Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vitamin D supplements and prevalent overactive bladder in women from midlife through older ages

Despite interest in vitamin D supplementation as a low-cost strategy to address overactive bladder, the findings of this study indicate oral vitamin D is not associated with prevalent overactive bladder in middle-aged and older women. Abstract Objective The objective of this study is to determine if vitamin D supplementation is associated with prevalent overactive bladder (OAB) in women across the aging spectrum. Methods We used the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) I (initiated in 1976) and NHS II (initiated in 1989) cohorts to evaluate the association of vitamin D supplements with prevalent OAB, all of which were reported by participants in 2019 in both NHS cohorts. OAB was defined as the self-reported need to rush to toilet to urinate at least sometimes. Further, OAB/wet included incontinence at least monthly because of urgency, whereas OAB/dry included incontinence once per month or less, or stress-predominant incontinence. Multivariable-adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of OAB/dry and OAB/wet subtypes were estimated using logistic regression models. Results Among the 75,316 women (age range, 55‐98 y) from NHS and NHS II OAB prevalence was 26%. Increasing prevalence was observed across each older age group, with 41% of women 85 years or older reporting OAB symptoms. OAB/dry was more common (18%) than OAB/wet (8%). After multivariable adjustment, no clinically significant association between vitamin D supplementation and prevalent OAB or OAB type was observed. Conclusions OAB symptoms are highly prevalent across adult women, including the oldest old, who are often excluded from treatment trials. Despite interest in vitamin D supplementation as a low-cost strategy to address OAB, our findings indicate oral vitamin D is not associated with prevalent OAB in middle-aged and older women.
Load-dependent inverted U–shaped connectivity of the default mode network in schizophrenia during a working-memory task: evidence from a replication functional MRI study

Background: Working-memory deficit is associated with aberrant degree distribution of the brain connectome in schizophrenia. However, the brain neural mechanism underlying the degree redistribution pattern in schizophrenia is still uncertain. Methods: We examined the functional degree distribution of the connectome in 81 patients with schizophrenia and 77 healthy controls across different working-memory loads during an n-back task. We tested the associations between altered degree distribution and clinical symptoms, and we conducted functional connectivity analyses to investigate the neural mechanism underlying altered degree distribution. We repeated these analyses in a second independent data set of 96 participants. In the second data set, we employed machine-learning analysis to study whether the degree distribution pattern of one data set could be used to discriminate between patients with schizophrenia and controls in the other data set. Results: Patients with schizophrenia showed decreased centrality in the dorsal posterior cingulate cortex (dPCC) for the “2-back versus 0-back” contrast compared to healthy controls. The dPCC centrality pattern across all working-memory loads was an inverted U shape, with a left shift of this pattern in patients with schizophrenia. This reduced centrality was correlated with the severity of delusions and related to reduced functional connectivity between the dPCC and the dorsal precuneus. We replicated these results with the second data set, and the machine-learning analyses achieved an accuracy level of 71%. Limitations: We used a limited n-back paradigm that precluded the examination of higher working-memory loads. Conclusion: Schizophrenia is characterized by a load-dependent reduction of centrality in the dPCC, related to the severity of delusions. We suggest that restoring dPCC centrality in the presence of cognitive demands might have a therapeutic effect on persistent delusions in people with schizophrenia.
Dyad Gender and Relationship Quality Influence Heart Failure Self-Care

Caregivers promote heart failure self-care, yet little is known about how relationship quality and dyad gender influences self-care. The purpose of this study was to evauluate the contribution of dyad gender and relationship quality on heart failure self-care. The study was a secondary analysis from a heart failure self-care intervention. Dyad gender was categorized by patient-caregiver gender as Male-Male (M + M), Female-Female (F + F), Female-Male (Fp + Mc), and Male-Female (Mp + Fc). The Self-Care of Heart Failure Index v.6. 2 measured self-care. The Mutuality Scale assessed relationship quality. Univariate linear regression identified determinants of patient self-care maintenance and self-efficacy. The sample (n = 503) was 48% Mp + Fc, 27% F + F, 15% Fp + Mc, and 10% M + M. Better caregiver mutuality in M + M dyads was associated with lower self-care maintenance (b = −7.45, 95% CI [−13.80, −1.11]) and self-efficacy (b = −18.07, 95% CI [−29.11, −7.04]). Better patient mutuality was associated with higher self-efficacy for M + M dyads (b = 12.63, 95% CI [2.18, 23.09]). Mutuality and dyad gender appear important for self-care. Consider the role of gender in the dyad in behavioral interventions.
HOT JUPITERS FROM COPLANAR HIGH-ECCENTRICITY MIGRATION

We study the possibility that hot Jupiters (HJs) are formed through the secular gravitational interactions between two planets in eccentric orbits with relatively low mutual inclinations ( ≲ 20 ° ? > ) and friction due to tides raised on the planet by the host star. We term this migration mechanism Coplanar High-eccentricity Migration (CHEM) because, like disk migration, it allows for migration to occur on the same plane in which the planets formed. CHEM can operate from the following typical initial configurations: (i) the inner planet in a circular orbit and the outer planet with an eccentricity ≳ 0.67 ? > for m in / m out ( a in / a out ) 1 / 2 ≲ 0.3 ? > ; (ii) two eccentric ( ≳ 0.5 ? > ) orbits for m in / m out ( a in / a out ) 1 / 2 ≲ 0.16 ? > . A population synthesis study of hierarchical systems of two giant planets using the observed eccentricity distribution of giant planets shows that CHEM produces HJs with low stellar obliquities ( ≲ 30 ° ? > ), with a semi-major axis distribution that matches the observations, and at a rate that can account for their observed occurrence. A different mechanism is needed to create large obliquity HJs, either a different migration channel or a mechanism that tilts the star or the protoplanetary disk. CHEM predicts that HJs should have distant ( a ≳ 5 ? > AU) and massive (most likely ∼1–3 times more massive than the HJ) companions with relatively low mutual inclinations ( ≲ 20 ° ? > ) and moderately high eccentricities ( e ∼ 0.2 − 0.5 ? > ).
Regularity and uniqueness in the calculus of variations

This thesis is about regularity and uniqueness of minimizers of integral functionals of the form F(u) := ∫Ω F(∇u(x)) dx; where F∈C2(RNn) is a strongly quasiconvex integrand with p-growth, Ω⊆RnRn is an open bounded domain and u∈W1,pg(Ω,RN) for some boundary datum g∈C1,α(‾Ω, RN). The first contribution of this work is a full regularity result, up to the boundary, for global minimizers of F provided that the boundary condition g satisfies that ΙΙ∇gΙΙLP 0 depending only on n;N, the parameters given by the strong quasiconvexity and p-growth conditions and, most importantly, on an arbitrary but fixed constant M > 0 for which we require that ΙΙ∇gΙΙO,α On the other hand, for the case of global minimizers we exploit the compactness provided by the aforementioned regularity result to establish the main contribution of this thesis: we prove that, under essentially the same smallness assumptions over the boundary condition g that we mentioned above, the minimizer of F in W1,pg is unique. This result appears in contrast to the non-uniqueness examples previously given by Spadaro [Spa09], for which the boundary conditions are required to be suitably large.
Real-world implementation of dolutegravir plus lamivudine in people living with HIV in Southwest China

ABSTRACT Background Long-term outcome data from real-world studies on the implementation of a two-drug dolutegravir plus lamivudine (DTG+3TC) regimen for the treatment of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection remain limited. This study evaluated the real-world effectiveness and safety of DTG+3TC in people living with HIV (PLHIV) in Southwestern China. Methods This was an observational, single-center, retrospective study that enrolled antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naïve (n = 36) and ART-experienced patients with HIV (n = 86) between January 2019 and April 2021. The virological response to therapy and adverse events were documented. The primary endpoint was an HIV viral load (VL) <50 copies/mL at week 48. Results The proportion of treatment-naïve and ART-experienced PLHIV with a VL <50 copies/mL at 48 weeks was 97.2% and 97.7%, respectively. The CD4 count increased significantly by 80.2 cells/μL (P = 0.012) and 79.0 cells/μL (P = 0.021) in the ART-naïve and ART-experienced patients, respectively. No patients discontinued DTG+3TC by week 48 due to adverse events. Conclusion Virologic suppression may be achieved with DTG+3TC, in ART-naïve patients with a high VL, and in ART-experienced patients with residual viremia. This study also demonstrated a low prevalence of drug-related side effects.
Very massive tracers and higher derivative biases

Most of the upcoming cosmological information will come from analyzing the clustering of the Large Scale Structures (LSS) of the universe through LSS or CMB observations. It is therefore essential to be able to understand their behavior with exquisite precision. The Effective Field Theory of Large Scale Structures (EFTofLSS) provides a consistent framework to make predictions for LSS observables in the mildly non-linear regime. In this paper we focus on biased tracers. We argue that in calculations at a given order in the dark matter perturbations, highly biased tracers will underperform because of their larger higher derivative biases. A natural prediction of the EFTofLSS is therefore that by simply adding higher derivative biases, highly massive tracers should perform comparably well. We implement this prediction for the halo-halo and the halo-matter power spectra at one loop, and the halo-halo-halo, halo-halo-matter, and halo-matter-matter bispectra at tree-level, and compare with simulations. We find good agreement with the prediction: at z=0, for all tracers, we are able to match the power spectra up to k≃0.28hMpc-1, as well as a small set of about 102 bispectra triangles up to k≃0.17hMpc-1. We also discuss the limitations of our study and some avenues to pursue to further establish these findings.
CVR-MRICloud: An online processing tool for CO2-inhalation and resting-state cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) MRI data

Cerebrovascular Reactivity (CVR) provides an assessment of the brain’s vascular reserve and has been postulated to be a sensitive marker in cerebrovascular diseases. MRI-based CVR measurement typically employs alterations in arterial carbon dioxide (CO2) level while continuously acquiring Blood-Oxygenation-Level-Dependent (BOLD) images. CO2-inhalation and resting-state methods are two commonly used approaches for CVR MRI. However, processing of CVR MRI data often requires special expertise and may become an obstacle in broad utilization of this promising technique. The aim of this work was to develop CVR-MRICloud, a cloud-based CVR processing pipeline, to enable automated processing of CVR MRI data. The CVR-MRICloud consists of several major steps including extraction of end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) curve from raw CO2 recording, alignment of EtCO2 curve with BOLD time course, computation of CVR value on a whole-brain, regional, and voxel-wise basis. The pipeline also includes standard BOLD image processing steps such as motion correction, registration between functional and anatomic images, and transformation of the CVR images to canonical space. This paper describes these algorithms and demonstrates the performance of the CVR-MRICloud in lifespan healthy subjects and patients with clinical conditions such as stroke, brain tumor, and Moyamoya disease. CVR-MRICloud has potential to be used as a data processing tool for a variety of basic science and clinical applications.
Fluid flow in synthetic rough‐walled fractures: Navier‐Stokes, Stokes, and local cubic law simulations

The results of three‐dimensional Navier‐Stokes (NS) and Stokes simulations and two‐dimensional local cubic law (LCL) simulations of fluid flow through single rough‐walled fractures are presented. Synthetic rough‐walled fractures were created by combining random fields of aperture and the mean wall topography or midsurface, which quantifies undulation about the fracture plane. A finite volume formulation of the LCL that incorporates geometric corrections for fracture undulation is presented. Simulations of fluid flow through planar fractures with sinusoidal variation in aperture were compared to published results. The rough‐walled fracture simulations demonstrated that the total flow rates predicted by the corrected LCL were within 10% of those predicted by the Stokes equations for all the fractures examined in this work. Differences between the NS and Stokes simulations clearly demonstrated that inertial forces can significantly influence the internal flow field within a fracture and the total flow rate across a fracture. By limiting the total flow rate differences between the NS and Stokes simulations, constraints for three kinematic parameters were determined. For all the fractures presented in this work, the corrected LCL was determined to be an acceptable approximation to the NS equations, provided that the kinematic and geometric constraints were met.
New microsatellite markers for the shallow coral Madracis auretenra from the Caribbean

Coral reefs species represent one-third of all marine species described in the ocean. They are also responsible for providing habitat and support to different species. Recently, Caribbean coral reefs ecosystems have suffered an alarming decrease in their populations as a result of overexploitation. Madracis auretenra in particular, is a widespread shallow coral in marine protected areas (MPAs) of the Caribbean. Due to the important role of MPAs as a biodiversity conservation tool, this species can be used as a model to estimate its dispersion/migration among Caribbean reefs through the use of informative genetic markers (microsatellites) specifically designed for it. Seventeen new polymorphic microsatellites markers for M. auretenra were developed and tested in 330 samples from Colombia, Guatemala, Curacao and Barbados. The gene diversity (1-D) ranged from 0.482 to 0.903, while the evenness ranged from 0.456 to 0.884 after clone removal. The expected heterozygosity (He) ranged from 0.347 to 0.742, while the observed heterozygosity (Ho) ranged from 0.078 to 0.578. The specificity of our microsatellites shows the potential use of these markers in a-posteriori analysis to detect population structure at different spatial scales, where M. auretenra is reported.
Resonating-Valence-Bond Approaches to High-Temperature Superconductivity

This thesis is devoted to a theoretical study of high-temperature superconductivity from the viewpoint of a doped Mott insulator. To this end, the square-lattice t-J model is analyzed by variational and mean-field approaches. The thesis focuses on the construction of excitations and on spectral properties in the framework of Anderson's concept of resonating-valence-bond wavefunctions. The quantum dimer model as a toy model for the resonating-valence-bond phase of Mott insulators is also explored. In the first part of the thesis, the single-particle Green's functions in the superconducting phase are analyzed using Gutzwiller-projected variational wavefunctions for the t-J model. It is found that the overall spectral weight is reduced by a momentum-dependent renormalization, and that the projection produces a particle-hole asymmetry in the renormalization of the spectral weights. The second part analyzes the Green's functions in the pseudogap phase of the cuprates within an SU(2) mean-field approach where the order parameter fluctuates between the d-wave superconductor and the non-superconducting staggered-flux state. The model predicts a photoemission spectrum with an asymmetric gap structure interpolating between the superconducting gap centered at the Fermi energy and the asymmetric staggered-flux gap. This gap asymmetry changes sign at the "hot-spots" where the Fermi surface crosses the diagonal (0,π)-(π,0). In the last part of the thesis, single hole and vortex excitations in the liquid phase of the triangular-lattice Rokhsar-Kivelson quantum dimer model are considered. It is found that the motion of a hole bound to a topological excitation is strongly constrained due to interference effects.
INTERPRETING THE GLOBAL 21 cm SIGNAL FROM HIGH REDSHIFTS. I. MODEL-INDEPENDENT CONSTRAINTS

The sky-averaged (global) 21 cm signal is a powerful probe of the intergalactic medium (IGM) prior to the completion of reionization. However, so far it has been unclear whether it will provide more than crude estimates of when the universe's first stars and black holes formed, even in the best case scenario in which the signal is accurately extracted from the foregrounds. In contrast to previous work, which has focused on predicting the 21 cm signatures of the first luminous objects, we investigate an arbitrary realization of the signal and attempt to translate its features to the physical properties of the IGM. Within a simplified global framework, the 21 cm signal yields quantitative constraints on the Lyα background intensity, net heat deposition, ionized fraction, and their time derivatives without invoking models for the astrophysical sources themselves. The 21 cm absorption signal is most easily interpreted, setting strong limits on the heating rate density of the universe with a measurement of its redshift alone, independent of the ionization history or details of the Lyα background evolution. In a companion paper, we extend these results, focusing on the confidence with which one can infer source emissivities from IGM properties.
When do people believe, check, and share health rumors on social media? Effects of evidence type, health literacy, and health knowledge

Vaccine rumors on social media endanger public health. This study examined how evidence types influenced perceived persuasiveness and relevance and engagement intentions of vaccine rumors. We conducted a 2 (evidence type: anecdotes vs. anecdotal statistics) × 2 (stance: pro-vaccine rumor vs. anti-vaccine rumor) online experiment (N = 551) and surveyed participants’ health literacy and vaccine knowledge. Anecdotal statistics were perceived as more relevant than anecdotes and indirectly influenced perceived persuasiveness and behavior intentions. This finding was confirmed when vaccine rumors were pro-attitudinal. Health literacy positively predicted perceived persuasiveness; health knowledge negatively predicted relevance and behavior intentions. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.
A XMM-Newton observation of a sample of four close dwarf spheroidal galaxies

We present the results of the analysis of deep archival \sat\ observations towards the dwarf spheroidal galaxies Draco, Leo I, Ursa Major II and Ursa Minor in the Milky Way neighbourhood. The X-ray source population is characterized and cross-correlated with available databases with the aim to infer their nature. We also investigate if intermediate-mass black holes are hosted in the center of these galaxies. In the case of Draco, we detect 96 high-energy sources, two of them being possibly local stars, while no evidence for any X-ray emitting central compact object is found. Towards the Leo I and UMa II field of view we reveal 116 and 49 X-ray sources, respectively. None of them correlates with the putative central black holes and only one is likely associated with a UMa II local source. The study of the UMi dwarf galaxy shows 54 high-energy sources and a possible association {with a source at the dSph center}. We put an upper limit to the central compact object luminosity of 4.02$\times$10$^{33}$ erg/s. Furthermore, via the correlation with a radio source near the galactic center, we get that the putative black hole should have a mass of $\left(2.76^{+32.00}_{-2.54}\right)\times10^6 M_{\odot}$ and be radiatively inefficient. This confirms a previous result obtained by using Chandra data alone.
Observational study of the clinical performance of a public-private partnership national referral hospital network in Lesotho: Do improvements last over time?

Public-private partnerships (PPP) may increase healthcare quality but lack longitudinal evidence for success. The Queen ‘Mamohato Memorial Hospital (QMMH) in Lesotho is one of Africa’s first healthcare PPPs. We compare data from 2012 and 2018 on capacity, utilization, quality, and outcomes to understand if early documented successes have been sustained using the same measures over time. In this observational study using administrative and clinical data, we assessed beds, admissions, average length of stay (ALOS), outpatient visits, and patient outcomes. We measured triage time and crash cart stock through direct observation in 2013 and 2020. Operational hospital beds increased from 390 to 410. Admissions decreased (-5.3%) while outpatient visits increased (3.8%). ALOS increased from 5.1 to 6.5 days. Occupancy increased from 82% to 99%; half of the wards had occupancy rates ≥90%, and Neonatal ward occupancy was 209%. The proportion of crash cart stock present (82.9% to 73.8%) and timely triage (84.0% to 27.6%) decreased. While overall mortality decreased (8.0% to 6.5%) and neonatal mortality overall decreased (18.0% to 16.3%), mortality among very low birth weight neonates increased (30.2% to 36.8%). Declines in overall hospital mortality are promising. Yet, continued high occupancy could compromise infection control and impede response to infections, such as COVID-19. High occupancy in the Neonatal ward suggests that the population need for neonatal care outpaces QMMH capacity; improvements should be addressed at the hospital and systemic levels. The increase in ALOS is acceptable for a hospital meant to take the most critical cases. The decline in crash cart stock completeness and timely triage may affect access to emergency treatment. While the partnership itself ended earlier than anticipated, our evaluation suggests that generally the hospital under the PPP was operational, providing high-level, critically needed services, and continued to improve patient outcomes. Quality at QMMH remained substantially higher than at the former Queen Elizabeth II hospital.