Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of COVID‐19 pandemic on the management of patients with chronic urticaria: An observational two‐center study from Turkey

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) outbreak significantly affected the clinical practice in hospitals and the management of many diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pandemic‐related factors on the severity and course of chronic urticaria (CU). A total of 194 CU patients who were on regular follow‐up, were enrolled in the study. The disease activity was assessed by means of the weekly urticaria activity score (UAS7) and urticaria control test (UCT). Patients were divided into two subgroups according to their disease aggravation as “aggravated” and “non‐aggravated”. Two groups were compared in terms of demographic, clinical, COVID‐19‐associated parameters, and parameters related with the effect of COVID‐19 pandemic on CU management. The omalizumab use was statistically higher (P = .017), and the systemic corticosteroid use was statistically lower (P = .025) in the “aggravated” group. Adherence to quarantine was significantly lower in the “aggravated” group (P = .027). 173 patients (89.2%) were unable to contact a dermatologist during the pandemic. Among 186 patients who received treatment for CU before the pandemic, 48 (25.8%) did not continue the existing treatment during the pandemic. CU aggravated in one patient with COVID‐19 and remained stable in the other. This study showed that CU patients, especially those on omalizumab therapy, had difficulties in attending medical care and even in the maintenance of their existing therapies during the pandemic. Creating novel follow‐up and treatment models as well as the increased use of teledermatology might be beneficial in the management of this life‐disturbing condition.
Dense Liquid Precursor for the Nucleation of Ordered Solid Phases from Solution, Crystal Growth and Design

A line of recent theories and simulations have suggested that the nucleation of protein crystals might, under certain conditions, proceed in two steps: the formation of a droplet of a dense liquid, metastable with respect to the crystalline state, followed by ordering within this droplet to produce a crystal. In this review, I discuss experimental tests of the applicability of this mechanism to the nucleation of ordered solid phases: crystals or linear, planar, branched, or otherwise ordered aggregates of proteins and small molecule materials from solution. The main arguments stem from recent results on the kinetics of homogeneous nucleation of crystals of the protein lysozyme. These results indicate that under a very broad range of conditions the nucleation of lysozyme crystals occurs via a modification of the theoretically postulated mechanismas a superposition of fluctuations along the order parameters density and structure. Depending on whether the system is above or below its liquid−liquid coexiste.
Plastic changes in amygdala subregions by voluntary running contribute to exercise-induced hypoalgesia in neuropathic pain model mice

Physical exercise has been established as a low-cost, safe, and effective way to manage chronic pain, but exact mechanisms underlying such exercise-induced hypoalgesia (EIH) are not fully understood. Since a growing body of evidence implicated the amygdala (Amyg) as a critical node in emotional affective aspects of chronic pain, we hypothesized that the Amyg may play important roles to produce EIH effects. Here, using partial sciatic nerve ligation (PSL) model mice, we investigated the effects of voluntary running (VR) on the basal amygdala (BA) and the central nuclei of amygdala (CeA). The present study indicated that VR significantly improved heat hyperalgesia which was exacerbated in PSL-Sedentary mice, and that a significant positive correlation was detected between total running distances after PSL-surgery and thermal withdrawal latency. The number of activated glutamate (Glu) neurons in the medal BA (medBA) was significantly increased in PSL-Runner mice, while those were increased in the lateral BA in sedentary mice. Furthermore, in all subdivisions of the CeA, the number of activated gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons was dramatically increased in PSL-Sedentary mice, but these numbers were significantly decreased in PSL-Runner mice. In addition, a tracer experiment demonstrated a marked increase in activated Glu neurons in the medBA projecting into the nucleus accumbens lateral shell in runner mice. Thus, our results suggest that VR may not only produce suppression of the negative emotion such as fear and anxiety closely related with pain chronification, but also promote pleasant emotion and hypoalgesia. Therefore, we conclude that EIH effects may be produced, at least in part, via such plastic changes in the Amyg.
NR1I2 genetic polymorphisms and the risk of anti‐tuberculosis drug‐induced hepatotoxicity: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Anti‐tuberculosis drug‐induced hepatotoxicity (ATDH) is a serious adverse drug reaction. Conflicting results have been obtained regarding the associations of nuclear receptor subfamily 1 group I member 2 (NR1I2) gene polymorphisms on susceptibility to ATDH. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the associations using a systematic review/meta‐analysis approach. PubMed, Medline, Cochrane Library, Web of Science and SinoMed databases were searched for all eligible studies from inception to June 10, 2020. Pooled adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were employed to evaluate the strength of the association between the NR1I2 polymorphisms and the risk of ATDH. Subgroup analysis was performed by region of origin, and meta‐regression were performed to detect potential sources of heterogeneity. A total of five case‐control studies involving 572 cases and 1867 controls were identified. Fourteen SNPs in the NR1I2 gene have been reported, and the most heavily studied SNPs were rs3814055 and rs7643645. The pooled estimates did not exhibit any significant associations between SNPs rs3814055 and rs7643645 and the risk of ATDH (rs3814055: dominant model, OR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.82‐1.22, P = 1.00; recessive model, OR = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.76‐1.78, P = .48; rs7643645: dominant model, OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.64‐1.68, P = .89; recessive model, OR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.65‐1.49, P = .93). Subgroup analysis obtained similar negative results in Chinese patients, and the diagnostic criteria of ATDH may be the source of heterogeneity. Based on the meta‐analysis described in this report, we did not observe any association between NR1I2 gene polymorphisms and ATDH susceptibility. However, this conclusion should be interpreted with caution due to the low number of studies and the relatively small sample size.
Paraoxonase-2 Silencing Enhances Sensitivity of A375 Melanoma Cells to Treatment with Cisplatin

Melanoma represents the most aggressive skin cancer, being responsible for the majority of deaths related with these neoplasms. Despite chemotherapy represents a frontline approach for management of the advanced stages of the disease, it displayed poor response rates and short-term efficacy due to melanoma cell resistance. Therefore, the discovery of molecules that can be used for effective targeted therapy of melanoma is crucial. In this study, we evaluated the impact of paraoxonase-2 (PON2) silencing on proliferation, viability, and resistance to treatment of the A375 melanoma cell line with chemotherapeutic drugs dacarbazine (DTIC) and cisplatin (CDDP). Due to the enzymes ability to counteract oxidative stress, we also evaluated the effect of enzyme knockdown on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in cells treated with CDDP. The data reported clearly demonstrated that PON2 knockdown led to a significant reduction of cell proliferation and viability, as well as to an enhancement of A375 sensitivity to CDDP treatment. Moreover, enzyme downregulation was associated with an increase of ROS production in CDDP-treated cells. Although further analyses will be necessary to understand how PON2 could influence melanoma cell metabolism and phenotype, our results seem to suggest that the enzyme may serve as an interesting molecular target for effective melanoma treatment.
Hybrid MQTT-COAP Protocol for Data Communication in Internet of Things

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist mainly of resource constrained sensor nodes and gateways. Therefore, various lightweight communication protocols are emerging for Machine to Machine (M2M) communications. Among the various application layer protocols for data communication in WSNs, the two most popular protocols for constrained devices are the Message Queue Telemetry Transport Protocol (MQTT) with a variant for sensor nodes (MQTT-SN) and the Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP). Studies have shown that the performance of these different protocols are dependent on different network conditions. CoAP is more efficient in terms of message overhead and MQTT-SN is more efficient in terms of client complexity. Studies have further emphasized the levels of difficulties to implementing any of these protocols with regard to application requirements. In this paper we propose a hybrid MQTT-CoAP protocol technique using an abstraction layer that enables both MQTT-SN and CoAP protocol to be used in the sensor node. Performance evaluation of these protocols under the hybrid technique shows that the hybrid is feasible and while CoAP performs better in terms of energy consumption, the two protocols perform almost equally in latency. The observed values of latency and energy consumption in the developed hybrid technique was comparable to other studies.
Comparison of Heart Rate Variability Responses to Varying Resistance Exercise Volume-Loads

ABSTRACT Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effects of low ([LV]; 4 total sets), moderate ([MV]; 8 total sets), and high set volumes ([HV]; 12 total sets) in acute full-body resistance exercise sessions on post-exercise parasympathetic reactivation measured using RMSSD. Methods: Ten resistance-trained participants (25.8 ± 6.8 yr., 173.4 ± 10.6 cm, 75.4 ± 9.9 kg) performed three resistance exercise sessions. During each session, heart rate variability (HRV) was measured pre- and for 30 min post-exercise, divided into 5-min segments stabilization, Post5-10, Post10-15, Post15-20, Post20-25, and Post25-30. Repeated-measures ANOVA was used to assess differences within and between pre-post exercise natural logarithm RMSSD (LnRMSSD) values. To assess the initial change in LnRMSSD, the delta percent change (ΔLnRMSSD) from pre-exercise to Post5-10 (ΔLnRMSSDpre-post) was calculated for each session. The ΔLnRMSSD was also calculated between Post5-10 and Post25-30 (ΔLnRMSSDpost5-30) to assess recovery. Results: Significant differences were observed between sessions and when comparing pre-exercise values to all post-exercise times across sessions (p ≤ .05). The LV session resulted in significantly higher mean LnRMSSD value (3.62) post-exercise compared to both the MV (3.11, effect size [ES] = 3.77) and HV (3.02, ES = 3.92) sessions while the MV and HV sessions produced similar responses. Across sessions no return to baseline occurred and when comparing sessions, no significant differences were found in ΔLnRMSSDpre-post or ΔLnRMSSDpost5-30. Conclusion: Acute bouts of full-body resistance exercise can cause similar reductions in LnRMSSD from pre-exercise levels and can delay parasympathetic reactivation back to baseline values during the same 30-min recovery period despite differences in set volume.
The breakdown voltage and discharge extension of long gaps in nitrogen‐SF6 and air‐SF6 gas mixtures

The breakdown voltage and the extension of the discharge has been investigated for impulse voltages with rod‐plane gaps of 30 and 50 cm in nitrogen‐SF6 and air‐SF6 mixtures at atmospheric pressure. The addition of 0.4–2% SF6 by volume to nitrogen reduced the 50% breakdown voltage V50 for both polarity impulse voltages below the value for pure nitrogen or pure SF6, typically 50% below the pure SF6 level. However, in air‐SF6 mixtures the opposite effect was found, and a small addition of SF6 (e.g., 1%) increased V50 by typically 80% above that for pure SF6. The extension of the breakdown path has been studied with an image converter and still cameras. In nitrogen‐SF6 mixtures there was a rapid extension of the discharge corresponding to the condition of the minimum breakdown voltage with the 2% SF6 content. The typical discharge extension characteristic in both types of mixtures was an intermittent propagation of the leader accompanied by ball‐like regions of corona streamers at the leader tip. For a 50% SF.
Stereotypes among health professions in Indonesia: an explorative study

Purpose Effective and efficient health services require efforts to increase collaboration among health professionals. One of the barriers to effective collaboration is stereotypes. Stereotypes represent perceptions or perspectives about a person or group of people. This study aims to explore the perceptions of health professional students and practitioners regarding stereotypes. Methods This was a qualitative study using a phenomenology approach. A sample of health professions students from both preclinical and clinical stages, as well as health practitioners, was selected using a maximum variation sampling method. Primary data collection was conducted through focus group discussions. Data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis. A total of nine focus group discussions were conducted. Results Four themes were identified from this study, including the types of stereotypes, factors affecting stereotype formation, the implications of stereotypes, and how to overcome stereotypes. Stereotype formation was affected by the lack of understanding of other health professions’ roles, hierarchical culture, personal experience in receiving healthcare, and community view. Stereotypes among health professionals created obstacles to healthcare team communication and reduced self-confidence in certain health professionals. These stereotypes may be overcome through competency development and knowledge sharing among professionals as well as through education on other health care professionals’ roles and competencies so that each profession possessed similar goals for patient safety. Conclusion Both positive and negative stereotypes negatively affected collaboration. Stereotypes were greatly affected by multifactorial causes. Therefore, understanding other professions’ roles and conducting interprofessional education are important to overcome stereotypes.
Electrical properties of plasma-treated FEP films

Ar plasma treatment effect on the electrical properties of tetrafluoroethylene and hexafluoropropylene copolymer (FEP) is examined at high temperatures. Conduction current in the treated FEP is much larger than that in the untreated FEP at high temperatures. We propose a model to explain the large conduction currents in the plasma treated FEP at high temperatures. In this model, charge carrier generation centers produced by the plasma treatment are thermally dissociated to positive mobile ions. These positive charges are responsible for the large conductivity in the plasma treated FEP at high temperatures. The activation energy for the dissociation is estimated to be 0.7 eV.
Analysis of the Over-Connectivity in Autistic Brains Using the Maximum Spanning Tree: Application on the Multi-Site and Heterogeneous ABIDE Dataset

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that touches children in an early age and alters the function of the brain. Previous studies put forward theories of under and over-connectivity between regions of the autistic brain. Hence, to understand the disorder and find an early diagnosis corroborating the existing theories is of central importance. In this paper, we propose a framework that takes into account the properties of over-connectivity in the autistic brain using the maximum spanning tree (MaxST), since this latter is known to describe high connectivity values. The novelty of the proposed approach is to adopt elimination of the information related to the overconnectivity theory, i.e elimination of the MaxST. This permits to measure the impact of the suppression and thus to well emerge the aforementioned connectivity alterations. With an overall objective of facilitating the early diagnosis of this disorder. The tested dataset is the large multi-site Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange (ABIDE). The results show that this approach provides accurate prediction up to 70%. They also highlight the importance of every parameter used in all the steps that lead to the final result.
Assessing the faecal source sensitivity and specificity of ruminant and human genetic microbial source tracking markers in the central Ethiopian highlands

This study tested genetic microbial source tracking (MST) methods for identifying ruminant‐ (BacR) and human‐associated (HF183/BacR287, BacHum) bacterial faecal contaminants in Ethiopia in a newly created regional faecal sample bank (n = 173). BacR performed well, and its marker abundance was high (100% sensitivity (Sens), 95% specificity (Spec), median log10 8·1 marker equivalents (ME) g−1 ruminant faeces). Human‐associated markers tested were less abundant in individual human samples (median: log10 5·4 and 4·2 (ME + 1) g−1) and were not continuously detected (81% Sens, 91% Spec for BacHum; 77% Sens, 91% Spec for HF183/BacR287). Furthermore, the pig‐associated Pig2Bac assay was included and performed excellent (100% Sens, 100% Spec). To evaluate the presence of MST targets in the soil microbiome, representative soil samples were tested during a whole seasonal cycle (n = 60). Only BacR could be detected, but was limited to the dry season and to sites of higher anthropogenic influence (log10 3·0 to 4·9 (ME + 1) g−1 soil). In conclusion, the large differences in marker abundances between target and non‐target faecal samples (median distances between distributions ≥log10 3 to ≥log10 7) and their absence in pristine soil indicate that all tested assays are suitable candidates for diverse MST applications in the Ethiopian area.
Quasisynchronization of Memristive Neural Networks With Communication Delays via Event-Triggered Impulsive Control

This article considers the quasisynchronization of memristive neural networks (MNNs) with communication delays via event-triggered impulsive control (ETIC). In view of the limited communication and bandwidth, we adopt a novel switching event-triggered mechanism (ETM) that not only decreases the times of controller update and the amount of data sent out but also eliminates the Zeno behavior. By using an appropriate Lyapunov function, several algebraic conditions are given for quasisynchronization of MNNs with communication delays. More important, there is no restriction on the derivation of the Lyapunov function, even if it is an increasing function over a period of time. Then, we further propose a switching ETM depending on communication delays and aperiodic sampling, which is more economical and practical and can directly avoid Zeno behavior. Finally, two simulations are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed results.
Students’ Perceptions of Educational Climate in a Spanish School of Dentistry Using the Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure: A Longitudinal Study

Background: Educational Climate (EC) may determine teacher and student behaviour. Our aim was to evaluate EC longitudinally in a period of ‘curricular transition’ from traditional (teacher-centred learning) to Bologna curricula (interactive student-centred learning). Methods: The ‘Dundee Ready Education Environment Measure’ (DREEM) questionnaire was completed by 397 students from a Spanish School of Dentistry. Students’ perception was assessed in different courses and academic years. Results: The overall EC scale average was 115.70 ± 20.20 (57.85%) and all domain values showed a percentage > 52%, which were interpreted as ‘positive and acceptable’. The EC mean was: 118.02 ± 17.37 (59.01%) for 2010–2011; 116.46 ± 19.79 (58.23%) for 2013–2014; 115.60 ± 21.93 (57.80%) for 2014–2015; 112.02 ± 22.28 (56.01%) for 2015–2016, interpreted as ‘more positive than negative EC’. The worst Learning domain scores corresponded to later academic years and may reflect the Bologna curriculum’s more intensive clinical training involving greater responsibility and self-learning. Conclusions: EC and its domains were perceived more positively than negatively. The Social domain was the most positively evaluated, while the Learning domain was the worst.
Fun Learning with Flashcard using Augmented Reality for Learning Daily Prayers of Kindergarten Students

Prayer learning is one of the biggest contributors to improving early childhood memorization skills. Prayer learning for kindergarten students is still monotonous and unattractive. Especially during the C-19 pandemic, students cannot memorize together with their classmates. Therefore, there is a need for learning media that can help students to learn and memorize with fun and interesting. The purpose of developing daily prayer learning media by utilizing Augmented Reality (AR) based flash card images is to make it easier for kindergarten students to learn more interesting and interactive prayers. The flash card is an AR marker that can be scanned through the application and brings up videos and 3D animations of daily prayer learning. That way, students become more interested in having interactive multimedia assistance. Media development is carried out with the waterfall method, which is preceded by the need analysis to trials application. Media testing was carried out by individual testing using a questionnaire with two aspects, namely software engineering aspects and visual communication aspects. Overall, media development is in accordance with user needs and can run well on the Android smartphone platform. Based on the results of the media expert’s validation, this media was declared valid with a value of the software engineering aspect and the visual communication aspect of 86%. In the future, a large-scale trial will be conducted to determine the effectiveness of the learning implementation using this media.
Visualizing subcellular rearrangements in intact β cells using soft x-ray tomography

Subcellular maps of β cells reveal the coordinated reorganization of organelles during insulin secretion. Characterizing relationships between cell structures and functions requires mesoscale mapping of intact cells showing subcellular rearrangements following stimulation; however, current approaches are limited in this regard. Here, we report a unique application of soft x-ray tomography to generate three-dimensional reconstructions of whole pancreatic β cells at different time points following glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Reconstructions following stimulation showed distinct insulin vesicle distribution patterns reflective of altered vesicle pool sizes as they travel through the secretory pathway. Our results show that glucose stimulation caused rapid changes in biochemical composition and/or density of insulin packing, increased mitochondrial volume, and closer proximity of insulin vesicles to mitochondria. Costimulation with exendin-4 (a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist) prolonged these effects and increased insulin packaging efficiency and vesicle maturation. This study provides unique perspectives on the coordinated structural reorganization and interactions of organelles that dictate cell responses.
Characterizing clinics with differential changes in the screening rate in the Colorectal Cancer Control Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds the Colorectal Cancer Control Program (CRCCP) to increase colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates in primary care clinics by implementing evidence‐based interventions (EBIs). This study examined differences in clinic characteristics and implementation efforts among clinics with differential changes in screening rates over time.