ahmedabdelwahed/Medical_papers_title_and_abstract_NLP_dataset huggingface dataset:
Challenges and Opportunities of Using a National Database to Evaluate Racial/Ethnic Disparities and Breastfeeding Effects on Sudden Unexpected Infant Death

Background: Sudden unexpected infant death (SUID) rates remain higher in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) and non-Hispanic Black (NHB) infants than other demographic groups. Racial disparities are also evident in breastfeeding, which is associated with reduced risk of SUID. Objective: To assess the relationship between racial/ethnic disparities in SUID and breastfeeding beyond the newborn period using U.S. nationally reported public databases. Methods: Data were extracted from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide-ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) and the National Immunization Surveys (NISs) 2009-2017. WONDER data were restricted to full-term infants and sorted by death year, race/ethnicity, and other characteristics. NIS breastfeeding data included ever breastfed, breastfed at 6 months, and exclusive breastfeeding at 3 and 6 months. Breastfeeding rates and mortality data were aggregated based on race/ethnicity, and mortality rates were analyzed by weighted (number of births) multivariable linear regression. Results: SUID rates were highest among NHB and AI/AN infants who also had the lowest breastfeeding rates. When breastfeeding and race/ethnicity were included in the analyses, race/ethnicity confounded the relationship between breastfeeding and SUID. When race was excluded, ever breastfeeding and any breastfeeding at 6 months were associated with significantly decreased SUID rates. Conclusion: Race/ethnicity confounded the relationship between breastfeeding and SUID. Analysis was limited because individual SUID rates were available for maternal/birth characteristics but not for breastfeeding. Our study showed a need for adding additional data points to other national databases to better understand the role that breastfeeding plays in the racial/ethnic disparities in SUID.
Impacts of COVID-19 on the home food environment and eating related behaviors of families with young children based on food security status

This mixed-methods study endeavored to expand the current understanding of how early pandemic related disruptions impacted the home food environment and parent feeding practices of families with young children. Data for this study are taken from the Kids EAT! Study, a racially/ethnically diverse cohort of families with 2-5 year old children. Individual interviews were conducted by phone and video conference with mothers (n = 25) during August/September of 2020 and were coded using a hybrid deductive/inductive analysis approach. Parents also reported on their family's food insecurity status enabling qualitative findings to be stratified by family-level food security status. Two overarching themes were identified related to how families in this sample describe the COVID-19 pandemic's impact on their home food environment. Themes included 1) Impacts on obtaining food for one's family, and 2) Specific changes in parent feeding practices. Findings indicated variation within each theme by family food security status. Overall, families experiencing food insecurity more frequently discussed using various coping strategies, including stocking up, rationing food, and use of supplemental food resources, to overcome challenges associated with obtaining food brought on by COVID-19. Families with food insecurity also reported having more time for home cooked meals and more frequently discussed enforcing less structure (timing of meal, place) related to meals/snacks consumed at home during the pandemic. The impacts of the COVID-19 persist, ranging from ongoing economic challenges, inconsistent access to childcare for families, and the emergence of new, more contagious, variants. With this, interventions to address food insecurity amongst families with young children should consider how to optimize the home food environment and promote healthful parent feeding practices within the families they serve in the face of an evolving public health crisis.
Time-Aware Multivariate Nearest Neighbor Regression Methods for Traffic Flow Prediction

Traffic flow prediction is a fundamental functionality of intelligent transportation systems. After presenting the state of the art, we focus on nearest neighbor regression methods, which are data-driven algorithms that are effective yet simple to implement. We try to strengthen their efficacy in two ways that are little explored in literature, i.e., by adopting a multivariate approach and by adding awareness of the time of the day. The combination of these two refinements, which represents a novelty, leads to the definition of a new class of methods that we call time-aware multivariate nearest neighbor regression (TaM-NNR) algorithms. To assess this class, we have used publicly available traffic data from a California highway. Computational results show the effectiveness of such algorithms in comparison with state-of-the-art parametric and non-parametric methods. In particular, they consistently perform better than their corresponding standard univariate versions. These facts highlight the importance of context elements in traffic prediction. The ideas presented here may be further investigated considering more context elements (e.g., weather conditions), more complex road topologies (e.g., urban networks), and different types of prediction methods.
The phylogenetic position of the giant devil ray Mobula mobular (Bonnaterre, 1788) (Myliobatiformes, Myliobatidae) inferred from the mitochondrial genome

The giant devil ray, Mobula mobular, is a member of one of the most distinct groups of cartilaginous fishes, the Mobulidae (manta and devil rays), and is the only mobulid assessed as Endangered due its restricted distribution, high bycatch mortality and suspected population decline. The complete mitochondrial genome is 18 913 base pairs in length and comprises 2 rRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNAs and 2 non-coding regions. Comparison with the partial mitogenome of M. japanica suggests a sister-cryptic species complex and two different taxonomic units. However, the limited divergence within the species (>99.9% genetic identity) may be the result of a geographically and numerically restricted population of M. mobular within the Mediterranean Sea.
Infrared Small Target Detection via Non-Convex Rank Approximation Minimization Joint l(2,1) Norm

To improve the detection ability of infrared small targets in complex backgrounds, a novel method based on non-convex rank approximation minimization joint l(2,1) norm (NRAM) was proposed. Due to the defects of the nuclear norm and l(1) norm, the state-of-the-art infrared image-patch (IPI) model usually leaves background residuals in the target image. To fix this problem, a non-convex, tighter rank surrogate and weighted l(1) norm are instead utilized, which can suppress the background better while preserving the target efficiently. Considering that many state-of-the-art methods are still unable to fully suppress sparse strong edges, the structured l(2,1) norm was introduced to wipe out the strong residuals. Furthermore, with the help of exploiting the structured norm and tighter rank surrogate, the proposed model was more robust when facing various complex or blurry scenes. To solve this non-convex model, an efficient optimization algorithm based on alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) plus difference of convex (DC) programming was designed. Extensive experimental results illustrate that the proposed method not only shows superiority in background suppression and target enhancement, but also reduces the computational complexity compared with other baselines.
Placenta segmentation in ultrasound imaging: Addressing sources of uncertainty and limited field-of-view

Automatic segmentation of the placenta in fetal ultrasound (US) is challenging due to the (i) high diversity of placenta appearance, (ii) the restricted quality in US resulting in highly variable reference annotations, and (iii) the limited field-of-view of US prohibiting whole placenta assessment at late gestation. In this work, we address these three challenges with a multi-task learning approach that combines the classification of placental location (e.g., anterior, posterior) and semantic placenta segmentation in a single convolutional neural network. Through the classification task the model can learn from larger and more diverse datasets while improving the accuracy of the segmentation task in particular in limited training set conditions. With this approach we investigate the variability in annotations from multiple raters and show that our automatic segmentations (Dice of 0.86 for anterior and 0.83 for posterior placentas) achieve human-level performance as compared to intra- and inter-observer variability. Lastly, our approach can deliver whole placenta segmentation using a multi-view US acquisition pipeline consisting of three stages: multi-probe image acquisition, image fusion and image segmentation. This results in high quality segmentation of larger structures such as the placenta in US with reduced image artifacts which are beyond the field-of-view of single probes.
Fibre optics: Forty years later

This paper presents a brief overview of the state of the art in fibre optics and its main applications: optical fibre communications, fibre lasers and fibre sensors for various physical property measurements. The future of fibre optics and the status of this important area of the modern technology in Russia are discussed.
Hemiparesis Revealing a Unique Neurological Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis in a Patient With Griscelli Syndrome Type 2

Griscelli syndrome (GS) is a rare genetic disorder that encompasses three different subtypes (GS type 1 (GS1), GS type 2 (GS2), and GS type 3 (GS3)), in which isolated neurological manifestations without immune system implications are typically seen in GS1, while neurological involvements in GS2 should be attributed to the macrophage and lymphocyte invasion of the central nervous system (CNS), under associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). The presence of the clinical, biological, and hematologic features of HLH help explain the neurological defects that GS2 patients unusually present. In our case report, however, we attempt to highlight an uncommon presentation of GS2 involving a hemiparesis, along which we did not have any clinical or biological features of HLH. We also collect and evaluate similar published cases that feature this problem of explaining the neurological manifestations among GS2 patients.
Over-reliance on English hinders cognitive science

English is the dominant language in the study of human cognition and behavior: the individuals studied by cognitive scientists, as well as most of the scientists themselves, are frequently English speakers. However, English differs from other languages in ways that have consequences for the whole of the cognitive sciences, reaching far beyond the study of language itself. Here, we review an emerging body of evidence that highlights how the particular characteristics of English and the linguistic habits of English speakers bias the field by both warping research programs (e.g., overemphasizing features and mechanisms present in English over others) and overgeneralizing observations from English speakers' behaviors, brains, and cognition to our entire species. We propose mitigating strategies that could help avoid some of these pitfalls.
Bilateral spontaneous salivary otorrhoea: Case report and a review of the literature

Spontaneous salivary otorrhoea is an extremely rare clinical entity. Most of the times, salivary otorrhoea results from various forms of trauma. It has also been attributed to the patent foramen of Huschke, and fissures of Santorini. Here, we present a rare case of an 8 year old child presenting with salivary discharge from both the ears. The diagnosis was established on the basis of biochemical and radiological investigations. The patient was managed by surgical exploration and ligation of the fistulous tract.
Energy disaggregation using variational autoencoders

Non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) is a technique that uses a single sensor to measure the total power consumption of a building. Using an energy disaggregation method, the consumption of individual appli-ances can be estimated from the aggregate measurement. Recent disaggregation algorithms have signif-icantly improved the performance of NILM systems. However, the generalization capability of these methods to different houses as well as the disaggregation of multi-state appliances are still major chal-lenges. In this paper we address these issues and propose an energy disaggregation approach based on the variational autoencoders framework. The probabilistic encoder makes this approach an efficient model for encoding information relevant to the reconstruction of the target appliance consumption. In particular, the proposed model accurately generates more complex load profiles, thus improving the power signal reconstruction of multi-state appliances. Moreover, its regularized latent space improves the generalization capabilities of the model across different houses. The proposed model is compared to state-of-the-art NILM approaches on the UK-DALE and REFIT datasets, and yields competitive results. The mean absolute error reduces by 18% on average across all appliances compared to the state-of-the -art. The F1-Score increases by more than 11%, showing improvements for the detection of the target appliance in the aggregate measurement. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Cardiac innervations in diabetes mellitus-Anatomical evidence of neuropathy

The extensive innervations of the heart include a complex network of sympathetic, parasympathetic, and sensory nerves connected in loops that serve to regulate cardiac output. Metabolic dysfunction in diabetes affects many different organ systems, including the cardiovascular system; it causes cardiac arrhythmias, silent myocardial ischemia, and sudden cardiac death, among others. These conditions are associated with damage to the nerves that innervate the heart, cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN), which is caused by various pathophysiological mechanisms. In this review, the main facts about the anatomy of cardiac innervations and the current knowledge of CAN, its pathophysiological mechanisms, and its diagnostic approach are discussed. In addition, anatomical evidence for CAN from human and animal studies has been summarized.
Polyphenols: a route from bioavailability to bioactivity addressing potential health benefits to tackle human chronic diseases

Chronic pathologies or non-communicable diseases (NCDs) include cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, neurological diseases, respiratory disorders and cancer. They are the leading global cause of human mortality and morbidity. Given their chronic nature, NCDs represent a growing social and economic burden, hence urging the need for ameliorating the existing preventive strategies, and for finding novel tackling therapies. NCDs are highly correlated with unhealthy lifestyle habits (such as high-fat and high-glucose diet, or sedentary life). In general, lifestyle approaches that might improve these habits, including dietary consumption of fresh vegetables, fruits and fibers, may contrast NCD symptoms and prolong life expectancy of affected people. Polyphenols (PPLs) are plant-derived molecules with demonstrated biological activities in humans, which include: radical scavenging and anti-oxidant activities, capability to modulate inflammation, as well as human enzymes, and even to bind nuclear receptors. For these reasons, PPLs are currently tested, both preclinically and clinically, as dietary adjuvants for the prevention and treatment of NCDs. In this review, we describe the human metabolism and bioactivity of PPLs. Also, we report what is currently known about PPLs interaction with gastro-intestinal enzymes and gut microbiota, which allows their biotransformation in many different metabolites with several biological functions. The systemic bioactivity of PPLs and the newly available PPL-delivery nanosystems are also described in detail. Finally, the up-to-date clinical studies assessing both safety and efficacy of dietary PPLs in individuals with different NCDs are hereby reported. Overall, the clinical results support the notion that PPLs from fruits, vegetables, but also from leaves or seeds extracts, are safe and show significant positive results in ameliorating symptoms and improving the whole quality of life of people with NCDs.
Mixed Dimensional ZnO/WSe2 Piezo-gated Transistor with Active Millinewton Force Sensing

This work demonstrates a mixed-dimensional piezoelectric-gated transistor in the microscale that could be used as a millinewton force sensor. The force-sensing transistor consists of 1D piezoelectric zinc oxide (ZnO) nanorods (NRs) as the gate control and multilayer tungsten diselenide (WSe2) as the transistor channel. The applied mechanical force on piezoelectric NRs can induce a drain-source current change (ΔIds) on the WSe2 channel. The different doping types of the WSe2 channel have been found to lead to different directions of ΔIds. The pressure from the calibration weight of 5 g has been observed to result in an ∼30% Ids change for ZnO NRs on the p-type doped WSe2 device and an ∼-10% Ids change for the device with an n-type doped WSe2. The outcome of this work would be useful for applications in future human-machine interfaces and smart biomedical tools.
Techno-economic analysis of single-stage and temperature-phase anaerobic co-digestion of sewage sludge, wine vinasse, and poultry manure

Anaerobic co-digestion (AcoD) is a mature and consolidated waste management technology that can transform agro-industrial by-products into biogas and digestate. This study conducted a techno-economic assessment of bioenergy and agricultural fertilizer production from AcoD of sewage sludge, wine vinasse, and poultry manure. In this case study, three configurations were investigated: i) Scenario 1, AcoD in thermophilic temperature; ii) Scenario 2, AcoD in mesophilic temperature; and iii) Scenario 3, AcoD in a temperature phase (TPAD) system, where the digestate produced in the first reactor (thermophilic) feeds the second reactor (mesophilic). The process was designed to manage 24,022 m³ wine vinasse y-1, 24,022 m³ sewage sludge y-1, and 480 m³ poultry manure y-1. The major cost was the fixed capital investment for the single-stage (320,981 USD) and TPAD processes (379,698 USD). The TPAD process produced the highest electricity (1058.99 MWh y-1) and heat (4765.47 GJ y-1) with the lowest cost of manufacturing for electricity (84.99 USD MWh-1), heat (0.019 USD MJ-1), and fertilizer (30.91 USD t-1). Regarding the profitability indicators, the highest net present value (509,011 USD) and the lowest payback time (4.24 y) were achieved for Scenario 3. In conclusion, TPAD is a profitable and sustainable waste-to-energy management technology that can be applied in a circular economy framework to recover bioenergy and fertilizer, contributing to decreasing the carbon footprint of the agri-food sector.
High-resolution mapping reveals hotspots and sex-biased recombination in Populus trichocarpa

Fine-scale meiotic recombination is fundamental to the outcome of natural and artificial selection. Here, dense genetic mapping and haplotype reconstruction were used to estimate recombination for a full factorial Populus trichocarpa cross of 7 males and 7 females. Genomes of the resulting 49 full-sib families (N = 829 offspring) were resequenced, and high-fidelity biallelic SNP/INDELs and pedigree information were used to ascertain allelic phase and impute progeny genotypes to recover gametic haplotypes. The 14 parental genetic maps contained 1,820 SNP/INDELs on average that covered 376.7 Mb of physical length across 19 chromosomes. Comparison of parental and progeny haplotypes allowed fine-scale demarcation of cross-over regions, where 38,846 cross-over events in 1,658 gametes were observed. Cross-over events were positively associated with gene density and negatively associated with GC content and long-terminal repeats. One of the most striking findings was higher rates of cross-overs in males in 8 out of 19 chromosomes. Regions with elevated male cross-over rates had lower gene density and GC content than windows showing no sex bias. High-resolution analysis identified 67 candidate cross-over hotspots spread throughout the genome. DNA sequence motifs enriched in these regions showed striking similarity to those of maize, Arabidopsis, and wheat. These findings, and recombination estimates, will be useful for ongoing efforts to accelerate domestication of this and other biomass feedstocks, as well as future studies investigating broader questions related to evolutionary history, perennial development, phenology, wood formation, vegetative propagation, and dioecy that cannot be studied using annual plant model systems.
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Curriculum Within an Introductory Bioengineering Course

Curriculum initiatives that provide the societal context of engineering practice can contribute to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) within the profession, as well as within the communities served by engineers. JEDI curriculum can foster diversity and inclusion by acknowledging and addressing social justice issues, providing a safe and inclusive space for students' voices to be heard, and advancing a productive dialogue within their institution of higher learning. Furthermore, such curriculum initiatives can empower students with the theoretical frameworks, analytical tools, and knowledge base to recognize and address ethical challenges and opportunities related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in their field. This Teaching Tips paper offers a description of a pilot program to incorporate JEDI material within a core bioengineering course modeled on evidence-based curriculum programs to embed ethics within technical courses. The author and collaborators sought to achieve two aims with the JEDI-focused material: (1) for students to learn how justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion intersect with bioengineering practice through an interdisciplinary lens of history, philosophy, sociology and anthropology which provide strong scholarly frameworks and theoretical foundations and (2) for students to participate in and foster an inclusive environment within their own educational institution through effectively communicating about these topics with each other. At the conclusion of the semester, a student survey indicated an overwhelmingly positive reception of the material. This paper will discuss the interdisciplinary curriculum development initiative, how the learning objectives were addressed by the specific lesson plans, and challenges to be addressed to create a sustainable educational model for the program.