Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Repositório ISCTE-IUL

— Research reported in this paper fits into the generic problem of programming learning. In this context, the primary research objective of this study is to analyze if robotics facilitates programming learning. To tackle the problem, we developed a robotic kit and a small course. The robotic kit used Arduino platform and was presented in the context of this course. The course consisted of programming concepts. This course was taught to higher education students, with no previous programming knowledge. In the end, we analyzed the impact of the course. Results demonstrate that students showed interest in using robotics to learn computer programming. Results also showed the main adoption determinants of the robotic kit. Enjoyment is the most relevant to the robotic kit intention to use. However, perceived ease is the dimension that has more impact on robotic kit usage.
Demonstration of Annealing-free Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MIS) Ohmic Contacts on a GaN Substrate using Low Work-function Metal Ytterbium (Yb) and Al2O3 Interfacial Layer

In this letter, the Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor (MIS) contacts are fabricated on the GaN substrates and compared to the Metal-Semiconductor (MS) contacts. To alleviate the Fermi level pinning effect at the Metal-Semiconductor interface, an Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> interfacial layer (IL) (1 ~ 3 nm) is used to form the MIS contacts. By comparing the electrical characteristics, the contact with 0nm Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> layer, i.e., MS contact, shows a lowest current compared to the contacts with an Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> IL, i.e., MIS contact. Furthermore, the current at 0.5V in the fabricated Transmission Line Measurement (TLM) device with 1nm Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> IL is 10<sup>3</sup> times higher the one without an Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> IL. This proves that inserting an Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> IL could mitigate the Fermi level pinning, resulting in a low Schottky barrier height. Finally, based on the TLM analysis, the resistivity of 5.1×10<sup>−4</sup> Ω. cm<sup>2</sup> is demonstrated in the MIS contact with 1nm Al<inf>2</inf>O<inf>3</inf> IL.
PHYSICAL AND BROMATOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF COWPEA VARIETIES PREFERRED BY Callosobruchus maculatus (COLEOPTERA: BRUCHIDAE) 1

ABSTRACT Cowpea is an herbaceous legume susceptible to several insects and diseases; and the beetle Callosobruchus maculatus is the main pest causing direct losses in the production of this crop. The objective of this work was to assess the physical and bromatological characteristics of beans of cowpea varieties (Bico-de-Ouro, BRS-Novaera, BRS-Guariba and BRS-Tumucumaque) preferred by C. maculatus. Adults of C. maculatus were obtained from a storage unit of cowpea beans. The physical and bromatological characteristics and attractiveness of cowpea beans to insects were evaluated in laboratory. The preferences for oviposition with no choice and attraction to cowpea beans by C. maculatus are not related to the high protein content or physical characteristics of the bean seed coat (thickness and fiber content), since the insects were more attracted to beans of the variety Bico-de-Ouro, which had low crude protein content, the thickest seed coat and high NDF content.
Oscillatory Dynamics of Feedback Processing in Adolescents with Prenatal Cocaine Exposure

ABSTRACT Prenatal cocaine exposure (PCE) has ramifications for feedback processing. Measuring neural oscillatory dynamics (during electroencephalography) provides insight into the time signatures and neural processes of feedback processing in adolescents with PCE. We measured spectral power in alpha and theta frequency bands while 49 adolescents with PCE and 34 non-drug exposed (NDE) performed a task with win/no-win feedback. Compared to NDE individuals, those with PCE showed reduced alpha power and increased theta power in response to no-win feedback. These findings suggest altered reactivity in PCE adolescents.
Genetic Screening for Mutants with Altered Seminal Root Numbers in Hexaploid Wheat Using a High-Throughput Root Phenotyping Platform

Roots are the main channel for water and nutrient uptake in plants. Optimization of root architecture provides a viable strategy to improve nutrient and water uptake efficiency and maintain crop productivity under water-limiting and nutrient-poor conditions. We know little, however, about the genetic control of root development in wheat, a crop supplying 20% of global calorie and protein intake. To improve our understanding of the genetic control of seminal root development in wheat, we conducted a high-throughput screen for variation in seminal root number using an exome-sequenced mutant population derived from the hexaploid wheat cultivar Cadenza. The screen identified seven independent mutants with homozygous and stably altered seminal root number phenotypes. One mutant, Cadenza0900, displays a recessive extra seminal root number phenotype, while six mutants (Cadenza0062, Cadenza0369, Cadenza0393, Cadenza0465, Cadenza0818 and Cadenza1273) show lower seminal root number phenotypes most likely originating from defects in the formation and activation of seminal root primordia. Segregation analysis in F2 populations suggest that the phenotype of Cadenza0900 is controlled by multiple loci whereas the Cadenza0062 phenotype fits a 3:1 mutant:wild-type segregation ratio characteristic of dominant single gene action. This work highlights the potential to use the sequenced wheat mutant population as a forward genetic resource to uncover novel variation in agronomic traits, such as seminal root architecture.
Parapharyngeal space tumors: a serial case study

Objective Primary parapharyngeal space (PPS) tumors are one of the most challenging head and neck tumors to diagnose and treat. We analyzed our experience in patients with PPS tumors who were treated in our hospital over 13 years. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 16 patients with PPS tumors between 2006 and 2018. The study included clinical symptoms, histological types, surgical approaches, adjuvant therapies, postoperative complications, and prognosis. Results The mean age of the patients was 49.63 ± 17.03 years. A palpable neck mass (56.3%) was the most common symptom. In our series, 78.6% of the tumors were benign, and of these, schwannomas were the most common (6/14, 42.9%). Three surgical approaches were used in our patients, including transmandibular (57.1%), transcervical (21.4%) and transparotid (21.4%) approaches. Few complications were reported, including hoarseness and numbness. Adjuvant therapy was administered depending on pathological parameters of the tumors. No recurrence was observed during a mean follow-up of 60.6 months in patients with malignant tumors. Conclusions Radiological studies of PPS tumors are essential for diagnosis and surgical planning. Excision of PPS tumors using appropriate surgical approaches provides good outcomes.
Acupuncture therapy for essential hypertension: a network meta-analysis.

Background To evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapies for the treatment of essential hypertension. Methods We performed a systematic electronic search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM), Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wan-fang Data Database. The main outcome indicators measured were the amount of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), a change of blood pressure, and the response rate. STATA15.0 software was used for the network meta-analysis. Results A total of 31 trials with 2,649 patients were included. Patients were allocated to 15 kinds of interventions. These including acupuncture types were electroacupuncture, moxibustion, warm needle therapy, sham acupuncture, behavioral therapy, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), calcium channel blocker (CCB), beta-blocker, acupuncture combined ACEI, acupuncture combined CCB, acupuncture combined behavior, electroacupuncture combined CCB, and non-treatment. The results of the network meta-analysis showed that there was no significant clinical or statistic difference in systolic blood pressure (SBP) change magnitude between acupuncture treatment and the other 14 therapies. Moxibustion may be better than acupuncture in reducing diastolic blood pressure (DBP) [mean difference (MD): 15.9, 95% confidence interval (CI): 5.96-25.85]. There was no significant difference in reducing DBP between acupuncture and the other 13 interventions. The effective rate of acupuncture combined with AECI [odds ratio (OR) =7.96, 95% CI: 1.11-56.92] and acupuncture combined with behavioral therapy (OR =3.53, 95% CI: 1.08-11.51) in treating hypertension was better than that of acupuncture alone, and there was no statistically significant difference in the effective rate between acupuncture and the other therapies. Conclusions The existing evidence shows that acupuncture could be used for treating hypertension, and it may have the same effects as common medication. However, due to the low qualities of the original studies, the quality of this evidence is poor. Therefore, it is recommended that more scientific research be performed to confirm the efficacy of acupuncture.
The impact of social determinants of health on laryngotracheal stenosis development and outcomes

The social determinants of health affect a wide range of health outcomes and risks. To date, there have been no studies evaluating the impact of social determinants of health on laryngotracheal stenosis (LTS). We sought to describe the social determinants in a cohort of LTS patients and explore their association with treatment outcome.
An Automatic Method for the Segmentation and Classification of Imminent Labor Contraction From Electrohysterograms

Objective: Preterm birth is the first cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality. Despite continuous clinical routine improvements, the preterm rate remains steady. Moreover, the specificity of the early diagnosis stays poor as many hospitalized women for preterm delivery threat finally deliver at term. In this context, the use of electrohysterograms may increase the sensitivity and the specificity of early diagnosis of preterm labor. Methods: This paper proposes a clinical application of electrohysterogram processing for the classification of patients as prone to deliver within a week or later. The approach relies on non-linear correlation analysis for the contraction bursts extraction and uses computation of various features combined with the use of Gaussian mixture models for their classification. The method is tested on a new dataset of 68 records collected on women hospitalized for preterm delivery threat. Results: This paper presents promising results for the automatic segmentation of the contraction and a classification sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of, respectively, 80.7%, 76.3%, and 76.2%. Conclusion: These results are in accordance with the gold standards but have the advantage to be non-invasive and could be performed at home. Significance: Diagnosis of imminent labor is possible by electrohysterography recording and may help in avoiding over-medication and in providing better cares to at-risk pregnant women.
Social Network Factors and Anxiety Among Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes and Their Parents

Stressors generated by chronic illnesses in adolescents are experienced in the broader social context of their lives. The purpose of this study was to examine the social networks of 15 adolescents with type 1 diabetes and 25 parents and evaluate associations of social support and kinship type with state and trait anxiety. Social network data were collected through individual interviews. Participants completed self-reported measures of anxiety. Adolescents with lower anxiety had greater overlap with their parents’ networks and more network members with whom they would not share their feelings. Parents with increased anxiety had more network members who provide support for everyday stressors, or with whom they lose their temper. The type of support provided by biological and social kin differed for adolescents versus parents. Tailored interventions leveraging existing social networks could be a key mechanism for supporting family responses to stress-provoking situations in the context of childhood chronic illness.
Pol B, a Family B DNA Polymerase, in Thermococcus kodakarensis is Important for DNA Repair, but not DNA Replication

Thermococcus kodakarensis possesses two DNA polymerases, Pol B and Pol D. We generated a T. kodakarensis strain (DPB1) in which polB was completely deleted and a derivative of DPB1 in which polB was overexpressed; neither of the generated strains exhibited any growth delay, indicating that the lack or overexpression of Pol B in T. kodakarensis did not affect cell growth. We also found that DPB1 showed higher sensitivity to four DNA-damaging agents (ultraviolet C irradiation, γ-ray irradiation, methyl methanesulfonate, and mitomycin C) than the parental strain. The sensitivity of DPB1 was restored to the level of the parent strain by the introduction of a plasmid harboring polB, suggesting that the DNA damage-sensitive phenotype of DPB1 was due to the loss of polB. Collectively, these results indicate that Pol B is involved in DNA repair, but not DNA replication, which, in turn, implies that Pol D is the sole replicative DNA polymerase in Thermococcus species.
Enabling Efficient User Revocation in Identity-Based Cloud Storage Auditing for Shared Big Data

Cloud storage auditing schemes for shared data refer to checking the integrity of cloud data shared by a group of users. User revocation is commonly supported in such schemes, as users may be subject to group membership changes for various reasons. Previously, the computational overhead for user revocation in such schemes is linear with the total number of file blocks possessed by a revoked user. The overhead, however, may become a heavy burden because of the sheer amount of the shared cloud data. Thus, how to reduce the computational overhead caused by user revocations becomes a key research challenge for achieving practical cloud data auditing. In this paper, we propose a novel storage auditing scheme that achieves highly-efficient user revocation independent of the total number of file blocks possessed by the revoked user in the cloud. This is achieved by exploring a novel strategy for key generation and a new private key update technique. Using this strategy and the technique, we realize user revocation by just updating the non-revoked group users’ private keys rather than authenticators of the revoked user. The integrity auditing of the revoked user's data can still be correctly performed when the authenticators are not updated. Meanwhile, the proposed scheme is based on identity-base cryptography, which eliminates the complicated certificate management in traditional Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) systems. The security and efficiency of the proposed scheme are validated via both analysis and experimental results.
Novel therapies in low- and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome

ABSTRACT Introduction: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) comprise a heterogeneous group of myeloid neoplasms with diverse clinical courses. The revised version of the international prognostic scoring system (IPSS-R) provides risk stratification into 5 different groups. Areas covered: For lower-risk patients, red blood cell transfusions and iron chelation are the backbone of supportive care. In addition, erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA) are used to ameliorate anemia. Lenalidomide is approved for the treatment of lower-risk patients with del(5q) who are transfusion-dependent. Patients with higher-risk disease should be offered allogeneic stem cell transplantation whenever possible. If they are unfit for transplantation or an appropriate donor cannot be found, hypomethylating agents may be used. Expert opinion: New therapeutic options for lower-risk patients include thrombopoietin analogues, the TGF-beta family ligand trapping drug Luspatercept, and the telomerase inhibitor Imetelstat. Combinations of hypomethylating agents (HMA) with other compounds, and inhibitors of bcl2, such as venetoclax are being developed for higher-risk patients. Finally, hypomethylating agents in combination with donor lymphocytes may lead to long-term remission following molecular or hematological relapse after allogeneic SCT.
The association between dietetic consultation and time to dialysis for patients attending a pre‐dialysis clinic: A retrospective cohort study

A multidisciplinary approach, including dietetics, is considered the optimal model of care for dialysis preparation. Dietetic consultation (DC) focuses on symptom management and dietary changes to delay time to dialysis. Evidence of the effectiveness of DC on time to dialysis is limited. This study aimed to investigate the impact of DC on time to dialysis for patients attending a pre‐dialysis clinic.
Individual distress and dyadic adjustment over the course of couple therapy and three-year follow-up: A replication study

Abstract This replication study examined the change over time and the relationship between depressive symptoms and dyadic adjustment during residential couple therapy and at one- and three-year follow-up. Mixed models were used in the analyses, and a disaggregation procedure was applied to examine the results on a between-person as well as on a within-person level. Overall, the results of the previous study were replicated. Significant improvement (p < .001) occurred on measures assessing relationship satisfaction and depressive symptoms from admission to discharge (effect sizes .47 to.72) and from admission to three-year follow-up (effect sizes .59 to .66). The within-person finding implies that when a person experiences more depressive symptoms than usual for him/her, subsequent dyadic adjustment is poorer than usual. Thus, our previous clinical implication suggestion is reinforced in this study: When treating couples suffering from co-existing relational and symptomatic distress, couple therapy should include the aim of lowering individual depressive symptoms.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Pilot Study of Intravenous Glyburide in Traumatic Brain Injury

Pre-clinical studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) show that glyburide reduces edema and hemorrhagic progression of contusions. We conducted a small Phase II, three-institution, randomized placebo-controlled trial of subjects with TBI to assess the safety and efficacy of intravenous (IV) glyburide. Twenty-eight subjects were randomized and underwent a 72-h infusion of IV glyburide or placebo, beginning within 10 h of trauma. Of the 28 subjects, 25 had Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 6–10, and 14 had contusions. There were no differences in adverse events (AEs) or severe adverse events (ASEs) between groups. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) percent change at 72–168 h from screening/baseline was compared between the glyburide and placebo groups. Analysis of contusions (7 per group) showed that lesion volumes (hemorrhage plus edema) increased 1036% with placebo versus 136% with glyburide (p = 0.15), and that hemorrhage volumes increased 11.6% with placebo but decreased 29.6% with glyburide (p = 0.62). Three diffusion MRI measures of edema were quantified: mean diffusivity (MD), free water (FW), and tissue MD (MDt), corresponding to overall, extracellular, and intracellular water, respectively. The percent change with time for each measure was compared in lesions (n = 14) versus uninjured white matter (n = 24) in subjects receiving placebo (n = 20) or glyburide (n = 18). For placebo, the percent change in lesions for all three measures was significantly different compared with uninjured white matter (analysis of variance [ANOVA], p < 0.02), consistent with worsening of edema in untreated contusions. In contrast, for glyburide, the percent change in lesions for all three measures was not significantly different compared with uninjured white matter. Further study of IV glyburide in contusion TBI is warranted.
Cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction, altered sleep architecture, and muscle overactivity during nocturnal sleep in pediatric patients with narcolepsy type 1.

STUDY OBJECTIVES arterial blood pressure (ABP) decreases during sleep compared to wakefulness and this change is blunted in mouse models of and adult patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1). We tested whether: 1) pediatric patients with NT1 have similar cardiovascular autonomic abnormalities during nocturnal sleep; and 2) these abnormalities can be linked to hypocretin-1 cerebrospinal fluid concentration (CSF HCRT-1), sleep architecture or muscle activity. METHODS laboratory polysomnographic studies were performed in 27 consecutive drug-naïve NT1 children or adolescents and in 19 matched controls. Nocturnal sleep architecture and submentalis (SM), tibialis anterior (TA), and hand extensor (HE) electromyographic (EMG) activity were analyzed. Cardiovascular autonomic function was assessed through the analysis of pulse transit time (PTT) and heart period (HP). RESULTS PTT showed reduced lengthening during total sleep and REM sleep compared to nocturnal wakefulness in NT1 patients than in controls, whereas HP did not. NT1 patients had altered sleep architecture, higher SM EMG during REM sleep, and higher TA and HE EMG during N1-N3 and REM sleep when compared to controls. PTT alterations found in NT1 patients were more severe in subjects with lower CSF HRCT-1, but did not cluster or correlate with sleep architecture alterations or muscle overactivity during sleep. CONCLUSION our results suggest that pediatric NT1 patients close to disease onset have impaired capability to modulate ABP as a function of nocturnal wake-sleep transitions, possibly as a direct consequence of hypocretin neuron loss. The relevance of this finding for cardiovascular risk later in life remains to be determined.
Deep Synthetic Viewpoint Prediction

Determining the viewpoint (pose) of rigid objects in images is a classic vision problem with applications to augmented reality, semantic SLAM, robotic grasping, autonomous navigation and scene understanding in general. While most existing work is characterized by phrases such as “coarse pose estimation“, alluding to their low accuracy and reliance on discrete classification approaches, modern applications increasingly demand full 3D continuous viewpoint at much higher accuracy and at real-time speeds. To this end, we here decouple localization and viewpoint prediction, often considered jointly, and focus on answering the question: how accurately can we predict, at real-time speeds, full 3D continuous viewpoint for rigid objects given that objects have been localized? Using vehicles as a case study, we train our model using only black and white, synthetic renders of fifteen cars and demonstrate its ability to accurately generalize the concept of ’vehicle viewpoint’ to color, real-world images of not just cars, but vehicles in general even in the presence of clutter and occlusion. We report detailed results on numerous datasets, some of which we have painstakingly annotated and one of which is new, in the hope of providing the community with new baselines for continuous 3D viewpoint prediction. We show that deep representations (from convolutional networks) can bridge the large divide between purely synthetic training data and realworld test data to achieve near state-of-the-art results in viewpoint prediction but at real-time speeds.