Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transmeatal procurement of allograft tympano-ossicular systems : preliminary report

The first successful clinical use of allogeneic tympano-ossicular systems for reconstruction of the middle ear in chronic otitis media was established by Jean Marquet in 1963. Allograft tympano-ossicular systems (ATOS) were originally intended to restore the original anatomical and physiological situation of the middle ear, allowing extirpation of tissues affected by chronic otitis media with or without cholesteatoma. ATOS have demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, even in chronically infected environment. Its value was universally recognised and ATOS were widely used in the nineties. However, concerns on safety regarding transmissible diseases, such as human immunodeficiency virus infection (HIV), limited its use. When the relationship between variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob’s disease (vCJD) and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was elucidated, measures taken during the BSE endemy lead to the discontinuation of ATOS in many countries. In our department, ATOS are still the preferred material for reconstruction of the tympanic membrane and ossicular chain. Meanwhile, new European Union (EU) regulations on tissues and cells endeavour quality assurance, traceability and safety procedures to reduce the risk of transmitting disease. Recently, Van Rompaey et al. have demonstrated that running an ATOS tissue bank, complying with these EU regulations, is possible.
Online Gait Planning of Lower-Limb Exoskeleton Robot for Paraplegic Rehabilitation Considering Weight Transfer Process

People who suffer from paraplegia completely lose sensory and locomotor functions; there are no known treatment methods for their recovery at this time. Exoskeleton robots have the potential to dramatically improve the locomotor ability of these individuals. Although some exoskeleton robots for paraplegic patients have been commercialized and are able to restore walking motion at present, the pilot must acquire the ability to maintain their balance and shift their weight using forearm crutches, which is very challenging for paraplegics. To make this easier, we propose a new automated intelligent gait planning method that integrates a finite-state machine (FSM) model as an underlying foundation and a gait generation model in addition to the exoskeleton system. The underlying FSM model is defined using an inverted pendulum model and a minimum jerk algorithm. To compare the planning gait, 33 volunteers provide normal walking gaits; there are two more volunteers (paraplegic and nonparaplegic) wearing the Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology (SIAT) exoskeleton robot to validate the effects of the proposed gait and offer the groups of surface electromyogram (sEMG) data for analysis. As a result, the input of the proposed gait planning method is simplified to two parameters. The proposed walking gait significantly reduces the arm muscle output. Note to Practitioners—This article was motivated by the problem that the four-degree of freedom (DoF) underactuated paraplegic rehabilitation lower limb exoskeleton robot lacks of the center of gravity (COG) transfer process when coordinating with paraplegia patients during the training process for beginner. The existing approach to deal with this problem generally is to train the pilot for obtaining the COG transfer ability by using crutches. This article suggests a gait planning method for the four-DOF underactuated rehabilitation lower limb exoskeleton robot considering the COG transfer process to make the exoskeleton robot coordinate with a pilot and ensure safety. The gait planning method is based on the inverted pendulum model and simplified to several parameters. By adjusting these parameters, the step length, step height, walking speed, and the shape of gait can be adjusted according to the requirements of the exoskeleton robot and pilot. In this article, we mathematically characterize a gait planning method for the exoskeleton control strategy. Preliminary online experiments suggest that this approach is feasible and can significantly reduce the arm muscle output of pilot. In future research, we will adjust the gait by estimating the velocity of center of mass (COM) of the pilot to make the exoskeleton robot coordinate with pilot actively.
Exploring the experience of mental health staff in wellbeing training focussing on their mental toughness and burnout

Background Burnout in mental health staff is a major problem. Mental toughness, the capacity of an individual to deal effectively with stressors, pressures and challenges, has been associated with lower symptoms of burnout. Aim To explore the experience of mental health staff of participating in wellbeing training focussed on their mental toughness and burnout. Methodology and methods A pragmatic paradigm using a convergent parallel mixed methods design was selected. A literature review informed the idea for wellbeing training for mental health staff. A Nominal Group Technique (NGT) with ten mental health staff from two mental health rehabilitation units identified strategies and techniques that could help with burnout and mental toughness. The training consisted of a variety of mental toughness coaching strategies. This training was implemented with eleven mental health staff from three mental health rehabilitation units across the North West of England. Quantitative measures (MTQ48 and MBI-HSS) were used before and after the training and at a three month follow up. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were carried out after the training and three months after. Results The literature review supported the use of mental toughness coaching strategies. Themes from the NGT discussion included, culture/organisation, staff wellbeing and education. Staff perceived the training as having an impact on themselves including their confidence and on life outside of work. They also perceived the training as having applications with service-users. The group average score for overall mental toughness score and personal accomplishment was higher after the training, whereas emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation scores were lower. Originality/Value No other published studies have explored the idea of teaching mental toughness coaching strategies as a way of focussing on the mental toughness and burnout in mental health staff. This is important as it may reveal new ways of focussing on the wellbeing of mental health staff.
Diet Composition of Bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766) in the Sea of Marmara

In this study, diet composition of bluefish Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus, 1766) was investigated. A total of 512 bluefish samples were monthly collected from commercial fishing boats operating in the Sea of Marmara between January and December 2014. It was determined that the total length distribution of the samples varied between 12.3-47.3 cm. 367 of them (71.67%) were found to be the full of the stomach. The nutritional composition of stomach contents only two main prey groups (teleostei and crustacean) were identified. In evaluation, relative importance indexes (IRI) food groups were calculated. According to the relative importance index (IRI=91.8%) anchovy ( Engraulis encrasicolus ) has been found to be the most preferred food group. The number of individuals whose stomachs were found to be full was low in the winter months; it started to rise with spring and reached the highest level in the autumn months. It was determined that the increase in the total number of stomachs occurred between August and October in relation to the reproductive period. It was found that stomach fullness rates significantly relationship between sex and seasons (p<0.01).
Anxiety and the Neurobiology of Temporally Uncertain Threat Anticipation

When extreme, anxiety—a state of distress and arousal prototypically evoked by uncertain danger—can be debilitating. Uncertain anticipation is a shared feature of situations that elicit signs and symptoms of anxiety across psychiatric disorders, species, and assays. Despite the profound significance of anxiety for human health and wellbeing, the neurobiology of uncertain-threat anticipation remains unsettled. Leveraging a paradigm adapted from animal research and optimized for fMRI signal decomposition, we examined the neural circuits engaged during the anticipation of temporally uncertain and certain threat in 99 men and women. Results revealed that the neural systems recruited by uncertain and certain threat anticipation are anatomically colocalized in frontocortical regions, extended amygdala, and periaqueductal gray. Comparison of the threat conditions demonstrated that this circuitry can be fractionated, with frontocortical regions showing relatively stronger engagement during the anticipation of uncertain threat, and the extended amygdala showing the reverse pattern. Although there is widespread agreement that the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and dorsal amygdala—the two major subdivisions of the extended amygdala—play a critical role in orchestrating adaptive responses to potential danger, their precise contributions to human anxiety have remained contentious. Follow-up analyses demonstrated that these regions show statistically indistinguishable responses to temporally uncertain and certain threat anticipation. These observations provide a framework for conceptualizing anxiety and fear, for understanding the functional neuroanatomy of threat anticipation in humans, and for accelerating the development of more effective intervention strategies for pathological anxiety. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Anxiety—an emotion prototypically associated with the anticipation of uncertain harm—has profound significance for public health, yet the underlying neurobiology remains unclear. Leveraging a novel neuroimaging paradigm in a relatively large sample, we identify a core circuit responsive to both uncertain and certain threat anticipation, and show that this circuitry can be fractionated into subdivisions with a bias for one kind of threat or the other. The extended amygdala occupies center stage in neuropsychiatric models of anxiety, but its functional architecture has remained contentious. Here we demonstrate that its major subdivisions show statistically indistinguishable responses to temporally uncertain and certain threat. Collectively, these observations indicate the need to revise how we think about the neurobiology of anxiety and fear.
Unexplained subfertility: Illuminating the path to treatment

This thesis illuminates the path from diagnosis to treatment for couples with unexplained subfertility. The crucial questions are if, when and how to treat. Any decision to start treatment should depend on the trade-off between four treatment dimensions: i.e. burden, effectiveness, safety, and costs in relation to treatment. Common first-line treatments for couples with unexplained subfertility are intrauterine insemination (IUI) and in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Advancements in IVF have led to it being seen as a potentially more cost-effective and safer option compared to IUI. Yet IUI has also advanced in recent years. We performed a randomised controlled trial comparing two forms of IVF to IUI with ovarian stimulation as a first-line treatment in couples with unexplained or mild male subfertility and an unfavourable prognosis for natural conception. We also performed an economic analysis alongside this trial. We further evaluated whether there were treatment selection markers that could aid in identifying couples that would have had better pregnancy chances with IVF compared to IUI. Natural conception rates are crucial to clinical decision-making, so we evaluated the natural conception chances for these couples. Additionally, we looked at differences between clinics in natural conception rates. Finally, we are working on a systematic review and network meta-analysis incorporating all the available evidence of randomised controlled trials on first-line treatments and unassisted reproduction for couples with unexplained subfertility.
The Wheels of Change: Human Capital, Millwrights, and Industrialization in Eighteenth-Century England

Measures of human capital correlate strongly with technological change and economic growth across regions. However, the endogeneity of these measures complicated this interpretation. This paper aims to identify the causal effect of human capital in the context of Britain's industrialization in the eighteenth century, by uncovering the geographical origins of its highly skilled mechanical labor. We achieve this by exploiting the persistent effect of the spatial location of early medieval watermills across England (as registered in Domesday Book in 1086) on the spatial distribution of a specific group of mechanical workmen known as wrights, who specialized in building watermills, and using the exogenous source of cross-district variation in geographical suitability for the construction of watermills in the early medieval period, to instrument for the availability of wrights in the first half of the eighteenth century (1710-50). In the case of England, the mechanical skills that evolved in response to the extensive adoption of watermills for grinding in the early middle ages, were complementary to technological change and turned out to be an important power behind England's leadership in the second half of the eighteenth century.
Robust Control Applied to a Synchronous Buck Converter with Loss and Uncertainty in its Parameters

This Work presents the application of control with H∞ problem, together with pole location constraint by LMI formulation in a Buck converter. The uncertainties modeling of the system variables uses the constraint by a convex polytope. Mathematical software with the implementation of algorithms for LMIs solution, as well as software for circuit simulation, were used as an aid for the formulation and validation of the control. The result of the robust controller in a transient period is compared to a classic controller, giving justification for the quality of the results. Keywords—Buck, LMIs, Modeling, Pole Location Constraint, Robust Control.
Surfeit folic acid, protein, and exercise modify oncogenic inflammatory biomarkers and fecal microbiota

Intestinal microbiota, diet, and physical activity are inextricably linked to inflammation occurring in the presence of tumor progression and declining neurocognition. This study aimed to explore how fecal microbiota, inflammatory biomarkers, and neurocognitive behavior are influenced by voluntary exercise and surplus dietary protein and folic acid which are common health choices. Dietary treatments provided over 8 weeks to C57BL/CJ male mice (N = 76) were: Folic Acid (FA) Protein (P) Control (FPC, 17.9% P; 2 mgFA/kg); Folic Acid Deficient (FAD); Folic Acid Supplemented (FAS; 8 mgFA/kg); Low Protein Diet (LPD, 6% P); and High Protein Diet (HPD, 48% P). FAS mice had decreased plasma HCys (p < 0.05), therefore confirming consumption of FA. Objectives included examining influence of exercise using Voluntary Wheel Running (VWR) upon fecal microbiota, inflammatory biomarkers C - reactive protein (CRP), Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), Interleukin-6 (IL-6), nuclear factor kappa ß subunit (NF-κßp65), Caspase-3 (CASP3), Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha (TNF-α), and neurocognitive behavior. CRP remained stable, while a significant exercise and dietary effect was notable with decreased VEGF (p < 0.05) and increased CASP3 (p < 0.05) for exercised HPD mice. Consumption of FAS did significantly increase (p < 0.05) muscle TNF-α and the ability to build a nest (p < 0.05) was significantly decreased for both FAD and LPD exercised mice. Rearing behavior was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in mice fed HPD. An emerging pattern with increased dietary protein intake revealed more distance explored in Open Field Testing. At week 1, both weighted and unweighted UniFrac principal coordinates analysis yielded significant clustering (permanova, p ≤ 0.05) associated with the specific diets. Consumption of a HPD diet resulted in the most distinct fecal microbiota composition. At the phylum level–comparing week 1 to week 8–we report a general increase in the Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, characterized by an outgrowth of Firmicutes by week 8 in all groups except the HPD. MaAsLin2 analysis corroborates this finding and emphasizes an apparent inversion of the microbiome composition at week 8 after HPD. Explicit modification of oncogenic inflammatory biomarkers and fecal microbiome post high FA and protein intake along with voluntary exercise contributed to current underlying evidence that this diet and exercise relationship has broader effects on human health and disease–perhaps importantly as a practical modulation of cancer progression and declining neurocognition.
First hybrid complete genome of Aeromonas veronii reveals chromosome-mediated novel structural variant mcr-3.30 from a human clinical sample

Recent findings demonstrate the origin of the plasmid-mediated colistin resistance gene mcr-3 from aeromonads. The present study aimed to screen for plasmid-mediated colistin resistance among 30 clinical multidrug-resistant (MDR) Aeromonas spp. PCR was used to screen for the presence of mcr-1, mcr-2, mcr-3 and mcr-4, which revealed mcr-3 in a colistin-susceptible isolate (FC951). All other isolates were negative for mcr. Sequencing of FC951 revealed that the mcr-3 (mcr-3.30) identified was different from previously reported variants and had 95.62 and 95.28 % nucleotide similarity with mcr-3.3 and mcr-3.10. Hybrid assembly using IonTorrent and MinION reads revealed structural genetic information for mcr-3.30 with an insertion of ISAs18 within the gene. Due to this, mcr-3.30 was non-expressive, which makes FC951 susceptible to colistin. Further, in silico sequence and protein structural analysis confirmed the new variant. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on a novel mcr-3 variant from India. The significant role of mcr-like genes in different Aeromonas species remains unknown and requires additional investigation to obtains insights into the mechanism of colistin resistance.
NAM population – a novel genetic resource for soybean improvement: development and characterization for yield and attributing traits

Abstract Nested association mapping (NAM) captures the best features of both linkage and association mapping and enables the high power and high resolution of quantitative trait locus mapping through joint linkage-association analysis. In the current study, NAM population was developed by hybridizing JS 335, a popular variety of central India with 20 diverse soybean genotypes. The parents used in the study have various traits of economic importance such as drought and water-logging tolerance, bacterial pustule and yellow mosaic virus resistance, wider adaptability, resistance to mechanical damage and higher yield potential. High variability in the F2 populations of 20 crosses for grain yield and days to maturity indicated scope for development of high-yielding varieties. Genetic variability studies, correlation, regression, principal component analysis (PCA) and genetic diversity analyses were carried out in 900 NAM-recombinant inbred lines (RILs) derived from 11 crosses. Correlation and regression analysis indicated a significant positive effect of biomass, pods/plant, harvest index, branches/plant, nodes/plant and plant height on grain yield. Genetic diversity analysis grouped 900 NAM-RILs into 10 clusters. PCA revealed first two principal components to explain 63.78% of total variation mostly contributed by grain yield, biomass and number of pods. The inbred lines developed in this study will serve as an elite soybean genetic resource in understanding the genetic architecture underlying different traits of economic significance.
Research Article. Kinetics and Mechanism of Drug Release from Loratadine Orodispersible Tablets Developed without Lactose

Abstract Objective: The aim of this study is to develop lactose-free orodispersible tablets with loratadine for patients with lactose intolerance. Materials and methods: Seven compositions (F1-F7) of 10 mg loratadine were prepared in form of orally disintegrating tablets, by direct compression, using croscarmellose sodium and pre-gelatinized starch in various concentrations as superdisintegrants, diluted with microcrystalline cellulose and combined with mannitol and maltodextrin as binder agents. The tablets had been studied in terms of their pharmacotechnical characteristics, by determining: the weight uniformity of the tablets, their friability, breaking strength and disintegration time, drug content and the dissolution profile of loratadine. The statistical analyses were performed with GraphPad Prism Software Inc. As dependent variables, both the hardness of the tablets and their disintegration ability differ between batches due to their compositional differences (as independent variables). DDSolver were used for modeling the kinetic of the dissolution processes by fitting the dissolution profiles with time-dependent equations (Zero-order, First-order, Higuchi, Korsmeyer-Peppas, Peppas-Sahlin). Results: All proposed formulas shows rapid disintegration, in less than 15 seconds, and the dissolution loratadine spans a period of about 10 minutes. Akaike index as well as R2 adjusted parameter have demonstrated that the studied dissolution profiles are the best fitted by Zero-order kinetic. Conclusion: In conclusion, association of croscarmellose sodium (7.5%) with pre-gelatinized starch (6%) as superdisintegrants and mannitol as the binder agent (35%), positively influences the dissolution properties of loratadine from orally fast dispersible tablets.
Optical and Electrical Properties of Cu-ZnO Prism Shaped Nanocrystals by Microwave Combustion Method

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are a low cost and promising alternative to standard silicon photovoltaic cells; there is growing interest in near-infrared sensitization of semiconductor anode materials, which converts to high power conversion efficiencies (PCEs). In this work, the effect of ion implantation and annealing temperature has been studied to provide an effective approach for developing visible-light driven Cu-ZnO anode materials for solar cells. Synthesis of ZnO and Cu doped ZnO nanoparticles via microwave combustion method without using any fuel is proposed. The crystal structure, optical properties, surface morphology and electrical properties were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX) and Keithley Source meter. The results revealed that the change in lattice parameters, decrease in the band gap and absorption peak shifting towards near-infrared region are due to the change in concentration and annealing temperature. The change in crystal defects leads to an abrupt change in bond length, unit volume and lattice strain in the Cu-ZnO crystals. Optical absorbance of copper phthalocyanine pigment (Imperon Blue-15) sensitized Cu-ZnO films were found to be at 600 nm to 700 nm region.