Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study the changes in adiponectin in NAFLD patients and its correlation with various clinical and biochemical parameters

1 DM Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, MGM Medical College and MY Hospital, Indore, MP, India 2 PG Resident, Department of Medicine, MGM Medical College and MY Hospital, Indore, MP, India 3 MD Medicine, Former Resident, Department of Medicine, MGM Medical College and MY Hospital, Indore, MP, India *Corresponding Author Dr Sonakshi Puntambekar Abstract Background: Fatty liver disease in absence of alcohol abuse is now emerging as a major health burden in the world. It represents the hepatic manifestation of the metabolic syndrome, a variably defined aggregate of disorders related to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus type 2, hypertension, and hyperlipdemia. Methods: This prospective observational study was conducted in 65 patients with ultrasonographic findings of fatty liver disease either from OPD or from IPD basis of department of medicine, M.Y. Hospital, Indore. Results: Out of 65 patients, 54(83%) patients had the fibroscan score less than 7 i.e. patients had median stiffness of the liver less than the cut off value, while only 11(17%) patients i.e. patients had median stiffness of the liver more than its cut off value. We found that only 12(18%) patients had adiponectin levels less than its normal value while 53(82%) patients had adiponectin levels within the normal range. Various biochemical parameters of the patients were compared across the gender where it was found that variable like triglycerides, ALT, AST, and adiponectin levels were approximately same across the gender without any significance (P value 0.533, 0.342, 0.167, and 0.967 respectively) but cholesterol values across the gender was significant (P value=0.000). Conclusions: In Indian population also, NAFLD has association with its risk factors like obesity, larger neck circumference, higher waist hip ratio, and triglyceride levels. Low adiponectin levels association to the NAFLD found to be less in Indian population. Further study needed in large group of subjects from India.
Multistatic Geosynchronous SAR Resolution Analysis and Grating Lobe Suppression Based on Array Spatial Ambiguity Function

Multistatic geosynchronous synthetic aperture radar (GEO SAR) utilizes multiple satellites’ transmitted and received signals simultaneously to generate multiple phase centers (PCs) and to reduce the synthetic aperture time and the power budget. Two key problems of this SAR system are the design of the PC array configuration to satisfy the resolution requirements and the suppression of the grating lobes that are inherently introduced by the PC array. The resolution of the SAR can be analyzed using generalized ambiguity functions (GAFs). However, the current research on the multistatic SAR resolution and grating lobes is mostly based on specified configurations and numerical simulation methods, which cannot establish the relationship between the system parameters and the resolution. This article proposes an analytical analysis method for the multistatic GEO SAR GAF-based on the array spatial ambiguity function (ASAF). First, gradient analysis is used to obtain analytical expressions for ASAF and the multistatic SAR GAF. On this basis, an analytical resolution expression is obtained, and an orbital element design method that considers the Earth’s rotation is proposed. In addition, the lobe positions are analytically expressed based on the geometry, and the grating lobes are suppressed by designing the optimal integration time such that the null depth of the velocity ambiguity function (VAF) coincides with the grating lobe positions. Finally, simulation results at various positions for various orbit types demonstrate the accuracy of the GAF approximation formula and the satisfactory performance of the optimal time expression in suppressing the grating lobes.
Magnitude and determinants of diarrhea among 0-6 year’s children: a cohort study from central India

Background: Inspite of efforts of all the stakeholders, diarrhea still remains a cause of significant morbidity and mortality in developing country like India.Methods: A follow up study was done among 305 children of 0-6 year’s age to estimate the incidence and risk factors of diarrhea. Diarrhea was defined as more than 3 stools in one day that were more liquid than usual. At each monthly follow up enquiry was made about the occurrence of diarrhea, health seeking, infant feeding practices and dietary history etc. Cumulative incidence, attack rates and risk ratio was used to estimate the burden and risk factors of diarrhea.Results: The number of diarrhea episodes per child per year was 0.65 (95% CI=0.62-0.67). The cumulative incidence of diarrhea among 0-6 years children was 485.7 per 1000 children per year (95% CI=430.8–540.9). In terms of attack rate, the diarrhea among 0-6 years children was 63.5 percent (95% CI=58.1–68.7). Age of child, birth weight, total duration of breastfeeding, anaemia and season were found to be significant risk factors of diarrhea.Conclusions: Further substantial changes in diarrhea incidence will require action on multiple factors like improvement of birth weight of child by better maternal and child health (MCH) care, continued breastfeeding of child till two year of age, correction of anaemia and provision of safe water supply and sanitation during summer and raining season.
Voltage Self-Balance Mechanism Based on Zero-Voltage Switching for Three-Level DC–DC Converter

Voltage balance of series capacitors is crucial for multilevel converters. In this article, a new voltage self-balance mechanism based on zero-voltage switching (ZVS) for a three-level dc–dc converter is proposed. First, the near-CRM (critical conduction mode) to realize ZVS and its resonance transition are analyzed in detail. Then, the resonance times at peak and valley currents are analytically expressed, and it is discovered that the additional duty cycles are induced by the ZVS resonant transitions between the switch parasitic capacitors and resonance inductor. Meanwhile, the unbalanced capacitor voltages alter the initial resonance conditions, so that the resulting additional duty cycles tend to counteract the unbalanced voltages. To further quantify the proposed voltage self-balance mechanism, not only the relationships between the effective duty cycle and the unbalanced voltages are formulated, but also the overall feedback mechanism of the passive voltage self-balance is modeled and illustrated. Finally, a three-level dc–dc converter prototype is constructed to experimentally verify the ZVS and voltage self-balance mechanism in the near-CRM mode.
Orientation Effects in the Development of Linear Object Tracking in Early Infancy.

Infants' oculomotor tracking develops rapidly but is poorer when there are horizontal and vertical movement components. Additionally, persistence of objects moving through occlusion emerges at 4 months but initially is absent for objects moving obliquely. In two experiments, we recorded eye movements of thirty-two 4-month-old and thirty-two 6-month-old infants (mainly Caucasian-White) tracking horizontal, vertical, and oblique trajectories. Infants tracked oblique trajectories less accurately, but 6-month olds tracked more accurately such that they tracked oblique trajectories as accurately as 4-month olds tracked horizontal and vertical trajectories. Similar results emerged when the object was temporarily occluded. Thus, 4-month olds' tracking of oblique trajectories may be insufficient to support object persistence, whereas 6-month olds may track sufficiently accurately to perceive object persistence for all trajectory orientations.
ROI Extraction Based on Multiview Learning and Attention Mechanism for Unbalanced Remote Sensing Data Set

With an increasing number of remote sensing images (RSIs), the automatic region of interest (ROI) extraction based on convolutional neural networks (CNNs) has attracted much interest in recent years. Although fully supervised CNN-based methods have shown superiority in the field of object extraction, pixelwise annotations are expensive and time-consuming. Moreover, due to the unstable distribution of ROIs in complex landscapes, the ratios of foreground and background areas are quite different in RSIs. Training CNNs with such unbalanced data sets lead to over-fitting and low accuracy. In this article, we propose a framework that combines multiview learning and attention mechanism (MLAM) to solve the above mentioned problems. First, we develop a CNN-based weakly supervised method with a weight-balanced loss function to solve the problems caused by an unbalanced data set. It also helps to generate imagewise saliency maps by computing the gradient maps with respect to the input images. Then, we design a multiview strategy to dramatically reduce the missing inspection. Finally, we design a feedback attention mechanism based on the stage neighbor binary pattern to further modify the extraction result. In summary, the proposed framework achieves pixelwise ROI extraction under imagewise annotations through data-driven ML and a knowledge-driven visual attention mechanism. We evaluate the performance of the MLAM framework on two challenging data sets with complex backgrounds. The experimental results indicate that the proposed framework can achieve better performance than other eight ROI extraction models for unbalanced remote sensing data sets.
Effects of Chronic Otitis Media with Effusion on Amblyaudia

Background: Chronic otitis media with effusion (CME) primarily affects children. Temporary auditory deprivation is a serious complication of this disease and can result in auditory processing disorder, as demonstrated in past studies. The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of CME duration on binaural processing and amblyaudia. Methods: Ninety-four children were examined, including 48 children (29 girls=60%) with different CME durations (from 3 months to more than 9 months) and 46 children (34 girls=73%) with no history of CME or a duration of less than 3 months CME. Persian versions of the dichotic digits and dichotic rhyme tests were applied. Results: Significant differences between the groups (P<0.001) in dichotic digits difference (DDD) and dichotic rhyme difference (DRD) in free recall conditions were identified. With longer durations of CME, the DDD and DRD average scores were increased in the CME positive group, and the probability of amblyaudia was also enhanced. Conclusion: A history of CME and the long-term auditory deprivation resulting from it in early childhood can increase the risk of amblyaudia.
Lycium ruthenicum Murr. alleviates nonalcoholic fatty liver in mice

Abstract Oxidative stress and inflammation contribute to hypertriglyceridemia‐induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Cholesterol‐enriched diets increase the risk of NAFLD. Lycium ruthenium Murr. (LRM) contains water‐soluble antioxidant proanthocyanidins. Whether Lycium ruthenium Murr. improves NAFLD remains elusive. In this study, we established a model of NAFLD‐induced by cholesterol‐enriched high‐fat diet (western diet) in ApoE −/− mice; oxidative stress and inflammation were examined and intervened by supplement of Lycium ruthenium Murr. (LRM) extracts. LRM supplement did not influence body weight gain, food intake, and lipotoxicity of mice. LRM supplement significantly alleviated triglyceride accumulation in liver, with reduced inflammation, elevated GSH‐Px activity, and reduced MDA levels. The expression of fatty acids oxidative gene Scd1 was significantly increased, and fatty acids synthesis‐related gene Pparγ was dramatically downregulated on mRNA level in liver of mice with LRM supplement. These data demonstrated that LRM supplement decreased ROS production and inflammation, increased fatty acids oxidation, and reduced fatty acids synthesis in liver, leading to ameliorate the development of NAFLD induced by high western diet. Thus, oxidative stress and inflammation also are involved in the pathogenesis of western diet‐induced NAFLD, which is independent of obesity.
The role of CREB in the liver and adipose tissue

Excessive hepatic glucose production is a hallmark of insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes. The cAMPresponsive transcription factor cAMP-responsive element binding protein (CREB), thought to be a key activator of the hepatic gluconeogenic gene regulation program, has been suggested as therapeutic target to reduce glucose output by the liver. Here, I test directly the requirement for hepatocytic CREB for the maintenance of glucose homeostasis utilizing Cre-loxP for conditional, cell-type specific gene ablation. Strikingly, I find no difference in fed and fasted glucose levels, or glucose, insulin, and glucagon tolerance in mice fed normal chow or a high-fat diet in hepatocyte Creb-null mice compared to controls. In addition, mRNA levels of liver specific genes, including several CREB target genes involved in gluconeogenesis, were not affected by CREB deficiency in the liver. In conclusion, my data indicate that CREB has no nonredundant functions in hepatic glucose metabolism, and is therefore not likely to be a useful target for the development of anti-diabetic drugs. Furthermore, lipolysis and thermogenesis are regulated by catecholamines signaling via β-adrenergic receptors in adipose tissue and a role for the CREB in adipocyte function had been suggest by previous studies. However the role of CREB in adipose tissue had never been evaluated in vivo. Here, I test directly the requirement for adipocyte CREB for lipolysis and thermogenesis using the Cre-loxP system for adipocytespecific ablation of Creb in mice. Loss of adipocytic Creb lead to a moderate decrease in fasting-induced lipolysis in adipose tissue. Strikingly, the adipocytic transcriptome was not globally affected by ablation of Creb. In addition, cold temperature and cAMP signaling-induced thermogenesis and white-to-beige adipocyte conversion were not changed in adipocyte specific Creb-null mice compared to controls. In conclusion, my data indicate that CREB has no non-redundant functions in thermogenesis, but contributes to the regulation of fasting-induced lipolysis. The underlying mechanism of reduced fasting-induced lipolysis in adipocytic CREB-deficient mice will need to be explored further. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Pharmacology First Advisor Klaus H. Kaestner Second Advisor Mitchell A. Lazar This dissertation is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn. edu/edissertations/1342
Access to electricity for all and the role of decentralized solar power in sub-Saharan Africa

ABSTRACT Several hundred million people in sub-Saharan Africa are at risk of being without access to electricity by 2030 despite the ongoing work aimed at achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 7—sustainable energy for all. Based on qualitative interviews, quantitative surveys, observation, and participation in Kenya and Senegal between 2010 and 2018, the author aims to explain why the rate of progress is slower than intended. The findings highlight three strong hindrances: lack of affordability due to extreme poverty, mismatch between the village-level outreach of grid-based electricity systems and the geography of settlements, and lack of consideration given to gender inequality. The findings also provide new insights into the ways that decentralized small-scale solar power increasingly meets some of the shortcomings of centralized grids in addressing these three issues, even in rural areas where grids are already present. The author concludes that the ways in which village communities have combined the use of solar-powered energy with grid-supplied energy indicates the importance of the former and the need to intensify efforts to improve solar power delivery models and integrate them fully in energy sector strategies.
Assessment of the vibrational resonant frequency of anisotropic black phosphorus nanoribbon

Black phosphorus (BP) has been enjoying popularity in mechanical and optoelectronic devices due to its superior anisotropic puckered structure. However, the vibrational properties of BP remain unexplored which greatly limits its wide applications in resonance-based nano electromechanical system (NEMS) devices. Therefore, in order to design mechanically reliable ultra-sensitive nanosensors, molecular dynamics simulations are utilized to explore the vibrational properties of monolayer BP. We have systematically assessed the effects of the initial actuation amplitude, internal vacancy density and mechanical strain on the vibrational properties of monolayer BP along the armchair and zigzag directions. It is found that the pristine monolayer BP exhibits lower energy disspation and smaller dominant resonant frequency during free vibration along the armchair direction than along the zigzag direction, indicating the anisotropic mechanical vibrational properties of monolayer BP, which further result in anisotropic multimode resonant characteristics in the vibration frequency spectrum. Additionally, the dominant frequency monotonically decreases gradually with increment of the internal vacancy density, while increasing with increment of the initial actuation amplitude and the mechanical strain. The energy dissipation increases gradually with increment of the initial actuation amplitude and internal vacancy density, but decreases under mechanical strain. Overall, these findings provide a fundamental understanding of the resonant properties of monolayer anisotropic BP that sheds light on its applications in micro- or nano-resonator-based devices.
Nurses' practices in the context of primary healthcare in Portugal

Aim The aim of this study was to identify and categorise the nursing practices of Portuguese nurses in the context of primary healthcare services. Methods A scoping review was undertaken using the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences literature database; Spanish Bibliographic Index of Health Sciences; Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online; Cochrane Library; Scientific Electronic Library Online; El Banco de Datos de Enfermería nursing database; and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature databases. The search strategy included articles of original research, which involved nurses or nursing practices in the context of Portugal’s primary healthcare, published in Portuguese, Spanish and/or English. The review involved the analysis of 11 studies published in Latin American, Brazilian and Portuguese journals, therefore all were available in Portuguese, published between 2007 and 2013. Results From the analysis it was possible to establish four categories of primary healthcare nurses’ work: technical procedures, health promotion, independent actions, and management and training practices. Conclusions Primary healthcare nursing in Portugal is challenged in the context of making more effective use of its own competences, investing more in actions of health promotion and disease prevention and less in technical curative procedures, thus contributing to better performance in the Portuguese National Health System.
COMPARTILHAMENTO DO CONHECIMENTO COMO ESTRATÉGIA ORGANIZACIONAL

O desenvolvimento organizacional passou a ser visto como relevante nas organizações permitindo a interação interdepartamental quebrando assim diversas barreiras internas, gerando o compartilhamento do conhecimento adquirido promovendo o crescimento do capital humano e a geração de valor principalmente na busca por novos produtos, processos, serviços e mercados. O compartilhamento do conhecimento tornou-se elemento estratégico nas empresas onde as pessoas estão engajadas e motivadas a administrar e disseminar o conhecimento. Foram utilizados como procedimentos metodológicos o estudo de caso múltiplos em empresas do setor metalúrgico de diversos segmentos. Aplicar ferramentas de gestão do conhecimento e da inovação como estratégias coorporativas demonstrou ser de extrema relevância para compartilhar os novos desafios impostos e os que estejam por vir.
Robust control system design for self-standable motorcycle

This study discusses the verification of the control system for realizing autonomous standing up from the parking mode of a novel motorcycle with a self-stabilizing mechanism, named “MOTOROiD,” and ensuring its stability on low-speed driving. MOTOROiD has a novel rotary axis that can vary the position of the total center of gravity, referred to as the active mass center control system (AMCES). In the previous study, the authors derived a mathematical model using Lagrange’s equation of motion, designed a control system for standing up from the parking mode, and ensured the motorcycle’s stability by using a two-degree-of-freedom control system based on the established model. However, the robustness of the proposed system was not fully verified. The previous study only verified the robustness of the mass variation with a numerical simulation example. Therefore, this study demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed control system using several numerical simulations with variations in the system parameters. The simulation conditions are set by considering the characteristics of MOTOROiD in realistic situations related to a parked motorcycle. We consider three cases: (i) MOTOROiD is parked on a sloped ground, (ii) the angle of inclination at parking mode is not as assumed, and (iii) MOTOROiD is influenced by Coulomb friction. We set the simulation parameters based on these cases. Consequently, we confirm that MOTOROiD can stand up autonomously under all these conditions, thereby demonstrating the practicality of the proposed control system.
An Energy Logger for Kinetic-Powered Wrist-Wearable Systems

Kinetic energy harvesting is a promising technology towards the development of alternative battery-charging schemes or even self-powered wearable devices that obtain their power supply from human motion. Although there are many developments with schemes that leverage piezoelectric materials and human motion to power devices especially from footsteps, some other body locations like the wrist still need assessment with piezoelectric generators to evaluate their potential of limitations. In this work, we present the results of logging the energy transference from a wrist-worn piezoelectric harvester to a battery in a wearable device. This system is the continuation of our previous work where we implemented the harvester with a resistive load previously tuned to obtain maximum power and assessed the energy harvested during physical activities. Now, we replace the linear load with a charge controller and a Li-ion battery in the same wearable set-up. These new conditions are not optimal for the piezoelectric generator but present a more realistic environment for the kinetic harvester and allows a more precise study of the feasibility of a self-powered system. Tests show that five minutes of activities that involve arm motion can provide between 1.75 mJ and 2.98 mJ of energy, which can represent between 3.6 seconds and 6.2 seconds of additional battery duration. Hence, these results provide an insight of the limitations and challenges remaining in the piezoelectric-based kinetic harvesting field for wearable devices.