Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resurgence of blackwater fever among children in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review protocol

Introduction Blackwater fever (BWF), a complication of malaria, has in the past been considered as a rare complication of malaria in children living in high transmission settings. More recently, however, a growing number of paediatric clusters of BWF cases have been reported predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The aim of this study is to map evidence on BWF among children in SSA from 1 January 1960 to 31 December 2021. Methods and analysis This review will be guided by Arksey and O’ Malley’s methodological framework for scoping reviews with methodological refinements by Levac et al and will comply with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews’ guidelines. Five electronic databases (MEDLINE via PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and PsycINFO) will be systematically searched using predefined keywords. In addition, reference lists of included articles will be searched. Our multidisciplinary team has formulated search strategies and two reviewers will independently complete study eligibility screening, final selection and data extraction. A third reviewer will adjudicate the final decision on disputed articles. Bibliographic data and abstract content will be collected and analysed using a data-charting tool developed iteratively by the research team. Ethics and dissemination This scoping review being a secondary analysis does not require ethics approval. We anticipate results of this review will broaden understanding of paediatric BWF in SSA and identify its research gaps in SSA. We will be disseminating results through journals and conferences targeting primary care providers.
Spin–phonon dispersion in magnetic materials

Microscopic coupling between the electron spin and the lattice vibration is responsible for an array of exotic properties from morphic effects in simple non magnets to magnetodielectric coupling in multiferroic spinels and hematites. Traditionally, a single spin–phonon coupling constant is used to characterize how effectively the lattice can affect the spin, but it is hardly enough to capture novel electromagnetic behaviors to the full extent. Here, we introduce a concept of spin–phonon dispersion to project the spin moment change along the phonon crystal momentum direction, so the entire spin change can be mapped out. Different from the phonon dispersion, the spin–phonon dispersion has both positive and negative frequency branches even in the equilibrium ground state, which correspond to the spin enhancement and spin reduction, respectively. Our study of bcc Fe and hcp Co reveals that the spin force matrix, that is, the second-order spatial derivative of spin moment, is similar to the vibrational force matrix, but its diagonal elements are smaller than the off-diagonal ones. This leads to the distinctive spin–phonon dispersion. The concept of spin–phonon dispersion expands the traditional Elliott-Yafet theory in nonmagnetic materials to the entire Brillouin zone in magnetic materials, thus opening the door to excited states in systems such as CoF2 and NiO, where a strong spin-lattice coupling is detected in the THz regime.
Cs4CuSb2Cl12−x I x (x = 0–10) nanocrystals for visible light photodetection

Lead-free layered double perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) with tunable visible range emission, high carrier mobility and low trap density are the need of the hour to make them applicable for optoelectronic and photovoltaic devices. Introduction of Cu2+ in the high band gap Cs3Sb2Cl9 lattice transforms it to the monoclinic Cs4CuSb2Cl12 (CCSC) NCs having a direct band gap of 1.96 eV. The replacement of 50% Cl− by I− ions generates <5 nm Cs4CuSb2Cl6I6 (C6I6) monodispersed NCs with an unchanged crystal system but with further lowering of the band gap to 1.92 eV. The p-type C6I6 NCs exhibit emission spectra, lower trap density, appreciable hole mobility and most importantly a lower exciton binding energy of only 50.8 ± 1.3 meV. The temperature dependent photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the C6I6 NCs show a decrease in non-radiative recombination from 300 K down to 78 K. When applied as the photoactive layer in out-of-plane photodetector devices, C6I6 NC devices exhibit an appreciable responsivity of 0.67 A W−1 at 5 V, detectivity of 4.55 × 108 Jones (2.5 V), and fast photoresponse with rise and fall time of 126 and 94 ms, respectively. On the other hand, higher I- substitution in Cs4CuSb2Cl2I10 NCs (C2I10) degrades the lattice into a mixture of monoclinic and trigonal crystal phases, which also lowers the device performance.
Digital Learners in Higher Education: Exploring Technology Ownership Patterns and Learning Engagement

This document is the Accepted Manuscript of the following paper: Amanda Jefferies, Dagmar Monett-Diaz, and Diana Kornbrot, 'Digital Learners in Higher Education: Exploring Technology Ownership Patterns and Learning Engagement', in Proceedings of the 15th European Conference on E-Learning. Prague, Czech Republic 27-28 October 2016. Jarmila Novotna and Antonin Jancarik eds., ISBN 978-1-911218-18-0, e-ISBN 978-1-911218-17-3.
Long non-coding RNA UCA1 regulates SRPK1 expression through miR-99b-3p in ovarian cancer.

BACKGROUND Ovarian carcinoma (OC) is one of the most common malignancies of the female reproductive organs, with a low survival rate primarily due to the lack of effective methods for early diagnosis and prognosis. OBJECTIVE In this article, our motivation is to explore the lncRNA-related networks mechanisms involvement in the pathogenesis of OC. METHODS Public lncRNAs and mRNA expression datasets for OC were collected from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. By integrated bioinformatics analysis, we constructed a UCA1-miRNA-mRNA network. We studied lncRNA-related molecular modulation mechanism in ovarian cancer cells based on MTT assay, dual luciferase reporter gene assays, quantitative real-time PCR, and western blotting. RESULTS UCA1 was higher in ovarian tumor tissues and cells than normal tissues and cells. It was demonstrated in this study that knockdown of UCA1 inhibited ovarian cancer cell viability which a miR-99b-3p inhibitor could reverse in vitro. Further, UCA1 was shown to regulate the expression of SRPK1 by directly binding to miR-99b-3p. CONCLUSIONS These results suggested that UCA1 functioned as an oncogene in ovarian cancer. Inhibition of UCA1/ miR-99b-3p/SRPK1 axis may become a novel target for treating ovarian cancer.
Reading Literary Fiction Is Associated With a More Complex Worldview

What are the effects of reading fiction? We propose that literary fiction alters views of the world through its presentation of difference—different minds, different contexts, and different situations—grounding a belief that the social world is complex. Across four studies, two nationally representative and one preregistered (total n = 5,176), we find that the reading of literary fiction in early life is associated with a more complex worldview in Americans: increased attributional complexity, increased psychological richness, decreased belief that contemporary inequalities are legitimate, and decreased belief that people are essentially only one way. By contrast, early-life reading of narrative fiction that presents more standardized plots and characters, such as romance novels, predict holding a less complex worldview.
The Potential of Electrical Stimulation and Smart Textiles for Patients with Diabetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most frequent diseases in the general population. Electrical stimulation is a treatment modality based on the transmission of electrical pulses into the body that has been widely used for improving wound healing and for managing acute and chronic pain. Here, we discuss recent advancements in electroceuticals and haptic/smart devices for quality of life and present in which patients and how electrical stimulation may prove to be useful for the treatment of diabetes-related complications.
Comparison of human skin‐ and nerve‐derived Schwann cells reveals many similarities and subtle genomic and functional differences

Skin is an easily accessible tissue and a rich source of Schwann cells (SCs). Toward potential clinical application of autologous SC therapies, we aim to improve the reliability and specificity of our protocol to obtain SCs from small skin samples. As well, to explore potential functional distinctions between skin‐derived SCs (Sk‐SCs) and nerve‐derived SCs (N‐SCs), we used single‐cell RNA‐sequencing and a series of in vitro and in vivo assays. Our results showed that Sk‐SCs expressed typical SC markers. Single‐cell sequencing of Sk‐ and N‐SCs revealed an overwhelming overlap in gene expression with the exception of HLA genes which were preferentially up‐regulated in Sk‐SCs. In vitro, both cell types exhibited similar levels of proliferation, migration, uptake of myelin debris and readily associated with neurites when co‐cultured with human iPSC‐induced motor neurons. Both exhibited ensheathment of multiple neurites and early phase of myelination, especially in N‐SCs. Interestingly, dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurite outgrowth assay showed substantially more complexed neurite outgrowth in DRGs exposed to Sk‐SC conditioned media compared to those from N‐SCs. Multiplex ELISA array revealed shared growth factor profiles, but Sk‐SCs expressed a higher level of VEGF. Transplantation of Sk‐ and N‐SCs into injured peripheral nerve in nude rats and NOD‐SCID mice showed close association of both SCs to regenerating axons. Myelination of rodent axons was observed infrequently by N‐SCs, but absent in Sk‐SC xenografts. Overall, our results showed that Sk‐SCs share near‐identical properties to N‐SCs but with subtle differences that could potentially enhance their therapeutic utility.
Memory retrieval brain–behavior disconnection in mild traumatic brain injury: A magnetoencephalography and diffusion tensor imaging study

Mild traumatic brain (mTBI) injury is often associated with long‐term cognitive and behavioral complications, including an increased risk of memory impairment. Current research challenges include a lack of cross‐modal convergence regarding the underlying neural–behavioral mechanisms of mTBI, which hinders therapeutics and outcome management for this frequently under‐treated and vulnerable population. We used multi‐modality imaging methods including magnetoencephalography (MEG) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to investigate brain–behavior impairment in mTBI related to working memory. A total of 41 participants were recruited, including 23 patients with a first‐time mTBI imaged within 3 months of injury (all male, age = 29.9, SD = 6.9), and 18 control participants (all male, age = 27.3, SD = 5.3). Whole‐brain statistics revealed spatially concomitant functional–structural disruptions in brain–behavior interactions in working memory in the mTBI group compared with the control group. These disruptions are located in the hippocampal–prefrontal region and, additionally, in the amygdala (measured by MEG neural activation and DTI measures of fractional anisotropy in relation to working memory performance; p < .05, two‐way ANCOVA, nonparametric permutations, corrected). Impaired brain–behavior connections found in the hippocampal–prefrontal and amygdala circuits indicate brain dysregulation of memory, which may leave mTBI patients vulnerable to increased environmental demands exerting memory resources, leading to related cognitive and emotional psychopathologies. The findings yield clinical implications and highlight a need for early rehabilitation after mTBI, including attention‐ and sensory‐based behavioral exercises.
Issues concerning the assessment of concrete compressive strength in existing buildings: Application to a case study

The estimate of concrete compressive strength is a major aspect in the assessment of reinforced concrete existing structures since it involves safety issues. The method of extracting concrete cores from the buildings under investigation is considered in this paper. In the first part, a brief review concerning procedures proposed by international technical codes as well methods available in the scientific literature, is made. In particular, formulations proposed for the determination of the actual concrete strength, starting from the one obtained from laboratory tests on cores, are examined. Special attention is devoted to the various factors affecting the estimate of the actual strength and relative correction coefficients. In the second part, the considered procedures are applied to a case study concerning a school building in Tuscany; comparison among different formulations allows some considerations on the reliability of the adopted procedures.
Matrix Measure-Based Event-Triggered Impulsive Quasi-Synchronization on Coupled Neural Networks

In this article, the quasi-synchronization for a kind of coupled neural networks with time-varying delays is investigated via a novel event-triggered impulsive control approach. In view of the randomly occurring uncertainties (ROUs) in the communication channels, the global quasi-synchronization for the coupled neural networks within a given error bound is considered instead of discussing the complete synchronization. A kind of distributed event-triggered impulsive controllers is presented with considering the Bernoulli stochastic variables based on ROUs, which works at each event-triggered impulsive instant. According to the matrix measure method and the Lyapunov stability theorem, several sufficient conditions for the realization of the quasi-synchronization are successfully derived. Combining with the mathematical methodology with the formula of variation of parameters and the comparison principle for the impulsive systems with time-varying delays, the convergence rate and the synchronization error bound are precisely estimated. Meanwhile, the Zeno behaviors could be eliminated in the coupled neural network with the proposed event-triggered function. Finally, a numerical example is presented to prove the results of theoretical analysis.
Lymphocyte subsets and immunoglobulin levels in peripheral blood from cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) of different age groups

Immunotoxicity assessment is an important part of non-clinical safety evaluation of biotechnology-derived pharmaceuticals. The reference ranges of evaluated parameters, which depend on the sex, age and geographical origin of animals, play a significant role in interpreting the study results. The aim of this study was to determine the reference ranges of parameters commonly used for non-clinical immunotoxicity studies in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis) of different ages. The percentages of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+, CD20+, CD16/56+ lymphocytes, and the serum levels of immunoglobulins A, M, G and E in clinically healthy cynomolgus monkeys of both sexes and different ages (37–104 months) were analysed. The lymphocyte subsets were assessed by flow cytometry and serum immunoglobulin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Statistical analysis showed a weak rank correlation of CD3+, CD20+ lymphocyte levels with the ages of female and male cynomolgus monkeys, and no significant correlation with age for the combined data of both sexes. The serum levels of immunoglobulins A, M, G and E did not have a significant rank correlation with age for the combined data of both sexes, whereas IgA levels in females and IgG levels in males were weakly correlated with age. Overall, these results justify the use of animals aged three to eight years for non-clinical immunotoxicity evaluation of biotechnology-derived pharmaceuticals. It is important to avoid the formation of animal groups with extreme ages (three years or eight years) in one group during randomization.
The Swedish Geotechnical Society’s methodology for risk management: a tool for engineers in their everyday work

ABSTRACT The Swedish Geotechnical Society has adopted a general methodology for risk management in geotechnical engineering projects to reduce the costs related to negative outcomes of geotechnical risks. This technical note highlights the main features of the methodology and strives to inspire the international geotechnical community to apply sensible risk management methods. In the authors’ opinion, a successful geotechnical risk management needs to be structured, be tailored to the project, and permeate the engineers’ everyday work. Then, sufficient quality can be achieved in the project with larger probability.
Personality and context‐related factors of helping and helping‐related affect during early stages of the COVID‐19 pandemic

COVID‐19 pandemic led to introduction of lockdown measures in many countries, while in Serbia the Government also introduced the curfew by which vulnerable groups of citizens were prohibited from leaving their homes at any time. In such a situation many citizens organized to voluntarily offer their help to those in isolation, which offered a unique opportunity to examine prosocial behavior in the natural setting of global crisis. This study examined the differences between non‐helpers and helpers, as well as groups of helpers who provided their help to close or unknown others, in personality (prosocial tendencies, selfishness and communal narcissism) and context‐related factors (situation specific empathy and fear) of prosocial behaviors. Additionally, the study also analyzed the helping‐related affect among helpers, depending on the recipient of help and personality characteristics. Results revealed that groups of helpers with different recipients of help (close persons, unknown persons or both) were not different among each other, but they were different from non‐helpers. Non‐helpers were more selfish and had self‐focused prosocial tendencies, and they showed less empathy towards people in isolation, compared to helper groups. However, the helping‐related affect depended on the recipient of help and helper's personality traits. This study confirmed some previous findings and offered novel insights into factors related to helping in crises.
Quantification of localised vascular wedge‐shaped defects in glaucoma

Vascular dysfunction plays a considerable role in glaucoma pathogenesis. Previous glaucoma case studies described localised wedge‐shaped vascular defects, similar to retinal nerve fibre layer (RNFL) wedge defects. This study investigates the prevalence and quantification of this vessel loss, in relation to primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) parameters.
Secure and Efficient Data Communication Protocol for Wireless Body Area Networks

Wireless body area network (WBAN) is a network of wireless sensor nodes, which monitor mobile health when placed carefully on the human body or in the wearable cloths. WBAN have a great potential for the growth and development of the future ubiquitous health systems, however; the security concern associated with the current WBAN is an alarming challenge. Security of a body area network (BAN) is unavoidable as it is mainly used for securing the life of patients and soldiers. By securing the BAN we actually secure the life of its wearer. Two techniques i.e. Physiological values (PV’s) based key management ,which generate random keys by using the vital signs of human body and Pre-loading based scheme, which will be used to strengthen the security of our PVs based scheme. The potential limitation of PV’s is short keys generation, which can be easily brute forced and high computational cost whereas in Pre-loading the keys are not random and require enough keys storage. In this paper we will merge PV’s and pre-loading techniques by using electrocardiography (EKG/ECG) values of PVs and pre-loading based schemes to strengthen the security. The applied technique will enhance the security as well as reduce storage and power consumption. Key words: Physiological values (PV’s), Electrocardiogram (EKG/ECG), Wireless body area network (WBAN)
Strengthening Interpersonal Relationships in Maternal and Child Health Care in Rural Tanzania: Protocol for a Human-Centered Design Intervention

Background Evidence indicates that clients’ dissatisfaction with providers’ competencies within maternal and child health (MCH) continues to impact trust in formal health care systems, service uptake, continuity with care, and MCH outcomes. A major problem with existing interventions is the failure to address all the complexities of provider-client relationships necessitating targeted, contextualized, innovative solutions that place providers and clients at the forefront as agents of change in optimizing intervention design and implementation. To improve the provider-client relationship, the Aga Khan University is piloting a human-centered design (HCD) intervention where MCH nurses and clients are invited to partner with researchers in the intervention design and evaluation process. Objective The objective of this research is to co-design an intervention package (prototype) for improving nurse-client relationships in the rural Shinyanga region of Tanzania using a series of iterative HCD steps, involving key stakeholders to tailor solutions for complex problems impacting provider-client interactions in MCH care. Methods The following 5-step HCD approach will be implemented: (1) community-driven discovery through qualitative descriptive research methods using focus group discussions and key informant interviews; (2) co-design of an intervention package through consultative ideation and cocreation meetings with nurses, clients, and other stakeholders; (3) prototype validation through qualitative insight gathering using focus group discussions; (4) refinement and adaptation meeting; and (5) documentation and sharing of lessons learned before the final prototype is tested and validated in a broader community. Results A prototype characterized by a package of interventions for improving nurse-client relationships in MCH care in rural contexts is expected to be developed from the co-design process. Conclusions An HCD approach provides a novel entry point for strengthening provider-client relationships, where clients are invited to partner with providers in the design of acceptable and feasible interventions. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) DERR1-10.2196/37947
Using in vivo transcriptomics and RNA enrichment to identify genes involved in virulence of Candida glabrata

ABSTRACT Candida species are the most commonly isolated opportunistic fungal pathogens in humans. Candida albicans causes most of the diagnosed infections, closely followed by Candida glabrata. C. albicans is well studied, and many genes have been shown to be important for infection and colonization of the host. It is however less clear how C. glabrata infects the host. With the help of fungal RNA enrichment, we here investigated for the first time the transcriptomic profile of C. glabrata during urinary tract infection (UTI) in mice. In the UTI model, bladders and kidneys are major target organs and therefore fungal transcriptomes were addressed in these organs. Our results showed that, next to adhesins and proteases, nitrogen metabolism and regulation play a vital role during C. glabrata UTI. Genes involved in nitrogen metabolism were upregulated and among them we show that DUR1,2 (urea amidolyase) and GAP1 (amino acid permease) were important for virulence. Furthermore, we confirmed the importance of the glyoxylate cycle in the host and identified MLS1 (malate synthase) as an important gene necessary for C. glabrata virulence. In conclusion, our study shows with the support of in vivo transcriptomics how C. glabrata adapts to host conditions.