Search results for: severe physical disabilities

Authors: Rajish Shil, Mohammad Ali Houri, Mohammad Milad Ismail, Fatimah Al Kaabi

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The clinical presentation of Primary hyperparathyroidism can vary from simple asymptomatic hypercalcemia to severe life-threatening hypercalcemic crisis with multi-organ dysfunction, which can be due to parathyroid adenoma or sometimes with malignant cancer. This cascade of clinical presentation can lead to a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge for treating the disease. We are presenting a case of severe hypercalcemic crisis due to parathyroid adenoma with an emphasis on early management, diagnosis, and interventions to prevent any lifelong complications and any permanent organ dysfunction. A 30 years old female with a history of primary Infertility, admitted to Al Ain Hospital critical care unit with Acute Severe Necrotizing Pancreatitis. She initially had a 1-month history of abdominal pain on and off, for which she was treated conservatively with no much improvement, and later on, she developed life-threatening severe pancreatitis, which required her to be admitted to the critical care unit. She was transferred from a private healthcare facility, where she was found to have a very high level of calcium up to 15mmol/L. She received systemic Zoledronic Acid, which lowered her calcium level transiently and later was increased again. She went on to develop multiple end-organ damages along with multiple electrolytes disturbances. She was found to have high levels of Parathyroid hormone, which was correlated with a parathyroid mass on the neck via radiological imaging. After a long course of medical treatment to lower the calcium to a near-normal level, parathyroidectomy was done, which showed parathyroid adenoma on histology. She developed hungry bone syndrome after the surgery and pancreatic pseudocyst after resolving of pancreatitis. She required aggressive treatment with Intravenous calcium for her hypocalcemia as she received zoledronic acid at the beginning of the disease. Later on, she was discharged on long term calcium and other electrolytes supplements. In patients presenting with hypercalcemia, it is prudent to investigate and start treatment early to prevent complications and end-organ damage from hypercalcemia and also to treat the primary cause of the hypercalcemia, with conscious follow up to prevent hypocalcemic complications after treatment. It is important to follow up patients with parathyroid adenomas for a long period in order to detect any recurrence of the tumor or to make sure if the primary tumor is either benign or malignant.

Keywords: hypercalcemia, pancreatitis, hypocalcemia, hyperparathyroidism

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Authors: Juan Li, Hui Tian, Min Wang

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In China, under the considerable pressure of 'Gaokao' –the highly competitive college entrance examination, high school teachers and parents often worry that doing physical activity would take away the students’ precious study time and may have a negative impact on the academic grades. There was a tendency to achieve high academic scores at the cost of physical exercise. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the physical fitness and academic achievement of Chinese high school students. The participants were 968 grade one (N=457) and grade two students (N=511) with an average age of 16 years from three high schools of different levels in Beijing, China. 479 were boys, and 489 were girls. One of the schools is a top high school in China, another is a key high school in Beijing, and the other is an ordinary high school. All analyses were weighted using SAS 9.4 to ensure the representatives of the sample. The weights were based on 12 strata of schools, sex, and grades. Physical fitness data were collected using the scores of the National Physical Fitness Test, which is an annual official test administered by the Ministry of Education in China. It includes 50m run, sits and reach test, standing long jump, 1000m run (for boys), 800m run (for girls), pull-ups for 1 minute (for boys), and bent-knee sit-ups for 1 minute (for girls). The test is an overall evaluation of the students’ physical health on the major indexes of strength, endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory function. Academic scores were obtained from the three schools with the students’ consent. The statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS 24. Independent-Samples T-test was used to examine the gender group differences. Spearman’s Rho bivariate correlation was adopted to test for associations between physical test results and academic performance. Statistical significance was set at p<.05. The study found that girls obtained higher fitness scores than boys (p=.000). The girls’ physical fitness test scores were positively associated with the total academic grades (rs=.103, p=.029), English (rs=.096, p=.042), physics (rs=.202, p=.000) and chemistry scores (rs=.131, p=.009). No significant relationship was observed in boys. Cardiorespiratory fitness had a positive association with physics (rs=.196, p=.000) and biology scores (rs=.168, p=.023) in girls, and with English score in boys (rs=.104, p=.029). A possible explanation for the greater association between physical fitness and academic achievement in girls rather than boys was that girls showed stronger motivation in achieving high scores in whether academic tests or fitness tests. More driven by the test results, girls probably tended to invest more time and energy in training for the fitness test. Higher fitness levels were associated with an academic benefit among girls generally in Chinese high schools. Therefore, physical fitness needs to be given greater emphasis among Chinese adolescents and gender differences need to be taken into consideration.

Keywords: physical fitness; adolescents; academic achievement; high school

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Authors: Weicheng Luo, Wenzhi Zhao

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Plants growth in desert often suffered from stresses like water deficit, wind erosion and sand burial. Thus, plants in desert always have unique strategies to adapt these stresses. However, data regarding how clonal shrubs withstand wind erosion and sand burial in natural habitats remain relatively scarce. Therefore, we selected a common clonal shrub Calligonum arborescens to study the adaptive strategies of clonal plants to sand dune environment in a transitional zone of desert and Hexi Oasis of China. Our results show that sand burial is one of the essential prerequisites for the survival of C. arborescens rhizome fragments. Both the time and degrees of sand burial and wind erosion had significantly effects on clonal reproduction and growth of C. arborescens. With increasing burial depth, the number of ramets and biomass production significantly decreased. There is same change trend in severe erosion treatments. However, the number of ramets and biomass production significantly increased in moderate erosion treatments. Rhizome severed greatly decreased ramet number and biomass production under both sand burial and severe erosion treatments. That indicated that both sand burial and severe erosion had negative effects on the clonal growth of C. arborescens, but moderate wind erosion had positive effects. And rhizome connections alleviated the negative effects of sand burial and of severe erosion on the growth and performance of C. arborescens. Most fragments of C. arborescens grew in the directions of northeastern and southwestern. Ramet number and biomass, rhizome length and biomass in these two directions were significantly higher than those found in other directions. Interestingly, these directions were perpendicular to the prevailing wind direction. Distribution of C. arborescens differed in different habitats. The total number of individuals was significantly higher in inter-dune areas and on windward slopes than on the top and leeward slopes of dunes; more clonal ramets were produced on the top of dunes than elsewhere, and a few were found on leeward slopes. The mainly reason is that ramets on windward and top of dunes can easily suffered with moderated wind erosion which promoted clonal growth and reproduction of C. arborescens. These results indicated that C. arborescens adapted sand dune environment through directional growth and patchy distribution, and sand-burial and wind erosion were the key factors which led to the directional growth and patchiness of C. arborescens.

Keywords: adaptive strategy, Calligonum arborescens Litv, clonal fragment, desert-oasis transitional zone, sand burial and wind erosion

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Authors: Justin M. Swanson, Anna Nelson, Daniel Handysides, Patti Herring, Christopher Hill

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Not only may social media use have a psychological impact, but increased use may be tied to decreases in physical activity and influencing sedentary behaviors. Social media can be used to share physically active lifestyles and possibly influence others to participate. In contrast, social media use may have adverse effects by decreasing participation in exercise. This study used a qualitative design to examine the relationship between social media use and exercise patterns. Participants were asked questions about their social media habits and how it might impact their physical activity behaviors. Self-reported exercise seemed to increase after viewing others engage in relatable activities or viewing someone that has overcame challenges. To increase the likelihood of engaging in exercise, exercise related posts should be low in difficulty, require few materials, or displayed progress from the individual posting.

Keywords: social media, exercise, physical activity, adults

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Authors: Bryan Young, Andrew Wodehouse, Marion Sheridan

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The availability of working memory has long been identified as a critical aspect of an instructional design. Many conventional instructional procedures impose irrelevant or unrelated cognitive loads on the learner due to the fact that they were created without contemplation, or understanding, of cognitive work load. Learning to physically operate traditional products can be viewed as a learning process akin to any other. As such, many of today's products, such as cars, boats, and planes, which have traditional controls that predate modern user-centered design techniques may be imposing irrelevant or unrelated cognitive loads on their operators. The goal of the research was to investigate the fundamental relationships between physical inputs, resulting actions, and learnability. The results showed that individuals can quickly adapt to input/output reversals across dimensions, however, individuals struggle to cope with the input/output when the dimensions are rotated due to the resulting increase in cognitive load.

Keywords: cognitive load theory, instructional design, physical product interactions, usability design

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Authors: Samrah Saeed

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Introduction: This study considers a measure of positive body image and the associations between body appreciation, beauty ideals internalization, dietary habits, and physical activity in young adults. Positive body image is assessed by Body Appreciation Scale 2. It is used to assess a person's acceptance of the body, the degree of positivity, and respect for the body.Regular physical activity and healthy eating arebasically important for the body, and they play an important role in creating a positive image of the body. Objectives: To identify the associations between body appreciation and beauty ideals internalization. To compare body appreciation and body ideals internalization among students of different physical activity. To explore the associations between dietary habits (unhealthy, healthy), body appreciation and body ideals internalization. Research methods and organization: Study participants were young adult students, aged 18-35, both male and female.The research questionnaire consisted of four areas: body appreciation, beauty ideals internalization, dietary habits, and physical activity.The questionnaire was created in Google Forms online survey platform.The questionnaire was filled out anonymously Result and Discussion: Physical dissatisfaction, diet, eating disorders and exercise disorders are found in young adults all over the world.Thorough nutrition helps people understand who they are by reassuring them that they are okay without judging or accepting themselves. Social media can positively influence body image in many ways.A healthy body image is important because it affect self-esteem, self-acceptance, and your attitude towards food and exercise.

Keywords: pysical activity, dietary habits, body image, beauty ideals internalization, body appreciation

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Authors: N. H. Hamid, A. Azmi, M. I. Adiyanto

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This main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the seismic performance of double bay two-storey reinforced concrete frame under in-plane lateral cyclic loading which designed using Eurocode 8 (EC8) by taking into account of seismic loading. The prototype model of reinforced concrete frame was constructed in one-half scale tested under in-plane lateral cyclic loading starts with ±0.2% drift, ±0.25% up to ±3.0% drift with the increment of ±0.25%. The performance of the RC frame is evaluated in terms of the hysteresis loop (load vs. displacement), stiffness, ductility, lateral strength, stress-strain relationship and equivalent viscous damping. Visual observation of the crack pattern after testing were observed where the beam- column joint suffer the most severe damage as it is the critical part in moment resisting frame. Spalling of concrete starts occurred at ±2.0% drift and become worse at ±2.5% drift. The experimental result shows that the maximum lateral strength of specimen is 99.98 kN and ductility of the specimen is µ=4.07 which lies between 3≤µ≤6 in order to withstand moderate to severe earthquakes.

Keywords: ductility, equivalent viscous damping, hysteresis loops, lateral strength, stiffness

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Authors: Ippei Kamihira, Takashi Nakajima, Taiyo Matsumura, Hikaru Miura, Takashi Ono

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In this research, the goal was construction of a system by which multiple sensors were used to observe the daily life behavior of persons living alone (while respecting their privacy). Using this information to judge such conditions as a bad physical condition or falling in the home, etc., so that these abnormal conditions can be made known to relatives and third parties. The daily life patterns of persons living alone are expressed by the number of responses of sensors each time that a set time period has elapsed. By comparing data for the prior two weeks, it was possible to judge a situation as 'normal' when the person was in a good physical condition or as 'abnormal' when the person was in a bad physical condition.

Keywords: sensors, elderly living alone, abnormality detection, iifestyle habit

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Authors: A. Fogliata, L. Martiniello, A. Ambretti

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Introduction: The significance of balance and stability in physical education among adolescents is well-established. This study aims to assess the efficacy of Centering (CENT), which employs intra-abdominal pressure (IAP) in line with the Synchrony Method, in optimizing balance and reducing perceived stress. Materials and Methods: A 6-week intervention was conducted on a sample of adolescents, divided into a control group and an experimental group that incorporated CENT into their physical education program. The Stork Balance Test and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were used to measure changes. Results: Findings revealed a significant enhancement in the balance of both the dominant and non-dominant limbs in the experimental group compared to the control group. Moreover, the PSS test indicated a reduction in perceived stress within the experimental group. Conclusion: Integrating the centering technique into physical education programs can lead to substantial improvements in adolescents' balance and stability, in addition to a reduction in perceived stress levels. These findings suggest the need for further research on broader populations to solidify these pivotal outcomes.

Keywords: adolescents, physical education, balance, centering, intra-abdominal pressure

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Authors: Vasti Oelofse, Niekie van der Merwe, Dorita du Toit

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This study addresses the need for a unified best practice model for Physical Education across BRICS nations, as current research primarily offers individual country recommendations. Drawing on relevant literature within the framework of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, as well as data from open-ended questionnaires completed by Physical Education experts from the BRICS countries, , the study develops a best practice model based on identified challenges and effective practices in Physical Education. A model is proposed that incorporates flexible and resource-efficient strategies tailored to address PE challenges specific to these countries, enhancing outcomes for learners, empowering teachers, and fostering systemic collaboration among BRICS members. The proposed model comprises six key areas: “Curriculum and policy requirements”, “General approach”, “Theoretical basis”, “Strategies for presenting content”, “Teacher training”, and “Evaluation”. The “Strategies for presenting program content” area addresses both well-resourced and poorly resourced schools, adapting curriculum, teaching strategies, materials, and learner activities for varied socio-economic contexts. The model emphasizes a holistic approach to learner development, engaging environments, and continuous teacher training. A collaborative approach among BRICS countries, focusing on shared best practices and continuous improvement, is vital for the model's successful implementation, enhancing Physical Education programs and outcomes across these nations.

Keywords: BRICS countries, physical education, best practice model, ecological systems theory

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Authors: Elham Saraee, Saurabh Singh, Margrit Betke

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Evaluation of a person’s posture while exercising is important in physical therapy. During a therapy session, a physical therapist or a monitoring system must assure that the person is performing an exercise correctly to achieve the desired therapeutic effect. In this work, we introduce a system called POSTURECHECK for exercise assessment in physical therapy. POSTURECHECK assesses the posture of a person who is exercising with the Proficio robotic arm while being recorded by the Microsoft Kinect interface. POSTURECHECK extracts unique features from the person’s upper body during the exercise, and classifies the sequence of postures as correct or incorrect using Bayesian estimation and majority voting. If POSTURECHECK recognizes an incorrect posture, it specifies what the user can do to correct it. The result of our experiment shows that POSTURECHECK is capable of recognizing the incorrect postures in real time while the user is performing an exercise.

Keywords: Bayesian estimation, majority voting, Microsoft Kinect, PostureCheck, Proficio robotic arm, upper body physical therapy

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Authors: H. Parameshwar Naik, Shripad Kulkarni

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Powdery mildew is a serious disease among the fungal in high humid areas with varied temperature conditions. In recent days disease becomes very severe due to uncertain weather conditions and unique character of the disease is, it produces white mycelia growth on upper and lower leaf surfaces and in severe conditions it leads to defoliation. Results of the experiment revealed that sowing of crop in the I fortnight (FN) of July recorded the minimum mean disease severity (7.96 %) followed by crop sown in II FN of July (13.19 %) as against the crop sown in II FN of August (41.44 %) and I FN of September (33.78 %) and the I fortnight of October (33.77 %). In the first date of sowing infection started at 45 DAS and progressed till 73 DAS and it was up to 14.66 Percent and in second date of sowing disease progressed up to 22.66 percent and in the third date of sowing, it was up to 59.35 percent. Afterward, the disease started earlier and progressed up to 66.15 percent and in sixth and seventh date of sowing disease progressed up to 43.15 percent and 59.85 percent respectively. Disease progress is very fast after 45 days after sowing and highest disease incidence was noticed at 73 DAS irrespective of dates of sowing. From the results of the present study, it is very clear that disease development will be very high if crop sown in between 1st fortnight of August and the 1st fortnight of September.

Keywords: cucumber, India, Karnataka, powdery mildew

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Authors: Hassan Shahmiri Barzoki

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Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an abnormal physiologic and psychological reaction in person with severe traumatic history. In recent studies, the relationship between PTSD and some other disease apparently unrelated to psychological situations, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome, has been revealed. Thus, the aim of this study was to survey the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and mental health in PTSD patients. Methods: The research design was retrospective cohort study. Subjects were consisted of 142 Iran-Iraq war veterans with PTSD (age: 40-60 years), and the control group was consisted of 153 veterans without PTSD. Data was collected using questionnaires, physical exams and laboratory tests. Results: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 45.1%in PTSD group and 17% in control group. In addition, blood pressure, triglyceride and fasting blood sugar in PTSD group were significantly higher than control group (p<0.05). Also, PTSD patients had significant high rates of psychiatric disorders. Conclusion: PTSD patients are more prone to metabolic syndrome and psychiatric disorders than control group.

Keywords: mental health, metabolic syndrome, post traumatic stress disorder, patient

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Authors: Marija Zulić, Vanda Hájková, Nina Brkić-Jovanović, Linda Rathousová, Sanja Tomić

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Cerebral palsy is primarily reflected in the disorder of the development of movement and posture, which may be accompanied by sensory disturbances, disturbances of perception, cognition and communication, behavioural disorders and epilepsy. According to current inclusive attitudes towards people with disabilities implies that full social participation of children with cerebral palsy means inclusion in all activities in family, peer, school and leisure environments in the same scope and to the same extent as is the case with the children of proper development and without physical difficulties. Due to the fact that it has been established that the quality of children's participation in primary school is directly related to their social inclusion in future life, the aim of the paper is to identify predictors of social participation, respectively, and in particular, factors that could to improve the quality of social participation of children with cerebral palsy, in the primary school environment in Czech Republic. The study includes children with cerebral palsy (n = 75) in the Czech Republic, aged between six and 12 years who attend mainstream or special primary schools to the sixth grade. The main instrument used was the first and third part of the School function assessment questionnaire. It will also take into account the type of damage assessed according to a scale the Gross motor function classification system, five–level classification system for cerebral palsy. The research results will provide detailed insight into the degree of social participation of children with cerebral palsy and the factors that would be a potential cause of their levels of participation, in regular and special primary schools, in different socioeconomic environments in Czech Republic.

Keywords: cerebral palsy, Czech republic, social participation, the school function assessment

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Authors: Seyed Abolhasan Naeini, M. Mortezaee

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Various factors such as the method of installation, the pile type, the pile material and the pile shape, can affect the final bearing capacity of a pile executed in the soil; among them, the method of installation is of special importance. The physical modeling is among the best options in the laboratory study of the piles behavior. Therefore, the current paper first presents and reviews the frustum confining vesel (FCV) as a suitable tool for physical modeling of deep foundations. Then, by describing the loading tests of two open-ended and closed-end steel piles, each of which has been performed in two methods, “with displacement" and "without displacement", the effect of end conditions and installation method on the final bearing capacity of the pile is investigated. The soil used in the current paper is silty sand of Firoozkooh. The results of the experiments show that in general the without displacement installation method has a larger bearing capacity in both piles, and in a specific method of installation the closed ended pile shows a slightly higher bearing capacity.

Keywords: physical modeling, frustum confining vessel, pile, bearing capacity, installation method

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Authors: Azyz Sharafy

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3D Text Toys is an innovative and creative approach that utilizes 3D text objects to enhance creativity, literacy, and basic learning in an enjoyable and gamified manner. By using 3D Text Toys, children can develop their creativity, visually learn words and texts, and apply their artistic talents within their creative abilities. This process incorporates haptic engagement with 2D and 3D texts, word building, and mechanical construction of everyday objects, thereby facilitating better word and text retention. The concept involves constructing visual objects made entirely out of 3D text/words, where each component of the object represents a word or text element. For instance, a bird can be recreated using words or text shaped like its wings, beak, legs, head, and body, resulting in a 3D representation of the bird purely composed of text. This can serve as an art piece or a learning tool in the form of a 3D text toy. These 3D text objects or toys can be crafted using natural materials such as leaves, twigs, strings, or ropes, or they can be made from various physical materials using traditional crafting tools. Digital versions of these objects can be created using 2D or 3D software on devices like phones, laptops, iPads, or computers. To transform digital designs into physical objects, computerized machines such as CNC routers, laser cutters, and 3D printers can be utilized. Once the parts are printed or cut out, students can assemble the 3D texts by gluing them together, resulting in natural or everyday 3D text objects. These objects can be painted to create artistic pieces or text toys, and the addition of wheels can transform them into moving toys. One of the significant advantages of this visual and creative object-based learning process is that students not only learn words but also derive enjoyment from the process of creating, painting, and playing with these objects. The ownership and creation process further enhances comprehension and word retention. Moreover, for individuals with learning disabilities such as dyslexia, ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), or other learning difficulties, the visual and haptic approach of 3D Text Toys can serve as an additional creative and personalized learning aid. The application of 3D Text Toys extends to both the English language and any other global written language. The adaptation and creative application may vary depending on the country, space, and native written language. Furthermore, the implementation of this visual and haptic learning tool can be tailored to teach foreign languages based on age level and comprehension requirements. In summary, this creative, haptic, and visual approach has the potential to serve as a global literacy tool.

Keywords: 3D text toys, creative, artistic, visual learning for world literacy

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Authors: Lavinia Flueckiger, Roselind Lieb, Andrea H. Meyer, Cornelia Witthauer, Jutta Mata

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Objective: Health behaviors tend to show a high variability over time within the same person. However, most existing research can only assess a snapshot of a person’s behavior and not capture this natural daily variability. Two intensive longitudinal studies examine the variability in health behavior over one academic year and their implications for other aspects of daily life such as affect and academic performance. Can already a single day of increased physical activity, snacking, or improved sleep have beneficial effects? Methods: In two intensive longitudinal studies with up to 65 assessment days over an entire academic year, university students (Study 1: N = 292; Study 2: N = 304) reported sleep quality, physical activity, snacking, positive and negative affect, and learning goal achievement. Results: Multilevel structural equation models showed that on days on which participants reported better sleep quality or more physical activity than usual, they also reported increased positive affect, decreased negative affect, and better learning goal achievement. Higher day-to-day snacking was only associated with increased positive affect. Both, increased day-to-day sleep quality and physical activity were indirectly associated with better learning goal achievement through changes in positive and negative affect; results for snacking were mixed. Importantly, day-to-day sleep quality was a stronger predictor for affect and learning goal achievement than physical activity or snacking. Conclusion: One day of better sleep or more physical activity than usual is associated with improved affect and academic performance. These findings have important implications for low-threshold interventions targeting the improvement of daily functioning.

Keywords: sleep quality, physical activity, snacking, affect, academic performance, multilevel structural equation model

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Authors: Khaled Benyounes

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Determination of the rock mechanical properties such as unconfined compressive strength UCS, Young’s modulus E, and tensile strength by the Brazilian test Rtb is considered to be the most important component in drilling and mining engineering project. Research related to establishing correlation between strength and physical parameters of rocks has always been of interest to mining and reservoir engineering. For this, many rock blocks of limestone were collected from the quarry located in Meftah(Algeria), the cores were crafted in the laboratory using a core drill. This work examines the relationships between mechanical properties and some physical properties of limestone. Many empirical equations are established between UCS and physical properties of limestone (such as dry bulk density, velocity of P-waves, dynamic Young’s modulus, alteration index, and total porosity). Others correlations UCS-tensile strength, dynamic Young’s modulus-static Young’s modulus have been find. Based on the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion, we were able to establish mathematical relationships that will allow estimating the cohesion and internal friction angle from UCS and indirect tensile strength. Results from this study can be useful for mining industry for resolve range of geomechanical problems such as slope stability.

Keywords: limestone, mechanical strength, Young’s modulus, porosity

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Authors: Marina Nosik, Irina Rymanova, Konstantin Ryzhov, Joan Yarovaya, Alexander Sobkin

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Tuberculosis (TB) associated with HIV is one of the top causes of death worldwide. However, early detection and treatment of TB in HIV-infected individuals significantly reduces the risk of developing severe forms of TB and mortality. The goal of the study was to analyze the peculiarities of TB associated with HIV infection. Over the period of 2015-2016 a retrospective cohort study was conducted among 377 patients with TB/HIV co-infection who attended the Moscow Tuberculosis Clinic. The majority of the patients was male (64,5%). The median age was: men 37,9 (24÷62) and women 35,4 (22÷72) years. The most prevalent age group was 30-39 years both for men and women (73,3% and 54,7%, respectively). The ratio of patients in age group 50-59 and senior was 3,9%. Socioeconomic status of patients was rather low: only 2.3% of patients had a university degree; 76,1% was unemployed (of whom 21,7% were disabled). Most patients had disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis in the phase of infiltration/ decay (41,5%). The infiltrative TB was detected in 18,9% of patients; 20,1% patients had tuberculosis of intrathoracic lymph nodes. The occurrence of MDR-TB was 16,8% and XDR-TB – 17,9%. The number of HIV-positive patients with newly diagnosed TB was n=261(69,2%). The active TB-form (MbT+) among new TB/HIV cases was 44,7 %. The severe clinical forms of TB and a high TB incidence rate among HIV-infected individuals alongside with a large number of cases of newly diagnosed tuberculosis, indicate the need for more intense interaction with TB services for timely diagnosis of TB which will optimize treatment outcomes.

Keywords: HIV, tuberculosis (TB), TB associated with HIV, multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB)

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Authors: David Dean Hampton, William Morrison, Mary Rizza, Jan Osborn

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This evaluation examined the effects of a supplemental reading intervThis evaluation examined the effects of a supplemental reading intervention for students with specific learning disabilities in reading who were presented with below grade level on fall benchmark scores on DIBELS 6th ed. Revised. Participants consisted of a condition group, those who received supplemental reading instruction in addition to core + special education services and a comparison group of students who were at grade level in their fall benchmark scores. The students in the condition group received 26 weeks of Project MORE instruction delivered multiple times each week from trained volunteer tutors. Using a regression-discontinuity design, condition and comparison groups were compared on reading development growth using DIBELS ORF. Significant findings were reported for grade 2, 3, and 4. ntion for students with specific learning disabilities in reading who presented with below grade level on fall benchmark scores on DIBELS 6th ed. Revised. Participants consisted of a condition group, those who received supplemental reading instruction in addition to core + special education services and a comparison group of students who were at grade level in their fall benchmark scores. The students in the condition group received 26 weeks of Project MORE instruction delivered multiple times each week from trained volunteer tutors. Using a regression-discontinuity design, condition and comparison groups were compared on reading development growth using DIBELS ORF. Significant findings were reported for grade 2, 3, and 4.

Keywords: special education, evidence-based practices, curriculum, tutoring

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Authors: Katja Siefken, Astrid Junge

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Background: Research indicates that physical activity (PA) protects us from developing mental disorders. The knowledge regarding optimal domain, intensity, type, context, and amount of PA promotion for the prevention of mental disorders is sparse and incoherent. The objective of this study is to determine the relationship between PA domains and mental well-being, and whether associations vary by domain, amount, context, intensity, and type of PA. Methods: 310 individuals (age: 25 yrs., SD 7; 73% female) completed a questionnaire on personal patterns of their PA behaviour (IPQA) and their mental health (Centre of Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale, the subjective physical well-being (FEW-16)). Linear and multiple regression were used for analysis. Findings: Individuals who met the PA recommendation (N=269) reported higher scores on subjective physical well-being than those who did not meet the PA recommendations (N=41). Whilst vigorous intensity PA predicts subjective well-being (β = .122, p = .028), it also correlates with depression. The more vigorously physically active a person is, the higher the depression score (β = .127, p = .026). The strongest impact of PA on mental well-being can be seen in the transport domain. A positive linear correlation on subjective physical well-being (β =.175, p = .002), and a negative linear correlation for anxiety (β =-.142, p = .011) and depression (β = -.164, p = .004) was found. Multiple regression analysis indicates similar results: Time spent in active transport on the bicycle significantly lowers anxiety and depression scores and enhances subjective physical well-being. The more time a participant spends using the bicycle for transport, the lower the depression (β = -.143, p = .013) and anxiety scores (β = -.111,p = .050). Conclusions: Meeting the PA recommendations enhances subjective physical well-being. Active transport has a substantial impact on mental well-being. Findings have implications for policymakers, employers, public health experts and civil society. A stronger focus on the promotion and protection of health through active transport is recommended. Inter-sectoral exchange, outside the health sector, is required. Health systems must engage other sectors in adopting policies that maximize possible health gains.

Keywords: active transport, mental well-being, health promotion, psychological disorders

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Authors: Norjali Wazir M. R. W., Pion P., Mostaert M., De Meester A., Lenoir M., Bardid F.

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Background and study aim: Most of the people assume that someone will perform well on something they like. A tool evaluating how much an individual likes an activity can also be guidance for talent detection and to keep youngster doing what they like as a recreational sport. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between physical performances with something that they like. Material and methods: In this cross-sectional study, 558 pupils age between 8 years to 11 years were tested using test battery containing 7 physical performance tests (I Do) compared to a pictorial scale containing 7 pictures (I Like) referring to the physical performance tests. Pearson correlation was computed to investigate the relation between the actual performance and the enjoyment. Results: Moderate significant correlations between each of the respective I Do, and I Like components were found. It appears that the correlation between the endurance items is higher as compared to the other six characteristics. Rerunning the analysis for age and sex groups separately resulted in only one significant correlation across all age group, namely between the evaluations of cardiovascular endurance. Conclusions: Information on enjoyment appears to be a useful and cost-effective addition to current multidimensional test batteries in a sport. By providing a clear picture on activities the young child or athlete likes or dislikes, attrition can be increased if a child starts his ‘career’ in a sport that alludes to skills or tasks he/she likes. This enjoyment will increase the intrinsic motivation, which is beneficial for sustained sports participation as well as for avoiding dropout in promising young athletes.

Keywords: I Do, I Like, physical performance, enjoyment

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Authors: Ehsan Abshirini

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Rivers as one of the most important topographic factors have played a strategic role not only on the appearance of cities but they also affect the structure and morphology of cities. In this paper author intends to find out how a city in its physical network interacts with a river flowing inside. The pilot study is Angers, a city in western France, in which it is influenced by the Maine River. To this purpose space syntax method integrating with GIS is used to extract the properties of physical form of cities in terms of global and local integration value, accessibility and choice value. Simulating the state of absence of river in this city and comparing the result to the current state of city according to the effect of river on the morphology of areas located in different banks of river is also part of interest in this paper. The results show that although a river is not comparable to the city based on size and the area occupied by, it has a significant effect on the form of the city in both global and local properties. In addition, this study endorses that tracking the effect of river-cities and their interaction to rivers in a hybrid of space syntax and GIS may lead researchers to improve their interpretation of physical form of these types of cities.

Keywords: river-cities, Physical form, space syntax properties, GIS, topographic factor

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Authors: Bruno Vilić Belina, Jadranko Matuško

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The rapid development of cyber-physical systems significantly influences modern control systems introducing a whole new range of applications of control systems but also putting them under new challenges to ensure their resiliency to possible cyber attacks, either in the form of data integrity attacks or deception attacks. This paper presents a model predictive approach to the control of cyber-physical systems robust to cyber attacks. We assume that a cyber attack can be modelled as an additive disturbance that acts in the measuring channel. For such a system, we designed a tube-based predictive controller based. The performance of the designed controller has been verified in Matlab/Simulink environment.

Keywords: control systems, cyber attacks, resiliency, robustness, tube based model predictive control

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Authors: Fatemeh Keshavarz

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Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, often leading to joint damage and physical disability. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of serum levels of interleukin 17 and anti-CCP factor with disease severity in RA patients. Materials and Methods: Fifty-four patients with RA confirmed by clinical and laboratory criteria were recruited. A 5 ml venous blood sample was taken from every patient, its serum was separated. Based on clinical data and severity of symptoms, patients were classified into three groups of those with mild, moderate, and severe symptoms. Serum levels of IL-17 and anti-CCP in all samples were measured using ELISA. Results: Analysis of IL-17 serum levels in different groups showed that its amount was higher in the group with mild clinical symptoms than in other groups. Comparison of IL-17 serum levels between mild and moderate disease severity groups showed a statistically significant relationship. There was also a positive linear relationship between anti-CCP and serum IL-17 levels in different groups of the disease, and serum IL-17 levels were inversely related to the duration of exposure to the disease. Conclusion: Higher IL-17 serum levels in patients with mild symptom severity confirm that this highly specific marker is involved in the pathogenesis of RA and may be effective in initiating patients’ clinical symptoms.

Keywords: IL-17, anti-CCP, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune

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Authors: Jaomai Tungsiripat, Patompong Satapornpong

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Allopurinol have been used to treat diseases that relating with the reduction of uric acid and be a treatment preventing the severity of, including gout, chronic kidney disease, chronic heart failure, and diabetes mellitus (type 2). However, allopurinol metabolites can cause a severe cutaneous adverse reaction (SCARs) consist of Drug Rash with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) and Stevens-Johnson Syndrome(SJS)/Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). Previous studies, we found only HLA-B*58:01 allele has a strongly association with allopurinol-induced SCARs in many populations: Han Chinese [P value = 4.7 x 10−24], European [P value <10−6], and Thai [P value <0.001].However, there was no update the frequency of HLA-B alleles and pharmacogenetics markers distribution in healthy Thais and support for screening before the initiation of treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of HLA-B*58:01 allele associated with allopurinol-induced SCARs in healthy Thai population. A retrospective study of 260 individual healthy subjects who living in Thailand. HLA-B were genotyped using sequence-specific oligonucleotides (PCR-SSOs).In this study, we identified the prevalence of HLA-B alleles consist ofHLA-B*46:01 (12.69%), HLA-B*15:02 (8.85%), HLA-B*13:01 (6.35%), HLA-B*40:01 (6.35%), HLA-B*38:02 (5.00%), HLA-B*51:01 (5.00%), HLA-B*58:01 (4.81%), HLA-B*44:03 (4.62%), HLA-B*18:01 (3.85%) and HLA-B*15:25 (3.08%). Therefore, the distribution of HLA-B*58:01 will support the clinical implementation and screening usage of allopurinol in Thai population.

Keywords: allopurinol, HLA-B*58: 01, Thai population, SCARs

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Authors: Dyah Larasati, Karishma Alize Huda, Sri Kusumastuti Rahayu, Martin Daniel Siyaranamual

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Indonesia continues to reform its social protection system to provide the needed protection for its citizen. Indonesia Social Protection consisted of social assistance programs (non-contributory/tax-financed) specifically targeted for the poor and at-risk and social security/insurance program (contributory system). The social assistance programs have mostly been implemented since 1998. The national health insurance has been implemented since 2014 and the employment social insurance since 2015. One major reform implemented has been improving the targeting performance of its major social assistance portfolios including (1) Food Assistance for the poor families (Rastra and BPNT/noncash foods assistance); (2) Education Assistance for poor children; (3) Conditional Cash Transfer for poor families (PKH); and (4) Subsidized beneficiaries of National Health Insurance (JKN-PBI) for the poor and at-risk individuals. For the Social Insurance (through BPJS Employment program), several initiatives have been implemented to expand the program contributing members, although it mostly benefits the formal sector workers. However, major gaps still exist especially for the emerging middle-income groups who typically work at the informal sectors. They have yet to get the protection needed to sustain their social and economic growth. Since 2017, TNP2K (the National Team for Poverty Reduction) under the Vice President office has led the social protection discourse as the government understands the need to address vulnerabilities across the lifecycle and prioritize support to the most at-risk population particularly the elderly, young children and people with disabilities. Discussion and advocacy to recommend for more investment is continuing in order for the government to establish a comprehensive social protection system in the near future (2020-2024) that protects children through an inclusive child benefit program; build a system to benefit more working-age adults (including individuals with disabilities) and a three-tier elderly protection as they reach 65 years.

Keywords: poverty reduction, social assistance, social insurance, social protection

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Authors: Noor Taleb Ismael, Areej Abd Al Kareem Al Titi, Ala'a Fayez Jaber

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Objectives: To investigate self-perceived functional performance among adults with IDD who are Jordanian residential care and rehabilitation centers residents. Also, to investigate their functional abilities (i.e., motor, and cognitive). In addition, to determine the motor and cognitive predictors of their functional performance. Methods: The study utilized a cross-sectional descriptive design; the sample included 180 individuals with IDD (90 males and 90 females) aged 18 to 75 years. The inclusion criteria encompassed: 1) Adults with a confirmed IDD by their physician’s professional and 2) residents in Jordanian Residential Care and Rehabilitation Centers affiliated with the Jordanian Ministry of Social Development. The exclusion criteria were: 1) bedridden or totally dependent on their care providers; 2) who had an accident or acquired neurological conditions. Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews to complete the outcome measures that include the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), the Functional Independence Measure (FIM), the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), the Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), and the sociodemographic questionnaire. Data analyses consisted of descriptive statistics, analysis of frequencies, correlation, and regression analyses. Result: Individuals with IDD showed low functional performance in all daily life areas, including self-care, productivity, and leisure; there was severe cognitive impairment and poor independence and functional performance. (COPM Performance M= 1.433, SD±.57021, COPM Satisfaction M= 1.31, SD±.54, FIM M= 3.673, SD± 1.7918). Two predictive models were validated for the COPM performance and FIM total scores. First, significant predictors of high self-perceived functional performance on COPM were high scores on FIM Motor sub scores, FIM cognitive sub scores, young age, and having a high school educational level (R2=0.603, p=0.012). Second, significant predictors of high functional capacity on FIM were a high score on the COPM performance subscale, a high MMSE score, and having a cerebral palsy (CP) diagnosis (R2=0.671, p<0.001). Conclusions: Evaluating functional performance and associated factors is important in rehabilitation to provide better services and improve health and QoL for individuals with IDD. This study suggested conducting future studies targeting integrated individuals with IDD who live with their families in the communities.

Keywords: functional performance, intellectual and developmental disabilty, cognitive abilities, motor abilities

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Authors: Sedef Şahin, Meral Huri

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Cerebral Palsy (CP) represents the most frequent cause of physical disability in children with a rate of 2,9 per 1000 live births. The activity-focused intervention is known to improve function and reduce activity limitations and barriers to participation of children with disabilities. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of occupational therapy on level of fatigue, activity performance and satisfaction in children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy. Twenty-two children with hemiparetic cerebral palsy (mean age: 9,3 ± 2.1years; Gross Motor Function Classification System ( GMFCS) level from I to V (I = 54%, II = 23%, III = 14%, IV= 9%, V= 0%), Manual Ability Classification System (MACS) level from I to V (I = 40%, II = 32%, III = 14%, IV= 10%, V= 4%), were assigned to occupational therapy program for 6 weeks.Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used for intensity of the fatigue they experienced at the time on a 10 point Likert scale (1-10).Activity performance and satisfaction were measured with Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM).A client-centered occupational therapy intervention was designed according to results of COPM. The results were compared with nonparametric Wilcoxon test before and after the intervention. Thirteen of the children were right-handed, whereas nine of the children were left handed.Six weeks of intervention showed statistically significant differences in level of fatigue, compared to first assessment(p<0,05). The mean score of first and the second activity performance scores were 4.51 ± 1.70 and 7.35 ± 2.51 respectively. Statistically significant difference between performance scores were found (p<0.01). The mean scores of first and second activity satisfaction scores were of 2.30± 1.05 and 5.51 ± 2.26 respectively. Statistically significant difference between satisfaction assessments were found (p<0.01). Occupational therapy is an evidence-based approach and occupational therapy interventions implemented by therapists were clinically effective on severity of fatigue, activity performance and satisfaction if implemented individually during 6 weeks.

Keywords: activity performance, cerebral palsy, fatigue, occupational therapy

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Authors: Allaire Eric, Hauet Pascal, Floresco Jean, Beley Sebastien, Sussman Helene, Virag Ronald

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Background: Caverno-venous leakage (CVL) is devastating, although barely known disease, the first cause of major physical impairment in men under 25, and responsible for 50% of resistances to phosphodiesterase 5-inhibitors (PDE5-I), affecting 30 to 40% of users in this medication class. In this condition, too early blood drainage from corpora cavernosa prevents penile rigidity and penetration during sexual intercourse. The role of conservative surgery in this disease remains controversial. Aim: Assess complications and results of combined open surgery and embolization for CVL. Method: Between June 2016 and September 2021, 133 consecutive patients underwent surgery in our institution for CVL, causing severe erectile dysfunction (ED) resistance to oral medical treatment. Procedures combined vein embolization and ligation with microsurgical techniques. We performed a pre-and post-operative clinical (Erection Harness Scale: EHS) hemodynamic evaluation by duplex sonography in all patients. Before surgery, the CVL network was visualized by computed tomography cavernography. Penile EMG was performed in case of diabetes or suspected other neurological conditions. All patients were optimized for hormonal status—data we prospectively recorded. Results: Clinical signs suggesting CVL were ED since age lower than 25, loss of erection when changing position, penile rigidity varying according to the position. Main complications were minor pulmonary embolism in 2 patients, one after airline travel, one with Factor V Leiden heterozygote mutation, one infection and three hematomas requiring reoperation, one decreased gland sensitivity lasting for more than one year. Mean pre-operative pharmacologic EHS was 2.37+/-0.64, mean pharmacologic post-operative EHS was 3.21+/-0.60, p<0.0001 (paired t-test). The mean EHS variation was 0.87+/-0.74. After surgery, 81.5% of patients had a pharmacologic EHS equal to or over 3, allowing for intercourse with penetration. Three patients (2.2%) experienced lower post-operative EHS. The main cause of failure was leakage from the deep dorsal aspect of the corpus cavernosa. In a 14 months follow-up, 83.2% of patients had a clinical EHS equal to or over 3, allowing for sexual intercourse with penetration, one-third of them without any medication. 5 patients had a penile implant after unsuccessful conservative surgery. Conclusion: Open surgery combined with embolization for CVL is an efficient approach to CVL causing severe erectile dysfunction.

Keywords: erectile dysfunction, cavernovenous leakage, surgery, embolization, treatment, result, complications, penile duplex sonography

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