Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Natural Killer Cells Facilitate Effector Functions of Daratumumab in Multiple Myeloma

Purpose: To investigate the different roles of heterogeneous natural killer (NK)-cell subpopulations in multiple myeloma and to identify NK-cell subsets that support the robust anti-myeloma activity of daratumumab via antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC). Experimental Design: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing of NK cells from patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) and delineated adaptive NK cells in their bone marrow (BM). We further characterized the distinct immunophenotypic features and functions of adaptive NK cells by multicolor flow cytometry in 157 patients with NDMM. Results: Adaptive NK cells exhibit a significantly lower level of CD38 expression compared with conventional NK cells, suggesting that they may evade daratumumab-induced fratricide. Moreover, adaptive NK cells exert robust daratumumab-mediated effector functions ex vivo, including cytokine production and degranulation, compared with conventional NK cells. The composition of adaptive NK cells in BM determines the daratumumab-mediated ex vivo functional activity of BM NK cells in patients with NDMM. Unlike conventional NK cells, sorted adaptive NK cells from the BM of patients with NDMM exert substantial cytotoxic activity against myeloma cells in the presence of daratumumab. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that adaptive NK cells are an important mediator of ADCC in multiple myeloma and support direct future efforts to better predict and improve the treatment outcome of daratumumab by selectively employing adaptive NK cells.
Safety and Tolerability of Fluoroquinolones in Patients with Staphylococcal Periprosthetic Joint Infections.

BACKGROUND Fluoroquinolones (FQs) are known to be accompanied by significant risks. However, the incidence of adverse events (ADE) resulting in unplanned drug discontinuation when used for periprosthetic joint infections (PJI) is currently unknown. METHODS This study included 156 patients over the age of 18 treated for staphylococcal PJI with debridement, antibiotics, and implant retention (DAIR), between January 1, 2007 and November 21, 2019. Of the 156 patients, 64 had total hip arthroplasty (THA) and 92 had total knee arthroplasty (TKA) infections. The primary outcome was rate of unplanned drug discontinuation. Secondary outcomes included incidence of severe ADE, unplanned rifamycin discontinuation, mean time to unplanned regimen discontinuation, and all-cause mortality. RESULTS Overall, unplanned drug discontinuation occurred in 35.6% of patients in the FQ group and 3% of patients in the non-FQ group. The rate of unplanned discontinuation of FQ regimens as compared to non-FQ regimens was 27.5% vs 4.2% (p=0.021) in THA infections and 42% vs 2.4% (p<0.001) in TKA infections. There was no significant difference in severe ADEs between FQ and non-FQ regimens in both THA and TKA infections. The overall rate of non-severe ADEs in FQ compared to non-FQ regimens was 43.3% vs 6.1% (p<0.001). FQs were associated with tendinopathy, myalgia, arthralgia, and nausea. CONCLUSIONS A significantly higher rate of unplanned drug discontinuation was associated with FQ as compared to non-FQ regimens. This provides a real-world view of the implications of FQ related adverse events on unplanned discontinuation when used in prolonged durations for the management of staphylococcal PJIs.
Unusual Hysteresis Loop in the Adsorption−Desorption of Water in NaY Zeolite at Very Low Pressure

We report the observation of an unusual hysteresis loop in the water adsorption−desorption isotherm in NaY in the very low pressure range. Vacuum equilibrium thermodesorption and n-pentane adsorption experiments combined with grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations show that this hysteresis phenomenon is consecutive to the trapping of water in sodalite cages. We propose that the adsorption−desorption of water in NaY occurs as follows. (i) Initial adsorption of a few water molecules on the most accessible cations located on sites II in the supercages. The solvation of these cations makes the sodalite cages accessible to water. (ii) Complete filling of supercages and sodalite cages associated with a migration of nonframework cations from D6R prisms to sodalite cages. (iii) Desorption of water from supercages with water still trapped in the sodalite cages. (iiii) Thermally activated desorption of water from sodalite cages. Thus, according to the hydration procedure used, the residual water can be located eit.
A Mode-Locked 1.91 µm Fiber Laser Based on Interaction between Graphene Oxide and Evanescent Field

The use of a graphene oxide (GO)-deposited D-shaped fiber as a saturable absorber for mode locking of a thulium-doped fiber laser is experimentally demonstrated. By using the evanescent field interaction of an oscillating beam with GO, a passive mode locking operation at a wavelength of ∼1.91 µm is shown to be achievable from a ring cavity. Stable picosecond pulses are readily obtained at a repetition rate of 15.9 MHz. This demonstration confirms that GO is a cost-effective saturable absorber applicable for ∼2 µm ultrafast pulse generation.
The Feasibility of Using Micro Silica Sand Powder as Partial Replacement of Cement in Production of Roller Compacted Concrete

Roller compacted concrete (RCC) is a special type of concrete with zero or even negative slump consistency. In this work, it had aimed to produce an RCC mix suitable for roads paving with minimum cost and better engineering properties so, different RCC mixes had prepared i.e. (M1, M2, M3, and M4) using specified percentages of micro natural silica sand powder (SSP) as partial replacement of (0%, 5%, 10%, and 20%) by weight of sulfate resistant Portland cement. Additionally, M-sand, crushed stone, filler, and water had been used. The results had obtained after 28 days of water curing. The control mix (M1) had satisfied the required f ‘c with accepted results for the other tests. M2 mix with SSP of 5% had achieved the highest results. The f ’c for sawed cubes of (10*10*10) cm had increased by 2.26% and 3.16% when tested in directions (ꓕ and //) to the direction of loading respectively. R results for sawed prisms of (38*10*10) cm had increased by 8.78% and 8.43% when tested on top and bottom faces respectively. The density had increased by 1.04% while the absorption and volume of permeable voids had decreased by 8.11% and 7.83% respectively. The UPV results had also increased by 2.44% and 0.81% for cubes and prisms respectively when compared to the control mix. M3 mix with SSP of 10% had also achieved satisfactory results when compared to the control mix.
Assessment of Compressive Strength for RC Building Using the Non-Destructive Test and the SonReb Method: A Case Study

Non-Destructive methods have greater advantage in assessing the homogeneity, compressive strength, corrosion of rebars in concrete etc. of damaged structures. The aim of the present study is to assess the existing building, which is 41 year old, in the Technical Institute of Amara affiliated with the Southern Technical University, Maysan, Iraq. The research focus on the assessment of the concrete strength and the inspection of the damages in the building. Besides the visual inspection, the ultrasonic pulse velocity and schmidt hammer were used as a non-destructive test method for testing of 30 columns and 15 beams for a building consisting of three floors. The concrete compressive strength was estimated by using SonReb method. The equations proposed by Gasparik, 1984, Di Leo & Pascale, 1994, Arioglu et al., 1996, Cristofaro et al. (EXP), 2020 and Cristofaro et al (PW), 2020 were used for assessment the compressive strength of oncrete. The non-destructive test results indicated that the average strength of the structural elements greater than the design compressive strength of the tested elements. Therefore, the building can be considered structurally is safe.
Degradation by acetic acid for crystalline Si photovoltaic modules

The degradation of crystalline Si photovoltaic modules during damp-heat test was studied using some test modules with and without polymer film insertion by observing electrical and electroluminescence properties and by chemical analyses. Acetic acid generated by the hydrolysis decomposition of ethylene vinyl acetate used as an encapsulant is the main origin of degradation. The change in electroluminescence images is explained on the basis of the corrosion of electrodes by acetic acid. On the other hand, little change was observed at the pn junction even after damp-heat test for a long time. Therefore, carrier generation occurs even after degradation; however, such generated carriers cannot be collected owing to corrosion of electrodes. The guiding principle that module structure and module materials without saving acetic acid into the modules was obtained.
Low Soil Nutrient Tolerance and Mineral Fertilizer Response in White Guinea Yam (Dioscorea rotundata) Genotypes

Yam (Dioscorea spp.) is a major food security crop for millions of resource-poor farmers, particularly in West Africa. Soil mineral deficiency is the main challenge in yam production, especially with the dwindling of fallow lands for the indigenous nutrient supply. Cultivars tolerant to available low soil nutrients and responsive to added nutrient supply are viable components of an integrated soil fertility management strategy for sustainable and productive yam farming systems in West Africa. This study’s objective was to identify white Guinea yam (D. rotundata) genotypes adapted to available low soil nutrients and responsive to externally added nutrient supply. Twenty advanced breeding lines and a local variety (Amula) were evaluated under contrasting soil fertility, low to expose the crop to available low soil nutrient supply and high to assess the crop response to added mineral fertilizer (NPK) input at Ibadan, Nigeria. The genotypes expressed differential yield response to low soil fertility (LF) stress and added fertilizer input. Soil fertility susceptibility index (SFSI) ranged from 0.64 to 1.34 for tuber yield and 0.60 to 1.30 for shoot dry weight. The genotypes R034, R041, R050, R052, R060, R100, and R125 combined lower SFSI with a low rate of reduction in tuber yield were identified as tolerant to LF stress related to the soil mineral deficiency. Likewise, the genotypes R109, R119, and R131 showed high susceptibility to soil fertility level and/or fertilizer response. Genotypes R025 and R034 had the tuber yielding potential twice of that the local variety under low soil nutrient conditions. Shoot dry weight and tuber yield showed a positive correlation both under low and high soil fertility conditions (r = 0.69 and 0.75, respectively), indicating the vigor biomass may be a morphological marker for selecting genotypes of white Guinea yam for higher tuber yield. Our results highlight genotypic variation in the tolerance to low soil nutrients and mineral fertilizer response in white Guinea yam to exploit through breeding and genetic studies to develop improved genotypes for low and high input production systems in West Africa.
Different Functions of Recombinantly Expressed Domains of Tenascin-C in Glial Scar Formation

Extracellular matrix glycoprotein tenascin-C (TnC) is highly expressed in vertebrates during embryonic development and thereafter transiently in tissue niches undergoing extensive remodeling during regeneration after injury. TnC’s different functions can be attributed to its multimodular structure represented by distinct domains and alternatively spliced isoforms. Upon central nervous system injury, TnC is upregulated and secreted into the extracellular matrix mainly by astrocytes. The goal of the present study was to elucidate the role of different TnC domains in events that take place after spinal cord injury (SCI). Astrocyte cultures prepared from TnC-deficient (TnC-/-) and wild-type (TnC+/+) mice were scratched and treated with different recombinantly generated TnC fragments. Gap closure, cell proliferation and expression of GFAP and cytokines were determined in these cultures. Gap closure in vitro was found to be delayed by TnC fragments, an effect mainly mediated by decreasing proliferation of astrocytes. The most potent effects were observed with fragments FnD, FnA and their combination. TnC-/- astrocyte cultures exhibited higher GFAP protein and mRNA expression levels, regardless of the type of fragment used for treatment. Application of TnC fragments induced also pro-inflammatory cytokine production by astrocytes in vitro. In vivo, however, the addition of FnD or Fn(D+A) led to a difference between the two genotypes, with higher levels of GFAP expression in TnC+/+ mice. FnD treatment of injured TnC-/- mice increased the density of activated microglia/macrophages in the injury region, while overall cell proliferation in the injury site was not affected. We suggest that altogether these results may explain how the reaction of astrocytes is delayed while their localization is restricted to the border of the injury site to allow microglia/macrophages to form a lesion core during the first stages of glial scar formation, as mediated by TnC and, in particular, the alternatively spliced FnD domain.
Investigation of the dynamics of cyclodextrins and their inclusion complexes in water by deuterium NMR

Deuterium NMR and relaxation data are presented to investigate the state of β‐cyclodextrin in aqueous solution and to derive dynamic parameters for inclusion complexes. Labelled host and guest molecules were used, and dedicated pulse sequences are proposed for improving the deuterium spectra in terms of reduction of artifacts and of solvent peak(s) and also in terms of total duration of the experiments. This technique was used to investigate the state of β‐cyclodextrin in aqueous solution and to derive important information regarding the degree of dynamic coupling between host and guest in inclusion complexes.
Synaptic communication mediates the assembly of a self-organizing circuit that controls reproduction

Migration of GnRH neurons, a critical step for vertebrate reproduction, depends on circuit-intrinsic synaptic communication. Migration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons from their birthplace in the nasal placode to their hypothalamic destination is critical for vertebrate reproduction and species persistence. While their migration mode as individual GnRH neurons has been extensively studied, the role of GnRH-GnRH cell communication during migration remains largely unexplored. Here, we show in awake zebrafish larvae that migrating GnRH neurons pause at the nasal-forebrain junction and form clusters that act as interhemisphere neuronal ensembles. Within the ensembles, GnRH neurons create an isolated, spontaneously active circuit that is internally wired through monosynaptic glutamatergic synapses into which newborn GnRH neurons integrate before entering the brain. This initial phase of integration drives a phenotypic switch, which is essential for GnRH neurons to properly migrate toward their hypothalamic destination. Together, these experiments reveal a critical step for reproduction, which depends on synaptic communication between migrating GnRH neurons.
Metformin Benefits: Another Example for Alternative Energy Substrate Mechanism?

Since the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS), metformin has been considered the first-line medication for patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Though direct evidence from specific trials is still lacking, several studies have suggested that metformin may protect from diabetes- and nondiabetes-related comorbidities, including cardiovascular, renal, neurological, and neoplastic diseases. In the past few decades, several mechanisms of action have been proposed to explain metformin’s protective effects, none being final. It is certain, however, that metformin increases lactate production, concentration, and, possibly, oxidation. Once considered a mere waste product of exercising skeletal muscle or anaerobiosis, lactate is now known to act as a major energy shuttle, redistributed from production sites to where it is needed. Through the direct uptake and oxidation of lactate produced elsewhere, all end organs can be rapidly supplied with fundamental energy, skipping glycolysis and its possible byproducts. Increased lactate production (and consequent oxidation) could therefore be considered a positive mechanism of action of metformin, except when, under specific circumstances, metformin and lactate become excessive, increasing the risk of lactic acidosis. We are proposing that, rather than considering metformin-induced lactate production as dangerous, it could be considered a mechanism through which metformin exerts its possible protective effect on the heart, kidneys, and brain and, to some extent, its antineoplastic action.
The Effects of Heating and Washing on the Gelling Properties of Tropical Major Carp Muscle

Abstract The effects of heating and washing on the gelling properties of the minces of three Indian major carps (catla, mrigel and ruhu) and Chinese silver carp were studied to investigate their potential use in the manufacture of surimi. Mince was prepared from fillet. A portion of the mince was washed with water containing 0.1% NaCl. Both unwashed and washed minces were ground with 3% NaCl and incubated for one- and two-step heating. The resulting gels were subjected to punch force, expressible moisture and folding tests. Gel hardness and color of the minces were evaluated organoleptically. Indian major carp ruhu produced good quality gel. Next superior species in the order were catla > mrigel > silver carp. Optimum gel strength was observed between 40-50°C and gel disintegration occurred at 60-70°C. Gels prepared by two-step heating had higher gel strength. A single wash of the mince substantially improved the texture and color qualities of the gels. No significant sign of benefit in texture and color .
Microdistribution of aluminum and manganese in the tea leaf tissues as revealed by X‐ray microanalyzer

Abstract Tea plants (Thea sinensis L.) were found to accumulate large amount of Al (4457 ppm, D.W.) in their old leaves. The results showed that Mn stimulated the Al uptake and increased the Al content in the leaves. High concentrations of Ca and Mg in the soils decreased the Al and Mn and increased the Ca and Mg contents in the leaves. No phosphorus and aluminum interaction was found in the leaves of tea plants. Microdistribution patterns of Al and Mn in the tea leaf tissues were also studied by means of a wavelength dispersive type X‐ray microanalyzer in conjunction with cryostage. The results of X‐ray micrographs showed that Al was densely deposited on the cell walls of the adaxial epidermis and palisade parenchyma cells of the old leaf tissues, and this distribution pattern of Al was different than that of Mn which was found mostly concentrated in the epidermal cells.
Analysis of buffer-impurity and field-plate effects on breakdown characteristics in small-sized AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors

The two-dimensional analysis of breakdown characteristics in field-plate AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors with a relatively short gate length and short gate-to-drain distances is performed by considering a deep donor and a deep acceptor in a buffer layer. It is shown that when the acceptor density in the buffer layer is high, the breakdown voltage is determined by the impact ionization of carriers, and it can decrease with increasing the field-plate length. This is because the distance between the field-plate edge and the drain becomes very short and the electric field there becomes very high. On the other hand, when the acceptor density in the buffer layer is relatively low, the buffer leakage current becomes very large and this can determine the breakdown voltage, which becomes very low. In this case, the breakdown voltage increases with increasing the field-plate length.
‘Uncharted territory’: teachers’ perspectives on play in early childhood classrooms in Ireland during the pandemic

ABSTRACT School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted the education of 91% of students worldwide. As a critical process in supporting young children’s resilience, play is increasingly recognised as a valuable pedagogical strategy within a shifting educational landscape during the pandemic. This study reports on findings from a survey on play in early childhood education of 310 early childhood teachers during primary school closures in Ireland. Eighty-two per cent of teachers recommended play strategies to parents during remote teaching and home schooling and almost all teachers (99%) intended to use play as a pedagogical strategy upon school reopening. Teachers believed play was an especially important pedagogical tool in supporting young children’s social-emotional development, learning and transition back to school. Over a third highlighted uncertainty surrounding capacity to use play upon school reopening given COVID-19 regulations, emphasising the need for greater guidance to support teachers’ commitment to play-based pedagogical strategies.
International responses to COVID-19: challenges faced by early childhood professionals

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a world crisis of an unprecedented nature. In March 2020, due to closing of non-essential private and public educational institutions, early childhood professionals had to quickly adapt and respond to the demands for social distancing, hygiene, new protocols and transition to online education. Alternatively, educators engaged in distance teaching and learning, when the families they serve lacked technological resources for online modalities. The present study examines how early childhood teachers in the United States and several Latin American countries are facing the challenges presented by COVID-19. The study clearly reflects the relevancy of the challenges faced by educators of young children, such as lack of preparation for distance teaching and learning, deficiencies in the pre-and in-service trainings to address the educational needs of young children distantly, and the need to work differently with caregivers. Teacher training and development should include the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to successfully reconsider and participate in distance teaching and learning.
Local Mass Transfer Coefficients at Walls Impinged by Unsubmerged Multijets Issued from Very Porous Distributors

The paper deals with the experimental determination of the spatial distribution of local mass transfer coefficients at a solid surface receiving unsubmerged liquid multijets issued from several categories of distributors. The experimental technique uses microelectrodes imbedded in the solid surface and allows the local mass transfer coefficients and the local shear stress to be determined at the same places. Very porous distributors lead to distributions much more uniform than those obtained with poorly porous distributors. A special interest is given to distributors made of metallic foam. The experimental mass transfer coefficients measured at the stagnation point are compared with correlations from the literature.