Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Description and outco of dogs with primary immune-mediated polyarthritis: 73 cases (2012-2017).

OBJECTIVES To provide a description of primary idiopathic immune-mediated polyarthritis, including long-term outcome and relapse rates, for dogs starting treatment with corticosteroids alone or corticosteroids with a second immunosuppressant. MATERIALS AND METHODS Medical records were reviewed between January 2012 and December 2017 to identify dogs diagnosed with primary immune-mediated polyarthritis. Data including signalment, clinicopathological findings, type and duration of treatment, relapse and outcome were recorded. RESULTS Seventy-three dogs were included. Fifty-four dogs were started on corticosteroid monotherapy (an additional immunosuppressant was introduced later in 27/54 dogs) and 19 dogs were treated with multi-modal immunosuppression from the outset. Ninety-five percent (69/73) of dogs responded favourably to therapy although death was attributed to immune-mediated polyarthritis in 19% (14/73) of dogs. Relapse of clinical signs was reported in 53% (39/73) dogs (31/39 while on treatment), with multiple relapses observed in 17 dogs. Complete cure (permanent withdrawal of immunosuppressive medication) was achieved in 46 dogs (63%). Overall, 81% of dogs had a well-managed disease for an extended timeframe (≥1131 days). Fourteen of 19 (74%) dogs that started treatment with multi-modal immunosuppression and 32 of 54 (59%) started on corticosteroids alone achieved a complete cure. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE This study provides extended follow-up information for a large cohort of dogs with primary immune-mediated polyarthritis. Immunosuppressive therapy was discontinued in the majority of dogs but disease-associated mortality remains high.
High polarization degree of the continuum of comet 2P/Encke based on spectropolarimetric signals during its 2017 apparition

Context. Spectropolarimetry is a powerful technique for investigating the physical properties of gas and solid materials in cometary comae without mutual contamination, but only a few spectropolarimetric studies have been conducted to extract each component. Aims. We attempt to derive the continuum (i.e., scattered light from dust coma) polarization degree of comet 2P/Encke, free of the influence of molecular emissions. The target is unique in that its orbit is dynamically decoupled from Jupiter, like the main-belt asteroids, but it ejects gas and dust like ordinary comets. Methods. We observed the comet using the Hiroshima Optical and Near-Infrared Camera attached to the Cassegrain focus of the 150 cm Kanata telescope on UT 2017 February 21 when the comet was at the solar phase angle of α = 75°. 7. Results. We find that the continuum polarization degree with respect to the scattering plane is Pcont, r = 33.8 ± 2.7% at the effective wavelength of 0.82 μm, which is significantly higher than those of cometary dust in a high-Pmax group at similar phase angles. Assuming that an ensemble polarimetric response of the dust of 2P/Encke as a function of phase angle is morphologically similar with those of other comets, its maximum polarization degree is estimated to Pmax ≳ 40% at αmax ≈ 100°. In addition, we obtain the polarization degrees of the C2 swan bands (0.51–0.56 μm), the NH2 α bands (0.62–0.69 μm), and the CN-red system (0.78–0.94 μm) in a range of 3–19%, which depend on the molecular species and rotational quantum numbers of each branch. The polarization vector is aligned nearly perpendicularly to the scattering plane with an average of 0°. 4 over a wavelength range of 0.50–0.97 μm. Conclusions. From the observational evidence, we conjecture that the high polarization degree of 2P/Encke might be attributable to a dominance of large dust particles around the nucleus, which have remained after frequent perihelion passages near the Sun.
The nucleoplasmic phase of pre-40S formation prior to nuclear export

Abstract Biogenesis of the small ribosomal subunit in eukaryotes starts in the nucleolus with the formation of a 90S precursor and ends in the cytoplasm. Here, we elucidate the enigmatic structural transitions of assembly intermediates from human and yeast cells during the nucleoplasmic maturation phase. After dissociation of all 90S factors, the 40S body adopts a close-to-mature conformation, whereas the 3' major domain, later forming the 40S head, remains entirely immature. A first coordination is facilitated by the assembly factors TSR1 and BUD23–TRMT112, followed by re-positioning of RRP12 that is already recruited early to the 90S for further head rearrangements. Eventually, the uS2 cluster, CK1 (Hrr25 in yeast) and the export factor SLX9 associate with the pre-40S to provide export competence. These exemplary findings reveal the evolutionary conserved mechanism of how yeast and humans assemble the 40S ribosomal subunit, but reveal also a few minor differences.
Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the KIDSCREEN-27 for Individuals With Cerebral Palsy

Our aims in this study were to examine the construct/concurrent validity and internal/test-re-test reliabilities of both the self-report and parent-report questionnaires of a Turkish version of the KIDSCREEN-27 for adolescents with cerebral palsy (CP). We used a convenience sample of 135 children and adolescents with CP aged 8–18 years (65 males, 70 females; M age = 12.39, SD = 3.57) and their parents/caregivers (123 mothers, seven fathers, and five grandmothers). We explored structural construct validity via confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Concurrent validity was examined via Spearman’s correlations between the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaires and the self-report and primary caregiver report forms of the Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life for Children (CP QOL-Child) and adolescents (CP QOL-Teen). We explored test-retest and internal consistency reliabilities utilizing intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Cronbach’s alpha (α), respectively. CFA goodness-of fit indices verified that the predefined model of the KIDSCREEN-27 was a good fit for data from the CP population (X2/df<5, GFI >0.90, AGFI >0.90, RMSEA<0.80). Results showed the subdomains of both KIDSCREEN-27 forms to be significantly correlated with the matched subdomains of the CP QOL-Child and CP QOL-Teen questionnaires (ranges of r = 0.62–0.94). Overall, α and ICC coefficients for all subdomains of both KIDSCREEN-27 versions were acceptable (α and ICC >0.70). Both versions of the KIDSCREEN-27 have satisfactory psychometric properties for use in evaluating health-related quality of life (HRQOL) outcomes in children and adolescents with CP.
Blocking and variations in atmospheric predictability

We consider the equivalent barotropic vorticity equation on the sphere, with simplified forcing, dissipation and topography. Twenty‐five modes are retained in a spherical harmonics expansion of the stream function. Solutions are studied as a function of the nondimensional intensity of the forcing and dissipation.Stationary solutions show the nonlinear orographic resonance of Charney and DeVore. A second resonance at lower, more realistic values of the forcing appears as a result of the larger number of modes. Among the multiple equilibria associated with the second, more complex resonance are a zonal and a blocked flow pattern which present marked similarities with the synoptically defined normal and blocked Northern Hemisphere midlatitude flows.Wave‐wave interactions influence strongly the stability properties of the equilibria and time evolutions of nonequilibrium solutions. The latter show persistent sequences which occur in the phase‐space vicinity of the zonal and blocked equilibria. Composite flow p.
The Supergiant Shell LMC 2. II. Physical Properties of the 106 K Gas

LMC 2 has the highest X-ray surface brightness of all known supergiant shells in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). The X-ray emission peaks within the ionized filaments that define the shell boundary but also extends beyond the southern border of LMC 2 as an X-ray bright spur. ROSAT HRI images reveal the X-ray emission from LMC 2 and the spur to be truly diffuse, indicating a hot plasma origin. We have obtained ROSAT PSPC and ASCA SIS spectra to study the physical conditions of the hot (≥106 K) gas interior to LMC 2 and the spur. Raymond-Smith thermal plasma model fits to the X-ray spectra, constrained by H I 21 cm emission line measurements of the column density, show the plasma temperature of the hot gas interior of LMC 2 to be kT ~ 0.1-0.7 keV and of the spur to be kT ~ 0.1-0.5 keV. We have compared the physical conditions of the hot gas interior to LMC 2 with those of other supergiant shells, superbubbles, and supernova remnants (SNRs) in the LMC. We find that our derived electron density for the hot gas inside LMC 2 is higher than the value determined for the supergiant shell LMC 4, comparable to the value determined for the superbubble N11, and lower than the values determined for the superbubble N44 and a number of SNRs.
Relaxation of isolated self-gravitating systems in one and three dimensions

Although Newtonian gravity plays an essential role in the evolution of celestial objects in the universe, the understanding of its dynamics is still limited. In this thesis we present a theoretical study of the dynamics of self-gravitating systems in one and three dimensions. The main question we study, using extensive numerical simulations, is whether existing statistical mechanical theories can describe their dynamical behavior. In one dimension we study principally two questions: the relaxation toward thermal equilibrium and the "violent relaxation" toward so-called "quasi-stationary states" (QSS). The first question considers the relaxation toward a state corresponding to the thermal equilibrium in the micro-canonical or canonical ensemble, where the analytical solution is known. We introduce the order parameters which can probe the relaxation. More specifically we establish that the characteristic time of this relaxation is correlated with fluctuations in the quasi-stationary state and scaled linearly with the particle number, independently of the initial condition. The second question considers the violent relaxation starting from different initial conditions, and the comparison with the violent relaxation theory of Lynden-Bell. This theory turns out to describe to a good approximation the properties of quasi-stationary states when the energy is close to the degenerate limit, or, more generally, when the initial conditions are such that the relaxation is "gentle". The breakdown of the theory on the other hand is correlated to the emergence of "core-halo" structure. Finally we study the same question for self-gravitating systems in three dimensions. For this case the theory of Lynden-Bell gives, in absence of a confining box, a solution of infinite mass. We show however that the solution is only weakly sensitive to the box size close to the degenerate limit. It can thus be compared with the (more physical) case of systems with open boundary conditions, which we simulate numerically. We observe as in one dimension a good agreement with the theory of Lynden-Bell in the regime close to the degenerate limit, and otherwise the emergence of core-halo structure when it breaks down. Keywords:
ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS: PROPERTIES OF THE STELLAR HALO AND THE MILKY WAY MASS DISTRIBUTION

Halo stars orbit within the potential of the Milky Way, and hence their kinematics can be used to understand the underlying mass distribution. However, the inferred mass distribution depends sensitively on assumptions made on the density and the velocity anisotropy profiles of the tracer population. Also, there is a degeneracy between the parameters of the halo and those of the disk or bulge. Most previous attempts that use halo stars have made arbitrary assumptions about these. In this paper, we decompose the Galaxy into three major components—a bulge, a Miyamoto–Nagai disk, and a Navarro–Frenk–White dark matter halo – and then model the kinematic data of the halo blue horizontal branch and K-giant stars from the Sloan Extension for Galactic Understanding and Exploration. Additionally, we use the gas terminal velocity curve and the Sgr A* proper motion. With the distance of the Sun from the center of the Galaxy R☉ = 8.5 kpc, our kinematic analysis reveals that the density of the stellar halo has a break at and an exponential cutoff in the outer parts starting at . Also, we find that the tracer velocity anisotropy is radially biased with βs = 0.4 ± 0.2 in the outer halo. We measure halo virial mass Mvir to be , concentration c to be , disk mass to be , disk scale length to be , and bulge mass to be . The halo mass is found to be small, and this has important consequences. The giant stars reveal that the outermost halo stars have low velocity dispersion, but interestingly this suggests a truncation of the stellar halo density rather than a small overall mass of the Galaxy. Our estimates of local escape velocity and dark matter density ( GeV cm−3) are in good agreement with recent estimates. Some of the above estimates, in particular Mvir, are dependent on the adopted value of R☉ and also on the choice of the outer power-law index of the tracer number density.
The effect of soil type on yield and micronutrient content of pasture species

The use of multispecies swards on livestock farms is growing due to the wide range of benefits they bring, such as improved biomass yield and animal performance. Preferential uptake of micronutrients by some plant species means the inclusion of legumes and forbs in grass-dominated pasture swards could improve micronutrient provision to livestock via careful species selection. However, although soil properties affect plant micronutrient concentrations, it is unknown whether choosing ‘best-performing’ species, in terms of their micronutrient content, needs to be soil-specific or whether the recommendations can be more generic. To address this question, we carried out an experiment with 15 common grass, forb and legume species grown on four soils for five weeks in a controlled environment. The soils were chosen to have contrasting properties such as texture, organic matter content and micronutrient concentrations. The effect of soil pH was tested on two soils (pH 5.4 and 7.4) chosen to minimise other confounding variables. Yield was significantly affected by soil properties and there was a significant interaction with botanical group but not species within a botanical group (grass, forb or legume). There were differences between botanical groups and between species in both their micronutrient concentrations and total uptake. Micronutrient herbage concentrations often, but not always, reflected soil micronutrient concentrations. There were soil-botanical group interactions for micronutrient concentration and uptake by plants, but the interaction between plant species (within a botanical group) and soil was significant only for forbs, and predominantly occurred when considering micronutrient uptake rather than concentration. Generally, plants had higher yields and micronutrient contents at pH 5.4 than 7.4. Forbs tended to have higher concentrations of micronutrients than other botanical groups and the effect of soil on micronutrient uptake was only significant for forbs.
Augmented-Medication CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (AMCPR) trial: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

Objective Clinical trials on demodynamic-directed cardiopulmonary resuscitation have been limited. The aim of this study is to investigate whether Augmented-Medication CardioPulmonary Resuscitation (AMCPR) would improve the odds of return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Methods This is a double-blind, single-center, randomized placebo-controlled trial that will be conducted in the emergency department of a tertiary, university-affiliated hospital in Seoul, Korea. A total of 148 adult patients with nontraumatic, nonshockable, out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who have an initial diastolic blood pressure above 20 mmHg will be randomly assigned to two groups of 74 patients (a 1:1 ratio). Patients will receive an intravenous dose of 40 IU of vasopressin with epinephrine, or a placebo with epinephrine. The primary endpoint is a sustained ROSC (over 20 minutes). Secondary endpoints are enhanced diastolic blood pressure, end-tidal carbon dioxide levels, acidosis, and lactate levels during resuscitation. Discussion AMCPR is a trial about tailored medication for select patients during resuscitation. This is the first randomized control trial to identify patients who would benefit from vasopressin for achieving ROSC. This study will provide evidence about the effect of administration of vasopressin with epinephrine to increase ROSC rate. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03191240. Registered on June 19, 2017.
Real-world treatment patterns and use of adjunctive pain and anti-inflammatory medications among patients with psoriatic arthritis treated with IL-17A inhibitors in the United States

BACKGROUND: Much of the current research on treatment patterns and use of adjunctive pain and anti-inflammatory medications among patients living with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) predates the approval and uptake of IL (interleukin)-17A inhibitors. OBJECTIVES: To compare real-world treatment patterns and use of adjunctive pain and antiinflammatory medications between patients with PsA initiating the IL-17A inhibitors, ixekizumab and secukinumab, in a US-managed care population. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the HealthCore Integrated Research Database. Patients with a PsA diagnosis who initiated ixekizumab or secukinumab treatment between December 1, 2017, and November 30, 2019, were identified. Two cohorts were created based on which of the 2 medications was initiated (index date), and patients with prior use of either drug were excluded, as were patients with ankylosing spondylitis. Patients had to be continuously enrolled in the health plan for 6 months prior to (baseline) and 12 months after the index date (post-index). Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to minimize confounding from baseline demographic and clinical differences between cohorts. Treatment patterns (dosing, persistence, discontinuation, and switching) and use of adjunctive pain/anti-inflammatory medications were assessed and compared between weighted cohorts using chi-square and t-tests. RESULTS: In total, 407 patients were identified in the ixekizumab cohort (mean age 51.6 years; 54% female) and 1,508 patients were identified in the secukinumab cohort (mean age 50.1 years; 59% female). Prior to weighting, presence of a psoriasis diagnosis code (ixekizumab: 60% vs secukinumab: 45%; standardized difference [std diff] = −0.30), specialty of the index prescriber (std diff = 0.38), and mean number of prior advanced therapies (2.0 vs 1.5; std diff = −0.33) were different between cohorts. Cohorts were well balanced after weighting. The majority of secukinumab patients (71%) received an index dose of 300 mg. Rates of persistence (ixekizumab: 40% vs secukinumab: 43%; P = 0.411) and switching (25% vs 20%; P = 0.072) were not statistically different between cohorts. Use of new adjunctive pain and anti-inflammatory medications was not statistically different between cohorts either (ixekizumab: 63% vs secukinumab: 58%; P = 0.187). CONCLUSIONS: Real-world treatment patterns and use of adjunctive pain and anti-inflammatory medications were similar in patients with PsA initiating ixekizumab and secukinumab in this US-managed care population. Further research examining reasons for discontinuation, switching, and use of adjunctive medications may help inform treatment decisions for patients living with PsA.
Simultaneous Hα and dust reverberation mapping of 3C 120: Testing the bowl-shaped torus geometry

We monitored the Seyfert-1 galaxy 3C 120 between September 2014 and March 2015 at the Universitätssternwarte Bochum near Cerro Armazones in BVRIJK and a narrowband filter covering the redshifted Hα line. In addition we obtained a single contemporary spectrum with the spectrograph FAST at Mt. Hopkins. Compared to earlier epochs 3C 120 is about a factor of three brighter, allowing us to study the shape of the broad line region (BLR) and the dust torus in a high luminosity phase. The analysis of the light curves yields that the dust echo is rather sharp and symmetric in contrast to the more complex broad Hα BLR echo. We investigated how far this supports an optically thick bowl-shaped BLR and dust torus geometry. The comparison with several parameterizations of these models supports the following geometry: The BLR clouds lie inside the bowl closely above the bowl rim up to a halfcovering angle 0° < θ < 40° (measured against the equatorial plane). Then the BLR is spread over many isodelay surfaces, yielding a smeared and structured echo as observed. Furthermore, if the BLR clouds shield the bottom of the bowl rim against radiation from the nucleus, the hot dust emission comes essentially from the top edge of the bowl (40° < θ < 45°). Then, for small inclinations as for 3C120, the top dust edge forms a ring that largely coincides with a narrow range of isodelay surfaces, yielding the observed sharp dust echo. The scale height of the BLR increases with radial distance from the black hole (BH). This leads to luminosity dependent foreshortening effects of the lag. We discuss the implications and possible corrections of the foreshortening for the BH mass determination and consequences for the lag (size)–luminosity relationships and the difference from interferometric torus sizes.
Isoflurane impairs GluN2B‐containing NMDA receptors trafficking and cognition via decreasing histone acetylation and EphB2 expression in aged hippocampal neurons

Perioperative neurocognitive disorders (PND) is a common complication that occurs among elderly patients in the perioperative course. Current clinical evidence has shown that isoflurane exposure could cause cognitive decline, but the exact molecular mechanisms remain unclear. As both NMDARs‐dependent synaptic plasticity and histone acetylation play vital roles in processing learning and memory, we postulated that these alternations might occur in the isoflurane‐associated PND. Here, we found that isoflurane impaired fear memory in aged mice, decreased GluN2B‐containing NMDA receptors phosphorylation and trafficking, as well as the expression of EphB2, a key regulator of synaptic localization of NMDA receptors. We also identified that isoflurane could increase the expression of HDAC2, which was significantly enriched at the ephb2 gene promoter and regulated the transcription of ephb2. Furthermore, we showed that suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), a nonselective HDAC inhibitor or knocking‐down HDAC2 rescued the cognitive dysfunction in isoflurane‐treated aged mice via increasing acetylation of H3Ac, expression of EphB2 and promoting NMDA receptor trafficking. Collectively, our study highlighted the crucial role of histone posttranslational modifications for EphB2‐GluN2B signals in isoflurane‐associated PND, and modulating HDAC2 might be a new therapeutic strategy for isoflurane‐associated PND.