Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CE Accreditation and Barriers to CE Marking of Pediatric Drug Calculators for Mobile Devices: Scoping Review and Qualitative Analysis

Background Pediatric drug calculators (PDCs) intended for clinical use qualify as medical devices under the Medical Device Directive and the Medical Device Regulation. The extent to which they comply with European standards on quality and safety is unknown. Objective This study determines the number of PDCs available as mobile apps for use in the Netherlands that bear a CE mark, and explore the factors influencing the CE marking of such devices among app developers. Methods A scoping review of Google Play Store and Apple App Store was conducted to identify PDCs available for download in the Netherlands. CE accreditation of the sampled apps was determined by consulting the app landing pages on app stores, by screening the United Kingdom Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s online registry of medical devices, and by surveying app developers. The barriers to CE accreditation were also explored through a survey of app developers. Results Of 632 screened apps, 74 were eligible, including 60 pediatric drug dosage calculators and 14 infusion rate calculators. One app was CE marked. Of the 20 (34%) respondents to the survey, 8 considered their apps not to be medical devices based on their intent of use or functionality. Three developers had not aimed to make their app available for use in Europe. Other barriers that may explain the limited CE accreditation of sampled PDC apps included poor awareness of European regulations among developers and a lack of restrictions when placing PDCs in app stores. Conclusions The compliance of PDCs with European standards on medical devices is poor. This puts clinicians and their patients at risk of medical errors resulting from the largely unrestricted use of these apps.
Design and Performance Assessment of a Tidal Ducted Turbine

Tidal Current Energy can be eligible as one of the most interesting renewable and clean energy resources with the promise of a regular and predictable production of electricity. In the framework of the "MWATFORCE" Project from GUINARD Energies, a ducted tidal turbine has been developed. This paper presents the design of the runner based on the Blade Element Momentum theory and optimization of the shape minimizing cavitation development and stresses. The assessment of the turbine performance is made by presenting the unsteady turbulent flow numerical simulations of the full ducted tidal turbine in open flow conditions. A power coefficient as much as 55% is found for a tip speed ratio of 7. As expected, the pressure drop and the bulk velocity through the rotor as well are enhanced by the shaped duct compared to the free actuator disk, demonstrating the advantage of this design.
Learned Hyperspectral Compression Using a Student's T Hyperprior

Hyperspectral compression is one of the most common techniques in hyperspectral image processing. Most recent learned image compression methods have exhibited excellent rate-distortion performance for natural images, but they have not been fully explored for hyperspectral compression tasks. In this paper, we propose a trainable network architecture for hyperspectral compression tasks, which not only considers the anisotropic characteristic of hyperspectral images but also embeds an accurate entropy model using the non-Gaussian prior knowledge of hyperspectral images and nonlinear transform. Specifically, we first design a spatial-spectral block, involving a spatial net and a spectral net as the base components of the core autoencoder, which is more consistent with the anisotropic hyperspectral cubes than the existing compression methods based on deep learning. Then, we design a Student’s T hyperprior that merges the statistics of the latents and the side information concepts into a unified neural network to provide an accurate entropy model used for entropy coding. This not only remarkably enhances the flexibility of the entropy model by adjusting various values of the degree of freedom, but also leads to a superior rate-distortion performance. The results illustrate that the proposed compression scheme supersedes the Gaussian hyperprior universally for virtually all learned natural image codecs and the optimal linear transform coding methods for hyperspectral compression. Specifically, the proposed method provides a 1.51% to 59.95% average increase in peak signal-to-noise ratio, a 0.17% to 18.17% average increase in the structural similarity index metric and a 6.15% to 64.60% average reduction in spectral angle mapping over three public hyperspectral datasets compared to the Gaussian hyperprior and the optimal linear transform coding methods.
Systematic Review of Pediatric Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (Rome IV Criteria)

Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) are common among children and may cause a significant symptom burden. The Rome criteria are symptom-based guidelines for the assessment of FGID among children and adults. The aim of this systematic review was to estimate the prevalence of FGID utilizing the revised Rome IV criteria. Nine health databases were searched. The inclusion criteria were: prospective FGID prevalence data using the Rome IV criteria for children up to 18 years, and the exclusion criteria were: cohorts with known gastrointestinal or organic conditions. The data were presented as a percentage of children experiencing at least one FGID, as well as in individual categories. The searches identified 376 papers, with 20 included in the final analysis, providing a pooled cohort of 18,935 children. The median prevalence of FGID for children aged up to four years was 22.2% (range 5.8–40%), and aged four–eighteen years was 21.8% (range 19–40%). The most common FGID for children aged 0–12 months was infant regurgitation, the most common FGID for those aged 13–48 months were functional constipation and cyclic vomiting, and, for those aged over four years, functional constipation, functional dyspepsia, and irritable bowel syndrome. This reported overall incidence of FGID may be used as a benchmark of normative data among the general population and comparative data for those with comorbid disease.
Role of the microbiome in systemic therapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (Review)

A large body of evidence has revealed that the microbiome serves a role in all aspects of cancer, particularly cancer treatment. To date, studies investigating the relationship between the microbiome and systemic therapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) are lacking. PDAC is a high-mortality malignancy (5-year survival rate; <9% for all stages). Systemic therapy is one of the most important treatment choices for all patients; however, resistance or toxicity can affect its efficacy. Studies have supported the hypothesis that the microbiome is closely associated with the response to systemic therapy in PDAC, including the induction of drug resistance, or toxicity and therapy-related changes in microbiota composition. The present review comprehensively summarized the role of the microbiome in systemic therapy for PDAC and the associated molecular mechanisms in an attempt to provide a novel direction for the improvement of treatment response and proposed potential directions for in-depth research.
Inhibiting Lysine Demethylase 1A Improves L1CAM-Specific CAR T Cell Therapy by Unleashing Antigen-Independent Killing via the FAS-FASL Axis

Simple Summary Solid tumor cells can lose or heterogeneously express antigens to become resistant to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy. Here, we explore whether epigenetic manipulation to unleash antigen-independent killing mechanisms can overcome this hurdle. KDM1A is overexpressed in many cancers and removes lysine methylation on histones that keeps the DNA firmly packed to selectively activate or repress gene activity, depending on the specific lysine target. KDM1A also regulates the expression of nonhistone proteins. We inhibited KDM1A in the childhood tumor, neuroblastoma, to increase FAS expression on tumor cells. The FAS receptor can be triggered to induce cell death when bound by the FAS ligand on CAR and other activated T cells present in the tumor environment, even if the tumor cells lack the target antigen. FAS upregulation via KDM1A inhibition sensitized neuroblastoma cells to FAS-FASL-mediated killing and augmented CAR T cell therapy against antigen-poor or even antigen-negative neuroblastoma. Abstract Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has emerged as a promising treatment strategy, however, therapeutic success against solid tumors such as neuroblastoma remains modest. Recurrence of antigen-poor tumor variants often ultimately results in treatment failure. Using antigen-independent killing mechanisms such as the FAS receptor (FAS)-FAS ligand (FASL) axis through epigenetic manipulation may be a way to counteract the escape achieved by antigen downregulation. Analysis of public RNA-sequencing data from primary neuroblastomas revealed that a particular epigenetic modifier, the histone lysine demethylase 1A (KDM1A), correlated negatively with FAS expression. KDM1A is known to interact with TP53 to repress TP53-mediated transcriptional activation of genes, including FAS. We showed that pharmacologically blocking KDM1A activity in neuroblastoma cells with the small molecule inhibitor, SP-2509, increased FAS cell-surface expression in a strictly TP53-dependent manner. FAS upregulation sensitized neuroblastoma cells to FAS-FASL-dependent killing and augmented L1CAM-directed CAR T cell therapy against antigen-poor or even antigen-negative tumor cells in vitro. The improved therapeutic response was abrogated when the FAS-FASL interaction was abolished with an antagonistic FAS antibody. Our results show that KDM1A inhibition unleashes an antigen-independent killing mechanism via the FAS-FASL axis to make tumor cell variants that partially or totally suppress antigen expression susceptible to CAR T cell therapy.
Soil-bridge interaction during long-duration earthquake motions

The seismic response of a complete soil-bridge system during shallow, crustal and subduction zone earthquakes is the topic of this report. Specifically, the effects of earthquake duration on the seismic performance of soil-bridge systems are examined. This topic is important, because many bridges worldwide are located in tectonic regions characterized by a subducting plate boundary, where high-intensity, long-duration earthquake motions are possible. To date, the effects of earthquake duration are not widely considered during seismic design of bridges. In this report, a model of a soil-bridge system is developed in the finite element framework OpenSees. The soil-bridge system is subjected to earthquake motions of varying durations using the direct method. Comparative results show that the number of inelastic excursions in the bridge column and pile increase significantly with earthquake duration, even though other traditional measures of damage such as maximum bending moments and peak column drifts are independent of duration. The results also indicate that the number of inelastic excursions is strongly correlated with earthquake intensity measures that incorporate earthquake duration, such as significant duration, and cumulative absolute velocity. The results imply that earthquake duration needs to be considered when designing and retrofitting bridge superstructures, especially when these are designed to fail in flexure, which is the desired mode of failure in current design methodologies.
The asymmetric and threshold impact of external debt on economic growth: new evidence from Egypt

PurposeWithin a multivariate framework, this study examines the asymmetric and threshold impact of external debt on economic growth in Egypt during the period 1980–2019.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a nonlinear autoregressive distributed lag (NARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration and a vector error-correction model to estimate the short- and long-run parameters of equilibrium dynamics. A multiple structural breaks model is estimated to test nonlinearity in the relationship between external debt and economic growth.FindingsResults of the NARDL model show a robust statistically significant negative long-run impact on economic growth stemming from both positive and negative external-debt-induced shocks. In terms of magnitude, on the one hand, the impact of external-debt-induced negative shocks exceeds that of the positive. In the short and long run, on the other hand, the growth impact of external debt in Egypt is symmetric. There is also support for the nonlinearity hypothesis in which a negative impact on growth of external debt obtains once the threshold level of external debt-to-GDP ratio equals or exceeds 96.7%. Practical implicationsIdentifying the threshold level after which external debt becomes harmful to economic growth would help inform policymakers in Egypt about maximum external debt levels that can be sustained without impairing economic growth.Originality/valueThe current study makes a substantial contribution to the extant literature on the debt-growth tradeoffs. It breaks ground by being the first tract that examines, using a NARDL model, asymmetry and nonlinearity of debt-growth tradeoffs in Egypt.
Lipedema and the Potential Role of Estrogen in Excessive Adipose Tissue Accumulation

Lipedema is a painful fat disorder that affects ~11% of the female population. It is characterized by bilateral, disproportionate accumulation of subcutaneous adipose tissue predominantly in the lower body. The onset of lipedema pathophysiology is thought to occur during periods of hormonal fluctuation, such as puberty, pregnancy, or menopause. Although the identification and characterization of lipedema have improved, the underlying disease etiology remains to be elucidated. Estrogen, a key regulator of adipocyte lipid and glucose metabolism, and female-associated body fat distribution are postulated to play a contributory role in the pathophysiology of lipedema. Dysregulation of adipose tissue accumulation via estrogen signaling likely occurs by two mechanisms: (1). altered adipocyte estrogen receptor distribution (ERα/ERß ratio) and subsequent metabolic signaling and/or (2). increased release of adipocyte-produced steroidogenic enzymes leading to increased paracrine estrogen release. These alterations could result in increased activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ), free fatty acid entry into adipocytes, glucose uptake, and angiogenesis while decreasing lipolysis, mitochondriogenesis, and mitochondrial function. Together, these metabolic alterations would lead to increased adipogenesis and adipocyte lipid deposition, resulting in increased adipose depot mass. This review summarizes research characterizing estrogen-mediated adipose tissue metabolism and its possible relation to excessive adipose tissue accumulation associated with lipedema.
Determinants of Household Energy Choice for Cooking in Northern Sudan: A Multinomial Logit Estimation

Traditional biomass utilization is connected with negative environmental and human health impacts. However, its transition to cleaner cooking fuels is still low where the household’s fuels preferences play an important role in the process. To examine the factors that influence the household’s cooking fuel choice in Northern Sudan, a multinomial logit model (MNL) was used to analyze data collected from Kassala state in two selected districts, New Halfa and Nahr Atabara. The findings show that the most utilized fuels are still firewood and charcoal, which are used by 63.4% of all respondents. The results also revealed that socioeconomic factors have an impact on household fuel choice, where one additional unit of credit access may boost the possibility of choosing LPG by 22.7%. Furthermore, one additional level of education would reduce 5.4% of charcoal users while simultaneously raising 10% of current liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) users. Therefore, the study suggests initiating mobilization and training programs to raise awareness and encourage the usage of cleaner fuels. This study will provide policymakers with information on household cooking energy utilization while designing and developing policies related to energy. It will also contribute to the expanding body of literature concerning the transition to clean cooking fuels from traditional biomass.
Understanding the role for Fc gamma receptors in response to anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy

Research into cancer therapeutics has utilized the antigen specificity of antibodies to provide targeted cancer treatments. One notable therapeutic is rituximab, a chimeric human IgG1 antibody that has specificity to the CD20 protein on the surface of B cells. This antibody is currently used in the treatment of leukaemia and lymphoma. However, due to reasons not fully understood patients often relapse and become resistant to therapy. Therefore an increasingly important area of research is to uncover the key mechanisms of action of anti-CD20 antibodies. It has been demonstrated that antibody Fc: FcγR interactions are critical foreffective anti-CD20 antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). During this project the role of Fc: FcγR interactions and their ability to mediate anti-CD20 mediated B cell depletion was explored. We assessed two different types of anti-CD20 antibody: type I, rituximab has been shown to have high levels of antibody:antigen internalisation following CD20 engagement. This process has been termed antigenic modulation. In contrast, type II, obinutuzumab do not display a high level of antigenic modulation. We assessed the ability of rituximab and obinutuzumab to deplete normal and malignant B cells. Additionally, macrophages and NK cells have both been implicated as key FcγRexpressing effector cells. Therefore, we assessed rituximab and obinutuzumab using in vitro macrophage or NK cell mediated ADCC assays and looked at the impact antigenic modulation had on effector cell activity. In vivo analysis revealed that obinutuzumab give more sustained B cell depletion compared to rituximab. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this sustained depletion is due to a lack of antigenic modulation preventing NK cell and macrophage mediated ADCC. In contrast rituximab undergoes significant internalisation preventing both NK cell and macrophage mediated ADCC. In addition, it has been well documented that the tumour microenvironment will affect the phenotype of the surrounding stroma, particularly macrophages. Established tumours are typically associated with low levels of apoptosis. Therefore, we investigated the impact dysregulated apoptosis had on the ability of macrophages to orchestrate ADCC. Using apoptosis resistant Vav Bcl-2 mice, as well as other apoptosis defective strains, we demonstrate that there is a decrease in the activatory to inhibitory FcγR ratio on effector cell subsets.This was largely due to an increase in inhibitory FcγRIIb. Subsequent analysisrevealed that an increase in FcγRIIb may be due to the autoimmune-likephenotype of the Vav Bcl-2 mouse. This knowledge will be beneficial to future consideration of antibody selection and provides further avenues of research into antibody and FcγR interactions.
On the Causes and Countermeasures of Chinese Learners’ English Reading Anxiety

Based on Humanistic Psychology and Krashen’s Affective Filtering Hypothesis, this study explores the effects on English reading anxiety among Chinese students, and corresponding countermeasures are put forward to it. English reading anxiety, one of the emotional factors that have a great effect on foreign language learning, mainly refers to the feeling of not being able to achieve desired goal or overcome a mental obstacle. The results indicate that Chinese English learners suffer English reading anxiety in text comprehension, and the psychological, cultural and text factors are the main causes leading to it. Based upon the findings, its advisable to lower the learners’ affective filter and promote their self-confidence as well as cultivate their cross-cultural awareness in future English reading teaching.
Development of the Situation Awareness Flight Training and Simulation Evaluation (SAFTE) System: II: Final Development, Initial Test, and Documentation of the System

Abstract : A technology has been developed for incorporating situation awareness (SA) measures into an inexpensive flight simulator. In this Phase 2 report, the final configuration of the simulator is described in detail, the first demonstration project to determine its training and psychometric characteristics is documented, and extensive hardware/software descriptions are provided. This Situation Awareness Flight Trainer Evaluator (SAFTE) system permits an experimenter to present operationally relevant portions of aircraft missions in a laboratory desktop environment, while obtaining measures of the operator's SA embedded within the simulation. Measures of SA include spatial disorientation, awareness of aircraft present and predicted position, and several experimental metrics. In addition to the initial development, a modified SAFTE system was implemented into a human centrifuge at Brooks AFB to assess the impact of acceleration forces on pilot performance, and this development is described. Conclusions and recommendations concerning the further evolution of the SAFTE system include an assessment of the experimental SA metrics, addition of skill measures other than SA, and an evaluation of the value of this type of training for novice pilots.
Information Theory and Radar: Mutual Information and the Design and Analysis of Radar Waveforms and Systems

This thesis examines the use of information theory in the analysis and design of radar, with a particular emphasis on the information-theoretic design of radar waveforms. First, a brief review of information theory is presented and then the applicability of mutual information to the measurement of radar performance is examined. The idea of the radar target channel is introduced. The Radar/Information Theory Problem is formulated and solved for a number of radar target channels, providing insight into the problem of designing radar waveforms that maximize the mutual information between the target and the received radar signal. Radar-scattering models are examined in order to obtain usable models for practical waveform design problems. The target impulse response is introduced as a method of characterizing the spatial range distribution of radar targets. The target impulse response is used to formulate a new generalization of the matched filter in radar that matches a transmitted-waveform/receiver-filter pair to a target of known impulse response, providing the maximum signal-to-noise ratio at the receiver under a constraint on transmitted energy and the time duration of the waveform. Next, the problem is formulated and solved of designing radar waveforms that maximize the mutual information between the target and the received radar waveform for a target characterized by an impulse response that is a finite-energy random process. The characteristics of waveforms for optimum detection and for obtaining maximum information about a target are compared. Finally, the information content of radar images is examined. It is concluded that the information-theoretic viewpoint can improve the performance of practical radar systems.