Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Chinese Community-Dwelling Adults with and without Diabetes

Background: Gastrointestinal symptoms have been reported to occur frequently in diabetes, but their prevalence in Chinese community-dwelling individuals with diabetes is unknown. The present study aimed to address this issue and explore the risk factors for gastrointestinal symptoms. Methods: A total of 1304 community-dwelling participants (214 with diabetes, 360 with prediabetes and 730 with normoglycemia) were surveyed for gastrointestinal symptoms using the Diabetes Bowel Symptom Questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses were applied to identify risk factors for gastrointestinal symptoms. Results: Of the overall study population, 18.6% reported at least one gastrointestinal symptom, without a significant difference between subjects with normoglycemia (17.7%), prediabetes (19.7%) and diabetes (20.1%). In all three groups, lower gastrointestinal symptoms, particularly diarrhea and constipation, were the most frequent. There was an interaction between age (≥65 years) and diabetes on the prevalence of at least one gastrointestinal symptom (p = 0.01) and of constipation (p = 0.004), with these being most frequent in subjects with diabetes aged ≥ 65 years. After multivariable adjustment, female gender and older age were associated with increased odds of at least one gastrointestinal symptom, specifically lower gastrointestinal symptoms. Older age was also associated with an increase in upper gastrointestinal symptoms. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal symptoms are common in Chinese community-dwelling adults with and without diabetes. Females, and the elderly with diabetes, are at an increased risk of symptoms.
The Effect of Ketogenic Diet on Shared Risk Factors of Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are the first and second leading causes of death worldwide, respectively. Epidemiological evidence has demonstrated that the incidence of cancer is elevated in patients with CVD and vice versa. However, these conditions are usually regarded as separate events despite the presence of shared risk factors between both conditions, such as metabolic abnormalities and lifestyle. Cohort studies suggested that controlling for CVD risk factors may have an impact on cancer incidence. Therefore, it could be concluded that interventions that improve CVD and cancer shared risk factors may potentially be effective in preventing and treating both diseases. The ketogenic diet (KD), a low-carbohydrate and high-fat diet, has been widely prescribed in weight loss programs for metabolic abnormalities. Furthermore, recent research has investigated the effects of KD on the treatment of numerous diseases, including CVD and cancer, due to its role in promoting ketolysis, ketogenesis, and modifying many other metabolic pathways with potential favorable health effects. However, there is still great debate regarding prescribing KD in patients either with CVD or cancer. Considering the number of studies on this topic, there is a clear need to summarize potential mechanisms through which KD can improve cardiovascular health and control cell proliferation. In this review, we explained the history of KD, its types, and physiological effects and discussed how it could play a role in CVD and cancer treatment and prevention.
Closely adjacent object segmentation based on periphery-restrictive region growing

Closely adjacent objects are a kind of challenging scene in three-dimensional point cloud segmentation. To address this issue, we propose a novel periphery-restrictive region-growing-based segmentation method. First, the clouds are smoothed by the moving least squares method and the periphery of the target clouds is extracted. Then an initial seed generation based on minimum curvature first of non-periphery points, namely, non-periphery seed generation algorithm is proposed. Finally, a nearest periphery restrictive growing algorithm is proposed for accurate segmentation. In addition, we establish a point cloud dataset of adjacent objects which contains three typically adjacent objects on the pipeline. We evaluate the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method on this dataset, and the extensive experiments show that the proposed method performs well on closely adjacent objects.
Molecular Basis of the Schuurs–Hoeijmakers Syndrome: What We Know about the Gene and the PACS-1 Protein and Novel Therapeutic Approaches

The Schuurs–Hoeijmakers syndrome (SHMS) or PACS1 Neurodevelopment Disorder (PACS1-NDD) is a rare autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in the PACS1 gene. To date, only 87 patients have been reported and, surprisingly, most of them carry the same variant (c.607C>T; p.R203W). The most relevant clinical features of the syndrome include neurodevelopment delay, seizures or a recognizable facial phenotype. Moreover, some of these characteristics overlap with other syndromes, such as the PACS2 or Wdr37 syndromes. The encoded protein phosphofurin acid cluster sorting 1 (PACS-1) is able to bind to different client proteins and direct them to their subcellular final locations. Therefore, although its main function is protein trafficking, it could perform other roles related to its client proteins. In patients with PACS1-NDD, a gain-of-function or a dominant negative mechanism for the mutated protein has been suggested. This, together with the fact that most of the patients carry the same genetic variant, makes it a good candidate for novel therapeutic approaches directed to decreasing the toxic effect of the mutated protein. Some of these strategies include the use of antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) or targeting of its client proteins.
A High Dynamic Range Image Fusion Method Based on Dual Gain Image

ABSTRACT For a camera with automatic gain control, two images with high and low optical gain can be output at the same exposure time. Due to the small gain value, most of target details are hidden in the dark pixels for the low gain image, and the brightness saturation usually appears in high gain image for the high luminance areas. To obtain the essential information from the dual gain images, a generation method of high dynamic range image based on dual gain image was developed. The method is composed of five parts, including enhancement of image detail, establishment of Laplacian pyramid, selection of fusion operator, reconstruction of fusion pyramid and adjustment of image contrast. Results showed that combination of the gradient operator for N-1 layer and the neighbourhood filter operator for the Nth layer had better fusion effect. Moreover, based on the analysis of image information entropy and clarity, the fusion efficiency was calculated, and the fusion efficiency of Mertens’s method, Jiang’s method, Zhang’s method, Goshtasby’s method and the presented method was 30.5%, 33.5%, 39.5%, 51% and 99%, indicating that the HDR fusion method based on dual gain image is reliable.
Does data visualization affect users’ understanding of electricity consumption?

ABSTRACT Different data visualizations are investigated for how they enable occupants to learn about domestic energy consumption. Smart metering can potentially encourage householders to change their behaviour and save energy. However, concerns exist about whether users understand domestic energy feedback. Two challenges are addressed: feedback displays typically show aggregate consumption and they show time-series data visualizations, which are difficult to relate to everyday actions in the household. A laboratory experiment (N = 43) assessed changes in participants’ knowledge of how much electricity everyday actions consume after being exposed to different forms of energy-consumption data visualizations: (1) an aggregated time-series line graph, (2) a disaggregated time-series line graph and (3) a normalized disaggregated visualization that deemphasized time. Participants played an energy game both before and after they saw the simulation. Participants in condition (3) were more accurate and more confident in their post-test judgments about everyday domestic electricity consumption than other participants. These findings suggest that the type of data visualization affects users’ understanding of domestic electricity consumption. The visualization of disaggregated energy feedback at the appliance level should be considered for future generations of technology.
pH-Sensitive Drug Delivery System Based on Chitin Nanowhiskers–Sodium Alginate Polyelectrolyte Complex

Polyelectrolyte complexes (PECs), based on partially deacetylated chitin nanowhiskers (CNWs) and anionic polysaccharides, are characterized by their variability of properties (particle size, ζ-potential, and pH-sensitivity) depending on the preparation conditions, thereby allowing the development of polymeric nanoplatforms with a sustained release profile for active pharmaceutical substances. This study is focused on the development of hydrogels based on PECs of CNWs and sodium alginate (ALG) for potential vaginal administration that provide controlled pH-dependent antibiotic release in an acidic vaginal environment, as well as prolonged pharmacological action due to both the sustained drug release profile and the mucoadhesive properties of the polysaccharides. The desired hydrogels were formed as a result of both electrostatic interactions between CNWs and ALG (PEC formation), and the subsequent molecular entanglement of ALG chains, and the formation of additional hydrogen bonds. Metronidazole (MET) delivery systems with the desired properties were obtained at pH 5.5 and an CNW:ALG ratio of 1:2. The MET–CNW–ALG microparticles in the hydrogel composition had an apparent hydrodynamic diameter of approximately 1.7 µm and a ζ-potential of −43 mV. In vitro release studies showed a prolonged pH-sensitive drug release from the designed hydrogels; 37 and 67% of MET were released within 24 h at pH 7.4 and pH 4.5, respectively. The introduction of CNWs into the MET–ALG system not only prolonged the drug release, but also increased the mucoadhesive properties by about 1.3 times. Thus, novel CNW–ALG hydrogels are promising carriers for pH sensitive drug delivery carriers.
A combined molecular dynamics-finite element multiscale modeling to analyze the mechanical properties of randomly dispersed, chemisorbed carbon nanotubes/polymer nanocomposites

Abstract A two-stage molecular dynamics (MD)-finite element (FE) modeling method is developed based on the concepts of representative volume element (RVE) and equivalent solid fibers (ESFs) containing functionalized carbon nanotubes (ESFs-fCNTs). First, the influences of nanotubes’ chirality, different percent of functionalization ( ), various functional atoms, and polymers on the tensile and shear properties of the fCNTs inserted into the polymer matrix (fCNTs/polymer) are discovered using MD simulations. Then, using MD information as input data, the effective Young’s modulus of polymeric unit cell strengthened by ESFs-fCNTs (ESFs-fCNTs/polymer) is explored through FE modeling. The ratio of effective Young’s modulus of the unit cell ( ) to Young’s modulus of the polymeric cube ( ) is reported and all findings ( ) are compared to the ESFs-pure CNTs/polymer results as well. It is found that longitudinal Young’s modulus ( ) of nanofillers/polymer RVEs affects remarkably the of the ESFs-nanofillers/polymer nanocomposites. The decreases by increasing the Generally, the reinforcing impact of zigzag nanotubes compared to armchair ones on the of polymer RVEs is more considerable. Additionally, FE-based results illustrate that as the volume fraction of ESFs ( ) increases, the is enhanced. At a specific the reinforcing effect of the ESFs-armchair and zigzag fCNTs is more in favor of polyethylene nanocomposites than that of the polypropylene systems. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
A Proinflammatory Diet Is Associated with Higher Risk of Peripheral Artery Disease

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has a strong relationship with inflammation. However, it is unclear whether the dietary inflammatory potential is associated with PAD. We aimed to address this knowledge gap. The dietary inflammatory index (DII) was obtained using a 24-h dietary recall interview for each individual. Logistic regression models and restricted cubic spline were performed to assess the relationship of DII with the prevalence of PAD. In addition, Spearman correlation analysis and subgroup analysis were also undertaken. In total, 5840 individuals from the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were enrolled in our study. Participants in higher DII quartile tended to have higher rates of PAD. The increase in DII scores showed a positive association with PAD after fully multivariate adjustment (OR (odds ratios) = 1.094, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.022–1.171). The multivariable-adjusted OR and 95% CI of the highest DII index quartile compared with the lowest quartile was 1.543 (95% CI: 1.116–2.133). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the positive association between DII and PAD was persistent across population subgroups. In conclusion, we report that a proinflammatory dietary pattern is related to a higher risk of developing PAD among US adults.
Exopolysaccharides from Klebsiella oxytoca: anti-inflammatory activity

Exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by Klebsiella oxytoca are of environmental, pharmaceutical, and medicinal interest. However, studies about the anti-inflammatory activity of EPS produced by this microorganism still remain limited. The aim of this study was to produce, characterize, and evaluate the anti-inflammatory activity of EPS from K . oxytoca in a pleurisy model. Colorimetric analysis revealed that precipitated crude exopolysaccharides (KEPSC) and deproteinated exopolysaccharides (KEPS) present high levels of total carbohydrates (65.57% and 62.82%, respectively). Analyses of uronic acid (7.90% in KEPSC and 6.21% in KEPS) and pyruvic acid (3.01% in KEPSC and 1.68% in KEPS) confirm that the EPS are acidic. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that the EPS consisted of rhamnose (29.83%), glucose (11.21%), galactose (52.45%), and mannose (6.50%). The treatment of an experimental pleurisy model in rats through subcutaneous administration of 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of KEPS decreased both the volume of inflammatory exudate and the number of leukocytes recruited to the pleural cavity. The present data showed that EPS production by K . oxytoca using the method described is easy to perform and results in a good yield. In addition, we show that KEPS exhibit anti-inflammatory activity when administered subcutaneously in rats.
Examining Student’s Motivation in Using Google Classroom Out of Class Language Learning Activities

This study aims to determine the motivation of students to use google classroom in the process of learning English. This research was conducted at SMP Negeri 1 Sampara, Konawe Regency. To answer the research questions, questionnaires were administered to 27 research subjects and interviews were conducted with 6 students. This research design uses qualitative methods with data collection using questionnaires and interviews. The findings are categorized into 4 aspects: 1) desire and interest in learning; 2) encouragement in the learning process; 3) self-respect and respect during learning activities; 4) achievement in learning. The results show that the development of technology-based learning media such as the google classroom application has its own challenges for teachers, in managing applications, design and learning strategies. The use of google classroom as a learning medium has a positive effect on increasing student motivation. In this context, the teaching and learning process can generate desire, interest, motivation and teaching and learning, besides that Google Classroom can also help students to facilitate understanding of the subject matter.
Impacts of combined microphysical and land-surface uncertainties on convective clouds and precipitation in different weather regimes

Abstract. To reduce the underdispersion of precipitation in convective-scale ensemble prediction systems, we investigate the relevance of microphysical and land-surface uncertainties for convective-scale predictability. We use three different initial soil moisture fields and study the response of convective precipitation to varying cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) concentrations and different shape parameters of the cloud droplet size distribution (CDSD) by applying a novel combined-perturbation strategy. Using the new ICOsahedral Non-hydrostatic (ICON) model, we construct a 60-member ensemble for cases with summertime convection under weak and strong synoptic-scale forcing over central Europe. We find a systematic positive soil moisture–precipitation feedback for all cases, regardless of the type of synoptic forcing, and a stronger response of precipitation to different CCN concentrations and shape parameters for weak forcing than for strong forcing. While the days with weak forcing show a systematic decrease in precipitation with increasing aerosol loading, days with strong forcing also show nonsystematic responses for some values of the shape parameters. The large magnitudes of precipitation deviations compared to a reference simulation ranging between −23 % and +18 % demonstrate that the uncertainties investigated here and, in particular, their collective effect are highly relevant for quantitative precipitation forecasting of summertime convection in central Europe. A rainwater budget analysis is used to identify the dominating source and sink terms and their response to the uncertainties applied in this study. Results also show a dominating cold-rain process for all cases and a strong but mostly nonsystematic impact on the release of latent heat, which is considered to be the prime mechanism for the upscale growth of small errors affecting the predictability of convective systems. The combined ensemble spread when accounting for all three uncertainties lies in the same range as the ones from an operational convective-scale ensemble prediction system with 20 members determined in previous studies. This indicates that the combination of different perturbations used in our study may be suitable for ensemble forecasting and that this method should be evaluated against other sources of uncertainty.
Physical giftedness/talent: A systematic review of the literature on identification and development

In this study, a systematic review was undertaken of the international scholarly literature on the identification and development of giftedness/talent in the physical domain, to establish the scope of current knowledge in the area. To identify relevant research, a search that involved the creation of a search string and the manual examination of the titles and abstracts of potentially relevant research, was conducted using two databases—Web of Science Core Collection and SportDiscus—and six inclusion/exclusion criteria (i.e., relevance to identification or development of physical giftedness/talent, an empirical study, publication in a reputable academic peer-reviewed journal, publication from 2000 to 2021, an English language publication, and authorship by scholars based in any part of the world). The 101 journal articles that met the inclusion/exclusion criteria were analyzed for key details, including the year of publication, methodological approaches, participants, and major findings. The five broad themes that emerged from the findings of these articles related to conceptions of physical giftedness/talent, identification characteristics/criteria, factors associated with identification, identification methods, and talent development interventions. An outline and discussion of the key issues and trends in the research, along with some recommendations for future research, conclude the systematic review.
Early Anticoagulation in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke Due to Atrial Fibrillation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract Introduction: There is uncertainty regarding the optimal timing for initiation of oral anticoagulation in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) due to atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized-controlled clinical trials (RCTs) and prospective observational studies to assess the efficacy and safety of early anticoagulation in AF-related AIS (within 1 week versus 2 weeks). A second comparison was performed assessing the efficacy and safety of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) versus vitamin-K antagonists (VKAs) in the two early time windows. The outcomes of interest were IS recurrence, all-cause mortality, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (sICH) and any ICH. Results: Eight eligible studies (6 observational, 2 RCTs) were identified, including 5616 patients with AF-related AIS who received early anticoagulation. Patients that received anticoagulants within the first week after index stroke had similar rate of recurrent IS, sICH and all-cause mortality compared to patients that received anticoagulation within two weeks (test for subgroup differences p = 0.1677; p = 0.8941; and p = 0.7786, respectively). When DOACs were compared to VKAs, there was a significant decline of IS recurrence in DOAC-treated patients compared to VKAs (RR: 0.65; 95%CI: 0.52–0.82), which was evident in both time windows of treatment initiation. DOACs were also associated with lower likelihood of sICH and all-cause mortality. Conclusions: Early initiation of anticoagulation within the first week may have a similar efficacy and safety profile compared to later anticoagulation (within two weeks), while DOACs seem more effective in terms of IS recurrence and survival compared to VKAs.
REGENERACIÓN in vitro DE PLANTAS DE Polianthes tuberosa L. A PARTIR DE TEJIDO FOLIAR Y DE BOTÓN FLORAL

<p><strong>Background. Tuberose (</strong><em>Polianthes tuberosa </em>L.)<em> </em>is a native plant of central and southern Mexico, cultivated for cut flower and as for the perfume industry. Farmers propagate it vegetatively, so it is important to generate new varieties by implementing efficient techniques, both to induce mutations and micro-propagation. <strong>Objective. </strong>Establish the protocol for the <em>in vitro</em> propagation of <em>P. tuberosa </em>L. from foliar and flower tissue. <strong>Methodology. </strong>Leaf<strong> </strong>and button explants were placed on the surface of the culture medium base GC, containing inorganic salts Murashige and Skoog (1962) per liter, coconut water 50 mL L<sup>-1</sup>, 20 g L<sup>-1 </sup>of sucrose, 6.4 g L<sup>-1 </sup>of agar, being the pH adjusted to 5.7. With this basic medium were prepared a series of culture media containing benzylaminopurine (BAP) , naphthaleneacetic acid (ANA), 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), indole acetic acid (IAA) and kinetin. <strong>Results. </strong>Shoot regeneration (3.5 %) was solely from button tissue explants on solid media containing BAP and ANA; media T1 (1.1 %), T3 (3.5 %) and T11 (2.5 %). The shoots developed roots in the medium with indolbutiric acid (1 mg L<sup>-1</sup>) and BAP (0.1 mg L<sup>-1</sup>). In foliar tissue cultures, the regeneration of green callus was achieved in a higher percentage (50.9 %) in the solid media with BAP (4.5 mg L<sup>-1</sup>) and ANA (0.05 mg L<sup>-1</sup>) and sucrose 20 g L<sup>-1</sup>. <strong>Implications. </strong> The protocol was developed that allowed obtaining tuberose seedlings from flower buds. This attributes to the <em>in vitro</em> conservation of germplasm, and initiating genetic improvement programs for <em>P. tuberosa</em> with new and desirable characteristics, to increase biodiversity in the crop. <strong>Conclusions. </strong> Both shoot induction and development were observed in media containing BAP (4.5 mg L<sup>-1</sup>) and ANA (0.1 mg L<sup>-1</sup>). </p>