Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The occupational exposure of dermatology nurses to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons - evaluating the effectiveness of better skin protection.

OBJECTIVES We studied the uptake of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in nurses who apply ointments containing coal tar to patients and investigated the effectiveness of skin protection methods. METHODS We determined gas-phase PAH on XAD-2 and particle-associated PAH on filters. We also used pads to determine PAH on the skin. Pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry and gas chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry; their respective urinary metabolites 1-hydroxypyrene and 3-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene were analyzed using high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. RESULTS We ruled out the inhalation of airborne pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene as the sources of PAH exposure. However, substantial amounts of pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene were observed on the hands of the nurses (median 33.0 and 16.4 ng/cm (2), respectively). Excretion of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene indicated an increased uptake of pyrene in 8 out of 12 nurses. We asked 35 nurses to perform a treatment with gloves followed by a second treatment without gloves. The use of gloves changed the excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene by -0.58 mumol (range -5.1-1.0 mumol), corresponding to a median reduction of 51.5% (P<0.001). Based on this finding, a new protocol was adopted, involving the permanent use of vinyl gloves and Tyvek sleeves. The effectiveness of this protocol was tested against pre-existing work practices and showed a 97% reduction in skin contamination with pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene, and a lowering in urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene of 57%. CONCLUSION Protecting the skin more stringently reduced pyrene and benzo(a)pyrene contamination of the hands, and lowered urinary excretion of 1-hydroxypyrene.
A Multidisciplinary Delphi Consensus-Based Checklist to Define Clinical Documentation Tools for Both Routine and Research Purposes

Background: To the best of our knowledge, a strategic approach to define the contents of structured clinical documentation tools for both clinical routine patient care and research purposes has not been reported so far, although electronic health record will become more and more structured and detailed in the future. Objective: To achieve an interdisciplinary consensus on a checklist to be considered for the preparation of disease- and situation-specific clinical documentation tools. Methods: A 2-round Delphi consensus-based process was conducted both with 19 physicians of different disciplines and 14 students from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany. Agreement was defined as 80% or more positive votes of the participants. Results: The participants agreed that a working group should be set up for the development of structured disease- or situation-specific documentation tools (97% agreement). The final checklist included 4 recommendations concerning the setup of the working group, 12 content-related recommendations, and 3 general and technical recommendations (mean agreement [standard deviation] = 97.4% [4.0%], ranging from 84.2% to 100.0%). Discussion and Conclusion: In the future, disease- and situation-specific structured documentation tools will provide an important bridge between registries and electronic health records. Clinical documentation tools defined according to this Delphi consensus-based checklist will provide data for registries while serving as high-quality data acquisition tools in routine clinical care.
Stress exposure and psychological stress responses are related to glucose concentrations during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVES The role of stress in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) has so far been neglected. We investigated the impact of stress exposure (pregnancy-related and pregnancy-unrelated major life events), psychological stress responses (perceived stress, subjective experience of stress, anxiety, depression, sleep), and physiological stress responses (salivary cortisol, plasma copeptin levels) on glucose concentrations during pregnancy. DESIGN Cross-sectional study, including 203 pregnant women at the maternity department of a Swiss university hospital. METHODS All women underwent routine screening for GDM with a 75-g oral glucose-tolerance test at 24-30 weeks of gestation. Pregnancy-related and pregnancy-unrelated major life events, perceived stress, general psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and amount of sleep were assessed by validated self-report questionnaires. Cortisol was measured using fasting and bedtime saliva samples, and copeptin using fasting plasma. All data were collected before communication of the screening test results. RESULTS Significant positive associations were found between the number of pregnancy-related major life events and fasting glucose, while there was no association with pregnancy-unrelated major life events. More anxiety and depressive symptoms, a higher general level of distress, and a shorter duration of sleep were related to fasting glucose, although the latter two were no longer significant when age and BMI were controlled for. However, physiological stress responses were not associated with glucose concentrations. When testing for unique associations with fasting glucose, more general distress and shorter duration of sleep independently accounted for higher fasting glucose levels. Finally, when comparing women with and without GDM, we found that women who subsequently received the diagnosis of GDM reported more pregnancy-related life events. CONCLUSIONS Some indicators of stress exposure and psychological stress responses were associated with fasting glucose concentrations in pregnant women, thus representing important risk factors for GDM development. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Only approximately half of women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) report any known risk factors. Women after GDM diagnosis reported more major life events compared to healthy pregnant controls. What does this study add? Stress exposure and psychological stress responses were associated with fasting glucose concentrations in pregnant before women were aware of their GDM diagnosis. These represent important risk factors for GDM development and potential targets for intervention.
Estrogen receptor-α promoter methylation is a biomarker for outcome prediction of cisplatin resistance in triple-negative breast cancer

A number of previous studies have indicated the presence of a link between estrogen receptor-α (ERα) methylation and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the association between ERα methylation and drug resistance during the treatment of TNBC remains unclear. Methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to investigate the methylation of ERα in the genomic DNA of 35 patients with TNBC who were defined as cisplatin-based chemotherapy-resistant using chemosensitivity testing. Survival probabilities by covariates were assessed using Kaplan-Meier estimator survival analysis and Cox's proportional hazards models, adjusting for age, menopausal status, tumor size, lymph node metastasis and ERα promoter DNA methylation. Of the 35 patients with TNBC analyzed, 8 exhibited ERα promoter DNA methylation. Cisplatin resistance was confirmed to be overwhelmingly associated with ERα methylation by univariate and multivariate analysis. Even in a limited analysis in patients with ERα methylation, the results generated from methylated tumor tissue and unmethylated tumor tissue revealed that expression of breast cancer type 1/2 susceptibility proteins was increased in ERα-methylated breast tumor tissue compared with in unmethylated tissue. The ERα methylation group tended to have significantly shorter progression-free (P=0.010) and overall (P=0.023) survival times compared with those in the unmethylated group. Similarly, shorter progression-free (P=0.024) and overall (P=0.018) survival times were observed in the cisplatin-resistant group compared with the cisplatin-non-resistant group. ERα methylation predicts a poor clinical outcome for patients with TNBC. The results of the present study indicated that ERα methylation may be a candidate surrogate biomarker for outcome prediction and cisplatin resistance in TNBC. Further investigation is required to identify potential biomarkers in a larger cohort in a prospective study.
Electrochemically Tunable Magnetic Phase Transition in a High-Tc Chromium Cyanide Thin Film

Molecular-based ferrimagnetic thin films with high critical temperatures (Tc) composed of mixed-valence chromium cyanides were synthesized by means of a simple electrochemical route. The highest Tc was 270 K, obtained for Cr2.12(CN)6. The Tc values were easily controlled by changing the preparation conditions. Moreover, a reversible shift of Tc could be electrochemically induced. As a result of such electrochemical control, these cyanides can be switched reversibly back and forth between ferrimagnetism and paramagnetism. These magnets thus represent materials in which magnetic properties are combined with electrical functions.
Designing an effective vaccine to prevent Epstein-Barr virus-associated diseases: challenges and opportunities

ABSTRACT Introduction: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous herpesvirus associated with a number of clinical manifestations. Primary EBV infection in young adolescents often manifests as acute infectious mononucleosis and latent infection is associated with multiple lymphoid and epithelial cancers and autoimmune disorders, particularly multiple sclerosis. Areas covered: Over the last decade, our understanding of pathogenesis and immune regulation of EBV-associated diseases has provided an important platform for the development of novel vaccine formulations. In this review, we discuss developmental strategies for prophylactic and therapeutic EBV vaccines which have been assessed in preclinical and clinical settings. Expert commentary: Major roadblocks in EBV vaccine development include no precise understanding of the clinical correlates of protection, uncertainty about adjuvant selection and the unavailability of appropriate animal models. Recent development of new EBV vaccine formulations provides exciting opportunities for the formal clinical assessment of novel formulations.
Heavy Metals in Lipstick Products Marketed in Saudi Arabia

The present study reports the content of 14 heavy metals (Al, Fe, Ti, Ag, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in twenty-two (n = 22) lipstick products of imported and locally manufactured at the local market in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia using Inductivity Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-OES). The overall average contents of Al, Fe, Ti, Ag, As, Ba, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn were 3131.18 ± 0.09, 9642.92 ± 0.079, 46.59 ± 0.109, 0.545 ± 0.009, 2.041 ± 0.024, 1371.439 ± 0.085, 0.134 ± 0.008, 4.242 ± 0.02, ND, 3.934 ± 0.03, 19.712 ± 0.012, 20.196 ± 0.056, 0.725 ± 0.012, and 858.666 ± 0.083 μg/g, respectively. The correction coefficient of the results is up to 0.9995, showing an excellent linear relationship between metal concentrations in samples. The results also revealed that, the total concentrations of toxic metals in various samples ranged from 1201.35 - 60,800.36 μg/g. The dark-colored lipstick samples 1B, 2B, 3B, 4B, 5B, 7B, B8, 9B, and 10B revealed high content of total toxic metals compared to the light-colored lipstick samples 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 4C, 5A, 7A, 8A, 9A, and 10A. The concentrations of Al, Fe, Ba, and Zn in the samples within each class under investigation are relatively high whereas the concentrations of Ag, As, Cd, Co, Cu, and Pb are lowest; and Ti, Mn, and Ni contents were below 100 μg/g. Chromium was not detected in any sample. Since no safe limits for most of these metals relating to cosmetic products are available in Saudi Arabia, it is hard to ascertain whether the values obtained in this study are relatively high or low. Prolonged use of products containing these elements may pose a threat to human health and could damage the environment.
Distribution and Seasonal Activity of Phlebotominae Sand Flies in Yazd and Its Outskirts, Center of Iran

Background Phlebotominae sand flies are the main vectors of leishmaniasis and some other diseases. Materials and Methods Using sticky traps, sand flies were collected fortnightly from outdoors and indoors areas of selected sites. Results A total of 2032 specimens (498 in the city and 1534 in the outskirts of Yazd) belonging to 11 species were collected. The activity of sand flies started in early-April and ended in mid-November. There were two peaks of activity in the end of April and mid-September. Phlebotomus sergenti and P. papatasi were the most abundant species in the city and outskirts of Yazd city, respectively. Other species were P. salehi, P. ansarii, P. kazerouni, P. caucasicus, P. andrejevi, P. alexandri, P. mongolensis, Sergentomyia sintoni, and S. palestinensis. Conclusion In comparison to some other parts of Iran, the extended period between two peaks suggests that the larvae to adult development of sand fly were delayed by the higher temperature of the summer months in Yazd province.
Enhancement of Performance Parameters of Printed E-Shaped Slot and Microstrip Patch Antennas using CPW

Two printed wide-slot antennas with E-shaped patches and slots for broadband applications are proposed. They are fed by a coplanar waveguide (CPW) and a Microstrip line with the performances that are almost same. Detailed simulation and experimental investigations are conducted to understand their behaviour and optimize for operations of broadband. Good agreement between the measurement and simulation has been achieved. We have obtained the large operating bandwidth by choosing suitable combinations of feed and shapes of slot. In order to achieve wider operation bandwidth both of the designed antennas have round corners on the wide patch and slot. Meanwhile the proposed antennas exhibit almost omnidirectional radiation patterns and low cross polarization and relatively high gain. A comprehensive numerical sensitivity analysis has been done to understand the effects of various dimensional parameters and to optimize the performance of the designed antennas.
Analysis of a subwavelength Z-shaped metamaterial

A Z-shaped easy made planar meta-atom is presented as an alternative design to the conventional electric-LC (ELC) resonator for achieving negative permittivity. Transforming the LC topology of the resonator helps to facilitate transposition of geometrical parameters for the optical regime and also to improve the metamaterial homogeneity. Our approach aims to simplify the resonator design and achieve a lower resonance frequency without being limited by fabrication techniques. The electromagnetic behaviour is investigated through both simulations and experiments in the microwave regime. Our results show that the developed meta-atom exhibits a strong electric response to normally incident radiation and can be used very effectively in producing materials with negative permittivity. The Z-shaped structure is also shown to present a higher effective medium ratio and can possibly find various applications in planar high frequency passive circuits due to the simplicity of fabrication.
Role of PI 3-kinase, Akt and Bcl-2–related proteins in sustaining the survival of neurotrophic factor–independent adult sympathetic neurons

By adulthood, sympathetic neurons have lost dependence on NGF and NT-3 and are able to survive in culture without added neurotrophic factors. To understand the molecular mechanisms that sustain adult neurons, we established low density, glial cell-free cultures of 12-wk rat superior cervical ganglion neurons and manipulated the function and/or expression of key proteins implicated in regulating cell survival. Pharmacological inhibition of PI 3-kinase with LY294002 or Wortmannin killed these neurons, as did dominant-negative Class IA PI 3-kinase, overexpression of Rukl (a natural inhibitor of Class IA PI 3-kinase), and dominant-negative Akt/PKB (a downstream effector of PI 3-kinase). Phospho-Akt was detectable in adult sympathetic neurons grown without neurotrophic factors and this was lost upon PI 3-kinase inhibition. The neurons died by a caspase-dependent mechanism after inhibition of PI 3-kinase, and were also killed by antisense Bcl-xL and antisense Bcl-2 or by overexpression of Bcl-xS, Bad, and Bax. These results demonstrate that PI 3-kinase/Akt signaling and the expression of antiapoptotic members of the Bcl-2 family are required to sustain the survival of adult sympathetic neurons.
Moisture and Temperature Effects of the Compressive Failure of CFRP Unidirectional Laminates

Problems in measuring the compressive strength properties of continuous fibre composites are still encountered at present day even though ISO and ASTM standards exist, and the strength prediction remains an unresolved topic. The objective of the present work is to evaluate the compressive response of the T800/924C carbon fibre-epoxy composite system (currently available for aerospace structural applications) in hot-wet environments using a modified Celanese test rig. The weight gains, maximum moisture contents and through-thickness diffusion coefficients of unidirectional laminates immersed in boiling water (accelerated ageing) are reported. Data are also presented on the effects of moisture and temperature on the compressive strength and failure mode of these laminates. It is observed that failure of specimens tested in hot-wet conditions always occurs as a result of out-of-plane fibre microbuckling. This is attributed to the reduction in matrix strength arising from elevated temperatures and environmental conditioning. In addition, two recent microbuckling models are employed to predict the compressive stress-strain response and failure load of the composite; agreement between theory and experiment is acceptable.
Adaptive quantization of local field potentials for wireless implants in freely moving animals: an open-source neural recording device

Objective. Modern neuroscience research requires electrophysiological recording of local field potentials (LFPs) in moving animals. Wireless transmission has the advantage of removing the wires between the animal and the recording equipment but is hampered by the large number of data to be sent at a relatively high rate. Approach. To reduce transmission bandwidth, we propose an encoder/decoder scheme based on adaptive non-uniform quantization. Our algorithm uses the current transmitted codeword to adapt the quantization intervals to changing statistics in LFP signals. It is thus backward adaptive and does not require the sending of side information. The computational complexity is low and similar at the encoder and decoder sides. These features allow for real-time signal recovery and facilitate hardware implementation with low-cost commercial microcontrollers. Main results. As proof-of-concept, we developed an open-source neural recording device called NeRD. The NeRD prototype digitally transmits eight channels encoded at 10 kHz with 2 bits per sample. It occupies a volume of 2 × 2 × 2 cm3 and weighs 8 g with a small battery allowing for 2 h 40 min of autonomy. The power dissipation is 59.4 mW for a communication range of 8 m and transmission losses below 0.1%. The small weight and low power consumption offer the possibility of mounting the entire device on the head of a rodent without resorting to a separate head-stage and battery backpack. The NeRD prototype is validated in recording LFPs in freely moving rats at 2 bits per sample while maintaining an acceptable signal-to-noise ratio (>30 dB) over a range of noisy channels. Significance. Adaptive quantization in neural implants allows for lower transmission bandwidths while retaining high signal fidelity and preserving fundamental frequencies in LFPs.
Deriving frequency‐dependent spatial patterns in MEG‐derived resting state sensorimotor network: A novel multiband ICA technique

Recently, independent components analysis (ICA) of resting state magnetoencephalography (MEG) recordings has revealed resting state networks (RSNs) that exhibit fluctuations of band‐limited power envelopes. Most of the work in this area has concentrated on networks derived from the power envelope of beta bandpass‐filtered data. Although research has demonstrated that most networks show maximal correlation in the beta band, little is known about how spatial patterns of correlations may differ across frequencies. This study analyzed MEG data from 18 healthy subjects to determine if the spatial patterns of RSNs differed between delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma, and high gamma frequency bands. To validate our method, we focused on the sensorimotor network, which is well‐characterized and robust in both MEG and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) resting state data. Synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM) was used to project signals into anatomical source space separately in each band before a group temporal ICA was performed over all subjects and bands. This method preserved the inherent correlation structure of the data and reflected connectivity derived from single‐band ICA, but also allowed identification of spatial spectral modes that are consistent across subjects. The implications of these results on our understanding of sensorimotor function are discussed, as are the potential applications of this technique. Hum Brain Mapp 38:779–791, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Thermally Tunable, Self-Healing Composites for Soft Robotic Applications

The field of soft robotics has inspired recent mechanical engineering and materials science innovations to enable shape-shifting systems to be developed. This paper presents the design and analysis of a novel thermally tunable composite, namely, a flexible open-cell foam coated in wax that can achieve significant ranges of stiffness, strength, and volume. Experimental results were compared to a proposed model for predicting the bulk compression modulus of the composites. Additionally, preliminary studies indicate that the composites exhibit self-healing properties, in which heating between loading cycles can mend wax that has been plastically deformed, for example, by cracking or delaminating from the foam.
e-government based on cloud computing and service-oriented architecture

Two main trends related to e-government are currently observed: constant development of computer infrastructure, and constant increase of users' skills and knowledge of operating computers and the Internet. Public sector should take advantage of those improved conditions for development and deployment of e-government solutions. This can be achieved through the adoption of new architectures such as cloud computing and service-oriented architecture, in the public sector. Cloud computing permits to uniformly cover the whole country with e-government solutions, independently of divergence of local administrative units that may be better or worse prepared to provide e-services. Service-oriented architecture facilitates provision of compound services covering whole customer processes, where a customer may be a citizen or an enterprise. Compound services provided jointly by administrative units and enterprises stimulate development of e-economy and create attractive job for well educated people.