Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of an optic control technology of the emulsification degree in meat emulsions

The stability of comminuted products plays an important role in the economy of meat industries in terms of yield and quality. Proper formulation of the product and establishment of suitable conditions of chopping can significantly contribute to control cooking losses. However, the last feature has not been optimized at the industry level yet. The purpose of the present research was to study the relationship between a large number of parameters obtained by optical backscatter technology and the cooking losses, in order to develop prediction models as a way to optimize the chopping end-point. Two types of formulations, with or without starch, with their corresponding samples of pre-chopping and three different emulsion chopping speeds (low, standard and high) were processed. For each of the samples, the light backscatter spectrum was analyzed to identify possible optical predictors and to build up cooking losses prediction models by means of statistical analyses, i.e., ANOVA, Pearson’s correlations and maximum R2 procedure. Formula with starch showed lower cooking losses compared to formula without starch. Some optical predictors showed significant differences in at least a couple of chopping speeds in both formulations. Only formulations without starch showed optical predictors differentiating the three speeds. Emulsions without starch showed a higher amount of predictors correlating with cooking losses. Prediction equation models with R2 values > 0.999 were obtained when applying 5 or 6 significant predictors for both emulsions. These results point out the potential of light backscatter technology as a control tool during chopping.
The Effect of Possible Spud-Can Punch Through on the Reliability Index of Neka Drilling Type Jack-up Platform

In the present study, the effect of spud-can punchthrough has been studied on the reliability of the Neka Jack-up platform. Elasto-plastic, hyper-elastic and also continuum mechanics models of spud-can-soil interaction have been used. The reliability index of Neka jack-up platform was studied in three different soil profiles at the sea-bed in CaspianSea. The study showed that the reliability index of jack-up system varies quite significantly for the studied jack-up system with the type of soil profile at the sea-bed and also with the pre-load factor (PLF). The sensitivity studies of the jack-up system for punchthrough effect revealed that the reliability index of the jack-up system can be affected by the choice of the spud-can-soil interaction model and the soil parameters. Study of importance factors also showed that spud can-soil interaction model and soil parameters have significant contribution to the overall reliability of the jack-up system. KeywordsJack-Up Platform; Reliability Index; Punch Through
Amebiasis — or Disparosis ?

When diagnosing a patient who has a medical history and clinical findings suggestive of infectious enteritis, physicians usually start their investigation by ordering a stool culture and one or more stool specimens to be examined for protozoa and other parasites. If the initial culture result is negative and the laboratory ident i f ies Entamoeba histolytica, treatment for that parasite will probably be given, and subsequent investigation will be curtailed. However, recent discoveries suggest that this approach may be incorrect most of the time, because we now know that what has been considered E. histolytica actually includes two distinct species, the much more common of which is always nonpathogenic. The purpose of this short account is to alert physicians (and perhaps with their help, laboratories) to the importance of distinguishing between the two species of amebae.
The Meissner and Pacinian sensory corpuscles revisited new data from the last decade

This article reviews the biochemical, physiological, and experimental data cumulated during the last decade on the Meissner and Pacinian corpuscles. It includes information about (i) the localization of molecules recently detected in sensory corpuscles; (ii) the unsolved problem of the accessory fibers in sensory corpuscles and the occurrence of myelin within them; (iii) the development of sensory corpuscles, especially their neuronal and growth factor dependency; (iv) the composition and functional significance of the extracellular matrix as an essential part of the mechanisms involved in the genesis of the stimuli generated in sensory corpuscles; (v) the molecular basis of mechanotransduction; (vi) a miscellaneous section containing sparse new data on the protein composition of sensory corpuscles, as well as in the proteins involved in live–death cell decisions; (vii) the changes in sensory corpuscles as a consequence of aging, the central, or peripheral nervous system injury; and finally, (viii) the special interest of Meissner corpuscles and Pacinian corpuscles for pathologists for the diagnosis of some peripheral neuropathies and neurodegenerative diseases. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2009. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The Occurrence and Pattern of Uterine Cervix Lesions in the Tropics: The Igbo Women of Eastern Nigeria Experience

The diseases of the uterine cervix varied in presentations and two major types have been confirmed to be benign i.e. soft tissue neoplasias, which long have been said to contain sufficient cellular pointer to stromal sarcoma advancement. The other is papillomavirus-related cervical intraepithelial neoplasias which is precancerous lesions [1] and may not always advance to cancer as they spontaneously can regress when stimulus is removed. The duo development is associated in part to lots of factors which when incident on squamocolumnar junction can engender histologic changes [2]. The periodic changes of transformation of the cells of the anterior or posterior cervical lips particularly at menopause [3] or before cellular metaplasia of the region predisposes the susceptible site to evolution of several cancer lesions [4] which may occur more often than when there is short period benign lesion giving rise to same cancer.
Household Food Insecurity is Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life in Rural Type 2 Diabetic Patients.

BACKGROUND Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is associated with household food insecurity (HFI). However, the studies examining the relationship between HFI and HRQOL in patients with type 2 diabetes are scarce. Thus, this study was designed to examine the relationship between HFI and HRQOL in rural type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS In this cross-sectional study, we included 1847 rural patients with type 2 diabetes in Neyshabur from April to July 2012. HRQOL and HFI were measured with 36-item HRQOL (SF-36) and 6-item version of Household Food Security questionnaires, respectively. HRQOL was divided into eight dimensions and two summary components. We categorized households as high food secure (HFS), low food secure (LFS), and very low food secure (VLFS). Multiple linear regression model was applied to assess the independent effect of food insecurity on HRQOL. RESULTS The mean age of participants was 59.65 ± 12.3 years (range: 30-97) with 69.8% women. The overall prevalence of HFI was 46.1%, and the total mean score of HRQOL was 51.11. Multiple linear regression model showed that HFI was significantly associated with the total mean score of HRQOL and its eight dimensions. One-way ANOVA test also showed that HRQOL (in all dimensions) was significantly different between 3 groups of household food security status (HFS, LFS, and VLFS) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study showed that HFI was associated with all dimensions of HRQOL and it is one of the strongest variables, in association with HRQOL among rural patients with type 2 diabetes.
Influence of secular trends and sample size on reference equations for lung function tests

The aim of our study was to determine the contribution of secular trends and sample size to lung function reference equations, and establish the number of local subjects required to validate published reference values. 30 spirometry datasets collected between 1978 and 2009 provided data on healthy, white subjects: 19,291 males and 23,741 females aged 2.5–95 yrs. The best fit for forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC as functions of age, height and sex were derived from the entire dataset using GAMLSS. Mean z-scores were calculated for individual datasets to determine inter-centre differences. This was repeated by subdividing one large dataset (3,683 males and 4,759 females) into 36 smaller subsets (comprising 18–227 individuals) to preclude differences due to population/technique. No secular trends were observed and differences between datasets comprising >1,000 subjects were small (maximum difference in FEV1 and FVC from overall mean: 0.30– -0.22 z-scores). Subdividing one large dataset into smaller subsets reproduced the above sample size-related differences and revealed that at least 150 males and 150 females would be necessary to validate reference values to avoid spurious differences due to sampling error. Use of local controls to validate reference equations will rarely be practical due to the numbers required. Reference equations derived from large or collated datasets are recommended.
Return polynomials for non-intersecting paths above a surface on the directed square lattice

We enumerate sets of n non-intersecting, t-step paths on the directed square lattice which are excluded from the region below the surface y = 0t o which they are initially attached. In particular we obtain a product formula for the number of star configurations in which the paths have arbitrary fixed endpoints. We also consider the ‘return’ polynomial, ´ R W (y; κ) = � m0 ´ r W (y; m)κ m
Assessing costs of carrying geolocators using feather corticosterone in two species of aerial insectivore

Despite benefits of using light-sensitive geolocators to track animal movements and describe patterns of migratory connectivity, concerns have been raised about negative effects of these devices, particularly in small species of aerial insectivore. Geolocators may act as handicaps that increase energetic expenditure, which could explain reported effects of geolocators on survival. We tested this ‘Energetic Expenditure Hypothesis’ in 12 populations of tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) and barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) from North America and Europe, using measurements of corticosterone from feathers (CORTf) grown after deployment of geolocators as a measure of physiology relevant to energetics. Contrary to predictions, neither among- (both species) nor within-individual (tree swallows only) levels of CORTf differed with respect to instrumentation. Thus, to the extent that CORTf reflects energetic expenditure, geolocators apparently were not a strong handicap for birds that returned post-deployment. While this physiological evidence suggests that information about migration obtained from returning geolocator-equipped swallows is unbiased with regard to levels of stress, we cannot discount the possibility that corticosterone played a role in reported effects of geolocators on survival in birds, and suggest that future studies relate corticosterone to antecedent factors, such as reproductive history, and to downstream fitness costs.
Identification of PTK6, via RNA sequencing analysis, as a suppressor of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the most commonly observed histologic subtype of esophageal cancer. ESCC is believed to develop via accumulation of numerous genetic alterations, including inactivation of tumor suppressor genes and activation of oncogenes. We searched for transcripts that were altered in human ESCC samples compared with nontumor tissues. METHODS We performed integrative transcriptome sequencing (RNA-Seq) analysis using ESCC samples from 3 patients and adjacent nontumor tissues to identify transcripts that were altered in ESCC tissue. We performed molecular and functional studies of the transcripts identified and investigated the mechanisms of alteration. RESULTS We identified protein tyrosine kinase 6 (PTK6) as a transcript that was significantly down-regulated in ESCC tissues and cell lines compared with nontumor tissues or immortalized normal esophageal cell lines. The promoter of the PTK6 gene was inactivated in ESCC tissues at least in part via hypermethylation and histone deacetylation. Knockdown of PTK6 in KYSE30 ESCC cells using small hairpin RNAs increased their ability to form foci, migrate, and invade extracellular matrix in culture and form tumors in nude mice. Overexpression of PTK6 in these cells reduced their proliferation in culture and tumor formation in mice. PTK6 reduced phosphorylation of Akt and glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)3β, leading to activation of β-catenin. CONCLUSIONS PTK6 was identified as a transcript that is down-regulated in human ESCC tissues via epigenetic modification at the PTK6 locus. Its product appears to regulate cell proliferation by reducing phosphorylation of Akt and GSK3β, leading to activation of β-catenin. Reduced levels of PTK6 promote growth of xenograft tumors in mice; it might be developed as a marker of ESCC.
Image Integrity Authentication Scheme Based on Fixed Point Theory

Based on the fixed point theory, this paper proposes a new scheme for image integrity authentication, which is very different from digital signature and fragile watermarking. By the new scheme, the sender transforms an original image into a fixed point image (very close to the original one) of a well-chosen transform and sends the fixed point image (instead of the original one) to the receiver; using the same transform, the receiver checks the integrity of the received image by testing whether it is a fixed point image and locates the tampered areas if the image has been modified during the transmission. A realization of the new scheme is based on Gaussian convolution and deconvolution (GCD) transform, for which an existence theorem of fixed points is proved. The semifragility is analyzed via commutativity of transforms, and three commutativity theorems are found for the GCD transform. Three iterative algorithms are presented for finding a fixed point image with a few numbers of iterations, and for the whole procedure of image integrity authentication; a fragile authentication system and a semifragile one are separately built. Experiments show that both the systems have good performance in transparence, fragility, security, and tampering localization. In particular, the semifragile system can perfectly resist the rotation by a multiple of 90° flipping and brightness attacks.
Broadening Options for Long-term Dialysis in the Elderly (BOLDE): differences in quality of life on peritoneal dialysis compared to haemodialysis for older patients

Background. Health-related quality of life (QOL) is an important outcome for older people who are often on dialysis for life. Little is, however, known about differences in QOL on haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) in older age groups. Randomising patients to either modality to assess outcomes is not feasible. Methods. In this cross-sectional, multi-centred study we conducted QOL assessments (Short Form-12 Mental and Physical Component Summary scales, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Illness Intrusiveness Ratings Scale) in 140 people (aged 65 years or older) on PD and HD. Results. The groups were similar in age, gender, time on dialysis, ethnicity, Index of Deprivation (based on postcode), dialysis adequacy, cognitive function (Mini-Mental State Exam and Trail-Making Test B), nutritional status (Subjective Global Assessment) and social networks. There was a higher comorbidity score in the HD group. Regression analyses were undertaken to ascertain which variables significantly influence each QOL assessment. All were influenced by symptom count highlighting that the patient’s perception of their symptoms is a critical determinant of their mental and physical well being. Modality was found to be an independent predictor of illness intrusion with greater intrusion felt in those on HD. Conclusions. Overall, in two closely matched demographic groups of older dialysis patients, QOL was similar, if not better, in those on PD. This study strongly supports offering PD to all suitable older people.
Reduction of the Radiating Sound of a Submerged Finite Cylindrical Shell Structure by Active Vibration Control

In this work, active vibration control of an underwater cylindrical shell structure was investigated, to suppress structural vibration and structure-borne noise in water. Finite element modeling of the submerged cylindrical shell structure was developed, and experimentally evaluated. Modal reduction was conducted to obtain the reduced system equation for the active feedback control algorithm. Three Macro Fiber Composites (MFCs) were used as actuators and sensors. One MFC was used as an exciter. The optimum control algorithm was designed based on the reduced system equations. The active control performance was then evaluated using the lab scale underwater cylindrical shell structure. Structural vibration and structure-borne noise of the underwater cylindrical shell structure were reduced significantly by activating the optimal controller associated with the MFC actuators. The results provide that active vibration control of the underwater structure is a useful means to reduce structure-borne noise in water.
Modeling decadal bed material sediment flux based on stochastic hydrology

Estimates of decadal bed material sediment flux and net storage are derived by driving sediment transport calculations with a stochastic hydrology model. The resulting estimates represent the whole distribution of sediment flux based on natural variability in channel characteristics (gradient, width, and bed grain size) and the magnitude, duration, and interarrival time of flood events. A procedure for calibrating a fractional sediment transport equation of a commonly used form to bed material grain size distributions (BMGSDs) at cross sections is presented. The procedure was applied to the Sacramento River channel network to compute estimates of annual total and annual peak bed material discharges into and through the main stem over a 30‐year period. Main stem bed material budgets were evaluated to identify reaches in states of net accumulation or scour. Simulations highlight large imbalances in sand and gravel storage throughout the Sacramento River, which can be explained by a combination of local hydraulics and BMGSDs and for which there is at least some empirical support.
Medication-taking behavior in hypertensive patients with a single-tablet, fixed-dose combination in Japan

Abstract Non-persistence rate (defined as not remaining on treatment) in patients taking a renin angiotensin system inhibitor plus calcium channel blocker was studied in three integrated 12-weeks surveys by matching separate drug combination therapy (CT) and fixed-dose combination (FDC). We also investigated medication adherence measured by proportion of days covered by using a claims database. The non-persistence rate was significantly lower in FDC than CT (p = 0.0074). In the database study, the medication adherence was higher in FDC than CT for 3, 6, and 12 months (all p < 0.001). In conclusion, use of single-tablet FDC antihypertensive therapy was associated with better medication-taking behavior.
Will any future increase in cigarette price reduce smoking in Saudi Arabia?

CONTEXT: In Saudi Arabia, no studies have been conducted on the correlation between any possible cigarette's price increase and its effects on cigarette consumption. AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of cigarette smoking in Saudi Arabia and to predict the effect of price increase on cigarette consumption. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: A cross-sectional study was conducted in April and May 2013. METHODS: We developed an Arabic questionnaire with information on demographic and socioeconomic factors, smoking history, and personal opinion on the effect of price increase on cigarette consumption. The questionnaire was distributed in public places such as malls and posted on famous Saudi athlete media's twitter accounts. RESULTS: Among the 2057 included responses, 802 (39%) were current smokers. The smokers’ population constituted of 746 (92%) males, of which 546 (68%) had a monthly income equal or greater to 800 US dollars, and 446 (55%) were aged between 21 and 30 years. Multivariate analyses of the risk factors for smoking showed that male gender and older age were associated with greater risk. Despite the current low prices of 2.67 US dollars, 454 smokers (56%) thought that cigarette prices are expensive. When asked about the price of cigarettes that will lead to smoking cessation, 443 smokers (55%) expected that a price of 8.27 US dollars and more per pack will make them quit. CONCLUSIONS: Increasing the price of popular cigarettes pack from 2.67 US dollars to 8.27 US dollars is expected to lead to smoking cessation in a large number of smokers in the Saudi population.
Outcome after renal transplantation in children: Results of follow‐up by nephrologists in a primary referral center

Abstract: Pediatric patients who receive a kidney transplant require extended follow‐up to monitor graft function and for management of complications. Because of convenience, most patients are sent back to the nephrologists who referred them for transplantation (the primary nephrologist) for long‐term care. As a consequence, many pediatric nephrologists who provide this extended care are not associated with a transplant center. It is not known if this arrangement yields satisfactory outcomes for children and adolescents who receive a kidney transplant.
Medical Management of Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes: A Consensus Algorithm for the Initiation and Adjustment of Therapy

The consensus algorithm for the medical management of type 2 diabetes was published in August 2006 with the expectation that it would be updated, based on the availability of new interventions and new evidence to establish their clinical role. The authors continue to endorse the principles used to develop the algorithm and its major features. We are sensitive to the risks of changing the algorithm cavalierly or too frequently, without compelling new information. An update to the consensus algorithm published in January 2008 specifically addressed safety issues surrounding the thiazolidinediones. In this revision, we focus on the new classes of medications that now have more clinical data and experience.
Effect of the addition of 1-pentanol on engine performance and emission characteristics of diesel and biodiesel fuelled single cylinder diesel engine

ABSTRACT Bioalcohols have recently become one of the promising alternate fuels. Lower alcohols exhibit some problems like phase separation, stability issues, storage problems, corrosion etc. Hence, the addition of higher alcohols is regarded least-problematic and the concept of using higher alcohols as fuel blends is relatively new. In this article, the effects of the addition of higher alcohol (1-pentanol) on engine performance and emission characteristics are discussed. Two reference fuels (diesel and biodiesel derived from waste cooking oil) and two test fuels (blends of 20% of 1-pentanol and 80% of either diesel or biodiesel) are tested in a single cylinder compression ignition diesel engine for six load conditions (0, 4, 8, 12, 16, and 20 kg) at a constant speed of 1200 rpm. The engine performance and emission characteristics are determined and discussed.