Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Long period variables and mass loss in the globular clusters NGC 362 and NGC 2808

Context. The pulsation periods of long period variables (LPVs) depend on their mass and helium abundance as well as on their luminosity and metal abundance. Comparison of the observed periods of LPVs in globular clusters with models is capable of revealing the amount of mass lost on the giant branch and the helium abundance. Aims. We aim to determine the amount of mass loss that has occurred on the giant branches of the low metallicity globular clusters NGC 362 and NGC 2808. We also aim to see if the LPVs in NGC 2808 can tell us about helium abundance variations in this cluster. Methods. We have used optical monitoring of NGC 362 and NGC 2808 to determine periods for the LPVs in these clusters. We have made linear pulsation models for the pulsating stars in these clusters taking into account variations in mass and helium abundance. Results. Reliable periods have been determined for 11 LPVs in NGC 362 and 15 LPVs in NGC 2808. Comparison of the observed
WB‐PBPK approach in predicting zidovudine pharmacokinetics in preterm neonates

Antiretroviral therapy has been the mainstay of treatment for neonates born to HIV infected mothers. Neonates born prematurely to HIV positive mothers are underdeveloped not only in anatomical terms but also in their physiological systems. Zidovudine, the first antiretroviral drug in clinical therapy for the treatment of HIV has been approved for use in preterm neonates both prophylactically and therapeutically. The present work describes the whole body physiologically based pharmacokinetic (WB‐PBPK) model development for zidovudine in preterm neonates of varying gestational ages, to observe the pharmacokinetic behavior of the drug in this vulnerable group of the population. Along with the height, weight, post‐natal, and gestational ages of the preterm neonates, metabolic enzymes CYP2A6, CYP2C8, etc. were incorporated for each neonate. The composition of the different organs in terms of water and lipid components, blood flow rates, etc. were specified during simulations according to the gestational ages of these neonates. The following PK parameters were estimated for preterm neonates using simulated plasma profiles: AUC 2686.41 ± 123.49 μmol min/L, Cmax 6.46 ± 0.74 μmol/L, half‐life 8.98 ± 2.36 hr, mean residence time 12.23 ± 3.43 hr, and total plasma clearance 1.48 ± 0.19 ml/min/kg in comparison with the observed PK parameters of a clinical study by Mirochknic et al. in preterm neonates with AUC 2020.04 μmol/min/L, Cmax 6.10 μmol/L, and total plasma clearance 1.62 ml/min/kg. PBPK simulations provide an opportunity to visualize the possible impact of physiological maturity levels at varying gestational ages on the pharmacokinetic behavior of zidovudine in preterm neonates.
Leaf analysis as a guide to the nutrition of fruit crops. X. Magnesium and phosphorus sand culture experiments with apple

Sand culture pot experiments were carried out on young virus-tested dessert apples, on MM.104 rootstocks, to study the effects of different levels of nutrient Mg and P on growth, flower production, crop yield and leaf nutrient composition. The relationship between leaf nutrient status and growth and fruiting was also investigated with a view to establishing “critical” leaf nutrient values for Mg and P. Variations in leaf Mg, over the range 0.07 to 0.33% Mg in dry matter (August sampling), had no significant effect (5% level) on growth and fruiting, although magnesium deficiency symptoms appeared on trees with leaf values less than 0.15% Mg in dry matter. Sub-clinical concentrations of leaf P had very pronounced effects on growth, flowering and yield. Raising leaf P (July) from 0.15 to 0.25% P in dry matter doubled the number of flowers (in some years) in the following season and substantially increased growth and crop yield. In the absence of other limiting factors, and with adequate levels of N, the “critical” leaf P level in July—August would appear to be in the region of 0.25% P in dry matter.
Macroeconomic drivers of household income growth Exploring heterogeneity across subpopulations via latent class modeling

Which macroeconomic factors drive household income growth and to what extend are these driving forces heterogeneous across different subpopulations, were the central questions of this research. To answer these questions, a latent class model has been estimated. Whereby new parameter values in the maximization step of the expectation-maximization algorithm where determined via the outlier robust generalized method of moments estimator of Lucas et al. (1997). Households were generally segmented into one group with average and stable incomes and one or two other groups with below average and volatile incomes. The effect of income inequality was generally negative for the latter group, while it was positive for the first group. Redistribution and gross domestic product growth usually had no significant effect. Hence, redistribution is a good tool to lower inequality and therewith support overall income growth.
Low Frequency of MKRN3 and DLK1 Variants in Chinese Children with Central Precocious Puberty

Background Central precocious puberty (CPP) is defined by gonadotropin-dependent development of secondary sexual characteristics before the age of 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys. MKRN3 and DLK1 are two genes, disease-causing variants of which have recently been discovered to cause idiopathic CPP. Methods We screened 173 Chinese patients (9 males and 164 females; 9 familial and 164 sporadic) with ICPP and 43 patients (9 males and 34 females; 3 familial and 40 sporadic) with early puberty for variants in MKRN3. We also screened 19 patients with ICPP and early puberty for variants of DLK1 (17 males and 2 females; 5 familial and 14 sporadic). Results We identified four novel missense variants of MKRN3, c.1138G > A (p.Glu380Lys), c.1420T > A (p.Leu474Met), c.673C > G (p.Leu225Val), and c.1071C > G (p.Ile357Met) in two sporadic cases and three familial cases. According to ACMG standards, two MKRN3 variant (p.Glu380Lys and p.Ile357Met) are likely pathogenic, and two others are of uncertain significance. We also performed bioinformatic analysis to evaluate the impact of variants on MKRN3 protein structures, which showed that Ile357Met locates at the zinc-binding region (C3HC4 RING finger motif), while Glu380Lys is spatially extremely close to the C3HC4 RING finger, MKRN-specific Cys-His domain, and the third C3H1 zinc-finger motif region. Per Glu380Lys, Glu with negative charges has been changed into Lys with positive charges, which may affect the hydrogen bond formation between amino acids and the stability of the local structure, thus affecting the binding of zinc iron to MKRN3 protein. Besides, we did not identify any variants of DLK1 gene in our patients. Conclusions In this study, we report four novel MKRN3 variants in patients with ICPP. Moreover, we did not find any variants of DLK1 gene. Variants of MKRN3 are relatively uncommon in Chinese ICPP patients.
A Catastrophizing Assessment of Worrisome Thoughts 1

Cognitive products o f anxiety related to the automatic questioning style proposed by Kendall and Ingram (1987) were examined in the context of chron& worry using a method modeled after the cognitive therapy technique o f decatastrophizing. As chronic worriers generated sequences of possible catastrophic consequences for two worry topics, they generated significantly more catastrophic steps than nonworriers. Also, worriers reported a significant increase in subjective discomfort as catastrophizing progressed while nonworriers' reports revealed no change. With few exceptions, the content of won~iers ' catastrophic sequences did not differ from that of nonworriers. Despite this, worriers rated the events in their sequences as significantly more likely to actually occur than nonworriers. These results are consistent with the view of Ingram and Kendall (1987) that anxiety is associated with automatic questions of the form "what if? " It is argued that the differences between the cognitive products of worriers and nonworriers observed during catastrophizing reflect worriers' more ready access to elaborate memory stores o f answers to catastrophic "what if? " questions that have been acquired through frequent repetition.
Hinged and Wide: A New P^P Ligand for Emissive [Cu(P^P)(N^N)][PF6] Complexes

Heteroleptic [Cu(BIPHEP)(N^N)][PF6] complexes (BIPHEP = 1,1′-biphenyl-2,2′-diylbis(diphenylphosphane)), in which N^N is 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy), 6-methyl-2,2′-bipyridine (6-Mebpy), 6-ethyl-2,2′-bipyridine (6-Etbpy), or 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine (5,5′-Me2bpy), have been synthesized and characterized using multinuclear NMR spectroscopies and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. The single crystal structures of [Cu(BIPHEP)(bpy)][PF6]∙CH2Cl2, [Cu(BIPHEP)(5,5′-Me2bpy)][PF6]∙CH2Cl2, [Cu(BIPHEP)(6-Mebpy)][PF6]∙Et2O∙0.5H2O and [Cu(BIPHEP)(6-Etbpy)][PF6] confirm distorted tetrahedral {Cu(P^P)(N^N)} coordination environments. Each compound shows a quasi-reversible Cu+/Cu2+ process. In deaerated solution, the compounds are weak emitters. Powdered samples are yellow emitters (λemmax in the range 558–583 nm) and [Cu(BIPHEP)(5,5′-Me2bpy)][PF6] exhibits the highest photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY = 14%). On cooling to 77 K (frozen 2-methyloxolane), the emission maxima are red-shifted and the excited state lifetimes increase from τ1/2 < 8 μs, to τ1/2 values of up to 53 μs, consistent with the compounds with N^N = 6-Mebpy, 6-Etbpy and 5,5′-Me2bpy exhibiting thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF).
Developing and Validating a Method for Separating Flavonoid Isomers in Common Buckwheat Sprouts Using HPLC-PDA

Buckwheat sprouts that are synthesized during the germination process are rich in flavonoids, including orientin, vitexin, rutin, and their isomers (isoorientin, isovitexin, and quercetin-3-O-robinobioside, respectively). The purpose of this study was to optimize and validate an analytical method for separating flavonoid isomers in common buckwheat sprout extract (CSE). Factors, such as range, linearity, precision, accuracy, limit of detection, and limit of quantification, were evaluated for each standard using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). On the basis of resolution and symmetry, a column temperature of 40 °C with 0.1% (v/v) acidic water and acetonitrile as mobile phases, at a flow rate of 1 mL min−1 were determined to be the optimal analytical conditions. Calibration curves for orientin, isoorientin, vitexin, isovitexin, and rutin exhibited good linearity with correlation coefficients of 0.9999 over the 6.25–100.00 μg mL−1 range. Recovery values of 96.67–103.60% confirmed that the method was accurate for all flavonoids. The relative standard deviations of intra-day repeatability and inter-day reproducibility confirmed method preciseness, with values of less than 5.21% and 5.40%, respectively. The developed method was used to analyze flavonoids in CSE, with isomers satisfactorily separated and simultaneously quantified. We demonstrated that the developed HPLC method can be used to monitor flavonoids in buckwheat sprouts.
The Great Moderation and the Relationship between Output Growth and its Volatility

This study examines the effect of the Great Moderation on the relationship between U.S. output growth and its volatility over the period 1947 to 2006. First, we consider the possible effects of structural changes in the volatility process. We employ generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity in mean (GARCH-M) specifications, which describe output growth rate and its volatility with and without a one-time structural break in volatility. Second, our data analyses and empirical results suggest no significant relationship between the output growth rate and its volatility; this favors the traditional wisdom of dichotomy in macroeconomics. Moreover, the evidence shows that the time-varying variance falls sharply or even disappears once we incorporate a one-time structural break in the unconditional variance of output starting in 1982 or 1984. That is, the integrated GARCH effect proves spurious. Finally, a joint test of a trend change and a one-time shift in the volatility process finds that the one-time shift dominates.
Convergence analysis of Crank-Nicolson and Rannacher time-marching

This paper presents a convergence analysis of Crank-Nicolson and Rannacher time-marching methods which are often used in flnite difierence discretisations of the Black-Scholes equations. Particular attention is paid to the important role of Rannacher’s startup procedure, in which one or more initial timesteps use Backward Euler timestepping, to achieve second order convergence for approximations of the flrst and second derivatives. Numerical results conflrm the sharpness of the error analysis which is based on asymptotic analysis of the behaviour of the Fourier transform. The relevance to Black-Scholes applications is discussed in detail, with numerical results supporting recommendations on how to maximise the accuracy for a given computational cost.
Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis after TAVR and SAVR: Insights from the PARTNER Trials.

Background: Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE) is a rare but critical mechanism of valve failure and death after transcatheter and surgical aortic valve replacement (TAVR, SAVR) warranting further analysis in modern AVR experience. We characterize the incidence, risk factors, microbiological profile and outcomes of PVE from the PARTNER trials and registries. Methods: We analyzed a pooled cohort of all patients in PARTNER-I and PARTNER-II trials and registries. Patients had severe aortic stenosis, were treated with TAVR or SAVR, and were analyzed with respect to development of PVE. PVE adjudication by a clinical events committee (CEC) was based on modified Duke Criteria. The incidence, infection timing, organism, and association between PVE and all-cause mortality were analyzed. Results: 8,530 patients were included. PVE occurred in 107 cases (5.06 [95%CI, 4.19-6.12] PVE events per 1,000 person-years over a mean follow-up of 2.69±1.55 years). The incidence of TAVR-PVE (5.21 [95%CI, 4.26-6.38] per 1,000 person-years) was not significantly different to SAVR-PVE (4.10 [95%CI, 2.33-7.22] per 1,000 person-years; IRR 1.27 [95%CI, 0.70-2.32]; P=0.44). Temporal risk of PVE was similar for TAVR and SAVR, even after adjusting for competing risk of death (HR 1.15 [95%CI, 0.58-2.28]; P=0.69). Through multivariable analysis, PVE was associated with baseline cirrhosis (IRR 2.86 [95%CI, 1.33-6.16; P=0.007), pulmonary disease (IRR 1.70 [95%CI, 1.16-2.48; P=0.006), and renal insufficiency (IRR 1.71 [95%CI, 1.03-2.83], P=0.04). Timing of PVE was similar between TAVR and SAVR (<30 days: 4.2% vs 8.3%; 31 days-1 year: 52.6% vs 66.7%; >1 year: 43.2% vs 25.0%; P=0.28). Staphylococcus occurred more commonly after SAVR (58.3% vs 28.4% in TAVR; P=0.04). PVE was strongly associated with all-cause mortality after endocarditis diagnosis (HR 4.42 [95%CI, 3.42-5.72; P<0.0001). Conclusions: The widespread adoption of TAVR and application to lower-risk patients makes understanding mechanisms of valve failure increasingly important. PVE is an established mechanism of prosthetic valve failure post-SAVR and TAVR with unclear differences between approaches. We herein demonstrate in the largest trials and registries of TAVR that PVE remains rare, but often fatal, in modern AVR experience and that there is no difference in incidence, predictors, or risk of PVE between TAVR and SAVR. Clinical Trial Registrations: URL: https://ClinicalTrials.gov Unique Identifiers: NCT00530894 (PARTNER I), NCT01314313 (PARTNER IIA), NCT02184442 (PARTNER IIB), NCT03222141 (PII S3HR), NCT03222128 (PII S3i).
Technical Efficiency in the Use of Health Care Resources: A Cross-Country Analysis

Abstract The aim of the paper is to assess the technical efficiency of twenty health systems from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). We used an outputoriented Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to measure the technical efficiency of the health systems using the latest data available on infant death and life expectancy as health outcomes. Our results show that technical efficiency varies across these health systems and this translates into potential savings of resources. The average efficiency scores for all heath systems were 0.98 for life expectancy at birth and only 0.821 for infant mortality. More than half of the health systems in the sample were technically inefficient in 2009 for both outputs. We found that 30% of national health systems were technically efficient for both outputs.
The effect of emotion regulation on risk-taking and decision-related activity in prefrontal cortex

Abstract Emotion regulation impacts the expected emotional responses to the outcomes of risky decisions via activation of cognitive control strategies. However, whether the regulation of emotional responses to preceding, incidental stimuli also impacts risk-taking in subsequent decisions is still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated the interplay between the regulation of incidentally induced emotional responses and subsequent choice behavior using a risky decision-making task in two independent samples (behavioral and functional magnetic resonance imaging experiment). We found that overall, emotion regulation was followed by less risky decisions, which was further reflected in an increase in activation in brain regions in dorsolateral and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and cingulate cortex. These findings suggest that altering incidental emotions using reappraisal strategies impacts on subsequent risk-taking in decision-making.
Predicting the response of seven Asian glaciers to future climate scenarios using a simple linear glacier model

[1] Observations from seven Central Asian glaciers (35–55°N; 70–95°E) are used, together with regional temperature data, to infer uncertain parameters for a simple linear model of the glacier length variations. The glacier model is based on first order glacier dynamics and requires the knowledge of reference states of forcing and glacier perturbation magnitude. An adjoint-based variational method is used to optimally determine the glacier reference states in 1900 and the uncertain glacier model parameters. The simple glacier model is then used to estimate the glacier length variations until 2060 using regional temperature projections from an ensemble of climate model simulations for a future climate change scenario (SRES A2). For the period 2000–2060, all glaciers are projected to experience substantial further shrinkage, especially those with gentle slopes (e.g., Glacier Chogo Lungma retreats ∼4 km). Although nearly one-third of the year 2000 length will be reduced for some small glaciers, the existence of the glaciers studied here is not threatened by year 2060. The differences between the individual glacier responses are large. No straightforward relationship is found between glacier size and the projected fractional change of its length.
Systematic Review of Irreversible Electroporation Role in Management of Locally Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Background: Ablative techniques provide in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer (LAPC) symptomatic relief, survival benefit and potential downsizing. Irreversible Electroporation (IRE) represents potentially an ideal solution as no thermal tissue damage occurs. The purpose of this review is to present an overview on safety, feasibility, oncological results, survival and quality of life improvement obtained by IRE. Methods: A systematic search was performed in PubMed, regarding the use of IRE on PC in humans for studies published in English up to March 2019. Results: 15 original studies embodying 691 patients with unresectable LAPC who underwent IRE were included. As emerged, IRE works better on tumour sizes between 3–4 cm. Oncological results are promising: median OS from diagnosis or treatment up to 27 months. Two groups investigated borderline resectable tumours treated with IRE before resection with margin attenuation, whereas IRE has proved to be effective in pain control. Conclusions: Electroporation is bringing new hopes in LAPC management. The first aim of IRE is to offer a palliative treatment. Further efforts are needed for patient selection, as well as the use of IRE for ‘margin accentuation’ during surgical resection. Even if promising, IRE needs to be validated in large, randomized, prospective series.
Lack of Assortative Mating Between Incipient Species of Stickleback from a Hybrid Zone

Both premating and postmating barriers to gene flow can contribute to reproductive isolation but the relative role of these factors, particularly in the early stages of speciation, is not well understood. Evidence suggests that factors contributing to assortative mating and, thus, the development and maintenance of divergent species, can be ecology-dependent. Here, we present results from a study of assortative mating between recently diverged anadromous and freshwater sticklebacks conducted in semi-natural conditions. Sympatric anadromous and freshwater sticklebacks were sampled from a contact zone and multiple male and female morphs were allowed to breed in replicate ponds. Mate choice was determined using genetic markers to assign parents to offspring. Contrary to laboratory-based studies of sticklebacks, after allowing for differences in the propensity of the morphotypes to mate, we found no evidence of assortative mating. Furthermore, there was no evidence of size assortative mating, but rather a general female 'preference' to mate with large males was revealed. Analysis of the propensity of different morphotype combinations to produce fry provided indirect evidence that exogenous factors may influence hybrid survival. Our results indicate that hybridisation between anadromous and freshwater sticklebacks from the River Tyne, Scotland, occurs readily, and that sexual selection is unlikely to contribute to premating isolation. From these results we infer that postmating isolation (hybrid inferiority) has preceded the evolution of premating isolation (assortative mating) in this population of sticklebacks.
Enzymatically Functionalized Composite Materials Based on Nanocellulose and Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) Cryogel and Possessing Antimicrobial Activity

In the present work, innovative composite biomaterials possessing bactericidal properties and based on the hexahistidine-tagged organophosphorus hydrolase (His6-OPH) entrapped in the poly(vinyl alcohol) cryogel (PVA-CG)/bacterial cellulose (BC) were developed. His6-OPH possesses lactonase activity, with a number of N-acyl homoserine lactones being the inducers of Gram-negative bacterial resistance. The enzyme can also be combined with various antimicrobial agents (antibiotics and antimicrobial peptides) to improve the efficiency of their action. In this study, such an effect was shown for composite biomaterials when His6-OPH was entrapped in PVA-CG/BC together with β-lactam antibiotic meropenem or antimicrobial peptides temporin A and indolicidin. The residual catalytic activity of immobilized His6-OPH was 60% or more in all the composite samples. In addition, the presence of BC filler in the PVA-CG composite resulted in a considerable increase in the mechanical strength and heat endurance of the polymeric carrier compared to the BC-free cryogel matrix. Such enzyme-containing composites could be interesting in the biomedical field to help overcome the problem of antibiotic resistance of pathogenic microorganisms.