Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sainfoin in the Dams’ Diet as a Source of Proanthocyanidins: Effect on the Growth, Carcass and Meat Quality of Their Suckling Lambs

Simple Summary Several studies point out that the use of local forage legumes, such as sainfoin, can be appropriate for feeding sheep autochthonous breeds, with additional benefits also for the soil. Besides, sainfoin has a medium content of proanthocyanidins (PAC), also known as condensed tannins, the effects of which have been studied in fattening lambs but seldom on suckling lambs. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of PAC of sainfoin fed to dams on the productive traits, weight of the digestive organs, and on carcass and meat quality of their suckling lambs. The inclusion of PAC from sainfoin in the dam diet did not produce detrimental changes on the growth and carcass and meat characteristics of their suckling lambs. Therefore, sainfoin can be fed to ewes during lactation to produce suckling lambs, achieving good performances and meat quality. Abstract Sainfoin (Onobrychis viciifolia) is a forage legume with a medium content of proanthocyanidins (PAC), which may affect animal performance and product quality. The objective of the present study was to assess the effect of PAC from sainfoin fed to dams, using polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a blocking agent, on the performance and carcass and meat quality of their suckling male lambs. After lambing, twenty lactating dams were fed fresh sainfoin ad libitum plus 200 g per day of barley; ten were orally dosed with water (Sainfoin), and ten were dosed orally with a water dilution of 100 g PEG (Sainfoin + PEG). Their lambs (4.1 ± 0.64 kg at birth) suckled ad libitum until they reached the target slaughter weight of 10–12 kg. The presence of PAC in the dams’ diet did not affect the growth, blood metabolites and carcass weight and fatness of the suckling lambs but decreased the lightness of caudal fat (p < 0.05) and increased the weight of the digestive compartments (p < 0.05). Regarding the meat characteristics, PAC only decreased polyphenols content (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the presence of PAC in the dams’ diet had not significant effects on the performance and product quality of their suckling lambs.
Somatic copy number alterations modulate tumor suppressor and oncogene expression to drive early onset of breast cancer

BackgroundFemale breast cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women worldwide and higher mortality rates are observed in developing countries. Data from African Americans women are often used to draw inference in African BC and little is currently known about BC traits in indigenous African (IA) women.MethodsThis study prospectively enrolled 472 female patients with BC from Cameroon and Congo Brazzaville between 2007 and 2018. Patient demographics and clinical phenotypes were documented. Additional BC molecular data was downloaded from the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) and the gene expression omnibus (GEO). Demographic and clinical data from the different IA patient cohorts were analyzed to identify unique BC traits in African women. Molecular data from the TCGA was then analyzed to understand key BC traits identified in IA women.ResultsThe average age at BC diagnosis in IA women was more than 10 years earlier (46.5 ± 12.9) than within the TCGA samples (58.5 ± 13.2). Early onset of BC was observed more in IA women than in the TCGS (51.7% vs 15.6%). There was no difference in mean age at diagnosis between African American and white women. IA women had about 60% of T4 stage tumors compared with less than 5% in the TCGA cohort. Using CNA, mutation and gene expression data from the TCGA, we identified somatic copy number amplifications and upregulation of oncogenes such as CDH6, FOXM1, NAAA and CXCL10 in patients with early onset of BC. Deletion of tumor suppressor with corresponding downregulation was equally observed for TGM3, DMBT1 and MYO18B. TP53 mutations were associated with early BC onset (OR: 2.93, p < 0.01). Amplification and upregulation of the oncogene CDH6, PPP1R9B and SLC1A3 were associated with survival (HR: 0.51, 95% CI; 0.23-1.13, p = 0.096 and HR: 0.36, 95% CI: 0.18-0.68, p = 0.002, and HR: 0.14, 95% CI: 0.03-0.6, p = 0.008, respectively). ConclusionEarly onset of BC in IA women in this study might reflect yet unidentified genomic alterations. Dedicated studies are required to establish the genetic underpinning of BC in IA women to support tailored management strategies
Profile and Non-Profile MM Modeling of Cluster Failure Time and Analysis of ADNI Data

Motivated by the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) data, the objective of integration of important biomarkers for the early detection of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) as a therapeutic intervention is most likely to be beneficial in the early stages of disease progression. Developing predictors for MCI to AD comes down to genotype variables such that the dimension of predictors increases as the sample becomes large. Thus, we consider the sparsity concept of coefficients in a high-dimensional regression model with clustered failure time data such as ADNI, which enables enhancing predictive performances and facilitates the model’s interpretability. In this study, we propose two MM algorithms (profile and non-profile) for the shared frailty survival model firstly and then extend the two proposed MM algorithms to regularized estimation in sparse high-dimensional regression model. The convergence properties of our proposed estimators are also established. Furthermore simulation studies and analysis of ADNI data are illustrated by our proposed methods.
Identification and Validation of Ikaros (IKZF1) as a Cancer Driver Gene for Marek’s Disease Virus-Induced Lymphomas

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is the causative agent for Marek’s disease (MD), which is characterized by T-cell lymphomas in chickens. While the viral Meq oncogene is necessary for transformation, it is insufficient, as not every bird infected with virulent MDV goes on to develop a gross tumor. Thus, we postulated that the chicken genome contains cancer driver genes; i.e., ones with somatic mutations that promote tumors, as is the case for most human cancers. To test this hypothesis, MD tumors and matching control tissues were sequenced. Using a custom bioinformatics pipeline, 9 of the 22 tumors analyzed contained one or more somatic mutation in Ikaros (IKFZ1), a transcription factor that acts as the master regulator of lymphocyte development. The mutations found were in key Zn-finger DNA-binding domains that also commonly occur in human cancers such as B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). To validate that IKFZ1 was a cancer driver gene, recombinant MDVs that expressed either wild-type or a mutated Ikaros allele were used to infect chickens. As predicted, birds infected with MDV expressing the mutant Ikaros allele had high tumor incidences (~90%), while there were only a few minute tumors (~12%) produced in birds infected with the virus expressing wild-type Ikaros. Thus, in addition to Meq, key somatic mutations in Ikaros or other potential cancer driver genes in the chicken genome are necessary for MDV to induce lymphomas.
Toward a Symbolic AI Approach to the WHO/ACSM Physical Activity & Sedentary Behavior Guidelines

The World Health Organization and the American College of Sports Medicine have released guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior, as part of an effort to reduce inactivity worldwide. However, to date, there is no computational model that can facilitate the integration of these recommendations into health solutions (e.g., digital coaches). In this paper, we present an operational and machine-readable model that represents and is able to reason about these guidelines. To this end, we adopted a symbolic AI approach that combines two paradigms of research in knowledge representation and reasoning: ontology and rules. Thus, we first present HeLiFit, a domain ontology implemented in OWL, which models the main entities that characterize the definition of physical activity, as defined per guidance. Then, we describe HeLiFit-Rule, a set of rules implemented in the RDFox Rule language, which can be used to represent and reason with these recommendations in concrete real-world applications. Furthermore, to ensure a high level of syntactic/semantic interoperability across different systems, our framework is also compliant with the FHIR standard. Through motivating scenarios that highlight the need for such an implementation, we finally present an evaluation of our model that provides results that are both encouraging in terms of the value of our solution and also provide a basis for future work.
Battery Thermal Runaway Fault Prognosis in Electric Vehicles Based on Abnormal Heat Generation and Deep Learning Algorithms

Efficient battery thermal runaway prognosis is of great importance for ensuring safe operation of electric vehicles (EVs). This presents formidable challenges under widely varied and ever-changing driving conditions in real-world vehicular operations. In this article, an enabling thermal runaway prognosis model based on abnormal heat generation (AHG) is proposed by combining the long short-term memory neural network (LSTM) and the convolutional neural network (CNN). The memory cell of the LSTM is modified and the resultant modified LSTM-CNN serves to provide accurate battery temperature prediction. The principal component analysis is used to optimize the model input factors to improve prediction accuracy and to reduce computing time. A random adjacent optimization method is employed to automatically optimize the hyperparameters. Finally, a model-based scheme is presented to achieve AHG-based thermal runaway prognosis. Real-world EV operating data are used to verify the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed scheme. The verification results indicate that the presented scheme exhibits accurate 48-time-step battery temperature prediction with a mean-relative-error of 0.28% and can realize 27-min-ahead thermal runaway prognosis.
Distributed Sliding Mode Fault-Tolerant LFC for Multiarea Interconnected Power Systems under Sensor Fault

This paper focuses on the problem of load frequency control and sensor fault-tolerant control in the multiarea power grid. To solve these problems, a sliding mode control strategy based on an interval observer is designed. First, an interval observer is designed to obtain the boundary estimation information of the system state online, which is used to reconstruct the load disturbance online. Based on the reconstructed values, an integral sliding mode controller is designed to keep the system frequency stable when the load is disturbed. Then, sensor fault is diagnosed by interval residual. An augmented observer is designed to estimate sensor fault online by equivalent transformation, and the sensor fault is compensated by the fault estimation to reduce the influence of fault on system performance and ensure the reliable and stable operation of the power system. The simulation results show the superiority of the proposed control strategy.
Electricity Theft Detection in AMI With Low False Positive Rate Based on Deep Learning and Evolutionary Algorithm

Due to the diversity of power consumption patterns, the false positive rate (FPR) of data-driven electricity theft detection (ETD) methods is too high to meet practical needs, which severely restricts the engineering application of data-based methods. To reduce FPR of ETD methods based on advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), a deep neural network with low FPR (LFPR-DNN) is proposed in this paper. First, a deep model is constructed based on one-dimensional convolution and residual network, which can automatically extract features from consumption data. Then, a two-stage training scheme is used to train the network. In the first stage, the conventional gradient descent algorithm is used to update the network weights. To minimize the impact of data imbalance on detection performance, focal loss is used. Besides, grid search is used to optimize the hyper-parameters of the model. In the second stage, with FPR as the optimization objective, the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used to train the network. Finally, the proposed LFPR-DNN is verified by using the open Irish data set. Compared to other state-of-the-art classifiers, LFPR-DNN has the lowest FPR with 0.29% and the highest AUC with 99.42%. The FPR is reduced by an order of magnitude, which verifies the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Platelet-derived growth factor can predict survival and acute exacerbation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a fibrotic disease of unknown aetiology and has a poor prognosis. Some patients experience episodes of rapid deterioration known as acute exacerbations (AEs), which are often fatal. This study aimed to clarify whether serum cytokine levels can predict the outcome of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Methods This retrospective study included 69 patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis diagnosed according to the 2018 guideline. AE of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was diagnosed using the Japanese Respiratory Society criteria. Serum levels of 27 cytokines were measured using the Bio-Plex method. Cytokine production was estimated per lung volume using the serum cytokine level/percent predicted forced vital capacity (%FVC) value. The ability of the serum cytokine level and serum cytokine level/%FVC value to predict the prognosis and AE was examined in a univariate Cox proportional hazards regression model; significant factors were subjected to multivariate analysis with adjustment for significant clinical parameters, including the modified Medical Research Council score. Results The study included 57 men and 12 women (median age, 67 years). The modified Medical Research Council score was ≤1 in 47 patients and ≥2 in 22. None of the serum cytokine levels measured could predict survival or AE; however, the serum platelet-derived growth factor/%FVC and interleukin-9/%FVC values were significant prognostic factors and the serum platelet-derived growth factor/%FVC and interleukin-13/%FVC values were significant predictors of AE. Serum platelet-derived growth factor/%FVC alone was a significant predictor of the prognosis and AE after adjustment for clinical parameters. Conclusions The prognosis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and AEs of the disease could be predicted by the serum platelet-derived growth factor/%FVC value.
Overexpression of Heat Shock Protein 90α in Canine Mammary Tumors.

Canine mammary gland tumor is the most patronize and dangerous type of tumor diagnosed by histopathology and requires a surgical approach. Hsp90α, a member of the heat shock protein-90 family that found to be over-expressed in breast cancer. However, biological function is unknown in the canine mammary tumor. So, we focused on studying the expression of hsp90AA1 and protein in canine mammary tumor (CMT) tissue. Expression of hsp90AA1 mRNA and protein were assessed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry (IHC), respectively. High levels of hsp90AA1 mRNA expression (4.613 ± 0.49 times) were observed in CMT compared to age and breed-matched healthy controls. Further, expression of hsp90α protein was detected in paraffin-embedded mammary tumor tissues from the same subjects by IHC. A high level of hsp90α expression was scored in 75% of the CMT subjects. Moreover, no significant differences in IHC score and qRT-PCR score with respect to CMT histotypes were observed, indicating that Hsp90AA1 over-expression occurred irrespective of CMT types or grades.
"Diagnosis and Evaluation of Hypertension Control in Dakar: Role of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Measurement"

Introduction: Hypertension is a major public health problem in Sub-Saharan Africa. Current recommendations place particular emphasis on ambulatory measures compared to clinical ones for the diagnosis and monitoring of treated hypertensive patients. This is how we conducted this study which aims to assess the contribution of ambulatory blood pressure measurement (ABPM) in our practice. Materials and methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out at the cardiology department of the Aristide Le Dantec teaching hospital over a period of twelve (12) months (January 1, to December 31, 2018). Results: We collected 122 patients during the study period, with a female predominance (M / F sex ratio = 0.69). The average age of the population was 53.22 ± 13.19 years. The indication for ABPM was a therapeutic evaluation in 81 patients (66.40%), with a diagnostic aim of hypertension for 41 patients (33.60%) including 5 cases of Pregnancy-induced hypertension. ABPMs were normal in 30% of cases. The nycthemeral average was 140 ± 18.66 for systolic blood pressure and 84.02 ± 14.56 for diastolic blood pressure. Among the abnormal measures, we noted 45.90% of dipper subjects, and 41% of non-dippers. In the therapeutic evaluation, hypertension was controlled in 22 patients (27.2%) and uncontrolled in 59 cases (72.80%). In the diagnostic indication, hypertension was confirmed in 23 cases (63.9%) and a white coat hypertension was found in 13 cases (36.1%). Pregnancy-induced hypertension was confirmed in 3 out of 5 patients (60%). Conclusion: This study showed the importance of ABPM as a diagnostic and therapeutic evaluation tool. Its rational use in our context would improve the care of hypertensive patients and thus prevent damage to target organs.
Reflections of a student engagement program designed and delivered by academics

Student support programs in higher education are commonly delivered by professional institution staff who are not directly involved in students’ courses. In this paper, we report on a unique student support program within a School of Education and the perceptions of the academic staff who designed and delivered the program. Methodologically, written and spoken critically reflective encounters were used to explore dimensions of student support: connectedness, mindsets, self-management, academic capabilities, and professional identity. We perceived the program positively influenced some students in developing feelings of connectedness, building self-management skills and understanding commitment, and in establishing a foundation for a student experience that fosters a pathway towards a teaching career. Tensions were revealed relating to the ethical responsibilities of supporting all students to continue study and staff’s own personal study experiences were found, at times, to contribute to assumptions about how students should engage with study. Findings suggest that addressing student needs across the dimensions first necessitates a shared understanding of what constitutes student success and how this is interpreted within a support program. Assisting academics in gaining deeper insight and understanding of what it means to be a student, particularly an academically vulnerable student, was a benefit of the program.
Água ozonizada: uma nova proposta na desinfecção de superfícies em salas de cirurgias ortopédicas

Objetivo: Analisar a eficácia da água ozonizada na desinfecção de superfícies de mesas cirúrgicas ortopédicas de um hospital público na Região do Baixo Amazonas. Métodos: Estudo exploratório-descritivo, realizado em Santarém, Pará, com superfícies de mesas cirúrgicas para a amostragem. Analisaram-se as superfícies após desinfecção com água ozonizada através do ensaio Adenosina Trifosfato Bioluminescência (ATP), considerada eficaz quando o registro era inferior a 250 Unidades de Luz Relativa (RLUs). Os dados foram analisados no software IBM SPSS Statistics e através do teste qui-quadrado. O estudo foi aprovado por Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa (CEP) sob o número de CAAE 39785220.4. 0000.5168. Resultados: A amostragem compreendeu 24 superfícies de mesas cirúrgicas desinfetadas com a água ozonizada. Os valores de até 10 RLU somou o maior número de registros, com 83,3% (20), enquanto que valores de 11-20 RLU apresentaram 12,5% (3), e 21-30 RLU indicou 4,2% (1). O método utilizado para avaliação da desinfecção não evidenciou contaminação em 100% das superfícies analisadas. Conclusão: Os valores obtidos de RLUs a partir do ensaio de bioluminescência de ATP evidenciaram que o uso da água ozonizada em superfícies de salas cirúrgicas ortopédicas é uma proposta eficaz para desinfecção em ambiente nosocomial.
Cannabis-Based Products for the Treatment of Skin Inflammatory Diseases: A Timely Review

The use of natural products in dermatology is increasingly being pursued due to sustainability and ecological issues, and as a possible way to improve the therapeutic outcome of chronic skin diseases, relieving the burden for both patients and healthcare systems. The legalization of cannabis by a growing number of countries has opened the way for researching the use of cannabinoids in therapeutic topical formulations. Cannabinoids are a diverse class of pharmacologically active compounds produced by Cannabis sativa (phytocannabinoids) and similar molecules (endocannabinoids, synthetic cannabinoids). Humans possess an endocannabinoid system involved in the regulation of several physiological processes, which includes naturally-produced endocannabinoids, and proteins involved in their transport, synthesis and degradation. The modulation of the endocannabinoid system is a promising therapeutic target for multiple diseases, including vascular, mental and neurodegenerative disorders. However, due to the complex nature of this system and its crosstalk with other biological systems, the development of novel target drugs is an ongoing challenging task. The discovery of a skin endocannabinoid system and its role in maintaining skin homeostasis, alongside the anti-inflammatory actions of cannabinoids, has raised interest in their use for the treatment of skin inflammatory diseases, which is the focus of this review. Oral treatments are only effective at high doses, having considerable adverse effects; thus, research into plant-based or synthetic cannabinoids that can be incorporated into high-quality, safe topical products for the treatment of inflammatory skin conditions is timely. Previous studies revealed that such products are usually well tolerated and showed promising results for example in the treatment of atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, and contact dermatitis. However, further controlled human clinical trials are needed to fully unravel the potential of these compounds, and the possible side effects associated with their topical use.
Research of fractal mechanism for swelling & collapse of soft rock

Through grain-size analysis of scrap for soft rock that was produced during test of collapsing in laboratory and test of gradual collapsing in field atmospheric condition; it was found that absorbing water and collapsing progress of soft rock is also a progress that fractal dimension of soft rock scrap change successively. When collapsing of soft rock arrived to some extent, grade of scrap of soft rock collapsed is no more change; absorbing water and collapsing of soft rock stopped; fractal dimension of scrap of soft rock collapsed incline to a critical value. The critical value opens out fractal mechanics of soft rock when it swells and collapses after absorbing water. The above-mentioned conclusion exists a guidance significance to engineering.