Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Lenvatinib and Sorafenib in the Real-World First-Line Treatment of Advanced-Stage Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Taiwanese Population

Aim: Currently, atezolizumab combined with bevacizumab is the standard first-line treatment for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), but lenvatinib or sorafenib are still recommended for these patients for some reasons. The aim of the study was to determine the outcomes of Taiwanese patients with advanced-stage HCC who received lenvatinib or sorafenib. Methods: Data on patients with BCLC stage C HCC who were receiving lenvatinib or sorafenib as the first-line therapy from May 2018 to August 2020 was collected. The individuals with lenvatinib and sorafenib were propensity score-matched at a ratio of 1:2. Results: A total of 22 patients with lenvatinib and 44 patients with sorafenib were enrolled. The ORR (36.4% vs. 11.4%, p = 0.023) and DCR (81.9% vs. 56.9%, p = 0.039) were both higher in the lenvatinib group compared with the sorafenib group. The median overall survival (OS) of the lenvatinib group and the sorafenib group was 9.36 months and 8.36 months, respectively. The best median OS was detected in patients receiving lenvatinib and having an objective tumor response (11.29 months), with a significant difference (p = 0.031) compared with the other groups. Conclusion: Lenvatinib, compared to sorafenib, had better ORR and DCR, but similar OS, in Taiwanese patients with advanced-stage HCC. The patients with an objective tumor response had a better OS.
Expressive Writing Therapy through Online and Offline Media to Reduce Nomophobia Level during the Pandemic Covid-19

Everyone needs a smartphone during the pandemic, which makes people use online communication more. However, inappropriate and excessive use can cause problems, such as nomophobia. This study aimed to determine the effect of expressive writing therapy in reducing the level of nomophobia. The research method uses a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling with 23 male and female subjects aged 19-21 years who had moderate to high levels of nomophobia — collecting data through observation, interviews, and the Nomophobia Questionnaire (NMP-Q). Expressive writing therapy was given to the experimental group for five sessions through online and offline media. Data analysis using a quantitative approach with the Mann-Whitney statistical test obtained a significance of p = 0.0425 (P <0.05), so it can be concluded that there is a significant difference in nomophobia scores between the control and experimental groups after being given expressive writing therapy. The results of the qualitative analysis showed that the subject experienced nomophobia due to unpleasant past experiences, parenting and environmental demands, loneliness, and work needs. The decrease in nomophobia scores was influenced by various new understandings gained after receiving expressive writing therapy.
Quality characteristics of white brined cheese produced from goat milk with different somatic cell count

This experimental work aimed to investigate the quality characteristics of white brined cheese during ripening, produced from goat milk with different somatic cell count: I group – with low somatic cell content (CL) with about 1 200 000 cells/ml; II group – with high somatic cell content (CH) with about 1 750 000 cells/ml and III group – with medium somatic cell content (CM) with about 1 600 000 cell/ml (CM). Chemical, microbiological, and sensorial evaluations were performed on the 1 st and 45th day of cheese ripening. The obtained results showed that the differences in the composition of goat milk during the different stages of lactation as well as the level of somatic cell count had a significant effect (p < 0.05) on the chemical composition of the cheese samples. It was established that the total lactic acid bacteria count in the experimental samples decreased from 8.2 to 7.9 log cfu/g for CL and CM and to 7.5 log cfu/g for CH at the end of the ripening period respectively. It was found that the psychrotrophic microorganisms and total yeast and molds decreased during the ripening period. The sensorial evaluation demonstrated a higher score for CL and CM samples in comparison with the CH sample.
Study of e+e- annihilation to hadrons with SND at VEPP-2000

V. P. Druzhinin∗ab, M. N. Achasovab, A. Yu. Barnyakova, K. I. Beloborodovab, A. V. Berdyuginab, A. G. Bogdanchikova, A. A. Botova, T. V. Dimovaab, L. V. Kardapoltsevab, A. G. Kharlamovab, A. A. Korolab, D. P. Kovrizhina, A. S. Kupicha, N. A. Melnikovaa A. E. Obrazovskya, E. V. Pakhtusovaa, K. V. Pugachevab, S. I. Serednyakovab, D. A. Shtola, Z. K. Silagadzeab, I. K. Surina, Yu. V. Usova and V. N. Zabina. a Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia b Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, 630090, Russia
Perceived Leaders’ Empathy, Recognition, Monetary Compensation and Employees’ Happiness Among Universities’ Academicians

The Covid-19 virus is not only hazardous to human health but to the country’s economic condition too (Choong, 2020). The financial setback has led to many universities’ employees, including the academicians, from getting the amount of salary or compensation commensurate with their amount of works (Sunil, 2020). This situation has produced many unhappy academicians which eventually steered to the deterioration of the overall universities’ performance (Raj, 2021). Besides the salary factor, the unhappiness is also due to their leaders’ attitude that was criticised to be self-centred, unappreciative, and only prone towards the universities’ profit generation alone (Tatjana, 2021). The universities’ employees’ happiness issues are deemed to become more alarming, when the world is attacked by the Covid-19 virus since end of year 2019 (Isa & Palpanadan, 2020). Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the relationship between perceived leaders’ empathy, recognition, money compensation and employees’ happiness among the academicians from all private universities in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. The empirical findings from this study revealed that monetary compensation possesses the most significant relationship with employees' happiness (p-value = 0.00; T-value = 6.51), followed by perceived leaders' empathy and employees' happiness (p-value = 0.00; T-value = 4.126). Recognition was found to have no significant relationship with employees’ happiness (p-value> 0.05; T-value = 0.429). The empirical findings are expected to be a basic source of reference for employers, leaders, and human resource practitioners, especially from the Malaysian private universities on the importance of ensuring all employees receive monetary compensation that is appropriate with the efforts and sacrifices given. In addition, leaders also need to be more empathy and understanding towards their employees since this value will foster a sense of belonging among employees while creating employment sustainability that has proven to help many organisations to be more successful (Oruh et al., 2021).
Genome-Wide Association Study of Root-Lesion Nematodes Pratylenchus Species and Crown Rot Fusarium culmorum in Bread Wheat

Triticum aestivum L. , also known as common wheat, is affected by many biotic stresses. Root diseases are the most difficult to tackle due to the complexity of phenotypic evaluation and the lack of resistant sources compared to other biotic stress factors. Soil-borne pathogens such as the root-lesion nematodes caused by the Pratylenchus species and crown rot caused by various Fusarium species are major wheat root diseases, causing substantial yield losses globally. A set of 189 advanced spring bread wheat lines obtained from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) were genotyped with 4056 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers and screened for root-lesion nematodes and crown rot resistance. Population structure revealed that the genotypes could be divided into five subpopulations. Genome-Wide Association Studies were carried out for both resistances to Pratylenchus and Fusarium species. Based on our results, 11 different SNPs on chromosomes 1A, 1B, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5B, and 5D were significantly associated with root-lesion nematode resistance. Seven markers demonstrated association with P. neglectus, while the remaining four were linked to P. thornei resistance. In the case of crown rot, eight different markers on chromosomes 1A, 2B, 3A, 4B, 5B, and 7D were associated with Fusarium crown rot resistance. Identification and screening of root diseases is a challenging task; therefore, the newly identified resistant sources/genotypes could be exploited by breeders to be incorporated in breeding programs. The use of the identified markers in marker-assisted selection could enhance the selection process and cultivar development with root-lesion nematode and crown rot resistance.
Oncologists’ Locus of Control, Compassion Fatigue, Compassion Satisfaction, and the Mediating Role of Helplessness

The oncology setting may give rise to significant feelings of helplessness among oncologists via patients’ inevitable deaths or suffering. The current study examines whether and how oncologists’ sense of control (locus of control; LOC) influences their compassion fatigue and satisfaction. Methods: Seventy-three oncologists completed the following questionnaires: the Professional Quality of Life scale; Levenson’s Internal, Powerful Others, and Chance scale; the Guilt Inventory, State Guilt subscale; and the Learned Helplessness scale. Results: Oncologists reported high levels of secondary traumatic stress and burnout and moderate levels of compassion satisfaction. A positive association between oncologists’ external LOC and compassion fatigue, and a negative association between oncologists’ internal LOC and compassion fatigue, were found. Helplessness, but not guilt, had a mediating role in these associations. Internal LOC was also positively associated with compassion satisfaction. Conclusions: The current study highlights oncologists as a population at risk of experiencing compassion fatigue and emphasizes oncologists’ locus of control as a predisposition that plays a role in the development of this phenomenon. Additionally, the cognitive as well as the emotional aspects of control were found to be important factors associated with compassion fatigue.
Investigation on the Bending Behavior of Tea Stalks Based on Non-Prismatic Beam with Virtual Internodes

The study aims to fully explicate the bending behavior of tea stalks under the condition of large deflection, which is crucial to improve the working performance of mechanized harvesting equipment. The mechanical model of the stalk was assumed to be a non-prismatic beam with virtual internodes that could differ from actual internodes. With the model, the stalk can be freely divided into multiple virtual internodes, whose flexural rigidities can be determined by solving an optimization problem, and deflection curves can be predicted after determining the positions of virtual nodes under given loads. Moreover, a novel method was proposed to obtain the deflection curve of the stalk based on the techniques of binocular vision and non-uniform rational B-spline (NURBS) curve fitting. The results show that R-squared values of fitted 2nd-degree NURBS curves of bending shape of tea stalks range from 0.9576 to 0.9964, with an average of 0.9797. The results indicate that flexural rigidity decreases from the bottom to the top of the tea stalk, and the deflection curve could be predicted more precisely with the model of piecewise flexural rigidities than that of average flexural rigidity. The study could be applied to the optimization design of the cutter and adaptive adjustment techniques of operational parameters for tea picking machines.
The Effect of Dietary Interventions on Hypertriglyceridemia: From Public Health to Molecular Nutrition Evidence

Approximately 25–50% of the population worldwide exhibits serum triglycerides (TG) (≥150 mg/dL) which are associated with an increased level of highly atherogenic remnant-like particles, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and pancreatitis risk. High serum TG levels could be related to cardiovascular disease, which is the most prevalent cause of mortality in Western countries. The etiology of hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) is multifactorial and can be classified as primary and secondary causes. Among the primary causes are genetic disorders. On the other hand, secondary causes of HTG comprise lifestyle factors, medical conditions, and drugs. Among lifestyle changes, adequate diets and nutrition are the initial steps to treat and prevent serum lipid alterations. Dietary intervention for HTG is recommended in order to modify the amount of macronutrients. Macronutrient distribution changes such as fat or protein, low-carbohydrate diets, and caloric restriction seem to be effective strategies in reducing TG levels. Particularly, the Mediterranean diet is the dietary pattern with the most consistent evidence for efficacy in HTG while the use of omega-3 supplements consumption is the dietary component with the highest number of randomized clinical trials (RCT) carried out with effective results on reducing TG. The aim of this review was to provide a better comprehension between human nutrition and lipid metabolism.
Integration of a multi-agent system into a robotic framework: a case study of a cooperative fault diagnosis application

Programming multi-robot autonomous systems can be extremely complex without appropriate software development techniques to abstract hardware faults, as well as can be hard to deal with the complexity of software required the coordinated autonomous behavior. Real environments are dynamic and unexpected events may occur, leading a robot to unforeseen situations or even fault situations. This work presents a method of integration of Jason multi-agent system into ROS robotic framework. Through this integration, can be easier to describe complex missions by using Jason agent language and its resources, as well as abstracting hardware details from the decision-taken process. Moreover, software modules related to the hardware control and modules which have a high CPU cost are separated from the planning and decision-taken process in software layers, allowing plan and software modules reuse in different missions and robots. Through this integration, Jason resources such as plans reconsideration and contingency plans can be used in a way where they can enable the robot to reconsider its actions and strategies in order to reach its goals or to take actions to deal with unforeseen situations due the environment unpredictability or even some robot hardware fault. The presented integration method also allows the cooperation between multiple robots through a standardized language of communication between agents. The proposed method is validated by a case study applied in real robots where a robot can detect a fault in its hardware and diagnose it through the help of another robot, in a highly abstract method of cooperative diagnosis.
Learning to Extract Expert Teams in Social Networks

Finding a set of suitable experts with minimized communication overhead to perform a complex task finds a wide spectrum of applications in industry, education, and other scenarios. This class of problems, widely formulated as forming a team of experts in social networks (i.e., team formation problem), is very challenging due to its NP-hardness and has attracted much research attention. Although various effective and elegant algorithms have been proposed to address this important problem, the methods are usually manually designed and handcrafted, which require considerable human efforts. In this article, we make our first attempt to automate the algorithm design with a machine learning-based approach, named reinforcement learning-based expert team identification (RELEXT). Moreover, we also propose two novel graph embedding methods to consider two important dimensions of the team formation problem, i.e., the skill and social dimensions. We evaluate the proposed approaches on multiple large-scale real datasets. The experimental results show that our proposed approaches outperform the other baselines in terms of solution quality and efficiency.
Review of Machine Learning in Lung Ultrasound in COVID-19 Pandemic

Ultrasound imaging of the lung has played an important role in managing patients with COVID-19–associated pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). During the COVID-19 pandemic, lung ultrasound (LUS) or point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has been a popular diagnostic tool due to its unique imaging capability and logistical advantages over chest X-ray and CT. Pneumonia/ARDS is associated with the sonographic appearances of pleural line irregularities and B-line artefacts, which are caused by interstitial thickening and inflammation, and increase in number with severity. Artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning, is increasingly used as a critical tool that assists clinicians in LUS image reading and COVID-19 decision making. We conducted a systematic review from academic databases (PubMed and Google Scholar) and preprints on arXiv or TechRxiv of the state-of-the-art machine learning technologies for LUS images in COVID-19 diagnosis. Openly accessible LUS datasets are listed. Various machine learning architectures have been employed to evaluate LUS and showed high performance. This paper will summarize the current development of AI for COVID-19 management and the outlook for emerging trends of combining AI-based LUS with robotics, telehealth, and other techniques.
The Significance of Systemic Immune-Inflammatory Index for Mortality Prediction in Diabetic Patients Treated with Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery

Diabetes mellitus (DM) represents a complex carbohydrate metabolism disorder characterized by inflammatory over-reactivity. The study aimed to investigate the potential influence of postoperative inflammatory activation on mortality risk after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting in diabetic patients. There were 510 patients treated with off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting due to stable complex coronary artery disease, including 175 patients with type-2 DM (T2DM.) The mean follow-up time was 3.7 +/− 1.5 years with a 9% all-cause mortality rate in the diabetic group. In multivariable analysis, preoperative comorbidities (stroke, peripheral artery disease, postoperative systemic inflammatory index >952, and postoperative left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF) < 45%) were revealed as prognostic factors. The receiver operator characteristics curve analysis for postoperative calculations of systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) appeared significant (AUC = 0.698, p = 0.008), yielding sensitivity of 68.75% and specificity of 71.07%. Systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII) can be regarded as a predictive marker for long-term prognosis in diabetic patients after off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting. The role of perioperative inflammatory activation may play a crucial role in mortality prediction.
Teacher Perceptions on Virtual Reality Escape Rooms for STEM Education

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) is a meta-discipline employing active, problem-centric approaches such as game-based learning. STEM competencies are an essential part of the educational response to the transformations caused by the fourth industrial revolution, spearheaded by the convergence of multiple exponential technologies. Teachers’ attitude is a critical success factor for any technology-enhanced learning innovation. This study explored in-service teachers’ views on the use of a digital educational escape room in virtual reality. Forty-one (n = 41) K-12 educators participated in a mixed research study involving a validated survey questionnaire instrument and an online debriefing session in the context of a teacher training program. The key findings revealed that such alternative instructional solutions can potentially enhance the cognitive benefits and learning outcomes, but further highlighted the shortcomings that instructional designers should consider while integrating them in contexts different than the intended. In line with this effort, more systematic professional development actions are recommended to encourage the development of additional teacher-led interventions.
Fatal Neurodissemination and SARS-CoV-2 Tropism in K18-hACE2 Mice Is Only Partially Dependent on hACE2 Expression

Animal models recapitulating COVID-19 are critical to enhance our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis. Intranasally inoculated transgenic mice expressing human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 under the cytokeratin 18 promoter (K18-hACE2) represent a lethal model of SARS-CoV-2 infection. We evaluated the clinical and virological dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 using two intranasal doses (104 and 106 PFUs), with a detailed spatiotemporal pathologic analysis of the 106 dose cohort. Despite generally mild-to-moderate pneumonia, clinical decline resulting in euthanasia or death was commonly associated with hypothermia and viral neurodissemination independent of inoculation dose. Neuroinvasion was first observed at 4 days post-infection, initially restricted to the olfactory bulb suggesting axonal transport via the olfactory neuroepithelium as the earliest portal of entry. Absence of viremia suggests neuroinvasion occurs independently of transport across the blood-brain barrier. SARS-CoV-2 tropism was neither restricted to ACE2-expressing cells (e.g., AT1 pneumocytes), nor inclusive of some ACE2-positive cell lineages (e.g., bronchiolar epithelium and brain vasculature). Absence of detectable ACE2 protein expression in neurons but overexpression in neuroepithelium suggest this as the most likely portal of neuroinvasion, with subsequent ACE2 independent lethal neurodissemination. A paucity of epidemiological data and contradicting evidence for neuroinvasion and neurodissemination in humans call into question the translational relevance of this model.
Serum Sclerostin Level Is Negatively Associated with Bone Mineral Density in Hemodialysis Patients

Background and Objectives: Sclerostin and Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) modulate osteoblastogenesis, but their role in bone loss in hemodialysis (HD) patients is inconclusive. This study investigated relationships among lumbar bone mineral density (BMD), serum sclerostin, and DKK1 in HD patients. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 75 HD patients. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry measured lumbar BMD of the lumbar vertebrae (L2–L4). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed serum sclerostin and DKK1 concentrations. Results: There were 10 (13.3%), 20 (26.7%), and 45 (60%) patients defined as presenting with osteoporosis, osteopenia, or normal BMD, respectively. Age, alkaline phosphatase, urea reduction rate, fractional clearance index for urea, sclerostin level, and percentage of female patients are significantly negatively associated with the lumbar BMD and T-score, while the body mass index and waist circumference significantly positively associated with the lumbar BMD and T-score. Multivariate forward stepwise linear regression analysis indicated that serum sclerostin (β = −0.546, adjusted R2 change = 0.454; p < 0.001), age (β = −0.216, adjusted R2 change = 0.041; p = 0.007), and percentage of female HD patients (β = −0.288, adjusted R2 change = 0.072; p = 0.0018) were significantly negatively associated with lumbar BMD in HD patients. Conclusions: Advanced age, female gender, and serum sclerostin level, but not DKK1, were negatively associated with BMD in HD patients.