Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Downregulation of FXYD2 Is Associated with Poor Prognosis and Increased Regulatory T Cell Infiltration in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Background FXYD2, a gene coding for the γ subunit of Na+/K+-ATPase, was demonstrated to involve in carcinogenesis recently. However, the specific role of FXYD2 in clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) remains unknown. The current study was conducted to investigate the expression, biological function, and potentially immune-related mechanisms of FXYD2 in ccRCC. Materials and methods. The data from TCGA-KIRC, ICGC, GEO, Oncomine, ArrayExpress, TIMER, HPA datasets, and our clinical samples were used to determine and validate the expression level, prognostic roles, and potentially immune-related mechanisms in ccRCC. Cell function assays were performed to investigate the biological role of FXYD2 in vitro. Results FXYD2 was identified to be downregulated in ccRCC tissue compared to normal tissue, which was confirmed by our RT-PCR, WB, and IHC analyses. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and Cox regression analysis suggested that downregulated FXYD2 could independently predict poor survival of ccRCC patients. Through the ESTIMATE algorithm, ssGSEA algorithm, CIBERSORT algorithm, TIMER database, and our laboratory experiment, FXYD2 was found to correlate with the immune landscape, especially regulatory T cells (Treg), in ccRCC. Gain-of-function experiment revealed that FXYD2 could restrain cell proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro. Functional enrichment analysis illustrated that TGF-β-SMAD2/3, Notch, and PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathways may be potential signaling pathways of FXYD2 in ccRCC. Conclusions Downregulation of FXYD2 is associated with ccRCC tumorigenesis, poor prognosis, and increased Treg infiltration in ccRCC, which may be related to TGF-β-SMAD2/3, Notch, and PI3K-Akt-mTOR signaling pathways. This will probably provide a novel prognostic marker and potential therapeutic target for ccRCC.
Square-Wave and Cyclic Voltammetry of Native Proanthocyanidins Extracted from Grapevine (Vitis vinifera) on the Glassy Carbon Electrode

Condensed tannins are short polymers of flavan-3-ols found in grapes (also known as proanthocyanidins). An investigation on the electrochemical oxidation of grapevine proanthocyanidins (PAs) on glassy carbon electrodes under various conditions was conducted for the first time. To study how the proanthocyanidins were oxidized, square-wave and cyclic voltammetry were used. There is a predominant oxidation peak associated with the extract of proanthocyanidins, and this can be attributed to the oxidation of catechol 3′,4′-dihydroxyl groups, which can form their oxidation peak. There are two electrons and two protons involved in the oxidation of the catechol group, which must be kept in mind when considering the oxidation of the catechol group. On the glassy carbon electrode (GCE), the PAs extracted from grapevine are oxidized by an adsorption-dependent mechanism as they interact with the GCE surface. As a result, it was found that the anodic peak current varied linearly with PAs’ concentrations in the range of 4 to 50 ppm, with a detection limit of 3.07 ppm (S/N = 3). There was a development in the surface concentration of the oxidation products at the GC electrode; as the scans progressed, the surface concentration of oxidation products at the electrode remained at 4.83 × 10−11 mol cm−2, indicating that they were immobilized on the GCE as oxidation products adsorbed on the electrode.
Co-design Process of a Digital Return-to-Work Solution for People With Common Mental Disorders: Stakeholder Perception Study

Background Service users and other stakeholders have had few opportunities to influence the design of their mental health and return-to-work services. Likewise, digital solutions often fail to align with stakeholders’ needs and preferences, negatively impacting their utility. mWorks is a co-design initiative to create a digital return-to-work solution for persons with common mental disorders that is acceptable and engaging for those receiving and delivering the intervention. Objective This study aimed to describe stakeholder perceptions and the involvement of a design process during the prototype development of mWorks. Methods A co-design approach was used during the iterative development of mWorks. Overall, 86 stakeholders were recruited using a combination of purposeful and convenience sampling. Five stakeholder groups represented service users with experience of sick leave and common mental disorders (n=25), return-to-work professionals (n=19), employers (n=1), digital design and system developers (n=4), and members of the public (n=37). Multiple data sources were gathered using 7 iterations, from March 2018 to November 2020. The rich material was organized and analyzed using content analysis to generate themes and categories that represented this study’s findings. Results The themes revealed the importance of mWorks in empowering service users with a personal digital support solution that engages them back in work. The categories highlighted that mWorks needs to be a self-management tool that enables service users to self-manage as a supplement to traditional return-to-work services. It was also important that content features helped to reshape a positive self-narrative, with a focus on service users’ strengths and resources to break the downward spiral of ill health during sick leave. Additional crucial features included helping service users mobilize their own strategies to cope with thoughts and feelings and formulate goals and a plan for their work return. Once testing of the alpha and beta prototypes began, user engagement became the main focus for greater usability. It is critical to facilitate the comprehension and purpose of mWorks, offer clear guidance, and enhance motivational and goal-setting strategies. Conclusions Stakeholders’ experience-based knowledge asserted that mWorks needs to empower service users by providing them with a personal support tool. To enhance return-to-work prospects, users must be engaged in a meaningful manner while focusing on their strengths and resources.
Adoption of On-Campus Learning in Post-COVID-19 Pandemic: An Empirical Study on Private University Students of Bangladesh

Due to the rapid extension and adoption of technology, online education has become popular to continue studying during the COVID-19 pandemic period in the absence of physical classes. Educational institutions have started on-campus academic activities after recovering from the pandemic. Students are required to make them adapt again to the conventional on-campus layout having a long time gap. This study mainly attempted to detect the factors affecting the adoption of on-campus learning in the post-COVID-19 pandemic. The study considered 235 students as a sample from six private universities in Dhaka and Chittagong cities. Five points Likert scale type questionnaire was used to collect the opinion of the respondents. The study used a sophisticated method of statistics – Factor Analysis (Principal Component Analysis) using varimax rotation to analyze the collected data. The study revealed four components- physical fitness and awareness, physical learning environment, active participation, and solvency and commitment. The study recommends that proper vaccination, regularity and active participation, support from the university and teachers, cooperation from classmates, and safety measures can assist students in adjusting to on-campus education.
Chaos and period-adding; an experimental verification of the grazing bifurcation normal form

Experimental results are presented for a single degree of freedom horizontally excited pendulum that is allowed to impact with a rigid stop at a fixed angle θ̂ to the vertical. By inclining the apparatus, the pendulum is allowed to swing in an effectively reduced gravity, so that for each fixed θ̂ less than a critical value, a forcing frequency is found such that a period-one limit cycle motion just grazes with the stop. Experimental measurements show the immediate onset of chaotic dynamics and a period-adding cascade for slightly higher frequencies. These results are compared with a numerical simulation and continuation of solutions to a mathematical model of the system, which shows the same qualitative effects. From the model, the theory of discontinuity mappings due to Nordmark is applied to derive the coefficients of the square-root normal form map of the grazing bifurcation for this system. The grazing periodic orbit and its linearisation are found using a novel numerical continuation method for hybrid systems. From this, the normal-form coefficients are computed, which in this case imply that a jump to chaos and period-adding cascade occurs. Excellent quantitative agreement is found between the model simulation and the map, even over wide parameter ranges. Qualitatively, both accurately predict the experimental results, and after a slight change in the effective damping value, a striking quantitative agreement is found too.
Antithrombin as Therapeutic Intervention against Sepsis-Induced Coagulopathy and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation: Lessons Learned from COVID-19-Associated Coagulopathy

Recent research has contributed significantly to our understanding of the pathogenesis of acute disseminated intravascular coagulation. COVID-19 can be considered as a new underlying condition of disseminated intravascular coagulation. In this narrative review, current evidence is presented regarding biomarker differences between sepsis-induced and COVID-19-associated coagulopathies, supporting the importance of acquired antithrombin deficiency in the early differential diagnosis of septic coagulopathy and its potential impact on treatment with endogenous anticoagulants. Establishing new scoring systems for septic coagulopathy in combination with endogenous anticoagulant biomarker activities may allow for the identification of those in the heterogeneous population of sepsis patients who are more likely to benefit from targeted specific treatment interventions.
Identification of COPD Inflammatory Endotypes Using Repeated Sputum Eosinophil Counts

Higher blood and sputum eosinophil counts are associated with a greater response to corticosteroids in COPD. Low blood eosinophil counts exhibit greater stability over time whereas higher counts demonstrate more variability. Stability of airway eosinophil levels is less well understood. We have studied the stability of sputum eosinophil counts. Differential cell count data for COPD patients (n = 100) were analysed. Subjects with two sputum eosinophil counts, 6 months apart, were included in the analysis. Patients were stratified based on baseline sputum eosinophil count into ‘low’, ‘intermediate’ and ‘high’ groups: eosinophilLOW (<1%), eosinophilINT (1–3%) and eosinophilHIGH (≥3%). Sputum eosinophil counts showed good stability (rho = 0.61, p < 0.0001, ICC of 0.77), with 67.4% of eosinophilLOW patients remaining in the same category on repeat sampling. Bland–Altman analysis of the whole cohort (median difference between measurements = 0.00%, 90th percentile = −1.4 and 4.7%) showed greater variation at higher counts. This was confirmed by the wider 90th centiles in the eosinophilINT (−1.50 to 5.65) and eosinophilHIGH groups (−5.33 to 9.80) compared to the eosinophilLOW group (−0.40 to 1.40). The repeatability of sputum eosinophil counts was related to the baseline eosinophil count; sputum eosinophilLOW COPD patients were relatively stable over time, while the eosinophilHIGH group showed greater variability. These results can facilitate the identification of COPD endotypes with differential responses to treatment.
Internal Stakeholders’ Contribution to Building Collapse in Lagos State, Nigeria: A Perceptual Survey

Building collapse is a universal problem that has resulted in disruption, loss of lives and capital costs, as well as negatively affecting the image of the construction industry and its practitioners. The current study seeks to achieve the following objectives: (i) to assess the contributing factors of internal stakeholders to building collapse due to challenges faced in Lagos state, Nigeria; (ii) to determine the remedies to challenges faced by internal stakeholders towards reducing the spate of building collapses in the study area. The study adopted a survey research method. Questionnaires were administered to purposively selected internal stakeholders in the Nigerian construction industry within Lagos state. 127 questionnaires were administered to survey participants. The data collected was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The results revealed a lack of consideration of life cycle costing of utilities, lighting and lifts; lack of proper integration and coordination of design elements; failure to consider the buildability and maintenance requirements during the design; absence of proper supervision and site inspections for quality checks; and failure to inspect materials storage on site, with their mean scores of 4.18, 4.11, 4.10, 4.10, and 4.10, respectively, as the top five contributing factors of internal stakeholders to building collapse in Lagos state. The study provided in-depth insight into the contributing factors of internal stakeholders to building collapse that can help construction professionals and stakeholders facilitate the development of strategies required to minimize the contributing factors of internal stakeholders to building collapse in the construction sector.
Division and Square Root: Digit-Recurrence Algorithms and Implementations

1.General Comments. 2. Division by Digit Recurrence. 3. Theory of Digit-Recurrence Division. 4. Division with Scaling and Prediction. 5. Higher Radix Division. 6. On-the-Fly Conversion and Rounding. 7. Square Root by Digit Recurrence. 8. Implementations of Square Root. Appendices: Restoring and Non-Restoring Division Evaluation of Some Implementations.
Comparison of the Unit Cost of Diagnostic Imaging Services Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Using the Activity-Based Costing (ABC) Method

Background: The consequences of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, especially the financial burden imposed on the healthcare systems and hospitals, have been unpredictable around the world. Radiology wards have been exposed to the highest burden during this pandemic. Objectives: This study aimed to calculate the cost of diagnostic imaging services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, using the activity-based costing (ABC) method in an important diagnostic center of COVID-19 in Khorramabad, Iran. Patients and Methods: In this retrospective study, data were extracted from the hospital accounting sources in the radiology ward over two years (2019 - 2021). According to the ABC method, four types of cost were defined, including wage, supporting services, Consuming materials, and overhead expenses. Therefore, based on the monthly number of services, the unit cost of each service was calculated. Results: The unit cost of all services during the COVID-19 pandemic was higher than before, except for CT scan (before: 6.1 USD; during: 5.6 USD) (P = 0.008). The unit cost of MRI servicewas 5.7 USD before the pandemic and 7.1 USD during the pandemic (P = 0.57); the cost per radiography service was 1.8 USD before the pandemic and 7.1 USD during the pandemic (P = 0.01); and the cost per sonography service was 1.1 USD before the pandemic and 2.8 USD during the pandemic (P = 0.04). Finally, the cost of mammography increased dramatically during the pandemic (before the pandemic: 21.3 USD; during the pandemic: 48.2 USD) (P = 0.004). Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the radiology department expenses. The cost of CT scan services decreased due to the large number of services provided compared to the pre-pandemic period.
A pulsed jet for generation of turbulent spots in a mach 6 boundary layer

Abney, Andrew D. M.S.E. , Purdue University, December 2013. A pulsed jet for generation of turbulent spots in a Mach 6 boundary layer. Major Professor: Steven P. Schneider. Hypersonic vehicles operate in an environment with a high level of boundary-layer pressure fluctuations. The largest of these fluctuations are due to the intermittent passage of turbulent spots within the transition region, and can be sufficiently large to affect internal components of the vehicle. In order to better predict these flow variations, a turbulent spot model could be used. The boundary layer on the Boeing/AFOSR Mach 6 Quiet Tunnel nozzle-wall provided a convenient location for studying the statistical properties of turbulent spots in a hypersonic boundary layer, including growth rates, convection velocities, and pressure-fluctuation intensities. A valve system was developed to inject a transverse jet of air into the nozzle-wall boundary layer in an attempt to generate controlled spots. The resulting perturbations were characterized. The pressure fluctuations were measured on the tunnel centerline downstream of the perturber. Pressure traces and spectra were examined to determine the effectiveness of the perturber system. The initial perturber system produced disturbances with a duration that was too long. A reduction in perturbation duration was achieved through modification of the perturber electronics. Physical modifications were also made to the valve, with mixed success. The perturbations were of a longer duration and higher initial amplitude than perturbations generated using a pulsed glow perturber in previous studies in the Boeing/AFOSR Mach-6 Quiet Tunnel, including fully turbulent perturbations at the maximum quiet freestream Reynolds number. Inconsistent alignment of the perturber became the largest difficulty in using the device. A new method of aligning the valve was developed. A more effective means of
COVID-19 and Mental Health of Minority Arab Higher-Education Students in Israel: Social, Economic, and Academic Factors

The mental health and well-being of higher-education students is a topic of growing interest. COVID-19 impacted higher education in many ways and the challenges were especially pronounced for minority students. This study examines the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of Arab minority students in Israel in relation to social, academic, and financial factors. We recruited 420 Arab higher-education students enrolled in academic colleges or universities in Israel who completed a battery of online questionnaires. Mental health status was measured by the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DASS-21). Moderate to severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were reported by 49.3%, 45.2%, and 54% of Arab students, respectively. Analyses indicate that low quality of online learning, academic difficulties, and negative economic effects of COVID-19 predicted stress, anxiety, and depression. Women reported higher levels of depression and stress; job loss predicted depression and anxiety; low income predicted depression; and COVID-19-related health concerns predicted anxiety. This study highlights the unique and multiple challenges faced by minority students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Campus programs are needed to address the emotional needs of students. Longitudinal research is needed to more fully understand the impact of COVID-19 on higher-education students.
Anti-HIV Ermiasolides from Croton megalocarpus

In recent years, elucidation of novel anti-HIV bioactive compounds from natural products is gaining importance rapidly, not only from the research and publications, but also from controlled clinical studies. Here we report three new anti-HIV eudesmane-type sesquiterpenes, 5β-Hydroxy-8α-methoxy eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (1), 5β,8α-Dihydroxy eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (2) and 5β-Hydroxy-8H-β-eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (3). These are trivially named ermiasolide A-C and were isolated from the bark of Croton megalocarpus. 5β-Hydroxy-8α-methoxy eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (1), showed the highest anti-HIV activity by inhibiting 93% of the viral replication with an IC50 = 0.002 µg/mL. On the other hand, 5β-Hydroxy-8H-β-eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (3) and 5β,8α-dihydroxy eudesm-7(11)-en-12,8-olide (2), inhibited viral replication by 77.5% at IC50 = 0.04 µg/mL and 69.5% at IC50 = 0.002 µg/mL, respectively. Molecular docking studies showed that the proposed mechanism of action leading to these results is through the inhibition of HIV-protease.
Structure of surface polysaccharides affects symbiotic nitrogen fixation in Frankia alni ACN14a

ABSTRACT Frankia spp. are nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria that establish root-nodule symbiosis with actinorhizal plants comprising more than 200 species in eight dicotyledonous families. From a cell population of Frankia alni strain ACN14a that had been subcultured for over 30 years, we identified two types of variants (types A and S) with a different colony appearance. Type A variants exhibited ambiguous, and type S variants exhibited sharp colony edges. The two types differed in molecular weight and monosaccharide composition of cell surface polysaccharides, which could be responsible for the differences in colony appearance. When inoculated to a host plant Alnus glutinosa, both types induced nodulation but plants infected with type S isolates showed much lower nitrogen fixation activity than those infected with type A isolates. Indeed, type S isolates developed fewer vesicles inside infected plant cells. These results suggest that surface polysaccharides of Frankia play important roles in symbiotic interactions with actinorhizal plants.
A critical exposition of Bergson's process philosophy

This paper is a critical and expository study of the basic ideas in the process thought of Henri Bergson. Process philosophy is one of the oldest traditions in metaphysics, traceable to the doctrine of Heraclitus, an ancient Greek thinker. It is opposed to the idea of the Milesian thinkers like Thales and Anaximenes, who believed that reality consists of an unchanging substance that persists. Overtime, the view that reality is a novelty and, as such creative became a discourse of interest, either implicitly or explicitly, for many philosophers in the different epochs of western philosophy. As a result, different ideas emerged in an attempt to explain processes. However, these ideas have been discovered to point toward two directions – mechanism and finalism. As against this stance which pointed toward an end to the creative and novel posture of reality, Henri Bergson came up with his philosophy of multiple virtualities. However, how successful was his project? In this paper, therefore, we critically assess some strengths and weaknesses of the basic ideas in his thought process. However, though we have noted some inherent problems in his thought, Bergson’s idea of reality as multiple virtualities gives room to reality as continually processual, overcoming the mechanistic or finalistic you of other thinkers.
Transformative role of big data through enabling capability recognition in construction

Abstract Big data application is a significant transformative driver of change in the retail, health, engineering, and advanced manufacturing sectors. Big data studies in construction are still somewhat limited, although there is increasing interest in what big data application could achieve. Through interviews with construction professionals, this paper identifies the capabilities needed in construction firms to enable the accrual of the potentially transformative benefits of big data application in construction. Based on previous studies, big data application capabilities, needed to transform construction processes, focussed on data, people, technology, and organisation. However, the findings of this research suggest a critical modification to that focus to include knowledge and the organisational environment along with people, data, and technology. The research findings show that construction firms use big data with a combination strategy to enable transformation by (a) driving an in-house data management policy to rolling-out the big data capabilities; (b) fostering collaborative capabilities with external firms for resource development, and (c) outsourcing big data services to address the capabilities deficits impacting digital transformation.