Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A possible precession period for superluminal ejection in QSO 3C 279

The search for periodic features in flux variability and superluminal ejection in blazars has been an important subject, which is helpful for providing significant clues to the understanding of the structure and kinematics of relativistic jets (physical processes of acceleration and collimation) and their association with central energy engines (black hole/accretion disk systems). The wobbling of the ejection position angle of VLBI knots in superluminal sources has been interpreted in terms of the precession of the jet ejection nozzle as one of the alternative interpretations. We study the change with time of the initial position angle of superluminal knots in QSO 3C 279, using VLBI-data collected from the literature spanning more than ~30 yr and propose a jet-nozzle precession model which has very small viewing angles (less than 2°) to fit the long-term trends in both variations in the inner-jet position angle (Chatterjee et al.) and the ejection position angle of the VLBI components. It is shown that an ejection-nozzle precession period of ~25 yr could be appropriate to fit the long-term trend in the variation of the ejection position angle. However, the short-term swings and fluctuations in the ejection position angle cause some uncertainties. We also fit a model to the trajectory of component C4, correcting its non-ballistic motion near the core.
The Cytoskeleton—A Complex Interacting Meshwork

The cytoskeleton of animal cells is one of the most complicated and functionally versatile structures, involved in processes such as endocytosis, cell division, intra-cellular transport, motility, force transmission, reaction to external forces, adhesion and preservation, and adaptation of cell shape. These functions are mediated by three classical cytoskeletal filament types, as follows: Actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. The named filaments form a network that is highly structured and dynamic, responding to external and internal cues with a quick reorganization that is orchestrated on the time scale of minutes and has to be tightly regulated. Especially in brain tumors, the cytoskeleton plays an important role in spreading and migration of tumor cells. As the cytoskeletal organization and regulation is complex and many-faceted, this review aims to summarize the findings about cytoskeletal filament types, including substructures formed by them, such as lamellipodia, stress fibers, and interactions between intermediate filaments, microtubules and actin. Additionally, crucial regulatory aspects of the cytoskeletal filaments and the formed substructures are discussed and integrated into the concepts of cell motility. Even though little is known about the impact of cytoskeletal alterations on the progress of glioma, a final point discussed will be the impact of established cytoskeletal alterations in the cellular behavior and invasion of glioma.
Comparison of Marginal Bone Loss in Simultaneous Versus Delayed Implant Placement Following Horizontal Ridge Augmentation with Autogenous Lateral Ramus Bone Block

Statement of the Problem: Alveolar ridge resorption after tooth extraction may interfere with optimal dental implant placement. Purpose: This study aimed to compare the marginal bone loss (MBL) and thickness of the buccal aspect of the augmented site in simultaneous versus delayed implant placement following lateral ramus horizontal ridge augmentation in the posterior mandible. Materials and Method: This prospective cohort study was conducted on patients who required horizontal bone augmentation of the posterior mandible using lateral ramus autogenous bone graft. Patients were divided into two groups of simultaneous implant placement (group 1) and delayed implant placement (group 2). Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were obtained before augmentation, at the time of implant placement, and 10 months later (6 months after implant loading). MBL and thickness of the buccal aspect were evaluated over time. Results: There were 18 patients in the group 1 and 16 patients in the group 2. Analysis of the CBCT scans demonstrated that the mean MBL was 1.21±0.35mm in the group 1 and 1.08±0.19mm in the group 2, with no significant difference between the two groups (p= 0.19). Thickness of the buccal aspect of the augmented site at the time of implant placement was 1.85±0.20mm in the group 1 and 2.16±0.29 mm in the group 2, with a significant difference (p< 0.001). However, data analysis regarding changes in the buccal plate thickness showed no significant difference between the two groups (p= 0.36). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, there was no significant difference in M-BL and post-operative changes in the thickness of the buccal aspect of the augmented sites with onlay lateral ramus bone blocks between simultaneous and delayed implant placement.
Surface Properties of Global Land Surface Microwave Emissivity Derived from FY-3D/MWRI Measurements

Land surface microwave emissivity is crucial to the accurate retrieval of surface and atmospheric parameters and the assimilation of microwave data into numerical models over land. The microwave radiation imager (MWRI) sensors aboard on Chinese FengYun-3 (FY-3) series satellites provide valuable measurements for the derivation of global microwave physical parameters. In this study, an approximated microwave radiation transfer equation was used to estimate land surface emissivity from MWRI by using brightness temperature observations along with corresponding land and atmospheric properties obtained from ERA-Interim reanalysis data. Surface microwave emissivity at the 10.65, 18.7, 23.8, 36.5, and 89 GHz vertical and horizontal polarizations was derived. Then, the global spatial distribution and spectrum characteristics of emissivity over different land cover types were investigated. The seasonal variations of emissivity for different surface properties were presented. Furthermore, the error source was also discussed in our emissivity derivation. The results showed that the estimated emissivity was able to capture the major large-scale features and contains a wealth of information regarding soil moisture and vegetation density. The emissivity increased with the increase in frequency. The smaller surface roughness and increased scattering effect may result in low emissivity. Desert regions showed high emissivity microwave polarization difference index (MPDI) values, which suggested the high contrast between vertical and horizontal microwave signals in this region. The emissivity of the deciduous needleleaf forest in summer was almost the greatest among different land cover types. There was a sharp decrease in the emissivity at 89 GHz in the winter, possibly due to the influence of deciduous leaves and snowfall. The land surface temperature, the radio-frequency interference, and the high-frequency channel under cloudy conditions may be the main error sources in this retrieval. This work showed the potential capabilities of providing continuous and comprehensive global surface microwave emissivity from FY-3 series satellites for a better understanding of its spatiotemporal variability and underlying processes.
Co-Infection Rates between SARS-CoV-2 and RSV in Oropharyngeal, Nasopharyngeal Aspirate and Saliva Samples of COVID-19 Patients, Shiraz, South of Iran

Statement of the Problem: Determining the prevalence of respiratory viruses' coinfection with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is essential to defining its true clinical influence. Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate co-infection rates between severe acute respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infected patients in Shiraz, south of Iran. Materials and Method: In a cross-sectional descriptive study, oropharyngeal, nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA), and saliva samples of 50 COVID-19 patients who were referred to Ali-Asghar hospital (Shiraz, Iran) from March to August 2020, were collected. A control group consisted of age and sex-matched healthy participants. The nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal aspirates were collected by sterile swabs. All cases were hospitalized, and all SARS-CoV-2 patients had a fever and respiratory symptoms. The samples were packed in a vial with 1 mL of transport medium and transported to the Valfagre specialty laboratory, where they were tested for RSV using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: 100 nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal aspirates and saliva samples including 50 healthy controls (24 females, 26 males) and 50 COVID-19 patients' samples (27 males and 23 females) were studied. There was no significant difference regarding age as well as gender between both groups (p> 0.05). None of the healthy subjects was infected with RSV; however, 5(10%) patients from COVID-19 group were infected with the RSV virus. Chi-square test did not show a significant difference between RSV infection in COVID-19 patients and healthy subjects. Conclusion: The outcome of present research showed that concurrent RSV with COVID 19 infection might be seen in hospitalized patients in Shiraz Southwest of Iran. For more reliable findings, further research on bigger populations, including more pathogens in several places around the country, and considering the severity of symptoms is required.
Healthcare Application of In-Shoe Motion Sensor for Older Adults: Frailty Assessment Using Foot Motion during Gait

Frailty poses a threat to the daily lives of healthy older adults, highlighting the urgent need for technologies that can monitor and prevent its progression. Our objective is to demonstrate a method for providing long-term daily frailty monitoring using an in-shoe motion sensor (IMS). We undertook two steps to achieve this goal. Firstly, we used our previously established SPM-LOSO-LASSO (SPM: statistical parametric mapping; LOSO: leave-one-subject-out; LASSO: least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) algorithm to construct a lightweight and interpretable hand grip strength (HGS) estimation model for an IMS. This algorithm automatically identified novel and significant gait predictors from foot motion data and selected optimal features to construct the model. We also tested the robustness and effectiveness of the model by recruiting other groups of subjects. Secondly, we designed an analog frailty risk score that combined the performance of the HGS and gait speed with the aid of the distribution of HGS and gait speed of the older Asian population. We then compared the effectiveness of our designed score with the clinical expert-rated score. We discovered new gait predictors for HGS estimation via IMSs and successfully constructed a model with an “excellent” intraclass correlation coefficient and high precision. Moreover, we tested the model on separately recruited subjects, which confirmed the robustness of our model for other older individuals. The designed frailty risk score also had a large effect size correlation with clinical expert-rated scores. In conclusion, IMS technology shows promise for long-term daily frailty monitoring, which can help prevent or manage frailty for older adults.
Using Lordotic Cages at the L5–S1 Level Does Not Guarantee the Improvement of Sagittal Alignment in Patients Who Underwent Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Study Design Retrospective comparative study. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the effects of the lordotic angle of cages on sagittal alignment in patients who underwent 1- or 2-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF), including the L5–S1 level. Overview of Literature Few studies have addressed the effects of the lordotic angle of cages on regional and global sagittal balance in patients undergoing PLIF at the L5–S1 level. Methods Sixty-one patients who underwent 1- or 2-level PLIF, including the L5–S1 level, were divided into two groups based on the lordotic angle of cages (4° and 8° in 41 and 20 patients, respectively). Clinical and radiological parameters were compared. Correlation analyzes were performed to reveal the effect of flexibility and position of cages on the regional sagittal parameters. Results Pre- and postoperative clinical and radiological parameters were not different between the two groups. Although clinical outcomes improved postoperatively, sagittal parameters did not improve postoperatively in both groups. Patients who underwent 1-level PLIF at the L5–S1 level with the use of 8° cages showed no postoperative improvement (segmental angle: 16.1°–15.9°, p=0.140; lumbar lordosis: 44.8°–47.8°, p=0.740) of regional sagittal parameters. The degree of anterior location of cages showed a positive correlation with the postoperative restoration of the segmental angle (p=0.012 and p=0.050 at 1 and 2 years postoperatively, respectively). Conclusions Clinical and radiological outcomes based on the lordotic angle of cages were not different. Even with the use of 8° cages and regardless of the more anterior position of cages, sagittal alignment did not improve in cases involving the L5–S1 level. PLIF at the L5–S1 level should be used with caution because improvement in sagittal alignment did not occur.
A Bayesian Foundation for Classical Hypothesis Testing (formerly Provisional Beliefs and Paradigm Shifts)

Bayesian inference has the advantage of dynamic consistency, but the drawback of rigidity. When a decision-maker’s initial model fails a hypothesis test, he may wish to form a new model, violating Bayes’ rule. We show that if such \paradigm shifts" are rare, he will be \approximately" dynamically consistent. More specically, we show that in our setting dynamic consistency is equivalent to the non-existence of Dutch books, and that a decision-maker who is almost always Bayesian will suer from only \small"
Ascorbic acid enhances chondrocyte differentiation of ATDC5 by accelerating insulin receptor signaling

Chondrogenesis is strictly regulated by several factors, including cytokines, hormones, and extracellular matrix proteins. Mouse teratocarcinoma‐derived lineage cells, differentiate into chondrocytes in the presence of insulin. Although ascorbic acid promotes chondrogenic differentiation, the detailed regulative mechanisms underlying its role in chondrogenesis remain unclear. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the effects of ascorbic acid on insulin‐induced chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells and the underlying intracellular signaling. The results revealed that insulin‐stimulated collagen deposition, matrix formation, calcification, and expression of chondrogenic differentiation marker genes in ATDC5 cells. This enhancement by insulin was amplified with the addition of ascorbic acid. Molecular analysis revealed that the activation of insulin‐induced phosphoinositide 3‐kinase (PI3K)/Akt signaling was enhanced in the presence of ascorbic acid. In contrast, Wnt/β‐catenin signaling was suppressed during chondrocyte differentiation via upregulation of the Wnt agonist, secreted Frizzled‐related protein 1 (sFRP‐1) and 3 (sFRP‐3). Notably, ascorbic acid upregulated the expression of insulin receptors and their substrates (IRS‐1 and IRS‐2). Furthermore, ascorbic acid reversed the suppression of IRS‐1 and IRS‐2 protein by insulin. These results indicate that ascorbic acid positively regulates the chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells via enhancement of insulin signaling. Our findings provide a substantial basis for further elucidation of the regulatory mechanisms of chondrocyte differentiation and the pathophysiology of OA, thus aiding in development of effective treatment strategies.
Numerical Simulation of the Effects of Mesoscale Convergence on Convective Rain Showers

Abstract A nonhydrostatic axisymmetric cloud model is used to quantify the effects of persistent mesoscale convergence on cumulus development and convective rainfall. The model was initialized by environmental conditions adopted from sounding and Doppler radar velocity data sampled on 19 August 1992 in central Alberta. The sounding showed a moist warm air mass with a moderate amount of convective available potential energy and the wind field had boundary layer convergence but almost no vertical shear in the lowest 5 km. The simulated rainfall intensity and accumulation compared well with radar observations. The dependence of the convective rainfall on the characteristics of the convergence zone is investigated by intercomparing model simulators with different convergence magnitudes, convergence depths, and convergence profiles. Increasing the magnitude or the depth of convergence causes stronger convection and more precipitation. Rainfall increases monotonically (but nonstrictly linearly) with the converg.
Exchange-coupled CoZrNb/CoSm underlayer for perpendicular recording media

The characteristics and effects of an exchange-coupled CoZrNb/CoSm underlayer for perpendicular recording media are reviewed. A CoSm layer pins CoZrNb domains via exchange coupling resulting from large induced radial anisotropy of the CoSm layer in the disk medium as well as in the CoZrNb layer. The number of CoZrNb domain walls is considerably reduced by the CoSm pinning effect which is effective in both signal stabilization to stray fields and noise reduction. Furthermore, the CoZrNb/CoSm underlayers exhibit high-frequency responses of over 1 GHz in permeability, which also result from their large induced anisotropy. The CoZrNb/CoSm underlayer is expected to enable the practical realization of perpendicular recording in data storage applications requiring high densities and high-speed data rates.
A Pancreatic Collision Tumor Comprising Mantle Cell Lymphoma and Adenocarcinoma: A Case Report and Literature Review

A collision tumor is a rare clinical condition where two different tumors occur synchronically within a lesion. Pancreatic collision tumors with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are extremely rare and have only been reported in one case to date. We herein report an elderly patient with MCL and adenocarcinoma of the pancreas with Ann Arbor stage IV and Union for International Cancer Control stage IIB, respectively. The patient received palliative therapy and died 23 months after the diagnosis. Further research and case studies are required to investigate whether or not MCL-derived cyclin D1 overexpression affects the occurrence/growth of adenocarcinomas.
Interrogating heterogeneity of cysteine-engineered antibody-drug conjugates and antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates by capillary zone electrophoresis-mass spectrometry

ABSTRACT Production of site-specific cysteine-engineered antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in mammalian cells may produce developability challenges, fragments, and heterogenous molecules, leading to potential product critical quality attributes in later development stages. Liquid phase chromatography with mass spectrometry (LC-MS) is widely used to evaluate antibody impurities and drug-to-antibody ratio, but faces challenges in analysis of fragment product variants of cysteine-engineered ADCs and oligonucleotide-to-antibody ratio (OAR) species of antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates (AOCs). Here, for the first time, we report novel capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE)-MS approaches to address the challenges above. CZE analysis of six ADCs made with different parent monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and small molecule drug-linker payloads revealed that various fragment impurities, such as half mAbs with one/two drugs, light chains with one/two drugs, light chains with C-terminal cysteine truncation, heavy chain clippings, were well resolved from the main species. However, most of these fragments were coeluted or had signal suppression during LC-MS analysis. Furthermore, the method was optimized on both ionization and separation aspects to enable the characterization of two AOCs. The method successfully achieved baseline separation and accurate quantification of their OAR species, which were also highly challenging using conventional LC-MS methods. Finally, we compared the migration time and CZE separation profiles among ADCs and their parent mAbs, and found that properties of mAbs and linker payloads significantly influenced the separation of product variants by altering their size or charge. Our study showcases the good performance and broad applicability of CZE-MS techniques for monitoring the heterogeneity of cysteine-engineered ADCs and AOCs.
Sociodemographic and behavioral factors related to obesity among adults in the Republic of Palau based on the WHO STEPwise approach to NCD risk factor surveillance 2011–2013: A cross-sectional study

Background Pacific islanders face drastic increase of obesity-related noncommunicable disease (NCD) due to lifestyle shifts of unhealthy diets and physical inactivity. To date, however, obesity related factors have not been well elucidated in Republic of Palau. This study aimed to investigate sociodemographic and behavioral factors related to obesity using the national level data in Palau. Methods This is a cross-sectional, population-based study analyzing random sampling data of 2133 adults aged 25–64 years (of 20 thousand national population) from the WHO STEPwise approach to NCD risk factor surveillance (STEPS) implemented between 2011 and 2013. Sociodemographic and behavioral factors were obtained by the STEPS standardized questionnaire for NCD risk factors plus the question on betel nut chewing because of its common behavior in Micronesian countries. Logistic regression analysis was performed to estimate multivariable odds ratio (OR) of general obesity (body mass index ≥30.0 kg/m2) and central obesity (waist circumference ≥90 cm in men and ≥80 cm in women). Results Means of body mass index, prevalence of general obesity and central obesity were higher in women (29.9 kg/m2, 45.5% and 85.4%) than in men (29.3 kg/m2, 40.4% and 67.6%). After adjusted by other potential factors, native Palauan (OR 4.4, 95% CI, 2.7–7.0 for men and 3.6, 2.3–5.6 for women), betel nut chewing (1.5, 1.1–2.1 for men and 1.6, 1.2–2.3 for women), men who work at government office (1.6, 1.2–2.1), women with higher household income (1.4, 1.0–1.8) were positively associated with general obesity, while frequent vegetable intake were inversely associated with it among women (0.71, 0.54–0.93). Similar associations were observed between the aforementioned factors and central obesity. Conclusions Native Palauan, people with betel nut chewing behavior, government employment and higher income appeared to be associated with obesity, while frequent vegetable consumption were inversely associated with obesity. Further interventions for prevention and control of obesity are necessary through the enhancing public relation activities to understand harmful health effects on betel nuts chewing and recommending domestic production of vegetables.