Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation of Gait Parameters From Trunk Movement Measured by Doppler Radar

This study proposes a novel method to estimate biomechanical gait parameters using the monostatic continuous wave Doppler radar data corresponding to trunk movement; the use of trunk movement leads to stable gait parameter estimations when compared to the conventional method which is based on leg movements because the received powers of the trunk echoes are larger and more stable than those of the legs. The proposed gait parameter estimation method employs trunk accelerations extracted from radar spectrograms. The accuracies of the gait parameters, such as the step length, swing time, and stance time, estimated using the proposed methods were evaluated by comparing them with the reference motion capture data. We experimentally demonstrated that the proposed trunk-based method estimated gait parameters with accuracy similar to that of the conventional leg-based method. Additionally, the proposed trunk-based method was able to estimate the swing and stance times, whereas the leg-based method failed to estimate them owing to instability of the ankle echoes. Furthermore, the combined method of the trunk and toe data achieved better accuracy in the estimation of swing and stance times. This study is the first to use data on trunk movements (not leg movements) for temporal gait parameter estimation using radar and demonstrated its practicality for realistic situations in clinical and daily gait assessment to grasp the health status of individuals such as risks of future falls and cognitive impairments.
Research on face recognition algorithm based on computer algorithm

Face recognition has become an important component form of current biometric identification technology, the study of computer face recognition algorithms has been a hot topic of research and attention in academia and industry. However, the applicability of current face recognition algorithms to scenes still has much room for enhancement and improvement, especially in some special scenes, the accuracy of face recognition is poor, which is due to the influence of objective factors such as lighting and image angle on the one hand; on the other hand, interference caused by subjective factors such as facial movements and occlusion of the recognized person. To address the above problems, this paper designs a face recognition algorithm based on computer technology, which has significant application advantages at the index level of rejection rate, rejection times, comparison time and matching similarity, as well as the level of anti-interference.
Biophysical Characterization of the Interaction between a Transport Human Plasma Protein and the 5,10,15,20-Tetra(pyridine-4-yl)porphyrin

The interaction between human serum albumin (HSA) and the non-charged synthetic photosensitizer 5,10,15,20-tetra(pyridine-4-yl)porphyrin (4-TPyP) was evaluated by in vitro assays under physiological conditions using spectroscopic techniques (UV-vis, circular dichroism, steady-state, time-resolved, synchronous, and 3D-fluorescence) combined with in silico calculations by molecular docking. The UV-vis and steady-state fluorescence parameters indicated a ground-state association between HSA and 4-TPyP and the absence of any dynamic fluorescence quenching was confirmed by the same average fluorescence lifetime for HSA without (4.76 ± 0.11 ns) and with 4-TPyP (4.79 ± 0.14 ns). Therefore, the Stern–Volmer quenching (KSV) constant reflects the binding affinity, indicating a moderate interaction (104 M−1) being spontaneous (ΔG°= -25.0 kJ/mol at 296 K), enthalpically (ΔH° = -9.31 ± 1.34 kJ/mol), and entropically (ΔS° = 52.9 ± 4.4 J/molK) driven. Binding causes only a very weak perturbation on the secondary structure of albumin. There is just one main binding site in HSA for 4-TPyP (n ≈ 1.0), probably into the subdomain IIA (site I), where the Trp-214 residue can be found. The microenvironment around this fluorophore seems not to be perturbed even with 4-TPyP interacting via hydrogen bonding and van der Waals forces with the amino acid residues in the subdomain IIA.
Normative Clinical Reference for Intima-media Thickness of Carotid Arteries among Nigerian Adults

Background: The intima-media thickness (IMT) of the carotid arteries is said to be predictive of the risk of cerebrovascular accidents in patients and said to be affected by sex, age, and race. The lack of normative reference values of carotid IMT can adversely affect the screening of subclinical atherosclerosis in Nigeria. Sonography is the most widely used tool in clinical practice for IMT determination. Aim: This study was aimed at obtaining sonographic reference values of the IMT of the carotid arteries of healthy adult Nigerians for clinical use. Study Design: This is a prospective study, where participants were selected by a simple random technique. Setting: The study was carried out in 2019 on adult Nigerians from different ethnic backgrounds that resided in Bayelsa State. Materials and Methods: The study population was 104 healthy Nigerian adults both male and female between 18 and 64 years of age. Excluded were those without informed consent, Nigerians aged below 18 and above 65 years, anyone with a history of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, or metabolic disorders, and athletes. After confirming normal blood pressure and taking their physical measurements, participants’ necks were scanned with an “EcoMed” ultrasound machine version VERTU-3 Portable USG with a linear transducer and a frequency of 7.0 MHz by an experienced radiologist. Results: The IMT was recorded for the subjects in millimetres where common carotid artery: males = 0.487 ± 0.014, females = 0.480 ± 0.010 with a reference range of 0.200–0.750 mm; internal carotid artery: males = 0.500 ± 0.019, females = 0.459 ± 0.013 with a reference range of 0.200–0.750 mm; external carotid artery: males = 0.479 ± 0.018, females = 0.437 ± 0.014 with a reference range of 0.180–0.780 mm. The values for the males were higher than those of the females; however, they were not statistically significant. There was also no statistically significant difference between right and left sides in the IMT despite the right persistently being higher than the left in the general study population. Conclusion: This study has been able to provide reference values for IMT of the carotid arteries among Nigerians for clinical use in the meantime. We believe that a systematic review of similar data can further be done for the standardisation of national reference.
I/o-efficient algorithms for shortest path related problems

In this thesis, we study I/O-efficient algorithms for problems related to computing shortest paths in outerplanar and planar graphs and in spanner graphs for point sets in d-dimensional space and sets of obstacles in the plane. In particular, we show in the first part of the thesis that the following problems can be solved in sorting complexity or even in a linear number of I/Os: outerplanarity testing, outerplanar embedding, planarity testing, planar embedding, computing optimal e-separators of planar and outerplanar graphs, breadth-first search; depth-first search, and single source shortest paths on planar and outerplanar graphs. In the second part of the thesis, we show that the well-separated pair decomposition of [37] can be computed in sorting complexity. We use this decomposition to construct two types of Euclidean spanners of linear size for point sets in d dimensions. The first spanner is derived in a natural manner from the well-separated pairs in the decomposition. The second spanner is a supergraph of the first spanner. The particular structure of this spanner makes it possible to construct a data structure which can be used to report spanner paths in an I/O-efficient manner. For sets of polygonal obstacles in the plane, we use a subdivision derived from the fair split tree of a point set to compute a planar Steiner spanner of the set of obstacles. Given the results from the first part of the thesis and results from [2, 100, 177]; the planarity of the graph can be exploited to compute spanner paths I/O-efficiently and to preprocess the graph so that shortest path queries can be answered and paths in the graph can be traversed in an I/O-efficient manner. As part of the results in Part I of the thesis; we present improved and much simplified algorithms for computing maximal matchings and maximal independent sets of general undirected graphs. As an additional application of the well-separated pair decomposition, which is at the core of the algorithms presented in Part II, we obtain nearly I/O-optimal algorithms for solving the K-nearest neighbor and K-closest pair problems for point sets in d dimensions.
The Association Between Refractive Errors and Breastfeeding in Pakistani Children: A Case-Control Study

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the association between breastfeeding and the occurrence of refractive errors (REs) among children. Methodology This was a (retrospective) case-control study carried out between December 1, 2021, and March 30, 2022, at the Basheeran Umar Eye Hospital in Islamabad, Pakistan, and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nayhan Combined Military Hospital in Rawalakot in Kashmir, Pakistan. A total of 200 participants between the ages of five and 16 years (106 cases with REs and 94 controls without REs) were included in this study. After obtaining informed consent from the parent accompanying the participant, the parent was further interviewed to extract information regarding biodata, breastfeeding, and other parameters including parental myopia, the number of hours spent on outdoor activities, on gadgets, and doing near work; this data was entered into a questionnaire. The participant’s visual acuity was then checked using the Snellen chart. Data were analyzed using SPSS Statistics version 20.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY) and statistical tests such as multivariate regression analysis and chi-square were carried out and odds ratios (OR) were calculated. Results There were 74 (37%) females and 126 (63%) males, with 67.5% residing in urban localities and only 32.5% hailing from rural areas. Testing revealed no significant association between REs and area of residence (p=0.97) or the gender of the participant (p=0.74). Hypermetropia was the most common RE among our participants (59.4%). Breastfeeding was significantly associated with errors of refraction (OR: 27.852, 95% CI: 3.686-210.45, χ2=21.680, p<0.001, degrees of freedom: 1), and we observed a lower risk of REs in children who had been breastfed. There was no association between REs and the number of hours spent outdoors per week or the number of hours spent using gadgets per week. However, there was a significant association between the development of REs and the duration of breastfeeding and the number of hours spent on near work. Conclusion This study demonstrates that breastfeeding plays a protective role in the prevention of REs. The type of breastfeeding also had a significant effect on the development of REs, i.e., children exclusively breastfed (regardless of the duration of breastfeeding) were less likely to develop errors of refraction in the future.
Mediastinitis descendente en el contexto de la angina de Ludwig. Artículo de revisión

La mediastinitis se define como el proceso inflamatorio usualmente infeccioso del tejido conectivo mediastinal y los órganos que éste rodea. Específicamente, la mediastinitis descendente corresponde a una complicación rara, de una infección de espacios profundos del cuello, orofaringe o cavidad oral, que se extiende a través de los espacios fasciales del cuello, disecándolos. Menos frecuentemente, esta patología puede originarse a partir de parotiditis, infecciones de la piel del cuello o epiglotitis. También de manera aún menos frecuente, puede generarse en el contexto de un traumatismo del cuello o la cavidad oral. Esta patología de marcada severidad, conlleva un aumento significativo de la mortalidad y su tratamiento, aunque permanece controversial en ciertas circunstancias, debe ser agresivo y oportuno. A propósito de un caso manejado en nuestro servicio, hacemos una revisión del estado del arte en esta entidad. Los autores pretendemos llamar la atención en particular, sobre los aspectos que involucran al especialista Otorrinolaringólogo en el manejo de pacientes con infecciones profundas del cuello
ASSESSMENT OF THE RESPONSE OF SOME MELON GENOTYPES (CUCUMIS MELO. L) TO DIFFERENT DOSES OF SODIUM CHLORIDE (NACI)

Soil salinity is one of the major problems in agriculture, most saline soils are found in arid and semiarid regions. As in other plant species, soil salinity also affects melon production. It is important to use tolerant varieties to be least affected by soil salinity. In present study, two local Turkish cultivar and three their crossed population (Semame, Uzbek, SemamexAnanas, AnanasxSemame and MidyatxAnanas) were tested under in vitro and pot experiments using different NaCI conditions(0, 100,150 and 200 mM). The results have shown that selection for salt tolerance high salt concentration (150 mMol) has negative significant effect on melon performance. Among the five tested cultivars, Midyat x Ananas and Uzbek showed more tolerance compared to other cultivars. In greenhouse, plant heigh, stem diameter and leaf length of Midyat x Ananas had their highest value at 100, 150 and 200 mM, respectively. Meanwhile, best performances of Uzbek for plant height, root dry matter content, root length, leaf length and diameter were obtained at 100 mM. Except for MidyatxAnanas, increase in salt concentration had less impact on plant growth. There was more correlation among morphological and physiological variable in greenhouse experiment compared to in-vitro experiment, therefore it is advised to select melon plants once they start flowering or at least after three months as it has been demonstrated in this experiment.
Systems Biology Approaches for Understanding Metabolic Differences Using ‘Multi-Omics’ Profiling of Metabolites in Mice Fed with Honey and Mixed Sugars

Honey is proposed to be the oldest natural sweetener and it is a standard component of several dietary patterns. Recent evidence suggests that replacing sugars, such as fructose, with honey has potential health benefits. In this study, we determined the effects of honey supplementation in mice on cardiometabolic and inflammatory markers and changes in gut microbiota and metabolomic profiles. We compared mice fed a honey diet (1 or 2 g/kg) with those fed an analog diet (mixed fructose, glucose, and sucrose (FSG) solutions) at exact dosages for one month. We found the same blood glucose fluctuating trends for honey- and FGS-fed mice. The honey diets resulted in less weight gain and fewer ballooned hepatocytes. Additionally, honey diets decreased the total serum cholesterol and TNF-α and increased the antioxidant enzyme activity. Each diet type was associated with distinct gut microbiota and metabolomics profiles. Systems biology analysis revealed that Lactococcus spp. , Lachnospiraceae spp. , and oleamide had the strongest correlations with lipid metabolic networks. Although in an animal model, this study provides a good understanding of the potential benefits of choosing honey rather than mixed sugars in regular dietary patterns.
OPTH_A_266112 3763..3774

1Department of Ophthalmology, V.M. M.C & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi 110029, India; 2Department of Ophthalmology, H.I. M.S.R & H.A. H. Centenary Hospital, New Delhi 110062, India; 3Department of Research, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA Purpose: To determine whether macular volume and macular GCA measurements in patients are comparable to their RNFL thickness parameters. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional, observational study was conducted on 1380 eyes with 460 each, into three groups. Group I: patients with healthy eyes. Group II: patients diagnosed as pre-perimetric glaucoma. Group III: patients with diagnosed perimetric glaucoma. After patients were selected on the basis of inclusion and exclusion criteria, baseline standard ophthalmic examination was done by the same operator under the same settings, including SDOCT using both the Spectralis SD-OCT and the Cirrus SD-OCT as elaborated below. Statistical Analysis: Data were checked for normality before statistical analysis using Shapiro–Wilk test. Normally distributed continuous variables were compared using ANOVA. For all statistical tests, a p < 0.05 was taken to indicate a significant difference. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to define the ability RNFL and GCC parameters to distinguish perimetric and preperimetric glaucomatous eyes from control eyes. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in the average, superior, inferior RNFL thickness and average, superior, inferior GCIPL thickness between Group I and Group II (p<0.001), between Group I and Group III (p<0.001) and also between Group II and Group III (p<0.001). The statistical significance was also reflected in their AUROCs. Conclusion: Mean, superior, inferior GCIPL thickness along with macular volume analysis can substantiate RNFL analysis for diagnosis, serial monitoring and follow-up of glaucoma patients and suspects.
Nonlinear Wave Propagation

Abstract : This research has produced a number of fundamental contributions in: (1) nonlinear fiber optics, specifically wave length division multiplexing, (2) new classes of solutions to multidimensional nonlinear wave equations of physical significance, (3) direct and inverse scattering, (4) the propagation of magnetic spin waves in thin ferromagnetic films, and (5) computational and effective chaos associated with a class of integrable nonlinear wave equations. A summary of this effort is contained in is report, as well as a list of all publications and invited lectures.
Vitamin D levels in children with cerebral palsy.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to assess serum vitamin D levels and related factors in children with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS One hundred and nineteen children with CP between the ages of 1 year to 10 years 9 months who were admitted to the children's inpatient rehabilitation unit of a tertiary rehabilitation hospital between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2018, were included in this study. Demographic and clinical characteristics were obtained from the patient files. CP types and serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels were recorded. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) was used to assess the functional level. RESULTS Mean age was 5.1±2.9 years. Forty-two (35.3%) were girls, 105 (88.3%) were spastic, and 14 (11.7%) were ataxic and mixed type CP. Mean GMFCS level was 4 (IQR:2). Thirty-one (26.1%) were getting extra liquid feed while the rest were eating a normal diet. Mean serum 25OHD level was 27.4±15.7 (3-79) ng/mL. Vitamin D levels were normal in 68 children (57.1%), whereas 36 (30.3%) had vitamin D insufficiency and 15 (12.6%) showed vitamin D deficiency. Those whose serum vitamin D levels were within a normal range had a median age of 3.8 (IQR:4.2) years. On the other hand, mean age was 6.4 (4.3) years for those with low vitamin D level (p < 0.0001). Vitamin D level was 19.8 (21.4) ng/mL in those (n = 88) who had regular diets, whereas it was 31.0 [16] ng/mL in those (n = 31) who were getting extra liquid feed (p = 0.015). There was no statistically significant correlation between vitamin D level and gender, GMFCS, CP type, season or antiepileptic drug treatment. A binary logistic regression model showed that older age and having only regular meals were significant risk factors for low vitamin D. CONCLUSION In this study, 42.9% of the children with CP had low vitamin D. Older children with CP or those who had regular diets were higher risk groups in terms of low vitamin D.
API ANALYSIS: BREXIT AND ITS IMPACT

The European Union (EU) is the biggest cooperation within the Europe continent that has been going for a long time ago with its dynamics following the shifting of the global order. The United Kingdom (UK) which used to become a member of this union was recently withdrawn from the EU. The process of the left of the UK from the EU was first made in the first referendum and at the second referendum, the UK was decided to step back and known as the BREXIT. The reason behind it all mostly was in the social and economic burden. As the consequences of the Brexit, there are several impacts that can be felt by each actor, from the UK, the EU and its membership, and even the rest of the world order. Also causing some dilemmas and dynamics in the global order, and the shifting that will give the changing agreement between the UK, the EU, and the EU member states.
Could thermal pressurization have induced the frequency-dependent rupture during the 2019 Mw8.0 Peru intermediate-depth earthquake?

The rupture process of earthquakes at intermediate-depth (∼70–300 km) have rarely been illuminated by a joint analysis of geodetic and seismic observations, hindering our understanding of their dynamic rupture mechanisms. Here we present detailed rupture process of the 2019 Mw8.0 Peru earthquake at the depth of 122 km depth, derived with a holistic approach reconciling InSAR and broadband seismic waveform data. The joint inversion of InSAR observations and teleseismic body waves results in a finite rupture model that extends ∼200 km along strike, with unilateral rupture towards north that lasted for ∼60 s. There are four major slip patches in the finite fault model which are well corresponding to the position and timing of the sources in back-projection (BP) and multiple points source (MPS) results. The largest slip patch, which occurred ∼40 s after the rupture initiation, had a longer and smoother risetime, and radiated much weaker high-frequency seismic waves compared to other smaller slip patches. This distinct frequency-dependent rupture could be explained by a strong dynamic weakening mechanism. We question whether thermal pressurization of pore free water rather than thermal run away could be such a mechanism. Our frequency content analysis could be generalized to study other earthquakes including those deeper than 300 km.