Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of different segmental multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance devices for analysis of body composition in young adults: comparison with bioelectrical spectroscopy.

INTRODUCTION recently there have been several new versions of equipment based on the principles of bioelectrical impedance (BIA). Therefore, it is important to know the agreement between data produced by different commercially available equipment. OBJECTIVE to verify the agreement between fat-free mass (FFM), fat mass (FM), and body fat percentage (BF%) estimated using different segmental multi-frequency BIA (Tanita® MC-980U and InBody 770®) and whole-body spectral techniques (Xitron 4200). METHODS the sample consisted of 117 adults of both sexes, aged between 18 and 28 years. Methodological procedures followed specific guidelines for each equipment model. Agreement was analyzed by the t-test for paired data, concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), and Bland-Altman plot. RESULTS mean estimates of FFM, FM, and BF% produced by the Tanita® MC-980U and InBody 770® devices did not present statistical differences compared to the Xitron 4200® reference device. CCC values for FFM demonstrated magnitudes between 0.904 and 0.931, representing clinically acceptable strength of agreement, while for FM and BF% the strength of agreements was weak (< 0.90). Regarding the FFM, the bias showed underestimates of -0.98 kg to -1.69 kg, with limits of agreement between -7.32 kg and 3.94 kg. In the case of FM and BF%, overestimations were observed that reached values of 1.01 kg and 0.71%, with limits of agreement of -1.91 kg to 3.93 kg and -3.86% to 5.28%, respectively. CONCLUSION FFM, FM, and BF% estimated by the Tanita® MC-980U and InBody 770® devices were not individually comparable with estimates produced by the Xitron 4200® reference device; therefore, its replacement for diagnostic purposes and inter- or intra-subject comparisons is not recommended.
Cross-Reactivity Using Chimeric Trypanosoma cruzi Antigens: Diagnostic Performance in Settings Where Chagas Disease and American Cutaneous or Visceral Leishmaniasis Are Coendemic

Chimeric T. cruzi antigens have been proposed as a diagnostic tool for chronic Chagas disease (CD) in both settings where Chagas disease is endemic and those where it is not endemic. Antibody response varies in accordance to each T. cruzi strain, presenting challenges to the use of antigens lacking demonstrated cross-reactivity with Leishmania spp. ABSTRACT Chimeric T. cruzi antigens have been proposed as a diagnostic tool for chronic Chagas disease (CD) in both settings where Chagas disease is endemic and those where it is not endemic. Antibody response varies in accordance to each T. cruzi strain, presenting challenges to the use of antigens lacking demonstrated cross-reactivity with Leishmania spp. Our group expressed four chimeric proteins (IBMP-8.1, IBMP-8.2, IBMP-8.3, and IBMP-8.4) and previously assessed their diagnostic performance to determine cross-reactivity with Leishmania spp. Here, we validated our findings using serum samples from different Brazilian geographic areas reporting endemic Chagas disease, endemic visceral or American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL), or both. Overall, 829 serum samples were evaluated using commercial and IBMP enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Due to the absence of a reference assay to diagnosis CD, latent class analysis (LCA) was performed through the use of a statistical model. The incidence of cross-reactivity for ACL-positive samples varied from 0.35% (IBMP-8.3) to 0.70% (IBMP-8.1 and IBMP-8.2). Regarding visceral leishmaniasis (VL)-positive samples, the IBMP-8.2 and IBMP-8.3 antigens cross-reacted with six (3.49%) and with only one sample (0.58%), respectively. No cross-reactivity with either ACL or VL was observed for the IBMP-8.4 antigen. Similarly, no cross-reactions were found when VL-positive samples were assayed with IBMP-8.1. The agreement among the results obtained using IBMP antigens ranged from 97.3% for IBMP-8.2 and 99% for IBMP-8.1 and IBMP-8.3 to 100% for IBMP-8.4, demonstrating almost perfect agreement with LCA. Accordingly, in light of the negligible cross-reactivity with both ACL and VL, we suggest the use of IBMP antigens in regions where T. cruzi and Leishmania spp. are coendemic.
An Innovative Approach in Tourism Sector: Slow City, an Application in Konya (Turkey)

Derived from the words 'Citta' which is Italian and 'Slow' which is English, the term 'Cittaslow' means 'Slow City'. Since 2012 the Cittaslow network which has 142 members which is in 24 countries; is a town association which is emerged from Slow food movement to prevent the standardization of the texture, residents and the lifestyle of the city and to prevent the elimination of the city's local features because of globalization. It is an association of towns and cities that want to take part in the world stage by protecting their local identities and features and that don't want to be one of those homogeneous venues created by the globalization. It is seen that the number of domestic and foreign tourists in more that 100 cities is increased in the cities which are awarded as 'Slow City' in world. The most prominent feature of 'Slow Cities Movement' is the revitalization of local identity and the introduction and marketing of touristic destinations. In this study, some districts of the province of Konya (Turkey), within the framework of these criteria have been applied and evaluated in analytic hierarchy process. 
A Novel Chaos-Based Voice Controlled FTP Tool

: To manage file transfer operation, various tools have been developed so far. However, these tools can not respond adequately for conduct a secure transfer. Also few works have been done using encrypted voice controlled system yet. By regarding this lack, we investigate how to built a useful and secure tool. This work presents a novel improved voice controlled FTP tool (Wb-CFTP) using chaotic system. A chaotic system called as logistic map is associated with Wb-FTP designed on the basis of Asp.Net and C#. Here we depict the prominence of encryption in voice controlled systems.
Comparative Survival Associated With Use of Targeted vs Nontargeted Therapy in Medicare Patients With Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Importance Targeted therapies for advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) have shown increased tolerability and survival advantages over older treatments in clinical trials, but understanding of real-world survival improvements is still emerging. Objective To compare overall and RCC-specific survival associated with use of targeted vs nontargeted therapy for metastatic RCC. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective cohort study used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare data from 2000 to 2013 to examine patients with stage IV (distant) clear cell RCC at the time of diagnosis who received any targeted or nontargeted therapy. A 2-stage residual inclusion model was fitted to estimate the survival advantages of targeted treatments using an instrumental variable approach to account for both measured and unmeasured group differences. Data analyses were conducted from July 24, 2017, to April 4, 2019. Exposures Targeted therapy (study group) or nontargeted therapy (control group). Main Outcomes and Measures Overall survival and RCC-specific survival, defined as the interval between the date of first drug treatment and date of death or end of the observation period. Results The final sample included 1015 patients (mean [SD] age, 71.2 [8.1] years; 392 [39%] women); 374 (37%) received nontargeted therapy and 641 (63%) received targeted therapy. The targeted therapy group had a greater percentage of disabled patients (ie, those <65 years old who were eligible for Medicare because of disability) and older patients (ie, those ≥75 years old) and higher comorbidity index and disability scores compared with the nontargeted therapy group. Unadjusted Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed higher overall survival for targeted vs nontargeted therapy (log-rank test, χ21 = 5.79; P = .02); median survival was not statistically significantly different (8.7 months [95% CI, 7.3-10.2 months] vs 7.2 months [95% CI, 5.8-8.8 months]; P = .14). According to the instrumental variable analysis, the median overall survival advantage was 3.0 months (95% CI, 0.7-5.3 months), and overall survival improvements associated with targeted therapy vs nontargeted therapy were statistically significant: 8% at 1 year (44% [95% CI, 39%-50%] vs 36% [95% CI, 30%-42%]; P = .01), 7% at 2 years (25% [95% CI, 20%-30%] vs 18% [95% CI, 13%-23%]; P = .009), and 5% at 3 years (15% [95% CI, 11%-19%] vs 10% [95% CI, 6%-13%]; P = .01). Receipt of targeted therapy was associated with a lower hazard of death compared with nontargeted therapy (overall survival hazard ratio, 0.78 [95% CI, 0.65-0.94]; RCC-specific survival hazard ratio, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.62-0.96]). Conclusions and Relevance Targeted therapies were associated with modest survival advantages despite a treatment group with more medical complexity, likely reflecting appropriateness for an expanded population of patients. As advances in cancer treatment continue, rigorous methods that account for unobserved confounders will be needed to evaluate their real-world impact on outcomes.
Use of Micafungin for the Prevention and Treatment of Invasive Fungal Infections in Everyday Pediatric Care in France: Results of the MYRIADE Study.

BACKGROUND Invasive fungal infections are responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Safety and effectiveness of antifungal agents is a particular concern in pediatric populations, where data are often limited. Micafungin is an echinocandin with demonstrated antifungal activity against a wide spectrum of Candida spp. ; this subanalysis of data from the MYRIADE study describes the use of micafungin and its therapeutic outcomes in pediatric patients, in normal clinical practice. METHODS MYRIADE was an observational, multicenter, national, prospective, longitudinal study conducted from January 2010 to December 2012, in patients treated with micafungin using a prophylactic or curative strategy, across 17 sites [oncohematology (n = 8), neonatal intensive care units (ICUs) (n = 5) and pediatric ICUs (n = 4)]. The treatment regimen, the achievement of the therapeutic objective and the tolerance were reported. RESULTS The study population consisted of 110 pediatric patients (31 neonates, 24 children <2 years old and 55 children ≥2 to <16 years old). The therapeutic objective was achieved in 49/64 (76.6%) oncohematology patients, 28/29 (96.6%) neonatal ICU patients and 12/14 (85.7%) pediatric ICU patients. Twenty-four (21.8%) children developed an adverse event (AE); more AEs were observed in oncohematology patients compared with ICU patients [17 (26.1%) vs. 7 (15.6%)]. Only one serious AE, reported in an oncohematology patient, was considered related to micafungin. CONCLUSIONS In the first large observational study of micafungin treatment or prophylaxis conducted under real-world conditions in France, micafungin was effective and well tolerated for prophylaxis of invasive fungal infections in pediatric oncohematology patients and for curative purposes in pediatric and neonatal ICU patients.
Analysis of large-scale metagenomic data

The topic of this thesis is the analysis of large data sets of DNA sequence data produced from modern high-throughput DNA sequencing machines. Using such machines to sequence the genetic content of a microbial community produces a metagenome. This thesis comprises three research papers, all connected to the study of large metagenomic data sets. In the first paper, we developed a method for discovering fragments of fluoroquinolone antibiotic resistance genes in short fragments of DNA. The method uses hidden Markov models for identifying qnr genes in short DNA fragments. Cross-validation showed that our method for classifying short fragments has high statistical power even for fragments as short as 100 base pairs, a length commonly encountered in modern next-generation sequencing data. In the second paper, the putative qnr genes identified in the first paper were verified using wet-lab experiments. This was a follow-up study to validate the findings from the first paper. An expression system for qnr genes in Escherichia coli hosts was developed and used to evaluate the resistance phenotype of the novel gene candidates discovered in the first paper. In the third paper, we developed an easy-to-use high performance method for distributed gene quantification in metagenomic sequence data. It leverages high-performance computing resources to provide high throughput while maintaining sensitivity. This enables efficient and accurate gene quantification, suitable for use in comparative metagenomics. Next-generation DNA sequencing has had a big impact on molecular biology. As the size of the produced data sets increases, there is an equally increasing need for methods suited for the analysis of such data sets. This thesis presents several new methods that are well adapted to analysis of modern terabase-sized metagenomic data sets.
A protocol for network meta-analysis

Background: Chronic sinusitis (CRS) is a high incidence disease and seriously affects the patients’ quality of life, causes tremendous economic burden as well. Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is one of the most common therapies for chronic sinusitis. While whether there is a need for nasal packing and which is the best one is still unclear. Method and analysis: A systematic search will be performed using PubMed, EMBASE.com, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Wanfang database to include randomized controlled trials (RCTs), comparing the efficacy and comfort in patients with nasal packings after ESS who is diagnosed as CRS. The risk of bias of the included RCTs will be assessed by the Cochrane Handbook version 5.1. 0. A Bayesian network meta-analysis will be conducted using R-3.3. 2 software. Results: This study is ongoing and the results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: The results of this study will be sent to clinicians and healthcare providers in the National Health Service, which is expected to help clinicians make more informed choices on nasal packings. Ethics and dissemination: Ethical approval is not applicable since this study is a network meta-analysis based on published trials. Protocol registration number: CRD42019119233. Abbreviations: CI = confidence intervals, CRS = chronic sinusitis, ESS = endoscopic sinus surgery, GRADE = Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation, MA = meta-analysis, NMA = network meta-analysis, RCT = randomized controlled trial, RR = risk ratios, SMD = standardized mean difference, WMD = weighted mean difference.
Controls on the distribution of the soil organic matter in mountain permafrost regions on the north Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

Abstract. It has been known a large amount of soil organic carbon (SOC) have been accumulated over thousands of years and stored at considerable depths in permafrost regions, which could extent down tens of meters. Although the vegetation plays an important role in the distribution of SOC in upper 1 or 2 m soils, little is known about the determines of the organic carbon pools below these depths. We hypothesized that the SOM distribution and its chemical characteristics for different depths were determined by vegetation types and soil texture in mountain permafrost. To test the hypothesis, ten boreholes which were about 20 m depth under alpine swamp meadow (ASM), alpine meadow (AM) and alpine steppe (AS) were drilled in the permafrost regions on the northern Qinghai Tibetan Plateau. The results showed that the SOC stocks were highest over ASM, and lowest over AS for different depths. The soil textures were mainly silt loam over ASM, while varied with sandy loam, silt loam, and sand in AM. All the soils with higher fine-fractions have higher SOC contents than that in coarse soils. Meanwhile, the C / N ratios and carbon isotopes suggested that the SOC pools accompanied with fine-fractions soils under swamp meadow are more decomposable than those of coarse soils. Our results suggest and both the SOC stocks distribution and the chemical nature of organic matter are determined by the soil texture and vegetation types, and this rule is applicable for SOC distribution for the 20 m depth in mountain permafrost regions.
ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education

Communications research and social science analysi are considered to have revealed several essential features in the communications environment of American citizens. The purpose of this article is to consider the way these features affect low-income members of society, particUlarly minorities living in urban areas. Communications networks in the U.S4 are stated to be increasingly government, education, and her social services. Within the shaped by large-sca industry,. hi hly organized systems in stry networks, information is shared, problems are confronted, and policies are adopted which affect the lives of all citizens. Individuals and groups whiCh do not have influence within the organizational communications networks will inevitably have unsatisfactory decisions imposed upon them. Since the poor are considered to be effectively excluded from centers of power and control, they do not participate in the communications networks. The poor are also said to be isolated from the important communications networks by a language barrier. It is held that researchers have found that the poor lack meaningful information and knowledge. Althou h the operation of communication networks attached to * ucational and sociaa service organizations in low-income communities is considered open to question,,i is asserted that opportunities for improving communications networks are many.
Optimal Transaction Strategy Incorporating Liquidity Risk Guidance

Among market players, there has been a necessity of considering not only the current prices of assets but also their liquidity when they trade various kinds of assets in the market. Liquidity means a barometer which expresses whether investors can sell their holding assets with proper prices or not. When investors intend to sell their holding assets which have low liquidity, they may not find trading partners or they are forced to trade them with much lower prices than they expected. We call the possibility that investors may face such an inconvenient situation for them liquidity risk. In this paper, we assume the siutation where an investor sells his/her holding assets which have low liquidity, and propose an optimal transaction strategy incorporating liquidity risk. Particularly, we take into account the market impact which shows an influence of a price drop accompanied by the investor’s own tranasaction. When the investor has significantly large assets, selling all of them at once will result in a substantial price drop due to the market impact. To alleviate the influence of a price drop, we assume that the investor sells his/her holding assets at several times by dividing them. Hence, the proposed model is formulated as a multiperiod decision-making problem. This paper adopts a scenario tree model, and then we formulate the model as a quadratically constrained convex programming problem. This problem may be transformed into a second-order cone programming (SOCP) problem, which can be solved efficiently by using an interior point method. Finally we conduct numerical experiments and report the results.
Electrocardiogram Classification Based on Faster Regions with Convolutional Neural Network

The classification of electrocardiograms (ECG) plays an important role in the clinical diagnosis of heart disease. This paper proposes an effective system development and implementation for ECG classification based on faster regions with a convolutional neural network (Faster R-CNN) algorithm. The original one-dimensional ECG signals contain the preprocessed patient ECG signals and some ECG recordings from the MIT-BIH database in this experiment. Each ECG beat of one-dimensional ECG signals was transformed into a two-dimensional image for experimental training sets and test sets. As a result, we classified the ECG beats into five categories with an average accuracy of 99.21%. In addition, we did a comparative experiment using the one versus rest support vector machine (OVR SVM) algorithm, and the classification accuracy of the proposed Faster R-CNN was shown to be 2.59% higher.
Effects of Methylmercury and Theaflavin Digallate on Adipokines in Mature 3T3-L1 Adipocytes

Diabetes is a contributor to morbidity across the globe and is often associated with obesity, metabolic syndrome and other inflammatory diseases associated with aging. In addition to genetic and lifestyle factors, environmental factors such as metals and persistent organic pollutants may increase the severity or lower the threshold of these conditions. In cell culture, methylmercury is toxic to adipocytes and may impact adipokine secretions. In this study, we determined the effects of different concentrations of theaflavin digallate on methylmercury exposed 3T3-L1 adipocytes in cell culture. Secretions of resistin, adiponectin and lipid peroxidation product, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) were monitored using ELISA assays. Cell morphology of methylmercury and theaflavin-3,3′-digallate treated adipocytes was assessed using Lipid (Oil Red O) staining. Exposure to methylmercury increased the levels of resistin and adiponectin as well as 4-HNE when compared to the control cells. Methylmercury treated cells resulted in smaller number of adipocytes and clumped lipid droplets. These results suggest that methylmercury induces reactive oxygen species leading to development of an inflammatory response. Theaflavin-3,3′-digallate reduced the impact of methylmercury by maintaining the adipocytes morphology and secretion patterns of adiponectin, resistin and 4-hydroxynonenal. With this experimental model system other anti-inflammatory and signaling agents could be tested at the biochemical level before eventually leading to studies in animal models.
Evaluation of the Effect of Sterilization and Disinfection of Rotary Diamond Burs on their Cutting Efficiency: An in vitro Study

Aim: This study aims to evaluate the effect of sterilization and disinfection of rotary diamond burs on their cutting efficiency. Materials and methods: A total of 20 freshly extracted intact premolar teeth were subjected to tooth preparation using rotary diamond burs. Group I (n = 10) teeth were subjected to electroplated burs and group II (n = 10) teeth were subjected to welded diamond and vacuum diffusion technology (WDVDT) burs. They were further subdivided into two subgroups, groups I1 and I2, and II1 and II2 (n = 5 each), depending on different sterilization procedures. Each bur was then subjected to the stereomicroscopic examination, preusage and after the first usage, 5th and 10th subsequent usages. Each tooth was also measured for its weight using a digital weighing machine (preand post-preparation) to assess the cutting efficiency. Results: On statistical comparison, the results of the study revealed that there is a definitive correlation between groups I and II specimens (p = 0.0002*, F = 17.7172). However, there was no statistical significance observed within the subgroups (p = 1.0000, F = 0.00001). Conclusion: The conventional electroplated burs, when subjected to different sterilization procedures, resulted in greater structural alterations with a reduced cutting efficiency when compared with WDVDT burs. Clinical significance: Diamond rotary burs should be sterilized and disinfected to prevent cross-contamination between the dentist and dental personnel. However, different sterilization and disinfection methods can have undesirable effects on the ability of the burs to effectively reduce the tooth structure. Irrespective of the type of bur and sterilization process used, the cutting efficiency decreases.