Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of explosive and impact exercises on gait parameters in elderly women

Introduction: Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have suggested that physical activity programs combining low impact exercises and resistance exercises help maintaining functional capacity in older adults.Objective: To analyze the effects of an aquatic training program involving both impact and explosive exercises on gait parameters of women aged 60 and above.Materials and methods: 60 physically active women (64.08±3.98 years) were divided into 2 groups: those training in a pool by performing series of jumps, i.e., the experimental group (EG= 35), and the control group (CG=35). EG participants trained 3 times per week during 32 weeks in an hour per session basis. Body composition measurements, explosive strength, and gait parameters (in a 6 meters long track) were assessed using the center of pressure (COP) indicator before and after participating in the training program.Results: When comparing both groups, differences in explosive strength and power (EG vs. CG; p values=from 0.05 to 001) were observed, as well as changes in gait parameters related to the COP (EG vs. CG: p = 0.05-001), in particular EG participants had significant and positive changes.Conclusion: The aquatic training program described here produced an increase in muscle strength and muscle power, thus gait parameters were improved. Bearing this in mind, an improved availability of similar programs for older adults should be considered, since their participation in these programs could help them improve their functional capacity, and, thus, their quality of life.
Sex disparity in acute ischemic stroke outcomes in Korea

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and accounts for a significant burden not only in Western countries [1,2] but also in Asian countries including Korea [3]. Several studies have shown that women have a worse prognosis than men after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) [4-7]. The worse outcome in women might be relatSex disparity in acute ischemic stroke outcomes in Korea Byung Cheol Gwak, MD; Ga Yeon Kim, MD; Hyo Ji Park, BS; Su Min Kwon, BS; Seung Il O, BS; Dae-Hyun Kim, MD, PhD; Jin-Heon Jeong, MD; Jae-Kwan Cha, MD, PhD Department of Neurology, Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea Stroke Center, Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea ORIGINAL ARTICLE J Neurocrit Care 2019;12(2):92-97 https://doi.org/10.18700/jnc.190108
How much reliable are the integrated ‘live’ data? A validation strategy proposal for the non-parametric micro statistical matching

The integration of different data sources is a widely discussed topic among both the researchers and the Official Statistics. Integrating data helps to contain costs and time required by new data collections. The non-parametric micro Statistical Matching (SM) allows to integrate ‘live’ data resorting only to the observed information, potentially avoiding the misspecification bias and speeding the computational effort. Despite these pros, the assessment of the integration goodness when we use this method is not robust. Moreover, several applications comply with some commonly accepted practices which recommend e.g. to use the biggest data set as donor. We propose a validation strategy to assess the integration goodness. We apply it to investigate these practices and to explore how different combinations of the SM techniques and distance functions perform in terms of the reliability of the synthetic (complete) data set generated. The validation strategy takes advantage of the relation existing among the variables pre-and-post the integration. The results show that ‘the biggest, the best’ rule must not be considered mandatory anymore. Indeed, the integration goodness increases in relation to the variability of the matching variables rather than with respect to the dimensionality ratio between the recipient and the donor data set.
Global Stabilization of Uncertain Lotka–Volterra Systems via Positive Nonlinear State Feedback

This article deals with stabilization of Lotka–Volterra (LV) systems in the presence of interval uncertainty and a physical limitation on the control input, which restricts this input to be strictly positive. Considering the positiveness property of LV systems, a quasi-monomial structure for the state feedback based control input is proposed. Considering this structure, stability of the closed-loop system with no uncertainty is analyzed. This analysis leads to an algebraic inequality, whose satisfaction guarantees stability of the closed-loop system. To extend this result to uncertain LV systems with interval parameter uncertainty, a new approach, by which stability of the positive equilibrium point of the closed-loop uncertain LV systems can be checked in terms of feasibility of a component-wise linear matrix inequality (LMI), is introduced. To achieve a stabilizing controller, the unknown controller parameters are obtained by using the feasible solutions of the mentioned LMI. To overcome some restrictions on the proposed method, a new Lyapunov function is employed, which leads to a bilinear matrix inequalities (BMI) to ensure stabilization. This BMI approach reduces the conservativeness of the above-mentioned LMI-based approach. Also, it is shown that the BMI-based approach can be extended for global stabilization of time-varying LV systems. The efficiency of the proposed schemes is shown through some examples inspired from chemical/biological processes.
Ferromagnetic Resonance-Enhanced Electrically Small Antennas

It is proposed that ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) of thin-film ferrites can be utilized to simultaneously improve the radiation efficiency and input impedance matching of electrically small antennas (ESAs). To validate the concept, the role of FMR in radiation is first derived analytically with an ideal thin-film ferrite radiator. It was concluded that the Gilbert damping of the ferrite, determining the quality factor of FMR, directly impacts on the radiation efficiency of the antenna. A practical example is proposed in the form of an electrically small single-loop antenna loaded with a thin-film yttrium-iron-garnet (YIG) core. The prototype has been designed, fabricated, and evaluated through both full-wave simulations and experiments. The simulation results match well to the experimental results, demonstrating the efficacy and significance of the idea. In addition, broadband equivalent circuit models are derived to model both the electrically small loops with and without the FMR enhancement and to provide additional insights into the design. The circuit models prove to be effective in predicting the input impedance and radiation efficiency of FMR-enhanced ESAs at a precision comparable with full-wave simulations.
Wearable Brain–Computer Interface Instrumentation for Robot-Based Rehabilitation by Augmented Reality

An instrument for remote control of the robot by wearable brain–computer interface (BCI) is proposed for rehabilitating children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Augmented reality (AR) glasses generate flickering stimuli, and a single-channel electroencephalographic BCI detects the elicited steady-state visual evoked potentials (SSVEPs). This allows benefiting from the SSVEP robustness by leaving available the view of robot movements. Together with the lack of training, a single channel maximizes the device’s wearability, fundamental for the acceptance by ADHD children. Effectively controlling the movements of a robot through a new channel enhances rehabilitation engagement and effectiveness. A case study at an accredited rehabilitation center on ten healthy adult subjects highlighted an average accuracy higher than 83%, with information transfer rate (ITR) up to 39 b/min. Preliminary further tests on four ADHD patients between six- and eight-years old provided highly positive feedback on device acceptance and attentional performance.
Testing the Adaptive Decoupling Hypothesis in a Hypermetamorphic and Sexually Dimorphic Insect

Complex life cycles—especially those with distinct larval and adult stages separated by a complete metamorphic event—are common in animals. The adaptive decoupling hypothesis (ADH) proposes that metamorphosis is an adaptation for optimizing expression of traits across life stages that experience opposing selection pressures. Similarly, sex-biased expression of traits is thought to evolve in response to sexually antagonistic selection. Both hypotheses predict that traits will be decoupled (i.e., genetically uncorrelated) among developmental stages and sexes, but direct comparisons between stage-specific and sex-specific decoupling are rare. Additionally, tests of the ADH have been hampered by a lack of suitable traits for among-stage comparisons and by uncertainties regarding how much decoupling is to be expected. To fill these voids, we characterize transcriptome-wide patterns of gene-expression decoupling in the hypermetamorphic and sexually dimorphic insect, Neodiprion lecontei. This species has three ecologically and morphologically distinct larval stages separated by molts, as well as a complete metamorphic transition that produces dimorphic adult males and females. Consistent with the ADH, we observe that: (1) the decoupling of gene expression becomes more pronounced as the ecological demands of developmental stages become more dissimilar and (2) gene-expression traits that mediate changing ecological interactions show stronger and more variable decoupling than expression traits that are likely to experience more uniform selection. We also find that gene-expression decoupling is more pronounced among major life stages than between the sexes. Overall, our results demonstrate that patterns of gene-expression decoupling can be predicted based on gene function and organismal ecology. Significance Statement 8 out of 10 animals undergo a metamorphic transition at some point in their life. The adaptive decoupling hypothesis proposes that metamorphosis is widespread because it enables natural selection to act independently on traits expressed at different stages. Using four ecologically distinct life stages of the redheaded pine sawfly, we show that the dissimilarity of gene expression profiles can be predicted based on the ecological dissimilarity of the life stages and on whether these genes impact ecological interactions. We also find that gene expression is more dissimilar between drastic life stages than between different sexes. Together, these results provide strong support for a core assumption of the ADH: that metamorphosis enables organisms to optimize genetic correlations across development. CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license available under a (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made The copyright holder for this preprint this version posted December 20, 2019. ; https://doi.org/10.1101/2019.12. 20.882803 doi: bioRxiv preprint
Guardian ad Litem Perceptions of Child Protection

Research into child protection has focused largely on evaluating the specific interventions that can improve outcomes for children who suffer neglect or abuse. Little is known about how the various elements of the child protection system interact to determine children’s permanency decisions and about the system’s overall strengths and weaknesses in improving outcomes for children. Guardian ad Litems are in a unique position to evaluate child protection because of their relative independence and because of their specific role of focusing on children’s best interests. This research was designed to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats facing the child protection system in a large Midwestern metropolitan area. The researcher engaged six Guardian ad Litems in qualitative research. The Guardian ad Litems were broadly supportive of the child protection system that they served, believing both the cases brought to court and the ensuing parental case plans they experienced were appropriate. Overall, they experienced positive collaboration within the system and felt that correct decisions were made about the final placement of the children within the system. They believed that they were making a positive difference for children. The most consistent complaint about the system was about the caseloads and turnover of the county social workers. They identified the county social worker as the key factor affecting the successful progression of a case. The researcher perceived quite varying beliefs about what minimum parenting standards should be before a child should be returned home amongst the respondents she interviewed. Therefore, this researcher recommends evidence-based training for Guardian Ad Litems that focus on minimum standards to ensure consistency and best practice for children.
Stepping up science-policy engagement to tackle environmental change: Methods and examples for achieving policy impact

In the context of rapid and unprecedented environmental change, there is growing emphasis amongst the scientific community to engage in policy processes and realise societal outcomes in addition to generating new knowledge. But, how can science-policy engagement efforts be delivered? What are the methods and tools? What are common challenges which need to be addressed? To address these questions, we provide insights and examples of the methods of science-policy engagement by researchers at the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford. These practical insights aim to provide guidance for others in the research community to deliver their ambitions to engage in policy processes and generate societal outcomes.
Challenges in Prognosis, Systemic Therapy, and Survival in Patients with HER2-Negative Metastatic Breast Cancer candidates to systemic chemotherapy

Abstract In patients with HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer who are not candidates for endocrine therapy, several regimens are approved, but there is no consensus on which should be preferred. The impressive gains in progression-free survival achieved by combining two cytotoxic drugs or chemotherapy plus bevacizumab have not consistently translated into overall survival benefits. Survival in this population depends on a wide range of biological and clinical factors, some of which remain unclear. International guidelines recommend that combination regimens should be limited to clinically aggressive situations. However, an evidence-based definition that could help guide treatment decisions and trial design has not been established for so-called ‘poor-prognosis’ or ‘aggressive’ tumors. In this article, we summarize the current literature regarding prognosis and treatment of patients with no endocrine options for HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer. The choice of optimal systemic therapy should be based on robust prognostic factors, the biologic characteristics of the tumor, and the type and severity of comorbidities. Furthermore, we suggest that combination regimens (chemotherapy doublets or bevacizumab-based regimens) may be considered appropriate options for patients with well-defined criteria representing poor-prognosis disease.
Ciclosporiasis: distribución, prevalencia y control

Cyclospora cayetanensis is recognized as an emerging protist that causes diarrheal illness. The parasite is endemic in tropical areas but reported worldwide. Humans are the only hosts known. Cyclospora is responsible for significant morbidity in children and AIDS patients and is an important cause of foodborne outbreaks. Globalization of the food supply and increased world travel have contributed to the spread of the parasite to non-endemic areas. Most of the cases have been linked with travelers or foodborne outbreaks. Berries and leafy green vegetables have been implicated as food sources. Cyclospora has been isolated from fruits, vegetables, shellfish, drinking water, swimming pools, lakes, rivers, wastewater, sewage water, and soil. The oocysts are highly resistant to environmental conditions, pesticides, and disinfectants. Techniques for fingerprinting analysis and genotype discrimination are not available. The lack of an animal model and limited DNA sequence data have hampered efforts to develop detection methods. The complete apicoplast and mitochondrial genomes of C. cayetanensis were recently obtained which could facilitate the development of genotyping tools. Prevention and control measures include improvement of personal hygiene, efficient sanitation, and improved water quality management. Food safety training worldwide is necessary. Quantifying risk and controlling Cyclospora in the environment are complicated by the minimum infectious dose, the highly resistant oocysts, and the long sporulation and pre-patent periods. This review summarizes the current status of knowledge of the parasite focusing on distribution, prevalence, and control strategies of infection.
Peritoneal Cancer-an Atypical Clinical Case

We present a 51-year-old female admitted for treatment of ovarian cancer with a diagnosis based on inguinal lymph node biopsy. After PET/CT, followed by surgery, the final diagnosis was peritoneal cancer. The primary site was not found and the only clinical sign was that of bilateral inguinal lymph node enlargement.
A study of prevalance of internet addiction and its association with depression and anxiety among medical students

Introduction: With the advent of technology, medical education has been transformed to the extent that internet has become a necessary part of it. The use of Internet ranges from purely academic purposes like acquisition of knowledge and research to completely leisure activities. While proper use of internet has its own benefits, problematic internet use can disrupt occupational and social life. It has been reported to be allied with anxiety disorders, introversion, pathological gambling, personality disorders, bipolar disorder and depression in young people. DSM-V classifies Internet Gaming Disorder in Section III and in the beta draft of ICD-11 it is included as a diagnosis under disorders due to addictive behaviours (6C51). Aim: To study the prevalence of internet addiction and its association with Depression and Anxiety among Medical Students. Materials and Methods: Cross sectional study involving 700 medical students who were using internet for more than 6 months duration was conducted. A pretested self-reported questionnaire, Young’s Internet Addiction Test, Beck’s Anxiety Inventory and Beck’s Depression scale were administered. Statistical analysis was done using latest IBM SPSS 2.0 Software. Results: Majority of the students 51.8 % belonged to 21-25 years age group. The prevalence of Internet Addiction was found out to be 19.1% with moderate addiction of 17.4%, and severe addiction of 1.7%. Among the internet addicts, 58.9% reported anxiety symptoms and 32.8% scored high on Becks Depression Scale. Conclusion: Around 1/5th of our sample had internet addiction which had positive correlation with Depression & Anxiety, indicating need for preventive measures like proper education, support groups and physical activities etc. Keywords: Internet addiction (IA), Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) Beck’s Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck’s Depression Scale (BDS).
Platelet-rich plasma combined with conventional surgery in the treatment of atrophic nonunion of femoral shaft fractures: study protocol for a prospective, randomized, controlled clinical trial

Background: Internal and external fixation combined with autologous bone graft for the treatment of atrophic nonunion has a long treatment cycle, and there remain cases where the nonunion cannot be cured. Platelet-rich plasma contains a variety of growth factors and a large number of white blood cells, and contributes to tissue healing. However, there have been no clinical studies on the effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma combined with conventional surgery in the treatment of atrophic nonunion. Methods/Design: We conducted a prospective, open-label, randomized, controlled clinical trial at the Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University, China. Ninety-two patients with atrophic nonunion of femoral shaft fractures were equally and randomly divided into a control group and an experimental group. The patients in the control group received conventional surgery, while the patients in the experimental group were injected with autologous platelet-rich plasma in addition to receiving conventional surgery. The primary outcome was fracture healing rate at 9 months postoperatively. The secondary outcomes were visual analogue scale scores for resting state and passive motion, healing time, treatment costs, and adverse reactions. Our partial results revealed that the visual analogue scale scores and complications were similar between the two groups on postoperative days 1–3. The healing rate was significantly higher in the experimental group compared with the control group. The healing time was significantly shorter in the experimental group compared with the control group. Discussion: The present trial was designed in August 2014, and case recruitment was completed in September 2016. Data for the last case will be collected in June 2018, and the data analysis will be completed in December 2018. The trial will provide objective data on the clinical use of platelet-rich plasma combined with conventional surgery for the treatment of atrophic nonunion. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03129971. Ethics: The study protocol has been approved by the Ethics Committee of Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University of China (approval number: QHG0223A). Informed consent: Written informed consent was obtained from all participants.
Adalward: a deep-learning framework for multi-class malicious webpage detection

ABSTRACT A global village is what the father of digital media and communications, Marshall McLuhan had dreamt of in the late 1970s. In June 2017, reaching over 51.7% of the global population, the Internet has made it a reality. In past couple of decades, with upsurge of wireless communication technologies, the Internet has spread its web to connect all corners of the world. Its undeniable merits aside, interconnectivity on such a massive scale ushered in a whole new era of rampant malfeasance, characterized by an ever-increasing rate of cyber-crimes. Intrinsically, cyber-security researchers around the globe have been trying to develop several effective mechanisms to deal with the threats posed by cybercriminals. In this paper, we are presenting Adalward – a five-layer deep-learning framework, which has the potential for overcoming most of the challenges faced by such existing systems. Unique framework of Adalward allows it to utilize both static and dynamic web features for making accurate classification decisions with unmatched efficiency. Adalward was trained on one million labelled URLs obtained from numerous trustworthy sources. By the end of its training phase, Adalward achieved an overall detection accuracy of 99.76%, with a negligible false-positive rate of 0.10% and a nominal false-negative rate of 0.14%.