Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring What Matters: A Systematic Process for Selecting Training-Load Measures.

PURPOSE Numerous derivative measures can be calculated from the simple session rating of perceived exertion (sRPE), a tool for monitoring training loads (eg, acute:chronic workload and cumulative loads). The challenge from a practitioner's perspective is to decide which measures to calculate and monitor in athletes for injury-prevention purposes. The aim of the current study was to outline a systematic process of data reduction and variable selection for such training-load measures. METHODS Training loads were collected from 173 professional rugby union players during the 2013-14 English Premiership season, using the sRPE method, with injuries reported via an established surveillance system. Ten derivative measures of sRPE training load were identified from existing literature and subjected to principal-component analysis. A representative measure from each component was selected by identifying the variable that explained the largest amount of variance in injury risk from univariate generalized linear mixed-effects models. RESULTS Three principal components were extracted, explaining 57%, 24%, and 9% of the variance. The training-load measures that were highly loaded on component 1 represented measures of the cumulative load placed on players, component 2 was associated with measures of changes in load, and component 3 represented a measure of acute load. Four-week cumulative load, acute:chronic workload, and daily training load were selected as the representative measures for each component. CONCLUSIONS The process outlined in the current study enables practitioners to monitor the most parsimonious set of variables while still retaining the variation and distinct aspects of "load" in the data.
The AsTex ®: clinimetric properties of a new tool for evaluating hand sensation following stroke

Objectives: To investigate the clinimetric properties and clinical utility of the AsTex®, a new clinical tool for evaluation of hand sensation following stroke. Design: The AsTex ® was administered on two occasions separated by a week to appraise test—retest reliability, and by three assessors on single occasion to establish inter-rater reliability. Pilot normative values were collected in an age-stratified sample. Clinical utility was evaluated based on ease of administration, ceiling and floor effects, and responsiveness to sensory recovery. Participants: Test—retest (n = 31) and inter-rater (n = 31) reliability and normative values (n = 95) for the AsTex® were established in neurologically normal participants aged 18—85 years. Test—retest reliability was investigated in 22 individuals a mean of 46 months (range 12—125) post stroke and clinical utility was evaluated in an additional 24 subacute stroke participants a mean of 29.4 days (range 12—41) post stroke. Main measure: The AsTex ®. Results: The AsTex ® demonstrated excellent test—retest (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.98, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.97—0.99) and inter-rater reliability (ICC = 0.81, 95% CI = 0.73—0.87) in neurologically normal participants. Test—retest reliability of the AsTex® in individuals following stroke was excellent (ICC = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.68—0.94). The AsTex® was simple to administer, demonstrated small standard error of measurement (0.14 mm), minimal floor and ceiling effects (12.5% and 8.3%) and excellent responsiveness (standardized response mean = 0.57) in subacute stroke participants. Conclusion: The AsTex ® is a reliable, clinically useful and responsive tool for evaluating hand sensation following stroke.
The Compleat Requirements Analyste

Recently a requirements analyst told me that be was far too busy to read anything except technical books and articles; after all, isn't that how we improve our skill? But requirements are concerned with much more than technical solutions, and building successful products depends on being able to broadly view the world and the people in it. You can improve your ability to communicate by reading as much as you can about diverse subjects. The author explains how this exogenous attitude enhances our systems requirements skills.
Assessing the Measurement Sensitivity and Diagnostic Characteristics of Athlete-Monitoring Tools in National Swimmers.

PURPOSE To assess measurement sensitivity and diagnostic characteristics of athlete-monitoring tools to identify performance change. METHODS Fourteen nationally competitive swimmers (11 male, 3 female; age 21.2 ± 3.2 y) recorded daily monitoring over 15 mo. The self-report group (n = 7) reported general health, energy levels, motivation, stress, recovery, soreness, and wellness. The combined group (n = 7) recorded sleep quality, perceived fatigue, total quality recovery (TQR), and heart-rate variability. The week-to-week change in mean weekly values was presented as coefficient of variance (CV%). Reliability was assessed on 3 occasions and expressed as the typical error CV%. Week-to-week change was divided by the reliability of each measure to calculate the signal-to-noise ratio. The diagnostic characteristics for both groups were assessed with receiver-operating-curve analysis, where area under the curve (AUC), Youden index, sensitivity, and specificity of measures were reported. A minimum AUC of . 70 and lower confidence interval (CI) >. 50 classified a "good" diagnostic tool to assess performance change. RESULTS Week-to-week variability was greater than reliability for soreness (3.1), general health (3.0), wellness% (2.0), motivation (1.6), sleep (2.6), TQR (1.8), fatigue (1.4), R-R interval (2.5), and LnRMSSD:RR (1.3). Only general health was a "good" diagnostic tool to assess decreased performance (AUC -.70, 95% CI, .61-.80). CONCLUSION Many monitoring variables are sensitive to changes in fitness and fatigue. However, no single monitoring variable could discriminate performance change. As such the use of a multidimensional system that may be able to better account for variations in fitness and fatigue should be considered.
Factors Affecting Match Outcome in Elite Australian Football: A 14-Year Analysis.

Effects of fixture and team characteristics on match outcome in elite Australian football were quantified using data accessed at AFLtables.com for 5109 matches for seasons 2000 to 2013. Aspects of each match included number of days' break between matches (≤7 d vs ≥8 d), location (home vs away), travel status (travel vs no travel), and differences between opposing teams' mean age, body mass, and height (expressed as quintiles). A logistic-regression version of the generalized mixed linear model estimated each effect, which was assessed with magnitude-based inference using 1 extra win or loss in every 10 matches as the smallest important change. For every 10 matches played, the effects were days' break, 0.1 ± 0.3 (90% CL) wins; playing away, 1.5 ± 0.6 losses; traveling, 0.7 ± 0.6 losses; and being in the oldest, heaviest, or shortest, quintile, 1.9 ± 0.4, 1.3 ± 0.4, and 0.4 ± 0.4 wins, respectively. The effects of age and body-mass difference were not reduced substantially when adjusted for each other. All effects were clear, mostly at the 99% level. The effects of playing away, travel, and age difference were not unexpected, but the trivial effect of days' break and the advantage of a heavier team will challenge current notions about balancing training with recovery and about team selection.
IDENTIFICATION OF THE CANCER CELL

Cancer must be recognized and treated early if the best results are to be obtained. This has been the theme of all professional and popular international, national, state and county campaigns for many years. The question arises: Are we recognizing cancer early? In 1918 I began a series of observations to determine just what effect cancer campaigns were having on the actual sizes of cancers being removed surgically. As pointed out by Balfour, Harrington and Rankin, only 25 per cent of the cancers of the stomach, 50 per cent of cancers of the breast and 58 per cent of the cancers of the large intestine are operable when seen by surgeons. These figures have not changed appreciably over a period of fourteen years. There has been little or no change in the average size or percentage of those having glandular involvement in this same period. 1 There has been certainly
Principles of biomedical ethics

In this presentation, I will discuss the principles of biomedical and Islamic medical ethics and an interfaith perspective on end-of-life issues. I will also discuss three cases to exemplify some of the conflicts in ethical decision-making. http://dx.doi. org/10.5915/43-3-8476 Video
A Bayesian–frequentist two‐stage single‐arm phase II clinical trial design

It is well‐known that both frequentist and Bayesian clinical trial designs have their own advantages and disadvantages. To have better properties inherited from these two types of designs, we developed a Bayesian–frequentist two‐stage single‐arm phase II clinical trial design. This design allows both early acceptance and rejection of the null hypothesis ( H0). The measures (for example probability of trial early termination, expected sample size, etc.) of the design properties under both frequentist and Bayesian settings are derived. Moreover, under the Bayesian setting, the upper and lower boundaries are determined with predictive probability of trial success outcome. Given a beta prior and a sample size for stage I, based on the marginal distribution of the responses at stage I, we derived Bayesian Type I and Type II error rates. By controlling both frequentist and Bayesian error rates, the Bayesian‐frequentist two‐stage design has special features compared with other two‐stage designs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Top 10 Burning Research Questions from Practitioners

A common and frequent complaint from software practitioners is that academic research doesn't meet their requirements or expectations. During XP 2010 in Trondheim this year, practitioners were asked to suggest research topics that they'd like to see addressed. Around 60 different suggestions were made. They were collected and displayed so that attendees at the conference could vote for their favorite topic, and from this we developed a prioritized backlog of research issues. This article presents the top ten issues according to the voting, discusses the range of themes across the complete set of suggestions, and poses several questions that need answering for this backlog to be processed. The Web extra is an erratum to the acknowledgments.
Improving performance of droop-controlled microgrids through distributed PI-control

This paper investigates transient performance of inverter-based microgrids in terms of the resistive power losses incurred in regulating frequency under persistent stochastic disturbances. We model the inverters as second-order oscillators and compare two algorithms for frequency regulation: the standard frequency droop controller and a distributed proportional-integral (PI) controller. The transient power losses can be quantified using an input-output ℋ2 norm. We show that the distributed PI-controller, which has previously been proposed for secondary frequency control (the elimination of static errors), also has the potential to significantly improve performance by reducing transient power losses. This loss reduction is shown to be larger in a loosely interconnected network than in a highly interconnected one, whereas losses do not depend on connectivity if standard droop control is employed. Moreover, our results indicate that there is an optimal tuning of the distributed PI-controller for loss reduction. Overall, our results provide an additional argument in favor of distributed algorithms for secondary frequency control in microgrids.
Efficient Bayesian joint models for group randomized trials with multiple observation times and multiple outcomes

In this paper, we propose a Bayesian method for group randomized trials with multiple observation times and multiple outcomes of different types. We jointly model these outcomes using latent multivariate normal linear regression, which allows treatment effects to change with time and accounts for (i) intraclass correlation within groups; (ii) the correlation between different outcomes measured on the same subject; and (iii) the over‐time correlation of each outcome. Moreover, we develop a set of innovative priors for the variance components, which yield direct inference on the correlations, avoid undesirable constraints, and allow utilization of information from previous studies. We illustrate through simulations that our model can improve estimation efficiency (lower posterior standard deviations) of intraclass correlations and treatment effects relative to single outcome models and models with diffuse priors on the variance components. We also demonstrate the methodology using body composition data collected in the Trial of Activity in Adolescent Girls. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of virtual reality training on functional reaching movements in people with Parkinson’s disease: a randomized controlled pilot trial

Objective: To investigate whether practising reaching for virtual moving targets would improve motor performance in people with Parkinson’s disease. Design: Randomized pretest–posttest control group design. Setting: A virtual reality laboratory in a university setting. Participants: Thirty-three adults with Parkinson’s disease. Interventions: The virtual reality training required 60 trials of reaching for fast-moving virtual balls with the dominant hand. The control group had 60 practice trials turning pegs with their non-dominant hand. Main outcome measures: Pretest and posttest required reaching with the dominant hand to grasp real stationary balls and balls moving at different speeds down a ramp. Success rates and kinematic data (movement time, peak velocity and percentage of movement time for acceleration phase) from pretest and posttest were recorded to determine the immediate transfer effects. Results: Compared with the control group, the virtual reality training group became faster (F = 9.08, P = 0.005) and more forceful (F = 9.36, P = 0.005) when reaching for real stationary balls. However, there was no significant difference in success rate or movement kinematics between the two groups when reaching for real moving balls. Conclusion: A short virtual reality training programme improved the movement speed of discrete aiming tasks when participants reached for real stationary objects. However, the transfer effect was minimal when reaching for real moving objects.
Cryotherapy Reinvented: Application of Phase Change Material for Recovery in Elite Soccer.

PURPOSE To examine whether donning lower-body garments fitted with cooled phase change material (PCM) would enhance recovery after a soccer match. METHODS In a randomized, crossover design, 11 elite soccer players from the reserve squad of a team in the second-highest league in England wore PCM cooled to 15°C (PCMcold) or left at ambient temperature (PCMamb; sham control) for 3 h after a soccer match. To assess recovery, countermovement jump height, maximal isometric voluntary contraction (MIVC), muscle soreness, and the adapted Brief Assessment of Mood Questionnaire (BAM+) were measured before 12, 36, and 60 h after each match. A belief questionnaire was completed preintervention and postintervention to determine the perceived effectiveness of each garment. RESULTS Results are comparisons between the 2 conditions at each time point postmatch. MIVC at 36 h postmatch was greater with PCMcold versus PCMwarm (P = .01; ES = 1.59; 95% CI, 3.9-17.1%). MIVC also tended to be higher at 60 h postmatch (P = .05; ES = 0.85; 95% CI, -0.4% to 11.1%). Muscle soreness was 26.5% lower in PCMcold versus PCMwarm at 36 h (P = .02; ES = 1.7; 95% CI, -50.4 to -16.1 mm) and 24.3% lower at 60 h (P = .04; ES = 1.1; 95% CI, -26.9 to -0.874 mm). There were no between-conditions differences in postmatch countermovement jump height or BAM+ (P > .05). The belief questionnaire revealed that players felt the PCMcold was more effective than the PCMamb after the intervention (P = .004). CONCLUSIONS PCM cooling garments provide a practical means of delivering prolonged postexercise cooling and thereby accelerate recovery in elite soccer players.
Software Engineering for Internet Computing: Internetware and Beyond [Guest editors' introduction]

Software engineering for Internet computing involves the architecting, development, deployment, management, and quality assurance of software supporting Internet-based systems. It also addresses global-development issues such as communication complexity, distributed control, governance policies, and cultural differences. This issue presents a selection of exciting and representative research on this topic. The Web extra at http://youtu.be/UA7rLAwFbwY is an audio recording in which author IEEE Software Multimedia Editor Davide Falessi interviews Antonia Bertolino, Hong Mei, and Tao Xie, guest editors of the magazine's January/February 2015 issue on Software Engineering for Internet Computing: Internetware and Beyond.
Validity of the Online Athlete Management System to Assess Training Load.

PURPOSE To validate the quantification of training load (session rating of perceived exertion [s-RPE]) in an Australian Olympic squad (women's water polo), assessed with the use of a modified RPE scale collected via a newly developed online system (athlete management system). METHODS Sixteen elite women water polo players (age = 26 [3] y, height = 1.78 [0.05] m, and body mass = 75.5 [7.1] kg) participated in the study. Thirty training sessions were monitored for a total of 303 individual sessions. Heart rate was recorded during training sessions using continuous heart-rate telemetry. Participants were asked to rate the intensity of the training sessions on the athlete management system RPE scale, using an online application within 30 min of completion of the sessions. Individual relationships between s-RPE and both Banister training impulse (TRIMP) and Edwards' method were analyzed. RESULTS Individual correlations with s-RPE ranged between r = . 51 and . 79 (Banister TRIMP) and r = . 54 and . 83 (Edwards' method). The percentages of moderate and large correlation were 81% and 19% between s-RPE method and Banister TRIMP, and 56% and 44% between s-RPE and Edwards' method. CONCLUSIONS The online athlete management system for assessing s-RPE was shown to be a valid indicator of internal training load and can be used in elite sport.
Efficacy of electromyographic biofeedback and electrical stimulation following arthroscopic partial meniscectomy: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of electromyographic biofeedback training and electrical stimulation therapy for rehabilitation following arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. Design: Randomized, prospective, controlled single-blind trial. Setting: Department of physical medicine and rehabilitation, university hospital. Subjects: Forty-five patients who had undergone surgery for arthroscopic partial meniscectomy were randomly divided into three groups with 15 patients in each group. Interventions: The control group had home exercise, the second and third groups received electromyographic biofeedback training or electrical stimulation therapy to quadriceps muscle in addition to home exercise. Main measures: The patients were evaluated for: visual analogue scale, gait velocity (m/s), time using a walking aid after surgery, Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale score, knee flexion–extension angle, maximum and average contraction powers of vastus medialis obliquus and vastus lateralis muscles on the day before the operation and two and six weeks after. Results: The time using a walking aid was 8.3 ± 8.0, 1.5 ± 2.5 and 4.5 ± 5.5 days, respectively, for the home exercise, electromyographic biofeedback training and electrical stimulation groups, and significantly shorter in the electromyographic biofeedback training than in the home exercise group (P < 0.017). While significant progress was detected in Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale score in the second and sixth postoperative weeks compared to the preoperative within-group evaluation for each of the three groups (P < 0.017), there was significant difference in Lysholm Knee Scoring Scale in the second postoperative week in favour of electromyographic biofeedback training compared to home exercise (P < 0.017). There were significant differences in vastus medialis obliquus average and vastus lateralis maximum and average contractions in favour of electromyographic biofeedback compared to home exercise and electrical stimulation in the second postoperative week (P < 0.017). Conclusions: The addition of electromyographic biofeedback training to a conventional exercise programme following arthroscopic partial meniscectomy helps to speed up the rehabilitation process.
Consolidation treatment with somatoatatin analogues after radiopeptide therapy

Although neuroendocrine tumours (NET) constitute a very heterogeneous group, most of them express somatostatin receptors that enable treatment with somatostatin analogues, which proved to be effective both as bioor radiopeptide therapy. However, little is now about combining this two treatment modalities. The aim of our prospective study was to evaluate results of radiolabeled somatostatin analogues treatment (PRRT) with or without long lasting "cold" somatostatin analogues (SA) as consolidation treatment. INTRODUCTION METHODS
Bobath Concept versus constraint-induced movement therapy to improve arm functional recovery in stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: To compare the effects of the Bobath Concept and constraint-induced movement therapy on arm functional recovery among stroke patients with a high level of function on the affected side. Design: A single-blinded, randomized controlled trial. Setting: Outpatient physiotherapy department of a stroke unit. Subjects: A total of 24 patients were randomized to constraint-induced movement therapy or Bobath Concept group. Intervention: The Bobath Concept group was treated for 1 hour whereas the constraint-induced movement therapy group received training for 3 hours per day during 10 consecutive weekdays. Main measures: Main measures were the Motor Activity Log-28, the Wolf Motor Function Test, the Motor Evaluation Scale for Arm in Stroke Patients and the Functional Independence Measure. Results: The two groups were found to be homogeneous based on demographic variables and baseline measurements. Significant improvements were seen after treatment only in the ‘Amount of use’ and ‘Quality of movement’ subscales of the Motor Activity Log-28 in the constraint-induced movement therapy group over the the Bobath Concept group (P = 0.003; P = 0.01 respectively). There were no significant differences in Wolf Motor Function Test ‘Functional ability’ (P = 0.137) and ‘Performance time’ (P = 0.922), Motor Evaluation Scale for Arm in Stroke Patients (P = 0.947) and Functional Independence Measure scores (P = 0.259) between the two intervention groups. Conclusions: Constraint-induced movement therapy and the Bobath Concept have similar efficiencies in improving functional ability, speed and quality of movement in the paretic arm among stroke patients with a high level of function. Constraint-induced movement therapy seems to be slightly more efficient than the Bobath Concept in improving the amount and quality of affected arm use.