Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Establishing the Injury Severity of Subaxial Cervical Spine Trauma

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Study Design. Global cross-sectional survey. Objective. The aim of this study was to validate the AO Spine Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification by examining the perceived injury severity by surgeon across AO geographical regions and practice experience. Summary of Background Data. Previous subaxial cervical spine injury classifications have been limited by subpar interobserver reliability and clinical applicability. In an attempt to create a universally validated scheme with prognostic value, AO Spine established a subaxial cervical spine injury classification involving four elements: injury morphology, facet injury involvement, neurologic status, and case-specific modifiers. Methods. A survey was sent to 272 AO Spine members across all geographic regions and with a variety of practice experience. Respondents graded the severity of each variable of the classification system on a scale from zero (low severity) to 100 (high severity). Primary outcome was to assess differences in perceived injury severity for each injury type over geographic regions and level of practice experience. Results. A total of 189 responses were received. Overall, the classification system exhibited a hierarchical progression in subtype injury severity scores. Only three subtypes showed a significant difference in injury severity score among geographic regions: F3 (floating lateral mass fracture, P = 0.04), N3 (incomplete spinal cord injury, P = 0.03), and M2 (critical disk herniation, P = 0.04). When stratified by surgeon experience, pairwise comparison showed only two morphological subtypes, B1 (bony posterior tension band injury, P = 0.02) and F2 (unstable facet fracture, P = 0.03), and one neurologic subtype (N3, P = 0.02) exhibited a significant difference in injury severity score. Conclusion. The AO Spine Subaxial Cervical Spine Injury Classification System has shown to be reliable and suitable for proper patient management. The study shows this classification is substantially generalizable by geographic region and surgeon experience, and provides a consistent method of communication among physicians while covering the majority of subaxial cervical spine traumatic injuries. Level of Evidence: 4
Selected Geometric and Mechanical Properties of Barley (Hordeum Vulgare L.) Grain

The properties of grain of Mauritia and Prestige barley varieties were determined for moisture content of 12.5 and 15.5% wet basis. Broad variations were observed in the relationship between the moisture content of grain, its variety, and the geometric properties of barley. Most of the geometric properties of barley were dependent on both the cultivar studied and the moisture content of grain, while selected characteristics were dependent on moisture content of grain or barley cultivar only. The values of displacement, force and energy required for kernel rapture were lower for Mauritia variety than Prestige variety and were not dependent on the moisture content of grain.
Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in patients submitted to percutaneous coronary intervention: an integrative review.

OBJECTIVE to demonstrate scientific evidence on incidence and factors associated with contrast-induced nephropathy in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. METHODS an integrative review carried out in the VHL, PubMed, VHL Regional Portal and SciELO databases, of articles published between 2014 and 2019. RESULTS the sample consisted of five original articles, two cohorts, two control cases and a clinical trial. The incidence of contrast-induced nephropathy ranged from 6% to 24%. It stands out among patients with advanced age, male gender, diabetes mellitus, systemic arterial hypertension, volume of contrast infused and osmolarity. Intravenous hydration, sodium bicarbonate, ascorbic acid and statin were important prophylactic agents. CONCLUSION this study envisioned the main risk factors for contrast-induced nephropathy in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and elucidated preventive measures that guide multidisciplinary health care aiming at a quality and safe care.
Measuring transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) as indicator of the (bio)fouling potential of RO feed water

Transparent exopolymer particles (TEP) are an abundant type of EPS in surface waters which were recently regarded as major initiators of biofilm formation on reverse osmosis (RO) membranes. The goal of this study was to monitor the presence of these substances in RO feed water and its removal by pre-treatment with MF/UF. Modifications were applied on the existing TEP determination method to measure both particulate (<0.4 µm) and colloidal (0.05–0.40 µm) TEP. Results show colloidal TEPs (c-TEP) were more abundant than particulate TEP (p-TEP) in both fresh and sea water samples, affirming the importance of measuring this often neglected colloidal fraction. Higher TEP concentrations were recorded in seawater than in freshwater samples and a significant variation of TEP concentration was observed in seawater samples collected during the spring season. In two integrated membrane systems (IMS), 70–75% of TEP removal was recorded by MF and UF with inline coagulation. However, significant amounts of TEP (mostly c.
Exact solution for velocity profile of flow of multilayer immiscible liquids

Exact solution of the momentum balance Equation for a multilayer immiscible liquid system following the criterion of Newtonian fluids under laminar flow is presented. The exact solutions for the multilayer system are found by identifying patterns in the expressions for velocities in two-, three-, four-, and five-layer liquid systems. Finally, the method has been generalised to find solutions for an n-layer hypothetical system. Examples for the velocity profile of two and three layers of real liquids along with that of a twenty-layer hypothetical immiscible liquid system are presented.
The Behavior of Two Types of Upper Removable Retainers—Our Clinical Experience

The Hawley retainer (HR) and the vacuum-formed retainer (VFR) are the most common removable retainers in orthodontic treatments. The aim of this retrospective study was to comparatively analyze the behavior of two types of removable retainers—HRs and VFRs—in terms of retainer damage, loss, and the rate of installation of mild or severe relapse that required recourse to certain therapeutic interventions. The study was performed on 618 orthodontic patients aged 11–17 years, average age 13.98 ± 1.51, out of which 57% were patients having VFRs and the remaining 43% having HRs in the upper arch. We performed an analysis of the two groups of patients—HRs group and VFRs group—at 6 months (T1) and at 12 months (T2) after the application of the retainer. The results showed that 6% of all the retainers were damaged, mostly at T2 (54.1%). Seven percent of all the retainers were lost, mostly at T1 (58.1%). Of all the patients, 9.1% presented mild relapse, mostly at T1 (58.9%), while 2.6% presented severe relapse. The VFRs were significantly more frequently associated with the occurrence of damage than the HRs (p < 0.001). Severe relapse was more frequently associated with the HRs rather than with VFRs (p < 0.05).
Information Sources, Risk Perception, and Efficacy Appraisal’s Prediction of Engagement in Protective Behaviors Against COVID-19 in China: Repeated Cross-sectional Survey

Background As the COVID-19 pandemic has become a major public health threat worldwide, it is critical to understand what factors affect individual engagement in protective actions. Because of its authoritarian political system and state-owned media system, how Chinese individuals engaged in protective actions against COVID-19 might be different compared to other countries. Objective The purpose of this study is to examine how the source of information about COVID-19, Chinese individuals’ risk perception of COVID-19 (ie, perceived severity and perceived susceptibility), and their efficacy appraisal in controlling COVID-19 (ie, response efficacy and self-efficacy) affected their engagement in protective actions. Additionally, this study aims to investigate whether there is any difference in these relationships throughout the duration of this pandemic. Methods A six-wave repeated cross-sectional survey (N=1942) was conducted in six major cities in China between February 7 and April 23, 2020. Participants’ reliance on expert versus inexpert sources for information about COVID-19, their perceived severity of and susceptibility to COVID-19, their response efficacy and self-efficacy, and their engagement in protective actions (staying at home, wearing a face mask, and washing hands) were measured. Demographic variables (sex, age, income, education, and city of residence), knowledge of COVID-19, and self-rated health condition were controlled. Results Reliance on expert sources did not become the major factor that motivated these actions until wave 3, and the negative effect of inexpert sources on these actions was limited to wave 2. Perceived severity encouraged some protective behaviors but its effect varied depending on the specific behavior. In addition, perceived severity exhibited a stronger effect on these behaviors compared to perceived susceptibility. The positive effect of response efficacy was only significant at waves 1 and 2, and limited to certain behaviors. Conclusions Chinese individuals’ engagement in protective behaviors might not entirely be their autonomous decision but a result of compliance with executive orders. After the early outbreak, expert sources started to facilitate protective behaviors, suggesting that it might take time to develop trust in these sources. The facilitating effect of perceived severity lasted throughout the duration of the pandemic, but that of response efficacy was limited to the early stage.
Evaluation of the Skin Sensitization Potential of Carbon Nanotubes Using Alternative In Vitro and In Vivo Assays

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the major types of nanomaterials that have various industrial and biomedical applications. However, there is a risk of accidental exposure to CNTs in individuals involved in their large-scale production and in individuals who use products containing CNTs. This study aimed to evaluate the skin sensitization induced by CNTs using two alternative tests. We selected single-wall carbon nanotubes and multi-walled carbon nanotubes for this study. First, the physiochemical properties of the CNTs were measured, including the morphology, size, and zeta potential, under various conditions. Thereafter, we assessed the sensitization potential of the CNTs using the ARE-Nrf2 Luciferase KeratinoSens™ assay, an in vitro alternative test method. In addition, the CNTs were evaluated for their skin sensitization potential using the LLNA: BrdU-FCM in vivo alternative test method. In this study, we report for the first time the sensitization results of CNTs using the KeratinoSens™ and LLNA: BrdU-FCM test methods in this study. This study found that both CNTs do not induce skin sensitization. These results suggest that the KeratinoSens™ and LLNA: BrdU-FCM assay may be useful as alternative assays for evaluating the potential of some nanomaterials that can induce skin sensitization.
Evaluating the effectiveness of concurrent opioid agonist treatment and physician-based mental health services for patients with mental disorders in Ontario, Canada

Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between concurrent physician-based mental health services, all-cause mortality, and acute health service use for individuals enrolled in Opioid Agonist Treatment in Ontario, Canada. Methods A cohort study of patients enrolled in opioid agonist treatment in Ontario was conducted between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2015, in Ontario with an inverse probability of treatment weights using the propensity score to estimate the effect of physician-based mental health services. Treatment groups were created based on opioid agonist treatment patients’ utilization of physician-based mental health services. Propensity score weighted odds ratios were calculated to assess the relationship between the treatment groups and the outcomes of interest. The outcomes included all-cause mortality using data from the Registered Persons Database, Emergency Department visits from the National Ambulatory Care Database, and hospitalizations using data from the Discharge Abstract Database. Encrypted patient identifiers were used to link across databases. Results A total of 48,679 individuals in OAT with mental disorders. Opioid agonist treatment alone was associated with reduced odds of all-cause mortality (odds ratio (OR) 0.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.3–0.4). Patients who received mental health services from a psychiatrist and primary care physician while engaged in OAT, the estimated rate of ED visits per year was higher (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.2–1.4) and the rate of hospitalizations (OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.4–0.6) than in the control group. Conclusion Our findings support the view that opioid agonist treatment and concurrent mental health services can improve clinical outcomes for complex patients, and is associated with enhanced use of acute care services.
Improving clinical disease subtyping and future events prediction through a chest CT‐based deep learning approach

Purpose To develop and evaluate a deep learning (DL) approach to extract rich information from high‐resolution computed tomography (HRCT) of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Methods We develop a DL‐based model to learn a compact representation of a subject, which is predictive of COPD physiologic severity and other outcomes. Our DL model learned: (a) to extract informative regional image features from HRCT; (b) to adaptively weight these features and form an aggregate patient representation; and finally, (c) to predict several COPD outcomes. The adaptive weights correspond to the regional lung contribution to the disease. We evaluate the model on 10 300 participants from the COPDGene cohort. Results Our model was strongly predictive of spirometric obstruction (r2 = 0.67) and grouped 65.4% of subjects correctly and 89.1% within one stage of their GOLD severity stage. Our model achieved an accuracy of 41.7% and 52.8% in stratifying the population‐based on centrilobular (5‐grade) and paraseptal (3‐grade) emphysema severity score, respectively. For predicting future exacerbation, combining subjects’ representations from our model with their past exacerbation histories achieved an accuracy of 80.8% (area under the ROC curve of 0.73). For all‐cause mortality, in Cox regression analysis, we outperformed the BODE index improving the concordance metric (ours: 0.61 vs BODE: 0.56). Conclusions Our model independently predicted spirometric obstruction, emphysema severity, exacerbation risk, and mortality from CT imaging alone. This method has potential applicability in both research and clinical practice.
Behaviour of the non-linear optical material KTiOPO4 in the temperature range 293-973 K studied by x-ray diffractometry at high resolution: alkaline displacements

The crystal structure of potassium titanyl phosphate, KTiOPO4 (space group Pna21), has been refined at room temperature, at 673 K, and at 973 K, by using accurate single-crystal x-ray diffraction techniques at high resolution (dmin = 0.35 A). The data show a large amount of anharmonic motion of the potassium ions, increasing with temperature. To describe this motion, two models are developed: a normal refinement including potassium anharmonic thermal displacement parameters, which describes the average motion of the alkaline sites, and another model in which the potassium sites are split within the harmonic approximation and the displacements of the potassium ions versus temperature are described more precisely.
Inteins in Science: Evolution to Application

Inteins are mobile genetic elements that apply standard enzymatic strategies to excise themselves post-translationally from the precursor protein via protein splicing. Since their discovery in the 1990s, recent advances in intein technology allow for them to be implemented as a modern biotechnological contrivance. Radical improvement in the structure and catalytic framework of cis- and trans-splicing inteins devised the development of engineered inteins that contribute to various efficient downstream techniques. Previous literature indicates that implementation of intein-mediated splicing has been extended to in vivo systems. Besides, the homing endonuclease domain also acts as a versatile biotechnological tool involving genetic manipulation and control of monogenic diseases. This review orients the understanding of inteins by sequentially studying the distribution and evolution pattern of intein, thereby highlighting a role in genetic mobility. Further, we include an in-depth summary of specific applications branching from protein purification using self-cleaving tags to protein modification, post-translational processing and labelling, followed by the development of intein-based biosensors. These engineered inteins offer a disruptive approach towards research avenues like biomaterial construction, metabolic engineering and synthetic biology. Therefore, this linear perspective allows for a more comprehensive understanding of intein function and its diverse applications.
The irradiation of spices, packaging materials and luncheon meat to improve the storage life of the end products

Summary Spices and packaging materials were exposed to γ-irradiation at a dose of 10 kGy. Luncheon meat was prepared with irradiated or non-irradiated spices and packaged in irradiated or non-irradiated packaging materials. Packaged luncheon meat was treated with 2 kGy. Irradiated and non-irradiated packaged luncheon meat were kept in a refrigerator (1–4 °C) for 12 months. Microbiological, nutritive and chemical characteristics of luncheon were evaluated after processing and during storage; whereas, sensory quality was evaluated only after irradiation. γ-Irradiation decreased the microbiological counts of spices, packaging materials and packed products and increased its shelf-life. No significant differences in moisture, protein, fat, pH value, total acidity, lipid peroxide and volatile basic nitrogen were observed as a result of irradiation. Sensory evaluation showed that all the combinations of treated luncheon meats were acceptable. However, the taste, odour, appearance and texture scores of irradiated packaged products were significantly lower than those of non-irradiated samples.
“It might be a statistic to me, but every death matters.”: An assessment of facility-level maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response systems in four sub-Saharan African countries

Background Maternal and perinatal death surveillance and response (MPDSR) systems aim to understand and address key contributors to maternal and perinatal deaths to prevent future deaths. From 2016–2017, the US Agency for International Development’s Maternal and Child Survival Program conducted an assessment of MPDSR implementation in Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Methods A cross-sectional, mixed-methods research design was used to assess MPDSR implementation. The study included a desk review, policy mapping, semistructured interviews with 41 subnational stakeholders, observations, and interviews with key informants at 55 purposefully selected facilities. Using a standardised tool with progress markers defined for six stages of implementation, each facility was assigned a score from 0–30. Quantitative and qualitative data were analysed from the 47 facilities with a score above 10 (‘evidence of MPDSR practice’). Results The mean calculated MPDSR implementation progress score across 47 facilities was 18.98 out of 30 (range: 11.75–27.38). The team observed variation across the national MPDSR guidelines and tools, and inconsistent implementation of MPDSR at subnational and facility levels. Nearly all facilities had a designated MPDSR coordinator, but varied in their availability and use of standardised forms and the frequency of mortality audit meetings. Few facilities (9%) had mechanisms in place to promote a no-blame environment. Some facilities (44%) could demonstrate evidence that a change occurred due to MPDSR. Factors enabling implementation included clear support from leadership, commitment from staff, and regular occurrence of meetings. Barriers included lack of health worker capacity, limited staff time, and limited staff motivation. Conclusion This study was the first to apply a standardised scoring methodology to assess subnational- and facility-level MPDSR implementation progress. Structures and processes for implementing MPDSR existed in all four countries. Many implementation gaps were identified that can inform priorities and future research for strengthening MPDSR in low-capacity settings.
Overexpression of miR-127 Predicts Poor Prognosis and Contributes to the Progression of Papillary Thyroid Cancer by Targeting REPIN1

Abstract Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is a major kind of thyroid cancer with increasing recurrence and metastasis. MiR-127 has been demonstrated to play roles in many cancers with dysregulation. However, the function of miR-127 is still unknown. This study aimed to explore a novel biomarker for the progression and prognosis of PTC. A set of 118 patients with PTC were collected from the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University. qRT-PCR was used to detect the expression of miR-127 in PTC tissues and cells. The association between miR-127 expression and the clinicopathological features of patients were evaluated by the χ2 test, and the prognostic value of miR-127 was evaluated by Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis. The effect of miR-127 on cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of PTC was analyzed by CCK-8 and transwell assay. miR-127 was found to be upregulated in PTC tissues and cells correlated with the TNM stage and poor prognosis of PTC patients. MiR-127 and the TNM stage were considered as two independent prognostic indicators for PTC. Moreover, overexpression of miR-127 significantly enhanced cell proliferation, migration, and invasion of PTC by targeting REPIN1. miR-127 may be involved in the progression of PTC, which provides a new therapeutic strategy for PTC.
Auxin efflux controls orderly nucellar degeneration and expansion of the female gametophyte in Arabidopsis

Summary The nucellus tissue in flowering plants provides nutrition for the development of the female gametophyte (FG) and young embryo. The nucellus degenerates as the FG develops, but the mechanism controlling the coupled process of nucellar degeneration and FG expansion remains largely unknown. The degeneration process of the nucellus and spatiotemporal auxin distribution in the developing ovule before fertilization were investigated in Arabidopsis thaliana. Nucellar degeneration before fertilization occurs through vacuolar cell death and in an ordered degeneration fashion. This sequential nucellar degeneration is controlled by the signalling molecule auxin. Auxin efflux plays the core role in precisely controlling the spatiotemporal pattern of auxin distribution in the nucellus surrounding the FG. The auxin efflux carrier PIN1 transports maternal auxin into the nucellus while PIN3/PIN4/PIN7 further delivers auxin to degenerating nucellar cells and concurrently controls FG central vacuole expansion. Notably, auxin concentration and auxin efflux are controlled by the maternal tissues, acting as a key communication from maternal to filial tissue.