Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Waveform, spectrum, and energy of backward terahertz emission from two-color femtosecond laser induced microplasma

We measured the key characteristics of the backward terahertz (THz) emission from a two-color femtosecond laser spark in air: waveform, spectrum, and energy. Through the controlled reflection of the forward THz pulse, we observed the backward and forward ones in the same waveform and hence directly evidenced the origin of the backward THz radiation from the plasma spark. The spectrum of the backward THz radiation is shifted to the low-frequency range as compared with the forward one. Measurements of the energy of the backward and forward THz pulses for different pump pulse energies provide their ratio to be ∼5.5%, which quantitatively agrees with the results of our numerical simulations. These results can be useful for the noninvasive monitoring of forward THz emission parameters by the backward one.We measured the key characteristics of the backward terahertz (THz) emission from a two-color femtosecond laser spark in air: waveform, spectrum, and energy. Through the controlled reflection of the forward THz pulse, we observed the backward and forward ones in the same waveform and hence directly evidenced the origin of the backward THz radiation from the plasma spark. The spectrum of the backward THz radiation is shifted to the low-frequency range as compared with the forward one. Measurements of the energy of the backward and forward THz pulses for different pump pulse energies provide their ratio to be ∼5.5%, which quantitatively agrees with the results of our numerical simulations. These results can be useful for the noninvasive monitoring of forward THz emission parameters by the backward one.
In Vitro Comparison of Ulotaront (SEP-363856) and Ralmitaront (RO6889450): Two TAAR1 Agonist Candidate Antipsychotics

Abstract Background Trace amine-associated receptor-1 (TAAR1) agonists have been proposed as potential antipsychotics, with ulotaront and ralmitaront having reached clinical trials. While ulotaront demonstrated efficacy in a recent Phase II trial, a corresponding study studies of ralmitaront failed to show efficacy as a monotherapy or as an adjunct to atypical antipsychotics. In addition to TAAR1 agonism, ulotaront is a partial agonist at the serotonin 1A receptor (5-HT1AR). However, little is known about ralmitaront. Methods We compared ulotaront and ralmitaront at TAAR1, 5-HT1AR, and dopamine D2 using luciferase complementation-based G protein recruitment, cAMP accumulation, and G protein–coupled inward rectifier potassium channel activation assays. Results Ralmitaront showed lower efficacy at TAAR1 in G protein recruitment, cAMP accumulation, and GIRK activation assays. Moreover, ralmitaront lacked detectable activity at 5-HT1AR and dopamine D2. Conclusions Compared with ulotaront, ralmitaront shows lower efficacy and slower kinetics at TAAR1 and lacks efficacy at 5-HT1AR. These data may be relevant to understanding differences in clinical profiles of these 2 compounds.
Repeated immunosuppressive rabbit antithymocyte globulin therapy for adult patients with relapsed or refractory aplastic anemia

Immunosuppressive therapy (IST) with antithymocyte globulin (ATG) and cyclosporin A is the standard treatment for aplastic anemia (AA). However, the efficacy of repeated IST with rabbit ATG (rATG) as salvage therapy remains unclear in patients with relapsed or refractory AA.
Mathematical and numerical analyses of cellular, molecular and angiogenic parameters of a rat skin wound healing model

The inflammatory phase is an important event in the skin wound healing process. The deposition of granulation tissue in the wound bed and the rebuilding of the vascular network occur as inflammation diminishes. An angiogenic component in the formation of granulation tissue is the secretion of vascular endothelial growth factor, which assists in the chemotaxis, proliferation, and replication of fibroblasts. In this paper, we develop a mathematical model of skin wound healing angiogenic factors based on inflammatory cells (macrophages and neutrophils) and mediators (interleukin 6 and interleukin 10). We highlight the importance of this process in vascular endothelial growth factor release and in the formation of new capillary tips. We used a mathematical model of partial differential equations based on the reaction‐diffusion‐advection equations. In order to calibrate the parameters, we considered an in vivo model composed by four treatments: hydroalcoholic extract and oil‐resin of Copaifera langsdorffii at 10% concentration, collagenase, and Lanette cream. Using the laboratory data for the wound edge, our mathematical model estimated the values of vascular endothelial growth factor concentration, and tips density in the center of the wound with a maximum error of 2.9%, and predicted healing time required for each treatment. The region of viability for the parameters, in the proposed model, was found through numerical simulations from the Interleukin 6 and 10 dysregulation and we obtained that, among the parameters analyzed, the greatest influencer in the dynamics of the system is the one, which represents the production of Interleukin 10 during phagocytosis.
Long-Term Survival of Ischemic Stroke Patients according to Prior Cognitive Status: Dijon Stroke Registry

Introduction: Understanding the influence of preexisting cognitive impairment on the poststroke outcome is a critical challenge in the context of current aging and growing population. This study aimed to assess long-term survival of patients with acute ischemic stroke (IS) according to their premorbid cognitive status and to identify contributing factors of death. Methods: Patients with IS were prospectively identified among residents of Dijon, France, using a population-based registry (2013–2017). The association between case fatality at 5 years and prestroke cognitive status was assessed by multivariable Cox models adjusted for other clinical characteristics and preexisting brain damage on the initial CT scan including leukoaraiosis, old vascular brain lesions, and cortical and central brain atrophy, as well as major arterial occlusion. Results: 1,049 patients were included (mean age ± SD: 76.3 ± 15.2 years old, 54% women). Case fatality rates at 5 years were 38.1% in patients without cognitive impairment, 65.9% in patients with prior mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n = 132, 12.6%), and 86.6% in patients with dementia (n = 164, 15.6%) (p < 0.001). MCI (HR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.06–1.81, p = 0.016) and dementia (HR = 1.89; 95% CI: 1.45–2.46, p < 0.001) were both independently associated with higher case fatality after adjustment for clinical variables. The association remained significant after further adjustment for preexisting brain damage and major arterial occlusion (HR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.10–1.98, p = 0.009, for MCI and HR = 1.90; 95% CI: 1.43–2.53, p < 0.001, for dementia) among patients with available data on the CT scan (n = 916). Factors associated with death were roughly similar across groups. Conclusion: This study highlighted a poor long-term survival of IS patients with preexisting cognitive impairment, independently of other contributing factors of death. It is critical to better understand the trajectory of IS patients with preexisting cognitive impairment and to identify prognostic markers to guide clinicians in their management strategies.
Pregnancy‐related thromboembolism in women with sickle cell disease: An analysis of National Medicaid Data

Pregnancy and sickle cell disease (SCD) both individually carry a risk of thromboembolism (TE). Pregnancy in people with SCD may further enhance the prothrombotic effect of the underlying disease. The objectives of this study were to determine the rate and risk factors for arterial and venous thrombosis in pregnant people with SCD. Administrative claims data from the United States Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service Analytic eXtract from 2006 to 2018 were used. The study population included people with SCD from the start of their first identified pregnancy until 1 year postpartum and a control cohort of pregnant people without SCD of similar age and race. Outcomes of interest were identified with ICD‐9 or 10 codes. Logistic regression analyses were used to analyze risk factors. We identified infant deliveries in 6388 unique people with SCD and 17 110 controls. A total of 720 venous thromboembolism (11.3%) and 335 arterial TE (5.2%) were observed in people with SCD compared to 202 (1.2%) and 95 (0.6%) in controls. People with SCD had an 8–11 times higher odds of TE compared to controls (p < .001). Within the SCD cohort, age, hemoglobin SS (HbSS) genotype, hypertension, and history of thrombosis were identified as independent risk factors for pregnancy‐related TE. Pregnancy‐specific factors (pre‐eclampsia, eclampsia, multigestational pregnancy) were not associated with TE. In conclusion, the risk of pregnancy‐related TE is considerably higher in people with SCD compared with controls without SCD. Hence, people with SCD, particularly those with multiple risk factors may be candidates for thromboprophylaxis during pregnancy and the postpartum period.
Validity and reliability of a new clinician-rated tool for freezing of gait severity.

PURPOSE The Freezing of Gait Severity Tool (FOG Tool) was developed because of limitations in existing assessments. This cross-sectional study investigated its validity and reliability. METHODS People with Parkinson's disease (PD) were recruited consecutively from clinics. Those who could not walk eight-metres independently (with or without an assistive device), comprehend instructions, or with co-morbidities affecting walking were excluded. Participants completed a set of assessments including the FOG Tool, Timed Up and Go (TUG), and Freezing of Gait Questionnaire. The FOG Tool was repeated and those reporting no medication state change evaluated for test-retest reliability. Validity and reliability were investigated through Spearman's correlations and ICC (two-way, random). McNemar's test was applied to compare the FOG Tool and TUG on the proportion of people with freezing. RESULTS Thirty-nine participants were recruited [79.5%(n = 31) male; Median(IQR): age-73.0(9.0) years; disease duration-4.0(5.8) years]. Fifteen (38.5%) contributed to test-retest reliability analyses. The FOG Tool demonstrated strongest associations with the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire (ρ = 0.67, 95%CI 0.43-0.83). Test-retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.96, 95%CI 0.88-0.99). The FOG Tool had 6.2 times the odds (95%CI 2.4-20.4, p < 0.001) of triggering freezing compared to the TUG. CONCLUSIONS The FOG Tool appeared adequately valid and reliable in this small sample of people with PD. It was more successful in triggering freezing than the TUG.Implications for RehabilitationThe Freezing of Gait Severity Tool's assessment course is more effective than the commonly-used Timed Up and Go's assessment course for eliciting freezing of gait for clinical evaluation in people with Parkinson's disease.The Freezing of Gait Severity Tool can be considered for scoring freezing of gait severity in people with Parkinson's disease in the clinical setting.
A combination of metformin and galantamine exhibits synergistic benefits in the treatment of sarcopenia

Age-associated sarcopenia, characterized by a progressive loss in muscle mass and strength, is the largest cause of frailty and disability in the elderly worldwide. Current treatments involve nonpharmacological guidelines that few subjects can abide by, highlighting the need for effective drugs. Preclinical models were employed to test the benefits of RJx-01, a combination drug composed of metformin and galantamine, on sarcopenia. In worms, RJx-01 treatment improved lifespan, locomotion, pharyngeal pumping, and muscle fiber organization. The synergistic effects of RJx-01 were recapitulated in a transgenic mouse model that displays an exacerbated aging phenotype (Opa1–/–). In these mice, RJx-01 ameliorated physical performance, muscle mass and force, neuromuscular junction stability, and systemic inflammation. RJx-01 also improved physical performance and muscle strength in 22-month-old WT mice and also improved skeletal muscle ultrastructure, mitochondrial morphology, autophagy, lysosomal function, and satellite cell content. Denervation and myofiber damage were decreased in RJx-01–treated animals compared with controls. RJx-01 improved muscle quality rather than quantity, indicating that the improvement in quality underlies the beneficial effects of the combination drug. The studies herein indicate synergistic beneficial effects of RJx-01 in the treatment of sarcopenia and support the pursuit of RJx-01 in a human clinical trial as a therapeutic intervention for sarcopenia.
Peripheral megakaryocytes sound the alarm in COVID-19

/A9 in a subpopulation of megakaryocytes mirrors the observations made in platelets in COVID-19. 5,7 Furthermore, they identi ﬁ ed proteins implicated in SARS-CoV-2 infection, notably angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2), on megakaryocytes. These proteins were only signi ﬁ cantly expressed by the subpopulation of S100A8/A9-expressing megakaryocytes that contained viral molecules. These observations suggest that ACE2 and TMPRSS2 are variably expressed by megakaryocytes and may explain why they were inconsistently identi ﬁ ed in human platelets in previously published work
Predictive factors of sleep quality and burnout in nurses working in transplant units during the COVID-19 lockdown – A cross-sectional study

Background: There is minimal information regarding sleep disturbance and burnout during COVID-19 in nurses working within haematology-oncology and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) settings. Aim: To identify socio-demographic and professional factors that predicted burnout and sleep disturbance during COVID-19 in nurses working in HSCT settings. Design/Methods: Data were collected using the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Descriptive statistics and linear regression examined relationships. Results: 308 responses were received. Nurses working in outpatient settings had greater emotional exhaustion (Rpartial = −0.12, n = 308, p = 0.03). Negative predictors for quality of sleep were transplant programme setting (Rpartial = −0.19, n = 308, p < 0.01) and years working in HSCT (Rpartial = −0.17, n = 308, p < 0.01). Other relationships were found on univariate analysis. Conclusion: Institutions must offer programmes for nurses to develop sleep strategies, self-care, and work-related stress management.
Age‐related hearing loss and dementia‐related neuropathology: An analysis of the United Kingdom brains for dementia research cohort

Age‐related hearing loss frequently precedes or coexists with mild cognitive impairment and dementia. The role specific neuropathologies play in this association, as either a cause or a consequence, is unclear. We therefore aimed to investigate whether specific dementia related neuropathologies were associated with hearing impairment in later life. We analysed data on ante‐mortem hearing impairment with post‐mortem neuropathological data for 442 participants from the Brains for Dementia Research Cohort. Binary logistic regression models were used to estimate the association of hearing impairment with the presence of each dementia‐related neuropathology overall, and with specific staged changes. All analyses adjusted for age and sex, and several sensitivity analyses were conducted to test the robustness of findings. Presence and density of neuritic plaques were associated with higher odds of hearing impairment ante‐mortem (OR = 3.65, 95% CI 1.78–7.46 for frequent density of plaques). Presence of any LB disease was likewise associated with hearing impairment (OR = 2.10, 95% CI 1.27–3.48), but this did not increase with higher cortical pathology (OR = 1.53, 95% CI 0.75–3.11). Nonspecific amyloid deposition, neurofibrillary tangle staging, overall AD neuropathology level, and cerebrovascular disease were not clearly associated with increased risks of hearing impairment. Our results provide some support for an association between dementia‐related neuropathology and hearing loss and suggest that hearing loss may be associated with a high neuritic plaque burden and more common in Lewy body disease.
Pinging the brain to reveal the hidden attentional priority map

Priority maps are winner-take-all neural mechanisms that are thought to guide the allocation of attention. Within these maps, attentional priority is coded as weights on a topographic representation of physical space. Research has shown that these weights are not just influenced by the current stimuli presented but also by selection episodes that occurred in the past – called selection history. The current study demonstrates, for the first time, that these latent, implicitly-learned spatial biases can be visualized by ‘pinging’ the brain (a technique previously used to study activity-silent working memory). By briefly flashing high-contrast, task-irrelevant visual stimuli in the inter-stimulus interval between searches, participants’ current history-trained latent attentional priority could be decoded via scalp encephalography. Our findings not only offer a novel method of visualizing this latent attentional priority map, but also shed light on the underlying mechanisms allowing our past experiences to influence future behaviour. were evaluated for both ping and no-ping trials via cluster-based permutation tests and paired sampled two-sided t-tests with cluster correction (p = 0.05 and 1024 iterations) using MNE functionality (Gramfort et al., 2014). A similar permutation test was used to compare whether the difference between decoding on ping and no-ping trials was significant across time.
Combination of MAR and intron increase transgene expression of episomal vectors in CHO cells

Previous work has shown that the EF‐1α promoter of episomal vectors maintains high‐level transgene expression in stably transfected Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. However, the transgene expression levels need to be further increased. Here, we first incorporated matrix attachment regions (MARs), ubiquitous chromatin opening element (UCOE), stabilizing anti repressor elements 40 (STAR 40) elements into episomal vector at different sites and orientations, and systemically assessed their effects on transgene expression in transfected CHO‐K1 cells. Results showed that enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression levels increased remarkably when MAR X‐29 was inserted upstream of the promoter, followed by the insertion of MAR1 downstream of the poly A, and the orientation had no significant effect. Moreover, MAR X‐29 combined with human cytomegalovirus intron (hCMVI) yielded the highest transgene expression levels (4.52‐fold). Transgene expression levels were not exclusively dependent on transgene copy numbers and were not related to the mRNA expression level. In addition, vector with MAR X‐29+hCMVI can induce herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV‐TK) protein expression, and the HSV‐TK protein showed a cell‐killing effect and an obvious bystander effect on HCT116 cells. In conclusion, the combination of MAR X‐29 and hCMV intron can achieve high efficiency transgene expression mediated by episomal vectors in CHO‐K1 cells.
Thinking about God increases acceptance of artificial intelligence in decision-making

Significance Artificial intelligence (AI), once merely the draw and drama of science fiction, is now a feature of everyday life. AI is commonly used to generate recommendations, from the movies we watch to the medical procedures we endure. As AI recommendations become increasingly prevalent and the world grapples with its benefits and costs, it is important to understand the factors that shape whether people accept or reject AI-based recommendations. We focus on one factor that is prevalent across nearly every society: religion. Research has not yet systematically examined how religion affects decision-making in light of emerging AI technologies, which inherently raise questions on the role and value of humans. In introducing this discussion, we find that God salience heightens AI acceptance.
Risk minimization for an insurer with investment and reinsurance via g-expectation

Abstract This paper is devoted to the study of a risk-based optimal investment and proportional reinsurance problem. The surplus process of the insurer and the risky asset process in the financial market are assumed to be general jump-diffusion processes. We use a convex risk measure generated by g-expectation to describe the risk of the terminal wealth with investment and reinsurance. Under the aim of minimizing the risk, the problem is solved by using techniques of stochastic maximum principles. Two interesting special cases are studied and the explicit expressions for optimal strategies and corresponding minimal risks are derived.
A collaborative primary health care model for children and young people in rural Australia: explorations of cross-sectoral leader action.

BACKGROUND Cross-sectoral collaborations are considered necessary to address detrimental health, social, educational and economic outcomes that impact marginalised and disadvantaged populations. There is a strong relationship between the health of children and their educational attainment; good health promotes positive learning. This paper reports cross-sectoral executive and senior management level systems changes required to enable the design of a collaborative primary healthcare service model for children and young people in rural Australia. METHODS A descriptive qualitative design was used. Data were collected from executive and senior managers from three organisations (Education, Health and a University Department of Rural Health [n=6]) through individual semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using an inductive, thematic approach. The study draws on Lewin's Model of Change. RESULTS Three overarching themes were generated from the data: an embedded challenge and experimental solutions; building a shared language and understanding; and the role of relationships and trust. Despite the unique geographical and social context of the study area, strategies emerged from the data on how a solution to an embedded challenge, through design of a primary healthcare model, was established and how the strategies described could be transferred and scaled to other rural and remote communities. CONCLUSION Contextual differences make each rural and remote area unique. In this study, strategies that are described in the managing change literature were evident. The authors conclude that drawing on strong management of change principles could mean that a service model designed for one remote community might be transferrable to other communities.