Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anterior abdominal wall reconstruction with mesh implants: indications and limitations in a developing tropical economy

Introduction the role of surgery in managing massive midline abdominal wall defects has continued to rise, leading to higher demand for more effective techniques in order to limit recurrences. There is paucity of data on this subject in Southeast Nigeria. The aim of this study is to document the indications and challenges of treatment of complex, midline abdominal wall defects in our centre. Methods this was a cross-sectional study of adult patients with complex, midline abdominal wall defects managed with mesh implants over a five-year period. Results a total of 182 adult patients, predominantly females 160(87.9%), received mesh implants for complex abdominal wall defects. The common indications were incisional hernia 128(70.3%), abdominal wound dehiscence 16(8.8%) and divarication of recti 16(8.8%). About one-third 62(34.1%) of the patients required additional abdominoplasty procedure. Delay towards prompt surgical repair was noted in 168(92.3%) patients, notably due to financial constraints 32(17.6%) followed by comorbidities requiring serial assessments 24(13.2%). Superficial wound infection rate was 5.5% while deep (mesh) infection was noted in two (1.1%) patients. Recurrence and perioperative mortality rates were 1.1% and 1.6% respectively. Diabetes mellitus in obese female patients was an independent predictor of perioperative death (p=0.000). Conclusion the most common indication for abdominal wall reconstruction in our environment is incisional hernia. The use of prosthetic meshes to repair complex abdominal wall defects is largely safe and effective in our practice, but timely reconstruction is commonly hampered by multi-faceted economic, clinical and pathological barriers.
Parental perceptions of the impact of neonatal unit visitation policies during COVID-19 pandemic

Objectives To ascertain parental perceptions of the impact of restricted visiting policies to neonatal intensive care units during the current COVID-19 pandemic. Design Cross-sectional survey of parents impacted by visitation policies. Setting Six tertiary level neonatal units, four from the UK and two from the USA, participated in the study. Participants Parents and families of infants hospitalised in the participating centres between 1 May 2020 and 21 August 2020. Methods Online-based and/or paper-based survey, querying the visitation policies and their impact on parents’ ability to visit, care for and bond with their infants. Results A total of 231 responses were received. Visitation limited to a single visitor with no restrictions on duration was the most frequently reported policy; 140/217 (63%). Visitation policies were perceived as being restrictive by 62% (138/219) of the respondents with 37% (80/216) reporting being able to visit less often than desired, 41% (78/191) reporting being unable to bond enough and 27% (51/191) reporting not being able to participate in their baby’s daily care. Mild to severe impact on breast feeding was reported by 36% (75/209) of respondents. Stricter policies had a higher impact on families and were significantly associated with a lack of bonding time, inability to participate in care and an adverse impact on breast feeding. Conclusions Visitation policies during the COVID-19 pandemic varied between centres and over time with stricter restrictions implemented earlier on in the pandemic. Parents reported significant impacts on their ability to visit, care for and bond with their infants with perceived severity of impact worse with stricter restrictions.
Channel network structure determines genetic connectivity of landward–seaward Avicennia marina populations in a tropical bay

Abstract Mangrove ecosystems along the East African coast are often characterized by a disjunct zonation pattern of seaward and landward Avicennia marina trees. This disjunct zonation may be maintained through different positions in the tidal frame, yielding different dispersal settings. The spatial configuration of the landscape and coastal processes such as tides and waves is expected to largely influence the extent of propagule transport and subsequent regeneration. We hypothesized that landward sites would keep a stronger genetic structure over short distances in comparison with enhanced gene flow among regularly flooded seaward fringes. We tested this hypothesis from densely vegetated A. marina transects of a well‐documented mangrove system (Gazi Bay, Kenya) and estimated local gene flow and kinship‐based fine‐scale genetic structure. Ten polymorphic microsatellite markers in 457 A. marina trees revealed no overall significant difference in levels of allele or gene diversities between sites that differ in hydrological proximity. Genetic structure and connectivity of A. marina populations however indicated an overall effect of geographic distance and revealed a pronounced distinction between channels and topographic setting. Migration models allowed to infer gene flow directionality among channels, and indicated a bidirectional steppingstone between seaward and nearest located landward stands. Admixed gene pools without any fine‐scale structure were found within the wider and more exposed Kidogoweni channel, suggesting open systems. Elevated kinship values and structure over 5 to 20 m distance were only detected in two distant landward and seaward transects near the mouth of the Mkurumuji River, indicating local retention and establishment. Overall, our findings show that patterns of A. marina connectivity are explained by hydrological proximity, channel network structure, and hydrokinetic energy, rather than just their positioning as disjunct landward or seaward zones.
Sex-Specific Associations of Circulating Uric Acid with Risk of Diabetes Incidence: A Population-Based Cohort Study from Sweden

Objective To explore the longitudinal, as well as sex-specific, associations between circulating uric acid (UA) and diabetes incidence. Methods A cohort study of the Malmö Diet Cancer-cardiovascular Cohort (Malmö, Sweden) consisting of 3140 individuals without diabetes at baseline, was followed up until the end of 2018. Incident diabetes cases were identified by linking to local and national diabetes registers. Cox proportional hazard regression was used to assess plasma UA levels in relation to diabetes incidence with adjustment for established confounders. Results At baseline, with increasing levels of UA, subjects were more likely to be older and have significantly higher body mass index, waist circumference, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, fasting glucose and 2-h plasma glucose postoral glucose tolerance test, and lower levels of high-density lipoprotein. During a mean follow-up period of 8.09±2.24 years, 315 (10.0%) participants developed diabetes, and diabetes incidence rates were 7.89, 9.48 and 18.11 per 1000 person-years for subjects in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd tertiles of UA, respectively (log-rank test: p<0.001). With adjustment for potential confounders, elevated UA levels were significantly associated with increased risks of diabetes incidence, with the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval) for per standard deviation increment of UA of 1.22 (1.08–1.39, p=0.002). Compared with the 1st tertile of UA, the 3rd tertile showed significantly increased risk of diabetes incidence with the adjusted HR of 1.74 (1.24–2.45, p=0.002), and there was a significant trend between increasing tertiles of UA and diabetes incidence (trend test: p<0.001). Stratified analyses showed that elevated circulating UA levels were independently associated with increased risks of diabetes incidence in men but not in women, although the interaction between sex and UA was not statistically significant. Conclusion Elevated circulating UA was independently associated with increased risk of diabetes incidence, especially for men.
Large-scale Open Dataset, Pipeline, and Benchmark for Bandit Algorithms.

We build and publicize the Open Bandit Dataset to facilitate scalable and reproducible research on bandit algorithms. It is especially suitable for off-policy evaluation (OPE), which attempts to estimate the performance of hypothetical policies using data generated by a different policy.We construct the dataset based on experiments and implementations on a large-scale fashion e-commerce platform, ZOZOTOWN. The data contain the ground-truth about the performance of several bandit policies and enable fair comparisons of different OPE estimators. We also build a Python package called the Open Bandit Pipeline to streamline implementations of bandit algorithms and OPE estimators. Our open data and pipeline will allow researchers and practitioners to easily evaluate and compare their bandit algorithms and OPE estimators with others in a large, real-world setting. Using our data and pipeline, we provide extensive benchmark experiments of existing OPE estimators. Our experiments open up essential challenges and new avenues for future OPE research. Our pipeline and example data are available at https://github.com/st-tech/zr-obp. You can follow the updates of the whole project at https://groups.google. com/g/open-bandit-project.
Mass spectrum and strong decays of strangeonium in a constituent quark model *

In this work we calculate the mass spectrum of strangeonium up to the $3D$ multiplet within a nonrelativistic linear potential quark model. Furthermore, using the obtained wave functions, we also evaluate the strong decays of the strangeonium states with the $^3P_0$ model. Based on our successful explanations of the well established states $\phi(1020)$, $\phi(1680)$, $h_1(1415)$, $f'_2(1525)$, and $\phi_3(1850)$, we further discuss the possible assignments of strangeonium-like states from experiments by combining our theoretical results with the observations. It is found that some resonances, such as $f_2(2010)$ and $f_2(2150)$ listed by the Particle Data Group, and $X(2062)$ and $X(2500)$ newly observed by BESIII, may be interpreted as the strangeonium states. The possibility of $\phi(2170)$ as a candidate for $\phi(3S)$ or $\phi(2D)$ cannot be excluded. We expect our results to provide useful references for looking for the missing $s\bar{s}$ states in future experiments.
Uso de lodo de esgoto na reestruturao de solo degradado

The soil use not always result in an ecological sustainable system. An intense and inadequate soil use leads to soil degradation. In this sense, this study aimed to investigate the influence of sewage sludge on the recovery of physical properties of a degraded Oxisol, cultivated for 2.5 years with eucalyptus (Eucalyptus citriodora Hook) and Brachiaria grass (Brachiaria decumbens), in Selviria, MS, Brazil. Six treatments were evaluated in an experiment in a randomized block design with four replications: (1) Savannah; (2) exposed soil without treatment for recovery; (3) soil under eucalyptus and pasture (without application of sewage sludge or mineral fertilization); (4) soil under eucalyptus and pasture with mineral fertilization; (5) soil under eucalyptus and pasture with application of 30 Mg ha-1 sewage sludge, and (6) soil under eucalyptus and pasture with application of 60 Mg ha-1 sewage sludge. In the soil layers 0.00-0.05; 0.05-0.10; 0.10-0.20 and of 0.20-0.30 m, the following physical properties were studied: macroporosity; microporosity; soil porosity, and bulk density. Green and dry mass of pasture and height and DBH of eucalyptus were evaluated. It was concluded that the studied soil is a recovery process. The treatments with sludge application were more effective because of their influence on the soil physical properties, besides resulting in higher green and dry mass yield in brachiaria and increased growth of eucalyptus trees. The best indicators of soil recovery were plant development, soil bulk density, total porosity, and macroporosity.
A Study to Assess the Awareness of Ill Effects of Tobacco among Adolescents and Young Adults of Mangalore

NUJHS Vol. 6, No.3, September 2016, ISSN 2249-7110 Introduction Tobacco use is a leading cause of preventable deaths world over, more so in developing countries. The tobacco situation in India is unique because of a vast spectrum of tobacco products available for smoking as well as smokeless use . Smoking of cigarette particularly beedi and chewing tobacco (smokeless use) is an age-old practice in India.
Thermodynamic Properties of Halides

From Introduction: "This compilation is the second in a series revising and expanding Bureau of Mines Bulletin 605, "Thermodynamic Properties of 65 Elements-Their Oxides, Halides, Carbides, and Nitrides," by C. E. Wicks and F. E. Block, published in 1963, and including data available through 1959. "
Chimeric antigen receptors T cells as second line therapy for acute leukemia relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: high remission rate without causing graft versus host disease

Objective To analyze the efficiency and safety of chimeric antigen receptors T cells for acute B lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patients who relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo HSCT) andshowednoresponseforchemotherapy followed by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). Methods We conducted a clinical trial of allogeneic T cells engineered to express a chimericantigen receptor (CAR) for patients with B-ALL that had progressed after allo HSCT and DLI. Chemotherapies were administered for most cases. The T cells were obtained from each recipient's allo-HSCT donor. The clinical data of 10 patients between 2015.1. 1 and 2016.3. 31 were collected and analyzed. Results Ten patients have been treated to date. Morphology relapses occurred in 7 cases, and 3 patients had minimal residual disease.The median age was 35 years (8-52 years). They received the first course of CAT-T cells at a median of 24 months (range 6.0-66 months) after the allo-HSCT, and the median dose of CAR-T cells was 2.53×106/kg [(0.44-5.5)×106/kg]. Eightout of 10 treated patients obtained remission, including complete remissions (CR) in 5 casesand partial remissions (PR) in 3 cases. The overall response rate was 80%. All the responded patients achieved the best effect after the first course. The median days to reach the best response in patients with morphology relapses were 24 days (14-37days) and the maintaining time of the curative effect was 1.3 to 6.3 months (mean 4.75 months after CAR-T cells infusion. The response was associated with the blast cells in bone marrow (response group vs. non-response group, 28.5% vs. 90.0%, P=0.010), and not with the dose of CAR-T cells (13.1×106/kg vs. 20.0×106/kg, P=0.538). The side effects of treatment could be evaluated in 22 courses. Fever occurred in 13 courses, and the median time for the onset of fever was 6 days (range 0-8 days) after infusion. Twelve of them were clinically diagnosed with cytokine release syndrome (CSR), including 1 moderate case and the others were mild. Only 1 case had rash and diagnosed with grade Ⅰgraft-versus-host disease (GVHD), and the rash regressed spontaneously. To the end of 2016.3. 31, the overall survival of all patients was 49.4% at 15th month after CAR-T cells therapy. Conclusion Our study demonstrates that immunotherapy with CAR-T cells is feasible in patients with B-ALL relapsed and heavily treated by DLI after allo HSCT without causing GVHD. The response rate is related to the percentage of morphological blasts. Key words: Chimeric antigen receptor; Adoptive cell therapy; B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Cytokinereleasesyndrome
Nanofabrication using focused ion and electron beams : principles and applications

Introduction I-1. Historical development of electron beam induced deposition and etching: from carbon to functional materials I. Utke, H. Koops I-2. Historical evolution of FIB technology: from circuit editing to nanoprototyping Ph. Russell. Part I. Fundamentals and Models 1. The theory of bright field electron and field ion emission sources R.Forbes 2. How to select compounds for focused charged particle beam assisted etching and deposition Tristan Bret, Patrik Hoffmann 3. Gas Injection Systems for FEB and FIB Processing: Theory and Experiment Vinzenz Friedli, Heinz D. Wanzenboeck, and Ivo Utke 4. Fundamentals of interactions of electrons with molecules John H. Moore, Petra Swiderek, Stefan Matejcik, Michael Allan 5. Simulation of focused ion beam milling Heung-Bae Kim, Gerhard Hobler 6. FEB and FIB continuum models for one molecule species Ivo Utke 7. Continuum modeling of electron beam induced processes Charlene J. Lobo and Milos Toth 8. Monte Carlo method in EBID process Beam
Modern derivatization methods for separation sciences

Partial Table of Contents: 1. Pretreatment for Real Sample Analysis and Choice of Suitable Reagent 2. Reagent for UV--VIS detection 3. Reagent for FL Detection 4. Reagents for CL detection 5. Reagents for electrochemical detection 6. Derivatization for resolution of chiral compounds References Subject index.
Cluster dynamics in AlZr and AlSc alloys

Abstract The homogeneous precipitation kinetics of the ordered phases Al 3 Zr and Al 3 Sc in Al solid solutions has been simulated at the mesoscopic scale by the cluster dynamics method. The polyatomic clusters, embedded in the solid solution, have an L1 2 structure and exchange solute atoms via absorption and emission reactions controlled by interfacial and long range diffusion. The time evolution of the cluster distribution is determined numerically, solving a set of master differential equations coupled through monomer exchanges. Results are presented for different temperatures and solute supersaturations and are discussed in terms of the classical schemes of precipitation and of recent atomistic Monte-Carlo simulations. 1. Introduction Precipitation kinetics is usually modelled assuming that three successive stages can be distinguished and separately solved: the initial nucleation step, to which succeed for supercritical precipitates growth and coarsening. Although this classification offers the advantage of simplicity and easy numerical handling, all steps obviously operate simultaneously in real systems and this simplification can possibly be an oversimplification under extreme conditions such as nonisothermal heat treatments. In order to obtain a better insight into this problem we have developed, similarly to previous works [1-3], a cluster dynamics method where the life of the whole cluster or precipitate assembly is permanently and globally monitored at the mesoscopic scale.
On the innovation and evolution of predatory tactics

Predator-prey systems are ubiquitous across ecological systems. Typical ecological models focus on the dynamics of predator-prey populations. Eco-evolutionary models integrate arms race or Red-Queen like dynamics. The roles of the predator and prey species are always assumed to be static. Nevertheless, sometimes predators can bite off more than they can chew. For example, predators that encounter multiple or dangerous prey types may need to develop new predatory tactics to capture prey. We explore the dynamics of predator-prey dynamics when the prey can injure or kill the predator. This common ecological scenario places pressure on the predator to develop novel predatory tactics to both capture prey and avoid counter-attack from prey. Taking a bottom-up approach, we develop the Holling function mechanistically and then implement it in a model of innovationselection dynamics inspired by economic theory. We show how an interdisciplinary approach can be used to explain the emergence of complex predatory behaviours. Notably, our study shows why predators may hunt dangerous prey even when safe prey are available. In a broader context, we demonstrate how a multidisciplinary approach combining ecology, evolution and economics improves our understanding of a complex behavioural trait.
The evaluation of Xpert MTB/RIF for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis

Objective To evaluate the diagnostic performance of Xpert MTB/RIF for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Methods This was a prospective, single center clinical trial. A total of 116 consecutive patients with suspected meningitis who were admitted to Xijing Hospital from October 2013 to June 2015 were recruited. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) and rifampicin (RIF) resistance mutations in 1 ml cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were detected with Xpert MTB/RIF and the remaining sample was tested by Ziehl-Neelsen staining, MGIT960 liquid culture and other laboratory tests. And the enrolled patients were grouped according to the 2010 South African expert consensus. The diagnostic performance of Xpert MTB/RIF was evaluated by comparing against clinical score >5 points and MGIT960 liquid culture as reference standards respectively. The comparison was performed using a χ2 test or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and a nonparametric rank sum test for continuous variables. Results Among the enrolled 116 subjects, 23 subjects were diagnosed as definite-TBM by MGIT960 liquid culture, 16 subjects were classified as probable TBM, 27 subjects were classified as possible TBM, and 50 subjects were classified as non-TBM. When clinical score >5 points was used as a reference standard, the sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF (39.4%) was comparable with that of MGIT960 liquid culture (34.8%)(χ2=0.292, P=0.589), and significantly better than that of Ziehl-Neelsen staining (9.9%) (χ2=16.500, 12.771, P<0.001). No significant differences were found among the specificities of Xpert MTB/RIF, MGIT960 liquid culture and Ziehl-Neelsen staining (98.0%, 100.0% vs 98.0%, χ2=1.014, P=0.602). When tested against MGIT960 liquid culture as a reference standard, the sensitivity of Xpert MTB/RIF was 91.3%. Conclusions Xpert MTB/RIF is a rapid and specific method to detect MTB and RIF resistance in CSF. It exhibits a good rule in value for the diagnosis of TBM and a comparable sensitivity with MGIT960 liquid culture, thus it can be used as the initial method for the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis. (Chin J Lab Med, 2016, 39: 442-447) Key words: Tuberculosis, meningeal; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Rifampin; Drug resistance, bacteria; Polymerase chain reaction; Sensitivity and specificity
Comparison between bronchiectasis severity index and FACED score for the prognostic assessment of bronchiectasis

Objective Bronchiectasis severity index (BSI) and FACED were used to evaluate the medical records of 92 patients with bronchiectasis at our hospital.The comparisons of BSI and FACED were made to assess bronchiectasis severity with respect to its prognosis. Methods Ninety-two cases with bronchiectasis were chosen.1 year was regarded as the observation terminal and the outcomes as the observation.BSI and FACED were evaluated at the sensitivity, specificity in assessment of condition and prognosis in bronchiectasis. Results The two score systems showed that the mortality of the low-risk or moderate-risk group was significantly lower than high-risk group: 2.9% vs 12.5% vs 38.9% for BSI, 5.6% vs 10.3% vs 41.2% for FACED (all P<0.05). The sensitivity were 92.9% and 68.4% in bronchieectasis using BSI and FACED, their specificity were 89.7% and 90.4%, respectively.Their positive predictive rates were 61.9% and 65.0%, respectively.Their negative predictive rates were 98.6% and 91.7%, respectively. Conclusions The two score systems can accurately reflect the condition of severity and prognosis in bronchiectasis patients.The sensitivity and negative predictive rates of BSI score are higher and more complicated than FACED.BSI Score is suitable for use in ward.The sensitivity of FACED is lower than BSI, but the specificity and negative predictive rates are higher than BSI.FACED is suitable for use in outpatient department. Key words: Bronchiectasis; Score; Severity; Prognosis