Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metagenomic profile of the bacterial communities associated with Ixodes granulatus (Acari: Ixodidae): a potential vector of tick-borne diseases

Ixodes granulatus Supino, 1897 (Acari: Ixodida) is one of Malaysia's most common hard ticks and is a potential vector for tick-borne diseases (TBDs). Despite its great public health importance, research on I. granulatus microbial communities remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the bacterial communities of on-host I. granulatus collected from three different recreational areas on the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia using high throughput Next Generation Sequencing (NGS). A total of 9 females on-host I. granulatus were subjected to metabarcoding analysis targetingV3–V4 regions of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) using the Illumina MiSeq platform.This study identified 15 bacterial phyla corresponding to 19 classes, 54 orders, and 90 families from 435 amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), revealing a diverse bacterial community profile. Together with 130 genera assigned, local I. granulatus harbored 4 genera of pathogens, i.e., Rickettsia da Rocha Lima, 1916 (Rickettsiales: Rickettsiaceae) (58.6%), Borrelia Swellengrebel 1907 (Spirochaetales: Borreliaceae) (31.6%), BorreliellaAdeolu and Gupta 2015 (Spirochaetales: Borreliaceae) (0.6%), and Ehrlichia Cowdria Moshkovski 1947 (Rickettsiales: Ehrlichiaceae) (39.9%). Some endosymbiont bacteria, such as Coxiella (Philip, 1943) (Legionellales: Coxiellaceae), Wolbachia Hertig 1936 (Rickettsiales: Ehrlichiaceae), and Rickettsiella Philip, 1956 (Legionellales: Coxiellaceae), were also detected at very low abundance. Interestingly, this study reported the co-infection of Borrelia and Ehrlichia for the first time, instilling potential health concerns in the context of co-transmission to humans, especially in areas with a high population of I. granulatus.This study successfully characterized the tick microbiome and provided the first baseline data of I. granulatus bacterial communities in Malaysia.These results support the need for way-forward research on tick-associated bacteria using NGS, focusing on medically important species toward TBD prevention.
Is Patient’s Caries Activity Associated with Caries Increment among Adolescents, Regardless of Caries Experience?

This 2.5-year cohort study investigated whether patient’s caries activity is independently associated with caries increment among adolescents, regardless of previous caries experience, in a sample of 801 adolescents from South Brazil. Caries examination was performed at baseline (12 y) and at follow-up (14–15 y). Caries activity was significantly associated with caries increment even after adjustment for sex, socioeconomic status, type of school, and previous caries experience at both cavity and non-cavitated levels. Caries-active adolescents had approximately 2-fold higher risk of caries increment than those without caries activity (cavity level, incidence risk ratio [IRR] = 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.45–2.49, p < 0.001; non-cavitated level, IRR = 2.16, 95% CI = 1.63–2.86, p < 0.001).
Fall Risk Screening and Assessment for People Living With Dementia: A Scoping Review

Falls are the leading cause of injury and hospitalization for older adults in Canada and the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide. For people living with dementia (PLWD), falls have an even greater impact, but the standard testing methods for fall risk screening and assessment are often not practical for this population. The purpose of this scoping review is to identify and summarize recent research, practice guidelines and gray literature which have considered fall risk screening and assessment for PLWD. Database search results revealed a dearth in the literature that can support researchers and healthcare providers when considering which option/s are the most suitable for PLWD. Further primary studies into the validity of using the various tests with PLWD are needed if researchers and healthcare providers are to be empowered via the literature and clinical practice guidelines to provide the best possible fall risk care for PLWD.
EXACT AND APPROXIMATE TESTS FOR UNBALANCED RANDOM EFFECTS DESIGNS

SUMMARY In the three stage nested design with random effects, let ? A2 be the variance of factor A (the top stage). It is often desirable to test the hypothesis HA: GA2 = 0. In the unbalanced case, the conventional F-test for HA does not in general have the expected null distribution, and the expected mean squares are not in general equal under HA . Tietjen and Moore [1968] proposed that a Satterthwaite-like procedur-e be used to construct a denominator (and D.F.) which would have, under HA , the same expected mean square as the numerator. It was pointed out by W. H. Kruskal, however, that such a procedure had no justification since the mean squares were not independent and did not have chi-square distributions. This paper is an attempt to revisit the question by investigatiing the properties of this approximation and those of the conventional F-test. It is shown that the conventional F-test does considerably better as an approximation under imbalance than does the Satterthwaite test.
Acute myeloid leukemia with RAM immunophenotype: A new underdiagnosed entity

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with RAM immunophenotype is a distinct subtype of AML, as described by the Children's Oncology Group (COG), with characteristic morphological and immunophenotypic properties. It is characterized by strong CD56 expression with dim to negative CD45, HLA‐DR, and CD38 expression. It is an aggressive leukemia with a poor response to induction chemotherapy and/or frequent relapses.
Oral administration of wild plant‐derived minerals and red ginseng ameliorates insulin resistance in fish through different pathways

Many kinds of fish are characterized by a limited efficiency to use carbohydrates. For this reason, raw fish and mixed feed containing a lot of fish meal have been used as feed for fish farming. However, continuing to use high‐protein diets not only increases the cost of fish farming, but may also fuel animal protein shortages. Furthermore, carbohydrates are added to improve the texture of the feed and act as a binding agent and are usually contained at 20% in the feed. It makes sense, therefore, to find ways to make good use of carbohydrates rather than wasting them. The physiological mechanisms of glucose intolerance in fish are not yet well understood. Therefore, we investigated the glucose utilization of fish, omnivorous goldfish Carassius auratus and carnivorous rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. Furthermore, the effects of oral administration of wild plant‐derived minerals and red ginseng on the glucose utilization in these fish muscle cells were investigated. As a result, we found the following. (1) An extremely high insulin resistance in fish muscle and the symptom was more pronounced in carnivorous rainbow trout. (2) Administration of wild plant‐derived minerals promotes the translocation of the insulin‐responsive glucose transporter GLUT4 to the cell surface of white muscle via activation of the PI3 kinase axis, whereas administration of red ginseng not only promotes GLUT4 transfer and translocation to the cell surface of white muscle via AMPK activation as well as promoting glucose uptake into muscle cells via a pathway separate from the insulin signaling system. (3) In fish, at least goldfish and rainbow trout, both PI3K/Akt and AMPK signaling cascades exist to promote glucose uptake into muscle cells, as in mammals.
A scuticociliate causes mass mortality of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean Sea

Echinoderm mass mortality events shape marine ecosystems by altering the dynamics among major benthic groups. The sea urchin Diadema antillarum, virtually extirpated in the Caribbean in the early 1980s by an unknown cause, recently experienced another mass mortality beginning in January 2022. We investigated the cause of this mass mortality event through combined molecular biological and veterinary pathologic approaches comparing grossly normal and abnormal animals collected from 23 sites, representing locations that were either affected or unaffected at the time of sampling. Here, we report that a scuticociliate most similar to Philaster apodigitiformis was consistently associated with abnormal urchins at affected sites but was absent from unaffected sites. Experimentally challenging naïve urchins with a Philaster culture isolated from an abnormal, field-collected specimen resulted in gross signs consistent with those of the mortality event. The same ciliate was recovered from treated specimens postmortem, thus fulfilling Koch’s postulates for this microorganism. We term this condition D. antillarum scuticociliatosis.
Impulsivity and Treatment Outcomes in Individuals with Cocaine Use Disorder: Examining the Gap between Interest and Adherence

Abstract Background: Impulsivity is implicated in the development and maintenance of Cocaine Use Disorder (CUD). Less work has examined impulsivity’s role on interest in initiating treatment, treatment adherence, or treatment response. No pharmacotherapies are approved for CUD, so efforts to understand and bolster the effects of psychotherapy are important in guiding and refining treatment. The present study examined the impact of impulsivity on interest in treatment, treatment initiation, treatment adherence, and treatment outcomes in individuals with CUD. Methods : Following the completion of a larger study on impulsivity and CUD participants were offered 14 sessions of (12 weeks) Cognitive Behavioral Relapse Prevention (CBT-RP). Before starting treatment, participants completed seven self-report and four behavioral measures of impulsivity. Sixty-eight healthy adults (36% female) with CUD (aged 49.4 ± 7.9) expressed an interest in treatment. Results: Greater scores on several self-report measures of impulsivity, and fewer difficulties with delayed gratification were associated with increased interest in treatment in both males and females. 55 participants attended at least 1 treatment session, while 13 participants did attend a single session. Individuals who attended at least one treatment session scored lower on measures of lack of perseverance and procrastination. Still, measures of impulsivity did not reliably predict session attendance nor the frequency of cocaine-positive urine samples throughout treatment. Males attended nearly twice as many treatment sessions as females despite nonsignificant associations between impulsivity in males and the number of sessions attended. Conclusions : Greater impulsivity in individuals with CUD was associated with expressing an interest in treatment, but not treatment adherence or response.
Nano-Impact Single-Entity Electrochemistry Enables Plasmon-Enhanced Electrocatalysis.

Plasmon-enhanced electrocatalysis (PEEC), based on a combination of localized surface plasmon resonance excitation and electrochemical bias applied to a plasmonic material, can result in improved electrical-to-chemical energy conversion compared to conventional electrocatalysis. Here, we demonstrate the advantages of nano-impact single-entity electrochemistry (SEE) for investigating the intrinsic activity of plasmonic catalysts at the single-particle level using glucose electrooxidation and oxygen reduction on gold nanoparticles as model reactions. We show that in conventional ensemble measurements, plasmonic effects have minimal impact on photocurrents. We suggest that this is due to the continuous equilibration of the Fermi level (EF) of the deposited gold nanoparticles with the EF of the working electrode, leading to fast neutralization of hot carriers by the measuring circuit. The photocurrents detected in the ensemble measurements are caused by photo-induced heating of the supporting electrode material. In SEE, the EF of suspended gold nanoparticles is unaffected by the working electrode potential. As a result, plasmonic effects are the dominant source of photocurrents under SEE experimental conditions.
Improving optometry student interpersonal skills through online patient, clinician and student evaluation and feedback

ABSTRACT Clinical relevance Interpersonal skills are crucial for successful clinician-patient interactions. To prepare future optometrists for clinical practice, pedagogical evaluation is important to support the implementation of new strategies for teaching and evaluating interpersonal skills. Background Optometry students largely develop their interpersonal skills through in-person patient interactions. Telehealth is increasing, yet strategies to develop the interpersonal skills of students for teleconsulting have not been explored. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, effectiveness and perceived usefulness of an online, multisource (patients, clinicians and students) evaluation and feedback program for developing interpersonal skills. Methods Via an online teleconferencing platform, optometry students (n = 40) interacted with a volunteer patient, observed by a teaching clinician. Patients and clinicians evaluated the interpersonal skills of the student in two ways: (1) qualitative written feedback, and (2) quantitative rating (Doctors’ Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire). All students received written patient and clinician feedback after the session, but not their quantitative ratings. A subset of students (n = 19) completed two sessions, self-ratings, and were provided with their written feedback and an audiovisual recording from their first interaction before completing the second session. All participants were invited to complete an anonymous survey at program completion. Results Patient and clinician overall interpersonal skills ratings were positively correlated (Spearman’s r = 0.35, p = 0.03) and showed moderate agreement (Lin’s concordance coefficient = 0.34). Student self-ratings did not match patient ratings (r = 0.01, p = 0.98), whereas there was moderate agreement between clinician and student ratings (Lin’s concordance coefficient = 0.30). Ratings improved at the second visit (p = 0.01). Patient ratings were higher than clinicians (p = 0.01) and students (p = 0.03). All participants agreed that the program was feasible, useful and effective at fostering good interpersonal skills. Conclusion Multisource feedback about interpersonal skills contributes to improvement in student performance. Patients and clinicians can evaluate and provide useful feedback to optometry students about their interpersonal skills using online methods.
“What’s Your Thinking behind That?” Exploring Why Biology Instructors Use Classroom Discourse

Instructor discourse, defined as verbal interactions with students in the classroom, can play an important role in student learning. Instructors who use dialogic discourse invite students to develop their own ideas, and both students and the instructor share ideas in back-and-forth exchanges. ABSTRACT Instructor discourse, defined as verbal interactions with students in the classroom, can play an important role in student learning. Instructors who use dialogic discourse invite students to develop their own ideas, and both students and the instructor share ideas in back-and-forth exchanges. This type of discourse is well-suited to facilitate deep learning for students but is rare in undergraduate biology classrooms. Understanding the reasoning that underlies the use of dialogic discourse can inform teaching professional development for instructors who are learning to use discourse to support student learning. Through classroom video recordings to identify dialogic discourse and stimulated recall interviews to elicit instructor reasoning, we investigated why undergraduate biology instructors used dialogic discourse in active-learning lessons. Using inductive and deductive qualitative analysis of interview transcripts, we identified and characterized seven reasons that instructors used dialogic discourse, including three aligned with a theoretical framework of student cognitive engagement and four that emerged from our data set. In addition to aiming to prompt generative cognitive engagement in 34% of instances of dialogic discourse, instructors used dialogic discourse to prompt activity, supply information, provide feedback, decipher student thinking, leverage student thinking, and cue students to make connections. Reasoning varied across different types of dialogic discourse. These findings provide valuable insights that can inform research, teaching professional development, and individual instructors’ reflections.
Probing the Ire–Nc–I phase transitions in a lyotropic liquid crystal by the surface plasmon resonance of embedded gold nanoparticles

ABSTRACT The surface plasmon resonance of noble metal nanoparticles depends on properties of the nanoparticles and of the surrounding medium, which make it a suitable probe of the local ordering of anisotropic media. Besides that, no much attention was paid to the possibility of using the surface plasmon resonance as probe of phase transitions in liquid crystals. In this work, we have used the surface plasmon resonance of rather spherical Au nanoparticles of nm for studying the phase transitions of a lyotropic liquid crystal of potassium laurate, 1-decanol and water that exhibits the phase sequence IRE–NC–I on rising temperature. The wavelength of the surface plasmon resonance is blue-shifted sharply at the IRENC transition, remaining almost constant at the NCI transition. The behaviour at the low-temperature transition can be assigned to a change in the shape anisotropy of the micelles. On the contrary, at the higher temperature transition, the local environment of the nanoparticles remains unmodified. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Research on laser doppler vibrometer calibration method based on acousto optic modulation

Aiming at the problem that the calibration standard test range of laser vibrometer at home and abroad is not enough and cannot be calibrated as a whole, a method of Laser Vibrometer Calibration (LDV) based on Acousto-Optic Modulator (AOM) is proposed, which not only guarantees the overall calibration of laser doppler vibrometer, but also expands the range of calibration parameters. This method also gets rid of the problem that the traditional mechanical calibration method cannot trace the source accurately. By introducing a pure photoelectric modulation method, it provides a more accurate and reliable method for the calibration and testing of the laser vibrometer. We conducted preliminary experiments. In the experimental setup, two acousto-optic modulators are used to move the positive and negative frequencies of light respectively to synthesize the desired analog laser doppler signal. At the same time, by analyzing the change of optical angle in the process of acousto-optic frequency shift controlled by lens and mirror, we designed the relevant parameters of mirror group to complete the two kinds of modulation. Our test results can effectively characterize the bandwidth limitation and high-frequency attenuation of LDV. Compared with the previous calibration work based on AOM, we have achieved constant accuracy and made full use of the modulation bandwidth of AOM through the design of positive and negative frequency shift diverters and the optimization of diffraction beam angle control.
Image defogging algorithm based on polarization characteristics of target and atmospheric transmission model

Aiming at the problem of image quality degradation caused by the scattering of particles in the atmosphere under foggy conditions, a polarization dehazing algorithm combining the target polarization degree and atmospheric transmission model is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a bilateral filtering method combined with image gradient information is proposed to solve four target light intensity images from different angles, and the filtered images are used to solve the polarization degree of the target. This method can preserve the edge texture information of the target in the filtering process and effectively improve the quality of the reconstructed image. Secondly, when estimating the atmospheric light intensity at infinite distance, an alpha filtering method combined with bright channels is proposed to avoid the interference of over-bright noise points in the image. The method can effectively suppress the atmospheric light intensity at infinite distance. By analyzing the experimental data, the average gradient and gray variance of the fog-free reconstructed image are significantly improved compared with the original image. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has strong defogging ability, and can effectively improve the image quality of the optical imaging system in foggy scenes, and realize the restoration of
A practical user selection in the satellite system

This paper deals with user selection, considering accessed users and the number of ports. Due to the unstable channel condition caused by the mobility of the satellite, the phased array antenna is applied to adjust the direction of the beam timely to improve the system-level performance. For the multi-beam satellite system, the antenna array must be of a specific size to generate spot beams, which leads to limited co-channel interference between beams. Calculating complexity for the beamforming is related to the scale of the array. Thus, considering the burden caused by the high dimensional operation, practical user selection and low complexity beamforming are applied. The Channel State Information (CSI) quality will influence the beamforming performance. However, all the proposed methods are based on statistical CSI because instantaneous CSI is intractable in the delay-unlimited system. At the same time, we suggest that on-board processing suffers from outdated CSI with a relatively moderate delay compared with on-ground processing. Thus, the on-board system can obtain the statistical CSI with less error because the number of served users is usually larger than the number of antennas. User selection is necessary for improving beamforming performance. In this paper, user selection is divided into two stages. The first one guarantees that beam cells with identical frequency have limited co-channel interference and that users in the same cell have high channel correlation and gain. Each beam cell contains a fixed number of users assigned in different frequencies to avoid predominate intra-cell interference. The second one chooses the proper number of beams shaping vectors from the codebook based on a defined parameter to reduce the complexity of beamforming and the number of used ports. In conclusion, the proposed selection method has two advantages: (1) it enhances the system throughput; (2) it reduces the complexity of the beamforming. Lastly, simulation results will prove the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.
Simulation analysis of the HPM propagation along the femtosecond laser plasma double-line

The transmission of High-Power Microwave (HPM) with a frequency of 1 GHz in a plasma double-line induced by intense femtosecond laser pulses is discussed by CST software. The influence of plasma electron density and collision frequency on HPM transmission performance is analyzed especially. The simulation results indicate that, the influence of plasma electron density on the transmission performance of HPM along the double-line is slight when the electron density is in the range of 1015 cm-3 ~1017 cm-3. It can also be obtained that the incident EM wave can propagate around the plasma double-line rather than in the over-dense plasma. We also discover that the attenuation value of the EM wave increases significantly with increasing the plasma collision frequency. Meanwhile, the attenuation value of the EM along the plasma transmission line can be calculated at approximately 0.94 dB/m and 1.56 dB/m when the plasma collision frequencies are 6×109 Hz and 1.5×1011 Hz, respectively. As can be seen, it is not necessary to increase the electron density of femtosecond laser plasma for achieving a high HPM transmission performance in the future applications.