Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Placing limits on long-term variations in quiet-Sun irradiance and their contribution to total solar irradiance and solar radiative forcing of climate

Recent reconstructions of total solar irradiance (TSI) postulate that quiet-Sun variations could give significant changes to the solar power input to Earth's climate (radiative climate forcings of 0.7–1.1 W m−2 over 1700–2019) arising from changes in quiet-Sun magnetic fields that have not, as yet, been observed. Reconstructions without such changes yield solar forcings that are smaller by a factor of more than 10. We study the quiet-Sun TSI since 1995 for three reasons: (i) this interval shows rapid decay in average solar activity following the grand solar maximum in 1985 (such that activity in 2019 was broadly equivalent to that in 1900); (ii) there is improved consensus between TSI observations; and (iii) it contains the first modelling of TSI that is independent of the observations. Our analysis shows that the most likely upward drift in quiet-Sun radiative forcing since 1700 is between +0.07 and −0.13 W m−2. Hence, we cannot yet discriminate between the quiet-Sun TSI being enhanced or reduced during the Maunder and Dalton sunspot minima, although there is a growing consensus from the combinations of models and observations that it was slightly enhanced. We present reconstructions that add quiet-Sun TSI and its uncertainty to models that reconstruct the effects of sunspots and faculae.
Antibacterial effects of probiotics isolated from yoghurts against some common bacterial pathogens

According to the deﬁnition of probiotics by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization, “probiotics are live microorganisms, which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health beneﬁt on the host”. Microorganisms that are probiotics in humans include Enterococci, Biﬁdobacteria and lactic acid bacteria, such as Lactobacilli, Lactococci and Streptococci. This research was conducted to determine the presence of antibacterial effects among the probiotics isolated from different bioyoghurts against some common bacterial pathogens. Lactobacillus sp. , Streptococcus sp. and Bifidobacterium sp. from yoghurts containing probiotics were isolated and examined for their antibacterial effects against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Salmonella typhi, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The modified agar overlay method was used for determination of the presence of antibacterial effects among the isolated probiotics. Results showed the presence of antibacterial effects among the probiotics that were isolated from bioyoghurts. The spectrum of their antibacterial effects varied against the selected pathogen. Antibacterial effects are one of the most important selection criteria for probiotics, and the verified antibacterial activity of the probiotics supports the development of these functional foods as a key to the improvement of health in the consuming public. Key words: Probiotics, bioyoghurts, Lactobacillus spp. , Bifidobacterium spp. , antibacterial effects.
NEUTRINO PHYSICS WITH NUCLEAR POWER REACTOR

Reactor neutrinos have played very important role in discovering and studying the properties of neutrino such as neutrino oscillation, mixing angle θ13 etc. In coming future, they will also shed light in answering about neutrino mass hierarchy and the existence of sterile neutrinos. In this review article, we reviewed the results of different reactor neutrino based experiments, which are currently operational. Their earlier results and recent findings have been discussed. Presently there are several reactor neutrino experiments, which are either under construction, or being planned to get the solution of unsolved problems in neutrino and other sectors. However, this journey started with the aim of answering the fundamental question of particle physics, but these developments in studying neutrino physics have also started serving the society. PACS: 29.40. -n; 14.60. Pq
Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus: Outcomes Important to Patients in Assessing Disease Severity

Supplemental digital content is available in the text. Abstract Objective The aim of the study was to determine outcome measures that women with vulvar lichen sclerosus (LS) rate as important in assessing disease severity with the ultimate goal of including these items in a disease severity rating tool. Methods An online survey of women older than 18 years with a diagnosis of vulvar LS was performed. The survey was posted in Facebook LS support groups. Participants rated items on a scale from 1 to 5 (not important to include to essential to include) in a disease severity scale. Participants also rated how often they were affected by various symptoms on a scale from 1 to 5 (never to daily). Mean rating of importance and mean rating of frequency for each sign and symptom were calculated. T tests were used to compare patients with biopsy-proven disease with those with a clinical diagnosis of LS. Results Nine hundred fifty-eight participants completed the survey (86% completion rate). Patients felt that the most important items to assess disease severity were irritation (4.39), fusion of the labia (4.38), soreness (4.37), itch (4.34), change in vulvar skin (4.34), and decrease in quality of life (4.33). The most frequently experienced items by those with LS were irritation (3.92), changes in appearance of vulvar skin (3.92), and discomfort (3.89). There were no differences between patients with biopsy-proven LS versus those diagnosed on clinical examination. Conclusions Future LS severity assessment tools will need to include a combination of patient-rated symptoms, clinical rated signs and anatomical changes, and quality of life measures.
Residual effect of a four weeks grazing of oestrogenic red clover on reproductive performance of ewes in the following six weeks

The trial was conducted to study if the temporary infertility in ewes induced by oestrogenic clover, would recover accompanied by a concomitant increase in ovulation rate and/or litter size following their removal to a ‘safe’ pasture. Romney ewes (IV - 155) either grazed on Pawera red clover or Ryegrass-white clover (control) pasture for four weeks. Afterwards all ewes grazed ryegrass-white clover pasture and were mated in 3 groups either at the first, third or sixth week post-treatment. Mean ovulation rate was significantly lower (PcO.05) in the Pawera ewes (1.22 f 0.06) than in the controls (1.49 510.07) on respective treatments after two weeks of grazing. Ovulation rates in ewes afterthe lst,2ndand3rdmatingcycle were 1.60f0. 12,1.41f0.10,1.27f0. O9(redclover),and 1.64+0.10,1.67f0. 12,1.30+0.09 (control) respectively. Ovulation rate and litter size were similar for the two treatment groups after joining in week I,3 or 6 post-treatment (p>0.05). No increase in ovulation rate/litter size in Pawera group ewes was observed over and above those observed in the control ewes within the six week post-treatment period.
Proteomics Profiling of KAIMRC1 in Comparison to MDA-MB231 and MCF-7

Proteomics characterization of KAIMRC1 cell line, a naturally immortalized breast cancer cells, is described in comparison to MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Quantitative proteomics analysis using the tandem mass tag (TMT)-labeled technique in conjunction with the phosphopeptide enrichment method was used to perform comparative profiling of proteins and phosphoproteins in the three cell lines. In total, 673 proteins and 33 Phosphoproteins were differentially expressed among these cell lines. These proteins are involved in several key cellular pathways that include DNA replication and repair, splicing machinery, amino acid metabolism, cellular energy, and estrogen signaling pathway. Many of the differentially expressed proteins are associated with different types of tumors including breast cancer. For validation, 4 highly significant expressed proteins including S-methyl-5′-thioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP), BTB/POZ domain-containing protein (KCTD12), Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase 1 (PARP 1), and Prelamin-A/C were subjected to western blotting, and the results were consistent with proteomics analysis. Unlike MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, KAIMRC1 showed different phospho- and non-phosphoproteomic phenotypes which make it a potential model to study breast cancer.
Neuromodulation for Pain Treatment: Building a Foundation for Future Study.

Accepted for publication April 24, 2020. Published online first on June 15, 2020. From the Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine (E.S., S.P.C.), and the Departments of Neurology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (S.P.C.), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland; and the Departments of Anesthesiology and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland (S.P.C.).
Comparison of single versus double door posterior cervical laminoplasty for patients with cervical spondylotic myelopathy

Abstract Objective: We undertook a meta-analysis to compare the efficacy and safety of single versus double door posterior cervical laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy. Methods: PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of controlled trials were searched for randomized controlled trials investigating single and double door posterior cervical laminoplasty for cervical spondylotic myelopathy. The Mantel–Haenszel method with the fixed-effects or random-effects model was used to calculate relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Seven studies with 224 patients met the eligibility criteria and were included. There was a significant difference in Japanese Orthopedic Association score (MD = 0.79, 95%CI [0.09, 1.49], P = .03; P for heterogeneity = .09, I2 = 45%), and adverse events (OR = 0.32, 95%CI [0.11, 0.95], P = .04; P for heterogeneity = 1.00, I2 = 0%) between the double door posterior cervical laminoplasty group and the single door posterior cervical laminoplasty group. There was no significance in operative time (MD = 0.56, 95%CI [–11.86, 12.98], P = .93; P for heterogeneity = 0.001, I2 = 73%) and length of hospital stay (OR = –0.75, 95%CI [–1.78, 0.27], P = .15; P for heterogeneity = 1.00, I2 = 0%) between the 2 groups. Conclusion: Double door posterior cervical laminoplasty is more effective and safer than single door laminoplasty in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy.
Hybrid Neural Adaptive Control for Practical Tracking of Markovian Switching Networks

While neural adaptive control is widely used for dealing with continuous- or discrete-time dynamical systems, less is known about its mechanism and performance in hybrid dynamical systems. This article develops analytical tools to investigate the neural adaptive tracking control of the hybrid Markovian switching networks with heterogeneous nonlinear dynamics and randomly switched topologies. A gradient-descent adaptation law built on neural networks (NNs) is presented for efficient distributed adaptive control. It is shown that the proposed control scheme can guarantee a stable closed-loop error system for any positive control gain and tuning gain. The tracking error is demonstrated to be practically uniformly exponentially stable with a threshold in the mean-square sense. This study further reveals how the topological structure affects the NN function, by measuring the influence of the switched topologies on the learning performance.
TNF deficiency dysregulates inflammatory cytokine production, leading to lung pathology and death during respiratory poxvirus infection

Significance Excessive tumor necrosis factor (TNF) production during some respiratory viral infections is associated with lung pathology and death. We show here that deficiency in TNF also causes significant pathology during respiratory poxvirus infection of mice but has no effect on viral load. TNF deficiency causes increased production of interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, transforming growth factor beta, and interferon gamma and overactivation of STAT3 signaling. Cytokine blockade, or STAT3 inactivation, ameliorates lung pathology in TNF-deficient mice. The membrane form of TNF alone is necessary and sufficient for regulating inflammation and the prevention of lung pathology. Targeting specific cytokines or cytokine signaling pathways to can ameliorate lung inflammation during respiratory viral infections but the timing and duration of the interventive measures are critical. Excessive tumor necrosis factor (TNF) is known to cause significant pathology. Paradoxically, deficiency in TNF (TNF−/−) also caused substantial pathology during respiratory ectromelia virus (ECTV) infection, a surrogate model for smallpox. TNF−/− mice succumbed to fulminant disease whereas wild-type mice, and those engineered to express only transmembrane TNF (mTNF), fully recovered. TNF deficiency did not affect viral load or leukocyte recruitment but caused severe lung pathology and excessive production of the cytokines interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β), and interferon gamma (IFN-γ). Short-term blockade of these cytokines significantly reduced lung pathology in TNF−/− mice concomitant with induction of protein inhibitor of activated STAT3 (PIAS3) and/or suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), factors that inhibit STAT3 activation. Consequently, inhibition of STAT3 activation with an inhibitor reduced lung pathology. Long-term neutralization of IL-6 or TGF-β protected TNF−/− mice from an otherwise lethal infection. Thus, mTNF alone is necessary and sufficient to regulate lung inflammation but it has no direct antiviral activity against ECTV. The data indicate that targeting specific cytokines or cytokine-signaling pathways to reduce or ameliorate lung inflammation during respiratory viral infections is possible but that the timing and duration of the interventive measure are critical.
Hearing Preservation With a New Atraumatic Lateral Wall Electrode

Introduction: Many individuals have some residual hearing which should be preserved with cochlear implantation. To achieve this goal electrode arrays must fulfil certain design requirements. A new thin lateral wall electrode array (HiFocus SlimJ) was systematically designed on the basis of μCT studies of human cochlea anatomy. The primary objective of this study was to report on initial retrospective hearing preservation results from a cohort of subjects consecutively implanted with this electrode. Secondary objectives were to report on insertion depth and speech perception results for this new array. Methods: Twenty subjects with considerable residual hearing in low frequencies were consecutively implanted with the SlimJ electrode array. The electrode was inserted slowly through the round window and the insertion process was controlled by intracochlear electrocochleography measuring cochlear microphonics through the cochlear implant. Postoperative cone beam computed tomography was conducted and precise scalar location and angular insertion depth was estimated following image fusion with the preoperative images. Results: Low frequency hearing at 1 month postsurgery was preserved within 30 dB HL in 85% of subjects and within 15 dB HL in 50% of subjects. Mean angular insertion depth was 393 degrees (SD 62 degrees) with a range from 294 to 520 degrees. All electrode contacts in all subjects were identified within scala tympani. Conclusion: The SlimJ electrode array is easy to handle for atraumatic insertion through the round window, adjusted insertion depth controlled by electrocochleography measurements, and reliable fixation at the posterior tympanotomy. Hearing preservation rates are encouraging on the short term. We aim to further report on larger data sets and long-term outcomes.
Does the CHA2DS2-VASc scale sufficiently predict the risk of left atrial appendage thrombus in patients with diagnosed atrial fibrillation treated with non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants?

Abstract The CHA2DS2-VASc scale does not include potential risk factors for left atrial appendage thrombus (LAAT) formation such as a form of atrial fibrillation (AF) and impaired kidney function. The real risk of thromboembolic complications in AF patients is still unclear as well as an optimal anticoagulant treatment in males with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1 and females with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 2. The aim of this study was to compare the predictive value of the CHA2DS2-VASc scale and other scales to estimate the risk of LAAT formation in AF patients treated with non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants (NOACs) and to assess the prevalence of thrombi in patients at intermediate risk of stroke. The observational study included consecutive patients with a diagnosis of non-valvular AF treated with NOACs, admitted to 3 high-reference institutions between 2013 and 2018. All individuals underwent transoesophageal echocardiography before cardioversion or ablation. Out of 1163 enrolled AF patients (62.1% male, mean age 62 years) the LAAT had been detected in 50 individuals (4.3%). Among patients with LAAT, 1 patient (2.0%) was classified as a low-risk category, 9 (18.0%) were at intermediate-risk, and 40 (80.0%) were at high risk of thromboembolic complications according to CHA2DS2-VASc scale. All patients were treated with NOACs: 51.0% rivaroxaban, 47.1% dabigatran, and 1.9% apixaban. Patients at intermediate stroke-risk with detected LAAT had higher R2CHADS2 score (2.1 ± 1.2 vs 1.2 ± 0.8, P = .007), higher CHA2DS2-VASc-RAF score (6.4 ± 4.4 vs 3.7 ± 2.6, P = .027) and more often had an estimated glomerular filtration rate below 56 mL/min/1.73 m2 (44.4% vs 13.2%, P = .026) compared to patients without LAAT. The receiver operating characteristics revealed that the CHA2DS2-VASc-RAF scale had better predictive ability to distinguish between patients with and without LAAT in the study group than CHA2DS2-VASc (P = .0006), CHADS2 (P = .0006) and R2CHADS2 scale (P = .0140). The CHA2DS2-VASc scale should be supplemented with an assessment of renal function and form of AF to improve stroke risk estimation. The application of additional scales to estimate the risk of LAAT might be especially useful among males with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 1 and females with a CHA2DS2-VASc score of 2.
SUMMER FOOD HABITS AND TROPHIC OVERLAP OF ROUNDTAIL CHUB AND CREEK CHUB IN MUDDY CREEK, WYOMING

Abstract Native fishes of the Upper Colorado River Basin have experienced substantial declines in abundance and distribution, and are extirpated from most of Wyoming. Muddy Creek, in south-central Wyoming (Little Snake River watershed), contains sympatric populations of native roundtail chub (Gila robusta), bluehead sucker, (Catostomus discobolus), and flannelmouth sucker (C. latipinnis), and represents an area of high conservation concern because it is the only area known to have sympatric populations of all 3 species in Wyoming. However, introduced creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) are abundant and might have a negative influence on native fishes. We assessed summer food habits of roundtail chub and creek chub to provide information on the ecology of each species and obtain insight on potential trophic overlap. Roundtail chub and creek chub seemed to be opportunistic generalists that consumed a diverse array of food items. Stomach contents of both species were dominated by plant material, aquatic and terrestrial insects, and fishes, but also included gastropods and mussels. Stomach contents were similar between species, indicating high trophic overlap. No length-related patterns in diet were observed for either species. These results suggest that creek chubs have the potential to adversely influence the roundtail chub population through competition for food and the native fish assemblage through predation.
Branching Patterns of Mental Nerve in Newborns

Supplemental Digital Content is available in the text Abstract In classical textbooks of Anatomy, the mental nerve is considered to be the terminal or main branch of the inferior alveolar nerve, especially trifurcate with no designated names as soon as it emerges from the mental foramen. The textbooks define the innervation area of the mental nerve regionally without naming its terminal branches. Nomina Anatomica designates 3 terminal branches of mental nerve as “labial, gingival, and mental branch” but offers no description about their distribution on the mandible. In the present study, bilateral dissections were performed on the lower lip specimens of 20 newborns for 40 mental nerves to determine the branching types of mental nerve. Although anatomy textbooks indicate that mental nerve divides into 3 branches, the authors noted that mental nerve branched into 1, 2, or 3 branches at or right after its exit from the mental foramen. Branching patterns were typed in 13 different subclasses under 3 main groups (Form I-II-III). Moreover, the branching patterns that could not be included in one of these 3 main groups were defined as “Complex Form. ” The most common type of branching that the authors observed was Form II, which had 2 terminal branches with an incidence of 41.9% (16 specimens). The next frequently encountered type was Form III, having 3 terminal branches, and it was detected in 32.0% of patients (12 specimens). The least common form was Form I, which had 1 terminal branch with a frequency of 15.8% (6 specimens). The unclassified group, Complex Form, was found 10.5% (4 specimens).
Selection of Old Stone Buildings as Summer Day Roost by the Brown Long-Eared Bat Plecotus auritus

Loss of roosting sites is one of the main threats to bat populations and is heightened in species with highly specific roost requirements. Plecotus auritus is common, but in the decline in the UK and although there have been studies of its roost use in Scotland, little is known of its roost biology in the milder south-west of England. This study compared five internal and three landscape features of roosts in stone buildings with those of random and paired unoccupied buildings in Cornwall (UK) in order to determine the roost selectivity of the brown long-eared bat. Bats selected roosts mainly for their vicinity, and connection, to foraging habitat. Occupied buildings were thus more likely to be situated closer to deciduous woodland than random control buildings, and were connected through tree lines. Roosts were also found to have a roof space divided into more compartments than paired and random controls and no insulation These characteristics influence the building microclimate. These findings suggest that P. auritus is selective of its roosts both at the building and the landscape levels.