Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Complete solution of the extended EOQ repair and waste disposal model with switching costs

The EOQ repair and waste disposal problem was studied first by Richter, 1997. A first shop is providing a homogeneous product used by a second shop at a constant demand rate. The first shop is manufacturing new products and it is also repairing products used by a second shop, which are then regarded as being as good as new. The products are employed by a second shop and collected there according to a repair rate. The other products are immediately disposed of as waste. At the end of some period of time, the collected products are brought back to the first shop and will be stored as long as necessary and then repaired. If the repaired products are finished, the manufacturing process starts to cover the remaining demand for the time interval. The model was extended by Saadany and Jaber, 2008 to the problem of minimizing the total cost of production, remanufacturing and inventory while incorporating additional switching costs. The switching cost is incurred when the process shifts from repair to production and from production to repair. However, in their paper the authors did not provide a complete solution to this complex problem. We provide the solution in this paper.
TNF Signaling Is Required for Castration-Induced Vascular Damage Preceding Prostate Cancer Regression

The mainstay treatment for locally advanced, recurrent, or metastatic prostate cancer (PrCa) is androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). ADT causes prostate cancers to shrink in volume, or regress, by inducing epithelial tumor cell apoptosis. In normal, non-neoplastic murine prostate, androgen deprivation via castration induces prostate gland regression that is dependent on TNF signaling. Besides this direct mechanism of action, castration has also been implicated in an indirect mechanism of prostate epithelial cell death which has been described as vascular regression. The initiating event is endothelial cell apoptosis and/or increased vascular permeability. This subsequently leads to reduced blood flow and perfusion, and then hypoxia, which may enhance epithelial cell apoptosis. Castration-induced vascular regression has been observed in both normal and neoplastic prostate. We used photoacoustic, power Doppler, and contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging, and CD31 immunohistochemical staining of the microvasculature to assess vascular integrity in the period immediately following castration, enabling us to test the role of TNF signaling in vascular regression. In two mouse models of androgen-responsive prostate cancer, TNF signaling blockade using a soluble TNFR2 ligand trap reversed the functional aspects of vascular regression as well as structural changes in the microvasculature, including reduced vessel wall thickness, cross-sectional area and vessel perimeter length. These results demonstrate that TNF signaling is required for vascular regression, most likely inducing endothelial cell apoptosis and increasing vessel permeability. Since TNF is also the critical death receptor ligand for prostate epithelial cells, we propose that TNF is a multi-purpose, comprehensive signal within the prostate cancer micro-environment mediating prostate cancer regression following androgen deprivation. SIGNIFICANCE These studies define TNF as the mediator of androgen deprivation therapy-induced functional and structural vascular damage in prostate tumors.
Utilising A Social Networking Site As A Learning Tool In An Academic Environment: Advancing Practice From Information-Sharing To Collaboration And Innovation (ICI)

There is a scarcity of research regarding the possible academic uses of Social Networking Sites (SNSs), such as Facebook (FB). Much research focuses on the social or information student use. This paper demonstrates how a SNS, in this case Facebook, can help increase a student’s academic engagement and develop synergistic knowledge. Engagement is understood as the effort and time a student invests in educational activities in or out of class, which are empirically related to college outcomes (Kuh, 2009). Engagement encompasses various aspects including interactions with faculty, involvement in cocurricular activities and peer interaction. Building Pollara and Zhu’s (2011) observations that students believe online collaboration assists learning, this paper demonstrates synergistic knowledge development by students as a result of Facebook use on UCD’s ‘Business Information Systems Management’ module during one semester. Data was collected using student surveys, archival Facebook information and interviews with students. This student group are a less researched cohort regarding SNS usage: they are post-experience, part-time postgraduates. This study’s findings support Junco’s (2012) observation that some Facebook usage can be academically advantageous to students. The benefits here to using Facebook in teaching and learning also included the development of educational micro-communities as suggested by Bosch (2009). In our study, Facebook stimulated critical thinking and engagement in academic debate regarding the module material. The evidence here suggests that this SNS can allow for student engagement in a way that traditional educational environment cannot. This module promoted student engagement beyond just information-sharing, demonstrating high levels of student collaboration and synergistic knowledge development, and ultimately theoretical innovation with the module concepts. It also provides an insight into post-experience, postgraduate usage of SNSs. The research questions were:
Mapping Forest Restoration Probability and Driving Archetypes Using a Bayesian Belief Network and SOM: Towards Karst Ecological Restoration in Guizhou, China

To address ecological threats such as land degradation in the karst regions, several ecological restoration projects have been implemented for improved vegetation coverage. Forests are the most important types of vegetation. However, the evaluation of forest restoration is often uncertain, primarily owing to the complexity of the underlying factors and lack of information related to changes in forest coverage in the future. To address this issue, a systematic case study based on the Guizhou Province, China, was carried out. First, three archetypes of driving factors were recognized through the self-organizing maps (SOM) algorithm: the high-strength ecological archetype, marginal archetype, and high-strength archetype dominated by human influence. Then, the probability of forest restoration in the context of ecological restoration was predicted using Bayesian belief networks in an effort to decrease the uncertainty of evaluation. Results show that the overall probability of forest restoration in the study area ranged from 22.27 to 99.29%, which is quite high. The findings from regions with different landforms suggest that the forest restoration probabilities of karst regions in the grid and the regional scales were lower than in non-karst regions. However, this difference was insignificant mainly because the ecological restoration in the karst regions accelerated local forest restoration and decreased the ecological impact. The proposed method of driving-factor clustering based on restoration as well as the method of predicting restoration probability have a certain reference value for forest management and the layout of ecological restoration projects in the mid-latitude ecotone.
Prevalence and resistance pattern of uropathogens from community settings of different regions: an experience from India

Introduction Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infections in clinical practice worldwide in both healthcare and community settings causing significant morbidity and mortality. It is one of the major conditions at the community level treated empirically and regarded as a potential cause of emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Limited information is available regarding community-acquired UTI (CA-UTI) from India. Methodology This is a first of its kind, multicentric-cross-sectional study at the community level targeting patients attending the out-patient department (OPD) of the community health centre (CHC) from four geographical regions (North, South, West and East) of India. The study had been designed to determine the epidemiology, antibiogram profile and identification of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producer and carbapenem resistant (CR) uropathogens. Samples were collected prospectively from UTI suspected patients coming at CHC and processed at the tertiary healthcare centres using a common standard operating procedure. Clinical history of all the patients exhibiting significant bacteriuria was collected and data was analysed. Result Overall, 250 out of a total of 2459 (10.1 %) urine samples were positive for bacteria with significant bacteriuria (adult: paediatrics, 6.7 : 1). Females were predominantly affected (male: female, 1 : 2.9). History of recent episode of UTI was observed as the commonest risk factor followed by diabetes mellitus. Altogether, 86 % of total cases were caused by Escherichia coli (68 %) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (17.6 %) together. Among the commonly used oral antibiotics for the Gram-negative bacilli (GNB), the highest resistance was observed against beta-lactams, first- and second-generation cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones and co-trimoxazole. Overall, the prevalence of ESBL producer and CR isolates were 44.8, and 4.3 %, respectively. However, the ESBL production, CR and nitrofurantoin resistance among the uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) isolates was 52.8, 5.1 and 14 %, respectively. No resistance was found against fosfomycin among the UPEC isolates. Conclusion The current study highlights the increasing incidence of AMR among uropathogens at the community-settings of India. A significant percentage of ESBL producers among the isolated UPEC and K. pneumoniae were observed. The currently available evidence supports the clinical recommendation of fosfomycin and nitrofurantoin for empiric therapy in CA-UTI in India.
Is Previous eGFR a Reliable Risk Factor for COVID-19 Death? Single Centre Analysis in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients in Northern Italy

COVID-19 remains a major world health problem, and its clinical manifestations can vary from an oligosymptomatic form to severe pulmonary infection, which can require invasive ventilation and is strictly related to death. Identifying risk factors for adverse outcomes is essential for performing adequate care and contrasting high mortality. Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a widespread comorbidity and is a known risk factor for death during SARS-CoV-2 infection. The present study evaluates the death risk assessment during the COVID-19 pandemic in (CKD) patients, considering the baseline value of an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and other possible risk factors. We retrospectively assessed the mortality risk in 150 patients with COVID-19 between 1 October and 31 December 2020. We evaluated eGFR, haemoglobin, albumin, uric acid, cholesterol, triglycerides, and significant risk factors, such as diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease in every patient. We had 53 deaths (35.3%) during the observational period, significantly related to age, eGFR, albumin, and baseline nephropathy. In the multivariable analysis, only baseline eGFR and age were independent predictors of death during SARS-CoV-2 infection, with an OR equal to 0.96 and 1.067, respectively. In conclusion, by our analysis, age, and the baseline eGFR were the only reliable predictors of death during COVID-19 in CKD patients.
Combining fabrication and surface modification techniques to develop cell-laden microfluidic devices

Combining Fabrication and Surface Modification Techniques to Develop Cell-laden Microfluidic Devices Qudus Hamid Wei Sun, Ph.D. Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technologies illustrate the potential for many applications in the field of tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and life sciences. The fabrication of tissue models integrates the multidisciplinary field of life sciences and engineering. Presently, monolayer cell cultures are frequently used to investigate potential anti-cancer agents. These monolayer cultures give limited feedback on the effects of the micro-environment. A microenvironment, which mimics that of the target tissue, will eliminate the limitations of the traditional mainstays of tissue research. The fabrication of such micro-environment requires a thorough investigation of the actual target organ and/or tissue. Microfabrication techniques are utilized to develop microfluidic channels for continuous nutrition supply to cells inside a micro-environment. The ability of cells to build tissues and maintain tissue-specific functions depends on the interaction between cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Three-dimensional tissue platforms are rapidly becoming the method of choice for quantification of the heterogeneity of cell populations for many diagnostic and drug therapy applications. Microfluidic sensors and the integration of sensors with microfluidic systems are often described as miniature versions of their macro-scale counterparts. This technology presents unique advantages for handling costly and difficult-to-obtain samples and reagents as a typical system requires between 100 nL to 10μL of working fluid. The fabrication of a fully functional cell-based biosensor utilizes both biological patterning and microfabrication techniques. SU-8 is a popular photosensitive epoxy-based polymer in MEMS. The patterning of bare SU-8 alone does not provide the appropriate ECM necessary to develop microsystems for
N-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartate enhances type I interferon anti-viral responses through activation of non-canonical NOD2 signaling

Type I interferon production and the expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) are key components of an innate immune response to many microbial pathogens. Dysregulation of this response can result in uncontrolled infection, inflammation, and autoimmune disease. Understanding the molecular mechanisms shaping the strength of type I interferon signaling may provide critical insights into infection control strategies and autoimmune disease therapies. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2) is an intracellular pattern recognition receptor that acts as both a bacterial sensor protein and a mediator of antiviral responses. Antibacterial functions of NOD2 are enhanced by treatment with the small molecule inhibitor of pyrimidine biosynthesis N-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartate (PALA), though how this might function in the host antiviral response remains unknown. Therefore, we tested the ability of PALA to enhance NOD2-dependent antiviral responses. Alone, PALA treatment of macrophages was not sufficient to induce interferon β (IFNβ) production or ISG expression. Instead, PALA synergized with IFNβ stimulation to enhance expression and activation of interferon-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3) and induce the upregulation of a subset of ISGs in co-treated cells. Furthermore, PALA treatment of epithelial cells resulted in impaired viral replication of the herpesvirus, human cytomegalovirus. Induction of the PALA-enhanced antiviral response required activation of non-canonical NOD2 signaling mediated by mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS) and interferon response factor 1 (IRF1), rather than the classical receptor-interacting serine/threonine protein kinase 2 (RIP2) pathway or other IRFs previously reported to mediate NOD2 antiviral responses. These findings highlight pyrimidine metabolism enzymes as controllers of antimicrobial responses and suggest novel mechanisms for the modulation of type I interferon responses and antiviral activity. Significance Statement Understanding the molecular mechanisms shaping the strength of type I interferon signaling may provide critical insights to improve infection control strategies and autoimmune disease therapies. This work demonstrates that the pyrimidine synthesis inhibitor N-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartate synergizes with type I interferon to enhance antiviral responses through activation of a non-canonical NOD2 signaling pathway. These findings highlight pyrimidine metabolism enzymes as controllers of antimicrobial responses and suggest novel mechanisms for the modulation of type I interferon responses.
Emotional intelligence and job performance: a qualitative meta-analysis

These days, Emotional Intelligence (EI) is becoming increasingly well-known in organizations and is closely linked to job performance. The purpose of this qualitative meta-analysis is to determine the relationship between EI and job performance as well as the impact of EI on job performance. A total of 14 empirical studies are reviewed in this study. The overall results demonstrated that EI has a positive relationship with job performance. Besides that, most of the studies show great impact of EI on job performance. Several recommendations for further investigations are also proposed in this study.
The cosmic microwave background and mass power spectrum profiles for a novel and efficient model of dark energy

In a previous work [1] it was shown that by considering the quantum nature of the gravitational field mediator, it is possible to introduce the momentum energy of the graviton into the Einstein equations as an effective cosmological constant. The Compton Mass Dark Energy (CMaDE) model proposes that this momentum can be interpreted as dark energy, with a Compton wavelength given by the size of the observable universe RH, implying that the dark energy varies depending on this size. The main result of this previous work is the existence of an effective cosmological constant Λ = 2π2/λ2 that varies very slowly, being λ = (c/H0)RH the graviton Compton wavelength. In the present work we use that the dark energy density rate is given by ΩΛ = 2π2/3/RH2 , it only has the curvature Ωk as a free constant and depends exclusively on the radiation rate Ωr. Using Ωr = 9.54×10−5, the theoretical prediction for a flat universe of the dark energy rate is ΩΛ = 0.6922. We perform a general study for a non-flat universe, using the Planck data and a modified version of the CLASS code we find an excellent concordance with the Cosmic Microwave Background and Mass Power Spectrum profiles, provided that the Hubble parameter today is H0 = 72.6 km/s/Mpc for an universe with curvature Ωk = −0.003. We conclude that the CMaDE model provides a natural explanation for the accelerated expansion and the coincidence problem of the universe.
Why D-Mannose May Be as Efficient as Antibiotics in the Treatment of Acute Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infections Preliminary Considerations and Conclusions from a Non-interventional Study

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are very frequent in women and can be caused by a range of pathogens. High recurrence rates and increasing antibiotic resistance of uropathogens make UTIs a severe public health problem. d-mannose is a monosaccharide that can inhibit bacterial adhesion to the urothelium after oral intake. Several clinical studies have shown the efficacy of d-mannose in the prevention of recurrent UTI; these also provided limited evidence for the efficacy of d-mannose in acute therapy. A recent prospective, non-interventional study in female patients with acute cystitis reported good success rates for treatment with d-mannose. Here we present data from a post-hoc analysis of this study to compare the cure rate of d-mannose monotherapy with that of antibiotics. The results show that d-mannose is a promising alternative to antibiotics in the treatment of acute uncomplicated UTIs in women.
The Impact of Vitamin D Status on COVID-19 Severity among Hospitalized Patients in the Western Region of Saudi Arabia: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Study

The coronaviruses disease 2019 (COVID-19) spreads continuously worldwide. The new vaccines and drugs have been approved. The prevention of disease is crucial, and some studies reveal the promising effect of alternative therapies such as vitamin D supplementations on COVID-19 prevention, but they still require sufficient evidence. Therefore, the current retrospective multicenter cross-sectional study aims to determine the primary association between the vitamin D status of hospitalized COVID-19 and its severity as well as mortality. A total of 197 COVID-19 were admitted at King Faisal Hospital, Al Noor Specialist Hospital in Makkah, and at Complex King Faisal Hospital in Taif in the Westering region of Saudi Arabia (SA) between June and August 2020. The demographic and clinical characteristics, laboratory tests included serum 25(OH)D and admission for intensive care unit (ICU), length of stay in the hospital, mechanical ventilation (MV) support, and mortality were recorded and analyzed. Vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 20 ng/mL) was found in 73.10% of all study population. Multiple logistic regression was used after adjusted covariances such as age, gender, diabetes, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). No statistically significant was shown for ICU admission [Odd Ratio, OR 1.25 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.41–3.88) p = 0.70], MV support [Odd Ratio, OR 3.12 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.74–13.21) p = 0.12] and mortality [Odd Ratio, OR 2.39 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.31–18.11), p = 0.40]. These data didn’t support the association between serum 25(OH)D and the severity of the disease among hospitalized COVID-19 patients.
Technology Champions: A Theory-Based Intervention to Improve Adoption of Occupational Safety Innovations

ABSTRACT Prevention-through-design (PtD) is a new initiative to reduce occupational risks by developing lower-risk tools, equipment, methods, and materials. Once PtD innovations have been developed, the challenge is to have them adopted by industry. A theory-based intervention involving the creation of “technology champions” to improve construction firm adoption of a PtD innovation was developed, implemented, and tested. Technology Champions were created in firms through a methodology entitled “enhanced trialability. ” In a controlled pre-test/post-test experimental design, firm decision-maker (n=40) readiness to adopt the PtD innovation was assessed using a validated survey instrument. Enhanced trialability was successful in producing technology champions. Also, gain-score t-test analysis found significant improvements in ‘innovation adoption readiness’ among firms with technology champions, when compared to firms with no technology champions (p = .01). This intervention can be used by future researchers and occupational safety and health practitioners to improve adoption of safety innovations.