Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identifying the Microbiome of the Adenoid Surface of Children Suffering from Otitis Media with Effusion and Children without Middle Ear Effusion Using 16S rRNA Genetic Sequencing

Background: The upper respiratory tract harbors diverse communities of commensal, symbiotic, and pathogenic organisms, originating from both the oral and nasopharyngeal microbiota. Among the primary sites of microbial colonization in the upper airways are the adenoids. Alterations in the adenoid microbiota have been implicated in the development of various conditions, including secretory otitis media. Aim: This study aims to employ 16S rRNA genetic sequencing to identify the most common bacteria present on the surface of adenoids in children with otitis media with effusion and compare them with children without pathologies in the tympanic cavity. Additionally, we seek to determine and compare the bacterial diversity in these two study groups. Materials and Methods: A total of nineteen samples from the adenoid surfaces were collected, comprising two groups: thirteen samples from children without middle ear effusion and six samples from children with secretory otitis media. The libraries of the V3–V4 hypervariable region of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was made and sequenced using MiSeq platform. Results: The most prevalent phyla observed in both groups were Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Bacteroidetes. The most common bacterial genera identified in both groups were Haemophilus, Streptococcus, Moraxella, Fusobacterium, and Bordetella, with Fusobacterium and Moraxella being more prevalent in the groups that had no middle ear effusion, while Haemophulus and Streptococcus were more prevalent in the otitis media with effusion group, although not in a statistically significant way. Statistical analysis shows a trend towards bacterial composition and beta diversity being similar between the study groups; however, due to the limited sample size and unevenness between groups, we should approach this data with caution. Conclusion: The lack of prolific difference in bacterial composition between the study groups suggests that the role of the adenoid microbiome in the development of otitis media with effusion may be less significant.
Prevalence of Glaucoma Following Paediatric Cataract Surgery in an Australian Tertiary Referral Centre

Purpose Secondary glaucoma following childhood cataract surgery remains the most common complication in the paediatric population. This study aimed to determine the incidence, time to progression and risk factors associated with the development of secondary glaucoma following childhood cataract surgery in a paediatric population. Outcome measures were the detection of secondary glaucoma, postoperative time frame to development of glaucoma and risk factors in its development. Patients and Methods A retrospective case series was conducted between 2003 and 2017 at a tertiary children’s hospital in Sydney. The patient population included those 16 years or less of age who underwent congenital cataract extraction, with or without an intraocular lens implantation and who had been followed up for a minimum of six months following surgery. Patients were excluded if they had cataract aetiology other than congenital idiopathic cataract. Multivariate Cox Regression analysis was used to determine relevant risk factors. Results A total of 320 eyes in 216 patients were included in the study. Secondary glaucoma developed in 11.9% of eyes. In those that developed secondary glaucoma, the average time to onset from surgery was 3.2 years (median 2.75 years). The mean age of diagnosis of secondary glaucoma was 4.58 years (median 3.5 years, range 2.5 months to 13.23 years). Microcornea was the only adverse characteristic significantly associated with an increased risk of secondary glaucoma (HR 6.30, p 0.003). Conclusion Despite modern surgical techniques, glaucoma remains a significant long-term sequela in children following cataract surgery.
Age, Gender, and Job Differences in Job Crafting Behaviour among Food and Beverage Employees of Five-star Hotels

Job crafting helps employees improve their professions by enhancing their proactive and innovative skills, resulting in increased job fitness and superior competitive advantages for the establishment. This study explores the differences in age, gender, and kitchen and service jobs regarding job-crafting behaviours (i.e., increasing structural job resources, decreasing hindering job demands, increasing social job resources, and challenging job demands) among food and beverage employees at five-star hotels in Cairo. The study used a selfadministrated questionnaire form as the data-gathering instrument. The results of this study show that male employees in the food and beverage department are more likely than female employees to craft the job. Additionally, employees between the ages of 30 and 40 are the most productive while crafting their professions, and the most job crafting productive employees are those in the service department. This research could assist hotels in gaining a clear picture of employee job crafting behaviour so that hotels can focus on spreading this awareness among employees to improve job performance and fit. ©2023 Faculty of Tourism and Hotels, Fayoum University All rights reserved
Effects of Qigong TRAINING on Body Composition, Fitness and Bone Mineral Density in the Elderly

This study investigated the effects on body composition, physical fitness, and bone mineral density (BMD) of 20 elderly women aged 60 or older residing in G city, K province who participated in the Dahn-taekwondo Qigong program for the elderly for 1 hour per day, 3 times a week for 3 months. This study examined the suitability of incorporating elderly Qigong program into the exercise prescription program for the elderly with decreased physical activity ability. The results showed that the Dahn-taekwondo Qigong program showed a significant decrease only in body fat percentage among the elderly women's body composition. For the fitness factor, all the fitness factors except cardiopulmonary endurance for the normal weight group and agility and dynamic equilibrium measures for the overweight group were significantly improved. Also, it showed a significant increase in the BMD of the normal weight group. Based on the observations mentioned above, participating in Qigong program for the elderly will be suitable as a health promotion program for the elderly by improving BMD and fitness factors even though the body composition does not change so much. [Keywords] Body Composition, Physical Fitness, Qigong Training, Dahn-Taekwondo, Bone Mineral Den-
Eliminating look-ahead bias in evaluating persistence in mutual fund performance

In this paper we estimate and interpret the factors that jointly determine bond returns of different maturities in the US, Germany and Japan. We analyze both currency-hedged and unhedged bond returns. For currency-hedged bond returns, we find that five factors explain 96.5% of the variation of bond returns. These factors can be associated with changes in the level and steepness of the term structures in (some of) these countries. In particular, it turns out that changes in the level of the term structures are correlated across countries, while changes in the steepness of the term structures are country-specific. The five-factor model also provides a good fit of the expected returns of bond returns in all countries. We find similar results for bond returns that are not hedged for currency risk. Finally, we show how the model can be used to calculate the Value at Risk for international bond portfolios and to price cross-currency interest rate derivatives, and compare the results with simpler models. JEL Codes: F21, G12, G15, E43.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced hypothyroidism predicts treatment response in Japanese subjects

Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) cause a variety of immune-related adverse events (irAEs). Among them, thyroid dysfunction is most frequently observed. Patients with irAEs have higher survival rates than those without irAEs, but there is no certainty as to whether the degree of thyroid dysfunction is associated with treatment response or survival with ICIs. Method This is a single-center, retrospective, observational study. The study included 466 patients who received ICI at Kawasaki Medical School Hospital from September 1, 2014, to May 31, 2022 and evaluated the degree of abnormal thyroid function and survival and remission rates after treatment with ICIs. Primary hypothyroidism of less than 10 μIU/mL TSH was classified as grade 1, and primary hypothyroidism requiring more than 10 μIU/mL TSH or levothyroxine as grade 2-4. Result The mean age of the study participants was 68.2 ± 10.3 years, and the percentage of male participants was 72.6%. The frequency of ICI-induced thyroid dysfunction in the study participants was 28.2%. TSH levels were significantly higher in Grade 1 and Grades 2-4 when treated with ICI compared to NTF (p<0.0001). The survival rate at 1 year after ICI administration was significantly higher with 64.9% for grade 1 and 88.9% for grades 2-4 compared to 52.1% for NTF (p<0.0001). Cancer stage at the time of ICI administration did not differ among the groups (p=0.68). Nevertheless, the remission rate assessed by RECIST criteria was significantly higher in grades 2-4 compared to NTF (p<0.0001). Conclusion ICI-induced thyroid dysfunction was significantly correlated with survival, mean observation time, and treatment remission rate. It is important to monitor thyroid hormone levels regularly in patients receiving ICIs.
Ultrasound image velocimetry for rheological measurements

Ultrasound image velocimetry (UIV) allows for the non-intrusive measurement of a wide range of flows without the need for optical transparency. In this study, we used UIV to measure the local velocity field of a model drilling fluid that exhibits yield stress flow behavior. The radial velocity profile was used to determine the yield stress and the Herschel–Bulkley model flow index n and the consistency index k. Reference data were obtained using the conventional offline Couette rheometry. A comparison showed reasonable agreement between the two methods. The discrepancy in model parameters could be attributed to inherent differences between the methods, which cannot be captured by the three-parameter model used. Overall, with a whole flow field measurement technique such as UIV, we were able to quantify the complex rheology of a model drilling fluid. These preliminary results show that UIV can be used as a non-intrusive diagnostic for in situ, real-time measurement of complex opaque flow rheology.
Whole-Genome Sequencing to Predict Mycobacterium tuberculosis Drug Resistance: A Retrospective Observational Study in Eastern China

Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Whole-genome sequencing (WGS) holds great promise as an advanced technology for accurately predicting anti-TB drug resistance. The development of a reliable method for detecting drug resistance is crucial in order to standardize anti-TB treatments, enhance patient prognosis, and effectively reduce the risk of transmission. In this study, our primary objective was to explore and determine the potential of WGS for assessing drug resistance based on genetic variants recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). A total of 1105 MTB strains were selected from samples collected from 2014–2018 in Zhejiang Province, China. Phenotypic drug sensitivity tests (DST) of the anti-TB drugs were conducted for isoniazid (INH), rifampicin (RFP), streptomycin, ethambutol, fluoroquinolones (levofloxacin and moxifloxacin), amikacin, kanamycin, and capreomycin, and the drug-resistance rates were calculated. The clean WGS data of the 1105 strains were acquired and analyzed. The predictive performance of WGS was evaluated by the comparison between genotypic and phenotypic DST results. For all anti-TB drugs, WGS achieved good specificity values (>90%). The sensitivity values for INH and RFP were 91.78% and 82.26%, respectively; however, they were ≤60% for other drugs. The positive predictive values for anti-TB drugs were >80%, except for ethambutol and moxifloxacin, and the negative predictive values were >90% for all drugs. In light of the findings from our study, we draw the conclusion that WGS is a valuable tool for identifying genome-wide variants. Leveraging the genetic variants recommended by the WHO, WGS proves to be effective in detecting resistance to RFP and INH, enabling the identification of multi-drug resistant TB patients. However, it is evident that the genetic variants recommended for predicting resistance to other anti-TB drugs require further optimization and improvement.
Source-Difference-Based Mapping Improves Spatial Modulation

A new multi-antenna transmission scheme, referred to as difference-based spatial modulation (DBSM), is proposed to enhance the reliability of spatial modulation (SM). With the DBSM, a pair of amplitude/phase-shift keying (APSK) symbols are conveyed by each channel-use, but only one of them is radiated from a single transmit antenna. In contrast to conventional SM, DBSM selects the active transmit antenna based on the difference between the two symbols of a channel-use, rather than one of them. The design principle of the APSK constellation in the DBSM is detailed, which guarantees that the mean Euclidean distance between any two DBSM signals mapped by a pair of complementary bit-sequences is the largest possible among all the candidates. In this way, DBSM improves the error performance of conventional SM, even though they have the same achievable data rate given the same system configuration. We demonstrate that channel coding techniques, e.g., convolutional and turbo codes, will enhance the performance gain achieved by DBSM over conventional SM. Both theoretical analysis and simulation results are provided to substantiate the advantages of our proposed DBSM scheme.
Preparation a High-Performance of Gangue-Based Geopolymer Backfill Material: Recipes Optimization Using the Taguchi Method

The strip filling method in underground reservoir needs high strength to achieve the requirements of water storage. In order to address the challenges associated with costly and weak filling materials, this study aimed to develop an economically efficient and high-strength gangue-based geopolymer backfill material (GBGBM). To achieve this, the Taguchi method was employed to design a series of 25 experiments, each consisting of four factors and five levels. This study focused on investigating the effects of different gangue gradation levels, sand ratios, water binder ratios (w/b), and aggregate binder ratios (a/b) on the working characteristics and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the GBGBM. The optimal combination of the GBGBM was determined by employing a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N)-based extreme difference and variance analysis. The results revealed that the w/b ratio exerted the most substantial influence on both the slump and UCS. Specifically, when employing a gradation of 50%, a sand ratio of 55%, an a/b ratio of 2.5, and a w/b ratio of 0.64, the slump measured 251.2 mm, the UCS at 3d reached 5.27 MPa, and the UCS at 28d amounted to 17.65 MPa. These findings indicated a remarkable improvement in early UCS by 131.14% and the late UCS by 49.45% compared to gangue-based cement backfill material (GBCBM). Additionally, this study examined the hydration products and microstructures of both GBGBM and GBCBM using X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) analyses. Significantly, the GBGBM exhibited notable advantages over the GBCBM, including a 78.16% reduction in CO2 emissions, a 73.45% decrease in energy consumption, and a 24.82% reduction in cost. These findings underscore the potential of GBGBM as a sustainable and cost-effective alternative to GBCBM.
Residual Shift of Vibrotactile Perception Thresholds Following Repeated Hand-Arm Vibration Exposure: Screening Parameter for Early Signs of Neurosensory Disorders

Background: The purpose of this study was to validate the applicability of a new screening parameter of VPTW defined as the difference between the ascending and descending thresholds of vibrotactile perception to evaluation of the increasing risk of the neurological components of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) for repeated exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV). Methods: Thirty subjects—10 old exposed (G1), 10 old non-exposed (G2), and 10 young non-exposed subjects (G3)—were required to carry out three 3 min grip tasks with exposure to two intensities of HAV at 10 min intervals. Vibration perception measurements, each of which lasted 90 s, were performed at 5 min intervals at the right index finger. Results: VPTWs calculated from pairs of the vibrotactile ascending and descending thresholds at the fingertips were not significantly affected by repeated HAV exposure. Moreover, the VPTWs measured for non-exposed subjects were almost invariant regardless of the subjects’ age or the time elapsed after repeated exposure to HAV. Residual TTSs at 125 Hz gradually recovered in all subject groups under both HAV exposure conditions. The residual TTSs of non-exposed subject groups significantly increased as the number of iterations of HAV exposure increased. Conclusions: VPTWs measured after exposure to repeated HAV are invariant and independent of the individual neurosensory characteristics of the fingertips, which supports the hypothesis that VPTWs can be used as a screening parameter to detect potential patients only with neurosensory components observed as early signs of HAVS.
Bayesian Regularized Multivariate Generalized Latent Variable Models

We consider a multivariate generalized latent variable model to investigate the effects of observable and latent explanatory variables on multiple responses of interest. Various types of correlated responses, such as continuous, count, ordinal, and nominal variables, are considered in the regression. A generalized confirmatory factor analysis model that is capable of managing mixed-type data is proposed to characterize latent variables via correlated observed indicators. In addressing the complicated structure of the proposed model, we introduce continuous underlying measurements to provide a unified model framework for mixed-type data. We develop a multivariate version of the Bayesian adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator procedure, which is implemented with a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm in a full Bayesian context, to simultaneously conduct estimation and model selection. The empirical performance of the proposed methodology is demonstrated through a simulation study. An application of the proposed method to a study of adolescent substance abuse based on the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth is presented.
Untargeted Metabolomics and Body Mass in Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Analysis

Obesity in children and adolescents has increased globally. Increased body mass index (BMI) during adolescence carries significant long-term adverse health outcomes, including chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and cancer. Little is known about the metabolic consequences of changes in BMI in adolescents outside of typical clinical parameters. Here, we used untargeted metabolomics to assess changing BMI in male adolescents. Untargeted metabolomic profiling was performed on urine samples from 360 adolescents using UPLC–QTOF-MS. The study includes a baseline of 235 subjects in a discovery set and 125 subjects in a validation set. Of them, a follow-up of 81 subjects (1 year later) as a replication set was studied. Linear regression analysis models were used to estimate the associations of metabolic features with BMI z-score in the discovery and validation sets, after adjusting for age, race, and total energy intake (kcal) at false-discovery-rate correction (FDR) ≤ 0.1. We identified 221 and 16 significant metabolic features in the discovery and in the validation set, respectively. The metabolites associated with BMI z-score in validation sets are glycylproline, citrulline, 4-vinylsyringol, 3′-sialyllactose, estrone sulfate, carnosine, formiminoglutamic acid, 4-hydroxyproline, hydroxyprolyl-asparagine, 2-hexenoylcarnitine, L-glutamine, inosine, N-(2-Hydroxyphenyl) acetamide glucuronide, and galactosylhydroxylysine. Of those 16 features, 9 significant metabolic features were associated with a positive change in BMI in the replication set 1 year later. Histidine and arginine metabolism were the most affected metabolic pathways. Our findings suggest that obesity and its metabolic outcomes in the urine metabolome of children are linked to altered amino acids, lipid, and carbohydrate metabolism. These identified metabolites may serve as biomarkers and aid in the investigation of obesity’s underlying pathological mechanisms. Whether these features are associated with the development of obesity, or a consequence of changing BMI, requires further study.
Bio-Piezoelectric Ceramic Composites for Electroactive Implants—Biological Performance

Barium titanate (BaTiO3) piezoelectric ceramic may be a potential alternative for promoting osseointegration due to its piezoelectric properties similar to bone electric potentials generated in loading function. In this sense, the aim of this in vitro study was to evaluate the cellular response of human osteoblasts and gingival fibroblasts as well as the impact on S. oralis when in contact with BaTiO3 functionalized zirconia implant surfaces with piezoelectric properties. Zirconia discs with BaTiO3 were produced and contact poling (piezo activation) was performed. Osteoblasts (hFOB 1.19), fibroblasts (HGF hTERT) and S. oralis were culture on discs. Cell viability and morphology, cell differentiation markers, bacterial adhesion and growth were evaluated. The present study suggests that zirconia composite surfaces with the addition of piezoelectric BaTiO3 are not cytotoxic to peri-implant cells. Also, they seem to promote a faster initial osteoblast differentiation. Moreover, these surfaces may inhibit the growth of S. oralis by acting as a bacteriostatic agent over time. Although the piezoelectric properties do not affect the cellular inflammatory profile, they appear to enable the initial adhesion of bacteria, however this is not significant over the entire testing period. Furthermore, the addition of non-poled BaTiO3 to zirconia may have a potential reduction effect on IL-6 mediated-inflammatory activity in fibroblasts.
Efficient Approximation Methods for the Global Long-Term Behavior of Dynamical Systems - Theory, Algorithms and Examples

In this thesis we develop efficient numerical algorithms in order to analyze the long-term behavior of dynamical systems by transfer operator methods. Three new approaches are represented. First, a discretization via sparse grids is introduced for general systems, aiming to overcome the curse of dimension. Second, for continuous-time systems the infinitesimal generator of the associated transfer operator semigroup is treated numerically. A robust cell-to-cell approach, and a spectral method approach for smooth problems are derived. Third, focusing on the detection of conformation changes in molecules, mean field theory is used to approximate the marginal dynamics on low-dimensional subsystems. Also, conditions are given under which the Galerkin projection of a transfer operator can be related to the small random perturbation of the underlying system.