Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biased Quantification of Rat Liver Fibrosis—Meta-Analysis with Practical Recommendations and Clinical Implications

For liver fibrosis assessment, the liver biopsy is usually stained with Masson’s trichrome (MT) or picrosirius red (PSR) to quantify liver connective tissue (LCT) for fibrosis scoring. However, several concerns of such semiquantitative assessments have been raised, and when searching for data on the amount of LCT in healthy rats, the results vastly differ. Regarding the ongoing reproducibility crisis in science, it is necessary to inspect the results and methods, and to design an unbiased and reproducible method of LCT assessment. We searched the Medline database using search terms related to liver fibrosis, LCT and collagen, rat strains, and staining methods. Our search identified 74 eligible rat groups in 57 studies. We found up to 170-fold differences in the amount of LCT among healthy Wistar and Sprague–Dawley rats, with significant differences even within individual studies. Biased sampling and quantification probably caused the observed differences. In addition, we also found incorrect handling of liver fibrosis scoring. Assessment of LCT using stereological sampling methods (such as systematic uniform sampling) would provide us with unbiased data. Such data could eventually be used not only for the objective assessment of liver fibrosis but also for validation of noninvasive methods of the assessment of early stages of liver fibrosis.
Inflation Targeting in an Emerging Market: the Case of Korea

To evaluate the effectiveness of targeting monetary policy strategies in a small open economy, we develop a dynamic optimizing model calibrated to recent Korean data. We then explore the consequences of alternative specifications of the loss function for society and the central bank, with particular focus on exchange rate volatility. Policy simulations include variations on inflation targeting, nominal income growth targeting and exchange rate targeting. Our results indicate that inflation targeting remains the most preferred policy regime, even when an explicit motive for exchange rate smoothing is introduced. In this case, the optimal inflation targeting and nominal income growth targeting policies are characterized by a “conservative” central bank that places greater weight on both the primary target variable and on the exchange rate than in society’s objective function. However, the optimal policy reacts to changes in degree of exchange rate pass-though in a non-linear fashion, complicating the robustness of inflation targeting recommendations for emerging markets.
Convergence of scheme for decoupled forward backward stochastic differential equation

We study the convergence rate of Bouchard-Touzi-Z scheme (in short B-T-Z) for Decoupled Forward Backward Stochastic Differential Equation, this convergence is controlled by the stability of truncation error and the Markovian property of its processes. Then, we present the algorithm used and provide some numerical results. Finally, we give a fundamental stability property for the reected Backward Stochastic Differential Equation in a Markovian framework.
Gouy Phase Advance with Microwaves

The Gouy phase advance can now be measured with the use of microwaves with no more complex equipment than used for the standing-microwave experiment for an accuracy of 10%. Recordings have been made at focal lines and focal points along the axis of the focusing mirror for a distance of nine wavelengths. A homemade parabolic cylindrical mirror and a commerical 12-cm wavelength source can be used to demonstrate this phase advance. The nodes of intensity near the focus show the increase in wavelength and can be marked on a meterstick when detected by a crystal detector.The Gouy phase advance can now be measured with the use of microwaves with no more complex equipment than used for the standing-microwave experiment for an accuracy of 10%. Recordings have been made at focal lines and focal points along the axis of the focusing mirror for a distance of nine wavelengths. A homemade parabolic cylindrical mirror and a commerical 12-cm wavelength source can be used to demonstrate this phase advance. The nodes of intensity near the focus show the increase in wavelength and can be marked on a meterstick when detected by a crystal detector.
Laboratory Based Surveillance of HIV-1 Acquired Drug Resistance in Cameroon: Implications for Use of Tenofovir-Lamivudine-Dolutegravir (TLD) as Second- or Third-Line Regimens

Increased HIV drug resistance (HIVDR) with antiretroviral therapy (ART) rollout may jeopardize therapeutic options, especially in this era of transition to fixed-dose tenofovir-lamivudine-dolutegravir (TLD). We studied acquired HIVDR (ADR) patterns and describe potentially active drugs after first- and second-line failure in resource-limited settings (RLS) like Cameroon. A laboratory-based study with 759 patients (≥15 years) experiencing virological failure was carried out at the Chantal Biya International Reference Centre (CIRCB), Yaoundé, Cameroon. Socio-demographic, therapeutic and immunovirological data from patient records were analysed according to HIV-1 genotypic profiles. Median (IQR) ART-duration was 63 (50–308) months. Median CD4 and viremia were 153 (IQR:50–308) cells/mm3 and 138,666 (IQR:28,979–533,066) copies/mL, respectively. Overall ADR was high (93.4% first-line; 92.9%-second-line). TDF, potentially active in 35.7% of participants after first-line and 45.1% after second-line, suggested sub-optimal TLD-efficacy in second-line (64.3%) and third-line (54.9%). All PI/r preserved high efficacy after first-line failure while only DRV/r preserved high-level efficacy (87.9%) after second-line failure. In this resource-limited setting (RLS), ADR is high in ART-failing patients. PI/r strategies remain potent backbones for second-line ART, while only DRV/r remains very potent despite second-line failure. Though TLD use would be preferable, blind use for second- and third-line regimens may be sub-optimal (functional monotherapy with dolutegravir) with high risk of further failure, thus suggesting strategies for selective ART switch to TLD in failing patients in RLS.
Prestressing wire breakage monitoring using sound event detection

Detecting prestressed wire breakage in concrete bridges is essential for ensuring safety and longevity and preventing catastrophic failures. This study proposes a novel approach for wire breakage detection using Mel‐frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs) and back‐propagation neural network (BPNN). Experimental data from two bridges in Italy were acquired to train and test the models. To overcome the limited availability of real‐world training data, data augmentation techniques were employed to increase the data set size, enhancing the capability of the models and preventing over‐fitting problems. The proposed method uses MFCCs to extract features from acoustic emission signals produced by wire breakage, which are then classified by the BPNN. The results show that the proposed method can detect and classify sound events effectively, demonstrating the promising potential of BPNN for real‐time monitoring and diagnosis of bridges. The significance of this work lies in its contribution to improving bridge safety and preventing catastrophic failures. The combination of MFCCs and BPNN offers a new approach to wire breakage detection, while the use of real‐world data and data augmentation techniques are significant contributions to overcoming the limited availability of training data. The proposed method has the potential to be a generalized and robust model for real‐time monitoring of bridges, ultimately leading to safer and longer‐lasting infrastructure.
Martensite transformations in Mn2NiGa thin films grown on GaAs substrates

The purpose of this work is to investigate the correlation between magnetism and crystallographic structures of Mn2NiGa thin films grown by molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs(1 1 1) and GaAs(0 0 1) surfaces. The films present themselves with thermoelastic martensitic transformations upon cooling, and heating with high-temperature leads to austenite structures exhibiting a preferable (1 1 0) texture. X-ray diffraction measurements performed as a function of temperature reveal three different types of domain variants in the films within a large interval of temperatures. The austenite structures with lattice parameters ranging from 0.574 nm to 0.601 nm undergo volume conserving structural transitions to martensite with a c/a ratio of 1.2. The coexistence of variants with different domain configurations is induced on each GaAs substrate. Although the Curie temperatures (~360 K) are similar for films grown on GaAs(1 1 1) and GaAs (0 0 1) substrates, their saturation magnetizations are respectively 18 kA m−1 and 8 kA m−1 at room temperature and exhibit quite different magnetic irreversibility behaviors. Our results indicate that a multiplicity of possible equivalent variant domains on the GaAs surfaces makes it difficult to stabilize epitaxial films on these substrates.
Adaptive Fractional Polynomial Modeling

Regression analyses reported in the applied research literature commonly assume that relationships are linear in predictors without assessing this assumption. Fractional polynomials provide a general approach for addressing nonlinearity through power transforms of predictors using real valued powers. An adaptive approach for generating fractional polynomial models is presented based on heuristic search through alternative power transforms of predictors guided by k-fold likelihood cross-validation (LCV) scores and controlled by tolerance parameters indicating how much a reduction in the LCV score can be tolerated at given stages of the search. The search optionally can generate geometric combinations, that is, products of power transforms of multiple predictors, thereby supporting nonlinear moderation analyses. Positive valued continuous outcomes can be power transformed as well as predictors. These methods are demonstrated using data from a study of family management for mothers of children with chronic physical conditions. The example analyses demonstrate that power transformation of a predictor may be required to identify that a relationship holds between that predictor and an outcome (dependent or response) variable. Consideration of geometric combinations can identify moderation effects not identifiable using linear relationships or power transforms of interactions. Power transformation of positive valued continuous outcomes along with their primary predictors can resolve model assumption problems.
Nuclear Factor (cid:1) B Signaling Either Stimulates or Inhibits Neurite Growth Depending on the Phosphorylation Status of p65/RelA

Nuclear factor (cid:1) B (NF-(cid:1) B) signaling is known to promote neurite growth from developing sensory neurons and to enhance the size and complexity of pyramidal neuron dendritic arbors in the developing cerebral cortex. In marked contrast, here we show that NF-(cid:1) B signaling can also exert a potent inhibitory influence on neurite growth in certain neurons, and can either promote or inhibit neurite growth in the same neurons depending on the mechanism of NF-(cid:1) B activation. In neonatal superior cervical ganglion sympathetic neurons, enhancing NF-(cid:1) B transcriptional activity by overexpressing either the p65 NF-(cid:1) B subunit or the I (cid:1) B kinase-(cid:2) (IKK (cid:2) ) subunit of the I (cid:1) B kinase complex, or by tumor necrosis factor (cid:3) (TNF (cid:3) ) treatment, strongly inhibits neurite growth. Paradoxically in neonatal nodose ganglion sensory neurons, enhancing NF-(cid:1) B transcriptional activity by p65/p50 overexpression increases neurite growth, whereas enhancing NF-(cid:1) B transcriptional activity by IKK (cid:2) overexpression inhibits neurite growth. In addition to activating NF-(cid:1) B, IKK (cid:2) overexpression leads to phosphorylation of p65 on serine 536. Blockade of serine 536 phosphorylation by a S536A-p65 mutant protein prevents the growth-inhibitory effects of IKK (cid:2) overexpression in both sensory and sympathetic neurons and the growth-inhibitory effects of TNF (cid:3) on sympathetic neurons. Furthermore, expression of a p65 S536D phosphomimetic mutant inhibits neurite growthfromsensoryneurons.TheseresultsdemonstratethatNF-(cid:1) Bcaneitherstimulateorinhibitneuritegrowthindevelopingneurons depending on the phosphorylation status of p65.
Optimising the zebrafish Cre/Lox toolbox. Codon improved iCre, new gateway tools, Cre protein and guidelines

We recently introduced the Cre/Lox technology in our laboratory for both transient (mRNA injections) and stable/transgenic experiments. We experienced significant issues such as silencing, mosaicism, and partial recombination using both approaches. Reviewing the literature gave us the impression that these issues are common among the zebrafish community using the Cre/Lox system. While some researchers took advantage of these problems for specific applications, such as cell and lineage tracing using the Zebrabow construct, we tried here to improve the efficiency and reliability of this system by constituting and testing a new set of tools for zebrafish genetics. First, we implemented a codon-improved Cre version (iCre) designed for rodent studies to counteract some of the aforementioned problems. This eukaryotic-like iCre version was engineered to i) reduce silencing, ii) increase mRNA stability, iii) enhance translational efficiency, and iv) improve nuclear translocation. Second, we established a new set of tol2-kit compatible vectors to facilitate the generation of either iCre-mRNA or iCre-transgenes for transient and transgenic experiments, respectively. We then validated the use of this material and are providing tips for users. Interestingly, during the validation steps, we found that maternal iCRE-mRNA and/or protein deposition from female transgenics systematically led to complete/homogeneous conversion of all tested Lox-responder-transgenes, as opposed to some residual imperfect conversion when using males-drivers or mRNA injections. Considering that we did not find any evidence of Cre-protein soaking and injections in the literature as it is usually conducted with cells, we tested these approaches. While soaking of cell-permeant CRE-protein did not lead to any detectable Lox-conversion, 1ng–10 ng protein injections led to robust and homogeneous Lox-recombination, suggesting that the use of protein could be a robust option for exogenous delivery. This approach may be particularly useful to manipulate housekeeping genes involved in development, sex determination and reproduction which are difficult to investigate with traditional knockout approaches. All in all, we are providing here a new set of tools that should be useful in the field.
Reconstruction of Stochastic Dynamics of Sulphur Dioxide Concentration in Lower Troposphere in Selected Polish Measurement Stations

In the paper, we propose the algorithm of determination mean level of emission and decay rate of sulphur dioxide (SO2) in lower troposphere. We applied the stochastic method dedicated to extraction of components affecting the fluctuations of SO2 concentration. For calculations, we used original time series recorded in two measurement stations in Cracow (Poland) during several years. The deterministic part of the model is represented by linear function, which coefficients can be related directly to first order kinetics of SO2 chemical reactions. In the analyzed data, we observed large difference between production constants (marker of SO2 emission to atmosphere) in these two measurement stations. The first value equals 0.67 [ μg hm3 ] and was obtained for area in close neighborhood to steelworks. The constant for second station is twice smaller. We estimated total rate of reactions of decay of SO2, which, in our opinion, can be interpreted as contribution of anthropogenic processes to SO2 transformation reactions.
Suppression in the electrical hysteresis by using CaF2 dielectric layer for p-GaN MIS capacitors

The capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis in the bidirectional measurements of the p-GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitor is suppressed by using a CaF2 dielectric layer and a post annealing treatment. The density of trapped charge states at the CaF2/p-GaN interface is dramatically reduced from 1.3 × 1013 cm2 to 1.1 × 1011/cm2 compared to that of the Al2O3/p-GaN interface with a large C-V hysteresis. It is observed that the disordered oxidized interfacial layer can be avoided by using the CaF2 dielectric. The downward band bending of p-GaN is decreased from 1.51 to 0.85 eV as a result of the low-density oxides-related trap states. Our work indicates that the CaF2 can be used as a promising dielectric layer for the p-GaN MIS structures.The capacitance-voltage (C-V) hysteresis in the bidirectional measurements of the p-GaN metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitor is suppressed by using a CaF2 dielectric layer and a post annealing treatment. The density of trapped charge states at the CaF2/p-GaN interface is dramatically reduced from 1.3 × 1013 cm2 to 1.1 × 1011/cm2 compared to that of the Al2O3/p-GaN interface with a large C-V hysteresis. It is observed that the disordered oxidized interfacial layer can be avoided by using the CaF2 dielectric. The downward band bending of p-GaN is decreased from 1.51 to 0.85 eV as a result of the low-density oxides-related trap states. Our work indicates that the CaF2 can be used as a promising dielectric layer for the p-GaN MIS structures.
The impact of corporate reputation on stock value

In the continuous development of the socialist market economy, corporate reputation as an intangible asset provides a unique and sustainable competitive advantage. The study found that in China 's stock market, when companies encounter a crisis, the negative impact on the stock value of companies with good reputation in the short term will be stronger than that of companies with poor reputation. However, in the long run, corporate reputation will have a ' shadow price ' role. It will quickly alleviate the negative impact of the crisis on the stock value of the company and will obtain significantly positive abnormal returns.When enterprises encounter benefits such as listing, good corporate reputation such as China 's time-honored enterprises can succeed in the financial market with good reputation and are favored by investors. Because its reputation can promote the compatibility of management interests and form a good cycle of consciously maintaining reputation, it shows good market performance and stock value.
The ‘service turn’ in a new public management context: a street-level bureaucrat perspective

It is increasingly argued that public management should build on a service logic instead of the prevailing manufacturing logic of New Public Management (NPM). Drawing from three cases in Swedish public healthcare, key features of a service logic such as value creation, co-production, and collaboration are prominent in formal documents and everyday talk. However, the 67 interviews in this study reveal that the service logic ideal is practically unreachable in a context impregnated by NPM. Instead, we suggest that street-level bureaucrats often need to address service logic expectations (public values, relationship-building, etc.) using an NPM logic (measurements, control, etc.).
Equilateral triangular dielectric resonator based co‐radiator MIMO antennas with dual‐polarisation

In this study, two types of dielectric resonator antennas (DRAs) with dual-polarisation are proposed and investigated for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) applications. The first design is a dual-slant polarised DRA and exhibits the measured impedance bandwidth of 8.2% (5.27-5.72 GHz) and 11.2% (5.05-5.65 GHz) for Port1 and Port2 , respectively. Across the operating frequency band, the isolation between the input ports is better than 22 dB and the measured gain of the antenna varies in the range of 5.99-6.38 dBi. The second design developed here is a dual-linearly polarised DRA which is able to provide horizontal and vertical polarisations and is realised by integrating a two-stage rat-race coupler with the DRA for excitation purpose. In this case, the measured impedance bandwidths are 11.81% (5.18-5.83 GHz) and 15.18% (4.93-5.74 GHz) for Port1 and Port2 , respectively, and the inter-port isolation is better than 20 dB throughout the operating frequency band. The antenna exhibits the measured gain variation of 5.94-6.48 dBi for Port1 and 5.54-5.86 dBi for Port2 . Furthermore, for both the antennas, the envelope correlation coefficient is below 0.0004 throughout the bandwidth and the total active reflection coefficient is better than -10 dB, confirming the good diversity and radiation performance.
Editorial: Role of hormones and bioactive components in breast milk on development of metabolic, neural and behavioral systems in offspring

COPYRIGHT © 2023 Melo and Hoffman. This is an openaccess article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. TYPE Editorial PUBLISHED 02 August 2023 DOI 10.3389/fendo.2023. 1261078
Sortilin Is Upregulated in Osteoarthritis-Dependent Cartilage Calcification and Associated with Cellular Senescence

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic joint disease characterized by articular cartilage calcification, loss of articular cartilage, bone changes, pain, and disability. Cartilage calcification is one hallmark of OA and is predominantly caused by basic calcium crystals formed due to an imbalance of the pyrophosphate pathway. Sortilin is a transmembrane protein that contributes to vascular calcification in atherosclerosis by externalizing alkaline phosphatase (ALP)-containing vesicles. Calcification in atherosclerosis and osteoarthritis has been associated with cellular senescence. The aim of this study was to investigate the potential role of sortilin and senescence in osteoarthritis-dependent cartilage calcification. Osteoarthritic cartilage from human knee joints was collected after joint replacement, and samples were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR analysis. Human chondrocytes were treated with osteogenic medium for up to 21 days to induce calcification. Western blots for sortilin and ALP, as well as an ALP activity assay, were performed. Human chondrocytes were treated with mitomycin C to induce senescence, and sortilin expression was quantified at the protein and gene levels. Sections of knee joints from a murine model of osteoarthritis were stained for sortilin and p16 and analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Treatment of wild-type chondrocytes using an osteogenic medium similar to human chondrocytes was performed. Osteoarthritic cartilage from mouse and human knee joints showed an increased number of sortilin and p16-positive chondrocytes compared to healthy cartilage. This observation was corroborated by increased gene expression of sortilin and p16 in mild and moderate osteoarthritic cartilage samples. To investigate the mechanism of sortilin regulation, human chondrocytes were treated with osteogenic medium to induce calcification. Sortilin protein levels and expression were increased after 7 days of stimulation, whereas ALP levels and activity were upregulated after 21 days of stimulation. Similar observations were made in a murine osteoarthritis model. Mechanistically, senescent chondrocytes induced by mitomycin C showed an upregulation of sortilin and ALP gene expression compared to non-senescent chondrocytes. Our data indicate that sortilin and ALP are upregulated during cartilage calcification, which is associated with chondrocyte senescence and thus might contribute to the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. Cellular senescence seems to induce sortilin expression.