Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of the surface temperature distribution of the feet in patients with type 2 diabetes using the thermovision method

Introduction. diabetic foot syndrome (dFS) is one of the most common complications of diabetes. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the distribution of superficial temperature and microcirculation in the feet of patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods. 52 patients (the study group) with type 2 diabetes participated in the study, diagnosed by a physician while treated at “Centrum Medyczne” Provincial Specialist Healthcare Centre as part of the diabetic Foot Syndrome Prevention Programme. The control group included 33 patients without diabetes. Superficial dorsal and plantar temperature of both feet was measured in all participants. The measurements were taken using a ThermoVision FLiR SYSTEM T335. Results. in both study groups, the temperature of the dorsal side of the foot was higher than the temperature of the plantar side. The observed difference in the control group was clearly larger than in the group of diabetic patients, and amounted to 1.7°C and 1.0°C. in the patients with diabetes the plantar temperature was higher by an average of 2.2°C, and the dorsal temperature was higher by an average of 1.5°C compared to the control group. Conclusions
Symptomatic Characteristics of Hypozincemia Detected in Long COVID Patients

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the characteristics of hypozincemia in long COVID patients. Methods: This study was a single-center retrospective observational study for outpatients who visited the long COVID clinic established in a university hospital during the period from 15 February 2021 to 28 February 2022. Characteristics of patients with a serum zinc concentration lower than 70 μg/dL (10.7 μmol/L) were compared with characteristics of patients with normozincemia. Results: In a total of 194 patients with long COVID after excluding 32 patients, hypozincemia was detected in 43 patients (22.2%) including 16 male patients (37.2%) and 27 female patients (62.8%). Among various parameters including the background characteristics of the patients and medical histories, the patients with hypozincemia were significantly older than the patients with normozincemia (median age: 50 vs. 39 years). A significant negative correlation was found between serum zinc concentrations and age in male patients (R = −0.39; p < 0.01) but not in female patients. In addition, there was no significant correlation between serum zinc levels and inflammatory markers. General fatigue was the most frequent symptom in both male patients with hypozincemia (9 out of 16: 56.3%) and female patients with hypozincemia (8 out of 27: 29.6%). Patients with severe hypozincemia (serum zinc level lower than 60 μg/dL) had major complaints of dysosmia and dysgeusia, which were more frequent complaints than general fatigue. Conclusions: The most frequent symptom in long COVID patients with hypozincemia was general fatigue. Serum zinc levels should be measured in long COVID patients with general fatigue, particularly in male patients.
Collisional effects in the far red wing of Lyman-α

Context. An accurate determination of the line broadening of the Lyman series of atomic hydrogen has been shown to be fundamental to interpretating UV and FUV spectra of DA white dwarfs. Quasi-molecular lines have been detected in the red wing of Lyman-α, Lyman-β, and Lyman-γ. They arise from radiative collisions of excited atomic hydrogen with unexcited neutral hydrogen atoms or protons. Aims. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we examine the range of validity of the one-perturber approximation widely used to calculate the line wing. Second, we study the relative contributions of the two main transitions contributing to the far wing of the Lyman-α line profile according to the effective temperature and perturber density. Methods. In cool white dwarfs, the perturber density is so high that the one-perturber approximation breaks down and the collisional effects must be treated by using the autocorrelation formalism in order to take into account simultaneous collisions with more than one perturbing atom. Results. We show that, at the low temperatures of cool white dwarfs, the contribution of the singlet X 1 Σ + → B 1 Σ + transition cannot be neglected in the calculation of Lyman-α profile perturbed by neutral hydrogen. A comparison with experimental laboratory spectra shows that the effects of multiple H-perturbers appear in the far wing. Conclusions. A reliable determination of the line profiles for the physical conditions of cool white dwarfs requires a unified theory that takes account of both the singlet and triplet transitions contributing to Lyman-α using accurate interaction potentials and radiative dipole transition moments. Multiple perturber effects must be considered and the autocorrelation formalism permits calculations for the densities of the atmospheres of cool white dwarfs.
CD24 Gene Expression as a Risk Factor for Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

In light of increasing NAFLD prevalence, early detection and diagnosis are needed for decision-making in clinical practice and could be helpful in the management of patients with NAFLD. The goal of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of CD24 gene expression as a non-invasive tool to detect hepatic steatosis for diagnosis of NAFLD at early stage. These findings will aid in the creation of a viable diagnostic approach. Methods: This study enrolled eighty individuals divided into two groups; a study group included forty cases with bright liver and a group of healthy subjects with normal liver. Steatosis was quantified by CAP. Fibrosis assessment was performed by FIB-4, NFS, Fast-score, and Fibroscan. Liver enzymes, lipid profile, and CBC were evaluated. Utilizing RNA extracted from whole blood, the CD24 gene expression was detected using real-time PCR technique. Results: It was detected that expression of CD24 was significantly higher in patients with NAFLD than healthy controls. The median fold change was 6.56 higher in NAFLD cases compared to control subjects. Additionally, CD24 expression was higher in cases with fibrosis stage F1 compared to those with fibrosis stage F0, as the mean expression level of CD24 was 7.19 in F0 cases as compared to 8.65 in F1 patients but without significant difference (p = 0.588). ROC curve analysis showed that CD24 ∆CT had significant diagnostic accuracy in the diagnosis of NAFLD (p = 0.034). The optimum cutoff for CD24 was 1.83 for distinguishing patients with NAFLD from healthy control with sensitivity 55% and specificity 74.4%; and an area under the ROC curve (AUROC) of 0.638 (95% CI: 0.514–0.763) was determined. Conclusion: In the present study, CD24 gene expression was up-regulated in fatty liver. Further studies are required to confer its diagnostic and prognostic value in the detection of NAFLD, clarify its role in the progression of hepatocyte steatosis, and to elucidate the mechanism of this biomarker in the progression of disease.
Influence of the Protein-Based Emulsions on the Rheological, Thermo-Mechanical and Baking Performance of Muffin Formulations

The impact of replacing the sunflower oil in a typical muffin formulation with different protein-based emulsions was investigated. Fundamental rheological measurements indicated significant differences between emulsions prepared with soy, lupin, and yeast proteins. The highest viscosity of 2.04 Pa·s was registered for the lupin protein-based emulsion, whereas the yeast protein-based emulsion exhibited the narrowest linear viscoelastic region. The influence of the protein-based emulsions on the thermo-mechanical properties of wheat flour dough was further investigated using the Mixolab device and Chopin+ protocol. Oil substitution with emulsion resulted in better starch gelatinization with the C3 torque of 0.46 Nm being registered for doughs with soy and lupin protein emulsions. Significant differences in terms of moisture, color, porosity, and texture were observed between muffins prepared with protein-based emulsions and control. The lower fat baked products retained higher amounts of water (25.05–26.00%) and exhibited slightly more vivid color (color intensity of 46.34–46.81) and harder texture (firmness of 5.64–5.86 N). The sensory analysis confirmed that soy, lupin, and yeast protein emulsions can be used for obtaining muffin samples with acceptable taste and flavor, and overall quality comparable to the control. These results indicate that the protein based-emulsions are promising oil replacers in muffin formulations.
Particle‐based transport model with Markovian velocity processes for tracer dispersion in highly heterogeneous porous media

Monte Carlo (MC) studies of flow in heterogeneous porous formations, in which the log‐conductivity field is multi‐Gaussian, have shown that as the log‐conductivity variance σY2 increases beyond about 0.5, the one‐point velocity probability density functions (PDFs) deviate significantly from Gaussian behavior. The velocity statistics become more complex due to the formation of preferential flow paths, or channels, as σY2 increases. Methods that employ low‐order approximations (e.g., truncated perturbation expansions) are limited to small σY2 and are unable to represent the complex velocity statistics associated with σY2 > 1. Here a stochastic transport model for highly heterogeneous domains (i.e., σY2 > 1) is proposed. In the model, the Lagrangian velocity components of tracer particles are represented using continuous Markovian stochastic processes in time. The Markovian velocity process (MVP) model is described using a set of first‐order ordinary and stochastic differential equations, which are easy to solve using a particle‐based method. Once the MVP model is calibrated based on velocity statistics from MC simulations of the flow (hydraulic head and velocity), the MVP‐based model can be used to describe the evolution of the tracer concentration field accurately and efficiently. Specifically, the MVP model is validated using MC simulations of longitudinal and transverse tracer spreading due to a point‐like injection in the domain. We demonstrate that for σY2 > 1, the ensemble‐averaged tracer cloud remains markedly non‐Gaussian for relatively large travel distances from the point source. The MVP transport model captures this behavior and reproduces the velocity statistics quite accurately.
Efficient geomorphological mapping based on geographic information systems and remote sensing data: an example from Jena, Germany

ABSTRACT We present a detailed geomorphological map (1:5000-scale) of a middle mountainous area in Jena, Germany. To overcome limitations and to extend the possibility of manually digital mapping in a structural way, we propose an approach using geographic information systems (GIS) and high-resolution digital data. The geomorphological map features were extracted by manually interpreting and analyzing the combination of different data sources using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. A combination of topographic and geological maps, digital orthophotos (DOPs), Google Earth images, field investigations, and derivatives from digital terrain models (DTMs) revealed that it is possible to generate the geomorphologic features involved in classical mapping approaches. LiDAR-DTM and land surface parameters (LSPs) can provide better results when incorporating the visual interpretation of multidirectional hillshade and LSP composite maps.Findings enabled us to systematically delineate landforms and geomorphological process domains. We suggest that further use of digital data should be undertaken to support analysis and applications.
Auditory-perceptual evaluation of voice: comparing different speech tasks to identify children with and without laryngeal lesions

ABSTRACT Purpose To compare the vowel emission and number counting tasks in perceptual-auditory differentiation among children with and without laryngeal lesions. Methods Observational, analytical, and cross-sectional methods were used. Medical records of 44 children were selected from a database of an otorhinolaryngology service at a University Hospital and they were divided into groups: without laryngeal lesion (WOLL), and with laryngeal lesion (WLL), with 33 and 11 children. For the auditory-perceptual evaluation, the vocal samples were separated according to the type of task. They were analyzed separately by a judge who analyzed the general degree of vocal deviation and assessed whether the child would pass or fail in the face of a screening situation. Results There was a difference between the WOLL and WLL groups in terms of the overall degree of vocal deviation for the task of number counting, with a predominance of mild deviations in WOLL and moderate in WLL. In the screening, there was a difference between the groups during the number counting task, with more failures in the WLL. The groups were similar in the sustained vowel task, both in terms of the overall degree of vocal deviation and the vocal screening. Most children in the WLL failed in both tasks during vocal screening compared to the children in the WOLL who, in general, failed in only one task. Conclusion The task of number counting contributes to the auditory differentiation in children with and without laryngeal lesion, by identifying deviations of greater intensity in children with laryngeal lesion.
Social media use and well-being: testing an integrated self-determination theory model

ABSTRACT Although some commentators assert that social media use (SMU) has large negative effects on peoples’ mental health, meta-analyses show the effect is tiny at best, implying that individual differences play an important role. We combined self-determination theory’s organismic integration and basic psychological needs mini-theories to address this issue. Our integrated process model stated that self-determined motivation for SMU affects the extent peoples’ relatedness needs are met during the activity, which in turn affects their subjective well-being (SWB). Cross-sectional study 1 found initial support for this model. Short-term longitudinal studies 2 and 3 assigned Ps to spend a few minutes on an enjoyable social media site (study 2) or on both an enjoyable and a less-enjoyable site (study 3), during the survey itself. In all three cases, self-determined motivation predicted relatedness need-satisfaction and enhanced SWB, after the experience. We conclude that, as with any behavior, peoples’ motivation for SMU matters. Without considering this, blanket statements about SMU effects are likely to be misleading.
Rescue Therapy after Failure of HCV Antiviral Treatment with Interferon-Free Regimens

Direct-acting antivirals (DAA) regimens have provided hope for eliminating hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Patients following ineffective therapy with DAA, especially those previously treated with inhibitors of non-structural protein 5A (NS5A), remain a challenge. The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of DAA pangenotypic options in patients after failure of NS5A containing genotype-specific regimens. The analysis included 120 patients selected from the EpiTer-2 database with data on 15675 HCV-infected individuals treated with IFN-free therapies from 1 July 2015 to 30 June 2022 at 22 Polish hepatology centres. The majority of them were infected with genotype (GT) 1b (85.8%) and one-third was diagnosed with fibrosis F4. Among the rescue pangenotypic regimens, the most commonly used was the sofosbuvir/velpatasvir (SOF/VEL) ± ribavirin (RBV) combination. The sustained virologic response, which was a measure of treatment effectiveness, was achieved by 102 patients, resulting in cure rate of 90.3% in the per protocol analysis. All 11 non-responders were infected with GT1b, 7 were diagnosed with cirrhosis, and 9 were treated with SOF/VEL±RBV. We demonstrated the high effectiveness of the pangenotypic rescue options in patients after genotype specific NS5A-containing regimens failures, identifying cirrhosis as a negative prognostic factor of treatment effectiveness.
Asymptotic Behaviour of Continuous Time and State Branching Processes

Abstract We prove some limit theorems for contiunous time and state branching processes. The non-degenerate limit laws are obtained in critical and non-critical cases by conditioning or introducing immigration processes. The limit laws in non-critical cases are characterized in terms of the cononical measure of the cumulant semigroup. The proofs are based on estimates of the cumulant semigroup derived from the forward and backward equations, which are easier than the proffs in the classical setting.
Dynamics of an electrostatically charged elastic rod in fluid

We investigate the effects of electrostatic and steric repulsion on the dynamics of a pre-twisted charged elastic rod immersed in a viscous incompressible fluid. Equations of motion of the rod include the fluid–structure interaction, rod elasticity and a combination of two interactions that prevent self-contact, namely the electrostatic interaction and hard-core repulsion. The governing equations are solved using the generalized immersed-boundary method. We find that after perturbation, a pre-twisted minicircle collapses into a compact supercoiled configuration. The collapse proceeds along a complex trajectory that may pass near several unstable equilibrium configurations, before it settles in a locally stable equilibrium. The dwell time near an unstable equilibrium can be up to several microseconds. Both the final configuration and the transition path are sensitive to the initial excess link, ionic strength of the solvent and the initial perturbation.
Serum sCD40L and IL-31 in Association with Early Phase of IgA Nephropathy

Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is a major cause of chronic glomerulonephritis worldwide. T cell dysregulation has been reported to contribute to the pathogenesis of IgAN. Methods We measured a broad range of Th1, Th2 and Th17 cytokines in the serum of IgAN patients. We searched for significant cytokines, which were associated with clinical parameters and histological scores in IgAN patients. Results: Among 15 cytokines, the levels of soluble CD40L (sCD40L) and IL-31 were higher in IgAN patients and were significantly associated with a higher estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), a lower urinary protein to creatinine ratio (UPCR), and milder tubulointerstitial lesions (i.e., the early phase of IgAN). Multivariate analysis revealed that serum sCD40L was an independent determinant of a lower UPCR after adjustment for age, eGFR, and mean blood pressure (MBP). CD40, a receptor of sCD40L, has been reported to be upregulated on mesangial cells in IgAN. The sCD40L/CD40 interaction may directly induce inflammation in mesangial areas and may therefore be involved in the development of IgAN. Conclusions: The present study demonstrated the significance of serum sCD40L and IL-31 in the early phase of IgAN. Serum sCD40L may be a marker of the beginning of inflammation in IgAN.
GENERALIZED BCS EQUATIONS: APPLICATIONS

Based on the concepts of a superpropagator, multiple Debye temperatures, and equivalence of the binding energy of a Cooper pair and the BCS energy gap, the set of generalized BCS equations obtained recently via a temperature-generalized Bethe–Salpeter equation is employed for a unified study of the following composite superconductors: MgB2, Nb3Sn, and YBCO. In addition, we study the Nb–Al system in which Cooper pairs as resonances have recently been reported to have been observed. Our approach seems to suggest that a simple extension of the BCS theory that accommodates the concept of Cooper pairs bound via a more than one phonon exchange mechanism may be an interesting candidate for dealing with high-temperature superconductors.
Robust stability of delay dependence for linear uncertain systems

A sufficient condition for the stability of the linear uncertain time-delay systems is presented. The result obtained can include information on the size of the delay, and therefore can be a delay-dependent stability condition. The Lyapunov method is employed to investigate the problem. The result is demonstrated by an illustrative example. >
Health Coaching-Based Interventions for Oral Health Promotion: A Scoping Review

Background: Health coaching-based interventions can support behaviour change to improve oral health. This scoping review aims to identify key characteristics of health coaching-based interventions for oral health promotion. Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist and the Joanna Briggs Institute manual for evidence synthesis were used in this review. A search strategy using medical subject heading terms and keywords was developed and applied to search the following databases: CINAHL, Ovid, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Scopus. Thematic analysis was used to synthesise the data. Results: Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. These studies were predominantly based on health coaching and motivational interviewing interventions applied to oral health promotion. The following are the characteristics of health coaching-based interventions extracted from themes of the included studies: (a) Health professionals should be trained on the usage of motivational interviewing/health coaching interventions; (b) oral health professionals should acquire motivational techniques in their practice to engage patients and avoid criticisms during the behaviour change process; (c) routine brief motivational interviewing/health coaching intervention sessions should be introduced in dental clinics; (d) traditional oral health education methods should be supplemented with individually tailored communication; and (e) for cost-effectiveness purposes, motivational interviewing/health coaching strategies should be considered. Conclusions: This scoping review reveals that health coaching-based techniques of health coaching and motivational interviewing can significantly impact oral health outcomes and behaviour change and can improve oral health professional–patient communication. This calls for the use of health coaching-based techniques by dental teams in community and clinical settings. This review highlights gaps in the literature, suggesting the need for more research on health coaching-based intervention strategies for oral health promotion.
A New Generation of OPM for High Dynamic and Large Bandwidth MEG: The 4He OPMs—First Applications in Healthy Volunteers

MagnetoEncephaloGraphy (MEG) provides a measure of electrical activity in the brain at a millisecond time scale. From these signals, one can non-invasively derive the dynamics of brain activity. Conventional MEG systems (SQUID-MEG) use very low temperatures to achieve the necessary sensitivity. This leads to severe experimental and economical limitations. A new generation of MEG sensors is emerging: the optically pumped magnetometers (OPM). In OPM, an atomic gas enclosed in a glass cell is traversed by a laser beam whose modulation depends on the local magnetic field. MAG4Health is developing OPMs using Helium gas (4He-OPM). They operate at room temperature with a large dynamic range and a large frequency bandwidth and output natively a 3D vectorial measure of the magnetic field. In this study, five 4He-OPMs were compared to a classical SQUID-MEG system in a group of 18 volunteers to evaluate their experimental performances. Considering that the 4He-OPMs operate at real room temperature and can be placed directly on the head, our assumption was that 4He-OPMs would provide a reliable recording of physiological magnetic brain activity. Indeed, the results showed that the 4He-OPMs showed very similar results to the classical SQUID-MEG system by taking advantage of a shorter distance to the brain, despite having a lower sensitivity.