Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ranibizumab in neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a 5-year follow-up

Purpose: Our aim was to evaluate an optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual acuity (VA)-guided, variable-dosing regimen with intravitreal ranibizumab injection for treating patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD) from 2007 to 2012. Design: This was a retrospective clinical study of 5 years follow-up in a tertiary eye center. Patients and methods: In this study, 66 patients with neovascular AMD (mean age of 74 years, SD 8.7 years) were included. We investigated the development of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), the number of intravitreal injections, and the central retinal thickness measured with OCT (OCT Spectralis) over 5 years of intravitreal treatment. Results: The mean number of intravitreal ranibizumab injections over 5 years was 8.8. The mean BCVA before therapy was 0.4 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR). After 5 years of therapy, the mean BCVA was 0.6 logMAR. In all, 16% of treated patients had stable VA over 5 years and 10% of study eyes approved their VA. The mean OCT-measured central retinal thickness at the beginning of this study was 295 µ m; after 5 years of treatment, the mean central retinal thickness was 315 µ m. There was an increase in central retinal thickness in 47.5% of examined eyes. Conclusion: Other studies showed VA improvement in OCT-guided variable-dosing regimens. Our study revealed a moderate decrease in VA after a total mean injection number as low as 8.8 injections over 5 years. In OCT, an increase in central retinal thickness over 5 years could be observed. Probably, this is due to deficient treatment when comparing the total injection number to other treatment regimens. Anti-VEGF therapy helps to keep the VA stable for a period of time, but cannot totally stop the progression of the disease completely. Patients with late stages of neovascular AMD can maintain VA even if they are relatively undertreated. international, peer-reviewed journal covering all subspecialties within ophthalmology. Key include: Optometry; Visual science; Pharmacology and drug therapy in eye diseases; Basic Sciences; Primary and Secondary eye care; Patient Safety and Quality of Care Improvements. on PubMed CAS,
ranibizumab in monotherapy and combined with photodynamic therapy for retinal angiomatous proliferation

Purpose: To compare the effects of intravitreal ranibizumab in monotherapy (group A) and combined with photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin (group B) in retinal angiomatous proliferation (RAP) treatment. Methods: This was a multicentric, prospective, randomized clinical study conducted with parallel groups. The study eye in both groups received ranibizumab on days 1, 30, and 60 (loading dose); group B received PDT additionally on day 1. Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) visual acuity (VA) testing and optical coherence tomography were performed monthly, and fluorescein angiography and indocyanine green angiography were performed quarterly. Retreatment criteria were leakage in fluorescein angiography or indocyanine green angiography, mean foveal thickness increase $ 100 µ m, or VA decrease $ 5 letters. Results: Twenty patients were recruited (ten patients in each group). Six eyes had previous treatment (three eyes in group A and three eyes in group B), so only 14 eyes were naïve. At 12-month follow-up, mean VA improved + 1.5 letters in group A and + 5.6 letters in group B (analysis of variance test; P . 0.05). Two patients (20%) in both groups gained $ 15 letters (chi-square test; P . 0.05). Mean changes in greatest linear dimension and in foveal thickness were not statistically significant between groups of treatment (analysis of variance test; P . 0.05). Mean retreatments per patient were 1.8 (group A) and 0.9 (group B) (Mann–Whitney U -test; P . 0.05). One patient died due to underlying disease not related to study medication. Conclusion: Intravitreal ranibizumab administered in monotherapy or combined with PDT was efficacious in terms of VA stabilization in patients with RAP.
Framework for Developing Multistage Testing With Intersectional Routing for Short-Length Tests

Multistage testing (MST) has many practical advantages over typical item-level computerized adaptive testing (CAT), but there is a substantial tradeoff when using MST because of its reduced level of adaptability. In typical MST, the first stage almost always performs as a routing stage in which all test takers see a linear test form. If multiple test sections measure different but moderately or highly correlated traits, then a score estimate for one section might be capable of adaptively selecting item modules for following sections without having to administer routing stages repeatedly for each section. In this article, a new framework for developing MST with intersectional routing (ISR) was proposed and evaluated under several research conditions with different MST structures, section score distributions and relationships, and types of regression models for ISR. The overall findings of the study suggested that MST with ISR approach could improve measurement efficiency and test optimality especially with tests with short lengths.
Administration of an anti-interleukin 2 receptor monoclonal antibody prolongs cardiac allograft survival in mice

Administration of the monoclonal antibody M7/20, which binds to the murine interleukin-2 (IL) receptor, significantly prolongs cardiac allograft survival in two H-2-incompatible strain combinations of inbred mice. The results support the important role of the IL-2 receptor in the mechanism of graft rejection, and suggest its suitability as a target for immunosuppressive therapy.
Gems : their sources, descriptions and identification

Contents Include Origin of recovery of gemstones Diamond Ruby and sappire Emerald, aquamarine and other beryls Chryoberyl and spinel Topac and tourmaline Zircon, perdot and spodumene The garnets Moonstone and other feldspare gemstones Silica group Opal Turquoise and lapis-lazuli The jades Natural glasses Lesser known ornamental and gem materials Synthetic gemsontes Gemstone simulants Composite gemstones Fashioning of gemstones Pearls Coral, shell and operculum Hardness, cleavage and fracture Specific gravity Light and optical effects Coloru and colour enhancement Refractive index, reflectance and thermal conductance Inclusions Luminescence Electrical and magnetic phenomena Chemistry of gemstones Appendices Identification tables.
Indians of the Plains

Part of an eight-volume series offering young people a view of the ancient tribes of North America, this book describes the lives of the Indians who lived in the Plains. The lifestyle of these tribes (the Crow, Sioux, Comanche, Pawnee and Cree) was unique in that it only evolved after contact with whites. The book details the roots (tribal family trees and tribal languages), clothing, shelter, hunting, first contact with the whites, tribal wars, folklore and myths, religion and religious ceremonies of the tribes.
The Sensitivity of the Jet Stream Response to Climate Change to Radiative Assumptions

Comprehensive climate models exhibit a large spread in the magnitude of projected poleward eddy‐driven jet shift in response to warming. The spread has been connected to the radiative response to warming. To understand how different radiative assumptions alone affect the jet shift in response to warming, we introduce a new clear‐sky longwave radiation hierarchy that spans idealized (gray versus four bands; without or with interactive water vapor) through comprehensive (correlated‐k) radiation in the same general circulation model. The new hierarchy is used in an aquaplanet configuration to explore the impact of radiation on the jet stream response to warming, independent of mean surface temperature and meridional surface temperature gradient responses. The gray radiation scheme produces a split jet and its eddy‐driven jet shifts equatorward as climate warms, whereas the storm track shifts equatorward then poleward. Including four longwave bands leads to a merged jet that shifts slightly poleward with warming, and the storm track shifts monotonically poleward. Including interactive water vapor makes the poleward jet shift comparable to the jet shift with comprehensive radiation and interactive water vapor. These jet and storm track differences are linked to the radiation response of the stratospheric temperature, the tropopause height, and the meridional gradient of the radiative forcing to warming. Dynamically, the equatorward jet shift with the gray scheme is consistent with reduced wave reflection on the poleward flank of the jet, whereas the poleward jet shift with the other schemes is consistent with increased eddy length scale that favors equatorward wave propagation.
Minimum Water Requirement Method for High-Performance Sulphoaluminate Cement-Based Materials

In this work, we propose the use of steel slag instead of slag powder, in addition to fly ash and silica fume, to obtain high-performance sulphoaluminate cement-based materials. According to the closest-packing theory and on the basis of the minimum water requirement test, the influence of mineral admixtures on the minimum water requirement was evaluated for sulphoaluminate composite system paste. The optimal composition of the cementitious materials was thus determined. Orthogonal tests were used to assess the validity of this ratio. The correlation between minimum water requirement and the standard consistence was not only analyzed in the system of the minimum water requirement method decided but also in the complicate system of the orthogonal tests determined. Experimental results show that the influence of steel slag on the minimum water requirement is the largest in composite cement paste; minimum water requirement and standard consistency have a good correlation; the cement paste designed with the optimum composite had the highest strength of all the tested materials, but minimum water requirement and strength have a poor correlation in the orthogonal tests. We demonstrate that standard consistency evaluation can replace the minimum water requirement method to determine the optimum ratio of cement mineral admixtures. The proposed method not only simplifies the process but also makes the method more scientific.
Implementing a Reggio Emilia inspired approach in a mainstream Western Australian context: The impact on early childhood teachers' professional role

Reggio Emilia, an approach to early childhood that was developed in a Northern Italian city of the same name, is highly regarded as acknowledged by educators and researchers world-wide (Gandini, 1993). The Reggio Emilia philosophy is distinguished by the presentation of an image of children as being strong, rich and powerful learners (Hendricks, 2004; Millikan, 2003). This approach is marked as being adopted and adapted to suit particular cultural and educational settings. These situation sensitive approaches are noted as being Reggio Emilia inspired. This qualitative case study investigated how the professional role of four early childhood teachers was impacted by the implementation of a Reggio Emilia inspired approach in a mainstream Western Australian context. As part of the investigation, the factors that facilitated the change process and those which inhibited it were identified. The study was conducted in two schools, one private and the other government. The study participants were four pre-primary teachers who were implementing a Reggio Emilia inspired approach in their pre-primary settings. A school leader from each of the study schools was also interviewed. Qualitative data collection methods included observation, semi-structured interviews, field notes, reflective journals and document analysis. Data were analysed using thematic analysis procedures. The study found that as the teachers engaged with the Reggio Emilia philosophy, they were challenged to change their pedagogical practices which, in turn, impacted on their professional role. These changes were found to conform to the Reggio Emilia approach as described by Fu, Stemmel and Hill (2002). While the
Single-cell monitoring of dry mass and dry mass density reveals exocytosis of cellular dry contents in mitosis

Cell mass and composition change with cell cycle progression. Our previous work characterized buoyant mass dynamics in mitosis (Miettinen et al., 2019), but how dry mass and cell composition change in mitosis has remained unclear. To better understand mitotic cell growth and compositional changes, we develop a single-cell approach for monitoring dry mass and the density of that dry mass every ~75 s with 1.3% and 0.3% measurement precision, respectively. We find that suspension grown mammalian cells lose dry mass and increase dry mass density following mitotic entry. These changes display large, non-genetic cell-to-cell variability, and the changes are reversed at metaphase-anaphase transition, after which dry mass continues accumulating. The change in dry mass density causes buoyant and dry mass to differ specifically in early mitosis, thus reconciling existing literature on mitotic cell growth. Mechanistically, cells in early mitosis increase lysosomal exocytosis, and inhibition of lysosomal exocytosis decreases the dry mass loss and dry mass density increase in mitosis. Overall, our work provides a new approach for monitoring single-cell dry mass and dry mass density, and reveals that mitosis is coupled to extensive exocytosis-mediated secretion of cellular contents.
Working Paper 223 Scaling aquaculture for food security and employment in Africa: Insights from Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food sector in the world and now accounts for more than half of the fish consumed globally. However, the sector in Africa remains in its infancy, with the notable exception of Egypt, one of the world’s largest producers. This paper provides a thorough analysis of the sector in the selected countries of Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria to help identify investment and policy priorities that can sustainably advance aquaculture across Africa to boost income and employment, rural development and food security. The analysis focuses on nine themes to ensure a comprehensive overview of the sector and to better understand the relative strengths and weaknesses in each country: sector trends, national policy frameworks, government institutions, natural resources to support aquaculture, sector-specific innovation, feed and seed, market access, public-private partnerships, and sectoral impacts. With these in mind, the paper provides a series of recommendations for African policymakers and investors aimed at improving sectoral development across the continent. Among other factors, the recommendations highlight the need to not only increase productive capacity but also linkages to markets and consumers, adopt national policies that provide targeted support to high-potential areas, increase local research capacities and scaling of research results, decentralize seed and feed production for improved access, and promote sustainably produced fish as a promising source of animal-derived protein.
An interaction between myosin-10 and the cell cycle regulator Wee1 links spindle dynamics to mitotic progression in epithelia

delays anaphase onset in a Wee1-dependent manner. Moreover, Myo10 perturba-tion increases Wee1-mediated inhibitory phosphorylation on Cdk1, which, unexpectedly, concentrates at cell–cell junctions. Based on these and other results, we propose a model in which the Myo10–Wee1 interaction coordinates attainment of spindle position and orientation with anaphase onset.
Optimising urban green networks in Taipei City : linking ecological and social functions in urban green space systems

With the global population becoming more urban and less rural, increasingly research has argued for concepts such as establish Green Infrastructure (GI) as a tool for enhancing wildlife survival and human? s living quality (e.g. Harrison et al., 1995; Benedict and McMahon, 2006). However, an interdisciplinary planning approach underpinned by ecological and social evidence has not yet been fully developed. This research therefore seeks to integrate an ecological network with a green space planning standard by exploring the use of biotope and sociotope mapping methods. Seeking a comprehensive planning that takes all green resources into account, a green space typology is firstly developed according to Taiwanese contexts for identifying green spaces from land use maps. In order to specify effective features of these green spaces to bird survival and user preferences, an insight was conducted into the relationship of ? birds and urban habitats? , as well as ? human preferred urban green spaces? in Taipei City. Important environmental factors influencing bird distribution and influencing human experiences in urban green spaces are respectively specified and developed into an ecological value index (EVI) to detail potential habitats and a social value index (SVI) to evaluate recreational green space provision. Interestingly, proximity to green space appears to plays a more critical role in human preferences than bird survival in Taipei city; size is important both as a habitat and for creating an attractive green space; and green space quality tends to be a more significant factor than its structure for both wildlife and people. Utilising the bio-sociotope maps, this thesis argues for a number of strategies: conserving, enlarging, or creating large green spaces in green space deficient areas; increasing ecological and recreational value by enhancing green space quality of specific characteristics; and tackling gravity distance by combining green space accessibility and attractiveness in optimising urban green structure. As these suggestions are a challenge to apply in intensively developed urban areas, barriers from land use, political mechanisms, technical shortages, and cultural characteristics are also explored with possible resolutions presented for facilitating implementation. It is clear that optimising a multifunctional GI for both wildlife and people requires interdisciplinary knowledge and cooperation from various fields. The EVI and SVI developed within this thesis create the potential for a more place-specific and quantifiable green spaces strategy to help better link ecological and social functions in urban areas.
Pregnancy Hypertension : An International Journal of Women ’ s Cardiovascular Health

Introduction: Preeclampsia is a known cause of maternal, fetal and neonatal morbidity and mortality. Thus, evaluation of the predicting value of comparing 3D power Doppler indices (3DPD) of uteroplacental circulation (UPC) in the first and second trimester in patients who developed preeclampsia (PE) and those who did not and testing the hypothesis that the parameters of vascularization and placenta flow intensity, as determined by three-dimensional ultrasound (3D), are different in normal pregnancies compared with preeclampsia, could be a suitable screening method. Methods: A prospective observational study using 3D power Doppler were performed to evaluate the placental perfusion in 96 pregnant women who came to do the ultrasound routine between 11 and 14 weeks. The placental vascular index (VI), flow index (FI), blood vessels and blood flow index (VFI) by three-dimensional Doppler histogram were calculated. All patients repeated the exam between 16 and 20 weeks. The outcome was scored as normal or preeclamptic. Results: Placental vascular indices including VI, FI and VFI were significantly lower in preeclamptic placentas compared with controls in the study performed in the second trimester (p < 0.001). There was not any statistical difference in the patients examined in the first trimester. Discussion: Our findings suggest that 3D-power Doppler assessment of placental vascular indices in the second trimester has the potential to detect women at risk for subsequent development of PE. 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Using WhatsApp to Support English Language Learning: A Systematic Review

This study examines the use of WhatsApp as a learning platform for English language teaching and learning regarding the trends, ways, and main findings. Adopting the systematic review methodology, eighty-one empirical studies published between 2013 and 2022 were shortlisted, of which 39 were selected and analyzed utilizing a content analysis method. The findings revealed that the use of WhatsApp gained popularity in 2016 and sharply increased in 2021. Additionally, mixed methods became the most frequently used research method, while vocabulary was the most investigated language skill. Moreover, the ways WhatsApp was employed showed similar instructional activities with some variation among all studies. Further analysis revealed the advantages and challenges of employing WhatsApp for educational purposes such as supporting listening and reading comprehension, increasing students’ motivation and participation, and technical issues. In addition, many studies measured the effectiveness of using WhatsApp, which reported positive results. Finally, synthesizing the selected studies resulted in recommendations for language teachers and further research agenda.
5-aminolevulinate and CHIL3/CHI3L1 treatment amid ischemia aids liver metabolism and reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury

Rationale: Liver resection and transplantation surgeries are accompanied by hepatic ischemia-reperfusion (HIR) injury that hampers the subsequent liver recovery. Given that the liver is the main organ for metabolism and detoxification, ischemia-reperfusion in essence bestows metabolic stress upon the liver and disrupts local metabolic and immune homeostasis. Most of the recent and current research works concerning HIR have been focusing on addressing HIR-induced hepatic injury and inflammation, instead of dealing with the metabolic reprogramming and restoration of redox homeostasis. As our previous work uncovers the importance of 5-aminolevulinate (5-ALA) synthesis during stress adaptation, here we evaluate the effects of supplementing 5-ALA to mitigate HIR injury. Methods: 5-ALA was supplemented into the mice or cultured cells during the ischemic or oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) phase. Following reperfusion or reoxygenation, cellular metabolism and energy homeostasis, mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and transcriptomic changes were evaluated in HIR mouse models or cultured hepatocytes and macrophages. Liver injury, hepatocytic functional tests, and macrophagic M1/M2 polarization were assessed. Results: Dynamic changes in the expression of key enzymes in 5-ALA metabolism were first confirmed in donor and mouse liver samples following HIR. Supplemented 5-ALA modulated mouse hepatic lipid metabolism and reduced ATP production in macrophages following HIR, resulting in elevation of anti-inflammatory M2 polarization. Mechanistically, 5-ALA down-regulates macrophagic chemokine receptor CX3CR1 via the repression of RelA following OGD and reoxygenation (OGD/R). Cx3cr1 KO mice demonstrated milder liver injuries and more macrophage M2 polarization after HIR. M2 macrophage-secreted chitinase-like protein 3 (CHIL3; CHI3L1 in human) is an important HIR-induced effector downstream of CX3CR1 deficiency. Addition of CHIL3/CHI3L1 alone improved hepatocellular metabolism and reduced OGD/R-inflicted injuries in cultured mouse and human hepatocytes. Combined treatment with 5-ALA and CHIL3 during the ischemic phase facilitated lipid metabolism and ATP production in the mouse liver following HIR. Conclusion: Our results reveal that supplementing 5-ALA promotes macrophagic M2 polarization via downregulation of RelA and CX3CR1 in mice following HIR, while M2 macrophage-produced CHIL3/CHI3L1 also manifests beneficial effects to the recovery of hepatic metabolism. 5-ALA and CHIL3/CHI3L1 together mitigate HIR-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and hepatocellular injuries, which may be developed into safe and effective clinical treatments to attenuate HIR injuries.