Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of pH in the Hydrothermal Preparation of Bi2WO6 Nanostructures

In this study, Bi2WO6 was prepared by the hydrothermal method. The effects of reaction temperature (150/170/200 °C) and reaction time (6/12/24 h) were investigated. The role of strongly acidic pH (1 >) and the full range between 0.3 and 13.5 were studied first. Every sample was studied by XRD and SEM; furthermore, the Bi2WO6 samples prepared at different temperatures were examined in detail by EDX and TEM, as well as FT-IR, Raman and UV-vis spectroscopies. It was found that changing the temperature and time slightly influenced the crystallinity and morphology of the products. The most crystallized product formed at 200 °C, 24 h. The pure, sheet-like Bi2WO6, prepared at 200 °C, 24 h, and 0.3 pH, gradually transformed into a mixture of Bi2WO6 and Bi3.84W0. 16O6.24 with increasing pH. The nanosheets turned into a morphology of mixed shapes in the acidic range (fibers, sheets, irregular forms), and became homogenous cube- and octahedral-like shapes in the alkaline range. Their band gaps were calculated and were found to vary between 2.66 and 2.59 eV as the temperature increased. The specific surface area measurements revealed that reducing the temperature favors the formation of a larger surface area (35.8/26/21.6 m2/g belonging to 150/170/200 °C, respectively).
Endoscopic partial closure followed by adequate drainage for treating delayed perforation caused by duodenal endoscopic submucosal dissection

Abstract Rationale: Delayed perforation of duodenal endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) was reported to be up to 14.3%. High invasive surgery remains the main treatment for delayed duodenal perforation. Patient concerns: A 56-year-old woman presented with abdominal pain and fever at 1st day after ESD for treating a large laterally spreading tumor in the second part of duodenum. Diagnosis: Emergent abdominal computed tomography revealed the presence of duodenal perforation. Interventions: Endoscopic purse-string technique was used to partially close the large mucosal defect. Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy was conducted for gastric drainage and proximal drainage of the wound. A nasointestinal decompression tube was placed for distal drainage of the wound. Outcomes: No further symptoms were noted after 5 days. Both upper gastrointestinal series and endoscopy confirmed the healing of the wound. Lessons: Partial closure of the mucosal defect followed by adequate drainage can be selected as a preferred choice for management of delayed duodenal perforation. It may also serve as an alternative for prevention of delayed perforation when complete closure of the mucosal defect is technically difficult or impossible.
Disentangling the effects of recombination, selection, and demography on the genetic variation at a major histocompatibility complex class II gene in the alpine chamois

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) harbours some of the most polymorphic loci in vertebrate genomes. MHC genes are thought to be subject to some form of balancing selection, most likely pathogen‐mediated selection. Hence, MHC genes are excellent candidates for exploring adaptive processes. In this study, we investigated the genetic variation at exon 2 of the DRB class II MHC locus in 191 alpine chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra) from 10 populations in the eastern Alps of Italy. In particular, we were interested in distinguishing and estimating the relative impact of selective and demographic factors, while taking into account the confounding effect of recombination. The extremely high dn/ds ratio and the presence of trans‐species polymorphisms suggest that a strong long‐term balancing selection effect has been operating at this locus throughout the evolutionary history of this species. We analysed patterns of genetic variation within and between populations, and the mitochondrial D‐loop polymorphism patterns were analysed to provide a baseline indicator of the effects of demographic processes. These analyses showed that (i) the chamois experienced a demographic decline in the last 5000–30 000 years, most likely related to the postglacial elevation in temperature; (ii) this demographic process can explain the results of neutrality tests applied to MHC variation within populations, but cannot justify the much weaker divergence between populations implied by MHC as opposed to mitochondrial DNA; (iii) similar sets of divergent alleles are probably maintained with similar frequencies by balancing selection in different populations, and this mechanism is also operating in small isolated populations, which are strongly affected by drift.
Pharmacokinetics and Clinical Pharmacology Considerations of GalNAc3-Conjugated Antisense Oligonucleotides

ABSTRACT Introduction: Triantennary N-acetyl galactosamine (GalNAc3) – conjugated antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) have demonstrated improved hepatocyte uptake and pharmacologic activity over their parent unconjugated ASOs in animals and humans. Areas covered: In this review, the ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion) characteristics of GalNAc3-conjugated ASOs in animals and in humans are summarized, and their clinical relevance is evaluated from the clinical pharmacology perspectives. Expert opinion: ASOs distribute to tissues via receptor-mediated processes, and conjugation to a ligand specific to certain cell types can improve target tissue delivery. GalNAc3-conjugation represents a good example on this regard and has demonstrated ideal characteristics of a prodrug to target delivery of ASOs to hepatocytes via the asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGPR). The improved potency and safety margin permit more flexible dosing (e.g. monthly or less frequently if needed) taking full advantage of the long half-life of the parent ASO in humans. However, while still speculative, it should be noted that ASGPR-mediated uptake could become nonlinear with dose and factors that impact ASGPR expression or compete with ASGPR-mediated uptake could potentially affect the uptake of GalNAc3-conjugated ASOs, further studies are warranted.
Utility of QuantiFERON tuberculosis gold-in-tube test for detecting latent tuberculosis infection among close household contacts of confirmed tuberculosis patients in Accra, Ghana

Objective/Background: Introduction of the interferon gamma (IFN-γ) release assays with their higher sensitivity and specificity over the traditional tuberculin skin test has improved testing for latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI). None of the IFN-γ release assays has ever been used to screen for LTBI in Ghana. This study set out to determine the utility of the QuantiFERON TB Gold-in-Tube (QFT-GIT) test for the diagnosis of LTBI among close household contacts of newly diagnosed sputum smear-positive tuberculosis (TB) patents in Accra, Ghana, and the associated risk factors for a positive QFT-GIT test. Materials and Methods: Close household contacts of newly diagnosed sputum smear-positive patients receiving anti-TB therapy from three hospitals in Accra were recruited, after providing written informed consent, between April 2012 and December 2014. In addition to demographic details, 2 mL of blood was collected from all participants for the QFT-GIT test for LTBI diagnosis. Results: Out of 112 eligible consenting participants, the QFT-GIT test was performed for 100 participants. The prevalence of LTBI (QFT-GIT positive) was 65%, with 32% being QFT-GIT negative and 3% indeterminate results. Contacts aged >15 years were more likely to be QFT-GIT positive than those aged >15 years, regardless of their Bacillus Calmette–Guerin status. There was significantly higher QFT-GIT test positivity in adult contacts who were parents, siblings, or spouses to index cases than in child contacts (P = 0.0016, P = 0.04, and P = 0.0003, respectively). Conclusion: The QFT-GIT test will be a useful tool for screening of TB contacts for LTBI in Ghana.
A Risk‐Based Method for Modeling Traffic Fatalities

We describe a risk‐based analytical framework for estimating traffic fatalities that combines the probability of a crash and the probability of fatality in the event of a crash. As an illustrative application, we use the methodology to explore the role of vehicle mix and vehicle prevalence on long‐run fatality trends for a range of transportation growth scenarios that may be relevant to developing societies. We assume crash rates between different road users are proportional to their roadway use and estimate case fatality ratios (CFRs) for the different vehicle‐vehicle and vehicle‐pedestrian combinations. We find that in the absence of road safety interventions, the historical trend of initially rising and then falling fatalities observed in industrialized nations occurred only if motorization was through car ownership. In all other cases studied (scenarios dominated by scooter use, bus use, and mixed use), traffic fatalities rose monotonically. Fatalities per vehicle had a falling trend similar to that observed in historical data from industrialized nations. Regional adaptations of the model validated with local data can be used to evaluate the impacts of transportation planning and safety interventions, such as helmets, seat belts, and enforcement of traffic laws, on traffic fatalities.
Oxygen-sensitive interneurons exhibit increased activity and GABA release during ROS scavenging in the cerebral cortex of the western painted turtle.

The western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) has the unique ability of surviving several months in the absence of oxygen, which is termed anoxia. One major protective strategy that the turtle employs during anoxia is a reduction in neuronal electrical activity, which may result from a natural reduction in reactive oxygen species (ROS). We previously linked a reduction in ROS levels to an increase in γ-amino butyric acid (GABA) receptor currents. The purpose of this study is to understand how fast-spiking, GABA-releasing neurons respond to reductions in ROS and how this affects GABA release. Using a fluorescence-coupled enzymatic microplate assay for GABA, we found that anoxia, the ROS scavenger N-2-mercaptopriopionylglycine (MPG), or the mitochondrial-specific ROS scavenger MitoTEMPO resulted in a 2.5-, 2.0-, and 2.5-fold increase in extracellular [GABA], respectively. This phenomenon could be blocked with tetrodotoxin (TTX), indicating that it is activity-dependent. Using whole-cell patch clamping techniques, we found that fast-spiking, burst-firing GABAergic turtle neurons increase the duration and number of action potentials per burst by 26% and 42%, respectively, in response to ROS scavenging via MPG. These results suggest that the reduction in mitochondrially-produced ROS that occurs during anoxia leads to increased GABA release, which promotes post-synaptic inhibitory activity through activation of GABA receptors.
Semantic Labeling of English Texts with Ontological Categories Employing Recurrent Networks

Semantic labeling of texts allows people and computing devices to more easily understand the meaning of a natural language sentence as a whole.Semantic annotation is often one of the ﬁrst steps carried out by applications focused on natural language processing. However, this step is often done manually, which is very expensive and time-consuming. When automatic methods are employed they require that a set of features, elaborated by specialists, be provided so that the system can assign probabilities in order to make inferences. In this article we present a model of the deep recurrent network that semantically annotates texts in English using as labels the top categories of an ontology. The tests showed that it is possible to obtain better results than the models that need the features to be made explicit.
Climate change will reduce suitable Caatinga dry forest habitat for endemic plants with disproportionate impacts on specialized reproductive strategies

Global climate change alters the dynamic of natural ecosystems and directly affects species distributions, persistence and diversity. The impacts of climate change may lead to dramatic changes in biotic interactions, such as pollination and seed dispersal. Life history traits are extremely important to consider the vulnerability of a species to climate change, producing more robust models than those based primarily on species distributions. Here, we hypothesized that rising temperatures and aridity will reduce suitable habitats for the endemic flora of the Caatinga, the most diverse dry tropical forest on Earth. Specifically, species with specialized reproductive traits (e.g. vertebrate pollination, biotic dispersal, obligatory cross-pollination) should be more affected by climate change than those with generalist traits. We performed two ecological niche models (current and future) to simulate the effects of climate change on the distribution area of endemic species in relation to life-history traits. We used the MIROC-ESM and CCSM4 models for both intermediate (RCP4.5) and highest predicted (RCP8.5) GHG emission scenarios, with a resolution of 30' (~1 km2). Habitat with high occurrence probability (>80%) of endemic species will be reduced (up to ~10% for trees, ~13% for non-arboreous, 10–28% for species with any pollination/reproductive system), with the greatest reductions for species with specialized reproductive traits. In addition, the likely concentration of endemic plants in the extreme northeastern portion of the Caatinga, in more mesic areas, coincides with the currently most human-modified areas of the ecosystem, which combined with climate change will further contract suitable habitats of endemic species. In conclusion, plant species endemic to the Caatinga are highly vulnerable to even conservative scenarios of future climate change and may lose much of their climatic envelopes. New protected areas should be located in the northeastern portion of the Caatinga, which hosts a more favorable climate, but is currently exposed to escalating agricultural intensification.
Combined external beam radiation therapy and brachytherapy versus radical prostatectomy with adjuvant radiation therapy for Gleason 9-10 prostate cancer.

PURPOSE It remains controversial whether external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with brachytherapy boost (BT) provides equivalent oncologic outcomes compared with radical prostatectomy (RP) with or without adjuvant radiation therapy (ART) for men with Gleason 9-10 prostate cancer. We sought to compare ComboRT (EBRT+BT) to RP+ART for Gleason 9-10 prostate cancer in terms of overall survival (OS) and prostate cancer-specific mortality (PCSM) in two large national databases. MATERIALS AND METHODS We identified patients diagnosed with clinical T1-T3N0M0, Gleason 9-10, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) 0-40 ng/mL prostate cancer managed with either ComboRT or RP+ART using the National Cancer Database (N=4,367) and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (N=2,276). We compared OS and PCSM in the two databases using inverse probability of treatment-weighted multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression modeling after accounting for clinical and demographic factors. RESULTS Median follow-up in the NCDB and SEER cohorts were 6.0 years and 5.8 years, respectively. Within the NCDB cohort, there was no significant difference in 5-year OS between RP+ART versus ComboRT (86.7% vs 87.0%, adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.95-1.27, p=0.220). Results were unchanged when including only those who received hormonal therapy. Within the SEER cohort, there was no difference in 5-year PCSM (6.0% vs 5.7%, AHR 1.22, 95% CI 0.0.88-1.71, p=0.234). There was no significant interaction between age (>=65 versus <65 years) and treatment modality for the NCDB or SEER cohorts. CONCLUSIONS For patients with Gleason 9-10 prostate cancer, multi-modality surgical therapy is equivalent to ComboRT.
Dietary Quality Assessed by the HEI-2010 and Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Disease: An Exploratory Analysis

Abstract Objectives: This study explores relationships between cardiometabolic measures of antioxidant capacity or inflammation and diet quality assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010 which measures conformity to Dietary Guidelines for Americans. This cross-sectional study was an ancillary analysis of baseline data for a randomized controlled trial with older adults at risk for cardiometabolic disease (ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT00955903). Methods: Community-dwelling older adults (n = 133, 49% male, 70.4 ± 4.8 years) with a body mass index of 30–40 kg/m2 provided a fasted blood sample for measurement of antioxidant capacity, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-6. Dietary data were generated from the mean of three 24-hour recalls. Results: After adjustment for potential confounders, HEI-2010 composite scores were not significantly associated with decreased inflammation or greater antioxidant capacity. In analysis of the 12 components composing the HEI-2010, significant positive association was observed between total dairy and total serum antioxidant capacity (0.043; 95% CI, 0.008–0.069). Significant associations observed in inflammatory markers were between total vegetable and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (−0.078; 95% CI, −0.151 to −0.005), sodium and interleukin-6 (0.091; 95% CI, 0.023–0.158), and scores for combined calories from solid fats, alcoholic beverages, and added sugars and interleukin-6 (0.139; 95% CI, 0.027–0.252). In models adjusting for HEI-2010 composite score when significant associations were observed between component scores and biomarkers, two of six associations were strengthened by adding the composite score as a potential confounder. Conclusions: Largely null findings along with those inconsistent with scientific expectations suggest caution in extrapolating adherence to the HEI-2010 with an individual’s inflammatory or antioxidant status. Results merit additional investigation with other biomarkers of chronic disease and emphasis on dietary patterns given potential synergy within food combinations.
Quality assessment of motion rendition in video coding

This paper addresses the issue of testing and quality assessment of motion rendition in digital video coding. Motion estimation and compensation are critical modules in video coders, as they are the most demanding resources and largely account for the visual quality of the resulting compressed stream. The testing of such modules is thus very important. A computational metric, based on a spatiotemporal model of the human visual system and of human motion sensing, is proposed and used to evaluate MPEG-2 compressed video. The metric is able to assess the quality of motion rendition and exhibits a good correlation with subjective data.
An international registry for primary ciliary dyskinesia

Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder leading to chronic upper and lower airway disease. Fundamental data on epidemiology, clinical presentation, course and treatment strategies are lacking in PCD. We have established an international PCD registry to realise an unmet need for an international platform to systematically collect data on incidence, clinical presentation, treatment and disease course. The registry was launched in January 2014. We used internet technology to ensure easy online access using a web browser under www.pcdregistry. eu. Data from 201 patients have been collected so far. The database is comprised of a basic data form including demographic and diagnostic information, and visit forms designed to monitor the disease course. To establish a definite PCD diagnosis, we used strict diagnostic criteria, which required two to three diagnostic methods in addition to classical clinical symptoms. Preliminary analysis of lung function data demonstrated a mean annual decline of percentage predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s of 0.59% (95% CI 0.98–0.22). Here, we present the development of an international PCD registry as a new promising tool to advance the understanding of this rare disorder, to recruit candidates for research studies and ultimately to improve PCD care. A registry to systematically collect data on clinical presentation, disease course and treatment of PCD http://ow.ly/TtGAR
Epidemiology of pediatric visits to the emergency department due to foreign body injuries in South Korea

Abstract Foreign body (FB) injuries mainly occur in young children and may cause serious complications. The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of FB injuries among children visiting the emergency department (ED) in South Korea and to compare the incidence and the ED results of FB injuries. Using data from the National Emergency Department Information System, FB injury-related ED visits among children (<7 years) between January 2010 and December 2014 were included. Epidemiological characteristics were analyzed in different age groups, and metropolises were compared with provinces regarding the incidence of ED visits, admission, and transfer of patients with FB injuries. In total, 51,406 pediatric patients with FB injuries visited 118 EDs over 5 years, and the annual incidence of FB injuries among children increased throughout the study period (215.1–436.5 per 100,000 population [<7 years], P for trend <.001). The most common anatomical site of the FB injury was the nose (18,479; 36.0%), followed by the pharynx (10,285; 20.0%). The most common age of patients was 1 year for alimentary tract, 2 years for nose, 1 year for respiratory tract, and 4 years for ear FB injuries. The overall admission rate was 1.8%, and the ICU admission rate was 0.04%. Four deaths occurred, and all of them were caused by respiratory FB injuries. The incidence of transfer of patients with FB injuries to other hospitals was higher in provinces than in metropolises. The incidence of FB injury-related ED visits among children younger than 7 years old in South Korea has been high and has been increasing recently. In particular, the incidence of FB injuries of the alimentary and respiratory tracts was high, especially around the age of 1. Preventive measures should be taken to decrease FB injuries among young children in South Korea.
High activity of B during solid-phase epitaxy in a pre-amorphized layer formed by Ge ion implantation and deactivation during a subsequent thermal process

We have shown that ion-implanted boron (B) in an amorphous layer formed through Ge ion implantation becomes highly active during solid-phase epitaxy. The activated B concentration reaches about 10/sup 20/ cm/sup -3/ and is almost completely independent of the temperature. This active concentration corresponds to the solid solubility at 900/spl deg/C, hence the B becomes active at levels greater than the solid solubility below this temperature. This activated B was deactivated as a result of the subsequent thermal process in which the diffusion length reached about 10 nm. A low-resistance shallow junction can thus be realized in the low-temperature region provided we end the annealing before the onset of the rise in resistance.