Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Heterogeneity of Synchronous Lung Metastasis Calls for Risk Stratification and Prognostic Classification: Evidence from a Population-Based Database

Simple Summary Cancer patients with synchronous lung metastasis (sLM) are recognized as an entity with poor survival, and no consensus exists about which patients may benefit from active treatment. The current study demonstrates disparities in the prevalence and prognosis of sLM by primary cancer type and clinicodemographic factors, based on the SEER database. These heterogeneities here lay a foundation for and call for the development of risk assessment and prognosis classification tools that drive clinical management. Abstract The epidemiology and associated potential heterogeneity of synchronous lung metastasis (sLM) have not been reported at a population-based level. Cancer patients with valid information about sLM status in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database were enrolled. The prevalence of sLM, with a 95% confidential interval, and median survival of sLM, with interquartile range, were calculated and compared by Chi-square analyses and log-rank tests by primary cancer type and clinicopathological factors. Furthermore, the risk factors of sLM development were identified by multivariate logistic regression. Among 1,672,265 enrolled cases, 3.3% cases were identified with sLM, with a median survival of 7 months. Heterogeneity in prevalence and prognosis in sLM was observed among different primary cancers, with the highest prevalence in main bronchus cancer and best survival in testis cancer. Higher prevalence and poorer prognosis were observed in the older population, male population, African American, patients with lower socioeconomic status, and cases with advanced T stage, N stage, or more malignant pathological characteristics. Race, age, T stage, N stage, metastasis to other sites, insurance status and marital status were associated with sLM development (p < 0.001). The current study highlights the heterogeneity of the prevalence and prognosis in patients with sLM.
The Path to Therapeutic Furin Inhibitors: From Yeast Pheromones to SARS-CoV-2

The spurious acquisition and optimization of a furin cleavage site in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein is associated with increased viral transmission and disease, and has generated intense interest in the development and application of therapeutic furin inhibitors to thwart the COVID-19 pandemic. This review summarizes the seminal studies that informed current efforts to inhibit furin. These include the convergent efforts of endocrinologists, virologists, and yeast geneticists that, together, culminated in the discovery of furin. We describe the pioneering biochemical studies which led to the first furin inhibitors that were able to block the disease pathways which are broadly critical for pathogen virulence, tumor invasiveness, and atherosclerosis. We then summarize how these studies subsequently informed current strategies leading to the development of small-molecule furin inhibitors as potential therapies to combat SARS-CoV-2 and other diseases that rely on furin for their pathogenicity and progression.
Impact of evaporator coil airflow in residential air-conditioning systems

The performance of conventional split-system residential air conditioners is highly dependent on adequate airflow across the evaporator coil. Sufficient airflow is necessary to achieve a proper balance between sensible and latent cooling capacity. Typical target airflow rates are approximately 350 to 4350 cfm per ton (581 to 747 L/s per kW) of cooling capacity. The authors have measured the airflow across the coil in 27 installations in Florida. Both flow hood an/d strip heat resistance methods were used to measure airflow with an established protocol. The measured installations ranged in capacity from 2 to 4 tons (7 to 14 kW). Measured airflows ranged from 130 to 510 cfm per ton (216 to 847 L/s per kW) with a mean of 320 cfm/ton (538 L/s per kW). Reasons for inadequate flows included undersized return ducts and grilles, improper fan speed settings, and fouled filters and cooling coils. In addition, high distribution system static pressures were caused by long, circuitous runs and pinched or constricted ducts. Recommendations are made to improve current practice.
Polylactide-Grafted Metal-Alginate Aerogels

Τhis work describes the synthesis of PLA-grafted M-alginate (g-M-alginate; M: Ca2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+) aerogels. DL-lactide (LA) was attached on the surface of preformed M-alginate beads and was polymerized, using stannous octoate as catalyst and the –OH groups of the alginate backbone as initiators/points of attachment. The material properties of g-M-alginate aerogels were not affected much by grafting, because the linear PLA chains grew on the M-alginate framework like a brush and did not bridge their points of attachment as in polyurea-crosslinked M-alginate aerogels. Thus, all g-M-alginate aerogels retained the fibrous morphology of their parent M-alginate aerogels, and they were lightweight (bulk densities up to 0.24 g cm−3), macroporous/mesoporous materials with high porosities (up to 96% v/v). The BET surface areas were in the range of 154–542 m2 g−1, depending on the metal, the nature of the alginate framework and the PLA content. The latter was found at about 15% w/w for Ca- and Ni-based materials and at about 29% w/w for Co- and Cu-based materials. Overall, we have demonstrated a new methodology for the functionalization of alginate aerogels that opens the way to the synthesis of polylactide-crosslinked alginate aerogels with the use of multifunctional monomers.
Mixed-ligand complexes of copper(II) with 1, 10’-Phenanthroline and amino acids

ABSTRACT The speciation of the ternary systems formed by copper(II), 1,10’-Phenanthroline (Phen) and the amino acids: Histidine (HHis, HL), Arginine (HArg, HL), Lysine (HLys, HL), Aspartic acid (H2Asp, H2L), Glutamic acid (H2Glu, H2L) and Tyrosine (H2Tyr, H2L) was studied by means of emf(H) electromotive force measurements in aqueous solution at 25°C using 1.0 mol.dm−3 KNO3 as the ionic medium. The data obtained through potentiometric measurements were analysed using the computer program generalised least-squares LETAGROP. The species distribution diagrams as a function of pH were briefly discussed. The stability of the ternary complexes was compared with the corresponding one of the binary complexes in terms of ∆log K and % R.S. Spectrophotometric studies, UV-vis absorption and circular dichroism (CD), were employed to analyse the coordination modes of the ligands, the adopted geometry, and the stability of the major ternary complexes present in solution
Co‐MOF derived MoSe2@CoSe2/N‐doped carbon nanorods as high‐performance anode materials for potassium ion batteries

Potassium ion batteries (KIBs) have attracted considerable attention as a next‐generation large‐scale energy storage system. Due to the large diameter of K+ ions, developing advanced electrode materials to achieve high‐performance KIBs is challenging. In this paper, one‐dimensional (1D) hybrid nanostructures comprising a MoSe2 core and a CoSe2/N‐doped carbon shell (denoted as MC‐Se@NC) are successfully synthesized by thermal treatment of Co‐based metal‐organic framework (ZIF‐67)‐coated MoO3 nanorods. The unique 1D morphology and synergistic effect between the different elements provide sufficient electrochemical reaction sites and facilitate the reaction kinetics. Further, the N‐doped carbon coating alleviates the volume fluctuation and pulverization of the active materials during cycling and improves the electrode conductivity. Accordingly, when applied to KIBs, the MC‐Se@NC anode delivers a high reversible capacity of 327 mA h g−1 at 0.5 A g−1 after 150 cycles, and remarkable rate capability of 190 mA h g−1 at 2.0 A g−1. Furthermore, to explore the practical application of MC‐Se@NC anode, a K‐ion full cell consisting of MC‐Se@NC anode and Prussian blue cathode is fabricated and characterized. As a demonstration, a light‐emitting diode (LED) is successfully powered by the K‐ion full cell. These excellent electrochemical properties of MC‐Se@NC present possibilities for the commercialization of KIB‐based large‐scale energy storage systems.
Utilisation of Amaranth and Finger Millet as Ingredients in Wheat Dough and Bread for Increased Agro-Food Biodiversity

Amaranth and finger millet are important food security crops in Africa but show poor bread making ability, even in composite wheat breads. Malting and steaming are promising approaches to improve composite bread quality, which have not been fully explored yet. Therefore, in this study, wheat was blended with native, steamed or malted finger millet or amaranth in the ratio of 70:30. Wheat/native amaranth (WHE-NAM) and wheat/malted amaranth (WHE-MAM) had longer dough development times and higher dough stabilities, water absorption capacities and farinograph quality numbers than wheat/steamed amaranth (WHE-SAM), wheat/native finger millet (WHE-NFM), wheat/steamed finger millet (WHE-SFM) or wheat/malted finger millet (WHE-MFM). The WHE-NAM and WHE-MAM breads had lower crumb firmness and chewiness, higher resilience and cohesiveness and lighter colours than WHE-NFM, WHE-SFM and WHE-MFM. Starch and protein digestibility of composite breads were not different (p > 0.05) from each other and ranged between 95–98% and 83–91%, respectively. Composite breads had higher ash (1.9–2.5 g/100 g), dietary fibre (5.7–7.1 g/100 g), phenolic acid (60–122 mg/100 g) and phytate contents (551–669 mg/100 g) than wheat bread (ash 1.6 g/100 g; dietary fibre 4.5 g/100 g; phenolic acids 59 mg/100 g; phytate 170 mg/100 g). The WHE-NAM and WHE-MAM breads possessed the best crumb texture and nutritional profile among the composite breads.
Consumer Perspectives on Bio-Based Products and Brands—A Regional Finnish Social Study with Future Consumers

This article presents a Finnish social design study that focuses on consumer perspectives and future expectations related to bio-based products and brands. The qualitative regional study addresses the global concern associated with sustainability of the bioeconomy. Because a gap in research was identified from the regional consumer perspective, the article presents a case study that was held with 50 consumers in Finland. The main research method was qualitative online focus group discussions, with an objective to gain an understanding of consumer behavior, motivations, concerns, and intentions related to bio-based products and brands. The results are presented according to the sustainability framework, which was constructed around four topics: (1) consumer awareness, (2) illustrated examples and their consumer acceptance, (3) consumption habits, and (4) future consumption behavior. The main findings indicate that Finnish consumers were extremely well-informed on the bio-based concept, and they trusted domestic regional brands the most. Throughout the research, Nordic consumers highlighted the role of companies and urged sensible science-based communication on the sustainability aspects. Finally, the results led to consider how the value-sensitive consumer insights may be utilized by proposing prominent impact assessment methods for decision-making in both the business and consumer sectors.
Tracking the Diffusion of Plurigaussian Simulations within Academia and into Industry: Retrospective Case-Study on a Discovery in the Earth Sciences

The mathematical method called Plurigaussian Simulations was invented in France in the 1990s for simulating the internal architecture of oil reservoirs. It rapidly proved useful in other domains in the earth sciences: mining, hydrology and history matching. This paper tracks its diffusion firstly within academia using citation data from Google Scholar, and then investigates whether it was really adopted by industry. As expected many published papers were co-authored by mining or oil companies, or by consulting firms. While this demonstrates a certain level of interest from industry we postulate that in some cases companies were merely “window-shopping”. Companies that continued to publish on this topic (i.e. “repeat co-authors”) had clearly adopted the method. But what about the others? Our survey shows that some sent their personnel for postgraduate training or to attend specialized short courses; others decided to get studies carried out by consulting firms rather than investing the time and effort in building up competency in-house.
Electroencephalographic manifestations during propofol and xylazine-ketamine anaesthesia in goats

The use of intravenous anaesthesia for short term surgical procedures in animal husbandry practices is increasing. However, information on the quality of an anaesthetic regime in goats has remained inadequate. Therefore, electroencephalographic studies were conducted on twelve apparently healthy adult female Barbari crossbred goats, aged 2 to 4 years, to assess the anaesthetic quality of a propofol and xylazine-ketamine combination. Quantitative analysis of EEG parameters [Total power, Median Frequency, Spectral Edge Frequency 90 (SEF-90) and Relative Power (RP) of different frequency bands delta (δ), theta (θ), alpha (α) and beta (β)] were assessed pre-experimentally (control), and at one, five, 10, 30 min, one hr, and two hr after intravenous propofol (4 mg/kg) and xylazine (0.05 mg/kg)-ketamine (4 mg/kg) administration. After propofol and xylazine-ketamine administration total power, RP-δ and θ increased significantly (P<0.05) while SEF 90, MF, RP-α and RP-β decreased. Most of the EEG changes were adequately depicted in vertex and parietal channels. Spectral analysis of EEG tracings suggested that propofol produced minimum anaesthetic stress and is a safer and better choice for short term anaesthesia in goats.
ARE CONVENTIONAL RURAL BANKS MORE EFFICIENT THAN SHARIA: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM DEA

This study examined and compared the efficiency level of conventional and Islamic rural banks. The analytical tool used was data envelopment analysis with the variable return scale approach. Furthermore, the input variables consist of total assets, third party funds, and costs. Meanwhile, the total financing and profit are the output variables from 2012 to 2019 for 15 rural banks in Aceh. The results showed conventional rural banks are more efficient than sharia. Therefore, Sharia banks need to engage in better socialization to the public. This is because 2021 is the beginning of qanun (law) of Islamic financial institutions enactment, which obliges change in shape to the sharia pattern. Also, universities are expected to open a study program on sharia bank as a rudiment for human resources in the future. Therefore, the study to compare conventional and sharia rural bank per province in Indonesia is important.
Histomorphological Trends of Testicular Lesions : A Retrospective Study

Aims: Testis is affected by a variety of non-neoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Our study was undertaken to analyze the spectrum of all testicular lesions and clinical correlation with age-wise distribution, laterality, and clinical presentation of all testicular lesions. Study Design: A retrospective descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: Saveethe Medical College and Hospitals, over three years from January 2018 to December 2020. Methodology: All testicular lesions sent to the Department of Pathology during this period are taken for the study. Histopathological slides were retrieved and all testicular lesions were reviewed. Results: Out of 70 cases studied, 64 cases were non-neoplastic (91.42%) and 6 cases were neoplastic (8.57%). Right testis was more commonly involved in our study. Age distribution of non-neoplastic lesions showed the highest incidence in the 2nd decade of life (18.7%) followed by the 6th decade of life (15.6%) in our study. In neoplastic lesions, the 3rd and 4th decade of life shows higher incidence (33.4% respectively). Among non-neoplastic lesions, the most common histologic type is atrophic testis (31.2%). Among neoplastic lesions, the most common lesion is seminoma (50%). Conclusion: Non- neoplastic lesions are seen in all age groups, whereas testicular neoplastic lesions are more commonly seen in the younger age group.
Coexistence of two newt species in a transition zone of range overlap

Theory suggests that spatial segregation of similar, co-occurring species may be driven by alternative innate life history and dispersal strategies, and that it operates through catastrophic events. An inventory of the evolutionary closely related small-bodied newts Lissotriton helveticus and L. vulgaris in the northwest of France demonstrated the species’ spatial partitioning, with L. vulgaris dominating in two pond-rich and historically disturbed coastal areas and L. helveticus prevailing inland where ponds are sparser. Population numbers were followed over several decades (1975–2021) in a pond within the narrow (ca. 2000 m wide) species transition zone. Early in the temporal survey (1986) a massive die-off was observed of two-third of the L. helveticus breeding population from a late frost event. Yet, the contribution of L. helveticus to the newt assemblage was more or less stable around 60%, even though the total population size fluctuated by an order of magnitude. Lissotriton vulgaris and a third species, Ichthyosaura alpestris, made up ca. 30% and 10% of the total till 1993, after which date their relative contributions reversed. These data suggest that a state shift may have occurred among the latter two species and that the assumed two-species dynamics of Lissotriton underlying the study has been an oversimplification. The local decline of L. vulgaris is paralleled by the loss of well-vegetated ponds from the wider agricultural terrain that affects this species more than L. helveticus and I. alpestris.
Pure White Cell Aplasia and Immune Thrombocytopenia after Thymoma Resection: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

We report a case of pure white cell aplasia (PWCA) postthymoma resection in a 74-year-old male presenting with a 2-week history of fevers, night sweats, and severe febrile neutropenia. His pure white cell aplasia was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), prednisone, and cyclosporine with a mixed response. He also developed immune thrombocytopenia, which responded well to a short course of eltrombopag. With continued cyclosporine treatment, his platelet counts were stable after stopping eltrombopag. The patient's cyclosporine treatment was complicated by renal failure, resulting in cessation of cyclosporine. His PWCA and immune thrombocytopenia significantly worsened after stopping cyclosporine, and unfortunately, he died from multiorgan failure and sepsis.
Cooling of cylindrical vertical tanks submitted to natural internal convection

A numerical and an experimental analysis of velocity and temperature fields inside a storage tank submitted to natural convection is presented. The analysis was performed in two stages. In the first stage, the temperature profile along the vertical axis of the storage tank was obtained experimentally and numerically, for cooling time ranging from 45 to 60 h. The numerical analysis was carried out using a transient bi-dimensional model in cylindrical co-ordinates. In the second stage, after the numerical code validation, 40 cases of cooling with four aspect ratios, five insulation thicknesses, and two different volumes were simulated. In all simulations, thermal losses for the environment in all tank walls (side, top and bottom) were considered. Two correlations for the Nusselt number, encompassing all the forty cases, were obtained with these results. 2003 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.
Improvement of Intramuscular Fat in longissimus Muscle of Finishing Thai Crossbred Black Pigs by Perilla Cake Supplementation in a Low-Lysine Diet

This study was conducted to find out the effects of perilla cake (PC) supplementation in a low-lysine diet on Thai crossbred finishing pigs’ productivity, carcass and meat quality, and fatty acid composition. For six weeks, a total of 21 barrows of finishing pigs were fed with three dietary treatments (T1: basal diet, T2: 2.5 percent PC supplementation in a low-lysine diet, and T3: 4.5 percent PC supplementation in a low-lysine diet). The results show that the intramuscular fat and marbling score was significantly increased by T2 and T3. On the other hand, it was found that the boiling loss and shear force value were significantly decreased by T2 and T3 (p < 0.05). In a low-lysine diet, dietary PC supplementation caused a significant increase in malondialdehyde levels in meat (p < 0.05) compared with the basal diet. It was also shown that alpha-linolenic acid level in backfat and the longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle was increased considerably by T2 and T3. Therefore, supplementing PC in a low-lysine diet may be an alternative strategy for improving the meat quality of late-phase pigs.
Crisis and society: developing the theory of crisis in the context of COVID-19

The theory of crisis and society is advanced by developing a complex systems analysis and is applied to the COVID-19 pandemic. Five issues are identified, discussed and resolved: the definition of crisis; whether a crisis is treated as real or as a socially constructed narrative, or both; the underlying concept and theory of society and its alternative forms; and the different kinds of change in relationship between crisis and society (recuperation, intensification, transformation and catastrophe). This complex systems approach to crisis is applied to the COVID-19 pandemic, analysing the cascade of the crisis through institutional domains and the consequent changes to multiple regimes of inequality.
Adenosine A2A Receptor: A New Neuroprotective Target in Light-Induced Retinal Degeneration

Continuous illumination induces the degeneration of photoreceptors. This animal model of light-induced retinal degeneration resembles many characteristics of human degenerative diseases of the outer retina, such as age-related macular degeneration. This work aimed to evaluate the potential neuroprotective effect of the modulation of adenosine A2A receptor in the model of light-induced retinal degeneration. Sprague-Dawley rats were intravitreally injected in the right eye with either CGS 21680, an adenosine A2A receptor agonist, or SCH 58261, an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist. Contralateral eyes were injected with respective vehicles as control. Then, rats were subjected to continuous illumination (12,000 lux) for 24 h. Retinas were processed by glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunohistochemistry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) technique, Western blotting (WB), and quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Another group of rats was subjected to functional studies by electroretinography. Animals treated with CGS21680 showed a significant increase of apoptotic nuclei in the outer nuclear layer and a significant increase of GFAP immunoreactive area of the retinas but did not alter WB nor electroretinography results. qRT-PCR showed that CGS 21680 significantly increased the expression of interleukin-1β. On the opposite, SCH 58261 significantly decreased apoptotic nuclei in the outer nuclear layer and GFAP immunoreactive area of the retinas. It also significantly decreased GFAP and activated caspase-3 levels as measured by WB and preserved retinal function, as treated eyes showed significantly greater amplitudes of a- and b-waves and oscillatory potentials. qRT-PCR revealed that SCH 58261 significantly decreased the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α. These results show that the blockade of the A2A receptor before the start of the pathogenic process is neuroprotective, as it prevents light-induced retinal damage. The use of A2A receptor antagonists deserves to be evaluated in retinal degenerative diseases.