Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of C-peptide in diabetes and its complications: an updated review

Worldwide, diabetes and its complications have seriously affected people’s quality of life and become a serious public health problem. C-peptide is not only an indicator of pancreatic β-cell function, but also a biologically active peptide that can bind to cell membrane surface signaling molecules and activate downstream signaling pathways to play antioxidant, anti-apoptotic and inflammatory roles, or regulate cellular transcription through internalization. It is complex how C-peptide is related to diabetic complications. Both deficiencies and overproduction can lead to complications, but their mechanisms of action may be different. C-peptide replacement therapy has shown beneficial effects on diabetic complications in animal models when C-peptide is deficient, but results from clinical trials have been unsatisfactory. The complex pattern of the relationship between C-peptide and diabetic chronic complications has not yet been fully understood. Future basic and clinical studies of C-peptide replacement therapies will need to focus on baseline levels of C-peptide in addition to more attention also needs to be paid to post-treatment C-peptide levels to explore the optimal range of fasting C-peptide and postprandial C-peptide maintenance.
Determination of emission uniformity of emitter in gravity fed drip irrigation system.

The field experiment was performed to study the performance evaluation of gravity fed drip irrigation system for cucumber crop during the year 2007 – 2008 at Research Farm, Department of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, Dr. Budhajirao Mulik College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Mandki – Palvan, Tq. Chiplun, Distt. Ratnagiri (Maharashtra). The study was carried out for determination of emission uniformity (EU), manufacturers coefficient of variation (cv) and cost economics of gravity fed drip irrigation system with a field area of 10 m × 5 m under the cucumber crop. The emitters, which were used in gravity fed drip irrigation system having average discharge of 2.6 lph. The diameter of mainline and sub main was 25.4 mm and that of lateral was 16 mm. The emission uniformity of system was found to be 90.58 % and was good as compared with ASAE interpretation. The manufactures coefficient of emitter was 0.0428, which was good as per ASAE interpretation and cost of the gravity fed drip irrigation system for experimental field was Rs. 1095 whereas the cost of the gravity fed drip irrigation system per hectare was Rs. 74520.
A comparison of balloon-assisted versus dilator in percutaneous gastrostomy tube placement

Objectives: This study assesses the safety and efficacy of balloon-assisted gastrostomy (BAG) compared to conventional techniques using dilators. Material and Methods: A single-center retrospective review of all fluoroscopically-guided percutaneous gastrostomy tube insertions from July 2017 to September 2020 was performed. Two hundred and seventy-three patients were included in this study, with 183 patients and 90 patients in the BAG and dilator groups, respectively. Fluoroscopy time, peak radiation dose, pain management, days to interventional radiology (IR) reconsultation, and post-operative complications (major and minor) for each procedure were reviewed to evaluate for statistical differences. Results: There were shorter fluoroscopy times (5.13 min vs. 7.05 min, P = 0.059) and a significantly lower radiation use (Avg = 102.13 mGy vs. 146.98 mGy, P < 0.05) in the BAG group. The BAG group required significantly lower operating time (41 min vs. 48 min, P < 0.01) and received lower pain management (fentanyl 75 mcg and midazolam 1.5 mg, P < 0.001). The mean days to IR reconsultation for the BAG group was greater (29 days vs. 26 days, P = 0.38). The overall rate of minor complications (grades 1 and 2, according to the CIRSE classification system) was higher in the dilator group (39% vs. 35% in BAG group, P = 0.53). No major complications were reported in either group. Conclusion: BAG is a safe and efficient technique for percutaneous gastrostomy tube placement. BAG patients required significantly lesser radiation, OR time, post-operative pain management, and recorded lower postoperative complications compared to their counterparts in gastrostomies utilizing dilators.
Laboratory measurement of dielectric constant and loss tangent of Indian rock samples

The data on dielectric properties of Indian rock samples are very sparsely reported in the literature. Keeping this in view, we have carried out laboratory measurements of the dielectric constant and loss tangents of some samples of sandstone, quartzite, limestone, marble, dolerite and basalt. LCR bridge and Q-meter have been employed for measurements in the frequency range 10 - 10' Hz. The results have been presented in the form of variation of these parameters with frequency which show characteristic features. Observations on the effect of moisture content of these samples on the dielectric properties have also been reported. Further, correlation of petrographic studies of rock samples with measured variations of dielectric properties has been attempted.
Strategy for Reducing Regional Economic Disparities in Gerbangkertosusila: A Cluster Regional Approach Based on Leading Sectors

The existence of regional clusters has a favourable influence on the prosperity and development of a region. Regional clusters have the potential to create a conducive environment that encourages businesses to develop. In addition, they promote regional growth and development; therefore, those regions provide trickle-down effects to the surrounding. Gerbangkertosusila (GKS), as a metropolitan area, has an important role in the economic development of East Java Province because had several economic activities. However, in fact, the economic development in the GKS area is uneven and results in inequality. Furthermore, the changes in the aspect of regional economic development had also not balanced with the formulation of appropriate policies. Therefore, this paper aims to propose strategies to reduce the regional economic disparities in the GKS area. The analysis will use Williamson Index to determine regional inequality and LQ (Location Quotient) to determine the performance of each sector. From the analysis results, we offer some strategies based on the leading sectors and regional competitiveness there that was: 1. Strategies based on natural resource management and local economic development in cluster A (Lamongan and Bangkalan Districts) that have advantages in resource endowment; 2. Strategies to strengthen the productive business environment and environmentally friendly industries that are interrelated in cluster B (Sidoarjo, Gresik, and Mojokerto districts); 3. Strategy based on optimization of urban roles and functions supported by the development of human resources and the development of the creative economy in cluster C (Mojokerto City and Surabaya City).
The Cost of Maternal Complications and Its Associated Factors Among Mothers Attending Public Hospitals in Harari Region and Dire Dawa City Administration, Eastern Ethiopia: An Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study

Background Pregnant women face high costs for health-care services despite being advertised as free. These costs include non-medical expenses, lost productivity, difficulties caring for family members, and long-term financial impact from complications. Limited research has been done on the cost burden of maternal services and complications, despite numerous studies on maternal health service provision. This is notable considering the government’s claim of providing free maternal health-care services. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in July (1–30) 2022 among 425 randomly selected mothers in Harari and Dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and medical record reviews. The collected data was entered into Epi-Data version 3.02 and analyzed using STATA version 14.0 after data cleaning. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analysis were used to examine the data, ensuring assumptions of linearity, independence, homoscedasticity, and normality were met. The correlation coefficient was used to assess the strength of the association. Results The median cost of maternal complications was around 4250 ETB (81.3 USD; IQR = 2900–5833.3), factors that predicted cost were monthly family income of ≥3001 birr (β=1.13; 95% CI: 1.00, 1.26), distance from hospital (β=0.73; 95% CI = 0.64–0.83), being admitted for less than 4 days (β=0.60; 95% CI = 0.53–0.69), accompanied by relatives besides their husbands (β=1.93; 95% CI = 1.52–2.46), caesarian sections delivery (β=1.17; 95% CI = 1.04–1.31), and giving birth to a normal baby (β=0.86; 95% CI = 0.77–0.97). Conclusion Maternal complications incur significant costs, with factors such as family income, travel time, hospital stay, caregiver presence, mode of delivery, and neonatal outcome predicting these costs. The Ethiopian health system should address the additional expenses faced by mothers with complications and their caregivers.
Cognitive Task Domain Influences Cognitive-Motor Interference during Large-Magnitude Treadmill Stance Perturbations

Reactive balance is postulated to be attentionally demanding, although it has been underexamined in dual-tasking (DT) conditions. Further, DT studies have mainly included only one cognitive task, leaving it unknown how different cognitive domains contribute to reactive balance. This study examined how DT affected reactive responses to large-magnitude perturbations and compared cognitive-motor interference (CMI) between cognitive tasks. A total of 20 young adults aged 18–35 (40% female; 25.6 ± 3.8 y) were exposed to treadmill support surface perturbations alone (single-task (ST)) and while completing four cognitive tasks: Target, Track, Auditory Clock Test (ACT), Letter Number Sequencing (LNS). Three perturbations were delivered over 30 s in each trial. Cognitive tasks were also performed while seated and standing (ST). Compared to ST, post-perturbation MOS was lower when performing Track, and cognitive performance was reduced on the Target task during DT (p < 0.05). There was a larger decline in overall (cognitive + motor) performance from ST for both of the visuomotor tasks compared to the ACT and LNS (p < 0.05). The highest CMI was observed for visuomotor tasks; real-life visuomotor tasks could increase fall risk during daily living, especially for individuals with difficulty attending to more than one task.
Finite-time guaranteed cost controller design for uncertain linear continuous-time singular systems

This article concerns the finite-time robust guaranteed cost control problem for a class of linear continuous-time singular systems with norm-bounded uncertainties. In this study, the problem is to design a state feedback controller such that the closed-loop system is finite-time stable, and the closed-loop cost function value is not more than a specified upper bound for all admissible uncertainties. By constructing an appropriate Lyapunov function, a sufficient condition for the finite-time robust stability of the system based on linear matrix inequality (LMI) is established. Furthermore, the sufficient condition for the existence of the guaranteed cost controller is formulated in terms of LMIs, which can make the closed-loop uncertain singular system finite-time robust stable. Finally, two numerical examples are given for illustration of the proposed theoretical results.
Metagenomic signatures reveal the key role of phloretin in amelioration of gut dysbiosis attributed to metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease by time-dependent modulation of gut microbiome

The importance of gut-liver axis in the pathophysiology of metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is being investigated more closely in recent times. However, the inevitable changes in gut microbiota during progression of the disease merits closer look. The present work intends to assess the time-dependent gut dysbiosis in MAFLD, its implications in disease progression and role of plant-derived prebiotics in its attenuation. Male C57BL/6J mice were given western diet (WD) for up to 16 weeks and phloretin was administered orally. The fecal samples of mice were collected every fourth week for 16 weeks. The animals were sacrificed at the end of the study and biochemical and histological analyses were performed. Further, 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis was performed to investigate longitudinal modification of gut microbiome at different time points. Findings of our study corroborate that phloretin alleviated the metabolic changes and mitigated circulating inflammatory cytokines levels. Phloretin treatment resists WD induced changes in microbial diversity of mice and decreased endotoxin content. Prolonged exposure of WD changed dynamics of gut microbiota abundance and distribution. Increased abundance of pathogenic taxa like Desulfovibrionaceae, Peptostreptococcus, Clostridium, and Terrisporobacter was noted. Phloretin treatment not only reversed this dysbiosis but also modulated taxonomic signatures of beneficial microbes like Ruminococcus, Lactobacillus, and Alloprevotella. Therefore, the potential of phloretin to restore gut eubiosis could be utilized as an intervention strategy for the prevention of MAFLD and related metabolic disorders.
The Seismogenic Zone of Subduction Thrust Faults

Preface Part I. Introduction1. The Seismogenic Zone of Subduction Thrust Faults: Introduction, by Timothy H. Dixon and J. Casey Moore2. The Seismogenic Zone of Subduction Thrust Faults: What We Know and Don't Know, R. D. HyndmanPart II. The Incoming Plate 3. Sediment Inputs to Subduction Zones: Why Lithostratigraphy and Clay Mineralogy Matter, by Michael B. Underwood 4. The Thermal State of 18 -24 Ma Upper Lithosphere Subducting Below the Nicoya Peninsula, Northern Costa Rica Margin, by M. Hutnak, A. T. Fisher, C. A. Stein, R. Harris, K. Wang, E. Silver, G. Spinelli, M. Pfender, H. Villinger, R. MacKnight, P. Costa Pisani, H. DeShon, and C. Diamente 5. Influence of Subducting Topography on Earthquake Rupture, by Susan L. Bilek Part III. Convergent Margin Structure, Fluids and Subduction Thrust Evolution 6. Pore Pressure and Fluid Flow in the Northern Barbados Accretionary Complex: A Synthesis, by Barbara A. Bekins and Elizabeth J. Screaton 7. Pore Pressure within Underthrust Sediment in Subduction Zones, by Demian M. Saffer 8. Deformation and Mechanical Strength of Sediments at the Nankai Subduction Zone: Implications for Prism Evolution and Decollement Initiation and Propagation, by Julia K. Morgan, Elizabeth B. Sunderland, n E. Blanche Ramsey, and Maria V. S. Ask 9. The Nicaragua Convergent Margin: Seismic Reflection Imaging of the Source of a Tsunami Earthquake, by Kirk D. McIntosh, Eli A. Silver, Imtiaz Ahmed, Arnim Berhorst, Cesar R. Ranero, Robyn K. Kelly, and Ernst R. Flueh 10. How Accretionary Prisms Elucidate Seismogenesis in Subduction Zones, by J. Casey Moore, Christie Rowe, and Francesca Meneghini Part IV. Laboratory Studies 11. Friction of the Smectite Clay Montmorillonite: A Review and Interpretation of Data, by Diane E. Moore and David A. Lockner 12. Fault Friction and the Upper Transition from Seismic to Aseismic Faulting, by Chris Marone and Demian M. Saffer 13. Laboratory-Observed Faulting in Intrinsically and Apparently Weak Materials: Strength, Seismic Coupling, Dilatancy, and Pore-Fluid Pressure, by N. M. Beeler Part V. Seismic and Geodetic Studies 14. Asperities and Quasi-Static Slips on the Subducting Plate Boundary East of Tohoku, Northeast Japan, by Akira Hasegawa, Naoki Uchida, Toshihiro Igarashi, Toru Matsuzawa, Tomomi Okada, Satoshi Miura, and Yoko Suwa 15. Anomalous Earthquake Ruptures at Shallow Depths on Subduction Zone Megathrusts, by Thorne Lay and Susan Bilek 16. Secular, Transient and Seasonal Crustal Movements in Japan from a Dense GPS Array: Implication for Plate Dynamics in Convergent Boundaries, by Kosuke Heki 17. Elastic and Viscoelastic Models of Crustal Deformation in Subduction Earthquake Cycles, by Kelin Wang 18. Distinct Updip Limits to Geodetic Locking and Microseismicity at the Northern Costa Rica Seismogenic Zone: Evidence for Two Mechanical Transitions, by Susan Y. Schwartz and Heather R. DeShon Part VI. Regional Scale Deformation 19. Collision Versus Subduction: From a Viewpoint of Slab Dehydration, by Tetsuzo Seno 20. Subduction and Mountain Building in the Central Andes, by Jonas Kley and Tim Vietor List of Contributors Index
Cardiotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs: cellular mechanisms and clinical implications

Cardio-oncology is an emerging field that seeks to enhance quality of life and longevity of cancer survivors. It is pertinent for clinicians to understand the cellular mechanisms of prescribed therapies, as this contributes to robust understanding of complex treatments and off-target effects, improved communication with patients, and guides long term care with the goal to minimise or prevent cardiovascular complications. Our aim is to review the cellular mechanisms of cardiotoxicity involved in commonly used anti-cancer treatments and identify gaps in literature and strategies to mitigate cardiotoxicity effects and guide future research endeavours.
Legionella spp. Monitoring in the Water Supply Systems of Accommodation Facilities in Sardinia, Italy: A Two-Year Retrospective Analysis

Travel-associated Legionnaires’ disease is a significant public health concern worldwide. A high number of cases are reported every year among travellers who stay at guest houses, hotels, and spas. Indeed, hot water systems, showers, and air-conditioning systems can be contaminated by Legionella, which grows at 25–42 °C. Studies have shown that in Sardinia, especially during the summer months, the water circulation in the hotels’ pipes is exposed to extremely high temperatures. As a result, this study was conducted to assess the colonization of hotel water systems by Legionella in Sardinia, concerning a recent EU directive 2020/2184 for drinking water with a limit of 1000 CFU /L. Methods. A total of 112 accommodation facilities were analyzed, of which 61.3% were found to be colonized with Legionella, and out of a total of 807 samples, 32.5% were positive for Legionella presence. The results showed a higher number of positive samples in the summer season. This was also associated with the higher concentration presence of >1000 CFU/L in the samples. Consequently, this study confirms that local hotel operators should improve their water safety and prevention plans, especially in spring and summer.
Dynamic Inconsistencies: Counterfactual Implications of a Class of Rational-Expectations Models

A number of recent papers have developed dynamic macroeconomic models that incorporate rational expectations and optimizing foundations. While the theoretical motivation behind these models is sound, the dynamic implications of many of the specifications that assume rational expectations and optimizing behavior can be seriously at odds with the data, for both inflation and real-side variables exhibit gradual and "hump-shaped" responses to real and monetary shocks. For models that are intended for monetary policy analysis, these dynamic shortcomings should be considered quite serious. When monetary policy has only short-run effects on real variables, the inability to approximately capture the short-run responses of inflation or real variables to policy shocks makes a model unsuitable for policy analysis. This paper identifies a simple feature common to many dynamic specifications for prices and real variables that causes the problem. The paper also discusses several potential solutions to the problem, including alterations to the expectations assumption, to the order of differencing implicit in the model, and to the underlying behavioral assumptions.
EEG Emotion Recognition by Fusion of Multi-Scale Features

Electroencephalogram (EEG) signals exhibit low amplitude, complex background noise, randomness, and significant inter-individual differences, which pose challenges in extracting sufficient features and can lead to information loss during the mapping process from low-dimensional feature matrices to high-dimensional ones in emotion recognition algorithms. In this paper, we propose a Multi-scale Deformable Convolutional Interacting Attention Network based on Residual Network (MDCNAResnet) for EEG-based emotion recognition. Firstly, we extract differential entropy features from different channels of EEG signals and construct a three-dimensional feature matrix based on the relative positions of electrode channels. Secondly, we utilize deformable convolution (DCN) to extract high-level abstract features by replacing standard convolution with deformable convolution, enhancing the modeling capability of the convolutional neural network for irregular targets. Then, we develop the Bottom-Up Feature Pyramid Network (BU-FPN) to extract multi-scale data features, enabling complementary information from different levels in the neural network, while optimizing the feature extraction process using Efficient Channel Attention (ECANet). Finally, we combine the MDCNAResnet with a Bidirectional Gated Recurrent Unit (BiGRU) to further capture the contextual semantic information of EEG signals. Experimental results on the DEAP dataset demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach, achieving accuracies of 98.63% and 98.89% for Valence and Arousal dimensions, respectively.
Mental health professionals' (AMHPs) perspectives on interpreter-mediated mental health act assessments

This article concerns interpreter-mediated Mental Health Act (MHA) (1983) assessments where either a signed or spoken language interpreter is required. It reports data from 132 Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs) in England who have direct experience of such circumstances addressing expertise, training, readiness, and potential influences on the outcome when interpreters are involved. Quantitative data were collected by means of an online survey analyzed descriptively with additional open-ended qualitative responses analyzed thematically. More interpreter-mediated MHA assessments were reported as occurring in hospital than in community settings. Although AMHPs were confident in their expertise, nearly two-thirds felt they were less effective when an interpreter was involved. The vast majority had received only minimal training on how to work with an interpreter. Recording of language and interpreter use in the assessment was revealed as inconsistent. Most AMHPs thought incorrectly that interpreters were subject to mandatory registration with assured minimum standards of qualification and expertise. Practical problems associated with the timeliness of access to interpreters and complexities of using telephone interpreters instead of face to face were raised. AMHPs expressed a wish for more training and guidance including expectations of the interpreter role. Consistent standards of formal recording of interpreter use as part of annual monitoring of the MHA are required to understand any potential inequities of outcome resulting from language mediation. Joint training with interpreters is desirable with more specific guidance and resources for working AMHPs and interpreters to promote best practice.