Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of GLP1 Agonists on Bone Metabolism: A Systematic Review

Background and Objectives: The association between diabetes mellitus and increased risk of bone fractures has led to the investigation of the impact of antidiabetic drugs on bone metabolism. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP1RAs) are a relatively novel and promising class of anti-hyperglycemic drugs. In addition to their blood glucose lowering action, GLP1RAs seem to have additional pleiotropic properties such as a beneficial skeletal effect; although the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. The present systematic review summarizes current evidence about GLP1RAs and their effects on bone metabolism and fracture. Methods: An extensive literature search was conducted based on electronic databases namely, PubMed, Google Scholar and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) through October 2019 to January 2020 for articles related to bone mineral density, diabetes mellitus and GLP1RAs. We included articles published in English. Finally, we included four randomized controlled trials, three meta-analyses, a case-control study and a population-based cohort analysis. Results: Based on the articles included, the animal studies indicated the salutary skeletal effects of GLP1RAs in opposition to what has been commonly observed in human studies, showing that these agents have no impact on bone mineral density (BMD) and the turnover markers. Moreover, it was demonstrated that GLP1 was not associated with fracture risk as compared to other anti-hyperglycemic drugs. Conclusions: Findings from this systematic review have demonstrated the neutral impact of GLP1RAs on BMD. Moreover, further double-blind randomized controlled trials are needed to draw more meaningful and significant conclusions on the efficacy of GLP1RAs on BMD.
The Development of a Suicidal Ideation Predictive Model for Community-Dwelling Elderly Aged >55 Years

Purpose Suicide is an important health and social concern worldwide. Both suicidal ideation and suicide rates are higher in the elderly population than in other age groups; thus, more careful attention and targeted interventions are required. Therefore, we have developed a model to predict suicidal ideation in the community-dwelling elderly aged of >55 years. Patients and Methods A random forest algorithm was applied to those who participated in the Korea Welfare Panel. We used a total of 26 variables as potential predictors. To resolve the imbalance in the dataset resulting from the low frequency of suicidal ideation, training was performed by applying the synthetic minority oversampling technique. The performance index was calculated by applying the predictive model to the test set, which was not included in the training process. Results A total of 6410 elderly Korean aged of >55 (mean, 71.48; standard deviation, 9.56) years were included in the analysis, of which 2.7% had suicidal ideation. The results for predicting suicidal ideation using the 26 chosen variables showed an AUC of 0.879, accuracy of 0.871, sensitivity of 0.750, and specificity of 0.874. The most significant variable in the predictive model was the severity of depression, followed by life satisfaction and self-esteem factors. Basic demographic variables such as age and gender demonstrated a relatively small effect. Conclusion Machine learning can be used to create algorithms for predicting suicidal ideation in community-dwelling elderly. However, there are limitations to predicting future suicidal ideation. A predictive model that includes both biological and cognitive indicators should be created in the future.
Social Influence and mPOS Use: The Effects of Gender

: Mobile points of sale become popular as countries migrate to cashless approaches. Small and medium enterprises embrace the technology, and users are attracted to it due to its benefits compared to traditional points of sale. However, scant literature refers to its use in emerging countries despite the relevance of small companies for such economies. This research presents a model of mobile point of sale use in Mexico based on a survey of graduate and undergraduate students. The study uses structural equation modeling to relate variables such as awareness and social influence with gender interaction. Results indicate that social influence influences awareness of the technology and is higher in males than in females. This study suggests that the mobile point of sale service providers in Mexico should consider social influence in their advertising. As users, men should be aware that social influence may influence their decision to use the technology.
Low-Complexity Antenna Selection and Discrete Phase-Shifts Design in IRS-Assisted Multiuser Massive MIMO Networks

We propose two novel antenna selection (AS) and discrete phase-shifts design (PSD) schemes for use in intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) assisted multiuser massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) networks. The first AS and PSD method aims at maximizing the gain of the channels; while the second method is an iterative sum-rate maximization (ISM) scheme that aims at maximizing the total achievable rate. For the AS part, we demonstrate that the ISM method achieves near optimal performance with much lower complexity compared to benchmark AS schemes, and can be utilized with any precoder at the mMIMO base station. For the PSD, our proposed successive-refinement optimization methods are not only efficient, but their complexities scale linearly with the number of elements at the IRS, making them highly attractive when dealing with large surfaces. A thorough complexity analysis for the proposed methods is carried out in terms of the number of floating point operations required for their implementations. Finally, extensive numerical results are provided and some key points are highlighted on the performance of the proposed schemes with both conjugate beamforming and zero-forcing precoders.
Community work programmes as job creation mechanism: A case of Tshwane Metropolitan municipality

Background: To address poverty and unemployment, local government implemented programmes, such as the Community Work Programme (CWP), aimed at empowering the community through the provision of employment and skills to provide a safety net to the poor by allowing them to earn a monthly wage.Aim: This study aimed to investigate the CWP’s contribution towards employment or job creation within Region 1 of the Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality community, specifically in Erasmus and Soshanguve.Setting: A CWP was started 11 years ago in the City of Tshwane, in Region 1 – Erasmus and Soshanguve. It provides wages to 2000 people.Method: A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire with a face-to-face interview of 219 respondents.Results: The results reveal that the CWP is contributing financially to the well-being of the participants, but the latter tend to stay with the CWP and do not progress to permanent employment. Although some participants intend to start their own business, it seems they lack the skills.Conclusion: Although participants benefited financially and socially, it seems that limited skills were acquired, particular entrepreneurial skills relevant to starting an own business venture. It is recommended that the data be further analysed with regard to the level of satisfaction and skills capacity development by the CWP.
Implementation of Gamification Principles into Higher Education

The field of education was distinctly affected by the development of information and communication technologies, as they can make education more efficient, interactive, and available. Today’s students call for new innovative educational approaches. Digital communication technologies are the organic part of their life and they are group-oriented and experienced users of these technologies. Information and communication technologies must be used in a new and more interactive way to motivate this new generation of students. One of the ways might be gamified learning. The gamification of education is an approach, which uses game practices and elements in a process of learning. Its main objective is to increase students' interest in learned topics and to motivate them to endure in learning. The gamification of the educational process is introduced in the curricula of several courses at our faculty. The paper aims to give a short overview of tools and methods of gamification of the education process. In addition to that, the implementation of gamification in our learning management system Moodle-supported business informatics course is presented.
Exploring the Clinical Utility of Pancreatic Cancer Circulating Tumor Cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most frequent pancreatic cancer type, characterized by a dismal prognosis due to late diagnosis, frequent metastases, and limited therapeutic response to standard chemotherapy. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a rare subset of tumor cells found in the blood of cancer patients. CTCs has the potential utility for screening, early and definitive diagnosis, prognostic and predictive assessment, and offers the potential for personalized management. However, a gold-standard CTC detection and enrichment method remains elusive, hindering comprehensive comparisons between studies. In this review, we summarize data regarding the utility of CTCs at different stages of PDAC from early to metastatic disease and discuss the molecular profiling and culture of CTCs. The characterization of CTCs brings us closer to defining the specific CTC subpopulation responsible for metastasis with the potential to uncover new therapies and more effective management options for PDAC.
Cyber-Attacks in Modular Multilevel Converters

Distributed control of modular multilevel converter (MMC) submodules (SMs) offers several potential benefits such as flexibility, scalability, and modularity. In this approach, low-level control tasks, such as capacitor voltage balancing, can be distributed amongst controllers placed in the SMs. This decreases the computational burden for the central control system that performs high-level control tasks; also, a single point of failure is avoided. Distributed control architecture requires a cyber-physical network (CFN) through which local controllers share all the information necessary to perform their respective control loops. To date, none of the reported works in this field have paid attention to potential imperfections in the CFN. Indeed, previous works are based on the assumption that the network always provides correct information to the local controllers. However, erroneous measurements in the CFN may degrade the distributed control scheme operation, leading to suboptimal or even unstable operation. These events can occur in the presence of cyberattacks, for example, which can be created through illegitimate data intrusion into the distributed control architectures. This article is the first to investigate the impacts of cyberattacks on distributed control schemes used in MMCs. The effects of a specific cyberattack, named false data injection attack (FDIA), on a consensus-based distributed control strategy are studied in this article. Additionally, a method for detecting FDIAs is proposed, along with a countermeasure strategy, to ensure the safe operation of the MMC, while the attack is cleared. The proposals reported in this article are validated using simulation and experimental results.
Positive Airway Pressure Usage in Youth with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Following Transition to Adult Health Care

Background There is increasing prevalence of moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adolescents, the majority of whom receive treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP). Adherence to PAP is sub-optimal in adolescents with OSA. Moreover, the impact of transition from pediatric to adult healthcare system on PAP adherence is unknown. This is relevant as the transition period is a time of increased stress for youth with chronic illnesses. Research Question Does PAP adherence decrease during the 1-year transition period from pediatric to adult healthcare system in those with OSA? Study Design and Methods Youth previously diagnosed with persistent OSA and treated with PAP in a large academic center (Toronto, Canada) between 2017 and 2019 were enrolled on transfer from the pediatric to adult sleep clinic and followed at 12 months. Mixed-effects linear regression models were used to investigate the effect of time since the transfer on objective PAP adherence with adjustment for confounders. Results Among the 45 enrolled participants, 42.2% were female, the median age was 18 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 17–18), median BMI was 30.3 (IQR: 24.0–37.1), and the median apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 17.8 events/hour (11.8–30.7). In univariate analysis, we observed a significant reduction in the 12-month average PAP usage in days used at follow-up compared to PAP use at the time of enrolment: median of 5.0 hours/day (IQR: 1.3–8.0) vs 2.6 hours/day (0.0–6.4), p < 0.0001. Following adjustment for age, level of education, employment status and living arrangement, the 12-month average PAP usage in days remained significantly decreased at follow-up compared to at the time of enrolment: change in hours of −1.14; 95% CI −2.27 to −0.01. Interpretation Among youth with OSA treated with PAP, there is a clinically significant reduction in PAP adherence over the first year during the transition from pediatric to adult health care.
The effect of alendronate with collagen cone in maintaining of alveolar ridge height and width

Objective: The aim of the study was to evaluate, clinically and radiographically, the effect of alendronate with collagen cone versus collagen cone only in alveolar ridge preservation. Subjects and Methods: Thirty two Patients were selected. All patients had a treatment plan for extraction of non-restorable mandibular molar tooth. Study group (1), the sockets were filled with collagen cone(PARASORB Cone). Study group (2), the sockets filled with BonApex (alendronate sodium 10 mg), Study group (3), the socket filled with collagen cone in addition to alendronate and Control group (4), the socket left empty and closed. In this Study, Width and height of the alveolar ridge were measured in addition to bone density. Results: Alveolar bone height at the buccal side heights was decrease in all group but more in control group. Collagen+ Alendronate showed the least decrease in lingual height followed by collagen only group. Alveolar bone width was assessed in all groups collagen+ alendronate and collagen only showed the least decrease in width measurements. In this study Collagen+ Alendronate and collagen alone showed the higher increase in bottom measurements. Collagen + Alendronate and collagen only showed the highest increase in density measurements. Conclusion: The use of collagen sponge with alendronate in the present study, significantly minimized ridge resorption in all dimensions
EphrinB2–EphB4 Signaling in Neurooncological Disease

EphrinB2–EphB4 signaling is critical during embryogenesis for cardiovascular formation and neuronal guidance. Intriguingly, critical expression patterns have been discovered in cancer pathologies over the last two decades. Multiple connections to tumor migration, growth, angiogenesis, apoptosis, and metastasis have been identified in vitro and in vivo. However, the molecular signaling pathways are manifold and signaling of the EphB4 receptor or the ephrinB2 ligand is cancer type specific. Here we explore the impact of these signaling pathways in neurooncological disease, including glioma, brain metastasis, and spinal bone metastasis. We identify potential downstream pathways that mediate cancer suppression or progression and seek to understand it´s role in antiangiogenic therapy resistance in glioma. Despite the Janus-faced functions of ephrinB2–EphB4 signaling in cancer Eph signaling remains a promising clinical target.
Effects of Dietary Carbohydrate Levels on the Growth and Glucose Metabolism of Juvenile Swimming Crab, Portunus trituberculatus

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different carbohydrate levels on the growth performance, glycogen accumulation in tissue, enzyme activities, and expression levels of genes related to hepatopancreatic glucose and lipid metabolism and insulin signaling pathway in swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus for 8 weeks. The results indicated that crabs fed with the 60.0 g kg-1 carbohydrate diet exhibited the highest final body weight (FBW), percent weight gain (PWG), and specific growth rate (SGR) among all treatments. FBW, PWG, and SGR significantly decreased when dietary carbohydrate levels exceeded 240.0 g kg-1. Light microscopy results showed that dietary excessive carbohydrate levels will lead to vacuole, hepatopancreatic tubule lysis, and lipid droplets in hepatopancreas. Expression levels of genes involved into glucose transport, glucose and lipid metabolism, and insulin-like metabolism in the hepatopancreas were significantly influenced by dietary carbohydrate levels. In general, the results of present study demonstrated that dietary optimal carbohydrate levels could not only improve PWG and SGR but also influence the expression of genes involved in glucose, lipid, and insulin-like metabolism. The optimal actual carbohydrate level was estimated to be 87.8-98.4 g kg-1 based on broken-line and second-order polynomial regression analysis between PWG against dietary carbohydrate levels for juvenile Portunus trituberculatus.
Numerical simulation of control surface deflections over a generic UCAV configuration at off-design flow conditions

The ability of computational fluid dynamics to predict the steady and unsteady fluid flow over a generic UCAV configuration, with and without control surface deflections, at off design conditions is investigated. The complex, non-linear flow, various combinations of control surface deflection and the presence of multiple interacting vortices on the flow histories provides a challenging test for current capability. A range of static and dynamic test cases have been computed, for both low and high speed flows, for comparison with experimental data, obtained as part of the NATO STO AVT-201 Task Group. The simulations are performed using a multiblock code to solve the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations; and the control surfaces are modelled with a deformed mesh and blended gaps that simplify the geometry. These tests will provide an assessment of the ability of computational fluid dynamics to evaluate such flows, and will allow for deficiencies in the state of the art to be identified.
Optimization strategies for the integrated management of perishable supply chains: A literature review

Purpose: The main purpose of this article is to systematically review the papers published in the period 2005-2020 about the integration of production, inventory and distribution activities in perishable supply chains.Design/methodology/approach: The proposed research methodology is based on several steps. First, database and keywords are selected, with the aim to search and collect the main papers, dealing with the integration of production, inventory, distribution activities in perishable supply chains. Then, a bibliometric analysis is carried out, to detect: the main publishing sources, the chronological distribution, the most used keywords, the featured authors, about the selected papers. A five-dimension classification framework is proposed to carry out a content analysis, where the papers of the literature review are classified and discussed, according to: supply chain structure, objective, perishability issues, solution approach, approach validation. Findings: Interest in the application of optimization models for integrated decision-making along perishable supply chains is strongly growing. Integrating multiple stages of the supply chain into a single framework is complex, especially when referring to perishable products. The vast majority of the problems addressed are then NP-Hard. Only a limited quantity of the selected papers aims to solve real-life case studies. There is a need for further research, which is capable of modeling and quantitatively improving existing supply chains. The potentials of Industry 4.0 are currently little explored. Originality/value: Based on the analysis of the papers published, this article outlines the current state of the art on the optimization strategies for the integrated management of perishable supply chains, which are very complex to be managed. Research trends and gaps are discussed, future challenges are presented.
Advanced gallium nitride technology for microwave power amplifiers

Gallium nitride (GaN) based technology has been heavily researched over the past two decades due to its ability to deliver higher powers and higher frequencies that are demanded by the market for various applications. One of GaN’s main advantages lies in its ability to form heterojunctions to wider bandgap materials such as Aluminium Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) and Aluminium Nitride (AlN). The heterostructure results in the formation of the so called 2 dimensional electron gas (2DEG), which exhibits high electron densities of up to 6E13 cm−2 and high electron mobilities of up to 2000 cm2/V·s that enable the devices to support high current densities. Furthermore, it supports very high breakdown fields of 3.3 MV/cm due to its wide bandgap of 3.4 eV. The main objective of this work was to further advance the transistor technology using simple, cost effective and reliable techniques. The AlN/GaN material system exhibits higher sheet carrier concentrations compared to the conventional ternary AlGaN barrier, but introduces additional challenges due to its reduced thickness of 2-6 nm compared to 18-30 nm of AlGaN. The additional challenges of the thin AlN binary barrier include strain relaxation, high gate leakage currents and high Ohmic contact resistances due to its high bandgap of 6.2 eV. In this work, a thin (5 nm) in-situ SiNx passivation layer was employed to reduce the strain relaxation, reduce gate leakage currents and improve Ohmic contacts resistances. The optimised Ohmic contact annealing condition resulted in an Ohmic contact resistance of 0.4 Ω·mm and a sheet resistance of 300 Ω/
Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Prosocial Behaviors in Spanish and Colombian Older Adults Based on Path Models

Emotional intelligence (EI), empathy, and prosocial behavior (PB) are widely studied in the early stages of life, up to adolescence. However, there have been few studies in older adults. Using a multivariate methodology, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were applied with structural equation models (SEM) in 271 older adults in Colombia, along with a Spanish sample made up of 139 adults over 60 years of age, for a total sample of 411 older adults. The results confirmed that EI, as measured with the WLEIS, scale is the best predictor of PB, with excellent adjustment criteria (GFI = 0.99; CFI = 0.98; RMSEA = 0.064; PCLOSE = 0.28; SRMR = 0.023; AIC = 57.30). It is concluded that the path model yielded a reliable predictive explanation of PB, including EI as a key variable that explains prosocial tendencies.