Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of Few-Shot Learning Capabilities in Artificial Neural Networks When Learning Through Self-Supervised Interaction

Most artificial neural networks used for object recognition are trained in a fully supervised setup. This is not only resource consuming as it requires large data sets of labeled examples but also quite different from how humans learn. We use a setup in which an artificial agent first learns in a simulated world through self-supervised, curiosity-driven exploration. Following this initial learning phase, the learned representations can be used to quickly associate semantic concepts such as different types of doors using one or more labeled examples. To do this, we use a method we call fast concept mapping which uses correlated firing patterns of neurons to define and detect semantic concepts. This association works instantaneously with very few labeled examples, similar to what we observe in humans in a phenomenon called fast mapping. Strikingly, we can already identify objects with as little as one labeled example which highlights the quality of the encoding learned self-supervised through interaction with the world. It therefore presents a feasible strategy for learning concepts without much supervision and shows that through pure interaction meaningful representations of an environment can be learned that work better for few-short learning than non-interactive methods.
Guiding Blind Pedestrians with a Personal Navigation System

With the assistance provided by the white cane or guide dog, most blind pedestrians can find their way to known destinations along familiar routes. Finding new or known destinations along unfamiliar routes is more challenging. Before such a journey is attempted, detailed instructions must be acquired. The difficulty of obtaining and then reliably following such instructions deters many blind pedestrians from travelling alone in unknown areas. This paper demonstrates a technological approach, by way of field trials, that supplements the existing aids and eliminates the need for sighted guides. The approach has the potential to offer greater independence to the blind person. The investigation suggests that the methodology used in personal navigation systems for the sighted is sub-optimal for guiding the blind pedestrian. Suitable extensions are introduced, and the results show the proposed methodology is efficient for guiding the blind individual to unknown destinations in the chosen field trial environment.
Gene Expression and Metadata Based Identification of Key Genes for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Using Machine Learning and Statistical Models

Biomarkers associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are of great importance to better understand biological response mechanisms to internal or external intervention. The study aimed to identify key candidate genes for HCC using machine learning (ML) and statistics-based bioinformatics models. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified using limma and then selected their common genes among DEGs identified from four datasets. After that, protein-protein interaction networks were constructed using STRING and then Cytoscape was used to determine hub genes, significant modules, and their associated genes. Simultaneously, three ML-based techniques such as support vector machine (SVM), least absolute shrinkage and selection operator-logistic regression (LASSO-LR), and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) were implemented to determine the discriminative genes of HCC from common DEGs. Moreover, metadata of hub genes were formed by listing all hub genes from existing studies to incorporate other findings in our analysis. Finally, seven key candidate genes (ASPM, CCNB1, CDK1, DLGAP5, KIF20 A, MT1X, and TOP2A) were identified by intersecting common genes among hub genes, significant modules genes, discriminative genes from SVM, LASSO-LR, and PLS-DA, and meta hub genes from existing studies. Another three independent test datasets were also used to validate these seven key candidate genes using AUC, computed from ROC.
Association Between Thromboelastometry Identified Hypercoagulability and Thromboembolic Complications After Arthroplasty: A Prospective Observational Study in Patients With Obesity

The prothrombotic state of obesity can increase the risk of thromboembolism. We aimed to investigate if there was an association between baseline hypercoagulable rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) profile and thromboembolic complications in arthroplasty patients with obesity. Patients with a body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2 and/or waist circumference ≥94 cm (M) and 80 cm (F) undergoing hip and knee arthroplasty had pre- and postoperative ROTEM. ROTEM values were compared by outcome status using an independent sample equal-variance t-test. Of the 303 total participants, hypercoagulability defined as extrinsically activated thromboelastometry maximum clot firmness G score ≥ 11 K dyne/cm2, was observed in 90 (30%) of the 300 participants with preoperative ROTEM assays. Clinically significant thromboembolic complications occurred in 5 (1.7%) study participants before discharge and in 10 (3.3%) by 90 days. These included 6 with pulmonary emboli, 3 with deep venous thrombus, and 1 with myocardial infarction. We found no evidence for an association between baseline hypercoagulability and incident thromboembolic events, analysis limited by the number of events. Postoperative decrease in platelets and an increase in fibrinogen were observed. ROTEM parameter changes differed across obesity categories.
Chapter 15 Compositional variations of magmas in the Aeolian arc: implications for petrogenesis and geodynamics

Abstract The volcanic rocks of the Aeolian arc exhibit important within-island and along-arc compositional variations that testify to both geochemical heterogeneous mantle sources and different roles and intensities of shallow-level magmatic evolution processes. Calc-alkaline magmas are present on all islands, but dominate in the western arc and at Lipari and Panarea. Shoshonitic rocks are present on the central-eastern islands and are particularly abundant at Vulcano and Stromboli. Mafic and intermediate rocks comprise the bulk of older volcanic sequences for most islands. Rhyolites are restricted to younger activity of the central arc, and become particularly abundant at Lipari and Vulcano. Regional variations of incompatible trace element ratios and Sr-, Nd-, and Pb-isotope signatures in mafic-intermediate rocks document the variable composition of mantle sources, which were contaminated by different types of metasomatic fluids released from an oceanic slab in the western-central sectors and from oceanic slab plus sediments in the east. This metasomatism was superimposed over a heterogeneous mantle wedge, which had a mid-ocean-ridge basalt (MORB-) to ocean-island basalt (OIB)- type character passing from the centre to the margins of the arc. The OIB-type component in the external arc is attributed to asthenospheric mantle inflow from the Africa foreland, around the borders of a narrow slab during rollback.
Nighttime observations of anomalously high levels of hydroxyl radicals above a deciduous forest canopy

Diurnal measurements of hydroxyl and hydroperoxy radicals (OH and HO2) made during the Program for Research on Oxidants: Photochemistry, Emissions, and Transport (PROPHET) summer intensive of 1998 indicate that these key components of gas phase atmospheric oxidation are sustained in significant amounts throughout the night in this northern forested region. Typical overnight levels of OH observed were 0.04 parts per trillion (pptv) (1.1 × 106 molecules/cm3), while HO2 concentrations ranged from 1 to 4 pptv. Results of diagnostic testing performed before, after, and during the deployment suggest little possibility of interferences in the measurements. Collocated measurements of the reactive biogenic hydrocarbon isoprene corroborate the observed levels of OH by exhibiting significant decays overnight above the forest canopy. The observed isoprene lifetimes ranged from 1.5 to 12 hours in the dark, and they correlate well to those expected from chemical oxidation by the measured OH abundances. Possible dark reactions that could generate such elevated levels of OH include the ozonolysis of extremely reactive biogenic terpenoids. However, in steady state models, which include this hypothetical production mechanism, HO2 radicals are generated in greater quantities than were measured. Nonetheless, if the measurements are representative of the nocturnal boundary layer in midlatitude temperate forests, this observed nocturnal phenomenon might considerably alter our understanding of the diurnal pattern of atmospheric oxidation in such pristine, low-NOx environments.
MK-0616: an oral PCSK9 inhibitor for hypercholesterolemia treatment

ABSTRACT Introduction Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Lowering LDL-cholesterol, by lifestyle modification or therapeutically, reduces the risk of ASCVD. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9), a protein which binds to the LDL-receptor and induces degradation, is a clinically validated target to lower LDL-cholesterol. Injectable PCSK9 inhibitor therapies have demonstrated substantial reductions in LDL-cholesterol with associated decreased risk of ASCVD events. Areas covered MK-0616 is an orally bioavailable, renally excreted, macrocyclic peptide inhibitor of PCSK9. The article provides an understanding of the chemistry and development, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics of MK-0616 and insight into its clinical efficacy and safety. In clinical trials, MK-0616 produced dose-dependent reductions in LDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol, and apolipoprotein (apo) B levels. Furthermore, MK-0616 modestly lowered lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)]. Expert opinion MK-0616 is a potent, oral macrocyclic peptide inhibitor of PCSK9 that is not only able to reduce LDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol, and apoB, but can also lower Lp(a). Safety and tolerability studies reported to date are promising. MK-0616 may offer advantages over injectable anti-PCSK9 therapies in terms of ease of dosing, patient preference and cost. The results from phase III trials of MK-0616 on cardiovascular outcomes are awaited with interest.
Effect of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes on Prognosis of Multiple Cancers

Background In the era of immunotherapy, the immune function of patients with cancer has attracted increasingly more attention. The immune scoring system is an important supplement to the classical tumor staging and classification process. The immune system plays a controversial role in the development of cancer. Meanwhile, the prognostic significance of peripheral blood lymphocytes is still controversial. The present study aimed to assess the prognostic significance of peripheral blood lymphocytes in eight types of cancers. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of 32731 patients with cancer hospitalized in Shanxi Cancer Hospital from January 2012 to December 2016. The percentages of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD19+, CD56+, and CD127+ lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of all patients were examined using flow cytometry. The immune cell subsets of patients with cancer were classified into three groups using the K-means clustering method via the R language software. Differences in the overall survival rate were analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. The Cox regression model was utilized for univariate and multivariate analysis. Results The mean survival time of patients with liver cancer, rectal cancer, gastric cancer, breast cancer, esophageal cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, and lymphoma was 30.25, 21.74, 37.67, 16.28, 21.62, 30.25, 31.43, and 34.27 months, respectively. The survival curves showed that the most prognostically beneficial immune state of the patients was when the expression of the immune cells in the peripheral blood was in equilibrium. Moreover, Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis revealed that the factors affecting the overall survival (OS) of patients with eight different kinds of cancer were not identical. However, CD19+ lymphocytes had the most significant impact on the prognosis of these patients. Conclusions Cancer occurrence and development were associated with the density of lymphocyte infiltration. Thus, immune homeostasis could be an effective indicator to evaluate prognosis and judge cancer treatment.
Pulmonary rehabilitation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: clinical, economic, and budget impact analysis.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes disability and impaired quality of life. In 2006, more than 10% of all hospitalizations in Canada were due to COPD. Pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) can be used to assist in the management of COPD. In Canada, there is poor access to PR because of limited program capacity. Policy-makers and health care providers need advice to help with decision-making about the future establishment and use of PR programs. Information on the cost-effectiveness, budget impact, and operational needs of PR programs and the impact of program elements on clinical outcomes would be helpful for decision-makers.
Influence of Cardiorespiratory Fitness on Cardiac Autonomic Recovery Among Active-Duty Firefighters

Abstract Cornell, DJ, Flees, RJ, Shemelya, CM, and Ebersole, KT. Influence of cardiorespiratory fitness on cardiac autonomic recovery among active-duty firefighters. J Strength Cond Res 38(1): 66–73, 2024—It has been suggested that an inability of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) to recover after strenuous events is a potential cause of sudden cardiac death among firefighters. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) on the heart rate recovery (HRR) kinetics of firefighters. Thirty-seven male career active-duty firefighters completed both a submaximal step test and a maximal treadmill graded exercise test. A monoexponential curve was fit to postexercise submaximal and maximal HRR data of each subject. Subjects were placed into Low CRF (n = 13) and High CRF (n = 24) groups based on the standard peak aerobic capacity (V̇O2peak) criterion of <42 ml·kg−1·minute−1 and ≥42 ml·kg−1·minute−1, respectively. After controlling for age and body mass index, CRF was significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with the decay rate (HRRτ) and asymptote (HR∞) after submaximal exercise (rsp = −0.556; rsp = −0.637, respectively), as well as the HRRτ, HR∞, and amplitude (HRamp) after maximal exercise (rsp = −0.353; rsp = −0.416; rsp = 0.603, respectively). High CRF firefighters demonstrated a significantly faster HRRτ after both submaximal (p = 0.003) and maximal exercise (p = 0.043), a lower HR∞ after submaximal exercise (p = 0.002), and a higher HRamp after maximal exercise (p = 0.001), than Low CRF firefighters. Greater CRF was associated with enhanced HRR kinetics after submaximal and maximal exertion, suggesting that CRF may positively influence the ANS recovery of firefighters.
Trends in oncology drug lags in Japan from 2001 to 2020: A cross‐sectional study

Anticancer drugs are essential in the treatment of serious diseases, but their applications are limited by drug lags. This study investigated the characteristics of anticancer drugs approved in Japan over the past 20 years and compared the drug lag trends between Japan and the US. We assessed the changes in drug lag between Japan and the US and the factors affecting the drug lags using publicly available data for anticancer drugs approved in Japan from January 2001 to December 2020. A total of 299 anticancer drugs were approved in Japan in the last 20 years. The approval lag median between the US and Japan was 498 days (16.6 months), peaking in 2002, and decreasing annually thereafter. The minimum approval lag was 173.5 days (5.7 months) in 2018. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that “global simultaneous strategy,” “catch‐up strategy,” and “immunotherapy” are major factors shortening the drug lag. In the past decade, 226 anticancer drugs were approved in Japan. The drug lag for anticancer drugs between Japan and the US peaked in 2002, after which it declined sharply to less than a year. However, the lag was shortest in 2018.
Vegetation dynamics, human impact and exploitation patterns in the Paris Basin through the Holocene palynology vs. anthracology

1 MCCUMR 6566, Laboratoire Archeosciences, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes cedex, France; chantal.leroyer@univ-rennes1.fr 2 INRAPUMR 7209, Archeozoologie, Archeobotanique, MNHN, 55 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France; sylvie.coubray@inrap.fr 3 INRAPUMR 6566, CNP, 38 rue du 26 R.I. , 24000 Perigueux, France; gisele.allenet-de-ribemont@inrap.fr 4 Universite Paris 1, 37 rue Lacombe, 24000 Perigueux, France; jeanne.perriere@hotmail.fr
A lethal cocktail – shining a light on the relationship between alcohol use and pesticide self-poisoning

Abstract Introduction Alcohol and pesticides are toxic substances that each cause acute and chronic harm to humans. Alcohol plays an important and complex role in pesticide self-poisoning, involving toxicological, public health, and social aspects important for research, prevention, and interventions. Alcohol use disorder and social harms While the evidence on alcohol co-ingestion in the context of pesticide self-poisoning is limited, it appears that alcohol use increases complications. Even fewer studies address alcohol use disorder and dependence among pesticide self-poisoning patients. The harmful use of alcohol also impacts social life, families, and communities in several ways, including pesticide self-poisoning among individuals around the alcohol user. This, however, is vastly understudied. Outside influences Agrochemicals and alcohol are produced by industries with financial interests, and the outcome of individual acts of pesticide self-poisoning depends on the lethality of the pesticide purchased and ingested. The promotion of acutely toxic pesticides by companies must be acknowledged within this issue. Conclusion The relationship between alcohol and pesticide self-poisoning is increasingly clear, but more studies are needed to guide management. We cannot ignore that pesticide self-poisoning and harmful use of alcohol occur within the context of wider, often structural, stressors and are influenced by commercial entities.
Foreign direct investment, local conditions and development: Crossing from dependency to progress in peripheral Kuressaare, Estonia

The article discusses the dynamic relationship between foreign direct investment (FDI) and local conditions in a peripheral area by introducing the Jakobsen model for how outcomes of FDI on local economies differ according to contextual interplays between local conditions and the content of a given FDI. The dynamics are demonstrated in the case of Kuressaare on the island of Saaremaa, Estonia. The authors show how FDI has played a significant role in Estonian economic development since reindependence in 1991 but that the majority of FDIs, with the exception of some resource-motivated FDIs, have either bypassed the peripheries of Estonia or just passed through them. In Kuressaare, however, the community has attracted several foreign investors, resulting in the location of vital manufacturing industry in this remote corner of Estonia. The motives and characteristics of the investments play a significant role in explaining this. In addition, a local entrepreneurial culture seems to be decisive. The Kuressaare manufacturing industry represents a path-dependent but successful FDI case, driven by local capabilities in terms of an entrepreneurial spirit and by knowledge spillovers from the external investors. Returning to the Jakobsen model, the case of Kuressaare demonstrates how a peripheral community can change from an FDI situation marked by dependency to a situation of progress.
Trace Metal Distribution Within Marine and Estuarine Sediments of Western Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia: Relation to Land Use and Setting

This broad-scale investigation provides an overview of trace metal concentration and distribution within sediments in the subtropical setting of Moreton Bay on the eastern Australian coast. Samples of sediment in one-metre long PVC cores were collected from the intertidal zone of the western shoreline of the Bay and within its main estuaries. The material is typically silty sand along the Bay shoreline, becoming more clayey within the estuaries. Downcore pH is typically between 7.0 and 8.0, with layers in some cores of pH 6.0 to 7.0. Locally, pH can fall below 5.0 due to pyrite oxidation or exceed 8.0 due to the presence of shell fragments. A comparison with results of similar studies in other highly populated centres in Australia shows that overall the Moreton Bay area sediments have relatively low metal content. Typically, concentrations are two to three times higher in fine-grained, estuarine sediments than in sandy material along the Bay shoreline. Compared with Australian and New Zealand Environment and Conservation Council Guidelines for metal concentrations in sediments, the elements most commonly elevated and warranting further assessment are Ni, Hg, Pb, Zn, and occasionally Cd, As and Cr. The highest metal concentrations are found in estuaries, close to more populated or industrialised areas, notably along the Brisbane River. Overall, the distribution of metals in unconsolidated material is controlled by (a) the heavy metal affinity for Fe- and Mn-rich oxidised sediments, (b) grain size, (c) background concentrations in local rocks, and (d) conditions of weathering and deposition. For example, natural elevation of Fe occurs in marine sediments adjacent to areas of Tertiary basalts and this has produced a relative increase in a number of trace metals in those sediments. Typically, trace metals correlate well with Al, and with Fe and Mn oxyhydroxides. The results of this study show that in the western Moreton Bay region, natural controls have the major influence over metal distribution; although urban and industrial inputs exist, for much of the area they are secondary. The main sources of introduced trace metals are presumed to be light industry (such as maritime and port facilities, petroleum refineries and storage, manufacturing and chemical processes), landfills, agriculture and intensive fertilising (for example, golf courses) as well as the composite effect of urban centres. Overall, higher concentrations of metals are closely related to intense development. If specific locations are targeted for focussed sampling, elevated concentrations of metals are likely to be found locally.
Upper Crustal Structure in the Torni-Purnad Region, Central India Using Magnetotelluric Studies.

Magnetotelluric studies were conducted over a 100 km long NS profile in the Satpura range and Tapti basin. Data were collected at 18 stations in this region with an interstation spacing of 3-10 km. The geoelectric substructure was obtained using a two dimensional modelling technique and has indicated the presence of Deccan traps and Gondwana sediments overlying a rather complex granitic basement. Two distinct layers of Deccan basalts were delineated with a total thickness varying from 2000 m in the central part to about 300-1000 m on either sides of this NS trending profile. The thickness of the Gondwana sediments below the traps was observed to vary rather strongly in the range, 300-2000 m. Two vertical conductive zones were delineated corresponding to the Khandwa lineament and the Burhanpur tear but the sensitivity studies indicated a large degree of nonuniquness associated regarding the shape and vertical extent of these conductors. An interesting finding of these studies is the presence of a prism shaped body in the central part of the survey profile in the Satpura horst region at depths between 3.5 and 14 km with a resistivity of 20 ohm-m. The body had a lateral extent of 8 km at the top and 40 km at the bottom in the NS direction. This observation is discussed along with the other geophysical results in the Satpura and Tapti regions.