR-153-3p. Si-OIP5-AS1 inhibited KLF5 expression, miR-153-3p inhibitor promoted KLF5 expression, and si-KLF5 inhibited OIP5-AS1 expression. Interestingly, expression of OIP5-AS1 and miR-153-3p, and expression of miR-153-3p and KLF5 were negatively correlated, while expression of OIP5-AS1 and KLF5 was positively correlated. In addition, si-KLF5 inhibited the malignant biological behavior of ovarian cancer cells, while miR-153-3p inhibitor had the opposite effect. Most importantly, the addition of si-OIP5-AS1 to mir-153-3p silenced cells could reverse the promotion effect of miR-153-3p inhibitor on the malignant biological behavior of ovarian cancer cells.Conclusions: OIP5-AS1 can be used as an effective prognostic indicator of ovarian cancer, which has the potential to be a new drug target.
Spiritual Jihad as an Emerging Psychological Concept: Connections with Religious/Spiritual Struggles, Virtues, and Perceived Growth

Religious/spiritual struggles, defined as conflict or tension around religious and spiritual beliefs, practices, or experiences, have been associated with both distress and perceived growth. One type of struggle that may promote growth is spiritual jihad, which has been described extensively in Islamic literature. Although some people may associate the term jihad with violent acts, the term actually refers more broadly to struggle or hardship. Drawing from earlier Islamic writings, we frame spiritual jihad as a mindset that Muslims may adopt when coping with religious/spiritual struggles, particularly those of a moral nature. In spiritual jihad, the struggle focuses on a conflict between higher and lower parts of the self, with ultimate aims involving making good choices, behaving morally, and drawing closer to God. A closer investigation of the Qur’an and the hadith suggest that a mindset of spiritual jihad could encourage pursuit of virtues such as patience, forgiveness, gratitude, self- control, and positive action. Although empirical research is in the early stages, the concept of spiritual jihad has potentially valu-able implications for researchers and clinicians interested in Islamic psychology. Our aim here is to build on earlier articles that have focused more narrowly on measurement by providing a theological and psychological framework for the conceptualization of spiritual jihad. Specifically, we will discuss spiritual jihad from the perspective of Islamic theology, examine links with psychological concepts such as religious/spiritual struggles and perceived growth, and briefly describe preliminary empirical evidence related to the construct.
Increasing atmospheric temperature implicates increasing risk for acute type A dissection in hypertensive patients

Background Acute type A aortic dissection (AAAD) is a life-threatening condition with high mortality within 24 hours. We hypothesized if there is a correlation between seasonal weather changes and the occurrence of AAAD. The aim of the present study was to identify seasonal specific weather and patient characteristics predicting the occurrence of AAAD. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of all consecutive patients of our department with AAAD between January 1st 2006 and December 31st 2016. The national meteorological department provided the data of temperature, humidity and air pressure during the study period. The occurrence of AAAD, preoperative neurological impairment and mortality were analyzed in correlation with the obtained daily weather data within the entire cohort and in patients with and without hypertension separately. Results A total of 517 patients were included. Mean age was 63.4±13 years, 69.4% were male and 68.8% had documented hypertension. In-hospital mortality was 17.7%. In the whole cohort, the occurrence of AAAD was significantly increased in March, October, December (P=0.016). In hypertensive patients, the occurrence was increased 34% with rising temperature (0.1–9.6 °C, OR1.34, 95% CI: 1.06–1.69, P=0.015). There was no correlation between weather variables and preoperative neurological impairment or mortality. Conclusions Our data suggests a relation between an increasing number of events of AAAD and certain months within our catchment area and a significantly increased occurrence with rising temperatures (independent from absolute temperature at time of the event) in hypertensive patients.
Giant Cell Tumor of Clavicle in an Elderly: Rare Presentation of a Common Tumor with Review of Literature; 1980–2020

Giant cell tumor (GCT), also known as osteoclastoma, is a locally aggressive benign tumor arising in the epiphysis of bone. It accounts for 3%–8% of all bone tumors. About 75%–90% of GCTs occur in long tubular bones with more than 50% arising in the distal femur and proximal tibia. Flat bone involvements such as ribs, skull, patella, sternum, and clavicle are rare. Sixty–seventy percent of patients with GCT are between 20 and 40 years of age, rarely affecting too young or too old. We present here an unusual case of GCT of the clavicle in a 62-year-old female.
A Long-Term User Study of an Immersive Exergame for Older Adults with Mild Dementia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Older adults, which are affected by neurological diseases such as dementia, often suffer from cognitive and motor deficits, and, therefore, require special care and therapy. However, especially during times of a global pandemic, they are a vulnerable highrisk group that has to be kept safe, which limits their possibilities to perform cognitive or motor training, or visit places outside their homes. We developed and evaluated a motor-cognitive exergame using a human-centered design approach, in which the older adults can virtually visit known places in their city of residence in omni-directional 3D-videos using immersive virtual reality (VR) technologies. The player’s goal is to take pictures of famous landmarks with a tracked wearable that replicates a physical camera. We evaluated the game during a nine weeks user study with ten older adults with mild forms of dementia in a between-subject design: (i) five players experienced the game twice a week for 15-25 minutes, and (ii) five participants in a control group, who did not play the game. The results suggest that the overall well-being of players improved and that their game performance increased. Cognitive and physical tests indicate that the test group experiencing the game improved more than the control group. All players had positive attitudes towards the game and enjoyed the welcome change. CCS Concepts • Human-centered computing → Empirical studies in accessibility; Empirical studies in HCI; • Applied computing → Health care information systems; † We especially want to thank the Hospital zum Heiligen Geist Hamburg for their cooperation. This work was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as well as the German Research Foundation (DFG), the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program and the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The author acknowledges the support of the Cluster of Excellence ”Matters of Activity. Image Space Material“ funded by the DFG under Germany’s Excellence Strategy EXC 2025 390648296. c © 2021 The Author(s) Eurographics Proceedings c © 2021 The Eurographics Association. DOI: 10.2312/egve.20211322 https://diglib.eg. org https://www.eg. org Kruse et al. / Long-Term User Study of an Immersive Exergame for Older Adults
A study on knowledge, attitude and practice of COVID-19 pandemic among the residents

A novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first discovered in Wuhan, China in December 2019. World Health Organization (WHO) has instantly announced it as a global pandemic since it is a highly infectious respiratory disease that leading to death. Thus, numerous countries have enforced drastic lockdown, movement of control order (MCO), and various preventive measures to mitigate the outbreak of COVID-19. This study aimed to investigate and determine the level of knowledge, attitude, and practices towards COVID-19 among the residents in Taman College Heights and Taman Desa Rhu, Seremban. A validated and standardized questionnaire of this online survey involving 100 residents from both residential areas was conducted between 21st November 2020 until 13th December 2020. The descriptive data analysis of this study shows the finding revealed that the understanding and level of knowledge of respondents from both residential areas regarding COVID-19 was positively high with an overall 99% correct rate. The level of attitude of the respondents was also high with an overall of 96.7%, therefore, directly showing an overall of 98.3% of optimistic and good practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. International Journal of Health Sciences © 2021.
Does the Repurchase Rate Affect Inflation in South Africa? An Empirical Analysis Using an Impulse Response Function

The repurchase rate (repo rate) is the most common monetary policy instrument that the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) uses to control inflation and endeavours to keep it within the inflation target band of 3% to 6%. This study examines the effect of the repo rate on inflation rate along with other variables using the Impulse-Response Function (IRF) of a Vector Autoregressive (VAR) technique. This study uses quarterly data spanning over the period 1980Q2 to 2013Q3. The response of a shock in repo rate on inflation rate and vice versa is generally positive. The results show that given one standard deviation shock in the repo rate, inflation rate will initially increase up until the second quarter after which it starts to decline, and increases again in the fifth quarter. The results obtained from the VAR granger causality test show that repo rate leads the gross domestic product (GDP) growth and inflation rate. There is bidirectional causality between inflation and repo rate; and the result is the same, even after structural break was accounted for. The VAR shows no evidence of instability and autocorrelation, hence the results are reliable. The study suggests some policy recommendations.
Determinants of behavioral intentions to use mobile healthcare applications in Jordan

The purpose of this study is to examine the determinants of behavioral intentions to use of mobile health (m-Health) applications in Jordan through examining the mediating role of perceived trust and its influence on the behavioral intention to use such applications. A conceptual model was developed based on the extant literature. A questionnaire survey was administered to a convenient sample of 318. Data was analyzed using smart PLS 3. The findings suggest that patients’ behavioral intentions to use m-Health applications are positively affected by perceived ease of use, perceived security, social influence and perceived trust of these applications. Perceived Trust was also found to mediate the relationship between these factors and the behavioral intention. Discussion, conclusions, implications, research limitations and areas for future research are also provided.
Kinematics of the Lumbar Spine and Hip Joints in People with Persistent Low Back Pain during Sit to Stand and Stand to Sit Activities

Background: To our knowledge, no study has examined the kinematics of lumbopelvic-hip complex of individuals with chronic low back pain (CLBP) who had lumbar flexion+rotation (F+R) syndrome during sit to stand (SiToSt) and stand to sit (StToSi) activities. Thus, this study aimed to examine movement patterns of the lumbopelvic-hip complex in participants with CLBP classified into F+R syndrome subgroup. Methods: This was a cross sectional study. A 3-dimensional motion capture system was used to record movements of the lumbar spine and hips during SiToSt and StToSi. Participants were 20 patients with LBP classified in lumbar F+R subgroup, based on the movement impairment system model, and 20 asymptomatic individuals. The study was approved by Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (IR, SBMU.RETECH, and REC.1395.365). Results: Greater and significant lumbar flexion, with SiToSt, and lumbar extension, with StToSi, were observed in the patients. In addition, the patients exhibited a greater magnitude of lumbar rotation during SiToSt. No significant difference was observed between the 2 groups in hip motions. Conclusion: The patients with lumbar F+R syndrome tend to move their lumbopelvic region to a greater extent in sagittal and horizontal planes during SiToSt and StToSi compared with participants without low back pain.