Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE TOURISM POTENTIAL OF NORTHERN PORTUGAL AND ITS RELEVANCE FOR A REGIONAL BRANDING STRATEGY

The purpose of this article is to explore a potential regional branding strategy for the northern part of Portugal, emphasizing the regional tourism potential. Furthermore, it aims to clarify the answers of the following research questions: i) is tourism a strategic domain with the potential to integrate a branding strategy at the regional level? ii) is a regional branding strategy an engine by which to enable economic and social transformation in the region, thus responding to the contemporary challenges such as weak economic confidence and unemployment? To answer these questions, a content analysis on the policy documents: i) Northern Portugal Strategic Guidelines 2014-2020 and ii) National Strategic Plan for Tourism 2013-2015 has been performed. In addition, the article details the results of in-depth interviews conducted with two regional entities: i) Tourism of Porto and the North of Portugal (TPNP), in charge of national tourism planning and promotion and ii) North Regional Coordination and Development Commission (CCDRN), involved in regional planning and development. The findings reinforce the importance of tourism as a strategic domain to boost the economy and create momentum in Northern Portugal. Moreover, tourism is seen by the respondents as a key objective in a regional branding strategy
T2T reference genome assembly and genome-wide association study reveal the genetic basis of Chinese bayberry fruit quality

Abstract Chinese bayberry (Myrica rubra or Morella rubra; 2n = 16) produces fruit with a distinctive flavor, high nutritional, and economic value. However, previous versions of the bayberry genome lack sequence continuity. Moreover, to date, no large-scale germplasm resource association analysis has examined the allelic and genetic variations determining fruit quality traits. Therefore, in this study, we assembled a telomere-to-telomere (T2T) gap-free reference genome for the cultivar ‘Zaojia’ using PacBio HiFi long reads. The resulting 292.60 Mb T2T genome, revealed 8 centromeric regions, 15 telomeres, and 28 345 genes. This represents a substantial improvement in the genome continuity and integrity of Chinese bayberry. Subsequently, we re-sequenced 173 accessions, identifying 6 649 674 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Further, the phenotypic analyses of 29 fruit quality-related traits enabled a genome-wide association study (GWAS), which identified 1937 SNPs and 1039 genes significantly associated with 28 traits. An SNP cluster pertinent to fruit color was identified on Chr6: 3407532 to 5 153 151 bp region, harboring two MYB genes (MrChr6G07650 and MrChr6G07660), exhibiting differential expression in extreme phenotype transcriptomes, linked to anthocyanin synthesis. An adjacent, closely linked gene, MrChr6G07670 (MLP-like protein), harbored an exonic missense variant and was shown to increase anthocyanin production in tobacco leaves tenfold. This SNP cluster, potentially a quantitative trait locus (QTL), collectively regulates bayberry fruit color. In conclusion, our study presented a complete reference genome, uncovered a suite of allelic variations related to fruit-quality traits, and identified functional genes that could be harnessed to enhance fruit quality and breeding efficiency of bayberries.
Ensemble Transductive Propagation Network for Semi-Supervised Few-Shot Learning

Few-shot learning aims to solve the difficulty in obtaining training samples, leading to high variance, high bias, and over-fitting. Recently, graph-based transductive few-shot learning approaches supplement the deficiency of label information via unlabeled data to make a joint prediction, which has become a new research hotspot. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel ensemble semi-supervised few-shot learning strategy via transductive network and Dempster–Shafer (D-S) evidence fusion, named ensemble transductive propagation networks (ETPN). First, we present homogeneity and heterogeneity ensemble transductive propagation networks to better use the unlabeled data, which introduce a preset weight coefficient and provide the process of iterative inferences during transductive propagation learning. Then, we combine the information entropy to improve the D-S evidence fusion method, which improves the stability of multi-model results fusion from the pre-processing of the evidence source. Third, we combine the L2 norm to improve an ensemble pruning approach to select individual learners with higher accuracy to participate in the integration of the few-shot model results. Moreover, interference sets are introduced to semi-supervised training to improve the anti-disturbance ability of the mode. Eventually, experiments indicate that the proposed approaches outperform the state-of-the-art few-shot model. The best accuracy of ETPN increases by 0.3% and 0.28% in the 5-way 5-shot, and by 3.43% and 7.6% in the 5-way 1-shot on miniImagNet and tieredImageNet, respectively.
Role of Gabapentin in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Comparative Study

Abstract Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of mortality among young individuals, accounting for 65% of deaths in road traffic accidents. Paroxysmal sympathetic hyperactivity (PSH) is a common syndrome associated with TBI. This study represents the first prospective investigation aimed at assessing the impact of gabapentin on TBI patients, focusing on the prevention of secondary brain injury and brain edema while enhancing the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS). Materials and methods The study was conducted from September 2019 to July 2021 after receiving ethical committee approval. It included adult ICU patients (≥18 years) with moderate and severe GCS. Patients below 18 years, death within 48 hours, non-consenting, pregnant females, and individuals allergic to gabapentin were excluded from the study. Patients were randomly allocated in two groups: study group received 300 mg of gabapentin orally twice daily and control group received multivitamin tablets twice daily. The treatment period spanned 2 weeks. Follow-up occurred in the ICU and continued for up to 3 months post-discharge, including telephonic conversations. Results About 60 patients were involved for analysis. Significant differences were found in GCS change from admission to discharge, Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) at 30 and 90 days, PSH episodes, and sedation bolus per day. Glasgow Coma Scale change was 53% in the study group compared with 25% in the control group (p = 0.009). Mortality was significantly lower in the study group. Glasgow Outcome Scale change between 30 and 90 days showed a 25% improvement in cases and no change in controls (p = 0.001). Conclusion This pioneering study underscores the potential of gabapentin in managing traumatic brain injuries. How to cite this article Singh R, Ambasta S, Bais PS, Azim A, Kumar S, Upreti B, et al. Role of Gabapentin in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Comparative Study. Indian J Crit Care Med 2024;28(2):120–125.
The Geodetic Monitoring of the Engineering Structure – A Practical Solution of the Problem in 3D Space

Abstract The study raises the issues concerning the automatic system designed for the monitoring of movement of controlled points, located on the roof covering of the Forest Opera in Sopot. It presents the calculation algorithm proposed by authors. It takes into account the specific design and location of the test object. High forest stand makes it difficult to use distant reference points. Hence the reference points used to study the stability of the measuring position are located on the ground elements of the sixmeter-deep concrete foundations, from which the steel arches are derived to support the roof covering (membrane) of the Forest Opera. The tacheometer used in the measurements is located in the glass body placed on a special platform attached to the steel arcs. Measurements of horizontal directions, vertical angles and distances can be additionally subject to errors caused by the laser beam penetration through the glass. Dynamic changes of weather conditions, including the temperature and pressure also have a significant impact on the value of measurement errors, and thus the accuracy of the final determinations represented by the relevant covariance matrices. The estimated coordinates of the reference points, controlled points and tacheometer along with the corresponding covariance matrices obtained from the calculations in the various epochs are used to determine the significance of acquired movements. In case of the stability of reference points, the algorithm assumes the ability to study changes in the position of tacheometer in time, on the basis of measurements performed on these points.
Concept mapping sociocultural aspects of cervical cancer prevention among African American women

Introduction For African American women in Houston, cervical cancer mortality is disproportionate to their racial and ethnic counterparts. Most notably, lack of human papillomavirus (HPV) screening and vaccination as well as late diagnosis increase cervical cancer mortality. However, cervical cancer is largely preventable. While previous research has identified a few social determinants that are specifically related to cervical cancer (e.g., education, income, neighborhood), there may be a host of additional social and cultural factors that contribute to a lack of preventative behavior. Methods The present study used concept mapping to explore sociocultural determinants of cervical cancer prevention beliefs among young African American women. N = 15 African American women, ages 18–25, participated in a group concept mapping session focused on cervical cancer knowledge, beliefs about women’s health, and how their social environment and culture play a role in their conceptualization of cervical cancer prevention. Discussion Five overarching concepts emerged: (1) Screening, (2) Support System, (3) Cervical Cancer 101 (knowledge), (4) Fatalism, and (5) Ease of Prevention. Conclusion The present study highlights the use of concept mapping for prevention science, particularly in exploratory studies for understanding cervical cancer screening barriers, avenues for intervention, and public health messaging. We discuss the findings and implications for public health research in cervical cancer prevention tailored for African American women.
Journal of Hospitality Financial Management Journal of Hospitality Financial Management

The purpose of this article is to study the factors that impact capital expenditures in the quick-service restaurant industry. The authors hypothesize that growth opportunities, free cash flow, size, corporate earnings, economic conditions, and franchising status will have impact on the capital expenditures of quick-service restaurants. This study analyzed capital expenditure and other financial data on quick service restaurants for the period 2006 – 2016. Results suggest that corporate earnings, size, cash flow, economic conditions, and franchising have a significant relationship with capital expenditures, while growth opportunities are not associated with capital expenditures. Specifically, a high degree of corporate earnings, large size, and a high degree of cash flow tend to be associated with a high degree of capital expenditures; while favorable economic conditions and franchising tend to be associated with a low level of capital expenditures.
Forest fuel treatment detection using multi-temporal airborne lidar data and high-resolution aerial imagery: a case study in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, California

ABSTRACT Treatments to reduce forest fuels are often performed in forests to enhance forest health, regulate stand density, and reduce the risk of wildfires. Although commonly employed, there are concerns that these forest fuel treatments (FTs) may have negative impacts on certain wildlife species. Often FTs are planned across large landscapes, but the actual treatment extents can differ from the planned extents due to operational constraints and protection of resources (e.g. perennial streams, cultural resources, wildlife habitats). Identifying the actual extent of the treated areas is of primary importance to understand the environmental influence of FTs. Light detection and ranging (lidar) is a powerful remote-sensing tool that can provide accurate measurements of forest structures and has great potential for monitoring forest changes. This study used the canopy height model (CHM) and canopy cover (CC) products derived from multi-temporal airborne laser scanning (ALS) data to monitor forest changes following the implementation of landscape-scale FT projects. Our approach involved the combination of a pixel-wise thresholding method and an object-of-interest (OBI) segmentation method. We also investigated forest change using normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and standardized principal component analysis from multi-temporal high-resolution aerial imagery. The same FT detection routine was then applied to compare the capability of ALS data and aerial imagery for FT detection. Our results demonstrate that the FT detection using ALS-derived CC products produced both the highest total accuracy (93.5%) and kappa coefficient (κ) (0.70), and was more robust in identifying areas with light FTs. The accuracy using ALS-derived CHM products (the total accuracy was 91.6%, and the κ was 0.59) was significantly lower than that using ALS-derived CC, but was still higher than using aerial imagery. Moreover, we also developed and tested a method to recognize the intensity of FTs directly from pre- and post-treatment ALS point clouds.
Carlin-Type Gold Deposits Field Conference

Including past production, reserves and resources, the Carlin Trend forms the largest and most prolific accumulation of gold deposits in North America. More than 40 separate deposits have been delineated since disseminated gold mineralization in carbonate rocks was discovered in 1961. From this discovery, a classification for this style of gold mineralization has come to be referred to as “Carlin-type” deposits. To date, more than 25 million ounces of gold have been mined on the Carlin Trend from 26 separate operating, or past producing mines (Table 1 ). Open pit mining on the Carlin Trend began in 1965 at the Carlin Mine, and underground mining began in 1993 on the same deposit. The scope of this paper is to first present a regional overview of the Carlin Trend, followed by summary descriptions of some of the more recent discoveries of deep, predominantly refractory gold deposits. As part of a concluding discussion, a spectrum of Carlin Trend deposits are categorized on a quaternary diagram to illustrate the I relative influence of structural and stratigraphic controls on each deposit. The Carlin Trend is a 60 kilometer long north-northwest trending alignment of gold deposits located in northeastern Nevada, within the larger Great Basin physiographic province of the western United States (Figs. 1, 2). Gold deposits are hosted in a variable stratigraphic package of Ordovician through lower, Mississippian rocks. Within specific deposits, gold mineralization hosted in Cretaceous and Tertiary dike swarms and the Jurassic-Cretaceous Goldstrike granodiorite stock constitutes up to 15% of the mineralized material. Regional Tectonic Development Regional stratigraphic and isotopic data indicate that northeastern Nevada was situated along a stable paleo-continental margin during much of the Cambrian through Early Mississippian (Stewart,1980). During this period, a westward-thickening, prism-shaped package of sediments were deposited from the outer margins of the paleo-continental shelf into an oceanic basin. Within this depositional environment, sedimentary facies graded from western eugeoclina1, to eastern miogeoclinal sequences. During Late Devonian through Middle Mississippian time, eastward-directed compressional tectonism associated with the Antler orogeny resulted in regional scale folding and imbricate thrusting of the western eugeoclinal assemblage of predominantly siliciclastic rocks, over the eastern autochthonous assemblage of silty carbonate rocks (Roberts et al., 1958). The resultant accretionary mass formed the emergent Antler highlands which shed an eastward directed overlap assemblage of clastic rocks during Middle Mississippian to Early Pennsylvanian (Smith and Kettner,1975). Late Paleozoic tectonism during Early to Middle Pennsylvanian time (Humboldt orogeny) was followed by deposition of shelf carbonate sequences during the Late Pennsylvanian and Permian (Smith and Kettner,1975; Kettner, 1977).
SPRR1B is Related to the Immune Microenvironment and Can Be Used as a Biomarker for the Diagnosis of Psoriasis

Background Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory disorder with an unknown cause, significantly impacts the physical and psychological well-being of patients. However, current biomarkers related to psoriasis lack clinical specificity, sensitivity, and predictive ability. Methods In this study, we collected skin lesion tissues from 20 psoriasis patients and 20 normal skin samples. Additionally, we obtained four datasets from the GEO database, which included human psoriasis and healthy specimens. We utilized SVM-RFE analysis and the LASSO regression model to identify potential biomarkers. Furthermore, we examined the composition of immune cell types in psoriasis and their correlation with specific genes. Results Our investigation revealed 57 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and we identified significantly enriched pathways through KEGG pathway analysis. The results of machine learning and WGCNA suggested that LCE3D and SPRR1B could potentially be used as marker genes for diagnosing psoriasis. RT-PCR and immunohistochemical detection confirmed the abnormally high expression of the SPRR1B gene in psoriasis. Analysis of immune cell infiltration revealed a strong positive correlation between SPRR1B and Macrophages M0 and T cells follicular helper, while showing the strongest negative correlation with resting Mast cells. In addition, we found that silencing SPRR1B in IFN-γ-treated HaCat cells could significantly reduce the increase in IL-17, IL-22, KRT6, and KRT16 caused by IFN-γ. Conclusion These findings suggest that SPRR1B may have a significant role in the pathogenesis of psoriasis and could be employed as a novel immunomarker for its development.
Public Life of Small Towns Public Open Spaces in North Sumatra Province

The urbanization process that change urban space and people also goes on in small towns in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. As the region becomes more urbanized, commercial centers grow up. In contrast, public open space tends to decline. In this condition, the study aim is to explore the public life that goes on. The research indicates that almost POS was not designed based on common criteria of successful POS in those of developed countries. However, people utilize the POS intensively and meet people needs. The using grade of the POS shows that there is no a significant different between well-design and poor design POS. © 2016. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies, Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. Keywords: Public life; public open space; small towns; North Sumatra
“Paolo Baffi” Centre on Central Banking and Financial Regulation

This paper analyzes the performance of global value chains during the trade collapse. To do so, it exploits a unique transaction-level dataset on French rms containing information on cross-border monthly transactions matched with data on worldwide intra- rm linkages as de ned by property rights (multinational business groups, hierarchies of rms). This newly assembled dataset allows us to distinguish rmlevel transactions among two alternative organizational modes of global value chains: internalization of activities (intragroup trade/trade among related parties) or establishment of supply contracts (arms length trade/trade among unrelated parties). After an overall assessment of the role of global value chains during the trade collapse, we document that intra-group trade in intermediates was characterized by a faster drop followed by a faster recovery than arms length trade. Ampli ed uctuations in terms of trade elasticities by value chains have been referred to as the "bullwhip e¤ect" and have been attributed to the adjustment of inventories within supply chains. In this paper we rst con rm the existence of such an e¤ect due to trade in intermediates, and we underline the role that di¤erent organizational modes can play in driving this adjustment. JEL codes: F23, F15, L22. Keywords: trade collapse, multinational rms, global value chains, hierarchies of rms , vertical integration.
U-Pb and Sm-Nd preliminary geochronologic data on the Yaoundé series, Cameroon : re-interpretation of the granulitic rocks as the suture of a collision in the Centrafrican belt

U-Pb on zircons and Sm-Nd on whole-rock analyses have been applied on the schists, micaschists and granulitic gneisses of the Yaounde series. The results fix the granulitic metamorphism in the Yaounde series at 620±10 Ma and the deposition of the series during the Upper Proterozoic. In addition, another remnant of Lower Proterozoic basement, previously recognized in northern Cameroon, has been identified at Kekem northwest of the Yaounde series. The Yaounde granulitic unit is re-interpreted as the suture of a Pan-African collision between a passive margin (Archean Congo craton and its Birrimian Nyong cover) to the south and an intensive granitized active margin (dismembered ebumian basement and Upper Proterozoic series) to the north
The association between cognition and dual-tasking among older adults: the effect of motor function type and cognition task difficulty

Background Dual-task actions challenge cognitive processing. The usefulness of objective methods based on dual-task actions to identify the cognitive status of older adults has been previously demonstrated. However, the properties of select motor and cognitive tasks are still debatable. We investigated the effect of cognitive task difficulty and motor task type (walking versus an upper-extremity function [UEF]) in identifying cognitive impairment in older adults. Methods Older adults (≥65 years) were recruited, and cognitive ability was measured using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Participants performed repetitive elbow flexion under three conditions: 1) at maximum pace alone (Single-task); and 2) while counting backward by ones (Dual-task 1); and 3) threes (Dual-task 2). Similar single- and dual-task gait were performed at normal speed. Three-dimensional kinematics were measured for both motor functions using wearable sensors. Results One-hundred older adults participated in this study. Based on MoCA score <20, 21 (21%) of the participants were considered cognitively impaired (mean age =86±10 and 85±5 for cognitively impaired and intact participants, respectively). Within ANOVA models adjusted with demographic information, UEF dual-task parameters, including speed and range-of-motion variability were significantly higher by 52% on average, among cognitively impaired participant (p<0.01). Logistic models with these UEF parameters plus age predicted cognitive status with sensitivity, specificity, and area under curve (AUC) of 71%, 81% and 0.77 for Dual-task 1. The corresponding values for UEF Dual-task 2 were 91%, 73% and 0.81, respectively. ANOVA results were non-significant for gait parameters within both dual-task conditions (p>0.26). Conclusion This study demonstrated that counting backward by threes within a UEF dual-task experiment was a pertinent and challenging enough task to detect cognitive impairment in older adults. Additionally, UEF was superior to gait as the motor task component of the dual-task. The UEF dual-task could be applied as a quick memory screen in a clinical setting.