Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predicting the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B patients receiving antiviral therapy: Validating the CAMD and AASL scores in China

Background: We aimed to validate the predictive value of the cirrhosis, age, male sex, and diabetes (CAMD) score and age, albumin, sex, and liver cirrhosis (AASL) score for chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NUCs) in Northeast China. Methods: From January 2009 to June 2020, 945 patients diagnosed with CHB who received NUC therapy at China-Japan Union Hospital of Jilin University were included. Comprehensive medical records were retrospectively analyzed, and the predictive values of the CAMD score and AASL score for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were evaluated. Results: A total of 58 patients (5.94%) were diagnosed with HCC. Multivariate analysis revealed that age [odds ratio (OR) = 1.041, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.009–1.073, P < 0.011] and cirrhosis (OR = 3.297, 95% CI 1.383–7.861, P < 0.007) were independent predictors of HCC. Either the CAMD or AASL score was significantly higher in the HCC group compared to the non-HCC group. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC) of CAMD and AASL was 0.721 (95% CI 0.663–0.780) and 0.718 (95% CI 0.662–0.774), respectively. Risk stratification using either CAMD or AASL revealed significant differences in the one-, three-, and five-year cumulative incidence rates of HCC between the low-, intermediate-, and high-risk groups (all P < 0.001, log-rank test). Conclusions: Both CAMD and AASL scores have predictive value for HCC risk of CHB patients in Northeast China. In future, the optimal monitoring frequency and methods should be personalized.
Antibiotic Therapy and Risk of Early-Onset Colorectal Cancer: A National Case-Control Study

INTRODUCTION: Antibiotic use has emerged as a risk factor for colorectal neoplasia and is hypothesized as a contributor to the rising incidence of colorectal cancer under age 50 years or early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC). However, the impact of antibiotic use and risk of EOCRC is unknown. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case-control study of CRC among individuals aged ≥18 years in the Epidemiology Strengthened by histoPathology Reports in Sweden (ESPRESSO) cohort (2006–2016). The primary outcome was EOCRC. A secondary outcome was CRC at any age. Incident CRC was pathologically confirmed, and for each, up to 5 population-based controls were matched on age, sex, county of residence, and calendar year. We assessed prescriptions until 6 months before CRC diagnosis. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: We identified 54,804 cases of CRC (2,557 EOCRCs) and 261,089 controls. Compared with none, previous antibiotic use was not associated with EOCRC risk after adjustment for potential confounders (aOR 1.06, 95% CI: 0.96, 1.17) with similarly null findings when stratified by anatomic tumor site. In contrast, previous antibiotic use was weakly associated with elevated risk for CRC at any age (aOR 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.07). A potential but modest link between broad-spectrum antibiotic use and EOCRC was observed (aOR 1.13, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.26). DISCUSSION: We found no conclusive evidence that antibiotics are associated with EOCRC risk. Although antibiotic use was weakly associated with risk of CRC at any age, the magnitude of association was modest, and the study period was relatively short.
Patients’ and physicians’ experiences with remote consultations in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: a multi-method rapid review of the literature

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries implemented remote consultations in primary care to protect patients and staff from infection. Aim The aim of this review was to synthesise the literature exploring patients’ and physicians’ experiences with remote consultations in primary care during the pandemic, with the further aim of informing their future delivery. Design & setting Rapid literature review. Method PubMed and PsychInfo were searched for studies that explored patients’ and physicians’ experiences with remote consultations in primary care. To determine the eligibility of studies, their titles and abstracts were reviewed, before the full article. Qualitative and quantitative data were then extracted from those that were eligible, and the data synthesised using thematic and descriptive synthesis. Results A total of 24 studies were eligible for inclusion in the review. Most were performed in the US (n = 6, 25%) or Europe (n = 7, 29%). Patient and physician experiences were categorised into perceived ‘advantages’ and ‘issues’. Key advantages experienced by patients and physicians included ‘reduced risk of COVID-19’ and ‘increased convenience’, while key issues included ‘a lack of confidence in or access to required technology’ and a ‘loss of non-verbal communication’ which degraded clinical decision-making. Conclusion This review identified a number of advantages and issues experienced by patients and physicians using remote consultations in primary care. The results suggest that, while remote consultations are more convenient and protect patients and staff against COVID-19, they result in the loss of valuable non-verbal communication, and are not accessible to all.
Extrinsic Calibration of Multiple Inertial Sensors from Arbitrary Trajectories

We present a method of extrinsic calibration for a system of multiple inertial measurement units (IMUs) that estimates the relative pose of each IMU on a rigid body using only measurements from the IMUs themselves, without the need to prescribe the trajectory. Our method is based on solving a nonlinear least-squares problem that penalizes inconsistency between measurements from pairs of IMUs. We validate our method with experiments both in simulation and in hardware. In particular, we show that it meets or exceeds the performance---in terms of error, success rate, and computation time---of an existing, state-of-the-art method that does not rely only on IMU measurements and instead requires the use of a camera and a fiducial marker. We also show that the performance of our method is largely insensitive to the choice of trajectory along which IMU measurements are collected.
Sorghum Agronomic Performance and Soil Chemical and Microbiological Properties as Influenced by Burkina Faso Phosphate Rock-Enriched Composts

Purpose The low availability of phosphorus (P) severely limits crop production in sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated phosphate rock-enriched composts on soil properties and sorghum growth for use as environment-friendly fertilizers. Methods Treatments were sorghum straw, compost (Comp), Phosphate Rock (BPR), BPR-enriched compost (P-Comp), BPR-soil-enriched compost (P-Comp-Soil), nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK, 60-90-30), and control without phosphorus and organic material (CT). Sorgum straw and composts were applied at 1.34 tons ha-1. The amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in treatments, except in CT, were adjusted to 60, 90, 30 kg ha-1, with urea, BPR, and KCl, respectively. Sorghum vr. Kapelga was cultivated and soil samples were collected on days 52, 93, and 115 (harvest) for analysis. Results NPK and P-Comp-Soil provided the best sorghum yields. Soil available P was less in these treatments. P-Comp-Soil-amended soils recorded higher populations of bacteria (16S rRNA), acid phosphatase (aphA), phosphonatase (phnX), glucose dehydrogenase (gcd) and its cofactor pyrroloquinoline quinone (pqqE) genes. Phosphate-specific transporter (pstS) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) abundances were generally higher in P-Comp-Soil soils, especially at the early growth stage. This active microbial activity in the P-Comp-Soil added to its initially higher available P justified a better nutrient uptake and yields comparable to NPK. Multivariate analysis also revealed the contribution of nitrogen, carbon, and exchangeable cations in sorghum growth. Conclusion This study demonstrated that direct phosphate rock application is not effective in sub-Saharan African upland cultivation. Alternative to chemical fertilizers, soils may be amended with phosphate rock-enriched composts, a niche of beneficial microbes improving soil health.
Extraction of Polyphenols from Olive Leaves Employing Deep Eutectic Solvents: The Application of Chemometrics to a Quantitative Study on Antioxidant Compounds

The extraction of phenolic compounds from olive leaves was optimized using three glycerol-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with lysine, proline, and arginine. A three-level Box–Behnken design was used to examine the influence of the liquid/solid ratio, concentration of DESs, and extraction temperature on the yield of the extraction process. A second-order polynomial model was used for predicting the polyphenol extraction yield. The optimal predicted conditions were used for extractions and they provided the highest total phenol yields with the glycerol–lysine exhibiting the best performance. Quantification of tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol, oleuropein, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, and rutin in the extracts showed high content in tyrosol in all DESs, particularly with glycerol–lysine and relatively similar contents with other studies for the other phenolic compounds. Finally, a linear relationship between tyrosol content and the total phenolic content of the extracts was observed.
Long-acting recombinant human interleukin-7, NT-I7, increases cytotoxic CD8+ T cells and enhances survival in mouse glioma models.

PURPOSE Patients with glioblastoma (GBM) are treated with radiation therapy (RT) and temozolomide (TMZ). These treatments may cause prolonged systemic lymphopenia, which itself is associated with poor outcomes. NT-I7 is a long-acting IL-7 that expands CD4 and CD8 T cell numbers in humans and mice. We tested whether NT-I7 prevents systemic lymphopenia and improves survival in mouse models of GBM. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN C57BL/6 mice bearing intracranial tumors (GL261 or CT2A) were treated with RT (1.8 Gy/day x 5 days), TMZ (33 mg/kg/day x 5 days), and/or NT-I7 (10 mg/kg on the final day of RT). We followed the mice for survival while serially analyzing levels of circulating T lymphocytes. We assessed regulatory T cells (Treg) and cytotoxic T lymphocytes in the tumor microenvironment, cervical lymph nodes, spleen, and thymus; and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in the bone marrow. RESULTS GBM tumor-bearing mice treated with RT+NT-I7 increased T lymphocytes in the lymph nodes, thymus, and spleen, enhanced IFNγ production, and decreased Treg cells in the tumor which was associated with a significant increase in survival. NT-I7 also enhanced central memory and effector memory CD8 T cells in lymphoid organs and tumor. Depleting CD8 T cells abrogated the effects of NT-I7. Furthermore, NT-I7 treatment decreased progenitor cells in the bone marrow. CONCLUSION In orthotopic glioma-bearing mice, NT-I7 mitigates radiation-related lymphopenia, increases cytotoxic CD8 T lymphocytes systemically and in the tumor, and improves survival. A phase I/II trial to evaluate NT-I7 in patients with high-grade gliomas is ongoing (NCT03687957).
Changes in Biomass and Diversity of Soil Macrofauna along a Climatic Gradient in European Boreal Forests

Simple Summary We used a 1000 km long latitudinal gradient in north-western Russia to study the potential impacts of a changing climate on soil invertebrates visible by a naked eye (insects, spiders, earthworms etc.). We extracted these animals from soil, weighed them and identified them to the species level. We found that the diversity of soil invertebrates decreased towards the north, whereas the latitudinal pattern in biomass depended on the animal’s feeding habit. The biomass of species feeding on live plant roots and fungal mycelia decreased towards the north, whereas the biomass of species feeding on dead plant tissues and live invertebrates showed no significant latitudinal changes. The discovery of this variation in latitudinal biomass patterns suggests that soil invertebrates from different feeding guilds may respond differently to climate change. As a result, the biomass ratio between consumers and their food resources (e.g., herbivores and plants, predators and prey) may change. We poorly understood how this change will affect the future structure and functions of boreal forest ecosystems. Abstract Latitudinal gradients allow insights into the factors that shape ecosystem structure and delimit ecosystem processes, particularly climate. We asked whether the biomass and diversity of soil macrofauna in boreal forests change systematically along a latitudinal gradient spanning from 60° N to 69° N. Invertebrates (3697 individuals) were extracted from 400 soil samples (20 × 20 cm, 30 cm depth) collected at ten sites in 2015–2016 and then weighed and identified. We discovered 265 species living in soil and on the soil surface; their average density was 0.486 g d·w·m−2. The species-level diversity decreased from low to high latitudes. The biomass of soil macrofauna showed no latitudinal changes in early summer but decreased towards the north in late summer. This variation among study sites was associated with the decrease in mean annual temperature by ca 5 °C and with variation in fine root biomass. The biomass of herbivores and fungivores decreased towards the north, whereas the biomass of detritivores and predators showed no significant latitudinal changes. This variation in latitudinal biomass patterns among the soil macrofauna feeding guilds suggests that these guilds may respond differently to climate change, with poorly understood consequences for ecosystem structure and functions.
Shifts in valence states in bimetallic MXenes revealed by electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS)

MXenes are an emergent class of two-dimensional materials with a very wide spectrum of promising applications. The synthesis of multiple MXenes, specifically solid-solution MXenes, allows fine tuning of their properties, expands their range of applications, and leads to enhanced performance. The functionality of solid-solution MXenes is closely related to the valence state of their constituents: transition metals, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. However, the impact of changes in the oxidation state of elements in MXenes is not well understood. In this work, three interrelated solid-solution MXene systems (Ti2−y Nb y CT x , Nb2−y V y CT x , and Ti2−y V y CT x ) were investigated with scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy to determine the localized valence states of metals at the nanoscale. The analysis demonstrates changes in the electronic configuration of V upon modification of the overall composition and within individual MXene flakes. These shifts of oxidation state can explain the nonlinear optical and electronic features of solid-solution MXenes. Vanadium appears to be particularly sensitive to modification of the valence state, while titanium maintains the same oxidation state in Ti–Nb and Ti–V MXenes, regardless of stoichiometry. The study also explains Nb’s influential role in the previously observed electronic properties in the Nb–V and Nb–Ti systems.
A Reduced Radiator Model for Simplification of ONAN Transformer CFD Simulation

In this paper, a reduced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is proposed for determining the total heat dissipation and the oil temperature distribution of transformer radiators in oil natural air natural (ONAN) cooling mode. In the reduced radiator CFD model, the air flow simulation is replaced with an optimized air heat transfer coefficient (<bold><italic>h</italic><italic><sub>air</sub></italic></bold>) equation. An experimentally verified full radiator CFD model, which includes the air flow simulation, has been introduced as a benchmark model for evaluating the validity of the reduced model. It was found that one <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\boldsymbol{h}}_{{\boldsymbol{air}}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> can provide sufficient accuracy in simulating the air convection effect of transformer radiators. An <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\boldsymbol{h}}_{{\boldsymbol{air}}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> equation was derived through a parametric study using the full radiator CFD model. The performance of the proposed <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\boldsymbol{h}}_{{\boldsymbol{air}}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> equation was compared with the existing empirical equations, and its validities for different insulating liquids and different ambient temperatures were proven by additional CFD modelling. This <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\boldsymbol{h}}_{{\boldsymbol{air}}}}$</tex-math></inline-formula> equation can be transformed into a dimensionless form to help the radiator design and facilitate the complete-cooling-loop (CCL) based transformer CFD modelling.
INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL AND INNOVATION: SOME NEW DEVELOPMENTS

The main objective of this paper is to compare what they present [3] and [4], regarding the content, in the relationship between intellectual capital and innovation. Intellectual capital does not yet (year 2020) have a consensual definition. Therefore, studying these 2 topics together, is of some importance, but conditioned by this fact. However, it is useful to know what conclusions the authors reach and what contributions they make to the enlargement of scientific knowledge in the area. The approaches in terms of method used are quantitative. The main conclusion to be drawn from the 2 papers, synthetically, is that, whether we are in the presence of companies with high or low technological intensity, the effects on, product and/or service innovation, innovation management and on the capabilities development of massive products customization, depends on complex and interrelated relationships between each of the components of the notion of intellectual capital that was adopted. This constitutes new insights in the relationship between these 2 topics. It can be said that, if another conceptual definition of intellectual capital was used, its effects on innovation studied by these same authors, would lead to other completely different results, especially if one considered, namely, another variable which is the sales of each company. This, would allow to know the relation of the dimension either by the side of the work factor possessed as well as by the income created by them. Synthetically, the 2 authors, excluding the sales, excluded from their analysis the value of the business wealth created that is due to the same topics, individually or together. And, for that reason, they limited the scope of the analysis performed and the contribution to the enlargement of scientific knowledge.
Terephthalaldehyde–Phenolic Resins as a Solid-Phase Extraction System for the Recovery of Rare-Earth Elements

Rare-earth elements (REEs) are involved in most high technology devices and have become critical for many countries. The progress of processes for the extraction and recovery of REEs is therefore essential. Liquid–solid extraction methods are an attractive alternative to the conventional solvent extraction process used for the separation and/or purification of REEs. For this purpose, a solid-phase extraction system was investigated for the extraction and valorization of REEs. Ion-exchange resins were synthesized involving the condensation of terephthalaldehyde with resorcinol under alkaline conditions. The terephthalaldehyde, which is a non-hazardous aromatic dialdehyde, was used as an alternative to formaldehyde that is toxic and traditionally involved to prepare phenolic ion-exchange resins. The resulting formaldehyde-free resole-type phenolic resins were characterized and their ion-exchange capacity was investigated in regard to the extraction of rare-earth elements. We herein present a promising formaldehyde and phenol-free as a potential candidate for solid–liquid extraction REE with a capacity higher than 50 mg/g and the possibility to back-extract the REEs by a striping step using a 2 M HNO3 solution.
Analysis of Control Methods for the Traction Drive of an Alternating Current Electric Locomotive

The analysis of operating conditions of traction drives of electric locomotives with asynchronous traction motors has been carried out. It was found that during operation in the output converter of an asynchronous motor, defects may occur, which leads to asymmetric modes of its operation. Models of a traction drive of an electric locomotive with asynchronous motors with scalar and vector control of the output converter are proposed, taking into account asymmetric operating modes. As a result of the simulation, the starting characteristics of the traction drive were obtained for various control methods both in normal and emergency modes of the drive. For the drive-in emergency mode, the following cases were investigated: the balance of the converter output voltages and the turn-to-turn circuit of 10% of phase A winding of the motor stator; imbalance of the output voltages of the inverter and an intact motor; imbalance of the output voltages of the converter and interturn short circuit of 10% of phase A winding of the motor stator. Comparison of the simulation results have shown that in emergency modes in the traction drive, the torque ripple on the motor shaft in the drive with vector control is 13% less, and in scalar control, the phase current unbalance coefficient is 22% less. The results of this work can be used to study the influence of the output converter control methods on the energy efficiency indicators of the traction drive of an AC electric locomotive.
Which misspeciﬁcations persist?

We use an evolutionary model to determine which misperceptions can persist. Every period, a new generation of agents use their subjective models and the data generated by the previous generation to update their beliefs, and models that induce better actions become more prevalent. An equilibrium can resist mutations that lead agents to use a model that better ﬁts the equilibrium data but induce the mutated agents to take an action with lower payoffs. We characterize which steady states resist mutations to a nearby model, and which resist mutations that drop a qualitative restriction such as independence.
Experimental study on seismic performance of slab-column connection with shear studs under large gravity-shear ratio

To study the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete slab-column connections with shear studs,three slab-column connection specimens,with large gravity-shear ratio of 0.886,0.844 and 0.802 respectively,were tested under lateral cyclic loading.The layout of the punching shear studs was orthogonal for specimens Joint 1 and Joint 2 and radial for Joint 3.The results show that the specimens fail due to punching shear,but the locations of the punched sections are different.The tested ultimate story drift ratios are 1/69,1/46 and 1/40 respectively.The slab-column connection specimens with studs can provide good lateral deformation capacity when the gravity-shear ratio is large.The punching shear strengths outside the studs of the specimens,calculated by the adopted formula,agree well with the test results.