Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Elevated Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio Is Associated with Severe Asthma Exacerbation in Children

Asthma is the most common chronic respiratory disease in children. The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is a marker of a chronic inflammatory state; however, data on the association of NLR with acute asthma exacerbations in children is lacking. In this cross-sectional study, between 2016 and 2021, children aged 2–18 years who were referred to the emergency department (ED) due to asthma exacerbation, were included. NLR, calculated from complete blood count upon arrival, was assessed as a continuous variable and was classified into four groups according to quartiles. The association between severity parameters and NLR quartiles was examined. A total of 831 ED visits for asthma exacerbation were included in the study. The median NLR was 1.6, 3.8, 6.7, and 12.9 in quartiles 1–4, respectively (p < 0.001). Demographic parameters, background diseases, and chronic medications were similar between the quartiles. Higher heart rate, body temperature, systolic blood pressure, and respiratory rate were observed in the higher NLR quartiles, as well as lower oxygen saturation. Higher urgency scale and higher rates of intravenous magnesium sulfate were observed in the higher NLR quartiles, with higher admission rates and prolonged hospitalizations. In summary, NLR upon admission is associated with the severity of asthma exacerbation and higher chances of hospitalization among children in the ED.
PredNet⊕GAN: A Higher-Level Induction of Predictive Coding into Adversarial Setting Leading to a Semi/Pseudo-GAN Perspective at a Lower Level

The neurobiological predictive coding model proposed by Rao and Ballard is one of the most well-known and carefully tested models in the current research space. The manifestation of predictive coding in animals’ visual cortices(such as cats and monkeys) has been adequately demonstrated; however, due to the lack of analytical equipment for the nuanced study of the human brain, it has not been demonstrated comparably in humans. Recently there has been an increase in the variety of opinions in neurobiology research about the application of machine learning/artificial intelligence to understand further and investigate predictive coding theory. In this paper, we induce the predictive coding neural network model (PredNet) into an adversarial setting of Wasserstein and the Conditional-Wasserstein nature. Our experiment includes approximately 60 combinatorial variants of the neural networks and two datasets. The results from our experiments seem to substantiate a new perspective on predictive coding theory. In addition to presenting a unique perspective through our research in this paper, we also provide the performance profile of PredNet in conjunction with an adversarial setting through extensive experimentation and analysis.
Appropriate Nitrogen Form and Application Rate Can Improve Yield and Quality of Autumn Tea with Drip Irrigation

Applying nitrogen fertilization is an important way to improve the yield and quality of autumn tea (Camellia sinensis L.), but the effects of nitrogen application rate and nitrogen form still remain unclear. Field experiments were conducted in a drip-irrigated tea garden in Rizhao City, China in 2020 and 2021. The effects of nitrogen application levels (N: 0 kg·hm−2, CK; N: 45 kg·hm−2, U1; 75 kg·hm−2, U2; and 105 kg·hm−2, U3) and nitrogen application forms (ammonium bicarbonate, AB; ammonium bicarbonate + urea, UAB; and urea, U) on soil moisture, as well as nitrogen spatiotemporal change, and autumn tea yield and quality, were studied. Results showed that applying ammonium bicarbonate or urea through a drip irrigation system can significantly increase the tea plant evapotranspiration and the autumn tea yield and quality (including free amino acids and tea polyphenols). With the same nitrogen application, the urea fertilization treatment had the higher ammonium nitrogen content within the 0–60 cm soil layer. The application form of nitrogen fertilizer had a significant impact on the yield of autumn tea, and the yield increasing ability was U > UAB > AB. The partial factor productivity of applied nitrogen under the AB treatment was the lowest. The yield-increasing effect of nitrogen fertilizer can be observed only 16–18 days after topdressing through the drip irrigation system. In 2020 and 2021, the yield of autumn tea under the U3 treatment increased by 40.6% and 23.0%, respectively, compared with the CK treatment. In conclusion, the topdressing with urea 105 kg·hm−2 with drip irrigation for tea plants in autumn is recommended. This recommendation will provide a theoretical basis for efficient irrigation and yield increase in tea gardens.
UMVU Estimation of Reliability Function and Stress–Strength Reliability from Proportional Reversed Hazard Family Based on Lower Records

SYNOPTIC ABSTRACT In this study, we have obtained the uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimator (UMVUE) of reliability function and stress–strength reliability for one parameter proportional reversed hazard rate family of distribution based on lower record values. Further, the results are reduced for power function distribution, exponentiated Weibull distribution, generalized exponential distribution, generalized Rayleigh (also known as Burr type X) distribution and Topp–Leone distribution. Also, the UMVU estimator and maximum likelihood estimator are compared through simulation.
Determination of the Strength of Consolidated Powder Materials with a Pull-Based Tester

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in the agglomeration of bulk materials. New methods are being sought to improve the measurement of bulkiness in food powders. This study aimed to design a new measuring device to assess the phenomenon of caking as well as the degree of strength of free-flowing powders. Wheat flour and potato starch have been used in the experiment and loaded into a perforated container. A steel or polypropylene measuring rod has been placed in the middle, and 5 kPa and 10 kPa were loaded, respectively. The new method is based on measuring the force through a sensor when pulling out measuring rods from the powder sample. It was shown that higher strength values have been obtained for powders loaded with 10 kPa and that groove depth has not been significant for wheat flour. Additionally, a significant difference in the evolution of the pulling force with time has been observed for wheat flour and starch, revealing a slip-stick phenomenon in the latter one. The pull-based tester is characterized by fast measurement and easy analysis of the results. The tests performed for potato starch and wheat flour have provided significantly different temporal evolutions of the pulling force.
Possibility degree method for ranking interval numbers andits application

This paper presents a possibility degree formula for t he comparison be tween two interval numbers, and has a detailed study on relationships between th e formula and the ones proposed in [1.Facchinetti G , Ricci R C, Muzzioli S. Note on ranking fuzzy triangular numbers. International Journal of Intelligent Systems, 1998,13:613-622; 2. DA Qing_li, LIU Xin_wang. In terval numbers linear programming and its satisfactory solution. Systems Enginee ring—Theory Practice,1999,19(4):3-7]. Their desirable properties such as c om plementary, transitivity, etc. are studied. Then, based on these formulas, a pos sibility degree method for ranking interval numbers is given. Finally, the metho d is utilized to rank the alternatives in uncertain multi_attribute decision mak ing.
Increased death and exhaustion of CD69high T cells and NK cells are associated with PD-1 antibody application in the in vitro co-culture system

Background The application of PD-1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) helps to treat non-small cell lung cancer, but acquired resistance has emerged in clinical practice. We tested the hypothesis that acquired resistance of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy is linked to death and exhaustion of activated T and NK cell. Methods The co-culture system of HCC827 cells and peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was established to evaluate the effect of PD-1 mAb on the death rate and exhaustion of T and NK cell. The predisposing role of CD69 for death and exhaustion was validated by using PHA-activated PBMCs of CD69low NSCLC patients. The 10-colour/three laser flow cytometer was used to test related markers for cell activation, death and exhaustion. Results We found that PD-1 mAb increase the death and exhaustion of T cells and NK cells in a dose-dependent way when PBMCs from NSCLC patients whose the percentages of CD69+ cells in peripheral blood T cells were greater than 5% (CD69high NSCLC patients). By analyzing PBMCs from healthy volunteers and CD69low NSCLC patients, we found that T cells and NK cells can be induced to die by PD-1 mAb after PHA activation, and had a tendency to raise the rate of cell exhaustion. Conclusions Our findings imply that increased death and exhaustion of CD69high T cells and NK cells are associated with ineffective anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in lung cancer. The CD69 expression of T cells and NK cells may be developed as a potential predictor for acquired resistance of anti-PD-1 immunotherapy. These data may provide ideas to guide individualized medication of PD-1 mAb in NSCLC patients.
Parental Burnout, Quality of Life, and Pregnancy During COVID-19

Background: Parents may be at greater risk to experience parental burnout after experiencing challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the unique experiences of parents with young children during the first two years of the pandemic, this study explored the relationship between parental burnout, quality of life (QOL), and perceived threat of COVID-19 among a sample of adults who parented at least one child under the age of five. Method: A brief survey was conducted through convenience sampling (N = 48) and included the Brief Parental Burnout Scale, The QOL Scale, and a perceived COVID threat scale. Results: Logistic regression analysis found that pregnancy was a significant predictor of burnout risk even after controlling other effects on burnout risk. Conclusion: Findings suggest that the pandemic negatively impacted parental burnout and pregnancy during the first 2 years of the pandemic increased risk for burnout. Awareness is important for appropriate assessment and intervention by clinicians.
Optimal Control of Partial Dierential Equations

1 Motivating Examples 4 1.1 Stationary Optimal Heating Problems . 4 1.1.1 General Setting . 4 1.1.2 Boundary Control . 5 1.1. 3 Distributed Control . 7 1.2 Transient Optimal Heating Problems . 8 1.2. 1 General Setting . 8 1.2. 2 Boundary Control . 9 1.2. 3 Distributed Control . 10
Aerofoil geometry effects on turbulence interaction noise

Fan broadband is one of the dominant noise sources on an aircraft engine, particularly at approach. The dominant noise generation mechanism is due to turbulent- aerofoil interaction noise (TAI). This thesis investigates the effect of changes in 2D aerofoil geometry on TAI noise. The main focus of this thesis is to attempt to reduce it through the development of innovative leading edge geometries. The ﬁrst two chapters of the thesis deals with an experimental and numerical investigation into the effect of aerofoil geometry on interaction noise on single aerofoils and on cascades. Consistent with previous work, they show that variations in aerofoil parameters, such as aerofoil thickness, leading edge nose radius and camber, produce only a small changes in broadband interaction noise at approach conditions. Subsequent chapters deal with the development of innovative leading edge serration proﬁles aimed at reducing interaction noise. Chapter 4 is a detailed study into the limitations of single-wavelength serrations in reducing interaction noise. The optimum proﬁle is identiﬁed. Chapters 5, 6 and 7 all deal with the development of innovative proﬁles that can provide up to 10dB of additional noise reductions compared to single-wavelength serrations. For each of the proﬁles investigated a simple model is developed to aid the understanding of their interaction mechanism.
Antioxidant Activity and Determination of Phenolic Compounds, Total Flavonoids and Hispidulin in Baccharis erioclada DC.

: Phenolic compounds are frequently found in the specific tissues in the leaves and stems of Baccharis species . However, only a few species of the genus have been studied in recent years, including B. erioclada . This study evaluates the in vitro antioxidant potential of B. erioclada crude extract and its fractions. Phytochemical studies, including quantification of total phenolics and flavonoids have also been carried out. Crude extract presented higher antioxidant capacity since it showed lower values of IC50 or greater reductive capacity compared to the fractions. The total phenolic compounds and flavonoids in the HIGHLIGHTS
The Unexpected Chemistry of Thiacalix[4]arene Monosulfoxide

Thiacalix[4]arene monosulfoxide 4 possesses a very unusual chemistry, as demonstrated by several unprecedented derivatives in calixarene chemistry. Interestingly, compound 4 cannot be prepared by the dealkylation of its corresponding tetramethoxy derivative using BBr3. Instead, the borate complex is formed with a boron bound by the two neighboring phenolic oxygens and a sulfoxide group. A similar type of borate complex with a spirodienone fragment was then isolated as a by-product. The oxidation of monosulfoxide with Chloramine-T did not provide the expected spirodienone moiety, but rather a complex oxathiane-based spiroheterocyclic part containing a chlorine atom. X-ray analyses confirmed the structures of the unusual products and feasible formation mechanisms were proposed. These results provide further evidence of the distinction between thiacalixarene chemistry and the chemistry of classical CH2 analogues.
MarshCover: A Web-based Tool for Estimating Vegetation Coverage in Marsh Images Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Marsh ecosystems are some of our most important, serving many crucial ecological functions. They are also rapidly changing, and it is vital for scientists to track these changes. This includes monitoring the health of marshes via estimating ground coverage by various grass species, a task that requires human labor to look at marsh images and manually estimate the coverage. Clearly, this task can be quite formidable. To automate this standard yet laborsome process, we developa web-based system, called MarshCover, that automates the process of estimating vegetation density in marsh images using convolutional neural networks (CNNs). MarshCover, to the best of our knowledge, is the first such tool available to biologists that uses CNNs for marsh vegetation estimations. In order to select effective CNN models for our MarshCover server, we conduct extensive empirical analyses of three distinct CNNs, i.e., LeNet-5, AlexNet and VGG-16, to compare their performances on a public marsh image dataset. To this end, we address two classification problems for this paper: a binary classification problem classifying points as vegetated and unvegetated, and a multiclass classification problem that classifies points into either an unvegetated class or one of five different species classes. Our experiments identify the VGG16 model as the best classifier to embed in MarshCover for both the binary classification problem and the full classification problem with a two model classifier (called two-shot). These two classifiers had accuracies on test data of 90.76% and 84% respectively. MarshCover is publicly available online.
Synthesis and Antitumor Evaluation of Biotin-SN38-Valproic Acid Conjugates

Despite the strong anticancer activity of SN38 (7-ethyl-10-hydroxy-camptothecin), the severe side effects and loss of anticancer activity caused by the lack of selectivity to cancer cells and hydrolysis of ring E prevent its clinical application. To address the issue, herein a multifunctional SN38 derivative (compound 9) containing biotin (tumor-targeting group) and valproic acid (histone deacetylase inhibitor, HDACi) was synthesized via click chemistry and evaluated using MTT assay. The in vitro cytotoxicity study showed that compound 9 exhibited superior cytotoxicity than irinotecan against human cervical cancer HeLa cells, albeit it was inferior to SN38. More significantly, compound 9 significantly reduced toxicity in mouse embryonic fibroblast NIH3T3 cells, indicating that compound 9 had the capacity to enhance tumor targeting due to its cell selectivity. Further studies demonstrated that, compared with irinotecan, compound 9 induced similar apoptosis of cancer cells. Consequently, compound 9 can not only improve its tumor-targeting ability mediated by biotin but also exert potent anticancer activity through the effect of SN38 and valproic acid, indicating that the design concept is an effective strategy for the structural modification of SN38.
Presynchronization with prostaglandin F2α and gonadotropin-releasing hormone simultaneously improved first service pregnancy per artificial insemination in lactating Holstein cows compared with Presynch-14 when combined with detection of estrus.

This study aimed to determine the effect of 2 simple breeding strategies combining artificial insemination (AI) after detection of estrus (AIED) and timed AI (TAI) on first-service fertility in lactating Holstein cows. Weekly, lactating Holstein cows (n = l,049) between 40 and 46 d in milk (DIM) were randomly assigned to initiate 1 of 2 breeding strategies for first service: Presynch-14 and PG+G. Presynch-14 is a presynchronization strategy with 2 PGF2α treatments 14 d apart with the last PGF2α 14 d before the initiation of the Ovsynch protocol. Cows treated with PG+G receive a simpler presynchronization program that uses PGF2α and GnRH simultaneously 7 d before Ovsynch. In both treatments, cows detected in standing estrus by tail chalk at any time ≥55 DIM were inseminated, and treatment was discontinued (n = 525). Cows completing treatment received TAI from 78 to 84 DIM (n = 526). In a subgroup of cows that received TAI, blood was collected (n = 163) to assess circulating concentrations of progesterone, and ultrasonographic evaluations of ovaries were performed on the day of first GnRH of Ovsynch (n = 162) and PGF2α of Ovsynch (n = 122). The proportion of cows that received TAI was greater for PG+G compared with Presynch-14 (63.5 vs. 31.9%), which increased DIM at first service for cows treated with PG+G compared with Presynch-14 (75.5 ± 0.4 vs. 68.7 ± 0.4). For cows receiving TAI, the ovulatory response to first GnRH of Ovsynch (73.8 vs. 48.8%) and the proportion of cows with functional corpora lutea (92.6 vs. 73.1%) were greater for PG+G than Presynch-14. Cows treated with PG+G had greater overall pregnancy per AI (P/AI) 42 ± 7 d after AI (40.2 vs. 33.6%) and calving per AI (32.1 vs. 25.2%) than Presynch-14. For cows receiving AIED, treatment did not affect P/AI 42 ± 7 d after AI. However, for cows receiving TAI, PG+G increased P/AI compared with Presynch-14 (44.6 vs. 35.2%). Overall, cows receiving TAI had greater P/AI 42 ± 7 d after AI (42.5 vs. 31.5%) and calving per AI (34.1 vs. 23.7%) and decreased pregnancy loss (16.8 vs. 25.2%) than cows receiving AIED. In summary, PG+G increased the proportion of cows receiving TAI and the DIM at first service, P/AI, and calving per AI compared with Presynch-14 when both TAI programs were combined with AIED.
Fruit Juice Consumption, Body Mass Index, and Adolescent Diet Quality in a Biracial Cohort

Fruit juice consumption during childhood remains controversial. Here, we evaluated the association between preadolescent 100% fruit juice intake and later adolescent diet quality and body mass index (BMI). We used prospective data over 10 years from the National Growth and Health Study for 1921 black and white girls, ages 9–10 years at baseline, for analyses of diet quality, and 2165 girls for BMI analyses. Statistical analyses included repeated measures analysis of variance and logistic regression models. Girls who drank ≥1.0 cup/day of fruit juice in preadolescence consumed 0.44 cup/day more total fruit in later adolescence than non-juice-drinking girls (p < 0.0001). White and black girls who drank ≥1.25 cups/day in preadolescence were 2.62 (95% CI: 1.35–5.08) and 2.54 (1.27–5.07) times more likely, respectively, to meet the Dietary Guidelines for whole fruit by later adolescence than those with the lowest juice intakes. Further, fruit juice consumption was positively associated with diet quality scores. Overall, girls consuming ≥1.25 cups/day of juice had a BMI in late adolescence that was 1.7 kg/m2 lower than that of non-juice-drinking girls. In conclusion, early adolescent fruit juice intake was positively associated with subsequent whole fruit consumption, better diet quality, and lower BMI in later adolescence.
Association Between RETN Gene Polymorphism and Serum Resistin Levels in Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Resistin is a cysteine-rich polypeptide, which is encoded by the RETN gene on chromosome 19p13. It has been established that human adipocytes, pancreatic cells, muscle, and mononuclear cells all express this 108 amino acid polypeptide. Up to 70% of the variability in serum resistin in Caucasians can be attributed to hereditary causes. Therefore, the goal of this study is to investigate the association between RETN gene polymorphism and serum resistin levels in type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients. Frequencies of the polymorphism were determined in 51 type 1 diabetes, 52 type 2 diabetes patients, and 50 control group using (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), and conventional polymerase chain reaction. The AA genotype has differed significantly between patients and the control group while genotypes, AC and CC, have not differed significantly between patients and the controls in the type 1 diabetes group. The (AA) was found in 100% of the type 1 diabetes patients and 80% of the control group (Pc=2.7 x 10-4). The AA, AC, and CC genotypes have not differed significantly in type 2 diabetes. A positive correlation was detected between the AA genotype and serum resistin levels in the type 1 diabetes group compared to type 2 diabetes and the control groups, but there was a negative correlation between AC, CC genotypes and them. Also, there was a negative correlation between the AA, AC, and CC genotypes and serum resistin levels in the type 2 diabetes group compared to the control group. Conclusion: The AA genotype of RETN gene 3ʹUTR polymorphism rs115073262 was found to be significantly associated with type 1 diabetes incidences. The findings suggest that the AA genotype and A allele in this gene increase the risk of type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The AA genotype of polymorphism associated with higher serum resistin levels in type 1 diabetes patients samples.