Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Postprandial Glucose Response after Consuming Low-Carbohydrate, Low-Calorie Rice Cooked in a Carbohydrate-Reducing Rice Cooker

This study evaluates whether blood glucose response differs upon consuming rice cooked in a carbohydrate (carb)-reducing rice cooker. Rice cooked this way exhibited 19% reduced total carbohydrate (34.0 ± 0.3 vs. 27.6 ± 0.9 g/100 g rice) and 20% reduced total calorie (149.0 ± 1.0 vs. 120.8 ± 3.7 kcal/100 g rice) contents. We measured the blood glucose response (at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 min) in 13 healthy participants after consuming 6 different rice types: regular white rice (regular WR, 50 g of available carbohydrate (AC)), low-carb WR with equivalent weight as regular WR (low-carb WR (EW)), low-carb WR with equivalent carb as regular WR (low-carb WR (EC), regular mixed-grain rice (regular MR), low-carb MR (EW) as regular MR, and low-carb MR (EC) as regular MR. All rice samples were prepared in an electric carb-reducing rice cooker. Postprandial blood glucose, sensory, and appetite were assessed after each test meal. The incremental area under the curve of 15 and 30 min after rice consumption was significantly lower in low-carb WR (EW) than that in regular WR. These results suggest possible health benefits of low-carb WR in reducing early postprandial spikes in blood glucose level without significant differences in satiety and satisfaction.
Antihyperlipidemic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic activities of “dimethyl dimethoxy biphenyl dicarboxylate” in male Wistar rats

Dimethyl dimethoxy biphenyl (DDB) dicarboxylate has been applied as a therapeutic modality for curing liver diseases, particularly hepatitis virus. The objective of this study was to assess the protective potential against Triton X-100 induced abnormal fat metabolism in addition to anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic effects of DDB. The anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, and antipyretic of DDB were investigated through induction of paw edema, pain, and fever in experimental rats. DDB decreased cholesterol and triglyceride contents. DDB resulted in inhibition of inflammation, nociception, and fever in the experimental models. DDB improved lipid profile, as evidence of hypolipidemic potential. It also showed anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antipyretic properties.
Searching for sanctuary during COVID-19: exploring regional South Australians’ nature-based tourism experiences

ABSTRACT This article draws upon the findings of an exploratory qualitative study of regional South Australian tourists' nature-based tourism experiences during COVID-19. Through the implementation of focus group interview sessions with participants across three age group categories, it was evident that many participants had visited nature-based settings in pursuit of health benefits. From the perspective of physical health, national parks and conservation areas were identified as “risk averse” backdrops that allowed exercise to be undertaken. From the perspective of mental health, nature-based tourism spaces acted as “mental sanctuaries” that supported wellbeing and enabled visitors to temporarily escape the stresses of COVID-19. Respondents aged under 30 reported a greater connectedness with nature and had positively re-evaluated the benefits of nature-based tourism. This article offers valuable insights into the role of nature-based tourism settings in supporting regional populations during the continuation of COVID-19 or other crises that present challenging times or hardship.
Validation and Usability Evaluation of Mobile Application to Monitor Real-Time Exercise Heart Rate Zone

A mobile application to monitor heart rate (HR) during an exercise called Chromozone was developed to enable a user to regulate exercise intensity using a color-coded system rather than numerical display in the most conventional device. In this study, the agreement of HR from Chromozone was compared against the HR dataset from a clinically accepted electrocardiogram (ECG) on different exercise intensity and to assess its reliability by intra-day repeated assessments. Additionally, the usability aspect of the Chromozone smartphone application was also assessed. Forty-two participants underwent self-selected exercise intensities (based on individual HR reserve) included for 5-min followed by a cool-down period (3-min). A 20-min rest period was given to the participant before repeating the same exercise protocol two more times. Chromozone was found to generate excellent criterion-concurrent validity (r = 0.998, p < 0.001) and acceptable bias of 1.96 bpm (Limits of Agreement; LoA: 3.07 to -3.51) for relative and absolute agreement, respectively. Similarly, relative (intraclass correlation coefficient test: 0.998, p < 0.001) and absolute (within-subject coefficient of variation: 1.95 ± 1.4%) reliability using Chromozone application shows an excellent consistency. Additionally, this study also showed that the usability level of the Chromozone application is beyond the satisfactory level. The outcome of this work provides strong support for Chromozone application as a valid and reliable exercise HR monitoring tool that could potentially help athletes, active individuals as well as the clinical population to monitor and regulate their exercise training regime more effectively.
Combined Spinal-Epidural (CSE) technique plus ketamine in research laparotomies with vertical incision: Case report

The combined spinal-epidural (CSE) technique, a comparatively new anesthetic choice, includes an initial subarachnoid injection followed by epidural catheter placement and subsequent administration of epidural medications. Clinical studies have demonstrated that the CSE technique provides excellent surgical conditions as quickly as with single-shot subarachnoid block conditions that are better than with epidural block alone. A 72-year-old man with pelvic tumor undergoing laparotomy surgery underwent combined regional anesthesia (Th12 - O1) plus small doses of Ketamine via intravenus infusion. The combined spinal-epidural technique along with intravenous Ketamine offers a better analgesic and hemodynamic result.
Defining an Object-Oriented Architecture for Operations on Genomic Data

Genomic data is often represented in the form of a genomic track. This track is a set of data with given positions in a genome. With these tracks we can perform different types of calculations. We call these calculations track operations. The previously proposed file format GTrack introduced a system for categorizing these tracks into distinct track types. The type of a track is dependent on the data it represents. GTrackCore is the library that handles and pre-processes GTrack files into Numpy arrays. These arrays enable us to perform fast and vectorised calculations. This thesis introduces an extension to the GTrackCore library. This extension consists of a library of track operations that uses the track type concept. The main usage is centred around an object-oriented implementation. Each operation is defined as a class. For each class we define the track type of the inputs and output. This formal definition enables us to use other operations as input This is a powerful concept that makes it possible to combine operations into complex trees. The number of possible track operations is vast, far more than would fit within the scope of this thesis. The framework is written to make the implementation of new operations as easy and effortless as possible. An operation can also be defined by using existing operations as building blocks. To create such an operation, one would need to define a tree made of existing operations. This tree defines the operation directly and there is no need to do work on the Numpy arrays in this case. In this thesis we show how this library was designed and implemented. We go into details on the problems we faced and how we solved them. A large focus is on the problems that arise from working with Numpy arrays. This project has provided such a library. We have extendedGTrackCore with a library of track operations. These operations are object based and use the track type concept introduced by GTrack. We provided multiple interfaces that enables users of different skill level to use the operations.
A Neural Network-Based Model for Predicting Saybolt Color of Petroleum Products

Saybolt color is a standard measurement scale used to determine the quality of petroleum products and the appropriate refinement process. However, the current color measurement methods are mostly laboratory-based, thereby consuming much time and being costly. Hence, we designed an automated model based on an artificial neural network to predict Saybolt color. The network has been built with five input variables, density, kinematic viscosity, sulfur content, cetane index, and total acid number; and one output, i.e., Saybolt color. Two backpropagation algorithms with different transfer functions and neurons number were tested. Mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and coefficient of determination (R2) were used to assess the performance of the developed model. Additionally, the results of the ANN model are compared with the multiple linear regression (MLR). The results demonstrate that the ANN with the Levenberg–Marquart algorithm, tangent sigmoid transfer function, and three neurons achieved the highest performance (R2 = 0.995, MAE = 1.000, and RMSE = 1.658) in predicting the Saybolt color. The ANN model appeared to be superior to MLR (R2 = 0.830). Hence, this shows the potential of the ANN model as an effective method with which to predict Saybolt color in real time.
Rare Transient Infantile Hypertriglyceridemia with Hypoglycemia and Insulin Resistance Caused by a Novel GPD1 Mutation

Introduction: Transient infantile hypertriglyceridemia (HTGTI) is a rare autosomal recessive disease. At present, only 20 cases of HTGTI have been reported worldwide. Hence, it is necessary to further assess the phenotypic and genetic variation spectra of HTGTI. Case Presentation: A 10-month-old male infant was diagnosed with hypertriglyceridemia, hepatomegaly, liver injury, fasting hypoglycemia, and insulin resistance. Trio-whole exome sequencing (trio-WES) was performed on the patient and his parents. Bioinformatics software was used to analyze the suspected genes and potential pathogenicity of the resulting mutant proteins. The results of trio-WES demonstrated that the patient was homozygous for a novel mutation in the GPD1 gene (NM_005276.3; c.805C>T/p.Arg269Trp), whereas his parents were heterozygous for the same mutation. Bioinformatics prediction results demonstrated that the mutation might affect the protein function, and crystal simulation results showed that the mutation might affect the protein-binding ability of the enzyme. Conclusion: Our results indicated that the novel homozygous mutation in GPD1 could be the pathogenic factor in the patient. Our report highlights the value of genome sequencing in the diagnosis of infant liver disease with low phenotypic heterogeneity.
Role of DNA Methylation and Epialleles in Eukaryotes

Epialleles that emerge due to methylation variation in genetically identical individuals are gaining more interest due to their involvement in physiological and pathological processes. These are also important for transgenerational epigenetic inheritance and evolution. Both stable and metastable epialleles have their importance because of their contribution to the alteration of gene expression that may lead to useful traits or diseases. The main aim of this work lies in a comparative study between stable and metastable epialleles and the latest advancements that are helpful for the interpretation and analysis of DNA methylation and epialleles. However, there is so much to discover and understand because of the inadequate knowledge about methylomes of species as well as the naturally occurring epialleles in the wild. We will get more opportunities to apply this knowledge if we have a complete understanding of methylomes and epialleles and their contribution towards the normal functioning of an organism.
Luteolin Causes 5′CpG Demethylation of the Promoters of TSGs and Modulates the Aberrant Histone Modifications, Restoring the Expression of TSGs in Human Cancer Cells

Cancer progression is linked to abnormal epigenetic alterations such as DNA methylation and histone modifications. Since epigenetic alterations, unlike genetic changes, are heritable and reversible, they have been considered as interesting targets for cancer prevention and therapy by dietary compounds such as luteolin. In this study, epigenetic modulatory behaviour of luteolin was analysed on HeLa cells. Various assays including colony forming and migration assays, followed by biochemical assays of epigenetic enzymes including DNA methyltransferase, histone methyl transferase, histone acetyl transferase, and histone deacetylases assays were performed. Furthermore, global DNA methylation and methylation-specific PCR for examining the methylation status of CpG promoters of various tumour suppressor genes (TSGs) and the expression of these TSGs at transcript and protein level were performed. It was observed that luteolin inhibited migration and colony formation in HeLa cells. It also modulated DNA methylation at promoters of TSGs and the enzymatic activity of DNMT, HDAC, HMT, and HAT and reduced the global DNA methylation. Decrease in methylation resulted in the reactivation of silenced tumour suppressor genes including FHIT, DAPK1, PTEN, CDH1, SOCS1, TIMPS, VHL, TP53, TP73, etc. Hence, luteolin-targeted epigenetic alterations provide a promising approach for cancer prevention and intervention.
Understanding the Relationship Between Crash Severity, Change in Velocity, and Driver’s Reaction

1 2 A driver’s reaction may influence the risk and severity of road crashes. Even though many 3 studies have analyzed the factors influencing drivers’ injury severity, little is understood about 4 the relationship between driver’s reaction, delta–v and driver’s injury severity. This study 5 develops a modelling framework to better understand this relationship. Three models, 6 replicating driver’s reaction, change in velocity (delta-v) and the driver’s injury severity, are 7 developed to analyze the hierarchy of factors influencing these three components of a crash. 8 The data used for this estimation consists of two-vehicle crashes extracted from the United 9 States National Automotive Sampling System-Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS) for 10 the period between 2009 and 2014.The results show that as drivers’ age increases the possibility 11 of a reaction before the crash is increased. This possibility is also increased when there are 12 adverse surface conditions, non-straight horizontal curves, non-level vertical curves and on 13 local roads. Reacting before a crash reduces the delta-v of the crashes and consequently the 14 injury severity of the driver. The modelling results confirm that a higher delta-v is associated 15 with higher occupant injury severity. Future research should focus on a more in depth 16 understanding of factors influencing driver inattention to reduce occupant injury severity. In 17 addition, the results of this research suggests that improving vehicle technologies such as ’Auto 18 Emergency Braking System’, can reduce severity of road crashes. 19 20
Study of IGBT open-circuit fault diagnosis method for H-bridge inverter

A new fault diagnosis method of insulated gate bipolar transistor( IGBT) open-circuit fault was proposed for the H-bridge inverter based on wavelet multi-resolution analysis( MRA),kernel principal component analysis( KPCA),and least squares support vector machine( LS-SVM). To avoid the influence of load variation on fault diagnosis,the average value of capacitor voltage in a half fundamental period was chosen as the original signal. The features of the original signal were extracted by using the MRA. The feature dimensions were then reduced based on KPCA. Finally,the fault classifier was constructed via the LS-SVM. An experimental prototype of the 660 V STATCOM was built to test the proposed method,and the experimental results demonstrate the high accuracy and efficiency of the method.
Nonlinear Image Reconstruction Using a GA‐ECT Technique in Electrical Capacitance Tomography

Electrical capacitance tomography (ECT) is a non‐invasive measurement technique that estimates the dielectric permittivity distribution of an inhomogeneous object from the boundary potentials at floating electrodes/or mutual capacitances. In this paper, a stochastic inverse technique based on genetic algorithm (GA‐ECT) is developed, which is adapted to the two different methods, i.e. potential measurement and capacitance measurement. Numerical simulation results are presented to evaluate the inverse technique both for noise free and noisy data and the results show that quantitative image can be reconstructed not only with the low permittivity contrast but also with the high contrast. Furthermore, the influence of a priori knowledge to image reconstruction is discussed.
Microbiology laboratories involved in disease and antimicrobial resistance surveillance: Strengths and challenges of the central African states

Laboratory systems have been largely neglected on the margins of health systems in Africa. However, since the 2000s, many African countries have benefited from massive investments to strengthen laboratory capacities through projects fighting priority diseases (HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria). This review examined the laboratory capacities of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). Online research using specific terms was carried out. Studies published between 2000 and 2021 on the role of the laboratory in disease and antimicrobial resistance surveillance in the 11 ECCAS countries were considered. The number of human and animal health laboratories meeting international standards was very low in the sub-region. There were only seven International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 15189-accredited human health laboratories, with five in Cameroon and two in Rwanda. There were five high biosafety level (BSL) laboratories (one BSL3 laboratory each in Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo, and one BSL4 laboratory in Gabon) and three ISO 17025-accredited laboratories in the ECCAS sub-region. Only six countries currently have whole-genome sequencing devices, which is insufficient for a sub-region as large and populous as ECCAS. Yet, a plethora of pathogens, particularly haemorrhagic viruses, are endemic in these countries. The need for laboratory capacity strengthening following a One Health approach is imperative. Since emerging and re-emerging zoonotic infectious diseases are projected to triple in frequency over the next 50 years and given the inextricable link between human and animal health, actors in the two health sectors must collaborate to preserve world health.
Rare case of a mixed type total anomalous pulmonary venous return – benefits of a patient specific 3D model in the preoperative preparation

Accurate imaging of the morphology in a child with a rare and complex congenital heart disease (CHD) is crucial for the surgical planning and, if possible – the minimization of operative risk. We present a case of a 3-month-old child with a rare variant of Total Anomalous Pulmonary Venous Return (TAPVR) – mixed type – which illustrates the beneﬁ t of additional imaging modalities and techniques for the operative planning. The patient’s anomalous drainage of the pulmonary veins (PV) is as follows: left and right lower PVs drained in the coronary venous sinus, left upper PV drained via a vertical vein into the innominate vein and the right upper PV drained into the superior vena cava (SVC). Clinical ﬁ ndings consist of heart failure (HF), pulmonary venous congestion and mild hypoxemia developing within the ﬁ rst days after birth. Transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) demonstrates the features of TAPVR, but the modality is unable to differentiate all of the described anatomic details. Accurate morphological diagnosis is obtained via contrast Computed Tomography (CT). The. additional techniques of 3D modelling and 3D printing of a patient-speciﬁ c model, based on the acquired CT, contributed to the planning of the surgical strategy. The patient underwent a radical operation at age of 3 months. The unique aspect of the case is the application of all possible operative techniques for correction of TAPVR – coronary sinus derooﬁ ng, anastomosis of a draining vessel into the left atrial appendage and Warden procedure which involves tunnelling of the right upper PVs from the SVC into the left atrium. Feedback from the surgical team shows that the additional imaging methods and the printed 3D model represent the pathology in detail that completely corresponds to the intra-operative ﬁ ndings
Ambient Air Quality Assessment in Karachi, Sindh Pakistan

Pakistan’s urban air pollution is amongst the utmost severity in the world that causes acute damage to the economy and human health. This study was designed for the assessment of ambient air quality in different areas of Karachi. The data were collected as pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season from main industrial zones of Karachi, S.I. T.E area, North Karachi industrial area, Korangi industrial area and Landhi industrial area in the year of 2017-2019. These zones are also a blend of industrial, residential, commercial and heavy traffic zones with dense populations. Ambient air data were collected for different pollutants like Nitrogen Oxides (NOx), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and Particulate Matters (TSPM, PM10 and PM2.5). It is observed that in pre-monsoon, there is quite high intensity of particulate matter (TSPM, PM10 & PM2.5) present in the air, whereas CO and NO2 values found in all four zones are moderate in the air samples as prescribed by Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) standards. It is observed specifically in Landhi, S.I. T.E Area and Korangi industrial area which are more prone to the exposure of these pollutants. In post-monsoon, the intensity of particulate matters (TSPM, PM10 & PM2.5), CO and NO2 values in all four zones are less to moderate than the values of pre-monsoon due to the seasonal effects. Study data shows that three major zones; Landhi, Korangi and S.I. T.E. industrial areas are at a high exposure to gases and other toxic elements. North Karachi is at the least risk because of having a small scale of industries present. The PM10 & PM2.5 levels average about 2 - 3-fold greater than the SEPA standards. High levels of ambient air pollutants cause severe health problems and chronic diseases on human health. Therefore the implementation of rules and regulations regarding ambient air pollutants should be more rigorous.
Autonomous Driving Systems: A Preliminary Naturalistic Study of the Tesla Model S

Autonomous and semiautonomous vehicles are currently being developed by over14 companies. These vehicles may improve driving safety and convenience, or they may create new challenges for drivers, particularly with regard to situation awareness (SA) and autonomy interaction. I conducted a naturalistic driving study on the autonomy features in the Tesla Model S, recording my experiences over a 6-month period, including assessments of SA and problems with the autonomy. This preliminary analysis provides insights into the challenges that drivers may face in dealing with new autonomous automobiles in realistic driving conditions, and it extends previous research on human-autonomy interaction to the driving domain. Issues were found with driver training, mental model development, mode confusion, unexpected mode interactions, SA, and susceptibility to distraction. New insights into challenges with semiautonomous driving systems include increased variability in SA, the replacement of continuous control with serial discrete control, and the need for more complex decisions. Issues that deserve consideration in future research and a set of guidelines for driver interfaces of autonomous systems are presented and used to create recommendations for improving driver SA when interacting with autonomous vehicles.