Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential mechanisms involved on how systemic IgG antibodies specific to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and induced by active immunotherapy decrease platelet derived free-VEGF

Abstract CIGB-247 is a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-based active immunotherapy and it is currently under investigation for cancer treatment. This specific active immunotherapy encompasses two vaccine candidates that use a human VEGF variant molecule as antigen, in combination with two clinically tested adjuvants: VSSP or aluminum phosphate. CIGB-247 has been evaluated in patients with advanced solid tumors, recruited in two phase I clinical trials, and it has been shown to be safe and immunogenic by activating both cellular and humoral immune responses against human VEGF. The immunization induces specific IgG antibodies, and also shows as effect, the reduction of free-VEGF levels within platelets (platelet-derived free VEGF). The production of systemic IgG antibodies and the presence of VEGF in another compartment, almost exclusively within platelets, have arisen some questions about this effect detected in the vaccinated-cancer patients. Based on some relevant published works about platelet endocytosis and VEGF pharmacodynamics during bevacizumab treatment as well as the phase I clinical data of CIGB-247, this investigation aims to hypothesize and analyze the potential mechanisms involved in the reduction of platelet-derived free VEGF as a result of vaccination with CIGB-247. Abbreviations: FcγR: Fc gamma receptors; IC: immune complexes; VEGF: vascular endothelial growth factor; VEGFR1: vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1; VEGFR2: vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2.
TRILLIUM: A Model for the assessment of telecom product development and support capability

This second issue of the newsletter focuses on existing and upcoming approaches for facilitating software process improvements. William Agresti's article describes how quantitative analysis of design artifacts can support process improvements. The article by Francois Coallier describes the TRILLIUM model for process assessments. Finally, Jean-Normand Drouin gives an overview of the SPICE project, which is an emerging international standard for software process assessment.
Epidemiology and survival outcomes of lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma in a southeast Brazilian population

Background Lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) represent a major health problem in the global scenario. In South America, the highest incidence rates are seen in Brazil. Therefore, the epidemiological and clinical profile and survival outcomes of lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal SCC was studied in São Paulo State, Brazil. Material and Methods The clinicopathological data of 12,099 patients with lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal SCC were obtained from hospital cancer registries of the Fundação Oncocentro de São Paulo, Brazil (2010–2015). Survival rates and other analyses were performed using SPSS software. Results A clear male predominance was observed, particularly for patients with oropharyngeal SCC (88.3%). The average age of patients was higher for lip cases (65 ± 13.5 years) compared to other sites. The schooling level was low for most patients, especially in lip cases (87.9%). Most of the patients with oral cavity (71.8%) and oropharyngeal (86.3%) SCC had advanced-stage (III–IV) disease. However, the majority of lip cases (83.3%) were at an early stage (I–II). Surgical excision was the main treatment for lip (72%) and oral cavity SCC (23.5%), and chemoradiotherapy was the main treatment for oropharyngeal SCC (40.2%). The 5-year overall survival (OS) for patients with lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal SCC were 66.3, 30.9, and 22.6%, respectively. Multivariate analysis revealed that the determinants of OS were different for lip, oral cavity, and oropharyngeal SCC, except for those at the clinical stage, which was an independent predictor for all sites. Conclusions OS-independent determinants varied according to the affected site. Oral cavity and oropharyngeal SCC presented worse survival rates than those for lip SCC. Key words:Squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck, lip neoplasms, mouth neoplasms, oropharyngeal neoplasms, survival analysis.
Optical fiber-based handheld polarized photoacoustic computed tomography for detecting anisotropy of tissues.

Background Photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) is a fast-developing biomedical imaging modality and has immense potential for clinical translation. It utilizes laser excitation and acoustic detection to achieve high spatial resolution and considerable imaging depth in biological tissues. Current PACT primarily treats the absorption coefficient of tissues as a scalar variable while reconstructing the image, which limits its use for anisotropic evaluation of the tissues. Thus, by incorporating polarized imaging methods to evaluate anisotropy, applications of PACT can be further enhanced. So far, dichroism-sensitive PACT has been suggested for polarization detection of biological tissues. However, this approach is unsuitable for intraoperative imaging, since high-power spatial light is needed for excitation, which is dangerous and inconvenient to operate. Thus, there is a need to develop a polarized PACT system suitable for clinical use. Methods Herein, we have proposed a specially designed handheld polarized PACT (HP-PACT) system, which was designed to promote intraoperative anisotropy detection of biological tissues. Excitation light was delivered by an optical fiber and reshaped by a compact set of lenses at the output end of the optical fiber. A polarizer was applied to generate linearly polarized light, and the polarization direction was adjusted by simply rotating the half-wave plate. Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) using excitation with several different polarization directions was carried out. Optical axes and the structure of the anisotropic objects were obtained using the principle of polarization detection with the PAI. Results We experimentally demonstrated the performance of HP-PACT by imaging both the polarized and unpolarized plastic films. The results showed that HP-PACT can successfully detect the direction of the optical axes of polarized plastic films and has the ability to image at different depths. When linearly polarized light with different polarization directions was used as excitation, PAI studies on a highly anisotropic bovine tendon and relatively low anisotropic mouse leg showed the structural differences between the 2 tissues. The quantified degrees of anisotropy of the bovine tendon and mouse legs were 0.6 and 0.3, respectively. Conclusions The proposed HP-PACT is able to determine the anisotropic substances' optical axes and distinguish anisotropic substances from isotropic ones. Thus, HP-PACT has the potential for intraoperative diagnosis and treatment of anisotropic tissues, including nerves and tendons.
Progress and future perspectives of livestock genomics in India: a mini review

Abstract The field of genetics has evolved a lot after the emergence of molecular and advanced genomic technologies. The advent of Next Generation Sequencing, SNP genotyping platforms and simultaneous reduction in the cost of sequencing had opened the door to genomic research in farm animals. There are various applications of genomics in livestock, such as the use of genomic data: (i) to investigate genetic diversity and breed composition/population structure (ii) to identify genetic variants and QTLs related to economically important and ecological traits, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and genomic signatures of selection; (iii) to enhance breeding programs by genomic selection. Compared to traditional methods, genomic selection is expected to improve selection response by increasing selection accuracy and reducing the generation interval due to early selection. Genomic selection (GS) in developed countries has led to rapid genetic gains, especially in dairy cattle, due to a well-established genetic evaluation system. Indian livestock system is still lagging behind developed nations in adopting these technologies. This review discusses the current status, challenges, and future perspectives of livestock genomics in India.
Sex work and young women: a cross sectional study to understand the overlap of age and sex work as a central tenet to epidemic control in South Africa

ABSTRACT Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) engaging in sex-for-money transactions are at risk of HIV infection. A better understanding of the demographic, socio-economic factors and risks of HIV acquisition is required to guide appropriate public health interventions targeting young sex workers in South Africa. A cross-sectional survey of Female Sex Workers (FSWs), using a chain referral sampling method, was conducted across 12 sites in South Africa in 2019. Three thousand and five participants were enrolled and interviewed assessing demographic characteristics, sexual behaviour, substance use and HIV testing and treatment. Of 3005 women, 13.3% were ≤24 years old (young FSWs); of these, 60.0% entered sex work aged ≤19 years. Economic factors were the primary drivers of entry into sex work. HIV prevalence amongst young FSWs was 40.4%, with 12.4% recently infected. Younger FSWs were significantly less likely to know they were HIV positive (87.6% versus 92.1%), to report any ART exposure (75.2% versus 87.6%) and to be virally suppressed (58.1% versus 75.2%) compared to older FSWs. Our findings highlight that many FSWs enter sex work at a young age. It is essential to develop tailored services and interventions that improve access to HIV prevention and treatment services addressing specific needs.
Effect of antenatal educational intervention on maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy and breastfeeding success: a quasi-experimental study

ABSTRACT Objective: To examine the effect of breastfeeding educational intervention given in the antenatal period on LATCH and breastfeeding self-efficacy scores. Method: A total of 80 pregnant who met the research criteria were randomly assigned to intervention (n = 40) or control (n = 40) groups. Pregnant women received to the control group received only standard care while breastfeeding education was accepted to the intervention group along with standard care. Both groups were visited at their home, and the personal data form, the LATCH Breastfeeding Assessment Tool, and Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale–Short Form (BSES-SF) were applied in the postpartum 1st week. End of the study, brochures prepared by the researcher were given to both groups. Result: The mean breastfeeding self-efficacy and LATCH scores were higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. Breastfeeding success was found to increase as the maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy perception increased. Conclusion: Breastfeeding education given in the antenatal period increased maternal breastfeeding self-efficacy perception and breastfeeding success in the postpartum 1st week period. Study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04757324.
The effect of atrophied pancreas as shown in the preoperative imaging on the leakage rate after pancreaticoduodenectomy

Backgrounds/Aims The soft texture of the pancreas parenchyma may influence the incidence of pancreatic leakage after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). One possible method to assess pancreatic texture and atrophy, is via computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the relation between the preoperative CT scan and the incidence of pancreatic fistula after PD. Methods A retrospective single-center study including patients who underwent PD for a benign and malignant tumor of the periampullary region between the years 2000 and 2016. Demographic and imaging data were analysed and a correlation with the post-operative leak was evaluated. Results Pancreatic leak was documented in 34 out of 154 (22.1%) patients. All the leakage cases occurred in the preserved pancreas group (33.1% of the total preserved pancreas group alone). No leak was documented in the atrophic pancreas group. This difference between the two groups was found to be statistically significant (p ≤ 0.00001). Conclusions Atrophic pancreas in the preoperative CT scan may be protective against leakage after PD. These findings may help the surgeon to risk stratify patients accordingly. In addition, the findings suggest that patients with a preserved pancreas may require more protective methods to prevent leakage.
Leveraging Artificial Intelligence and Synthetic Data Derivatives for Spine Surgery Research

Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Objectives Leveraging electronic health records (EHRs) for spine surgery research is impeded by concerns regarding patient privacy and data ownership. Synthetic data derivatives may help overcome these limitations. This study’s objective was to validate the use of synthetic data for spine surgery research. Methods Data came from the EHR from 15 hospitals. Patients that underwent anterior cervical or posterior lumbar fusion (2010-2020) were included. Real data were obtained from the EHR. Synthetic data was generated to simulate the properties of the real data, without maintaining a one-to-one correspondence with real patients. Within each cohort, ability to predict 30-day readmissions and 30-day complications was evaluated using logistic regression and extreme gradient boosting machines (XGBoost). Results We identified 9,072 real and 9,088 synthetic cervical fusion patients. Descriptive characteristics were nearly identical between the 2 datasets. When predicting readmission, models built using real and synthetic data both had c-statistics of . 69-. 71 using logistic regression and XGBoost. Among 12,111 real and 12,126 synthetic lumbar fusion patients, descriptive characteristics were nearly the same for most variables. Using logistic regression and XGBoost to predict readmission, discrimination was similar with models built using real and synthetic data (c-statistics .66-.69). When predicting complications, models derived using real and synthetic data showed similar discrimination in both cohorts. Despite some differences, the most influential predictors were similar in the real and synthetic datasets. Conclusion Synthetic data replicate most descriptive and predictive properties of real data, and therefore may expand EHR research in spine surgery.
Anti‐Mullerian Hormone as Predictor of Future and Ongoing Bone Loss During the Menopause Transition

The menopause transition in women is a period of significant bone loss, with rapid declines in bone mineral density (BMD) commencing a year before the final menstrual period (FMP). Changes in menstrual bleeding patterns cannot reliably tell us if this rapid bone loss has begun or is imminent. We hypothesized that low circulating levels of anti‐Mullerian hormone (AMH), which decline as women approach the FMP, would be associated with future and ongoing rapid bone loss. We used data from The Study of Women's Health Across the Nation, a multisite, multi‐ethnic, prospective cohort study of the menopause transition to test this hypothesis. Adjusted for age, body mass index, race/ethnicity, and study site, every 50% decrement in AMH level in premenopause and early perimenopause was associated with 0.14% per year faster decline over the following 3 to 4 years in lumbar spine BMD and 0.11% per year faster decline in femoral neck BMD (p < 0.001 for both). AMH in late perimenopause was not associated with the rate of future BMD decline. AMH was also associated with the magnitude of ongoing bone loss, measured as percent of peak BMD lost by the end of the next 2 to 3 years. Every 50% decrement in AMH level was associated with 0.22% additional loss in spine BMD in premenopause, 0.43% additional loss in early perimenopause, and 0.50% additional loss in late perimenopause (p < 0.001 for all three). If a woman will lose more of her peak BMD than the site‐specific least significant change (LSC) at either the lumbar spine or femoral neck by the next 2 to 3 years, then AMH below 100 pg/mL will detect it with sensitivity of 50% in premenopause, 80% in early perimenopause, and 98% in late perimenopause. These findings suggest that AMH measurement can help flag women at the brink of significant bone loss for early intervention. © 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).
Plasma Neurofilament Light and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein Levels over 30 days in a Porcine Model of Traumatic Brain Injury.

In order to establish the clinical relevance of porcine model of TBI using the plasma biomarkers of injury with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) over 30 days, we performed a randomized, blinded, preclinical trial using Yorkshire pigs weighing 7-10kg. Twelve pigs were subjected to Sham injury (n=5) by skin incision, or traumatic brain injury (n=7) by controlled cortical impact. Blood samples were collected before the injury, then at approximately 5-day intervals until 30 days. Both groups also had diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at 24 hours and at 30 days after injury. Plasma samples were isolated and single molecule array (Simoa) was performed for glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and neurofilament light (NFL) levels. Afterwards, brain tissue samples were stained for β-APP. DTI showed FA decrease in the right corona radiata (ipsilateral to injury), contralateral corona radiata, and anterior corpus callosum at 1 day. At 30 days, ipsilateral corona radiata showed decreased FA. Pigs with TBI also had increase in GFAP and NFL at 1-5 days after injury. Significant difference between Sham and TBI animals continued up to 20 days. Linear regression showed significant negative correlation between ipsilateral corona radiata FA and both NFL and GFAP levels at 1 day. To further validate the degree of axonal injury found in DTI, β-APP immunohistochemistry was performed on a perilesional tissue as well as corona radiata bilaterally. Variable degree of staining was found in ipsilateral corona radiata. Porcine model of TBI replicates the acute increase in plasma biomarkers seen in clinical TBI. Furthermore, long term white matter injury is confirmed in the areas such as the splenium and corona radiata. However, future study stratifying severe and mild TBI, as well as comparison with other subtypes of TBI such as diffuse axonal injury may be warranted.
Augmented Reality, a Review of a Way to Represent and Manipulate 3D Chemical Structures

Augmented reality (AR) is a mixed technology that superimposes three-dimensional (3D) digital data onto an image of reality. This technology enables users to represent and manipulate 3D chemical structures. In spite of its potential, the use of these tools in chemistry is still scarce. The aim of this work is to identify the real situation of AR developments and its potential for 3D visualization of molecules. A descriptive analysis of a selection of 143 research publications (extracted from Web of Science between 2018 and 2020) highlights some significant AR examples that had been implemented in chemistry, in both education and research environments. Although the traditional 2D screen visualization is still preferred when teaching chemistry, the application of AR in early education has shown potential to facilitate the understanding and visualization of chemical structures. The increasing connectivity of the AR technology to web platforms and scientific networks should translate into new opportunities for teaching and learning strategies.
A Study of Gender Impact in Self-supervised Models for Speech-to-Text Systems

Self-supervised models for speech processing emerged recently as popular foundation blocks in speech processing pipelines. These models are pre-trained on unlabeled audio data and then used in speech processing downstream tasks such as automatic speech recognition (ASR) or speech translation (ST). Since these models are now used in research and industrial systems alike, it becomes necessary to understand the impact caused by some features such as gender distribution within pre-training data. Using French as our investigation language, we train and compare gender-specific wav2vec 2.0 models against models containing different degrees of gender balance in their pretraining data. The comparison is performed by applying these models to two speech-to-text downstream tasks: ASR and ST. Results show the type of downstream integration matters. We observe lower overall performance using gender-specific pretraining before fine-tuning an end-to-end ASR system. How-ever, when self-supervised models are used as feature extractors, the overall ASR and ST results follow more complex pat-terns in which the balanced pre-trained model does not necessarily lead to the best results. Lastly, our crude ‘fairness’ metric, the relative performance difference measured between female and male test sets, does not display a strong variation from balanced to gender-specific pre-trained wav2vec 2.0 models.
Annular webs and Levi subalgebras

For any Levi subalgebra of the form $\mathfrak{l}=\mathfrak{gl}_{l_{1}}\oplus\dots\oplus\mathfrak{gl}_{l_{d}}\subseteq\mathfrak{gl}_{n}$ we construct a quotient of the category of annular quantum $\mathfrak{gl}_{n}$ webs that is equivalent to the category of finite dimensional representations of quantum $\mathfrak{l}$ generated by exterior powers of the vector representation. This can be interpreted as an annular version of skew Howe duality, gives a description of the representation category of $\mathfrak{l}$ by additive idempotent completion, and a web version of the generalized blob algebra.
Co-Teaching for Unsupervised Domain Adaptation and Expansion

Unsupervised Domain Adaptation (UDA) essentially trades a model's performance on a source domain for improving its performance on a target domain. To resolve the issue, Unsupervised Domain Expansion (UDE) has been proposed recently. UDE tries to adapt the model for the target domain as UDA does, and in the meantime maintains its source-domain performance. In both UDA and UDE settings, a model tailored to a given domain, let it be the source or the target domain, is assumed to well handle samples from the given domain. We question the assumption by reporting the existence of cross-domain visual ambiguity: Given the lack of a crystally clear boundary between the two domains, samples from one domain can be visually close to the other domain. Such sorts of samples are typically in minority in their host domain, so they tend to be overlooked by the domain-specific model, but can be better handled by a model from the other domain. We exploit this finding, and accordingly propose Co-Teaching (CT). The CT method is instantiated with knowledge distillation based CT (kdCT) plus mixup based CT (miCT). Specifically, kdCT transfers knowledge from a leading-teacher network and an assistant-teacher network to a student network, so the cross-domain ambiguity will be better handled by the student. Meanwhile, miCT further enhances the generalization ability of the student. Extensive experiments on two image classification datasets and two driving-scene segmentation datasets justify the viability of CT for UDA and UDE.