Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluating the efficiency and safety of large‐volume leukapheresis using the Spectra Optia continuous mononuclear cell collection protocol for peripheral blood stem cell collection from healthy donors: A retrospective study

Large‐volume leukapheresis (LVL) refers to processing of more than three volumes of blood in a single session for peripheral blood stem cell collection. Recently, continuous mononuclear cell collection (cMNC) protocol has been developed using the Spectra Optia system, which is a widely used apheresis device. LVL using the novel protocol has been investigated in patients. However, the efficiency and safety of LVL in healthy donors using this protocol has not been characterized. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the efficiency and tolerability of CD34+ collection of LVL with the cMNC protocol in healthy donors.
Online Clustering of Bandits with Misspecified User Models

The contextual linear bandit is an important online learning problem where given arm features, a learning agent selects an arm at each round to maximize the cumulative rewards in the long run. A line of works, called the clustering of bandits (CB), utilize the collaborative effect over user preferences and have shown significant improvements over classic linear bandit algorithms. However, existing CB algorithms require well-specified linear user models and can fail when this critical assumption does not hold. Whether robust CB algorithms can be designed for more practical scenarios with misspecified user models remains an open problem. In this paper, we are the first to present the important problem of clustering of bandits with misspecified user models (CBMUM), where the expected rewards in user models can be perturbed away from perfect linear models. We devise two robust CB algorithms, RCLUMB and RSCLUMB (representing the learned clustering structure with dynamic graph and sets, respectively), that can accommodate the inaccurate user preference estimations and erroneous clustering caused by model misspecifications. We prove regret upper bounds of $O(\epsilon_*T\sqrt{md\log T} + d\sqrt{mT}\log T)$ for our algorithms under milder assumptions than previous CB works (notably, we move past a restrictive technical assumption on the distribution of the arms), which match the lower bound asymptotically in $T$ up to logarithmic factors, and also match the state-of-the-art results in several degenerate cases. The techniques in proving the regret caused by misclustering users are quite general and may be of independent interest. Experiments on both synthetic and real-world data show our outperformance over previous algorithms.
Quantifying errors of electron-proton/muon correlation functionals through the Kohn-Sham inversion of a two-component model system

The multi-component density functional theory is faced with the challenge of capturing various types of inter- and intra-particle exchange-correlation effects beyond those introduced by the conventional electronic exchange-correlation functionals. Herein, we focus on evaluating the electron-proton/muon correlation functionals appearing in molecular/condensed-phase systems where a proton/muon is treated as a quantum particle on equal footing with electrons, beyond the Born-Oppenheimer paradigm. Five recently developed local correlation functionals, i.e., the epc series and e$\mu$c-1, are selected and their performances are analyzed by employing a two-particle model that includes an electron and a positively charged particle (PCP) with a variable mass, interacting through Coulombic forces, within a double harmonic trap. Using the Kohn-Sham (KS) inversion procedure, the exact two-component KS characterization of the model is deduced and its properties are compared to those derived from the considered functionals. The analysis demonstrates that these local functionals achieve their original parameterization objectives to reproduce the one-PCP densities and the electron-PCP correlation energies, but all fall short of reproducing the underlying PCP correlation potentials correctly. Moreover, a comprehensive error analysis reveals that the density-driven errors have a non-negligible contribution to the success of the considered functionals. Overall, the study shows the strengths as well as shortcomings of the considered functionals hopefully paving the way for designing more robust functionals in the future.
Characteristics and management of patients undergoing emergency surgery for diabetic foot attack

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Diabetic foot attack (DFA) is considered one of the worst manifestations of diabetic foot. It is necessary to act quickly to prevent amputation and save the patient’s life. The aim of this study is to reveal the characteristic features of DFAs and be a guide to healthcare professionals to manage and refer these patients. METHODS: Sixty-five patients with DFAs were analyzed retrospectively. Demographics were collected. All patients’ infectious diseases Society of America/International Working Group on the Diabetic Foot (IDSA/IWDGF) stages, ischemia site neuropathy, bacterial infection and depth (SINBAD) and laboratory risk indicator for necrotizing fasciitis (LRINEC) scores were calculated. According to these measurements, patients were categorized and statistical results were obtained. RESULTS: We found that patients who underwent emergency surgery due to DFA applied to an average of two hospitals before applying to our facility and the median acceptance time since the beginning of the first complaint was 9 days. All patients were IDSA/IWDGF stages three and four. Most of the patients had SINBAD scores between four and six. 60% of the patients were at high risk for necrotizing fasciitis according to the LRINEC score. 58.2% of patients had periferic arterial stenosis and the amputation rate was 69.2%. In the intensive care unit, 21.3% of the patients were followed in the intensive care unit, and our patients’ mortality rate was 4.2%. CONCLUSION: DFA is an emergency surgical condition that requires high clinical suspicion. If not diagnosed and treated with emergency surgery, it has a high mortality and amputation rate. High white blood cell count in patients, local and systemic signs of inflammation, presence of subcutaneous emphysema in the lower extremities on a direct X-ray radiography, and high blood sugar should be considered as warning signs for DFA. Emergency surgical intervention should be performed on these patients, and if the patient is not in a suitable center for emergency surgery, they should be rapidly referred to a center with experienced clinicians.
a preliminary

Rectocolectomy with anal conservation in inflammatory colitis We were most interested to read Messrs Deane and Celestin's article (Annals, January 1983, vol 65, p. 32) on rectocolectomy with anal conservation. At Basingstoke we have performned 15 such procedures. In 7 cases an ileal pouch has been formed as a primary procedure with a stapled ileoanal anastomosis. One patient has had a proctocolectomy, followed 18 months later by a second operation in which an ileal pouch was constructed and anastomosed to the anal canal using a circular stapling device. The remaining 6 patients have a permanent ileostomy. Unlike Mr Deane, we feel that the rectum can be removed entirely from above in exactly the same manner as for an ultra-low anterior resection. Division at the dentate line is confirmed with peroperative proctoscopy. This avoids the sometimes tedious and time consuming peranal stripping of the rectal mucosa. Rather than closing the anal stump with a purse-string, it is used as a route through which a silicone drain can pass into the pelvic cavity. Following removal of the drain we, like Mr Deane, have found the anus heals rapidly with no prolonged perineal discharge. Finally, there is the interesting prospect of anastomosing an ileal pouch onto the residual anal sphincter as a secondary procedure, in patients who are too ill to have a pouch formed at the first operation of emergency proctocolectomy. The one patient in whom we have attempted this has had problems with stricturing at the stapled ileoanal anastomosis and has had to have a further temporary loop ileostomy formed whilst we try to excise the stricture. We still hope for a successful outcome in this patient although the anastomotic technique for a second stage pouch operation remains an unsolved problem. In all these cases the essentially healthy anal canal and sphincter mechanism have been preserved, unnecessary dissection avoided, and in some cases continence retained despite excision of the whole rectal wall. D R ALLEN FRCS Surgical Registrar R J HEALD MChir Consultant Surgeon
Multiple Physics Pretraining for Physical Surrogate Models

We introduce multiple physics pretraining (MPP), an autoregressive task-agnostic pretraining approach for physical surrogate modeling. MPP involves training large surrogate models to predict the dynamics of multiple heterogeneous physical systems simultaneously by learning features that are broadly useful across diverse physical tasks. In order to learn effectively in this setting, we introduce a shared embedding and normalization strategy that projects the fields of multiple systems into a single shared embedding space. We validate the efficacy of our approach on both pretraining and downstream tasks over a broad fluid mechanics-oriented benchmark. We show that a single MPP-pretrained transformer is able to match or outperform task-specific baselines on all pretraining sub-tasks without the need for finetuning. For downstream tasks, we demonstrate that finetuning MPP-trained models results in more accurate predictions across multiple time-steps on new physics compared to training from scratch or finetuning pretrained video foundation models. We open-source our code and model weights trained at multiple scales for reproducibility and community experimentation.
Introducing New Indices for Accuracy Evaluation of Classified Images Representing Semi-Natural Woodland Environments.

A range of accuracy indices for determining the optimal outputs from the classification of multispectral remotely sensed data is evaluated. Airborne Thematic Mapper imagery of semi-natural woodland was used in conjunction with an in situ data set. Indices of classification accuracy were unable to distinguish substantial differences in classified images because they are based only on errors of omission, accounting for only a proportion of the errors in classification. The Classification Success Index (CSI) is introduced here to estimate the overall effectiveness of classification, considering all output classes and using both errors of omission and commission from the error matrix. The Individual Classification Success Index (ICSI) is introduced which accounts for the classification success of a specific class. Finally, the Group Classification Success Index (GCSI) measures classification success for the most important classes in the area of interest. These new indices were found to offer considerable improvement over existing approaches.
A humanized chemogenetic system inhibits murine pain-related behavior and hyperactivity in human sensory neurons

Hyperexcitability in sensory neurons is known to underlie many of the maladaptive changes associated with persistent pain. Chemogenetics has shown promise as a means to suppress such excitability, yet chemogenetic approaches suitable for human applications are needed. PSAM4-GlyR is a modular system based on the human α7 nicotinic acetylcholine and glycine receptors, which responds to inert chemical ligands and the clinically approved drug varenicline. Here, we demonstrated the efficacy of this channel in silencing both mouse and human sensory neurons by the activation of large shunting conductances after agonist administration. Virally mediated expression of PSAM4-GlyR in mouse sensory neurons produced behavioral hyposensitivity upon agonist administration, which was recovered upon agonist washout. Stable expression of the channel led to similar reversible suppression of pain-related behavior even after 10 months of viral delivery. Mechanical and spontaneous pain readouts were also ameliorated by PSAM4-GlyR activation in acute and joint pain inflammation mouse models. Furthermore, suppression of mechanical hypersensitivity generated by a spared nerve injury model of neuropathic pain was also observed upon activation of the channel. Effective silencing of behavioral hypersensitivity was reproduced in a human model of hyperexcitability and clinical pain: PSAM4-GlyR activation decreased the excitability of human-induced pluripotent stem cell–derived sensory neurons and spontaneous activity due to a gain-of-function NaV1.7 mutation causing inherited erythromelalgia. Our results demonstrate the contribution of sensory neuron hyperexcitability to neuropathic pain and the translational potential of an effective, stable, and reversible humanized chemogenetic system for the treatment of pain. Description Silencing of sensory neuron hyperexcitability using human-based chemogenetics shows its translational potential for pain treatment. Editor’s summary The current opioid crisis emphasizes the need for nonaddictive pain treatments. Here Perez-Sanchez and colleagues evaluated whether direct inhibition of pain-related hyperactivity in sensory neurons could be such a targeted pain treatment strategy. The authors expressed PSAM4-GlyR, a chemogenetic system based on the human nicotinic acetylcholine and glycine receptors, in mouse sensory neurons. PSAM4-GlyR activation with the FDA-approved drug varenicline inhibited sensory neurons and improved acute, inflammatory, and neuropathic pain-related behaviors in mice. PSAM4-GlyR activation also inhibited human-derived sensory neurons and normalized hyperactivity in sensory neurons derived from a patient with erythromelalgia, a condition characterized by burning pain. Although further validation in human pain models is needed, these results suggest the potential of PSAM4-GlyR in gene therapy for pain treatment. —Daniela Neuhofer
Ductile Fracture Analysis in Nakazima vs. SPIF Tests

The Forming Limit Curve (FLC) shows the limit combinations of principal strains on the sheet surface that can be successfully achieved before necking appears. Above the FLC, Atkins in 1996 proposed the existence of an unstable region where localized necking develops before reaching at the Fracture Forming Limit (FFL). Only the methodology for the evaluation of the FLC is covered in an international standard ISO 12004-2, where the basis of the tests consists of stretching of a previously clamped sheet blank over a Marciniak or Nakazima punch, providing an almost linear strain path in the sheet surface of the specimen. On the contrary, in single-point incremental forming (SPIF) processes, the hemispherical-shaped tools usually employed are relatively small compared to the general dimension of the specimen, producing a highly nonlinear strain path derived from both the incremental nature of the process and the severe curvature imposed by the small radii of the punches used in the forming process.Many authors have observed fracture strains in SPIFed samples well above the FFL obtained with Nakazima tests under the ISO 12004-2 standard. At the macroscopic level, the reason for this behaviour has been explained mainly based on the effect of bending and the difference in the stress triaxiality level, among others. This research analyzes the initiation of ductile fracture in Nakazima and SPIF specimens under a scanning electron microscope to elucidate the reasons of those differences at the microscopic level.
A Note About Maximum Likelihood Estimator in Hypergeometric Distribution

El metodo de estimacion de maxima verosimilitud es una de las tecnicas mas importantes de la estadistica y es utilizado ampliamente por los profesionales estadisticos. Sin embargo, para la distribucion hipergeometrica Hg(n,R,N), los estimadores de maxima verosimilitud de N y R no estan claramente especificados en la mayoria de los textos estadisticos. En este articulo se presentan los procedimientos rigurosos para encontrar estos estimadores de maxima verosimilitud.
Large-scale spatial variability and distribution of soil organic carbon across the entire Loess Plateau, China

Soil organic carbon (SOC) plays an important role in soil productivity and the global carbon cycle. However, little is known about the regional distribution of SOC across the entire Loess Plateau region of China. We investigated 382 sampling sites across the region (620 000km2) and collected 764 soil samples from the topsoil (020cm) and subsoil (2040cm). Standard statistics were used to identify the regional SOC content and the relationships with 11 selected environmental variables. Concentrations of SOC varied within a wide range throughout the region from 0.38 to 54.03gkg-1, with mean values of 10.34 and 6.78gkg-1 for the topsoil and subsoil, respectively. Coefficient of variation values showed moderate variation for SOC in both soil layers. Significant correlations were detected between SOC and these environmental variables, notably with soil total nitrogen (TN), soil pH, and clay content. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that TN, clay content, soil pH, elevation, and temperature had greatest effects on regional SOC variability among all the selected soil and site variables. Geostatistical analysis showed that the maximum autocorrelation ranges were 384 and 393km for SOC in the topsoil and subsoil, respectively. Nugget-to-sill ratios were 0.52 and 0.50, which also indicated moderate spatial dependence. Maps of SOC distribution produced by the geostatistical method showed that the overall spatial pattern was characterised by an area of low SOC content surrounded by bands with higher values, which generally increased towards the region's boundaries. The distribution pattern corresponded to that of the major regional landforms, which also influenced land use, whereby the sandy Ordos Plateau is surrounded by relatively fertile plains and valleys, where the human population density is highest, and the regional boundary is mountainous. The spatial data of SOC could be useful as an important initial state in regional SOC modelling and possibly be used in calibration and prediction processes in the remote sensing method to estimate SOC content for large-scale areas. CSIRO 2012.
Investigating the Effects of Tailored Gamification on Learners’ Engagement over Time in a Learning Environment

Gamification has been widely used to increase learners’ motivation and engagement in digital learning environments. Various studies have highlighted the need to tailor gamification according to users’ characteristics. However, little is known about how tailoring gamification affects learners’ engagement when interacting with the environment. In this paper, we analyse learners’ behaviours in a large-scale field study in real-world classroom conditions over a six-week period. We identify three behavioural patterns and show at a global level that two of these patterns are influenced by adaptation. When we look at how learners’ engagement evolves over time, we see more differences in the adapted condition, specifically in the final lessons of the experiment. Globally learners’ engaged behaviours gradually decreased over time but tailoring the game elements to learners seemed to reduce this decrease or make it more stable, depending on the behavioural patterns.
Suspecting Sarcasm: How League of Legends Players Dismiss Positive Communication in Toxic Environments

Toxicity in multiplayer gaming is an ongoing problem that threatens the well-being of players, gaming communities, and game developers. Meanwhile, interventions that promote positive interactions and proactively create positive gaming spaces are still in their infancy; little is known about how players respond to positivity. In our study, 959 League of Legends players were presented with either 10 positive chat logs or 10 negative chat logs, and asked to reflect on the content and how representative such communication is of their own gaming experiences. We thematically coded participants' free-form answers (identifying the themes normalize, acknowledge, downplay, cope, blame, and make personal), and compared the positive and negative conditions in terms of theme prevalence. Our findings show that participants were more likely to normalize and acknowledge toxic negativity than positivity. Furthermore, the dominant response to positivity consisted of downplaying messages as not representative and rare, and even expressing suspicion that messages must have been fabricated or intended as sarcasm. Participants overwhelmingly cope by muting chat, protecting them from toxic interactions, but leaving them unexposed to positive communication and other beneficial social interactions within play.
Solute Transfer Through Columns of Glass Beads

Miscible displacement experiments were conducted in a 30-cm-long column filled with glass beads that had diameters in the range of 74–125 µm. Breakthrough curves were determined at various leaching rates for saturated or unsaturated conditions. The breakthrough curves of the unsaturated experiments showed early breakthrough and tailing. These could be described with the classical dispersion equation, provided dispersion coefficients were used, which were about 20 times larger than for saturated columns leached at comparable pore water velocities. A better description of these breakthrough curves was obtained with a model accounting for mobile and immobile water. With this model the dispersion coefficients, as obtained from the saturated experiments, could be used directly. The immobile water content was found to increase linearly with the total water content, while the transfer coefficient for solute transport into the immobile water increased proportionally with the pore water velocity. It is shown, based on the mobile and immobile water and solute transport model, that breakthrough curves of long unsaturated columns should exhibit no early breakthrough and tailing but that the presence of immobile water will result in predictably larger dispersion coefficients than those expected on the basis of saturated flow experiments alone.
Competing Imaginaries and Partisan Divides in the Data Rhetoric of Advocacy Organizations

Data are wielded to shape public opinion, particularly in electoral contexts where the role and veracity of information is questioned. This post-truth era is characterized by world events in which facts too often are obfuscated and evidential standards are abandoned. To study how data are used to influence pressing and divisive contemporary issues, this paper explores the rhetorical work that quantitative data are doing through the blogging practices of advocacy organizations during the highly-polarized month preceding the 2016 United States elections. We present results of a qualitative content analysis of the quantitative data used in 337 blog posts published by five pairs of conservative and liberal advocacy organizations over the course of the month leading up to the 2016 US elections. We identify key data rhetoric practices along partisan lines and contribute an analytic framework-evaluating ethos, pathos, and logos- that can be used to analyze the rhetorical use of data in other contexts. We then characterize two different imaginaries that come into conflict in this research: 1) the political imaginaries being promoted through organizational blogging and 2) the sociotechnical imaginary of the data economy, foregrounding differences in the epistemic value of data in each. We conclude by outlining research challenges and trajectories for future research within each of the two imaginaries of data.