Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linear porokeratosis with severe itch accompanied by lesional upregulation of interleukin 31, thymic stromal lymphopoietin, and periostin

EJD, vol. 31, n◦ 4, July-August 2021 SARS-CoV-2 protein on vascular endothelial cells were observed (figure 1N, P, Q). The immune response to infection can lead to activation of Langerhans cells, resulting in vasodilation [6], consistent with finger purpura. We speculate that COVID-19-associated abnormal coagulation causes livedo, and that accumulation of microthrombus at these sites impairs skin circulation, resulting in necrosis of keratinocytes and sweat gland cells. Our case showed positivity for C3d, SARS-CoV-2 envelope and spike protein, and MXA protein (figure 1O), and this is consistent with both COVID-19-induced thrombogenic vasculopathy and COVID-19-induced increased type I interferon (IFN) response [7]. Recently, biopsies from livedo/retiform purpura in severe COVID-19 patients were shown to exhibit pauci-inflammatory vascular thrombosis without any MXA, and blood vessels exhibited extensive complement deposition with SARS-CoV-2 protein [8]. Furthermore, it has reported that at least 3.5% of patients with life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia had genetic defects at eight of the 13 candidate loci involved in Tolllike receptor 3and interferon regulatory factor 7-dependent induction and amplification of type I IFNs [8]. Thus, cutaneous disease in patients with severe COVID-19 may be linked to a decreased type I IFN response. However, there are some studies reporting a high type I IFN response in severe COVID-19 [9, 10]. Therefore, it remains to be determined whether MXA expression correlates with disease severity. Although the patient’s general condition did not improve, the livedo and finger purpura finally disappeared after three weeks; cutaneous manifestations, therefore, did not correlate with COVID-19 disease activity. Such a correlation remains to be determined, and a large number of Japanese cases would be required to investigate this further.
Zinc finger protein A20 regulates the development and progression of osteoarthritis by affecting the activity of NF-κB p65

Abstract Objective To investigate the role of Zinc finger protein A20 in osteoarthritis (OA) by regulating NF-κB p65. Methods A20, MMP1, MMP13 and IL-1β expressions in human OA cartilage samples were detected by qRT-PCR. IL-1β-induced chondrocyte was treated with A20 lentivirus activation particle, pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC, a NF-κB inhibitor) with/without A20 siRNA. IL-6, TNF-α, and PGE2 levels were measured by ELISA, and NO production by Greiss reaction. Destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM) surgery was used to construct the OA models, followed by injection of A20 adenovirus. MMP1 and MMP13 expression was measured by immunohistochemistry. The mRNA and protein expression were performed by qRT-PCR and western blotting, respectively. Results A20 was down-regulated in human OA cartilage samples, and negatively correlated with the expressions of MMP1, MMP13 and IL-1β. The IL-1β-induced chondrocyte manifested decreased A20 with increased NF-κB p65 activity. A20 overexpression suppressed the NF-κB p65 activity in IL-1β-induced chondrocyte. Furthermore, PDTC decreased IL-1β-induced chondrocyte apoptosis with the upregulated COL1A1, COL2A1, COL10A1 and ACAN, as well as the down-regulated MMP1, MMP13, COX2, iNOS, IL-6, TNF-α, NO and PGE2, which was reversed by A20 siRNA. In vivo, OA mice gained higher OARSI score and Mankin’s score, exhibited up-regulations of MMP1 and MMP13, and decreased NF-κB p65 activity, which was improved after injection of A20 adenovirus. Conclusion A20 was reduced in OA cartilage samples, and its overexpression, by suppressing the activity of NF-κB p65, could improve IL-1β-induced chondrocyte degradation and apoptosis in vitro, as well as mitigate the inflammation in OA mice.
Optimal Daily Trading of Battery Operations Using Arbitrage Spreads

An important revenue stream for electric battery operators is often arbitraging the hourly price spreads in the day-ahead auction. The optimal approach to this is challenging if risk is a consideration as this requires the estimation of density functions. Since the hourly prices are not normal and not independent, creating spread densities from the difference of separately estimated price densities is generally intractable. Thus, forecasts of all intraday hourly spreads were directly specified as an upper triangular matrix containing densities. The model was a flexible four-parameter distribution used to produce dynamic parameter estimates conditional upon exogenous factors, most importantly wind, solar and the day-ahead demand forecasts. These forecasts supported the optimal daily scheduling of a storage facility, operating on single and multiple cycles per day. The optimization is innovative in its use of spread trades rather than hourly prices, which this paper argues, is more attractive in reducing risk. In contrast to the conventional approach of trading the daily peak and trough, multiple trades are found to be profitable and opportunistic depending upon the weather forecasts.
Warm-cool color-based high-speed decolorization: an empirical approach for tone mapping applications

Abstract. Grayscale images are fundamental to many image processing applications, such as data compression, feature extraction, printing, and tone mapping. However, some image information is lost when converting from color to grayscale. We propose a lightweight and high-speed image decolorization method based on human perception of color temperatures. Chromatic aberration results from differential refraction of light depending on its wavelength. It causes some rays corresponding to cooler colors (such as blue, green) to converge before the warmer colors (such as red and orange). This phenomenon creates a perception of warm colors “advancing” toward the eye, whereas the cool colors to be “receding” away. In this proposed color-to-gray conversion model, we implement a weighted blending function to combine red (perceived warm) and blue (perceived cool) channels. Our main contribution is threefold. First, we implement a high-speed color processing method using exact pixel-by-pixel processing, and we report a 5.7 × speed up compared with other new algorithms. Second, our optimal color conversion method produces luminance in images that are comparable to other state-of-the-art methods that we quantified using the objective metrics (E-score and C2G-SSIM) and subjective user studies (decolorization and tone mapping). Third, we demonstrate that an effective luminance distribution can be achieved using our algorithm using global and local tone mapping applications.
Az Észlelt Stressz Kérdőív járványspecifikus verziójának validálása Validation of pandemic-specific version of the Perceived Stress Scale

Objective: To develop and psychometrically investigate a pandemic-specific version of the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-PAN) that measures stress related to the pandemic. Method: Factor structure as well as convergent and divergent validity of the 10-item PSS-PAN were examined on the data set of an online survey (n = 1164; mean age: 38.57 years; standard deviation: 6.27 years; 84.2% women). Results: A one-factor structure for the PSS-PAN was confirmed. The scale correlated significantly with scores on the Shortened Beck Depression Inventory (r = 0.41; n = 1164; p<0.001), the 4-item Perceived Stress Scale (r = 0.46; n = 1164; p<0.001), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (r = –0.29; n = 1164; p<0.001). Women’s PSS-PAN scores were significantly higher than men’s (t (1162) = –7.135; p<0.001) but this difference was trivial (Cohen’s d = 0.06). Further, scale scores did not differ significantly across educational attainment (F (6;1157) = 2.035; p = 0.06; η 2 = 0.01). Lower middle class participants’ mean scores were significantly higher than those of middle-class respondents accord-ing to the post hoc test (F (4;1159) = 3.461; p = 0.01; η 2 = 0.01). PSS-PAN scores did not correlate significantly with age (r = –0.04; n = 1164; Discussion: The PSS-PAN has a single-component structure. Moderately strong and weak correlations with other scales support its convergent and divergent validity and indicate that it is a distinct indicator of pandemic-related perceived stress. Its total score was not or not strongly associated with gender, age, education level, or socioeconomic status. Conclusion: The PSS-PAN is a proper instrument to measure pandemic-specific perceived stress.
Novel Anti-Angiogenic and Anti-Tumour Activities of the N-Terminal Domain of NOEY2 via Binding to VEGFR-2 in Ovarian Cancer

The imprinted tumour suppressor NOEY2 is downregulated in various cancer types, including ovarian cancers. Recent data suggest that NOEY2 plays an essential role in regulating the cell cycle, angiogenesis and autophagy in tumorigenesis. However, its detailed molecular function and mechanisms in ovarian tumours remain unclear. In this report, we initially demonstrated the inhibitory effect of NOEY2 on tumour growth by utilising a xenograft tumour model. NOEY2 attenuated the cell growth approximately fourfold and significantly reduced tumour vascularity. NOEY2 inhibited the phosphorylation of the signalling components downstream of phosphatidylinositol-3’-kinase (PI3K), including phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase 1 (PDK-1), tuberous sclerosis complex 2 (TSC-2) and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K), during ovarian tumour progression via direct binding to vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2). Particularly, the N-terminal domain of NOEY2 (NOEY2-N) had a potent anti-angiogenic activity and dramatically downregulated VEGF and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), key regulators of angiogenesis. Since no X-ray or nuclear magnetic resonance structures is available for NOEY2, we constructed the three-dimensional structure of this protein via molecular modelling methods, such as homology modelling and molecular dynamic simulations. Thereby, Lys15 and Arg16 appeared as key residues in the N-terminal domain. We also found that NOEY2-N acts as a potent inhibitor of tumorigenesis and angiogenesis. These findings provide convincing evidence that NOEY2-N regulates endothelial cell function and angiogenesis by interrupting the VEGFR-2/PDK-1/GSK-3β signal transduction and thus strongly suggest that NOEY2-N might serve as a novel anti-tumour and anti-angiogenic agent against many diseases, including ovarian cancer.
Toward a Socioeconomic-Aware HCI: Five Facets

Although inequities and biases relating to people in low socioeconomic situations are starting to capture widespread attention in the popular press, little attention has been given to how such inequities and biases might pervade technology user experiences. Without understanding such inequities in user experiences, technology designers can unwittingly introduce inequities tied to users’ socioeconomic status (SES). To enable the HCI community to address this problem, in this paper, we consider a wide body of research that contributes to how a user’s socioeconomic status potentially shapes their interactions and user experiences. We organize that research into 20 aspects of socioeconomic status; then derive a core set of five SES “facets” (attribute types and value ranges) with differing impacts on user experiences for different SES strata; and finally, present actionable paths forward for HCI researchers and practitioners to draw upon these facets, to bring socioeconomic awareness
How Temporal Symmetry Defines Morphology in BATSE Gamma-Ray Burst Pulse Light Curves

We present compelling evidence that most gamma-ray burst (GRB) pulse light curves can be characterized by a smooth single-peaked component coupled with a more complex emission structure that is temporally symmetric around the time of the pulse peak. The model successfully fits 86% of Burst and Transient Source Experiment GRB pulses bright enough for structural properties to be measured. Surprisingly, a GRB pulse’s light-curve morphology can be accurately predicted by the pulse asymmetry and the stretching/compression needed to align the structural components preceding the temporal mirror with the time-reversed components following it. Such a prediction is only possible because GRB pulses exhibit temporal symmetry. Time-asymmetric pulses include fast rise exponential decays, rollercoaster pulses, and asymmetric u-pulses, while time-symmetric pulses include u-pulses and crowns. Each morphological type is characterized by specific asymmetries, stretching parameters, durations, and alignments between the smooth and structured components, and a delineation in the asymmetry/stretching distribution suggests that symmetric pulses and asymmetric pulses may belong to separate populations. Furthermore, pulses belonging to the short GRB class exhibit similar morphologies to the long GRB class, but appear to simply occur on shorter timescales.
Sex differences in neck strength and head impact kinematics in university rugby union players

ABSTRACT Globally, over three million women participate in rugby union, yet injury prevention and training strategies are predominantly based on androcentric data. These strategies may have limited generalisability to females, given the cervical spine is more susceptible to whiplash and less adept at resisting inertial loading. A total of 53 university rugby union players (25 female, 28 male, 20.7 ± 1.8 years) had their isometric neck strength measured. Bespoke instrumented mouthguards were used to record the magnitude of head impact events in six female and seven male competitive matches. Mean female maximal isometric neck strength was 47% lower than male. Independent samples Mann–Whitney U tests showed no significant differences for peak linear head acceleration (female: median 11.7 g, IQR 7.9 g; male: median 12.5 g, IQR 7.0 g p=.23) or peak rotational head acceleration (female: median 800.2 rad·s−2, IQR 677.7 rad·s−2; male: median 849.4 rad·s−2, IQR 479.8 rad·s−2; p=.76), despite the mean male body mass being 24% greater than female. Coded video analysis revealed substantial differences in head-impact mechanisms; uncontrolled whiplash dominated >50% of all recorded female impact events and <0.5% in males. Direct head-to-ground impacts comprised 26.1% of female and 9.7% of male impacts, with whiplash occurring in 78.0% and 0.5%, respectively. Overall, the data provided in this study do not support the generalisation of male-derived training and injury-prevention data to female rugby athletes. These results suggest a considerable research effort is required to identify specific weakness of female rugby players and derive appropriate training, injury prevention and return to play protocols. Highlights Video analysis revealed substantial differences in head-impact mechanisms, with uncontrolled whiplash dominating >50% of all recorded female impact events but rarely in males. Isometric neck strength was 47% lower in female players than males. Direct head-to-ground impacts accounted for 26.1% and 9.7% of female and male impacts, with whiplash occurring in 78.0% and 0.5%, respectively.
Assessment of 177Lu‐labeled carboxyl‐terminated polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer‐RGD peptide conjugate

Structurally unique polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers implanted with targeting biological moiety along with complexed radiometal constitute a favorable nano‐system for diagnosis and therapy of targeted tumor sites. In the present study, carboxyl functionalities of PAMAM‐ generation 4 dendrimer (PAMAM‐G4‐COOH) were conjugated with ε‐amino group of lysine of cRGDfK peptide to impart integrin αvβ3 targeting capability. Reaction of p‐NH2‐Bn‐DOTA with PAMAM was accomplished via acid‐amine coupling using EDC/NHS for 177Lu‐complexation. 177Lu‐labeled nano‐system, 177Lu‐PAMAM‐DOTA‐cRGDfK demonstrated receptor‐mediated uptake in murine melanoma B16F10 cells during in vitro cell uptake studies. In vivo biodistribution studies demonstrated low tumor uptake and retention of 177Lu‐PAMAM‐DOTA‐cRGDfK which may be attributed to rapid blood clearance. However, fast clearance from non‐target organs resulted in higher target to background ratio. Tumor uptake of targeted nano‐system, 177Lu‐PAMAM‐DOTA‐cRGDfK was observed to be significantly (p < 0.05) higher in comparison to 177Lu‐PAMAM‐DOTA without the targeting peptide. Inhibition studies with unlabeled cRGDfK resulted in 60% reduction in tumor uptake of 177Lu‐PAMAM‐DOTA‐cRGDfK, indicating specificity of the developed nano‐system towards integrin αvβ3 receptors.
Whole-body clonal mapping identifies giant dominant clones in zebrafish skin epidermis.

Skin expansion during development is predominantly driven by growth of basal epithelial cell (BEC)-derived clonal populations, which often display varied sizes and shapes. However, little is known about the causes of clonal heterogeneity and the maximum size to which a single clone can grow. Here, we created a zebrafish model, basebow, for capturing clonal growth behavior in the BEC population on a whole-body, centimeter scale. By tracking 222 BECs over the course of a 28-fold expansion of body surface area, we determined that most BECs survive and grow clonal populations with an average size of 0.013 mm2. An extensive survey of 742 sparsely labeled BECs further revealed that giant dominant clones occasionally arise on specific body regions, covering up to 0.6% of the surface area. Additionally, a growth-induced extracellular matrix component, Lamb1a, mediates clonal growth in a cell-autonomous manner. Altogether, our findings demonstrate how clonal heterogeneity and clonal dominance may emerge to enable post-embryonic growth of a vertebrate organ, highlighting key cellular mechanisms that may only become evident when visualizing single cell behavior at the whole animal level.
The experience of employers of individuals with traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACT Objectives: To understand the experience of employers of individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who have received comprehensive vocational rehabilitation (VR), the factors involved in supporting an individual with TBI to return to work (RTW), and the support needs of employers. Methods: 12 employers completed semi-structured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed, and analysed thematically. Results: Five main themes were identified: challenges and impact on employer, managing employee post-injury changes, looking after employee wellbeing, managing conflicting emotions, and utilizing sources of support. Although employers received support with operational challenges, findings suggest they were not prepared for the emotional journey. While they struggled to support employees through the difficult process of realizing they could no longer perform at their pre-injury level, employers strove to find appropriate roles and ensure wellbeing for their injured employees. Despite employers' endeavours, they felt this process was demoralizing for some employees. Conclusions: Advising employers on operational as well as emotional support needs of both employees and employers is an ongoing challenge for VR providers. Although unsupportive employers were not well-represented in this sample, the study highlights the challenges faced and strategies used by employers who have a strong personal investment in the successful RTW of their employees.
The Effect of Pre-Harvest Methyl Jasmonate Treatment on the SelectedVolatile Compounds and Endogenous Hormones Contends in the Pulp ofGrape Berries

Grapevine is one of the most valued and widely cultivated fruit crop worldwide, with their pleasant flavor and valuable health effects. During the consequent ripening at ambient temperature, the volatile compounds of table grape often decreased, to affect their sensory evaluation. The development of new and effective methods to increase the volatile compounds of berries is necessary. Present study was carried out to investigate the pre-harvest methyl jasmonate (MeJA) treatment on the selected volatile compounds and endogenous hormones content from ‘Shine Muscat’ berries pulp. The results indicated that, pre-harvest application of MeJA (0.1 mM or 0.01 mM) on grape berries generally enhanced the production of terpenes, like nerol, linalool, alpha-terpineol; While some C6 compounds were reduced, such as (E)-2-hexenol, hexanol, (Z)-3-hexenol, hexanal and (E)-2-hexenal. The endogenous hormones like IAA (indole acetic acid), ABA (abscisic acid) and JA (jasmonate acid) content were also changed after MeJA treatment. We also observed that MeJA palys a key role in fruit endogenous hormones level and volatile compounds by increasing the expression level of several related genes, such as aroma-related genes Vvter, Vv-syn and hormone-related genes VvOPR3, VvAuI, VvEth, VvNCED1. We hypothesize that, MeJA as an effective elicitor affects the volatile compounds by altering endogenous hormones level in berries pulp of ‘Shine Muscat’.
Epidemiological and clinical profile, and survival of patients followed for breast cancer between 2010 and 2015 at the Yaounde General Hospital, Cameroon

Introduction approximately 6000 Cameroonian women died of cancer in 2018, and the breast is the most affected with 2625 new cases. The aim of this study was to establish a pattern of malignant breast tumours in Yaoundé (Cameroon). Methods this study was a descriptive and analytical retrospective study of breast cancer between January 2010 and December 2015 in Yaoundé General Hospital (YGH) after the Institutional ethics committee approval. The variables studied were the socio-demographic characteristics, risk factors for breast cancer, types of tumours and type of treatments. The 5-year survival was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier method. The adjusted hazard ratios and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated to assess the association between studied variables and patient survival through the cox regression using SPSS 23 software. The difference was considered significant at p < 0.05. Results among the 344 files collected in this study, breast cancer patients were predominantly female (96.64%, n = 288) aged 45.39 ± 13.35 years, with invasive ductal carcinoma (68.03%, n = 270), located in the left breast (52%, n= 147). The average tumour size was ~6.5 ± 0.3 cm and diagnosed in grade II of Scarf Bloom Richardson (SBR) in 60% (n= 150) of cases. The 5-year survival was 43.3%. Factors associated with this poor survival were the religion (aHR 5.05, 95% CI: 1.57 - 16.25; p = 0.007 for animist and aHR 4.2, 95% CI: 1.53 - 11.46; p = 0.005 for protestant), location of the tumour (aHR 6.24, 95% CI: 1.58 - 24.60; p = 0.012), tumor height (aHR 0.21, 95% CI: 0.04 - 1.11; p = 0.011) and the time spent before medical treatment (aHR 5.12, 95% CI: 0.39 - 8.38; p = 0.011). Conclusion the young age, large tumour size and high histological grade in our studied population suggest a weak awareness of women about breast cancer. Action should be taken in early screening to improve the management of breast cancer in Cameroon.