Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Composite Model of Wound Segmentation Based on Traditional Methods and Deep Neural Networks

Wound segmentation plays an important supporting role in the wound observation and wound healing. Current methods of image segmentation include those based on traditional process of image and those based on deep neural networks. The traditional methods use the artificial image features to complete the task without large amounts of labeled data. Meanwhile, the methods based on deep neural networks can extract the image features effectively without the artificial design, but lots of training data are required. Combined with the advantages of them, this paper presents a composite model of wound segmentation. The model uses the skin with wound detection algorithm we designed in the paper to highlight image features. Then, the preprocessed images are segmented by deep neural networks. And semantic corrections are applied to the segmentation results at last. The model shows a good performance in our experiment.
Effect of aerobic exercise on echocardiographic epicardial adipose tissue thickness in overweight individuals

Background Epicardial adipose tissue thickness (EATT) measured by echocardiography is a reliable indicator of visceral adipose tissue in the body and metabolic syndrome. The objective of this work was to study the effect of 12-week aerobic exercise training on echocardiographic epicardial adipose tissue thickness (EEATT), body composition and other metabolic parameters in asymptomatic overweight adults. Methods A total of 170 overweight and mild obese individuals were randomly allocated to 12-week aerobic exercise program (intervention group) or no supervised exercise (control group). The body fat percentage and visceral fat levels were measured by bioelectric impedance analyzer, and blood tests were conducted to measure lipids, fasting blood sugar (FBS) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (Hs-CRP). The participants also underwent transthoracic echocardiography to measure EATT. All the outcomes were measured after 12 weeks. Repeated measures were analyzed using ANOVA and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to analyze the data. Results EEATT values significantly reduced by −16.24% (3.12±1.18 to 2.70±1.04, p<0.05) following 12 weeks of aerobic exercise along with a reduction in weight by 2.96% (80.66±12.12 to 78.27±12.31, p<0.05), body mass index by 3.11% (29.20±2.71 to 28.29±2.81, p<0.05) and waist circumference by 2.29% (94.82±7.23 to 92.64±7.33, p<0.05) and improved Hs-CRP values. Conclusion The 12-week aerobic exercise was found to be effective in reducing EEATT in overweight and mild obese individuals. There was significant improvement in body composition, blood lipids, FBS, Hs-CRP and exercise capacity in intervention group compared to control group.
期刊国际化初步尝试——谈Journal of Pharmaceutical Analysis的创办

介绍了JournalofPharmaceuticalAnalysis（JPA）创立的背景资料、期刊的定位与目标，在与国际出版集团Elsevier进行合作的过程中，初步实现了创刊初期提出的短期目标。 虽然JPA在英文期刊国际化方面只是做了初步尝试和探索，但从中得到不少启示，更对未来寄予希望。
Time Spent in Sedentary Behaviour as Discriminant Criterion for Frailty in Older Adults

This paper aims to analyse whether time spent in sedentary behaviour was a discriminant criterion for frailty in older adults. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a sample of 457 elderly individuals aged ≥60 years. Frailty was defined as the presence of three or more of the following criteria: Unintentional weight loss, low walking speed at a 4.57 m course, reduced manual grip strength, exhaustion and insufficient physical activity level. Participants were classified into two groups: Non-frail or frail. Exposure to sedentary behaviour was assessed by the time spent sitting during a typical week, according to the adapted version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Descriptive (mean, frequency) and inferential statistics (Poisson regression, Pearson’s Chi-square, Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve) were used to analyse the data, comparing them to the time-related areas exposed to sedentary behaviour by gender and the presence of fragility. The prevalence of frailty was 22.1% (n = 101). The most accurate cut-off points of sitting time for predicting frailty were >495 min/day (men) or >536 min/day (women). Time spent in sedentary behaviour can be used to indicate fragility in the elderly of both sexes.
Neuropsychiatric assessments in patients with multiple sclerosis in early phases and with low disability

Background In the early phases of multiple sclerosis (MS), patients exhibit slight neuropsychiatric deficits that can only be detected using reliable tools. Aim The present investigation aimed to examine neuropsychological performance in 35 patients with incipient MS. Patients and methods For the MS group, the inclusion criteria included time of disease <3 years and low disability. The neuropsychological battery consisted of Rey Auditory Learning Test, Controlled Oral Word Association Test, Hooper Visual Organization Test, and Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT). Results After correction for the educational level, no significant effect of MS on performance was found for all the tests except for the number of errors of the SDMT (NE-SDMT). Higher levels of education were associated with better performances in all tests, except for the NE-SDMT. MS patients made more errors than the controls. Conclusion The effect on the NE-SDMT may reflect difficulties in the ability to inhibit inadequate responses. Patients may exhibit impulsive control disorders in incipient MS, independent of their educational level.
A Mental Odd-Even Continuum Account: Some Numbers May Be “More Odd” Than Others and Some Numbers May Be “More Even” Than Others

Numerical categories such as parity, i.e., being odd or even, have frequently been shown to influence how particular numbers are processed. Mathematically, number parity is defined categorically. So far, cognitive, and psychological accounts have followed the mathematical definition and defined parity as a categorical psychological representation as well. In this manuscript, we wish to test the alternative account that cognitively, parity is represented in a more gradual manner such that some numbers are represented as “more odd” or “more even” than other odd or even numbers, respectively. Specifically, parity processing might be influenced by more specific properties such as whether a number is a prime, a square number, a power of 2, part of a multiplication table, divisible by 4 or by 5, and many others. We suggest that these properties can influence the psychologically represented parity of a number, making it more or less prototypical for odd- or evenness. In the present study, we tested the influence of these numerical properties in a bimanual parity judgment task with auditorily presented two-digit numbers. Additionally, we further investigated the interaction of these numerical properties with linguistic factors in three language groups (English, German, and Polish). Results show significant effects on reaction times of the congruity of parity status between decade and unit digits, even if numerical magnitude and word frequency are controlled. We also observed other effects of the above specific numerical properties, such as multiplication attributes, which facilitated or interfered with the speed of parity judgment. Based on these effects of specific numerical properties we proposed and elaborated a parity continuum account. However, our cross-lingual study also suggests that parity representation and/or access seem to depend on the linguistic properties of the respective language or education and culture. Overall, the results suggest that the “perceived” parity is not the same as objective parity, and some numbers are more prototypical exemplars of their categories.
Age Variations in Cohort Differences in the United States: Older Adults Report Fewer Constraints Nowadays Than Those 18 Years ago, but Mastery Beliefs Are Diminished Among Younger Adults

Life Span psychological and life course sociological perspectives have long acknowledged that individual functioning is shaped by historical and sociocultural contexts. Secular increases favoring later-born cohorts are widely documented for fluid cognitive performance and well-being (among older adults). However, little is known about secular trends in other key resources of psychosocial function such as perceptions of control and whether historical changes have occurred in young, middle-aged, and older adults alike. To examine these questions, we compared data from two independent national samples of the Midlife in the United States survey obtained 18 years apart (1995/96 vs. 2013/14) and identified case-matched cohorts (per cohort, n = 2,223, aged = 23–75 years) based on age and gender. We additionally examined the role of economic resources for cohort differences in perceived mastery and constraints. Results revealed that older adults in later-born cohorts reported perceiving fewer constraints than did matched controls 18 years ago, with such positive secular trends being particularly pronounced among women. In contrast, younger adults reported perceiving more constraints in later-born cohorts than those 18 years ago and also reported perceiving lower mastery. We conclude from our national U.S. sample that secular trends generalize to central psychosocial resources across adulthood, such as perceptions of control, but are not unanimously positive. We discuss possible underlying mechanisms and practical implications.
In silico elucidation of novel anticancer lead molecules targeting human prostate specific gene-1 protein

Farheen Waziri, Ramachandran Vijayan, Tahreem Sahar, Shadab Anwar, Samudrala Gourinath, Swatantra Kumar Jain and Saima Wajid Department of Biotechnology, School of Chemical and Life Sciences, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India; School of Life Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India; Department of Biochemistry, Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi, India
Managers ́ Readiness for Organizational Change: Exploring the Intercultural Competence Connection

In Global business environments influenced by technology dynamic life cycles, structural organizational changes are frequently required to take advantage from new business opportunities, being top level managers ́ readiness for change a core issue for organizations. This paper presents results of a research project conducted to gain understanding in regard of which of the Intercultural Competences structural components influence manager ́s readiness for organizational change. Using a unique and innovative analysis lens resulting from combining Organizational Readiness construct from the Organizational Behavior (OB) arena with the Professional Competences approach from the Education Sciences field,and data collected from 557 worldwide respondents. Results of quantitative analysis identify eight of the twelve Intercultural Competence components related to Managers ́ Readiness for Change, revealing that behavioral-social skills are remarkably relevant as influencing factors in terms of organizational readiness. Findings are considered to be valuable information for HRM policy definitions as well as for managers ́ training and education programs development.
Analysis of the animal feed to poultry value chain in Zambia

ABSTRACT Rapidly growing populations, urbanisation and income are together triggering increased demand for high-value agricultural commodities across Southern Africa with scope for gains from trade and regional integration. The poultry sector in Zambia, in particular, has witnessed a rapid growth triggering increased investments and competition, benefiting the consumers. Despite this growth, the sector still faces huge challenges hindering the development of the animal feed, feed input and poultry production sub-sectors. This has limited the extent of participation of the Zambian poultry industry in the regional market due to uncompetitive prices. This study analyses the animal feed to poultry value chain in Zambia, focusing on the industry capabilities with a view to enhancing its competitiveness and production for the regional market. Enhancing value chain capabilities will require improvements in productivity and production of key poultry inputs, and addressing transportation inefficiencies and coordination among governments.
History and Perspectives on Nutrition and Hydration at the End of Life

The question of whether to provide artificial nutrition and hydration (ANH) to a patient with terminal illness or at end of life has been debated over many years. Due to the nature of the question and the setting in which it presents, prospective trials are not feasible, and the health care professional is left to work with the patient and family to make decisions. This perspectives piece addresses the issue in a format designed to inform the reader as to the pertinent considerations around ANH. We briefly review significant historic, religious, ethical, and legal contributions to this discussion and physiologic underpinnings. We address the beliefs of patient, family, and health care providers surrounding this issue. Our goal is to provide a review of the considerations for health care providers as they address this issue with patients and families in the course of compassionate care.
Quantifying Steric and Hydrophobic Influence of Non-Standard Amino Acids in Proteins That Undergo Post-Translational Modifications

Non-standard amino acids in protein post-translational modifications aid in a wide variety of biological functions and processes, furnishing expansion from the genome to the proteome. First, from structural examinations in unmodified proteins with only standard amino acids, this work empirically obtains numeric relations that reveal how instruction transfers occur between native-state structures. Next, from these relations, the influence of non-standard amino acids inside post-translationally modified proteins is quantified by successfully predicting the contents of large and hydrophobic residues in helices and β-strands for 210 inspections performed. This suggests a twofold molecular mechanism by the fundamental biophysicochemical properties (residue volume and hydrophobicity), and concludes that the utilized non-standard amino acids have limited global influence at the residue level. Our prediction method provides a better underlying understanding of molecular interactions and mechanisms, and is particularly promising in terms of surveying further modified proteins.
From theory to practice: improving bitrate adaptation in the DASH reference player

Modern video streaming uses adaptive bitrate (ABR) algorithms than run inside video players and continually adjust the quality (i.e., bitrate) of the video segments that are downloaded and rendered to the user. To maximize the quality-of-experience of the user, ABR algorithms must stream at a high bitrate with low rebuffering and low bitrate oscillations. Further, a good ABR algorithm is responsive to user and network events and can be used in demanding scenarios such as low-latency live streaming. Recent research papers provide an abundance of ABR algorithms, but fall short on many of the above real-world requirements. We develop Sabre, an open-source publicly-available simulation tool that enables fast and accurate simulation of adaptive streaming environments. We used Sabre to design and evaluate BOLA-E and DYNAMIC, two novel ABR algorithms. We also developed a FAST SWITCHING algorithm that can replace segments that have already been downloaded with higher-bitrate (thus higher-quality) segments. The new algorithms provide higher QoE to the user in terms of higher bitrate, fewer rebuffers, and lesser bitrate oscillations. In addition, these algorithms react faster to user events such as startup and seek, and respond more quickly to network events such as improvements in throughput. Further, they perform very well for live streams that require low latency, a challenging scenario for ABR algorithms. Overall, our algorithms offer superior video QoE and responsiveness for real-life adaptive video streaming, in comparison to the state-of-the-art. Importantly all three algorithms presented in this paper are now part of the official DASH reference player dash.js and are being used by video providers in production environments. While our evaluation and implementation are focused on the DASH environment, our algorithms are equally applicable to other adaptive streaming formats such as Apple HLS.
Selecting significant effects in factorial designs: Lenth's method versus using negligible interactions

ABSTRACT Among the many analytical techniques that have been published to analyze the significance of the effects in the absence of replications, two have emerged as the most widely used in text books as well as statistical software packages: The Lenth's method and the estimation of the variance of the effects from the values of those considered negligible. This article shows that neither is better than the other in all cases, and by analyzing the results obtained in a wide variety of situations it provides guidelines on when it is preferable to use one or the other technique.
Designed Surface Topographies Control ICAM-1 Expression in Tonsil-Derived Human Stromal Cells

Fibroblastic reticular cells (FRCs), the T-cell zone stromal cell subtype in the lymph nodes, create a scaffold for adhesion and migration of immune cells, thus allowing them to communicate. Although known to be important for the initiation of immune responses, studies about FRCs and their interactions have been impeded because FRCs are limited in availability and lose their function upon culture expansion. To circumvent these limitations, stromal cell precursors can be mechanotranduced to form mature FRCs. Here, we used a library of designed surface topographies to trigger FRC differentiation from tonsil-derived stromal cells (TSCs). Undifferentiated TSCs were seeded on a TopoChip containing 2176 different topographies in culture medium without differentiation factors, then monitored cell morphology and the levels of ICAM-1, a marker of FRC differentiation. We identified 112 and 72 surfaces that upregulated and downregulated, respectively, ICAM-1 expression. By monitoring cell morphology, and expression of the FRC differentiation marker ICAM-1 via image analysis and machine learning, we discovered correlations between ICAM-1 expression, cell shape and design of surface topographies and confirmed our findings by using flow cytometry. Our findings confirmed that TSCs are mechano-responsive cells and identified particular topographies that can be used to improve FRC differentiation protocols.
Sex‐Specific Associations Between Alcohol Consumption and Incidence of Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Cohort Studies

Background Although it is well established that heavy alcohol consumption increases the risk of hypertension, the risk associated with low levels of alcohol intake in men and women is unclear. Methods and Results We searched Medline and Embase for original cohort studies on the association between average alcohol consumption and incidence of hypertension in people without hypertension. Random‐effects meta‐analyses and metaregressions were conducted. Data from 20 articles with 361 254 participants (125 907 men and 235 347 women) and 90 160 incident cases of hypertension (32 426 men and 57 734 women) were included. In people drinking 1 to 2 drinks/day (12 g of pure ethanol per drink), incidence of hypertension differed between men and women (relative riskwomen vs men=0.79; 95% confidence interval, 0.67–0.93). In men, the risk for hypertension in comparison with abstainers was relative risk=1.19 (1.07–1.31; I2=59%), 1.51 (1.30–1.76), and 1.74 (1.35–2.24) for consumption of 1 to 2, 3 to 4, and 5 or more standard drinks per day, respectively. In women, there was no increased risk for 1 to 2 drinks/day (relative risk=0.94; 0.88–1.01; I2=73%), and an increased risk for consumption beyond this level (relative risk=1.42; 1.22–1.66). Conclusions Any alcohol consumption was associated with an increase in the risk for hypertension in men. In women, there was no risk increase for consumption of 1 to 2 drinks/day and an increased risk for higher consumption levels. We did not find evidence for a protective effect of alcohol consumption in women, contrary to earlier meta‐analyses.
Some Persistently Recurring Assumptions Concerning The Mentally Subnormal 1 burton blatt

In 1948, Goldstein published a penetrating paper dealing with causes, characteristics, and implications of mental deficiency.2 This work re­ ceived a great deal of attention, partly, it is supposed, because of its clear and readable style (a rare and commendable achievement today) and, more importantly, because it purported to separate fact from fiction, . cite the fact, nail the lie; construe the implication: act. "3 Goldstein's paper originally deserved its place of prominence as a recapitulation of existent practices and assumptions from which were derived a series of definitive statements concerning mental subnormality. However, evidence brought forth during the decade since the publication of his work and the disconcerting questions raised by research completed and suggestive of research yet to be done, limits the usefulness of his article to its gross impact in up-grading the understanding of the unsophisticated and the un­ critical. Today, the student examines "Implications of Mental Deficiency" and is not sure what is fact and what is fiction, what is myth and what is reality. Because of the continuing tendency of many special educators and researchers to base decisions and actions on unwarranted assumptions, and considering the diligent research of those who have provided a few answers during the past years, it is desirable at this point to re-examine some of Goldstein's facts, determine their right to this label, and offer other possibilities for consideration. Unfortunately, much of Goldstein's position of ten years ago is, today, accorded almost universally unqualified accept-
Mass Spectrometry Based Imaging of Labile Glucosides in Plants

Mass spectrometry based imaging is a powerful tool to investigate the spatial distribution of a broad range of metabolites across a variety of sample types. The recent developments in instrumentation and computing capabilities have increased the mass range, sensitivity and resolution and rendered sample preparation the limiting step for further improvements. Sample preparation involves sectioning and mounting followed by selection and application of matrix. In plant tissues, labile small molecules and specialized metabolites are subject to degradation upon mechanical disruption of plant tissues. In this study, the benefits of cryo-sectioning, stabilization of fragile tissues and optimal application of the matrix to improve the results from MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is investigated with hydroxynitrile glucosides as the main experimental system. Denatured albumin proved an excellent agent for stabilizing fragile tissues such as Lotus japonicus leaves. In stem cross sections of Manihot esculenta, maintaining the samples frozen throughout the sectioning process and preparation of the samples by freeze drying enhanced the obtained signal intensity by twofold to fourfold. Deposition of the matrix by sublimation improved the spatial information obtained compared to spray. The imaging demonstrated that the cyanogenic glucosides (CNglcs) were localized in the vascular tissues in old stems of M. esculenta and in the periderm and vascular tissues of tubers. In MALDI mass spectrometry, the imaged compounds are solely identified by their m/z ratio. L. japonicus MG20 and the mutant cyd1 that is devoid of hydroxynitrile glucosides were used as negative controls to verify the assignment of the observed masses to linamarin, lotaustralin, and linamarin acid.