Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel prognostic nomogram for older patients with acute-on-chronic liver diseases (AoCLD): a nationwide, multicentre, prospective cohort study

Abstract Background the incidence of acute-on-chronic liver disease (AoCLD) is increasing. Objective to investigate the clinical features and risk factors of AoCLD and construct an effective prognostic nomogram model for older patients with AoCLD. Methods data from 3,970 patients included in the CATCH-LIFE study were used, including 2,600 and 1,370 patients in the training and validation sets, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analyses were performed to identify predictive risk factors in older individuals, and an easy-to-use nomogram was established. Performance was assessed using area under the curve, calibration plots and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results of the 3,949 patients with AoCLD, 809 were older with a higher proportion of autoimmune-related abnormalities, hepatitis C viral infection and schistosomiasis. In the older patient group, the incidence of cirrhosis, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), infection, ascites and gastrointestinal bleeding; neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), aspartate-to-alanine transaminase ratio (AST/ALT), creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels were higher, whereas incidence of acute-on-chronic liver failure, white blood cell, platelet and haemoglobin levels; albumin, total bilirubin (TB), AST and ALT levels; international normalised ratio (INR), estimated glomerular filtration rate and blood potassium levels were lower than in the younger group. The final nomogram was developed based on the multivariate Cox analysis in training cohort using six risk factors: ascites, HE grades, NLR, TB, INR and AST/ALT. Liver transplantation-free mortality predictions were comparable between the training and validation sets. DCA showed higher net benefit for the nomograph than the treat-all or treat-none strategies, with wider threshold probabilities ranges. Conclusions our analysis will assist clinical predictions and prognoses in older patients with AoCLD.
Cognitive reflection test: The effects of the items sequence on scores and response time

This paper aims to expand the literature on the determinants of the Cognitive Reflection Test scores, exploring the effects that the items sequence has on (1) Cognitive Reflection Test scores, (2) response time, (3) the relationship between Cognitive Reflection Test scores and response time, and (4) Cognitive Reflection scores, response time, and the relationship between both variables on men and women. The current study also explored the sex differences on Cognitive Reflection Test and response time according to items sequence. The results showed that manipulating the items sequence, the performance on the Cognitive Reflection Test improved significantly, but the response time were not significantly affected, although the results suggest that first items of the sequence could be working as training items. A positive relationship between Cognitive Reflection Test scores and response time was also found, except when the scores were maximized. Finally, some differences between men and women on the results were also found. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Efficacy of personal protective equipment to prevent environmental infection of COVID-19 among healthcare workers: a systematic review

Background Healthcare workers (HCWs) employed personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 pandemic, crucial to protecting themselves from infection. To highlight the efficacy of PPE in preventing environmental infection among HCWs, a systematic review was conducted in line with PRISMA guidance. Methods A search of the PubMed and Web of Science databases was conducted from January 2019 to April 2021 using pre-defined search terms. Articles were screened by three researchers. The approved papers were read in full and included in this review if relevance was mutually agreed upon. Data were extracted by study design and types of PPEs. Results 47 of 108 identified studies met the inclusion criteria, with seven reviews and meta-analyses, seven cohort, nine case-control, fifteen cross-sectional studies, four before and after, four case series, and one modeling studies. Wearing PPE offered COVID-19 protection in HCWs but required adequate training. Wearing surgical masks provided improved protection over cloth masks, while the benefit of powered air-purifying respirators is less clear, as are individual gowns, gloves, and/or face shields. Conclusions Wearing PPE, especially facial masks, is necessary among HCWs, while training in proper use of PPE is also important to prevent COVID-19 infection. Supplementary information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1265/ehpm.22-00131.
Intelligibility of speech with filtered time trajectories of LPC cepstrum

One of the main objectives of front‐end processing in robust automatic speech recognition (ASR) is to preserve critical linguistic information while suppressing irrelevant information such as speaker‐specific characteristics, channel characteristics, and noise. Since the information suppressed in the front end of the recognizer is lost for the recognition process, it is important to identify those features of the signal that are critical for human speech communication. This work examines effects of temporal filtering of the time trajectories of LPC cepstrum. Results of the perceptual experiments show that intelligibility of Japanese syllables is not severely impaired as long as remaining spectral envelope components have a rate of change between about 1 and 20 Hz. Analysis of results for each phoneme class is also reported. [Work supported by DoD under MDA‐904‐94‐C‐6169. ]
Evaluation of heterogeneity in meta‐analysis

ORCID Yuning Cao https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9782-5724 Xiangheng Kong https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2450-7837 Daogui Yang https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8357-3693 R E FE R E N C E S 1. Wedel T, Heimke M, Fletcher J, Miskovic D, Benz S, Stelzner S, et al. The retrocolic fascial system revisited for right hemicolectomy with complete mesocolic excision based on anatomical terminology: do we need the eponyms Toldt, Gerota, Fredet and Treitz? Colorectal Dis. 2022. Online ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1111/codi.16436 2. Woywodt A, Matteson E. Should eponyms be abandoned? Yes. BMJ. 2007;335(7617):424. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39308. 342639 3. Ogden DJ. Time to drop eponyms: curbing medicalese is the issue. BMJ. 2007;335(7619):528. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39332. 450995.3A 4. Akgür FM, Tanyel FC, Büyükpamukçu N, Hiçsönmez A. Anomalous congenital bands causing intestinal obstruction in children. J Pediatr Surg. 1992;27(4):471– 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/ 00223468(92)90340 d 5. Maeda A, Yokoi S, Kunou T, Tsuboi S, Niinomi N, Horisawa M, et al. Intestinal obstruction in the terminal ileum caused by an anomalous congenital vascular band between the mesoappendix and the mesentery: report of a case. Surg Today. 2004;34(9):793– 5. https://doi. org/10.1007/s0059 500428216 6. Sato T, Hashimoto M. Morphological analysis of the fascial lamination of the trunk. Bull Tokyo Med Dent Univ. 1984;31:21– 32. 7. Sadler TW. Langman's medical embryology. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott; 2009. 8. Jeong YJ, Cho BH, Kinugasa Y, Song CH, Hirai I, Kimura W, et al. Fetal topohistology of the mesocolon transversum with special reference to fusion with other mesenteries and fasciae. Clin Anat. 2009;22:716– 29. https://doi.org/10.1002/ca.20846
Effects of a School-Based Nutrition, Gardening, and Cooking Intervention on Metabolic Parameters in High-risk Youth

Key Points Question Does a school-based gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention affect changes in metabolic outcomes in elementary schoolchildren? Findings In this secondary analysis of a cluster randomized clinical trial of 695 children, a gardening, nutrition, and cooking intervention resulted in reductions of 0.02% for hemoglobin A1c and 6.40 mg/dL for low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. Meaning These findings suggest that school-based gardening interventions may improve metabolic parameters in children.
Brillouin Scattering and Relaxation in Liquids

The spectrum of light inelastically scattered from density fluctuations is considered both for nonrelaxing and relaxing fluids. When the thermal conductivity of the liquid is small, the functions describing these spectra take on particularly simple forms. In addition to the unshifted Rayleigh line, caused by scattering from isobaric density fluctuations, the spectrum for a nonrelaxing liquid is just the response of a resonant system driven by thermal energy. For a relaxing liquid, the spectral distribution function has a somewhat more complicated form, but its interpretation is still quite straightforward. The use of electric circuit equivalents illustrates the principal features of the response spectrum. These results are formal ones, but while they are useful in understanding the scattering process, they are not particularly suited for the analysis of experimental results. For this purpose, approximations are developed that enable one to relate the out‐standing characteristics of the spectrum (for examp.
Cross-convolutional transformer for automated multi-organs segmentation in a variety of medical images

Objective. It is a huge challenge for multi-organs segmentation in various medical images based on a consistent algorithm with the development of deep learning methods. We therefore develop a deep learning method based on cross-convolutional transformer for these automated- segmentation to obtain better generalization and accuracy. Approach. We propose a cross-convolutional transformer network (C2Former) to solve the segmentation problem. Specifically, we first redesign a novel cross-convolutional self-attention mechanism in terms of the algorithm to integrate local and global contexts and model long-distance and short-distance dependencies to enhance the semantic feature understanding of images. Then multi-scale feature edge fusion module is proposed to combine the image edge features, which effectively form multi-scale feature streams and establish reliable relational connections in the global context. Finally, we use three different modalities, imaging three different anatomical regions to train and test multi organs and evaluate segmentation performance. Main results. We use the evaluation metrics of Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and 95% Hausdorff distance (HD95) for each dataset. Experiments showed the average DSC of 83.22% and HD95 of 17.55 mm on the Synapse dataset (CT images of abdominal multi-organ), the average DSC of 91.42% and HD95 of 1.06 mm on the ACDC dataset (MRI of cardiac substructures) and the average DSC of 86.78% and HD95 of 16.85 mm on the ISIC 2017 dataset (skin cancer images). In each dataset, our proposed method consistently outperforms the compared networks. Significance. The proposed deep learning network provides a generalized and accurate solution method for multi-organ segmentation in the three different datasets. It has the potential to be applied to a variety of medical datasets for structural segmentation.
Pulmonary Nodule Detection in Volumetric Chest CT Scans Using CNNs-Based Nodule-Size-Adaptive Detection and Classification

In computed tomography, automated detection of pulmonary nodules with a broad spectrum of appearance is still a challenge, especially, in the detection of small nodules. An automated detection system usually contains two major steps: candidate detection and false positive (FP) reduction. We propose a novel strategy for fast candidate detection from volumetric chest CT scans, which can minimize false negatives (FNs) and false positives (FPs). The core of the strategy is a nodule-size-adaptive deep model that can detect nodules of various types, locations, and sizes from 3D images. After candidate detection, each result is located with a bounding cube, which can provide rough size information of the detected objects. Furthermore, we propose a simple yet effective CNNs-based classifier for FP reduction, which benefits from the candidate detection. The performance of the proposed nodule detection was evaluated on both independent and publicly available datasets. Our detection could reach high sensitivity with few FPs and it was comparable with the state-of-the-art systems and manual screenings. The study demonstrated that excellent candidate detection plays an important role in the nodule detection and can simplify the design of the FP reduction. The proposed candidate detection is an independent module, so it can be incorporated with any other FP reduction methods. Besides, it can be used as a potential solution for other similar clinical applications.
Clarifying Eudaimonia and Psychological Functioning to Complement Evaluative and Experiential Well-Being: Why Basic Psychological Needs Should Be Measured in National Accounts of Well-Being

Measuring subjective well-being as a key indicator of national wellness has increasingly become part of the international agenda. Current recommendations for measuring well-being at a national level propose three separate dimensions: evaluative well-being, experiential well-being, and eudaimonia. Whereas the measurement of the first two dimensions is relatively standardized, the third category has remained undertheorized, lacking consensus on how to define and operationalize it. To remedy the situation, we propose that the third dimension should focus on psychological functioning and the identification of key psychological factors humans generally need to live well. A key part of psychological functioning is the satisfaction of basic psychological needs—specific types of satisfying experiences that are essential for psychological health and well-being. Psychological needs as a category provides a parsimonious set of elements with clear inclusion criteria that are strongly anchored in theory and our current understanding of human nature—and could thus form a core part of the third, “eudaimonic” dimension of well-being. The needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness have especially received broad empirical support. Accordingly, national accounts of well-being should include measures for key psychological needs to gain an enriched and practically useful understanding of the well-being of the citizens.
Xanthomonas campestris VemR enhances the transcription of the T3SS key regulator HrpX via physical interaction with HrpG

Abstract VemR is a response regulator of the two‐component signalling systems (TCSs). It consists solely of a receiver domain. Previous studies have shown that VemR plays an important role in influencing the production of exopolysaccharides and exoenzymes, cell motility, and virulence of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Xcc). However, whether VemR is involved in the essential pathogenicity determinant type III secretion system (T3SS) is unclear. In this work, we found by transcriptome analysis that VemR modulates about 10% of Xcc genes, which are involved in various cellular processes including the T3SS. Further experiments revealed that VemR physically interacts with numerous proteins, including the TCS sensor kinases HpaS and RavA, and the TCS response regulator HrpG, which directly activates the transcription of HrpX, a key regulator controlling T3SS expression. It has been demonstrated previously that HpaS composes a TCS with HrpG or VemR to control the expression of T3SS or swimming motility, while RavA and VemR form a TCS to control the expression of flagellar genes. Mutation analysis and in vitro transcription assay revealed that phosphorylation might be essential for the function of VemR and phosphorylated VemR could significantly enhance the activation of hrpX transcription by HrpG. We infer that the binding of VemR to HrpG can modulate the activity of HrpG to the hrpX promoter, thereby enhancing hrpX transcription. Although further studies are required to validate this inference and explore the detailed functional mechanism of VemR, our findings provide some insights into the complex regulatory cascade of the HpaS/RavA‐VemR/HrpG‐HrpX signal transduction system in the control of T3SS.
Numerical simulation and in vitro experimental study of thrombus capture efficiency of a new retrievable vena cava filter

Abstract The vena cava filter is a filtering device to prevent pulmonary embolism caused by thrombosis from lower limbs and pelvis. A new retrievable vena cava filter was evaluated in this paper. To evaluate the hemodynamic performance and thrombus capture efficiency after transplantation, numerical simulation of computational fluid dynamics was performed. In this paper, the two-phase flow model of computational fluid dynamics software was used to analyze the outlet blood flow velocity, inlet-outlet pressure difference, filter wall shear stress, the ratio of area with wall shear stress, and the thrombus capture efficiency with the thrombus diameter of 5 mm, 10 mm, 15 mm and the thrombus content of 10%, 20%, 30%, respectively. Additionally, in vitro experimental test was performed to compare its thrombus capture efficiency with Denali and Aegisy Filters. The Denali Filter showed the least interference with the blood flow, followed by the new filter and the Aegisy Filter. The results indicated that the new filter had a higher capture rate in capturing 5mm small-diameter thrombus. This research certain theoretical significance and reference value for the research and development of the new vena cava filters as well as the evaluation of the thrombus capture efficiency of the filters.
Transition layer thickness at a fluid-porous interface

The length scale of the transition region between a porous layer and its overlying fluid layer is experimentally studied. The experimental setup consists of a rectangular channel, in which a fluid layer flows over a porous bed. Using particle image velocimetry and refractive index matching, two-dimensional velocity measurements in the interfacial region were performed. The thickness of this transition layer, defined by the height below the permeable interface up to which the velocity decreases to the Darcy scale, is measured and compared with the permeability and the matrix grain size. It was observed that the thickness of the transition zone, δ, is of the order of the grain diameter, and hence, much larger than the square root of the permeability as predicted by previous theoretical studies. The Reynolds number and the fluid height over the porous substrate were found to affect the gradient of the horizontal velocity component at the interfacial region while the length scale of the transition layer remai.
SARS-CoV-2-Mediated Lung Edema and Replication Are Diminished by Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Modulators

Three highly pathogenic human CoVs have been identified: SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. The E protein PBMs of these three CoVs were virulence factors. ABSTRACT Coronaviruses (CoVs) of genera α, β, γ, and δ encode proteins that have a PDZ-binding motif (PBM) consisting of the last four residues of the envelope (E) protein (PBM core). PBMs may bind over 400 cellular proteins containing PDZ domains (an acronym formed by the combination of the first letter of the names of the three first proteins where this domain was identified), making them relevant for the control of cell function. Three highly pathogenic human CoVs have been identified to date: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2. The PBMs of the three CoVs were virulence factors. SARS-CoV mutants in which the E protein PBM core was replaced by the E protein PBM core from virulent or attenuated CoVs were constructed. These mutants showed a gradient of virulence, depending on whether the alternative PBM core introduced was derived from a virulent or an attenuated CoV. Gene expression patterns in the lungs of mice infected with SARS-CoVs encoding each of the different PBMs were analyzed by RNA sequencing of infected lung tissues. E protein PBM of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 dysregulated gene expression related to ion transport and cell homeostasis. Decreased expression of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) mRNA, essential for alveolar edema resolution, was shown. Reduced CFTR mRNA levels were associated with edema accumulation in the alveoli of mice infected with SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. Compounds that increased CFTR expression and activity, significantly reduced SARS-CoV-2 growth in cultured cells and protected against mouse infection, suggesting that E protein virulence is mediated by a decreased CFTR expression. IMPORTANCE Three highly pathogenic human CoVs have been identified: SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. The E protein PBMs of these three CoVs were virulence factors. Gene expression patterns associated with the different PBM motifs in the lungs of infected mice were analyzed by deep sequencing. E protein PBM motif of SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 dysregulated the expression of genes related to ion transport and cell homeostasis. A decrease in the mRNA expression of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), which is essential for edema resolution, was observed. The reduction of CFTR mRNA levels was associated with edema accumulation in the lungs of mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. Compounds that increased the expression and activity of CFTR drastically reduced the production of SARS-CoV-2 and protected against its infection in a mice model. These results allowed the identification of cellular targets for the selection of antivirals.
Effect Of Image Aliasing On Image Alignment To Subpixel Accuracy

Image aliasing (undersampling) can cause significait errors in attempts to align two small size imagus to subpixel accuracy. This problem arises in applications such as focal plane stabilization, target detection, angular velocity updates to inertial navigation, and image resolution improvement, in which a small number of detectors is preferable from a cost standpoint. This paper compares the sensitivity of four registration algorithms to a sequence of increasingly aliased images, ranging in size from 8 x 8 to 32 x 32 pixels. The algorithms are: minimum sum of differences on interpolated images (MSD), normalized cross-correlation (NCC), phase correlation (PC), and normalized mean absolute difference (NMAD). The results show that the MSD and NCC methods are least sensitive to aliasing. Attempts to make the 1188 and PC methods more robust against aliasing are also discussed. The main conclusion is that aliasing should be considered as an effect when choosing the system modulation transfer function and the number of detectors.
Targeting activin receptor–like kinase 7 ameliorates adiposity and associated metabolic disorders

Activin receptor-like kinase 7 (ALK7) is a type I receptor in the TGF-β superfamily preferentially expressed in adipose tissue and associated with lipid metabolism. Inactivation of ALK7 signaling in mice results in increased lipolysis and resistance to both genetic and diet-induced obesity. Human genetic studies have recently revealed an association between ALK7 variants and both reduced waist to hip ratios and resistance to development of diabetes. In the present study, treatment with a neutralizing mAb against ALK7 caused a substantial loss of adipose mass and improved glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in both genetic and diet-induced mouse obesity models. The enhanced lipolysis increased fatty acid supply from adipocytes to promote fatty acid oxidation in muscle and oxygen consumption at the whole-body level. The treatment temporarily increased hepatic triglyceride levels, which resolved with long-term Ab treatment. Blocking of ALK7 signals also decreased production of its ligand, growth differentiation factor 3, by downregulating S100A8/A9 release from adipocytes and, subsequently, IL-1β release from adipose tissue macrophages. These findings support the feasibility of potential therapeutics targeting ALK7 as a treatment for obesity and diabetes.