Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The hydrophobic effect on the adsorption of rhodamines in aqueous suspensions of smectites. The rhodamine 3B/laponite B system

Electronic absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies are applied to study the adsorption of rhodamine 3B dye on Laponite particles in aqueous suspensions. The adsorption on the clay favors the aggregation of the dye. The monomer and aggregates of rhodamine 3B can be adsorbed on both the external and the internal surfaces of Laponite, and their presence depends on the loading of the dye on the clay and the aging of the samples. The aggregation in the interlamellar space leads to the dimer and the trimer (or higher aggregates) of rhodamine 3B with a head-to-tail geometry. The comparison of the present results with those previously reported for the rhodamine 6G/Laponite system demonstrates the effect of the hydrophobicity on the adsorption of dyes in Laponite which affect not only the tendency of the dye to self-associate but also the geometric structure of the aggregates.
Scalable and interpretable rule-based link prediction for large heterogeneous knowledge graphs

Neural embedding-based machine learning models have shown promise for predicting novel links in biomedical knowledge graphs. Unfortunately, their practical utility is diminished by their lack of interpretability. Recently, the fully interpretable, rule-based algorithm AnyBURL yielded highly competitive results on many general-purpose link prediction benchmarks. However, its applicability to large-scale prediction tasks on complex biomedical knowledge bases is limited by long inference times and difficulties with aggregating predictions made by multiple rules. We improve upon AnyBURL by introducing the SAFRAN rule application framework which aggregates rules through a scalable clustering algorithm. SAFRAN yields new state-of-the-art results for fully interpretable link prediction on the established general-purpose benchmark FB15K-237 and the large-scale biomedical benchmark OpenBioLink. Furthermore, it exceeds the results of multiple established embedding-based algorithms on FB15K-237 and narrows the gap between rule-based and embedding-based algorithms on OpenBioLink. We also show that SAFRAN increases inference speeds by up to two orders of magnitude.
3D attention mechanism for fine-grained classification of table tennis strokes using a Twin Spatio-Temporal Convolutional Neural Networks

The paper addresses the problem of recognition of actions in video with low inter-class variability such as Table Tennis strokes. Two stream, “twin” convolutional neural networks are used with 3D convolutions both on RGB data and optical flow. Actions are recognized by classification of temporal windows. We introduce 3D attention modules and examine their impact on classification efficiency. In the context of the study of sportsmen performances, a corpus of the particular actions of table tennis strokes is considered. The use of attention blocks in the network speeds up the training step and improves the classification scores up to 5% with our twin model. We visualize the impact on the obtained features and notice correlation between attention and player movements and position. Score comparison of state-of-the-art action classification method and proposed approach with attentional blocks is performed on the corpus. Proposed model with attention blocks outperforms previous model without them and our baseline.
Cemented vs. cementless fixation in primary total knee arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Over 100,000 total knee replacements (TKRs) are carried out in the UK annually, with cemented fixation accounting for approximately 95% of all primary TKRs. In Australia, 68.1% of all primary TKRs use cemented fixation, and only 10.9% use cementless fixation. However, there has been a renewed interest in cementless fixation as a result of improvements in implant design and manufacturing technology. This meta-analysis aimed to compare the outcomes of cemented and cementless fixation in primary TKR. Outcome measures included the revision rate and patient-reported functional scores. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched from the earliest available date to November 2018 for randomized controlled trials of primary TKAs comparing cemented versus cementless fixation outcomes. Six studies met our inclusion criteria and were analysed. A total of 755 knees were included; 356 knees underwent cemented fixation, 399 underwent cementless fixation. They were followed up for an average of 8.4 years (range: 2.0 to 16.6). This study found no significant difference in revision rates and knee function in cemented versus cementless TKR at up to 16.6-year follow-up. Cite this article: EFORT Open Rev 2020;5:793-798. DOI: 10.1302/2058-5241.5. 200030
Pharmacological Actions of Indoxyl Sulfate and AST-120 That Should Be Recognized for the Strategic Treatment of Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease

Abstract Although there are many uremic substances in the body, the most studied and well-known molecule that predominantly binds to plasma proteins is indoxyl sulfate (IS). Many research groups have reported IS to have toxic effects on the kidney and cardiovascular system. It is difficult to remove IS with regular hemodialysis or hemodiafiltration. On the other hand, AST-120 has the capacity to bind to indole, which is a precursor of IS in the intestinal tract and excrete it in feces. IS production in the liver is efficiently suppressed by AST-120 administration. However, large-scale clinical studies have not shown that AST-120 suppresses hard endpoints such as doubling serum creatinine, end-stage renal disease, and death. In patients with accelerated chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression, AST-120 is expected to suppress those hard renal endpoints, but only when compliance to treatment is high. It is necessary to validate the renal protective effect of AST-120, as expected from the basic study on IS, including more patients with slowly progressive CKD in a large-scale clinical study in the future.
Diversity of phase transitions and phase co-existences in active fluids.

Active matter is not only indispensable to our understanding of diverse biological processes, but also provides a fertile ground for discovering novel physics. Many emergent properties impossible for equilibrium systems have been demonstrated in active systems. These emergent features include motility-induced phase separation, long-ranged ordered (collective motion) phase in two dimensions, and order-disorder phase co-existences (banding and reverse-banding regimes). Here, we unify these diverse phase transitions and phase co-existences into a single formulation based on generic hydrodynamic equations for active fluids. We also reveal a novel co-moving co-existence phase and a putative novel critical point.
Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease: An Unusual Presentation of Corticobasal Syndrome

Corticobasal syndrome is an atypical parkinsonian syndrome consisting of a constellation of clinical findings that can be the result of various etiologies. While most cases are a result of a tauopathy, such as corticobasal degeneration, other etiologies must be considered in the evaluation of patients presenting with corticobasal syndrome. We present a case of a patient presenting with clinical features of corticobasal syndrome due to a prion disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), who was initially misdiagnosed due to known pitfalls in the CJD diagnostic criteria. We further discuss this unusual manifestation of CJD presenting as corticobasal syndrome and relevant diagnostic consideration in the evaluation of this entity.
Hepatitis B surface antigen and hepatitis B core-related antigen kinetics after adding pegylated-interferon to nucleos(t)ids analogues in hepatitis B e antigen-negative patients

BACKGROUND Hepatitis B e antigen-negative chronic hepatitis B patients under nucleos(t)ids analogues (NAs) rarely achieve hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) loss. AIM To evaluate if the addition of pegylated interferon (Peg-IFN) could decrease HBsAg and hepatitis B core-related antigen (HBcrAg) levels and increase HBsAg loss rate in patients under NAs therapy. METHODS Prospective, non-randomized, open-label trial evaluating the combination of Peg-IFN 180 µg/week plus NAs during forty-eight weeks vs NAs in monotherapy. Hepatitis B e antigen-negative non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis B patients of a tertiary hospital, under NAs therapy for at least 2 years and with undetectable viral load, were eligible. Patients with hepatitis C virus, hepatitis D virus or human immunodeficiency virus co-infection and liver transplanted patients were excluded. HBsAg and HBcrAg levels (log10 U/mL) were measured at baseline and during ninety-six weeks. HBsAg loss rate was evaluated in both groups. Adverse events were recorded in both groups. The kinetic of HBsAg for each treatment group was evaluated from baseline to weeks 24 and 48 by the slope of the HBsAg decline (log10 IU/mL/week) using a linear regression model. RESULTS Sixty-five patients were enrolled, 61% receiving tenofovir and 33% entecavir. Thirty-six (55%) were included in Peg-IFN-NA group and 29 (44%) in NA group. After matching by age and treatment duration, baseline HBsAg levels were comparable between groups (3.1 vs 3.2) (P = 0.25). HBsAg levels at weeks 24, 48 and 96 declined in Peg-IFN-NA group (-0.26, -0.40 and -0.44) and remained stable in NA group (-0.10, -0.10 and -0.10) (P < 0.05). The slope of HBsAg decline in Peg-IFN-NA group (-0.02) was higher than in NA group (-0.00) (P = 0.015). HBcrAg levels did not change. Eight (22%) patients discontinued Peg-IFN due to adverse events. The HBsAg loss was achieved in 3 (8.3%) patients of the Peg-IFN-NA group and 0 (0%) of the NA group. CONCLUSION The addition of Peg-IFN to NAs caused a greater and faster decrease of HBsAg levels compared to NA therapy. Side effects of Peg-IFN can limit its use in clinical practice.
Long-Term Beneficial Effects of Acupuncture with Reduced Risk of Depression Development Following Trigeminal Neuralgia: A Nationwide Population-Based Cohort Study

Background Existing evidence has shown that patients with trigeminal neuralgia (TN) have a higher risk of developing depression than the normal population. Clinically, acupuncture has been widely used to alleviate pain in TN. However, few studies have explored the use of acupuncture to prevent depression in TN. Therefore, this study aimed to apply national real-world data to investigate the long-term effect of acupuncture on the risk of depression in patients with TN. Methods We recruited participants with newly diagnosed TN from the Taiwanese National Health Insurance Research Database between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2010, and categorized them into either the acupuncture cohort or non-acupuncture cohort using the 1:1 propensity score-matched method. All patients in the two cohorts were followed up until the end of 2013. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to compare the incidence of depression between the two cohorts. Results In total, 776 patients with newly diagnosed TN in each cohort with similar baseline characteristics were enrolled in the study. The acupuncture cohort had a reduced risk of depression compared to the non-acupuncture cohort (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.47; 95% confidence interval, 0.31–0.70). Kaplan–Meier analysis also revealed that the cumulative incidence of depression was significantly lower in the acupuncture cohort during the 13-year follow-up period (Log rank test, p < 0.001). In particular, the beneficial effect of acupuncture was a decrease in the risk of depression among TN patients aged 50–69 years who had also used carbamazepine. Conclusion This study demonstrated that acupuncture is associated with a reduction in the risk of depression during long-term follow-up in patients with TN. The results provide new insights for clinical practitioners as well as for health resource allocation.
Analysis of mechanotransduction dynamics during combined mechanical stimulation and modulation of the extracellular-regulated kinase cascade uncovers hidden information within the signalling noise

Osteoporosis is a bone disease characterized by brittle bone and increased fracture incidence. With ageing societies worldwide, the disease presents a high burden on health systems. Furthermore, there are limited treatments for osteoporosis with just two anabolic pharmacological agents approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Healthy bones are believed to be maintained via an intricate relationship between dual biochemical and mechanical (bio-mechanical) stimulations. It is widely considered that osteoporosis emerges as a result of disturbances to said relationship. The mechanotransduction process is key to this balance, and disruption of its dynamics in bone cells plays a role in osteoporosis development. Nonetheless, the exact details and mechanisms that drive and secure the health of bones are still elusive at the cellular and molecular scales. This study examined the dual modulation of mechanical stimulation and mechanotransduction activation dynamics in an osteoblast (OB). The aim was to find patterns of mechanotransduction dynamics demonstrating a significant change that can be mapped to alterations in the OB responses, specifically at the level of gene expression and osteogenic markers such as alkaline phosphatase. This was achieved using a three-dimensional hybrid multiscale computational model simulating mechanotransduction in the OB and its interaction with the extracellular matrix, combined with a numerical analytical technique. The model and the analysis method predict that within the noise of mechanotransduction, owing to modulation of the bio-mechanical stimulus and consequent gene expression, there are unique events that provide signatures for a shift in the system's dynamics. Furthermore, the study uncovered molecular interactions that can be potential drug targets.
Artificial intelligence-enabled analysis of UK and US public attitudes on Facebook and Twitter towards COVID-19 vaccinations

Background: Global efforts towards the development and deployment of a vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 are rapidly advancing. We developed and applied an artificial-intelligence (AI)-based approach to analyse social-media public sentiment in the UK and the US towards COVID-19 vaccinations, to understand public attitude and identify topics of concern. Methods: Over 300,000 social-media posts related to COVID-19 vaccinations were extracted, including 23,571 Facebook-posts from the UK and 144,864 from the US, along with 40,268 tweets from the UK and 98,385 from the US respectively, from 1st March - 22nd November 2020. We used natural language processing and deep learning based techniques to predict average sentiments, sentiment trends and topics of discussion. These were analysed longitudinally and geo-spatially, and a manual reading of randomly selected posts around points of interest helped identify underlying themes and validated insights from the analysis. Results: We found overall averaged positive, negative and neutral sentiment in the UK to be 58%, 22% and 17%, compared to 56%, 24% and 18% in the US, respectively. Public optimism over vaccine development, effectiveness and trials as well as concerns over safety, economic viability and corporation control were identified. We compared our findings to national surveys in both countries and found them to correlate broadly. Conclusions: AI-enabled social-media analysis should be considered for adoption by institutions and governments, alongside surveys and other conventional methods of assessing public attitude. This could enable real-time assessment, at scale, of public confidence and trust in COVID-19 vaccinations, help address concerns of vaccine-sceptics and develop more effective policies and communication strategies to maximise uptake.
BNT162b2 induces SARS-CoV-2-neutralising antibodies and T cells in humans

BNT162b2, a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulated nucleoside-modified messenger RNA (mRNA) encoding the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein (S) stabilized in the prefusion conformation, has demonstrated 95% efficacy to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recently, we reported preliminary BNT162b2 safety and antibody response data from an ongoing placebo-controlled, observer-blinded phase 1/2 vaccine trial. We present here antibody and T cell responses from a second, non-randomized open-label phase 1/2 trial in healthy adults, 19-55 years of age, after BNT162b2 prime/boost vaccination at 1 to 30 g dose levels. BNT162b2 elicited strong antibody responses, with S-binding IgG concentrations above those in a COVID-19 human convalescent sample (HCS) panel. Day 29 (7 days post-boost) SARS-CoV-2 serum 50% neutralising geometric mean titers were 0.3-fold (1 g) to 3.3-fold (30 g) those of the HCS panel. The BNT162b2-elicited sera neutralised pseudoviruses with diverse SARS-CoV-2 S variants. Concurrently, in most participants, S-specific CD8+ and T helper type 1 (TH1) CD4+ T cells had expanded, with a high fraction producing interferon-{gamma} (IFN{gamma}). Using peptide MHC multimers, the epitopes recognised by several BNT162b2-induced CD8+ T cells when presented on frequent MHC alleles were identified. CD8+ T cells were shown to be of the early-differentiated effector-memory phenotype, with single specificities reaching 0.01-3% of circulating CD8+ T cells. In summary, vaccination with BNT162b2 at well tolerated doses elicits a combined adaptive humoral and cellular immune response, which together may contribute to protection against COVID-19.
Diffusion method to prepare soil extracts for automated nitrogen-15 analysis

A diffusion method that requires less labor than distillation methods was developed for preparing soil KCl extracts for 15NH+4 and 15NO-3 analyses. The procedure is ideal for preparing samples having low N mass (50–200 µg N) with no cross contamination. The method uses 140 mL disposable specimen containers to hold the sample, and 7-mm diam, disks of acidified GF/D glass fiber filter paper on stainless steel wire as the acid trap. Devarda's alloy and MgO are used as the reductant and base respectively. Complete diffusion for 40 to 60 mL of sample takes 6 d at room temperature with no shaking. Paired t-tests comparing analyses of soil extracts of varying 15N enrichment by this method and steam distillation showed no significant difference (p = 0.64). Use of KHSO4 as the trapping acid allows the paper disks to be placed in a Sn capsule and analyzed by direct combustion mass spectrometry. Alternately, H2SO4 can be used and the disks analyzed by an automated NaOBr method. The disks can be easily dried in a desiccator over H2SO4 and mailed for 15N analysis by service laboratories.
Formation of 0.84 Nm Hydrated Kaolinite as an Environmentally Friendly Precursor of a Kaolinite Intercalation Compound

Creating an environmentally friendly precursor to form a kaolinite intercalation compound is important for promoting the applications of nanohybrid kaolinite in electrochemical sensors, low- or zero-toxicity drug carriers, and clay-polymer nanocompounds. In the present study, a stable hydrated kaolinite pre-cursor withd001= 0.84 nm was prepared successfully by heating the transition phase, the as-prepared kaolinite-hydrazine intercalate, at temperatures between 40 and 70ºC. The structure of the hydrated kaolinite was characterized by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy. The morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the hydrated hydrazine of the transition phase was easy to decompose to hydrazines and water molecules in the interlayer at 40-70ºC. Hydrazine molecules de-intercalated gradually, and water molecules remained in the ditrigonal holes of the silicate layer with sufficient stability, finally forming the stable 0.84 nm hydrated kaolinite in the system with a success rate of 80–90%. The 0.84 nm hydrated kaolinite may become an excellent precursor for the preparation of other kaolinite intercalates. A degree of intercalation of ~100% was obtained for the kaolinite-ethylene glycol intercalate, and a degree of intercalation of ~80% was obtained for the kaolinite-glycine intercalate from the 0.84 nm hydrated kaolinite precursor.
Aroma‐active compounds of Beijing roast duck

The aroma-active compounds of Beijing roast duck were investigated by using aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA), dynamic headspace dilution analysis (DHDA), gas chromatography–olfactometry–mass spectrometry (GC–O–MS) and odour activity values (OAVs; ratio of concentration to odour threshold). The following volatile components are the predominant odorants of Beijing roast duck: 3-methylbutanal, hexanal, dimethyl trisulphide, methional, 2-methylbutanal, octanal, heptanal, 2-methyl-3-furanthiol, 2-furfurylthiol, 2-ethyl-3,5-dimethylpyrazine, (E,E)-2,4-nonadienal, 1-octen-3-ol, nonanal, decanal, (E)-2-decenal, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal, (E)-2-nonenal, (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal, (E,E)-2,4-octadienal (fatty, fried), etc. Due to abundant flavour precursors of Beijing crammed duck (raw material of Beijing roast duck), such as amino acids, esters, vitamins and carbohydrates, and the special process (e.g. roasting, drying, etc.), the identified compounds above were likely derived from different kinds of reactions, such as degradation of fatty acids and amino acids, Maillard/Strecker and other associated reactions, which were considered to account for the typical aroma of Beijing roast duck. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Unequal futures of rural mobility: Challenges for a “Smart Countryside”

Current transport strategy in the UK is strongly urban-focused, with assumptions that technological advances in mobility will simply trickle down into rural areas. This article challenges such a view and instead draws on rural development thinking aligned to a “Smart Countryside” which emphasises the need for place-based approaches. Survey and interview methods are employed to develop a framework of rural needs associated with older people, younger people and businesses. This framework is employed to assess a range of mobility innovations that could most effectively address these needs in different rural contexts. In presenting visions of future rural mobility, the article also identifies key infrastructure as well as institutional and financial changes that are required to facilitate the roll-out of new technologies across rural areas.
Governance, Public Service Delivery and Trust in Government

Several studies in the past show that the work done by the incumbent government helps the ruling party to get re-elected. However, most of these studies focus on re-election and do not look at the impact assessment of governance on trust in government, which is a precursor of re-election. To fill this gap, this article explores whether perceptions of good governance lead to trust in government. The results support the view that governance at the state level leads to a higher trust with the state government. Of all the variables used to measure governance as access, benefitting from welfare schemes had the maximum impact on trust. Other governance measures like availing public services and citizens’ interaction with the state too had a positive relationship with trust in the state government. Furthermore, having the same government at the centre and the state, strengthened one’s trust in the state government.
Analysis of the specificity of the SD Biosensor Standard Q Ag-Test based on Slovak mass testing data

From 31.10. - 1.11. 2020 Slovakia has used the SD Biosensor Standard Q Ag-Test for nationwide tests for SARS-CoV-2, in which 3,625,332 persons from 79 counties were tested. Based on this data, we calculate that the specificity of the test is at least 99.6% (with a 97.5% one-sided lower confidence bound). Our analysis is based on a worst case approach in which all positives are assumed to be false positives. Therefore, the actual specificity is expected to exceed 99.6%.