Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria: Current Management, Unmet Needs, and Recommendations

Abstract Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) is an ultra-rare, acquired clonal abnormality, which renders hematopoietic cells exquisitely sensitive to complement-mediated destruction. Classical features of PNH include intravascular hemolytic anemia, increased thrombotic risk, and manifestations related to end-organ damage (eg fatigue, chest pain, dyspnea, renal failure, and pulmonary hypertension). With supportive care alone, mortality rate of patients with PNH is approximately 35%. The anti-C5 monoclonal antibody, eculizumab, was the first targeted therapy approved for PNH, and led to improved hemoglobin, quality of life, reduced transfusion need, reduced thrombosis, and greater overall survival. More recently, therapeutics such as longer acting anti-C5 (ravulizumab) and anti-C3 (pegcetacoplan) medications have been approved, along with other novel therapeutics in late-stage clinical trials. Biosimilars of eculizumab are also now available. Proximal inhibitors (against C3, factor B, and factor D) have shown significant improvements in hemoglobin and transfusion-avoidance in patients who remain anemic despite C5 inhibition. Despite these novel therapies, some unmet challenges remain, including management of breakthrough hemolysis, clinically significant iatrogenic extravascular hemolysis, optimal management in pregnancy, and infection risk mitigation as new targets in the complement system are blocked. In addition, the use of self-administered subcutaneous and oral therapies raises concerns around treatment adherence and the risks of uncontrolled terminal complement. Given the ultra-rare nature of PNH, development is underway of a centralized international registry to capture and analyze the data as they mature for various new therapies and characterize the clinical challenges related to PNH management.
Development of a New Class of Monoamine Oxidase-B Inhibitors by Fine-Tuning the Halogens on the Acylhydrazones

A total of 14 acyl hydrazine derivatives (ACH1–ACH14) were developed and examined for their ability to block monoamine oxidase (MAO). Thirteen analogues showed stronger inhibition potency against MAO-B than MAO-A. With a half-maximum inhibitory concentration of 0.14 μM, ACH10 demonstrated the strongest inhibitory activity against MAO-B, followed by ACH14, ACH13, ACH8, and ACH3 (IC50 = 0.15, 0.18, 0.20, and 0.22 μM, respectively). Structure–activity relationships suggested that the inhibition effect on MAO-B resulted from the combination of halogen substituents of the A- and/or B-rings. This series concluded that when –F was substituted to the B-ring, MAO-B inhibitory activities were high, except for ACH6. In the inhibition kinetics study, the compounds ACH10 and ACH14 were identified as competitive inhibitors, with Ki values of 0.097 ± 0.0021 and 0.10 ± 0.038 μM, respectively. In a reversibility experiment using the dialysis methods, ACH10 and ACH14 showed effective recoveries of MAO-B inhibition as much as lazabemide, a reversible reference. These experiments proposed that ACH10 and ACH14 were efficient, reversible competitive MAO-B inhibitors. In addition, the lead molecules showed good blood–brain barrier permeation with the PAMPA method. The molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulation study confirmed that the hit compound ACH10 can form a stable protein–ligand complex by forming a hydrogen bond with the NH atom in the hydrazide group of the compound.
MicroRNAs in Small Extracellular Vesicles from Amniotic Fluid and Maternal Plasma Associated with Fetal Palate Development in Mice

Cleft palate (CP) is a common congenital birth defect. Cellular and morphological processes change dynamically during palatogenesis, and any disturbance in this process could result in CP. However, the molecular mechanisms steering this fundamental phase remain unclear. One study suggesting a role for miRNAs in palate development via maternal small extracellular vesicles (SEVs) drew our attention to their potential involvement in palatogenesis. In this study, we used an in vitro model to determine how SEVs derived from amniotic fluid (ASVs) and maternal plasma (MSVs) influence the biological behaviors of mouse embryonic palatal mesenchyme (MEPM) cells and medial edge epithelial (MEE) cells; we also compared time-dependent differential expression (DE) miRNAs in ASVs and MSVs with the DE mRNAs in palate tissue from E13.5 to E15.5 to study the dynamic co-regulation of miRNAs and mRNAs during palatogenesis in vivo. Our results demonstrate that some pivotal biological activities, such as MEPM proliferation, migration, osteogenesis, and MEE apoptosis, might be directed, in part, by stage-specific MSVs and ASVs. We further identified interconnected networks and key miRNAs such as miR-744-5p, miR-323-5p, and miR-3102-5p, offering a roadmap for mechanistic investigations and the identification of early CP biomarkers.
2-D Modeling of topographic effects using three basic geometries and the spectral-element method

Topographic effect. In the present work, the topographic effect was investigated selecting three basic 2-D geometries and using the feasibility of the spectral-element method (SEM; as implemented in the specfem2d code). The 2-D geometries were a triangle, an half-circle and a slope. 2-D models (P-SV waves) considering a real topography (Mount Ocre in L’Aquila district) were also performed, varying the velocities and the number of nearby topographic peaks. Indeed it is known that jointly with local soil condition, geometrical morphological irregularities (slope, ridge, canyon, cliff, etc.) can amplify the seismic ground motion during earthquakes. Topographic site effects depends strongly on the geometry, on input wave
Engineered pine endophytic Bacillus toyonensis with nematocidal and colonization abilities for pine wilt disease control

Introduction The pinewood nematode (PWN) is responsible for causing pine wilt disease (PWD), which has led to the significant decline of conifer species in Eurasian forests and has become a globally invasive quarantine pest. Manipulating plant-associated microbes to control nematodes is an important strategy for sustainable pest management. However, it has proven difficult to find pine-associated bacteria that possess both nematocidal activity and the ability to colonize pine tissues. Methods The stress experiments with turpentine and pine tissue extract were carried out to screen for the desired target strain that could adapt to the internal environment of pine trees. This strain was used to construct an engineered nematocidal strain. Additionally, a fluorescent strain was constructed to determine its dispersal ability in Pinus massoniana seedlings through plate separation, PCR detection, and fluorescence microscopy observations. The engineered nematocidal strain was tested in the greenhouse experiment to assess its ability to effectively protect P. massoniana seedlings from nematode infection. Results This study isolated a Bacillus toyonensis strain Bxy19 from the healthy pine stem, which showed exceptional tolerance in stress experiments. An engineered nematocidal strain Bxy19P3C6 was constructed, which expressed the Cry6Aa crystal protein and exhibited nematocidal activity. The fluorescent strain Bxy19GFP was also constructed and used to test its dispersal ability. It was observed to enter the needles of the seedlings through the stomata and colonize the vascular bundle after being sprayed on the seedlings. The strain was observed to colonize and spread in the tracheid after being injected into the stems. The strain could colonize the seedlings and persist for at least 50 days. Furthermore, the greenhouse experiments indicated that both spraying and injecting the engineered strain Bxy19P3C6 had considerable efficacy against nematode infection. Discussion The evidence of the colonization ability and persistence of the strain in pine advances our understanding of the control and prediction of the colonization of exogenously delivered bacteria in pines. This study provides a promising approach for manipulating plant-associated bacteria and using Bt protein to control nematodes.
Constructing a region of interest using map information for object tracking in autonomous vehicles

The Delft University of Technology intends to aid in the development of autonomous vehicles by building their own experiment platform in the DAVI project. To be able to make valid decisions, an autonomous vehicle needs to know its surroundings. Many sensors are used to detect any objects within range, but the sensor information has to be processed to form a map of the environment with all objects of importance on it; this process is called tracking. Current methods of tracking and associating objects are accurate enough to be safely used in an autonomous vehicle, but require significant computation power. Increasing the speed of the algorithms without losing performance is a real challenge. As with many methods, the joint probabilistic data association (JPDA) algorithm gets exponentially slower with more objects and more measurements. It is therefore proposed that a method that splits the survey area into smaller regions could lead to a faster algorithm. In this research, a region is dynamically constructed while the vehicle drives around using extended maps that contain all the information on the infrastructure (eHorizon). The region is created by merging polygons that are defined by the road shape. Objects within the region are tracked with a JPDA algorithm, while objects further away (outside the region) are tracked with a fast and simple nearest neighbor Kalman filter. Once an object gets inside the region, the track will automatically be handled by the JPDA algorithm. Experiments show that the region tracking algorithm performs faster than a JPDA algorithm without clustering and manages to keep track of objects in challenging environments. Compared to a clustering JPDA algorithm the processing times are slightly higher, but the region trackers shows more robustness in densely cluttered scenarios where large clusters mean more processing time for the clustering algorithm.
Study on the Static and Dynamic Performance of Concave Triangular Honeycomb Sandwich Panels

Negative Poisson's ratio (NPR) material perform well in shear resistance, impact resistance, and fracture resistance. In this study, a novel honeycomb sandwich panel is introduced, named Concave Triangular Honeycomb Sandwich Panel (CTHSP), which employs a concave triangle structure with NPR effect as the core layer. The study on the static and dynamic performance of CTHSPs are conducted through numerical simulation. Specifically, the influence of main geometric parameters (single cell size a, core layer thickness t, face-plate core layer thickness ratio h/H, concave angle α) on the bending stiffness, buckling critical load and natural frequency of CTHSPs are studied. Moreover, a new index of specific stiffness is introduced to evaluate the advantages of lightweight and high strength of the sandwich panels. The above research can provide a basis for the selection of CTHSPs in practical application.
PDCD4 silencing alleviates KA‑induced neurotoxicity of HT22 cells by inhibiting endoplasmic reticulum stress via blocking the MAPK/NF‑κB signaling pathway

Human programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4) has been reported to participate in multiple neurological diseases. However, the role of PDCD4 in epilepsy, as well as its underlying mechanism, remains unclear. To induce excitotoxicity, 100 µM kainic acid (KA) was applied for the stimulation of HT22 cells for 12 h. Initially, the mRNA and protein expression levels of PDCD4 were evaluated using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR and western blotting. A lactate dehydrogenase assay was performed to detect cell injury. Cell apoptosis was assessed using flow cytometry and western blotting was performed to determine the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins. Oxidative stress was detected using dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate staining, and malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) assay kits. Furthermore, the expression levels of MAPK/NF-κB signaling-related proteins and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-related proteins C/EBP homologous protein, glucose-regulated protein 78, activating transcription factor 4 and phosphorylated-eukaryotic initiation factor-2α were assessed by western blotting. It was revealed that PDCD4 expression was markedly elevated in KA-induced HT22 cells, whereas PDCD4 silencing alleviated KA-induced neurotoxicity of HT22 cells by alleviating cell injury and inhibiting apoptosis. In addition, PDCD4 silencing reduced the levels of reactive oxygen species and MDA, but elevated those of SOD and GSH-Px. PDCD4 silencing also suppressed ER stress by blocking the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway. By contrast, the MAPK agonist phorbol myristate acetate reversed the effects of PDCD4 silencing on KA-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in HT22 cells. In conclusion, PDCD4 silencing alleviated KA-induced neurotoxicity and oxidative stress in HT22 cells by suppressing ER stress through the inhibition of the MAPK/NF-κB signaling pathway, which may provide novel insights into the treatment of epilepsy.
Sub-Pixel Checkerboard Corner Localization for Robust Vision Measurement

Precise localization of checkerboard corner is crucial for camera calibration and accurate vision measurement. The accuracy of classical corner localization methods is affected by environmental factors, which hinders the effectiveness of vision measurements in complex scenes. We propose a novel end-to-end sub-pixel method for localizing checkerboard corners to overcome this challenge, demonstrating improved robustness in adverse conditions. We employ an EfficientNetv2-like backbone network to map the input image to a set of corners using offset regression. The continuous heatmap matching loss enables fine-grained spatial learning ability, while score loss ensures prediction sparsity and suppresses false positive probabilities. The model is trained on synthesized datasets with precise corner labels. Quantitative experimental results demonstrate the superior sub-pixel localization precision and robustness of our method on both synthetic and real-world datasets.
The estimated glomerular filtration rate was U-shaped associated with abdominal aortic calcification in US adults: findings from NHANES 2013–2014

Objectives The high incidence of abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) is well-documented in individuals with severe renal function decline. However, there is limited research on the historical relationship between estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and the risk of AAC occurrence in the general population undergoing routine medical examinations. The main objective of this study was to investigate the historical relationship between eGFR and AAC in the general population of the United States. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013–2014 database. Weighted multivariate linear regression models were used to estimate the associations of eGFR with AAC score. Smooth curve fitting and two-piecewise linear regression were employed to explore the potential non-linear relationship. Results A total of 2,978 participant (48.22% were male) aged 40–80 years were included in this study. The fully-adjusted model demonstrated a negative correlation between eGFR and AAC score (β = −0.015, 95% CI: −0.023 to −0.006). However, when applying the smooth curve fitting method, a U-shaped relationship was identified, and the inflection point was calculated at 76.43 ml/min/1.73 m2 using the two-piecewise linear regression model. Conclusions There was a U-shaped association between eGFR and AAC score in general US adults, with an inflection point at about 76.43 ml/min/1.73 m2.
Effect of CeO2 Doped Zirconium Titanate with Various Temperatures by Solid-State Reaction Method

The synthesis of ceramic composites consisting of cerium and titanium-doped zirconium (ZCT) oxide was achieved by the solid-state reaction technique. The ZCT composite ceramic powder undergoes sintering at various temperatures, including room temperature (RT), 1000°C, 1100°C, 1200°C, and 1300°C. Extensive study has been conducted on ceria-based materials in the field of catalysis, owing to their vast array of uses. Nevertheless, there was a limited amount of research conducted on the impact of ceria in the solid-state reaction approach. The current study employed a solid-state reaction method to fabricate ceramic composites comprising ZrO2, CeO2, and TiO2. Various sintering temperatures were employed in the process. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the sintering effect of ZCT ceramic oxides on several aspects, including crystal structure, surface morphology, optical properties, and electrical properties. The ZCT ceramic oxide underwent sintering at room temperature (RT), 1000°C, and 1100°C, resulting in the formation of a monoclinic crystal structure. However, sintering at 1200°C and 1300°C led to the presence of mixed phases, characterized by both monoclinic and tetragonal crystal structures, as observed through X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. When the sintering temperature is increased from 1000 to 1300°C, there is a modest drop in the band gap of a ZCT material from 3.43eV to 3.25eV. frequency(1mHZ-200kHz) dependence of dielectric constant, dielectric loss and ac electrical conductivity of the synthesized composites were carried out. The results indicate that dielectric constant and loss decreases with frequency rises and reaches a constant value at higher frequencies. The electrical conductivity of all ZCT samples exhibits an increase as the frequency is raised, whereas it reaches a minimum at lower frequencies.
Conception of a Multi-Component Water System with Individually Adaptable Modules for Measuring Diverse Parameters and a Variability of the Purification Output Quality

This work deals with an adaptable water reactor design built from different modules as a basis for research. These modules are selected according to the application and are used for sensor related cleaning and supporting tasks. For example, to produce a specific water quality or for pharmaceutical applications. Sensor related modules are used to measure various parameters such as temperature, TOC, flow parameters and others. In addition to simple membrane filter modules, UV-C disinfection and experimental modules are integrated into the setup. Modules for pumping processes, for power supply such as solar, for control tasks and the connection systems of water and electricity between modules are also outlined. This system is described on the basis of scientific examples that use this system. In more detail the modules for temperature, TOC measurement, and UV-C disinfection as well as the supply and control modules are shown.
DRONE-BASED CROP TYPE IDENTIFICATION WITH CONVOLUTIONAL NEURAL NETWORKS: AN EVALUATION OF THE PERFORMANCE OF RESNET ARCHITECTURES

Abstract. This study investigates the application of deep learning techniques, specifically ResNet architectures, to automate crop type identification using remotely sensed data collected by a DJI Mavic Air drone. The imagery was captured at an altitude of 30 meters, maintaining an average airspeed of 5 m/s, and ensuring a front and side overlap of 75% and 65%, respectively. The pre-flight planning and image acquisition was facilitated through the Drone Deploy platform, yielding a dataset consisting of 1488 aerial photographs covering the study area. These images possess an average ground sampling distance (GSD) of 22.2 millimetres. The dataset was meticulously labelled with "maize" and employed to train three distinct ResNet architectures, namely ResNet-50, ResNet-101, and ResNet-152. The evaluation of these models was based on accuracy and processing time. Notably, ResNet-50 emerged as the most proficient, achieving an accuracy rate of 82% with a precision score of 0.5 after just two hours of initial training, while ResNet-101 and ResNet-152 architectures achieved 27% and 24% accuracy, respectively. These outcomes underscore the potential of ResNet-50 architecture, even with a limited dataset, as a valuable tool for precise crop-type classification within the precision agriculture domain.
A W-Band EBG-Backed Double-Rhomboid Bowtie-Slot On-Chip Antenna

A double-rhomboid bowtie-slot on-chip antenna aided by a back-to-back E-shaped electromagnetic bandgap (EBG) surface for gain enhancement at W-band is presented. The specific structure of both the antenna and the EBG surface is being reported for the first time in an on-chip implementation. The antenna is analyzed independently as well as backed by different electromagnetic bandgap reflective surfaces using standard 0.13 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu$</tex-math></inline-formula>m BiCMOS process. The proposed EBG surface provides a measured gain enhancement of 2 and 8 dB when used as a frequency selective surface and as an artificial magnetic conductor, respectively. With an overall chip size of 1<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$ {}\times {\text{1 mm}}^{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, the on-chip antenna demonstrates a <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula>6 dB impedance bandwidth from 75–100 GHz and an effective gain bandwidth from 80–90 GHz with a peak measured gain of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$-$</tex-math></inline-formula>0.58 dBi at 84 GHz. The antenna has the smallest reported size and the highest gain in W-band with artificial magnetic conductor as reflective surface.
Sustainable utilization of groundwater resources and water environmental protection in Baotou

Through investigating the changes of resources groundwater and the groundwater quality about Baotou in recent years,we analyzed the problems existing in the groundwater and the main reason,pointed out that the excess exploitation,groundwater source head pollution aggravating has caused the formation of the descent landing funnel area expanding,the well-precipitation confined water and water quality deterioration.How to put forward reasonable exploitation and utilization of groundwater resources and water environment protection should take corresponding countermeasures.
Disclosures of cyber exposure and audit fees: Evidence from ASEAN-4 banking

This study examines how external auditors respond to the disclosure of cyber exposures by commercial banks and how the COVID-19 pandemic period accentuates the effect of voluntary cyber risk disclosures (CRDs) on audit fees. Our study is a preliminary study analysing the CRD of the financial industry in emerging economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It extends Calderon and Gao’s (2021) study one step further with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic and identifies items by using manually collected keywords to extract CRDs. During the period 2015–2020, our samples are 63 listed banks in four ASEAN members (Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines — ASEAN-4) and the one-step generalized method of moments (GMM) is used. The study found that audit fees are significantly associated with CRD, including risk causes and impacts. Meanwhile, cyber risk governance disclosures affect audit fees after a one-year lag. This indicates that voluntary CRD is informative. Audit fees are also significantly affected by the interaction between CRD and COVID-19. It suggests that auditors incorporate the nature and content of client CRDs into their fee structure and directly support regulatory reporting requirements in emerging ASEAN countries to include cyber risk factors in annual bank statements.