Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Antimicrobial Tolerance in Salmonella: Contributions to Survival and Persistence in Processing Environments

Simple Summary Controlling Salmonella in poultry has been a top priority for the poultry industry, and while the current control measures have significantly addressed food safety concerns, Salmonella has continued to adapt to the environment. The question of Salmonella evolution and adaptation to diverse environmental conditions, especially in food processing, is important to explore in order to define effective mitigation practices. Moreover, due to the diversity in Salmonella serotypes, effective control strategies will have to be multifaceted, encompassing different antimicrobials with diverse modes of action and targets. Abstract Salmonella remains a top bacterial pathogen implicated in several food-borne outbreaks, despite the use of antimicrobials and sanitizers during production and processing. While these chemicals have been effective, Salmonella has shown the ability to survive and persist in poultry processing environments. This can be credited to its microbial ability to adapt and develop/acquire tolerance and/or resistance to different antimicrobial agents including oxidizers, acids (organic and inorganic), phenols, and surfactants. Moreover, there are several factors in processing environments that can limit the efficacy of these antimicrobials, thus allowing survival and persistence. This mini-review examines the antimicrobial activity of common disinfectants/sanitizers used in poultry processing environments and the ability of Salmonella to respond with innate or acquired tolerance and survive exposure to persists in such environments. Instead of relying on a single antimicrobial agent, the right combination of different disinfectants needs to be developed to target multiple pathways within Salmonella.
Finite-Horizon Optimal Control for Linear and Nonlinear Systems Relying on Constant Optimal Costate

A class of finite-horizon optimal control problems, the solution of which relies on a time-varying change of coordinates that incorporates the transition matrix of the system linearized along the current estimate of the optimal process, is studied. The transformed dynamics exhibit a constant optimal costate. Differently from existing methods that hinge upon similar tools, the proposed strategy does not require at each step the (numerical) solution of a two-point boundary value problem or of a time-varying Riccati equation, and only the solution of a linear initial value problem is needed. The method is firstly illustrated in the setting of linear dynamics and quadratic cost for which the construction permits the identification of a class of problems in which the solution to the underlying (quadratic) Differential Riccati Equation exhibit a separation between homogeneous and particular contributions.
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease increases hepatocellular carcinoma risk in chronic hepatitis B patients: a retrospective cohort study

Background: The combined effect of hepatitis B virus infection and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) on hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) risk remains unclear. The current study sought to elucidate the impact of MASLD on HCC progression in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients. Method: This retrospective cohort study included CHB patients who had undergone liver biopsy and abdominal imaging at the Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine between 2013 and 2019. We investigated the correlation between MASLD and HCC risk, and inverse probability treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to adjust for patient characteristics. Results: A total of 1,613 patients were included, and 483 (29.9%) were diagnosed with MASLD. Over a median follow-up period of 5.02 years, 36 (2.2%) developed HCC, comprising 4.8% (23/483) of those with MASLD and 1.2% (13/1,130) of those without. Those with MASLD had a significantly higher cumulative incidence of HCC than those without (p < 0.001). The presence of MASLD was associated with a higher risk of HCC (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 3.996; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.007–7.959; p < 0.001). After adjustment using IPTW, the patients with MASLD retained a higher cumulative incidence of HCC (p < 0.001). Moreover, MASLD was found to be an independent risk factor for the development of HCC (adjusted HR, 10.191; 95% CI, 4.327–24.002; p < 0.001). However, among patients with MASLD, there were no significant differences in the cumulative risk of HCC between patients with and without overweight, between those with <2 and ≥2 cardiometabolic risk factors (CMRFs), between those with <3 and ≥3 CMRFs, or between those with <4 and ≥4 CMRFs (p = 0.110, p = 0.087, p = 0.066, and p = 0.490, respectively). Conclusion: The presence of MASLD is associated with a higher risk of HCC in patients with CHB. Notably, this higher risk is present in patients with MASLD, irrespective of the presence or absence of overweight or the number of CMRFs they have.
Simultaneous Measurement of Temperature and Refractive Index Using an Exposed Core Microstructured Optical Fiber

We have demonstrated a novel scheme for simultaneous measurement of temperature and refractive index by using an exposed core microstructured optical fiber (ECF). The ECF allows for high sensitivity to refractive index due to the small exposed-core, while being supported by a standard fiber diameter cladding making it robust compared to optical microfibers. The sensor combines a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) inscribed into the core of the ECF and a multimode Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI). Both the FBG and MZI are sensitive to refractive index (RI) and temperature through a combination of direct access to the evanescent field via the exposed-core, the thermo-optic effect, and thermal expansion. The FBG and MZI respond differently to changes in temperature and RI, thus allowing for the simultaneous measurement of these parameters. In our experiment, RI sensitivities of 5.85 nm/RIU and 794 nm/RIU, and temperature sensitivities of 8.72 pm/°C and −57.9 pm/°C, were obtained for the FBG and MZI respectively. We demonstrate that a transfer matrix approach can be used to simultaneously measure both parameters, solving the problem of temperature sensitivity of RI sensors due to the high thermo-optic coefficient of aqueous samples.
Recent Developments and Application of Mass Spectrometry Imaging in N-Glycosylation Studies: An Overview

Among the most typical posttranslational modifications is glycosylation, which often involves the covalent binding of an oligosaccharide (glycan) to either an asparagine (N-linked) or a serine/threonine (O-linked) residue. Studies imply that the N-glycan portion of a glycoprotein could serve as a particular disease biomarker rather than the protein itself because N-linked glycans have been widely recognized to evolve with the advancement of tumors and other diseases. N-glycans found on protein asparagine sites have been especially significant. Since N-glycans play clearly defined functions in the folding of proteins, cellular transport, and transmission of signals, modifications to them have been linked to several illnesses. However, because these N-glycans’ production is not template driven, they have a substantial morphological range, rendering it difficult to distinguish the species that are most relevant to biology and medicine using standard techniques. Mass spectrometry (MS) techniques have emerged as effective analytical tools for investigating the role of glycosylation in health and illness. This is due to developments in MS equipment, data collection, and sample handling techniques. By recording the spatial dimension of a glycan’s distribution in situ, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) builds atop existing methods while offering added knowledge concerning the structure and functionality of biomolecules. In this review article, we address the current development of glycan MSI, starting with the most used tissue imaging techniques and ionization sources before proceeding on to a discussion on applications and concluding with implications for clinical research.
Speech Corpora, Feature Extraction Techniques and Classifiers with Special Reference to Automatic Speech Recognition

— in the current years, speech recognition has emerged as an important research area. To carry out further research on automatic speech recognition, a comprehensive review of existing work in this domain stands useful and constructive for the researchers. This paper has presented a recent literature review on speech recognition considering various existing speech corpora, speech features and different models or classifiers used in speech recognition. Different speech databases have been compared in terms of the number of speakers, type of speakers such as native or acted, age and gender of speakers and speech recording environment. Various techniques for speech signal acquisition and pre-processing of the speech signals are also addressed in this work
Snow avalanche hazard of the Krkonoše National Park, Czech Republic

ABSTRACT This paper presents a snow avalanche hazard map of the most avalanche-prone mountain range in the Czech Republic, the Krkonoše Mountains. The map was prepared using historical records of 1132 avalanches which occurred over the last 54 years and state-of-the-art modelling of avalanche propagation and the spatial distribution of potential avalanche source areas. The map provides not only reliable and easy to understand information for the Mountain Rescue Service of the Czech Republic and mountain tourists, but also for land use managers to identify areas where new avalanche paths may develop under favourable conditions, including the total removal of forest cover.
Applications of Machine Learning (ML) and Mathematical Modeling (MM) in Healthcare with Special Focus on Cancer Prognosis and Anticancer Therapy: Current Status and Challenges

The use of data-driven high-throughput analytical techniques, which has given rise to computational oncology, is undisputed. The widespread use of machine learning (ML) and mathematical modeling (MM)-based techniques is widely acknowledged. These two approaches have fueled the advancement in cancer research and eventually led to the uptake of telemedicine in cancer care. For diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment purposes concerning different types of cancer research, vast databases of varied information with manifold dimensions are required, and indeed, all this information can only be managed by an automated system developed utilizing ML and MM. In addition, MM is being used to probe the relationship between the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD interactions) of anti-cancer substances to improve cancer treatment, and also to refine the quality of existing treatment models by being incorporated at all steps of research and development related to cancer and in routine patient care. This review will serve as a consolidation of the advancement and benefits of ML and MM techniques with a special focus on the area of cancer prognosis and anticancer therapy, leading to the identification of challenges (data quantity, ethical consideration, and data privacy) which are yet to be fully addressed in current studies.
Investigating Evasive Techniques in SMS Spam Filtering: A Comparative Analysis of Machine Learning Models

The persistence of SMS spam remains a significant challenge, highlighting the need for research aimed at developing systems capable of effectively handling the evasive strategies used by spammers. Such research efforts are important for safeguarding the general public from the detrimental impact of SMS spam. In this study, we aim to highlight the challenges encountered in the current landscape of SMS spam detection and filtering. To address these challenges, we present a new SMS dataset comprising more than 68K SMS messages with 61% legitimate (ham) SMS and 39% spam messages. Notably, this dataset, we release for further research, represents the largest publicly available SMS spam dataset to date. To characterize the dataset, we perform a longitudinal analysis of spam evolution. We then extract semantic and syntactic features to evaluate and compare the performance of well-known machine learning based SMS spam detection methods, ranging from shallow machine learning approaches to advanced deep neural networks. We investigate the robustness of existing SMS spam detection models and popular anti-spam services against spammers’ evasion techniques. Our findings reveal that the majority of shallow machine learning based techniques and anti-spam services exhibit inadequate performance when it comes to accurately classifying SMS spam messages. We observe that all of the machine learning approaches and anti-spam services are susceptible to various evasive strategies employed by spammers. To address the identified limitations, our study advocates for researchers to delve into these areas to advance the field of SMS spam detection and anti-spam services.
Toward Controlling Transtibial Prostheses Using a Single Degree of Freedom Inertial Sensor System

Control strategies for lower limb prostheses have made multiple significant advancements over the years. In this work, we investigate the scope and capabilities of a controller for ankle-foot prostheses that relies only on a one-degree-of-freedom inertial sensor, supplemented with a control algorithm that can perform a real time update of actuation parameters using gait information available from past gait cycles. The updated actuation parameters are applied to the subsequent gait cycle and the cycle repeats itself. The idea behind this controller is to allow a user to have infinite possible variations in gait speeds (within the allowable limits of actuation) while keeping the required sensory inputs to a minimum. As a consequence of this controller design, the user is not forced to choose discrete speeds of walking (slow, medium, fast) and is capable of freely varying his gait speeds on each step, while utilizing only a single-degree-of-freedom sensor. We implement the controller on an actuated transtibial prosthesis prototype based on a series-elastic spring configuration, and conduct tests for level ground walking at a self-selected walking speed, to explore the achievable range of response pertaining to daily living tasks. The pilot tests on a healthy participant, conducting level ground walking with turns and remotely controlling the prosthesis, suggest that it is possible to control a transtibial prosthesis using a simple uni-sensor framework, with a maximum angular deviation of 5°, and maximum deviation in angular velocity of $20^{\circ} /s$ compared to that of healthy humans.
TENOFOVIR DISOPROXIL FUMARATE RELEASE FROM GLUTARALDEHYDE CROSS-LINKED CHITOSAN/Β-CYCLODEXTRIN HYDROGEL

In this study, chitosan was produced from crayfish Astacus leptodactylus, and then it was used to synthesize chitosan-graft-β-cyclodextrin (CS-g-β-CD) hydrogel. The produced chitosan (CS) and the sythesized CS-g-β-CD hydrogel were characterized using a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (1H-NMR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) was used as a model to investigate the antiviral drug release properties of the CS-g-β-CD hydrogel. The synthesized hydrogel had an almost homogeneous pore structure and a high swelling capacity which increases depending on the amount of β-Cyclodextrin (β-CD). The drug-loaded CS-g-β-CD hydrogels was examined by XRD and 1H-NMR, and SEM analyses. Seventy-three percent of the TDF loaded on the synthesized hydrogels was released into phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution at 37 ºC. The drug release behavior of all prepared CS-g-β-CD hydrogels fitted the Korsmeyer-Peppas model. The addition of β-CD into the gel improved the swelling ability and TDF release of the CS-g-β-CD hydrogel system.
Impacts of national volume-based drug procurement policy on the utilization and costs of antihypertensive drugs in a Chinese medicine hospital: an interrupted time series analysis of 5138 patients

Objectives: The study aimed to estimate the effects of National Volume-based Drug Procurement (NVBP) policy on drug utilization and medical expenditures of hypertension patients in public medical institutions in mainland China. Methods: This study used patient-level data based on electronic health records retrieved from the hospital information system of Nanjing Hospital of Chinese Medicine. Data on patients with hypertension who received care at this institution between 2016 and 2021 was used for analysis. Segmented linear regression models incorporating Interrupted Time Series (ITS) analysis were adopted to examine the effects of NVBP policy on drug utilization and health expenditures of eligible patients. Drug utilization volume and health expenditures were the primary outcomes used to assess the policy effects, and were measured using the prescription proportion of each drug class and the overall per-encounter treatment costs. Results: After the implementation of NVBP policy, the volume of non-winning drugs decreased from 54.42% to 36.25% for outpatient care and from 35.62% to 15.65% for inpatient care. The ITS analysis showed that the volume of bid-winning drugs in outpatient and inpatient settings increased by 9.55% (p < 0.001) and 6.31% (p < 0.001), respectively. The volume changes in non-volume based purchased (non-VBP) drugs differed between outpatients and inpatients. The proportion of non-VBP drugs immediately increased by 5.34% (p = 0.002) overall, and showed an upward trend in the outpatient setting specially (p < 0.001) during the post-intervention period. However, no significant differences were observed in the proportion of non-VBP drugs in inpatient setting (p > 0.05) in term of level change (p > 0.05) or trend change (p > 0.05). The average per-visit expenditures of outpatients across all drug groups exhibited an upward trend (p < 0.05) post policy intervention. In addition, a similar increase in the overall costs for chemical drugs were observed in inpatient settings (coefficient = 2,599.54, p = 0.036), with no statistically significant differences in the regression slope and level (p = 0.814). Conclusion: The usage proportion of bid-winning drugs increased significantly post policy intervention, indicating greater use of bid-winning drugs and the corresponding substitution of non-winning hypertensive drugs. Drug expenditures for outpatients and health expenditures per visit for inpatients also exhibited an upward trend, suggesting the importance of enhanced drug use management in Traditional Chinese Medicine hospital settings.
Microbiome-friendly PS/PVP electrospun fibrous membrane with antibiofilm properties for dental engineering

Abstract Dental caries is one of the most prevalent and biofilm-associated oral diseases in humans. Streptococcus mutans, with a high ability to form biofilms by adhering to hard surfaces, has been established as an important etiological agent for dental caries. Therefore, it is crucial to find a way to prevent the formation of cariogenic biofilm. Here, we report an electrospun fibrous membrane that could inhibit the adhesion and biofilm formation of S. mutans. Also, the polystyrene (PS)/polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) electrospun fibrous membrane altered the 3D biofilm architecture and decreased water-insoluble extracellular polysaccharide production. Notably, the anti-adhesion mechanism which laid in Coulomb repulsion between the negatively charged PS/PVP electrospun fibrous membrane and S. mutans was detected by zeta potential. Furthermore, metagenomics sequencing analysis and CCK-8 assay indicated that PS/PVP electrospun fibrous membrane was microbiome-friendly and displayed no influence on the cell viability of human gingival epithelial cells and human oral keratinocytes. Moreover, an in vitro simulation experiment demonstrated that PS/PVP electrospun fibrous membrane could decrease colony-forming unit counts of S. mutans effectively, and PS/PVP electrospun fibrous membrane carrying calcium fluoride displayed better anti-adhesion ability than that of PS/PVP electrospun fibrous membrane alone. Collectively, this research showed that the PS/PVP electrospun fibrous membrane has potential applications in controlling and preventing dental caries.
GOLPH3 Participates in Mitochondrial Fission and Is Necessary to Sustain Bioenergetic Function in MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells

In this study, we investigated the inter-organelle communication between the Golgi apparatus (GA) and mitochondria. Previous observations suggest that GA-derived vesicles containing phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate (PI(4)P) play a role in mitochondrial fission, colocalizing with DRP1, a key protein in this process. However, the functions of these vesicles and potentially associated proteins remain unknown. GOLPH3, a PI(4)P-interacting GA protein, is elevated in various types of solid tumors, including breast cancer, yet its precise role is unclear. Interestingly, GOLPH3 levels influence mitochondrial mass by affecting cardiolipin synthesis, an exclusive mitochondrial lipid. However, the mechanism by which GOLPH3 influences mitochondria is not fully understood. Our live-cell imaging analysis showed GFP-GOLPH3 associating with PI(4)P vesicles colocalizing with YFP-DRP1 at mitochondrial fission sites. We tested the functional significance of these observations with GOLPH3 knockout in MDA-MB-231 cells of breast cancer, resulting in a fragmented mitochondrial network and reduced bioenergetic function, including decreased mitochondrial ATP production, mitochondrial membrane potential, and oxygen consumption. Our findings suggest a potential negative regulatory role for GOLPH3 in mitochondrial fission, impacting mitochondrial function and providing insights into GA–mitochondria communication.
Elucidating intermolecular forces to improve compatibility of kraft lignin in poly(lactic acid)

Owing to its abundant supply from renewable resources, lignin has emerged as a promising functional filler for the development of sustainable composite materials. However, achieving good interfacial compatibility between lignin and synthetic polymers, particularly poly (lactic acid) (PLA), remains a fundamental challenge. To advance the development of high-performance bio-based composites incorporating lignin and PLA, our study has scrutinized to unravel the nuances of interfacial binding interactions with the lignin and PLA composite system. Molecular level and experimental examinations were employed to decipher fundamental mechanisms governing and demonstrating the interfacial adhesion. We synthesized casted films of lignin/PLA and acetylated lignin/PLA at varying weight percentages of lignin (5%, 10%, and 20%) and comprehensively investigated their physicochemical and mechanical properties. The inclusion of acetylated lignin in the composites resulted in improved mechanical strength and Young’s modulus, while the glass transition temperature and melting point were reduced compared to neat PLA. Systematic variations in these properties revealed distinct compatibility behaviors between unmodified lignin and acetylated lignin when incorporated into PLA. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulation results elucidated that the observed changes in material properties were primarily attributed to the acetylation of lignin. Acetylated lignin exhibited lower Coulombic interaction energy and higher van der Waals forces, indicating a stronger affinity to PLA and a reduced propensity for intermolecular aggregation compared to unmodified lignin. Our findings highlight the critical role of controlling intermolecular interactions and lignin aggregation to develop PLA composites with predictable performance for new applications, such as functional packaging materials.