Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Single-Layer or Double-Layer Intestinal Anastomosis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Several malignant and benign indications may necessitate bowel resection. Despite the emergence of newer techniques, the hand-sewn technique remains popular for the reestablishment of intestinal continuity after resection. This method can achieve anastomosis in one or two layers. Some studies have suggested that the single-layer technique has several potential benefits compared to its rivals while simultaneously maintaining a comparable efficacy and safety profile. Previous reviews have failed to recommend either of these methods over the other due to a lack of high-quality evidence. This review aims to establish which technique provides the best outcomes by reviewing recent relevant trials and comparing both methods. We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist. A database search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) ultimately returned nine randomized trials published between 2003 and 2023 comparing single-layer intestinal anastomosis (SLIA) and double-layer intestinal anastomosis (DLIA) that fit the inclusion criteria. Overall, results show a dearth of robust trials, and the included studies displayed variable eligibility criteria and materials used for anastomosis. The available evidence, however, does suggest that neither technique is inferior in terms of preventing post-operative complications, but SLIA is less expensive and quicker to perform. The evidence is, however, limited, and further high-quality research is needed.
High-Temperature Materials for Complex Components in Ammonia/Hydrogen Gas Turbines: A Critical Review

This article reviews the critical role of material selection and design in ensuring efficient performance and safe operation of gas turbine engines fuelled by ammonia–hydrogen. As these energy fuels present unique combustion characteristics in turbine combustors, the identification of suitable materials becomes imperative. Detailed material characterisation is indispensable for discerning defects and degradation routes in turbine components, thereby illuminating avenues for improvement. With elevated turbine inlet temperatures, there is an augmented susceptibility to thermal degradation and mechanical shortcomings, especially in the high-pressure turbine blade—a critical life-determining component. This review highlights challenges in turbine design for ammonia–hydrogen fuels, addressing concerns like ammonia corrosion, hydrogen embrittlement, and stress corrosion cracking. To ensure engine safety and efficacy, this article advocates for leveraging advanced analytical techniques in both material development and risk evaluation, emphasising the interplay among technological progress, equipment specifications, operational criteria, and analysis methods.
Detection of DDoS Attacks Using SHAP-Based Feature Reduction

Machine learning techniques are widely used to protect cyberspace against malicious attacks. In this paper, we propose a machine learning-based intrusion detection system to alleviate Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, which is one of the most prevalent attacks that disrupt the normal traffic of the targeted network. The model prediction is interpreted using the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) technique, which also provides the most essential features with the highest Shapley values. For the proposed model, the CICIDS2017 dataset from Kaggle is used for training the classification algorithms. The top features selected by the SHAP technique are used for training a Conditional Tabular Generative Adversarial Networks (CTGAN) for synthetic data generation. The CTGAN-generated data are then used to train prediction models such as Support Vector Classifier (SVC), Random Forest (RF), and Naïve Bayes (NB). The performance of the model is characterized using a confusion matrix. The experiment results prove that the attack detection rate is significantly improved after applying the SHAP feature selection technique.
Segmentation of radar imagery using the Gaussian Markov random field model

Segmentation of highly speckled radar imagery is achieved by the use of the Gaussian Markov random field model. The model considers two regions to be different if one or more than one of the following conditions is true: (1) their first-order statistics are different, (2) their second-order statistics are different and (3) their spatial textures are different. It proves that the optimal model parameters can be obtained via solving linear algebraic equations for single-channel images and linear iterations for multi-channel images. Techniques of wavelet transforms and watershed process are used to obtain initial segmentation. Various grey and colour examples, including synthetic radar images, air-borne and space-borne synthetic aperture radar images, are tested, showing the accuracy and efficiency of the method. Regions whose mean differences are as small as 0.5dB and ratios of the standard deviation to the mean as high as 0.35, are separated with an accuracy of more than 95%. It would require their mean di.
Internalizing the Social Care Value of Elementary School Students through Character Education

Character education is important for instilling good morals in students, including social care values. This study aims to discover more deeply how schools internalize social care values through character education in elementary schools. Character education makes students good citizens who care about social problems in their immediate environment. The research design used is descriptive qualitative research with a case study model. Researchers used interviews (structured) and observation with educators and students to collect data. Data was validated based on the character education triangulation rubric in learning. Results of the study show that overall the internalization of social care values through character education at Muhammadiyah 1 Elementary School of Surakarta has been successfully carried out through value transformation, namely various strategies such as; character formation and empathy towards others, habituation of social caring attitude; the teacher gives constructive reprimands; The teacher also acts as a role model by setting an example in socially caring behavior and peer tutoring. This result is also strengthened by changes in student attitudes, such as respecting the school community; help a friend in need. This research implies that all relevant stakeholders must continue to improve and be consistent with changes in student behavior.
La alta montaña de los Andes del norte: el páramo, un ecosistema antropogénico

Current characteristics of Colombian paramos are closely related with the human presence; the history of this relation, based on evidence from climatological, palinological and cartographical studies, suggest interesting conclusions for ecosystem conservation and the surrounding Andean forests. The first paramo interventions were sporadic; later, the human imprint tended towards ritualistic livelihoods, and it is in the colonial times when dynamic transformation occurred, extending paramos both altitudinally and latitudinally. Today, in order to inform conservation policy it is important to keep in mind how the human presence influences the ecosystem transformation, to manifest Andean mountains’ management strategies and policies with a string of facts of the human livelihood and the natural history of the mountains in tropical America.
FaaS-Oriented Node.js Applications in an RPC Approach Using the Node2FaaS Framework

The Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) service model has aroused great interest since its introduction in the context of cloud computing. Although FaaS can be used to perform isolated tasks, it is in the composition of applications that this service model can promote significant performance improvements. This work presents an evolution in the Node2FaaS framework, whose objective is to assist in the conversion of originally monolithic node.js applications to work with FaaS in the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) communication mechanism. The new implementations in the Node2FaaS framework allowed new experiments to be conducted. Those showed significant gains in runtime for applications with CPU-bound, memory-bound, I/O-bound characteristics, especially for a Bioinformatics application that aims to align genetic sequences.
Advancing Mycotoxin Detection: Multivariate Rapid Analysis on Corn Using Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)

Mycotoxin contamination on food and feed can have deleterious effect on human and animal health. Agricultural crops may contain one or more mycotoxin compounds; therefore, a good multiplex detection method is desirable to ensure food safety. In this study, we developed a rapid method using label-free surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) to simultaneously detect three common types of mycotoxins found on corn, namely aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), zearalenone (ZEN), and ochratoxin A (OTA). The intrinsic chemical fingerprint from each mycotoxin was characterized by their unique Raman spectra, enabling clear discrimination between them. The limit of detection (LOD) of AFB1, ZEN, and OTA on corn were 10 ppb (32 nM), 20 ppb (64 nM), and 100 ppb (248 nM), respectively. Multivariate statistical analysis was used to predict concentrations of AFB1, ZEN, and OTA up to 1.5 ppm (4.8 µM) based on the SERS spectra of known concentrations, resulting in a correlation coefficient of 0.74, 0.89, and 0.72, respectively. The sampling time was less than 30 min per sample. The application of label-free SERS and multivariate analysis is a promising method for rapid and simultaneous detection of mycotoxins in corn and may be extended to other types of mycotoxins and crops.
Simultaneous Analysis of 12 Aphrodisiacs in Traditional Medicine using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

People tend to consume traditional medicines compared to synthetic drugs due to their safety and low side effects. The high demand of traditional medicine consumption in public stimulates some traditional medicine industries illegally add medicinal chemicals into their products to elevate the therapeutic effect. In order to accelerate the monitoring program of product quality and safety, the availability of a rapid and reliable analytical method becomes a necessity. The research aims to determine the validity of the liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and its application to simultaneously identify 12 aphrodisiac compounds in male sexual enhancer traditional medicine. The chromatography system used an ion modifier of 0.1% formic acid. The mass spectrometer was equipped with a triple quadrupole (TQD) as a mass analyzer in a positive mode of ESI. The analysis was conducted in multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) transition. Qualitative analysis was performed using retention time (Rt) of peaks in each compound, within their value of m/z quantifier and qualifier ions. Method validation was performed by evaluating the profile of selectivity, precision, matrix effect, and limit of detection (LOD). A qualitative analysis of the selectivity test was carried out by comparing the retention times between the blank sample added with the reference standards (spiked sample) and those in reference standards, with a difference of ±1minute shifts. Precision analysis on intra-day precision gives results in the range of 2.0–8.6%. The method showed that there was no matrix effect with the extraction efficiency values ranging from 86.2 to 110.9%. The LOD values for the 12 compounds were in the range of 1.6 ± 0.58 to 18.2 ± 6.14 µg/g. The method can be applied to test 49 samples of male sexual enhancer traditional medicines consisting of powder, capsules, solutions, soft capsules, and caplets dosage forms. The tested samples contained 8 (eight) types of aphrodisiac compounds. This study shows that LC-MS can be used to confirm the content of aphrodisiac compounds in traditional medicinal samples.
A Systematic Literature Review of Social Media Usage among People with Intellectual Disability

Many people are still excluded from participating in the digital world because of their intellectual disabilities. Participation in the digital world is, however, essential to meaningful contributions to society. This systematic literature review examined 13 articles published between 2015 and 2023 about social media usage among persons with intellectual disability. A combination of keywords and terms was used to search PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and Medline databases. According to a thematic analysis of the included studies, the following themes emerged: usage, inclusion, risk and benefit, and training support. Based on these themes, we found that some people with intellectual disability used social media positively for social interactions. This is one of the best things about the Internet. People with intellectual disability need support to engage in social interactions through social media effectively.
Wheel Vision: Wheel-Terrain Interaction Measurement and Analysis Using a Sensorized Transparent Wheel on Deformable Terrains

The off-road locomotion of wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) over soft terrains can be quite challenging due to the complicated wheel-terrain interaction (WTI). To avoid unforeseen non-geometric hazards such as excessive sinkage or slippage, it is crucial to oversee these terrain-related uncertainties. However, determining the appropriate sensing principle for WTI and hazard prediction remains an open problem. This letter showcases an onboard sensorized transparent wheel concept (STW) aiming to explicitly characterize the WTI over deformable terrains for rovers. The STW configuration can provide directly in-wheel interaction views, thereby offering in-wheel measurement (IM) of WTI parameters and observations of soil flow simultaneously. Unlike traditional vision-based methods, this in-situ wheel vision can characterize the entire contact geometry distributions, eliminating complicated yet inaccurate model-based stochastic estimations. Consequently, it can achieve robust and real-time (30 Hz) performance even under complex motions. We conduct representative terrain experiments on a single-wheel testbed to verify the performance of our proposed STW system, and showcase its applicability as a terramechanics test tool to remodel WTI mechanics, as seen in https://youtu.be/aYKW1Pp4ENw.
Stable Carbon Isotope Record of Holocene Environmental Change in the Central Great Plains

Ratios of stable carbon isotopes preserved in soil organic matter record vegetation and climate change and are applicable to the dry environment of the central Great Plains. We sampled two loess sections and one sand sheet swale in southwest Nebraska to study a continuous record of late Pleistocene and Holocene climate change. Carbon isotope (δ13C) data are combined with previously reported and new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age control to establish the timing and magnitude of vegetation change. Stratigraphic units studied include the late-Pleistocene Peoria Loess and Brady Soil, Holocene Bignell Loess, and four buried soils within Bignell Loess. Isotope ratios and OSL ages indicate a shift from a C3 to C4 vegetation community during formation of the Brady Soil, reflecting climatic warming spanning the Pleistocene-Holocene transition. By the early Holocene, between 10,100 and 9100 yrs. ago, drought became a persistently recurring feature in the region as indicated by the deposition of Bignell Loess that originated from reworking of devegetated dunes and sand sheet deposits. Periods of rapid loess deposition are marked by an increase in C3 vegetation, which we interpret to indicate vegetation adapted to high rates of landscape disturbance. Conversely, C4 vegetation types dominated during periods of landscape stability and soil formation, when precipitation was sufficient for vegetation to grow on dune fields. We conclude that total annual precipitation and landscape stability are more important factors than seasonality of precipitation and atmospheric CO2 concentration in determining the chronology of C3-C4 vegetation change during the Holocene.
Unveiling the Diversity of Periphytic Cyanobacteria (Cyanophyceae) from Tropical Mangroves in Penang, Malaysia

Cyanobacteria are one of the most important groups of photoautotrophic organisms, contributing to carbon and nitrogen fixation in mangroves worldwide. They also play an important role in soil retention and stabilisation and contribute to high plant productivity through their secretion of plant growth-promoting substances. However, their diversity and distribution in Malaysian mangrove ecosystems have yet to be studied in detail, despite Malaysia hosting a significant element of remaining mangroves globally. In a floristic survey conducted in Penang, peninsular Malaysia, 33 morphospecies of periphytic cyanobacteria were identified and described for the first time from a mangrove ecosystem in Malaysia. Sixteen genera, comprising Aphanocapsa, Chroococcus, Chroococcidiopsis, Cyanobacterium, Desmonostoc, Geitlerinema, Leptolyngbya, Lyngbya, Microcystis, Myxosarcina, Oscillatoria, Phormidium, Pseudanabaena, Spirulina, Trichocoleus and Xenococcus, were obtained from field material growing on diverse natural and artificial substrata. Oscillatoriales was the dominant order with Phormidium the dominant genus at nine of the 15 sampling sites examined. Three of the morphospecies, Aphanocapsa cf. concharum, Xenococcus cf. pallidus and Oscillatoria pseudocurviceps, are rare and poorly known morphospecies worldwide. Chroococcus minutus, Phormidium uncinatum, P. amphigranulata, and some species of Oscillatoriales are considered as pollution indicator species. This study provides important baseline information for further investigation of the cyanobacterial microflora present in other mangrove areas around Malaysia. A complete checklist will enhance understanding of their ecological role and the potential for benefits arising from useful secondary metabolites or threats via toxin production to the ecosystem.
Laboratory investigations into the electromagnetic properties of magnetite/silica mixtures as Martian soil simulants

[1] In this paper a set of frequency domain (500 Hz to 1 MHz) experimental data on electrical and magnetic parameters of magnetite/silica mixtures as Martian soil simulants is presented. Complex permittivity was obtained by measuring the magnitude and phase of the electrical impedance of a capacitive cell filled with the tested material. Complex magnetic permeability was obtained by measuring the impedance of a toroid fully embedded in the mixtures. Both the permittivity and magnetic permeability exhibited an appreciable increase with the magnetite volume fraction and a complex behavior with grain size and origin. Furthermore, to assess the possibility of extending the data acquired at 1 MHz to higher frequencies (tens to hundreds of MHz), some comparisons were made between these data and Time Domain Reflectometry measurements. Finally, the attenuation versus magnetite volume fraction and frequency (in a band consistent with the MARSIS and SHARAD sounders) was computed for various types of magnetite/silica mixtures. The results indicate that in a dry soil which contains a significant fraction of magnetic material both the wave velocity and the attenuation are a combination of different factors, including the dimension, shape, and origin of the magnetic material.
Robust AMBER Force Field Parameters for Glutathionylated Cysteines

S-glutathionylation is an oxidative post-translational modification, which is involved in the regulation of many cell signaling pathways. Increasing amounts of studies show that it is crucial in cell homeostasis and deregulated in several pathologies. However, the effect of S-glutathionylation on proteins’ structure and activity is poorly understood, and a drastic lack of structural information at the atomic scale remains. Studies based on the use of molecular dynamics simulations, which can provide important information about modification-induced modulation of proteins’ structure and function, are also sparse, and there is no benchmarked force field parameters for this modified cysteine. In this contribution, we provide robust AMBER parameters for S-glutathionylation, which we tested extensively against experimental data through a total of 33 μs molecular dynamics simulations. We show that our parameter set efficiently describes the global and local structural properties of S-glutathionylated proteins. These data provide the community with an important tool to foster new investigations into the effect of S-glutathionylation on protein dynamics and function, in a common effort to unravel the structural mechanisms underlying its critical role in cellular processes.
Development of a Bipolar Pulsed-Power Ozone Generator Based on Modular Boost Converters for Air Sanitization

Ozone is considered the oxidizing agent of choice for several applications. Recently, ozone generation has attracted researchers’ attention to achieve further development in this field. One of the crucial applications of ozone is air purification. Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) is a widely implemented approach for generating ozone due to its high efficiency, simplicity, and scalability. A critical consideration of ozone generators is choosing a convenient power supply, meeting high output voltage and frequency requirements. This work proposes a bipolar pulsed-power supply to generate a pulsating waveform for ozone gas production using DBD. The pulse generator is developed based on boost converters to provide the desired requirements for this application. The proposed design reduces cost, size, and complexity. A modular version of the pulse generator is also introduced for enhanced system performance. In this work, the proposed ozone generator is presented and analyzed in detail. Moreover, the proposed topology’s validity is verified experimentally and through simulation.
A First Tentative Holocene Sea-Level Curve for Singapore

A Holocene sea level curve for Singapore is presented. Radiocarbon dating of a variety of shell, wood, peat and coral material is utilised to derive the curve. Most of the dated material comes from a low energy, "quietwater" estuarine environment at Sungei Nipah, and the remainder from the tops of relict Porites coral bommies at Pulau Semakau. Determination of the curve takes into consideration the environmental factors and conditions that determined the elevation range of the material dated. The tentative results indicate that the Holocene Post-Glacial Marine Transgression reached present mean sea level around 6,500 to 7,000 years BP, rose to nearly 3m above present, and began to fall to present MSL around 3000 or less years ago. A comparison of the proposed sea-level curve with the curve for Peninsular Malaysia indicates that the highest mid-Holocene sea level may have been closer to +3m rather than +5m.