Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Functional Materials by Click Chemistry

This thesis is based on the preparation of new functional materials through the concept of click chemistry and especially by the use of the highly efficient copper catalyzed cycloaddition of alkynes and azides (CuAAC). Initially, carboxylic acid polymer surfaces have been prepared. These functional polystyrenes have been synthesized through an approach based on poly(4hydroxystyrene), followed by a Williamson introduction of an alkyne and subsequent cycloadditions. The approach has been applied to both commercially available homoand copolymers illustrating the broad range of possible applications. In addition to the commercial polymers, the free radical copolymerization of 4-tert-butoxystyrene and styrene has been investigated for preparation of specific loadings. It was found that the copolymerization yields a perfectly random copolymer with reactivity ratios close to one. The surface properties of the prepared carboxylic acid polymers have been investigated using both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and contact angle measurements on thin films. The loading of functional groups and minor structural changes were found to strongly influence the accessibility of carboxylic acids on the surface. This approach has also been applied for preparation of new monomers for photopolymer systems. The holographic systems investigated have been based on macromonomers prepared through the traditional Frechet type benzyl ethers as well as on a new type of naphthalene end group functionalized dendrons build through thiol-ene chemistry. Application of cycloadditions for preparation of cyclic analogues were also investigated using two alkyne functional lactone acrylates. These were functionalized through cycloadditions with azides illustrating a highly efficient way of introducing substituents into the cyclic monomers before polymerization. The holographic characterizations of dendronized macromonomer photopolymer systems clearly showed that there was a beneficial effect of the dendritic structure. This results in a lowering of the volume shrinkage of the photopolymer system, while maintaining a high storage capacity. Also novel conductive polymers based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) have been prepared. A new azide functional monomer was synthesized and polymerized, enabling the introduction of new functionalities to the conductive polymer. The CuAAC on the insoluble conductive polymer was optimized using a fluorescent alkyne, finding optimal conditions of 20 hours at room temperature. Additionally conductive polymers with different surface properties were prepared through the optimized method. Experiments with microwave reactions performed on the conductive polymer, were found to reduce the reaction time considerably, resulting
Utilization of Nivolumab in Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma After Progression on Platinum-Based Chemotherapy.

INTRODUCTION Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) is a rare malignant neoplasm within the secretory glands of the head and neck. Clinical findings include a lump on the palate, tongue, or bottom of the mouth. Because symptoms can be mild, patients go for long periods of time without investigation. ACC is diagnosed using histology. Treatment is by surgical resection because there is no effective chemotherapy. Radiation can be effective adjuvant therapy, and proton therapy and stereotactic irradiation can be used for those who are ineligible for surgery. Immunotherapy has clinical activity for those with metastatic head and neck cancers who progress on proton therapy. This case reviews the use of immunotherapy in a patient with ACC. CASE PRESENTATION A man in his 20s presented with a 6-month history of nasal congestion, epistaxis, and sinus tenderness. Noncontrast computed tomography of the sinuses revealed a mass of the lateral wall of the nasal cavity, lateral wall of the maxillary sinus, and pterygoid plates. Positron emission tomography confirmed metastatic disease in the right iliac crest and right cervical lymph node; biopsy of the nasopharynx confirmed ACC. The patient received proton therapy and intensity-modulated radiotherapy and completed 2 Phase 1 trails but continued to have progressive disease. The patient started nivolumab and died 12 weeks later. CONCLUSION The patient recently received proton therapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy, and completed 2 Phase 1 trials but continued to have progressive disease.
Postmortem Study of Cause of Death Among Children Hospitalized With Respiratory Illness in Kenya

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text. Background: In resource-limited settings, acute respiratory infections continue to be the leading cause of death in young children. We conducted postmortem investigations in children <5 years hospitalized with a clinical diagnosis of respiratory disease at Kenya’s largest referral hospital. Methods: We collected respiratory and other tissues postmortem to examine pathologic processes using histology, molecular and immunohistochemistry assays. Nasopharyngeal, trachea, bronchi and lung specimens were tested using 21-target respiratory pathogen real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assays deployed on Taqman Array Cards. Expert panels reviewed all findings to determine causes of death and associated pathogens. Results: From 2014 to 2015, we investigated 64 pediatric deaths (median age 7 months). Pneumonia was determined as cause of death in 70% (42/52) of cases where death was associated with an infectious disease process. The main etiologies of pneumonia deaths were respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (n = 7, 19%), Pneumocystis jirovecii (n = 7, 19%), influenza A (n = 5, 14%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (n = 5, 14%)—10% of cases had multi-pathogen involvement. Among the other 10 deaths associated with a nonpneumonia infectious process, 4 did not have an etiology assigned, the others were associated with miliary tuberculosis (2), cerebral thrombosis due to HIV (1), Enterobacteriaceae (1), rotavirus (1), and 1 case of respiratory infection with severe hypokalemia associated with RSV. Conclusions: In spite of well-established vaccination programs in Kenya, some deaths were still vaccine preventable. Accelerated development of RSV monoclonal antibodies and vaccines, introduction of seasonal influenza vaccination, and maintenance or improved uptake of existing vaccines can contribute to further reductions in childhood mortality.
Developmental, cellular, and biochemical basis of transparency in clearwing butterflies.

The wings of butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) are typically covered with thousands of flat, overlapping scales that endow the wings with colorful patterns. Yet, numerous species of Lepidoptera have evolved highly transparent wings, which often possess scales of altered morphology and reduced size, and the presence of membrane surface nanostructures that dramatically reduce reflection. Optical properties and anti-reflective nanostructures have been characterized for several 'clearwing' Lepidoptera, but the developmental processes underlying wing transparency are unknown. Here, we apply confocal and electron microscopy to create a developmental time-series in the glasswing butterfly, Greta oto, comparing transparent and non-transparent wing regions. We find that during early wing development, scale precursor cell density is reduced in transparent regions, and cytoskeletal organization during scale growth differs between thin, bristle-like scale morphologies within transparent regions and flat, round scale morphologies within opaque regions. Next, we show that nanostructures on the wing membrane surface are composed of two layers: a lower layer of regularly arranged nipple-like nanostructures, and an upper layer of irregularly arranged wax-based nanopillars composed predominantly of long-chain n-alkanes. By chemically removing wax-based nanopillars, along with optical spectroscopy and analytical simulations, we demonstrate their role in generating anti-reflective properties. These findings provide insight into morphogenesis and composition of naturally organized micro- and nanostructures and may provide bioinspiration for new anti-reflective materials.
Extrapulmonary tuberculosis

ABSTRACT Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Extrapulmonary TB (EPTB) constitutes about 15%–20% of all TB patients, but accounts for 50% among HIV-coinfected. Confirmation of microbial diagnosis of EPTB is usually challenging. Areas covered: Availability of newer imaging modalities like 18FDG-PET-CT and PET-MRI has facilitated precise anatomical localization of the lesions and mapping the extent of EPTB. The use of image- and endoscopy-guided invasive diagnostic methods has made procurement of tissue/body fluids for diagnostic testing possible. With the advent of universal drug-susceptibility testing, a rapid diagnosis of drug-resistance is now possible in EPTB. Drug-susceptible EPTB usually responds well to first-line anti-TB treatment; TB meningitis, bone and joint TB and lymph node TB requires longer durations of treatment. Expert opinion: Adjunctive use of corticosteroids in the initial period is recommended in the central nervous system and pericardial TB. Surgical intervention is helpful to obtain tissue samples for diagnosis. Adjunctive surgical treatment along with medical treatment is useful in treating complications like hydrocephalus, Pott’s spine. Follow-up of EPTB patients is crucial as treatment period is usually prolonged, requires recognition of development of immune reconstitution and inflammatory syndrome (IRIS), monitoring of adverse events, serious adverse events like anti-TB drug-induced hepatotoxicity, organ-related complications, and treatment adherence.
Identification of Synthetic Sentence in Bengali News using Hybrid Approach

Often sentences of correct news are either made biased towards a particular person or a group of persons or parties or maybe distorted to add some sentiment or importance in it. Engaged readers often are not able to extract the inherent meaning of such synthetic sentences. In Bengali, the news contents of the synthetic sentences are presented in such a rich way that it usually becomes difficult to identify the synthetic part of it. We have used machine learning algorithms to classify Bengali news sentences into synthetic and legitimate and then used some rule-based postprocessing on each of these models. Finally, we have developed a voting based combination of these models to build a hybrid model for Bengali synthetic sentence identification. This is a new task and therefore we could not compare it with any existing work in the field. Identification of such types of sentences may be used to improve the performance of identifying fake news and satire news. Thus, identifying molecular level biasness in news articles.
On-chip perivascular niche supporting stemness of patient-derived glioma cells in a serum-free, flowable culture†

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and the most aggressive type of primary brain malignancy. Glioblastoma stem-like cells (GSCs) can migrate in vascular niches within or away from the tumour mass, increasing tumour resistance to treatments and contributing to relapses. To study individual GSC migration and their interactions with the perivasculature of the tumour microenvironment, there is a need to develop a human organotypic in vitro model. Herein, we demonstrated a perivascular niche-on-a-chip, in a serum-free condition with gravity-driven flow, that supported the stemness of patient-derived GSCs and foetal neural stem cells grown in a three-dimensional environment (3D). Endothelial cells from three organ origins, (i) human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hCMEC/D3), (ii) human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and, (iii) human lung microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-L) formed rounded microvessels within the extracellular-matrix integrated microfluidic chip. By optimising cell extraction protocols, systematic studies were performed to evaluate the effects of serum-free media, 3D cell cultures, and the application of gravity-driven flow on the characteristics of endothelial cells and their co-culture with GSCs. Our results showed the maintenance of adherent and tight junction markers of hCMEC/D3 in the serum-free culture and that gravity-driven flow was essential to support adequate viability of both the microvessel and the GSCs in co-culture (>80% viability at day 3). Endpoint biological assays showed upregulation of neovascularization-related genes (e.g., angiopoietins, vascular endothelial growth factor receptors) in endothelial cells co-cultured with GSCs in contrast to the neural stem cell reference that showed insignificant changes. The on-chip platform further permitted live-cell imaging of GSC – microvessel interaction, enabling quantitative analysis of GSC polarization and migration. Overall, our comparative genotypic (i.e. qPCR) and phenotypic (i.e. vessel permeability and GSC migration) studies showed that organotypic (brain cancer cells–brain endothelial microvessel) interactions differed from those within non-tissue specific vascular niches of human origin. The development and optimization of this on-chip perivascular niche, in a serum-free flowable culture, could provide the next level of complexity of an in vitro system to study the influence of glioma stem cells on brain endothelium.
The Impact of Insulin Resistance on Cardiovascular Control during Exercise in Diabetes.

ABSTRACT Patients with diabetes display heightened blood pressure response to exercise but the underlying mechanism are remains to be elucidated. There is no direct evidence that insulin resistance (hyperinsulinemia or hyperglycemia) impact neural cardiovascular control during exercise. We propose a novel paradigm in which hyperinsulinemia or hyperglycemia significantly influence neural regulatory pathways controlling the circulation during exercise in diabetes.
Soil biotic and abiotic effects on seedling growth exhibit context dependent interactions: evidence from a multi-country experiment on Pinus contorta invasion.

The success of invasive plants is influenced by many interacting factors, but evaluating multiple possible mechanisms of invasion success and elucidating the relative importance of abiotic and biotic drivers is challenging, and therefore rarely achieved. We used live, sterile or inoculated soil from different soil origins (native range and introduced range plantation; and invaded plots spanning three different countries) in a fully factorial design to simultaneously examine the influence of soil origin and soil abiotic and biotic factors on the growth of invasive Pinus contorta. Our results displayed significant context-dependency in that certain soil abiotic conditions in the introduced ranges (soil nitrogen, phosphorous, or carbon content) influenced responses to inoculation treatments. Our findings do not support the Enemy Release Hypothesis or the Enhanced Mutualism Hypothesis as biota from native and plantation ranges promoted growth similarly. Instead, our results support the Missed Mutualism Hypothesis as biota from invasive ranges were the least beneficial for seedling growth. Our study provides a novel perspective on how variation in soil abiotic factors can influence plant-soil feedbacks for an invasive tree across broad biogeographical contexts.
Factors associated with patient weight loss and prescribed diet during hospitalization.

OBJECTIVE the aim of this study was to assess weight loss, diet prescribed, and nutritional status in hospitalized patients, as well as their associated factors. METHODS weight loss during hospitalization, nutritional status, disease type, and prescribed diet were investigated in a retrospective study in 621 hospitalized patients. The chi-squared, Fisher's, Mann-Whitney, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis. To identify factors associated with weight loss a logistic regression analysis was performed. The significance level adopted for statistical tests was 5 %. RESULTS patients who experienced weight loss during hospitalization were associated with longer hospital stays (p < 0.0001; OR = 1.052; 95 % CI = 1.030 to 1.073), malnourishment according to the subjective global assessment (p = 0.0358; OR = 1.520; 95 % CI = 1,028 to 2,248), digestive disorders (p = 0.0081; OR = 3.177; 95 % CI = 1.351 to 7.469), and digestive neoplasms (p = 0.0407; OR = 2.410; 95 % CI = 1.038 to 5.597). CONCLUSION weight loss during hospitalization was associated with neoplasms, digestive diseases, malnutrition, and length of stay.
Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate as a Predictor of Restenosis After Carotid Stenting Using First-Generation Stents

This study evaluated the impact of the baseline estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) on clinical and angiographic outcomes and long-term in-stent restenosis (ISR) rates in patients undergoing elective carotid artery stenting (CAS) procedures. Consecutive patients who underwent CAS were retrospectively enrolled (n = 456). At the end of 3 years of follow-up, patients who had died or were lost follow-up were excluded from the study and a final analysis was performed using data from the remaining 405 patients. The study population (n = 405) was divided into 3 tertiles based on the tertile values of the eGFR level (T1, T2, and T3); then, clinical and procedural characteristics and 3-year ISR rates were compared between the groups. An ISR of 50% was detected in 49 (12%) surviving patients. The 3-year ISR was higher among patients with the lowest eGFR values (T1) by 3.7 times (95% CI: 2.01-11.38) than that among patients with the highest eGFR values (T3). These significant relationships persisted following adjustment for confounders. A lower baseline eGFR level was significantly associated with an increased ISR rate. Decreased renal function may be a predictor of ISR after CAS using first-generation stents.
Better Together: Long-term Behaviors and Perspectives after a Practitioner-Family Writing Intervention in Clinical Practice.

BACKGROUND An expressive writing intervention, the Three-minute Mental Makeover (3MMM), was previously associated with reduced stress for practitioners, patients, and families. The goal of this follow-up study was to evaluate long-term use of writing and perspectives after participation in the 3MMM. METHODS The original study involved patients and families in the neonatal and pediatric Intensive Care Units, inpatient units, and outpatient clinics of a children's hospital. Health-care practitioners led the intervention, writing concurrently with patients and families using the 3MMM intervention. Follow-up contact by phone was attempted for all original patient/family participants 12 to 18 months after completing the exercise. Practitioners were contacted via email 24 months after the original study. Participants were surveyed about the 3MMM and continued use of writing to cope with stressful situations. Original and follow-up survey responses were compared using the Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS Of the 96 original patient/family members, 61 individuals were reached, remembered the 3MMM, and agreed to participate in the follow-up study. Among the 61 participants, 52 (85%) agreed that the 3MMM had been helpful. Thirty-six (59%) reported using writing to help cope with stress at follow-up, compared to only 23 (38%) at baseline (P = 0.005). The majority of clinicians (87%) also continued to use the 3MMM in clinical practice following the original 3MMM study period and ranked it as both feasible (75%) and worth the time investment (75%). CONCLUSION The 3MMM demonstrated long-term perceived benefits and behavior changes. Findings provide preliminary support for using the 3MMM in routine clinical practice.
Real talk

interventions, the pipeline of Black women in Computing has not increased, which illustrates the need to address structural issues (such as racism, sexism, power, and privilege) that impact Black women’s intersectional identities. Without honest conversations about power relations within the field of Computing, one cannot expect to engender social change that equates to equity for all CS students. Leveraging intersectionality as a critical framework, we interview 18 Black women about their experiences navigating the computing education ecosystem. Intersectional analysis of Black women’s experiences reveals that CS education consists of saturated sites of violence in which interconnected systems of power converge to enact oppression. Findings reveal three saturated sites of violence within CS education: 1. traditional K-12 classrooms; 2. predominantly White institutions; and 3. internships as supplementary learning experiences.
Gender Differences in Older Adults’ Perceptions of Falls and Fall Prevention

Aim To explore gender differences in older adults’ perceptions about preventing falls. Background Falls are a major problem for older adults and health care systems and a challenge to the aging population. Consideration of older adults’ perceptions of fall prevention is needed to increase their engagement in evidence-based prevention strategies. Method A qualitative analysis of secondary data was performed. Results Three major themes emerged: We’ve Seen It, Women Are Caregivers, and Men Are Analyzing Risks and Modifying Behaviors. The men and women in this study shared information about falls and fall prevention in alignment with traditional role expectations. The women learned about falling through their roles as caregivers and prevented falls by controlling extrinsic risk factors indoors such as holding onto handrails on stairs or making home modifications. The men demonstrated an analytical approach to reducing risk such as employing improved safety measures during outdoors activities as a responsibility to maintain independence. Implications The different perceptions of men and women influence what they do to engage in fall prevention. Health care professionals need to consider gender differences and take an individualized approach that includes allowing older adults to share their experiences, acknowledging their successful fall prevention behaviors, and validating and addressing their concerns.
Large-scale functional brain networks for consciousness

The generation and maintenance of consciousness are fundamental but difficult subjects in the fields of psychology, philosophy, neuroscience, and medicine. However, recent developments in neuro-imaging techniques coupled with network analysis have greatly advanced our understanding of consciousness. The present review focuses on large-scale functional brain networks based on neuro-imaging data to explain the awareness (contents) and wakefulness of consciousness. Despite limitations, neuroimaging data suggests brain maps for important psychological and cognitive processes such as attention, language, self-referential, emotion, motivation, social behavior, and wakefulness. We considered a review of these advancements would provide new insights into research on the neural correlates of consciousness.
Study on Hyperspectral Features of the Frostbite Cotton at Seedling Stage

Based on the plotted plant and frostbite simulation experiment with frost box equipment,found out that the Chlorophyll content and photosynthesis and transpiration rate were lower than those of control group,respectively.According to the correlation analysis between chlorophyll and hyperspectral reflectance ρ of the leaf,logarithm of the reciprocal of ρ,the first derivative of ρ,the highest correlation bands concentrated on red and neared bands in control group,while the frostbitten group on blue,green and red bands.In terms of distinct difference analysis,the values of the reflectance and the first derivative were difficult as frostbitten diagnosis bands,but B696,B720,B768,B845 can be as diagnosis bands while utilizing Log(1/ρ). The correlation coefficient between vegetation index of the reflectance and Chlorophyll content was higher than single band′s.Selected diagnosis bands can be as variables in the regression function on the Chlorophyll content in terms of the value of Log(1/ρ).