Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MODENN: A Shallow Broad Neural Network Model Based on Multi-Order Descartes Expansion

Deep neural networks have achieved great success in almost every eld of artificial intelligence. However, several weaknesses keep bothering researchers due to its hierarchical structure, particularly when large-scale parallelism, faster learning, better performance, and high reliability are required. Inspired by the parallel and large-scale information processing structures in the human brain, a shallow broad neural network model is proposed on a specially designed multi-order Descartes expansion operation. Such Descartes expansion acts as an efficient feature extraction method for the network, improve the separability of the original pattern by transforming the raw data pattern into a high-dimensional feature space, the multi-order Descartes expansion space. As a result, a single-layer perceptron network will be able to accomplish the classification task. The multi-order Descartes expansion neural network (MODENN) is thus created by combining the multi-order Descartes expansion operation and the single-layer perceptron together, and its capacity is proved equivalent to the traditional multi-layer perceptron and the deep neural networks. Three kinds of experiments were implemented, the results showed that the proposed MODENN model retains great potentiality in many aspects, including implementability, parallelizability, performance, robustness, and interpretability, indicating MODENN would be an excellent alternative to mainstream neural networks.
Effects of probiotics on bone mineral density and bone turnover: A systematic review

Abstract Probiotic supplements have been shown to improve bone health in animal models, although it remains uncertain whether these beneficial effects extend to humans. We undertook a systematic review of the literature to determine the effects of probiotic interventions on skeletal outcomes in postmenopausal women. MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from inception to October 2020 for controlled trials comparing the effects of probiotic-containing supplements with placebo on bone mineral density (BMD) or bone turnover markers. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 Tool. Of 338 records identified, six randomized, placebo-controlled trials (n = 632) were eligible for inclusion. All studies assessed postmenopausal women for durations of 6–12 months; three were considered to be at high risk of bias. Four studies examined Lactobacillus-containing probiotics, one assessed a proprietary blend of lactic acid bacteria, and one evaluated Bacillus subtilis. Effects of probiotic interventions on BMD were inconsistent, with the majority of studies demonstrating no benefit at the spine or hip. Probiotic effects on bone turnover markers were similarly heterogeneous. High quality studies are needed to determine whether probiotic interventions have a role in maintaining bone health in humans.
Validation and Psychometric Properties of the HEXACO Personality Inventory Observer Report Form in the Polish Language

Abstract The aim of this study was to verify the structure and psychometric properties of the Polish adaptation of the HEXACO-PI-R observer report form based on a heterogeneous target sample (liked, neutral and disliked peers). The vast majority of research has focused on the validity and reliability of the self-report form. The psychometric properties of the observer report version have been verified in only two languages. Previous Polish lexical studies based on a heterogeneous target sample have shown that the structure differs from a typical six-factor structure from self-rating studies. Since this phenomenon was not observed in English, we decided to verify the psychometric properties of the observer report form in Polish. Additionally, the NEO-FFI and Polish Personality Markers for observer report were used. All HEXACO-PI-R scales achieved satisfactory internal consistency and showed high stability. The results indicated that the structure of the Polish adaptation of the HEXACO-PI-R observer report form could be considered as similar to the theoretical construct, except when the target of the description is neutral for the respondent. This suggests the necessity to verify the structure of the HEXACO-PI-R observer report form based on liked and disliked peers in other languages as well.
Adaptive Responses of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to Treatment with Antibiotics

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is among the highest priority pathogens for drug development because of its resistance to antibiotics, extraordinary adaptability, and persistence. Antipseudomonal research is strongly encouraged to address the acute scarcity of innovative antimicrobial lead structures. ABSTRACT Pseudomonas aeruginosa is among the highest priority pathogens for drug development because of its resistance to antibiotics, extraordinary adaptability, and persistence. Antipseudomonal research is strongly encouraged to address the acute scarcity of innovative antimicrobial lead structures. In an effort to understand the physiological response of P. aeruginosa to clinically relevant antibiotics, we investigated the proteome after exposure to ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, rifampicin, gentamicin, tobramycin, azithromycin, tigecycline, polymyxin B, colistin, ceftazidime, meropenem, and piperacillin-tazobactam. We further investigated the response to CHIR-090, which represents a promising class of lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis inhibitors currently under evaluation. Radioactive pulse-labeling of newly synthesized proteins followed by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to monitor the acute response of P. aeruginosa to antibiotic treatment. The proteomic profiles provide insights into the cellular defense strategies for each antibiotic. A mathematical comparison of these response profiles based on upregulated marker proteins revealed similarities of responses to antibiotics acting on the same target area. This study provides insights into the effects of commonly used antibiotics on P. aeruginosa and lays the foundation for the comparative analysis of the impact of novel compounds with precedented and unprecedented modes of action.
Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Clofazimine for Treatment of Cryptosporidiosis

Infection with Cryptosporidium spp. can cause severe diarrhea, leading to long-term adverse impacts and even death in malnourished children and immunocompromised patients. The only FDA-approved drug for treating cryptosporidiosis, nitazoxanide, has limited efficacy in the populations impacted the most by the diarrheal disease, and safe, effective treatment options are urgently needed. ABSTRACT Infection with Cryptosporidium spp. can cause severe diarrhea, leading to long-term adverse impacts and even death in malnourished children and immunocompromised patients. The only FDA-approved drug for treating cryptosporidiosis, nitazoxanide, has limited efficacy in the populations impacted the most by the diarrheal disease, and safe, effective treatment options are urgently needed. Initially identified by a large-scale phenotypic screening campaign, the antimycobacterial therapeutic clofazimine demonstrated great promise in both in vitro and in vivo preclinical models of Cryptosporidium infection. Unfortunately, a phase 2a clinical trial in HIV-infected adults with cryptosporidiosis did not identify any clofazimine treatment effect on Cryptosporidium infection burden or clinical outcomes. To explore whether clofazimine’s lack of efficacy in the phase 2a trial may have been due to subtherapeutic clofazimine concentrations, a pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic modeling approach was undertaken to determine the relationship between clofazimine in vivo concentrations and treatment effects in multiple preclinical infection models. Exposure-response relationships were characterized using Emax and logistic models, which allowed predictions of efficacious clofazimine concentrations for the control and reduction of disease burden. After establishing exposure-response relationships for clofazimine treatment of Cryptosporidium infection in our preclinical model studies, it was unmistakable that the clofazimine levels observed in the phase 2a study participants were well below concentrations associated with anti-Cryptosporidium efficacy. Thus, despite a dosing regimen above the highest doses recommended for mycobacterial therapy, it is very likely the lack of treatment effect in the phase 2a trial was at least partially due to clofazimine concentrations below those required for efficacy against cryptosporidiosis. It is unlikely that clofazimine will provide a remedy for the large number of cryptosporidiosis patients currently without a viable treatment option unless alternative, safe clofazimine formulations with improved oral absorption are developed. (This study has been registered in ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT03341767.)
Sharing Happy Stories Increases Interpersonal Closeness: Interpersonal Brain Synchronization as a Neural Indicator

Abstract Our lives revolve around sharing emotional stories (i.e., happy and sad stories) with other people. Such emotional communication enhances the similarity of story comprehension and neural across speaker-listener pairs. The theory of Emotions as Social Information Model (EASI) suggests that such emotional communication may influence interpersonal closeness. However, few studies have examined speaker-listener interpersonal brain synchronization (IBS) during emotional communication and whether it is associated with meaningful aspects of the speaker-listener interpersonal relationship. Here, one speaker watched emotional videos and communicated the content of the videos to 32 people as listeners (happy/sad/neutral group). Both speaker and listeners’ neural activities were recorded using EEG. After listening, we assessed the interpersonal closeness between the speaker and listeners. Compared with the sad group, sharing happy stories showed a better recall quality and a higher rating of interpersonal closeness. The happy group showed higher IBS in the frontal cortex and left temporoparietal cortex than the sad group. The relationship between frontal IBS and interpersonal closeness was moderated by sharing happy/sad stories. Exploratory analysis using support vector regression (SVR) showed that the IBS could also predict the ratings of interpersonal closeness. These results suggest that frontal IBS could serve as an indicator of whether sharing emotional stories facilitate interpersonal closeness. These findings improve our understanding of emotional communication among individuals that guides behaviors during interpersonal interactions.
Association of Impaired Fasting Glucose with Cardiovascular Disease in the Absence of Risk Factor.

BACKGROUND The association between impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in participants without atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk factors based on current definitions is unclear. The study aimed to examine the association of fasting glucose levels with CVD and its subtypes in persons without ASCVD risk factors. METHODS This study included 38,297 participants (men, 62.1%; mean age, 47.9 [12.9] years) who were free of a history of CVD, absent of ASCVD risk factors, and had a fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level between 70 to 125 mg/dl at baseline from Kailuan Study during 2006 to 2007, participants were followed up until new-onset CVD event, death or December 31, 2017. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to evaluate the associations. RESULTS During a median follow-up of 11.0 years (interquartile range, 10.7-11.2 years), we observed 1,217 incident CVD events. Compared with participants with FPG 70 to 99 mg/dl, the multivariable adjusted hazard ratios for CVD among participants with FPG 100 to 109 mg/dl and 110 to 125 mg/dl were 1.18 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02-1.38) and 1.27 (95%CI, 1.03-1.55), respectively. Multivariable-adjusted spline regression model showed a J-shaped association between FPG and the risk of CVD. CONCLUSIONS We found that among individuals without diabetes or other traditional ASCVD risk factors, there is an increased risk of incident CVD with increasing abnormal FPG levels. These results highlight the importance of primordial prevention for FPG level increases along with other traditional ASCVD risk factors.
Impacts du développement des biocarburants sur la production française de grandes cultures.

The paper provides an analysis of the impacts of the bio fuel policy on the French arable crop subsector. The model used is a bio fuel supply model composed of an agricultural module and an industrial bio fuel processingule. Our results show that the incorporation target of 7% of bio fuels in transport fuels would lead to a considerable increase in the rapeseed area. In the main producing regions, the rapeseed area would reach approximately a third of the total farmed area. It would not be possible to reach a 10% incorporation target without imports. Furthermore, we analyse the impacts of reaching these production levels on the rapeseed opportunity costs, and show that reaching the incorporation targets will need an increase in rapeseed prices paid to farmers. We calculate the impacts of this opportunity cost increase on the competitiveness of bio fuels with respect to fossil oil, for different levels of oil prices.
Solute transport in simulated conductivity fields under different irrigations

The interactive effect of irrigation methods and spatial variability of saturated hydraulic conductivity (\iK\i\ds) on solute transport was determined with the combined use of a two-dimensional deterministic solute transport model and a stochastic parameter generator. In a homogeneous \iK\i\ds field, the time required to infiltrate a prescribed amount of water or chemical increased from sprinkler to furrow to drip irrigation. Furrow irrigation appeared to leach the chemical more rapidly than either drip or sprinkler irrigation. Assuming the spatial distribution of \iK\i\ds to be a stationary stochastic process, increased spatial variability in \iK\i\ds reduced the infiltration rate. When \iK\i\ds is spatially correlated, sprinkler irrigation appeared to be less susceptible to cause ground-water contamination than furrow or drip irrigation. The concentration distributions in the uncorrelated \iK\i\ds field were not very different from those in the homogeneous field.
Hydroxysafflor yellow A promotes angiogenesis in rat brain microvascular endothelial cells injured by oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation(OGD/R) through SIRT1-HIF-1α-VEGFA signaling pathway.

OBJECTIVE Angiogenesis led by brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMECs) contributes to the remission of brain injury after brain ischemia reperfusion. In this study, we investigated the effects of hydroxysafflor yellow A(HSYA) on angiogenesis of BMECs injured by OGD/R via SIRT1-HIF-1α-VEGFA signaling pathway. METHODS The OGD/R model of BMECs was established in vitro by OGD for 2h and reoxygenation for 24h. At first, the concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), Angiopoietin (ang) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) in supernatant were detected by ELISA, and the proteins expression of VEGFA, Ang-2 and PDGFB in BMECs were tested by western blot; the proliferation, adhesion, migration (scratch healing and transwell) and tube formation experiment of BMECs; the expression of CD31 and CD34 were tested by immunofluorescence staining. The levels of sirtuin1(SIRT1), hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), VEGFA mRNA and protein were tested. RESULTS HSYA up-regulated the levels of VEGF, Ang and PDGF in the supernatant of BMECs under OGD/R, and the protein expression of VEGFA, Ang-2 and PDGFB were increased; HSYA could significantly alleviate the decrease of cell proliferation, adhesion, migration and tube formation ability of BMECs during OGD/R; HSYA enhanced the fluorescence intensity of CD31 and CD34 of BMECs during OGD/R; HSYA remarkably up-regulated the expression of SIRT1, HIF-1α, VEGFA mRNA and protein after OGD/R, and these increase decreased after SIRT1 was inhibited. CONCLUSION SIRT1-HIF-1α-VEGFA signaling pathway is involved in HSYA improves angiogenesis of BMECs injured by OGD/R.
Impact of a Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner in an Oncology Clinic: A Quality Improvement Effort

PURPOSE: Guidelines support early integration of palliative care (PC) into standard oncology practice; however, little is known as to whether outcomes can be improved by modifying health care delivery in a real-world setting. METHODS: We report our 6-year experience of embedding a nurse practitioner in an oncology clinic (March 2014-March 2020) to integrate early, concurrent advance care planning and PC. RESULTS: Compared with patients with advanced cancer not enrolled in the palliative care nurse practitioner program, in March 2020, patients who are enrolled are more likely to have higher quality of PC (eg, goals of care note documentation [82% v 15%; P < .01], referral to the psychosocial oncology program [67% v 37%; P < .01], and referral to hospice [61% v 34%; P < .01]) and less inpatient utilization in the last 6 months of life (eg, hospital days [12 v 18; P < .01] and intensive care unit days [1.2 v 2.3; P < .01]). The program expanded over time with the support of faculty skills training for advance care planning and PC, supporting a shared mental model of PC delivery within the oncology clinic. CONCLUSION: Embedding a trained palliative care nurse practitioner in oncology clinics to deliver early integrated PC can lead to improved quality of care for patients with advanced cancer. Embedding a palliative care (PC) NP in oncology clinics to deliver integrated PC can lead to improved quality of care
Association of Maternal Stress and Social Support During Pregnancy With Growth Marks in Children’s Primary Tooth Enamel

Key Points Question Can exfoliated primary teeth be used to identify children exposed to psychosocial risk and protective factors during their prenatal and perinatal life? Findings This cohort study of 70 children from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children birth cohort found evidence that teeth may record early-life events. Children exposed to prenatal maternal depression or anxiety had wider neonatal lines, a marker of enamel growth, and children with perinatal maternal social support had narrower neonatal lines. Meaning Exfoliated primary teeth, specifically neonatal line width, may be associated with prenatal and perinatal life experiences.
Retrofitting Existing Masonry Buildings to Resist Explosions

In recent years, many buildings around the world have had their windows protected or strengthened to resist the effects of explosions in an attempt to reduce the level of casualties associated with terrorist bomb attacks. While the windows form the most vulnerable parts of a building, occasionally it becomes necessary to strengthen the walls as well—particularly in older and weaker historical structures or where the blast loads are high. This paper highlights a number of different techniques available to the structural engineer and security specialist that can be employed to make existing masonry walls stronger and more capable of safely resisting the effects of explosions.
Laboratory Assessment of a Self-Healing Cementitious Composite

This paper presents work in the laboratory assessment of a new family of self-healing materials that hold promise for “crack-free” concrete or other cementitious composites. This innovative system features the design of passive smart microcapsules (PSMs) with oil core and silica gel shell, prepared through an interfacial self-assembly process and sol–gel reaction. Methylmethacrylate monomer and triethylborane were chosen as the healing agent and the catalyst for use in the system and were microencapsulated. The microcapsules were subsequently dispersed in fresh cement mortar along with carbon microfibers. The morphology of the microcapsules was examined by using a field emission scanning electron microscope. Mechanical tests and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements were carried out to evaluate the self-healing effect of PSMs and the possible physicochemical changes or interactions in the carbon microfiber–reinforced mortar matrix.
Synergistic effect of ursolic acid and piperine in CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity

Abstract Background Ursolic acid (UA) is a potent plant-based hepatoprotective agent having poor bioavailability, which hampers its therapeutic efficacy. The present study tries to overcome this limitation by combining it with piperine (PIP), a proven bioenhancer and hepatoprotective agent. Methods The type of interaction (synergism, addition, or antagonism) resulting between UA and PIP was analyzed and quantified by isobologram and combination index analysis. The hepatoprotective activity of UA and PIP was evaluated by measuring the level of hepatic marker enzymes. Pharmacokinetic analysis was carried out to ascertain the improvement of bioavailability. Results The combinations significantly decrease the enzyme levels, which indicate better hepatoprotective activity compared to single drugs. The relative oral bioavailability of UA was increased about tenfold (from AUC0–t =12.78 ± 2.59 µg/h/ml to 125.15 ± 1.84 µg/h/ml) along with the improvement of plasma concentration and elimination half-life. Conclusions The findings indicated that the combination of PIP and UA is an effective strategy in enhancing the bioavailability and hepatoprotective potential of UA. KEY MESSAGES Ursolic acid in a combination with piperine provides a synergistic hepatoprotective effect in carbon tetrachloride induced liver damage in rats. Piperine improves the pharmacokinetic properties of ursolic acid when given in combination. Piperine improves the relative oral bioavailability of ursolic acid by tenfold when combined together.
Sizing and Locating of Distributed Generations Based on Chaos Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm

Optimal configuration of distributed generations (DGs) is an important topic in the developing of intelligent power grid. In this paper, to finding out the optimal sitting and sizing Of DGs in distribution network without considering the newly increased load nodes, an economical model is built that regards the annual minimum operating cost as the objective function. Meanwhile, in order to avoid the particles trapping in local optimum, the chaos particle swarm optimization algorithm (CPSO) is adopted. Through testing on the IEEE 33-bus radial distribution system, the analysis results showed that the algorithm is effective.
Sex differences in type 2 diabetes mellitus prevalence among persons with HIV

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Objective: To examine whether type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is more common among women with HIV (WWH) than men with HIV (MWH). Design: A cross-sectional analysis of a demographically heterogenous population-based sample of more than 64 million patients in the United States. Methods: Using the Explorys (IBM) database, compare the prevalence of T2DM among men and women without HIV and influence of HIV on T2DM by sex controlling for confounding factors. Results: From 19 182 775 persons included in the study, 39 485 were with HIV. Rates of obesity was higher among WWH than MWH (58 vs. 35%). Prevalence of T2DM among WWH was 23% compared with 16% among MWH (P < 0.001). In sex-stratified adjusted analysis, WWH had 1.31 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.24–1.38] times the odds of having T2DM than women without HIV. Women with HIV was associated with T2DM across all demographic subgroups. In contrast, no association between HIV and T2DM was observed among men (OR 1.01; 95% CI 0.98–1.05). Conclusion: These data suggest that HIV confers a sex-specific increase in odds of T2DM among women but not men.