Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of clinicopathological characteristics and long-term survival between patients with gallbladder adenosquamous carcinoma and pure gallbladder adenocarcinoma after curative-intent surgery: a single-center experience in China and a meta-analysis

Objective The aim of the study was to evaluate the similarities and differences between gallbladder adenosquamous carcinoma (GBASC) and pure gallbladder adenocarcinoma (GBAC). Methods Patients with GBASC and GBAC from 2010 to 2020 were analyzed in terms of clinicopathological features and long-term survival. Moreover, a meta-analysis was also performed for further validation. Results Our experience: A total of 304 patients with resected GBC were identified, including 34 patients with GBASC and 270 patients with GBAC. Patients with GBASC had a significantly higher preoperative CA199 level (P <0.0001), a significantly higher incidence of liver invasion (P <0.0001), a relatively larger tumor size (P = 0.060), and a significantly higher proportion of patients with T3–4 (P <0.0001) or III–IV disease (P = 0.003). A comparable R0 rate was obtained between two groups (P = 0.328). A significantly worse overall survival (OS) (P = 0.0002) or disease-free survival (DFS) (P = 0.0002) was observed in the GBASC. After propensity score matching, comparable OS (P = 0.9093) and DFS (P = 0.1494) were obtained. Clear margin (P = 0.001), node metastasis (P <0.0001), T stage (P <0.0001), and postoperative adjuvant chemoradiotherapy (P <0.0001) were independent prognostic factors for OS for the entire cohort. Adjuvant chemoradiotherapy had a survival benefit for patients with GBAC, while the survival benefit was still being validated in patients with GBASC. Meta-analysis: With our cohort incorporated, a total of seven studies involving 1,434 patients with GBASC/squamous carcinoma (SC) were identified. GBASC/SC shared a worse prognosis (P <0.00001) and more aggressive tumor biological features than GBAC. Conclusion GBASC/SC shared more aggressive tumor biological features and a much worse prognosis than those with pure GBAC.
Energy-based procedures for seismic fragility analysis of mainshock-damaged buildings

In recent decades, significant research efforts have been devoted to developing fragility and vulnerability models for mainshock-damaged buildings, i.e., depending on the attained damage state after a mainshock ground motion (state-dependent fragility/vulnerability relationships). Displacement-based peak quantities, such as the maximum interstory drift ratio, are widely adopted in fragility analysis to define both engineering demands and structural capacities at the global and/or local levels. However, when considering ground-motion sequences, the use of peak quantities may lead to statistical inconsistencies (e.g., fragility curves’ crossings) due to inadequate consideration of damage accumulation. In this context, energy-based engineering demand parameters (EDPs), explicitly accounting for cumulative damage, can help address this issue. This paper provides an overview of recent findings on the development of aftershock-fragility models of mainshock-damaged buildings. Particular focus is given to state-of-the-art frameworks for fragility analyses based on cumulative damage parameters. Moreover, a literature review on damage indices and energy-based concepts and approaches in earthquake engineering is reported to better understand the main advantages of the mostly adopted energy-based parameters, as well as their limitations. Different refinement levels of seismic response analyses to derive fragility relationships of mainshock-damaged buildings are also discussed. Finally, the benefits of adopting energy-based EDPs rather than, or in addition to, peak quantities in state-dependent fragility analyses are demonstrated on a reinforced concrete frame building. Specifically, a refined lumped plasticity modeling approach is adopted, and sequential cloud-based time-history analyses of a Multi-Degree-of-Freedom (MDoF) model are carried out. The results highlight that energy-based approaches for fragility analysis effectively capture damage accumulation during earthquake sequences without inconsistencies in the obtained statistical models. On the other hand, estimating global or local structural capacity in terms of cumulative EDPs is still challenging. Further experimental data are needed to better calibrate the quantification of energy-based damaged states.
Involvement of baroreflex deficiency in the age-related loss of estrogen efficacy against cerebral ischemia

For post-menopausal women, stroke is complicated by the variable effects of estrogen therapy and the age-related therapeutic consequences involved. Estrogen therapy has been shown to have an age-dimorphic effect, which is neuroprotective in young females, but non-neuroprotective, even neurotoxic in acyclic females. We hypothesized that arterial baroreflex (ABR) and its downstream acetylcholine-α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) anti-inflammatory pathways are involved in estrogen efficacy toward cerebral ischemic damage. Our data showed that estrogen supplements contributed to ABR improvement and neuroprotection in adult, not aged, ovariectomized (OVX) rats. In adult rats, OVX-induced estrogen deficiency aggravated middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), which induced brain infarction and reduced ABR function, with decreased α7nAChR expression of the brain and exaggerated inflammation following MCAO; these effects were significantly prevented by supplementation with estrogen. ABR impairment by sinoaortic denervation partly attenuated the estrogen effect on baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and ischemic damage in adult rats, as well as α7nAChR expression and inflammatory response. These data suggested that ABR and acetylcholine-α7nAChR anti-inflammatory pathways are involved in the neuroprotection of estrogen in adult OVX rats. In contrast, aged rats exhibited more severe ischemic damage and inflammatory response than adult rats, as well as poorer baroreflex function and lower α7nAChR expression. Estrogen supplements did not improve BRS or confer neuroprotection in aged rats without affecting brain α7nAChR and post-ischemic inflammation. Most importantly, ketanserin restored ABR function and significantly postponed the onset of stroke in aged female strokeprone spontaneously hypertensive rats, whereas estrogen treatment failed to delay the development of stroke. Our findings reveal that estrogen is protective against ischemic stroke (IS) in adult female rats and that ABR played a role in this beneficial action. Dysfunction of ABR and unresponsiveness to estrogen in aged female rats may contribute to a reduced estrogen efficacy against cerebral ischemia.
Symbolic and non-symbolic predictors of number line task in Italian kindergarteners

The number line estimation task (NLE) is often used as a predictor for broader measures of mathematical achievement. In spite of its popularity, it is still not clear whether the task is based on symbolic or non-symbolic numerical competence. In particular, there is only a very limited amount of studies investigating the relationship between NLE performance and symbolic vs. non-symbolic math skills in children who have not yet begun formal schooling. This study investigates the strength of the association between NLE performance and symbolic and non-symbolic tasks in young kindergarteners. Ninety two 5-year-old children completed the NLE task (range 0–100) and a battery of early numerical competence tests including symbolic-lexical tasks, symbolic semantic tasks, and non-symbolic semantic tasks. The relationship between symbolic and non-symbolic early numerical competence and NLE performance was analyzed using a regression model based on the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC). Results show that only symbolic semantic tasks are significant predictors of NLE performance. These results suggest that symbolic numerical knowledge is involved in number line processing among young children, whilst non-symbolic knowledge is not. This finding brings new data to the debate on the relationship between non-symbolic numeral knowledge and symbolic number processing and supports the evidence of a primary role of symbolic number processing already in young kindergarteners.
Clinical benefits of PD-1 inhibitors in specific subgroups of patients with advanced esophageal squamous cell carcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis of phase 3 randomized clinical trials

Purpose In recent years, a number of clinical trials have shown that programmed death 1 (PD-1) inhibitors offer significant survival benefits in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). We conducted a meta-analysis to explore the antitumour efficacy of PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy in specific subgroups of patient with advanced ESCC. Methods We searched for eligible studies from the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library databases and conference abstracts. The indicators related to survival outcomes were extracted. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and duration of response (DOR) and the pooled odds ratio (OR) for objective response rate (ORR) were calculated to evaluate the efficacy of PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy in ESCC. Data regarding treatment lines, treatment regimens, programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) status, baseline demographic and disease characteristics were extracted. Subgroup analyses were conducted in specific populations of ESCC patients. The Cochrane risk of bias tool and sensitivity analysis were used to assess the quality of the meta-analysis. Results Eleven phase 3 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 6267 patients with ESCC were included in this meta-analysis. Compared with standard chemotherapy, PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy provided benefits in terms of OS, PFS, ORR, and DOR in all populations, the first-line treatment group, the second-line treatment group, the immunotherapy group, and the immunochemotherapy group. Although a limited PFS benefit was observed in second-line treatments and immunotherapy alone, PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy still reduced the risk of disease progression or death. Patients with high PD-L1 expression had a better OS benefit than those with low PD-L1 expression. The HR for OS favoured PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy over standard chemotherapy for all prespecified clinical subgroups. Conclusions Compared with standard chemotherapy, PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy exhibited clinically meaningful benefits in patients with ESCC. Survival benefits were better in patients with high PD-L1 expression than in those with low PD-L1 expression, suggesting that the PD-L1 expression level can be used as a predictor of survival benefit from PD-1 inhibitor therapy. PD-1 inhibitor-based therapy provided a consistent benefit in reducing the risk of death according to prespecified subgroup analyses of clinical characteristics.
Log‐Logistic Regression Models for Survival Data

The log‐logistic distribution has a non‐monotonic hazard function which makes it suitable for modelling some sets of cancer survival data. A log‐logistic regression model is described in which the hazard functions for separate samples converge with time. This also provides a linear model for the log odds on survival by any chosen time. The model is fitted on GLIM and an example is given of its use with lung cancer survival data.
Effect of Nano-CuO grain size on Heat Transfer Performance of Copper Substrate

: This paper presents the experimental results of nano copper oxide coating on the heat transfer performance of the copper substrate. The thermal effect of Nano copper oxide coating investigated by using an experimental thermal system consisted of three sections: evaporator, adiabatic, and condenser. The copper oxide (CuO) coating performed for the inner surface of copper pipe using an electrochemical oxidation method in an oxalic acid bath with applying a voltage of 5 volts at ambient temperature. The experimental tests performed for coated and uncoated copper pipes. The effects of CuO grain size on specific surface area (SSA) and material characteristics feature are investigated. Characterization of the CuO coat-ing were conducted using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM). The aver-age grain size of the oxide coating was ~44 nm, with an average coating thickness of ~11 micrometers. The CuO coated substrate showed lower thermal resistance property compared to uncoated substrate. However, the SSA of the coated substrate in decreased with the increasing of CuO grain size. Results show that the Nano-copper oxide coating enhances the heat transfer performance of the copper pipe, as a result of the increase in the specific surface area of Nano range grain size CuO by reducing the thermal resistance, and increasing the thermal conductivity. This result opens a new avenue to overcome the industrial challenge in the development of the heat exchangers design with Nano-coating with increased heat transfer efficiency and reduced size of the heat transfer equipment.
Resonator Based Superposition Rheometry

This thesis presents a measurement device consisting of a rotational rheometer in combination with a mechanical resonator. The superposition of conventional shear rate and a very small oscillatory shear offers the possibility to investigate the material behavior of non-Newtonian fluids. The structure of a complex fluid is changed by shearing. An equilibrium state depending on the disruption by shearing and the internal reforming evolves. This structure can be described by a complex viscosity consisting of viscosity and elasticity. The resonator operated by a phase locked loop measures the complex viscosity. The first part of the work describes the operation principle of the resonator. The determination of the mechanical behaviour of the resonator in air and in contact with the fluid permits the calculation of the complex viscosity. The resonator is driven electromagnetically and the phase between the excitation force and the resulting oscillating velocity is controlled by a feed back loop. Two phases and their corresponding frequencies are used in order to deduce the resonant frequency and quality factor of the operating mode. A single degree of freedom (SDOF) oscillation equation describes the resonator’s behaviour and permits the calculation of the complex viscosity by solving an implicit equation. The superposition of the constant and oscillatory shear flow is possible either in a parallel or orthogonal way. Both variants have been realised. The second part describes the design of two resonators: the plate on rod resonator (POR ) used for the parallel and the orthogonal resonator (OR ) for the orthogonal superposition. Their main requirement was a low resonant frequency. The change of structure of a complex fluid is better observable the lower the frequency is. For the constant shear rate a UDS 200 from Anton Paar was used. The third part derives the equation for the coupling of the fluid motion to the resonator characteristics. The POR is used as a replacement of the bottom plate of a conventional rotational rheometer. Hence plate-plate and cone-plate geometries can be used. The OR involves a Couette geometry. The different fluid resonator interaction models are derived and their applicability is discussed. A further consideration is the investigation of the assumption that the top plate or top cone is at rest. Finally the measurement error is deduced. It is used for the calculation of the complex viscosity. The measurement precision and accuracy is analysed in the fourth part. The
Flow between a Rotating and a Stationary Disc

This paper deals with the effects of a superimposed radial outflow upon the motion of the fluid between a rotating and a stationary plane disc. This is an idealisation of the situation found in advanced turbo-machinery in which cooling of the rotor faces is necessary. The boundary layer approximations to the equations of fluid motion are integrated by an extension of the numerical technique proposed in Ref. 11. Predictions of drag torque and radial pressure distributions are compared with experimental results from a 30 in (762 mm) diameter system, using a range of speeds up to 4000 rev/min, while varying the axial spacing and rate of imposed radial flow. Qualitative agreement was satisfactory throughout the range, but quantitative discrepancies in the estimates of drag and in the pressure distributions at certain flow conditions suggest that the simple mixing length hypothesis used in this analysis for the turbulent shear terms in the equations of motion is not universally adequate.
状態空間モデルを同定するデータ駆動型極配置法;状態空間モデルを同定するデータ駆動型極配置法;A Data-driven Pole Placement Method Simultaneously Identifying a State-space Model

This paper studies a data driven pole placement method deriving a state feedback gain directly from a pair of state and input measurements of a given controllable discrete-time system. In a conventional approach, a state space model should be identiﬁed in advance to apply a standard pole placement algorithm. In the proposed method, a state feedback gain and a state space model can be simultaneously obtained under an assumption.
Distant learning and primary school teacher burnout: Assessing the effect during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2021

BACKGROUND: Teaching is indeed a very stressful occupation. Owing to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, certain changes were made in education in Saudi Arabia. A switch to a 100% distant learning in some courses was implemented, thereby increasing the burden on teachers. The aim of this study was to assess the level of burnout and the impact of distant learning on burnout in primary school teachers during the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited 295 primary school teachers in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire having two parts: the first part included questions on sociodemographic charecteristics and the second part included questions related to distant learning and the Arabic version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Chi-square test was used to assess association between burnout and various factors. For comparison of mean scores by various factors, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. RESULTS: A high level of burnout was perceived by 48.4% of the teachers in the dimension of emotional exhaustion, 26.4% in the depersonalization dimension, and 60% in the reduced personal accomplishment dimension. Teachers in the public school showed a higher burnout score than teachers in the private schools. The teachers in 40–50 age group had higher scores than the teachers with other age groups. There were no significant differences in terms of gender and years of experience. A higher proportion of teachers working in private schools had higher personal accomplishment than teachers working in Government schools (P = 0.01). Regarding personal accomplishment and depersonalization subscales, there were differences between the different types of schools. The teachers who believed “distance/E-learning was difficult” had lower personal accomplishment score. CONCLUSION: According to the study, primary teachers in Jeddah suffer from burnout. More programs should be implemented to deal with teacher burnout and more research focusing on these groups should be done.
Incompressible Rayleigh–Taylor Turbulence

Basic fluid equations are the main ingredient in the development of theories of Rayleigh–Taylor buoyancy-induced instability. Turbulence arises in the late stage of the instability evolution as a result of the proliferation of active scales of motion. Fluctuations are maintained by the unceasing conversion of potential energy into kinetic energy. Although the dynamics of turbulent fluctuations is ruled by the same equations controlling the Rayleigh–Taylor instability, here only phenomenological theories are currently available. The present review provides an overview of the most relevant (and often contrasting) theoretical approaches to Rayleigh–Taylor turbulence together with numerical and experimental evidence for their support. Although the focus is mainly on the classical Boussinesq Rayleigh–Taylor turbulence of miscible fluids, the review extends to other fluid systems with viscoelastic behavior, affected by rotation of the reference frame, and, finally, in the presence of reactions.
On nonlinear free surface potential flow by a Bubnov-Galerkin formulation in space and a semi-lagrangian semi-implicit scheme in time

The potential flow initial-boundary value problem describing fluid-structure interaction with fully nonlinear free surface boundary conditions has been studied using a mixed Lagrangian-Eulerian formulation. The boundary-value problem has been solved in the physical domain by means of a Bubnov-Galerkin formulation of the Laplace equation. The init ialvalue problem related to the behavior of some of the moving boundaries has been discretized using various numerical techniques. Among these is a series of predictor-corrector methods. These methodologies proved to require considerable numerical smoothing to maintain stability of the numerical scheme. In turn, dissipation led to inaccuracies in the solution of the problem. In order to avoid this negative effect, a semi-implicit semi-Lagrangian two-time level iterative scheme that is almost free from smoothing has been developed. A Bubnov-Galerkin formulation of an elliptic system for the generation of boundary fitted curvilinear coordinates has been used. When solved iteratively, this method provides orthogonal meshes of very good characteristics for both symmetric and non-symmetric domains. Previous publications concluded that the present system was inadequate for non-symmetric regions leading to lack of convergence in the iterative process. Solutions described in this work show that this limitation has been overcome. F lu id responses to periodic excitation of surface-piercing and submerged bodies have been calculated. Both linear and nonlinear cases show agreement with published results. Very low total energy/work error has been obtained which demonstrates accuracy, good stability and convergence characteristics of the numerical scheme. The impulsive response of tanks of various shapes has also been simulated. Resulting natural frequencies show good agreement with available data. A slender body representation of the flow around a hull advancing with forward speed in otherwise calm water has also been simulated. Numerical calculations of a number of quantities of engineering interest are presented for different length Froude numbers. Results compare favorably with experimental data.
Preliminary evaluation of a monolithic detector module for integrated PET/MRI scanner with high spatial resolution

The proposal of Mindview European Project concerns with the development of a very high resolution and high efficiency brain dedicated PET scanner simultaneously working with a Magnetic Resonance scanner, that expects to visualize neurotransmitter pathways and their disruptions in the quest to better diagnose schizophrenia. On behalf of this project, we propose a low cost PET module for the first prototype, based on monolithic crystals, suitable to be integrated with a head Radio Frequency (RF) coil. The aim of the suggested module is to achieve high performances in terms of efficiency, planar spatial resolution (expected about 1 mm) and discrimination of gamma Depth Of Interaction (DOI) in order to reduce the parallax error. Our preliminary results are very promising: a DOI resolution of about 3 mm, a spatial resolution ranging from about 1 to 1.5 mm and a good position linearity.