Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between Sedative-hypnotics and Subsequent Cancer in Patients with and without Insomnia: A 14-year Follow-up Study in Taiwan

Background: The aim of this population-based 14-year historical and prospective study was to determine the relationships between the usage of sedative-hypnotics, including benzodiazepines and nonbenzodiazepines, and the risk of subsequent cancer in patients with or without insomnia among the Taiwanese population. Methods: A total of 43,585 patients were recruited, 21,330 of whom had been diagnosed with insomnia and 8,717 who had been prescribed sedative-hypnotics during this study's following period of 2002 to 2015. Information from the claims data, namely basic demographic details, drug prescriptions, comorbidities, and patients' survival, was extracted from the National Health Insurance Research Database for χ2 analysis. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to compute the 14-year cancer-free survival rates after adjustment for confounding factors. Results: Patients with insomnia who used sedative-hypnotics had an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.49 compared with patients with insomnia who did not use any sedative-hypnotics, and patients without insomnia who used sedative-hypnotics had an adjusted hazard ratio of 1.68 compared with patients without insomnia who did not use any sedative-hypnotics. Regarding site-specific risk, patients with insomnia who used sedative-hypnotics had an increased risk of oral and breast cancers, and patients without insomnia who received sedative-hypnotics prescriptions had an increased risk of liver and breast cancers. The cancer-free survival rate of patients who had used sedative-hypnotics was significantly lower than that of patients who had never used sedative-hypnotics. Conclusions: The use of sedative-hypnotics in patients either with or without insomnia was associated with subsequent cancer development in the Taiwanese population. Increased risks of oral, liver, and breast cancer were found in the patients with the use of sedative-hypnotics. The use of sedative-hypnotics should be discouraged for treating patients with or without insomnia in Taiwan.
On the Minimum Potential Energy State and the Eddy Size–Constrained APE Density

AbstractExactly solving the absolute minimum potential energy state (Lorenz reference state) is a difficult problem because of the nonlinear nature of the equation of state of seawater. This problem has been solved recently but the algorithm comes at a high computational cost. As the first part of this study, the authors develop an algorithm that is ~103–105 times faster, making it useful for energy diagnosis in ocean models. The second part of this study shows that the global patterns of Lorenz available potential energy (APE) density are distinct from those of eddy kinetic energy (EKE). This is because the Lorenz APE density is based on the entire domainwide parcel rearrangement, while mesoscale eddies, if related to baroclinic instability, are typically generated through local parcel rearrangement approximately around the eddy size. Inspired by this contrast, this study develops a locally defined APE framework: the eddy size–constrained APE density based on the strong constraint that the parcel rearran.
The Neotropical Ornithological Society NESTING OF THE OLIVACEOUS WOODCREEPER ( SITTASOMUS GRISEICAPILLUS )

– The Olivaceous Woodcreeper (Sittasomus griseicapillus) is a widespread and common inhabitant of Neotropical forests, yet surprisingly little is known about its nesting habits and there is conflicting information about whether both parents or only the female care for the eggs and young. We found six nests in the Chaco and Atlantic forest in northern Argentina, in tree cavities formed by natural decay (as opposed to abandoned woodpecker holes), 4.5–16 m above the ground, with entrances 3–7 cm in diameter, and 18–35 cm deep. Olivaceous Woodcreepers laid three eggs on a bed of bark and/or leaves. Although two adults were present around the nests, banding of one adult at the most intensively studied nest (40 h over 17 days) allowed us to confirm that only one individual attended the nestlings. The adult spent very little time in the nest cavity, instead making up to 12 trips/h to bring the nestlings arthropods, especially Lepidopteran larvae and adult moths. The rate of delivery increased over the nestling period, whereas the rate of fecal sac removal declined. Adults, nestlings, and fledglings were inconspicuous, vocalizing only softly and drawing little attention to the nest. Adults did not defend the nest from other birds, but instead they flushed from the tree whenever startled. These behaviors, the small size of the
EFFECT OF ANTIOXIDANT SUPPLEMENTATION ON HAEMATOLOGICAL PARAMETERS OF TRANSITION DAIRY CATTLE

In the present study 24 healthy dairy cows belonging to two to four parity, from 220 days of pregnancy were selected and divided randomly into four different groups G0, G1, G2 and G3. G0 animals were kept as control animals. G1animals were supplemented with organic selenium at the rate of 0.3 ppm/kg dry matter. G2 animals were supplemented with vitamin E at the rate of 1000 IU/day. G3 animals were supplemented with organic selenium 0.3 ppm and vitamin E 1000 IU per day. Blood samples were collected on 220, 250 days of pregnancy, on the day of calving and on 30 days post-partum. Data were analysed using SPSS Version 24.0 by two factor ANOVA for repeated measures. No significant difference was observed in haemoglobin concentration and total leucocyte count between different experimental groups or between different experimental periods. But total erythrocyte count was found to be significantly higher for G3 animals on 250 days of pregnancy, day of calving and on 30 days post-partum. Volume of packed red cells were significantly higher for G3 animals on the day of calving compared to G0 animals. Improvement in haematological parameters through supplementation of organic selenium and/or vitamin E indicates alleviation of oxidative stress during transition period.
Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy versus adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with N3 gastric cancer after D2/R0 resection: a retrospective study based on propensity score analyses

Purpose: N3 gastric cancer (GC) is characterized by a heavy burden of lymph node metastasis and a high postoperative recurrence rate. The role of radiotherapy in this group of patients remains undetermined. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) and adjuvant chemotherapy (ChT) for N3 GC after D2/R0 resection. Patients and methods: From January 2004 to December 2015, patients with N3 GC in the database of Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center were retrospectively reviewed. The eligible patients were enrolled in an adjuvant CRT group and an adjuvant ChT group. Four different methods based on a propensity score model were used to balance the baseline characteristics. Then, survival analyses between the two groups were performed in addition to patterns of recurrence and subgroup analyses. Results: In total, 175 and 365 eligible patients were enrolled into the CRT and ChT groups, respectively. After balancing, the disease-free survival (DFS) of patients in the CRT group was significantly better than that of patients in the ChT group (p=0.021). Subgroup analyses showed that patients with N3a GC benefitted from adjuvant CRT. Conclusion: Compared with adjuvant ChT, adjuvant CRT can further improve the DFS of patients with N3 GC after D2/R0 resection. Patients with lymph node metastases should be further stratified when selecting patients for adjuvant CRT.
Socio-economic condition and indigenous poultry production scenario in a selected cluster area of Bangladesh

A baseline survey was conducted in a cluster area (279 households) of Mymensingh district in Bangladesh to know the farmers’ socio-economic condition, and overall production and husbandry practices regarding indigenous poultry farming and assess future outlook. Data were analyzed following descriptive statistics. Most of the farmers (54.84%) were in middle age type (31-50 years) and landless (41.58%). The average annual income of farmers recorded 61,260 BDT or 875 USD where agriculture (49.10%) was found as primary occupation. The average indigenous chicken (196 HHs), duck (16 HHs) and pigeon (4 HHs) distribution per household were 5.62, 3.81 and 3, respectively. Average egg production per clutch in chicken and duck identified 13.47 and 17.50 eggs, respectively, with 76.78 and 69.61% hatchability. Indigenous poultry (60.20%) housed inside the dwelling of farmers. Natural and uncontrolled breeding observed for all indigenous livestock in the studied area. Vaccination practice followed very limited for poultry while Newcastle disease found most prominent in poultry (65.82%). Proper initiative, funding, farm-based training to educated farmers including modern animal husbandry practices could increase indigenous poultry population and consequent profit. Asian Australas. J. Biosci. Biotechnol. 2016, 1 (3), 557-563
Occupational chemical exposure and diabetes mellitus risk

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic diseases that may originate from an interaction between genetic and lifestyle risk factors. However, the possible role of occupational chemical exposures in the disease development and progression remains unclear. Therefore, this review aimed to provide a comprehensive evaluation of the relationship between occupational exposure to specific chemical substances or industrial activities and DM morbidity and mortality outcomes. Although some positive findings may support the diabetogenic role of certain pesticides and dioxins in different workplaces, the variable conditions of exposure, the lack of quantitative environmental or biological monitoring data and the different outcomes evaluated do not allow defining a specific exposure-disease causality. Therefore, further epidemiological studies will be necessary to adequately assess modes of action for different substances, dose–response relationships as well as individual susceptibility factors potentially affecting the exposure-disease continuum. Overall, this appears important to adequately assess, communicate and manage risks in occupational chemical exposure settings with the aim to protect workers and build healthier job conditions for diabetic employees.
Re‐examination of the role of the periplasmic domain of EnvZ in sensing of osmolarity signals in Escherichia coli

In Escherichia coli, EnvZ senses changes in the osmotic conditions of the growth environment and controls the phosphorylated state of the regulatory protein, OmpR. OmpR‐phosphate regulates the expression of the porin genes, ompF and ompC. To investigate the role of the periplasmic domain of EnvZ in sensing of osmolarity signals, portions of this domain were deleted. Cells containing the EnvZ mutant proteins were able to regulate normally the production of OmpF and OmpC in response to changes in osmolarity. The periplasmic domain of EnvZ was also replaced with the non‐homologous periplasmic domain of the histidine kinase PhoR of Bacillus subtilis. Osmoregulation of OmpF and OmpC production in cells containing the PhoR–EnvZ hybrid protein was indistinguishable from that in cells containing wild‐type EnvZ. Identical results were obtained with an envZ–pta/ack strain, which could not synthesize acetyl phosphate. Thus, acetyl phosphate was not involved in the regulation of ompF and ompC observed in this study. These results indicate that the periplasmic domain of EnvZ is not essential for sensing of osmolarity signals.
Phylogenetic analysis and genetic variation of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus based on the V 1 gene in Iraq یلئاولا دنهم

Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) is a supreme pathogen in tropical and subtropical areas. During 2014-2015, a total of 393 tomato leaf tissue samples showing tomato yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD) symptoms were collected from six different provinces of Iraq. In double antibody sandwich enzymelinked imunoserbent assay (DAS-ELSA) 55 out of 393 samples (14%) reacted positively with TYLCVspecific antibodies. Following total DNA extraction, the presence of TYLCV was verified in 21 out of 55 ELISA positive samples by PCR and coat protein gene (V1) of 16 TYLCV isolates was amplified using specific primers and cloned. Nucleotide sequences of Iraqi TYLCV isolates of V1 gene showed the highest nucleotide sequences identity of 94.1-99.6% in CP gene with Kuwait (KJ830841) and Iraq (JQ354991) isolates. In phylogenetic analysis based on V1 nucleotide sequences, Iraqi isolates were separated into two main groups and four subgroups, without correlation with geographical origin. Genetic diversity parameters based on V1 nucleotide sequences indicated a high genetic variability in Iraqi populations of TYLCV. The proportion of non-synonymous to synonymous nucleotide diversity was <1.0, indicating that this gene is under negative selection. A low gene flow was observed between southern and centric Iraq subpopulations, demonstrating genetic differentiation among Iraqi subpopulations. This is the first study dealing with the distribution and genetic variation of TYLCV in Iraq. Fulllength viral genome sequencing of TYLCV isolates of Iraq is necessary to differentiate virus strain(s) in Iraq.
A data mining approach to predict forest fires using meteorological data

Forest fires are a major environmental issue, creating economical and ecological damage while endangering human lives. Fast detection is a key element for controlling such phenomenon. To achieve this, one alternative is to use automatic tools based on local sensors, such as provided by meteorological stations. In effect, meteorological conditions (e.g. temperature, wind) are known to influence forest fires and several fire indexes, such as the forest Fire Weather Index (FWI), use such data. In this work, we explore a Data Mining (DM) approach to predict the burned area of forest fires. Five different DM techniques, e.g. Support Vector Machines (SVM) and Random Forests, and four distinct feature selection setups (using spatial, temporal, FWI components and weather attributes), were tested on recent real-world data collected from the northeast region of Portugal. The best configuration uses a SVM and four meteorological inputs (i.e. temperature, relative humidity, rain and wind) and it is capable of predicting the burned area of small fires, which are more frequent. Such knowledge is particularly useful for improving firefighting resource management (e.g. prioritizing targets for air tankers and ground crews).
Quantitative 3D measurement of ilmenite abundance in Alpe Arami olivine by confocal microscopy: Confirmation of high-pressure origin

Abstract A critical aspect of the debate about the origin and conditions of metamorphism of the Alpe Arami (AA) peridotite is the disagreement over how much ilmenite is contained in the older generation of olivine and therefore how much TiO2 might have been dissolved at high pressure and temperature. We have now determined quantitatively the 3-dimensional distribution of ilmenite in AA olivine by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). The CLSM measurements show an average concentration of 0.31 vol% of ilmenite in olivine, with individual grains containing up to 1.2 vol%. This translates into average and maximum concentrations of 0.23 and 0.9 wt% TiO2 in olivine, respectively, and confirms the original estimation of maximum concentration of ~1 vol% TiO2. The vast majority of ilmenite in AA olivine is distributed randomly (although topotactically oriented) and, in all cases, is accompanied by chromite in a ratio of ~4:1. These observations are consistent with an origin of the ilmenite (and chromite) by exsolution from an olivine solid solution at P = 9- 12 GPa and temperatures above the stability field of titanian clinohumite, but are not consistent with suggested breakdown of titanian clinohumite. Combining these results with other recent findings suggests that exsolution followed deformation under relatively high fugacity of H2O, and that the high solubility of TiO2 is probably explained by pressure-induced accommodation of Ti in the tetrahedral site of silicates.
Control of Synchronization in Coupled Neural Systems by Time-Delayed Feedback

We discuss the synchronization of coupled neurons which are modeled as FitzHugh–Nagumo systems. As smallest entity in a larger network, we focus on two diffusively coupled subsystems, which can be interpreted as two mutually interacting neural populations. Each system is prepared in the excitable regime and subject to independent random fluctuations. In order to modify their cooperative dynamics, we apply a local external stimulus in the form of an extended time-delayed feedback loop that involves multiple delays weighted by a memory parameter and investigate if the local control applied to a subsystem can allow one to steer the global cooperative dynamics. Depending on the choice of this new control parameter, we investigate different measures to quantify the influence on synchronization: ratio of interspike intervals, power spectrum, interspike interval distribution and phase synchronization intervals. We show that the control method is more robust for increasing memory parameter.
ASSESSMENT OF COMMUNITY WELLNESS OUTCOMES TO MEASURE THE IMPACT OF ICT FOR DEVELOPMENT

Measuring the development impacts of information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for community development (ICTD) continues to be an unresolved problem, especially when trying to include non-traditional development measures beyond economic growth, such as empowerment and social capital. Research on ICTD impact has been mostly focused on description and action, on measuring quantifiable outputs such as number of computers and number of users, or on tangible outcomes such as income and employment, completion of online transactions and acquisition of digital skills. But a growing body of work including our past research shows that the impact of ICTD programs is more frequently related to capabilities and other non-material notions of wellness, and that these aspects are easily missed when looking only at traditional tangible outcomes such as education, health, income or economic growth. We argue for an alternate approach that measures non-material impacts of ICTD, which we term Community Wellness Outcomes (CWO). Assessment of CWO offers a more complete picture of the contributions of ICT to community development than relying solely traditional economic development measures. We examine CWO measuring empowerment, experienced as changes in self-efficacy and aspirations among users of ICT, and social capital, experienced as changes in the nature and extent of their social connections and their civic engagement.
Optimal design and implementation of a drivetrain for an ultra-light electric vehicle

This paper presents an integrated design of a drivetrain for a single-person ultra-light electric vehicle (ULEV). To calculate losses and efficiency of the inverter, the permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSMs) and the gearbox, parameterised analytical models are used. For the gearbox - which has a single gear ratio - the studied parameters are the gear ratio, the number of stages, the number of teeth and the module of each spur gear combination. The novelty of the paper is that it learns how the total average efficiency and the total mass of the drivetrain depend on the gear ratio, on the number of stages in the gearbox, on the motor parameters and on the chosen several driving cycles including the new European driving cycle (NEDC). On the basis of the presented results, it is possible to choose the right configuration of power electronics, PMSM and gearbox in order to have a good trade-off between high efficiency and low mass.
PALEOICHNOLOGICAL ASSEMBLAGE ASSOCIATED WITH BAURUSUCHUS SALGADOENSIS REMAINS , A BAURUSUCHIDAE MESOEUCROCODYLIA FROM THE BAURU BASIN , BRAZIL ( LATE CRETACEOUS )

The body fossil and ichnological fossil record associated with Baurusuchus salgadoensis (Baurusuchidae: Mesoeucrocodylia) in General Salgado County (Adamantina Formation, Bauru Basin, Brazil) is diverse and outstanding with regard to preservation and completeness. Invertebrate ichnofossils, fossil eggs, coprolites, gastroliths and tooth marks on Baurusuchus fossils have been identified. The seasonal climate developed in the Bauru Basin during the Late Cretaceous created stressful conditions forcing animals to endure aridity and food scarcity. The Baurusuchidae underwent long arid seasons, probably resorting to intraspecific fighting, scavenging, selfburrowing mounds and stone ingestion. The integration of sedimentology, ichnology and taphonomic data is useful to reconstruct in detail the ecological scenarios under which Late Cretaceous Crocodyliformes survived.
Predominant involvement of a particular group of fingers due to small, cortical infarction

Background: Small cortical strokes may cause predominant weakness restricted to a particular group of fingers. However, clinical, radiologic, and etiopathogenetical studies have rarely been done in these patients. Method: The author analyzed clinical and radiologic features of 12 patients with small cortical infarcts who had predominant weakness of particular fingers. Results: The patients were divided into two groups: Eight patients had predominant involvement of ulnar-sided fingers (PIUF), and four had predominant involvement of radial-sided fingers (PIRF). Sensory symptoms were also present in eight patients, and the severity correlated with that of motor impairment. Radiologic–clinical correlation showed that the lesions related to PIUF were located significantly more medially than those associated with PIRF in the presumed hand representation area of the motor cortex. In addition, the PIUF was closely associated with severe proximal vessel stenosis or occlusion, whereas the PIRF was often related to emboligenic stroke. Conclusions: The results agree with traditionally alleged topography for fingers in the human motor cortex: ulnar fingers—medial and radial fingers—lateral. However, whether this result indicates a point-to-point somatotopical representation or differential threshold of excitability in individual neurons remains unknown. Sensory topography seems to be closely associated with that of motor function in individual subjects. The motor cortex representing ulnar-sided fingers may be a borderzone area between large arteries.
CONTROLLED PROXIMAL DIFFERENTIAL SYSTEMS FOR SADDLE PROBLEMS

Optimization problems have been successfully applied to mathematical modeling mainly because there is a developed theory for these problems. The theory has several main approaches involving parametrization concepts (e.g., proximal method and penalty function method), linearization (e.g., gradient method), and quadratic approximation (e.g., Newton method). Under special conditions these methods and their combinations always converge to a solution of a singular optimization problem. The situation is quite di erent when we deal with equilibrium problems, where none of these methods nor modi cations of them are suitable. A simple equilibrium with a saddle point is a su cient example of this. Let us consider the search for a saddle point of the function L(x, p) = = x · p. The saddle point of this function is at the origin (0, 0) and satis es the inequality: 0 · p ≤ ≤ 0 · 0 ≤ x · 0 for all x ∈ R and p ∈ R. The saddle gradient method in one variable is falling and the other is ascending and has the form