Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Assessment of spasticity: an overview of systematic reviews

Abstract Background Spasticity is a common impairment following an upper motor neuron lesion. A number of definitions were proposed for spasticity, as it is a complex phenomenon that is difficult to assess. It is important to address the measurement of spasticity and improve clinical practices related to assessing spasticity. There are numerous systematic reviews related to spasticity assessment varying in their quality, framework and methodology. Objective We aimed to systematically evaluate the evidence from published systematic reviews related to assessment of spasticity in people with various neurological conditions. Methods A comprehensive literature search was conducted in the following databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Embase and The Cochrane Library. Two independent reviewers screened the literature search results to include relevant studies. Subsequently, reviewers extracted the data using a standardized form. The quality of studies was assessed using Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR), and the quality of evidence was critically appraised with Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Results Following the literature search and screening process, a total of 19 studies were included in this overview of systematic reviews. Within these 19 studies, 60 different spasticity assessment tools were found. There were 33 clinical measures of spasticity, 18 biomechanical measures and 8 neurophysiological measures. The majority of systematic reviews were found to have low to moderate rating on AMSTAR and the level of evidence (GRADE) was generally found to be low. Conclusion Overall, our findings suggest that, despite the decades of research, spasticity assessment still requires further investigation. The majority of evidence related to spasticity assessment is low, with the majority of studies relying on methods that assess resistance to passive movement rather than spasticity. Future research is greatly warranted to elucidate the proper approaches for assessing spasticity.
Implementation of an Efficient Image Processing Algorithm for Grading Raisins

Abstract — In order to extract useful features of captured images of bulk raisins by image processing technique, an efficient algorithm was developed and implemented in visual basic language. The proposedmachine vision system consists of a video camera, a capture card, a lighting adjustable tunnel, a personal computer, and mechanical part. The developed algorithm initially extracts the raisins by removing the background from the taken images. It then sorts the raisins according to their RGB color and size features. By a suitable combination of length and RGB color values raisins are graded it two classes.Final step in the algorithm is the calculation of the center of gravity of each raisin to be later used for automatic sorting and rejection of bad raisins. The proposed system was developed and tested and results show that its accuracy is about 96%. Keywords: Grading, Bulk raisin, Image processing, Machine vision, RGB, Color features, Software. * The financial support provided by the University of Tehran, Iran.
Phenotypic and genotypic characterization of Actinobacillus suis sensu stricto isolated from a dairy calf

The species of the genus Actinobacillus have so far been associated with specific animal hosts, and A. suis sensu stricto, an opportunistic pathogen of swine, is rarely isolated from ruminants. We describe here the isolation of A. suis sensu stricto from a newborn calf that died on a dairy farm in Japan. Identification of the isolate was performed by phenotypic and genotypic characterization, with the latter consisting of nucleotide sequence analyses of the 16S rRNA gene plus three housekeeping genes, rpoB, infB and recN.
Features of Extrinsic Plantar Muscles in Patients with Plantar Fasciitis by Ultrasound Imaging: A Retrospective Case Control Research

The present study aimed to compare by ultrasound imaging (USI) the tibial posterior (TP), medial gastrocnemius (MG) and soleus muscle in patients with and without plantar fasciitis (PF). A sample of 42 individuals was recruited and divided into two groups: PF and a healthy group. The thickness, cross-sectional area (CSA), echointensity and echovariation were assessed in both groups by USI. TP, soleus and MG variables did not report differences (p > 0.05) for thickness and CSA. For the echotexture parameters significant differences were found for MG echointensity (p = 0.002), MG echovariation (p = 0.002) and soleus echointensity (p = 0.012). Non-significant differences (p > 0.05) were reported for soleus echovariation, TP echointensity and TP echovariation variables. The thickness and CSA of the TP, GM and soleus muscle did not show significant differences between individuals with and without PF measured by USI. Muscle quality assessment reported an increase of the MG echointensity and echovariation, as well as a decrease of echointensity of the soleus muscle in the PF group with respect to the healthy group. Therefore, the evaluation of the structure and muscle quality of the extrinsic foot muscles may be beneficial for the diagnosis and monitoring the physical therapy interventions.
APPLICATION OF THE COPRAS METHOD IN THE EVALUATION OF TRADE EFFICIENCY IN SERBIA

The issue of the evaluation of trade efficiency based on multi-criteria analysis is very current, complex and significant. It provides a basis for improving, by applying adequate measures, the efficiency of trade in the future. With this in mind, this paper analyzes the efficiency of Serbian trade based on the COPRAS method. The obtained results of the empirical research of trade efficiency in Serbia using the COPRAS method show that it was best in 2020. Recently, the efficiency of trade in Serbia has been continuously increasing. This was positively influenced by numerous factors: economic climate, living standard, employment, inflow of foreign direct investment (global retail chains), modern concepts of cost and business management, digitalization of all business, electronic sales. The negative impact of the Covid-19 corona virus pandemic on trade efficiency in Serbia is negligible (compared to other economic activities, for example, Tourism and hospitality), and is partially offset by increased online sales.
Development of an impact-reduction device by applying ultrasonic vibrations to a high-strength steel plate using a downsized transducer

In this study, we attempted to downsize an ultrasonic impact-reduction device and studied its use in vehicles because the use of large devices increases the overall vehicle weight and size and reduces fuel economy. We downsized the ultrasonic transducer to 195 mm from 435 mm and measured the vibration, deformation, and impact-reduction characteristics. The resonant frequency changed after a bolt-clamped Langevin-type transducer was connected with the horn, and the motional admittance decreased. Upon application of ultrasonic vibrations to a high-strength steel plate, the deformation magnitude increased, the springback magnitude decreased by up to 25%, and the impact force decreased by 18%. While the downsized impact reduction system was found to be less effective, it still showed an impact reduction effect.
Effects of Pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) Seed Protein on Blood Pressure, Plasma Lipids, Leptin, Adiponectin, and Oxidative Stress in Rats with Fructose-Induced Metabolic Syndrome

This study evaluates the potential effects of pumpkin seeds protein on blood pressure (BP), plasma adiponectin, leptin levels, and oxidative stress in rats with fructose-induced metabolic syndrome. Twenty four male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups and fed a 20% casein diet, 20% casein diet supplemented with pumpkin protein, 20% casein diet with 64% D-fructose, or 20% casein diet with pumpkin protein and 64% D-fructose for 8 weeks. Contin-uous fructose feeding induced an increase in plasma insulin/glucose ratio, BP, insulin and glucose, aspartate aminotrans-ferase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), creatinine, urea, and uric acid levels, and a decrease in the liver and muscle glycogen stores. In addition, elevated levels of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), and leptin and lowered adiponectin levels were observed in rats fed a fructose-enriched diet. These groups also exhibited lower plasma levels of ascorbic acid and glutathione, higher thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances, hydroperoxide, carbonyl, and nitric oxide in both the liver and kidneys than rats fed the control diet. Interestingly, pumpkin seed protein treatment significantly counteracted alterations induced by fructose improving glucose, insulin, BP, TG, TC, ALT, and ALP levels, increasing liver and muscle glycogen stores, adiponectin level, and adiponectin/leptin ratio, and reducing plasma leptin lev-els. In addition, rats fed pumpkin protein with a high-fructose diet improved oxidative stress in the liver and kidneys. In conclusion, proteins from Cucurbita pepo L. seeds effectively improve metabolic parameters and protect against oxidative stress induced by a high-fructose diet.
Hydroalcoholic Extract of Ashwagandha Improves Sleep by Modulating GABA/Histamine Receptors and EEG Slow-Wave Pattern in In Vitro - In Vivo Experimental Models

Withania somnifera (ashwagandha) has been used traditionally as a remedy for insomnia and to enhance cognitive function. The effects of ashwagandha extract (AE, 35% withanolide glycosides, ShodenⓇ) on the expression levels of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)Aρ1 and histamine H3 receptors in Rattus norvegicus glioblastoma (C6) cell lines were studied using semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reactions. The effects of AE on sleep onset and duration were studied in Swiss albino mice using the pentobarbital-induced sleep model. Furthermore, the effects on nonrapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement sleep patterns were studied in Wistar rats with electroencephalogram (EEG) to support the improvement in sleep quality. There was an increase in gene expression levels of GABAAρ1 receptor (1.38 and 1.94 folds) and histamine H3 (1.14 and 1.29 folds) receptors induced by AE at doses of 15 and 30 μg/mL compared to control. AE at doses of 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg body weight showed a significant decrease in time to sleep onset and increased total sleep duration in the pentobarbital-induced sleep model. At 50 mg/kg body weight dosage level, a 34% decrease (P<0.0001) in sleep onset time and 47% increase (P<0.0001) in sleep duration was observed. The EEG study showed significant improvement in alpha, beta, theta, delta, and gamma bands at doses of 10, 25, and 50 mg/kg body weight with delta waves showing increases of 30%, 46% (P<0.05), and 34%, respectively. The induction of sleep, GABA-mimetic action, NREM sleep, and the effects on slow-wave cycles support the calming property of AE in improving the quality of sleep.
Foreign space activities in Argentina: Geopolitical imaginaries on the role of China and Europe in the national press (2007–2016)

This article endeavors to understand the construction of a geopolitical imaginary over the People’s Republic of China deep space station on Bajada del Agrio, Province of Neuquén, from the perspective of geopolitics. This paper introduces a comparative perspective: the Chinese space facilities are not a unique case within the borders of this sovereign state: there is a similar space installation called Deep Space Antenna under European Union flag in Malargüe, Province of Mendoza. In order to track the construction of such geopolitical imagination, this article analyzes the discourses offered in newspapers of national circulation in the South American country: Clarín, La Nación, and Página/12 from 2007 to 2016. This work also describes and analyzes domestic and foreign political discourses, and the sources of information the media selects to explain the issues the facilities raise. Argentina is a state of the Global South with an autonomous track of space development. Acquiring technology from a rising power could be disruptive, generating tensions with the core states, which were former exclusive partners and clients.
Fiber Optic Photoacoustic-Based Steering Imaging Transducer

This letter presents a novel fiber optic imaging transducer for solving ultrasound steering problems for photoacoustic imaging (PAI). The design of the transducer is explored and verified by photoacoustic (PA) effect and Fabry-Perot (FP) principle. A directional ultrasound beam that is based on PA effect is excited by coating gold nanocomposites with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) at the distal end of an optical fiber with a certain degree of offset. A microlens with a concave surface is attached to the surface to focus on the length of ultrasound waves. A pulse echo signal is collected by an FP fiber optic sensor. Ultrasound field distribution is captured in order to confirm that the ultrasound beam is directional and focused as a result of the microlens. B mode imaging tests on ex vivo swine back rib muscle-fat slices report the transducer to own a higher depth of penetration. Ultrasound imaging is formed by combining the scanned pulse echo signal without the need for an image reconstruction algorithm. The results demonstrate a promising foundation for the prototype of the fiber optic ultrasound imaging transducer in terms of challenging environments and in vivo.
Effects of forest disturbance, snow depth, and intraguild dynamics on American marten and fisher occupancy in Maine,
 USA

Human land use is a driving force of habitat loss and modification globally, with consequences for wildlife species. The American marten ( Martes americana ) and fisher ( Pekania pennanti ) are forest-dependent carni-vores native to North America. Both species suffered population declines due to loss of forested habitat and overharvest for furs, and continued habitat modification is an ongoing threat. Furthermore, the smaller marten may be susceptible to intraguild exclusion where the larger fisher are abundant, and both habitat modification and climate change may reduce spatial refugia available to marten. A detailed understanding of co-occurrence patterns of marten and fisher in landscapes subjected to intense forest disturbance represents a key knowledge gap for wildlife ecology and management. Maine, in the northeastern United States, supports populations of both these species. It is an extensively forested state, and the vast majority is managed as commercial timberland. We designed a large-scale field study to understand the relative importance of three sets of predictions for marten and fisher occupancy patterns where commercial silviculture is widespread: (1) The intensity of forest disturbance primarily determined both marten and fisher occupancy rates, (2) fisher occupancy was limited to areas of shallower snow and mar-ten limited by fisher presence, or (3) both species responded to the composition of tree species within forested habitat. We collected data to test these nonmutually
Mechanism of Action of an Environmentally Relevant Organochlorine Mixture in Repressing Steroid Hormone Biosynthesis in Leydig Cells

Within Leydig cells, steroidogenesis is induced by the pituitary luteinizing hormone (LH). The binding of LH to its receptor increases cAMP production, which then activates the expression of genes involved in testosterone biosynthesis. One of these genes codes for the steroidogenic acute regulatory (STAR) protein. STAR is part of a complex that shuttles cholesterol, the precursor of all steroid hormones, through the mitochondrial membrane where steroidogenesis is initiated. Organochlorine chemicals (OCs) are environmental persistent organic pollutants that are found at high concentrations in Arctic areas. OCs are known to affect male reproductive health by decreasing semen quality in different species, including humans. We previously showed that an environmentally relevant mixture of OCs found in Northern Quebec disrupts steroidogenesis by decreasing STAR protein levels without affecting the transcription of the gene. We hypothesized that OCs might affect STAR protein stability. To test this, MA-10 Leydig cell lines were incubated for 6 h with vehicle or the OCs mixture in the presence or absence of 8Br-cAMP with or without MG132, an inhibitor of protein degradation. We found that MG132 prevented the OC-mediated decrease in STAR protein levels following 8Br-cAMP stimulation. However, progesterone production was still decreased by the OC mixture, even in the presence of MG132. This suggested that proteins involved in steroid hormone production in addition to STAR are also affected by the OC mixture. To identify these proteins, a whole cell approach was used and total proteins from MA-10 Leydig cells exposed to the OC mixture with or without stimulation with 8Br-cAMP were analyzed by 2D SDS-PAGE and LC-MS/MS. Bioinformatics analyses revealed that several proteins involved in numerous biological processes are affected by the OC mixture, including proteins involved in mitochondrial transport, lipid metabolism, and steroidogenesis.
Some extensions of the operator splitting schemes based on Lagrangian and primal–dual: a unified proximal point analysis

By revisiting some popular operator splitting ideas, we present several classes of splitting schemes based on the Lagrangian, primal–dual and hybrid formulations, from which can be recovered many existing algorithms, including alternating direction method of multipliers and primal–dual hybrid gradient algorithms. In particular, we show that the generalized proximal point framework is at the root of many past and recent splitting algorithms allowing for an elementary convergence analysis of these methods through a unified scheme. The numerical tests on constrained total variation minimization show that the proposed algorithms could offer more freedom in parameter selections and, thus, achieve faster convergence speed.
The Selection of Optimal Structure for Stand-alone Micro-grid Based on Modeling and Optimization of Distributed Generators

The configuration programming of Distributed Generators (DGs) in a micro-grid (MG) through the achievement of multi-objective is an inevitable and primary issue ahead of micro-grid’s construction. The motivation of this paper is to select the most suitable catalog of MG from DC micro-grid (DC-MG), AC micro-grid (AC-MG) and hybrid MG by means of uncertainties’ models and corresponding DGs’ configurations. The DGs in all catalogs of MG are composed of wind turbine (WT), photovoltaic (PV), biomass generation (BG) and battery energy storage (BES) system. In terms of uncertainties’ models, the proposed mathematical models are combined with multifarious scenarios which are considered the uncertainties of variations in solar irradiance and wind speed, temperature and the load demand. Particularly, this paper also proposes differences about allocations and sizes of all the equipments based on the assumed specific structure for each catalog of MG. Then, the non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm III (NSGA-III) is utilized by MATLAB working platform to compute the multi-objective functions associating with the minimized system cost, the loss of power supply probability (LPSP), and the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for each catalog of MG. Finally, the results and comparisons demonstrate that the AC-MG is the optimal catalog for study case, which has superiorities of economy and reliability. Although the DC-MG has lower GHG emissions, the AC-MG is the optimal choice after the comprehensive comparisons and analyses depended on three objectives.
Joint Access Configuration and Beamforming for Cell-Free Massive MIMO Systems with Dynamic TDD

We address the trade-off between system throughput and user equipment (UE) fairness in dynamic time division duplex (TDD) cell-free (CF)-massive multiple-input multiple-output (mMIMO) systems, developing to that end a joint access point (AP) access configuration, power allocation, and beamforming design scheme. Unlike state-of-the-art (SotA) methods, which mostly focus on sum-rate maximization or max-min worst case optimization, our design approach is to maximize the geometric mean of the UEs’ throughput performance under a constrained transmit power, which is shown to yield an excellent compromise between system throughput and user fairness. The direct reformulation of the resulting optimization problem is, however, hard to solve due not only to the non-convexity of the objective function, but also to the binary constraint induced by the AP access configuration. We thus present an efficient (i.e., polynomial time complexity) solution for the problem via a combination of fractional programming (FP) and convex–concave procedure (CCP), assisted by a negative entropy regularizer that promotes a binary solution. Numerical simulations are offered to evaluate the throughput performance and fairness index of the proposed algorithm in comparison not only to conventional TDD-based solutions, but also to recent dynamic TDD SotA designs, which illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach over existing methodologies both in throughput and fairness.
DNA barcoding based on 16S mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) Molecular Marker of Mangrove Clams from the Selected Sites of Davao Region, Philippines

Aims: The taxonomic identification of mangrove clams was confirmed using DNA barcoding based on 16S mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genome. Study design: DNA was extracted from adductor muscle of mangrove clams sample. Purified DNA were sequenced and barcode was generated. Place and duration of the study: The mangrove clams samples used in the study were collected from Malita, Davao Occidental; Santa Cruz, Davao Del Sur; Mati, Davao Oriental, Philippines from January 2021 to June 2021. Methodology: DNA was extracted from adductor muscle of mangrove clams using the Promega GoTaq PCR kit. The extracted DNA were then purified and viewed using the Gel Electrophoresis. The Purified DNA samples were then sequenced and various softwares were then utilized namely sequenced assembly and alignment namely Basic Local Search Tool (BLAST) and Barcode Of Life Database(BOLD) and phylogenetic tree was generated. Results: There are two species morphologically identified as Anodontia philippiana (Reeve, 1850) and Austriella corrugata (Deshayes, 1843) from Davao region. BLAST search established the two species to be closely related to Anodontia (Cavatidens) omissa (Iredale, 1930) and Phacoides pectinatus (Gmelin, 1791), also a member of the Lucinidae family. Conclusion: In this study, the taxonomic identification of the two mangrove clams were further elucidated using the 16S mitochondrial DNA marker.
Ethnopolitical Entrepreneurs as Nation Builders? Heritage and Innovation in Gagauzia

Abstract This article brings to light the lesser-known case of Gagauzia, an autonomous region in Moldova, to examine how global frameworks of authenticity and heritage are drawn upon and performed in three local ethnically centered initiatives. Drawing on data from twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork carried out between 2015 and 2018, this case study provides insight into the ways that notions of nationhood are constructed and perpetuated, with a focus on the role of a specific segment of society, ethnopolitical entrepreneurs. These are neither fully top-down nor bottom-up actors. Focusing on three Gagauzian “firsts” that claim to represent the “last” of disappearing cultural practices and identities, this article interrogates how the given initiatives fuse heritage and innovation to create metacultural discourses that advance notions of Gagauzian ethnic or national particularism. The article gives food for thought about the salience – or not – of elite actors’ articulations of nation, particularly within post-Soviet societies and underscores the array of social actors involved in any nation-building activity. Further, by highlighting the heterogeneity of intersectional, lived experience and articulations of belonging, the article problematizes group-based analysis and methodological nationalism.