Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of the consumption patterns of cassava food products amongst rural households in Imo State, Nigeria

Cassava is a staple food in Nigeria and many households largely depend on its food products for their daily calorie requirements. The need to critically evaluate the consumption pattern of cassava food products (CFPs) amongst households in Imo State, Nigeria necessitated this study. A multilevel sampling technique which involves purposive and random sampling was used to select 432 farmers for the study. Data was collected using questionnaire and analysed using SPSS version 16. A three- and four-point Likert scale rating with 2 and 2.5 decision points respectively was used to measure the consumption pattern of CFPs and factors affecting them. The results show that 43% of the farmers were male, 93% attended at least primary school and 60% were aged between 30–50 years. About 65% cultivated UMUCASS 1379 cassava variety. Abacha (89%) and Garri (88%) were the most available CFPs and Garri with the highest mean score (MS = 2.84) was the most consumed. Consumer preferences (MS = 2.91), and culture, custom or tradition (MS = 2.88) were the major factors affecting the consumption pattern of CFP in the area. To effectively promote CFPs consumption, policies should emphasize more on culture and the provision of necessary processing equipment to encourage more families to produce, process and consume more CFPs.
Germination and abscisic acid analysis in the seeds of forest resource trees after storage at different temperatures

Abstract Abscisic acid (ABA) is a plant hormone that plays a significant role in various developmental and physiological processes in higher plants. In this study, ABA was quantified in Chamaecyparis obtusa, Pinus rigida × Pinus taeda, and Pinus densiflora seeds stored for 20 years at −18 °C, 4 °C, or 25 °C using high-performance liquid chromatography. At all temperatures, C. obtusa had the highest ABA concentration, followed by P. rigida × P. taeda and then P. densiflora. The germination rates of the seeds were also investigated. For the two Pinus species, there was an inverse relationship between ABA content and germination rate. However, as all C. obtusa seeds failed to germinate, no such correlation was observed for this species. This study provides important information for advancing ABA research in gymnosperms, which may provide insight into their physiological and biochemical mechanisms.
MRI markers of adenomyosis severity associated with worse IVF/ICSI outcomes

Study objective: The aim of this study was to characterise the severity of adenomyosis on MRI in infertile women, and to assess if MRI characteristics of adenomyosis severity are associated with worse IVF/ICSI pregnancy outcomes versus male infertility controls. Materials and methods: This single-centre retrospective study was carried out at Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The MRIs of 124 infertile women undergoing their first, fresh embryo transfer during IVF/ICSI, diagnosed with adenomyosis only (N = 31), or combined adenomyosis and endometriosis (N = 93) were assessed. Measurements of MRI adenomyosis features were performed by two independent investigators. IVF/ICSI outcomes (biochemical pregnancy (BP), ongoing pregnancy (OP) and live birth (LB)) of adenomyosis patients were compared to those of 889 male infertility controls. Results: Patients with adenomyosis had significantly worse IVF/ICSI outcomes compared to male infertility controls. When assessing individual MRI parameters, adenomyosis patients with a mean junctional zone (JZ) of >12 mm, a JZ/Myometrium ratio of >40%, presence of myometrial cysts and presence of endometriosis (specifically deep invasive endometriosis(DIE)) showed statistically significantly worse outcomes compared to patients with milder disease. Conclusion: The results of this retrospective study suggest that individual MRI markers for severe adenomyosis (mean JZ > 12 mm, myometrial cysts), especially when combined with (severe) endometriosis, may be associated with fewer pregnancies during IVF/ICSI when compared to male infertility controls. Future prospective studies should investigate the prognostic potential of these markers for prediction of IVF/ICSI success.
Triptolide attenuates cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury in rats through the inhibition the nuclear factor kappa B signaling pathway

: Inflammation plays critical roles in the acute progression of the pathology of ischemic injury. Previous studies have shown that triptolide interferes with a number of pro-inflammatory mechanisms. In this study, we investigated whether triptolide has protective effects during acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Male Sprague Dawley rats received triptolide or vehicle at the onset of reperfusion following middle cerebral artery occlusion. Twenty-four hours after reperfusion, we evaluated neurological injuries, the expression of pro-inflammatory markers, and NF- κ B activation. I/R rats treated with triptolide showed significantly better neurological deficit scores, decreased neural apoptosis, and reduced cerebral infarct volume and brain edema, and triptolide treatment suppressed the activation of NF- κ B following I/R injury. Furthermore, the expression levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines at both the mRNA and protein levels were significantly decreased in rats receiving triptolide. These results indicate that the neuroprotective effects of triptolide during acute cerebral I/R injury are possibly related to the inhibition of both the NF- κ B signaling pathway and inflammation.
End-to-End Depth-Guided Relighting Using Lightweight Deep Learning-Based Method

Image relighting, which involves modifying the lighting conditions while preserving the visual content, is fundamental to computer vision. This study introduced a bi-modal lightweight deep learning model for depth-guided relighting. The model utilizes the Res2Net Squeezed block’s ability to capture long-range dependencies and to enhance feature representation for both the input image and its corresponding depth map. The proposed model adopts an encoder–decoder structure with Res2Net Squeezed blocks integrated at each stage of encoding and decoding. The model was trained and evaluated on the VIDIT dataset, which consists of 300 triplets of images. Each triplet contains the input image, its corresponding depth map, and the relit image under diverse lighting conditions, such as different illuminant angles and color temperatures. The enhanced feature representation and improved information flow within the Res2Net Squeezed blocks enable the model to handle complex lighting variations and generate realistic relit images. The experimental results demonstrated the proposed approach’s effectiveness in relighting accuracy, measured by metrics such as the PSNR, SSIM, and visual quality.
High-Precision Model for Accurate Simulation of Trolleybus Grids: Case Study of Bologna

The integration of renewable sources to catenary-powered electric traction systems is a paramount step to satisfy sustainability and smart city objectives, albeit necessitating accurate simulations of the infrastructure. This paper presents an innovative trolleybus network simulator, characterised by the modularity of the catenary model and built on an intuitive graphical user interface that offers significant topological change flexibility. The model is distinguished by high precision and moderate processing effort, bridging the gaps of existing block-based simulation tools. A graphical analysis of the voltage distribution evaluated in a section of Bologna’s trolleybus network shows the advances in precision of the proposed model.
Relations between Structure/Composition and Mechanics in Osteoarthritic Regenerated Articular Tissue: A Machine Learning Approach

In the context of a large animal model of early osteoarthritis (OA) treated by orthobiologics, the purpose of this study was to reveal relations between articular tissues structure/composition and cartilage viscoelasticity. Twenty-four sheep, with induced knee OA, were treated by mesenchymal stem cells in various preparations—adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs), stromal vascular fraction (SVF), and amniotic endothelial cells (AECs)—and euthanized at 3 or 6 months to evaluate the (i) biochemistry of synovial fluid; (ii) histology, immunohistochemistry, and histomorphometry of articular cartilage; and (iii) viscoelasticity of articular cartilage. After performing an initial analysis to evaluate the correlation and multicollinearity between the investigated variables, this study used machine learning (ML) models—Variable Selection Using Random Forests (VSURF) and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB)—to classify variables according to their importance and employ them for interpretation and prediction. The experimental setup revealed a potential relation between cartilage elastic modulus and cartilage thickness (CT), synovial fluid interleukin 6 (IL6), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and between cartilage relaxation time and CT and PGE2. SVF treatment was the only limit on the deleterious OA effect on cartilage viscoelastic properties. This work provides indications to future studies aiming to highlight these and other relationships and focusing on advanced regeneration targets.
Does Financial Literacy Matter in Cashless Payment Usage?

This study aims to examine the effect of social influence and effort expectancy on the intention to use and actual usage of cashless payment systems with financial literacy as moderating variable. To conduct this study questionnaires were distributed to all active accounting students at Airlangga University and from there, 128 research samples were obtained. The collected data were analyzed using WarpPLS 8.0. The results show that effort expectancy and social influence have a positive effect on the intention to use cashless payment systems. The result also shows that the intention to use cashless payment systems has a positive effect on the actual usage of cashless payment systems. In addition, the research results indicate that financial literacy does not moderate the effect of effort expectancy and social influence on the intention to use cashless payment. The results of this study are expected to provide insight and a better understanding of financial literacy and cashless payment system.
The Advances and Utility of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics in Regional Anesthesia: An Overview of Recent Developments

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics in regional anesthesia has brought about transformative changes in acute pain management for surgical procedures. This review explores the evolving landscape of AI and robotics applications in regional anesthesia, outlining their potential benefits, challenges, and ethical considerations. AI-driven pain assessment, real-time guidance for needle placement during nerve blocks, and predictive modeling solutions for nerve blocks have the potential to enhance procedural precision and improve patient outcomes. Robotic technology aids in accurate needle insertion, reducing complications and improving pain relief. This review also highlights the ethical and safety considerations surrounding AI implementation, emphasizing data security and professional training. While challenges such as costs and regulatory hurdles exist, ongoing research and clinical trials demonstrate the practical utility of these technologies. In conclusion, AI and robotics have the potential to reshape regional anesthesia practice, ultimately improving patient care and procedural accuracy in pain management.
Evaluation of Freeway Travel Time Variability and Reliability under Adverse Weather with TRANSMIT Data

In addition to delay, the variability and reliability of travel time has been of concern to motorists on their daily travel, especially during peak periods. Traffic congestion has caused many detrimental effects including higher fuel consumption, more vehicle emissions, increased accidents, as well as greater tension due to uncertain travel time. The objective of this study is to examine freeway travel time variability and reliability under different traffic and weather conditions with the use of TRANSMIT data collected by roadside readers deployed on a 40-mile segment of the Interstate I-287 in New Jersey. Travel time variability and reliability measures including mean travel time, the 95th percentile travel time, travel time index, buffer index, and planning time index are investigated under various circumstances, such as adverse weather.
Quantitative parameters of static imaging and fast kinetics imaging in 18F-FDG total-body PET/CT for the assessment of histological feature of pulmonary lesions

Background To investigate the value of quantitative parameters related to static imaging and fast kinetics imaging of total-body (TB) 2-[18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in differentiating benign from malignant pulmonary lesions and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) from adenocarcinoma (AC) and to analyze the correlation of each parameter with the Ki-67 index. Methods A total of 108 patients with pulmonary lesions from July 2021 to May 2022 in the Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, China, were consecutively recruited for TB 18F-FDG PET/CT in this prospective study. Static imaging parameters maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and fast kinetics imaging parameters transport constant (K1), rate constants (k2), time delay (td), and fractional blood volume (vb) were calculated and compared. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), Delong test, Logistic regression analyses, and Pearson correlation were used to assess diagnostic efficacy, find independent predictors and analyse correlations respectively. Results Malignant lesions had higher SUVmax and K1 and lower vb than benign lesions, and SCC had higher SUVmax and K1 and lower td and vb than AC (all P<0.05). For the differentiation of benign and malignant lesions, SUVmax, K1, and vb were independent predictors, and AUC (SUVmax + K1+ vb) =0.909 (95% CI: 0.839–0.956), AUC (SUVmax) =0.883 (95% CI: 0.807–0.937), AUC (K1) =0.810 (95% CI: 0.723–0.879), and AUC (vb) =0.746 (95% CI: 0.653–0.825), where AUC (SUVmax + K1+ vb) was significantly different from AUC (K1), AUC (vb) (Z=3.006, 3.965, all P<0.05). For the differentiation of SCC and AC, SUVmax, K1, td, and vb were independent predictors, and AUC (SUVmax + K1+ td + vb) =0.946 (95% CI: 0.840–0.991), AUC (SUVmax) =0.818 (95% CI: 0.680–0.914), AUC (K1) =0.770 (95% CI: 0.626–0.879), AUC (vb) =0.737 (95% CI: 0.590–0.853), and AUC (td) =0.669 (95% CI: 0.510–0.791), where AUC (SUVmax + K1+ td + vb) was significantly different from AUC (SUVmax), AUC (K1), AUC (vb), and AUC (td) (Z=2.269, 2.821, 2.848, and 3.276, all P<0.05). SUVmax and K1 were moderately and mildly positively correlated with the Ki-67 index (r=0.541, 0.452, all P<0.05), respectively. Conclusions Quantitative parameters of static imaging and fast kinetics imaging in 18F-FDG total-body PET/CT can be used to differentiate benign from malignant pulmonary lesions and SCC from AC and to assess Ki-67 expression.
Untargeted Metabolomic Analysis of Lactation-Stage-Matched Human and Bovine Milk Samples at 2 Weeks Postnatal

Epidemiological data demonstrate that bovine whole milk is often substituted for human milk during the first 12 months of life and may be associated with adverse infant outcomes. The objective of this study is to interrogate the human and bovine milk metabolome at 2 weeks of life to identify unique metabolites that may impact infant health outcomes. Human milk (n = 10) was collected at 2 weeks postpartum from normal-weight mothers (pre-pregnant BMI < 25 kg/m2) that vaginally delivered term infants and were exclusively breastfeeding their infant for at least 2 months. Similarly, bovine milk (n = 10) was collected 2 weeks postpartum from normal-weight primiparous Holstein dairy cows. Untargeted data were acquired on all milk samples using high-resolution liquid chromatography–high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (HR LC-MS/MS). MS data pre-processing from feature calling to metabolite annotation was performed using MS-DIAL and MS-FLO. Our results revealed that more than 80% of the milk metabolome is shared between human and bovine milk samples during early lactation. Unbiased analysis of identified metabolites revealed that nearly 80% of milk metabolites may contribute to microbial metabolism and microbe–host interactions. Collectively, these results highlight untargeted metabolomics as a potential strategy to identify unique and shared metabolites in bovine and human milk that may relate to and impact infant health outcomes.
Gene Polymorphisms of Epithelial Cell-Derived Alarmins and Their Effects on Protein Levels and Disease Severity in Patients with COVID-19

Background: The immune response in COVID-19 is characterized by the release of alarmin cytokines, which play crucial roles in immune activation and inflammation. The interplay between these cytokines and genetic variations may influence disease severity and outcomes, while sex differences might further contribute to variations in the immune response. Methods: We measured the levels of alarmin cytokines in a cohort of COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients using a sensitive Meso Scale Discovery system. Additionally, we conducted an SNP analysis to identify genetic variations within the IL-33 and TSLP genes. The association between these genetic variations, cytokine production, and COVID-19 severity was examined. Results: Our findings revealed elevated levels of IL-33 and IL-25 in COVID-19-positive patients compared to COVID-19-negative patients (p < 0.05), indicating their potential as therapeutic targets for disease modulation. Moreover, a minor allele within the IL-33 gene (rs3939286) was found to be associated with a protective effect against severe COVID-19 (p < 0.05), and minor alleles of the TSLP gene (rs2289276 and rs13806933) were found to significantly reduce TSLP protein levels in serum (p < 0.05). Sex-specific effects of TSLP and IL-33 SNPs were observed, suggesting a potential influence of sex hormones and genetic variations on the regulation of cytokine production. Conclusion: The present study highlights the importance of alarmin cytokines and genetic variations in COVID-19 severity, providing valuable insights into personalized treatment approaches. Our results suggest that targeting alarmin cytokines may offer potential therapeutic benefits in managing COVID-19. Furthermore, the sex-specific effects of genetic variations emphasize the need to consider individual genetic profiles and sex differences when designing targeted interventions.
Melatonin Use in Pediatric Intensive Care Units: A Single-Center Experience

Growing evidence indicates that altered melatonin secretion during critical illness may influence the quality and quantity of sleep, delirium, and overall recovery. However, limited data exist regarding the use of melatonin in pediatric critical illness. Data were reviewed over a 5-year period at a tertiary pediatric intensive care unit for pediatric patients (ages 0–18 years) who were prescribed melatonin with the aim of identifying the frequency of and indications for use. Data collection included the hospital day of initiation, the dose, the frequency, the duration of use, and the length of stay. The results demonstrate that melatonin was infrequently prescribed (6.0% of patients admitted; n = 182) and that the majority of patients received melatonin as continuation of home medication (46%; n = 83 of 182). This group had significantly earlier melatonin use (0.9 ± 2.3 day of hospitalization; p < 0.0001) and significantly reduced lengths of stay compared to the other groups (mean LOS 7.2 ± 9.3 days; p < 0.0001). Frequently, clear documentation of indication for melatonin use was absent (20%; n = 37). In conclusion, given that melatonin is infrequently used within a tertiary PICU with the most common indication as the continuation of home medication, and often without clear documentation for indication, this presents an opportunity to emphasize a more attentive and strategic approach regarding melatonin use in the PICU population.
New wiggles from old cables: Acquisition, cable and data aspects

Seismic imaging is essential for detailed characterization and understanding of the subsurface. Traditionally, marine seismic data has been acquired either using towed streamers or ocean-bottom receivers. Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) is a novel and fast emerging technology that makes it possible to use fiber optic cables for acoustic measurements. The technology turns the fiber optic cable into a densely sampled receiver array. A controlled source experiment comparing DAS and conventional towed streamer data for seismic imaging purposes is described. An existing 130 km telecommunication fiber optic cable was interrogated to acquire DAS data to analyze the signal at long distances and for subsurface imaging. A seismic source vessel was used to create seismic data along the full cable length, while it at the same time was acquiring conventional towed streamer data for comparison. In addition, the telecommunication fiber optic cable was used to acquire passive DAS data. The results show that seismic signals in the telecommunication fiber optic cable are detectable at distances above 100 km from the source point. Furthermore, comparisons of the DAS data and towed streamer data show that the DAS technology allows for acquisition of large offset seismic data that are comparable with conventional seismic data. Analysis of the passive DAS data shows that the infragravity waves correlates with the observed weather conditions during the acquisition.
Concentrations of carotenoids and tocopherols in 2 breast milk from urban Chinese mothers and their 3 associations with maternal characteristics : a 4 cross-sectional study 5

This study aims to quantify carotenoids and tocopherols in human milk from healthy 19 Chinese women, and to explore their associations with region, lactation stage, and maternal 20 socio-economic and obstetric factors. Human milk was obtained from 509 healthy mothers and the 21 compounds of carotenoids and tocopherols were analyzed by high-performance liquid 22 chromatography after mild saponification and solvent extraction. Socio-economic and obstetric 23 characteristics of the mothers and their dietary intakes through a single 24-hour dietary recall were 24 evaluated. The median content of each component [μg/100mL, median (interquartile range)] in 25 colostrum and mature milk was, respectively, β-carotene 8.0 (4.7-15.2) and 1.8 (1.4-2.7), 26 β-cryptoxanthin 6.2 (2.4-12.9) and 1.8 (1.1-3.4), lutein 5.7 (2.9-10.2) and 3.4 (1.5-6.0), lycopene 6.3 27 (4.0-9.9) and 1.4 (1.1-2.0), zeaxanthin 1.0 (0.6-1.5) and 1.0 (0.6-1.4), α-tocopherol 645 (388-1176) and 28 211 (131-321), γ-tocopherol 68 (48-121) and 77 (45-120). The levels of all those vitamins presented 29 regional differences, and decreased as lactation stage increased except for zeaxanthin and 30 γ-tocopherol. Associations of carotenoid contents with maternal education, delivery mode, and 31 present body mass index were found in multivariate analyses. These results suggest that some 32 region, lactation stage, obstetric and socio-economic factors are associated with human milk 33 concentrations of carotenoids and tocopherols in healthy Chinese mothers. 34