Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IDIOPATHIC INTERSTITIAL PNEUMONIA TO BIOPSY OR NOT TO BIOPSY: EMERGING INSIGHTS REGARDING AN AGE-OLD DILEMMA

Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIP) are a group of acute and chronic interstitial lung diseases with unknown etiology. Of the IIPs, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) occur more frequently than cryptogenic organizing pneumonia, respiratory bronchiolitis interstitial lung disease, desquamative interstitial pneumonia, acute interstitial pneumonitis, and lymphocytic interstitial pneumonia. Assigning an accurate diagnosis is critical given the varied prognoses and treatment options. The "gold standard" for diagnosing an IIP involves an interaction between the clinician, radiologist, and pathologist; however, not all patients may require a surgical lung biopsy to establish a diagnosis. This article discusses recent data highlighting the role of high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and surgical lung biopsy (SLB) in the diagnosis of IIP, particularly in the identification of IPF.
Experimental Investigations on the Temperature Increase of Ultra-High Performance Concrete under Fatigue Loading

Leaner, more filigree, and resource-saving constructions are the development goal of the in the building industry. In reinforced concrete construction, a ultra-high strength concrete was developed to achieve these goals. Due to its use and requirements, this very pressure-resistant material is no longer only exposed to static loads. In applications such as wide-span bridges, machine foundations and wind turbines, the susceptibility to vibration is also significant. Research into the fatigue behavior of the new building material is therefore very important. In this article we will discuss the effect of heating up of high performance concretes under fatigue stress. The thesis is that warming up, which was already observed by several research groups, has an influence on the fatigue strength. Changes in the strength of the concrete or residual stresses generated by heating can lead to early failure. The aim is to find the reasons for the heating and the grade of influence on the fatigue strength. A systematic test program was developed to investigate the influencing parameters maximum stress level, frequency, and maximum grain size of the concrete. Thirty fatigue tests were carried out; the results will be presented here. The influence on the temperature increase as well as on the heating rate for the individual parameters will be discussed. The results show that all three discussed parameters have a significant influence on the temperature rise. Whereas the maximum temperature reached depends strongly on the frequency, the other two parameters mainly influence the heating rate.
The role of TRIB3 in insulin resistance: Its action as nutrient sensor and regulator of insulin signal action

Insulin resistance (IR) is a hallmark of Type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Tribbles homolog 3 (TRIB3) has been demonstrated to play a role in IR by serving as a negative regulator of Akt in mouse liver, fat, and pancreas. In a previous microarray study, we have discovered TRIB3 gene is upregulated in skeletal muscle in diabetic patients compared with insulin sensitive subjects. Therefore, the goal of this dissertation is to explore whether TRIB3 can modulate glucose uptake and oxidation, and play a role in IR in another insulin target tissue – skeletal muscle. Here, we report two main functions of TRIB3 in skeletal muscle. Regarding a pathophysiological role for TRIB3, we found that hyperglycemia induces increments in TRIB3 expression partially through glucose metabolism via the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway. TRIB3 expression is increased in the skeletal muscle of diabetic patients and various diabetic rodent models when compared with their normoglycemic controls. Overexpression of TRIB3 in L6-GLUT4 cells leads to decreased insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and cell surface translocation of GULT4 transporters, and down-regulation elicits increases in both basal and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. These data for the first time indicate that TRIB3 can contribute to glucose-induced insulin resistance (i.e., “glucose
Concrete bridge surface damage detection using a single‐stage detector

Early and timely detection of surface damages is important for maintaining the functionality, reliability, and safety of concrete bridges. Recent advancement in convolution neural network has enabled the development of deep learning‐based visual inspection techniques for detecting multiple structural damages. However, most deep learning‐based techniques are built on two‐stage, proposal‐driven detectors using less complex image data, which could be restricted for practical applications and possible integration within intelligent autonomous inspection systems. In this study, a faster, simpler single‐stage detector is proposed based on a real‐time object detection technique, You Only Look Once (YOLOv3), for detecting multiple concrete bridge damages. A field inspection images dataset labeled with four types of concrete damages (crack, pop‐out, spalling, and exposed rebar) is used for training and testing of YOLOv3. To enhance the detection accuracy, the original YOLOv3 is further improved by introducing a novel transfer learning method with fully pretrained weights from a geometrically similar dataset. Batch renormalization and focal loss are also incorporated to increase the accuracy. Testing results show that the improved YOLOv3 has a detection accuracy of up to 80% and 47% at the Intersection‐over‐Union (IoU) metrics of 0.5 and 0.75, respectively. It outperforms the original YOLOv3 and the two‐stage detector Faster Region‐based Convolutional Neural Network (Faster R‐CNN) with ResNet‐101, especially for the IoU metric of 0.75.
Improvement in Voltage Conversion Ratio of Ultrahigh Step-Down Converter

A modified step-down converter is presented herein, which is mainly based on one coupled inductor and several energy-transferring capacitors to improve the voltage conversion ratio as well as to reduce the switch voltage stress. In addition, the portion of the leakage inductance energy can be recycled to the input via the active clamp circuit during the turn-off period and the switches have zero-voltage switching (ZVS) during the turn-on transient. In this paper, the basic operating principles of the proposed converter are firstly described and analyzed, and its effectiveness is finally demonstrated by experiment based on a prototype with input voltage of 60 V, output voltage of 3.3 V and rated output power of 33 W.
Effects of Recreational Exercises on Children’s Anthorpometric Parameters and Their Level of Nutrition Knowledge

Abstract This paper was done with the intent of studying and reviewing the effects of summer schools on children’s physical development and their level of knowledge about nutrition. In this study, the target segment was 200 volunteer children in age group of 10 to 12 years. Children’s average age was 11. 12 year, average stature was 145.25 cm, average body weight was 44.57 kg, and average body-mass index was 21. Physical fitness and anthropometric evaluations and stature, body weight, vertical jump, anaerobic strength, grip strength, back and lift strength, body and 30 meters tests were implemented. A survey on students was conducted to collect information about student’s nutritional habits and effects of their socio-economical situation on their nutritional habits. Besides, the summer schools adversely affect and cause hindrance in physical and mental development. However, the nutrition knowledge and habits should be constantly improved.
Severity of Depression among Elderly Women Attending Holy Quran Memorization Centers in Saudi Arabia

Background: Depression is the most common mental health problem among the elderly, causing considerable morbidity worldwide, as well as increased healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to determine the severity of depression among Saudi elderly women attending Quran Memorization Centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Methods: We recruited 340 participants aged 65 years and older from 11 Quran Memorization Centers in the cities of Dammam, Khobar and Dhahran in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. We used a structured interview questionnaire composed of socio-demographic characteristics and the Activity of Daily Living instrument to assess participants’ physical, social, and health-status conditions. In addition, we used the English version of the Geriatric Depression Scale and the Arabic version of Montreal Cognitive Assessment as the main screening instruments for depression and cognitive impairment respectively. Results: Severity of depression among all participants was 42.1%. Low monthly income, the absence of a caregiver, diabetes, disability, and sleep disturbance were identified as common factors associated with depression. Conclusion: The present study showed that depression in elderly females attending these centers was high and associated with multiple medical and socioeconomic characteristics, which is a cause of concern.
Assistance dog placement in the pediatric population: Benefits, risks, and recommendations for future application

Abstract Assistance animals have long been recognized for their value in enhancing the lives of adults with disabilities by increasing the physical independence, confidence, and social lives of their handlers. Recently, this concept has been applied to the growing population of children with physical disabilities and developmental impairments, though the benefits and risks of these placements have not been thoroughly assessed. Our study used interviews to evaluate the outcome of placing assistance dogs in the pediatric population, looking specifically at the unique advantages and disadvantages of this application of the human–animal bond. We administered a structured interview assessing risks and benefits of assistance dog relationships to 17 families with a child under 18 years who graduated from a single provider (NEADS) over a five-year time period. Benefits were found in 88% of families, and were overwhelmingly social and cognitive, with additional physical and medical benefits for the pediatric client. However, risks, including behavioral, financial, and time/cost issues were significant, becoming a burden in 53% of families. Perhaps more than with adult placements, we found that it was of prime importance to understand the assistance animal in the context of the family, rather than just in relation to the individual with a disability. It is hoped that results of this and future studies will enhance the welfare of both client and assistance animal, as well as the overall success of this unique human–animal relationship.
Assessment of the Lean effect on business performance: the case of manufacturing SMEs

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to research the way in which Lean practices are affecting the performance of manufacturing small and medium enterprises (SMEs), analyzing the effects of Lean practices on companies’ operational, financial and market performance. Design/methodology/approach An online questionnaire was distributed among Portuguese organizations that fitted the category of SMEs and belonged to the manufacturing sector. A sample of 329 enterprises was analyzed with partial least squares–structural equation modelling. Four hypotheses on the impact of Lean practices on company performance were tested. Findings The results show that the effects of Lean on performance are positive, which stresses the benefits attainable with the implementation of Lean practices. The aggregated implementation of Lean practices, namely, customer involvement, statistical process, continuous flow and total productive maintenance leads to improvements in company’s global performance measured by market, financial and operational performance measures, and also improves each of these performance measures individually. It was also noticed that financial capability is one of the indispensable factors for the successful implementation of Lean practices. Research limitations/implications The results contribute to the investigation on the topic, broadening the literature on the implementation of Lean practices in companies around the world. Practical implications The research outcomes may be used as a motivation for other SMEs to implement Lean practices by acknowledging the positive impact on their performance. Furthermore, the degree of Lean implementation in the particular industry may constitute a signal for government and/or economic decision makers to define incentives such as fiscal benefits for companies that engage in Lean implementation programmes, partly financing workers cross-training, among other necessary investments. Originality/value This is the first study that examines the impact of the effect of Lean on operational, financial and market performance in a discriminated and simultaneous way.
Performance modifications and design aspects of rotating flux switching permanent magnet machines: a review

Permanent magnet flux switching machines (FSPMs) have attracted considerable attention in recent years, due to their outstanding characteristics to operate as brushless AC drives. Since they are relatively new, there are particular challenges not only for their design procedure but also for their operating principle comprehension. This study highlights several issues on FSPMs from the basic operation description to their key design points. After a comprehensive description of FSPMs working principles, a detailed discussion is presented on their armature winding design. In addition, this study reviews various methods for their performance modification, including torque profile, electromotive force, and loss characteristics. This study also surveys field regulation technologies, modelling and design optimisation methods applied to FSPMs along with their fabrication and cost issues.
Selected methods for improving operating conditions of three-phase systems working in the presence of current and voltage deformation – part I

: The paper includes a summary of long-time research conducted by a research team in the Institute of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Silesian University of Technology. The research work has principally been related to selected problems in the ﬁeld of analysis and synthesis of systems aimed at symmetrisation and improvement of some power quality parameters. This paper constitutes the second part of the report on the research. It has been devoted to three-phase system symmetrisation as well as eﬀective elimination of higher harmonics and substantial improvement of power quality by means of hybrid active power ﬁlters.
Cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetic patients in Libreville, Gabon

We have evaluated cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetic subjects living in Gabon. We conducted a crosssectional study including all type 2 diabetes patients in two medical centres in Libreville, Gabon. After consent, we obtained data on demography, complications, and glycaemic and lipid status. There were 1300 type 2 diabetic patients. Hypertension was present in 35%. Alcohol and tobacco were used by 29% and 11% of patients, respectively. Only 14% practised sport and 50% of patients were not on any particular diet. Neuropathy affected 27%, followed by retinopathy (6%), nephropathy (4%), and large vessel disease (4%). Overweight affected 55%, 53% were hypercholesterolaemic, and 4% hypertriglyceridaemic. Reduction of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was seen in 64% of patients. Mean HbA 1c was 9.3%, with 70% having levels over 7.5%. We conclude that the risk factor profile is not optimal in this population. In order to improve the treatment of type 2 diabetic patients, an effort must be made to adopt international guidelines, and educational initiatives must be encouraged. Vascular disease dominates the pathogenesis of these complications. Amongst these, microangiopathy appears to be the most common, as about 80% of type 2 diabetic patients will develop these complications in the course of the evolution of their illness. 9 The management of cardiovascular risk factors, by treating hypertension and dyslipidaemia, weight reduction, and modification of lifestyle habits, constitute an important part of type 2 diabetes management. Some authors consider that this could be more effective and less expensive than the management and treatment of hyperglycaemia. 10 The present study aimed to evaluate the extent of cardiovascular risk in type 2 diabetic patients living in Libreville, and to estimate the effectiveness of their management.
Cutaneous infections in lymphoedema

The typical diagnosis of skin infection in patients with lymphoedema includes erysipelas and cellulitis, but the true picture is more complex with the possibility of secondary complications such as lymphadenitis (adenolymphangitis) and lymphangitis. The recent description of acute inflammatory episodes (or AIEs) has gone some way to explaining how a patient may be prone to rapid-onset febrile illness (Mortimer, 2000). This review summarises the current understanding of cutaneous infections and inflammatory presentations that are observed in lymphoedema and discusses associated immunological compromises.
Skeletal muscle strength in older adults. Angiotensinconverting enzyme (ACE) genotype affects: an UPDATE

Problem Statement : Previous studies have associated angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) with variability in the skeletal muscle baseline strength, though conclusions have been inconsistent across investigations. Approach: The purpose of this study was to review the most important studies that have been exanimate the possible association between ACE genotype and skeletal muscle baseline strength in elite male and female athletes involved in elderly populations. This research is needed because the possibility that the DD genotype may be associated with a greater proportion of fast twitch fibers could explain the influence of the ACE D allele upon strength/ power, particularly at high velocities, but this evidence remains equivocal in older people because more studies are necessary. Results: Thus, according to scientific evidence, changes in muscle strength with exercise training in older individuals may be dependent on ACE I/D genotype. Of note, the results provide a novel insight that these genetic variations may interact to determine muscle mass in older women specially. The determination of this predisposition in this population, highlighting the interest of study, for the prophylactic attitude on the factors and causes of aging (sarcopenia, osteoporosis, risk of falls, reduction of functional physical) go through this analysis.
Social networks as a means of monitoring patients with hypertension and diabetes success story / Las redes sociales como medio de monitoreo en pacientes con hipertension y diabetes una historia de exito

Summary: The use of social networking and instant messaging system called WhastApp is described. He has served as a means of communication between the self-help group for hypertensive patients with type 2 diabetes and Expert Medical Staff. With what has been achieved patient identification in a social setting, reach treatment goals, reduction of unnecessary consultations and emergency detection. As patient empowerment. A descriptive cross-sectional study with a total population of 50 patients, who will have a smart and subsequent phone 3 months were surveyed with a questionnaire frequency of practice self-care and self care from joining a support group with positive reinforcement through WhastApp. The data were statistically analyzed with a descriptive model. The findings of this study show that social support in this way promotes greater adherence to treatment through the implementation of self-care guidelines. Hypertension disease and diabetes are high on social policies at great personal, economic and health impacts generated. The use of a support network greatly favors health patients. It was proposed. The use of social networks as a means of support would favor the patient achieve therapeutic goals by using WhastApp? General Objective: To identify the relationship between the use of WhastApp and adherence to self-care practices to patients in the Balbuena Hospital Population: Patients of particular clinical captured and integrated support group, who have a smartphone.
Event-related potentials in patients with refractory epilepsy

Currently, the mechanism of action of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is not fully understood, and it is unclear which factors determine a patient’s response to treatment. Recent preclinical experiments indicate that activation of the locus coeruleus noradrenergic system is critical for the antiepileptic effect of VNS. This study aims to evaluate the effect of VNS on noradrenergic signaling in the human brain through a noninvasive marker of locus coeruleus noradrenergic activity: the P3 component of the event-related potential. We investigated whether VNS differentially modulates the P3 component in VNS responders versus VNS non-responders. For this purpose, we recruited 20 patients with refractory epilepsy who had been treated with VNS for at least 18 months. Patients were divided into 2 groups with regard to their reduction in mean monthly seizure frequency: 10 responders (>50 %) and 10 non-responders (≤50 %). Two stimulation conditions were compared: VNS OFF and VNS ON. In each condition, the P3 component was measured during an auditory oddball paradigm. VNS induced a significant increase of the P3 amplitude at the parietal midline electrode, in VNS responders only. In addition, logistic regression analysis showed that the increase of P3 amplitude can be used as a non-invasive indicator for VNS responders. These results support the hypothesis that activation of the locus coeruleus noradrenergic system is associated with the antiepileptic effect of VNS. Modulation of the P3 amplitude should be further investigated as a non-invasive biomarker for the therapeutic efficacy of VNS in patients with refractory epilepsy.
Hospital and pre-hospital triage systems in disaster and normal conditions; a review article

Triage is a priority classification system based on the severity of problem to do the best therapeutic proceedings for patients in the less time. A triage system should be performed in a way which can make a decision with high accuracy and in the least time for each patient. Simplicity and reliability of the performance are the most important features of a standard triage system. An appropriate triage causes to increase the quality of health care services and patients’ satisfaction rate, decrease the waiting time as well as mortality rate, and increase the yield and efficiency of emergency wards along with reducing the related expenses. Considering to the above statements, in the present study the history of triage formation was evaluated and categorizing of all triage systems regarding prehospital and hospital as well as triage in normal and critical conditions were assessed, too.