Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Management and Prevention of Diabetic Pressure Ulcers with Neuropathy

Diabetes has been the silent killer disease for many years and on the rise due to an increase in our body mass index. One of the most reported complications with diabetes is lower limb ulceration and amputation. The pathophysiology leading to ulceration is not fully understood. However ulceration has been associated with several risk factors which are neuropathy, ischaemia, foot musculoskeletal deformity resulting in an increase plantar pressure at the site of deformity. Patient with more than one risk factor is at a higher chance of developing foot ulcers and for this reason the patient should be assessed thoroughly in regards to their medical history when being evaluated by a specialist.
Fire Severity and Regeneration Strategy Influence Shrub Patch Size and Structure Following Disturbance

Climate change is increasing the frequency and extent of high-severity disturbance, with potential to alter vegetation community composition and structure in environments sensitive to tipping points between alternative states. Shrub species display a range of characteristics that promote resistance and resilience to disturbance, and which yield differential post-disturbance outcomes. We investigated differences in shrub patch size and stem density in response to variations in fire severity, vegetation community, and post-disturbance reproductive strategies in Sky Island forested ecosystems in the southwestern United States. Patterns in shrub structure reflect the effects of fire severity as well as differences among species with alternate post-fire reproductive strategies. Increased fire severity correlates with larger patch sizes and greater stem densities; these patterns are observed across multiple fire events, indicating that disturbance legacies can persist for decades. High severity fire produces the largest shrub patches, and variance in shrub patch size increases with severity. High severity fire is likely to promote expansion of shrub species on the landscape, with implications for future community structure. Resprouting species have the greatest variability in patch structure, while seeding species show a strong response to disturbance: resprouting species dominate at low disturbance severities, and obligate seeders dominate high severity areas. Differential post-fire reproductive strategies are likely to generate distinct patterns of vegetation distribution following disturbance, with implications for community composition at various scales. Shrub species demonstrate flexible responses to wildfire disturbance severity that are reflected in shrub patch dynamics at small and intermediate scales.
Reliability and Validity of an Internet-based Questionnaire Measuring Lifetime Physical Activity

Lifetime exposure to physical activity is an important construct for evaluating associations between physical activity and disease outcomes, given the long induction periods in many chronic diseases. The authors' objective in this study was to evaluate the measurement properties of the Lifetime Physical Activity Questionnaire (L-PAQ), a novel Internet-based, self-administered instrument measuring lifetime physical activity, among Canadian men and women in 2005–2006. Reliability was examined using a test-retest study. Validity was examined in a 2-part study consisting of 1) comparisons with previously validated instruments measuring similar constructs, the Lifetime Total Physical Activity Questionnaire (LT-PAQ) and the Chasan-Taber Physical Activity Questionnaire (CT-PAQ), and 2) a priori hypothesis tests of constructs measured by the L-PAQ. The L-PAQ demonstrated good reliability, with intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.67 (household activity) to 0.89 (sports/recreation). Comparison between the L-PAQ and the LT-PAQ resulted in Spearman correlation coefficients ranging from 0.41 (total activity) to 0.71 (household activity); comparison between the L-PAQ and the CT-PAQ yielded coefficients of 0.58 (sports/recreation), 0.56 (household activity), and 0.50 (total activity). L-PAQ validity was further supported by observed relations between the L-PAQ and sociodemographic variables, consistent with a priori hypotheses. Overall, the L-PAQ is a useful instrument for assessing multiple domains of lifetime physical activity with acceptable reliability and validity.
Conditioned Medium from Early-Outgrowth Bone Marrow Cells Is Retinal Protective in Experimental Model of Diabetes

Bone marrow-derived cells were demonstrated to improve organ function, but the lack of cell retention within injured organs suggests that the protective effects are due to factors released by the cells. Herein, we tested cell therapy using early outgrowth cells (EOCs) or their conditioned media (CM) to protect the retina of diabetic animal models (type 1 and type 2) and assessed the mechanisms by in vitro study. Control and diabetic (db/db) mice (8 weeks of age) were randomized to receive a unique intravenous injection of 5×105EOCs or 0.25 ml thrice weekly tail-vein injections of 10x concentrated CM and Wystar Kyoto rats rendered diabetic were randomized to receive 0.50 ml thrice weekly tail-vein injections of 10x concentrated CM. Four weeks later, the animals were euthanized and the eyes were enucleated. Rat retinal Müller cells (rMCs) were exposed for 24 h to high glucose (HG), combined or not with EOC-conditioned medium (EOC-CM) from db/m EOC cultures. Diabetic animals showed increase in diabetic retinopathy (DR) and oxidative damage markers; the treatment with EOCs or CM infusions significantly reduced this damage and re-established the retinal function. In rMCs exposed to diabetic milieu conditions (HG), the presence of EOC-CM reduced reactive oxygen species production by modulating the NADPH-oxidase 4 system, thus upregulating SIRT1 activity and deacetylating Lys-310-p65-NFκB, decreasing GFAP and VEGF expressions. The antioxidant capacity of EOC-CM led to the prevention of carbonylation and nitrosylation posttranslational modifications on the SIRT1 molecule, preserving its activity. The pivotal role of SIRT1 on the mode of action of EOCs or their CM was also demonstrated on diabetic retina. These findings suggest that EOCs are effective as a form of systemic delivery for preventing the early molecular markers of DR and its conditioned medium is equally protective revealing a novel possibility for cell-free therapy for the treatment of DR.
SILICA NANOPARTICLES AS NANOCIDES AGAINST CORCYRA CEPHALONICA (S.), THE STORED GRAIN PEST

Diatomaceous earth and synthetic silica have been used as insecticides in the form of inert dusts. Diatomaceous earth becomes more effective against insects if it possesses high amorphous silica content with uniform size distribution. Nanoparticles are more reactive than their bulk counterpart because of their increased surface to volume ratio. The objective of our study is to evaluate the effect of silica nanoparticles against the stored grain pest Corcyra cephalonica. Silica nanoparticles were synthesized by modified Stober's sol-gel method. They were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscope, X-ray Diffraction and Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy. Characterization studies showed silica nanoparticles of size range 70-80nm were synthesized which are spherical in shape and amorphous in nature. The entomotoxic effect of silica nanoparticles were evaluated against the stored grain pest Corcyra cephalonica. Amorphous silica nanoparticles were found to be highly effective against this insect pest causing 100% mortality, indicating the effectiveness of silica nanoparticles to control insect pests.
Children search for information as efficiently as adults, but seek additional confirmatory evidence

Like scientists, children and adults learn by asking questions and making interventions. How does this ability develop? We investigate how children (7and 10-year-olds) and adults search for information to learn which kinds of objects share a novel causal property. In particular, we consider whether children ask questions and select interventions that are as informative as those of adults, and whether they recognize when to stop searching for information to provide a solution. We find an anticipated developmental improvement in information search efficiency. We also present a formal analysis that allows us to identify the basis for children’s inefficiency. In our 20-questions-style task, children initially ask questions and make interventions no less efficiently than adults do, but continue to search for information past the point at which they have narrowed their hypothesis space to a single option. In other words, the performance change from age seven to adulthood is due largely to a change in implementing a “stopping rule”; when considering only the minimum number of queries participants would have needed to identify the correct hypothesis, age differences disappear.
High hydrostatic pressure as a method to preserve fresh-cut Hachiya persimmons: A structural approach

The “Hachiya” persimmon is the most common astringent cultivar grown in California and it is rich in tannins and carotenoids. Changes in the microstructure and some physicochemical properties during high hydrostatic pressure processing (200–400 MPa, 3 min, 25 ℃) and subsequent refrigerated storage were analyzed in this study in order to evaluate the suitability of this non-thermal technology for preservation of fresh-cut Hachiya persimmons. The effects of high-hydrostatic pressure treatment on the integrity and location of carotenoids and tannins during storage were also analyzed. Significant changes, in particular diffusion of soluble compounds which were released as a result of cell wall and membrane damage, were followed using confocal microscopy. The high-hydrostatic pressure process also induced changes in physicochemical properties, e.g. electrolyte leakage, texture, total soluble solids, pH and color, which were a function of the amount of applied hydrostatic pressure and may affect the consumer acceptance of the product. Nevertheless, the results indicate that the application of 200 MPa could be a suitable preservation treatment for Hachiya persimmon. This treatment seems to improve carotenoid extractability and tannin polymerization, which could improve functionality and remove astringency of the fruit, respectively.
Factors associated with Leishmania chagasi infection in domestic dogs from Teresina, State of Piauí, Brazil.

INTRODUCTION Many studies have evaluated risk factors for human visceral leishmaniasis, but few have focused on the infection among dogs. The objective of this study was to assess the association between peridomestic socioeconomic and environmental factors and the presence of dogs seropositive for Leishmania chagasi in the City of Teresina, Brazil. METHODS This case-control study was based on the results of a routine seroepidemiological survey among domestic dogs carried out in 2007. Serological tests were performed by means of indirect immunofluorescence antibody test. All dwellings in which at least one seropositive dog was detected were considered cases, and controls were a random sample of dwellings in which only seronegative dogs were identified. Associations between variables were expressed as odds ratios (OR) and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) estimated using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS Dwellings with a history of dogs removed by the visceral leishmaniasis control program in the last 12 months had five-fold higher odds of having at least one seropositive dog as compared with dwellings having no history of dog removal (OR = 5.19; 95%CI = 3.20-8.42). Dwellings with cats had 58% increased odds of dog infection as compared with those having no cats (OR = 1.58; 95%CI = 1.01-2.47). CONCLUSIONS Identification of factors associated with canine visceral leishmaniasis might be used for the delimitation of areas of higher risk for human visceral leishmaniasis, since infection in dogs generally precedes the appearance of human cases.
Plasmonic Structure Integrated Single-Photon Detector Configurations to Improve Absorptance and Polarization Contrast

Configurations capable of maximizing both the absorption component of system detection efficiency and the achievable polarization contrast were determined for 1550 nm polarized light illumination of different plasmonic structure integrated superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs) consisting of p = 264 nm and P = 792 nm periodic niobium nitride (NbN) patterns on silica substrate. Global effective NbN absorptance maxima appear in case of p/s-polarized light illumination in S/P-orientation (γ = 90°/0° azimuthal angle) and the highest polarization contrast is attained in S-orientation of all devices. Common nanophotonical origin of absorptance enhancement is collective resonance on nanocavity gratings with different profiles, which is promoted by coupling between localized modes in quarter-wavelength metal-insulator-metal nanocavities and laterally synchronized Brewster-Zenneck-type surface waves in integrated SNSPDs possessing a three-quarter-wavelength-scaled periodicity. The spectral sensitivity and dispersion characteristics reveal that device design specific optimal configurations exist.
Nanosized-Metal-Grain-Induced Characteristic Fluctuation in 16-nm CMOS Devices

Yiming Li, Chia-Hui Yu, Ming-Hung Han, and Hui-Wen Cheng Department of Electrical Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan Institute of Communications Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan National Nano Device Laboratories, Hsinchu 300, Taiwan Corresponding author. TEL: +886-3-5712121 ext: 52974; FAX: +886-3-5726639; and Email: ymli@faculty.nctu. edu.tw
Macro for the Trimmed t Test

The independent means t-test is commonly used for testing the equality of two population means. However, this test is very sensitive to violations of the population normality and homogeneity of variance assumptions. In such situations, Yuen’s (1974) trimmed t-test is recommended as a robust alternative. The purpose of this paper is to provide a SAS macro that allows easy computation of Yuen’s symmetric trimmed t-test. The macro output includes a table with trimmed means for each of two groups, Winsorized variance estimates, degrees of freedom, and obtained value of t (with two-tailed p-value). In addition, the results of a simulation study are presented and provide empirical comparisons of the Type I error rates and statistical power of the independent samples t-test, Satterthwaite’s approximate t-test and the trimmed t-test when the assumptions of normality and homogeneity of variance are violated.
Water Quality and Heavy Metal Monitoring in Water, Sediments, and Tissues of the African Catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) from the River Nile, Egypt

Water quality of the river Nile and trace elements of the water, sediments and fish tissues were investigated in the current work. Eighteen different sampling points were selected along the whole course of the River Nile from its spring at Aswan to its estuaries at Rosetta and Damietta. Higher mean value of conductivity, alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), total organic carbon (TOC), ammonia (NH3), nitrate (NO3), total solid (TS), sulphate (SO4), chloride (Cl), orthophosphate were recorded in the water of Damietta and Rosetta branches comparing to other sites. Also trace metals in the water, sediments and tissues of Clarias gariepinus increased significantly (P Fe > Cu > Pb > Mn > Cr> Cd > Hg. In the gill tissues theses metals were accumulated in the following order Fe > Zn > Mn > Pb > Cr > Cu > Cd> Hg. The low accumulation of metals in muscle may be due to lack of binding affinity of these metals with the proteins of muscle. This is particularly important because muscles contribute the greatest mass of the flesh that is consumed as food.
Prewhitening Bias in Hac Estimation

HAC estimation commonly involves the use of prewhitening filters based on simple autoregressive models. In such applications, small sample bias in the estimation of autoregressive coefficients is transmitted to the recoloring filter, leading to HAC variance estimates that can be badly biased. The present paper provides an analysis of these issues using asymptotic expansions and simulations. The approach we recommend involves the use of recursive demeaning procedures that mitigate the effects of small sample autoregressive bias. Moreover, a commonly-used restriction rule on the prewhitening estimates (that first order autoregressive coefficient estimates, or largest eigenvalues, greater than 0.97 be replaced by 0.97) adversely interferes with the power of unit root and KPSS tests. We provide a new boundary condition rule that improves the size and power properties of these tests. Some illustrations are given of the effects of these adjustments on the size and power of KPSS testing. Using prewhitened HAC estimates and the new boundary condition rule, the KPSS test is consistent, in contrast to KPSS testing that uses conventional prewhitened HAC estimates (Lee, 1996).
Analysis on the Mechanism of Humidity to Influence the Very Early Stage of Sliding under Different Load

A study was carried out on the influences of atmospheric humidity in the very early stage of sliding for austenitic stainless steel (JIS SUS316). Pin-on-disk tests were conducted under different rates of relative humidity (RH). A relatively low magnitude of applied load to lessen the influences of mechanical effect was employed for emphasizing the humidity effect on tribological phenomena. The results of the current study were compared with our previous study results obtained at higher magnitude of applied load. The comparison suggested different mechanisms of adsorbed water layer exert influences on the tribological phenomena in the very early stage of the sliding when applied load was changed.
Stromal edema in klf4 conditional null mouse cornea is associated with altered collagen fibril organization and reduced proteoglycans.

PURPOSE Klf4, one of the highly expressed transcription factors in the mouse cornea, plays an important role in maturation and maintenance of the ocular surface. In this study, the structure and proteoglycan composition of the Klf4 conditional null (Klf4CN) corneal stroma was investigated, to further characterize the previously reported Klf4CN stromal edema. METHODS Collagen fibril spacing and diameter were calculated from scattering intensity profiles from small angle synchrotron x-ray scattering patterns obtained across the cornea along a vertical meridian at 0.5-mm intervals. Collagen fibril organization and proteoglycans were visualized by electron microscopy (EM), with or without the cationic dye cuprolinic blue. Proteoglycans and glycosaminoglycans were further analyzed by fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis (FACE) and immunoblot analysis. Q-RT-PCR was used to measure the transcript levels. RESULTS In the central cornea, the average collagen interfibrillar Bragg spacing increased from 44.5 nm (SD +/-1.8) in wild-type to 66.5 nm (SD +/-2.3) in Klf4CN, as measured by x-ray scattering and confirmed by EM. Mean collagen fibril diameter increased from 32 nm (SD +/-0.4) in wild-type to 42.3 nm (SD +/-4.8) in Klf4CN corneal stroma. Downregulation of proteoglycans detected by EM in the Klf4CN stroma was confirmed by FACE and immunoblot analysis. Q-RT-PCR showed that, whereas the Klf4CN corneal proteoglycan transcript levels remained unchanged, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) transcript levels were significantly upregulated. CONCLUSIONS The Klf4CN corneal stromal edema is characterized by increased collagen interfibrillar spacing and increased diameter of individual fibrils. The stroma also exhibits reduced interfibrillar proteoglycans throughout, which is possibly caused by increased expression of MMPs.
Distributed Privacy-Preserving Record Linkage Using Pivot-Based Filter Techniques

Privacy-preserving record linkage (PPRL) aims at linking person-related records from different data sources while protecting privacy. It is applied in medical research to link health data without revealing sensible person-related data. We propose and evaluate a new parallel PPRL approach based on Apache Flink that aims at high performance and scalability to large datasets. The approach supports a pivot-based filtering method for metric distance functions that saves many similarity computations. We describe our distributed approaches to determine pivots and pivot-based linkage. We also demonstrate the high efficiency of the approach for different datasets and configurations.
Experimental analysis on thickness control of variable thickness composite laminates during autoclave process

Variable thickness laminates under different conditions were prepared with autoclave process for two types of carbon fiber fabric/epoxy prepregs.The consolidating process and the influencing factors of fiber distribution for the variable thickness laminates were investigated by measuring the structure of fabric in cured laminate,laminate thickness,fiber content,bleeding quantity and permeability of fabrics.The results showed that the fiber content in thick area was higher than that in thin area for cured laminates due to the two dimensional resin flow.The ratio of in-plane permeability to the permeability along thickness direction of G0827 unidirectional fabric was larger than that of G0803 satin fabric,resulting in that the fiber distribution in G0827 variable thickness laminate was more uneven.Fiber distribution without bleeder was uniform and it indicates that the two dimensional resin flow in the bleeder influences the fiber distribution remarkably.
Upside-Down but Headed in the Right Direction: Review of the Highly Versatile Cassiopea xamachana System

The upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) has been predominantly studied to understand its interaction with the endosymbiotic dinoflagellate algae Symbiodinium. As an easily culturable and tractable cnidarian model, it is an attractive alternative to stony corals to understanding the mechanisms driving establishment and maintenance of symbiosis. Cassiopea is also unique in requiring the symbiont in order to complete its transition to the adult stage, thereby providing an excellent model to understand symbiosis-driven development and evolution. Recently, the Cassiopea research system has gained interest beyond symbiosis in fields related to embryology, climate ecology, behavior, and more. With these developments, resources including genomes, transcriptomes, and laboratory protocols are steadily increasing. This review provides an overview of the broad range of interdisciplinary research that has utilized the Cassiopea model and highlights the advantages of using the model for future research. We dedicate this manuscript to Robert Trench, who inspired many of us to begin working in Cassiopea
The Seventh SeaWiFS Intercalibration Round-Robin Experiment (SIRREX-7), March 1999

This report documents the scientific activities during the seventh SeaWiFS Intercalibration Round-Robin Experiment (SIRREX-7) held at Satlantic, Inc. (Halifax, Canada). The overall objective of SIRREX-7 was to determine the uncertainties of radiometric calibrations and measurements at a single calibration facility. Specifically, this involved the estimation of the uncertainties in a) lamp standards, b) plaque standards (including the uncertainties associated with plaque illumination non-uniformity), c) radiance calibrations, and d) irradiance calibrations. The investigation of the uncertainties in lamp standards included a comparison between a calibration of a new FEL by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Optronic Laboratories, Inc. In addition, the rotation and polarization sensitivity of radiometers were determined, and a procedure for transferring an absolute calibration to portable light sources was defined and executed.