Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Living Like an Academic Athlete: How to Improve Clinical and Academic Productivity as a Gastroenterologist.

Entering a career in gastroenterology, be it as a fellow or new faculty, can be daunting and comes with expectations regarding academic and clinical productivity. Academic clinicians combine multiple tasks involving patient care, research, goals (10-20 years) should be crystallized in your mind upon starting a position. These goals should be S.M.A.R. T. : Specific, Measurable, Agreed upon (with a supervisor, mentor, or stakeholder), Realistic, and Time based. The goals should be reviewed regularly and may be revised when circumstances or priorities change. Your goals should guide your decisions to agree or decline tasks and opportunities. They should also guide the negotiations of your new position, including startup packages and protected time. The Pareto principle states that 80% of effects result from 20% of causes. This means that 2 of the 10 items on your to-do list will produce more progress toward your goals than the other 8 combined! Establishing goals and objectives will
Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor Beta: A Novel Urinary Biomarker for Recurrence of Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer

Non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is one of the most common malignant tumors in the urological system with a high risk of recurrence, and effective non-invasive biomarkers for NMIBC relapse are still needed. The human urinary proteome can reflect the status of the microenvironment of the urinary system and is an ideal source for clinical diagnosis of urinary system diseases. Our previous work used proteomics to identify 1643 high-confidence urinary proteins in the urine from a healthy population. Here, we used bioinformatics to construct a cancer-associated protein-protein interaction (PPI) network comprising 16 high-abundance urinary proteins based on the urinary proteome database. As a result, platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFRB) was selected for further validation as a candidate biomarker for NMIBC diagnosis and prognosis. Although the levels of urinary PDGFRB showed no significant difference between patients pre- and post-surgery (n = 185, P>0.05), over 3 years of follow-up, urinary PDGFRB was shown to be significantly higher in relapsed patients (n = 68) than in relapse-free patients (n = 117, P<0.001). The levels of urinary PDGFRB were significantly correlated with the risk of 3-year recurrence of NMIBC, and these levels improved the accuracy of a NMIBC recurrence risk prediction model that included age, tumor size, and tumor number (area under the curve, 0.862; 95% CI, 0.809 to 0.914) compared to PDGFR alone. Therefore, we surmise that urinary PDGFRB could serve as a non-invasive biomarker for predicting NMIBC recurrence.
Reduced cephalic labial glands in the male bumblebees of the subgenus Rhodobombus Dalla Torre (Hymenoptera: Apidae: Bombus Latreille)

Abstract Until now, all males of bumblebees are known to attract conspecific females by marking places with a chemical signal secreted by their cephalic labial gland. The specific combination of patrolling flight and scentmarking is of outmost importance to bumblebees as it is their main species specific recognition system. We report here the lack of that recognition system in species of the subgenus Rhodobombus by comparing the morphology and histology of the cephalic labial glands of Bombus (Rhodobombus) mesomelas with those of a well known species, B. (Bombus) terrestris (L.) The cephalic labial glands are much smaller in B. mesomelas than in other bumblebees species and most likely non-functional. This morphology is also observed in B. pomorum and B. brodmanni which also belong to the subgenus Rhodobombus. Our morphological observations are consistent with the chemical analyses of the secretions in B. mesomelas and B. pomorum which are very limited and of most unusual composition for a bumblebee. In addition, whereas other species are thought to use their barbae mandibularis to spread their secretion onto the substrate, these structures are absent in all Rhodobombus. All these observations would mean that the males of Rhodobombus do not attract females from far away by the use of their cephalic labial gland secretions.
Short-term Outcomes of an Extralevator Abdominoperineal Resection in the Prone Position Compared With a Conventional Abdominoperineal Resection for Advanced Low Rectal Cancer: The Early Experience at a Single Institution

Purpose This study compared the perioperative and pathologic outcomes between an extralevator abdominoperineal resection (APR) in the prone position and a conventional APR. Methods Between September 2011 and March 2014, an extralevator APR in the prone position was performed on 13 patients with rectal cancer and a conventional APR on 26 such patients. Patients' demographics and perioperative and pathologic outcomes were obtained from the colorectal cancer database and electronic medical charts. Results Age and preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level were significantly different between the conventional and the extralevator APR in the prone position (median age, 65 years vs. 55 years [P = 0.001]; median preoperative CEA level, 4.94 ng/mL vs. 1.81 ng/mL [P = 0.011]). For perioperative outcomes, 1 (3.8%) intraoperative bowel perforation occurred in the conventional APR group and 2 (15.3%) in the extralevator APR group. In the conventional and extralevator APR groups, 12 (46.2%) and 6 patients (46.2%) had postoperative complications, and 8 (66.7%) and 2 patients (33.4%) had major complications (Clavien-Dindo III/IV), respectively. The circumferential resection margin involvement rate was higher in the extralevator APR group compared with the conventional APR group (3 of 13 [23.1%] vs. 3 of 26 [11.5%]). Conclusion The extralevator APR in the prone position for patients with advanced low rectal cancer has no advantages in perioperative and pathologic outcomes over a conventional APR for such patients. However, through early experience with a new surgical technique, we identified various reasons for the lack of favorable outcomes and expect sufficient experience to produce better peri- or postoperative outcomes.
Adaptive Peer Caching for P2P Video-on-Demand Streaming

In this paper, we propose a novel P2P VoD streaming system, named PECAN where each peer adjusts its cache capacity adaptively to meet the server's upload bandwidth constraint and achieve the fairness. For doing so, we first propose a new cache replacement algorithm that designs the number of caches for a segment to be proportional to its popularity. Second, we mathematically prove that if the cache capacity of a peer is proportional to its segment request rate, the fairness between upload and download amounts at each peer can be achieved. Third, we propose a method that determines each peer's cache capacity adaptively according to the constraint of the server's upload bandwidth. Through simulations, we show that PECAN meets the server upload bandwidth constraint, and achieves the fairness well at each peer.
Assessment of psychosis proneness in African-American college students.

The present study employed the psychometric high-risk method to investigate psychosis proneness in African-American and Caucasian college students recruited from three sites. The goals of the study were to develop norms for African-American students on the Perceptual Aberration (Chapman, Chapman, & Raulin, 1978), Magical Ideation (Eckblad & Chapman, 1983), Revised Social Anhedonia (Eckblad, Chapman, Chapman, & Mishlove, 1982), and Physical Anhedonia Scales (Chapman, Chapman, & Raulin, 1976), as well as to assess the validity of this research method with African-American students. Structured diagnostic interviews were conducted to assess the concurrent validity of these scales for identifying psychosis proneness. The results supported the use of separate norms for male and female African-American students and provided support for the concurrent validity of this research method with African-American and Caucasian college students.
Environmental Research and Public Health Air Pressure, Humidity and Stroke Occurrence: a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background/Aims: An influence of climate upon stroke risk is biologically plausible and supported by epidemiological evidence. We aimed to determine whether air pressure (AP) and humidity are associated with hospital stroke admission. relevant population-based observational studies. Where possible, data were pooled for meta-analysis with odds ratios (OR) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) by means of the random-effect method. Results: We included 11 studies with a total of 314,385 patients. The effect of AP was varied across studies for ischemic stroke (IS) and subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Pooled ORs (95%CI) associated with 1 hPa increase in AP for the risk of IS, intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and SAH were 1.00 (0.99–1.01), 1.01 (0.99–1.02) and 1.02 (0.97–1.07) respectively. The pooled ORs (95%CI) associated with 1 percent increase in humidity for the risk of IS and ICH were 1.00 (1.00–1.01) and 1.00 (0.99–1.01) respectively. Conclusion: This review shows that there is no evidence of a relationship between AP or humidity and the occurrence of hospital admission for stroke. Further research is needed to clarify the extent and nature of any relationship between AP, humidity and stroke in different geographical areas.
ELECTROCHEMICAL OXIDATION OF TEXTILE POLLUTEDWATER AND ITS REUSE

In the present investigation an attempt is made to treat organic pollutant present in the textile effluent using an electrochemical treatment technique. Experiments are carried out in a batch electrochemical cell covering wide range in operating conditions. Due to the strong oxidizing potential of the chemicals produced, the effluent COD is reduced substantially in this treatment technique. The influence of effluent initial concentration, pH, supporting electrolyte concentration and the anode material on pollutant degradation has been critically examined. It further attempts in the present investigation to reuse the treated polluted water for dyeing purpose. Several cycles (eleven times) of dyeing operations have been performed with the treated textile polluted water and the dye uptake and water quality have been critically examined at each cycle of dyeing process. The results indicates that the electrochemical method is a feasible technique for treatment of textile polluted water and electrochemically treated polluted water can be effectively reused for dyeing application.
Humoral Response against Small Heat Shock Proteins in Parkinson’s Disease

Introduction In the light of evidence for the increased heat shock proteins (HSP) expression in neurodegenerative disorders, the presence of the adaptive humoral response of the immune system can be expected. The aim of the study was to check whether Parkinson’s disease (PD) has the ability to elicit immune response against small heat shock proteins. Methods IgG and IgM autoantibodies against alpha B-crystallin were assessed in 26 PD patients 26 healthy subjects. For the assessment of anti-HSP IgG autoantibodies serum samples from 31 parkinsonian patients and 31 healthy control subjects were collected. Serum samples from PD patients and healthy control subjects were collected twice, at baseline and after mean of 13 months follow up. Results Both IgM and IgG autoantibodies against alpha ß-crystallin in PD patients were significantly higher compared to healthy controls (p<0.05). We also found statistically significant increase in antibodies titers against alpha ß-crystallin over the time of 13 months, both for IgG (p = 0.021) and for IgM (p<0.0001). Additionally, PD patients presented higher levels of anti-HSP IgG autoantibodies than healthy controls (p = 0.02). Conclusions Increase of IgG and IgM autoantibodies against alpha B-crystallin in PD patients over time may suggest their involvement in the disease pathogenesis and progression. Further studies are required to confirm the role of this antibody as a biomarker of the disease progression.
Effect of laccase from Hypsizygus ulmarius in decolorization of different dyes

Article history: The objective of the study was to check the laccase (purified from Hypsizygus ulmarius) for decolorization of different dyes. The purified laccase from Hypsizygus ulmarius was studied for its decolorization of different dyes (Remazol brilliant blue R (RBBR), Alizarin red, Congo red, methyl orange and methyl violet). The results indicated that the percent of decolorization was increased when the time course and enzyme concentration was increased. The purified laccase showed maximum amount of decolorization in RBBR (85%) and followed by Methyl Orange (75%), Alizarin Red (73%), Methyl Violet (72%) and Congo Red (69%) without any additional redox mediator which suggest that this enzyme could be used in industries for effluent treatment.
Transformation of Ti/Al multilayers to the Ti3Al phase aimed at bonding of titanium alloys

The freestanding Ti/Al multilayer (with 3:1 the chemical composition ratio) was applied to bond the parts from Ti–6Al–4V alloy. The as-deposited multilayer and the joint obtained with it were characterized with the use of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) method including selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). It was observed that the annealing at 800°C for 1 h in vacuum of 1 Pa helped to transform Ti/Al multilayer into fine grains (grain size < 1 μm) of Ti3Al acting as a filler material between pieces of Ti–6Al–4V. The resulting joint shows generally good connection with the presence of small porosity both at the filler material/Ti–6Al–4V base material interface (larger) and on the Ti–6Al–4V side (smaller). Additionally, near surface zone of the joint, the parts were strongly depleted of aluminium.
Computation and visualization of posterior densities in scalar nonlinear and non-Gaussian Bayesian filtering and smoothing problems

One-dimensional Bayesian filtering and smoothing problems can be solved numerically using a number of algorithms, even in nonlinear and non-Gaussian cases. In this educational paper we advocate for the benefits of visualizing the obtained posterior densities as complement to, e.g., estimation error analysis. In addition to a review of Bayesian filtering and smoothing and the respective point mass and particle solutions, we devise a novel algorithm for filtering when the likelihood cannot be evaluated. Several instructive examples are discussed and easily adjustable matlab code is provided as complement to this paper.
Framework for evaluating EEG signal quality of dry electrode recordings

Dry electrodes provide the possibility of moving EEG usage from the research and clinical environment to real life applications. Having a framework for evaluating the performance of dry electrodes would facilitate this process and help EEG system developers to test their designs. This paper describes an evaluation method for dry electrode EEG recordings. The framework includes a setup for synchronous recordings with a parallel dry and gel electrode montage procedure. Several protocols are implemented to evaluate both the time and frequency content of the signal and to compute the setup and settling time. Signal quality was evaluated using signal correlations, SNR and P300 component characteristics. The preliminary data analysis and results show that a comparison between gel and dry electrodes is possible but improvements need to be made to the current evaluation framework.
Testes Mass, but Not Sperm Length, Increases with Higher Levels of Polyandry in an Ancient Sex Model

There is strong evidence that polyandrous taxa have evolved relatively larger testes than monogamous relatives. Sperm size may either increase or decrease across species with the risk or intensity of sperm competition. Scorpions represent an ancient direct mode with spermatophore-mediated sperm transfer and are particularly well suited for studies in sperm competition. This work aims to analyze for the first time the variables affecting testes mass, ejaculate volume and sperm length, according with their levels of polyandry, in species belonging to the Neotropical family Bothriuridae. Variables influencing testes mass and sperm length were obtained by model selection analysis using corrected Akaike Information Criterion. Testes mass varied greatly among the seven species analyzed, ranging from 1.6±1.1 mg in Timogenes dorbignyi to 16.3±4.5 mg in Brachistosternus pentheri with an average of 8.4±5.0 mg in all the species. The relationship between testes mass and body mass was not significant. Body allocation in testes mass, taken as Gonadosomatic Index, was high in Bothriurus cordubensis and Brachistosternus ferrugineus and low in Timogenes species. The best-fitting model for testes mass considered only polyandry as predictor with a positive influence. Model selection showed that body mass influenced sperm length negatively but after correcting for body mass, none of the variables analyzed explained sperm length. Both body mass and testes mass influenced spermatophore volume positively. There was a strong phylogenetic effect on the model containing testes mass. As predicted by the sperm competition theory and according to what happens in other arthropods, testes mass increased in species with higher levels of sperm competition, and influenced positively spermatophore volume, but data was not conclusive for sperm length.
Boron as a Medicinal Ingredient in Oral Natural Health Products

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The Association between NQO1 Pro187Ser Polymorphism and Bladder Cancer Susceptibility: A Meta-Analysis of 15 Studies

Background NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), an obligate two-electron reductase, plays an important role in reducing reactive quinones to less reactive and less toxic hydroquinones. Genetic variations in NQO1 gene that impede its enzyme function may be considered as putative risk factor for cancer. Numerous studies have been performed to investigate the association between NQO1 Pro187Ser polymorphism and bladder cancer risk; nevertheless, the results remain controversial. Methods We indentified eligible publications from PubMed, Embase and CBM databases. Pooled odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to access the strength of the associations. False-positive report probability (FPRP) analysis was also performed for all statistically significant findings. Results We collected a total of 15 studies including 4298 cases and 4275 controls in the final meta-analysis. Overall, the NQO1 187Ser carriers were associated with an increased bladder cancer risk (homozygous: OR = 1.43, 95% CI = 1.08-1.90; recessive: OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 1.03-1.72; dominant: OR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.04-1.37, and allele comparing: OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.06-1.33). Stratification analyses showed a statistically significant association among Asians (homozygous: OR = 1.82, 95% CI = 1.39-2.38; recessive: OR = 1.52, 95% CI = 1.20-1.93, dominant: OR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.05-1.88, and allele comparing: OR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.15-1.58), never smokers (homozygous: OR = 2.30, 95% CI = 1.14-4.65; heterozygous: OR = 2.26, 95% CI = 1.43-3.56; dominant model: OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.14-2.21, and allele comparing: OR = 1.72, 95% CI = 1.27-2.33), hospital-based studies (homozygous: OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.09-1.94; recessive: OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.02-1.69; dominant: OR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.05-1.56, and allele comparing: OR = 1.24, 95% CI = 1.07-1.43), studies with genotyping performed by PCR-RFLP under all genetic models, and studies with minor allele frequency >0.30 (homozygous: OR = 1.69, 95% CI = 1.25-2.27; recessive: OR = 1.46, 95% CI = 1.10-1.95, and allele comparing: OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.04-1.51), respectively. Conclusions Despite some limitations, our meta-analysis provides sufficient evidence that NQO1 Pro187Ser polymorphism may contribute to bladder cancer risk. These findings need further validation in well-designed prospective studies with larger sample size and different ethnicities, especially for Asians.
Specific heat measurements on chevrel phase materials exhibiting coexistence of superconductivity and magnetism

A probe for measuring the specific heat of superconductors at low temperatures and in high magnetic fields has been built and commissioned. The probe has been tested using the relaxation method on samples of copper and the accuracy of the data is 1.3 % between 5 K and 30 K, data taken using the long range pulse method has a resolution of 10 mK. Specific heat measurements have been performed on members of the series (Pb(_1)-(_x))Cu(_1.8x)Mo(_6)S(_8), (Sn(_1-x))Eu(_x)Mo(_6)S(_8) and (Pb(_1-x)M(_x))Mo(_6)S(_8) where M = Gd and Eu, from 3 K up to 30 K and in magnetic fields up to 15 T. Additional results from resistivity, susceptibility, magnetisation. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and electron dispersive-ray measurements are also presented. These data have been compared to results from other authors and are analysed in terms of the BCS and GLAG theories of superconductivity and the magnetic properties of these materials. The mean field model has been used to calculate numerically the magnetic contribution to the specific heat (cm) of both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic systems as a function of temperature and applied field both above and below the ordering temperature. In addition an approximate analytic form for the magnetisation has been used to calculate Cm above the ordering temperature. Expressions have been derived for the saturation value of the peak in C(_m): C(^sat)(_m) = 1.1245n(_cell)RJI(J+1) and the temperature dependence of the peak with applied field ȡ(μ(_o)H(_ext))/ȡT(_peak)=6.540/g(_J)(J+1). They allow the simple calculation of the values of J and g(_J)(J + 1) from specific heat data. The magnetic contribution to the specific heat of the samples (Sn(_0.65)Eu(0.35)Mo(_6)S(_8)) and (Sn(0.50)Eu(_0.50)Mo(_6)S(_8)) have been modelled using these calculations and excellent agreement is found by considering the magnetic ions as free ions. The sample is accurately modelled by including an additional minority phase (Gd(_2)S(_3)). The approximate expressions have also been used to analyse data on high temperature superconductors producing values of J and g(_J)}{J + 1) consistent with a doublet ground state. The properties of Chevrel phase materials have been determined as a function of doping level. The critical temperature is degraded by doping but an increase in the critical current density is observed in the series (Pb(_1-x)Cu(_1-8x)Mo(_6)S(_8) for very low levels of doping. Increases of up to 28 % in the upper critical field, that are probably due to the compensation effect and an increase in the normal state resistivity, are also observed in the series (Sn(_1-x)Eu(_x)Mo(_6)S(_8)) at high levels of doping and in the series (Pb(_1-x)Gd(_x)Mo(_6)s(_8) for low levels of doping.
The Gastrointestinal Tract in HIV-1 Infection : Questions , Answers , and More Questions !

Recent studies in hiv-1 infected individuals have demonstrated that the gastrointestinal (gi) tract is preferentially and profoundly affected during acute and chronic hiv-1 infection. These findings shed light on early postinfection events at mucosal sites. In addition, they raise important questions regarding the long-term impact of immune depletion within the gi tract on hiv-1 pathogenesis. The following review summarizes recent studies that have brought the gi immune system to the forefront of hiv research.