Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Passive exercise is an effective alternative to HRT for restoring OVX induced mitochondrial dysfunction in skeletal muscle

Background Postmenopausal women are more prone to develop muscle weakness, which is strongly associated with impairment of mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle. This study aimed to examine the impact of a passive exercise modality, whole-body vibration training (WBVT), on muscle mitochondrial function in ovariectomized (OVX) mice, in comparison with 17β-estradiol (E2) replacement. Methods Female C57BL/6J mice were assigned to four groups: sham operation control group (Sham), ovariectomized group (OVX), OVX with E2 supplement group (OVX+E), and OVX with WBVT group (OVX+W). The estrous cycle, body weight, body composition, and muscle strength of the mice were monitored after the operation. Serum E2 level was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The ATP levels were determined using a luciferase-catalyzed bioluminescence assay. The activity of mitochondrial respiration chain complexes was evaluated using high-resolution respirometry (O2K). Expression levels of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS), peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC-1α), and mitochondrial transcription factor A (TFAM) were detected using western blotting. Results We observed decreased muscle strength and impaired mitochondrial function in the skeletal muscle of OVX mice. The vibration training alleviated these impairments as much as the E2 supplement. In addition, the vibration training was superior to the ovariectomy and the estradiol replacement regarding the protein expression of PGC-1α and TFAM. Conclusion WBVT improves the OVX-induced decline in muscle strength and impairment of mitochondrial function in the skeletal muscle. This passive exercise strategy may be useful as an alternative to E2 replacement for preventing menopausal muscular weakness. Further studies are needed to understand the effects of WBVT on various physiological systems, and precautions should be taken when implementing it in patient treatment.
Elastic Wave Propagation Control in Porous and Finitely Deformed Locally Resonant Nacre-like Metamaterials

Recent studies have shown that the mechanical properties of bioinspired periodic composite materials can be strongly influenced by finite deformation effects, leading to highly nonlinear static and dynamic behaviors at multiple length scales. For instance, in porous periodic nacre-like microstructures, microscopic and macroscopic instabilities may occur for a given uniaxial loading process and, as a consequence, wave attenuation properties may evolve as a function of the microstructural evolution, designating it as metamaterials. The numerical outcomes provide new opportunities to design bioinspired, soft composite metamaterials characterized by high deformability and enhanced elastic wave attenuation capabilities given by the insertion of voids and lead cores.
MIGRATORY MOVEMENTS OF THE NELCHINA CARIBOU HERD IN RELATION TO THE TRANS-ALASKA PIPELINE

Concern that linear developments, such as highways, railways, and pipelines, could alter or stop traditional movements of caribou (Rangifer tarandus) and affect survival have been expressed by Klein (1971, 1980) and Miller et al. (1972). Klein (1980) suggested that disruptions would be more likely to occur if caribou only encounter obstructions seasonally, such as in the case of the Nelchina caribou herd. However, except for experimental studies conducted during nonmigratory periods by Child (1973) and recent work by Lawhead and Curatolo (unpubl. rep., Alas. Biol. Res., Fairbanks, 1984), no studies have evaluated these assertions. Because of concern that the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (Fig. 1) would affect traditional movements, special structures were built for ungulate passage. These included short sections of highly elevated pipe for moose (Alces alces), short sections of buried pipe ("sag bends") for caribou, and 2 sections of "refrigerated burials. " The latter were refrigerated to avoid melting of permafrost by the warm pipeline. However, the effectiveness of these modifications has not been evaluated for caribou. From 1981 to 1983 we studied the crossing behavior of the Nelchina caribou herd along the pipeline in south-central Alaska (Fig. 2). The main objective was to compare the current crossing locations of the herd during spring and fall migration with those reported by Skoog (1968) prior to pipeline construction. Also, crossing locations of caribou were described in relation to characteristics of the pipeline and the surrounding environment. STUDY AREA
Seed storage studies in Syzigium cuminii

ANANDALAKSHMI, R. , SIVAKUMAR, V. , WARRIER, R. R. , PARIMALAM, R. , VIJAYACHANDRAN, S. N. & SINGH, B. G. 2005. Seed storage studies in Syzigium cuminii. Storage studies to prolong the viability of Syzigium cuminii seeds were conducted. The initial moisture content of seeds was 44.2% on fresh weight basis with 89% initial germination. We aimed to determine the best storage moisture content, temperature and type of containers for the seeds. The seeds were desiccated to 35, 30, 25, 20 and 10% moisture contents and stored at ambient (28–30 °C), 20, 15 and 10 °C in plastic containers. The germination capacities of the seeds were tested after 30, 75, 120, 165, 180 and 270 days of storage. The seeds were found to be tolerant to desiccation up to 10% moisture content. The favourable storage temperature range was from 15 to 20 °C. Storing seeds with 10% moisture content at 20 °C could prolong viability up to 180 days with 92.5% germination. Non-desiccated seeds were stored in various containers, namely, polybag (150, 200 and 250 gauge), polybag with two pores (200 gauge), cloth bag, paper bag and plastic container, and stored at 20 °C. After five months, we observed that irrespective of thickness and presence of pores, storage of seeds in polybags was able to prolong seed viability.
Exercise training outcomes in patients with chronic heart failure with reduced ejection fraction depend on patient background

Background The aim of this study was to identify significant factors affecting the effectiveness of exercise training using information of the HF-ACTION (Heart Failure: A Controlled Trial Investigating Outcomes of Exercise Training) study. Methods Background factors influencing the effect of exercise training were comprehensively surveyed for 2,130 patients by multivariable Cox regression analysis with the stepwise variable selection, and only significant factors were selected that were statistically distinguished from dummy noise factors using the Boruta method. Results The analysis suggested that the use of beta-blockers, pulse pressure, hemoglobin level, electrocardiography findings, body mass index, and history of stroke at baseline potentially influenced the exercise effect on all-cause death (AD). Therefore, a hypothetical score to estimate the effect of exercise training was constructed based on the analysis. The analysis suggested that the score is useful in identifying patients for whom exercise training may be significantly effective in reducing all-caused death and hospitalization (ADH) as well as AD. Such a subpopulation accounted for approximately 40% of the overall study population. On the other hand, in approximately 45% of patients, the effect of exercise was unclear on either AD or ADH. In the remaining 15% of patients, it was estimated that the effect of exercise might be unclear for ADH and potentially rather increase AD. Conclusions This study is the first analysis to comprehensively evaluate the effects of various factors on the outcome of exercise training in chronic heart failure, underscoring the need to carefully consider the patient's background before recommending exercise training. However, it should be noted that exercise training can improve many outcomes in a wide variety of diseases. Therefore, given the limitations involved in post-hoc analyses of a single clinical trial, the characteristics of patients to whom the results of this analysis can be applied need attention, and also further research is necessary on the relationship between the degree of exercise and the outcomes. A new clinical trial would be needed to confirm the factors detected and the appropriateness of the score.
Irrigation system in Israel: A review

The objective of this paper was to review the irrigation system of Israel and to identify the most common irrigation methods used for safe, efficient and sustainable agricultural production in arid and semi-arid regions of the world. Israel is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and characterized by desert and semi-desert climatic conditions. Major constraints of the country include: Frequent droughts, desertification of agricultural land, rapid urbanization, depleting resources: technological uncertainty and high cost of non-conventional sources, degradation of water quality and increased water scarcity. Among these constrains, water scarcity is the primary limiting factor in Israel agriculture while the country depends on irrigation. The main water source for agriculture is pressure drip irrigation systems. Drip irrigation has the highest water efficiency rate in agriculture, reaching a 70 to 80% rate, versus open irrigation, which achieves 40%. Recycled use of water, waste water, adding nutrients mixed in with the water and desalination are the recent new innovation used to solve problem of water scarcity in Israel. Therefore, technology currently innovated to alleviate problem of irrigation water resources by Israel should have to be adopted in arid and semi arid of the world to increase the productivity. Key words: Water resource, types of irrigation, drip irrigation system in Israel.
Speckle Tracking - a contratilidade miocárdica em sintonia fina

O ventriculo esquerdo apresenta disposicao helicoidal e laminar das fibras miocardicas, conferindo ao musculo grande eficiencia mecânica e originando complexa deformacao sistolica, analisada usando planos ortogonais e tangenciais. A tecnica ecocardiografica de Specke Tracking avalia a contratilidade ventricular esquerda. Consiste na captura e rastreamento de pontos do ecocardiograma bidimensional ao longo do ciclo cardiaco, gerando vetores de movimento e curvas de deformacao (strain e strain rate). A deformacao aferida nos planos ortogonais denomina-se strain longitudinal, radial e circunferencial. A deformacao tangencial denomina-se shear strain, podendo ser circunferencial e longitudinal. A diferenca entre a rotacao basal e apical permite calcular a torcao. Ha duas tecnicas para obter os tracados: block matching e optical flow. Diferenciam-se pela forma de detectar os pontos do ecocardiograma bidimensional. Com o emprego dessas tecnicas, ocorre a formacao de vetores de movimento e curvas de deformacao. Block matching trabalha com alta frequencia de repeticao dos quadros. A validacao dessas novas tecnicas foi obtida comparando os dados com a ressonância nuclear magnetica e variou entre 0,87 e 0,91. Muitas sao as aplicacoes do metodo: pesquisa clinica; diagnostico diferencial das miocardiopatias hipertroficas; deteccao de alteracoes da contratilidade. (AU)
Evolutionary conservation of putative suicidality-related risk genes that produce diminished motivation corrected by clozapine, lithium and antidepressants

Background Genome wide association studies (GWAS) and candidate gene analyses have identified genetic variants and genes that may increase the risk for suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Important unresolved issues surround these tentative risk variants such as the characteristics of the associated genes and how they might elicit STBs. Methods Putative suicidality-related risk genes (PSRGs) were identified by comprehensive literature search and were characterized with respect to evolutionary conservation, participation in gene interaction networks and associated phenotypes. Evolutionary conservation was established with database searches and BLASTP queries, whereas gene-gene interactions were ascertained with GeneMANIA. We then examined whether mutations in risk-gene counterparts in C. elegans produced a diminished motivation phenotype previously connected to suicide risk factors. Results and conclusions From the analysis, 105 risk-gene candidates were identified and found to be: 1) highly conserved during evolution, 2) enriched for essential genes, 3) involved in significant gene-gene interactions, and 4) associated with psychiatric disorders, metabolic disturbances and asthma/allergy. Evaluation of 17 mutant strains with loss-of-function/deletion mutations in PSRG orthologs revealed that 11 mutants showed significant evidence of diminished motivation that manifested as immobility in a foraging assay. Immobility was corrected in some or all of the mutants with clozapine, lithium and tricyclic antidepressant drugs. In addition, 5-HT2 receptor and muscarinic receptor antagonists restored goal-directed behavior in most or all of the mutants. These studies increase confidence in the validity of the PSRGs and provide initial clues about possible mechanisms that mediate STBs.
On the day-to-day variability of prism vertex location

Longitudinal and cross-sectional variations in the location of prism vertices are evaluated using 42-day diary data collected in Germany. Stochastic frontier models are applied to determine the time coordinate of a prism vertex. The models are further used to evaluate observed and unobserved heterogeneity in prism vertex location, and to assess the relationship between the variability in prism vertex location and the variability in the starting time of the first trip in the prism. Statistical analyses indicate that a little less than one-half of the total variation in prism vertex location is systematic, of which about one-third is within-person variation. Notably, systematic variation by the day of the week is found insignificant for prism vertex location. As for departure time, systematic variation accounts for less than 17% of the total variation. The individual-specific error component is significant in the stochastic frontier model, indicating that there is significant unobserved heterogeneity in prism vertex location. It, however, accounts for only less than 1% of the total variation. The individual-specific error component in the departure time model, on the other hand, accounts for over 20% of the total variation. The origin vertices of workers’ morning prisms are located with a much smaller variance and are more systematically varying than the departure times of the first trips in the prisms. Large degrees of variability and unobserved heterogeneity are introduced when trips are made under prism constraints. Large degrees of flexibility appear to be associated with trip making, suggesting the presence of room for behavioral modification with respect to the departure times of morning trips.
Energy Efficient Wireless Sensor Network for Precision Agriculture

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) is the latest technology which provides the best and cheaper solution for a broad range of computer programs from healthcare to agriculture to (related to surrounding conditions or the health of the Earth) and military operations. India is basically a country with (good) enough valuable things from nature and focussed on farming adding/giving to its (process of people making, selling, and buying things) and (the social level people are at based on how much money they have). In the farming-based (surrounding conditions) watching/supervising area, WSN plays a big part because of its (producing a lot for a given amount of money) and comfortable use/military service of WSN. WSN is in need to (make something as small as possible/treat something important as unimportant) the energy use through (not operating or working now, but able to), transmission, etc. It needs/demands added/more energy (producing a lot with very little waste) way of doing things with data (quality of being very close to the truth or true number) leads to long life for watching/supervising farm-related field. A powerful tool that can create huge and (many different kinds of people or things) data including farming-based datasets is Association Rule Mining (ARM). A topic that is of attention in data mining of late is ranking of association rules. This work deals with farming-based sensor network which measures temperature, soil moisture, humidity and ARM based on ranking.
Cellular, Molecular and Clinical Aspects of Aortic Aneurysm—Vascular Physiology and Pathophysiology

A disturbance of the structure of the aortic wall results in the formation of aortic aneurysm, which is characterized by a significant bulge on the vessel surface that may have consequences, such as distention and finally rupture. Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a major pathological condition because it affects approximately 8% of elderly men and 1.5% of elderly women. The pathogenesis of AAA involves multiple interlocking mechanisms, including inflammation, immune cell activation, protein degradation and cellular malalignments. The expression of inflammatory factors, such as cytokines and chemokines, induce the infiltration of inflammatory cells into the wall of the aorta, including macrophages, natural killer cells (NK cells) and T and B lymphocytes. Protein degradation occurs with a high expression not only of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) but also of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and chymases. The loss of extracellular matrix (ECM) due to cell apoptosis and phenotype switching reduces tissue density and may contribute to AAA. It is important to consider the key mechanisms of initiating and promoting AAA to achieve better preventative and therapeutic outcomes.
Benthic Foraminifers and Implications for Intraplate Deformation, Site 717, Distal Bengal Fan

We report on benthic foraminifer results from Site 717 in the Distal Bengal Fan. Only 80 out of 380 samples contained useful benthic foraminifer information. However, we were able to identify four assemblages: 1. A present-day one dominated by Nuttallides umbonifera with some North Atlantic species; 2. An agglutinated fauna consisting of one species; 3. A reworked assemblage consisting of shallow-water forms; and 4. A reworked fauna consisting of an abundance of all kinds of forms including Cretaceous species. The reworked assemblage 4, we believe, represents a period when fan sediments were blocked from this area by east-west trending intraplate deformation. In the remainder of the core section, sedimentation appears to be dominated by Fan deposition with abundant terrestrial debris. In the infrequent pelagic intervals, it appears that abyssal water masses changed little since the late Miocene.
DRL-Based Contract Incentive for Wireless-Powered and UAV-Assisted Backscattering MEC System

Mobile edge computing (MEC) is viewed as a promising technology to address the challenges of intensive computing demands in hotspots (HSs). In this article, we consider a unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-assisted backscattering MEC system. The UAVs can fly from parking aprons to HSs, providing energy to HSs via RF beamforming and collecting data from wireless users in HSs through backscattering. We aim to maximize the long-term utility of all HSs, subject to the stability of the HSs’ energy queues. This problem is a joint optimization of the data offloading decision and contract design that should be adaptive to the users’ random task demands and the time-varying wireless channel conditions. A deep reinforcement learning based contract incentive (DRLCI) strategy is proposed to solve this problem in two steps. First, we use deep Q-network (DQN) algorithm to update the HSs’ offloading decisions according to the changing network environment. Second, to motivate the UAVs to participate in resource sharing, a contract specific to each type of UAVs has been designed, utilizing Lagrangian multiplier method to approach the optimal contract. Simulation results show the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed strategy, demonstrating a better performance than the natural DQN and Double-DQN algorithms.
Diminished Anthropometric Measures and Other Associated Variables in a Sample of Violent Offenders: A Case-Control Study

Background Predicting criminal behavior is a complex task due to its multidimensional nature. Nevertheless, health professionals and criminologists must consider individual criminogenic risk factors to provide reliable expert opinions. Physical traits have been a subject of scrutiny since the inception of biological positivism. Aim The main objective of this study is to analyze differences in individual characteristics between violent offenders and healthy volunteers to potentially identify predictors of criminal behavior. Methods We conducted a case-control study with a sample of inmates convicted of violent offenses and compared them to healthy volunteers. Anthropometrics, sociodemographic data, drug consumption, characteristics of the family nucleus, clinical background, and basic laboratory test results were collected. Quantitative data were tested for normality and homogeneity before applying the Mann-Whitney or T-Student tests, respectively. For categorical data, Pearson’s chi-square test was used for associations, and the odds ratio was determined for the associated risk in drug abuse profiles. Results Among the male participants (N = 72), the inmate group (n = 41) showed significantly lower stature (mean height [m]: 1.7454 ± 0.0694 vs 1.6643 ± 0.0659, p < 0.001), a reduced left D2:D4 finger length ratio (mean ratio [cm]: 0.9638 ± 0.0572 vs 0.9380 ± 0.068cm, p < 0.05), and smaller anthropometric measurements, including armful (mean length [m]: 1.8080 ± 0.7690 vs 1.6582 ± 0.7250, p < 0.001), wrist (mean [cm]: 17.39 ± 1.10 vs 16.57 ± 1.84, p < 0.05), mid-upper arm (mean [cm]: 31.75 ± 3.79 vs 29.97 ± 3.79, p < 0.05), and head circumferences (mean [cm]: 58.43 ± 1.92 vs 55.39 ± 1.51, p < 0.001). Additionally, the inmate group exhibited shorter lower segments (mean [cm]: 102.67 ± 4.97 vs. 97.85 ± 5.04, p < 0.001) and plantar lengths (mean [cm]: 27.45 ± 1.25 vs. 26.78 ± 1.00, p < 0.05). Furthermore, this group displayed a higher risk of alcohol (OR = 4.4, p < 0.01), cocaine (OR = 3.36, p < 0.05), and benzodiazepine consumption (OR = 3.36, p < 0.05). Parental alcohol consumption (χ² = 12.66, p < 0.01) and the practice of Protestantism (χ² = 20.087, p < 0.001) were also associated with the inmate group. Conclusion Physical traits may be considered potential criminogenic risk factors, but larger studies are necessary to validate these findings. Future research should take into account physiological and psychological correlates to gain a comprehensive understanding of the complex relationship between physical traits and criminal behavior.
Low-Cost Empty Substrate Integrated Waveguide Slot Arrays for Millimeter-Wave Applications

In this letter, two slot arrays with high radiation efficiency are proposed based on the empty substrate integrated waveguide (ESIW) technology. The arrays consist of four FR-4 substrate layers that function as cavity loading, radiation slots, ESIW feeding network, and feeding port, respectively. The <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$1\times 6$</tex-math></inline-formula>-slot array shows a measured −10 dB bandwidth of 12.7% (36.1–41.0 GHz) with a measured maximum gain of 15.5 dBi and radiation efficiency of 90.7% at 38 GHz. The <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$8\times 6$</tex-math></inline-formula>-slot array shows a measured −10 dB bandwidth of 12.1% (36.4–41.1 GHz) with a measured maximum gain of 24.0 dBi and radiation efficiency of 86.5% at 39 GHz. Additionally, stable radiation patterns are obtained in the operating band. These arrays provide a low-cost way for broadband millimeter-wave wireless applications including the fifth-generation mobile communications.