Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Glaucoma Detection Using Fundus Images of The Eye

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness in people over 40 years old. In Colombia there is a high prevalence of the disease, being worse the fact that there is not enough ophthalmologists for the country’s population. Fundus imaging is the most used screening technique for glaucoma detection for its trade-off between portability, size and costs. In this paper we present a computational tool for automatic glaucoma detection. We report improvements for disc segmentation in comparison with other works on the literature, a novel method to segment the cup by thresholding and a new measure between the size of the cup and the size of the disc. Results were obtained from a set of fundus images in collaboration with the Center of Prevention and Attention of Glaucoma in Bucaramanga, Colombia, where the percentage of success of glaucoma detection was of 88.5%.
Mathematical Modeling and Optimization of Energy-Conscious Flexible Job Shop Scheduling Problem With Worker Flexibility

This paper addresses the dual-resource constrained flexible job shop scheduling problem (DRCFJSP) with minimizing energy consumption. It is the first to study the energy-conscious DRCFJSP with turn OFF/ ON strategy. Different from the classical FJSP, the worker flexibility is considered in DRCFJSP. First, in order to solve this problem, we propose two mixed integer linear programming (MILP) models based on two modeling ideas, namely, idle time and idle energy. Because DRCFJSP is NP-hard, then we propose an efficient variable neighborhood search (VNS) algorithm. In the proposed VNS algorithm, eight neighborhood structures are designed to generate neighboring solutions. In addition, four energy-saving decoding approaches are specifically designed, in which two energy-saving strategies, namely, postponing strategy and turn OFF/ ON strategy are designed. Finally, the MILP model, the energy-conscious decoding methods, and the VNS are evaluated on numerical tests, whose effectiveness is shown by the experimental results. The experimental results show that the MILP model based on idle energy performs better than the model based on idle time idea, and the greedy hybrid decoding method outperforms the other three decoding methods. Moreover, the proposed VNS with eight neighborhood structures is a very competitive algorithm for the energy-conscious DRCFJSP.
Educational challenges as experienced by pregnant student nurses at a college in Mpumalanga

Background Student nurses at a college in Mpumalanga fall pregnant before they complete their training, and some commence training while pregnant and face educational challenges in both theoretical and clinical learning areas. It becomes impossible for them to complete their training on time. Objectives The objectives of this study were to explore and describe educational challenges as experienced by pregnant student nurses at a college in Mpumalanga and to formulate recommendations that can be used by the college and pregnant student nurses to address their educational challenges. Methods A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual research design was used. Ten student nurses were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected by means of in-depth unstructured individual phenomenological interviews between September and November 2016. Data were analysed using Giorgi’s qualitative thematic analysis method. Results The central theme that emerged from this study confirmed that pregnant student nurses experienced educational challenges negatively. Four main themes that emerged were academic challenges, failure to write examinations, support system and maternity leave. These findings had a negative impact on their education. Conclusion There is a need for the college to minimise the identified educational challenges to promote completion of training on time.
Efficacy and safety of cannabidiol followed by an open label add-on of tetrahydrocannabinol for the treatment of chronic pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis: protocol for a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled study

Introduction Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) are chronic, systemic, inflammatory diseases, primarily in the musculoskeletal system. Pain and fatigue are key symptoms of RA and AS. Treatment presents a clinical challenge for several reasons, including the progressive nature of the diseases and the involvement of multiple pain mechanisms. Moreover, side effects of pain treatment pose an implicit risk. Currently, no well-controlled studies have investigated how medical cannabis affects pain and cognitive functions in RA and AS. The present study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of medical cannabis in the treatment of persistent pain in patients with RA and AS with low disease activity. Methods and analysis A double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled study of cannabidiol (CBD), followed by an open label add-on of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with collection of clinical data and biological materials in RA and AS patients treated in routine care. The oral treatment with CBD in the experimental group is compared with placebo in a control group for 12 weeks, followed by an observational 12-week period with an open label add-on of THC in the primary CBD non-responders. Disease characteristics, psychological parameters, demographics, comorbidities, lifestyle factors, blood samples and serious adverse events are collected at baseline, after 12 and 24 weeks of treatment, and at a follow-up visit at 36 weeks. Data will be analysed in accordance with a predefined statistical analysis plan. Ethics and dissemination The Danish Ethics Committee (S-20170217), the Danish Medicines Agency (S-2018010018) and the Danish Data Protection Agency approved the protocol. The project is registered in the European Clinical Trials Database (EudraCT 2017-004226-15). All participants will give written informed consent to participate prior to any study-related procedures. The results will be presented at international conferences and published in peer-reviewed journals.
Environmental Correlates of Motor Competence in Children—The Skilled Kids Study

Environment, physical activity (PA) and motor development are tightly interwoven during childhood. We examined the associations of environmental factors with motor competence (MC) in children. Children (N = 945, 50.1% boys, age = 3–7 years, mean = 5.4 years) from 37 childcare centres in the Southern (n = 17), Central (n = 13) and Northern Finland (n = 7) participated. The environmental factors comprised the geographical location (Southern, Central and Northern Finland) and residential density (metropolitan area, city, rural area and countryside) of the childcare centres’ based on postal codes and the national population density registry. MC was measured using the Test of Gross Motor Development (TGMD)-3, as well as by quantifying time spent outdoors and participation in organised sports via parental questionnaire. It was found that children from the countryside had better MC and spent most time outdoors, while children from the metropolitan area most frequently engaged in organised sports. Gender comparisons revealed that girls outperformed boys in locomotor skills, while boys were better in object control skills, had higher TGMD-3 score and spent more time outdoors. Time spent outdoors and participation in organised sports were associated positively with MC, but not in children from the countryside. In conclusion, higher population density was associated with lower MC and less time spent outdoors. The findings suggest that versatile outdoor environments may support motor development through PA.
Prevalence and Clinical Significance of Mycoplasma genitalium in Gynecologic Patients

Objective: Mycoplasma genitalium has been recognized as a cause of male urethritis, and there is now evidence suggesting it causes cervicitis and pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) in women. Methods: Prevalence, risk factors and co-infections with other sexually transmitted pathogens were collected in a cross-sectional study looking at 400 women at the gynecologic clinics of a university medical center in the United States. Bacterial vaginosis and trichomoniasis were diagnosed using Amsel’s criteria, gram stain and trichomonas culture respectively. Cervicitis and PID were clinically diagnosed. After testing for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the residual cervical swab transport medium (Gen-Probe/Hologic®) was stored at -70°C. Stored samples were later analyzed for M. genitalium by a research use only transcription-mediated amplification assay using procedures similar to those established for APTIMA Combo2 assay for C. trachomatis and N. gonorrhoeae (Gen-Probe/Hologic®). Results: The overall prevalence of infection with C. trachomatis, N. gonorrhoeae, T. vaginalis and M. genitalium was found to be 7.8%, 1.8%, 10.43% and 8.9%, respectively. Prevalence of M. genitalium was comparable to that of C. trachomatis and greater than the prevalence of N. gonorrhoeae. Univariate analysis of M. genitalium status showed that participants with lower condom use had an increased probability of M. genitalium (p=0.037). Conclusion: Prevalence of M. genitalium was comparable to C. trachomatis in our study, but more research is needed to clarify pathogenicity.
An Indexing Framework for Efficient Visual Exploratory Subgraph Search in Graph Databases

Although exploratory search has received significant attention recently in the context of structured data, scant attention has been paid for graph-structured data. In this paper, we present two novel index structures called VACCINE and ADVISE to efficiently support exploratory subgraph search in a visual environment (VESS). VACCINE is an offline, feature-based index that stores rich information related to frequent and infrequent subgraphs in the underlying graph database and how they can be transformed from one subgraph to another. ADVISE, on the other hand, is an adaptive, compact, on-the-fly index instantiated during iterative visual formulation/reformulation of a subgraph query for exploratory search and records relevant information to efficiently support its repeated evaluation. These indexes engender more efficient and scalable visual exploratory subgraph search framework compared to a state-of-the-art technique.
lncRNA ATXN8OS promotes breast cancer by sequestering miR-204

Breast cancer (BC) is a common malignancy among women and the leading cause of female cancer mortality worldwide. In recent years, increasing evidence has shown that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) can act as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) in human cancer and that they are involved in many biological processes, including proliferation, migration, apoptosis and invasion. In the present study, the biological function and molecular mechanism of ataxin 8 opposite strand (ATXN8OS) in BC tissue and cell lines were investigated. It was found that ATXN8OS was markedly up-regulated in BC tissue and cell lines, and that its level of overexpression was inversely linked with the overall survival rate of patients with BC. Knockdown of ATXN8OS inhibited proliferation, viability and invasion in the human MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 BC cell lines. In addition, microRNA-204 (miR-204) was negatively associated with the expression of ATXN8OS in BC tissues and cell lines. A luciferase assay demonstrated a direct binding site for miR-204 within ATXN8OS, and inhibition of miR-204 stimulated the tumour-promoting effect of ATXN8OS on BC cells. In conclusion, the present study suggested that ATXN8OS acts as a tumour promoter by sequestering miR-204 during the development of BC, therefore providing a mechanistic insight which may facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of BC.
Blocking lncRNA H19-miR-19a-Id2 axis attenuates hypoxia/ischemia induced neuronal injury

Elevated expression of lncRNA H19 (H19) in the setting of hypoxia has been implicated as a promising therapeutic target for various cancers. However, little is known about the impact and underlying mechanism of H19 in ischemic brain stroke. This study found that H19 levels were elevated in the serum of stroke patients, as well as in the ischemic penumbra of rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) injury and neuronal cells with oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD). Further, knockdown of H19 with siRNA alleviated cell apoptosis in OGD neuronal cells, and inhibition of H19 in MCAO/R rats significantly decreased neurological deficit, brain infarct volume and neuronal apoptosis. Lastly, with gain and loss of function studies, dual luciferase reported assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and pull-down experiments, we demonstrated the dual competitive interaction of miR-19a with H19 and the 3’-UTR of Id2 mRNA, resulting in the identification of the H19-miR-19a-Id2 axis. With biological studies, we also revealed that H19-miR-19a-Id2 axis modulated hypoxia induced neuronal apoptosis. This study demonstrates that the identified H19-miR-19a-Id2 axis plays a critical role in hypoxia induced neuronal apoptosis, and blocking this axis may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy for ischemic brain injury.
Untangling the wiring of the Drosophila visual system: developmental principles and molecular strategies

Abstract The assembly of neural circuits relies on the accurate establishment of connections between synaptic partners. Precise wiring results from responses that neurons elicit to environmental cues and cell–cell contact events during development. A common design principle in both invertebrate and vertebrate adult nervous systems is the orderly array of columnar and layered synaptic units of certain neuropils. This similarity is particularly striking in the visual system, both at the structural and cell-type levels. Given the powerful genetic approaches and tools available in Drosophila, the fly visual system has been extensively used to probe how specific wiring patterns are achieved during development. In this review, we cover the developmental principles and molecular strategies that govern the assembly of columnar units (lamina cartridges and medulla columns), the formation of layers, afferent specific layer selection, and synaptogenesis in Drosophila. The mechanisms include: sequential developmental steps that ensure coordinated assembly of synaptic partners; anterograde and autocrine signaling; interactions between cell-surface molecules, or secreted molecules and their receptors that take place among neurons; and glia signaling to neurons.
Impaired telomere integrity and rRNA biogenesis in PARN‐deficient patients and knock‐out models

PARN, poly(A)‐specific ribonuclease, regulates the turnover of mRNAs and the maturation and stabilization of the hTR RNA component of telomerase. Biallelic PARN mutations were associated with Høyeraal–Hreidarsson (HH) syndrome, a rare telomere biology disorder that, because of its severity, is likely not exclusively due to hTR down‐regulation. Whether PARN deficiency was affecting the expression of telomere‐related genes was still unclear. Using cells from two unrelated HH individuals carrying novel PARN mutations and a human PARN knock‐out (KO) cell line with inducible PARN complementation, we found that PARN deficiency affects both telomere length and stability and down‐regulates the expression of TRF1, TRF2, TPP1, RAP1, and POT1 shelterin transcripts. Down‐regulation of dyskerin‐encoding DKC1 mRNA was also observed and found to result from p53 activation in PARN‐deficient cells. We further showed that PARN deficiency compromises ribosomal RNA biogenesis in patients' fibroblasts and cells from heterozygous Parn KO mice. Homozygous Parn KO however resulted in early embryonic lethality that was not overcome by p53 KO. Our results refine our knowledge on the pleiotropic cellular consequences of PARN deficiency.
Increase in muscle power is associated with myofibrillar ATPase adaptations during resistance training

What is the central question of this study? The aim of this study was to examine the effects of resistance training on gains in the external mechanical power output developed during climbing and myofibrillar ATPase activity in rats. What is the main finding and its importance? Using rapid flow quench experiments, we show that resistance training increases both the power output and the myofibrillar ATPase activity in the flexor digitorum profundus, biceps and deltoid muscles. Data fitting reveals that these functional ameliorations are explained by an increase in the rate constant of liberation of ATP hydrolysis products and contribute to performance gains.
IoT-NetSec: Policy-Based IoT Network Security Using OpenFlow

The increasingly widespread adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT) has resulted in concerns about IoT security. Recently, there have been proposals to leverage software-defined networking (SDN) to augment IoT device security with network-level measurements. We argue that existing general-purpose security solutions using SDN are impractical for supporting today's home and corporate networks due to the high volume and rates of network traffic, differences in characteristics of IoT systems and computer networks, and limited resources in underlying network switches. To this end we propose IoT-NetSec, a framework that enables policy-based and fine-grained traffic monitoring of the network segments that include only IoT devices. We describe a prototype implementation and its integration with an SDN controller. The prototype implementation and simulations with three network service attacks (port scanning, SYN DoS Flooding and smurf DDoS) demonstrate IoT-NetSec feasibility in a network of real IoT devices.
Effects of High Temperatures on Cell Reading, Programming, and Erasing of Schottky Barrier Charge-Trapping Memories

This paper examines the temperature effect of Schottky barrier source/drain charge-trapping memories. The current–voltage curves and programming/erasing characteristics are experimentally investigated at room temperature and higher 85 °C and 125 °C. 2-D device simulations were performed to elucidate the physical mechanisms of Schottky barrier cell devices at high temperatures. For Schottky barrier charge-trapping cells, two different mechanisms of ambipolar conduction are classified: 1) thermionic emission and 2) Schottky barrier tunneling. The thermionic emission is susceptible to variations of high temperatures, leading to considerable shifts in logarithmic scale off-state drain-currents at low gate voltages. However, at adequately large gate voltages, the Schottky barrier tunneling plays a key role in contributing drain currents. The Schottky barriers and associated tunneling are relatively insensitive to the variations of device temperatures, preserving favorable temperature-insensitive programming and erasing Schottky barrier charge-trapping cells for use in the high-temperature automotive industry.
Characterization of Facial Expression using Deep Neural Networks

Deep learning plays a significant role in the advancement of computer vision by improving the speed and accuracy to the assigned tasks. It is opening opportunities for improvement and enhancement of processes and to initiate the human-driven tasks in an automated manner. On the basis of this growth, deep-learning algorithms are finding applications in the field CNN and RNN. The key advantage of Deep Learning algorithm is that manually extraction of features from the image is not required. The network extracts the features while training. The only input required is to provide the image to the network. The CNN’s and RNN’s have given state-of-the art results on numerous classification tasks. The Deep learning algorithm are designed for feature detection / extraction, classification and recognition of the object. The key advantage of a CNN is to remove or reduce the reliance on physics-based models, other processing methods by enabling complete learning directly from the input images of the object. The CNN and RNN together has given effective results in the area of face recognition, object recognition, scene understanding and facial expression recognition.
Children’s Physical Activity Levels Following Participation in a Classroom-Based Physical Activity Curriculum

A classroom-based physical activity curriculum offers an opportunity for students to be active during the school day to combat declining physical activity levels among this population. The effects of classroom-based physical activity curriculum on children of different weight categories is relatively unknown. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the differences in physical activity levels between male and female students, and between students of different weight categories following participation in a classroom-based physical activity curriculum intervention. A total of 210 3rd to 5th grade (age = 9.1 ± 0.1) students from one U.S. elementary school participated in a 4-week intervention. Students’ physical activity levels were measured using pedometers, quantified by step counts pre- and post-intervention. Results from the study indicated that students’ physical activity levels increased after participation in the intervention; male students’ physical activity levels were higher than female students. Additionally, there was an increase in physical activity levels regardless of weight categories, with students of healthy weight exhibiting the most increase following participation in the intervention. In view of the improvement of children’s physical activity levels following their participation in a classroom-based physical activity curriculum, it is recommended that training and resources be provided for teachers to easily implement the curriculum during the school day.
A Target Identification Method for the Millimeter Wave Seeker via Correlation Matching and Beam Pointing

Target identification is a challenging task under land backgrounds for the millimeter wave (MMW) seeker, especially under complex backgrounds. Focusing on the problem, an effective method combining correlation matching and beam pointing is proposed in this paper. In the beginning, seeker scanning for target detection is conducted in two rounds, and target information of the detected targets is stored for correlation matching. Point or body feature judgment is implemented by using high resolution range profile (HRRP). Then, the error distribution zone is constructed with the beam pointing as the origin. In the end, we identify the target by searching the one which lies in the closest error distribution from the beam pointing center. The effectiveness of the proposed method is verified by using mooring test-fly and real flight data.
Informed Sampling and Adaptive Monitoring using Sparse Gaussian Processes

Physical sample collection from the hotspots of an environmental field is of interest to scientists, environmental protection agencies as well as public utility authorities. Such a sample collection task requires prior knowledge of the locations of the hotspots, which is generally not available. In this paper, we suggest an algorithm, Sampling and Adaptive Monitoring (SAM), to perform both the tasks of approximating the environmental field and sampling from the hotspots, simultaneously. We test our performance using a user defined utility function and show that we are able to obtain a good approximation of the field and collect samples from the hotspots within the stipulated time.