Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Behavioral effects in disorders of consciousness following transcranial direct current stimulation: A systematic review and individual patient data meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials

Background In patients with Disorders of Consciousness (DoC), recent evidence suggests that transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can be a promising intervention for them. However, there has been little agreement on the treatment effect and the optimal treatment strategy for the tDCS in patients with DoC. Objective In this meta-analysis of individual patient data (IPD), we assess whether tDCS could improve DoC patients' behavioral performance. We also determine whether these treatment effects could be modified by patient characteristics or tDCS protocol. Methods We searched PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials until 7 April 2022 using the terms “persistent vegetative state,” “minimally conscious state,” “disorder of consciousness,” or “unresponsive wakefulness syndrome,” and “transcranial direct current stimulation” to identify Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) in English-language publications. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they reported pre- and post-tDCS Coma Recovery Scale-Revised (CRS-R) scores. From the included studies, patients who had incomplete data were excluded. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the treatment effect of the tDCS compared with sham control. Additionally, various subgroup analyses were performed to determine whether specific patient characteristics could modify the treatment effect and to find out the optimal tDCS protocol. Results We identified 145 papers, but eventually eight trials (including 181 patients) were included in the analysis, and one individual data were excluded because of incomplete data. Our meta-analysis demonstrated a mean difference change in the CRS-R score of 0.89 (95% CI, 0.17–1.61) between tDCS and sham-control, favoring tDCS. The subgroup analysis showed that patients who were male or with a minimally conscious state (MCS) diagnosis were associated with a greater improvement in CRS-R score. We also found that patients who underwent five or more sessions of tDCS protocol had a better treatment effect than just one session. Conclusion The result shows that tDCS can improve the behavioral performance of DoC patients. The heterogeneity of the treatment effect existed within the patients' baseline conditions and the stimulation protocol. More explorative studies on the optimal tDCS protocol and the most beneficial patient group based on the mechanism of tDCS are required in the future. Systematic review registration https://www.crd. york.ac. uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42022331241.
Partial and Radical cystectomy Provides Equivalent Oncologic Outcomes in T2 Bladder Cancer: a Population-Based Study

Purpose: To compare the oncologic outcomes of T2 bladder cancer (BCa) patients after partial cystectomy (PC) or radical cystectomy (RC). Materials and Methods: Relevant data of T2 BCa patients diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 were retrieved from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database. After propensity score matching, the oncologic outcomes after PC or RC were compared in patients who underwent lymph node dissection (LND) or not. Additionally, the benefits of different LND strategies were also explored. Results: Eventually, 3834 T2 BCa cases were enrolled in the analysis, including 724 (18.9%) received PC cases and 3110 (81.1%) RC cases. The PC and RC groups presented entirely different profiles in clinical parameters such as age, number of lymph nodes (LNs) removed, and adjuvant therapy. Particularly, LNDs were performed in 92.0% of RC cases, while only in 45.4% of PC cases. After propensity score matching, PC and RC present similar oncologic outcomes regardless of the LND strategies. Further exploration found that LND could improve the prognosis of patients and the benefit is associated with the number of LNs removed. Conclusion: PC and RC could provide equivalent oncologic outcomes in T2 BCa. LND is essential in curative surgery and could significantly affect the prognosis, but it was frequently neglected, especially in PC. The criteria for PC in T2 BCa need further exploration in future studies.
Clinical and Virological Features of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) Variants in Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Patients in Mexico City

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines are very effective at protecting against severe disease and death. However, the impact of the vaccine used, viral variants, and host factors on disease severity in vaccinated individuals remain poorly understood. Here we compared COVID-19 clinical presentations and outcomes in vaccinated and unvaccinated patients in a tertiary hospital in Mexico City. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants were also determined to study their potential impact on disease severity. Methods: From March to September 2021, clinical and demographic characteristics were obtained from 1,014 individuals with a documented SARS-CoV-2 infection, and viral variants were identified in a subset of 386 patients. We compared three groups of patients: 1) unvaccinated, 2) partially vaccinated, and 3) fully vaccinated, stratifying by age groups (<30 years, 31-60 years, and > 61 years) on the clinical outcomes, and including in-hospital mortality. We fitted different multivariate statistical models to evaluate the impact of vaccination status, SARS-CoV-2 lineages, vaccine types, and clinical parameters. Results: 1,014 patients were included, with 11% being outpatients and 88% hospitalized. Most hospitalized patients were unvaccinated. In patients over 61 years old, mortality was significantly higher in unvaccinated compared to fully vaccinated individuals. In patients aged 31 to 60 years, vaccinated patients were more likely to be outpatients (46%) than unvaccinated individuals (6.1%). The percentage of critical patients over 61 years was higher in unvaccinated than vaccinated individuals (75% vs. 56%, p < 0.001). We found immune disease (OR: 3.12, 95% CI: 1.09-8.34, p = 0.02) and age above 61 years old (OR: 3.51, 95% CI: 2.3-5.2, p = 5.9e-10) as risk factors. While fully vaccination was found as the most protective factor against in-hospital death (OR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.12-0.46, p = 2.89e-05). Conclusions: This study suggests that vaccination and particularly full vaccination is essential to reduce mortality in a comorbid population such as that of Mexico. When analyzing the presence of comorbidities and advanced ages as risk factors, complete vaccination was the most significant protective factor against death by COVID-19. We found no strong association between SARS-CoV-2 lineages or vaccine type and disease severity.
The aminoalkylindole, BML-190, negatively regulates chitosan The aminoalkylindole, BML-190, negatively regulates chitosan synthesis via the cAMP/PKA1 pathway in Cryptococcus synthesis via the cAMP/PKA1 pathway in Cryptococcus neoformans [preprint] neoformans [preprint]

: 19 Cryptococcus neoformans can cause fatal meningoencephalitis in patients with 20 AIDS or other immune-compromising conditions. Current antifungals are suboptimal to 21 treat this disease, therefore, novel targets and new therapies are needed. Previously, 22 we have shown that chitosan is a critical component of the cryptococcal cell wall, is 23 required for survival in the mammalian host, and that chitosan deficiency results in rapid 24 clearance from the mammalian host. We had also identified several specific proteins 25 that were required for chitosan biosynthesis, and we hypothesize that screening for 26 compounds that inhibit chitosan biosynthesis would identify additional genes/proteins 27 that influence chitosan biosynthesis. 28 To identify these compounds we developed a robust and novel cell-based flow 29 cytometry screening method to identify small molecule inhibitors of chitosan production. 30 We screened the ICCB Known Bioactives library and identified 8 compounds that 31 reduced chitosan in C. neoformans . We used flow cytometry-based counter and 32 confirmatory screens, followed by a biochemical secondary screen to refine our primary 33 screening hits to 2 confirmed hits. 34 BML-190 likely targets an intracellular accumulation of cAMP that results subsequent C. neoformans infections (12-13). Taken together, these results identify as being important for C. neoformans virulence.
OPPORTUNITIES IN E-GOVERNMENT UTILIZING CLOUD COMPUTING: AN EU PERSPECTIVE

Cloud Computing is a relatively new paradigm in the world of computing. It has swiftly gained in popularity and the term itself is commonly seen in the media and is implied to have far reaching implications to affect every day life. eGovernment, both as a concept and initiative, has been around awhile longer. This literature survey will examine the intersection of the two topics with respect to the state of the art and the European Union (EU) perspective. This includes an in-depth look at the EU roadmap for eGovernment and possible opportunities for private enterprise.
Testing the Nuclear Stability-Instability Paradox Using Synthetic Control Method

To overcome obstacles to causal inference in observational and qualitative studies, we use synthetic control method to assess whether acquisition of nuclear weapons by security rivals might increase their level of conventional militarized conflict. Recent theoretical (Powell 2015) and quantitative (Rauchhaus 2009) work has supported the “stability-instability paradox,” the proposition that while nuclear weapons deter nuclear war, they may also provide the conditions for nuclear-armed rivals to increase conventional military conflict with each other (Snyder 1965; Jervis 1984; Zagare 1992). However, qualitative case studies for India and Pakistan have delivered more equivocal assessments (Kapur 2005; Kapur 2007 & 2008; Ganguly and Haggerty 2006; Ganguly 2008). Other apparently relevant dyads such as China and India have not received as much attention. Empirical tests of the stability-instability paradox are vulnerable to a number of problems that might greatly reduce their validity, including endogeneity and extrapolation to irrelevant cases. A promising method for valid controlled comparison when the number of relevant potential control cases is small (or zero) is synthetic control (Abadie and Gardeazabal 2003; Abadie, Diamond, Heinmuller 2010 & 2015). In this paper we apply it to international conflict between India and Pakistan, and India and China, before and after nuclearization. We conclude that the theory’s scope conditions must be better defined before claims of empirical support can be made.
Spray Gun Trajectory Generation Based on Point Cloud Slicing

A method for generating the trajectory of spray painting robot directly is provided.First,the point cloud data is obtained by scanning the surface of work piece,then slicing the point cloud data to estimate the normal vectors of the sampled points,so robot trajectory is formed through offsetting the distance between spray gun and work piece along the normal vectors.Applying the point cloud slicing technique to planning robot trajectory improves the position,direction and distance control accuracy of painting robot,thus effectively raising the painting quality and throughput.
Transformational Change and the Vacuum of Performance Measurement: How a Story of Success Became a Failure

Some local government organisations stand out in terms of their capability to adopt and use management accounting innovations and become a model for those struggling with issues such as performance measurement. But what happens to the innovations if the organisation is forced into transformational change? This longitudinal case study is based on the theory that the use and impact of performance measurement is influenced by (a) its contractibility and (b) how the performance management systems in place are configured and used. One conclusion is that transformational change can result in a vacuum of performance measurement, even with a high degree of contractibility.
Accuracy and Glycemic Efficacy of Continuous Glucose Monitors in Critically Ill COVID-19 Patients: A Retrospective Study

Background: Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) is approved for insulin dosing decisions in the ambulatory setting, but not currently for inpatients. CGM has the capacity to reduce patient-provider contact in inpatients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), thus potentially reducing in hospital virus transmission. However, there are sparse data on the accuracy and efficacy of CGM to titrate insulin doses in inpatients. Methods: Under an emergency use protocol, CGM (Dexcom G6) was used alongside standard point-of-care (POC) glucose measurements in patients critically ill from complications of COVID-19 requiring intravenous (IV) insulin. Glycemic control during IV insulin therapy was retrospectively assessed comparing periods with and without adjunctive CGM use. Accuracy metrics were computed and Clarke Error Grid analysis performed comparing CGM glucose values with POC measurements. Results: Twenty-four critically ill patients who met criteria for emergency use of CGM resulted in 47 333 CGM and 5677 POC glucose values. During IV insulin therapy, individuals’ glycemic control improved when CGM was used (mean difference –30.7 mg/dL). Among 2194 matched CGM: POC glucose pairs, a high degree of concordance was observed with a mean absolute relative difference of 14.8% and 99.5% of CGM: POC pairs falling in Zones A and B of the Clarke Error Grid. Conclusions: Continuous glucose monitoring use in critically ill COVID-19 patients improved glycemic control during IV insulin therapy. Continuous glucose monitoring glucose data were highly concordant with POC glucose during IV insulin therapy in critically ill patients suggesting that CGM could substitute for POC measurements in inpatients thus reducing patient-provider contact and mitigating infection transmission.
Development of a solar-powered electric bicycle in bike sharing transportation system

The increasing mobility has directly led to deteriorating traffic conditions, extra fuel consumption, increasing automobile exhaust emissions, air pollution and lowering quality of life. Apart from being clean, cheap and equitable mode of transport for short-distance journeys, cycling can potentially offer solutions to the problem of urban mobility. Many cities have tried promoting cycling particularly through the implementation of bike-sharing. Apparently the fourth generation bikesharing system has been promoted utilizing electric bicycles which considered as a clean technology implementation. Utilization of solar power is probably the development keys in the fourth generation bikesharing system and will become the standard in bikesharing system in the future. Electric bikes use batteries as a source of energy, thus they require a battery charger system which powered from the solar cells energy. This research aims to design and implement electric bicycle battery charging system with solar energy sources using fuzzy logic algorithm. It is necessary to develop an electric bicycle battery charging system with solar energy sources using fuzzy logic algorithm. The study was conducted by means of experimental method which includes the design, manufacture and testing controller systems. The designed fuzzy algorithm have been planted in EEPROM microcontroller ATmega8535. The charging current was set at 1.2 Amperes and the full charged battery voltage was observed to be 40 Volts. The results showed a fuzzy logic controller was able to maintain the charging current of 1.2 Ampere with an error rate of less than 5% around the set point. The process of charging electric bike lead acid batteries from empty to fully charged was 5 hours. In conclusion, the development of solar-powered electric bicycle controlled using fuzzy logic controller can keep the battery charging current in solar-powered electric bicycle to remain stable. This shows that the fuzzy algorithm can be used as a controller in the process of charging for a solar electric bicycle.
The Minority Engineering Transfer And Articulation (Meta) Program: Building Stronger Pathways And Fostering Student Achievement

The Minority Engineering Transfer and Articulation program (META) is a 36-month project that took place between 2001 and 2004. The program is a cooperative effort between community colleges, New Mexico State University (NMSU), and five civil engineering industry partners. The goals of the program were to address the need for more civil engineers, to increase the representation of minorities and women within the technological workforce, to boost the transfer rate and numbers of students to bachelor’s programs in civil engineering, and to provide a coordinated education pathway from community college pre-engineering programs to bachelor’s degree programs in civil engineering. The META program’s primary efforts have been focused on recruitment and retention of students by providing 1) a summer bridge component that introduces students to civil engineering and the field’s technology applications and that prepares students for success as civil engineering majors, 2) industry-supported opportunities, and 3) yearround advising support on career opportunities. This paper focuses on the challenges we faced in developing and maintaining the META program and presents the positive outcomes, such as strengthened industry and community college relationships, engaging student activities, student internships, and the increase of students entering SMET fields, particularly civil engineering. The paper reflects plans for sustainability by further collaborations with our community college and industry partners.
Seismic Hazard Estimates for the Euro-Mediterranean Region

The EU-FP7 project Seismic Hazard Harmonization in Europe (SHARE) aims to provide an updated state-of-the art time-independent seismic hazard model envisioned to serve as a reference model for the revision of the EC8 building code revision. We present in short the main ingredients of the hazard model and how uncertainties are treated within the logic tree of source models and ground motion prediction equations. The hazard model is evaluated within a pan-European feedback process and the final model will be presented by the end of the year 2012.
goGPS: ACCURATE ROAD MAPPING USING LOW-COST GPS RECEIVERS

Road mapping is traditionally performed by using high-level and high-cost instrumentation such as photogrammetric digital cameras, double frequency GPS receivers, inertial measurement units, etc. However, latest developments in GPS data analysis allow obtaining good results also using low-cost devices supported by software like for example goGPS. This software allows enhancing GPS positioning with low-cost receivers mainly by exploiting the principle of relative positioning with respect to a master station located in the area where the survey is performed. Typically goGPS output is a sequence of estimated points at 1 second sampling rate leading to a huge amount of data and, consequently, arcs when these data are used for road mapping. In this paper we implement an algorithm to reduce the number of arcs by first selecting the nodes using an agglomerative clustering procedure and then fitting the resulting polyline on the original GPS dataset by least-squares adjustment. In this way we aim at automatizing the production of road networks, simplifying the procedure currently used for example in OpenStreetMap. This could be particularly useful for developing countries, where the availability of high cost professional instrumentation is often limited. The proposed method is applied in a test scenario evaluating its performances.
A column of one’s own: putting women on the pages of the RAPI Journal, 1977–1982

ABSTRACT Between 1977 and 1982, the Royal Australian Planning Institute (RAPI) Journal, the forebear of Australian Planner, featured a column dedicated to women and planning. The column, entitled Marion, sought to raise awareness, exchange information and stimulate discussion about issues relating to women and planning. The column highlighted discriminatory employment and planning practices including the absence of women in senior planning positions. It also considered issues associated with planning for women and the impact of planning on women’s lives, particularly from an intersectional and international perspective. A clear link was made between the need for women in planning at all levels to undertake planning for and with women. Grounded in the gains made by the feminist movement, the column championed the unique needs of women in urban design and planning but situated these within the broader social challenges experienced by women around their lack of access to power, resources, education and decision-making. In this article, we use Virginia Woolf’s feminist text, A Room of One’s Own, as a hermeneutical device for reviewing the Marion column, reflecting on the place of women in the pages of the journal of the RAPI Journal and in the planning profession, and documenting its legacy.
Modeling the B‐cell receptor signaling on single cell level reveals a stable network circuit topology between nonmalignant B cells and chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells and between untreated cells and cells treated with kinase inhibitors

B‐cell receptor (BCR) signaling is central for the pathomechanism of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and inhibitors of BCR signaling have substantially improved treatment options. To model malignant and nonmalignant BCR signaling, we quantified five components of BCR signaling (ZAP70/SYK, BTK, PLCγ2, AKT, ERK1/2) in single cells from primary human leukemic cells and from nonmalignant tissue. We measured signaling activity in a time‐resolved manner after stimulation with BCR crosslinking by anti‐IgM and/or anti‐CD19 and with or without inhibition of phosphatases with H2O2. The phosphorylation of BCR signaling components was increased in malignant cells compared to nonmalignant cells and in IGHV unmutated CLL cells compared to IGHV mutated CLL cells. Intriguingly, inhibition of phosphatases with H2O2 led to higher phosphorylation levels of BCR components in CLL cells with mutated IGHV compared to unmutated IGHV. We modeled the connectivity of the cascade components by correlating signal intensities across single cells. The network topology remained stable between malignant and nonmalignant cells. To additionally test for the impact of therapeutic compounds on the network topology, we challenged the BCR signaling cascade with inhibitors for BTK (ibrutinib), PI3K (idelalisib), LYN (dasatinib) and SYK (entospletinib). Idelalisib treatment resulted in similar effects in malignant and nonmalignant cells, whereas ibrutinib was mostly active on CLL cells. Idelalisib and ibrutinib had complementary effects on the BCR signaling cascade whose activity was further reduced upon dasatinib and entospletinib treatment. The characterization of the molecular circuitry of leukemic BCR signaling will allow a more refined targeting of this Achilles heel.