Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of foam rolling and static stretching on passive hip-flexion range of motion.

CONTEXT Many athletes report that foam rollers help release tension in their muscles, thus resulting in greater range of motion (ROM) when used before stretching. To date, no investigators have examined foam rollers and static stretching. OBJECTIVE To determine if foam rolling before static stretching produces a significant change in passive hip-flexion ROM. DESIGN Controlled laboratory study. SETTING Research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS 40 subjects with less than 90° of passive hip-flexion ROM and no lower-extremity injury in the 6 mo before data collection. INTERVENTIONS During each of 6 sessions, subjects' passive hip-flexion ROM was measured before and immediately after static stretching, foam rolling and static stretching, foam rolling, or nothing (control). To minimize accessory movement of the hip and contralateral leg, subjects lay supine with a strap placed across their hip and another strap located over the uninvolved leg just superior to the patella. A bubble inclinometer was then aligned on the thigh of the involved leg, with which subjects then performed hip flexion. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Change in passive hip-flexion ROM from the preintervention measure on day 1 to the postintervention measure on day 6. RESULTS There was a significant change in passive hip-flexion ROM regardless of treatment (F3,17 = 8.06, P = .001). Subjects receiving foam roll and static stretch had a greater change in passive hip-flexion ROM compared with the static-stretch (P = .04), foam-rolling (P = .006), and control (P = .001) groups. CONCLUSIONS Our results support the use of a foam roller in combination with a static-stretching protocol. If time allows and maximal gains in hip-flexion ROM are desired, foam rolling the hamstrings muscle group before static stretching would be appropriate in noninjured subjects who have less than 90° of hamstring ROM.
Neuropsychiatric Assessmenit of Children with Autism: A Population‐Based Study

Thirty‐five children with autistic disorder and 17 with autistic‐like conditions underwent an exhaustive neurobiological evaluation, and the findings were contrasted with those obtained from various comparison groups. Almost 90 per cent of the children with autistic disorder and autistic‐like conditions had major indications of brain damage or dysfunction. Some of those who did not show such abnormalities had a first‐degree relative with Asperger syndrome. The rate of abnormality was similar to that of severely mentally retarded children, but in excess of that of normal children. Within the autism group, abnormality rate did not correlate with degree of mental retardation. It is concluded that autism has multiple biological aetiologies and that autistic symptoms in a child should always prompt a thorough medical/neurobiological evaluation.
Synthesis of silver nanoparticle-hollow titanium phosphate sphere hybrid as a label for ultrasensitive electrochemical detection of human interleukin-6.

A silver nanoparticle-hollow titanium phosphate sphere (AgNP-TiP) hybrid is successfully synthesized and used as a label for electrochemical detection of human interleukin-6 (IL-6). Hollow TiP spheres with a diameter of 430 nm and an average thickness of 40 nm are synthesized by a template approach. The AgNPs are incorporated in situ into the TiP shell via an exchange process. The as-prepared AgNP-TiP hybrid shows outstanding biocompatibility, good dispersity and solubility in water, and high silver loading properties (289.2 mg of silver in 1.0 g of TiP). These advantages make the AgNP-TiP hybrid an effective candidate as an amplification label in immunoassay systems. Herein, the as-prepared AgNP-TiP hybrid is attached to a signal antibody (Ab(2) ) to produce Ab(2) -AgNP-TiP labels in the fabrication of an electrochemical immunosensor. The nanoparticle-based amplification labels, upon coupling with a magnetic sensing array, give rise to an extremely sensitive response to IL-6 in a linear range of 0.0005-10 ng mL(-1) with a detection limit of 0.1 pg mL(-1) . The proposed sensor exhibits high specificity, good reproducibility, and long-term stability, and may be a promising technique for protein and DNA detection.
Athletes' Expectations About Sport-Injury Rehabilitation: A Cross-Cultural Study.

CONTEXT Athletes enter injury rehabilitation with certain expectations about the recovery process, outcomes, and the professional providing treatment. Their expectations influence the effectiveness of the assistance received and affect the overall rehabilitation process. Expectations may vary depending on numerous factors such as sport experience, gender, sport type, and cultural background. Unfortunately, limited information is available on athletes' expectations about sport-injury rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE To examine possible differences in athletes' expectations about sport-injury rehabilitation based on their country of residence and type of sport (contact vs noncontact). DESIGN Cross-sectional. SETTING Recreational, college, and professional athletes from the US, UK, and Finland were surveyed. PARTICIPANTS Of the 1209 athletes ranging from 12 to 80 y of age (mean 23.46 ± 7.91), 529 US [80%], 253 UK [86%], and 199 Finnish [82%] athletes provided details of their geographical location and were included in the final analyses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The Expectations About Athletic Training (EAAT) questionnaire was used to determine athletes' expectations about personal commitment, facilitative conditions, and the expertise of the sports-medicine professional (SMP). RESULTS A 3 × 2 MANCOVA revealed significant main effects for country (P = .0001, ηp2 = .055) and sport type (P = .0001, ηp2 = .023). Specifically, US athletes were found to have higher expectations of personal commitment and facilitative conditions than their UK and Finnish counterparts. Athletes participating in contact sports had higher expectations of facilitative conditions and the expertise of the SMP than did athletes participating in noncontact sports. CONCLUSIONS SMPs, especially those in the US, should consider the sport and environment when providing services. In addition, SMPs need to highlight and demonstrate their expertise during the rehabilitation process, especially for those who compete in contact sports.
The Effectiveness of Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Improving Voluntary Activation of the Quadriceps: A Critically Appraised Topic.

Clinical Scenario: Orthopedic knee conditions are regularly treated in sports-medicine clinics. Rehabilitation protocols for these conditions are often designed to address the associated quadriceps strength deficits. Despite these efforts, patients with orthopedic knee conditions often fail to completely regain their quadriceps strength. Disinhibitory modalities have recently been suggested as a clinical tool that can be used to counteract the negative effects of arthrogenic muscle inhibition, which is believed to limit the effectiveness of therapeutic exercise. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is commonly accepted as a strengthening modality, but its ability to simultaneously serve as a disinhibitory treatment is not as well established. CLINICAL QUESTION Does NMES effectively enhance quadriceps voluntary activation in patients with orthopedic knee conditions? Summary of Key Findings: Four randomized controlled trials (RCTs) met the inclusion criteria and were included. Of those, 1 reported statistically significant improvements in quadriceps voluntary activation in the intervention group relative to a comparison group, but the statistical significance was not true for another study consisting of the same sample of participants with a different follow-up period. One study reported a trend in the NMES group, but the between-groups differences were not statistically significant in 3 of the 4 RCTs. Clinical Bottom Line: Current evidence does not support the use of NMES for the purpose of enhancing quadriceps voluntary activation in patients with orthopedic knee conditions. Strength of Recommendation: There is level B evidence that the use of NMES alone or in conjunction with therapeutic exercise does not enhance quadriceps voluntary activation in patients with orthopedic knee conditions (eg, anterior cruciate ligament injuries, osteoarthritis, total knee arthroplasty).
Sport-Specific Outdoor Rehabilitation in a Group Setting: Do the Intentions Match Actual Training Load?

CONTEXT Previous research has shown a weak relationship between intended and actual training load in various sports. Due to variety in group and content, this relationship is expected to be even weaker during group rehabilitation. OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between intended and actual training load during sport-specific rehabilitation in a group setting. DESIGN Observational study. SETTING Three outdoor rehabilitation sessions. PARTICIPANTS Nine amateur soccer players recovering from lower limb injury participated in the study (age 22 ± 3 y, height 179 ± 9 cm, body mass 75 ± 13 kg). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES We collected physiotherapists' ratings of intended exertion (RIE) and players' ratings of perceived exertion (RPE). Furthermore, Zephyr Bioharness 3 equipped with GPS-trackers provided heart rate and distance data. We computed heart rate-based training loads using Edwards' method and a modified TRIMP. RESULTS Overall, we found weak correlations (N = 42) between RIE and RPE (r = 0.35), Edwards' (r = 0.34), TRIMPMOD (r = 0.07), and distance (r = 0.26). CONCLUSIONS In general, physiotherapists tended to underestimate training loads. To check whether intended training loads are met, it is thus recommended to monitor training loads during rehabilitation.
Power control for two-way relay networks under per-node power constraint

For bidirectional multi-relay networks, where each node is assumed to have its own power constraint, the optimal relay and user power control is considered via maximizing the smaller signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the two end users in the network. A numerical algorithm is proposed to find the optimal solution. Then, a suboptimal algorithm with low complexity is proposed. The performance of this algorithm is shown numerically to be close to the optimal. It is also shown via simulation that proper user and relay power control significantly improves the network performance, especially when the power constraints of the two end-users in the networks are unbalanced.
On the nuclear norm approach to interference alignment

This paper considers a K-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) interference channel in which un-coordinated interference appears. Due to the uncoordinated interference, perfect interference alignment (IA) may be not attained. In order to maximize the achievable degrees-of-freedom (DoF) per user, the interference alignment is formulated as a rank constrained rank minimization (RCRM) problem which maximizes the rank of the interference matrix while keeping a full-rank constraint on the direct signal space. Because of the non-convexity of the optimization problem, we propose a new approach to provide a tight convex approximation for the rank function, instead of using the standard nuclear norm approximation. The optimum precoders and receiver subspaces are obtained iteratively via alternating minimizing approach, with convergence guaranteed. Simulation results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
Granum-like stacking structures with TiO2 -graphene nanosheets for improving photo-electric conversion.

Solar energy is commonly considered to be one of the most important forms of future energy production. This is due to its ability to generate essentially free power, after installation, with low environmental impact. Green plants, meanwhile, exhibit a process for light-to-charge conversion that provides a useful model for using solar radiation efficiently. Granum, the core organ in photosynthesis consists of a stack of ~10-100 thylakoids containing pigments and electrons acceptors. Imitating the structure and function of granum, stacked structures are fabricated with TiO(2) /graphene nanosheets as the thylakoids unit, and their photo-electric effect is studied by varying the number of layers present in the film. The photo-electric response of the graphene composites are found to be 20 times higher than that of pure TiO(2) in films with 25 units stacked. Importantly, the cathodic photocurrent changes to anodic photocurrent as the thickness increases, an important feature of efficient solar cells which is often ignored. Here graphene is proposed to perform similarly to the b6f complex in granum, by separating charges and transporting electrons through the stacked film. Using this innovation, stacked TiO(2) /graphene structures are now able to significantly increase photoanode thickness in solar cells without losing the ability to conduct electrons.
Structural effect and mechanism of C70-carboxyfullerenes as efficient sensitizers against cancer cells.

Carboxyfullerenes with different adduct numbers and cage sizes are tested as photosensitizers for photodynamic therapy (PDT). The photodynamic efficiency of these carboxyfullerenes depends mainly on the cage size, C(60) versus C(70) , and to a lesser extent on the adduct numbers. In particular, malonic acid modified C(70) fullerenes are more efficient than their C(60) counterparts as photosensitizers, and the mechanism of cell death induced by C(70) -carboxyfullerene under light irradiation is investigated in detail. The results indicate that cell death occurs via necrosis accompanied by membrane blebbing, which is a unique phenomenon for photosensitizer-induced cell death. Since C(70) -carboxyfullerene displays an efficient PDT property and negligible dark cytotoxicity, it is promising for use in PDT applications, especially in vascular capillary diseases usually occurring under the surface.
Reliability of Hip Rotation Range of Motion in Supine and Seated Positions.

CONTEXT Hip rotation range of motion (ROM) is commonly assessed in individuals with lower extremity or spine pathology. It remains unknown which hip rotation ROM testing position is most reliable. OBJECTIVE To compare interrater and intrarater reliabilities between hip internal rotation (IR) and external rotation (ER) ROM in supine and seated positions. STUDY DESIGN Controlled laboratory study. SETTING University research laboratory. PARTICIPANTS A total of 19 participants (11 females and 8 males; age = 23.5 [1.2] y; height = 173.2 [8.6] cm; and mass = 69.2 [13.4] kg) without hip, knee, low back, or sacroiliac pain within the preceding 3 months or history of hip or low back surgery were recruited. INTERVENTIONS Three testers obtained measures during 2 testing sessions. Passive supine and seated hip IR and ER ROM were performed with the hip and knee flexed to 90°. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome measures were hip IR and ER ROM in supine and seated positions (in degrees). Interrater and intrarater reliabilities were calculated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Minimal detectable change was calculated. Differences between supine and seated hip IR and ER ROM values were assessed using paired t tests (significance level was .05). RESULTS Supine hip IR and ER ROM interrater and intrarater reliabilities were excellent (ICC = .75-.91). Seated hip IR ROM interrater and intrarater reliabilities were good (ICC = .64-.71). Seated hip ER ROM interrater reliability was good (ICC = .65), and intrarater reliabilities were good to excellent (ICC = .65-.82). Minimal detectable change values for supine and seated hip IR and ER ROM ranged from 6.1° to 8.6°. There were significant differences between supine and seated positions for hip IR and ER ROM (41.6° vs 44.5°; P < .01 and 53.0° vs 44.2°; P < .01, respectively). CONCLUSION Supine hip rotation had higher interrater and intrarater reliabilities. Hip IR and ER ROM values differed significantly between supine and seated positions and should not be used interchangeably.
Massive MIMO with clustered pilot contamination precoding

In this paper, a practical approach to pilot contamination precoding (PCP) for massive MIMO is proposed through a joint clustering and pilot reuse scheme. We also introduce power scaling to enforce per-base station (BS) power constraints. We consider a massive MIMO system, where uncoordinated conventional beamforming is implemented in each cell. PCP acts as outer linear precoding prior to conventional beamforming through a cooperative transmission scheme with 3 base stations (BSs) involved. We partition each cell into 3 sectors and assign pilot sequences in a suitable way in order to perform PCP. In order to characterize performance and avoid time-consuming simulations, we employ large system analysis and random matrix theory. Numerical results show that the superiority of the clustered PCP is marginal for the moderate number of transmit antennas, but it becomes more significant in a massive MIMO mode. In addition, depending on user location, some users may experience a two-fold increased spectral efficiency after applying clustered PCP in the massive MIMO mode.
Histogram transform model using MFCC features for text-independent speaker identification

A novel text-independent speaker identification (SI) method is proposed in this paper. This method uses the mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) and the dynamic information among adjacent frames as feature set to capture the speaker's characteristics. In order to utilize dynamic information, we design super MFCCs feature by cascading 3 neighboring MFCCs frames together. The probability density function (PDF) of these super MFCCs features is estimated by the recently proposed histogram transform (HT) method, which generated more training data by random transforms to realize the histogram PDF estimation and recede the discontinuity problem of the common multivariate histograms computing. Compared to the conventional PDF estimation method, such as Gaussian mixture model, the HT model shows promising improvement in a SI task.
Common and Specific Factors Approaches to Home-Based Treatment

Objectives: This study examined the treatment outcomes of integrated families and systems treatment (I-FAST), a moderated common factors approach, in reference to multisystemic therapy (MST), an established specific factor approach, for treating at-risk children and adolescents and their families in an intensive community-based setting. Method: This study used a nonrandomized noninferiority trial design to compare the outcomes of 79 families who received I-FAST, the test intervention, to 47 families who have received MST, the reference intervention. Results: I-FAST was noninferior to MST in reducing problem severity and improving functioning based on youth, parents, and workers’ assessments. Conclusions: While the nonrandomized design of this study precludes any definitive conclusions, implications of the study were discussed with respect to the debate regarding common factors and specific factor approaches to family treatment and implementation of evidence-based treatments.
Nanoliposomes protect against human arteriole endothelial dysfunction induced by β-amyloid peptide

We tested whether nanoliposomes containing phosphatidylcholine, cholesterol and phosphatidic acid (NLPA) prevent β-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ42) fibrillation and Aβ42-induced human arteriole endothelial dysfunction. NLPA abolished Aβ42 fibril formation (thioflavin-T fluorescence/electron microscopy). In ex-vivo human adipose and leptomeningeal arterioles, Aβ42 impaired dilator response to acetylcholine that was reversed by NLPA; this protection was abolished by L-NG-nitroarginine methyl ester. Aβ42 reduced human umbilical vein endothelial cell NO production that was restored by NLPA. Nanoliposomes prevented Aβ42 amyloid formation, reversed Aβ42-induced human microvascular endothelial dysfunction and may be useful in Alzheimer’s disease.
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: Determinants of Disease Severity

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains the leading cause of hospitalization in infancy and is increasingly recognized as an important pathogen in older adults and children. RSV infection is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical response, from mild upper respiratory tract infection to life-threatening bronchiolitis and pneumonia. Both viral and host factors seem to be important in determining the clinical response to RSV infection. Viral load, as assessed by quantitative culture of nasal specimens, has been shown to correlate with disease severity in some but not all studies. Similarly, the two major antigenic groups of RSV have been inconsistently associated with increased disease severity. Recent data have raised the possibility that genotypic differences between strains may affect RSV virulence and the pattern of clinical response to infection. Host factors possibly exacerbating RSV disease in infancy include small airways geometry and an atopic family history. Furthermore, the host immune response seems to play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of RSV infection. Many aspects of both the innate and adaptive immune response have been identified as important determinants of disease severity. Underlying cardiopulmonary and immunologic disease predispose to severe infection in all age groups, whereas older age per se seems to be associated with increased RSV-related morbidity and mortality. Additional comprehensive studies are needed to determine the relative importance of both viral and host factors in disease pathogenesis.
Transfer function analysis of dynamic cerebral autoregulation: A white paper from the International Cerebral Autoregulation Research Network

Cerebral autoregulation is the intrinsic ability of the brain to maintain adequate cerebral perfusion in the presence of blood pressure changes. A large number of methods to assess the quality of cerebral autoregulation have been proposed over the last 30 years. However, no single method has been universally accepted as a gold standard. Therefore, the choice of which method to employ to quantify cerebral autoregulation remains a matter of personal choice. Nevertheless, given the concept that cerebral autoregulation represents the dynamic relationship between blood pressure (stimulus or input) and cerebral blood flow (response or output), transfer function analysis became the most popular approach adopted in studies based on spontaneous fluctuations of blood pressure. Despite its sound theoretical background, the literature shows considerable variation in implementation of transfer function analysis in practice, which has limited comparisons between studies and hindered progress towards clinical application. Therefore, the purpose of the present white paper is to improve standardisation of parameters and settings adopted for application of transfer function analysis in studies of dynamic cerebral autoregulation. The development of these recommendations was initiated by (but not confined to) the Cerebral Autoregulation Research Network (CARNet – www.car-net.org).