Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Ultrasound and Computed Tomography Scanning Accuracy in Diagnosing Acute Appendicitis at King Abdulaziz University Hospital

Background: Choosing the most effective and accurate preoperative modality is one of the most significant tools in the clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis (AA) to prevent negative appendectomies, diagnosis confusion, and delayed treatment. This decision making remains challenging to emergency physicians and surgeons which lead this study to determine the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound (US) and computed tomography (CT) in predicting AA using pathology reports as a reference at King Abdulaziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively at the Emergency Department, KAUH in Jeddah, Saudi, Arabia using 351 medical records with a clinical picture of acute appendicitis and no history of trauma. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated for ultrasound and computed tomography imaging. The positive predictive values (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) were also evaluated. Results: Out of the total 351 patients included in this study, 83 patients underwent surgical appendectomies and the pathology results revealed that 64 patients were diagnosed with AA while 19 showed a normal appendix. Of the 64 patients, 18 underwent US imaging while 62 underwent CT imaging. Compared to pathology results, US imaging results revealed that 12 out of 14 positive patients (85.7%) and only two out of four negative patients (50.0%) were correctly predicted while two out of 14 positive patients (14.3%) and two out of four negative patients (50.0%) were falsely diagnosed. On the other hand, CT imaging results revealed that 46 out of 49 positive patients (93.9%) and 9 out of 13 negative patients (69.2%) were correctly predicted while only three out of 49 positive patients (6.1%) and only four out of 13 negative patients (30.8%) were incorrectly diagnosed. Conclusion: Having an accuracy of 88.71%, sensitivity of 92.00%, and specificity of 75.00%, CT imaging was found to be more effective and accurate than US imaging which was only 77.78% accurate, 85.71% sensitive, and 50.00% specific. Statistical analyses also revealed that US results have a significant difference with pathology results (P= 0.130) while CT result has no significant difference (P <0.001).
Navitoclax Most Promising BH3 Mimetic for Combination Therapy in Hodgkin Lymphoma

The treatment of young patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is often successful but a significant proportion of patients suffers from late toxicity. In the current era there are new opportunities for less toxic and more targeted treatment options. In this respect, the anti-apoptotic pathway is an attractive target since Hodgkin tumor cells abundantly express components of this pathway. We measured the effect of BH3 mimetics that interfere with anti-apoptotic proteins in cell lines, also in combination with the standard of care chemotherapeutic doxorubicin and the recently discovered preclinically active tamoxifen. Several anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family proteins were expressed in each case (n = 84) and in HL cell lines (n = 5). Cell lines were checked for sensitivity to BH3 mimetics by BH3 profiling and metabolic assays and monotherapy was only partially successful. Doxorubicin was synergistic with a BCL-XL inhibitor and BCL2/XL/W inhibitor navitoclax. Tamoxifen that targets the estrogen receptor β present in the mitochondria of the cell lines, could induce cell death, and was synergistic with several BH3 mimetics including/as well as navitoclax. In conclusion, targeting the anti-apoptotic pathway by the triple inhibitor navitoclax in combination with doxorubicin or tamoxifen is a promising treatment strategy in HL.
Reply to Sopek Merkaš, I.; Lakušić, N. Comment on “von Känel et al. Early Trauma-Focused Counseling for the Prevention of Acute Coronary Syndrome-Induced Posttraumatic Stress: Social and Health Care Resources Matter. J. Clin. Med. 2022, 11, 1993”

We thank Merkaš and Lakušić for commenting on our recently published paper; in the paper, we suggested that resources in a patient's social environment may moderate the benefit of one single-session trauma-focused counseling in the prevention of acute coronary syndrome (ACS)-induced posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms [. ].
Intra-Amniotic Administration—An Emerging Method to Investigate Necrotizing Enterocolitis, In Vivo (Gallus gallus)

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a severe gastrointestinal disease in premature infants and a leading cause of death in neonates (1–7% in the US). NEC is caused by opportunistic bacteria, which cause gut dysbiosis and inflammation and ultimately result in intestinal necrosis. Previous studies have utilized the rodent and pig models to mimic NEC, whereas the current study uses the in vivo (Gallus gallus) intra-amniotic administration approach to investigate NEC. On incubation day 17, broiler chicken (Gallus gallus) viable embryos were injected intra-amniotically with 1 mL dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) in H2O. Four treatment groups (0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5%, and 0.75% DSS) and two controls (H2O/non-injected controls) were administered. We observed a significant increase in intestinal permeability and negative intestinal morphological changes, specifically, decreased villus surface area and goblet cell diameter in the 0.50% and 0.75% DSS groups. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in pathogenic bacterial (E. coli spp. and Klebsiella spp.) abundances in the 0.75% DSS group compared to the control groups, demonstrating cecal microbiota dysbiosis. These results demonstrate significant physiopathology of NEC and negative bacterial–host interactions within a premature gastrointestinal system. Our present study demonstrates a novel model of NEC through intra-amniotic administration to study the effects of NEC on intestinal functionality, morphology, and gut microbiota in vivo.
The morphology of star clusters in the SMC

The projected ellipticities of 34 populous SMC star clusters have been derived by means of PDS 1010A scans and a computer interactive method of reduction implemented on an Apollo 570 workstation. A pair of J and R plates taken with the 1.2 m UK Schmidt telescope in Australia were used. Radial ellipticity variations within individual globular clusters seem to be a common phenomenon for the SMC clusters, similar to that observed in the LMC clusters where the innerparts are more elliptical than the outer ones in 95 percent of the cases. The derived ellipticities which correspond to the innermost part of the cluster at radial distances near to half-mass radii have been found to be statistically more elliptical than those of the LMC, known to be more elliptical than those of the Galaxy. The dynamical masses of the clusters seem to correlate with ellipticities supporting the hypothesis that, either the gravitational field of the parent galaxy being a dominant factor affect slower the shape of the high mass clusters and/or the most massive clusters, being dynamically younger, retain their original shape. 30 refs.
GADD34 Ablation Exacerbates Retinal Degeneration in P23H RHO Mice

The UPR is sustainably activated in degenerating retinas, leading to translational inhibition via p-eIF2α. Recent findings have demonstrated that ablation of growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible protein 34 (GADD34), a protein phosphatase 1 regulatory subunit permitting translational machinery operation through p-eIF2α elevation, does not impact the rate of translation in fast-degenerating rd16 mice. The current study aimed to validate whether P23H RHO mice degenerating at a slower pace manifest translational attenuation and whether GADD34 ablation impacts the rate of retinal degeneration via further suppression of retinal protein synthesis and apoptotic cell death. For this study, mice were examined with ERG and histological analyses. The molecular assessment was conducted in the naïve and LPS-challenged mice using Western blot and qRT-PCR analyses. Thus, this study demonstrates that the P23H RHO retinas manifest translational attenuation. However, GADD34 ablation resulted in a more prominent p-eIF2a increase without impacting the translation rate. GADD34 deficiency also led to a reduction in scotopic ERG amplitudes and an increased number of TUNEL-positive cells. Molecular analysis revealed that GADD34 deficiency reduces the expression of p-STAT3 and Il-6 while increasing the expression of Tnfa. Overall, the data indicate that GADD34 plays a multifunctional role. Under chronic UPR activation, GADD34 acts as a feedback player, dephosphorylating p-eIF2a, although this role does not seem to be critical. Additionally, GADD34 controls cytokine expression and STAT3 activation. Perhaps these molecular events are particularly important in controlling the pace of retinal degeneration.
Bowtie Nanoantenna Coupled Metal-Oxide-Silicon (p-Doped) Diode for 28.3 THz IR Rectification

Low-temperature waste heat in the infrared (IR) wavelength region offers an opportunity to harvest power from waste energy and requires further investigation in order to find efficient conversion techniques. Although grating-coupled metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) diode devices offer efficient conversion from low and moderate-temperature thermal sources, the integration of such diodes with a nanoantenna structure has yet to be explored. We propose a bowtie nanoantenna coupled with a p-doped MOS diode for IR to direct current (DC) conversion without any bias voltage at 28.3 THz. The nanoantenna was designed and optimized to provide maximum field enhancement in a 4 nm-thick oxide layer at the resonant frequency. The device was fabricated following the complementary MOS (CMOS) fabrication process and measured in a custom DC and optical characterization setup using a 10.6 μm wavelength CO2 laser. The results reveal two different types of devices with linear and nonlinear I-V curves having kΩ and MΩ zero-bias resistance, respectively. The linear device generates a micron-level open-circuit voltage (Voc) with clear polarization dependence from the laser input, but the nonlinear case suffers from a weak noise-like signal. Finally, we analyze two types of devices using thermoelectric and tunneling effects and discuss the future direction of nanoantenna-integrated MOS devices for efficient IR harvesters.
Hydrotalcite-Modified Clinoptilolite as the Catalyst for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO with Ammonia (NH3-SCR)

A series of clinoptilolite-supported catalysts, modified with hydrotalcite-like phase (HT) by co-precipitation, were prepared and tested in NH3-SCR reactions. It was found that deposition of HT on clinoptilolite increased conversion of NO within 250–450 °C, and that the positive impact on the catalytic activity was independent of HT loading. The promoting effect of clinoptilolite was attributed to Brönsted acid sites present in the zeolite, which facilitated adsorption and accumulation of ammonia during the catalytic process. Concentration of N2O in the post-reaction gas mixture reached its maximum at 300 °C and the by-product was most likely formed as a consequence of NH4NO3 decomposition or side reaction of NH3 oxidation in the high-temperature region. The gradual elimination of nitrous oxide, noticed as the material with the highest concentration of hydrotalcite phase, was attributed to the abundance of oligomeric iron species and the superior textural parameters of the material. UV-Vis experiments performed on the calcined samples indicated that Fe sites of higher nuclearity were generated by thermal decomposition of the hydrotalcite phase during the catalytic reaction. Therefore, calcination of the materials prior to the catalytic tests was not required to obtain satisfactory overall catalytic performance in NO reductions.
The Establishment of an Ex Situ Collection of Primula veris in Bulgaria

Primula veris is a valuable medicinal plant species with declining populations, protected in Bulgaria by the Biodiversity Act. The present study aimed to increase its extremely low seed germination rate, starting with seeds originating from two Bulgarian populations, and to set up an ex situ field collection. The stimulation effect of three factors was tested in in vivo and in vitro experiments: seeds treated with gibberellic acid (in different concentrations and exposure time), light quality (white, infrared, red, and blue or dark), and cold stratification. The combination of factors resulted in 36 treatment variants in vivo and 8 treatment variants in vitro. No germination was observed in control treatment variants. The highest germinating rate (95%) was noticed in vivo under blue monochromatic light after seed soaking into 0.2% GA3 for 10 h; however, the best results (55% of well-developed seedlings) were observed with a combination of blue light and 0.3% GA3 for 5 h. Seedlings were successfully strengthened in vermiculite in a phytotron, potted in soil and grown in a greenhouse, and then 75 plants were transferred to the field plot, where most of them bloomed at the first vegetation season. These results are intended to serve as a basis for establishing a pilot agriculture of the species.
Influence of Tropical Indian Ocean Warming and ENSO on Tropical Cyclone Activity over the Western North Pacific

In this study, we have investigated contributions of tropical Indian Ocean (IO) sea surface temperature (SST) warming and El Nino—Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to the interannual variability of tropical cyclone (TC) genesis frequency over the western North Pacific (WNP) between 1948 and 2010 and the involved physical mechanisms. Both ENSO and tropical IO Basin Mode (IOBM) warming are found to play important roles in modulating the WNP TC genesis frequency, but their effects are significantly different. The time series of seasonal empirical orthogonal function of tropical IO and tropical Pacific SST with trend and multi-decadal variability removed are defined as the IOBM index and ENSO index, respectively. The results show that the IO warming year is usually the El Nino decaying year. The number of total TCs, especially weak TCs, decreases during the tropical IO warming year when an anomalous anticyclonic circulation is observed over the tropical Northwest Pacific off the equator. On the other hand, the number of intense TCs increases in the El Nino developing year because of the eastward shifts of both the western Pacific monsoon trough and the cyclonic shear of the equatorial westerlies, and thus the eastward shift of the main TC genesis region. It is also found that the relationship between ENSO and the frequency of intense TCs has a decadal variation. During 1968–1987, the number of intense TCs was not related to ENSO with a correlation coefficient of only 0.19, while the correlation coefficient is 0.63 and 0.73 during 1948–1967 and 1988–2007, respectively. The extent to which the WNP anomalous anticyclone is forced by IO warming is investigated by using the global climate model (European Centre Hamburg Model, ECHAM) with imposed SST anomalies over the tropical IO. The results suggest that the WNP anomalous anticyclone that develops from June to September results mainly from the northward shift of the tropical IO warming from boreal spring to boreal summer.
Time-dependent tight binding

Starting from a Lagrangian mean-field theory, a set of time-dependent tight-binding equations is derived to describe dynamically and self-consistently an interacting system of quantum electrons and classical nuclei. These equations conserve norm, total energy and total momentum. A comparison with other tight-binding models is made. A previous tight-binding result for forces on atoms in the presence of electrical current flow is generalized to the time-dependent domain and is taken beyond the limit of local charge neutrality.
Cytotoxic effects of crystalline silica in form of micro and nanoparticles on the human lung cell line A549

Airborne crystalline silica (SiO2) particles are one of the most common pollutants in stone industries. Limited studies have investigated the health effects of crystalline SiO2 nanoparticles. Hence, the objective of this study was to study the cytotoxicity of SiO2 in nano and micron sizes. A mineral quartz sample in the range of 0.2–0.8 mm sizes was purchased. These particles were ground at about 5 and 0.1 microns. Human cell line A549 was exposed to micro and nanometer particles at concentrations of 10, 50, 100, and 250 μg/ml for 24 and 72 h. Subsequently, the cytotoxicity of exposed cells was investigated by measuring cell survival, ROS generation, mitochondrial permeability, and intracellular glutathione content. The results showed that crystalline SiO2 nano and microparticles decreased cell survival, increased ROS generation, damaged the mitochondrial membrane, and lowered the antioxidant content of these cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The toxicity of crystalline SiO2 microparticles at concentrations ≤50 μg/mL was greater than for nanoparticles, which was the opposite at concentrations ≥100 μg/mL. Exposure time and concentration were crucial factors for the cytotoxicity of exposed A549 cells to crystalline SiO2 particles, which can affect the severity of the effect of particle size. Due to the limitation of exposure concentration and test durations in this study, further studies on the parameters of nanoparticle toxicity and underlying mechanisms could advance our knowledge.
Abstract Wiener spaces and applications to analysis

WIENER SPACES AND APPLICATIONS TO ANALYSIS J. KUELBS Let C denote the space of real-valued continuous functions on [0,1] which vanish at zero, and let C* be the subspace of C consisting of functions whose derivative is square integrable. Then C* is a Hubert space under the inner product (x, y) = S I %(t)y(t)dt and, as is well known, C* has Wiener measure zero. 0 Nevertheless, in many instances theorems involving the Wiener integral depend to a large extent on C*. An example of this occurs in the behavior of Wiener measure under translation. However, in other situations it is the relationship between C and C* which is important. An important factor in this relationship was pinpointed by L. Gross in the definition of an "abstract Wiener space. " This paper develops further the relationship of C* and C which is embodied in this concept. A representation theorem for additive Borel measurable functionals on a separable real Banach space B is established as well as a result related to the uniform boundedness principle. In another theorem a "stochastic expansion" of an arbitrary element of the Banach space B is given and it is shown that if B has a Schauder basis then it can be arranged so that the stochastic expansion and the basis expansion agree. In the last section of the paper the ratios of certain integrals over an abstract Wiener space are examined, some of which, in the case of classical Wiener space, were studied by Cameron, Martin, and Shapiro in order to solve nonlinear integral equations. A theorem indicating how to weakly invert certain one-to-one operators from B into B is proved and finally an application to nonlinear integral equations involving functions of infinitely many variables is made. 2* The fundamental notions concerning integration over vector spaces are presented in [7] and we use the terminology established there throughout this paper. If B is a Banach space we will denote the algebra of cylinder sets of B by s*f. The smallest sigma-algebra containing jzf will be denoted by Sf and in case B is separable it is easy to see that Sf coincides with the Borel subsets of B. i.e., the smallest sigma-algebra containing the norm open subsets of B. The main results of [7] can be stated in the following manner. If H is a real separable Hubert space, if the norm ||| ||| is a measurable norm on H with respect to the canonical normal distribution, i.e.,
Polarization Radar Measurements in Rain at 5 and 9 GHz

Abstract There is increased interest in dual-polarization radar measurements at 9 and 5 GHz not only for scientific reasons but also because such radars are less expensive to build and are easier to transport than 3-GHz S-band radars. Unfortunately, measurements at 5 and 9 GHz are affected by attenuation, particularly in rain. In this paper, potential techniques for measuring rainfall rate R and rainwater content W at these frequencies are explored. While several are promising, their success depends critically on how well the effects of attenuation can be removed from measurements of differential reflectivity ZDR and radar reflectivity factor at horizontal polarization ZH. This study explores a technique proposed by others to use the polarization propagation differential phase shift with increasing distance from the radar (ΦH–V)to estimate and remove the effects of specific and polarization differential attenuation from ZH and ZDR, respectively. It is shown that in rain this technique is sensitive to vari.
‘Engaging on a slightly more human level’: A qualitative study exploring the care of individuals with back pain in a multidisciplinary pain clinic

Chronic low back pain is characterised by multiple and overlapping biological, psychological, social and broader dimensions, affecting individuals’ lives. Multidisciplinary pain services have been considered optimal settings to account for the multidimensionality of chronic low back pain but have largely focused on cognitive and behavioural aspects of individuals’ pain. Social dimensions are usually underexplored, considered outside or beyond healthcare professionals’ scope of practice. Employing Actor Network Theorist Mol’s concept multiplicity, our aim in this paper is to explore how a pain service’s practices bring to the fore the social dimensions of individuals living with low back pain. Drawing on 32 ethnographic observations and four group exchanges with the service’s clinicians, findings suggest that practices produced multiple enactments of an individual with low back pain. Although individuals’ social context was present and manifested during consultations at the pain service (first enactment: ‘the person’), it was often disconnected from care and overlooked in ‘treatment/management’ (second enactment: ‘the patient’). In contrast, certain practices at the pain service not only provided acknowledgement of, but actions towards enhancing, individuals’ social contexts by adapting rules and habits, providing assistance outside the service and shifting power relations during consultations (third enactment: ‘the patient-person’). We therefore argue that different practices enact different versions of an individual with low back pain in pain services, and that engagement with individuals’ social contexts can be part of a service’s agenda.
Signals in a Borehole Due to Plane Waves in the Solid

This paper presents a theory describing the acoustic waves set up in a fluid‐filled borehole by the passage of plane elastic waves in the surrounding solid. It consists of a mathematical development of the following process. A stress in the solid around the borehole will in general cause the hole to contract or expand. A contraction compresses the fluid and causes pulses to radiate in both directions as tube waves. At some observation point, one of these pulses is observed after a delay due to the propagation as a tube wave. A complex wave in the solid is expressed as a combination of stresses distributed along elementary lengths of the borehole, and the total acoustic wave received at a point is expressed as the summation of elementary pulses arriving after suitable delays. The expressions derived give pressure or fluid particle velocity in terms of motion or stresses in the solid for plane compressional waves and plane shear waves arriving at any angle. The method can be extended to the case of a spherical wave cutting the borehole.