Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The phylogenetic significance of morphological characters in the Holarctic racers of the genus Coluber Linnaeus 1758 (reptilia, Serpentes)

The Holarctic racers (Coluber s.l.) do not represent a holophyletic genus. The unifying characters of Old and New World species are mainly those of external morphology and represent convergence. Differences in hemipenes and osteological characters (basisphenoid, vertebrae) necessitate generic distinction of Old and New World species and thus the restriction of Coluber s.s. to Nearctic forms. The results, moreover, do not justify the separation of the genus Masticophis Baird and Girard from the single Nearctic species, C. constrictor Linnaeus. Sixteen of twenty Palearctic species can be assigned to three species groups most typically represented by C. jugularis, C. rhodorachis, and C. hippocrepis, respectively. Changing or proposing new generic names for these groups must be avoided until the evolutionary polarity of characters is known for the Oriental and Ethiopian forms.
Non-parametric Statistical Density Function Synthesizer and Monte Carlo Sampler in CMOS

In this work, we present a CMOS-based sampling circuit to produce random numbers of non-parametric densities for Monte Carlo-based methods. Scaling of purely algorithmic Monte Carlo sampling techniques with problem size is challenging and this severely compromises performance of the application. To overcome this challenge, we present a novel CMOS-based Monte Carlo sampler which can be considered as an “add-on” to the existing random number generator (RNG) circuits to produce non-parametric Monte Carlo samples. Our design employs two statistical techniques, namely: (i) kernel Density estimation (KDE) and (ii) Inverse Sampling. We present a novel CMOS operational transconductance amplifier (OTA) based Sigmoid kernel implementation for non-parametric cumulative density function (CDF) estimation using KDE. Subsequently, we show that inverse sampling can be realized using successive approximation based mixed-signal implementation. OTAs are designed to operate in sub-threshold regime while consuming 300nW. Discussed architecture allows programmability of number of random variable (RV) samples $(N_{Samp})$ and Sigmoid kernel standard deviation $(\sigma_{kernel})$ to ensure reliable CDF estimation. Overall architecture on an average consumes $\sim 750 \mu \mathrm{W}$ while using 50 random samples for CDF estimation at 200 MHz clock frequency.
High Blood Pressure Is Associated with Tubulointerstitial Damage along with Glomerular Damage in Glomerulonephritis. A large Cohort Study

The key role of arterial hypertension in chonic kidney disease (CKD) progression is widely recognized, but its contribution to tubulointerstitial damage (TID) in glomerulonephritis (GN) remains uncertain. Hence, the objective of this study is to clarify whether TID is associated with glomerular damage, and whether the damage at the tubulointerstitial compartment is more severe in hypertensive patients. The study included retrospectively consecutive patients referred to the Nephrology Unit with diagnoses of primary glomerulonephritis, lupus nephritis (LN), and nephroangiosclerosis (NAS) at biopsy. At least six glomeruli per biopsy were analysed through light and immunofluorescence microscopy. Global glomerulosclerosis (GGS%), TID, and arteriolar hyalinosis (AH) were used as markers of CKD severity. Of the 448 patients of the cohort, 403 received a diagnosis of GN, with the remaining being diagnosed with NAS. Hypertension was found in 52% of the overall patients, with no significant differences among those with GN, and reaching 88.9% prevalence rate in NAS. The hypertensive patients with GN had more marked damage in glomerular and tubular compartments than normotensives independently of the amount of proteinuria. Moreover, hypertension and GGS% were found to be strongly associated with TID in GN. In GN patients, not only the severity of glomerular damage but also the extent of TID was associated with high blood pressure.
Development of DNA Aptamers Against Plasmodium falciparum Blood Stages Using Cell-Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential Enrichment.

New biomarkers have to be developed in order to increase the performance of current antigen-based malaria rapid diagnosis. Antibody production often involves the use of laboratory animals and is time-consuming and costly, especially when the target is Plasmodium, whose variable antigen expression complicates the development of long-lived biomarkers. To circumvent these obstacles, we have applied the Systematic Evolution of Ligands by EXponential enrichment method to the rapid identification of DNA aptamers against Plasmodium falciparum-infected red blood cells (pRBCs). Five 70 b-long ssDNA sequences, and their shorter forms without the flanking PCR primer-binding regions, have been identified having a highly specific binding of pRBCs versus non-infected erythrocytes. Structural analysis revealed G-enriched sequences compatible with the formation of G-quadruplexes. The selected aptamers recognized intracellular epitopes with apparent Kds in the μM range in both fixed and non-fixed saponin-permeabilized pRBCs, improving >30-fold the pRBC detection in comparison with aptamers raised against Plasmodium lactate dehydrogenase, the gold standard antigen for current malaria diagnostic tests. In thin blood smears of clinical samples the aptamers reported in this work specifically bound all P. falciparum stages versus non-infected erythrocytes, and also detected early and late stages of the human malaria parasites Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium ovale and Plasmodium malariae. The results are discussed in the context of their potential application in future malaria diagnostic devices.
Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. Ameliorates Hyperglycemia and Hepatic Steatosis in Ovariectomized Rats Fed a High-Fat Diet

Estrogen deficiency is associated with obesity, dyslipidemia, and increased insulin resistance in postmenopausal women. An efficient therapeutic agent prevents or improves postmenopausal conditions induced by estrogen deficiency. Here, we investigated the effects of aqueous Agrimonia pilosa Ledeb. extract on glucose and lipid metabolism in ovariectomized rats fed a high-fat diet (HFD). Female Sprague-Dawley rats were sham-operated or ovariectomized, and 3 weeks later were assigned to the following groups: sham-operated + HFD (S); ovariectomized + HFD (OVX); and ovariectomized + HFD with 0.5% A. pilosa aqueous extract (OVX + 0.5A) groups. Ovariectomy significantly increased body weight and dietary intake relative to the S group. However, A. pilosa treatment did not significantly affect weight gain or dietary intake. Blood triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels tended to decrease in the A. pilosa-supplemented group. Blood glucose levels were significantly lower in the OVX + 0.5A group than those in the OVX group. Blood adiponectin and insulin concentrations increased significantly after A. pilosa treatment in the ovariectomized group. A. pilosa supplementation tended to decrease liver weights and prevented lipid accumulation. These effects correlated with reduced hepatic expression of lipogenesis-related genes (fatty acid synthase, acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase alpha, and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase). Therefore, A. pilosa may improve metabolic disorders in ovariectomized rats.
Three-level active neutral point clamped DSTATCOM with Interval Type-2 fuzzy logic controller

In this article the powerful three-level neutral point clamped (ANPC) inverter used as a distributed static compensator (DSTATCOM). The active neutral point clamped inverter has the advantages of low harmonic distortion and minimized shifting loss. The active neutral point clamped inverter is used as DSTATCOM eliminating the harmonics and the nonlinear load reactive energy. Traditionally, the differential integral controller is used to regulate the voltage and current dc connection of DSTATCOM. For comprehensive mathematical modeling of the overall system, the proportional controller requires and it is tedious process. In order to overcome the abovementioned task interval type-2 fuzzy logic controller (IT2FLC) applied DSTATCOM based on a three-level effective neutral point converter. The proposed IT2FLC is used to monitor both the DCvoltage and the current loop to improve the output of the three DSTATCOM rates. DSTATCOM's overall framework including the fuzzy logic controller built in MATLAB / Simulink. DSTATCOM's simulated response has been found to be better and better than the traditional PI controller.
Statin use and risk of liver cancer: evidence from two population-based studies Short title: Statin use and risk of liver cancer

Cancer Epidemiology and Health Services Research Group, Centre for Public Health, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Academic Primary Care, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom. Medical Statistics Team, Institute of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, United Kingdom. Section of Epidemiology and Population Sciences, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas.
In Vivo Quantification of Water Diffusion, Stiffness, and Tissue Fluidity in Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia and Prostate Cancer

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Objectives Water diffusion, tissue stiffness, and viscosity characterize the biophysical behavior of tumors. However, little is known about how these parameters correlate in prostate cancer (PCa). Therefore, we paired tomoelastography of the prostate with diffusion-sensitive magnetic resonance imaging for the quantitative mapping of biophysical parameters in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and PCa. Materials and Methods Multifrequency magnetic resonance imaging elastography with tomoelastography processing was performed at 60, 70, and 80 Hz using externally placed compressed-air drivers. Shear-wave speed (SWS) and loss angle (φ) were analyzed as surrogate markers of stiffness and viscosity-related fluidity in the normal peripheral zone (PZ), hyperplastic transition zone (TZ), which is consistent with BPH, and PCa lesions. The SWS and φ were correlated with the normalized apparent diffusion coefficient (nADC). Results Thirty-nine men (median age/range, 67/49–88 years), 25 with BPH and 14 with biopsy-proven PCa, were prospectively enrolled in this institutional review board–approved study. The SWS in PCa (3.1 ± 0.6 m/s) was higher than in TZ (2.8 ± 0.3 m/s, P = 0.004) or tended to be higher than in PZ (2.8 ± 0.4 m/s, P = 0.025). Similarly, φ in PCa (1.1 ± 0.1 rad) was higher than in TZ (0.9 ± 0.2 m/s, P < 0.001) and PZ (0.9 ± 0.1 rad, P < 0.001), whereas nADC in PCa (1.3 ± 0.3) was lower than in TZ (2.2 ± 0.4, P < 0.001) and PZ (3.1 ± 0.7, P < 0.001). Pooled nADC was inversely correlated with φ (R = −0.6, P < 0.001) but not with SWS. TZ and PZ only differed in nADC (P < 0.001) but not in viscoelastic properties. Diagnostic differentiation of PCa from normal prostate tissues, as assessed by area under the curve greater than 0.9, was feasible using nADC and φ but not SWS. Conclusions Tomoelastography provides quantitative maps of tissue mechanical parameters of the prostate. Prostate cancer is characterized by stiff tissue properties and reduced water diffusion, whereas, at the same time, tissue fluidity is increased, suggesting greater mechanical friction inside the lesion. This biophysical signature correlates with known histopathological features including increased cell density and fibrous protein accumulation.
Automatic Person Count Indication System using IoT in a Hotel Infrastructure

This paper aims to provide the most efficient and automatic Power Management System with no human intervention in hotels and lodges. A passive infrared (PIR) sensor is used to detect the presence of people in the room by receiving the infrared (IR) rays emitted from the human body. The PIR sensor is connected to the microcontroller to which the relay is also connected. When the presence/motion of people has detected the relay triggers and power supply to the room is switched ‘on’. And when any motion has not been detected for 5 minutes or more the main power supply to the room is switched ‘off’. This can prevent unwanted usage of power in hotels /lodges when no one is in the room. The hotel management can also remotely monitor the availability of people in the room by monitoring the output of the Sensors through IoT.
Risk factors for poor asthma control and impaired quality of life in a Caribbean population

Abstract Objective Asthma, a major cause of disability and reduced quality of life, has a high global prevalence and burden of death. Despite the propitious guidelines, a substantial portion of asthmatics reportedly have poorly controlled disease. In the current study, we have examined risk factors for uncontrolled asthma in specialty clinics and its association with impaired quality of life. Methods A multicentre cross-sectional survey of asthma patients, 18 years and older, was conducted in Trinidad. Asthma Control Test (ACT) and the Juniper Mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (Mini AQLQ–J) were used to assess the disease control and quality of life, respectively. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test and multivariable logistic regression controlling for gender. Results Of a total of 428 patients included, asthma was uncontrolled in 72.4% and asthma related quality of life was moderate to severely impaired in 86% of the studied population. In the multivariate regression models, poorly controlled asthma was associated with obesity (OR 2.25; 95% CI 1.30–3.39), late-onset asthma (OR 1.72; 95% CI 1.04–2.84), features of sleep apnea (OR 1.77; 95% CI 1.01–3.07) and depression (OR 2.01; 95% CI 1.04–3.86). Impaired quality of life was associated with Indo-Caribbean ethnicity (OR 3.19; 95% CI = 1.68–6.06). Conclusions In this Caribbean population, uncontrolled asthma was independently associated with obesity, late-onset disease, and comorbidities of sleep apnea and depression. Poor asthma-related quality of life was independently associated with Indo-Caribbean ethnicity.
Future Veterinary Diagnostics

Abstract The development of rapid, accurate, and sensitive diagnostic methods for detecting pathogens is the basis for treating, controlling, and eradicating infectious diseases of veterinary importance. Scientific and technological advancements have revolutionized the field of veterinary diagnostics. Genome sequencing has allowed efficient, sensitive, and specific diagnostic assays to be developed based on the detection of nucleic acids. The integration of advances in biochemistry, proteomics, engineering, and medicine offers enormous potential for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of viral, microbial, genetic, and metabolic disease. In the future, polymerase chain reaction assays, microarray testing, genomic analysis, and metabolic profiling will be accomplished in a rapid, portable, sensitive, and cost-efficient manner.
Object Mapping from Disparity Map by Fast Clustering

3D object bounding box detection is one of the most important aspects of robot vision for autonomous navigation. In this work, we propose a stereo vision based methodology for the purpose. The work relies on disparity map. First of all, pixels with the same disparity in the continuous space form the components. Detected components are then filtered based on size and density criteria. Finally, the filtered components are combined based on adjacency, connectivity strength and depth proximity. Thus, 2D object proposals are obtained and mapped to 3D bounding boxes. A dataset has been prepared to test the methodology. Performance has been compared with another system developed by Computer Vision Lab at INHA University, Incheon, South Korea. It is observed that the detection capability of the proposed system is superior. Furthermore, the computational speed makes the work suitable for robotic applications such as SLAM.
Trajectory Simulation Tool for Assessment of Active Vehicle Safety Systems

: Advanced Driver Assist Systems (ADAS) have been widely employed in the automotive industry to improve vehicle safety and to reduce the driver’s workload. In addition, there are increasing efforts toward autonomous driving vehicles using enhanced ADAS technologies. For effective ADAS development, it is critical to test and validate these systems. This paper presents a vehicle simulation tool that can be used for various ADAS vehicle test scenarios in which it can generate vehicle trajectories and speed profiles that satisfy user defined test conditions. The proposed simulation tool is useful to design a test scenario in the simulation environment before the physical test. Thus, it can significantly reduce the time needed for the proper test scenario development.
Hematological responses of broiler chickens exposed to simulated crude petroleum emissions

Hematological responses of broiler chicken exposed to simulated crude petroleum emissions at varying distances over a period of 16 h daily were evaluated for 56 days in a poultry house. The burning of crude petroleum was simulated with a specially designed burner. The measured distances were 4, 8, or 12 m from the flame point. Control birds were located in a separate poultry building without the flame treatment. Gaseous emissions from the burning crude oil were monitored. Proprietory broiler starter and finisher diets were fed ad libitum. Blood samples were taken at the fourth and eighth weeks for hematological assay from each treatment. The hematological parameters assayed were hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), white blood cells (WBC), neutrophils, and lymphocytes. Results indicated that the treatment did not significantly affect the Hb, PCV, and WBC constituents. Neutrophils significantly decreased while lymphocytes increased. The age of birds significantly increased Hb, PCV, and WBC levels in the blood.
Sentinel-2 Responsiveness to Fertilization Gradients in Wheat at Field Level in Córdoba Province, Argentina

A different top-dressing fertilization gradient was applied to four separate study areas across a wheat field in Córdoba, Argentina. Sentine1-2 derived vegetation indexes were computed to assess nitrogen monitoring capacities. The vegetation indexes using the red edge wavelength region showed a high capacity to sense nitrogen status with high urea inputs (300kg/ha). VIs using the visible part of the spectrum did not report accurate values for fertilization monitoring. The higher revisit time and red-edge bands of Sentine1-2 showed to be an advantage, revealing the potentialities to coordinate a remote sensing fertilization monitor platform in the region with further studies.
Use of Text Mining Techniques for Recommender Systems

: Recommender systems help users to reduce the information overload they may suffer in the current era of Big Data, by offering them recommendations of relevant items according to their tastes/preferences and/or context (location, weather, time of the day, etc.). We argue that text mining techniques can be exploited for the development of recommender systems. Thus, they can be applied to detect user preferences (user proﬁling) and also to extract context data. For this purpose, text mining can be applied on user reviews, text descriptions associated to the items, and other texts written by the user (e.g., posts in social networks). In this paper, we provide an overview of works exploiting text mining techniques in the ﬁeld of recommender systems, characterizing them according to their purpose and the type of textual data analyzed.
Studies on the European hare. XI. Estimation of population density and attempt to plan the yearly take of hares

W grudniu 1964 i styczniu 1965 r. na terenach hodowlano-badawczych Stacji Naukowo-Badawczej PZŁ w Czempiniu (20.061 ha) w czasie gospodarczych odlowow zajecy przeprowadzonych systemem tzw. pola zamknietego, calkowicie otoczonego sieciami, zebrano dane dotyczące ilości zajecy, odlowionych w kazdym z czterech kolejnych pedzen wewnątrz pola.
Dual-Regulation Strategy to Improve Anchoring and Conversion of Polysulfides in Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

The sluggish reaction kinetics at the cathode/electrolyte interface of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries limits their commercialization. Herein, we show that a dual-regulation system of iron phthalocyanine (FePc) and octafluoronaphthalene (OFN) decorated on graphene (Gh), denoted as Gh/FePc+OFN, accelerates the interfacial reaction kinetics of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). Multiple in-situ spectroscopy techniques, ex-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy combined with density functional theory calculations demonstrate that FePc acts as an efficient anchor and scissor for the LiPSs through Fe∙∙∙S coordination, mainly facilitating their liquid-liquid transformation, whereas OFN enables Li-bond interaction with the LiPSs, accelerating the kinetics of the liquid-solid nucleation and growth of Li2S. This dual-regulation system promotes the smooth conversion reaction of sulfur, thereby improving the battery performance. A Gh/FePc+OFN-based Li-S cathode delivered an ultrahigh initial capacity of 1604 mAh g-1 at 0.2 C, with an ultralow capacity decay rate of 0.055% per cycle at 1 C over 1000 cycles.
Non-destructive Approach to Detect Pesticides in Fruits and Vegetables using IoT Technology

A novel non-destructive approach is developed to detect harmfulness due to pesticides of fruits and vegetables using photo-sensitive effect and Internet of Thing . Hence the consumer will be assured about the safety of the eatables. To address this issue, a portable, efficient, accurate and user friendly device named Fresh-O-Sniff along with a mobile application is developed to help consumers in selecting top quality fruits and vegetables. This is the novel approach to predict pesticide levels in fruits and vegetables. The primary beneficiary of the solution will be the common public. This will help to improve the health of the common public in a positive manner and in turn, increase the digitalization process in India. This technology is the integration of IoT, Mobile Application and Food Technology.
Secret lifestyles of pyrophilous fungi in the genus Sphaerosporella

Premise Pyrophilous fungi form aboveground fruiting structures (ascocarps) following wildfires, but their ecology, natural history, and life cycles in the absence of wildfires are largely unknown. Sphaerosporella is considered to be pyrophilous. This study explores Sphaerosporella ascocarp appearance following a rare 2016 wildfire in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP), compares the timing of ascocarp formation with recovery of Sphaerosporella DNA sequences in soils, and explores the association of Sphaerosporella with post‐fire Table Mountain pine (Pinus pungens) seedlings. Methods Burned sites in the GSMNP were surveyed for pyrophilous fungal ascocarps over 2 years. Ascocarps, mycorrhizae, and endophyte cultures were evaluated morphologically and by Sanger sequencing of the nuclear ribosomal ITS gene region (fungal barcode; Schoch et al., 2012). DNA from soil cores was subjected to Illumina sequencing. Results The timing and location of post‐fire Sphaerosporella ascocarp formation was correlated with recovery of Sphaerosporella DNA sequences in soils. Genetic markers (fungal barcode) of Sphaerosporella were also recovered from mycorrhizal root tips and endophyte cultures from seedlings of Pinus pungens. Conclusions This study demonstrates that Sphaerosporella species, in the absence of fire, are biotrophic, forming both mycorrhizal and endophytic associations with developing Pinus pungens seedlings and may persist in nature in the absence of wildfire as a conifer symbiont. We speculate that Sphaerosporella may fruit only after the host plant is damaged or destroyed and that after wildfires, deep roots, needle endophytes, or heat‐resistant spores could serve as a source of soil mycelium.