Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum Adenosine Daminase Ativity as a Dagnostic Biomarker in Systemic lupus Eythematosus Patients

Background: Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is linked to the development of autoimmune diseases. In order to assess the use of serum ADA activity in diagnosing SLE and assessing disease activity, we examined the serum ADA activity of 70 SLE patients (35 active patients and 35 inactive patients) and 15 healthy controls. Aim: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the importance of serum ADA activities in identifying SLE and its connection to the activity of the illness. Subjects and Methods: This a randomized prospective efficacy-controlled study conducted on 85 adult Patients (≥ 18 years) with clinically active SLE and clinically non-active SLE and carried at Clinical Pathology Department at Tanta University Hospital. Results: In SLE patients, serum ADA activity was substantially higher in the active patients group than in the inactive patients group when compared to the control group. The best cut-off value for utilizing blood ADA activity to diagnose SLE patients was 12.8 U/L, according to a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis (ROC) (specificity, 100 percent; sensitivity, 100 percent). For lupus patients, serum ADA activity was shown to be more useful than other conventional hematological indicators such as complement C3, complement C4, ANA, and anti-ds DNA. Adenosine deaminase levels were also linked to ESR, blood urea, serum creatinine, Hb levels, Urine albumin/creatinine ratio, anti-nuclear antibody titre, anti-dsDNA antibody, total platelet count, complement C3 and complement C4 levels. Conclusion: Serum ADA activity might be a possible diagnostic sign for SLE, and assessing serum ADA activity can help with illness evaluation and monitoring.
Argopecten purpuratus (Mollusca, Pectinidae) post-El Niño 1997-98 response in La Rinconada Marine Reserve (Antofagasta, Chile)

From 1999-2001, the Argopecten purpuratus population at La Rinconada was directly evaluated by monitoring larvae and their subsequent settlement on artificial collectors to determine their density, size structure, and abundance. An increase in specimens, doubling the number observed in 1997, occurred in 1999. However, reductions in the distribution area, specimens, and average size occurred in 2000 and 2001, reflecting anthropogenic impacts. Application of the growth parameters to the annual size structure indicated losses of 5.7 million individuals between 1999 and 2000 and 5 million between 2000 and 2001. The specimens increase over 90 mm, from 130,000 in 1997 to 2.6 million in 2001, explains the high larvae numbers found, with records of 17,667 and 21,756 in 1999; 16,100 in 2000; and 34,175 and 21,700 in 2001. A relationship between larval presence and postlarval settling could not be established; only the relationships between periods of larval abundance and those of maximum fixation could be observed. In conclusion, a viable solution to illegal fishing affecting the reserve with complementary or substitute measures for local fishers is urgently required.
Predictors of Requirement of Inotrope Among Patients With Early Sepsis: Special Reference to Microcirculatory Parameters

Introduction The management of septic shock and refractory septic shock is essential in preventing sepsis-related death. The handheld vital microscope is a new modality of investigation for sepsis for microcirculatory assessment. This study aimed to identify predictors of inotrope requirements among patients with early sepsis and impending septic shock with particular reference to sublingual microcirculation assessment parameters. Methodology We conducted an observational cross-sectional hospital-based study in central India. The formal sample size was calculated to be 52 patients using a convenient sampling technique. The study was initiated with ethics approval (IHEC-LOP/2019/ MD0090) with consent from the patients. We used the MicroScan (MicroVision Medical, Netherlands) Video Microscope System (No.16A00102) to obtain sidestream dark-field imaging along with the AVA 4.3C software (MicroVision Medical). Results Of 51 cases, 60.8% were women, and 39.2% were men, and the study population had a mean age of 41.0 ± 14.9 years. Patients were recruited from medical wards (64.7%) and emergency departments (35.3%). The most common site of infection was gastrointestinal (33.3%), followed by respiratory infections (25.5%) and genitourinary infections (11.8%). The quick sequential organ failure assessment score was 2.0 ± 0.1. Eight patients required inotropes, and six patients died. High respiratory rates and lactate levels were important predictors of inotrope requirements in patients with early sepsis. Sublingual microcirculatory parameters at baseline did not significantly affect the requirement of inotropes consequently. Conclusions Sublingual microscopy is a suggested tool for the management of sepsis. However, without clearly defined cut-off values, handheld vital microscopy could not predict fluid responsiveness among patients with early sepsis. Also, it would be difficult to incorporate this technology into regular practice without equipment upgrades and image acquisition software.
Proteomic Analysis Reveals Differential Expression Profiles in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Cell Lines

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive, irreversible lung disorder of unknown cause. This disease is characterized by profibrotic activation of resident pulmonary fibroblasts resulting in aberrant deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins. However, although much is known about the pathophysiology of IPF, the cellular and molecular processes that occur and allow aberrant fibroblast activation remain an unmet need. To explore the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) associated with aberrant activation of these fibroblasts, we used the IPF lung fibroblast cell lines LL97A (IPF-1) and LL29 (IPF-2), compared to the normal lung fibroblast cell line CCD19Lu (NL-1). Protein samples were quantified and identified using a label-free quantitative proteomic analysis approach by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). DEPs were identified after pairwise comparison, including all experimental groups. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), and Protein–Protein Interaction (PPI) network construction were used to interpret the proteomic data. Eighty proteins expressed exclusively in the IPF-1 and IPF-2 clusters were identified. In addition, 19 proteins were identified up-regulated in IPF-1 and 10 in IPF-2; 10 proteins were down-regulated in IPF-1 and 2 in IPF-2 when compared to the NL-1 proteome. Using the search tool for retrieval of interacting genes/proteins (STRING) software, a PPI network was constructed between the DEPs and the 80 proteins expressed exclusively in the IPF-2 and IPF-1 clusters, containing 115 nodes and 136 edges. The 10 hub proteins present in the IPP network were identified using the CytoHubba plugin of the Cytoscape software. GO and KEGG pathway analyses showed that the hub proteins were mainly related to cell adhesion, integrin binding, and hematopoietic cell lineage. Our results provide relevant information on DEPs present in IPF lung fibroblast cell lines when compared to the normal lung fibroblast cell line that could play a key role during IPF pathogenesis.
Distributionally Robust Coordinated Expansion Planning for Generation, Transmission, and Demand Side Resources Considering the Benefits of Concentrating Solar Power Plants

Renewable energy has gradually increased its investment and penetration due to technology innovation and cost reduction, turning power system expansion planning problem (SEP) into a complex task. Under this circumstance, this paper presents a long-term distributionally robust optimization (DRO) based planning model for power systems, which minimizes the total investment and operation costs along with expected penalty cost of load shedding and wind curtailment, while considering load and wind uncertainties from the data-driven ambiguity set. Besides generating units and transmission lines, demand side resources (DSR) and concentrating solar power (CSP) plants are also considered as investment candidates to meet the load growth and effectively alleviate load and wind uncertainties. Furthermore, the principal component analysis method is used to capture the generalized moment information of historical data to reduce conservativeness of planning decisions. The proposed model is recast as a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model via duality theory and affine decision rules. Numerical case studies illustrate the effectiveness and scalability of the proposed DRO-based coordinated expansion planning model.
Managerial Pay Raise and Promotion Decisions for Workers with I-deals

Managers use idiosyncratic deals (i-deals) to motivate and retain employees. Yet we know little about the subsequent effects i-deals have on decisions about pay raises and promotions. Two studies investigate how managers make pay raise and promotion decisions for workers with i-deals. Using a policy-capturing design, managers (N = 116) made pay raise and promotion allocations for workers presented as good performers, based on information provided regarding whether and what type of i-deal workers had and the extent to which they helped peers. Developmental i-deal recipients tend to be recommended for both pay raises and promotions, while such recommendations are less likely for employees with flextime i-deals (for promotions) or reduced workload i-deals (for promotions and pay raises). In addition, workers with i-deals who help their peers are viewed more favorably in both decisions. The second study surveyed managers (N = 174) regarding their actual subordinates (N = 806), both controlled for the manager’s rating of subordinate performance. It supports the positive effect of developmental i-deals on pay and promotion decisions, but not the negative effects of flextime and reduced workload i-deals. Helping effects depend on the i-deal: Managers report that unhelpful recipients of developmental i-deals are less likely to be promoted than those with such i-deals who help their peers; unhelpful recipients of reduced workload i-deals are less likely to get pay raises than those with such deals who help. We discuss the implications of our findings for future research and career management.
Correlation of inflammatory biomarkers with disease severity in hospitalised patients of COVID-19 at presentation

Background: The course of COVID-19 ranges from asymptomatic infection to life threatening critical illness. Inflammatory biomarkers have vital role in predicting outcome, disease severity and disease prognosis in COVID-19 cases. This study aims to observe the correlation of these biomarkers with disease severity in COVID-19.Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Chughtai Institute of Pathology from February 2021 to May 2021. Blood was collected from 1300 hospitalized adult PCR confirmed COVID-19 patients categorized in mild to critical disease classes. Asymptomatic cases, patients having coagulopathies and those who received plasma infusion were excluded from the study. Blood was analyzed for serum Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Ferritin, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin and D Dimers. Data was analyzed using SPSS 23.0. Results: From the study patients, 65.3% (n=849) were male and 34.7% (n=451) were female. Majority of the cases (43.5%, N=565) belonged to moderate group whereas only 0.6% (N=8) were in critical group. Study population had a mean age of 56 (+13.98) years. Serum IL-6 was taken as marker of disease severity, showed significant positive correlation with CRP (r =0.52), ferritin (r =0.33), D-dimers (r =0.32) but no correlation with procalcitonin (r =0.17) using spearmen correlation coefficient. All patients with critical disease had IL-6 levels above 1000pg/ml.Conclusion: The inclusion of inflammatory biomarkers in routine panel of COVID-19 patients can allow risk stratification of COVID-19 patients in different disease severity groups as cases with critical disease had higher levels.
‘The whole world is my home’: An investigation into how a globalised lifestyle, international capital and an international schooling experience influence the identities and aspirations of young people

This article discusses the findings of a study involving the aspirations of students in an international school in Belgium. Aspirations are framed and formed via the interaction and interrelationship of self and social context. The originality of this work is in its emphasis on students’ own perceptions of the influences on their aspirations, within a new geographical arena and the social sub-culture of a fluid, semi-transient international group. The findings will add to our understandings of international schooling and might usefully inform pedagogical practices and programmes of professional development for staff in order to better serve students.
Analyses and Determinants of Land Use-Land Cover Dynamics in Dimako Sub-Division, East Region of Cameroon

The transformation of forested lands by human actions represents one of the great forces in global environmental change and one of the great drivers of biodiversity loss. Forests are cleared, degraded and fragmented through timber harvest, conversion to agricultural lands, and road construction amongst others. In this vein, this study aims at analysing land use-land cover changes as well as their determinants in Dimako. A mixed research design was used in this study with primary data obtained through the use of questionnaire, group discussions, key informant interviews and field observations in order to identify the various ways of forest exploitation. Satellites maps were downloaded and analysed with the aid of geographic information techniques to assess the extent of forest cover and land use changes in Dimako. The findings revealed a decreasing trend in forest cover change from 1986-2016 by 0.285% per year. Forest was found to be exploited by local populations and by industrial logging companies for NTFPs and timber respectively. Also, the major factors contributing to the fast disappearance of the natural forest were attributed to industrial logging, agricultural land expansion, the rising demand for tree products, and poverty which have severe negative repercussions on the human population and environment. The study recommended providing environmental education, afforestation or agro-forestry, increasing income of rural households, providing alternative form of fuel (energy), strengthening participatory forest management and community based organization initiatives, and strong law enforcement on the part of the government on those who illegally and indiscriminately exploit the forests.
Effect of colour sensing and drawing pen on children’s colour perception and feature detection of objects when drawing

ABSTRACT Commercial digital drawing pens have incorporated color sensing capabilities to improve the interactive experience of drawing. However, despite these improvements, it remains unclear whether color sensing and picking functions improve drawing learning performance. This study observed third and fourth grade elementary school students, who were in the “dawning realism” stage of artistic development, to determine how using a digital drawing pen with a color sensing function affected their color perception and feature detection abilities. This study analyzed quantitative data on color choice, with some students directly picking colors from the surface of an object and other students choosing colors from the app's default palette. This study also interviewed a focus group of experts who compared between the two aforementioned methods of choosing colors, as used in drawings. The results revealed the following advantages of using a digital drawing pen to directly pick colors off object surfaces: (1) children better utilize and depict the color gradient; (2) children interact with and observe objects and their shapes more thoroughly; (3) children draw objects' shapes and colors more precisely; and (4) children, being in the dawning realism stage, are better able to satisfy their need to perceive the colors and features of objects.
Ethno-phytotechnology of Tribulus terrestris L. (Zygophyllaceae)

E THNO-PHYTOTECHNOLOGY combines ethnobotany and biotechnology. This study evaluated the ethnobotanical role, anticancer potential, and allelopathy of Tribulus terrestris L. The ethnobotanical survey of twenty informants used an open-ended questionnaire. T. terrestris contains steroids, saponins, antioxidants, flavonoids, alkaloids, phenolics, proteins, and amino acids. The study investigated cytotoxic effects using six carcinoma cell lines. Hordeum vulgare and Lepidium sativum were used as recipient species in the allelopathy experiments. We found that 95% of the informants stated that T. terrestris is an aggressive species that injures livestock, reduces biodiversity, leads to soil dryness, consumes large amounts of space during the vegetative season, and affects soil pH and the absorption of minerals. Ethanolic extracts produced a significant effect on the prostate ( PC3 ), breast ( MCF 7 ), lung ( A549 ), and liver ( HEP-G2 ) carcinoma cell lines, with IC 50 values of 19, 22, 33, and 33μg/mL, respectively. The intestinal carcinoma cell line ( CAco2 ) had an IC 50 60μg/mL. The colon ( HCT ) carcinoma cell line had an IC 50 value of 68 μg/mL. Water extracts inhibited the seed germination, plumule length, radicle growth, and fresh and dry matter production of the recipient species. This study demonstrated that T. terrestris is potentially valuable as an anticancer agent and an herbicide against harmful weeds.
Correlation between Colon Perfusion and Postoperative Fecal Output through a Transanal Drainage Tube during Laparoscopic Low Anterior Resection

Simple Summary Anastomotic leakage (AL) is a major problem in patients who undergo operations for rectal cancers. Various solutions, such as ICG angiography and transanal drainage tubes (TDT), have been proposed to prevent AL. Although the microbiota has recently been recognized to play a role in the pathogenesis of AL, mainly from the results of experimental animal models, it remains unclear whether this mechanism can occur in humans. In this study, we investigated the relationship between intestinal perfusion and fecal volume through TDT in laparoscopic low anterior resection, and found that the need of a proximal shift of the transection site due to insufficient intestinal perfusion was significantly associated with high fecal volume, which might reflect the correlation between intestinal perfusion and postoperative diarrhea. In addition, we found that the intensity of ICG fluorescence at the transection site was significantly associated with fecal volume through TDT. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first clinical study to examine the relationship between intestinal perfusion and fecal volume through TDT. Abstract In order to prevent anastomotic leakage (AL) following rectal surgery, various solutions—such as intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) angiography and transanal drainage tubes (TDT)—have been proposed. This study investigated the relationship between intestinal perfusion and fecal volume through TDT in laparoscopic low anterior resection (LAR). A total of 59 rectal cancer patients who underwent laparoscopic LAR with both intraoperative ICG angiography and postoperative TDT placement were retrospectively analyzed. The relationship between intestinal perfusion and fecal volume through TDT was examined. Based on the ICG fluorescence, the transection site was shifted more proximally in 20 cases (33.9%). Symptomatic AL occurred in seven patients (11.8%). The AL rate of the patients whose daily fecal volume exceeded 100 mL/day in 2 or more days was significantly higher than that of those whose daily fecal volume exceeded it in 0 or 1 day (44.4% vs. 6.0%; p < 0.01). Univariate and multivariate analyses showed that the need for a proximal shift of the transection site was significantly associated with a high fecal volume. The quantitative analysis of ICG fluorescence indicated that Fmax (the fluorescence difference between the baseline and maximum) was significantly associated with fecal volume through TDT.
Localization of elastic waves in one-dimensional detuned phononic crystals with flexoelectric effect

ABSTRACT Although forbidden band effect in perfectly periodic phononic crystals (PC) is very attractive, random disordered (i.e. detuning) phenomenon is inevitable in engineering processing, thus exploring the effect of detuning on the wave characteristics of PC becomes a necessity. In this study, fundamental governing equations and boundary conditions are derived from the principle of virtual work. Wave characteristics and localization factor of one-dimensional (1D) detuned nano-PC are investigated based on the transfer matrix method, with flexoelectric effect duly accounted for. Subsequently, with nano-PC taken for illustration, forbidden band properties and localization factor of 1D elastic waves in harmonic and detuned states are systematically characterized. It is demonstrated that localization factor can characterize the energy band structure of 1D PC perfectly. Flexoelectric effect tends to widen the width of forbidden band with increasing detuning, and detuning is linearly related to the bandwidth. The forbidden band is more sensitive to flexoelectric coefficient detuning than thickness detuning. The research results provide useful theoretical guidance for designing high-frequency nanoscaled devices with the function of filtering based on band gap effect of nano-PC. Graphical abstract
The impact of company size on the implementation of contemporary cost accounting systems: The case of Serbia

In new, contemporary, economic conditions with defined and dynamic changes in the business environment, contemporary corporate companies and management experience constant changes. As a response to new challenges of constant changes, countries with developed accounting tradition place great emphasis on the need to improve the accounting systems and the development of contemporary concepts, cost accounting systems, and cost management techniques. This paper aims to show, through empirical research conducted in Serbian companies, the stage of development of cost accounting, whether companies in Serbia are familiar with the characteristics of cost accounting, and whether they implement contemporary cost accounting systems. By means of non-parametiic techniques - Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U test - the paper also attempts to suggest a possible correlation between the company size and the knowledge of basic characteristics and implementation of contemporary cost accounting systems. The results indicate that the level of development and implementation of contemporary cost accounting systems in Serbia does not correspond with the achieved level of development and implementation in countries with a developed accounting profession; they also reveal that there is a relationship between company size and implementation of Activity Based Costing (ABC), Target Costing (TC), and Kaizen Costing (Kc).
Strategi Belajar Siswa pada Kegiatan Praktik Kerja Industri dalam Memperoleh Kompetensi

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengungkap strategi belajar siswa dalam memperoleh kompetensi pada kegiatan Praktik Kerja Industri. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif jenis studi kasus. Informan pada penelitian ini adalah pembimbing industri, pembimbing siswa dari sekolah, dan siswa peserta praktik kerja industri. Pengumpulan data melalui wawancara dan observasi. Teknik analisis data yaitu model interaktif Miles & Huberman, meliputi pengumpulan data, data condensation , penyajian data, verifikasi, dan penarikan kesimpulan. Hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa strategi yang digunakan siswa dalam memperoleh kompetensi pada kegiatan praktik kerja industri yaitu (1) Belajar menggunakan panca indera; (2) Belajar memecahkan masalah; (3) Belajar mandiri; (4) Belajar melalui lingkungan kerja; dan (5) Belajar terus menerus dan diulang-ulang.