Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Modified Microstrip-Fed Two-Step Tapered Monopole Antenna for UWB and WLAN Applications

This paper presents a novel modified Printed Tapered Monopole Antenna (PTMA) for ultra wideband (UWB) wireless communication applications. The proposed antenna consists of a truncated ground plane and two-tapered radiating patch separated by a slot (air gap) of different slopes, which provides a wideband behavior and relatively good matching. Moreover, the effects of a modified T-shaped slot inserted in the first tapered patch, on the impedance matching is investigated. The antenna has a small area of 23 × 26.5 mm2 and offers an impedance bandwidth as high as 100% at a centre frequency of 7.2 GHz for S11 < −10 dB, which has an area reduction of 15% and a frequency bandwidth increment of 72% with respect to the previous similar antenna. The presented antenna covers the 5.2/5.8 GHz WLAN and 5.5 GHz WIMAX operating bands. Numerical analysis using Ansoft HFSS and measurement results is also presented in the paper.
Factors Associated with Health-Related Quality of Life in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Multinomial Logistic Analysis

The main aim of this study was to determine the association of various clinical, functional and pharmacological factors with the physical (PCS) and mental (MCS) summary components of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of community-dwelling older adults. Design: Cross-sectional study. Patients and setting: Sample of 573 persons aged over 65 years, recruited at 12 primary healthcare centres in Málaga, Spain. Sociodemographic, clinical, functional, and comprehensive drug therapy data were collected. The main outcome was HRQoL assessed on the basis of the SF-12 questionnaire. A multinomial logistic regression model was constructed to study the relationship between independent variables and the HRQoL variable, divided into intervals. The average self-perceived HRQoL score was 43.2 (± 11.02) for the PCS and 48.5 (± 11.04) for the MCS. The factors associated with a poorer PCS were dependence for the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), higher body mass index (BMI), number of medications, and presence of osteoarticular pathology. Female gender and the presence of a psychopathological disorder were associated with worse scores for the MCS. The condition that was most strongly associated with a poorer HRQoL (in both components, PCS and MCS) was that of frailty (odds ratio (OR) = 37.42, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 8.96–156.22, and OR = 20.95, 95% CI = 7.55–58.17, respectively). It is important to identify the determinant factors of a diminished HRQoL, especially if they are preventable or modifiable.
Perspective: Whole and Refined Grains and Health—Evidence Supporting “Make Half Your Grains Whole”

ABSTRACT Research-based dietary guidelines suggest that consumers “make half their grains whole. ” Yet some advocate ingesting only whole-grain foods (WGFs) and avoiding all refined-grain foods (RGFs). Some even recommend avoiding all grain-based foods (GBFs). This article will provide arguments to counter negative deductions about GBFs and RGFs, especially staple ones, and to support dietary guidance recommending a balance of GBFs—achieved through the right mix, type, and quantity of WGFs and RGFs. Studies looking at early mortality, body weight, and glucose tolerance and diabetes will be used as examples to characterize the literature about GBFs. The following issues are highlighted: 1) inconsistent findings between epidemiological and interventional studies and impacts of GBFs on health outcomes, and the underreporting of findings showing RGFs neither raise nor lower health risks; 2) multiple confounding and potential interactions make adequate statistical adjustment difficult; 3) nonuniform WGF definitions among studies make comparison of results challenging, especially because some WGFs may contain 49–74% refined grain (RG); 4) binary categorization of GBFs creates bias because nearly all categories of WGFs are recommended, but nearly half the RGF categories are not; 5) ingestion of >5 (30-g) servings RGFs/d and <1 serving WFGs/d creates dietary imbalance; 6) pattern names (e.g., “white bread”) may impugn RGFs, when names such as “unbalanced” or “few fruits and vegetables” may more fairly characterize the dietary imbalance; 7) avoidance of all enriched RGs may not only impair status of folate and other B vitamins and certain minerals such as iron and zinc but also decrease acceptability of WGFs; 8) extrapolation beyond median documented intakes in high-WGF consumers (∼48 g whole grain/d) in most cohorts is speculative; 9) recommended dietary patterns such as the Mediterranean diet demonstrate that the right mix of WGFs and RGFs contributes to positive health outcomes.
Periodontal Implications of Hepatitis C Infection

Periodontal tissues exhibit important vascular, lymphatic, and nervous connections with the rest of the body. Thus, periodontal inflammation caused by the interaction between the subgingival bacterial biofilm and the host immune response has an impact reaching further than the oral cavity. The concept of “ periodontal medicine ” reunites the bidirectional relationships that exist between periodontal disease and systemic conditions such as diabetes mellitus or cardiovascular disease. The chronic inflammation of hepatic tissues during hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection causes changes in the general homeostasis that can reverberate at periodontal level and influence periodontal inflammation. Various mechanisms such as insulin resistance or pro-inflammatory cytokines production could be the link between the two conditions. In addition, periodontal inflammation could impact HCV transmission, as HCV RNA molecules and antibodies have been found in infected patients ’ saliva and gingival fluid. During periodontal inflammation, gingival bleeding is frequent, and the viral molecules could enter oral fluids while being carried by peripheral blood cells. Clinical particularities that suggest the onset of periodontal disease have also been frequently observed in HCV-infected patients. The connections between periodontal disease and hepatitis C need to take into consideration by practitioners of both specialties due to their important implications on clinical manifestations and treatment strategies.
The role of frailty and prehabilitation in surgery.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The aging surgical population constitutes a unique challenge to clinicians across the spectrum of care. Frailty is a valuable tool for preoperative risk stratification and may guide targeted interventions, such as prehabilitation. The aim of this review is to revise the recent literature on the role of frailty and prehabilitation to optimize geriatric patients undergoing surgery. RECENT FINDINGS The concept of frailty became more refined over the past couple of decades, and its various dimensions have been operationalized into an array of different frailty scoring systems. The association between frailty and adverse perioperative events has been demonstrated in many surgical specialties. The use of multimodal prehabilitation of frail patients is expanding, and most prehabilitation programs (which focus on nutritional supplementation, feedback-based exercise regimens, and pulmonary optimization) have promising outcomes. SUMMARY Frailty is a valuable risk stratification tool that better captures the state of augmented vulnerability of older adults. Frail patients benefit from targeted interventions, such as multimodal prehabilitation. Thus, the implementation of nationwide geriatric surgery standards can address ongoing challenges in performing surgery on older, frail patients.
Changes in the distribution of etiologies of cirrhosis among patients referred for liver transplantation over 11 years in Iran

Background and aim: Cirrhosis is a major public health problem worldwide. The prevalence of cirrhosis is various in different geographical regions. The aim of the present study was to determine the distribution of the etiologies of cirrhosis and their proportional changes through recent 11 years in Iran. Methods: In this retrospective, observational study, the data of cirrhotic patients who have been listed for liver transplantation in the Namazi Transplant Center (Shiraz, Iran) between January 2006 and December 2016 were analyzed. Demographic and clinical data of the patients including model for end-stage liver disease score, year of registration, and the etiologic diagnosis for each patient were retrieved. Results: The ratio of males to females was the highest (2.6:1) in patients with age over 50 years. Of 4891 patients, hepatitis B virus cirrhosis had the highest frequency (23.53%) and alcoholic cirrhosis had the lowest frequency (1.70%). The percentages of waiting list patients with hepatitis B virus (34.48%–17.48%) (P < 0.001), autoimmune hepatitis (12.64%–8.50%) (P = 0.037), and alcoholic cirrhosis (2.30%–1.10%) were decreased (P = 0.008) and the percentages of waiting list patients with cholestatic (12.64%–25.20%) and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis (0.77%–8.82%) were increased over 11 years (both P < 0.001). Hepatitis B virus and autoimmune hepatitis cirrhosis were the most prevalent in male and female patients, respectively. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed an increase in the frequency of cholestasis and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis cirrhosis and therefore it should be considered in the health policy implementation.
A covariant relativistic formalism for the new dirac equation

In the present work we construct a covariant relativistic lagrangian to describe a nonzero rest mass particle, with nonzero spin, which has a special internal structure. From the minimum action principle we obtain the new relativistic equation similar to one proposed by Dirac in 1971. By this method we may study Noether’s currents, energy-impulse tensor and field moment. Interaction with other fields remains an unsolved question. Mathematics Subject Classification: 83C57, 47B15, 47B25
Trophic structure of the macrofauna associated to deep-vents of the southern Gulf of California: Pescadero Basin and Pescadero Transform Fault

Newly discovered hydrothermal systems in the Pescadero Basin (PB) and the neighboring Pescadero Transform Fault (PTF) at the mouth of the Gulf of California disclosed a diverse macrofauna assemblage. The trophic structure of both ecosystems was assessed using carbon (δ13C), nitrogen (δ15N), and sulfur (δ34S) stable isotopes. The δ13C ranged from -40.8 to -12.1‰, revealing diverse carbon sources and its assimilation via Calvin-Benson-Bassham and the reductive tricarboxylic acid cycles. The δ15N values were between -12.5 and 18.3‰, corresponding to primary and secondary consumers. The δ34S values fluctuated from -36.2 to 15.1‰, indicating the sulfide assimilation of biogenic, magmatic, and photosynthetic sources. In PB high-temperature vents, primary consumers including symbiont-bearing, bacterivores and filter-feeders predominated. The secondary consumers within the scavengers/detritivores and predator guilds were scarce. The siboglinid Oasisia aff alvinae dominated the macrofauna assemblage at PB, but rather than playing a trophic role, it provides a substrate to vent dwellers. In PTF low-temperature vents, only symbiont-bearing primary consumers were analyzed, displaying the lowest δ34S values. This assemblage was dominated by the coexisting siboglinids Lamellibrachia barhami and Escarpia spicata. δ34S values allowed to distinguish between PB and PTF vent communities, to exclude the presence of methanotrophic organisms, and the detection of photosynthetic organic matter input.
Nutrition in surgical patients: how soon is too soon?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Preoperative nutrition support has been extensively studied; however, data on the timing of postoperative nutrition initiation are scarce. The current review focuses on the importance of early nutritional support in surgical patients and their impact on outcomes. RECENT FINDINGS Early nutrition support during the postoperative course may be the most important step that can be taken toward preventing subsequent malnutrition-related complications. European Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition guidelines recommends early nutrition to improve outcomes after surgery and accelerates the recovery. Moreover, nutritional support should be personalized, and disease process-based. SUMMARY Existing studies appear to focus mostly on abdominal and gastrointestinal surgery. Further prospective observational and randomized clinical trials across different surgical populations will aid surgeons to better understand how early feeds in either form can reduce morbidity, quality of life, and increase recovery rates.
Maintenance of species dominance through pulse disturbances to a sessile marine invertebrate assemblage in Port Shelter, Hong Kong

Pollution events can be considered as disturbances to an ecosystem and have the potential to be an important structuring force within assemblages of plants and animals. Our understanding of pollution impacts will benefit from the investigation of important aspects of these disturbances such as their timing and frequency. We investigated the effect of pulse copper pollution events on the development of hard-substrate invertebrate assemblages in Port Shelter, Hong Kong. Using a field dosing technique, we created single or repeated copper pollution events of less than 100 µg l -1 close to settlement plates. In short-term experiments, pulses were delivered in either the first or the second week of substrate immersion. For longer term experiments, pulses were delivered every 2, 4, 8 or 16 wk for the duration of the 16 wk experiments and the assem- blages allowed to develop under these dosing regimes. Pulse pollution events had a dramatic effect on densities of the dominant colonizer and space occupier in short-term experiments, Hydroides elegans. The impact was observed as a change in the size structure of the population with large organisms eliminated close to copper sources while new recruits were increased in densities in the same area. Reductions in densities of bryozoans and barnacles were also observed, while a feather hydroid doubled in densities on plates exposed to copper pulses. Young assemblages recovered rapidly from the impact of a copper pulse and reduced impacts were observed from a copper pulse in Week 1 of the experiments compared to exposure in Week 2. In longer-term experiments, copper pulses also dramatically altered assemblages predom- inantly through a direct negative effect on the densities of large competitively superior colonial and solitary ascidians. In the absence of a regular pollution event, colonial and solitary as- cidians and sponges were able to establish, grow-over and/or push out the smaller, more brittle H. elegans. These good competitors were unable to establish and grow to any great size on plates exposed to copper pulses every 2 or 4 wk and under the influence of repeated pulse copper exposures H. elegans maintained its initial dominance. Assemblages exposed every 8 or 16 wk were not significantly different from undosed controls. The results provide information on the type and magnitude of sessile invertebrate responses to transient pollution events as well as an assess- ment of the time expected to 'assemblage recovery' from single or repeated pulse disturbances. This is discussed in relation to the results of identical experiments conducted in temperate cli- mates.
Conjunctival Melanoma: Genetic and Epigenetic Insights of a Distinct Type of Melanoma

Conjunctival melanoma (CjM) is a rare, primary cancer of the ocular region. Genetic and epigenetic characteristics of conjunctival melanoma have not been completely elucidated yet. Conjunctival melanoma presents similarities with cutaneous melanoma, with substantial differences in the biological behavior. We reviewed the genetic and epigenetic insights of CjM involved in invasion and metastatic spread. CjM is commonly characterized by mutations of v-raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF), neurofibromin 1 (NF1) and telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), high expression of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), frequent phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) loss and upregulation of specific miRNAs. These features should identify CjM as a distinct subset of melanoma with its own profile, which is more similar to cutaneous melanoma than mucosal melanoma and remarkably different from uveal melanoma.
Genome-wide heritability analysis of severe malaria resistance reveals evidence of polygenic inheritance.

BACKGROUND Estimating SNP-heritability (h2g) of severe malaria resistance and its distribution across the genome might shed new light in to the underlying biology. METHOD We investigated h2g of severe malaria resistance from a genome-wide association study (GWAS) dataset (sample size =11, 657). We estimated the h2g and partitioned in to chromosomes, allele frequencies and annotations using the genetic relationship-matrix restricted maximum likelihood (GREML) approach. We further examined none-cell type specific and cell type specific enrichments from GWAS-summary statistics. RESULTS The h2g of severe malaria resistance was estimated at 0.21 (se=0.05, p=2.7x10-5), 0.20 (se =0.05, p=7.5x10-5) and 0.17 (se =0.05, p= 7.2x10-4) in Gambian, Kenyan and Malawi populations, respectively. A comparable range of h2g (0.21 (se = 0.02, p< 1x10-5)) was estimated from GWAS-summary statistics meta-analysed across the three populations. Partitioning analysis from raw genotype data showed significant enrichment of h2g in genic SNPs while summary statistics analysis suggests evidences of enrichment in multiple categories. Supporting the polygenic inheritance, the h2g of severe malaria resistance is distributed across the chromosomes and allelic frequency spectrum. However, the h2g is disproportionately concentrated on three chromosomes (chr 5, 11 and 20), suggesting cost-effectiveness of future malaria genomic sequencing studies in resource-prohibitive settings in Africa. CONCLUSION We report for the first time that the heritability of malaria resistance is largely ascribed by common SNPs and the causal variants are overrepresented in protein coding regions of the genome. Further studies with larger sample sizes are needed to better understand the underpinning genetics of severe malaria resistance.
Price Shocks, Vulnerability and Food and Nutrition Security among Rural and Urban Households in Tanzania

Global food price fluctuations have increased substantially over the last decade leading to significantly high prices within the developing countries. Tanzania is not an exception, since the recent food price surges made it one of the most affected countries in SSA. This paper investigates the impact of the recent food price crisis on the quantity and quality of the dietary composition of rural and urban households in Tanzania, since excessive food price movements are likely to harm most vulnerable households. Results using household data from the 2008/09, 2010/11 and 2012/13 waves of the Tanzania National Panel Survey show that urban households are more vulnerable than rural households to food price shocks. Moreover, we find evidence that price movements negatively affected also the quality of the diet, in particular, looking at the regional distribution, fats, calcium and vitamin A were the most cutback macro and micronutrients. Short-term policy measures, such as food fortification or micro-nutrient supplementation programmes are needed to strengthen diet diversity and micronutrient intake of Tanzanian vulnerable households and to improve the ability of poor to cope better with food price instability.
Genome-Wide Analysis of Known and Potential Tetraspanins in Entamoeba histolytica

Tetraspanins are membrane proteins involved in intra- and/or intercellular signaling, and membrane protein complex formation. In some organisms, their role is associated with virulence and pathogenesis. Here, we investigate known and potential tetraspanins in the human intestinal protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica. We conducted sequence similarity searches against the proteome data of E. histolytica and newly identified nine uncharacterized proteins as potential tetraspanins in E. histolytica. We found three subgroups within known and potential tetraspanins, as well as subgroup-associated features in both their amino acid and nucleotide sequences. We also examined the subcellular localization of a few representative tetraspanins that might be potentially related to pathogenicity. The results in this study could be useful resources for further understanding and downstream analyses of tetraspanins in Entamoeba.
Outcome after Interdisciplinary Treatment for Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage—A Single Center Experience

Background and Objectives: To identify predictors of outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) in our interdisciplinary setting. Materials and Methods: 176 patients who had been treated for aSAH by a team of neurosurgeons and neuroradiologists between 2009 and 2017 were analyzed retrospectively. Age, gender, clinical presentation according to the Hunt and Hess (H&H) grading on admission, overall clot burden, aneurysm localization, modality of aneurysm obliteration, early deterioration (ED), occurrence of vasospasm in transcranial Doppler ultrasonography, delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), spasmolysis, decompressive craniectomy (DC), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) shunt placement, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), severe cardiac events (SCE), mortality on Days 14, and 30 after admission, and outcome at one year after the hemorrhage according to the Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) were recorded. Chi square, Fisher’s exact, Welch’s t, and Wilcoxon rank sum served as statistical tests. Generalized linear models were fitted, and ordered logistic regression was performed. Results: SCE (p = 0.049) were a significant predictor of mortality at 14 days after aSAH, but not later during the first year after the hemorrhage. Clipping as opposed to coiling (p = 0.049) of ruptured aneurysms was a significant predictor of survival on Day 30 after aSAH, but not later during the first year after the hemorrhage, while coiling as opposed to clipping of ruptured aneurysms was significantly related to a lower frequency of DVT during hospitalization (p = 0.024). Aneurysms of the anterior circulation were significantly more often clipped, while aneurysms of the posterior circulation were significantly more often coiled (p < 0.001). Age over 70 years (p = 0.049), H&H grade on admission (p = 0.022), overall clot burden (p = 0.035), ED (p = 0.009), DCI (p = 0.013), DC (p = 0.0005), and CSF shunt placement (p = 0.038) proved to be predictive of long-term outcome after aSAH. Conclusion: Long-term results after clipping and coiling of ruptured aneurysms appear equal in an interdisciplinary setting that takes aneurysm localization, available staff, and equipment into account.
Tourism and Environment – Towards a European Tourism Policy

Environment and tourism interact in very close terms, the relation being strong and in many cases straightforward. The synergic interaction came into reality in several forms of alternative tourism with a very dynamic evolution in the last decades. Ecotourism, as the outmost of environment friendly tourism, attracts more and more consumers and determines communities or entrepreneurs to create a prolific economic framework. The paper explores at what extent EU policies are prepared to harness the benefits of this interaction. It resulted that tourism-environment combination is not only a sector policy target, but also an important development levy for rural areas and an effective protection means for nature conservation.