Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Consumer Perception and Intended Adoption of Autonomous-Vehicle Technology: Findings from a University Population Survey

Emerging automotive and transportation technologies, such as autonomous vehicles (AVs) have created revolutionary possibilities in the way we might travel in the future. Major car manufacturers and technology giants have demonstrated significant progress in advancing and testing AV technologies in real-life traffic conditions. Multivariate analysis of a university population survey conducted in April 2015 indicates that respondents perceived more productive use of travel time as the primary benefit with AVs, with the performance of the AV in unexpected traffic situations being the primary concern. It was also found that nearly half of the respondents (46%) were likely to use AVs when they become available. Simply looking at the demographic differences without regard to other factors such as consumers’ general travel characteristics, crash history, familiarity, and the perceptions might suggest that the demographic differences are the primary causal factors behind the differences observed in the intended adoption of AVs. This study investigates the role of demographics and other factors (current travel characteristics, crash history, and familiarity with AVs) on consumers’ perceptions and intended adoption of AVs with a view of disentangling one factor from the other. Results show that the observed demographic differences in intended adoption rates are due to demographic differences in the perceptions of the benefits and concerns with AVs. The study outcomes suggest that while demographic level interventions are necessary, it may be more beneficial to first address consumers’ perceptions of the benefits and concerns regarding AVs. The results from this study can be used to inform policy discussions relevant to future market penetration of AV technology.
The Development of Electronic Practicum Modules at Electronic Course for Physics Education Program

This study aimed to design a practicum module in electronics courses. The researcher initially carried out the developed module to analyze the level of validity and students’ responses to the electronic practicum module that the researcher had created. The module developed was validated by two experts. The subjects of this research were students of the Physics Education Program at the Muhammadiyah University of Makassar in the odd semester in the academic year of 2019/2020. This research employed a Research and Development (R&D) design. The development was carried out using the 4D model with four stages: Define, Design, Develop and Disseminate proposed by Thiagarajan. The results showed that the expert assessment of the electronic practicum module that had been developed using the Gregory test closeness model obtained a strong relevance level because it had an internal consistency coefficient of 100% and was declared to meet the eligibility criteria (valid). The percentages of students’ responses in the three indicators (interested in using the module, easy to understand the module content and easyto-understand module language) were 83%, 81 %, and 81%, respectively. Based on the description above, it can be concluded that the electronic practicum module developed is declared valid, and students respond well to the use of the electronics practicum module.
An estrogen-sensitive hypothalamus-midbrain neural circuit controls thermogenesis and physical activity

Estrogen receptor–α (ERα) expressed by neurons in the ventrolateral subdivision of the ventromedial hypothalamic nucleus (ERαvlVMH) regulates body weight in females, but the downstream neural circuits mediating this biology remain largely unknown. Here we identified a neural circuit mediating the metabolic effects of ERαvlVMH neurons. We found that selective activation of ERαvlVMH neurons stimulated brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, physical activity, and core temperature and that ERαvlVMH neurons provide monosynaptic glutamatergic inputs to 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). Notably, the ERαvlVMH → DRN circuit responds to changes in ambient temperature and nutritional states. We further showed that 5-HTDRN neurons mediate the stimulatory effects of ERαvlVMH neurons on BAT thermogenesis and physical activity and that ERα expressed by DRN-projecting ERαvlVMH neurons is required for the maintenance of energy balance. Together, these findings support a model that ERαvlVMH neurons activate BAT thermogenesis and physical activity through stimulating 5-HTDRN neurons.
Statistical study of the low pressure systems during summer monsoon season over the Indian region

The occurrence of a closed low pressure area due to low, depression or cyclonic storm is termed as Low Pressure System (LPS). LPS plays an important role in the distribution of rainfall during the southwest monsoon season. Lows produce widespread rainfall as compared to depressions and cyclonic storms which yield concentrated rainfall over a smaller area. The distribution of rainfall depends upon the track and life span of LPS. Most of the LPS formed over the Bay of Bengal travel in northwest direction strengthening the rainfall activities over the large parts of the country. In this study, the LPS formed during the monsoon season, June to September for the period 1891-2000 over the region covering India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea are taken into account. The duration of LPS is also studied in terms of LPS Days during the monsoon season. The statistical analysis of LPS and LPS Days is carried out for the monsoon months and for the monsoon season as a whole, for the period 1891-2000. It is seen that the frequency of LPS during any of the monsoon months does not exceed six but three LPS in a month are more common. Total number of LPS during the monsoon season ranges from 9 to 18. In June and July maximum total duration of LPS lies between 10-14 LPS Days while in August and September, it is between 15-19 LPS Days. August is the month having maximum number of LPS and LPS Days. The frequency analysis shows that monthly and seasonal LPS and LPS Days are normally distributed. It is also observed that even though season's total number of LPS has no significant increase or decrease, the LPS Days have significantly increased during the decades, 1971-80 and 1981-90.
An Overview of Organs-on-Chips Based on Deep Learning

Microfluidic-based organs-on-chips (OoCs) are a rapidly developing technology in biomedical and chemical research and have emerged as one of the most advanced and promising in vitro models. The miniaturization, stimulated tissue mechanical forces, and microenvironment of OoCs offer unique properties for biomedical applications. However, the large amount of data generated by the high parallelization of OoC systems has grown far beyond the scope of manual analysis by researchers with biomedical backgrounds. Deep learning, an emerging area of research in the field of machine learning, can automatically mine the inherent characteristics and laws of “big data” and has achieved remarkable applications in computer vision, speech recognition, and natural language processing. The integration of deep learning in OoCs is an emerging field that holds enormous potential for drug development, disease modeling, and personalized medicine. This review briefly describes the basic concepts and mechanisms of microfluidics and deep learning and summarizes their successful integration. We then analyze the combination of OoCs and deep learning for image digitization, data analysis, and automation. Finally, the problems faced in current applications are discussed, and future perspectives and suggestions are provided to further strengthen this integration.
The Comparison of Long-Term Outcome Between Patients with Single and Multiple Coronary Chronic Total Occlusions After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background Rapid advancements in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have improved the outcome of chronic coronary total occlusions (CTOs); however, data regarding the difference in long-term outcomes in stable coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with single and multiple CTOs who underwent PCI are scarce. This study aimed to compare the long-term outcomes of patients with multiple CTOs and single CTO after PCI. Methods This study cohort included stable CAD patients who were diagnosed with CTO and treated with PCI from a single center. The primary endpoint was all-cause death. Results We retrospectively reviewed 670 consecutive patients with CTO-PCI. Among them, 539 patients had a single CTO, and 131 (19.7%) patients had multiple (at least two) CTOs. CTO revascularization was achieved in 470 (70.1%) patients. After a median follow-up duration of 33.7 months, the cumulative all-cause mortality (p = 0.037) and cardiac mortality (p = 0.003) were higher in patients with multiple CTOs than in those with a single CTO. In the multivariable model, multiple CTOs and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) less than 40% were independent predictors for cardiac death (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 2.53; P = 0.013 and adjusted HR 3.95; P < 0.001), while age older than 65 and LVEF less than 40% were independent predictors for all-cause death in CTO-PCI patients (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 1.84; P = 0.035 and adjusted HR 2.54; P = 0.001). Conclusion In CTO-PCI patients, long-term survival was associated with multiple CTOs, age and LVEF, but not with CTO revascularization.
Biotechnological Aspects and Mathematical Modeling of the Biodegradation of Plastics under Controlled Conditions

The strong environmental impact caused by plastic pollution has led research to address studies from different perspectives. The mathematical modeling of the biodegradation kinetics of solid materials is a major challenge since there are many influential variables in the process and there is interdependence of microorganisms with internal and external factors. In addition, as solid substrates that are highly hydrophobic, mass transfer limitations condition degradation rates. Some mathematical models have been postulated in order to understand the biodegradation of plastics in natural environments such as oceans. However, if tangible and optimizable solutions are to be found, it is necessary to study the biodegradation process under controlled conditions, such as using bioreactors and composting systems. This review summarizes the biochemical fundamentals of the main plastics (both petrochemical and biological origins) involved in biodegradation processes and combines them with the main mathematical equations and models proposed to date. The different biodegradation studies of plastics under controlled conditions are addressed, analyzing the influencing factors, assumptions, model developments, and correlations with laboratory-scale results. It is hoped that this review will provide a comprehensive overview of the process and will serve as a reference for future studies, combining practical experimental work and bioprocess modeling systems.
Field performance and survival of cocoa seedlings raised in different growing media

Abstract The medium from which seedlings are transplanted influences seedling growth and survival on the field. The objective of the experiment was to compare how growing media affect the growth and survival of cocoa seedlings under field conditions. The seedlings were raised in both soil and soilless media and were transplanted on the field in June, when they were six months old. The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with three different growing media: 1. top soil, 2. sawdust + poultry manure + rice husk biochar (70%:25%:5%), and 3. sawdust + poultry manure + municipal solid waste compost (50%:35%:15%). The cocoa seedlings were transplanted at a spacing of 3 m × 3 m at 12 plants per plot and each plot size measured 45 m × 45 m. Data were collected on plant height, leaf number, stem girth, leaf chlorophyll content, percentage of plants that shed their leaves, and percentage of survival. Results indicated that seedling survival at the onset and end of the dry season was significantly (P < 0.05) higher for seedlings transplanted from soilless media compared to those from the top soil treatment. Irrigation will be necessary to maintain high seedling survival when seedlings are transplanted from the top soil for a well-established plantation.
Epstein–Barr Virus (EBV) Genotypes Associated with the Immunopathological Profile of People Living with HIV-1: Immunological Aspects of Primary EBV Infection

Background: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the immunological profile of adult HIV-1+ patients coinfected with primary Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) infection who were free of antiretroviral drugs and inhabitants of the Brazilian Amazon region. Materials and methods: Primary EBV infection was screened by the semiquantitative detection of IgM and IgG anti-VCA. Genotypes were determined by conventional PCR. EBV and HIV viral load (VL) were quantified by real-time PCR. Cytokine dosage and cell quantification were performed by cytometry. Results: Only HIV-1+ individuals had primary EBV infection (7.12%). The EBV-1 genotype was the most prevalent (47.37%). The VL of HIV-1 was lower in the HIV/EBV-2 group. CD4+ T lymphocytes were inversely proportional to the VL of EBV in HIV/EBV-1/2 multi-infected patients. The HIV/EBV-2 group had the lowest cytokine levels, especially IFN-γ and IL-4. Different correlations were proposed for each coinfection. The late search for specific care related to HIV infection directly affected the cytokine profile and the number of CD8+ T lymphocytes. Symptoms were associated with the increase in VL of both viruses and cytokine profile. Conclusions: Different immunological profiles were associated with EBV genotypes in primary infection, with EBV-2 being more frequent in patients with low levels of HIV viral load. With late infection monitoring and consequent delay in the initiation of HAART, clinical changes and effects on the maintenance of the immune response were observed.
Phase 3 randomized, open-label, multicenter study of tremelimumab (T) and durvalumab (D) as first-line therapy in patients (pts) with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (uHCC): HIMALAYA.

379 Background: A single priming dose of T (anti-CTLA-4) added to D (anti-PD-L1) in the STRIDE (Single T Regular Interval D) regimen, formerly T300+D, showed encouraging clinical activity and limited toxicity in a phase 2 uHCC study (Study 22, NCT02519348), suggesting single exposure to T is sufficient to improve upon D activity. HIMALAYA (NCT03298451) evaluated the efficacy and safety of STRIDE or D vs sorafenib (S) in uHCC. Methods: HIMALAYA is an open-label, multicenter, phase 3 study, in which pts with uHCC and no prior systemic therapy were initially randomized to STRIDE (T 300 mg plus D 1500 mg [one dose] plus D 1500 mg every 4 weeks [Q4W]), D (1500 mg Q4W), S (400 mg twice daily), or T 75 mg Q4W (4 doses) plus D 1500 mg Q4W (T75+D). Recruitment to T75+D ceased after a planned analysis of Study 22 showed T75+D did not meaningfully differ from D. The primary objective was overall survival (OS) for STRIDE vs S. The secondary objective was OS noninferiority (NI) of D to S (NI margin: 1.08). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR; RECIST v.1.1), duration of response (DoR), and safety. Results: In total, 1171 pts were randomized to STRIDE (N=393), D (N=389), or S (N=389). At data cutoff (DCO), the primary objective was met: OS was significantly improved for STRIDE vs S (hazard ratio [HR], 0.78; 96% confidence interval [CI], 0.65–0.92; p=0.0035; Table). D met the objective of OS NI to S (HR, 0.86; 96% CI, 0.73–1.03). ORRs were higher for STRIDE (20.1%) and D (17.0%) than for S (5.1%). No new safety signals were identified. Grade 3/4 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 25.8% (STRIDE), 12.9% (D), and 36.9% (S) of pts. Grade 3/4 hepatic TRAEs occurred in 5.9% (STRIDE), 5.2% (D), and 4.5% (S) of pts. No TRAE of esophageal varices hemorrhage occurred. Rates of TRAEs leading to discontinuation were 8.2% (STRIDE), 4.1% (D), and 11.0% (S). Conclusions: HIMALAYA was the first large phase 3 trial with a diverse, representative uHCC population and extensive long-term follow-up to assess both mono- and combination immunotherapy. D was noninferior to S with favorable safety. The combination of a single priming dose of T plus D in STRIDE displayed superior efficacy and a favorable benefit-risk profile vs S. STRIDE is a proposed, novel, first-line standard of care systemic therapy for uHCC. Clinical trial information: NCT03298451. [Table: see text]
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells for Treatment of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are a group of debilitating pathologies in which neuronal tissue dies due to the buildup of neurotoxic plaques, resulting in detrimental effects on cognitive ability, motor control, and everyday function. Stem cell technology offers promise in addressing this problem on multiple fronts, but the conventional sourcing of pluripotent stem cells involves harvesting from aborted embryonic tissue, which comes with strong ethical and practical concerns. The keystone discovery of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology provides an alternative and endless source, circumventing the unfavorable issues with embryonic stem cells, and yielding fundamental advantages. This review highlights iPSC technology, the pathophysiology of two major neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, and then illustrates current state-of-the-art approaches towards the treatment of the diseases using iPSCs. The technologies discussed in the review emphasize in vitro therapeutic neural cell and organoid development for disease treatment, pathological modeling of neurodegenerative diseases, and 3D bioprinting as it applies to both.
The activation of gene expression and alternative splicing in the formation and evolution of allopolyploid Brassica napus

Abstract Allopolyploids contain two or more sets of subgenomes. To establish a compatible relationship between subgenomes, a series of gene expression changes has occurred in allopolyploids. What evolutionary changes have taken place in transcripts of Brassica napus during its early establishment and subsequent evolution is a fascinating scientific question. Here, we study this issue using a set of materials (natural and resynthesized B. napus and their progenitors/parents) and long-read RNA sequencing technology. The results showed that more genes were upregulated in resynthesized B. napus compared with its two parents, and more upregulated expressed genes were observed in natural B. napus than in resynthesized B. napus. The presence of upregulated genes in an organism may help it to adapt to the influence of “genomic shock” and cope with the natural environment. Isoforms are produced from precursor mRNAs by alternative splicing (AS) events, and more than 60% of the isoforms identified in all materials were novel, potentially improving the reference genome information for B. napus. We found that the isoform numbers and the numbers of genes potentially involved in AS and alternative polyadenylation increased in B. napus after evolution, and they may have been involved in the adaptation of plants to the natural environment. In addition, all identified isoforms were functionally annotated by searching seven databases. In general, this study can improve our overall understanding of the full-length transcriptome of B. napus and help us to recognize the significant changes in gene expression and isoform abundance that have occurred in allopolyploid B. napus during evolution.
Time evolution of rain drop spectra over Cuddalore in coastal Tamilnadu

A disdrometer has been installed at Meteorological Office, Cuddalore in Coastal Tamilnadu during first week of April 2002. This paper attempts to describe an overview of the technicalities and facilities available in this disdrometer besides describing the results of the rain drop size distribution(DSD) from May to August 2002 covering parts of pre-monsoon (March – May) and southwest monsoon (June – September) season. The rain accumulation as measured by the disdrometer matches perfectly with the surface rain gauge measured amount for the rain rate upto 66 mm/hr. The contrasting features of rain spells over Cuddalore, a coastal station in southern peninsular India are clearly brought out in terms of DSDs albeit the rain amount during these period in the year 2002 was very subdued. The modal rain rate was less than 6 mm/hr (84% frequency) followed by 10-40 mm/hr (11%). The concentration of drops, specifically the concentration of larger drops, per rain spell is higher during June - August than during May. The modal class of drop size has an average diameter of 1.116 and 1.912 mm. Both exponential and log-normal distribution seem to be fitting well with the DSD. The rain rate derived from the moment 3.67 (m3.67) of the moment generating function (MGF) of the lognormal distribution function agrees reasonably well with the disdrometer measured rain rate for both the seasons considered. The variability of rain rate, in one minute interval, clearly reveals how the radar derived rainfall accumulation may go wrong even presuming that one uses a perfect Z – R relationship. This suggests the need for understanding the DSD and the micro-physical processes that cause the variability of concentration of drops more precisely to estimate the rain rate and warns about the need for very frequent low elevation radar scans for estimating the rain accumulation.
The Relationship between the Leisure Boredom, Leisure Satisfaction, and Smartphone Addiction: A Study on University Students

This study aimed to describe the relationships between leisure boredom, leisure satisfaction, and smartphone addictions among university students. The study sample consisted of 258 participants, 143 males and 115 females, studying at Istanbul University-Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Sports Sciences. The participants were selected using the purposeful sampling method. Data collection tools involved a personal information form, the "Leisure Boredom Scale (LBS)", the "Leisure Satisfaction Scale (LSS)" and "Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version (SAS-SV)". Independent t-Test results revealed a significant difference in SAS-SV by gender. The MANOVA results indicated a significant difference between the "Satisfaction" sub-dimension of LBS and the "Educational," "Social," "Physical," and "Relaxation" sub-dimensions of LSS by gender. A significant difference was found between LBS's "Satisfaction" sub-dimension and all sub-dimensions of LSS by income status. According to the ANOVA results, there was no significant relationship between the SAS-SV scores by income status of the participants. Besides, there was a negative and low-level correlation between age and the "Satisfaction" sub-dimension of LBS, the "Physical" and "Relaxation" sub-dimensions of LSS and SAS-SV. There was a negative and low correlation between "Boredom" of LBS and "Psychological," "Social," and "Relaxation" sub-dimensions of LSS, and there was a positive and low correlation between LBS and SAS-SV. Similarly, a positive and low-level relationship was determined between all sub-dimensions of LSS and SAS-SV. In this sense, it was concluded that the LBS, LSS, and SAS-SV scores differed according to the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants. As leisure boredom increased, leisure satisfaction decreased, and smartphone addiction increased. It was also found that as leisure satisfaction improved, smartphone addiction increased.