Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
AuGrid: Edge-Enabled Distributed Load Management for Smart Grid Service Providers

In this paper, we propose and design AuGrid, an LSTM-based model for geographically aware smart grid service providers, which predicts the hourly load requests from users. We also develop a pricing model which depends on the predictions obtained from AuGrid for deciding per unit cost of energy in contrast to the existing schemes that focused solely on the load requests. The crux of this work is that the suppliers may plan better with forecasts than being in uncertainty. Since smart grids are well connected, logically neighboring smart grids may exchange information and energy on the requirement. We train AuGrid with a lookback set to 2 using real-world datasets and demonstrate its robustness by predicting the load requests for different suppliers. We propose deploying the AuGrid system on geographically aware suppliers for facilitating intelligence on the edge while reducing the user sample space and increasing data security. On extensive implementation and deployment, we observe that AuGrid offers minuscule loss (below 0.1) and the pricing model offers a reduction in per-unit cost by almost 75% in comparison to existing solutions. Additionally, AuGrid requires 30% CPU and 40% RAM of single processor boards on deployment, which illustrates its suitability for resource-constrained devices.
Effectiveness of silicone-based resilient denture liners on the patient-reported chewing ability: A randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to elucidate the effectiveness of silicone-based resilient denture liners on perceived chewing ability. METHODS The RCT included completely edentulous patients on both the maxilla and mandible, who were willing to fabricate a new set of complete dentures. A random permuted block method (block size: 4) was used to assign groups to receive maxilla conventional complete denture and mandibular with either a conventional complete denture (CD) or complete demure relined with silicone-based resilient denture liner (RD). The patient-reported chewing ability of six foods, soybean curd, fish sausage, soybean sprout, cubic rice cracker, hard rice cracker, and dry squid, on a 100-mm visual analog scale was measured and reported at the final adjustment and three months after the final adjustment. Mann-Whitney U test was used to analyze the differences between the CD and RD (p < 0.05). RESULTS Edentulous patients wearing mandibular complete denture with RD had a higher patient-reported chewing ability than those wearing a CD, but the fish sausage did not in the RD three months after the final adjustment. It also took three months for the patient-reported masticatory ability to improve for cubic rice crackers, hard rice crackers, and dry squid and to show a difference between the RD and CD groups. CONCLUSION Although limited to some food types, mandibular complete dentures relined with silicone-based liners improved patient-reported chewing ability.
Non-Immersive Virtual Reality to Improve Balance and Reduce Risk of Falls in People Diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review

(1) Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of non-immersive virtual reality in reducing falls and improving balance in patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. (2) Methods: The following databases were searched: PUBMED, PEDro, Scielo, CINAHL, Web of Science, Dialnet, Scopus and MEDLINE. These databases were searched for randomized controlled trials published using relevant keywords in various combinations. The methodological quality of the articles was evaluated using the PEDro scale. (3) Results: A total of 10 studies with a total of 537 subjects, 58.7% of which (n = 315) were men, have been included in the review. The age of the participants in these studies ranged between 55 and 80 years. Each session lasted between 30 and 75 min, and the interventions lasted between 5 and 12 weeks. These studies showed that non-immersive virtual reality is effective in reducing the number of falls and improving both static and dynamic balance in patients diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Results after non-immersive virtual reality intervention showed an improvement in balance and a decrease in the number and the risk of falls. However, no significant differences were found between the intervention groups and the control groups for all the included studies regarding balance. (4) Conclusions: There is evidence that non-immersive virtual reality can improve balance and reduce the risk and number of falls, being therefore beneficial for people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Analyzing the Photoprotection Efficiency of Sunscreens Containing Antioxidants under Disinfection Conditions

Sunscreens ensure thorough protection against sunburn. The delivery of UV filters into the stratum corneum and viable epidermis could be reduced by the use of antioxidants (such as β-carotene and trans-resveratrol, alone or combined). The presence/absence of antioxidants (trans-resveratrol and β-carotene) in formulations containing benzophenone-3 (UV-filter) and their efficiency under disinfection and neutral conditions are studied and compared. The trial was conducted on 38 people. The prepared ointments were applied to the participants’ forearms, irradiated and monitored by reflectance colorimetry after 0, 4, 6, and 8 min. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the skin color’s main characteristics and the F-ratio was used to test overall differences. The ointments containing antioxidants and benzophenone-3 were the most efficient, followed by those with benzophenone-3 alone. It was proven that photoprotection with benzophenone-3 is still effective, despite the formation of its chlorinated products. Due to the short time of exposure to disinfecting conditions, it could be assumed that benzophenone-3 was only partially chlorinated. This clinical study demonstrated that formulations containing antioxidants are likely to be more suitable for protecting skin against UVB irradiation than a UV filter alone.
Evaluating Visual Variables in a Virtual Reality Environment

Large amount of multi-dimensional data can be difficult to visualize in standard 2D display. Virtual Reality and the associated 3rd dimension may be useful for data analysis; however, 3D charts may often be confusing to users rather conveying information. This paper investigated and evaluated graphical primitives of 3D charts in a Virtual Reality (VR) environment. We compared six different 3D graphs involving two graph types and five visual variables. We analysed ocular and EEG parameters of users while they undertook representative data interpretation tasks using 3D graphs. Our analysis found significant differences in fixation rate, alpha and low-beta EEG bands among different graphs and a bar chart using different sizes of columns for different data values found to be preferred among users in terms of correct response. We also found that colour makes it easier to interpret nominal data as compared to shape and size variable reduces the time required for processing numerical data as compared to orientation or opacity. Our results can be used to develop 3D sensor dashboard and visualization techniques for VR environments.
Burnout, daytime sleepiness and sleep quality among technical-level Nursing students

Objective: to evaluate the association of the burnout syndrome with daytime sleepiness and sleep quality among technical-level Nursing students. Method: a cross-sectional, analytical and quantitative study, conducted with 213 students from four technical Nursing courses in a city of Paraná, Brazil. Data collection was carried out using an instrument containing characterization information, the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Student Survey, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Results: the prevalence values of the burnout syndrome, excessive daytime sleepiness and poor sleep quality were 4.7%, 34.7% and 58.7%, respectively. Excessive daytime sleepiness significantly increased the chances of high emotional exhaustion (ORadj: 5.714; p<0.001) and high depersonalization (ORadj: 4.259; p<0.001). Poor sleep quality, especially sleep disorders, was associated with all dimensions of the syndrome (p<0.05). Conclusion: high levels of the burnout syndrome dimensions were associated with excessive daytime sleepiness and poor sleep quality. Educational institutions should include sleep hygiene and psychosocial support in their student health promotion programs.
MAPPING UML TO OWL 2 ONTOLOGY

UML (Unified Modeling Language) is a standardized modeling language widely used by domain experts to model real-world objects in developing object oriented applications. On the other hand, the conceptualization, which is represented in OWL, is designed for use by applications that need to process the content of information instead of just presenting information. Therefore, the problem of migrating UML to OWL is becoming an active research domain. In this paper we present a detailed and comprehensive comparison of the differences between the two languages, analyze the existing mapping methods between them and propose a novel process of direct and automatic mapping solution UML2OWL2 that generalizes these methods. Our process preserve the semantic of some features of UML class diagrams such as inheritance, data types, types of associations (compositions, class associations, N-ary associations, reflexive associations, dependency and simple associations .). It defines precise transformation rules and provides a model of ontology while covering the semantic of the source UML class diagrams. A tool based on our approach has also been developed and tested to demonstrate the practical applicability of our strategy.
Synthesis, characterization, theoretical simulation, and DNA-nuclease activity of a newly synthesized Mn–oximato complex

Abstract A new [MnII(sal-oxime)2(H2O)2] complex has been synthesized and characterized by various spectroscopic techniques (IR, UV–vis, ESI-MS, and EPR studies). The molecular geometry of the complex was further established by DFT study. TD-DFT calculations also showed a good agreement with the experimental results of the complex. The DNA-binding activity of the complex has been studied by various physicochemical tools such as UV–vis spectroscopy and viscosity measurements. The intrinsic binding constant (Kb) of the complex with CT-DNA was calculated to be (2.40 ± 0.2) × 103 M−1. The results of the DNA-binding experiments were also supported by molecular docking. The compound showed a good nuclease activity which was assessed by gel electrophoresis technique. Graphical Abstract
Gene Mapping, Cloning and Association Analysis for Salt Tolerance in Rice

Soil salinization caused by the accumulation of sodium can decrease rice yield and quality. Identification of rice salt tolerance genes and their molecular mechanisms could help breeders genetically improve salt tolerance. We studied QTL mapping of populations for rice salt tolerance, period and method of salt tolerance identification, salt tolerance evaluation parameters, identification of salt tolerance QTLs, and fine-mapping and map cloning of salt tolerance QTLs. We discuss our findings as they relate to other genetic studies of salt tolerance association.
Development and Content Validation of the CEECCA Questionnaire to Assess Ability to Communicate among Individuals with Aphasia Based on the NANDA-I and NOC

This study presents the development and content validation of an instrument assessing the ability to communicate among individuals with aphasia. The study consists of three stages: (i) Selection and definition of the component dimensions and areas, construction of items assessing these dimensions, administration instructions, and qualitative criteria for assigning diagnoses; (ii) Face validity and content validity; (iii) Pilot test. The tentative questionnaire was designed using two defining characteristics of the NANDA-I (“Impaired verbal communication” and “Readiness for enhanced communication”) and the NOC outcome indicators “Communication”, “Communication: Expressive”, “Communication: Receptive”, and “Information Processing”. The areas and items reached initial content validity index (CVI) and representativeness index (RI) values of 0.87 and above. Those that did not reach the expected values were modified after expert review. The resulting questionnaire was pilot-tested for feasibility and administration times. An instrument containing five dimensions, fourteen areas, and 43 items was obtained and administered in 15 (12–31) minutes. A panel of experts evaluated the final questionnaire (CEECCA), awarding its areas and items CVI and RI values of 0.90 and above. In the absence of further psychometric studies, the questionnaire appears to be useful for assessing ability to communicate in individuals with aphasia.
Comparative efficacy of sodium lactate and Natamycin against discoloration and spoilage of fresh beef during chilled storage

Fresh beef is favored by the customers for its good taste and abundant nutrients, which is a large part of the human diet in many countries and a great part of the food industry. Due to the influence of both enzymatic and microbial reactions, fresh beef is highly perishable and has quite short storage life postmortem under chilled storage (4-5 °C) (Magrinyà et al., 2015). Spoilage of raw beef during production and sales will result in a waste problem and potential microbial safety hazards for the public health (Yang et al., 2017). Consequently, the food safety and food transportation efficiency of fresh beef is of major concern to consumers and meat industries. Thus, the way to extend beef shelf life is of great importance for both customers and meat industries. Discoloration and microbial growth are primarily responsible for unacceptable and spoilage, resulting in a short shelf-life and severe retail waste (Yang et al., 2018). As a result, the efficacy of preservation technology for controlling color stability and microbial growth, especially for spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms, is critical capability for freshness and shelf life extension of fresh beef.
FEMA: Fast and efficient mixed‐effects algorithm for large sample whole‐brain imaging data

The linear mixed-effects model (LME) is a versatile approach to account for dependence among observations. Many large-scale neuroimaging datasets with complex designs have increased the need for LME, however LME has seldom been used in whole-brain imaging analyses due to its heavy computational requirements. In this paper, we introduce a fast and efficient mixed-effects algorithm (FEMA) that makes whole-brain vertex-wise, voxel-wise, and connectome-wide LME analyses in large samples possible. We validate FEMA with extensive simulations, showing that the estimates of the fixed effects are equivalent to standard maximum likelihood estimates but obtained with orders of magnitude improvement in computational speed. We demonstrate the applicability of FEMA by studying the cross-sectional and longitudinal effects of age on region-of-interest level and vertex-wise cortical thickness, as well as connectome-wide functional connectivity values derived from resting state functional MRI, using longitudinal imaging data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study release 4.0. Our analyses reveal distinct spatial patterns for the annualized changes in vertex-wise cortical thickness and connectome-wide connectivity values in early adolescence, highlighting a critical time of brain maturation. The simulations and application to real data show that FEMA enables advanced investigation of the relationships between large numbers of neuroimaging metrics and variables of interest while considering complex study designs, including repeated measures and family structures, in a fast and efficient manner. The source code for FEMA is available via: https://github.com/cmig-research-group/cmig_tools/.
Isolating China: Deglobalisation and its Impact on Global Value Chains

As global value chains (GVCs) account for 80% of global trade, the revival of protectionism, amidst the looming trade tensions between United States and other trading partners, particularly China will dampen the international input–output relations. By using a multi-regional and multi-sectoral dynamic computable general equilibrium model, this study analyses China driven GVCs. The study explores the impact of tariff change on China and its major trading partners on economic variables like consumption, investment, government expenditure, exports and imports and sectors like electronic goods, coal, crude oil and machine equipment for the five-year period, that is, 2021–2025. GTAP 10 database has been used. The findings of the study suggest that although China’s dominance may diminish, yet it would continue to be one of the prominent players in GVC. Further, based on the results, the global economy can look forward to fragmented and locally oriented supply chains. At the sectoral level, the shorter supply chains would lead a further disjoint global trade system with a wider range of suppliers for similar products and hence increased regionalisation of production. JEL Codes: F10, F17, F60, F16, D58
Embodying Stressful Events: No Difference in Subjective Arousal and Neural Correlates Related to Immersion, Interoception, and Embodied Mentalization

Repetitive thought about oneself, including one’s emotions, can lead to both adaptive and maladaptive effects. Construal level of repetitive self-referential thought might moderate this. During interoception, which engages areas such as the insula, the anterior and/or posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and the somatosensory cortex, concrete low level construal self-referential thought is applied, which has been shown to lead to more positive emotions after upsetting events. Contrarily, during immersion, related to neural activity in the default mode network (DMN), abstract high level construal self-referential thought is applied, which is linked to depression. The current study investigated whether the integration of concrete and abstract self-referential thought by means of embodied mentalization leads to less subjective arousal, decreased DMN activity and increased somatosensory activity as compared to immersion, and to more DMN activity as compared to interoception. In the fMRI scanner, participants imagined stressful events while adopting immersion, interoception or embodied mentalization. After each imagined stressful event, participants rated their subjective arousal and how difficult it was to apply the mode of self-referential thought. Results showed that participants felt that immersion was easier to apply than embodied mentalization. However, no differences in subjective arousal or neural activity were found between immersion, interoception and embodied mentalization. Possible reasons for this lack of significant differences are discussed.
Reliability of Isokinetic Hip Flexor and Extensor Strength Measurements in Healthy Subjects and Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the reliability of isokinetic measurements of hip strength in flexion and extension in healthy subjects and athletes. Methods: The databases used were Web of Science, SCOPUS, Medline and PubMed. R was used for all statistical analyses. Results: Hip flexion shows moderate reliability in the supine position (ICC = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.46–0.99) and good reliability in the standing position (ICC = 0.79; 95% CI: 0.54–1.04). Hip extension shows excellent reliability in the supine position (ICC = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85–0.96) and moderate reliability in the standing position (ICC = 0.72; 95% CI: 0.48–0.96). Flexion of 120°/s and 180°/s showed excellent reliability (ICC = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.85–1.00), (ICC = 0.96; 95% CI: 0.92–1.01). The 60°/s and 120°/s extension showed good reliability (ICC = 0.90; 95% CI: 0.82–0.98), (ICC = 0.87; 95% CI: 0.75–0.99). The 180°/s extension presented excellent reliability (ICC = 0.93; 95% CI: 0.82–1.03). Conclusions: The standing position shows good reliability for hip flexion and the supine position shows excellent reliability for hip extension, both movements have excellent reliability at velocities between 120°/s to 180°/s.
Programming of Retention Capacity and Release Capabilities of Propargyl Acrylate Nanoparticles Decorated with Poloxamer Copolymer

Nanoparticle based drug delivery offers an advantage over free drug delivery as it allows the manufacturer to introduce various control mechanisms either for targeted delivery or for the controlled release profile of the drug. Systems capable to encapsulate different active molecules, ranging from dyes to drugs, gained a lot of attention in recent years. It was shown that it is possible to create a programmable device that can serve multiple functions ranging from enhanced imaging techniques to cancer treatment along with extended drug delivery applications. Therefore methods for fabrication and characterization of the devices that can be used in the medical field is in high demand. Proposed is a device build around propargyl acrylate nanoparticle along with a set of methods to fully characterize the final nanocomposite composition. The release rate of the active molecules from the proposed nanocomposite is compared to the composition of the device. The ability to program the release rate and set a burst release temperature for the device is essential for future advances in drug delivery application. Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) was used to investigate the changes in the surface configuration. To do this, pair of dyes with good spectral overlap was attached to the propargyl acrylate core. The donor dye was immobilized on the surface of the core, while the acceptor dye was attached to the free end of the poloxamer chain. This setup allowed the acceptor dye to have a certain degree of
An Image Enhancement Method Based on Fractional Calculus and Retinex

In order to resolve the problem of the image degradation, an image enhancement method based on fractional calculus and Retinex is proposed, which can preserve or enhance texture information and remove the noise of images. The fractional differential is used to preprocess the input image to enhance texture information, and using guided filter to estimate the illumination component, so it has less halo phenomena. The reflection component, obtained according to the Retinex theory, is denoised by fractional integral to remove the noises. The image is equalized by the contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization to improve the image contrast, and a final enhanced image is obtained. The experimental results show that the method can effectively achieve image enhancement, and the enhanced image has better visual effects.