Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing Paradigms in Antibiotic Resistance in Salmonella Species with Focus on Fluoroquinolone Resistance: A 5-Year Retrospective Study of Enteric Fever in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kolkata, India

Enteric fever, a potentially fatal multisystem disease that is caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and Paratyphi, poses a significant risk in low- and middle-income countries. A retrospective study to understand the prevalence and evolving patterns of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella Typhi and Paratyphi was undertaken from June 2017 to June 2022. A total of 4051 blood samples were collected from patients attending inpatient and outpatient departments of the School of Tropical Medicine (Kolkata, India) hospital. Blood samples were cultured, and culture positive samples were further processed for identification using conventional and automated systems. Antibiotic susceptibility test was performed using both the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method and VITEK2 (bioMerieux). Forty-five (1.1%) Salmonella species were isolated among the number of total (n = 4051) samples that were tested. Out of the 45 Salmonella isolates, 35 were Salmonella Typhi (77.77%) and 10 were Salmonella Paratyphi A (22.23%). We found pronounced fluoroquinolone resistance of 100% in the recent years (2019–2022) in both of the S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A isolates. We found that 1 Salmonella Typhi and 2 Salmonella Paratyphi A isolates were resistant against multiple antibiotics (cefixime, ceftriaxone, ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid), and 1 multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella Paratyphi A isolate was found in a recent study year (2020) and it showed resistance against different classes of antibiotics (cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and carbapenems). There was no resistance that was detected to the 3rd generation cephalosporins in the final years of the study. The emergence of Salmonella isolates that are resistant to multiple antibiotics poses a serious health problem. The antimicrobial resistance patterns that were detected in the study thus warrant further studies to understand the antibiotic susceptibility and resistance pattern of Salmonella against the major classes of antibiotics.
The Existence and Asymptotic Properties of a Backfitting Projection Algorithm Under Weak Conditions

We derive the asymptotic distribution of a new backfitting procedure for estimating the closest additive approximation to a nonparametric regression function. The procedure employs a recent projection interpretation of popular kernel estimators provided by Mammen, Marron, Turlach and Wand and the asymptotic theory of our estimators is derived using the theory of additive projections reviewed in Bickel, Klaassen, Ritov and Wellner. Our procedure achieves the same bias and variance as the oracle estimator based on knowing the other components, and in this sense improves on the method analyzed in Opsomer and Ruppert. We provide high level conditions independent of the sampling scheme. We then verify that these conditions are satisfied in a regression and a time series autoregression under weak conditions.
ELUCID—EXPLORING THE LOCAL UNIVERSE WITH RECONSTRUCTED INITIAL DENSITY FIELD. III. CONSTRAINED SIMULATION IN THE SDSS VOLUME

A method we developed recently for the reconstruction of the initial density field in the nearby universe is applied to the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 7. A high-resolution N-body constrained simulation (CS) of the reconstructed initial conditions, with 30723 particles evolved in a box, is carried out and analyzed in terms of the statistical properties of the final density field and its relation with the distribution of Sloan Digital Sky Survey galaxies. We find that the statistical properties of the cosmic web and the halo populations are accurately reproduced in the CS. The galaxy density field is strongly correlated with the CS density field, with a bias that depends on both galaxy luminosity and color. Our further investigations show that the CS provides robust quantities describing the environments within which the observed galaxies and galaxy systems reside. Cosmic variance is greatly reduced in the CS so that the statistical uncertainties can be controlled effectively, even for samples of small volumes.
Geodesic Paths for Quantum Many-Body Systems

We propose a method to obtain optimal protocols for adiabatic ground-state preparation near the adiabatic limit, extending earlier ideas from [D. A. Sivak and G. E. Crooks, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 190602 (2012)] to quantum non-dissipative systems. The space of controllable parameters of isolated quantum many-body systems is endowed with a Riemannian quantum metric structure, which can be exploited when such systems are driven adiabatically. Here, we use this metric structure to construct optimal protocols in order to accomplish the task of adiabatic ground-state preparation in a fixed amount of time. Such optimal protocols are shown to be geodesics on the parameter manifold, maximizing the local fidelity. Physically, such protocols minimize the average energy fluctuations along the path. Our findings are illustrated on the Landau-Zener model and the anisotropic XY spin chain. In both cases we show that geodesic protocols drastically improve the final fidelity. Moreover, this happens even if one crosses a critical point, where the adiabatic perturbation theory fails.
f(R) Cosmology with torsion

f(R)-gravity with geometric torsion (not related to any spin fluid) is considered in a cosmological context. We derive the field equations in vacuum and in the presence of perfect-fluid matter and discuss the related cosmological models. Torsion vanishes in vacuum for almost all arbitrary functions f(R) leading to standard general relativity. Only for f(R)=R2, torsion gives a contribution in the vacuum leading to accelerated behavior. When material sources are considered, we find that the torsion tensor is different from zero even with spinless material sources. This tensor is related to the logarithmic derivative of f′ (R), which can be expressed also as a nonlinear function of the trace of the matter energy–momentum tensor Σμν. We show that the resulting equations for the metric can always be arranged to yield effective Einstein equations. When the homogeneous and isotropic cosmological models are considered, terms originated by torsion can lead to accelerated expansion. This means that, in f(R)-gravity, torsion can be a geometric source for acceleration.
Tracking Satisfaction States for Customer Satisfaction Prediction in E-commerce Service Chatbots

Due to the increasing use of service chatbots in E-commerce platforms in recent years, customer satisfaction prediction (CSP) is gaining more and more attention. CSP is dedicated to evaluating subjective customer satisfaction in conversational service and thus helps improve customer service experience. However, previous methods focus on modeling customer-chatbot interaction across different turns, which are hard to represent the important dynamic satisfaction states throughout the customer journey. In this work, we investigate the problem of satisfaction states tracking and its effects on CSP in E-commerce service chatbots. To this end, we propose a dialogue-level classification model named DialogueCSP to track satisfaction states for CSP. In particular, we explore a novel two-step interaction module to represent the dynamic satisfaction states at each turn. In order to capture dialogue-level satisfaction states for CSP, we further introduce dialogue-aware attentions to integrate historical informative cues into the interaction module. To evaluate the proposed approach, we also build a Chinese E-commerce dataset for CSP. Experiment results demonstrate that our model significantly outperforms multiple baselines, illustrating the benefits of satisfaction states tracking on CSP.
Multivariate Time Series

Consider n time series variables {y 1t },. , {y nt }. A multivariate time series is the (n×1) vector time series {Y t } where the i th row of {Y t } is {y it }. That is, for any time t, Y t = (y 1t ,. . , y nt) 0. Multivariate time series analysis is used when one wants to model and explain the interactions and co-movements among a group of time series variables: • Consumption and income • Stock prices and dividends • Forward and spot exchange rates
We need to talk about random seeds

Modern neural network libraries all take as a hyperparameter a random seed, typically used to determine the initial state of the model parameters. This opinion piece argues that there are some safe uses for random seeds: as part of the hyperparameter search to select a good model, creating an ensemble of several models, or measuring the sensitivity of the training algorithm to the random seed hyperparameter. It argues that some uses for random seeds are risky: using a fixed random seed for"replicability"and varying only the random seed to create score distributions for performance comparison. An analysis of 85 recent publications from the ACL Anthology finds that more than 50% contain risky uses of random seeds.
Strong Modulation of the Paciﬁc Meridional Mode on the Occurrence of Intense Tropical Cyclones over the Western North Paciﬁc

This study ﬁnds a signiﬁcant positive correlation between the Paciﬁc meridional mode (PMM) index and the frequency of intense tropical cyclones (TCs) over the western North Paciﬁc (WNP) during the peak TC season (June–November). The PMM inﬂuences the occurrence of intense TCs mainly by modulating large- scale dynamical conditions over the main development region. During the positive PMM phase, anomalous off-equatorial heating in the eastern Paciﬁc induces anomalous low-level westerlies (and cyclonic ﬂow) and upper-level easterlies (and anticyclonic ﬂow) over a large portion of the main development region through a Matsuno–Gill-type Rossby wave response. The resulting weaker vertical wind shear and larger low-level relative vorticity favor the genesis of intense TCs over the southeasternpart of the WNP and their subsequent intensiﬁcation over the main development region. The PMM index would therefore be a valuable predictor for the frequency of intense TCs over the WNP. Partial correlation between the PMM index and frequency of intense typhoons during JJASON by con-trolling o-3.4
Fabrication of Electrospun Exfoliated Graphite Nanosheets/Polystyrene composite nanofiber mats

The present study is an attempt to fabricate composite nanofiber mats from polystyrene (PS) loaded with exfoliated graphite nanosheets (EGNS) by using electrospinning technique. EGNS with different weight ratios of 3, 6, and 9 wt. % were added to PS (20 wt.%). The fiber diameter and morphology of the composite nanofiber mats were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results revealed that as EGNS concentration was increased, the average diameter of EGNS/PS electrospun nanofibers decreased. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to investigate the thermal properties. The tensile strengths and Young’s modulus of the composites improve with the increasing EGNS concentrations compared to PS nanofiber, which indicates 84% and 88% augmentation, respectively at 6 wt. % of EGNS. Also, the addition of EGNS increased thermal stability of composite nanofiber mats.
Expansion of Colorectal Cancer Biomarkers Based on Gut Bacteria and Viruses

Simple Summary The current study identified microbial (including bacterial and viral) diagnostic models that could discriminate colorectal tumor patients from healthy controls, expanding the potential biomarkers for colorectal tumors. A combination of five colorectal cancer-associated gut bacteria was identified in this study for the discrimination of colorectal cancer patients from healthy controls, with verifiable performance in multiple cohorts. The gene pathways regulated by aberrant gut bacteria were also identified, providing possible directions for studying bacterial carcinogenesis mechanisms. Furthermore, this study revealed the potential interactions of gut bacteria with viruses and within bacteria in adenoma-carcinoma sequences, which may extend our understanding of dysbiosis in colorectal carcinogenesis. Abstract The alterations in gut bacteria are closely related to colorectal cancer. However, studies on adenoma are still scarce. Besides, the associations of gut viruses with colorectal tumor, and the interactions of bacteria with viruses in colorectal tumors are still under exploration. Therefore, a metagenomic sequencing of stool samples from patients with colorectal adenoma (CRA), colorectal cancer (CRC), and healthy controls was performed to identify changes in gut microbiome in patients with colorectal tumors. Five CRC-enriched bacteria (Peptostreptococcus stomatis, Clostridium symbiosum, Hungatella hathewayi, Parvimonas micra, and Gemella morbillorum) were identified as a diagnostic model to identify CRC patients, and the efficacy of the diagnostic model was verifiable in 1523 metagenomic samples from ten cohorts of eight different countries. We identified the positive association of Bacteroides fragilis with PD-L1 expression and PD-1 checkpoint pathway, providing a possible direction for studying bacterial carcinogenesis mechanisms. Furthermore, the increased interactions within the microbiome in patients may play roles in the development of CRC. In conclusion, this study identified novel microbiota combinations with discrimination for colorectal tumor, and revealed the potential interactions of gut bacteria with viruses in the adenoma-carcinoma sequence, which implies that the microbiome, but not only bacteria, should be paid more attention in further studies.
Co-Targeting ErbB Receptors and the PI3K/AKT Axis in Androgen-Independent Taxane-Sensitive and Taxane-Resistant Human Prostate Cancer Cells

Simple Summary Advanced prostate cancer that has progressed after standard therapies such as hormone therapy and taxane-based chemotherapies is an invariably lethal disease state with limited treatment options. There remains an important need to continue to identify new treatment approaches for such patients. We used two cell culture models of prostate cancer that are resistant to hormonal therapy and chemotherapy, and which also manifest some characteristics that are often associated with advanced prostate cancer, such as neuroendocrine differentiation, to evaluate the potential anti-cancer effects of targeting the key molecules, ErbB receptors and AKT. Using several complementary approaches, we found that the concurrent targeting of ErbB receptors and AKT with specific inhibitors was more effective than targeting each of them individually, independent of the underlying molecular characteristics or relative degrees of resistance to the taxanes that defined the prostate cancer models that were studied. Enhanced anti-tumor responses occurred both in vitro and in vivo with dual targeting, with the consistent inhibition particularly of AKT occurring in both settings. These studies provide a framework to evaluate the role of signal pathway modulation as a potential therapeutic strategy in treatment-refractory prostate cancer. Abstract Using two representative models of androgen-independent prostate cancer (PCa), PC3 and DU145, and their respective paclitaxel- and docetaxel-resistant derivatives, we explored the anti-tumor activity of targeting the ErbB receptors and AKT using small-molecule kinase inhibitors. These cells manifest varying degrees of neuroendocrine differentiation characteristics and differ in their expression of functional PTEN. Although the specific downstream signaling events post the ErbB receptor and AKT co-targeting varied between the PC3- and DU145-lineage cells, synergistic anti-proliferative and enhanced pro-apoptotic responses occurred across the wild-type and the taxane-resistant cells, independent of their basal AKT activation state, their degree of paclitaxel- or docetaxel-resistance, or whether this resistance was mediated by the ATP Binding Cassette transport proteins. Dual targeting also led to enhanced anti-tumor responses in vivo, although there was pharmacodynamic discordance between the PCa cells in culture versus the tumor xenografts in terms of the relative activation and inhibition states of AKT and ERK under basal conditions and upon AKT and/or ErbB targeting. The consistent inhibition, particularly of AKT, occurred both in vitro and in vivo, independent of the underlying PTEN status. Thus, co-targeting AKT with ErbB, and possibly other partners, may be a useful strategy to explore further for potential therapeutic effect in advanced PCa.
Low-SAR Back Cover Mobile Antenna

A novel antenna design with a low specific absorption rate (SAR) is introduced. The antenna has a very low profile and it is designed to be placed on the back cover of a mobile device at around 2 GHz. The solution is based on nested loops which distribute the field over a large volume so that the maximum SAR value remains relatively low in the user’s tissue. The proposed design also provides relatively good efficiency, considering the extremely low profile, and the close proximity of lossy human tissue and the phone’s main body. The manufactured prototype exhibits almost 50% lower maximum SAR than a patch antenna used as a reference.
Understanding Brazilians’ Intentions in Consuming Sustainable Fashion

This study analyzed the determinants of sustainable fashion purchasing behavior, incorporating the following factors into the Theory of Planned Behavior: moral obligation, awareness of consequences, and previous sustainable purchasing behavior. A survey was carried out with Brazilian consumers of sustainable fashion, and a total of 179 responses were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicated that ‘moral obligation’ and ‘awareness of consequences’ had an impact on the behavioral attitude of sustainable fashion consumers. Furthermore, of the three TPB components, only attitude and ‘perceived behavioral control’ influenced the purchase intention. Finally, it was found that the actual consumption of sustainable fashion could be explained by the intention and the previous purchase behavior; also, age had a moderating influence on the relationship between the intention and the consumption of fashion. Therefore, this study provides marketers with comprehensive information about the psychological, social, cultural, and demographic determinants of sustainable fashion purchasing behavior. and the composite reliability, being observed that for both indexes all constructs reached values the recommended (0.70), the reliability of the scales. The average variance extracted also the indices obtained were satisfactory, and the eight latent variables reached values greater than 0.5. These results confirm the convergent validity of all items in the model.
Preliminary Guidelines for the Clinical Evaluation and Management of Long COVID

Long-lasting coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) symptoms beyond 12 weeks, the so-called ‘long COVID’ have been increasingly reported worldwide. Long COVID can be manifested in various forms, and there is an increasing demand for proper assessment and management. However, it is challenging when trying to determine the best-practice standards of care based on the current evidence because there is no internationally agreed clinical definition or clear treatment pathway. Therefore, the present guidelines have been drafted to provide advice on diagnosis and management based on the latest updated available evidence and the consensus of expert opinion. So far, no standard test and drug treatment can be strongly recommended for patients with long COVID because of a lack of evidence. The present guidelines provide advice based on 12 key questions, including appropriate interventions for long COVID that can be used in clinical practice. Continuous careful observation and studies related to long COVID are needed for the long-term impact of COVID-19 and proper management for long COVID to be determined.
Glimpses of stellar surfaces. II. Origins of the photometric modulations and timing variations of KOI-1452

The deviations of the mid-transit times of an exoplanet from a linear ephemeris are usually the result of gravitational interactions with other bodies in the system. However, these types of transit timing variations (TTV) can also be introduced by the influences of star spots on the shape of the transit profile. Here we use the method of unsharp masking to investigate the photometric light curves of planets with ambiguous TTV to compare the features in their O - C diagram with the occurrence and in-transit positions of spot-crossing events. This method seems to be particularly useful for the examination of transit light curves with only small numbers of in-transit data points, i.e., the long cadence light curves from Kepler satellite. As a proof of concept we apply this method to the light curve and the estimated eclipse timing variations of the eclipsing binary KOI-1452, for which we prove their non-gravitational nature. Furthermore, we use the method to study the rotation properties of the primary star of the system KOI-1452 and show that the spots responsible for the timing variations rotate with different periods than the most prominent periods of the system's light curve. We argue that the main contribution in the measured photometric variability of KOI-1452 originates in g-mode oscillations, which makes the primary star of the system a {\gamma}-Dor type variable candidate.
Uncommon Capnosane Diterpenes with Neuroprotective Potential from South China Sea Soft Coral Sarcophyton boettgeri

The first investigation of the South China Sea soft coral Sarcophyton boettgeri afforded five new capnosane diterpenes, sarboettgerins A–E (1–5), together with one known related compound, pavidolide D (6). Their structures, including absolute configurations, were elucidated by the extensive spectroscopic analysis, 13C NMR calculations, and X-ray diffraction. Among them, new compounds 1–5 were featured by the rarely encountered Z-geometry double bond Δ1 within the 5/11-fused bicyclic capnosane carbon framework. Plausible biogenetic relationships of all isolates were proposed, and they might give an insight into future biomimetic synthesis of these novel compounds. In an in vitro bioassay, compound 5 displayed potent anti-neuroinflammatory activity against LPS-induced NO release in BV-2 microglial cells, which might be developed as a new type of potential neuroprotective agent in future.