Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of Drug-Resistance Characteristics and Genetic Diversity of Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Based on Whole-Genome Sequencing on the Hainan Island, China

Purpose Given the high burden of Tuberculosis (TB) in China, the prevalence of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is significant. Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) enables the identification of lineages, drug-resistant mutations, and transmission patterns, offering valuable insights for TB control, clinical diagnosis, and treatment. Methods We collected 202 MDR-MTB strains from 3519 suspected pulmonary TB patients treated at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University between July 2019 and June 2021. Proportional drug-susceptibility testing was performed using 8 common anti-tuberculosis drugs. Subsequently, the genotypic drug resistance and genetic characteristics were analyzed by the WGS. Results Lineages are identified by TB-profiler revealed 202 MDR-MTB strains, showcasing three predominant lineages, with lineage 2 being the most prevalent. Close genomic relatedness analysis and evidence of MTB transmission led to the formation of 15 clusters comprising 42 isolates, resulting in a clustering rate of 20.8%. Novelty, lineage 2.1 (non-Beijing) accounted for 27.2% of the MDR-MTB strains, which is rare in China and Neighboring countries. Regarding first-line anti-TB drugs, genes associated with rifampicin resistance, primarily the rpoB gene, were detected in 200 strains (99.0%). Genes conferring resistance to isoniazid, ethambutol, and streptomycin were identified in 191 (94.5%), 125 (61.9%), and 100 (49.5%) strains, respectively. Among the second-line drugs, 97 (48.0%) strains exhibited genes encoding resistance to fluoroquinolones. Comparing the results to phenotypic drug susceptibility-based testing, the sensitivity of WGS for detecting resistance to each of the six drugs (rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, ofloxacin, kanamycin, capreomycin) was 90% or higher. With the exception of ethambutol, the specificity of WGS prediction for the remaining drugs exceeded 88%. Conclusion Our study provides crucial insights into genetic mutation types, genetic diversity, and transmission of MDR-MTB on Hainan Island, serving as a significant reference for MDR-MTB surveillance and clinical decision-making.
Death and the idea of Mexico

Death and the Idea of Mexico is the first social, cultural, and political history of death in a nation that has made death its tutelary sign. Examining the history of death and of the death sign from sixteenth-century holocaust to contemporary Mexican-American identity politics, anthropologist Claudio Lomnitz's innovative study marks a turning point in understanding Mexico's rich and unique use of death imagery. Unlike contemporary Europeans and Americans, whose denial of death permeates their cultures, the Mexican people display and cultivate a jovial familiarity with death. This intimacy with death has become the cornerstone of Mexico's national identity.Death and Idea of Mexico focuses on the dialectical relationship between dying, killing, and the administration of death, and the very formation of the colonial state, of a rich and variegated popular culture, and of the Mexican nation itself. The elevation of Mexican intimacy with death to the center of national identity is but a moment within that history -- within a history in which the key institutions of society are built around the claims of the fallen.Based on a stunning range of sources -- from missionary testimonies to newspaper cartoons, from masterpieces of artistic vanguards to accounts of public executions and political assassinations -- Death and the Idea of Mexico moves beyond the limited methodology of traditional historiographies of death to probe the depths of a people and a country whose fearless acquaintance with death shapes the very terms of its social compact.
In Situ Remediation of Low-Volatility Fuels Using Bioventing Technology

Abstract : Data were collected at four U.S. Navy and Marine Corps bases to evaluate bioventing technology efficacy in removing low-volatility fuels from subsurface soils and the groundwater table. These sites have soil contamination attributed to spills or leaks of fuels having low vapor pressures and very low water solubilities, such as JP-5 jet fuel, diesel fuel, #6 fuel oil (bunker fuel), waste oil, and lubricants. The major contaminant studied is JP-5 jet fuel, a kerosene distillate fraction similar to commercial jet fuel A.
Autism-Related Differences in Cortical Activation When Observing, Producing, and Imitating Communicative Gestures: An fNIRS Study

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have difficulties in gestural communication during social interactions. However, the neural mechanisms involved in naturalistic gestural communication remain poorly understood. In this study, cortical activation patterns associated with gestural communication were examined in thirty-two children with and without ASD (mean age: 11.0 years, SE: 0.6 years). Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to record cortical activation while children produced, observed, or imitated communicative gestures. Children with ASD demonstrated more spatial and temporal errors when performing and imitating communicative gestures. Although both typically developing (TD) children and children with ASD showed left-lateralized cortical activation during gesture production, children with ASD showed hyperactivation in the middle/inferior frontal gyrus (MIFG) during observation and imitation, and hypoactivation in the middle/superior temporal gyrus (MSTG) during gesture production compared to their TD peers. More importantly, children with ASD exhibited greater MSTG activation during imitation than during gesture production, suggesting that imitation could be an effective intervention strategy to engage cortical regions crucial for processing and producing gestures. Our study provides valuable insights into the neural mechanisms underlying gestural communication difficulties in ASD, while also identifying potential neurobiomarkers that could serve as objective measures for evaluating intervention effectiveness in children with ASD.
What makes joint assessment procedures attractive to the innovative industry: successes, challenges, and proposed improvements

Regulatory harmonization and convergence have been identified as the key driver in promoting efficient evaluation of medicines, reducing workload, and supporting earlier access to medicines on the African continent. There has been great progress to date in enhancing regulatory harmonization and convergence on the African continent via the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and with the establishment of the Africa Medicines Agency (AMA). In this article, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) Africa Regulatory Network (ARN) presents its perspective based on the available literature review and results from a survey conducted with innovative biopharmaceutical companies to gather experiences using regional joint assessment procedures (JAPs) in Africa, such as the East African Community Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (EAC-MRH), the West African Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (WA-MRH), and the Southern African Development Community Medicines Regulatory Harmonization (SADC-MRH) initiative through the ZAZIBONA Collaborative Procedure for Medicines Registration (ZaZiBoNa), and provides best practices in this evolving landscape. The article also assesses other collaborative registration pathways available to facilitating registration of pharmaceutical products in African countries, such as WHO Collaborative Registration Procedures (CRP), Swissmedic’s Marketing Authorisation for Global Health Products (MAGHP) and EU Medicines for All (EU-M4ALL). Benefits and challenges of each of the existing pathways are discussed in this article. Main benefits include building more expert capacity and improved collaboration amongst experts, as well as shorter review timelines in some cases. Key challenges include the lack of predictability in the adherence to procedural timelines as defined per guidelines, lengthy timeline to achieve national marketing authorization following joint assessment, the lack of dedicated personnel, administrative issues during the submission process as well as additional country-specific requirements on top of JAP-specific requirements. Our recommendations for improvements include harmonization of requirements across countries and regions and with international standards, appropriate resource allocation for JAP activities to ensure adherence to timelines, use of JAPs throughout the entire product lifecycle and all product categories, adequate use of digital technologies, and improved communication and transparency with applicants. These improvements will allow industry to better plan their filing strategies for the region which will lead to overall improved usability of the JAPs in Africa and enable faster patient access.
Effets de l'âge des plantations de figuier de Barbarie (Opuntia ficus indica f. inermis) sur les propriétés du sol et la végétation à Tébessa (zone semi-aride de l'est algérien)

EnglishAlgerian steppes rangeland biological reclamation has to be based on the choice of plant species with ecological parameters requirement, such as drought tolerance and ability to grow in soils with low fertility and quality. Prickly pear (Opuntia ficus indica L.) is a potentially interesting species to be considered. The aim of this study is to prospect the impact of prickly pear plantations (0, 5, and 20 years old) on soil characteristics and plant biodiversity. Plantations located in Tebessa, a semi arid zone of eastern Algeria, were chosen in which soil was sampled for physico-chemical analysis: pH, electrical conductivity, water content, the rates of total and active calcareous, organic matter, nitrogen and available phosphorus. Cover rates, abundance, specific richness and plant diversity were observed and evaluated. Results of analysis of variance showed statistical significant effects of plantation age on organic matter, water content, active calcareous and soil cover rates. These results suggest that Opuntia ficus indica plantations in semi arid zones could contribute to improve soil conditions and plant species abundance. francaisLa rehabilitation des parcours steppiques algeriens doit reposer sur le choix d'especes vegetales resistantes, notamment aux fortes secheresses et faiblement exigeantes vis-a-vis des conditions edaphiques. Le figuier de Barbarie (Opuntia ficus indica L.) est en ce sens une espece potentiellement interessante. Dans ce present travail, nous nous sommes propose d'examiner les effets des plantations de figuier de Barbarie (Opuntia Picus indica) âgees de 5 et 20 ans sur les caracteristiques edaphiques et la biodiversite vegetale. Ces plantations sont localisees dans la commune de Tebessa (zone semi-aride de l'est algerien). Dans chaque plantation, des echantillons de sol ont ete preleves et ont fait l'objet d'analyses physico-chimiques telles que l'humidite, le pH, la conductivite electrique, les taux de calcaire total et calcaire actif, le taux de matiere organique, les teneurs en azote et en phosphore assimilable. Quant a la vegetation, le taux de recouvrement, l'abondance, la richesse specifique et la diversite ont ete egalement estimes. Les resultats ont montre que l'âge des plantations avait des effets statistiquement significatifs sur le taux de matiere organique, l'humidite, le taux de calcaire actif et le taux de recouvrement de la vegetation. Ainsi, les plantations du figuier de Barbarie pourraient contribuer a l'amelioration de certains parametres du sol et enrichir la biodiversite vegetale des ecosystemes steppiques algeriens.
Bioconsolidation of Damaged Construction Calcarenites and Evaluation of the Improvement in Their Petrophysical and Mechanical Properties

Bioconsolidation treatment using bacterial carbonatogenesis has been proposed as an environmentally friendly strategy for the efficient preservation of damaged stones, particularly suitable for carbonate stones. The study presented here deals with the evaluation of the performance of this treatment, applied to damaged carbonate stones in two historical buildings in Spain. The methodology applied in this research serves as a reference for future similar studies. Results showed significant improvement in the petrophysical and mechanical properties of the damaged stone following the treatment through the production of calcite and vaterite by the abundant carbonatogenic bacteria inhabiting the stone. These bacteria were able to effectively consolidate weathered areas if an adequate nutritional solution was employed, thereby augmenting the stone’s resistance, as evidenced by the Drilling Resistance Measurement System (DRMS). FESEM images showed calcified bacteria and calcified exopolymeric substances (EPS) consolidating stone minerals without blocking their pores. In addition to consolidation, this biotreatment improves the stone’s behavior against water absorption and increases the contact angle of water droplets without significant modifications in the pore size or diminishing vapor permeability. No color changes are observed. Overall, these results show that the application of the nutritional solution (M-3P) for in situ consolidation of different types of porous carbonate building stones is a highly effective conservation method, with no modification of the chemical composition of the treated materials.
The Impact of Trust, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and Customer Intentions on Customer Attitudes Toward the Use of Technology

An online store must constantly innovate by developing new ideas or reusing established ones like the Cash on Delivery payment option. In this study, the author supposes that trust, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use can positively affect a customer's attitude toward adopting a technology, affecting their behavioral Intention to use the technology. Therefore, to demonstrate this, the author attempts to conduct research using the Technology Acceptance Model with the addition of trust as an external variable and analyzes them using Path Analysis tools to determine why the customers would not accept the technology of Cash Delivery as a payment method. The author uses a quantitative methodology to gather primary data from 200 respondents in many major cities where the COD campaign operates. The results demonstrate that perceptions of usefulness, usability, and attitude contribute to consumers' intentions to utilize the COD payment method. Trust was discovered to be a significant determinant of consumers' desire to use the COD payment option. The implementation of COD should be more successful if the reasons mentioned are taken into account.
Feasibility study on the use of microalgae as an external crack healing agent for cement mortar rehabilitation

As conventional concrete repairs have shortcomings and impact the environment, multiple attempts exist to find alternative sustainable measures to address this issue. Microbial-induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) using microalgae is one of the proven methods that can heal microcracks. In this study, the method used in repairing micro-cracks is by spraying microalgae species, namely, Arthrospira platensis and Synechococcus elongatus, cultured in a high calcium-based medium onto the surface of the cement mortar. The crack healing was evaluated for 14 days after the cracks were induced by applying 65–70% of the maximum threshold load. The results show that the microalgal-treated specimens exhibited a higher strength recovery, crack closure, and less water absorption than the control specimen. It is also observed that over 75–80% (0.26 mm, approx.) of the cracks can be healed within the span of 14 days sustainably using microalgae. Graphical abstract HIGHLIGHTS This research investigated the healing capacity of cracked cement mortar by applying a microalgal solution on the surface externally. The study proves that microalgae are a better and more eco-friendly way than other external chemical agents to crack repair. A maximum of 67% strength was regained in 14 days of treatment with Arthrospira platensis. Over 75–80% of cracks can heal after spraying microalgae. Comparing SEM and XRD polymorphs, CaCO3 precipitation was identified as Vaterite and Calcite.
Bloodstream Infections by AmpC-Producing Enterobacterales: Risk Factors and Therapeutic Outcome

Bloodstream infections associated with AmpC-producing Enterobacterales are severe medical conditions which, without prompt and effective treatment, may have dire ramifications. This study aimed to assess whether certain comorbidities and previous surgical procedures coincide with resistance determinants of AmpC-producing Enterobacterales associated with bloodstream infections. Antibiotic resistance patterns and therapy outcome were also determined. The patients’ data obtained revealed that the prevalence of recent surgical procedures, solid organ tumors, metabolic diseases, kidney and liver failure, and hematological malignancies do not differ between resistant and susceptible isolates of AmpC-producing Enterobacterales. Furthermore, no difference was reported in mortality rates. Regarding antibiotic resistance, 34.52% of isolates were confirmed to be resistant (AmpC hyperproduction, ESBL, or carbapenemase). More than one in five AmpC hyperproducers were reported amid Providencia spp. , K. aerogenes, E. cloacae, and C. freundii. strains. Carbapenemases were mostly noted in Providencia spp. followed by M. morganii and K. aerogenes strains. Serratia marcescens had the highest proportion of ESBLsof ESBLs. Resistance to expanded-spectrum cephalosporins of Providencia spp. and K. aerogenes strains exceeded 50%, and resistance to meropenem over 10% was observed only in C. freundii strains. Enterobacterales’ ever-growing resistance to antibiotics is becoming quite a challenge for clinicians and new treatment options are required.
Hepatokine Profile in Adolescents with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Case–Control Study

The current guidelines suggest routine screening for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Hepatokines seem to be promising surrogate endpoints for the diagnosis and severity of NAFLD. PCOS has its onset in adolescence and its metabolic sequalae begin during the same period. There are scarce data on the hepatokine profile of adolescent PCOS patients. This case–control study examined the serum profile of the hepatokines sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), selenoprotein P, fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), and fetuin A in a sample of adolescent PCOS patients, and their association to metabolic and hormonal parameters. The selenoprotein P and SHBG serum concentrations were significantly decreased in PCOS patients vs. the controls (median (IQR), 2.47 (0.40) vs. 2.66 (0.36) μg/mL, p = 0.025; mean ± SD, 41.71 ± 19.41 vs. 54.94 ± 22.12 nmol/L, p = 0.011, respectively), whereas selenoprotein P was significantly and positively associated with testosterone (r = 0.325, p = 0.007) and the free androgen index (r = 0.361, p = 0.002). The SHBG demonstrated multiple significant negative correlations with adverse metabolic parameters. Among the PCOS patients, the FGF21 concentrations were significantly higher in those with NAFLD, whereas a 1 pg/mL increase in the FGF21 concentration increased the odds of NAFLD diagnosis by liver ultrasound by 1%, suggesting FGF21 as a potential biomarker for hepatic disease in females with PCOS in adolescence. Fetuin A was the least differentiated hepatokine between the PCOS patients and controls with the least associations with metabolic and hormonal parameters.
Organ chip research in Europe: players, initiatives, and policies

Background: Organ chips are microfabricated devices containing living engineered organ substructures in a controlled microenvironment. Research on organ chips has increased considerably over the past two decades. Aim: This paper offers an overview of the emerging knowledge ecosystem of organ chip research in Europe. Method: This study is based on queries and analyses undertaken through the bibliometric software Dimensions.ai. Results: Organ chip research has been rapidly growing in Europe in recent years, supported by robust academic science consortia, public-private initiatives, dedicated funding, and science policy instruments. Our data shows that previous investment in basic and fundamental research in centers of excellence in bioengineering science and technology are relevant to future investment in organ chips. Moreover, organ chip research in Europe is characterized by collaborative infrastructures to promote convergence of scientific, technical, and clinical capabilities. Conclusion: According to our study, the knowledge ecosystem of organ chip research in Europe has been growing sustainably. This growth is due to relevant institutional diversity, public-private initiatives, and ongoing research collaborations supported by robust funding schemes.
Design and Fabrication of a Thin and Micro-Optical Sensor for Rapid Prototyping

Optical sensing offers several advantages owing to its non-invasiveness and high sensitivity. The miniaturization of optical sensors will mitigate spatial and weight constraints, expanding their applications and extending the principal advantages of optical sensing to different fields, such as healthcare, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and other aspects of society. In this study, we present the development of a miniature optical sensor for monitoring thrombi in extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). The sensor, based on a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor integrated circuit (CMOS-IC), also serves as a photodiode, amplifier, and light-emitting diode (LED)-mounting substrate. It is sized 3.8 × 4.8 × 0.75 mm3 and provides reflectance spectroscopy at three wavelengths. Based on semiconductor and microelectromechanical system (MEMS) processes, the design of the sensor achieves ultra-compact millimeter size, customizability, prototyping, and scalability for mass production, facilitating the development of miniature optical sensors for a variety of applications.
Early Biological Valve Failure: Structural Valve Degeneration, Thrombosis, or Endocarditis?

Biological valve failure (BVF) is an inevitable condition that compromises the durability of biological heart valves (BHVs). It stems from various causes, including rejection, thrombosis, and endocarditis, leading to a critical state of valve dysfunction. Echocardiography, cardiac computed tomography, cardiac magnetic resonance, and nuclear imaging play pivotal roles in the diagnostic multimodality workup of BVF. By providing a comprehensive overview of the pathophysiology of BVF and the diagnostic approaches in different clinical scenarios, this review aims to aid clinicians in their decision-making process. The significance of early detection and appropriate management of BVF cannot be overstated, as these directly impact patients’ prognosis and their overall quality of life. Ensuring timely intervention and tailored treatments will not only improve outcomes but also alleviate the burden of this condition on patients’ life. By prioritizing comprehensive assessments and adopting the latest advancements in diagnostic technology, medical professionals can significantly enhance their ability to manage BVF effectively.