Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing T2-T3 staging of penile cancer according to the American Joint Committee on cancer 8th edition with two modified staging systems in predicting survival outcome: A single-center experience

Introduction: Penile cancer is a rare malignancy of the genitourinary tract. We aimed to validate the recent changes in the T2 and T3 stages of penile cancer in the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) 8th edition and to compare its predictive ability with two other modified staging systems for survival outcomes. Methods: This is a retrospective study of patients diagnosed with penile cancer from June 2015 to March 2020. The AJCC 8th edition and two other newly proposed systems by Li et al. and Sali et al. were used for staging the tumor. All variables were categorized and correlated with lymph node (LN) metastases and overall survival (OS). Results: Fifty-four patients were eligible for this study. The mean age was 58 years (range 46–72 years). The tumor stage (P = 0.016), clinical LN stage (P = 0.001), the involvement of the spongiosa (P = 0.015) and the cavernosa (P = 0.002), lymphovascular invasion (LVI) (P = 0.000), and PNI (P = 0.021) were found to be the significant predictors of LN metastases. When the 5 year OS was compared between the T2 and T3 stages of the AJCC 8th edition, Li staging and the Sali staging systems, it was 91% and 50.1% (P = 0.001), 97.5% and 10.3% (P = 0.000), 94.4% and 14.7% (P = 0.000), respectively. The presence of LVI (P = 0.001) was the most significant independent predictor of OS. Conclusions: The recent changes in the AJCC 8th edition pertaining to the T2-T3 stage are relevant, although the other two newly proposed staging systems were more precise in predicting the survival outcomes.
The Efficiency of Anganwadi Centers Located in Rural Field Practice Area of a Medical College in North India: Data Envelopment Analysis

Background: The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme was launched in 1975 for the improvement in maternal and child health and nutrition. The services under ICDS are implemented through Anganwadi centers (AWCs) and are delivered by Anganwadi workers (AWWs) at grassroots level. To evaluate the efficiency of all AWCs located in the field practice area of the medical college in North India, using data envelopment analysis (DEA) technique. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in the catchment area of rural health training center. Each of the 15 AWCs was considered a decision-making unit (DMU), and physical structure and logistics were included as input variables; and percentage of beneficiaries receiving supplementary nutrition and health checkups were included as output variables. DEA technique was used to calculate the efficiency score for each DMU with the help of DEAOS free online software. Results: DMU 14th was found to be most efficient (100%) and DMU second was the least efficient (45%). DMU 13 and 14 demonstrated a level of performance that is superior to all other DMUs. DMU 13th and 14th were, therefore, considered 100% efficient. DEA analysis showed that total output increases and/or input reductions were required for making the inefficient DMUs efficient. Conclusion: Most of the AWCs were inefficient and an improvement in the infrastructure and logistics is likely to improve the efficiency of AWCs.
Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Voluntary Blood Donations

The COVID‐19 pandemic had a negative impact on health care services throughout the world, considering that a growing number of patients required hospitalization and ventilatory support. When the coronavirus pandemic caused widespread closures of schools, colleges, businesses, and social gatherings from March 2020 onwards, blood donation drives also were cancelled and the supply of blood decreased suddenly in many countries including United States (US),[1] Italy,[2] and India. It was difficult to maintain their stocks at appropriate levels. Each blood transfusion service faced similar problems. The major hit was observed in voluntary non‐remunerated blood donors.
Predictors and Pathway of Maternal Near Miss: A Case–Control Study in a Tertiary Care Facility in Kolkata

Background: Use of maternal near-miss (MNM) cases as an adjunct has been advocated to understand the processes of obstetric care because they share similar pathways as maternal deaths. Identifying the predictors and care pathway is crucial to improve the quality of care and end preventable maternal deaths. Materials and Methods: This case–control study was conducted at a tertiary care facility in Kolkata from May 2019 to March 2020. Women admitted with complications during pregnancy, childbirth, or within 42 days of postpartum, who met the World Health Organization (WHO) near-miss criteria, were identified as cases, and equivalent age-group matched controls were recruited. Sample size of 60 cases and 60 controls was estimated, assuming a power of 80%, level of significance 0.05, and case–control ratio of 1. After obtaining approval from the institutional ethics committee and informed written consent from the participants, data was collected through face-to-face interview and review of records. Statistical analysis including care pathway analysis (using three-delay model) was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 16. Results: Joint family type (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] [CI] = 5.06 [1.48, 7.28]), lack of antenatal checkups (AOR [CI] = 7.85 [1.47, 12.09]), previous history of cesarean section (AOR [CI] = 3.94 [1.09, 14.33]), first delay in seeking care (AOR [CI] = 13.84 [3.62, 32.83]), and preexisting medical disorders (AOR [CI] = 11.03 [4.62, 22.80]) were identified as significant predictors of MNM in the adjusted model. Significant difference in the proportion of first and second delays in the care pathway was observed between cases and controls. Conclusions: Identification of risk factors of MNM and pattern of delays in the care pathway will help improving quality of obstetric care.
Effects of Perceptual-motor Training on Collision Judgments with Peripheral Prism Expanded Vision

SIGNIFICANCE Peripheral prisms (p-prisms) improve blind-side detection of hazards in hemianopia by shifting the image of the hazard into the intact visual field. Collision judgments can be made accurately after detection by using a gaze shift to fixate the hazard in the prism-free portion of the lens, but this is slow relative to normal peripheral vision. A prior study found that prism adaptation for visual direction did not occur with general wear. We developed a perceptual-motor training regimen that resulted in accurate pointing at p-prism targets after six 1-hour sessions. PURPOSE This study aimed to determine if improvements in pointing accuracy from perceptual-motor training generalized to collision judgments during simulated walking. METHODS Participants with hemianopia (n = 13) made collision judgments in virtual reality for a person appearing 0.4 to 13.5° from the walking path. Judgments were measured under fixed gaze, requiring collision judgments via the p-prism image only, and free gaze, representing a more natural scenario. Measurements were made without and with p-prisms immediately after fitting, after a 2-week acclimation, after training, and 3 months later. Controls (n = 13) did one visit without p-prisms. RESULTS Controls had 100% detection and symmetrically distributed collision judgments for the central 33 and 36% of hazards under fixed gaze and free gaze, respectively. In hemianopia, the seeing side was not different from controls. Blind-side detection was reduced without p-prisms to 40% fixed gaze and 82% free gaze and improved with p-prisms to 99% fixed gaze and 97% free gaze (P < .001). When first worn, fixed-gaze prism side collisions were 63 versus 37% on the seeing side and 41 versus 39% for free gaze (P < .001). There was a small improvement for fixed gaze after the 2-week acclimation (53%, P < .001), but no improvements from training or an additional 3 months of use. CONCLUSIONS P-prisms improved detection, but collision judgments were inaccurate when seen only via the p-prisms and did not improve with perceptual-motor training. Patients should continue to be advised to turn their head and eyes to fixate the hazard after detection.
Role of color Doppler assessment in predicting outcomes of wrist Brescia-Cimino arteriovenous fistula creation: A single-center prospective study

Introduction: The most common reason for constructing an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is chronic kidney disease. Various factors are associated with nonmaturation or failure of AVF, which can be evaluated using color Doppler/duplex ultrasound (DUS). We carried out this study to evaluate the role of pre- and postoperative DUS for the prediction of outcomes of wrist radiocephalic (RC) AVF. Methods: In our prospective observational study, dialysis-dependent patients between 20 and 70 years of age undergoing primary RC-AVF from May 2019 to July 2020 were included. All patients underwent pre- and postoperative DUS examination after obtaining consent. Results: Among 104 participants, 87 (83.7%) were male and 17 (16.3%) were female. Successful maturation was seen in 68 (65.4%) participants, whereas 90 (86.53%) had functional maturation. Radial artery diameter (RAD) ≥1.6 mm, cephalic vein diameter (CVD) ≥2.0 mm, vein distensibility (VD) ≥0.5 mm, and peak systolic velocity (PSV) RAD ≥30 cm/s were associated with higher successful maturation of AVF with statistically significant results (P < 0.05). RAD ≥1.6 mm, CVD ≥2.0 mm, VD ≥0.5 mm, and PSV RAD ≥30 cm/s were related to a greater probability of RC-AVF maturation. Among them, VD and PSV-RA were the most influencing factors predicting RC-AVF successful maturation. Conclusions: If we consider the rule of six for AVF maturation, then the results will be much less than the actual fistulas which are dialyzable with adequate blood flow as per functional maturation criteria. Thus, more randomized studies are needed to define maturation criteria for the Indian population and to identify the effect of papaverine on successful AVF maturation.
Spatial Interactions in Interocular and Monocular “Blur Suppression”

ABSTRACT SIGNIFICANCE The suppression of blurred images in one eye by clear images in the other eye is thought to contribute to the success of monovision correction. We show that interocular suppression occurs also for low-contrast targets that are not blurred and, to a lesser extent, when clear and low-contrast targets are presented to the same eye. PURPOSE A blurred target presented to one eye may be suppressed when a clear target is presented to the other eye. We sought to determine how this interocular suppression varies according to the separation between the blurred and clear targets and the magnitude of imposed blur. In addition, we examined whether a similar suppression occurs when the clear and blurred targets are imaged in the same eye. METHODS Subjects (N = 4) viewed a clear 20/40 Sloan letter surrounded by four 2 × 10 min-arc flanking bars. In different blocks of trials, the gap between the letter and flanking bars varied from 0.5 to 4 bar widths. In addition, the flanking bars were either clear or spatially filtered to simulate 0.5 to 2 D of blur. The contrast required to detect the flanking bars was determined when the letter and flanking bars were presented either dichoptically or monoptically and compared with the thresholds for the bar targets presented alone. RESULTS In both dichoptic and monoptic viewing conditions, detection thresholds for the blurred flanking bars are highest for the smallest spatial gap and decrease systematically as the gap increases. Thresholds are uniformly higher during dichoptic than monocular viewing, but the proportional change with the bar-to-letter separation is similar in both conditions. Surprisingly, the magnitude of imposed blur has very little influence on the magnitude of threshold elevation in either the dichoptic or monoptic viewing conditions. CONCLUSIONS Because threshold elevation is nearly the same in the presence of 0 to 2 D of blur, we prefer to designate the phenomenon we studied as “contrast suppression. ” The similar spatial characteristics of suppression during dichoptic and monoptic viewing are consistent with contributions from a common neural mechanism.
NIHIL SINE DEO IN FAR-RIGHT PROTESTS CEREMONIAL REVOLUTIONS DURING ANTI-VACCINE PROTESTS IN ROMANIA

This study investigates the far-right counter-hegemonic discourses employed in Romania during the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out and the promotion of green certificates. Using an array of traditional and occult symbols as well as religious iconography, the protests held by the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR) employed ritualistic ceremonies and espoused counter-hegemonic discourses that confronted the authorities’ with the extreme religio-nationalist idea of “Romanianness”. Methodologically, this study combines digital ethnography of more than 30 protests in 2021–2022, with data collected from both social and conventional media as well as visual analysis of relevant discourses. The results show that the iconography of analysed protests can be interpreted as new rituals of rebellion against the authorities’ decisions to restrict the movement of people. Likewise, AUR’s on-the-ground discourse conveyed new counter-hegemonic that rejected neo-liberal ideals. Moreover, the analysis reveals that the performance styles used during the demonstrations show striking similarities with the January 6th Insurrection in the United States.
Physiological and biochemical responses of 10 commercial Iranian pistachio cultivars to freezing

This study was undertaken to compare freezing tolerance of 10 commercial Iranian pistachio cultivars in January and March, and to study the relationship between freezing tolerance and changes in the concentration of soluble carbohydrates, total soluble proteins, proline, phenolic compounds, malondialdehyde (MDA), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and water content of buds in both sampling stages. After subject to six different freeze-temperature tests (−9, −13, −17, −21, −25, and − 29 °C), bud LT50 values were evaluated using the measurement of electrolyte leakage and bud browning. In January, ‘Chrokeh,’ ‘Shahpasand’, and ‘Rezaee’ showed the highest freezing tolerance, whereas ‘Kaleh Ghouchi’ was the least hardy cultivar. Freezing tolerance of all cultivars lessened slightly in March. In this period, ‘Sefid Pesteh,’ ‘Shahpasand,’ ‘Abbas Ali,’ ‘Kaleh Ghouchi,’ and ‘Fandoghi’ showed the least freezing tolerance, while ‘Rezaee,’ ‘Momtaz,’ and ‘Chrokeh’ were the highest hardy cultivars. There were significant differences in all the characteristics mentioned above among pistachio cultivars in both sampling dates. Negative correlations were observed between LT50 values with proline, phenolic compounds, soluble carbohydrates, and total soluble proteins. Also, there was a positive correlation between LT50 values with the concentration of MDA and H2O2 on both dates and with bud water content in March. These results indicated osmoregulants are valuable indices to screen freezing tolerance in pistachio cultivars.
The cluster of galaxies LCDCS-S001: basic spectroscopic data and stellar population

We present kinematic parameters and stellar population properties of selected galaxies in the high-redshift (z = 0.7) galaxy cluster LCDCS-S001, determined by spectroscopic data obtained with the Gemini multi-object spectrograph instrument in the Gemini South Observatory. The objects were selected in an ('-band cluster field image, and multi-object spectroscopic observations centred at 7500 A were performed for 40 objects. Spectral features were successfully identified for 20 objects, and used to determine the redshift of the cluster. We found that 12 objects are cluster members and estimate a median redshift of 0.709 for this cluster. The relative velocities of the cluster members were used to estimate the projected cluster mass, which was found to be 3.54 x 10 14+2.33 -1.41 M ⊙ . Lick and D n (4000) indices were measured and used to determine the stellar population properties of the galaxies, by means of a spectral synthesis through Bruzual & Charlot evolutive models. We found that the bulk of stellar population for the cluster members has a spectrum compatible with solar metallicity and an age between 3.0 and 7.0 Gyr; with only one exception, the flux contribution of younger (t ≤ 1.0 Gyr) stars in the spectra does not exceed 25 per cent at 4200 A. Emission [OII] lines were detected for four galaxies, all of which showing a stronger contribution of young stars compared with other cluster galaxies. The equivalent width of the [OII]λ3727 emission line was compared with Magris, Binette & Bruzual models for H n regions. We found good correspondence between our values and the theoretical predictions for solar metallicity and with star formation time-scales 1.0 < r < 3.0 Gyr.
Nonlinear stability of intermediate baroclinic flow on a sloping bottom

The governing equations describing the dynamics of mesoscale gravity currents or coupled density fronts and steadily-travelling coherent cold eddies on a sloping bottom are shown to possess a non-canonical hamiltonian structure. We exploit the hamiltonian formalism to obtain a variational principle that describes arbitrary steady solutions in terms of a suitably constrained hamiltonian. Two Arnol’d-like stability theorems are obtained which can establish the linear stability in the sense of Liapunov of these steady solutions. Based on this analyses two a priori estimates are derived which bound the disturbance energy and the Liapunov norm with respect to the initial disturbance potential enstrophy and energy. In the limit of parallel shear flow solutions corresponding to a current flowing along isobaths, the first formal stability theorem reduces to a previously established normal-mode stability result. Based on the formal stability analysis, convexity conditions are given for the constrained hamiltonian that can rigorously establish nonlinear stability in the sense of Liapunov for the steady current solutions. A variational principle is also presented which can describe steadily-travelling isolated cold eddy solutions of the model. The principle is based on constraining the hamiltonian with appropriately chosen Casimir and momentum invariants. It is shown that a suitably extended form of Andrews’ theorem holds for our model equations. Therefore, the stability of the steadily travelling isolated eddy solutions cannot be established using the energy-Casimir analysis developed here.
The effect of surface pressure modification on the speed of vortex rings

A series of experiments investigating the relationship between surface pressure, monolayer elasticity and the speed of vortex rings is presented. A drop of water, when touched to the surface of a larger body of water, will coalesce and form a vortex ring that moves perpendicularly to the surface of the water. The speed of the vortex ring movement away from the surface of the water has been seen to be sensitive to the presence of monolayer materials. Here we explore the influence of four monolayer forming materials, stearic acid, tricosanoic acid, 4-tert butyl calix[4]arene and calix[4]resorcarene (C11), on the properties of vortex rings. For each material, the speed of the vortex rings through the water was measured at a range of surface pressures. The speed was found to increase in a linear fashion until surface pressures greater than 30 mN m−1, where the ring’s speed decreased towards the value measured in the absence of a monolayer. Analysis of the results suggests a future route toward a better understanding of the mechanisms involved.
On the maximal operator of Walsh{Marcinkiewicz means

In this paper we prove that the maximal operator M~ f := supn2P jMnfj log3=2(n+1) , whereMnf is the nth Marcinkiewicz{Fejer mean of the 2-dimensional Walsh{Fourier series, is bounded from the Hardy space H2=3(G2) to the space L2=3(G2).
Retrieving China’s surface soil moisture and land surface temperature using AMSR-E brightness temperatures

Based on the passive microwave radiative transfer equation, we developed a single-band model for retrieving surface soil moisture () and land surface temperature () using Aqua satellite advanced microwave scanning radiometer (AMSR-E) C-band brightness temperatures () without any ancillary data. National-scale and of China in 2009 were jointly mapped. The average and retrieval errors are 0.037 g cm−3 and 2.00K when validated by in situ measurements and approximately 0.025 g cm−3 and 2.34K when compared with AMSR-E L3 and moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer daily products. In particular, most and estimation errors are under 0.37 g cm−3 and 2.00K, respectively, for regions with the microwave polarization difference index (MPDI) between 0.01 and 0.05, but increased clearly larger for those with MPDI smaller than 0.01 or larger than 0.05, which are mostly dense-vegetated regions in Southwestern China or plateaus and dry deserts such as Inner Mongolia plateau, Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, Taklimakan Desert and Turpan basin. In summary, the proposed retrieval algorithm might provide a new way to monitor and conditions for penetrable vegetation canopy regions, but further investigations are still needed, especially for specific plateau, desert and frozen regions.
Adaptive dynamic cohesive fracture simulation using nodal perturbation and edge‐swap operators

Dependence on mesh orientation impacts adversely the quality of computational solutions generated by cohesive zone models. For instance, when considering crack propagation along interfaces between finite elements of 4k structured meshes, both extension of crack length and crack angle are biased according to the mesh configuration. To address mesh orientation dependence in 4k structured meshes and to avoid undesirable crack patterns, we propose the use of nodal perturbation (NP) and edge‐swap (ES) topological operation. To this effect, the topological data structure TopS (Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng 2005; 64: 1529–1556), based on topological entities (node, element, vertex, edge and facet), is utilized so that it is possible to access adjacency information and to manage a consistent data structure in time proportional to the number of retrieved entities. In particular, the data structure allows the ES operation to be done in constant time. Three representative dynamic fracture examples using ES and NP operators are provided: crack propagation in the compact compression specimen, local branching instability, and fragmentation. These examples illustrate the features of the present computational framework in simulating a range of physical phenomena associated with cracking. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Imaging of discontinuities in the inverse scattering problem by inversion of a causal generalized Radon transform

This paper treats the linearized inverse scattering problem for the case of variable background velocity and for an arbitrary configuration of sources and receivers. The linearized inverse scattering problem is formulated in terms of an integral equation in a form which covers wave propagation in fluids with constant and variable densities and in elastic solids. This integral equation is connected with the causal generalized Radon transform (GRT), and an asymptotic expansion of the solution of the integral equation is obtained using an inversion procedure for the GRT. The first term of this asymptotic expansion is interpreted as a migration algorithm. As a result, this paper contains a rigorous derivation of migration as a technique for imaging discontinuities of parameters describing a medium. Also, a partial reconstruction operator is explicitly derived for a limited aperture. When specialized to a constant background velocity and specific source–receiver geometries our results are directly related to some known migration algorithms.