Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Security and Privacy in IoT-Cloud-Based e-Health Systems - A Comprehensive Review

When the Internet and other interconnected networks are used in a health system, it is referred to as “e-Health. ” In this paper, we examined research studies from 2017–2020 to explore the utilization of intelligent techniques in health and its evolution over time, particularly the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices and cloud computing. E-Health is defined as “the ability to seek, find, understand and appraise health information derived from electronic sources and acquired knowledge to properly solve or treat health problems. As a repository for health information as well as e-Health analysis, the Internet has the potential to protect consumers from harm and empower them to participate fully in informed health-related decision-making. Most importantly, high levels of e-Health integration mitigate the risk of encountering unreliable information on the Internet. Various research perspectives related to security and privacy within IoT-cloud-based e-Health systems are examined, with an emphasis on the opportunities, benefits and challenges of the implementation such systems. The combination of IoT-based e-Health systems integrated with intelligent systems such as cloud computing that provide smart objectives and applications is a promising future trend.
Microsolvation of Histidine - A Theoretical Study of Intermolecular Interactions Based on AIM and SAPT Approaches

Histidine is unique among amino acids because of its rich tautomeric properties. It participates in essential enzymatic centers, such as catalytic triads. The main aim of the study is the modeling of the change of molecular properties between the gas phase and solution using microsolvation models. We investigate histidine in its three protonation states, microsolvated with 1:6 water molecules. These clusters are studied computationally, in the gas phase and with water as a solvent (Polarizable Continuum Model, PCM) within the Density Functional Theory (DFT) framework. The structural analysis reveals the presence of intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. The Atoms-in-Molecules (AIM) theory is employed to determine the impact of solvation on the charge flow within the histidine, with emphasis on the similarity of the two imidazole nitrogen atoms—topologically not equivalent, they are revealed as electronically similar due to the heterocyclic ring aromaticity. Finally, the Symmetry-Adapted Perturbation Theory (SAPT) is used to examine the stability of the microsolvation clusters. While electrostatic and exchange terms dominate in magnitude over polarization and dispersion, the sum of electrostatic and exchange term is close to zero. This makes polarization the factor governing the actual interaction energy. The most important finding of this study is that even with microsolvation, the polarization induced by the presence of implicit solvent is still significant. Therefore, we recommend combined approaches, mixing explicit water molecules with implicit models.
Cabassous centralis (Cingulata: Dasypodidae)

Abstract: Cabassous centralis (northern naked-tailed armadillo) is a small armadillo with a slender tail. The distinctive tail has widely spaced, thin plates that are gray-pink in color. This fossorial armadillo occurs in diverse tropical habitats and has a distributional range from southern Mexico, through Central America, and into northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador). C. centralis is listed as “Least Concern” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and is rare everywhere.
Characteristics of illegal inland fishing according to the opinions of Polish fisheries guards

Abstract Poaching is still a great problem in Poland. Officers of the fisheries guard from three regions in northeast Poland rich in natural inland waters were surveyed. The most frequent type of poaching encountered by the officers was that practised by recreational fishers using rods (ranking of 4.4 points on a scale of 0–5) followed by poaching stemming from poverty or unemployment (3.4 points), and poaching by professional fishermen was ranked the lowest (1.5 points). Organized poaching was identified as the most dangerous for ichthyofauna (42% of responses), followed by poaching by recreational fishers (28%) and poaching stemming from poverty or unemployment (23%). According to the officers surveyed, the species that were targeted by poachers most frequently were the predators: pike, Esox lucius (98% of responses), European eel, Anguilla anguilla, pikeperch, Sander lucioperca and perch, Perca fluviatilis.
Cullin3 promotes stem cell progeny differentiation by facilitating aPKC-directed asymmetric Numb localization

Asymmetric segregation of Numb is a conserved mechanism for regulating Notch-mediated binary cell fate decisions; however, the mechanisms controlling Numb segregation remain unclear. Previous studies have proposed an “exclusion” model, suggesting that atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) negatively regulates Numb cortical localization. Here, we report that aPKC kinase activity positively promotes basal cortical Numb localization during asymmetric division of Drosophila neural stem cells (neuroblasts) and that Cullin 3 (Cul3) is required for aPKC-directed basal Numb localization. In numb- or cul3-mutant brains, decreased levels of Numb segregated into neuroblast progeny failed to downregulate Notch, leading to supernumerary neuroblast formation. Increased aPKC kinase activity suppressed supernumerary neuroblast formation by concentrating residual Numb protein at the basal cortex and in neuroblast progeny, whereas decreased aPKC function enhanced the supernumerary neuroblast phenotype by reducing basal Numb levels. We propose that aPKC and Cul3 promote basal Numb localization, which is required to downregulate Notch signaling and promote differentiation in neuroblast progeny.
Evolution of the Initially Recruited SHARE Panel Sample Over the First Six Waves

Abstract Attrition is a frequently observed phenomenon in panel studies. The loss of panel members over time can hamper the analysis of panel survey data. Based on data from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), this study investigates changes in the composition of the initially recruited first-wave sample in a multi-national face-to-face panel survey of an older population over waves. By inspecting retention rates and R-indicators, we found that, despite declining retention rates, the composition of the initially recruited panel sample in Wave 1 remained stable after the second wave. Thus, after the second wave there is no further large decline in representativeness with regard to the first wave sample. Changes in the composition of the sample after the second wave over time were due mainly to mortality-related attrition. Non-mortality-related attrition had a slight effect on the changes in sample composition with regard to birth in survey country, area of residence, education, and social activities. Our study encourages researchers to investigate further the impact of mortality- and non-mortality-related attrition in multi-national surveys of older populations.
A collection of Serratia marcescens differing in their insect pathogenicity towards Manduca sexta larvae

We investigated the ability of Serratia marcescens to kill Manduca sexta (tobacco/tomato hornworm) larvae following injection of ca. 5 × 105 bacteria into the insect hemolymph. Fifteen bacterial strains were examined, including 12 non-pigmented clinical isolates from humans. They fell into 6 groups depending on the timing and rate at which they caused larval death. Relative insect toxicity was not correlated with pigmentation, colony morphology, biotype, motility, capsule formation, iron availability, surfactant production, swarming ability, antibiotic resistance, bacteriophage susceptibility, salt tolerance, nitrogen utilitization patterns, or the production of 4 exoenzymes: proteases, DNase, lipase, or phospholipase. There were marked differences in chitinase production, the types of homoserine lactone (HSL) quorum sensing molecules produced, and the blood agar hemolysis patterns observed. However, none of these differences correlated with the six insect larval virulence groups. Thus, the actual offensive or defensive virulence factors possessed by these strains remain unidentified. The availability of this set of S. marcescens strains, covering the full range from highly virulent to non-virulent, should permit future genomic comparisons to identify the precise mechanisms of larval toxicity.
In vitro reduction of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes by Artemisia spp. tea infusions

In this study, we showed in vitro evidence that supports the efficacy of A. annua and A. afra tea infusions used in a 2015 clinical trial not only for clearing asexual Plasmodium falciparum parasites, but also for eliminating sexual gametocytes. P. falciparum NF54 was grown in vitro, synchronized, and induced to form gametocytes using N-acetylglucosamine. Cultures during asexual, early, and late stage gametogenesis were treated with artemisinin, methylene blue, and Artemisia annua and A. afra tea infusions (5g DW/L) using cultivars that contained 0-283 μM artemisinin. Asexual parasitemia and gametocytemia were analyzed microscopically. Gametocyte morphology was also scored. Markers of early (PfGEXP5) and late stage (Pfs25) gametocyte gene expression were also measured using RT-qPCR. Both A. annua and A. afra tea infusions reduced gametocytemia in vitro, and the effect was mainly artemisinin dependent. Expression levels of both marker genes were reduced with the effect mainly attributed to artemisinin content of the our tested Artemisia cultivars. Tea infusions of both species also inhibited asexual parasitemia and although mainly artemisinin dependent, there was a weak antiparasitic effect from artemisinin-deficient A. afra. These results showed that A. annua and to a lesser extent, A. afra, inhibited parasitemia and gametogenesis in vitro, and results are consistent with earlier observed clinical results.
q-Rung Orthopair Fuzzy Prioritized Aggregation Operators and Their Application Towards Green Supplier Chain Management

Supply management and environmental concerns are becoming increasingly relevant to scientific decision analysis around the world. Several companies have implemented the green supply chain management (GSCM) approach for attaining economic advantages while retaining sustainable growth for the environment. Green supplier selection has also been analyzed in many literary works as an important part of GSCM, which is considered an important multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) problem. The lack of consideration of the relationships of alternatives to the uncertain environment will be the main reason for weak conclusions in some MCGDM problems. To address these drawbacks, we introduce a new approach for selecting green suppliers with the q-rung orthopair fuzzy information, in which the input assessment is considered by using q-rung orthopair fuzzy numbers (q-ROFNs). A q-ROFN is extremely valuable in representing vague information that occurs in these real-world circumstances. The priority relationship of the alternatives to q-rung orthopair fuzzy information is very helpful to deal with GSCM. Consequently, we develop some prioritized operators with q-ROFNs named the q-rung orthopair fuzzy prioritized weighted average (q-ROFPWA) operator and q-rung orthopair fuzzy prioritized weighted geometric (q-ROFPWG) operator. Several important characteristics of these operators such as idempotents, boundary, and monotonicity are also well proven. Finally, an application of the proposed operators is presented for green supplier selection in GSCM. The scientific nature of the proposed methodology is illustrated by a numerical example to validate its rationality, symmetry, and superiority.
Phylogeography of a host-specific insect: genetic structure of Ips typographus in Europe does not reflect past fragmentation of its host

The phylogeography of the bark beetle Ips typographus was assessed using five microsatellite markers. Twenty-eight populations were sampled throughout Europe on the host tree Picea abies. I. typographus showed very low levels of genetic diversity, and the study revealed a lack of genetic structure across Europe. No significant barrier to gene flow was found, even though P. abies has a fragmented distribution. A weak but significant effect of isolation by distance was found. These results suggest a high dispersal capacity of I. typographus, which leads to low genetic differentiation between populations. Its high dispersal capacity is likely to have prevented I. typographus from developing important local adaptations to its host, which would have influenced its genetic structure. The nuclear data was compared to previously published mitochondrial data that showed strong differentiation between Central–Northern European populations and Russian–Baltic populations, and a founder effect in Scandinavia, probably reflecting the postglacial history of I. typographus. Discrepancies between nuclear and mitochondrial markers could be due to the maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA, and to sex-biased dispersal in I. typographus. The overall low genetic diversity observed on both markers on a large geographical scale is discussed. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 90, 239–246.
Comparison of Effect of pH Modulation on Wound Healing with Topical Application of Citric Acid Versus Superoxide Ions

Background: Wound healing is a dynamic process involving tissue repair and regeneration. Nonhealing and chronic wounds are a significant health problem that many patients all over the world are suffering from. Proper wound care is hence very important. Wound dressings have undergone continuous and significant changes over the time period. Optimal dressing should ensure a moist wound bed, help drainage, remove debris, and be anti-allergic and without immunogenicity. Objectives: The objective of the study is compare the effect of pH modulation on wound healing with topical application of citric acid versus superoxide ions. The aim is to study the efficacy and safety of citric acid versus superoxide ions in the prevention and control of infection and their effect on wound healing in similar wound types. Materials and Methods: We conducted randomized, prospective comparative study in a total of 100 patients admitted at Guru Nanak Dev Hospital, attached to Government Medical College, Amritsar. The patients were divided into two groups: Group A where wound management was done using superoxide ions and Group B where citric acid was used. A standard grading was done in terms of a decrease in wound size, an increase in granulation tissue, and a reduction in wound discharge. Results: The wounds treated with citric acid showed an average reduction in wound size of 73.43% by the 14th day as compared to 66.52% in the control group. The difference seen in the average reduction of wound size was statistically significant (P = 0.032). The wounds treated by citric acid application showed an average increase in granulation tissue of 56.66% as compared to 50.87% in the wounds treated by superoxide ions. The average hospital stay in patients of Group B was comparatively less than that of patients in Group A. Conclusion: Citric acid is safe and effective in all types of wound management and gives better efficacy and faster response as compared to superoxide ions. Citric acid promotes wound healing by the formation of granulation tissue and fibroblast proliferation.
Effects of ATP and Zn2+ on degradation of the large subunit of ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase in wheat leaves

Ribulose-1, 5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) degradation is a complex process involving a multitude of proteolytic pathways, and its mechanism is still unclear now. We previously confirmed that a new senescence-associated protease in the stroma of chloroplasts from senescing leaves was suggested to be involved in the appearance of a 51 kDa fragment of Rubisco. In this study, the 51-kDa fragment was also detected when the crude extracts of mature leaves were incubated in Tris-HCl buffer (pH 7.5) with 1 mM ATP or the chloroplast lysates of mature leaves were incubated in the same buffer with 1 mM ATP and 1 μM Zn2+ for 1.5 h. However, the special degradation of large subunits (LSU) in the crude extracts of senescing leaves seemed to not to be affected by ATP and Zn2+ presence. Furthermore, the 51-kDa fragment could be detected when chloroplast lysates of senescing leaves were incubated in pH 7.5 Tris-HCl buffer containing 1 mM ATP and 1 μM Zn2+ only for 0.5 h, but it would be at least for 1 h if the buffer did not contain 1 mM ATP and 1 μM Zn2+. The results from this study implied that there would be two types of protease, which could specially degrade LSU into 51-kDa fragment, in cytoplasm or vacuole and in chloroplast of mature leaves respectively before leaf senescence. Key words: ATP, Zn2+, Rubisco, protein degradation, wheat.
Estimates of genetic and phenotypic covariance functions for postweaning growth and mature weight of beef cows

Annual weights of cows from 19 to 119 months of age in two herds were analysed fitting a random regression model, regressing on orthogonal polynomials of age in months. Estimates of covariances between random regression coefficients were obtained by restricted maximum likelihood, and the resulting estimates of covariance functions were used to construct covariance matrices for all ages in the data. Analyses were carried out fitting regression coefficients corresponding to overall animal effects only and fitting regressions for animals’ additive genetic and permanent, environmental effects. Different definitions of fixed effects subclasses were examined. Models were compared using likelihood ratio tests and estimated standard deviations for the ages in the data. Cubic regressions were sufficient to model both population trajectories and individual growth curves. Random regression coefficients were highly correlated, so that estimation forcing their covariance matrices to have reduced rank (2 or 3) did not reduce likelihoods significantly, allowing parsimonious modelling. Results showed that records were clearly not repeated measurements of a single trait with constant variances. As cows grew up to about 5 years of age, variances. As cows grew up to about 5 years of age, variances increased. Estimates of genetic correlations between 3-year-old and older cows were close to unity in one herd but more erratic in the other. For both herds, genetic correlations between weights on 2-year-old cows and older animals were clearly less than unity.
Ocular surface characterization after allogeneic stem cell transplantation: A prospective study in a referral center

Purpose: To characterize anatomical and functional changes in the ocular surface after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Methods: Three groups of patients were included in the study. Group 1: patients who had undergone allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) (n = 26). Group 2: patients who developed chronic graft versus host disease (GvHD) after HSCT (n = 14). Group 3: healthy subjects (n = 20). A complete ophthalmological examination was undertaken in all subjects, including Schirmer's test, TBUT (break-up-time) test, Oxford scale, OSDI test, corneal tomography, and conjunctival CD8+ lymphocyte detection. Results: In Branch 1 (comparative analysis before and after HSCT in Group 1), statistically significant differences were found in the following variables: best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) OD (P = 0.08), OSDI test (P = 0.003), TBUT OU (OD P= 0, OS P= 0.0003), Oxford test OU (OD P= 0.01, OS P= 0.0049), and CD8+ lymphocytes OU (OD P= 0.003, OS P= 0.01). In Branch 2 (comparative analysis between Group 2 and 3), the variables with statistically significant differences (P < 0.001) in OU were: BCVA, OSDI test, Schirmer's test OU, TBUT test, Oxford test, and CD8+ lymphocytes. Finally, in Branch 3 (comparative analysis between Group 1 after HSCT and Group 2), statistically significant differences (P < 0.001) were found OU: in OSDI test, Schirmer's test, and Oxford test OU; and with P < 0.005 in TBUT test OU. Conclusion: In our study, statistically significant changes were observed in the OSDI test, TBUT test, Oxford Scale, and the detection of CD8+ lymphocytes in patients who underwent HSCT. Differences were more significant in those patients who had developed GvHD after HSCT compared to those without GvHD.
Effect of subgingival application of ozone oil versus olive oil as an adjunct to scaling and root planing in chronic periodontitis: A clinical and microbiological study

The ozone oil is an oxidizing agent with a high antimicrobial power against oral pathogens, and olive oil is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. Thus, the efficacy of ozone oil and olive oil was assessed in chronic periodontitis patients. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and microbiological effect of the subgingival application of ozone oil and olive oil as an adjunct to scaling and root planing (SRP) in chronic periodontitis. Materials and Methods: A total of 20 patients with chronic periodontitis (≥5 mm) were randomly divided into two groups: Group I received SRP and olive oil and Group II received SRP and ozone oil. Subgingival application of both the oils was performed following initial SRP and at 7, 14, and 21 days. Clinical parameters including probing pocket depth (PPD), plaque index (PI), and gingival index (GI) were measured. Plaque samples from periodontal pockets were obtained with sterile paper points at baseline and 1 month for anaerobic culture. Results: The baseline measurements of PI score, GI scores, and PPD show no significant differences among the two treatment groups for up to 1 month. The anaerobic cultures from Group II showed a low colony-forming unit (CFU) on blood agar as compared to Group I at 1 month. There was a significant difference between Groups II and Group I at 1 month in terms of CFU. Conclusion: Subgingival application of ozone oil is a beneficial adjunct treatment modality to enhance periodontal health with a significant role in periodontal therapy. It serves as a promising antimicrobial agent to treat periodontal disease.
Supraglottic airway devices: Placement and pharyngeal seal matters!

© 2020 Indian Journal of Anaesthesia | Published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow Supraglottic airway devices (SADs) are now an indispensable instrument in the operating room as well as in non-operative room anaesthesia practice. They have evolved greatly from Archie Brain’s laryngeal mask airway (LMA). [1] Use of SADs has expanded over the time from short surgical procedures initially, to all types of surgeries including laparoscopic/robotic and obstetrics. SADs have also been used in oral, cervical tracheal, prone position surgeries[2,3] and during cardiopulmonary resuscitation. [4] From the first-generation LMA classic to the most advanced third-generation Baska mask, there is much progress in the field of SADs. Despite their improved utility, SADs do have disadvantages like not providing 100% protection from pulmonary aspiration of gastric material like a cuffed tracheal tube (TT). [5]