Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Targeting tumor microenvironment and metastasis in children with solid tumors

Purpose of review The prognosis of pediatric patients with metastatic solid tumors remains poor, necessitating development of novel therapeutic strategies. The biology of the pediatric tumor microenvironment (TME) presents obstacles for the efficacy of current therapeutic approaches including immunotherapies. Targeting various aspects of the TME in pediatric patients with solid tumors represents a therapeutic opportunity that may improve outcomes. Here we will discuss recent advances in characterization of the TME, and clinical advances in targeting the immune, vascular, and stromal aspects of the TME. Recent findings Although immunotherapies have shown limited success in the treatment of pediatric solid tumor patients thus far, optimization of these approaches to overcome the TME shows promise. In addition, there is increasing focus on the myeloid compartment as a therapeutic target. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) targeting has resulted in responses in some refractory pediatric solid tumors. There has been relatively little focus on stromal targeting; however, emerging preclinical data are improving our understanding of underlying biology, paving the way for future therapies. Summary Although translation of TME-targeting therapies for pediatric solid tumors is in the early stages, we are optimistic that continued exploration of approaches aimed at rebalancing the TME will lead to improved outcomes for this population.
Analysis of power line communication networks using a new approach based on an efficient measurement technique

In this paper, we present an efficient measurement technique for the analysis of power line communication (PLC) signals. The frequency spectrum associated with PLC signals extends from 1 MHz to 30 MHz. The proposed technique can be applied to a network containing multiconductor overhead lines and/or underground cables and it complements the theoretical formalism based on scattering parameters presented previously in the work of F. Issa et al. (2002). The use of a vector network analyzer is recommended for the evaluation of the scattering parameters matrix. Based on the proposed approach, we present examples of simulations for the voltage level of the PLC signals for different simple configurations. The simulations are compared with experimental data and a satisfactory agreement is found.
Seeing the forest for the trees: Predicting attendance in trials for co-occurring PTSD and substance use disorders with a machine learning approach.

Objective: High dropout rates are common in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) for comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders (PTSD + SUD). Optimizing attendance is a priority for PTSD + SUD treatment development, yet research has found few consistent associations to guide responsive strategies. In this study, we employed a data-driven pipeline for identifying salient and reliable predictors of attendance. Method: In a novel application of the iterative Random Forest algorithm (iRF), we investigated the association of individual level characteristics and session attendance in a completed RCT for PTSD + SUD (n = 70; women = 22 [31.4%]). iRF identified a group of potential predictor candidates for the total trial sessions attended; then, a Poisson regression model assessed the association between the iRF-identified factors and attendance. As a validation set, a parallel regression of significant predictors was conducted on a second, independent RCT for PTSD + SUD (n = 60; women = 48 [80%]). Results: Two testable hypotheses were derived from iRF's variable importance measures. Faster within-treatment improvement of PTSD symptoms was associated with greater session attendance with age moderating this relationship (p = .01): faster PTSD symptom improvement predicted fewer sessions attended among younger patients and more sessions among older patients. Full-time employment was also associated with fewer sessions attended (p = .02). In the validation set, the interaction between age and speed of PTSD improvement was significant (p = .05) and the employment association was not. Conclusions: Results demonstrate the potential of data-driven methods to identifying meaningful predictors as well as the dynamic contribution of symptom change during treatment to understanding RCT attendance. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).
Society for Endocrinology guidelines for testosterone replacement therapy in male hypogonadism

Male hypogonadism (MH) is a common endocrine disorder. However, uncertainties and variations in its diagnosis and management exist. There are several current guidelines on testosterone replacement therapy that have been driven predominantly by single disciplines. The Society for Endocrinology commissioned this new guideline to provide all care providers with a multidisciplinary approach to treating patients with MH. This guideline has been compiled using expertise from endocrine (medical and nursing), primary care, clinical biochemistry, urology and reproductive medicine practices. These guidelines also provide a patient perspective to help clinicians best manage MH.
Photonic sensor for nondestructive testing applications

This paper presents the development of a Bragg grating interrogation technique for measurements of strain, stress, temperature, and ultrasonic waves. The sensor design and instrumentation technique offer a number of advantages including sensor compactness, lightweight, low-cost, and multiplexing capability for damage detection and corrosion monitoring of advanced structures and components. Using a robust lock-in laser-based demodulation technique, simultaneous measurements of strain, temperature, and damage induced acoustic fields can be performed with high precision, high resolution, and high sensitivity. The interrogated sensor device containing an array of optical Bragg grating fibers and waveguides can be surface mounted on monitoring structures for non-destructive testing applications including highresolution strain measurement and high sensitivity damage and corrosion monitoring.
Structural and molecular determinants of mineralocorticoid receptor signalling

During the past decades, the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) has evolved from a much‐overlooked member of the steroid hormone receptor family to an important player, not only in volume and electrolyte homeostasis but also in pathological changes occurring in an increasing number of tissues, especially the renal and cardiovascular systems. Simultaneously, a wealth of information about the structure, interaction partners and chromatin requirements for genomic signalling of steroid hormone receptors became available. However, much of the information for the MR has been deduced from studies of other family members and there is still a lack of knowledge about MR‐specific features in ligand binding, chromatin remodelling, co‐factor interactions and general MR specificity‐conferring mechanisms that can completely explain the differences in pathophysiological function between MR and its closest relative, the glucocorticoid receptor. This review aims to give an overview of the current knowledge of MR structure, signalling and co‐factors modulating its activity.
Analytical threshold voltage model for ultrathin SOI MOSFETs including short-channel and floating-body effects

Short-channel effects (SCE) in ultrathin silicon-on-insulator (SOI) fully depleted (FD) MOSFETs are analyzed and an analytical model for threshold voltage, including the kink effect, is presented. The proposed model accounts for (1) a general nonuniform channel doping profile, (2) the drain-induced V/sub th/- lowering enhancement resulting from the interaction of (a) impact ionization, (b) floating-body, and (c) parasitic-bipolar effects. Good agreement between the proposed model and experimental data is demonstrated. Impact ionization and floating-body effects dominate V/sub th/ lowering for drain voltages larger than V/sub dk//spl sime/B/sub i/. /spl lambda//sub i//3, where B/sub i/ is the impact ionization coefficient, and /spl lambda//sub i/ is the impact ionization length, a structural parameter which, for a single-drain SOI MOSFET, coincides with the SCE characteristic length /spl lambda/.
Mild early‐life stress exaggerates the impact of acute stress on corticolimbic resting‐state functional connectivity

Abundant evidence shows that early‐life stress (ELS) predisposes for the development of stress‐related psychopathology when exposed to stressors later in life, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To study predisposing effects of mild ELS on stress sensitivity, we examined in a healthy human population the impact of a history of ELS on acute stress‐related changes in corticolimbic circuits involved in emotional processing (i.e., amygdala, hippocampus and ventromedial prefrontal cortex [vmPFC]). Healthy young male participants (n = 120) underwent resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in two separate sessions (stress induction vs. control). The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) was administered to index self‐reported ELS, and stress induction was verified using salivary cortisol, blood pressure, heart rate and subjective affect. Our findings show that self‐reported ELS was negatively associated with baseline cortisol, but not with the acute stress‐induced cortisol response. Critically, individuals with more self‐reported ELS exhibited an exaggerated reduction of functional connectivity in corticolimbic circuits under acute stress. A mediation analysis showed that the association between ELS and stress‐induced changes in amygdala–hippocampal connectivity became stronger when controlling for basal cortisol. Our findings show, in a healthy sample, that the effects of mild ELS on functioning of corticolimbic circuits only become apparent when exposed to an acute stressor and may be buffered by adaptations in hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis function. Overall, our findings might reveal a potential mechanism whereby even mild ELS might confer vulnerability to exposure to stressors later in adulthood.
How to improve the physical health of people with severe mental illness? A multicentric randomized controlled trial on the efficacy of a lifestyle group intervention

Abstract Background People with severe mental illnesses (SMI) have a mortality rate two times higher compared to the general population, with a decade of years of life lost. In this randomized controlled trial (RCT), we assessed in a sample of people with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia spectrum disorder, the efficacy of an innovative psychosocial group intervention compared to a brief psychoeducational group intervention on patients’ body mass index (BMI), body weight, waist circumference, Framingham and HOMA-IR indexes. Methods This is a multicentric RCT with blinded outcome assessments carried out in six Italian university centers. After recruitment patients were randomized to receive a 6-month psychosocial intervention to improve patients’ physical health or a brief psychoeducational intervention. All recruited patients were assessed with standardized assessment instruments at baseline and after 6 months. Anthropometric parameters and blood samples have also been collected. Results Four-hundred and two patients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder (43.3%), schizophrenia or other psychotic disorder (29.9%), or major depression (26.9%) were randomly allocated to the experimental (N = 206) or the control group (N = 195). After 6 months, patients from the experimental group reported a significant reduction in BMI (odds ratio [OR]: 1.93, 95% confidence intervals [CI]: 1.31–2.84; p < 0.001), body weight (OR = 4.78, 95% CI: 0.80–28.27, p < 0.05), and waist circumference (OR = 5.43, 95% CI: 1.45–20.30, p < 0.05). Participants with impaired cognitive and psychosocial functioning had a worse response to the intervention. Conclusions The experimental group intervention was effective in improving the physical health in SMI patients. Further studies are needed to evaluate the feasibility of this intervention in real-world settings.
Lessons from other disciplines for setting management thresholds for biodiversity conservation

Successful, state‐dependent management, in which the goal of management is to maintain a system in a desired state, involves defining the boundaries between different states. Once these boundaries have been defined, managers require a strategic action plan with thresholds that initiate management interventions to either maintain or return the system to a desired state. This approach to management is widely used across diverse industries from agriculture, to medicine, to information technology, but it has only been adopted in conservation management relatively recently. Conservation practitioners have expressed a willingness to integrate this structured approach in their management systems, but they have also voiced concerns, including lack of a robust process for doing so. Given the widespread use of state‐dependent management in other fields, we conducted an extensive review of the literature on threshold‐based management to gain insight into how and where it is applied and identify potential lessons for conservation management. We identified 22 industries using 75 different methods for setting management thresholds in 843 studies. Methods spanned six broad approaches, including expert driven, statistical, predictive, optimization, experimental, and artificial intelligence methods. The objectives of each of these studies influenced the approaches used, including the methods for setting thresholds and selecting actions, and the number of thresholds set. The role of value judgments in setting thresholds was clear; studies across all industries frequently involved experts in setting thresholds, often accompanied by computational tools to simulate the consequences of proposed thresholds under different conditions. Of the 30 conservation studies examined, two‐thirds used expert‐driven methods, consistent with prior evidence that experience‐based information often drives conservation management decisions. The methods we identified from other disciplines could help conservation decision makers set thresholds for management interventions in different contexts, linking monitoring to management actions and ensuring that conservation interventions are timely and effective.
DRIVER BEHAVIOR ANALYSIS USING NON-INVASIVE SENSORS

Detecting driver distraction has been an important research topic over the past few years. While there are many common reasons for vehicle crashes, driver distraction and inattention are very prominent causes. Previous studies have shown the impact that inattentions can have on driving behavior, which can lead to many crashes and fatalities. The study reported by The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicated that over 25% of police-reported crashes involved inattentive drivers. The 100-car Naturalistic Study concluded that over 65% of near crashes and 78% of crashes included inattention. These high percentages are not surprising, since 30% of the time drivers are in a moving vehicle, they are engaged in secondary tasks that are potentially distracting. These numbers are estimated to increase as the usage of in-vehicle technologies for navigation, communication and infotainment, and the number of cars on the roads is expected to exponentially increase in the next years. A driver monitoring system that is able to sense inattentive drivers can play an important role in reducing the number of accidents, preventing fatalities and increasing the safety on roads. In this paper Monitoring driving habits of a person is presented, which is based on CAN network. The CAN bus is used as a communication of a distributed control network. This paper mainly introduces the design of the hardware and the software in detail. This device track speed, Engine temperature and Alcohol consumption status. I INTRODUCTION There has always been a rapid development of technology in every field. In past few years with the implementation and fast development of the in-vehicle technologies especially in the cars had lead to the vast increase in the unintentional accidents. These accidents are caused by the distraction in the driver’s attention due to the involvement in the secondary tasks like operating the radio, GPS, and other in-vehicle technologies. The driver distractions are detected using the various non-invasive sensors. The driver is made to involve in the secondary tasks like operating on the radio, navigation systems like GPS( Global Positioning System) and mobile phones, etc. The changes in the driver’s behavior is detected by comparing the values obtained by the sensors when the driver is involved in secondary tasks and when he is not involved in the secondary tasks. When any abnormality is detected in any of the sensors then the safety measures like indication by the side lights, an alarm system, gradually closing the valve of the fuel tank and the opening of the airbag are taken.
A5 noradrenergic‐projecting C1 neurons activate sympathetic and breathing outputs in anaesthetized rats

What is the central question of this study? C1 neurons innervate pontine noradrenergic cell groups, including the A5 region: do A5 noradrenergic neurons contribute to the activation of sympathetic and respiratory responses produced by selective activation of the C1 group of neurons. What is the main finding and its importance? The increase in sympathetic and respiratory activities elicited by selective stimulation of C1 neurons is reduced after blockade of excitatory amino acid within the A5 region, suggesting that the C1–A5 pathway might be important for sympathetic‐respiratory control.
Energy conversion and high power pulse production using miniature piezoelectric compressors

The design, construction, and testing of miniature, high-power piezoelectric compression generators are presented and discussed. The piezoelectric compression generators are located inside high speed, 30-mm projectiles that are launched with a high pressure helium gun to velocities of approximately 300 m/s. The large deceleration force created when the projectile imparts the ground is used to power the piezoelectric compression generator. The peak output power is approximately 25 kW into a 10-/spl Omega/ load with the output pulse length on the order of 1 /spl mu/s. Good agreement is found between the experimental results and the theoretical predictions.
Maturation of 23S rRNA includes removal of helix H1 in many bacteria

ABSTRACT In most bacteria, the three ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) are encoded together in each of several near-identical operons. As soon as the nascent precursor rRNA emerges from RNA polymerase, ribosome assembly begins. This process entails ribosomal protein binding, rRNA folding, rRNA modification, and rRNA processing. In the model organisms Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis, rRNA processing results in similar mature rRNAs, despite substantial differences in the cohort of RNAses involved. A recent study of Flavobacterium johnsoniae, a member of the phylum Bacteroidota (formerly Bacteroidetes), revealed that helix H1 of 23S rRNA is absent from ribosomes, apparently a consequence of rRNA maturation. In this work, we mined RNA-seq data from 19 individual organisms and ocean metatranscriptomic samples to compare rRNA processing across diverse bacterial lineages. We found that mature ribosomes from multiple clades lack H1, and typically these ribosomes also lack an encoded H98. For all groups analysed, H1 is predicted to form in precursor rRNA as part of a longer leader-trailer helix. Hence, we infer that evolutionary loss of H98 sets the stage for H1 removal during 50S subunit maturation.
Transcriptional and epigenetic control of adipocyte remodeling during obesity

The rising prevalence of obesity over the past decades coincides with the rising awareness that a detailed understanding of both adipose tissue biology and obesity‐associated remodeling is crucial for developing therapeutic and preventive strategies. Substantial progress has been made in identifying the signaling pathways and transcriptional networks that orchestrate alterations of adipocyte gene expression linked to diverse phenotypes. Owing to recent advances in epigenomics, we also gained a better appreciation for the fact that different environmental cues can epigenetically reprogram adipocyte fate and function, mainly by altering DNA methylation and histone modification patterns. Intriguingly, it appears that transcription factors and chromatin‐modifying coregulator complexes are the key regulatory components that coordinate both signaling‐induced transcriptional and epigenetic alterations in adipocytes. In this review, we summarize and discuss current molecular insights into how these alterations and the involved regulatory components trigger adipogenesis and adipose tissue remodeling in response to energy surplus.
Ophthalmological Evaluation in Children Presenting With a Primary Brain Tumor

Background: Children with a brain tumor are prone to develop visual impairment, which to date is often underestimated and unrecognized. Our aim was to assess the prevalence of ophthalmological evaluation and abnormal ophthalmological findings, and investigate whether demographic and tumor-related characteristics are associated with abnormal ophthalmological findings in children presenting with a primary brain tumor. Methods: Medical records of all 90 children diagnosed with a primary brain tumor between June 2018 and May 2019 and treated at the Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, a tertiary referral center in the Netherlands, were retrospectively reviewed. Univariate regression analysis was used to investigate associations between demographic, tumor-related and clinical characteristics, and abnormal ophthalmological findings. Results: Sixty children (34 male [56.7%]; median [range] age, 9.3 [0–16.9] years) underwent ophthalmological evaluation within 6 weeks before or after diagnosis, 11 children (5 male [45.5%]; median [range] age, 5.7 [0.1–17.2] years) were seen more than 6 weeks before or after diagnosis, and 19 children (7 male [36.8%]; median [range] age, 7.2 [1.9–16.6] years) did not receive ophthalmological evaluation within at least 6 months from diagnosis. A total of 19 children (21.1%) presented with visual symptoms as first sign leading to the diagnosis of a brain tumor. Children who presented with visual symptoms (odds ratio [OR], 22.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 4.90–103.60) and/or hydrocephalus (OR, 3.60; 95% CI, 1.38–9.36) at diagnosis were more often seen for ophthalmological evaluation. The most common abnormal ophthalmological findings were eye movement disorders (66.0%), papilledema (44.1%), and visual field defects (58.1%). Eye movement disorders occurred more frequently in patients with an infratentorial tumor (OR, 4.71; 95% CI, 1.03–21.65). The risk of papilledema was associated with older age (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.05–1.34), hydrocephalus (OR, 9.63; 95% CI, 2.68–34.61), and infratentorial (OR, 9.11; 95% CI, 1.77–46.78) and supratentorial (OR, 13.13; 95% CI, 1.92–89.52) tumors. Conclusions: In this study, most children with a primary brain tumor underwent ophthalmological evaluation around diagnosis, 21% of the children were not evaluated. The high prevalence of abnormal ophthalmological findings stresses the importance of early standardized ophthalmological evaluation to detect visual impairment and provide timely treatment to potentially prevent permanent visual loss.