Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reconstruction of regional NDVI using tree-ring width chronologies in the Qilian Mountains,northwestern China

Aims Many recent studies indicated that the regional climate of northwest China had changed from a warm-dry to a warm-wet pattern. Therefore,it is important to assess vegetation cover change in this area. Our objective is to evaluate the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) record in eastern,middle and western parts of the Qilian Mountains and assess past long-term vegetation cover change with tree-ring chronologies. Methods Temporal and spatial changes of NDVI,and its relationship with tree-ring width were analyzed using 8 km × 8 km resolution multi-temporal NOAA/AVHRR-NDVI data from 1986–2003 and five ring-width chronolo-gies in the Qilian Mountains. Then,we used liner regression to reconstruct annual NDVI varieties for 1843–2003. Important findings Vegetation cover in the Qilian Mountains decreased from east to west,and the main growing season lasted from June to August. In addition,during the period 1986–2003,an increasing NDVI-trend was evident in three regions in the Qilian Mountains,indicating that vegetation activity has been rising recently. In the eastern,central and western parts of the Qilian Mountains,values of NDVI during the growing season have increased by 3.28%,4.82% and 7.75% per year,respectively. We also found a strong relationship between NDVI and the first principal component (PC1) of the five tree-ring width chronologies (r = 0.74,p 0.01). Growing season NDVI was reconstructed based on correlation analysis. Six periods characterized by high and low values were reflected in the NDVI curve,and the poorest period of plant growth was 1923–1932. Moreover,the amplitude of the fluctuation was larger during 1989–2003,accompanied by an increasing trend since 1991.
Obesity Prevalence and Association with Spirometry Profiles, ICU Admission, and Comorbidities Among Patients with COPD: Retrospective Study in Two Tertiary Centres in Saudi Arabia

Background Obesity is common among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients and is associated with an increase in acute exacerbation episodes. However, data on obesity’s impact on and association with clinical outcomes among patients with COPD are limited. This study aimed to determine overweight and obesity prevalence and associations with spirometry profiles, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, and comorbidities in patients with COPD. Methods In this retrospective cohort study, we reviewed the electronic health records of adult individuals diagnosed with COPD who visited the studied pulmonary clinics between 1 January 2018 and 31 December 2022 and then collected key demographic variables and relevant clinical outcomes and comorbidities. Results A total of 474 patients with COPD were included in the final analysis, of whom 60% were male. The occurrences of overweight and obesity were 32.7% and 38.2%, respectively. The presence of comorbidities was high in obese patients (78.4%), followed by overweight patients (63.8%) with COPD. Obese and overweight patients had the highest ward admission rates (38.3% and 34.2%, respectively). ICU admissions were higher in obese and overweight patients (16% and 12%, respectively) compared with normal-weight patients (9%). Although no significant correlation was found between body mass index and spirometry parameters, comorbidities and ICU admission were linked to overweight and obesity in COPD patients (AOR: 1.82 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.86 and AOR: 3.34 95% CI 1.35 to 8.22, respectively). Conclusion Our findings imply that obesity in COPD is prevalent and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes including a greater number of comorbidities and higher rates of hospitalization and admission to ICUs although no associations were found between body weight and spirometry parameters. Further studies are needed to assess whether implementing and optimising obesity screening and management at an early stage in COPD can prevent further deterioration.
Apoptotic Extracellular Vesicles Derived from Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells Promote Skin Repair by Enhancing Angiogenesis: From Death to Regeneration

Purpose The promotion of angiogenesis is an effective strategy for skin wound repair. While the transplantation of endothelial cells has shown promise in vascularization, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Recent studies have suggested that transplanted cells undergo apoptosis in a short period and release apoptotic extracellular vesicles (ApoEVs) that may have therapeutic potential. Methods In this study, we isolated ApoEVs from human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and characterized their properties. In vitro, we assessed the effects of ApoEVs on the proliferation, migration, and differentiation of endothelial cells and fibroblasts. In vivo, we investigated the therapeutic role of ApoEVs-AT in full-thickness skin wounds, evaluating wound closure rate, re-epithelialization, granulation tissue formation, vascularization, scar area, and collagen 3(Col3)/collagen 1(Col 1) ratio. Results ApoEVs derived from HUVECs displayed typical characteristics. In vitro, ApoEVs significantly enhanced the proliferation, migration, tube formation, and expression of angiogenic-related genes in endothelial cells and slightly promoted the proliferation and migration of fibroblasts. In vivo, ApoEVs improved the wound closure rate, re-epithelialization, the formation of granulation tissue, and vascularization. Besides, ApoEVs reduced scar formation, accompanied by an increase in the Col 3/ Col 1 ratio. Conclusion Given their abundant source and effectiveness, this study provided a novel approach for angiogenesis in tissue regeneration and deepened the understanding of from death to regeneration.
Can atherogenic indices and the triglyceride-glucose index be used to predict erectile dysfunction?

Abstract Background Atherosclerosis and insulin resistance play an important role in the development of erectile dysfunction (ED), and few studies have comprehensively evaluated more specific indicators like atherogenic indices and the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index in the assessment of ED. Aim This study aimed to reveal the role of atherogenic indices (atherogenic index of plasma [AIP], Castelli risk index-1/2 [CRI-1/2], and atherogenic coefficient [AC]) based on plasma lipid ratios, which have been used as more sensitive indicators of atherosclerosis in recent years, and the TyG index, a practical indicator of insulin resistance, in predicting vasculogenic ED. Methods The study included a total of 199 patients who met the inclusion criteria and a total of 51 control subjects without ED complaints according to the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF-5) scores (>21) between May 2021 and October 2022. For all participants, the demographic and biochemical parameters were evaluated, and atherogenic indices, namely CRI-1 (total cholesterol/high-density lipoprotein [HDL]), CRI-2 (LDL/HDL) AIP [log10(triglycerides/HDL)], and AC (non-HDL/HDL), as well as the TyG index [Ln {fasting triglycerides (mg/dL) × fasting glucose (mg/dL)/2}] were calculated. Outcomes The TyG index, which is an indicator of insulin resistance, and atherogenic indices such as CRI-1, AIP, and AC were significantly associated with ED, and especially AIP and the TyG index seem to be more important in the evaluation of ED. Results According to the univariate analysis, the patient group had significantly higher CRI-1 (5.3 ± 1.4 vs 4.7 ± 1.3; P = .005), AIP (0.31 ± 0.26 vs 0.13 ± 0.2; P < .001), AC (4.1 ± 1.4 vs 3.70 ± 1.2; P = .026), and TyG (9.16 ± 0.71 vs 8.77 ± 0.52; P < .001) values compared with the control group. In the correlation analysis, a significant negative correlation was found between the AIP and TyG index and the IIEF-5 scores (r2 = 0.120, P < .001 between AIP and IIEF-5; r2 = 0.091, P < .001 between TyG index and IIEF-5). The multivariate analysis revealed AIP and the TyG index as independent predictive factors for ED. Clinical Implications The use of atherogenic indices and TyG index in daily urology practice can help physicians in the diagnosis and follow-up of ED. Strengths and Limitations The lack of sex hormone–binding globulin and free testosterone levels represents a limitation of our study. Another limitation is that the severity of ED was determined using the IIEF-5 scores, rather than a more objective method, such as penile artery ultrasound. Conclusion Atherogenic indices and the TyG index can be used as inexpensive and practical markers to predict the severity of arteriogenic ED.
Prognostic significance of integrating total metabolic tumor volume and EGFR mutation status in patients with lung adenocarcinoma

Background The objective of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) derived from baseline 18F-2-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), in conjunction with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation status, among patients with lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). Methods We performed a retrospective analysis on 141 patients with LUAD (74 males, 67 females, median age 67 (range 34–86)) who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT and had their EGFR mutation status determined. Optimal cutoff points for TMTV were determined using time-dependent receiver operating characteristic curve analysis. The survival difference was compared using Cox regression analysis and Kaplan‒Meier curves. Results The EGFR mutant patients (n = 79, 56.0%) exhibited significantly higher 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates compared to those with EGFR wild-type (n = 62, 44.0%), with rates of 74.2% vs 69.2% (P = 0.029) and 86.1% vs 67.7% (P = 0.009), respectively. The optimal cutoff values of TMTV were 36.42 cm3 for PFS and 37.51 cm3 for OS. Patients with high TMTV exhibited significantly inferior 2-year PFS and OS, with rates of 22.4% and 38.1%, respectively, compared to those with low TMTV, who had rates of 85.8% and 95.0% (both P < 0.001). In both the EGFR mutant and wild-type groups, patients exhibiting high TMTV demonstrated significantly inferior 2-year PFS and OS compared to those with low TMTV. In multivariate analysis, EGFR mutation status (hazard ratio, HR, 0.41, 95% confidence interval, CI [0.18–0.94], P = 0.034) and TMTV (HR 8.08, 95% CI [2.34–28.0], P < 0.001) were independent prognostic factors of OS, whereas TMTV was also an independent prognosticator of PFS (HR 2.59, 95% CI [1.30–5.13], P = 0.007). Conclusion Our study demonstrates that the integration of TMTV on baseline 18F-FDG PET/CT with EGFR mutation status improves the accuracy of prognostic evaluation for patients with LUAD.
Exercise and pulsatile pulmonary vascular loading in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease

Abstract Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease (CTEPD) is characterized by organized nonresolving thrombi in pulmonary arteries (PA). In CTEPD with pulmonary hypertension (PH), chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH), early wave reflection results in abnormalities of pulsatile afterload and augmented PA pressures. We hypothesized that exercise during right heart catheterization (RHC) would elicit more frequent elevations of pulsatile vascular afterload than resistive elevations in patients with CTEPD without PH. The interdependent physiology of pulmonary venous and PA hemodynamics was also evaluated. Consecutive patients with CTEPD without PH (resting mean PA pressure ≤20 mmHg) undergoing an exercise RHC were identified. Latent resistive and pulsatile abnormalities of pulmonary vascular afterload were defined as an exercise mean PA pressure/cardiac output >3 WU, and PA pulse pressure to PA wedge pressure (PA PP/PAWP) ratio >2.5, respectively. Forty‐five patients (29% female, 53 ± 14 years) with CTEPD without PH were analyzed. With exercise, 19 patients had no abnormalities (ExNOR), 26 patients had abnormalities (ExABN) of pulsatile (20), resistive (2), or both (4) elements of pulmonary vascular afterload. Exercise elicited elevations of pulsatile afterload (53%) more commonly than resistive afterload (13%) (p < 0.001). ExABN patients had lower PA compliance and higher pulmonary vascular resistance at rest and exercise and prolonged resistance‐compliance time product at rest. The physiological relationship between changes in PA pressures relative to PAWP was disrupted in the ExABN group. In CTEPD without PH, exercise RHC revealed latent pulmonary vascular afterload elevations in 58% of patients with more frequent augmentation of pulsatile than resistive pulmonary vascular afterload.
Neurobiology of Aging

Typical aging is associated with increases in false memory rates among older adults. Such errors are frequently associated with differential neural activity during encoding and retrieval in older compared to younger adults within visual cortices and the hippocampus. It remains unknown how pattern similarity reductions relate to false memories in healthy aging. Using encoding-retrieval similarity (ERS) analyses in a sample of younger and older adults, we examined how the similarity of neural patterns between memory phases associated with target and lure objects was impacted by age and contributed to false memory rates. Single-item ERS for targets and lures was reduced by age throughout much of the ventral visual stream and the posterior hippocampus. Furthermore, ERS associated with perceptual lures within the visual stream maintained differential relationships with false memory. Finally, a global ERS metric accounted for age deﬁcits in single-item ERS, but did not contribute to false memory rates. These ﬁndings highlight the contribution of age-related reductions in ERS across multiple representational levels to false memories in healthy aging.
A numerical model for water and heat transport in freezing soils with nonequilibrium ice‐water interfaces

A one‐dimensional numerical model of heat and water transport in freezing soils is developed by assuming that ice‐water interfaces are not necessarily in equilibrium. The Clapeyron equation, which is derived from a static ice‐water interface using the thermal equilibrium theory, cannot be readily applied to a dynamic system, such as freezing soils. Therefore, we handled the redistribution of liquid water with the Richard's equation. In this application, the sink term is replaced by the freezing rate of pore water, which is proportional to the extent of supercooling and available water content for freezing by a coefficient, β. Three short‐term laboratory column simulations show reasonable agreement with observations, with standard error of simulation on water content ranging between 0.007 and 0.011 cm3 cm−3, showing improved accuracy over other models that assume equilibrium ice‐water interfaces. Simulation results suggest that when the freezing front is fixed at a specific depth, deviation of the ice‐water interface from equilibrium, at this location, will increase with time. However, this deviation tends to weaken when the freezing front slowly penetrates to a greater depth, accompanied with thinner soils of significant deviation. The coefficient, β, plays an important role in the simulation of heat and water transport. A smaller β results in a larger deviation in the ice‐water interface from equilibrium, and backward estimation of the freezing front. It also leads to an underestimation of water content in soils that were previously frozen by a rapid freezing rate, and an overestimation of water content in the rest of the soils.
Rupture process of the 2008 great Wenchuan earthquake from the analysis of the Alaska-array data

On 12th of May, 2008, an M_S8. 0 earthquake occurred in Wenchuan county, Sichuan province of China. We configured a generalized array with the broadband seismic stations of the Alaska Regional Network,USA, and imaged the temporal and spatial variation of high-frequency (0. 1 Hz) energy radiation sources by means of one of the non-plane wave array techniquesmigration stacking technique. The image shows that the earthquake faulting initiated at the instrumental epicenter and extended north-eastwards about 300 km, the whole rupture process lasted for at least 90s, and the average rupture speed was about 3. 4 km/s. The whole process may be divided into two major periods. The first period is 50 s and in this period the rupture propagated about 110 km, with an average rupture speed of 2. 2 km/s; the other period is 40 s and in this period the rupture propagated about 190 km, with an average speed of 4. 8 km/s. It seems that supershear rupture appeared in the later process of the earthquake, and the second segment might be dynamically trigged by the first one.
Risk, sanctions and norm change: the formation and decay of social distancing norms

Global challenges like the climate crisis and pandemic outbreaks require collective responses where people quickly adapt to changing circumstances. Social norms are potential solutions, but only if they themselves are flexible enough. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique opportunity to study norm formation and decay in real-world contexts. We tracked empirical and normative expectations about social distancing and empirical and normative expectations of sanctioning from June 2021 to February 2022 to explore how norms and meta norms evolved as COVID-19 risk decreased and increased. We found that norms and meta norms partially coevolve with risk dynamics, although they recover with some delay. This implies that norms should be enforced as soon as risk increases. We therefore tested how sanctioning intentions vary for different hypothetical norms and find them to increase with a clear meta norm of sanctioning, yet decrease with a clear social norm of distance. In conclusion, social norms evolve spontaneously with changing risk, but might not be adaptive enough when the lack of meta norms of sanctioning introduce tolerance for norm violations. Moreover, norm nudges can potentially have negative externalities if strengthening the social norm increases tolerance for norm violations. These results put some limits to social norms as solutions to guide behaviour under risk. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Social norm change: drivers and consequences’.
Article (refereed) – Published version

The long-term changes in the main tidal constituents (O 1 , K 1 , M 2 , N 2 , and S 2 ) along the coasts of China and in adjacent seas are investigated based on 17 tide-gauge records covering the period 1954– 2012. The observed 18.61 year nodal modulations of the diurnal constituents O 1 and K 1 are in agreement with the equilibrium tidal theory, except in the South China Sea. The observed modulations of the M 2 and N 2 amplitudes are smaller than theoretically predicted at the northern stations and larger at the southern stations. The discrepancies between the theoretically predicted nodal variations and the observations are discussed. The 8.85 year perigean cycle is identiﬁable in the N 2 parameters at most stations, except those in the South China Sea. The radiational component of S 2 contributes on average 16% of the observed S 2 except in the Gulf of Tonkin, on the south coast, where it accounts for up to 65%. We conﬁrmed the exis-tence of nodal modulation in S 2 , which is stronger on the north coast. The semidiurnal tidal parameters show signiﬁcant secular trends in the Bohai and Yellow Seas, on the north coast, and in the Taiwan Strait. The largest increase is found for M 2 for which the amplitude increases by 4–7 mm/yr in the Yellow Sea. The potential causes for the linear trends in tidal constants are discussed.
Language matters: how normative expressions shape norm perception and affect norm compliance

Previous studies have used various normative expressions such as ‘should’, ‘appropriate’ and ‘approved’ interchangeably to communicate injunctions and social norms. However, little is known about whether people's interpretations of normative language differ and whether behavioural responses might vary across them. In two studies (total n = 2903), we find that compliance is sensitive to the types of normative expressions and how they are used. Specifically, people are more likely to comply when the message is framed as an injunction rather than as what most people consider good behaviour (social norm framing). Behaviour is influenced by the type of normative expression when the norm is weak (donation to charities), not so when the norm is strong (reciprocity). Content analysis of free responses reveals individual differences in the interpretation of social norm messages, and heterogeneous motives for compliance. Messages in the social norm framing condition are perceived to be vague and uninformative, undermining their effectiveness. These results suggest that careful choice of normative expressions is in order when using messages to elicit compliance, especially when the underlying norms are weak. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Social norm change: drivers and consequences’.
Chromosome-Level Assembly of Artemia franciscana Sheds Light on Sex Chromosome Differentiation

Abstract Since the commercialization of brine shrimp (genus Artemia) in the 1950s, this lineage, and in particular the model species Artemia franciscana, has been the subject of extensive research. However, our understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying various aspects of their reproductive biology, including sex determination, is still lacking. This is partly due to the scarcity of genomic resources for Artemia species and crustaceans in general. Here, we present a chromosome-level genome assembly of A. franciscana (Kellogg 1906), from the Great Salt Lake, United States. The genome is 1 GB, and the majority of the genome (81%) is scaffolded into 21 linkage groups using a previously published high-density linkage map. We performed coverage and FST analyses using male and female genomic and transcriptomic reads to quantify the extent of differentiation between the Z and W chromosomes. Additionally, we quantified the expression levels in male and female heads and gonads and found further evidence for dosage compensation in this species.
Quantitative assessment of early kidney injury using high frame rate contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in a rabbit model of diabetic nephropathy.

AIM To explore benefits of high-frame-rate contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (H-CEUS) for early kidney injury in a rabbit model of diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS Diabetic rabbits were induced with alloxan administration and split into 2 groups with or without urinary microalbuminuria after a fatty and sugary diet: diabetic rabbits with nephropathy (Group A) and diabetic rabbits without nephropathy (Group B). The control group (Group C) comprised healthy rabbits. Renal H-CEUS and conventional CEUS (C-CEUS) imaging were conducted. Serum creatinine (SCR), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and urinary microalbuminuria were measured. RESULTS SCR and BUN levels were barely changed in Groups B and C (p>0.05), whereas Group A exhibited a rise (p<0.05). Perfusion parameters of the two CEUS modalities showed reduced peak intensity (PI) and ascending slope (AS) and elevated area under the curve (AUC) and time to peak (TTP) in Group A versus Group B (p<0.05) and Group B versus Group C (p<0.05). The arrival time (AT) and descending slope (DS) exhibited little difference among the three groups. H-CEUS had a stronger correlation of perfusion parameters with SCR and BUN than C-CEUS. CONCLUSIONS H-CEUS outperforms C-CEUS in diagnosing early renal damage in DN. H-CEUS perfusion parameters demonstrate temporal superiority over routine laboratory indices.