Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiplex One-Step RT-qPCR Assays for Simultaneous Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Enteric Viruses of Dogs and Cats

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was transmitted from humans to dogs and cats (reverse zoonosis) during the COVID-19 pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in fecal samples of infected dogs and cats, indicating potential fecal–oral transmission, environmental contamination, and zoonotic transmission (i.e., spillback). Additionally, gastrointestinal viral infections are prevalent in dogs and cats. In this study, we developed and validated a panel of multiplex one-step reverse transcription–quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assays for the simultaneous detection of SARS-CoV-2 and common canine enteric viruses: Canine Enteric Assay_1 (CEA_1) for the detection of canine adenovirus-1, canine enteric coronavirus, canine distemper virus, and canine parvovirus, and CEA_2 for the detection of rotavirus A (RVA), and SARS-CoV-2); or common feline enteric viruses (Feline Enteric Assay_1 (FEA_1) for the detection of feline enteric coronavirus, feline panleukopenia virus, RVA, and SARS-CoV-2). All assays demonstrated high analytical sensitivity, detecting as few as 5–35 genome copies/µL in multiplex format. The repeatability and reproducibility of the multiplex assays were excellent, with coefficient of variation <4%. Among the 58 clinical samples tested, 34.5% were positive for at least one of these viruses, and SARS-CoV-2 was detected in two samples collected from one dog and one cat, respectively. In conclusion, these newly developed one-step multiplex RT-qPCR assays allow for rapid diagnosis of enteric viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2, in dogs and cats.
Characterization of C-Band Coherent Receiver Front-Ends for Transmission Systems Beyond S-C-L-Band

The reuse of already deployed single mode fiber is seen as one of the key enablers for cost-efficient capacity upgrades of optical transmission systems. Unlocking the benefits of other transmission bands, to further increase the capacity, can enable optical networks to adapt to highly dynamic traffic patterns. In the here and now, C-band based optical coherent receiver frontends would be a cost-effective solution to support bandwidth division multiplexing without the need for bespoke and expensive per band receiver designs. To investigate a potential use of already existing C-band receivers for multi-band applications, we present a simple and rapid measurement method to characterize the quadrature phase error and the electrical output swing. We experimentally characterize four different commercially available C-band receivers from the upper E- to lower U-band covering 25.4 THz (i.e. 200 nm) of total bandwidth. The obtained results reveal that micro-optics based discrete 90° hybrids and discrete indium phosphide (InP) balanced photodetectors are promising candidates for multi-band systems. While at the same time, the investigated receivers based on photonic integrated circuits in InP suffer from a strong quadrature phase error and a reduced common mode rejection ratio in the wavelength regime below the C-band.
An Analytic Method to Determine the Optimal Time for the Induction Phase of Anesthesia

We obtain an analytical solution for the time-optimal control problem in the induction phase of anesthesia. Our solution is shown to align numerically with the results obtained from the conventional shooting method. The induction phase of anesthesia relies on a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) model proposed by Bailey and Haddad in 2005 to regulate the infusion of propofol. In order to evaluate our approach and compare it with existing results in the literature, we examine a minimum-time problem for anesthetizing a patient. By applying the Pontryagin minimum principle, we introduce the shooting method as a means to solve the problem at hand. Additionally, we conducted numerical simulations using the MATLAB computing environment. We solve the time-optimal control problem using our newly proposed analytical method and discover that the optimal continuous infusion rate of the anesthetic and the minimum required time for transition from the awake state to an anesthetized state exhibit similarity between the two methods. However, the advantage of our new analytic method lies in its independence from unknown initial conditions for the adjoint variables.
Study on High-resolution Remote Sensing Image Scene Classification Using Transfer Learning

Remote sensing image classification (RSIC) has been increasingly concerned and becoming a challenging task. Recently, deep convolutional neural networks (DCNN) offer the effective classification method include the capacity to handle high-dimensional data and to distinguish classes with very complex characteristics on the remote sensing community. However, the focus of these methods is on publicly available data sets in the field of remote sensing, there are few studies on RSIC composed of different benchmark datasets, which the complexity, diversity, and similarity of data greatly increase the difficulty of classification. In this paper, we reconstructed and selected one new dataset from two standard benchmark remote sensing datasets: UC Merged Land-Use and NWPU-RESISC45. We utilize three transfer learning frameworks to extract the high-level feature map and feed feature information into the proposed model for partial and full fine-tuning. Data augmentation technology is used to increase the number of training samples and dropout strategies to prevent overfitting. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed methodology achieved remarkable performance in scene classification of overall accuracy: 90.1%,91.0%,93.3 with VggNet, DesNet, InceptionNet, respectively.
Biomechanical modelling of tumor growth with chemotherapeutic treatment: a review

The efficiency of chemotherapy in the treatment of cancer depends on the administration schedule, such as dosage, timing and frequency, and the release control if self-assembled drugs are administered, in addition to the drug transport in the tumor microenvironment. Biomechanical models can help deepen our understanding of drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, tumor response and resistance to treatment, as well as enable the use of personalized treatment and optimal therapies. This review aims to provide an overview of computational modeling for vascular tumor growth, drug biotransport, and tumor response with integration of microenvironmental biology phenomena, e.g. angiogensis, blood flow, and mechanical stress. We first review some discrete and continuum models for vascular tumors, highlighting the advantages and challenges of each approach. Then, we discuss mathematical models that include chemotherapeutic treatment and provide potential strategies to promote drug effectiveness through numerical observations. We finalize discussing several aspects that warrant further research including multiscale modeling of cancer, incorporation of patient-specific parameters and coupling of models with emerging medical imaging technologies.
Energy-momentum Tensor of a Hydrogen Atom: Stability, \(D\)-term, and the Lamb Shift

We clarify two issues related to the so-called $D$-term in matrix elements of the energy-momentum tensor. First, we show that in a stable system, the $D$-term can have either sign, contrary to claims that it must be negative. Second, we demonstrate a logarithmic enhancement of the $\mathcal{\alpha}$ correction to the $D$-term in any state of the hydrogen atom. We contrast this enhancement with the Lamb shift where it is present only in S-states.
Haematological and biochemical indices of Clarias garipeinus collected from River Nile, Sudan

The objective of this study was to investigate the ref rence values for haematological and biochemical ranges for Clarias garipienus (Family Claridae, local name Garmoot ) collected from White Nile River. The findings for e ythrocytes number was 2.17 + 0.3 x10mm3, haemoglobin 6.29 + 0.46 g\dl, packed cell volume (PCV) 18.9 + 1.4 %, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) 88.2 +11.7 ft and mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) 29.4 + 3.9 pg. The total plasma protein; glucose, uric ac d nd urea levels were 4.1 + 0.7 g/dl, 76.7 + 4.9 mg/dl, 1.6 + 0.4 mg/dl and 22.5 +3.5 mg/dl, respectively. A correlation matrix was established to comp are the degree of association among the biochemical and haematological indices. A positive correlation was observed among weight, length, MCV, and MCH, as well as between le ngth and packed cell volume. The blood glucose level was positively correlated with weight and length, whereas the total plasma was negatively correlated with haemoglobin. The RBCs count was positively correlated with haemoglobin and negatively correlat ed with MCV and MCH.
4D printing of magneto-responsive polymer structures by masked stereolithography for miniaturised actuators

ABSTRACT Masked stereolithography printing can be used to produce functionalised magneto-responsive polymer structures. Magnetic filler additivation of the photopolymer enables the production of powerful and fast soft robotics. However, current approaches require high filler concentrations, reducing the mechanical properties and compromising the processability. In this study, FeNi nanoparticles were added to a photopolymer to take advantage of their soft magnetic response and high magnetisation. Field-assisted printing gives rise to magnetic anisotropy by arranging laser-synthesised FeNi nanoparticles into uniaxial magnetic strands of up to 500 μm length. Favoured by the small size and even distribution of the nanoparticles, only 0.02 wt% are needed to detect magnetic responsivity. Thus, the impact on the mechanical property is reduced while facilitating the control over the composite magnetic properties. The practical feasibility of the composites is demonstrated by actuating gripper and impeller structures which offer possibilities in applications like drug delivery and tissue engineering.
Comparing Long-Term Prognosis in Chronic Critically Ill Patients: A Case Series Study of Medical versus Surgical Sepsis

Background and Objectives: Chronic critical illness (CCI) is a syndrome characterized by persistent organ dysfunction that requires critical care therapy for ≥14 days. Sepsis and respiratory failure constitute the two primary causes of CCI. A better understanding of this patient population and their clinical course may help to risk-stratify them early during hospitalization. Our objective was to identify whether the source of sepsis (medical versus surgical) affected clinical trajectory and prognosis in patients developing CCI. Materials and Methods: We describe a cohort of patients having acute respiratory failure and sepsis and requiring critical care therapy in the medical (MICU) or surgical (SICU) critical care units for ≥14 days. Given the relative infrequency of CCI, we use a case series design to examine mortality, functional status, and place of residence (home versus non-home) at one year following their index hospitalization. Results: In medical patients developing CCI (n = 31), the severity of initial organ dysfunction, by SOFA score, was significantly associated with the development of CCI (p = 0.002). Surgical patients with CCI (n = 7) experienced significantly more ventilator-free days within the first 30 days following sepsis onset (p = 0.004), as well as less organ dysfunction at day 14 post-sepsis (p < 0.0001). However, one-year mortality, one-year functional status, and residency at home were not statistically different between cohorts. Moreover, 57% of surgical patients and 26% of medical patients who developed CCI were living at home for one year following their index hospitalization (p = 0.11). Conclusions: While surgical patients who develop sepsis-related CCI experience more favorable 30-day outcomes as compared with medical patients, long-term outcomes do not differ significantly between groups. This suggests that reversing established organ dysfunction and functional disability, regardless of etiology, is more challenging compared to preventing these complications at an earlier stage.
Marine phytoplankton in a high CO2 world

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Applying Reinforcement Learning to Option Pricing and Hedging

This thesis provides an overview of the recent advances in reinforcement learning in pricing and hedging financial instruments, with a primary focus on a detailed explanation of the Q-Learning Black Scholes approach, introduced by Halperin (2017). This reinforcement learning approach bridges the traditional Black and Scholes (1973) model with novel artificial intelligence algorithms, enabling option pricing and hedging in a completely model-free and data-driven way. This paper also explores the algorithm's performance under different state variables and scenarios for a European put option. The results reveal that the model is an accurate estimator under different levels of volatility and hedging frequency. Moreover, this method exhibits robust performance across various levels of option's moneyness. Lastly, the algorithm incorporates proportional transaction costs, indicating diverse impacts on profit and loss, affected by different statistical properties of the state variables.
Identification of risk factors for post-intensive care syndrome in family members (PICS-F) among adult patients: a systematic review

Background Relatives of critically ill patients who either die or survive the intensive care unit (ICU) may develop substantial mental health problems that are collectively defined as post-intensive care syndrome in family (PICS-F). Methods By using a systematised search strategy we included studies that focused on PICS-F in relatives of adult ICU patients and reported the risk factors associated with its development. The search was conducted within PubMed, Embase, SCOPUS, clinicaltrials.gov, and Cochrane Library on the 23 August 2022. PRISMA 2020 guidelines were implemented for appropriate reporting. The objective was to document all possible risk factors associated with the development of PICS-F. Results We included 51 papers covering 9302 relatives. The frequency of PICS-F varied between 2.5 and 69%. We identified 51 different risk factors of PICS-F, among which we distinguished patient-related (n = 16), relative-related (n = 27), and medical staff-related (n = 8) risk factors. Among 21 studies of the highest quality, we identified the 33 variables associated with the development of PICS-F, of which younger age of a patient, death of a patient, depression in relatives during the ICU stay, history of mental disorders in relatives, being a female relative, being a spouse, and having low satisfaction with communication and care in the ICU were the most commonly reported risk factors. Conclusions PICS-F is a highly frequent phenomenon that can be exacerbated by several risk factors. Special attention should be paid to relatives of younger patients with worse prognosis and with the following relative-related risk factors: female sex, being a spouse, and history of mental health disorders. Finally, the medical staff play a role in preventing the PICS-F development, not only by maintenance of proper communication, but also by early identification of relatives prone to PICS-F.
Variation in microbial biomass and enzymatic activities in metal contaminated soils during storage at low temperature (4°C)

ABSTRACT Microbial response to soil storage at low temperature in limed and unlimed samples has not been investigated. For this study, soil samples were kept at 4°C for six weeks. Soil microbial biomass was determined using phospholipid fatty acid analysis (PLFA). Nine enzymes were targeted including β-glucosidase (BG), cellobiohydrolase (CBH), β-N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGase), aryl sulfatase (AS), acid phosphatase (AP), alkaline phosphatase (AlP), glycine aminopeptidase (GAP), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP), and peroxidase (PER). PLFA results revealed a significant increase in total microbial biomass in limed area compared to unlimed soil samples. Microbial biomass decreased during the first two weeks of storage and remained unchanged thereafter for both limed and unlimed samples. Analysis of microbial activities revealed that most enzymes inconsistently decreased over time during storage at 4°C. Activities of BG, CBH, NAGase, AlP, AS, GAP, LAP were significantly higher in limed compared to the unlimed samples. Overall, the levels of activities of most enzymes in limed soils decreased significantly after the second week of storage and remained unchanged thereafter. The reduction of enzyme activity in the unlimed soil samples varied over time, with some enzymes such as LAP increasing on the sixth week. PER activity decreased after two weeks and increased thereafter.
Technology to Automatically Record Eating Behavior in Real Life: A Systematic Review

To monitor adherence to diets and to design and evaluate nutritional interventions, it is essential to obtain objective knowledge about eating behavior. In most research, measures of eating behavior are based on self-reporting, such as 24-h recalls, food records (food diaries) and food frequency questionnaires. Self-reporting is prone to inaccuracies due to inaccurate and subjective recall and other biases. Recording behavior using nonobtrusive technology in daily life would overcome this. Here, we provide an up-to-date systematic overview encompassing all (close-to) publicly or commercially available technologies to automatically record eating behavior in real-life settings. A total of 1328 studies were screened and, after applying defined inclusion and exclusion criteria, 122 studies were included for in-depth evaluation. Technologies in these studies were categorized by what type of eating behavior they measure and which type of sensor technology they use. In general, we found that relatively simple sensors are often used. Depending on the purpose, these are mainly motion sensors, microphones, weight sensors and photo cameras. While several of these technologies are commercially available, there is still a lack of publicly available algorithms that are needed to process and interpret the resulting data. We argue that future work should focus on developing robust algorithms and validating these technologies in real-life settings. Combining technologies (e.g., prompting individuals for self-reports at sensed, opportune moments) is a promising route toward ecologically valid studies of eating behavior.
Analysis of GEOS-3 altimeter data and extraction of ocean wave height and dominant wavelength

When the amplitude and timing biases are removed from the GEOS-3 Sample and Hold (SH (2) the range noise (jitter) in the altimeter tracking loop; (3) the sea surface height distribution; and (4) the antenna pattern as a function of the range to mean sea level. Several techniques of varying complexity to remove the effect of the tracking loop jitter in computing the wave height are considered. They include: (1) realigning the SH (2) using the observed standard deviation on the altitude measurement to remove the integrated effect of the tracking loop jitter, and (3) using a look-up table to correct for the expected value of range noise. Analysis of skewness in the GEOS return waveform demonstrates the potential of a satellite radar altimeter to determine the dominant wavelength of ocean waves.
Dynamic expansion of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells in a stirred tank bioreactor promotes the release of potent extracellular vesicles

Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell-derived extracellular vesicles (MSC-EVs) are considered a promising therapeutic tool in cell therapy due to their immunomodulatory, regenerative and angiogenic capabilities. However, there is a lack of process knowledge, particularly for a large-scale production of MSC-EV using fully controlled stirred tank bioreactor (STR) systems. For the establishment of a STR-based process, we investigated dynamic process set-ups in spinner flasks, using three different microcarriers, as well as in shaking flasks, using microcarrier-free spheroids. An immortalized cell line (hMSC-TERT) and a particle-free chemically defined medium was used for all approaches. Cell characteristics (e.g., growth, metabolism, cell-specific particle production rates), MSC-EV epitope markers and MSC-EV potency in migration assays were analyzed. We showed that the transfer to a dynamic system (non-porous microcarrier, spinner flask) significantly increased the cell-specific particle production rate (6-fold) and the expression of EV-specific markers. Moreover, MSC proliferation and, most importantly, the therapeutic potency of MSC-derived particles including EVs was maintained. We demonstrated that high cell-specific particle production rates were associated with an increased glucose consumption rate rather than cell growth, which can be utilized for future process development. Furthermore, we showed that dynamic conditions of a controlled 1 L STR significantly increased the cell-specific particle production rate (24-fold) as well as the final concentration (3-fold) of potent MSC-derived particles including EVs. This indicates that fully controlled STRs are an efficient production system for MSC-derived particles including EVs that may open and facilitate the path for clinical applications.
Probing deaf oral linguistic competence with minimal morphosyntactic pairs

The COnVERSA test (Test di Comprensione delle Opposizioni morfo-sintattiche VERbali attraverso la ScritturA) is a tool for grammatical competence assessment in Italian. It uses informal grammaticality (binary) judgments on written linguistic minimal pairs and it has been developed for testing deaf children, for which no suitable comprehension test was available. Here we discuss the results obtained both from a normally developing hearing children group (NC, 6-10 y.o.) and a deaf children population (DF, 7-16 y.o.). We will focus on children’s minimal morphosyntactic pairs sensitivity in three domains: (i) argument structure, (ii) question formation, and (iii) pronominal usage. We will then compare these results with those obtained on agreement-based dependencies (Chesi et al., 2023). Our findings support a complexity metric, based on two structural dimensions (functional height and intervention), which is used to guide a dynamic administration modality, in the end significantly reducing the assessment time without decreasing the discriminative power of the test. Our data confirm the poor discriminative ability of DF (especially those without a cochlear implant) for configurations targeting the highest functional domains and involving intervention.