Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Electric Field and Temperature on Dielectric Constant and Piezoelectric Coefficient of Piezoelectric Materials: A Review

Piezoelectric coefficient and dielectric constant of piezoelectric materials appreciably change with change in DC bias, AC electric field and temperature. This work discusses variation of piezoelectric coefficient and dielectric constant with electric field and temperature for different piezoelectric compositions. Discussion is made on nonlinearity introduced in constitutive equations with application of external stimuli (electric field, stress etc.). These nonlinearities are due to intrinsic and/or extrinsic phenomena. With doping and with application of DC bias nonlinearity in variation of piezoelectric coefficient and dielectric constant decreases in some materials and coefficient variation tends to become linear. Value of piezoelectric coefficient and dielectric constant is reduced with doping and with DC bias effect. Graphs are reproduced from literature to show this variation and crisp tables showing variation have also been created for ready use.
A systematic review of risk stratification tools internationally used in primary care settings

In our current healthcare situation, burden on healthcare services is increasing, with higher costs and increased utilization. Structured population health management has been developed as an approach to balance quality with increasing costs. This approach identifies sub‐populations with comparable health risks, to tailor interventions for those that will benefit the most. Worldwide, the use of routine healthcare data extracted from electronic health registries for risk stratification approaches is increasing. Different risk stratification tools are used on different levels of the healthcare continuum. In this systematic literature review, we aimed to explore which tools are used in primary healthcare settings and assess their performance.
Pelvic mass, ascites, hydrothorax: a malignant or benign condition? Meigs syndrome with high levels of CA 125

Introduction Abdominal-pelvic mass, ascites and pleural effusion are suggestive of malignant metastatic ovarian cancer. This triad is also present in a rare benign condition called Meigs syndrome. Rarely this condition is associated with an increased CA 125 level. Case report A 62-year-old woman with a history of abdominal pain underwent an ultrasound (US) examination and a chest X-ray. The imaging revealed the presence of a large pelvic mass and ascites with a monolateral pleural effusion and a high level of the tumor marker CA 125. The patient underwent a total abdominal hysterectomy, salpingoophorectomy, removal of the pelvic mass, pelvic lymphadenectomy and peritoneal biopsies. The histology showed an ovarian fibrothecoma. Discussion The US analysis according to international ovarian tumor analysis simple rules revealed “inconclusive results”; the logistic regression model LR2 and Adnex suggested a high risk of malignancy. The presence of ascites and the size of the lesion associated with a high level of CA 125 affected the correct assessment of the risk of malignancy, exposing the patient to overtreatment Conclusions Meigs syndrome is characterized by the resolution of symptoms after surgical removal of the pelvic mass. However, it mimics the clinical picture of a malignant metastatic ovarian cancer. Clinicians have to exclude ovarian cancer and recognize the syndrome to reduce inappropriate procedures.
Characterization And Diversity of The Uterine Microbiota In Simmental And Simbrah Cows By Sequencing The V4 Region of The Gen rRNA-16s During An FTAI Protocol.

New generation sequencing techniques allow us to characterize the bacterial populations present in any organ or area. The knowledge of the uterine microbiota in bovines has grown in recent years as it has been shown that it influences fertility, however, there are very few studies in beef cattle. This work aims to contribute by generating information in beef cows, characterizing the uterine microbiome, determined by the sequencing of the hypervariate regions of gen 16S rRNA in samples obtained by the cytobrush technique in open cows prior to and during a standard synchronization, using an intravaginal device of progesterone, plus benzoate of estradiol and prostaglandins. The relative abundance in group I and II were very similar; Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria. Group III was Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, and Fusobacteria, and Group IV, Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria and Fusobacteria. The taxonomic composition in utero decreases throughout the synchronization protocol. There are internal and external factors that alter bacterial populations such as health status, hormones, pregnancy, medication administration, among others. To establish whether bacterial abundance has an influence on fertility, more robust studies are needed.
HEARING AND ANALYSIS OF HOSPITAL EVACUATION AFTER THE 2016 KUMAMOTO EARTHQUAKE

In 2016 Kumamoto earthquake with MJMA of 7.3, 16 hospitals in the severely-affected areas decided to take the action of hospital evacuation. This action involves all inpatient transported to hospitals outside the affected areas or own houses. Kyoto iMED (Kyoto informatics-Medicine-Engineering research against Disaster) formed a multi-disciplinary team and conducted hearing surveys at ten hospitals in Kumamoto. The team included structural engineers, emergency physicians (also members of DMAT), a clinical engineer, a medical information engineer, and a hospital facility staff. The survey items were 1) damage to structure and non-structural component, 2) resource supply including damage level to building and regional infrastructure; 3) damage to medical equipment, 4) operation of electric carte system; 5) emergency response and decision-making process; 6) preand post-earthquake building diagnosis; 7) reoccupation. The preliminary analysis of the survey results revealed that the primary reasons for deciding hospital evacuation could be categorized into three: a) concern on structural safety (5 facilities), b) damage to facility water system (5 facilities); and c) stop of regional water supply (4 facilities). Note that four hospitals answered multiple reasons. Notably, the nine out of ten hospitals made decision of evacuation within 24 hours and there was no time to wait for the post-earthquake rapid inspection by registered structural engineers. As previous studies on hospital damage in earthquake events reported, water shortage was critical to medical services. The survey showed various possible failure mode of the water infrastructure in the hospital buildings.
Mining Course Groupings using Academic Performance

This study computes the correlation of student grades be-tween pairs of courses in a large university. Course network graphs are then generated, where courses are represented as nodes and courses are connected if they have a high degree of grade correlation. Graph mining and network analysis tools visualize the course networks, identify course clusters and course cliques, and compute informative network statistics. Results are analyzed for pairs of courses and courses grouped by academic department or program of study. Strong course similarity groupings are observed within scientiﬁc disciplines, between pre-health courses, and within subﬁelds of computer science. No prior study using this notion of course similarity has been conducted.
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF CANCER ANGIOGENESIS STUDIES IN THE ASPECT OF BRAIN TUMORS PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND THERAPY

3221 HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF CANCER ANGIOGENESIS STUDIES IN THE ASPECT OF BRAIN TUMORS PATHOPHYSIOLOGY AND THERAPY Zygmunt Siedlecki, Karol Nowak, Sebastian Grzyb, and Maciej Śniegocki Department of Neurosurgery, Neurotraumatology and Pediatric Neurosurgery, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń Department of Clinical Pharmacology, The Ludwik Rydygier Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, The Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń
Deep Learning for Classifying Physical Activities from Accelerometer Data

Physical inactivity increases the risk of many adverse health conditions, including the world’s major non-communicable diseases, such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and breast and colon cancers, shortening life expectancy. There are minimal medical care and personal trainers’ methods to monitor a patient’s actual physical activity types. To improve activity monitoring, we propose an artificial-intelligence-based approach to classify physical movement activity patterns. In more detail, we employ two deep learning (DL) methods, namely a deep feed-forward neural network (DNN) and a deep recurrent neural network (RNN) for this purpose. We evaluate the two models on two physical movement datasets collected from several volunteers who carried tri-axial accelerometer sensors. The first dataset is from the UCI machine learning repository, which contains 14 different activities-of-daily-life (ADL) and is collected from 16 volunteers who carried a single wrist-worn tri-axial accelerometer. The second dataset includes ten other ADLs and is gathered from eight volunteers who placed the sensors on their hips. Our experiment results show that the RNN model provides accurate performance compared to the state-of-the-art methods in classifying the fundamental movement patterns with an overall accuracy of 84.89% and an overall F1-score of 82.56%. The results indicate that our method provides the medical doctors and trainers a promising way to track and understand a patient’s physical activities precisely for better treatment.
Fake news: generating nonsense newspapers in the name of art

We present an artistic project employing a PGAN pipeline to generate gibberish newspapers. This project aims to contrast the antiquity of print newspaper design aesthetics with the technical modernity of GANs, and unite these two seemingly disjoint things to create a visual result that is simultaneously meaningful and nonsensical, familiar and foreign, absurd and mundane. View the project here.
UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DO RIO GRANDE DO SUL CENTRO DE BIOTECNOLOGIA PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM BIOLOGIA CELULAR E MOLECULAR DESENVOLVIMENTO DE UM MÉTODO MOLECULAR COLORIMÉTRICO PARA DETECÇÃO E GENOTIPAGEM DO VÍRUS DA HEPATITE C

This study aimed at the improvement of an in house method for extraction and purification of RNA from HCV as well as its detection and genotyping, using hybridization of the amplified product in microplates, followed by colorimetric detection. The region of HCV 5'-NCR was chosen for the amplification. To evaluate the efficiency of colorimetric microwell hybridization assay (CMHA), the results obtained were compared with the reference ____________________________________________________________________________Manuscrito 39 methods. Among the 85 plasma samples analyzed, the sensitivity and specificity of CMHA for viral RNA detection were 100% (95% CI, 92.75% 100%) and 97.2% (95% CI, 85.48 % -100%), respectively, when compared with Cobas Amplicor HCV assay v2.0. The positive predictive and negative predictive values were 98% (95% CI, 89.36% 99.95%) and 100% (95% CI, 90.01% -100%), respectively. The calculated Kappa was 0.976 (p <0001), showing high correlation between the two methodologies. Similarly, it was observed 97.22% (35/36) of agreement between the DNA sequencing data and MCHR for HCV genotyping. The Kappa values was 0.976 (p <0001), showing high correlation between the two methodologies. The proposed methodology showed good sensitivity and specificity, with a high degree of concordance between the reference methodologies for both detection and for genotyping of HCV.
Phase 2 study of danicopan in patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria with an inadequate response to eculizumab

Some patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) remain persistently anemic despite treatment with eculizumab and may have significant extravascular hemolysis. Kulasekararaj and colleagues report a phase 2 trial of danicopan, a first-inclass oral complement factor D inhibitor, added to ongoing eculizumab therapy in PNH patients who still needed transfusions. This small study of 12 patients reveals that the combination has acceptable safety while substantially increasing the hemoglobin concentration, reducing extravascular hemolysis, and improving the fatigue score.
Hemagglutinins of Avian Influenza Viruses Are Proteolytically Activated by TMPRSS2 in Human and Murine Airway Cells

Human infections with avian influenza A viruses upon exposure to infected birds are frequently reported and have received attention as a potential pandemic threat. Cleavage of the envelope glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) by host proteases is a prerequisite for membrane fusion and essential for virus infectivity. ABSTRACT Cleavage of the influenza A virus (IAV) hemagglutinin (HA) by host proteases is indispensable for virus replication. Most IAVs possess a monobasic HA cleavage site cleaved by trypsin-like proteases. Previously, the transmembrane protease TMPRSS2 was shown to be essential for proteolytic activation of IAV HA subtypes H1, H2, H7, and H10 in mice. In contrast, additional proteases are involved in activation of certain H3 IAVs, indicating that HAs with monobasic cleavage sites can differ in their sensitivity to host proteases. Here, we investigated the role of TMPRSS2 in proteolytic activation of avian HA subtypes H1 to H11 and H14 to H16 in human and mouse airway cell cultures. Using reassortant viruses carrying representative HAs, we analyzed HA cleavage and multicycle replication in (i) lung cells of TMPRSS2-deficient mice and (ii) Calu-3 cells and primary human bronchial cells subjected to morpholino oligomer-mediated knockdown of TMPRSS2 activity. TMPRSS2 was found to be crucial for activation of H1 to H11, H14, and H15 in airway cells of human and mouse. Only H9 with an R-S-S-R cleavage site and H16 were proteolytically activated in the absence of TMPRSS2 activity, albeit with reduced efficiency. Moreover, a TMPRSS2-orthologous protease from duck supported activation of H1 to H11, H15, and H16 in MDCK cells. Together, our data demonstrate that in human and murine respiratory cells, TMPRSS2 is the major activating protease of almost all IAV HA subtypes with monobasic cleavage sites. Furthermore, our results suggest that TMPRSS2 supports activation of IAV with a monobasic cleavage site in ducks. IMPORTANCE Human infections with avian influenza A viruses upon exposure to infected birds are frequently reported and have received attention as a potential pandemic threat. Cleavage of the envelope glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA) by host proteases is a prerequisite for membrane fusion and essential for virus infectivity. In this study, we identify the transmembrane protease TMPRSS2 as the major activating protease of avian influenza virus HAs of subtypes H1 to H11, H14 and H15 in human and murine airway cells. Our data demonstrate that inhibition of TMPRSS2 activity may provide a useful approach for the treatment of human infections with avian influenza viruses that should be considered for pandemic preparedness as well. Additionally, we show that a TMPRSS2-orthologous protease from duck can activate avian influenza virus HAs with a monobasic cleavage site and, thus, represents a potential virus-activating protease in waterfowl, the primary reservoir for influenza A viruses.
The role of interleukin-6 as a prognostic biomarker for predicting acute exacerbation in interstitial lung diseases

Background Interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are chronic, parenchymal lung diseases with a variable clinical course and a poor prognosis. Within various clinical courses, acute exacerbation (AE) is a devastating condition with significant morbidity and high mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of interleukin-6 (IL-6) to predict AE and prognosis in patients with ILD. Methods Eighty-three patients who were diagnosed with ILD from 2016 to 2019 at the Haeundae Paik Hospital, Busan, South Korea, were included and their clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. Results The median follow-up period was 20 months. The mean age was 68.1 years and 65.1% of the patients were men with 60.2% of patients being ever-smokers. Among ILDs, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was the most common disease (68.7%), followed by connective tissue disease-associated ILD (14.5%), cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (9.6%), and nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (6.0%). The serum levels of IL-6 were measured at diagnosis with ILD and sequentially at follow-up visits. During the follow-ups, 15 (18.1%) patients experienced an acute exacerbation (AE) of ILD and among them, four (26.7%) patients died. In the multivariable analysis, high levels of IL-6 (OR 1.014, 95% CI: 1.001–1.027, p = 0.036) along with lower baseline saturations of peripheral oxygen (SpO2) were independent risk factors for AE. In the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve was 0.815 (p < 0.001) and the optimal cut-off value of serum IL-6 to predict AE was 25.20 pg/mL with a sensitivity of 66.7% and specificity of 80.6%. In the multivariable Cox analysis, a high level of serum IL-6 (HR 1.007, 95% CI: 1.001–1.014, p = 0.018) was only an independent risk factor for mortality in ILD patients. Conclusions In our study, a high level of serum IL-6 is a useful biomarker to predict AE and poor prognosis in patients with ILD.
A Meta-Analysis for Association of XRCC1, XRCC2 and XRCC3 Polymorphisms with Susceptibility to Thyroid Cancer

Background: We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to explore the association of polymorphisms at XRCC1, XRCC2 and XRCC3 genes with susceptibility to thyroid cancer (TC). Methods: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and CNKI for relevant available studies. The pooled odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate the strength of the associations. Results: A total of 67 studies including 17 studies with 6,806 cases and 5,229 controls on XRCC1 Arg399Gln, 13 studies with 3,234 cases and 4,807 controls on XRCC1 Arg280His, 13 studies with 2,956 cases and 3,860 controls on XRCC1 Arg194Trp, five studies with 1,287 cases and 1,422 controls on XRCC2 Arg188His, 13 studies with 2,488 cases and 3,586 controls on XRCC3 Thr241Met, and six studies with 1,828 cases and 2,060 controls on XRCC3 IVS5-14 polymorphism were selected. Polled data revealed that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln, Arg280His, Arg194Trp, XRCC2 Arg188His and XRCC3 Thr241Met and IVS5-14 polymorphisms were not significantly associated with an increased risk of TC. Stratified analyses by ethnicity showed that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln polymorphism was associated with TC risk in Caucasians, but not in Asians. Conclusions: Our meta-analysis indicated that the XRCC1 Arg399Gln, Arg280His, Arg194Trp, XRCC2 Arg188His, XRCC3 Thr241Met and IVS5-14 polymorphisms were not associated with risk of TC in the global population. Further well-designed investigations with large sample sizes are required to confirm our results.
Epidemiology of Epilepsy in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Experience of a Standardized Questionnaire over the Past Two Decades

Introduction: Epilepsy affects >50 million people worldwide, with 80% of them living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Studies with a standardized methodology are required to obtain comparable data on epilepsy and implement health policies in order to reduce the treatment gap and improve the diagnosis and management of epilepsy. In 2000, following the guidelines of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), the “questionnaire for investigation of epilepsy in tropical countries” (IENT questionnaire) was developed to promote epidemiological surveys on epilepsy using a standard methodology. This study aims to describe how, when, where, and why the IENT questionnaire has been used through epidemiological studies on epilepsy over the last 2 decades and to acquire users’ opinions about the tool. Methods: Studies that used the IENT questionnaire were searched through international and local bibliographic databases, including the gray literature. An online survey was carried out, including a snowball effect. Original research studies were included. Characteristics of the studies and populations and general information on the instrument and its use were collected. Results: Eighty-two documents were selected referring to 61 studies that were mostly carried out on the African continent (n = 54). Most of them aimed to determine the prevalence (n = 31) and associated factors (n = 28) of epilepsy in LMICs. Among the 61 studies, 35 were population-based, and 30 included both adults and children. A methodological heterogeneity was found between studies, and in cases where the IENT questionnaire alone did not ensure complete data collection, other tools were used concomitantly (n = 40). Discussion/Conclusion: Over the last 2 decades, the IENT questionnaire has been continuously used in different LMICs. This result favors its promotion and updating, with the inclusion of new topics related to epilepsy (e.g., comorbidities, quality of life, and stigma), current ILAE guidelines, and digital versions.
SRSF10: an atypical splicing regulator with critical roles in stress response, organ development, and viral replication

Serine/arginine splicing factor 10 (SRSF10) is a member of the family of mammalian splicing regulators known as SR proteins. Like several of its SR siblings, the SRSF10 protein is composed of an RNA binding domain (RRM) and of arginine and serine-rich auxiliary domains (RS) that guide interactions with other proteins. The phosphorylation status of SRSF10 is of paramount importance for its activity and is subjected to changes during mitosis, heat-shock, and DNA damage. SRSF10 overexpression has functional consequences in a growing list of cancers. By controlling the alternative splicing of specific transcripts, SRSF10 has also been implicated in glucose, fat, and cholesterol metabolism, in the development of the embryonic heart, and in neurological processes. SRSF10 is also important for the proper expression and processing of HIV-1 and other viral transcripts. We discuss how SRSF10 could become a potentially appealing therapeutic target to combat cancer and viral infections.
Evaluation of the levels of reactive di-carbonyl compounds and polyaromatic hydrocarbons in processed Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus)

Trachurus trachurus (locally called kote in Western Nigeria) is a table fish. During processing like poaching and smoking, fish come in contact with water, smoke and high temperatures, which may interfere with the nutrient contents and are potential sources of reactive di-carbonyl compounds (RDCs) and polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This study was therefore conducted to determine the level of RDCs and PAHs in raw and processed Trachurus trachurus fillet; skin, head and bones (SHB). Fish samples were prepared by poaching and smoking (charcoal and wood). RDCs and levels of 5 individual PAHs including fluorene, phenanthrene, anthracene, benz(a)anthracene and naphthalene were determined in raw, poached and smoked (charcoal and wood) Trachurus trachurus using standard methods. Results indicated that all processing methods significantly increased (p < 0.05) levels of RDCs and PAHs in the fillet and SHB. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that charcoal smoke processing produced the lowest levels of RDCs and PAHs in kote fillet and SHB.