Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Study of multilayer and multi-component coatings deposited using cathodic Arc technique on H-13 hot work steel for die-casting applications

Die casting process is used since long, but even today problems like erosion, corrosion, soldering and sticking affect die life. These dies undergo thermal cyclic loads from 70 oC to 600 oC during processing. Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) hard coating can play an important role in such extreme applications. In the present work, we report the use of Chromium based multilayer CrN/Cr (M-CrN) coatings and multi-component aluminium titanium based AlTiN (M-AlTiN) coatings. The H-13 steel substrate samples were prepared using cathodic arc deposition technique. Structural properties of the coated samples were studied using XRD and SEM techniques. Tribological and mechanical properties of the coatings were studied using Calo-test and Micro-hardness test respectively. Potentiostat technique was used to study the effect of 1 M HCl solution on these coatings. Thermal fatigue (TF) test was conducted by heating the sample to around 600 oC and rapidly cooling it to room temperature imitating the die casting process conditions. After multiple cycles, it was observed that M-AlTiN coated samples outperform M-CrN coated samples in terms of wear, oxidation and adhesion properties. It was observed that formation of oxide layer on the coated surface during the thermal cycling inhibits further oxidation of the coating layer and result in enhanced productivity and efficiency of dies.
Spreading Analysis of COVID-19 Epidemic in Bangladesh by Dynamical Mathematical Modelling

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which emerged from Wuhan, China, is now a pandemic, affecting across the globe. Bangladesh also is experiencing the rapid growth of COVID-19 infection and death cases started from 8th March 2020. The purpose of providing a simple yet effective explanatory model for prediction of the future evolution of the contagion and verification of the effectiveness of the containment and lockdown measures in Bangladesh. In this study, using a modified SIR (Susceptible-Infected-Recovered) model a forecast is generated to predict the trends of COVID-19 cases in Bangladesh. The epidemic model was proposed to accommodate the effects of lockdown and individual based precautionary measures. Data has been taken and analyzed for before and after the movement control order (MCO) and during the MCO period. Modified SIR model in this work offers us an idea how the outbreak would progress based on the current data. It also has estimated that, the peak in terms of the number of infected cases will start from last of June 2020. For the total population (100%) the model gets the peaks at 214875 (infected cases) and 7743 (death cases). For the 90% population, the model shows the peaks at 244356 (infected cases) and 9100 (death cases). Analysis revealed that the lockdown and recommended individual hygiene can slow down the outbreak but unable to eradicate the disease from the society. With the current infection and death rate and existing level of personal precautionary the number of infected individuals will be increasing.
A systematic review protocol of the antiviral activity of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19.

Introduction: The recent outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or COVID-19 with no approved medicines has led to global health threat. Currently, repositioning of old medicines seems the most responsible strategy for potential cure and prevention COVID-19. Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have shown promising efficacy against COVID-19 related pneumonia in clinical studies. However, the mode of drug action of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine against SARS-CoV-2 infection is not clear. This review aims to gather evidence on antiviral activity and possible mechanism of drug action of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine on SARS-CoV-2, including in-vitro, animal studies, and studies in humans. Method: A structured search of five bibliographic databases namely; Medline, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane CENTRAL, and Google Scholar will be undertaken to retrieve studies that describe the antiviral activity and possible mechanism of drug action of chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine on SARS-CoV-2. No restrictions will be placed on publication date, but studies will be limited to only publications in English. Duplication of studies will be removed using EndNote reference manager. Three authors will screen the citations independently based on inclusion criteria. Data extraction and assessment of risk of bias will be done independently. Meta-analysis of selected studies will be done wherever suitable. Ethics and dissemination: Primary data collection will not be involved in this study, hence no need for formal ethical clearance. Findings from the study will be disseminated through a peer-reviewed publication and conference meeting. Trial registration number: https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/7DJMU
The inevitability of Covid-19 related distress among healthcare workers: Findings from a low caseload country under lockdown

Objectives: To characterize psychological distress and factors associated with distress in healthcare practitioners working during a stringent lockdown in a country (Jordan) with one of the lowest incidence rates of Covid-19 globally. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey sent to physicians, nurses and technicians, and pharmacists working in various hospitals and community pharmacies. Demographic, professional and psychological characteristics (distress using Kessler-6 questionnaire, anxiety, depression, burnout, sleep issues, exhaustion) were measured as were potential sources of fear. Descriptive and multivariable statistics were performed using level of distress as the key outcome. Results: We surveyed 1,006 practitioners (55.3% females). Approximately 63%, 13%, 17% and 7% were nurses/technicians, physicians, pharmacists, and other nonmedical personnel (respectively). 32% suffered from high distress while 20% suffered from severe distress. Exhaustion, anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances were reported (in past seven days) by approximately 34%, 34%, 19%, and 29% of subjects (respectively). Being older or male, perception of effective protective institutional measures, and being satisfied at work, were significantly associated with lower distress. Conversely, suffering burnout; reporting sleep-related functional problems; exhaustion; being a pharmacist (relative to a physician) and working in a cancer center; harboring fear about virus spreading; fear that the virus threatened life; fear of alienation from family/friends; and fear of workload increases, were significantly associated with higher distress. Conclusion: Despite low caseloads, Jordanian practitioners still experienced high levels of distress. Identified demographic, professional and psychological factors influencing distress should inform interventions to improve medical professional resilience and distress likelihood, regardless of the variable Covid-19 situation.
The factor structure of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in schoolchildren

This study investigated the factor structure of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by comparing the fit of a single-factor model, a correlated model with two or three factors, and a bifactor model with one general and two or three specific factors. Different three-factor solutions that varied with regard to the specification of the item "talks excessively" as impulsivity or hyperactivity were also tested. Parent ratings on the ADHD-Rating Scale (ADHD-RS-IV) were collected in a sample of 2044 schoolchildren (1st to 3rd grade) from the general population and in a clinical sample of 165 children and adolescents with ADHD referred to a public regional child and adolescent psychiatric hospital. Confirmatory factor analyses found a satisfactory fit for most models in both samples. However, a correlated three-factor model where "talks excessively" was included as an indicator of impulsivity and especially the bifactor version of this model with one general and three specific factors fit the data slightly better in the general population. In the clinical sample, a number of models performed equally well (the same version of the correlated three-factor model and all the bifactor models). Overall, the factor structure of ADHD seems to be better characterized by a bifactor model with a strong general factor and two or three weaker specific factors. Due to the strong general factor, we suggest emphasizing the ADHD-RS-IV total score rather than the subscale scores in clinical practice.
Sports Related Concussion Impacts Speech Rate and Muscle Function

Objective: To examine speech rate and muscle function in athletes with and without sports related concussion (SRC). Methods: We recruited 30 athletes aged 19-22 years-old who had sustained a SRC within the past 2 years and 30 pair-wise matched controls with no history of SRC from the student community at Michigan State University. Speech rate and muscle function were evaluated during diadochokinetic (DDK) tasks. Speech rate was measured via average time per syllable, average unvoiced time per syllable, and expert perceptual judgement. Speech muscle function was measured via surface electromyography over the obicularis oris, masseter, and segmental triangle. Group differences were assessed using MANOVA, bootstrapping and predictive ROC analyses. Results: Athletes with SRC had slower speech rates during DDK tasks than controls as evidenced by longer average time per syllable (F(1, 52) = 11.072, p =. 002, [95% CI : . 01 to . 04]), longer average unvoiced time per syllable (F(1, 52) = 16.031, p < . 000, [95% CI : . 01 to . 029] and expert judgement of slowed rate (F(1, 22) = 9.782, p = . 005, [95% CI : . 163 to . 807]). Rate measures were predictive of concussion history. Further, athletes with SRC required more speech muscle activation than controls to complete the DDK tasks (F(1, 3) = 17.12, p =. 000, [95% CI: . 003 to . 006]). Conclusion: We found clear evidence of slowed speech and increased muscle activation during the completion of DDK tasks in athletes with SRC histories relative to controls. Speech rate and muscle assessment should be incorporated into clinical evaluation of concussion.
Associations of joint swelling, joint stiffness, and joint pain with physical activity in first-degree relatives of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Background: Physical activity (PA) in pre-clinical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with lower RA risk and disease severity. Yet, PA in RA patients is less than in counterparts without RA, which can be attributed partly to symptoms of inflammatory arthritis. Therefore, we investigated whether joint swelling, stiffness, or pain were associated with PA in first-degree relatives (FDRs) of RA patients, a population at higher risk for future RA. Methods: We evaluated associations of joint stiffness, joint swelling, and joint tenderness with PA time in 268 FDRs with [≥]2 visits over an average 1.2 years. Clinicians confirmed joint swelling. Participants self-reported joint stiffness and/or pain. PA during a typical 24-hour day was quantified via questionnaire, weighted to reflect metabolic expenditure, where 24 hours was the minimum PA time. Linear mixed models evaluated associations between symptoms and change in PA over time, adjusting for age, sex, race, body mass index, smoking, and RA-related autoantibodies. Results: Average weighted PA time was 37{+/-}7 hours. In cross-sectional analysis, PA time was 1.3{+/-}0.9 hours higher in FDRs reporting joint pain (p=0.15); and 0.8{+/-}1.6 and 0.4{+/-}1 hours lower in FDRs with joint swelling (p=0.60) and stiffness (p=0.69), respectively. Longitudinally, adjusting for baseline PA time, baseline symptoms were not significantly associated with changes in PA time. However, on average over time, joint stiffness and pain were associated with lower PA time (pinteraction=0.0002, pinteraction=0.002), and joint swelling was associated with higher PA time (pinteraction<0.0001) Conclusion: Baseline symptoms did not predict future PA time, but on average over time, joint symptoms influenced PA time.
Systematic review of instruments for assessing culinary skills and other related concepts in adults: What is the quality of evidence of their psychometric properties?

Background: Culinary skills and food practices are important objects of study in the field of Public Health. Studies that propose to develop instruments for assessing such constructs show lack of methodological uniformity to provide evidence of validity and reliability of their instruments. Objective: To identify studies that have developed instruments to measure culinary skills and other related concepts in adult population, and critically assess their psychometric properties. Design: A systematic review was conducted. A literature search was performed in PubMed/Medline, Scopus, LILACS, and Web of Science databases until June 2019. The Directory of Open Access Journals and Google Scholar databases were searched to identify relevant grey literature. Searching, selecting and reporting were done according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Statement. Two reviewers were independently involved in study selection, data extraction, and instrument quality assessment. A third reviewer resolved all disagreements. Results: The search identified 1428 potentially relevant studies, out of which 18 had potentially relevant records and 8 met the inclusion criteria. Studies used literature, experts judgement, or qualitative interviews to develop the instruments. No studies received positive scores for all validity criteria. Although most studies received positive scores for internal consistency, none of them received positive scores for stability or presented evidence for content validity. One study showed positive results for construct validity. Two studies reported criterion validity, whose scores were deemed negative. Conclusions: Many studies that surveyed culinary skills and related latent phenomena were identified. The overall quality of the psychometric properties of most instruments was considered insufficient, especially for validity measures. A universal definition of culinary skills as an overarching construct is recommended. The flaws observed in these studies show that there is a need for ongoing research in the area of the psychometric properties of instruments assessing these constructs. KEYWORDS: culinary skills; instruments; psychometrics; validity; reliability
Topological Aberrance of Structural Brain Network Provides Quantitative Markers of post-TBI Attention Deficits in Children

Traumatic brain injury (TBI)-induced attention deficits are among the most common long-term cognitive consequences in children. Most of the existing studies attenpting to understand the neuropathological underpinnings of cognitive and behavioral impairments in TBI have utilized heterogeneous samples and resulted in inconsistent findings. The current research proposed to investigate topological properties of the structural brain network in children with TBI and their associations with TBI-induced attention problems in a more homogeneous subgroup of children who had severe post-TBI attention deficits (TBI-A). A total of 31 children with TBI-A and 35 group-matched controls were involved in the study. Diffusion tensor imaging-based probabilistic tractography and graph theoretical techniques were used to construct the structural brain network in each subject. Network topological properties were calculated in both global level and regional (nodal) level. Between-group comparisons among the topological network measures and analyses for searching brain-behavioral associations were all corrected for multiple comparisons using Bonferroni method. Compare to controls, the TBI-A group showed significantly higher nodal local efficiency and nodal clustering coefficient in left inferior frontal gyrus and right transverse temporal gyrus, while significantly lower nodal clustering coefficient in left supramarginal gyrus as well as lower nodal local efficiency in left parahippocampal gyrus. The temporal lobe topological alterations were significantly associated with the post-TBI inattentive and hyperactive symptoms in the TBI-A group. The results suggest that TBI-related structural re-modularity in the WM subnetworks associated with temporal lobe may play a critical role in the onset of severe post-TBI attention deficits in children. These findings provide valuable input for understanding the neurobiological substrates of TBI-A, and have the potential to serve as a biomarker guiding the development of more timely and tailored strategies for diagnoses and treatments to the affected individuals.
“ABBAS” DNA Extraction Method from plant

DNA extraction is still problematic in a variety of plants because of the presence of secondary metabolites that interfere with DNA isolation procedures and downstream applications such as DNA restriction, amplification, and cloning. Here we describe a modified procedure based on the polyethylene glycol (PEG-6000) method to isolate DNA from tissues containing high levels of polysaccharides and phenolics. The procedure is applicable for sugarcane, olive, wheat, sorghum, barley, gram, sea buckthorn, amla, autumn olive and related species form leaves and fruits. This modified method contains PEG (1%), 4M NaCl, 0.5M EDTA, 1MTris HCl and SDS (10%) and washed, also reduced the centrifugation times during the separation and precipitation of the DNA. The method has solved the problems of DNA degradation, contamination, and low yield due to binding and/or coprecipitation with starch and polysaccharides. The isolated DNA proved amenable to PCR amplification and restriction digestion. The technique is fast, reproducible and can be applied for PCR based marker’s investigations, DNA cloning and modification studies in plants.
Cross talk between mesenchymal and glioblastoma stem cells: Communication beyond controversies

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can be isolated from bone marrow or other adult tissues (adipose tissue, dental pulp, amniotic fluid, and umbilical cord). In vitro, MSCs grow as adherent cells, display fibroblast‐like morphology, and self‐renew, undergoing specific mesodermal differentiation. High heterogeneity of MSCs from different origin, and differences in preparation techniques, make difficult to uniform their functional properties for therapeutic purposes. Immunomodulatory, migratory, and differentiation ability, fueled clinical MSC application in regenerative medicine, whereas beneficial effects are currently mainly ascribed to their secretome and extracellular vesicles. MSC translational potential in cancer therapy exploits putative anti‐tumor activity and inherent tropism toward tumor sites to deliver cytotoxic drugs. However, controversial results emerged evaluating either the therapeutic potential or homing efficiency of MSCs, as both antitumor and protumor effects were reported. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most malignant brain tumor and its development and aggressive nature is sustained by cancer stem cells (CSCs) and the identification of effective therapeutic is required. MSC dualistic action, tumor‐promoting or tumor‐targeting, is dependent on secreted factors and extracellular vesicles driving a complex cross talk between MSCs and GBM CSCs. Tumor‐tropic ability of MSCs, besides providing an alternative therapeutic approach, could represent a tool to understand the biology of GBM CSCs and related paracrine mechanisms, underpinning MSC‐GBM interactions. In this review, recent findings on the complex nature of MSCs will be highlighted, focusing on their elusive impact on GBM progression and aggressiveness by direct cell‐cell interaction and via secretome, also facing the perspectives and challenges in treatment strategies.
Abdominal Normothermic Regional Perfusion in Donation After Circulatory Death: A Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background. Abdominal normothermic regional perfusion (aNRP) for donation after circulatory death is an emerging organ preservation technique that might lead to increased organ utilization per donor by facilitating viability testing, improving transplant outcome by early reversal of ischemia, and decreasing the risk of unintentional surgical damage. The aim of the current review is to evaluate the recent literature on the added value of aNRP when compared to local standard perfusion technique. Methods. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses guideline for systematic reviews was used, and relevant literature databases were searched. Primary outcomes were organ utilization rate and patient and graft survival after 1 year. Secondary outcomes included delayed graft function, primary nonfunction, serum creatinine, and biliary complications. Results. A total of 24 articles were included in this review. The technique is unanimously reported to be feasible and safe, but the available studies are characterized by considerable heterogeneity and bias. Conclusions. Uniform reported outcome measures are needed to draw more definitive conclusions on transplant outcomes and organ utilization. A randomized controlled trial comparing aNRP with standard procurement technique in donation after circulatory death donors would be needed to show the added value of the procedure and determine its place among modern preservation techniques.
Trekking and toddlers: Towards a biocultural analysis of growth among infants and young children in a rural region of the Himalayas

Rapid socioeconomic change, associated with development and a growing tourism industry is occurring across the Himalayas. The health impact of this rapid economic development is poorly understood, especially for infants and young children. This study investigated the associations between village level economic differences as indexed by economic development and tourism engagement on infant and young child growth and health in a population of ethnic Tibetans living in the western Himalayas of Nepal.
Same-day, cross-day, and upward spiral relations between positive affect and positive health behaviours

Abstract Objective This project investigated same-day and lagged (i.e., from one day to the next) associations between daily positive affect and three distinct positive health behaviours: physical activity, fruit and vegetable intake, and meditation. Cross-day analyses also examined the role of positive affect felt during the targeted health behaviours. Design Secondary data analyses used a 9-week daily diary study in which midlife adults (N = 217) were randomized to learn one of two contemplative practices (i.e., mindfulness meditation or loving-kindness meditation) while reporting nightly on their emotions and health behaviours. Results Results of same-day analyses revealed positive associations, both between-person and within-person, for the three positive health behaviours with daily positive affect. Results of lagged analyses revealed that positive affect experienced during fruit and vegetable intake on a given day predicted next-day fruit and vegetable intake, and that fruit and vegetable intake on a given day predicted next-day positive affect. Conclusion The observed same-day relations between daily positive affect and engagement in positive health behaviours illuminate one path through which positive affect may contribute to health. The observed cross-day relations reveal a need for interdisciplinary research on mechanisms through which fruit and vegetable intake may shape next-day positive affect.