3,476,330 research outputs found

    Front Matter

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    Includes front cover, editorial board, table of contents for Volume 3 Number 4 and Volume 4 Number 1, and issue introduction

    Study design and protocol for a mixed methods evaluation of an intervention to reduce and break up sitting time in primary school classrooms in the UK: the CLASS PAL (Physically Active Learning) Programme

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    Introduction: Children engage in a high volume of sitting in school, particularly in the classroom. A number of strategies, such as physically active lessons (termed movement integration (MI)), have been developed to integrate physical activity into this learning environment; however, no single approach is likely to meet the needs of all pupils and teachers. This protocol outlines an implementation study of a primary school-based MI intervention: CLASS PAL (Physically Active Learning) programme. This study aims to (A) determine the degree of implementation of CLASS PAL, (B) identify processes by which teachers and schools implement CLASS PAL and (C) investigate individual (pupil and teacher) level and school-level characteristics associated with implementation of CLASS PAL. Methods and analysis: The intervention will provide teachers with a professional development workshop and a bespoke teaching resources website. The study will use a single group before-and-after design, strengthened by multiple interim measurements. Six state-funded primary schools will be recruited within Leicestershire, UK. Evaluation data will be collected prior to implementation and at four discrete time points during implementation: At measurement 0 (October 2016), school, teacher and pupil characteristics will be collected. At measurements 0 and 3 (June-July 2017), accelerometry, cognitive functioning, self-reported sitting and classroom engagement data will be collected. At measurements 1(December 2016-March 2017) and 3, teacher interviews (also at measurement 4; September-October 2017) and pupil focus groups will be conducted, and at measurements 1 and 2 (April-May 2017), classroom observations. Implementation will be captured through website analytics and ongoing teacher completed logs. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval was obtained through the Loughborough University Human Participants Ethics Sub-Committee (Reference number: R16-P115). Findings will be disseminated via practitioner and/or research journals and to relevant regional and national stakeholders through print and online media and dissemination event(s)

    The impact of different doses of indocyanine green on the sentinel lymph-node mapping in early stage endometrial cancer.

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    INTRODUCTION Aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of different doses of indocyanine green (ICG) on the sentinel lymph-node (SLN) mapping in endometrial cancer (EC). MATERIALS AND METHODS A retrospective analysis of EC patients undergoing a laparoscopic SLN mapping at two institutions was performed. Two different injection protocols were used (protocol # 1: 5 mg/ml and a volume of 8 ml; protocol # 2: 1.25 mg/ml and a volume of 4 ml). In every case, the injection was intracervical. The laparoscopic equipment adopted was the same among both institutions. Overall and bilateral detection rates (DR) and median number of retrieved SLNs were calculated. At uni- and multivariate analysis factors (including ICG dose) associated with DR and number of detected SLNs were investigated. RESULTS Overall, 168 patients were included. The overall and bilateral DR were 96.3 and 84.5%. Median number of removed SLNs was 3 (0-18). In 56% of the patients, a median number of 6 (1-93) non-SLNs (NSLNs) were removed. Seventeen (10.1%) patients had metastatic SLNs. At multivariate analysis, no factors were associated with bilateral DR. ICG dose was the only factor associated with number of removed SLNs at multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION A larger dose of ICG is associated with a higher number of retrieved SLNs but not with an increased bilateral DR

    Abnormal electrocardiographic findings in athletes: Correlation with intensity of sport and level of competition.

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    INTRODUCTION: Athletes can exhibit abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) phenotypes that require further evaluation prior to competition. These are apparently more prevalent in high-intensity endurance sports. The purpose of this study was to assess the association between ECG findings in athletes and intensity of sport and level of competition. METHODS: A cohort of 3423 competitive athletes had their ECGs assessed according to the Seattle criteria (SC). The presence of abnormal ECGs was correlated with: (1) intensity of sport (low/moderate vs. at least one high static or dynamic component); (2) competitive level (regional vs. national/international); (3) training volume (≤20 vs. >20 hours/week); (4) type of sport (high dynamic vs. high static component). The same endpoints were studied according to the 'Refined Criteria' (RC). RESULTS: Abnormal ECGs according to the SC were present in 225 (6.6%) athletes, more frequently in those involved in high-intensity sports (8.0% vs. 5.4%; p=0.002), particularly in dynamic sports, and competing at national/international level (7.1% vs. 4.9%; p=0.028). Training volume was not significantly associated with abnormal ECGs. By multivariate analysis, high-intensity sport (OR 1.55, 1.18-2.03; p=0.002) and national/international level (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.04-2.14; p=0.027) were independent predictors of abnormal ECGs, and these variables, when combined, doubled the prevalence of this finding. According to the RC, abnormal ECGs decreased to 103 (3.0%), but were also more frequent in high-intensity sports (4.2% vs. 2.0%; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: There is a positive correlation between higher intensity of sports and increased prevalence of ECG abnormalities. This relationship persists with the use of more restrictive criteria for ECG interpretation, although the number of abnormal ECGs is lower

    A comparison of sequential total and activated white cell count in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting, using cardiopulmonary bypass, with and without a white cell filter

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    Introduction Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been shown to induce a systemic inflammatory response similar to the local reaction seen after tissue damage [1]. This leads to the release of toxic substances, such as elastase, which cause endothelial damage and may adversely affect outcome [2]. Use of a leucocyte depleting arterial line filter is one of many anti-inflammatory strategies that are undergoing evaluation. Leucocyte depleting filters may be capable of selectively removing activated white cells [3], but this has not been proved in vivo. The aim of the present study was to compare sequential total and activated white cells during CPB, using either a leucocyte depleting or standard arterial line filter. Materials and methods After local ethical committee approval, 20 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting using CPB were prospectively randomly allocated to have either a Leukogard LG–6 (Pall Biomedical, Portsmouth, UK) or a nonleucocyte depleting filter inserted into the arterial line of the CPB circuit. Arterial limb blood samples were taken immediately after institution of CPB (0min) and at 10–min intervals throughout the bypass period. Activated white cells were identified using nitroblue tetrazolium, then both total and activated white cell numbers counted after staining with Leucoplate.Results Table 1 shows the number of white cells counted/1.25 ? l (volume of a single channel of Nageotte counting chamber) using light microscopy (× 25).Conclusion The LG6 leucocyte filter reduces the total white cell count and is capable of selectively removing activated white cells during CPB. The exact relationship between leucocyte depletion and improved patient outcome still remains unclear

    Rotor Spectra and Berry Phases in the Chiral Limit of QCD on a Torus

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    We consider the finite-volume spectra of QCD in the chiral limit of massless up and down quarks and massive strange quarks in the baryon number sectors B=0B = 0 and B=1B = 1 for different values of the isospin. Spontaneous symmetry breaking gives rise to rotor spectra, as the chiral order parameter precesses through the vacuum manifold. Baryons of different isospin influence the motion of the order parameter through non-trivial Berry phases and associated abstract monopole fields. Our investigation provides detailed insights into the dynamics of spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking in QCD on a torus. It also sheds new light on Berry phases in the context of quantum field theory. Interestingly, the Berry gauge field resulting from QCD solves a Yang-Mills-Chern-Simons equation of motion on the vacuum manifold SU(2)=S3SU(2) = S^3.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figures. Revised version: Slightly expanded introduction and conclusion, a few references adde

    The Impact of Slice Interval and Equation on the Accuracy of Magnetic Resonance Image Estimation of Quadriceps Muscle Volume in End Stage Liver Disease

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    INTRODUCTION: End stage liver disease (ESLD) is associated with loss of muscle mass and function, known as sarcopenia, which can increase the risk of complications of ESLD, hospitalization and mortality. Therefore, the accurate assessment of muscle mass is essential to evaluate sarcopenia in ESLD. However, manual segmentation of muscle volume (MV) can be laborious on cross-sectional imaging, due to the number of slices that require analysis. This study aimed to investigate the impact of reducing the number of slices required for MV estimation. Further, we aimed to compare two equations utilized in estimating MV (cylindrical and truncated cone). METHODS: Thirty eight ESLD patients (23 males; 54.8 ± 10.7 years) were recruited from the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital Birmingham. A 3T MRI scan was completed of the lower limbs. Quadriceps MV was estimated utilizing 1-, 2-, 3-, and 4 cm slice intervals with both cylindrical and truncated cone equations. Absolute and relative error (compared to 1 cm slice interval) was generated for 2-, 3-, and 4 cm slice intervals. L3 skeletal muscle index (SMI) was also calculated in 30 patients. RESULTS: Relative error increased with slice interval using the cylindrical (0.45 vs. 1.06 vs. 1.72%) and truncated cone equation (0.27 vs. 0.58 vs. 0.74%) for 2, 3, and 4 cm, respectively. Significantly, the cylindrical equation produced approximately twice the error compared to truncated cone, with 3 cm (0.58 vs. 1.06%, P < 0.01) and 4 cm intervals (0.74 vs. 1.72%, P < 0.001). Finally, quadriceps MV was significantly correlated to L3 SMI (r(2) = 0.44, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: The use of the truncated equation with a 4 cm slice interval on MRI offers an efficient but accurate estimation of quadricep muscle volume in ESLD patients

    An Analysis of Nominal Group and Lexical Density in ‘Introductions’ of the Articles Found in TEFLIN Journal Volume 23 Number 2 July 2012.

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    In English there are two kinds of language, they are spoken and written. In thisresearch, the writer focuses on nominal group and lexical density. The meaning of nominal group is a group of words, which has a noun (a word that names a person, place, or thing) as its headword and includes all additional information related to that noun. The meaning of lexical density is calculated by the number of content words dividing by the number per clauses. Nominal group and Lexical Density which are most interesting and include in one of material for students in English Education Department. The objectives of this research are to find out the elements of nominal group in ‘introductions’ of the articles found in TEFLIN Journal Volume 23 Number 2 July 2012 , and to describe the lexical density in ‘introductions’ of the articles found in TEFLIN Journal Volume 23 Number 2 July 2012 . The kind of this research is descriptive qualitative. The writer uses nominal group and lexical density as the data that taken from introductions of the articles found in TEFLIN Journal Volume 23 Number 2 July 2012 as the data source. The result of this research are; firstly, the elements of nominal group. From the introductions of the articles found in TEFLIN Journal Volume 23 Number 2 July 2012, the writer concludes that there are 401 nominal groups which have their own elements. They are; (Deictic and Thing)= 134, (Deictic and Qualifier)= 2, (Post deictic and Thing)= 1, (Numerative and Thing)= 4, (Numerative and Qualifier)= 8, ( Epithet and Thing)= 2, (Classifier and Qualifier)= 2, (Deictic and Classifier)= 1, (Thing and Qualifier)= 24, (Deictic, Epithet, and Thing)= 5, (Deictic, Numerative, and Thing)= 1, (Deictic, Epithet, and Qualifier)= 1, (Deictic, Thing, and Qualifier)= 181, (Deictic, Numerative, and Qualifier)= 1, (Deictic, Post deictic, and Thing)= 1, (Post deictic, Thing, and Qualifier)= 4, (Epithet, Thing, and Qualifier)= 6, (Numerative, Classifier, and Qualifier)= 1, (Numerative, Thing, and Qualifier)= 6, (Deictic, Post deictic, Thing, and Qualifier)= 6, (Deictic, Numerative, Thing, and Qualifier)= 3, (Deictic, Epithet, Thingand Qualifier)= 6, (Numerative, Epithet, Thing, and Qualifier)= 1. Based on the analysis result, the dominant element of nominal group in Introductions of the articles found in TEFLIN Journal Volume 23 Number 2 July 2012 is Deictic, Thing, and Qualifier which has the function to specify the thing and circumstantial information about the thing. So, the readers understand about the context of sentence itself. Secondly, The lexical densities in Introductions of the articles found in TEFLIN Journal Volume 23 Number 2 July 2012, are; introduction of the first article is 7.8 (less dense), introduction of the second article is 7.4 (less dense), introduction of the third article is 7.2 (less dense), introduction of the fourth article is 9.4 (less dense), introduction of the fifth article is 8.8 (less dense), introduction of the sixth article is 6.7 (quite dense), and introduction of the seventh article is 7.4 (less dense). Based on the result above, the writer concludes that the introduction of the sixth article found in TEFLIN Journal Volume 23 Number 2 July 2012 is the easiest text to be understood because it has lowest lexical density. While the hardest text to be understood is the introduction of the fourth article because it has highest lexical density. The writer suggests that this research can help the lecturers increase their knowledge about nominal group and lexical density well when they teach those material, can help the students get information about the way to analyze nominal group also lexical density in the sentence, and help the students understand about nominal group also lexical density clearly, also can help the next researchers give contribution to inform other researchers who want to conduct about nominal group and lexical density, actually analyzing the elements and the patterns of nominal group also measure the lexical density in the sentence
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