Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Birationally rigid Fano fiber spaces

In this paper we give a survey of the modern theory of birational rigidity for Fano fiber spaces over a base of positive dimension. The paper is a follow up of the previous survey on birational rigidity of Fano varieties. We describe the techniques of the method of maximal singularities for Fano fiber spaces. Bibliography: 54 items.
Metformin promotes angiogenesis by enhancing VEGFa secretion by adipose-derived stem cells via the autophagy pathway

Abstract Human adipose tissue-derived stem cell (ADSC) derivatives are cell-free, with low immunogenicity and no potential tumourigenicity, making them ideal for aiding wound healing. However, variable quality has impeded their clinical application. Metformin (MET) is a 5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase activator associated with autophagic activation. In this study, we assessed the potential applicability and underlying mechanisms of MET-treated ADSC derivatives in enhancing angiogenesis. We employed various scientific techniques to evaluate the influence of MET on ADSC, assess angiogenesis and autophagy in MET-treated ADSC in vitro, and examine whether MET-treated ADSC increase angiogenesis. We found that low MET concentrations exerted no appreciable effect on ADSC proliferation. However, MET was observed to enhance the angiogenic capacity and autophagy of ADSC. MET-induced autophagy was associated with increased vascular endothelial growth factor A production and release, which contributed to promoting the therapeutic efficacy of ADSC. In vivo experiments confirmed that in contrast to untreated ADSC, MET-treated ADSC promoted angiogenesis. Our findings thus indicate that the application of MET-treated ADSC would be an effective approach to accelerate wound healing by promoting angiogenesis at wound sites.
Gaussian approximation of some closed stochastic epidemic models

A generalization of Bailey's general epidemic model is considered. In this generalized model, it is assumed that the probability of any particular susceptible becoming infected during the small time interval (t, t + Δt) is α(X(t))Δt + o(Δt), for some function a, where X(t) is the proportion of infected individuals in the entire population, the probability that an infected individual is infected for at least a length of time t is F(t), and recovered individuals are permanently immune from further attack. In this paper, central limit theorems are obtained for the proportion of infected individuals and the proportion of susceptibles in the entire population.
Quantifying Hyperbole: Explicit Estimates of Exaggerated Utterances

Purpose. People are exposed to exaggeration in some form every day. They must comprehend and interpret the hyperbole, or conversational overstatement, to which they are exposed. Research suggests that people cognitively correct hyperbolic utterances using information retrieved from memory to generate estimates of what really occurred in the situation or event and the sampling of memory traces during the interpretation of utterances is influenced by the form and contextual elements of the utterance. Methods. In three experiments, participants were presented with texts containing information described in a literal or hyperbolic manner (e.g., “I caught a fish” vs. “I caught a fish the size of a whale”) and asked for explicit estimates of value (e.g., number, size, duration). The form (Experiment 1), context (Experiment 2), and speaker (Experiment 3) of an utterance were all predicted to influence the estimates that people generated. Results. It was found that the presence of hyperbole, as well as information about the context and speaker, had a reliable impact on participants’ quantitative estimates. Conclusions. The form, context, and speaker of an utterance all appear to influence the estimates that people generated. Such results are consistent with the notion that people cognitively correct hyperbolic utterances using information retrieved from memory to generate estimates about what really happens in the situation or event. Future research should be aimed at designing experiments that can investigate these memory traces more directly.
The Influence of Topinambur and Inulin Preventive Supplementation on Microbiota, Anxious Behavior, Cognitive Functions and Neurogenesis in Mice Exposed to the Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress

Daily living and functioning under stress can lead to mental health problems such as anxiety or depression. Over the past decades, a number of studies have been conducted to determine the relationship between the central nervous system (CNS), intestinal flora and bidirectional communication along the gut brain axis (GBA) in the maintaining of homeostasis. One of the most important factors regulating GBA functioning in exposure to stress may be a proper diet enriched in the supplementation with pre-, pro-and synbiotics. In the present study, we examined whether a 10-week oral preventive supplementation with natural prebiotics: topinambur powder (TPB) and chicory root inulin (INU) influenced an anxiety, depressive behavior and cognition in mice exposed to the chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS). Additionally, a fluoxetine (FLU) has been used as a reference antidepressive drug. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of TPB, INU and FLU administration on neurogenesis in mice exposed to CUMS and finally analyzed fecal microbiota for possible changes after TPB and INU supplementation in CUMS induced mice. Results obtained from the behavioral studies (elevated plaze maze, forced swim and Morris water maze test) indicated, that 10 week supplementation with TPB (250 mg/kg) and INU (66 mg/kg), similarly to FLU (12 mg/kg), significantly mitigated an anxiety and stress as well as protected learning and memory functions in the CUMS induced mice compared to the control stressed group. Additionally, TPB and INU CUMS mice showed significantly higher level of neurogenesis in comparison to control CUMS group. Interestingly, results obtained from the fecal microbiota analysis showed a beneficial effect of TPB and INU supplementation against CUMS-induced intestinal dysbiosis in mice. In conclusion, the obtained results showed that a long-term, preventive supplementation with TPB or INU alleviates the negative effects such as anxiety, cognitive disorders or dysbiosis in mice exposed to chronic unpredictable stress.
Data analytics management capability and strategies for interorganisational collaborations: a survey research

ABSTRACT Drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective, we propose a research model that explains how data analytics management capability (DAMC) impacts interorganisational collaboration and business performance. Our model incorporates DA strategy as a moderator of the relationship between DAMC and collaboration. We test our model with a survey of 508 practitioners. Our findings suggest that while the DA innovator strategy fosters collaboration, it does not improve performance. In contrast, a more conservative DA strategy leads to higher strategic and operational performance. Our work highlights how leveraging DAMC facilitates effective interorganisational collaborations.
Irreducible Tori in Semisimple Groups

Let G be an absolutely simple simply connected algebraic group over a global field k. In this note, we analyze arithmetic properties of the maximal k-tori of G . We establish density (in the variety of maximal tori) of the set of maximal k-tori which do not contain proper k-subtori (we call such tori k-irreducible). Using the fact that the k-irreducible tori we construct have the weak approximation property, we extend some of our previous results (contained in Publ. Math. Inst. Haute Etudes Sci. 84 (1996), 91-187, § 9) to global function fields. This allows one to establish the congruence subgroup property for the groups of points of G over semi-local subrings of k. Finally, we examine the strong approximation property in the maximal k-tori of G with respect to generalized arithmetic progressions.Irreducible Tori in semisimple groups (Erratum) dx.doi. org/10.1155/S1073792802112074
GEOLOGY AND SLOW GROUND MOTION ON FUTURE

The power spectrum density and coherence function for slow ground motions are studied for the construction of the large future electron-positron linear collider. Dominant part of the ground motion in the low frequency range (f<0.1 Hz) is usually related to the ATL model using the integrated power spectrum density. Recently we have obtained new information on the ground motion. The coherency of the ground motion changes as a function of detailed geological condition even though the value of A is not so different between each other. We will present detailed discussion about this new information.
Coverage and Rate Analysis of LEO Satellite-to-Airplane Communication Networks in Terahertz Band

The low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation in the terahertz (THz) band is one of the promising technologies to provide global coverage and high-rate transmission to the airplane, whose key performance evaluation is required before realistic deployment. In this paper, we consider a downlink THz LEO satellite-airplane network with directional antennas, where the satellites follow a binomial point process on a spherical surface. Incorporating the distinctive THz propagation properties and directional beams in the two scenarios with/without molecular absorption noise, we propose an analytical framework to evaluate the coverage probability and average achievable rate of an arbitrary airplane. The analytical results are expressed in terms of the Laplace transforms of the interference-plus-molecular absorption noise and interference. Specifically, considering a frequency reuse strategy, we first provide the probability distributions of the distances from an arbitrary satellite, the serving satellite and any non-serving satellite to the target airplane, and calculate the probabilities of whether an interfering satellite is blocked by the Earth. Numerical results verify the accuracy of the analytical expressions and show that fewer orthogonal channels and lower LEO satellite altitude lead to better coverage and rate performance. As a key parameter in network design, the number of satellites has two competing effects on coverage and rate, and an optimum satellite number exists. Overall, this study provides theoretical guidance for deploying and planning THz satellite constellations.
Study of Lead measurement in drinking water and blood in children with chronic kidney disease

: Background: Environmental lead exposure as a risk factor for chronic kidney disease (CKD) we evaluated the association between lead exposure and CKD. Aim of the study : The aim of the study to assess lead in the drinking water and blood lead level in children with chronic kidney disease. Subjects and Methods : This case and control study included 30 cases diagnosed with chronic kidney disease on hemodialysis, 10 cases diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and on conservative therapy according to Schwartz formula and 10 healthy children as controls. All subjects were subjected to detailed history taking, general examination, and laboratory investigations. Also, examination for signs of lead poising and measurement of lead in blood and water were performed. Results: Our study showed that a male predominance. lead was significantly increased in cases compared to controls, and that was evident in both blood and water lead Urea and Creatinine was significantly increased in cases compared to controls (p<0.001) GFR was significantly lowered in cases compared to controls (p<0.001) The study revealed positive correlation between blood lead ,Urea and Creatinine (p <0.001*) There was negative correlation between blood lead and GFR(p 0.01*) Lead level had no significant association with neither of age ,sex nor duration of renal disease. Conclusion : exposure to lead, even at low level, is associated with increased risk of chronic kidney disease. Reduction of lead exposure may reduce the risk of chronic kidney disease.
Mortality of multiple sclerosis in Iceland population-based mortality of MS in incidence and prevalence cohorts

Introduction Mortality is an important feature of the natural history of multiple sclerosis (MS). We report the mortality of all individuals with MS in Iceland, identified in a nationwide population-based study. Patients and Methods The results are based on a prevalence cohort and an incidence cohort. The prevalence cohort consisted of all patients with MS (n = 526) living in Iceland on the 31 December 2007. The incidence cohort consisted of all residents of Iceland (n = 222) diagnosed with MS during 2002 to 2007. Mortality was determined by following both the incidence cohort (from diagnosis) and the prevalence cohort (from the prevalence day) until death or 31 December 2020. The mortality, associated with MS, was compared with that expected in the Icelandic population (standardized mortality ratio (SMR)). Results (a) Prevalence cohort (n = 526). The mean follow up was 12.0 years (range 0.3–13.0). The SMR was 1.6 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.3–2.0). (b) Incidence cohort (n = 222). The mean follow up was 15.4 years (range 3.7–18.5). The SMR was 1.2 (95% CI 0.6–2.2). Conclusion During the follow-up period, there was a substantial increase in mortality among the patients with MS, compared with the general population. There was no increase in mortality among the incidence cohort, when followed for up to 18.5 years following diagnosis.
Aluminum Leaching during Food Preparation and Storage

Aluminum (Al) is extensively used in many industrial sectors, including those dealing with transportation, electricity, machinery, equipment, food processing, packaging, storage, and a wide range of home appliances. Fruits and vegetables, which might have varied quantities depending on the plant's capacity to absorb Al, are usually the main dietary exposure sources. Depending on a variety of variables, such as cooking temperature, technique of cooking, and type of additives used, using Al utensils leads to a significant addition of the metal to the diet.This research focuses on studying the effect of food pH, cooking time and storage period on the leaching of Al from three cooking utensils (high quality aluminum pot, low quality aluminum pot and clay pot) into cooked organic tomato and spinach. The results demonstrated that the leaching of Al from pots of low-quality aluminum was greater than that of the other pots recording 5.94 and 13.09 mg Al/kg for tomato and spinach samples cooked in low quality aluminum pots, respectively, followed by high quality aluminum pots cooked tomato and spinach samples reaching 4.59 and 8.94 mg/kg, respectively after 30min of cooking. On the other hand, the clay cooked tomato and spinach samples recorded the lowest (Al) content reaching 1.33 and 5.44 mg/kg, respectively after 30min of cooking.
Characterizing the Change of Annual Cone Production in Longleaf Pine Forests

Sporadic cone (or seed) production challenges longleaf pine forest restoration. Characterizing annual cone production change from long-term monitored data provides functional information on the foundational species of this imperiled ecosystem. In this study, permutation entropy (PE) and phase change were used to analyze longleaf pine annual cone production based on cone counts from four sites (Escambia Experimental Forest, Blackwater River State Forest, The Jones Center at Ichauway, and Sandhills State Forest). PE is an analytical tool to measure the complexity of a dynamic system while phase change characterizes the stage of self-organization. Results indicate that PE at each site was close to 1.0 (largely random changes in annual cone production) and generally increased with time. The positive association between the permutation entropy of cone production and average air temperature at different times was significant at two sites (Blackwater River State Forest and The Jones Center at Ichauway). The frequency distribution of phases (e.g., Poor (P), Fair (F), Good (G), Bumper (B)) in cone production followed negative power laws. Phase P could transition to any stage, but more than 50% remained in P across sites. For phase G, it would revert to P more than 50% of the time. Phase B would shift to P, except at Sandhills State Forest. The average lasting time of phase P was approximately 3.7 years. The overall relationship between the interval time of phase B and cone production was not statistically significant. Similarly, the overall relationship between cone production in phase B and the phase change times between consecutive B phases was not statistically significant. These results provide information on the ecological complexity of cone (or seed) production. Our methods can be helpful for estimating the occurrence of bumper cone (or seed) production, the lasting period between phase changes, and providing a tool for predicting natural regeneration potential over time for longleaf pine and other tree species (e.g., masting species).
Adsorption Kinetics of Methyl Orange from Model Polluted Water onto N-Doped Activated Carbons Prepared from N-Containing Polymers

This study aimed to assess the role of polymeric sources (polypyrrole, polyaniline, and their copolymer) of nitrogen (N)-doped activated carbons (indexed as PAnAC, PPyAC, and PnyAC, respectively) on their adsorption efficiency to remove methyl orange (MO) as a model cationic dye. The adsorbents were characterized using FTIR, SEM, TGA, elemental analysis, and surface area. The kinetic experiments were performed in batches at different MO concentrations (C0) and adsorbent dosages. The adsorption kinetic profiles of pseudo-first-order, pseudo-second-order (PSO), Elovich, intraparticle diffusion, and liquid film diffusion models were compared. The results showed a better fit to the PSO model, suggesting a chemisorption process. The adsorption capacity (qe, mg/g) was found to have increased as MO C0 increased, yet decreased as the adsorbent quantity increased. At the adsorption operating condition, including MO C0 (200 ppm) and adsorbent dose (40 mg), the calculated qe values were in the order of PAnAC (405 mg/g) > PPyAC (204 mg/g) > PnyAC (182 mg/g). This trend proved the carbon precursor’s importance in the final properties of the intended carbons; elemental analysis confirmed that the more nitrogen atoms are in the activated carbon, the greater the number of active sites in the adsorbent for accommodating adsorbates. The diffusion mechanism also assumed a rate-limiting step controlled by the film and intraparticle diffusion. Therefore, such an efficient performance may support the target route’s usefulness in converting nitrogenous-species waste into valuable materials.
An unsaturated soil mechanics approach for performance-based intelligent compaction

Intelligent compaction involves using instrumented rollers to provide real-time monitoring of the compacted ground using sensors such as accelerometers and GPS. This technology has the potential to improve productivity and uniformity in construction but its advancement is currently impeded due toinaccurate estimation of the physical ground properties, such as dry density, and the absence of robust quantitative models to predict the effect of compaction on the long-term performance of unsaturated soils under repeated loads. In this study, the compaction of the soil layers and subsequent deformations under repeated traffic loads are simulated by using an advanced computational framework and model for unsaturated soils. By employing an effective stress concept, the presented computational approach allows a unified description of soils at various degrees of saturation. In addition, the model can capture plastic deformations at the initiation of loading and thereby offer accurate predictions of soil behaviour under cyclic loads. Several numerical examples will be provided to demonstrate how the initial states of compacted soils affect the compaction efficiency and the long-term performance of compacted soils.
New regions in the periphery: Agency and politics in shaping the governance of regional development in the Scotland–England border region

The restructuring of sub-national economic governance has been one response to persistent regional inequalities; in the United Kingdom, this has entailed a rescaling of strategic economic governance around city-regions. The variety of ‘left behind’ places, however, also includes peripheral and non-urban regions, prompting actors across different scales to seek arrangements for those places outside the city-regional paradigm. This paper provides insights into these processes through tracing the emergence of two new and overlapping spaces of governance in the largely rural South of Scotland, and across a larger area also including the far North of England. While driven by top-down priorities of the centre, new spaces are created through political processes contested across multiple scales, layered onto existing arrangements. These episodes demonstrate how regional actors exercise agency in shaping governance arrangements by articulating regional problems, and proposed responses, with political concerns of the centre. They also indicate the potential for dominant approaches, based on city-regional imaginaries, to be challenged. New regions offer at least the potential for actors in the periphery to secure resources for place-based development, within a fragmented and competitive landscape. They may however prove to be transient, requiring ongoing coupling of regional and central interests to be maintained.
Pupillary Pain Index Predicts Postoperative Pain but Not the Effect of Peripheral Regional Anaesthesia in Patients Undergoing Total Hip or Total Knee Arthroplasty: An Observational Study

Background and Objectives: The pupillary pain index (PPI) allows the evaluation of intraoperative nociception by measuring pupillary reaction after a localized electrical stimulus. It was the objective of this observational cohort study to investigate the pupillary pain index (PPI) as a method to evaluate the fascia iliaca block (FIB) or adductor canal block (ACB) sensory areas during general anaesthesia in orthopaedic patients with lower-extremity joint replacement surgery. Materials and Methods: Orthopaedic patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty were included. After anaesthesia induction, patients received an ultrasound-guided single-shot FIB or ACB with 30 mL and 20 mL of 0.375% ropivacaine, respectively. Anaesthesia was maintained with isoflurane or propofol/remifentanil. The first PPI measurements were performed after anaesthesia induction and before block insertion, the second at the end of surgery. Pupillometry scores were evaluated in the area of the femoral or saphenous nerve (target) and C3 dermatome (control). Primary outcomes were differences between PPIs before and after peripheral block insertion as well as the relationship between PPIs and postoperative pain scores; secondary outcomes were the relationship between PPIs and opioid requirements after surgery. Results: PPI decreased significantly from the first to the second measurement (4.17 ± 2.7 vs. 1.6 ± 1.2, p < 0.001 for target; 4.46 ± 2.7 vs. 2.17 ± 2.1, p < 0.001 for control). Control and target measurements did not show significant differences. A linear regression analysis showed that early postoperative pain scores could be predicted with intraoperative piritramide with improved prediction after adding PPI scores, PCA opioids and surgery type. Forty-eight-hour pain scores at rest and in movement were correlated with intraoperative piritramide and control PPI after the PNB in movement and with second-postoperative-day opioids and target PPI scores before block insertion, respectively. Conclusions: While the effect of an FIB and ACB could not be shown with PPI postoperative pain scores due to a large effect of opioids, perioperative PPI was shown to be associated with postoperative pain. These results suggest that preoperative PPI may be used to predict postoperative pain.