Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Land-Cover Characterization and Aridity Changes of South America (1982–2006): An Attribution by Ecohydrological Diagnostics

AbstractTo quantify impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities on land surface dynamics a novel diagnostic tool is introduced, an application to the South American continent is presented, and the results are compared with observational studies. The diagnostics are performed in an ecohydrological state space spanned by surface flux ratios of excess energy U (loss by sensible heat H over supply by net radiation N) versus excess water W [loss by runoff (Ro) over gain by precipitation P]. The attribution of a changing state is deduced by rotating the (U, W) coordinates of its trajectory onto the external (or climate) and internal (or anthropogenic) forcings dependent of the regional state of aridity at the origin of the trajectory of change. Vegetation greenness (NDVI) is included in the attribution analysis as an active tracer. The first and second periods (1982–93 and 1994–2006; ERA-Interim) are chosen for change attribution analysis. 1) State space climates are characterized by a bimodal distri.
Analysis of Knowledge Management, Organizational Ambidexterity and Financial Innovation in Banking Sector

The banking industry is the backbone of an economy. The competition in the banking sector and the threat of a third financial crisis require banks to become more effective and efficient. It may be accomplished through financial innovation. The primary purpose of the research is to develop a framework for fostering financial innovation through evaluating the relationship among knowledge management (KM), organizational ambidexterity (OAMB), and level of financial innovation (LoFI) in the banking sector and to develop a framework. To achieve the research aim, a survey was carried out among the commercial banks of Pakistan. The findings of this research are based on 383 responses from Pakistan. The collected data was analyzed using structural equational modeling. Findings indicated that KM significantly influenced OAMB and LoFI, and OAMB significantly influenced LoFI. Moreover, organizational climate (OC) moderated the relationship between KM and OAMB, and environmental dynamism moderated the relationship between OAMB and LoFI. The researcher also analyzed the relationship between OAMB, KM, and LoFI and found that OAMB mediated the relationship between KM and LoFI. Based on the research findings, the researcher suggested that banks should enhance the level of KM and OAMB as these two things increase LoFI. Banks should also foster OC in a way that may enhance learning and sharing. Likewise, banks should also critically appraise the external environment to increase LoFI.
Farmers’ Attitude, Knowledge, and Awareness of the Risk from Plant Protection Products (PPP) Use: A Case Study in Semani River Catchment, Albania

: Plant Protection Products have become essential for ensuring food security, but more production endangering the health of farmers, and food safety and may cause environmental pollution. In some countries, the reports on the process of decision-making of farmers in choosing and applying PPPs are often insufficient. A survey of farmers was conducted in the Semani catchment in Albania to explore the level of knowledge and risk awareness on PPPs use along with analyzing the factors that affect certain levels of farmers’ behaviors by using multinomial logistic regression. Regarding farmers' knowledge (before PPP application), it was found that more than half of the respondents (57%) have a medium level of knowledge, 66% of them were moderately aware of health risks and 75% of the farmers had a moderate level of awareness about environmental impacts of PPPs. Based on the results of the applied model, a statistically significant relationship between the dependent variable (farmer attitudes) and the independent variable (education* years of experience) was observed. Therefore, developing awareness-raising programs toward PPPs use is highly recommended.
Analysis of Self Tuning Fuzzy PID Internal Model Control

In this paper internal model control and fuzzy self-tuning PID controller is combined into a whole controller which make up a new controller fuzzy self-tuning PID internal model controller. First the internal model control system can be changed into conventional PID unity feedback control system through introducing pade series to approximate the time delay unit. Then using fuzzy inference to tune the PID parameters online, the fuzzy self tuning PID internal model controller is realized. This controller combines the advantage of fuzzy control, internal model control and PID control.
Financial Technology Moderates The Influence Of Financial Literacy And Financial Self-Efficacy On Financial Management Behavior

Advances in technology have made shopping very easy. Especially students, it is a generation that can easily access technology, so it is natural that students must be good at managing their finances and have a welfare orientation in the future. This study used an associative quantitative approach and used the population of S1 Management Study Program students, Faculty of Economics and Business, State University of Malang, totaling 894 students. The sampling method uses purposive sampling and is determined by the slovin formula with a sample of 100 respondents. Data collection techniques in this study used questionnaires. Based on the presentation of the results and discussion in this study, the conclusions that can be drawn are: 1) Financial management behavio r is positively and significantly influenced by Financial literacy 2) Financial management behavior is positively and significantly influenced by Financial self-efficacy. 3) Financial technology is able to strengthen the relationship between financial literacy and Financial Management Behavior.
Frontal gray matter abnormalities predict seizure outcome in Frontal gray matter abnormalities predict seizure outcome in refractory temporal lobe epilepsy patients refractory temporal lobe epilepsy patients

Developing more reliable predictors of seizure outcome following temporal lobe surgery for intractable epilepsy isanimportantclinicalgoal.Inthiscontext,weinvestigatedpatientswithrefractorytemporallobeepilepsy(TLE) before and after temporal resection. In detail, we explored gray matter (GM) volume change in relation with seizure outcome, using a voxel-based morphometry (VBM) approach. To do so, this study was divided into two parts. The ﬁ rst one involved group analysis of differences in regional GM volume between the groups (good outcome (GO), e.g., no seizures after surgery; poor outcome (PO), e.g., persistent postoperative seizures; and controls, N = 24 in each group), pre-and post-surgery. The second part of the study focused on pre-surgicaldataonly(N=61),determiningwhetherthedegreeofGMabnormalitiescanpredictsurgicaloutcomes. Forthissecondstep,GMabnormalitieswereidenti ﬁ ed,withineachlobe,ineachpatientwhencomparedwithan adhocsampleofage-matchedcontrols.Forthe ﬁ rstanalysis,theresultsshowedlargerGMatrophy,mostlyinthe frontal lobe, in PO patients, relative to both GO patients and controls, pre-surgery. When comparing pre-to-post changes,wefoundrelativeGMgainsintheGObutnotinthePOpatients,mostlyinthenon-resectedhemisphere. Forthesecondanalysis,onlythefrontallobedisplayedreliablepredictionofseizureoutcome.81%ofthepatients showing pre-surgical increased GM volume in the frontal lobe became seizure free, post-surgery; while 77% of the patients with pre-surgical reduced frontal GM volume had refractory seizures, post-surgery. A regression analysisrevealedthattheproportionofvoxelswithreducedfrontalGMvolumewasasigni ﬁ cantpredictorofsei-zure outcome (p= 0.014). Importantly, having lessthan 1% ofthe frontal voxels with GM atrophy increasedthe likelihood of being seizure-free,post-surgery, by seven times. Overall,our results suggest that using pre-surgical GM abnormalities within the frontal lobe is a reliable predictor of seizure outcome post-surgery in TLE. We be-lievethatthisfrontalGM atrophycaptures seizure burdenoutside thepre-existing ictaltemporallobe, re ﬂ ecting either the development of epileptogenesis or the loss of a protective, adaptive force helping to control or limit seizures. This study provides evidence of the potential of VBM-based approaches to predict surgical outcomes in refractory TLE candidates. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Oral conditions and dysphagia in Japanese, community-dwelling middle- and older- aged adults, independent in daily living

Purpose: Prevention, early detection and effective rehabilitation of dysphagia are important issues to be considered in an aging society. Previous studies have shown conflicting findings regarding the association between dysphagia and its potential risk factors, including age, malnutrition, oral conditions, lifestyle and medical history. Herein, we assessed the prevalence and association of dysphagia with potential risk factors in 50- to 79-year-old adults dwelling in a community in Japan. Patients and methods: In this study, there were 532 participants (185 males and 347 females). Participants who responded positively to the question “Do you sometimes choke on drinks/food such as tea and soup? ” or those who presented with abnormal repetitive saliva swallowing test findings were diagnosed with dysphagia. The data collected from these participants included the following: number of teeth, occurrence of oral dryness, age, body mass index, serum albumin concentration, smoking, drinking and exercise habits, presence of diseases, such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension, and questions from the Mini–Mental State Examination. Results: Dysphagia was observed in 33 males (17.8%) and 76 females (21.9%). To explore the effect of the potential risk factors on the prevalence of dysphagia, a model was built by multivariate logistic regression analysis. Using the forced entry method, oral dryness (odds ratio [OR] = 3.683 and P = 0.003 in males; OR = 1.797 and P = 0.032 in females) and the number of teeth (OR = 0.946 and P = 0.038 in males) were found to be significantly related to dysphagia. Conclusion: This cross-sectional study demonstrated associations between oral conditions and dysphagia. Factors such as oral dryness and number of teeth may contribute to dysphagia more so than aging, lifestyle and comorbidity in community-dwelling adults over the age of 50.
Strain-level characterization of health-associated bacterial consortia that colonize the human gut during infancy

Background: The human gut microbiome develops rapidly during infancy, a key window of development coinciding with maturation of the adaptive immune system. However, little is known of the microbiome growth dynamics over the first few months of life and whether there are any generalizable patterns across human populations. We performed metagenomic sequencing on stool samples (n=94) from a cohort of infants (n=15) at monthly intervals in the first six months of life, augmenting our dataset with seven published studies for a total of 4,441 metagenomes from 1,162 infants. Results: Strain-level de novo analysis was used to identify 592 of the most abundant organisms in the infant gut microbiome. Previously unrecognized consortia were identified which exhibited highly correlated abundances across samples and were composed of diverse species spanning multiple genera. Analysis of a cohort of infants with cystic fibrosis identified one such novel consortium of diverse Enterobacterales which was positively correlated with weight gain. While all studies showed an increased community stability during the first year of life, microbial dynamics varied widely in the first few months of life, both by study and by individual. Conclusion: By augmenting published metagenomic datasets with data from a newly established cohort we were able to identify novel groups of organisms that are correlated with measures of robust human development. We hypothesize that the presence of these groups may impact human health in aggregate in ways that individual species may not in isolation.
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery

BACKGROUND Although the location of proximal cancer of the remnant stomach is the same as that of primary proximal cancer of the stomach, its clinical characteristics and prognosis are still controversial. AIM To evaluate the clinicopathological features and prognosis factors of gastric stump cancer (GSC) and primary proximal gastric cancer (PGC).
Typing of Leishmania isolates from vectors and leporids of the Madrid (Spain) outbreak

In 2009, a large outbreak of leishmaniasis, associated with environmental changes, was declared near Madrid (Spain), in which Phlebotomus perniciosus was the vector, whereas the main reservoirs were hares and rabbits. Analysis of isolates from humans, vectors and leporids from the focus identified the Leishmania infantum ITS-Lombardi genotype. However, multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE), the reference technique for Leishmania typing, and sequencing of the hsp70 gene, a commonly used marker, were not performed. In the present study, 19 isolates from P. perniciosus ( n = 11), hares ( n = 5) and rabbits ( n = 3) from the outbreak area, all characterized as ITS-Lombardi in previous studies, were analysed by MLEE and hsp70 sequencing. The hsp70 results confirmed that all the analysed strains are L. infantum . However, by MLEE, 4 different zymodemes of L. infantum were identified based on variable mobilities of the NP1 enzyme: MON-34 (NP1 100 , n = 11), MON-80 (NP1 130 , n = 6), MON-24 (NP1 140 , n = 1) and MON-331 (NP1 150 , n = 1). The relative frequency of these zymodemes does not correspond to their usual occurrence in Spain. Moreover, MON-34 and MON-80 were found in P. perniciosus , hares and rabbits for the first time. These findings continue to provide insights into the outbreak and call for further studies with a higher number of strains.
Observations of Surface Wave–Current Interaction

AbstractWave–current interaction can result in significant inhomogeneities of the ocean surface wave field, including modulation of the spectrum, wave breaking rates, and wave statistics. This study presents novel airborne observations from two experiments: 1) the High-Resolution Air–Sea Interaction (HiRes) experiment, with measurements across an upwelling jet off the coast of Northern California, and 2) an experiment in the Gulf of Mexico with measurements of waves interacting with the Loop Current and associated eddies. The significant wave height and slope varies by up to 30% because of these interactions at both sites, whereas whitecap coverage varies by more than an order of magnitude. Whitecap coverage is well correlated with spectral moments, negatively correlated with the directional spreading, and positively correlated with the saturation. Surface wave statistics measured in the Gulf of Mexico, including wave crest heights and lengths of crests per unit surface area, show good agreement with seco.
Opioid-induced dysbiosis of maternal gut microbiota during gestation alters offspring gut microbiota and pain sensitivity

ABSTRACT There has been a rapid increase in neonates born with a history of prenatal opioid exposure. How prenatal opioid exposure affects pain sensitivity in offspring is of interest, as this may perpetuate the opioid epidemic. While few studies have reported hypersensitivity to thermal pain, potential mechanisms have not been described. This study posits that alterations in the gut microbiome may underly hypersensitivity to pain in prenatally methadone-exposed 3-week-old male offspring, which were generated using a mouse model of prenatal methadone exposure. Fecal samples collected from dams and their offspring were subjected to 16s rRNA sequencing. Thermal and mechanical pain were assessed using the tail flick and Von Frey assays. Transcriptomic changes in whole brain samples of opioid or saline-exposed offspring were investigated using RNA-sequencing, and midbrain sections from these animals were subjected to qPCR profiling of genes related to neuropathic and inflammatory pain pathways. Prenatal methadone exposure increased sensitivity to thermal and mechanical pain and elevated serum levels of IL-17a. Taxonomical analysis revealed that prenatal methadone exposure resulted in significant alterations in fecal gut microbiota composition, including depletion of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, and Lachnospiracea sp and increased relative abundance of Akkermansia, Clostridium sensu stricto 1, and Lachnoclostridium. Supplementation of the probiotic VSL#3 in dams rescued hypersensitivity to thermal and mechanical pain in prenatally methadone-exposed offspring. Similarly, cross-fostering prenatally methadone-exposed offspring to control dams also attenuated hypersensitivity to thermal pain in opioid-exposed offspring. Modulation of the maternal and neonatal gut microbiome with probiotics resulted in transcriptional changes in genes related to neuropathic and immune-related signaling in whole brain and midbrain samples of prenatally methadone-exposed offspring. Together, our work provides compelling evidence of the gut-brain-axis in mediating pain sensitivity in prenatally opioid-exposed offspring.
Identifying and controlling anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum taxa of Welsh onion in Sanxing, Taiwan.

From 2018 to 2020, anthracnose symptoms were observed throughout Welsh onion fields in northern Taiwan, mainly the Sanxing area. In total, 33 strains of Colletotrichum species were isolated from diseased leaves, and major causative agents were identified based on a multi-locus phylogenetic analysis using four genomic regions (act, tub2, gapdh, and ITS. Based on this phylogeny, Colletotrichum species causing anthracnose of Welsh onion were identified as C. spaethianum (C. spaethianum species complex), and C. circinans (C. dematium species complex) in the Sanxing area, northern Taiwan. To determine and compare the pathogenicity of each species, representative fungal strains of each species were inoculated on the cultivar 'Siao-Lyu' by spraying spore suspension onto the leaf surface. Welsh onion plants were susceptible to both species, but disease incidence and severity were higher in C. spaethianum. In total, 31 fungicides were tested to determine their efficacy in reducing mycelial growth and conidial germination of representative strains of C. spaethianum and C. circinans under laboratory conditions. Five fungicides fluazinam, metiram, mancozeb, thiram, and dithianoneffectively reduced mycelial growth and spore germination in both C. spaethianum and C. circinans. In contrast, difenoconazole and trifloxystrobin + tebuconazole, which are commonly used in Welsh onion production in northern Taiwan, mainly the Sanxing area, were ineffective. These results serve as valuable insights for growers, enabling them to identify and address the emergence of anthracnose caused by C. spaethianum and C. circinans of Welsh onion, employing fungicides with diverse modes of action.
The association between oral health status and physical function in elderly patients with acute heart failure

Abstract Objectives Oral health problems are common and are associated with various geriatric conditions in older adults. The importance of oral health has not been fully highlighted in the assessment and management of patients with heart failure. Here, we investigated the association between oral health status and the decline in physical function during hospitalization in elderly patients with acute heart failure. Materials and Methods We evaluated oral health using the revised oral assessment guide in 77 patients aged 65 years or older who were admitted to hospital for acute heart failure. Oral health problems were defined as a revised oral assessment guide score ≥9. Results Oral health problems were identified in 66.2% of the patients. Patients with oral health problems had high prevalence of decreased physical function, undernutrition, and cognitive impairment. A reduction in the Barthel Index, as an indicator of activities of daily living during hospitalization, was significant in the enrolled patients. The Barthel Index decreased more in patients with oral health problems than those with normal oral health. Furthermore, the revised oral assessment guide score on admission was found to be the only independent predictor of changes in the Barthel Index during hospitalization in the multivariate analyses. Conclusions Oral assessment using the revised oral assessment guide during hospitalization could provide useful information for the management of elderly heart failure patients.
Current treatment goals are achieved by the majority of patients with atopic dermatitis treated with tralokinumab: results from a multicentric, multinational, retrospective, cohort study

ABSTRACT Background Tralokinumab is a human monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin-13 that is approved for the treatment of moderate-severe atopic dermatitis. Studies analyzing the efficacy and safety of tralokinumab in a real-world setting are scarce. Research design and methods A European, multicentric, real-world, retrospective cohort study was defined to assess the effectiveness and safeness profile of tralokinumab, investigating the achievement of pre-specified treatment goals; and to detect potential differences in terms of effectiveness and safeness across some selected patient subcohorts. Results A total of 194 adult patients were included in this study. A significant improvement in physician-assessed disease severity was detected at each follow-up visit as compared with baseline and similar trend was observed for patient-reported outcomes and quality of life. No meaningful difference in effectiveness was found when considering patient age (<65 versus ≥65 years), neither dissecting patient cohort in dupilumab-naive vs dupilumab-treated subjects. Among tralokinumab-treated patients, 88% achieved at least one currently identified real-world therapeutic goal at week 16. Conclusions This retrospective multicenter study confirmed the effectiveness and safeness of tralokinumab throughout 32 weeks of observation, showing the achievement of therapeutic goals identified in both trial and real-world settings in a large proportion of tralokinumab-treated patients.
Functional outcome of routine versus on-demand removal of the syndesmotic screw

Aims The primary aim of this study was to present the mid-term follow-up of a multicentre randomized controlled trial (RCT) which compared the functional outcome following routine removal (RR) to the outcome following on-demand removal (ODR) of the syndesmotic screw (SS). Methods All patients included in the ‘ROutine vs on DEmand removal Of the syndesmotic screw’ (RODEO) trial received the Olerud-Molander Ankle Score (OMAS), American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Hindfoot Score (AOFAS), Foot and Ankle Outcome Score (FAOS), and EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D). Out of the 152 patients, 109 (71.7%) completed the mid-term follow-up questionnaire and were included in this study (53 treated with RR and 56 with ODR). Median follow-up was 50 months (interquartile range 43.0 to 56.0) since the initial surgical treatment of the acute syndesmotic injury. The primary outcome of this study consisted of the OMAS scores of the two groups. Results The median OMAS score was 85.0 for patients treated with RR, and 90.0 for patients treated with ODR (p = 0.384), indicating no significant difference between ODR and RR. The secondary outcome measures included the AOFAS (88.0 in the RR group and 90.0 for ODR; p = 0.722), FAOS (87.5 in the RR group and 92.9 for ODR; p = 0.399), and EQ-5D (0.87 in the RR group and 0.96 for ODR; p = 0.092). Conclusion This study demonstrated no functional difference comparing ODR to RR in syndesmotic injuries at a four year follow-up period, which supports the results of the primary RODEO trial. ODR should be the standard practice after syndesmotic screw fixation. Cite this article: Bone Jt Open 2023;4(12):957–963.