Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hardware-based Computer Security Techniques to Defeat Hackers: From Biometrics to Quantum Cryptography

The protection of critical information and systems is a major component of today's electronic business community. This valuable reference presents the primary hardware-based computer security approaches in an easy-to-read toolbox format. The techniques discussed show readers how to perform their own evaluation of new and emerging security technologies. It is an invaluable source for computer engineers, computer security specialists, electrical engineers, software engineers, IT professionals, and advanced undergraduate and graduate students in computer engineering and computer science.
Ethnic background is associated with no live kidney donor identified at the time of first transplant assessment—an opportunity missed? A single‐center retrospective cohort study

Patients from ethnocultural minorities have reduced access to live donor kidney transplant (LDKT). To explore early pretransplant ethnocultural disparities in LDKT readiness, and the impact of the interactions with the transplant program, we assessed if patients had a potential live donor (LD) identified at first pretransplant assessment, and if patients with no LD initially received LDKT subsequently. Single‐center, retrospective cohort of adults referred for kidney transplant (KT) assessment. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between ethnicity and having a potential LD. Cox proportional hazard analysis assessed the association between no potential LD initially and subsequent LDKT. Of 1617 participants, 66% of Caucasians indicated having a potential LD, compared with 55% of South Asians, 44% of African Canadians, and 41% of East Asians (P < 0.001). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, the odds of having a potential LD identified was significantly lower for African, East and South Asian Canadians. No potential LD at initial KT assessment was associated with lower likelihood of LDKT subsequently (hazard ratio [HR], 0.14; [0.10–0.19]). Compared to Caucasians, African, East and South Asian and African Canadians are less likely to have a potential LD identified at first KT assessment, which predicts a lower likelihood of subsequent LDKT.
How mentoring education affects nurse mentors' competence in mentoring students during clinical practice - A quasi-experimental study'.

BACKGROUND Mentors need diverse competencies, sources of motivation and characteristics to successfully mentor nursing students and support students' learning processes. Effective mentoring education can benefit future nursing professionals, students' satisfaction and learning, as well as the general perception of the nursing profession. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate how an educational intervention affects nurse mentors' competence in mentoring nursing students during clinical practice. DESIGN A quasi-experimental study design with pre- and post-tests was used. SETTINGS Educational interventions were conducted in one university hospital and two central hospitals in Finland between 2013 and 2017. The intervention was conducted twice per year with a duration of 3 months for each group. The inclusion criteria for the participants were as follows: volunteer participation to mentor education employment at the university hospital or central hospitals in Northern Finland. METHODS The intervention aimed to increase Registered Nurses' competence in mentoring nursing students. The education lasted 3 months and included online learning as well as three face-to-face teaching sessions. A total of 120 nurse mentors completed the Mentor Competence Instrument (MCI), which includes 10 subscales that describe various competence areas, before and after the education. RESULTS Nurse mentors' mentoring competence increased across all mentoring competence areas after the educational intervention. More specifically, the participating nurses showed a statistically significant increase in their competence regarding knowledge of mentoring practices in the workplace, student-centred evaluation, identifying student needs, mentoring practices between mentor and student, supporting students' learning processes, goal orientation in mentoring and constructive feedback. CONCLUSIONS On an international level, nurse mentors are not typically required to have completed mentoring education prior to the mentoring of nurse students. Since mentoring education increased nurses' competence at mentoring nursing students, we recommend that all nurse degree programs include mentoring education to prepare future nurses for the important future role in mentoring.
Demand and level of service inflation in Floating Catchment Area (FCA) methods

Floating Catchment Area (FCA) methods are a popular tool to investigate accessibility to public facilities, in particular health care services. FCA approaches are attractive because, unlike other accessibility measures, they take into account the potential for congestion of facilities. This is done by 1) considering the population within the catchment area of a facility to calculate a variable that measures level of service, and then 2) aggregating the level of service by population centers subject to catchment area constraints. In this paper we discuss an effect of FCA approaches, an artifact that we term demand and level of service inflation. These artifacts are present in previous implementations of FCA methods. We argue that inflation makes interpretation of estimates of accessibility difficult, which has possible deleterious consequences for decision making. Next, we propose a simple and intuitive approach to proportionally allocate demandand and level of service in FCA calculations. The approach is based on a standardization of the impedance matrix, similar to approaches popular in the spatial statistics and econometrics literature. The result is a more intiuitive measure of accessibility that 1) provides a local version of the provider-to-population ratio; and 2) preserves the level of demand and the level of supply in a system. We illustrate the relevant issues with some examples, and then empirically by means of a case study of accessibility to family physicians in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area (CMA), in Ontario, Canada. Results indicate that demand and supply inflation/deflation affect the interpretation of accessibility analysis using existing FCA methods, and that the proposed adjustment can lead to more intuitive results.
Self-Calibration of Nonlinear Signal Model for Angular Position Sensors by Model-Based Automatic Search Algorithm

This study proposes a novel model-based automatic search algorithm to realize the self-calibration of nonlinear signal model for angular position sensors. In some high-precision angular position sensors, nonlinearity of the signal model is the main source of errors and cannot be handled effectively. By constructing a signal flow network framework and by embedding a modeling search network, the parameters of the nonlinear signal model can be searched, and the calibration signal can be obtained. The convergence of the network search process was analyzed. The relationship between the optimization threshold and the convergence accuracy was also studied in simulations. Compared with the maximum angular error reduction to 47.42% after the calibration with simplified model that ignores signal nonlinearities, the proposed scheme was able to reduce this error to 0.0025% in simulations. By implementing the technique in a capacitive angular position sensor, the experimental results showed that the maximum angular error was reduced to 1.63% compared to a reduction of 86.02% achieved with the simplified model calibration. The effects of the search network order and layer number on the calibration accuracy were also analyzed, and the optimal parameters under experimental conditions were obtained. Correspondingly, the proposed scheme is able to handle calibration of nonlinear signal model and further improve sensor accuracy.
ARHGAP21-deficiency impairs hepatic lipid metabolism and improves insulin signaling in lean and obese mice.

ARHGAP21 is a Rho-GAP that control GTPases activity in several tissues, but its role on liver lipid metabolism is unknown. Thus, to achieve the Rho-GAP role in the liver, ARHGAP21-haplodeficient mice, were fed chow (Ctl and Het) or high-fat diet (Ctl-HFD and Het-HFD) for 12 weeks, and pyruvate and insulin tolerance tests, insulin signaling, liver glycogen and TG content, gene and protein expression and VLDL secretion were measured. Het mice display reduced body weight and plasma TG levels, and increased liver insulin signaling. Reduced gluconeogenesis and increased glycogen content were observed in Het-HFD mice. Gene and protein expression of MTP were reduced in both Het mice, while the lipogenic genes SREBP-1c and ACC were increased. ARHGAP21 knockdown resulted in hepatic steatosis through increased hepatic lipogenesis activity coupled with decreases in CPT1a expression and VLDL export. In conclusion, liver of ARHGAP21-haplodeficient mice are more insulin sensitive, associated with higher lipid synthesis and lower lipid export.
Computational Systems Pharmacology-Target Mapping for Fentanyl-laced Cocaine Overdose.

The United States of America is fighting against one of its worst-ever drug crises. Over 900 people a week die from opioid/heroin-related overdoses while millions more suffer from opioid prescription addiction. Recently, drug overdoses caused by the fentanyl-laced cocaine specifically are on the rise. Due to drug synergy and an increase in side effects, polydrug addiction can cause more risk than a single drug. In the present work, we systematically analyzed the overdose/addiction mechanism of cocaine and fentanyl. Firstly, we applied our established chemogenomics knowledgebase and machine-learning-based methods to map out the potential/known proteins, transporters, metabolic enzymes, and the potential therapeutic target(s) for cocaine and fentanyl. Sequentially, we looked insight into the detail of (1) the addiction to cocaine and fentanyl by binding to the dopamine transporter and the µ opioid receptor (DAT/ µOR); (2) the potential drug-drug interaction of cocaine and fentanyl via p-glycoprotein (P-gp) efflux; (3) the metabolism of cocaine and fentanyl in CYP3A4; (4) the PBPK model for two drugs and their drug-drug interaction in ADME level. Finally, we looked into the detail of JWH133, an agonist of cannabinoid 2-receptor (CB2) with potential therapy for cocaine and fentanyl overdose. All these results provide insight into a better understanding of fentanyl and cocaine polydrug addiction and future drug abuse prevention.
Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defects: experience of the first Fetal Cardiology Unit in Mexico

Abstract Objective The purpose of this article was to describe our experience with the prenatal diagnosis of CHD in patients referred to our Fetal Cardiology Unit. Methods Prospective cohort study of consecutive fetuses referred for advanced fetal echocardiography to our Fetal Cardiology Unit during a 3-year period (September 2015–September 2018). Results Totally 809 fetuses were evaluated, with 1263 fetal advanced echocardiographies performed. Suspected cardiac abnormality was the most common indication for referral (62.2%). Only 7.3% of patients had known morbidities or risk factors for CHD. Mean gestational age at first examination was 25.6 ± 6.4 weeks. A total of 528 (65.3%) fetuses were found to have a cardiac defect: 40.7% had isolated CHD while 24.6% had associated anomalies. The most common defects found were ventricular septal defects (20.3%), followed by conotruncal defects (9.7%), hypoplastic left heart syndrome (9.3%), fetal arrhythmias (8.9%), and venous anomalies (8.7%). 31.6% presented abnormal genetic studies, the most frequent being Down syndrome (23/212, 10.8%), followed by DiGeorge syndrome (11/212, 5.2%). Conclusions Prenatal screening and diagnosis of CHD in Mexico are feasible, with suspected cardiac abnormality being the main reason for referral to a specialized Fetal Cardiology Unit. Efforts must be made to make screening available to the general population in the first and second trimesters of pregnancy by fetal medicine or trained specialists, in order to identify fetal CHD and offer advanced echocardiography, genetic studies, timely fetal cardiac intervention in selected cases, and delivery in tertiary centers, to improve overall survival.
Chromone derivatives, R- and S- taeniolin, from the marine-derived fungus Taeniolella sp. BCC31839

Abstract Two unknown enantiomeric compounds, named (R)- and (S)-taeniolin, along with six known compounds, were isolated from the marine-associated fungus Taeniolella sp. BCC31839. Chemical structures were determined by NMR spectroscopic techniques, and the absolute configurations were confirmed by Mosher application together with CD spectral analyses. Both were inactive for antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant malaria parasite (Plasmodium falciparum) and bacteria (Mycobacerium tuberculosis and Bacillus cereus) at maximum tested concentration.
Green Alternatives to Synthetic Antioxidants, Antimicrobials, Nitrates, and Nitrites in Clean Label Spanish Chorizo

Natural extracts obtained from fruit and vegetable processing are important sources of phenolic compounds and nitrates, with excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. The aim of this study was to characterize and determine the antioxidant and antimicrobial capacity of several natural extracts (citric (Ct), acerola (Ac), rosemary (R), paprika, garlic, oregano, beet (B), lettuce (L), arugula (A), spinach (S), chard (Ch), celery (Ce), and watercress (W)), both in vitro and applied to a cured meat product (chorizo). For that, the volatile compounds by GC-MS and microbial growth were determined. The total phenolic and nitrate contents were measured and related with their antioxidant capacity (measured by DPPH, ABTS, FRAP, and ORAC methods) and antimicrobial capacity against Clostridium perfringens growth in vitro. In order to study the antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the extracts in food, their properties were also measured in Spanish chorizo enriched with these natural extracts. R and Ct showed the highest antioxidant capacity, however, natural nitrate sources (B, L, A, S, Ch, Ce, and W) also presented excellent antimicrobial activity against C. perfringens. The incorporation of these extracts as preservatives in Spanish chorizo also presented excellent antioxidant and antimicrobial capacities and could be an excellent strategy in order to produce clean label dry-cured meat products.
A Membrane-Based Process for the Recovery of Glycyrrhizin and Phenolic Compounds from Licorice Wastewaters

In this work, the use of polymeric ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes was investigated in order to recover glycyrrhizin and phenolic compounds from licorice wastewaters. Filtration experiments were performed on a laboratory scale using four polyamide thin-film composite membranes (GK, GH, GE, and DK, from GE Osmonics) with different molecular weight cut-offs (from 150 to 3500 Da). The permeate flux and retention values of glycyrrhizin, the total polyphenols, the caffeic acid, the total carbohydrate, and the total antioxidant activity as a function of the transmembrane pressure (TMP) and weight reduction factor (WRF) were evaluated. In selected operating conditions, the membrane productivity decreased in the order of GK > DK > GH > GE, with a similar trend to that of water permeability. Glycyrrhizin was totally rejected by selected membranes, independently of TMP and WRF. For the other antioxidant compounds, the retention values increased by increasing both of the parameters. According to the experimental results, a combination of membranes in a sequential design was proposed as a viable approach to produce concentrated fractions enriched in bioactive compounds and purified water from licorice wastewater.
Securing Data Transfer in Cluster-based Wireless Sensor Networks with Less Overhead

A wireless sensor network consists of a large number of battery powered sensor nodes that are capable of sensing and processing the data, and can transmit the data wirelessly to the base station. The effective and practical way for enhancing the performance of WSNs is clustering. As the clusters are formed dynamically and periodically in a cluster based WSN, securing the data transmission in these networks is a critical issue. A secure and efficient data transmission (SET) protocol, called SET-IBS is been recently proposed whose security relies on the hardness of the Diffie-Hellman problem in the pairing domain. Though results show that this protocol has better performance than the existing secure protocols for CWSNs in terms of security overhead and energy consumption, the computational overhead of this protocol is comparatively high. The existing SET-IBS protocol is based on bilinear pairings, where the computation of pairing is time-consuming. This paper aims to provide a reliable and efficient data transmission for CWSNs with low computational overhead using identity based digital signature from elliptic curve digital signature algorithm (IB-ECDSA), which is an identity based signature protocol without pairings, to enhance the existing SET-IBS protocol. As a result, the computation cost can be saved when compared to the existing SET-IBS scheme that uses pairing. Keywords— SET-IBS; IB-ECDSA; Bilinear Pairing
Productivity loss due to menstruation-related symptoms: a nationwide cross-sectional survey among 32 748 women

Objective To evaluate age-dependent productivity loss caused by menstruation-related symptoms, measured in absenteeism (time away from work or school) and presenteeism (productivity loss while present at work or school). Methods Design/setting: internet-based, cross-sectional survey conducted in the Netherlands from July to October 2017. Participants: 32 748 women aged 15–45 years, recruited through social media. Outcome measures: self-reported lost productivity in days, divided into absenteeism and presenteeism; impact of menstrual symptoms; reasons women give when calling in sick; and women’s preferences regarding the implications of menstruation-related symptoms for schools and workplaces. Results A total of 13.8% (n=4514) of all women reported absenteeism during their menstrual periods with 3.4% (n=1108) reporting absenteeism every or almost every menstrual cycle. The mean absenteeism related to a woman’s period was 1.3 days per year. A total of 80.7% (n=26 438) of the respondents reported presenteeism and decreased productivity a mean of 23.2 days per year. An average productivity loss of 33% resulted in a mean of 8.9 days of total lost productivity per year due to presenteeism. Women under 21 years were more likely to report absenteeism due to menstruation-related symptoms (OR 3.3, 95% CI 3.1 to 3.6). When women called in sick due to their periods, only 20.1% (n=908) told their employer or school that their absence was due to menstrual complaints. Notably, 67.7% (n=22 154) of the participants wished they had greater flexibility in their tasks and working hours at work or school during their periods. Conclusions Menstruation-related symptoms cause a great deal of lost productivity, and presenteeism is a bigger contributor to this than absenteeism. There is an urgent need for more focus on the impact of these symptoms, especially in women aged under 21 years, for discussions of treatment options with women of all ages and, ideally, more flexibility for women who work or go to school.
Sexual patterns and practices among men who have sex with men and transgender women in Thailand: A qualitative assessment

The global trend in HIV incidence overall is declining; however, there is a plateau in new HIV infection among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women (TGW) despite extensive investment in HIV prevention targeting these populations. Many studies usually conflate these two groups together, which may overlook many disparate characteristics unique to each population, impeding the efficacy of HIV interventions. To better understand the vulnerable diversity that may put these individuals at risk of HIV infection, we conducted qualitative analysis among Thai MSM and TGW, aiming to identify sexual pattern themes of MSM and TGW in Bangkok in order to better understand their distinctive sexual life context. Convenient and purposive samplings were used to recruit Thai MSM and TGW aged ≥ 18 years old and living in Bangkok, Thailand, for focused group discussions and one-on-one in-depth interviews, respectively. Total of 12 MSM and 13 TGW participated in focused group discussions, which were conducted separately for MSM and TGW. Additionally, 5 MSM and 5 TGW were involved in one-on-one in-depth interviews. Thematic analyses were performed separately for MSM and TGW. The results show that MSM and TGW have distinct and diverse sexual patterns, and within the identified themes: partnering, partner finding, protection, and enhancing sexual pleasure (only for MSM). Participants reported having varying sexual experiences. Recognizing the difference and diversity in partnering and sexual practice of MSM and TGW is crucial in order to develop tailored interventions that suit the vulnerability of the key populations in Thailand.
Evidence of a limb and shear stress stimulus profile dependent impact of high intensity cycling training on flow-mediated dilation.

Lower limb endurance training can improve conduit artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in response to transient increases in shear stress (reactive hyperemia; RH-FMD) in both the upper and lower limbs. Sustained increases in shear stress recruit a partially distinct transduction pathway and elicit a physiologically relevant FMD response (SS-FMD) that provides distinct information regarding endothelial function. However, the impact of training on SS-FMD is not well understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of cycling training on handgrip exercise induced brachial artery(BA) FMD (BA SS-FMD) and calf plantar-flexion induced superficial femoral artery (SFA) FMD (SFA SS-FMD). RH-FMD was also assessed in both arteries. 28 young males were randomized to control (n=12) or training (n=16) groups. The training group cycled 30 min/day, 3 days/week for 4 weeks at 80% heart rate reserve. FMD was assessed in the BA and SFA pre- and post-intervention via Duplex ultrasound. Results are mean ±SD. Training did not impact SS-FMD in either artery, and SFA RH-FMD was also unchanged (p>0.05). When controlling for the shear rate stimulus via covariate analysis, BA RH-FMD improved in the training group (p=0.05)(Control: pre- 5.7±2.4%, post- 5.3±2.4%; Training: pre- 5.4±2.5%, post- 7.2±2.4%). Thus, endurance training resulted in non-uniform adaptations to endothelial function, with an isolated impact on the BA's ability to transduce a transient increase in shear stress. • Training did not alter SS-FMD in the arm or leg. • RH-FMD was augmented in the arm only. • Thus training adaptations were limb and shear stress profile specific.
Early total enteral feeding in stable preterm infants: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Objective To evaluate safety and feasibility of early total enteral feeding (ETEF) in stable preterm infants. Study design Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and feeding intolerance between ETEF and slow rates of enteral feed advancement. Results Four trials involving 393 very low birth weight (VLBW) infants with birth weight >1000–1200 g were included. Meta-analyses did not show statistical difference in risks for NEC (RR 0.87, 95% CI 0.19–3.98) and feeding intolerance (RR 0.78, 95% CI 0.39–1.59). ETEF resulted in lower risk of late-onset sepsis (RR: 0.43, 95% CI: 0.30–0.61). Length of hospital stay was reduced in ETEF (mean difference −1.31 days, 95% CI: −1.54 to −1.07). Conclusions ETEF appears to be safe and feasible in stable VLBW infants with birth weight >1000–1200 g. A large randomized trial is needed to confirm benefits.