Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Variable structure robust controller design for blood glucose regulation for type 1 diabetic patients: A backstepping approach

Abstract Diabetes mellitus type 1 occurs when β‐cells in the pancreas are destroyed by the immune system. As a result, the pancreas cannot produce adequate insulin, and the glucose enters the cells to produce energy. To elevate the glycaemic concentration, sufficient amount of insulin should be taken orally or injected into the human body. Artificial pancreas is a device that automatically regulates the level of body insulin by injecting the requisite amount of insulin into the human body. A finite‐time robust feedback controller based on the Extended Bergman Minimal Model is designed here. The controller is designed utilizing the backstepping approach and is robust against the unknown external disturbance and parametric uncertainties. The stability of the system is proved using the Lyapunov theorem. The controller is exponentially stable and hence provides the finite‐time convergence of the blood glucose concentration to its desired magnitude. The effectiveness of the proposed control method is shown through simulation in MATLAB/Simulink environment via comparisons with previous studies.
Measuring Trauma- (and Violence-) Informed Care: A Scoping Review

Trauma- (and violence-) informed care (T(V)IC) has emerged as an important practice approach across a spectrum of care settings; however how to measure its implementation and impact has not been well-examined. The purpose of this scoping review is to describe the nature and extent of available measures of T(V)IC, including the cross-cutting concepts of vicarious trauma and implicit bias. Using multiple search strategies, including searches conducted by a professional librarian from database inception to Summer 2020, 1074 articles were retrieved and independently screened for eligibility by two team members. A total of 228 were reviewed in full text, yielding 13 measures that met pre-defined inclusion criteria: 1) full-text available in English; 2) describes the initial development and validation of a measure, that 3) is intended to be used to evaluate T(V)IC. A related review of vicarious trauma measures yielded two that are predominant in this literature. Among the 13 measures identified, there was significant diversity in what aspects of T(V)IC are assessed, with a clear emphasis on “knowledge” and “safety”, and less on “collaboration/choice” and “strengths-based” concepts. The items and measures are roughly split in terms of assessing individual-level knowledge, attitudes and practices, and organizational policies and protocols. Few measures examine structural factors, including racism, misogyny, poverty and other inequities, and their impact on people’s lives. We conclude that existing measures do not generally cover the full potential range of the T(V)IC, and that those seeking such a measure would need to adapt and/or combine two or more existing tools.
MITOCHONDRIA-TARGETED HYDROGEN SULFIDE DELIVERY MOLECULES PROTECT AGAINST UVA-INDUCED PHOTOAGING IN DERMAL FIBROBLASTS, AND IN MOUSE SKIN IN VIVO.

Aims Oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play a role in the process of skin photoaging via activation of matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) and the subsequent degradation of collagen. The activation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a transcription factor controlling antioxidant and cytoprotective defense systems, might offer a pharmacological approach to prevent skin photoaging. We therefore investigated might offer a pharmacological approach to prevent skin photoaging. We therefore investigated protective effect of the novel mitochondria-targeted hydrogen sulfide (H2S) delivery molecules AP39 and AP123, and non-targeted control molecules on UVA-induced photoaging in normal human dermal fibroblasts (NDHFs) in vitro and the skin of BALB/c mice in vivo. Results In NDHFs AP39 and AP123 (50-200 nM) but not non-targeted controls suppressed UVA (8 J/cm2)-mediated cytotoxicity and induction of MMP-1 activity, preserved cellular bioenergetics and increased the expression of collagen and nuclear levels of Nrf2. In in vivo experiments, topical application of AP39 or AP123 (0.3-1 µM/cm2; but not non-targeted control molecules) to mouse skin prior to UVA (60 J/cm2) irradiation prevented skin thickening, MMP induction, collagen loss oxidative stress markers 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), increased Nrf2-dependent signaling as well as increased manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) levels and levels of the mitochondrial biogenesis marker peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator (PGC-1α). Innovation and Conclusion Targeting H2S delivery to mitochondria may represent a novel approach for the prevention and treatment of skin photoaging, as well as being useful tools for determining the role of mitochondrial H2S in skin disorders and aging.
Functional Evaluation of Larynx Nerve Stimulator With EMG Acquisition Capability and Wireless Connectivity

Recently, an electrical stimulation of the paralyzed muscle, as a potential therapy for restoring function of a denervated muscle system, has been debated as an innovative treatment in the management of patients with laryngeal paralysis. Numerous studies in acute and chronic animal models have demonstrated that electrical stimulation of the paralyzed posterior cricoarytenoideus muscle (PCA) offers an approach to induce vocal fold abduction and restore ventilation through the glottis. The study aims to test applicability of the controlled opening of the rima glottides via direct electrical stimulation of the posterior cricoarytenoideus muscle. We developed for this purpose a novel instrument system for the controlled larynx nerve stimulation. An acute experiment on the 4 years old pig showed effectiveness of the engineered stimulator. The controlled opening of rima glottidis of both posterior cricoarytenoid muscles and afterwards of both PCA muscle contraction were observed as a result of the electrical stimulation with the applied current in the range of 0.1–3 mA and pulse width of 1 ms and 10 ms. Performed research indicates a large potential of the novel nerve stimulator for the human larynx stimulation.
Transcatheter aortic valve implantation via the left axillary artery route in a patient with a permanent pacemaker: The first transaxillary artery route experience with a Meril's MyvalTM transaortic valve in Turkey.

In light of because of its improved procedural and clinical success, transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) has become a significant alternative treatment option to surgery in patients with severe aortic valve stenosis. However, TAVI has its own contraindications and limitations, such as access route problems with transfemoral (TF) access being the safest and most widely used route. However, in patients in whom this route is unsuitable, axillary artery is the preferred alternative access route. Although TAVI valves are not licensed for axillary artery access, off-label use of balloon-expandable (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA, USA) and self-expandable (Evolute/ CoreValve systems, Medtronic, Dublin, Ireland, as well as the Lotus valve system Boston Scientific Inc., Marlborough, MA, USA) valves have been reported. The Meril’s MyvalTM transaortic valve is a new-generation transaortic balloon-expandable valve, and transaxillary TAVI with this valve has not been reported previously. Here, we report our experience with a Meril’s MyvalTM valve in a patient with severe aortic stenosis, peripheral artery disease, and a permanently implanted pacemaker.
Feasibility and Biological Activity of a Ketogenic/Intermittent-Fasting Diet in Patients With Glioma

Objective To examine the feasibility, safety, systemic biological activity, and cerebral activity of a ketogenic dietary intervention in patients with glioma. Methods Twenty-five patients with biopsy-confirmed World Health Organization grade 2 to 4 astrocytoma with stable disease after adjuvant chemotherapy were enrolled in an 8-week Glioma Atkins-Based Diet (GLAD). GLAD consisted of 2 fasting days (calories <20% calculated estimated needs) interleaved between 5 modified Atkins diet days (net carbohydrates ≤20 g/d) each week. The primary outcome was dietary adherence by food records. Markers of systemic and cerebral activity included weekly urine ketones, serum insulin, glucose, hemoglobin A1c, insulin-like growth factor-1, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy at baseline and week 8. Results Twenty-one patients (84%) completed the study. Eighty percent of patients reached ≥40 mg/dL urine acetoacetate during the study. Forty-eight percent of patients were adherent by food record. The diet was well tolerated, with two grade 3 adverse events (neutropenia, seizure). Measures of systemic activity, including hemoglobin A1c, insulin, and fat body mass, decreased significantly, while lean body mass increased. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy demonstrated increased ketone concentrations (β-hydroxybutyrate [bHB] and acetone) in both lesional and contralateral brain compared to baseline. Average ketonuria correlated with cerebral ketones in lesional (tumor) and contralateral brain (bHB Rs = 0.52, p = 0.05). Subgroup analysis of isocitrate dehydrogenase–mutant glioma showed no differences in cerebral metabolites after controlling for ketonuria. Conclusion The GLAD dietary intervention, while demanding, produced meaningful ketonuria and significant systemic and cerebral metabolic changes in participants. Ketonuria in participants correlated with cerebral ketone concentration and appears to be a better indicator of systemic activity than patient-reported food records. Trial Registration Information ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02286167.
Overcoming Barriers for Older Adults to Maintain Virtual Community and Social Connections during the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT Objectives We describe the evaluation of remote training, an innovative use of technology to maintain older adults’ virtual connection with their community and socialization, which were disrupted by the pandemic. Remote training was conducted via telephone using principles of cognitive rehabilitation and delivered by trained clinicians. Methods We thematically analyzed trainer reflection notes and interviews with older adult participants. Results The main facilitators were technology training with exposure, and the main barrier was fear of technology. Conclusions We describe how telephone-based training grounded in principles of cognitive rehabilitation can be used to remotely train older adults to use new technology and to help them maintain their community-based connections and engage in socialization. Clinical implications Fear of technology during the pandemic can cause significant impairment in social functioning for older adults, at least when the only method for socialization is technology mediated such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Empathically delivered remote training in an understanding manner can reduce fear and increase social and community connections in the era of physical distancing.
Loss of inner-envelope K+/H+ exchangers impairs plastid rRNA maturation and gene expression

Abstract The inner-envelope K+ EFFLUX ANTIPORTERS (KEA) 1 and 2 are critical for chloroplast development, ion homeostasis, and photosynthesis. However, the mechanisms by which changes in ion flux across the envelope affect organelle biogenesis remained elusive. Chloroplast development requires intricate coordination between the nuclear genome and the plastome. Many mutants compromised in plastid gene expression (PGE) display a virescent phenotype, that is delayed greening. The phenotypic appearance of Arabidopsis thaliana kea1 kea2 double mutants fulfills this criterion, yet a link to PGE has not been explored. Here, we show that a simultaneous loss of KEA1 and KEA2 results in maturation defects of the plastid ribosomal RNAs. This may be caused by secondary structure changes of rRNA transcripts and concomitant reduced binding of RNA-processing proteins, which we documented in the presence of skewed ion homeostasis in kea1 kea2. Consequently, protein synthesis and steady-state levels of plastome-encoded proteins remain low in mutants. Disturbance in PGE and other signs of plastid malfunction activate GENOMES UNCOUPLED 1-dependent retrograde signaling in kea1 kea2, resulting in a dramatic downregulation of GOLDEN2-LIKE transcription factors to halt expression of photosynthesis-associated nuclear-encoded genes (PhANGs). PhANG suppression delays the development of fully photosynthesizing kea1 kea2 chloroplasts, probably to avoid progressing photo-oxidative damage. Overall, our results reveal that KEA1/KEA2 function impacts plastid development via effects on RNA-metabolism and PGE.
Selecting relevant Patent documents JST Thesaurus Extended Thesaurus Patent document relevant patent documents merging Patent documents Patent documents Thesaurus ExpansionRelevant

In both written and spoken languages, we sometimes use different words in order to describe the same meaning. For instance, we use “constraint” (seigen) and “restriction” (seiyaku) as the same meaning. This makes text classification and text summarization difficult. In order to deal with this problem, dictionaries especially thesauri are used. However, in technical paper and patent documents, a lot of new words which are not given in the dictionary. In this paper, we propose a method to accurately extract words which are semantically similar to each other. Using this method, we extracted similar word pairs from patent documents. We also expand a thesaurus using the extracted similar words.
Different Engineering Designs Have Profoundly Different Impacts on the Microbiome and Nitrifying Bacterial Populations in Municipal Wastewater Treatment Bioreactors

Municipal wastewater treatment facilities rely on the application of numerous “activated sludge” process designs to achieve site-specific treatment goals. A plethora of microbiome studies on municipal wastewater treatment bioreactors have been performed previously; however, the role of process design on the municipal wastewater treatment microbiome is poorly understood. ABSTRACT Numerous wastewater treatment processes are designed by engineers to achieve specific treatment goals. However, the impact of these different process designs on bacterial community composition is poorly understood. In this study, 24 different municipal wastewater treatment facilities (37 bioreactors) with various system designs were analyzed by sequencing of PCR-amplified 16S rRNA gene fragments. Although a core microbiome was observed in all of the bioreactors, the overall microbial community composition (analysis of molecular variance; P = 0.001) as well as that of a specific population of Nitrosomonas spp. (P = 0.04) was significantly different between A/O (anaerobic/aerobic) systems and conventional activated sludge (CAS) systems. Community α-diversity (number of observed operational taxonomic units [OTUs] and Shannon diversity index) was also significantly higher in A/O systems than in CAS systems (Wilcoxon; P < 2 × 10−16). In addition, wastewater bioreactors with short mean cell residence time (<2 days) had very low community α-diversity and fewer nitrifying bacteria compared to those of other system designs. Nitrospira spp. (0.71%) and Nitrotoga spp. (0.41%) were the most prominent nitrite-oxidizing bacteria (NOB); because these two genera were rarely prominent at the same time, these populations appeared to be functionally redundant. Weak evidence (AOB:NOB « 2; substantial quantities of Nitrospira sublineage II) was also obtained suggesting that complete ammonia oxidation by a single organism was occurring in system designs known to impose stringent nutrient limitation. This research demonstrates that design decisions made by wastewater treatment engineers significantly affect the microbiome of wastewater treatment bioreactors. IMPORTANCE Municipal wastewater treatment facilities rely on the application of numerous “activated sludge” process designs to achieve site-specific treatment goals. A plethora of microbiome studies on municipal wastewater treatment bioreactors have been performed previously; however, the role of process design on the municipal wastewater treatment microbiome is poorly understood. In fact, wastewater treatment engineers have attempted to control the microbiome of wastewater bioreactors for decades without sufficient empirical evidence to support their design paradigms. Our research demonstrates that engineering decisions with respect to system design have a significant impact on the microbiome of wastewater treatment bioreactors.
Teaching a blind student anatomy during the Covid‐19 pandemic

With great interest I read the article titled 'Human Anatomy: Teaching-Learning Experience of a Support Teacher and a Student with Low Vision and Blindness' by Mendonça and colleagues (2021) and I would like to commend all the staff involved for their commitment in delivering accessible anatomical education. This article describes techniques employed by a highly qualified support teacher to assist a student with low vision and blindness in learning anatomy, in addition to the learning experiences of this student. Further publications have also discussed techniques employed to teach anatomy to students with visual impairments (Diniz and Sita, 2019; Muchlinski et al., 2020, Hospitál, 2020).
Glycoursodeoxycholic Acid Ameliorates Diet-induced Metabolic Disorders with Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress.

Recent studies reveal that bile acid metabolite composition and its metabolism are changed in metabolic disorders, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), yet its role and the mechanism remain largely unknown. In the present study, metabolomic analysis of 163 serum and stool samples of our metabolic disease cohort was performed and we identified glycoursodeoxycholic acid (GUDCA), glycine-conjugated bile acid produced from intestinal bacteria, were decreased in both serum and stool samples from patients with hyperglycemia. RNA-sequencing and quantitative PCR results indicated that GUDCA alleviated endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress in livers of high fat diet (HFD)-fed mice without alteration of liver metabolism. In vitro, GUDCA reduced palmitic acid induced-ER stress and -apoptosis, as well as stabilized calcium homeostasis. In vivo, GUDCA exerted effects on amelioration of HFD-induced insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis. In parallel, ER stress and apoptosis were decreased in GUDCA-treated mice as compared to vehicle-treated mice in liver. These findings demonstrate that reduced GUDCA is an indicator of hyperglycemia. Supplementation of GUDCA could be an option for the treatment of diet-induced metabolic disorders, including insulin resistance and hepatic steatosis, with inhibiting ER stress.
Cascaded Algorithm Selection With Extreme-Region UCB Bandit

AutoML aims at best configuring learning systems automatically. It contains core subtasks of algorithm selection and hyper-parameter tuning. Previous approaches considered searching in the joint hyper-parameter space of all algorithms, which forms a huge but redundant space and causes an inefficient search. We tackle this issue in a <italic>cascaded algorithm selection</italic> way, which contains an upper-level process of algorithm selection and a lower-level process of hyper-parameter tuning for algorithms. While the lower-level process employs an <italic>anytime</italic> tuning approach, the upper-level process is naturally formulated as a multi-armed bandit, deciding which algorithm should be allocated one more piece of time for the lower-level tuning. To achieve the goal of finding the best configuration, we propose the <italic>Extreme-Region Upper Confidence Bound</italic> (ER-UCB) strategy. Unlike UCB bandits that maximize the mean of feedback distribution, ER-UCB maximizes the extreme-region of feedback distribution. We first consider stationary distributions and propose the ER-UCB-S algorithm that has <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$O(K\ln n)$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>O</mml:mi><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mi>K</mml:mi><mml:mo form="prefix">ln</mml:mo><mml:mi>n</mml:mi><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="hu-ieq1-3094844.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> regret upper bound with <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>K</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="hu-ieq2-3094844.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> arms and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mi>n</mml:mi></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="hu-ieq3-3094844.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> trials. We then extend to non-stationary settings and propose the ER-UCB-N algorithm that has <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$O(Kn^\nu)$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi>O</mml:mi><mml:mo>(</mml:mo><mml:mi>K</mml:mi><mml:msup><mml:mi>n</mml:mi><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi></mml:msup><mml:mo>)</mml:mo></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="hu-ieq4-3094844.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> regret upper bound, where <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\frac{2}{3}<\nu <1$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mfrac><mml:mn>2</mml:mn><mml:mn>3</mml:mn></mml:mfrac><mml:mo><</mml:mo><mml:mi>ν</mml:mi><mml:mo><</mml:mo><mml:mn>1</mml:mn></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="hu-ieq5-3094844.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>. Finally, empirical studies on synthetic and AutoML tasks verify the effectiveness of ER-UCB-S/N by their outperformance in corresponding settings.
Peritoneal transport status and first episode of peritonitis: a large cohort study

Abstract Background Peritonitis is one of the most serious complications of peritoneal dialysis (PD). This study aimed to explore the relationship between peritoneal transport status and the first episode of peritonitis, as well as the prognosis of patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD). Method A retrospective cohort study was conducted, analyzing data of CAPD patients from 1st January 2009, to 31st December 2017. Baseline data within 3 months after PD catheter placement was recorded. Cox multivariate regression analysis was performed to determine the risk factors for the first episode of peritonitis, technique failure and overall mortality. Results A total of 591 patients were included in our analysis, with a mean follow-up visit of 49 months (range: 27–75months). There were 174 (29.4%) patients who had experienced at least one episode of peritonitis. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that a higher peritoneal transport status (high and high-average) (HR 1.872, 95%CI 1.349–2.599, p = 0.006) and hypoalbuminemia (HR 0.932,95% CI 0.896, 0.969, p = 0.004) were independent risk factors for the occurrence of the first episode of peritonitis. In addition, factors including gender (male) (HR 1.409, 95%CI 1.103, 1.800, p = 0.010), low serum albumin (HR 0.965, 95%CI 0.938, 0.993, p = 0.015) and the place of residence (rural) (HR 1.324, 95%CI 1.037, 1.691, p = 0.024) were independent predictors of technique failure. Furthermore, low serum albumin levels (HR 0.938, 95%CI 0.895, 0.984, p = 0.008) and age (>65years) (HR 1.059, 95%CI 1.042, 1.076, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with the risk of overall mortality of PD patients. Conclusions Baseline hypoalbuminemia and a higher peritoneal transport status are risk factors for the first episode of peritonitis. Factors including male gender, hypoalbuminemia, and residing in rural areas are associated with technique failure, while hypoalbuminemia and age (>65years) are predictors of the overall mortality in PD patients. Nevertheless, the peritoneal transport status does not predict technique failure or overall mortality of PD patients.