Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictive Biomarkers of Response to Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Breast Cancer: Current and Future Perspectives for Precision Medicine

Simple Summary Despite the increased use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the early setting of breast cancer, there is a clinical need for predictive markers of response in daily practice. In the era of precision medicine and personalized treatment, new predictive markers that enable the better selection of patients for specific therapies are required. In this review, we describe the current knowledge about the molecular biomarkers used for clinical decision making for patients with breast cancer. We also report how microenvironment-driven intratumoral heterogeneity may influence the validation of biomarkers useful for precision medicine. We provide an overview of promising biomarkers, including pathological markers, genetic signatures, radiological techniques and liquid biopsies, with a great potential to be implemented in routine clinical practice. Finally, we discuss the use of relevant pre-clinical models of breast cancer to integrate microenvironmental specificities in order to identify and validate reliable biomarkers of (non-)response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Abstract Pathological complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in patients with early breast cancer is correlated with better survival. Meanwhile, an expanding arsenal of post-neoadjuvant treatment strategies have proven beneficial in the absence of pCR, leading to an increased use of neoadjuvant systemic therapy in patients with early breast cancer and the search for predictive biomarkers of response. The better prediction of response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy could enable the escalation or de-escalation of neoadjuvant treatment strategies, with the ultimate goal of improving the clinical management of early breast cancer. Clinico-pathological prognostic factors are currently used to estimate the potential benefit of neoadjuvant systemic treatment but are not accurate enough to allow for personalized response prediction. Other factors have recently been proposed but are not yet implementable in daily clinical practice or remain of limited utility due to the intertumoral heterogeneity of breast cancer. In this review, we describe the current knowledge about predictive factors for response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer patients and highlight the future perspectives that could lead to the better prediction of response, focusing on the current biomarkers used for clinical decision making and the different gene signatures that have recently been proposed for patient stratification and the prediction of response to therapies. We also discuss the intratumoral phenotypic heterogeneity in breast cancers as well as the emerging techniques and relevant pre-clinical models that could integrate this biological factor currently limiting the reliable prediction of response to neoadjuvant systemic therapy.
Assessment of Knowledge of Monkeypox Viral Infection among the General Population in Saudi Arabia

Monkeypox is re-emerging and spreading over the world, posing a serious threat to human life, especially in non-endemic countries, including Saudi Arabia. Due to the paucity of research on knowledge about monkeypox in Saudi Arabia, this study aimed to evaluate the general population’s knowledge of monkeypox in a sample of the country. A web-based cross-sectional survey was conducted from 25 May 2022 to 15 July 2022. Participants’ knowledge about monkeypox on a 23-item scale and socio-demographic characteristics were gathered in the survey. Pearson’s Chi-square test was used to compare knowledge level (categorized into high and low) and explanatory variables. Out of 480, only 48% of the respondents had high knowledge (mean score > 14). Participants’ age, marital status, residential region, living in the urban area, education level, employment status, being a healthcare worker, income, and smoking status were significantly associated with the level of knowledge about monkeypox (p < 0.01). Overall, social media (75.0%) was the most frequently reported source from where participants obtained monkeypox-related information followed by TV and radio (45.6%), family or friend (15.6%), and healthcare provider (13.8%). We found that overall knowledge of monkeypox infection was slightly poor among the Saudi population. These findings highlight the urgent need for public education on monkeypox to promote awareness and engage the public ahead of the outbreak.
Evaluation of Strawberry Clones for Fruit Rot Resistance1

There was little relationship between postharvest resistance to fruit rot caused by Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex. Fr. and that caused by Rhizopus spp. (probably R. stolonifer [Ehr ex. Fr.] Vuill) among 116 genetically diverse strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) clones. Only 5 clones showed some resistance to both organisms. Resistance to one or the other of the organisms was evident in some early generation derivatives of Fragaria chiloensis L. clones. Resistance to B. cinerea in the field (at harvest) was not necessarily associated with postharvest resistance to the organism or to Rhizopus spp.
Changes of Ground Reaction Forces by the Change of Club Length in Golf Swing

Proper weight shifting is essential for a successful shot in golf swing and this could be described by means of the ground forces between the feet and ground. It is assumed that the ground forces would different according to the club used because the length and swing weight of each club is different. But, in present, it is not clear what changes are made by the change of clubs and this affect the swing motion. Therefore this study focused on the investigation of the changes of the ground forces and ground reaction forces (GRF) by the change of club length. The subjects were three professional male golfers. Four swings (driver, iron 3, iron 5, and iron 7) for each subject were taken by two high speed video cameras and two AMTI force platforms were used to measure the GRF simultaneously. Kwon GRF 2.0 and Mathcad 13 software were used to post processing the data. Changes of the three major component of GRF (Vertical, lateral, anterior-posterior force) at 10 predefined events were analyzed including the maximum. Major findings of this study were as follows. 1. Vertical forces; - There were no significant changes until the top of backswing. - Maximum was occurred at the club horizontal position in the downswing for both feet. The shorter club produced more maximum forces than longer ones in the left foot, but reverse were true for the right foot. - Maximum forces at impact shows the same patterns. 2. Lateral forces; Maximum was occurred at the club horizontal position for both feet, but there were no lateral forces because the direction of two forces was different. Maximum force pattern by different clubs was same as the vertical component. 3. Anterior-posterior forces; - This component made a counter-clock wise moment about a vertical axis located between two foot until the club vertical position was reached during the backswing, and reverse moment were produced when the club reached horizontal at the downswing. - Also this component made a forward moment about a horizontal axis located in the CG during the fore half of the downswing, and a reverse moment until the club reached vertical at the follow through phase. Maximum was occurred at the club vertical in the downswing for both feet. The longer club produced more maximum forces than shorter ones for both feet.
role of ‘familiarity’ in Mandarin Chinese speakers’ metapragmatic evaluations of Australian conversational humour

Although research on humorous practices of Anglo-Australians has received much attention, the understanding of those practices by members of various multilingual communities in Australia has not been much studied. In this paper, we look at metapragmatic comments on concept familiarity in relation to conversational humour, particularly focusing on Mandarin Chinese speakers’ perceptions of conversational humour in Australian English. In order to explore what role ‘familiarity’ plays in (inter-)cultural conceptualisation of humour, we analyse interview data where speakers of Mandarin Chinese provide their metapragmatic comments on humorous exchanges among Australians. Drawing on approximately 8.2 hours of interview data elicited by a segment from the reality television gameshow Big Brother 2012, i.e., a teasing sequence between two acquainted persons, it is suggested that the concept of familiarity is the one most frequently alluded to in the theme of how participants ‘draw the boundary’ between intimates and acquaintances. From the analysis it emerged that Mandarin Chinese speakers’ evaluations of humorous exchanges in Australian English are driven by their culturally-informed perceptions that are conceptualised through various emic notions, e.g. guanxi (‘interpersonal relationship’), various labels for classifying different relational distance, and qiji (‘opportune moment’). The findings of this exploratory paper suggest that the role of ‘familiarity’ in relation to humour is crucial in the perception of appropriateness of humorous practices in interaction, especially across cultures.
Influence of Potting Media, Temperature, and Concentration of Ancymidol on Growth of Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.1

Influence of temperature, media and concentration of ancymidol (α-cyclopropyl-α-[p-methoxyphenyl]-5-pyrimidine-methanol) on the growth and flowering of selected cultivars of Chrysanthemum morifolium were studied. As day/night temperature increased or decreased from 22/18°C length of time required for the plants to come into flower increased. Stem elongation and leaf area decreased while fresh weight increased as temperatures decreased from 30/26° to 18/14°. Ancymidol applied at a concentration of 0.25 mg/pot of aqueous drench was sufficient to control height of plants grown in most media except pine bark humus. Incorporation of river sand, greenhouse soil or Ca(OH)2 into pine bark humus increased ancymidol's effectiveness. Increasing growth regulator concentration also resulted in adequate height control for plants grown in pine bark humus.
On the Sum-rate Maximization in Multi-access and Multi-band Wireless Networks

Even though combining multi-access techniques (i.e., orthogonal and non-orthogonal multiple access techniques) and multi-band communications (i.e., millimeter-wave and sub-6 GHz communications) is needed to satisfy the stringent requirements of emerging wireless applications, it triggers new resource management challenges. In this paper, we investigate the joint optimization problem of user association, transmit power allocation, and sub-channel assignment in a such network in order to maximize the down-link sum-rate. The problem is formulated mathematically as a mixed-integer non-linear programming problem. Due to the combinatorial and the non-convex characteristics, solving the problem demands further developed complex mathematical tools. To this end, simple but efficient centralized and fully-distributed greedy-based algorithms are proposed, then, genetic algorithms are presented. Simulation results show the efficiency of the proposed solutions and the effectiveness of using heterogeneous multi-access techniques in terms of down-link sum-rate.
Recursive approach to supersymmetric quantum mechanics for arbitrary fermion occupation number

We present in details a numerical approach for solving supersymmetric quantum mechanical systems with a gauge symmetry valid in all fermionic sectors. The method uses a recursive algorithm to calculate matrix elements of any gauge invariant operator in the Fock basis, in particular of the Hamiltonian operator, and can be used for any gauge group. We describe its application to a supersymmetric anharmonic oscillator model with discrete spectrum.
Group a Rotavirus Detection in Calves and Piglets from Honduras and Panama

The epidemiology of animal rotaviruses infection and their association with illnesses in humans remains unknown in Central America and the world. In this study, we performed a genotyping of rotavirus strains by RT-PCR for-G (VP7) and P (VP4), in samples of diarrhea in calves and piglets, in Honduras and Panama. Mixed infections and combinations of genotypes G (VP7) and P (VP4) were identified in calves in Honduras: 3 (4%) G2P [6], 2 (2%) G2P [4], in piglets: 4 (5%) G4P [6], and in calves in Panama: 63 (72%) G10 P [2], 12 (13%) G8 P [11], 9 (10%) G6 P [11] and 3 (3%) G10 P [1]. This investigation represents the first report of bovine and porcine rotavirus strains in Honduras and Panama.
Categorical and domain theoretic models of parametric polymorphism

Parametric polymorphism in functional programming languages with explicit polymorphism is the property that polymorphic programs behave the same way at all type instantiations. This can be formulated more precisely using Reynold’s notion of relational parametricity, which states that polymorphic functions should preserve relations. It has been known for a long time that parametric polymorphism can be used to encode inductive and coinductive data types, and this has been shown in a logic for parametricity suggested by Abadi and Plotkin. In this dissertation we propose new category theoretic formulations of parametricity for models of the second-order lambda-calculus and models of a polymorphic lambda-calculus with linear function types and fixed points. These parametric models are models of Abadi and Plotkin’s logic for parametricity, called parametric APL-structures and LAPL-structures, respectively. We show how that the encodings of inductive and coinductive types using parametric polymorphism give rise to initial algebras and final coalgebras in APLand LAPL-structures and, using Plotkin’s encodings, we show how to solve recursive domain equations in LAPL-structures. Moreover, we show that the notions of APLand LAPL-structures are general by constructing different examples. We construct a parametric APL-structure based on the per-model and a domain-theoretic parametric LAPL-structure. Based on recent work by Simpson and Rosolini we show how to construct parametric LAPL-structures using synthetic domain theory, and we device general ways of constructing parametric LAPLand APL-structures using parametric completion processes. Using the LAPL-structure constructed using synthetic domain theory we prove consequences of parametricity for a variant of the Lily programming language.
Accelerating Creativity: Effects of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on the Temporal Dynamics of Divergent Thinking

ABSTRACT Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been shown to enhance divergent and convergent creative thinking. Yet, how stimulation impacts creative performance over time, and what cognitive mechanisms underlie any such enhancement, remain largely unanswered questions. In the present research, we aimed to (1) verify the impact of DLPFC tDCS on both convergent and divergent thinking, and further investigated (2) the temporal dynamics of divergent thinking, focusing on the serial order effect (i.e., the tendency for ideas to become more original and less frequent over time), and (3) any role that cognitive inhibition may play in mediating any effect of stimulation on creative thinking (considering the DLPFC’s involvement in driving inhibitory processes that are also relevant for creative thinking). In a within-subjects design, twenty-six participants received three types of cross-hemispheric tDCS stimulation over the DLPFC (left cathodal and right anodal, L-R+; left anodal and right cathodal, L+R-; and sham). Before stimulation, they completed a pre-flanker task measuring cognitive inhibition; during stimulation, they completed the Alternate Uses Task (AUT), Remote Associates Test (RAT), and post-flanker task. Results showed that, compared with the sham stimulation, originality of responses in the AUT was significantly enhanced in the L+R- condition, while no tDCS effect was observed for the RAT. Additionally, compared with the other stimulation conditions, we found a diminished serial order effect in the L+R- condition characterized by an accelerated production of more original ideas. Critically, the L+R- condition was accompanied by better performance on the flanker task. Our findings thus verify that L+R- tDCS over the DLPFC accelerates idea originality also providing tentative clues that inhibition may act as a cognitive mechanism underlying enhancements in divergent thinking resulting from frontal lobe neuromodulation.
FROM ONE NEST TO ANOTHER: HOW DOES ATTACHMENT STYLE RELATE TO ETHNIC AND RELIGIOUS IN-GROUP ATTACHMENT FOR BOSNIAN-HERZEGOVINIAN YOUTH?

This study builds on a long-standing interest in (social) psychological outcomes of adolescent attachment styles and attachment patterns with parents. One of the outcomes I explored is in-group identification and in-group attachment, which are especially salient in the divided society of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The present cross-sectional study involved a stratified convenience sample of 735 participants (51.7 % female), aged 16 to 21 years (M= 18.72, SD=1.54). A significant positive correlation was found between current attachment style and in-group identification (r=.17, p<.01 for ethnic, and r=.13, p<.05 for religious). The present study points to further investigations and subsequent cross-field theoretical advancements regarding the possible effects of attachment on group identification and group attachment.
Le e-sport, un nouveau « sport » numérique universitaire?

Alors que la pratique du e-sport est de plus en plus repandue et que l’on en vient meme a parler de la presence de ce sport aux Jeux olympiques de 2024 a Paris, il peut etre important de s’interesser a cette nouvelle tendance videoludique et a sa reconnaissance sociale et professionnelle a l’universite. Ce document, en plus de presenter une revue de la « jeune » litterature sur le e-sport, devoile les conclusions d’une recherche menee sur la pratique du e-sport aupres de 522 etudiants universitaires consideres comme des « e-athletes » de cette discipline. Quatre objectifs ont guide cette recherche : 1) determiner les methodes et conditions d’entrainement des e-athletes; 2) decrire les habitudes des e-athletes en matiere d’exercices physiques; 3) definir la pratique des e-sports telle que vecue par les e-athletes; et 4) mieux comprendre la potentielle reconnaissance de cette activite en tant que sport. Cette recherche examine par la meme occasion les relations du e-sport avec le milieu universitaire. Elle est particulierement originale dans la mesure ou elle s’inscrit dans un domaine en plein essor et incontestablement tourne vers l’avenir.
Unifying Low-Rank Models for Visual Learning

Many problems in signal processing, machine learning and computer vision can be solved by learning low rank models from data. In computer vision, problems such as rigid structure from motion have been formulated as an optimization over subspaces with fixed rank. These hard -rank constraints have traditionally been imposed by a factorization that parameterizes subspaces as a product of two matrices of fixed rank. Whilst factorization approaches lead to efficient and kernelizable optimization algorithms, they have been shown to be NP-Hard in presence of missing data. Inspired by recent work in compressed sensing, hard-rank constraints have been replaced by soft-rank constraints, such as the nuclear norm regularizer. Vis-à-vis hard-rank approaches, soft-rank models are convex even in presence of missing data: but how is convex optimization solving a NP-Hard problem? This thesis addresses this question by analyzing the relationship between hard and soft rank constraints in the unsupervised factorization with missing data problem. Moreover, we extend soft rank models to weakly supervised and fully supervised learning problems in computer vision. There are four main contributions of our work: (1) The analysis of a new unified low-rank model for matrix factorization with missing data. Our model subsumes soft and hard-rank approaches and merges advantages from previous formulations, such as efficient algorithms and kernelization. It also provides justifications on the choice of algorithms and regions that guarantee convergence to global minima. (2) A deterministic “rank continuation” strategy for the NP-hard unsupervised factorization with missing data problem, that is highly competitive with the state-of-the-art and often achieves globally optimal solutions. In preliminary work, we show that this optimization strategy is applicable to other NP-hard problems which are typically relaxed to convex semidefinite programs (e.g., MAX-CUT, quadratic assignment problem). (3) A new soft-rank fully supervised robust regression model. This convex model is able to deal with noise, outliers and missing data in the input variables. (4) A new soft-rank model for weakly supervised image classification and localization. Unlike existing multiple-instance approaches for this problem, our model is convex.
Multidrug-Resistant Microbial Therapy Using Antimicrobial Peptides and the CRISPR/Cas9 System

Abstract The emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant microbes become a serious threat to animal and human health globally because of their less responsiveness to conventional antimicrobial therapy. Multidrug-resistant microbial infection poses higher morbidity and mortality rate with significant economic losses. Currently, antimicrobial peptides and the CRISPR/Cas9 system are explored as alternative therapy to circumvent the challenges of multidrug-resistant organisms. Antimicrobial peptides are small molecular weight, cationic peptides extracted from all living organisms. It is a promising drug candidate for the treatment of multidrug-resistant microbes by direct microbial killing or indirectly modulating the innate immune system. The CRISPR/Cas9 system is another novel antimicrobial alternative used to manage multidrug-resistant microbial infection. It is a versatile gene-editing tool that uses engineered single guide RNA for targeted gene recognition and the Cas9 enzyme for the destruction of target nucleic acids. Both the CRISPR/Cas9 system and antimicrobial peptides were used to successfully treat nosocomial infections caused by ESKAPE pathogens, which developed resistance to various antimicrobials. Despite, their valuable roles in multidrug-resistant microbial treatments, both the antimicrobial peptides and the CRISPR/Cas systems have various limitations like toxicity, instability, and incurring high manufacturing costs. Thus, this review paper gives detailed explanations of the roles of the CRISPR/Cas9 system and antimicrobial peptides in circumventing the challenges of multidrug-resistant microbial infections, its limitation and prospects in clinical applications.
Leader-Following Cluster Consensus of Multiagent Systems With Measurement Noise and Weighted Cooperative–Competitive Networks

Leader-following cluster consensus is investigated for multiagent systems with weighted cooperative–competitive networks and measurement noise. A stochastic approximation protocol is proposed for interactively balanced and sub-balanced networks, and pinning control is introduced to deal with the divergence phenomenon in interactively unbalanced networks. With these protocols, sufficient conditions for reaching a strong mean-square leader-following cluster consensus are established for all the three types of networks, which are also extended to the cases without measurement noise. Numerical examples illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed protocols and theoretical analysis.
Checklist of California mammals

A checklist, consisting of 216 species of mammals found within California, is presented. Changes in nomenclature subsequent to the list of Jones et al. (1975, Revised checklist of North American mammals north of Mexico) are documented. This checklist is intended to provide an updated reference to the mammals of California. in changes in of in the wild