Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Different Olfactory Perception in Heroin Addicts Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Introduction: Addiction is a mental disorder that has many adverse effects on brain health. It alters brain structure and deteriorates brain functionality. Impairment of brain cognition in drug addiction is illustrated in many previous works; however, olfactory perception in addiction and, in particular, its neuronal mechanisms have rarely been studied. Methods: In this experiment, we recruited 20 heroin addicts and 20 normal controls of the same sex, age, handedness, and socioeconomic status and compared their brain function while perceiving non-craving odors during the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). We intended to define the default olfactory system performance in addicts compared to healthy people. Results: Our study showed an overall larger activation in addicts when processing olfactory stimuli. In particular, and when comparing the two groups, the right anterior cingulate and right superior frontal gyrus had higher activations than normal, whereas the left lingual gyrus and left cerebellum showed stronger activations in the addicts. Conclusion: The result of this study can unveil the missing components in addiction brain circuitry. This information is helpful in better understanding the neural mechanisms of addiction and may be advantageous in designing programs for addiction prevention or clinical treatment. Highlights Addiction is a mental disorder with cognitive, clinical, and social adverse effects. Drugs affect the functional brain networks by altering the level of neurotransmitters or by over-exciting the brain’s reward system. Addiction could be in the form of drug dependency or behaviors. Plain Language Summary Addiction is a mental disorder that has many adverse effects on brain. It alters brain structure and deteriorates brain functionality. Impairment of brain cognition in many previous works. We intended to define the default olfactory system performance in addicts compared to healthy people. Our study showed an overall larger activation in addicts when processing olfactory stimuli. In particular, and when comparing the two groups, the right anterior cingulate and right superior frontal gyrus had higher activations than normal, whereas the left lingual gyrus and left cerebellum showed stronger activations in the addicts. Addiction could be in the form of drug dependency or behaviors such as gambling or gaming. Addictive disorders is so vast that sometimes an impulse control disorder, such as pathologic gambling, could also be included.
Association Between Metabolic Syndrome and Risk of Renal Cell Cancer: A Meta-Analysis

Background Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been related to increased risks of a variety of cancers. However, the association between MetS and the risk of renal cell cancer (RCC) remains not fully determined. This meta-analysis was conducted to investigate whether MetS is independently associated with the risk of RCC in adults. Methods Relevant observational studies were obtained by searching PubMed, Embase, Cochrane’s Library, and Web of Science databases. Study characteristics and outcome data were extracted independently by two authors. The random-effect model was used for meta-analysis considering the possible influence of between-study heterogeneity. Predefined subgroup analyses were used to evaluate the possible influences of study characteristics on the outcome. Results Eight studies involving 10,601,006 participants contributed to the meta-analysis. Results showed that MetS was independently associated with a higher risk of RCC in adult population (risk ratio [RR]: 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.41 to 1.87, p<0.001; I2 = 85%). Subgroup analyses showed consistent association in men (RR: 1.52, 95% CI: 1.23 to 1.89, p<0.001) and in women (RR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.28 to 2.27, p<0.001), in Asians (RR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.25 to 1.83, p<0.001) and in Caucasians (RR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.46 to 2.12, p<0.001), and in community derived (RR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.34 to 1.82, p<0.001) and non-community derived population (RR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.71 to 2.04, p<0.001). Differences in study design or quality score also did not significantly affect the association (p for subgroup difference both >0.05). Conclusions MetS may be independently associated with RCC in adult population.
Semantic Segmentation of Extraocular Muscles on Computed Tomography Images Using Convolutional Neural Networks

Computed tomography (CT) imaging of the orbit with measurement of extraocular muscle size can be useful for diagnosing and monitoring conditions that affect extraocular muscles. However, the manual measurement of extraocular muscle size can be time-consuming and tedious. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of deep learning algorithms in segmenting extraocular muscles and measuring muscle sizes from CT images. Consecutive CT scans of orbits from 210 patients between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2019 were used. Extraocular muscles were manually annotated in the studies, which were then used to train the deep learning algorithms. The proposed U-net algorithm can segment extraocular muscles on coronal slices of 32 test samples with an average dice score of 0.92. The thickness and area measurements from predicted segmentations had a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.35 mm and 3.87 mm2, respectively, with a corresponding mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 7 and 9%, respectively. On qualitative analysis of 32 test samples, 30 predicted segmentations from the U-net algorithm were accepted while 2 were rejected. Based on the results from quantitative and qualitative evaluation, this study demonstrates that CNN-based deep learning algorithms are effective at segmenting extraocular muscles and measuring muscles sizes.
Risk Factors of Brain Metastasis and Prognosis in HER2-Positive Breast Cancer: A Single-Institution Retrospective Analysis from China

Background Brain metastasis (BM) frequently occurs in HER2-positive breast cancer (BC) patients, but the risk factors of BM in this type of patients are still unknown. Our study aims to assess the risk factors of BM and prognostic analysis in HER2-positive BC patients. Methods Univariate analysis used t-test, chi-square test, and Fisher’s exact test to find out the risk factors for BM, and multivariable analysis was done with stepwise logistic regression analysis. Prognostic data analysis was estimated by the Kaplan–Meier method. Results A total of 228 HER2-positive BC patients were included, of whom 214 patients were postoperative metastatic patients and 14 patients were de novo stage IV patients. Through comparing the stratified variables between 51 postoperative metastatic patients with BM and 163 postoperative metastatic patients without BM, the multivariate analysis showed that age ≤40 years (OR 2.321, 95% CI: 1.089 to 4.948) and first metastatic site with lung metastasis (OR 2.168, 95% CI: 1.099 to 4.274) were independent risk factors for BM in HER2-positive BC patients. Prognostic data of all 65 HER2-positive BC patients with BM showed that the time from the diagnosis of BC to the development of breast cancer brain metastasis (BCBM) was 36.3 months (95% CI: 30.0 to 42.1 months). The time from the diagnosis of first recurrence and metastasis stage to the diagnosis of BCBM was 11.35 months (95% CI: 7.1 to 18.4 months). The time from the diagnosis of BCBM to the time of follow-up was 24.1 months (95% CI: 13.9 to 37.5 months). Up until the time of follow-up data, a total of 38 patients had died, and the time from the diagnosis of BM of these 38 patients to death was 11.0 months (95% CI: 9.0 to 20.4 months). Conclusion The prognosis of HER2-positive BC patients with BM was poor due to the lack of effective treatments for BM. Age ≤40 years and first metastatic site with lung metastasis were the independent risk factors for BM in HER2-positive BC patients. Future research about pre-emptive medical interventions may help to improve the prognosis of HER2-positive BC patients with high risk to develop BM.
Long Work Hours, Overtime, and Worker Health Impairment: A Cross-Sectional Study among Stone, Sand, and Gravel Mine Workers

Background: Research has shown that long work hours and overtime are associated with health impairment, including stress, burnout, and overall health. However, this has not been thoroughly assessed among stone, sand, and gravel mine workers. As such, this study examined whether significant differences in stress, burnout, and overall health existed among workers that worked different hours each week. Methods: ANOVA analyses were completed for the outcome variables (stress, burnout, and health status). Each analysis included three categorical independent variables: age, sex, and work hours. Age and sex were control variables. BMI was added to the health status analysis as an additional control variable. Results: There were significant differences between work hour groups for all three outcomes. Post hoc analyses determined that workers working >60 h/week had more stress, more burnout, and lower health. Differences were not found between age or sex. There were no differences in health status for different BMI groups, but the interaction of BMI and work hours was significant. Conclusions: Working more than 60 h per week was problematic. Mine and safety administrators should enact programs to protect and promote worker health, particularly among those working long hours, especially if more than 60 h per week.
The Topology and Evolution of the Bastille Day Flare

On 1998 July 14, a class M3 flare occurred at 12:55 UT in AR 8270 near disk center. Kitt Peak line-of-sight magnetograms show that the flare occurred in a δ spot. Mees vector magnetograms show a strong shear localized near a portion of the closed neutral line around the parasitic polarity of the δ spot. Observations of the flare in 171, 195, and 1600 Å have been obtained by TRACE, with ≃40 s temporal and 0. ″5 spatial resolutions. They reveal that small-scale preflare loops above the sheared region expanded and disappeared for more than 1 hr before flare maximum. During the flare, bright loops anchored in bright ribbons form and grow. This occurs while large-scale dimmings, associated with large expanding loops, develop on both sides of the active region. This suggests that the flare was eruptive and was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME). Magnetic field extrapolations reveal the presence of a null point in the corona, with its associated "spine" field line, and its "fan" surface surrounding the parasitic polarity. We show that while the whole event occurs, the intersections of the "fan" and the "spine" with the photosphere brighten and move continuously. The interpretation of the event shows that the magnetic evolution of the eruptive flare is strongly coupled with its surrounding complex topology. We discuss evidence supporting a "magnetic breakout" process for triggering this eruptive flare. We finally conclude that multipolar fields cannot be neglected in the study and modeling of the origin of CMEs in the corona.
The Influence of Family Socioeconomic Status on Adolescents’ Mental Health in China

Adolescent mental health is an important public health issue that cannot be ignored, and mental health issues are a major cause of physical illness in adolescents and children worldwide. In order to supplement relevant research and provide insightful policy suggestions to government, schools and families, this study investigated the nexus between family socioeconomic status and mental health for adolescents in China. Based on 7234 observations from the China Education Panel Survey, the paper estimated the effects of family socioeconomic status on adolescents’ mental health using ordinary least squares. The effects of family income, parental education level, and parental occupation on adolescent mental health were estimated separately by the same method. Our findings suggest that family socioeconomic status has a significant positive effect on mental health of adolescents in China. This effect is heterogeneous depending on individuals’ registered residence types and their participation in health courses. Finally, frequency of parent-child interaction and classmate interaction are shown to be potential mechanisms for the effect of family socioeconomic status on the mental health of Chinese adolescents.
Recent update on trigeminal neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN), a long-term disorder affecting the trigeminal nerve, is a form of debilitating neuropathic pain. Although the underlying pathogenesis of TN is debatable, loss of myelin along the trigeminal nerve due to direct compression from a blood vessel or secondary to other conditions such as multiple sclerosis or stroke is thought to be the principal cause. Paroxysmal sporadic pain, with unilateral onset, is the main phenomenon of TN. TN is typically diagnosed clinically. Medications, surgery, and complementary techniques are among the current therapy options for altering the neural circuits associated with TN. Nevertheless, anti-epileptic and tricyclic antidepressant medications are recognized as first-line treatments, and surgical treatment may be required for patients who have not obtained a therapeutic effect with at least three medications, have experienced intolerable side effects, or have symptoms that are not resolving. Stimulation of brain regions is an emerging off-label technique that has the potential to offer pain relief from TN, but sufficient data and more extensive studies on both animals and humans are yet to be published. More specifically, convenient diagnostic techniques and affordable treatment modalities for TN have become crucial needs in order to reduce the psychological and socio-economical losses caused by TN.
Performance Evaluation of Accounting Business Process Reengineering Based on AHP Optimization DEA Model

It is well known that accounting business process reengineering is constantly improving, and this change is usually closely related to incentive mechanisms. The establishment of this incentive mechanism requires performance appraisal of accounting business process reengineering. Although there are many evaluation indicators for the success of business process reengineering, there is a lack of a simple and easy standard. In order to reduce the complexity of business process reengineering (BPR) performance evaluation, the paper regards BPR as a closed input and output system from a systematic point of view, and a corresponding input-output evaluation index system is established for BPR performance based on the resource input support system. By using super-efficiency data envelopment analysis (DEA) and utilizing the advantages of adversarial cross-evaluation and analytic hierarchy process (AHP), a performance evaluation DEA model for accounting business process reengineering is proposed. The model is used to evaluate the performance of QCFF company after business process reengineering. The research results can focus on the supervision and improvement of the departments with poor performance by completely ranking the performance of each process unit. The proposed method for assessing the performance of BPR thus serves a practical purpose and can be used to support the subsequent development of BPR.
Clinical outcomes of benign brain tumors treated with single fraction LINAC-based stereotactic radiosurgery: Experience of a single institute

Objectives: Accelerator-based stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a noninvasive and effective treatment modality widely used for benign brain tumors. This study aims to report 20-year treatment outcomes in our institute. Materials and Methods: From May 2001 to December 2020, 127 patients treated with LINAC-based single-fraction SRS for their benign brain lesions were included. A neurosurgeon and two radiation oncologists retrospectively reviewed all data. Computed tomography (CT) simulation was performed after head-frame fixation under local anesthesia. All planning CT images were co-registered and fused with gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging taken within 3 months for lesions targeting and critical organs delineation. The marginal dose was prescribed at 60%–90% isodose lines, respectively, to cover ≥95% planning target volume. Outcome evaluations included clinical tumor control rate (TCR), defined as the need for salvage therapy, and radiological response, defined as no enlargement of >2 cm in the maximal diameter. Overall survival (OS) and adverse reaction (defined according to CTCAE 5.0) were also analyzed. Results: The present study included 76 female and 51 male patients for analysis. The median age was 59 years (range, 20–88 years). Their diagnoses were vestibular schwannoma (VS, n = 54), nonvestibular cranial nerve schwannoma (n = 6), meningioma (n = 50), and pituitary adenoma (n = 17). Totally 136 lesions were treated in a single fraction, predominantly skull base tumors, accounting for 69.1%. Median and mean follow-up duration was 49 and 61 months (range, 1–214 months), Overall TCR was 92.9%. The 5-year disease-specific TCR for VS, nonvestibular schwannoma, meningioma, and pituitary adenoma were 97.4%, 91.7%, 93.8%, and 83.3%. Salvage therapy was indicated for eight patients at 4–110 months after SRS. Among symptomatic patients, post-SRS symptom(s) was improved, stable, and worse in 68.2%, 24.3%, and 3.6%, respectively. Radiological response rate for 111 evaluable patients was 94.6% (shrinkage, 28.8%; stable, 65.8%). OS was 96.1% without treatment-related mortality. One patient with post-SRS cranial nerve injury (0.8%, involving the trigeminal nerve, grade 2 toxicities). No grade 3–4 acute or late toxicity was found. Conclusion: Our results suggested that LINAC-based SRS effectively controls tumor growth and tumor-related neurological symptoms for patients with benign brain tumors. SRS is less aggressive, associated with low neurological morbidity and no mortality. Continuous follow-up is indicated to conclude longer outcomes.
Screening of plant growth-promoting Rhizobium tarimense from root nodules of chickpea (Cicer arietinum)

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) are favourable bacteria that colonize the plant roots and enhance plant growth by direct and/or indirect mechanisms. This study aimed to screen rhizobial isolates of chickpea and evaluate their multiple plant growth-promoting traits. A total of twelve rhizobia-like-bacterial isolates were collected from the root nodules of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) from different regions of Madhya Pradesh, India, characterized by morphological, biochemical, and identified by the 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Out of twelve, one rhizobial isolate designated as RH17 was confirmed as Rhizobium tarimense by 16S rRNA gene sequencing, which showed 98% similarity with the strain PL-41. The phylogenetic study was done by using MEGA-X to confirm the identity of RH17 isolate and the nucleotide sequence of the 16S rRNA gene of RH17 isolate was submitted to the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database under Genbank with accession number OM996100. The RH17 isolate showed multiple plant growth-promoting traits like nitrogen fixation, solubilization of phosphate (15mm), indole acetic acid (IAA) production (1µg/ml), 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase (0.5nmol), ammonia (NH3), siderophore, hydrogen cyanide (HCN) production and antagonism against phytopathogenic fungi Fusarium oxysporum and Macrophomina phaseolina. Therefore, the present study suggests that R. tarimense (RH17) isolate can be used as PGP bacteria and a biocontrol agent to enhance the growth, productivity and yield of chickpea.
Colloidal Stability of Magnetite Nanoparticles Coated by Oleic Acid and 3-(N,N-Dimethylmyristylammonio)propanesulfonate in Solvents

In order to understand the factors affecting the colloidal stability in the carrier liquids of different ferrofluids, magnetite nanoparticles coated by surfactants 3-(N,N-dimethylmyristylammonio)propanesulfonate (DP) and oleic acid (OA) were fabricated as dispersions in diverse colloidal systems. The OA-coated magnetite could only be dispersed in the apolar carrier liquid (ε r < 5), while DP-coated magnetite particles could establish a stable colloidal system in the polar base liquid (ε r > 5) such as water and ethanol. The colloidal stability of OA-coated particles in the apolar solvents was mainly attributed to the steric repulsion of its outer thick liquid shell (∼3 nm). Due to the absence of steric repulsion on the solid thin shell (∼1 nm) on DP-coated magnetite, DP-coated particles could not be dispersed in the apolar liquid. In the polar liquid-based ferrofluids, DP-coated magnetite could form an electric double layer (EDL). The total Gibbs interfacial energy was analyzed based on Van Oss-Chaudhry-Good and DLVO theory to describe the behaviors of coated particles in solvents. In the case of neutral (pH = 7) water-based colloidal, DP-coated magnetite could establish an energy barrier of ∼2.2 k B T to prevent the particles from precipitation. Bare magnetite particles could form a relatively fragile colloid in a water system with an energy repulsion of ∼1.2 k B T. In contrast, OA-coated magnetite exhibited a severe phase separation in a water-based colloidal system due to its net attraction ∼ −1.3 k B T.
Does the Application of ICTs Improve the Efficiency of Agricultural Carbon Reduction? Evidence from Broadband Adoption in Rural China

Based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis, this paper examines whether rural broadband adoption affects agricultural carbon reduction efficiency (ACRE), using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces from 2011 to 2019. This paper achieves a measurement of ACRE by taking the carbon sink of agricultural as one of the desired outputs and using a Slacks-Based Measure (SBM) model and the global Malmquist–Luenberger (GML) index. The results show that: (1) Rural broadband adoption has a positive effect on ACRE. The relationship between the income of rural residents and ACRE was an inverted U-shaped, which confirms the EKC hypothesis. (2) Land transfer has a significant promoting effect on the relationship between rural broadband adoption and ACRE. When the land transfer rate is high, the positive effect of broadband adoption is obvious. (3) The positive effect of broadband adoption on ACRE was more obvious when farmers invested more in production equipment, that is to say, it has a significant positive moderating effect. As farmers in many developing countries suffer from increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events, we believe that the results of this study also have implications for the implementation of agricultural carbon reduction and smart agricultural equipment roll-out in many countries.