Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous catheter drainage of a pyogenic lung abscess: A case report

Abstract Pyogenic lung abscesses represent a pathological entity with a high mortality rate if left untreated. Most patients respond well to intravenous antibiotics. Following the failure of conservative measures, invasive measures such as open-surgical procedures are required. Minimally-invasive options such as percutaneous catheter drainage of parenchymal lung abscesses, mainly if the respiratory reserve is limited or where the baseline functional status is poor, are also considered viable options. Pyogenic lung abscesses are necrotic cavitary lesions of the lung parenchyma and are often considered to be in the spectrum of anaerobic pleuropulmonary diseases. In this case report, we report on a 33-year-old female who presented with a 3-week history of cough, increasing breathlessness and right-sided pleurisy. She was diagnosed with pyogenic lung abscess and started on intravenous antibiotics. The abscess was drained using a pigtail catheter guided with a bedside ultrasonography.
The Role of T Cell Immunity in Monoclonal Gammopathy and Multiple Myeloma: From Immunopathogenesis to Novel Therapeutic Approaches

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is a malignant growth of clonal plasma cells, typically arising from asymptomatic precursor conditions, namely monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and smoldering MM (SMM). Profound immunological dysfunctions and cytokine deregulation are known to characterize the evolution of the disease, allowing immune escape and proliferation of neoplastic plasma cells. In the past decades, several studies have shown that the immune system can recognize MGUS and MM clonal cells, suggesting that anti-myeloma T cell immunity could be harnessed for therapeutic purposes. In line with this notion, chimeric antigen receptor T cell (CAR-T) therapy is emerging as a novel treatment in MM, especially in the relapsed/refractory disease setting. In this review, we focus on the pivotal contribution of T cell impairment in the immunopathogenesis of plasma cell dyscrasias and, in particular, in the disease progression from MGUS to SMM and MM, highlighting the potentials of T cell-based immunotherapeutic approaches in these settings.
Human papillomavirus prevalence among unvaccinated young female college students in Botswana: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a sexually transmitted infection and a causative agent of cervical cancer. It is common in adolescent girls and young women, and the majority of infections are transient and asymptomatic. In Botswana, there are currently no data on the HPV prevalence against which the impact of prophylactic HPV vaccines can be measured. OBJECTIVES To establish a baseline HPV prevalence in an unvaccinated cohort of young women. METHODS Women aged ≥18 years were recruited from the University of Botswana between September 2016 and May 2020. Demographic and behavioural characteristics of participants were collected. Subsequently, cervicovaginal swabs were obtained and tested for HPV using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism. We determined the prevalent HPV types, and evaluated the risk factors associated with HPV positivity. RESULTS A total of 978 young women were recruited. Overall, there were 589 (60.2%) participants with HPV infection and 12 (1.2%) with HIV. The median (interquartile range) age of the study participants was 19 (18 - 20) years. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that significant factors associated with HPV positivity were sexual activity (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 2.06; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.49 - 2.63; p<0.001), number of sex partners ≥3 (aOR 2.10; 95% CI 1.39 - 3.18; p<0.001), and smoking (aOR 2.00; 95% CI 1.26 - 3.20; p=0.004). CONCLUSION Our results demonstrate for the first time the prevalence of HPV in unvaccinated young women in Botswana. We found a high prevalence of HPV infection, with statistical differences with different risk factors. This finding supports the need for HPV vaccination strategies for females prior to sexual debut to reduce the future burden of cervical cancer in Botswana.
Fermentation in Pineapple Juice Significantly Enhances Ornithine and Citrulline Production in Lactococcus lactis MSC-3G Isolated from Sugarcane

Lactic acid bacterial (LAB) fermentation of functional amino acids using fruit juices as a cultivation medium is not well-documented. In the present study, we successfully isolated a high ornithine- and citrulline-producing Lactococcus lactis strain, designated MSC-3G, from sugarcane and investigated the ornithine and citrulline production profile using various fruit juices as a cultivation medium. Among fruit juices, pineapple juice exhibited the highest potentiality to initiate ornithine production (56 mM), while the highest citrulline yield was obtained during lime juice cultivation (34.5 mM). Under the optimal cultivation condition, the highest yield of ornithine and citrulline in pineapple juice reached 98.9 ± 2.2 mM and 211.1 ± 35.7 mM, respectively, both of which were significantly higher than that in the well-known industrial strain of Corynebacterium (C.) glutamicum. Additionally, citrulline production was dependent on oxygen supplementation and increased twofold when grown aerobically. Whole genome sequencing showed that the MSC-3G genome possesses the arginine deiminase (ADI) gene cluster arcABD1C1C2TD2. The results of the ADI pathway enzyme activities of MSC-3G showed a significant increase in arginine deiminase activity, while ornithine carbamoyl transferase activity was decreased, which in turn indicates the high citrulline-accumulation ability of MSC-3G when cultivated in pineapple juice.
The interrelationship between niche marketing and Competitiveness

: Niche marketing, defined as targeted marketing intended at a small, specialized market with few target groups and rivals, is sometimes considered as a potentially superior strategy for small or specialized businesses. The underlying reason for this viewpoint is that niche markets are seen to be more profitable, and the growing diversity in consumer tastes and habits, as well as the changing needs of business and organizational markets, appear to favor smaller, more agile businesses that can better tailor their offerings to this fragmented market. Consequently, Companies all throughout the world have reportedly used specialized marketing to enormous success. The strong and rapid development witnessed by the economic environment has made small and medium-sized enterprises operate within an environment characterized by increasing complexity and intense competition, which would affect the objectives of these institutions. The emergence of competitiveness as a basic fact has forced organizations to possess competitive advantages that enable them to outperform competitors and achieve their goals. One of the important pillars of possessing these capabilities of excellence is the adoption of niche marketing as a modern approach through which it is hoped to attract and maintain the loyalty of the target group by creating a value for them that is better than what competitors achieve. This article will attempt to bring together both the practical and conceptual aspects of niche marketing leading to emphasize its vital role in Obtaining an important competitive position and enhancing the competitive capabilities of enterprises and developing them which corresponds to market requirements and existing competition.
International business cycles and oil market dynamics

The papers of this dissertation are not available in BI Brage, due to copyright matters: • Paper 1: Global and regional business cycles. Shocks and propagations Author: Leif Anders Thorsrud • Paper 2: The world is not enough! Small open economies and regional dependence Authors: Knut Are Aastveit, Hilde C. Bjornland and Leif Anders Thorsrud • Paper 3: What drives oil prices? Emerging versus developed economies Authors: Knut Are Aastveit, Hilde C. Bjornland and Leif Anders Thorsrud • Paper 4: Bloom or gloom? Examining the Dutch disease in a two-speed economy • Authors: Hilde C. Bjornland and Leif Anders Thorsrud - A complete version of the dissertation (print copy) may be ordered from BI’s website: http://www.bi. edu/research/Research-Publications/
Cumulative Absolute Velocity as a Local Damage Indicator of Instrumented Structures

This paper addresses the critical issue of localized damage detection in structural health monitoring. It evaluates the application of cumulative absolute velocity (CAV) as a local damage indicator for analyzing the acceleration response of a shaking table test specimen as well as real instrumented buildings. A bridge column test specimen instrumented with 18 accelerometers is subjected to increasing six levels of shaking corresponding to different damage states. The CAV analysis of the horizontal response of the accelerometers identified the elevation where damage is located. The vertical CAV analysis not only identified the existence of damage but also located the damage with high precision. This method is subsequently applied to two instrumented buildings damaged during earthquakes. The results show that for the seven-story Van Nuys hotel, the CAV can correctly locate the damage that occurred during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. For the Imperial county services building, the CAV is also able to correctly identify the location of damage. Thus, the presented CAV method enables identifying the onset and location of damage to evaluate the structural integrity.
Experimental and numerical investigation on phase change material filled reinforced cement concrete roof slab for mitigating the heat transfer

ABSTRACT In this paper, a phase change material (PCM) filled rooftop is proposed to reduce heat transfer from the roof. Experiments are conducted to compare the thermal characteristics of residential buildings with bare reinforced cement concrete roof (RCC) top without PCM and PCM filled RCC rooftop in the summer season. Aluminum panels containing macro encapsulated PCM, which occupies around 66% of the total roof slab area, are employed in one of the building rooftops. They store the heat energy in the form of latent heat and thus reduce the heat transfer into the building. In the RCC roof slab of thickness 0.152 m, 0.051 m is allotted for storing PCM and the remaining 0.101 m ensures adequate strength of the roof slab. The comparisons of thermal behavior between the buildings of bare and PCM integrated RCC roofs reveal that the PCM integrated roof reduced the heat transfer into the building vis-à-vis bare roof building. The PCM integrated roof diminished the heat flux to a maximum of 53% compared to the non-PCM roof on the day when the maximum temperature was recorded (18 May 2021) during the experimental periods. In PCM filled roof, an average reduction of 2°C in the room temperature is achieved as compared to that of a non-PCM filled roof.
Nominative subjects of infinitives in Hungarian subject-control predicates: Postsyntactic copying and the overt realization of PRO

In Hungarian, the focused subject of the infinitival complement of a subject-control verb appears as a pronoun or lexical DP in nominative case. I propose that this nominative form realizes PRO at PF, but does not exist at Syntax, where PRO is caseless. PRO is overtly realized by postsyntactic copying of the phi-feature of case (and other material) from the controlling nominative matrix subject.
Polymorphism of Glutathione S‑Transferase M1 and T1 Genes and Susceptibility to Childhood Asthma: A Study from North India

Objectives: Glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) enzymes play an important role in the xenobiotic biotransformation of endogenous or exogenous toxicants and thought to protect the airways from oxidative stress, inflammation, and genotoxicity. Polymorphisms in the GST genes may lead to an increased imbalance in antioxidant systems and may influence the pathogenesis of asthma. We examined the association of the GST gene polymorphism to ascertain whether high-risk genotypes of GSTM1 / GSTT1 could influence the susceptibility to childhood asthma in the North Indian population. Methods: The study constituted of 100 childhood asthmatic cases and 180 age-matched controls. The GSTT1 and GSTM1 null genotypes were identified by multiplex PCR in peripheral blood DNA samples. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS 20.0 software. Results: No association was seen either the null genotype of the GSTM1 or GSTTT1 (P > 0.05); however, in atopy patients significant association were observed with null genotype of GSTT1 (OR=2.67; P<0.05) for risk of child hood asthma. In combined analysis of GSTM1/ GSTT1 , presence of null genotypes of GSTM1 & GSTT1 further append the risk of childhood asthma (OR=3.92; P<0.05) compared to positive genotypes of GSTM1 and GSTT1 . When compared among gender, GSTT1 null genotype was found to be statistically significant in male (OR=2.71; P<0.005) as compared to female childhood asthmatic patients. Conclusion: In conclusion, null genotype of GSTT1 exhibits significant association for the risk of childhood asthma, especially in disease predisposition and initiation.
The direction of landscape erosion

Abstract. The rate of erosion of a landscape depends largely on local gradient and material fluxes. Since both quantities are functions of the shape of the catchment surface, this dependence constitutes a mathematical straitjacket, in the sense that – subject to simplifying assumptions about the erosion process, and absent variations in external forcing and erodibility – the rate of change of surface geometry is solely a function of surface geometry. Here we demonstrate how to use this geometric self-constraint to convert a gradient-dependent erosion model into its equivalent Hamiltonian, and explore the implications of having a Hamiltonian description of the erosion process. To achieve this conversion, we recognize that the rate of erosion defines the velocity of surface motion in its orthogonal direction, and we express this rate in its reciprocal form as the surface-normal slowness. By rewriting surface tilt in terms of normal slowness components and deploying a substitution developed in geometric mechanics, we extract what is known as the fundamental metric function of the model phase space; its square is the Hamiltonian. Such a Hamiltonian provides several new ways to solve for the evolution of an erosion surface: here we use it to derive Hamilton's ray-tracing equations, which describe both the velocity of a surface point and the rate of change of the surface-normal slowness at that point. In this context, gradient-dependent erosion involves two distinct directions: (i) the surface-normal direction, which points subvertically downwards, and (ii) the erosion ray direction, which points upstream at a generally small angle to horizontal with a sign controlled by the scaling of erosion with slope. If the model erosion rate scales faster than linearly with gradient, the rays point obliquely upwards, but if erosion scales sublinearly with gradient, the rays point obliquely downwards. This dependence of erosional anisotropy on gradient scaling explains why, as previous studies have shown, model knickpoints behave in two distinct ways depending on the gradient exponent. Analysis of the Hamiltonian shows that the erosion rays carry boundary-condition information upstream, and that they are geodesics, meaning that surface evolution takes the path of least erosion time. Correspondingly, the time it takes for external changes to propagate into and change a landscape is set by the velocity of these rays. The Hamiltonian also reveals that gradient-dependent erosion surfaces have a critical tilt, given by a simple function of the gradient scaling exponent, at which ray-propagation behaviour changes. Channel profiles generated from the non-dimensionalized Hamiltonian have a shape entirely determined by the scaling exponents and by a dimensionless erosion rate expressed as the surface tilt at the downstream boundary.
Histopathological variation in thyroid dysfunction associated with musculoskeletal disorder patients

Thyroid dysfunction has been associated with musculoskeletal disorders and there isan increased number of evidences that proves their association. Thyroid dysfunction especially in the form of hypo and hyperthyroidism has been linked to several connective tissue conditions. The primary objective of this study is to establish the histopathological variations in individuals with thyroid dysfunction with a musculoskeletal disorder.In this study with 300 subjects with a diagnosis of thyroid dysfunction, the histopathology of the thyroid tissues was analysed along with their variations.As a part of the histological findings, the following were analysed and evaluated. The hyperplasia of the synovial lining,cellularity of synovial stroma, inflammatory infiltrate, lymphoid follicles and vascularity were noted in muscle tissues. It was found that the histopathological variants increased as the severity of the thyroid dysfunction here in the case of hypothyroidism.
How to explain AI systems to end users: a systematic literature review and research agenda

PurposeInscrutable machine learning (ML) models are part of increasingly many information systems. Understanding how these models behave, and what their output is based on, is a challenge for developers let alone non-technical end users.Design/methodology/approachThe authors investigate how AI systems and their decisions ought to be explained for end users through a systematic literature review.FindingsThe authors’ synthesis of the literature suggests that AI system communication for end users has five high-level goals: (1) understandability, (2) trustworthiness, (3) transparency, (4) controllability and (5) fairness. The authors identified several design recommendations, such as offering personalized and on-demand explanations and focusing on the explainability of key functionalities instead of aiming to explain the whole system. There exists multiple trade-offs in AI system explanations, and there is no single best solution that fits all cases.Research limitations/implicationsBased on the synthesis, the authors provide a design framework for explaining AI systems to end users. The study contributes to the work on AI governance by suggesting guidelines on how to make AI systems more understandable, fair, trustworthy, controllable and transparent.Originality/valueThis literature review brings together the literature on AI system communication and explainable AI (XAI) for end users. Building on previous academic literature on the topic, it provides synthesized insights, design recommendations and future research agenda.
Technology in Action: Developing Gamification Handbook in English Teaching and Learning for the 21st Century Learners

Diffusion of digital literacy and technological practices in 21st-century learning has become a constructive force in EFL classrooms in North Bali, Indonesia. To align this, the study aimed at developing a gamification handbook in English teaching and learning. The study was carried out with 15 secondary students and 10 English teachers in North Bali, Indonesia through the design and development design research (DDR). The obtained data were collected through observation, interviews, and document analysis and analyzed qualitatively through Interactive Model Analysis. The quality of the developed product was obtained through Interrater Agreement Model. The result of the study shows there is an urgent need to develop a gamification handbook aimed at effectively integrating 21st-century skills, digital literacy, and technological practices in English teaching and learning context. Based on the quality check on the product, the gamification handbook was classified as an excellent media, and therefore ready to be used. Further study needs to be conducted to explore the specific impact of the gamification handbook on students’ performance in learning.
Comprehensive evaluation of the tumor immune microenvironment and its dynamic changes in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy: From the phase II ADORE study

ABSTRACT A better understanding of the effects of preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT) on tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) is essential to improve the treatment outcomes of patients with locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). In this context, we performed a multiplex immunofluorescence staining to evaluate the TIME in 158 patients with LARC who underwent preoperative CRT followed by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy in the ADORE trial. We found that higher levels of T-cell subsets (CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+) and dendritic cells in the tumor compartment of pretreatment biopsy samples were associated with good response to preoperative CRT. After CRT, there was a significant increase in the densities of CD3+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and dendritic cells, while that of CD4+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells decreased, indicating that CRT changed the TIME into a more immune-active status. However, CRT also conferred an immunosuppressive effect by polarizing the tumor-associated macrophages from pro-inflammatory M1 macrophage to immune-suppressive M2 macrophages and decreasing the density of B cells. High delta values of CD3+ T cells and PD-L1+ lymphocytes after CRT were associated with good disease-free survival (DFS), while that of CD4+FoxP3+ regulatory T cells was associated with poor DFS. These findings provide a framework for future studies incorporating strategies to modulate the TIME in patients with LARC.
Relative gradable adjective recursion such as small small big mushrooms is more challenging for children than possessive recursion such as the deer’s friend’s sister’s mushrooms

Our experiment investigates whether children handle recursive possessives (R-Poss) in a more adult-like manner than recursive relative gradable adjectives (R-RGA). While the abstract notion of indirect recursion underlies both categories, we ask whether individual syntactic-semantic properties determine different acquisition paths in English for R-Poss and R-RGA at the 2-Level (the deer’s friend’s mushrooms, small big mushrooms) and at the 3-Level (the deer’s friend’s sister’s mushrooms, small small big mushrooms). The results indicate that older children perform better than younger children on 2- and 3-Level R-Poss. However, this trend is not observed for R-RGA where both age groups perform similarly, successfully handling 2- but not 3-Level R-RGA. Analysis of individual results reveal that children who are successful with comprehension and production at 3-Level R-RGA are also successful with 3-Level R-Poss, but not the other way around. We conclude that 3-Level R-RGA is more challenging than 3-Level R-Poss, arguing that this difficulty arises from R-RGA syntax-semantics which involves a set-subset relation and gradability relative to comparative scales.