Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exploring the Sociodemographic Factors and Consequences related to Alcohol Consumption among Older Indigenous Community of a District in Nepal: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT Introduction: Alcoholism is a major global public health concern associated with numerous health conditions. Alcohol use has been a cultural part of several ethnic groups in Nepal. This study aimed to explore the qualitative dimension of alcohol use, its promoting factors, and consequences in Nepalese communities. Methods: Qualitative study was conducted among 20 older adults belonging to the Magar community of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality, Lumbini Province, Nepal after acquiring ethical approval from Institutional Review Committee of CiST College (Reference number: 179/078/079). The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis, and themes were identified based on participants' responses to explore promoting factors for alcohol consumption along with its consequences. Results: Traditional beliefs, cultural practices, and socioeconomic factors were the major contributors to alcohol misuse. Increased alcohol consumption during old age was perceived to be associated with body pain, tension, painful life events, and loneliness. Conclusions: A conflicting perception was observed, where some of the participants expressed the need to promote alcohol use as a part of their culture while some shared the view that the use of alcohol as a cultural practice should be limited. This study highlights the need for culturally appropriate interventions to address alcohol misuse among indigenous communities. Interventions should focus on addressing traditional beliefs and cultural practices that normalize alcohol consumption and the social and economic problems associated with alcohol misuse.
Contributions of climate change and anthropogenic activities to runoff change in the Hongshui River, Southwest China

Changes in water resources are mainly affected by the combined effects of anthropogenic activities and climate change. The relative effects of anthropogenic activities and climate on a river basin are investigated to not only understand the hydrological response mechanism in a catchment but also manage local water resources and protect against floods and droughts. In this study, a variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model combined with a hydrologic sensitivity analysis was used to quantify the effects of anthropogenic activities and climate change on runoff in the upper reaches of the Hongshui River basin (UHRB). During 1970-2015, the runoff contribution for climate change and anthropogenic activities were 89.2% and 10.8%, respectively. This result suggests that climate is the major driver of runoff variation in the basin. However, during 1990-1999, anthropogenic activities played a decisive role in the reduction in streamflow, and the contribution percentage was 96.35%. Moreover, the impact of anthropogenic activities on runoff changed from positive to negative from the 1980s to the 2000s, and the negative effect showed a continuously increasing trend. Hydrologic sensitivity methods and hydrological modelling produced similar estimates. Our findings emphasize that the impacts of anthropogenic activities such as land use change and the operations of water conservancy projects should be properly managed.
A nutrition intervention study’s effect to hematology profiles on elderly group in social retirement home

The increase in the elderly brings consequences, including a higher risk of disease. Inappropriate nutritional intake is also known as one of the risk factors related to the elderly's non-communicable diseases, and nutritional intervention is essential to improve the elderly nutritional status and quality of life. It was an interventional study with a before-after one-group approach. The study was conducted for three months (October-December 2021) in three social retirement homes. The intervention given was supplementation with additional protein sources and snacks each day. The biochemistry profiles were taken 2 times: before and after three months of intervention, comprised of HbA1c, lipid, transferrin, creatinine, and blood pressure level. The data will be analyzed for its normality before being processed with paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed rank based on the normality results. The analysis results show that there are significantly lower transferrin levels (p=0.040), an increase in cholesterol level (p=0.000), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) level increased from 114.05±32.03 to 125.94±31.41 (p=0.000). There is also a remarkable decrease in hemoglobin (p=0.005) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Conversely, there are an increase in HbA1C (p=0.007) and triglyceride level (p=0.005). There is no significant difference in creatinine level. We conclude that nutrition interventions have a significant effect on elderly blood profiles. However, to achieve an improvement, the study should consider physical activity and other variables that might be altering the results.
High-resolution image registration based on improved SURF detector and localized GTM

ABSTRACT High-resolution image registration is an important task in remote sensing image processing. In this paper, an automatic and robust local feature-based image registration approach is proposed for high-resolution remote sensing images. The proposed method consists of four main steps. In the first step, an integrated local feature-based matching method based on an improved speeded-up robust features (SURF) detector and an adaptive binning scale-invariant feature transform (AB-SIFT) descriptor is developed for fast, dense and robust tie-point extraction. In the second step, a localized graph transformation matching (LGTM) method is developed for reliable mismatch elimination. In the third step, an advanced oriented least square matching (OLSM) method is applied to improve the positional accuracy of the refined tie-points. Finally, the input image is warped using an appropriate transformation model. To investigate the impact of the transformation function, the capability of some models, including, polynomials of degrees 2 to 4, piecewise linear (PL), weighted mean (WM) and multiquadric (MQ) are compared. The proposed method has been evaluated with five pairs of high-resolution remote sensing images from IRS-P5, SPOT 5, SPOT 6, IKONOS, Geoeye, Quickbird, and Worldview sensors, and the registration results demonstrate its robustness and capability. The MATLAB code of the proposed method can be downloaded from https://www.researchgate. net/publication/320354469_HRImReg.
Pharmacodynamics of Tebipenem: New Options for Oral Treatment of Multidrug-Resistant Gram-Negative Infections

Tebipenem pivoxil HBr (TBPM-PI-HBr) is a novel orally bioavailable carbapenem. The active moiety is tebipenem. Tebipenem pivoxil is licensed for use in Japan in children with ear, nose, and throat infections and respiratory infections. The HBr salt was designed to improve drug substance and drug product properties, including stability. TBPM-PI-HBr is now being developed as an agent for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) in adults. ABSTRACT Tebipenem pivoxil HBr (TBPM-PI-HBr) is a novel orally bioavailable carbapenem. The active moiety is tebipenem. Tebipenem pivoxil is licensed for use in Japan in children with ear, nose, and throat infections and respiratory infections. The HBr salt was designed to improve drug substance and drug product properties, including stability. TBPM-PI-HBr is now being developed as an agent for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) in adults. The pharmacokinetics-pharmacodynamics of tebipenem were studied in a well-characterized neutropenic murine thigh infection model. Plasma drug concentrations were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Dose fractionation experiments were performed after establishing dose-response relationships. The magnitude of drug exposure required for stasis was established using 11 strains of Enterobacteriaceae (Escherichia coli, n = 6; Klebsiella pneumoniae, n = 5) with a variety of resistance mechanisms. The relationship between drug exposure and the emergence of resistance was established in a hollow-fiber infection model (HFIM). Tebipenem exhibited time-dependent pharmacodynamics that were best described by the free drug area under the concentration-time curve (fAUC0-24)/MIC corrected for the length of the dosing interval (fAUC0–24/MIC · 1/tau). The pharmacodynamics of tebipenem versus E. coli and K. pneumoniae were comparable, as was the response of strains possessing extended-spectrum β-lactamases versus the wild type. The median fAUC0-24/MIC · 1/tau value for the achievement of stasis in the 11 strains was 23. Progressively more fractionated regimens in the HFIM resulted in the suppression of resistance. An fAUC0-24/MIC · 1/tau value of 34.58 to 51.87 resulted in logarithmic killing and the suppression of resistance. These data and analyses will be used to define the regimen for a phase III study of adult patients with cUTI.
The Existence of Rumah Gadang in Kuok Village West Bangkinang District Kampar Regency

Rumah Gadang as a characteristic of the Minangkabau ethnic group within the government of Povinsi Riau. Nowadays Rumah Gadang in Kuok regency of Kampar regency is abandoned by its owner and neglected to make its condition worrisome. Cultural place of residence, RumahGadang is a place of cultural social activities of Ethnic Minang in Kanagarian Kuok Kampar regency. In fact, Rumah Gadang is no longer functioned by the Kuok community in its role in Minangkabau adat. This paper highlights the existence of the current Gadang House in the socio-cultural life of the Kuok people. This research was conducted with qualitative research approach, with descriptive method. The data were collected by observation, interview, documentation and through bibliography. The research instrument is the researcher himself as a key instrument. From the results of research and data analysis that the existence of the Rumah Gadang (Lontiok House) is not fully intact, even some of it has been damaged and lost because in addition to changing times that are constantly changing, the condition of the area that is not supportive, and also because of the mobile community. Thus the status of Riau Province, especially Kampar Regency which was formerly a part of Minangkabau (West Sumatera) is not the influence of cultural objects (Rumah Lontiok) abandoned, changed, but because of socio-cultural change factors consisting of internal factors including factors family, economy, condition of building materials, new innovations, especially in the building system of the house
Epigenetic Alterations in Alzheimer’s Disease: Impact on Insulin Signaling and Advanced Drug Delivery Systems

Simple Summary This review mainly focuses on epigenetic changes in a few selective genes associated with insulin insensitivity in the periphery and how this peripheral insulin insensitivity is linked with impaired signaling of insulin in the brain, thus causing Alzheimer’s disease. DNA methylation and histone modifications are the focus of this review, with primary importance given to DNA methylation. Moreover, there has been a focus shift from the amyloid β hypothesis to epigenetic mechanisms. Furthermore, we discuss the advanced drug delivery systems that can be used for the delivery of drugs targeting the brain during Alzheimer’s disease. The advanced drug delivery systems discussed in this paper are nanoparticles, vesicular systems, network systems and dendrimers, hydrogel-based systems, and biologics. Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that predominantly affects the hippocampus and the entorhinal complex, leading to memory lapse and cognitive impairment. This can have a negative impact on an individual’s behavior, speech, and ability to navigate their surroundings. AD is one of the principal causes of dementia. One of the most accepted theories in AD, the amyloid β (Aβ) hypothesis, assumes that the buildup of the peptide Aβ is the root cause of AD. Impaired insulin signaling in the periphery and central nervous system has been considered to have an effect on the pathophysiology of AD. Further, researchers have shifted their focus to epigenetic mechanisms that are responsible for dysregulating major biochemical pathways and intracellular signaling processes responsible for directly or indirectly causing AD. The prime epigenetic mechanisms encompass DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA, and are majorly responsible for impairing insulin signaling both centrally and peripherally, thus leading to AD. In this review, we provide insights into the major epigenetic mechanisms involved in causing AD, such as DNA methylation and histone deacetylation. We decipher how the mechanisms alter peripheral insulin signaling and brain insulin signaling, leading to AD pathophysiology. In addition, this review also discusses the need for newer drug delivery systems for the targeted delivery of epigenetic drugs and explores targeted drug delivery systems such as nanoparticles, vesicular systems, networks, and other nano formulations in AD. Further, this review also sheds light on the future approaches used for epigenetic drug delivery.
Automatic 3D illumination-diagnosis method for large-N arrays: Robust data scanner and machine-learning feature provider

The main issues related to passive-source reflection imaging with seismic interferometry (SI) are inadequate acquisition parameters for sufficient spatial wavefield sampling and vulnerability of surface arrays to the dominant influence of the omnipresent surface-wave sources. Additionally, long recordings provide large data volumes that require robust and efficient processing methods. We address these problems by developing a two-step wavefield evaluation and event detection (TWEED) method of body waves in recorded ambient noise. TWEED evaluates the spatiotemporal characteristics of noise recordings by simultaneous analysis of adjacent receiver lines. We test our method on synthetic data representing transient ambient-noise sources at the surface and in the deeper subsurface. We discriminate between basic types of seismic events by using three adjacent receiver lines. Subsequently, we apply TWEED to 600 h of ambient noise acquired with an approximately 1000-receiver array deployed over an active underground mine in Eastern Finland. We develop the detection of body-wave events related to mine blasts and other routine mining activities using a representative 1 h noise panel. Using TWEED, we successfully detect 1093 body-wave events in the full data set. To increase the computational efficiency, we use slowness parameters derived from the first step of TWEED as input to a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm. Using this approach, we detect 94% of the TWEED-evaluated body-wave events indicating the possibility to limit the illumination analysis to only one step, and therefore increase the time efficiency at the price of lower detection rate. However, TWEED on a small volume of the recorded data followed by SVM on the rest of the data could be efficiently used for a quick and robust (real-time) scanning for body-wave energy in large data volumes for subsequent application of SI for retrieval of reflections.
Developmental patterns of extracellular matrix molecules in the embryonic and postnatal mouse hindbrain

Normal brain development requires continuous communication between developing neurons and their environment filled by a complex network referred to as extracellular matrix (ECM). The ECM is divided into distinct families of molecules including hyaluronic acid, proteoglycans, glycoproteins such as tenascins, and link proteins. In this study, we characterize the temporal and spatial distribution of the extracellular matrix molecules in the embryonic and postnatal mouse hindbrain by using antibodies and lectin histochemistry. In the embryo, hyaluronan and neurocan were found in high amounts until the time of birth whereas versican and tenascin-R were detected in lower intensities during the whole embryonic period. After birth, both hyaluronic acid and neurocan still produced intense staining in almost all areas of the hindbrain, while tenascin-R labeling showed a continuous increase during postnatal development. The reaction with WFA and aggrecan was revealed first 4th postnatal day (P4) with low staining intensities, while HAPLN was detected two weeks after birth (P14). The perineuronal net appeared first around the facial and vestibular neurons at P4 with hyaluronic acid cytochemistry. One week after birth aggrecan, neurocan, tenascin-R, and WFA were also accumulated around the neurons located in several hindbrain nuclei, but HAPLN1 was detected on the second postnatal week. Our results provide further evidence that many extracellular macromolecules that will be incorporated into the perineuronal net are already expressed at embryonic and early postnatal stages of development to control differentiation, migration, and synaptogenesis of neurons. In late postnatal period, the experience-driven neuronal activity induces formation of perineuronal net to stabilize synaptic connections.
Development and validation of a cognitive dysfunction risk prediction model for the abdominal obesity population

Objectives This study was aimed to develop a nomogram that can accurately predict the likelihood of cognitive dysfunction in individuals with abdominal obesity by utilizing various predictor factors. Methods A total of 1490 cases of abdominal obesity were randomly selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database for the years 2011–2014. The diagnostic criteria for abdominal obesity were as follows: waist size ≥ 102 cm for men and waist size ≥ 88 cm for women, and cognitive function was assessed by Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease (CERAD), Word Learning subtest, Delayed Word Recall Test, Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). The cases were divided into two sets: a training set consisting of 1043 cases (70%) and a validation set consisting of 447 cases (30%). To create the model nomogram, multifactor logistic regression models were constructed based on the selected predictors identified through LASSO regression analysis. The model’s performance was assessed using several metrics, including the consistency index (C-index), the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA) to assess the clinical benefit of the model. Results The multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age, sex, education level, 24-hour total fat intake, red blood cell folate concentration, depression, and moderate work activity were significant predictors of cognitive dysfunction in individuals with abdominal obesity (p < 0.05). These predictors were incorporated into the nomogram. The C-indices for the training and validation sets were 0.814 (95% CI: 0.875-0.842) and 0.805 (95% CI: 0.758-0.851), respectively. The corresponding AUC values were 0.814 (95% CI: 0.875-0.842) and 0.795 (95% CI: 0.753-0.847). The calibration curves demonstrated a satisfactory level of agreement between the nomogram model and the observed data. The DCA indicated that early intervention for at-risk populations would provide a net benefit, as indicated by the line graph. Conclusion Age, sex, education level, 24-hour total fat intake, red blood cell folate concentration, depression, and moderate work activity were identified as predictive factors for cognitive dysfunction in individuals with abdominal obesity. In conclusion, the nomogram model developed in this study can effectively predict the clinical risk of cognitive dysfunction in individuals with abdominal obesity.
Unveiling Maternal Narratives and Experiences in Lesotho: Insights into Breastfeeding Choices, Practices, And Hurdles

This research investigated maternal and infant care in Lesotho, with an emphasis on exclusive breastfeeding practices during the first year of life. A quantitative, descriptive survey included 97 mothers attending healthcare facilities. The findings highlighted a prevalent preference for exclusive breastfeeding in the initial three months, which decreases during the following 3 months. Yet around 7% introduced complementary foods or fluids early on and many did not breastfeed exclusively until the 6-month recommended period. The majority began breastfeeding within the recommended one-hour post-delivery window. Distinct decision-making dynamics emerged: nearly half of the mothers made autonomous feeding decisions, around a quarter collaborated with the child’s father or partner, and 11.3% involved extended family in these choices. Colostrum's recognized value as a new-born’s first nutrient source aligned with global health recommendations. However, the early introduction of other foods indicates a need to explore mothers’ beliefs and knowledge about feeding practices further. Common breastfeeding challenges encompassed issues like sore nipples and perceived milk insufficiency, underlining the importance of educational support. Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, played a key role in offering guidance and support on breastfeeding. The frequent practice of immediate skin-to-skin contact post-birth emphasized the trend towards promoting early bonding and breastfeeding initiation. Furthermore, the community’s positive reception to public breastfeeding signalled societal acceptance. In conclusion, this study illuminates the nuances of breastfeeding practices and decision-making in Lesotho, providing insights for interventions and policies to enhance maternal and child health in the country.
Marine Spatial Planning for the Falkland Islands "Setting the scene" Workshop report

Introduction 2 Workshop organisation and participants 2 Contexts of the Falkland Islands for Marine Spatial Planning 3 List of marine activities, current and future 5 List of marine values 7 Potential conflicts between activities or between activities and values 9 Vision and objectives for MSP 9 Priority mapping 10 Coastal development inclusion 12 Conclusion 12 Acknowledgments and references 13