Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analgesic Efficacy of Intravenous Dexamethasone as an Adjunct to Ultrasound-Guided Paravertebral Block with Bupivacaine in Video-Assisted Thoracoscopic Surgery

Purpose Thoracic paravertebral block (TPVB) is a recommended regional analgesia during video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS). However, single-injection TPVB does not last long enough to provide sufficient acute postoperative pain relief. Continuous TPVB through a catheter is technically challenging and often unreliable. Intravenous dexamethasone extends the analgesic duration with some peripheral nerve blocks. However, data on the effect of intravenous dexamethasone on pain relief with TPVB are limited. This study aimed to assess the analgesic efficacy of intravenous dexamethasone in patients who received TPVB for VATS. Patients and Methods In this multicenter prospective randomized controlled trial, we recruited patients aged between 18 and 80 years with the American Society of Anesthesiologists of physical status class 1–3 and underwent elective VATS. Patients under general anesthesia randomly received 8 mg of intravenous dexamethasone (group D) or normal saline (group C). Ultrasound-guided TPVB (USG-TPVB) was performed at the T4–T5 and T6-T7 spaces. Multimodal analgesia was achieved via paracetamol, tramadol and intravenous morphine for both study groups. The primary outcome was time for the first analgesic requirement. Postoperative pain in terms of numeric rating score (NRS), total morphine consumption and postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) were assessed. Results After excluding one patient, 59 patients were analyzed. There were no intergroup differences in baseline characteristics. The time to first analgesic requirement was longer in group D (305 [240, 510] minutes) than in group C (270 [180, 300] minutes) (P value = 0.02). The NRS at rest and on movement was lower in group D than in group C at 12 hours but did not differ at other time points. Postoperative morphine consumption was significantly lower in group D than in group C at 6,12,24 and 48 hours. Incidences of PONV were comparable between the groups. Conclusion Intravenous dexamethasone, used as an adjunct to a single-injection USG-TPVB prolonged analgesic duration, had an opioid-sparing effect and provided better postoperative pain relief after VATS.
Modeling Rhythm in Speech as in Music: Towards a Unified Cognitive Representation

Rhythm plays an important role in language perception and learning, with infants perceiving rhythmic differences across languages at birth. While the mechanisms under-lying rhythm perception in speech remain unclear, one in-teresting possibility is that these mechanisms are similar to those involved in the perception of musical rhythm. In this work, we adopt a model originally designed for musical rhythm to simulate speech rhythm perception. We show that this model replicates the behavioral results of language discrimination in newborns, and outperforms an existing model of infant language discrimination. We also find that percussives — fast-changing components in the acoustics — are necessary for distinguishing languages of different rhythms, which suggests that percussives are essential for rhythm perception. Our music-inspired model of speech rhythm may be seen as a first step towards a unified theory of how rhythm is represented in speech and music.
Long-Term Dose Optimization of Adalimumab via Dose Spacing in Patients with Psoriasis

Dose spacing (DS) can be useful for optimizing treatment with biologics in psoriasis patients. However, interval prolongation might increase the production of anti-drug antibodies (ADA) and, therefore, reduce the drug’s effectiveness. The long-term effects of DS with adalimumab in psoriatic patients have not been reported. The goal of our study was to evaluate the long-term follow-up of psoriatic patients after adalimumab DS regarding the clinical course and determination of circulating adalimumab, TNFα levels, and anti-adalimumab antibodies. We retrospectively included seven patients treated with adalimumab for moderate-to-severe psoriasis and benefiting from DS from 2010 to 2021. The dose interval of adalimumab was extended to three weeks for all patients and then to four weeks for three of the seven patients. Adalimumab trough levels, TNFα levels, and ADA against adalimumab were measured. For six of the seven patients, absolute PASI values remained below 3 throughout the follow-up period (median = 8.0 years; range: 1.7–11.5) after DS. All the patients were satisfied with the effectiveness of their treatment regime. Within the follow-up period, an average of 63 doses of adalimumab per patient were spared. The median adalimumab trough levels were 4.7 µg/mL (range: 1.9–12.5). TNFα levels remained under 10 pg/mL (undetectable) in all except one patient. ADA against adalimumab remained negative (<10 µg/mL) during the follow-up in all patients. Our data indicate that therapeutic drug monitoring, including the measurement of trough concentrations and ADA, together with the clinical response and patient’s preference, can be helpful for clinical decision making and treatment optimization in psoriasis.
Crossing the Line: The Experiences of First-Generation Emirati Female Students

ABSTRACT A majority of the current students enrolled in the United Arab Emirates’ federal colleges and universities are first-generation students. Although the number of first-generation students is high, there is a lack of information on the experiences of these students. The lack of information on the academic, social, and familial experiences of the Emirati female first-generation students stymies governmental and educational initiatives to address the special needs of these students. For that reason, investigating the problem could help identify programs and resources that can assist first-generation students meet their academic aspirations. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to gain an understanding of the academic, social, and familial experiences of first-generation Emirati students in a higher education institution in the United Arab Emirates. Six female first-generation Emirati Bachelor students from the Higher Colleges of Technology participated in open-ended, in-depth, semi-structured interviews to discuss their academic, social and familial experiences. A series of in-depth and follow-up interviews were conducted until data saturation was reached.
Characteristics of fly ash geopolymer based on alkaline ratio of activators for building materials: A review

The geopolymer introduced by Davidovits is a new binder for making concrete as an alternative to ordinary Portland cement. One of the materials used to make geopolymers is fly ash. The annual worldwide production of fly ash is estimated to be around 500 Mt. In making geopolymers with fly ash, scientists usually use activators such as silicate and aluminate solutions, as well as with kaolinite. The geopolymerization process is related to the metal oxide ratio of the activator solution. Geopolymers can withstand temperatures up to about 600°C, so they are fire/heat resistant. This paper describes the role of the comparison of dominant elements in a mixture of geopolymer paste with fly ash and alkali which produces the best quality based on compressive strength, where there is an effect of the ratio of alkali on the compressive strength of geopolymer paste. Almost all of the highest compressive strength obtained did not follow the Davidovits rule. This is caused by other factors that affect
Effects of fermionic singlet neutrinos on high- and low-energy observables

Dans cette these, nous etudions a la fois des observables de basse et de haute energie liee a la presence de neutrinos massifs. Les oscillations de neutrinos ont apporte des preuves indiscutables en faveur de l'existence de masses non-nulles et de melanges. Neanmoins, la formulation originale du Modele Standard ne permet pas d'expliquer ces observations, d'ou la necessite d'introduire de nouveaux modeles. Parmi de nombreuses possibilites, nous nous concentrons ici sur le seesaw inverse, un mecanisme generant des neutrinos massifs par l'ajout de fermions singulets de jauge au Modele Standard. Ce modele offre une alternative attractive aux realisations habituelles du seesaw puisqu'il a des couplages de Yukawa potentiellement naturels (O(1)) tout en conservant l'echelle de la nouvelle physique a des energies accessibles au LHC. Parmi de nombreux effets, ce scenario peut generer de larges ecarts a l'universalite leptonique. Nous avons etudie ces signatures et trouve que les rapports R_K et R_π constituent de nouvelles contraintes pour le seesaw inverse. Nous nous sommes aussi interesse a l'integration de l'inverse seesaw dans differents modeles supersymetriques. Ceci conduit a une augmentation de la section efficace de divers processus violant la saveur leptonique du fait de contributions plus importantes venant des diagrammes pingouins comportant un boson de Higgs ou Z. Finalement, nous avons aussi trouve que les nouveaux canaux de desintegration ouverts par la presence de neutrinos steriles dans les modeles de seesaw inverse supersymetriques peuvent significativement relaxer les contraintes sur la masse et les couplages d'un boson de Higgs CP-impair.
Evaluating Users’ Auditory Affective Preference for Humanoid Robot Voices through Neural Dynamics

Abstract Users’ affective preference for voices has become a topic of great interest with the prevalence of humanoid robots. Nevertheless, the affective preference formation for humanoid voices remains unknown, and its evaluation lacks objective methods. Consequently, we conducted an EEG experiment to unravel the underlying neural dynamics and evaluate users’ affective preference for humanoid robot voices. Significantly larger P2, P3, and LPP amplitudes, enhanced theta, and decreased alpha oscillations were observed when users affectively preferred humanoid robot voices. The results suggest that the neural dynamics underlying users’ affective preference for humanoid robot voices might primarily consist of early detection of affective information in voices, further processing of affective information, and later evaluative categorization of affective preference. Moreover, the neural indicators could distinguish users’ affective preferences for humanoid robot voices. The study contributes to understanding the auditory affective preference formation for humanoid robot voices and providing a neurological evaluation method.
Development of an Innovative Procedure for Lithium Plating Limitation and Characterization of 18650 Cycle Aged Cells for DCFC Automotive Applications

Since lithium-ion batteries seem to be the most eligible technology to store energy for e-mobility applications, it is fundamental to focus attention on kilometric ranges and charging times. The optimization of the charging step can provide the appropriate tradeoff between time saving and preserving cell performance over the life cycle. The implementation of new multistage constant current profiles and related performances after 1000 cycles are presented and compared with respect to a reference profile. A physicochemical (SEM, XRD, particle size analysis, etc.) and electrochemical (incremental capacity analysis, internal resistance measurements) characterization of the aged cells is shown and their possible implementation on board is discussed.
A New Method of Myostatin Inhibition in Mice via Oral Administration of Lactobacillus casei Expressing Modified Myostatin Protein, BLS-M22

Myostatin is a member of the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily and is an endogenous negative regulator of muscle growth. This study aimed to determine whether an oral administration of Lactobacillus casei expressing modified human myostatin (BLS-M22) could elicit sufficient levels of myostatin-specific antibody and improve the dystrophic features of an animal model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD; mdx mouse). BLS-M22 is a recombinant L. casei engineered to harbor the pKV vector and poly-gamma-glutamic acid gene linked to a modified human myostatin gene. Serological analysis showed that anti-myostatin IgG titers were significantly increased, and serum creatine kinase was significantly reduced in the BLS-M22-treated mdx mice compared to the control mice. In addition, treatment of BLS-M22 resulted in a significant increase in body weight and motor function (Rotarod behavior test). Histological analysis showed an improvement in the dystrophic features (fibrosis and muscle hypertrophy) of the mdx mice with the administration of BLS-M22. The circulating antibodies generated after BLS-M22 oral administration successfully lowered serum myostatin concentration. Myostatin blockade resulted in serological, histological, and functional improvements in mdx mice. Overall, the findings suggest the potential of BLS-M22 to treat DMD; however, further clinical trials are essential to ascertain its efficacy and safety in humans.
The clinical and demographical characteristics of Turkish pediatric lymphedema patients: a multicenter study

Background/aim Reducing lymphedema-associated burden and disability in the pediatric setting requires improved awareness and understanding clinical properties of the lymphedema. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and demographic characteristics of patients with pediatric lymphedema presented to different lymphedema centers in Turkey. Materials and methods The socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the children including age, gender, presence of genetic syndromes, duration of edema, site and stage of lymphedema and the received therapies were determined. Parental and children education on self-management techniques were recorded. Results A total of 122 children (female: 66, male: 56) with a mean age of 120.7 ± 71.2 months were included from 7 centers. Of them; 92% had primary, 8% had secondary lymphedema mostly due to infection and trauma. Lymphedema was part of a syndrome in 18% of the children. The most common site of involvement was the lower extremity, followed by upper extremity and genital involvement. Lymphedema was complicated in 17 % of children, mainly with a clinical picture of cellulitis, infection, and pain. The median duration of lymphedema was 41 (5–216) months. Although most of the children had stage 2 lymphedema, only 40% of them received treatment. The most commonly received treatment was compression therapy. No family or child was educated for self-care management before. Conclusion In conclusion, pediatric lymphedema has a comparable gender distribution and usually involves the lower extremities. Although most of the children had advanced disease, more than half of the patients did not receive any treatment indicating the unmet need for management of lymphedema. The education of patients and/or children about self-management methods were lacking. We suggest educational activities for both families of children with lymphedema and health care providers, in order to facilitate early reference to lymphedema units and to receive prompt preventive and therapeutic approaches for this suffering condition.
Diverse Roles of Ceramide in the Progression and Pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder, and is associated with several pathophysiological features, including cellular dysfunction, failure of neurotransmission, cognitive impairment, cell death, and other clinical consequences. Advanced research on the pathogenesis of AD has elucidated a mechanistic framework and revealed many therapeutic possibilities. Among the mechanisms, sphingolipids are mentioned as distinctive mediators to be associated with the pathology of AD. Reportedly, alteration in the metabolism of sphingolipids and their metabolites result in the dysfunction of mitochondria, autophagy, amyloid beta regulation, and neuronal homeostasis, which exacerbates AD progression. Considering the importance of sphingolipids, in this review, we discuss the role of ceramide, a bioactive sphingolipid metabolite, in the progression and pathogenesis of AD. Herein, we describe the ceramide synthesis pathway and its involvement in the dysregulation of homeostasis, which eventually leads to AD. Furthermore, this review references different therapeutics proposed to modulate the ceramide pathway to maintain ceramide levels and prevent the disease progression.
Perovskite Solar Cells: Developing a simple, fast and low-cost Fabrication Technology

ix Resumo . xi Abbreviations . xiii Symbols . xv List of Figures . xix List of Tables . xxiii Motivation and Objectives . 1 Work strategy . 1 Chapter I: Introduction . 3 1. Solar Cells: Materials and Operation . 3 2. Perovskite Solar Cells . 4 2.1. Influence of different factors on perovskite films thickness, morphology and crystallization . 4 2.2. Electron and Hole Transport Layer . 6 3. Spin Coating . 7 Chapter II: Experimental . 9 1. Device fabrication . 9 1.1. Substrate preparation and ETL deposition . 9 1.2. Perovskite solution preparation and deposition . 10 1.3. HTL and top electrode deposition . 10 2. Characterization . 10 2.1. UV-Vis Spectrophotometry . 10 2.2. SEM-EDS and AFM . 10 2.3. XRD. 10 2.4. Electrical Characterization . 10 Chapter IV: Results and Discussion . 11 1. ETL and HTL Characterization . 11 1.1. XRD characterization . 11 1.2. Optical characterization . 12 1.3. AFM characterization . 15 2. Perovskite Characterization . 15 2.1. Substrate and solution pre-heating temperature variation (Hot casting) . 16 2.2. Amount of non-coordination solvent . 18 2.3. Solvents (DMF:DMSO) ratio variation . 19 2.4. Substrate coating variation . 21 Perovskite Solar Cells: Developing a simple, fast and low-cost Fabrication Technology xviii 2.5. Annealing temperature variation . 23 2.6. Final observations . 25 3. Solar Cells Characterization . 25 Chapter V: Conclusions and Future Trends . 31 References . 33 Appendices . 37 1. Solar Cell Parameters Equations . 37 2. Materials . 39 3. Solutions Preparation. 40 3.1. ETL and Li+ doping precursor solutions . 40 3.2. HTL precursor solution. 40 3.3. Perovskite precursor solution . 40 4. Optical Analysis . 41 5. SEM Analysis . 44 6. Polycrystalline Grain Domain Size . 45 7. EDS Analysis . 46 8. AFM Analysis . 47 9. XRD Spectra . 47 10. IV Solar Cell Performances . 48 11. Solar Cells Images . 49 Perovskite Solar Cells: Developing a simple, fast and low-cost Fabrication Technology
Impact Moderation of Power Transmission Lines on the Environment by the Shielding of Trees

Dense high voltage power transmission lines limit human living space and affect the natural landscape and environment. Concerns about the environment in the corridor of high voltage power transmission lines and the occupied land area need to be addressed. Trees are a dissipative medium that can affect polarization in electric fields, leading to excitation of the induced electric field and shielding the impact of electric fields. A mathematical model for the electric field calculation of trees was established by selecting, mapping, and calculating the larch tree species in an experimental forest field at Northeast Forestry University, Heilongjiang Province, China. This study used the finite element method of equivalent excitation sources and the equivalent tree model to estimate the electric field shielding effectiveness of trees. The shielding effect of trees on the electric field of high voltage transmission lines was obvious. Planting trees reduced the transmission lines corridor width by 50.7%, and the maximum electric field in the ground decreased by 95.9%. Thus, planting trees to reduce the electric field of power transmission lines was more effective than the currently widely used method of erecting wires.
Relationship between depression and physical disability by gender among elderly in Indonesia

BackgroundThe increasing population of older people can be a positive impact if they could be productive, or it could be negative as a burden if they depend on others. Elderly with physical disabilities can be influenced by various factors, including depression, which can be caused by functional changes in the body due to aging, loss of work, or even the loss of a loved one. This study aimed to determine the relationship between depression and physical disabilities among the elderly in Indonesia who were stratified by gender. MethodsA cross-sectional study using a national survey dataset namely Basic Health Survey and Socio-Economic Survey for 2018 involving 85,427 elderly. Depression and disability were assessed using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and Barthel Index. Chi-Square test and multiple binary logistic regression were used to analyze the data. ResultsThe results revealed that 24.75% of elderly people experienced physical disabilities. The probability of males and females with depression having physical disabilities was respectively 2.95 (95% CI = 2.74-3.17) and 2.49 (95% CI = 2.36-2.64) times higher compared to those without depression. The interaction between depression and gender was statistically significant, in that females with depression had an 11% probability of having physical disability. ConclusionThis study reaffirmed that disability is a risk factor for depression in the elderly and female gender is the effect modifier rather than the risk factor. The male depression group showed more physical disability symptoms than the female depression group. There is collaboration from various sectors to prevent depression and physical disabilities.
Adaptive Cognitive Control in Prematurely Born Children: An HD-EEG Investigation

Preterm birth is a neurodevelopmental risk condition often associated with cognitive control (CC) impairment. Recent evidence showed that CC can be implicitly adapted through associative learning. In the present study we investigated the ability to flexibly adjust CC as a function of implicit stimulus-response temporal regularities in preterm (PT; N = 21; mean age 8 ± 1.3 years; gestational age 30 ± 18.5 weeks) and full-term (FT; N = 20; mean age 8 ± 1.3 years) school-age children. All children underwent an HD-EEG recording while undergoing the Dynamic Temporal Prediction (DTP) task, a simple S1–S2 detection task purposely designed to generate local-global temporal predictability of imperative stimuli. The Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST) was administered to measure explicit CC. The PT group showed more premature and slower (DTP) as well as perseverative (WCST) responses than the FT group. Moreover, pre-terms showed poor adaptive CC as revealed by less efficient global response-speed adjustment. This behavioral pattern was mirrored by a reduced and less sensitive to global manipulation anticipatory Contingent Negative Variation (CNV) and by different cortical source recruitment. These findings suggest that implicit CC may be a reliable endophenotypic marker of atypical cognitive development associated with preterm birth.