Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skin-to-skin contact—An effective intervention on pain and stress reduction in preterm infants

Introduction The outcomes of pain and stress in preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) compel the continued search for pain- and stress-reducing interventions. The objective of the study To investigate how skin-to-skin contact (SSC) influences chronic pain and stress in preterm infants in the NICU. Materials and methods The study included 140 preterm infants in the NICU with gestational age less than 34 weeks. The overall design was a baseline-response design. Urine and saliva were collected before (baseline) and after SSC to measure pain and stress markers by enzyme immunoassay method. The behavioral indicators of chronic pain were assessed using the EDIN (Échelle Douleur Inconfort Nouveau-Né—neonatal pain and discomfort). Results There was a significant decrease in the dopamine level in preterm infants after SSC in comparison with baseline values (85.99 [69.35; 112.20] pg/ml vs. 132.20 [104.80; 183.70] pg/ml), p < 0.001. The β-endorphin and serotonin levels increased after SSC (40.09 [26.81; 70.63] pg/ml vs. 29.87 [20.61; 46.94] pg/ml, p = 0.009 and 25.49 [20.45; 40.08] ng/ml vs. 22.30 [15.13; 31.65] ng/ml, p = 0.011, respectively). A significant decrease in cortisol levels in saliva and urine after SSC in comparison with baseline values (0.125 [0.079; 0.225] μg/dl vs. 0.371 [0.188; 1.002] μg/dl, p = 0.000 and 27.06 [14.59; 35.35] ng/ml vs. 35.25 [19.78; 61.94] ng/ml, p = 0.001, with a simultaneous increase of oxytocin level (57.00 [36.55; 88.49] pg/ml vs. 38.20 [28.78; 56.04] pg/ml, p = 0.009 were revealed. The total pain EDIN score in infants after SSC was below 6 points, significantly decreasing compared to the baseline (p < 0.05). Conclusion Preterm infants in the NICU experience stress and pain, which were confirmed by the EDIN pain scale and laboratory markers. The level of dopamine and cortisol as pain and stress hormones were reliably high, and normalized after regular SSC. Simultaneously, pain-relieving and anti-stress markers of oxytocin, β-endorphin and serotonin reliably increased in preterm infants in response to the SSC.
A Numerical Study of ITZ Percolation in Polyphase Concrete Systems Considering the Synergetic Effect of Aggregate Shape- and Size-Diversities

The percolation of the interfacial transition zone (ITZ) is generally regarded as an important factor that may accelerate the penetration of aggressive agents in concrete materials, and its threshold is largely determined by the features of aggregates. In most numerical studies about ITZ percolation, both fine aggregates and coarse aggregates are assumed to be the particles of uniform shape, and their size distributions are generally strung together by a single function, which is quite different from reality. To quantify the ITZ percolation associated with the polydispersity of aggregate shapes and size gradations in a more realistic way, the two-dimensional (2D) meso-scale model of concrete is generated by simplifying coarse aggregates and fine aggregates as polygons and ovals, respectively. Moreover, the size gradations of them are also represented by two separate expressions. By combining these models with percolation theory, the percolation of ITZ in the 2D case is explicitly simulated, and the influence of aggregate shape- and size-diversities on the critical threshold ϕagg,c is studied in detail. Based on the simulated results of ϕagg,c, an empirically analytical expression is further proposed to fast predict the ITZ percolation, and its reliability is verified. The results show that the ITZ thickness, average aggregate fineness, coarse aggregate shape, and fine aggregate shapes are the four main contributing factors to the ITZ percolation. Compared with the existing literature, the proposed model here has a broader range of applications (e.g., mortar, concrete, and other granular systems) in the 2D case and can provide the larger predicted results, which may be closer to reality.
Training Conditional Discriminations with Fixed and Titrated Delayed Matching-to-Sample in Children

In a series of experiments, we investigated the effects of delayed matching-to-sample (DMTS) on responding in accordance with stimulus equivalence in children. In Experiment 1, 20 participants were assigned to either 3 s or 6 s DMTS. The overall outcome showed high yields of derived responding but did not support a superiority of longer delays seen in some studies with adults. In Experiment 2, we arranged 3 s and 6 s titrating delayed matching-to-sample (TDMTS) procedures to see whether a gradual adjustment of delays based on participants’ performance would be more effective in establishing the conditional discriminations and responding in accordance with stimulus equivalence. The results showed that fixed delays were most effective. In Experiment 3, ten participants experienced TDMTS from 1.5 to 3 s. This procedure facilitated the establishment of AC trials in initial training but did not reduce the overall number of trials required to establish baseline discriminations or affect responding in accordance with stimulus equivalence. The results are discussed in light of results obtained with adults, stimulus control involved in simultaneous and delayed matching, and precurrent behavior.
Vibration Analysis of Stiffened Cylinders including Inter‐Ring Motion

An analytic method is presented for the determination of the vibrational characteristics of ring‐stiffened cylindrical shells. The stiffening rings, which are assumed to be uniform and evenly spaced, are treated as discrete members, and the inter‐ring shell motions are fully and exactly accounted for within the linear shell theory used in the analysis. The flexural, extensional, and torsional rigidities of the rings are retained in the analysis as well as all in‐plane inertia terms. Numerical comparison made with the results from existing energy methods and orthotropic model approach. It is found that for high circumferential wavenumbers, the inter‐ring displacements may become very pronounced.
Simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature incorporating a long-period fiber grating inscribed on a polarization-maintaining fiber

Simultaneous measurement of strain and temperature was demonstrated by using a long-period fiber grating inscribed on a polarization-maintaining fiber (PM-LPG). The spectral sensitivities of the two adjacent resonant dips of the PM-LPG were measured with respect to strain and temperature. The sensitivities of each resonant dip for strain and temperature were different in magnitude and sign, which makes this PM-LPG have a capability of simultaneously sensing strain and temperature. Experimental results show root mean square deviations of 15.6 /spl mu//spl epsiv/ and 0.7/spl deg/C for strain and temperature, respectively.
Research on the Factors Affecting the Adoption of Smart Aged-Care Products by the Aged in China: Extension Based on UTAUT Model

With the rapid development of network technology and smart technology, smart aged-care products are becoming increasingly valued for their ability to help the aged actively cope with the challenges of aging. However, seniors face challenges in using smart aged-care products for many reasons, which reduces their willingness to adopt them. As a result, the sustainable development of smart aged-care products is constrained. This study combined the unified theory of technology acceptance and use, perceived risk theory and perceived cost theory, and reconstructed a research model that investigated the adoption of smart aged-care products by the elderly in China. Questionnaires were given to older Chinese adults in this study, and 386 valuable responses were received. The findings of the structural equation model (SEM) analysis are as follows: (1) performance expectancy, effort expectancy, and social influence were positively related to the behavioral intention of seniors to use smart aged-care products; (2) perceived cost and perceived risk were negatively related to the behavioral intention of seniors to use smart aged-care products; (3) perceived risk indirectly affected use behavior through behavioral intentions; (4) facilitating conditions did not have a significant impact on the use behavior of seniors in adopting smart aged-care products. Based on the empirical results, this study sought to improve the use behavior of the aged in relation to the adoption of smart aged-care products, and provided suggestions to improve the overall service quality and sustainability of those products.
Efficient Solution Technique for Dendritic Channel Networks Using FEM

This paper presents an efficient solution algorithm for one-dimensional unsteady flow routing through a dendritic channel network system. The finite element method is used to solve the Saint Venant equations in all branches of the network simultaneously. The maximum active memory required is only 2N× 2N, where N= number of branches in the network. Importantly, the algorithm does not require any special node numbering schemes, and the nodes or elements can be numbered independently for each branch. The algorithm is also suitable for programming using a parallel processing computer. The solution technique can also be extended to finite difference methods.
Neutrophil Extracellular Traps and Cancer: Trapping Our Attention with Their Involvement in Ovarian Cancer

Neutrophils, the most abundant circulating leukocytes, play a well-known role in defense against pathogens through phagocytosis and degranulation. However, a new mechanism involving the release of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) composed of DNA, histones, calprotectin, myeloperoxidase, and elastase, among others, has been described. The so-called NETosis process can occur through three different mechanisms: suicidal, vital, and mitochondrial NETosis. Apart from their role in immune defense, neutrophils and NETs have been involved in physiopathological conditions, highlighting immunothrombosis and cancer. Notably, neutrophils can either promote or inhibit tumor growth in the tumor microenvironment depending on cytokine signaling and epigenetic modifications. Several neutrophils’ pro-tumor strategies involving NETs have been documented, including pre-metastatic niche formation, increased survival, inhibition of the immune response, and resistance to oncologic therapies. In this review, we focus on ovarian cancer (OC), which remains the second most incidental but the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, partly due to the presence of metastasis, often omental, at diagnosis and the resistance to treatment. We deepen the state-of-the-art on the participation of NETs in OC metastasis establishment and progression and their involvement in resistance to chemo-, immuno-, and radiotherapies. Finally, we review the current literature on NETs in OC as diagnostic and/or prognostic markers, and their contribution to disease progression at early and advanced stages. The panoramic view provided in this article might pave the way for enhanced diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to improve the prognosis of cancer patients and, specifically, OC patients.
Sexual dialogue in Pachyloides thorellii (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae): a Neotropical harvestman with much to say

Abstract. Describing the signals involved in sexual interactions is crucial to understand how mating and fertilization success is achieved. We analyzed sexual interactions in the gonyleptid harvestman Pachyloides thorellii Holmberg, 1878 to test the possibility of associations between female and male behaviors. For that purpose, we recorded 21 sexual interactions of P. thorellii under laboratory conditions and performed fine scaled analyses of the videos. We found three female pre-copulatory behaviors (“Mouth parts protrusion,” “Genital operculum opening,” and “Ovipositor eversion”) that seem to be related to sexual receptivity and cooperation with mating occurrence, and four copulatory behaviors (“Bucking,” “Pulling,” “Body lowering,” and “Leg II movements”) that could be indicating to the male that further stimulation is required or that mating is about to end. We also found that males use multimodal courtship displays that include the exchange of tactile and possibly chemical signals between sexes. This study shows that courtship and copulation in P. thorellii include intense information flow between sexes and female evaluation from the beginning until the end of the sexual interaction.
Thyroid Hormone and Heart Failure: Charting Known Pathways for Cardiac Repair/Regeneration

Heart failure affects more than 64 million people worldwide, having a serious impact on their survival and quality of life. Exploring its pathophysiology and molecular bases is an urgent need in order to develop new therapeutic approaches. Thyroid hormone signaling, evolutionarily conserved, controls fundamental biological processes and has a crucial role in development and metabolism. Its active form is L-triiodothyronine, which not only regulates important gene expression by binding to its nuclear receptors, but also has nongenomic actions, controlling crucial intracellular signalings. Stressful stimuli, such as acute myocardial infarction, lead to changes in thyroid hormone signaling, and especially in the relation of the thyroid hormone and its nuclear receptor, which are associated with the reactivation of fetal development programmes, with structural remodeling and phenotypical changes in the cardiomyocytes. The recapitulation of fetal-like features of the signaling may be partially an incomplete effort of the myocardium to recapitulate its developmental program and enable cardiomyocytes to proliferate and finally to regenerate. In this review, we will discuss the experimental and clinical evidence about the role of the thyroid hormone in the recovery of the myocardium in the setting of heart failure with reduced and preserved ejection fraction and its future therapeutic implications.
The Influence of Bacteriophages on the Metabolic Condition of Human Fibroblasts in Light of the Safety of Phage Therapy in Staphylococcal Skin Infections

Phage therapy has been successfully used as an experimental therapy in the treatment of multidrug-resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus (MDRSA)-caused skin infections and is seen as the most promising alternative to antibiotics. However, in recent years a number of reports indicating that phages can interact with eukaryotic cells emerged. Therefore, there is a need to re-evaluate phage therapy in light of safety. It is important to analyze not only the cytotoxicity of phages alone but also the impact their lytic activity against bacteria may have on human cells. As progeny virions rupture the cell wall, lipoteichoic acids are released in high quantities. It has been shown that they act as inflammatory agents and their presence could lead to the worsening of the patient’s condition and influence their recovery. In our work, we have tested if the treatment of normal human fibroblasts with staphylococcal phages will influence the metabolic state of the cell and the integrity of cell membranes. We have also analyzed the effectiveness of bacteriophages in reducing the number of MDRSA attached to human fibroblasts and the influence of the lytic activity of phages on cell viability. We observed that, out of three tested anti-Staphylococcal phages—vB_SauM-A, vB_SauM-C and vB_SauM-D—high concentrations (109 PFU/mL) of two, vB_SauM-A and vB_SauM-D, showed a negative impact on the viability of human fibroblasts. However, a dose of 107 PFU/mL had no effect on the metabolic activity or membrane integrity of the cells. We also observed that the addition of phages alleviated the negative effect of the MDRSA infection on fibroblasts’ viability, as phages were able to effectively reduce the number of bacteria in the co-culture. We believe that these results will contribute to a better understanding of the influence of phage therapy on human cells and encourage even more studies on this topic.
Variation in hepatic segmental portal venous pulsed wave Doppler flow distribution in patients with NAFLD: A pilot study

Purpose: To evaluate the segmental variations in portal venous pulsed wave colour Doppler flow velocity in patients with moderate to severe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in comparison with healthy controls Materials and Methods: In this prospective, observational, case–control study, the maximum velocity of all the segmental branches of portal vein were evaluated on colour Doppler in patients with moderate to severe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and the values were compared between three groups (1) Healthy controls (n = 30), (2) non-alcoholic fatty liver disease group, that is moderate to severe fatty liver without features of portal hypertension (n = 32) and (3) non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-portal hypertension group, that is those non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients with features of portal hypertension (n = 13). Results: Compared to controls, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease group showed a lower velocity in all the eight segments of liver. The ratio of segment 2 to segment 7 peak portal vein maximum velocity was significantly higher in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (1.03 ± 0.21) compared to controls (0.90 ± 0.17) and even higher in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis-Portal hypertension group (1.83 ± 0.40) with p value of 0.003. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates the occurrence of flow redistribution occurring in cases of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients with the left lobe receiving higher portal venous flow. This flow redistribution was even more pronounced in a subset of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients who developed features of portal hypertension.
Battling Unawareness of One’s Test Performance: Do Practice, Self-Efficacy, and Emotional Intelligence Matter?

The “Dunning–Kruger effect” refers to the tendency of poor performers to overestimate test outcomes. Although a widespread phenomenon, questions exist regarding its source and sensitivity to countermeasures. The present field study aimed to (a) examine whether practice with tests used in previous classes can enhance students’ ability to estimate test outcomes, (b) determine the main source of the effect (i.e., is it unawareness of one’s readiness or wishful thinking? ), and (c) assess the extent to which particular individual differences can be used as predictors of test performance. In this study, participants practiced with old tests and then completed the final exam. Before and after the exam, they predicted their grades and indicated their subjective confidence in the predictions made. Furthermore, participants’ emotional intelligence and self-efficacy about their academic abilities were surveyed. Results suggested that poor performers were not unaware of their test preparation, but rather engaged in wishful thinking. In fact, although they overestimated their test grades, their estimates not only improved after completing the final test but also were regarded with little confidence. Overall, estimation bias was a good predictor of students’ final test performance, whereas subjective confidence and emotional intelligence only weakly predicted such performance. Thus, if proactive interventions are to be developed for at-risk students, performance-estimation tasks may offer valuable information regarding such students’ future performance in a course much more than emotional intelligence and self-efficacy measures.
Periods of hyperelliptic integrals expressed in terms of θ-constants by means of Thomae formulae

Expressions for the periods of first- and second-kind integrals on hyperelliptic curves are given in terms of θ-constants. They are derived with the help of Thomae's classical formulae and Picard–Fuchs equations for complete integrals as functions of the parameters of the curves. The example of genus 2 is considered in detail.
Sea-level observations and their secular variation

The analysis of continuous sea-level records at the coastal stations is direct and should be one of the most reliable means of assessing secular coastal movement in the vertical. However, limitations in the traditional techniques used to obtain raw data, and the existence of sea-level variations due to oceanographic and meteorological phenomena require more than a simple univariate regression analysis for best results. Some examples from situations in western Europe will be given which have a bearing upon the subsidence of southeast England.
X-ray reflection from cold matter in Active Galactic Nuclei and X-ray binaries

Weak, broad emission lines due to low-ionisation stages of iron, and other spectral features, have recently been observed in the X-ray spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei and in some Galatic X-ray binaries. These features are due to X-ray irradiation of relatively cold, dense gas very close to the central compact object. The observed spectra consist of both direct radiation from the primary X-ray source and reflection' from the surrounding accretion flow. The reflected spectrum has features imprinted in it by photoabsorption, iron fluorescence and Compton scattering. The strength, shape and broadening of this reflected spectrum is a diagnostic of the geometry, ionisation state and iron abundance of the accretion flow, and through timing studies, may yield the mass of the central object.
A Cone Beam CT Study on the Correlation between Crestal Bone Loss and Periapical Disease

The aim of this study was to determine whether the degree of bone loss around teeth can be linked to the loss of vitality of adjacent teeth and periapical disease, which necessitates root canal treatments. Three hundred and twenty-one full maxilla cone-beam computed tomography scans were examined. The parameters investigated included the degree of crestal bone loss in relation to the cementoenamel junction, the presence/absence of apical periodontitis, and the presence/absence of root canal treatments. Out of the 2001 teeth examined, 696 (34.8%) showed evidence of crestal bone loss. The degree of crestal bone loss was classified as mild, moderate, or severe. A significant association (p < 0.001) was found between the presence of crestal bone loss around a tooth and root canal treatment of that tooth. It was found that it is more likely for teeth with crestal bone loss to be root canal treated compared to teeth with existing root canal treatment and healthy crestal bone levels. Furthermore, teeth with buccal or lingual crestal bone loss were significantly associated with a higher rate of periapical disease than teeth without crestal bone loss (p < 0.001). CBCT identified the severity of bone loss on all surfaces of the teeth, and the most common presentation was bone loss to the mid-root level. Teeth with crestal bone loss were significantly more likely to be associated with a higher rate of periapical disease. Teeth with crestal bone loss were more likely to be root treated than teeth with healthy crestal bone levels.