Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loads at the Implant-Prosthesis Interface During Free and Aided Ambulation in Osseointegrated Transfemoral Prostheses

Bone-anchored attachment of amputation limb prostheses is increasingly becoming a clinically accepted alternative to conventional socket suspension. The direct transfer of loads demands that the percutaneous implant system and the residual bone withstand all forces and moments transferred from the prosthesis. This study presents load measurements recorded at the bone-anchored attachment in 20 individuals with unilateral transfemoral amputation performing the everyday ambulatory activities: level ground walking, stairs ascent/descent and slope ascent/descent. Mean peak values for the sample populations across activities ranged from 498–684 N for the resultant force, 26.5–39.8 Nm for the bending moment, and 3.1–5.5 Nm for the longitudinal moment. Significant differences with respect to level walking were found for the resultant force during stairs ascent, (higher, p = 0.002), and stairs descent, (lower, p = 0.005). Using a crutch reduced the peak resultant forces and the peak bending moments with averages ranging from 5.5–12.6 % and 13.2–15.6 %, respectively. Large inter-participant variations were observed and no single activity resulted in consistently higher loading of the bone-anchored attachment across the participants. Results from this study can guide future development of percutaneous osseointegrated implant systems for limb prostheses and their rehabilitation protocols.
Lp-Method-Noise Based Regularization Model for Image Restoration

Various regularization techniques have been sufficiently developed to improve the quality of the image restoration. By utilizing existing image smoothing operators, method noise provides a new way to formulate regularization functions. The so-called method noise refers to the difference of an image and its smoothed version, obtained by an image smoothing operator. It is concluded that the method noise of a clear image mainly contains edges and small scaled details, and should be as sparse as possible. Based on this conclusion, we introduce <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{L}_{\mathrm {p}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-norm penalty on the method noise, which can accurately describe its sparse prior distribution. We formulate an <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{L}_{\mathrm {p}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-method-noise based regularization model and analyze its advantages in terms of its solution and performance in image restoration. Specifically, the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{L}_{\mathrm {p}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-norm penalty of the method noise is better than other forms of norm in removing noise and keeping the details. Moreover, a modified Bregmanized operator splitting algorithm is designed for the proposed model. Experimental results show that the proposed method can obtain better results than other method noise based regularization methods.
Genetic Diversity and Relationship among Three Varieties of the Shiba Inu Revealed by Microsatellite Markers

The “Shiba inu” is the most kept and popular among the six Japanese dog breeds (Shiba, Kishu, Shikoku, Hokkaido, Kai, and Akita) officially recognized in Japan, and includes three varieties (two lines of Shinshu-Shiba, San'in-Shiba, and Mino-Shiba) showing different shapes and characters. In the preceding studies on the Japanese dog breeds, only a few studies distinguished these three varieties. Genetic backgrounds of the three varieties are still unclear. In the present study, we revealed genetic diversity and relationship among the three varieties of Shiba by microsatellite markers.We analysed genetic constitutions of the two lines of Shinshu-Shiba (Shinshu-ShibalNippo and Shinshu-Shiba/Shibaho), San'in-Shiba, and Mino-Shiba using 17 microsatellite markers. Shinshu-Shiba was composed of two different societies of preservation, “Nihonken hozonkai” (Nippo) and “Tennenkinenbutsu Shibainu hozonkai” (Shibaho) . In addition, seven dog breeds (Hokkaido, Akita, Shikoku, Satsuma, Ryukyu, Japanese Spitz, and Labrador Retriever) were also analysed by way of comparison. The total number of dogs analysed in a total of 11 populations was 430. Average expected heterozygosities over 17 microsatellite loci of Shinshu-ShibalNippo, Shinshu-Shiba/Shibaho, San'in-Shiba, and Mino-Shiba were 0.641, 0.480, 0.508, and 0.588, respectively. These estimated values were similar as the average (0.603) of the above the seven dog breeds. In addition, the degree of genetic differentiation among the three varieties (including two lines in Shinshu-shiba) of Shiba was highly significant (P<0.01) . A dendrogram was constructed using neighbor-joining (NJ) clustering based on the genetic distances among the 11 populations. The dendrogram exhibited a relatively close relationship among the three varieties (that is, four populations) of Shiba. The San'in-Shiba was distantly separated from both of the Shinshu-Shiba and the Mino-Shiba, while the latter two varieties (that is, three populations) were close to each other. This result might suggest that the ancestor of San'in-Shiba was divergent from those of Shinshu-Shiba (that is, two populations) and Mino-Shiba. We also constructed the other dendrogram based on the genetic distances among individuals belonging to the three varieties (the four populations) of Shiba. All the individuals within each population belonged to the same cluster. This result suggests that each society of preservation of the three varieties (the four populations) of Shiba maintains the pedigree within each population.In this study, we revealed that the degree of genetic differentiation among the three varieties (the four populations) of Shiba was significantly high. From the present analysis, we concluded that the four populations (the two lines of Shinshu-, San'in-, and Mino-) of Shiba should be treated separately from each other in the future study.
Mechanisms of Tiller Occurrence Affected by Exogenous IAA,GA_3 ,and ABA in Wheat with Different Spike-types

Two winter wheat cultivars,Shannong 15 and Shannong 8355,were used to study the effects of exogenous indole-3-acetic acid(IAA),gibberellic acid 3(GA3),and abscisic acid(ABA)on tiller occurrence in wheat and the underlying mechanism.Exogenous IAA and GA3 inhibited occurrence of wheat tiller,while exogenous ABA reduced the rate of tiller occurrence.Furthermore,exogenous IAA and GA3 completely inhibited growth of tiller bud,while exogenous ABA significantly slowed the growth rate of tiller bud.The growth of tiller bud was positively correlated with content of zeatin(ZT),but negatively correlated with IAA content and ratios of IAA/ZT and ABA/ZT.In contrast,the growth of tiller bud had slightly negative correlations with GA3 and ABA contents.These results suggest that IAA and ZT play a key role in regulating tiller occurrence in wheat,and exogenous hormones regulate the growth of tiller bud through changing contents of IAA and ZT and the ratios of IAA/ZT and ABA/ZT in tiller node.
Bulk storage of “Wonderful” pomegranate fruit using modified atmosphere bags

ABSTRACT“Wonderful” pomegranates can be stored under modified atmosphere (MA) conditions for up to 3–4 months after harvest. Until recently, the harvested fruit first needed to be transferred to the packing house and packed in MA bags in cartons or plastic boxes before cooling to the desired temperature and subsequent cold storage. During the last few years, together with StePac Ltd, we have developed a new methodology in which “Wonderful” pomegranate fruit are directly harvested into large 80 kg or even 320 kg bulk Xtend® MA bags in harvest bins, and then immediately transferred from the field to commercial cold storage rooms without the necessity of repacking the fruit at the packing house. In this study, we evaluated the postharvest storage performance and fruit quality of “Wonderful” pomegranates stored in bulk 80 kg Xtend® MA bags in harvest bins for various periods of 4, 8, 12, and 16 weeks at 7 °C followed by 1 week in shelf life conditions at 20 °C. The results show that “Wonderful” pomegranates c.
Effect of potassium fertilization on yield and potassium nutrition of Boro rice in a wetland ecosystem of Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Effect of potassium (K) fertilization (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 kg K ha−1) on yield, nitrogen (N) and K nutrition of Boro (dry season) rice and apparent soil K balance was studied. Experiment was conducted at Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) regional station farm, Habiganj, Bangladesh during 2007–2008 to 2009–2010 in a wetland rice ecosystem under haor area. Cropping pattern was Boro–Fallow–Fallow. A popular rice variety BRRI dhan29 was tested in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Results indicated that BRRI dhan29 maintained an average grain yield of 5.19 t ha−1 year−1 without K fertilization. Potassium fertilization significantly increased the grain yield to 6.86 t ha−1 year−1. Quadratic equations best explained the progressive increase of rice yield with increasing K rates. Optimum dose of K in 3 years ranged from 78 to 93 kg ha−1. Internal N use efficiency of rice decreased with increasing K rates. However, K use efficiency was inconsistent. Apparent K balance study revealed that application of 100 kg K ha−1 was not able to maintain a positive K balance in soil under wetland ecosystem with Boro–Fallow–Fallow cropping system. However, K fertilization decreased the negativity of K balance in soil.
EFFECT OF PH ON OLIGOSACCHARIDE FERMENTATION BY PORCINE CECAL DIGESTA

単胃動物の盲腸や結腸で乳酸やコハク酸が蓄積することがあり,しばしば大腸の機能を阻害することが知られている. 本実験では,ブタ大腸における難消化性オリゴ糖の発酵から乳酸やコハク酸が蓄積してくるpH条件を知るために,ブタ盲腸液を用いたin vitro試験を行った. キシロフラクトオリゴ糖,イソマルトオリゴ糖,およびラフィノースをpH4. 0, 4.5, 5.6, 5.8, 6.0, 7.0, 7. 5に調整した緩衝液中でブタ盲腸液と培養した. 乳酸•酢酸•プロピオン酸•酪酸が生成した主なカルボン酸であった. 統計処理の結果,ギ酸以外のカルボン酸の生成に対して,培地のpHならびにオリゴ糖種とpHの交互作用の影響が有意であった. 乳酸は一般に低い初発pHで蓄積したが,蓄積の見られるpHはオリゴ糖によって異なり,イソマルトオリゴ糖では5. 0,ラフィノースとキシロフラクトオリゴ糖では6.0であった. また乳酸の生成モル比率は,キシロフラクトオリゴ糖を除いて,培養時間が経過するほど減少した. 大腸内容物のpHを少なくとも6.0以上に維持すればオヴゴ糖の給与による乳酸の蓄積を防げるものと判断された.
Metabolic Syndrome In Young Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients.

BACKGROUND Metabolic Syndrome is strongly associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis, which significantly increases cardiovascular complications and hence morbidity and mortality. Treating Metabolic Syndrome decreases cardiovascular related disease flares and deaths. This study evaluates prevalence of metabolic syndrome in young Rheumatoid Arthritis patients. METHODS This Cross-sectional study was conducted in rheumatology department of a tertiary care hospital in Karachi. All diagnosed cases of rheumatoid arthritis from April to August 2018 were consecutively included. Disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis assessed by Clinical Disease Activity Index (CDAI). Associate determinants of rheumatoid arthritis were measured along with outcome variables. RESULTS Out of 104 rheumatoid arthritis patients, 34 (32.7%) found to have metabolic syndrome in whom 20 (58.8%) of patients were seropositive. A significant association of metabolic syndrome was found with age (p-value 0.023), BMI (p-value 0.006), waist circumference (p-value 0.002), FBS (p-value <0.001), SBP (p-value <0.001), DBP (p-value <0.001), TG (p-value <0.001), HDL (p-value 0.022), and Methotrexate drug history (p-value 0.030). CONCLUSIONS We conclude that metabolic syndrome is highly prevalent in young rheumatoid patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Treating Metabolic Syndrome decreases cardiovascular related disease flares and deaths. This young population base study will help out to estimate the exact burden of Metabolic Syndrome to decrease overall morbidity and mortality.
Comparison of the effects of soluble corn fiber and fructooligosaccharides on metabolism, inflammation and gut microbiome of high-fat diet fed mice.

Dietary fibers are essential components of a balanced diet and have beneficial effects on metabolic functions. To gain insight into their impact on host physiology and gut microbiota, we performed a direct comparison of two specific prebiotics fibers in mice. During an 8-week follow up, mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) were compared to mice on a normal diet (basal condition, controls) and to mice fed the HFD but treated with one of the following prebiotics: Fructooligosaccharides (FOS) or soluble corn fiber (SCF). Both prebiotic fibers led to a similar reduction of body weight and fat mass, lower inflammation and improved metabolic parameters. However, these health benefits were the result of different actions of the fibers, as SCF impacted on energy excretion, whereas FOS did not. Interestingly, both fibers had very distinct gut microbial signatures with different short chain fatty acid profiles, indicating that they do not favor the growth of the same bacterial communities. Although the prebiotic potential of different fibers may seem physiologically equivalent, our data show that the underlying mechanisms of action are different and this by targeting different gut microbes. Altogether our data provide evidence that beneficial health effects of specific dietary fibers must be documented to be considered a prebiotic, and that studies devoted to understanding how structures relate to specific microbiota modulation and metabolic effects are warranted.
Impact of the ablation technique on release of the neuronal injury marker S100B during pulmonary vein isolation

Abstract Aims S100B, a well-known damage-associated molecular pattern protein is released acutely by central and peripheral nerves and upon concomitant denervation in pulmonary vein isolation (PVI). We aimed to investigate whether the ablation technique used for PVI impacts S100B release in patients with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods and results The study population consisted of 73 consecutive patients (age: 62.7 ± 10.9 years, 54.8% males) undergoing first-time PVI with either radiofrequency (RF; n = 30) or cryoballoon (CB; n = 43) for paroxysmal AF. S100B determined from venous plasma samples taken immediately before and after PVI increased from 33.5 ± 1.8 to 91.1 ± 5.3 pg/mL (P < 0.0001). S100B release in patients undergoing CB-PVI was 3.9 times higher compared to patients with RF-PVI (ΔS100B: 21.1 ± 2.7 vs. 83.1 ± 5.2 pg/mL, P < 0.0001). During a mean follow-up of 314 ± 186 days, AF recurrences were observed in 18/71 (25.4%) patients (RF-PVI: n = 9/28, CB-PVI: n = 9/43). Univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that an increase in S100B was associated with higher freedom from AF in follow-up (hazard ratio per 10 pg/mL release of S100B: 0.83; 95% confidence interval: 0.72–0.95; P = 0.007). Conclusion The ablation technique used for PVI has an impact on the release of S100B, a well-established biomarker for neural damage.
Reference Ranges and Determinant Factors for Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide in a Healthy Saudi Adult Population

Background Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) has emerged as a promising marker in respiratory research. The aim of this study was to determine the reference range values of FENO for healthy Saudi adults and the factors associated with FENO levels. Material/Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Physiology, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January 2016 to August 2017. A total of 429 healthy Saudi adults were initially recruited. The final selection included 412 participants, consisting of 307 men and 105 women. FENO measurements were performed according to the current recommendations of the American Thoracic Society. Results We observed that the FENO levels of women were significantly lower than those of men (18.6 vs. 21.3, P=0.009). In women, the measured FENO ranged from 5.7 ppb to 42 ppb, and in men from 5.0 ppb to 55.0 ppb. The mean FENO level in the entire study population was 20.6, with a range of 5.0 ppb to 55.0 ppb. The difference became non-significant when we calculated the FENO after adjusting for body surface area by different percentile distributions. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that body surface area and weight were significant predictors of FENO levels. Conclusions In this study, FENO levels were significantly affected by demographic variables. Therefore, it is important to consider the factors influencing FENO values to make a valid clinical interpretation.
Fishes of Alto Jacuí sub-basin: a poorly studied sub-basin of northwestern Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

The streams in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (mainly in the Alto Jacui sub-basin belonging to the Laguna dos Patos system) have scarce information about their ichthyofauna. Thereby for providing information about stream species, the purpose of the present study was to inventory the ichthyofauna of the streams of the Alto Jacui sub-basin, located in northwestern state of Rio Grande do Sul. The samples were taken bimonthly from June 2012 to June 2013 using electrofishing technique in 10 streams. A total of 13,247 specimens were collected belonging to 42 species, 10 families and six orders. We report the occurrence of five new species that have not yet been described by researchers.
Normal response to tibial neurodynamic test in asymptomatic subjects.

BACKGROUND The straight leg raise test (SLR) is one of the most performed physical tests for mechanosensitivity and impairment of the nervous system. According to the anatomy of the tibial nerve, ankle dorsiflexion and eversion movements could be used to perform the tibial neurodynamic test (TNT). To date, no study has documented the normal responses of the TNT. OBJECTIVE To document normal responses of the TNT in asymptomatic individuals and to investigate influences from sex and leg dominance. METHODS A cross-sectional study with 44 asymptomatic volunteer subjects, a total of 88 lower limbs, was carried out. The range of motion (ROM), quality, and distribution of sensory responses were recorded. The hip flexion ROM was measured when subjects reported an intensity of their symptoms of 2/10 (P1) and 8/10 (P2). RESULTS The mean ROM for hip flexion at P1 was 44.22 ± 13.13∘ and 66.73 ± 14.30∘ at P2. Hip flexion was significantly greater at P2 than P1 (p< 0.001). However, it was not different between sex or limbs (p> 0.05). The descriptor of the quality of sensory responses most often used by participants was stretching (88.6% and 87.5% for P1 and P2, respectively) in the popliteal fossa and posterior calf. CONCLUSIONS This study describes the sensory responses of asymptomatic subjects resulting from the TNT. Our findings indicate that TNT responses are independent of the influence of sex or leg dominance.
Kinderbetreuung und Fertilität in Deutschland

Eine zentrale Rolle in der Diskussion um eine bessere Vereinbarkeit von Familie und Beruf spielt die Versorgung mit bedarfsgerechter Kinderbetreuung. Eine umfassendes Angebot an Betreuungsplatzen fordert jedoch nicht nur die Muttererwerbstatigkeit, sondern konnte sich auch positiv auf Fertilitatsentscheidungen auswirken. Im vorliegenden Beitrag untersuchen wir auf Basis von Daten des Sozio-oekonomischen Panels (SOEP) und der amtlichen Kinder- und Jugendhilfestatistik den Einfluss der regionalen Verfugbarkeit von Kinderbetreuung auf das Geburtenverhalten west- und ostdeutscher Frauen in den Jahren 1996 bis 2000. Zentrales Ergebnis unserer Analyse ist, dass in den ostlichen Bundeslandern die Verfugbarkeit institutioneller Kinderbetreuung den Ubergang zum ersten Kind positiv beeinflusst, wahrend sich in den westlichen Bundeslandern allein die Verfugbarkeit informeller Betreuung durch Grosmutter als statistisch signifikant erweist. Verantwortlich hierfur durfte in erster Linie das unterschiedliche Niveau der offentlichen Betreuungsinfrastruktur in Ost und West sein, was sich insbesondere bei der Versorgung im Krippen- und Hortbereich sowie bei der Verfugbarkeit von Ganztagsplatzen zeigt.
Soil Texture Involvement in Germination and Emergence of Buried Weed Seeds

Laboratory trials were performed to test germination and emergence characteristics of jimsonweed (Datura stramonium L.) seeds buried in 10 different soil types (with or without the control of soil external gas environment) with pronounced sandy or clay texture. The aim of the experiments was to investigate if the physical characteristics of the soils were involved in both buried-seed ecology and emergence dynamics. Germination inhibition due to burial depth was found to be directly proportional to clay content and inversely proportional to sand content. Measurement of soil air permeability showed a dose relation between gas exchange potential and depth-mediated germination inhibition. Comparative analysis of the germination response in nonsoil and soil hypoxia suggested that inhibition is caused not so much by hypoxia per se as by the presence of fermenting metabolites that could not easily be eliminated due to decreased respiratory activity. In situ inspection of buried seeds also revealed that the increased time required for emergence in day soils is primarily due to increased mean germination time rather than greater difficulty in seedling penetration upwards through the soil before emergence. Partial removal of germination inhibition of buried seeds was facilitated by elevated air oxygen availability but only with sandy soils, showing that inhibition is closely linked to soil ability to induce gas exchange with external air. At excessive burial depth (12 cm), seeds exhibited induction of secondary dormancy independent of soil texture. In conclusion, these experiments demonstrated that soil physical properties have a strong effect on buried-seed ecology and consequently on seedbank dynamics in the agroecosystem.