Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and staging of lung cancer using transesophageal ultrasound: Training and assessment

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality. [1] Tumor tissue sampling is mandatory in the allocation of correct treatment and to enhance outcomes. [2] Diagnosing and staging of patients is comprised of imaging and invasive techniques. The latter includes endobronchial ultrasound‐guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS‐TBNA) and transesophageal EUS‐FNA. Endoscopic staging has replaced operative interventions as mediastinoscopy, as endoscopic staging has a higher sensitivity in lymph node staging,[3] is less invasive with a lower complication rate,[4] and is recommended by current international guidelines as the first test in mediastinal testing in lung cancer patients. [4‐6] EUS and EBUS complement each other. The diagnostic value of combining EBUS with EUS by using echo‐bronchoscope (EUS‐B) is superior to either performing EBUS or EUS‐B alone, and reduces the need for surgical staging procedures. [7,8]
Foundations matter: Pre-service teachers’ understanding of osmosis and diffusion in relation to their formal science education backgrounds

Osmosis and diffusion are fundamental topics in science education because many processes in nature largely depend on these phenomena. However, many students usually hold misconceptions and have a lack of knowledge about these topics. This study explores pre-service teachers ’ understanding of osmosis and diffusion in relation to their prior formal education. The main reason for the study was the need to support pre-service teachers so that they can effectively teach these topics. A total of 243 first-year students in bachelor ’ s programs at the University of Ljubljana participated in the study. The results showed that students that graduated from vocational and technical secondary schools had a weaker understanding of these topics compared to students from general secondary schools. Furthermore, only students that had passed the leaving exam in biology showed a better understanding of osmosis and diffusion.
Experience-Dependent Effects to Situational Awareness in Police Officers: An Eye Tracking Study

Police work requires making suitable observations which form the basis of situational awareness (SA) of the encounter in progress. Incomplete early-stage SA (i.e., perception) can lead to errors in subsequent judgement and decision-making that can have severe consequences for performance, learning, and occupational health. SA in police contexts is still relatively understudied and requires closer examination using objective measures. The current preliminary study aimed to measure the gaze and fixation patterns among novice and expert police officers to understand early-stage SA at different levels of professional experience. Participants included 23 novices (10 early, 13 intermediate) and 11 experienced officers and instructors in tactics and use of force. Visit duration and fixation order were measured while participants viewed various static images of staged encounters. Results showed that all participants fixated longer on targets compared to the periphery, and fixated earlier on suspects’ faces compared to hands, bodies, or the environment. Further, experts fixated earlier on hands and spent less time scanning the environment than early novices. The current findings reveal eye movement patterns while officers engaged in typical police encounters. Future research can inform evidence-based police training to achieve optimal SA and minimize negative outcomes in training and operational field settings.
Effects of Climate and Drought on Stem Diameter Growth of Urban Tree Species

Urbanization and climate change are two inevitable megatrends of this century. Knowledge about the growth responses of urban trees to climate is of utmost importance towards future management of green infrastructure with the aim of a sustainable provision of the environmental ecosystem services. Using tree-ring records, this study analyzed growth response to climate by stem diameter at breast height (DBH) of 1178 trees in seven large cities worldwide, including Aesculus hippocastanum L. in Munich; Platanus × hispanica Münchh. in Paris; Quercus nigra L. in Houston; Quercus robur L. in Cape Town; Robinia pseudoacacia L. in Santiago de Chile, Munich, and Würzburg; and Tilia cordata Mill. in Berlin, Munich, and Würzburg. Climate was characterized following the de Martonne aridity index (DMI). Overall, trees showed an 8.3% lower DBH under arid than humid climate at the age of 100. Drought-tolerant tree species were overall not affected by climate. However, R. pseudoacacia showed a lower diameter when growing in semi-dry than humid climate. In contrast, drought-sensitive tree species were negatively affected by arid climate. Moreover, the effect of drought years on annual diameter increment was assessed. P. × hispanica and R. pseudoacacia appeared as the most drought-resistant species. The highest sensitivity to drought was detected in T. cordata and Q. robur. A. hippocastanum and Q. nigra showed a lower diameter growth during drought events, followed by a fast recovery. This study’s findings may contribute to a better understanding of urban tree growth reactions to climate, aiming for sustainable planning and management of urban trees.
Securing Industrial Internet of Things Against Botnet Attacks Using Hybrid Deep Learning Approach

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) formation of a richer ecosystem of intelligent, interconnected devices while enabling new levels of digital innovation has transformed and revolutionized global manufacturing and industry 4.0. Conversely, the general distributed nature of IIoT, Industrial 5 G, underlying IoT sensing devices, IT/OT convergence, Edge Computing, and Time Sensitive Networking makes it an impressive and potential target for cyber-attackers. Multi-variant persistent and sophisticated bot attacks are considered catastrophic for connected IIoTs. Besides, botnet attack detection is highly complex and decisive. Thus, efficient and timely detection of IIoT botnets is a dire need of the day. We propose a hybrid intelligent Deep Learning (DL) mechanism to secure IIoT infrastructure from lethal and sophisticated multi-variant botnet attacks. The proposed mechanism has been rigorously evaluated with the latest dataset, standard and extended performance evaluation metrics, and current DL benchmark algorithms. Besides, cross-validation of our results is also performed to show overall performance clearly. The proposed mechanisms outperform accurately identifying multi-variant sophisticated bot attacks by achieving a 99.94% detection rate. Besides, our proposed technique attains 0.066(ms) time, which also shows promising results in terms of speed efficiency.
Effect of Planting Methods on Grain Yield and Crop Management in Finger Millet

A field experiment on two planting methods (direct seeding and transplanting) in finger millet was conducted using two cultivars; Samtenling Memja 1 (SM1) and IE4425 at the Agriculture Research and Development Centre (ARDC), Samtenling from July to December 2020. The study aimed to determine the best planting method that gave better yield and economic advantage in crop production. The results of the experiment showed that the transplanted finger millet recorded the highest yield (0.81 Mt ha-1) compared to directed seeded (0.65 Mt ha-1) but statistically not significant. There was a percent yield difference of 19.7 % between the two methods. Similarly, there was no significant effect between planting methods and yield components such as plant height, productive tillers, and finger numbers; but there were varietal significant effects on plant height and length of the fingers (P=0.00). However, a significantly shorter maturity duration was observed in direct-seeded millet (120 days) as compared to transplanted millet (126.5 days). Moreover, economic analysis indicates that net returns for direct seeding were considerably greater (>25%) than that of the transplanting method. Based on the study, direct-seeded finger millet could be promoted in farmers' fields considering the economic advantage and early maturity.
Neutrophil to Lymphocyte ratio is significantly reduced after Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor treatment in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background. Sodium glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are novel therapeutic agents that became available in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This group of antidiabetic agents are associated with reduced glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting glucose, body weight and body mass index (BMI) in diabetic patients. All those beneficial effects may also be associated with a reduction in inflammatory burden. The purpose of the study is to compare neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), a novel inflammatory marker derived from hemogram, before and 6 months after SGLT2i treatment in diabetic subjects. We also aimed to compare fasting glucose, HbA1c and other metabolic parameters as well as anthropometric measures (weight, BMI) before and 6 month after initiation of SGLT2i therapy. Materials and methods. The subjects with type T2DM that show up in internal medi­cine outpatient clinics of Abant Izzet Baysal University Hospital between January 2021 and December 2021 were enrolled to the study. Pretreatment and posttreatment NLR and other parameters were compared. We also obtained pretreatment and posttreatment laboratory data including urea, creatinine, fasting glucose, HbA1c, glomerular filtration rate, aspartate and alanine transaminases, plasma sodium and potassium. Results. Fasting glucose was reduced from 195 ± 72 mg/dl in pretreatment period to 146 ± 53 mg/dl in posttreatment period (p < 0.001). HbA1c was reduced from 9.1 ± 1.7 % in pretreatment period to 7.7 ± 1.7 % in posttreatment period (p < 0.001). The NLR before treatment was 2.6 ± 1.2 % before SGLT2i treatment and was reduced to 2.2 ± 0.6 % in 6th month of SGLT2i therapy. NLR was significantly decreased after treatment (p = 0.003). Conclusions. We suggest that NLR levels could be a marker of reduced inflammatory burden in T2DM subjects receiving SGLT2i treatment.
Dietary Supplementation of a New Probiotic Compound Improves the Growth Performance and Health of Broilers by Altering the Composition of Cecal Microflora

Simple Summary In most countries, antibiotic growth promoters are restricted or banned in the livestock industry, and probiotics have been widely explored to replace them. Lactobacillus LP184 and Yeast SC167 were selected as probiotic strains that could remain viable in feed and the gastrointestinal tract and were combined to form a compound to act as a substitute for antibiotics in broilers’ diets. This study aimed to investigate the effects of the compound probiotics as a potential alternative to antibiotics in broiler production. The feeding trial contained three dietary treatments and lasted for 42 days. The negative control group was fed the basal diet. The positive control group was fed the basal diet supplemented with commercial antibiotics. The probiotics group was fed the basal diet containing the compound probiotics. The results showed that the compound probiotics were a competent alternative for synthetic antibiotics to improve the production of broilers. The compound probiotics enhanced the immune and antioxidant capacities of broilers, which could not be achieved using antibiotics. The positive effects of the compound probiotics on the growth performance and health of broilers can likely be attributed to the improvement of intestinal morphology and cecal microbial diversity, effects which are distinct from those of antibiotics. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of replacing antibiotics with compound probiotics in broilers’ diets. Abstract The current study aimed to investigate the effects of a new probiotic compound developed as a potential alternative to synthetic antibiotics for broilers. A total of 360 newly hatched Arbor Acres male chicks were randomly divided into three treatment groups. Each treatment consisted of six replicates with 20 birds in each replicate. The negative control group was fed the basal diet. The positive control group was fed the basal diet supplemented with a commercial antimicrobial, virginiamycin, at 30 mg/kg of basal feed. The compound probiotics group was fed a basal diet containing 4.5 × 106 CFU of Lactobacillus LP184 and 2.4 × 106 CFU of Yeast SC167 per gram of basal feed. The feeding trial lasted for 42 days. The results showed that the compound probiotics were a competent alternative to synthetic antibiotics for improving the growth performance and carcass traits of broilers. The compound probiotics enhanced the immune and antioxidant capacities of the broilers, while antibiotics lacked such merits. The positive effects of compound probiotics could be attributed to an improvement in the intestinal morphology and cecal microbial diversity of broilers, effects which are distinct from those of antibiotics. These findings revealed the differences between probiotics and antibiotics in terms of improving broilers’ performance and enriched the basic knowledge surrounding the intestinal microbial structure of broilers.
On Optimal Correlation-Based Prediction

Abstract This note examines, at the population-level, the approach of obtaining predictors of a random variable Y, given the joint distribution of , by maximizing the mapping for a given correlation function . Commencing with Pearson’s correlation function, the class of such predictors is uncountably infinite. The least-squares predictor is an element of this class obtained by equating the expectations of Y and to be equal and the variances of and to be also equal. On the other hand, replacing the second condition by the equality of the variances of Y and , a natural requirement for some calibration problems, the unique predictor that is obtained has the maximum value of Lin’s (1989) concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) with Y among all predictors. Since the CCC measures the degree of agreement, the new predictor is called the maximal agreement predictor. These predictors are illustrated for three special distributions: the multivariate normal distribution; the exponential distribution, conditional on covariates; and the Dirichlet distribution. The exponential distribution is relevant in survival analysis or in reliability settings, while the Dirichlet distribution is relevant for compositional data.
Indoor Particulate Matters Measured in Residential Homes in the Southeastern United States: Effects of Pandemic Lockdown and Holiday Cooking

Although humans spend a majority of their lives in indoor environments, indoor air quality is immensely understudied, compared to ambient air. Here, we show the first long-term measurements of household indoor PM concentrations in the southeastern United States, for one year (May 2019 through April 2020) covering the COVID-19 hard-lockdown period (March and April 2020). Particle size distributions between 0.25–35 µm were measured with a low-cost sensor, which does not utilize hazardous chemicals and radiation sources and is ideal for indoor air monitoring in real households without disruption of residents’ living conditions. Our observations show that while cooking and cleaning are two major emissions sources for the residential indoor PM, consistent with the literature knowledge, but we also show that human occupancy affects the indoor PM level substantially. During the hard lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, the background level of indoor PM increased by ~200%, while the ambient PM decreased by ~50% during the same period. Before the pandemic, the indoor PM level was lower than the outdoor, but it became similar or higher than the outdoor level during the pandemic. Thanksgiving holiday cooking (prior to COVID-19) produced high concentrations of PM for an extended period (e.g., over 6 hours) even with active kitchen ventilation. PM concentrations during a cooking and cleaning event usually increased linearly to a maximum value and then decayed exponentially. The decay time of indoor PM ranged from several minutes up to ~100 minutes and increased with the particle size, indicating that particle deposition to the interior surfaces is the main sink process of the indoor PM.
Comparison of Intraductal RFA Plus Stent versus Stent-Only Treatment for Unresectable Perihilar Cholangiocarcinoma—A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Simple Summary In patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma, adequate biliary drainage is essential. Stent patency remains a challenge in these complex patients, as both plastic and metal stent occlusion may occur, necessitating additional drainage procedures. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a promising local treatment that has already proven its usefulness in other malignancies, such as hepatocellular carcinoma. In this meta-analysis and systematic review, we aimed to compare intraductal RFA with stent placement to stent placement alone in patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma. We found that RFA + stent treatment showed a significantly longer overall survival, in comparison to stent-only treatment. Further research is necessary in order to validate these findings to support the implementation of this promising strategy in clinical practice. Abstract Background: One of the cornerstones of palliative treatment for unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is biliary stent placement in order to restore biliary drainage. In this review, the potential added value of RFA with stent placement in comparison to stent placement alone in patients with unresectable perihilar cholangiocarcinoma is analyzed. Methods: We performed a comprehensive online search for relevant articles in November 2021 (PROSPERO ID: CRD42021288180). The primary endpoint was difference in overall survival. Secondary endpoints included overall survival, stent patency and complications. Only studies comparing survival after RFA + stent placement with stent placement alone were included in the meta-analysis. Non-comparative studies or comparative studies describing stent patency only were included in the systematic review. Results: A total of nine studies, including 217 patients with pCCA who underwent RFA + stent placement and 294 patients who underwent stent-only treatment, met the inclusion criteria for the primary endpoint analysis. Direct comparison between the two treatment groups showed a significantly longer overall survival for RFA + stent treatment, with a pooled HR of 0.65 [95% CI, 0.50–0.84, I2 = 38%]. When all eligible studies were included, RFA + stent treatment revealed an overall survival of 9.5 months [95% CI, 6.3–12.6], whereas survival for stent-only treatment was 7.0 months [95% CI, 5.7–8.2]. Due to the heterogeneity of the data, no pooled data analysis could be performed on stent patency or complications. Conclusions: RFA + stent placement displays promising potential to prolong survival. However, further research incorporating confounding factors like use of palliative chemotherapy is necessary in order to validate these findings.
Prebent Membrane-Based Disk-Type Triboelectric Nanogenerator Applied to Fault Diagnosis in Rotating Machinery

A prebent membrane-based triboelectric nanogenerator (PM-TENG) was proposed to harvest rotational energy; its application in diagnosing faults in rotating machinery was then explored. A PM array was realized by pressing two sides of each arch membrane into the radial grooves of a rotor disk, and a PM-TENG was formed together with a stator disk with interdigital electrodes pasted on the surface. Variations in output voltage and current with load resistance were tested, and the effects of design parameters on the output characteristics were discussed. It is demonstrated that the proposed PM-TENG has self-powered characteristics by charging the load capacitor and effectively driving micropowered electronic devices. Two test rigs were constructed for fault diagnosis tests in the rotating machinery. Fault characteristic frequencies were identified using the output current model of the PM-TENG. Fast Fourier transform and deep learning models were used to classify only bearing and gear-bearing hybrid faults, respectively. The results showed that the PM-TENG output current can be used to diagnose typical faults in rotating machinery; the classification accuracy exceeded 92%, which is only slightly lower than that based on the vibration signal. The proposed PM-TENG has application potential for rotating machinery fault diagnosis.
The Effect of Inquiry-Based Learning Strategy on Developing Saudi Students’ Meta-Cognitive Reading Comprehension Skills

The main aim of the present study is to develop first year university students' meta-cognitive reading comprehension using inquiry-based learning strategy. Subjects of the study were 106 (53 males, 53 females) first year university students enrolled in two classrooms at colleges representing urban and sub-urban areas in Shaqra University. The present study adopted a quasi-experimental design with one-group. The results of present study showed that first year university students should have the following reading comprehension skills: guessing, description, analyzing and identifying the main idea. Accordingly, the suggested strategy was designed and used to develop these identified meta-cognitive reading comprehension skills. A reading comprehension test, based on the identified skills, was designed and used as a pretest and posttest. Findings of the present study showed that there were statistical differences between the students’ mean score on the pretest and posttest in favor of the posttest, and there were statistical differences between the students’ mean score on the posttest at the level of . 05. This can be attributed to the effectiveness of using the inquiry-based learning strategy in developing students' meta-cognitive reading comprehension skills at the university stage.
Spectroscopic Evaluation of the Potential Neurotoxic Effects of a New Candidate for Anti-Seizure Medication—TP-315 during Chronic Administration (In Vivo)

The aim of this study was to investigate the potential neurotoxic effect of the new anti-seizure medication candidate—5-(3-chlorophenyl)-4-hexyl-2,4-dihydro-3H-1,2,4-triazole-3-thione (TP-315), after chronic administration to mice. TP-315 was administered to mice intraperitoneally for 14 days. At 24 h post the last injection, animals were decapitated, their brains were acquired, flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen and cut into 10 µm slices. The FT-IR chemical imaging technique was used for the investigation of the potential neurotoxic effect in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus. The effect on the lipidomic and proteomic profile and on oxidative stress was investigated. The results showed no statistically significant changes in the above-mentioned parameters. TP-315 seems to pose no neurotoxic effect on the mouse brain after chronic use, therefore, its use should be safe.