Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new flow-through bioassay for testing low-emission antifouling coatings

Abstract Current antifouling (AF) technologies are based on the continuous release of biocides into the water, and consequently discharge into the environment. Major efforts to develop more environmentally friendly coatings require efficient testing in laboratory assays, followed by field studies. Barnacles are important fouling organisms worldwide, increasing hydrodynamic drag on ships and damaging coatings on underwater surfaces, and thus are extensively used as models in AF research, mostly in static, laboratory-based systems. Reliable flow-through test assays for the screening of biocide-containing AF paints, however, are rare. Herein, a flow-through bioassay was developed to screen for diverse low-release biocide paints, and to evaluate their effects on pre- and post-settlement traits in barnacles. The assay distinguishes between the effects from direct surface contact and bulk-water effects, which are crucial when developing low-emission AF coatings. This flow-through bioassay adds a new tool for rapid laboratory-based first-stage screening of candidate compounds and novel AF formulations.
Measuring Emergency Department Acuity

BACKGROUND Emergency department (ED) acuity is the general level of patient illness, urgency for clinical intervention, and intensity of resource use in an ED environment. The relative strength of commonly used measures of ED acuity is not well understood. METHODS We performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of ED-level data to evaluate the relative strength of association between commonly used proxy measures with a full spectrum measure of ED acuity. Common measures included the percentage of patients with Emergency Severity Index (ESI) scores of 1 or 2, case mix index (CMI), academic status, annual ED volume, inpatient admission rate, percentage of Medicare patients, and patients seen per attending-hour. Our reference standard for acuity is the proportion of high-acuity charts (PHAC) coded and billed according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service's Ambulatory Payment Classification (APC) system. High-acuity charts included those APC 4 or 5 or critical care. PHAC was represented as a fractional response variable. We examined the strength of associations between common acuity measures and PHAC using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients (rs ) and regression models including a quasi-binomial generalized linear model and linear regression. RESULTS In our univariate analysis, the percentage of patients ESI 1 or 2, CMI, academic status, and annual ED volume had statistically significant associations with PHAC. None explained more than 16% of PHAC variation. For regression models including all common acuity measures, academic status was the only variable significantly associated with PHAC. CONCLUSION Emergency Severity Index had the strongest association with PHAC followed by CMI and annual ED volume. Academic status captures variability outside of that explained by ESI, CMI, annual ED volume, percentage of Medicare patients, or patients per attending per hour. All measures combined only explained only 42.6% of PHAC variation.
Novel Synthesis of Slightly Fluorinated Graphene Quantum Dots with Luminescent and Paramagnetic Properties through Thermal Cutting of Fluorinated Graphene

A novel approach has been developed to synthesize slightly fluorinated graphene quantum dots (GQDs-F) through thermal cutting of highly fluorinated graphene. The fluorinated graphene with substantial structure defects is fragile and is readily attacked. The direct evaporation of abundant CFn (n = 2, 3) groups near structure defects lead to the loss of adjacent skelton C atoms, and the fluorinated graphene can be thermally cut into GQDs-F with a relatively uniform nanosize in pyrolysis at 810 K. The GQDs-F with a low F/C atomic ratio of ca. 0.03 exhibit excitation wavelength-dependent properties with multicolor photoluminescence (PL) from blue to green. At the same time, F adatoms that are most likely located at the edges of GQDs-F have a high efficiency of introducing paramagnetic centres, and GQDs-F show a strong paramagnetism because of sp3-type defects and magnetic zigzag edges. The graphene quantum dots with such multimodal capabilities should have great applied value in material science.
Zooming in on accretion – I. The structure of halo gas

We study the properties of gas in and around 10^12 solar mass halos at z=2 using a suite of high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamic 'zoom' simulations. We quantify the thermal and dynamical structure of these gaseous reservoirs in terms of their mean radial distributions and angular variability along different sightlines. With each halo simulated at three levels of increasing resolution, the highest reaching a baryon mass resolution of ~10,000 solar masses, we study the interaction of filamentary inflow and the quasi-static hot halo atmosphere. We highlight the discrepancy between the spatial resolution available in the halo gas as opposed to within the galaxy itself, and find that stream morphologies become increasingly complex at higher resolution, with large coherent flows revealing density and temperature structure at progressively smaller scales. Moreover, multiple gas components co-exist at the same radius within the halo, making radially averaged analyses misleading. This is particularly true where the hot, quasi-static, high entropy halo atmosphere interacts with cold, rapidly inflowing, low entropy accretion. We investigate the process of gas virialization and identify different regimes for the heating of gas as it accretes from the intergalactic medium. Haloes at this mass have a well-defined virial shock, associated with a sharp jump in temperature and entropy at ~1.25 r_vir. The presence, radius, and radial width of this boundary feature, however, vary not only from halo to halo, but also as a function of angular direction, covering roughly ~85% of the 4pi sphere. Our findings are relevant for the proper interpretation of observations pertaining to the circumgalactic medium, including evidence for large amounts of cold gas surrounding massive haloes at intermediate redshifts.
The risk of cardiac failure following metal-on-metal hip arthroplasty

Aims The aim of this study was to determine whether patients with metal‐on‐metal (MoM) arthroplasties of the hip have an increased risk of cardiac failure compared with those with alternative types of arthroplasties (non‐MoM). Patients and Methods A linkage study between the National Joint Registry, Hospital Episodes Statistics and records of the Office for National Statistics on deaths was undertaken. Patients who underwent elective total hip arthroplasty between January 2003 and December 2014 with no past history of cardiac failure were included and stratified as having either a MoM (n = 53 529) or a non‐MoM (n = 482 247) arthroplasty. The primary outcome measure was the time to an admission to hospital for cardiac failure or death. Analysis was carried out using data from all patients and from those matched by propensity score. Results The risk of cardiac failure was lower in the MoM cohort compared with the non‐MoM cohort (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) 0.901; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.853 to 0.953). The risk of cardiac failure was similar following matching (aHR 0.909; 95% CI 0.838 to 0.987) and the findings were consistent in subgroup analysis. Conclusion The risk of cardiac failure following total hip arthroplasty was not increased in those in whom MoM implants were used, compared with those in whom other types of prostheses were used, in the first seven years after surgery.
Effect of one week of CPAP treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea on 24‐hour profiles of glucose, insulin and counter‐regulatory hormones in type 2 diabetes

Studies examining the impact of CPAP treatment on glycaemic control have yielded conflicting results, partly because of insufficient nightly CPAP use. We examined the 24‐hour profiles of glucose, insulin and counter‐regulatory hormones in 12 subjects with type 2 diabetes and OSA before and after 1 week of effective in‐laboratory CPAP therapy over an entire 8‐hour night thus ensuring optimal CPAP compliance. Blood samples were collected every 15 to 30 minutes for 24 hours under controlled conditions. The 24‐hour mean glucose decreased from 153.2 ± 33.0 to 139.7 ± 24.2 mg/dL with CPAP (−13.5 ± 13.5 mg/dL; P = .005) without change in insulin levels. Morning fasting glucose levels decreased by 14.6 ± 3 mg/dL (P = .001) and the dawn phenomenon decreased by 7.8 ± 9.8 mg/dL (P = .019). CPAP treatment decreased norepinephrine levels while the 24‐hour profiles of growth hormone and cortisol remained unchanged. In conclusion, 1 week of effective treatment of OSA over an entire 8‐hour night results in a clinically significant improvement in glycaemic control via an amelioration of evening fasting glucose metabolism and a reduction in the dawn phenomenon, a late‐night glucose increase that is not adequately treated by oral medications.
Catch-Up Growth after Childhood-Onset Substitution in Primary Hypothyroidism: Is It a Guide towards Optimal Growth Hormone Treatment in Idiopathic Growth Hormone Deficiency?

Catch-up growth was analyzed in 20 prepubertal children with primary hypothyroidism (PH) starting treatment at an age of 4.4 (1.2–10.1) years and a height (HT) SD score (HT SDS) of –3.1 (±0.8). All patients were followed for at least 3 prepubertal years. HT velocity was 12.3 ± 2.3, 9.0 ± 1.8 and 7.5 ± 2.2 cm/year, and change in HT SDS was 1.60 ± 0.56, 0.57 ± 0.33 and 0.28 ± 0.38 during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd year, respectively. The 11 children followed to adult height reached a HT SDS of –0.11 ± 1.1, all within their target HT range. HT gain (ΔHT SDS) during the 1st year was correlated with the degree of catch-up growth (r2 = 0.78, p < 0.001). While catch-up growth in childhood-onset PH is complete, this is not the case in GH deficiency (GHD). Based on the auxological characteristics of the patients with PH, HT velocities during the first 2 years were predicted applying prediction models devised for prepubertal children with idiopathic GHD. The modalities of GH treatment observed in the models were used to calculate predicted HT velocities of the PH patients. Observed HT velocities in PH were higher than predicted HT velocities during the 1st (10.67 ± 1.37 cm/year, p < 0.01) and 2nd (8.35 ± 0.86 cm/year, p = 0.128) year. The data show that catch-up potential in idiopathic GHD of childhood onset is reduced compared to PH. Since early catch-up as well as total HT recovery in children with GHD are often not reached by present treatment modalities, catch-up growth in PH may serve as a model towards optimizing GH treatment. The data suggest that initial GH doses of 1.0 IU/kg/week, rather than the presently recommended 0.6 IU/kg/week, need to be given in GHD in order to achieve the degree of early catch-up observed in PH and to consequently improve the final outcome.
Hydroxyurea for lifelong transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia: A meta-analysis

ABSTRACT Objective: Chronic blood transfusion remains the most feasible therapeutic option for lifelong transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (lifelong TDβT). However, it is associated with serious risks and complications. Hydroxyurea (HU), an oral chemotherapeutic drug, is expected to increase hemoglobin levels, thereby minimizing the burden of blood transfusion and its complications. Growing literature over the last twenty years suggests promising results of the use HU in lifelong TDβT; however, its role and safety remain unanswered questions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of HU in patients with lifelong TDβT. Methods: MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane databases, and major preceding conferences for studies that assessed HU in lifelong TDβT patients were searched. The effect size was estimated as a proportion (responder/sample size). Results: Eleven observational studies, collectively involving 859 patients, fulfilled eligibility criteria. HU was associated with a significant decrease in transfusion need with complete and overall (≥50%) response rates of 26% [95% confidence interval (CI), 13–41%] and 60% (95% CI, 41–78%), respectively. No serious adverse effects were reported. All of the studies had several limitations, such as lack of a comparison group. Conclusion: HU appears to be effective, well tolerated; however, large randomized clinical trials should be done to confirm such findings
Evaluation of a selected lactic acid bacteria-based probiotic on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis colonization and intestinal permeability in broiler chickens

ABSTRACT Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of a lactic acid bacteria-based probiotic (FloraMax-B11®) against Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis intestinal colonization and intestinal permeability in broiler chickens. Experiment 1 consisted of two independent trials. In each trial, day-old broiler chicks were assigned to one of two groups: control + S. Enteritidis or probiotic + S. Enteritidis. At 72 h post-S. Enteritidis challenge, haematology and caecal content were evaluated for S. Enteritidis colonization. In Experiment 2, day-old broiler chicks were assigned to one of four groups: negative control; probiotic; control + S. Enteritidis; or probiotic + S. Enteritidis. At 72 h post-S. Enteritidis challenge, chickens in all groups were given an oral gavage dose of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-d). In both trials of Experiment 1, a significant reduction (P < 0.05) in colony-forming units/gram of S. Enteritidis in caecal content and a reduction in the incidence of S. Enteritidis enriched caecal samples were observed in probiotic + S. Enteritidis chickens. In addition, significant heterophilia and lymphopaenia were observed in control + S. Enteritidis chickens. In Experiment 2, a decrease in numbers of S. Enteritidis in caeca were observed in probiotic + S. Enteritidis chickens when compared to control + S. Enteritidis. Also, an increase in serum FITC-d concentration was detected in control + S. Enteritidis. These results suggest that early infection with S. Enteritidis can increase intestinal permeability, but the adverse effects can be prevented by the administration of the probiotic tested.
Green synthesized silver nanoparticles demonstrating enhanced in vitro and in vivo antibiofilm activity against Candida spp.

Candida species are opportunistic fungal pathogens, which are known for their biofilm associated infections on implanted medical devices in clinical settings. Broad spectrum usage of azole groups and other antifungal agents leads to the occurrence of drug resistance among Candida species. Most of the antifungal agents have failed to treat the biofilm mediated Candida infections. In the present study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized using Dodonaea viscosa and Hyptis suoveolens methanolic leaf extracts and characterized by ultraviolet‐visible absorption spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Scanning electron microscopy, Dynamic light scattering, and Zeta potential analysis. The main goal of this study was to assess the AgNPs for their antibiofilm efficacy against Candida spp. through microscopic analysis and in vitro virulence assays. The results revealed that AgNPs strongly inhibited more than 80% biofilm formed by Candida spp. Furthermore, the AgNPs also reduced the yeast‐to‐hyphal transition, exopolysaccharide biosynthesis, secreted aspartyl proteinase production which are the major virulence factors of Candida species. This study reveals that biosynthesized AgNPs can be considered for the treatment of biofilm related Candida infections.
Polynomial description of inhomogeneous topological superconducting wires

We present the universal features of the topological invariant for p-wave superconducting wires after the inclusion of spatial inhomogeneities. Three classes of distributed potentials are studied, a single-defect, a commensurate and an incommensurate model, using periodic site modulations. An analytic polynomial description is achieved by splitting the topological invariant into two parts; one part depends on the chemical potential and the other does not. For the homogeneous case, an elliptical region is found where the topological invariant oscillates. The zeros of these oscillations occur at points where the fermion parity switches for finite wires. The increase of these oscillations with the inhomogeneity strength leads to new isolated non-topological phases. We characterize these new phases according to each class of spatial distributions. Such phases could also be observed in the XY model, to which our model is dual.
Automatic identification of pathological voice quality based on the GRBAS categorization

Acoustic analysis-based automatic detection of voice pathologies enables non-invasive, low-cost and objective assessments of the presence of disorders, which might assist in accelerating and improving the diagnosis and clinical treatment given to patients. In this paper, we focus on the automatic assessment of pathological voice quality by identifying the four attributes of Roughness, Breathiness, Asthenia, and Strain based on the GRBAS categorization. The proposed method adopts higher-order local auto-correlation (HLAC) features, which are calculated from the excitation source signal obtained by an automatic topology-generated AR-HMM analysis, and identifies the four attributes using a feed-forward neural network (FFNN)-based classifier. In the experiments, an average F-measure of 87.25% was obtained for a speaker- based identification task, which confirms the feasibility of the proposed method.
Clinical and genetic analysis of a family affected with dominant optic atrophy (OPA1)

OBJECTIVES To refine the dominant optic atrophy locus, OPA1, on chromosome 3q and to characterize the phenotype of a 6-generation family pedigree affected with this disease. METHODS Fifty-six family members had a complete eye examination. Clinical records of an additional 3 patients were reviewed. Goldmann perimetry and a 21-chip subtest of the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue test were performed on selected patients. Affected patients, unaffected siblings, and potentially informative spouses were genotyped with short tandem repeat polymorphisms located on chromosome 3. The genotypic data were subjected to linkage analysis. RESULTS Thirty-four family members were found to be clinically affected. Most experienced vision loss (20/40 or poorer) in the first decade of life. Most (9 of the 16 eyes) progressed to 20/800 or poorer visual acuity by age 60 years, while 2 patients maintained visual acuities of 20/40 at that age. Affected patients had a 2- to 10-fold increase in the error score of a 21-chip subtest of the Farnsworth-Munsell 100-Hue test compared with age-matched unaffected family members. The optic nerve examination revealed temporal pallor and excavation in all affected individuals. Linkage analysis revealed significant lod scores with 9 markers. The highest lod score, 10.1 (theta = 0) [corrected], was obtained with marker D3S2305. Analysis of recombinants narrowed the disease interval to approximately 3.8 centimorgans, flanked by D3S3669 (centromeric) and D3S1305 (telomeric). CONCLUSIONS Most patients affected with dominant optic atrophy in this family progressed to legal blindness by middle age. Color vision testing is a sensitive method for detection of affected patients. The dominant optic atrophy locus, OPA1, has been refined by the identification of new flanking markers: D3S3669 (centromeric) and D3S1305 (telomeric).
Probabilistic Representation for Solutions to Nonlinear Fokker-Planck Equations

One obtains a probabilistic representation for the entropic generalized solutions to a nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation in $\mathbb R^d$ with multivalued nonlinear diffusion term as density probabilities of solutions to a nonlinear stochastic differential equation. The case of a nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation with linear space dependent drift is also studied.
Prostate-Specific Antigen in Hemodialysis Patients and the Influence of Dialysis in Its Levels

The determination of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a useful tool in the diagnosis and follow-up of prostate cancer in males, but its diagnostic validity is uncertain in hemodialysis patients. We prospectively evaluated PSA in male hemodialysis patients as well as the influence of a single dialytic session on its levels. We measured pre- and postdialysis total PSA (tPSA) in 63 hemodialysis patients (mean age 68.44 ± 11.16 years, range 33–86 years) who had received dialysis with low flux membranes as well as in 729 normal subjects (mean age 63.22 ± 16.85 years, range 28–92 years). We also measured pre- and postdialysis hematocrit (Hct) in patients in order to estimate the degree of hemoconcentration after the dialysis session. If any of the examined patients or subjects had abnormal tPSA levels then free PSA (fPSA) and the f/tPSA ratio were additionally measured. Patients had lower levels of tPSA compared with those of the subjects (2.41 ± 4.06 vs. 3.76 ± 7.16 ng/ml, p < 0.05) while both of the two groups had near equal prevalence of individuals with abnormal values of tPSA or f/tPSA ratio (patients 12.69 and 7.93%, subjects 11.01 and 7.11%, respectively; nonsignificant. Dialysis resulted in a 9.48% increase in mean tPSA levels (2.41 ± 4.06 vs. 2.69 ± 4.06 ng/ml, nonsignificant) and in a 10.09% increase in mean Hct; the correlation between these increases was significant (r = 0.79, p < 0.001). In conclusion, our male hemodialysis patients had lower PSA levels compared with the general population, while both groups of individuals had a similar prevalence of abnormal values of tPSA and f/tPSA ratio. Dialysis with low flux membranes does not eliminate PSA and its postdialysis increase is due to hemoconcentration.
Elastography: A New Ultrasound Technique in Nodular Thyroid Pathology

Elastography is a new technique for evaluating the stiffness of nodules. It is generally recognised that malignant thyroid lesions are harder than benign lesions. Different elastographic techniques are presented, with characteristics, advantages and limita‐ tions. Qualitative and semiquantitative methods are described. Comparison of the main existing techniques, static and dynamic elastographies, is presented in this chapter. Strain elastography seems to have a better diagnostic quality than shear wave elastography in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer disease. A positive elastogram, suggestive for malignancy is more useful in diagnosis than a positive grey-scale ultrasound evaluation. Elastography increases the specificity of grey scale ultrasound (US), it should be always integrated with its information and should be considered as a complement of conventional US.