Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A PCR-Reverse Dot Blot Hybridization Based Microfluidics Detection System for the Rapid Identification of 13 Fungal Pathogens Directly After Blood Cultures Over a Period of Time

Introduction It is time-consuming to identify fungal pathogens from positive blood cultures using the standard culture-based method. And delayed diagnosis of bloodstream infection leads to significantly increased mortality. Methods We developed a PCR-reverse dot blot hybridization combined with microfluidic chip techniques to rapidly identify 13 fungal pathogens within 3–4 h using the sample of blood cultured over a period of time. Results We performed clinical validation using 43 blood culture-positive samples with a sensitivity of 96.7%, a specificity of 100%, and a concordance rate of 97.7%. Samples with different culture durations were evaluated using our approach, showing a detection rate of 85.2% at 16 h and 96.3% at 24 h; the platform could reach a detection limit of 103cfu/mL for the Candida spp. and 103 copies/mL for Aspergillus spp. Discussion The detection rate of the platform is much higher than the positive rates of concurrent blood cultures. This method bears substantial clinical application potential as it incorporates the microfluidic platform with low reagent consumption, automation, and low cost (about 10 dollars).
Textile industry as a major source of microplastics in the environment

This review brings together data on the impact of (micro)plastics, on the environment. Critically evaluates studies on the use of various techniques for recycling textile plastic, which is a major polluter of the environment. In this review, let’s focus a bit more on industrial waste in the textile industry since it would be easiest possible to capture and recycle it again. We also discuss LCA studies, bottlenecks, and future perspectives, for a lower impact on the environment. The main challenges which make further recycling progress difficult are discussed, such as the lamination of textile fibers with metal, new textile fibers that appear as a result of rapid development, the difference in the density of textile fibers, low recycling efficiency, etc. Finally, the possible uses of more environmentally friendly polymers are shown, which can be an alternative to the current synthetic polymers. The results of the literature review showed that for the development of a sustainable textile industry, which would mitigate the impact of microplastics on the environment, from a long-term perspective, the integration of more intensive, complex decisions into the business models of manufacturing companies is necessary. The environmental consequences will be even more intense due to the massive releases of textile microfibers into the environment and excessive accumulation, therefore, in order to achieve the specific goals of sustainable development, a reduction in the production of microplastics is first required, which is only possible with a global partnership of all countries to achieve a specific goal on a global level.
Pollination mechanism in Serapias with no pollinaria reconfiguration

Abstract Orchidaceae, one of the most numerous families in the world’s flora, have evolved various pollination strategies to favour cross-pollination, such as deceptive pollination and pollinarium reconfiguration. Among the terrestrial orchids of the Mediterranean, only species belonging to the genus Serapias show a strategy defined as shelter imitation. The floral elements form a tubular structure that insects use during their resting phases. The purpose of this article was to clarify the mechanisms that guarantee pollination with particular attention to the morphological interactions between orchids and pollinators and whether pollinaria reconfiguration is necessary in the promotion of cross-pollination in Serapias. Breeding system experiments and hand-pollination treatments indicated that Serapias was highly self-compatible, shows low value of natural fruit set and is pollinator limited. Time-lapse photos showed that the pollinarium had no refolding of the stipe or caudicle after its removal from the flower. The morphology of the flower determined the attack of the pollinarium on the occiput/vertex of insect. When the insect left the flower, the pollinarium was unable to encounter the stigma. When the insect made a second visit to another flower, the pollen masses of the first pollinarium ended up on the stigma and at the same time, the insect picked up a second pollinarium. Our observations and analyses suggested that morphological interactions between flower and pollinator are crucial to the success of pollination and to prevent self-pollination and thus that pollinarium reconfiguration is unnecessary in shelter deceptive orchids, such as Serapias species, for the promotion of cross-pollination. Serapias represent a case of interactions between plant and pollinator; the formation of the tubular shape of the flower is an essential preadaptation for the development of resting site mimicry originating exclusively in Serapias among Mediterranean orchids.
Outcomes and toxicity of oral Fosfestrol in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer—a real-world experience

Introduction Although there are multiple drugs approved for the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), the cost can be a limiting factor in using them in a resource-limited setting. Therefore, less expensive alternatives are the need of the hour. We have been using Fosfestrol which is a cheap and orally administered oestrogen analogue in metastatic CRPC. We carried out a retrospective study to analyse its efficacy and toxicity. Results A total of 65 patients received Fosfestrol during 2015–2020. The median age was 65 years (range 50–83 years). Thirty-four patients (53%) had other medical comorbidities. Skeletal-only metastasis was the commonest pattern of metastasis (n = 41, 64%) followed by skeletal with nodal metastasis (n = 15, 23%). The majority of the patients had undergone upfront surgical castration (n = 60, 93%). All the patients had adenocarcinoma and 38 patients (58%) had a high Gleason’s score. Forty-one patients (63%) had a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response (decrease of ≥50% in the PSA concentration from the pre-treatment baseline PSA value) and 54 patients (83%) had a symptomatic response. At the end of a median follow-up of 16 months, the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 8.3 months (CI 4.7–11.8) and the median overall survival (OS) was 27.5 months (CI 25.4–29.5). PSA response and prior treatment with abiraterone acetate were found to have a significant association with survival outcomes. Patients with PSA response had better median PFS and OS; while patients who have received prior abiraterone acetate therapy had worse survival outcomes. Twenty-nine patients (45%) received some form of subsequent treatment after stopping Fosfestrol. The most common oxicity observed was thrombosis (n = 9, 13%) followed by gynecomastia (n = 4, 6%). Conclusion We conclude that oral Fosfestrol is a cheap and effective agent in the armamentarium against metastatic CRPC and warrants further studies in a clinical trial setting.
Risk of Subsequent Breast Cancer in Women with Early Stage HER2-Positive Breast Cancer in a Large Community Health Plan

Purpose Clinical outcomes have improved for women with early stage, HER2-positive breast cancer following the FDA approval of adjuvant trastuzumab use in 2006. However, only limited information exists on such patients’ outcomes in real-world settings outside of clinical trials. We examined the risk of subsequent breast cancer in women with HER-2 positive disease, and the impact of trastuzumab use, in a large California community-based health plan. Patients and Methods A cohort of 3550 women with HER2-positive breast cancer (stages I–III) from 2009–2017 were followed through December 2018. We calculated subsequent breast cancer (SBC) rates overall and by trastuzumab use. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to compute hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for SBC by trastuzumab use. Results Within the cohort diagnosed with HER2-positive disease, 81% received adjuvant trastuzumab. After 4.1 mean years follow-up (maximum 10 years), the risk of SBC was 22% lower with adjuvant trastuzumab use (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.66–0.92) compared with non-use. The cumulative incidence of SBC precipitously rose two years after diagnosis and by the 10th year, the cumulative incidence was 31% among those who had trastuzumab therapy versus 34% without this therapy. Conclusion In community practice settings, the cumulative incidence of SBC in patients with early stage HER2-positive BC was 31% at 10 years in a cohort treated with adjuvant trastuzumab. Trastuzumab use was associated with a 22% reduced risk of developing SBC. This residual disease burden suggests breast cancer outcomes may be improved with further treatment given the advent of next-generation HER2-targeted therapies.
Politica de dezvoltare regionala a României în etapa postaderare

This study has as general objective to evaluate regional disparities and the territorial convergence process under the impact of the cohesion policy, in the context of European Union integration. The specific objectives to which the research included in this work focused are the following: specific objectives: (i) analysis and interpretation of main theories of regional science, evolution and influence factors, main representatives, (ii) analysis of regional disparities in Romania on different fields of activity, (iii) analysis of convergence at regional level within the European Union, (iv) evaluating the impact of implementing regional policy in Romania and (v) suggestions regarding a possible model of regional strategy for the future programming period, from the perspective of the Europe 2020 Strategy. The study contains certain quantitative and qualitative estimates on the economic effects generated by the use of Structural Funds at regional level in Romania. The data and information presented in the research paper regarding the gross impact of allocated resources are verified by computing in a first stage an average level of obtained effects. By using currently existing qualitative and quantitative data and some analysis techniques of territorial convergence recognised at international level, the study presents the trends that took place at regional and local level in certain fields of activity.
Modélisation de la propagation et de la réception des ondes élastiques émises par un défaut sous contrainte. Application à la simulation des contrôles non destructifs par émission acoustique

Le controle non destructif (CND) par emission acoustique (EA) est utilise dans un grand nombre de domaines tels l’energie nucleaire, le secteur petrolier et gazier, le genie civil ou l’industrie mecanique afin de verifier l’integrite des structures sous contrainte. Selon le rapport entre la longueur d’onde et l’epaisseur de la structure, l’energie liberee par un defaut sous contrainte peut se propager sous forme d’ondes guidees (cas des structures minces) ou sous forme d’onde de Rayleigh (cas des structures epaisses). L’analyse des signaux issus de cette methode ultrasonore « passive » presente des difficultes liees principalement a la complexite des signaux typiquement mesures. L’objectif de la these est de developper des modeles permettant la simulation d’experiences de CND par EA dans le cas des structures epaisses ou minces. Les modeles developpes sont bases sur un couplage entre un modele de source d’EA, un modele de propagation des ondes et un modele de capteur d’EA. Dans le cas des structures epaisses, deux modeles 2D (concernant le controle de pieces de surface plane et cylindrique) et un modele 3D (surface plane) ont ete developpes afin de predire le signal correspondant a l’onde de Rayleigh emise par un defaut sous contraintes. Concernant les structures minces, un modele 2D a ete developpee permettant de predire le signal correspondant aux modes guides emis par une fissure sous contrainte. Plusieurs etudes parametriques ont ete menees afin de definir l’influence des differentes donnees d’entree des modeles sur les signaux d’EA et ainsi aider a l’interpretation des controles par EA.
Hydrodynamic model of a Bose–Einstein condensate with anisotropic short-range interaction and bright solitons in a repulsive Bose–Einstein condensate

A quantum hydrodynamic model is developed for axial symmetric anisotropic short-range interactions. The quantum stress tensor represents the interaction and is derived up to the third order by the interaction radius. The first order by the interaction radius contains the isotropic part only. This leads to interaction in the Gross–Pitaevskii approximation. Terms existing in the third order by the interaction radius are caused by the isotropic and nonisotropic parts of the interaction, and each of them introduces an interaction constant. Therefore, three interaction constants are involved in the model. Atoms, except for alkali and alkali-earth atoms, can have an anisotropic potential of interaction (this has particularly been demonstrated for the lanthanides). Short-wavelength instability caused by nonlocal terms appears in the Bogoliubov spectrum, and the conditions for stable and unstable behavior are described. Bright solitons in a repulsive Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) are studied under the influence of anisotropic short-range interaction in the BEC of one species. The area of existence of bright solitons corresponds to the area of instability of the Bogoliubov spectrum. Approximate reduction of nonlocal nonlinearity to quintic nonlinearity in the bright soliton regime is also demonstrated.
Intelligent automation for sustainable tourism: a systematic review

Abstract The growing interest in intelligent automation adoption and development in tourism presents many potential solutions for sustainable tourism issues. To map the current landscape of research on intelligent automation in sustainable tourism, a systematic review was conducted of 213 scholarly articles. Five major themes were identified: intelligent automation to enhance tourist experience, preserve heritage, promote quality of life, measure tourist experience, and conserve the environment. Scholarly work on this topic has paid more attention to the economic and sociocultural aspects of sustainability but less to addressing environmental issues. To uncover further research gaps, this study outlines sustainability transition pathways using two dimensions: sustainability inclusion and tourist involvement. Twenty-three distinct AI-based innovations were mapped onto the pathways to reveal future research directions. The findings explain the lack of AI-based solutions that offer high levels of sustainability inclusion and tourist involvement. Thus, this study proposes the “AI4GoodTourism” framework, inferring that intelligent automation with high sustainability inclusion levels can scale up the marginal contributions that tourists provide collectively. This framework serves to guide future research and development for various stakeholders who are progressing sustainable tourism agendas through intelligent automation.
Understanding the driving forces behind the losses of soil carbon across England and Wales

More than twice as much carbon is held in soils as in vegetation or the atmosphere, and changes in soil carbon content can have a large effect on the global carbon budget. The possibility that climate change is being reinforced by increased carbon dioxide emissions from soils owing to rising temperature is the subject of a continuing debate. But evidence for the suggested feedback mechanism has to date come solely from small-scale laboratory and ﬁeld experiments and modelling studies. Here we use data from the National Soil Inventory of England and Wales obtained between 1978 and 2003 to show that carbon was lost from soils across England and Wales over the survey period at a mean rate of 0.6% yr-1 (relative to the existing soil carbon content). We ﬁnd that the relative rate of carbon loss increased with soil carbon content and was more than 2% yr-1 in soils with carbon contents greater than 100 g kg-1. The relationship between rate of carbon loss and carbon content is irrespective of land use, suggesting a link to climate change. Our ﬁndings indicate that losses of soil carbon in England and Wales—and by inference in other temperate regions—are likely to have been offsetting absorption of carbon by terrestrial sinks. To investigate the possible driving forces of the measured losses of soil carbon we applied a simple model of soil carbon turnover to evaluate alternative explanations for the observed trends. We ﬁnd that neither changes in decomposition resulting from the effects of climate change on soil temperature and moisture, nor changes in carbon input from vegetation, could account on their own for the overall trends. Of other explanations, results indicate that past changes in land use and management were probably dominant. The climate change signal, such as it is, is masked by these other changes. A soils when ﬁrst
GAUGING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF HIGH-OCCUPANCY VEHICLE LANES: APPLYING THREE CRITERIA TO AVAILABLE DATA REVEALS BENEFITS, VIABILITY

The primary goal of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes is to move more people in limited space. Other benefits (i.e., shifts to higher occupancy vehicles, air quality improvements, and relief of traffic congestion) may or may not occur. Compared with adjacent general-purpose lanes during the most congested periods of the day, an effective HOV lane carries more people per lane, experiences higher speeds, and can be appropriately managed and enforced. HOV projects in North America tally approximately 2,500 lane-miles. This overview describes the performance of a cross section of HOV lanes, assessing a limited amount of available data without collecting new data for analysis.
Non-parametric calibration of the local volatility surface for European options Dec 5 th , 2011

In this paper, we explore a robust method for calibration of the local volatility surface for European options. Assuming the the volatility surface is smooth, we apply a second order Tikhonov regularization to the calibration problem. Additionally we propose a new approach for choosing the Tikhonov regularization parameter. Using the TAPENADE automatic differentiation tool in order to obtain adjoint code of the direct model is employed as an efficient way to obtain the gradient of cost function with respect to the local volatility surface. Finally we perform four numerical tests aimed at assessing and verifying the aforementioned techniques. key words: local volatility surface, second order Tikhonov, iterative regularization, inverse problems
ACR Appropriateness Criteria ® Liver Lesion-Initial Characterization EVIDENCE TABLE

* See Last Page for Key 2014 Review Nelson/Kamel Page 1 Reference Study Type Patients/ Events Study Objective (Purpose of Study) Study Results Study Quality 1. Leifer DM, Middleton WD, Teefey SA, Menias CO, Leahy JR. Follow-up of patients at low risk for hepatic malignancy with a characteristic hemangioma at US. Radiology. 2000; 214(1):167-172. ObservationalDx 213 patients To determine if follow-up imaging is needed in patients with low-risk of malignancy and a typical-appearing hemangioma at US. Follow-up imaging is not needed in patients with a low-risk of malignancy and a typicalappearing hemangioma at US. 3
Identification of Lactobacillus plantarum in Breast Milk

Introduction: The anti-infective effect of early colonization of infants by potentially probiotic lactic acid bacteria in human milk is a growing area of research. Lactobacillus plantarum colonization in early infancy may be important to health in later life. Here, we present an investigation into the presence of L. plantarum in breast milk from Iranian mothers. Materials and Methods: Human breast milk samples (n = 40) were randomly collected from lactating and breastfeeding women having undergone full-term pregnancies. Information concerning personal characteristics was collected after birth. The samples were cultured in de Man, Rogosa, and Sharpe medium using the pour plate technique, and isolates were initially identified by biochemical methods. Isolates were established as belonging to the genus Lactobacillus based on the 16- 23S rRNA region, and the species L. plantarum was identified using PCR and primers targeting the recA gene. Results: In our study, 35 samples (87.5%) contained suspected lactobacilli based on phenotypic tests. Thirty of these (85.71%) were confirmed as containing bacteria of the genus Lactobacillus using a genotypic method (PCR), all of which were found to be L. plantarum. Conclusion: Probiotic bacteria in a mother’s breast milk may have positive effects on her infant’s health. This insight creates new perspectives concerning the use of breast milk as a source of probiotic bacteria for bacteriotherapy.
Selection and prioritization of organic contaminants for monitoring in the drinking water value chain

The occurrence of organic contaminants in the drinking water value chain is of growing concern for the drinking water industry and its consumers. Because of the need to protect consumer health and retain their confidence on the supply, it is necessary to monitor for organic contaminants of concern to health. However, it is crucial to select and prioritize those organic contaminants of local relevance given the limited resources in developing countries. A generic protocol for the selection and prioritization of organic contaminants for monitoring in the drinking water value chain (from catchment to tap) was developed for use by Rand Water and other water utilities. The protocol was successfully implemented in the Rand Water supply chain resulting in a list of priority organic contaminants. The methodology used, recognizes the use of available information on other databases and the use of criteria tailor made for the drinking water industry.
Effect of montelukast on basophil releasability in patients with asthma.

BACKGROUND The anti-inflammatory effect of montelukast, a leukotriene receptor antagonist, in patients with bronchial asthma is not entirely clear. Basophils can release a variety of mediators, including histamine and leukotriens, which most likely play an active role in the late allergic response. OBJECTIVES To study the effect of montelukast (10 mg/day) on histamine and cysteinyl leukotriene release from basophils taken from 12 mild atopic asthmatic patients who took the drug for 4 weeks. METHODS Basophils were withdrawn at baseline, and after 48 hours, 1 week, and 4 weeks of therapy. Histamine was measured by a radioenzymatic method and leukotrienes by immunologic assay. Histamine and cysLT release was measured spontaneously and following stimulation with interleukin-3 and anti-immunoglobulin E. Spirometry and symptom score were measured before and during treatment. RESULTS During the treatment with montelukast there were no significant changes in spontaneous, IL-3 and anti-IgE-induced histamine release. cysLT release decreased significantly only after 4 weeks of treatment (from 2899 +/- 550 pg/ml at baseline to 2225 +/- 430 pg/ml at 4 weeks, P= 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Montelukast does not seem to affect the release of histamine from basophils but mildly inhibits the cysLT release seen after 4 weeks of treatment.