Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nutrition education intervention improves medical students' dietary habits and their competency and self-efficacy in providing nutrition care: A pre, post and follow-up quasi-experimental study

Objective Most doctors and medical students report inadequate competencies in nutrition care. We evaluated the impact of a nutrition education intervention on medical students' lifestyle habits, dietary diversity, nutrition care knowledge, attitude toward nutrition care, and their level of self-efficacy in the provision of nutrition care. Methods All 2nd-year medical students were enrolled into a 5 week, 24-h nutrition education intervention that involved both deductive and practical sessions. Pre-, post and 4 weeks follow-up assessments were conducted. Results At post- and 4-weeks post-intervention the number of days participants consumed vegetables and engaged in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity significantly (p = 0.003 and 0.002) improved respectively from baseline. Mean nutrition care knowledge scores of participants increased by 3.27 points (95% Cl: 1.98–4.56, p < 0.001) from 19.49 at baseline through to 24.78 post- and 22.76 4 weeks follow-up. No significant [X(2)2 = 1.568, p = 0.457] change in mean attitude toward nutrition care score was recorded. Mean level of self-efficacy in the provision of nutrition care improved significantly by 1.73 (95% Cl: 1.17–2.28, p < 0.001) at post-intervention and 4 weeks follow-up compared to the baseline scores. Conclusion The intervention improved the nutrition care knowledge, self-efficacy in the provision of nutrition care as well as medical students' own consumption of vegetables, dietary diversity and their engagement in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity. However, continuous implementation of nutrition education interventions is needed to sustain these outcomes and further improve the nutrition education experience of medical students.
The critical behaviour under microgravity of liquid alloys with mutual immiscibility

The process of two-liquid phase separation (TLPS) was studied by the electrical resistivity, ρ, both on the ground and under microgravity obtained on board the sounding rocket. On cooling to the critical temperature, Tc, on the ground, increase of ρ and decrease of the temperature coefficient of ρ, dρ/dT were found in the homogeneous liquid phase of liquid Bi–Ga and Cd–Ga alloys. However, increase of ρ and decrease of dρ/dT were observed for the liquid Hg–Ga system. Both tendencies were explained successfully by the concentration fluctuation model. The rocket experiment for the ρ of liquid Bi–Ga alloys revealed that, under microgravity, the concentration fluctuation grows extensively and the nucleation for TLPS is suppressed.
EPRICE: An Efficient and Privacy-Preserving Real-Time Incentive System for Crowdsensing in Industrial Internet of Things

In crowdsensing, we can leverage intelligent devices and real-time incentive mechanisms to facilitate the collection of reliable and timely data in Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) settings. In such a setting, one can use cryptographic primitives to support data privacy preservation and quality-aware reward distribution simultaneously. However, existing approaches might incur expensive computation costs, suffer from overflow problems, or rely on implicit security conditions. In this paper, we propose an <underline>E</underline>fficient and <underline>P</underline>rivacy-preserving <underline>R</underline>eal-time <underline>I</underline>ncentive system for <underline>C</underline>rowds<underline>E</underline>nsing (EPRICE), designed to estimate the reliability of sensing data in a privacy-preserving setting. The theoretical analysis demonstrates that our proposed system achieves a high level of privacy-preserving for real-time reward distribution and supports practical privacy-preserving properties. The experimental findings show that our proposed EPRICE system significantly decreases the computation costs by <italic>three orders of magnitude</italic> compared with other competing schemes.
CASL: A Novel Collusion Attack Against Distributed Energy Management Systems

Recently, the security issues of smart grids have received wide attention. In particular, false data injection attacks against distributed energy management systems (DEMSs) are considered of high importance as they are able to cause economic losses or even damages to system stability in subtle ways. Existing studies have identified many such attacks and proposed corresponding countermeasures. However, in this paper, we show that DEMS is still insecure and in risk of economic loss by proposing and analyzing a novel attack called Collusion Attack between a Storage and a Load (CASL). In CASL, a distributed energy storage device colludes with a load by injecting an abnormal extra power supply to the load in a secret way through using two secret functions. In this way, the colluding pair behaves as normal ones in both computational and communicational viewpoints. We theoretically prove the convergence of DEMS in presence of the attack, and derive an upper bound of the social welfare losses of DEMS caused by CASL. We demonstrate the effectiveness of CASL through simulations.
Geometric Bicriteria Optimal Path Problems

A bicriteria optimal path simultaneously satisfies two bounds on two measures of path quality. The complexity of finding such a path depends on the particular choices of path quality. This thesis studies bicriteria path problems in a geometric setting using several pairs of path quality, including: path length measured according to different norms $(L\sb{p}$ and $L\sb{q});$ Euclidean length within two or more classes of regions; total turn and Euclidean length; total turn and number of links; and Euclidean length and number of links. For several cases, finding the bicriteria optimal path is shown to be NP-hard. These NP-hard cases include minimizing path length in two different norms, minimizing travel through two regions, and minimizing length and total turn. In the last case, an $O(En\sp2N\sp2$) pseudo-polynomial time algorithm to find an approximate answer is presented. In contrast, when the two measures of path quality are total turn and number of links, an $O(E\sp3n$log$\sp2n)$ exact algorithm is given. A main result of this thesis examines minimizing the Euclidean length and number of links of a path. When the geometric setting of this problem is a polygon without holes, this thesis presents an $O(n\sp3k\sp3$log$(Nk/\epsilon\sp{1/k}))$ algorithm to find a k-link path with Euclidean length at most 1 + $\epsilon$ times the length of the shortest k-link path. A faster algorithm for a relaxed case, when the output path is allowed to have 2k links, is presented for a polygon with or without holes. Finally, some approximation algorithms are outlined for finding a minimum link path among polyhedral obstacles.
Indirect Time-of-Flight with GHz Correlation Frequency and Integrated SPAD Reaching Sub-100 µm Precision in 0.35 µm CMOS

The purpose of this work is to prove the suitability of integrated single-photon avalanche diode (SPAD)-based indirect time-of-flight (iTOF) for sub-100 µm precision depth sensing using a correlation approach with GHz modulation frequencies. For this purpose, a prototype containing a single pixel consisting of an integrated SPAD, quenching circuit, and two independent correlator circuits was fabricated in a 0.35 µm CMOS process and characterized. It achieved a precision of 70 µm and a nonlinearity of less than 200 µm at a received signal power of less than 100 pW. Sub-mm precision was achieved with a signal power of less than 200 fW. These results and the simplicity of our correlation approach underline the great potential of SPAD-based iTOF for future depth sensing applications.
Wavelength dependence of multiphoton-induced Xe(M) and Xe(L) emissions from Xe clusters

A direct comparative measurement of the dependence on the wavelength of irradiation of the kilovolt x-ray yields ( and ) multiphoton-induced from Xe clusters by excitation with intense femtosecond pulses at 248 and 800 nm has been made. The spectroscopic findings demonstrate that both the Xe(M) and Xe(L) emissions are strongly reduced with excitation at the longer wavelength (800 nm). The peak strengths of the Xe(M) and Xe(L) emissions are diminished by factors of and , respectively. Significant spectral differences are also observed. This sharp reduction in the amplitude of the excitation is in conflict with a thermal model for the production of kilovolt x-rays (Xe(M) and Xe(L)) from multiphoton 248 nm excited Xe clusters. These results are consistent with a dynamical mechanism of enhanced coupling which involves ordered many-electron motions in which a dephasing of the electrons can appreciably influence both the amplitude of excitation and the threshold intensity for inner-shell vacancy production. Within the framework of this picture, these experimental findings indicate an effective dephasing time for Xe clusters of - 2 fs, a range that is consistent with the measured k-space scattering dynamics of carriers in GaAs.
Commutators of composition operators with adjoints of composition operators on weighted Bergman spaces

For linear-fractional self-maps ϕ and ψ of the unit disc 𝔻, where at least one of ϕ and ψ is a non-automorphism, we show that the commutator is non-trivially compact on the weighted Bergman space if and only if either ϕ and ψ are both parabolic or ϕ and ψ are both hyperbolic, with associated conclusions about their fixed points in each case. In the automorphism case, we show that this commutator is compact if and only if both ϕ and ψ are rotations.
Fluid management in septic patients with pulmonary hypertension, review of the literature

The management of sepsis in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH) is challenging due to significant conflicting goals of management and complex hemodynamics. As PH progresses, the ability of right heart to perfuse lungs at a normal central venous pressure (CVP) is impaired. Elevated pulmonary vascular pressure, due to pulmonary vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling, opposes blood flow through lungs thus limiting the ability of right ventricle (RV) to increase cardiac output (CO) and maintain adequate oxygen delivery to tissue. In sepsis without PH, avoidance of volume depletion with intravascular volume replacement, followed by vasopressor therapy if hypoperfusion persists, remains the cornerstone of therapy. Intravenous fluid (IVF) resuscitation based on individualized hemodynamic assessment can help improve the prognosis of critically ill patients. This is accomplished by optimizing CO by maintaining adequate preload, afterload and contractility. Particular challenges in patients with PH include RV failure as a result of pressure and volume overload, gas exchange abnormalities, and managing IVF and diuretic use. Suggested approaches to remedy these difficulties include early recognition of symptoms associated with pressure and volume overload, intravascular volume management strategies and serial lab monitoring to assess electrolytes and renal function.
A multicenter comparative study of the performance of four rapid immunochromatographic tests for the detection of anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in Brazil

Diagnosis of Trypanosoma cruzi (T. cruzi) infection in the chronic phase of Chagas disease (CD) is performed by serologic testing. Conventional tests are currently used with very good results but require time, laboratory infrastructure, and expertise. Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) are an alternative as the results are immediate and do not require specialized knowledge, making them suitable for epidemiologic studies and promising as a screening tool. Nevertheless, few studies conducted comparative evaluations of RDTs to validate the results and assess their performance. In this study, we analyzed four trades of rapid tests (OnSite Chagas Ab Combo Rapid Test-United States, SD Bioline Chagas AB-United States, WL Check Chagas-Argentina, and TR Chagas Bio-Manguinhos-Brazil) using a panel of 190 samples, including sera from 111 infected individuals, most of whom had low T. cruzi antibody levels. An additional 59 samples from uninfected individuals and 20 sera from individuals with other diseases, mainly visceral leishmaniasis, were included. All tests were performed by three independent laboratories in a blinded manner. Results showed differences in sensitivity from 92.8 to 100%, specificity from 78.5 to 92.4%, and accuracy from 90.5 to 95.3% among the four assays. The results presented here show that all four RDTs have high overall diagnostic ability. However, WL Check Chagas and TR Chagas Bio-Manguinhos were considered most suitable for use in screening studies due to their high sensitivity combined with good performance. Although these two RDTs have high sensitivity, a positive result should be confirmed with other tests to confirm or rule out reactivity/positivity, especially considering possible cross-reactivity with individuals with leishmaniasis or toxoplasmosis.
On the Approximation of Complicated Dynamical Behavior

We present efficient techniques for the numerical approximation of complicated dynamical behavior. In particular, we develop numerical methods which allow us to approximate Sinai--Ruelle--Bowen (SRB)-measures as well as (almost) cyclic behavior of a dynamical system. The methods are based on an appropriate discretization of the Frobenius--Perron operator, and two essentially different mathematical concepts are used: our idea is to combine classical convergence results for finite dimensional approximations of compact operators with results from ergodic theory concerning the approximation of SRB-measures by invariant measures of stochastically perturbed systems. The efficiency of the methods is illustrated by several numerical examples.
Characterization of Autonomic Dysfunction in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

Goal: This work aims at characterizing autonomic dysfunction in RBD subjects using heart rate variability (HRV) indexes computed from ECG recordings during polysomnographic studies. Results: RR variance $(\sigma^{2})$ is significantly lower in RBD both in $N1(p =0.018)$ and $N3(p=0.035)$ sleep stages. High frequency $(HF)$ power, related to vagal control, shows a statistically significant difference between the two populations in $N3(p{=0.008})$ and $REM(p=0.028)$ with higher medians in the healthy subjects. Median HF power in healthy subjects reduces while moving from NREM to REM stage, whereas medians of RBD group have a similar order of magnitude in all sleep stages, always smaller than healthy controls. Conclusions: Results point at an overall reduction of HRV in RBD when compared to healthy controls, supported by the observed lower $\sigma^{2}$ and HF power, mainly in N3 and REM sleep stages. As expected, sympathetic activation in REM stage is observed in the control group, whereas RBD subjects show higher normalized HF power during sleep, possibly indicating an impaired sympathetic activation in RBD subjects.
Sequential selection of an increasing subsequence from a sample of random size

A random number of independent identically distributed random variables is inspected in strict succession. As a variable is inspected, it can either be selected or rejected and this decision becomes final at once. The selected sequence must increase. The problem is to maximize the expected length of the selected sequence. We demonstrate decision policies which approach optimality when the number of observations becomes in a sense large and show that the maximum expected length is close to an easily computable value.
Relationship between APOE, PER2, PER3 and OX2R Genetic Variants and Neuropsychiatric Symptoms in Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of neuropsychiatric or behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). BPSD have been associated with the APOE_ε4 allele, which is also the major genetic AD risk factor. Although the involvement of some circadian genes and orexin receptors in sleep and behavioral disorders has been studied in some psychiatric pathologies, including AD, there are no studies considering gene–gene interactions. The associations of one variant in PER2, two in PER3, two in OX2R and two in APOE were evaluated in 31 AD patients and 31 cognitively healthy subjects. Genotyping was performed using real-time PCR and capillary electrophoresis from blood samples. The allelic-genotypic frequencies of variants were calculated for the sample study. We explored associations between allelic variants with BPSD in AD patients based on the NPI, PHQ-9 and sleeping disorders questionnaires. Our results showed that the APOE_ε4 allele is an AD risk variant (p = 0.03). The remaining genetic variants did not reveal significant differences between patients and controls. The PER3_rs228697 variant showed a nine-fold increased risk for circadian rhythm sleep–wake disorders in Mexican AD patients, and our gene–gene interaction analysis identified a novel interaction between PERIOD and APOE gene variants. These findings need to be further confirmed in larger samples.
Silver Inhibits Lemna minor Growth at High Initial Frond Densities

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are the most popular engineered nanomaterials in consumer products due to their antimicrobial properties. They enter aquatic ecosystems via insufficient purified wastewaters from manufacturers or consumers. AgNPs inhibit growth of aquatic plants, including duckweeds. Growth media nutrient concentration and initial duckweed frond density can affect growth. However, it is not well understood how frond density affects nanoparticle toxicity. We investigated the toxicity of 500 µg/L AgNPs and AgNO3 on Lemna minor at different initial frond densities (20, 40, and 80 fronds per 28.5 cm2) over 14 days. Plants were more sensitive to silver at high initial frond densities. Growth rates based on frond number and area were lower for plants at 40 and 80 initial frond density in both silver treatments. AgNPs had no effect on frond number, biomass, and frond area at 20 initial frond density. However, AgNO3 plants had lower biomass than control and AgNP plants at 20 initial frond density. Competition and crowding at high frond densities resulted in reduced growth when silver was present, therefore plant density and crowding effects should be considered in toxicity studies.
The evolution of intelligent decision making in gaming

Intelligent decision making requires an ability to predict one's environment and respond in an optimal manner with respect to some underlying purpose. Decision making becomes more difficult when facing an intelligently interactive player who may be always cooperative, neutral, competitive, or change as required by the circumstance. Further difficulties are encountered when the other player's behavior can be determined only through interaction. Such problems can be addressed using a technique that simulates the logic of evolution. An environment is created that presents the prisoner's dilemma. “Organisms” that optimize behavior are evolved over generations. The results indicate that this “evolutionary programming” can be useful in interactive gaming with respect to arbitrary payoff functions.
Misfit strain-induced mechanical cracking aggravating surface degradation of LiCoO2

Cycling-induced cathode interfacial degradations are usually attributed to chemical process, while the physical effect is overlooked to a large extent. Herein, we investigate the failure mechanism of LiCoO2 cathode and reveal that misfit strain plays a dominant role in the surface layer exfoliation process. We illustrate that highly strained LiCoO2 surface can initiate massive surface cracks, leading to the LiCoO2 surface layer broken and exfoliation. Mechanical cracking coupled with chemical etching aggravates the surface layer degradation, leading to a weathering-like degradation on LiCoO2 surface. Our work reveals that interfacial degradation of electrode materials is a complex physicochemical process. Impact Statement Interfacial degradations are usually believed as chemical effect dominated failure. Herein, we show that the overlooked physical effect, misfit strain, in fact plays a critical role in the surface degradation process and stress that LiCoO2 surface degradation is a complex physicochemical process. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
SU(3) Chern–Simons Vortex Theory and Toda Systems

Motivated by the study of the asymptotic properties of “non-topological” condensates in the non-abelian Chern–Simons vortex theory (see [26]), we analyze the SU(3) Toda system: (P)λ1,λ2−Δzj=λj(e∑2i=1kijzI/∫Me∑i=12kijzi−1)on M,∫Mzj=0j=1,2, where M=R2/Z2, K=(kij)=2−1−12 is the SU(3) Cartan matrix and λj are positive parameters. We study the variational problem associated with the system (P)λ1,λ2 in a range of parameters, where the trivial solution is a strict local minimum and the corresponding Sobolev-type inequality fails to apply. In this situation, a lack of compactness may occur due to concentration phenomena. Nonetheless, we are able to establish the existence of a non-trivial solution for (P)λ1,λ2 which is not a minimizer.
Dynamics of sonic jet injection into supersonic crossflow

The interaction between a sonic air jet and a supersonic air crossflow is simulated using large-eddy simulation (LES). A hybrid numerical methodology is used here to capture shock waves locally with minimal dissipation of the turbulent structures. The dynamic subgrid closure model employed for the LES permits a fully localized evaluation of the closure coefficients, such that there are no ad hoc adjustable parameters. Simulation of the experimental study of Santiago and Dutton (J. Propul. Power, vol. 13, 1997, pp. 264–273), where detailed measurements of the mean velocity and turbulent fluctuations have been acquired, is reported. The LES results show fairly good agreement with the experimental data for the mean and statistical fluctuations of the velocity field. The numerical study is then extended to two other jets in crossflow conditions to study the impact of the free-stream Mach number and of the jet to free-stream momentum ratio on the structure of the jet and on the dynamics of the interaction. The.
Heliospheric Images of the Solar Wind at Earth

During relatively quiet solar conditions throughout the spring and summer of 2007, the SECCHI HI2 white-light telescope on the STEREO B solar-orbiting spacecraft observed a succession of wave fronts sweeping past Earth. We have compared these heliospheric images with in situ plasma and magnetic field measurements obtained by near-Earth spacecraft, and we have found a near perfect association between the occurrence of these waves and the arrival of density enhancements at the leading edges of high-speed solar wind streams. Virtually all of the strong corotating interaction regions are accompanied by large-scale waves, and the low-density regions between them lack such waves. Because the Sun was dominated by long-lived coronal holes and recurrent solar wind streams during this interval, there is little doubt that we have been observing the compression regions that are formed at low latitude as solar rotation causes the high-speed wind from coronal holes to run into lower speed wind ahead of it.