Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neither Postabsorptive Resting Nor Postprandial Fat Oxidation Are Related to Peak Fat Oxidation in Men With Chronic Paraplegia

The peak rate of fat oxidation (PFO) achieved during a graded exercise test is an important indicator of metabolic health. In healthy individuals, there is a significant positive association between PFO and total daily fat oxidation (FO). However, conditions resulting in metabolic dysfunction may cause a disconnect between PFO and non-exercise FO. Ten adult men with chronic thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI) completed a graded arm exercise test. On a separate day following an overnight fast (≥ 10 h), they rested for 60 min before ingesting a liquid mixed meal (600 kcal; 35% fat, 50% carbohydrate, 15% protein). Expired gases were collected and indirect calorimetry data used to determine FO at rest, before and after feeding, and during the graded exercise test. Participants had “good” cardiorespiratory fitness (VO2peak: 19.2 ± 5.2 ml/kg/min) based on normative reference values for SCI. There was a strong positive correlation between PFO (0.30 ± 0.08 g/min) and VO2peak (r = 0.86, p = 0.002). Additionally, postabsorptive FO at rest was significantly and positively correlated with postprandial peak FO (r = 0.77, p = 0.01). However, PFO was not significantly associated with postabsorptive FO at rest (0.08 ± 0.02 g/min; p = 0.97), postprandial peak FO (0.10 ± 0.03 g/min; p = 0.43), or incremental area under the curve postprandial FO (p = 0.22). It may be advantageous to assess both postabsorptive FO at rest and PFO in those with SCI to gain a more complete picture of their metabolic flexibility and long-term metabolic health.
Revisiting Provider Communication to Support Team Cohesiveness: Implications for Practice, Provider Burnout, and Technology Application in Primary Care Settings

Background Effective team communication is an essential aspect of care delivery and the coordination of patients in primary care settings. With the rapid evolution of health information technology (HIT), including the implementation of electronic health records, there remains a gap in the literature about preferred methods of primary care team communication and the subsequent impact of provider and team outcomes (e.g., team cohesiveness; burnout). This study explores the impact of varying modes of communication across provider disciplines and by geographic settings during primary care delivery. Methods We used a cross-sectional survey design to collect data from a random convenience sample of PCPs (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) (n = 314) in New York State (NYS). We mailed a paper survey with validated measures for communication methods, team cohesiveness, and provider outcomes (burnout, job dissatisfaction, and the intention to leave position). Descriptive statistics, linear regression models, and crude and adjusted odds ratios while controlling for individual and practice characteristics were calculated. Results In-person communication was found to yield greater job satisfaction and less intention to leave current position in the next year (p=0.02) compared to other forms of communication including electronic health record features. The odds of job satisfaction was 1.51 times higher with in-person communication (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.05, 2.19), and the odds of intending to leave a position was 45% less with in-person communication (OR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.85). The odds of reporting burnout at work was 36% less with in-person communication (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.92) compared to other communication modalities. There was no significant association between team communication via the EHR and team cohesiveness, provider burnout, or job satisfaction. Conclusion This study demonstrates evidence that in-person communication is more likely to reduce burnout and job dissatisfaction compared to other forms of communication infrastructure in primary care settings. More research is needed to understand PCP perspectives about the functionality and potential burden that inhibits the use of EHR features for provider-provider communication. In addition, attention to the needs of teams by geographic location and by workforce discipline is warranted to ensure effective HIT communication application adoption.
Cognitive Bias Modification bei Symptomen der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung

Kognitive Modelle der Posttraumatischen Belastungsstörung (PTBS) gehen davon aus, dass eine dysfunktionale Informationsverarbeitung in den Bereichen Aufmerksamkeit, Interpretation, Bewertung und Gedächtnis einen wichtigen Faktor für das Auftreten und die Aufrechterhaltung der PTBS darstellt. Parallel zeigen verschiedenste Entwicklungen in der klinisch-experimentellen Forschung, dass es möglich sein könnte, solche kognitiven Verzerrungen mithilfe von Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM)-Trainings zu modifizieren. In diesem Beitrag geben wir einen narrativen Überblick über die CBM-Forschung im Kontext von Trauma und PTBS, im experimentellen sowie klinisch-angewandten Bereich. Zudem werden Herausforderungen und neue Forschungslinien für die CBM-Forschung im Kontext der PTBS vorgestellt und diskutiert.
Localized Surface Plasmons on Textiles for Non-contact Vital Sign Sensing

Radio-frequency technologies are capable of remotely sensing human vital signs for broad applications in healthcare. However, their use during daily life is hindered by challenges such as environmental interference, low sensitivity, and non-ideal form factors. Here, we report a radio-frequency sensor made from a conductive textile that provides sensitive non-contact monitoring of vital signs. The sensor (13 cm2 in size) comprises a radial pattern of grooves that support spoof localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes and a ground plane with a complementary window that controls the sensor’s interaction with the body. These spoof LSP modes provide a sharp resonant dip and a broadly tunable evanescent field that enables tracking of heartbeat and respiration via the |S11| spectrum measured in a connector-free manner. We establish the optimal operating mode of the sensor and show that it provides a resonant frequency shift of 250 MHz for respiration and 100 MHz for heartbeat motions. Experiments with a healthy human subject show that the measured heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) are in close agreement with gold standard sensors and are robust to daily activities performed while sitting.
The Effect of Transportation and Wildfires on the Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity of PM2.5 Mass in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Statistical Area

Declining ambient PM2.5 concentrations have been attributed to fuel consumption standards and emission controls of secondary sulfate and nitrate aerosol precursors from transportation and industrial sectors. As a result, the relative contribution of PM2.5 sources is modified, shifting PM2.5 trends, physicochemical characteristics, and health effects. Carbonaceous fine aerosol account for most of PM2.5 mass in the US. This study aims to examine the spatiotemporal trends of ambient PM2.5 levels and their association with primary PM2.5 emissions from anthropogenic activities and fires in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan statistical area (NYNJ MSA) airshed. PM2.5 mass concentrations were obtained from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Air Data. Ambient PM2.5 mass levels declined on average by 47%, at a rate of −0.61 ± 0.01 μg/m3/year in urban locations and −0.25 ± 0.01 μg/m3/year in upwind and peri-urban locations over the 2007 to 2017 period. The strong spatial gradient in 2007, with high PM2.5 levels in urban locations and low PM2.5 levels in peri-urban locations gradually weakened by 2013 but re-appeared in 2017. Over the same period, primary PM2.5 emissions declined by 52% from transportation, 15% from industrial, and 8% from other anthropogenic sources corresponding to a decrease of 0.8, 0.9, and 0.6 μg/m3 on ambient PM2.5 mass, respectively. Wildland and prescribed fires emissions increased more than 3 times adding 0.8 μg/m3 to ambient PM2.5 mass. These results indicate that (i) fire emissions may impede the effectiveness of existing policies to improve air quality and (ii) the chemical content of PM2.5 may be changing to an evolving mixture of aromatic and oxygenated organic species with differential toxicological responses as compared to inert ammonium sulfate and nitrate salts.
Genetic variability in Mysuru jasmine (Mysuru mallige): A GI crop of Mysuru

At the college of Horticulture, Mysuru, Karnataka, the study was conducted during 2018 kharif using RBD with two replications. Quantitative characters namely petiole length, leaf length, leaf breadth, bud length, bud breadth, flower diameter, flower stalks length or pedicel length, calyx length, the number of sepals/ calyx teeth, the number of whorls, the number of petals, petal length, the number of stamens, length of the anther, length of the filament, length of the style, length of the stigma, length of the corolla tube and flower bud weight were recorded. High (>20%) genotypic coefficient of variation (GCV) and phenotypic coefficient of variation (PCV) was observed for bud length, bud breadth, the number of whorls, the number of petals, pedicel length, length of corolla tube, length of filament, length of style, length of stigma and flower bud weight. Moderate (10 to 20%) GCV and PCV were observed for petiole length, leaf length, leaf breadth, flower diameter, calyx length, the number of calyx teeth, petal size and the number of stamen and length of the anther. The phenotypic co-efficient of variation was more than the genotypic co-efficient of variation for all characters studied. The higher (>20%) values of genetic advance over mean (GAM) coupled with very high (>80%) estimates of heritability were observed for characters viz. , bud length, bud breadth, flower diameter, calyx length, the number of calyx teeth, the number of whorls, the number of petals, petal size, pedicel length, length of the corolla tube, the number of stamens, length of anther, length of the filament, length of the style, length of the stigma and flower bud weight. Moderate heritability (40-60%) with low GAM was observed for petiole length. The variance due to genotypes was highly significant for all the characters except for length of the leaf. for petiole length (mm), leaf length (mm), bud (mm), bud (mm), (mm), flower or pedicel calyx (mm), the number of sepals/ the number of the number of petal (mm), petal (mm), the
Quantitative CT for Preoperative Assessment of Lumbar Degenerative Spondylolisthesis: The Unique Impact of L4 Bone Mineral Density on Single-Level Disease

Background: Quantitative computed tomography (qCT) efficiently measures 3-dimensional vertebral bone mineral density (BMD), but its utility in measuring BMD at various vertebral levels in patients with lumbar degenerative spondylolisthesis (LDS) is unclear. Purpose: We sought to determine whether qCT could differentiate BMD at different levels of LDS, particularly at L4-L5, the most common single level for LDS. In addition, we sought to describe patterns of BMD for single-level and multiple-level LDS. Methods: We conducted a study of patients undergoing surgery for LDS who were part of a larger longitudinal study comparing preoperative and intraoperative images. Preoperative patients were grouped as single-level or multiple-level LDS, and qCT BMD was obtained for L1-S1 vertebrae. Mean BMD was compared with literature reports; in multivariable analyses, BMD of each vertebra was assessed according to the level of LDS, controlling for covariates and for BMD of other vertebrae. Results: Of 250 patients (mean age: 67 years, 64% women), 22 had LDS at L3-L4 only, 170 at L4-L5 only, 13 at L5-S1 only, and 45 at multiple levels. Compared with other disorders reported in the literature, BMD in our sample similarly decreased from L1 to L3 then increased from L4 to S1, but mean BMD per vertebra in our sample was lower. Nearly half of our sample met criteria for osteopenia. In multivariable analysis controlling for BMD at other vertebrae, lower L4 BMD was associated with LDS at L4-L5, greater pelvic incidence minus lumbar lordosis, and not having diabetes. In contrast, in similar multivariable analysis, greater L4 BMD was associated with LDS at L3-L4. Bone mineral density of L3 and L5 was not associated with LDS levels. Conclusion: In our sample of preoperative patients with LDS, we observed lower BMD for LDS than for other lumbar disorders. L4 BMD varied according to the level of LDS after controlling for covariates and BMD of other vertebrae. Given that BMD can be obtained from routine imaging, our findings suggest that qCT data may be useful in the comprehensive assessment of and strategy for LDS surgery. More research is needed to elucidate the cause-effect relationships among spinopelvic alignment, LDS, and BMD.
Evaluation and Distribution of Selected Polychlorinated Biphenyl Congeners and Triclosan in Soil, Sediment and Surface Water System: A Case Study of Ojutu River, Osun State, Nigeria

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the presence of seven-selected polychlorinated biphenyls and triclosan in the Ojutu River, Osun State Nigeria. The soil, sediment and surface water at five different sampling sites were investigated following the standard analytical procedure. The maximum concentration of targeted PCBs in soil, sediment and water are; 1.02 µg/g, 0.6490 µg/g and 0.02981 µg/mL respectively. While triclosan has 0.0562 ng/g, 0.0457 ng/g and 0.001070 ng/mL in sediment, soil and water samples respectively. The concentrations of some of the selected PCB congeners and triclosan were significant in sediment and soil samples across the sites while the majority analytes showed no significant differences in water samples across the sites. The parameters investigated were found within the WHO maximum permissible limit therefore the water could be considered less susceptible to these pollutants. Other contaminants such as personal care products, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals and micro-pollutants as well as pollution levels associated with microbial load are worthy of investigation to know the actual state of the river for the safety of aquatic lives and the health of humans who depends on this river.
Dynamic behavior of hydraulic turbine runners

In the hydraulic turbine machinery, the runner is a key component where the energy conversion takes place. During operation, the runner is closed inside a casing full of water and suffers the hydraulic excitations. Many damages were observed on different types of runners and vibration problems were induced to the whole machine, which badly impacted the operation stability and the generation of powerplants. Accordingly, to know the dynamic behavior of the machine, especially the turbine runner, is of high interest for both manufacturers and powerplants. This thesis presents an investigation on the dynamic behavior of different types of hydraulic turbine runners. Numerical simulations were carried out on two runners, one reduced Francis model and one prototype pump-turbine runner. Corresponding experiments were also performed and results were included to verify the numerical method. Hydraulic turbine runner has very complex geometry and works under very complex conditions. These bring some big challenges for the numerical simulation. Overcoming the geometrical complexity, the high quality finite element mesh was built totally by hexahedral elements to couple the structure and fluid domain. With the numerical model verified by corresponding experiments in air and in water, more complex conditions were considered, such as the nearby boundaries and shaft connection. Natural frequencies and modal behavior of the runners were obtained considering the effects of different conditions. The surrounding fluid significantly reduces natural frequencies the runners, depending on the behavior of the mode. This effect may be significantly increased due to the presence of the nearby boundary and constraint conditions. The significance also depends on the behavior of the modes. This surrounding fluid effect was determined both numerically and experimentally. The phenomenon was physically explained using energy principles. A non-dimensional factor was derived, which can be extrapolated to geometrical similar runners independent of the dimensions and materials. This is practically valuable for the runner development. In addition, the different types of runners represent different behaviors, due to the difference of geometrical characteristics. The nodal diametrical modes of the two runners were analyzed and compared carefully. Accordingly, the effects due to the fluid presence and other conditions are also different. Finally, a numerical procedure using harmonic response analysis was developed to determine the dynamic response of the runner excited by rotor stator interaction. The characteristics of excitations were derived based on the theory of rotor stator interaction
Does thermoplastics' thickness influence joint stabilization and movement coordination? An inferential study of wrist orthoses

Background: Given the existence of multiple low-temperature thermoplastics, clinicians fabricating can readily modify an orthoses' thickness, weight and flexibility, among other properties. However, there is limited evidence on the impact of such different materials on upper extremities' biomechanics. Objective: Our study aimed to investigate differences in joint stabilization and movement coordination provided by upper extremity orthotics fabricated with low-temperature thermoplastics of different thicknesses. Study Design: Inferential, cross-sectional study Method: We conducted a kinematic analysis of a standardized task through a three-dimensional motion capture system. Ten participants (5 female) performed the same task under three circumstances: 1) wearing a volar wrist immobilization orthosis, made with a 3.2-mm thick low-temperature thermoplastic; 2) using the same orthotic fabricated with a 1.6-mm thick material; and (3) without orthoses. We divided the standardized task into five logical phases for data analysis, obtaining the active range of motion of the shoulder, elbow, forearm, and wrist joints as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included movement smoothness and coordination, measured by the number of motor units, time, and distance travelled by the upper extremity. Results: Despite changes in thermoplastic thickness, both orthotics significantly restricted the wrist motion during task performance (F(2,16) = 14.32, P < . 01, and η2p = 0.797), with no difference between the 2 devices and no significant changes to proximal joints' active range of motion. Although orthoses use increased the time required for task performance (F(2,16) = 23.05, P < . 01, and η2p = 0.742), no significant differences in movement smoothness or coordination were noted. Conclusion: Our results indicate that wrist orthoses fabricated with a 1.6-mm thick low-temperature thermoplastic can provide joint stabilization similar to a device made from a 3.2-mm thickness material, suggesting thinner thermoplastics' efficacy to stabilize joints in the absence of contractures or preexisting chronic conditions.
The Fight against Infection and Pain: Devil’s Claw (Harpagophytum procumbens) a Rich Source of Anti-Inflammatory Activity: 2011–2022

Harpagophytum procumbens subsp. procumbens (Burch.) DC. ex Meisn. (Sesame seed Family—Pedaliaceae) is a popular medicinal plant known as Devil’s claw. It is predominantly distributed widely over southern Africa. Its impressive reputation is embedded in its traditional uses as an indigenous herbal plant for the treatment of menstrual problems, bitter tonic, inflammation febrifuge, syphilis or even loss of appetite. A number of bioactive compounds such as terpenoids, iridoid glycosides, glycosides, and acetylated phenolic compounds have been isolated. Harpagoside and harpagide, iridoid glycosides bioactive compounds have been reported in countless phytochemical studies as potential anti-inflammatory agents as well as pain relievers. In-depth studies have associated chronic inflammation with various diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis, type 2 diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases. In addition, 60% of chronic disorder fatalities are due to chronic inflammatory diseases worldwide. Inflammation and pain-related disorders have attracted significant attention as leading causes of global health challenges. Articles published from 2011 to the present were obtained and reviewed in-depth to determine valuable data findings as well as knowledge gaps. Various globally recognized scientific search engines/databases including Scopus, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect were utilized to collect information and deliver evidence. Based on the literature results, there was a dramatic decrease in the number of studies conducted on the anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity of Devil’s claw, thereby presenting a potential research gap. It is also evident that currently in vivo clinical studies are needed to validate the prior massive in vitro studies, therefore delivering an ideal anti-inflammatory and analgesic agent in the form of H. procumbens products.
Crowdsourced Wifi Database And Benchmark Software For Indoor Positioning

This dataset contains two Wi-Fi databases (one for training and one for test/estimation purposes in indoor positioning applications), collected in a crowdsourced mode (i.e., via 21 different devices and different users), together with a benchmarking utility software (in Matlab and Python) to illustrate various algorithms of indoor positioning based solely on WiFi information (MAC addresses and RSS values). The data was collected in a 4-floor university building in Tampere, Finland, during Jan-Aug 2017 and it comprises 687 training fingerprints and 3951 test or estimation fingerprints. 13.10. 2017: Version 2 uploaded; the revised version contains improved readme files and improved Python SW. The dataset and/or the associated software are to be cited as follows: E.S. Lohan, J. Torres-Sospedra, P. Richter, H. Leppakoski, J. Huerta, A. Cramariuc, “Crowdsourced WiFi-fingerprinting database and benchmark software for indoor positioning”, Zenodo repository, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.889798
Stealthy multiplicative attacks against cyber‐physical systems: A gap metric approach

In this article, a stealthy multiplicative attack design scheme for cyber‐physical systems equipped with parity space based detector is proposed, with the aid of gap metric method. First, a novel stealthiness index defined by the gap metric is presented for multiplicative attacks, and the security analysis issue of parity space based detector is formulated. Then, the attack subspace satisfying the stealthiness constraint is constructed, and the subspace rotation is applied to parameterize the multiplicative attacks. Moreover, a joint optimization method is presented to design the stealthy multiplicative attacks. Finally, simulations on a flight vehicle demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Physics-Based Modeling and Simulation of Musculoskeletal Robots (Modellierung und Simulation von Muskuloskeletalen Robotern)

Musculoskeletal robots are tendon-driven robots that replicate living beings with an unprecedented level of detail. While these robots enable new applications for robotics, their bio-inspired design also introduces new challenges. One approach to tackle these challenges is via simulations. Thus, in this dissertation, the applicability of physics-engines, originally developed for computer games, for the simulation of musculoskeletal robots is investigated.