Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy Drink Mechanisms of Harm in Young People and Adolescents: A Narrative Review

Caffeinated energy drink (ED) consumption has grown rapidly worldwide, particularly among young people. This review considers whether the health outcomes associated with young people’s energy drink consumption are too narrowly focused on physiological mechanisms, and whether there is evidence to support the hypothesis that energy drink consumption incurs broader social costs. A narrative review of studies published between 1997 and 2017 was undertaken. The focus was the behavioural, physical and mental health outcomes associated with sugar (including glucose, sucrose and fructose) and caffeine, the two main ingredients of EDs. Possible causal mechanisms linking ingredient to outcome are discussed. The population of interest was children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years of age. A total of 33 studies were identified. ED consumption was found to be associated with health problems including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, headaches, sleep disorder, substance use, stress and hyperactivity however causal relationships could not be determined for all outcomes. The caffeine and sugar contained in EDs can promote adverse effects on children and adolescents. There is a weak evidence that these effects could extend beyond physical health to educational attainment, mental health and substance use. Increased awareness and further prospective studies are required.
Wearable and App-based Resilience Modelling in Employees (WearMe)

Occupational stress can cause all kinds of health problems. Resilience interventions that help employees deal with and adapt to adverse events can prevent these negative consequences. Due to advances in sensor technology and smartphone applications, relatively unobtrusive self-monitoring of resilience-related outcomes is possible. With models that can recognize intra-individual changes in these outcomes and relate them to causal factors within the employee’s own context, an automated resilience intervention that gives personalized, just-in-time feedback (e.g., a virtual coach) can be developed. This ‘Work in Progress’ paper presents the study protocol for the Wearables and app-based resilience Modelling in employees (WearMe) project that aims to develop such models. A cyclical conceptual framework based on existing theories of stress and resilience is presented, as the basis for the WearMe project. The included concepts are operationalized and measured using sleep tracking (Fitbit Charge 2), heart rate variability measurements (Elite HRV + Polar H7) and Ecological Momentary Assessment (mobile app), administered in the morning (7 questions) and evening (12 questions). Analyses will target the development of both within-subject (n=1) models, as well as between-subjects models. If successful, future work will focus on further developing these models and eventually exploring the effectiveness of the envisioned personalized resilience system.
Broadband Wireless Communication Systems for Vacuum Tube High-Speed Flying Train

A vactrain (or vacuum tube high-speed flying train) is considered as a novel proposed rail transportation approach in the ultra-high-speed scenario. The maglev train can run with low mechanical friction, low air resistance, and low noise mode at a speed exceeding 1000 km/h inside the vacuum tube regardless of weather conditions. Currently, there is no research on train-to-ground wireless communication system for vactrain. In this paper, we first summarize a list of the unique challenges and opportunities associated with the wireless communication for vactrain, then analyze the bandwidth and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of vactrain’s train-to-ground communication services quantitatively. To address these challenges and utilize the unique opportunities, a leaky waveguide solution with simple architecture but excellent performance is proposed for wireless coverage for vactrains. The simulation of the leaky waveguide is conducted, and the results show the uniform phase distribution along the horizontal direction of the tube, but also the smooth field distribution at the point far away from the leaky waveguide, which can suppress Doppler frequency shift, indicating that the time-varying frequency-selective fading channel could be approximated as a stationary channel. Furthermore, the train-to-ground wireless access architectures based on leaky waveguide are studied and analyzed. Finally, the moving scheme is adopted based on centralized, cooperative, cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN), so as to deal with the extremely frequent handoff issue.
Hypoglossusstimulation bei OSAS

Zusammenfassung Anatomische Grundlage der obstruktiven Schlafapnoe (OSA) ist der Kollaps des Pharynx im Schlaf. Er wird als Folge komplexer Interaktionen struktureller und neuromuskulärer Faktoren angesehen. Schlaftiefe und Körperlage wirken dabei modulierend. Obgleich unterschiedliche Obstruktionsorte nachgewiesen werden konnten, ergaben Studien, dass sich die schlafvermittelte Obstruktion oft im Zungengrundgrundbereich manifestiert. Die funktionelle Druckluftschienung der oberen Atemwege während des Schlafes mittels Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) stellt seit über 30 Jahren die Standardtherapie beim obstruktiven Schlafapnoe Syndrom (OSAS) dar. In mehreren Untersuchungen lag die Therapieadhärenz bei etwa 70%. Bei CPAP-Unverträglichkeit bedarf es alternativer operativer und nicht-operativer Therapieformen. Die funktionelle elektrische Stimulation der oberen Atemwegsmuskeln wurde bereits in den frühen 1980er Jahren untersucht. Studien ergaben, dass eine Stimulation bestimmter Muskelgruppen den Querschnitt der oberen Atemwege vergrößert. Dabei wurde die bedeutende Funktion des N. hypoglossus nachgewiesen. So innerviert der XII. Hirnnerv den M. genioglossus, der im Wesentlichen den vorderen Oropharynx stabilisiert. Im Gegensatz zur kompletten Stimulation des Nervs, der zur Ko-Aktivierung anderer Muskeln (auch verengender Muskeln) führt, bewirkt die selektive Stimulation der weiter zum Kinn gelegenen Nervenäste eine Vorwärtsbewegung des M. genioglossus. Derzeit in Europa zugelassene Systeme zur Hypoglossusnervstimulation (HNS) sind das Inspire™-System sowie das ImThera™-Gerät. Nach umfangreicher tierexperimenteller und klinischer Überprüfung des Konzeptes der Hypoglossusnervstimulation (HNS) wurden kürzlich die Ergebnisse der multizentrischen, prospektiven STAR-Studie (Stimulation Therapy for Apnea Reduction) mit dem Inspire-System veröffentlicht. Diese Studie ergab, dass die HNS den pharyngealen Kollaps verhindern kann, ohne die Patienten aus dem Schlaf zu wecken. Die HNS mit diesem Gerät führte zu einer signifikanten Verbesserung der objektiven und subjektiven Parameter des Schweregrades einer OSA. Die elektrische Stimulation des N. hypoglossus ist eine neue Behandlungsmethode für Patienten mit mittelschwerer bis schwerer OSA, die die Standardtherapie nicht tolerieren.
Adaptation-Oriented Feature Projection for One-Shot Action Recognition

One-shot action recognition aims at recognizing actions in unseen classes in cases where only one training video is provided. Compared with one-shot image recognition, one-shot learning on videos is more difficult due to the fact that the temporal dimension of video may lead to greater variation. To handle this variation, it is important to conduct further adaptation in the one-shot training process, despite the scarcity of the training data. While meta-learning is an option for facilitating this adaptation, it cannot be directly applied for two reasons: first, deep networks for action recognition can make current meta-learning methods infeasible to run because of their high computational complexity; second, due to the greater variation in actions, the adapted performance may not be higher than the un-adapted one, making it difficult to train the model by means of meta-learning. To address these problems and facilitate the adaptation, we propose the Adaptation-Oriented Feature (AOF) projection for one-shot action recognition. We first pre-train the base network on seen classes. The output of the network is projected to the adaptation-oriented feature space by fusing the important feature dimensions that are sensitive to adaptation. Subsequently, a small dataset (a.k.a. task) is sampled from seen classes to simulate the unseen-class training and testing settings. The feature adaptation is performed on the training data of this task to integrate the distribution information of the adapted feature. In order to reduce over-fitting, the triplet loss is applied to handle temporal variation with fewer parameters during the adaptation. On the testing data of this task, the losses on both adapted and un-adapted features are calculated to train the projection matrix. This sampling-adaptation-training procedure is then repeated on seen classes until convergence. Extensive experimental results on two challenging one-shot action recognition datasets demonstrate that our proposed method outperforms state-of-the-art methods.
Effects of Green Coffee Bean Extract Supplementation on Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a major worldwide public health problem with no effective treatment options. Green coffee bean extract (GCBE) is a rich source of bioactive phytochemicals with a variety of biochemical and physiological effects. Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of GCBE on the management of patients with NAFLD. Methods: 44 patients with NAFLD were enrolled in a parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. The participants were administered either GCBE or placebo (1 gram/day) for 8 weeks. They also were advised to follow a standard energy-balanced diet and physical activity. Liver ultrasonography, anthropometric variables, and biochemical parameters were compared at pre- and post-intervention. Results: GCBE significantly improved the levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol, free fatty acids (FFAs), fasting blood sugar (FBS), homeostasis model assessment insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) compared to the placebo group. On the other hand, there were no significant differences between the two groups in body weight, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, LDL-C to HDL-C ratio, insulin, degree of steatosis, aspartate transaminase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Conclusions: GCBE supplementation may benefit patients with NAFLD. These beneficial effects may be due to the possible ability of GCBE to improve insulin sensitivity and its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
ETUDE RÉTROSPECTIVE DES LYMPHOMES DE L'ENFANT A propos de 27 cas traités dans une même institution

La maladie de Hodgkin (HK), représente environ 40 % des lymphomes de l’enfant. Dans la population pédiatrique, elle atteint plus volontiers les pré-adolescents et est exceptionnelle avant l’âge de 3 ans. La prédominance masculine est plus manifeste en pédiatrie (sex-ratio de 1,5 à 3 selon les études) que dans les séries adultes (2). A ce jour, il n’y a ni cause ni facteur favorisant de la maladie de HK clairement identifiés; cependant elle est plus fréquente chez les sujets immunodéprimés et des HK «secondaires» survenant après guérison d’une leucémie ou après traitement immunosuppresseur sont rapportés (3,4).
Do electronic patient information systems improve efficiency and quality of care? An evaluation of utilisation of the Discovery HealthID application.

BACKGROUND Electronic health records (EHRs) appear to offer a number of potential benefits, but practitioners are often hesitant to make the transition to using them. OBJECTIVES To determine whether the use of one such system, designed and offered by a health insurer (HealthID; Discovery Health), makes a difference to the efficiency and quality of doctor-patient consultations. METHODS A descriptive study using mixed methods was designed. A qualitative phase of individual interviews of purposefully sampled respondents was followed by a quantitative survey of a random sample of general practitioners and specialists who were registered users of the system. RESULTS In the qualitative findings, 18 respondents reported their perceptions of the ease of use of the application, their motivation for using it, its functions and benefits, the impact on efficiency and quality of care, and the challenges they experienced. In addition, they reported on the details of the challenges of using the system, and made suggestions for improvements, particularly with regard to the need for training and IT support. The quantitative results from the majority of 93 respondents confirmed that while the use of the app improved patient care through positive effects on specific functions such as access to accurate patient records and easier Chronic Illness Benefit applications, they felt that it had an equivocal impact in other areas, such as maintaining patient confidentiality and enhancing teamwork and efficiency. The financial incentives offered by Discovery Health, as well as possibly the training and support provided, appear to be more influential for high-frequency than for low-frequency users. The majority said that it did not help with referrals or script writing, or with access to International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes. CONCLUSIONS EHR systems like Discovery Health's HealthID could improve the efficiency of medical consultations by increasing access to stored health information without requiring data entry by clinicians, and thereby have the potential to indirectly improve the quality of care, provided that certain conditions are met.
Metabolic Syndrome and its correlates in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Insulin resistance and/or diabetes are an integral component of metabolic syndrome. Diabetes with metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Concurrence of the two poses an increased risk of diabetic microvascular complications; though few studies have not shown a positive correlation. Hence the study was carried out to investigate the association between the two entities. This hospital based cross-sectional study was carried out at a tertiary care centre. Consecutive type 2Diabetics meeting the inclusion criteria were included in the study. Detail history, clinical examination (anthropometry, screening for diabetic complications) and laboratorial investigations were done in all study subjects. Data was analyzed using Chi square and student’s ‘t’ test. Total 59 type 2 Diabetic subjects were included in the study. 86.44% patients had metabolic syndrome. Significantly more patients with MS had coronary heart disease (p=0.0011), whereas the microvascular complications were not significantly different in the two groups (p>0.05). 86.44% diabetic subjects amongst the study group had MS. Presence of MS in type 2diabetes is a risk indicator of coronary heart disease. Chronic microvascular complications occur in diabetics irrespective of the presence of MS. Keywords : Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome, Complications
A Pilot, Randomized Sham Control Trial of Autologous Bone Marrow Derived Mononuclear Cells in Acute Ischemic Central Retinal Vein Occlusion.

In this pilot, sham controlled randomized control trial (RCT) in patients with ischemic central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO), we studied the safety and efficacy of intravitreal injection of autologous bone marrow derived mononuclear cells and found that both patients who received stem cell injections did not develop anterior segment neovascularization at 1 year follow up. Except for some sterile inflammatory reaction in the initial follow up, no long term injection related serious adverse events (SAEs) were observed. Based on our observations we recommend a larger, multicentric study to further establish the safety and efficacy of this treatment in patients with ischemic CRVO. Purpose: To study the safety and efficacy of autologous bone marrow derived mononuclear cells injected intravitreally in patients with ischemic CRVO. Study Design: Randomized sham controlled trial. Methods: 4 cases with ischemic CRVO were recruited into the study. 2 cases were randomized into intervention group and 2 into control group. Baseline investigations included best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intra ocular pressure (IOP), fundus fluorescein angiography (FFA), gonioscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Patients in the intervention group received intravitreal injection of autologous bone marrow derived mononuclear cells (MNCs) and those in control group received sham injection. Patients were followed up over a 12-month period. Main Outcome Measures: Development of anterior segment neovascularization. Results: Both patients in the intervention group did not develop anterior segment neovascularization over a follow up period of 12 months. 1 patient in control group developed neovascularization of iris and elevated intra ocular pressure over a follow up period of 6 weeks and required trabeculectomy for control of IOP. The other patient in control group was lost follow up after 2 weeks. Conclusions: Our initial observations suggest that intravitreal injection of mononuclear cells may reduce the risk of developing anterior segment neovascularization in patients with ischemic central retinal vein occlusion. A larger, multicentric study would be valuable to gain further evidence to our preliminary observations.
Alphabétisation et santé comme vecteurs de croissance économique au Cameroun

L’objectif principal de notre etude est d’examiner les effets de l’alphabetisation et de la sante sur la croissance economique au Cameroun. L’analyse est menee au niveau du Cameroun, sur la periode allant de 1980 a 2016 dont les donnees proviennent du CD-ROM (2018) dela BanqueMondialeet de l’Institut Nationale dela Statistiquedu Cameroun. La methodologie utilisee est formulee sur la base de celle de Barro (1990, 1996), Sow (2006) et Carla Cruz (2014). Nous avons formule une equation que nous avons analysee par la technique de cointegration et du modele a correction d’erreur, ceci a l’aide du logiciel Eviews. L’endogeneite possible des variables n’a pas ete analyse dans l’article. Les resultats d’estimation montrent que l’alphabetisation est negative et significative alors que la sante a un impact positif et significatif au seuil de 5% sur la croissance economique a long terme. A court terme, l’alphabetisation est positive et significative a 5% alors que la sante a un effet positif et n’est pas significative.
A Single Laccase Acts as a Key Component of Environmental Sensing in a Broad Host Range Fungal Pathogen

Secreted laccases are important enzymes on an ecological scale for their role in mediating plant-fungal interactions, but their function in fungal pathogenesis has yet to be elucidated. Ascomycete laccases have been primarily associated with cell wall melanin deposition, and laccase mutants in ascomycete species often demonstrate reduced pigmentation. In this study, a putatively secreted laccase, Sslac2, was characterized from the broad host-range plant pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, which is largely unpigmented and is not dependent on melanogenesis for plant infection. Of the seven putative laccases in the S. sclerotiorum genome, Sslac2 was the only one found to be highly upregulated during pathogenesis of soybeans and was additionally found to be induced during growth on solid surfaces. Gene knockouts of Sslac2 demonstrate wide ranging developmental defects, including abolished sclerotial formation, and are functionally non-pathogenic on unwounded tissue. While these mutants demonstrated a clear radial growth defect, enhanced growth was observed in liquid culture, likely due to altered hydrophobicity and thigmotropic responsiveness. Sslac2 mutants were also unable to respond to a host environment, and accordingly unable to differentiate penetration structures, respond appropriately to chemical stress, or produce the key virulence factor oxalic acid. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy of WT and mutant strains show apparent differences in extracellular matrix structure that may explain the inability of the mutant to respond to environmental cues. Targeting Sslac2 using host-induced gene silencing significantly improved resistance to S. sclerotiorum, suggesting that fungal laccases could be a valuable target of disease control. Collectively, we identified a laccase critical to the development and virulence of the broad host-range pathogen S. sclerotiorum and propose a potentially novel role for fungal laccases in modulating environmental sensing.
Synthesis of the neural coordinated control algorithm for the model of CNC machine

Objectives: Increase quality factor of the CNC machine model in comparison with the Uncoupled System by synthesizing Neural Coordinated Control. Synthesis: We synthesized the Neural Coordinated Control algorithm based on the coordinated control algorithm and neural control. Experiment: Using mathematical modeling we compared the synthesized algo-rithms and the uncoupled system using the following criteria: contour error, contour speed error, and score function. Results: The four NCC algorithms were synthesized and trained. The experiment shows that synthesized algorithms have better score function values and better quality factor values in comparison to the reference Uncoupled System. Conclusion: The quality factor of the CNC machine model was successfully in-creased by using the synthesized Neural Coordinated Control algorithm.
IMPACT OF SELF-EFFICACY ON ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, UMARU MUSA YAR’ADUA UNIVERSITY, KATSINA - NIGERIA

This study investigated the impact of self-efficacy on academic performance among undergraduate students of the Department of Education, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina. Descriptive survey research design served the blueprint for the conduct of the study. A proportionate and stratified sampling techniques were used to obtain a sample of 181 students. An adopted General Self Efficacy scale questionnaire was used to measure level of self-efficacy belief and the cumulative grade point average (CGPA) was used to measure the academic performance of the participants. Data was analyzed using both t-test for independent sample and inferential statistics to test the three (3) hypotheses at 0.05 level of significant. Findings of the study revealed that there is no significance difference between level of self-efficacy of male and female, there was no significant relationship between self-efficacy and academic performance, and there was significant difference between gender and academic performance. The study concluded that there is a need for teachers to focus on how to develop and boost the self-efficacy beliefs of their students, as it would yield better and reasonable academic performance which in one hand or the other is the educational needs and aspiration for any society to develop its members educationally.This study recommends that lecturers, guidance and counselors, guardians/parents should assess levels of self – efficacy and academic performance in students at classroom level. Keywords : Academic performance, impact, self-efficacy, undergraduate