Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toxoplasma gondii Serotypes in Italian and Foreign Populations: A Cross-Sectional Study Using a Homemade ELISA Test

Toxoplasma gondii is a protozoan parasite responsible for human toxoplasmosis. The three major clonal lineages and different recombinant strains of T. gondii have a varied global distribution. This study aimed at evaluating the epidemiological distribution of types II and I–III and recombinant or mixed T. gondii in Italians and foreigners residing in Italy, establishing an association between serotypes and demographic characteristics. We collected the sera of 188 subjects who had tested positive for specific T. gondii antibodies. The population was differentiated into groups based on sex, nationality, and place of birth (Italy, Africa, South America, Asia, or Europe (except Italy)). We then performed a homemade ELISA test that detected both the antibodies against the amino acid sequences of the three main genotype antigens (I–III) in human sera and discerned the T. gondii strains. Serotype II of T. gondii was the most prevalent in the Italian population, whereas type I–III was the most prevalent in the foreign group. Surprisingly, we observed a notable amount of recombinant or mixed serotypes in European and Italian subjects. Moreover, we showed a significant difference in the prevalence of T. gondii serotypes between men and women, Italians, and foreigners. This descriptive study is the first to investigate the epidemiological distribution of T. gondii serotypes in humans in Italy using a homemade ELISA. We considered this technique suitable for discriminating between serotypes II and I–III and, consequently, for an epidemiological study focusing on the observation of circulating T. gondii strains and clinical correlations.
Using Multiple Statistical Methods to Derive Dietary Patterns Associated with Cardiovascular Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Results from a Multiethnic Population-Based Study

Background There are few reports on the relationship between dietary patterns and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study aimed to explore relationships between dietary patterns and CVD risk in the T2D population using multiple statistical analysis methods. Methods A total of 2,984 patients with T2D from the Xinjiang Multi-Ethnic Cohort, 555 of whom were suffering from CVD, were enrolled in this study. Participants' dietary intake was measured by the semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Three statistical methods were used to construct dietary patterns, including principal component analysis (PCA) method, reduced-rank regressions (RRR) method, and partial least-squares regression (PLS) method. Then, the association between dietary patterns and CVD risk in T2D patients was analyzed by logistic regression. After excluding participants with CVD, the associations between dietary patterns and 10-year CVD risk scores were subsequently evaluated to reduce reverse causality. Results In this study, four dietary patterns were identified by three methods. Adjustment for confounding factors, subjects with the highest scores on the “high-protein and high-carbohydrate” patterns derived from PCA, RRR, and PLS had higher odds of CVD than those with the lowest scores (OR: 2.89, 95% CI: 2.11–3.96, Ptrend < 0.001; OR: 2.96, 95% CI: 2.17–4.03, Ptrend < 0.001; OR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.50–2.70, Ptrend < 0.001, respectively). However, the dietary pattern of PCA-prudent was not significantly related to the odds of having CVD in T2D patients (adjusted ORQ4vsQ1: 0.93, 95% CI: 0.70–1.24, Ptrend=0.474). Interestingly, we also found significant associations between “high-protein and high-carbohydrate” patterns and the elevated predicted 10-year CVD risk in T2D patients (all Ptrend < 0.05). Conclusion The positive correlation between “high-protein and high-carbohydrate” patterns and CVD risk in T2D patients was robust across all three data-driven approaches. These findings may have public health significance, encouraging an emphasis on food choices in the usual diet and promoting nutritional interventions for patients with T2D to prevent CVD.
Safety and Efficacy of Eucaloric Very Low-Carb Diet (EVLCD) in Type 1 Diabetes: A One-Year Real-Life Retrospective Experience

A eucaloric very low carbohydrate diet (EVLCD) is a diet with a daily caloric intake equal to the total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) with a carbohydrate content of <50 g/day. The literature on very low carbohydrate diets (VLCD) in type 1 diabetes (DM 1) is limited, although recently published scientific studies have highlighted their safety and efficacy in managing DM 1. In this retrospective analysis, we report the clinical data of 33 patients affected by DM 1 carrying out insulin therapy who switched voluntarily from their usual diet (high carb, low fat) to an EVLCD. Our aim is to evaluate the glycemic control, the amount of insulin needed in order to maintain glycemic control and safety of EVLCD. The switch improved glycemic control (mean glycated hemoglobin decreased from 8.3% to 6.8% (p < 0.01). The number of patients who reached a glycated hemoglobin value of <7% increased statistically from 12% to 57% (p < 0.01), and there was a statistically significant decrease (p < 0.01) in the units of daily insulin (from 36.7± 14.9 IU to 28.9 ±9.1 IU) A reduction from 54% to 24% in clinical level 2 hypoglycemia episodes was reported. No cases of severe hypoglycemia or ketoacidosis were observed. The results of the study support that EVLCD in DM 1 seems safe and effective when adopted under tight medical supervision.
Alpine Skiing Activity Recognition Using Smartphone’s IMUs

Many studies on alpine skiing are limited to a few gates or collected data in controlled conditions. In contrast, it is more functional to have a sensor setup and a fast algorithm that can work in any situation, collect data, and distinguish alpine skiing activities for further analysis. This study aims to detect alpine skiing activities via smartphone inertial measurement units (IMU) in an unsupervised manner that is feasible for daily use. Data of full skiing sessions from novice to expert skiers were collected in varied conditions using smartphone IMU. The recorded data is preprocessed and analyzed using unsupervised algorithms to distinguish skiing activities from the other possible activities during a day of skiing. We employed a windowing strategy to extract features from different combinations of window size and sliding rate. To reduce the dimensionality of extracted features, we used Principal Component Analysis. Three unsupervised techniques were examined and compared: KMeans, Ward’s methods, and Gaussian Mixture Model. The results show that unsupervised learning can detect alpine skiing activities accurately independent of skiers’ skill level in any condition. Among the studied methods and settings, the best model had 99.25% accuracy.
Effects of Corn Stover Pretreated with NaOH and CaO on Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Swine Manure and Corn Stover

: In this study, effects of pretreatment of corn stover (CS) with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) combined with calcium oxide (CaO) on anaerobic co-digestion of swine manure and CS for biogas production were investigated. Different pretreated-CSs were prepared by adding different doses of NaOH and CaO to CS: Treat-CSA (0.10 g NaOH/g CS), Treat-CSB((0.075 g NaOH + 0.05 g CaO)/g CS), Treat-CSC ((0.05 g NaOH + 0.05 g CaO)/g CS), and Treat-CSD ((0.025 g NaOH + 0.1 g CaO)/g CS). Lignin removal rate, biomass recovery, reduced sugar, methane yield, DT80 (digestion time when biogas achieved 80% of the total biogas), composition of residues, and cost-efficiency were measured to characterize CS after pretreatment and to evaluate the performance of co-digestors fed with swine manure and differently-pretreated CS. The results showed that Treat-CSB showed an excellent lignin removal efficiency and biomass recovery, resulting in the highest methane yield in its co-digestion with swine manure. Since the net benefit of Treat-CSB was calculated to be the highest (i.e., $1.89/ton total solids), therefore, we believe the co-digestion of Treat-CSB and swine manure for biogas production be an effective valorization option for the wastes.
A comparative analysis of reproductive measures and predictor variables among three tribes of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, India

Abstract An attempt has been made to understand the reproductive behaviour of the Gond (146), Birhor (151) and Kawar (78) tribes of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh. The study focuses on the role of socioeconomic and cultural factors responsible for the variation and continuum in woman’s fertility and from live births to child mortality. It involves a mixed-method approach to assess the measures of fertility and mortality by using the standard formula after Barclay (1958) and Bogue (1969). Despite the child–woman ratio being high among Kawar (1857.14) followed by Birhor (833.33) and Gond (766.66), it is observed that the total fertility rate is high among Birhor (11.8) followed by Gond (9.8) and Kawar (8.5) indicating women experiencing a greater number of live births, especially among Birhor. Further, the mortality rates indicate that neonatal deaths (93.75) among the Kawar tribe, and under five mortality (148.14) among Birhor are high. This can be attributed to the influence of socioeconomic and cultural factors. It reveals that fertility is high among the study population(s) to substantiate the prenatal and postnatal loss.
Commercial Bank Performance and Ownership Concentration: An Empirical Analysis of Commercial Banks from a Global Perspective

This paper examines the relationship between ownership concentration and bank performance. In order to verify the linear or nonlinear relationship between bank performance and ownership concentration, we select the data of the top 100 commercial banks in the BVD-Bankfocus database for regression analysis. The study found that there is no significant correlation between ownership concentration and bank performance, whether it is linear or nonlinear. Besides it found that the better the economic environment, the better the performance of commercial banks; the higher the leverage ratio, the higher the profitability, and the better the bank performance. It also found there is no correlation between bank performance and bank size.
A Multi-DoF Exoskeleton Haptic Device for the Grasping of a Compliant Object Adapting to a User's Motion Using Jamming Transitions

In the recently growing field of virtual reality, the virtual grasping sensation remains in its infancy, and the discrepancy between real and virtual grasping has become a problem. This article develops a new haptic glove that presents the sensation of different types of grasping (e.g., power/precision/intermediate grasping) a compliant object. To this end, we develop an exoskeleton that fixes the movements of fingers to present a braking force and a flexible pad that reproduces a wide range of stiffness. By applying the “string jamming mechanism,” our exoskeleton has functions that existing devices do not. In that, it constrains the motion of finger extension/flexion and adduction/abduction with only one actuator and presents the braking force to all surfaces of the finger. In addition, we propose a lightweight and compact variable-stiffness pad that reproduces an extensive stiffness range based on the layer jamming technique. We conducted experiments to evaluate the mechanical performance of the prototype integrating the exoskeleton and the variable-stiffness pad and demonstrated the usefulness of the proposed glove.
Functional Ecology of External Secretory Structures in Rivea ornata (Roxb.) Choisy (Convolvulaceae)

Plants have evolved numerous secretory structures that fulfill diverse roles and shape their interactions with other organisms. Rivea ornata (Roxb.) Choisy (Convolvulaceae) is one species that possesses various external secretory organs hypothesized to be ecologically important. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate five secretory structures (nectary disc, petiolar nectaries, calycinal glands, staminal hairs, and foliar glands) using micromorphology, anatomy, histochemistry, and field observations of plant–animal interactions in order to assess the functional contributions of these structures. Results show that the nectary disc and petiolar nectaries are complex working units consisting of at least epidermis and ground tissue, while the other structures are glandular trichomes. Various groups of metabolites (lipids, phenolic compounds, polysaccharides, terpenoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids) were detected in all structures, while starch grains were only found in the nectary disc, petiolar nectaries, and their adjacent tissues. Integrating preliminary observation of animal visitors with micromorphological, anatomical, and histochemical results, two hypotheses are proposed: (I) nectary disc and staminal hairs are important for pollination as they potentially attract and reward floral visitors, and (II) petiolar nectaries, calycinal glands, and foliar glands contribute to plant defense. Specifically, petiolar nectaries and calycinal glands provide protection from herbivores via guard ants, while calycinal and foliar glands may use plant metabolites to help prevent tissue damage from dehydration and insolation.
Polynomial invariants of Legendrian links and plane fronts

A machine for continuous casting by drawing-up comprises at least two moulds positioned above a metal supply means, and, sequentially arranged in the drawing-up direction of the continuously cast product, a drawing-up means for pulling out said product from said moulds, a cutting-off means for cutting the continuously cast product to lengths, said means being secured directly on the cast product and performing the cutting-off operation during its stepwise upward movement together with the cast product, and a manipulator adapted to place the cut-off lengths onto a conveyer.
Multiple crop yield estimation and forecasting using MERRA-2 model, satellite-gauge and MODIS satellite data by time series and regression modelling approach

Abstract Multiple crop yield estimation and forecasting have become essential because climate change and land degradation are deteriorating production of crops. The present study presents multiple crop yield estimation and forecasting efficiently and precisely using MERRA-2 model, satellite-gauge and MODIS-Terra satellite data by regression and time series models. Rice, wheat, maize, rapeseed & mustard, and millet crops yield data of India was used for crop yield estimation and forecasting using Multiple Linear Regression (MLR), Decomposition, Holt, Winters and Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) models. Models were developed using crops yield historical data, weather variables (temperature, precipitation, surface radiation) and pollutants (O3, CO) data of 1982–83 to 2014–15. Overall best correlation (R = 0.96) and poor correlation (R = 0.56) was found between observed and estimated rice and rapeseed & mustard crops using Decomposition and MLR models, respectively. After rigorous skill assessment and out of more than 20 combinations of ARIMA models, the ARIMA (0, 1, 1) time series model performed the best with Root Mean Square Error (RMSE = 4.59%) for wheat crop estimation. Forecasted crop yields were successfully cross-validated using four years’ data (2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19) for regression and time series models by comparing Relative Error (RE%) between observed and forecasted crops yields. Results were statistically analyzed using correlation coefficient (R), Bayesian Information Criteria (BIC), RMSE%, Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE%), t-value and p-value. The crop yield estimation and forecasting results showed reasonably quantifiable information with the actual datasets. The outcomes of the present study have policy level implications for compensation to farming communities for the loss of crops.
Cognitive Reserve Modulates Brain Structure and Cortical Architecture in the Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND Cognitive reserve (CR) explains the individual resilience to neurodegeneration. OBJECTIVE The present study investigated the effect of CR in modulating brain cortical architecture. METHODS 278 individuals [110 Alzheimer's disease (AD), 104 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) due to AD, 64 healthy subjects (HS)] underwent a neuropsychological evaluation and 3T-MRI. Cortical thickness (CTh) and fractal dimension (FD) were assessed. Years of formal education were used as an index of CR by which participants were divided into high and low CR (HCR and LCR). Within-group differences in cortical architecture were assessed as a function of CR. Associations between cognitive scores and cortical measures were also evaluated. RESULTS aMCI-HCR compared to aMCI-LCR patients showed significant decrease of CTh in the right temporal and in the left prefrontal lobe. Moreover, they showed increased FD in the right temporal and in the left temporo-parietal lobes. Patients with AD-HCR showed reduced CTh in several brain areas and reduced FD in the left temporal cortices when compared with AD-LCR subjects. HS-HCR showed a significant increase of CTh in prefrontal areas bilaterally, and in the right parieto-occipital cortices. Finally, aMCI-HCR showed significant positive associations between brain measures and memory and executive performance. CONCLUSION CR modulates the cortical architecture at pre-dementia stage only. Indeed, only patients with aMCI showed both atrophy (likely due to neurodegeneration) alongside richer brain folding (likely due to reserve mechanisms) in temporo-parietal areas. This opposite trend was not observed in AD and HS. Our data confirm the existence of a limited time-window for CR modulation at the aMCI stage.
Value reducts and bireducts: A comparative study

In Rough Set Theory, the notion of bireduct allows to simultaneously reduce the sets of objects and attributes contained in a dataset. In addition, value reducts are used to remove some unnecessary values of certain attributes for a specific object. Therefore, the combination of both notions provides a higher reduction of unnecessary data. This paper is focused on the study of bireducts and value reducts of information and decision tables. We present theoretical results capturing different aspects about the relationship between bireducts and reducts, offering new insights at a conceptual level. We also analyze the relationship between bireducts and value reducts. The studied connections among these notions provide important profits for the efficient information analysis, as well as for the detection of unnecessary or redundant information.
Comprehensive Analysis of Differentially Expressed Genes and Epigenetic Modification-Related Expression Variation Induced by Saline Stress at Seedling Stage in Fiber and Oil Flax, Linum usitatissimum L.

The ability of different germplasm to adapt to a saline–alkali environment is critical to learning about the tolerance mechanism of saline–alkali stress in plants. Flax is an important oil and fiber crop in many countries. However, its molecular tolerance mechanism under saline stress is still not clear. In this study, we studied morphological, physiological characteristics, and gene expression variation in the root and leaf in oil and fiber flax types under saline stress, respectively. Abundant differentially expressed genes (DEGs) induced by saline stress, tissue/organ specificity, and different genotypes involved in plant hormones synthesis and metabolism and transcription factors and epigenetic modifications were detected. The present report provides useful information about the mechanism of flax response to saline stress and could lead to the future elucidation of the specific functions of these genes and help to breed suitable flax varieties for saline/alkaline soil conditions.
Suicidal ideation in mothers of asthmatic children and adolescents in a subspecialty outpatient practice

We aimed to investigate prevalence and factors associated with Suicide ideation (SI) in mothers of asthmatic children. This cross-sectional study included 362 dyads of mothers and children with asthma aged 2 to 14 years who attended two pediatric outpatient clinics in Brazil. We assessed the presence of SI (Self-Report Questionnaire-20), the occurrence of stressful events and maternal social support. The prevalence of SI was 8.6%. Low maternal education, exposure to serious illness, and low perception of social support in its affective–social interaction dimension remained significantly associated with SI in the final model. Thus, life stressors, social support and low maternal education accounted for most of the variation in prevalence of maternal SI. There were no effects of child asthma severity on maternal SI in this study.
Internet Inequity in Chicago: Adoption, Affordability, and Availability

Lack of access to high-quality Internet connectivity affects how people participate in all aspects of life, from education to work to recreation; disparities in Internet access thus carry over into many other aspects of life. Historically, the discussions on Internet inequity centers mainly around the rural vs. urban divide in the United States. The Covid-19 pandemic has also brought the prevalence of Internet inequity in urban areas to the broader collective attention. To further the study of this issue, this paper characterizes the state of Internet equity in Chicago, focusing on different dimensions of Internet equity, including availability, affordability, and adoption. To this end, we combine multiple existing datasets to understand the digital divide in Chicago and the contributing factors. Our findings show disparity in broadband adoption rates across neighborhoods in Chicago: Broadband adoption varies between 58–93% across community areas, with low access areas mostly concentrated in South andWest Chicago. Furthermore, adoption rates are positively correlated with income and education level and negatively correlated with age. The former highlights the need to provide affordable Internet access, while the latter suggests introducing technology training programs, especially for the elderly.We also find disparity in broadband availability—with the number of ISP options in a census block significantly varying across the city, indicating infrastructure equity issues.
Analgesic Characteristics of NanoBEO Released by an Airless Dispenser for the Control of Agitation in Severe Dementia

Chronic pain is one of the most common causes of the need for clinical evaluation, acquiring more importance in the elderly with cognitive impairment. Reduced self-reporting capabilities cause unrelieved pain contributing to the development of agitation. Safe and effective pain treatment can afford the management of agitation without the serious increase in death risk associated with neuroleptics. To this aim, the essential oil of bergamot (BEO), proven by rigorous evidence to have strong preclinical anti-nociceptive and anti-allodynic properties, has been engineered (NanoBEO, patent EP 4003294) to allow randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials (BRAINAID, NCT04321889). The present study: (1) assesses the analgesic effects of a single therapeutic dose of NanoBEO, as supplied by an airless dispenser for clinical translation, in models of inflammatory, neuropathic, and sensitization types of pain relevant to clinic; (2) provides a dose–response analysis of the efficacy of NanoBEO on scratching behavior, a typical behavioral disturbance occurring in dementia. A single therapeutic dose of NanoBEO confirms efficacy following thirty minutes pre-treatment with capsaicin and on the central sensitization phase induced by formalin. Moreover, it has an ID50 of 0.6312 mg and it is efficacious on static and dynamic mechanical allodynia. Altogether, the gathered results strengthen the potential of NanoBEO for clinical management of pain and agitation.