Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum haptoglobin concentrations in feline inflammatory bowel disease and small-cell alimentary lymphoma: a potential biomarker for feline chronic enteropathies

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate serum haptoglobin as a biomarker to differentiate between small-cell alimentary lymphoma and inflammatory bowel disease in cats. Methods Client-owned domestic cats with and without chronic gastrointestinal signs were enrolled in the study. Serum was collected from each patient and serum haptoglobin levels were measured using ELISA. In cats with gastrointestinal signs, histopathologic evaluation of endoscopic biopsies harvested from the intestinal tract was used to separate them into inflammatory bowel disease and small-cell lymphoma cohorts. Serum haptoglobin levels were statistically analyzed and compared among the three groups: healthy cats; cats with inflammatory bowel disease; and cats with small-cell alimentary lymphoma. Results Sixty-two cats were enrolled in the study, including 20 clinically normal cats, 14 cats with small-cell alimentary lymphoma and 28 cats with inflammatory bowel disease. The mean ± SD serum haptoglobin was 73.2 ± 39.1 mg/dl in normal cats, 115.3 ± 72.8 mg/dl in cats with inflammatory bowel disease and 133.1 ± 86.1 mg/dl in cats with small-cell alimentary lymphoma. Cats with inflammatory bowel disease and lymphoma had significantly higher serum haptoglobin than controls, with P values of 0.0382 and 0.0138, respectively. There was no statistical difference between the inflammatory bowel disease and lymphoma cohorts (P = 0.4235). For every one unit increase in serum haptoglobin, the odds of gastrointestinal inflammatory disease (inflammatory bowel disease or small-cell alimentary lymphoma) increased by 1.41% (P = 0.0165). Conclusions and relevance Serum haptoglobin is a useful biomarker for distinguishing between normal cats and those with gastrointestinal inflammatory disease, but it could not significantly differentiate between inflammatory bowel disease and lymphoma. Additional studies may be beneficial in determining the prognostic significance of serum haptoglobin as it may relate to the severity of gastrointestinal inflammation.
Epithelial response to IFN‐γ promotes SARS‐CoV‐2 infection

SARS‐CoV‐2, the agent that causes COVID‐19, invades epithelial cells, including those of the respiratory and gastrointestinal mucosa, using angiotensin‐converting enzyme‐2 (ACE2) as a receptor. Subsequent inflammation can promote rapid virus clearance, but severe cases of COVID‐19 are characterized by an inefficient immune response that fails to clear the infection. Using primary epithelial organoids from human colon, we explored how the central antiviral mediator IFN‐γ, which is elevated in COVID‐19, affects epithelial cell differentiation, ACE2 expression, and susceptibility to infection with SARS‐CoV‐2. In mouse and human colon, ACE2 is mainly expressed by surface enterocytes. Inducing enterocyte differentiation in organoid culture resulted in increased ACE2 production. IFN‐γ treatment promoted differentiation into mature KRT20+ enterocytes expressing high levels of ACE2, increased susceptibility to SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, and resulted in enhanced virus production in infected cells. Similarly, infection‐induced epithelial interferon signaling promoted enterocyte maturation and enhanced ACE2 expression. We here reveal a mechanism by which IFN‐γ‐driven inflammatory responses induce a vulnerable epithelial state with robust replication of SARS‐CoV‐2, which may have an impact on disease outcome and virus transmission.
Value and Unmet Needs in Non-Invasive Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Testing for Oropharyngeal Cancer

Simple Summary As the leading human papillomavirus (HPV)-related cancer, oropharyngeal cancer places a significant burden on patients, families, and health systems. Techniques to easily and quickly test people for HPV through non-invasive means (saliva or blood tests) could, in principle, help us better understand this disease, prevent it, and treat it. However, there is currently no standardized methodology for testing saliva or blood for HPV, and such testing is not a part of routine clinical practice. In this review, we discuss and compare some of the collection and testing platforms that researchers have studied to date. We also evaluate the potential strengths and limitations of these technologies for addressing unmet needs in specific clinical contexts. Abstract The burden of human papillomavirus (HPV)-related oropharyngeal cancer (OPC) has risen, now representing the most common HPV-related malignancy. For years, researchers have explored the utility of measuring HPV-related markers from mouth, throat, and blood samples, often with the aim of gathering more information about an existing HPV-related tumor in a given patient. We review the widely varying methods for collecting and testing saliva and blood samples and offer guidance for standardizing these practices. We then review an array of clinical contexts in which non-invasive testing holds the most promise for potentially addressing unmet needs. In particular, such testing could help clinicians and researchers monitor the effects of vaccination and treatment. Meanwhile, due to the currently incomplete understanding of how carrying HPV relates to infection and subsequent oncogenesis, non-invasive testing methods may not be suitable for the screening setting at this time.
Variation of tracheid length within annual rings of Scots pine and Norway spruce

Abstract Variation of tracheid length was studied within individual annual rings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst. ) from the pith to the bark. The material consisted of six Scots pine and six Norway spruce trees growing on sites of both low and high fertility. Microtome sections of 0.25 mm thick were cut from annual rings 7, 20 and 50 counted from the pith outwards, i.e., juvenile, transition and mature wood, respectively. After maceration, tracheid lengths were separately measured in each sample. In juvenile wood of Scots pine, tracheids were on average 17% longer in the latewood than in earlywood. However, in juvenile wood, the first formed earlywood tracheids were slightly longer than those in the middle of the earlywood zone. In the transition and mature wood of Scots pine, the increase in tracheid length was more gradual from earlywood to latewood, and no significant differences were found between earlywood and latewood. In Norway spruce, tracheids were 2–4% longer in the latewood than in earlywood. In general, tracheid length is highly variable within annual rings and the variation can differ from ring-to-ring even within the same tree.
THIOL-DERIVATIZED METALLOPORPHYRINS: MONOMOLECULAR FILMS FOR ELECTROCATALYTIC OXIDATION OF ASCORBIC ACID AT GOLD ELECTRODES

ABSTRACT The insertion of Co(II) into a thiol-derivatized free-base porphyrin monolayers pre-assembled on gold has been conducted by refluxing the Co(II) solution in which the monolayer-coated gold electrode was immersed. The monolayers have been used for the electrocatalytic oxidation of ascorbic acid (AA). A large decrease (ca. 243 mV) in the overpotential for the oxidation of AA has been observed at the self-assembled monolayer modified Au electrode. Catalytic currents increased linearly with AA concentration in the range of 8.2 × 10−8–3.9 × 10−4 mol/L with the correlation coefficient of 0.9948. The detection limit was 4.6 × 10−9 mol/L. The modified electrode exhibited good sensitivity and stability. The proposed method was applied to the determination of AA in real samples with satisfactory results.
An aluminum-free mid-infrared quantum cascade laser

Mid-infrared intersubband absorption in InGaAs/GaAsSb multiple quantum wells grown lattice-matched to InP substrates by molecular beam epitaxy has been studied experimentally. Intersubband absorption in a broad wavelength region (5.8 - 11.6 μm) is observed in samples with well widths ranging between 4.5 and 12 nm. A conduction band offset at the InGaAs/GaAsSb heterointerface of 360 meV gives an excellent agreement between the theoretically calculated ISB transition energies and the Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy measurements over the whole range of well widths under investigation. Two kinds of intersubband devices based on the InGaAs/GaAsSb material system are presented: a quantum well infrared photodetector operating at a wavelength of 5. 6μm and an aluminum-free quantum cascade laser. The presented quantum cascade laser emits at a wavelength of 11.3 μm, with a threshold current density of 1.7 kA/cm2 at 78 K.
Effects of Substitution of Corn with Ground Brown Rice on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Gut Microbiota of Growing-Finishing Pigs

Simple Summary Corn is the main feed ingredient used in swine diets as an energy source due to its abundant production and nutrient contents. In South Korea, most of the corn for animal diets depends on import from other countries—more than 7.5 million tons per year. Thus, there is a need to find alternative ingredients to substitute corn in pig diets. Although there are variations depending on the degree of milling, brown rice has similar or better nutrient contents compared to corn. In addition, it is known to have excellent digestibility due to its smaller starch structure and granule size and less non-starch polysaccharides and anti-nutritional factors than corn. As a result of evaluating the effects of replacing corn with brown rice in pig diets, changes in gut microbiota were observed when corn was replaced with brown rice for a long time, but there were no differences on growth performance and carcass characteristics. Therefore, it has been confirmed that brown rice can replace corn in swine diets and the use of brown rice as a pig feed ingredient may be the basis for increasing feed self-sufficiency and enabling a stable feed supply. Abstract The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing corn with brown rice on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass characteristics, and gut microbiota of growing and finishing pigs. A total of 100 growing pigs (23.80 ± 2.96 kg BW; 10 weeks of age) were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments (5 pigs/pen; 5 replicates/treatment) in a randomized complete block design (block = BW) as follows: corn-soybean meal basal diet (CON) and replacing corn with 50% (GBR50), 75% (GBR75), and 100% (GBR100) of ground brown rice. Each trial phase was for 6 weeks. During the growing period, there were no differences on growth performance and nutrient digestibility among dietary treatments. Similarly, no differences were found on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass characteristics of pigs during the finishing period among dietary treatments. As a result of the beta diversity analysis, microbial populations were not clustered between CON and GBR100 during the growing phase, but clustered into two distinct groups of CON and GBR100 during the finishing phase. In conclusion, brown rice can be added to the diets of growing-finishing pigs by replacing corn up to 100% without negatively affecting growth performance of the pigs; additionally, this may have an effect on changes in pig intestinal microbiota if continued for a long time.
Impact of Instant Controlled Pressure Drop Treatment on Moisture Adsorption Isotherm of Cork Granules

Some special thermal and mechanical treatments may completely modify the composition, and the structure of organic material changes its interaction with water. In the case of the instant controlled pressure drop (DIC) technique, the main modification, which is structure expansion and high porosity, allows the product to generally reduce moisture activity. In the special case of cork granules, the impact of DIC in terms of porosity is completely absent and expansion is linked to a tear effect obtained from only the large size granules. In order to characterize this type of treatment, we considered natural and DIC-treated cork granules and determined moisture adsorption isotherms at three different temperatures (25, 40, and 60°C) and different water activity levels ranging from 0.05 to 0.9 using the static gravimetric method. We used three samples of the same cork variety with 0.5–1 mm, 2–4 mm, and 4–6 mm as granule diameter. The adsorption isotherms of both natural untreated and DIC-treated cork whatever granules display a sigmoid form type II isotherm, with equilibrium moisture contents at constant water activity decreasing when temperature increases. The impact of DIC treatment depends of cork shape; the larger the shape, the lower the water activity for the same water content. Such a result is linked to the modification of structure. Thus, for the smallest shape, DIC implying only low thermal effect without any structure modification allows cork to lightly increase its water activity compared to the untreated samples. With higher shape cork granules, as DIC treatment induces a tear effect and some expansion, activity of water is lower for the same water content. For describing the experimental data of adsorption isotherms, we used GAB, BET, and Henderson models. We found the GAB to be the most suitable model with predicted values higher than those obtained using the BET model. We note that monolayer moisture content values increase in the case of big shape cork granules after having been treated by DIC.
Concentric-Only Versus Touch-and-Go Bench Press One-Repetition Maximum in Men and Women

Background: One-repetition maximum (1RM) tests are time-consuming, and they might not always be logistically possible or warranted due to increased risk of injury when performed incorrectly or by novice athletes. Repetitions-to-failure tests are a widespread method of predicting the 1RM, but its accuracy may be compromised by several factors such as the type of exercise, sex, training history, and the number of repetitions completed in the test. Hypothesis: The touch-and-go bench press would provide a higher 1RM than the concentric-only bench press for both genders regardless of whether the 1RM was obtained by the direct or repetitions-to-failure method and the error in the 1RM prediction would be positively correlated with the number of repetitions performed to failure and negatively correlated with the 1RM strength and resistance training experience. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Level of Evidence: Level 3. Methods: A total of 113 adults (87 men and 26 women) were tested on 2 sessions during the concentric-only and touch-and-go bench press. Each session consisted of an incremental loading test until reaching the 1RM load, followed by a repetitions-to-failure test. Results: The 1RM was higher for the touch-and-go bench press using both the direct (men, 7.80%; women, 7.62%) and repetitions-to-failure method (men, 8.29%; women, 7.49%). A significant, although small, correlation was observed between the error in the estimation of the 1RM and the number of repetitions performed (r = 0.222; P < 0.01), 1RM strength (r = −0.169; P = 0.01), and resistance training experience (r = −0.136; P = 0.05). Conclusion: The repetitions-to-failure test is a valid method of predicting the 1RM during the concentric-only and touch-and-go bench press variants. However, the accuracy of the prediction could be compromised with weaker and less experienced individuals and if more than 10 repetitions are completed during the repetitions-to-failure test. Clinical Relevance: The repetitions-to-failure test does not require any sophisticated equipment and enables a widespread use in different training environments.
Massive Integration of Planktonic Cells within a Developing Biofilm

During biofilm growth, the coexistence of planktonic and sessile cells can lead to dynamic exchanges between the two populations. We have monitored the fate of these populations in glass tube assays, where the Bacillus thuringiensis 407 strain produces a floating pellicle. Time-lapse spectrophotometric measurement methods revealed that the planktonic population grew until the pellicle started to be produced. Thereafter, the planktonic population decreased rapidly down to a value close to zero while the biofilm was in continuous growth, showing no dispersal until 120 h of culture. We found that this decrease was induced by the presence of the pellicle, but did not occur when oxygen availability was limited, suggesting that it was independent of cell death or cell sedimentation and that the entire planktonic population has integrated the biofilm. To follow the distribution of recruited planktonic cells within the pellicle, we tagged planktonic cells with GFP and sessile cells with mCherry. Fluorescence binocular microscopy observations revealed that planktonic cells, injected through a 24-h-aged pellicle, were found only in specific areas of the biofilm, where the density of sessile cells was low, showing that spatial heterogeneity can occur between recruited cells and sessile cells in a monospecies biofilm.
Handling Complex Missing Data Using Random Forest Approach for an Air Quality Monitoring Dataset: A Case Study of Kuwait Environmental Data (2012 to 2018)

In environmental research, missing data are often a challenge for statistical modeling. This paper addressed some advanced techniques to deal with missing values in a data set measuring air quality using a multiple imputation (MI) approach. MCAR, MAR, and NMAR missing data techniques are applied to the data set. Five missing data levels are considered: 5%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. The imputation method used in this paper is an iterative imputation method, missForest, which is related to the random forest approach. Air quality data sets were gathered from five monitoring stations in Kuwait, aggregated to a daily basis. Logarithm transformation was carried out for all pollutant data, in order to normalize their distributions and to minimize skewness. We found high levels of missing values for NO2 (18.4%), CO (18.5%), PM10 (57.4%), SO2 (19.0%), and O3 (18.2%) data. Climatological data (i.e., air temperature, relative humidity, wind direction, and wind speed) were used as control variables for better estimation. The results show that the MAR technique had the lowest RMSE and MAE. We conclude that MI using the missForest approach has a high level of accuracy in estimating missing values. MissForest had the lowest imputation error (RMSE and MAE) among the other imputation methods and, thus, can be considered to be appropriate for analyzing air quality data.
Gender and Socioeconomic Status as Factors of Individual Differences in Pre-University Students’ Decision-Making for Careers, with a Focus on Family Influence and Psychosocial Factors

The present study analyses the influence of family, specifically parents, on the career decisions of their children, and how gender and socioeconomic status influence this choice. Research was carried out using data obtained from a questionnaire administered to a representative sample of students who took the university entrance examination (PEvAU, its Spanish acronym) in Spanish North Africa. A quantitative research design was adopted in which multivariate analysis (MANOVA) was applied anda decision tree, which was also used for graphical and analytical analysis. The main results indicated a significant influence of parents on their children’s choices, this being the best predictor regarding the decision to take the said examination. It was also verified that their choice of Spanish Baccalaureate programme was significantly associated with their selected career path, and gender and socioeconomic status had a significant impact on that decision. These results lead to the need for further research on guidance from secondary education onwards. It would be interesting to analyse factors neglected thus far, such as those related to the cultural environment of students.
An Accurate and Lightweight Method for Human Body Image Super-Resolution

In this paper, we propose a new method to super-resolve low resolution human body images by learning efficient multi-scale features and exploiting useful human body prior. Specifically, we propose a lightweight multi-scale block (LMSB) as basic module of a coherent framework, which contains an image reconstruction branch and a prior estimation branch. In the image reconstruction branch, the LMSB aggregates features of multiple receptive fields so as to gather rich context information for low-to-high resolution mapping. In the prior estimation branch, we adopt the human parsing maps and nonsubsampled shearlet transform (NSST) sub-bands to represent the human body prior, which is expected to enhance the details of reconstructed human body images. When evaluated on the newly collected HumanSR dataset, our method outperforms state-of-the-art image super-resolution methods with $\sim 8\times $ fewer parameters; moreover, our method significantly improves the performance of human image analysis tasks (e.g. human parsing and pose estimation) for low-resolution inputs.
Prevalence and associated factors of impaired renal function and albuminuria among adult patients admitted to a hospital in Northeast Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is increasingly common in hospitalized patients and is associated with increased risk for in-hospital morbidity and mortality. However, data regarding the prevalence of CKD in the African hospitalized patient population are limited. We therefore examined the prevalence and associated factors of impaired renal function and albuminuria among adult patients admitted to the internal medicine wards of a hospital in Northeast Ethiopia. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted from January 1 to April 30, 2020 at the inpatient settings of Dessie referral hospital. Data on demographics and medical history were obtained, and serum creatinine and albuminuria were analyzed. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) equation. CKD was defined as impaired eGFR (<60 ml/min/1.73m2) and/or albuminuria. Univariate and multivariable analysis were conducted to determine factors associated with impaired eGFR and albuminuria. RESULTS A total of 369 patients were included in this study. The prevalence of impaired eGFR was 19.0% (95%CI: 15.2%-23.2%) and albuminuria was 30.9% (95%CI: 26.3%-35.7%). Overall, 33.9% (95%CI: 29.2%-38.9%) of the patients had some degree of CKD, but only 21.6% (95%CI: 15.1%-29.4%) were aware of their renal disease. In multivariable analysis, older age, a family history of kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension and HIV were independently associated with both impaired eGFR and albuminuria while male gender was independently associated with only albuminuria. CONCLUSIONS CKD is common in adult patients admitted to the internal medicine wards, but only few patients are aware of their condition. These findings highlight the need for feasible approaches to timely identify kidney disease and raise awareness on the importance of detection and early intervention in the inpatient settings.