Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Testing the Manifold Hypothesis

The hypothesis that high dimensional data tend to lie in the vicinity of a low dimensional manifold is the basis of manifold learning. The goal of this paper is to develop an algorithm (with accompanying complexity guarantees) for fitting a manifold to an unknown probability distribution supported in a separable Hilbert space, only using i.i. d samples from that distribution. More precisely, our setting is the following. Suppose that data are drawn independently at random from a probability distribution $P$ supported on the unit ball of a separable Hilbert space $H$. Let $G(d, V, \tau)$ be the set of submanifolds of the unit ball of $H$ whose volume is at most $V$ and reach (which is the supremum of all $r$ such that any point at a distance less than $r$ has a unique nearest point on the manifold) is at least $\tau$. Let $L(M, P)$ denote mean-squared distance of a random point from the probability distribution $P$ to $M$. We obtain an algorithm that tests the manifold hypothesis in the following sense. The algorithm takes i.i. d random samples from $P$ as input, and determines which of the following two is true (at least one must be): (a) There exists $M \in G(d, CV, \frac{\tau}{C})$ such that $L(M, P) \leq C \epsilon. $ (b) There exists no $M \in G(d, V/C, C\tau)$ such that $L(M, P) \leq \frac{\epsilon}{C}. $ The answer is correct with probability at least $1-\delta$.
Hexagonal-Cell Artifical Magnetic Conductor Waveguide

This paper is proposing a substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW) that is based on an electromagnetic band gap (EBG) hexagonal structure. This technology is very promising because it does not utilize any metallic vias to form a waveguide, and therefore, the design is meant to be later utilized in textile substrates. The geometry can be easily scaled to high frequencies at which the conventional SIW could be hardly manufactured. The hexagonal shape of the EBG cell is improving the performance of non-straight sections and provides a reasonable band-width. The proposed SIW is simulated and measured at lower frequencies as a proof of concept. The frequency upscale is planned for further development.
Smoking and age-related macular degeneration. The POLA Study. Pathologies Oculaires Liées à l'Age.

OBJECTIVE To assess the associations between age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) and smoking. METHODS The POLA study is a population-based study taking place in the town of Sète, located on the French Mediterranean Sea border. The presence of early and late ARMD was assessed in 2196 participants on the basis of 50 degrees color fundus photographs using an international classification system. RESULTS After adjustment for age and sex, current and former smokers showed an increased prevalence of late ARMD (odds ratio [OR] = 3.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.1-12.4; OR = 3.2, 95% CI = 1.3-7.7, respectively). An increased risk was present in participants who smoked more than 20 pack-years (OR = 3.0, 95% CI = 0.9-9.5 for 20-39 pack-years; OR = 5.2, 95% CI = 2.0-13.6 for 40 pack-years and more). In addition, the risk of late ARMD remained increased until 20 years after cessation of smoking (OR = 9.0, 95% CI = 3.0-27.0 for 1-9 years; OR = 4.0, 95% CI = 1.3-12.0 for 10-19 years; OR = 1.3, 95% CI = 0.4-4.3 for 20 years and more). Smoking was not significantly associated with early signs of ARMD. CONCLUSIONS This study further confirms the adverse effect of tobacco on late ARMD. Former smokers seem to remain at high risk for ARMD.
Microwave Sensing of Water Quality

Fine-grained water quality data can facilitate the optimized management of water resources, which have become increasingly scarce due to population growth, increased demand for safe sources of water, and environmental pollutions. There is a pressing need for cost-effective, reliable, re-usable, and autonomous water sensing technologies that can provide accurate real-time water quality measurements. In this paper, we present a microwave sensor array with sensing elements operating at different frequencies in the wide frequency band of 1 GHz to 10 GHz. The use of array allows for collecting more information compared with a single sensor system. The sensor array can be fabricated in a cost-effective way through standard printed circuit board (PCB) technology. Here, it is tested with water solutions of various contaminants and parameter values. The dielectric properties of the water sample with different contaminants and parameter values are measured and provided as well.
Variants on Chromosome 9p21 Confer Risks of Noncardioembolic Cerebral Infarction and Carotid Plaque in the Chinese Han Population.

AIMS Considering that cerebral infarction (CI) may share a common etiological basis with coronary artery disease (CAD), we evaluated six CAD-related single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on 9p21 for investigating the effect of 9p21 on CI or carotid plaque in the Chinese Han population. METHODS Altogether, 528 patients with noncardioembolic CI (375 with carotid plaque and 153 without carotid plaque) and 258 control subjects were genotyped. Six SNPs previously shown to be associated with CAD were sequenced and assessed for association with CI and carotid plaque using odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) from logistic regression models. RESULTS The G allele frequencies of rs2383206 (OR=1.472, p=0.021) and rs4977574 (OR=1.519, p=0.013) significantly increased in patients with CI without carotid plaque compared with middle-aged patients in the control group. The CI risk was higher among the GG genotype carriers than among GA ＋ AA genotype carriers (OR=1.794, 95% CI=1.059-3.039, p=0.030 for rs2383206; OR=1.866, 95% CI=1.088-3.201, p=0.023 for rs4977574). In comparison with the non-GG genotype, the GG genotype of rs2383206 and rs4977574 combined had a 1.733-fold greater risk of CI in the middle-aged group. SNPs rs2383206 and rs4977574 were also associated with a risk of carotid plaque among patients with CI aged ＞ 65 years (OR=2.329, p=0.018 and OR=1.997, p=0.049, respectively). Moreover, six SNPs were strongly correlated with linkage disequilibrium. CONCLUSIONS Genetic variations of rs2383206 and rs4977574 on 9p21 are potentially associated with CI and carotid plaque in the Chinese Han population. Our results provide further evidence that the 9p21 region represents a major risk locus for cerebrovascular diseases.
EMG-based Motion Intention Recognition for Controlling a Powered Knee Orthosis

Powered assistive devices have been playing a major role in gait rehabilitation. This work aims to develop a user-oriented assistive strategy with an EMG-based control using a powered knee orthosis (PKO) to provide assistive commands according to the user's motion intention tracked by electromyography (EMG) signals. To achieve this goal, the work first comprised the development of a wired EMG acquisition system, the study and implementation of a knee joint torque estimation method, and the development of a real-time controller, which uses the estimated torque as the reference actuator's torque to provide user-oriented assistance in walking. We used a proportional gain method to estimate the knee torque, which required a calibration procedure, allowing to determine the relation between the EMG signal and the actuator's torque. The EMG-based control was validated with two subjects walking in a treadmill. The EMG-based control performed as expected since it proved to be functional and time-effective when assisting the user's movements in walking at different walking speeds. Findings show that the developed assistive strategy can effectively follow the user's motion intention and has the potential for gait rehabilitation of patients with residual muscular strength.
Multi-objective Coordinated Energy Dispatch and Voyage Scheduling for a Multi-energy Cruising Ship

To develop a more efficient and environmentally-friendly ship is absolutely appealing for the worldwide ship industry, given its current low efficiency but high emissions. In this light, this paper proposes a novel multi-energy configuration for the cruising ships. First, we introduce the high-efficient combined cooling heat and power (CCHP) plant in the ship with diesel generators and electric energy storage, to provide multiple energies. Second, to flexiblize the operation of CCHP plant and enhance the multi-energy interaction, the thermal storage and power to thermal conversion unit are also included. Further, a multiobjective coordinated energy dispatch and voyage scheduling method for the cruising ship is presented to simultaneously reduce the ship operating cost and gas emissions by the augmented ε-constraint method (AUGMECON). After the constraints linearization, the coordination method is formulated as a mix-integer linear programming (MILP) problem and solved by the Cplex solver. Finally, the proposed method is applied to a test cruising ship and by comparing it with the traditional benchmarks, its effectiveness is verified.
Electrogastrography abnormality in eating disorders

Abstract Eating disorders are common psychiatric disorders in young women. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the gastric electrical acitivity of patients with eating disorders and its relation to their symptoms. The electrogastrography (EGG) was performed before and after a water load test for outpatients with eating disorders (n = 36; 14 anorexia nervosa, 14 bulimia nervosa, eight eating disorder not otherwise specified) and healthy women (n = 19). A structured interview (Eating Disorder Examination) was used to assess clinical symptoms. The percentage of normal gastric myoelectrical power was significantly smaller in the eating disorder patients (44.5% vs 74.2%; P < 0.05), while the percentage of bradygastric power was significantly greater, both before and after the water load test compared with the control subjects (30.4% vs 10.4%; P < 0.05). In addition, moderate correlation was found between the duration of illness and the percentage of bradygastria (P < 0.05). In conclusion, it is suggested that longstanding abnormal eating in patients with eating disorders may induce disturbances to gastric motor function, resulting in their abnormal, eating‐related behavior, and form a symptomatic vicious circle. The EGG may be a promising method for determining the pathophysiology of eating disorders and for developing effective therapeutic approaches.
An evaluation of special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 expression in primary epithelial tumors and metastatic tumors of the ovary

Background: Ovarian cancer is the second most common gynecologic cancer in women. Differential diagnosis between primary and metastatic neoplasms can be problematic in some cases. The special AT-rich sequence-binding protein 2 (SATB2) is a nuclear matrix-associated protein that is important for growth and development. SATB2 has been shown to be a sensitive and highly specific marker for colorectal carcinomas (CRCs). SATB2 expression has also been reported in lung, breast, pancreas, renal, laryngeal, esophageal carcinomas and bone cancers. In this study, we aimed to evaluate SATB2 expression in primary epithelial and metastatic ovarian tumors and determine its significance in differentiating between subtypes. Material and Methods: The study group comprised 148 cases of primary epithelial tumor and 29 cases of metastatic ovarian tumor. Immunohistochemical analysis was performed by applying SATB2 on paraffin blocks. Results: SATB2 expression was identified in 54.5% of mucinous carcinomas, 51.7% of endometrioid carcinomas, 18.2% of high-grade serous carcinomas, 17.9% of borderline mucinous tumors, 6.7% of borderline serous tumors, and 51.7% of metastatic ovarian tumors. SATB2 expression did not show specificity for any of the subgroups. Metastatic ovarian tumors originating from the colon, breast, upper gastrointestinal tract, and appendix also showed SATB2 expression at different rates. All of the metastatic CRCs showed SATB2 positivity. Conclusion: It must be considered that primary carcinomas and metastatic carcinomas may manifest varying levels of SATB2 expression with different intensity and extensiveness. Extensive and strong SATB2 expression indicates metastatic colon carcinoma, consistent with the literature. Further comprehensive studies are needed in order to investigate SATB2 specificity for different subtypes.
Antiepileptic drug usage in neuro-oncology: A practice survey

Purpose: Despite the lack of high-quality evidence, anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs) are very commonly prescribed for seizure prophylaxis in patients with brain tumors even without prior history of seizures. We sought to review the current practices of prescribing AEDs among neuro-oncology health-care professionals. Materials and Methods: An e-mail with online link to a 15-item questionnaire regarding AED prophylaxis was sent to members of major academic societies representing the Indian Neuro-Oncology Community to assess the prevalent patterns of practice. Results: The online survey was completed by 318 of 3320 health-care professionals that were mailed for an overall response rate of 9.6%. Majority (68.9%) of respondents were radiation oncologists followed by neurosurgeons (22.9%) and medical oncologists/neurologists (8.2%). The practice setting spanned across the health-care spectrum, and over 75% reported having ≥ 5-year of experience in managing patients with brain tumors. Even for seizure-naïve patients, 65.1% of respondents routinely prescribed prophylactic AEDs with significant variability in the duration of such prophylaxis. Levetiracetam was the most preferred AED (60%) followed by phenytoin (35%) in the survey. Most respondents believed that tumor type, histological grade, and anatomic location influenced the risk of seizures. Despite widespread use in clinical practice, only 27.3% of the respondents strongly believed that prophylactic AEDs significantly reduced the risk of seizures. Over 93% of respondents agreed that a large randomized controlled trial would better inform therapeutic decision-making regarding AED prophylaxis. Conclusions: This survey of the Indian Neuro-Oncology Community demonstrates widespread variability in the frequency and duration of AED prophylaxis in seizure-naive brain tumor patients in contemporary practice.
Childhood tuberculosis in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital: Treatment outcomes and determinants

Background and Objectives: Tuberculosis (TB) is an important cause of childhood morbidity and mortality. Understanding the barriers to successful childhood TB treatment is vital to curbing the scourge of childhood TB. This study examined the outcomes and factors that influence the outcomes of childhood TB treatment in a South-East Nigerian tertiary hospital. Methods: A 10-year review of the medical records of under-15 year olds, who received anti-TB treatment at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, was carried out. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Results: Majority of the 501 childhood TB cases were new (89.6%) and pulmonary (73.3%) TB cases. TB-HIV coinfection occurred in 42.5% of cases. The rate of successful treatment was 62.9%. About 57.5% completed treatment, 5.4% were cured, 7.0% were transferred out, 21.4% were lost to follow-up, 0.4% had treatment failure while 8.4% died. Majority (61.6%) of deaths or loss to follow-up occurred during the first 2 months of treatment. Factors significantly associated with treatment outcomes were ascertainment of HIV status (P = 0.049), disease site (P = 0.013), nutritional status (P = 0.039), Mantoux test result (P = 0.002), and period of treatment (P = 0.005). Conclusion: Findings indicate high rate of unsuccessful childhood TB treatment outcomes. Efforts should be intensified to ensure improved outcomes through proactive search for childhood TB cases, early diagnosis and treatment, as well as adherence to and completion of treatment. Special attention should be given to high-risk groups including those with unknown HIV status, extrapulmonary TB, and severe malnutrition. It is imperative to determine the HIV status of all childhood TB cases.
Oral Health Status among Children with Down Syndrome in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the oral health status in Down syndrome (DS) children in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Materials and Methods: A total of 106 DS children (mean age = 9.3 ± 2.8) and 125 healthy children (mean age = 11.7 ± 4.4) were recruited from both special needs centers and private/public schools in Dubai. A dental examination for decayed-missing-filled teeth (DMFT) in deciduous dentition/DMFT in permanent dentition indices, simplified oral hygiene index, calculus index (CI), were carried out. In addition, occlusal, dentofacial, soft-tissue abnormalities, and erosion were assessed. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS for Windows, version 20.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Results: The mean number of DMFT in DS children was significantly higher than that in healthy children. DS children in the primary dentition group had higher restorative index and Met Need Index scores than the control group. On the other hand, CI was found to be significantly higher among children with DS compared to healthy controls (P < 0.004). DS children had a significantly higher proportion of open bite and other occlusal problems. Class III molar angle malocclusion was significantly higher in DS (66%) compared to controls (11.2%). Erosion was significantly higher among DS children compared to healthy control (34% vs. 15.3%). Conclusions: DS children in Dubai had higher caries rate compared to healthy children. DS group received more restorations and dental treatment compared to the control group. More to add, DS children had significantly more calculus, erosion, and malocclusion problems.
Impact of body mass index on breast cancer subtypes in Iranian women

Background: The incidence of obesity as one of the risk factors of breast cancer (BC) is increasing dramatically. Our objective was to evaluate the association between body mass index (BMI) and three subtypes of BC in Iranian women. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, BC patients' information was recorded by referring to their medical records in the Cancer Institute of Imam Khomeini Hospital, Iran, from 2015 to 2017. The data of 374 patients were entered into the study, and tumor data were classified into three groups by molecular markers (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 [HER2] enriched, triple negative, and luminal). Results: Luminal subtype comprised the majority (71.1%) of all diagnosed BC patients. The proportion of obese women was higher in triple-negative group (35.3%), although the differences between three subtypes of BC were not statistically significant (P = 0.30). Multivariate logistic among cases only, considering luminal as the comparison group, indicated a positive association between age of menarche and HER2-enriched subtype (odds ratio [OR] = 1.18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.99–1.41, P = 0.07) and also suggested a reverse association between age at time of diagnosis and triple-negative subtype (OR = 0.97, 95% CI: 0.95–1, P = 0.09) with borderline significance. Conclusion: We did not find any statistically significant differences in BMI between three subtypes of BC. It seems that there is a correlation between triple-negative subtypes of BC in Iranian population and obesity. However, further studies with larger sample size are needed.
Testicular Isoform of Angiotensin I‐Converting Enzyme (ACE, CD143) on the Surface of Human Spermatozoa: Revelation and Quantification Using Monoclonal Antibodies

Problem The elucidation of the role of angiotensin‐converting enzyme (ACE, CD143) in the male fertility has been hampered by the absence of highly specific antibodies to the native testicular isoform (tACE). The quantification of tACE expression on human‐ejaculated spermatozoa was performed using a novel panel of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs).
HIV-Related Discrimination among Senior Dental Students in Jeddah

Aims and Objectives: Advances in the medical management of HIV infection have increased life expectancy and reduced the mortality rate of infected individuals. As a result, dental and medical health-care workers have a higher chance to meet HIV-positive patients in their clinics. People living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) are frequently experiencing discrimination. That negative attitude toward HIV remains quite common among health-care professionals. The purpose of this study was to assess students' attitudes toward PLWHA. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional survey to assess the attitudes of senior dental students toward HIV/AIDS in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using an online self-administered questionnaire. Data analysis was done using the statistical package of social sciences. Descriptive statistics including means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages were calculated and used to present the data. A binary logistic regression model was constructed to estimate the effect of different predictors on the level of HIV-related discrimination. Results: A total of 400 individuals took part in the study. Bivariate analysis of HIV discrimination in relation to other variables showed that those reluctant to treat HIV patients, the majority (82%) showed a negative tendency toward HIV/AIDS patients, while 75% who were willing to treat them exhibited more positive attitudes, which was statistically significant (P < 0.0001). The discrimination was high, almost 87%, among those who feared accidental exposure to HIV patients; however, 73% of those who did not experience fear, felt nondiscriminative, which was also statistically significant (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: Stigmatizing views toward PLWHA exist among senior dental students in Jeddah. The most significant predictors of discrimination included fear of accidental exposure, reluctance to provide treatment to these patients, and self-protective concerns.
Extraneuraxial metastases from medulloblastoma: Single-institution outcome analyses

Introduction: Novel biological insights have led to consensus classification of medulloblastoma into four distinct molecular subgroups. It is widely accepted that medulloblastomas have a higher propensity for extraneuraxial metastases (ENM) compared to other primary brain tumors. We sought to review our own institutional experience of ENM from medulloblastoma. Materials and Methods: Patients with a histological diagnosis of medulloblastoma and ENM were identified from institutional neuro-oncology database. Patient-, disease-, and treatment-related details were retrieved by retrospective review of medical case records. Results: A total of 573 patients with medulloblastoma were registered from 2005 to 2016, of which 13 patients were detected with ENM. Median age of our study cohort was 17 years (range: 3–25 years) at index diagnosis. Ten (77%) patients had desmoplastic medulloblastoma, while 3 (23%) patients had large-cell/anaplastic histology. Five of 7 (71%) patients with known molecular subgroup affiliation belonged to sonic hedgehog subgroup, while the remaining two (29%) were subgroup 3 medulloblastoma. The median time to development of ENM was 13 months (range: 2–72 months) with common sites being bone (77%), bone marrow (62%), and lymph nodes (46%). Median overall survival after diagnosis of ENM was 2 months (range: 1–25 months) with 1-year survival probability of 23%. Patients with desmoplastic medulloblastoma had longer median overall survival compared to anaplastic histology (4.5 months vs. 1 month; P = 0.07). None of the other putative prognostic factors such as age at ENM, concurrent central nervous system involvement, visceral metastases, or time to relapse impacted overall survival. Conclusions: ENM from medulloblastoma, although rare, is frequently associated with desmoplastic histology. Bone, bone marrow, and lymph nodes are the most common sites of extraneuraxial involvement. Survival outcomes remain universally poor mandating the testing of newer agents and/or novel molecularly targeted therapies.