Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of top management commitment, process quality management and quality design on new product performance: A case of Malaysian manufacturers

This study investigates the relationship of three quality orientation attributes: top management commitment, process quality management and quality design with new product performance of Malaysian manufacturing firms. Hypotheses concerning the relationships of these quality orientation attribute variables with new product performance were posited and tested. Data were collected using a mail questionnaire survey. The study employed a simple random sampling procedure in selecting the organisations for inclusion in the sample. Factor analysis, Pearson correlation and multiple regression methods of data analysis were utilised for hypotheses testing. The results signified that quality orientation attribute variables jointly explained 33.2% of the variance in new product performance. Three variables: top management commitment, continuous improvement process and quality tools were found to have a statistically significant association with new product performance. The findings of this study provide crucial information from the perspective of a developing country on the impact of quality orientation practices on new product performance.
Sustainable agriculture practice using Trichoderma and nonpathogenic Fusarium to control Vanilla Shoot Rot disease

Vanilla shoots rot (VShR) disease in Indonesia is generally detrimental to the nursery, but due to the extreme climate change, the VShR disease attacks the vanilla plants grown in the field increases. This paper describes the development of research on the effectiveness of Trichoderma sp. and nonpathogenic Fusarium (FusNP) in controlling VShR, starting from isolation and identification of antagonistic fungi, in vitro testing to research results in the field, compared with the use of synthetic fungicides. The nonpathogenic fungi isolated from the rhizosphere soil of healthy vanilla plants were dominated by Trichoderma spp and nonpathogenic fusarium because they used selective media. The study showed that Trichoderma sp. and FusNP were quite effective in controlling the disease VShR in the field, similar to the effectiveness of synthetic fungicides, whereas the incidence of control was 32%. The use of synthetic fungicides intensively causes environmental pollution in the form of pesticide residues on leaves and fruit vanilla.
From embryonic stem cells to blastema and MRL mice

New scientific knowledge offers fresh opportunities for regenerative medicine and tissue repair. Among various clinical options, multipotent embryonic stem cells (ESC) prepared from inner cell masses of rabbit blastocysts have been tested over many years. More recently, stem cells have been isolated from individual tissues and from umbilical cord blood. These methods seemingly offer similar rates of repair and avoid ethical complexities arising from the need for human embryos to prepare ESC. Different methods of regenerating tissues have now emerged, based on the well-known forms of organ regeneration in urodeles such as salamanders. These methods depend on the formation of a blastema, and recent studies on MRL mice have revealed that they possess similar methods of repair as in salamanders. There is also some evidence showing that this form of repair is also active in human fetuses but not in adults. Detailed knowledge of these various forms of tissue repair is now urgently needed in order to assess the benefits of each form of treatment. These matters are discussed at the end of this review where various investigations clarify the benefits and drawbacks of these varied approaches to tissue repair.
Immune responses and hematological variables of cultured great sturgeon (Huso huso) subjected to 11-ketotestosterone implantation

Despite studies on the effect of androgens in female teleost fish, many aspects of androgen supplementation in female sturgeon gametogenesis remain elusive. The aim of the study was to investigate the immunological and physiological responses of 4-year-old previtellogenic great sturgeon (Huso huso) (body weight 5580±165 g) to 11ketotestosterone (11-KT) implants. The fish were divided into two groups of 6 fish: 11-KT group, which received a single intraperitoneal implant of 2.5 mg 11-KT and a placebo group, which was implanted without 11-KT for 56 days. Just before implantation and on days 21 and 56 post-implantation, serum samples were taken to measure immune parameters (IgM, C3 and C4) and some related biochemical and hematological indices. Results showed a significant reduction in IgM concentrations after implantation in both the 11-KT and placebo groups (p<0.05). The concentration of C4 showed an opposite trend and significantly increased in both the placebo and 11-KT groups (p<0.05). The concentration of C3 and IgM to protein (IgM/p) ratio showed no significant differences during the experiment (p>0.05). Serum testosterone (T) levels in the 11-KT implanted group increased significantly on days 21 and 56 post-implantation (p<0.01). The albumin to globulin ratio showed no significant change in the 11-KT group (p>0.05), but a significant difference was observed in the placebo group during the study period (p<0.05). In hematological parameters, the number of red blood cells significantly increased after 56 days compared with that after 21 days in both experimental groups (p<0.05), while white blood cells significantly increased in the 11-KT group after 56 days (p<0.05). The results indicated that implantation with or without 11-KT could suppress some immunity parameters of great sturgeon.
ARTIFICIAL DISSIPATION MODELS APPLIED TO NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS FOR ANALYSIS OF SUPERSONIC FLOW OF HELIUM GAS AROUND A GEOMETRIC CONFIGURATION RAMP TYPE

Very High Temperature Gas Cooled Reactors VHTGRs are studied by several research groups for the development of advanced reactors that can meet the world's growing energy demand. The analysis of the flow of helium coolant around the various geometries at the core of these reactors through computational fluid dynamics techniques is an essential tool in the development of conceptual designs of nuclear power plants that provide added safety. This analysis suggests a close analogy with aeronautical cases widely studied using computational numerical techniques to solve systems of governing equations for the flow involved. The present work consists in solving the Navier-Stokes equations in a conservative form, in two-dimensional space employing a finite difference formulation for spatial discretization using the Euler method for explicit marching in time. The physical problem of supersonic laminar flow of helium gas along a ramp configuration is considered. For this, the Jameson and Mavriplis algorithm and the artificial dissipations models linear and nonlinear of Pulliam was implemented. A spatially variable time step is employed aiming to accelerate the convergence to the steady state solution. The main purpose of this work is to study the cited dissipation models and describe their characteristics in relation to the overall quality of the solution, aiming preliminar results for the development of computational tools of dinamic analysis of helium flow for the VHTGR core.
Biomarkers of Pembrolizumab Efficacy in First-Line Advanced PD-L1 ?50% Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Treatment

Luis Cabezón-Gutiérrez Ph.D, M.D1, Sara Custodio-Cabello Ph.D, M.D1, Magda Palka-Kotlowska M.D1, Silvia María Sanchez-Luis M.D2, Parham Khosravi-Shahi Ph.D, M.D3 1Medical Oncology, Hospital Universitario de Torrejón. Universidad Francisco de Vitoria. Madrid, Spain 2Radiotherapy Oncology, Hospital Universitario de Torrejón. Madrid, Spain 3Medical Oncology, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón. Madrid, Spain *Correspondence should be addressed to Luis Cabezón-Gutiérrez; lcabezon@torrejonsalud.com
Deep Learning Based Parking Vacancy Detection for Smart Cities

Parking shortage is a major problem in modern cities. Drivers cruising in search of a parking space directly translate into frustration, traffic congestion, and excessive carbon emission. We introduce a simple and effective deep learning-based parking space notification (PSN) system to inform drivers of new parking availabilities and re-occupancy of the freed spaces. Our system is particularly designed to target areas with severe parking shortages (i.e., nearly all parking spaces are occupied), a situation that allows us to convert the problem of detecting parking vacancies into recognizing vehicles leaving from their stationary positions. Our PSN system capitalizes on a calibrated Mask R-CNN model and a unique adaptation of the IoU concept to track the changes of vehicle positions in a video stream. We evaluated PSN using videos from a CCTV camera installed at a private parking lot and publicly available YouTube videos. The PSN system successfully captured all new parking vacancies arising from leaving vehicles with no false positive detections. Prompt notification messages were sent to users via cloud messaging services.
Knowledge, Attitude And Practice (KAP) Of General Population About ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ (DNR) In Aseer Region: A Single Center Cohort Study

Background:‘Do not resuscitate (DNR) order’ is a decision taken by the patient, authorized person (s)or competent healthcare professionals in the end stages of patient’s life regarding not to perform CPR on a patient during cardiac arrest or pulmonary arrest (cardio-respiratory arrest)Aim:To access the knowledge, attitude and practice of general public residing in Aseer, Saudi Arabiaabout ‘DNR’in order to find out the barriers and obstacles in addressing DNR status of the patients.Methodology:Cross-sectional, KAP questionnaire based survey was conducted intertiary health care center of King Khalid University and associated hospital, Saudi Arabia. The structured questionnaire consisted of total 15 questions related to ‘DNR orders’ and 05 questions regarding general demographic data. Thensoft copy of ‘DNR survey questionnaire form’ was send randomly to 3324 subjects (both male and female) by various social media applications thatincluded Google survey link with questionnaire. After the completion of study, the data was collected, tabulated and subjected to descriptive analysis using IBM SPSS version 20.0 software. Results:Overall response rateof 98.10% was noted after distributing 3324‘DNR survey questionnaire form’ withmaximum respondents’ belong to 21-30 year age group. 62.38% of participants had never heard about DNR.63. 84% respondents’ are of opinion that age is not the only criteria for DNR.34. 40% were not aware of the indications of DNR. Most of the respondents’ believed that DNR decision should be taken by medical team from hospital side that too after discussion with patient. Conclusion:low education level regarding medical care at the end-of-life, lack of understanding and inadequate training among general public were the main barriers and obstacles for initiation and completion of DNR orders in Aseer, Saudi Arabia.
Construction of a rabbit model with vinorelbine administration via peripherally inserted central catheter and dynamic monitoring of changes in phlebitis and thrombosis

Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are used for the administration of chemotherapy drugs, including vinorelbine. The present study aimed to construct a rabbit model with vinorelbine administration via PICC, and to dynamically monitor the formation of phlebitis and thrombosis. PICC was inserted into 48 rabbits following specific clinical procedures. The rabbits were randomly divided (n=6 per group) into the following eight groups: i) Control (PICC in place for 1 day); ii) 2nd day of PICC placement (received the first cycle of vinorelbine administration); iii) 3rd day of PICC placement; iv) 7th day of PICC placement; v) 14th day of PICC placement; vi) 21st day of PICC placement; vii) 23rd day of PICC placement (received the second cycle of vinorelbine administration); and viii) 24th day of PICC placement. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was performed on catheter, ear vein and anterior vena specimens. Prothrombin time was measured using an automatic coagulation analyzer, followed by routine blood tests. Serum levels of inflammation- and thrombosis-related factors, including C-reactive protein, D-dimer, interleukin-2, interleukin-6, P-selectin and E-selectin, were measured using ELISAs. X-ray examination confirmed that the rabbit model with vinorelbine administration via PICC was successfully constructed. On the 1st and 23rd day of PICC placement, thrombosis was observed in the catheter. Furthermore, on the 1st day of PICC placement, thrombosis was clearly observed in the ear vein and anterior vena samples. After vinorelbine administration, phlebitis occurred in the ear vein and anterior vena cava samples. With increasing time after vinorelbine administration via PICC, thrombosis and phlebitis were notably ameliorated. Moreover, on the day of vinorelbine administration, prothrombin time was significantly decreased and the serum levels of inflammation- and thrombosis-related factors were significantly increased compared with previous days. Collectively, the present study observed the formation and specific evolution of phlebitis and venous thrombosis after vinorelbine administration, providing a reference for the early prediction, timely prevention and treatment of PICC-related chemotherapy complications.
Effects of a group-based weight management programme on anxiety and depression: A randomised controlled trial (RCT)

Objectives The aim was to investigate the impact of a group-based weight management programme on symptoms of depression and anxiety compared with self-help in a randomised controlled trial (RCT). Method People with overweight (Body Mass Index [BMI]≥28kg/m2) were randomly allocated self-help (n = 211) or a group-based weight management programme for 12 weeks (n = 528) or 52 weeks (n = 528) between 18/10/2012 and 10/02/2014. Symptoms were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, at baseline, 3, 12 and 24 months. Linear regression modelling examined changes in Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale between trial arms. Results At 3 months, there was a -0.6 point difference (95% confidence interval [CI], -1.1, -0.1) in depression score and -0.1 difference (95% CI, -0.7, 0.4) in anxiety score between group-based weight management programme and self-help. At subsequent time points there was no consistent evidence of a difference in depression or anxiety scores between trial arms. There was no evidence that depression or anxiety worsened at any time point. Conclusions There was no evidence of harm to depression or anxiety symptoms as a result of attending a group-based weight loss programme. There was a transient reduction in symptoms of depression, but not anxiety, compared to self-help. This effect equates to less than 1 point out of 21 on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and is not clinically significant.
Public Transport and Cycling: Living Apart or Together?

Intermodality is a key factor in the attractiveness of public transportation. This article discusses how public transit and bicycling can be complementary modes of transport. In countries where bicycle use is common, usage is highest in medium-density areas. The purpose of the journey, topographic and meteorological conditions, personal characteristics and road safety also influence bicycle travel. Intermodal travel with bicycles and public transit can take three forms: bike-and-ride, bike-ride-bike, and ride-and-bike. In order for any form of intermodality to be successful, facilities for bike storage and parking must be available. Transit policy must be accepting and welcoming of bicycles on buses and trains for bike-ride-bike programs to work. To expand the use of ride-and-bike, some areas are experimenting with bicycle rental facilities near bus and train stations. Good transportation policy is needed to realize the potential of bicycle/public transit synergy and to break down any sense of competition that might exist between the two modes. Examples of how some European cities are working to promote bicycle/public transit intermodal travel are provided.
Controlling an effector with eye movements: The effect of entangled sensory and motor responsibilities

Restoring arm and hand function has been indicated by individuals with tetraplegia as one of the most important factors for regaining independence. The overall goal of our research is to develop assistive technologies that allow individuals with tetraplegia to control functional reaching movements. This study served as an initial step toward our overall goal by assessing the feasibility of using eye movements to control the motion of an effector in an experimental environment. We aimed to understand how additional motor requirements placed on the eyes affected eye-hand coordination during functional reaching. We were particularly interested in how eye fixation error was affected when the sensory and motor functions of the eyes were entangled due to the additional motor responsibility. We recorded participants’ eye and hand movements while they reached for targets on a monitor. We presented a cursor at the participant’s point of gaze position which can be thought of as being similar to the control of an assistive robot arm. To measure eye fixation error, we used an offline filter to extract eye fixations from the raw eye movement data. We compared the fixations to the locations of the targets presented on the monitor. The results show that not only are humans able to use eye movements to direct the cursor to a desired location (1.04 ± 0.15 cm), but they can do so with error similar to that of the hand (0.84 ± 0.05 cm). In other words, despite the additional motor responsibility placed on the eyes during direct eye-movement control of an effector, the ability to coordinate functional reaching movements was unaffected. The outcomes of this study support the efficacy of using the eyes as a direct command input for controlling movement.
Microplastics prevalence in water, sediment and two economically important species of fish in an urban riverine system in Ghana

Urban riverine systems serve as conduits for the transport of plastic waste from the terrestrial dumpsites to marine repositories. This study presented data on the occurrence of microplastics in water, sediment, Bagrid Catfish (Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus) and Black-chinned Tilapia (Sarotherodon melanotheron) from the Densu River, an urban riverine system in Ghana. Microplastics were extracted from the samples collected from both the lentic and lotic sections of the river. The results indicated widespread pollution of the Densu River with microplastics in all the compartments studied. The average numbers of microplastic particles deposited in the Dam (2.0 ± 0.58) and Delta (2.50 ± 0.48) sections of the river were not affected by the differences in their hydrology. However, the stagnant water system of the Dam promoted the floating of larger-sized microplastics while the flowing waters of the Delta did not show any selectivity in the deposition of microplastics between sediment and the water column. The number of microplastics ingestions by the Bagrid Catfish (2.88 ± 2.11) was similar to the Black-chinned Tilapia (2.38 ± 1.66) but both species ingested lower numbers of microplastics than reported for marine fish species in coastal Ghana.
High level SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid refolding using mild condition for inclusion bodies solubilization: Application of high pressure at pH 9.0

SARS-CoV-2 Nucleocapsid (N) is the most abundant viral protein expressed in host samples and is an important antigen for diagnosis. N is a 45 kDa protein that does not present disulfide bonds. Intending to avoid non-specific binding of SARS-CoV-2 N to antibodies from patients who previously had different coronaviruses, a 35 kDa fragment of N was expressed without a conserved motif in E. coli as inclusion bodies (N122-419-IB). Culture media and IB washing conditions were chosen to obtain N122-419-IB with high yield (370 mg/L bacterial culture) and protein purity (90%). High pressure solubilizes protein aggregates by weakening hydrophobic and ionic interactions and alkaline pH promotes solubilization by electrostatic repulsion. The association of pH 9.0 and 2.4 kbar promoted efficient solubilization of N122-419-IB without loss of native-like tertiary structure that N presents in IB. N122-419 was refolded with a yield of 85% (326 mg/L culture) and 95% purity. The refolding process takes only 2 hours and the protein is ready for use after pH adjustment, avoiding the necessity of dialysis or purification. Antibody binding of COVID-19-positive patients sera to N122-419 was confirmed by Western blotting. ELISA using N122-419 is effective in distinguishing between sera presenting antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 from those who do not. To the best of our knowledge, the proposed condition for IB solubilization is one of the mildest described. It is possible that the refolding process can be extended to a wide range of proteins with high yields and purity, even those that are sensible to very alkaline pH.
Prevalence of biofilms in Candida spp. bloodstream infections: A meta-analysis

Context Candida-related infections are nowadays a serious Public Health Problem emerging multidrug-resistant strains. Candida biofilm also leads bloodstream infections to invasive systemic infections. Objective The present meta-analysis aimed to analyze Candida biofilm rate, type, and antifungal resistance among hospitalized patients between 1995 and 2020. Data sources Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar databases were searched for English papers using the following medical subject heading terms (MESH): “invasive candidiasis”; “bloodstream infections”; “biofilm formation”; “biofilm-related infections”; “mortality”; and “prevalence”. Study selection The major inclusion criteria included reporting the rate of biofilm formation and the prevalence of biofilm-related to Candida species, including observational studies (more exactly, cohort, retrospective, and case-control studies). Furthermore, data regarding the mortality rate, the geographical location of the study set, and the use of anti-fungal agents in clinical isolates were also extracted from the studies. Data extraction Independent extraction of articles by 2 authors using predefined data fields, including study quality indicators. Data synthesis A total of 31 studies from publicly available databases met our inclusion criteria. The biofilm formation in the data set varied greatly from 16 to 100% in blood samples. Most of the studies belonged to Europe (17/31) and Asia (9/31). Forest plot showed a pooled rate of biofilm formation of 80.0% (CI: 67–90), with high heterogeneity (Q = 2567.45, I2 = 98.83, τ2 = 0.150) in random effects model (p < 0.001). The funnel plot and Egger’s linear regression test failed to find publication bias (p = 0.896). The mortality rate in Candida-related bloodstream infections was 37.9% of which 70.0% were from biofilm-associated infections. Furthermore, Candida isolates were also characterized in low, intermediate, or high biofilm formers through their level of biofilm mass (crystal violet staining or XTT assays) after a 24h growth. When comparing between countries, statistical differences were obtained (p = 0.0074), showing the lower and higher biofilm prevalence values in Italy and Spain, respectively. The prevalence of low, intermediate, and high biofilms were 36.2, 18.9, and 35.0% (p < 0.0001), respectively. C. tropicalis was the prevalent species in high biofilm formation (67.5%) showing statistically significant differences when compared to other Candida species, except for C. krusei and C. glabrata. Finally, the rates of antifungal resistance to fluconazole, voriconazole, and caspofungin related to biofilm were 70.5, 67.9 and 72.8% (p < 0.001), respectively. Conclusions Early detection of biofilms and a better characterization of Candida spp. bloodstream infections should be considered, which eventually will help preserve public health resources and ultimately diminish mortality among patients.