Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of farming system on sudanese camel calves growth rate

This study aimed to investigated the effect of management system on Sudanese camel calves growth rate, twenty (20) camel calves (10 males and 10 females) at the first day of birth were selected, from the Sudanese Arabi (Kababish) bred. The camels-calves with their dams were maintained under semi-intensive and Traditional management system for 18 successive months. Calves in semi-intensive system in addition of their suckling of their respective dams they take supplementation diets (one kg of concentrate/head/day), ad libtium watering, health care and spraying weekly by Gamatox against ticks and external parasites. The live body weight of camel calves were obtained through direct weighing in 6 months interval, through four periods including birthday, 6 month, 12 months and 18 months. The results indicated that there was non-significant difference (P>0.05) in Birth weight of calves raised under semi-intensive and traditional system. In both systems the male (39 ± 0.31kg) is significantly (P<0.05) heaver than the female (36 ± 0.34kg). The body weight of the calves under semi-intensive system during six, 12 and 18 months of age are 123 ± 2.21, 221 ± 2.17 and 326 ± 2.40 kg respectively, on the other hand the body weight of the camel calves under traditional system during six months, 12 and months are 96 ± 1.59, 159 ± 2.35 and 208 ± 2.50 kg, respectively. The results showed highly significant difference (P<0.01) between systems of management, The over all mean daily gain of camel calves under semi-intensive and traditional system were 535 ± 9.83 gram and 317 ± 5.46 g, respectively. The average daily body gain from birth to six months, six - 12 month and 12 -18 month of age in semi-intensive system were 477 ± 10.94, 542 ± 8.25 and 585 ± 8.37 g, respectively. On the other hand the results showed that the average daily body gain from birth to six months, six - 12 moth and 12 - 18 months of calves managed under traditional system were 352 ± 10.55, 272 ± 15.98 and 316.71 ± 5.46 g, respectively. It would be concluded that the growth rate and daily gain of camel calves were highly significant effected by farming system. (Texte integral)
Seasonal Variations in 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels among Pediatric Patients Attending the Healthcare Centre

Vitamin D plays an essential role in maintaining bone density, building the immune system, and regulating cell growth alongside other key biological functions. Limited data are available about the seasonal variation in vitamin D levels in the pediatric population in Saudi Arabia. This study aimed to investigate the seasonal influence on the pediatric circulating levels of 25(OH)D. A total of 1790 pediatric outpatients who visited the University healthcare centre were included in this study. Overall, there was a noticeably high prevalence (69%) of both combined 25(OH)D deficiency and insufficiency. The highest mean serum concentration of 25(OH)D was recorded in summer (29 ng/mL) and autumn (27 ng/mL). The deficient and insufficient categories were predominant, accounting for 33% and 36%, respectively. Comparable patterns were recorded during autumn, winter, and spring. Interestingly, the 25(OH)D level was significantly associated with the four seasons (p = 0.001), with females having a higher prevalence of 25(OH)D deficiency in the spring and summer than males. Furthermore, only in autumn and winter, we found a significant association between gender and 25(OH)D status (p < 0.001 for both). Another association between nationality and the circulating levels 25(OH)D was found during autumn and winter (p < 0.001 and p = 0.01), respectively. In all seasons, age had a negative impact on serum (OH)D levels. However, this relationship was statistically significant (p < 0.05) only in summer, autumn, and winter. Gender was a significant predictor, with 25(OH)D levels in autumn and winter and an odds ratio of 1.67 in autumn and 2 in winter, indicating that being men had a positive influence on circulating 25(OH)D levels. There were highly significant differences in 25(OH)D concentrations among different age categories. The Saudi population experiences low levels of vitamin D, particularly in autumn and winter periods. This study showed that seasonality, age category, nationality, and gender influence vitamin D status, suggesting the need for tailored intervention and monitoring of 25(OH)D status to reach adequate levels of vitamin D. Healthcare practitioners and policymakers may consider the interplay between age, nationality, gender, and seasonal variations when addressing vitamin D status and a targeted supplementation approach for high-risk groups that may develop health issues.
Unveiling the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic (2019-2021) on Inequality, Poverty, and Food Security in Indonesia

This study analyzes the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on increasing poverty, food insecurity, and malnutrition in Indonesia. Specifically, the paper focuses on the effects of COVID-19 from 2019 to 2021 on poverty levels and access to food. The pandemic has emerged as a potential cause of food insecurity in the country, primarily due to the decline in purchasing power among individuals facing unemployment or income losses, particularly affecting the middle and poor classes. In response to these impacts, the Indonesian government has implemented various policies, although their success in addressing the issues has been varied. This paper is based on desk-based research, utilizing existing published literature on the topic. The literature has been thoroughly reviewed and analyzed to provide insights into the observed points that require attention. The primary factor driving the rise in food insecurity is the increased costs of basic food items resulting from the pandemic. Drawing from the social inequality Marxist theory and the theory of capabilities proposed by Amartya Sen, this paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to increased injustice, poverty, and inequality. Furthermore, it explores how these issues have been exacerbated by deeper-rooted factors associated with legal and economic policies in Indonesia.
Investigations in southeast Texas precipitating storms: Modeled and observed characteristics, model sensitivities, and educational benefits

Investigations in Southeast Texas Precipitating Storms: Modeled and Observed Characteristics, Model Sensitivities, and Educational Benefits. (December 2011) Larry John Hopper, Jr., B.S., University of Oklahoma; M.S., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. Courtney Schumacher This dissertation establishes a precipitation climatology for common storm types and structures in southeast Texas, investigating diurnal, seasonal, and interannual rainfall variations in addition to climatological differences in raindrop size distributions and storm divergence profiles. Divergence profiles observed by an S-band, Doppler radar are compared to ensemble simulations of ten precipitating systems occurring in warm season, weakly baroclinic, and strongly baroclinic environments. Eight triply-nested mesoscale model simulations are conducted for each case using singleand doublemoment microphysics with four convective treatments (i.e., two convective parameterizations and explicit vs. parameterized convection at 9 km). Observed and simulated radar reflectivities are objectively separated into convective, stratiform, and non-precipitating anvil columns and comparisons are made between ensemble mean echo coverages and levels of non-divergence (LNDs). In both the model and observations, storms occurring in less baroclinic environments have more convective rain area, less stratiform rain area, and more elevated divergence profiles.
Parental consanguinity and ovarian reserve: A retrospective cohort study

Abstract Background Infertility affects around 10-15% of couples worldwide and is both a social and medical problem. Parental consanguinity is considered to reduce fertility reserve. Consanguineous marriages, especially first cousin marriages, are very common in Oman according to the Oman National Health Survey data. Objective This study aimed to determine whether women born to consanguineous parents have reduced ovarian reserve. Materials and Methods This cohort study was conducted on 414 women aged ≤ 39, treated for infertility at Sultan Qaboos University hospital and Royal hospital, Muscat, Oman from January 2019-December 2020. Each participant was interviewed and a complete history, including parental consanguinity and physical examination, were recorded. On day 2 of the menstrual cycle, serum concentration of the following was performed: follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone, estradiol, prolactin, thyroid stimulating hormone, and anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH). AMH was done, if necessary, on other days of the cycle. Antral follicle count (AFC) was done on day 2 and 3 of the menstrual cycle. Results Of the 414 women, parental consanguinity was present in 40.2% of couples. In women with low AFC, parental consanguinity was present in 15.3% compared to 13.0% in the non-consanguineous group. About 15% of women with low AMH had consanguineous parents, compared to 20.2% from the non-consanguineous group. High levels of FSH were present in 6.5% and 4.2% of the consanguineous and non-consanguineous groups, respectively. No significant difference was observed in AFC with reference to body mass index. Conclusion The results from this study showed no statistically significant difference in low ovarian reserves (AFC, AMH, and FSH) in women whose parents had a consanguineous marriage.
Is the Combination of Robot-Assisted Therapy and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Useful for Upper Limb Motor Recovery? A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis

Stroke is the third leading cause of disability in the world, and effective rehabilitation is needed to improve lost functionality post-stroke. In this regard, robot-assisted therapy (RAT) and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) are promising rehabilitative approaches that have been shown to be effective in motor recovery. In the past decade, they have been combined to study whether their combination produces adjuvant and greater effects on stroke recovery. The aim of this study was to estimate the effectiveness of the combined use of RATs and tDCS in the motor recovery of the upper extremities after stroke. After reviewing 227 studies, we included nine randomised clinical trials (RCTs) in this study. We analysed the methodological quality of all nine RCTs in the meta-analysis. The analysed outcomes were deficit severity, hand dexterity, spasticity, and activity. The addition of tDCS to RAT produced a negligible additional benefit on the effects of upper limb function (SMD −0.09, 95% CI −0.31 to 0.12), hand dexterity (SMD 0.12, 95% CI −0.22 to 0.46), spasticity (SMD 0.04, 95% CI −0.24 to 0.32), and activity (SMD 0.66, 95% CI −1.82 to 3.14). There is no evidence of an additional effect when adding tDCS to RAT for upper limb recovery after stroke. Combining tDCS with RAT does not improve upper limb motor function, spasticity, and/or hand dexterity. Future research should focus on the use of RAT protocols in which the patient is given an active role, focusing on the intensity and dosage, and determining how certain variables influence the success of RAT.
Balanced Supervised Contrastive Learning for Skin Lesion Classification

Deep neural networks have emerged as an important tool for computer-aided diagnosis. However, deep models for skin lesion classification still face the challenges of intra-class variation and inter-class similarity, as well as data imbalance. To address these challenges, in this paper, we propose a balanced supervised contrastive learning (BSCL) approach for the skin lesion classification task. Our model consists of two branches for supervised contrastive learning and classification, respectively. The introduced supervised contrastive learning branch helps the network to learn more discriminative representations. Moreover, we design both a category -averaging strategy which averages the instances of every class in a mini-batch, and a category-complement strategy which makes all categories to appear in each mini-batch, to balance the influence from different skin lesion categories. Besides, we introduce a multi-weighted classification loss to learn a balanced classifier. Extensive experiments on two benchmarks demonstrate that our approach is able to learn strong feature representations and achieve state-of-the-art skin lesion classification performance.
Assessment of Climate Change Impact on Reservoir Inflows Using Multi Climate-Models under RCPs—The Case of Mangla Dam in Pakistan

Assessment of climate change on reservoir inflow is important for water and power stressed countries. Projected climate is subject to uncertainties related to climate change scenarios and Global Circulation Models (GCMs). This paper discusses the consequences of climate change on discharge. Historical climatic and gauging data were collected from different stations within a watershed. Bias correction was performed on GCMs temperature and precipitation data. After successful development of the hydrological modeling system (SWAT) for the basin, streamflow was simulated for three future periods (2011–2040, 2041–2070, and 2071–2100) and compared with the baseline data (1981–2010) to explore the changes in different flow indicators such as mean flow, low flow, median flow, high flow, flow duration curves, temporal shift in peaks, and temporal shifts in center-of-volume dates. From the results obtained, an overall increase in mean annual flow was projected in the basin under both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 scenarios. Winter and spring showed a noticeable increase in streamflow, while summer and autumn showed a decrease in streamflow. High flows were predicted to increase, but median flow was projected to decrease in the future under both scenarios. Flow duration curves showed that the probability of occurrence of high flow is likely to be more in the future. It was also noted that peaks were predicted to shift from May to July in the future, and the center-of-volume date of the annual flow may vary from −11 to 23 days in the basin, under both RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5. As a whole, the Mangla basin will face more floods and less droughts in the future due to the projected increase in high and low flows, decrease in median flows and greater temporal and magnitudinal variations in peak flows. These outcomes suggest that it is important to consider the influence of climate change on water resources to frame appropriate guidelines for planning and management.
Circulating Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Patients with Infantile Hemangioma: Evaluation of Their Functional Capacity and Gene Expression Profile

We previously published that in patients with infantile hemangioma (IH) at the onset (T0) colony forming unit-fibroblasts (CFU-Fs) are present in in vitro cultures from PB. Herein, we characterize these CFU-Fs and investigate their potential role in IH pathogenesis, before and after propranolol therapy. The CFU-F phenotype (by flow cytometry), their differentiation capacity and ability to support angiogenesis (by in vitro cultures) and their gene expression (by RT-PCR) were evaluated. We found that CFU-Fs are actual circulating MSCs (cMSCs). In patients at T0, cMSCs had reduced adipogenic potential, supported the formation of tube-like structures in vitro and showed either inflammatory (IL1β and ESM1) or angiogenic (F3) gene expression higher than that of cMSCs from CTRLs. In patients receiving one-year propranolol therapy, the cMSC differentiation in adipocytes improved, while their support in in vitro tube-like formation was lost; no difference was found between patient and CTRL cMSC gene expressions. In conclusion, in patients with IH at T0 the cMSC reduced adipogenic potential, their support in angiogenic activity and the inflammatory/angiogenic gene expression may fuel the tumor growth. One-year propranolol therapy modifies this picture, suggesting cMSCs as one of the drug targets.
Is the mental health of couples with twins more at risk? Results from an Italian cohort study

Introduction Our retrospective study aimed to investigate whether parents of twins encounter heightened psychological and emotional distress one year after childbirth, in comparison to parents of singletons within an Italian cohort. Methods Exclusion criteria included multiparity, preterm birth, congenital anomalies, stillbirth, >2 fetus pregnancies, and pre-existing maternal mental health disorders. Out of the 300 couples (600 parents) invited to participate, 286 parents (158 mothers, 128 fathers) successfully completed a self-administered survey. We analyzed three scores separately for mothers and fathers, differentiating between singleton and twin pregnancies: the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) score, the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)-Y1 score, and the STAI-Y2 score. Results Logistic models were used to assess the influence of age, BMI, marital status, education, and employment on the three binary scores (EPDS, STAI-Y1, and STAI-Y2), revealing no significant differences in absolute scores between parents of singletons and twins. Paired analysis revealed significantly higher EPDS (mean increase: 3.8, SD: 6.5), STAI-Y1 (mean increase: 5.4, SD: 12.5), and STAI-Y2 (mean increase: 4.5, SD: 12.4) scores for mothers (p < 0.0001). Approximately 10% of women and 8% of men reported suicidal thoughts. Discussion Contrary to expectations, no substantial psychological differences emerged between parents of twins and singletons. Adjusting for confounders through univariate analysis maintained nonsignificant trends. Nevertheless, caution in interpretation is warranted due to strict inclusion criteria favoring twin pregnancies with better outcomes. Unintended bias could have resulted from routine psychological support offered to mothers of twins in our clinic. This presents an important framework for future research, including randomized controlled trials comparing parents of multiples with psychological support to those without.Finally, the elevated prevalence of depression symptoms and suicidal thoughts in our cohort underscores the importance of mental health during pregnancy and early parenting. We advocate for the screening of parents for postpartum depression and various psychological conditions, encompassing a spectrum of anxiety disorders. Those at elevated risk of mental distress should be proactively offered appropriate support.
Multi-Echo Complex Quantitative Susceptibility Mapping and Quantitative Blood Oxygen Level-Dependent Magnitude (mcQSM + qBOLD or mcQQ) for Oxygen Extraction Fraction (OEF) Mapping

Oxygen extraction fraction (OEF), the fraction of oxygen that tissue extracts from blood, is an essential biomarker used to directly assess tissue viability and function in neurologic disorders. In ischemic stroke, for example, increased OEF can indicate the presence of penumbra—tissue with low perfusion yet intact cellular integrity—making it a primary therapeutic target. However, practical OEF mapping methods are not currently available in clinical settings, owing to the impractical data acquisitions in positron emission tomography (PET) and the limitations of existing MRI techniques. Recently, a novel MRI-based OEF mapping technique, termed QQ, was proposed. It shows high potential for clinical use by utilizing a routine sequence and removing the need for impractical multiple gas inhalations. However, QQ relies on the assumptions of Gaussian noise in susceptibility and multi-echo gradient echo (mGRE) magnitude signals for OEF estimation. This assumption is unreliable in low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) regions like disease-related lesions, risking inaccurate OEF estimation and potentially impacting clinical decisions. Addressing this, our study presents a novel multi-echo complex QQ (mcQQ) that models realistic Gaussian noise in mGRE complex signals. We implemented mcQQ using a deep learning framework (mcQQ-NET) and compared it with the existing QQ-NET in simulations, ischemic stroke patients, and healthy subjects, using identical training and testing datasets and schemes. In simulations, mcQQ-NET provided more accurate OEF than QQ-NET. In the subacute stroke patients, mcQQ-NET showed a lower average OEF ratio in lesions relative to unaffected contralateral normal tissue than QQ-NET. In the healthy subjects, mcQQ-NET provided uniform OEF maps, similar to QQ-NET, but without unrealistically high OEF outliers in areas of low SNR, such as SNR ≤ 15 (dB). Therefore, mcQQ-NET improves OEF accuracy by more accurately reflecting realistic Gaussian noise in complex mGRE signals. Its enhanced sensitivity to OEF abnormalities, based on more realistic biophysics modeling, suggests that mcQQ-NET has potential for investigating tissue variability in neurologic disorders.
Focal spot imaging based on zero lag cross‐correlation amplitude fields: Application to dense array data at the San Jacinto fault zone

We image the subsurface below a dense seismic array straddling the Clark branch of the San Jacinto fault zone in Southern California. The analysis is based on focal spots of surface waves associated with the zero lag amplitudes of noise cross‐correlations computed between all stations of the dense array. Local medium properties are inferred from the spatially variable focal spot size and shape based on the first zero crossing of amplitude versus distance distributions. The method provides simultaneous estimates of wave speed, apparent attenuation, and anisotropy without solving a tomographic inverse problem. The obtained images of the frequency dependent seismic velocity distributions are consistent with independent estimates from a far‐field Rayleigh wave tomography. We observe an anticorrelation between our apparent attenuation coefficient and seismic velocity, and a fault‐parallel alignment of fast propagation directions with greater structural complexity to the southwest of the fault. The results imply a complex fault zone structure including a waveguide to the northeast of the fault that is continuous across the observed depth range and a low‐velocity structure to the southwest associated with a shallow sedimentary basin.
Systematic literature review of treatments used for refractory or unexplained chronic cough in adults

BACKGROUND: Refractory or unexplained chronic cough (RCC or UCC) is difficult to manage and is usually treated by the off-label use of drugs approved for other indications. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this systematic literature review (SLR) were to identify and characterize the current published body of evidence for the efficacy and safety of treatments for RCC or UCC. METHODS: The SLR was conducted in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The SLRs pre-defined population included patients ≥18 years of age who were diagnosed with chronic cough. The review was not restricted to any intervention type or study comparator, nor by timeframe. RESULTS: A total of 20 eligible publications from 19 unique trials were included. Seventeen of these trials were randomized controlled trials and most (14/17) were placebo-controlled. There was considerable variability between trials in the definition of RCC or UCC, participant exclusion and inclusion criteria, outcome measurement timepoints, and the safety and efficacy outcomes assessed. Several trials identified significant improvements in cough frequency, severity, or health-related quality of life measures while participants were on treatment, although these improvements did not persist in any of the studies that included a post-treatment follow-up timepoint. CONCLUSIONS: In the absence of an approved therapy, placebo remains the most common comparator in trials of potential RCC or UCC treatments. The between-study comparability of the published evidence is limited by heterogeneity of study design, study populations, and outcomes measures, as well as by concerns regarding study size and risk of bias.