Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bibliometric analysis of global research on physical activity and sedentary behavior in the context of cancer

Objective Numerous studies focusing on sedentary behavior (SB) and physical activity (PA) in the context of cancer have been reported in recent years. We analyzed and visualized studies on SB and PA in patients with cancer over the last 20 years using scientometric methods, to provide insights on gaps and deficiencies in the literature, and to inform future research guidelines. Methods All relevant studies in the field from 2001 to October 2022 were reviewed using bibliometric tools, including VOSviewer, Bibliometric online analysis platform, and biblioshiny, to determine the most influential countries, institutions, journals, and authors. We explored current research hotpots and potential research trends, based on keyword clustering and dynamic changes. Our research focuses on PA, SB, and cancer across the entire cancer continuum, from primary prevention to treatment to cancer survivorship. Results Scientometric analysis identified 4,382 relevant manuscripts on SB and PA in the context of cancer, with a 10-fold increase in articles over the past 20 years. The United States, Canada, and Australia were the most influential countries. The journal, Supportive Care in Cancer, had the highest number of publications, while Clinical Oncology had the highest H-index. K.S. Courneya was the most influential author in this field, with the highest number of publications, total citations, and H-index. Keyword analysis revealed that current research is focused on PA and SB in patients with breast cancer, quality of life, and aerobic exercise. Future frontiers include cancer prehabilitation programs and cardiorespiratory fitness, and remote intervention and social support. Conclusion By using bibliometrics, we conducted a comprehensive review of SB and PA in cancer-related studies. The current research focused on exercise and sedentariness in breast cancer patients and the role of PA in improving quality of life in survivorship. Emerging research foci were generally around cancer prehabilitation programs and remote intervention issues for PA. In addition, some publication deficits are noted: studies of PA and SB in less common cancers; the recommended doses and intensities of exercise for cancer; the timing of interventions for prehabilitation and the establishment of individualized exercise protocols. These deficiencies align with the needs for future research topics.
Modeling carbon uptake by vegetation of grassland ecosystems and its associated factors in China based on remote sensing

In order to reveal the spatial variation characteristics and influencing factors of grassland net primary productivity (NPP) in China, this paper uses remote sensing data, land use data and meteorological data to simulate and estimate China’s grassland net primary productivity from 2001 to 2019 using the Carnegie-Ames-Stanford Approach (CASA). The trend analysis and complex correlation analysis were used to analyze the relationship with the temporal and spatial changes of grassland NPP from the perspectives of climate factors, topography, longitude and latitude. The results show that: 1) In the past 19 years, the China’s grassland NPP has generally shown a fluctuating upward trend, the spatial distribution of NPP variation shows a characteristic of low in the west and high in the east, with the increased area accounting for 70.39% of the total grassland area, and the low NPP values are mainly distributed in the northwestern part of Tibet and Qinghai and the central part of Inner Mongolia, the average annual NPP is 257.13 g C·m−2·a−1. 2) The change of mean NPP value of grassland in China is more dependent on precipitation (p) than air temperature (T). 3) Grassland NPP showed a decreasing trend with the increase of altitude, and the NPP on the gradient with DEM between 200 m and 500 m was the highest (483.86 g·C·m−2·a−1); The maximum annual mean value (448.42 g C·m−2·a−1) is fallen over the sharp slope of 35°–45°; the NPP of grassland increases with the slope (from shade to sunny), and the NPP of grassland on the semi-sunny slope increases. The annual average NPP is the highest (270.87 g C·m−2·a−1). 4) The mean value of grassland NPP was negatively correlated with the change of latitude, and showed a “wave-like” downward trend from south to north; the mean value of grassland NPP was positively related to the change of longitude. The correlation relationship shows a “stepped” upward trend from west to east.
Dietary phytochemical and metabolic disease prevention: Focus on plant proteins

Plant-based functional foods have attracted increasing research interest to validate their use in preventing metabolic disease. Since it is increasingly recognized that inflammation, oxidative stress, and circadian rhythm play vital roles in various metabolic diseases, including diabetes, obesity and non-alcoholic liver disease, plant proteins, protein hydrolysates, and food extracts that intervene in these biological processes are promising dietary supplements to prevent metabolic diseases. Here, we reviewed the recent research on plant-based foods used for metabolic disease prevention and provided new perspectives regarding the current study gaps and future directions in this field.
Distribution pattern of Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever in Asia and the Middle East

Crimean–Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is one of the most important vector-borne diseases of zoonotic potential that can be acquired following the bite of the Hyalomma species of ticks. It is a highly prevalent disease in Asia and the Middle East. The risk factors of this disease are contact with infected tissue, blood, patient, or livestock in the acute viremic phase, infected tick bites, or the manual removal of ticks. The disease is clinically described as progressive hemorrhages, fever, and pain in musculature. Biochemical tests reveal elevated levels of creatinine phosphokinase, alanine transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, and lactate dehydrogenase. Clotting time is prolonged in pro-thrombin tests, and pathogenesis is mostly related to the disruption of the epithelium during viral replication and indirectly by secreting cytotoxic molecules. These molecules cause endothelial activation and result in the loss of function. Supportive therapy is given through blood or plasma infusions to treat or manage the patients. According to the most advanced studies, CCHF can be treated by Ribavirin, which is an antiviral drug that shows excellent results in preventing the disease. Health-care staff are more prone to infection. The hemorrhagic phase represents a high risk for accidental exposures. This literature review presents a comprehensive overview of the viral epidemiology, zoonotic perspectives, and significant risk factors of CCHF in various Middle East and Asian countries. Furthermore, the pathophysiology and preventive strategies of CCHF have also been discussed as well as legislation and policies regarding public outreach programs, research, and development aimed at infection prevention and control that are required at a global level.
Libyan cancer patients at King Hussein Cancer Center for more than a decade, the current situation, and a future vision

Background Since 2011, the Libyan civil war crisis had affected all dimensions of livelihood including cancer care. This has resulted in a steady incline in the number of Libyan patients with cancer seeking oncologic care and management in Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan, among others. King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) has been one of the main destinations for Libyan patients with cancer for more than a decade. Aim We are reporting on the characteristics of Libyan patients with cancer presenting to KHCC during the past fourteen years. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of all Libyan patients with cancer presenting to KHCC between 2006 and 2019. Results A total of 3170 records were included in the final analysis. The overall sample was predominantly adults (71%) with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.2. Overall, the most common referred cancers to KHCC were breast (21%), hematolymphoid (HL) (17%), and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) (16.2%) cancers. Breast cancer was the most common among adult females (41.7%), GIT among adult males (23.6%), and HL among pediatrics (38.5%). Around 37.8% of patients presented with distant metastasis at their first encounter at KHCC, among which 14.7% were candidates for palliative care. Conclusion The sustenance of treatment for Libyan patients with cancer requires extensive collaboration between governmental and private sectors. The Libyan oncological landscape could benefit from national screening and awareness programs, twining programs and telemedicine, introduction of multidisciplinary boards, and the formulation of a national cancer registry. Adopting the successful models at KHCC can help to augment the oncology services within the Libyan healthcare sector.
Application of Wavelet Theory for Crack Identification in Structures

This paper presents the first attempt of an application of the wavelet theory for the crack identification of structures. As a case study, we consider the crack identification using the wavelet theory for a simply supported beam with a transverse on-edge nonpropagating open crack. A mathematical model of the cracked beam is derived and the wavelet expressions in the space domain are proposed for solution. For comparison purposes, the simply supported cracked beam is solved using both the eigentheory and the wavelet method of analysis. The results show that crack identification via wavelet analysis is accomplished easily whereas it can hardly be detected by the traditional eigenvalue analysis.
How to train a self-driving vehicle: On the added value (or lack thereof) of curriculum learning and replay buffers

Learning from only real-world collected data can be unrealistic and time consuming in many scenario. One alternative is to use synthetic data as learning environments to learn rare situations and replay buffers to speed up the learning. In this work, we examine the hypothesis of how the creation of the environment affects the training of reinforcement learning agent through auto-generated environment mechanisms. We take the autonomous vehicle as an application. We compare the effect of two approaches to generate training data for artificial cognitive agents. We consider the added value of curriculum learning—just as in human learning—as a way to structure novel training data that the agent has not seen before as well as that of using a replay buffer to train further on data the agent has seen before. In other words, the focus of this paper is on characteristics of the training data rather than on learning algorithms. We therefore use two tasks that are commonly trained early on in autonomous vehicle research: lane keeping and pedestrian avoidance. Our main results show that curriculum learning indeed offers an additional benefit over a vanilla reinforcement learning approach (using Deep-Q Learning), but the replay buffer actually has a detrimental effect in most (but not all) combinations of data generation approaches we considered here. The benefit of curriculum learning does depend on the existence of a well-defined difficulty metric with which various training scenarios can be ordered. In the lane-keeping task, we can define it as a function of the curvature of the road, in which the steeper and more occurring curves on the road, the more difficult it gets. Defining such a difficulty metric in other scenarios is not always trivial. In general, the results of this paper emphasize both the importance of considering data characterization, such as curriculum learning, and the importance of defining an appropriate metric for the task.
Growth performance, jejunal morphology, disaccharidase activities, and sugar transporter gene expression in Langde geese as affected by the in ovo injection of maltose plus sucrose

Introduction The vigorous metabolic activity of an embryo increases the risk of low energy supply during incubation. The lack of energy during this critical period will lead to the death of an embryo. To avoid this risk, the in ovo injection technique in ovo allows for the injection of energy substances into an embryo. Methods This study investigated the effects of in ovo injection of maltose and sucrose (MS) in ovo on post-hatching growth performance, jejunal morphology and disaccharidase activities, and sugar transporter gene expression in Langde geese. A total of 300 fertilized eggs (115.75 ± 1.25 g) obtained from 3-year-old Langde geese were used in this study. The eggs were randomly assigned to two groups, and the difference between the two groups was whether 25g/L maltose and 25g/L sucrose (MS) dissolved in 7.5g/L NaCl were injected into the amnion on embryonic day 24. Each group had six replicates, which each replicate containing 25 eggs. The goslings were raised till day 28. Results and discussion The results showed that the in ovo injection of MS increased final body weight, average daily gain (ADG), and feed efficiency. Additionally, MS injection improved post-hatching jejunal morphology, disaccharidase activities, and sugar transporter gene expression at an early stage. Therefore, we considered that the in ovo injection of MS had positive effects on the nutrient absorption capacity of goslings, thus contributing to the improvement in their growth performance.
Attitudes of medical students toward psychiatry in Eastern Mediterranean Region: A systematic review

Background Psychiatry is facing one of the highest levels of shortages among medical specialties. Stigma toward psychiatry plays an influential role in medical students' decision to choose psychiatry as a career and has been reported to be prevalent in different parts of the world, particularly in low/middle-income countries. Objective To systematically review the Eastern Mediterranean Region (EMR) medical students' attitudes toward psychiatry, to assess whether their attitudes are stigmatized or not, and the factors affecting their attitudes. Method PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsychInfo (PsycARTICLES) were searched using a combination of main terms “stigma,” “psychiatry,” “medical students,” and the name of Eastern Mediterranean countries. Cross-sectional studies assessing the attitudes of EMR medical students toward psychiatry were included in this review. Results Ten studies were eligible to be included in the result synthesis. These were from Pakistan (n = 3), Iran (n = 2), Saudi Arabia (n = 1), Lebanon (n = 1), Egypt (n = 1), Bahrain (n = 1), and Oman (n = 1). Most studies reported a combination of both positive and negative attitudes among medical students; however, the overall attitude was positive. Factors affecting medical students' attitude toward psychiatry included poor psychological well-being, having a friend with a psychiatric illness, involving in a romantic relationship with someone suffering from mental illness, young age, frequency of exposure to psychiatry clerkship/teaching, and quality of psychiatry clerkship. Nevertheless, the final positive or negative outcome of these factors on students' attitudes remained controversial. Conclusion Considering the lack of sufficient data from most EMR countries, we need to exercise caution in interpreting the results of this review. Nevertheless, our review indicates that psychiatry is not stigmatized among EMR medical students, and they have generally positive attitudes toward it. The findings of studies evaluating influencing factors are contradictory and demand further exploration.
Unequal distribution of genetically-intact HIV-1 proviruses in cells expressing the immune checkpoint markers PD-1 and/or CTLA-4

Introduction HIV-1 persists in resting CD4+ T-cells despite antiretroviral therapy (ART). Determining the cell surface markers that enrich for genetically-intact HIV-1 genomes is vital in developing targeted curative strategies. Previous studies have found that HIV-1 proviral DNA is enriched in CD4+ T-cells expressing the immune checkpoint markers programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) or cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein-4 (CTLA-4). There has also been some success in blocking these markers in an effort to reverse HIV-1 latency. However, it remains unclear whether cells expressing PD-1 and/or CTLA-4 are enriched for genetically-intact, and potentially replication-competent, HIV-1 genomes. Methods We obtained peripheral blood from 16 HIV-1-infected participants, and paired lymph node from four of these participants, during effective ART. Memory CD4+ T-cells from either site were sorted into four populations: PD-1-CTLA-4- (double negative, DN), PD-1+CTLA-4- (PD-1+), PD-1-CTLA-4+ (CTLA-4+) and PD-1+CTLA-4+ (double positive, DP). We performed an exploratory study using the full-length individual proviral sequencing (FLIPS) assay to identify genetically-intact and defective genomes from each subset, as well as HIV-1 genomes with specific intact open reading frames (ORFs). Results and Discussion In peripheral blood, we observed that proviruses found within PD-1+ cells are more likely to have intact ORFs for genes such as tat, rev and nef compared to DN, CTLA-4+ and DP cells, all of which may contribute to HIV-1 persistence. Conversely, we observed that CTLA-4 expression is a marker for cells harbouring HIV-1 provirus that is more likely to be defective, containing low levels of these intact ORFs. In the lymph node, we found evidence that CTLA-4+ cells contain lower levels of HIV-1 provirus compared to the other cell subsets. Importantly, however, we observed significant participant variation in the enrichment of HIV-1 proviruses with intact genomes or specific intact ORFs across these memory CD4+ T-cell subsets, and therefore consideration of additional cellular markers will likely be needed to consistently identify cells harbouring latent, and potentially replication-competent, HIV-1.
Difference-based estimation and model identification for panel data semiparametric models with cross-section dependence

Abstract In this article, we consider a panel data partially linear regression model with fixed effect and non parametric time trend function. The data can be dependent cross individuals through linear regressor and error components. Unlike the methods using non parametric smoothing technique, a difference-based method is proposed to estimate linear regression coefficients of the model to avoid bandwidth selection. Here the difference technique is employed to eliminate the non parametric function effect, not the fixed effects, on linear regressor coefficient estimation totally. Therefore, a more efficient estimator for parametric part is anticipated, which is shown to be true by the simulation results. For the non parametric component, the polynomial spline technique is implemented. The asymptotic properties of estimators for parametric and non parametric parts are presented. We also show how to select informative ones from a number of covariates in the linear part by using smoothly clipped absolute deviation-penalized estimators on a difference-based least-squares objective function, and the resulting estimators perform asymptotically as well as the oracle procedure in terms of selecting the correct model.
Cylindrical E-wave scattering by a right angle dielectric wedge

The solution presented in this paper, permits one to compute the scattered fields at any observation point. An asymptotic approximation of obtained solution gives both backscattered and forward scattered far-fields. A canonical method of field matching on the boundaries is used. Fields inside the wedge and outside of it are represented as plane-wave spectral representations in integral form in the right-angle coordinates. Then, the boundary conditions satisfaction leads to a set of IEs of the first kind for six spectral functions. These equations are solved in the class of continuous functions that is possible for a cylindrical incident wave. The Laplace transform of the obtained integral equations results in an ill-conditioned matrix equation (ME) obtained with the aid of quadratures. A new iterative scheme is presented for such equation solving.
Electromagnetic emission from laser wakefields in underdense magnetized plasmas

Abstract The laser wakefield structure in a magnetized underdense plasma is studied analytically and numerically. Because of the DC magnetic field perpendicular to the laser propagation direction, an electromagnetic component appears in addition to the normal electrostatic component. This electromagnetic component can transmit partially into vacuum at the plasma–vacuum boundary as shown by particle-in-cell simulation. It is found that the emission has components both at the fundamental plasma frequency and its harmonics if the wakefield is driven at a high amplitude. Comparing with the emission at the plasma frequency, the harmonic emission depends weakly upon the density profile at plasma–vacuum boundary and it can pass through the boundary almost without energy loss, providing a new method for the diagnostic of wakefields.
Mothers of small-bodied children and fathers of vigorous sons live longer

Life-history traits (traits directly related to survival and reproduction) co-evolve and materialize through physiology and behavior. Accordingly, lifespan can be hypothesized as a potentially informative marker of life-history speed that subsumes the impact of diverse morphometric and behavioral traits. We examined associations between parental longevity and various anthropometric traits in a sample of 4,000–11,000 Estonian children in the middle of the 20th century. The offspring phenotype was used as a proxy measure of parental genotype, so that covariation between offspring traits and parental longevity (defined as belonging to the 90th percentile of lifespan) could be used to characterize the aggregation between longevity and anthropometric traits. We predicted that larger linear dimensions of offspring associate with increased parental longevity and that testosterone-dependent traits associate with reduced paternal longevity. Twelve of 16 offspring traits were associated with mothers' longevity, while three traits (rate of sexual maturation of daughters and grip strength and lung capacity of sons) robustly predicted fathers' longevity. Contrary to predictions, mothers of children with small bodily dimensions lived longer, and paternal longevity was not linearly associated with their children's body size (or testosterone-related traits). Our study thus failed to find evidence that high somatic investment into brain and body growth clusters with a long lifespan across generations, and/or that such associations can be detected on the basis of inter-generational phenotypic correlations.