Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Corporate Accelerator: A New Kind of Strategic Factor Market to Access Strategic Resources

Corporate accelerators are often viewed as a way to capture innovation from startups. In this study, we present a fresh understanding of the specific role of corporate accelerators in accessing a number of strategic resources held by startups other than innovation. This research study explores the ways in which corporations use corporate accelerators to acquire resources held within the strategic factor markets in which startups compete. Using six in-depth case studies of corporate accelerators and 43 interviews with accelerators, corporations, and startups, we investigate the type of strategic resources that can be accessed by firms via corporate accelerators. We also explain the dynamics through which corporations gain access to some of these strategic resources.
Remote Diagnosis and Triaging Model for Skin Cancer Using EfficientNet and Extreme Gradient Boosting

Due to the successful application of machine learning techniques in several fields, automated diagnosis system in healthcare has been increasing at a high rate. The aim of the study is to propose an automated skin cancer diagnosis and triaging model and to explore the impact of integrating the clinical features in the diagnosis and enhance the outcomes achieved by the literature study. We used an ensemble-learning framework, consisting of the EfficientNetB3 deep learning model for skin lesion analysis and Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGB) for clinical data. The study used PAD-UFES-20 data set consisting of six unbalanced categories of skin cancer. To overcome the data imbalance, we used data augmentation. Experiments were conducted using skin lesion merely and the combination of skin lesion and clinical data. We found that integration of clinical data with skin lesions enhances automated diagnosis accuracy. Moreover, the proposed model outperformed the results achieved by the previous study for the PAD-UFES-20 data set with an accuracy of 0.78, precision of 0.89, recall of 0.86, and F1 of 0.88. In conclusion, the study provides an improved automated diagnosis system to aid the healthcare professional and patients for skin cancer diagnosis and remote triaging.
SARS-CoV-2 variants associated with vaccine breakthrough in the Delaware Valley through summer 2021

The severe acute respiratory coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of the global outbreak of COVID-19. Evidence suggests that the virus is evolving to allow efficient spread through the human population, including vaccinated individuals. Here we report a study of viral variants from surveillance of the Delaware Valley, including the city of Philadelphia, and variants infecting vaccinated subjects. We sequenced and analyzed complete viral genomes from 2621 surveillance samples from March 2020 to September 2021 and compared them to genome sequences from 159 vaccine breakthroughs. In the early spring of 2020, all detected variants were of the B.1 and closely related lineages. A mixture of lineages followed, notably including B.1. 243 followed by B.1. 1.7 (alpha), with other lineages present at lower levels. Later isolations were dominated by B.1. 617.2 (delta) and other delta lineages; delta was the exclusive variant present by the last time sampled. To investigate whether any variants appeared preferentially in vaccine breakthroughs, we devised a model based on Bayesian autoregressive moving average logistic multinomial regression to allow rigorous comparison. This revealed that B.1. 617.2 (delta) showed three-fold enrichment in vaccine breakthrough cases (odds ratio of 3; 95% credible interval 0.89-11). Viral point substitutions could also be associated with vaccine breakthroughs, notably the N501Y substitution found in the alpha, beta and gamma variants (odds ratio 2.04; 95% credible interval of 1.25-3.18). This study thus provides a detailed picture of viral evolution in the Delaware Valley and a geographically matched analysis of vaccine breakthroughs; it also introduces a rigorous statistical approach to interrogating enrichment of viral variants.
Survey of Direct and Indirect Effects of COVID-19 on Eyes and the Common Ocular Manifestations

Purpose: Ocular manifestations were reported in many recent observations that studied either the effect of COVID-19 directly on eyes or of face mask use. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the effect of COVID-19 on the eyes and make a clear comparison of its direct and indirect effect from face mask-wearing. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of both written and web-based questionnaires, distributed among a group of COVID-19 patients and a matched control group, the questionnaire consisted of common demographic data, COVID-19 infection history and its symptoms, focusing on ocular symptoms and the presence of conditions related to or cause eye symptoms. As well as the use of face masks that were assessed in terms of the complained ocular manifestation Results: Of 618 participants, 252 had COVID-19 and 366 never had COVID-19. Ocular manifestation among COVID-19 incidence was 44%, significantly higher than non-infected participants' incidence (35.8%), adjusted odds ratio, 95% confidence interval (AOR, 95%CI); 1.45 (1.02-2.06)). Eye discharges (p-value = 0.033) and photosensitivity (p-value = 0.003) were noted more commonly among COVID-19 participants compared to healthy control. When comparing long periods of face mask use with each ocular symptom; dry eye based on OSDI, forging body sensation, eye pain and eye discharges, were found significantly common among extended periods of face mask use.
Effects of the inclination angles of DLC end face micro-texture on the tribological properties of dry gas seal rings

To improve the tribological performance of the seal rings in the dry gas seal, the elliptical micro-textures with different inclination angles (0°, 45°, 90°, 135°) were processed on the end face of SiC static rings by nanosecond laser. Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were then deposited on the micro-textured end face. Under dry friction condition, the end-face friction and wear test was conducted to simulate the actual working state of the dry gas seal at start-up phase. The effects of micro-texture inclination angles and DLC phase change on the tribological properties of seal rings were investigated. The possible friction reduction mechanism was analyzed. The results show that compared with the smooth surface, the elliptical micro-texture can effectively improve the tribological properties of DLC films. At the same time, the inclination angle of the elliptical micro-texture has a remarkable influence on the tribological properties. When the micro-texture inclination angle is 90°, the static ring sample has the best friction reduction and wear resistance performance. Compared with the untextured sample, the average friction coefficient is reduced by 46.15%. The wear reduction characteristics of the textured end face are mainly contributed to the capturing effect of the texture on wear particles.
Deflection angle and lensing signature of covariant 𝖿(𝖳) gravity

We calculate the deflection angle, as well as the positions and magnifications of the lensed images, in the case of covariant f(T) gravity. We first extract the spherically symmetric solutions for both the pure-tetrad and the covariant formulation of the theory, since considering spherical solutions the extension to the latter is crucial, in order for the results not to suffer from frame-dependent artifacts. Applying the weak-field, perturbative approximation we extract the deviations of the solutions comparing to General Relativity. Furthermore, we calculate the deflection angle and then the differences of the positions and magnifications in the lensing framework. This effect of consistent f(T) gravity on the lensing features can serve as an observable signature in the realistic cases where f(T) is expected to deviate only slightly from General Relativity, since lensing scales in general are not restricted as in the case of Solar System data, and therefore deviations from General Relativity could be observed more easily.
Term Similarity-aware Extensive and Intensive Reading For Multiple Choice Question Answering

Multiple Choice Question Answering(MCQA) aims to automatically choose a correct answer from candidate options when given a passage and question. Existing approaches generally model attention mechanisms based on whole-passage information or manually tag key sentences for weakly supervised learning, which leads to the models focusing extensively on redundant information and costly manual annotation. In this paper, we consider evidence sentence extraction work in an unsupervised way to precisely pinpoint evidence sentences and minimize the impact of redundant information while avoiding costly manual annotations. Specifically, we propose a novel model called Term Similarity-aware Extensive and Intensive Reading(TS-EIR), which dynamically and automatically refines critical information by term similarity. In detail, it intelligently selects sentences more relevant to the question from the passage and deeply extracts features by enhanced graph convolutional neural network. We apply the proposed TS-EIR to a typical pre-trained language model, BERT, for encoding and evaluate it on the RACE and Dream benchmarks, which verify our model achieves substantial performance improvements over the current baseline.
Wealth Inequality and Return Heterogeneity during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Wealth inequality in the U.S., measured by the top 1% wealth share, experienced dramatic changes in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Economic theory suggests that the key to understanding wealth inequality is heterogeneity in the return to net worth across households. To understand the dynamics of wealth inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic, we develop a novel methodology that allows us to estimate the returns to net worth for different groups of households at relatively high frequency. We show that portfolio heterogeneity and asset price movements are the main determinants of wealth returns and inequality, whereas saving-rate heterogeneity and within-class return differences played a minor role. As the stock market continued to outperform the housing market, the return of the wealthy has risen faster than that of other households, reinforcing the wealth concentration at the top. We also document a widening racial return gap between white and black households later in the pandemic. Nearly all of the racial differences in the wealth return, however, are explained by the differences in wealth, not by race itself. Whereas the previous literature has evaluated return heterogeneity and its implications for long-run wealth inequality in low-frequency data, our analysis suggests that return heterogeneity together with large asset price movements is also the key to understanding short-run dynamics in wealth inequality.
TAK1-inhibitors are cytotoxic for multiple myeloma cells alone and in combination with melphalan

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable cancer caused by malignant transformation of plasma cells. Transforming growth factor-β activated kinase 1 (MAP3K7, TAK1) is a major regulator of nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling. Both NF-κB and MAPK control expression of genes with vital roles for drug resistance in MM. TAK1 is an attractive drug target as it switches these survival pathways to cell death. Our analysis showed that patients with high MAP3K7 expression in the tumor had shorter overall and progression free survival. The TAK1-inhibitors NG25 and 5Z-7-oxozeaenol (5Z-7) were cytotoxic to MM cell lines and patient cells. NG25 reduced expression of MYC and E2F controlled genes, involved in tumor cell growth, cell cycle progression and drug resilience. TAK1 can be activated by genotoxic stress. NG25 and 5Z-7 induced both synergistic and additive cytotoxicity in combination with the alkylating agent melphalan. Melphalan activated TAK1, NF-κB, and the MAPKs p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), as well as a transcriptional UV-response. This was blocked by NG25, and instead apoptosis was activated. MM induce elevated bone-degradation resulting in myeloma bone disease (MBD), which is the main cause of disability and morbidity in MM patients. NG25 and 5Z-7 reduced differentiation and viability of human bone degrading osteoclasts, suggesting that TAK1-inhibition can have a double beneficial effect for patients. In sum, TAK1 is a promising drug target for MM treatment.
Night-Warming Priming at the Vegetative Stage Alleviates Damage to the Flag Leaf Caused by Post-anthesis Warming in Winter Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

The asymmetric warming in diurnal and seasonal temperature patterns plays an important role in crop distribution and productivity. Asymmetric warming during the early growth periods of winter wheat profoundly affects its vegetative growth and post-anthesis grain productivity. Field experiments were conducted on winter wheat to explore the impact of night warming treatment in winter (Winter warming treatment, WT) or spring (Spring warming treatment, ST) on the senescence of flag leaves and yield of wheat plants later treated with night warming during grain filling (Warming treatment during grain filling, FT). The results showed that FT decreased wheat yield by reducing the number of grains per panicle and per 1,000-grain weight and that the yield of wheat plants treated with FT declined to a greater extent than that of wheat plants treated with WT + FT or ST + FT. The net photosynthetic rate, chlorophyll content, and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters of the flag leaves of wheat plants treated with WT + FT or ST + FT were higher than those under the control treatment from 0 to 7 days after anthesis (DAA) but were lower than those under the control treatment and higher than those of wheat plants treated with FT alone from 14 to 28 DAA. The soluble protein and Rubisco contents in the flag leaves of wheat plants treated with WT + FT or ST + FT were high in the early grain-filling period and then gradually decreased to below those of the control treatment. These contents were greater in wheat plants treated with WT + FT than in wheat plants treated with ST + FT from 0 to 14 DAA, whereas the opposite was true from 21 to 28 DAA. Furthermore, WT + FT and ST + FT inhibited membrane lipid peroxidation by increasing superoxide dismutase and peroxidase activities and lowering phospholipase D (PLD), phosphatidic acid (PA), lipoxygenase (LOX), and free fatty acid levels in the early grain-filling period, but their inhibitory effects on membrane lipid peroxidation gradually weakened during the late grain-filling period. Night-warming priming alleviated the adverse effect of post-anthesis warming on yield by delaying the post-anthesis senescence of flag leaves.
Validation of PROMIS Physical Function for Evaluating Outcome After Acute Achilles Tendon Rupture

Background: There is increased demand for valid, reliable, and responsive patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) to evaluate treatment for Achilles tendon rupture, but not all PROMs currently in use are reliable and responsive for this condition. Purpose: To evaluate the measurement properties of the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Physical Function (PROMIS PF) compared with other PROMs used after treatment for acute Achilles tendon rupture. Study Design: Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2. Methods: A retrospective cohort study with a follow-up questionnaire was performed. All adult patients with an acute Achilles tendon rupture between June 2016 and June 2018 with a minimum 12-month follow-up were eligible for inclusion. Functional outcome was assessed using the PROMIS PF computerized adaptive test (CAT), Foot and Ankle Ability Measure (FAAM) Activities of Daily Living (ADL), FAAM–Sports, and Achilles Tendon Total Rupture Score (ATRS). Pearson correlation (r) was used to assess the correlations between PROMs. Absolute and relative floor and ceiling effects were calculated. Results: In total, 103 patients were included (mean age, 44.7 years; 74% male); 82 patients (79.6%) underwent operative repair, while 21 patients (20.4%) underwent nonoperative management. The mean time between treatment and collection of PROMs was 25.3 months (range, 15-36 months). The mean scores were 55.4 ± 9.2 (PROMIS PF), 92.9 ± 12.2 (FAAM-ADL), 77.7 ± 22.9 (FAAM–Sports), and 83.0 ± 19.4 (ATRS). The ATRS was correlated with FAAM-ADL (r = 0.80; 95% CI, 0.72-0.86; P < .001) and FAAM–Sports (r = 0.86; 95% CI, 0.80-0.90; P < .001). The PROMIS PF was correlated with the FAAM-ADL (r = 0.66; 95% CI, 0.53-0.75; P < .001), FAAM–Sports (r = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.53-0.75; P < .001), and ATRS (r = 0.69; 95% CI, 0.58-0.78; P < .001). The PROMIS PF did not show absolute floor or ceiling effects (0%). The FAAM-ADL (35.9%), FAAM–Sports (15.8%), and ATRS (20.4%) had substantial absolute ceiling effects. Conclusion: The PROMIS PF, FAAM-ADL, and FAAM–Sports all showed a moderate to high mutual correlation with the ATRS. Only the PROMIS PF avoided substantial floor and ceiling effects. The results suggest that the PROMIS PF CAT is a valid, reliable, and perhaps the most responsive tool to evaluate patient outcomes after treatment for an Achilles tendon rupture.
Relationship between Acute Mastitis and Constitution of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Chinese Breastfeeding Mothers

Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between acute mastitis and the constitution of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and the potential risk factors of acute mastitis in Chinese breastfeeding mothers. Method A retrospective study on infant feeding practices was conducted in the Breast Surgery Department of Longhua Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between February 2017 and March 2018. A total of 184 women with acute mastitis and 201 women without mastitis of childbearing age were included in this study. All participants filled a baseline questionnaire on demographic characteristics, previous deliveries, and mastitis history and other possible risk factors; data were collected by face-to-face interview. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to ascertain pertinent risk factors affecting the incidence of acute mastitis. The biased constitution of TCM of participants was identified through questionnaires surveyed with the TCM constitution table (ZYYXH/T157-2009). The relationship between acute mastitis and the constitution of TCM was assessed. Results The protective factors included regular nipple cleansing and cesarean section. The risk factors were nipple infection, Primipara, improper diet, emotional stimuli, postpartum colostrum overdue for more than 72 h, breastfeeding more than 7 times each day, and late primiparity age. Forty-five percent of acute mastitis occurred within 8 weeks after postpartum, and the most common biased constitution of TCM at this period was Qi-Deficiency Constitution (QDC) and Qi-Stagnation Constitution (QSC). Another peak was 25–48 weeks after delivery, accounting for 18%, and the most common biased constitution of TCM was QSC and QDC. More participants were or were prone to be classified as Balanced Constitution (BC) in the control group than the case group (88.5% vs 29.6%), while QDC was the most common constitution of TCM in the case group. The logistic regression analysis further proved that BC was the protective factor of acute mastitis while QDC was a risk factor. Conclusions The protective factors of acute mastitis were regular nipple cleansing and cesarean section. The risk factor was nipple infection. Among all the constitutions of TCM, BC was a protective factor, while QDC was a risk factor. For all breastfeeding mothers with various constitutions of TCM, regular nipple cleansing and breast vacuuming, a healthy lifestyle, and a positive mental state can keep mastitis away.
Social Networks and Barriers to ART Adherence Among Young Adults (18–24 years) Living with HIV at Selected Primary Health Facilities of South-Western Uganda: A Qualitative Study

Background Young adults living with HIV (YALWH) struggle to maintain high levels of adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) because of numerous barriers. This study describes the social networks of YALWH (18–24 years), their barriers to ART adherence, and the perceived role of social networks in overcoming those barriers. Methods This study used a qualitative descriptive research design. Twenty-three (23) YALWH who were on ART for a period of greater than one (1) month and had consented to participate in the study were purposively selected from two primary health care facilities in southwestern Uganda. We held four (4) focus group discussions with the YALWH over 5 weeks between the 24th of July and 7th September 2020. Data were audio recorded, transcribed, and entered in Microsoft word 2010. Using the content analysis techniques, data were inductively coded and categories or themes developed. Results Most YALWH belonged to bonding (family, friends, and neighbors), followed by bridging (informal groups), and linking (health professionals) social networks, respectively. Most YALWH, irrespective of gender, had close connections with their mothers or elder sisters. The commonest form of bridging networks was informal community groups that provided financial services, whereas the linking ones comprised health professionals’ directly involved in HIV patient care such as nurses, counselors, and their affiliates (expert clients or clinic based peer supporters), who occasionally acted as bonding networks. Structural barriers to ART adherence (eg, stigma) were the most cited, followed by medication- (eg, pill burden), and patient-related barriers (eg, non-disclosure of HIV status). Bonding networks were perceived to help overcome patient, medication, and structural barriers to ART adherence. Bridging networks overcame structural and medication-related barriers to ART adherence. Linking networks were perceived to help overcome some health systems and medication-related barriers to ART adherence. Conclusion Bonding social networks seem to play a prominent role in overcoming numerous barriers to ART adherence compared with bridging and linking social networks.
Any Correlation Between Prostate Volume and Incidence of Prostate Cancer: A Review of Reported Data for the Last Thirty Years

Purpose Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common non-skin cancer in men worldwide and more than 80% of men with PCa also have histo-anatomical findings of benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). It is well documented that BPH develops in the transition zone (TZ), whereas 80–85% of PCa originates in the peripheral zone (PZ) of the prostate. Possible causal links between both disease entities are controversially discussed in the current literature. Some studies have reported that larger prostates have a decreased incidence of PCa compared to smaller prostates. The purpose of this systematic review is to comprehensively summarize studies analyzing any association between prostate gland volume and incidence of PCa. Methods A thorough literature review was performed between 01.01. 1990 through 02.28. 2020 using PubMed and applying the “PRISMA” guidelines. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined. Results Our systematic review found 41 articles reporting an inverse (negative) relationship between prostate gland volume and incidence of prostate cancer. Sample sizes ranged from 114 to 6692 patients in these single institutional and multi-institutional studies. Thirty-nine (95%) of the 41 articles showed a statistically significant inverse relationship. In our search, no study was found showing a positive correlation between BPH size and the incidence of PCa. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first systematic review on the important clinical question of interaction between prostate size and the incidence of PCa. The results are demonstrating an inverse relationship, and therefore reveal strong evidence that large prostates may be protective of PCa when compared to smaller prostates.