Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“There is nothing that can prevent me from supporting her:” Men’s perspectives on their involvement and support of women’s use of topical therapy for cervical precancer treatment in Kenya

Purpose: Cervical cancer disproportionately impacts women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The World Health Organizations (WHO) 90/70/90 strategy aims to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030 by increasing HPV vaccination coverage to 90%, screening 70% of eligible women, and effectively treating 90% of those with abnormal results by 2030, potentially preventing 62 million deaths in LMICs. LMICs, however, struggle with limited access to cervical precancer treatment, in part due to a lack of trained professionals and weak health systems. Effective non-surgical, self-administered, which have demonstrated efficacy in high-income countries, could bridge the treatment gap in LMICs and may be more scalable and cost-effective than provider-administered therapies. To inform feasibility studies in LMICs, data are needed on the role of male partners in influencing the acceptability and uptake of self-administered topical therapies, including their support of recommended abstinence and contraception guidelines associated with these therapies. Methods: Between November 2022 and April 2023, we conducted five focus group discussions (FGDs) with men aged 25 to 65 years in Kenya to explore their perspective and perceived support regarding their female partners using topical self-administered therapies for cervical precancer treatment. The FGDs were moderated by local qualitative research assistants and conducted in local languages, transcribed, coded, and analyzed using qualitative description. Results: Male participants in the FGDs strongly expressed acceptance and willingness to support their wives or partners in using topical therapies for cervical precancer treatment, if available. Reported supportive behavior included permitting the use of the therapies and support of maintaining abstinence during the recommended times. Additionally, participants desired male involvement in clinic and community-based education about topical therapies to facilitate widespread support. Conclusion: The use of self-administered topical therapies for cervical precancer treatment, if supported by efficacy studies in LMICs, may support achieving the WHOs 2030 goal of 90% treatment access. We find that with adequate education, men express overwhelming support of their female partners use of topical therapies, including adherence to abstinence and contraception guidelines.
Using Generative Artificial Intelligence to Classify Primary Progressive Aphasia from Connected Speech

Neurodegenerative dementia syndromes, such as Primary Progressive Aphasias (PPA), have traditionally been diagnosed based in part on verbal and nonverbal cognitive profiles. Debate continues about whether PPA is best subdivided into three variants and also regarding the most distinctive linguistic features for classifying PPA variants. In this study, we harnessed the capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) to first perform unsupervised classification of concise, connected speech samples from 78 PPA patients. Large Language Models discerned three distinct PPA clusters, with 88.5% agreement with independent clinical diagnoses. Patterns of cortical atrophy of three data-driven clusters corresponded to the localization in the clinical diagnostic criteria. We then used NLP to identify linguistic features that best dissociate the three PPA variants. Seventeen features emerged as most valuable for this purpose, including the observation that separating verbs into high and low-frequency types significantly improves classification accuracy. Using these linguistic features derived from the analysis of brief connected speech samples, we developed a classifier that achieved 97.9% accuracy in predicting PPA subtypes and healthy controls. Our findings provide pivotal insights for refining early-stage dementia diagnosis, deepening our understanding of the characteristics of these neurodegenerative phenotypes and the neurobiology of language processing, and enhancing diagnostic evaluation accuracy.
Effect of Repeated Use of Different Types of Scan Bodies on Transfer Accuracy of Implant Position

Statement of the Problem: Some components of implant treatment are reusable. Therefore, possible changes during fixation, removal, and sterilization process should be tested. Many studies have examined the reuse of implant parts, but the impact of repeated use of scan bodies on the accuracy of implant position has not been well investigated. Purpose: The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the effect of repeated use of two different types of scan bodies on the accuracy of implant position. Materials and Method: In this in vitro experimental study, two acrylic resin maxillary models, each with two implant analogues inserted at the site of missing first and second molars were used. Two types of scan bodies including titanium and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) were used for digital impression. Then they were ten times removed and autoclaved for sterilization. The first scan was considered as a reference to be compared with the other next nine scans. Values of linear distance between two scan bodies, diameter changes of each scan body, and three-dimensional linear displacement (ΔR) were measured. These values were compared between the two types of scan bodies using t-test (α=.05). Results: There was significant difference between titanium and PEEK scan bodies regarding inter-implant distance variation (p=.006) and diameter change (p< .001) in repeated use. However, for the ΔR, there was no significant difference between them (p= 0.759). Conclusion: The results demonstrated that type of scan body could affect the accuracy of implant position transfer after repeated use. PEEK scan body performed better after 9 cycles of reuse in comparison with titanium scan body.
Availability of web servers significantly boosts citations rates of bioinformatics methods for protein function and disorder prediction

Abstract Motivation Development of bioinformatics methods is a long, complex and resource-hungry process. Hundreds of these tools were released. While some methods are highly cited and used, many suffer relatively low citation rates. We empirically analyze a large collection of recently released methods in three diverse protein function and disorder prediction areas to identify key factors that contribute to increased citations. Results We show that provision of a working web server significantly boosts citation rates. On average, methods with working web servers generate three times as many citations compared to tools that are available as only source code, have no code and no server, or are no longer available. This observation holds consistently across different research areas and publication years. We also find that differences in predictive performance are unlikely to impact citation rates. Overall, our empirical results suggest that a relatively low-cost investment into the provision and long-term support of web servers would substantially increase the impact of bioinformatics tools.
The extracellular matrix in oral squamous cell carcinoma: Friend or foe?

Oral squamous cell carcinoma is a disfiguring, highly invasive and metastatic cancer. Despite advances in detection and therapy, many patients will continue to face a poor prognosis. It is well established that the predominate factor determining overall survival in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma is lymph node involvement. Tumor growth and progression to invasive cancer requires tumor cell interactions with the extracellular matrix. An understanding of how the extracellular matrix influences tumor development and invasion is fundamental in the development of new prognostic indicators and treatment strategies for oral squamous cell carcinoma. In this review, we summarize how changes in the extracellular matrix contribute to oral cancer development. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2006
Evidence from U–Pb zircon geochronology for early Neoproterozoic (Tonian) reworking of an Archaean inlier in northeastern Shetland, Scottish Caledonides

Meta-igneous lithologies of the Cullivoe inlier in NE Yell, Shetland, have tonalite–trondhjemite–granodiorite (TTG) chemistry and yield U–Pb zircon crystallization ages of c. 2856 – 2699 Ma. Formation was coeval with protoliths of the Lewisian Gneiss Complex and the time of major Neoarchaean crustal growth in the North Atlantic Craton. The adjacent metasedimentary Yell Sound Group accumulated between c. 1019 and c. 941 Ma. The Cullivoe inlier and the Yell Sound Group were metamorphosed at c. 944 – 931 Ma, the former preserving granulite-facies mineral assemblages inferred to be of this age. Similar-aged metamorphic events recorded in other Laurentian metasedimentary successions in the North Atlantic region are attributed to development of the Valhalla orogen along the Rodinia margin. Ordovician (482 ± 30 Ma) and Silurian (428 ± 16 Ma) thermal rejuvenation resulted from successive phases of the Caledonian orogeny during closure of the Iapetus Ocean. The mechanism by which the Cullivoe inlier was emplaced into its current structural setting is uncertain. Either its western or eastern boundary is a major tectonic break, probably an early ductile thrust. However, this is now cryptic as a result of the Caledonian ductile reworking. Supplementary material: SIMS and LA-ICP-MS analytical data, statistical analyses and major trace element analytical data are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare. c.3575723.
Characterization of circulating miRNAs in the treatment of primary liver tumors

Abstract Background and Aim Circulating micro RNAs (miRNAs) indicate clinical pathologies such as inflammation and carcinogenesis. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether miRNA expression level patterns in could be used to diagnose hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and biliary tract cancer (BTC), and the relationship miRNA expression patterns and cancer etiology. Methods Patients with HCC and BTC with indications for surgery were selected for the study. Total RNA was extracted from the extracellular vesicle (EV)‐rich fraction of the serum and analyzed using Toray miRNA microarray. Samples were divided into two cohorts in order of collection, the first 85 HCC were analyzed using a microarray based on miRBase ver.2. 0 (hereafter v20 cohort), and the second 177 HCC and 43 BTC were analyzed using a microarray based on miRBase ver.21 (hereafter v21 cohort). Results Using miRNA expression patterns, we found that HCC and BTC could be identified with an area under curve (AUC) 0.754 (v21 cohort). Patients with anti‐hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment (SVR‐HCC) and without antiviral treatment (HCV‐HCC) could be distinguished by an AUC 0.811 (v20 cohort) and AUC 0.798 (v21 cohort), respectively. Conclusions In this study, we could diagnose primary hepatic malignant tumor using miRNA expression patterns. Moreover, the difference of miRNA expression in SVR‐HCC and HCV‐HCC can be important information for enclosing cases that are prone to carcinogenesis after being cured with antiviral agents, but also for uncovering the mechanism for some carcinogenic potential remains even after persistent virus infection has disappeared.
Choroidal thickness in thyroid eye disease and its correlation with disease activity

Context: This study adds to the existing body of literature on the role of optical coherence tomography (OCT) parameters in active thyroid eye disease (TED) among the Indian population. Purpose: Comparison of choroidal vascularity index (CVI) and subfoveal choroidal thickness (SFCT) in active and inactive TED. Settings and Design: An observational, cross-sectional analytical study conducted at a tertiary eye care hospital in North India that included patients with active and inactive TED. Methods: Demographic details and clinical evaluation were performed for all TED patients. SFCT was determined with OCT by using the Cirrus linear measurement tool. CVI was calculated using Image J software. The SFCT and CVI measurements were compared between both groups. Statistical Analysis Used: Comparison between active and inactive TED groups was done using Mann–Whitney U test for non-parametric data and Student t test for parametric data. Multivariate regression analysis was performed with SFCT and CVI as dependent variables. Results: Sixty-two eyes of 31 patients were included. Thirteen eyes had active TED, and 49 eyes had inactive TED. SFCT was significantly lower in eyes with higher clinical activity score (CAS) and older age. No significant difference was found in CVI between active and inactive TED eyes. Conclusion: SFCT was lower in eyes with higher CAS and older age. Our findings differ from previous studies, which showed a positive correlation between SFCT and CAS. There was no significant difference in CVI between active and inactive TED eyes.
Electrical Stimulation of Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interfaces (RPNIs) Induces Referred Sensations in People With Upper Limb Loss

Individuals with upper limb loss lack sensation of the missing hand, which can negatively impact their daily function. Several groups have attempted to restore this sensation through electrical stimulation of residual nerves. The purpose of this study was to explore the utility of regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces (RPNIs) in eliciting referred sensation. In four participants with upper limb loss, we characterized the quality and location of sensation elicited through electrical stimulation of RPNIs over time. We also measured functional stimulation ranges (sensory perception and discomfort thresholds), sensitivity to changes in stimulation amplitude, and ability to differentiate objects of different stiffness and sizes. Over a period of up to 54 months, stimulation of RPNIs elicited sensations that were consistent in quality (e.g. tingling, kinesthesia) and were perceived in the missing hand and forearm. The location of elicited sensation was partially-stable to stable in 13 of 14 RPNIs. For 5 of 7 RPNIs tested, participants demonstrated a sensitivity to changes in stimulation amplitude, with an average just noticeable difference of 45 nC. In a case study, one participant was provided RPNI stimulation proportional to prosthetic grip force. She identified four objects of different sizes and stiffness with 56% accuracy with stimulation alone and 100% accuracy when stimulation was combined with visual feedback of hand position. Collectively, these experiments suggest that RPNIs have the potential to be used in future bi-directional prosthetic systems.
Treatment adherence in retinoblastoma: A retro‐prospective cohort study in Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract Background In high‐income countries, retinoblastoma is curable in more than 95% of cases, whereas in low‐income countries, mortality remains high, especially when the diagnosis is made late or the treatment is discontinued. Aims To determine the factors associated with adherence to the treatment of retinoblastoma in the Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Methods and Results A retro‐prospective cohort study was carried out. Data were collected from patient folders and follow‐up records of parents. Results A total of 175 children with retinoblastoma were registered from January 2013 to December 2015. Seventy‐six children (43%) were 5 years old and above. Care costs were covered by families in 86.9% of cases. Chemotherapy refusal was recorded in 39 cases (22.3%), and enucleation refusal was recorded in 79 cases (45.1%). After 36 months of follow‐up, we recorded 16.6% deaths, 27.4% treatment dropouts, and 18.3% loss to follow‐up after treatment. The commonest cause for enucleation refusal was fear of infirmity, while chemotherapy refusal and absconding treatment were due to financial constraints. Conclusion Poor adherence to retinoblastoma management was due to financial constraints, and a lack of knowledge of the disease and its treatment. Family psychosocial support is needed to improve this condition.
The effects of Danzhi Jiangtang capsule on clinical indices and vascular endothelial function in patients with impaired glucose tolerance of Qi–Yin deficiency type

Abstract Objective To observe the effect of Danzhi Jiangtang capsule (DJC) on the clinical indexes and vascular endothelial function indexes in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Methods A total of 106 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to the treatment group and control group following a four-week washout period. The patients in the control group received a general lifestyle intervention, while those in the treatment group received DJC (2.0 g 3× a day) in conjunction with the intervention given to the control group patients. The physiological and biochemical levels, vascular endothelial function indices, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome ratings of the patients in the two groups were compared after 12 weeks of therapy. Results In the control group, the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) was significantly improved compared with those before treatment (83.31 ± 6.47 vs. 79.21 ± 6.17, p < .01) (CI: 1.45, 6.73; Cohen’s d: 10.51), as was the case with the nitric oxide (NO) levels and TCM syndrome points (35.71 ± 4.58 vs. 43.96 ± 5.17, 9.57 ± 2.63 vs. 5.38 ± 1.79, p < .001) (CI: –10.28, –6.24; 3.12, 5.18; Cohen’s d: 0.90). In the treatment group, the levels of fasting blood glucose, endothelin and vascular endothelial growth factor were significantly improved compared with control group (4.92 ± 0.21 vs. 5.59 ± 0.31, 59.37 ± 13.25 vs. 72.13 ± 12.37, 19.25 ± 2.80 vs. 26.76 ± 1.88, p < .001) (CI: 0.55, 0.78; 7.40, 18.13; 6.52, 8.50; Cohen’s d: 4.94, 0.41, 1.32), as was the case with 2-h post-load plasma glucose and total cholesterol (TC) (8.33 ± 0.62 vs. 8.89 ± 1.55, 4.61 ± 1.05 vs. 5.22 ± 1.12, p < .05) (CI: 0.07, 1.07; 0.15, 1.06; Cohen’s d: 0.40, 0.51). Conclusions Treatment with DJC could significantly improve the physiological and biochemical indicators, vascular endothelial function, and TCM syndrome points of IGT patients, indicating that DJC could be a potential drug to treat patients with IGT of Qi–Yin deficiency type.
Dynamics of the Bering Sea

The Bering Sea is a region of extreme seasonal as well as substantial interannual variability in its air-ice-ocean environment. This chapter updates work on the weather/climate and ice environment of the Bering Sea and its surrounding environs. Topics with extra emphasis include polynyas, analyses of ~50-year long time series of the air-ice-ocean parameters, analysis of a climate “regime shift,” and the connection of the Bering Sea environment with interannual variability in the Aleutian Low (i.e., indices of interannual atmospheric variation such as the North Pacific [NP] and western Pacific [WP] oscillations in the North Pacific as well as the Southern Oscillation Index [SOI] in the tropical Pacific).
A Survey on Progressive Visualization.

Currently, growing data sources and long-running algorithms impede user attention and interaction with visual analytics applications. Progressive visualization (PV) and visual analytics (PVA) alleviate this problem by allowing immediate feedback and interaction with large datasets and complex computations, avoiding waiting for complete results by using partial results improving with time. Yet, creating a progressive visualization requires more effort than a regular visualization but also opens up new possibilities, such as steering the computations towards more relevant parts of the data, thus saving computational resources. However, there is currently no comprehensive overview of the design space for progressive visualization systems. We surveyed the related work of PV and derived a new taxonomy for progressive visualizations by systematically categorizing all PV publications that included visualizations with progressive features. Progressive visualizations can be categorized by well-known visualization taxonomies, but we also found that progressive visualizations can be distinguished by the way they manage their data processing, data domain, and visual update. Furthermore, we identified key properties such as uncertainty, steering, visual stability, and real-time processing that are significantly different with progressive applications. We also collected evaluation methodologies reported by the publications and conclude with statistical findings, research gaps, and open challenges. A continuously updated visual browser of the survey data is available at visualsurvey.net/pva.
Liquid and Plastic Limits

Plasticity is the property that allows a soil to be deformed without cracking in response to an applied stress. A soil may exhibit plasticity, and hence be remolded, over a range of water contents, first quantified by the Swedish scientist Atterberg (1911, 1912). Above this range, the soil behaves as a liquid, while below it, it behaves as a brittle solid and eventually fractures in response to increasing applied stress. The upper limit of plasticity, known as the liquid limit, is at the water content at which a small slope, forming part of a groove in a sample of the soil, just collapses under the action of a standardized shock force. The corresponding lower limit, the ‘‘plastic limit,’’ is at the water content at which a sample of the soil, when rolled into a thread by the palm of the hand, splits and crumbles when the thread diameter reaches 3 mm. By convention, both water contents are expressed gravimetrically on a percentage basis. The numerical difference between the liquid and plastic limits is defined as the plasticity index. Remarkably, these simple empirical tests have been used, essentially unchanged, for nearly a century by soil engineers and soil scientists (BSI, 1990). Engineers found the limits, particularly the plastic limit, to be useful in the design and control testing of earthworks and soil classification (Dumbleton, 1968) as a result of the development by Casagrande of apparatus to measure the limits (Casagrande, 1932). Although his apparatus was based on that of Atterberg, Casagrande appreciated the need, where empirical tests were concerned, to specify closely every detail of the test procedure so that both the repeatability of the test by one operator and the reproducibility between operators were optimized (Sherwood, 1970). Consequently, the Casagrande tests became widely adopted as the
Development of Highly Potent, G-Protein Pathway Biased, Selective, and Orally Bioavailable GPR84 Agonists

Orphan G-protein-coupled receptor 84 (GPR84) is a receptor that has been linked to cancer, inflammatory, and fibrotic diseases. We have reported DL-175 as a biased agonist at GPR84 which showed differential signaling via Gαi/cAMP and β-arrestin, but which is rapidly metabolized. Herein, we describe an optimization of DL-175 through a systematic structure–activity relationship (SAR) analysis. This reveals that the replacement of the naphthalene group improved metabolic stability and the addition of a 5-hydroxy substituent to the pyridine N-oxide group, yielding compounds 68 (OX04528) and 69 (OX04529), enhanced the potency for cAMP signaling by 3 orders of magnitude to low picomolar values. Neither compound showed detectable effects on β-arrestin recruitment up to 80 μM. Thus, the new GPR84 agonists 68 and 69 displayed excellent potency, high G-protein signaling bias, and an appropriate in vivo pharmacokinetic profile that will allow investigation of GPR84 biased agonist activity in vivo.