Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association of Circulating Tumor Cells, Megakaryocytes and a High Immune-Inflammatory Environment in Metastatic Breast Cancer

Simple Summary In the present work on metastatic breast cancer patients, we studied liquid biopsy samples to analyze different biomarkers, such as circulating tumor cells, leukocytes, and platelets. We observed a correlation between a higher number of circulating tumor cells and a greater probability of detecting clusters and megakaryocytes among the patients. This observation was independent of the breast cancer subtype. We also confirmed the presence of megakaryocytes in the peripheral blood of cancer patients, which is an unusual finding. In addition, a higher pan-inflammatory value, calculated by dividing the product of neutrophils, monocytes, and platelets by the number of lymphocytes, was associated with lower overall survival, providing insight into the depth of the metastatic process. Abstract Liquid biopsy is becoming an important source of new biomarkers during the treatment of metastatic cancer patients. Using size-based microfluid technology, we isolated circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from metastatic breast cancer patients to evaluate their presence and cluster formation, as well as the presence of megakaryocytes and immune-inflammatory blood cells, and to correlate their presence with clinicopathological data and overall survival (OS). In total, 59 patients (median age 60.4 years) were included in the study: 62.7% luminal A/B-like, 20.3% HER2-positive, and 17% triple-negative. Our results showed that at least one CTC was present in 79.7% and ≥5 CTCs in 35.2% of the patients. CTC clusters were present in patients with ≥5 CTCs only (in 19.2% of them), and megakaryocytes were present in 52% of all patients. The presence of CTC clusters and megakaryocytes was positively associated with the CTC count. Patients with low pan-inflammatory value (PIV), low systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII), and low relative change from baseline (ΔPIV%, ΔSII%) were associated with significantly higher OS than their counterparts. ΔPIV%, the presence of infection in the last month, and a long duration of metastatic disease were identified as independent prognostic factors for OS. The interplay of CTCs, CTC clusters, megakaryocytes, and PIV needs to be further explored.
Surface Emissivity at Microwaves to Millimeter Waves over Polar Regions: Parameterization and Evaluation with Aircraft Experiments

AbstractThe Tool to Estimate Land Surface Emissivity from Microwave to Submillimeter Waves (TELSEM2) is linked to a climatology of monthly emissivity estimates and provides a parameterization of the surface emissivity up to 700 GHz, in the framework of the preparation for the Ice Cloud Imager (ICI) on board the Meteorological Operational Satellite Second Generation (MetOp-SG). It is an updated version of the Tool to Estimate Land Surface Emissivities at Microwave Frequencies (TELSEM; Aires et al. 2011). This study presents the parameterization of continental snow and ice and sea ice emissivities in TELSEM2. It relies upon satellite-derived emissivities up to 200 GHz, and it is anchored to the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) TELSEM monthly climatology dataset (19–85 GHz). Emissivities from Meteo-France and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) at frequencies up to 190 GHz were used, calculated from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounder (SSMIS) and the Advanced Microwave S.
The Dependence of the Acoustomagnetoelectric Current on the Parameters of a Cylindrical Quantum Wire with an Inflnite Potential in the Presence of an External Magnetic Field

The acoustomagnetoelectric efiect in a cylindrical quantum wire with an inflnite potential in the presence of an external magnetic fleld is investigated by using Boltzmann kinetic equation for an acoustic wave whose wavelength ‚ = 2…=q is smaller than the mean free path l of the electrons and hypersound in the region ql ? 1, (where q is the acoustic wave num- ber). The analytic expression for the acoustomagnetoelectric current I ame is calculated in the case: relaxation time of momentum ? is constant approximation and degenerates electrons gas. The nonlinear dependence of the expression for the acoustomagnetoelectric current I ame on the acoustic wave numbers q and on the parameters of the cylindrical quantum wires is obtained. Nu- merical computations are performed for AlGaAs/GaAs cylindrical quantum wire with an inflnite potential. The results are compared with the normal bulk semiconductors and the superlattices to show the values of the acoustomagnetoelectric current I ame in the cylindrical quantum wire are difierent than they are in the normal bulk semiconductors and the superlattices.
Virus-Subtype-Specific Cellular and Humoral Immune Response to a COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients and Renal Transplant Recipients

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) or immunosuppression are at increased risk of severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. The vaccination of CKD patients has resulted in lower antibody concentrations and possibly reduced protection. However, little information is available on how T-cell-mediated immune response is affected in those patients and how vaccine-induced immune responses can neutralise different SARS-CoV-2 variants. Herein, we studied virus-specific humoral and cellular immune responses after two doses of mRNA-1273 (Moderna) vaccine in 42 patients suffering from CKD, small vessel vasculitis (maintenance phase), or kidney transplant recipients (KT). Serum and PBMCs from baseline and at three months after vaccination were used to determine SARS-CoV-2 S1-specific antibodies, neutralisation titers against SARS-CoV-2 WT, B1.617. 2 (delta), and BA.1 (omicron) variants as well as virus-specific T-cells via IFNγ ELISpot assays. We observed a significant increase in quantitative and neutralising antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 and significantly increased T-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 S1 antigen after vaccination only in the CKD patients. In patients with vasculitis, neither humoral nor cellular responses were detected. In KT recipients, antibodies and virus neutralisation against WT and delta, but not against omicron BA.1, was assured. Importantly, we found no specific SARS-CoV-2 T-cell response in vasculitis and KT subjects, although unspecific T-cell activation was evident in most patients even before vaccination. While pre-dialysis CKD patients appear to mount an effective immune response for in vitro neutralisation of SARS-CoV-2, KT and vasculitis patients under immunosuppressive therapy were insufficiently protected from SARS-CoV-2 two months after the second dose of an mRNA vaccine.
Head-Movement and Case-Marking in Japanese

This paper proposes a new system of Case-marking in Japanese which freely interacts with head-movement. Two different processes involved in Case-marking are clearly distinguished in the proposed system: Case-indexing and Case-assignment. Case-indexing takes place under government which is defined by c-command, rather than by m-command as is widely assumed, and constitutes a necessary condition for the fulfillment of Case theoiy. All major categories, lexical or functional, assign Case-indices. On the other hand, only the categories having Case-grids actually "assign" Case. Thus, functional categories in Japanese, having no features relevant for Case-assignment, do not assign Case, although they do assign Caseindices. In the proposed Case-marking system for Japanese, the role of functional categories in the language with respect to Case-marking is to license the realization of "default Cases" on unmarked phrases. It is shown that the Case-marking system successfully captures the nature of Caseparticles ga and no, as they contrast with other Case-particles such as o, in a more straightforward way than some of the previous analyses. It is also argued that the proposed Case-marking system makes possible a unified analysis for a number of constructions in Japanese, including nominal constructions, complement structures, control structures, and ga-no conversion. (Area of interest: formal syntax) 1. Introductory Remarks This paper proposes, in a preliminary form, a new system of Case-marking in Japanese by introducing the notion of "Caseindexing. " It a l so s h o w s how the processes relevant to the assignment of Case interact with modules of grammar, in particular, X° -movement , an instance of M o v e -
Analysis of the learning object-oriented programming factors

Students often feel overwhelmed by object-oriented programming courses. They find it difficult and complex to learn, requiring a high cognitive load to use the concepts in coding. These issues lead to demotivation in learning programming. This research aims to identify and verify factors that contribute to learning object-oriented programming from two perspectives: interviews and surveys. A literature review was conducted to identify these factors, followed by interviews with five experts who have been teaching object-oriented programming for over ten years to confirm them. Based on the interview results, a questionnaire was developed and administered to 31 bachelor students and 19 lecturers with master’s or doctorate degrees in computer science. The responses indicated that the identified factors were acceptable, with scores ranging from 3.74 to 4.65. The outcomes of this study are a set of factors that should be considered in a programming environment to improve the teaching and learning of object-oriented programming and make it more accessible and engaging for students.
Extraction and Characterization of Forest Anchomanes (Anchomanes difformis (Bl.) ENGL.) Starch for Fuel Production

The use of cassava for fuel ethanol production in Nigeria is supported by the Nigerian Biofuel Policy and Incentives (NBPI) of 2007. Because of its food, feed and industrial value, the need to replace cassava with crops/plants that are food and feeds neutral has motivated this research. Starch was extracted from forest anchomanes (FA) (Anchomanes difformis (Bl.) ENGL. ) tubers and some of its physicochemical and elemental properties were determined. At present, the plant is uncultivated in Nigeria and other parts of Africa where it is found. Results showed that the starch content in FA tubers varied from 72.12 to 75.83%. Starch granules from all parts of the FA tubers had similar proximate, antinutrients and elemental properties and appeared usable for fuel ethanol production. However, to suggest its potential to sustainably replace cassava, further investigations are needed beyond these initial results.
Photonic crystal fiber-based plasmonic biosensor with external sensing approach

Abstract. We propose a simple photonic crystal fiber (PCF) biosensor based on the surface plasmon resonance effect. The sensing properties are characterized using the finite element method. Chemically stable gold material is deposited on the outer surface of the PCF to realize the practical sensing approach. The performance of the modeled biosensor is investigated in terms of wavelength sensitivity, amplitude sensitivity, sensor resolution, and linearity of the resonant wavelength with the variation of structural parameters. In the sensing range of 1.33 to 1.37, maximum sensitivities of 4000 nm/RIU and 478 RIU−1 are achieved with the high sensor resolutions of 2.5×10−5 and 2.1×10−5 RIU using wavelength and amplitude interrogation methods, respectively. The designed biosensor will reduce fabrication complexity due to its simple and realistic hexagonal lattice structure. It is anticipated that the proposed biosensor may find possible applications for unknown biological and biochemical analyte detections with a high degree of accuracy.
Studies in Classical and Quantum Correlations and their Evolution in Physical Systems

Studies in Classical and Quantum Correlations and Their Evolution in Physical Systems Asma Al-Qasimi Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of Physics University of Toronto 2011 More than a century ago, starting with Michelson, the field of classical coherence has developed rapidly. By studying and uncovering the coherence properties of light, many useful applications were discovered. In modern times, these applications have seen large use in fields like astronomy, where the properties of light can be used to discover stars and determine their radius, for example. Another class of correlations, namely quantum correlations, which were discovered in the beginning of the twentieth century, have gained much attention from the scientific community in the last two decades. In particular, the field of quantum information developed, promising great computational power by using quantum correlations to build computers. Currently, quantum computation is a very active field bringing together physicists, mathematicians, engineers, chemists, and computer scientists to find solutions to the problems encountered in building quantum computers. I consider some classical coherence effects of the degree of cross polarization (DCP) on the Hanbury-Brown Twiss effect, with a specific focus on Gaussian Schell-model beams. I show that the DCP is necessary, in general, to determine the correlations in intensity fluctuations of a beam at two different points. As for quantum correlations, I consider entanglement in realistic systems: one in two-qubit systems, and the other in continuous variable quantum systems. In the former case, when the temperature of the system is finite, entanglement always decays in a finite time. However, in the latter case, entan-
The role of bulk viscosity on the decay of compressible, homogeneous, isotropic turbulence

While Stokes’ hypothesis of neglecting bulk viscous effects is exact for monatomic gases and unlikely to strongly affect the dynamics of fluids whose bulk-to-shear viscosity ratio is small and/or of weakly compressible turbulence, it is unclear to what extent this assumption holds for compressible, turbulent flows of gases whose bulk viscosity is orders of magnitude larger than their shear viscosities (e.g. $\text{CO}_{2}$ ). Our objective is to understand the mechanisms by which bulk viscosity and the associated phenomena affect moderately compressible turbulence, in particular energy transfer and dissipation. Using direct numerical simulations of the compressible Navier–Stokes equations, we study the decay of compressible, homogeneous, isotropic turbulence for ratios of bulk-to-shear viscosity ranging from 0 to 1000. Our simulations demonstrate that bulk viscosity increases the decay rate of turbulent kinetic energy; whereas enstrophy exhibits little sensitivity to bulk viscosity, dilatation is reduced by over two orders of magnitude within the first two eddy-turnover times. Via a Helmholtz decomposition of the flow, we determine that the primary action of bulk viscosity is to damp the dilatational velocity fluctuations and reduce dilatational–solenoidal exchanges, as well as pressure–dilatation coupling. In short, bulk viscosity renders compressible turbulence incompressible by reducing energy transfer between translational and internal degrees of freedom. Our results indicate that for gases whose bulk viscosity is of the order of their shear viscosity (e.g. hydrogen) the turbulence is not significantly affected by bulk viscous dissipation, in which case neglecting bulk viscosity is acceptable in practice. However, in problems involving compressible, turbulent flows of gases like $\text{CO}_{2}$ whose bulk viscosities are thousands of times greater than their shear viscosities, bulk viscosity cannot be ignored.
Correlated and Interacting Predictor Omission for Linear and Logistic Regression Models

In this paper, we discuss the impact of predictor omission in light of the omitted predictor’s relationship with other predictors that were included in the model. Predictor omission in linear regression models (LMs) has been discussed by various sources in the literature. Our approach involves studying the impact of predictor omission for a wider range of omitted predictors than previously studied and extends the existing literature by considering the interaction status of an omitted predictor in addition to its correlation status. Results from models with uncentered predictors and models with centered predictors are considered. The mathematical implications of predictor omission are discussed in context of the LM, and simulated results are presented for both linear and logistic regression models. Overall, the impact of predictor omission varies among cases of interaction and correlation. A workflow for distinguishing types of model misspecification in LMs using residual plots and partial residual plots is proposed. Results from a case study using the techniques proposed to distinguish types of misspecification are presented.
EMPOWERING ENTREPRENEURS: EXPLORING THE ROLE OF ECOSYSTEM FACTORS IN DRIVING GROWTH INTENTIONS IN NEPAL

Developing new businesses and expanding existing ones are crucial for a country's economic growth, as these activities lead to job creation and the opening of new markets. Growth, in business world, is often viewed as a desirable objective. It serves as important indicator of a company's success and plays major role in the job creation, prosperity, and global economic progression. A supportive ecosystem, comprising elements like individuals, organizations, governments, and support systems, is necessary to foster the entrepreneurship. These work synergistically to promote business creation and growth. This study aimed to determine influence of entrepreneurship ecosystem factors on entrepreneurs' growth intentions. Target population for the study comprised entrepreneurs who have already established their ventures. A total of 158 responses were collected using survey methods. The study used Smart PLS software, revealing positive association between socio-economic factors and entrepreneurs' growth intentions. Based on this positive association, we recommend enhancing the support systems within entrepreneurship ecosystem in Nepal. Strategic focus on education, networking opportunities, and financial support systems can significantly enhance entrepreneurship ecosystem, fostering the growth and success of businesses in Nepal.
Antibacterial and cytotoxic effect of a novel bio-logical Nano-silver fluoride synthesized from moringa oleifera leaf extract

Background: A great dental and biomedical interest had been paid to silver nanoparticles because of their antimicrobial activity. Objective: To evaluate the antimicrobial and cytotoxic activity of a newly developed Nano-silver fluoride that was synthesized from moringa oleifera leaf extract against S. mutants. Material and method: The green synthesis method was used to prepare Nano-silver fluoride from moringa oleifera leaf extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration and the minimum bactericidal concentration were evaluated using brain heart infusion plates, while the cytotoxicity was evaluated by the hemolytic activity. Results: Nano-silver fluoride had a bactericidal and bacteriostatic effect (MIC was 60 ppm and MBC was 120 ppm) the diameter of the inhibition zone increased as the concentration increased. It was toxic at high concentrations and nontoxic at low concentrations. Conclusion: Nano-silver fluoride is a good material to be used in arresting and preventing dental caries and it is safe to be used on humans.
Certainty Equivalence Control of Discrete-Time Multiagent Systems: A Framework for Uniform Global Exponential Stability

The solvability of certainty equivalence control problems for discrete-time multiagent systems over uniformly jointly connected switching networks relies on the stability/attractivity analysis for a class of perturbed switched systems with respect to a set of switching signals. To tackle this issue, in this article, a novel systematic and unified framework is established consisting of three key stability/attractivity results. First, the uniform global exponential stability for two dual cases of the nominal dynamics is analyzed in a unified way by checking the weak zero-state detectability from the limiting systems. Second, the uniform global exponential attractivity of the perturbed switched systems accommodating both first-order and zero-order time-varying perturbations is studied without resorting to any Lyapunov function for the entire perturbed switched systems. Third, the uniform global $\kappa$-exponential stability for a class of cascaded switched systems is investigated. These stability/attractivity results together lay the foundation to thoroughly solve two kinds of typical certainty equivalence control problems, and also improve two specific cooperative control designs. Moreover, a relaxed dwell-time condition is considered, which makes the obtained results tolerable in the extreme case of instantaneous link failure and restoration. Finally, the control performances are shown by numerical simulations.
Finite‐time optimal tracking control for a class of nonlinear systems with prescribed performance

In this paper, a finite‐time optimal tracking control scheme based on integral reinforcement learning is developed for partially unknown nonlinear systems. In order to realize the prescribed performance, the original system is transformed into an equivalent unconstrained system so as to a composite system is constructed. Subsequently, a modified nonlinear quadratic performance function containing the auxiliary tracking error is designed. Furthermore, the technique of experience replay is used to update the critic neural network, which eliminates the persistent of excitation condition in traditional optimal methods. By combining the prescribed performance control with the finite‐time optimization control technique, the tracking error is driven to a desired performance in finite time. Consequently, it has been shown that all signals in the partially unknown nonlinear system are semiglobally practical finite‐time stable by stability analysis. Finally, the provided comparative simulation results verify the effectiveness of the developed control scheme.
CHANGES IN SOIL ENZYMATIC ACTIVITY ASSOCIATED WITH CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE IN THE RAINFED POTHWAR PLATEAU OF PAKISTAN

Soil enzymes are considered sensitive indicators of soil management practices. Changes in the soil enzymatic activity in response to conservation agriculture in smallholder rainfed farming systems have not been extensively reported. Therefore, different tillage practices viz. zero tillage (ZT), reduced tillage (RT), and minimum tillage (MT) under fallow-wheat and mungbean-wheat rotations were compared with conventional practices in rainfed Pothwar plateau, Pakistan for C, N, P cycling enzymes. Zero tillage and reduced tillage produced urease activity 312 and 298 µg N g -1 soil 2 h -1 , alkaline phosphatise activity 40 and 39 µg p-NP g -1 soil h -1 , and dehydrogenase activity 34 and 31 TPF µg g -1 soil 24 h -1 respectively that were higher than minimum tillage and conventional tillage. ZT and RT tillage systems also had higher concentrations of soil organic C, nitrate-N and available-P. Among rotations, mungbean-wheat showed higher activities of the studied enzymes than fallow-wheat. Use of conservation tillage practices especially zero tillage and reduced tillage combined with legume-cereal rotation improves C, N, P cycling enzymes and