Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
KATIS: An eHealth System for Complementary Medicine

BACKGROUND Much of the information on the complementary medicine is spread across literature and the internet. However, various literature and web resources provide information just of one specialist field. In addition, these resources do not allow users to search for suitable therapies based on patient-specific indications. OBJECTIVES Aggregating knowledge about complementary medicine into one database makes the search more efficient. METHODS Data integration is a promising method for providing well-based knowledge. Therefore, integrative methods were used to create the database ALTMEDA, which includes complementary and drug-related data. RESULTS Based on this comprehensive database ALTMEDA, the new eHealth system KATIS and the corresponding app ALMEKO for the mobile usage were implemented. CONCLUSION KATIS is a web-based system for complementary medicine. KATIS provides knowledge about ten different specialist fields, which enables users not only to look up a particular complementary therapy, but also to find suitable therapies for indications more efficiently. [http://www. komplementäre-medizin.de].
Migration Routes and Strategies in a Highly Aerial Migrant, the Common Swift Apus apus, Revealed by Light-Level Geolocators

The tracking of small avian migrants has only recently become possible by the use of small light-level geolocators, allowing the reconstruction of whole migration routes, as well as timing and speed of migration and identification of wintering areas. Such information is crucial for evaluating theories about migration strategies and pinpointing critical areas for migrants of potential conservation value. Here we report data about migration in the common swift, a highly aerial and long-distance migrating species for which only limited information based on ringing recoveries about migration routes and wintering areas is available. Six individuals were successfully tracked throughout a complete migration cycle from Sweden to Africa and back. The autumn migration followed a similar route in all individuals, with an initial southward movement through Europe followed by a more southwest-bound course through Western Sahara to Sub-Saharan stopovers, before a south-eastward approach to the final wintering areas in the Congo basin. After approximately six months at wintering sites, which shifted in three of the individuals, spring migration commenced in late April towards a restricted stopover area in West Africa in all but one individual that migrated directly towards north from the wintering area. The first part of spring migration involved a crossing of the Gulf of Guinea in those individuals that visited West Africa. Spring migration was generally wind assisted within Africa, while through Europe variable or head winds were encountered. The average detour at about 50% could be explained by the existence of key feeding sites and wind patterns. The common swift adopts a mixed fly-and-forage strategy, facilitated by its favourable aerodynamic design allowing for efficient use of fuel. This strategy allowed swifts to reach average migration speeds well above 300 km/day in spring, which is higher than possible for similar sized passerines. This study demonstrates that new technology may drastically change our views about migration routes and strategies in small birds, as well as showing the unexpected use of very limited geographical areas during migration that may have important consequences for conservation strategies for migrants.
Synergistic neuroprotective effect of rasagiline and idebenone against retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury via the Lin28-let-7-Dicer pathway

Retinal ischemia-reperfusion (RIR) injury causes neuronal degeneration and initiates various optic nerve diseases. This study aimed to investigate the synergistic neuroprotective effect of rasagiline and idebenone against RIR injury. A combination of rasagiline and idebenone was administered intraperitoneally immediately after establishment of the RIR model. Treatment with the combination of the two drugs resulted in a significant restoration of retinal thickness and retinal ganglion cells. Apoptosis of cells in ganglion cell layers was also ameliorated, suggesting that the effect of the two drugs was synergistic and the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor increased. Furthermore, idebenone and rasagiline induced the expression of Lin28A and Lin28B, respectively, which resulted in a reduced expression of microRNAs in the let-7 family and an increased protein output of Dicer. The data obtained from gene overexpression and knockdown experiments indicated that let-7 and Dicer were necessary for the synergistic neuroprotective effect of the two drugs. Our findings suggested that combination therapy with rasagiline and idebenone produced a synergistic effect that ameliorated RIR injury and restored visual function. In addition, the combined treatment provided neuroprotection via enhancement of the selective regulation of let-7 by Lin28A/B. These findings implied that a treatment with the combination of rasagiline and idebenone is a feasible treatment option for optic nerve diseases.
Interviews: A C++ graphical interface toolkit

We have implemented an object-oriented user interface package, called InterViews, that supports the composition of a graphical user interface from a set of interactive objects. The base class for interactive objects, called an interactor, and base class for composite objects, called a scene, define a protocol for combining interactive behaviors. Subclasses of scenes define common types of composition: a box tiles its components, a tray allows components to overlap or constrain each other''s placement, a deck stacks its components so that only one is visible, a frame adds a border, and a viewport shows part of a component. Predefined components include menus, scrollers, buttons, and text editors. InterViews also includes classes for structured text and graphics. InterViews is written in C++ and runs on top of the X window system.
A New Formula to Calculate Crack Spacing for Concrete Plates

Different codes have different formulas to calculate crack spacing and crack width developed in flexural members. Most of these formulas are based on the analysis of results of tested beams or one-way slabs. Crack control equations for beams underestimate the crack width developed in plates and two-way slabs. It seems that little attention has been paid in determining the crack spacing and width in reinforced concrete plates. The behavior of reinforced concrete plates and two-way slabs is different from beams or one-way slabs; therefore, the methods developed for beams cannot be directly applied to plates and two-way slabs. In this paper, a new analytical equation is proposed for calculating the crack spacing for plates and two-way slabs. A special focus will be given to thick concrete plates used for offshore and nuclear containment structures. The proposed equation takes into account the effect of steel reinforcement in the transverse direction through the splitting bond stress. The new equation provides good estimates for crack spacing in plates and two-way slabs with different concrete covers. Eight full-scale two-way slabs were designed and tested to examine the effects of concrete cover and bar spacing of normal- and high-strength concrete on crack spacing. The different code expressions are evaluated with respect to the experimental results.
Functionalities of free and open electronic health record systems

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine open-source electronic health record (EHR) software to determine their level of functionalities according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards. Methods: ISO standards were used as a guideline to determine and describe the reference architecture and functionalities of a standard electronic health record system as well the environmental context for which the software has been built. Twelve open-source EHR systems were selected and evaluated according to two-dimensional criteria based on ISO/TS 18308:2004 functional requirements and ISO/TR 20514:2005 context of the EHR system. Results: Open EHR software programs mostly fulfill structural, procedural, evolutional, and medicolegal requirements at the minimal and full functionality levels. Communication, privacy, and security requirements are accomplished in less than 23 percent of the cases, mainly at minimal functional level. Ethical, cultural, and consumer requirements still need to be fulfilled by free and open-source EHR applications. Conclusions: Most analyzed systems had several functional limitations. Nevertheless, especially for clinicians and decision makers in developing countries, open-source EHR systems are an option. The limited functionalities are likely to become requirements for further releases of open-source EHR systems.
Epsilon carbide precipitation and wear behaviour of low alloy wear resistant steels

In this study, we obtained different morphology and size of epsilon carbides (ϵ-carbides) via low temperature tempering of 0.32 wt-% C low alloy wear resistance steel. The objective is to elucidate the determining role of size and morphology of carbides on mechanical properties and three-body impact wear resistance. The formation of small needle-like ϵ-carbides was responsible for increase in yield strength, low temperature impact toughness and three-body impact wear resistance. However, when the ϵ-carbides were large and rod-like, hardness, toughness and three-body impact wear resistance were significantly reduced. The wear mechanism of steel containing needle-like ϵ-carbides primarily involved plastic deformation associated with fatigue and small degree of abrasive wear and furrow, while steels containing rod-like ϵ-carbides were predominantly characterised by furrow.
Learning From Humans: Agent Modeling With Individual Human Behaviors

Multiagent-based simulation (MABS) is a very active interdisciplinary area bridging multiagent research and social science. The key technology to conduct truly useful MABS is agent modeling for reproducing realistic behaviors. In order to make agent models realistic, it seems natural to learn from human behavior in the real world. The challenge presented in this paper is to obtain an individual behavior model by using participatory modeling in the traffic domain. We show a methodology that can elicit prior knowledge for explaining human driving behavior in specific environments, and then construct a driving behavior model based on the set of prior knowledge. In the real world, human drivers often perform unintentional actions, and occasionally, they have no logical reason for their actions. In these cases, we cannot rely on prior knowledge to explain them. We are forced to construct a behavior model with an insufficient amount of knowledge to reproduce the driving behavior. To construct such individual driving behavior model, we take the approach of using knowledge from others to complement the lack of knowledge from the target. To clarify that the behavior model including prior knowledge from others offers individuality in driving behavior, we experimentally confirm that the driving behaviors reproduced by the hybrid model correlate reasonably well with human behavior.
Robust Automatic Labelling of Anatomical Landmarks on 3D Body Scans

Abstract In this paper we analyze the performance of a pipeline for the extraction and semantic labelling of geometrically salient points on acquired human body models, improving the quality of the results and discussing its robustness against pose and body type variations.Following the approach introduced in [10], we use a heat diffusion approach automatically detecting points as maxima of the autodiffusion function and using supervised classification to assign them a semantic label related to the anatomical part where the point is located. The resulting map can be used to perform measurements or to detect pose. The motivation of this approach is related to the fact that landmarks used in traditional anthropometry are not easily identified in digital models because they are localized by palpation and are not geometrically salient. An anatomical measurement system should be instead based on purely geometrical or image based landmarks. It is therefore interesting to find points of this kind that can be recognized in different subjects. The use of heat diffusion analysis enables a robust salient point detection at different levels of detail and the creation of rich point descriptors not depending only on local geometry but also on global context, invariant with respect to articulated deformations (pose variation) and sufficiently stable against changes in body type. In this work we improved our previous semantic labelling approach based on heat diffusion by selecting optimal point descriptors and feature-space distances and applying a hierarchical coarse to fine correction performing the classification at different scales and propagating the assigned labels from the coarser scale to the finer ones. Furthermore we tested the method on a collection of models representing different body types and with approximately fixed or largely different poses in order to demonstrate the robustness of the pipeline. Experimental results show that this approach can be used to recognize robustly at least a selection of landmarks on subjects with different body types and independently on pose and could therefore applied for automatic anthropometric analysis.
Possible Role of Withania somnifera Against Gamma Radiation Induced Cardiotoxicity in Male Albino Rats

The study aims to investigate the possible role of Withania somnifera (WS) against γ-rays induced cardiac lesions in male albino rats. Forty albino rats were divided into four equal groups as follows: control group, rats were administered vehicle by gastric tube for 7 consecutive days. Irradiated group (animals subjected to a single dose of whole body γ-rays (10 Gy), treated group (each rat received 100 mg/kg body weight WS once daily, orally by gastric tube for one week), and treated irradiated group (each rat received 100 mg/kg body weight WS once daily, orally by gastric tube for one week, then one hour later after the last treatment, rats were exposed to a single dose of whole body γ-rays (10 Gy). The results revealed that administration of WS to rats pre-irradiation significantly abolish the radiation-induced elevation of serum creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and asparatate amino transferase (AST) activities, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, and restored high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and cardiac troponin 1 (cTnI) to normal levels. Moreover, WS treatment elevates cardiac catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities while reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) level compared to irradiated group. The histopathological results showed distinctive pattern of myocardial injuries in irradiated group, while in treated-irradiated group the myocardial tissues showed minimum injury with or without congested blood vessels or edema. In conclusion, WS acts as a potent scavenger of free radicals to prevent or ameliorates the toxic effects
The probability that a random probable prime is composite

On considere une procedure qui choisie un nombre impair aleatoire n≤x et un nombre aleatoire b, avec 1<b<n−1, et qui accepte n si b n−1 ≡1 (mod n). Soit p(x) la probabilite que cette procedure accepte un nombre compose. D'autres travaux ont demontre que p(x) tend vers 0 quand x tend vers l'infini. Dans cet article l'auteur etablie des inegalites explicites pour p(x)
Postsecondary Expectations of High-School Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

This study examined the perceptions of adulthood among 31 high-school students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We had two research aims: (a) to report students’ postsecondary expectations in terms of school, work, friendships, and living arrangement and (b) to describe how our sample defined adulthood. To better compare our sample’s criteria of adulthood with the criteria traditionally endorsed in secondary schools, we used a directed content analysis approach. Data were derived from a semi-structured interview that questioned students about friendships, activities, and the transition to adulthood. The majority of students expected to attain traditional markers of adulthood after high school. For some the pathways to achieving these outcomes were narrowly defined and perceived as a linear process. Independence, maturity, and personal responsibility were the most highly endorsed characteristics of adulthood, followed by chronological age and traditional markers. Implications for transition planning and adult services are discussed.
An iterative projection method for generalized support vector machine

In this paper, we propose a faster iteration process applied to generalized support vector machine. First, we introduce the theory of support vector machine and give the definition of generalized support vector machine, which is equivalent to the variational inequality problem and fixed point problem. Also, we introduce an iterative process for finding the set of solutions of variational inequality problem. The result show that the iterative sequence converges strongly to the solution of the fixed point problem and the classical variational inequality problem. Obviously, the solution solve the generalized support vector machine.
Chloride-Induced Corrosion of Steel in Cracked OPC and PPC Concretes: Experimental Study

The corrosion behavior of steel in cracked ordinary portland cement (OPC) and portland pozzolana cement (PPC) concretes when exposed to a chloride-rich environment is presented here. Three water-to-cement (w/c) ratios, and precrack widths of 0.2 and 0.4 mm were studied. A simple U-shaped specimen with precracks under flexural load was used in the study; the specimen has a deformed steel bar of 12 mm diameter placed at the bottom with 20 mm clear cover. Measurements made include chloride ion penetrability, sorptivity, half-cell potential, resistivity, total charge passed and gravimetric weight loss. The chloride ion penetrability of PPC was found to be nearly three times lower than that of OPC. The reduction in the gravimetric weight loss of rebars in PPC with respect to those in OPC is in the range of about 1.5 to 2.0 in the case of precracked concretes. The reduction in diameter (i.e., caused by pitting) is higher for OPCs. Studies showed that PPC is significantly superior to the corresponding uncracked .
Patterns of small fish distributions in seagrass beds in a temperate Australian estuary

Beds of the seagrass Zostera capricorni are an integral part of the estuarine landscape along the east coast of Australia, forming an important habitat for juvenile fish. Seagrass beds can vary in their size, shape and patchiness of seagrass cover as well as their distance from the estuary mouth. We tested for a correlation between these features and small fish assemblages in seagrass. Fifteen beds were selected from three size-categories (small, 980 to 2300 m2; medium, 3375 to 4090 m2; and large, 5335 to 6630 m2). We found that the size of beds, the patchiness of seagrass cover and location within the estuary (distance from estuary mouth) were all related to differences in fish assemblages. There were greater densities of fish species in small (10.3 ±0.79 species .net-1) compared to medium (7.6 ±0.6) and large (8.2 ±0.5) beds. This occurred regardless of bed placement within the estuary, its patchiness or time of sampling (day and night). The fish assemblages within seagrass beds also changed as bed distance to estuary mouth increased. Six species had greater densities in beds closer to the estuary mouth, while only two species were in greater densities far from the mouth. Fish assemblages were different between beds with patchy and continuous cover, although total densities of all fish species combined were similar. There were greater densities of four species in continuous beds compared to two species that were greater in patchy beds. Overall, an important finding was that even small patchy seagrass beds contain greater densities of small fish species than larger beds with continuous seagrass cover.
IAPV, a bee‐affecting virus associated with Colony Collapse Disorder can be silenced by dsRNA ingestion

Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been associated with Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV). CCD poses a serious threat to apiculture and agriculture as a whole, due to the consequent inability to provide the necessary amount of bees for pollination of critical crops. Here we report on RNAi‐silencing of IAPV infection by feeding bees with double‐stranded RNA, as an efficient and feasible way of controlling this viral disease. The association of CCD with IAPV is discussed, as well as the potential of controlling CCD.
Robust consensus tracking control of second-order nonlinear systems without using velocity information

In this work, we propose a new method for distributed consensus tracking control of second-order nonlinear systems under a directed communication graph, where the leader node is the root. In each follower agent, only the relative positions and filtered inputs from its neighbors are available. To facilitate cooperative controller design, in each follower of the network, a group of K-filters which do not require estimation of the velocity signals is introduced. Then the consensus tracking error dynamics of the follower is expressed as a second-order system with mismatched uncertainties. Therefore, we can design a robust consensus tracking controller for each follower agent by using backstepping design procedure, where an finite-time disturbance observer is adopted to estimate the uncertainties. The control performance is theoretically analyzed. And simulation examples confirm the efficacy of the performance of the proposed method.
The early detection of anaemia and aetiology prediction through the modelling of red cell distribution width (RDW) in cross-sectional community patient data

Abstract Background: Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a marker of iron-deficient anaemia that can also assist differentiation of other anaemias. RDW also has been suggested as an effective marker for earlier anaemia detection. The RDW-anaemia relationship was investigated in cross-sectional community patient data, and the capacity of RDW to predict the diagnostic value of second tier anaemia markers assessed. Methods: Routine and second tier assay data were provided by the laboratory Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology. The cohort was divided into male and female groups stratified by age, and correlation analyses assessed associations of RDW to haemoglobin and ferritin. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was performed for both routine and second tier markers to investigate their significance for RDW prediction. Results: RDW had statistically significant negative correlation with haemoglobin for both sexes and age ranges (p<0.01). The RDW relationship with serum ferritin was non-linear, representing two populations. ANCOVA showed categorical ferritin as a significant RDW predictor for younger females, with vitamin B12 a significant RDW predictor for older men. Haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and second tier iron markers (e.g., transferrin) were significant RDW predictors for both sexes and ages investigated. An individual longitudinal female case study showed RDW as very sensitive to haemoglobin decrease, with ferritin not as responsive. Conclusions: RDW had a significant negative association with haemoglobin in cross-sectional community patient data. ANCOVA showed ferritin as a significant RDW predictor for younger females only. This study confirms the utility of RDW as a marker for early anaemia detection, and useful to accelerated diagnoses of anaemia aetiology.