Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Left Atrial Volume Index Predicts New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke Recurrence in Patients with Embolic Stroke of Undetermined Source

Introduction: It is unclear which surrogate of atrial cardiopathy best predicts the risk of developing a recurrent ischemic stroke in embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). Left atrial diameter (LAD) and LAD index (LADi) are often used as markers of left atrial enlargement in current ESUS research, but left atrial volume index (LAVi) has been found to be a better predictor of cardiovascular outcomes in other patient populations. Objective: We aim to compare the performance of LAVi, LAD, and LADi in predicting the development of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) and stroke recurrence in ESUS. Methods: Between October 2014 and October 2017, consecutive patients diagnosed with ESUS were followed for new-onset AF, ischemic stroke recurrence, and a composite outcome of occult AF and stroke recurrence. LAVi and LADi were measured by transthoracic echocardiogram; “high” LAVi was defined as ≥35 mL/m2 in accordance with American Society of Echocardiography guidelines. Results: 185 ischemic stroke patients with ESUS were recruited and followed for a median duration of 2.1 years. Increased LAVi was associated with new-onset AF detection (aOR 1.08; 95% CI 1.03–1.14; p = 0.003) and stroke recurrence (aOR 1.05; 95% CI 1.01–1.10; p = 0.026). Patients with “high” LAVi had a higher likelihood of developing a composite of AF detection and stroke recurrence (HR 3.45; 95% CI 1.55–7.67; p = 0.002). No significant association was observed between LADi and either occult AF or stroke recurrence. Conclusions: LAVi is associated with new-onset AF and stroke recurrence in ESUS patients and may be a better surrogate of atrial cardiopathy.
Observation of Reduced Homeostatic Metabolic Activity and/or Coupling in White Matter Aging

Transvascular water exchange plays a key role in the functional integrity of the blood–brain barrier (BBB). In white matter (WM), a variety of imaging modalities have demonstrated age‐related changes in structure and metabolism, but the extent to which water exchange is altered remains unclear. Here, we investigated the cumulative effects of healthy aging on WM capillary water exchange.
Outcome after surgical management of canine insulinoma in 49 cases.

Canine insulinoma has historically been associated with a poor prognosis, however prolonged survival times have recently been reported. Prognostic indicators that are available preoperatively are of limited predictive accuracy, and consensus on post-operative treatment recommendations is lacking. The objectives of this study were to describe outcomes in dogs with insulinoma treated surgically, and to assess whether selected potential risk factors are strongly associated with outcomes after surgery. Medical records of two institutions were searched for dogs with insulinoma that were treated surgically. Forty-nine dogs were included. Thirty-nine dogs (80%) had immediate resolution of hypoglycaemia and 10 (20%) remained persistently hypoglycaemic postoperatively. The median survival time (MST) for all dogs was 561 days. The MST for dogs that had resolution of hypoglycaemia was 746 days. The median of the overall euglycaemic time (times from surgery to first detection of hypoglycaemia at any time point after surgery) for all dogs was 424 days. Forty-four percent of those that had resolution of hypoglycaemia experienced recurrence of hypoglycaemia by 2 years postoperatively. Pathological stage was a predictor of persistent postoperative hypoglycemia which, in turn, was a predictor of survival time. These results show that dogs with insulinoma can have prolonged survival, and that pathological stage is a predictor of outcome. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
ELEVEN NEW SPECIES OF THE GENUS INDONEMOURA BAUMANN (PLECOPTERA: NEMOURIDAE) FROM THAILAND AND VIETNAM

Eleven new species of Indonemoura Baumann are proposed from Thailand and Vietnam specimens and a tentative Thai record for I. javanica (Banks) is reported. New species include I. angulata sp. n. , I. auberti sp. n. , I. bilobata sp. n. , I. chantaramongkolae sp. n. , I. clavata sp. n, I. forcipata sp. n. , I. horvati sp. n. , I. malickyi sp. n. , I. reducta sp. n. , I. rostrilobata sp. n and I. tricantha sp. n. A provisional regional key for male Indonemoura is presented, and a group of closely related species, including I. clavata, is recognized as the I. fujianensis complex.
Application of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) as a replacer of soybean meal in broiler chickens feeding

Abstract. Contemporarily, the production of high-grade ethyl alcohol enables obtaining dried distillers decoction that contains post-fermentation residues of cereal grains, solubles as well as yeast cells and their metabolites multiplied in the fermentation process, which makes that product applicable also in poultry feeding. Experiments were conducted on 540 broiler chickens of COBB 500 line. One-day chicks were randomly allocated to 3 nutritional groups: K, D1 and D2, each group consisted of 6 replicates of 30 birds. The factor that differentiated the groups was the content of dried wheat decoction in the starter type feed mixture (5% and 7%). Production results (individual body weight, feed intake and mortality) of the birds were controlled in a 42-day rearing period. On the 42nd day of rearing, 6 male and 6 female chickens from each group were chosen for slaughter that had body weights similar to the average of each group according to gender. The aim of this study was to determine experimentally whether the by-product of ethanol production is suitable for replacing soybean meal in feeding broiler chickens. The application of the wheat decoction had no negative effect on production results of the chickens. The birds fed a mixture with a higher content of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) were characterised by a similar body weight and better feed conversion ratio compared to the control birds. A properly-balanced (fibre, energy, amino acids) nutritional dose of the dried wheat decoction may be used as a good energy-protein component in feed mixtures for broilers. It is a rational means of DDGS management which is, simultaneously, a cheaper substitute for soybean meal.
High electron density β-(Al0.17Ga0.83)2O3/Ga2O3 modulation doping using an ultra-thin (1 nm) spacer layer

This report discusses the design and demonstration of β-(Al0.17Ga0.83)2O3/Ga2O3 modulation doped heterostructures to achieve high sheet charge density. The use of a thin spacer layer between the Si delta-doping and the heterojunction interface was investigated in a β-(AlGa)2O3/Ga2O3 modulation doped structure. It is shown that this strategy enables a higher two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) sheet charge density up to 4.7 × 1012 cm−2 with an effective mobility of 150 cm2/V s. The presence of a degenerate 2DEG channel was confirmed by the measurement of a low temperature effective mobility of 375 cm2/V s and the lack of carrier freeze out from low temperature capacitance voltage measurements. The electron density of 4.7 × 1012 cm−2 is the highest reported 2DEG density obtained without parallel conducting channels in a β-(AlxGa(1−x))2O3/Ga2O3 heterostructure system.
Association of Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor or Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Use With COVID-19 Diagnosis and Mortality.

Importance It has been hypothesized that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs)/angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) may make patients more susceptible to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and to worse outcomes through upregulation of the functional receptor of the virus, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2. Objective To examine whether use of ACEI/ARBs was associated with COVID-19 diagnosis and worse outcomes in patients with COVID-19. Design, Setting, and Participants To examine outcomes among patients with COVID-19, a retrospective cohort study using data from Danish national administrative registries was conducted. Patients with COVID-19 from February 22 to May 4, 2020, were identified using ICD-10 codes and followed up from day of diagnosis to outcome or end of study period (May 4, 2020). To examine susceptibility to COVID-19, a Cox regression model with a nested case-control framework was used to examine the association between use of ACEI/ARBs vs other antihypertensive drugs and the incidence rate of a COVID-19 diagnosis in a cohort of patients with hypertension from February 1 to May 4, 2020. Exposures ACEI/ARB use was defined as prescription fillings 6 months prior to the index date. Main Outcomes and Measures In the retrospective cohort study, the primary outcome was death, and a secondary outcome was a composite outcome of death or severe COVID-19. In the nested case-control susceptibility analysis, the outcome was COVID-19 diagnosis. Results In the retrospective cohort study, 4480 patients with COVID-19 were included (median age, 54.7 years [interquartile range, 40.9-72.0]; 47.9% men). There were 895 users (20.0%) of ACEI/ARBs and 3585 nonusers (80.0%). In the ACEI/ARB group, 18.1% died within 30 days vs 7.3% in the nonuser group, but this association was not significant after adjustment for age, sex, and medical history (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.83 [95% CI, 0.67-1.03]). Death or severe COVID-19 occurred in 31.9% of ACEI/ARB users vs 14.2% of nonusers by 30 days (adjusted HR, 1.04 [95% CI, 0.89-1.23]). In the nested case-control analysis of COVID-19 susceptibility, 571 patients with COVID-19 and prior hypertension (median age, 73.9 years; 54.3% men) were compared with 5710 age- and sex-matched controls with prior hypertension but not COVID-19. Among those with COVID-19, 86.5% used ACEI/ARBs vs 85.4% of controls; ACEI/ARB use compared with other antihypertensive drugs was not significantly associated with higher incidence of COVID-19 (adjusted HR, 1.05 [95% CI, 0.80-1.36]). Conclusions and Relevance Prior use of ACEI/ARBs was not significantly associated with COVID-19 diagnosis among patients with hypertension or with mortality or severe disease among patients diagnosed as having COVID-19. These findings do not support discontinuation of ACEI/ARB medications that are clinically indicated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Role of the Academic and Political Empowerment of Women in Economic, Social and Managerial Empowerment: The Case of Saudi Arabia

Women may be considered to have hidden, unutilized potential for the economy and society, if not utilized at their full capacity, i.e., with effective educational, social and political policies. Allowing women to participate fully in an economy may contribute to the sustainable development of the country in question. The empowerment of women may be accelerated if women are educated for this purpose; as a result, the political authorities in Saudi Arabia have proposed a comprehensive framework to empower women. The empowerment of women is essential in the academic sector to develop educational policies for women’s capacity-building. The empowerment of women in the political process is also very important, so they can suggest appropriate policies, rules and laws that favor the empowerment of women in all sectors of the economy and society. The present research aims at testing the effects of academic and political empowerment on the economic, social and managerial empowerment of women, and opens a new horizon of debate in the practical and theoretical domain of female empowerment in Saudi Arabia. To this end, we utilized structural equation modeling due to the endogenous nature of relationships among the hypothesized variables. Perception-based data were collected on the political, academic, economic, social and managerial empowerment of women through a well-structured questionnaire. The data were collected during the period from October 2019 to January 2020 through a simple random sampling method. Then, we tested the direct effect of political empowerment, and its indirect effects through academic empowerment, on the economic, social and managerial empowerment of women. We found that political empowerment has a positive direct effect on economic and managerial empowerment, but an insignificant effect on social empowerment. Further, political empowerment has a positive direct effect on academic empowerment, which, in turn, has positive effects on economic, social and managerial female empowerment. Moreover, these indirect effects are found to be magnitudes larger than the direct effects of political empowerment. This study recommends improving the economic, social and political status of women through political and academic policies, to accelerate sustainable development.
Cultivar evaluation and mega-environment investigation of Dioscorea cayenensis cultivars in Ghana based on the GGE biplot analysis

Cultivar evaluation and mega-environment identification are the most important objectives of multi-environment trials (MET). The objective of this study was to assess the effect of genotype and genotype x environment interaction on the tuber yield of 18 yellow yam (D. cayenensis L.) genotypes via GGE (genotype plus genotype x environment) biplot methodology. Experiments were conducted using a completely randomized design (RCD) 4 years at 3 locations (12 environments). The biplot analysis identified three D. cayenensis mega-environments in Ghana. The first mega-environment contained Wenchi 2002 (WEN02) with G10 as the winning genotype; Genotype 16 won in the second mega-environment consisting of Wenchi 2004 (WEN04), Bodwease 2001 (BOD01), Bodwease (BOD02), Fumesua 2001 (FUM01),Wenchi 2003 (WEN03), Bodwease 2004 (BOD04) and Fumesua 2002 (FUM02) and the winning genotype at Fumesua 2003 (FUM03), Wenchi 2001 (WEN01), Bodwease 2003 (BOD03) and Fumesua 2004 (FUM04) (the third mega-environment) was Genotype 17. Two thirds of the tested genotypes were identified as redundant. Genotype 16 was the most stable and highest yielding genotype and Genotype 11 the poorest. Genotypes 16 and 17 were closest to the ideal genotype. FUM02 and BOD04 were closest to the ideal environment with BOD04 as the best and WEN02 the poorest environment.
Making the most of game theory in the supplier selection process for complex items

Abstract There has been a growing interest in the application of game-theory to enhance the impact of supplier selection processes, but existing applications have been focused on commodity products. Therefore, scholars have recently called for further research into the use of game-theory to develop supplier selection processes for more complex products. The aim of this paper is to contribute by discussing the design and implementation of a novel supplier selection process based on game-theory through an empirical study of a construction project for an automotive company. The novelty of this research stems from the application of game-theory to design and implement a two-phase supplier selection process, combining a modified Japanese-auction with a structured bargaining process, and evaluating its impact in the context of complex items. Findings suggest that two-phase processes can enhance the effectiveness of the supplier selection by increasing competition and generating better predictions of the outcomes from the negotiation.
Presenting prevalence, characteristics and outcome of asthmatic patients with T2 diseases in hospitalized subjects with COVID-19 in Madrid, Spain.

1 Allergy, Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz and Instituto de Investigación sanitaria (IIS) Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid 2 Immunology, Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz and Instituto de Investigación sanitaria (IIS) Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid 3 Rheumatology, Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz and Instituto de Investigación sanitaria (IIS) Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid 4 Pulmunology, Hospital Universitario Fundación Jiménez Díaz and Instituto de Investigación sanitaria (IIS) Fundación Jiménez Díaz, Madrid 5 CIBER de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES).
Dynamic flux balance analysis of biomass and lipid production by Antarctic thraustochytrid Oblongichytrium sp. RT2316‐13

Production of biomass and lipids in batch cultures of the Antarctic thraustochytrid Oblongichytrium sp. RT2316‐13, is reported. The microorganism proved capable of producing nearly 67% docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and 15% eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) in its total lipid fraction. Biomass with a maximum total lipid content of 33.5% (wt/wt) could be produced at 15°C in batch culture using a medium containing glucose (20 g/L), yeast extract (10.5 g/L), and other minor components. A lower culture temperature (5°C) reduced biomass and lipid productivities compared to culture at 15°C, but enhanced the DHA and EPA content of the lipids by 6.4‐ and 3.3‐fold, respectively. Both a simple minimally structured mathematical model and a more complex genome‐scale metabolic model (GEM) allowed the fermentation profiles in batch cultures to be satisfactorily simulated, but the GEM provided much greater insight in the biochemical and physiological phenomena underlying the observed behavior. Unlike the simpler model, the GEM could be interrogated for the possible effects of various external factors such as oxygen supply, on the expected outcomes. In silico predictions of oxygen effects were consistent with literature observations for DHA producing thraustochytrids.
Trend and Characteristics of Acinetobacter baumannii Infections in Patients Attending Universal College of Medical Sciences, Bhairahawa, Western Nepal: A Longitudinal Study of 2018

Background Acinetobacter baumannii is one of the major organisms causing nosocomial infections and is intrinsically resistant to multiple classes of antibiotics. The main objective of this study was to investigate the trend and characteristics of A. baumannii infections including its resistance pattern among patients attending Universal College of Medical Sciences, Teaching Hospital (UCMSTH) in Western Nepal, between January and December 2018. Patients and Methods A total of 4862 clinical samples received at the microbiology laboratory of UCMSTH over a period of a year were analyzed. Following bacterial culture on the samples, culture-positive isolates were tested for antibiotic susceptibility using a modified Kirby–Bauer method. The demographic profile of the patient, information about samples, and the antibiotic profile of the A. baumannii isolated from different samples were recorded and analyzed. Results A total of 1180 (24.2%; 1180/4862) organisms were isolated from the total samples. Acinetobacter baumannii (12.4%; 147/1180) was the third most common organism. Prevalence of A. baumannii was found to be high in late summer/early winter (July: 15.9%; 18/113 and December: 18.8%; 13/69). The majority 71.4% (n=105) of A. baumannii isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR). None of the isolate was pan-drug resistant. Colistin, polymyxin B, and tigecycline were 100% sensitive to A. baumannii. MDR bacteria were significantly associated with the gender of the patients [female: 51.4% (54/105) versus male: 48.6% (51/105); p=0.05], clinical specimens [swab: 40% (42/105) sputum: 21.9% (23/105) and urine: 10.5% (11/105); p=0.02] and different wards of the hospital [surgery: 30.5% (32/105); ICU: 21.9% (23/105) and medicine: 19.0% (20/105); p< 0.03]. Conclusion The high burden of MDR Acinetobacter isolates in clinical specimens shows an alarming presence of antimicrobial resistance. Two-thirds of the specimens showed MDR and were associated with demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. In the management of infectious diseases at UCMSTH, there should be a high suspicion of Acinetobacter infection, and isolation and treatment should be carried out based on an antibiotic susceptibility test.
A One-Body, Laminated-Rotor Flywheel Switched Reluctance Machine for Energy Storage: Design Trade-Offs

A critical aspect of distributed generation systems focuses on the installation of Electrical Energy Storage Systems in customer-side facilities. In this scenario, flywheel technology is challenged to provide high levels of safety, compactness and competitive cost. This work presents a novel, one-body flywheel scheme based on a switched reluctance machine, whose laminated rotor fulfils both the motor/generator and energy storage functions. The one-body architecture enhances compactness and robustness, whereas the laminated rotor ensures high safety. The design of this flywheel scheme is characterised by a widely different set of trade-offs compared to conventional schemes. In order to prove the feasibility of the proposed scheme and to highlight its design trade-offs, a 60kW, 2.2kWh one-body flywheel is presented as a case study, along with some preliminary experimental results.
Testing the transdiagnostic hypothesis of inhibitory control deficits in addictions: An experimental study on gambling disorder

Abstract Background and aims Many psychopathologies, including addictions, are characterized by inhibitory control deficits. In this regard, recent studies on substance-related disorders (SRD) have shown an impairment in the ability to inhibit potentially interfering memories, despite preserved motor inhibition. To investigate whether the same dissociation could also characterize gambling disorder (GD) in a transdiagnostic perspective, we tested both cognitive and motor inhibitory processes through dedicated tasks, for the first time in this behavioral addiction. Methods 30 outpatients with GD and 30 healthy controls performed a go/no-go task addressing the integrity of motor inhibition, and the Retrieval Practice Paradigm, a task addressing the integrity of memory inhibition as indexed by the Retrieval-Induced Forgetting (RIF) effect. Self-report questionnaires assessing impulsivity were also administered. Results Whereas RIF was similar across the two groups, patients showed more commission errors in the go/no-go task, and higher self-rated scores of impulsivity than controls. Discussion The present findings suggest preserved memory inhibition and impaired motor response inhibition in GD, a pattern of inhibitory deficits opposite to that previously reported for SRD. Therefore, although both GD and SRD are characterized by altered inhibitory processing, a more fine-grained analysis revealed a specific inhibitory profile indicating vulnerability in different inhibitory components. Conclusion The present study highlights the need to investigate the multifaceted construct of inhibition more thoroughly, using performance measures able to assess its various components. This approach would enable to both better characterize different psychopathologies and orient their treatment.
Single-phase and correlated-phase estimation with multiphoton annihilated squeezed vacuum states: An energy-balancing scenario

In recent years, several works have demonstrated the advantage of photon-subtracted Gaussian states for various quantum optics and information protocols. In most of these works, the relation between the advantages and the usual increasing energy of the quantum state related to photon subtraction was not clearly investigated. In this paper, we study the performance of an interferometer injected with multiphoton-annihilated squeezed vacuum states mixed with coherent states for both single- and correlated-phase estimations. For single-phase estimation, although the use of multiphoton-annihilated squeezed vacuum states at low mean photons per mode provides an advantage compared to classical strategy, when the total input energy is held fixed, the advantage due to photon subtraction is completely lost. However, for the correlated case in the analogous scenario, some advantage appears to come from both the energy rise and improvement in photon statistics. In particular quantum enhanced sensitivity with photon-subtracted states appears more robust to losses, showing an advantage of about $30%$ with respect to the squeezed vacuum state in the case of a realistic value of the detection efficiency.