Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Reliability-Based Assessment of an In-Service X80 Natural Gas Pipeline in China

Guidelines for the application of reliability-based design and assessment to natural gas pipelines were developed under PRCI sponsorship in 2005. The methodology underlying these guidelines has since been adopted as a non-mandatory Annex in the CSA Z662 standard (Annex O). Following the code in CSA Z662 Annex O, the reliability analysis of an in-service X80 pipeline in North-West China is performed using Monte Carlo technique. In this paper, the distributions of basic input parameters such as loadings, material property is derived based on the data collected from industrial practice. And the analysis of limit states, such as yielding of the defect-free pipeline, bursting of the defect-free pipeline, local buckling due to restrained thermal expansion and excessive plastic deformation, is proceeded based on these distributions. The core of reliability analysis lies in the selection and correction of limit state functions. The modification and extension of limit state models is very significant to accurately calculate probability of failure of different natural gas pipelines, so the limit state models are refined to adapt to the specific work conditions in China. A Monte Carlo reliability analysis framework capable of incorporating the data of industrial practice and limit state models has been developed and applied to the evaluation of the X80 natural gas pipeline, then a practical approximation is developed by using Monte Carlo simulation results. A practical example of an in-service X80 natural gas pipeline is presented to illustrate the availability of the reliability analysis. Furthermore, results generated by different basic input parameters in a limit state function are compared. The sensitivity analysis shows the degree of influence of various basic parameters.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Adopting a multidisciplinary telemedicine intervention for fall prevention in Parkinson’s disease. Protocol for a longitudinal, randomized clinical trial

Background Approximately 40–70% of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) fall each year, causing decreased activity levels and quality of life. Current fall-prevention strategies include the use of pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies. To increase the accessibility of this vulnerable population, we developed a multidisciplinary telemedicine program using an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) platform. We hypothesized that the risk for falling in PD would decrease among participants receiving a multidisciplinary telemedicine intervention program added to standard office-based neurological care. Objective To determine the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of a multidisciplinary telemedicine intervention to decrease the incidence of falls in patients with PD. Methods Ongoing, longitudinal, randomized, single-blinded, case-control, clinical trial. We will include 76 non-demented patients with idiopathic PD with a high risk of falling and limited access to multidisciplinary care. The intervention group (n = 38) will receive multidisciplinary remote care in addition to standard medical care, and the control group (n = 38) standard medical care only. Nutrition, sarcopenia and frailty status, motor, non-motor symptoms, health-related quality of life, caregiver burden, falls, balance and gait disturbances, direct and non-medical costs will be assessed using validated rating scales. Results This study will provide a cost-effectiveness assessment of multidisciplinary telemedicine intervention for fall reduction in PD, in addition to standard neurological medical care. Conclusion In this challenging initiative, we will determine whether a multidisciplinary telemedicine intervention program can reduce falls, as an alternative intervention option for PD patients with restricted access to multidisciplinary care. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04694443.
Belly fat or bloating? New insights into the physical appearance of St Anthony of Padua

Over the centuries, iconographic representations of St Anthony of Padua, one of the most revered saints in the Catholic world, have been inspired by literary sources, which described the Saint as either naturally corpulent or with a swollen abdomen due to dropsy (i.e. fluid accumulation in the body cavities). Even recent attempts to reconstruct the face of the Saint have yielded discordant results regarding his outward appearance. To address questions about the real appearance of St Anthony, we applied body mass estimation equations to the osteometric measurements taken in 1981, during the public recognition of the Saint’s skeletal remains. Both the biomechanical and the morphometric approach were employed to solve some intrinsic limitations in the equations for body mass estimation from skeletal remains. The estimated body mass was used to assess the physique of the Saint with the body mass index. The outcomes of this investigation reveal interesting information about the body type of the Saint throughout his lifetime.
Viviparous mothers impose stronger glucocorticoid‐mediated maternal stress effects on their offspring than oviparous mothers

Abstract Maternal stress during gestation has the potential to affect offspring development via changes in maternal physiology, such as increases in circulating levels of glucocorticoid hormones that are typical after exposure to a stressor. While the effects of elevated maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype (i.e., “glucocorticoid‐mediated maternal effects”) have been relatively well established in laboratory studies, it remains poorly understood how strong and consistent such effects are in natural populations. Using a meta‐analysis of studies of wild mammals, birds, and reptiles, we investigate the evidence for effects of elevated maternal glucocorticoids on offspring phenotype and investigate key moderators that might influence the strength and direction of these effects. In particular, we investigate the potential importance of reproductive mode (viviparity vs. oviparity). We show that glucocorticoid‐mediated maternal effects are stronger, and likely more deleterious, in mammals and viviparous squamate reptiles compared with birds, turtles, and oviparous squamates. No other moderators (timing and type of manipulation, age at offspring measurement, or type of trait measured) were significant predictors of the strength or direction of the phenotypic effects on offspring. These results provide evidence that the evolution of a prolonged physiological association between embryo and mother sets the stage for maladaptive, or adaptive, prenatal stress effects in vertebrates driven by glucocorticoid elevation.
Symptom clusters in patients with colorectal cancer after colostomy: a longitudinal study in Shanghai

Objective Research is lacking regarding the experiences of patients after colostomy, which is needed so as to take necessary specific actions. In this study, we aimed to describe the trajectory of symptom clusters experienced by patients after colostomy over time. Methods This was a longitudinal observational study using data from 149 patients with colorectal cancer after colostomy. We investigated symptoms and symptom clusters at 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year after colostomy. Results Four main symptom clusters were identified, including a psychological symptom cluster, digestive and urinary symptom cluster, lack of energy symptom cluster, and pain symptom cluster in patients after colostomy in the first year after surgery. We further explored the symptom trajectory. Conclusions We explored symptom clusters and the trajectory of symptom resolution in patients after colostomy during the first year after surgery. Four stages were proposed to describe the different statuses of symptom clusters experienced by patients. Our findings may provide insight into how to improve symptom management and postoperative quality of life for patients after colostomy.
Landing Strategies Used by Gymnasts on Different Surfaces

In this study, landing strategies of gymnasts were hypothesized to change with different landing surfaces. This hypothesis was tested by comparing the kinematics and reaction force-time characteristics of two-foot competition-style drop landings performed by male and female collegiate gymnasts onto three surfaces (soft mat, stiff mat, no mat). Significantly lower peak vertical forces, longer landing phase times, and greater knee and hip flexion were observed between the no mat condition and the mat conditions. Knee flexion and peak knee flexion velocities were also observed to be significantly greater for landings on the stiff mat than those on the soft mat. These results indicate that the gymnasts in this study modulated total body stiffness in response to changes in landing surface conditions by using a multi joint solution. In addition, the presence of a mat may reduce the need for joint flexion and may alter the vertical impulse characteristics experienced during landing.
Data‐driven myelin water imaging based on T1 and T2 relaxometry

Long acquisition times preclude the application of multiecho spin echo (MESE) sequences for myelin water fraction (MWF) mapping in daily clinical practice. In search of alternative methods, previous studies of interest explored the biophysical modeling of MWF from measurements of different tissue properties that can be obtained in scan times shorter than those required for the MESE. In this work, a novel data‐driven estimation of MWF maps from fast relaxometry measurements is proposed and investigated. T1 and T2 relaxometry maps were acquired in a cohort of 20 healthy subjects along with a conventional MESE sequence. Whole‐brain quantitative mapping was achieved with a fast protocol in 6 min 24 s. Reference MWF maps were derived from the MESE sequence (TA = 11 min 17 s) and their data‐driven estimation from relaxometry measurements was investigated using three different modeling strategies: two general linear models (GLMs) with linear and quadratic regressors, respectively; a random forest regression model; and two deep neural network architectures, a U‐Net and a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN). Models were validated using a 10‐fold crossvalidation. The resulting maps were visually and quantitatively compared by computing the root mean squared error (RMSE) between the estimated and reference MWF maps, the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) between corresponding MWF values in different brain regions, and by performing Bland–Altman analysis. Qualitatively, the estimated maps appear to generally provide a similar, yet more blurred MWF contrast in comparison with the reference, with the cGAN model best capturing MWF variabilities in small structures. By estimating the average adjusted coefficient of determination of the GLM with quadratic regressors, we showed that 87% of the variability in the MWF values can be explained by relaxation times alone. Further quantitative analysis showed an average RMSE smaller than 0.1% for all methods. The ICC was greater than 0.81 for all methods, and the bias smaller than 2.19%. It was concluded that this work confirms the notion that relaxometry parameters contain a large part of the information on myelin water and that MWF maps can be generated from T1/T2 data with minimal error. Among the investigated modeling approaches, the cGAN provided maps with the best trade‐off between accuracy and blurriness. Fast relaxometry, like the 6 min 24 s whole‐brain protocol used in this work in conjunction with machine learning, may thus have the potential to replace time‐consuming MESE acquisitions.
Effects of virtual reality-based motor rehabilitation: a systematic review of fMRI studies

Background. The use of virtual reality (VR) as a rehabilitation tool has been shown to induce motor and cognitive improvements in different populations. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been used to investigate neuroplasticity resulting from these treatments. We hypothesize that VR rehabilitation induces functional improvement and brain changes that can be detected by fMRI. Objective. To systematically review the effects of VR intervention on the cortical reorganization measured by fMRI and associated with functional improvement. Approach. We performed a systematic review of studies published between 2005 and 2021. Papers were retrieved from six databases using the following keywords: ‘motor rehabilitation’, ‘fMRI’ and ‘virtual reality’. Case studies, pre-post studies, cross-sectional studies, and randomized controlled trials published were included. Manuscripts were assessed by The National Institutes of Health study quality assessment tools to determine their quality. Main results. Twenty-three articles met our eligibility criteria: 18 about VR rehabilitation in stroke and five on other clinical conditions (older adults, cerebral palsy, and Parkinson’s disease). Changes in neural patterns of activation and reorganization were revealed in both the ipsilesional and the contralesional hemispheres. Results were located mainly in the primary motor cortex, sensorimotor cortex and supplementary motor area in post-stroke patients in the acute, subacute, and chronic rehabilitation phases, and were associated with functional improvement after VR intervention. Similar effects were observed in older adults and in patients with other neurological diseases with improved performance. Significance. Most stroke-related studies showed either restoration to normal or increase of activation patterns or relateralization at/to the ipsilesional hemisphere, with some also reporting a decrease in activity or extent of activation after VR therapy. In general, VR intervention demonstrated evidence of efficacy both in neurological rehabilitation and in performance improvement of older adults, accompanied by fMRI evidence of brain reorganization.
Latitudinal gradients in sexual dimorphism: Alternative hypotheses for variation in male traits

Abstract Biological patterns across latitudinal gradients elucidate a number of striking natural clines from which numerous processes can be further explored. The trade‐off between reproduction and somatic maintenance and growth represents a suite of life‐history traits with variable energy allocation and potential latitudinal patterns. Specifically, male sexually dimorphic traits in female choice systems represent one such reproductive investment constrained by resource acquisition and subsequent allocation. Latitudinal variation in sexual dimorphism has been suggested although the relationship between dimorphic traits and latitude are conflicting. Here, we test alternative hypotheses regarding this pattern using two broadly distributed vertebrates exhibiting sexually dimorphic traits. We hypothesized that the exaggeration of dimorphic traits correlates with latitude, with males having exaggerated sexually dimorphic traits at either higher or lower latitudes. Results indicate that male sexually dimorphic traits are exaggerated at lower latitudes while relative gonopodium size in Poecilia latipinna was larger at higher latitudes. This pattern may be a result of lower latitude populations experiencing greater population densities and longer access to resources that could manifest in females more intensively selecting for higher quality males in lower latitudes. Experimental work should address this pattern and investigate mechanistic processes.
Optimum combining in fractional domain

Fractional domain optimum combining (OC) using fractional Fourier transform has been considered in this article. It has already been established that in an interference-dominated environment, OC is the best among all the diversity techniques used for single-input multiple-output systems. This technique is based on the principle of maximising the signal-to-interference plus noise ratio at the output of the combiner. In this article, a new combiner, which calculates the weights in fractional domain, has been proposed to further enhance the performance of OC in terms of bit error rate (BER). Fractional domain combining gives better signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the output of the combiner as compared to time- or frequency-domain combiner due to complete removal of noise. For two receive antennas, the proposed combiner gives an SNR improvement of 7.2 and 2.4 dB as compared to time- and frequency-domain combiners, at a BER of 10−2. It has been concluded that the proposed technique clearly outperforms the existing technique.
Clinical analysis of hypereosinophilic syndrome first presenting with asthma-like symptoms

Abstract Introduction Clinical manifestations of hypereosinophilic syndrome (HES) are diverse. This study aimed to summarise these clinical characteristics with asthma-like onset as the first symptom, and compare these characteristics and treatment strategies between idiopathic and parasitic HES. Materials and methods We retrospectively analysed 36 HES patients with asthma-like symptoms as the first episode, between January 2013 and October 2019. Data of patients with HES of an unknown cause (idiopathic HES) and parasitic infection (parasite HES) were analysed. Results The idiopathic and parasite HES groups included 16 and 20 patients, respectively, with more males in the parasite HES group (p < .05). Wheezing and dry rales was the most common symptom and signs, with no significant differences in symptoms and signs between the groups. The most often misdiagnosed disease was bronchial asthma. The peripheral blood eosinophil count was significantly increased compared with normal counts in both groups (p > .05). Abnormal pulmonary function is mainly manifested as obstructive ventilatory disorder and mixed ventilatory disorder. Chest computed tomography showed extensive ground-glass exudation, patches, consolidation, nodules, and pleural effusion. Histopathological examination showed eosinophilic infiltration without vasculitis or granuloma. Glucocorticoids had a significant therapeutic effect, and the parasite HES group required combined deworming drugs. The duration of corticosteroids therapy in the idiopathic HES group was significantly longer than that in the parasite HES group (p < .05). The overall prognosis was good, and 81.25% of the patients were clinically cured in the parasite HES group; however, relapse occurred easily in the idiopathic HES group. Conclusions Asthma-like symptoms, obstructive ventilatory disorder or positive bronchial dilation test, and poor response to inhaled corticosteroids are not necessarily indicative of refractory asthma; HES should be considered. The clinical characteristics of HES of different aetiologies are similar. Systemic corticosteroid therapy is preferred for idiopathic and parasitic infections. Idiopathic HES is treated with prolonged corticosteroids and relapses easily. Key Messages Asthma-like symptoms, obstructive ventilatory disorder or positive bronchial dilation tests, and poor responses to inhaled corticosteroids are not necessarily indicative of refractory asthma, and hypereosinophilic syndrome should be considered. The clinical characteristics of hypereosinophilic syndrome of different aetiologies are similar, and systemic glucocorticoid therapy is preferred for both idiopathic and parasitic infections. Idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome is treated with prolonged corticosteroids and relapses easily.
Buyers' Attitude and Preference towards Flat/Apartments

Nowadays people would like to have and live in their own house. Because of the growing population and lack of sufficient place, cities cannot grow horizontally. Building promoters and contractors in real estate industry are concentrating on the construction of flats/apartments even in cities like Trichy/Tamilnadu. In order to thrive and excel in the competitive environment flat promoters have to understand the expectations, tastes, preferences and lifestyle of the buyers. Two hundred and fifty customers who were living in the flats at Trichy area were included for this study. Findings of this study reveal that people living in the flats are giving importance to location of the flat, price, Swimming pool, Surveillance camera, living space, parking facility, lighting facility, lift and safety. This study will be useful for the customers to express about their opinion with regard to various aspects of flats and also useful for the flat promoters to understand about their buyers.
Monitoring the production of a supply chain with a revisited MRP approach

This paper examines the centralised monitoring of an upstream supply chain (USC) in the context of a mass customisation production system. We propose an adaptation of the material requirement planning framework to manage demand uncertainty at each stage of the USC. New analytical relations that exploit structural information on demand beyond the frozen horizon are developed for efficient decision-making and appropriate information sharing among the productive supply chain units. A numerical example to illustrate the implementation of the new analytical relations is provided, and a synthesis of benchmarks performed in the automotive industry is presented.
Examination of the interior of sand fly (Diptera: Psychodidae) abdomen reveals novel cuticular structures involved in pheromone release: Discovering the manifold

The males of many species of New World Phlebotomines produce volatile terpenoid chemicals, shown in Lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. to be sex/aggregation pheromones. Pheromone is produced by secretory cells which surround a cuticular reservoir which collects the pheromone and passes it through a cuticular duct to the surface of the insect. The pheromone then passes through specialised cuticular structures on the abdominal surface prior to evaporation. The shape and distribution of the specialised structures are highly diverse and differ according to species. In this study we used SEM to examine the interior cuticular pheromone collection and transport structures of 3 members of the Lu. longipalpis s.l. species complex and Migonemyia migonei. We found a new structure which we have called the manifold which appears to be a substantial extension of the interior tergal cuticle connected in-line with the cuticular duct and reservoir. The manifold of the Campo Grande member of the complex is longer and wider than the Jacobina member whereas the manifold of the Sobral member was shorter than both other members of the complex. Overall, the secretory apparatus of the Sobral member was smaller than the other two. The manifold of M. migonei was very different to those found in Lu. longipalpis s.l. and was positioned in a pit-like structure within the tergal cuticle. The secretory reservoir was connected by a short duct to the manifold. Differences in the size and shape of the manifold may be related to the chemical structure of the pheromone and may have taxonomic value. Examination of the interior cuticle by SEM may help to locate the secretory apparatus of vector species where pheromonal activity has been inferred from behavioural studies but the external secretory structures or pheromones have not yet been found.
Model for Optimal Design of Reinforced Concrete Beam

An infinite member of combinations of values of the effective depth, width, and area of reinforcement could yield the same nominal moment capacity of a reinforced concrete beam. In the conventional process, a designer often assumes a beam section not linked with cost, and the process is repeated if the assumed section is not adequate. This technical note presents a model for the optimal flexural design of singly reinforced concrete beam in which the process is reversed; i.e., applied bending moment and other parameters are inputs, and the beam section is the output of the model. Using this nonlinear programming model, the unique least-cost beam design could be achieved directly, exactly matching its ultimate moment of resistance with the ultimate applied bending moment, including that due to the self-weight. Application of this new design technique is illustrated with example problems showing considerable savings in cost and material consumption.