Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Gut mobilization improves behavioral symptoms and modulates urinary p‐cresol in chronically constipated autistic children: A prospective study

Chronic constipation is common among children with ASD and is associated with more severe hyperactivity, anxiety, irritability, and repetitive behaviors. Young autistic children with chronic constipation display higher urinary, and foecal concentrations of p‐cresol, an aromatic compound produced by gut bacteria, known to negatively affect brain function. Acute p‐cresol administration to BTBR mice enhances anxiety, hyperactivity and stereotypic behaviors, while blunting social interaction. This study was undertaken to prospectively assess the behavioral effects of gut mobilization in young autistic children with chronic constipation, and to verify their possible correlation with urinary p‐cresol. To this aim, 21 chronically constipated autistic children 2–8 years old were evaluated before (T0), 1 month (T1), and 6 months (T2) after intestinal mobilization, recording Bristol stool scale scores, urinary p‐cresol concentrations, and behavioral scores for social interaction deficits, stereotypic behaviors, anxiety, and hyperactivity. Gut mobilization yielded a progressive and highly significant decrease in all behavioral symptoms over the 6‐month study period. Urinary p‐cresol levels displayed variable trends not significantly correlated with changes in behavioral parameters, mainly increasing at T1 and decreasing at T2. These results support gut mobilization as a simple strategy to ameliorate ASD symptoms, as well as comorbid anxiety and hyperactivity, in chronically constipated children. Variation in p‐cresol absorption seemingly provides limited contributions, if any, to these behavioral changes. Further research will be needed to address the relative role of reduced abdominal discomfort following mobilization, as compared to specific modifications in microbiome composition and in gut bacteria‐derived neuroactive compounds.
The GhMYB36 transcription factor confers resistance to biotic and abiotic stress by enhancing PR1 gene expression in plants

Summary Drought and Verticillium wilt disease are two main factors that limit cotton production, which necessitates the identification of key molecular switch to simultaneously improve cotton resistance to Verticillium dahliae and tolerance to drought stress. R2R3‐type MYB proteins could play such a role because of their conserved functions in plant development, growth, and metabolism regulation, however, till date a MYB gene conferring the desired resistance to both biotic and abiotic stresses has not been found in cotton. Here, we describe the identification of GhMYB36, a gene encoding a R2R3‐type MYB protein in Gossypium hirsutum, which confers drought tolerance and Verticilium wilt resistance in both Arabidopsis and cotton. GhMYB36 was highly induced by PEG‐simulated drought stress in G. hirsutum. GhMYB36‐silenced cotton plants were more sensitive to both drought stress and Verticillium wilt. GhMYB36 overexpression in transgenic Arabidopsis and cotton plants gave rise to improved drought tolerance and Verticillium wilt resistance. Transient expression of fused GhMYB36‐GFP in tobacco cells was able to localize GhMYB36 in the cell nucleus. In addition, RNA‐seq analysis together with qRT‐PCR validation in transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing GhMYB36 revealed significantly enhanced PR1 expression. Luciferase interaction assays indicated that GhMYB36 are probably bound to the promoter of PR1 to activate its expression and the interaction, which was further verified by Yeast one hybrid assay. Taken together, our results suggest that GhMYB36 functions as a transcription factor that is involved in drought tolerance and Verticillium wilt resistance in Arabidopsis and cotton by enhancing PR1 expression.
Optimal controller design of a doubly-fed induction generator wind turbine system for small signal stability enhancement

Multi-objective optimal controller design of a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) wind turbine system using differential evolution (DE) is presented. A detailed mathematical model of DFIG wind turbine with a closed-loop vector control system is developed. Based on this, objective functions addressing the steady-state stability and dynamic performance at different operating conditions are implemented to optimise the controller parameters of both the rotor and grid-side converters. A superior ? -constraint method and method of adaptive penalties are applied to handle the multi-objective problem and the constraint with DE, respectively. Eigenvalue analysis and time-domain simulations are performed on a single machine infinite bus system as well as a nine-bus multi-machine system with two DFIG wind turbines to illustrate the control performance of the DFIG wind turbine with the optimised controller parameters. The electric energy productions of the studied DFIG wind turbine system with and without optimised controller parameters under turbulent wind speed are also demonstrated.
Machine vision reaches top gear

The power and simplicity of a new generation of machine vision systems have done much to overcome the automotive industry's reluctance to invest in this technology. Most vision applications in the automotive industry are for machine guidance or quality inspections. In quality control inspections, the vision system determines whether parts or sub-assemblies are acceptable or defective and then directs motion control equipment to reject or accept them. Machine guidance applications use vision systems to improve the accuracy and speed of assembly robots and automated materials handling equipment in several areas. The most advanced machine vision systems enable a robot to locate the part or sub-assembly on which it is working, regardless of rotation or scale. In most applications, machine vision provides real-time data and live feedback to guide robots as they go through programmed sequences of operations. The new generation of vision systems can be trained to look for detailed patterns and shapes that match templates for correctly made subassemblies. Powerful pattern recognition capabilities allow vision systems to find missing material, chips, scratches, dents, misplaced markings and a variety of other flaws. As well as ensuring the quality of finished parts and products, they also enable manufacturers to reduce costs by eliminating defective pieces before wasting additional material and time on them.
How the Japanese Interpret Kaizen: An Exploration of Japanese Spirit

Following its comprehensive defeat in the Pacific theatre of World War II and destruction of much of its production capacity, between the early 1950s and the Oil Crisis of 1973, Japan recorded an average annual economic growth rate of 10% and an average annual export growth rate of 20%. During the Oil Shock of 1973, when other countries fell into economic decline, industrial production efficiency enabled Japan to become a competitive and dominant force in world markets (Barnwell, 2007). Such achievement, when other major economies were faltering, lead to intense (Western) analysis and discussion in a hunt to discover the source of such success. Ultimately, this success was attributed to two factors: the relationship between Government and industry, and the success of name corporations including Toyota, Sony, Panasonic, and Honda (Abe & Fitzgerald, 1995). Investigation of these large successful corporations leads to the field of "quality management" and the underlying concept of "kaizen" -- a cornerstone of Japanese management -- with the Toyota Production System being the exemplar of Japanese quality management and operations management techniques.This literature review notes that while much is known about the concept of kaizen within the organization there remain aspects that are still not fully understood or are misunderstood; that current (English language) academic literature may fail to provide accurate accounts of the Japanese point of view, and differences between Japanese and Western perspectives. For this paper, the author has considered only English language literature, including contributions from Japanese academics. For simplicity, reference made to both "the US" and "Western" by cited works is considered to imply the same entity or idea.
Travel behaviour in Saudi Arabia and the role of social factors

Travel behaviour research indicates that travel decisions are usually influenced by accessibility as well as characteristics of the transport systems. Factors such as travel times, travel costs, waiting times, walking times have the most significant contributions in mode choice and travel decisions. In the case of developing countries however, the most influencing factors for travel behaviour and decisions are the social factors. This is very important for transport modellers and decision makers to realise in order to achieve appropriate design and implementations of various transport policies. The influence of social and economic factors on travel behaviour are discussed and investigated in this paper. In Saudi Arabia, a randomly selected sample of 1220 households was interviewed in the Tabuk city of the Saudi Arabia and data on their socio-economic and trip-making behaviour was obtained. The relative impact of socioeconomic variables on household travel behaviour was discussed and discrete choice models were calibrated. These types of studies can be useful in the development of plans, programs and policies for the improvement of transportation systems in urban areas of the Saudi Arabia and other similar countries in the region. The findings show that the social factors have the most important impact on travel behaviour in Saudi Arabia.
Impact of Underlying Congestive Heart Failure on In-Hospital Outcomes in Patients with Septic Shock

Purpose: Septic shock (SS) manifests with profound circulatory and cellular metabolism abnormalities and has a high in-hospital mortality (25%-50%). Congestive heart failure (CHF) patients have underlying circulatory dysfunction and compromised cardiac reserve that may place them at increased risk if they develop sepsis. Outcomes in patients with CHF who are admitted with SS have not been well studied. Materials and Method: Retrospective cross sectional secondary analysis of the Nationwide Readmission Database (NRD) for 2016 and 2017. ICD-10 codes were used to identify patients with SS during hospitalization, and then the cohort was dichotomized into those with and without an underlying diagnosis of CHF. Results: Propensity match analyses were performed to evaluate in-hospital mortality and clinical cardiovascular outcomes in the 2 groups. Cardiogenic shock patients were excluded from the study. A total of 578,629 patients with hospitalization for SS were identified, of whom 19.1% had a coexisting diagnosis of CHF. After propensity matching, 81,699 individuals were included in the comparative groups of SS with CHF and SS with no CHF. In-hospital mortality (35.28% vs 32.50%, P < .001), incidence of ischemic stroke (2.71% vs 2.53%, P = .0032), and acute kidney injury (69.9% vs 63.9%, P = .001) were significantly higher in patients with SS and CHF when compared to those with SS and no CHF. Conclusions: This study identified CHF as a strong adverse prognosticator for inpatient mortality and several major adverse clinical outcomes. Study findings suggest the need for further investigation into these findings’ mechanisms to improve outcomes in patients with SS and underlying CHF.
Reactive and proactive aggression in clinical adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: The moderating role of gender and comorbidities

Aggression is well-known problem in adolescent with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but the precise relation of reactive and proactive aggression by gender and comorbidities has not been characterized in this population. The aim of this study was to assess the level of reactive and proactive aggression in adolescents with ADHD and in matched non-ADHD clinical controls. The level of aggression was assessed by the Reactive and Proactive Aggression Questionnaire in 391 adolescents with ADHD and in 391 matched non-ADHD clinical controls. The selection of adolescents with ADHD was representative for a three-year–long period in Vadaskert Child Psychiatry Hospital. General Linear Model was used to assess the difference by ADHD, gender, and comorbidities on the level of reactive and proactive aggression. The presence of ADHD was associated with higher levels of reactive and proactive aggression. In girls, the effect of ADHD on reactive aggression was more profound. The presence of oppositional defiant disorder or conduct disorder in both groups resulted in higher levels of aggression. Our data suggest that adolescents with ADHD have higher level of aggressive behavior, and girls are especially vulnerable in terms of reactive aggressive behavior.
Compound Danshen Dripping Pill inhibits high altitude-induced hypoxic damage by suppressing oxidative stress and inflammatory responses

Abstract Context Previous studies indicate that compound Danshen Dripping Pill (CDDP) improves the adaptation to high-altitude exposure. However, its mechanism of action is not clear. Objective To explore the protective effect of CDDP on hypobaric hypoxia (HH) and its possible mechanism. Materials and methods A meta-analysis of 1051 human volunteers was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of CDDP at high altitudes. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into 5 groups (n = 6): control at normal pressure, model, CDDP-170 mg/kg, CDDP-340 mg/kg and acetazolamide groups. HH was simulated at an altitude of 5500 m for 24 h. Animal blood was collected for arterial blood-gas analysis and cytokines detection and their organs were harvested for pathological examination. Expression levels of AQP1, NF-κB and Nrf2 were determined by immunohistochemical staining. Results The meta-analysis data indicated that the ratio between the combined RR of the total effective rate and the 95% CI was 0.23 (0.06, 0.91), the SMD and 95% CI of SO2 was 0.37 (0.12, 0.62). Pre-treatment of CDDP protected rats from HH-induced pulmonary edoema and heart injury, left-shifted oxygen-dissociation curve and decreased P50 (30.25 ± 3.72 vs. 37.23 ± 4.30). Mechanistically, CDDP alleviated HH-reinforced ROS by improving SOD and GPX1 while inhibiting pro-inflammatory cytokines and NF-κB expression. CDDP also decreased HH-evoked D-dimer, erythrocyte aggregation and blood hemorheology, promoting AQP1 and Nrf2 expression. Discussion and conclusions Pre-treatment with CDDP could prevent HH-induced tissue damage, oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Suppressed NF-κB and up-regulated Nrf2 might play significant roles in the mechanism of CDDP.
THE IMPACT OF DECISION MAKING BY UNIVERSITY LECTURERS IN RELATION WITH ICT UTILIZATION IN INSTRUCTION IN PAKISTAN

The ICT (Information & Communications Technology) utilization in instruction among university and college lecturers is gaining in prominence in many countries in the world, including Pakistan, for the purpose of globalization and enhancing the quality of instruction and learning. The purpose of the study was to examine the benefits of ICT utilization, the extent of success factors, problems and constraints encountered in ICT utilization in instruction among lecturers in universities of Pakistan. A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was used to find out the level and extent of ICT utilization in universities of Pakistan. The sample from the study consisted of 260 lecturers drawn from the 17 universities of Pakistan. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential statistics such as Pearson correlation, and chi square. Results of the study showed that there were significant relationships among the 14 areas of ICT utilization, significant relationships between ICT utilization and lecturers’ characteristics, and significant relationships between ICT utilization and university demography. There were positive correlations between ICT utilization and some demographics such as lecturers’ age, working experience, experience in computer use, frequency of ICT use, computer use at home, ICT training duration, extent of ICT knowledge, awareness of ICT and ICT written / published in university. The findings of this study could be used for improving instruction among lecturers and for designing a training model for instruction among lecturers in the pursuit of enhancing excellence and quality of education in universities. This study was subjected to several limitations that include online assessment, incorporating audio video conferencing tools, giving more sophistication to educational management software.
Power Flow Control of a Multi-bus/Three-feeder Distribution System Using Generalized Unified Power Quality Conditioner

This paper analyses the power flow of a three-feeder/multi-bus distribution system by a custom Generalized Power Quality Conditioner (GUPQC). The GUPQC has been realized by three voltage source converters (VSCs) coupled back-to-back through a common DC-link capacitor on the DC-side. One feeder was controlled by the shunt compensator, whereas each of the other two feeders was controlled by the proposed novel series compensator. The GUPQC has the capability to simultaneously compensate voltage and current quality problems of a multi-bus/three-feeder distribution system. Besides that, the power can be transferred from one feeder to other feeders to compensate for poor power quality problems. Extensive simulation studies were carried out by using MATLAB/SIMULINK software to establish the ability of the GUPQC to improve power quality of the distribution systems under distorted supply voltage conditions.
Anticoagulation in COVID-19: a review of current literature and guidelines

ABSTRACT Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections are associated with greater risk of both arterial and venous thromboembolic events. Pathophysiology and Clinical implications: This has been attributed to a florid proinflammatory state resulting in microvascular dysfunction, activation of platelets and procoagulant systems as well as possible direct endothelial injury. The associated morbidity and mortality of these events has prompted much speculation and varied anticoagulation and fibrinolytic strategies based on multiple criteria including disease severity and biomarkers. No clear definitive benefit has been established with these approaches, which have frequently led to greater bleeding complications without significant mortality benefit. Overview: In this review, we outline the burden of these thromboembolic events in coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) as well as the hypothesized contributory biological mechanisms. Finally, we provide a brief overview of the major clinical studies on the topic, and end with a summary of major societal guideline recommendations on anticoagulation in COVID-19.
Borderline personality disorder and ageing: myths and realities

Purpose of review Although mental health issues in ageing individuals have been receiving more attention, borderline personality disorder (BPD) in older adults and the elderly has been relatively neglected. This article aims to review the current state of knowledge about BPD in these age groups. Recent findings Studies have consistently reported decreasing prevalence rates of BPD among ageing individuals. This may be attributed to the ageing process itself and/or different clinical features due to which meeting the diagnostic criteria for BPD becomes more difficult. Ageing individuals with BPD often present in a way that makes them look ‘atypical’ compared to younger individuals with the same condition. In particular, this pertains to somewhat attenuated and less overt manifestations of impulsivity. However, the basic pattern of overall symptoms instability continues to characterize ageing individuals with BPD, in addition to depressive symptoms, feeling of emptiness, anger, unstable interpersonal relationships, turbulent responses when needs are not met, various somatic complaints and other symptoms. Summary Clinicians should be aware of different clinical features of BPD as patients get older. Diagnostic criteria for BPD may need to be revised to reflect this reality, allow accurate diagnosis and minimize the risk of overlooking BPD in ageing individuals.
Genetic Background Affects the Mucosal Secretory IgA Levels, Parasite Burden, Lung Inflammation, and Mouse Susceptibility to Ascaris suum Infection

Ascariasis is a neglected tropical disease that is widespread in the world and has important socioeconomic impacts. The presence of various stages of worm development in the pulmonary and intestinal mucosae induces a humoral and cellular immune response. However, although there is much evidence of the protective role of mucosal immunity against various pathogens, including helminths, there is still a gap in the knowledge about the immune response and the mechanisms of action that are involved in protection against diseases, especially in the initial phase of ascariasis. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the kinetic aspects of the immune parasitological parameters in intestinal and pulmonary mucosae in male mice with early ascariasis. ABSTRACT Ascariasis is a neglected tropical disease that is widespread in the world and has important socioeconomic impacts. The presence of various stages of worm development in the pulmonary and intestinal mucosae induces a humoral and cellular immune response. However, although there is much evidence of the protective role of mucosal immunity against various pathogens, including helminths, there is still a gap in the knowledge about the immune response and the mechanisms of action that are involved in protection against diseases, especially in the initial phase of ascariasis. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the kinetic aspects of the immune parasitological parameters in intestinal and pulmonary mucosae in male mice with early ascariasis. Therefore, two mouse strains that showed different susceptibilities to ascariasis (BALB/c and C57BL/6J) when experimentally infected with 2,500 infective eggs of Ascaris suum from time point 0 were examined: the immune parasitological parameters were evaluated each 2 days after infection over a period of 12 days. The results were suggestive of a synergetic action of intestinal and pulmonary secretory IgA (S-IgA) contributing to protection against early ascariasis by reducing the amount of migrating larvae as well as the influx of leukocytes in the lung and the consequent impairment of pulmonary capacity.
EMU-the Energy Management Unit

The energy management unit (EMU) is a multirate electronic meter designed to have communications facilities using radio teleswitch and telephone lines. It accepts pulses from gas and water meters, and can process these and electricity data to provide information which includes pricing to the customer on a separate display unit. It is currently the subject on an EEC supported demonstration project. The authors describe the purpose of the demonstration project, and the strategy for its implementation through stages of design and development of the unit, selection of customers for the field trial, installation of the unit and arrangements for collection of customer reactions during the trial.