Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Statistical seismic performance assessment of tuned mass damper inerter

In this study, the robust optimum design of a recently developed passive control device, i.e., tuned mass damper inerter (TMDI) is investigated to control a 10‐story base‐excited shear building benchmark. The H2 and H∞ of three different objective functions (i.e., minimizing roof displacement, minimizing 7th‐story displacement, and maximizing the TMD stroke) are selected as objective functions for two different single and double inerter configurations. Optimum free vibration parameters of the TMDI (i.e., natural frequency and damping ratios) are calculated using a metaheuristic technique for two different structural damping values. Additionally, the performance of the optimum designed damper and its robustness under 25 far‐fault (FF) ground motions are assessed in the time domain with 12 different performance criteria (i.e., the mean and standard deviation of the maximum and norm of response histories for roof displacement, roof acceleration, and the total kinetic energy of the building). Based on current work, the best performance index for single TMDI for all three objective functions is the roof absolute acceleration, showing a maximum of 45% reduction in the mean maximum roof acceleration for 25 earthquake records. Therefore, the TMDI is most effective when the goal is to reduce the floor accelerations. The double inerter configuration shows approximately the same values for the performance indices for all three objective functions and demonstrates similar reduction for a single TMDI. However, it increases the robustness of the control method by adding redundancy and enhancing the performance for different combinations of inertance and mass ratios.
Mortalidade por Doenças Cardiovasculares Segundo o Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade e as Estimativas do Estudo Carga Global de Doenças no Brasil, 2000-2017

Resumo Fundamentos O Sistema de Informação sobre Mortalidade (SIM) é de vital importância no monitoramento das tendências das doenças cardiovasculares (DCV), tendo por objetivo apoiar as políticas públicas. Objetivo Comparar séries históricas de mortalidade por DCV tendo como fonte de dados o SIM com e sem correção e o estudo Carga Global de Doenças (GBD) 2017 no Brasil no período de 2000 a 2017. Métodos Análise da mortalidade por DCV no Brasil entre 2000 e 2017 por meio de comparações de três estimativas de mortalidade por DCV: SIM Bruto, SIM Corrigido e GBD 2017. Foram utilizados os números absolutos e as taxas padronizadas por idade para comparação das estimativas para o Brasil e as unidades da federação. Resultados No SIM, o total de óbitos por DCV variou de 261 mil, em 2000, a 359 mil, em 2017, e no GBD 2017, de 292 mil a 388 mil nos mesmos anos, respectivamente. Observou-se alta proporção de códigos garbage definidos pelo GBD 2017 nas causas de morte por DCV, chegando a 42% em 2017. As taxas de óbitos por 100 mil habitantes estimadas pelo GBD variaram de 248,8 (1990) a 178,0 (2017). As taxas do SIM Bruto e do SIM Corrigido também mostraram redução para toda a série analisada, sendo que o SIM Bruto apresentou taxas mais baixas, de 204,9 (1990) e 155,1 (2017) óbitos por 100 mil habitantes. Ao analisar por unidade da federação, as tendências do SIM Bruto se invertem, com aumento das taxas de mortalidade nos estados das regiões Norte e Nordeste. Conclusão O estudo aponta a diminuição das taxas de mortalidade por DCV no período analisado para o Brasil. Ao contrário, na análise por unidade da federação, a variação porcentual do SIM Bruto foi de aumento para os estados do Norte e Nordeste. O uso dos dados não ajustados do SIM pode resultar em erros na interpretação, indicando aumento das taxas decorrente do aumento na captação de óbitos e da melhoria na definição das causas básicas de morte na última década, em especial nas regiões Norte e Nordeste, o que justifica sempre utilizar dados corrigidos na análise de mortalidade. (Arq Bras Cardiol. 2020; 115(2):152-160)
Inducible formation of leading cells driven by CD44 switching gives rise to collective invasion

Collective invasion into adjacent tissue is a hallmark of luminal breast cancer, with about 20% of cases that eventually undergo metastasis. It remained unclear how less aggressive luminal-like breast cancer transit to invasive cancer. Our study revealed that CD44hi cancer cells are the leading subpopulation in collective invading cancer cells, which could efficiently lead the collective invasion of CD44lo/follower cells. CD44hi/leading subpopulation showed specific gene signature of a cohort of hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal state genes and key functional co-regulators of collective invasion, which was distinct from CD44lo/follower cells. However, the CD44hi/leading cells, in partial-EMT state, were readily switching to CD44lo phenotype along with collective movements and vice versa, which is spontaneous and sensitive to tumor microenvironment. The CD44lo-to-CD44hi conversion is accompanied with a shift of CD44s-to-CD44v, but not corresponding to the conversion of non-CSC-to-CSC. Therefore, the CD44hi leader cells are not a stable subpopulation in breast tumors. This plasticity and ability to generate CD44hi carcinoma cells with enhanced invasion-initiating powers might be responsible for the transition from in situ to invasive behavior of luminal-type breast cancer. Significance Now, the mechanisms involved in local invasion and distant metastasis are still unclear. We identified a switch of CD44 that drives leader cell formation during collective invasion in luminal breast cancer. We provided evidence that interconversions between low and high CD44 states occur frequently during collective invasion. Furthermore, these findings demonstrated that the CD44hi/leader cells featuring partial EMT are inducible and attainable in response to tumor microenvironment. The CD44lo cancer cells are plastic that readily shift to CD44hi state, accompanied with shifts of CD44s-to-CD44v, thereby increasing tumorigenic and malignant potential. There are many “non-invasiveness” epithelial/follower cells with reversible invasive potential within an individual tumor, that casting some challenges on molecular targeting therapy.
AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL RISK TOLERANCE AND DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS OF BUSINESS GRADUATES IN PAKISTAN

The purpose of this empirical study was to investigate whether financial risk-tolerance differs among business graduates in Pakistan based on their demographic factors (i.e., gender, age, education, experience, income, saving, location, and occupation). This study has tested the financial risk-tolerance scale developed by Grable and Lytton (1999) to empirically measure the different dimensions of financial risk. The study employed a quantitative approach to a multinomial logistic regression model and an online questionnaire tool for the primary data collection. The well-designed questionnaires were distributed among business graduates through online media. The empirical findings of the study depicted a significant positive effect from all the demographics against financial risk-tolerance. Specifically, the results showed that male business graduates having more income and savings, those with more education qualifications and also older graduates are positively related to financial risk-tolerance. However, the relationship between financial risk-tolerance and experience level of individuals was found negative and insignificant, and the same result between the two variables can be confirmed by the findings of the correlation analysis. Furthermore, the parametric study showed that geographical differences exist among business graduates in terms of financial risk-tolerance attitudes.
How culture and race shape gender dynamics in negotiation

Mrs C. , a woman of Latina descent, lived in an area with very conservative and individualistic cultural norms and a rigid racial hierarchy. Following high school, she took a job at a local hospital. After two decades of diligent work and on-the-job training, she was put in charge of maintaining some vital and complicated equipment, for which she was paid an excellent wage. After a few years, however, the hospital was sold to a new company that instituted new salary guidelines. Mrs C. was told that she would need to re-apply for her job and, because she did not have a college degree, could expect to be paid only a third of her previous hourly wage – only a few cents above the minimum wage. Mrs C. did not want to lose her income altogether, so she accepted the terms without negotiating and continued working for less pay. Thousands of miles away, Ms S. was a woman of Asian descent who lived in an area with more collectivist cultural norms and high racial diversity. She was taking a course on negotiations and found herself in practice sessions facing off against her other classmates, which included men and women from many different countries. She enjoyed the experience tremendously and was regularly one of the most assertive negotiators in the class. By the end of the semester, she was voted by her classmates as the negotiator they would be the most nervous to have to face – a fact which surprised and pleased her. Both Mrs C. and Ms S. were female and both were members of racial minority groups in their respective regions, yet their outcomes in terms of negotiation were very different. In this chapter, we propose that a more comprehensive framework is needed for the study of gender differences in negotiations, and that in order to understand the fuller picture, it is necessary to identify the contextual factors that moderate how gender affects negotiation outcomes. Here we focus on two such factors: race and culture. Effective negotiation is important, if not always sufficient, in mitigating the disparate compensation and advancement of women. Research on gender and negotiations both currently and historically is rooted in a desire to explain and rectify the ever-persistent gender wage gap (e.g., United States: 18.2 percent, Canada: 16.9 percent, European Union: 16.2 percent, with Germany: 21.5 percent and the United Kingdom: 21.0 percent among the highest; Catalyst, 2018a) and gender inequities in the workplace (e.g., lack of women in senior leadership globally, Catalyst, 2018b). The other chapters in this volume articulate a breadth of areas of negotiation research where gender is an important variable for consideration. They have approached the
Evaluation of serum Nestin and HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T polymorphism as screening tools for breast cancer in Egyptian women

Background Nestin is a neural stem cell protein that plays an important role in cancer stem cells (CSC) development and proliferation. It has been identified as a marker for newly formed endothelial cells and was shown to be preferentially expressed in basal and myoepithelial cells of the mammary gland. HOTAIR is long intergenic non-coding (linRNA) associated with tumorigenesis through promotion of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and stemness as well. HOTAIR gene contains a functioning single nucleotide polymorphic site rs12826786 C>T that has been associated with several cancer types. Methods We evaluated serum Nestin and the HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T polymorphism in healthy Egyptian women and those with breast cancer as a possible screening tool to identify patients with breast cancer. Also, we tested the possible association of the two markers with each other and the aggressiveness of the disease. Results Patients with breast cancer had a median (Min-Max) of serum Nestin 31.3 (6.7-167.3 pg/mL), while control subjects had a median (Min-Max) of serum Nestin 42.3 (25.7-315.95) pg/mL. The best cut-off value for serum Nestin to differentiate normal subjects and patients with breast cancer was 39.9 pg/mL. This cut-off value had a diagnostic sensitivity of 84.8% and specificity of 65.1%. There was a significant difference in the distribution of different alleles in patients with breast cancer than normal subjects (P=0.039 Exact Fisher test). The breast cancer patients group had 23.9% CC, 52.1% CT, and 23.9% TT genotypes, respectively, while the control group had 46.9% CC, 42.8% CT, and 10.2% TT, respectively. Conclusions A significantly low serum Nestin below 39.9 pg/mL and a higher percentage of the T/T homozygous variant allele of HOTAIR rs12826786 C>T were found in Egyptian patients with breast cancer. We suggest that the reported cut-off value of serum Nestin and the presence of C/T polymorphism can be used to assess the risk of females for developing breast cancer and might be of potential benefit in screening the disease. Larger studies in different ethnic groups are needed to confirm our findings.
Revealing the Proteome of Motor Cortex Derived Extracellular Vesicles Isolated from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Human Postmortem Tissues

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by the deposition of misfolded proteins in the motor cortex and motor neurons. Although a multitude of ALS-associated mutated proteins have been identified, several have been linked to small extracellular vesicles such as exosomes involved in cell−cell communication. This study aims to determine the proteome of extracellular vesicles isolated from the motor cortex of ALS subjects and to identify novel ALS-associated deregulated proteins. Motor cortex extracellular vesicles (MCEVs) were isolated from human postmortem ALS (n = 10) and neurological control (NC, n = 5) motor cortex brain tissues and the MCEVs protein content subsequently underwent mass spectrometry analysis, allowing for a panel of ALS-associated proteins to be identified. This panel consists of 16 statistically significant differentially packaged proteins identified in the ALS MCEVs. This includes several upregulated RNA-binding proteins which were determined through pathway analysis to be associated with stress granule dynamics. The identification of these RNA-binding proteins in the ALS MCEVs suggests there may be a relationship between ALS-associated stress granules and ALS MCEV packaging, highlighting a potential role for small extracellular vesicles such as exosomes in the pathogenesis of ALS and as potential peripheral biomarkers for ALS.
Clinicopathological features, treatment and outcome of Omani patients with localised prostate cancer

ABSTRACT Objectives: To report the outcomes of Omani men diagnosed with localised prostate cancer (PCa), as PCa incidence is increasing in developing countries and there are scarce data regarding clinicopathological features and outcomes of PCa from the Arab world. Patients and methods: All men diagnosed with localised PCa between January 2006 and December 2017, and treated at a university hospital in Oman were included in the study. Data included demographic information, clinical, laboratory, pathological and radiological features at presentation, treatment modalities, and survival outcomes. Patients were followed until April 2019 or until death for disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) whichever came first. Survival rates were estimated using the method of Kaplan and Meier. Univariate and multivariate analysis and Cox regression analyses were performed to study factors affecting DFS and OS. Results: Out of 239 men diagnosed with PCa over the study period, only 47 had localised disease (19.7%). The median age was 69 years. The majority (53.2%) had a Gleason score of ≥8 and a median (range) PSA level of 23.71 (range 0.6 – 452.9)ng/mL. In all, 16 patients received radical surgery, 17 received hormonal therapy along with definitive radiotherapy, while 15 were treated either with medical or surgical castration only. After a median follow-up of 43 months, the median DFS was 44.0 months. The median OS was not reached for the entire cohort. The 5- and 10-year OS rates were 84% and 57%, respectively Conclusion: Omani patients with localised PCa present with a high PSA level and a high Gleason score. Potentially curative treatments options, e.g. radical surgery and radiotherapy, are underutilised. The survival outcomes are similar to studies reported internationally. Abbreviations: (P)ADT: (primary) androgen-deprivation therapy; CAPRA: Cancer of the Prostate Risk Assessment; 3D: three-dimensional; DFS: disease-free survival; HDI: Human Development Index; Linacs, linear accelerators; NCCN: National Comprehensive Cancer Network; OS: overall survival; (m)(CR)PC: (metastatic) (castrate-resistant) prostate cancer; RP: radical prostatectomy; (IM)RT: (intensity modulated) radiotherapy; SQUH: Sultan Qaboos University Hospital
Emotive contents and heuristic cues regarding skeptical consumers

Abstract This study clarifies consumers’ defense mechanisms and message elaboration to highlight the connection between consumer engagement with messages and brand success. Two eye-tracking experiments tested whether skepticism toward companies’ cause-related marketing (CRM) initiatives would lead to wide variations in how CRM ads influence consumers’ message elaboration. Informational appeals discouraged highly skeptical consumers’ message elaboration; thus, they process information through heuristic cues, such as “likes” and followers. However, negative emotional appeals led consumers to process information in a more accommodative and systematic manner. Moreover, the degree of message elaboration on heuristic cues (Study 1) and images (Study 2) has a crucial mediating role in the CRM appeal effect on credibility judgment. This study addresses the existing research gab by examining how dispositional CRM skepticism guides consumer message elaboration.
Stock market drivers of retail investors’ sentiment – facets and new evidences from India

The determinants of investors’ sentiment based on secondary stock market proxies in many empirical studies are reported. However, to the best of our knowledge, no study undertakes investor sentiment drivers developed from primary survey measures by constructing an investor sentiment index (ISI) in relation to market drivers to date. This study aims to fill this research gap by first developing the ISI for the Indian retail investors and then examining which of the stock market drivers impacts such sentiment. ,The ISI is constructed using the mean scores of eight statements as formulated based on popular direct investor sentiment surveys undertaken across the world. Then, we use the multiple regression approach overall and for top 33.33% (high-sentiment) and bottom 33.33% (low-sentiment) investors based on the responses of 576 respondents on 18 statements (proxying eight study hypotheses) collected in 2016. Moreover, the demography-based classification based investors’ sentiment is examined to make our results more robust and in-depth. ,On an overall basis, the IPO activities/issues and information certainty, trading volume and momentum and institutional investors’ investment activities market drivers significantly and positively impact retail investors is examined. However, only IPO activities/issues and information certainty influences both high- and low-sentiment investors. It is intriguing to report that nature of the stock markets show conflicting results for high- (negative significant) and low- (positive significant) sentiment investors. ,The construction of the ISI from primary survey measure is for the first time in Indian context in relation to investigating the stock market drivers influential to retail investors’ sentiment. In addition, hypothesized market drivers are also unique, each representing different fundamental and technical characteristics associated with the Indian market.
Hydrogels Obtained via γ-Irradiation Based on Poly(Acrylic Acid) and Its Copolymers with 2-Hydroxyethyl Methacrylate

Hydrogels containing both carboxyl and hydroxyl functional groups have been prepared by γ-irradiation of either aqueous solutions of acrylic acid (AA) and mixtures of AA and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) in different ratios, or aqueous solutions of poly(AA), PAA, and poly(AA-co-HEMA) obtained via solution polymerization. A higher absorbed dose is required in order to prepare hydrogels from monomer solutions, compared with those from polymer solutions. The range for the absorbed doses was chosen so that the probability of crosslinking reactions is higher than that of degradation ones. As the radiation energy deposited in a sample increases, the equilibrium swelling degree and the average molar mass between crosslinks diminishes. Chemical transformations induced by radiation were investigated by means of FTIR spectroscopy and thermal analysis of polymers before and after irradiation. For all these systems, the formation of a three-dimensional network enhances the glass transition temperature and thermal stability, but a further increase in the crosslinking degree may have the reverse effect on the glass transition temperature. Depending on the preparation protocol and/or hydrogel composition, superabsorbent materials that can bind different compounds throughout side functional groups may be obtained.
Importance of riparian forest corridors for the ocelot in agricultural landscapes

Worldwide, private lands have attracted increased attention from conservationists, not only because most of the globe is privately owned, but also because private lands can be an asset to the protected area conservation strategy. In Brazil, the riverine Areas of Permanent Protection (APPs) are a key instrument of the Forest Code to protect biodiversity on private lands, acting as wildlife corridors. We assessed this putative role of APPs by evaluating how ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) occurrence is influenced by covariates in 3 cerrado landscapes dominated by sugarcane and managed forests of eucalyptus and pine trees. We collected detection–nondetection data by camera trapping during 2 dry seasons (2013 and 2014) at 208 stations (6,606 camera-days). We estimated ocelot detection and mean relative abundance using a single-species, single-season occupancy model that accounts for heterogeneous detection probability induced by variation in abundance. Modeling results showed that percentage of native forest was the most important covariate to explain mean relative abundance of ocelots. This parameter was also affected positively by APPs, with ocelots being more abundant inside than outside APPs and, unexpectedly, by sugarcane. Given our study design, however, the positive effect of this crop likely reflects the contact zone between sugarcane and native forest. Our findings show that landscape composition affects ocelot abundance and highlight the importance of APPs and Legal Reserves in agricultural landscapes. We conclude that, in such landscapes, compliance to the Forest Code by private land owners is key to supporting ocelot occurrence.
A quick Look at the Registered Cases of Covid-19 Throughout the World

The present work analyzes the registered cases of Covid-19 throughout the world according the data registered at Johns Hopkins University. We selected 15 countries to analyze their data. In alphabetical order the countries are: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain, United States and Venezuela. With this information, three different studies were carried out. First, the data was validated using Benford's Law which is based on forensic techniques that allow us to guarantee the integrity of the information. Later, we calculated the value of the basic reproduction number (R0), ie. , the number of secondary host infections caused by one primary host infection that helps us to determine if a country has an outbreak of Covid-19. Finally, we show that the best representation for the change in the number of cases in the time is to calculate the mantissa value, ie. , the floating number obtained from the logarithm of the data.