Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of foot kinetics and kinematics during gait initiation between young and elderly participants

[Purpose] To investigate the differences in foot kinetics during gait initiation between young and elderly participants using a modified multi-segment foot model. [Participants and Methods] Twelve young (23.3 ± 2.4 years) and 12 elderly participants (73.3 ± 3.9 years) were included in this study. Gait initiation was measured using a three-dimensional motion analysis system. We calculated the kinetic and kinematic values using our modified multi-segment foot model and compared those values with the values calculated using Bruening et al.’s multi-segment foot model. Modified gait initiation values were also compared between the elderly and young participants. [Results] Our modified multi-segment foot model, created using the Software for Interactive Musculoskeletal Modeling, showed similar values to those reported by Bruening et al. When we compared gait initiation between the elderly participants and their younger counterparts, the elderly exhibited lower torque and power values in the ankle, tarsometatarsal, and metatarsophalangeal joints. Additionally, the elderly exhibited a lower torque ratio in the distal joint than in the proximal joint (torque ratio: ankle joint >tarsometatarsal joint >metatarsophalangeal joint). [Conclusion] The elderly participants had less speed, stride, foot joint movement, moment, and power than the young participants. Moreover, the ratio of joint moment was smaller in the elderly participants. In elderly patients whose walking speed has decreased, consideration of the kinetics of the foot is important when deciding physiotherapy intervention.
Lifestyle-related cardiovascular risk factors among adults in Delta State, Nigeria using WHO STEPS approach: prevalence and rural-urban differences

Objective: To describe the prevalence and rural-urban differences in lifestyle-related cardiovascular risk factors. Method: A cross-sectional survey of apparently healthy adults in an urban and a rural community in Delta State, Nigeria using the WHO STEPS questionnaire. Ethical approval was granted by the Delta State University Teaching Hospital. Results: Of the 866 respondents, 56% were urban dwellers and 44% were males. The mean age was 42.5(±16.05) years. The prevalence of current smokers was 13.6%. It was significantly higher among rural dwellers (22.3% vs 6.8%, p<0.001). Alcohol was consumed by 58.5% of the respondents in the last 12 months; rural more than urban dwellers (79.5% vs 42.1%, p<0.001). About 75% of the respondents ate <5 servings / portions of fruits daily. This was significantly higher among rural dwellers (83.7% vs 67.4%, p<0.001). Table salt was added to cooked food by 30.8% of the respondents. The rural-urban difference was not significant. In a typical week, 40.2% of respondents do not walk or ride a bicycle continuously for at least 10 minutes to-and-from places; urban (47.6%) more than rural (30.7%) dwellers (p<0.001). Conclusion: Lifestyle-related cardiovascular risk factors are common in this study; more so in the rural setting. There is a need to increase cardiovascular health education and promotion activities. Keywords: Lifestyle, cardiovascular risk factors, adults, WHO STEPS
Preparation of polymer blend membranes based on cellulose acetate and quaternized polyethersulfone for ultrafiltration

Aim: The present study was aimed to develop the ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were prepared from blends based on cellulose acetate (CA) and quaternary ammonium salt of polyethersulfone (QASPES) at various compositions. Materials and Methods: All membranes were prepared by the diffusion-induced phase separation method, namely casting a thin film of the polymeric solution on a glass plate and, after allowing the solvent to evaporate for a predetermined period at the desired humidity and temperature conditions, immersing it into a bath of non-solvent (water, solvent, and surfactant) for final precipitation. Before membrane casting, a gelation bath of 2 L of distilled water (non-solvent), containing 2% N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) (solvent) and 0.2% sodium lauryl sulfate (surfactant) was prepared and cooled to 10°C. Results and Discussion: QASPES conformed by Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance. The blend membranes prepared are characterized in terms of compaction time, pure water flux, water content, and scanning electron microscopy. It is observed that the surface hydrophilicity of the CA-QASPES blend membranes has enhanced remarkably with increase of QASPES content. During compaction study, the steady-state flux is reached within 3–4 h at 414 kPa pressure. Pure water flux and water content of the membranes are found to increase, especially when QASPES content in CA membrane is simultaneously increased. Cross-section morphology of the membranes is analyzed using scanning electron microscope. Conclusion: We conclude that the incorporation of the hydrophilic moiety (QASPES) in blend membranes plays a major role in improving the flux and performance characteristics of membranes. The proposed techniques would be economical, convenient, and safe.
Peptide-drug conjugate for Her2-targeted drug delivery

By Yan Wang University of the Pacific 2018 Recent strategies for anticancer drug design have been focused on utilizing antibody as a drug or targeted moiety for targeted drug delivery. Antibody−drug conjugates (ADCs) have become a promising new class of targeted therapeutic agents for treatment of cancer. ADCs are designed to preferentially direct a cytotoxic drug to a cell-surface antigen recognized by an antibody. However, there are some challenges in developing ADCs, such as limited solid tumor penetration, high manufacturing costs and antibody-drug stoichiometry. Smaller molecules such as peptides have been shown to specifically bind to cancer related targets. These peptides can be used to form peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs) to overcome above-mentioned drawbacks presented by ADCs.
The impact of stress, stigmatization, and psychological morbidity on the quality of life in psoriasis

Background: Psoriasis is a chronic and disabling dermatological disorder. The quality of life (QoL) in psoriasis is determined not only by clinical factors such as the type and extent of lesions but also by important psychosocial variables such as stressful live events, stigmatization, and psychological morbidity. Aims and Objectives: To assess the clinical and psychosocial determinants of QoL in psoriasis. Methodology: Using a cross-sectional, hospital-based study design, outpatients with psoriasis were administered the psoriasis disability index, psoriasis severity (simplified psoriasis index), psoriasis life stress inventory (PLSI), 6-item stigmatization scale, and 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results: The sample consisted of 39 psoriasis patients with a mean age of 41.77 years (standard deviation 13.15). Psoriasis vulgaris was the most common variant. Multiple regression analysis showed that among the clinical and psychosocial variables, only psychological morbidity (GHQ-12) significantly predicted psoriasis QoL (β = 0.314, t = 2.05, P < 0.049). Conclusion: Psychological factors are pivotal in determining QoL in psoriasis and need to be routinely assessed in dermatological settings.
High power narrowband interference rejection technique based on multi-stage canceller for DS-CDMA system

It is difficult to assign independent radio frequency bands to wideband DS-CDMA (direct sequence code division multiple access) systems because of lack of radio frequency resources, so that CDMA overlay technique, which means co-existence of wideband and narrowband signals in the same frequency band, has been considered to improve spectral efficiency. In the overlay situation, however, signals from existing narrowband systems are not necessarily transmitted with low power level enough not to give damage to DS-CDMA signals, so that an efficient rejection technique for high power narrowband interferers is required for successful CDMA overlay. We propose a high power narrowband interference rejection method which connects several narrowband interference cancellers with simple construction in series and show its rejection performance obtained from computer simulation.
Performance of Multi Server Validation and Key Association with User Protection in Network Security

The use of smart cards, far off person validation and key association can be simplified, bendy, and efficient for growing a comfy allotted computer systems surroundings. Addition to user authentication and key distribution, it is very useful for providing identification privacy for users. on this paper, we propose novel multi server authentication and key agreement schemes with consumer protection in community protection. We first endorse a single-server scheme and then observe this scheme to a multi-server environment. the principle deserves. Encompass: (1) The privacy of users may be ensured; (2) a consumer can freely choose his own password; (3) the computation and conversation price could be very low; (4) servers and users can authenticate every other; (five) it generates a consultation key agreed with the aid of the server and the person; (6) our proposed schemes are Nonce-based schemes which does now not have a serious time synchronization problem.
Investigating Tobacco Withdrawal In Opioid-Maintained Smokers And Smokers With Other Vulnerabilities

While smoking rates in the general adult population have declined, smoking remains entrenched among individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). Individuals with OUD have an extremely high prevalence of smoking, experience poor cessation outcomes, and bear a disproportionate burden of smoking-related adverse health consequences. Data have also suggested that opioid-maintained (OM) smokers may experience a unique response to nicotine including heightened reinforcement and potentially more severe withdrawal when stopping smoking. Thus, this is a sub-group of smokers for which novel harm reduction paradigms are urgently needed to reduce the burden of smoking. A promising national policy is currently under consideration by the Food and Drug Administration to decrease the nicotine content of cigarettes in an effort to reduce smoking prevalence and smoking-related disease. It is critical to understand the extent to which reduced nicotine content cigarettes (RNCCs) can attenuate tobacco withdrawal severity in OM smokers as this has direct implications for the potential acceptability and uptake of reduced nicotine cigarettes in this vulnerable subgroup. The primary aims of this study were to rigorously examine the effects of OM status on tobacco withdrawal and craving in response to participants’ usual brand cigarette and research cigarettes that varied in nicotine content. Opioid-maintained (OM; n=65) vs. non opioid-maintained (NOM; n=135) smokers completed 5 outpatient laboratory sessions in which they smoked a single research cigarette varying in nicotine content (0.4, 2.4, 5.2, 15.8 mg/g of tobacco) or their usual brand cigarette under double-blind, acute abstinence conditions. Participants completed the Minnesota Tobacco Withdrawal Scale before and every 15 minutes for one hour following smoking each cigarette. As an exploratory aim, we also examined the contribution of OM status to tobacco withdrawal in the context of several other important characteristics associated with smoking vulnerability (e.g., depression, anxiety, education level). Repeated measures mixed model analyses were used to examine all aims. Across usual brand cigarettes and RNCCs, tobacco withdrawal and craving did not differ as a function of OM status (p’s >.05). In multivariable models, nicotine dose, time, depression, cigarette dependence, education level, but not OM status, consistently predicted tobacco withdrawal and craving severity (p’s <.05). In particular, depression severity, rather than OM status, was the strongest and most consistent predictor of withdrawal and craving severity among the characteristics examined. Despite prior data suggesting that OM smokers may respond differently to nicotine and experience more severe withdrawal during reductions in nicotine intake, OM smokers in this study responded favorably to RNCCs. These findings provide additional support for the potential beneficial effects of a national nicotine reduction policy for reducing the burden of smoking and smoking-related consequences among smokers with concurrent OUD.
A multiplayer team performance task: Design and evaluation

This chapter describes a Team Performance Task (TPT) that has been designed to assess the status of a three-person team operating a game-like multiplayer task requiring inter-player cooperation to achieve optimal performance effectiveness. The objective of the TPT is to extract features of an operational setting that may be integrated into a task scenario that will yield multi-dimensional indices of both individual and team performances that are sensitive to alterations in the workload parameters and to the skill level and cohesion of the players. The design of a prototype task is described in detail, and evaluative results based on observations of five groups of three players are presented to show the individual and team metrics of performance effectiveness that are made available with this task. Future applications of the TPT are suggested, to include its potential to diagnose and support the cohesiveness and operational readiness of teams operating within space-based and other challenging environments. Eric D. Gasior Institutes for Behavior Resources, USA Robert D. Hienz Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA Steven R. Hursh Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA Joseph V. Brady Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
Molecular and morphological analyses confirm two new species of the Hydraena emarginata–saga clade (Coleoptera, Hydraenidae) from Spain and France

Using morphological and molecular analyses, the existence of two undescribed species, H. diazi from north–eastern Spain and French Pyrenees, and H. fosterorum from north–central Spain is confirmed. These species are members of a European endemic complex of hydraenid beetles, the Hydraena emarginata–saga clade, belonging to the ”Haenydra“ lineage. The two new species are described and the geographic range of the widespread H. saga is revised.
An Italian multicentre 2-step study in patients with MANECs of the gastro-entero-pancreatic tract treated with chemotherapy.

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USING BLOGGING SOFTWARE TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL WRITING INSTRUCTION

Classroom teachers sometimes struggle trying to find time during the typical school day to provide the writing instruction students need to be successful. This study examined 29 fifth through twelfth grade classroom teachers’ survey responses about their perception of the effectiveness of using an online blogging tool, Kidblog, to plan and provide writing instruction for a struggling writer through survey responses and reflective journal entries. In addition, qualitative data from 16 of the 29 teachers were collected through their journals. After eight weeks of using the blogging tool, teachers perceived the tool to be more effective than they had originally thought it would be. The teachers reported that they were able to evaluate their individual student’s writing progress to determine next steps in writing instruction. They perceived that student engagement with the writing process increased during the study. Additionally, using an online format encouraged teachers to incorporate other online tools into their instruction. However, barriers to using the blogging tool were also identified. Teachers reported that they would have liked the opportunity for more face-to-face interaction with their students and they also indicated that students may need strong keyboarding skills to effectively use the Kidblog tool. Additionally, prior to implementing the tool, teachers identified practice should have been provided for the teachers, as some found the blogging software difficult to use.
A New Binarization Algorithm for 2D Bar Code Image

A new binarization algorithm based on Kittlter and Bernsen algorithm,which meet real-time and quality demands of 2D bar code image,is proposed in this paper.Taking Data Matrix 2D bar code as an illustration,the region of non-illumination uniformity of the image is found by Kittler algorithm.Bernsen algorithm is improved by adjusting the parameter to treat with non-illumination uniformity.It is shown through the result that the performance of the algorithm is featured for its stability and self-adaptability,which can also ensure a higher quality and recognition rate.
Context-Aware Content Generation for Virtual Environments

Large scale scene generation is a computationally intensive operation, and added complexities arise when dynamic content generation is required. We propose a system capable of generating virtual content from non-expert input. The proposed system uses a 3-dimensional variational autoencoder to interactively generate new virtual objects by interpolating between extant objects in a learned low-dimensional space, as well as by randomly sampling in that space. We present an interface that allows a user to intuitively explore the latent manifold, taking advantage of the network’s ability to perform algebra in the latent space to help infer context and generalize to previously unseen inputs.
Efficacy of green tea mouth wash as an adjunct to non-surgical periodontal treatment in patients with chronic periodontitis

Background and objectives: Periodontal disease is the most common disease associated with microbial infection with the destruction of supporting structures. This study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of green tea as a mouthwash in the management of chronic periodontitis in comparison to chlorhexidine mouthwash. Patients and methods: A randomized controlled trial on 45 healthy humans with mild to moderate localized chronic periodontitis. They were randomly assigned into 3 equal groups (15 patients each), and they all received scaling and root surface debridement treatments. Group A used prepared green tea 5% as mouth wash for 2 weeks, group B used chlorhexidine mouthwash 0.12% for 2 weeks and group C did not use any mouth wash. Intra-oral clinical examination and blood samples collection were done for all patients for estimating the biochemical parameters C-reactive protein, alkaline phosphatase, Malondialdehyde at baseline and 30 days after periodontal therapy. For statistical analysis, SPSS program was used. Results: The study groups showed significant reduction in clinical periodontal parameters and inflammatory markers after 30 days of periodontal therapy ( P<0.001). A significant difference was seen between group A and group B in relation to clinical periodontal parameters and inflammatory markers after periodontal therapy P<0.05, while the difference between group B and group C was non-significant in relation to gingival index, clinical attachment level, C-reactive protein, alkaline phosphatase, and Malondialdehyde. Conclusion: Green tea as a mouthwash could be an appropriate and effective choice as an adjunctive measure in the treatment of chronic periodontitis.
Design of Portable Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy-based Brain Monitoring System

In this paper, we introduce a functional near-infrared spectroscopy-based brain-monitoring system consisting of a data acquisition board, photodiode units, and dual-wavelength near-infrared LED units. The ADS8688A analog frontend-integrated circuit-based data acquisition board provides reliable high-resolution bio-optical measurements for portable brain monitoring. Moreover, its isolated linear regulator-based low-noise power supply circuit allows maintaining low-noise measurement quality by blocking inter-circuit crosstalk. From the system evaluation via a mental arithmetic experiment, a clear decreasing trend of deoxy-hemoglobin was found for the high-brain workload state during a cumulative subtraction task.
Measuring it Performance: “Contingency” Variables and Value Modes

The magnitude of investment in and the results expected from Information Technology (IT) is burgeoning equally rapidly. The rise in expectations is, however, not accompanied by an enhanced sophistication in the methods used to assess the outcomes of IT employment. Putting IT to multiple uses demands that measures of performance also be flexible and multidimensional. The traditional approach to measuring performance as the ratio between input and output is inadequate in this context. Several studies have utilized some form of input/output production function in measuring the impact of IT on profitability and productivity. There is a great need for taking a comprehensive look at the purpose and strategy underlying IT management and performance (“success”) measurement. Several classifying frameworks have been proposed and our research builds on this body of work. We propose an IT Effectiveness Model that links factors such as the external Environment, Strategy, Structure, and Culture to the mode of IT Deployment (e.g. Cost/Service/Investment Center). The objective of this model is to identify the appropriate measures of performance for each mode of deployment.
Multilevel Collaborative Aerodynamic Design Optimization Based on Sobol’ Global Sensitivity Analysis

Surrogate model combined with global optimization algorithm is necessary for design space exploration in aerodynamic shape optimization (ASO). However, the “curse of dimensionality” exists to a great extent in those global optimization algorithms. Multilevel collaborative optimization (MCO) method is studies to cope with high-dimensional optimization problems in this paper. The superiority of MCO method over traditional direct full-variables optimization method is confirmed through different test functions. In aerodynamic shape optimization, Sobol’ global sensitivity analysis is introduced to quantify the importance degrees of design variables. The design variables are divided in to subcomponents according to their importance degrees and the subcomponents are optimized individually in multiple cycles. The MCO aerodynamic design framework is established by integrating the Sobol’ global sensitivity analysis method, efficient shape parameterization method, mesh deformation technique, numerical simulation method and surrogate-based global optimizer. Finally, a commercial airplane in transonic regime is optimized by MCO method and conventional method respectively. Results show that the proposed MCO method is better than conventional method.