Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis Affect the Course of Legg–Calvé–Perthes Disease? A Case-Control Study with a Mean Follow-Up of 8 Years

Background: This study aimed to determine the clinical and radiological course in children who had Legg–Calvé–Perthes disease (LCPD) associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Methods: In a retrospective chart review between 2007 and 2019, eight consecutive JIA patients diagnosed with concomitant LCPD were identified and compared with a case-control group of 10 children with LCPD only. Results: LCPD was diagnosed at a mean age of 8.1 years (3.0–14.7) in children with JIA as compared to 6.1 years (2.9–10.0) in controls. According to the modified Harris Hip Score (mHHS), four children with JIA and all controls had an excellent result. Regarding the fragmentation severity and the duration of each stage, we found no differences using the lateral pillar and modified Elizabethtown classification. Five hips were classified as Stulberg I/II, two hips as Stulberg III, and one hip as Stulberg V with no evidence of hip dysplasia or severe overcoverage in either group. Conclusions: The radiological outcome of LCPD did not differ between both groups, while the clinical outcome was slightly better in controls. Physicians should be aware that children with LCPD may have JIA too. In suspicious cases, further investigations are recommended, and patients should be referred to pediatric rheumatologists.
Prevalence of Soil Transmitted Helminths in Some Birds Kept at Federal University Of Agriculture Abeokuta (FUNAAB) Zoo Park, Abeokuta, Nigeria

Captive-held wild animals are those housed in zoological exhibits, rehabilitation centres, zoos, research stations, sanctuaries, aquaria, circuses, and plantations. However, parasitic diseases constitute one of the major problems causing mortality in these animals while in captivity. The effects range from sub-clinical to death; hence, the study was conducted to assess the gastrointestinal parasite profile of birds kept in Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta ZooPark. Freshly voided faecal samples of Psittacus erithacus, Psittacula krameri, Balaerica pavonina, pavo cristatus, Chen caerulescens, Struthio camelus and Anas platyrhynchos were collected before routine cleaning. Samples were collected weekly for 8 weeks between 7am- 9am within the month of October and November, 2019. A total of 56 faecal samples from 7 birds were picked from the ground by utilizing a sterile scoop for each animal species to avoid cross contamination. Each sample was put in a new labelled sterile bottle with the name of each bird from which the faecal sample was collected. Samples were then transported to the laboratory for microscopic analysis which was done within 24 hours. Egg counting was done using the McMaster Egg Counting Technique. Identification of intestinal helminth ova was done by using the keys. Data obtained were analysed using SPSS version 20.0 and Microsoft excel. Prevalence was calculated while the weekly egg counts of intestinal helminthes were presented using descriptive statistics. The distribution of intestinalhelminthes infections among the surveyed birds vary from (Psittacula krameri 100%, pavo cristatus 100%, Psittacus erithacus 66.67%, Balaerica pavonina 66.67%, Chen caerulescens 66.67%, Struthio camelus 66.67%, and Anas platyrhynchos 66.67%). In conclusion, the prevalence of soil transmitted helminthes revealed that Ascaridiagalli andStrongyloides spp had the highest prevalence among the birds with 100% while Raillietina spp recorded the lowest prevalence with 28.6%.
Volatile Compounds and Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Selected Citrus Essential Oils Originated from Nepal

Citrus species of plants are among the most commercially cultivated crops, mainly for their fruit. Besides, the generally consumed flesh inside the fruit, the peel is quite important too. Essential oils extracted from the peel have a history of being used by humankind for centuries. These essential oils are rich in antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. Comparative investigation of volatile constituents, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were undertaken. The essential oils were evaluated through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and enantiomeric composition by chiral GC–MS. Similarly, the antioxidant properties were evaluated by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl scavenging assay, and antimicrobial activities were assayed using the disk diffusion method. The highest extraction yield of 1.83% was observed in Citrus sinensis Osbeck. GC–MS analysis showed limonene (63.76–89.15%), γ-terpinene (0.24–6.43%), β-pinene (0.15–6.09%), linalool (0.35–3.5%), sabinene (0.77–2.17%), myrcene (0.74–1.75%), α-terpineol (0.28–1.15%), and α-pinene (0.2–0.58%) as the major constituents of the essential oil of the Citrus species studied. For the first time, through our study, chiral terpenoids have been observed from Citrus grandis Osbeck essential oil. The order of antioxidant activity is as follows: Citrus grandis Osbeck red flesh > Citrus reticulata Blanco > Citrus sinensis Osbeck > Citrus grandis Osbeck white flesh. Except for Citrus grandis Osbeck white flesh (52.34 µL/mL), all samples demonstrated stronger antioxidant activities than those of the positive control, quercetin (5.60 µL/mL). Therefore, these essential oils can be used as a safe natural antioxidant to prevent product oxidation. Likewise, citrus peel essential oil showed antimicrobial activity against tested bacterial strains, albeit marginal.
Retinal Imaging Techniques Based on Machine Learning Models in Recognition and Prediction of Mild Cognitive Impairment

Background and Purpose Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) is thought to be the signal of many progressive diseases but is easily ignored. Therefore, a simple and easy screening method for recognizing and predicting MCI is urgently needed. The study aimed to establish machine learning models of retinal vascular features to categorize and predict MCI. Patients and Methods Subjects enrolled underwent cognitive function assessment and were divided into a normal group, an MCI group, and a dementia group, and fundus photography was performed. MATLAB 2019b was used for fundus image preprocessing and vascular segmentation. Via the Green channel, adaptive histogram equalization (AHE), image binarization, and median filtering, we obtained the original and segmentation retinal vessel images. Afterwards, the histogram of oriented gradient (HOG) was used for image feature extraction. Support vector machine (SVM) and extreme learning machine (ELM) were selected for training models in the fundus original images and fundus vascular segmentation images, respectively. Among the three cognitive groups, sensitivity, specificity, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and the area under the curve (AUC) were used to evaluate and compare the predictive performance of the two models in the fundus original and vascular segmentation images, respectively. Results A total of 86 eligible subjects were enrolled in the study. After a clinical cognitive assessment, the participants were divided into the normal group (N = 38), the MCI group (N = 26), and the dementia group (N = 22). A total of 332 qualified fundus images were adopted after screening. Comparing the models among the three groups showed that the SVM model had more advantages than the ELM model in the fundus original images and vascular segmentation images. Meanwhile, we found that the original images performed better than the segmentation images in the same prediction model. Among the three groups, the SVM model of the fundus original images had the best performance. Conclusion The establishment of a predictive model based on vascular-related feature extraction from fundus images has high recognition and prediction abilities for cognitive function and can be used as a screening method for MCI. Clinical Trial Registration ChiCTR.org. cn (ChiCTR1900027404), Registered on Nov 12, 2019.
Conservation of the Direct and Indirect Pathway Dichotomy in Mouse Caudal Striatum With Uneven Distribution of Dopamine Receptor D1- and D2-Expressing Neurons

The striatum is one of the key nuclei for adequate control of voluntary behaviors and reinforcement learning. Two striatal projection neuron types, expressing either dopamine receptor D1 (D1R) or dopamine receptor D2 (D2R) constitute two independent output routes: the direct or indirect pathways, respectively. These pathways co-work in balance to achieve coordinated behavior. Two projection neuron types are equivalently intermingled in most striatal space. However, recent studies revealed two atypical zones in the caudal striatum: the zone in which D1R-neurons are the minor population (D1R-poor zone) and that in which D2R-neurons are the minority (D2R-poor zone). It remains obscure as to whether these imbalanced zones have similar properties on axonal projections and electrophysiology compared to other striatal regions. Based on morphological experiments in mice using immunofluorescence, in situ hybridization, and neural tracing, here, we revealed that the poor zones densely projected to the globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars lateralis, with a few collaterals in substantia nigra pars reticulata and compacta. Similar to that in other striatal regions, D1R-neurons were the direct pathway neurons. We also showed membrane properties of projection neurons in the poor zones were largely similar to those in the conventional striatum using in vitro electrophysiological recording. In addition, the poor zones existed irrespective of the age or sex of mice. We also identified the poor zones in the common marmoset as well as other rodents. These results suggest that the poor zones in the caudal striatum follow the conventional projection patterns irrespective of imbalanced distribution of projection neurons. The poor zones could be an innate structure and common in mammals. The unique striatal zones possessing highly restricted projections could relate to functions different from those of motor-related striatum.
CNN-based spatio-temporal nonlinear filtering and endocardial boundary detection in echocardiography

In this paper, a CNN-based spatio-temporal approach is introduced for finding the endocardial (inner) boundary of the left ventricle from a sequence of echocardiographic images. The discussed analogic' CNN algorithm combines optimal non-linear filtering and constrained wave propagation in order to estimate the continuous contour of a moving object in a medium where the edges are ill-defined. In the preprocessing phase, non-linear filtering is employed to remove the coherent speckle noise that corrupts the images. It is verified that an optimal filtering strategy should estimate the mode of the local intensity histogram. Three different approximations of the mode filter were implemented, derived from robust statistics and geometry-driven diffusion, that give an output consistent with the maximum likelihood estimate of the noisy sequence. The kernel of the left ventricle is located and the boundary is found using a fuzzy-adaptive technique that embodies constrained wave propagation. Boundary dislocation, area and smoothness constraints are transformed into the transient length of the CNN while the a priori knowledge about the heart morphology is built into the spatial template parameters (weight values). Special emphasis is given to VLSI implementation complexity. It is shown that the core of the algorithm can be realized using the already available CNN chips. Furthermore, it is argued that all templates of the complete solution belong to the implementation frame that is considered for the next generation of CNN Universal Chips. This study demonstrates that the discussed novel approach allows a reliable endocardial boundary tracking of the left ventricle in real-time using a spatio-temporal CNN visual microprocessor.
Rubble Stone Masonry Walls Strengthened by Three-Dimensional Steel Ties and Textile-Reinforced Mortar Render, Under Compression and Shear Loads

This article addresses the results of a structural strengthening solution for rubble stone masonry walls. The strengthening includes inserting three-dimensional steel ties across the thickness of the walls and a 30-mm layer of air-lime and cement mortar render reinforced with glass fiber mesh (textile-reinforced mortar), on both sides of the wall. The strengthening solution was found to be efficient for rehabilitating ancient rubble stone masonry walls due to the “three-dimensional” confinement, provided by the steel wires, by offsetting the low cohesive capacity of the mortar used in the walls and thus improving the mechanical resistance and delaying the collapse mechanisms. This study is part of an experimental research program carried out in Universidade Nova de Lisboa, to evaluate structural strengthening solutions for ancient rubble stone masonry buildings. To this end, three specimens of rubble stone masonry walls without strengthening (unreinforced masonry) and other three, with the mentioned strengthening solution, were subjected to compression and shear load tests. Building materials were also tested in order to characterize physical, chemical and mechanical properties.
Rescheduling Problems with Deteriorating Jobs to Minimize the Tardiness Costs under Time Disruptions

This paper studies the issue of rescheduling to allow for the unexpected arrival of new jobs, taking into account the effect of the disruptions on a previously planned optimal schedule. We consider the single-machine rescheduling problems with deteriorating jobs. Rescheduling means that a set of original jobs has already been scheduled to minimize some classical objective, then a new set of jobs arrives and creates a disruption. The objective is to minimize the total tardiness costs under a limit of the disruptions from the original scheduling. We propose polynomial time algorithms or some dynamic programming algorithms for each problem.
Attitude towards advertising among young adults: A comparative study by ethnicity

The purpose of this study is to determine the attitude of young adults towards advertising from the perspective of ethnicity. Specifically, it seeks to find out how young adults from the Iban, Chinese and Malay communities perceive advertising so as to understand the implication of ethnicity and culture on the subject matter. A seven-factor belief model is adopted to decompose the theory of reasoned action. As such, it provides theoretical basis to explain similarities and differences of beliefs and attitude towards advertising across the three ethnic groups. Given its quantitative stance, a questionnaire-based survey was administered at universities. 316 out of 400 copies were then collected for analyses. The findings show that despite cultural differences embedded in ethnicity, beliefs and attitude of the three ethnic groups towards advertising are found largely to be similar. They can only be set apart by the effect of beliefs on the formation of attitude towards advertising. Implications and future studies are provided.
A comparative study of TQM practice and organisational performance of SMEs with and without ISO 9000 certification

Recently, a highly credible report suggested that the quality philosophy and quality standards have not effectively reached the core of Australia’s commercial base – 780,000 small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Drawing on this critical finding, this study aims at providing empirical evidence on the differences in total quality management (TQM) implementation and organisational performance of SMEs in Western Australia, with and without ISO 9000 certification. Using the criteria of the Australian Business Excellence (ABE) framework as a guide, a questionnaire with 36 items was developed, checked for reliability and validity and applied to create a self‐assessment measure of TQM practices. The results showed that there was no significant difference between SMEs with and without ISO 9000 certification with respect to TQM implementation and organisational performance. This result concurs with the findings of studies conducted in the context of large organisations in Australia.
Effects of Road Investments on Economic Output and Induced Travel Demand

The objective of this study is to analyze the effects of road transportation investment on economic output and induced travel demand. Data for U.S. urbanized areas are analyzed within a dynamic panel vector auto-regression model to test whether the effects of transportation-induced economic growth and travel demand can be empirically validated. The results show that investment in road capacity increases average economic growth while simultaneously inducing additional growth in traffic (vehicle miles traveled). Indeed, a general failure of investment to alleviate levels of congestion is found; this finding suggests that productivity shifts are brought about through a net increase in the scale of travel and associated interactions rather than improved network performance as measured by travel times. The evidence also shows that congestion forms part of the decision criterion used to allocate investments in road capacity. If improvements in network performance are to be achieved in a climate of travel demand growth, demand management techniques may be more effective than capacity expansion.
Inlet Air Cooling Methods for Gas Turbine Based Power Plants

Background: Power generation from gas turbines is penalized by a substantial power output loss with increased ambient temperature. By cooling down the gas turbine intake air the power output penalty can be mitigated. Method of Approach: The purpose of this paper is to review the state of the art in applications for reducing the gas turbine intake air temperature and examine the merits from integration of the different air-cooling methods in gas-turbine-based power plants. Three different intake air-cooling, methods (evaporative cooling, refrigeration cooling, and evaporative cooling of precompressed air) have been applied in two combined cycle power plants and two gas turbine plants. The calculations were performed on a yearly basis of operation. taking into account the time-varying climatic conditions. The economics from integration of the different cooling systems were calculated and compared. Results: The results have demonstrated that the highest incremental electricity generation is realized by absorption intake air-cooling. In terms of the economic performance of the investment, the evaporative cooler has the lowest total cost of incremental electricity generation and the lowest payback period (PB). Concerning the cooling method of pre-compressed air the results show a significant gain in capacity, but the total cost of incremental electricity generation in this case is the highest. Conclusions: Because of the much higher capacity gain by an absorption chiller system. the evaporative cooler and the absorption chiller system may both be selected for boosting the performance of gas-turbine-based power plants, depending on the prevailing requirements of the plant operator.
Sawflies out of Gondwana: phylogenetics and biogeography of Argidae (Hymenoptera)

We present the first phylogenetic hypothesis for the cosmopolitan family Argidae based on both molecular and morphological data. Furthermore, we present a biogeographic scenario based on a dated phylogeny and interpret the evolutionary history of the family. Information from sequences of eight genes is analysed to reconstruct the phylogeny of the Argidae based on maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference. Total evidence Bayesian analyses are also conducted, combining the molecular dataset with data from adult and larval morphology. For the historical biogeographic reconstruction, divergence times are estimated using node dating with uncorrelated relaxed‐clock analysis, and ancestral biogeographical distributions are estimated applying a Dispersal Extinction Cladogenesis model and a Bayesian binary model. Argidae s.s. is retrieved as monophyletic in all analyses and the clade Zenargidae + (Argidae + Pergidae) is better supported when combining molecular and morphological characters, and when excluding the saturated third codon position in the molecular analysis. Within Argidae, two large clades corresponding to the subfamilies Arginae and Sterictiphorinae sensu Benson are retrieved as monophyletic. The ancestral distribution of Arginae and Sterictiphorinae is estimated to be the Australian and Neotropical regions. Divergence of Argidae‐Pergidae and Arginae‐Sterictiphorinae is estimated to occur in the middle‐upper Jurassic before or during the east‐west Gondwana breakup. Diversification of Argidae may be associated with the radiation of angiosperms in the Early Cretaceous, especially for the Neotropical Sterictiphorinae after the separation of South America and Africa. Arginae were probably introduced to the northern hemisphere by dispersal to Africa and/or India and subsequent continental collision with Eurasia in the Cenozoic. The occurrence of Sterictiphorinae in the northern hemisphere is more difficult to explain. Maternal care and brood guarding behaviour evolved independently in Argidae and Pergidae, with a single origin in a subclade (Dielocerini) of Sterictiphorinae.
No More Teams!: Mastering the Dynamics of Creative Collaboration

For organizations that care about innovation, individual creativity isn't enough anymore -- people need to be in creative, collaborative relationships. For "virtual" organizations, collaborative relationships are a must or the organization won't survive. The world's greatest collaborations -- Picasso/ Braque, Watson/ Crick, Wozniak/Jobs -- relied on "shared spaces" where they could play with their ideas. Shared spaces, however you set them up, provide the neutral ground on which any and all ideas can be aired and considered. Developing a shared space for collaboration is about effectively using tools -- from felt tips on napkins, to whiteboards, to specialized computer software -- that can provide the shared space to keep all the good ideas, to cope with every objection, to handle conflicts as they come up, to make sure everyone gets their say and has it considered.
The effects of extrusion on the nutritive value of rape seed meal for pigs

Europe has long been deficient in protein rich foodstuffs and relies heavily on imported soya bean meal for pig diets. Rape seed meal (RSM) represents an alternative protein source. However, nutrient availability in RSM is limited due to the presence of anti nutritional factors which may act on the nutrient themselves or cause a deleterious physiological effect on the animal. The major antinutritional factors found in RSM include glucosinolates and tannins. One method of destroying these antinutritional factors maybe by the use of heat treatment. The objective of these experiments were to examine the effect of extrusion cooking on the apparent nutrient digestibility of RSM and on the productive performance of finishing pigs fed increasing levels of both raw and extruded “00” RSM.
Cyclic Testing for Seismic Design Guide of Beam-Column Joints with Closely Spaced Headed Bars

Given the overly strict requirements for clear headed-bar spacing in ACI 318-08 and the lack of headed bar provisions in CEB-FIB MC 90, two approximately 2/3-scale exterior beam-column connection subassemblies were tested under cyclic lateral loading. The tests primarily explored the effect on their seismic performance of using (a) small clear spacings and (b) multiple layers of headed bars in the beam. Also, previous test data were thoroughly analyzed. It was concluded that the clear bar spacing of approximately 2db or the use of two bar layers may be permitted for headed bars anchored in exterior beam-column joints.