Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploiting joint synergy for actuation in a lower-limb active orthosis

– Lower‐limb exoskeletons and powered orthoses are external devices that assist patients with locomotive disorders to achieve correct limb movements. Current batteries cannot meet the long‐term power requirements for these devices, which operate for long periods of time. This issue has become a major challenge in the development of these portable robots. Conversely, legged locomotion in animals and humans is efficient; to emulate this behaviour, biomimetic actuation has been designed attempting to incorporate elements that resemble biological elements, such as tendons and muscles, in the mechanical systems. The purpose of this paper is to present a mechanism that resembles a human tendon to achieve and utilise the synergic actuation of the leg joints. , – In this paper, we present a mechanism that resembles a human tendon to move the ankle joint and utilise the synergic actuation of hip and knee joints. Implementation of the proposed transmission system in the ATLAS active orthosis prototype allowed for a better ankle gait fit, which resulted in a more natural stride and, as expected, optimised energy consumption in the locomotion cycle and actuation energy requirements. , – The fitted passive ankle motion provides toe‐off impulse, increases support force, and helps provide ground clearance. , – A synergetic underactuated movement in the ankle joint, implemented by two cables in each leg, improves the functionality of the device without increasing the leg weight and while maintaining a reduced size. To achieve a correct and efficient motion in the ankle of an active orthosis, two steel cables were attached in the ATLAS orthosis. These cables act as a synergic biarticular linkage and transfer motion from the hip and knee joints. Synergic ankle motion provides impulse in the toe‐off, increases support force, and provides ground clearance. These goals are achieved with low energy expenditure because of synergical actuation, and high inertia is prevented in the more distal limb.
The social dynamics of HIV transmission as reflected through discordant couples in rural Uganda

ObjectiveTo describe the role of men and women as sources of HIV transmission and to estimate HIV incidence among discordant couples resident in diverse rural communities in Uganda. SettingRakai, a rural district in Uganda, East Africa. MethodsA population-based cohort study, which has been conducted as annual serological and behavioral surveys since 1989. Community clusters were stratified into trading centers on main roads, intermediate trading villages on secondary roads and agricultural villages off roads. In the 1990 survey round, serological data were available for 79 discordant and 411 concordant HIV-negative couples aged 13–49 years. The present analysis examines sex-specific seropositivity associated with place of residence and the incidence of seroconversion among discordant couples between 1990 and 1991. ResultsSeventy-nine discordant couples were followed; the HIV-positive partner was male in 44 couples (57%) and female in 35 couples (43%). There was marked variation in the sex of the seropositive partner by place of residence: women were the HIV-positive partner in 57% of couples from trading centers, 52% from intermediate villages, and 20% from agricultural communities (P<0.008). Condom use was higher in discordant couples in which the man was the uninfected partner (17.1%) rather than the woman (9.5%). HIV-positive women, but not HIV-positive men, reported significantly more sexual partners and more genital ulcers than seronegative individuals of the same sex. Seroincidence rates among men and women in discordant relationship were 8.7 and 9.2 per 100 person-years (PY), respectively, which was much higher than in concordant seronegative couples (men, 0.82; women, 0.87 per 100 PY). ConclusionsIn this Ugandan population, men are the predominant source of new infections in rural villages. Risk factors and preventive behaviors vary with the sex of the infected partner, and seroconversion rates are similar in both sexes.
Effect of montelukast on lung function in asthma patients with allergic rhinitis: analysis from the COMPACT trial

Background: The Clinical Outcomes with Montelukast as a Partner Agent to Corticosteroid Therapy (COMPACT) trial demonstrated that montelukast added to budesonide (MNT + BD) was as efficacious as double the dose of budesonide (dBD) in improving morning peak expiratory flow (AM PEF) in adult asthmatics. Recent studies have demonstrated that montelukast is also effective in treating daytime and nighttime allergic rhinitis (AR) symptoms in asthmatic patients. This analysis was designed to examine whether asthmatic patients with comorbid AR respond differently than patients without comorbid AR in terms of asthma control (lung function).
Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment for Self-Reported Fatigue, Stress, and Depression in First-Year Osteopathic Medical Students

Abstract Context: During medical education, many students experience psychological distress, including symptoms such as fatigue, stress, and depression. Objective: To evaluate the effect of osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) on self-perceived fatigue, stress, and depression in first-year osteopathic medical students. Methods: This randomized controlled pilot study with repeated measures was conducted at the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine-Bradenton in Florida during the fall 2012 semester. First-year osteopathic medical students voluntarily enrolled in the study and were randomly assigned to directed OMT (D-OMT), nondirected OMT (ND-OMT), or control groups. The D-OMT and ND-OMT groups received treatment by osteopathic physicians weekly for 4 weeks. The control group received no treatment. All groups completed the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), the Self-Perceived Stress Scale (SPSS), and the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) depression scale before treatment (pretest), after 2 treatments (midtest), and after 4 treatments (posttest). Results: All participants self-reported as white and single, with both sexes equally represented, and had an mean age of 24 years. Analysis of ESS scores revealed a statistically significant decrease in the D-OMT group from pretest and posttest scores and a statistically significant increase in the ND-OMT group from pretest to midtest but not from pretest to posttest scores. No statistically significant differences were noted in the control group scores on this measure. No statistically significant differences were seen in the SPSS or PHQ-9 scores from pretest to midtest or pretest to posttest in any of the 3 groups. Conclusion: The D-OMT regimen used in the current study produced a statistically significant decrease in self-perceived fatigue in first-year osteopathic medical students. Osteopathic manipulative treatment represents a potential modality to reduce self-perceived distress in medical students. Further research is warranted.
Elevation of neuron‐specific enolase in serum and cerebrospinal fluid of early stage Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease

Objective– To investigate the levels of neuron‐specific enolase (NSE) in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with early stage Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD). Methods– The levels of NSE in serum and CSF were examined in 6 cases with CJD patients. The levels of NSE in CSF were measured in 8 age matched control patients with other neurological diseases and the levels of serum NSE were also measured in another 8 age matched control patients with other neurological diseases. The groups of 8 age matched control patients consisted of 1 same patient and 7 different patients in the 2 control groups both for serum and CSF. Results– The level of serum NSE in CJD (17.3±7.0 ng/ml, mean±SD) was significantly higher than that of controls (6.5±1.6) (P<0.02) as was the case in CSF (79.3±53.3 ng/ml) vs (9.6±2.9) (P<0.03). Conclusion– Although mean NSE levels of CJD were higher in CSF than in the serum, there still is a case with higher serum NSE level than CSF. These results suggest that the mechanism of elevation of serum NSE may not be a simple leakage from CSF, and that the measurement of serum NSE level may be useful for diagnosis of early stage CJD.
Development of Interesting Step-climbing Styles

Summary Objectives: This study was to investigate the influence of stepping styles (forward, side, and cross steppings) and inclinations (25 and 45 degrees) on cardiorespiratory responses (C-R responses). Methods: Twenty volunteers were recruited and randomly arranged into two ten-people groups, exercising on step-climbing machines respectively of 25 and 45 degrees of inclination. C-R responses were recorded during each test which lasted for six minutes at 50 steps per minute on a step-climbing machine. Results: The group on 25-degree inclination had significantly lower C-R responses than the group on 45-degree inclination. Although only small differences, probably statistically insignificant, were found among the three step-climbing styles, these differences showed interesting trends independent of inclination. Conclusions: Climbing stairs with the three interesting step-climbing styles in this study could be considered as an exercise of moderate intensity (60-80% HRmax). Climbing on 25-degree inclination at 50 steps per minute is recommended for less fit individuals because of lower cardiovascular stress as compared with on 45-degree inclination.
Understanding the Relationship Between Physical Therapist Participation in Interdisciplinary Rounds and Hospital Readmission Rates: Preliminary Study

Background Providing patients with optimal discharge disposition and follow-up services could prevent unplanned readmissions. Despite their qualifications, physical therapists are rarely represented on the interdisciplinary team. Objective This study aimed to determine the relationship between the participation of physical therapists in interdisciplinary discharge rounds and readmission rates. Methods In this retrospective observational study, patients discharged by 2 interdisciplinary teams with or without a physical therapist's participation were followed for 5 months. Adherence to the physical therapist's recommendations for follow-up services and unplanned 30-day readmissions were tracked. Multiple logistic regression and random forest models were used to determine factors contributing to 30-day readmission rates. Results The odds of 30-day readmissions were 3.78 times greater when a physical therapist was absent from the interdisciplinary team compared with the odds of 30-day readmissions when a physical therapist participated in the interdisciplinary team. In addition, the odds of 30-day readmission for patients discharged to their home were 2.47 times greater than those who were not discharged to their home. An increased lack of postdischarge services was noted when a physical therapist was not included in the interdisciplinary team. Limitations The nonrandom selection of patients into groups, the small sample size, and the inability to adjust risk for unknown factors (eg, medical diagnoses, comorbidities, funding, and functional measures) limited interpretation of the results. Conclusion Significantly higher readmission rates were noted for patients whose interdisciplinary team did not have a physical therapist and for those patients who were discharged to their home. These preliminary findings suggest that discharge from the acute care setting is an elaborate process and should be designed carefully. In order to identify the optimal discharge process, future research should account for patient complexities in addition to the composition of the interdisciplinary discharge team.
How Middle Classes Move To Defend Their Space: A case study of an area in Chinatown, Bangkok

T study is about social and spatial manifestation of capitalism. The main part of the story began in 2001 when the 219 tenants of the Crown Property Bureau in a fabric trading enclave in Chinatown were given 30-day eviction notice. All together, it affected 229 units of row houses situated in this enclave. The given reason was “these commercial buildings were in deteriorating condition and we need to develop the area for a better trading environment”1. One day after this shocking event, each tenant received a letter from Nexus Property Consultants Co Ltd, a well known international management company who acted on behalf of Metro Regent Company. The later is a company which was given a 30-year lease by the Crown Property Bureau to develop a new shopping complex called the New Sampeng Trade Center. The physical plan of this shopping complex was one inclusive big building consisting of twelve floors. It was expected to be built in succession of the existing row houses mentioned above. The letter informed that the tenants in the area “could resume their normal lives” by accepting the special offers from the company including the leasing of units on the third to the fifth floors of the shopping complex with special prices starting from 130,000 baht per square meter2. As anticipated, these tenants were shocked and frustrated. They felt that if they accepted the offers, the whole way of their living not only the physical aspects, but also their economic, social and emotional bonds would be uprooted. Most of the families had been living in the area for two generations or more. They felt attached to the place. Shortly afterward, they mutually decided to work together to resist the eviction. This study focuses on the dynamism of this movement. Special attention is paid to the fact that most of the people in this movement are wealthy middle class. And the eviction that hits the middle classes is less frequent than the poor. Therefore, the question of this study would be whether their wealthy backgrounds have any influence on the pattern of the movement, and in what manner.
Is there a future for direct renin inhibitors?

Importance of the field: The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) is a key regulator of blood pressure (BP), as well as volume and electrolytes, in both hypertensive and normotensive individuals. Inappropriate activation of the RAAS is important in hypertension-induced cardiovascular disease (CVD) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Renin is the rate-limiting step in the RAAS cascade, which makes direct renin inhibitors (DRIs) an attractive target for RAAS suppression and treatment of hypertension. Current regimens using either angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) or angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB) result in feedback upregulation of renin and aldosterone breakthrough, which contribute to incomplete suppression of the RAAS. Thereby, aliskiren – alone or in combination – might offer a novel therapeutic intervention to improve suppression of the RAAS, with potential to translate to improved CVD and CKD outcomes. Areas covered in this review: Herein, we present the current state of knowledge of DRIs in the preclinical and clinical realm and their antihypertensive efficacy in relation to cardiovascular and renal risk. Recent clinical trials (2007 – 2009) support the efficacy of aliskiren, and studies suggest the potential for improved CVD and CKD outcomes. What the reader will gain: An understanding of the mechanism of action of DRIs and a perspective of recent clinical trials. Take home message: The DRI aliskiren is an effective antihypertensive agent that preliminary data suggests has a beneficial effect in CVD and CKD. Combination of aliskiren with an ACEi or ARB may be better tolerated than the ACEi–ARB combination. Future work is needed to further quantify aliskiren's impact on hard CVD and CKD end points.
A Method of Location Estimation Based on Place Cells' Activity

To estimate the location based on place cells' activity, a location estimation method is presented by introducing the mapping of place cells' firing rates. According to population neurons encoding principle and gravity center estimation principle, place cells' firing rates are pretreated by mapping before they are used to estimate the location. Then the mapping result and the represented location of place cells are combined through gravity center estimation principle. As a result, the location at current place cells' activity can be estimated. Simulation validates that the proposed method is available. The location estimation performance can be enhanced when the mapping process of place cells' firing rates is added. Besides, the proposed method behaves well in terms of location estimation's accuracy and stability.
Role of MIF in Inflammation and Tumorigenesis

MIF has been described as a protein that plays an essential role in both innate and acquired immunity. Previous studies have demonstrated that MIF activates lymphocytes, granulocytes and monocytes/macrophages. Furthermore, MIF can counteract the physiological function of steroids, thus playing a role in immune system regulation. Further evidence for a role of MIF in immunity was obtained in mouse models of autoimmune disorders, where the inhibition of MIF resulted in a more benign disease progression. This observation made MIF an attractive therapeutic target for the treatment of these disorders. Moreover, MIF expression was found to be upregulated in a variety of different tumor cells, a finding that further attracted interest. This review provides an overview of the involvement of MIF in both autoimmune disorders and tumorigenesis and summarizes the molecular action of MIF in this context.
A pilot study on the impact of dopamine, serotonin, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor genotype on long-term functional outcomes after subarachnoid hemorrhage

Objectives: Many that survive an aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage experience lasting physical disability, which might be improved by medications with effects on the dopaminergic, serotonergic, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor neurotransmitter systems. But it is not clear which patients are most likely to benefit from these therapies. The purpose of this pilot study was to explore the relationship of genetic polymorphisms in these pathways with 12-month functional outcomes after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods: Subjects were recruited at the time of admission as a part of a larger parent study. Genotypes were generated using the Affymetrix genome-wide human single-nucleotide polymorphism array 6.0. Those within dopaminergic, serotonergic, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor pathways were analyzed for associations with functional outcomes at 12 months post aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage using the Glasgow Outcome Scale and the Modified Rankin Scale. Results: The 154 subjects were 55.8 ± 11.3 years old and 74% female; they had Fisher scores of 2.95 ± 0.67, Hunt/Hess scores of 2.66 ± 1.13, and admission Glasgow Coma Scale scores of 12.52 ± 3.79. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the serotonin receptor genes 1B and 1E and dopamine receptor D2 were associated with greater disability (odds ratio: 3.88–3.25, confidence interval: 1.01–14.77), while single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the serotonin receptor genes 2A and 2C and dopamine receptor D5 conferred a risk of poor recovery (odds ratio: 3.31–2.32, confidence interval: 1.00–10.80). Single-nucleotide polymorphisms within the same serotonin genes, and within the dopamine receptor gene D2, were associated with greater recovery after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (odds ratio: 0.17–0.34, confidence interval: 0.05–0.89). Conclusions: These data demonstrate that there may be an association between genetic factors and functional outcomes post stroke.
Association between pulmonary function and sputum biomarkers in cystic fibrosis.

RATIONALE Sputum biomarkers of infection and inflammation are noninvasive measures that enable quantification of the complex pathophysiology of cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease. Validation of these biomarkers as correlates of disease severity is a key step for their application. OBJECTIVES We constructed a large database from four multicenter studies to quantify the strength of association between expectorated sputum biomarkers and FEV(1.) METHODS FEV(1) (range, 25-120% predicted) and quantitative data on expectorated sputum biomarkers including free neutrophil elastase, IL-8, neutrophils, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus were obtained from 269 participants (ages, 9-54 years) from 33 centers. Cross-sectional and longitudinal statistical analyses were performed to estimate associations between the markers and FEV(1), including the use of multivariable analyses. RESULTS Elastase was negatively correlated with FEV(1) (correlation [r] = -0.35; 95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.46, -0.22). On average, patients with CF who differed in their elastase measurements by 0.5 log differed in their FEV(1) values by -7.3% (95% CI: -9.7, -4.6). Neutrophil counts and IL-8 were also each negatively correlated. In a multivariable regression, elastase and neutrophil counts were able to explain the majority of variation in FEV(1). Elastase was further shown to have a significant longitudinal association with FEV(1), specifically a -2.9% decline in FEV(1) (95% CI: -5.0, -0.9) per 1-log increase in elastase. Although correlated with FEV(1), bacterial densities were unable to explain clinically meaningful differences in FEV(1) within and across patients. CONCLUSIONS These data support the role of sputum biomarkers as correlates of disease severity in a diverse CF population.
Expression Cloning of the STRL33/BONZO/TYMSTR Ligand Reveals Elements of CC, CXC, and CX3C Chemokines

STRL33/BONZO/TYMSTR is an orphan chemokine and HIV/SIV coreceptor receptor that is expressed on activated T lymphocytes. We describe an expression cloning strategy whereby we isolated a novel chemokine, which we name CXCL16. CXCL16 is an α (CXC) chemokine but also has characteristics of CC chemokines and a structure similar to fractalkine (neurotactin) in having a transmembrane region and a chemokine domain suspended by a mucin-like stalk. A recombinant version of CXCL16 fails to mediate chemotaxis to all known chemokine receptor transfectants tested but does mediate robust chemotaxis, high affinity binding, and calcium mobilization to Bonzo receptor transfectants, indicating that this is a unique receptor ligand interaction. In vitro polarized T cell subsets including Th1, Th2, and Tr1 cells express functional Bonzo, suggesting expression of this receptor in chronic inflammation, which we further verified by demonstration of CXCL16-mediated migration of tonsil-derived CD4+ T lymphocytes. CXCL16 is expressed on the surface of APCs including subsets of CD19+ B cells and CD14+ monocyte/macrophages, and functional CXCL16 is also shed from macrophages. The combination of unique structural features of both Bonzo and CXCL16 suggest that this interaction may represent a new class of ligands for this receptor family. Additionally, this chemokine might play a unique dual role of attracting activated lymphocyte subsets during inflammation as well as facilitating immune responses via cell-cell contact.
LOAN PRODUCTION AND MONETARY POLICY

We examine optimal monetary policy in a New Keynesian model with unemployment and financial frictions where banks produce loans using equity as collateral. Firms and households demand loans to finance externally a fraction of their flows of expenditures. Our findings show amplifying business-cycle effects of a more rigid loan production technology. In the monetary policy analysis, the optimal rule clearly outperforms a Taylor-type rule. The optimized interest-rate response to the external finance premium turns significantly negative when either banking rigidities are high or when financial shocks are the only source of business cycle fluctuations.