Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Overview of Intraoperative OCT-Assisted Lamellar Corneal Transplants: A Game Changer?

Intraoperative optical coherence tomography (iOCT) is a noninvasive imaging technique that gives real-time dynamic feedback on surgical procedures. iOCT was first employed in vitreoretinal surgery, but successively served as a guidance in several anterior segment surgical approaches: keratoplasty, implantable Collamer lens (ICL) implantation, and cataract surgery. Among all of those approaches, the unbeatable features of iOCT are fully exploited in anterior and posterior lamellar keratoplasty, and the purpose of this review is to focus on the advantages and shortfalls of iOCT in these techniques, in order to assess whether this technology could be a real step forward. In deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty (DALK), iOCT is useful to evaluate the needle depth into the corneal stroma, the big bubble dissection plane, and residual stromal bed, thus aiding the standardization of the technique and the reduction of failures. In Descemet stripping automated endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), iOCT allowed for clear visibility of fluid at the graft/host interface, allowing for immediate rescue maneuvers and granting the best graft apposition. In Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK), iOCT can track the lenticule unfolding in real time and assess graft orientation even in severe hazy corneas, thus optimizing surgical times, as well as avoiding the use of potentially hazardous exterior markers (such as the “S” stamp) and preventing unnecessary manipulation of the graft. Overall, the role of iOCT appeared crucial in several complicated cases, overcoming the difficulties of poor visualization in a fast, non-invasive way, thus raising this approach as possible gold standard for challenging conditions. Further improvements in the technology may enable autonomous centering and tracking, overcoming the current constraint of instrument-induced shadowing.
Influence of Pulse Duration on X-ray Emission during Industrial Ultrafast Laser Processing

Soft X-ray emissions during the processing of industrial materials with ultrafast lasers are of major interest, especially against the background of legal regulations. Potentially hazardous soft X-rays, with photon energies of >5 keV, originate from the fraction of hot electrons in plasma, the temperature of which depends on laser irradiance. The interaction of a laser with the plasma intensifies with growing plasma expansion during the laser pulse, and the fraction of hot electrons is therefore enhanced with increasing pulse duration. Hence, pulse duration is one of the dominant laser parameters that determines the soft X-ray emission. An existing analytical model, in which the fraction of hot electrons was treated as a constant, was therefore extended to include the influence of the duration of laser pulses on the fraction of hot electrons in the generated plasma. This extended model was validated with measurements of H (0.07) dose rates as a function of the pulse duration for a constant irradiance of about 3.5 × 1014 W/cm2, a laser wavelength of 800 nm, and a pulse repetition rate of 1 kHz, as well as for varying irradiance at the laser wavelength of 1030 nm and pulse repetition rates of 50 kHz and 200 kHz. The experimental data clearly verified the predictions of the model and confirmed that significantly decreased dose rates are generated with a decreasing pulse duration when the irradiance is kept constant.
Shared Decision Making in the Psychiatric Inpatient Setting: An Ethnographic Study about Interprofessional Psychiatric Consultations

Shared decision making is increasingly receiving attention in health care and might improve both the quality of care and patient outcomes. Nevertheless, due to its complexity, implementation of shared decision making in clinical practice seems challenging. This ethnographic study aimed to gain a better understanding of how psychiatric inpatients and the interprofessional care team interact during regular interprofessional psychiatric consultations. Data were collected through participant observation on two different psychiatric wards in a large psychiatric hospital in Switzerland. The observation focused on the contextual aspects of interprofessional patient consultations, the communication and interaction as well as the extent to which patients were involved in decision making. Participants included patients, psychiatrists, junior physicians, nurses, psychologists, social workers and therapists. We observed 71 interprofessional psychiatric consultations and they differed substantially in both wards in terms of context (place and form) and culture (way of interacting). On the contrary, results showed that the level of patient involvement in decision making was comparable and depended on individual factors, such as the health care professionals’ communication style as well as the patients’ personal initiative to be engaged. The main topics discussed with the patients related to pharmacotherapy and patient reported symptoms. Health care professionals in both wards used a rather unidirectional communication style. Therefore, in order to promote patient involvement in the psychiatric inpatient setting, rather than to focus on contextual factors, consultations should follow a specific agenda and promoting a bidirectional communication style for all parties involved is strongly recommended.
Miniaturized structured illumination microscopy with diffractive optics

Structured illumination microscopy (SIM) is an advanced microscope system that provides superresolution capability with excellent imaging speed, which has become a practical tool for live-cell imaging. However, the bulky size is blocking the application of SIM in wider study fields and scenarios. Here, we developed a miniaturized SIM (Mini SIM) system that provided periodic illumination using a diffractive optical element (DOE) for the first time. This optimized phase-only DOE generated the two-dimensional sinusoidal illumination by optical Fourier transform with an illuminating objective lens, which substantially simplified and miniaturized the illumination system. We built up a Mini SIM prototype and demonstrated lateral superresolution imaging of fluorescence beads and A549 cell slides. The proposed Mini SIM greatly simplifies the experimental setup and may lead to important applications in bio-imaging.
Fuzhuan Brick Tea Boosts Melanogenesis and Prevents Hair Graying through Reduction of Oxidative Stress via NRF2-HO-1 Signaling

The anti-graying effect of the hexane fraction of Fuzhuan brick tea is investigated in Melan-A cells and C57BL/6 mice. As a result, it is found that reactive oxygen species-induced damage is associated with the reduction of melanogenesis in hair bulb melanocytes when reactive oxygen species generation in Melan-A cells occurred. The results revealed that the hexane fraction of Fuzhuan brick tea could remarkably reduce reactive oxygen species generation in Melan-A cells; meanwhile, it could increase the cellular tyrosinase and melanin content, as well as up-regulate the expression of tyrosinase, tyrosinase related protein-1, tyrosinase related protein-2, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor, and activate the MAP-kinase pathway through activating the phosphorylation of p38 c-Jun N terminal kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase. Furthermore, high-pressure liquid chromatography analysis reveals that the tea’s major ingredients in hexane fraction include gallic acid, theaflavin, theobromine, caffeine, epicatechin, and quercetin. Together, the current results suggest that Fuzhuan brick tea proves to protect from the damage of hydroquinone, which induces hair pigment loss.
ICU-Associated Gram-Negative Bloodstream Infection: Risk Factors Affecting the Outcome Following the Emergence of Colistin-Resistant Isolates in a Regional Greek Hospital

Intensive care unit patients may present infections by difficult-to-treat-resistant Gram-negative microorganisms. Colistin resurfaced as a last resort antibiotic for the treatment of multi-drug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. However, colistin might not improve survival, particularly after the emergence of colistin-resistant isolates. We aimed to (1) examine the first Gram-negative-associated-bloodstream infection (GN-BSI) effect on 28-day mortality and (2) distinguish mortality risk factors. From 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2019, we retrospectively studied all adult patients admitted for more than 48 h in the critical care department of a regional Greek hospital, with prevalent difficult-to-treat Gram-negative pathogens. We examined the patient records for the first GN-BSI. The local laboratory used broth microdilution to evaluate bacterial susceptibility to colistin. Seventy-eight patients fulfilled the entry criteria: adult and first GN-BSI. They developed GN-BSI on day 10 (6–18), while the overall mortality was 26.9%. Thirty-two and 46 individuals comprised the respective colistin-resistant and colistin-sensitive groups. The admission Acute Physiology Assessment and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was associated with acquiring colistin-resistant GN-BSI in the multivariable logistic regression analysis (οdds ratio (CI), 1.11 (1.03–1.21)). Regarding mortality, the index day sequential organ failure assessment score was solely associated with the outcome (hazard-ratio (CI), 1.23 (1.03–1.48), Cox proportional hazard analysis). GN-BSI was often caused by colistin-resistant bacteria. Concerning our data, sepsis severity was the independent predictor of mortality regardless of the colistin-resistance phenotype or empirical colistin treatment.
Cartoons as the Incidental Vocabulary Acquisition Tool for English Language Learners

Incidental learning is a well-known process of acquiring new knowledge, vocabulary, or information without intention. Traditional or intentional learning is widely practiced in classroom environments, while incidental one receives less attention from educators, schools, and scholars. English Language Learners encounter various problems when they start learning the second language, including culture shock, lack of understanding of foreign culture, different contexts, and ineffective teaching strategies implemented by teachers. Many English Language Learners cannot communicate in a second language outside the classroom, yet, they are exposed to a variety of media, including cartoons and animated films, when they are at home. By using cartoons as the means of incidental learning among English Language Learners to acquire second language vocabulary, students could learn a foreign language faster. The current paper critically analyzes the benefits of incidental learning, the evidence of its effective implementation in the classroom with English Language Learners, and the results of previous studies using cartoons as the method of incidental learning among students, including English Language Learners. The paper recommends using incidental learning as one of the strategies to acquire second language vocabulary among English Language Learners. However, teachers must pair this practice with intentional learning to retain the results. Also, it is recommended to use cartoons with subtitles for students with basic or limited knowledge of a second language for effective accommodation and scaffolding of English Language Learners in general classrooms.
Ascorbic Acid Influences on Growth and Yield of Tomato

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in various metabolic reactions in plants are mostly known for toxicity. Whereas ascorbic acid (AsA) involves in various physiological and biochemical processes; and acts as a ROS scavenger. Therefore, the experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of exogenous application of AsA on growth and yield of tomato plants. The ROS scavenger AsA was applied in the leaves of tomato plants in four treatment combinations (T1-Control; T2-0.5 mM; T3-2.0 mM and T4-4.0 mM) with three replications. Among the treatments, AsA at 4.0 mM (T4) efficiently increased leaf length (12%), inflorescence length (17%), and flower number (29%) than the untreated control plants. AsA at 0.5 and 2.0 mM also showed positive effects on the plant morphology to a lesser extent. Importantly, AsA at 4.0 mM increased yield by 18% than the control treatment. In physiochemical parameters, AsA at 4.0 mM (T4) was retained 64.07% higher chlorophyll content than the control plant even after 60 days of application. Exogenous application of AsA effectively reduced oxidative stress of the plant, which was attributed to the less accumulation of H2O2 and lipid peroxidation of membrane lipids. AsA at 4.0 mM decreased H2O2 and MDA accumulation by 39% and 45%, respectively, compared with the control plants. Therefore, exogenous application of AsA is a useful tool to enhance growth and yield of tomato under field conditions by lowering the accumulation of ROS and lipid peroxidation. Ann. Bangladesh Agric. (2021) 25 (1) : 55-65
The Role of Insulin-like Peptide in Maintaining Hemolymph Glucose Homeostasis in the Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

Insulin-like peptide (ILP) has been identified in various crustaceans, but whether it has a similar function in regulating hemolymph glucose as vertebrate insulin is unclear. We analyzed the components of hemolymph sugar in the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, and investigated the changes of hemolymph glucose concentration and the expressions of ILP and glucose metabolism genes under different treatments. We found glucose was a major component of hemolymph sugar in shrimp. Starvation caused hemolymph glucose to rise first and then decline, and the raised hemolymph glucose after exogenous glucose injection returned to basal levels within a short time, indicating that shrimp have a regulatory mechanism to maintain hemolymph glucose homeostasis. In addition, injections of bovine insulin and recombinant LvILP protein both resulted in a fast decline in hemolymph glucose. Notably, RNA interference of LvILP did not significantly affect hemolymph glucose levels, but it inhibited exogenous glucose clearance. Based on the detection of glucose metabolism genes, we found LvILP might maintain hemolymph glucose stability by regulating the expression of these genes. These results suggest that ILP has a conserved function in shrimp similar to insulin in vertebrates and plays an important role in maintaining hemolymph glucose homeostasis.
Transduction of HEK293 Cells with BacMam Baculovirus Is an Efficient System for the Production of HIV-1 Virus-like Particles

Gag virus-like particles (VLPs) are promising vaccine candidates against infectious diseases. VLPs are generally produced using the insect cell/baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), or in mammalian cells by plasmid DNA transient gene expression (TGE). However, VLPs produced with the insect cell/BEVS are difficult to purify and might not display the appropriate post-translational modifications, whereas plasmid DNA TGE approaches are expensive and have a limited scale-up capability. In this study, the production of Gag VLPs with the BacMam expression system in a suspension culture of HEK293 cells is addressed. The optimal conditions of multiplicity of infection (MOI), viable cell density (VCD) at infection, and butyric acid (BA) concentration that maximize cell transduction and VLP production are determined. In these conditions, a maximum cell transduction efficiency of 91.5 ± 1.1%, and a VLP titer of 2.8 ± 0.1 × 109 VLPs/mL are achieved. Successful VLP generation in transduced HEK293 cells is validated using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy, with VLPs produced resembling immature HIV-1 virions and with an average size comprised in the 100–200 nm range. Additionally, evidence that BacMam transduction occurs via different pathways including dynamin-mediated endocytosis and macropinocytosis is provided. This work puts the basis for future studies aiming at scaling up the BacMam baculovirus system as an alternative strategy for VLP production.
Sign Language to Text for Deaf and Dumb

Hand-Sign Language Gestures are nonverbal messages that help in communication and can be understood with vision. Since the only disability Deaf & Dumb people have is communication related to speech therefore they cannot use spoken languages hence the only way for them to communicate with the people having same disability is through this hand-sign language. This causes a language barrier as normal people can not understand their hand sign language and vice a versa also since most of the people are not familiar with the same and interpreters are not very user-friendly they end up in a deadlock. Therefore, this paper proposes a CNN-based method for deciphering sign language and then converting it to text. In the proposed scheme of this paper the main focus is on fingerspelling and an additional feature of emotion recognition to support the interpretation with the 3rd component of sign language i.e non-manual features, a real-time solution for easy interpretation of sign language for normal human beings as well as Deaf & Dumb people using convolutional neural networks breaking the language barrier. The experimental results show that this paper achieved an accuracy score of 99.8% on testing data which is better than the majority of the recent research papers on American gesture-based communication
Exploring the impact mechanism of communicating information on the perturbation propagation

A speed perturbation model is proposed in this paper for the heterogeneous platoon to measure the interaction between vehicles and investigate the propagation laws of perturbations. Then, a ratio is defined to quantify the relationship between the communicating information impact (CII) and the car-following behaviour impact (CFI). A modified IDM is employed to evaluate the role of communicating information in perturbation propagation. Results show that communicating information can suppress the amplification of perturbation. Under the stable environment, the interaction between vehicles decreases with frequency. There is a critical frequency $ {\omega _c} $ ωc (value of 0.55 in this case) that distinguishes the relationship between the CII and CFI. When the frequency is smaller than $ {\omega _c} $ ωc, the CFI is larger than CII; otherwise, the CII dominates the interactions between vehicles. Under the unstable environment, the interaction between vehicles increases first and decreases then, where the vehicles are mainly affected by the car-following behaviours.
Design of Velocity Measuring System with Single Light Curtain Based on FPGA

The popular method of measuring velocity is usually use two light curtains.But the two signals from each light curtain can not be syncsignals for the signals transmit though the different path and the two light curtains can not be parallelled absolutely both cause messuring errors.In this paper the velocity measuring system is designed based on single light curtain,avoiding most of the error mention above and easy to be realized,the result is more accurate in the abstract.The velocity measuring system based on FPGA with virtue of few periphery electric circuit.High intergration and high reliability is modular designed with QUARTUSⅡsoftware and can be displayed with the digital driving circuit.
The Impact of Acute Tinnitus on Listening Effort: A Study Based on Clinical Observations of Sudden Sensorineural Hearing Loss Patients

This study investigates the relationship between listening effort and acute tinnitus over the clinical course of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) before and after treatment. Thirty SSNHL patients with acute tinnitus were enrolled in this prospective study. Each patient was evaluated before treatment and after 1 and 3 months of follow-up. Listening effort was evaluated in the unaffected ears in two conditions (with and without background noise) using a dual-task paradigm, which included a primary (speech recognition) task and a secondary (visual reaction time) task. Tinnitus severity was assessed with the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). It was observed that background noise significantly increased listening effort in SSNHL patients with acute tinnitus before and after treatment. THI scores and listening effort in quiet conditions (** p = 0.009) were significantly decreased three months after treatment. In an analysis of the relation between tinnitus severity and listening effort, it was found that the THI total score was significantly correlated with listening effort in quiet (* p = 0.0388) and noisy conditions (* p = 0.044) before treatment. We concluded that SSNHL patients with acute tinnitus exerted greater listening effort in the presence of background noise than in quiet conditions. Furthermore, listening effort was reduced as tinnitus improved in SSNHL patients during the three months after treatment. Both before and after 3 months of treatment, patients who were more affected and emotionally distressed by tinnitus tended to exert more listening effort in both quiet and noisy environments.
A new type nonlinear ultra-low frequency passive vibration isolation system

By means of analyzing vibration isolation mechanism of combined positive stiffness and negative one,a new type ultra-low passive vibration isolation system was designed here.The combination of negative stiffness mechanism and positive stiffness spring was used in this isolator so that it possessed higher supporting stiffness and ultra-low vibration stiffness,and its stiffness revealed nonlinear characteristics.This system solved the problem of ultra-low frequency vibration isolation in traditional passive vibration isolators.By analyzing the mechanical characteristics of this system,the expressions for the stiffness of the system and the zero stiffness condition of the system at the equilibrium position were deduced,they offered theoretical guides for designing new type nonlinear ultra-low frequency vibration isolators.
Toll-like receptor agonist combinations augment mouse T-cell anti-tumor immunity via IL-12- and interferon ß-mediated suppression of immune checkpoint receptor expression

ABSTRACT We previously found that activated CD8+ T-cells increase expression of PD-1, which can be attenuated in the presence of specific Toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists, mediated by IL-12 secreted by professional antigen-presenting cells. While these CD8+ T-cells had greater anti-tumor activity, T-cells stimulated by different TLR had different gene expression profiles. Consequently, we sought to determine whether combinations of TLR agonists might further affect the expression of T-cell checkpoint receptors and improve T-cell anti-tumor immunity. Activation of CD8+ T-cells in the presence of specific TLR ligands resulted in decreased expression of PD-1, LAG-3, and CD160, notably with combinations of TLR1/2, TLR3, and TLR9 agonists. Immunization of E.G7-OVA or TRAMP-C1 tumor-bearing mice with peptide or DNA vaccines, co-administered with combination of TLR3 and TLR9 agonists, showed greater suppression of tumor growth. The anti-tumor effect of TLR1/2 and/or TLR9, but not TLR3, was abrogated in IL-12KO mice. RNA sequencing of TLR-conditioned CD8+ T-cells revealed IL-12 pathway activation, and type 1 IFN pathway activation following TLR3 stimulation. Our results provide a mechanistic rationale for the choice of optimal combinations of TLR ligands to use as adjuvants to improve the efficacy of anti-tumor vaccines.