Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High availability of hybrid wireless networks

Free Space Optical (FSO) links offer high bandwidth and the flexibility of wireless communication links. However, the availability of FSO links is limited by weather patterns like fog and heavy snowfall. Microwave based communication links operating at high frequencies (40 - 43 GHz) have similar characteristics like high data rates and needed line-of-sight. Link availability for microwave systems is limited by heavy rain. Combining FSO links with microwave links within a hybrid FSO/microwave communication network has the advantage of added redundancy and higher link availability. Measurements over a period of one year show a combined availability of 99.93% for the climatic region of Graz (Austria) which proves that the combination of both technologies leads to a highly available wireless connection offering high bandwidth.
Booster or additional vaccination doses in patients vaccinated against COVID-19

Several health organizations, mainly in Western countries, have recently authorized the use of a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine for patients previously vaccinated with mRNA vaccines, with criteria that do not always coincide. The COVID Scientific Committee of the Illustrious College of Physicians of Madrid (ICOMEM) has received and asked several questions about this situation, to which the group has tried to give answers, after deliberation and consensus. The efficacy of the vaccines administered so far is beyond doubt and they have managed to reduce, fundamentally, the severe forms of the disease. The duration of this protection is not well known, is different in different individuals and for different variants of the virus and is not easily predictable with laboratory tests. Data on the real impact of a supplementary or “booster” dose in the scientific literature are scarce for the moment and its application in large populations such as those in the state of Israel may be associated with a decrease in the risk of new and severe episodes in the short observation period available. We also lack sufficient data on the safety and potential adverse effects of these supplementary doses and we do not know the ideal time to administer them in different situations. In this state of affairs, it seems prudent to administer supplemental doses to those exposed to a higher risk, such as immunocompromised individuals and the elderly. On the other hand, we consider that this is not the time to accelerate, on the spur of the moment, a massive administration of a third dose to other population groups that are less exposed and at lower risk, without waiting for adequate scientific information, which will undoubtedly arrive gradually. We do not believe that this position is incompatible with the practical and ethical warnings made by the World Health Organization in this respect.
Discriminating mild traumatic brain injury using sparse dictionary learning of functional network dynamics

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is usually caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or penetrating head injury, and carries the risk of inducing cognitive disorders. However, identifying the biomarkers for the diagnosis of mTBI is challenging as evident abnormalities in brain anatomy are rarely found in patients with mTBI. In this study, we tested whether the alteration of functional network dynamics could be used as potential biomarkers to better diagnose mTBI. We propose a sparse dictionary learning framework to delineate spontaneous fluctuation of functional connectivity into the subject‐specific time‐varying evolution of a set of overlapping group‐level sparse connectivity components (SCCs) based on the resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 31 mTBI patients in the early acute phase (<3 days postinjury) and 31 healthy controls (HCs). The identified SCCs were consistently distributed in the cohort of subjects without significant inter‐group differences in connectivity patterns. Nevertheless, subject‐specific temporal expression of these SCCs could be used to discriminate patients with mTBI from HCs with a classification accuracy of 74.2% (specificity 64.5% and sensitivity 83.9%) using leave‐one‐out cross‐validation. Taken together, our findings indicate neuroimaging biomarkers for mTBI individual diagnosis based on the temporal expression of SCCs underlying time‐resolved functional connectivity.
Endoscopic Ultrasound-Guided Gastroenterostomy for Afferent Loop Syndrome

Afferent loop syndrome (ALS) is a mechanical obstruction of the afferent limbs after gastrectomy with gastrojejunostomy reconstruction. Patients with cancer recurrence require immediate and less invasive treatment because of their poor condition. Percutaneous transhepatic/transluminal drainage (PTD) and endoscopic enteral stenting offer reasonable palliative treatment for malignant ALS but are not fully satisfactory in terms of patient quality of life (QoL) and stent patency. Endoscopic ultrasound-guided gastroenterostomy (EUS-GE) using a lumen-apposing metal stent may address these shortcomings. Clinical data from 11 reports showed that all patients who had undergone EUS-GE had positive technical and clinical outcomes. The adverse event rate was 11.4%, including only mild or moderate abdominal pain, with no severe adverse events. Indirect comparative studies indicated that patients who had undergone EUS-GE had a significantly superior QoL, a higher clinical success rate, and a lower reintervention rate than those who had undergone PTD or endoscopic enteral stenting. Although the evidence is limited, EUS-GE may be considered as a first-line treatment for malignant ALS because it has better clinical outcomes than other less invasive treatments, such as PTD or endoscopic enteral stenting. Further prospective randomized control trials are necessary to establish EUS-GE as a standard treatment for ALS.
The anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of curcumin on feline mammary gland tumor cells in vitro.

Background Feline mammary gland tumors (FMGTs) are the third most diagnosed tumors in cats. Feline mammary gland tumors have aggressive biological behavior and poor response to both surgical and medical treatments, thus, new therapeutic approaches are essential to improve. Curcumin (CUR) is a polyphenol component exhibiting anti-cancer effects and induces apoptosis through different mechanisms especially in human breast cancer. However, there is no study investigating the effects of CUR on FMGTs. Aims The aim of this study was to determine the anti-proliferative and apoptotic effects of CUR on primary cell lines from FMGT tissue samples of two cases classified as carcinoma-simple, tubular type (grade III). Methods The cytotoxic effect of CUR was determined by water-soluble tetrazolium salt-1 (WST-1) assay. Annexin V, cell cycle, and acridine orange (AO) analyses were performed to determine the apoptotic effect of CUR. Results Our results showed that CUR had an anti-proliferative and apoptotic effect through induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest (G0/G1) on FMGT cells. Conclusion Therefore, this is the first study that shows the effects of CUR on FMGTs. However, further molecular studies are required to compare the effects of CUR on different histopathological phenotypes and to determine the further molecular mechanisms including the potential apoptotic and cellular pathways affected by CUR.
Evaluation of the vitreolenticular interface with intraoperative OCT

Age is a risk factor for AVD. Posterior capsulorhexis does not cause and might even prevent postoperative ocular complications in the posterior segment to a certain degree. Purpose: To determine the prevalence of anterior vitreous detachment (AVD) in routine bag-in-the-lens (BIL) cataract cases and possibly to identify risk factors for its presence. Setting: University Hospital of Antwerp, Belgium. Design: Prospective cross-sectional study. Methods: Patients having routine BIL cataract surgery were included. Patients with traumatic cataract, previous intraocular surgeries, YAG laser treatment, intravitreal injection, or medical conditions that might affect normal ophthalmologic anatomy were excluded. Several parameters were collected from the patients’ records, and their surgical videos/photographs/optical coherence tomography were evaluated. Results: 99 eyes of 99 patients were included. Detectable AVD was observed in 62 eyes (63%). AVD was not present in 37 eyes (37%). The difference in prevalence of AVD between men and women was not statistically significant (P = .55, Pearson χ2 test). The Mann-Whitney U test for axial length was not statistically significant (P = .38). However, it was statistically significant for age (P < .005). A logistic regression model to ascertain the effect of age on the likelihood that patients had AVD did reach statistical significance (χ2 (1) = 8.246, P < . 005). Conclusions: The prevalence of AVD in a routine cataract population was 63%. Age was identified as a risk factor. This study model determined that the odds for AVD increase 5.3% with each year of patient age. These data allowed for better preoperative and postoperative assessment of complications. The BIL, by its mandatory primary posterior continuous curvilinear capsulorhexis, did not increase the risk for postoperative ocular complications in the posterior segment of the eye.
Effect of angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitors on left atrial remodeling and prognosis in heart failure

The angiotensin receptor–neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), sacubitril/valsartan, confers additional protective effects compared with angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors/angiotensin II receptor blockers (ACEIs/ARBs) in terms of reversed left ventricular (LV) remodelling and improves the prognosis of patients with heart failure (HF). However, few studies have examined the effects of ARNI on the left atrium. Accordingly, this study compared the effects of ARNI and ACEI/ARB on left atrial (LA) remodelling in heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
Propofol suppresses the growth and invasion of cervical carcinoma cells by inhibiting MIR155HG

Background: Cervical cancer is the most prevalent malignancy worldwide and propofol reportedly has anti-cancer efficiencies. Herein, we tried to address the potential anti-cancer effects of propofol in cervical carcinoma. Materials and Methods: The suppression effects of propofol on the proliferation and invasion of cervical cancer cells were analyzed by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation and Transwell invasion assay. The protein expressions of epithelial marker, E-cadherin and mesenchymal marker, N-cadherin were evaluated using western blot. The level of MIR155 host gene (MIR155HG) was determined by qRT-PCR assay. The anti-cancer impact of propofol on cervical cancer cells growth in vivo was determined by means of xenograft tumor model and lung metastasis model. Results: In vitro, propofol inhibited the growth and colony-formation of cervical carcinoma cells. Meanwhile, propofol treatment reduced the invasive trait of cervical carcinoma cells. In addition, MIR155HG was identified to be distinctly upregulated in cervical carcinoma when compared within normal. Propofol treatment decreased the expression of MIR155HG in cervical cancer cells. Consistently, the results from in vivo xenograft model indicated that propofol repressed cervical cancer cells growth and decreased the expression of MIR155HG in vivo. Furthermore, reintroduction of MIR155HG into cervical cancer cells counteracted the inhibitory potency of propofol on the growth and aggressive phenotypes in cervical carcinoma cells. Conclusions: Altogether, these results indicated that propofol restrained the growth and invasion of cervical cancer cells partly via regulating MIR155HG expression.
Biomechanical responses of Nordic walking in people with Parkinson's disease

In healthy adults, Nordic walking (NW) is known to increase the external mechanical energy fluctuations, though the external work is unaltered due to an improved pendulum‐like recovery in comparison with free walking (FW). We aimed to compare mechanical, pendulum‐like, and spatiotemporal parameters of gait at different speeds with and without NW poles in people with Parkinson's disease and healthy controls. The study included 11 people (aged 65.6 ± 7.0 years) with idiopathic Parkinson's disease, scoring between 1 and 1.5 on the Hoehn and Yahr scale (H&Y), and nine healthy controls (aged 70.0 ± 5.6 years). All the people were experienced Nordic walkers. Walking tests were performed at 1.8 km h−1 and 4.7 km h−1, on eight 3D force platforms on a walkway. We found greater pendulum‐like energy recovery (p < 0.05) in the Parkinson group during NW than in FW, while external mechanical work remained similar (p > 0.05). People with Parkinson's disease showed a major increase in vertical and forward energy fluctuations using poles than in healthy controls. In addition, the Parkinson group showed increased stride frequency and reduced stride length compared to controls in the NW and FW conditions. Our findings partly justify the lower walking economy in Parkinson's disease due to reduced pendulum‐like mechanism at commonly used speeds. NW alters gait mechanics similarly in Parkinson group and healthy control, increasing the total mechanical work. Therefore, NW can be a compelling strategy for rehabilitation because of its potential for improving functional mobility, increasing pendulum‐like mechanism in Parkinson's disease.
Biomechanics Related to Increased Softball Pitcher Shoulder Stress: Implications for Injury Prevention

Background: Softball pitchers exhibit high throwing shoulder distraction force, which is a theorized mechanism of throwing shoulder overuse injury. Windmill pitching involves a variety of highly individualistic pitching styles, and certain kinematics preceding ball release likely influence the amount of shoulder stress that a pitcher accrues. Purpose: To examine the association of trunk and throwing arm kinematics, kinetics, and timing variables with peak throwing shoulder distraction force in high school softball pitchers. Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Methods: A total of 37 high school pitchers (mean ± SD; height, 1.71 ± 0.06 m; weight, 75.53 ± 16.12 kg; age, 16 ± 2 years) threw 10 fastball pitches at regulation distance (43 ft [13.1 m]) and with maximum effort. Kinematic data were collected at 240 Hz using an electromagnetic motion capture system synced with motion analysis software. The 3 fastest pitches were averaged and analyzed. Kinematic, kinetic, and timing variables were entered into a stepwise linear regression analysis. Results: Four variables were included in the significant model (F4,39 = 147.51; P < .001) and explained peak shoulder distraction force (R2 = 0.944; adjusted R2 = 0.938; SE = 0.036): increased peak elbow distraction force (t = 19.90; P < .001) and extension moment (t = 3.63; P = .001), as well as decreased elbow flexion velocity (t = −2.37; P = .023) and trunk flexion at foot contact of the pitch (t = −3.00; P = .005). Conclusion: Elbow kinetics and angular velocity, as well as trunk positioning at foot contact, are associated with peak throwing shoulder distraction force in high school softball pitchers. Clinical Relevance: Variables associated with peak throwing shoulder distraction force provide information regarding injury mechanism and coachable cues that might reduce shoulder injury risk among pitchers.
Are we teaching health science students in the United States what they need to know about death and dying coping strategies?

Purpose This investigation aimed to answer the following questions: are health science students provided with death and dying education before attending clinical rotations, and if so, do the students receiving this type of education perceive it as effective? Methods In this descriptive cross-sectional survey, 96 Midwestern State University health science students were surveyed to determine the percentage of students who had received death and dying education before clinical rotations, as well as the students’ perception of educational effectiveness for those who had received end-of-life training. A self-report questionnaire presented nursing, radiologic sciences, and respiratory care students with a series of questions pertaining to the education they had received concerning the death and dying process of patients. Results Of the 93 students who had already started their clinical rotations, 55 stated they had not received death and dying education before starting clinical courses. Of the 38 who had received death and dying education, only 17 students believed the training was effective. Conclusion It is imperative that health science educational programs implement death and dying education and training into the curriculum, and that criteria for evaluating effectiveness be an essential part of death and dying education and training in order to ensure effectiveness.
Impact of an individualized and adaptive cognitive intervention on working memory, planning and fluid reasoning processing in preschoolers from poor homes

ABSTRACT Contemporary evidence shows that different intervention approaches can be effective in improving executive cognitive performance in preschoolers from poor homes. However, several aspects about the role of individual and contextual differences in intervention effects remain to be elucidated. The present study aimed to explore the impact of a computerized executive cognitive intervention with lab-based tasks in preschoolers from Unsatisfied Basic Needs (UBN) homes. In the context of a randomized controlled design, different activities were administered to children according to their baseline performance in a variety of cognitive tasks tapping inhibitory control, working memory, and planning demands (i.e., high- and low-performance intervention and control groups). Results suggested that the impact of the intervention was shown preferentially by high-performers in Tower of London and K-Bit tasks, who increased their performances in the posttest assessment. This finding supports the importance of considering individual and contextual differences in the design of interventions aimed at changing the cognitive performance of children from poor homes.
Are burial or disposal with garbage safe forms of child faeces disposal? An expert consultation

The importance of safe handling and disposal of child faeces given its potential role in disease transmission are increasingly recognized. Household surveys demonstrate that the burying of child faeces (‘dig-and-bury’) is common in several countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa and South-east Asia. Disposal with garbage is widely practised in middle- and high-income countries and is becoming increasingly common in urban areas of low-income countries. The safety of these two approaches is difficult to assess given the limited evidence available and we therefore sought the opinion of experts in the field of sanitation to support advocacy around the topic. We report the findings of an anonymous expert (Delphi) consultation on the safety of these two child faeces disposal methods. There was almost unanimous agreement these should be considered neither safe nor improved. A range of arguments was provided to support this position, including proximity of solid waste and burial sites to the home and children.
The ups and downs of caloric restriction and fasting: from molecular effects to clinical application

Age‐associated diseases are rising to pandemic proportions, exposing the need for efficient and low‐cost methods to tackle these maladies at symptomatic, behavioral, metabolic, and physiological levels. While nutrition and health are closely intertwined, our limited understanding of how diet precisely influences disease often precludes the medical use of specific dietary interventions. Caloric restriction (CR) has approached clinical application as a powerful, yet simple, dietary modulation that extends both life‐ and healthspan in model organisms and ameliorates various diseases. However, due to psychological and social‐behavioral limitations, CR may be challenging to implement into real life. Thus, CR‐mimicking interventions have been developed, including intermittent fasting, time‐restricted eating, and macronutrient modulation. Nonetheless, possible side effects of CR and alternatives thereof must be carefully considered. We summarize key concepts and differences in these dietary interventions in humans, discuss their molecular effects, and shed light on advantages and disadvantages.
Productivity and Cost of Mechanized Whole-Tree Harvesting of Fast-Growing Eucalypt Stands

Abstract The performance of alternative equipment for the whole-tree harvesting of eucalypt stands was evaluated, using data from five different commercial operations. The study covered three machines for felling and bunching, two for extraction (skidding), and two for combined delimbing, debarking and chipping. Productivity and operating cost models were evaluated for each of the machines, in order to estimate the net harvesting costs under varying forest stand and site conditions. It was found that under easy terrain conditions (flat terrain, dry ground), trees should be felled by threewheeled feller-bunchers and extracted by front-end loaders, as this combination had the lowest harvesting costs. Due to mobility limitations, this equipment may have to be replaced by tracked feller-bunchers and conventional skidders in steep terrain and/or soft ground. It was estimated that the cost of using the wheeled feller-buncher and the front-end loader system ranged between 16–22$ per oven-dry-ton (odt), depending on tree size. If difficult terrain imposes a shift towards the second, more expensive combination, harvesting cost will increase by about 30% and may exceed 25 $/odt for an average tree weight less than 0.1 odt. Unit costs are inflated by 30% if the hog fuel is considered a by-product and the harvesting cost is charged entirely on the clean chip.
Doxorubicin promotes breast cancer cell migration and invasion via DCAF13

DDB1 and CUL4 associated factor 13 (DCAF13) is a substrate receptor in the CUL4‐DDB1 E3 ligase, and its expression is associated with the prognosis of certain cancers. In the present study, we report evidence that DCAF13 is aberrantly overexpressed in human breast cancer and its expression is positively associated with cancer progression. Further analysis showed that the DCAF13 expression level is significantly higher in triple‐negative breast cancer compared to non‐triple‐negative breast cancer, indicating a positive correlation between its expression and the aggressiveness of breast cancer. Subsequent studies revealed that DCAF13 regulates cancer cell migration, invasion and epithelial–mesenchymal transition in human breast cancer, whereas it has no significant impact on breast cancer cell proliferation, cell cycle progressionor apoptosis. Taken together, our results demonstrate that DCAF13 promotes the epithelial–mesenchymal transition in human breast cancer cells, indicating an involvement in breast cancer metastasis. Furthermore, we report that doxorubicin, a widely used chemotherapy drug, increases DCAF13 expression in breast cancer cells, leading to enhanced cancer cell migration and invasion. These results suggest that doxorubicin chemotherapy may increase the risk of metastasis of drug‐resistant breast cancer cells, and future therapeutics targeting DCAF13 may help reduce the risk, especially for patients undergoing chemotherapy.