Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sensemaking unraveled: how teachers process school performance feedback data

The present study investigates how Flemish middle school mathematics teachers make sense of schoolperformanfeedback data from low-stakes, external standardised tests. We take an in-depth look into the interpretive steps they take, based on a conceptual model that integrates intuitive and rational aspects of individual and collective sensemaking and empirical data collected in semi-structured interviews. We describe the nature of these sensemaking processes and consider the impact of influencing factors. Our findings demonstrate that the mere availability of school performance feedback data does not spontaneously spark sensemaking, nor does it necessarily lead to improvements in instructionalpractice. Teachers' sensemaking of schoolperformancefeedback data appears to be a largely intuitive process, grounded in external attributions and absent of triangulation. Challenges regarding expertise and lack of inquiry-based attitude and commitment result in superficial and often incorrect interpretations of the data that tend to remain uncorrected as teachers barely engage in collaborative professional dialogue about the data.
GJB2-RELATED NON-SYNDROMIC HEARING LOSS VARIANTS’ SPECTRUM AND THEIR FREQUENCY IN TURKISH POPULATION

Objective: Hearing loss (HL) is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in children and has consequences in speech, language, education, and social functioning which impede the quality of life. Due to the major involvement of the genetic factors in HL, especially non-syndromic HL (NSHL), genetic diagnosis and genetic counseling have a major impact on early management of the affected individuals and their families. Herein, we report the GJB2 gene variants and their frequencies in NSHL cohort at a tertiary health center between 2002-2021 to contribute for the future genetic counseling of Turkish NSHL patients. Materials and Methods: Two exons of the GJB2 gene were amplified in 402 NSHL patients by two separate PCR reactions and sequenced using the Sanger technique. Results: We found 13 different GJB2 variants in 35% (141/402) of the patients with NSHL. 53.9% were homozygous and 33.3% were compound heterozygous for the most common (59.21%) variant, c.35delG. Approximately 13% of the patients were found to carry the variants in the heterozygous state. The most frequent GJB2 variant c.35delG was followed by c.71G>A (6.38%), c. -23+1G>A (3.54%) and c.233delG (2.48%). We found heterozygous p.Asp50Glu (c.150C>A) alteration in four of eight patients with keratitis, ichthyosis, deafness (KID) and palmoplantar kera-toderma (PPK) syndrome. Conclusion
Effect of the Near-Future Climate Change under RCP8.5 on the Heat Stress and Associated Work Performance in Thailand

Increased heat stress affects well-being, comfort, and economic activities across the world. It also causes a significant decrease in work performance, as well as heat-related mortality. This study aims to investigate the impacts of the projected climate change scenario under RCP8.5 on heat stress and associated work performance in Thailand during the years 2020–2029. The model evaluation shows exceptional performance in the present-day simulation (1990–1999) of temperature and relative humidity, with R2 values ranging from 0.79 to 0.87; however, the modeled temperature and relative humidity are all underestimated when compared to observation data by −0.9 °C and −27%, respectively. The model results show that the temperature change will tend to increase by 0.62 °C per decade in the future. This could lead to an increase in the heat index by 2.57 °C if the temperature increases by up to 1.5 °C in Thailand. The effect of climate change is predicted to increase heat stress by 0.1 °C to 4 °C and to reduce work performance in the range of 4% to >10% across Thailand during the years 2020 and 2029.
Brentuximab Vedotin and Pembrolizumab Combination in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Single-Centre Retrospective Analysis

Simple Summary The standard treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients presenting a relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease is salvage chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). With commonly used chemotherapy combinations, 25–30% fail to proceed to ASCT, with poor outcomes. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the efficacy of brentuximab vedotin (BV) and pembrolizumab combination as a bridge to ASCT in R/R HL patients. We retrospectively collected data from 10 patients, 8 male and 2 female, with a median age of 30.7 years. The median follow-up time was 16.5 months, while the median number of received cycles of treatment was 4 (2–7). Eight patients proceeded to ASCT (80%) and seven of them to subsequent BV maintenance, with two early disease progression (PD). The BV and pembrolizumab combination is a very effective bridge treatment to ASCT for high-risk R/R HL patients. Abstract Classical Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients presenting a relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease are currently managed with salvage chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). However, almost 25–30% of these patients fail to achieve a complete response (CR) with standard salvage regimens. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the efficacy of a combination of brentuximab vedotin (BV) and pembrolizumab in a series of HL patients presenting with a high-risk, multi-refractory disease. Patients achieving a Deauville score ≤4 proceeded to ASCT consolidation. After ASCT, patients received BV as maintenance for a total of 16 administrations. We collected data from 10 patients with a median age of 30.7 years. At a median follow-up of 16.5 months, we reported a complete metabolic remission (CMR) in eight patients (80%), with seven patients (70%) directly proceeding to ASCT (the other two patients in CMR are still undergoing treatment). BV consolidation was started in six patients and completed by three patients (one ongoing, two interruption). Two patients (20%) presented a progressive disease (PD) and subsequently died, while the others are still in CMR. The BV and pembrolizumab combination is a very effective bridge treatment to ASCT for high-risk R/R HL patients.
Effect of the silane coupling agent on the physicomechanical properties of EPDM/SBR/AL2O3 rubber blend nanocomposites

In this study, ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM)/styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR) blend nanocomposites filled with alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles were prepared. Al2O3 nanoparticles were used with or without surface treatment by the silane coupling agent bis[3 (triethoxysilyl)propyl]tetrasulfide, and Al2O3 nanoparticle–filled EPDM/SBR was compared with carbon black. The influences of the filler type, size, concentration, and surface property on the curing characteristics, degree of filler dispersion, mechanical properties, and morphological characteristics of the EPDM/SBR nanocomposites were investigated. We found that the mechanical and curing properties of the nanocomposites were enhanced owing to the presence of Al2O3 nanoparticles. The addition of the silane coupling agent further improved the properties of the nanocomposites.
SARS-CoV-2 variants show a gradual declining pathogenicity and pro-inflammatory cytokine spur, an increasing antigenic and antiinflammatory cytokine induction, and rising structural protein instability

Hyper-transmissibility with decreased disease severity are typical characteristics of Omicron variant. To understand this phenomenon, we used various bioinformatics approaches to analyze randomly selected genome sequences (one each) of the Gamma, Delta, and Omicron variants submitted to NCBI from 15 to 31 December 2021. We show that: (i) Pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 variants decreases in the order: Wuhan > Gamma > Delta > Omicron; however, the antigenic property follows the order: Omicron > Gamma > Wuhan > Delta. (ii) Omicron Spike RBD has lower pathogenicity but higher antigenicity than other variants. (iii) Decreased disease severity by Omicron variant may be due to its decreased pro-inflammatory and IL-6 stimulation and increased IFN-γ and IL-4 induction efficacy. (iv) Mutations in N protein are associated with decreased IL-6 induction and human DDX21-mediated increased IL-4 production in Omicron. (v) Due to mutations, the stability of S, M, N, and E proteins decreases in the order: Omicron > Gamma > Delta > Wuhan. (vi) Stronger Spike RBD-hACE2 binding in Omicron is associated with increased transmissibility. However, the lowest stability of the Omicron Spike protein makes Spike RBD-hACE2 interaction weak for systemic infection and for causing severe disease. Finally (vii), the highest instability of Omicron E protein may also be associated with decreased viral maturation and low viral load leading to less severe disease and faster recovery. Our method may be used for other similar viruses, and these findings will contribute to the understanding of the dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 variants and the management of emerging variants.
ORCHID: A phase II study of olaparib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma patients harboring a BAP1 or other DNA repair gene mutations.

TPS400 Background: Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC) comprises a wide set of heterogenous tumors, many of which are increasingly recognized with alterations that affect genomic instability. Several studies demonstrated that DNA repair pathways are frequently disrupted in RCC. Recent In vitro studies have shown that RCC cells are sensitive to PARP inhibitors, with subsequent increased DNA replication stress, DNA synthesis suppression and eventual increased cell cycle arrest. In addition, other studies demonstrated reduced repair of double stranded DNA (dsDNA) breaks following conditional knockout of BAP-1 suggesting that PARP inhibitors may result in synthetic lethality in the setting of BAP-1 inactivation. In light of this we have initiated a phase 2 clinical trial to examine the activity of the PAPR inhibitor olaparib in metastatic RCC with BAP-1 and select DNA repair gene alterations. Methods: This is an open-label, single-arm, investigator-initiated phase II trial of olaparib in patients with metastatic RCC (NCT03786796). Eligibility criteria include age ≥18 years; histologically confirmed, unresectable, locally advanced or mRCC; disease progression after at least one VEGF targeted therapy or immune-checkpoint inhibitor, evidence of deleterious somatic or germline DDR gene alteration ( BAP1, ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, PALB2, CHEK2, BRIP1, RAD51C, BARD1, CDK12, CHEK1, FANCL, PP2R2A, RAD51B, RAD51D, or RAD54L). A total of 20 patients will be enrolled with the primary endpoint of disease control rate (defined as complete response [CR], partial response [PR], or stable disease [SD]) at six months of treatment) according to RECIST version 1.1. Patients will be treated with olaparib at an initial dose of 150mg by mouth twice daily. If olaparib is tolerated without any grade > 3 adverse events after one month, the dose will be increased to the FDA-approved dose of 300mg by mouth twice daily. Patients will be followed monthly with clinic visits, safety labs, and toxicity assessments. Treatment will be continued until radiographic progression (RECIST version 1.1) or unmanageable toxicity requiring drug cessation. Secondary endpoints include progression-free survival, best overall response, and safety. The study is currently open to enrollment. Clinical trial information: NCT03786796.
Hints of Independence in a Pre-scripted World: On Controlled Usage of Open-domain Language Models for Chatbots in Highly Sensitive Domains

Open-domain large language models have progressed to generating natural-sounding and coherent text. Even though the generated texts appear human-like, the main stumbling block is that their output is never fully predictable, which runs the risk of resulting in harmful content such as false statements or inflammatory language. This makes it difficult to apply these models in highly sensitive domains including personal health counselling. Hence, most of the chatbots for highly sensitive domains are developed using pre-scripted approaches. Although pre-scripted approaches are highly controlled, they suffer from repetitiveness and scalability issues. In this paper, we explore the possibility of combining the best of both worlds. We propose and describe in detail a new, flexible expert-driven hybrid architecture for harnessing the benefits of large language models in a controlled manner for highly sensitive domains and discuss the expectations and challenges.
Gla-Rich Protein, Magnesium and Phosphate Associate with Mitral and Aortic Valves Calcification in Diabetic Patients with Moderate CKD

Accelerated and premature cardiovascular calcification is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Valvular calcification (VC) is a critical indicator of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in this population, lacking validated biomarkers for early diagnosis. Gla-rich protein (GRP) is a cardiovascular calcification inhibitor recently associated with vascular calcification, pulse pressure, mineral metabolism markers and kidney function. Here, we examined the association between GRP serum levels and mitral and aortic valves calcification in a cohort of 80 diabetic patients with CKD stages 2–4. Mitral and aortic valves calcification were detected in 36.2% and 34.4% of the patients and associated with lower GRP levels, even after adjustments for age and gender. In this pilot study, univariate, multivariate and Poisson regression analysis, show that low levels of GRP and magnesium (Mg), and high levels of phosphate (P) are associated with mitral and aortic valves calcification. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the area under the curve (AUC) values of GRP for mitral (0.762) and aortic (0.802) valves calcification were higher than those of Mg and P. These results suggest that low levels of GRP and Mg, and high levels of P, are independent and cumulative risk factors for VC in this population; the GRP diagnostic value might be potentially useful in cardiovascular risk assessment.
Developing Students' Competencies and Academic Performance through Academe- Industry Partnership

This study determined the students' competencies and academic performance of engineering students through Academe- Industry Partnership of the Lyceum of the Philippines University in Batangas City. Descriptive type of research was utilized in the study. Engineering interns have very high competencies in terms of attitude with high performance in personality. There is a significant difference in the internship performance rating of engineering interns, wherein computer engineering interns obtained significantly higher ratings than Mechanical and Industrial Engineering interns. Mechanical Engineering students with high average rating in Industrial and Power Plant Engineering tend to obtain high competencies during internship.
Quadratus Lumborum Block Reduces Postoperative Pain Scores and Opioids Consumption in Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Meta-Analysis

Quadratus lumborum block (QL) is a relatively new regional anesthesia technique that has been used in different surgeries for improved outcomes. There are few case reports and studies about its role in total hip arthroplasty with variable effects. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of QL block on postoperative pain control, opioid consumption, and the incidence of postoperative adverse events in total hip arthroplasty surgeries. A systematic review of the scientific literature addressing the use of QL block in hip arthroplasty was performed following the PRISMA guidelines and using the online database databases, Medline and Science Direct. We registered this review with the PROSPERO database in May 2021 (reference number-CRD42021247055). Two authors performed the literature searches in June 2021 and repeated them in July 2021 to ensure accuracy. Review Manager software (RevMan for Mac, version 5.4; Cochrane Collaboration, Oxford, United Kingdom) was used to perform a meta-analysis of studies included in our review. Five randomized controlled trials were identified for inclusion (n=394) in our meta-analysis. The results demonstrated a beneficial effect of QL block in pain control at 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively after hip arthroplasty (p <0.05). Opioid consumption for 24 hours was significantly reduced in the QL group (p=0.010). Our study also demonstrated that QL block is associated with a significant reduction in postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) (p=0.04). In conclusion, QL block can provide significantly better pain control after total hip arthroplasty at 6, 12, and 24 hours postoperatively. It also results in significantly reduced 24 hour-opioid consumption. This block is also associated with a lesser incidence of PONV and a better satisfaction level postoperatively.
Back-Carrying in Children Is Related to Lower Limb Development

Back-carrying of children is a culturally accepted method of transport and safekeeping of babies in many cultures. Developmental consequences related to back-carrying practices have not been directly investigated. This study determined the relationship between frontal and transverse plane lower limb (LL) development, and back-carrying practices, in black Setswana-speaking children. In 691 2- to 9-year-old Setswana-speaking children, the tibiofemoral angle, intermalleolar distance, femoral anteversion angle (AVA) and tibial torsion angle (TTA), were measured to determine LL development. Back-carrying practices were recorded with a questionnaire and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) was used for the analyses. Significant (p < 0.001) relationships, between back-carrying practices and LL development, were discovered. Statistically significant greater genu valgum (F(5, 690) = 7.2, p < 0.001), greater internal TTAs (F(9, 684) = 17.8, p < 0.001), and smaller AVAs (F(13, 685) = 5.1, p < 0.001) were observed in children back-carried more frequently than children back-carried less frequently. There are relationships between back-carrying practices and LL development in both the frontal and transverse plane. However, the genu valgum, internal TTA and smaller AVA noted in more frequently back-carried children is still within normal limits, thus no educational intervention in back-carrying methods or durations is required. Further research should determine the exact back-carrying practice factors (age until which the child is back-carried) impacting lower limb development the greatest.
Markers of Carotid Plaque Destabilization in Patients With Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a nightly respiratory condition characterized by intermittent hypoxia, leading to oxidative stress, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. However, most cellular markers of human carotid plaques in SDB have not yet been assessed. We aimed at characterizing the cellular, inflammatory, and nitro-oxidative stress markers in carotid plaques obtained from 25 patients undergoing endarterectomy and screened for SDB. Sleep studies were performed during their preoperative hospitalization night using the Watch-PAT 100 device. Oxygen desaturation index (ODI) was used for dividing patients into two groups. Fourteen patients with ODI >5 were designated as SDB and 11 patients with ODI ≤ 5 as non-SDB. Demographics, comorbidities, cardiovascular risk factors, and medications were recorded. Cellular markers in plaques were analyzed by immunofluorescence using confocal microscopy. The expression of neutrophils was identified by CD66b+ and neutrophil elastase, macrophage-foam cells were identified by CD163+, and scavenger receptors by CD68+ and CD36+ expression. Additional markers included 3-nitrotyrosine, endothelial CD31, and smooth muscle cell-actin (SMC-actin). Plaques' lipids were determined by immunohistochemistry with Oil Red O staining. Notably, significantly higher values were found for SDB as compared to patients with non-SDB for 3-nitrotyrosine (p <0.004) and intracellular lipids' content (p <0.02), whereas SMC-actin was lower (p <0.006). There were no significant differences between patients with carotid-associated symptoms (symptomatic) and patients without carotid-associated symptoms (asymptomatic). However, a sub-group of symptomatic patients with co-existent SDB expressed the highest 3-nitrotyrosin, and intracellular lipids levels, and the lowest SMC-actin levels, whereas non-SDB/asymptomatic patients expressed the lowest 3-nitrotyrosin and lipids levels and the highest SMS-actin levels among all patients. Accordingly, ODI was lowest in non-SDB/asymptomatic patients and highest in SDB/symptomatic. In conclusion, plaques of patients with SDB were characterized by markedly increased levels of 3-nitrotyrosine and intracellular lipids content. Conversely, SMC-actin levels were significantly lower. These three markers, such as increased 3-nitrotyrosine and intracellular lipids and decreased SMC-actin are associated with plaque vulnerability and instability. These findings are in line with earlier reports demonstrating increased intima-media thickness in large cohorts of sleep apnea and patients with SDB, and thus, may indicate a higher susceptibility to plaque vulnerability and rapture in patients with SDB.
Self-Consistent Learning of Neural Dynamical Systems From Noisy Time Series

We introduce a new method which, for a single noisy time series, provides unsupervised filtering, state space reconstruction, efficient learning of the unknown governing multivariate dynamical system, and deterministic forecasting. We construct both the underlying trajectories and a latent dynamical system using deep neural networks. Under the assumption that the trajectories follow the latent dynamical system, we determine the unknowns of the dynamical system, and filter out stochastic outliers in the measurements. In this sense the method is self-consistent. The embedding dimension is determined iteratively during the training by using the false-nearest-neighbors Algorithm and it is implemented as an attention map to the state vector. This allows for a state space reconstruction without a priori information on the signal. By exploiting the differentiability of the neural solution trajectory, we can define the neural dynamical system locally at each time, mitigating the need for forward and backwards passing through numerical solvers of the canonical adjoint method. On a chaotic time series masked by additive Gaussian noise, we demonstrate that the denoising ability and the predictive power of the proposed method are mainly due to the self-consistency, insensitive to methods used for the state space reconstruction.
Correlation Between Serum AMH Levels and Cardiometabolic Indices in PCOS Women

Introduction: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has a predilection for several cardio-metabolic disorders in future. Levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), a marker of ovarian ageing, are higher in women with PCOS women than in controls. However, whether and how AMH concentrations influence the cardio-metabolic risk in PCOS is yet to be established. Objectives: This study was done to determine the correlation between AMH levels and various cardiometabolic parameters in women with PCOS and to compare AMH levels in PCOS with and without metabolic syndrome (MS). Materials and Methods: In total, 144 women aged 20–40 years and diagnosed as PCOS by the Rotterdam criteria were included in this cross-sectional study. Their anthropometry and blood pressure were recorded. Fasting lipid profile, fasting glucose, fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance, total testosterone, and AMH were estimated. The correlation between AMH and cardiometabolic parameters was determined. Results: Serum AMH levels had no correlation with any component of MS. The AMH values were comparable between those with and without MS despite differences in the metabolic profile (11.39 ± 5.31 vs 11.56 ± 5.64 ng/mL, P = 0.861). Conclusion: AMH levels do not correlate with components of MS so it may not be useful as an indicator of cardiovascular risk, insulin resistance, or MS in PCOS.