Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of FDG Positron Emission Tomography/Contrast--Enhanced Computed Tomography in Preoperative Staging and Postoperative Follow-up in Rectal Cancer Surgery.

Introduction: F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F18-FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) is a valuable functional imaging modality for the clinical diagnosis which provides physiological information based on the altered tissue metabolism. Aim: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (F18-FDG) positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET/CT) in preoperative staging and postoperative local recurrence and distant metastases in patients with rectal cancer. Material and methods: The imaging of 726 patients with rectal cancer who were operated on at Istanbul University, Istanbul School of Medicine and had F18-FDG PET/CT, CT, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans between September 2005 and October 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. Of these patients, 170 who had pre- and postoperative PET/CT scans, had their CT scans included in the study. The sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT in preoperative staging and detection of postoperative local recurrence and distant metastases were analyzed. Results: Of the patients, 101 were males and 69 were females with a median age of 62.27 (range, 31 to 89) years. The sensitivity and specificity of preoperative PET/CT in detecting liver metastases were 100% (confidence interval [CI]: 66.37-100%) and 94.2% (CI: 89.72-100%), respectively (Cohen's kappa [κ]: 1.00; P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of postoperative PET/ CT in diagnosing liver metastases were 100% (CI: 88.06-100%) and 98% (CI: 9-100%), respectively (Cohen's κ: 1.00; P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of preoperative PET/CT in detecting lung metastases were 100% (CI: 66.37-100%) and 91.8% (CI: 89.72-100%), respectively (Cohen's κ: 1.00; P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of postoperative PET/CT in detecting lung metastases were 100% (CI: 91.4-100%) and 96% (CI: 95.8-100%), respectively (Cohen's κ: 1.00; P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of PET/CT in preoperative staging of pathological pelvic lymph nodes were 100% (CI: 63.06-100%) and 94.29% (CI: 80.84-99.3%), respectively (Cohen's κ: 0.860; P < 0.001). The sensitivity and specificity of postoperative PET/CT in detecting local recurrences were 100% (CI: 78.2-100%) and 76.74% (CI: 61.37-88.24%), respectively (Cohen's κ: 0.219; P < 0.08). Results: Given the fact that PET/CT can detect all primary rectal cancer in preoperative staging, it can be effectively used in selected cases, particularly in those suspected of local and advanced disease and with metastases (T3N0, T3N1, and/or T4N1). Due to a relatively low specificity in detecting local recurrences postoperatively, PET/CT can be combined with further modalities.
Training "on the fly" to improve the performance of speaker recognition in noisy environments

Reliability of Speaker Recognition (SR) is crucial for critical applications, especially in adverse acoustic conditions. Ambient noises and their variations represent a significant challenge for such applications. In this paper, a new technique is proposed to address the issue of performance degradation in noisy environments. Based on the estimation of the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and profile of the ambient noise from input signals, the proposed method re-trains the enrolment model for the claim speaker to generate new noisy models that adapt to the noise profile. This technique is termed “training on the fly”. Evaluation results show notable enhancement in performance in terms of the reduction of equal error rates over a range of SNRs and different types of noise.
Finger‐worn end‐fire antenna for MM‐wave applications

A novel antenna candidate for intelligent wearable systems at 30 GHz is presented in this letter. It consists of a compact axial‐mode helical antenna with a ground plane mounted on a plastic ring. This choice allows to achieve a wide bandwidth and circular polarization in a compact package. A prototype is manufactured, and the different classical key antenna metrics are investigated: return loss, realized gain, axial ratio and radiation pattern. The bandwidth and radiation characteristics obtained make the wearable ring antenna suitable to be used for MM‐wave applications within the frequency band from 25 to 33 GHz.
Detection of Pre-Diabetes/Diabetes mellitus type 2 in police servers of the National Directorate of Education

Introduction: Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the main cause of mortality worldwide as well as representing a public health problem. The objective is to identify early patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, in police officers who work in the National Directorate of Education (DNE) through a medical glucose test by capillary puncture, to prevent the increase in non-communicable diseases. Methodology: a survey was carried out on the police officers of the institution, whose capillary glucose was measured with a glucometer, through lancets and reactive strips for said teams. Of the one hundred police officers who provide their services in the institution, ninety of them participated in the virtual survey, where it was found that 48.9% have had or have relatives directly related to a diagnosis of type 1 and 2 diabetes; Similarly, 78.9% indicate that they have not had, do not remember, or have never had a blood glucose test. The result was that 8 police officers presented a value greater than 100 mg/dL in the capillary puncture glucose test and that 1.11%, representing 1 police officer, presented a value greater than 100 mg/dL in the capillary puncture glucose test. value less than 60 mg/dL.
Integrated Model-Centric Decision Support System for Process Industries

ions of the concept of external discrete disturbances, and therefore, can be used to represent the changes in input process variables. The TASK entity comprehends a group of elementary tasks to change the state of the system (REINITIAL), and to change the structure of the set of equations (REPLACE). Furthermore, previously assigned values can also be modified (RESET). The TASK entity allows elementary tasks of arbitrary depth organized in PARALLEL or SEQUENCE groups of activities. For the purposes of the IMCPSS, only the RESET elementary is needed to symbolize changes in input variables.
Breaching Brain Barriers: B Cell Migration in Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory disease of the central nervous system (CNS) known for the manifestation of demyelinated lesions throughout the CNS, leading to neurodegeneration. To date, not all pathological mechanisms that drive disease progression are known, but the clinical benefits of anti-CD20 therapies have put B cells in the spotlight of MS research. Besides their pathological effects in the periphery in MS, B cells gain access to the CNS where they can contribute to disease pathogenesis. Specifically, B cells accumulate in perivascular infiltrates in the brain parenchyma and the subarachnoid spaces of the meninges, but are virtually absent from the choroid plexus. Hence, the possible migration of B cells over the blood–brain-, blood–meningeal-, and blood–cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) barriers appears to be a crucial step to understanding B cell-mediated pathology. To gain more insight into the molecular mechanisms that regulate B cell trafficking into the brain, we here provide a comprehensive overview of the different CNS barriers in health and in MS and how they translate into different routes for B cell migration. In addition, we review the mechanisms of action of diverse therapies that deplete peripheral B cells and/or block B cell migration into the CNS. Importantly, this review shows that studying the different routes of how B cells enter the inflamed CNS should be the next step to understanding this disease.
Aesthetic labial orthodontic appliances – an update

This paper will give an update on recent developments in aesthetic archwires, brackets and accessories that are presently available to increase the options available for the provision of an aesthetic labial orthodontic fixed appliance. Clinical Relevance: In a consumer driven market, the demands for aesthetic orthodontic appliances to correct malocclusions is increasing. Aesthetic labial fixed appliances have the advantage of precise three-dimensional control of tooth movement with the aesthetic requirements demanded by patients.
Do CEO's attributes increase risk-taking? Empirical evidence from France

PurposeThe current paper studies how CEO attributes could influence corporate risk-taking. The authors examine the effects of CEO demographic attributes and CEO position's attributes on financial and strategic risk-taking.Design/methodology/approachThis study is drawn on non-financial firms listed on the SBF120 index, between 2001 and 2013.FindingsFirst, long-tenured CEOs are prone to decrease the total risk and the leverage ratio. Second, despite the many CEOs have political connections; they are not prone to engage in risky decisions not serving the business' interests. Third, old CEOs are likely to rely on debt to fund internal growth. Moreover, business and science-educated CEOs behave differently in terms of risk-taking. Finally, the authors show that CEOs' attributes have less influential effects in family firms than in non-family firms. Also, they seem to have more significant associations with risk-taking during and after the financial subprime crisis.Originality/valueThis paper examines how cognitive traits could shape investments decisions, in terms of risk preferences.
Governance Arrangements of Cross-Sector Collaboration and Its Effectiveness

Leaders’ perceptions of the effectiveness of their organization’s collaborations are critical as they determine current and future collaboration. This article examines perceived collaboration effectiveness—the extent to which targeted goals are achieved—based on an organization’s role in that collaboration’s governance arrangements (initiation, funding, coordination, and decision-making). Findings suggest that governance arrangements have modest association with perceived effectiveness of collaborations between nonprofits and local governments in Lebanon. Perceived effectiveness increases when an organization is directly engaged in coordinating the collaboration’s work, activities, resources, and partners, but decreases when an organization has the responsibility for decision-making. Perceived effectiveness also appears to be related to trust, relationship effectiveness, service category, and the organization’s sector.
The Landscape of Noncoding RNA in Pulmonary Hypertension

The transcriptome of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is complex and highly genetically heterogeneous, with noncoding RNA transcripts playing crucial roles. The majority of RNAs in the noncoding transcriptome are long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) with less circular RNAs (circRNAs), which are two characteristics gaining increasing attention in the forefront of RNA research field. These noncoding transcripts (especially lncRNAs and circRNAs) exert important regulatory functions in PH and emerge as potential disease biomarkers and therapeutic targets. Recent technological advancements have established great momentum for discovery and functional characterization of ncRNAs, which include broad transcriptome sequencing such as bulk RNA-sequence, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, and RNA-protein/RNA interactions. In this review, we summarize the current research on the classification, biogenesis, and the biological functions and molecular mechanisms of these noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) involved in the pulmonary vascular remodeling in PH. Furthermore, we highlight the utility and challenges of using these ncRNAs as biomarkers and therapeutics in PH.
Seed germination requirements and responses to salinity and water stress of Centaurea eriophora

Centaurea eriophora L. (Asteraceae) is a rare annual plant, found in some Mediterranean regions and requiring conservational measures. The present study was carried out to highlight the species germination behavior under two controlled environmental constraints: salt and water stress. Achenes collected on Mount Tessala (North-West Algeria) were germinated under a water potential gradient (0 to –2.45 MPa) induced by different concentrations of polyethylene glycol and under different concentrations of NaCl (0 to 102 mM). The experiments were conducted at constant temperature. The obtained results showed a high significant effect of salinity and water stress, especially on final germination percentage, while the highest germination (85%) was obtained at control conditions in both of the tests. Under salinity and water stress conditions, there was a significant deterioration in most germination parameters, particularly a lower final germination percentage. The tolerance thresholds for salinity and water deficit were 68 mM and –1.2 MPa respectively. Beyond these values, seed germination of C. eriophora was completely inhibited. The sensitivity of C. eriophora achenes to environmental pressures should be considered in the long-term effective conservation plans.
Color Image Segmentation Using Improved Method of Normal Cut

— Image segmentation is a key problem in several fields of science and technology, for E.g. medicine, robotics, and industrial development. The importance of perceptual grouping and organization in vision possess numerous significant factors, such as similarity, proximity, and good continuation, which lead towards the visual grouping in present. However, even to this day, many of the computational issues of perceptual grouping have remained unresolved. This article presents image segmentation as a graph partitioning problem and proposed modified method of normalized cuts, for segmenting the graph. The normalized cut criterion measures both the total dissimilarity between the different groups as well as the total similarity within the groups. The proposed algorithm deals with the color images which give more clear understanding of an image as compared to the black and white images. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm gives better, clear and more visible understanding of UAV images.
Development of Muscle Strength in The Context of The Covid 19 Pandemic for Middle School Students

The study carried out addresses the issue of muscle strength development in the problematic context generated by the Covid 19 pandemic, for 8th grade students in middle school. The experimental program was implemented during the time interval November 20th , 2020 - March 15th , 2021, by combining online activities with the variant of the lessons taught at school. The studied group (11 girls and 10 boys) went through the variants of planned strength training structures for the main muscle groups, which were completed with various programs selected from the Youtube platform. The results fully confirm the working hypothesis formulated. The results obtained must be analysed with caution, the isolation at home affecting the motor potential of the students, but the fact that significant progress is still made indicates the possibility of scrolling the contents of the school curriculum in this undesirable context.
Association of Predicted HLA T-Cell Epitope Targets and T Cell-Mediated Rejection After Kidney Transplantation.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVE The relationship between HLA molecular mismatches and T-cell mediated rejection (TCMR) is unknown. We investigated the associations between the different donor-HLA-derived T-cell targets and the occurrence of TCMR and borderline histologic changes suggestive of TCMR after kidney transplantation. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS All kidney transplant recipients (N=893) between 2004-2013 with available biopsy data and a DNA sample for high-resolution HLA donor/recipient typing. EXPOSURE PIRCHE-II scores and HLA-eplet mismatches. OUTCOMES TCMR, borderline changes suggestive of TCMR, and allograft failure. ANALYTICAL APPROACH Multivariable cause-specific hazards models were fit to characterize the association between HLA epitopes targets and study outcomes. RESULTS 277 patients developed TCMR and 134 developed only borderline changes suggestive of TCMR on at least one biopsy. In multivariable analyses, only the PIRCHE-II scores for HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 were independently associated with the occurrence of TCMR and with allograft failure; this was not the case for HLA class I molecules. If restricted to rejection episodes within the first 3 months after transplantation, only the T-cell epitope targets originating from the donor's HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1, but not class I molecules, were associated with the early acute TCMR. Also, the median number of PIRCHE-II scores for HLA class II was statistically different between the patients with TCMR compared to the patients without TCMR (129, IQR=60-240; vs. 201, IQR=96-298; p<0.0001, respectively). These differences were not observed for class I PIRCHE-II scores. LIMITATIONS Observational clinical data and residual confounding. CONCLUSIONS In the absence of HLA-DSA, HLA class II but not class I mismatches were associated with early episodes of acute TCMR and allograft failure. This suggests that current immunosuppressive therapies are largely able to abort the most deleterious HLA class I-directed alloimmune processes, however alloresponses against HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 molecular mismatches remain insufficiently suppressed.
Infrasonic and Seismic Analysis of Debris‐Flow Events at Illgraben (Switzerland): Relating Signal Features to Flow Parameters and to the Seismo‐Acoustic Source Mechanism

Debris flows are among the most dangerous phenomena in mountain environment. Recently the use of seismic and infrasonic recordings has proven to be a powerful tool for studying and monitoring debris flows. However, open questions remain about how signal characteristics refllect flow parameters and fluid dynamic processes. We present a seismo‐acoustic analysis of the debris flow activity between 2017 and 2019 at the Illgraben catchment (Switzerland). Seismic and infrasonic amplitudes (maximum root mean square amplitude [RMSA]) and peak frequencies are compared with flow measurements (front velocity, maximum flow depth and density). Front velocity, maximum depth, peak discharge and peak mass flux show a positive correlation with both infrasonic and seismic maximum RMSA, suggesting that seismo‐acoustic amplitudes are influenced by these flow parameters. Comparison between seismo‐acoustic peak frequencies and flow parameters reveals that, unlike seismic signals, characterized by a constant peak frequency regardless of the magnitude of the flow, infrasound peak frequency decreases with increasing flow velocity, depth and discharge. Our results suggest that infrasound and seismic waves are generated by different source processes, acting at the flow free surface and at the channel bed respectively. We propose that infrasound is likely generated by waves and oscillations that develop at the surface of the flow, which, according to fluid dynamics, are mostly generated wherever the flow encounters significant channel irregularities. Furthermore, the observed positive correlations between seismo‐acoustic signal features and flow parameters highlight the potential to use infrasound and seismic measurements for debris‐flow monitoring and risk management.
A Review on IoT Based Health Monitoring System

Abstract: Today, heart disease is considered one of the leading causes of untimely death. Thus, engineers have developed a variety of therapeutic devices to diagnose and evaluate various diseases. Health care has become one of the most important issues for both individuals and governments due to rapid population growth and medical costs. Many patients suffer from cardiovascular complications that cause serious threats to their health, so they need constant monitoring with a traditional monitoring system such as Electrocardiographic (ECG) which is a very important method used to measure cardiac output, this procedure is available only for the most expensive and remote hospital for remote patients. The development of wireless technology enables the construction of a network of Internet-connected devices. The proposed ECG monitoring system consists of the AD8382 ECG sensor for reading patient data, the ESP8266 Wi-Fi control module, and the IoT Blynk application. The implementation of the proposed ECG health care system enables the physician to monitor the patient remotely using the IoT Blynk program installed on his smartphone to monitor and visualize the patient's ECG signal. The monitoring procedure can be performed anytime and anywhere without the need for a hospital. Keywords: ECG, IoT, AD8232, Arduino Uno, ESP8266, Blynk.
Computer Game Application for JAVA Programming Language Learning

Programming is one of the most advanced and valuable skills increasingly adopted by students these days. Learning a programming language is important as it helps to improve the ability to automate, collect, handle, correctly interpret data and information. However, some students have difficulties to internalize the concepts and master the programming skills. Consequently, students tend to perceive programming course as a difficult subject. The objective of this paper is to present the design and implementation of a computer game application that focused on JAVA programming and Bloom’s taxonomy to enhance the students’ understanding. To evaluate the JAVA game application, functional and usability testing have been conducted that involved students from the Diploma of Computer Sciences Program in Universiti Teknologi MARA, Perak, Malaysia. The results were very encouraging as majority of students were satisfied with the JAVA game application by means of programming skill improvement and usability acceptance.
Composite lymphoma of the axillary lymph node comprising peripheral T-cell lymphoma-not otherwise specified and follicular B-cell lymphoma: A case report

Introduction: Composite lymphoma is defined as coexistence of two or more morphologically and phenotypically distinct lymphomas in the same anatomical site. Composite lymphoma may include combinations of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and B- or T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); B-cell NHL and T-cell NHL; or two distinct B-cell or T-cell NHLs. The exact pathogenesis of composite lymphoma is unknown. Most cases demonstrate poor outcomes with a median survival of 12 months. The treatment is usually directed toward the higher-grade component. Case Report: Here, we report an extraordinarily rare case of a composite lymphoma composed of peripheral T-cell lymphoma-not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS) and follicular B-cell lymphoma (FBCL) coexisting in a single axillary lymph node in a 66-year-old female. Conclusion: The medical literature lacks significant information regarding this type of composite lymphoma, thus creating a challenge for management. Currently, only one other case of this type of composite lymphoma has been reported in the English medical literature, with this case reporting the first female patient.