Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effectiveness of the low-FODMAP diet in improving non-celiac gluten sensitivity: a systematic review

Abstract Non-celiac gluten sensitivity is characterised by the presence of gastrointestinal and extraintestinal symptoms following gluten ingestion. Recent studies suggested an association between non-celiac gluten sensitivity and the consumption of fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols (FODMAP). This systematic review aimed to examine literature evidence on the relationship between non-celiac gluten sensitivity and FODMAP intake. A comprehensive search was carried out for randomised clinical trials addressing gastrointestinal symptoms as the primary outcome, published between 2010 and 2020 in Portuguese, English or Spanish, and indexed in Scopus, PubMed, SciELO, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Embase or VHL (LILACS) databases. The systematic review was performed using the population, intervention, comparison and outcome (PICO) framework. A total of 1133 articles were retrieved for further assessment. Three articles were selected for systematic review, one of which included two interventions with different periods and assessments. Quality of evidence was assessed according to the GRADE protocol. The selected articles used different instruments to measure gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life, hindering comparison of data. Clinical trials identified an association between decreased gastrointestinal symptoms and FODMAP restriction. There are few studies on the topic, and those available used different instruments to assess gastrointestinal symptoms and quality of life. Nevertheless, current evidence supports the gluten-free diet still represents first-line therapy. However, a FODMAP restriction can decrease gastrointestinal symptoms in individuals with non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Further research is needed to confirm this finding.
Percutaneous Bioelectric Current Stimulation in the Treatment of Chronic Achilles Tendinopathy: Protocol for a Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Randomized Multicenter Trial

Background The consensus for the optimal treatment strategy for chronic Achilles tendinopathy (AT) is still debated and treatment options are limited. This results in a significant medical need for more effective treatment options. Objective The aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of percutaneous bioelectric current stimulation (PBCS) on AT. Methods A multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial will be conducted. A total of 72 participants with chronic (ie, >3 months) midpoint AT will be randomized and receive four PBCS sessions—either verum or placebo—over 3 weeks. Both groups will complete daily Achilles tendon loading exercises in addition to the intervention. Evaluation sessions will be completed at baseline and during the intervention (weeks 0-3). Self-reported outcome measures will be completed at follow-up at weeks 4, 12, 26, and 52. The primary outcomes are the Victorian Institute of Sports Assessment–Achilles questionnaire scores and statistical evaluation of intraindividual differences between baseline and 12-week evaluations after initial treatment of verum therapy compared to control. Secondary outcomes will assess Pain Disability Index scores; average pain, using the 11-point Numeric Rating Scale; return to sports; and use of emergency medication. Results The study began in May 2021. As of October 2022, we randomized 66 out of 72 participants. We anticipate completing recruitment by the end of 2022 and completing primary data analysis by March 2023. Conclusions The study will evaluate the effects of PBCS on pain, physical function, and clinical outcomes. Trial Registration German Clinical Trials Register DRKS00017293; https://tinyurl.com/mvz7s98k International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/40894
Regression using fractional polynomials of continuous covariates: parsimonious parametric modelling.

The relationship between a response variable and one or more continuous covariates is often curved. Attempts to represent curvature in singleor multiple-regression models are usually made by means of polynomials of the covariates, typically quadratics. However, low order polynomials offer a limited family of shapes, and high order polynomials may fit poorly at the extreme values of the covariates. We propose an extended family of curves, which we call fractional polynomials, whose power terms are restricted to a small predefined set of integer and non-integer values. The powers are selected so that conventional polynomials are a subset of the family. Regression models using fractional polynomials of the covariates have appeared in the literature in an ad hoc fashion over a long period; we provide a unified description and a degree of formalization for them. They are shown to have considerable flexibility and are straightforward to fit using standard methods. We suggest an iterative algorithm for covariate selection and model fitting when several covariates are available. We give six examples of the use of fractional polynomial models in three types of regression analysis: normal errors, logistic and Cox regression. The examples all relate to medical data: fetal measurements, immunoglobulin concentrations in children, diabetes in children, infertility in women, myelomatosis (a type of leukaemia) and leg ulcers.
Amblyseius herbicolus mothers prefer to oviposit near eggs of non-kin in the absence of prey Carpoglyphus lactis (Acari: Phytoseiidae, Carpoglyphidae)

Abstract Many animal species can recognise and discriminate conspecifics differing in their genetic relatedness. The discrimination of kin from non-kin or more distantly related kin can benefit individuals with increased inclusive fitness and avoid adverse influences from inbreeding. A preference by mothers to oviposit near their own or closely related eggs rather than ovipositing near non-kin or distantly related eggs has been observed in several phytoseiids, possibly to reduce cannibalism and allow imprinting between siblings. The phytoseiid Amblyseius herbicolus reluctantly cannibalise kin (i.e. siblings or offspring) in the presence of non-kin or more distantly related kin. This study investigated the oviposition preference of A. herbicolus females when provided with two sites, each containing either their own eggs or eggs laid by non-kin. The influence of food on such oviposition site preference is largely unknown in phytoseiids. Thus, we also examined the oviposition site choice of A. herbicolus females in the presence and absence of its prey Carpoglyphus lactis eggs. Our results demonstrated a significant influence of prey on the oviposition site preference of A. herbicolus: adults preferred to oviposit near eggs of non-kin in the absence of prey but showed no preference when C. lactis eggs were present at both sites. We suggest that A. herbicolus females preferred to oviposit near eggs of non-kin in the absence of prey to possibly avoid kin cannibalism during food stress.
SpecDefender: Transient Execution Attack Defender using Performance Counters

Side-channel attacks based on speculative execution have gained enough traction for researchers. This has resulted in the development of more creative variants of Spectre and its defences. However, many of these defence strategies end up making speculative execution or branch prediction ineffective. While these techniques protect the system, they cut down performance by more than 50%. Hence, these solutions cannot be deployed. In this paper, we present a framework that not only protects against different variants of Spectre but also maintains the performance. We prototyped this framework using a novel tool SpecDefender. It leverages Hardware Performance Counter (HPC) registers to dynamically detect active Spectre attacks and performs dynamic instrumentation to defend against them. This makes the tool widely applicable without any need for static analysis. Overall, the tool brings back the balance between performance and security. The tool was evaluated based on its accuracy and precision to detect an attack in different scenarios. It exhibit >90% precision when five out of ten processes were simultaneously attacked. The response time for the tool to detect is ~2 sec. Furthermore, the throughput of the process under attack was comparable to normal execution in presence of SpecDefender.
Autism and Socially Interactive Agents

ual of Mental Disorders of the American Psychiatric Association in the section on neurodevelopmental disorders. Among other things, individuals with ASD may exhibit “persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction in mul­ tiple contexts, including deficits in social reciprocity, in nonverbal communicative behaviors used in social interaction, and in skills in developing, maintaining, and understanding interpersonal relationships” [APA 2013]. Besides social impairment, individuals with ASD exhibit motor problems that impede normal interactions with the physical world and generate poor autonomy. Autism and Socially Interactive Agents
Serious Games with SIAs

Playing is exploring [Power 1999]. Both interconnect to the human drive of curios­ ity [Berlyne 1954, Kidd and Hayden 2015] and the essential emotional experience of security [Moser and von Zeppelin 1996]. Explorative playing is one way to learn about strategies, concepts, and knowledge. A game can be described by “the need to find or continue at once a response which is free within the limits set by the rules” [Caillois 2001, p. 8]. Such rules can be implicit or explicit. Implicit rules address social aspects of playing together, for example, being fair. Explicit rules might support games to be more available and understandable [Bente and Breuer 2009]. Usually, humans play games for having fun [Caillois 2001]. In general, the benefits a game could provide for a human player can be manifold. They depend on individual competencies, abilities, and the current situation [Garris et al. 2002] (See Chapter 27 on “Socially Interactive Agents in Games” [Prada and Rato 2022] of this volume of this handbook for further details). Computer games are games that rely on technology for input, output, and pro­ cessing logic. In such games, the logic realizes the type of game (e.g., action, puz­ zle, and strategy). While the game type defines the general gameplay, the genre describes the narrative concept. Typical game genres are fantasy, mystery, or war [Grace 2005]. An observation might be that the genre concept in games is related to the genre concept in theater, movie, and TV. Computer games support the human drive of exploring. Serious games are computer games that are explicitly designed to examine and train specific skills or knowledge. The concept of gamification is different from that for serious games. Gamification “refers to the use [. ] of design [. ] elements Serious Games with SIAs
Enhanced radiation tolerance of YSZ at high temperature against swift heavy ions: key role of interplay between material microstructure and irradiation temperature

Yttria stabilized Zirconia (YSZ) pellets with different crystallite sizes were irradiated with 80 MeV Ag$^{6+}$ ions at room temperature and 1000 K to understand the role of crystallite size/material microstructure and irradiation temperature on the radiation tolerance against high electronic energy loss (S$_e$). X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy measurements reveal that, irrespective of the irradiation temperature, the nano-crystalline samples suffered more damage as compared to the bulk-like sample. A reduction in the irradiation damage i.e. improvement in the radiation tolerance, was observed for all the samples irradiated at 1000 K. The reduction in the damage, however, was remarkably higher for the two nano-crystalline samples compared to the bulk-like sample, and hence the difference in the damage between the bulk-like and nano-crystalline samples was also significantly lower at 1000 K than that at room temperature. The irradiation damage, against S$_e$, was thus found to be critically dependent on the interplay between the irradiation temperature and crystallite size. These results are explained with the help of detailed theoretical calculations/simulations based on the 'in-elastic thermal spike' model by taking into consideration the combined effect of crystallite size and environmental (irradiation) temperature on the electron-phonon coupling factor and lattice thermal conductivity (and hence on the resulting thermal spike). Our results are crucial from the fundamental perspective of comprehending the size and temperature dependent radiation damage against S$_e$ ; and also for a number of applications, in various radiation environments, where nano-materials are being envisioned for use.
All-dielectric Tailored-index Index-matched Arbitrary Waveguides based on Transformation Optics

Transformation optics based on conformal mapping (CM) technique provides a practical approach to designing arbitrary-shaped all-dielectric devices. However, CM may result in large impractical refractive indices unachievable by current fabrication techniques. Furthermore, due to the low design flexibility of CM, the index-matching conditions at the ports of the device can not be realized as well. In this paper we introduce a method for tailoring the CM generated graded refractive index, in order to decrease its maximum value and apply index-matching, while maintaining the propagation path within the device unchanged. This technique is applied to two arbitrary index-matched waveguides. The full-wave simulation is performed to show the efficiency of the tailored-index index-matched waveguides for different relative wavelengths.
From drag-reducing riblets to drag-increasing ridges

Abstract Small drag-reducing riblets and larger drag-increasing ridges are longitudinally invariant and laterally periodic surface structures that differ only in the details of their lateral periodicity and their size in viscous units. Due to their different drag behaviour, typically riblets and ridges have been analysed separately. By studying experimentally trapezoidal-grooved surfaces of different sizes, we address systematically the transition from riblet-like to ridge-like behaviour in a unified framework. The structure height and lateral wavelength are varied both physically, by considering eight different surfaces, and in their viscous-scaled form, by spanning a wide range of bulk Reynolds number $Re_b$. The effective skin-friction coefficient $C_f$ is determined via pressure-drop measurement in a turbulent channel flow facility designed for accurate drag measurements. An unexpectedly rich drag behaviour is unveiled, in which different drag regimes are distinguished depending on the value of $l_g^+$, the viscous-scaled square root of the groove area. The well-known drag-reducing regime of riblets that spans up to $l_g^+=17$ is followed by a regime in which the roughness function ${\rm \Delta} U^+$ increases logarithmically with $l_g^+$, indicating an apparent fully rough behaviour up to $l_g^+\approx 40$. Further increase of $l_g^+$ leads to a clear departure from the fully rough regime, and an unexpected non-monotonic behaviour of the roughness function ${\rm \Delta} U^+$ for $50< l_g^+<200$ is reported for the first time. For sufficiently large $Re_b$ and $l_g$, it is shown that a single parameter, similar to the classical hydraulic diameter, is sufficient to describe the drag behaviour of ridges. We find that an appropriate definition of the effective channel height is crucial for interpreting the drag behaviour. When the longitudinal protrusion height of the structured surface is accounted for in the channel height definition, a laminar flow exhibits the same $C_f(Re_b)$ relation known for flat surfaces. This approach thus allows us to discern the modification of $C_f$ induced by turbulence. We provide predictive correlations for the fully rough regime and the high Reynolds number range of trapezoidal-grooved surfaces that become possible thanks to the chosen channel height definition.
Step, Error, and Event Frameworks in Endovascular Aortic Repair

Objective: Competency-based surgical education requires detailed and actionable feedback to ensure adequate and efficient skill development. Comprehensive operative capture systems such as the Operating Room Black Box (ORBB; Surgical Safety Technologies, Inc), which continuously records and synchronizes multiple sources of intraoperative data, have recently been integrated into hybrid rooms to provide targeted feedback to endovascular teams. The objective of this study is to develop step, error, and event frameworks to evaluate technical performance in elective endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) comprehensively captured by the ORBB (Surgical Safety Technologies, Inc; Toronto, Canada). Methods: This study is based upon a modified Delphi consensus process to create evaluation frameworks for steps, errors, and events in EVAR. International experts from Vascular Surgery and Interventional Radiology were identified, based on their records of publications and invited presentations, or serving on relevant journal editorial boards. In an initial open-ended survey round, experts were asked to volunteer a comprehensive list of steps, errors, and events for a standard EVAR of an infrarenal aorto-iliac aneurysm (AAA). In subsequent survey rounds, the identified items were presented to the expert panel to rate on a 5-point Likert scale. Delphi survey rounds were repeated until the process reached consensus with a predefined agreement threshold (Cronbach α>0.7). The final frameworks were constructed with items achieving an agreement (responses of 4 or 5) from greater than 70% of experts. Results: Of 98 invited proceduralists, 38 formed the expert consensus panel (39%), consisting of 29 vascular surgeons and 9 interventional radiologists, with 34% from North America and 66% from Europe. Consensus criteria were met following the third round of the Delphi consensus process (Cronbach α=0.82–0.93). There were 15, 32, and 25 items in the error, step, and event frameworks, respectively (within-item agreement=74%–100%). Conclusion: A detailed evaluation tool for the procedural steps, errors, and events in infrarenal EVAR was developed. This tool will be validated on recorded procedures in future work: It may focus skill development on common errors and hazardous steps. This tool might be used to provide high-quality feedback on technical performance of trainees and experienced surgeons alike, thus promoting surgical mastery.
Chronological aging impacts abundance, function and microRNA content of extracellular vesicles produced by human epidermal keratinocytes

The disturbance of intercellular communication is one of the hallmarks of aging. The goal of this study is to clarify the impact of chronological aging on extracellular vesicles (EVs), a key mode of communication in mammalian tissues. We focused on epidermal keratinocytes, the main cells of the outer protective layer of the skin which is strongly impaired in the skin of elderly. EVs were purified from conditioned medium of primary keratinocytes isolated from infant or aged adult skin. A significant increase of the relative number of EVs released from aged keratinocytes was observed whereas their size distribution was not modified. By small RNA sequencing, we described a specific microRNA (miRNA) signature of aged EVs with an increase abundance of miR-30a, a key regulator of barrier function in human epidermis. EVs from aged keratinocytes were found to be able to reduce the proliferation of young keratinocytes, to impact their organogenesis properties in a reconstructed epidermis model and to slow down the early steps of skin wound healing in mice, three features observed in aged epidermis. This work reveals that intercellular communication mediated by EVs is modulated during aging process in keratinocytes and might be involved in the functional defects observed in aged skin.
HAND1 knockdown disrupts trophoblast global gene expression

Congenital heart disease (CHD) affects nearly 1% of births annually, and CHD pregnancies carry increased risk of developing pathologies of abnormal placentation. We previously reported significant developmental impacts of disrupting Hand1, a gene associated with CHD, expression in placenta trophoblast and endothelial cells in multiple mouse models. In this study, we aimed to build upon this knowledge and characterize the mechanistic impacts of disrupting HAND1 on human placenta trophoblast and vascular endothelial cell gene expression. HAND1 gene expression was silenced in BeWo cells, a choriocarcinoma model of human cytotrophoblasts, (n=3-9 passages) and isolated human placental microvascular endothelial cells (HPMVEC; n=3 passages), with HAND1 siRNA for 96 h. Cells were harvested, mRNA isolated and RNA sequencing performed using the Illumina NextSeq 550 platform. Normalization and differential gene expression analyses were conducted using general linear modeling in edgeR packages. Statistical significance was determined using a log2 fold change of >1.0 or <−1.0 and unadjusted p-value ≤0.05. Panther DB was used for overrepresentation analysis, and String DB for protein association network analysis. There was downregulation of 664 genes, and upregulation of 59 genes in BeWo cells with direct HAND1 knockdown. Overrepresentation analysis identified disruption to pathways including cell differentiation, localization, and cell projection organization. In contrast, only 7 genes were changed with direct HAND1 knockdown in HPMVECs. Disruption to HAND1 expression significantly alters gene expression profile in trophoblast but not endothelial cells. This data provides further evidence that future studies on genetic perturbations in CHDs should consider the extra-embryonic tissue in addition to the fetal heart.