Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating performance of some common filtering techniques for removal of Gaussian noise in images

In this eork, Noise is modelled as Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN), where all the image pixels deviate from their original values following the Gaussian Curve. Many Gaussian noise removal techniques require the knowledge of standard deviation as a measure of noise corruption for the purpose of setting threshold value, size of the sliding window etc. We have used different filtering techniques, viz., Mean, Median, Fuzzy, Wiener and Sigma to produce a noise-free image. We found that the Weiner Filter does the best job at denoising the image from AWGN.
Qiliqiangxin Rescues Mouse Cardiac Function by Regulating AGTR1/TRPV1-Mediated Autophagy in STZ-Induced Diabetes Mellitus

Background/Aims: To explore the potential role of qiliqiangxin (QLQX) A traditional Chinese medicine and the involvement of angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AGTR1) and transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) in diabetic mouse cardiac function. Methods: Intragastric QLQX was administered for 5 weeks after streptozotocin (STZ) treatment. Additionally, Intraperitoneal injections of angiotensin II (Ang II) or intragastric losartan (Los) were administered to assess the activities of AGTR1 and TRPV1. Two-dimensional echocardiography and tissue histopathology were used to assess cardiac function Western blot was used to detect the autophagic biomarkers Such as light chain 3 P62 and lysosomal-associated membrane protein 2 And transmission electron microscopy was used to count the number of autophagosomes. Results: Decreased expression of TRPV1 and autophagic hallmarks and reduced numbers of autophagolysosomes as well as increased expression of angiotensin converting enzyme 1 and AGTR1 were observed in diabetic hearts. Blocking AGTR1 with Los mimicked the QLQX-mediated improvements in cardiac function Alleviated myocardial fibrosis and enabled autophagy Whereas Ang II abolished the beneficial effects of QLQX in wild type diabetic mice but not in TRPV1-/- diabetic mice. Conclusions: QLQX may improve diabetic cardiac function by regulating AGTR1/ TRPV1-mediated autophagy in STZ-induced diabetic mice.
Identification and Control of a River-Current-Turbine Generator—Application to a Full-Scale Prototype

This paper reports on the operation assessment of an electrical power generation system based upon cross-flow water turbines. The specific power take-off system has been tested in real-world conditions in a variety of scenarios and the experimental results have confirmed previous modeling assessments. Dynamical proprieties have been precisely identified and stable system operation over the entire operating range has been achieved. Steady-state characterization in terms of power coefficient has also been done, allowing the assessment of power generation system global efficiency and enabling the building of more precise models to be used in further simulations and assessments for power grid integration. Maximum power point tracking and other specific operation regimes such as angular position synchronization have also been validated.
Universal Safety for Timed Petri Nets is PSPACE-complete

A timed network consists of an arbitrary number of initially identical 1-clock timed automata, interacting via hand-shake communication. In this setting there is no unique central controller, since all automata are initially identical. We consider the universal safety problem for such controller-less timed networks, i.e., verifying that a bad event (enabling some given transition) is impossible regardless of the size of the network. This universal safety problem is dual to the existential coverability problem for timed-arc Petri nets, i.e., does there exist a number $m$ of tokens, such that starting with $m$ tokens in a given place, and none in the other places, some given transition is eventually enabled. We show that these problems are PSPACE-complete.
HS6ST1 Insufficiency Causes Self-Limited Delayed Puberty in Contrast With Other GnRH Deficiency Genes

Abstract Context Self-limited delayed puberty (DP) segregates in an autosomal-dominant pattern, but the genetic basis is largely unknown. Although DP is sometimes seen in relatives of patients with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (HH), mutations in genes known to cause HH that segregate with the trait of familial self-limited DP have not yet been identified. Objective To assess the contribution of mutations in genes known to cause HH to the phenotype of self-limited DP. Design, Patients, and Setting We performed whole-exome sequencing in 67 probands and 93 relatives from a large cohort of familial self-limited DP, validated the pathogenicity of the identified gene variant in vitro, and examined the tissue expression and functional requirement of the mouse homolog in vivo. Results A potentially pathogenic gene variant segregating with DP was identified in 1 of 28 known HH genes examined. This pathogenic variant occurred in HS6ST1 in one pedigree and segregated with the trait in the six affected members with heterozygous transmission (P = 3.01 × 10−5). Biochemical analysis showed that this mutation reduced sulfotransferase activity in vitro. Hs6st1 mRNA was expressed in peripubertal wild-type mouse hypothalamus. GnRH neuron counts were similar in Hs6st1+/− and Hs6st1+/+ mice, but vaginal opening was delayed in Hs6st1+/− mice despite normal postnatal growth. Conclusions We have linked a deleterious mutation in HS6ST1 to familial self-limited DP and show that heterozygous Hs6st1 loss causes DP in mice. In this study, the observed overlap in potentially pathogenic mutations contributing to the phenotypes of self-limited DP and HH was limited to this one gene.
Basic evaluation of limb exercises based on electromyography and classification methods

Symptoms caused by cerebral palsy or stroke deprive a person partially or even completely of his ability to move. Nowadays we can observe more technologically advanced rehabilitation devices which incorporate biofeedback into the process of rehabilitation of such people. However, there is still a lack of devices that would analyse, assess, and control (independently or with limited support) specialised movement exercises. Here we propose an idea of an automated exercise evaluation mechanism based on machine learning techniques, such as: support vector machines, decision trees, random forest, and k-nearest neighbours. While being only a preliminary case study, our research showed that with appropriate processing even a 100% accuracy score can be achieved in classifying whether an exercise is executed well or not.
Role of Interleukin-38 in Chronic Inflammatory Diseases: A Comprehensive Review

Interleukin (IL)-38 is the newest member of the IL-1 family. It can bind to several receptors, regulate the generation, function of inflammatory cytokines through the downstream signaling pathways. IL-38 is expressed in several tissues, such as placenta, heart, and brain. It is involved in a wide variety of diseases, including chronic inflammatory diseases. In this review, we discuss the expression and biological functions of IL-38, especially the role in rheumatic autoimmune diseases. Collection of the information may improve the understanding of IL-38, and may give potential for theoretical basis for clinical trials and drug development in the future.
The ERBB network facilitates KRAS-driven lung tumorigenesis

G12 mutant KRAS requires tonic ERBB network activity for initiation and maintenance of lung cancer. A new role for kinase inhibitors The KRAS oncogene is frequently mutated in a variety of cancer types, including lung cancer. Lung cancers with KRAS mutations are usually difficult to target, and conventional thinking dictates that these tumors are resistant to receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors because those act upstream of the constitutively active KRAS protein. However, it appears that receptor tyrosine kinase signaling may have an effect on KRAS-driven lung tumors after all, by amplifying their growth beyond the effects of KRAS alone. Kruspig et al. and Moll et al. independently reached this conclusion and identified approved multi-kinase inhibitors that are effective in the setting of KRAS-mutant lung cancer in multiple mouse models, suggesting that this may be a potential treatment strategy for human patients as well. KRAS is the most frequently mutated driver oncogene in human adenocarcinoma of the lung. There are presently no clinically proven strategies for treatment of KRAS-driven lung cancer. Activating mutations in KRAS are thought to confer independence from upstream signaling; however, recent data suggest that this independence may not be absolute. We show that initiation and progression of KRAS-driven lung tumors require input from ERBB family receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs): Multiple ERBB RTKs are expressed and active from the earliest stages of KRAS-driven lung tumor development, and treatment with a multi-ERBB inhibitor suppresses formation of KRASG12D-driven lung tumors. We present evidence that ERBB activity amplifies signaling through the core RAS pathway, supporting proliferation of KRAS-mutant tumor cells in culture and progression to invasive disease in vivo. Brief pharmacological inhibition of the ERBB network enhances the therapeutic benefit of MEK (mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase) inhibition in an autochthonous tumor setting. Our data suggest that lung cancer patients with KRAS-driven disease may benefit from inclusion of multi-ERBB inhibitors in rationally designed treatment strategies.
Minnorm training: an algorithm for training over-parameterized deep neural networks

In this work, we propose a new training method for finding minimum weight norm solutions in over-parameterized neural networks (NNs). This method seeks to improve training speed and generalization performance by framing NN training as a constrained optimization problem wherein the sum of the norm of the weights in each layer of the network is minimized, under the constraint of exactly fitting training data. It draws inspiration from support vector machines (SVMs), which are able to generalize well, despite often having an infinite number of free parameters in their primal form, and from recent theoretical generalization bounds on NNs which suggest that lower norm solutions generalize better. To solve this constrained optimization problem, our method employs Lagrange multipliers that act as integrators of error over training and identify `support vector'-like examples. The method can be implemented as a wrapper around gradient based methods and uses standard back-propagation of gradients from the NN for both regression and classification versions of the algorithm. We provide theoretical justifications for the effectiveness of this algorithm in comparison to early stopping and $L_2$-regularization using simple, analytically tractable settings. In particular, we show faster convergence to the max-margin hyperplane in a shallow network (compared to vanilla gradient descent); faster convergence to the minimum-norm solution in a linear chain (compared to $L_2$-regularization); and initialization-independent generalization performance in a deep linear network. Finally, using the MNIST dataset, we demonstrate that this algorithm can boost test accuracy and identify difficult examples in real-world datasets.
Nursing Stress , Anxiety , Depression and Sleep Disturbance among Jordanian Mothers and Fathers of Infants Admitted to Neonatal Intensive Care Unit : A Preliminary Study Dua ' a

Article history: Received 8 April 2016 Revised 7 June 2017 Accepted 10 June 2017 Available online xxxx Purpose: To investigate the stressors and stress levels among Jordanian parents of infants in the NICU and their relationship to three factors: anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance. Design andMethods: A cross-sectional surveywas conducted in two hospitals in Jordan among 310 parents of infants in the NICU by using PSS: NICU and PROMIS. Results:Both parents experiencedhigh levels of stress, anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance. Therewas a significant difference in stress level between mothers and fathers [t (308) = 3.471, p = 0.001], with the mothers experiencing higher stress than the fathers [mean:mothers=108.58; fathers=101.68]. The highest and lowest sources of stresswere infant behavior and appearance (M=4.09) and sights and sounds in theNICU (M=3.54), respectively. The correlation between stress levels with anxiety (r=0.79) and depression (r=0.75) was strong and positive while sleep disturbance was significant and moderate (r = 0.43). Conclusions: The mothers experienced higher levels of stress compared to fathers, with positive correlations between stress and anxiety, depression and sleep disturbance. Practical Implications: The findings of this study create nursing awareness of parent stress and its impact, which will help them to improve nursing care for parents. © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Family Support Groups for Family Members of Mentally Ill Offenders: Family Expectations and Experiences

Family Support Groups (FSGs) are developed for family members of mentally ill offenders. This study investigates family treatment expectations and experiences of an FSG. Family members were interviewed before (n = 20) and after (n = 17) attending an FSG. Results show that family members hesitated or were curious about the FSG, expected to receive peer support and universality of problems, to receive information and advice and thought about the safety and respect of the group. Family members experienced the treatment as helpful because it was supportive, they gained new insights and they felt relieved and satisfied. Many family members see the guidance of the therapists and the differences in family and gender roles as an added value of attending an FSG. However, considering the limitations of the study, future studies should gain insight in and stress the importance of the meaning of therapeutic processes for family members confronted with different psychiatric disorders and/or situations.
Screening of Asymptomatic Intracranial Arterial Stenosis among High Risk Subjects: A Pilot Study from Egypt.

Background Stroke ranks as the second leading cause of death and the leading cause of morbidity worldwide. Large intracranial arterial stenosis (ICAS) is a major cause of stroke. Methods This study investigated the prevalence and associated vascular risk factors of ICAS in a high-risk population in Qalyeubia Governorate, Egypt. A cross-sectional pilot survey using transcranial Doppler (TCD) was conducted at Toukh Central Hospital and Aghore El-qubra primary healthcare units in the Qalyeubia Governorate from 1 January 2016 until the end of June 2016. Results A total of 153 participants were included in this study. The prevalence of asymptomatic ICAS was 13.1%. Among the modifiable risk factors, cardiac diseases, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia, physical inactivity, and smoking were the strongest independent predictors of ICAS. Conclusion This pilot study concluded that the prevalence of asymptomatic ICAS is relatively high in Egypt, and modifiable risk factors were the strongest predisposing factors of ICAS. TCD is an efficient non-invasive modality for the diagnostic evaluation of ICAS.
Teaching for higher levels of thinking: developing quantitative and analytical skills in environmental science courses

Professionals with strong quantitative and analytical skills are essential to understanding and responding to current environmental challenges. The goal of this study was to promote and evaluate the development of data analysis (DA) skills in undergraduate students through targeted interventions in environmental science courses. We developed materials to promote practice, instruction, and assessment of four core DA dimensions: the ability to make appropriate calculations, convert data to graphical representations, interpret graphical or mathematical information, and draw conclusions based on the analysis of data. We integrated two conservation exercises as pre/post assessment tools, flanking differentiated teaching interventions, into selected science courses and used a standardized rubric to measure students' performance level. We found that students improved their DA skills in a single semester, but the level of improvement varied across skill dimensions. Students struggled with dimensions that require higher levels of thinking such as data interpretation and drawing conclusions. The use of additional exercises targeting these dimensions and alternative practices might enhance gains. Importantly, students also gained content knowledge in ecological principles while developing skills, and demonstrated an increase in self-confidence with their DA skills. Our approach and open-access materials can be integrated into existing courses to develop and assess data skills in undergraduate learners.
Quality assessment of ADL instrument and evaluation of ADL ability in individuals with cervical spinal cord injury after reconstructive hand surgery

Background: A spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to dramatic changes in an individual’s life and the rehabilitation after the injury is a lifelong process. For persons with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI), the loss of both sensory and motor function in the upper extremities poses a functional deficit and an impairment in activities of daily living (ADL). Reconstructive hand surgery has the potential to restore loss of motor function and can therefore influence both capacity, i.e. grip function, and activity performance. Methods: One cross-sectional study, one mixed study and two longitudinal studies were performed. The study participants consisted of individuals with cervical spinal cord injury with no prior reconstructive hand surgery before September 1994. Data were collected by face-to-face semi-structured interviews and by connecting the Klein-Bell ADL (KB) Scale to the ICF. Results: The KB Scale linkage to the ICF made it possible to interpret, detect and quantify concepts in the scale and thus highlighted and clarified the scale structure. Comparison between the KB Scale and ICF core sets and have corroborated that the scale can measure basic ADL in individuals with cervical SCI. The KB Scale can be used to assess and discriminate cervical SCI individuals’ basic ADL from lesser to greater independence before surgery. Improvements in basic ADL can also be measured after reconstructive hand surgery. Individuals undergoing grip reconstruction became more independent in dimension hygiene, whereas individuals undergoing reconstructive elbow extension and grip surgery increased their independence in dimension mobility. Conclusions: The ICF provided an external reference to identify and quantify concepts in the KB Scale. The KB Scale linkage to ICF provided a systematic overview how the items are constructed from body movements to basic ADL activities. The KB Scale can be used to assess basic ADL, and discriminate and measure changes in self-care in cervical SCI individuals in connection with reconstructive hand surgery. To become a useful tool, selected parts of the KB Scale’s structural properties must be further
Y chromosome analysis of native Turkish cattle breeds by microsatellite markers

The aim of this study was to determine phylogenetic relationships of 6 native cattle breeds of Turkey using 7 Y chromosome-specific microsatellite DNA markers. DNA samples were isolated from Anatolian Black, Anatolian Grey, South Anatolian Red, Native Southern Anatolian Yellow, East Anatolian Red, and Zavot cattle using a standard phenol/chloroform method. PCR products were separated by capillary electrophoresis and marker genotypes were determined. A total of 41 different alleles were observed. The mean allele number was 5.86 and mean FIS value was 0.427 for all populations. The INRA189 locus was monomorphic for all populations except for South Anatolian Red. UMN0307 and INRA124 loci were monomorphic in the East Anatolian Red and Anatolian Black populations, respectively. The Anatolian Black population was assigned to its own population at a maximum level (78.26%). In this study, a taurine-specific allele was identified in the INRA124 locus. Zebu- and taurine-specific alleles were observed in BM861, INRA189, and UMN0103 loci. Allele 134 in INRA124 seems to be a specific allele of taurine or zebu. The alleles of the UMN0307 and UMN0504 loci need to be investigated for zebu- or taurine-specific alleles. The resulting neighbor-joining tree and structure analysis suggested that the breeds analyzed are consistent with their modern geographical locations.
Emotional distress and marital adjustment of caregivers: contribution of level of impairment and appraised burden

The study examined the relative contribution of both the husband's impairment and the caregiver's sense of burden to the caregiver level of emotional distress and marital adjustment. Two hundred and fifteen veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and their wives participated in the study. Data were collected using self-report questionnaires and a series of clinical interviews with the veterans and their wives. Results indicated that spouses of PTSD veterans suffer from a higher level of emotional distress and a lower level of marital adjustment than the general population. Their level of distress is more closely associated with perceived caregiver burden than with the level of the veterans’ impairment. The discussion highlights some cross-cultural similarities of the findings and the clinical and empirical implications of the study.
A scoping review of the role of HIV-related stigma and discrimination in noncommunicable disease care

Background People living with HIV are increasingly burdened by noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) as a result of the NCD susceptibility that accompanies increased life expectancy and the rising global prevalence of NCDs. Health systems are being strengthened and programs are being developed to address this burden, often building on HIV care strategies and infrastructure or through integrated care models. HIV remains a stigmatized condition and the role of HIV stigma in the provision of NCD care is not well understood. Methods We conducted a scoping literature review of both peer reviewed and grey literature to identify evidence of the role of HIV stigma in the NCD-care continuum (prevention, diagnosis, care seeking, retention in care, and adherence to treatment of NCDs). We searched PsychInfo and Pubmed and conducted additional searches of programmatic reports and conference abstracts. Included studies were published in English within the past decade and examined HIV-related stigma as it relates to NCD-care or to integrated NCD-and HIV-care programs. Results Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria. Findings suggest: fear of disclosure, internalized shame and embarrassment, and negative past experiences with or negative perceptions of health care providers negatively influence engagement with NCD care; HIV stigma can adversely affect not only people living with HIV in need of NCD care, but all NCD patients; some NCDs are stigmatized in their own right or because of their association with HIV; integrating NCD and HIV care can both reduce stigma for people living with HIV and a present a barrier to access for NCD care. Conclusion Due to the dearth of available research and the variability in initial findings, further research on the role of HIV stigma in the NCD-care continuum for people living with HIV is necessary. Lessons from the field of HIV-stigma research can serve as a guide for these efforts.