Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cascaded Integration of Optical Waveguides With Third-Order Nonlinearity With Lithium Niobate Waveguides on Silicon Substrates

The cascaded integration of optical waveguides with third-order optical nonlinearity (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\chi ^{(3)}$</tex-math></inline-formula> susceptibilitiy) with lithium niobate (LiNbO <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{3}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) waveguides is demonstrated on the same chip. Thin-film (LiNbO<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{3}$</tex-math></inline-formula>) and chalcogenide (ChG) glass (Ge<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{23}$</tex-math></inline-formula>Sb<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{7}$</tex-math></inline-formula>S<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$_{70}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) waveguides are integrated on silicon (Si) substrates. An optical mode transition between the two waveguides is achieved through low-loss mode-converting tapers, with a measured loss of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>1.5 dB for transverse-electric and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\sim$</tex-math></inline-formula>1.75 dB for transverse-magnetic input polarizations. For nonlinear characterization, wavelength conversion via four-wave mixing is demonstrated on the ChG-LN waveguides. This platform provides an efficient method for the utilization of second- and third-order optical nonlinearities on the same chip, rendering it ideal for nonlinear applications such as stabilized octave-spanning optical frequency comb generation.
The association of insomnia and depressive symptoms with all‐cause mortality among middle‐aged and old adults

Insomnia and depressive symptoms are commonly reported by adults and have independently been found to be associated with mortality, though contrasting findings are reported. Given the high comorbidity and interrelatedness between these symptoms, we tested whether insomnia symptoms explain risk of death independent of depressive symptoms. We examined insomnia symptoms and depressive symptoms, in addition to other health and demographic covariates, as predictors of all‐cause mortality.
Formyl-Peptide Receptor Agonists and Amorphous SiO2-NPs Synergistically and Selectively Increase the Inflammatory Responses of Human Monocytes and PMNs

We tested whether amorphous SiO2-NPs and formylpeptide receptor (FPRs) agonists synergistically activate human monocytes and neutrophil polymorphonuclear granulocytes (PMNs). Peptide ligands specifically binding to FPR1 (f-MLP) and to FPR2 (MMK-1, WKYMVM and WKYMVm) human isoforms did not modify the association of SiO2-NPs to both cell types or their cytotoxic effects. Similarly, the extent of CD80, CD86, CD83, ICAM-1 and MHCII expression in monocytes treated with SiO2-NPs was not significantly altered by any FPRs agonist. However, FPR1 stimulation with f-MLP strongly increased the secretion of IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 by human monocytes, and of IL-8 by PMNs in the presence of SiO2-NPs, due to the synergic stimulation of gene transcription. FPR2 agonists also up-modulated the production of IL-1β induced by monocytes treated with SiO2-NPs. In turn, SiO2-NPs increased the chemotaxis of PMNs toward FPR1-specific ligands, but not toward FPR2-specific ones. Conversely, the chemotaxis of monocytes toward FPR2-specific peptides was inhibited by SiO2-NPs. NADPH-oxidase activation triggered by FPR1- and FPR2-specific ligands in both cell types was not altered by SiO2-NPs. Microbial and tissue danger signals sensed by FPRs selectively amplified the functional responses of monocytes and PMNS to SiO2-NPs, and should be carefully considered in the assessment of the risk associated with nanoparticle exposure.
Mutation in GNE is associated with severe congenital thrombocytopenia.

TO THE EDITOR: Inherited thrombocytopenias are associated with bleeding of all types of severity depending on the reduction in platelet count and whether there is altered platelet function. [1][1] The normal range for platelet counts varies by up to threefold, but an individual’s platelet count is
Disease Classification in Metagenomics with 2D Embeddings and Deep Learning

Deep learning (DL) techniques have shown unprecedented success when applied to images, waveforms, and text. Generally, when the sample size (N) is much bigger than the number of features (d), DL often out-performs other machine learning (ML) techniques, often through the use of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). However, in many bioinformatics fields (including metagenomics), we encounter the opposite situation where d is significantly greater than N. In these situations, applying DL techniques would lead to severe over-fitting. Here we aim to improve classification of various diseases with metagenomic data through the use of CNNs. For this we proposed to represent metagenomic data as images. The proposed Met2Img approach relies on taxonomic and t-SNE embeddings to transform abundance data into " synthetic images ". We applied our approach to twelve benchmark data sets including more than 1400 metagenomic samples. Our results show significant improvements over the state-of-the-art algorithms (Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM)). We observe that the integration of phylogenetic information alongside abundance data improves classification. The proposed approach is not only important in classification setting but also allows to visualize complex metagenomic data. The Met2Img is implemented in Python.
Texture-Aware Emotional Color Transfer Between Images

Different colors can evoke different emotions for images. For example, artists usually use different color combinations to express different emotions when creating posters or pictures. Existing color transfer methods can successfully transfer visual appearance between images by changing colors. However, they often fail to change an image to meet an accurate emotion. Nowadays, there are few emotional color transfer methods between images, and those methods are imperfect in transferring the emotion from one image to another image due to the inaccuracy in the emotion calculation of the reference image. Therefore, we propose a texture-aware emotional color transfer method between images, which can adjust an image with an emotion word or a reference image. Each emotion word represents a type of emotion, such as alluring, fresh, and antique. The user simply input an emotion word (e.g., lovely), the system can automatically adjust the image to the target emotion (e.g., fresh). First, we propose a new emotion calculation method to compute the target emotion from a reference image. Unlike previous methods, we take both texture features and main colors in our emotion calculation model. Then, in order to find the proper color combinations to reflect the target emotion, three color-emotion model databases are built by color numbers of the models. Those models are obtained by exploiting the famous art theories, and we design a novel strategy to select the most suitable color-emotion model from the databases. Finally, we propose a new color transfer algorithm by utilizing color adjustment and color blending to guarantee the color gradient and naturalness. Experiments show that our method’s results are more consistent with the emotion of the input image than the state-of-the-art algorithms.
Design Science Research Contributions: Finding a Balance between Artifact and Theory

With the rising interest in Design Science Research (DSR), it is crucial to engage in the ongoing debate on what constitutes an acceptable contribution for publishing DSR - the design artifact, the design theory, or both. In this editorial, we provide some constructive guidance across different positioning statements with actionable recommendations for DSR authors and reviewers. We expect this editorial to serve as a foundational step towards clarifying misconceptions about DSR contributions and to pave the way for the acceptance of more DSR papers to top IS journals.
Emotional Influence Prediction of News Posts

Nowadays, on-line news agents post news articles on social media platforms with the aim to spread information as well as to attract more users and understand their reactions and opinions. Predicting the emotional influence of news on users is very important not only for news agents but also for users, who can filter out news articles based on the reactions they trigger. In this paper, we focus on the problem of emotional influence prediction of a news post on users before publication. For the prediction, we explore a range of textual and semantic features derived from the content of the posts. Our results show that terms is the most important feature and that features extracted from news posts' content allow to effectively predict the amount of emotional reactions triggered by a news post.
Modeling intraindividual variation in unsafe driving in a naturalistic commuting environment.

Commuting to work by car is a frequently occurring activity that poses a salient risk to worker safety. Although general stress perceptions have been linked to indicators of unsafe commuting in cross-sectional studies, little is known about whether and how day-to-day variability in stressor exposure and subjective and affective strain reactions covary with intraindividual variability in unsafe driving while commuting over time. A major contributor to this knowledge gap is the lack of a validated methodology to link subjective self-report variables to objective driving performance criteria in a naturalistic commuting environment. Data were collected from university staff employees (N = 50) over a 2-week sample of daily experiences and objective recordings of unsafe driving behaviors. We applied a multilevel methodology to evaluate a model in which exposure to daily hindering and challenging components of work stress, end-of-workday psychological distress, and end-of-workday negative affect influence objectively monitored unsafe driving behaviors in a naturalistic commuting environment. Results indicated that employees were less likely to drive unsafely during their postwork commute on days in which they encountered more challenge stressors at work (odds ratio = .63). However, employees who experienced heightened negative affective spillover were more likely to drive unsafely during their postwork commute (odds ratio = 1.96). We discuss the theoretical, practical, and methodological implications of our findings for research on employee commuting safety. (PsycINFO Database Record
Formation of HONO from the NH3-promoted hydrolysis of NO2 dimers in the atmosphere

Significance As the primary source of “detergent” OH radicals, nitrous acid (HONO) plays an essential role in the chemistry of the atmosphere. Despite extensive studies, the source of HONO is still elusive. Although recent studies have shown the importance of reactive nitrogen compounds during aerosol formation, mechanistic insight into how these compounds react is still missing. Herein, based on Born–Oppenheimer molecular-dynamics simulations and free-energy sampling, we identified a formation mechanism for HONO via the NH3-promoted hydrolysis of NO2 dimer (ONONO2) on water clusters/droplets. The near-spontaneous formation of HONO at the water–air interface sheds light on the catalytic role of water droplets in atmospheric chemistry. This finding provides not only a missing HONO source but also insight into HONO chemistry. One challenging issue in atmospheric chemistry is identifying the source of nitrous acid (HONO), which is believed to be a primary source of atmospheric “detergent” OH radicals. Herein, we show a reaction route for the formation of HONO species from the NH3-promoted hydrolysis of a NO2 dimer (ONONO2), which entails a low free-energy barrier of 0.5 kcal/mol at room temperature. Our systematic study of HONO formation based on NH3 + ONONO2 + nH2O and water droplet systems with the metadynamics simulation method and a reaction pathway searching method reveals two distinct mechanisms: (i) In monohydrates (n = 1), tetrahydrates (n = 4), and water droplets, only one water molecule is directly involved in the reaction (denoted the single-water mechanism); and (ii) the splitting of two neighboring water molecules is seen in the dihydrates (n = 2) and trihydrates (n = 3) (denoted the dual-water mechanism). A comparison of the computed free-energy surface for NH3-free and NH3-containing systems indicates that gaseous NH3 can markedly lower the free-energy barrier to HONO formation while stabilizing the product state, producing a more exergonic reaction, in contrast to the endergonic reaction for the NH3-free system. More importantly, the water droplet reduces the free-energy barrier for HONO formation to 0.5 kcal/mol, which is negligible at room temperature. We show that the entropic contribution is important in the mechanism by which NH3 promotes HONO formation. This study provides insight into the importance of fundamental HONO chemistry and its broader implication to aerosol and cloud processing chemistry at the air–water interface.
Research Commentary - From Net Neutrality to Data Neutrality: A Techno-Economic Framework and Research Agenda

The Internet has assumed a central role in the global economy facilitating commerce and communication and is thus central to many areas of information systems (IS) research. In particular, IS researchers played a critical role in the academic discourse on net neutrality, which has recently informed new regulatory frameworks in the United States and Europe. We discuss and categorize the various issues and key trade-offs that are still being debated in the context of net neutrality and identify open research questions in this domain. Based on these insights, we argue that net neutrality, which is concerned with a gatekeeper at the infrastructure level, may just be part of a larger debate on data neutrality where the gatekeeper may rather control a software platform. We provide several examples of potential data neutrality issues and generalize the key trade-offs in the context of a proposed four-step framework for identifying and organizing promising areas of IS research on data neutrality.
Relationship Between p16 Expression and Prognosis in Patients with Oropharyngeal Cancer Undergoing Surgery

Background/Aim: Prognostic impact of p16 expression in patients with oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) undergoing surgery is not fully examined. The aim of this study was to clarify these issues. Patients and Methods: Sixty-four OSCC subjects were analyzed. Immuno-histochemical staining of p16, a surrogate marker for human papillomavirus (HPV), was performed histopathologically. Data were retrospectively analyzed according to p16 positivity and factors linked to prognosis were also analyzed. Results: No significant difference was observed in the prognosis between the p16-positive group (n=28) and the p16-negative group (n=36). In patients undergoing post-operative radiation, the p16-positive group (n=18) had a significantly better prognosis than the p16-negative group (n=6). On multivariate analysis, transoral surgery was a significant predictor of overall survival (p=0.0173). Conclusion: Prognostic impact of p16 can be emphasized in a subgroup of OSCC patients undergoing surgery. Surgery with sufficient surgical margin may be chosen as the first treatment for HPV-negative OSCC in some cases.
Modifiable cardiovascular risk factors in adolescents and adults with congenital heart disease

OBJECTIVE Individuals with congenital heart disease (CHD) may be at higher risk of acquired cardiovascular disease than the general population due to their underlying physiology and/or surgical sequelae. We sought to assess the prevalence of cardiovascular disease risk factors in youth and adults with CHD. METHODS We assessed cardiovascular health as per the Cardiovascular Health in Ambulatory Care Research Team (CANHEART) health index in patients with CHD aged 15+ years who attended cardiology outpatient clinics. Participants self-reported smoking behavior, fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and whether they had diabetes and hypertension. Individual health indices were categorized into ideal/not ideal, and sum of individual health indices was categorized as poor, intermediate or ideal cardiovascular health as per CANHEART criteria. RESULTS We included n = 102 adults (35.4 ± 12.9 years, 46% female) and n = 88 youth (17.2 ±1.1 years, 41% female). Most individuals reported to be nonsmokers (88% youth vs 86% adults) and to consume ≥5 servings of fruit and vegetables per day (83% vs 85%, respectively). More adults than youth were overweight/obese (52% vs 22%, p < 0.001) though more adults than youth reported meeting age-specific physical activity guidelines (84% vs 55%, p < 0.001). According to CANHEART health index criteria, 32% of youth and 27% of adults were in ideal cardiovascular health. CONCLUSIONS A low proportion of individuals with CHD are in ideal cardiovascular health, suggesting a need to promote healthy lifestyles during adolescence and throughout adulthood in these individuals.
Methotrexate for severe nummular eczema in children: Efficacy and tolerability in a retrospective study of 28 patients

Nummular eczema in children is a chronic condition characterized by pruritic coin‐shaped eczematous lesions that affect any part of the body and often become exudative. Mid‐ to high‐potency topical corticosteroids are considered the mainstay treatment, but there are limited data on the use of systemic therapy for nummular eczema in children. The objective of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of methotrexate in children with severe nummular eczema.
Radio Frequency Interference Mitigation for High-Frequency Surface Wave Radar

Radio frequency interference (RFI) is a common source of interference for high-frequency surface wave radar (HFSWR) since the HF band is shared among many radio services. The existence of RFI greatly degrades the detection performance of HFSWR. On the basis of a detailed analysis of the characteristics of RFI, a new RFI mitigation method based on joint fractional Fourier transform (FRFT) and complex empirical mode decomposition (CEMD) is proposed in this letter. In this method, the optimum transform order of the FRFT is obtained through a two-level peak search. Subsequently, echoes that contain RFI are transformed into the fractional Fourier domain and are then decomposed into a number of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) via CEMD. The RFI is mitigated by implementing detection and localization in each IMF. The reconstructed signal is then transformed into the time domain via an inverse FRFT, and the mitigated signal is finally obtained. Processing results using experimental data indicate that the proposed method can effectively suppress RFI without losing echoes.
Aclidinium bromide inhibits human glioma cell proliferation, migration and invasion and promotes apoptosis via the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

This study investigates the anti-cancer potential of Aclidinium bromide (INN) in glioblastoma. Glioblastoma cell lines U251 and U87 were treated with INN and its effects on cell migration and invasion were assessed by transwell migration and invasion assays. , The effects of INN on proliferation and apoptosis were detected by CCK-8 kit and flow cytometry, and Western blotting determined anti-apoptotic proteins and signaling pathway changes. The results show that INN effectively suppressed proliferation, migration and invasion and induced apoptosis in U251 and U87 cells, respectively. Furthermore, the expression levels of the Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic protein was significantly decreased while Bax and caspase-3 expression were both increased in glioblastoma cells (all, p<0.05). Moreover, INN inactivated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway by down-regulating the level of p-AKT, p-mTOR, P70 and CyclinD1 (all, p<0.05). In conclusion, our data suggests that INN could provide novel anticancer therapy in the treatment of glioblastoma.
Use of the PCR-DGGE Method for the Analysis of the Bacterial Community Structure in Soil Treated With the Cephalosporin Antibiotic Cefuroxime and/or Inoculated With a Multidrug-Resistant Pseudomonas putida Strain MC1

The widespread use of cefuroxime (XM) has resulted in the increase in its concentration in hospital and domestic wastewaters. Due to the limited removal of antibiotics and antibiotic-resistant genes in conventional systems, the drugs enter the surface water and soils. Moreover, the introduction of XM and/or XM-resistant bacteria into soil may cause a significant modification of the biodiversity of soil bacterial communities. Therefore, the goal of this research was to assess the genetic diversity of a bacterial community in the cefuroxime (XM1 – 1 mg/kg and XM10 – 10 mg/kg) and/or antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas putida strain MC1 (Ps – 1.6 × 107 cells/g)-treated soils as determined by the DGGE (denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis) method. The obtained data were also evaluated using a multivariate analysis and the resistance (RS)/resilience (RL) concept. Strain MC1 was isolated from raw sewage in the presence of XM and was resistant not only to this antibiotic but also to vancomycin, clindamycin and erythromycin. The DGGE patterns revealed that the XM10 and XM10+Ps treatments modified the composition of the bacterial community by the alteration of the DGGE profiles as well as a decline in the DGGE indices, in particular on days 30, 60, and 90. In turn, the XM1 and XM1+Ps or Ps treatments did not affect the values of richness and diversity of the soil bacteria members. A principal component analysis (PCA) also indicated that XM markedly changed the diversity of bacterial assemblages in the second part of the experiment. Moreover, there were differences in the RS/RL of the DGGE indices to the disturbances caused by XM and/or Ps. Considering the mean values of the RS index, the resistance was categorized in the following order: diversity (0.997) > evenness (0.993) > richness (0.970). The soil RL index was found to be negative, thus reflecting the progressing detrimental impact of XM on the genetic biodiversity of bacteria within the experiment. These results indicate that the introduction of XM at higher dosages into the soil environment may exert a potential risk for functioning of microorganism.
Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Talin-1 and Midkine as Tumor Markers in Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Egyptian Patients

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a main cause of cancer death all over the world. Treatment and outcome of HCC based on its early diagnosis. This study was conducted to estimate the role of talin-1 and midkine in combination with total antioxidant capacity (TAC) as tumor markers in HCC patients. Methods: Serum levels of talin-1 and midkine were measured in 90 Egyptian subjects including 44 patients with HCC, 31patients with cirrhosis and 15 healthy controls using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) technique. While a colorimetric method was used for measurement of TAC. Results: Serum talin-1 in HCC patients was significantly lower than that in patients with cirrhosis (P<0.001) and normal control (P<0.001). In addition, increased invasion and metastasis correlated with reduced talin-1 level. Serum midkine in HCC patients was significantly higher compared to cirrhotic patients (P<0.001) and normal control (P<0.001). Midkine at a cut off value of 1683 pg/ml showed a sensitivity of (81.82%) and specificity of (83.87%). While alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) at a cut off value of 200 ng/ml had a sensitivity of (52.27%), while specificity was (96.77%). Midkine was positive in 80.9% of HCC patients with negative AFP. Serum TAC was significantly decreased in HCC patients when compared with control group (P<0.001). Conclusion: Talin-1 may be implicated in the carcinogenesis and metastasis of HCC and can be used as a useful tumor marker for HCC. Midkine may be a potential diagnostic marker for HCC and may be used in addition to AFP to increase the sensitivity of HCC detection.