Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnosis and functional prediction of microbial markers in tumor tissues of sporadic colorectal cancer patients associated with the MLH1 protein phenotype

Objective Most patients with sporadic colorectal cancer (SCRC) develop microsatellite instability because of defects in mismatch repair (MMR). Moreover, the gut microbiome plays a vital role in the pathogenesis of SCRC. In this study, we assessed the microbial composition and diversity of SCRC tumors with varying MutL protein homolog 1 (MLH1) status, and the effects of functional genes related to bacterial markers and clinical diagnostic prediction. Methods The tumor microbial diversity and composition were profiled using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene V4 region. Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt2) software and BugBase tool were used to predict the functional roles of the microbiome. We aimed to construct a high-accuracy model to detect and evaluate the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve with candidate biomarkers. Results The study included 23 patients with negative/defective MLH1 (DM group) and 22 patients with positive/intact MLH1 (IM group). Estimation of alpha diversity indices showed that the Shannon index (p = 0.049) was significantly higher in the DM group than in the controls, while the Simpson index (p = 0.025) was significantly lower. At the genus level, we observed a significant difference in beta diversity in the DM group versus the IM group. Moreover, the abundance of Lachnoclostridium spp. and Coprococcus spp. was significantly more enriched in the DM group than in the IM group (q < 0.01 vs. q < 0.001). When predicting metagenomes, there were 18 Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways and one BugBase function difference in both groups (all q < 0.05). On the basis of the model of diagnostic prediction, we built a simplified optimal model through stepwise selection, consisting of the top two bacterial candidate markers (area under the curve = 0.93). Conclusion In conclusion, the genera Lachnoclostridium and Coprococcus as key species may be crucial biomarkers for non-invasive diagnostic prediction of DM in patients with SCRC in the future.
Social cohesion and attitudinal changes toward migration: A longitudinal perspective amid the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted social interactions and coexistence around the globe in dimensions that go far beyond health issues. In the case of the Global South, the pandemic has developed along with growing South-South migratory movements, becoming another key factor that might reinforce social conflict in increasingly multicultural areas as migrants have historically served as “scapegoats” for unexpected crises as a way to control and manage diversity. Chile is one of the main destination countries for migrants from the Latin American and Caribbean region, and COVID-19 outbreaks in migrant housing have intensified discrimination. In such a context, there is a need for understanding how the pandemic has potentially changed the way non-migrants perceive and interact with migrant neighbors. Drawing on the national social cohesion panel survey study ELSOC (2016–2021, N = 2,927) the aim is to analyze the changes in non-migrants' attitudes toward migrants—related to dimensions of social cohesion—over the last years and their relation with individual status and territorial factors. We argue that social cohesion in increasingly multicultural societies is partially threatened in times of crisis. The results indicate that after the pandemic, convivial attitudes toward Latin American migrants decreased. Chileans started perceiving them more negatively, particularly those respondents with lower educational levels and who live in increasingly multicultural neighborhoods with higher rates of migrant residents.
Image Enhancement Method for Steel Surface Defects Based on DT-CWT

A method based on Dual-Tree Complex Wavelet Transform (DT-CWT) was proposed for enhancing the images. By taking into account the non-Gaussian probability distribution and the statistical dependencies among wavelet coefficients of some signals, and by taking advantage of near shift-invariance of DT-CWT, it can obtain higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than common wavelet denoising methods. The simulation results show that the proposed method is better than the traditional methods. It has a good enhancement performance which can improve the details of the image automatically.
Engineered column treatment of greywater using raw and pyrolyzed coconut husk powder

Reclaimed water from wastewater has become a prominent water source option to manage water scarcity. This study explores the potential of coconut husk biomass, a common waste material in Ghana, as a valuable low-cost resource for greywater treatment. Engineered column treatment was applied to investigate the influence of pyrolysis and biochar properties of coconut husk biomass waste on greywater treatment. Coconut husk biomass waste was pyrolyzed at 600°C and characterized using SEM, FTIR, and XRD. Three engineered columns with 1) raw coconut husk powder (RCHP), 2) charred coconut husk powder (CCHP), and 3) sand-gravel filters (control setup) were used. A hydrostatic head of greywater with a throughput of 8.0 ml/min and a hydraulic retention time of 45 min was maintained for engineered columns. The SEM image suggested an increased surface area and pores due to the pyrolysis of the husk biomass. RCHP and CCHP contributed to 63% and 95% turbidity removal, respectively. Experimental results showed high removal efficiencies of 71% COD for CCHP. The nitrate removal efficiency of 78.93%, 88.38%, and 28.65% was observed for RCHP, CCHP, and control respectively. The log removal of faecal coliform by CCHP was two orders of magnitude higher than RCHP. Faecal and total coliform removal was 2.87 log units for CCHP. Significant differences were observed between CCHP and RCHP, p < 0.05 for electrical conductivity and total dissolved solids of effluents. CCHP showed a promising potential for greywater treatment. Pyrolyzed coconut husk powder is a promising adsorbent applicable to greywater treatment.
Characterization of gut dominant microbiota in obese patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

In obese patients, non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFLD) is common. However, whether there is a connection between the gut microbiota and the onset of NAFLD in obese people is yet unknown. Using quantitative real-time PCR, the microbiota of feces of the eligible 181 obese individuals was identified to compare the differences in gut microbiota between obesity with NAFLD and simple obesity. According to the findings, the gut dominant microbiota was similar between obesity with NAFLD and simple obesity. Nonetheless, compared to the simple obesity group, the quantity of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii colonies was much lower in the obesity with the NAFLD group. Bacteroides were present in greater than 65% of both groups. Bacteroides, Clostridium leptum, and Clostridium butyricum accounted for more than 80% of the cases in the obesity with NAFLD group, whereas Bacteroides, Clostridium butyricum, and F. prausnitzii accounted for more than 80% of the cases in the simple obesity group. We look for potential contributing variables to obesity-related NAFLD and potential prevention measures for obese people. Based on a multi-factor logistic regression analysis, lymphocytes may be a risk factor for obesity with NAFLD while F. prausnitzii may be a protective factor. Additionally, F. prausnitzii is positively impacted by Bacteroides, Clostridium leptum, Clostridium butyricum, and Eubacterium rectale, yet adversely impacted by Enterobacteriaceae. Notably, lymphocytes and F. prausnitzii may help determine whether obese patients would develop NAFLD.
Pharmacoeconomic analysis (CER) of Dulaglutide and Liraglutide in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes

Aim To evaluate the treatment effect Fand pharmacoeconomic value of Dugaglutide in women with type 2 diabetes. Methods Women (n=96) with type 2 diabetes recruited from June 2019 to December 2021 were randomized into two equal groups. The control group was treated with Liraglutide, and the observation group was treated with Dulaglutide, both for 24 weeks. The blood glucose levels, biochemical index, insulin resistance index (HOMA-IR), cost-effect ratio (CER), and drug safety were determined and compared between the two groups. Results Blood glucose levels, the biochemical index, and HOMA-IR were lower in both groups after the treatment (P < 0.05), and there was no statistical difference in the blood glucose levels, biochemical index and HOMA-IR between the two groups (P > 0.05). The CER levels did not differ statistically between the two groups (P > 0.05). Both the cost and the incidence of drug side effects during solution injection were lower in the observation group than in the control group after 24 weeks of treatment (P < 0.05). Conclusion Both Dulaglutide and Liraglutide can reduce blood glucose levels, improve biochemical index, and HOMA-IR levels in women with type 2 diabetes. Dulaglutide is more cost-effective and safe. Clinical trial registration https://www.chictr. org.cn/index.aspx, identifier ChiCTR1900026514.
Vancomycin prolonged release via PLGA system loaded with drug-containing chitosan nanoparticles as a novel in situ forming drug delivery system

the osteomyelitis treatment. These systems are in the form of viscous liquid, but they become solid or semi-solid and the drug is released slowly after injection into the infection site. The aim of present study was the long-term release of vancomycin using a PLGA system loaded with drug-containing chitosan nanoparticles. The in situ formulations formed in this study were composed of three main components: polymer, water-miscible solvent, and active pharmaceutical ingredient. PLGA 504H polymer and PEG 250DME solvent with a polymer to solvent ratio of 3:1 was used to prepare the in situ forming system. Chitosan nanoparticles were designed using gelation ionic method by designing the experiment of chitosan nanoparticles with encapsulation efficiency of 51% and drug loading of 25%. Then, by adding different ratios of released drug to loaded drug through nanoparticles in the system, their release profile was examined. The results revealed that adding chitosan nanoparticles reduced burst release by 44% and increased the release time. In this system, the drug can be added to the polymer solution in different proportions of the free form and the drug-containing nanoparticle. Furthermore, in this system, it is possible to use the combination of different drugs in free form or loaded in nanoparticles to improve the treatment process in the system. The use of biodegradable polymers eliminates the need for surgery in the use of this medicinal system. Moreover, this system is biocompatible and non-toxic due to the non-use of organic solvent in the preparation of the system and the use of PEG 250 DME solvent.
A study of the evolution and characteristics of the invariants of the velocity-gradient tensor in isotropic turbulence

Since the availability of data from direct numerical simulation (DNS) of turbulence, researchers have utilized the joint PDFs of invariants of the velocity gradient tensor to study the geometry of small-scale motions of turbulence. However, the joint PDFs only give an instantaneous static representation of the properties of fluid particles and dynamical Lagrangian information cannot be extracted. In this paper, the Lagrangian evolution of the invariants of the velocity gradient tensor is studied using conditional mean trajectories (CMT). These CMT are derived using the concept of the conditional mean time rate of change of invariants calculated from a numerical simulation of isotropic turbulence. The study of the CMT in the invariant space (RA, QA) of the velocity-gradient tensor, invariant space (RS, QS) of the rate-of-strain tensor, and invariant space (RW, QW) of the rate-of-rotation tensor show that the mean evolution in the (Σ, QW) phase plane, where Σ is the vortex stretching, is cyclic with a characteristic period similar to that found by Martin et al. (1998) in the cyclic mean evolution of the CMT in the (RA, QA) phase plane. Conditional mean trajectories in the (Σ, QW) phase plane suggest that the initial reduction of QW in regions of high QW is due to viscous diffusion and that vorticity contraction only plays a secondary role subsequent to this initial decay. It is also found that in regions of the flow with small values of QW, the local values of QW do not begin to increase, even in the presence of self-stretching, until a certain self-stretching rate threshold is reached, i.e. when Σ≈0.25 〈QW〉1/2. This study also shows that in regions where the kinematic vorticity number (as defined by Truesdell 1954) is low, the local value of dissipation tends to increase in the mean as observed from a Lagrangian frame of reference. However, in regions where the kinematic vorticity number is high, the local value of enstrophy tends to decrease. From the CMT in the (−QS, RS phase plane, it is also deduced that for large values of dissipation, there is a tendency for fluid particles to evolve towards having a positive local value of the intermediate principal rate of strain.
Approximating the internal norm influence measure in linear regression

The internal norm measure DI(C−1 k) introduced in Gray (1989) assesses the influencethat a size- subset of cases has on the least squares parameter estimates in a linear regression. The term internal norm refers to the fact that the assessment of influence is based on a comparison of the subset of interest to all size- subsets internal to the data set. Although this approachis intuitively appealing; it can be impractical for k > 1 since the calculation of DI(C−1 k) for a size-k subset I requires the covariance matrix Ck of all size-A' deletion parameter estimates. Using results from finite population sampling theory, we show that the covariance matrices Ck and CI are nearly proponional for large sample sizes, a fact that can be used to inexpensively approximate DI(C−1 k) for subsets containing two or more cases. Numerical evidence from several real data sets indicates that the approximation is highly accurate for large data sets, where it is most needed, and sufficiently accurate for small to moderate reg.
An objective definition of the Indian summer monsoon season and a new perspective on the ENSO–monsoon relationship

The concept of an interannually varying Indian summer monsoon season is introduced here, considering that the duration of the primary driving of the Indian monsoon—the large‐scale meridional gradient of the deep tropospheric heat source—may vary from one year to another. Onset (withdrawal) is defined as the day when the tropospheric heat source shifts from south to north (north to south). This physical principle leads to a new thermodynamic index of the seasonal mean monsoon. While the traditional measure of seasonal rainfall, averaged from 1 June to 30 September, indicates a breakdown of the ENSO–monsoon relationship in recent decades, it is argued that this breakdown is partly due to the inappropriate definition of a fixed monsoon season. With a new physically based definition of the seasonal mean, the ENSO–monsoon relationship has remained steady over the decades. El Niño (La Niña) events contract (expand) the season, and thus decrease (increase) the seasonal mean monsoon by setting up persistent negative (positive) tropospheric temperature (TT) anomalies over the southern Eurasian region. Thus, we propose a new pathway, whereby the Indian summer monsoon could be influenced by remote climatic phenomena via modification of TT over Eurasia.
Generation of ENergetic Beam Ultimate (GENBU) Laser - Main Laser -

A new diode-pumped laser fusion driver has been conceptually designed at 16-Hz repetition rate, 17% electrical-optical efficiency and less than 3000-m3 main amplifier size. Output power is 1.2 MJ for a blue compression laser and 0.1 MJ for a heating laser. 1-kJ pulse energy in near infrared is a basic unit to obtain such megajoules energy. We have proposed two new technologies into the system. One is cryogenic Yb:YAG ceramics as a laser material. The other is a large-aperture active-mirror as amplifier architecture. Recently, 1-kJ laser system "GENBU" has been designed in details with these technologies as a milestone for the new driver. A 1-J system "GENBU-Kid" is under construction for power-scaling up to 1 kJ.
Design optimization for robustness using performance simulation programs

Abstract This paper presents a methodology to incorporate manufacturing and operational variances in the design optimization stage to achieve robust and optimal performance. The procedure uses Taguchi's orthogonal arrays to approximate the expected value of performance during optimization. This approach reduces the number of function evaluations in problems that use computationally expensive performance simulation programs. The method allows incorporation of variances on many variables simultaneously. This paper uses two illustrative examples: (1) Design of helical gears that have minimum transmission error and at the same time are less sensitive to manufacturing errors, (2) Design of beverage cans where we minimize the effects of errors in tooling on can weight and structural requirements. The optimal robust design shows a considerable decrease in sensitivity to manufacluring and operational variances and, at the same time, has good performance.
High-resolution near-infrared observations of Herbig-Haro flows — II. Echelle spectroscopy

We use line profile data to probe the physical conditions associated with molecular hydrogen features in four Herbig–Haro (HH) flows: HH 7–11, 33/40, 26 and 212. We compare these kinematic data with new H2 images and proper motion measurements presented in a companion paper (Paper I) by Chrysostomou et al. We find in these combined data evidence for bow shocks and turbulent mixing layers. HH 7 and 33 represent spectacular examples of resolved bow shocks; double-peaked H2 emission profiles are observed in the flanks of both targets. HH 26C is also thought to be a bow shock, although one that has undergone considerable fragmentation during its lifetime [based on its current proper motion (from Paper I), this bow has a dynamical age of roughly 600 (±130) yr]. HH 40 and 26A instead seem to represent turbulent boundary layers between the HH flows and their ambient surroundings; both features have very low proper motions. However, although the H2 profiles in HH 40 are narrow and symmetric, as one might expect from a turbulent spectrum of unresolved shocks, in HH 26A we see complex structure in position–velocity space. This suggests that shocks generated in the HH 26A turbulent boundary are resolved in these data. The associated curved shocks thus generate more asymmetric profiles and, in some cases, double-peaked profiles. In HH 212 we see narrow, symmetric profiles in the knots along the flow axis, as well as clear evidence of acceleration along the jet. The spatial symmetry evident in images of this bipolar jet is also reflected in the velocities of the knots. The bow shocks NB1/2 and SB1 in HH 212 also possess bow-shock-like profiles in our position–velocity plots. Transverse velocity gradients in the knots provide some evidence for jet rotation. The rotation is consistent with the necessary extraction of angular momentum from the underlying rotating disc to enable the continued accretion of material on to the protostar. Lastly, we return to the issue of whether H2 shock features accelerate molecular gas to form the massive bipolar outflows usually traced in CO. Comparison of the mass fluxes measured in each HH object (from our H2 data) with mass outflow rates typical of ‘CO’ outflows suggests that this is indeed the case.
A FEM simulation study of the optimization of the imaging attributes of a microwave radiometry system with possible functional imaging capabilities

Microwave radiometry is a measurement technique which detects natural-thermal radiation emitted by matter. The human brain having certain temperature and specific electromagnetic properties emits chaotic radiation throughout the whole electromagnetic spectrum. A novel Microwave Radiometry Imaging System (MiRaIS) comprising an ellipsoidal conductive wall cavity and sensitive radiometric receivers, operating at low microwave frequencies (1-4GHz), has been used the past four years in various experiments to assess its value as a potential intracranial imaging device. With this view, current research aims at the improvement of the system's focusing properties using matching layers made of dielectric and left handed materials that are placed around a double layered human head model. Another approach tested, included filling of the whole ellipsoidal with a lossless dielectric material in conjunction with reduction of the ellipsoid's volume. The results show better focusing properties in the brain areas of interest and improvement of the system's spatial resolution. Future research including mainly phantom and human experiments implementing the above ideas will illustrate the value of the present simulation study.
P–SV-wave propagation in heterogeneous media: grid method

SUMMARY We present a new numerical modelling algorithm for P-SV-wave propagation in heterogeneous media, which is named the grid method in this paper. Similar to the finite-element method in the discretization of a numerical mesh, the grid method is flexible in incorporating surface topography and curved interfaces. The grid method, in the same way as the staggered-grid finite-differefice scheme, is developed from the first-order velocity-stress hyperbolic system of elastic wave equations. The free-surface conditions are satisfied naturally for the grid method. The method, with its small numerical dispersion and good stability, is of high accuracy and low computational cost. Each time step needs 34M + N multiplication operations and 26M + N addition operations for N nodes and M triangular grids. In this paper, the triangular grid method is discussed in detail, and the numerical dispersion, stability criterion and numerical simulations are presented. The grid method based on triangular grids and quadrangular grids is also studied here.
Enhancing sensitivity of a whispering gallery mode biosensor by subwavelength confinement

The authors demonstrate enhanced sensitivity of a spherical whispering gallery mode biosensor (WGMB) by confining orbiting light near the surface using a subwavelength (sub-λ) high refractive index layer on a fluorine doped silica microsphere (radius R∼200μm). Their experiments at a free space wavelength λ∼1310nm show that the frequency shift sensitivity by changing the external refractive index is increased by more than 700% by adding a 340nm thick polystyrene layer. This advance is expected to move the WGMB well into the lead as the most sensitive method for unlabeled biosensing.