Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Process and treatment of pedometer data collection for youth: the Canadian Physical Activity Levels among Youth study.

BACKGROUND Pedometry methods for collecting data in young populations are advancing, but it is unclear how many days of data are enough for population monitoring. METHODS Using random-digit dialing, 11,669 5- to 19-yr-olds were recruited into the Canadian Physical Activity Levels among Youth study and mailed a data collection package. Pedometers were worn for 7 d, and steps counts were logged daily. Reactivity was assessed by examining estimates from the pattern of pedometer data across days (arranged from first day of collection to last) using a repeated-measures ANOVA. Intraclass correlations (ICC) were computed for the first day and consecutive additional days (compared with the criterion estimate based on the whole week) to determine the minimal number of days required to achieve a reliability ICC of 0.70, 0.80, and 0.90. RESULTS Most children (990%) wore the pedometer for 7 d. Mean steps per day differed across consecutive days (F = 52.7, P = 0.000); however, no difference occurred between the first and the second day of monitoring. Furthermore, no difference was observed between the first and either the third or the fourth day when monitoring commenced on a Monday or a Tuesday. Therefore, there was no clear evidence of reactivity. The first day provided a good representation of steps per day relative to the whole week in terms of both reliability (ICC = 0.79) and validity (relative absolute percent error [APE] =2.5%), and these improved with additional days (2 d, ICC > 0.85; > or = 3 d, ICC > 0.90; and > or = 3 d, APE < 1%). CONCLUSIONS The Canadian Physical Activity Levels among Youth demonstrates the feasibility of national surveillance of physical activity using pedometers.Two days are sufficient to determine steps per day, and a single day appears defensible in terms of population monitoring if minimal standards for reliability are acceptable.
Strategies for the prevention of airway complications – a narrative review

Despite being infrequent, complications of airway management remain an important contributor to morbidity and mortality during anaesthesia and care of the critically ill. Developments in the last three decades have made anaesthesia safer, and this has been mirrored in the equipment and techniques available for airway management. Modern technology including novel oxygenation modalities, widespread availability of capnography, second‐generation supraglottic airway devices and videolaryngoscopy provide the tools to make airway management safer still. However, technology will only take safety so far, and non‐technical aspects of airway management are critically important for communication and decision making during airway crises, acknowledging a ‘cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate’ situation and transitioning to emergency front of neck airway. Randomised controlled trials provide little useful information about safety in this setting, and data from registries and databases are likely to be of more value. This narrative review focuses on recent evidence in this area.
Antimicrobial use and resistance in animals.

Food animals in the United States are often exposed to antimicrobials to treat and prevent infectious disease or to promote growth. Many of these antimicrobials are identical to or closely resemble drugs used in humans. Precise figures for the quantity of antimicrobials used in animals are not publicly available in the United States, and estimates vary widely. Antimicrobial resistance has emerged in zoonotic enteropathogens (e.g., Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp.), commensal bacteria (e.g., Escherichia coli, enterococci), and bacterial pathogens of animals (e.g., Pasteurella, Actinobacillus spp.), but the prevalence of resistance varies. Antimicrobial resistance emerges from the use of antimicrobials in animals and the subsequent transfer of resistance genes and bacteria among animals and animal products and the environment. To slow the development of resistance, some countries have restricted antimicrobial use in feed, and some groups advocate similar measures in the United States. Alternatives to growth-promoting and prophylactic uses of antimicrobials in agriculture include improved management practices, wider use of vaccines, and introduction of probiotics. Monitoring programs, prudent use guidelines, and educational campaigns provide approaches to minimize the further development of antimicrobial resistance.
Effects of chitosan-essential oil coatings on safety and quality of fresh blueberries.

UNLABELLED Chitosan coating plus different essential oils was developed and applied to fresh blueberries in order to find more natural treatments to preserve fresh fruit quality and safety during postharvest storage. Studies were 1st performed in vitro where wild-type Escherichia coli and Penicillium digitatum were grown in suitable media, and then subjected to 6 essential oils. Three compounds, carvacrol (CAR), cinnamaldehyde (CIN), and trans-cinnamaldehyde (ECIN) had high antimicrobial capacity and were selected for an in vivo study for postharvest storage of blueberries. The selected essential oils, 0.5% each, were added into a chitosan solution and coated on fresh blueberries. After storage at 5, 10, and 20 °C for various days, fruit firmness and microbial populations were evaluated. The chitosan coating substantially decreased bacteria and yeasts/molds on the fruit, and all 3 essential oils added to the antimicrobial activities. Further dosage experiments showed that the antimicrobial activity remained even when lowering CAR concentration to 0.1% and ECIN to 0.2%. Chitosan, CAR, and ECIN also maintained fruit firmness. Our results suggest that chitosan coatings containing essential oils are effective in extending the shelf life of fresh blueberries. PRACTICAL APPLICATION Blueberries are high-value fruit with strong antioxidant capacity and other health-promoting benefits. However, microbial food safety is an increasing concern, and decay and softening limits their storability. A combination of ≥ 0.1% CAR or ≥ 0.2% ECIN with a chitosan coating effectively reduced softening of fresh berries and decay by inhibiting microbial growth.
Validated Computational Model to Compute Re-apposition Pressures for Treating Type-B Aortic Dissections

The use of endovascular treatment in the thoracic aorta has revolutionized the clinical approach for treating Stanford type B aortic dissection. The endograft procedure is a minimally invasive alternative to traditional surgery for the management of complicated type-B patients. The endograft is first deployed to exclude the proximal entry tear to redirect blood flow toward the true lumen and then a stent graft is used to push the intimal flap against the false lumen (FL) wall such that the aorta is reconstituted by sealing the FL. Although endovascular treatment has reduced the mortality rate in patients compared to those undergoing surgical repair, more than 30% of patients who were initially successfully treated require a new endovascular or surgical intervention in the aortic segments distal to the endograft. One reason for failure of the repair is persistent FL perfusion from distal entry tears. This creates a patent FL channel which can be associated with FL growth. Thus, it is necessary to develop stents that can promote full re-apposition of the flap leading to complete closure of the FL. In the current study, we determine the radial pressures required to re-appose the mid and distal ends of a dissected porcine thoracic aorta using a balloon catheter under static inflation pressure. The same analysis is simulated using finite element analysis (FEA) models by incorporating the hyperelastic properties of porcine aortic tissues. It is shown that the FEA models capture the change in the radial pressures required to re-appose the intimal flap as a function of pressure. The predictions from the simulation models match closely the results from the bench experiments. The use of validated computational models can support development of better stents by calculating the proper radial pressures required for complete re-apposition of the intimal flap.
Analytical evaluation of indoor energy harvesting technologies for WSNs with FYPSim framework

FYPSim is a framework that enables the modeling of various energy harvesting technologies and the sizing of energy storage technologies at the system level with application to wireless sensor networks. In this paper, we present the specific features of FYPSim related to energy harvesting exploiting indoor solar, indoor air flow, and indoor radio frequency energy sources. We also describe the models used for modeling hybrid energy harvesting and battery management. Our experimental results illustrate how FYPSim can be used to evaluate the above technologies in combination with Li-Ion batteries and supercapacitors.
Studies on the medical treatment of deep vein thrombosis.

The aim of these studies was to investigate different regimens of thrombolytic therapy and oral anticoagulation, and to evaluate the effects of streptokinase (SK), heparin and warfarin in the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Low-dose SK, although controlled according to the fibrinogen levels, did not provide improved thrombolysis compared to conventional high-dose SK, and more postthrombotic changes were registered after an average of 3 years. Furthermore, serious hemorrhagic side-effects occurred, which makes this regimen inexpedient. Various regimens of local venous infusion of SK were tried, and with a dose of 4,000 IU/h for 72 h in combination with heparin a thrombolytic effect was achieved, albeit not greater than usually observed with conventional SK. Systemic hypofibrinogenemia and hemorrhage were not avoided. A hitherto not described side-effect with bullous dermatitis was reported. Venographic severity of calf vein thrombosis displayed a statistically significant correlation to long-term hemodynamic changes, as assessed with foot volumetry, after an average of 5 years. This correlation was stronger for the size of the thrombus after initial treatment than for the size at diagnosis. Thus it seems important to treat calf vein thrombosis with heparin in order to limit the extent of the thrombus, thereby reducing long-term sequelae. During heparin treatment, an average reduction of the thrombi of 17% was observed. This reduction was significantly correlated to a short duration of symptoms but not to parameters of heparin therapy or fibrinolytic components. However, patients with substantial thrombolysis had high plasmin-alpha 2-antiplasmin (PAP) levels, and those with high tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) inhibitor levels and remarkably also those with high t-PA antigen levels had no lysis. The concentration of t-PA antigen showed a significant increase during heparin infusion, whereas that of PAP and t-PA inhibitor was not influenced. By applying more intensive initial oral anticoagulation, stable therapeutic prothrombin time (PT)-levels were achieved one day earlier and the duration of heparin infusion could be equally reduced compared to the conventional regimen (4.4-5 days vs 5.4-6 days). The activity of coagulation factors II, VII, IX and X had dropped to the same level with both regimens the day heparin was discontinued, observed. The effectiveness of oral anticoagulation after DVT was studied in 596 patients treated for a total of 4450 months. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Overweight, weight concerns, and bulimic behaviors among girls and boys.

OBJECTIVE To assess the prevalence rates and correlates of overweight, concern with weight, and bulimic behaviors. METHOD A survey was completed by a population-based sample of 16,114 boys and girls aged 9 to 14 years. RESULTS Although fewer girls (19%) than boys (26%) were overweight, more girls (25% versus 22%) perceived themselves as overweight (p < .001). The proportion of girls reporting trying to lose weight increased with age (p < .001). The prevalence of binge eating at least monthly increased with age among the girls, but remained stable among the boys. The prevalence of purging was low (< or = 1%) and comparable between genders until age 13. Among the 13- and 14-year-olds, girls were significantly more likely than boys to report using laxatives or vomiting to control weight (p < or = .001). Purging was independently positively associated with stage of pubertal development (girls: odds ratio [OR] = 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6-2.7; boys: OR = 1.5, 95% CI 1.0-2.2) and overweight (girls: OR = 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-3.0; boys: OR = 2.7, 95% CI 1.4-5.1). CONCLUSIONS Misperception of being overweight and concern with weight were common. Purging was a very rare behavior, but increased with pubertal development. Among the girls, the prevalence increased sharply around the onset of adolescence.
Operational resource theory of nonclassicality via quantum metrology

The nonclassical properties of quantum states are of tremendous interest due to their potential applications in future technologies. It has recently been realized that the concept of a "resource theory" is a powerful approach to quantifying and understanding nonclassicality. To realize the potential of this approach one must first find resource theoretic measures of nonclassicality that are "operational", meaning that they also quantify the ability of quantum states to provide enhanced performance for specific tasks, such as precision sensing. Here we achieve a significant milestone in this endeavor by presenting the first such operational resource theoretic measure. In addition to satisfying the requirements of a resource measure, it has the closest possible relationship to the quantum-enhancement provided by a non-classical state for measuring phase-space displacement: it is equal to this enhancement for pure states, and is a tight upper bound on it for mixed states. We also show that a lower-bound on this measure can be obtained experimentally using a simple Mach-Zehnder interferometer.
Using artificial landmarks to improve revisitation performance and spatial learning in linear control widgets

Linear interface controllers such as sliders and scrollbars are primary tools for navigating through linear content such as videos or text documents. Linear control widgets provide an abstract representation of the entire document in the body of the widget, in that they map each document location to a different position of the slider knob or scroll thumb. In most cases, however, these linear mappings are visually undifferentiated - all locations in the widget look the same - and so it can be difficult to build up spatial knowledge of the document, and difficult to navigate back to locations that the user has already visited. In this paper, we examine a technique that can address this problem: artificial landmarks that are added to a linear control widget in order to improve spatial understanding and revisitation. We carried out a study with two types of content (a video, and a PDF document) to test the effects of adding artificial landmarks. We compared standard widgets (with no landmarks) to two augmented designs: one that placed arbitrary abstract icons in the body of the widget, and one that added thumbnails extracted from the document. We found that for both kinds of content, adding artificial landmarks significantly improved revisitation performance and user preference, with the thumbnail landmarks fastest and most accurate in both cases. Our study demonstrates that augmenting linear control widgets with artificial landmarks can provide substantial benefits for document navigation.
Possible pharmacological probes for predicting and preventing relapse in treated alcoholics.

Relapse is a frequent problem for recovered alcoholics since up to 80% do so within 6 months of completing treatment. Although the mechanisms underlying relapse are unknown, several internal and external cues have been associated with it. Desire (or craving) for alcohol is an internal cue which may precipitate relapse and is amenable to physiological and pharmacological studies. Recent studies have indicated that pharmacological manipulations of the serotonergic system can produce variations in craving for alcohol. For example, when challenged with the putative serotonin1 (5-HT1) agonist, m-chlorophenylpiperazine (m-CPP), alcoholics report increases in craving and desire for alcohol (George et al, 1990). In our studies with moderately dependent alcoholics, 5-HT uptake inhibitors (e.g., citalopram) reduced both the craving for and the consumption of alcohol. Studies are underway to identify the mechanism underlying these findings. Other systems may also regulate alcohol craving. However, some agents which allegedly decreased alcohol intake in animals, such as enalapril, an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, showed no effect on desire for or intake of alcohol in humans. A better understanding of the neural and systemic mechanisms underlying alcohol craving may help us in the prediction and/or prevention of relapse in treated alcoholics.
CD4+ T cells against human papillomavirus‐18 E7 in patients with high‐grade cervical lesions associate with the absence of the virus in the cervix

Cervical neoplastic lesions are associated with infection by high‐risk human papilloma‐viruses (HPV). The two genotypes most frequently found in the lesions are HPV‐16 and HPV‐18 with a prevalence of 50–60% and 15–18%, respectively. The E6 and E7 viral oncoproteins are involved in the transformation process and represent foreign antigens for the host. We previously reported that anti‐HPV‐18 E6 CD4+ T cells are present in patients with high‐grade HPV‐18‐expressing cervical lesions but also in 50% of the total consecutive patients tested, independently of the HPV type carried. These results indicated that HPV‐18 E6 is immunogenic and suggested that all responsive patients, irrespective of the HPV expressed, had encountered HPV‐18 and cleared the infection. Here, we investigated anti‐HPV‐18 E7 CD4+ T‐cell immunity in a cohort of 23 HPV‐18 E6‐responsive patients. We found that, although E7‐specific CD4+ T cells were present in all women, a robust T helper type (Th1)/Th2 type response against E7 was associated with HPV‐18‐negative status, suggesting that indeed these patients might have cleared the virus. In agreement with this hypothesis, we found strong anti‐E7 CD4+ T‐cell immunity in 20% of 24 healthy donors without evidence of disease. In contrast, a robust Th1/Th2 type response against E6 but not E7 correlated with a lack of disease relapse and/or infection recurrence but did not discriminate between HPV‐18‐positive and HPV‐18‐negative patients. Collectively, our data suggest different roles for anti‐HPV‐18 E6 and E7 CD4+ T cells in anti‐viral and anti‐tumour immunity.
Prophylaxis of graft-versus-host disease in unrelated donor transplantation with pentostatin, tacrolimus, and mini-methotrexate: a phase I/II controlled, adaptively randomized study.

PURPOSE Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after matched unrelated, related, or mismatched related donor hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). Improved GVHD prevention methods are needed. Pentostatin, an adenosine deaminase inhibitor, leads to lymphocyte depletion with low risk of myelosuppression. We hypothesized that addition of pentostatin to GVHD prophylaxis with tacrolimus and mini-methotrexate may improve outcomes, and we conducted a Bayesian adaptively randomized, controlled, dose-finding study, taking into account toxicity and efficacy. PATIENTS AND METHODS Success was defined as the patient being alive, engrafted, in remission, without GVHD 100 days post-HSCT and no grade ≥ 3 GVHD at any time. Patients were randomly assigned to pentostatin doses of 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mg/m(2) with drug administered on HSCT days 8, 15, 22, and 30. Eligible patients were recipients of mismatched related (n = 10) or unrelated (n = 137) donor HSCT. RESULTS Median age was 47 years. Thirty-seven, 10, 29, 61, and 10 patients were assigned to the control and four treatment groups, respectively, with comparable baseline characteristics. Pentostatin doses of 1.0 and 1.5 mg/m(2) had the highest success rates (69.0% and 70.5%) versus control (54.1%). The posterior probabilities that the success rates were greater with 1.5 mg/m(2) or 1.0 mg/m(2) versus control are 0.944 and 0.821, respectively. Hepatic aGVHD rates were 0%, 17.2%, and 11.1%, respectively, for 1.5 mg/m(2), 1.0 mg/m(2), and control groups. No grades 3 to 4 aGVHD occurred in 11 HLA-mismatched recipients in the 1.5 mg/m(2) group. CONCLUSION Pentostatin increased the likelihood of success as defined here, and should be further investigated in larger randomized, confirmatory studies.
Artificial Refocusing of High Resolution SLR Images From Microsoft Kinect Depth Maps

We present a novel system for allowing the digital refocusing of high resolution images (captured with a singlelens reflex (SLR) camera) through the fusion of low resolution range data acquired via a Microsoft Kinect. We rely on the IR camera array inside of the Microsoft Kinect v2 for constructing a depth map. The pixel intensities of the output depth map corresponds to the relative depths of points in the image. The depth map is then used to segment the image into a user specified number of focus regions. The user can select which region they would like to focus on in the higher resolution image, and a simulated shallow depth of field effect is applied to the remaining regions in the image.
Incidence, prevalence, and consultation rates of shoulder complaints in general practice

Objective: To study the incidence, prevalence, and consultation rates of patients with shoulder complaints in general practice in the Netherlands during 10 years following initial presentation. Methods: A primary care database with an average population of 30 000 patients per year aged 18 years or older was used to select patients who consulted their general practitioner (GP) with shoulder complaints in the northern part of the Netherlands in the year 1998. Information about consultations for shoulder complaints was extracted. Incidence and prevalence for men, women, and different age groups were calculated for 9 and 10 years. Results: A total of 526 patients consulted their GP with a new shoulder complaint. During an average follow-up of 7.6 years, these patients consulted their GP 1331 times because of their shoulder complaints (average of 0.33 consultations per year). Almost half of the patients consulted their GP only once. Patients in the 45–64 age category had the highest probability of repeated GP consultations during follow-up. Average incidence was 29.3 per 1000 person-years. Women and patients in the 45–64 age category have the highest incidence. The annual prevalence of shoulder complaints ranged from 41.2 to 48.4 per 1000 person-years, calculated for the period 1998 to 2007, and was higher among women than among men. Conclusion: Although the incidence of shoulder complaints in general practice is as high as 29.3 per 1000 person-years, GPs’ workload is generally low, as nearly half of these patients consult their GP only once for their complaint.