Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Risk of Prediabetes and Diabetes in Oral Lichen Planus: A Case–Control Study according to Current Diagnostic Criteria

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of prediabetes and diabetes in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP). Methods: Prospective cohort, including consecutive patients diagnosed clinically and histologically with OLP from 2018 to 2022. Patients and controls were matched by age and gender. Fasting plasma glucose value collection from all patients. Multivariate regression analysis evaluated the relationship between prediabetes and diabetes variables according to current diagnostic criteria. Results: The sample comprised 275 patients (207 women; 75.3%), mean age 59.60 ± 12.18 years for both groups. Prediabetes was diagnosed according to the American Diabetes Association (ADA, 100–125 mg/dL), in 21.45% of OLP patients (59/275) and 14.55% (40/275) of control patients (p = 0.035). Patients with the atrophic-erosive form exhibited stronger association with taking oral antidiabetics (p = 0.011). Multivariate analysis showed that being over >60 years and having a cutaneous location was associated with ≥3 sites (OR 1.81 and OR 2.43). ADA prediabetes and oral antidiabetics drugs increased the probability of OLP (OR 1.60 (1.04–2.51), p = 0.03 and OR 2.20 (1.18–4.69), p = 0.017) after adjustment for sex and age. Conclusions: Because glycemia 100–125 mg/dL was associated with OLP, testing serum fasting plasma glucose seems reasonable in order to prevent development of diabetes and deal with possible complications until new studies are complete.
AGILITY IN MARKETING: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS

Research on agility in marketing has been shaped by a great number of articles published in recent decades. My research contributes to the literature by examining the basis of different intellectual frameworks and by identifying relevant references, authors, topics, and journals for the matter. With this focus, I used bibliometric techniques to investigate over 1,200 articles published between 1992 and 2022. I regarded publication periods that shaped the progression of the research subject. Results show that there are 75 relevant publications. Those could be divided into three research streams. The first stream considers frameworks and agile supply chains, the second IT infrastructure to improve enterprise agility, and the third enterprise and organizational agility in general. I applied a historical perspective, identified the social, intellectual, and conceptual structure of marketing agility research.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Online Fashion Apparel Purchase Intention

The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of Covid-19 on the intention to purchase online fashion clothing. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 231 customers in an online survey. The researchers utilised exploratory factor analysis to uncover the most important elements that influence customer behaviour while purchasing online fashion items. Multiple regression study revealed that situational variables, practical motive, and safety and precaution had a positive and substantial influence on customers’ online buy intention for fashion items. Hedonic incentive, on the other hand, had a minor impact, despite being beneficial on purpose. A structured questionnaire was shared with the respondents for data collection. The Questionnaire was floated between individuals who purchase fashion apparel online. The questions assessing the four predictors were first subjected to an exploratory factor analysis. Second, multiple regression was used to determine the influence of these variables on online purchase intentions among customers.
Influences of coupled wind–water processes on suspended sediment grain size: an example from tributaries of the Yellow River / Influences de processus couplés éoliens-hydriques sur la granulométrie des matières en suspension: exemple d'affluents du Fleuve Jaune

Abstract Some unique coupled wind–water erosion processes exist in the desert-loess transitional zone in the middle Yellow River basin. Based on data from 40 stations on 29 rivers, a study was made on the influence of such processes on suspended sediment grain-size characteristics of the tributaries of the Yellow River. Results show that the percentage of >0.05-mm grain size decreases with the increased annual mean precipitation, but increases with the increase in the annual mean number of sand-dust storm days. The percentage of <0.01-mm grain size increases with the increase in the annual mean precipitation, but decreases with the increase in the annual number of sand-dust storm days. Based on annual mean data from 40 stations, multiple regression equations were established between the percentages of >0.05-mm grain size (r >0.05) and <0.01-mm grain size (r <0.01), annual mean precipitation (P m) and annual mean number of sand-dust storm days (D ss). On this basis, the relative contributions of the variations in D ss and P m to the variation in r >0.05 and r <0.01 were estimated. The results indicate that the variation in sand-dust storm frequency exerts greater influences on the variation in grain-size characteristics of suspended load than does the variation in annual mean precipitation. With the increase in the coupled wind–water processes index, expressed by P m/D ss, the percentage of >0.05-mm grain size in suspended sediment decreases and the percentage of <0.01-mm grain size increases. With the variation in P m/D ss, different combinations of r >0.05 with r <0.01 appear, which have some influence on the formation of hyperconcentrated flows. There exist some optimal ratios of coarse to fine fractions in suspended sediment that make sediment concentrations of hyperconcentrated flows the highest. The optimal r >0.05/r <0.01 value is related to some range of the index P m/D ss. When the P m/D ss index falls in this range, the optimum combination of relative coarse with fine sediments in the suspended load appears, and thus results in the peak values of sediment concentration.
An Enumerative-Probabilistic Study of Chord Diagrams

In this thesis, we study various enumerative and probabilistic problems concerning chord diagrams, permutations, chord intersection graphs, and permutation graphs.Among the enumerative results, we find the number of tree permutation graphs on n vertices, the number of forests with n vertices and m edges in both chord intersection graphs and permutation graphs, and the number of unicyclic connected graphs on n vertices in chord intersection graphs and permutation graphs. For the probabilistic results related to chord diagrams and chord intersection graphs, we consider Cn, a chord diagram chosen uniformly at random from all chord diagrams with n chords, and GCn, the intersection graph of Cn. In GCn, we find the limiting distribution of the degree of a chord scaled by n, and find upper and lower bounds for both the clique number and the independence number of GCn. We extend in several directions a result of Flajolet and Noy about the structure of Cn. We find the distribution of the size of the k-core for a fixed k, and the asymptotic size of the set of vertices outside of the k-core as k tends to infinity slowly enough. We define two evolution processes, each of which gives Cn at step n, and we show that they are equivalent. In random permutations, we consider the permutation ? (n,m), which is chosen uniformly at random from all permutations of n with m inversions, and study the probability that it is indecomposable. We show that this probability increases with m by finding an evolution process similar to the Erdos-Renyi graph process. We find the threshold value of m for the indecomposability of ? (n,m) (equivalently the connectedness of G? (n,m)). Finally, we study the sizes of the largest and the smallest blocks of ? (n,m) in the near subcritical phase.
On a Variance Gamma Model (VGM) in Option Pricing: A Difference of Two Gamma Processes

The Variance-Gamma (VG) process is a three parameter stochastic process with respect to a Brownian motion. Here, we consider in our presentation, a detailed study of the VG process expressed as a difference of two gamma processes. As a result, we obtain the basic moments of the process using the characteristic function of the VG process with regard to the parameters of a differenced gamma processes. Also, the Levy-Khintchine formula for the process is derived via the Frullani’s integral. Finally, a modified European call option VG model incorporating a difference of two gamma processes is proposed.
Broadband cloaking of bending waves via homogenization of multiply perforated radially symmetric and isotropic thin elastic plates

A cylindrical cloak is designed to control the bending waves propagating in isotropic thin plates. This is achieved through homogenization of a multiply perforated coating of isotropic homogeneous elastic material, which greatly simplifies the design of the multilayered cloak we proposed [ Phys. Rev. Lett. 103 024301 (2009)]. We first derive the homogenized biharmonic equation, which involves an anisotropic Young's modulus and an isotropic mass density. We then numerically show that a clamped obstacle is cloaked over a finite range of frequencies for an acoustic source located a couple of wavelengths away from its surrounding cloak. The reduced backward and forward scattering is confirmed by both the profile of the total field computed along a line passing through the source and the center of the cloak (near field confirmation), and the computation of the scattered far field.
Multichannel Signal Processing Method for Disturbance Cancelation in Brain Function Measurements Using Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

In brain function measurements by near-infrared spectroscopy, improving the measurement accuracy and expanding the measurement region are important for analyzing brain functional connectivity. Furthermore, for improvement of measurement accuracy, it is necessary to detect a signal for correcting disturbances or changes in skin blood ow. We have proposed a multi-channel signal processing method for realization of disturbance cancelation. To implement the cancelation method in an equilateral triangular probe placement, it is necessary to irradiate from each vertex sequentially and detect the light at the other vertices and at the center of the triangle. Thus, we adopt a combination of the multiple pulse method and the digital encoding method. Computer simulations show that treating the digital code in a pseudo-analog manner is effective for reducing the external noise and preventing mistakes in the demodulation bits. The demodulation process is con rmed using a phantom experiment and is then applied to the cancelation method. Using the cancelation method, the in uence of a near-surface absorber is reduced from 64% to 27%. Thus, the multi-channel signal processing that we developed for the cancelation method improves measurement accuracy without increasing the system size.
SARS-CoV-2 N Protein Triggers Acute Lung Injury via Modulating Macrophage Activation and Infiltration in in vitro and in vivo

Background SARS-CoV-2-induced acute lung injury but its nucleocapsid (N) and/or Spike (S) protein involvements in the disease pathology remain elusive. Methods In vitro, the cultured THP-1 macrophages were stimulated with alive SARS-CoV-2 virus at different loading dose, N protein or S protein with/without TICAM2-siRNA, TIRAP-siRNA or MyD88-siRNA. The TICAM2, TIRAP and MyD88 expression in the THP-1 cells after N protein stimulation were determined. In vivo, naïve mice or mice with depletion macrophages were injected with N protein or dead SARS-CoV-2. The macrophages in the lung were analyzed with flow cytometry, and lung sections were stained with H&E or immunohistochemistry. Culture supernatants and serum were harvested for cytokines measurements with cytometric bead array. Results Alive SARS-CoV-2 virus or N protein but not S protein induced high cytokine releases from macrophages in a time or virus loading dependent manner. MyD88 and TIRAP but not TICAM2 were highly involved in macrophage activation triggered by N protein whilst both inhibited with siRNA decreased inflammatory responses. Moreover, N protein and dead SARS-CoV-2 caused systemic inflammation, macrophage accumulation and acute lung injury in mice. Macrophage depletion in mice decreased cytokines in response to N protein. Conclusion SARS-CoV-2 and its N protein but not S protein induced acute lung injury and systemic inflammation, which was closely related to macrophage activation, infiltration and release cytokines.
Estimating the Price Elasticity of Natural Gas and Electricity in Pacific Northwest

This paper estimates the price elasticity of electricity and natural gas in the Pacific Northwest. Electricity and natural gas are substitutes; and demands of different classes of consumers for the energy are price-inelasticity. The results are when the price of retail electricity and natural gas changes, consumers would choose the cheaper one to make up for the increased cost of another energy price. Consumers’ demand for energy is mainly stable, they won’t affect a lot by the change in energy prices.
On modeling financial risk with tail copulas

This paper studies, for the first time, the dependence of extreme events in energy markets. Based on a large dataset comprising daily quotes of crude oil and natural gas futures, we estimate and model large co-movements of commodity returns. To detect the presence of tail dependence we apply a new method based on the concept of tail copulas, which accounts for different scenarios of joint extreme outcomes. Moreover, we show that the common practice of fitting copulas to the data cannot capture the dynamics in the tail of the joint distribution. It is therefore unsuitable for risk management purposes.
Ferula sinkiangensis against gastric cancer: a network pharmacology, molecular docking and cell experiment study

Background Ferula sinkiangensis (F. sinkiangensis) is a traditional Chinese medicine that has been used for thousands of years to treat stomach ailments. To identify the main active compounds and explore the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effect of F. sinkiangensis against gastric cancer (GC) by network pharmacology, molecular docking analysis and cell experiment. Methods Based on a review of the literature and previous experiments conducted by our research group, the active compounds of F. sinkiangensis were obtained. Active compounds and their target genes were screened from SwissADME, Pubchem, and Pharmmapper databases. GC-related target genes were obtained from GeneCards. The drug-compound-target-disease (D-C-T-D) network and protein-protein interaction (PPI) network were constructed by Cytoscape 3.7. 2 and STRING database, and the core target genes and core active compounds were identified. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis were conducted using the R package clusterProfiler. The core genes with high expression in GC were screened, which correlated with a poor prognosis using the GEPIA, UALCAN, HPA, and KMplotter databases. KEGG signaling pathway analysis was further conducted to predict the mechanism of F. sinkiangensis during the process of GC inhibition. The AutoDock vina 1.1. 2 program was used to verify the molecular docking of the core active compounds and core target genes. MTT, Transwell, and Wound healing assay were used to detect the effects of ethyl acetate extract of F. sinkiangensis on the proliferation, invasion, and apoptosis of GC cells. Results Final results indicated that the active compounds include Farnesiferol C, Assafoetidin, Lehmannolone, Badrakemone, etc. The identified core target genes were GPI, TKT, GLYCTK, ERBB2, GAPDH, etc. The Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis pathway and the Pentose Phosphate pathway might play important roles in the treatment of GC with F. sinkiangensis. The data from the study showed that F. sinkiangensis was able to inhibit the proliferation of GC cells. Meanwhile, F. sinkiangensis remarkedly repressed the invasion and migration of GC cells in in vitro experiment. Conclusions This study revealed that F. sinkiangensis has an antitumor effect in in vitro experiment, and that the mechanism of F. sinkiangensis in GC treatment shows characteristics of multi-components, multi-targets, and multi-pathways, which provides a theoretical basis for its clinical application and subsequent experimental verification.
Biological and Oxidative Degradation of Ultrathin-Fibrous Nonwovens Based on Poly(lactic Acid)/Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate) Blends

Developing biodegradable materials based on polymer blends with a programmable self-destruction period in the environmental conditions of living systems is a promising direction in polymer chemistry. In this work, novel non-woven fibrous materials obtained by electrospinning based on the blends of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) were developed. The kinetics of biodegradation was studied in the aquatic environment of the inoculum of soil microorganisms. Oxidative degradation was studied under the ozone gaseous medium. The changes in chemical composition and structure of the materials were studied by optical microscopy, DSC, TGA, and FTIR-spectroscopy. The disappearance of the structural bands of PHB in the IR-spectra of the blends and a significant decrease in the enthalpy of melting after 90 days of exposure in the inoculum indicated the biodegradation of PHB while PLA remained stable. It was shown that the rate of ozonation was higher for PLA and the blends with a high content of PLA. The lower density of the amorphous regions of the blends determined an increased rate of their oxidation by ozone compared to homopolymers. The optimal composition in terms of degradation kinetics is a fibrous material based on the blend of 30PLA/70PHB that can be used as an effective ecosorbent, for biopackaging, and as a highly porous covering material for agricultural purposes.
Impact of Water Shortage on Soil and Plant Attributes in the Presence of Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi from a Harsh Environment

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a crucial role in plant health due to their ability to improve tolerance to biotic and abiotic stresses. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a pool of native AMF from a harsh environment on plant performance and changes in soil attributes under different levels of drought. An experiment using maize was established, varying the soil water content to simulate severe drought (30% of the water-holding capacity [WHC]), moderate (50% of the WHC) and no drought (80% of the WHC, control treatment). Soil and plant attributes were measured (enzyme activity, microbial biomass, AMF root colonisation and plant biomass and nutrient uptake). There was a two-fold increase in plant biomass under moderate drought when compared to no drought treatment, but there was no difference in nutrient uptake. Under severe drought, there were the highest enzyme activities related to phosphorus (P) cycling and P microbial biomass, indicating higher P microbial immobilization. The increase in AMF root colonisation was observed in plants under moderate and no drought. Our findings demonstrated that the better use of the AMF inoculum varied according to drought levels, with better performance under moderate drought due to the increase in plant biomass.
Three New “51 Pegasi-Type” Planets

We report Keplerian Doppler velocity variations, consistent with orbiting “51 Pegasi-type” planets, for the three stars HR 3522 (G8V), HR 5185 (F7V), and HR 458 (F8V). HR 3522 exhibits a velocity semiamplitude of 77 m s-1 and a period of 14.65 days, implying a semimajor axis of 0.11 AU and a minimum mass for the companion of M2 sin i = 0.84MJUP. For HR 5185, the semiamplitude is 469 m s-1, and the period is 3.3128 days, implying an orbital radius of 0.0462 AU and a minimum mass of 3.87MJUP. For HR 458, the semiamplitude is 74 m s-1, and the period is 4.61 days, implying an orbital radius of 0.057 AU and a minimum mass of 0.68MJUP. These three companions, along with 51 Peg b, may constitute a heretofore unrecognized class of planets, defined by circular orbits, Jupiter-like masses, and orbital radii less than ~0.2 AU. The relatively large orbital radius for HR 3522 (0.11 AU) precludes tidal circularization, suggesting that the circular orbits are primordial. During the past 9 years, the velocity residuals to the Keplerian fit of HR 3522 exhibit a long-term systematic trend, suggestive of an additional companion. HR 5185 exhibits velocity residuals that fluctuate erratically by ~70 m s-1, which are as yet unaccounted for. HR 5185 has a rotation period very close to the orbital period of the planet, suggesting that the companion may have tidally locked the primary.
Adsorption on 3C-SiC surfaces in chemical vapor deposition process of CH3SiCl3–H2 system: a first-principles study

SiC has become increasingly important in high-energy semiconductor device materials and structural composite materials in recent years. Many systematic experimental studies have been conducted on the preparation of cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) by the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. Despite this, the microscopic mechanism of the SiC deposition process has not been fully elucidated due to the limitations of the experimental methods. Based on these problems, the structural parameters, adsorption energies, charge populations, transition states, and electronic densities of states of Si-Cl-C-H at different sites were simulated by a first-principles method, and the micro-mechanism of the surface deposition reaction was analyzed. The calculated results provide a theoretical and experimental basis for the study of 3C-SiC preparation by CVD.
Insights into the Oncogenic, Prognostic, and Immunological Role of BRIP1 in Pan-Cancer: A Comprehensive Data-Mining-Based Study

Background BRCA1 interacting helicase 1 (BRIP1), an ATP-dependent DNA helicase which belongs to an Iron-Sulfur (Fe-S) helicase cluster family with a DEAH domain, plays a key role in DNA damage and repair, Fanconi anemia, and development of several cancers including breast and ovarian cancer. However, its role in pan-cancer remains largely unknown. Methods BRIP1 expression data of tumor and normal tissues were downloaded from the Cancer Genome Atlas, Genotype-Tissue Expression, and Human Protein Atlas databases. Correlation between BRIP1 and prognosis, genomic alterations, and copy number variation (CNV) as well as methylation in pan-cancer were further analyzed. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) and gene set enrichment and variation analysis (GSEA and GSVA) were performed to identify the potential pathways and functions of BRIP1. Besides, BRIP1 correlations with tumor microenvironment (TME), immune infiltration, immune-related genes, tumor mutation burden (TMB), microsatellite instability (MSI), and immunotherapy as well as antitumor drugs were explored in pan-cancer. Results Differential analyses showed an increased expression of BRIP1 in 28 cancer types and its aberrant expression could be an indicator for prognosis in most cancers. Among the various mutation types of BRIP1 in pan-cancer, amplification was the most common type. BRIP1 expression had a significant correlation with CNV and DNA methylation in 23 tumor types and 16 tumor types, respectively. PPI, GSEA, and GSVA results validated the association between BRIP1 and DNA damage and repair, cell cycle, and metabolism. In addition, the expression of BRIP1 and its correlation with TME, immune-infiltrating cells, immune-related genes, TMB, and MSI as well as a variety of antitumor drugs and immunotherapy were confirmed. Conclusions Our study indicates that BRIP1 plays an imperative role in the tumorigenesis and immunity of various tumors. It may not only serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker but also can be a predictor for drug sensitivity and immunoreaction during antitumor treatment in pan-cancer.