Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Triage of urology service to cope with COVID-19 pandemic: A single institution study

Almost a year ago, no one has ever heard of COVID-19 but now, every individual in the world is familiar with this term. It is far from over and yet, it has affected every aspect of human life. The Department of Urology at King's College Hospital London provides all types of urology care ranging from benign to cancer treatments to the community. However, this service was badly affected by COVID-19. Policies were made by the experts in the field to reduce patient traffic in the hospital and at the same time, attempting to ensure appropriate and timely treatment was provided to patients suffering from urological conditions requiring urgent attention. In this article, we discuss the triage guidelines set up at our centre. Treatments for benign conditions such as kidney stones were delayed for 3-6 months. For the first time, telephone and video clinics were setup to follow-up patients with benign conditions. Urological emergencies such as acute urinary retention and priapism were discharged from accidental and emergency department after treatment. Small T1 renal cancers were put on surveillance, whereas T2 and T3 renal cancers were offered nephrectomy at a COVID-free specialized center. Transurethral removal of bladder tumor was offered only for solid or actively bleeding tumor. High risk prostate cancer patients were started on hormonal therapy and radiotherapy was only offered for spinal cord compression secondary to metastasis. Low and intermediate non-metastatic prostate cancers were placed on active surveillance. Patients with testicular tumor continued to have immediate inguinal orchidectomy. The multi-disciplinary meetings were done remotely using blue jeans software®. These steps not only strive to provide adequate and timely urology care to patients but also protect health care workers and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Bacteriophage – A Promising Alternative Measure for Bacterial Biofilm Control

Abstract Bacterial biofilms can enhance bacteria’s viability by providing resistance against antibiotics and conventional disinfectants. The existence of biofilm is a serious threat to human health, causing incalculable loss. Therefore, new strategies to deal with bacterial biofilms are needed. Bacteriophages are unique due to their activity on bacteria and do not pose a threat to humans. Consequently, they are considered safe alternatives to drugs for the treatment of bacterial diseases. They can effectively obliterate bacterial biofilms and have great potential in medical treatment, the food industry, and pollution control. There are intricate mechanisms of interaction between phages and biofilms. Biofilms may prevent the invasion of phages, and phages can kill bacteria for biofilm control purposes or influence the formation of biofilms. At present, there are various measures for the prevention and control of biofilms through phages, including the combined use of drugs and the application of phage cocktails. This article mainly reviews the function and formation process of bacterial biofilms, summarizes the different mechanisms between phages and biofilms, briefly explains the phage usage for the control of bacterial biofilms, and promotes phage application maintenance human health and the protection of the natural environment.
Taphonomic patterns mimic biologic structures: diagenetic Liesegang rings in Mesozoic coleoids and coprolites

Because of physiology of coleoids, their fossils preserve soft-tissue-remains more often than other cephalopods. Sometimes, the phosphatized soft-tissues, particularly parts of the muscular mantle, display dark circular patterns. Here, we showcase that these patterns, here documented for fossil coleoids from the Jurassic of Germany and the Cretaceous of Lebanon, superficially resemble chromatophores (which enable living coleoids to alter their coloration). We examined and chemically analyzed the circular structures in these specimens, describe them, and discuss their genesis. Based on their structure and color, we visually differentiate between three types of circles. By comparison with similar structures, we suggest that these structures are not biogenic but Liesegang rings, which formed due to reaction-diffusion processes very soon after death.
Cardiac Inflammation, Oxidative Stress, Nrf2 Expression, and Coagulation Events in Mice with Experimental Chronic Kidney Disease

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is known to be associated with cardiovascular dysfunction. Dietary adenine intake in mice is also known to induce CKD. However, in this experimental model, the mechanisms underlying the cardiotoxicity and coagulation disturbances are not fully understood. Here, we evaluated cardiac inflammation, oxidative stress, DNA damage, and coagulation events in mice with adenine (0.2% w/w in feed for 4 weeks)-induced CKD. Control mice were fed with normal chow for the same duration. Adenine increased water intake, urine output, relative kidney weight, the plasma concentrations of urea and creatinine, and the urinary concentrations of kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. It also decreased the body weight and creatinine clearance, and caused kidney DNA damage. Renal histological analysis showed tubular dilation and damage and neutrophilic influx. Adenine induced a significant increase in systolic blood pressure and the concentrations of troponin I, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-1β in heart homogenates. It also augmented the levels of markers of lipid peroxidation measured by malondialdehyde production and 8-isoprostane, as well as the antioxidants superoxide dismutase and catalase. Immunohistochemical analysis of the hearts showed that adenine increased the expression of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 by cardiomyocytes. It also caused cardiac DNA damage. Moreover, compared with the control group, adenine induced a significant increase in the number of circulating platelet and shortened the thrombotic occlusion time in pial arterioles and venules in vivo, and induced a significant reduction in the prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time. In conclusion, the administration of adenine in mice induced CKD-associated cardiac inflammation, oxidative stress, Nrf2 expression, and DNA damage. It also induced prothrombotic events in vivo. Therefore, this model can be satisfactorily used to study the cardiac pathophysiological events in subjects with CKD and the effect of drug treatment thereon.
Facial Expression Recognition with LBP and ORB Features

Emotion plays an important role in communication. For human–computer interaction, facial expression recognition has become an indispensable part. Recently, deep neural networks (DNNs) are widely used in this field and they overcome the limitations of conventional approaches. However, application of DNNs is very limited due to excessive hardware specifications requirement. Considering low hardware specifications used in real-life conditions, to gain better results without DNNs, in this paper, we propose an algorithm with the combination of the oriented FAST and rotated BRIEF (ORB) features and Local Binary Patterns (LBP) features extracted from facial expression. First of all, every image is passed through face detection algorithm to extract more effective features. Second, in order to increase computational speed, the ORB and LBP features are extracted from the face region; specifically, region division is innovatively employed in the traditional ORB to avoid the concentration of the features. The features are invariant to scale and grayscale as well as rotation changes. Finally, the combined features are classified by Support Vector Machine (SVM). The proposed method is evaluated on several challenging databases such as Cohn-Kanade database (CK+), Japanese Female Facial Expressions database (JAFFE), and MMI database; experimental results of seven emotion state (neutral, joy, sadness, surprise, anger, fear, and disgust) show that the proposed framework is effective and accurate.
Extracellular Vesicles in Liquid Biopsies: Potential for Disease Diagnosis

Liquid biopsy is conducted through minimally invasive or noninvasive procedures, and the resulting material can be subjected to genomic, proteomic, and lipidomic analyses for early diagnosis of cancers and other diseases. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), one kind of promising tool for liquid biopsy, are nanosized bilayer particles that are secreted by all kinds of cells and that carry cargoes such as lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, protecting them from enzymatic degradation in the extracellular environment. In this review, we provide a comprehensive introduction to the properties and applications of EVs, including their biogenesis, contents, sample collection, isolation, and applications in diagnostics based on liquid biopsy.
Molecular Detection of Antibiotic-Resistant Genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa from Nonclinical Environment: Public Health Implications in Mthatha, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Evaluation of resistant profiles and detection of antimicrobial-resistant genes of bacterial pathogens in the nonclinical milieu is imperative to assess the probable risk of dissemination of resistant genes in the environment. This paper sought to identify antibiotic-resistant genes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa from nonclinical sources in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, and evaluate its public health implications. Samples collected from abattoir wastewater and aquatic environment were processed by membrane filtration and cultured on CHROMagarTM Pseudomonas medium. Species identification was performed by autoSCAN-4 (Dade Behring Inc., IL). Molecular characterization of the isolates was confirmed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (rPCR) and selected isolates were further screened for the possibility of harboring antimicrobial resistance genes. Fifty-one Pseudomonas species were recovered from abattoir wastewater and surface water samples, out of which thirty-six strains were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (70.6%). The P. aeruginosa isolates demonstrated resistance to aztreonam (86.1%), ceftazidime (63.9%), piperacillin (58.3%), cefepime (55.6%), imipenem (50%), piperacillin/tazobactam (47.2%), meropenem (41.7%), and levofloxacin (30.6%). Twenty out of thirty-six P. aeruginosa displayed multidrug resistance profiles and were classified as multidrug-resistant (MDR) (55.6%). Most of the bacterial isolates exhibited a high Multiple Antibiotic Resistance (MAR) Index ranging from 0.08 to 0.69 with a mean MAR index of 0.38. In the rPCR analysis of fifteen P. aeruginosa isolates, 14 isolates (93.3%) were detected harboring blaSHV, six isolates (40%) harbored blaTEM, and three isolates (20%) harbored blaCTX-M, being the least occurring ESBL. Results of the current study revealed that P. aeruginosa isolates recovered from nonclinical milieu are resistant to frontline clinically relevant antipseudomonal drugs. This is concerning as it poses a risk to the environment and constitutes a public health threat. Given the public health relevance, the paper recommends monitoring of multidrug-resistant pathogens in effluent environments.
Formation of Amorphous Graded Structure in Bi3Pb7 Intermetallic Compounds under Strong Gravitational Field

A visible four-layers structure with anomalous nano-sturucture was formed from a homogeneous -phase Bi3Pb7 intermetallic compound under a strong gravitational field (1.02x106 G, 130°C, 100 hours). In the 4th layer (lowest-gravity region), pure Bi particles precipitate. In the 2nd 3rd layers, composition graded structures, where Pb content increased along the gravity direction, were formed. It was found that the very broad XRD peak appeared in the 2nd layer, which indicated that an amorphous structure was contained.
A protocol of systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:High myopia is a kind of ametropia with diopter more than 6.00D or axial length ≥26mm. With the change of the modern environment, the incidence rate is increasing year by year. At present, the pathogenesis of high myopia is not clear. Some current studies indicate that it may be related to the environment and genetics. A Chinese patent medicine named Bu Jing Yi Shi Tablets (BJYST) has many functions including anti-oxidation, expansion of blood vessels, anti-inflammatory, immune regulation, inhibition of retinal photoreceptor cell apoptosis, and promotion of retinal repair. A large number of existing studies have shown that this prescription can relieve the clinical manifestations of high myopia and its complications, but its true efficacy and safety are still unclear. To certify this point, a protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of BJYST for high myopia will be performed. Methodsandanalysis: Articles that have been identified by electronically searching of 9 English and 5 Chinese databases from their inception to December 4, 2020 will be incorporated into the study. This study only adopts Chinese and English. Two researchers will take charge of completing the selection of research, the extraction of data as well as the assessment of research quality independently. The primary outcomes will be an average change in refractive error measured in diopters and an average change in axial length measured in millimeters. Data analysis will be performed via the RevMan 5.3 software, and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) will help to assess the evidence level. Results: The results of this study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion: This study will conclude whether BJYST is safe and effective in treating high myopia on the basis of evidence-based medicine. Registration: The Open Science Framework (OSF) registration number is osf.io/dpk5b. Abbreviations: BJYST = Bu Jing Yi Shi Tablets, CI = confidence interval, ERGb = electroretinograms b-wave, GRADE = grading of recommendations assessment development and evaluation, ICTRP = World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, MD=mean difference, MeSH = combinations of medical subject headings, OR= odds ratio, OSF = open science framework, RCTs = randomized controlled trials, RR = risk ratio, SMD = standardized mean difference, TCM = traditional Chinese medicine.
Spectroscopic and Structural Characterization of Two Polymorphs of 1,1,4,4-Tetraphenyl-1,3-butadiene

We report a combined spectroscopic and structural study of polymorphism of 1,1,4,4-tetraphenyl-1,3-butadiene (TPB) blue luminescent crystals. We have identified two polymorphs, which can be grown by crystallization of the vapor. The first, α-TPB, has the monoclinic noncentrosymmetric structure (P21, two molecules per unit cell), whose lattice parameters have already been reported in the literature. The second, β-TPB, is a new polymorph, monoclinic centrosymmetric (P21/c, four molecules per unit cell). The previously reported triclinic structure, γ-TPB, has not been identified in samples grown by the physical vapor transport method. The effects of the different molecular configuration and packing of α- and β-TPB on Raman scattering, IR, and UV−vis optical properties are discussed.
Qualification of the Alphasense optical particle counter for inline air quality monitoring

Abstract The Alphasense optical particle counter (OPC) provides a low-cost and lightweight solution for measurements of the size and number concentration of airborne particulate matter (PM). The micro fan with which it is originally equipped cannot, however, achieve a high enough pressure differential for maintaining an adequate flow rate when connected to sampling/pretreatment aerosol lines, limiting its use for air quality monitoring. Here, we propose a simple modification on the sample flow system that enables the connection of the Alphasense OPC with sampling/pretreatment lines (e.g., dryers) commonly employed on ground observational sites, as well as its use onboard Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs). Tests of the modified OPC using monodisperse polystyrene spherical (PS) particles having sizes between 0.8 and 2.5 μm show that both the sizing and counting performance of the modified instrument is in agreement with that of a calibrated reference OPC at concentrations from ca. 50 to 800 #/ml, which are typically encountered in the atmosphere in that size range. For particle number concentrations below or above this range, we observed a concentration-dependent counting efficiency, which can be corrected using a polynomial function derived from our measurements. Tests conducted under reduced pressure and temperature conditions demonstrate the capability of the modified OPC for accurately (i.e., within 13% deviation from the reference measurements) determining the size and number concentration of the sampled particles. The tests reported in this work show that the proposed modification can qualify the Alphasense OPC for use in both ground and aerial observations without affecting its performance, and at the same time maintaining its strongly desired characteristics (i.e., cost effectiveness and high portability). Copyright © 2020 American Association for Aerosol Research
Impact of Continuous Fertilization on Heavy Metals Content in Soil and Food Grains under 25 Years of Long-Term Fertilizer Experiment

ABSTRACT In the present investigation, an attempt was made to determine the direct effects of fertilizers on various soil properties like acidification, organic matter content, the content of essential and toxic trace metals in soils and food grains under long term (>25 years) fertilizer experiment. Soil and plant samples were collected from Bengaluru center of All India Coordinated Research Project on Long-Term Fertilizer Experimental site in the sub-regions AESR 8.1 of India, with the treatments e.g. control, 100% N, 100% NP, 100% NPK, 150% NPK, 100% NPK + Lime, 100% NPK+ farmyard manure (FYM) at 0 to 60 cm depth with an interval of 15 cm. Laboratory analysis was conducted to know the vertical distribution of heavy metals and micronutrient cations in soil and plant produce by following the standard method. The DTPA soil Zn remained unchanged with the higher rates of N application, i.e. 100% N. There was very little effect of N, NP, and NPK application on the buildup of DTPA-able Zn, Fe, Mn, and Cu content in both the soils. However, the application of NPK + FYM showed a buildup in comparison to control for Fe 10 mg kg−1, Mn 18 mg kg−1, Zn 1.23 mg kg−1, and Cu 0.84 mg kg−1 in soil. Continuous fertilizer application contributed a meager amount accumulation of Cd, Pb, Ni, Co, and Cr in the soil under the finger millet – maize cropping sequence. The estimation of heavy metals in food grains, supposed to come from fertilizers, lime materials applied in soil was also of our concern. All the cited heavy metals were present in the maize and finger-millet grains. Risk assessment to human health (Hazard Quotient, HQ) for the intake of heavy metals through consumption of contaminated food grains was computed and observed that the values of ‘HQ’ for all the crops were far less than unity (<1) and safe for the consumers.
Chitosan modified Fe0 nanowires in porous anodic alumina and their application for the removal of hexavalent chromium from water

This work demonstrates that Fe0 nanowires modified with chitosan embedded in porous anodic alumina are good adsorbents for the removal of Cr6+ ions from water. Results show that the adsorption capacity can reach 113.2 mg g−1, moreover, most of the toxic Cr6+ ions transform into nontoxic Cr3+ ions after adsorption.
The reactivity of chlorine atoms in aqueous solution Part II.The equilibrium SO4-+Cl-ClNsbd+SO42-

A study of the two simultaneous equilibria, reactions (1) and (2), has been performed by pulse radiolysis in Ar-saturated aqueous solution at 25°C. The forward and reverse rate constants of equilibrium (2) were determined at 0.3 mol dm-3 ionic strength to be k2=(6.1±0.2)×108 and k-2=(2.1±0.1)×108 d mol-1 s-1. These yield the equilibrium constant K2=k2/k-2=(2.9±0.2) at 0.3 mol dm-3 ionic strength, or 1.2 corrected to zero ionic strength. As part of the study, the reactions of SO4- with S2O82-, t-BuOH and water were found to be <1.5×103, (7.8±0.2)×105 d mol-1 s-1 and (690±120) s-1, respectively. The relevance of these results to cloud chemistry is discussed.
Tools for the Development of Electrochemical Sensors: an EQCM Flow Cell with Flow Focusing

A novel flow cell capable of improving piezoelectric response in system combining Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance (EQCM) and Flow Injection Analysis is presented. The original design of flow cell modified in shape and position of ports compared to other models for QCM is proposed. Electrochemical and viscoelastic experiments showed focusing of the sample in the central zone between ports and a remarkable enhancement of mass sensitivity compared to Sauerbrey value. Enhancement of mass sensitivity may allow piezoelectric device to be applied to the same concentration range of electrochemical ones and may be used as a tool to develop electrochemical sensors.
Development of ultraviolet-polymerizable enzyme pastes: bioprocess applications of screen-printed L-lactate sensors

The development of an amperometric L-lactate-specific enzyme electrode fabricated entirely using screen-printing technology is described. The sensor is based on immobilization of lactate oxidase from Pediococcus sp. by printing and subsequent UV irradiation within a polymerizable paste containing different supplements. The sensor optimization is described with respect to the most important features, such as composition and viscosity of the paste, stability, optimum pH and analytical range. The sensor was applied in a flow-through chamber with in a flow injection (FI) system based on dialysis to off-line and on-line bioprocess monitoring of Geotrichum candidum cultivations in complex media. The sensor exhibited good operational stability; 4200 single injections (60 measurements per hour) led to a decrease of only 8.7%, the standard deviation being <1%(n= 60). Using an FI system with direct sample injection (3 × 10–5 l sample injection volume), the detection limit was 2 × 10–8 mol l–1 and the linear range extended up to 1 × 10–3 mol l–1. The linear range of the dialysis-based FI system extended from 5.5 × 10–4 to 5 × 10–2 mol l–1. The correlation between results obtained by analysis of diluted off-line bioprocess samples with the amperometric device and with a homogeneous photometric assay using lactate dehydrogenase was r= 0.985. By on-line injection analysis of undiluted complex fermentation broth over a period of 12 h prior to the inoculation, no significant loss of sensor response was observed, which demonstrates the good operational stability of the system even with complex real samples. Additional investigations indicated the necessity for pH conformity of the sample and standard solutions.