Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Physiological and Psychological Effects of Forest and Urban Sounds Using High-Resolution Sound Sources

Exposure to natural sounds is known to induce feelings of relaxation; however, only few studies have provided scientific evidence on its physiological effects. This study examined prefrontal cortex and autonomic nervous activities in response to forest sound. A total of 29 female university students (mean age 22.3 ± 2.1 years) were exposed to high-resolution sounds of a forest or city for 60 s, using headphones. Oxyhemoglobin (oxy-Hb) concentrations in the prefrontal cortex were determined by near-infrared spectroscopy. Heart rate, the high-frequency component of heart rate variability (which reflects parasympathetic nervous activity), and the ratio of low-frequency to high-frequency (LF/HF) components (which reflects sympathetic nervous activity) were measured. Subjective evaluation was performed using the modified semantic differential method and profiles of mood states. Exposure to the forest sound resulted in the following significant differences compared with exposure to city sound: decreased oxy-Hb concentrations in the right prefrontal cortex; decreased ln(LF/HF); decreased heart rate; improved feelings described as “comfortable,’’ “relaxed,” and “natural”; and improved mood states. The findings of this study demonstrated that forest-derived auditory stimulation induced physiological and psychological relaxation effects.
A Review study on Swarm Intelligence and their Optimization Techniques

Nature is a constant source of inspiration in the development of new approximate algorithms for solving optimization problems. Nature-inspired algorithms have high relevance when solving hard and complex optimization problems by mimicking the behavior arisen in nature in various forms. The main objective of this paper is to focus on swarm intelligence and some of its techniques to increase the performance and robustness. It is an attempt to design algorithms or distributed problem-solving devices inspired by the collective behavior of social insect colonies and other animal societies like colonies of ants, flocks of birds etc.
Draft Genome Sequence of Enterobacter sp. Strain AD2-3, Isolated from a Postmining Site in Benguet, Philippines

The novel strain Enterobacter sp. strain AD2-3 was isolated from postmining soil samples collected from Antamok mine in Benguet, Philippines. Here, we report a draft of its whole-genome sequence, with predicted gene inventories supporting metal tolerance, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and indole acetic acid production. ABSTRACT The novel strain Enterobacter sp. strain AD2-3 was isolated from postmining soil samples collected from Antamok mine in Benguet, Philippines. Here, we report a draft of its whole-genome sequence, with predicted gene inventories supporting metal tolerance, nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, and indole acetic acid production.
From virtual reality to interreality in the treatment of anxiety disorders

A virtual reality system is a combination of technological devices that allows users to create, explore and interact with 3D environments. In recent years, virtual reality has been increasingly employed in the treatment of anxiety disorders, since it offers the opportunity to carry out exposure-based programs that bypass the limitations that occur during both in vivo exposure and imaginal exposure. The introduction of a new therapeutic approach called interreality has brought us one step further towards e-health. If virtual worlds are considered as ‘closed’ experiences, separated from thoughts and emotions experienced by the patient in the real life, interreality, conversely, is an advanced technological tool whose main novelty is the creation of a hybrid, closed-loop, empowering experience bridging both the physical and virtual worlds. This article will discuss the use of virtual reality and interreality for clinical purposes, and will present the outcomes of different clinical trials that applied these tools in the field of anxiety disorders.
The utility of artificial intelligence in suicide risk prediction and the management of suicidal behaviors

Objective: Suicide is a growing public health concern with a global prevalence of approximately 800,000 deaths per year. The current process of evaluating suicide risk is highly subjective, which can limit the efficacy and accuracy of prediction efforts. Consequently, suicide detection strategies are shifting toward artificial intelligence platforms that can identify patterns within ‘big data’ to generate risk algorithms that can determine the effects of risk (and protective) factors on suicide outcomes, predict suicide outbreaks and identify at-risk individuals or populations. In this review, we summarize the role of artificial intelligence in optimizing suicide risk prediction and behavior management. Methods: This paper provides a general review of the literature. A literature search was conducted in OVID Medline, EMBASE and PsycINFO databases with coverage from January 1990 to June 2019. Results were restricted to peer-reviewed, English-language articles. Conference and dissertation proceedings, case reports, protocol papers and opinion pieces were excluded. Reference lists were also examined for additional articles of relevance. Results: At the individual level, prediction analytics help to identify individuals in crisis to intervene with emotional support, crisis and psychoeducational resources, and alerts for emergency assistance. At the population level, algorithms can identify at-risk groups or suicide hotspots, which help inform resource mobilization, policy reform and advocacy efforts. Artificial intelligence has also been used to support the clinical management of suicide across diagnostics and evaluation, medication management and behavioral therapy delivery. There could be several advantages of incorporating artificial intelligence into suicide care, which includes a time- and resource-effective alternative to clinician-based strategies, adaptability to various settings and demographics, and suitability for use in remote locations with limited access to mental healthcare supports. Conclusion: Based on the observed benefits to date, artificial intelligence has a demonstrated utility within suicide prediction and clinical management efforts and will continue to advance mental healthcare forward.
FPGA based Digital Pulse Width Modulator with Time Resolution under 2 ns

This work proposes a new DPWM architecture that takes advantage of FPGA’s advanced characteristics, especially the DLLs (Delay-Locked Loop) present in almost every FPGA. The proposed DPWM combines a synchronous (counter-based) block with an asynchronous block for increased resolution without unnecessarily increasing the clock frequency. The experimental results show an implementation in a low cost FPGA (Xilinx Spartan-3) that uses an external 32 MHz clock for a final time resolution under 2 ns.
Synthesis and Application of Silver Nanoparticles (Ag NPs) for the Prevention of Infection in Healthcare Workers

Silver is easily available and is known to have microbicidal effect; moreover, it does not impose any adverse effects on the human body. The microbicidal effect is mainly due to silver ions, which have a wide antibacterial spectrum. Furthermore, the development of multidrug-resistant bacteria, as in the case of antibiotics, is less likely. Silver ions bind to halide ions, such as chloride, and precipitate; therefore, when used directly, their microbicidal activity is shortened. To overcome this issue, silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) have been recently synthesized and frequently used as microbicidal agents that release silver ions from particle surface. Depending on the specific surface area of the nanoparticles, silver ions are released with high efficiency. In addition to their bactericidal activity, small Ag NPs (<10 nm in diameter) affect viruses although the microbicidal effect of silver mass is weak. Because of their characteristics, Ag NPs are useful countermeasures against infectious diseases, which constitute a major issue in the medical field. Thus, medical tools coated with Ag NPs are being developed. This review outlines the synthesis and utilization of Ag NPs in the medical field, focusing on environment-friendly synthesis and the suppression of infections in healthcare workers (HCWs).
Understanding Cows’ Emotions on Farm: Are Eye White and Ear Posture Reliable Indicators?

Simple Summary It is globally recognized that emotions are important elements of farm animals’ life. However, scientific understanding regarding how to measure and interpret positive emotional states is currently lacking. This study investigated whether eye white and ear posture can reliably help in the interpretation of mood and level of excitement in dairy cows. We found that eye white and ear posture are strongly correlated, and that can be used as complementary measures to interpret emotions. Daily access to pasture has beneficial effects on cows’ emotions. Animals are more relaxed than in any other context, with most of the animals exhibiting half-closed eyes and ears hung down or backwards. The cows were found to be particularly excited during the execution of a human-animal relationship test, showing eye white clearly visible and ears directed forwards, towards the assessor. Housing has an important effect on cows’ emotions: the lower the competition for resources (i.e., in case of more feeding places or cubicles than the number of animals), the lower the level of excitement. This research is a further step towards the use of indicators able to measure emotions in dairy cows and can contribute to enhance animals’ quality of life on farm. Abstract Understanding the emotions of dairy cows is primarily important in enhancing the level of welfare and provide a better life on farm. This study explored whether eye white and ear posture can reliably contribute to interpret valence and arousal of emotions in dairy cows. The research was conducted in five Italian dairy farms. Four hundred and thirty-six photographs of cows’ heads were scored (four-level), according to the eye white and ear posture during feeding, resting, pasture, and an avoidance distance test at the feeding rack (ADF test). Eye white and ear posture were significantly correlated and influenced by the context (P = 0.001). Pasture was the most relaxing context for cows (67.8% of half-closed eyes; 77.3% ears hung down or backwards). The excitement during ADF test was high, with 44.8% of eye white being clearly visible and ears directed forwards to the approaching assessor (95.5%). Housing and management mostly influenced emotions during feeding and resting (P = 0.002 and P = 0.001, respectively): where competition for feeding places and cubicles was low, the cows showed the highest percentages of half-closed eyes and ears backwards or hung down. This research supports the use of eye white and ear posture as reliable indicators of emotions in dairy cows.
Aortic diastolic pressure decay modulates the relation between worsened aortic stiffness and myocardial oxygen supply/demand balance after resistance exercise.

High-intensity resistance exercise (RE) increases aortic stiffness and decreases index of myocardial oxygen supply/demand balance (Buckberg index, BI); there is a correlation between the changes in these parameters. Central hemodynamics during diastole can explain the correlation. We aimed to investigate whether aortic diastolic decay index mediates the association between changes in aortic stiffness and BI by high-intensity RE. We evaluated the effect of high-intensity RE on aortic stiffness, BI, aortic decay index, and their associations in 52 young men. Subjects were studied under parallel experimental conditions on 2 separate days. The order of experiments was randomized between RE (5 sets of 10 repetitions at 75% of 1 repetition maximum) and sham control (seated rest). Aortic pulse wave velocity (PWV; index of aortic stiffness), BI, and aortic decay index were measured in all subjects. Aortic decay index was quantified by fitting an exponential curve, P (t) = P0e-λt (λ: decay index; P0: end-systolic pressure; t: time from end-systole). Aortic PWV and decay index increased and BI decreased after RE. RE conditions showed that change in the aortic decay index was associated with changes in aortic PWV, and changes in aortic PWV were related to changes in BI, although the PWV- BI relationship was not significant after accounting for decay index change. The mediation analysis revealed the mediating effect of the aortic decay index on the relationship between changes in aortic PWV and BI. The present findings suggest that high-intensity RE-induced aortic stiffening worsens myocardial viability by accelerating aortic diastolic exponential decay.
Integration of Mesenchymal Stem Cells into a Novel Micropillar Confinement Assay.

Mechanical cues such as stiffness have been shown to influence cell gene expression, protein expression, and cell behaviors critical for tissue engineering. The mechanical cue of confinement is also a pervasive parameter affecting cells in vivo and in tissue engineered constructs. Despite its prevalence, the mechanical cue of confinement lacks assays that provide precise control over the degree of confinement induced on cells, yield a large sample size, enable long-term culture, and enable easy visualization of cells over time. Here, we developed a process to systematically confine cells using micropillar arrays. Using photolithography and PDMS molding, we created PDMS arrays of micropillars that were 5, 10, 20, or 50 μm in spacing and between 13 and 17 μm in height. The tops of micropillars were coated with Pluronic F127 to inhibit cell adhesion, and we observed that mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) robustly infiltrated into the micropillar arrays. MSC cell and nucleus morphology were altered by narrowing the micropillar spacing, and cytoskeletal elements within MSCs appeared to become more diffuse with increasing confinement. Specifically, MSCs exhibited a ring of actin around their periphery and punctate focal adhesions. MSC migration speed was reduced by narrowing micropillar spacing, and distinct migration behaviors of MSCs emerged in the presence of micropillars. MSCs continued to proliferate within micropillar arrays after 3 weeks in culture, displaying our assay's capability for long-term studies. Our assay also has the capacity to provide adequate cell numbers for quantitative assays to investigate the effect of confinement on gene and protein expression. Through deeper understanding of cell mechanotransduction in the context of confinement, we can modify tissue engineered constructs to be optimal for a given purpose.
Prevalence of Prediabetes, Diabetes and Its Predictors among Females in Alkharj, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background/Objective: The prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes is reaching epidemic proportions across the globe. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes, together with its accompanying risk factors, among young females. Methods: An exploratory cross-sectional survey was conducted with 638 Saudi females in Alkharj, Saudi Arabia. Statistical analysis was carried out using STATA version 14. Odds ratios for the risk of diabetes and associated factors were calculated using log-binomial and multinomial logistic regression. Standardized prevalence and strata-specific prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes for different risk factors were also calculated. Findings: The study revealed that nondiabetics and prediabetics were more prevalent between the ages of 18 and 24 years, while diabetic patients were consistently between 25 to 44 years of age. The average value for HbA1c in females was 5.44. Regression analysis shows that being older, married, obese, a smoker or less educated significantly increases the risk for both prediabetes and diabetes. Mutivariable analysis revealed obesity had a significant association with both prediabetes and diabetes. Prediabetics were 2.35 times more likely to be obese as compared to nondiabetics, with 95% CI (1.38–3.99). Similarly, diabetics were 6.67 times more likely to be obese compared to nondiabetics 95% CI (1.68–26.42). Conclusion: Our study shows the prevalence of diabetes and prediabetes among females from Al Kharj was 3.8% and 18.8%, respectively. The diabetic and prediabetic female participants had higher mean BMI and waist circumference, were older in age, were married, and smoked as compared to nondiabetics. In the context of the findings of our study, and keeping in view the the burden of this disease globally and in our population, it has now become extremely important to understand these factors and encourage health-promoting behaviors to construct effective interventions.
TDP: A Novel Secure and Energy Aware Routing Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

: Now a day the usage of Self-Organizing Networks (SONs) is increasing, because of its broad application. Unlike common networks, the SONs have the capability of reconfiguration, whenever any defect occurs in the network. However, while routing in this network, the loss of data occurs due to its security lack. Hence many researchers have presented their research for providing secure routing in various SONs. However, the security is still an issue in the routing of SONs especially in Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Here in this paper, a novel protocol for the secure routing of WSNs has developed. The proposed protocol is named as Trust-Distrust Protocol (TDP). As per the proposed protocol, the routing is done in four stages. The initial stage is topology management using the k-means algorithm. The second stage is Link Quality Appraisal (LQA), where the quality of every network node is evaluated. The third stage is grading, in which it is based on the LQA value and a grade point is allotted to every node in the network. In the last stage, the most secure path for the routing is determined based on the grade points. The proposed protocol is tested in one of the major kinds of SONs, like WSN using the NS2. By comparing with the existing LEACH protocol, the performance is evaluated. Ultimately the proposed protocol outperformed the performance of the existing routing protocol and suggested for rounding in SONs.
Ermittlung des Patientenwillens

Zusammenfassung Die Ermittlung des Patientenwillens ist in der Notfall- und Intensivmedizin oft schwierig. Die Beachtung des Willens stellt ein juristisches und ethisches Gebot dar, der Patient ist jedoch häufig nicht selbst einwilligungsfähig. Dieser Beitrag beschreibt den Prozess der Ermittlung des Patientenwillens und zeigt, welche Bedeutung eine Patientenverfügung, andere Behandlungswünsche oder der mutmaßliche Wille für die Behandlungsentscheidung haben.
Design Guidelines for Video Games to Achieve an Understanding of Care

The ability to care is a core aspect of being human. Despite its fundamental value, care has historically been systematically and culturally devalued and neglected as a field of practice. It is only in the past several decades, driven by a new generation of philosophers and studies in the domain of healthcare has care ethics been slowly recognized as an area of opportunity and its complexity worthy of academic discussion. In parallel to this development, the domain of video games has emerged. In particular, a type of video game that provides an immersive, simulated, and open-ended experience for players, where the primary design goals are to promote a believable world with freedom for players to express themselves while subject to the consequences of their actions. While care ethics and video game design may seem quite removed from each other, this research will explore the convergence of care ethics and game design and demonstrate the opportunity in connecting these two domains. Using the method of design patterns, guidelines are proposed that encourage the design of immersive, simulated, and open-ended video games that promote an understanding of care by players.
Study protocol for developing #CuttingCRC: a barbershop-based trial on masculinity barriers to care and colorectal cancer screening uptake among African-American men using an exploratory sequential mixed-methods design

Introduction Colorectal cancer (CRC) is preventable, as screening leads to the identification and removal of precancerous polyps. African-American men consistently have the highest CRC mortality rates, and their CRC-screening uptake remains low for complex reasons. Culture-specific masculinity barriers to care may contribute to the low uptake among African-American men. Examining these barriers to care is vital as CRC screening may challenge cultural role expectations of African-American men, whose tendency is to delay help-seeking medical care. Barbershops provide a pathway for reaching African-American men with masculinity barriers to care who are not regularly receiving healthcare services and CRC screening. This study aims to develop and pilot test a theory-driven, culture-specific, barbershop-based intervention targeting masculinity barriers to care and CRC-screening uptake among African-American men ages 45–75. Methods and analysis Guided by the theory of planned behaviour and the behaviour change wheel, we will use a multistage mixed-methods study design, beginning with an exploratory sequential approach to validate items for subsequent use in a pilot mixed-methods intervention. First, we will collect and analyse qualitative data from focus groups, cognitive interviews and expert item review to validate and test a culture-specific Masculinity Barriers to Care Scale (MBCS) among African-American men. Next, we will administer the MBCS to our target population as an online quantitative survey and evaluate the association between scores and CRC-screening uptake. Then, we will consider existing evidence-based approaches, our integrated results (qualitative +quantitative), and community input to design a culture-specific, behavioural intervention aimed at increasing CRC-screening uptake among African-American men and feasible for barbershop delivery. We will test the peer intervention in a pilot study with a two-arm cluster randomised design (six barbershops, randomised by site) to reduce contamination and account for barbershop culture differences. Our primary outcomes for the pilot are recruitment, sample size estimation, preliminary efficacy and acceptability. Ethics and dissemination Ethics approval was obtained from the University of Utah Institutional Review Board (00113679), who will also be responsible for receiving communication updates regarding important protocol modifications. To ensure confidentiality, data dispersed to project team members will be blinded of any identifying participant information. Study results will be disseminated through publications in peer-reviewed journals, community dialogue sessions, and presentations at conferences. Trial registration number ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03733197 (Pre-results);https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03733197
Complete Genome Sequence of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Myophage LL12

This work describes the complete genome sequence of the virulent myophage LL12. The 136-kb LL12 genome is related to coliphage V5 and is a component in the prebiotic PreforPro. LL12 was isolated against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, which causes traveler’s diarrhea. ABSTRACT This work describes the complete genome sequence of the virulent myophage LL12. The 136-kb LL12 genome is related to coliphage V5 and is a component in the prebiotic PreforPro. LL12 was isolated against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli, which causes traveler’s diarrhea.