Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
PROtein enriched MEDiterranean diet to combat undernutrition and promote healthy neuroCOGnitive ageing in older adults: The PROMED‐COG consortium project

Abstract Dementia is a major public health challenge owing to its increasing prevalence and recognised impact on disability among older adults. Observational data indicate that weight loss is associated with increased dementia risk of 30%–40% and precedes a diagnosis of cognitive impairment or dementia by at least one decade. Although relatively little is known about the mechanisms of unintentional weight loss in dementia, this provides a window of opportunity to intervene with strategies to counteract undernutrition and delay, or prevent, the onset of dementia. This article provides an overview of the PROMED‐COG project and associated work packages. The project aimes to (1) strengthen the epidemiologic evidence to better understand the potential benefits of combating undernutrition for healthy neurocognitive ageing; (2) increase scientific knowledge on the balance between a protein enriched Mediterranean diet (PROMED) and physical exercise to prevent undernutrition and promote healthy neurocognitive ageing, and generate data on mechanistic pathways; (3) stimulate collaboration and capacity building for nutrition and neurocognitive ageing research in Europe; and (4) develop public and practice recommendations to combat undernutrition and promote healthy neurocognitive ageing in older adults. Findings will provide new and critical insights into the role of undernutrition in neurocognitive ageing, how this role can differ by sex, genetic risk and timing of undernutrition exposure, and how modifications of dietary and physical activity behaviour can reduce the burden of undernutrition and neurodegeneration. The research outcomes will be useful to inform policy and practice about the dietary guidelines of older people and provide insight to industry for the development of food‐based solutions to prevent undernutrition.
Detecting Noncooperation Nodes Mechanisms in Wireless Networks: A Survey

Wireless networks face security problems compared with traditional wired networks. In wireless networks such as wireless sensor networks (WSNs), mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), and the internet of things (IoT), nodes have limited radio bandwidth and power supply then. They require cooperation in sending messages. It increases the motivation of nodes not to cooperate in such networks. This paper reviews different methods for identifying and stimulating nodes for focused cooperation. The performance of each method, its advantages, and its disadvantages have been reviewed and functionally categorized and compared with the metrics of false positive/negative rate and detection accuracy, throughput, and other metrics.
Onflow and consumption: Affect and first encounters

In this paper, we are concerned with how we might account for the under-appreciated relation of intensities that flow through and around consumption experiences. In pursuing clarity, researchers have tended to treat consumer experiences as bounded and discrete, segregated from the messy unfolding of life around them. In this work, we look to acknowledge this everyday unfolding of the experience to appreciate how we might articulate the more-than-representational excess of seemingly un-spectacular, quotidian moments of encounter, and how we might attune ourselves to the constant unfolding of consumer experiences. In addressing these concerns, we produce a series of narratives designed to reveal both the ecologies and processual registers of experience. These narratives seek not just to inform, but also to evoke and provoke. Moreover, they work to engage readers with the messiness of everyday life attempting to give form to phenomena that are essentially formless and in continuous circulation.
Author Identification with Machine Learning Algorithms

– Author identification is one of the application areas of text mining. It deals with the automatic prediction of the potential author of an electronic text among predefined author candidates by using author specific writing styles. In this study, we conducted an experiment for the identification of the author of a Turkish language text by using classical machine learning methods including Support Vector Machines (SVM), Gaussian Naive Bayes (GaussianNB), Multi Layer Perceptron (MLP), Logistic Regression (LR), Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) and ensemble learning methods including Extremely Randomized Trees (ExtraTrees), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost). The proposed method was applied on three different sizes of author groups including 10, 15 and 20 authors obtained from a new dataset of newspaper articles. Term frequency-inverse document frequency (TF-IDF) vectors were created by using 1-gram and 2-gram word tokens. Our results show that the most successful method is the SGD with a classification performance accuracy of 0.976% by using word unigrams and most successful method is the LR with a classification performance accuracy of 0.935% by using word bigrams.
Economic Policy Uncertainty, Industrial Intelligence, and Firms’ Labour Productivity: Empirical Evidence from China

ABSTRACT In this paper, we empirically explore the impact of uncertainty in economic policy and industrial intelligence on firms’ labor productivity, as well as the possible methods and mechanisms of influence. After theoretical inference, we employ regression models with sample data collected from A-share companies in the manufacturing industry listed on the Shanghai and Shenzhen stock exchanges between 2007 and 2019. We find that firms’ labor productivity experiences a significant decrease under economic policy uncertainty. However, the negative effect of economic policy uncertainty shocks on labor productivity in regions with high industrial intelligence levels is effectively mitigated. These differential changes in the impact of economic policy uncertainty shock on labor productivity between areas with high and low industrial intelligence levels are found primarily for firms in high-technology and highly specialized sectors, sectors with strong financial constraints. Besides, we perform further analysis which indicates that the upgrading of human capital operates as an essential channel for economic policy uncertainty shocks and industrial intelligence to affect firms’ labor productivity. Overall, our findings illustrate that implementing economic policies in a stable and transparent way and developing intelligent technology can improve firms’ labor productivity.
fMRI Functional Connectivity Analysis for Localizing Epileptic Focus

Localization of epileptic foci in patients with focal epilepsy is one of the main steps in presurgical evaluation. Knowing the precise location of the epileptic focus, the surgical procedure will be most efficient. Among all non-invasive interictal neuroimaging modalities, the combination of electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been attractive for localizing the epileptic focus. However, the fMRI data alone is more available than simultaneous EEG-fMRI and can be used in many cases to achieve the correct location of the epileptic foci. In this study, we developed a new method using fMRI data alone for the localization of epileptic foci based on spatial independent component analysis (sICA) and functional connectivity (FC) analysis. The method is sufficiently accurate to be used in many cases. We applied it to a dataset of eighteen patients with focal epilepsy and measured the concordance based on the anatomical distance between the foci found by the presented method and the actual location of the epileptic focus. The results showed 56% fully concordant localized foci with an average distance of 16.31 mm from the actual epileptic focus. The presented method does not use the simultaneously recorded EEG signal, and thus, is independent of epileptic foci depth and occurrence of spikes during data recording sessions. It also provides simplicity in terms of data acquisition and artifact removal.
Identification of Body Size Determination Related Candidate Genes in Domestic Pig Using Genome-Wide Selection Signal Analysis

Simple Summary In this study, the pairwise fixation index (FST) and π ratio (case/control) genetic parameters were used to identify the genes that influence the body size of pigs and analyze the genetic basis of pig body size formation. The results of candidate gene (CG) annotation showed that a series of CGs (MSTN, LTBP4, PDPK1, PKMYT1, ASS1, and STAT6) was enriched into the gene ontology terms. Moreover, molecular pathways, such as the PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, and AMPK signaling pathways, were verified to be related to body development. These findings will help us further understand the genetic basis of animal body-size determination. Abstract This study aimed to identify the genes related to the body size of pigs by conducting genome-wide selection analysis (GWSA). We performed a GWSA scan on 50 pigs belonging to four small-bodied pig populations (Diannan small-eared pig, Bama Xiang pig, Wuzhishan pig, and Jeju black pig from South Korea) and 124 large-bodied pigs. We used the genetic parameters of the pairwise fixation index (FST) and π ratio (case/control) to screen candidate genome regions and genes related to body size. The results revealed 47,339,509 high-quality SNPs obtained from 174 individuals, while 280 interacting candidate regions were obtained from the top 1% signal windows of both parameters, along with 187 genes (e.g., ADCK4, AMDHD2, ASPN, ASS1, and ATP6V0C). The results of the candidate gene (CG) annotation showed that a series of CGs (e.g., MSTN, LTBP4, PDPK1, PKMYT1, ASS1, and STAT6) was enriched into the gene ontology terms. Moreover, molecular pathways, such as the PI3K-Akt, HIF-1, and AMPK signaling pathways, were verified to be related to body development. Overall, we identified a series of key genes that may be closely related to the body size of pigs, further elucidating the heredity basis of body shape determination in pigs and providing a theoretical reference for molecular breeding.
Precoded Faster-Than-Nyquist Signaling for Doubly Selective Underwater Acoustic Communication Channel

In this letter, we propose faster-than-Nyquist (FTN) signaling transmission that is robust for an underwater acoustic (UWA) doubly selective channel. Owning to the explicit benefits of a reduced symbol interval specific to FTN signaling, the detrimental effects of a time-selective channel are significantly relaxed. Furthermore, upon introducing single-carrier transmit precoding and equalization, the proposed FTN signaling achieves a high detection performance. Our simulation results demonstrate that the proposed FTN signaling outperforms the conventional Nyquist-based benchmark scheme in the doubly selective channel.
A Preventive Intervention to Reduce Risk of Online Grooming Among Adolescents

ABSTRACT Sexual abuse of adolescents by adults on the Internet is a severe risk with negative consequences for the victims. However, there is an important gap in the development of preventive interventions to address this problem. This study evaluated the efficacy of a brief (less than one hour) educational intervention on online grooming (less than one hour) in reducing adolescents’ sexual interaction behaviors with adults when they are sexually solicited. A sample of 856 Spanish adolescents (48% girls, ages 11-17 years) was randomized into two intervention conditions (educational intervention about online grooming and a resilience control intervention). Adolescents completed measures of online sexual solicitation by adults and sexualized interactions with adults at pretest and at three- and six-month follow-ups. Measures of their knowledge about online grooming were taken at pretest, postintervention, and at three- and six-month follow-ups. The results of multilevel analyses indicated that the intervention reduced sexualized interactions when adolescents were sexually solicited by adults (β = -.16, SD = .07, t = -2.44, p = .015). Moreover, the intervention increased adolescents’ knowledge about online grooming over time (β = 1.95, SD = .19, t = 10.52, p < .001). These findings suggest that a brief educational intervention about online grooming may be a promising, low-cost intervention to reduce the risks of sexual abuse on the Internet.
Lightweight Authenticated Key Agreement for Smart Metering in Smart Grid

Nowadays, with the overconsumption of energy, researchers attempt to optimally manage energy consumption and prevent it from being wasted. One beneficial way to manage energy consumption is to integrate the energy grid with information technology, so that data can be exchanged between producers and consumers in a two-way communication network, which is called a smart grid. This data transfer must take place in a secure environment. However, many protocols have been designed to establish a secure channel to transfer data in the smart grid environment, each of which has some disadvantages that still keep the problem open for this field of research. Recently, Kumar et al. proposed a lightweight authentication and key agreement protocol based on elliptic curve cryptography (ECC). In this article, we show that the proposed protocol does not provide the anonymity of smart meters and is vulnerable to smart meter tracing attack. We also propose a new lightweight ECC-based authenticated key agreement protocol that is resistant against all known attacks including the attack presented in this article. Also, the proposed scheme is more efficient than the recent related scheme. We show that the proposed protocol is semantically secure and also we simulate our protocol using the AVISPA.
Real-World Evidence of the Effectiveness and Safety of Ustekinumab for the Treatment of Crohn’s Disease: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies

(1) Background: Evidence on the outcomes of ustekinumab treatment in real-world Crohn’s disease (CD) patients is needed. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in CD, reported by observational studies. (2) Methods: bibliographical searches were performed (PubMed, EMBASE). Selection: observational studies assessing the effectiveness and safety of ustekinumab in CD. Exclusion criteria: studies using ustekinumab as a prophylaxis for postoperative recurrence or perianal disease. Data synthesis: effectiveness by intention-to-treat (random-effects model). Data were stratified by study design, population included, administered dose, and prior biologic exposure. (3) Results: A total of 63 studies (8529 patients) were included. Response was achieved in 60% (95% CI, 54–67%) in the short term (8–14 weeks); 64% (57–71%) in the medium term (16–24 weeks); and 64% (52–74%) in the long term (48–52 weeks). Remission was achieved in 37% (28–46%) in the short term; 42% (36–49%) in the medium term; and 45% (37–53%) in the long term. The endoscopic remission rate was 33% (25–40%) in the long term. Eighteen percent of patients lost response during follow-up. Nearly one-third of the patients needed dose optimisation, and in 59% of them it was effective. Twenty-five percent of patients developed adverse events, leading to treatment withdrawal in seven percent of the cases. (4) Conclusions: Ustekinumab is an effective and safe therapy in real-world refractory CD patients. Dose optimisation is frequently required, being effective in a high percentage of cases.
Characterization of Butyrate-Resistant Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines and the Cytotoxicity of Anticancer Drugs against These Cells

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer worldwide. The gut microbiota plays a critical role in homeostasis and carcinogenesis. Butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid produced by the gut microbiota, plays a role in intestinal homeostasis and acts as an anticancer agent by inhibiting growth and inducing apoptosis. However, microbiota studies have revealed an abnormally high abundance of butyrate-producing bacteria in patients with CRC and indicated that it leads to chemoresistance. We characterized butyrate resistance in HCT-116 and PMF-K014 CRC cells after treatment with a maximum butyrate concentration of 3.2 mM. The 50% inhibitory concentration of butyrate was increased in butyrate-resistant (BR) cells compared with that in parental (PT) cells. The mechanism of butyrate resistance was initially investigated by determining the expression of butyrate influx- and drug efflux-related genes. We found the increased expression of influx- and efflux-related genes in BR cells compared with that in PT cells. Proteomic data showed both identical and different proteins in PT and BR cells. Further analysis revealed the crossresistance of HCT-116 cells to metformin and oxaliplatin and that of PMF-K014 cells to 5-fluorouracil. Our findings suggest that the acquisition of butyrate resistance induces the development of chemoresistance in CRC cells, which may play an important role in CRC development, treatment, and metastasis.
Comparison of medication-related fall risk in hospitalized adults and older people

The proposed study aims to verify whether drugs, drug classes, and polypharmacy related to the occurrence of falls are the same for hospitalized adults and older people. The present protocol was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) (ID: CRD42020208624). The search for articles will be carried out in PubMed, Embase, and in Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences (Lilacs) databases. If quantitative analysis is not possible, a synthesis of the present information will be carried out.
Modelling the offload of AI Tasks in Mobile Clouds

In this paper, we systematically model the performance of running AI inference tasks on Mobile Cloud (MC) systems. Mobile devices collect the monitoring data and perform the model inference tasks. When the mobile devices cannot respond timely, the mobile device offloads a portion of inference tasks to the cloud server. We aim to model the performance of tasks running in such a MC system and also the resource capacities that the cloud server must have to achieve the required task performance.
In vitro effectiveness of pomegranate extract present in pet oral hygiene products against canine oral bacterial species

Background and Aim: Pomegranate is known to possess antibacterial properties, partly because of its punicalagin content. However, its effect on canine oral bacterial species has not yet been elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the effect of pomegranate extract present in pet dental products on the growth and survival of five canine oral bacterial species in biofilms. Materials and Methods: Five bacterial species, Neisseria shayeganii, Neisseria canis, Porphyromonas gulae, Porphyromonas macacae, and Porphyromonas crevioricanis, were individually cultured for biofilm formation and exposed to pomegranate extract (or control) for 15 min. Cell survival was analyzed using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay and was compared between different conditions using a student’s t-test. In addition, the individual strains were grown in planktonic suspensions and exposed to serial dilutions of the extract to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration. Results: At a concentration of 0.035% w/v, the extract significantly reduced the survival of P. gulae (−39%, p < 0.001) and N. canis (−28%, p = 0.08) in biofilms. At similar concentrations, the extract also completely or partially inhibited the growth of N. canis and Porphyromonas spp. in planktonic suspensions, respectively. Conclusion: The pomegranate extract found in some pet dental products can limit bacterial growth and survival in the biofilms formed by N. canis and P. gulae in vitro. As P. gulae is involved in periodontal disease progression, limiting its proliferation using products containing pomegranate extract could contribute to disease prevention. Further studies on dogs receiving such products are necessary to confirm these effects.
Beamwidth-Enhanced Circularly Polarized Antenna Using Non-Uniformly Compressed High-Order Mode Dipoles

A circularly polarized (CP) antenna with enhanced axial-ratio and half-power beamwidths (HPBWs) using nonuniformly compressed high-order mode dipoles is proposed in this article. First, wide HPBW at E-plane is obtained by a third-mode dipole with proper nonuniform compressed parameters. Then, a crossed nonuniformly compressed high-order mode dipole is proposed, and wide axial-ratio beamwidths (ARBW) and HPBWs are both achieved in two orthogonal planes. Next, a S-shaped CP antenna based on nonuniformly compressed high-order mode dipoles is presented with wide beamwidths in all cut-planes in the upper hemisphere. Finally, the antenna is fabricated and measured to verify the design. The measured results show that the HPBWs are larger than 109° and ARBWs are larger than 118° in eight cut-planes.
Associations of Device-Measured Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Executive Function in Preadolescents: A Latent Profile Approach.

PURPOSE This study investigated the associations between physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and executive function in preadolescents. METHODS One hundred and twenty preadolescents were recruited from 2 Hong Kong primary schools. PA and sedentary behavior were recorded for 7 consecutive days by accelerometer. Executive function performance, including inhibition (Stroop task and Flanker task) and working memory (Sternberg paradigm task), were measured. Body mass index and cardiorespiratory fitness (multistage fitness test) were tested. Latent profile analysis explored the profiles of PA and sedentary behavior in preadolescents. RESULTS Three distinct profiles were identified: low activity, average activity, and high activity. Participants in low activity performed worse in the accuracy of Stroop task (vs average activity, P = .03; vs high activity, P < .01), Flanker task (vs average activity, P = .02; vs high activity, P < .001), and Sternberg paradigm task (vs average activity, P < .01; vs high activity, P < .01). No significant difference was observed between participants with average and high activities. No significant association was observed for profiles on body mass index and cardiorespiratory fitness. CONCLUSION Supplementing the consensus of the literature that moderate to vigorous PA benefits cognition, the authors conclude that light PA may also enhance preadolescents' executive functioning.
Prosthetic and robotic wrists comparing with the intelligently evolved human wrist: A review

Abstract Both prosthetic and robotic research communities have tended to focus on hand/gripper development. However, the wrist unit could enable higher mobility of the end effector and thus more efficient and dexterous manipulation. The current state of the art in both prosthetic and robotic wrists is reviewed systematically, mainly concerning their kinematic structures and resultant capabilities. Further, by considering the biomechanical advantages of the human wrist, an evaluation including the mobility, stability, output capability, load capacity and flexibility of the current artificial wrists is conducted. With the pentagonal capability radar charts, the major limitations and challenges in the current development of artificial wrists are derived. This paper hence provides some useful insights for better robotic wrist design and development.