Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Implementation of the Sepsis Risk Calculator at an Academic Birth Hospital.

BACKGROUND Multivariate predictive models for estimating the risk of neonatal early-onset sepsis (EOS) are available as a Web-based sepsis risk calculator (SRC) and may reduce the proportion of newborns empirically treated with antibiotics after birth. EOS risk assessment based on such models would require workflow changes at most birth hospitals. METHODS A multidisciplinary team of obstetric, neonatal, and information technology staff at a large, academic, birth hospital collaborated to implement the SRC. The obstetric electronic medical record was modified to provide a link to the SRC. Labor and delivery nurses calculated the sepsis risk at birth and alerted neonatal clinicians for risk estimates ≥0.7 cases per 1000 live births. Subsequent interventions were based on the risk estimate and newborn clinical examination. We compared the proportion of infants born at ≥36 weeks' gestation with laboratory testing and empirical antibiotics for risk of EOS during the 15-month periods before (n = 5692) and after (n = 6090) implementation. EOS cases were reviewed to assess for safety. RESULTS Empirical antibiotic use among newborns ≤72 hours old declined by 42% (6.3% to 3.7%; relative risk 0.58 [95% confidence interval, 0.50-0.69]), and laboratory testing declined by 82% (26.9% to 4.9%; relative risk 0.18 [95% confidence interval, 0.16-0.21]). The EOS incidence was not different between the study periods, and no safety concerns were identified. CONCLUSIONS The SRC was integrated into the workflow of a large, academic perinatal center, resulting in significant reductions in antibiotics and laboratory testing for EOS and demonstrating the potential for this approach to impact national practice.
An improved cuckoo search algorithm for integer programming problems

This paper presents a novel cuckoo search algorithm called elite opposition - cuckoo search algorithm (ECS) for solving integer programming problems. The opposite solution of the elite individual in the population is generated by an opposition-based strategy in the proposed algorithm and form an opposite search space by constructing the opposite population that locates inside the dynamic search boundaries, then, the search space of the algorithm is guided to approximate the space in which the global optimum is included by simultaneously evaluating the current population and the opposite one. The results show that ECS algorithm has faster convergence speed, higher computational precision and is more effective for solving integer programming problems.
Enhanced radiation resistance of near-infrared photoluminescence emission induced by Er / Si nanoclustering

The influence of Er and Si nanoclustering on near-infrared (NIR) Er emission is investigated in fused silica samples exposed to proton beams, used to reproduce the space radiation conditions at low-Earth orbit (LEO). Bulk silica glasses are used as model systems that mimic optical fibers. The growth of Er/Si nanoclusters, synthesized in co-implanted fused silica after thermal annealing between 1000 °C and 1200 °C, was analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy analysis. Photoluminescence measurements of Er optical emission indicate that its I13/2 → I15/2 transition around 1.54 μm can still be used for optical communication after proton irradiation doses equivalent to over 50 years of exposure at LEO. Using a phenomenological model supported by Monte Carlo simulations, our results can be described in terms of an increase of the photocarrier transfer occurring between Si nanocrystals and NIR Er emitting levels, which partially compensates for the optical losses induced by structural damage. Our work demonstrates an alternative approach for the development of advanced Er light sources with superior radiation resistance and longer operating times in space environment.
A based Daubechies Wavelet Transform Approach to enhance the OSEM bone SPECT image reconstruction

This paper presents a new algorithm for bone Singlephoton emission computed tomography (SPECT) image reconstruction based on ordered subset expectation maximization (OSEM) algorithms and can remove the noise from images with the best degree of accuracy. In our proposed method, a de-noising pre-processing wavelet transform is applied on the projections then the OSEM algorithm is used to reconstruct successively 128 axial slices from a 128 enhanced sinograms, and finally we extract the coronal and sagittal slices from the enhanced axial slices volume. Our method is compared with two iterative methods of reconstruction, (OSEM) used only and a Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization (MLEM), each method was tested on a bone SPECT database and evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively. The results show that the proposed method has the highest performance on noise reduction with preservation of the singularity in comparison to other methods Keywords— Ordered subset expectation maximization, Singlephoton emission computed tomography (SPECT), images reconstruction, daubechies wavelet transform, Maximum Likelihood Expectation Maximization
Proliferation of Murine Midbrain Neural Stem Cells Depends upon an Endogenous Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) Source

The Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) pathway is responsible for critical patterning events early in development and for regulating the delicate balance between proliferation and differentiation in the developing and adult vertebrate brain. Currently, our knowledge of the potential role of Shh in regulating neural stem cells (NSC) is largely derived from analyses of the mammalian forebrain, but for dorsal midbrain development it is mostly unknown. For a detailed understanding of the role of Shh pathway for midbrain development in vivo, we took advantage of mouse embryos with cell autonomously activated Hedgehog (Hh) signaling in a conditional Patched 1 (Ptc1) mutant mouse model. This animal model shows an extensive embryonic tectal hypertrophy as a result of Hh pathway activation. In order to reveal the cellular and molecular origin of this in vivo phenotype, we established a novel culture system to evaluate neurospheres (nsps) viability, proliferation and differentiation. By recreating the three-dimensional (3-D) microenvironment we highlight the pivotal role of endogenous Shh in maintaining the stem cell potential of tectal radial glial cells (RGC) and progenitors by modulating their Ptc1 expression. We demonstrate that during late embryogenesis Shh enhances proliferation of NSC, whereas blockage of endogenous Shh signaling using cyclopamine, a potent Hh pathway inhibitor, produces the opposite effect. We propose that canonical Shh signaling plays a central role in the control of NSC behavior in the developing dorsal midbrain by acting as a niche factor by partially mediating the response of NSC to epidermal growth factor (EGF) and fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signaling. We conclude that endogenous Shh signaling is a critical mechanism regulating the proliferation of stem cell lineages in the embryonic dorsal tissue.
Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Nanocrystalline ZnS thin films Deposited by Novel Chemical Route

Semiconducting Zinc sulphide (ZnS) thin films were deposited on glass substrate using relatively simple, quick chemical bath deposition method (CBD) using the mixed aqueous solution of zinc sulphate, thiourea and ammonia. The ammonia was used as the complexing agents. The preparative parameters such as concentration, temperature, deposition time, pH of solution have been optimized. Thin film of ZnS with different thickness were prepared by changing the deposition time at 850c. The characterization of thin films was carried out for the structural, surface morphological, optical and electrical properties. The thin films we characterized by using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), UV-VIS Spectra and d.c. two point probe method. The effect of thin film thickness on optical and electrical properties has been studied. _________________________________________________
Interpolation with pseudo-primaries : revisited

Large gaps may exist in marine data at near offsets. I generate pseudo-primaries by autocorrelating data containing both primary and multiple reflections. These pseudo-primaries are used as training data for a non-stationary prediction-error filter, which is then used to interpolate the missing near offsets. This method yields good results using filters in the t-x domain, whereas f-x domain filters do not fare well at eliminating the crosstalk in the pseudo-primaries.
Preclinical In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of [18F]FE@SUPPY for Cancer PET Imaging: Limitations of a Xenograft Model for Colorectal Cancer

Molecular imaging probes such as PET-tracers have the potential to improve the accuracy of tumor characterization by directly visualizing the biochemical situation. Thus, molecular changes can be detected early before morphological manifestation. The A3 adenosine receptor (A3AR) is described to be highly expressed in colon cancer cell lines and human colorectal cancer (CRC), suggesting this receptor as a tumor marker. The aim of this preclinical study was the evaluation of [18F]FE@SUPPY as a PET-tracer for CRC using in vitro imaging and in vivo PET imaging. First, affinity and selectivity of FE@SUPPY and its metabolites were determined, proving the favorable binding profile of FE@SUPPY. The human adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 was characterized regarding its hA3AR expression and was subsequently chosen as tumor graft. Promising results regarding the potential of [18F]FE@SUPPY as a PET-tracer for CRC imaging were obtained by autoradiography as ≥2.3-fold higher accumulation of [18F]FE@SUPPY was found in CRC tissue compared to adjacent healthy colon tissue from the same patient. Nevertheless, first in vivo studies using HT-29 xenografts showed insufficient tumor uptake due to (1) poor conservation of target expression in xenografts and (2) unfavorable pharmacokinetics of [18F]FE@SUPPY in mice. We therefore conclude that HT-29 xenografts are not adequate to visualize hA3ARs using [18F]FE@SUPPY.
Corpus-level Fine-grained Entity Typing

This paper addresses the problem of corpus-level entity typing, i.e., inferring from a large corpus that an entity is a member of a class such as "food" or "artist". The application of entity typing we are interested in is knowledge base completion, specifically, to learn which classes an entity is a member of. We propose FIGMENT to tackle this problem. FIGMENT is embedding- based and combines (i) a global model that scores based on aggregated contextual information of an entity and (ii) a context model that first scores the individual occurrences of an entity and then aggregates the scores. Each of the two proposed models has some specific properties. For the global model, learning high quality entity representations is crucial because it is the only source used for the predictions. Therefore, we introduce representations using name and contexts of entities on the three levels of entity, word, and character. We show each has complementary information and a multi-level representation is the best. For the context model, we need to use distant supervision since the context-level labels are not available for entities. Distant supervised labels are noisy and this harms the performance of models. Therefore, we introduce and apply new algorithms for noise mitigation using multi-instance learning. We show the effectiveness of our models in a large entity typing dataset, built from Freebase.
Long-Term Empirical and Observational Evidence of Practical Helicoverpa zea Resistance to Cotton With Pyramided Bt Toxins

Abstract Evidence of practical resistance of Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to Bt cotton in the United States is debatable, supported with occasional reports of boll damage in the field. Our objective was to provide both empirical and long-term observational evidence of practical resistance by linking both in-season and end-of-season measurements of H. zea damage to pyramided Bt cotton bolls and to provide Cry1Ac diet-based bioassay data in support of these damage estimates. In-season boll damage from H. zea was highly correlated to end-of-season damaged bolls. Across North Carolina, Bt cotton fields with end-of-season bolls damaged by H. zea increased during 2016 compared to previous years. Elevated damage was coupled with an increase in field sprays targeting H. zea during 2016, but not related to an increase in H. zea abundance. Bioassay data indicated that there was a range of Cry1Ac susceptibility across the southeastern United States. Given the range of susceptibility to Cry1Ac across the southeastern United States, it is probable that resistant populations are common. Since H. zea is resistant to cotton expressing pyramided Cry toxins, the adoption of new cotton varieties expressing Vip3Aa will be rapid. Efforts should be made to delay resistance of H. zea to the Vip3Aa toxin to avoid foliar insecticide use.
Asymmetric neuromodulation of motor circuits in Parkinson's disease: The role of subthalamic deep brain stimulation

Whereas hemispheric dominance is well-established for appendicular motor control in humans, the evidence for dominance in axial motor control is still scarce. In Parkinson's disease (PD), unilateral (UL) onset of appendicular motor symptoms corresponds with asymmetric neurodegeneration predominantly affecting contralateral nigrostriatal circuits. Disease progression yields bilateral and axial motor symptoms but the initial appendicular asymmetry usually persists. Furthermore, there is evidence for hemispheric dominance for axial motor dysfunction in some of these patients. Dopaminergic medications improve appendicular symptoms but can also produce motor complications over time. Once these complications develop, bilateral (BL) deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nuclei (STN) can significantly improve appendicular symptoms while reducing medication doses and motor complications. Conversely, axial motor symptoms remain a significant source of disability, morbidity, and mortality for patients with PD. These axial symptoms do not necessarily improve with dopaminergic therapy, might not respond, and could even worsen after BL-DBS. In contrast to medications, DBS provides the opportunity to modify stimulation parameters for each cerebral hemisphere. Identical, BL-DBS of motor circuits with hemispheric dominance in PD might produce overstimulation on one side and/or understimulation on the other side, which could contribute to motor dysfunction. Several studies based on asymmetry of appendicular motor symptoms already support an initial UL rather than BL approach to DBS in some patients. The response of axial motor symptoms to UL versus BL-DBS remains unclear. Nonetheless, UL-DBS, staged BL-DBS, or asymmetric programming of BL-DBS could also be considered in patients with PD.
Straining and Attachment of Colloids in Physically Heterogeneous Porous Media

Colloid transport studies were conducted in water‐saturated physically heterogeneous systems to gain insight into the processes controlling transport in natural aquifer and vadose zone (variably saturated) systems. Stable monodispersed colloids (carboxyl latex microspheres) and porous media (Ottawa quartz sands) that are negatively charged were employed in these studies. The physically heterogeneous systems consisted of various combinations of a cylindrical sand lens embedded in the center of a larger cylinder of matrix sand. Colloid migration was found to strongly depend on colloid size and physical heterogeneity. A decrease in the peak effluent concentration and an increase in the colloid mass removal in the sand near the column inlet occurred when the median grain size of the matrix sand decreased or the size of the colloid increased. These observations and numerical modeling of the transport data indicated that straining was sometimes an important mechanism of colloid retention. Experimental and simulation results suggest that attachment was more important when the colloid size was small relative to the sand pore size. Transport differences between conservative tracers and colloids were attributed to flow bypassing of finer‐textured sands, colloid retention at interfaces of soil textural contrasts, and exclusion of colloids from smaller pore spaces. Colloid retention in the heterogeneous systems was also influenced by spatial variations in the pore water velocity. Parameters in straining and attachment models were successfully optimized to the colloid transport data. The straining model typically provided a better description of the effluent and retention data than the attachment model, especially for larger colloids and finer‐textured sands. Consistent with previously reported findings, straining occurred when the ratio of the colloid and median grain diameters was >0.5%.
Effect of key process variables on mechanical properties of blended vortex spun yarns

Abstract A study of significant factors and their interaction during vortex yarn spinning has been carried out to achieve desired mechanical properties of the polyethylene terephthalate/cotton blended yarns which can offer process and performance advantages. The key significant factors, i.e. feed ratio, air pressure and spindle size were varied in a mixed-level factorial design. The mechanical properties (count lea strength product, tenacity and elongation at break) were studied and feed ratio was found to significantly affect the tenacity and elongation at break of spun yarns. A significant effect of these parameters was observed on the diameter and hairiness of the Muratec vortex spun yarn.
Public stigma and attitudes toward psychological help‐seeking in the United Arab Emirates: The mediational role of self‐stigma

PURPOSE Scholars argue that public stigma is predictive of self-stigma, and self-stigma is a primary predictor of attitudes toward seeking psychological help (ATPH). This assertion remains undetermined outside of the United States. This study examines a potential mediational model in which internalized stigma was hypothesized to mediate the relationship between public stigma and ATPH using a sample in the United Arab Emirates. DESIGN AND METHODS Cross-sectional, correlational design; 114 students completed measures of public stigma, self-stigma, and ATPH. FINDINGS Full mediation occurred. The sample exhibited high levels of both public stigma and self-stigma. Psychology students manifested diminished levels of stigma and more favorable ATPH. Results are discussed in relation to the prevalent cultural and contextual factors. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Stigma reduction campaigns in this locale should target internalized stigma and its associated socio-cultural nuances.
Resource recovery and reuse as an incentive for a more viable sanitation service chain

Recovering nutrients, water and energy from domestic waste streams, including wastewater and faecal sludge, is slowly gaining momentum in low-income countries. Resource recovery and reuse (RRR) offers value beyond environmental benefits through cost recovery. An expected game changer in sanitation service provision is a business model where benefits accrued via RRR can support upstream sanitation services despite the multitude of private and public stakeholders involved from waste collection to treatment. This paper shows options of how resource recovery and reuse can be an incentive for the sustainable sanitation service chain, by recovering costs where revenue can feed back internally or using generated revenues from reuse to fill financial gaps across the service chain to complement other supporting mechanisms for making waste management more attractive.
An improved Landauer principle with finite-size corrections

Landauerʼs principle relates entropy decrease and heat dissipation during logically irreversible processes. Most theoretical justifications of Landauerʼs principle either use thermodynamic reasoning or rely on specific models based on arguable assumptions. Here, we aim at a general and minimal setup to formulate Landauerʼs principle in precise terms. We provide a simple and rigorous proof of an improved version of the principle, which is formulated in terms of an equality rather than an inequality. The proof is based on quantum statistical mechanics concepts rather than on thermodynamic argumentation. From this equality version, we obtain explicit improvements of Landauerʼs bound that depend on the effective size of the thermal reservoir and reduce to Landauerʼs bound only for infinite-sized reservoirs.
ICH Quality Guidelines: An Implementation Guide

Examining the implications and practical implementation of multi-disciplinary International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) topics, this book gives an integrated view of how the guidelines inform drug development strategic planning and decision-making. Addresses a consistent need for interpretation, training, and implementation examples of ICH guidelines via case studies Offers a primary reference point for practitioners addressing the dual challenge of interpretation and practical implementation of ICH guidelines Uses case studies to help readers understand and apply ICH guidelines Provides valuable insights into guidelines development, with chapters by authors involved in generating or with experience implementing the guidelines Includes coverage of stability testing, analytical method validation, impurities, biotechnology drugs and products, and good manufacturing practice (GMP)
Convolution of 3D Gaussian surfaces for volumetric intensity inhomogeneity estimation and correction in 3D brain MR image data

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging technique has become indispensable in image-guided diagnosis and clinical research. However, present MR image acquisition leads to a slow varying intensity inhomogeneity (IIH) in MR image data. This study presents a novel technique based on convolution of three-dimensional (3D) Gaussian surfaces, which is denoted as ‘Co3DGS’, for volumetric IIH estimation and correction for 3D brain MR image data. A 3D Gaussian surface is approximated using local voxel gradients on each tissue volume corresponding to grey matter, white matter and cerebrospinal fluid of the 3D brain MR image data and then convolved to partially estimate the IIH, which is subsequently removed from the image data. The above processes are repeated until there is no such significant change in the voxel gradients. The Co3DGS technique has been tested on both synthetic and in-vivo human 3D brain MR image data of different pulse sequences. The empirical results both in qualitatively and quantitatively, which include coefficient of joint variation, index of variation, index of joint variation, index of class separability and root mean square error, collectively demonstrate that the Co3DGS efficiently estimates and removes the IIH from the 3D brain MR image data and stands superior to some state-of-the-art methods.