Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Varietal discrimination of common dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) grown under different watering regimes using multitemporal hyperspectral data

Abstract. Globally, the common dry bean varieties (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) are regarded as valuable food crops. Due to diversion-farm and postharvest management requirements, quick, reliable, and cost-effective varietal discrimination is critical for optimal management during growth and after harvesting. The large number of valuable wavelengths that characterize hyperspectral remotely sensed datasets in concert with emerging robust discriminant analysis techniques offers great potential for on-farm dry bean varietal discrimination. In this study, an integrated approach of partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) on hyperspectral data was used to determine the bean’s optimal timing for on-farm varietal discrimination. Based on experimental plots underirrigated and rain-fed watering regimes, hyperspectral data were collected at three major phenological stages. Data at each stage were first used to generate PLS-DA models to determine variable (wavebands) importance in the projection (VIP) and the VIP bands used to generate VIP conditioned PLS-DA models. The study identified 6 weeks (branching and rapid vegetative growth) and 10 weeks (flowering and pod development) after seed sowing as optimal stages for varietal discrimination. The study offers insight into the optimal period to discriminate dry bean varieties using spectroscopy, valuable for on-farm and after-farm management and crop monitoring sensor development.
Generalized Hydrodynamics with Viscoplasticity for Channeling in Saturated Sand

Abstract : In this report we review the "Generalized Formulation of Hydrodynamics" for a single incompressible species with free surfaces and consider methods to extend this formulation to the multiple species case. Constraints on the species volume fractions are imposed using successive redistribution. Formulations that include material strength and viscosity are described. A non-Newtonian viscous model, which approximates a Bingham plastic model, is described and implemented. Benchmark computations are performed to assess the accuracy of the computational model. Numerical simulations of explosive channeling in sand under a layer of water arc presented with some comparisons to experimental data.
NUCLEOSIDES, NUCLEOTIDES & NUCLEIC ACIDS

Reports describing the neurological features of Lesch-Nyhan disease (LND) vary widely, thereby implying the involvement of different neurological substrates. The movement abnormalities in 20 patients with LND were investigated. Dystonia was the most frequent and severe movement disorder. At rest, hypotonia was more frequent than hypertonia. These findings are compatible with basal ganglia dysfunction in LND.
Disturbance effects of wind farms on birds

Wind energy, like all renewable energy production, is a sustainable resource with a far lower carbon footprint than the burning of fossil fuels and consequently plays a role in mitigating climate change. There has been a rapid rise in its use over the last 15 years. However, there are concerns regarding the potential effects of wind turbines on wildlife, especially birds and bats. Potential effects include disturbance through direct or indirect habitat loss, or fatality through collision with turbine blades. First, I investigated the potential of using existing bird monitoring data collected by Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and post-construction monitoring for developing an evidence base for the impacts of wind turbines on bird populations. As EIAs are required for wind farms to predict and mitigate potential negative effects, vast amounts of data are gathered by wind farm companies but subsequently not used to assess the effects, due to the associated logistical issues of obtaining these data (despite being officially available in the public domain). Using data from seven wind farm sites, I found that lekking black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) that were initially close to the wind turbines (up to 500m) moved locally after wind farm construction but their abundance at the wind farm sites did not change. I conclude that data from EIAs and post-construction monitoring can be used to assess potential effects of wind farms on biodiversity and should be widely available for scientists and policy-makers, ideally via a central data repository. Second, I investigated whether noise from wind farms might affect birds as bird song could be potentially masked. It is widely known that anthropogenic noise such as traffic and urban noise affects communication in birds. To investigate whether birds are affected by wind turbine noise, I modelled how song from
Single‐agent belantamab mafodotin in patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma: Final analysis of the DREAMM‐2 trial

Patients with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) have a high unmet treatment need. Belantamab mafodotin (belamaf), a first‐in‐class, B‐cell maturation antigen‐binding antibody‐drug conjugate, eliminates myeloma cells through direct cell killing and an anti‐myeloma immune response.
Identification, analysis and prediction of valid and false information related to vaccines from Romanian tweets

The online misinformation might undermine the vaccination efforts. Therefore, given the fact that no study specifically analyzed online vaccine related content written in Romanian, the main objective of the study was to detect and evaluate tweets related to vaccines and written in Romanian language. 1400 Romanian vaccine related tweets were manually classified in true, neutral and fake information and analyzed based on wordcloud representations, a correlation analysis between the three classes and specific tweet characteristics and the validation of several predictive machine learning algorithms. The tweets annotated as misinformation showed specific word patterns and were liked and reshared more often as compared to the true and neutral ones. The validation of the machine learning algorithms yielded enhanced results in terms of Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve Score (0.744-0.843) when evaluating the Support Vector Classifier. The predictive model estimates in a well calibrated manner the probability that a specific Twitter post is true, neutral or fake. The current study offers important insights regarding vaccine related online content written in an Eastern European language. Future studies must aim at building an online platform for rapid identification of vaccine misinformation and raising awareness for the general population.
Better adherence to childhood Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccination with combination vaccines compared to single-antigen vaccines: Evidence from China

Background The coverage of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccination remains suboptimal in China, and this study aimed to investigate the influencing factors of caregivers’ Hib-containing vaccine choices and the association between combination vaccine use and adherence to Hib immunisation schedule among Chinese children. Methods From August to October 2019, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in 148 community health care centres from ten provinces in China, which collected vaccination records from 5294 children aged 6-59 months. The children were categorised into three groups based on their Hib-containing vaccine receipt: unvaccinated group, monovalent vaccine group, and combination vaccine group. The outcome measures included: (1) receipt and choice of Hib-containing vaccines, and (2) completion of the three-dose schedule. Multinomial logistic regression was used to evaluate the influencing factors of Hib-containing vaccine receipt and choice, and logistic regression was adopted to investigate the associations between vaccine choice and schedule completion. Results Of the 5294 children, 19.53% received monovalent vaccines only, 22.59% received at least one dose of combination vaccines, and 57.88% were not vaccinated against Hib. The overall three-dose completion rate was 27.03%. The multinomial logistic (mlogit) regression findings indicated strong associations of socioeconomic status and Hib-containing vaccine supply with vaccination status. Multiple logistic regression among those who received at least one Hib-containing dose demonstrated a 3-fold increase in the likelihood of three-dose schedule completion by children who received any combination dose compared with those received single-antigen vaccines only (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 3.97 (95% CI = 3.14-5.03)). Conclusions Findings from the current study provide a more comprehensive understanding of the strong relationship between combination vaccine receipt and completion outcomes. Facing the suboptimal Hib vaccination rate in China, the use of combination vaccines could help increase vaccination compliance, and appropriate government actions to reduce out-of-pocket burden of immunisation are encouraged to address inequities in vaccine choices.
Oral cancer knowledge in adults evaluated through a phone survey in the context of the SARS-CoV2 health emergency in Colombia

Background in Colombia, oral cancer is the eighth most common type of cancer, with an estimated survival rate of 52%. Lack of knowledge about oral cancer and its risk factors is associated with late detection. Material and Methods a descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 268 patients attending the School of Dentistry of the University of Antioquia clinics, to whom a validated 47-question questionnaire was applied by phone during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020 and 2021). Data were analyzed using the SPSS software. Results the mean age was 58.9. 58.6% of the participants had heard of oral cancer, 42% acquire knowledge from the media, and 96.7% considered screening necessary. Most of the patients expressed not feeling worried (54.5%), fearful (59.7%), or anxious (56.3%) in the case of being submitted to an examination for early detection of oral cancer. A correlation between low socioeconomic status and educational level with less knowledge of oral cancer was found. The dimensions of experience and attitude towards screening were not associated with sociodemographic variables. Conclusions There is little knowledge about oral cancer, especially in low socioeconomic and educational status, although this does not occur in the dimensions of attitude and experience toward screening. In contrast, patients participating in this study presented high knowledge about oral cancer risk. This population recognizes the situations most related to the development of cancer. This level of knowledge was similar for the demographic conditions except for people with no education, who presented less knowledge of the risks. The need for educational campaigns on oral cancer knowledge is reaffirmed, especially in socially disadvantaged groups, considering that there would be no barriers related to screening. Key words:Oral cancer, knowledge, adults, COVID-19 pandemic.
Examination of high resolution rainfall products and satellite greenness indices for estimating patch and landscape forage biomass

Examination of High Resolution Rainfall Products and Satellite Greenness Indices for Estimating Patch and Landscape Forage Biomass. (May 2008) Jay Peter Angerer, B.S., Texas Tech University; M.S., Texas A&M University Chair of Advisory Committee: Dr. X. Ben Wu Assessment of vegetation productivity on rangelands is needed to assist in timely decision making with regard to management of the livestock enterprise as well as to protect the natural resource. Characterization of the vegetation resource over large landscapes can be time consuming, expensive and almost impossible to do on a near real-time basis. The overarching goal of this study was to examine available technologies for implementing near real-time systems to monitor forage biomass available to livestock on a given landscape. The primary objectives were to examine the ability of the Climate Prediction Center Morphing Product (CMORPH) and Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) rainfall products to detect and estimate rainfall at semi-arid sites in West Texas, to verify the ability of a simulation model (PHYGROW) to predict herbaceous biomass at selected sites (patches) in a semi-arid landscape using NEXRAD rainfall, and to examine the feasibility of using cokriging for integrating simulation model output and satellite greenness imagery (NDVI) for producing landscape maps of forage biomass in Mongolia’s Gobi region. The comparison of the NEXRAD and CMORPH rainfall products to gage collected rainfall revealed that NEXRAD outperformed the CMORPH rainfall with lower estimation bias, lower variability, and higher estimation efficiency. When NEXRAD was used as a driving variable in PHYGROW simulations that were calibrated using gage measured rainfall, model performance for estimating forage biomass was generally poor when compared to biomass measurements at the sites.
SOIL-PILE-SUPERSTRUCTURE INTERACTION IN LIQUEFYING SAND AND SOFT CLAY

Research supported by the California Department of Transportation under Contract Number 65V495. The contents of this report reflect the views of the author who is responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official views or policies of the STATE OF CALIFORNIA or the FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation.
Gut microbial dysbiosis occurring during pulmonary fungal infection in rats is linked to inflammation and depends on healthy microbiota composition

ABSTRACT While the effect of gut microbiota and/or inflammation on a distant body site, including the lungs (gut–lung axis), has been well characterized, data about the influence of lung microbiota and lung inflammation on gut homeostasis (lung–gut axis) are scarce. Using a well-characterized model of pulmonary infection with the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, we investigated alterations in the lung and gut microbiota by next-generation sequencing of the V3–V4 regions of total bacterial DNA. Pulmonary inflammation due to the fungus A. fumigatus caused bacterial dysbiosis in both lungs and gut, but with different characteristics. While increased alpha diversity and unchanged bacterial composition were noted in the lungs, dysbiosis in the gut was characterized by decreased alpha diversity indices and modified bacterial composition. The altered homeostasis in the lungs allows the immigration of new bacterial species of which 41.8% were found in the feces, indicating that some degree of bacterial migration from the gut to the lungs occurs. On the contrary, the dysbiosis occurring in the gut during pulmonary infection was a consequence of the local activity of the immune system. In addition, the alteration of gut microbiota in response to pulmonary infection depends on the bacterial composition before infection, as no changes in gut bacterial microbiota were detected in a rat strain with diverse gut bacteria. The data presented support the existence of the lung–gut axis and provide additional insight into this mechanism. IMPORTANCE Data regarding the impact of lung inflammation and lung microbiota on GIT are scarce, and the mechanisms of this interaction are still unknown. Using a well-characterized model of pulmonary infection caused by the opportunistic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, we observed bacterial dysbiosis in both the lungs and gut that supports the existence of the lung–gut axis. Data regarding the impact of lung inflammation and lung microbiota on GIT are scarce, and the mechanisms of this interaction are still unknown. Using a well-characterized model of pulmonary infection caused by the opportunistic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus, we observed bacterial dysbiosis in both the lungs and gut that supports the existence of the lung–gut axis.
Oscillations of Water Levels in Vertical Semi-Immersed Tubes: Analytical Solutions and Experimental Verification

Experimental results for water level oscillations in vertical tubes, together with a theoretical solution for the flow in such tubes considering local and distributed energy losses, are presented and compared. The experimental data were obtained in small scale experiments, allowing adequately controlling the oscillations. The governing equation for the oscillations was obtained by applying the conservation laws of mass, momentum and energy for fluids. It is a second order nonlinear differential equation which was reduced to a first order differential Bernoulli equation. The obtained solution is composed by two different equations, one for the upwards motion and the other for the downwards motion, which together reproduce the oscillatory damped behavior of such flows. Numerical solutions of the differential equation were also checked. The experimental data and the theoretical and numerical results showed a good agreement between measured and calculated values of velocity and surface level for the first periods of oscillation.
Potential biomarkers for psoriasis topical treatment by in-depth serum proteomics

Abstract Background Psoriasis is a chronic skin disease, and topical sequential therapy with a combination of calcipotriol and calcipotriol betamethasone is currently approved topical treatment. However, the exact mechanism by which this treatment regimen relieves psoriasis is unknown. Method We assembled a cohort of 65 psoriasis patients and divided post-treatment cohort into responder group and non-responder group according to the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score after 12-week treatment. We measured the expression levels of proteins in collected 130 serum samples using our in-depth proteomics platform with a data-independent acquisition mass spectrometer and antibody microarray. We performed bioinformatics analyses of the biologic processes and signaling pathways that were changed in the responder group and constructed a proteomics landscape of psoriasis pathogenesis response to treatment. We then validated the biomarkers of disease severity in an independent cohort of 88 samples using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results We first identified 174 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) for comparative analysis of proteins between responders and non-responders at baseline (p < 0.05). Then pathway analysis showed that the responders focused more on signaling molecules and interaction, complement and coagulation cascades, whereas the non-responders more on signal transduction and IL-17 signaling pathways. We further identified four candidate biomarkers (COLEC11, C1QA, BNC2, ITIH4) response to treatment. We also found 125 DEPs (p < 0.05) after treatment compared with before treatment in responder group. Pathway analysis showed an enrichment in pathways related to complement and coagulation cascades, phagosome, ECM-receptor interaction, cholesterol metabolism, vitamin digestion and absorption. CD14 was validated as potential biomarkers for the disease severity of psoriasis and treatment targets. Conclusion In this work, we analyzed the response to topical sequential therapy and finally identified four biomarkers. Additionally, we found that topical sequential therapy may alleviate psoriasis by regulating lipid metabolism and modulating the immune response by affecting the complement activation process.
The development of physical geodesy during 1984-2014 – A personal review

Abstract This article is a personal review of the development of physical geodesy during 1984-2014. The period is characterized by an intensive advance in both data and theory to meet the growing technical demands in GPS/GNSS applications and scientific needs in geoscience. As a result,many parts of theworld are nowmapped with a 1cmdetailed geoid model, and the global long- to mediumwavelengths of the gravity field and geoid are homogeneously determined to 1 mGal and 1 cm by satellite-only dedicated satellite gravity missions. The future can expect to see even higher demands for accuracy and reliability to satisfy the specifications for a pure geoid model based vertical datum.
Terlipressin vs Midodrine Plus Octreotide for Hepatorenal Syndrome-Acute Kidney Injury: A Propensity Score–Matched Comparison

INTRODUCTION: Evidence on the comparison of treatments for hepatorenal syndrome-acute kidney injury (HRS-AKI) in a US population is limited. An indirect comparison of terlipressin plus albumin vs midodrine and octreotide plus albumin (MO) may provide further insight into treatment efficacy. METHODS: Cohorts of patients treated for HRS-AKI characterized by inclusion of patients with serum creatinine (SCr) <5 mg/dL and baseline acute-on-chronic liver failure grades 0–2 and exclusion of patients listed for transplant if model for end-stage liver disease scores ≥35 were pooled from (i) the CONFIRM and REVERSE randomized controlled trials (N = 159 meeting eligibility criteria from N = 216 overall, treated with terlipressin) and (ii) a retrospective review of medical records from 10 US tertiary hospitals (2016–2019; N = 55 treated with MO meeting eligibility criteria from N = 200 overall). The primary end point comparing the 2 cohorts was HRS reversal defined as achieving SCr ≤1.5 mg/dL at least once during the treatment. Covariate balancing propensity scoring was used to adjust for differences in baseline characteristics. RESULTS: HRS-AKI reversal was achieved in 52.35% of terlipressin-treated patients compared with 20% of MO-treated patients (adjusted mean difference 32.35%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 17.40–47.30, P < 0.0001). Terlipressin-treated patients had increased overall survival (adjusted hazard ratio 0.57, 95% CI 0.35–0.93, P = 0.02) but similar transplant-free survival (adjusted hazard ratio 0.79, 95% CI 0.53–1.17, P = 0.24). Achievement of HRS-AKI reversal was associated with increased OS and TFS regardless of treatment (P < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Consistent with prior reports, terlipressin plus albumin is more effective in improving kidney function and achieving HRS-AKI reversal than MO plus albumin based on indirect comparison in a US population.
Factors Affecting the Spread, Diagnosis, and Control of African Swine Fever in the Philippines

African Swine Fever (ASF) is a highly contagious disease that threatens the swine industry globally. Since its introduction into the Philippines in 2019, ASF has spread extensively in both commercial and backyard farms. Here, using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, including conjoint and SWOT analyses, world café discussions, and multivariable regression models, the most important factors that influence the spread, diagnosis, and control of ASF in the Philippines were identified. Research findings suggest that swill or contaminated feed, inadequate biosecurity protocols, and movement of personnel were the top risk factors favoring ASF spread among farms in general. For commercial farms, contaminated vehicles and personnel were also important, whereas for backyard farms, the introduction of new pigs, environmental contamination, and poor feeding quality were relevant risk factors. Notable clinical signs of ASF in pigs include reduced feed intake, huddled behavior, and reluctance to stand. This study highlights the need for timely reporting, trust-building initiatives, and enhanced biosecurity measures to effectively manage ASF outbreaks in the country. Results here contribute to the knowledge of factors affecting ASF spread in the Philippines and can help design prevention and control measures in ASF-infected countries while enhancing preparedness in countries free from the disease.