Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hepatic arterial infusion of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed in unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with or without portal vein tumour thrombosis

Abstract Background Unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has a poor prognosis. According to the HCC management guidelines in China, the standard treatment of Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B or C HCC with portal vein tumour thrombosis (PVTT) is chemoembolization. However, some patients with BCLC stage B or C HCC with PVTT respond poorly to chemoembolization. We aimed to compare tumour responses and survival benefits between patients with unresectable HCC with or without PVTT. Methods We reviewed 119 consecutive patients with unresectable HCC with PVTT (n = 67) and without PVTT (n = 52) who underwent hepatic arterial infusion of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed between January 2018 and April 2021. Overall survival, progression-free survival, tumour responses, and adverse events were compared between the groups. Results There were no significant between-group differences in the objective response rates and median progression-free survival. The median overall survival was significantly longer in the group without PVTT than in that with PVTT (17.0 vs 10.4 months, respectively; P = 0.024). Conclusion Hepatic arterial infusion of oxaliplatin plus raltitrexed may be efficacious in patients with unresectable HCC with or without PVTT.
Primality of weakly connected collections of cells and weakly closed path polyominoes

In this paper we study the primality of weakly connected collections of cells, showing that the ideal generated by inner 2-minors attached to a weakly connected and simple collection of cells is the toric ideal of the edge ring of a weakly chordal bipartite graph. As an application of this result we characterize the primality of the polyomino ideals of weakly closed paths, a new class of non simple polyominoes.
Investigations on Harmonic Contents of Leakage Current of Porcelain Insulator under Polluted Conditions

This paper deals with the analysis of leakage current characteristics of porcelain insulator due to pollution under wet conditions. In this work, laboratory based pollution performance tests were carried out on single disc porcelain insulator under AC voltage at different pollution levels with sodium chloride as a contaminant. Leakage current waveforms during the experimental studies were measured. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was employed to understand the frequency domain characteristics of the leakage current signal. Moving average technique has been adopted to smooth out the trend followed by harmonic contents. Correlation analysis of the harmonic contents of leakage current during the experimental study has been performed. Reported results of this preliminary study on single disc porcelain insulator shows that the development of flashover due to pollution could be easily identified from the analysis of harmonic contents of leakage current signal.
RoVISQ: Reduction of Video Service Quality via Adversarial Attacks on Deep Learning-based Video Compression

Video compression plays a crucial role in video streaming and classification systems by maximizing the end-user quality of experience (QoE) at a given bandwidth budget. In this paper, we conduct the first systematic study for adversarial attacks on deep learning-based video compression and downstream classification systems. Our attack framework, dubbed RoVISQ, manipulates the Rate-Distortion ($\textit{R}$-$\textit{D}$) relationship of a video compression model to achieve one or both of the following goals: (1) increasing the network bandwidth, (2) degrading the video quality for end-users. We further devise new objectives for targeted and untargeted attacks to a downstream video classification service. Finally, we design an input-invariant perturbation that universally disrupts video compression and classification systems in real time. Unlike previously proposed attacks on video classification, our adversarial perturbations are the first to withstand compression. We empirically show the resilience of RoVISQ attacks against various defenses, i.e., adversarial training, video denoising, and JPEG compression. Our extensive experimental results on various video datasets show RoVISQ attacks deteriorate peak signal-to-noise ratio by up to 5.6dB and the bit-rate by up to $\sim$ 2.4$\times$ while achieving over 90$\%$ attack success rate on a downstream classifier. Our user study further demonstrates the effect of RoVISQ attacks on users' QoE.
Stress Concentrations Around Cut-outs in a Cylinder

A considerable amount of theoretical investigation has been undertaken recently, into the stress concentrations arising in the vicinity of cut-outs in aircraft pressure cabins. Papers which analyse the stress concentrations around circular, elliptical, and square reinforced cut-outs, under various loading conditions have been presented by Mansfield, Hicks and Wittrick. In all of these investigations, the problem of the cut-out in a cylinder has been reduced to a problem of an infinite plane sheet containing a hole, and the effects of the curvature have been generally assumed to be insignificant.
Investigation of Some Yield and Quality Characteristics of Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus L.) Grown in Different Plant Density and Row Orientation

This research was carried out to examine the yield and quality characteristics of sunflowers grown in different plant density and row orientation in the trial fields of Uludag University Mustafakemalpasa Vocational School during 2011 and 2012 years. Two row orientations (East-West= E-W and North-South= N-S) and three plant densities (D1= 2.5, D2= 3.8, D3= 7.7 plant m -2 ) were studied on variety Sanay of sunflower. The effect of row orientation on seed and oil yields and quality traits was generally minor, but values of seed and oil yield in E-W orientation were approximately 5% greater than N-S orientation in 2011. Increased plant density significantly increased seed yield, oil yield, the rates of sunlight absorbed by crop and plant height, and significantly decreased head diameter, the number of seed per head, seed weight per head and 1000 seed weight. The effect of experimental treatments on fatty acids of sunflower was generally minor; however, the highest palmitic acid content was determined from treatment D2. According to the obtained results, considering the decrease in some yield traits, the E-W row orientation and a 7.7 plant m -2 plant density can be recommended for sunflower cultivation.
Jinhua Qinggan granules for non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients: A double-blind, placebo-controlled, and randomized controlled trial

Background Key findings from the World Health Organization Expert Meeting on Evaluation of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reported that TCMs are beneficial, particularly for mild-to-moderate cases. The efficacy of Jinhua Qinggan granules (JHQG) in COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms has yet to be clearly defined. Methods We conducted a phase 2/3, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of treatment with JHQG in mild, non-hospitalized, laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patients. Participants were randomly assigned to receive 5 g/sacket of JHQG or placebo granules orally thrice daily for 10 days. The primary outcomes were the improvement in clinical symptoms and a proportion tested negative on viral polymerase chain reaction (PCR) after treatment. Secondary outcomes were the time to recover from clinical symptoms and changes in white blood cells (WBC) and acute phase reactants (C-reactive protein (CRP) and ferritin) on the 10th day after treatment initiation. Results A total of 300 patients were randomly assigned to receive JHQG (150 patients) and placebo (150 patients). Baseline characteristics were similar in the two groups. In the modified intention-to-treat analysis, JHQG showed greater clinical efficacy (82.67%) on the 10th day of the trial compared with the placebo group (10.74%; rate difference: 71.93%; 95% CI 64.09–79.76). The proportion of patients with a negative PCR after treatment was comparable (rate difference: −4.67%; 95% CI −15.76 to 6.42). In contrast, all changes in WBC, ferritin, and CRP levels showed a statistically significant decline in JHQG (P ≤ 0.044) after treatment, but not the latter in placebo (P = 0.077). The median time to recovery of COVID-19-related symptoms including cough, sputum, sore throat, dyspnea, headache, nasal obstruction, fatigue, and myalgia was shorter in the JHQG group compared to the placebo group (P < 0.001 for all). Three patients experienced mild-to-moderate adverse events (AEs) duringthe treatment period in the JHQG group. Findings were similar between the modified intention-to-treat and the per-protocol analysis that included only patients who reported 100% adherence to the assigned regimen. Conclusion Based on the time to recover from the COVID-19-related symptoms and AEs, it is concluded that JHQG is a safe and effective TCM for symptomatic relief of patients with mild COVID-19. A symptomatic improvement in the JHQG group patients was observed and JHQG use would have important public health implications in such patients. Clinical Trial Registration The Trial was prospectively registered on www.clinicaltrials. gov with registration number: NCT04723524.
Non-clustering of sp 3 fluorine adatoms on pristine graphene surface

Fluorination can change graphene’s properties, and which is theoretically relative to fluorination pattern of sp 3 fluorine adatoms on graphene surface. The common view for the pattern is that it can easily form as a large cluster for the low migration barrier of fluorine adatoms on pristine graphene surface. Here, we report that sp 3 fluorine adatoms are well-dispersed rather than clustered due to that the intensity ratio of 1.8 for C–CF/CF peaks (R) of fluorinated graphene is much higher than R ≈ 0 for clustered pattern. The low magnetic inducing efficiency of 1 µ B/1000F adatoms indicates that the ‘nonmagnetic’ fluorine pairs rather than ‘magnetic’ fluorine ‘points’ dominate the well-dispersed sp 3 pattern. Our findings introduce a new insight into the fluorination structure properties of fluorinated and other sp 3 functionalized such as hydrogenated, chlorinated, or hydroxylated graphene and other carbon materials.
Residual force enhancement is affected more by quadriceps muscle length than stretch amplitude

Little is known about how muscle length affects residual force enhancement (rFE) in humans. We therefore investigated rFE at short, long, and very long muscle lengths within the human quadriceps and patellar tendon (PT) using conventional dynamometry with motion capture (rFETQ) and a new, non-invasive shear-wave tensiometry technique (rFEWS). Eleven healthy male participants performed submaximal (50% max.) EMG-matched fixed-end reference and stretch-hold contractions across these muscle lengths while muscle fascicle length changes of the vastus lateralis (VL) were captured using B-mode ultrasound. We found significant rFETQ at long (7±5%) and very long (12±8%), but not short (2±5%) muscle lengths, whereas rFEWS was only significant at the very long (38±27%), but not short (8±12%) or long (6±10%) muscle lengths. We also found significant relationships between VL fascicle length and rFETQ (r=0.63, p=0.001) and rFEWS (r=0.52, p=0.017), but relationships were not significant between VL fascicle stretch amplitude and rFETQ (r=0.33, p=0.126) or rFEWS (r=0.29, p=0.201). Squared PT shear-wave-speed-angle relationships did not agree with estimated PT force-angle relationships, which indicates that estimating PT loads from shear-wave tensiometry might be inaccurate. We conclude that increasing muscle length rather than stretch amplitude contributes more to rFE during submaximal voluntary contractions of the human quadriceps.
Validation study of a wellbeing scale (SPANE) in the Arab Gulf region: A multicountry study

The Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE) is an emerging wellbeing scale to measure the frequency of positive and negative emotions. This study explores the psychometric properties of SPANE on a sample from the Arab Gulf region. The Arab Gulf region shares cultural elements with the broader Muslim and Arab world, but maintains distinct features that warrants validation studies for psychological instruments. There were 1393 participants from Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait and other Arab Gulf countries. The factorial structure of SPANE was examined using a principal axis factor analysis, followed up with a confirmatory factor analysis. The convergent validity was examined by correlating SPANE with the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). The findings confirmed a two-factor structure of SPANE, and demonstrated adequate psychometric properties and convergent validity. In conclusion, this study indicates that SPANE shows sufficient validity for use as a measure of wellbeing in the Arab Gulf region.
Improper handling of vomitus as a risk factor in the human norovirus outbreak in a kindergarten in Wuyi County, Zhejiang Province, China

Abstract This study investigated an outbreak in a kindergarten in Wuyi County of acute gastroenteritis concerning a large number of students and teachers. We performed a case-control study, and collected information on the layout of the school, symptoms, onset time of all cases and vomiting sites. A total of 62 individuals fit the definition of probable cases; among these, there were 19 cases of laboratory-confirmed norovirus infection. Nausea and vomiting were the most common symptoms in the outbreak. Seven student norovirus patients vomited in the school. The odds ratio (OR) of norovirus illness was 15.75 times higher among teachers who handled or interacted with student vomitus without respiratory protection than compared to those without this type of exposure (OR 15.75, 95% CI 1.75–141.40). Nine samples were successfully genotyped; eight samples were norovirus GII.2[P16], one sample was norovirus GII.4 Sydney[P16]. This study revealed that improper handling of vomitus is a risk factor of norovirus infection. Therefore, more attention should be given to train school staff in knowledge of disinfection.
Prevalence and trend of AIDS-defining cancers and non-AIDS-defining cancers and their association with antiretroviral therapy among people living with HIV in South Carolina: a population-based cohort study

ABSTRACT Monitoring cancer trends and risk is critical as cancer remains a growing problem in persons living with HIV (PLWH). Recent population-based data are limited regarding the cancer trends among PLWH. Our study examined the prevalence and trends in the rate of AIDS-defining cancers (ADC) and non-AIDS-defining cancers (NADC) and their risk factors in PLWH in South Carolina. Utilizing linked population-based HIV data (2005–2020), time-dependent proportional hazards model was used to identify associated risk predictors of developing cancer in PLWH. Among 11,238 PLWH, 250 individuals developed ADC and 454 developed NADC. The median time from HIV diagnosis to cancer diagnosis was 1.9 years for ADC and 3.8 years for NADC. Individuals who developed ADC or NADC were more likely to be older, male, use substances, have hepatitis infection, hypothyroidism, hypertension, and renal disease. Individuals with viral load >100,000 copies/ml were more likely to develop ADC while those with CD4 count >350 cells/mm3 were less likely to develop ADC or NADC. Our findings suggest that long-term viral suppression may contribute to risk reduction for cancer in PLWH. Early HIV diagnosis along with viral load suppression should be a part of ongoing cancer prevention efforts.
Designing for Networked Communications: Strategies and Development

"Designing for Networked Communications: Strategies and Development explains how to plan, use, and understand the products and the dynamic social processes and tasks some of the most vital innovations in the knowledge society depend upon social as well as technological. Focusing on various forms of design, implementation and integration of computer mediated communication, this book bridges the academic fields of computer science and communication studies. Designing for Networked Communications: Strategies and Development uses an interdisciplinary approach, and presents results from recent and important research in a variety of forms for networked communications. A constructive and critical view of the interplay between the new electronic and the more conventional modes of communication are utilized, while studies of organizational work practices demonstrate that the use of new technologies and media is best understood and integrated into work practices. In this process of merging, both are remodelled and rearranged while being adapted to the practices and activities for which they were designed. "
A Phase 1 Dose Escalation Study of the Pyruvate Kinase Activator Mitapivat (AG-348) in Sickle Cell Disease.

Polymerization of deoxygenated hemoglobin S (HbS) underlies the pathophysiology of sickle cell disease (SCD). In activating red blood cell pyruvate kinase and glycolysis, mitapivat (AG-348) increases adenosine triphosphate (ATP) levels and decreases the 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG) concentration, an upstream precursor in glycolysis. Both changes have therapeutic potential for patients with SCD. Here, we evaluated the safety and tolerability of multiple ascending doses of mitapivat in adults with SCD (HbSS) with no recent blood transfusions or changes in hydroxyurea (HU) or L-glutamine therapy. Seventeen subjects were enrolled, 1 subject was withdrawn shortly after starting the study. Sixteen subjects completed 3 ascending dose levels of mitapivat (5 mg, 20 mg and 50 mg, twice daily (BID)) for 2 weeks each; following a protocol amendment, the dose was escalated to 100 mg BID in 9 subjects. Mitapivat was well-tolerated at all dose levels, with the most common treatment-emergent adverse events (AEs) being insomnia, headache, and hypertension. Six serious AEs (SAEs) included 4 vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs), non-VOC-related shoulder pain, and a pre-existing pulmonary embolism. Two VOCs occurred during drug taper and were possibly drug-related; no other SAEs were drug-related. Mean hemoglobin increase at the 50 mg BID dose level was 1.2 g/dL, with 9/16 (56.3%) patients achieving a hemoglobin response of ≥ 1 g/dL increase compared to baseline. Mean reductions in hemolytic markers and dose-dependent decreases in 2,3-DPG and increases in ATP were also observed. This study provides proof of concept that mitapivat has disease-modifying potential in patients with SCD. (Investigator-sponsor; ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04000165).
The role of ferroptosis in endothelial cell dysfunction

ABSTRACT Ferroptosis is a form of iron-dependent cell death caused by an excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation. The importance of ferroptosis in the occurrence and progression of various diseases is gradually being recognized; however, the exact biological effects and potential mechanisms of endothelial cell ferroptosis remain unclear. The endothelium forms the innermost layer of the blood vessels and lymphatic vessels. It acts as an important functional interface, responds to various pathological stimuli and causes endothelial dysfunction. Here, we review recent findings to elucidate the role of ferroptosis in endothelial cells under different pathophysiologic settings.
Glove-based virtual hand grasping for virtual mechanical assembly

Purpose Hand gesture-based interaction can provide far more intuitive, natural and immersive feelings for users to manipulate 3D objects for virtual assembly (VA). A mechanical assembly consists of mostly general-purpose machine elements or mechanical parts that can be defined into four types based on their geometric features and functionalities. For different types of machine elements, engineers formulate corresponding grasping gestures based on their domain knowledge or customs for ease of assembly. Therefore, this paper aims to support a virtual hand to assemble mechanical parts. Design/methodology/approach It proposes a novel glove-based virtual hand grasping approach for virtual mechanical assembly. The kinematic model of virtual hand is set up first by analyzing the hand structure and possible movements, and then four types of grasping gestures are defined with joint angles of fingers for connectors and three types of parts, respectively. The recognition of virtual hand grasping is developed based on collision detection and gesture matching. Moreover, stable grasping conditions are discussed. Findings A prototype system is designed and developed to implement the proposed approach. The case study on VA of a two-stage gear reducer demonstrates the functionality of the system. From the users’ feedback, it is found that more natural and stable hand grasping interaction for VA of mechanical parts can be achieved. Originality/value It proposes a novel glove-based virtual hand grasping approach for virtual mechanical assembly.
Exploring the Risk of Suicide in Real Time on Spanish Twitter: Observational Study

Background Social media is now a common context wherein people express their feelings in real time. These platforms are increasingly showing their potential to detect the mental health status of the population. Suicide prevention is a global health priority and efforts toward early detection are starting to develop, although there is a need for more robust research. Objective We aimed to explore the emotional content of Twitter posts in Spanish and their relationships with severity of the risk of suicide at the time of writing the tweet. Methods Tweets containing a specific lexicon relating to suicide were filtered through Twitter's public application programming interface. Expert psychologists were trained to independently evaluate these tweets. Each tweet was evaluated by 3 experts. Tweets were filtered by experts according to their relevance to the risk of suicide. In the tweets, the experts evaluated: (1) the severity of the general risk of suicide and the risk of suicide at the time of writing the tweet (2) the emotional valence and intensity of 5 basic emotions; (3) relevant personality traits; and (4) other relevant risk variables such as helplessness, desire to escape, perceived social support, and intensity of suicidal ideation. Correlation and multivariate analyses were performed. Results Of 2509 tweets, 8.61% (n=216) were considered to indicate suicidality by most experts. Severity of the risk of suicide at the time was correlated with sadness (ρ=0.266; P<.001), joy (ρ=–0.234; P=.001), general risk (ρ=0.908; P<.001), and intensity of suicidal ideation (ρ=0.766; P<.001). The severity of risk at the time of the tweet was significantly higher in people who expressed feelings of defeat and rejection (P=.003), a desire to escape (P<.001), a lack of social support (P=.03), helplessness (P=.001), and daily recurrent thoughts (P=.007). In the multivariate analysis, the intensity of suicide ideation was a predictor for the severity of suicidal risk at the time (β=0.311; P=.001), as well as being a predictor for fear (β=–0.009; P=.01) and emotional valence (β=0.007; P=.009). The model explained 75% of the variance. Conclusions These findings suggest that it is possible to identify emotional content and other risk factors in suicidal tweets with a Spanish sample. Emotional analysis and, in particular, the detection of emotional variations may be key for real-time suicide prevention through social media.