Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Role of Mucin Expression in the Diagnosis of Oesophago-Gastric Cancer: A Systematic Literature Review

Simple Summary Oesophago-gastric cancers are associated with poor survival due to late diagnosis. By the time patients present to their doctor, there is a high chance the disease has spread around the body. Currently, less than 40% of patients with oesophago-gastric cancer can be treated with potentially curative intent. Non-invasive testing of patients who are at higher risk of oesophago-gastric cancer may help to identify these cancers earlier, before they have spread around the body, potentially increasing chances of cure. Mucins are proteins that are found throughout the digestive system and involved in the development of this disease. In this study, the literature on the role of mucins in the diagnosis of oesophago-gastric cancer has been reviewed. Mucins MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6 were the most frequently implicated in oesophago-gastric cancer. Further study of these mucins in high-risk populations may reveal new markers for non-invasive early diagnostic testing for oesophago-gastric cancer. Abstract Survival in oesophago-gastric cancer (OGC) is poor due to early diagnostic challenges. Non-invasive risk stratification may identify susceptible patients with pre-malignant or benign disease. Following diagnostic confirmation with endoscopic biopsy, early OGC may be treated sooner. Mucins are transmembrane glycoproteins implicated in OGC with potential use as biomarkers of malignant transformation. This systematic review defines the role of mucins in OGC diagnosis. A literature search of MEDLINE, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane databases was performed following PRISMA protocols for studies published January 1960–December 2022. Demographic data and data on mucin sampling and analysis methods were extracted. The review included 124 studies (n = 11,386 patients). Gastric adenocarcinoma (GAc) was the commonest OG malignancy (n = 101) followed by oesophageal adenocarcinoma (OAc, n = 24) and squamous cell carcinoma (OSqCc, n = 10). Mucins MUC1, MUC2, MUC5AC and MUC6 were the most frequently implicated. High MUC1 expression correlated with poorer prognosis and metastases in OSqCc. MUC2 expression decreases during progression from healthy mucosa to OAc, causing reduced protection from gastric acid. MUC5AC was upregulated, and MUC6 downregulated in GAc. Mucin expression varies in OGC; changes may be epigenetic or mutational. Profiling upper GI mucin expression in OGC, with pre-malignant, benign and healthy controls may identify potential early diagnostic biomarkers.
An Efficient and Secure Data Sharing Scheme for Edge-Enabled IoT

Sharing the big data generated by IoT via cloud is slow and expensive. Besides, transmitting and sharing data among IoT devices via cloud may be insecure. To address these issues, a novel efficient and secure data sharing scheme termed EB-SDSS (Edge Blockchain Secure Data Sharing Scheme) is proposed in this paper for edge-enabled IoT applications. EB-SDSS constructs a blockchain on edge servers. It guarantees the confidentiality and unforgeability of data by combining the symmetric encryption scheme with an edge blockchain. To ensure the device authenticity and the reliability of shared data, EB-SDSS adopts a certificateless signature scheme. It also provides efficient large-scale data searches for IoT devices through a locality-sensitive hashing algorithm. EB-SDSS has been proven to be secure against the adaptive chosen message attacks under the random oracle model. The experimental results indicate that EB-SDSS is feasible for IoT inter-device data sharing.
Local and regional contributions to nitrogen dioxide concentrations in urban areas of the UK

This study examines in detail the NOX and NO2 concentrations across the City of York using the monitoring data collected by the City of York Council's Air Quality Department. It tailors the traffic emissions contained within the York emissions inventory specific to the York area by comparing local traffic survey results with national transport statistics. Annual mean and median NOX and NO2 concentrations have fallen over the period 1999 to 2006. In all cases the NOX concentrations have fallen at a faster rate than NO2. The largest decline in NOX concentration occurred at the roadside site of Fishergate, with a 1.94 ppb (p > 0.01) reduction per year for the period 1999 to 2006. The NO2 concentrations at this site fell by 0.14 ppb a year (trend not significant). Generalised additive models consistently identified background NOX/NO2 as being important in explaining the variability in observed NOx and NO2 concentrations (explaining around 33 % to 62 % of the total variability in NO2 concentrations depending on site). Such evidence suggests that a large proportion of the NOx and NO2 concentrations at York are beyond the management control of the City of York Council and instead are a consequence of air pollution from other areas of the UK. Examination of the trends in NOx and NO2 concentrations revealed a departure in agreement between modelled (ADMS-Urban) and observed concentrations towards the end of the study years. This departure is most likely a consequence of observed emissions differing from modelled. This work provides a useful contribution to the scientific understanding of NOx and NO2 concentrations in smaller provincial cities in the UK since hitherto the majority of detailed studies have focused on the larger urban areas, such as London.
The Influence of Supply Chain Strategy and Supply Chain Design on Supply Chain Resilience under Uncertain Circumstances: A Review of the Literature

In business operations conducted under uncertain circumstances, issues such as escalating transportation costs, pervasive uncertainty, and a lack of collaboration among enterprises have surfaced, constraining opportunities for business expansion. Consequently, companies are compelled to adapt swiftly to sustain their operations. This research investigates the Factors Influencing the Supply Chain Resilience of Businesses amid Uncertain Circumstances. A comprehensive analysis of the pertinent literature has been undertaken, employing various methodologies to shed light on the principal challenges and drivers confronting supply chain management. The findings derived from the literature review underscore the pivotal significance of supply chain strategy and design in shaping the resilience of supply chains, particularly in contexts characterized by uncertainty. Consequently, the analysis of strategic aspects, the formulation of resilient supply chain designs, and investments in resilience are found to exert a substantial and positive influence on anticipated business outcomes. These proactive measures serve as a robust safeguard against disruptions, ensuring the sustained continuity of business operations even during times of crisis.
Water Pollution and Cancer An Updated Review

Water pollution refers to the contamination of water bodies such as lakes, rivers, and ground-water with harmful substances, leading to serious health hazards. One major concern linked to water pollution is its association with cancer. Numerous studies have substantiated that exposure to contaminants in polluted water sources can significantly increase the risk of developing various types of cancers. Chemicals like heavy metals (e.g., arsenic, lead), industrial pollutants (e.g., benzene, vinyl chloride), and pesticides have been detected in contaminated water supplies worldwide. These carcinogens not only contaminate the water but also accumulate in aquatic organisms consumed by humans, ultimately entering our food chain. Certain chemicals act as mutagens or tumor promoters, damaging DNA and causing genetic mutations that can lead to cancer development. Additionally, long-term exposure to these pollutants can weaken the immune system’s ability to fight off cancer cells effectively. Consequently, preventive actions must be undertaken swiftly at domestic, industrial, and governmental levels to reduce this pervasive threat through regulated waste disposal practices and advanced purification technologies.
Evaluation of salivary biomarkers for early detection of oral cell carcinoma.

Objective: To do a comparative analysis of salivary levels LDH, amylase, total protein, CYFRA 21-1 and CA19-9 in oral SCC, PML and healthy individuals. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Department of Oncology, Women Medical College Abbottabad. Period: January 2021 to January 2022. Material & Methods: In a total of 200 patients. Study participants were divided into three groups. Group I (n=90) had cases diagnosed with oral SCC, Group II (n=60) cases with PML and Group III (n=50) had healthy controls. Saliva samples of patients with PML and SCC were collected before they were administered definitive therapy. ELISA was used for evaluation of CA19-9 and CYFRA 21-1, while standard kit method was used for evaluation of amylase, LDH and total protein level. Results: There was statistically significant association between oral lesions and alcohol (P=.0005), smoking (P=.0001) and tobacco chewing (P=.0005). In Group I, most common site of lesion was buccal mucosa (47%), while in Group II tongue (35%) was most commonly affected. 33.3% patients with SCC had lymphadenopathy. Level of total proteins, LDH and CYFRA 21-1 were higher, while amylase was lower in Group I and II compared to Group III. Level of CA19-9 was not significantly different in three study groups. ROC analysis showed that CYFRA21-1 had greater chance of identifying oral malignancies (P=.0001). Conclusion: The outcome shows that the concurrent evaluation of salivary biomarkers can help in early detection of malignancy.
Satisfaction with School Life: Capturing Malaysian Pupils’ Voice from a Multiethnic Perspective

This qualitative study aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of the aspects that shaped pupils’ satisfaction with school life in a multiethnic Malaysian context. The multiple case study design was employed to understand and elicit pupils’ experiences, feelings, beliefs, thoughts and perceptions of their satisfaction with school life in three different types of Malaysian primary schools, namely national primary school (Malay-dominated), national type Chinese primary school (Chinese-dominated) and national type Tamil primary school (Indian-dominated). A total of 18 pupils with six members from each type of Malaysian primary school participated in three focus group discussions. Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis of the interview data: (1) emotional contentment; (2) curricular achievement and co-curricular achievements; (3) safe, conducive and comfortable learning environment; and (4) development of 21st-century skills. These emerging four themes from the participants’ views and experiences provided a holistic perspective on satisfaction with school life in Malaysian primary schools. Practical implications that could be beneficial in leveraging life satisfying experiences of the pupils in the school were discussed. This study has contributed to the body of knowledge with regard to satisfaction with school life from a multiethnic perspective.
Crystal Structure of Inhibitor-Bound GII.4 Sydney 2012 Norovirus 3C-Like Protease

Norovirus is the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis worldwide, and there are no approved vaccines or therapeutic treatments for chronic or severe norovirus infections. The structural characterisation of the norovirus protease and drug development has predominantly focused upon GI.1 noroviruses, despite most global outbreaks being caused by GII.4 noroviruses. Here, we determined the crystal structures of the GII.4 Sydney 2012 ligand-free norovirus protease at 2.79 Å and at 1.83 Å with a covalently bound high-affinity (IC50 = 0.37 µM) protease inhibitor (NV-004). We show that the active sites of the ligand-free protease structure are present in both open and closed conformations, as determined by their Arg112 side chain orientation. A comparative analysis of the ligand-free and ligand-bound protease structures reveals significant structural differences in the active site cleft and substrate-binding pockets when an inhibitor is covalently bound. We also report a second molecule of NV-004 non-covalently bound within the S4 substrate binding pocket via hydrophobic contacts and a water-mediated hydrogen bond. These new insights can guide structure-aided drug design against the GII.4 genogroup of noroviruses.
FedTO: Mobile-Aware Task Offloading in Multi-Base Station Collaborative MEC

With the proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT), mobile edge computing (MEC) has great potential to achieve low latency, high reliability, and low energy consumption. However, in collaborative MEC environments, user movement and task migration may cause task transmission and processing delays, resulting in elevated task response times. Therefore, system performance and user experience need to be ensured by rational task offloading and resource management. At the same time, the protection of user data privacy is becoming increasingly important as a challenge to be overcome. To address the problems of intense resource competition and privacy leakage in MEC, the federated learning for the TD3-based task offloading (FedTO) algorithm is proposed. The algorithm has a dual objective of energy consumption and task response time while protecting user privacy. It employs a cryptographic local model update and aggregation mechanism and uses deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to obtain an efficient task offloading decision. Based on the mobile trajectories of real devices, and the pre-deployment of base station locations, experimental results show that the FedTO algorithm ensures task data security. It also effectively reduces the total energy consumption and average task response time of the system, which further improves the system utility.
Unraveling the roots of depression – it’s complicated

ABSTRACT The present work comments on Watt’s Target Article, which argues that focusing on separation distress, a relevant construct from Pankseppian affective neuroscience theory, might help to shed new light on depression. This represents an important new research avenue, because Watt’s recent work shows the difficulties in understanding depression, a devastating state of mind with millions around the globe being afflicted. Several key points of Watt’s work are summarized and reflected on.
PRÁTICAS DE INTERPRETAÇÃO E FLUÊNCIA ORAL EM L2 NO ENSINO MÉDIO INTEGRADO: OLHAR DA ATD

A investigação sobre práticas de interpretação e aquisição de L2 em contexto de nível médio integrado enriquece as áreas de educação e linguística aplicada. Partimos do multinivelamento de proficiência linguística em aulas de língua estrangeira moderna (LEM). O artigo é a fase diagnóstica do projeto ‘Monitores-Intérpretes’. O objetivo foi considerar as percepções dos alunos sobre o tema. A metodologia compreendeu o uso de questionários em abordagem qualitativa. Como resultado, constatamos a influência das percepções nas trajetórias linguísticas dos estudantes. Verificamos que as percepções são o desconhecimento, não-reflexão e/ou conscientização; concepção de baixa proficiência em comparação aos colegas e sentimentos negativos.
Phylogenetic Analysis and Serological Investigation of Porcine Circovirus Indicates Frequent Infection with Various Subtypes

Porcine circoviruses (PCVs) are notorious for triggering severe diseases in pigs and causing serious economic losses to the swine industry. In the present study, we undertook a comprehensive approach for the investigation of PCV prevalence, including the phylogenetic analysis of obtained PCV sequences, the determination of major circulating genotypes and serological screening based on different recombinant Cap proteins with specific immunoreactivity. Epidemiological surveillance data indicate that PCV2d and PCV3a are widely distributed in Southwest China, while PCV4 has only sporadic circulation. Meanwhile, serological investigations showed high PCV2 antibody positivity in collected serum samples (>50%), followed by PCV4 (nearly 50%) and PCV3 (30–35%). The analysis supports different circulation patterns of PCV2, PCV3 and PCV4 and illustrates the PCV2/PCV3 genetic evolution characteristics on a nationwide basis. Taken together, our findings add up to the current understanding of PCV epidemiology and provide new tools and insight for PCV antiviral intervention.
Silicon-Based Charge Trapping Memory Devices for Next-Generation Flexible Electronics Application

Silicon-based charge trapping memory (CTM) devices currently dominate the nonvolatile memory (NVM) technology due to their excellent reliability, scalability, and maturity of the manufacturing process; however, they are rigid, which limits their potential in futuristic applications, such as wearables and flexible displays, among many others; moreover, the majority of previously reported studies on flexible NVM have been limited to either nonsilicon-based CTM or to emerging NVM technologies, such as ferroelectric random access memory and memristors, among others, which still need to overcome different challenges, including, but not limited to, reliability issues and complementary metal–oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) compatibility. In this article, a flexible silicon-based CTM device is developed using a volumetric reduction process. A MOS memory structure with a 7-nm thin Si3N4 layer embedded between 5-nm tunneling (SiO2) and 9-nm blocking oxides (Al2O3) is first fabricated. Next, a backside sequential etching process transforms the rigid die into an ultrathin ( $20~\mu \text{m}$ ) flexible Si die for future application in flexible electronics. The fabricated two-terminal device exhibits a 2.32 V memory window in both rigid and bent states, as observed using capacitance–voltage measurements. A three-terminal version of the device was also developed, where the source and drain terminals were activated using an in situ doped plasma-enhanced CVD (PECVD) process. The flexible encapsulated chip was tested using current–voltage measurements, and the performance was compared at different mechanical bending conditions. The electrical characterization confirms that the flexible devices show similar endurance (104 cycles) and retention (105s) performances to their rigid counterparts.
Multidimensional Outcomes of IV Thrombolysis in Minor Ischemic Stroke: Motor, Psychocognitive, and Dependence

Background The presence of mild deficit is the most common reason for nonuse of intravenous alteplase in ischemic stroke. We analyzed within a national prospective cohort on whether patients with minor stroke can benefit from intravenous alteplase. Methods This observational study included patients with acute ischemic stroke with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score 0 to 5 at admission. The short-term outcomes at discharge and 3-month were analyzed including the modified Rankin Scale score, gait speed, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Patient Health Questionnaire-9, General Anxiety Disorder-7 and Stroke Impact Scale-16. Multivariate regression models were performed to evaluate the association between intravenous thrombolysis and clinical outcomes. Results A total of 1876 consecutive patients were included in the current analyses with 102 patients (5.4%) received alteplase and 1774 patients (94.5%) were in non-alteplase group. We found that 10.9% patients presented unfavorable functional outcome with a mRS ≥ 2 at 3-month. Patients with alteplase treatment had a more favorable outcome in SIS-16 at discharge (OR, 5.45; 95% CI, 2.22–8.68) and 3-month after stroke (OR, 2.34; 95% CI, 0.17–4.50). There was an association of alteplase with better gait speed in the restricted sample of age >60 (OR,0.14; 95% CI, 0.02–0.25), while an unfavorable effect was found in anxiety (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 2.23, 0.91–3.55) and depression (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 0.17–2.91) in female. Conclusion Alteplase showed a suggestive benefit in function and motor outcomes in patients with low NIHSS score of 0–5. Meanwhile, female seemed more inclined to post-stroke emotional problems after alteplase treatment, which should be further explored in the future.
MEASURING THE EFFECTIVNESS OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS TRAINING FOR THE CITY OF BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON

This research project analyzed the success of recently delivered citywide disaster preparedness training for the City of Bellingham, Washington. The problem was that the City did not know if this training was effective in motivating employees to prepare for disasters. The purpose of this research project was to determine if the mandatory disaster preparedness training resulted in employees actually preparing for disasters. The research questions were: (a) What personal disaster preparedness steps did employees take after the training? (b) What part of the training information did the employees see as the most useful? (c) What disaster preparedness education still needs to be accomplished? The evaluative research method was used to conduct this research project. The research consisted of a literature review of disaster education publications and adult education publications, interviews with a key local disaster management official and a Bellingham City Council member, and an email survey administered to all city employees. The principal research instrument was a survey that was distributed to all city employees via the city’s intranet email system. The data was compiled electronically as the surveys were completed online and evaluated in context of the findings of the literature review. The survey results fell just below statistical validity. The survey results showed that 76% of city employees who responded took some form of disaster preparedness step after attending the preparedness training session. The most common step taken was reading the class provided reading materials and discussing this information with family members. The least performed step identified was securing heavy objects from the effects of earthquake movement. Fifty five percent of the employees indicated that personal
Exercise Recommendation with Preferences and Expectations Based on Ability Computation

In the era of artificial intelligence, cognitive computing, based on cognitive science; and supported by machine learning and big data, brings personalization into every corner of our social life. Recommendation systems are essential applications of cognitive computing in educational scenarios. They help learners personalize their learning better by computing student and exercise characteristics using data generated from relevant learning progress. The paper introduces a Learning and Forgetting Convolutional Knowledge Tracking Exercise Recommendation model (LFCKT-ER). First, the model computes students’ ability to understand each knowledge concept, and the learning progress of each knowledge concept, and the model consider their forgetting behavior during learning progress. Then, students’ learning stage preferences are combined with filtering the exercises that meet their learning progress and preferences. Then students’ ability is used to evaluate whether their expectations of the difficulty of the exercises are reasonable. Then, the model filters the exercises that best match students’ expectations again by students’ expectations. Finally, we use a simulated annealing optimization algorithm to assemble a set of exercises with the highest diversity. From the experimental results, the LFCKT-ER model can better meet students’ personalized learning needs and is more accurate than other exercise recommendation systems under various metrics on real online education public datasets.