Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Three-Gene Signature for Predicting the Prognosis of Patients Treated with Transarterial Chemoembolization (TACE) and Identification of PD-184352 as a Potential Drug to Reverse Nonresponse to TACE

Background Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Owing to differences in its efficacy across individuals, determining the indicators of patient response to TACE and finding approaches to reversing nonresponse thereto are necessary. Methods Transcriptome data were obtained from the GSE104580 dataset, in which patients were marked as having TACE response or nonresponse. We identified differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and performed Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. We screened genes with a prognostic value for TACE in the HIF-1 signaling pathway by univariate regression analysis. By using least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) Cox regression, we established a multigene signature in GSE14520, which we verified using a drug sensitivity test. The Connectivity Map (CMap) database was used to find potential drugs to reverse nonresponse to TACE. Results We constructed a prognostic signature consisting of three genes (erythropoietin (EPO), heme oxygenase 1 (HMOX1), and serine protease inhibitor 1 (SERPINE1)) that we validated by drug sensitivity test. After dividing patients treated with TACE into high- and low-risk groups based on this new signature, we showed that overall survival (OS) of the high-risk group was significantly lower than that of the low-risk group and that the risk score was an independent predictor of OS in patients treated with TACE. Based on our CMap findings, we speculated that PD-184352, an inhibitor of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK), had potential as a drug treatment to reverse nonresponse to TACE. We confirmed this speculation by using PD-184352 in a cell promotion experiment in a TACE environment. Conclusion We constructed a TACE-specific three-gene signature that could be used to predict HCC patients' responses to and prognosis after TACE treatment. PD-184352 might have potential as a drug to improve TACE efficacy.
Laterally Positioned Flap Procedure with Augmented or Nonaugmented Palatal Connective Tissue Grafts in the Treatment of Multiple Adjacent Gingival Recessions: A Two-Year Follow-Up Study

The most commonly used technique for covering gingival recessions is the coronally advanced flap (CAF) technique due to its high success rate. In clinical situations where there is less keratinized tissue apical to the defect due to unfavorable anatomical conditions, a more advantageous technique for this situation should be considered, specifically the laterally positioned flap (LPF). The aim of this study was to compare the gingival thickness after gingival recession coverage using the laterally positioned flap supported by an augmented and non-augmented connective tissue graft (CTG). Thirty-four patients with 105 gingival recessions of Miller’s class I and/or II were enrolled in this study. The method of choice was the laterally positioned flap. The test group was treated with previously augmented CTG harvested from the palatal mucosa while the control group was treated with a non-augmented CTG. Clinical measurements were recorded at baseline, 6, 12 and 24 months after intervention. Clinical results showed a statistically more significant percentage of average and complete gingival recession coverage in the test group. The LPF in combination with an augmented CTG proves to be an effective alternative to the CAF. Greater improvement in gingival thickness was observed in the LPF with augmented CTG than in non-augmented CTG.
Inference for Unit Roots in Dynamic Panels with Heteroscedastic and Serially Correlated Errors

In this paper we introduce a unit root test for dynamic panel data models, allowing for cross-sectional heteroscedasticity and serial correlation in the disturbance term. The limiting distribution of the test statistic is derived under the assumption that the time dimension of the panel is fixed. The test statistic is based on the pooled Least Squares estimator of the autoregressive coefficient of the panel data model, adjusted for the inconsistency that arises due to the serial correlation of the disturbance term. The limiting distribution of the test is normal with a variance that depends on the serial correlation and heteroscedasticity nuisance parameters. The paper examines the consequences of ignoring heteroscedasticity and serial correlation in panel data unit root tests.
Macroeconomic channels of transmission of post-pandemic recovery strategies for African economies

Abstract The Sar-Cov-2 pandemic that began in 2019 has significantly affected the global economy and, in particular, those of African countries. This paper analyzes possible intervention channels by African states to put their economies back on a sustainable growth path once the health crisis is under control. The paper proposes workable macroeconomic channels for these countries’ recovery from post-pandemic periods by using historical data to conduct empirical analyses. The paper employs World Bank data and ILOSTAT for 54 African countries within the period 1990–2018. We use a post-Keynesian framework and the difference and system generalized method-of-moments to show that wages drive African economic dynamics in the short run. This is particularly true for Sub-Saharan African countries. In addition, foreign output, proxied by European Union output, has a positive and significant impact on Sub-Saharan African economies in the short and long run. The results highlight strategic policy measures for recovering African economies, including improving wages and deepening international economic relations, particularly with the Eurozone countries.
Dynamics of Alfvén waves in partially ionized astrophysical plasmas

Abstract We develop a two dimensional, self-consistent, compressible fluid model to study evolution of Alfvenic modes in partially ionized astrophysical and space plasmas. The partially ionized plasma consists mainly of electrons, ions and significant neutral atoms. The nonlinear interactions amongst these species take place predominantly through direct collision or charge exchange processes. Our model uniquely describe the interaction processes between two distinctly evolving fluids. In our model, the electrons and ions are described by a single-fluid compressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model and are coupled self-consistently to the neutral fluid via compressible hydrodynamic equations. Both plasma and neutral fluids are treated with different energy equations that adequately enable us to monitor non-adiabatic and thermal energy exchange processes between these two distinct fluids. Based on our self-consistent model, we find that the propagation speed of Alfvenic modes in space and astrophysical plasma is slowed down because these waves are damped predominantly due to direct collisions with the neutral atoms. Consequently, energy transfer takes place between plasma and neutral fluids. We describe the mode coupling processes that lead to the energy transfer between the plasma and neutral and corresponding spectral features.
Isolation and Characterization of Mannanase-Producing Bacteria for Potential Synbiotic Application in Shrimp Farming

Simple Summary Mannooligosaccharides (MOS) can promote growth and immunity in aquatic animals. Although most commercial MOS are derived from yeast, the use of MOS from copra meal, a waste product of the coconut industry, is of interest. MOS from copra meal, when given as a dietary supplement to shrimp, could help improve resistance to pathogenic Vibrio and could also act as an immunostimulant. Our objective was to identify bacterial isolates that could be used as probiotics for shrimp and together with MOS as synbiotics to synergistically improve shrimp performance and feed utilization. In this study, two bacterial candidates, Man26 and Man122, were isolated from shrimp intestines and screened for mannanase, the enzyme for mannan digestion. The crude enzymes were evaluated for their biological properties and potential application in the digestion of feedstuffs in vitro. Both strains were able to produce and secrete mannanase to digest MOS and other mannan-rich materials and could tolerate a wide pH range. The addition of crude enzymes significantly increased the reducing sugars of copra meal, palm kernel cake, and soybean meal (p < 0.05) as well as protein release. The synergistic effect of our bacteria and MOS on shrimp growth performance will be further explored in the field. Abstract Prebiotics such as mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS) are a promising approach to improve performance and disease resistance in shrimp. To improve prebiotic utilization, we investigated the potential probiotics and their feasibility of synbiotic use in vitro. Two bacterial isolates, Man26 and Man122, were isolated from shrimp intestines and screened for mannanase, the enzyme for mannan digestion. The crude mannanase from both isolates showed optimal activities at pH 8 with optimum temperatures at 60 °C and 50 °C, respectively. The enzymes remained stable at pH 8–10 for 3 h (>70% relative activity). The thermostability range of Man26 was 20–40 °C for 20 min (>50%), while that of Man122 was 20–60 °C for 30 min (>50%). The Vmax of Man122 against locust bean gum substrate was 41.15 ± 12.33 U·mg−1, six times higher than that of Man26. The Km of Man26 and Man122 were 18.92 ± 4.36 mg·mL−1 and 34.53 ± 14.46 mg·mL−1, respectively. With the addition of crude enzymes, reducing sugars of copra meal, palm kernel cake, and soybean meal were significantly increased (p < 0.05), as well as protein release. The results suggest that Man26 and Man122 could potentially be used in animal feeds and synbiotically with copra meal to improve absorption and utilization of feedstuffs.
Galaxy mass, cluster-centric distance and secular evolution: their role in the evolution of galaxies in clusters in the last 10 Gyr

Context. Galaxy mass and environment are known to play a key role in galaxy evolution: studying galaxy colors as a function of redshift, galaxy mass, and environment offers a powerful diagnosis to disentangle the role of each. Aims. We study the simultaneous dependence of the fraction of blue galaxies fblue on secular evolution, environment, and galaxy mass with a well-controlled cluster sample. We are thus able to study the evolution and respective role of the cessation of star formation history (SFH) in clusters caused by galaxy mass (“mass quenching”) or by environment (“environmental quenching”). Methods. We defined an homogenous X-ray selected cluster sample (25 clusters with 0 < z < 1 and one cluster at z ∼ 2.2), having similar masses and well-defined sizes. Using multicolor photometry and a large spectroscopic sample to calibrate photometric redshifts, we carefully estimated fblue for each cluster at different galaxy mass and cluster-centric distance bins. We then fitted the dependence of fblue on redshift (z), environment (r/r200) and galaxy mass (M) with a simple model. Results. fblue increases with cluster-centric distance with a slope α = 1.2 +0.4 −0.3 , decreases with galaxy mass with a slope β = −3.8 +0.6 −0.5 , and increases with redshift with a slope γ = 3.3 +0.7 −0.6 . The data also require for the first time a differential evolution with galaxy mass of fblue with redshift, with lower mass galaxies evolving slower by a factor ζ = −3.9 +0.9 −1.1 . Conclusions. Our study shows that the processes responsible for the cessation of star formation in clusters are effective at all epochs (z < 2.2), and more effective in denser environments and for more massive galaxies. We found that the mass and environmental quenchings are separable, that environmental quenching does not change with epoch, and that mass quenching is a dynamical process, i.e. its evolutionary rate is mass-dependent. Our study extends the downsizing-like scenario, where the most massive galaxies have their properties set at a very high redshift, to the cluster environment and all galaxies. It illustrates the need to disentangle galaxy mass and cluster-centric distance to properly estimate the behavior of fblue in clusters.
Dynamical fluctuations for periodically driven diffusions

We study dynamical fluctuations in overdamped diffusion processes driven by time periodic forces. This is done by studying fluctuation functionals (rate functions from large deviation theory) of fluctuations around the non-equilibrium steady regime. We identify a concept called traffic. This traffic, which was introduced in the context of non-equilibrium steady state statistics, is extended here to time-dependent but periodic forces. We discuss the fluctuation functionals of occupations and currents, and work out some specific examples. The connections between these and non-equilibrium thermodynamic potentials, their corresponding variational principles and their Legendre transforms are also discussed.
Slingshot dynamics for self-replicating probes and the effect on exploration timescales

Abstract Interstellar probes can carry out slingshot manoeuvres around the stars they visit, gaining a boost in velocity by extracting energy from the star's motion around the Galactic Centre. These manoeuvres carry little to no extra energy cost, and in previous work it has been shown that a single Voyager-like probe exploring the Galaxy does so 100 times faster when carrying out these slingshots than when navigating purely by powered flight (Forgan et al. 2012). We expand on these results by repeating the experiment with self-replicating probes. The probes explore a box of stars representative of the local Solar neighbourhood, to investigate how self-replication affects exploration timescales when compared with a single non-replicating probe. We explore three different scenarios of probe behaviour: (i) standard powered flight to the nearest unvisited star (no slingshot techniques used), (ii) flight to the nearest unvisited star using slingshot techniques and (iii) flight to the next unvisited star that will give the maximum velocity boost under a slingshot trajectory. In all three scenarios, we find that as expected, using self-replicating probes greatly reduces the exploration time, by up to three orders of magnitude for scenarios (i) and (iii) and two orders of magnitude for (ii). The second case (i.e. nearest-star slingshots) remains the most time effective way to explore a population of stars. As the decision-making algorithms for the fleet are simple, unanticipated ‘race conditions’ among probes are set up, causing the exploration time of the final stars to become much longer than necessary. From the scaling of the probes' performance with star number, we conclude that a fleet of self-replicating probes can indeed explore the Galaxy in a sufficiently short time to warrant the existence of the Fermi Paradox.
MXenes in Cancer Nanotheranostics

MXenes encompass attractive properties such as a large surface area, unique chemical structures, stability, elastic mechanical strength, excellent electrical conductivity, hydrophilicity, and ease of surface functionalization/modifications, which make them one of the broadly explored two-dimensional materials in the world. MXene-based micro- and nanocomposites/systems with special optical, mechanical, electronic, and excellent targeting/selectivity features have been explored for cancer nanotheranostics. These materials exhibit great diagnostic and therapeutic potential and offer opportunities for cancer photoacoustic imaging along with photodynamic and photothermal therapy. They can be applied to targeted anticancer drug delivery while being deployed for the imaging/diagnosis of tumors/cancers and malignancies. MXene-based systems functionalized with suitable biocompatible or bioactive agents have suitable cellular uptake features with transferring potential from vascular endothelial cells and specific localization, high stability, and auto-fluorescence benefits at different emission–excitation wavelengths, permitting post-transport examination and tracking. The surface engineering of MXenes can improve their biocompatibility, targeting, bioavailability, and biodegradability along with their optical, mechanical, and electrochemical features to develop multifunctional systems with cancer theranostic applications. However, challenges still persist in terms of their environmentally benign fabrication, up-scalability, functionality improvement, optimization conditions, surface functionalization, biocompatibility, biodegradability, clinical translational studies, and pharmacokinetics. This manuscript delineates the recent advancements, opportunities, and important challenges pertaining to the cancer nanotheranostic potential of MXenes and their derivatives.
Planktonic microbial communities from microbialite‐bearing lakes sampled along a salinity‐alkalinity gradient

Continental freshwater systems are particularly vulnerable to environmental variation. Climate change‐induced desertification and the anthropogenic exploitation of hydric resources result in the progressive evaporation and salinization of inland water bodies in many areas of the globe. However, how this process impacts microbial communities and their activities in biogeochemical cycles is poorly known. Here, we take a space‐for‐time substitution approach and characterize the prokaryotic and eukaryotic microbial communities of two planktonic cell‐size fractions (0.2–5 μm and 5–30 μm) from lakes of diverse trophic levels sampled along a salinity‐alkalinity gradient located in the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt (TMVB). We applied a 16S/18S rRNA gene metabarcoding strategy to determine the microbial community composition of 54 samples from 12 different lakes, from the low‐salinity lake Zirahuén to the hypersaline residual ponds of Rincón de Parangueo. Except for systems at both extremes of the salinity gradient, most lakes along the evaporation trend bear actively forming microbialites, which harbor microbial communities clearly distinct from those of plankton. Several lakes were sampled in winter and late spring and the crater lakes Alchichica and Atexcac were sampled across the water column. Physicochemical parameters related to salinity‐alkalinity were the most influential drivers of microbial community structure whereas trophic status, depth, or season were less important. Our results suggest that climate change and anthropogenic‐induced hydric deficit could significantly affect microbial communities, potentially altering ecosystem functioning.
Weathering’s effect on color and roughness in some heat-treated wood species with modified water-based varnish

Heat treatment in wood materials and the use of water-based varnishes (WBV) in furniture made from heat-treated wood materials come to the fore in terms of supporting environmentally friendly production in the wood sector. In this study, the total color changes (ΔΕ*) and surface roughness (SR) were investigated after heat-treated tree species were exposed to natural and accelerated weathering with and without varnish. In this context, test samples were first divided into two groups. Surface treatment was applied to the samples in the first group by applying modified WBV (A1) and normal WBV (A2), and the second group was left unvarnished. Then, one group of the varnished samples was subjected to natural weathering (NAT) for 90 days and the other group was subjected to accelerated weathering (QUV) for 720 h with VAS samples, and then the ΔΕ* and SR values of the samples were calculated. The results revealed that ΔΕ* was the lowest in the QUV WBV group, and NAT was more effective than QUV in ΔΕ*. The highest SR values among all groups were measured in the VAS group, and among the varnished samples, there was no statistical difference between A1 and A2 in SR values, except for Rq.
XMM-Newton RGS observations of the Cat's Eye Nebula

We present an analysis of XMM-Newton Reflection Grating Spectrometer (RGS) observations of the planetary nebula (PN) NGC 6543, rendering it the second PN with high resolution X-ray spectroscopic observations besides BD+30 3639. The observations consist of 26 pointings, of which 14 included RGS observations for a total integration time of 435 ks. Many of these observations, however, were severely affected by high-background levels, and the net useful exposure time is drastically reduced to 25 ks. Only the O VII triplet at 22 \AA\ is unambiguously detected in the RGS spectrum of NGC 6543. We find this spectrum consistent with an optically thin plasma at 0.147 keV (1.7 MK) and nebular abundances. Unlike the case of BD+30 3639, the X-ray emission from NGC 6543 does not reveal overabundances of C and Ne. The results suggest the N/O ratio of the hot plasma is consistent with that of the stellar wind, i.e., lower than the nebular N/O ratio, but this result is not conclusive.
Collision Risk Situation Clustering to Design Collision Avoidance Algorithms for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships

The reliability of collision avoidance systems for Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships is one of the most critical factors for their safety. In particular, since many ship collisions occur in coastal areas, it is crucial to ensure the reliability of collision avoidance algorithms in geographically limited coastal waters. However, studies on maritime autonomous surface ships collision avoidance algorithms mainly focus on the traffic factor despite the importance of the geographic factor. Therefore, this study presents a methodology for establishing a practical collision avoidance system test bed, considering the geographic environment. The proposed methodology is a data-driven approach that objectively categorizes collision risk situations by extracting these risks using Automatic Identification System (AIS) and Electronic Navigational Chart (ENC) data, followed by clustering algorithms. Consequently, the research results present a direction for establishing test beds from the perspective of geographic and traffic factors.
Opportunities and Limits of Conventional IVF versus ICSI: It Is Time to Come off the Fence

Conventional IVF (c-IVF) is one of the most practiced assisted reproductive technology (ART) approaches used worldwide. However, in the last years, the number of c-IVF procedures has dropped dramatically in favor of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in cases of non-male-related infertility. In this review, we have outlined advantages and disadvantages associated with c-IVF, highlighting the essential steps governing its success, its limitations, the methodology differences among laboratories and the technical progress. In addition, we have debated recent insights into fundamental questions, including indications regarding maternal age, decreased ovarian reserve, endometriosis, autoimmunity, single oocyte retrieval-cases as well as preimplantation genetic testing cycles. The “overuse” of ICSI procedures in several clinical situations of ART has been critically discussed. These insights will provide a framework for a better understanding of opportunities associated with human c-IVF and for best practice guidelines applicability in the reproductive medicine field.