Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic analyses supporting colorectal, gastric, and prostate cancer syndromes

Colorectal cancer (CRC), prostate cancer (PrC), and gastric cancer (GC) are common worldwide, and the incidence is to a certain extent dependent on genetics. We have recently shown that in families with more than one case of CRC, the risk of other malignancies is increased. We therefore suggested the presence of not yet described CRC syndromes. In this study, we have searched for genetic susceptibility loci for potential cancer syndromes involving CRC combined with PrC and/or GC. We have performed SNP (single‐nucleotide polymorphism)‐based linkage analyses in 45 families with CRC, PrC, and GC. In the regions with suggested linkage, we performed exome and association haplotype analyses. Five loci generated a high logarithm of odds (HLOD) score >2, suggestive of linkage, in chromosome bands 1q31‐32, 1q24‐25, 6q25‐26, 18p11‐q11, and Xp11. Exome analysis detected no potential pathogenic sequence variants. The haplotype association study showed that one of the top five haplotypes with the lowest P value in the chromosome band 6q25 interestingly was found in the family which contributed the most to the increased HLOD at that locus. This study supports a suggested hereditary cancer syndrome involving CRC and PrC and indicates a location at 6q25. The impact of this locus needs to be confirmed in additional studies.
Gamma-Irradiation-Prepared Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronic Acid Promotes Skin Wound Healing

In this study, we prepared low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid (LMWHA) powder by γ-irradiation. The chemical and physical properties of γ-irradiated LMWHA and the in vitro cellular growth experiments with γ-irradiated LMWHA were analyzed. Then, hyaluronic acid exposed to 20 kGy of γ-irradiation was used to fabricate a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/LMWHA fabric for wound dressing. Our results showed that γ-irradiated LMWHA demonstrated a significant alteration in carbon–oxygen double bonding and can be detected using nuclear magnetic resonance and ultraviolet (UV)-visible (Vis) spectra. The γ-irradiated LMWHA exhibited strain rate-dependent Newton/non-Newton fluid biphasic viscosity. The viability of L929 skin fibroblasts improved upon co-culture with γ-irradiated LMWHA. In the in vivo animal experiments, skin wounds covered with dressings prepared by γ-irradiation revealed acceleration of wound healing after two days of healing. The results suggest that γ-irradiated LMWHA could be a potential source for the promotion of skin wound healing.
Multiplex polymerase chain reaction detection of Curvularia lunata, Bipolaris maydis, and Aureobasidium zeae in infected maize leaf tissues

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a method for simultaneous identification and detection of multiple pathogenic fungi, however, its complexity limits its application. To simplify the protocol and to improve the effectiveness, three‐level designs for six factors (three primers, Taq DNA polymerase, dNTP, Mg2+) were constructed to optimize the multiplex PCR system by using the orthogonal design method and the annealing temperature of the PCR reactions was also optimized. Finally, a multiplex PCR system for the simultaneous detection of these three pathogens of maize was successfully established. The reaction volume was 25 μl and the annealing temperature was 57℃. The optimal conditions for multiplex PCR reaction contained 0.48 μmol/L Cl‐1/Cl‐2, 0.72 μmol/L Bm‐1/Bm‐2, 0.24 μmol/L Az‐1/Az‐2, 1.5 U polymerase, 0.35 mmol/L dNTP, and 1.25 mmol/L MgCl2. The multiplex PCR system can detect Curvularia lunata, Bipolaris maydis, and Aureobasidium zeae in infected plant tissues rapidly with the sensitivity at 10 pg DNA/μl.
The effect of vitamin D supplementation on the androgenic profile in men: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of clinical trials

The aim of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to evaluate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on total testosterone (TT) and sex hormone‐binding globulin (SHBG) in men. We searched PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science for randomized, controlled trials of vitamin D supplementation in men ≥18 years old up to September 2018, without language restrictions. Meta‐analysis was based on a random effects model. The systematic review was registered as CRD42018094498. We identified 3,402 articles, of which eight studies with 10 effect sizes met the inclusion criteria. Vitamin D daily dose equivalents ranged from 600 to 4,000 per day to 60,000 IU per week; duration was 6 weeks to 36 months. In general, vitamin D supplementation had no significant effect on TT (MD = 0.20, 95% CI: −0.20, 0.60, p = 0.336) and SHBG (MD = 1.56, 95% CI: −0.85, 3.97, p = 0.204). Subgroup analysis conducted with duration of prescription, type (daily or weekly), dosing frequency and baseline vitamin D and TT concentration showed that vitamin D did not significantly affect TT. The present study did not find any evidence to support beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation on TT and SHBG in men. Thus, further large‐scale randomised controlled trials are required to evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on androgen in men.
The Neuroprotective Effects of Astaxanthin: Therapeutic Targets and Clinical Perspective

As the leading causes of human disability and mortality, neurological diseases affect millions of people worldwide and are on the rise. Although the general roles of several signaling pathways in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders have so far been identified, the exact pathophysiology of neuronal disorders and their effective treatments have not yet been precisely elucidated. This requires multi-target treatments, which should simultaneously attenuate neuronal inflammation, oxidative stress, and apoptosis. In this regard, astaxanthin (AST) has gained growing interest as a multi-target pharmacological agent against neurological disorders including Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), brain and spinal cord injuries, neuropathic pain (NP), aging, depression, and autism. The present review highlights the neuroprotective effects of AST mainly based on its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and anti-apoptotic properties that underlies its pharmacological mechanisms of action to tackle neurodegeneration. The need to develop novel AST delivery systems, including nanoformulations, targeted therapy, and beyond, is also considered.
Risk, Transformation and Adaptation: Ideas for Reframing Approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction

Recognition of projected increases in exposure to large-scale hazard events over the coming decades has identified a need to develop how disaster risk reduction and recovery are conceptualized and enacted. This paper discusses some strategies for pursing this goal in both disaster recovery and preparedness settings. The approaches discussed include understanding how communities learn from their hazardous experiences and transform these lessons into beliefs, relationships and capabilities that build future adaptive capacity. The paper draws on examples of transformative learning that illustrate how people can make fundamental shifts in how they think about, prepare for and respond to environmental challenge and change. Regarding transformation in pre-event settings, the paper first discusses why the addition of transformative strategies to disaster risk reduction programs is required. These include a need for rethinking socio-environmental relationships, increasing risk acceptance in the context of evolving hazardscapes, and countering beliefs regarding not preparing. The paper then offers strategies for motivating transformation and consolidating the outcomes of transformation in pre-event disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies. A preliminary model that could inform the development of research questions on the development of transformative outcomes and their consolidation in enduring adaptive processes is presented.
EAR MITES, OTODECTES CYNOTIS, ON WILD FOXES (PSEUDALOPEX SPP.) IN CHILE

Abstract: We found the ear mite parasite (Otodectes cynotis; Acari: Psoroptidae) in two distant insular endangered fox populations in Chile. We identified O. cynotis in both the Darwin's fox (Pseudalopex fulvipes) from Chiloé and the Fuegian culpeo (Pseudalopex culpaeus lycoides) in Tierra del Fuego. These populations are approximately 2,000 km apart. Infestation rates were high for both endemic foxes: 76% (19/25) of Darwin's foxes were affected, and 73% (11/15) of Fuegian culpeos had ear mites. Two Darwin's foxes had abundant ear discharge, and one of these also exhibited secondary infections of Morganella morganii and Geotrichum sp. fungi. Mites were characterized molecularly as Otodectes spp. for the Fuegian culpeo samples. Genetic analyses of two mites found the O. cynotis genotype I, as well as what appeared to be a new allele sequence for O. cynotis. These results confirmed the hypothesis of a worldwide distribution species of ear mite. Introduced chilla foxes (Pseudalopex griseus; n=11) on Tierra del Fuego Island and domestic dogs (Canis lupus familiaris; n=379) from both islands were also sampled, but they showed no signs of infection. Our findings provided insight into the genetic diversity, the origins, and the possible impact of this globally distributed mite on endemic free-ranging populations of foxes.
Bi-level classification using naive bayes classifier and gaussian line-seeker method on rice leaf images

In this study, supervised and contextual classification are combined for a bi-level model of categorizing rice leaf pixels according to three main clusters: vein, mesophyll cells and unknown (chlorophyll concentration and other parts of the leaf). Gaussian Line-Seeker Method (GLSM) performs first-level classification based on neighboring pixels. Higher- intensity pixels are identified as candidates for further classification. These candidate pixels are subjected to Naive Bayes Classifier. Hue, saturation and intensity are the independent predictors used to construct the posterior probability of class membership. This bi-level model is developed to facilitate an automated screening process for the C4 Rice Project. It is a pro ject of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) requiring the screening of more than 100,000 leaf samples of rice varieties and cultivars. The veins were classified with an average precision of 75.07%, 71.99% for mesophyll cells and 98.45% for the unknown cluster.
Amphiphilic Acrylic Nanoparticles Containing the Poloxamer Star Bayfit® 10WF15 as Ophthalmic Drug Carriers

Topical application of drops containing ocular drugs is the preferred non-invasive route to treat diseases that affect the anterior segment of the eye. However, the formulation of eye drops is a major challenge for pharmacists since the access of drugs to ocular tissues is restricted by several barriers. Acetazolamide (ACZ) is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor used orally for the treatment of ocular hypertension in glaucoma. However, large ACZ doses are needed which results in systemic side effects. Recently, we synthesized copolymers based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and a functionalized three-arm poloxamer star (Bayfit-MA). The new material (HEMA/Bayfit-MA) was engineered to be transformed into nanoparticles without the use of surfactants, which represents a significant step forward in developing new ophthalmic drug delivery platforms. Acetazolamide-loaded nanocarriers (ACZ-NPs) were prepared via dialysis (224 ± 19 nm, −17.2 ± 0.4 mV). The in vitro release rate of ACZ was constant over 24 h (cumulative delivery of ACZ: 83.3 ± 8.4%). Following standard specifications, ACZ-NPs were not cytotoxic in vitro in cornea, conjunctiva, and macrophages. In normotensive rabbits, ACZ-NPs generated a significant intraocular pressure reduction compared to a conventional solution of ACZ (16.4% versus 9.6%) with the same dose of the hypotensive drug (20 µg). In comparison to previously reported studies, this formulation reduced intraocular pressure with a lower dose of ACZ. In summary, HEMA:Bayfit-MA nanoparticles may be a promising system for ocular topical treatments, showing an enhanced ocular bioavailability of ACZ after a single instillation on the ocular surface.
Nutritional Importance of Carotenoids and Their Effect on Liver Health: A Review

The consumption of carotenoids has beneficial effects on health, reducing the risk of certain forms of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and macular degeneration, among others. The mechanism of action of carotenoids has not been clearly identified; however, it has been associated with the antioxidant capacity of carotenoids, which acts against reactive oxygen species and inactivating free radicals, although it has also been shown that carotenoids modulate gene expression. Dietary carotenoids are absorbed and accumulated in the liver and other organs, where they exert their beneficial effects. In recent years, it has been described that the intake of carotenoids can significantly reduce the risk of suffering from liver diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This disease is characterized by an imbalance in lipid metabolism producing the accumulation of fat in the hepatocyte, leading to lipoperoxidation, followed by oxidative stress and inflammation. In the first phases, the main treatment of NAFLD is to change the lifestyle, including dietary habits. In this sense, carotenoids have been shown to have a hepatoprotective effect due to their ability to reduce oxidative stress and regulate the lipid metabolism of hepatocytes by modulating certain genes. The objective of this review was to provide a description of the effects of dietary carotenoids from fruits and vegetables on liver health.
A Mobile-Based Patient-Centric Passive System for Guiding Patients Through the Hospital Workflow: Design and Development

Background A hospital is an unfamiliar place to patients because of its style, atmosphere, and procedures. These hospital characteristics cause patients to become confused about responding to protocols, which slows down the procedural flows. Some additional information technology infrastructure facilities and human resources may be needed to solve these problems. However, this solution needs high investment and cannot guarantee an accuracy of information sent to patients. To handle this limitation, EasyHos has been developed to help patients recognize their status (for example, “waiting for an appointment at 11am“) during their stay in a hospital using all existing infrastructure and hospital data and without changing existing hospital's process. Objective The objective of this study was to provide a design of the EasyHos system and the case study in hospitals in Thailand. The design is usable and repeatable for small- and medium-sized hospitals where internet infrastructure is in place. Methods The EasyHos system has been designed based on existing infrastructure, hospital data and hospital processes. The main components include mobile devices, existing hospital data, wireless communication network. The EasyHos was deployed at 2 hospitals in Thailand, one small and the other with a medium size. The experimental process was focused on solving the problem of unfamiliarity in the hospital. The criteria and pretest conditions regarding the unexpected problem have been defined before the experiment. Results The results are presented in terms of criteria, pretest conditions, posttest conditions in the hospitals. The posttest conditions show the experimental results and impact of the system on users such as hospital nurses/staff and patients. For example, the questions from patients were reduced by 83.3% after using EasyHos system while nurses/hospital staff had 5 min more to do their routine work each day. In addition, another impact is that hospitals can create new information values from existing data, which now can be visible and valuable to patients. Conclusions Hospitals' unexpected problems have been reduced by the EasyHos system. The EasyHos system has been developed with self-service and patient-centered concepts to assist patients with necessary information. The system makes interaction easier for nurses/hospital staff members and patients working or waiting in the hospital. The nurses/hospital staff members would have more time to do their routine works. Hospitals can easily set up the EasyHos system, which will have a low or nearly zero implementation cost.
Psychometric analyses of the Tower of London planning task reveal high reliability and feasibility in typically developing children and child patients with ASD and ADHD

ABSTRACT The Tower of London (TOL) is probably the most often used assessment tool for planning ability in healthy and clinical samples. Various versions, including our proposed standard problem set, have proven to be feasible and reliable in adults. In contrast, reliability information for typically developing (TD) children and neurodevelopmental disorders during childhood are largely missing. Also, it would be highly desirable to attain a problem set that can be used across the whole lifespan. Therefore, here we examine reliability of our proposed standard problem set using a computerized TOL version in 178 TD children (two different samples), 49 children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 56 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (age ranges of each group 6 to 13 years), and 130 young adults (age range 18 to 32 years). Greatest lower bound estimates of reliability were adequate to high in the two samples of TD children (.76 and .80) and high to very high in patients (ASD: .90; ADHD: .83). In young adults, all reliability indices were adequate to high. Moreover, a subset of four- and five-move problems exhibited sufficient performance variability and high part-whole correlations with the complete problem set in all samples. These findings demonstrate the reliability of the presented TOL problem set in both clinical and non-clinical child samples. A clinically feasible subset of four- and five-move problems is reflective of overall planning performance at all ages, hence enabling comparisons of planning ability within and between developmental samples across almost the whole lifespan.
Adaptive Teaching Competency A New Approach to Teachers' Knowledge

Adaptive Teaching Competency is a teacher's ability to continually monitor their teaching orientate teaching towards students' learning processes and learning objectives according to the students' individual preconditions in order to produce favourable conditions for students' learning for understanding. the use of alternative instructional strategies and resources to meet the learning needs of individual students . In accordance with Weinert (1996) and Wang (2001) the concept of Adaptive Teaching Competency includes four dimensions: a) Subject Knowledge b) Diagnosis of Students' Learning c) Teaching Methods d) Classroom Management pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman 1986) Adaptive Teaching-www.phsg. ch Adaptive competency for planning stands for the teacher's ability to adapt his or her planning to the individual learning processes of students. Adaptive competency for teaching stands for the teacher's ability to adapt his or her teaching to the individual learning processes of students during lesson delivery.
Low-Complexity Time-Domain Ranging Algorithm with FMCW Sensors

A time-domain ranging algorithm is proposed for a frequency-modulated continuous wave (FMCW) short-range radar sensor with high accuracy and low complexity. The proposed algorithm estimates the distance by calculating the ratio of the beat frequency signal to its derivative and thereby eliminates the restriction of frequency bandwidth on ranging accuracy. Meanwhile, we provide error analysis of the proposed algorithm under different distances, integral lengths, relative velocities, and signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Finally, we fabricate FMCW sensor prototype and construct a measurement system. Testing results demonstrate that the proposed time-domain algorithm could achieve range error within 0.8 m. Compared with the conventional fast Fourier transform (FFT) estimation scheme, the proposed method performs ranging without the requirement of complex multiplications, which makes it reasonable to be implemented in real-time and low-cost systems.
Full-Waveform LiDAR Point Clouds Classification Based on Wavelet Support Vector Machine and Ensemble Learning

Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) produces 3D point clouds that describe ground objects, and has been used to make object interpretation in many cases. However, traditional LiDAR only records discrete echo signals and provides limited feature parameters of point clouds, while full-waveform LiDAR (FWL) records the backscattered echo in the form of a waveform, which provides more echo information. With the development of machine learning, support vector machine (SVM) is one of the commonly used classifiers to deal with high dimensional data via small amount of samples. Ensemble learning, which combines a set of base classifiers to determine the output result, is presented and SVM ensemble is used to improve the discrimination ability, owing to small differences in features between different types of data. In addition, previous kernel functions of SVM usually cause under-fitting or over-fitting that decreases the generalization performance. Hence, a series of kernel functions based on wavelet analysis are used to construct different wavelet SVMs (WSVMs) that improve the heterogeneity of ensemble system. Meanwhile, the parameters of SVM have a significant influence on the classification result. Therefore, in this paper, FWL point clouds are classified by WSVM ensemble and particle swarm optimization is used to find the optimal parameters of WSVM. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed method is robust and effective, and it is applicable to some practical work.