Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Gynecologic Cancer Patients at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital Toward COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Background and Aim: During the Covid-19 pandemic, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices about COVID-19 infection in gynecologic cancer patients were still limited. This study aimed to explore these issues.Methods: Gynecologic cancer patients who attended our gynecologic oncology unit between February and June 2022 were invited to a cross-sectional survey using a WHO survey tool. Results: 363 patients participated with 20.9% undergoing treatment and receiving the COVID-19 vaccine significantly less than the surveillance participants (85.4% vs.57.9%, P < 0.01). Forty-eight participants developed a COVID-19 infection. The most common vaccine used for the two first doses was AstraZeneca. Regarding attitudes issues, most participants felt health literacy was obtained easily. They considered that they had a moderate probability to have severe symptoms of COVID-19 infection and almost all knew the proper behavior for prevention. The participant reported little stress and most trusted healthcare workers and family doctors. They agreed with lifting regular rules to control the COVID-19 pandemic. The other opinions that were significantly higher in participants who did not receive the vaccine versus those who received the vaccine, were as follows: “If everyone is vaccinated, no need for me to vaccinate”, “the stress made me not want to vaccinate”, “no need to vaccine due to rare disease” and “the vaccine is unsafe”. Conclusion: Gynecologic cancer patients who were under treatment received the COVID-19 vaccine less than those under surveillance. Most participants revealed a good attitude toward this pandemic. However, unvaccinated participants were concerned about the severe side effects of the vaccine.
SELF-EFFICACY AND SELF-REGULATED LEARNING AMONG UNDERGRADUATE IN LEARNING ARABIC AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE VIA ONLINE

As online learning becomes a major development in the recent years and escalates due the COVID-19 pandemic, it helps to have a high self-efficacy and self-regulated learning (SRL) to succeed in such learning context. This study explored the undergraduates’ levels of self-efficacy and SRL, and provides a comparative analysis of these variables while learning Arabic as a Foreign language via online. The data was collected from 77 undergraduates in a public university in Malaysia through an online survey. The findings showed that both self-efficacy and SRL mean scores were high, and that there was a statistically strong positive relationship between SE and SRL. Students appeared to adapt to online learning by managing their time, organising their schedule, interacting with classmates and instructors, and selecting the best spot to maximise their online learning experience. It is therefore important for lecturers or language instructors to create an interesting and inspiring lesson plans in an online environment so that they experience satisfaction inside and outside of learning simultaneously facilitate them for their success in language learning.
Explainable Deep Learning to Classify Royal Navy Ships

We research how deep learning convolutional neural networks can be used to automatically classify the unique data set of black-and-white naval ships images from the Wright and Logan photographic collection held by the National Museum of the Royal Navy. We contrast various types of deep learning methods: pretrained models such as ConvNeXt, ResNet and EfficientNet, and ConvMixer. We also thoroughly investigate the impact of data preprocessing and externally obtained images on model performance. Finally, we research how the models estimated can be made transparent using visually appealing interpretability techniques such as Grad-CAM. We find that ConvNeXt has the best performance for our data set achieving an accuracy of 79.62% for 0-notch classification and an impressive 94.86% for 1-notch classification. The results indicate the importance of appropriate image preprocessing. Image segmentation combined with soft augmentation significantly contributes to model performance. We consider this research to be original in several aspects. Notably, it distinguishes itself through the uniqueness of the acquired dataset. Additionally, its distinctiveness extends to the analytical modeling pipeline, which encompasses a comprehensive range of modeling steps, including data preprocessing (incorporating external data, image segmentation, and image augmentation) and the use of deep learning techniques such as ConvNeXt, ResNet, EfficientNet, and ConvMixer. Furthermore, the research employs explanatory tools like Grad-CAM to enhance model interpretability and usability. We believe the proposed methodology offers lots of potential for documenting historic image collections.
Electronic Circuit with Controllable Negative Differential Resistance and its Applications

Electronic devices and circuits with negative differential resistance (NDR) are widely used in oscillators, memory devices, frequency multipliers, mixers, etc. Such devices and circuits usually have an N-, S-, or Λ-type current-voltage characteristics. In the known NDR devices and circuits, it is practically impossible to increase the negative resistance without changing the type or the dimensions of transistors. Moreover, some of them have three terminals assuming two power supplies. In this paper, a new NDR circuit that comprises a combination of a field effect transistor (FET) and a simple bipolar junction transistor (BJT) current mirror (CM) with multiple outputs is proposed. A distinctive feature of the proposed circuit is the ability to change the magnitude of the NDR by increasing the number of outputs in the CM. Mathematical expressions are derived to calculate the threshold currents and voltages of the N-type current-voltage characteristics for various types of FET. The calculated current and voltage thresholds are compared with the simulation results. The possible applications of the proposed NDR circuit for designing single-frequency oscillators and voltage-controlled oscillators (VCO) are considered. The designed NDR VCO has a very low level of phase noise and has one of the best values of a standard figure of merit (FOM) among recently published VCOs. The effectiveness of the proposed oscillators is confirmed by the simulation results and the implemented prototype.
Application of Quantitative Methods in Natural Resource Management in Africa: A Review

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)’s natural resource base constitutes the sub-continent’s greatest asset. These Natural Resources (NRs), both renewable and non-renewable, are the backbone of the continent as they play very critical functions in the livelihood strategies of the people. There are a wide range of questions and issues concerning the proper management of these NRs. One of the issues relates to the economics of resource preservation, which includes questions associated with the quantifiable benefits of resource preservation, the environmental costs and benefits of Soil and Water Conservation (SWC) strategies, the economic impact of land use changes, and valuation of ecosystem goods and services. The other issue concerns the ecosystem and economic system interaction. Particular themes of interest are the co-management of natural resources, trans-boundary natural resource management, and the management of resources to reconcile revenue generation, social development, and environmental services of natural resources. This chapter reviews the literature on quantitative approaches that have been undertaken to enhance the understanding of selected Natural Resource Management (NRM) problems on the continent. The review suggests that a wide range of quantitative approaches have been applied in the context of the African resource economics literature, but this review also identifies some specific areas that have received little attention. Elias T. Ayuk United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, Ghana William M. Fonta United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, Ghana Euphrasie B. Kouame United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa, Ghana DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-4852-4.ch046
Environmental Assessment tool in DTOcean+: reducing local and global environmental impacts for ocean energy projects

— Designing reliable ocean energy devices with reduced costs is crucial for the sector’s development. This development of renewable energies should also be implemented in a sustainable manner and not cause additional environmental stress and related damage. In order for the ocean energy sector to consider environmental impacts at the earliest stage of concept creation, the Environmental Assessment (EA) module was developed and included in an integrative suite of design and assessment tools (namely DTOceanPlus) to support technology innovation processes. Several complementary features were developed in the EA module which provides insight into impacts at different levels. At local scale, environmental impacts are assessed in relation to the different design choices that cover various potential pressures induced by the ocean energy array. Moreover, surveys and mitigation measures are provided regarding endangered species potentially present. At global scale, a life cycle assessment is conducted to evaluate the carbon footprint of a project in terms of its contribution to global warming and the cumulative energy demand. The present paper describes the integration of EA into DTOcean+ and two case studies were used to exemplify the use and relevancy of the EA’s features to evaluate environmental impacts of a wave and a tidal ocean energy projects. Overall the EA module provides insight and support to the ocean energy sector to achieve sustainable development of marine renewable energies.
Being sensitive in their own way: parental ethnotheories of caregiver sensitivity and child emotion regulation across five countries

Caregiver sensitivity builds a basis for children’s sense of security and effective emotion regulation during their development. Applying a cross-cultural lens, caregiver sensitivity can be divided into two subtypes, reactive and proactive, and its prevalence and meaning may differ across cultures. Guided by the theoretical frameworks of developmental niche and parental ethnotheories, the current study examines culture-specific meanings of caregiver sensitivity across five countries: India, Nepal, Korea, the United States of America (USA), and Germany. We examine the prevalence of maternal reactive and proactive sensitivity, children’s emotional lability and regulation, and how mothers’ sensitivity types are related to children’s emotional characteristics. Participants included 472 mothers from the five countries with children aged between 6 and 7 years. Mothers reported their sensitivity preference in multiple vignettes and completed an emotion regulation checklist to report their children’s emotional lability and regulation. A set of analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs) found cultural differences in mothers’ preference for proactive and reactive sensitivity. Mothers in India and Nepal reported the highest preference for proactive sensitivity followed by Korea and the USA, while German mothers reported the lowest preference for proactive sensitivity. Consequent regression analyses revealed varying associations between proactive sensitivity and child emotional characteristics in all five countries either directly or as moderated by child sex. These results evidence that parental ethnotheories are part of the developmental niche embedded in a larger cultural context. Findings on the differential links between the types of sensitivity and child emotion regulation provide cultural models of parental emotion socialization and children’s emotional functioning.
Gene-level heritability analysis explains the polygenic architecture of cancer

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have found hundreds of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with increased risk of cancer. However, the amount of heritable risk explained by these variants is limited, thus leaving most of cancer heritability unexplained. Recent studies have shown that genomic regions associated with specific biological functions explain a large proportion of the heritability of many traits. Since cancer is mostly triggered by aberrant genes function, we hypothesised that SNPs located in protein-coding genes could explain a significant proportion of cancer heritability. To perform this analysis, we developed a new method, called Bayesian Gene HERitability Analysis (BAGHERA), to estimate the heritability explained by all the genotyped SNPs and by those located in protein coding genes directly from GWAS summary statistics. By applying BAGHERA to the 38 cancers reported in the UK Biobank, we identified 1, 146 genes explaining a significant amount of cancer heritability. We found these genes to be tumour suppressors directly involved in the hallmark processes controlling the transformation from normal to cancer cell; moreover, these genes also harbour somatic driver mutation for many tumours, suggesting a two-hit model underpinning tumorigenesis. Our study provides new evidence for a functional role of SNPs in cancer and identifies new targets for risk assessment and patients’ stratification.
Cloud Top Phase Characterization of Extratropical Cyclones over the Northeast and Midwest United States: results from IMPACTS

Cloud top phase (CTP) impacts cloud albedo and pathways for ice particle nucleation, growth, and fallout within extratropical cyclones. This study uses airborne lidar, radar, and Rapid Refresh analysis data to characterize CTP within extratropical cyclones as a function of cloud top temperature (CTT). During the 2020, 2022, and 2023 Investigation of Microphysics and Precipitation for Atlantic Coast-Threatening Snowstorms (IMPACTS) field campaign deployments, the Earth-Resources 2 (ER-2) aircraft flew 26 research flights over the Northeast and Midwest U.S. to sample the cloud tops of a variety of extratropical cyclones. A training dataset was developed to create probabilistic phase classifications based on Cloud Physics Lidar measurements of known ice and liquid clouds. These classifications were then used to quantify dominant CTP in the top 150 m of clouds sampled by the Cloud Physics Lidar in storms during IMPACTS. Case studies are presented illustrating examples of supercooled liquid water at cloud top at different CTT ranges(−3°C<CTTs<−35°C) within extratropical cyclones. During IMPACTS, 19.2% of clouds had supercooled liquid water present at cloud top. Supercooled liquid was the dominant phase in extratropical cyclone cloud tops when CTTs were > −20°C. Liquid-bearing cloud tops were found at CTTs as cold as −37°C.
Generation and Characterization of Trastuzumab/Pertuzumab-Resistant HER2-Positive Breast Cancer Cell Lines

The combination of trastuzumab and pertuzumab as first-line therapy in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer has shown significant clinical benefits compared to trastuzumab alone. However, despite initial therapeutic success, most patients eventually progress, and tumors develop acquired resistance and invariably relapse. Therefore, there is an urgent need to improve our understanding of the mechanisms governing resistance in order to develop targeted therapeutic strategies with improved efficacy. We generated four novel HER2-positive cell lines via prolonged exposure to trastuzumab and pertuzumab and determined their resistance rates. Long-term resistance was confirmed by a significant increase in the colony-forming capacity of the derived cells. We authenticated the molecular identity of the new lines via both immunohistochemistry for the clinical phenotype and molecular profiling of point mutations. HER2 overexpression was confirmed in all resistant cell lines, and acquisition of resistance to trastuzumab and pertuzumab did not translate into differences in ER, PR, and HER2 receptor expression. In contrast, changes in the expression and activity of other HER family members, particularly HER4, were observed. In the same vein, analyses of the receptor and effector kinase status of different cellular pathways revealed that the MAPK pathway may be involved in the acquisition of resistance to trastuzumab and pertuzumab. Finally, proteomic analysis confirmed a significant change in the abundance patterns of more than 600 proteins with implications in key biological processes, such as ribosome formation, mitochondrial activity, and metabolism, which could be relevant mechanisms in the generation of resistance in HER2-positive breast cancer. We concluded that these resistant BCCLs may be a valuable tool to better understand the mechanisms of acquisition of resistance to trastuzumab and pertuzumab-based anti-HER2 therapy.
Comprehensive Genetic Characterization of Four Novel HIV-1 Circulating Recombinant Forms (CRF129_56G, CRF130_A1B, CRF131_A1B, and CRF138_cpx): Insights from Molecular Epidemiology in Cyprus

Molecular investigations of the HIV-1 pol region (2253–5250 in the HXB2 genome) were conducted on sequences obtained from 331 individuals infected with HIV-1 in Cyprus between 2017 and 2021. This study unveiled four distinct HIV-1 putative transmission clusters, encompassing 19 previously unidentified HIV-1 recombinants. These recombinants, each comprising eight, three, four, and four sequences, respectively, did not align with previously established Circulating Recombinant Forms (CRFs). To characterize these novel HIV-1 recombinants, near-full-length genome sequences were successfully obtained for 16 of the 19 recombinants (790–8795 in the HXB2 genome) using an in-house-developed RT-PCR assay. Phylogenetic analyses, employing MEGAX and Cluster-Picker, along with confirmatory neighbor-joining tree analyses of subregions, were conducted to identify distinct clusters and determine subtypes. The uniqueness of the HIV-1 recombinants was evident in their exclusive clustering within generated maximum likelihood trees. Recombination analyses highlighted the distinct chimeric nature of these recombinants, with consistent mosaic patterns observed across all sequences within each of the four putative transmission clusters. Conclusive genetic characterization identified four novel HIV-1 CRFs: CRF129_56G, CRF130_A1B, CRF131_A1B, and CRF138_cpx. CRF129_56G exhibited two recombination breakpoints and three fragments of subtypes CRF56_cpx and G. Both CRF130_A1B and CRF131_A1B featured seven recombination breakpoints and eight fragments of subtypes A1 and B. CRF138_cpx displayed five recombination breakpoints and six fragments of subtypes CRF22_01A1 and F2, along with an unclassified fragment. Additional BLAST analyses identified a Unique Recombinant Form (URF) of CRF138_cpx with three additional recombination sites, involving subtype F2, a fragment of unknown subtype origin, and CRF138_cpx. Post-identification, all putative transmission clusters remained active, with CRF130_A1B, CRF131_A1B, and CRF138_cpx clusters exhibiting further growth. Furthermore, international connections were identified through BLAST analyses, linking one sequence from the USA to the CRF130_A1B strain, and three sequences from Belgium and Cameroon to the CRF138_cpx strain. This study contributes valuable insights into the dynamic landscape of HIV-1 diversity and transmission patterns, emphasizing the need for ongoing molecular surveillance and global collaboration in tracking emerging viral variants.
Miocene high‐elevation landscape of the eastern Tibetan Plateau

The high topography of central Asia is the most distinctive expression of the India‐Asia collision, yet a broad understanding of the timing and processes involved in the development of the Tibetan Plateau remains elusive. Here we investigate the Neogene Songpan Basin located on the eastern margin of the plateau using oxygen isotope paleoaltimetry to determine when the steep Longmen Shan margin obtained its present elevations. Hydrologically open lacustrine and fluvial‐alluvial authigenic carbonates from the basin record the paleoelevations of the eastern Tibetan Plateau and suggest that the area has attained near‐present elevations of ∼3000 m by the late Miocene. This reconstruction is consistent with the results from the comparison of pollen fossils to their nearest living relatives in this area (2750–3050 m). We propose that the eastern Tibetan Plateau may have attained significant elevations prior to the late Miocene through an uplift scenario involving eastward growth of the plateau between the Eocene and the Miocene. Two tectonic processes, either crustal shortening in the Oligocene‐Miocene or eastward propagation of weakened lower crust starting in the Eocene, most likely thickened the crust and raised the surface of the eastern Tibetan Plateau to its present elevation by the late Miocene.
Can bugs be an alternative or adjuvant to drugs in schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia (SPR) pathophysiology is complex and uncertain, with growing evidence highlighting the role of gut microbiota (GM) in its etiopathogenesis. Trillions of gut bacteria found to be influencing the brain by crossing the blood– brain barrier through various pathways. Gut dysbiosis in particular has been linked to SPR, which has opened up new avenues for the prevention and treatment of SPR by maintaining the gut bacterial diversity with the supplementation of living organisms in adequate proportions termed psychobiotics. In this paper, we reviewed the most shreds of evidence and concepts relating GM through the vagus nerve, neurotransmitters, and microbial by-products to various conceivable pathways leading to and ameliorating SPR. Both animal and human trials have been reviewed to discover the effects of probiotics in modulating endocrinal, inflammatory, immunochemical, and neuronal changes in modifying the physiological and psychopathological states of an individual, which assisted in identifying their physiological basis to improve mood and cognitive abilities and reduce anxiety in both healthy people and SPR patients. Currently, probiotic supplementation and fecal microbiota transplantation are the most
Genetic diversity of the endangered black-handed spider monkey Ateles geoffroyi (Primates: Atelidae) in a fragmented landscape of El Salvador

Spider monkeys (genus Ateles) are distributed across rainforests from southern Mexico to northern Bolivia, but at risk of extinction across much of their range. Like most members of the genus, the black-handed spider monkey, or the Central American spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi is particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic threats, due to its inability to persist in disturbed and/or isolated forest patches and is categorized as “Endangered” by the IUCN. Within its range in El Salvador, the smallest country in Central America, the spider monkey has now been restricted to isolated patches of semi-deciduous forests, including four fragments that lie within a disturbed agricultural landscape in Jiquilisco Bay, in Southeast El Salvador. We analyzed 73 noninvasive fecal samples from spider monkeys in this region, and we were able to identify 55 individuals. We evaluated the genetic diversity and structure of the four populations using microsatellite markers. Our results show higher observed than expected heterozygosity, but low genetic diversity compared to published data on other spider monkey populations (Ho = 0.50 – 0.57 and He = 0.39 – 0.51; allelic richness with rarefaction = 2.71 – 3.22; private alleles with rarefaction = 0.18 – 0.61). We also found significant differentiation across fragments (Fst = 0.2, P<0.001) and two genetically different groups. These findings suggest the need for conservation action to reconnect forest patches, to improve the unfavorable situation of the only non-human primate in El Salvador.