Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fractal Structure of Brain Electrical Activity of Patients With Mental Disorders

This work was aimed at a comparative analysis of the degree of multifractality of electroencephalographic time series obtained from a group of healthy subjects and from patients with mental disorders. We analyzed long-term records of patients with paranoid schizophrenia and patients with depression. To evaluate the properties of multifractal scaling of various electroencephalographic time series, the method of maximum modulus of the wavelet transform and multifractal analysis of fluctuations without a trend were used. The stability of the width and position of the singularity spectrum for each of the test groups was revealed, and a relationship was established between the correlation and anticorrelation dynamics of successive values of the electroencephalographic time series and the type of mental disorders. It was shown that the main differences between the multifractal properties of brain activity in normal and pathological conditions lie in the different width of the multifractality spectrum and its location associated with the correlated or anticorrelated dynamics of the values of successive time series. It was found that the schizophrenia group is characterized by a greater degree of multifractality compared to the depression group. Thus, the degree of multifractality can be included in a set of tests for differential diagnosis and research of mental disorders.
Target Capture Reveals the Complex Origin of Vietnamese Ginseng

The global market of the medicinal plant ginseng is worth billions of dollars. Many ginseng species are threatened in the wild and effective sustainable development initiatives are necessary to preserve biodiversity at species and genetic level whilst meeting the demand for medicinal produce. This is also the case of Panax vietnamensis Ha & Grushv. , an endemic and threatened ginseng species in Vietnam that is locally cultivated at different scales and has been the object of national breeding programs. To investigate the genetic diversity within cultivated and wild populations of P. vietnamensis we captured 353 nuclear markers using the Angiosperm-353 probe set. Genetic diversity and population structure were evaluated for 319 individuals of Vietnamese ginseng across its area of distribution and from wild and a varying range of cultivated areas. In total, 319 individuals were sampled. After filtering, 1,181 SNPs were recovered. From the population statistics, we observe high genetic diversity and high genetic flow between populations. This is also supported by the STRUCTURE analysis. The intense gene flow between populations and very low genetic differentiation is observed regardless of the populations' wild or cultivated status. High levels of admixture from two ancestral populations exist in both wild and cultivated samples. The high gene flow between populations can be attributed to ancient and on-going practices of cultivation, which exist in a continuum from understorey, untended breeding to irrigated farm cultivation and to trade and exchange activities. These results highlight the importance of partnering with indigenous peoples and local communities and taking their knowledge into account for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development of plants of high cultural value.
Physiologic Data-Driven Iterative Learning Control for Left Ventricular Assist Devices

Continuous flow ventricular assist devices (cfVADs) constitute a viable and increasingly used therapy for end-stage heart failure patients. However, they are still operating at a fixed-speed mode that precludes physiological cfVAD response and it is often related to adverse events of cfVAD therapy. To ameliorate this, various physiological controllers have been proposed, however, the majority of these controllers do not account for the lack of pulsatility in the cfVAD operation, which is supposed to be beneficial for the physiological function of the cardiovascular system. In this study, we present a physiological data-driven iterative learning controller (PDD-ILC) that accurately tracks predefined pump flow trajectories, aiming to achieve physiological, pulsatile, and treatment-driven response of cfVADs. The controller has been extensively tested in an in-silico environment under various physiological conditions, and compared with a physiologic pump flow proportional-integral-derivative controller (PF-PIDC) developed in this study as well as the constant speed (CS) control that is the current state of the art in clinical practice. Additionally, two treatment objectives were investigated to achieve pulsatility maximization and left ventricular stroke work (LVSW) minimization by implementing copulsation and counterpulsation pump modes, respectively. Under all experimental conditions, the PDD-ILC as well as the PF-PIDC demonstrated highly accurate tracking of the reference pump flow trajectories, outperforming existing model-based iterative learning control approaches. Additionally, the developed controllers achieved the predefined treatment objectives and resulted in improved hemodynamics and preload sensitivities compared to the CS support.
Identification of an m6A-Related Long Noncoding RNA Risk Model for Predicting Prognosis and Directing Treatments in Patients With Colon Adenocarcinoma

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and lncRNAs have been implicated in the development of colon cancer, including tumorigenesis, migration, and invasion. However, the specific effect of m6A regulators on lncRNAs is not clear, and m6A-related lncRNAs may be new prognostic biomarkers and may help direct treatment and medication. We identified 29 prognostic m6A-related lncRNAs and constructed a risk model using 12 lncRNAs. The model was an independent prognostic factor and could accurately predict the prognosis. A stable and robust nomogram that combined the model and pathologic stage was constructed. A total of 2,424 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified based on the model. Functional analysis of the DEGs showed that they were associated with tumor progression, helping investigate the underlying biological functions and signaling pathways of the risk model. In addition, the low-risk group based on the risk model had more sensitivity to afatinib, metformin, and GW.441756, and patients with low risk would more likely respond to immunotherapy. Moreover, patients with higher risk were more sensitive to olaparib, bexarotene, and doxorubicin.
Prognostic Value of Platelet-Albumin-Bilirubin Grade in Child-Pugh A and B Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Meta-Analysis

Background Numerous studies showed that preoperative platelet-albumin-bilirubin (PALBI) grade was closely related to the prognostic outcome of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, the conclusions were inconsistent. Therefore, we implemented the study to comprehensively evaluate the association between PALBI grade and prognosis in patients with HCC. Methods Relevant articles were collected from the specified databases until February 10, 2022. We included all studies exploring the relationship between PALBI grade and prognosis in HCC patients. We used the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to calculate the comprehensive analysis. All data analyses were performed using STATA 12.0. Results Thirteen retrospective articles containing 15534 patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results displayed that the high PALBI grade was obviously correlated with poor overall survival (OS) (HR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.46-2.02) and disease-free survival/relapse-free survival (DFS/RFS) (HR:1.31; 95% CI: 1.11–1.54). Subgroup analyses further confirmed the reliability of the comprehensive results. Conclusions PALBI may be a valid prognostic indicator in HCC patients. More investigations were needed to test our findings.
Pain-Related Factors and Their Impact on Quality of Life in Chinese Patients With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Objectives Pain is considered a common symptom in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the results of studies on pain in ALS are limited and inconsistent. The aim of our study was to comprehensively evaluate the potential factors of pain and effects on quality of life (QoL) in patients with ALS from China. Participants and Methods Patients were eligible if they fulfilled the criteria of probable and definitive ALS according to the revised El Escorial criteria. Pain was assessed by the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). Disease severity, sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and quality of life (QoL) were evaluated in ALS patients by the ALS Functional Rating Scale-revised (ALSFRS-R) and ALS severity scale (ALSSS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (MQOL). Then, the clinical characteristics of ALS patients with pain were compared with those without pain. Last, associated factors of pain, as well as impact on QoL in Chinese ALS patients, were assessed. Results A total of 86 ALS patients were included. ALS patients with pain tended to have higher FSS scores and poorer QoL. The FSS score and ALSSS [lower extremity (LE) + upper extremity (UE)] were associated with pain in ALS patients. The ALS Functional Rating Scale-revised (ALSFRS-R), Pain Severity Index (PSI), HARS and HDRS scores were significantly associated with both the physical and psychological domains of QoL. Conclusion Our study was the first to comprehensively evaluate factors associated with pain in Chinese ALS patients, finding that fatigue can be a risk factor for pain and ALSSS (LE + UE) score was related with pain intensity. Additionally, we identified the adverse effects of ALSSS (LE + UE), HARS and HDRS scores on QoL in Chinese ALS patients.
Trends and Species Diversity of Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria Isolated From Respiratory Samples in Northern China, 2014–2021

Background Pulmonary non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection has become a public health concern in China and around the world. The objective of this study was to describe the longitudinal changes in the frequency and diversity of NTM in northern China. Methods We retrospectively analyzed data on mycobacterium species in Beijing Chest Hospital from January 2014 to December 2021. The isolates were identified to species level by targeted DNA sequencing. Results After excluding duplicates, 1,755 NTM strains were analyzed, which were from 27 provinces in China over 8 years. Among all mycobacteria, the proportion of NTM increased each year, from 4.24% in 2014 to 12.68% in 2021. Overall, 39 different NTM species were identified, including 23 slow growing mycobacteria (SGM) and 16 rapid growing mycobacteria (RGM). The most common species were M. intracellulare (51.62%), M. abscessus (22.22%), M. kansasii (8.32%), M. avium (7.75%) and M. fortuitum (2.05%). The number of NTM species identified also increased each year from 9 in 2014 to 26 in 2021. Most species showed stable isolation rates over the years; however, the proportion of M. avium increased from 3.85 to 10.42% during the study period. Besides, 81 non-mycobacteria strains, including Gordonia (21 isolates), Nocardia (19 isolates) and Tsukamurella (17 isolates), etc., were also discovered. Conclusion The proportion of NTM and species diversity increased considerably in northern China from 2014 to 2021. M. intracellulare was the most common NTM isolated among respiratory specimens, followed by M. abscessus and M. kansasii. Rare NTM species and non-mycobacteria pathogens also need attention.
Prediction of Facial Emotion Recognition Ability in Patients With First-Episode Schizophrenia Using Amplitude of Low-Frequency Fluctuation-Based Support Vector Regression Model

Objective There were few studies that had attempted to predict facial emotion recognition (FER) ability at the individual level in schizophrenia patients. In this study, we developed a model for the prediction of FER ability in Chinese Han patients with the first-episode schizophrenia (FSZ). Materials and Methods A total of 28 patients with FSZ and 33 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. All subjects underwent resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI). The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) method was selected to analyze voxel-level spontaneous neuronal activity. The visual search experiments were selected to evaluate the FER, while the support vector regression (SVR) model was selected to develop a model based on individual rs-fMRI brain scan. Results Group difference in FER ability showed statistical significance (P < 0.05). In FSZ patients, increased mALFF value were observed in the limbic lobe and frontal lobe, while decreased mALFF value were observed in the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe (P < 0.05, AlphaSim correction). SVR analysis showed that abnormal spontaneous activity in multiple brain regions, especially in the right posterior cingulate, right precuneus, and left calcarine could effectively predict fearful FER accuracy (r = 0.64, P = 0.011) in patients. Conclusion Our study provides an evidence that abnormal spontaneous activity in specific brain regions may serve as a predictive biomarker for fearful FER ability in schizophrenia.
Coapplication of Effective Microorganisms and Nanomagnesium Boosts the Agronomic, Physio-Biochemical, Osmolytes, and Antioxidants Defenses Against Salt Stress in Ipomoea batatas

The application of bio- and nanofertilizers are undoubtedly opening new sustainable approaches toward enhancing abiotic stress tolerance in crops. In this study, we evaluated the application of effective microorganisms (EMs) of five groups belonging to photosynthetic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, yeast, actinobacteria, and fermenting fungi combined with magnesium oxide (MgO) nanoparticles (MgO-NP) on the growth and productivity of sweet potato plants grown in salt-affected soils. In two field experiments carried out in 2020 and 2021, we tested the impacts of EMs using two treatments (with vs. without EMs as soil drench) coupled with three foliar applications of MgO-NP (0, 50, and 100 μg ml–1 of MgO, representing MgO-NP0, MgO-NP50, and MgO-NP100, respectively). In our efforts to investigate the EMs:MgO-NP effects, the performance (growth and yield), nutrient acquisition, and physio-biochemical attributes of sweet potatoes grown in salt-affected soil (7.56 dS m–1) were assessed. Our results revealed that salinity stress significantly reduced the growth parameters, yield traits, photosynthetic pigment content (chlorophylls a and b, and carotenoids), cell membrane stability, relative water content, and nutrient acquisition of sweet potatoes. However, the EMs+ and/or MgO-NP-treated plants showed high tolerance to salt stress, specifically with a relatively superior increase when any of the biostimulants were combined. The application of EMs and/or MgO-NP improved osmotic stress tolerance by increasing the relative water content and membrane integrity. These positive responses owed to increase the osmolytes level (proline, free amino acids, and soluble sugars) and antioxidative compounds (non-enzymatic concentration, enzymatic activities, phenolic acid, and carotenoids). We also noticed that soil salinity significantly increased the Na+ content, whereas EMS+ and/or MgO-NP-treated plants exhibited lower Na+ concentration and increased K+ concentration and K+/Na+ ratio. These improvements contributed to increasing the photosynthetic pigments, growth, and yield under salinity stress. The integrative application of EMs and MgO-NP showed higher efficacy bypassing all single treatments. Our findings indicated the potential of coapplying EMs and MgO-NP for future use in attenuating salt-induced damage beneficially promoting crop performance.
Variability in L2 Vowel Production: Different Elicitation Methods Affect Individual Speakers Differently

Elicitation methods are known to influence second language speech production. For teachers and language assessors, awareness of such effects is essential to accurate interpretations of testing outcomes. For speech researchers, understanding why one method gives better performance than another may yield insights into how second-language phonological knowledge is acquired, stored, and retrieved. Given these concerns, this investigation compared L2 vowel intelligibility on two elicitation tasks and determined the degree to which differences generalized across vowels, vowels in context, lexical items, and individual speakers. The dependent variable was the intelligibility of Cantonese speakers' productions of English /i I u ℧/ in varying phonetic environments. In a picture-naming task, the speakers produced responses without an auditory prompt. In a second task–interrupted repetition–they heard exemplars of the same targets without pictures, and repeated each one after counting aloud to 10, a step intended to disrupt their short-term auditory store and therefore prevent simple mimicry. For target words with scores below 80% on picture naming, mean intelligibility was more than 10 points higher on interrupted repetition. However, that difference did not generalize across conditions or across speakers. Thus, although it is technically accurate to say that, on average, interrupted repetition yielded better vowel intelligibility than did picture naming, that observation requires a great deal of qualification, particularly because of individual speaker differences. The outcomes are interpreted in terms of their relevance to language assessment and phonetic learning.
Psychometric Indicators of the Pro-environmental Attitudes' Questionnaire: Colombian Version

The detrimental effect of human behavior on the environment is undeniable. Attitudes are recognized as a predictor of the pro-environmental behavior; therefore, having good quality tools in Colombia to measure them is strategic to assess interventions. This study aims to establish psychometric indicators for the pro-environmental attitudes questionnaire (PEAQ) Colombian version to a sample of 415 volunteers (53% women and 47% men) aged 18–70 years (M = 40.28; SD = 14.06). We used the 28-item PEAQ already linguistically adapted for Colombia. We applied the following questionnaires: Environmental awareness (EA) (11 items), environmental values (EV) (4 items), and the pro-environmental at work questionnaire (PEWQ) (31 items). We used a one-parameter Rasch model and Winsteps program to assess the PEAQ's one-dimensionality and item statistics by gender, and estimated Spearman's rho coefficient between the PEAQ scores and the scales for concurrent validity. The PEAQ in this study has 24 items because 4 items did not fit into the Rasch model criteria. Its one-dimensionality was supported by an explained variance (43%) and the first residual variance (12%). The coefficients, α = 0.95 and Ω = 0.95; Rasch for persons = 0.90; and Rasch for items = 0.95. The correlation between the PEAQ and the EC, EV, and PEWQ scales were Spearman's rho coefficient = 0.859 (p ≤ 0.001), 0.795 (p ≤ 0.001), and 0.885 (p ≤ 0.001), respectively. Thus, the PEAQ Colombian version's psychometric indicators support it as a valid and reliable instrument to measure pro-environmental attitudes in this country.
Nexus Between Energy Poverty and Technological Innovations: A Pathway for Addressing Energy Sustainability

Pakistan has experienced energy poverty, as most of the people live in rural areas. Poor people are stereotyped as collecting the firewood and using the unclean energy sources to meet their residential energy needs. As a result, respondents in the provinces with the highest rates of energy poverty set a high priority on this research. Structured interviews were used to conduct the research in rural parts of Punjab and Sindh provinces. Due to the apparent country’s large population and rapid industrialization, conventional energy sources cannot meet the country’s present energy needs. Results revealed that energy poverty in rural areas had exposed the residents to security problems such as health dangers, fire accidents, time poverty, financial poverty, illiteracy, and other issues at various levels of severity. As a result, alternative energy sources must be explored. This research aims to determine the best renewable energy choice for Pakistan’s rural areas. In terms of pricing, life duration, operation, and maintenance costs, the results show that solar energy is the best renewable energy source for Pakistan. The key barriers that continue to promote energy poverty have been identified. Finally, the study suggests policy recommendation for public and private sectors to overcome energy related barriers to alleviate energy poverty in rural areas by utilizing maximum solar energy.
Convergence Analysis and Approximate Optimal Temporal Step Sizes for Some Finite Difference Methods Discretising Fisher's Equation

In this study, we obtain a numerical solution for Fisher's equation using a numerical experiment with three different cases. The three cases correspond to different coefficients for the reaction term. We use three numerical methods namely; Forward-Time Central Space (FTCS) scheme, a Nonstandard Finite Difference (NSFD) scheme, and the Explicit Exponential Finite Difference (EEFD) scheme. We first study the properties of the schemes such as positivity, boundedness, and stability and obtain convergence estimates. We then obtain values of L1 and L∞ errors in order to obtain an estimate of the optimal time step size at a given value of spatial step size. We determine if the optimal time step size is influenced by the choice of the numerical methods or the coefficient of reaction term used. Finally, we compute the rate of convergence in time using L1 and L∞ errors for all three methods for the three cases.
Corn Starch-Based Bionanocomposite Film Reinforced With ZnO Nanoparticles and Different Types of Plasticizers

Corn starch var. Paragon from Indonesia and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were used to develop bionanocomposite film containing different types of plasticizers [glycerol (G) or sorbitol (S)] incorporated with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) (0, 3, 5 wt.%) via casting method. The main objective of this study was to improve the properties of the bionanocomposite film with incorporated different types of plasticizers and ZnO NPs. The physicochemical properties of the film were systematically characterized. The results showed that the incorporation of sorbitol could significantly enhance the value of tensile strength, elongation, and Young's modulus than glycerol. In general, a higher concentration of ZnO NPs in the film could increase the tensile strength, reduce the water vapor permeability, decrease the water solubility, and influence the morphology, crystallinity, functional groups, and thermal stability of the films. The data showed that corn starch bionanocomposite film containing sorbitol with 5 wt% ZnO NPs was the most optimal film as compared to other formulations as the solubility and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) value significantly reduced, and also it increased the value of tensile strength, elongation, and Young's modulus. It can be concluded that the incorporation of glycerol or sorbitol plasticizers reinforced by ZnO NPs plays an important role in improving the properties of bionanocomposite film, hence the film has the potency to be used as sustainable and environmental friendly packaging.