Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Concurrent and Simultaneous Use of Cannabis and Tobacco and Its Relationship with Academic Achievement amongst University Students

The combined use of cannabis and tobacco is frequent in Europe. Few studies have nonetheless explored this pattern of consumption and its relationship with academic achievement in Spanish population. The aim of the present study was to analyze (1) the frequency of four patterns of polydrug use the last year (non-dual users of cannabis and tobacco; concurrent users: cannabis and tobacco separately; simultaneous users: tobacco in cannabis “joints”; simultaneous users: tobacco in cannabis joints alongside alcohol) by gender and age; (2) grade point average (GPA) by gender and age; (3) the association between the frequency of the four patterns of use and the GPA amongst a sample of 477 Spanish university students. The use of cannabis and tobacco (concurrent and simultaneous) and GPA were assessed by means of self-reported questionnaires. Statistically significant differences were found for the GPA with respect to gender. The GPA by the non-dual users of cannabis and tobacco was significantly higher than the GPA corresponding to the concurrent and simultaneous users. The combined use of cannabis and tobacco, regardless of the type of use (concurrent or simultaneous), is moderately related to poor academic achievement amongst university students.
Multicenter Clinical Evaluation of the Luminex Aries Flu A/B & RSV Assay for Pediatric and Adult Respiratory Tract Specimens

ABSTRACT Influenza A and B viruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are three common viruses implicated in seasonal respiratory tract infections and are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adults and children worldwide. In recent years, an increasing number of commercial molecular tests have become available to diagnose respiratory viral infections. The Luminex Aries Flu A/B & RSV assay is a fully automated sample-to-answer molecular diagnostic assay for the detection of influenza A, influenza B, and RSV. The clinical performance of the Aries Flu A/B & RSV assay was prospectively evaluated in comparison to that of the Luminex xTAG respiratory viral panel (RVP) at four North American clinical institutions over a 2-year period. Of the 2,479 eligible nasopharyngeal swab specimens included in the prospective study, 2,371 gave concordant results between the assays. One hundred eight specimens generated results that were discordant with those from the xTAG RVP and were further analyzed by bidirectional sequencing. Final clinical sensitivity values of the Aries Flu A/B & RSV assay were 98.1% for influenza A virus, 98.0% for influenza B virus, and 97.7% for RSV. Final clinical specificities for all three pathogens ranged from 98.6% to 99.8%. Due to the low prevalence of influenza B, an additional 40 banked influenza B-positive specimens were tested at the participating clinical laboratories and were all accurately detected by the Aries Flu A/B & RSV assay. This study demonstrates that the Aries Flu A/B & RSV assay is a suitable method for rapid and accurate identification of these causative pathogens in respiratory infections.
Musculotendon adaptations and preservation of spinal reflex pathways following agonist‐to‐antagonist tendon transfer

Tendon transfer surgeries are performed to restore lost motor function, but outcomes are variable, particularly those involving agonist‐to‐antagonist muscles. Here, we evaluated the possibility that lack of proprioceptive feedback reorganization and musculotendon adaptations could influence outcomes. Plantaris‐to‐tibialis anterior tendon transfer along with resection of the distal third of the tibialis anterior muscle belly was performed in eight cats. Four cats had concurrent transection of the deep peroneal nerve. After 15–20 weeks, intermuscular length and force‐dependent sensory feedback were examined between hindlimb muscles, and the integrity of the tendon‐to‐tendon connection and musculotendon adaptations were evaluated. Three of the transferred tendons tore. A common finding was the formation of new tendinous connections, which often inserted near the original location of insertion on the skeleton (e.g., connections from plantaris toward calcaneus and from tibialis anterior toward first metatarsal). The newly formed tissue connections are expected to compromise the mechanical action of the transferred muscle. We found no evidence of changes in intermuscular reflexes between transferred plantaris muscle and synergists/antagonists whether the tendon‐to‐tendon connection remained intact or tore, indicating no spinal reflex reorganization. We propose the lack of spinal reflex reorganization could contribute the transferred muscle not adopting the activation patterns of the host muscle. Taken together, these findings suggest that musculotendon plasticity and lack of spinal reflex circuitry reorganization could limit functional outcomes after tendon transfer surgery. Surgical planning and outcomes assessments after tendon transfer surgery should consider potential consequences of the transferred muscle's intermuscular spinal circuit actions.
Evaluating the performance of e-government in developing countries: A public value perspective

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose and validate a public value-based framework for evaluating the performance of electronic government (e-government), leading to the identification of the critical factors in creating public value through e-government in developing countries. Design/methodology/approach A comprehensive review of the related literatures is conducted for developing a public value-based framework. A survey of e-government users is conducted, and the survey data are analysed using structural equation modelling. Findings This study shows that information quality, e-services functionalities, user orientation, efficiency and openness of public organisations, equity, citizens’ self-development, trust, and environmental sustainability are the critical public values of e-government in developing countries. It reveals that the use of the public value concept is effective in evaluating the performance of e-government in developing countries. Practical implications This study provides a comprehensive investigation of the e-government performance for better understanding the value of e-government in developing countries. The findings can guide the development of e-government in developing countries. Originality/value This is the first study in testing and validating a public value-based framework for evaluating the performance of e-government in developing countries. It demonstrates how the concept of public value can be adopted for evaluating the performance of e-government.
Non-myogenic tumors display altered expression of dystrophin (DMD) and a high frequency of genetic alterations

DMD gene mutations have been associated with the development of Dystrophinopathies. Interestingly, it has been recently reported that DMD is involved in the development and progression of myogenic tumors, assigning DMD a tumor suppressor activity in these types of cancer. However, there are only few reports that analyze DMD in non-myogenic tumors. Our study was designed to examine DMD expression and genetic alterations in non-myogenic tumors using public repositories. We also evaluated the overall survival of patients with and without DMD mutations. We studied 59 gene expression microarrays (GEO database) and RNAseq (cBioPortal) datasets that included 9817 human samples. We found reduced DMD expression in 15/27 (56%) pairwise comparisons performed (Fold-Change (FC) ≤ 0.70; p-value range = 0.04-1.5×10−20). The analysis of RNAseq studies revealed a median frequency of DMD genetic alterations of 3.4%, higher or similar to other well-known tumor suppressor genes. In addition, we observed significant poorer overall survival for patients with DMD mutations. The analyses of paired tumor/normal tissues showed that the majority of tumor specimens had lower DMD expression compared to their normal adjacent counterpart. Interestingly, statistical significant over-expression of DMD was found in 6/27 studies (FC ≥ 1.4; p-value range = 0.03-3.4×10−15). These results support that DMD expression and genetic alterations are frequent and relevant in non-myogenic tumors. The study and validation of DMD as a new player in tumor development and as a new prognostic factor for tumor progression and survival are warranted.
Experimental analysis and modeling of lubricant effects in microchannel evaporators working with low global warming potential refrigerants

In any vapor compression system, lubricant is needed to guarantee safe and reliable compressor operation. Indeed, most compressor mechanical failures are generally due to improper oil management, such as, lack of proper lubrication inside the compressor. Since in the usual operating condition of the system a small portion of oil circulates with the refrigerant through the system components, it can be retained inside the heat exchangers leading to oil missing from the compressor. In present article, the lubricant retention characteristics of two microchannel type evaporators for residential air conditioning systems and the oil detrimental effects on evaporator capacity and refrigerant-side pressure drop were investigated. The working fluids used in this study were R410A, as reference refrigerant, and low global warming potential refrigerants R32, R1234yf, and R454B, a new low global warming potential mixture candidate to replace R410A, whereas the lubricant was VG 32 Polyolester oil. The effects of oil mass fractions and degree of superheat were experimentally investigated considering working conditions typically found in air conditioning systems. Finally, the experimental results of the present article provided data that were used to develop and validate a semi-empirical model for microchannel evaporator simulation able to account for the oil presence. The developed model was summarized in the current article and the results were compared with the experimental ones in term of oil retention, capacity, and refrigerant-side pressure drop.
Evaluation of vibrant muscles over the shoulder region among workers of the hand screen printing industry

This study focuses on evaluation of the muscle activities associated with shoulder pain among workers of the hand screen printing (HSP) industry. Activities of three major muscles which showed higher muscle activity for a HSP job were observed for fatigue using surface electromyography (SEMG). The anatomical sites were chosen on the basis of a statistical survey and a visual inspection conducted before the experiment. Activities of the deltoid, teres major and infraspinatus were recorded using SEMG and the nature of muscle activities was studied for about 50 m of cloth printing. Data collected were processed using LabVIEW 2014 and the activities were analyzed using statistical tests and regression analyses. The results showed an increased risk of shoulder disorders with an increase in working time. Some of the risks which might cause disorders were predicted from the results; inspection and possible mitigations were suggested.
Developmental, gender, and ethnic group differences in moods and ambulatory blood pressure in adolescents

Background: Adolescence is characterized by profound changes in physical, psychological, and social functioning thought to be accompanied by intense and varying moods.Purpose: Within a psychophysiological framework, this study examined the prevalence of 12 self-reported mood states of adolescents; investigated associations between specific mood states and ambulatory blood pressure readings; and explored effects of interactions among moods, gender, ethnic group, and maturation on ambulatory blood pressures.Methods: The sample included 371 African American, European American, and Hispanic American adolescents 11 to 16 years old. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures were measured every 30 min with an ambulatory monitor and were synchronized with electronic activity monitoring and moods self-recorded during waking hours in a checklist diary.Results: Moods differed significantly by gender, ethnic group, and maturation. Controlling for height, maturation, gender, ethnic group, mother’s education, position, location, activity, other moods, and interactions of moods with other variables in a multilevel, random coefficients regression model, both positive and negative mood states were associated with higher levels of SBP and DBP; being relaxed or bored, or having a feeling of accomplishing things were associated with lower SBP and DBP. There were significant interaction effects of moods with physical maturity, gender, and ethnic group on ambulatory SBP and DBP.Conclusions: Further study of the modifying effects of gender, ethnic group, and stage of development on reports of moods, and their associations with cardiovascular responses is recommended.
Prospective Evaluation of Duodenogastroesophageal Reflux in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Patients Refractory to Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy

Background: Duodenogastroesophageal reflux (DGER) is considered an independent risk factor for complicated reflux disease (gastroesophageal reflux disease; GERD). However, the role of DGER in GERD patients refractory to proton pump inhibitors (PPI) remains poorly understood. Methods: 85 patients with clinical reflux symptoms and a history of ineffective response to PPIs were enrolled in the study. Patients with elevated reflux measurement (pH and/or Bilitec measurement; n = 47) received pantoprazole 80 mg for 8 weeks. Clinical outcome was defined as response (≤2 symptoms/week) or nonresponse (≥3 symptoms/week). Results: Of the 47 patients with elevated reflux measurement, 30 were classified as responders and 17 as nonresponders. Treatment with pantoprazole resulted in a significant reduction of acidic reflux in both PPI responders and PPI nonresponders. In contrast, DGER was only significantly reduced in the PPI responder group (22.8 ± 22.8 vs. 6.6 ± 10.8%; p < 0.05) but not in the PPI nonresponder group (24.5 ± 18.6 vs. 22.2 ± 12.7%; p > 0.05). Conclusions: The presented study firstly describes that nonresponsiveness to PPI is associated with a limited effect of PPIs on reducing DGER. Thus, persistent DGER may play a key role in mediating reflux symptoms refractory to high-dose PPIs.
In situ temperature relationships of biochemical and stomatal controls of photosynthesis in four lowland tropical tree species.

Net photosynthetic carbon uptake of Panamanian lowland tropical forest species is typically optimal at 30-32 °C. The processes responsible for the decrease in photosynthesis at higher temperatures are not fully understood for tropical trees. We determined temperature responses of maximum rates of RuBP-carboxylation (VCMax ) and RuBP-regeneration (JMax ), stomatal conductance (Gs ), and respiration in the light (RLight ) in situ for 4 lowland tropical tree species in Panama. Gs had the lowest temperature optimum (TOpt ), similar to that of net photosynthesis, and photosynthesis became increasingly limited by stomatal conductance as temperature increased. JMax peaked at 34-37 °C and VCMax ~2 °C above that, except in the late-successional species Calophyllum longifolium, in which both peaked at ~33 °C. RLight significantly increased with increasing temperature, but simulations with a photosynthesis model indicated that this had only a small effect on net photosynthesis. We found no evidence for Rubisco-activase limitation of photosynthesis. TOpt of VCMax and JMax fell within the observed in situ leaf temperature range, but our study nonetheless suggests that net photosynthesis of tropical trees is more strongly influenced by the indirect effects of high temperature-for example, through elevated vapour pressure deficit and resulting decreases in stomatal conductance-than by direct temperature effects on photosynthetic biochemistry and respiration.
The Novel Antibacterial Drug XF-70 is a Potent Inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus Infection of the Burn Wound

The authors report the findings of in vivo studies of XF-70 (a novel, dicationic porphyrin) against Staphylococcus aureus in a murine model of a burn wound infection. Mice received a 15% total body scald burn wound, which were inoculated with S. aureus (1.8 × 104 CFU). After 24 hours, escharectomies were performed and groups (n = 8) received single or two doses (6 hours apart) of XF-70* (100 μg/wound) or silver sulfadiazine, Acticoat, or saline applied topically. Viable bacteria were quantified from homogenized burn tissue biopsies and the spleen by plating dilutions onto agar plates and CFU determination. A single dose of XF-70 reduced bacterial burden by 98.77% (untreated: 2.78 ± 2.96 × 107 CFU/g vs XF-70 treated: 3.4 ± 0.19 × 105 CFU/g, P < .01). Two XF-70 doses reduced the growth of S. aureus by 99.96% (1.2 ± 0.6 × 104 CFU/g, P < .01). These results were similar to the results obtained from commonly used topical antibacterials silver sulfadiazine and Acticoat. The spleens of mice treated with saline had a robust growth of S. aureus (7.0 ± 1.97 × 106 CFU/g) whereas those treated with one or two XF-70 doses grew only 3.5 ± 0.002 × 103 CFU/g and 5.7 ± 0.002 × 103 CFU/g, respectively, a significant (P < .001) reduction in S. aureus dissemination. Single and multiple doses of XF-70 were effective in controlling S. aureus growth in burn wounds and inhibited systemic dissemination of S. aureus. Early treatment of burn wounds with XF-70 may be effective in slowing bacterial dissemination to other tissues.
Temperature-driven shifts in the epibiotic bacterial community composition of the brown macroalga Fucus vesiculosus

The thallus surface of the brown macroalga Fucus vesiculosus is covered by a specific biofilm community. This biofilm supposedly plays an important role in the interaction between host and environment. So far, we know little about compositional or functional shifts of this epibiotic bacterial community under changing environmental conditions. In this study, the response of the microbiota to different temperatures with respect to cell density and community composition was analyzed by nonculture‐based methods (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and 454 pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene). Redundancy analysis showed that despite high variability among host individuals temperature accounted for 20% of the variation in the bacterial community composition, whereas cell density did not differ between groups. Across all samples, 4341 bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) at a 97% similarity level were identified. Eight percent of OTUs were significantly correlated with low, medium, and high temperatures. Notably, the family Rhodobacteraceae increased in relative abundance from 20% to 50% with increasing temperature. OTU diversity (evenness and richness) was higher at 15°C than at the lower and higher temperatures. Considering their known and presumed ecological functions for the host, change in the epibacterial community may entail shifts in the performance of the host alga.
Damage Investigation in Composite Materials by Means of New Thermal Data Processing Procedures

Stimulated thermography is a non‐destructive technique capable of detecting and quantifying defects in composite material thanks to the varying thermal behaviour they display if subjected to a thermal stimulation. Although in literature valid and consolidated thermographic techniques (lock‐in and pulsed/stepped thermography) are available, the use of stimulated thermography in industry is still not widespread in the case of application of large structures, mainly because of the overall lengthy time required for testing owing to the necessary scanning approach.
Intralesional Bleomycin Injection for Propranolol-Resistant Hemangiomas

Abstract Propranolol has been the first-line treatment for alarming hemangiomas. However, some hemangiomas are propranolol-resistant. The authors reported 1 propranolol-resistant hemangioma which was treated with intralesional bleomycin injections. Sixteen months after 3 injections, the lesion still remained stable. Its potential mechanism was clarified by ultrasonic monitoring. Intralesional bleomycin injection can be considered an ideal option in treating propranolol-resistant hemangiomas.
Topical Application of Oleuropein Induces Anagen Hair Growth in Telogen Mouse Skin

We observed that oleuropein, the main constituent of the leaves and unprocessed olive drupes of Olea europaea, protected mice from high-fat diet-induced adiposity by up-regulation of genes involved in Wnt10b-mediated signaling in adipose tissue. The activation of Wnt/β-catenin pathway is also well established to positively regulate the anagen phase of hair growth cycle in mice skin. Methodology and Principal Findings Oleuropein promoted cultured human follicle dermal papilla cell proliferation and induced LEF1 and Cyc-D1 mRNA expression and β-catenin protein expression in dermal papilla cells. Nuclear accumulation of β-catenin in dermal papilla cells was observed after oleuropein treatment. Topical application of oleuropein (0.4 mg/mouse/day) to C57BL/6N mice accelerated the hair-growth induction and increased the size of hair follicles in telogenic mouse skin. The oleuropein-treated mouse skin showed substantial upregulation of Wnt10b, FZDR1, LRP5, LEF1, Cyc-D1, IGF-1, KGF, HGF, and VEGF mRNA expression and β-catenin protein expression. Conclusions and Significance These results demonstrate that topical oleuroepin administration induced anagenic hair growth in telogenic C57BL/6N mouse skin. The hair-growth promoting effect of oleuropein in mice appeared to be associated with the stimulation of the Wnt10b/β-catenin signaling pathway and the upregulation of IGF-1, KGF, HGF, and VEGF gene expression in mouse skin tissue.
Be More Transparent and Users Will Like You: A Robot Privacy and User Experience Design Experiment

Robots interacting with humans in public spaces often need to collect users’ private information in order to provide the required services. Current privacy legislation in major jurisdictions requires organisations to disclose information about their data collection process and obtain user’s consent prior to collecting privacy sensitive information. In this study, we consider a privacy-sensitive design of a data collection system for face identification. We deployed a face enrolment system on a humanoid robot with human-like gesturing and speech. We compared it with an equivalent system, in terms of capability and interactive process, on a screen-based interactive kiosk. In our previous contribution, we investigated the effects that embodiment has on users’ privacy considerations. We found that an embodied humanoid robot is capable of collecting more private information from users in comparison to a disembodied interactive kiosk. However, this effect was statistically significant only when the two compared systems were using a transparent interface, i.e. an interface communicating to users the privacy policies for data processing and storage. Thus, in this work, we aim to further investigate the effects of transparency on users’ privacy considerations and their experience with robot applications. We found that when comparing a non-transparent vs. transparent interface within the same system (i.e. on an embodied robot or on a disembodied kiosk) transparency does not lead to significant effects on users’ privacy considerations. However, we found that transparency leads to a significantly better user experience for both systems. Therefore, our overall analyses suggest that both the interactive robot and the interactive kiosk are capable of enhancing the user experience by providing transparent information to users, which is required by privacy legislation. However, an interactive kiosk providing transparent information elicits significantly more privacy concerns in users as compared to the robot supplying the very same transparent information. This exploratory study provides conclusions that provide valuable insights for designing robot applications dealing with users privacy and it discusses the related legal implications, concluding with recommendations for privacy policymakers.