Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparative study between Doppler ultrasound and computed tomography angiography in diabetic lower limb arterial insufficiency

Objective This work aimed to highlight the role of color Doppler ultrasound in the assessment of lower limb arterial insufficiency in patients with diabetes as well as the characteristics of lower limb arterial disease in diabetic patients. Background Diabetic lower limb arterial insufficiency is a major health problem affecting the individuals and community health. Doppler ultrasound is a widespread relatively cheap examination with no health hazards of radiation. Hence, we considered studying the role of Doppler ultrasound in determining the characteristics of lower limb arterial diabetic insufficiency and its level of accuracy. Patients and methods One hundred diabetic patients with clinically suspected lower limb arterial insufficiency were examined using Doppler ultrasound and computed tomography angiography (CTA), and the characteristics of diabetic lower limb arterial disease and accuracy of Doppler results in relation to CTA were determined. Results Diabetic lower limb arterial disease was characterized by being bilateral and multisegmental in the majority of cases with more affection of the distal (below knee) arteries. There was no significant difference between Doppler and CTA results at the above knee arteries as regards detection of significant arterial stenosis (luminal narrowing ≥ 50% of artery diameter); P values were as follows: common iliac artery segment, 0.695; external iliac artery, 0.776; common femoral artery, 0.563; and superficial femoral artery, 0.599. Further, a low significant difference at below knee arteries was found; P values were as follows: popliteal artery segment, 0.033; anterior tibial artery, 0.025; posterior tibial artery, 0.019; and peroneal artery, 0.031. The overall sensitivity of Doppler in evaluating lower limb arteries was 90.46%, the specificity was 92.05%, and the accuracy was 91.81% when CTA was taken as a standard. Conclusion Duplex ultrasound provides high-resolution, precise anatomical and physiological information of the peripheral arteries. It should be first-line investigation for lower limb arterial assessment and also be combined with other arterial imaging modalities to obtain better diagnostic accuracy.
A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicentre Trial of the Effects of a Shrimp Protein Hydrolysate on Blood Pressure

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre, parallel, 8-week study, the efficacy of a daily dose of 1200 mg of protein hydrolysate from Coldwater Shrimp (Pandalus borealis) on ambulatory and office blood pressure was investigated in 144 free-living adults with mild to moderate hypertension. The primary outcomes of the study were daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure and office blood pressure. During the 8-week intervention period and in the intention-to-treat analysis (n=144), there were significant reductions in the group consuming the shrimp-derived protein hydrolysate relative to the placebo group in daytime ambulatory systolic blood pressure at 4 weeks (p=0.014) and at 8 weeks (p=0.002), and in office systolic blood pressure at 2 weeks (p=0.031) and 4 weeks (p=0.010), with a trend toward significance at 8 weeks (p=0.087). By 8 weeks, significant and favourable improvements in the group consuming the shrimp-derived protein hydrolysate relative to the placebo group were also observed for several secondary outcomes, including 24-hour ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure, daytime ambulatory diastolic blood pressure, and daytime and 24-hour ambulatory mean arterial pressure. Also by Week 8, there was a statistically significant difference between groups in the distribution of subjects across National Institutes of Health-defined blood pressure categories (i.e., Normotensive, Prehypertensive, Stage 1 hypertension, and Stage 2 hypertension), with a more favourable distribution in the shrimp-derived protein hydrolysate group than in the placebo group (p=0.006). Based on exploratory analyses conducted only in participants in the shrimp-derived protein hydrolysate group, angiotensin II levels were significantly reduced relative to baseline. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01974570.
Implicit motor imagery in chronic complex hand injury patients and its relation to upper extremity function: A pilot study

Introduction Implicit motor imagery is the first step of graded motor imagery technique, which is known to be impaired in chronic pain conditions. However, there is a paucity of literature investigating implicit imagery in peripheral conditions like chronic complex hand injuries and its relation with upper extremity function. Method Thirty participants in the study group and 30 in the control group were included. Implicit imagery was assessed using hand laterality recognition task where participants identified 48 different hand images, as left- or right-hand images. Accuracy and response time were calculated and compared between the two groups. The Disabilities of Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire was used to assess the upper extremity functional level and correlated with implicit imagery as secondary objective. Results Hand injured patients had a 76.18% accuracy and 2.30 seconds/card response time. There was a statistically significant difference in accuracy (p < 0.0001) and response time (p = 0.0066) between study group and control group. Disability level assessed by DASH was 40.5 and had no correlation with accuracy (r = 0.004; 95% CI: 0.3663–0.3736) and response time (r = 0.099; 95% CI: 0.2804–0.4531). Conclusion Implicit imagery was impaired in chronic complex hand injured patients and it had no relation with upper extremity functional level.
Comparison of Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment and Modified Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome Criteria in a Lower Middle Income Setting.

Introduction Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) is potentially feasible tool to identify risk of deteriorating in the context of infection for to use in resource limited settings. Purpose To compare the discriminative ability of qSOFA and a simplified systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) score to detect deterioration in patients admitted with infection. Methods Observational study conducted at District General Hospital Monaragala, Sri Lanka, utilising bedside available observations extracted from healthcare records. Discrimination was evaluated using area under the receiver operating curve (AUROC). 15,577 consecutive adult ( ≥ 18 years) admissions were considered. Patients classifi ed as having infection per ICD-10 diagnostic coding were included. Results Both scores were evaluated for their ability to discriminate patients at risk of death or a composite adverse outcome (death, cardiac arrest, intensive care unit [ICU], admission or critical care transfer). 1844 admissions (11.8%) were due to infections with 20 deaths (1.1%), 29 ICU admissions (1.6%), 30 cardiac arrests and 9 clinical transfers to a tertiary hospital (0.5%). Sixty-seven (3.6%) patients experienced at least one event. Complete datasets were available for qSOFA in 1238 (67.14%) and for simplified SIRS (mSIRS) in 1628 (88.29%) admissions. Mean (SD) qSOFA score and mSIRS score at admission were 0.58 (0.69) and 0.66 (0.79) respectively. Both demonstrated poor discrimination for predicting adverse outcome AUROC = 0.625; 95% CI, 0.56-0.69 and AUROC = 0.615; 95% CI, 0.55-0.69 respectively) with no significant difference (p value = 0.74). Similarly, both systems had poor discrimination for predicting deaths (AUROC = 0.685; 95% CI, 0.55-0.82 and AUROC = 0.629; 95% CI, 0.50-0.76 respectively) with no statistically signifi cant difference (p value = 0.31). Conclusions qSOFA at admission had poor discrimination and was not superior to the bedside observations featured in SIRS. Availability of observations, especially for mentation, is poor in these settings and requires strategies to improve reporting.
Evolution of the Mating-Type Locus: The Basidiomycetes

Sexual reproduction is ubiquitous in nature. As the engine that drives genetic diversity, sex accelerates adaptation and removes deleterious mutations. As such, it plays a central role in the origin and success of species. Studies on the major groups within the fungal kingdom have provided significant and wide-ranging contributions on the molecular bases by which sexual identity and reproduction are defined and controlled. Sex in Fungi: Molecular Determination and Evolutionary Implications not only encompasses the current state of knowledge, but also serves as an invaluable resource that will guide new research on these systems and organisms. Since John Raper’s pioneering studies with the basidiomycetes in the 1960s, and the elegant work of Ira Herskowitz with Saccharomyces, genetic, molecular, and genomic analyses of fungal sexual reproduction have helped to illuminate how sexual cycles function in, as well as drive, evolution. The biological principles involved are profound and can serve as general paradigms for how cell identity is established and maintained, how cells sense and respond to extracellular cues, the role of genetic rearrangements in generating changes in cell identity and fate, and how genomic regions governing sexual identity are organized and evolved. Drawing on the great advances made over the past 10 years, this volume provides illuminating insights into the molecular details of cell-type specification, mating-type switching, pheromone perception and signaling, and cellular and nuclear fusion. The tremendous impact of comparative genomics on the analysis of mating is evident in many of the chapters in this book. This volume includes chapters on both model and pathogenic fungi as well as a section that looks forward to what we hope to learn in other fungal lineages. The book concludes with a selection of chapters on the implications of sex, and studies of experimental evolution, in a broader evolutionary context.
Aquatic macrophytes as indicators of water quality in subtropical shallow lakes, Southern Brazil

Abstract: Aims: We evaluated the potential of aquatic macrophyte communities as bioindicators in six small shallow lakes. Methods: The sampling was conducted monthly for one year, during which all macrophytes were surveyed, and the water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, total alkalinity, chlorophyll- a , suspended matter, total nitrogen (Nt) and total phosphorus (Pt) were measured. Results: In total, forty-three species were recorded, and there were significant differences in the species richness and limnological conditions among the lakes studied. A canonical correspondence analysis showed that the concentration of nutrients (Nt and Pt), chlorophyll- a , suspended matter, dissolved oxygen and pH were the most important predictors of the distribution of macrophytes. Some emergents were related to the high concentration of nutrients, chlorophyll- a , and suspended matter. Moreover, the most submersed species were associated with environments with low nutrient concentrations and the lowest values chlorophyll-
Finite mixture models in statistical genetics with applications to schizophrenia and motor neurone disease

Genetic and environmental risk factors act together in common, complex disorders to trigger disease onset. The genetic architecture of disease can range from Mendelian to polygenic, and environmental variables can exert considerable influence on disease risk, both independently and as modifiers of genetic risk factors. Many different methods have been developed to predict disease risk from genetic and environmental risk factors, but given the complexity of disease, it is difficult obtain predictions of risk that have clinical utility. Family history of disease captures information about genetic risk variables, and environmental risk factors that are correlated within families. For this reason, family history can be used in combination with identified genetic and environmental risk profiles to improve prediction accuracy. This PhD develops and applies methods for genetic risk prediction using family history. We assume that the true model of disease is a liability threshold mixture model (LTMM), also known as a mixed inheritance model. This finite mixture model can include large effect genetic risk loci and a polygenic component. We start by presenting a simple approach to estimate the variability in liability to disease attributable to a polygenic component, known as a polygenic risk score (PRS). We call this quantity the heritability of the PRS. The proposed method does not require raw data; only summary statistics, and under certain assumptions provides an unbiased estimator for the PRS heritability. Contained within this approach is a method to transform univariate effect size estimates from the logit scale to the liability scale, using the normal and logistic cumulative distribution functions. We then use the LTMM to derive equations for disease risk given a PRS, a set of major genetic loci, a group of environmental risk factors and family history of disease, using summary statistics available in the literature. Alternative risk equations, derived using the log-linear model, are also presented. The utility of these equations are demonstrated by estimating the risk of schizophrenia. Finally, we apply a finite mixture model in latent class cluster analysis to identify subgroups of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients using clinical phenotype data. ALS displays substantial clinical heterogeneity, and stratifying cases into homogeneous subgroups may be a powerful tool to identify subtype-specific risk loci in genetic studies.
MGS Esmeralda: new large seed mungbean cultivar

A cultivar de mungo-verde MGS Esmeralda foi criada pelo Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center, localizado em Shanhua, Formosa. Ela e resultado do cruzamento entre as linhagens VC 1973A e VC 2768A. Em dez ensaios conduzidos em Minas Gerais, ela produziu 13,5% mais graos do que a cultivar Ouro Verde MG-2 (testemunha), e sua produtividade mais alta foi 2.550 kg ha-1. A cultivar MGS Esmeralda e mais suscetivel ao acamamento do que a Ouro Verde MG-2, mas suas vagens amadurecem mais uniformemente. A massa de 100 graos da 'MGS Esmeralda' varia de 5,5 a 6,8 g. Ambas as cultivares sao suscetiveis ao oidio e a cercosporiose.
Modeling and Estimation Topics in Robotics

The field of robotics offers a wide array of estimation problems, ranging from kinematic and dynamic calibration to pose estimation and computer vision. This thesis presents a set of methods to solve estimation problems encountered in robotics, with an emphasis on industrial robotics. The researched topics are all practically motivated and have found immediate use in applications.Industrial robotics often require high accuracy in the control of the tool position, applied forces etc. This thesis presents a set of methods to solve commonly encountered estimation problems, including accurate friction estimation, spectral analysis of disturbances in electrical motors, kinematic calibration and pose estimation under the influence of high external forces.Common themes among the articles, such as the linear least-squares procedure, are introduced in greater detail in the beginning of the thesis for the uninitiated reader. (Less)
Protective Effect Against Cancer of Antibodies to the Large Subunits of Both RNA Polymerases I and III in Scleroderma

While compelling data suggest a cancer‐induced autoimmunity model in scleroderma patients with anti–RNA polymerase III large subunit (anti‐RPC155) antibodies, ~85% of these patients do not manifest cancer. This study was undertaken to determine whether additional autoantigens are targeted in anti‐RPC155–positive scleroderma patients without detectable cancer.
Vehicular infotainment forensics: collecting data and putting it into perspective

In today’s transportation system, countless numbers of vehicles are on the road and later generations have become mobile computers. Vehicles now have embedded infotainment systems that enable user-friendliness and practicability with functions such as a built-in global positioning system, media playback device and application interface. Smartphones and laptops can connect to them through Bluetooth and WiFi for all sorts of utilities. This enables data flow between a user’s device and the infotainment system and because of this interaction, data remnants are kept on these embedded devices. It is important to determine what type of data is stored long term since this information reflects a user’s activity and potential personal information. In terms of forensics, this data could be used to solve criminal activities if a vehicle was suspected of being an accessory to a crime; raising general awareness about this topic is important due to the potential sensitive information circulated. This main objective of this thesis is to demonstrate what types of information are stored on infotainment systems, how it can be acquired and the implications and contributions of the collected data in relation to the overall field of digital forensics.
Studies on the control of digestive enzyme secretion and post-ecdysial tanning in Tenebrio molitor L.

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A CupCarbon Tool for Simulating Destructive Insect Movements

This paper presents the first version of a Wireless Sensor Network design and simulation tool, called CupCarbon. It is a multi-agent and discrete event Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) simulator. Networks can be designed and prototyped in an ergonomic user-friendly interface using the OpenStreetMap (OSM) framework by deploying sensors directly on the map. It can be used to study the behaviour of a network and its costs. The main objectives of CupCarbon are both educational and scientific. It can help trainers to explain the basic concepts and how sensor networks work and it can help scientists to test their wireless topologies, protocols, etc. The current version can be used to study the power diagram of each sensor and the overall network and also to simulate "destructive" insect movements. The sensor programming is done individually in each sensor as it must have its own communication program. In this version, only sending or waiting commands, and mobility on the OSM map are implemented so far. The power diagrams can be calculated and displayed as a function of the simulated time. Prototyping networks is more realistic compared to existing simulators.
Novel member of Ras family proteins from Disk Abalone (Haliotis discus discus): Structural profiling and its transcriptional modulation under host pathologic conditions

Among small GTPases, the Ras family proteins capture a remarkable place in dictating cellular proliferation, differentiation and survival in development of an organism. Major members of the Ras family include Ras (H-Ras, K-Ras, N-Ras), Rap1, and Rap2, all of which can act as oncogenes upon mutation. In the present study, a novel Ras family protein (AbRFP) was characterized from Disk Abalone (Haliotis discus discus), an economically important, edible marine gastropod; further analyzing its transcriptional profile in healthy and immune-challenged animals. The full-length cDNA of AbRFP is 2704 bp and it consists of an open reading frame of 552 bp, encoding a 184 amino acid peptide with a calculated molecular mass of ~21 kDa and isoelectric point of 8.63. The amino acid sequence resembles the characteristic features of typical Ras family proteins, including GTP/Mg2+ binding sites and guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) interaction sites, as predicted by the NCBI-conserved domain database server. Phylogenetic study of AbRFP showed the generally accepted relationships, with AbRFP exhibiting highest proximity to a Ras protein from Portuguese oyster. Quantitative real-time PCR detected ubiquitous AbRFP mRNA expression, with strongest levels in muscle along with mantle and the lowest level in hepatopancreas. The AbRFP transcriptional profile in gills of Abalone challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus or viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) demonstrated significant up-regulations (p < 0.05) at 12 h and 24 h post-injection (p.i.), respectively. Moreover, significant elevation (p < 0.05) of mRNA expression was detected in hemocytes at 72 h p.i. with V. parahaemolyticus. These findings suggest that AbRFP may play a role under pathological conditions in Disk Abalone
Comparative Study of AODV, MAODV and RAODV to Improve Security using TCP Connections

T heoretical—Versatile specially appointed systems have diverse properties as contrast with customary systems. These cause additional difficulties and troubles on security for specially appointed systems. In this paper, another plan to handle security worries in MANET has been recommended and it has been assessed utilizing measurements. In view of the execution assessment, proposals have been made about the importance of the convention under different conditions . The plan has been contrasted and other existing plans. The proposed plan has been joined on ADOV as a contextual investigation.
Characteristics of Onion under Different Process Pretreatments and Different Drying Conditions

Introduction: Onion (Allium cepa) is an important spice crop often grown outdoors in temperate climates as an annual crop because of its adaptability to varying weather conditions. It is an underground vegetable which varies in size colour, firmness and strength of flavour. Onion is often called “poor man’s orange” because it is a good source of vitamins, particularly Vitamin A and C. It is also a rich source of minerals such as iron, thiamine, niacin and manganese contents. Onion is said to be very useful against heart diseases and many bacterial species including bacillus subtilis, salmoneva, and E. coli. This vegetable crop is highly perishable in its natural state after harvest resulting in huge postharvest losses during storage, transportation and marketing in the production season and extreme scarcity in the off-season which can be checked by drying.