Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diet quality among people with intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning

Abstract Background We sought to assess diet quality among people with intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning, living in residential facilities or receiving day care. Methods We measured diet quality using the Dutch Healthy Diet Food Frequency Questionnaire (DHD) and compared this between participants with (n = 151) and controls without intellectual disabilities (n = 169). Potential correlates of diet quality were explored. Results We found lower mean diet quality among people with intellectual disabilities (M = 80.9) compared to controls (M = 111.2; mean adjusted difference −28.4; 95% CI [−32.3, −24.5]; p < .001). Participants with borderline intellectual functioning and mild intellectual disabilities had lower diet quality and higher body mass index than individuals with severe to profound intellectual disabilities. Being female was a predictor of better diet quality. Conclusions Overall, we found that diet quality was low in the sample of people with intellectual disabilities or borderline intellectual functioning.
Antimicrobial coatings for environmental surfaces in hospitals: a potential new pillar for prevention strategies in hygiene

Abstract Recent reports provide evidence that contaminated healthcare environments represent major sources for the acquisition and transmission of pathogens. Antimicrobial coatings (AMC) may permanently and autonomously reduce the contamination of such environmental surfaces complementing standard hygiene procedures. This review provides an overview of the current status of AMC and the demands to enable a rational application of AMC in health care settings. Firstly, a suitable laboratory test norm is required that adequately quantifies the efficacy of AMC. In particular, the frequently used wet testing (e.g. ISO 22196) must be replaced by testing under realistic, dry surface conditions. Secondly, field studies should be mandatory to provide evidence for antimicrobial efficacy under real-life conditions. The antimicrobial efficacy should be correlated to the rate of nosocomial transmission at least. Thirdly, the respective AMC technology should not add additional bacterial resistance development induced by the biocidal agents and co- or cross-resistance with antibiotic substances. Lastly, the biocidal substances used in AMC should be safe for humans and the environment. These measures should help to achieve a broader acceptance for AMC in healthcare settings and beyond. Technologies like the photodynamic approach already fulfil most of these AMC requirements.
Canadian Women's Experience of Postnatal Care: A Mixed Method Study

Background The postnatal period remains unstandardized in terms of care and postnatal visits with a dearth of information on the experience from Canadian women. Purpose To explore (1) with whom and how often women receive postnatal follow-up visits and (2) the postnatal care experiences of Canadian mothers. Methods Using a cross-sectional design, women who had given birth within the past 6 months were recruited to complete an online survey. Frequencies were computed for quantitative outcomes and thematic analysis was used for qualitative responses. Results A total of 561 mothers completed the survey. Women saw on average 1.9 different postnatal healthcare providers, primarily family doctors (72.4%). 3.2% had no postnatal visits and 37.6% had 4 or more within 6 weeks. 76.1% women were satisfied with their postnatal care. Women's satisfactory care in the postnatal period was associated with in-person and at home follow-ups, receiving support, and receiving timely, appropriate care for self and newborn. Unsatisfactory care was associated with challenges accessing care, experiencing gaps in follow-up visits, and having unsatisfactory assessment for their own recovery. Conclusion There is considerable variation in the timing and frequency of postnatal visits. While many women are experiencing satisfactory care, women are still reporting dissatisfaction and are facing challenges.
Compressed Fourier-Domain Convolutional Beamforming for Sub-Nyquist Ultrasound Imaging

Efficient ultrasound (US) systems that produce high-quality images can improve current clinical diagnosis capabilities by making the imaging process much more affordable and accessible to users. The most common technique for generating B-mode US images is delay-and-sum (DAS) beamforming, where an appropriate delay is introduced to signals sampled and processed at each transducer element. However, sampling rates that are much higher than the Nyquist rate of the signal are required for high-resolution DAS beamforming, leading to large amounts of data, making remote processing of channel data impractical. Moreover, the production of US images that exhibit high resolution and good image contrast requires a large set of transducer elements, which further increases the data size. Previous works suggest methods for reduction in sampling rate and in array size. In this work, we introduce compressed Fourier domain convolutional beamforming, combining Fourier domain beamforming (FDBF), sparse convolutional beamforming, and compressed sensing methods. This allows reducing both the number of array elements and the sampling rate in each element while achieving high-resolution images. Using in vivo data, we demonstrate that the proposed method can generate B-mode images using 142 times less data than DAS. Our results pave the way toward efficient US and demonstrate that high-resolution US images can be produced using sub-Nyquist sampling in time and space.
Cullin3 (CUL3) suppresses proliferation, migration and phenotypic transformation of PDGF-BB-stimulated vascular smooth muscle cells and mitigates inflammatory response by repressing Hedgehog signaling pathway

ABSTRACT Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) hyperplasia is closely associated with AS progression. Hence, it is of great significance to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the involvement of VSMCs in AS. SHH antagonist can inhibit the excessive proliferation, migration and phenotypic transformation of PDGF-BB-induced VSMCs. It has been proved that CUL3 can suppress Hedgehog signaling. This current work was designed to identify the biological role of CUL3 in the behaviors of VSMCs in AS and investigate the potential molecular mechanism. VSMCs were treated with PDGF-BB to establish the cell model in vitro. Levels of CUL3, SHH and Gli1 in PDGF-BB-stimulated VSMCs were measured by RT-qPCR analysis. Then, the precise functions of CUL3 in VSMCs were determined from the perspectives of proliferation, migration, apoptosis and phenotype transformation. Besides, the influence of CUL3 on inflammatory response in VSMCs was evaluated. Moreover, the impact of CUL3 on Hedgehog signaling pathway was also investigated. In the present research, it was observed that CUL3 was lowly expressed and SHH and Gli1 were highly expressed in PDGF-BB-stimulated VSMCs. Upregulation of CUL3 suppressed the excessive proliferation, migration and phenotypic transformation and facilitated the apoptosis of PDGF-BB-stimulated VSMCs. In addition, elevation of CUL3 alleviated inflammatory response in PDGF-BB-stimulated VSMCs. Importantly, CUL3 overexpression inactivated Hedgehog signaling pathway. To conclude, CUL3 might regulate the biological behaviors of VSMCs in AS by modulating Hedgehog signaling pathway. These data encourage to further investigate any potential therapeutic role of CUL3 in animal models of AS and explore therapeutic values for AS clinically.
Making computed tomography safer for patients with Crohn’s disease

Abstract Background and aims: Computed tomography (CT), often more accessible than magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), remains widely used though radiation exposure is an obvious disadvantage. We previously showed that modern CT technology can achieve over 70% reduction in radiation-dose without loss of accuracy. Here, we compare low- versus conventional-dose CT in patients with known Crohn's disease to assess clinical confidence and accuracy of the low-dose procedure in the semi-acute setting. Methods: A comparative study of low-dose CT with full iterative reconstruction (IR) versus conventional-dose CT was conducted in 50 consecutive outpatients with Crohn's disease. Clinicians were provided with the low-dose images and reports, whereas conventional-dose images were reviewed after 4 weeks. Results: The clinical question was adequately addressed with low-dose IR imaging in all cases. Complications of Crohn's were detected in 37/50 (74%) with no disagreement between low- and conventional-dose imaging. The effective radiation dose reduction was 76.5% (low-dose mean 2.15 mSv versus conventional-dose CT 6.99 mSv). Conclusion: Low-dose IR CT is safe and accurate for evaluating distribution and complications of known Crohn's disease in the outpatient setting. We propose that low-dose radiation imaging should be adopted as standard-of-care for the evaluation of Crohn's disease and an acceptable alternative to MR particularly in the acute setting. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT03140306.
Adaptive divergence in bill morphology and other thermoregulatory traits is facilitated by restricted gene flow in song sparrows on the California Channel Islands

Disentangling the effects of neutral and adaptive processes in maintaining phenotypic variation across environmental gradients is challenging in natural populations. Song sparrows (Melospiza melodia) on the California Channel Islands occupy a pronounced east‐west climate gradient within a small spatial scale, providing a unique opportunity to examine the interaction of genetic isolation (reduced gene flow) and the environment (selection) in driving variation. We used reduced representation genomic libraries to infer the role of neutral processes (drift and restricted gene flow) and divergent selection in driving variation in thermoregulatory traits with an emphasis on the mechanisms that maintain bill divergence among islands. Analyses of 22,029 neutral SNPs confirm distinct population structure by island with restricted gene flow and relatively large effective population sizes, suggesting bill differences are probably not a product of genetic drift. Instead, we found strong support for local adaptation using 3294 SNPs in differentiation‐based and environmental association analyses coupled with genome‐wide association tests. Specifically, we identified several putatively adaptive and candidate loci in or near genes involved in bill development pathways (e.g., BMP, CaM, Wnt), confirming the highly complex and polygenic architecture underlying bill morphology. Furthermore, we found divergence in genes associated with other thermoregulatory traits (i.e., feather structure, plumage colour, and physiology). Collectively, these results suggest strong divergent selection across an island archipelago results in genomic changes in a suite of traits associated with climate adaptation over small spatial scales. Future research should move beyond studying univariate traits to better understand multidimensional responses to complex environmental conditions.
Activation of PPARα enhances astroglial uptake and degradation of β-amyloid

Description A drug combination turns neuroinflammatory astrocytes into neuroprotective, amyloid-clearing cells. Flipping astrocytes to treat Alzheimer’s disease Astrocytes are a type of glial cell that are implicated in the buildup of β-amyloid (Aβ) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Raha et al. found that instead of promoting Aβ accumulation, astrocytes could be induced to take up and destroy Aβ fibrils with an orally ingested combination of drugs that are approved for other indications. Astrocytes in cell cultures and in AD model mice were stimulated to phagocytose Aβ through the activation of the LDL cholesterol receptor by retinoic acid and to subsequently degrade Aβ in lysosomes by the cholesterol-lowering drug gemfibrozil (also known as Lopid). In mice, the combination of retinoic acid and gemfibrozil reduced Aβ load and improved cognitive function. The findings suggest that these drugs could be repurposed to harness astrocytes as Aβ-clearing machines in AD. Astrocytes are a type of glial cell that are activated in the brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer’s disease to induce the accumulation of amyloid (Aβ). We previously found that a combination of low-dose gemfibrozil (GFB; a drug approved to treat high cholesterol) and retinoic acid (RA; a vitamin A derivative) induces lysosomal bio-genesis through peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α (PPARα)–mediated transcription of the gene encoding transcription factor EB (TFEB), a master regulator of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy. Here, we found that the same combination (GFB-RA) enhanced the uptake of Aβ from the extracellular space and its subsequent degradation in astrocytes through a PPARα-dependent pathway. GFB-RA stimulated the abundance of both low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and TFEB in astrocytes through PPARα. LDLR was critical for Aβ uptake, whereas TFEB was critical for its degradation. GFB-RA treatment also increased autophagic flux and lysosomal activity in astrocytes. Consistent with these effects and in a manner dependent on astroglial PPARα, oral administration of GFB-RA switched astroglial activation to a neuroprotective state, lowered Aβ burden in the brain, and improved spatial learning and memory in the 5XFAD mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. These findings uncover a new function of PPARα in stimulating astroglial uptake and degradation of Aβ and suggest possible repurposing of GFB-RA combination therapy for AD.
Acute effects of exercise on cardiac autonomic function and arterial stiffness in patients with stable coronary artery disease

Abstract Objectives. To examine the acute effect of a maximal aerobic exercise effort on aortic, peripheral arterial stiffness and cardiovagal modulation of trained and untrained patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). Design. Cross-sectional study. Methods. Eighteen untrained patients with CAD, 18 trained patients with CAD, and 18 apparently healthy trained subjects were sampled and matched for age and body mass index. Aortic and peripheral stiffness were measured by applanation tonometry estimates of carotid-femoral (cfPWV), carotid-radial (crPWV), and carotid-dorsalis pedis pulse wave velocity (cdPWV), respectively. Cardiovagal modulation was assessed by heart-rate variability (HRV) indices including the standard deviation of normal-to-normal RR intervals (SDNN), root-mean-square of successive differences (RMSSD), and the high-frequency power band (HF). cfPWV, crPWV, cdPWV, and HRV indices were measured at rest, 10 and 30 min following a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test on a cycle ergometer. Results. No differences were observed between groups at rest nor over time in indices of HRV, cfPWV and cdPWV. Still, main effects of time were observed in cfPWV (p < .001; ɳ 2 = 0.313) and cdPWV (p = .003, ɳ 2 = 0.111), RMSSD (p < .001, ɳ 2 = 0.352), HF (p < .001, ɳ 2 = 0.265) and LF/HF (p = .001, ɳ 2 = 0.239), as cdPWV, RMSSD, and HF were reduced 10 min following exercise, whereas cfPWV and LF/HF were increased. Changes in cPP were associated with changes in HRV from rest to min 10 (HF, r = 0.302), and to min 30 (HF, r = 0.377; SDNN, r = 0.357; RMSSD, r = 0.429). Conclusion. Training level and CAD do not seem to influence arterial stiffness and cardiac autonomic responses to maximal exercise.
Effects of Lifestyle Intervention on Inflammatory Markers and Waist Circumference in Overweight/Obese Adults With Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

Background: Physical inactivity and an imbalanced diet could lead to some cardio metabolic risk factors. Objective: The objective of this meta-analysis was to investigate the effects of lifestyle modification on inflammatory indicators and waist circumference (WC) in overweight/obese subjects with metabolic syndrome (MS) Data sources: A systematic search was conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane, Google Scholar, and Web of Science. Study selection: The selection criteria were randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the effects of lifestyle interventions on inflammation and WC from inception to 20 December 2020. The weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) between interventions were computed using a random or fixed-effects model. Results: Six RCTs (including 1246 MS patients who had, on average, overweight/obesity) met all inclusion criteria. Interventions lasted 6 to 12 months (2–5 sessions per week). Lifestyle intervention significantly reduced C-reactive protein (WMD: −0.52 mg/ml, 95% CI: −0.72, −0.33), IL-6 (WMD: −0.50 pg/ml, 95% CI: −0.56, −0.45), and increased adiponectin (WMD: 0.81 µg/ml, 95% CI, 0.64, 0.98). Moreover, lifestyle modification significantly decreased WC (WMD: −3.12 cm, 95% CI, −4.61, −1.62). Conclusion: Our findings provide evidence that lifestyle alterations, including physical activity and diet, can lead to significant improvement in abdominal obesity, measured by WC and some inflammation markers among overweight/obese individuals with MS. Further high-quality research is needed to clarify the mechanisms underlying the effect of such interventions on this population’s inflammatory markers.
Initial growth results comparing first generation F1 and advanced-generation F2 Pinus patula × Pinus tecunumanii interspecific hybrid families

The hybrid between Pinus patula and P. tecunumanii low elevation (PPTL) and high elevation (PPTH) sources was developed in the 1990s in South Africa and commercialised during the 2000s in response to high post-establishment mortality of P. patula caused by Fusarium circinatum. The growth and wood properties for these hybrids are also superior to the parental species. This study describes an experiment where F1 hybrid families and F2 advanced hybrid families of the Pinus patula × P. tecunumanii low elevation hybrid were compared in a progeny field experiment. Seed yield and early growth at three years is reported. The early results from this study indicate that there were no significant differences in growth between the F1 and F2 PPTL hybrid and both the F1 and F2 hybrid outperformed the pure P. patula control. These early results should be monitored further to determine if this trend continues. The F2 hybrid offers the opportunity to obtain tolerance of F. circinatum and better growth than P. patula at a much lower cost than that of deployment of the F1 PPTL hybrid.
Age structure of stranded Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta) in Turkey

The Mediterranean coast of Turkey includes important nesting beaches and marine habitats for the Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta caretta). We studied the demographic structure of this population by applying the skeletochronological method on stranded individuals. The mean age of stranded turtles was 27.0±3.83 years for females (N=10) and 40.1±14.97 years for males (N=7). The age of first reproduction was 23 years with a curved carapace length (CCL) of 61 cm for females and 21 years with a 67.5 cm CCL for males. The oldest observed female was 34 years old with a 67.8 cm CCL, while the oldest male was 59 years old with a 77.0 cm CCL. Incidental capture in fishing gear (60%) and marine vessel collisions (24%) were determined as the main causes of stranding.
Application of square matrix decomposition in the prospectus of Cholesky algorithm

This paper aims to firstly, holistically analyze Cholesky decomposition, an efficient technique of decomposing a Hermitian, positive-definite matrix into the product of its lower triangular matrix and the conjugate transpose, and secondly, explore the different applications of this technique in various fields ranging from linear least squares, Monte-Karlo simulation, Kalman filters, etc. Additionally, the computation of a few variants of the Cholesky algorithm have been discussed, and other concepts, including the relationship between eigenvalues and eigenvectors with Cholesky decomposition.
Decrease the time for classification of the incoming signals from BCI

In the recent years the attention to Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) devices and their potential for decoding human brain signals have risen considerably. However, a number of issues related to the classification of received signals still remain unresolved. This study focuses on increasing the speed of classification of data obtained from the Brain Computer Interface (BCI), without significantly affecting the accuracy of processing and classification. Our research team focuses on the possibilities to reduce the number of channels as one of the potential factors for increasing the speed of incoming data classification. Experimental data is obtained by using Emotiv Epoc 14+. For data processing we used Python. The data is classified with K-Neighbors algorithm.
Liveability of Indian Cities and Spread of Covid-19-- Case of Tier-1 Cities

Cities are widely considered to be the engines of economic growth, as they contribute for more than 70% of global economy. However, the haphazard urbanisation trends are today resulting in widespread problems of urban sprawl, pollution, housing, crime and disaster and so on. While India is one of the least urbanised large developing countries of the world, the country is witnessing rapid urbanisation (projected to add 404 million of urban population by 2050). However, the associated problems are impacting the liveability of the cities in India. In light of that, this study aims to evaluate the liveability of Tier-1 cities of India. In reference to the existing literature, eleven key indicators have been identified for the evaluation of liveability. For the ease of analysis, these indicators are broadly clustered under five categories, that is, health, environment, transport, geography and socio-economy. The correlation analysis between the indicators and the number of Covid-19 cases in selected cities of India reveal a significant relationship between the individual categories such as ‘quality of life’ and ‘health index’.
On an eddy viscosity model for energetic deep-water surface gravity wave breaking

Abstract We present an investigation of the fundamental physical processes involved in deep-water gravity wave breaking. Our motivation is to identify the underlying reason causing the deficiency of the eddy viscosity breaking model (EVBM) in predicting surface elevation for strongly nonlinear waves. Owing to the limitation of experimental methods in the provision of high-resolution flow information, we propose a numerical methodology by developing an EVBM enclosed standalone fully nonlinear quasi-potential (FNP) flow model and a coupled FNP plus Navier–Stokes flow model. The numerical models were firstly verified with a wave train subject to modulational instability, then used to simulate a series of broad-banded focusing wave trains under non-, moderate- and strong-breaking conditions. A systematic analysis was carried out to investigate the discrepancies of numerical solutions produced by the two models in surface elevation and other important physical properties. It is found that EVBM predicts accurately the energy dissipated by breaking and the amplitude spectrum of free waves in terms of magnitude, but fails to capture accurately breaking induced phase shifting. The shift of phase grows with breaking intensity and is especially strong for high-wavenumber components. This is identified as a cause of the upshift of the wave dispersion relation, which increases the frequencies of large-wavenumber components. Such a variation drives large-wavenumber components to propagate at nearly the same speed, which is significantly higher than the linear dispersion levels. This suppresses the instant dispersive spreading of harmonics after the focal point, prolonging the lifespan of focused waves and expanding their propagation space.