Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MOVING BEYOND FDI AND CLUSTERS: PLATFORM PESPECTIVE TOWARDS MUTUAL VALUE CREATION

This paper integrates two independent studies of foreign direct investment and cluster through platform perspective. In order to sustain and maximize rent creation for both the investing firm and the host country, this paper suggests a shift in our perspective from exploiting advantages unilaterally to creating values mutually. Four factors, compatibility, complementarity, connectivity and commerciality, are presented to have positive impacts on sustaining value co-creation and maximizing spillover effects. The four factors, carefully chosen through rigorous studies from the platform perspective as well as other relevant studies, give meaningful implications for carrying out effective and sustainable ODA and CSR activities as well.
Safety and Efficacy of Low Molecular Weight Heparin for Thromboprophylaxis in the Elderly: A Network Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Background: Given their changing pathophysiology, elderly patients carry a high risk of embolism and bleeding events; hence, use of appropriate anticoagulants is very important. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is one of the most widely used anticoagulants although LMWHs differ in their anti-Xa, antithrombin, and anticoagulant activities. To date, no study has directly compared the safety and efficacy of different LMWHs in the elderly. We aimed to compare such differences by conducting a network meta-analysis. Methods: We searched the Pubmed, Embase, and Cochrane databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of LMWHs that included patients ≥60 years old up to July 22, 2020. Safety outcomes included venous thromboembolism (VTE) or VTE-related death, deep thrombus embolism, and pulmonary embolism. Safety outcomes were clinically relevant bleeding, major bleeding, minor bleeding, and all-cause death. We calculated relative ratios (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for all outcomes. The cumulative ranking probabilities (SUCRA) were conducted to rank the comparative effects and safety of all LMWHs. Results: We included 27 RCTs (30,441 elderly), comprising five LMWHs. LMWH was more effective than placebo in preventing VTE or VTE-related death (RR 0.36, 95% CI 0.25–0.53) but less effective than a novel oral anticoagulant (RR 1.59, 95% CI 1.33–1.91) and safer than acenocoumarol regarding risk of clinically relevant bleeding (RR 0.67, 95% CI 0.49–0.90). However, indirect comparison of efficacy and safety of the five LMWHs showed no significant difference in our network analysis, and the subgroup analyses (such as in patients with deep venous thrombosis, cardiac disease, or age >65 years old) supported the results. The SUCRA showed that tinzaparin performed best in preventing VTE or VTE-related death (SUCRA 68.8%, cumulative probability 42.3%) and all-cause death (SUCRA 84.2%, cumulative probability 40.7%), whereas nadroparin was predominant in decreasing the risk of clinically relevant bleeding (SUCRA 84.8%, cumulative probability 77.0%). Conclusions: On present evidence, there are no significant differences in the efficacy and safety of different LMWHs for the elderly. According to the rank probability analysis, nadroparin seems to be safer for the elderly with a high risk of bleeding, whereas tinzaparin is more effective for those with low bleeding risk.
Relevant Characteristics Analysis Using Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning Based on Phenotypes and T-Cell Subsets in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients With Anxiety

Anxiety is frequently observed in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and the immune system could act as a trigger for anxiety. To recognize abnormal T-cell and B-cell subsets for SLE patients with anxiety, in this study, patient disease phenotypes data from electronic lupus symptom records were extracted by using natural language processing. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) was used to distinguish patients, and 107 patients were selected to meet research requirements. Then, peripheral blood was collected from two patient groups for multicolor flow cytometry experiments. The characteristics of 75 T-cell and 15 B-cell subsets were investigated between SLE patients with- (n = 23) and without-anxiety (n = 84) groups by four machine learning methods. The findings showed 13 T-cell subsets were significantly different between the two groups. Furthermore, BMI, fatigue, depression, unstable emotions, CD27+CD28+ Th/Treg, CD27−CD28− Th/Treg, CD45RA−CD27− Th, and CD45RA+HLADR+ Th cells may be important characteristics between SLE patients with- and without-anxiety groups. The findings not only point out the difference of T-cell subsets in SLE patients with or without anxiety, but also imply that T cells might play the important role in patients with anxiety disorder.
A Collaborative Design Simulation Game

Collaboration is an is an im portant aspect of the architect's education. However, it is not am enable to the traditional project-based learning pedagogy that works so well for developing form-making skills, because it can only be revealed when the number of participants exceed a certain threshold, and when actions made by others affect the individual's design decisions. The advent of on-line, multi-player games provides an opportunity to explore interactive collaborative design pedagogies. Their abstraction helps focus attention on the core issues of the simulated phenomenon, while the playful nature of a game, as opposed to ‘work,’ encourages immersion and role playing that contribute to the learning process. This paper describes an on-line game for simulating design collaboration. It espouses to simulate, exercise, and provide a feel for the social dimension of collaboration, by embedding mutual dependencies that encourage players to engage each other – in adversarial or collaborative manner – to accomplish their goals. Specifically, it is intended to help students understand what is collaboration, why it is necessary, and how it is done. The game is modeled after popular board games like Scrabble and Monopoly: players build ‘houses’ made of colored cubes on a site shared with other players. ' A carefully constructed set of rules awards or deducts points for every action taken by a player or by his/her neighbors. The rules w ere constructed in such a manner that players who collaborate (in a variety of ways) stand to gain more points than those who do not. The player with the most points ‘wins. ’
The Pharmacokinetics of Beta-Lactam Antibiotics Using Scavenged Samples in Pediatric Intensive Care Patients: The EXPAT Kids Study Protocol

Background: Emerging evidence supports the importance of optimized antibiotic exposure in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) patients. Traditional antibiotic dosing is not designed for PICU patients, as the extreme pharmacokinetic (PK) behavior of drugs threatens the achievement of optimal antibiotic treatment outcomes. Scavenged sampling is a sampling strategy which may have positive implications for routine TDM and PK research, as well as monitoring other biomarkers. EXPAT Kids study was designed to analyze whether current empiric dosing regimens of frequently used beta-lactam antibiotics achieve defined therapeutic target concentrations in PICU patients. Methods: A mono-centre, exploratory pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic study was designed to assess target attainment of beta-lactam antibiotics. One hundred forty patients will be included within 24 months after start of inclusion. At various time points serum concentration of the study antibiotic (cefotaxime, ceftazidime, ceftriaxone, cefuroxime, flucloxacillin, and meropenem) are determined. In parallel with these sampling moments, residual material is collected to validate the use of blood of scavenged heparinized astrup syringes for the quantification of antibiotic exposure. The primary outcome is the time that the free (unbound) concentration of the study antibiotic remains above one to four the minimal inhibitory concentration during a dosing interval (100%ƒT > MIC and 100%ƒT>4xMIC). Other included outcomes are disease severity, safety, length of stay, and inflammatory biomarkers. Discussion: Potentially, scavenged sampling may enrich the EXPAT Kids dataset, and reduce additional blood sampling and workload for clinical personnel. The findings from the EXPAT Kids study will lead to new insights in the PK parameters of beta-lactams and consecutive effects on target attainment and clinical outcomes. Is there a need for more precision in dosing? Netherlands Trial Register Number: Trial NL9326.
An Overview of Vascular Dysfunction and Determinants: The Case of Children of African Ancestry

The balance between dilatory and constrictive factors is important as it keeps blood vessels in a homeostatic state. However, altered physiological processes as a result of obesity, hypertension, oxidative stress, and other cardiovascular risk factors may lead to vascular damage, causing an imbalance of vasoactive factors. Over time, the sustained imbalance of these vasoactive factors may lead to vascular dysfunction, which can be assessed by non-invasive methods, such as flow-mediated dilation, pulse wave velocity, flow-mediated slowing, retinal vessel analysis, peripheral vascular reactivity, and carotid intima-media thickness assessment. Although there is increasing prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors (obesity and hypertension) in children in sub-Saharan Africa, little is known about how this may affect vascular function. This review focuses on vasoactive factors implicated in vascular (dys)function, highlighting the determinants and consequences of vascular dysfunction. It further describes the non-invasive methods used for vascular (dys)function assessments and, last, describes the impact of cardiovascular risk factors on vascular dysfunction in children of African ancestry.
CT-Based Radiomics Nomogram for Differentiation of Anterior Mediastinal Thymic Cyst From Thymic Epithelial Tumor

Objectives This study aimed to distinguish preoperatively anterior mediastinal thymic cysts from thymic epithelial tumors via a computed tomography (CT)-based radiomics nomogram. Methods This study analyzed 74 samples of thymic cysts and 116 samples of thymic epithelial tumors as confirmed by pathology examination that were collected from January 2014 to December 2020. Among the patients, 151 cases (scanned at CT 1) were selected as the training cohort, and 39 cases (scanned at CT 2 and 3) served as the validation cohort. Radiomics features were extracted from pre-contrast CT images. Key features were selected by SelectKBest and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator and then used to build a radiomics signature (Rad-score). The radiomics nomogram developed herein via multivariate logistic regression analysis incorporated clinical factors, conventional CT findings, and Rad-score. Its performance in distinguishing the samples of thymic cysts from those of thymic epithelial tumors was assessed via discrimination, calibration curve, and decision curve analysis (DCA). Results The radiomics nomogram, which incorporated 16 radiomics features and 3 conventional CT findings, including lesion edge, lobulation, and CT value, performed better than Rad-score, conventional CT model, and the clinical judgment by radiologists in distinguishing thymic cysts from thymic epithelial tumors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of the nomogram was 0.980 [95% confidence interval (CI), 0.963–0.993] in the training cohort and 0.992 (95% CI, 0.969–1.000) in the validation cohort. The calibration curve and the results of DCA indicated that the nomogram has good consistency and valuable clinical utility. Conclusion The CT-based radiomics nomogram presented herein may serve as an effective and convenient tool for differentiating thymic cysts from thymic epithelial tumors. Thus, it may aid in clinical decision-making.
Experimental and numerical study of the electrical anisotropy in unidirectional carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer composites

In this paper, unidirectional CFRP composites are considered as an electrical percolation system, which consists of electrically conductive carbon fibers and electrically nonconductive epoxy resin. Due to the contact behavior of the carbon fibers, CFRP has electrical conductivity in the width direction. Resistance measurements using the DC four-probe and the DC six-probe methods are conducted for the unidirectional CFRP specimens with different fiber volume fractions, i.e. different contact conditions. On the basis of the electrical anisotropy level obtained, the correlation between the measured anisotropy and the electrical ineffective length δec, over which a broken fiber recovers its current carrying capacity and a key parameter in electromechanical modeling of CFRP, is shown experimentally. The empirical relationship between the electrical anisotropy and δec obtained is also reviewed using a numerical calculation method based on the electric circuit theory of Kirchhoff’s rule and the Monte Carlo simulation technique.
Cardiac Amyloidosis: A Review of Current Imaging Techniques

Systemic amyloidosis is a rare, heterogenous group of diseases characterized by extracellular infiltration and deposition of amyloid fibrils. Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) occurs when these fibrils deposit within the myocardium. Untreated, this inevitably leads to progressive heart failure and fatality. Historically, treatment has remained supportive, however, there are now targeted disease-modifying therapeutics available to patients with CA. Advances in echocardiography, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) and repurposed bone scintigraphy have led to a surge in diagnoses of CA and diagnosis at an earlier stage of the disease natural history. CMR has inherent advantages in tissue characterization which has allowed us to better understand the pathological disease process behind CA. Combined with specialist assessment and repurposed bone scintigraphy, diagnosis of CA can be made without the need for invasive histology in a significant proportion of patients. With existing targeted therapeutics, and novel agents being developed, understanding these imaging modalities is crucial to achieving early diagnosis for patients with CA. This will allow for early treatment intervention, accurate monitoring of disease course over time, and thereby improve the length and quality of life of patients with a disease that historically had an extremely poor prognosis. In this review, we discuss key radiological features of CA, focusing on the two most common types; immunoglobulin light chain (AL) and transthyretin (ATTR) CA. We highlight recent advances in imaging techniques particularly in respect of their clinical application and utility in diagnosis of CA as well as for tracking disease change over time.
Application of Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Coupled With Spectral Matrix and Convolutional Neural Network for Identifying Geographical Origins of Gentiana rigescens Franch

Accurate geographical origin identification is of great significance to ensure the quality of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) was applied to achieve the fast geographical origin identification of wild Gentiana rigescens Franch (G. rigescens Franch). However, LIBS spectra with too many variables could increase the training time of models and reduce the discrimination accuracy. In order to solve the problems, we proposed two methods. One was reducing the number of variables through two consecutive variable selections. The other was transforming the spectrum into spectral matrix by spectrum segmentation and recombination. Combined with convolutional neural network (CNN), both methods could improve the accuracy of discrimination. For the underground parts of G. rigescens Franch, the optimal accuracy in the prediction set for the two methods was 92.19 and 94.01%, respectively. For the aerial parts, the two corresponding accuracies were the same with the value of 94.01%. Saliency map was used to explain the rationality of discriminant analysis by CNN combined with spectral matrix. The first method could provide some support for LIBS portable instrument development. The second method could offer some reference for the discriminant analysis of LIBS spectra with too many variables by the end-to-end learning of CNN. The present results demonstrated that LIBS combined with CNN was an effective tool to quickly identify the geographical origin of G. rigescens Franch.
Effect of Zn-Rich Wheat Bran With Different Particle Sizes on the Quality of Steamed Bread

Bran is the main by-product of wheat milling and the part of the grain with the highest Zn content. We investigated the effects of the particle sizes (coarse, D50 = 375.4 ± 12.3 μm; medium, D50 = 122.3 ± 7.1 μm; and fine, D50 = 60.5 ± 4.2 μm) and addition level (5–20%) of Zn-biofortified bran on the quality of flour and Chinese steamed bread. It was studied to determine if the Zn content of steamed bread could be enhanced without deleterious effects on quality. Dough pasting properties, such as peak viscosity, trough viscosity, final viscosity, breakdown, and setback, decreased significantly as the bran addition level was increased from 5 to 20% but did not significantly differ as a result of different bran particle sizes. Bran incorporation significantly increased hardness, gumminess, chewiness, and adhesiveness, whereas the springiness, cohesiveness, and specific volume of steamed bread decreased with the increase in bran addition. The optimal sensory score of steamed bread samples in the control and Zn fertilizer groups were obtained under 5% bran addition resulting in comparable flavor, and texture relative to control. Meanwhile, the Zn content of the steamed bread in the Zn fertilizer group was 40.2 mg/kg, which was 55.8% higher than that in the control group. Results indicated that adding the appropriate particle size and amount of bran would be an effective and practical way to solve the problem of the insufficient Zn content of steamed bread.
Cerebellar Functional Lateralization From the Perspective of Clinical Neuropsychology

Objective: The cerebellar functional laterality, with its right hemisphere predominantly involved in verbal performance and the left one engaged in visuospatial processes, has strong empirical support. However, the clinical observation and single research results show that the damage to the right cerebellar hemisphere may cause extralinguistic and more global cognitive decline. The aim of our research was to assess the pattern of cognitive functioning, depending on the cerebellar lesion side, with particular emphasis on the damage to the right cerebellar hemisphere. Method: The study sample consisted of 31 patients with focal cerebellar lesions and 31 controls, free of organic brain damage. The Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination ACE III and the Trail Making Test TMT were used to assess patients’ cognitive functioning. Results: Left-sided cerebellar lesion patients scored lower than controls in attention and visuospatial domain, but not in language, fluency, and memory functions. Participants with right-sided cerebellar lesion demonstrated a general deficit of cognitive functioning, with impairments not only in language and verbal fluency subscales but also in all ACE III domains, including memory, attention, and visuospatial functions. The TMT results proved that cerebellar damage is associated with executive function impairment, regardless of the lesion side. Conclusion: The cognitive profiles of patients with cerebellum lesions differ with regard to the lesion side. Left-sided cerebellar lesions are associated with selective visuospatial and attention impairments, whereas the right-sided ones may result in a more global cognitive decline, which is likely secondary to language deficiencies, associated with this lateral cerebellar injury.
A R2R3-MYB Transcription Factor Gene, BpMYB123, Regulates BpLEA14 to Improve Drought Tolerance in Betula platyphylla

Drought stress causes various negative impacts on plant growth and crop production. R2R3-MYB transcription factors (TFs) play crucial roles in the response to abiotic stress. However, their functions in Betula platyphylla haven’t been fully investigated. In this study, a R2R3 MYB transcription factor gene, BpMYB123, was identified from Betula platyphylla and reveals its significant role in drought stress. Overexpression of BpMYB123 enhances tolerance to drought stress in contrast to repression of BpMYB123 by RNA interference (RNAi) in transgenic experiment. The overexpression lines increased peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismatase (SOD) activities, while decreased hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), superoxide radicals (O2–), electrolyte leakage (EL) and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents. Our study showed that overexpression of BpMYB123 increased BpLEA14 gene expression up to 20-fold due to BpMYB123 directly binding to the MYB1AT element of BpLEA14 promoter. These results indicate that BpMYB123 acts as a regulator via regulating BpLEA14 to improve drought tolerance in birch.
Enzymatic Hydrolysis of Broken Rice Protein: Antioxidant Activities by Chemical and Cellular Antioxidant Methods

Excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) is an important cause of aging, and supplementing antioxidants through diet is one of the important ways to delay aging. Some studies have confirmed that rice protease hydrolysate has antioxidant activity, but was rarely been investigated on cells. Thus, commercial enzymes, alkaline enzyme, neutral enzyme, pepsin, chymotrypsin, and trypsin were selected to hydrolyze broken rice protein (BRP) to obtain the corresponding hydrolysates, which were A-broken rice protein hydrolysate (BRPH), N-BRPH, P-BRPH, C-BRPH, and T-BRPH, respectively. Then the antioxidant properties of BRPHs were evaluated by different chemical and cellular antioxidation. Molecular weight, peptide length distribution, and amino acid sequence were detected to insight into the antioxidant properties. Among BRPHs, the A-BRPH displayed the strongest hydroxyl radical scavenging activity (IC50 = 1.159 mg/ml) and metal ion-chelating activities (IC50 = 0.391 mg/ml). Furthermore, cellular antioxidation confirmed that A-BRPH significantly increased cell viability and inhibited the intracellular ROS release in both aging cells and cell-aging processes. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) results revealed that peptides with molecular weight <14.5 KDa were produced by enzymatic hydrolysis. Additionally, A-BRPH rich in low molecular weight (<3 kDa) and short-length peptides with some specific amino acids, such as aromatic and hydrophobic amino acids, contributes to the antioxidant properties. This study provided theoretical to the utilization of broken rice and confirmed that A-BRPH could be used in new anti-aging food and health products for human consumption.