Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Short- and Long-Term Mortality in Patients with or without Cancer Admitted to the ICU for Septic Shock: A Retrospective Observational Study

Simple Summary Patients with malignancies (solid tumors or hematological diseases) are at high risk of developing sepsis and are increasingly admitted to ICU due to their long-term prognosis improvement. The main objective of this study was to compare the short- and long-term prognoses of patients with and without cancer admitted to the ICU for septic shock. In-hospital and ICU mortality, as well as LOS, were not different in SSh patients with and without cancer, suggesting that malignancies should no longer be considered a barrier to ICU admission. Abstract Introduction: Cancer patients are at high risk of developing septic shock (SSh) and are increasingly admitted to ICU given their improved long-term prognosis. We, therefore, compared the prognosis of cancer and non-cancer patients with SSh. Methods: We conducted a monocentric, retrospective cohort study (2013–2019) on patients admitted to ICU for SSh. We compared the clinical characteristics and management and studied short- and long-term mortality with ICU and in-hospital mortality and 1-year survival according to cancer status. Results: We analyzed 239 ICU stays in 210 patients, 59.5% of whom were men (n = 125), with a median age of 66.5 (IQR 56.3–77.0). Of the 121 cancer patients (57.6% of all patients), 70 had solid tumors (33.3%), and 51 had hematological malignancies (24.3%). When comparing ICU stays of patients with versus without cancer (n = 148 vs. n = 91 stays, respectively), mortality reached 30.4% (n = 45) vs. 30.0% (n = 27) in the ICU (p = 0.95), and 41.6% (n = 59) vs. 35.6% (n = 32) in hospital (p = 0.36), respectively. ICU length of stay (LOS) was 5.0 (2.0–11.3) vs. 6.0 (3.0–15.0) days (p = 0.27), whereas in-hospital LOS was 25.5 (13.8–42.0) vs. 19.5 (10.8–41.0) days (p = 0.33). Upon multivariate analysis, renal replacement therapy (OR = 2.29, CI95%: 1.06–4.93, p = 0.03), disseminated intravascular coagulation (OR = 5.89, CI95%: 2.49–13.92, p < 0.01), and mechanical ventilation (OR = 7.85, CI95%: 2.90–21.20, p < 0.01) were associated with ICU mortality, whereas malignancy, hematological, or solid tumors were not (OR = 1.41, CI95%: 0.65–3.04; p = 0.38). Similarly, overall cancer status was not associated with in-hospital mortality (OR = 1.99, CI95%: 0.98–4.03, p = 0.06); however, solid cancers were associated with increased in-hospital mortality (OR = 2.52, CI95%: 1.12–5.67, p = 0.03). Lastly, mortality was not significantly different at 365-day follow-up between patients with and without cancer. Conclusions: In-hospital and ICU mortality, as well as LOS, were not different in SSh patients with and without cancer, suggesting that malignancies should no longer be considered a barrier to ICU admission.
Influence of Electric Field on Proliferation Activity of Human Dermal Fibroblasts

In this work, an electrically conductive composite based on thermoplastic polyimide and graphene was obtained and used as a bioelectrode for electrical stimulation of human dermal fibroblasts. The values of the electrical conductivity of the obtained composite films varied from 10−15 to 102 S/m with increasing graphene content (from 0 to 5.0 wt.%). The characteristics of ionic and electronic currents flowing through the matrix with the superposition of cyclic potentials ± 100 mV were studied. The high stability of the composite was established during prolonged cycling (130 h) in an electric field with a frequency of 0.016 Hz. It was established that the composite films based on polyimide and graphene have good biocompatibility and are not toxic to fibroblast cells. It was shown that preliminary electrical stimulation increases the proliferative activity of human dermal fibroblasts in comparison with intact cells. It is revealed that an electric field with a strength E = 0.02–0.04 V/m applied to the polyimide films containing 0.5–3.0 wt. % of the graphene nanoparticles activates cellular processes (adhesion, proliferation).
Why Color Matters—Proposing a Quantitative Stability Criterion for Laser Beam Processing of Metals Based on Their Fundamental Optical Properties

With its excellent automation capability and localized energy input enabling precise, reproducible welds, laser beam welding represents a preferred industrial joining technology. Electro-mobility drastically increases the need for defect-free and automatable copper joining technologies. However, copper welds that are produced with state-of-the-art infrared lasers often suffer from spattering and porosity. Recent publications show distinct improvements using novel beam sources at visible wavelengths, attributing them to increased absorptivity. Nevertheless, this cannot fully explain the steadier process behavior. This wavelength-dependent process stability has not yet been investigated sufficiently. Therefore, we have developed a predictive material-dependent criterion indicating process stability based on the example of copper heat-conduction spot welding. For this purpose, we combined energy balances with thermo-physical material properties, taking into account the wavelength and temperature dependence of the optical properties. This paper presents the key mechanism that we identified as decisive for process stability. The criterion revealed that X-points (unique, material-specific wavelengths) represent critical stability indicators. Our calculations agree very well with experimental results on copper, steel and aluminum using two different wavelengths and demonstrate the decisive, material-dependent wavelength impact on process stability. This knowledge will help guide manufacturers and users to choose and develop beam sources that are tailored to the material being processed.
Development of two-axis non-magnetic turntable based on ultrasonic motor

Test as well as calibration precision of a coordinator is determined by the precision of the test turntable, and the improvement of the test turntable is the most effective way to improve the calibration accuracy of the coordinator. Therefore, it is of great practical significance and value to study a test calibration turntable which is suitable for a certain type of indexer. Based on the working principle of the ultrasonic motor, the mathematical model of the friction coupling interface is established; steady-state output force of the ultrasonic motor and the maximum angular velocity of the rotor are calculated; effect of the friction material type, magnitude of the pre-tightening force, and the rotor angular speed are analyzed on the maximum output force of the ultrasonic motor. The driving performance of the rotary table ultrasonic motor and the start/stop characteristic of the rotary table are studied. Finally, the driving ability of the ultrasonic motor is optimized and verified by experiments.
Effects of Frankincense Compounds on Infection, Inflammation, and Oral Health

Boswellia trees, found throughout the Middle East and parts of Africa and Asia, are the source of frankincense oil. Since antiquity, frankincense has been traded as a precious commodity, but it has also been used for the treatment of chronic disease, inflammation, oral health, and microbial infection. More recently, the bioactive components of Boswellia trees have been identified and characterized for their effects on cancer, microbial infection (especially infection by oral pathogens), and inflammation. Most studies have focused on cell lines, but more recent research has also investigated effects in animal models of disease. As natural products are considered to be safer than synthetic drugs, there is growing interest in further developing the use of substances such as frankincense oil for therapeutic treatment.
Knowledge and attitude towards emergency department utilization in Riyadh

Background: Because the emergency department (ED) is such an important element of health care, efficient usage must be taken into account while planning and creating the scope of service for emergency care. Our study's goal is to assess the participants' knowledge and attitude towards ED. Concerns among the general public over the use of emergency rooms (ER). Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out among the sample of Saudi Arabia's population of Riyadh City in the year 2020. There were 440 people who responded. The information was gathered with a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 was used to analyze the data. Results: As a result of the findings, 22 symptoms were reported as the cause of ER visits, ranging from acute, urgent, and cold symptoms. Of these, 45.7% of those polled said they visited an ER if they get sick, then seek primary care, online consultation, and community pharmacy, which was 28.2%, 17.5%, and 8.6%, respectively. Around 14.32% of the visitors had a chronic condition, with asthma accounting for 41.3%, diabetes for 23.8%, and hypertension for 11.1%. In terms of the frequency of visits, 66.4% said they visit the emergency care once in every 3–6 months, and 47.7% said they visit once in a month. With a mean score of 16.16 ± 3.02/high in knowledge, the results revealed that the participants possessed a high degree of knowledge, with a significant difference among married group (F = 4.83, P < 0.05 = 0.003), and those from 24 to 29 years of age (F = 3.26, P < 0.05 = 0.012). Conclusions: Because there were characteristics connected to population knowledge, limited hours, and ED overutilization without necessity, the findings of our study could be valuable in understanding the reasons for ED overutilization without necessity. In Riyadh's primary health care centers (PHCCs), there are limited medical resources. Thus, we recommend that the primary health care (PHC) admission process should be improved putting in place a triage mechanism that determines the best location for patient care that is suited.
Mathematical Expression of Internode Characteristics of Yellow Ampel Bamboo (“Bambusa vulgaris” var. Striata)

Most bamboo research has focused on growth performance, physic-chemical attributes, and biomass estimation. There are few studies on elaborating the biometrics of bamboo, especially in internodes mathematical expression. In this study, we revealed the mathematical expression of bamboo internode along the culm. We used 30 samples of culms and cut each culm by its internodes. A total of 928 sample internodes were measured for the outer diameter, wall thickness, and length of internodes. The findings showed that the mathematical expression for two-dimensional culm morphometric was a two and three-order function. In contrast, the three and four-dimensional culm morphometric were a four-order function. Moreover, the relationship between relative internode number (RIN) and relative internode length (RIL), and relative cumulated internode length (RCIL) showed a third-order function.
A Dual-Band High-Sensitivity THz Metamaterial Sensor Based on Split Metal Stacking Ring

Terahertz (THz)-detection technology has been proven to be an effective and rapid non-destructive detection approach in biomedicine, quality control, and safety inspection, among other applications. However, the sensitivity of such a detection method is limited due to the insufficient power of the terahertz source and the low content, or ambiguous characteristics, of the analytes to be measured. Metamaterial (MM) is an artificial structure in which periodic sub-wavelength units are arranged in a regular manner, resulting in extraordinary characteristics beyond those possessed by natural materials. It is an effective method to improve the ability of terahertz spectroscopy detection by utilizing the metamaterial as a sensor. In this paper, a dual-band, high-sensitivity THz MM sensor based on the split metal stacking ring resonator (SMSRR) is proposed. The appliance exhibited two resonances at 0.97 and 2.88 THz in the range of 0.1 to 3 THz, realizing multi-point matching between the resonance frequency and the characteristic frequency of the analytes, which was able to improve the reliability and detection sensitivity of the system. The proposed sensor has good sensing performance at both resonant frequencies and can achieve highest sensitivities of 304 GHz/RIU and 912 GHz/RIU with an appropriate thickness of the analyte. Meanwhile, the advantage of multi-point matching of the proposed sensor has been validated by distinguishing four edible oils based on their different refractive indices and demonstrating that the characteristics obtained in different resonant frequency bands are consistent. This work serves as a foundation for future research on band extension and multi-point feature matching in terahertz detection, potentially paving the way for the development of high-sensitivity THz MM sensors.
CRISPR/Cas9-mediated fine-tuning of miRNA expression in tetraploid potato

Abstract MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, which modulate the abundance and spatiotemporal accumulation of target mRNAs at transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels and through that play important roles in several biological processes in plants. Here we show that in polyploid species, CRISPR/Cas9 system can be used for fine-tuning of miRNA expression, which can have broader range of applications compared to knock-out mutants. We established the complete pipeline for CRISPR-Cas9-mediated modulation of miRNA expression in potato. It consists of (1) design and assembly of dual sgRNA CRISPR/Cas9 constructs, (2) transient transfection of protoplasts following fast and efficient screening by high resolution melting analysis to select functional sgRNAs, and (3) stable transformation of potato explants with functional sgRNAs and selection of regenerated transgenic lines with desired mutations and desired miRNA abundance based on sequencing and RT-qPCR. We show that miRNA-editing using dual sgRNA approach results in different types of mutations among transgenic lines but also in different alleles of the same plant, which are target site-dependent. The most frequent were short deletions, but we also detected 1-nt insertions (T or G), deletions between two sgRNAs and larger deletions. miRNA abundance correlates with the frequency and type of introduced mutations, as more extensive mutations in more alleles result in lower miRNA abundance. Interestingly, some mutated loci can generate alternative miRNAs, now novel targets were however predicted for those. In all transgenic lines with Cas9 expression, we detected mutations, suggesting high efficiency of Cas9-editing. We confirmed the miRNA-editing efficiency of our optimised approach in two different potato genotypes and three different loci.
Renal manifestations of COVID 19 in children

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an important factor affecting the outcome of hospitalized patients under any disease condition. While a lot has been said and studied about pulmonary manifestations of COVID-19 and multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, this review focuses on its renal manifestations in children with and its complications. For the collection of data, the patient intervention control outcome model was applied to determine all eligible studies. The data was extracted using PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Google Scholar databases using a combination of keywords (AKI, renal failure, kidney disease, children, pediatric, covid-19, SARS COv2). Studies were reviewed after the exclusion of duplicates. The incidence of renal involvement in COVID 19 is up to 10–15%, which is higher than SARS. Both direct and indirect pathogenic mechanisms operate in patients with COVID 19 leading to varied manifestations. While AKI remains the most common manifestation in children admitted to intensive care units, other manifestations like, proteinuria, hematuria, rhabdomyolysis, and thrombotic microangiopathy have also been described in the literature. The children already on immunosuppression due to transplant or immune-mediated renal disorders do not seem to have more severe illness than those without it. The principles of management of AKI in COVID have not been different than other patient groups.
Impact of Yoga Practice on Level of Stress During COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has become a major cause of stress and anxiety worldwide. It has generated stress among people from all sections of society, especially to workers who have been assigned to cater to healthcare service or those constrained to secure daily essential items. Yoga practice is actively sought to achieve reduced anxiety and stress so that improved sleep may positively impact immunity. Objective: The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether those who practice Yoga during the COVID-19 pandemic have lower levels of stress, anxiety, and depression than those who do not. Methods: The sample consists of 51 females who have been attending Yoga sessions for many years and who continued this practice during the COVID-19 pandemic twice a week. The control group consisted of 50 non-Yoga respondents. The survey was conducted during April 2021. The Revised Event Impact Scale (IES-R) (4) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) (Derogatis, 1993) were used to assess stress. Student T-test was used to check the statistical significance of differences. Results: In our research yoga practitioners show a statistically significantly lower average severity of stress symptoms compared to those who do not practice yoga on 5 of the 6 stress indicators shown. The only statistically significant difference was not obtained on the measure of total number of symptoms (PST). Conclusion: The results suggest that yoga practice during COVID-19 pandemic is associated with lower levels of stress, anxiety and depression.
The Added Value of Point-Light Display Observation in Total Knee Arthroplasty Rehabilitation Program: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Background and Objectives: The present study aimed to assess the potential benefit of the observation of rehabilitation-related point-light display in addition to a conventional 3-week rehabilitation program, the objective being to improve functional capacity in patients having undergone total knee arthroplasty. Materials and Methods: Patients randomized in the control group had conventional rehabilitation treatment with two sessions per day 5 days a week of physical therapy (90 min), whereas patients in the experimental group had a program of conventional rehabilitation combined with a point-light display observation two times per day (5 min) and 3 days a week. Results: The patients of both groups had improved their performances by the end of the program, and the pre- and post-test improvement were superior for the experimental group over the control group concerning the total WOMAC score (p = 0.04), the functional WOMAC score (p = 0.03), and correct recognition of point-light displays (p = 0.003). Conclusions: These findings provide new insight favoring systematic point-light display observation to improve functional recovery in patients with total knee arthroplasty.
Age of information and energy efficiency of amplify‐and‐forward relay‐assisted Internet of Things with nonlinear energy harvesting and imperfect channel state information over Nakagami‐ m$$ m $$ fading channels

The emergence of the fifth generation of communication networks (5G) has paved the way for the fast development of Internet of Things (IoT) as well as many real‐time and mission‐critical applications. Because the status update required to be as timely as possible, a new metric termed as age of information (AoI) was born with the ability of capturing the timeliness. However, in practical implementation the sensor is energy constrained and transmits very low‐power signals, which yield high AoI so that the received status update can be stale or even outdated. To overcome this problem, this work proposes an IoT system model by integrating energy harvesting (EH), amplify‐and‐forward (AF) relay cooperation, and short packet communication (SPC) techniques. In the proposed scheme, the relay that is connected to fixed power grid, transfers energy radio frequency signals to charge the sensor and assists forwarding status update by using time switching scheme. The employment of SPC overcomes the freshness loss caused by relay cooperation and EH. Then, this work investigates the AoI and energy efficiency of the proposed scheme under finite block length communications over Nakagami‐ m$$ m $$ fading channels by specially considering channel state information (CSI) and nonlinear EH model. Under these practical constraints, the tractable AF relay transmission model and the end‐to‐end approximated signal‐to‐noise ratio are found. The end‐to‐end block error probability of finite block length transmission is derived, too. Third, under the simultaneous consideration of nonlinear EH and outdated CSI, the statistical descriptions of the time duration for the sensor fully charging its battery are derived as well as the ones of the time intervals of update packet delivery. As a result, the average AoI is achieved with closed‐form expression and the tradeoff model of AoI to energy efficiency is established by simultaneously exploiting outdated CSIs and nonlinearity of EH circuit. The presented numerical analysis exploits the impact of the outdated CSIs and nonlinear EH model and gives the insights of such model.
Thin plate spline model under skew-normal random errors: estimation and diagnostic analysis for spatial data

Expected Maximization (EM) algorithm is often used for estimation in semiparametric models with non-normal observations. However, the EM algorithm’s main disadvantage is its slow convergence rate. In this paper, we propose the Laplace approximation to maximize the marginal likelihood, given a non-linear function assumed as a spline random effect for a skew-normal thin plate spline model. For this, we used automatic differentiation to get the derivatives and provide a numerical evaluation of the Hessian matrix. Comparative simulations and applications between the EM algorithm for thespatial dimension and Laplace approximation were carried out to illustrate the proposed method’s performance. We show that the Laplace approximation is an efficient method, has flexibility to express log-likelihood in a semiparametric model and obtain a fast estimation process for non-normal models. In addition, a local influence analysis was carried out to evaluate the estimation sensitivity.
The eff ects of irradiati on on the oral mucosal cell morphology An electron microscopic study

The surface structure of the superficial cells of the oral mucosa is decorated with numerous membrane ridges, termed microplicae (MPLs). The MPL structure is typical of the epithelial surfaces that are covered with protective mucus. Cell membrane MPLs are no longer seen as passive consequences of cellular activity. The interaction between MPLs and the mucins has been demonstrated, however the role of MPL structure seen on the upper surface of the oral epithelial cells is speculative. The cell surface is of potentially great significance, as it harbors many markers for refined prognosis and targets for oral mucosal diseases and cancer therapy. With these aspects in mind, we conducted the present review of the MPL structure and function in order to form the basis for further studies of MPLs of the oral epithelial cells.
The statistical consultancy workshop as a pedagogical tool

In this article we present and analyse the results of three related experimental studies: (1) the use of statistics in a sample of mathematics education doctoral theses in Spain; (2) the attitudes towards data analysis and statistical consultancy by doctoral students in education; (3) the future statistics consultants perception of their competence for consultancy work. We also describe a project aimed to implement two didactical devices, which would improve the researchers' attitudes and use of statistics and the future consultants' competence. This project would serve to link together prospective consultants and clients within a Statistical Consultancy Unit at the Faculty of Education.