Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Annealing effects on titanium dioxide films by Sol-Gel spin coating method

TiO2 thin films were deposited on silicon dioxide substrates using a sol-gel method. The surface morphologies, structural and electrical properties at different annealing temperatures were studied using atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Kiethley 6485 pico-ammeter. The XRD pattern displayed the presence of anatase and rutile structures even at low temperature while AFM displayed that the annealing temperature affects the particle size. Current-voltage (I-V) characteristic revealed that the conductivity decreased as the annealing temperature varied from 300 to 900oC.
Crowdsourcing Complex Workflows under Budget Constraints

We consider the problem of task allocation in crowdsourcing systems with multiple complex workflows, each of which consists of a set of inter-dependent micro-tasks.We propose Budgeteer, an algorithm to solve this problem under a budget constraint. In particular, our algorithm first calculates an efficient way to allocate budget to each workflow. It then determines the number of inter-dependent micro-tasks and the price to pay for each task within each workflow, given the corresponding budget constraints. We empirically evaluate it on a well-known crowdsourcing-based text correction workflow using Amazon Mechanical Turk, and show that Budgeteer can achieve similar levels of accuracy to current benchmarks, but is on average 45 % cheaper.
Generation and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against thyroid-stimulating hormone for newborn screening of congenital hypothyroidism

ABSTRACT Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is one of the most frequent inherited-metabolic diseases in the world, and the main cause of treatable mental retardation in children. Because signs and symptoms of this disease are often scarce and not easily recognizable, newborns are screened for the early CH detection at birth. The Center of Immunoassay (CIE) has developed the UMELISA® TSH Neonatal and UMELISA® TSH to determine neonatal thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in dried blood and serum samples. Both reagent kits use the same polystyrene plates coated with anti-β-TSH monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), but one of these is commercially acquired. Obtaining appropriate anti-TSH MAbs at the CIE would guarantee economic independence and security in the production of these kits. Immunization of mice with TSH led to the generation of 7G11E3, an anti-β-TSH IgG1-secreting hybridoma. The high affinity of 7G11E3 MAb and its characteristic epitopic recognition explain its better performance when adsorbed to UMELISA® plates for capturing low amounts of TSH in comparison with the studied MAbs. Performance of assays using polystyrene plates coated with 7G11E3 MAb was studied. Recovery percentages (100.0–106.7% for UMELISA® TSH NEONATAL and 97.3–99.0% for UMELISA® TSH) and intra (5.2–7.9% for UMELISA® TSH NEONATAL and 3.2–5.3% for UMELISA® TSH) and inter (6.6–7.7% for UMELISA® TSH NEONATAL and 5.2–8.0% for UMELISA® TSH) coefficients of variation were similar to the ones described for the commercial kits. Limits of detection and quantification were 1.0 and 3.8 mIU/L for UMELISA® TSH NEONATAL, and 0.3 and 0.6 mIU/L for UMELISA® TSH, respectively. The results also showed high overall concordance between assays (n = 2 019, ρc = 0.90 for UMELISA® TSH NEONATAL and n = 200, ρc = 0.94 for UMELISA® TSH). The 7G11E3 MAb meets the requirements for its use in the plates of UMELISA® TSH kits for CH newborn screening in Cuba. Abbreviations: CECMED, Center for the State Control of Medicaments and Medical Equipment and Devices; CH, congenital hypothyroidism; CIE, Center of Immunoassay; CLSI, Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute; CV coefficient of variation; DBS, dried blood spots; LOB, limit of blank; LOD, limit of detection; LOQ, limit of quantitation; SD, standard deviation; Sr, repeatability standard deviation; SUMA, Ultra Micro Analytic System; UMELISA, ultramicro enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.
Salmonella typhi as cause of neonatal sepsis: case report and literature review

Abstract Salmonella typhi is a rare cause of neonatal sepsis and can present with life threating complications, thus leading to increase in neonatal mortality and morbidity. The clinical features of neonatal Salmonella typhi infection are not different to neonatal sepsis caused by other gram-negative organism in this age group. The mode of transmission of neonatal Salmonella typhi is still not known and has been postulated to be both vertical and horizontal. The diagnosis of Salmonella typhi is made by growth of the organism in blood culture as Serum Widal test is not helpful in diagnosis. The management includes supportive care and intravenous antibiotics. We report two neonates who were admitted in our neonatal intensive care unit for neonatal sepsis and were diagnosed of having Salmonella typhi sepsis.
Concurrent OX40 and CD30 Ligand Blockade Abrogates the CD4-Driven Autoimmunity Associated with CTLA4 and PD1 Blockade while Preserving Excellent Anti-CD8 Tumor Immunity

Although strategies that block FOXP3-dependent regulatory T cell function (CTLA4 blockade) and the inhibitory receptor PD1 have shown great promise in promoting antitumor immune responses in humans, their widespread implementation for cancer immunotherapy has been hampered by significant off-target autoimmune side effects that can be lethal. Our work has shown that absence of OX40 and CD30 costimulatory signals prevents CD4 T cell–driven autoimmunity in Foxp3-deficient mice, suggesting a novel way to block these side effects. In this study, we show that excellent antitumor CD8 T cell responses can be achieved in Foxp3KO mice deficient in OX40 and CD30 signals, particularly in the presence of concurrent PD1 blockade. Furthermore, excellent antitumor immune responses can also be achieved using combinations of Abs that block CTLA4, PD1, OX40, and CD30 ligands, without CD4 T cell–driven autoimmunity. By dissociating autoimmune side effects from anticancer immune responses, this potentially shifts this antitumor approach to patients with far less advanced disease.
Programmed Cell Death Ligand-1 (PD-L1) and CD8 Expression Profiling Identify an Immunologic Subtype of Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinomas with Favorable Survival

Two independent cohorts of patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) were evaluated and a subset of patients with favorable prognosis was identified. These results highlight that in PDAC, the antitumor response is a feature of long-term survival. Immune-checkpoint therapy has failed to demonstrate meaningful clinical benefit in unselected cases of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), but a subset of PDACs are known to upregulate pathways involved in acquired immune suppression. Further delineation of immunologic subtypes of PDAC is necessary to improve clinical trial designs and identify patients who might benefit from immune-checkpoint therapy. We used clinical survival and RNA expression data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to investigate the relationship between immune-modulating pathways and immune subset markers and their impact on survival in PDAC patients. Of the adaptive immune-resistance pathways, expression of PD-L1 and IDO1 was individually associated with poor survival. Although CD8 expression alone was not correlated with survival, the combination of PD-L1− and high CD8 expression identified a subtype with favorable survival. We further extended these observations using an independent PDAC cohort from our institution via IHC, again observing that the PD-L1−/CD8high subtype was associated with positive prognosis. Although PDAC is regarded as a poorly immunogenic cancer type, these findings infer that T-cell infiltration in the absence of adaptive immune-resistance pathways is a feature of long-term survival in PDAC and imply the importance of developing future immunotherapeutic strategies based on data-supported biomarkers to refine patient selection.
Could Postnatal Age–Related Uridine Diphosphate Glucuronic Acid Be a Rate‐Limiting Factor in the Metabolism of Morphine During the First Week of Life?

Neonates experience dramatic changes in the disposition of drugs after birth as a result of enzyme maturation and environmental adjustment, challenging therapeutic decision making. In this research, we establish postnatal age, postmenstrual age, and body weight as physiologically reasonable predictors of morphine's clearance in neonates. By integrating knowledge of bilirubin, morphine, and other drugs metabolized by glucuronidation pathways from previously published studies, we hypothesize that uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid, a postnatal age–dependent sugar, plays an important role in the metabolism of morphine during the first week of life. This finding can be extended to other drugs metabolized by uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase pathways in neonates and thus has important clinical implications for the use of drugs in this population.
Effect of Wellness Education on Quality of Life of Patients With Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer Treated With First-Line Icotinib and on Their Family Caregivers

Objective: To examine the effects of a wellness-education intervention on quality of life (QOL) of patients with NSCLC treated with icotinib and on their caregivers. Methods: This feasibility study was a prospective pilot randomized controlled trial to evaluate a wellness-education intervention in NSCLC patients and caregivers undergoing icotinib treatment. The participants in the wellness-education group were provided with well-being information over 8 weeks. The Family Environment Scale (FES), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy–Lung (FACT-L), Caregiver QOL Index–Cancer Scale (CQOLC), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were measured at baseline prior to randomization and after 8 weeks. Patients completed the FACT-L and HADS, caregivers completed the CQOLC and FES. Results: 67 patients/caregivers in the wellness-education group and 71 in the control group could be analyzed. Feasibility targets were the following: (1) >70% study enrollment of eligible patients; (2) >90% of participants completing this study; (3) <10% missing data. Wellness-education group had better change scores at 8 weeks for the emotional well-being subscale of FACT-L (12.8 vs 15.6, P = .014), anxiety subscale of HADS (6.1 vs 6.7, P = .030), adaptation (66.0 vs 54.7, P = .037) and financial subscales of CQOLC (70.8 vs 69.8, P = .044), and the cohesion (7.3 ± 1.8 vs 5.7 ± 1.7, P= .021) and conflict (3.4 ± 1.9 vs 4.5 ± 1.7, P = .031) subscales of the FES. Conclusion: Wellness-education in patients/caregivers with NSCLC treated with icotinib are feasible and could improve patients’ QOL and their relationship with caregivers.
Blood parasites of mound-building mouse, Mus spicilegus Petényi, 1882 (Mammalia, Rodentia).

Mound-building mice, Mus spicilegus, were studied for the blood parasites in Eastern Slovakia, vicinity Kechnec village near Kosice town (Kosická kotlina basin, 21 degrees 14' E, 48 degrees 33' N) during years 2002-2005. Overall, 251 specimens were examined. The parasites were detected using microhematokrit centrifugation technique and on the Giemsa's method stained blood smears and light microscopy. The parasites were found in 3.57% of specimens; 1.20% of mice were infected with Bartonella sp. , 2.39% were infected with Babesia piroplasms. No Hepatozoon hemogregarines and trypanosomes were observed. The intensity of infection with Bartonella was low, less than 0.01% of erythrocytes were invaded, the percent of the erythrocytes with Babesia sp. was less than 0.01%. The morphological description and measurements of parasites were made using the "Analysis" software combined with a video camera and a microscope. The mean size of Bartonella sp. bacteria's were 0.8 x 0.3 microm, range 0.4-1.5 x 0.1-0.9 microm, Babesia sp. occurred in pear-shaped and ring-like forms, 1.00-1.27 microm in diameter, and 0.98-1.27 microm in size, respectively. The regular form of four cells--"maltese cross" was not noticed. This is the first record infection of Mus spicilegus with blood parasites.
Norepinephrine in depressive reactions. A review.

Introduction LITTLE IS known about the possible etiological biochemical factors relating to depressive reactions. Clinical evidence suggests that many depressions respond to the following somatic treatment: electric convulsive therapy (ECT), the imipramine type of drugs, and the monoamine oxidase inhibitor group of drugs. 2,3 Do these two classes of drugs have common factors in their mechanism of action and can this be related to the fact that one antihypertensive agent, namely, reserpine, produces severe depression in a small but consistent number of hypertensive patients? 4-8 Rosenblatt et al, 9 in 1959, were among the first to specifically suggest that changes in brain norepinephrine (NEP) may be involved in depression. Based in part on the knowledge of the effect of reserpine and monoamine oxidase inhibitors on depressed mood and norepinephrine (NEP), they hypothesized that the depressive state might be associated with a relative decrease of norepinephrine
Continuous 4‐week ECG monitoring with adhesive electrodes reveals AF in patients with recent embolic stroke of undetermined source

Atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently escapes routine stroke workup due to its unpredictable and often asymptomatic nature, leaving a significant portion of patients at high risk of recurrent stroke. Recent trials emphasized continuous electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring in the detection of occult AF. We screened AF in patients meeting the embolic stroke of unknown source (ESUS) criteria using an external miniaturized recorder with an adhesive electrode.
Perceptual Video Super Resolution with Enhanced Temporal Consistency

With the advent of perceptual loss functions, new possibilities in super-resolution have emerged, and we currently have models that successfully generate near-photorealistic high-resolution images from their low-resolution observations. Up to now, however, such approaches have been exclusively limited to single image super-resolution. The application of perceptual loss functions on video processing still entails several challenges, mostly related to the lack of temporal consistency of the generated images, i.e., flickering artifacts. In this work, we present a novel adversarial recurrent network for video upscaling that is able to produce realistic textures in a temporally consistent way. The proposed architecture naturally leverages information from previous frames due to its recurrent architecture, i.e. the input to the generator is composed of the low-resolution image and, additionally, the warped output of the network at the previous step. Together with a video discriminator, we also propose additional loss functions to further reinforce temporal consistency in the generated sequences. The experimental validation of our algorithm shows the effectiveness of our approach which obtains images with high perceptual quality and improved temporal consistency.
An Ontology-based Profile for Learner Representation in Learning Networks

In the context of lifelong learning, learning networks are emerged as alternative and feasible integrated models that merge pedagogical, organizational, and technological perspectives to support and promote the provision of lifelong learning opportunities. Among the significant issues that arise when setting up a learning network is the question of how to support communication between repositories that employ different schemes for describing learner profiles. To guarantee correct interpretation, a semantic common metadata schema is required. This paper aims to propose an ontological structure for representing a learner profile that augments it with semantics and provides a common vocabulary for the exchange of the different learner's characteristics that can be presented in a learner model. The proposed structure is based on different learner information with respect to well-known learner model specifications. Besides, it reuses terms from well-developed Semantic Web vocabularies which make it semantic web compliant and integrates different domain taxonomies and subject taxonomies that are used as ranges for particular concepts' slots.
Dependency Language Models for Sentence Completion

Sentence completion is a challenging semantic modeling task in which models must choose the most appropriate word from a given set to complete a sentence. Although a variety of language models have been applied to this task in previous work, none of the existing approaches incorporate syntactic information. In this paper we propose to tackle this task using a pair of simple language models in which the probability of a sentence is estimated as the probability of the lexicalisation of a given syntactic dependency tree. We apply our approach to the Microsoft Research Sentence Completion Challenge and show that it improves on n-gram language models by 8.7 percentage points, achieving the highest accuracy reported to date apart from neural language models that are more complex and expensive to train.
Comparisons of cancer-associated fibroblasts in the intratumoral stroma and invasive front in colorectal cancer

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytomorphologic maturity and molecular activation of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the intratumoral stroma and invasive front in colorectal cancer and understand how they affect cancer invasion and long-term oncological outcomes. The cytomorphologic maturity of and &agr;-smooth muscle actin (&agr;-SMA), fibroblast activation protein &; (FAP&agr;), and fibroblast-specific protein 1 (FSP-1) expression in CAFs in the intratumoral stroma (CAFIT) and the invasive front (CAFIF) of colorectal cancer tissues were compared (n = 147). The correlations between CAF maturation, molecular activity markers, and cancer invasion were evaluated by network analysis. Overall survival and systemic recurrence were analyzed to assess the oncological effects of CAF properties. The cytomorphologic maturation rate was comparable between CAFIT and CAFIF. The presence of mature CAFs was related to epidermal growth factor receptor overexpression in cancer cells. Expression rates of &agr;-SMA (96.6%–98.0%) and FAP&agr; (18.6%–22.9%) were similar between CAFIT and CAFIF. FSP-1 expression was more frequent in CAFIT than in CAFIF (66.4% vs 58.2%, P = .038). There was a significant decrease in FSP-1 expression in CAFIT and CAFIF in higher stages. The infiltrating growth pattern of the tumor was more frequent in the immature CAFIT. In colorectal cancer with perineural invasion and lymph node metastasis, FSP-1 expression in CAFIF was significantly lower. On multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model, immature CAFIF was found to be an independent prognostic factor of overall survival. In non-metastatic (stage I-III) colorectal cancer patients, CAF maturity was not a prognostic factor for systemic recurrence. Cytomorphologic maturity and molecular activation markers were similar between CAFs in the intratumoral stroma and invasive front of colorectal cancer.
Interviewer- Versus Self-Administration of PROMIS® Measures for Adults With Traumatic Injury

Objective: To assess differential item functioning and observed mean differences across two modes of administration for PROMIS® measure scores in a sample of adults with traumatic injury. Method: Items from 7 PROMIS® adult measures (v1.0 Physical Function, Fatigue, Pain Interference, Anger, Anxiety, and Depression and v2.0 Social Health—Emotional Support) were administered as fixed-length short forms in random order to a cross-sectional sample. Participants were randomly assigned to interviewer-administered (phone or in-person) or self-administered (via the Assessment Center website) conditions. The research was conducted at 5 medical rehabilitation institutions across the U.S. Participants included 277 adults with spinal cord injury (n = 148) or traumatic brain injury (n = 129). Results: DIF analyses indicated that all items were invariant to mode of administration. There was no significant effect of mode of administration for the majority of PROMIS® measures tested. Regarding observed scores, there were small but significant effects of mode of administration on the Emotional Support and Depression measures, with participants in the interview condition reporting better support/fewer symptoms. Conclusions: PROMIS® instruments demonstrated measurement equivalence across interviewer-administered and self-administered conditions. These findings are particularly important for research or clinical applications where administration of PROMIS® measures by independent web- or tablet-based administration is not ideal, for example with individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities or with individuals who lack computer and/or Internet access. PROMIS® v1.0 Depression and PROMIS® v2.0 Emotional Support scores displayed a tendency toward social desirability that should be considered when these measures are interviewer-administered.
Financial Inclusion as a Strategy for Enhanced Economic Growth and Development

The paper investigates the effect of financial inclusion on economic growth and development in Nigeria over the period 1986-2015 using the Ordinary Least Squares technique. Financial inclusion was measured in the study using loan to deposit ratio, financial deepening indicators, loan to rural areas, and branch network. Measures of financial deepening adopted in the study are ratios of private sector credit to GDP and broad money supply to GDP. Economic growth was proxied as growth in GDP over successive periods while per capita income was adopted as a measure of poverty, hence an index of development. The study shows that (i) credit delivery to the private sector has not significantly supported economic growth in Nigeria (ii) financial inclusion has promoted poverty alleviation in Nigeria through rural credit delivery. The monetary authorities should deepen financial inclusion efforts through enhanced credit delivery to the private sector as well as strengthen the regulatory framework in order to ensure efficient and effective resource allocation and utilization.
Data Analytics in Operations Management: A Review

Research in operations management has traditionally focused on models for understanding, mostly at a strategic level, how firms should operate. Spurred by the growing availability of data and recent advances in machine learning and optimization methodologies, there has been an increasing application of data analytics to problems in operations management. In this paper, we review recent applications of data analytics to operations management, in three major areas -- supply chain management, revenue management and healthcare operations -- and highlight some exciting directions for the future.