Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Protein supplementation: the double-edged sword

Abstract Protein supplements are widely consumed by athletes as well as young adults and teenagers going to the gym and are an excellent source to increase protein intake, build muscle mass, and enhance recovery. They are available in the form of powders, gummies, protein bars, and ready-to-drink shakes and have been shown to have effects on almost every system in the body. Subjects consuming whey protein–based supplements regularly show significantly lower systolic blood pressure, while subjects who consume soy-based protein supplements have been reported to show a significant decrease in their systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Favorable effects of soy protein consumption have been observed on the serum lipid profile, with significant decreases in serum low-density lipoprotein and triglyceride levels. Lower postprandial glucose levels have been observed in diabetic subjects as well, which can be attributed to the lower glycemic index of these supplements. This can lead to an indirect decrease in diabetes-related complications. While these supplements affect the body positively, caution has to be exercised while consuming them in excess, as they have been shown to cause hyperfiltration and increased urinary calcium excretion which can, in turn, lead to chronic kidney disease development. This article focuses on the effects of protein supplementation on the human body, with emphasis on the cardiovascular, endocrine, and renal systems.
Real-time precipitation estimation based on index station percentiles.

Abstract Operational hydrologic models are typically calibrated using meteorological inputs derived from retrospective station data that are commonly not available in real time. Inconsistencies between the calibration and (generally sparser) real-time station datasets can be a source of bias, which can be addressed by expressing real-time hydrological model forcings (primarily precipitation) as percentiles for a set of index stations that report both in real time and during the retrospective calibration period, and by using the real-time percentiles to create adjusted precipitation forcings. Although hydrological model precipitation forcings typically are required at time steps of one day or shorter, percentiles can be calculated for longer averaging periods to reduce the percentile estimation errors. The authors propose an index station percentile method (ISPM) to estimate precipitation at the models input time step using percentiles, relative to a climatological period, for a set of index stations that .
The development of a 1.25 MHz 1024-channel sparse array for human transcranial imaging: in vitro characterization

Ultrasound imaging is overwhelmingly used as 2D modality even though 3D imaging capabilities have existed for decades. Recent generational shifts toward super-resolution ultrasound imaging and functional ultrasound imaging, especially in the brain, have generated renewed and sustained interest in acquiring truly volumetric, 4D data. However, volumetric imaging approaches are currently limited to small animals, due in part to the difficulty of imaging transcranially in humans and due to a lack of imaging arrays designed for this purpose. Clinical translation of these recent techniques as well as conventional diagnostic B-mode imaging may thus benefit from array designs that capitalize on large channel count imaging systems. We have designed and developed a 1024-channel sparse array with a 65 mm circular aperture and a 1–2 MHz bandwidth. This unique transducer achieves an aperture that is far larger than conventional matrix probes using a sparse arrangement of elements ordered in a density-tapered spiral design. This design has significantly decreased grating lobes compared to a matrix array probe. The large aperture of this probe also enables acquisition over a large field of view with a significant depth of more than 100 mm. Simulations, acoustic characterization, and in vitro tests demonstrate that this transducer achieves a high focal gain that enables ultrasonic visualization beneath the human skull and at large depths due to its low F-number capabilities. Furthermore, we show that this transducer is capable of high point target contrast and high soft tissue contrast, with contrast-to-noise ratios up to 1.9 when imaging transcranially through a 3 mm thick section of human skull. Because of the large surface area of this probe, it can capture over 3 coherence lengths in each dimension and is, therefore, able to able to ‘average out’ the aberration over a large surface area. This transducer is poised to have a significant clinical impact in transcranial human imaging.
Learning-Based Mitigation of Soft Error Effects on Quaternion Kalman Filter Processing

This article proposes a novel mitigation technique for soft error effects on the attitude estimation (AE) processing for spacecraft, especially for satellites’ application. Especially, we are focused on the soft errors that occur in space and affect, for example, the quaternion Kalman filter, running on the processor of control system of satellite, which leads to invert bits of the estimated states, miscalculations and a decreased performance. The mitigation technique detects first the presence of soft error effects on the AE algorithm output using some residuals. Then the residuals are passed to a trained machine learning (ML) models to estimate the quaternion error that will be used to correct the estimations. A supervised regression solution was proposed to correct the soft error effects, in methodology for creating a dataset for training classical ML models was developed. The results from the case-study scenario show a high reduction of soft error effects, while adding little overhead to the Kalman filter processing.
Australia's Role in Feeding the World

Earth's human population currently exceeds 7 billion, and by the year 2050 our planet will have at least two billion more mouths to feed. When faced with providing food for so many people, the idea is often advanced that Australia will become the 'food bowl' of Asia. Australia currently grows enough food to feed about three times its population and agricultural exports are important to our economy; however, Australia's role in feeding the world needs careful consideration. This highly topical book draws together the latest intelligence on the sustainable production and distribution of food and other products from Australian farms. It examines questions that policy-makers, farmers, politicians, agricultural scientists and the general public are asking about the potential productivity of our arable land, the environmental and economic impacts of seeking to increase productivity, and the value of becoming cleaner and greener in our agricultural output. With chapters on the emergence of new markets, consumer trends in China, the biophysical constraints on agricultural expansion, and the various products of Australian agriculture and aquaculture, Australia's Role in Feeding the World provides valuable insight into the future of agriculture in this nation. The book is ideal reading for academics and students in agriculture, environmental sciences, economics, Australian studies, international development studies; agricultural practitioners; and the food production industry.
Genetic Alterations and Risk Factors for Recurrence in Patients with Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Who Underwent Complete Surgical Resection

Simple Summary We investigated the prevalence of genetic alterations and their association with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations and prognosis in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) after curative resection. The results showed that the prevalence of EGFR mutations, anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangements, and ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) fusion were 43.0%, 5.7%, and 1.6%, respectively. Patients with EGFR-mutant NSCLC had a higher risk of recurrence than those without EGFR mutations. Additionally, EGFR mutations were related to a high proportion of distant metastases and a higher risk of central nervous system recurrence. Abstract A definitive surgical resection is the preferred treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Research on genetic alterations, including epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations, in early-stage NSCLC remains insufficient. We investigated the prevalence of genetic alterations in early-stage NSCLC and the association between EGFR mutations and recurrence after a complete resection. Between January 2019 and December 2021, 659 patients with NSCLC who underwent curative surgical resections at a single regional cancer center in Korea were recruited. We retrospectively compared the clinical and pathological data between the recurrence and non-recurrence groups. Among the 659 enrolled cases, the median age was 65.86 years old and the most common histology was adenocarcinoma (74.5%), followed by squamous cell carcinoma (21.7%). The prevalence of EGFR mutations was 43% (194/451). Among them, L858R point mutations and exon 19 deletions were 52.3% and 42%, respectively. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) rearrangement was found in 5.7% of patients (26/453) and ROS proto-oncogene 1 (ROS1) fusion was found in 1.6% (7/441). The recurrence rate for the entire population was 19.7%. In the multivariate analysis, the presence of EGFR mutations (hazard ratio (HR): 2.698; 95% CI: 1.458–4.993; p = 0.002), stage II (HR: 2.614; 95% CI: 1.29–5.295; p = 0.008) or III disease (HR: 9.537; 95% CI: 4.825–18.852; p < 0.001) (vs. stage I disease), and the presence of a pathologic solid type (HR: 2.598; 95% CI: 1.405–4.803; p = 0.002) were associated with recurrence. Among the recurrence group, 86.5% of the patients with EGFR mutations experienced distant metastases compared with only 66.7% of the wild type (p = 0.016), with no significant difference in median disease-free survival (52.21 months vs. not reached; p = 0.983). In conclusion, adjuvant or neoadjuvant targeted therapy could be considered more actively because EGFR mutations were identified as an independent risk factor for recurrence and were associated with systemic recurrence. Further studies on perioperative therapy for other genetic alterations are necessary.
Impacts of Rainfall Events and Distribution on Unsaturated Soil Slope Analysis

The time distribution of rainfall is one of the most important considerations for evaluating soil slope stability. In order to study the rainfall-induced slope failure, the rainfall pattern has generally been assumed as uniform rainfall intensity for rainfall duration. However, it should be noted that the time distribution of the design rainfall method has a significant effect on the soil slope instability. The study implemented Mononobe, Huff, and uniform method as three types of time distribution method of the design rainfall to estimate the factor of safety of soil slopes by rainfall duration. As a result, the difference of soil suction and unsaturated hydraulic properties in a soil by rainfall pattern was found through the application of an appropriate time distribution method to numerical simulation for rainfall-induced slope stability.
Wearable Cardiorespiratory Sensor for Real-Time Monitoring With Smartphone Integration

In this study, we propose a novel portable wearable cardiorespiratory sensor integrated with a smartphone, fabricated from plastic optical fiber (POF) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material. The sensor is designed for comprehensive cardiorespiratory monitoring, enabling accurate measurement of respiratory rate (BR), heart rate (HR), and HR variability (HRV). The prototype successfully captures heartbeat signals with excellent waveforms, revealing distinct BR and HR peaks in the frequency-domain plot. Our measurements show an average difference of 0.310 bpm for BR and 0.033 bpm for HR compared to reference values. Additionally, we performed 5-min HRV assessments under different conditions, yielding mean standard deviations of normal to normal (SDNN) of 52.87, 81.89, 49.41, and 28.22 ms for the control, specific breathing pattern, walking, and running groups, respectively. The cardiorespiratory sensor demonstrates its potential as a reliable alternative for daily monitoring of BR, HR, and HRV, offering versatility for various application scenarios with high safety and widespread usability.
Geomorphic signal of active faulting at the northern edge of Lut Block: Insights on the kinematic scenario of Central Iran

Recent works documented Neogene to Quaternary dextral strike‐slip tectonics along the Kuh‐e‐Sarhangi and Kuh‐e‐Faghan intraplate strike‐slip faults at the northern edge of the Lut Block of Central Iran, previously thought to be dominated by sinistral strike‐slip deformation. This work focuses on the evidence of Quaternary activity of one of these fault systems, in order to provide new spatiotemporal constraints on their role in the active regional kinematic scenario. Through geomorphological and structural investigation, integrated with optically stimulated luminescence dating of three generations of alluvial fans and fluvial terraces (at ~53, ~25, and ~6 ka), this study documents (i) the topographic inheritance of the long‐term (Myr) punctuated history of fault nucleation, propagation, and exhumation along the northern edge of Lut Block; (ii) the tectonic control on drainage network evolution, pediment formation, fluvial terraces, and alluvial fan architecture; (iii) the minimum Holocene age of Quaternary dextral strike‐slip faulting; and (iv) the evidence of Late Quaternary fault‐related uplift localized along the different fault strands. The documented spatial and temporal constraints on the active dextral strike‐slip tectonics at the northern edge of Lut Block provide new insights on the kinematic model for active faulting in Central Iran, which has been reinterpreted in an escape tectonic scenario.
Terminologija klinične prehrane: Prehranska obravnava – presejanje prehranske ogroženosti in prehranski pregled

Izhodišča: Pomembno vlogo pri prehranski obravnavi imata tako presejanje prehranske ogroženosti kot prehranski pregled, na podlagi katerega lahko postavimo diagnozo motnje prehranjenosti ali s prehranjenostjo povezane motnje. Ocena posameznikovega prehranskega stanja, ki jo pridobimo s prehransko obravnavo, je namreč ključna za načrtovanje učinkovite prehranske oskrbe. Za razvoj področja je pomembno, da so vsi termini, ki se uporabljajo pri kliničnem delu, usklajeni. Taki terminološki dokumenti v mednarodnem prostoru že obstajajo, smiselni pa so tudi za slovenščino in naše okolje. Metode: Prispevek temelji na eksplicitnem terminološkem dogovoru skupine 42 relevantnih slovenskih strokovnjakov iz 19 slovenskih ustanov. Osnova oblikovanja terminoloških smernic je terminološki dokument Evropskega združenja za klinično prehrano in presnovo, pri čemer so bili upoštevani tudi novejši izsledki klinične prehrane. Rezultati: Predstavljeni so slovenski termini in terminološke definicije s področja klinične prehrane. Opredeljeni so osnovni pojmi s področja prehranske obravnave, ki je praviloma del medicinske obravnave. Predstavljena sta pojma prehranska ogroženost in presejanje prehranske ogroženosti, ob čemer so navedeni tudi različni presejalni testi za presejanje prehranskih motenj in s prehranjenostjo povezanih stanj. Podrobno so opredeljeni tudi prehranski pregled in njegovi sestavni deli. Zaključki: Tako presejanje prehranske ogroženosti kot prehranski pregled sta bistvena za diagnostično obravnavo v okviru klinične prehrane, poenoteno razumevanje terminologije pa omogoča primerno prepoznavo patoloških stanj pri bolnikih in pripravo ustreznega načrta prehranskih ukrepov.
Characterization of the size distribution of contaminants in wastewater: treatment and reuse implications

Wastewater treatment objectives and design specifications are typically defined in terms of nonspecific parameters such as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids (SS). Yet the contaminants that must be removed from waste water are complex mixtures of paniculate and soluble constit uents. Based on past studies, it is known that the treatability of wastewater depends strongly on the size distribution of the contaminants. Rates of sedimentation, mass transfer, adsorp tion, diffusion, and biochemical reaction are all influenced by particle size. Therefore, characterization of the size distribution of the contaminants in wastewater is important for developing a more fundamental understanding of the complex interactions that occur in the unit operations and treatment processes. Size distribution analyses of wastewater are also valuable for devel oping improved techniques for process selection and evaluation. This paper discusses the types and sizes of the organic matter in wastewater and their relationship to treatment, techniques for characterizing particle size distributions in wastewater, the impacts of treatment on particle size distribu tion, and the implications of particle size in evaluating and designing treatment and reuse facilities.
Early warning system for aftershocks

A prototype early warning system to provide San Francisco and Oakland, California a few tens-of-seconds warning of incoming strong ground shaking from already-occurred M ≧ 3.7 aftershocks of the magnitude 7.1 17 October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake was operational on 28 October 1989. The prototype system consisted of four components: ground motion sensors in the epicentral area, a central receiver, a radio repeater, and radio receivers. One of the radio receivers was deployed at the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) headquarters at the damaged Cypress Street section of the I-880 freeway in Oakland, California on 28 October 1989 and provided about 20 sec of warning before shaking from the M 4.5 Loma Prieta aftershock that occurred on 2 November 1989 at 0550 UTC. In its first 6 months of operation, the system generated triggers for all 12 M > 3.7 aftershocks for which trigger documentation is preserved, did not trigger on any M ≦ 3.6 aftershocks, and produced one false trigger as a result of a now-corrected single point of failure design flaw. Because the prototype system demonstrated that potentially useful warnings of strong shaking from aftershocks are feasible, the USGS has completed a portable early warning system for aftershocks that can be deployed anywhere.
Motion estimation for synthetic aperture sonars

The advantage of a synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) image compared to an image of a side scan sonar is an almost constant cross range resolution. To achieve an improvement by coherent processing the motion of the vehicle has to be known on the order of a tenth of the sonar signal wavelength for the number of pings contributing to the synthetic aperture. This challenging task holds also for SAR, but under different environmental conditions. The velocity of propagation (light / sound) within the different media is different by orders of magnitudes and also the speed of the vehicles. Also the stability of the platforms with respect to the wavelength differ due to the influence of the media on the motion. The media typically has a larger impact on SAS systems. In this paper we show results for motion estimation based on the displaced phase centre antenna (DPCA) approach and present a comparison of SAS images.
Mine Burial Studies with a Large Oscillating Water-Sediment Tunnel (LOWST)

Abstract : The U.S. Navy s mine warfare community needs reliable predictive capabilities for mine burial in shallow water environments. Currently, there are no experimental facilities in the U.S. with the capabilities needed to carry out laboratory experiments on mine burial processes at full scale. This effort is for the construction of such a facility. The Large Oscillating Water-Sediment Tunnel (LOWST) is a U-shaped tube, with one open leg and with three pistons located in the other leg to generate a horizontal oscillatory flow in the test section. This unique facility has been designed to reproduce in the laboratory combined wave-current flow near the seabed. Important advantages of LOWST are the facts that flow velocities will be simulated at full scale and that a net current can be superimposed on the oscillatory flow. Sediment can be placed along the 15-m-long wave-current duct, which has a 30-cm-deep movable-bed to facilitate the study of flow-induced scour and sedimentation around structures (Figure 1). Tests could be performed both under random and periodic wave conditions. LOWST could be used to study sediment transport phenomena and related problems under controlled simulated wave-current conditions at full scale. Basic problems such as boundary-layer flows, bed-load transport, suspended sediment transport, unsteady bed shear-stress, incipient motion and ripple formation, sediment erosion and suspension, liquefaction of cohesive sediments, dynamics of fluid mud, hydrodynamic forcing on marine pipelines, and hydrodynamic control of contaminant fluxes at sediment-water interfaces, could be studied with the help of LOWST. The main interest here, however, is to use this unique facility to study the behavior of model mines, including burial or partial burial, in a shallow- water sedimentary environment for a wide range of full-scale, wave-current conditions and sediment characteristics.
Importance of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation in a Patient With Bilateral Lumbosacral Plexopathy Following the Course of Ladiratuzumab Vedotin for Breast Cancer: A Case Report

A 74-year-old female with metastatic triple-negative breast cancer was admitted to the acute care hospital after several ground-level falls and a two-week history of bilateral lower extremity weakness with foot drop, numbness, and tingling. She was on ladiratuzumab vedotin (SGN-LIV1A) and pembrolizumab for four months prior to cancer treatment. Lumbar and sacral imaging studies did not identify neoplastic invasion into the bone or lumbosacral plexus. Electrodiagnostic findings suggested bilateral lumbosacral plexopathy (L3-S1). In the setting of rapid functional decline, medications were reviewed, and SGN-LIV1A was held. On initial evaluation, she required significant assistance with ambulation, transfers, and activities of daily living (ADLs). She remained off SGN-LIV1A and was discharged to acute inpatient rehabilitation. One month following discharge from acute inpatient rehabilitation, she exhibited improvements in right lower extremity strength and foot drop and progressed to modified-independent with ADLs, ambulating with a walker. In a discussion between cancer rehabilitation and oncology with consideration of the timing of presentation, distribution of symptoms, nerve conduction study and electromyography (NCS/EMG) findings, and improvement after SGN-LIV1A discontinuation, the patient was diagnosed with lumbosacral plexopathy from SGN-LIV1A administration. This is the only reported case of lumbosacral plexopathy secondary to SGN-LIV1A and addresses the importance of early consultation with cancer rehabilitation to address sequelae stemming from cancer therapy.
Descriptive statistics of tree crown condition in the United States Interior West

The U.S. Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program uses visual assessments of tree crown condition to monitor changes and trends in forest health. This report describes four crown condition indicators (crown dieback, crown density, foliage transparency, and sapling crown vigor) measured in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming between 1996 and 1999. Descriptive statistics are presented by species and FIA species group. Interand intra-species variation, crown condition stressors, and statistical concerns that should be considered when analyzing and interpreting the crown condition data are discussed.