Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biomechanical Analysis of Distal Femur Fracture Fixation: Fixed-Angle Screw-Plate Construct Versus Condylar Blade Plate

Objective: The objective of this study is to establish the relative strength of fixation of a locking distal femoral plate compared with the condylar blade plate. Methods: Eight matched pairs of fresh-frozen cadaveric femurs were selected and evaluated for bone density. A gap osteotomy model was used to simulate an OTA/AO A3 comminuted distal femur fracture. One femur of each pair was fixed with the blade plate; the other, with a locking plate. After 100 N preload and 10,000 cycles between 100 N and 1000 N, total displacement of each specimen was assessed. After completion of cyclic loading, maximum load to failure was tested. Results: Significantly greater subsidence (total axial displacement) occurred with the blade plate (1.70 ± 0.45 mm; range, 1.21-2.48 mm) than with the locking plate fixation (1.04 ± 0.33 mm; range, 0.67-1.60 mm) after cyclic loading (P = 0.03). In load-to-failure testing, force absorbed by the locking plate before failure (9085 ± 1585 N; range, 7269-11,850 N) was significantly greater than the load tolerated by the blade plate construct (5591 ± 945 N; range, 3546-6684 N; P = 0.001). Variability in bone mineral density did not affect the findings (fixed angle distal femoral plate r2 = 0.1563; condylar blade plate r2 = 0.0796). Conclusions: The locking screw-plate construct proved stronger than the blade plate in both cyclic loading and ultimate strength in biomechanical testing of a simulated A3 distal femur fracture. Although differences were small, the biomechanical performance of the locking plate construct over the blade plate may lend credence to use of the locking plate versus the blade plate in the fixation of comminuted distal femur fractures.
Physical Activity Counselling during Pulmonary Rehabilitation in Patients with COPD: A Randomised Controlled Trial

Background Pulmonary rehabilitation programs only modestly enhance daily physical activity levels in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This randomised controlled trial investigates the additional effect of an individual activity counselling program during pulmonary rehabilitation on physical activity levels in patients with moderate to very severe COPD. Methods Eighty patients (66±7 years, 81% male, forced expiratory volume in 1 second 45±16% of predicted) referred for a six‐month multidisciplinary pulmonary rehabilitation program were randomised. The intervention group was offered an additional eight-session activity counselling program. The primary outcomes were daily walking time and time spent in at least moderate intense activities. Results Baseline daily walking time was similar in the intervention and control group (median 33 [interquartile range 16–47] vs 29 [17–44]) whereas daily time spent in at least moderate intensity was somewhat higher in the intervention group (17[4–50] vs 12[2–26] min). No significant intervention*time interaction effects were observed in daily physical activity levels. In the whole group, daily walking time and time spent in at least moderate intense activities did not significantly change over time. Conclusions The present study identified no additional effect of eight individual activity counselling sessions during pulmonary rehabilitation to enhance physical activity levels in patients with COPD. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT00948623
Grapiprant: an EP4 prostaglandin receptor antagonist and novel therapy for pain and inflammation

Abstract There are five active prostanoid metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) that have widespread and varied physiologic functions throughout the body, including regulation of gastrointestinal mucosal blood flow, renal haemodynamics and primary haemostasis. Each prostanoid has at least one distinct receptor that mediates its action. Prostaglandin E2 (PGE 2) is a prostanoid that serves important homeostatic functions, yet is also responsible for regulating pain and inflammation. PGE 2 binds to four receptors, of which one, the EP4 receptor, is primarily responsible for the pain and inflammation associated with osteoarthritis (OA). The deleterious and pathologic actions of PGE 2 are inhibited in varying degrees by steroids, aspirin and cyclo‐oxygenase inhibiting NSAIDs; however, administration of these drugs causes decreased production of PGE 2, thereby decreasing or eliminating the homeostatic functions of the molecule. By inhibiting just the EP4 receptor, the homeostatic function of PGE 2 is better maintained. This manuscript will introduce a new class of pharmaceuticals known as the piprant class. Piprants are prostaglandin receptor antagonists (PRA). This article will include basic physiology of AA, prostanoids and piprants, will review available evidence for the relevance of EP4 PRAs in rodent models of pain and inflammation, and will reference available data for an EP4 PRA in dogs and cats. Piprants are currently in development for veterinary patients and the purpose of this manuscript is to introduce veterinarians to the class of drugs, with emphasis on an EP4 PRA and its potential role in the control of pain and inflammation associated with OA in dogs and cats.
Spare Respiratory Capacity Rather Than Oxidative Stress Regulates Glutamate Excitotoxicity after Partial Respiratory Inhibition of Mitochondrial Complex I with Rotenone

Partial inhibition of mitochondrial respiratory complex I by rotenone reproduces aspects of Parkinson's disease in rodents. The hypothesis that rotenone enhancement of neuronal cell death is attributable to oxidative stress was tested in an acute glutamate excitotoxicity model using primary cultures of rat cerebellar granule neurons. As little as 5 nm rotenone increased mitochondrial superoxide (O2·−) levels and potentiated glutamate-induced cytoplasmic Ca2+ deregulation, the first irreversible stage of necrotic cell death. However, the potent cell-permeant O2·− trap manganese tetrakis (N-ethylpyridinium-2yl) porphyrin failed to prevent the effects of the inhibitor. The bioenergetic consequences of rotenone addition were quantified by monitoring cell respiration. Glutamate activation of NMDA receptors used the full respiratory capacity of the in situ mitochondria, and >80% of the glutamate-stimulated respiration was attributable to increased cellular ATP demand. Rotenone at 20 nm inhibited basal and carbonyl cyanide p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone-stimulated cell respiration and caused respiratory failure in the presence of glutamate. ATP synthase inhibition by oligomycin was also toxic in the presence of glutamate. We conclude that the cell vulnerability in the rotenone model of partial complex I deficiency under these specific conditions is primarily determined by spare respiratory capacity rather than oxidative stress.
Mediating Role of Dynamic Capabilities on the Relationship between Intellectual Capital and Performance: A Hierarchical Component Model Perspective in PLS-SEM Path Modeling

The strategy of accumulating valuable assets guided by the firm’s intellectual right is often not enough to support a significant performance in a rapidly changing environment.Hence, in such an environment, superior performance relies upon the ability of a firm to integrate, build and reconfigure those resources, the process of which is termed as dynamic capabilities.Hence, the purpose of this study is to investigate the mediating role of dynamic capabilities on the relationship between intellectual capital and manufacturing firm performance in a turbulent business setting.The data was gathered from 124 manufacturing enterprises in Nigeria and analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The analyzed data supported all the hypothesized relationships of the study.Hence, the study found that there is positive relationships between all the dimensions of intellectual capital and dynamic capabilities and also dynamic capabilities mediate the relationship between intellectual capital and performance.Consequently, this study concluded that managers need to deploy not only valuable resources but also dynamic capabilities by re configuring their existing resources to conceive of and implement difficult to replicate value adding strategies.Finally, the study outlined some limitations that opened the avenues for future research.
Muscle wasting in patients with chronic heart failure: results from the studies investigating co-morbidities aggravating heart failure (SICA-HF).

AIMS To assess the prevalence and clinical impact of reductions in the skeletal muscle mass of patients with chronic heart failure (HF). Chronic HF is accompanied by co-morbidities that influence the quality of life and outcomes. METHODS AND RESULTS We prospectively enrolled 200 patients with chronic HF. The appendicular skeletal muscle mass of the arms and the legs combined, was assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. We analysed the muscle strength in arms and legs, and all patients underwent a 6-min walk test, a 4-m walk test, and spiroergometry testing. Muscle wasting was defined as the appendicular muscle mass 2 SD below the mean of a healthy reference group of adults aged 18-40 years, as suggested for the diagnosis of muscle wasting in healthy ageing (sarcopenia). Muscle wasting was detected in 39 (19.5%) subjects. Patients with muscle wasting had significantly lower values for handgrip and quadriceps strength as well as lower total peak oxygen consumption (peakVO2, 1173 ± 433 vs. 1622 ± 456 mL/min), lower exercise time (7.7 ± 3.8 vs. 10.22 ± 3.0 min, both P < 0.001), and lower left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, P = 0.05) than patients without. The distance walked during 6 min and the gait speed during the 4-m walk were lower in patients with muscle wasting (both P < 0.05). Serum levels of interleukin-6 were significantly elevated in patients with muscle wasting (P = 0.001). Logistic regression showed muscle wasting to be independently associated with reduced peak VO2 adjusted for age, sex, New York Heart Association class, haemoglobin, LVEF, distance walked in 6 minutes, and the number of co-morbidities (odds ratio 6.53, p = 0.01). CONCLUSION Muscle wasting is a frequent co-morbidity among patients with chronic HF. Patients with muscle wasting present with reduced exercise capacity and muscle strength, and advanced disease.
On monotonicity of a class of optimal fault detection performance versus sampling period

In this paper, the influence of sampling period on a class of optimal fault detection performance has been studied. The background of this study is the important role played by the sampling period in embedded networked control systems, where the sampling period has direct impact on network load, computational efforts and fault detection performance. It is shown that with the increase of the sampling period, the optimal H infinHinfinfault detection performance index will become worse. The main tool used for the analysis is the lifting technique and the introduction of an auxiliary system, which bridges systems with different sampling periods.
Correlation-aided distributed sample acquisition scheme for fast and robust code synchronization in cellular DS-CDMA systems

We introduce a correlation-aided distributed sample acquisition (CDSA)-based intercell synchronous direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS/CDMA) system for enhancing the robustness of the previously proposed distributed sample acquisition (DSA)-based system. The CDSA system incorporates the state symbol correlation process in the existing DSA process to maintain the fast acquisition performance even under very poor channel environment. For its realization, each CDSA-based mobile station stores in its memory a period of the possible state symbol sequences, which are determined by the long-period scrambling PN sequences used in the system and the sampling time parameters for the state samples. In the first stage of the synchronization procedure, the mobile station (MS) attempts to acquire the psuedo noise (PN) sequence by taking the comparison-correction based synchronization approach of the original DSA scheme. However, if it cannot acquire the synchronization until it collects a predetermined number of state symbols (e.g., a period of the state symbol sequence), then the MS determines the PN sequence timing by correlating the received symbol sequence with each shift of the prestored state symbol sequences. Performance analysis and simulation results reveal strong robustness of the CDSA-based system in low-signal-to-noise ratio, fading, and large frequency-offset channels.
Trends in socioeconomic inequalities in self-assessed health in 10 European countries.

BACKGROUND Changes over time in inequalities in self-reported health are studied for increasingly more countries, but a comprehensive overview encompassing several countries is still lacking. The general aim of this article is to determine whether inequalities in self-assessed health in 10 European countries showed a general tendency either to increase or to decrease between the 1980s and the 1990s and whether trends varied among countries. METHODS Data were obtained from nationally representative interview surveys held in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, England, The Netherlands, West Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain. The proportion of respondents with self-assessed health less than 'good' was measured in relation to educational level and income level. Inequalities were measured by means of age-standardized prevalence rates and odds ratios (ORs). RESULTS Socioeconomic inequalities in self-assessed health showed a high degree of stability in European countries. For all countries together, the ORs comparing low with high educational levels remained stable for men (2.61 in the 1980s and 2.54 in the 1990s) but increased slightly for women (from 2.48 to 2.70). The ORs comparing extreme income quintiles increased from 3.13 to 3.37 for men and from 2.43 to 2.86 for women. Increases could be demonstrated most clearly for Italian and Spanish men and women, and for Dutch women, whereas inequalities in health in the Nordic countries showed no tendency to increase. CONCLUSIONS The results underscore the persistent nature of socioeconomic inequalities in health in modern societies. The relatively favourable trends in the Nordic countries suggest that these countries' welfare states were able to buffer many of the adverse effects of economic crises on the health of disadvantaged groups.
Human Water and Electrolyte Balance

Abstract : Humans demonstrate a remarkable ability to regulate daily body water and electrolyte balance so long as food and fluid are readily available. The imposition of exercise and environmental stress can, however, challenge this ability. Most circumstances involving physical exercise require the formation and vaporization of sweat as the principle means of heat removal in man. Sweat losses, if not replaced, reduce body water volume and electrolyte content. Excessive body water or electrolyte losses can disrupt physiological homeostasis and threaten both health and performance. Persons often dehydrate during physical activity or exposure to hot weather because of fluid non-availability or a mismatch between thirst and body water losses. In these instances, the person begins the task with normal total body water and dehydrates over a prolonged period. This scenario is common for most athletic and occupational settings, however, in some situations the person might begin exercise with a body water deficit. For example, in several sports (e.g., boxing, power lifting, wrestling) athletes frequently dehydrate to compete in lower weight classes. Also, persons medicated with diuretics may be dehydrated prior to initiating exercise. If sodium chloride deficits occur then the extracellular fluid volume will contract and cause "salt depletion dehydration. " A sodium chloride deficit usually occurs due to sweat sodium losses combined with excessive water consumption, but a sodium deficit can also occur without excessive water intake owing to high sweat sodium losses. Both of these scenarios produce sodium dilution more commonly known as hyponatremia or "water intoxication". This chapter reviews the physiology, needs, and assessment of human water and electrolyte balance. The extent to which water and electrolyte imbalances affect temperature regulation and exercise performance are also considered.
Closed loop control of Diode Clamped Multilevel Inverter with Integrated Maximum Power Point Tracking for Grid Connected Photovoltaic Application

A Three-phase Diode clamped multilevel inverter (DCMLI) based photovoltaic system for grid connection is proposed with different maximum power point tracking (MPPT). This photovoltaic (PV) system utilizes two conversion stages: algorithm for tracking the maximum power point and a DCMLI used as an interfacing unit. The maximum power point tracking is achieved with Perturb and absorb (P&O), Incremental conductance algorithm (INC) and a fuzzy logic controller (FLC), and the DCMLI regulates the DC link voltage and synchronizes the grid voltage and current in order to achieve unity power factor operation. The proposed system provides high dynamic performance in terms of Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) and power quality injected into the grid. The validity of the proposed system is confirmed by simulations. Streszczenie. Opisano trójfazowy przekształtnik wielopoziomowy DCMLI przystosowany do sieci fotowoltaicznej z układem śledzenia maksymalnej mocy MPPT. System wykorzystuje dwa etapy konwersji: algorytm do śledzenia maksymalnej mocy i przekształtnik użyty jako interfejs. Interfejs steruje napięciem DC i synchronizuje napięcie sieci. (Wielopoziomowy przekształtnik ze zintegrowanym układem śledzenia maksymalnej mocy w zastosowaniu do połączeń z siecią fotowoltaiczną)
Comparative Genomics of Host-Specific Virulence in Pseudomonas syringae

While much study has gone into characterizing virulence factors that play a general role in disease, less work has been directed at identifying pathogen factors that act in a host-specific manner. Understanding these factors will help reveal the variety of mechanisms used by pathogens to suppress or avoid host defenses. We identified candidate Pseudomonas syringae host-specific virulence genes by searching for genes whose distribution among natural P. syringae isolates was statistically associated with hosts of isolation. We analyzed 91 strains isolated from 39 plant hosts by DNA microarray-based comparative genomic hybridization against an array containing 353 virulence-associated (VA) genes, including 53 type III secretion system effectors (T3SEs). We identified individual genes and gene profiles that were significantly associated with strains isolated from cauliflower, Chinese cabbage, soybean, rice, and tomato. We also identified specific horizontal gene acquisition events associated with host shifts by mapping the array data onto the core genome phylogeny of the species. This study provides the largest suite of candidate host-specificity factors from any pathogen, suggests that there are multiple ways in which P. syringae isolates can adapt to the same host, and provides insight into the evolutionary mechanisms underlying host adaptation.
Implementation of an FFT Hardware Accelerator for Security Applications

This work presents the architecture and implementation of a dedicated hardware accelerator for cryptographic purposes. In particular, the paper describes a highly customized FPGA design targeting the most time consuming operation used by the encryption primitives, long-integer multiplication, based on an efficient implementation of the Schonhage-Strassen algorithm (SSA) exploiting the properties of the Discrete Fourier Transform over finite fields. The paper presents the architecture of the accelerator, the details of its implementation, as well as the main performance results.
Development And Evaluation Of An Intervention Based On The Theory Of Planned Behaviour In Promoting Leisure Time Physical Activity Participation

Building upon tenets of the theory of planned behavior, the present study examined whether a an intervention program that aimed to change control beliefs and behavioral beliefs (combined program) was more successful in promoting physical activity intentions and behavior than school-based intervention programs that aimed to change control beliefs only or behavioral beliefs only. Participants were two hundred and nine young students and were recruited from 6 schools (Male = 106, Female = 103, Age = 14.35, SD = .50). Results indicated that while the combined intervention program promoted physical activity intentions over and above all other intervention programs, it was as effective in promoting participation in physical activities as the program that targeted control beliefs. Additional analysis indicated that the intervention that targeted behavioral beliefs did not influence physical activity participation. Overall, the findings suggest that it is possible to promote participation in physical activities through cost-effective interventions that target control beliefs only.
Recruiting Subjects for Acute Stroke Trials: A Meta-Analysis

Background and Purpose— Recruitment rate is a major determinant of the duration, cost, and feasibility of acute stroke trials. Methods— We performed a meta-analysis of all randomized, controlled trials of ≥300 subjects that were designed to evaluate the efficacy of a medical intervention for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Data about trial recruitment, organization, and inclusion/exclusion criteria were abstracted independently by 2 reviewers who applied predefined criteria. Recruitment efficiency was defined as the number of subjects enrolled per study center per month of recruitment. Results— Of 32 trials meeting inclusion criteria, the average recruitment efficiency was 0.79 subjects per center per month (range 0.08 to 3.7). Recruitment efficiency did not vary by geographic region (P=0.36), but trials conducted in 1 country had more efficient recruitment than international studies (P=0.03), and recruitment efficiency declined with each percentage increase in the total number of study centers (P=0.002). The primary study entry criteria that predicted reduced recruitment efficiency were the maximum allowable time from stroke to study enrollment (P=0.002) and the exclusion of mild strokes (P=0.009). Trials with a treatment window >6 hours had approximately double the recruitment rates of trials that used treatment windows ≤6 hours (1.03 versus 0.52 patients per center per month). Conclusion— Recruitment rates for acute stroke trials are influenced by organizational structure and study entry criteria. Characterizing predictors of recruitment may help optimize future trial design.