Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Re-education of the Tumor Microenvironment With Targeted Therapies and Immunotherapies

The clinical success of cancer immunotherapies targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4 has ignited a substantial research effort to improve our understanding of tumor immunity. Recent studies have revealed that the immune contexture of a tumor influences therapeutic response and survival benefit for cancer patients. Identifying treatment modalities that limit immunosuppression, relieve T cell exhaustion, and potentiate effector functions in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is of much interest. In particular, combinatorial therapeutic approaches that re-educate the TME by limiting the accumulation of immunosuppressive immune cells, such as Foxp3 regulatory T cells (Tregs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), while promoting CD8+ and CD4+ effector T cell activity is critical. Here, we review key approaches to target these immunosuppressive immune cell subsets and signaling molecules and define the impact of these changes to the tumor milieu. We will highlight the preclinical and clinical evidence for their ability to improve anti-tumor immune responses as well as strategies and challenges for their implementation. Together, this review will provide understanding of therapeutic approaches to efficiently shape the TME and reinvigorate the immune response against cancer.
Male phenology and pollen production of Cupressus sempervirens in Tetouan (Morocco)

Male phenology, processes of microsporogenesis and pollen differentiation were studied for Cupressus sempervirens from the city of Tetouan (Morocco). Five phenological phases are described based on morphological and structural characters. Pollen mother cells stage, meiosis, microspore maturation and pollen development occurred in winter from December to February. Meiotic development shows typical coniferous pattern. Anthesis takes place two months after bud burst. The flowering phenophase takes place over one month and is associated with the main pollen emission period which started in the last week of February 2007. The pollen production of individual trees in C. sempervirens is also estimated. Tree size, cone density and number of pollen grains per cone are investigated. The results indicate that the number of pollen grains per cone and the total pollen production per tree were in the production range to those obtained in anemophilous trees. This study provides the first data on the onset of the pollen season and on the pollen production in C. sempervirens in Morocco and the contribution of this species to the total amount of airborne pollen content in Tetouan city.
A Survey on RCF Based Data Dissemination Techniques for VANETs

—Vehicular Ad hoc Networks (VANETs) are the commercial version of Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) having very high mobility in which every vehicle acting as a host as well as router and forwards the packets to other vehicles. VANET forms decentralized networks, which enable plethora of important applications and services ranging from life safety applications to infotainment applications. High mobility in vehicular networks causes rapid topology changes and frequent disconnections. Due to this, data dissemination is a challenging task for researchers. Most of the data dissemination technique follows the iterative approach of Relay, Carry and Forward(RCF) in which road side units periodically pours the data packets to the moving vehicles, it buffers the data packet until a new vehicle enters into its vicinity and forwards the packet. This procedure establishes multi-hop communication to reach the destination. All these techniques have to consider about the delay and delivery ratio constraints with available bandwidth. The Performance of these techniques was highly affected by traffic density and data set size. In this paper, various data dissemination techniques and their performances, issues were analyzed thoroughly.
Simultaneous Measurement of Dissolved Oxygen and Oxidation-Reduction Potentials in the Aerobic Culture

The most dominant factor influencing the oxidation-reduction potentials (E) in the cultured system was oxygen tension. E was an useful index to express the degree of oxygen supply in place of dissolved oxygen (PL) under a limited oxygen supply. The conversion of microbial products caused by the change in oxygen supply was clearly analyzed by the use of E value. Bacillus subtilis excreted lactic acid at the E value -220mV, 2, 3-butyleneglycol at -195mV and acetoin at -160mV as the main product. E also gave the significant information concerning the changes in cell's respiration. Cyanide at the concentration of 10-5M, azide at 10-3M and 2, 4-dinitrophenol (DNP) at 10-2M inhibited cell respiration causing the decrease in E and the increase in PL, and DNP at 0.4×10-3M promoted oxygen uptake of the cells causing the decrease in both E and PL.
Maternal effects as adaptations

Part 1: Theoretical Considerations 1. The Evolutionary Genetics of Maternal Effects 2. The Influence of Direct and Indirect Genetic Effects on the Evolution of Behavior: Social and Sexual Selection Meet Maternal Effects 3. Inertial Growth: Population Dynamics Based on Maternal Effects 4. What is Adaptive Environmentally Induced Parental Effect? 5. Oviposition Decisions as Maternal Effects: Conundrums and Opportunities for Conservation Biologists Part 2: Assessment and Measurement 6. The Detection and Measurement of Maternal Effects 7. The Genetics of Maternal Effects 8. The Role of Environmental Variation in Parental Effects Expression Part 3: Reviews of Maternal Effects Expression 9. Maternal Environmental Effects in Plants: Adaptive Plasticity? 10. Maternal Effects as Adaptations for Transgenerational Phenotypic Plasticity (TPP) 11. Are Maternal Effects in Fish Adaptive or Merely Physiological Side-Effects? 12. Maternal and Paternal Effects in Birds 13. Maternal Influences on Larval Competition in Insects 14. Maternal Effects, Developmental Plasticity, and Life History Evolution: An Amphibial Model 15. Perinatal Influences on the Reproductive Behavior of Adult Rodents Part 4: Case Studies of Maternal Effects 16. Maternal Control of Fly Diapause 17. Adaptation of Maternal Effects in the Wild: Path Analysis of Natural Variation and Experimental Tests of Causation 18. Maternal Effects and the Maintenance of Environmental Sex Determination 19. Density-Mediated Maternal Effects on Seed Size in Wild Radish: Genetic Variation and its Evolutionary Implications Concluding Remarks: Generalizations, Implications, and Future Directions
Long-term Performance of Pecan Trees when Nitrogen Application is Based on Prescribed Threshold Concentrations in Leaf Tissue

‐1 (medium) or higher in the 0 to 15 and 15 to 30 cm depths after 20 years without K application. No trees were below the 0.25% leaf K threshold over the 20-year period. Yield, tree growth, nut quality, and tree appearance were similar for all K treatments. A leaf K threshold of 0.75% seemed adequate and practical for the low end of the sufficiency range. higher than 0.58%. This study tests the effects of soil K applications on pecan trees made only when leaf concentrations dropped below specified thresholds. It also attempted to determine the optimum leaf K concentration for the lower threshold of the sufficiency range and document K depletion rates in pecan orchards. Variables measured were yield, nut quality, tree growth, tree appearance, and leaf and soil elemental concentrations. A recent study (Worley, 1990a) reported the long-term performance of pecan trees when N applications were made based on leaf analysis. This is a similar study in which K applications were based on leaf K analysis over a 20-year period.
Information Overload in Emergency Medicine Physicians: A Multisite Case Study Exploring the Causes, Impact, and Solutions in Four North England National Health Service Trusts

Background Information overload is affecting modern society now more than ever because of the wide and increasing distribution of digital technologies. Social media, emails, and online communications among others infuse a sense of urgency as information must be read, produced, and exchanged almost instantaneously. Emergency medicine is a medical specialty that is particularly affected by information overload with consequences on patient care that are difficult to quantify and address. Understanding the current causes of medical information overload, their impact on patient care, and strategies to handle the inflow of constant information is crucial to alleviating stress and anxiety that is already crippling the profession. Objective This study aims to identify and evaluate the main causes and sources of medical information overload, as experienced by emergency medicine physicians in selected National Health Service (NHS) trusts in the United Kingdom. Methods This study used a quantitative, survey-based data collection approach including close- and open-ended questions. A web-based survey was distributed to emergency physicians to assess the impact of medical information overload on their jobs. In total, 101 valid responses were collected from 4 NHS trusts in north England. Descriptive statistics, principal component analysis, independent sample two-tailed t tests, and one-way between-group analysis of variance with post hoc tests were performed on the data. Open-ended questions were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify key topics. Results The vast majority of respondents agreed that information overload is a serious issue in emergency medicine, and it increases with time. The always available culture (mean 5.40, SD 1.56), email handling (mean 4.86, SD 1.80), and multidisciplinary communications (mean 4.51, SD 1.61) are the 3 main reasons leading to information overload. Due to this, emergency physicians experience guideline fatigue, stress and tension, longer working hours, and impaired decision making, among other issues. Aspects of information overload are also reported to have different impacts on physicians depending on demographic factors such as age, years spent in emergency medicine, and level of employment. Conclusions There is a serious concern regarding information overload in emergency medicine. Participants identified a considerable number of daily causes affecting their job, particularly the traditional culture of emergency departments being always available on the ward, exacerbated by email and other forms of communication necessary to maintain optimal, evidence-based practice standards. However, not all information is unwelcome, as physicians also need to stay updated with the latest guidelines on conditions and treatment, and communicate with larger medical teams to provide quality care.
Determination of alkaloids and oxalates in some selected food samples in Nigeria.

The amount of alkaloids and oxalates present in some selected Nigerian food samples were determined. The samples include Solanum tuberosum L. , Ipomea batatas L. , Discorea alta, Discorea rotundata, Colocasia esculents L. , Triticum vulgare, Soja hispida and Amarathus sp. The percentage alkaloids present in the samples ranged from 11.4 - 29.5% while that of oxalates range from 20 - 92 mg per 100 g of fresh weight sample. Sol. tuberosum L. has the highest alkaloid content while Amarathus sp. has the highest oxalate content. There is a positive correlation between the alkaloid content and oxalate content in the food samples analyzed.
Feasibility between Two Models for the Control of Fleet Idleness: RFID Antennas vs Electronic Fences (Telemetry)

Optimizing the use of resources within organizations without decreasing the level of quality of service is a constant and recurring challenge in the daily life of professionals. In Group X, an electricity distribution company located in the Brazilian Northeast, fleet management is one of the priorities. This study compares the use of two tools to measure fleet idleness, RFID Antennas and electronic fences created from the Telemetry system. The process and cost of installation, scope, maintenance costs and results obtained were compared between the two tools. This comparison was used to analyze the feasibility of expanding the tools in Group X for newly acquired companies. Based on the results, it was concluded that the Telemetry system was economically and operationally the best option for Group X.
Production and characterization of silica nanoparticles from fly ash: conversion of agro-waste into resource

Abstract A chemical method to synthesize amorphous silica nanoparticles from the incinerated paddy straw has been introduced. The synthesis was conducted through the hydrolysis by alkaline-acidic treatments. As a result, silica particles produced with the sizes were ranging at 60–90 nm, determined by high-resolution microscopy. The crystallinity was confirmed by surface area electron diffraction. Apart from that, chemical and diffraction analyses for both rice straw ash and synthesized silica nanoparticles were conducted by X-ray diffraction and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The percentage of silica from the incinerated straw was calculated to be 28.3. The prominent surface chemical bonding on the generated silica nanoparticles was with Si–O–Si, stretch of Si–O and symmetric Si–O bonds at peaks of 1090, 471, and 780 cm−1, respectively. To confirm the impurities of the elements in the produced silica, were analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The stability of silica nanoparticles was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis and zeta potential. The measured size from zeta potential analysis was 411.3–493 nm and the stability of mass reduction was located at 200 °C with final amount of mass reduced ∼88% and an average polydispersity Index was 0.195–0.224.
MiT/TFE factors control ER‐phagy via transcriptional regulation of FAM134B

Lysosomal degradation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) via autophagy (ER‐phagy) is emerging as a critical regulator of cell homeostasis and function. The recent identification of ER‐phagy receptors has shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlining this process. However, the signaling pathways regulating ER‐phagy in response to cellular needs are still largely unknown. We found that the nutrient responsive transcription factors TFEB and TFE3—master regulators of lysosomal biogenesis and autophagy—control ER‐phagy by inducing the expression of the ER‐phagy receptor FAM134B. The TFEB/TFE3‐FAM134B axis promotes ER‐phagy activation upon prolonged starvation. In addition, this pathway is activated in chondrocytes by FGF signaling, a critical regulator of skeletal growth. FGF signaling induces JNK‐dependent proteasomal degradation of the insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1), which in turn inhibits the PI3K‐PKB/Akt‐mTORC1 pathway and promotes TFEB/TFE3 nuclear translocation and enhances FAM134B transcription. Notably, FAM134B is required for protein secretion in chondrocytes, and cartilage growth and bone mineralization in medaka fish. This study identifies a new signaling pathway that allows ER‐phagy to respond to both metabolic and developmental cues.
Seedling Anatomy of Brachypodium distachyum

The anatomy of the grass seedling has been st;udied for rnore than two centu ries, but there still remain some questions concerning the vascular pattern o;l the first few internodes and its relation ship to the developing leaves and stem. In some grasses the shortness of the in ternodes, which results in the internodal pattern being influenced by that of the nodes, and the great number of vascu]ar bundles have increased the difEculty of understanding the situation. In Brachypodigm distachygm (L.) Beauv. all the internodes, even the Srst one, are long, the diameter of the stem is small, and the vascular bundles are few. These characteristics are advantageous for study in that a simpler vascular pattern resultsi 'rhis paper is an attempt to add to the clariScation of some of the problems of arzatomy of the grass seedling.
Autologous Minced Cartilage Implantation for Treatment of Chondral and Osteochondral Lesions in the Knee Joint: An Overview

Cartilage defects in the knee are being diagnosed with increased frequency and are treated with a variety of techniques. The aim of any cartilage repair procedure is to generate the highest tissue quality, which might correlate with improved clinical outcomes, return-to-sport, and long-term durability. Minced cartilage implantation (MCI) is a relatively simple and cost-effective technique to transplant autologous cartilage fragments in a single-step procedure. Minced cartilage has a strong biologic potential since autologous, activated non-dedifferentiated chondrocytes are utilized. It can be used both for small and large cartilage lesions, as well as for osteochondral lesions. As it is purely an autologous and homologous approach, it lacks a significant regulatory oversight process and can be clinically adopted without such limitations. The aim of this narrative review is to provide an overview of the current evidence supporting autologous minced cartilage implantation.
Exploring the Determinants and Experiences of Senior Stroke Patients with Virtual Care

ABSTRACT: Objective: The study sought to explore the experiences of participants affected by stroke with home video visit (HVV) for follow-up visits in order to understand the determinants, barriers, and benefits associated with HVVs. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with (n = 23) participants to gather insight and descriptive information about patients’ experiences with HVV. Specifically, we sought to collect descriptions about the (1) costs and time associated with in-person visits, (2) facilitators and barriers to in-person and virtual visits, and (3) their values attached to traditional and virtual forms of patient care. Results: HVVs were perceived to be a mode of healthcare that is time-saving and convenient for both participants and physicians. However, our study also found some participants felt uncomfortable using technology to conduct medical visits while others still supported a positive view of traditional forms of in-person visits because they valued the in-person interactions and safe environment of the hospital. Conclusion: While HVVs were considered to be useful in addressing geographical barriers to health care, technological and digital health literacy may serve to impede seniors from using the service, with some of them opting to go to the hospital despite geographical barriers. Resultantly, HVVs may serve both to alleviate and exacerbate certain determinants to health care.
Fast Response Model Predictive Torque and Flux Control With Low Calculation Effort for PMSMs

During transient process, it may take plenty of steps for PMSM to reach the reference torque and flux linkage. Multistep model predictive torque and flux control (MPTC) can select the best sequence of voltage vectors from the initial state to the reference state to achieve the fastest torque response. However, the computation burden is a significant challenge for real-time implementation. This paper proposes a novel fast-response MPTC strategy for PMSM drives. The reference torque is converted to flux linkage in d-axis and q-axis to eliminate the weighting factor in cost function. During the transient process, Pontryagin's maximum principle is used to design minimum-time flux linkage trajectories from the initial state to the reference state. In each control period, along the reference flux linkage trajectories, one-step MPTC is used to select the best voltage vector. The computational burden and dynamic performance of the proposed method are verified by experiments.
Engineering polymerases for applications in synthetic biology

Abstract DNA polymerases play a central role in biology by transferring genetic information from one generation to the next during cell division. Harnessing the power of these enzymes in the laboratory has fueled an increase in biomedical applications that involve the synthesis, amplification, and sequencing of DNA. However, the high substrate specificity exhibited by most naturally occurring DNA polymerases often precludes their use in practical applications that require modified substrates. Moving beyond natural genetic polymers requires sophisticated enzyme-engineering technologies that can be used to direct the evolution of engineered polymerases that function with tailor-made activities. Such efforts are expected to uniquely drive emerging applications in synthetic biology by enabling the synthesis, replication, and evolution of synthetic genetic polymers with new physicochemical properties.
Microglial calcium signaling is attuned to neuronal activity in awake mice

Microglial calcium signaling underlies a number of key physiological and pathological processes in situ, but has not been studied in vivo in awake mice. Using multiple GCaMP6 variants targeted to microglia, we assessed how microglial calcium signaling responds to alterations in neuronal activity across a wide range. We find that only a small subset of microglial somata and processes exhibited spontaneous calcium transients in a chronic window preparation. However, hyperactive shifts in neuronal activity (kainate status epilepticus and CaMKIIa Gq DREADD activation) triggered increased microglial process calcium signaling, often concomitant with process extension. Additionally, hypoactive shifts in neuronal activity (isoflurane anesthesia and CaMKIIa Gi DREADD activation) also increased microglial process calcium signaling. Under hypoactive neuronal conditions, microglia also exhibited process extension and outgrowth with greater calcium signaling. Our work reveals that microglia have highly distinct microdomain signaling, and that processes specifically respond to bi-directional shifts in neuronal activity through increased calcium signaling.
Internal thoracic veins: Anatomy, plasticity and clinico-imaging relevance in small animal practice

The internal thoracic veins (ITVs) are small paired vessels located on the ventral surface of the thoracic cavity that drain the ventro-cranial abdominal wall, the ventro-lateral thoracic wall, the diaphragm and part of the mediastinum, conveying blood from these regions into the cranial vena cava. These vessels demonstrate a high level of anatomic plasticity and haemodynamic adaptability in both humans and small animals with blood flow impairment of the main abdominal and thoracic venous trunks. The ITVs may act as a natural bypass between the cranial and caudal venous system and between the portal vein and the cranial vena cava, depending on the level of the obstruction, giving rise to a wide spectrum of collateral pathways: intrathoracic cavo-caval, thoraco-abdominal cavo-caval, abdomino-thoracic cavo-caval, porto-cranial caval and lateral thoracic-azygos ITV collaterals. This paper provides a brief overview of the normal and pathologic anatomy of the ITVs described in dogs with cranial and caudal vena cava obstruction and portal hypertension as shown by CT angiography. Collateral ITV pathways need to be distinguished from other vascular anomalies in dogs, and their identification during routine CT studies could help radiologists to reach a more accurate diagnosis of caval or portal flow disturbance.