Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
effective role of vitamin D and omega-3 on rats with induced Crohn’s disease

Crohn's disease is an irreversible inflammatory disease, mainly affecting the gastrointestinal tract. The aim of present study was to investigate the effect of dietary vitamin D and omega 3 supplementation on rats with induced Crohn’s disease. Twenty – four adult male albino rats weighing (160 gm) were divided into 4 groups. The 1st group (n=6) was fed on the basal diet. The 2nd to 4th of rats (n=18) were injected with (10 mg/kg for 3 days) of indomethacin at the end of the experiment to induce Crohn’s disease. Groups (3 and 4) were fed on basal diet and given orally 1000/IU/kg/ b.w. of vitamin D and 600 mg/kg/b.w. of omega 3 respectively. At the end of the experimental period (8 weeks), rats were scarified. Biochemical analysis of the tested parameters was determined. The Results indicated that indomethacin Crohn’s rats showed a significant (P< 0.05) decrease in serum albumin, serum Catalase and serum Glutathione peroxidase compared to the negative control one, while serum liver function, MDA, CRP, and immunity proteins were significantly increased.
Assistance technology in health promotion: care and selfcare of insulin dependent elderly

This article aimed to report the experience lived by the nursing professionals in a group of insulin-dependent elderly patients with the assistance technology practice. Twelve patients participated in the group, eight caregivers, a doctor, a nurse a one medical student. The encounter presented four different moments. In the first moment the user participated only as an observer, learning how to manipulate correctly the material, how to apply the medication and how to storage the bottles. In the second moment the user became agent of transformation of his own care. In the third moment the difficulties and doubts were exposed and in the fourth moment the encounter was evaluated. Those professionals’ attitude of summoning the insulin patients for a collective orientation resulted, after the encounter evaluation, in the creation of a new support group, so that several themes concerning the daily life of "having diabetes and using insulin" could be approached. Descriptors: Health of the elderly ; Health promotion; Self care; Caregivers.
Global stability and transition to turbulence of separation bubbles over swept wings

Direct numerical simulations and global stability analysis were carried out to investigate the effect of sweep on the dynamics of the transitional separation bubbles forming on the suction side of a NACA-0012 airfoil at Re = 50,000. The results show that the laminar-turbulent transition of the separation bubbles leads to the shedding of vortices at the back of the bubble, which is caused by the spatial growth of a K-H instability of the detached shear layer induced by the bubble. The convective instability of the shear layer is sustained by an acoustic feedback loop from the airfoil's trailing edge. Sweep affects this self sustained transition process mainly by modifying the dispersion relation of the acoustic waves responsible for the excitation of the instability modes, leading to different characteristics of the dominant shear layer modes for different angles of sweep. While in the unswept case vortex shedding is the consequence of an oblique transition process dominated by two oblique Kelvin-Helmholtz modes with opposite spanwise wavenumbers, one of these two modes dominates over the other when sweep is introduced. This appears to be mainly due to differences in the acoustic receptivity of modes with opposite spanwise wavenumbers for nonzero sweep. A dynamic mode decomposition of the DNS results showed that, in all cases, the separation bubble undergoes three-dimensional oscillations due to the existence of a globally unstable mode, with frequencies about one order of magnitude lower than the dominant shear layer mode. The results from a global two-dimensional linear stability study of the time- and span-averaged flow were found to be in good agreement with the DNS data.
Success Rate Comparis on of External Dacryocystorhinostomy with 5-FU Application or Silicone Tube Intubation

Aims To compare anatomical and functional success rates in patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction undergoing external dacryocystorhinostomy (EX-DCR) either with adjunctive 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or silicone tube intubation. Methods In this retrospective comparative study, 37 eyes in 32 patients who underwent EX-DCR with adjunctive 5-FU (5-FU group) and 43 eyes in 40 patients who underwent EX-DCR with silicone intubation (controls) between 2018 and 2019 were included. Results The mean age of patients in 5-FU and control groups was 59.8 ± 9.4 and 57.0 ± 15.3 years, respectively. The mean follow-up was 18.70 ± 3.47 months in the 5-FU group and 21.38 ± 7.76 months in the control group. Anatomical success was determined based on patency rates at the time of irrigation and recurrence, while subjective symptoms (improvement in tearing) were used to evaluate the functional success. Lacrimal patency rates in 5-FU and control groups were 83.3% and 86.0%, respectively, while recurrence was observed in 16.2% of 5-FU and 14.0% of control subjects. The two groups were comparable in terms of patency and recurrence rates (p=0.777) as well as rates of epiphora (p=0.212). Conclusion Both EX-DCR procedures were effective in the management of nasolacrimal duct obstruction. Our results suggest that EX-DCR augmented with 5-FU may represent a more feasible and cost-effective therapeutic option as compared to silicone tube placement in these patients.
192 Design of a stylus displacement sensor with a low measuring force

This paper presents a new measurement system for on-machine form measurement of surface edges. The system is composed of a laser displacement sensor and a cantilever, on which a mechanical stylus probe would be mounted. The displacement of the cantilever probe is measured by a laser displacement sensor. Tip radius of the stylus probe is smaller than the diameter of the laser spot and the cantilever is fabricated with a material with a low spring constant. The proposed system satisfies both the large measurement range and low measurement force, while it can be applied to on-machine measurements.
Continuous Rod Load Monitoring to Assess Spinal Fusion Status–Pilot In Vivo Data in Sheep

Background and Objectives: Spinal fusion is an effective and widely accepted intervention. However, complications such as non-unions and hardware failures are frequently observed. Radiologic imaging and physical examination are still the gold standards in the assessment of spinal fusion, despite multiple limitations including radiation exposure and subjective image interpretation. Furthermore, current diagnostic methods only allow fusion assessment at certain time points and require the patient’s presence at the hospital or medical practice. A recently introduced implantable sensor system for continuous and wireless implant load monitoring in trauma applications carries the potential to overcome these drawbacks, but transferability of the principle to the spine has not been demonstrated yet. Materials and Methods: The existing trauma sensor was modified for attachment to a standard pedicle-screw-rod system. Two lumbar segments (L2 to L4) of one Swiss white alpine sheep were asymmetrically instrumented. After facetectomy, three sensors were attached to the rods between each screw pair and activated for measurement. The sheep was euthanized 16 weeks postoperatively. After radiological assessment the spine was explanted and loaded in flexion-extension to determine the range of motion of the spinal segments. Sensor data were compared with mechanical test results and radiologic findings. Results: The sensors measured physiological rod loading autonomously over the observation period and delivered the data daily to bonded smartphones. At euthanasia the relative rod load dropped to 67% of the respective maximum value for the L23 segment and to 30% for the L34 segment. In agreement, the total range of motion of both operated segments was lower compared to an intact reference segment (L23: 0.57°; L34: 0.49°; intact L45: 4.17°). Radiologic assessment revealed fusion mass in the facet joint gaps and bilateral bridging bone around the joints at both operated segments. Conclusions: Observations of this single-case study confirm the basic ability of continuous rod load measurement to resolve the spinal fusion process as indicated by a declining rod load with progressing bone fusion. A strong clinical potential of such technology is eminent, but further data must be collected for final proof of principle.
Mobile Devices: Are They Tools or Toys for Saudi College Students?

The study aims at investigating Saudi college students' perceptions and attitudes towards the effectiveness of using mobile devices for academic purposes and other related activities. It tries to determine digital devices mostly used by students and measures to what extent they exploit these devices for academic purposes and in their other frequent activities. A survey was given to thirty-four Saudi university EFL students studying at the department of English and Translation, University of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The overall results have shown that most students always hold their mobile phones and bring them inside the classroom. Additionally, most of students have showed preference for using mobile devices for academic purposes and other related activities. The benefits of this study could be utilized for encouraging students to benefit from their mobile devices academically and designing future learning activities as well as mobile phone usage in the EFL classroom.
Analysis of DC-Link Voltage Ripple by Generalized Discontinuous PWM Strategy in Two-Level Three-Phase Voltage Source Inverters

The DC-link capacitor is a crucial component in two-level three-phase voltage source inverters (VSIs) to provide a low impedance path for the high-frequency input current and to stabilize the fluctuating DC-link voltage. When selecting the DC-link capacitor, not only the rated voltage and current but also the capacitance should be carefully considered. Ideally, the larger the capacitance of DC-link capacitor, the better for the DC-link voltage stabilization. However, in practice, there is a limitation to infinitely increasing the capacitance because of cost, volume, and size problems. Thus, the DC-link voltage ripple should be analyzed to help in precisely selecting the appropriate capacitance of DC-link capacitor, especially when using film capacitors. In general, the DC-link voltage ripple depends on the pulse-width modulation (PWM) strategies. This paper presents the DC-link voltage ripple analysis, particularly when the generalized discontinuous PWM (GDPWM) strategy, which is optimal for minimizing the switching losses under all operating conditions of VSI, is applied. Moreover, an equation is proposed to help selecting the minimum capacitance of DC-link capacitor. Simulation and experimental results with a motor drive system are also provided to verify the effectiveness of the presented analysis.
Dapagliflozin for the treatment of chronic kidney disease

ABSTRACT Introduction Sodium-dependent glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) is a glucose transporter expressed on the proximal tubular cells, where it reabsorbs glucose from the glomerular filtrate. SGLT2 inhibitors (SGLT2is), initially developed as an antidiabetic drug, have recently attracted considerable attention because they have cardiorenal protective effects. Among SGLT2is, dapagliflozin was the first to demonstrate the renoprotective effect in patients with and without diabetes and has been approved for chronic kidney disease (CKD) treatment. Areas covered This review covers the pharmacological characteristics and the clinical efficacy and safety profiles of dapagliflozin, including comparison with other SGLT2is and risk modification strategies. Expert opinion In DAPA-CKD, dapagliflozin reduced the primary outcome (≥50% estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] decline, end-stage kidney disease [ESKD], or renal or cardiovascular [CV] death) by 39% in CKD patients. This beneficial effect was consistent across prespecified subgroups, including those based on the presence of diabetes. Dapagliflozin also decreased the CV composite outcome and all-cause death by 29% and 31%, respectively. Although an increased risk of adverse events such as ketoacidosis and volume depletion has been reported, the robust renal and CV benefits of dapagliflozin are expected to outweigh potential risks. SGLT2is, including dapagliflozin, will constitute the mainstay of CKD treatment.
3D-PAST: Risk Assessment Model for Predicting Venous Thromboembolism in COVID-19

Hypercoagulability is a recognized feature in SARS-CoV-2 infection. There exists a need for a dedicated risk assessment model (RAM) that can risk-stratify hospitalized COVID-19 patients for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and guide anticoagulation. We aimed to build a simple clinical model to predict VTE in COVID-19 patients. This large-cohort, retrospective study included adult patients admitted to four hospitals with PCR-confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection. Model training was performed on 3531 patients hospitalized between March and December 2020 and validated on 2508 patients hospitalized between January and September 2021. Diagnosis of VTE was defined as acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). The novel RAM was based on commonly available parameters at hospital admission. LASSO regression and logistic regression were performed, risk scores were assigned to the significant variables, and cutoffs were derived. Seven variables with assigned scores were delineated as: DVT History = 2; High D-Dimer (>500–2000 ng/mL) = 2; Very High D-Dimer (>2000 ng/mL) = 5; PE History = 2; Low Albumin (<3.5 g/dL) = 1; Systolic Blood Pressure <120 mmHg = 1, Tachycardia (heart rate >100 bpm) = 1. The model had a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 53%. This simple, robust clinical tool can help individualize thromboprophylaxis for COVID-19 patients based on their VTE risk category.
On the representative status of Belgian employers’ organizations for the purpose of collective bargaining

In this paper, some legal characteristics of the Belgian system of collective bargaining (in the private sector) are highlighted for an Italian audience. The procedures identifying the representative employers’ organizations at the various bargaining levels concerned are analysed. It goes without saying that employers are per se representative for collective bargaining taking place at the level of the enterprises. Hence, the levels concerned are solely the branch and intersectoral levels. For a better understanding of this procedure, en filigrane, a comparison is drawn with the procedure applied for the identification of the representative trade unions. This paper concludes with some "comparative" observations dealing with the representative status of trade unions and employers and with an assessment of the conformity of the Belgian system for identifying representative employers’ organizations with the ILO standards.
Greed, Envy, and Admiration: The Distinct Nature of Public Opinion about Redistribution from the Rich

Research on public opinion about economic redistribution has made important progress by incorporating the psychological microfoundation that shapes support for redistribution to the poor. However, one piece is missing: the microfoundation shaping support for redistribution from the rich. I provide a novel theory about this facet of redistributive attitudes and how it is distinct. Observational data from three nationally representative samples in two different welfare systems and an experiment show that attitudes about taking from the rich are mainly driven by perceptions of their prosociality—whether they are greedy or generous. This contrasts with public opinion about giving to the poor that is mainly driven by perceptions of the efforts of poor people. Furthermore, while compassion shapes attitudes about giving to the poor, the emotions of admiration and envy shape attitudes about taking from the rich. These findings have important theoretical and empirical implications for public opinion about economic redistribution.
Application and Comparison of Evolutionary Techniques for Forecasting the Hellenic Grid Electricity Load

Electric load forecasting is a process that has to be both fast and reliable. An accurate method of load forecasting plays the most crucial role in achieving the aforementioned properties and also is a valuable tool in overcoming a variety of economic and operational problems connected to electrical energy production and distribution. In this study real data is used and the performance of three different techniques for adaptive electric load forecasting is evaluated. The first method is a combination of the well-established multimodel partitioning filter (MMPF) implementing extended Kalman filters (EKF) with Support Vector Machines (SVM), the second is the adaptive MMPF Kalman filters (KF) model and the third one is an artificial three layer feed-forward neural network (ANN). The results indicate that all three methods are reliable, however the combination of MMPF and SVM provides a more accurate load forecasting and at the same time identifies successfully both normal periodic behavior and any unusual activity of the electric grid.
Genetic variations and interspesific relationships in Lonicera L. (Caprifoliaceae), using SCoT molecular markers

Lonicera L. (Caprifoliaceae) includes more than 200 species worldwide. The genus is mainly distributed in temperate to subtropical regions of the northern hemisphere: Europe, Russia, East Asia and North America. Some species are medicinal plants. Dried Lonicera flowers and buds are known as Flos Lonicera and have been a recognized herb in the traditional Chinese medicine for more than 1500 years. It has been applied for treatment of arthritis, diabetes mellitus, fever, and viral infections. Due to the importance of these plant species, we performed a combination of morphological and molecular data for this species. For this study, we used 85 randomly collected plants from six species in 6 provinces. Amplification of genomic DNA using 10 primers produced 103 bands, of which 95 were polymorphic (90.98%). The obtained high average PIC and MI values revealed high capacity of SCoT primers to detect polymorphic loci among Lonicera species. The genetic similarities of 6 collections were estimated from 0.67 to 0.90. According to the SCoT markers analysis, L. hypoleuca and L. iberica had the lowest similarity and the species of L. korolkowii and L. nummulariifolia had the highest similarity. The aims of present study are: 1) can SCoT markers identify Lonicera species, 2) what is the genetic structure of these taxa in Iran, and 3) to investigate the species inter-relationship? The present study revealed that SCoT markers can identify the species.
Compromised Hindgut Microbial Digestion, Rather Than Chemical Digestion in the Foregut, Leads to Decreased Nutrient Digestibility in Pigs Fed Low-Protein Diets

Background: Reduced nutrient digestibility due to low-protein (LP) diets occurring in the foregut or hindgut of pigs remains unclear. Methods: Growing barrows (21.7 ± 1.7 kg) were allotted into LP and high-protein (HP) diet treatments. Ileal digesta and feces were collected for in vitro cross-fermentation and microbial sequencing, and cross-feeding assessed nutrient digestibility. Results: No difference in foregut digesta flora and nutrient digestibility between treatments was observed. LP diet caused decreased total tract digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), gross energy (GE), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) compared with the HP diet (p < 0.05). The fermentation broth from LP diet-fed pigs induced less full fermentation digestion of DM, OM, crude protein, and GE than HP broth (p < 0.05). Additionally, LP broth fermentation presented lower fermentation gas and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) generation than HP group (p < 0.05). This situation above may be related to decreased abundances of Lachnospiraceae, Eubacterium_eligens_group, Roseburia, and Ruminococcaceae_UCG-009, which can efficiently ferment nutrients to produce SCFA. Conclusions: Change in the flora caused compromise in hindgut microbial fermentation digestion leads to decreased total tract nutrient digestibility in pigs fed an LP diet.
Addressing Adverse Selection in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Procurement: An Agent-Based Approach

In risky public-private partnership (PPP) projects, governments and public institutions tend to offer private investors certain guarantees for their participation. However, when public sector capacity and institutions are weak, these guarantees can generate moral hazard in the bidding process and lead to contractual renegotiations, resulting in a loss for taxpayers. Drawing on a sophisticated, agent-based model that recreates the complex dynamics of the PPP procurement process, this paper demonstrates public sector competency is crucial for limiting moral hazard when guarantees are offered in PPP projects.
Spotlight on the Challenges of Depression following Retirement and Opportunities for Interventions

Abstract As a major life transition characterized by changes in social, behavioral, and psychological domains, retirement is associated with numerous risk factors that can contribute to the development of depression in later life. Understanding how these risk factors intersect with overall health and functioning can inform opportunities for mental health promotion during this transition. The objective of this review is to summarize the literature on risk and protective factors for depression during retirement transitions, discuss challenges related to appropriate management of depression in later life, and describe opportunities for prevention and intervention for depression relating to retirement transitions, both within and beyond the health care system. Key implications from this review are that 1) the relationship between depression and retirement is multifaceted; 2) while depression is a common health condition among older adults, this syndrome should not be considered a normative part of aging or of retirement specifically; 3) the existing mental health specialty workforce is insufficient to meet the depression management needs of the aging population, and 4) therefore, there is a need for interprofessional and multidisciplinary intervention efforts for preventing and managing depression among older adults. In sum, both healthcare providers, public health practitioners, and community organizations have meaningful opportunities for promoting the mental health of older adults during such major life transitions.