Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Insights into the Age Dependency of Compositional MR Biomarkers Quantifying the Health Status of Cartilage in Metacarpophalangeal Joints

(1) Background: We aim to investigate age-related changes in cartilage structure and composition in the metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joints using magnetic resonance (MR) biomarkers. (2) Methods: The cartilage tissue of 90 MCP joints from 30 volunteers without any signs of destruction or inflammation was examined using T1, T2, and T1ρ compositional MR imaging techniques on a 3 Tesla clinical scanner and correlated with age. (3) Results: The T1ρ and T2 relaxation times showed a significant correlation with age (T1ρ: Kendall-τ-b = 0.3, p < 0.001; T2: Kendall-τ-b = 0.2, p = 0.01). No significant correlation was observed for T1 as a function of age (T1: Kendall-τ-b = 0.12, p = 0.13). (4) Conclusions: Our data show an increase in T1ρ and T2 relaxation times with age. We hypothesize that this increase is due to age-related changes in cartilage structure and composition. In future examinations of cartilage using compositional MRI, especially T1ρ and T2 techniques, e.g., in patients with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, the age of the patients should be taken into account.
Outlier-resistant observer-based control for interval type-2 T-S fuzzy systems under adaptive event-triggered protocols

This paper is concerned with the outlier-resistant observer-based control problem for a class of interval type-2 (IT2) Takagi–Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems under adaptive event-triggered protocol (AETP). To improve the efficiency of resource utilization, AETP is mainly through an adjustable threshold parameter to dynamically schedule the data transmission, which occurs in the sensor-to-controller channel. In order to resist the abnormal measurement values, an output saturation composition is constructed in the observer. With the aid of Lyapunov theory, sufficient conditions are obtained to ensure the desired performance. Furthermore, the desired controller is designed for a class of IT2 T-S fuzzy systems. The combination of orthogonal decomposition and linear matrix inequalities is implemented to deal with the nonlinear coupling terms in the gain solving process. Finally, a numerical example is employed to justify the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Markov renewal processes, counters and repeated sequences in Markov chains

The theory of Markov renewal processes is applied to study the occurrence of specific sequences of states in a Markov chain. Çinlar&s (1969) results are used to study both the basic process, and that obtained when the overlap of sequences is not permitted, as in the theory of counters. These results are applied to the fragments formed when DNA is digested using one, or more, restriction enzymes.
Human Sperm as an In Vitro Model to Assess the Efficacy of Antioxidant Supplements during Sperm Handling: A Narrative Review

Spermatozoa are highly differentiated cells that produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) due to aerobic metabolism. Below a certain threshold, ROS are important in signal transduction pathways and cellular physiological processes, whereas ROS overproduction damages spermatozoa. Sperm manipulation and preparation protocols during assisted reproductive procedures—for example, cryopreservation—can result in excessive ROS production, exposing these cells to oxidative damage. Thus, antioxidants are a relevant topic in sperm quality. This narrative review focuses on human spermatozoa as an in vitro model to study which antioxidants can be used to supplement media. The review comprises a brief presentation of the human sperm structure, a general overview of the main items of reduction–oxidation homeostasis and the ambivalent relationship between spermatozoa and ROS. The main body of the paper deals with studies in which human sperm have been used as an in vitro model to test antioxidant compounds, including natural extracts. The presence and the synergic effects of different antioxidant molecules could potentially lead to more effective products in vitro and, in the future, in vivo.
Response to Cadmium Toxicity: Orchestration of Polyamines and microRNAs in Maize Plant

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that is widely contaminating the environment due to its uses in industries as corrosive reagents, paints, batteries, etc. Cd can easily be absorbed through plant roots and may have serious negative impacts on plant growth. To investigate the mechanisms utilized by plants to cope with Cd toxicity, an experiment was conducted on maize seedlings. We observed that the plant growth and photosynthetic mechanism were negatively influenced during 20 days of Cd stress. The expression levels of ornithine decarboxylase (ORDC) increased in the six seedlings under Cd exposure compared to the control. However, Cd toxicity led to an increase in putrescine (Put) content only on day 15 when compared to the control plants. In fact, with the exception of day 15, the increases in the ORDC transcript levels did not show a direct correlation with the observed increases in Put content. Spermidine and Spermine levels were reduced on day 6 by Cd application, which was parallel with suppressed Spermidine synthase gene. However, an increase in Spermidine and Spermine levels was observed on day 12 along with a significant elevation in Spermidine synthase expression. On day 6, Cd was observed to start accumulating in the root with an increase in the expression of microRNA 528; while on day 15, Cd started to be observed in the shoot part with an increase in microRNA 390 and microRNA 168. These results imply that different miRNAs may regulate polyamines (PAs) in maize under Cd toxicity, suggesting a plant-derived strategy to commit a PAs/miRNA-regulated mechanism/s in different developmental stages (time points) in response to Cd exposure.
How ICTs Moderate the Effect of Global Value Chains’ Participation on Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa?

Using data from Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries over the period 1990–2015, this study examines the effects of Global Value Chains’ (GVCs) participation on economic growth by distinguishing participation in upstream, participation in downstream and sectors-based participation. The study also focuses on how the economic growth effect of GVCs’ participation can be affected by the ICTs. The Driscoll and Kraay’ estimation approach applied to the cross-lagged panel model enabled to overcome the cross-sectional dependence, heteroscedasticity, errors’ autocorrelation and reverse causality problems. The generalized method of moments (GMM) is further employed for the robustness check. The findings are robust and indicate that the GVCs’ participation (general, upstream, downstream and sectorial) boosts economic growth in SSA countries. These positive effects hold and are even more intensive when the GVCs’ participation is modulated by the ICTs. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that SSA countries should focus on the downstream GVCs’ participation that is the production and export of the (high technologies) intermediate goods that are essential for the production activities of other GVCs’ stakeholders. For the sectors-based participation, the study seems to show that participation in the services sector promotes more economic growth, followed to some extent by the mining, agriculture and manufacturing sectors.
Off‐line system for simultaneous inspection of metal surface roughness and flatness by computer‐generated holograms

Recently the authors of this paper dealt with computergenerated holograms (CGHs) for the optical inspection of the surface roughness and waviness of relatively smooth surface roughness standards.1 The idea was to exploit two separate sensors to provide information on one hand about the surface roughness by measuring the contrast parameter as defined in Ref. 1, and on the other hand to inspect the surface curvature. Later, we improved the operational function of the surface sensor.
Global Trends in Countries' Perceptions of the Belt and Road Initiative

Drawing on global media reports, we conduct a sentiment analysis of the image of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the evolution of its image over time. Our main finding is that perceptions of the initiative deteriorated significantly in many geographies from 2017 to 2022. The notable exception is in sub-Saharan Africa where the BRI’s image remains positive, even if slightly less so than in the past. This is notwithstanding increases in debt levels with China, much of which now face potential restructuring. Furthermore, we find significant inter-and intra-regional differences in the average sentiment towards China’s landmark project, as well as a much worse image of the initiative in countries which, until today, are not part of the BRI. Finally, we focus on the European Union, Africa and China’s immediate neighbourhood to better understand the complexities behind the perceived benefits and challenges associated with China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The authors thank Grégory Claeys, Mikko Huotari, Matthias Stepan, Marie Le Mouel
Legacies of Resistance and Resilience: Antebellum Free African Americans and Contemporary Minority Social Control in the Northeast

Abstract:To understand the persistence of racial disparities in the United States, inequality scholars have increasingly focused attention on historic regimes of violence and social control. In particular, a burgeoning literature examines the legacy of slavery, generally finding that where slavery was deeply entrenched, today racial inequalities and African-American deprivation are more acute. However, taking seriously the notion that history matters means considering not only the lingering effects of dehumanizing social control institutions like slavery but also the ramifications of antebellum institutions and cultures of resistance and resilience African Americans built for survival. Using quantitative methods, I examine the relationship between antebellum free African-American populations and racial inequalities in modern state-sanctioned social control. Focusing on the understudied Northeast, a region where free African-American communities flourished despite coexisting with slavery, I find that where free African Americans were more prevalent—and, thus, resistance to White's social control efforts and resilience in the face of White hostility more robust—those same areas today display reduced levels of racial inequality in social control (i.e., lower Black–White arrest rate disparities) and reduced absolute levels of minority social control (i.e., lower African-American arrest rates). Mediation analyses reveal contemporary civil rights infrastructure, Black congregations, and Black political power operate as structural safeguards and are important components of the legacies of resistance and resilience left by free African Americans.
AnimalTA: A highly flexible and easy‐to‐use program for tracking and analysing animal movement in different environments

Computer programs for video tracking of animal movement are evolving increasingly efficient, using complex algorithms or artificial intelligence systems. Despite the consequent progress in this field, researchers still face some fundamental problems in the use of such programs. For example, the best‐performing programs are often uneasy to use, and user‐friendly programs require source videos recorded under strict conditions (e.g. homogenous environments, constant lighting and high resolution), which may be difficult to meet in both laboratory and field studies. We present here AnimalTA, a new program that tracks and analyses animal movement in diverse environments. This program aims to be accessible to everyone, including those without knowledge of coding and image analysis. AnimalTA allows to process rapidly a high number of videos and manage multi‐arena tracking. It is adapted to follow the movement of targets in variable conditions, including heterogenous and complex environments, or in low‐quality videos. AnimalTA provides tools for editing videos and correcting problems caused by camera tremors, light changes or perspective deformation. AnimalTA also allows the user to easily correct tracking errors and repeat the tracking in a subsample of the video. The target's identity can be personalized to facilitate video analysis. The tracking results can be analysed in AnimalTA to obtain many different variables related to the trajectory of each target, such as average speed, total distance travelled, latency to reach defined areas, distance to a defined point, distance to other individuals, number of contacts with others, explored surface, among others. Users can set and control different parameters for these analyses and directly view the results.
Musculoskeletal Disorders: Associated Risk Factors of the Laptop Usage Among Engineering Students in the University of Santo Tomas

Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) significantly contribute to the disease burden in Asia, thus lead to reduced productivity, quality of life, finances, and work participation. In the Philippines, MSDs were among the leading ten causes of years lived with disability (YLDs). Research studies have identified a high prevalence of MSDs associated with laptops in an academic setting. In the Philippines, the acquisition of laptops linearly increases with a rate of 1.87 yearly. The study aims to statistically analyze personal, nonoccupational, physical, and psychological risk factors that may lead to MSDs, specifically on the neck, shoulders, upper back, elbows, and hands/wrists. This research study developed predictive models for five body regions to help anticipate and prevent MSDs. The regression analysis revealed that the duration of laptop use, height, and years of laptop usage of college students were statistically significant in one or more of the five body regions. Furthermore, gender was significant for the upper back and hands/wrists region, where female gender was 3.01 and 2.69 times more likely to develop MSD. The results of this study can contribute to Engineering students in order to anticipate the likelihood of MSDs and increase productivity of students.
Impact of mini-driver genes in the prognosis and tumor features of colorectal cancer samples: a novel perspective to support current biomarkers

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and its development is associated with the gains and/or losses of genetic material, which leads to the emergence of main driver genes with higher mutational frequency. In addition, there are other genes with mutations that have weak tumor-promoting effects, known as mini-drivers, which could aggravate the development of oncogenesis when they occur together. The aim of our work was to use computer analysis to explore the survival impact, frequency, and incidence of mutations of possible mini-driver genes to be used for the prognosis of CRC. Methods We retrieved data from three sources of CRC samples using the cBioPortal platform and analyzed the mutational frequency to exclude genes with driver features and those mutated in less than 5% of the original cohort. We also observed that the mutational profile of these mini-driver candidates is associated with variations in the expression levels. The candidate genes obtained were subjected to Kaplan–Meier curve analysis, making a comparison between mutated and wild-type samples for each gene using a p-value threshold of 0.01. Results After gene filtering by mutational frequency, we obtained 159 genes of which 60 were associated with a high accumulation of total somatic mutations with Log2 (fold change) > 2 and p values < 10−5. In addition, these genes were enriched to oncogenic pathways such as epithelium-mesenchymal transition, hsa-miR-218-5p downregulation, and extracellular matrix organization. Our analysis identified five genes with possible implications as mini-drivers: DOCK3, FN1, PAPPA2, DNAH11, and FBN2. Furthermore, we evaluated a combined classification where CRC patients with at least one mutation in any of these genes were separated from the main cohort obtaining a p-value < 0.001 in the evaluation of CRC prognosis. Conclusion Our study suggests that the identification and incorporation of mini-driver genes in addition to known driver genes could enhance the accuracy of prognostic biomarkers for CRC.
Visualization Simulation of Branch Fractures Based on Internal Structure Reconstruction

This paper presents a visualization algorithm for wood fracture simulation based on wood science and wood internal structure reconstruction. The algorithm can simulate a reasonable and realistic wood fracture effect. First, the 3D point-cloud data of the bark structure are obtained using a laser scanner, and the cross-section of the branch is obtained by voxelization of the surface mesh model. Then, the outer contour of the cross-section is shrunk inward to reconstruct the annual rings and wood fiber bundles, and reasonable internal structures of branch 3D models are generated. The internal structure consists of a hierarchical model composed of several ring-like annual rings, and each annual ring is divided into a series of continuous fan rings. On the basis of the reconstruction results, the wood fracture surface model generated by the parameter control can be mapped to the irregularly shaped 3D branch model. In this research, the internal structure of branches and the shape of annual rings on the fracture surface of branches are analyzed to provide a reliable fracture model for different branch fractures of trees. In addition, the realistic fractured tree branch model generated by this algorithm can be widely applied in fields such as animation film special effects, game scene simulation, virtual reality scene construction, and mechanical research on broken tree branches.
Antioxidant Effect Assessment and Trans Epithelial Analysis of New Hempseed Protein Hydrolysates

Hempseed (Cannabis sativa) is one of the most promising sources of plant proteins. It contains approximately 24% (w/w) protein, and edestin accounts for approximately 60–80% (w/w) of its total proteins. In a framework of research aimed at fostering the proteins recovered from the press cake by-products generated after the extraction of hempseed oil, two hempseed protein hydrolysates (HH1 and HH2) were produced at an industrial level using a mixture of different enzymes from Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, and Bacillus licheniformis for different times (5 h and 18 h). Using a combination of different direct antioxidant tests (DPPH, TEAC, FRAP, and ORAC assays, respectively), it has been demonstrated that HHs exert potent, direct antioxidant activity. A crucial feature of bioactive peptides is their intestinal bioavailability; for this reason, in order to solve this peculiar issue, the ability of HH peptides to be transported by differentiated human intestinal Caco-2 cells has been evaluated. Notably, by using mass spectrometry analysis (HPLC Chip ESI-MS/MS), the stable peptides transported by intestinal cells have been identified, and dedicated experiments confirmed that the trans-epithelial transported HH peptide mixtures retain their antioxidant activity, suggesting that these hempseed hydrolysates may be considered sustainable antioxidant ingredients to be exploited for further application, i.e., nutraceutical and/or food industries.
Invarianza factorial del Cuestionario How I Think en adolescentes peruanos según el sexo

Since the consolidation of the cognitive psychology and its diffusion around the world, the cognitions have taken a place of great relevance in order to explain a large variety of psychological events and phenomena. Nowa-days the cognitive psychology is the dominant paradigm in the wide world of psychology, including obviously the Ibero-american countries. One construct that had been used in the field of clinical and forensic psychology is related to cognitive distortions, which have predictive power over the violent and aggressive behavior in children, adolescents, and adult people (Peña & Andreu, 2012). The cognitive distortions can be defined as a kind of negative and irrational cognitions (Ellis, 1999) that are used to explain or justify the aggressive behavior, and they are also linked to delinquent behavior (Roncero et al., 2016). Cognitive distortions can be classified in two types: self-serving and self-debasing cognitive distortions. In the first case, there are four types of self-serving cognitive distortions: Self-centered, Blaming others, Minimizing/ Mislabeling, and Assuming the worst. In the second case, there are also four self-debasing
The interest students in cycling sport during the Covid-19 pandemic

This study aims to find out whether there is interest in SMA Negeri 5 Jambi students in cycling sport during the Covid-19 pandemic. This study is quantitative and descriptive. The instruments in this study are in the form of documentation sheets and questionnaires containing 25 questions. This study is conducted using a google form distributed to students of SMA Negeri 5 Jambi through social media. The samples of this study are 25 male students of SMA Negeri 5 Jambi who met the criteria. The test instrument used is the validity test and the reliability test. The analysis technique used in this study is descriptive, while the calculation in the questionnaire uses the percentage descriptive. The results of this study indicate that students' interest in cycling sport during the covid-19 pandemic at SMA Negeri 5 Jambi is included in the category of very good with a percentage of 88.64%, where the score was in the interval range between 85-100%.
A New Technique to Compute Complex Roots

In this paper we modified Newton – Raphson and Secant methods to Complex form, then from that we get new iterative formula to them, named Newton (Secant) real iteration formula and Newton (Secant) imaginary iteration formula, real iteration used to find real roots while imaginary iteration one will be used to find complex roots of nonlinear equations such as ( 0 2   a x ). To find real roots, we start with a real initial point in real iteration getting a sequence of real numbers, to find complex roots start with a complex initial point in complex formula getting a sequence of complex numbers, also we write a new algorithm for this technique and write the program by using Matlab application system version 7.8 for this new method such that it will determine the real roots when we enter the initial real point but when we enter the initial complex point it will determine the complex roots. Introduction Complex analysis can roughly be though of as a subject that applies the theory of calculus to imaginary numbers. But what is exactly are imaginary numbers ? we can take the square root of a negative number, but let pretend we can and being by using the symbol 1   i . Also numerical analysis is concerned with the mathematical derivation description and analysis of methods of obtaining numerical solutions of mathematical problems; such that find complex roots of linear and non – linear equations by using iteration methods. (Abbas & Sasan, 2009) If R is the real field and C is the Complex field then consider the following definitions: Newton – Raphson method can be used to approximate the root of any nonlinear equation of any degree by the following iterative formula (Atkinson , 1998)