Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Absolute and Relative Evaluation of Socio-Economic Objects Based on Multiple Criteria Decision Making Methods

The multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) methodology implies relative quantitative evaluation of several compared alternatives relative to the chosen objective of evaluation. There is a compulsory requirement for making an evaluation applying such methods: availability of other alternatives for making a comparison. Nevertheless, frequently other alternatives are not available when the evaluated object is unique, and no analogous objects are present. In such cases the use of MCDM methods is not possible. The new proposed in this paper methodology of the absolute evaluation allows evaluating unique objects and processes, thus providing new possibilities for application known MCDA methods. For example, the evaluation of the dynamics of attractiveness based on the absolute evaluation can be more useful than the relative one as the comparison is being made with invariable objects rather than with the ones which can substantially change over time. In addition, the absolute evaluation is the only possible solution in such cases, when other objects for comparison are not available. The presented in the paper approach therefore provides a wider range of possible solutions for a decision-maker. In the proposed methodology the method TOPSIS was used as the most appropriate MCDM method for such evaluations. Proves of distinct features of the method are provided. The results of the absolute MCDM evaluation are compared with the results of the relative MCDM evaluation. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.5755/j01.ee. 25.5. 6624
Rietveld Quantitative Phase Analysis of Oil Well Cement: In Situ Hydration Study at 150 Bars and 150 °C

Oil and gas well cements are multimineral materials that hydrate under high pressure and temperature. Their overall reactivity at early ages is studied by a number of techniques including through the use of the consistometer. However, for a proper understanding of the performance of these cements in the field, the reactivity of every component, in real-world conditions, must be analysed. To date, in situ high energy synchrotron powder diffraction studies of hydrating oil well cement pastes have been carried out, but the quality of the data was not appropriated for Rietveld quantitative phase analyses. Therefore, the phase reactivities were followed by the inspection of the evolution of non-overlapped diffraction peaks. Very recently, we have developed a new cell specially designed to rotate under high pressure and temperature. Here, this spinning capillary cell is used for in situ studies of the hydration of a commercial oil well cement paste at 150 bars and 150 °C. The powder diffraction data were analysed by the Rietveld method to quantitatively determine the reactivities of each component phase. The reaction degree of alite was 90% after 7 h, and that of belite was 42% at 14 h. These analyses are accurate, as the in situ measured crystalline portlandite content at the end of the experiment, 12.9 wt%, compares relatively well with the value determined ex situ by thermal analysis, i.e., 14.0 wt%. The crystalline calcium silicates forming at 150 bars and 150 °C are also discussed.
Comparison of Unet architectures for segmentation of the left ventricle endocardial border on two-dimensional ultrasound images

In this paper, we compare common Unet architectures with upgrade version Unet++ for segmentation of the the left ventricular (LV) endocardial boundaries on ultrasound images, which were obtained by ultrasound studies of the heart. The key difference of Unet++ from Unet is the improved skip connections between encoder and decoder by adding convolution blocks. Such implementation allows us to transfer information from encoder to decoder with avoiding to loss of small details of the ultrasound image. It is very important to detect internal boundaries accuratly. We evaluated Unet++ in comparison Unet and wide Unet. The Dice coefficient for the LV segmentation with Unet++ is 91.20%. This result of Unet++ for the LV area segmentation outperforms Unet and wide Unet architectures.
Leaf economics and plant hydraulics drive leaf : wood area ratios.

Biomass and area ratios between leaves, stems and roots regulate many physiological and ecological processes. The Huber value Hv (sapwood area/leaf area ratio) is central to plant water balance and drought responses. However, its coordination with key plant functional traits is poorly understood, which prevents developing trait-based prediction models. Based on theoretical arguments, we hypothesise that global patterns in Hv of terminal woody branches can be predicted from variables related to plant trait spectra, i.e., plant hydraulics and size and leaf economics. Using a global compilation of 1135 species-averaged Hv , we show that Hv varies over 3 orders of magnitude. Higher Hv are seen in short small-leaved low-SLA shrubs with low Ks in arid relative to tall large-leaved high-SLA trees with high Ks in moist environments. All traits depend on climate but climatic correlations are stronger for explanatory traits than Hv . Negative isometry is found between Hv and Ks , suggesting a compensation to maintain hydraulic supply to leaves across species. This work identifies the major global drivers of branch sapwood/leaf area ratios. Our approach based on widely available traits facilitates the development of accurate models of aboveground biomass allocation and helps predict vegetation responses to drought. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Relationship Extraction based on Category of Medical Concepts from Lexical Contexts

Medical information extraction is an emerging task in healthcare services aim to acquire crucial information of the concepts like diseases, symptoms, and drugs and also to identify their relations from corpora. In the present article, we have proposed a relationship extraction sys-tem based on such categories of medical concepts. We have employed rule-based as well as Support Vector Machine (SVM) based feature-oriented approach along with a domain-speciﬁc lexicon viz WordNet of Medical Event (WME 2.0). The lexicon assists in recognizing medical concepts and their related features like Parts-Of-Speech (POS), categories, and Similar Sentiment Words (SSW). We have opted only four fundamental categories diseases, drugs, symptoms, and human anatomy of medical concepts as provided in WME lexicon. Such categories play a crucial role in identifying eight types of different semantic relations viz. drug-drug, disease-drug, and human anatomy-symptom from the medical context. Thereafter, we have validated both rules and features-oriented approaches and offers an average F-Measures of 0.79 and 0.86 individually.
Occurrence of Antithrombotic Related Adverse Events in Hospitalized Patients: Incidence and Clinical Context between 2008 and 2016

Antithrombotic drugs are consistently involved in medication-related adverse events (MRAEs) in hospitalized patients. We aimed to estimate the antithrombotic-related adverse event (ARAE) incidence between 2008 and 2016 and analyse their clinical context in hospitalized patients in The Netherlands. A post-hoc analysis of three national studies, aimed at adverse event (AE) identification, was performed. Previously identified AEs were screened for antithrombotic involvement. Crude and multi-level, case-mix adjusted ARAE and MRAE incidences were calculated. Various contextual ARAE characteristics were analysed. ARAE incidence between 2008 and 2016 decreased significantly in in-hospital deceased patients from 1.20% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63–2.27%) in 2008 to 0.54% (95% CI: 0.27–1.11%) in 2015/2016 (p = 0.02). In discharged patients ARAE incidence remained stable. By comparison, overall MRAE incidence remained stable for both deceased and discharged patients. Most ARAEs involved Vitamin-K antagonists (VKAs). Preventable ARAEs occurred more during weekends and with increasing multidisciplinary involvement. Antiplatelet and combined antithrombotic use seemed to be increasingly involved in ARAEs over time. ARAE incidence declined by 55% in deceased patients between 2008 and 2016. Opportunities for improving antithrombotic safety should target INR monitoring and care delivery aspects such as multidisciplinary involvement and weekend care. Future ARAE monitoring for the involvement of antiplatelet, combined antithrombotic and direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) use is recommended.
Enriched HLA-E and CD94/NKG2A Interaction Limits Antitumor CD8+ Tumor-Infiltrating T Lymphocyte Responses

Enriched HLA-E expression on carcinomas and tumor-associated macrophages and DCs correlated with coexpression of the CD94/NKG2A inhibitory receptor on PD-1hi TILs. These TILs had impaired responses to IL2 and poor effector function, contributing to immune evasion of tumors. Immunotherapy treatments with anti-PD-1 boost recovery in less than 30% of treated cancer patients, indicating the complexity of the tumor microenvironment. Expression of HLA-E is linked to poor clinical outcomes in mice and human patients. However, the contributions to immune evasion of HLA-E, a ligand for the inhibitory CD94/NKG2A receptor, when expressed on tumors, compared with adjacent tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells, remains unclear. In this study, we report that epithelial-derived cancer cells, tumor macrophages, and CD141+ conventional dendritic cells (cDC) contributed to HLA-E enrichment in carcinomas. Different cancer types showed a similar pattern of enrichment. Enrichment correlated to NKG2A upregulation on CD8+ tumor-infiltrating T lymphocytes (TIL) but not on CD4+ TILs. CD94/NKG2A is exclusively expressed on PD-1high TILs while lacking intratumoral CD103 expression. We also found that the presence of CD94/NKG2A on human tumor–specific T cells impairs IL2 receptor–dependent proliferation, which affects IFNγ-mediated responses and antitumor cytotoxicity. These functionalities recover following antibody-mediated blockade in vitro and ex vivo. Our results suggest that enriched HLA-E:CD94/NKG2A inhibitory interaction can impair survival of PD-1high TILs in the tumor microenvironment.
Adipose Tissue, Obesity and Adiponectin: Role in Endocrine Cancer Risk

Adipose tissue has been recognized as a complex organ with endocrine and metabolic roles. The excess of fat mass, as occurs during overweight and obesity states, alters the regulation of adipose tissue, contributing to the development of obesity-related disorders. In this regard, many epidemiological studies shown an association between obesity and numerous types of malignancies, comprising those linked to the endocrine system (e.g., breast, endometrial, ovarian, thyroid and prostate cancers). Multiple factors may contribute to this phenomenon, such as hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, oxidative stress, inflammation, abnormal adipokines secretion and metabolism. Among adipokines, growing interest has been placed in recent years on adiponectin (APN) and on its role in carcinogenesis. APN is secreted by adipose tissue and exerts both anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative actions. It has been demonstrated that APN is drastically decreased in obese individuals and that it can play a crucial role in tumor growth. Although literature data on the impact of APN on carcinogenesis are sometimes conflicting, the most accredited hypothesis is that it has a protective action, preventing cancer development and progression. The aim of the present review is to summarize the currently available evidence on the involvement of APN and its signaling in the etiology of cancer, focusing on endocrine malignancies.
Separated After a Disaster: Trust and Privacy Issues in Sharing Children’s Personal Information

ABSTRACT Background: After disasters, unaccompanied children may present to an emergency department requiring reunification. An effective reunification system depends on the willingness of guardians to utilize it. Objective: Assess guardian willingness to share children’s personal information for reunification purposes after a disaster, perceived concerns and beliefs, and trust in reunification agencies. Methods: Guardians of children presenting to 2 pediatric emergency departments were approached to participate in a survey-based study. Willingness to share their children’s personal information was scored on a scale of 1 to 19 (1 point per item). Perceived concerns about and importance of sharing information, level of trust in reunification agencies, and guardian demographics were collected. Chi-square was used to compare trust and attitudes/beliefs. Multivariate linear regression was used to determine factors associated with willingness to share information. Results: A total of 363 surveys were completed (response rate, 80%). Most guardians (95.6%) were willing to share at least some information (mean, 16 items; range, 1-19). Half were concerned about protection (55.4%) or abuse (52.3%) of their child’s information. Hospitals were trusted more than other reunification agencies (P < .001). Perception of reunification importance was associated with willingness to share (P < .001). Conclusions: Guardians are willing to share their children’s information to facilitate reunification after disasters, but have privacy concerns.
Antibiotics induced intestinal tight junction barrier dysfunction is associated with microbiota dysbiosis, activated NLRP3 inflammasome and autophagy

Tight junction barrier is critical to intestinal homeostasis. Applying antibiotics to treat infections is common in clinical practice, which may affect intestinal microbiota. Intestinal microbiota dysbiosis is involved in the occurrence of some gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, this study was aimed to investigate the influence of antibiotics on intestinal tight junction barrier and the possible underlying mechanisms. Healthy adult female C57BL/6 mice were treated with a broad-spectrum antibiotic cocktail for 14 days. 16S rDNA Illumina sequencing and headspace gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (HS-GC/MS) were respectively used to analyze microbial community and to detect short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) contents. In vivo intestinal paracellular permeability to fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (FITC-dextran) was measured. Protein expression was determined by immunoblotting. Immunofluoresence was applied to observe the distributions of ZO-1, LC3B and ASC. Antibiotics remarkably altered intestinal microbiota composition in healthy mice, accompanying reduced SCFAs’ concentrations. In addition, the intestinal tight junction barrier was disrupted by antibiotic treatment, as evidenced by increased intestinal paracellular permeability to FITC-dextran, decreased tight junction protein expressions, and disrupted ZO-1 morphology. Furthermore, NLRP3 inflammasome and autophagy were activated by antibiotic treatment. In conclusion, intestinal epithelial tight junction barrier dysfunction induced by antibiotics is associated with intestinal microbiota dysbiosis, activated NLRP3 inflammasome and autophagy in mice.
Morphological and functional correlates of vestibular synaptic deafferentation and repair in a mouse model of acute-onset vertigo

ABSTRACT Damage to cochlear primary afferent synapses has been shown to be a key factor in various auditory pathologies. Similarly, the selective lesioning of primary vestibular synapses might be an underlying cause of peripheral vestibulopathies that cause vertigo and dizziness, for which the pathophysiology is currently unknown. To thoroughly address this possibility, we selectively damaged the synaptic contacts between hair cells and primary vestibular neurons in mice through the transtympanic administration of a glutamate receptor agonist. Using a combination of histological and functional approaches, we demonstrated four key findings: (1) selective synaptic deafferentation is sufficient to generate acute vestibular syndrome with characteristics similar to those reported in patients; (2) the reduction of the vestibulo-ocular reflex and posturo-locomotor deficits mainly depends on spared synapses; (3) damaged primary vestibular synapses can be repaired over the days and weeks following deafferentation; and (4) the synaptic repair process occurs through the re-expression and re-pairing of synaptic proteins such as CtBP2 and SHANK-1. Primary synapse repair might contribute to re-establishing the initial sensory network. Deciphering the molecular mechanism that supports synaptic repair could offer a therapeutic opportunity to rescue full vestibular input and restore gait and balance in patients. Summary: The molecular rearrangements of the synaptic proteins that accompany the deafferentation and subsequent reafferentation of the inner ear sensors following an excitotoxic insult are demonstrated for the first time.
Decreased Circulating Levels of Asprosin in Obese Children

Background: Circulating asprosin is a newly discovered adipokine that triggers the release of hepatic glucose stores and increases appetite. Asprosin levels are elevated in adult obese men as well as in mice, and reductions in asprosin protect against the hyperinsulinism associated with metabolic syndrome in mice with diet-induced obesity, which indicates a potential therapeutic role of asprosin in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Objectives: Few data on asprosin in children are available, which is why this study aimed to assess concentrations of fasting asprosin, as well as its relationship to parameters of glucose and lipid metabolism, in children. Methods: Data on clinical and metabolic parameters were collected from 40 healthy normal-weight and 47 obese children. Circulating asprosin levels were measured using an ELISA. Results: The concentrations of fasting asprosin were lower in the obese children (9.24 ± 4.11 ng/mL) than in the normal-weight controls (12.33 ± 4.18 ng/mL, p < 0.001). When comparing the two groups by sex, both the boys and the girls showed similar trends. In within-group comparison, the asprosin levels were lower in boys than in girls only in the obese group (8.13 ± 4.10 vs. 10.61 ± 3.78 ng/mL, p = 0.013) but not in the control group. Interestingly, asprosin was correlated with ALT after adjusting for age and sex in all participants; in boys, asprosin was correlated with BMI, HOMA-IR, insulin, and HDL after adjusting for age. Conclusions: Concentrations of asprosin were significantly lower in obese children than in normal-weight children, and there was a gender difference in asprosin concentration. Our results suggest a complex role for asprosin in energy metabolism.
Accurate Driver Detection Exploiting Invariant Characteristics of Smartphone Sensors

Distracted driving jeopardizes the safety of the driver and others. Numerous solutions have been proposed to prevent distracted driving, but the number of related accidents has not decreased. Such a deficiency comes from fragile system designs where drivers are detected exploiting sensory features from strictly controlled vehicle-riding actions and unreliable driving events. We propose a system called ADDICT (Accurate Driver Detection exploiting Invariant Characteristics of smarTphone sensors), which identifies the driver utilizing the inconsistency between gyroscope and magnetometer dynamics and the interplay between electromagnetic field emissions and engine startup vibrations. These features are invariantly observable regardless of smartphone positions and vehicle-riding actions. To evaluate the feasibility of ADDICT, we conducted extensive experiments with four participants and three different vehicles by varying vehicle-riding scenarios. Our evaluation results demonstrated that ADDICT identifies the driver’s smartphone with 89.1% average accuracy for all scenarios and >85% under the extreme scenario, at a marginal cost of battery consumption.
Schmerzrehabilitation beim CRPS

Zur Behandlung des komplexen regionalen Schmerzsyndroms (CRPS) gibt es verschiedene therapeutische und medikamentöse Möglichkeiten der Schmerzrehabilitation. Schwerpunkte sind die phasengerechte Physio- und Ergotherapie, unterstützt von physikalischen Maßnahmen. Eine frühe Diagnosestellung ist entscheidend für die Prognose. Bei komplexeren und schwereren Verläufen sollte die Behandlung spezialisierten Ambulanzen und Kliniken vorbehalten bleiben. Abstract Chronic pain can be distinguished into malignant and non-malignant pain, that is, in pain with no prospect of healing, e. g. Tumor pain, and pain, where there is a chance of recovery and a good quality of life. While tumor pain is primarily about adequate and rapid pain reduction, the therapeutic treatment concept of non-malignant chronic pain is based on the bio-psycho-social model of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The restoration of everyday functions and participation are in particular focus, which is why it is appropriate to speak of “pain rehabilitation”. The concept of pain rehabilitation under the direction of rehabilitation physicians, in collaboration with pain therapists and psychologists, ensures optimal seamless rehabilitation from a single source with the overall rehabilitation goal, in addition to the best possible quality of life, to restore participation, in particular to reach a successful reintegration into everyday life and working life. Using the example of the CRPS, the therapeutic and medicinal options of pain rehabilitation are presented. Focal points are the phase-appropriate physiotherapy and occupational therapy, supported by physical measures. Especially with the CRPS, an early diagnosis is crucial for the prognosis. Orthopedic surgeons are particularly required here, as are all other doctors who treat patients after injuries. The treatment of the CRPS remains challenging despite new therapeutic approaches and should be reserved for specialized outpatient departments and clinics in more complex and severe cases.
Parameters Correction System for Phased Array Front-end Chip

This paper presents simulation results of the parameters correction system for C-band phased-array frontend microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC). It is based on $0.18\ \mu \mathbf{m}$ SiGe BiCMOS technology. Correction system consists of integrated temperature sensor, corrective 4-bit active attenuator, 4-bit phase shifter and digital control unit. Correction in −60—85 °C temperature range with 5-bit resolution is provided. The power consumption does not exceed 71 mW. Total layout area −0.09 mm2.
Can Epigenetics of Endothelial Dysfunction Represent the Key to Precision Medicine in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus?

In both developing and industrialized Countries, the growing prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and the severity of its related complications make T2DM one of the most challenging metabolic diseases worldwide. The close relationship between genetic and environmental factors suggests that eating habits and unhealthy lifestyles may significantly affect metabolic pathways, resulting in dynamic modifications of chromatin-associated proteins and homeostatic transcriptional responses involved in the progression of T2DM. Epigenetic mechanisms may be implicated in the complex processes linking environmental factors to genetic predisposition to metabolic disturbances, leading to obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Endothelial dysfunction represents an earlier marker and an important player in the development of this disease. Dysregulation of the endothelial ability to produce and release vasoactive mediators is recognized as the initial feature of impaired vascular activity under obesity and other insulin resistance conditions and undoubtedly concurs to the accelerated progression of atherosclerotic lesions and overall cardiovascular risk in T2DM patients. This review aims to summarize the most current knowledge regarding the involvement of epigenetic changes associated with endothelial dysfunction in T2DM, in order to identify potential targets that might contribute to pursuing “precision medicine” in the context of diabetic illness.