Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation compared to usual resistance exercise therapy in individuals with knee osteoarthritis: a randomized clinical trial protocol

Background/Aims: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is characterized by functional impairment in performing of daily life activities. Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a treatment concept that recommends performing exercises within a context of functionality. To develop a protocol to evaluate the efficacy of (PNF) compared to conventional physiotherapy (CPT group) on pain reduction and improvement in physical functioning and quality of life in individuals with KOA. Methods: A protocol for a randomized controlled trial was proposed to evaluate the effectiveness of the PNF protocol in pain reduction, improvement physical functioning, quality of life and evaluation of adverse effects, according Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials. Participants will be randomly assigned (1:1) to PNF or CPT group and twelve weekly sessions will be carried out for three months. To assess primary outcome measures are knee pain severity (Numeric Rating Scale) and physical functioning (The Western Ontario and McMaster Universities questionnaire). The outcomes will be performed at baseline, 12th session (6 weeks), 24th session (12 weeks) and three-month follow-up. Intention-to-treat will be performed. Results: A PNF protocol was developed for KOA, consisting of seven illustrated exercises. Biomechanical objectives, observations, positions of individuals and therapists, load progression, PNF principles, procedures and techniques have been described. Conclusion: The detailed elaboration of a physical therapy treatment protocol based on the PNF-concept allows a treatment approach based on the principles of learning and motor control, favoring the mitigating and improving physical functioning and quality of life of the individuals with KOA.
Optimised Bumblebee Paths As Search Strategy For Autonomous Underwater Vehicles

In this paper, the concept of optimized bumblebee (BB) patterns as a search strategy for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV) is presented. Here, an AUV is used to detect submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) in coastal areas. The optimization of the BB paths is achieved utilizing k-opt optimization. In this research, 2-opt, 3-opt and 4-opt is used for the optimization of the BB paths. It is shown using computer simulations that all three optimization strategies are able to improve the search capabilities of the BB search strategy. The optimization of the BB path shortens the length of the path to visit the waypoints generated. The saved energy can be used for exploring. The median saved path length is 33.8 m, 43.5 m and 52.6 m for the 2-opt, 3-opt and 4-opt, respectively. The median error over 1,000 experiments of the not-optimized BB is 76.26, while the median error of the optimized BB are 71.63, 72.02 and 72.23 for the 2-opt, 3-opt and 4-opt, respectively.
Assessment of the association of the MOGAT1 and MOGAT3 gene with growth traits in different growth stages in Holstein calves

Abstract The members of the monoacylglycerol acyltransferase (MOGAT) family are essential candidate genes that influence economic traits associated with triglyceride synthesis, dietary fat absorption, and storage in livestock. In addition, the MOGAT gene family may also play an essential function in human polygenic diseases, like type 2 diabetes and obesity. The present study was conducted on Holstein calves to find the association between MOGAT1, MOGAT3/g.A229G, and MOGAT3/g.G1627A and growth traits. The polymerase chain reaction–restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method was performed for genotyping the MOGAT1, MOGAT3/g.A229G, and MOGAT3/g.G1627A genes' locus using the TaqI, MspI, and BsuRI restriction enzyme. The allele frequency of A and G of the MOGAT1 locus was 0.79 and 0.21, respectively, while the genotype frequency was 0.65, 0.28, and 0.07 for AA, AG, and GG, respectively. While the allele and genotype frequencies of the MOGAT3/g.A229G locus were 00.57( A1 ), 0.43( G1 ), 0.35( A1A1 ), 0.45( A1G1 ), and 0.20( G1G1 ), the allele and genotype frequencies of the MOGAT3/g.G1627A locus were 0.49( A2 ), 0.51( G2 ), 0.25( A2A2 ), 0.49( A2G2 ), and 0.26( G2G2 ). Chi-square analysis showed that MOGAT3/g.G1627A distribution was at the Hardy–Weinberg disequilibrium ( p < 0.05), and MOGAT1 and MOGAT3/g.A229G distribution was at the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium ( p > 0.05). In total, two statistical methods (general linear model (GLM) and PROC MIXED) were used to identify an association between gene locus and growth traits. An association analysis showed a statistically significant difference between the MOGAT1 and body weight, body length, and chest circumference, MOGAT3/g.A229G with average daily gain (ADG) and withers height, and MOGAT3/g.G1627A with body weight and body length ( p < 0.05). The results confirmed that the MOGAT1, MOGAT3/g.A229G, and MOGAT3/g.G1627A locus are strong candidate genes that could be considered molecular markers for growth traits in cattle breeding.
Control Design and Testing for a Finger Exoskeleton Mechanism

This paper describes a control strategy for a linkage finger exoskeleton mechanism with two degrees of freedom. To characterise the performance of the proposed finger motion assistance device, a replica of a human finger is prototyped to mimic human finger motion and to the testing effect of assistance provided by the novel exoskeleton with results from grasp tests. A feasible control design is developed to achieve a robust grasp of an object using the proposed exoskeleton mechanism, which is validated with simulated and experimental results that show how the proposed control algorithm maintains the force within 3% of the desired value. The aim of the paper is to present a control design for the ExoFinger exoskeleton with low-cost easy operation features that are aligned with the similar characteristics of the mechanical design.
Effective Evaluation of Medical Images Using Artificial Intelligence Techniques

This work is implemented for the management of patients with epilepsy, and methods based on electroencephalography (EEG) analysis have been proposed for the timely prediction of its occurrence. The proposed system is used for crisis detection and prediction system; it is useful for both patients and medical staff to know their status easily and more accurately. In the treatment of Parkinson's disease, the affected patients with Parkinson's disease can assess the prognostic risk factors, and the symptoms are evaluated to predict rapid progression in the early stages after diagnosis. The presented seizure prediction system introduces deep learning algorithms into EEG score analysis. This proposed work long short-term memory (LSTM) network model is mainly implemented for the identification and classification of qualitative patterns in the EEG of patients. While compared with other techniques like deep learning models such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) and traditional machine learning algorithms, the proposed LSTM model plays a significant role in predicting impending crises over 4 different qualifying intervals from 10 minutes to 1.5 hours with very few wrong predictions.
Sulfur Isotopic Fractionation of the Youngest Chang'e‐5 Basalts: Constraints on the Magma Degassing and Geochemical Features of the Mantle Source

The unusually prolonged volcanism at the Chang'e‐5 (CE‐5) landing site remains a mystery. To constrain the geochemical features of the CE‐5 mantle source, we performed in situ sulfur isotope analysis on sulfides of the CE‐5 basalts. The modal abundance of sulfides is ∼0.1 wt%, dominated by troilite with trace cubanite, chalcopyrite and pentlandite, yielding a S‐abundance of ∼360 ± 180 ppm for the bulk CE‐5 basalts. Our analysis shows a decreasing trend of δ34S in the magma with crystallization and degassing, suggesting ∼40% degassing loss of S, and accordingly the maximum S‐abundance in CE‐5 primitive magma was calibrated to approximately 600 ± 300 ppm. Considering an extensive fractional crystallization following a low‐degree partial melting of the CE‐5 basalts, the estimated sulfur abundance in the mantle source is ∼1–10 ppm. This result suggests a strong depletion of volatiles in the CE‐5 mantle source, which may be caused by prolonged magmatic activity.
h-BN Modification Using Several Hydroxylation and Grafting Methods and Their Incorporation into a PMMA/PA6 Polymer Blend

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has recently gained much attention due to its high thermal conductivity and low electrical conductivity. In this study, we proposed to evaluate the impact of the modification of h-BN for use in a polymethylmethacrylate/polyamide 6 (PMMA/PA6) polymer blend. Different methods to modify h-BN particles and improve their affinity with polymers were proposed. The modification was performed in two steps: (1) a hydroxylation step for which three different routes were used: calcination, acidic treatment, and ball milling using gallic acid; (2) a grafting step for which four different silane agents were used, carrying different molecular or macromolecular groups: the octadecyl group (Si-C18), propyl amine group (Si-NH2), polystyrene chain (Si-PS), and PMMA chain (Si-PMMA). The modified h-BN samples after hydroxylation and functionalization were characterized by FTIR and TGA. Py-GC/MS was also used to prove the successful graft with Si-C18 groups. Sedimentation tests and multiple light scattering were performed to assess the surface modification of h-BN. Granulometry and SEM observations were performed to evaluate the particle size distribution after hydroxylation. After the addition of Si-PMMA modified h-BN into a PMMA/PA6 co-continuous blend, the morphology of the polymer blend nanocomposites was characterized using SEM. The calculation of the wetting parameter based on the surface tension measurement using the liquid drop model showed that h-BN dispersed in the PA6 phase. Grafting PMMA chains onto hydroxylated h-BN particles combined with an adequate sequence mixing led to a successful localization of the grafted h-BN particles at the interface of the PMMA/PA6 blend.
Genome-Wide Analysis of the RAV Gene Family in Wheat and Functional Identification of TaRAV1 in Salt Stress

RAV transcription factors (TFs) are unique to higher plants and contain both B3 and APETALA2 (AP2) DNA binding domains. Although sets of RAV genes have been identified from several species, little is known about this family in wheat. In this study, 26 RAV genes were identified in the wheat genome. These wheat RAV TFs were phylogenetically clustered into three classes based on their amino acid sequences. A TaRAV gene located on chromosome 1D was cloned and named TaRAV1. TaRAV1 was expressed in roots, stems, leaves, and inflorescences, and its expression was up-regulated by heat while down-regulated by salt, ABA, and GA. Subcellular localization analysis revealed that the TaRAV1 protein was localized in the nucleus. The TaRAV1 protein showed DNA binding activity in the EMSA assay and transcriptional activation activity in yeast cells. Overexpressing TaRAV1 enhanced the salt tolerance of Arabidopsis and upregulated the expression of SOS genes and other stress response genes. Collectively, our data suggest that TaRAV1 functions as a transcription factor and is involved in the salt stress response by regulating gene expression in the SOS pathway.
Maturation and Post-Harvest Resting of Fruits Affect the Macronutrients and Protein Content in Sweet Pepper Seeds

There are few studies about the influence of fruit maturation and post-harvest resting on seed composition, which can be necessary for seedling development and future establishment. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of maturation and post-harvest resting of fruits on the macronutrient and protein content of sweet pepper seeds. The experimental design was a randomized block, with eight treatments, in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement. The first factor was fruit maturation stages (35, 50, 65 and 80 days after anthesis), and the second, with and without post-harvest resting of the fruits for 7 days. The characteristics evaluated in seeds were the dry weight of one thousand seeds, macronutrient content, and content of albumin, globulin, prolamin and glutelin proteins. There were reductions in K, Ca and Mg content, and an increase in seed content of albumin, globulin and prolamins as a function of the fruit maturation stage. Post-harvest resting of the fruits provided higher Ca content and protein albumin in seeds. The decreasing order of macronutrients and protein content in seeds, independent of fruit maturation and resting stage of the fruits, was N > K > P > Mg > S > Ca, and albumin > globulin ≈ glutelin > prolamine, respectively.
Anti-Alphaviral Alkaloids: Focus on Some Isoquinolines, Indoles and Quinolizidines

The discovery and the development of safe and efficient therapeutics against arthritogenic alphaviruses (e.g., chikungunya virus) remain a continuous challenge. Alkaloids are structurally diverse and naturally occurring compounds in plants, with a wide range of biological activities including beneficial effects against prominent pathogenic viruses and inflammation. In this short review, we discuss the effects of some alkaloids of three biologically relevant structural classes (isoquinolines, indoles and quinolizidines). Based on various experimental models (viral infections and chronic diseases), we highlight the immunomodulatory effects of these alkaloids. The data established the capacity of these alkaloids to interfere in host antiviral and inflammatory responses through key components (antiviral interferon response, ROS production, inflammatory signaling pathways and pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines production) also involved in alphavirus infection and resulting inflammation. Thus, these data may provide a convincing perspective of research for the use of alkaloids as immunomodulators against arthritogenic alphavirus infection and induced inflammation.
SABR equipped with AI wings

This study proposes an artificial neural network (ANN) based option pricing framework under the SABR (stochastic alpha beta rho) and free boundary SABR volatility models. Unlike previous research, we do not directly apply the ANN technique to train and predict option implied volatilities. Instead, we use the technique to train and predict the differences between the implied volatilities calculated by asymptotic approximation and those computed by Monte Carlo simulation. Since the analytical solution for an option written on an underlying asset price in the SABR model is intractable, approximation techniques are used to derive an approximate closed-form solution in practice. However, these approximation formulas worsen as maturity increases and the underlying asset's volatility is high. The accuracy decreases rapidly in wings, which represents deep in-the-money and out-of-the-money cases. By combining the approximation formulas and ANN framework, our new option pricing method offers the following improvements: (1) the training becomes more robust, and the predictions produce more stable and accurate results: (2) it significantly speeds up the training procedure: and (3) the accuracy and efficiency of approximation are improved in the wings without sacrificing performance.
Integrating Technology with Constructivist Pedagogy

Technology and constructivism are closely intertwined with the application of one assisting the other. Constructivism is a school of thought that holds that learning occurs in contexts, whereas technology refers to the designs and situations that engage learners. Recent initiatives to incorporate technology in the classroom have used a constructivist approach. This article aims to understand the interaction between constructivism and technology by reviewing various studies conducted in this regard. Further, it tries to determine whether technology is a crucial component of constructivist pedagogy and how it fits in with our contemporary classrooms. Last, the article presents the implications of technology and constructivism for teachers and teacher educators.
Improvement in Methane Production from Pelagic Sargassum Using Combined Pretreatments

The constant golden tides of Sargassum spp. , identified to be a mixture of Sargassum natans and Sargassum fluitans, observed recently in the Mexican Caribbean have affected the marine ecosystem and the local economy and have created the need for solutions for their management and use. The Sargassum arrivals have thus been considered as third-generation feedstock for biofuel. Their potential for energetic conversion to biomethane was investigated, with hydrolysis as the limiting step due to its complex composition; therefore, in the present study, different physical, chemical, and enzymatic pretreatments and a combination of them have been evaluated, with the additional use of granular activated carbon, to determine the best yield and methane quality. The combined pretreatments of 2.5% hydrogen peroxide, followed by an enzymatic pretreatment (enzymatic extract from Trametes hirsuta isolated from decomposing wood in the Yucatán Peninsula-Mexico), was the best option, reaching a biodegradability of 95% and maximum methane yield of 387 ± 3.09 L CH4/kg volatile solid. The use of a conductive material, such as granular activated carbon, did not generate significant changes in performance and methane concentration.
A 112 Gb/s DAC-Based Duo-Binary PAM4 Transmitter in 28 nm CMOS

To reduce the high bit error rate of serial transceivers under strong channel attenuation, a low-power 112 Gb/s SerDes transmitter was designed using a duo-binary PAM4 modulation technology. By adopting duo-binary PAM4 modulation technology, the problem of the low bandwidth utilization of a high-speed PAM4 (pulse amplitude modulation 4) signal was improved. The problem of high jitter caused by charge sharing and the limited bandwidth of a 4:1 high-speed MUX was improved by using precharging auxiliary transistors. The system power consumption of the transmitter was reduced by using a 7-bit weighted voltage-driven digital-to-analog converter (DAC). The transmitter was designed with a 28 nm CMOS process and powered by a voltage of 0.9 V. The simulation results showed that when the channel attenuation was 20.9 dB, the transmitter could work at 112 Gb/s, the power consumption was 2.02 pJ/bit, and the linearity was 96.7%.
Investigating Characteristics of Learning Environments During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review

Dramatic change in learning environments during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the significance of virtual learning and led to more interactive learning environments. Quick adoption of online and social interactive learning in many universities around the world raised challenges and emphasized the importance of investigating different learning environments. This paper investigates the accelerated transition in education from traditional learning environments through online learning environments to social innovative learning environments, and the latest trends of this change. The stages of transition were divided into three parts: before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic, which was the reason for this accelerated change. Features and characteristics of each stage of transition were analyzed and discussed, based on the following factors: edu-space and classrooms, the learning and teaching process, curricular choices, information and communication technology applications, students’ and educators’ perceptions, edu-approaches, and knowledge transformation. A systematic review approach was used to investigate learning environments based on the literature reviews of previous publications. Analysis of these features revealed the main characteristics and differences in each stage. New trends in online learning environments and social innovative learning environments were identified including cloud platforms, massive open online courses, digital learning management systems, open educational resources, open educational practices, m-learning, and social network applications. Finally, this study makes two recommendations: 1) the adoption of online learning environments and social innovative learning environment applications to continue the e-learning process during the pandemic, and 2) the enhanced usage of online learning environments and social innovative learning environment applications in the future by educational institutions and governments.
Direct Constraints on Secondary HONO Production in Aged Wildfire Smoke From Airborne Measurements Over the Western US

Nitrous acid (HONO) mixing ratios measured in aged wildfire smoke plumes were higher than expected from known homogeneous chemical reactions. In a representative smoke plume, intercepted hours to days downwind of the source, the missing HONO source was highly correlated to particulate nitrate photolysis and NO2 reactive uptake to particles. Using a multilinear regression involving these two sources, we could explain the missing HONO production in this plume (R2 = 0.77). The resulting fit parameters from this plume had good explanatory power (R2 = 0.64) for missing HONO production in other fire plumes. The mean enhancement factor for particulate nitrate photolysis relative to gas‐phase nitric acid photolysis was 63 and the mean NO2 reactive uptake coefficient to submicron aerosol surface area forming HONO was 4.9 × 10−4. Given the likelihood of other neglected secondary HONO sources, these values are upper‐limits, suggesting a need to revisit HONO formation mechanisms in aged wildfire smoke.
Management and Stimulation of High Metabolic Rates of Biomes to Effectively Remediate Mine Drainage

Drainages from mining operations frequently contain elevated levels of contaminants of concern (CoC). Indigenous adapted bacterial communities are characterized and the ability to reduce many CoC is showcased in different treatment implementations. Each contaminated site consists of a distinct prokaryotic community that in turn requires a specific C:N:P balanced environment to contribute to site remediation. This balanced bioremedial strategy is managed both for in situor fix-filmed bioreactors, using electron donor selection and ratios, redox potential, and hydraulic retention times. These communities can effectively treat elevated levels of hexavalent chromium (10 mg/L), nitrate (110 mg/L), and sulfate (1 250 mg/L) in a one-pot balanced system. Doi: 10.28991/HEF-2022-03-02-06 Full Text: PDF