Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Guillain-Barre Syndrome Secondary to the Use of Dabrafenib and Trametinib for the Treatment of Advanced Thyroid Carcinoma

BRAF V600E mutation in thyroid malignancies is associated with an aggressive phenotype with more rapid tumor growth and higher mortality. V600E is a driver mutation in the BRAF proto-oncogene, where valine (V) is substituted by glutamic acid (E) at amino acid 600. New chemotherapeutic agents targeting the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, including direct BRAF inhibitors, have become available and are increasingly used in various advanced thyroid malignancies. These agents are associated with various rare neurological adverse effects. We present a case of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) secondary to dabrafenib and trametinib therapy for the management of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. A few cases of GBS have been reported previously with the use of these agents in the treatment of melanoma. To our knowledge, this is the first case of GBS with the use of dabrafenib and trametinib for advanced thyroid malignancy. The knowledge of this rare, potentially life-threatening condition is important for clinicians to know, given the increased use of these agents in managing advanced thyroid malignancies.
Near-Infrared Spectroscopy of Charon: Possible Evidence for Cryovolcanism on Kuiper Belt Objects

We present the first reported adaptive optics spectra of Charon in the H and K bands, which examine the anti-Pluto and sub-Pluto hemispheres. The ice temperature is estimated at 40-50 K, based on the 1.65 μm feature of crystalline water ice. We obtain the most accurate profiles of the 2.21 μm feature and confirm that the feature is due to hydrated ammonia. We attribute hemispheric differences in the feature's profile to different hydration states. We calculate the rate at which crystalline water ice is amorphized by solar UV/visible radiation, finding that at the depths probed by H and K observations (≈350 μm), the e-folding time to amorphize ice is (3-5) × 104 yr. This implies Charon's ice crystallized from a melt, or has been heated to ≳90 K, during the last ~105 yr. The extent of the crystalline water ice and the short timescales involved argue that surface renewal is necessary, a conclusion reinforced by the presence of ammonia hydrates. We investigate possible mechanisms for surface renewal and conclude that cryovolcanism is the most likely.
Renewing Lost Genetic Variability with a Classical Yeast Genetics Approach

Due to their long domestication time course, many industrial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains are adopted in numerous processes mostly for historical reasons instead of scientific and technological needs. As such, there is still significant room for improvement for industrial yeast strains relying on yeast biodiversity. This paper strives to regenerate biodiversity with the innovative application of classic genetic methods to already available yeast strains. Extensive sporulation was indeed applied to three different yeast strains, specifically selected for their different origins as well as backgrounds, with the aim of clarifying how new variability was generated. A novel and easy method to obtain mono-spore colonies was specifically developed, and, to reveal the extent of the generated variability, no selection after sporulation was introduced. The obtained progenies were then tested for their growth in defined mediums with high stressor levels. A considerable and strain-specific increase in both phenotypic and metabolomic variability was assessed, and a few mono-spore colonies were found to be of great interest for their future exploitation in selected industrial processes.
Intrusion detection in smart meters data using machine learning algorithms: A research report

The intrusion detection in network traffic for crucial smart metering applications based on radio sensor networks is becoming very important in the Smart Grid area. The network’s structure for smart meters under investigation should consider important security factors. The potential of both passive and active cyber-attacks affecting the functioning of advanced metering infrastructure is studied and a novel method is proposed in this article. The proposed method for anomaly identification is efficient and rapid. In the beginning, Cook’s distance was employed to recognize and eliminate outlier observations. After observations are made three statistical models Brown’s, Holt’s, and winter’s models were used for exponential smoothing and were estimated using the provided data. Bollinger Bands with the appropriate parameters were employed to estimate potential changes in the forecasts produced by the models that were put into operation. The estimated traffic model’s statistical relationships with its actual variations were then investigated to spot any unusual behaviour that would point to a cyber-attack effort. Additionally, a method for updating common models in the event of substantial fluctuations in real network traffic was suggested. The findings confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed method and the precision of the selection of the appropriate statistical model for the under-study time series. The outcomes validated the effectiveness of the proposed approach and the precision in choosing a suitable statistical model for the time series under investigation.
Challenges and Perspectives toward Future Wide‐Bandgap Mixed‐Halide Perovskite Photovoltaics

Wide‐bandgap (WBG) perovskite solar cells (PSCs) are acknowledged as promising candidates for multijunction tandem and building photovoltaics, which attract broad research interest in related research communities. However, the performance of WBG PSCs based on the mixed‐halide perovskites still lags far behind their pure‐iodide counterparts because of the complex compositional evolution, huge photovoltage deficits, and intrinsic spectral losses. Here, by comprehensively understanding the representative WBG PSCs, the main “WBG drawbacks” from the device point of view are discussed in‐depth and three intrinsic critical issues for the growth of high‐quality WBG perovskites are proposed. The prospects for WBG PSCs toward future advancements and commercialization are also presented to guide the coming research hot spots.
Higher order hierarchical Legendre basis functions for iterative integral equation solvers with curvilinear surface modeling

Numerical solution of Maxwell's equations is often based on a discretization of an unknown field quantity using a set of N basis functions. A set of higher order hierarchical vector basis functions for the electric surface current in MoM codes with curvilinear quad patches is investigated. The basis is based on Legendre polynomials, modified to enforce current continuity, and are rather simple to implement in addition to allowing for a flexible selection of the polynomial order. This flexibility is not provided by interpolatory bases that traditionally have been preferred due to the condition number of the matrix. Numerical results obtained with EFIE and CFIE show that the hierarchical Legendre basis provides a better condition number of the MoM matrix than existing interpolatory bases. This allows for convergence in very few iterations using basis functions as high as 10th order.
Synthesis and Characterization of a pH- and Temperature-Sensitive Fe3O4-SiO2-Poly(NVCL-co-MAA) Nanocomposite for Controlled Delivery of Doxorubicin Anticancer Drug

This work reports the synthesis, characterization, and in vitro release studies of pH- and temperature-sensitive Fe3O4-SiO2-poly(NVCL-co-MAA) nanocomposite. Fe3O4 nanoparticles were prepared by chemical coprecipitation, coated with SiO2 by the Stöber method, and functionalized with vinyl groups. The copolymer poly(N-vinylcaprolactam-co-methacrylic acid) (poly(NVCL-co-MAA)) was grafted onto the functionalized Fe3O4-SiO2 nanoparticles by free radical polymerization. XRD, FTIR, TGA, VSM, and TEM techniques were performed to characterize the nanocomposite. The release behavior of Doxorubicin (DOX) loaded in the nanocomposite at pH 5.8 and 7.4, and two temperatures, 25 and 37 °C, was studied. According to the release studies, approximately 55% of DOX is released in 72 h at pH 7.4, regardless of temperature. At pH 5.8, 78% of DOX was released in 48 h at 25 °C, and when increasing the temperature to 37 °C, more than 95 % of DOX was released in 24 h. The DOX release data treated with Zero-order, first-order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer–Peppas models showed that Higuchi’s model best fits the data, indicating that the DOX is released by diffusion. The findings suggest that the synthesized nanocomposite may be useful as a DOX carrier in biomedical applications.
On a finite element method for a compressible viscous flow in a MOCVD reactor

We propose a stable finite element method for approximating the flow of a chemically reacting gas mixture in an MOCVD (metal‐organic chemical vapor deposition) reactor. The flow is governed by the full compressible Navier‐Stokes equations extended by transport equations for the chemical species, the energy equations and the equation of state, together with boundary conditions providing information on the reactor geometry and experimental conditions. The equations form a semilinear system with a constraint for which the corresponding pressure term is not the Lagrangian multiplier. An application of our method to a real world model of growth of GaAs shows the consistency with experimental data. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2005
Lossy Mode Resonance-Based Sensors in Planar Configuration: A Review

Lossy mode resonance (LMR)-based sensors have attracted much interest during the last decade in the domain of optical fiber (OF). Here, it is shown that the progress made in the transfer of this technology to planar waveguides (PWs) with different sensing applications such as environmental sensors and biosensors. In addition, the inherent advantages in terms of robustness, simplicity, and easiness to generate novel complex structures are discussed.
Monetary Policy in the Presence of Supply Constraints: Evidence from German Firm-Level Data

Supply - chain disruptions are at the forefront of economic debates and are often associated with the recent surge in inflation. The increase in inflation has triggered a debate about the efficacy of monetary policy in the presence of supply constraints. In Balleer and Noeller (2023) we provide new direct empirical evidence on how supply constraints propagate monetary policy shocks. We start with a general discussion on the measurement of supply constraints. Specifically, we show that capacity utilization, a widely accepted measure of bottlenecks and slack, is an imperfect measure for input constraints, which are associated with recent supply chain disruptions. We show that the distinction between input and capacity constraints is crucial to understand the propagation of monetary: the probability to increase prices rises sharply for input constrained firms in response to an expansionary monetary policy shock, independent of their level of capacity utilization. A recent theoretical literature argues that it might be optimal not to raise rates when supply is constrained. We inform this debate by providing estimates of firms ’ reactions to such policies.
The self-propulsion of microscopic organisms through liquids

Since the Reynolds number of motion of microscopic organisms through liquids, defined as LρV/μ, where L is the length of the organism, V the velocity with which it moves, ρ the density of the liquid and μ the viscosity, is small, propulsion is due predominantly to the viscous forces, the effect of the inertial forces being negligible. The best-known problem that neglects all inertial forces is Stokes’s solution for the slow steady fluid motion past a sphere, in which the velocity field can be described in terms of singularities situated at the centre of the sphere. The movement of microscopic organisms is determined by placing distributions of these singularities inside the surface of the organism and satisfying all boundary conditions. The motions that are considered are restricted to organisms which propagate some kind of disturbance along filaments of circular cross-section with small radius. The first problem to be considered is that of an infinite thin filament along which are propagated plane waves of lateral displacement. Formulae for the velocity of propulsion are obtained for (i) the limiting case of zero radius and (ii) the case when the amplitude of the displacement is small compared to the wave-length. Computations have been carried out to estimate the propulsion in the case of small non-zero filament radius when the amplitude is larger than that allowed for in case (ii) above. It is also shown that the propulsion of a finite filament which forms itself into a single wave is very near to that of an infinite filament with the same wave motion. The second problem is that of an infinite filament along which any general three-dimensional disturbance is propagated. The movement is then deduced for the propagation of a spiral wave along an infinite filament, and also for the propagation of longitudinal waves along a finite filament.
Assessing awareness and knowledge level of clubfoot among a rural city population in Saudi Arabixsa: A cross-sectional study

Purpose: Clubfoot is among the most common musculoskeletal congenital anomalies. Poor understanding of clubfoot can cause lack of awareness that leads to complications in treating this condition because of late medical intervention. This is considered as a significant public health problem, especially in communities where the burden of clubfoot deformity remains unrecognized. We assessed the level of awareness and knowledge on clubfoot among residents of rural areas and determined the knowledge and attitudes of the public toward the risk factors and general consequences of clubfoot. Methods: This cross-sectional study, conducted from January to July 2021, included the general population of small city and rural area residents. The participants completed a self-administered survey on the web. The questionnaire was pre-tested in a pilot study to ensure comprehension and ease of administration. Results: Altogether, 41.6% of the participants recognized the scientific name of clubfoot in their native language, whereas 38.9% identified the disorder after they were shown a photograph of it. The most recognized risk factors of clubfoot according to the participants were family history (52.2%), complicated pregnancy (46.5%), and medications (43.4%). Only 8.8% of the participants considered casting the initial treatment of clubfoot. Conclusion: An individual's residential area plays a role in their level of awareness concerning clubfoot. Our results suggest that many educational interventions for clubfoot must be provided in rural areas, particularly regarding therapeutic options and plans of care.
Crosstalk of Transcriptional Regulators of Adaptive Immune System and microRNAs: An Insight into Differentiation and Development

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as small regulatory RNA molecules, are involved in gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Hence, miRNAs contribute to gene regulation of various steps of different cell subsets’ differentiation, maturation, and activation. The adaptive immune system arm, which exhibits the most specific immune responses, is also modulated by miRNAs. The generation and maturation of various T-cell subsets concomitant with B-cells is under precise regulation of miRNAs which function directly on the hallmark genes of each cell subset or indirectly through regulation of signaling pathway mediators and/or transcription factors involved in this maturation journey. In this review, we first discussed the origination process of common lymphocyte progenitors from hematopoietic stem cells, which further differentiate into various T-cell subsets under strict regulation of miRNAs and transcription factors. Subsequently, the differentiation of B-cells from common lymphocyte progenitors in bone marrow and periphery were discussed in association with a network of miRNAs and transcription factors.
Decentralized Adaptive Control of Interconnected Non-Linear Systems Using High Gain Observer

This paper investigates a decentralized adaptive control strategy for a class of interconnected unknown non-linear systems. The idea of the strategy is based on the feedback linearizing control and perturbation estimation. A high gain observer is designed in association with each sub-system to estimate the states and a fictitious state which is defined to represent the system perturbation including the combined effect of system non-linearities, unknown system dynamics, disturbances and interactions between sub-systems. Subject to the availability of sub-system states, two local controllers — decentralized non-linear adaptive state-feedback controller (DNASFC) and decentralized non-linear adaptive output-feedback controller (DNAOFC) — are developed using a high gain perturbation observer (HGPO) or a high gain state and perturbation observer (HGSPO) respectively. The stability and error analysis of the high gain observers and the closed-loop control systems are addressed in detail. The two proposed controllers are evaluated on an interconnected non-linear system involving two inverted pendulums on carts without velocity measurements.
Making the Terrestrial Planets: N-Body Integrations of Planetary Embryos in Three Dimensions

We simulate the late stages of terrestrial-planet formation using N-body integrations, in three dimensions, of disks of up to 56 initially isolated, nearly coplanar planetary embryos, plus Jupiter and Saturn. Gravitational perturbations between embryos increase their eccentricities,e, until their orbits become crossing, allowing collisions to occur. Further interactions produce large-amplitude oscillations ineand the inclination,i, with periods of ∼105years. These oscillations are caused by secular resonances between embryos and prevent objects from becoming re-isolated during the simulations. The largest objects tend to maintain smallereandithan low-mass bodies, suggesting some equipartition of random orbital energy, but accretion proceeds by orderly growth. The simulations typically produce two large planets interior to 2 AU, whose time-averagedeandiare significantly larger than Earth and Venus. The accretion rate falls off rapidly with heliocentric distance, and embryos in the “Mars zone” (1.2 2 AU) is efficiently cleared as objects scatter one another into resonances, where they are lost via encounters with Jupiter or collisions with the Sun, leaving, at most, one surviving object. Accretional evolution is complete after 3 × 108years in all simulations that include Jupiter and Saturn. The number and spacing of the final planets, in our simulations, is determined by the embryos' eccentricities, and the amplitude of secular oscillations ine, prior to the last few collision events.
GALERKIN LEAST-SQUARES APPROXIMATIONS FOR FLOWS OF CASSON FLUIDS THROUGH AN EXPANSION

Among non-Newtonian fluid models, purely viscous constitutive equations play an important role in industrial applications regardless their lack of accuracy in non-viscometric flows. In this work we are concerned with the flow of viscoplastic shear-thinning fluids in complex geometry. Viscoplastic fluids are those that behave as extremely high viscosity materials when submitted to low stresses and that flow when submitted to stresses higher than a yield stress value. Usually, they also present shear- thinning behavior. Fluids such as molten chocolate, xanthan gum solutions, blood, wastewater sludges, muds, and polymer solutions present viscoplastic shear-thinning features. In order to approximate numerically viscoplastic shear-thinning flows we first describe a mechanical model based on continuum mechanics conservation laws of mass and momentum. The description of material behavior is such as to respect certain principles of objectivity and generality in continuum mechanics. The Generalized Newtonian Liquid constitutive equation with Casson viscosity function is able to predict viscoplasticity and shear-thinning. The numerical approximation of the equations is performed by a finite element method. To prevent the model from pathologies known for the classic Galerkin method, we employ a stabilized method based on a Galerkin least-squares (GLS) scheme, which is designed to circumvent Babuska-Brezzi condition and deal with the asymmetry of the advective operator. We present approximations for the flow through a planar 4:1 sudden expansion. We investigate the influence of Reynolds and Casson numbers on the flow dynamics.
Remote Sensing of Multilayer Cloud-Top Pressure Using Combined Measurements of MERIS and AATSR on board Envisat

Abstract A novel and unique algorithm for the retrieval of multilayer cloud-top pressure is presented, relying on synergetic observations of the Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) and Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) on board the Environmental Satellite (Envisat). The retrieval is based on the exploitation of the differing signals observed in the thermal infrared spectral region (AATSR) and the oxygen A band at 0.76 μm (MERIS). Past studies have shown that the cloud-top pressure retrieved from MERIS measurements is highly accurate in the case of low single-layered clouds. In contrast, in the presence of multilayered clouds like cirrus overlying water clouds, the derived cloud height is biased. In this framework, an optimal estimation algorithm for the correction of the measured O2 A transmission for the influence of the upper cloud layer was developed. The algorithm is best applicable in cases of optically thin cirrus (1 ≤ τ ≤ 5) above optically thick water clouds (τ > 5), as f.
In Silico Analysis of the Structural Dynamics and Substrate Recognition Determinants of the Human Mitochondrial Carnitine/Acylcarnitine SLC25A20 Transporter

The Carnitine-Acylcarnitine Carrier is a member of the mitochondrial Solute Carrier Family 25 (SLC25), known as SLC25A20, involved in the electroneutral exchange of acylcarnitine and carnitine across the inner mitochondrial membrane. It acts as a master regulator of fatty acids β-oxidation and is known to be involved in neonatal pathologies and cancer. The transport mechanism, also known as “alternating access”, involves a conformational transition in which the binding site is accessible from one side of the membrane or the other. In this study, through a combination of state-of-the-art modelling techniques, molecular dynamics, and molecular docking, the structural dynamics of SLC25A20 and the early substrates recognition step have been analyzed. The results obtained demonstrated a significant asymmetry in the conformational changes leading to the transition from the c- to the m-state, confirming previous observations on other homologous transporters. Moreover, analysis of the MD simulations’ trajectories of the apo-protein in the two conformational states allowed for a better understanding of the role of SLC25A20 Asp231His and Ala281Val pathogenic mutations, which are at the basis of Carnitine-Acylcarnitine Translocase Deficiency. Finally, molecular docking coupled to molecular dynamics simulations lend support to the multi-step substrates recognition and translocation mechanism already hypothesized for the ADP/ATP carrier.