Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of inspiratory muscle training on the quality of life, immune response, inspiratory and lower limb muscle strength of older adults: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the impact of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) on the quality of life, immune response, inspiratory and lower limb muscle strength of older adults. Method: A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 30 institutionalized older adults. They were allocated into two groups: the IMT group (n=15), which underwent IMT with PowerBreathe Classic, using a load of 60% of maximal inspiratory pressure (MIP). This was performed using a 30 repetition protocol, three times a week, for six weeks. The second group was the control group (n=15) which did not perform any type of therapeutic intervention. In both groups, MIP, lower limb strength by sit-up test, quality of life by the SF-36 questionnaire and C-reactive protein (CRP) were evaluated. Results: The results demonstrated the homogeneity between the groups regarding the demographic and clinical variables. The IMT group showed an increase in the variation of MIP (9.20±7.36 cmH2O) compared to the control (0.93±8.79 cmH2O). Improvement was also observed in the sitting and standing test (p<0.05) (Tukey Test) in the difference between the values before and after the IMT. In terms of quality of life, two of the eight SF-36 domains were influenced by the IMT, namely: functional capacity and limitations due to physical factors. There were no changes in CRP in either group. Conclusion: IMT improved the inspiratory muscle strength, lower limb strength and quality of life of institutionalized older adults. These findings reinforce the contribution of this therapy to reducing the deleterious effects of aging.
Nonlinear Analysis: Hybrid Systems

A modern vehicle can be viewed as a complex cyber–physical system (CPS) where the vehicle dynamics interact with the software control systems. Adaptive cruise control (ACC) and lane keeping control (LKC), in particular, are foundational features for semi-autonomous and autonomous driving. Safety analysis of such systems is extremely important for realizing vehicle autonomy. Ensuring safety in such complex CPS is very challenging, especially in the presence of interactions between multiple subsystems, nonlinearities, hybrid dynamics, and disturbances. This paper presents an approach for safety analysis of automotive control systems using multi-modal port-Hamiltonian systems. The approach uses the Hamiltonian function as a barrier between the energy levels of the safe and unsafe states and employs passivity to prove that trajectories cannot cross this barrier. The approach is applied to the safety analysis of a vehicle dynamics composed with ACC and LKC. The goal is to ensure that the host vehicle will not collide with a lead vehicle and will not skid off of the road. The control design is implemented and evaluated using a hardware-in-the-loop simulation platform. The experimental results demonstrate the safety analysis approach including the impact of implementation effects such as discretization and quantization. © 2019ElsevierLtd.Allrightsreserved.
Summarizing Complex Graphical Models of Multiple Chronic Conditions Using the Second Eigenvalue of Graph Laplacian: Algorithm Development and Validation

Background It is important but challenging to understand the interactions of multiple chronic conditions (MCC) and how they develop over time in patients and populations. Clinical data on MCC can now be represented using graphical models to study their interaction and identify the path toward the development of MCC. However, the current graphical models representing MCC are often complex and difficult to analyze. Therefore, it is necessary to develop improved methods for generating these models. Objective This study aimed to summarize the complex graphical models of MCC interactions to improve comprehension and aid analysis. Methods We examined the emergence of 5 chronic medical conditions (ie, traumatic brain injury [TBI], posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], depression [Depr], substance abuse [SuAb], and back pain [BaPa]) over 5 years among 257,633 veteran patients. We developed 3 algorithms that utilize the second eigenvalue of the graph Laplacian to summarize the complex graphical models of MCC by removing less significant edges. The first algorithm learns a sparse probabilistic graphical model of MCC interactions directly from the data. The second algorithm summarizes an existing probabilistic graphical model of MCC interactions when a supporting data set is available. The third algorithm, which is a variation of the second algorithm, summarizes the existing graphical model of MCC interactions with no supporting data. Finally, we examined the coappearance of the 100 most common terms in the literature of MCC to validate the performance of the proposed model. Results The proposed summarization algorithms demonstrate considerable performance in extracting major connections among MCC without reducing the predictive accuracy of the resulting graphical models. For the model learned directly from the data, the area under the curve (AUC) performance for predicting TBI, PTSD, BaPa, SuAb, and Depr, respectively, during the next 4 years is as follows—year 2: 79.91%, 84.04%, 78.83%, 82.50%, and 81.47%; year 3: 76.23%, 80.61%, 73.51%, 79.84%, and 77.13%; year 4: 72.38%, 78.22%, 72.96%, 77.92%, and 72.65%; and year 5: 69.51%, 76.15%, 73.04%, 76.72%, and 69.99%, respectively. This demonstrates an overall 12.07% increase in the cumulative sum of AUC in comparison with the classic multilevel temporal Bayesian network. Conclusions Using graph summarization can improve the interpretability and the predictive power of the complex graphical models of MCC.
Listeners’ sensitivity to syllable complexity in speech tempo perception

Studies of speech tempo commonly use syllable or segment rate as a proxy measure for perceived tempo. While listeners’ sensitivity to syllable rate is well-established [1-4], clear evidence for listeners’ additional sensitivity to segment rate―that is, to syllable complexity alongside syllable rate―is as yet lacking. In [5, 6] we reported on experiments that showed no evidence for listeners’ orientation to segment rate differences between stimuli that have the same syllable rate. In these experiments, we kept syllable rate constant by working with a single carrier phrase and equalizing phrase durations. Given that phrase duration is a separate temporal parameter from syllable rate, it is important to complement this work with experiments using less homogeneous stimulus sets, in which syllable rate is controlled without equalizing stimulus durations. In this paper we report on an experiment that uses stimuli selected from a corpus of unscripted British English speech. Within crucial subsets there was minimal variation in one out of syllable and segment rate, and substantial variation in the other. Stimulus duration varied independently. Listeners ranked stimuli for perceived tempo. Results suggest that faced with these more variable stimuli, listeners do orient to segment rate in ranking stimuli that have near-identical syllable rates―presumably reflecting the influence of syllable complexity. Moreover, stimulus duration emerges as a separate factor influencing listeners’ rankings.
A Lower Bound on the Number of To(cid:11)oli Gates in Reversible Logic Circuits

SUMMARY We present a lower bound on the number of gates in reversible logic circuits that represent a given reversible logic function, in which the circuits are assumed to consist of To(cid:11)oli gates and have no redundant input/output lines. Experimental results of computing lower bounds on randomly-generated reversible logic functions are also given.
DYNAMICS OF PHYTO- AND ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITIES DIVERSITY OF THE SFÂNTU GHEORGHE ARM UNDER THE ANTHROPOGENIC IMPACT

During 1983-1989 important hydrotechnical works were performed in Sfântu Gheorghe arm to improve the shipping, after these interventions resulting three different systems: natural sectors, meanders, canals. These changes proved later to be one of the most aggressive anthropogenic actions in the area. Our research was carried out during 20082010 in aims to assess the systemic response of biocoenosis to the human impact in Sfântu Gheorghe branch. The similarity of the phytoand zooplankton structure was tested by Bray-Curtis analysis. The results show that the years 2008 and 2010 are similar in high percentages in terms of zooplankton species richness (86.39%), while the years 2009 and 2010 are similar (94.14%) for phytoplankton species richness. Phytoplankton and zooplankton diversity and densities were measured using diversity indices (species richness, Shannon-Wiener, Simpson and Evenness) and then correlated to environmental parameters using canonical correspondence analysis. Under the new configuration, sectioned meanders suffer a slow ecological succession to the lentic ecosystem type, favorable for aquatic flora and fauna development.
Asymmetric distribution of glucose transporter mRNA provides a growth advantage in yeast

Asymmetric localization of mRNA is important for cell fate decisions in eukaryotes and provides the means for localized protein synthesis in a variety of cell types. Here, we show that hexose transporter mRNAs are retained in the mother cell of S. cerevisiae until metaphase–anaphase transition (MAT) and then are released into the bud. The retained mRNA was translationally less active but bound to ribosomes before MAT. Importantly, when cells were shifted from starvation to glucose‐rich conditions, HXT2 mRNA, but none of the other HXT mRNAs, was enriched in the bud after MAT. This enrichment was dependent on the Ras/cAMP/PKA pathway, the APC ortholog Kar9, and nuclear segregation into the bud. Competition experiments between strains that only expressed one hexose transporter at a time revealed that HXT2 only cells grow faster than their counterparts when released from starvation. Therefore, asymmetric distribution of HXT2 mRNA provides a growth advantage for daughters, who are better prepared for nutritional changes in the environment. Our data provide evidence that asymmetric mRNA localization is an important factor in determining cellular fitness.
State of the Art Review: Management of acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding

Abstract Upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB) is a common medical emergency, with a reported mortality of 2‐10%. Patients identified as being at very low risk of either needing an intervention or death can be managed as outpatients. For all other patients, intravenous fluids as needed for resuscitation and red cell transfusion at a hemoglobin threshold of 70‐80 g/L are recommended. After resuscitation is initiated, proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and the prokinetic agent erythromycin may be administered, with antibiotics and vasoactive drugs recommended in patients who have cirrhosis. Endoscopy should be undertaken within 24 hours, with earlier endoscopy considered after resuscitation in patients at high risk, such as those with hemodynamic instability. Endoscopic treatment is used for variceal bleeding (for example, ligation for esophageal varices and tissue glue for gastric varices) and for high risk non‐variceal bleeding (for example, injection, thermal probes, or clips for lesions with active bleeding or non‐bleeding visible vessel). Patients who require endoscopic therapy for ulcer bleeding should receive high dose proton pump inhibitors after endoscopy, whereas those who have variceal bleeding should continue taking antibiotics and vasoactive drugs. Recurrent ulcer bleeding is treated with repeat endoscopic therapy, with subsequent bleeding managed by interventional radiology or surgery. Recurrent variceal bleeding is generally treated with transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. In patients who require antithrombotic agents, outcomes appear to be better when these drugs are reintroduced early.
Learning Curves for Two Fiberscopes in Simulated Difficult Airway Scenario With Cumulative Sum Method.

INTRODUCTION The aims of this randomized prospective mannequin study were to determine the amount of attempts required for successful intubation using different fiberscopes (Bonfils and SensaScope) by inexperienced anesthesiologists in a difficult airway scenario and to build the associated learning curves. METHODS Difficult airway simulation was achieved with tongue edema in mannequin. After approval of volunteers, we asked 15 anesthesiology residents without any experience with fiberscopes to intubate with each device in a random order. Intubation success (endotracheal intubation within 120 seconds), the degree of difficulty of intubation, and reality of simulation using a 10-point scale were recorded. Learning curves were generated with cumulative sum method. RESULTS With Bonfils, 13 volunteers were able to pass lower decision boundary with a median number of 26 [95% confidence interval (CI) = 21.4-25.9] attempts, whereas in SensaScope, the same outcome was observed in 10 residents with a median number of attempts of 26 (95% CI = 23.5-32.5). Total success rate was found significantly higher with Bonfils compared with SensaScope (550/600 vs 512/600, respectively, P < 0.001). Intubation with Bonfils was considered as less difficult compared with SensaScope [median = 4 (95% CI = 3.32-4.42) and 6 (95% CI = 4.96-6.64), P = 0.01, respectively]. The reality of the simulation was rated as a median of 5 (95% CI = 4.37-5.8). CONCLUSIONS Although a similar number of attempts were required to reach predetermined competency for both fiberscopes, only 10 of residents were able to obtain the targeted success using SensaScope as compared with 13 with Bonfils. Inexperienced residents found intubation via Bonfils less difficult than SensaScope. High individual variability in obtaining competency observed in this study with cumulative sum analysis underlines the importance of defining success a priori to simulation, the need for follow-up of individual progress, and the need to offer adequate trials to achieve competency. Therefore, learning opportunities should be adapted accordingly.
Indwelling urinary catheterisation may increase risk of complications in hip and knee arthroplasty.

INTRODUCTION Routine use of perioperative indwelling urinary catheterisation in fast-track total hip arthroplasty (THA) and total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is still debatable, as urinary catheterisation may cause complications. The aim of this study was to describe the incidence of re-catheterisa-tion and urologic complications during the initial 30 days following THA and TKA fast-track surgery. METHODS We conducted a prospective, observational study of 795 patients ≥ 50 years of age who had undergone elective fast-track THA or TKA with perioperative indwelling urinary catheterisation until the first post-operative morning. Primary outcomes were number of patients keeping their catheter the first post-operative morning and the incidence of re-catheterisations before discharge. Follow-up on post-discharge complications was done by phone 30 days after surgery. RESULTS A total of 784 of 795 included patients (98.6%) were analysed for the primary outcomes, and follow-up data were available for 760 patients (95.6%). Three patients (0.4%) kept their catheter after the first post-operative morning and 25 patients (3.2%) were re-catheterised before discharge. The median length of stay was two days (interquartile range: 1-2). The incidence of post-operative urinary tract infections (UTI) was 4.2%, and about 30% of the patients experienced pre-to-post-operative aggravation of their lower urinary tract symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Routine use of perioperative indwelling urinary catheterisation in fast-track THA and TKA may increase the risk of post-operative UTI and does not eliminate the need for subsequent re-catheterisation. These findings speak against routine use of perioperative indwelling catheterisation. FUNDING The study was supported by the Lundbeck Foundation and registered with clinicaltrials.gov. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov 8 April 2014 (NCT02133768).
Ochratoxin A in the Portuguese Wine Market, Occurrence and Risk Assessment

ABSTRACT Ochratoxin A (OTA) is mainly found in cereals and cereal-based foodstuffs, but also in wine. Being one of the most consumed alcoholic drinks in Portugal and one of the main sources of human exposure to OTA, wine monitoring and exposure studies are essential. The analytical methodology consisted of the direct injection of the filtered samples into the liquid chromatograph, equipped with fluorescent detection (LC-FLD). Linearity was adequate, both in mobile phase and in matrix-matched solutions, with R2 values higher than 0.997. The limits of detection were 0.08 and 0.39 µg/L for white and red wine, respectively and recoveries were above 91.9%. One hundred wine samples acquired on the Portuguese market were investigated. In 5 samples the OTA was detected, with the red wine presenting higher frequency of contamination. Regarding the risk to human health it was observed that the estimated weekly intake (EWI) is considerably lower than the established tolerable weekly intake (TWI).
Natural polymorphism in protein kinase G modulates functional senescence in Drosophila melanogaster

ABSTRACT The common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, is a well-characterized model for neurological disorders and is widely used to investigate the biology of aging, stress tolerance and pleiotropy. The foraging (for) gene encodes a cGMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), which has been implicated in several behavioral phenotypes including feeding, sleep, learning and memory, and environmental stress tolerance. We used the well-established Drosophila activity monitor (DAM) to investigate the effects of the conserved NO/cGMP/PKG signaling pathway on functional senescence. Our results show that the polymorphic for gene confers protection during low oxygen stress at the expense of longevity and a decline in locomotor activity with age in D. melanogaster, which suggests a novel role for the PKG pathway in healthy aging and senescence. Summary: PKG, encoded by the polymorphic foraging gene, confers hypoxia tolerance at the expense of lifespan and healthy aging, indicating a novel role for PKG in aging and senescence.
Weighted Mixed-Norm Regularized Regression for Robust Face Identification

Face identification (FI) via regression-based classification has been extensively studied during the recent years. Most vector-based methods achieve appealing performance in handing the noncontiguous pixelwise noises, while some matrix-based regression methods show great potential in dealing with contiguous imagewise noises. However, there is a lack of consideration of the mixture noises case, where both contiguous and noncontiguous noises are jointly contained. In this paper, we propose a weighted mixed-norm regression (WMNR) method to cope with the mixture image corruption. WMNR reveals certain essential characteristics of FI problems and bridges the vector- and matrix-based methods. Particularly, WMNR provides two advantages for both theoretical analysis and practical implementation. First, it generalizes possible distributions of the residuals into a unified feature weighted loss function. Second, it constrains the residual image as low-rank structure that can be quantified with general nonconvex functions and a weight factor. Moreover, a new reweighted alternating direction method of multipliers algorithm is derived for the proposed WMNR model. The algorithm exhibits great computational efficiency since it divides the original optimization problem into certain subproblems with analytical solution or can be implemented in a parallel manner. Extensive experiments on several public face databases demonstrate the advantages of WMNR over the state-of-the-art regression-based approaches. More specifically, the WMNR achieves an appealing tradeoff between identification accuracy and computational efficiency. Compared with the pure vector-based methods, our approach achieves more than 10% performance improvement and saves more than 70% of runtime, especially in severe corruption scenarios. Compared with the pure matrix-based methods, although it requires slightly more computation time, the performance benefits are even larger; up to 20% improvement can be obtained.
A mixed methods analysis of factors affecting antenatal care content: A Syrian case study

Background Maternity care services provide critical interventions aimed at improving maternal and newborn health. In this study, we examined determinants of antenatal care (ANC) content in Syria, together with changes over time. Methods We analysed two national surveys conducted by the Central Bureau of Statistics in Damascus (PAPFAM 2001 and MICS 2006). Findings of this initial analysis led to a qualitative study on adequacy of antenatal care content in two Syrian governorates, Aleppo and Latakia in 2010, which in turn informed further quantitative analysis. The perspectives and practices of doctors, women, midwives and health officials were explored using in-depth interviews. A framework approach was used to analyse the data. Results The quantitative analysis demonstrated that women’s education level, the type of health facility they attended and whether they had experienced health complications were important determinants of adequacy of ANC content received. The qualitative study revealed that additional factors related to supply side and demand side factors (e.g. organization of health services, doctors' selective prescription of ANC tests and women's selective uptake of those tests), influenced the quality of ANC and explained some regional differences between Aleppo and Latakia. Conclusions The percentage of women who received adequate ANC content was probably higher in Latakia than in Aleppo because women in Latakia were more educated, and because services were more available, accessible, and acceptable to them.
Prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with stalking victimization among college students

Abstract Objective: This study’s purpose was to examine the prevalence and sociodemographic factors associated with stalking victimization among a diverse sample of college students. Participants: Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey administered in November 2015 to students 18 and older on 8 academic universities in a Southwestern university system (N = 26,417). Methods: Descriptive statistics were used to assess the prevalence of stalking experiences across student populations. Multivariate logistic regression was used to examine associations between sociodemographic factors and stalking victimization. Results: A total of 17.4% of students reported stalking victimization since entering college. Cisgender females, transgender/gender-nonconforming, and sexual minority students had higher odds of stalking victimization than their counterparts, whereas Latino/a students had lower odds of stalking victimization compared to White nonHispanic students. Conclusions: A notable proportion of college students have experienced stalking. Disparities found among student populations are concerning and warrant further investigation.