Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Blind convolutive stereo speech separation and dereverberation

In real environments, microphones record not only the target speech signal, but also other available sources, the room acoustic effects and background noise. Hence, for many applications, including automatic speech recognition, hearing aids, cochlear implants, and human machine interaction, it is desirable to extract the target speech from the noisy convolutive mixture of multiple sources. There are two major approaches for speech source separation. One group of algorithms is known as blind source separation (BSS) and is based on the statistical properties of the signals. The other group is known as computational auditory scene analysis (CASA) which is inspired by the human auditory system. Using either approach, a voice may be extracted by applying a mask to a time-frequency representation of the noisy reverberant mixted signal. In this thesis, these two groups of techniques are studied, compared and combined based on two state of the art algorithms. For the BSS approach, a frequency-dependent mixing vector (MV) is estimated and exploited to form a probabilistic mask. In the CASA approach, binaural cues such as interaural time difference (ITD) and interaural level difference (ILD) are calculated and applied to estimate a different probabilistic mask. Since the BSS approach performance is poor in high reverberation and CASA approach fails to separate the sources close to each other, experiments were conducted to test to their combination. The results show significant improvement in source separation under various conditions. However, the mechanism for this improvement was not clear at the first glance. The methods are studied and show that the MV based algorithm works better when the sources are close to each other. On the other hand, binaural cues yield better performance in the presence of reverberation. Consequently, these two major approaches give complementary improvements under adverse conditions. High reverberation still degrades the performance of our source separation algorithm. Therefore, the precedence effect was considered as a means to tackle reverberation. In our algorithm, time-frequency regions dominated by direct sound are identified based on the interaural coherence. The results demonstrate a further significant improvement in performance.
Demonstrating the utility of Escherichia coli asymptomatic bacteriuria isolates’ virulence profile towards diagnosis and management—A preliminary analysis

Asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a significant condition associated with pregnancy and is considered as prognostic for the development of symptomatic urinary tract infection (UTI). However, treating all ASB increases the use of antibiotics and leads to the development of multidrug resistance (MDR). Therefore, this study aimed to identify the distribution of UPEC associated virulence genes and antibiotic susceptibility among phylogroups of E. coli isolated from ASB in pregnancy. Moreover, the gene expression of selected virulence genes was also compared among two E. coli isolates (with different pathogenic potential) to determine its pathogenicity. One hundred and sixty E. coli isolates from midstream urine samples of pregnant women with ASB were subjected to PCR-based detection for its phylogroups and virulence genes. The antibiotic susceptibility of isolated strains was determined by the disc diffusion method. Expression of the virulence genes were determined through microarray analysis and quantitative Real-Time PCR. The prevalence of ASB in this study was 16.1%. Within ASB isolates, the occurrence of phylogroup B2 was the highest, and isolates from this group harboured most of the virulence genes studied. Overall, the most identified virulence genes among all phylogroups in descending order were fimH, chuA, kpsMTII, usp, fyuA, hlyA, iroN, cnf, papC, sfa, ompT, and sat. In this study, higher resistance to antibiotics was observed for ampicillin (77.5%), amoxicillin-clavulanate (54.4%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (46.9%) and amikacin (43.8%) compared to the other tested antibiotics and 51.9% of the tested isolates were MDR. Furthermore, hierarchical clustering and gene expression analysis demonstrated extreme polarization of pathogenic potential of E. coli causing ASB in pregnancy necessitating the need for bacterial isolate focused approach towards treatment of ASB.
Prognostic value of the platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio in lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Current studies have revealed that the platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR) may lead to a poor prognosis in lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy. We conducted a meta-analysis to explore the prognostic value of PLR in lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy. Methods We retrieved potential studies from the PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Scopus databases up to June 2021 and merged the hazard ratios (HRs) and the corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to evaluate the association between PLR and overall survival (OS) or progression-free survival. Results Fourteen studies involving 1761 patients were included in our meta-analysis. The results indicated that an elevated level of pretreatment PLR was associated with poorer OS and PFS in lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy (OS: HR = 1.88, 95% CI: 1.37–2.58; PFS: HR = HR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.11–1.76). The association remained consistent after subgroup analysis and was robust even after sensitivity analysis. Conclusions PLR may be a prognostic factor of lung cancer patients receiving immunotherapy, which can lead to worse survival outcomes. However, further studies are necessary for evidence in clinical application.
Exploring the expression and preliminary function of chicken regulator of G protein signalling 3 (RGS3) gene in follicular development

ABSTRACT 1. The following study explored the expression and preliminary function of the RGS3 gene. The spatial and temporal expression patterns of the RGS3 gene were analysed in the ovarian stroma of Shendan No. 6 Green shell hens and Hy-line Brown hens at four time points (6, 28, 40, and 52 weeks old), as well as in various organs and follicles of Hy-line Brown hens. 2. Based on the genomic and protein sequences of RGS3 in NCBI database, phylogenetic trees were constructed using MEGA-X. The protein interaction network was analysed using STRING. According to the results of protein–protein interaction network and pathways, the mRNA expression levels of RGS3 and three interaction proteins were explored by qRT-PCR in vitro. 3. Spatio-temporal expression data revealed that RGS3 mRNA was expressed in all the organs tested, being highest in the hypothalamus. In different follicles, RGS3 mRNA was highly expressed in post-ovulatory follicles, followed by ovarian stroma and large white follicles. The expression levels of RGS3 mRNA in the ovarian stroma were significantly higher in Shendan No. 6 Green shell hens than that in the Hy-line Brown hens at all egg-laying stages. 4. The phylogenetic tree results showed that ducks, geese and chickens had higher homology based on the genomic and protein sequence of RGS3. Moreover, chicken RGS3 interacted with GSK3B, RAF1 and BRAF based on STRING prediction. In vitro follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) treatment showed that mRNA expression levels of RGS3 and those of its predicted interacting proteins BRAF and GSK3B decreased with increasing FSH concentration. The results suggested that RGS3 responds to FSH and may play an important role in the regulation of follicular development in chicken.
Use of paclitaxel carried in solid lipid nanoparticles to prevent peritoneal fibrosis in rats

Background Progressive fibrous thickening of peritoneal membrane (PM) is a major complication of long-term peritoneal dialysis. TGF-β/SMAD pathway activation, inflammation and neoangiogenesis have an important role in PM changes induced by peritoneal dialysis. Here, we investigated the effects of paclitaxel (PTX) carried in lipid core nanoparticles (LDE) on the development of peritoneal fibrosis (PF) in rats. Methods To induce PF, 21 male Wistar rats (300-350g) were injected with chlorhexidine gluconate for 15 consecutive days and randomly assigned to three groups: 1)PF, n = 5: no treatment; 2)LDE, n = 8: treated with LDE only, 3/3 days during 15 days; 3)LDE-PTX, n = 8: treated with PTX (4mg/kg) associated with LDE, 3/3 days during 15 days. A Control group without PF induction (n = 5) was designed, received saline solution, 3/3 days. Peritoneum function tests were performed, and anterior abdominal wall samples of the PM were collected for analyses of peritoneal thickness, immunohistochemitry, and gene expression. Results LDE-PTX treatment preserved the membrane function, maintaining the ultrafiltration rate and mass transfer of glucose at normal levels. LDE-PTX also prevented PM thickening induced by chlorhexidine gluconate injections. LDE-PTX treatment reduced the number of myofibroblasts infiltrating PM and inhibited the cell proliferation. Gene expression of fibronectin, FSP-1, VEGF, TGF-β, and SMAD3 were reduced by LDE-PTX. Conclusions LDE-PTX was effective to prevent development of PF and preserve the PM filtration capacity in this rat model, with clear-cut actions on pro-fibrotic mechanisms. Thus, LDE-PTX can be candidate for future clinical trials as adjuvant to peritoneal dialysis to prevent PF development, since this preparation is devoid of toxicity as shown previously.
Elucidation of host and symbiont contributions to peptidoglycan metabolism based on comparative genomics of eight aphid subfamilies and their Buchnera

Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) are insects containing genes of bacterial origin with putative functions in peptidoglycan (PGN) metabolism. Of these, rlpA1-5, amiD, and ldcA are highly expressed in bacteriocytes, specialized aphid cells that harbor the obligate bacterial symbiont Buchnera aphidicola, required for amino acid supplementation of the host’s nutrient-poor diet. Despite genome reduction associated with endosymbiosis, pea aphid Buchnera retains genes for the synthesis of PGN while Buchnera of many other aphid species partially or completely lack these genes. To explore the evolution of aphid horizontally-transferred genes (HTGs) and to elucidate how host and symbiont genes contribute to PGN production, we sequenced genomes from four deeply branching lineages, such that paired aphid and Buchnera genomes are now available for 17 species representing eight subfamilies. We identified all host and symbiont genes putatively involved in PGN metabolism. Phylogenetic analyses indicate that each HTG family was present in the aphid shared ancestor, but that each underwent a unique pattern of gene loss or duplication in descendant lineages. While four aphid rlpA gene subfamilies show no relation to symbiont PGN gene repertoire, the loss of aphid amiD and ldcA HTGs coincides with the loss of symbiont PGN metabolism genes. In particular, the coincident loss of host amiD and symbiont murCEF in tribe Aphidini, in contrast to tribe Macrosiphini, suggests either 1) functional linkage between these host and symbiont genes, or 2) Aphidini has lost functional PGN synthesis and other retained PGN pathway genes are non-functional. To test these hypotheses experimentally, we used cell-wall labeling methods involving a d-alanine probe and found that both Macrosiphini and Aphidini retain Buchnera PGN synthesis. Our results imply that compensatory adaptations can preserve PGN synthesis despite the loss of some genes considered essential for this pathway, highlighting the importance of the cell wall in these symbioses.
Androgenesis in indica rice: A comparative competency in development of doubled haploids

Rice is critical to global food security which demands immediate attention to meet the ever-growing population. Development of improved variety is the major focus area of research, in which doubled haploid (DH) technology plays a vital role. Since, androgenesis shows its potential in DH production, this method was not capitalized specially in indica rice due to due to its recalcitrant nature to tissue culture. Success of androgenesis is governed by many important factors such as stage of anther, pre-treatment conditions, accurate concentrations of media, and plant growth regulators. Though reports of androgenesis are abundant in rice, most of them either used japonica or a specific cultivar of indica rice ecotypes. In this study, a media combination was established which is successful in producing doubled haploids from F1s of Savitri x Pokkali, IR20 x Mahulata along with the popular indica hybrids of Arize 8433DT, Arize 6453, Arize Bold, and Swift Gold. Out of 12 different media combinations tested, and 5 different durations of cold-treatments studied, N6 media with 2,4-D (2.0 mg/l) and BAP (0.5 mg/l) with 7th day cold pre-treatment was found to be most effective in all of the F1s for callus induction. Among all the F1s, rice hybrid, Arize 8433DT showed highest of 52% callus induction. In case of green shoot regeneration, MS media with NAA (0.5 mg/l), BAP (2.0 mg/l) and Kn (1.0 mg/l) (MS+C4) was found to be the most efficient of six treatments studied with highest of 58.25% regeneration in Arize 8433DT. Further, MS+C4 in combination with proline (5.0 mg/l) increased the regeneration rate to 85.99%. Besides, MS media with NAA (1.0 mg/l), Kn (0.1 mg/l) and 50 g/l sucrose was found to be most efficient for supporting root induction in all F1s. This study claims the establishment of genotype independent androgenic protocol for indica rice which could be capitalized in indica rice improvement.
The social networks of hospital staff: A realist synthesis

Objectives The social ties people have with one another are known to influence behaviour, and how information is accessed and interpreted. It is unclear, however, how the social networks that exist in multi-professional health care workplaces might be used to improve quality in hospitals. This paper develops explanatory theory using realist synthesis to illuminate the details and significance of the social ties between health care workers. Specifically we ask: How, why, for whom, to what extent and in what context, do the social ties of staff within a hospital influence quality of service delivery, including quality improvement? Methods From a total of 75 included documents identified through an extensive systematic literature search, data were extracted and analysed to identify emergent explanatory statements. Results The synthesis found that within the hospital workforce, an individual’s place in the social whole can be understood across four identified domains: (1) social group, (2) hierarchy, (3) bridging distance and (4) discourse. Thirty-five context-mechanism-outcome configurations were developed across these domains. Conclusions The relative position of individual health care workers within the overall social network in hospitals is associated with influence and agency. As such, power to bring about change is inequitably and socially situated, and subject to specific contexts. The findings of this realist synthesis offer a lens through which to understand social ties in hospitals. The findings can help identify possible strategies for intervention to improve communication and distribution of power, for individual, team and wider multi-professional behavioural change in hospitals.
Cuticular pad–inspired selective frequency damper for nearly dynamic noise–free bioelectronics

Bioelectronics needs to continuously monitor mechanical and electrophysiological signals for patients. However, the signals always include artifacts by patients’ unexpected movement (such as walking and respiration under approximately 30 hertz). The current method to remove them is a signal process that uses a bandpass filter, which may cause signal loss. We present an unconventional bandpass filter material—viscoelastic gelatin-chitosan hydrogel damper, inspired by the viscoelastic cuticular pad in a spider—to remove dynamic mechanical noise artifacts selectively. The hydrogel exhibits frequency-dependent phase transition that results in a rubbery state that damps low-frequency noise and a glassy state that transmits the desired high-frequency signals. It serves as an adaptable passfilter that enables the acquisition of high-quality signals from patients while minimizing signal process for advanced bioelectronics. Description Bioinspired frequency dampening Physical activity can interfere with the measurement of physiological signals and often requires band-pass filtering to remove the artifacts. Park et al. draw inspiration from the viscoelastic properties of the cuticular pad of spiders that can separate target vibration signals from mechanical noise. They developed a gelatin/chitosan hydrogel damper that will absorb frequencies below 30 hertz, whereas higher frequencies transmit due to the temporary disruption of the weak internetwork bonds in the hydrogel. The authors show that the hydrogel can be used to detect electrophysiological signals such as electroencephalograms and electrocardiograms without interference caused by the patient’s walking or breathing. —MSL A hydrogel inspired by a spider’s cuticular pad can detect human physiological signals by selective frequency absorption.
Diagnostic value of salivary gland ultrasonography for secondary Sjögren syndrome in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

Background Salivary gland ultrasound (SGUS) is a reliable technique for assessing the salivary glands in patients with primary Sjögren’s syndrome (SS); however, the role of SGUS for diagnosis of secondary SS (sSS) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was not examined. Objective To assess the diagnostic value of SGUS for sSS in patients with SLE, and to investigate the relationship between SGUS findings with clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with SLE. Patients and methods This cross-sectional study included 49 patients with SLE. The diagnosis of sSS was confirmed according to the 2016 ACR/EULAR criteria. Salivary gland US was performed for all patients and graded using a validated Hočevar scoring system. A complete clinical and laboratory workup for SLE was assessed. Schirmer’s test and the ocular staining were performed. Results Of the 49 patients with a mean age of 30.2 ± 9.6 years, 98% were female. 19 (38.8%) had sSS. SGUS changes consistent with sSS (≥17) were found in 29 (59.2%) of the patients. Patients with higher SGUS score had more sicca findings as well as positive anti-Ro, anti-La antibodies, and poorer psychological stress (p < 0.05). The SGUS (≥17) showed a sensitivity of 84.2% and a specificity of 56.7% for sSS diagnosis, with an area under the curve of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.63, 0.91). Conclusion We propose salivary gland ultrasound as a non-invasive method in the diagnostic workup for sSS in patients with SLE. Further studies to confirm the diagnostic value of SGUS in a larger sample of patients with sSS will be necessary.
Brain size and behavioral specialization in the jataí stingless bee (Tetragonisca angustula)

Social insects are instructive models for understanding the association between investment in brain size and behavioral variability because they show a relatively simple nervous system associated with a large set of complex behaviors. In the jataí stingless bee (Tetragonisca angustula), division of labor relies both on age and body size differences among workers. When young, both minors and soldiers engage in intranidal tasks and move to extranidal tasks as they age. Minors switch to foraging activities, while soldiers take over defensive roles. Nest defense performed by soldiers includes two different tasks: (1) hovering around the nest entrance for the detection and interception of heterospecific bees (a task relying mostly on vision) and (2) standing at the nest entrance tube for inspection of returning foragers and discrimination against conspecific non‐nestmates based on olfactory cues. Here, using different‐sized individuals (minors and soldiers) as well as same‐sized individuals (hovering and standing soldiers) performing distinct tasks, we investigated the effects of both morphological and behavioral variability on brain size. We found a negative allometric growth between brain size and body size across jataí workers, meaning that minors had relatively larger brains than soldiers. Between soldier types, we found that hovering soldiers had larger brain compartments related to visual processing (the optic lobes) and learning (the mushroom bodies). Brain size differences between jataí soldiers thus correspond to behavioral specialization in defense (i.e., vision for hovering soldiers) and illustrate a functional neuroplasticity underpinning division of labor.
A review of the polyphenols extraction from apple pomace: novel technologies and techniques of cell disintegration

Abstract Apple pomace, a solid waste produced during industrial processing of apple juice or cider, is a rich source of high value-added compounds such as polyphenols. This review summarizes present studies on the qualitative and quantitative methods, including Folin–Ciocalteu colorimetric, high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and fluorescence spectrum, as well as enhanced extraction methods of polyphenols in apple pomace by different traditional and novel technologies, including ultrasounds (US), microwave (MW), pulsed electric fields (PEF), high voltage electrical discharges (HVED) and enzyme. The principles and characteristics of different effective enhanced extraction technologies of polyphenols in apple pomace were compared. In addition, the different cell disruption analysis methods, such as destructive detection method (electrical conductivity disintegration index, Z c), image analysis method (including scanning electron microscopy, SEM, and confocal laser scanning microscopy, CLSM), and nondestructive method (such as magnetic resonance imaging, MRI) are presented in this review. The study proved that there was a correlation between destructive detection method and image analysis method. However, each of the technologies reviewed in this study has some disadvantages to overcome, and some mechanisms need to be further substantiated. Therefore, more competitive techniques for polyphenols extraction and analysis of cell disintegration are needed to emerge in the future.
Experimental confirmation of antimicrobial effects of GdYVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles

Abstract Nanotechnology can be applied to design antibacterial agents to combat antibiotic resistance. The aim of the present study was to assess the antimicrobial effects and cytotoxicity of GdYVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles (NPs). Biofilm inhibition activity, antimicrobial activity, bacterial viability inhibition and DNA cleavage activity of GdYVO4:Eu3+ NPs were studied. In addition, the impact of GdYVO4:Eu3+ NPs on the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨM) of host immune cells and, hence, their apoptosis was analyzed by JC-1 staining using flow cytometry. GdYVO4:Eu3+ NPs demonstrated good antimicrobial, cell viability inhibition and DNA cleavage activities. In addition, GdYVO4:Eu3+ NPs showed good biofilm inhibition activity against S. aureus and P. aeruginosa and inhibition percentages were 89.15% and 79.54%, respectively. However, GdYVO4:Eu3+ NPs promoted mitochondrial depolarization and apoptosis of leukocytes at high concentrations. GdYVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles are promising antibacterial agents. However, more efforts should be exerted to ensure their safety.