Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A cross-sectional study of malaria transmission in suggests the existence of a potential bridge vector susceptible of ensuring the transfer of simian malaria parasites to humans

Introduction Despite all the efforts made to control or even eliminate malaria, the disease continues to claim the highest number of victims of vector-borne pathogens in the world and Sub-Saharan countries bear the heaviest burden. The lack of knowledge of the role of various protagonists involved in the transmission of this parasitic disease, such as mosquito vectors and the plasmodial species they transmit as well as the host species they infect in a locality, constitutes one of the main causes of the persistence of malaria. In Gabon, in several areas, entomological data on malaria transmission remain poorly known. Thus, this study aimed to determine the diversity of Anopheles involved in malaria transmission in different environments of the province of Nyanga in southwest Gabon. Methods For this, an entomological study was carried out in the four main localities of the province of Nyanga to provide answers to these shortcomings. Mosquitoes were collected over several nights using the human landing catch method. The identification of Anopheles and malaria parasites circulating in the different sites was achieved by combining morphological and molecular analysis tools. Results A total of five hundred and ninety-one (591) mosquitoes belonging to the Culicidae family were collected. From this collection of adult mosquitoes, nine species of Anopheles mosquitoes notably species of the Anopheles nili complex (53.46%) followed by those of Anopheles gambiae complex (22.01%), Anopheles funestus group (18.24%), Anopheles moucheti complex (5.66%) and Anopheles hancocki (0.63%). Approximately 18 percent of these Anopheles species were infected with Plasmodium spp. Anopheles funestus, known to be involved in malaria transmission to humans, and An. moucheti-like, recently discovered in Gabon, and whose status in Plasmodium transmission is not yet elucidated, were found to be infected with great ape Plasmodium. Discussion Our results raise the question of the potential switch of simian malaria parasites to humans. If these observations are confirmed in the future, and the infective capacity of the bridge vectors is demonstrated, this new situation could ultimately constitute an obstacle to progress in the fight against malaria.
Black tea bioactive phytoconstituents realign NRF2 for anticancer activity in lung adenocarcinoma

Constitutive activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is pivotal in bestowing therapy resistance in cancer cells. Several phytochemicals have been reported with the potential of modulating NRF2. Therefore, it was hypothesized that NRF2-deregulated chemoresistance in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) may be counteracted by theaflavin-rich black tea (BT). A non-responsive LUAD cell line, A549, was the best sensitized towards cisplatin upon pre-treatment with BT. BT-mediated NRF2 reorientation was observed to be dependent on concentration and duration of treatment as well as on the mutational profile of NRF2 in A549 cells. Transient exposure of low-concentration BT hormetically downregulated NRF2, its downstream antioxidants, and drug transporter. BT also influenced the Kelch-like ECH-associated protein (KEAP1)-dependent cullin 3 (Cul3) and KEAP-1-independent signaling through epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) - rat sarcoma virus (RAS) - rapidly accelerated fibrosarcoma (RAF) - extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK) - matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9. The realignment of NRF2 in KEAP1-suppressed A549 cells enhanced the chemotherapeutic outcome. But a higher concentration of the same BT surprisingly upregulated NRF2 and its transcriptional targets with a subsequent decrease in the NRF2-regulatory machinery in NCI-H23 cells (a KEAP1-overexpressed LUAD cell line), ultimately resulting in a better anticancer response. The BT-mediated bidirectional NRF2 modulation was reconfirmed upon comparison with the action of a pharmacological NRF2 inhibitor, ML-385, in A549 and a known NRF2 activator, tertiary-butylhydroquinone, in NCI-H23 respectively. BT-mediated regulation of NRF2-KEAP1 and their upstream networks (EGFR/RAS/RAF/ERK) sufficed as a better anticancer agent than synthetic NRF2 modulators. Therefore, BT may be indicated as a potent multi-modal small molecule for increasing drug responsiveness in LUAD cells by maintaining NRF2/KEAP1 axis at an optimum level.
The mechanism and clinical application of DNA damage repair inhibitors combined with immune checkpoint inhibitors in the treatment of urologic cancer

Urologic cancers such as kidney, bladder, prostate, and uroepithelial cancers have recently become a considerable global health burden, and the response to immunotherapy is limited due to immune escape and immune resistance. Therefore, it is crucial to find appropriate and effective combination therapies to improve the sensitivity of patients to immunotherapy. DNA damage repair inhibitors can enhance the immunogenicity of tumor cells by increasing tumor mutational burden and neoantigen expression, activating immune-related signaling pathways, regulating PD-L1 expression, and reversing the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment to activate the immune system and enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy. Based on promising experimental results from preclinical studies, many clinical trials combining DNA damage repair inhibitors (e.g., PARP inhibitors and ATR inhibitors) with immune checkpoint inhibitors (e.g., PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors) are underway in patients with urologic cancers. Results from several clinical trials have shown that the combination of DNA damage repair inhibitors with immune checkpoint inhibitors can improve objective rates, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS) in patients with urologic tumors, especially in patients with defective DNA damage repair genes or a high mutational load. In this review, we present the results of preclinical and clinical trials of different DNA damage repair inhibitors in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors in urologic cancers and summarize the potential mechanism of action of the combination therapy. Finally, we also discuss the challenges of dose toxicity, biomarker selection, drug tolerance, drug interactions in the treatment of urologic tumors with this combination therapy and look into the future direction of this combination therapy.
The impact of bilingualism in within-language conflict resolution: an ERP study

We compared Spanish (L1)–English (L2) bilinguals and Spanish monolinguals in a semantic judgment relationship task in L1 that produced within-language conflict due to the coactivation of the two meanings of a Spanish homophone (e.g., “hola” and “ola” meaning “hello” and “a wave” in English). In this task, participants indicated if pairs of words were related or not (“agua-hola,” “water-hello”). Conflict arose because a word (“agua,” “water”) not related to the orthographic form of a homophone (“hola,” “hello”) was related to the alternative orthographic form (“ola,” “wave”). Compared to a control condition with unrelated word pairs (“peluche-hola,” “teddy-hello”), the behavioral results revealed greater behavioral interference in monolinguals compared to bilinguals. In addition, electrophysiological results revealed N400 differences between monolinguals and bilinguals. These results are discussed around the impact of bilingualism on conflict resolution.
Bulk and single-cell RNA-sequencing analyses along with abundant machine learning methods identify a novel monocyte signature in SKCM

Background Global patterns of immune cell communications in the immune microenvironment of skin cutaneous melanoma (SKCM) haven’t been well understood. Here we recognized signaling roles of immune cell populations and main contributive signals. We explored how multiple immune cells and signal paths coordinate with each other and established a prognosis signature based on the key specific biomarkers with cellular communication. Methods The single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) dataset was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, in which various immune cells were extracted and re-annotated according to cell markers defined in the original study to identify their specific signs. We computed immune-cell communication networks by calculating the linking number or summarizing the communication probability to visualize the cross-talk tendency in different immune cells. Combining abundant analyses of communication networks and identifications of communication modes, all networks were quantitatively characterized and compared. Based on the bulk RNA sequencing data, we trained specific markers of hub communication cells through integration programs of machine learning to develop new immune-related prognostic combinations. Results An eight-gene monocyte-related signature (MRS) has been built, confirmed as an independent risk factor for disease-specific survival (DSS). MRS has great predictive values in progression free survival (PFS) and possesses better accuracy than traditional clinical variables and molecular features. The low-risk group has better immune functions, infiltrated with more lymphocytes and M1 macrophages, with higher expressions of HLA, immune checkpoints, chemokines and costimulatory molecules. The pathway analysis based on seven databases confirms the biological uniqueness of the two risk groups. Additionally, the regulon activity profiles of 18 transcription factors highlight possible differential regulatory patterns between the two risk groups, suggesting epigenetic event-driven transcriptional networks may be an important distinction. MRS has been identified as a powerful tool to benefit SKCM patients. Moreover, the IFITM3 gene has been identified as the key gene, validated to express highly at the protein level via the immunohistochemical assay in SKCM. Conclusion MRS is accurate and specific in evaluating SKCM patients’ clinical outcomes. IFITM3 is a potential biomarker. Moreover, they are promising to improve the prognosis of SKCM patients.
Universal cutoff for tumor mutational burden in predicting the efficacy of anti-PD-(L)1 therapy for advanced cancers

Background: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)’s tumor-agnostic approval of pembrolizumab in high tumor mutational burden (TMB-high, i.e., TMB≥10 mut/Mb) cases, based on the data from KEYNOTE-158, has raised considerable concerns among the immuno-oncology community. This study aims to statistically infer the optimal universal cutoff in defining TMB-high that is predictive of the efficacy of anti-PD-(L) 1 therapy in advanced solid tumors. Methods: We integrated MSK-IMPACT TMB data from a public cohort and the objective response rate (ORR) for anti-PD-(L) 1 monotherapy across diverse cancer types in published trials. The optimal TMB cutoff was determined by varying the universal cutoff to define TMB-high across cancer types and examining the cancer-level correlation between objective response rate and the proportion of TMB-high cases. The utility of this cutoff in predicting overall survival (OS) benefits from anti-PD-(L) 1 therapy was then evaluated in a validation cohort of advanced cancers with coupled MSK-IMPACT TMB and OS data. In silico analysis of whole-exome sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas was further employed to assess the generalizability of the identified cutoff among panels comprising several hundred genes. Results: The cancer type-level analysis identified 10 mut/Mb as the optimal cutoff for MSK-IMPACT in defining TMB-high, with the corresponding TMB-high (TMB≥10 mut/Mb) percentage strongly correlated with ORR for PD-(L) 1 blockade across cancer types [correlation coefficient, 0.72 (95% CI, 0.45–0.88)]. This cutoff was also the optimum in defining TMB-high (via MSK-IMPACT) when predicting OS benefits from anti-PD-(L) 1 therapy in the validation cohort. In this cohort, TMB≥10 mut/Mb was associated with significantly improved OS (hazard ratio, 0.58 [95% CI, 0.48–0.71]; p < 0.001). Moreover, in silico analyses revealed excellent agreement of TMB≥10 mut/Mb cases between MSK-IMPACT and the FDA-approved panels and between MSK-IMPACT and various randomly sampled panels. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that 10 mut/Mb is the optimal, universal cutoff for TMB-high that guides the clinical application of anti-PD-(L) 1 therapy for advanced solid tumors. It also provides rigorous evidence beyond KEYNOTE-158 for the utility of TMB≥10 mut/Mb in predicting the efficacy of PD-(L) 1 blockade in broader settings, which could help to mitigate the challenges in embracing the tumor-agnostic approval of pembrolizumab in TMB-high cases.
Micellar Encapsulation of Propofol Reduces its Adsorption on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator (ECMO) Circuit

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is a life-saving cardiopulmonary bypass device used on critically ill patients with refractory heart and lung failure. Patients supported with ECMO receive numerous drugs to treat critical illnesses and the underlying diseases. Unfortunately, most drugs prescribed to patients on ECMO lack accurate dosing information. Dosing can be variable in this patient population because the ECMO circuit components can adsorb drugs and affect drug exposure substantially. Propofol is a widely used anesthetic in ECMO patients and is known to have high adsorption rates in ECMO circuits due to its high hydrophobicity. In an attempt to reduce adsorption, we encapsulated propofol with Poloxamer 407 (Polyethylene-Polypropylene Glycol). Size and polydispersity index (PDI) were characterized using dynamic light scattering. Encapsulation efficiency was analyzed using High performance liquid chromatography. Cytocompatibility of micelles was analyzed against human macrophages and the formulation was finally injected in an ex-vivo ECMO circuit to determine the adsorption of propofol. Size and PDI of micellar propofol were 25.5 ± 0.8 nm and 0.08 ± 0.01, respectively. Encapsulation efficiency of the drug was 96.1 ± 1.3%. Micellar propofol demonstrated colloidal stability at physiological temperature for a period of 7 days, and was cytocompatible with human macrophages. Micellar propofol demonstrated a significant reduction in adsorption of propofol in the ECMO circuit at earlier time points compared to free propofol (Diprivan®). We observed 97 ± 2% recovery of the propofol from the micellar formulation after an infusion. These results demonstrate the potential of micellar propofol to reduce drug adsorption to ECMO circuit.
Synchronization of nonlinear multi-agent systems using a non-fragile sampled data control approach and its application to circuit systems

The main aim of this work is to design a non-fragile sampled data control (NFSDC) scheme for the asymptotic synchronization criteria for interconnected coupled circuit systems (multi-agent systems, MASs). NFSDC is used to conduct synchronization analysis of the considered MASs in the presence of time-varying delays. By constructing suitable Lyapunov functions, sufficient conditions are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) to ensure synchronization between the MAS leader and follower systems. Finally, two numerical examples are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme and less conservation of the proposed Lyapunov functions.
Intelligent Fault Diagnosis Method for Complex Equipment Based on Rough Decision Tree Model

A rough decision tree-based intelligent fault diagnosis method for complex equipment was proposed.The original diagnostic decision table was built by using the rough set theory;the continuous conditional attributes were discretized by using the minimum entropy-based algorithm;the redundancy conditional attributes were reduced by utilizing the discernibility matrix-based algorithm,and the optimal attribute reduction is established by using the maximum cluster ratio principle;the diagnostic decision tree was constructed by utilizing the C4.5 algorithm.The fault diagnosis of an example was made by the proposed method.The diagnosed results show that the proposed method can effectively decrease the workload of feature datum extraction,recognize the fault patterns rapidly and accurately,has better engineering practicality than the rough set-based,the rough decision-based and the C4.5-based method.
A comparative study of the cosmic noise absorption Keograms generated by two different quiet day curve techniques

Observation results of the Image Riometer at Zhongshan Station,Antarctica have been reported during the solar event on 12-14 th July,2012.In order to evaluate the performance of two quiet day curve(QDC)generation techniques,cosmic noise absorption Keograms were built and analyzed.Due to the existence of the ionosphere and the changes of electron density in the ionosphere with the solar zenith angle,it is commonly expected to find diurnal variations in the received cosmic noise level.The cosmic noise absorption level is calculated based on the two different QDCs for 8×8array.The data of zenith row and column are extracted to get Keograms in different directions.The differences between the Keograms are analyzed.These Keogram images revealed some irregularly distributed absorption regions along the analyzed periods in the figures generated by both QDC techniques.However,a visual comparativeanalysis showed that all these regions seemed to be more intensive by He′s techniques.The images indicated that He′s technique for determining QDC allows us to infer that there is a region with weaker absorption near the N5E8 beam which enhanced and then faded from 19∶23∶41UT to 19∶26∶30UT. However,the same phenomenon was not shown for that of Tanaka′s technique.The Keogram obtained from 18∶28 UT to 18∶32 UT show that there are two tiny weak absorption areas merging into one giant absorption region in northwest beams,while the evolution process is not clearly displayed in Tanaka′s sequence.By comparing the CNA results with the in situ aurora Keogram,we found that He′s technique is appeared to produce a better QDC which will result in a more consistent CNA Keogram with in situ aurora Keogram.The results showed that the similar variation trends could be found on both Keograms while intense absorption occurred,but in the weak absorption regions fine structures were better expressed on the Keograms generated by the QDC proposed by He et al.It was suggested that the QDC technique proposed by He et al.makes a better description of horizontal movement of the absorption regions by depicting weak absorption regions which sometimes plays the role of link between two intense absorption regions.
Angular Talbot effect

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Angular Talbot effect José Azaña, Hugues Guillet de Chatellus
Speech Emotion Recognition using Hybrid Textual Features, MFCC and Deep Learning Technique

In recent years, researchers have struggled to accurately gauge robot emotional responses. Due to technological improvements, service robots can now communicate with people from many linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Recently, speech-emotion recognition (SER) has drawn much interest and appears to be a crucial component of human-computer interaction. Even though numerous distinct SER tactics have been devised, the performance of the most recent methods falls short of expectations. In actual communication, non-verbal vocalization-such as crying, laughing, or other emotional interjections-plays a significant part in expressing emotion. The audio-visual dependent emotion identification model is proposed, with a hybridized version that takes into account the multi-modal database for emotion recognition. The proposed optimized deepNN is employed in this study to identify emotions from multi-modal input data. The hybrid texture feature and MFCC (Mel frequency cepstrum coefficient) descriptor is suggested to increase accuracy and classification results from audio-video inputs.
Blood Vessel Segmentation for Retinal Fundus Disease Detection

Multiple eye diseases can be easily detected from the orientation of the fundus and the blood vessels on the fundus of the eye. Most of the already present methodologies use methods like Gaussian filter, channel extraction and other preprocessing techniques for blood vessel segmentation. Which does not really solve the problem of giving faster and better results. Our approach involves data augmentation on the obtained samples as the number of samples is less and augmentation of these samples would result in better performance and efficiency of our model. We use an Encoder-Decoder Model, which is coded for segmenting the blood vessels from the samples. Hence providing more clear and accurate segmentation. Deep Learning Models like VGG-16, VGG-19, and ResNet50 can be applied to the blended images for predicting if the patient suffers from Retinal Disease or not. Since we use deep learning techniques and complex models, highly accurate results are obtained. This could be a very efficient alternative to reduce the efforts of an ophthalmologist and a major step towards automation in the field of ophthalmology.
Axial Ratio Enhancing in Perfect Circularly Polarized Microstrip Antenna

Three-dimensional axial ratio plots of several known circularly polarized microstrip antennas are discussed. We have found that the accepted AR value for CP wave (AR! 3dB) for these antennas does not occur at the desired radiation pattern range. We then propose a perfect CP radiation microstrip antenna, where CP wave radiates covering the front of the antenna. The results show the agreement of operating frequency, AR bandwidth, gain and radiation pattern. Furthermore, the absolute electrical field direction at different observation time steps also supports the perfect CP rotation.
Design and analyzing of hexagon-shaped microstrip patch antenna for biomedical applications

The recent development of high speed wireless communication systems has made tremendous research efforts towards increasing the capacity of wireless systems in terms of large bandwidth, data rate and high speed communication at lower cost. Microstrip patch antennas are a special class of antennas that are partially or entirely made out of microstrip patch materials, in contrast to conventional antennas, which consist of rigid materials. A compact low-profile multi band microstrip patch is implemented for bio-medical applications composing a filtering antenna for higher bandwidth composed of electrically conductive substrate, electro microstrip patch and applied for the radiating and grounding parts, and dielectric materials for the insulating parts of the antenna.The proposed microstrip patch antenna composing of a slotted microstrip patch antenna are divided into electrically conductive fabrics, denoted electro Microstrip patch and defected mono pole ground structure, and dielectric materials for the insulating parts of the antenna. The proposed high bandwidth multi band microstrip patch antenna achieve ISM band 2.4Ghz frequency.