Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of a physical activity program on sport enjoyment, physical activity participation, physical self-concept and quality of life in children with asthma.

El objetivo del estudio fue analizar el efecto de un programa de entrenamiento indoor en el disfrute e intencion de participar en actividades deportivas, autoconcepto fisico y calidad de vida en ninos con asma. Participantes fueron randomizados en grupo experimental (GE) (n=58, edad= 11,55 ± 1,01 anos), y grupo control (GC) (n=47, edad=11,51 ± 1,42 anos). Se llevo a cabo un programa de entrenamiento indoor de 12-semanas, con 3 sesiones semanales de 60-minutos. El cuestionario de disfrute en actividades fisicas, participacion en actividades fisicas, autoconcepto fisico, 6-minute walking test y cuestionario de calidad de vida de asma pediatrico fueron empleados. A diferencia del GC, para el GE el programa de entrenamiento provoco una reduccion en IMC, ademas de una mejora en las puntuaciones obtenidas en el test de condicion fisica y la puntuacion de los cuestionarios cumplimentados. Un programa de entrenamiento indoor de 12-semanas mejoro el disfrute de la actividad fisica, la participacion en actividades fisicas, el auto-concepto fisico y calidad de vida en ninos con asma.
Enforcing Language Semantics Using Proof-Carrying Data

Sound reasoning about the behavior of programs relies on program execution adhering to the language semantics. However, in a distributed computation, when a value is sent from one party to another, the receiver faces the question of whether the value is well-traced: could it have been produced by a computation that respects the language semantics? If not, then accepting the non-well-traced value may invalidate the receiver’s reasoning, leading to bugs or vulnerabilities. Proof-Carrying Data (PCD) is a recently-introduced cryptographic mechanism that allows messages in a distributed computation to be accompanied by proof that the message and the history leading to it complies with a specified predicate. Using PCD, a verifier can be convinced that the predicate held throughout the distributed computation, even in the presence of malicious parties, and at a verification cost that is independent of the size of the computation producing the value. Unfortunately, previous approaches to using PCD required tailoring a specialized predicate for each application, using an inconvenient formalism and with little methodological support. We connect these two threads by introducing a novel, PCD-based approach to enforcing language semantics in distributed computations. We show how to construct an object-oriented language runtime that ensures that objects received from potentially untrusted parties are well-traced with respect to a set of class definitions. Programmers can then soundly reason about program behavior, despite values received from untrusted parties, without needing to be aware of the underlying cryptographic techniques.
9. Negation, intensionality, and aspect: Interaction with NP semantics

In Section 2, we review (briefly and superficially) some of the basics of NP interpretations, the semantics of the relevant operator-like elements, and their interaction. Then we look at how some natural languages encode certain relations between NPs and certain operators, giving us a window on some aspects of the “logic of natural language”. There we find a puzzle in the Russian “genitive of negation” construction, which seems to lump negation and some intensional verbs together (Section 3); this puzzle forms the empirical core of the paper. In Section 4 we work our way through some hypotheses about what is going on, concentrating on the interactions among scope, NP interpretation, and the semantic properties of negation and intensional operators. Section 5 adds aspect to the picture, drawing especially on recent works by Paul Kiparsky and by Dmitry Levinson. In Section 5.1 I discuss Kiparsky’s study (Kiparsky 1998) of parallels between partitive case in Finnish and imperfective aspect in Russian, and explore the possibility that Finnish partitive, Russian imperfective, and Russian Genitive have semantic similarities that may be described in terms of ‘decreased referentiality’. In Section 5.2 I adapt some arguments from Dmitry Levinson’s work on a slightly different kind of parallel between imperfectivity and genitive case under negation, to further support the idea of similarity between NPI contexts and intensional contexts. In the concluding section I opt for a view of “family resemblance” properties that many but not all instances of negation and intensionality share, so as to allow for equally important differences that show up among the family members (Section 6).
The Threshold of Protection from Liver-Stage Malaria Relies on a Fine Balance between the Number of Infected Hepatocytes and Effector CD8+ T Cells Present in the Liver

Since the demonstration of sterile protection afforded by injection of irradiated sporozoites, CD8+ T cells have been shown to play a significant role in protection from liver-stage malaria. This is, however, dependent on the presence of an extremely high number of circulating effector cells, thought to be necessary to scan, locate, and kill infected hepatocytes in the short time that parasites are present in the liver. We used an adoptive transfer model to elucidate the kinetics of the effector CD8+ T cell response in the liver following Plasmodium berghei sporozoite challenge. Although effector CD8+ T cells require <24 h to find, locate, and kill infected hepatocytes, active migration of Ag-specific CD8+ T cells into the liver was not observed during the 2-d liver stage of infection, as divided cells were only detected from day 3 postchallenge. However, the percentage of donor cells recruited into division was shown to indicate the level of Ag presentation from infected hepatocytes. By titrating the number of transferred Ag-specific effector CD8+ T cells and sporozoites, we demonstrate that achieving protection toward liver-stage malaria is reliant on CD8+ T cells being able to locate infected hepatocytes, resulting in a protection threshold dependent on a fine balance between the number of infected hepatocytes and CD8+ T cells present in the liver. With such a fine balance determining protection, achieving a high number of CD8+ T cells will be critical to the success of a cell-mediated vaccine against liver-stage malaria.
Marked host specificity and lack of phylogeographic population structure of Campylobacter jejuni in wild birds

Zoonotic pathogens often infect several animal species, and gene flow among populations infecting different host species may affect the biological traits of the pathogen including host specificity, transmissibility and virulence. The bacterium Campylobacter jejuni is a widespread zoonotic multihost pathogen, which frequently causes gastroenteritis in humans. Poultry products are important transmission vehicles to humans, but the bacterium is common in other domestic and wild animals, particularly birds, which are a potential infection source. Population genetic studies of C. jejuni have mainly investigated isolates from humans and domestic animals, so to assess C. jejuni population structure more broadly and investigate host adaptation, 928 wild bird isolates from Europe and Australia were genotyped by multilocus sequencing and compared to the genotypes recovered from 1366 domestic animal and human isolates. Campylobacter jejuni populations from different wild bird species were distinct from each other and from those from domestic animals and humans, and the host species of wild bird was the major determinant of C. jejuni genotype, while geographic origin was of little importance. By comparison, C. jejuni differentiation was restricted between more phylogenetically diverse farm animals, indicating that domesticated animals may represent a novel niche for C. jejuni and thereby driving the evolution of those bacteria as they exploit this niche. Human disease is dominated by isolates from this novel domesticated animal niche.
Clinical Guidelines for Management of Bone Health in Rett Syndrome Based on Expert Consensus and Available Evidence

Objectives We developed clinical guidelines for the management of bone health in Rett syndrome through evidence review and the consensus of an expert panel of clinicians. Methods An initial guidelines draft was created which included statements based upon literature review and 11 open-ended questions where literature was lacking. The international expert panel reviewed the draft online using a 2-stage Delphi process to reach consensus agreement. Items describe the clinical assessment of bone health, bone mineral density assessment and technique, and pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Results Agreement was reached on 39 statements which were formulated from 41 statements and 11 questions. When assessing bone health in Rett syndrome a comprehensive assessment of fracture history, mutation type, prescribed medication, pubertal development, mobility level, dietary intake and biochemical bone markers is recommended. A baseline densitometry assessment should be performed with accommodations made for size, with the frequency of surveillance determined according to individual risk. Lateral spine x-rays are also suggested. Increasing physical activity and initiating calcium and vitamin D supplementation when low are the first approaches to optimizing bone health in Rett syndrome. If individuals with Rett syndrome meet the ISCD criterion for osteoporosis in children, the use of bisphosphonates is recommended. Conclusion A clinically significant history of fracture in combination with low bone densitometry findings is necessary for a diagnosis of osteoporosis. These evidence and consensus-based guidelines have the potential to improve bone health in those with Rett syndrome, reduce the frequency of fractures, and stimulate further research that aims to ameliorate the impacts of this serious comorbidity.
Expansion of permanent first molars with rapid maxillary expansion appliance anchored on primary second molars

Background To evaluate how the amount of expansion of the primary second molars, the patient’s age, and the skeletal maturation stage influence the amount of expansion at the level of the permanent first molars. Material and Methods Fifty-five patients aged between 6 and 11 years with a cervical vertebral maturation stage of CS1 or CS2 were retrospectively selected. The intermolar width was measured before and after expansion to evaluate the amount of expansion achieved at the level of the primary second molars and the permanent first molars. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to evaluate how the amount of primary molars expansion, the patient’s age, and the cervical vertebral maturation stage predict the amount of permanent molar expansion. Results A significant regression equation was found, and for every 1 mm of primary molar expansion, 0.91 mm of permanent molar expansion can be expected. An age between 6 and 11 years and the CS1 or CS2 skeletal maturation stage were not significant predictors of permanent molar expansion. Conclusions A rapid maxillary expansion appliance anchored on primary second molars is effective in expanding the permanent molars to correct a transverse maxillary deficiency in prepubertal patients, transferring the risks associated with the large forces used to the primary teeth. Key words:Maxillary expansion, transversal deficiency, primary molars.
Minimum Incidence of Adult Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Blantyre, Malawi an Urban African Setting: A Hospital Based Prospective Cohort Study

Invasive pneumococcal disease causes substantial morbidity and mortality in Africa. Evaluating population level indirect impact on adult disease of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) programmes in infants requires baseline population incidence rates but these are often lacking in areas with limited disease surveillance. We used hospital based blood culture and cerebrospinal fluid surveillance to calculate minimal incidence of invasive pneumococcal disease in the adult (≥15 years old) population of Blantyre, a rapidly growing urban centre in southern Malawi, in the period preceding vaccine introduction. Invasive pneumococcal disease incidence in Blantyre district was high, mean 58.1 (95% confidence interval (CI): 53.7, 62.7) per 100,000 person years and peaking among 35 to 40 year olds at 108.8 (95%CI: 89.0, 131.7) mirroring the population age prevalence of HIV infection. For pneumococcal bacteraemia in urban Blantyre, mean incidence was 60.6 (95% CI: 55.2, 66.5) per 100,000 person years, peaking among 35 to 40 year olds at 114.8 (95%CI: 90.3, 143.9). We suspected that our surveillance may under-ascertain the true burden of disease, so we used location data from bacteraemic subjects and projected population estimates to calculate local sub-district incidence, then examined the impact of community level socio-demographic covariates as possible predictors of local sub-district incidence of pneumococcal and non-pneumococcal pathogenic bacteraemia. Geographic heterogeneity in incidence was marked with localised hotspots but ward level covariates apart from prison were not associated with pneumococcal bacteraemia incidence. Modelling suggests that the current sentinel surveillance system under-ascertains the true burden of disease. We outline a number of challenges to surveillance for pneumococcal disease in our low-resource setting. Subsequent surveillance in the vaccine era will have to account for geographic heterogeneity when evaluating population level indirect impact of PCV13 introduction to the childhood immunisation program.
Getting Emotional about Health the Role of Emotions in Communicating Health Risks

versity of Florida; and INSEAD (Singapore); comments from the participants are gratefully acknowledged. The authors are deeply indebted to the late JMR editor, Dick Wittink, for his insightful comments and suggestions. They also gratefully acknowledge the insights of the two anonymous JMR reviewers and the invaluable guidance from Mary Frances Luce, who served as guest editor for this article. The consequences of illness have two crucial types of stakes: for the self and for the family. Therefore, this research examines the effectiveness of health messages that present consequences for the self or for the family, focusing specifically on the dual role of emotions in serving these stakes as a provider of resources and information. The authors theorize that (1) the valence dimension of discrete emotions influences resources, thus fostering or hindering the processing of aversive health information, whereas (2) the self-/other-relatedness dimension of discrete emotions provides information that interacts with the focal referent in the message (self or family) to determine compatibility. In Experiments 1–3, the authors demonstrate that when people are primed with a positive emotion (e.g., happiness, peacefulness), the compatibility between the referent and the discrete emotion fosters the processing of health information. When the primed emotion is negative (e.g., sadness, agitation), however, compatibility hinders processing of the message. In Experiment 4, the authors track emotions before and after exposure to a health message to demonstrate that the observed effect occurs because of an increase in the negative emotional state in compatible situations when people process disease-related information. The authors conclude by discussing the implications of the findings for increasing the effectiveness of health-related messages. Consider a Breast Cancer Research Foundation advertisement that depicts a picture of a spouse and two children and states, " Breast cancer doesn't just affect women " (see the Appendix). Such advertisements, which are typical of many public service messages that government agencies and commercial corporations issue, focus on the family and ask the reader to think about the consequences of illness on other family members or close others. In contrast, consider an American Liver Foundation's hepatitis advertisement that focuses on the reader as the sole referent: " Five million Americans have hepatitis. Do you? " (see the Appendix). Thus, health messages can focus on the consequences of the illness for the individual (as in the case of the hepatitis appeal) or close others (as in the breast cancer appeal). The effectiveness of …
Proteomic alterations in early stage cervical cancer

Laser capture microdissection (LCM) allows the capture of cell types or well-defined structures in tissue. We compared in a semi-quantitative way the proteomes from an equivalent of 8,000 tumor cells from patients with squamous cell cervical cancer (SCC, n = 22) with healthy epithelial and stromal cells obtained from normal cervical tissue (n = 13). Proteins were enzymatically digested into peptides which were measured by high-resolution mass spectrometry and analyzed by “all-or-nothing” analysis, Bonferroni, and Benjamini-Hochberg correction for multiple testing. By comparing LCM cell type preparations, 31 proteins were exclusively found in early stage cervical cancer (n = 11) when compared with healthy epithelium and stroma, based on criteria that address specificity in a restrictive “all-or-nothing” way. By Bonferroni correction for multiple testing, 30 proteins were significantly up-regulated between early stage cervical cancer and healthy control, including six members of the MCM protein family. MCM proteins are involved in DNA repair and expected to be participating in the early stage of cancer. After a less stringent Benjamini-Hochberg correction for multiple testing, we found that the abundances of 319 proteins were significantly different between early stage cervical cancer and healthy controls. Four proteins were confirmed in digests of whole tissue lysates by Parallel Reaction Monitoring (PRM). Ingenuity Pathway Analysis using correction for multiple testing by permutation resulted in two networks that were differentially regulated in early stage cervical cancer compared with healthy tissue. From these networks, we learned that specific tumor mechanisms become effective during the early stage of cervical cancer.
A Usability Study of the PubMed on Tap User Interface for PDAs

Healthcare providers are challenged by the availability of information at the point of care. Overcoming these challenges requires access to current, reliable, and accurate information. The purpose of the PubMed on Tap project is to discover and implement design principles to facilitate healthcare practitioners' access to medical information at the point-of-care, related to user interface design, organization and performance. The PubMed on Tap prototype was developed for personal digital assistants (PDAs) as a testbed to study these design principles. Usability testing was used to derive conclusions regarding the functionality of PubMed on Tap. Participant events (n=323) mostly occurred in navigational ability (31%) and perceived functionality (33%). A strong correlation (r=0.87) was observed between total time and the sum of negative events in locating functions and navigational categories. Researchers concluded the basic functionality of the PubMed on Tap interface was valuable to users. However, there was room for improvement in the navigational and functional characteristics, such as placing labels on icons, which affected the users' ability to use the research tool.
Diagonalisation of Second Order Form Model

Second Order Form Model (SOFM) study, needs a reformulation of it transfer function. This can be done by the simultaneous diagonalisation of the SOFM dynamics matrices. The diagonalisation is performed thanks to the Quadratic Eigenvalues Problem. Based on diagonalisation, we show that the inverse Laplace transform of a SOFM can be computed. To preserve the behavior of the model, new input and output matrices are determined to construct diagonal SOFM in the single-input case. An extension to multiple-input is also provided but the solution is based on a model size increasing. Therefore, a partial minimal realisation algorithm for diagonal SOFM is presented. To show the effectiveness of the approach proposed, the method is applied on a numerical example.
A modified low-cost colorimetric method for paracetamol (acetaminophen) measurement in plasma

Background. Despite a significant increase in the number of patients with paracetamol poisoning in the developing world, plasma paracetamol assays are not widely available. The purpose of this study was to assess a low-cost modified colorimetric paracetamol assay that has the potential to be performed in small laboratories with restricted resources. Methods. The paracetamol assay used in this study was based on the Glynn and Kendal colorimetric method with a few modifications to decrease the production of nitrous gas and thereby reduce infrastructure costs. Preliminary validation studies were performed using spiked aqueous samples with known concentrations of paracetamol. Subsequently, the results from the colorimetric method for 114 stored clinical samples from patients with paracetamol poisoning were compared with those from the current gold-standard high-performance liquid chromatography method. A prospective survey, assessing the clinical use of the paracetamol assay, was performed on all patients with paracetamol poisoning attending the Peradeniya General Hospital, Sri Lanka, over a 10-month period. Results. The recovery study showed an excellent correlation (r2 > 0.998) for paracetamol concentrations from 25 to 400 mg/L. The final yellow color was stable for at least 10 min at room temperature. There was also excellent correlation with the high-performance liquid chromatography method (r2 = 0.9758). In the clinical cohort study, use of the antidote N-acetylcysteine was avoided in over a third of patients who had the plasma paracetamol concentration measured. The cost of consumables used per assay was $0.50 (US). Conclusions. This colorimetric paracetamol assay is reliable and accurate and can be performed rapidly, easily, and economically. Use of this assay in resource-poor clinical settings has the potential to have a significant clinical and economic impact on the management of paracetamol poisoning.
Consistent Density Function Estimation with Multilayer Perceptrons

A consistent density function estimator is presented. Whether an estimator is consistent or not is critical when the desired solution is not known. Without determining consistency it is not possible to know if the solution generated by an algorithm is close to the true solution or not. A combination of performance index, MLP architecture, training algorithm, and statistical learning theory concepts is used to produce consistent one dimensional density function estimations. The performance index and the MLP architecture are designed using information theoretical and algorithmic considerations, whereas the consistency of the solution is determined from the behavior exhibited by the estimator throughout the training process. The training algorithm is designed to highlight behavior that has been proven to exist in other learning problems with the help of statistical learning theory. The algorithm is tested with examples in order to determine the extent of its usefulness and to study its limitations.