Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Reduced Tryptophan Diet in Patients with Diarrhoea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome Improves Their Abdominal Symptoms and Their Quality of Life through Reduction of Serotonin Levels and Its Urinary Metabolites

(1). An essential component of any treatment for patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an adequate diet. Currently, a low FODMAP diet is recommended as a first-line therapy, but it does not relieve abdominal discomfort in all patients, and alternative nutritional treatment is required. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of a tryptophan-lowering diet (TRP) on abdominal and mental symptoms in patients with irritable bowel syndrome with predominant diarrhea (IBS-D). (2). The study included 40 patients with IBS-D, and 40 healthy subjects served as a baseline for IBS-D patients, after excluding comorbidities. The TRP intake was calculated using the nutritional calculator. The severity of abdominal symptoms was assessed using the gastrointestinal symptom rating scale (GSRS-IBS). Mental state was assessed using the Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A), the Hamilton depression rating scale (HAM-D), and the insomnia severity index (ISI). The serum levels of serotonin and melatonin and the urinary excretion of their metabolites 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and 6-sulfatoxymelatonin (aMT6) were determined by the ELISA method. The severity of symptoms and laboratory data were analyzed before and after a 12 week diet with tryptophan restricted to a daily dose 10 mg per kilogram body weight. (3). Compared to the control group, patients with IBS-D had a higher serum level of serotonin (198.2 ± 38.1 vs. 142.3 ± 36.4 ng/mL; p < 0.001) but a similar level of melatonin (8.6 ± 1.1 vs. 9.4 ± 3.0 pg/mL; p > 0.05). The urinary excretion of 5-HIAA was also higher in patients with IBS-D patients (7.7 ± 1.5 vs. 6.0 ± 1.7 mg/24 h; p < 0.001). After nutritional treatment, both the serum serotonin level and the urinary 5-HIAA excretion significantly decreased (p < 0.001). The severity of the abdominal symptoms and anxiety also decreased, while the HAM-D score and the ISI score remained unchanged (4). Lowering the dietary intake of tryptophan may reduce abdominal complaints and does not alter the mental state of IBS-D patients.
Supplementation with Crocus sativus L. (Saffron) against Placebo in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review and Synthesis without Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant capacity and, by inference, its involvement in the myelin stealth attainment, oral nutrient supplementation (ONS) with saffron has recently been investigated as a complementary treatment in multiple sclerosis (MS). The purpose of the present study was to systematically review the literature for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing saffron supplementation to placebo, or other interventions, in patients with an MS diagnosis. PubMed, CENTRAL, and clinicaltrials.gov were searched for relevant completed or ongoing RCTs. The Cochrane’s RoB tool 2.0 was used, and a qualitative synthesis without meta-analysis (SWiM) was performed. In total, five parallel, double-, or triple-blind RCTs were identified, fulfilling the study’s criteria, and were included in the SWiM. Intervention duration ranged from four weeks to a year. The summary RoB revealed some concerns, or even high risk for overall bias. The included RCTs failed to report particularities of their interventions (exact composition, active compound, safety assays, etc.) and adverse events. The SWiM revealed that according to the results of single trials, inflammation markers (TNF-a and IL-17) were reduced, and MS-specific biomarkers (MMP-9 and TIMP-1) and cognition were improved after saffron ONS, although definite conclusions regarding saffron efficacy with regard to these outcomes cannot be drawn. Two RCTs reported improvement in the redox status of patients receiving saffron, whereas, with regard to depression, the findings were conflicting. Overall, ONS with saffron compounds may prove beneficial in improving antioxidant defense and oxidative stress in patients with MS; however, the evidence appears scattered, heterogenous, and inadequate in terms of making any suggestions regarding the direction of effect of other outcomes. Trials of better design and MS-specific outcomes are required.
The Climatology and Characteristics of Rossby Wave Packets Using a Feature-Based Tracking Technique

AbstractThis paper describes an objective, track-based climatology of Rossby wave packets (RWPs). NCEP–NCAR reanalysis wind and geopotential height data at 300 hPa every 6 h were spectrally filtered using a Hilbert transform technique under the assumption that RWPs propagate along a waveguide defined by the 14-day running average of the 300-hPa wind. Track data and feature-based descriptive statistics, including area, average intensity, intensity volume (intensity multiplied by area), intensity-weighted centroid position, and velocity, were gathered to describe the interannual, annual, seasonal, and regime-based climatology of RWPs. RWPs have a more pronounced seasonal cycle in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) than the Southern Hemisphere (SH). RWPs are nearly nonexistent in the summer months (June–August; JJA) in the NH, while there is nearly continuous RWP activity downstream of South Africa during austral summer (December–February; DJF). Interannual variability in RWP frequency and intensity in the Norther.
Cross‐linking of two antiparallel vortex tubes

The detailed mechanisms in vortex cross‐linking are unveiled by adequately resolved, direct numerical simulation of two viscous vortex tubes. There are three characteristic phases: (i) inviscid induction followed by core flattening and stretching; (ii) bridging of the two vortices by accumulation of annihilated and then cross‐linked vortex lines; and (iii) threading of the remnants of the initial vortex pair in between the two bridges as they pull apart. These phases and the role of threading—along with bridging—in the mixing and the enstrophy cascade are explained, and it is shown that the mechanism is insensitive to asymmetries.
Seeing Streetscapes as Social Infrastructure: A Paradigmatic Case Study of Hornsbergs Strand, Stockholm

Urban streets are an integral part of the public realm. Streets are commonly planned following normative design principles focused on the connectivity of road networks and urban morphology. Beyond their function as mobility infrastructure, streetscapes’ aesthetic, social, and cultural qualities also have an important impact on the experience of the overall urban environment and human well-being. This study explores how urban design and planning can facilitate the design, management, and use of streetscapes that consider their role as social infrastructure. A paradigmatic case study of Hornsbergs Strand in the City of Stockholm is performed, incorporating spatial and temporal aspects. The case study area is chosen because it is both an attractive and “overcrowded” public space frequently discussed in the Swedish media. Data sources for the study include reviews of public documents such as Stockholm’s city planning strategies, local media reports, a report from a resident workgroup, as well as walk-through observations and semi-structured expert interviews. The results highlight the potential of urban design strategies to develop streetscapes as social infrastructure through both permanent design measures and temporary design interventions. The tendency of the change in people’s perception and attitude toward the place over time illustrates that design interventions are a continual process. The implications for public policy, urban development and investment in social infrastructure employing place strategies and design interventions are discussed.
The impact of faith-based organizations on maternal and child health care outcomes in Africa: taking stock of research evidence

This evidence synthesis aimed at assessing the effectiveness of Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) on Maternal and Child Health (MCH) outcomes; and explore the perceptions and experiences of the users and providers of MCH services delivered by FBOs in Africa. This review considered studies from African countries only. Both reviews and primary studies focusing on MCH services provided by FBOs were considered. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods reviews were included with no restriction on the date and language. Primary outcomes included maternal mortality ratio, neonatal mortality, infant mortality, child mortality, quality of care, views, experiences, and perceptions of users of FBOs. We searched up to November 2020 in the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, PROSPERO register, PDQ-evidence, Health Systems Evidence, CINAHL, EMBASE, and PubMed. We searched references cited by similar studies that may be potentially eligible for inclusion. We then updated the search for primary studies from December 2009 - October 2020. One systematic review and six primary studies met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. Methodological quality varied. These observational and qualitative studies found that FBOs offered the following MCH services - training of healthcare workers, obstetric services, health promotion, sexual education, immunization services, and intermittent preventive therapy for malaria. Maternal and Child Health (MCH) services provided by FBO suggest a reduction in maternal morbidity and mortality. Increased uptake of maternal healthcare services, and increased satisfaction were reported by users of care. However, costs of providing these services varied across the studies and users. This review shows that FBOs play an important role in improving access and delivery of MCH services and have the potential of strengthening the health system at large. Rigorous research is needed to ascertain the effectiveness of FBO-based interventions in strengthening the health systems in Africa.
Root mean square variability properties of iron lines in Seyferts

We present an analysis of the rms variability spectra of a sample of 18 observations of 14 Seyfert galaxies observed by XMM―Newton, which exhibit sufficient variability and signal-to-noise ratio to examine the variations in the iron K band. The narrow core of the Ka line at 6.4 keV, seen universally in Seyferts, shows minimal evidence for variability and is always less variable than the continuum, supporting an origin in distant material such as the torus. At least half of the observations do show evidence for variations in the wider iron K band, however, and in at least five cases the excess line variations appear to be broad. The simplest prediction - that the broad emission line is as variable as the continuum - is generally not confirmed as only two observations show this type of behaviour. In four cases, the red wing of the line is more variable than the power-law continuum and extends down to energies of ∼5 keV. Three observations show strong variability bluewards of the line core that could also be from the disc but alternatively might be due to emission or absorption by other hot or photoionized gas close to the nucleus. In cases where this excess blue variability is present, it is not always seen in the time-averaged spectrum. Six observations possess a broad iron line in the time-averaged spectra but with an invariant red wing, and three of these six observations show no variability across the entire iron line region. This suggests a decoupling of the continuum and reflection component, perhaps due to light bending or other anisotropic effects as has been suggested for MCG ―6-30-15 and other narrow-line Seyfert Is. Four objects in our sample have two observations with well-defined rms spectra, and all are seen to change their iron line variability properties when re-observed. This and the great diversity of iron line variability properties indicated by the rms spectra make it extremely difficult to interpret the variability in any simple framework. However, a key result is that the rms spectra of objects such as NGC 3516 do not agree with complex absorption effects mimicking the broad red wing. Instead, the implication is that the central regions of AGN close to the black hole are extremely complex, with the central accretion flow being chaotic and highly variable. Anisotropy and strong gravitational effects are also most likely in effect.
An Approximated Collapsed Variational Bayes Approach to Variable Selection in Linear Regression

Abstract In this work, we propose a novel approximated collapsed variational Bayes approach to model selection in linear regression. The approximated collapsed variational Bayes algorithm offers improvements over mean field variational Bayes by marginalizing over a subset of parameters and using mean field variational Bayes over the remaining parameters in an analogous fashion to collapsed Gibbs sampling. We have shown that the proposed algorithm, under typical regularity assumptions, (a) includes variables in the true underlying model at an exponential rate in the sample size, or (b) excludes the variables at least at the first order rate in the sample size if the variables are not in the true model. Simulation studies show that the performance of the proposed method is close to that of a particular Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler and a path search based variational Bayes algorithm, but requires an order of magnitude less time. The proposed method is also highly competitive with penalized methods, expectation propagation, stepwise AIC/BIC, BMS, and EMVS under various settings. Supplementary materials for the article are available online.
A Unified Approach to Flexible Sample Size Design with Realistic Constraints

Flexible sample size designs based on interim efficacy results can ensure adequate power by adjusting the sample size, which potentially saves time and resources. However, the Type I error can often be inflated due to such adjustments. We use a unified approach to quantify the Type I error rate and to adjust the stopping boundary accordingly to maintain the overall Type I error. This unified approach can be applied to normal, survival, and binary endpoints. Several aspects of sample size adjustments are considered based on information time. The Type I error inflation can be well controlled by giving up some unrealistic power. Simulations show the proposed method works well for survival and binary endpoints.
Momentum-Based Distributed Continuous-Time Nonconvex Optimization of Nonlinear Multi-Agent Systems via Timescale Separation

This study addresses the distributed nonconvex optimization problem for nonlinear multi-agent systems over a weight-balanced and quasi-strongly connected graph. The purpose is to steer all agents to the optimum of a given global objective function with inputs and outputs on the basis of the actual partial information related to the input and output. Novel momentum-based distributed optimal coordinators are designed to achieve this objective, and the local objective functions should be analytic to replace its convexity. An interconnected system with different timescales is established by converting the overall closed-loop system involving the module of momentum-based distributed optimal coordinators and nonlinear multi-agent systems. The singular perturbation approach is applied to deal with the overall interconnected closed-loop system by timescale separation. A numerical example and an application example with four firefighting unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) verify the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed distributed method and extended algorithms. Three momentum-based gradient descent algorithms (basic momentum-based, momentum-based Newton, and projected momentum-based gradient flows) are compared and analyzed.
Standing Wave High Energy Linear Accelerator Structures

The design and operation of resonant linear accelerator tanks suitable for use in high energy proton and electron linacs is described. It is shown that construction of these tanks to operate in the π/2 mode yields systems with extraordinary field stability. Theoretical expressions and corresponding experimental observations are obtained for the behavior of cavity chains operating in the π/2 mode. The synthesis of the side coupled cavity chain, a biperiodic chain which combines high acceleration efficiency with π/2 mode field stability, is described. Extensions of π/2 mode operation to nonperiodic chains is also demonstrated.
Anomaly detection for fabricated artifact by using unstructured 3D point cloud data

Abstract 3D point cloud data has been widely used in surface quality inspection to measure fabricated artifacts, allowing the high density and precision of measurements and providing quantitative 3D geometric characteristics for anomalies. Unlike structured 3D point cloud data, unstructured 3D point cloud data can capture the surface geometry completely. However, anomaly detection by using unstructured 3D point cloud data is more challenging, due to the nonexistence of global coordinate ordering and the difficulty of mathematically modeling anomalies and discriminating outliers. To deal with these challenges, this article formulates the anomaly detection problem into a probabilistic framework. By categorizing points into three types, i.e., reference surface point, anomaly point, and outlier point, a novel Bayesian network is proposed to model the unstructured 3D point cloud data. The variational expectation-maximization algorithm is used to estimate parameters and make inference on the unknown types of points. Both simulation and real case studies demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of the proposed method.
Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Functional Chewing Training Compared with Standard Treatment in a Population of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Functional Chewing Training (FuCT) was designed as a holistic approach to improve chewing function by providing postural alignment, sensory and motor training, and food and environmental adjustments. The aim of this systematic review was to evaluate the effectiveness of FuCT in improving chewing function and the severity of tongue thrust and drooling in children with cerebral palsy as compared with standard treatment. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. The search was performed between October 2021 and January 2022 using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and CINAHL. The review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Results: The initial search yielded 56 articles. After reading the studies in full, 3 articles were chosen based on the inclusion criteria. Included participants were people with PCI; the studies reported a sample size ranging from 40–80 individuals, one study was on a pediatric population, while the others on adults. The selected studies were then evaluated using Jadad and PEDro scales. Conclusion: Our study confirmed the value of FuCT in improving chewing function and the severity of tongue thrust and drooling. Our results may be useful in optimizing appropriate therapeutic management.
SkinCell: A Modular Tactile Sensor Patch for Physical Human–Robot Interaction

In this article, we present the design, fabrication, integration, and performance evaluation of SkinCell sensors, a novel tactile array targeting human–robot interaction applications. A polyimide sheet is selected as the substrate of the sensor, and gold electrodes with circular interdigitated finger patterns are deposited through dc sputtering, creating a $4\times $ 4 sensor array with 16 tactile elements. Sensing elements are completed with a thin layer of spin-coated poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT: PSS) organic polymer solution. Two individual sensor sheets are being laminated in a back-to-back fashion to create a half-Wheatstone-bridge configuration to reduce temperature coupling while improving sensitivity. The sensor array is then sandwiched between two layers of silicone elastomer with internal dimples and cavities to improve sensitivity, repeatability, and center of force detection resolution. A COMSOL simulation was performed to study the influence of adding the silicone encapsulation as well as design parameters to the sensor substrate. Our simulation results indicate an effective improvement of touch, i.e., voltage sensitivity by employing the featured encapsulation. Characterization experiments have been conducted to identify the sensitivity profile of each sensor on the array, which indicates an average sensitivity of $26.5~\mu $ V/N. In subsequent experiments, the calibration profiles are used to identify the resultant force during pressing, as well as the location of the center of pressure (COP) on the SkinCell sensor. Finally, SkinCell sensors have been integrated into the OctoCan, a structural electronic device that can acquire squeezing pressure data during physical human–robot interaction (pHRI).
An Enhanced Gap Source Model

An enhanced gap source model is introduced by combination with Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis functions. For decades, the stability of the delta gap source model remains a big problem. The RWG basis with triangulation and the feeding-edge model have been widely used in numerical analysis of antennas. Since the feeding-edge model uses a single RWG edge as the driving source and neglects the gap width effect, the resulting current undergoes sharp transition across the gap and thus the model is highly sensitive to the choice of the feeding edge. Consequently, the feeding-edge model suffers instability in calculations of current and input impedance. To circumvent these pitfalls, this enhanced gap source model uses multiple RWG edges and impulsive function to formulate the feeding behavior. This new gap source model exhibits significant improvements on both accuracy and stability. Numerical results are included to illustrate improved accuracy and stability of this new model by virtue of several typical antennas.
Vibrations of free and surface‐coupled atomic force microscope cantilevers: Theory and experiment

With an optical interferometer, the free vibration spectra and the local vibration amplitude of four rectangular atomic force microscope cantilevers made of silicon have been examined experimentally in a spectral range of 100 kHz to 10 MHz. A good agreement with the flexural wave theory of elastic beams was found. Coupling to torsional vibrations was also observed. When the sensor tip of the cantilever is in contact with a sample surface the resonances are shifted in frequency and the vibration amplitudes along the cantilever change. A method is presented to calculate this frequency shift using a linear approximation for the tip–sample interaction forces, and the results are compared with the frequency shift calculated from the point‐mass model. The measured resonance frequencies of a surface‐coupled cantilever do not correspond as well to the theoretical ones as in the free case even if the elastic‐beam model is used. The reason for the disagreement is found to be the geometry of the commercial cantileve.
Electrodynamics from Ampère to Einstein

PREFACE 1 FOUNDATIONS 2 GERMAN PRECISION 3 BRITISH FIELDS 4 CLERK MAXWELL 5 BRITISH MAXWELLIANS 6 OPEN CURRENTS 7 CONDUCTION OF ELECTROLYTES AND GASES 8 THE ELECTRON THEORIES 9 OLD PRINCIPLES AND A NEW WORLD VIEW APPENDICES 1-12