Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Intraoperative Donor Blood on Packed Red Blood Cell Transfusion During Deceased Donor Liver Transplantation: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background. Blood from deceased organ donors, also known as donor blood (DB), has the potential to reduce the need for packed red blood cells (PRBCs) during liver transplantation (LT). We hypothesized that DB removed during organ procurement is a viable resource that could reduce the need for PRBCs during LT. Methods. We retrospectively examined data on LT recipients aged over 18 y who underwent a deceased donor LT. The primary aim was to compare the incidence of PRBC transfusion in LT patients who received intraoperative DB (the DB group) to those who did not (the nondonor blood [NDB] group). Results. After a propensity score matching process, 175 patients received DB and 175 did not. The median (first–third quartile) volume of DB transfused was 690.0 mL (500.0–900.0), equivalent to a median of 3.1 units (2.3–4.1). More patients in the NDB group received an intraoperative PRBC transfusion than in the DB group: 74.3% (95% confidence intervals, 67.8-80.8) compared with 60% (95% confidence intervals, 52.7-67.3); P = 0.004. The median number of PRBCs transfused intraoperatively was higher in the NDB group compared with the DB group: 3 units (0–6) compared with 2 units (0–4); P = 0.004. There were no significant differences observed in the secondary outcomes. Conclusions. Use of DB removed during organ procurement and reinfused to the recipient is a viable resource for reducing the requirements for PRBCs during LT. Use of DB minimizes the exposure of the recipient to multiple donor sources.
The role of shared autonomous vehicle systems in delivering smart urban mobility: A systematic review of the literature

Abstract Emerging autonomous driving technologies are claimed to create new opportunities for realizing smart and sustainable urban mobility initiatives. In this perspective, some studies identified shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) as being a crucial element of on-demand mobility services. There is, however, limited evidence from practice on what roles SAVs play in delivering smart urban mobility. In other words, SAV in the context of smart urban mobility is an understudied area of research with limited review studies. To bridge this gap in the literature, this study aims to investigate and map out the service attributes and impacts of SAVs on urban mobility, infrastructure and land use, travel behavior, and the environment. As the methodological approach, the paper adopts the systematic literature review technique. The study findings reveal that: (a) Providing dynamic ridesharing services could result in significant reduction of SAV fleet size, congestion, travel cost, parking demand, vehicle ownership, and emissions; (b) Positive environmental outcomes could be enhanced with full electrification of SAV fleet through renewable energy charging; (c) Integration of SAV, as a smart urban mobility system with dynamic ridesharing services, could promote sustainability and social and transportation equity, and their adoption. In the light of the findings, this study advocates the consolidation of urban/transport policy to achieve desired urban mobility outcomes.
Effect of Beta vulgaris Extract on Liver Enzymes in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background: The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has increased in recent decades. There are some concerns about the efficacy and side effects of drugs used for the treatment of NAFLD. Objectives: Therefore, new treatment methods and modalities are needed. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of Beta vulgaris extract in the treatment of NAFLD. Methods: This is a double-blind, parallel-group, randomized clinical trial. This clinical trial was conducted from November 2018 to April 2019 in Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Kashan, Iran. Among 143 NAFLD patients who met the inclusion criteria, 120 patients agreed to participate in the study. Subsequently, they were divided into two equal groups via simple randomization. The Beta vulgaris group received Beta vulgaris extract, alongside standard NAFLD treatment, including vitamin E and Silybum marianum extract (Livergol). The placebo group received standard NAFLD treatment, as well as a placebo instead of Beta vulgaris extract. The levels of aspartate transaminase (AST), alanine transaminase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), fasting blood sugar (FBS), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were evaluated and compared between the groups. Variables were measured at the beginning of the study and after three and six months. Results: Overall, 52% of the participants were male. The mean (SD) age of Beta vulgaris and placebo groups was 47.5 (10.5) and 46.4 (8.7) years, respectively. The results of between-group analysis revealed that AST significantly reduced in the Beta vulgaris group, compared to the placebo group (P = 0.04). Conversely, ALT reduction was not significant in the groups. The significant interaction between time and groups indicated that the effect of Beta vulgaris on ALT increased over time (P < 0.001). Moreover, the ALP, FBS, LDL, and HDL levels significantly improved in the Beta vulgaris group compared to the placebo group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Integration of Beta vulgaris extract in the standard treatment of NAFLD could significantly improve AST, ALP, FBS, LDL, and HDL. This study also revealed that the effect of Beta vulgaris on ALT increased over time.
Age, frequency, and iconicity in early sign language acquisition: Evidence from the Israeli Sign Language MacArthur–Bates Communicative Developmental Inventory

Abstract The current study described the development of the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Developmental Inventory (CDI) for Israeli Sign Language (ISL) and investigated the effects of age, sign iconicity, and sign frequency on lexical acquisition of bimodal-bilingual toddlers acquiring ISL. Previous findings bring inconclusive evidence on the role of sign iconicity (the relationship between form and meaning) and sign frequency (how often a word/sign is used in the language) on the acquisition of signs. The ISL-CDI consisted of 563 video clips. Iconicity ratings from 41 sign-naïve Hebrew-speaking adults (Study 1A) and sign frequency ratings from 19 native ISL adult signers (Study 1B) were collected. ISL vocabulary was evaluated in 34 toddlers, native signers (Study 2). Results indicated significant effects of age, strong correlations between parental ISL ratings and ISL size even when age was controlled for, and strong correlations between naturalistic data and ISL-CDI scores, supporting the validity of the ISL-CDI. Moreover, the results revealed effects of iconicity, frequency, and interactions between age and the iconicity and frequency factors, suggesting that both iconicity and frequency are modulated by age. The findings contribute to the field of sign language acquisition and to our understanding of potential factors affecting human language acquisition beyond language modality.
Coronae graphs and their $α$-eigenvalues

Let G 1 and G 2 be two simple connected graphs. The properties of α − eigenvalues of four coronal graphs of G 1 and G 2 : G 1 ◦ G 2 , G 1 ♦ G 2 , G 1 (cid:3) G 2 and G 1 (cid:3) G 2 have been studied. As an application, we construct inﬁnitely many pairs of non-isomorphic graphs with the same α -eigenvalues
Assessing importance of biomarkers: A Bayesian joint modelling approach of longitudinal and survival data with semi-competing risks

Longitudinal biomarkers such as patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and quality of life (QOL) are routinely collected in cancer clinical trials or other studies. Joint modelling of PRO/QOL and survival data can provide a comparative assessment of patient-reported changes in specific symptoms or global measures that correspond to changes in survival. Motivated by a head and neck cancer clinical trial, we develop a class of trajectory-based models for longitudinal and survival data with disease progression. Specifically, we propose a class of mixed effects regression models for longitudinal measures, a cure rate model for the disease progression time ( T P ) and a Cox proportional hazards model with time-varying covariates for the overall survival time ( T D ) to account for T P and treatment switching. Under the semi-competing risks framework, the disease progression is the non-terminal event, the occurrence of which is subject to a terminal event of death. The properties of the proposed models are examined in detail. Within the Bayesian paradigm, we derive the decompositions of the deviance information criterion (DIC) and the logarithm of the pseudo-marginal likelihood (LPML) to assess the fit of the longitudinal component of the model and the fit of each survival component, separately. We further develop Δ DIC as well as Δ LPML to determine the importance and contribution of the longitudinal data to the model fit of the T P and T D data.
Lead emissions from the use of leaded avgas in Turkey

Purpose This study aims to present the impact of using leaded avgas in piston-prop aircraft, in Turkey. Design/methodology/approach Increasing air traffic directly increases the total amount of consumed aviation fuels (kerosene or avgas). The number of aircraft and traffic that will increase soon will further increase fuel consumption. For this reason, aircraft power generation methods (long term) must be changed or the fuel must be improved (short term). The avgas used in piston-prop aircraft is known to contain lead and as a result, the production or consumption of avgas has adverse effects on human health, the ecosystem quality and resources. Findings The overall human health impact, ecosystem quality impact and resource impact in Turkey were determined to be 2.83 disability-adjusted life years, 1.21 × 10−04 species.yr and $138, respectively. According to the results, although the normalized total effect of Turkey was calculated as 208.18 nkg, 43.89% of the total was observed in the Marmara region. Originality/value The originality is the use of real-time values for all calculations. For the purpose of showing the most impacted or damaged regions in Turkey via a life cycle analysis, a new definition, the normalized total effect in nkg, is defined in this study.
Embryonal Masses Induced at High Temperatures in Aleppo Pine: Cytokinin Profile and Cytological Characterization

Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.), a native species of the Mediterranean region, has been suggested as a species that when introduced in degraded areas could facilitate the long-term colonization and expansion of late-successional species. Due to climate changes, plants need to withstand extreme environmental conditions through adaptation and changings in developmental pathways. Among other paths, plants undergo changes in developmental pathways controlled by phytohormones. At the same time, somatic embryogenesis has been widely used as a model to understand the mechanisms involved in plant response to different stresses. In this study, in order to induce a strong effect of temperature stress on plants regenerated from somatic embryos, higher temperatures (40 °C for 4 h, 50 °C for 30 min, and 60 °C for 5 min) than the control (23 °C) were applied during the induction stage of somatic embryogenesis in Pinus halepensis. A morphological characterization of the embryogenic cultures showed small differences in the number of starch grains, lipid bodies, and phenolic compounds between treatments. Results showed that high temperatures (60 °C) led to higher rates at the maturation stage of somatic embryogenesis when compared to the control (23 °C), strengthening the productivity through the increase in the number of somatic embryos obtained. Finally, analysis of endogenous concentration of cytokinins showed that different conditions applied during the initiation phase of somatic embryogenesis led to different hormonal profiles; isoprenoid cytokinins showed a clear defined pattern with the higher total hormone concentration being found in embryonal masses induced at 50 °C for 30 min, while different aromatic cytokinins presented different individual responses to the treatments applied. These differences corroborate the idea that cytokinins could be potential regulators of stress–response processes during initial steps of somatic embryogenesis.
DETERMINATION OF AN EFFECTIVE MEDIA AND ITS HORMONE AND PROTEIN SUPPLEMENNTATION FOR IN VITRO MATURATION OF OOCYTES OF INDIGENOUS ZEBU COWS

In vitro maturation (IVM) of oocytes is the first important step for successful in vitro embryo production of any mammalian species. The objectives of the present study were to determine an effective basic medium and its hormone and protein supplementation for IVM of oocytes of indigenous zebu cows. The oocytes were derived from ovaries of locally slaughtered cows after aspiration of follicle. The oocytes were cultured in medium for 24 hrs at 38. 5ºC with 5% CO2 in humidified air for maturation. The maturation of oocytes was evaluated by examining the presence of first polar body extrusion in denuded oocytes under inverted microscope. To determine an effective basic medium, the oocytes were cultured in fetal bovine serum (FBS) supplemented tissue culture medium (TCM), modified synthetic oviduct fluid (mSOF) and Tyrodes albumin lactate pyruvate (TALP) medium. The maturation rate was significantly higher (74±4.2) in TCM medium than that of TALP medium (58.2±6.2). To determine an effective hormone supplementation for maturation medium, the oocytes were cultured in either in follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or gonadotrophin supplemented TCM. The maturation rate of oocytes was significantly (p>0.05) higher (73.3±4.0) in FSH supplemented medium than that of gonadotrophin supplemented counterpart (60.2±6.6). To determine an effective protein supplementation, the oocytes were cultured in FBS, oestrus cow serum (OCS) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) supplemented TCM 199. The maturation rate of oocytes were 73.0±5.9, 71.1±2.8, and 62.5±9.4 in medium supplemented with FBS, OCS and BSA respectively (p>0.05). In conclusions, TCM supplemented with either FBS, OCS or BSA as protein and FSH as hormone may be used as medium for IVM of oocytes of indigenous zebu cows.
The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) Loan Projects: Analyzing The People’s Republic of China’s Multilayered Multilateralism Strategy to Turkey (2016-2018)

The establishment of Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) was first marked with the proposition made by People’s Republic of China (PRC) President Xi Jinping in 2013. Many since then believes that the establishment of the AIIB is part of PRC’s bigger plan that is the Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI). The significance of Turkey strategic position for the implementation of BRI, it is very crucial for PRC to maintain a steady flow of cooperation with Turkey. Out of 93 members that has joined as a part of AIIB, Turkey stands as the second largest loan receiver by the end of 2018. This article argues that PRC has been using AIIB as part as their BRI plan through its multilayered-multilateralism strategy to Turkey. This article analyze the loan policies that has been made by PRC and AIIB to Turkey from 2016 to 2018
Numerical investigation of the bevelled effects on shock structure and screech noise in planar supersonic jets

Rectangular supersonic jets exist widely in propulsion systems of aircrafts. When they are imperfectly expanded under certain conditions, the upstream traveling waves referred to as screech tones will be produced, which may cause structural fatigue failure. In this work, high fidelity simulations are employed to investigate the bevelled effects due to the asymmetric lips of nozzles on shock structures and screech noise in planar supersonic jets. The present results are in agreement with previous experimental and numerical data for the symmetric case. For asymmetric cases, it is found that the bevelled effects will affect the shear layer transition, noise radiation, and shock cell oscillations. The level of screech noise generally decreases with increasing the length difference of two lips. The maximum 7.9 dB drop is identified, and the deflection angle of the mainstream of 9.35° is achieved when this length difference reaches the height of the nozzle. Moreover, dynamic mode decomposition (DMD) is specifically utilized to analyze shock cell oscillations. The results show that the bevelled effects suppress the most energetic DMD mode, corresponding to the dominant frequency of shock screech. The phenomenon of shock leakage is detected in the symmetric case, which is assumed to be an important screech noise source, while it seems to be weakened when the nozzle is bevelled. The longitudinal flapping motion of shock cells is substantially weakened due to the bevelled effects, which might be responsible for the suppression of shock leakage and the screech noise reduction.
Improvements in skeletal muscle fiber size with resistance training are age-dependent in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

As studies examining the hypertrophic effects of resistance training (RT) at the cellular level have produced inconsistent results, we performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate muscle fiber size before and after a structured RT intervention in older adults. A random-effects model was used to calculate mean effect size (ES) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Thirty-five studies were included (age range: 59.0-88.5 years), and 44 and 30 effects were used to estimate RT impact on myosin heavy chain (MHC) I and II fiber size. RT produced moderate-to-large increases in MHC I (ES=+0.51, 95%CI +0.31 to +0.71; p<0.001) and II (ES=+0.81, 95%CI +0.56 to +1.05; p<0.001) fiber size, with men and women having a similar response. Age was negatively associated with change in muscle fiber size for both fiber types (MHC I: R2=0.11, β=-0.33, p=0.002; MHC II: R2=0.10, β=-0.32, p=0.04), indicating a less robust hypertrophic response as age increases in older adults. Unexpectedly, a higher training intensity (defined as percentage of one-repetition maximum) was associated with a smaller increase in MHC II fiber size (R2=15.09%, β=-0.39, p=0.01). Notably, MHC II fiber subtypes (IIA, IIX, IIAX) were examined less frequently, but RT improved their size. Overall, our findings indicate that RT induces cellular hypertrophy in older adults, although the effect is attenuated with increasing age. In addition, hypertrophy of MHC II fibers was reduced with higher training intensity, which may suggest a failure of muscle fibers to hypertrophy in response to high loads in older adults.
Synthesis and characterization of graphene oxide–polyimide nanofiber composites

Graphene oxide–polyimide (GO–PI) nanofiber composites were made by electrospinning poly(amic acid) (PAA) containing up to 2 wt% graphene oxide (GO), followed by thermal imidization of PAA. The resulting GO–PI nanofiber composites were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM). The formation of GO was confirmed by X-ray diffraction, infrared and Raman spectroscopy. Morphological analysis of the nanocomposites done with HRSEM indicates that the GO is bunched up into bead or spindle-like structures within the nanofibers. Dynamic mechanical analysis indicates that adding up to 2 wt% GO to PI leads to an improvement in the storage modulus from 1.4 × 108 to 3.8 × 108 Pa and an improvement in the glass transition temperature from 317 to 323 °C over neat PI. Thermogravimetric analysis also shows increasing thermal stability with increasing GO content.
Theoretical and experimental studies of a novel nested oscillator with a high-damping characteristic

Stiffness and damping of a structure usually show the opposite change so that the resonant frequency and the static load bearing capacity of a mechanical system often exhibit contradiction. To solve this dilemma, a novel high-damping oscillator which is constructed by a nested diamond structure with the purpose of enhancing the damping property is proposed in this study without reducing the overall systematic stiffness. The mathematical model and geometrical relationships are established at first. And then, the steady-state solutions under base excitation are derived by using the harmonic balance method and further verified by numerical simulation. In addition, the effects of some design parameters on the equivalent damping ratio for the high-damping oscillator are studied to reveal the nonlinear characteristic. Besides, the natural frequency of the nonlinear oscillator is also presented and investigated. By using the displacement transmissibility and comparing with the traditional linear isolator with the same overall stiffness, the vibration suppression performance of the high-damping oscillator is addressed. The obtained calculating results demonstrate that the vibration control performance of the high-damping oscillator outperforms the linear counterpart around resonant frequency. Moreover, the influences of systematic parameters of the high-damping oscillator for the base excitation case on the vibration transmissibility are also discussed, respectively. Finally, an experimental campaign is conducted on an in-house-built test rig to corroborate the accuracy of the analytical solutions of the high-damping oscillation system. The results discussed in this study provide a useful guideline, which can help to design this class of high-damping oscillation system.
Agentic Misfit: An Empirical Demonstration of Non-Matching Human Agency amid Complexity

Alignment of organizations with external imperatives is seen as a sine qua non of proper organizing and strategizing by many fit and complexity scholars. Any deviation from this management mantra engenders organizational decline and, ultimately, mortality. We put this axiomatic principle under empirical scrutiny and use the law of requisite variety as our organizing principle to do so. The law is an iconic cornerstone of this matching contingency logic and it has served to legitimize a wide range of fit decisions in, e.g., leadership, organizational learning and corporate governance. Inspired by organizational vignettes inhabiting antithetical complexity regimes, we introduce a novel concept, which we label ‘agentic misfit’. In this way, we deconstruct deterministic assumptions related to environmental fittingness, we challenge teleological orientations in the fit literature, and we flesh out the viability of non-matching human agency amid complexity.