Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Epidemiological study of congenital and hereditary anomalies in Sialkot District of Pakistan revealed a high incidence of limb and neurological disorders

Abstract Background Pakistan faces high incidence of congenital anomalies (CA) and hereditary anomalies due to various factors, including a high rate of consanguinity, early marriages, and predominance of extended families. There is a paucity of epidemiological studies that could provide a baseline for management strategies for these anomalies. Objectives We aimed to elucidate the pattern, as well as the clinical and genetic aspects, of CA prevalence among the general population in Sialkot District of Pakistan. Methods In a cross-sectional sampling design, subjects and families with a certain type of CA were recruited from hospitals and medical centers in Sialkot District. Subjects were also selected from various towns and remote villages by visiting public places. Phenotypic and descriptive data were obtained, pedigrees were constructed, and parental and demographic attributes were recorded. Results A total of 241 independent subjects and/or families with CA were recruited. The malformations were classified into five major and 56 minor categories. Limb defects had the highest representation (n = 113; proportion = 0.469; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.406–0.532), followed by neurological anomalies (n = 76; proportion = 0.315; 95% CI = 0.257–0.374). Among the limb defects, polydactyly and talipes were most prevalent while, among neurological disorders, intellectual disability and cerebral palsy were more frequent. In this cohort, sporadic occurrence was customary compared to the familial presentation (n = 144 vs 97). Analyses of various attributes, such as gender differences, parental consanguinity, and paternal ages, as well as pedigree analyses, revealed marked heterogeneity among the major and minor categories of CA. Conclusion The pattern of anomalies witnessed in this cohort and a high occurrence of sporadic cases point to a substantial role of nongenetic etiological factors, which could be minimized by strengthening the health-care system.
Privacy, Space and Time: a Survey on Privacy-Preserving Continuous Data Publishing

: Sensors, portable devices, and location-based services, generate massive amounts of geo-tagged, and/or location-and user-related data on a daily basis. The manipulation of such data is useful in numerous application domains, e.g., healthcare, intelligent buildings, and trafﬁc monitoring, to name a few. A high percentage of this data carries information of users’ activities and other personal details, and thus its manipulation and sharing gives rise to concerns about the privacy of the individuals involved. To enable the secure—from the users’ privacy perspective—data sharing, researchers have already proposed various seminal techniques for the protection of users’ privacy. However, the continuous fashion in which data is generated nowadays and the high availability of exter-nal sources of information pose more threats and add extra challenges to the problem. In this survey, we visit the works done on data privacy for continuous data publishing and report on the proposed solutions, with a special focus on solutions concerning location or geo-referenced data.
Fentanyl as an adjuvant for brachial plexus block: a randomized comparative study

Background: Adjuvants are known to enhance the effect of local anaesthetics (LA). Several adjuvants have been suggested to enhance the duration and analgesic effect of local anesthetic agents. We designed this randomized single blinded prospective study to compare the analgesic efficacy of Fentanyl used as an adjuvant to ropivacaine for supraclavicular brachial plexus block in patients undergoing orthopaedic surgeries of forearm. Methods: For this randomised prospective, single blinded study 66 ASA I and II patients aged 18-65 years were included and were divided into 2 groups, group R (35) and RF (31). Supraclavicular brachial plexus block was performed in the group R using 0.5% ropivacaine 30 ml plus 1 ml NS (total 31 ml) and in group RF received 0.5% ropivacaine plus 50 micrograms fentanyl in 1 ml NS (total 31 ml) in brachial plexus block. The onset time of sensory and motor block, duration of sensory and motor block were recorded. Results: Compared to group R, group RF showed a significant greater duration of sensory and motor blockade (𝑃=0.0001). Demographic parameters and block onset time were comparable in both the groups. Conclusions: The addition of fentanyl to ropivacaine significantly prolonged the duration of analgesia compared to ropivacaine used alone for supraclavicular brachial plexus blocks in patients undergoing forearm surgeries.
The role of public agencies in blockchain consortia: Learning from the Cardossier

: Blockchain technologies enable new forms of data sharing in platforms. This raises questions around how they are jointly developed and managed in blockchain consortia and what role public agencies play in those efforts. Based on an analysis of prior work on data sharing in public-private partnerships and other blockchain projects, we analyze the case of the Cardossier. The Cardossier project and (later) association develops a platform to link the public and private actors in the Swiss car ecosystem. The participating car registration authority has the roles of an actor in interorganizational processes, supplier of data, source of trust, guarantor of data quality, user of data, and incentive for making goods public. We conclude that the public agencies have a very important role in blockchain consortia and propose that they should use this role actively as part of their efforts to create public value
Training convolutional neural network for sketch recognition on large-scale dataset

With the rapid development of computer vision technology, increasingly more focus has been put on image recognition. More specifically, a sketch is an important hand-drawn image that is garnering increased attention. Moreover, as handheld devices such as tablets, smartphones, etc. have become more popular, it has become increasingly more convenient for people to hand-draw sketches using this equipment. Hence, sketch recognition is a necessary task to improve the performance of intelligent equipment. In this paper, a sketch recognition learning approach is proposed that is based on the Visual Geometry Group16 Convolutional Neural Network (VGG16 CNN). In particular, in order to diminish the effect of the number of sketches on the learning method, we adopt a strategy of increasing the quantity to improve the diversity and scale of sketches. Initially, sketch features are extracted via the pretrained VGG16 CNN. Additionally, we obtain contextual features based on the traverse stroke scheme. Then, the VGG16 CNN is trained using a joint Bayesian method to update the related network parameters. Moreover, this network has been applied to predict the labels of input sketches in order to automatically recognize the label of a sketch. Last but not least, related experiments are conducted, and the comparison of our method with the state-of-the-art methods is performed, which shows that our approach is superior and feasible
"Passwords protect my stuff" - a study of children's password practices

Children use technology from a very young age and often have to authenticate. The goal of this study is to explore children's practices, perceptions, and knowledge regarding passwords. Given the limited work to date and that the world's cyber posture and culture will be dependent on today's youth, it is imperative to conduct cyber-security research with children. We conducted surveys of 189 3rd to 8th graders from two Midwest schools in the USA. We found that children have on average two passwords for school and three to four passwords for home. They kept their passwords private and did not share with others. They created passwords with an average length of 7 (3rd to 5th graders) and 10 (6-8th graders). But, only about 13% of the children created very strong passwords. Generating strong passwords requires mature cognitive and linguistic capabilities which children at this developmental stage have not yet mastered. They believed that passwords provide access control, protect their privacy and keep their "stuff" safe. Overall, children had appropriate mental models of passwords and demonstrated good password practices. Cyber-security education should strive to reinforce these positive practices while continuing to provide and promote age-appropriate developmental security skills. Given the study's sample size and limited generalizability, we are expanding our research to include children from 3rd to 12th graders across multiple US school districts.
Composting experiments in corn

Az, hogy a mezőgazdaságnak, agrártermelőknek és a termőföldeknek segítségre van szüksége nehezen vitatható. A dráguló műtrágya hatóanyagok a gazdákat sújtják, a talajokat pedig az elsavanyodás, fizikai szerkezet romlás, egyre sivárabb, stagnáló, lecsökkent talajélet jellemzi. A megfelelő eljárással előállított szennyvíziszap alapú komposzt terméstöbbletet, termésminőség javulást növény-egészségügyi állapot javulást biztosít a termesztőknek (JUHÁSZ 2002). Fontos szempont, hogy a káros és nagy mennyiségben keletkező szennyvíziszap ezzel az eljárással felhasználhatóvá válik, amely együtt jár a felhalmozódott iszap csökkenésével (KÁRPÁTI 2004). A talajba kerülő komposzt vagy szerves anyag a talajmátrixba történő beépülése eredményeként, annak számos tulajdonságát kedvezően alakítja (ALEXA 2001).
Measuring and increasing performance of materials supply system

The performance of a production system in a manufacturing plant is highly affected by the performance of the materials supply system that provides the production system with materials. By measuring performance of the materials supply system, identification of potential performance increases is facilitated. However, knowledge of how materials supply systems should be designed should be acquired before aiming to increase the performance. The purpose of this thesis is to explore how materials supply system should be designed, how performance of the materials supply systems should be measured, and subsequently how the performance of the materials supply system can be increased. The materials supply system at Adient in Gothenburg is used in this thesis. Adient is a company providing car seats for the automotive industry. Four research questions are created in order to achieve the purpose: 1. How should the areas in a materials supply systems be designed? 2. How is the current materials supply system designed? 3. How is the current materials supply system performing? 4. How can performance of the materials supply system in the target areas be increased? The answer to the first research question is a design model that can be used for designing materials supply systems. The design model encompasses the six areas of a materials supply system and aims to facilitate the selection of design aspects. To answer the second research question a current state that explores the existing design of the materials supply system at Adient is created. Four performance measurements from literature is used to answer research question three. Two measurements indicate potential for performance increase in the materials supply system at Adient. Three areas influencing these two measurements are targeted for performance increase; continuously supplied frames to first and third line, distance from materials presentation to assembly line, and materials presentation at assembly stations. The suggestions for increased performance include implementation of sequential supply of frames. Reduction of platform length at the assembly lines to enable closer materials presentation and making adjustments in materials presentation at the assembly stations are the two additional suggestions for increased performance. The suggestions for increased performance eliminate two storage points of frames at the first and third line and thus also the space requirements for frames at the two lines. Sequential supply also reduce transport frequency to the two lines. Non-value adding time for operators at assembly stations is reduced by enabling closer materials presentation to eliminate walking. The elimination of walking is achieved by a reduction of the platform length at the assembly lines. By ensuring that only materials handlers open cardboard boxes and that reusable containers are used to a greater extent for materials presentation, non-value adding time is reduced for the operators.
The Late Holocene to Pleistocene tephrostratigraphic record of Lake Ohrid (Albania) Tephrostratigraphie du Lac d'Ohrid (Albanie) pendant le Pleistocene superieur et l'Holocene

We present in this work a tephrostratigraphic record from a sediment piston core (JO 2004) from Lake Ohrid. Five tephra layers were recognised, all from explosive eruptions of southern Italy volcanoes. A multidisciplinary study was carried out, including stratigraphy, AMS 14 C chronology and geochemistry. The five tephra layers were correlated with terrestrial proximal counterparts and with both marine and lacustrine tephra layers already known in the central Mediterranean area. The oldest is from Pantelleria Island (P11, 131 ka BP). Other three tephra layers are from Campanian volcanoes: X6, Campanian Ignimbrite-Y5 and SMP1-Y3 (107, 39 and 31 ka BP respectively). The youngest tephra layer corresponds to the FL eruption from Etna Volcano (3.4 ka BP). In three cases these recognitions confirm previous findings in the Balkans, while two of them were for the first time recognised in the area, with a significant enlargement of the previous assessed dispersal areas.
IMPLEMENTASI ZAKAT PERTANIAN CABAI PERSPEKTIF YUSUF AL-QARDHAWI: Studi Kasus Kecamatan Lima Puluh Kabupaten Batu Bara

Abstract : Permasalahan utama dalam penelitian ini adalah perbedaan pemahaman tentang hukum zakat hasil pertanian cabai, penghitungan nisab, penentuan kadar yang harus dizakati, pengumpulan zakat serta pendistribusian zakat hasil pertanian cabai. Penelitian ini mengambil masalah pokok bagaimana pelaksanaan zakat hasil pertanian cabai dalam perspektif Yusuf al Qardhawi di Kecamatan Lima Puluh Kabupaten Batu Bara. Kata Kunci : zakat, pertanian cabai, al-Qardhawi, Melayu
Misuse of prescription and over-the-counter medicines in South London nightclubs

Abstract Objectives. There is currently little research on the extent of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines misuse in the United Kingdom. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of OTC/prescription medicine misuse in the South London nightclub community and to look at the sources of supply. Methods. Individuals attending nightclubs in South London catering for, but not exclusively for, men who have sex with men (MSM) were surveyed about their use of recreational drugs, prescription, and OTC medicines and where they obtained these medications. Results. In total, 313 individuals were surveyed: 282 (90.1%) were male and 248 (79.2%) were MSM; 113 (36.1%) had misused at least one medicine in their lifetime and were more likely to have lifetime use of a recreational drug (OR 9.74, 95% CI 1.27–74.44). Diazepam (25.2%) and Z-drugs (zolpidem, zopiclone, zaleplon) (16.3%) were the most commonly misused medicines. The sources were friends (32.9%), dealers (15.7%), primary care doctors (13.7%), Internet purchases (10.9%), and overseas (7.3%). Conclusion. OTC and prescription medicines misuse is common among nightclub attendees in South London with these medicines coming from numerous sources. Further work is needed to determine the extent of this problem and the various forms of drug diversion.
Regulation of serum albumin production by insulin

Diabetes is accompanied by dysregulation of glucose, lipid, and protein metabolism. In recent years, much effort has been spent on understanding how insulin regulates glucose and lipid metabolism, while the effect of insulin on protein metabolism has received less attention. In diabetes, hepatic production of serum albumin decreases, and it has long been established that insulin positively controls albumin gene expression. Yet, the detailed pathway via which insulin exerts this effect has not been described. In this study, we used a genetic approach in mice to identify the mechanism by which insulin regulates albumin production, both transcriptionally and post-transcriptionally. Albumin expression was significantly decreased in livers with insulin signaling disrupted by ablation of insulin receptor or Akt. Concomitant deletion of Forkhead Box O1 (Foxo1) in these livers rescued the decreased albumin secretion. Furthermore, expressing a constitutively active Foxo1 in the liver is sufficient to suppress albumin expression. Mammalian Target of Rapamacin Complex 1 (mTORC1) activity had a minor contribution to serum albumin production. Hepatic autophagy also played a minor role and contributed to albumin production post-transcriptionally in the absence of insulin signaling. In addition, we show that constitutive activation of Foxo1 is correlated with decreased occupancy of CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein α (C/EBPα) at the albumin promoter. These results demonstrate that serum albumin production is regulated mainly on the transcription level, and insulin stimulates albumin expression by inhibiting Foxo1, which acts as a gene repressor of albumin by directly or indirectly interfering with C/EBPα binding to the albumin promoter. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics First Advisor Morris J. Birnbaum Second Advisor Mark Lemmon Subject Categories Biochemistry This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/1648 REGULATION OF SERUM ALBUMIN PRODUCTION BY INSULIN Qing Chen A DISSERTATION in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Presented to the Faculties of the University of Pennsylvania in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2015 Supervisor of Dissertation Morris J. Birnbaum, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Medicine Signature __________________________________ Graduate Group Chairperson Kim A. Sharp, Ph.D. Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics Signature __________________________________ Dissertation Committee Mark Lemmon, Ph.D., Professor of Biochemistry and Biophysics Mitchell A. Lazar, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine Joseph A. Baur, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physiology Kathryn E. Wellen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Cancer Biology Doris A. Stoffers, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine Jeffery E. Pessin, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Modeling the effect of vegetation on the accumulation and melting of snow, paper presented at Water Across Interfaces

This work investigates the variability of snow accumulation and differences in the timing of melt and sublimation between open (grass/shrubs) and forest (conifer/deciduous) locations at a mountain study site in the Western US, using a combination of field observations and modeling. Observations include continuous automated climate and snow depth measurements supported by periodic field measurements of snow water equivalent and temperature in four different vegetation classes (grass, shrubs, coniferous forest, deciduous forest) at the TW Daniel Experimental Forest located 30 miles N-E of Logan. The Utah Energy Balance physically based snowmelt model, was enhanced by adding new parameterizations of: i) snow interception and unloading; ii) transmission of radiation through the canopy; and iii) atmospheric transport of heat and water vapor between the snow on the ground, intercepted snow in the canopy and the atmosphere above; to better simulate snow processes in forested areas. The enhanced model was evaluated by comparing model simulations of meteorological conditions (temperature, wind, radiation) and snow properties (water equivalent, depth, temperature) in and beneath the canopy with observations. Observations showed approximately 10 to 20% more snow accumulation in open areas compared to forest areas. Ablation rates were also found to be higher in open areas than in forest areas. In comparison to coniferous forest, deciduous forest had high rates of accumulation and ablation. The model performed well in representing these effects based on inputs such as canopy height, canopy coverage, leaf area index and leaf orientation; thereby improving our ability to simulate and predict snow processes across heterogeneous watersheds.
Older Patients’ and Next of Kin’s Perspectives on Continuity in Long-Term Home Health Care

The study explored how 125 older patients and 92 next of kin experienced and assessed continuity in long-term home health care. Data were collected by means of structured interviews. A majority of the patients indicated that having a high number of health care personnel involved in their care was not problematic. For patients, informed and skilled health personnel along with knowing the visiting personnel may compensate for a high number of personnel. For next of kin, accepting a high number of personnel was related to the carers being informed about the patient’s situation. This study indicates that, in terms of patient satisfaction, the overall quality of care is more important than the number of people providing the care.
Stabilometry-Significance of Locus Length Per Unit Area (L/A)-

The purpose of this study is to make clear the significance of locus length per unit area (total locus length/ area of sway, L/A) as a parameter of stabilometry. We examined 100 healthy subjects aged 6 to 73 years. The subject stands on a stabilometer with eyes open or closed, and the sway of the center of gravity of the body is recorded for one minute. The pattern and area of sway, total locus length, L/A, Romberg's coefficient and power spectrum are recorded, and the L/A and other parameters are correlated.1) The L/A with eyes closed was low in those less than 20 years of age, higher at age 20 to 50. After age 60, these were some individual differences.2) The values of L/A with eyes closed were similar to those with eyes open.3) The L/A showed a negative correlation with the area of sway and the RMS.4) The L/A was not related to total locus length or Romberg's coefficient.5) Subjects with a high L/A had a high density power spectrum at 2-5 Hz.These findings show that L/A is a parameter of the fine control of standing posture by proprioceptive reflexes. The L/A is useful in the examination of the regulation of stan-ding posture.
Effect of Buyang Huanwu Decoction on vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptor Flk1 in rats after focal cerebral ischemia

Objective To explore the effect of Buyang Huanwu Decoction (BYHWD) on vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor, Fetal liver kinase 1 (Flk1) in rats after focal cerebral ischemia. MethodsRats were randomly divided into following groups including Sham group, model group, Nimodipine group, and BYHWD group. The model of focal cerebral ischemia in rats was repro-duced by middle cerebral artery occlusion. Rats were ig administered and killed after operated, then the expression of VEGF and Flk1 and protein level of VEGF in brain tissue of every groups were measured by immunohistochemisty and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, and the nervous function deficit scores were evaluated. ResultsThere were a few VEGF and Flk1 positive cells in normal brain tissue of rats. After focal cerebral ischemia the VEGF and Flk1 positive cells were increased. Compared to model group, Nimodipine and BYHWD significantly improved the neurological behavior performance, increased the numbers of VEGF and Flk1 positive cells, and enhanced the VEGF protein level (P0.05). There were more potential effect of BYHWD than Nimodipine (P0.05) on VEGF and Flk1 at 7 and 14 d. ConclusionBYHWD can enhance the VEGF expressions and Flk1 level in rats after focal cerebral ischemia, which is one of possible anti-ischemic mechanism of BYHWD.