Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Source characterization of volatile organic compounds in the Colorado Northern Front Range Metropolitan Area during spring and summer 2015

Hourly measurements of 46 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the Boulder Atmospheric Observatory in Erie, CO, were collected over 16 weeks in spring and summer 2015. Average VOC reactivity (1.2 s−1 in spring and 2.4 s−1 in summer) was lower than most other U.S. urban sites. Positive matrix factorization analysis identified five VOC factors in the spring, corresponding to sources from (1) long‐lived oil and natural gas (ONG‐long lived), (2) short‐lived oil and natural gas (ONG‐short lived), (3) traffic, (4) background, and (5) secondary chemical production. In the summer, an additional biogenic factor was dominated by isoprene. While ONG‐related VOCs were the single largest contributor (40–60%) to the calculated VOC reactivity with hydroxyl radicals (OH) throughout the morning in both spring and summer, the biogenic factor substantially enhanced afternoon and evening (2–10 P.M. local time) VOC reactivity (average of 21%; maxima of 49% of VOC reactivity) during summertime. These results contrast with a previous summer 2012 campaign which showed that biogenics contributed only 8% of VOC reactivity on average. The interannual differences suggest that the role of biogenic VOCs in the Colorado Northern Front Range Metropolitan Area (NFRMA) varies with environmental conditions such as drought stress. Overall, the NFRMA was more strongly influenced by ONG sources of VOCs than other urban and suburban regions in the U.S.
Experimental Evaluation of Memory Capacity of Recurrent Neural Networks

In this article, the importance of correct representation of input data for recurrent neural network is experimentally analysed on the basis of the task for recognizing handwritten digits and task for incrementing an integer. In order to solve this task, the same information in a different form is provided for the neural network and quality of classification is evaluated. It was received, that a simple permutation of inputs has caused the decrease of quality from several percentage points (for short sequences, e.g. incrementing 32-bit integer in binary) up to 15% for long ones (784 steps). In addition, the phenomena that models examining the depiction of handwritten digits, presented in a horizontal way converge on average faster than analogue models with vertical digit representation.
Small-strain dynamic characterization of clayey soil

An appropriate evaluation of dynamic soil properties is important for proper seismic response analysis and soil modelling programs. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the dynamic properties of clayey soil from Warsaw area, taking into consideration some of the selected factors affecting the shear modulus (G) and the damping ratio (D) of examined samples. A series of resonant column tests were conducted to study the effect of applied pressure and shear strain amplitude on soil stiffness and its damping properties. These parameters were reviewed, investigated and discussed. On the basis of the results obtained from these tests as well as the theoretical analysis, it can be established that con ning pressure and the range of considered strain had a signi cant in uence on the dynamic shear modulus and on the dynamic damping ratio. The impact of stress level on D is also discussed.
PLK1 and FoxM1 expressions positively correlate in papillary thyroid carcinoma and their combined inhibition results in synergistic anti‐tumor effects

Polo‐like kinase 1 (PLK1; also known as serine/threonine‐protein kinase PLK1) serves as a central player in cell proliferation, exerting critical regulatory roles in mitotic processes and cell survival. We conducted an analysis of PLK1 protein expression in a large cohort of samples from papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients and examined its functional significance in PTC cell lines, both in vitro and in vivo. PLK1 overexpression was noted in 54.2% of all PTC and was significantly associated with aggressive clinicopathological parameters; it was also found to be an independent prognostic marker for shorter recurrence‐free survival. Given the significant association between PLK1 and forkhead box protein M1 (FoxM1), and their concomitant overexpression in a large proportion of PTC samples, we explored their correlation and their combined inhibitions in PTC in vitro and in vivo. Inhibition of PLK1 expression indeed suppressed cell proliferation, leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in PTC cell lines. Significantly, the downregulation of PLK1 reduced the self‐renewal capability of spheroids formed from PTC cells. Immunoprecipitation analysis shows that PLK1 binds to FoxM1 and vice versa in vitro. Mechanistically, PLK1 knockdown suppresses FoxM1 expression, whereas inhibition of FoxM1 does not affect PLK1 expression, which suggests that PLK1 acts through the FoxM1 pathway. The combined treatment of a PLK1 inhibitor (volasertib) and a FoxM1 inhibitor (thiostrepton) demonstrated a synergistic effect in reducing PTC cell growth in vitro and delaying tumor growth in vivo. This study highlights the important role of PLK1 in PTC tumorigenesis and prognosis. It also highlights the synergistic therapeutic potential of dual‐targeting PLK1 and FoxM1 in PTC, unveiling a potential innovative therapeutic strategy for managing aggressive forms of PTC.
How can African agriculture adapt to climate change: Analysis of the determinants of farmers' choice of adaptation methods and perceptions of climate change in the Nile Basin of Ethiopia:

Ethiopia's agricultural sector, which is dominated by smallscale, mixed-crop, and livestock farming, is the mainstay of the country's economy. It constitutes more than half of the country's gross domestic product, generates more than 85 percent of foreign exchange earnings, and employs about 80 percent of the population. Unfortunately, Ethiopia's dependence on agriculture makes the country particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change on crop and livestock production. Thus, a deeper understanding of the complex interdependence between changing climatic conditions and Ethiopia's agricultural sector- together with adaptation options-is crucial. Additional information about farmers' awareness of climate change and current adaptation approaches would assist policymakers in their efforts to decrease the country's vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate change. This brief is based on a study that endeavors to guide policymakers on ways to promote greater adaptation by identifying the household characteristics that increase farmers' awareness of climate change and influence farmers' decision to adapt.
A randomized controlled trial of a distress screening, consultation, and targeted referral system for family caregivers in oncologic care.

OBJECTIVE Distress screening is standard practice among oncology patients, yet few routine distress screening programs exist for cancer caregivers. The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of Cancer Support Source-CaregiverTM (CSS-CG, 33-item), an electronic distress screening and automated referral program with a consultation (S + C) to improve caregiver unmet needs, quality of life, anxiety, depression, and distress relative to Enhanced Usual Care (EUC; access to educational materials). METHOD 150 caregivers of patients with varying sites/stages of cancer were randomized to S + C or EUC and completed assessments at baseline, 3-months post-baseline, and 6-months post-baseline. A subset of participants (n = 10) completed in-depth qualitative interviews. RESULTS S + C was feasible: among 75 caregivers randomized to S + C, 66 (88%) completed CSS-CG and consultation. Top concerns reported were: (1) patient's pain and/or physical discomfort; (2) patient's cancer progressing/recurring; and (3) feeling nervous or afraid. Differences between groups in improvements on outcomes by T2 and T3 were modest (ds < 0.53) in favor of S + C. Qualitative data underscored the helpfulness of S + C in connecting caregivers to support and helping them feel cared for and integrated into cancer care. CONCLUSIONS S + C is feasible, acceptable, and yields more positive impact on emotional well-being than usual care. Future studies will examine programmatic impact among caregivers experiencing higher acuity of needs, and benefits of earlier integration of S + C on caregiver, patient, and healthcare system outcomes.
Monitoring air quality in class I wilderness areas of the northeastern United States using lichens and bryophytes

To address a need for air quality and lichen monitoring information for the Northeast, we compared bulk chemistry data from 2011-2013 to baseline surveys from 1988 and 1993 in three Class I Wilderness areas of New Hampshire and Vermont. Plots were within the White Mountain National Forest (Presidential Range—Dry River Wilderness and Great Gulf Wilderness, New Hampshire) and the Green Mountain National Forest (Lye Brook Wilderness, Vermont). We sampled epiphyte communities and found 58 macrolichen species and 55 bryophyte species. We also analyzed bulk samples for total N, total S, and 27 additional elements. We detected a decrease in Pb at the level of the National Forest and in a subset of plots. Low lichen richness and poor thallus condition at Lye Brook corresponded to higher N and S levels at these sites. Lichen thallus condition was best where lichen species richness was also high. Highest Hg content, from a limited subset, was on the east slope of Mt. Washington near the head of Great Gulf. Most dominant lichens in good condition were associated with conifer boles or acidic substrates. The status regarding N and S tolerance for many lichens in the northeastern United States is not clear, so the influence of N pollution on community data cannot be fully assessed. Continued monitoring of lichens and bryophytes, especially if integrated with IMPROVE aerosol data, may reveal changes in air quality, climatic conditions, and other potential stressors or stimuli. Lichen health was impacted by low air quality at some of our sites.
The Impact of Aromatherapy Gelatin Cold Compresses on the Concentration Level of Students in the Covid-19 Pandemic Online Class

Introduction Stressful circumstances presented by the Covid-19 pandemic led to reduced levels of study concentration among students, and these conditions had been linked with dopamine levels. Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the impact of aromatherapy gelatin cold compress in increasing the study concentration of students by decreasing stress levels and elevating dopamine levels during the Covid-19 pandemic online class. Methods The study participants consisted of 42 students, who were selected using the simple random sampling method. Subsequently, the participants were comparably divided into control and treatment groups. Compress intervention was given to the treatment group on the forehead for 10 min before studying online. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Stroop test were then used to determine stress and concentration levels of the students, respectively. The catecholamine fractionated urine was used to measure dopamine levels. Analysis was carried out using Paired T-test and Independent T-test with α = 0.05 and CI = 95%. Results The mean value of the VAS before and after treatment was 5.81 ± 2.48 and 5.28 ± 2.61 in the control (p = 0.205), as well as 6.28 ± 1.62 and 4.38 ± 1.89 in the treatment group (p = 0.000). The mean interference score of the Stroop test before and after treatment was 13.16 ± 1.05 and 13.22 ± 1.31 among the controls (p = 0.947), while 13.35 ± 6.94 and 8.92 ± 5.91 were recorded in the treatment group (p = 0.000). The average dopamine levels before and after the intervention were 145.50 ± 7.94 mg/mL and 146.65 ± 8.23 mg/mL creatinine among the controls (p = 0.542), while 145.35 ± 1.03 mg/mL and 265.18 ± 1.27 mg/mL creatinine were obtained in the treatment group (p = 0.01). Furthermore, the results showed that the creatinine levels were within the normal ranges. The Independent T-test of stress, concentration, and dopamine levels obtained p = 0.024, p = 0.010, and p = 0.090, respectively. Conclusion Aromatherapy gelatin cold compress was effective in increasing study concentration by decreasing stress levels and increasing dopamine levels during the Covid-19 pandemic online class.
Association between smoking and height loss in Japanese workers: A retrospective study

Height loss is reported to be an independent risk factor for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Smoking, which is responsible for a considerable proportion of deaths due to any cause, is also associated with lumbar disc degeneration, a major risk factor for height loss. Therefore, smoking could be an independent risk factor for height loss. To clarify the association between smoking status and height loss, a retrospective study with 8,984 (5,518 men and 3,466 women) Japanese workers was conducted. The present study population comprised 9,681 workers aged 40–74 years who participated in annual medical examinations between 2011 and 2017 (baseline). Subjects without a height measurement during 2012–2018 (endpoint) were excluded from the analysis (n = 697). Height loss was defined as being in the highest quartile of annul height decrease (1.48 mm/year for men and 1.79 mm/year for women). Independent of known cardiovascular risk factors, smoking was positively associated with height loss among men but not among women. With never smokers as the referent group, the adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) was 1.15 (0.98, 1.35) for former smokers and 1.24 (1.05, 1.46) for current smokers among men, respectively. Among women, the corresponding values were 0.98 (0.79, 1.21) and 0.90 (0.71, 1.16), respectively. Since height loss and smoking are independent risk factors for all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, these results help clarify the mechanisms underlying the association between height loss and mortality risk.
Training and Testing Texture Similarity Metrics for Structurally Lossless Compression

We present a systematic approach for training and testing structural texture similarity metrics (STSIMs) so that they can be used to exploit texture redundancy for structurally lossless image compression. The training and testing is based on a set of image distortions that reflect the characteristics of the perturbations present in natural texture images. We conduct empirical studies to determine the perceived similarity scale across all pairs of original and distorted textures. We then introduce a data-driven approach for training the Mahalanobis formulation of STSIM based on the resulting annotated texture pairs. Experimental results demonstrate that training results in significant improvements in metric performance. We also show that the performance of the trained STSIM metrics is competitive with state of the art metrics based on convolutional neural networks, at substantially lower computational cost.
Treatment of Symptomatic Spinal Muscular Atrophy with Nusinersen: A Prospective Longitudinal Study on Scoliosis Progression

Background: Nusinersen treatment has demonstrated efficacy in improving clinical outcomes for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), yet its impact on scoliosis progression remains unclear. Objective: This study aimed to assess the progression of scoliosis in pediatric patients with SMA undergoing nusinersen treatment. Methods: In this prospective study, data were systematically collected from Hong Kong pediatric SMA patients receiving nusinersen between 2018 and 2023. All patients had longitudinal radiographic studies pre-nusinersen, and at half-yearly or yearly intervals during treatment based on the scoliosis severity. Motor function evaluations were conducted pre-nusinersen, and after starting treatment at 6- and 12-month intervals. Results: Twenty-three patients ((SMA type 1 (SMA1) = 8, SMA type 2 (SMA2) = 7, SMA type 3 (SMA3) = 8)) with a median age of 5.8 years (range: 0.4–17.5 years) at nusinersen initiation, and median follow-up duration of 3.4 years (range: 1.1–5.2 years) were included. During the study period, motor scores remained stable or improved in 83% of patients. However, scoliosis progressed across all subtypes, with mean annual progression rates of 5.2, 11.9, and 3.6 degrees in SMA1, SMA2, and SMA3 respectively. Patients initiating nusinersen between ages 5 and 11 years exhibited the most rapid progression, with rates of 11.8, 16.5, and 7.3 degrees per year in SMA1, SMA2, and SMA3 respectively. Positive correlations were observed between the difference in CHOP-INTEND score post-nusinersen and scoliosis progression in SMA1 (rs = 0.741, p = 0.041). Conversely, negative correlations were found between the difference in HFMSE score post-nusinersen and scoliosis progression in SMA2 (rs =−0.890, p = 0.012) and SMA3 (rs =−0.777, p = 0.028). Conclusions: This study reveals that nusinersen treatment in symptomatic pediatric SMA patients with motor improvement is linked to increased scoliosis progression in SMA1, whereas it is associated with decreased progression in SMA2 and SMA3. Age, baseline Cobb angle, and motor milestone improvement are influential factors in scoliosis progression.
Validating a molecular clock for nudibranchs—No fossils to the rescue

Abstract Time calibrated phylogenies are typically reconstructed with fossil information but for soft‐bodied marine invertebrates that lack hard parts, a fossil record is lacking. In these cases, biogeographic calibrations or the rates of divergence for related taxa are often used. Although nudibranch phylogenies have advanced with the input of molecular data, no study has derived a divergence rate for this diverse group of invertebrates. Here, we use an updated closure date for the Isthmus of Panama (2.8 Ma) to derive the first divergence rates for chromodorid nudibranchs using multigene data from a geminate pair with broad phylogeographic sampling. Examining the species Chromolaichma sedna (Marcus & Marcus, 1967), we uncover deep divergences among eastern Pacific and western Atlantic clades and we erect a new species designation for the latter (Chromolaichma hemera sp. nov.). Next, we discover extensive phylogeographic structure within C. hemera sp. nov. sensu lato, thereby refuting the hypothesis of a recent introduction. Lastly, we derive divergence rates for mitochondrial and nuclear loci that exceed known rates for other gastropods and we highlight significant rate heterogeneity both among markers and taxa. Together, these findings improve understanding of nudibranch systematics and provide rates useful to apply to divergence scenarios in this diverse group.
Thin energetic O+ layer embedded in the magnetotail reconnection current sheet observed by Cluster

In the classical picture of the magnetotail current sheet, the current carriers are mainly ions that undergo nonadiabatic motions. Oxygen ions could contribute a thicker current sheet than the protons due to their large gyroradii. In this paper, however, we report a thin energetic O+ layer embedded in the magnetotail proton current sheet observed by Cluster on 11 October 2001. The thickness of the O+ layer is estimated to be smaller than the half thickness of the local current sheet. And the layer is formed by energetic O+ with energy larger than 20 keV moving along the +Y direction in GSE coordinates. It is inferred that these energetic O+ are probably generated due to the selective acceleration effect of the thin reconnection electric field to the upstreaming ionospheric O+ ions with different initial condition.
Health outcomes after myocardial infarction: A population study of 56 million people in England

Background The occurrence of a range of health outcomes following myocardial infarction (MI) is unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the long-term risk of major health outcomes following MI and generate sociodemographic stratified risk charts in order to inform care recommendations in the post-MI period and underpin shared decision making. Methods and findings This nationwide cohort study includes all individuals aged ≥18 years admitted to one of 229 National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in England between 1 January 2008 and 31 January 2017 (final follow-up 27 March 2017). We analysed 11 non-fatal health outcomes (subsequent MI and first hospitalisation for heart failure, atrial fibrillation, cerebrovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease, severe bleeding, renal failure, diabetes mellitus, dementia, depression, and cancer) and all-cause mortality. Of the 55,619,430 population of England, 34,116,257 individuals contributing to 145,912,852 hospitalisations were included (mean age 41.7 years (standard deviation [SD 26.1]); n = 14,747,198 (44.2%) male). There were 433,361 individuals with MI (mean age 67.4 years [SD 14.4)]; n = 283,742 (65.5%) male). Following MI, all-cause mortality was the most frequent event (adjusted cumulative incidence at 9 years 37.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] [37.6,37.9]), followed by heart failure (29.6%; 95% CI [29.4,29.7]), renal failure (27.2%; 95% CI [27.0,27.4]), atrial fibrillation (22.3%; 95% CI [22.2,22.5]), severe bleeding (19.0%; 95% CI [18.8,19.1]), diabetes (17.0%; 95% CI [16.9,17.1]), cancer (13.5%; 95% CI [13.3,13.6]), cerebrovascular disease (12.5%; 95% CI [12.4,12.7]), depression (8.9%; 95% CI [8.7,9.0]), dementia (7.8%; 95% CI [7.7,7.9]), subsequent MI (7.1%; 95% CI [7.0,7.2]), and peripheral arterial disease (6.5%; 95% CI [6.4,6.6]). Compared with a risk-set matched population of 2,001,310 individuals, first hospitalisation of all non-fatal health outcomes were increased after MI, except for dementia (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.01; 95% CI [0.99,1.02];p = 0.468) and cancer (aHR 0.56; 95% CI [0.56,0.57];p < 0.001). The study includes data from secondary care only—as such diagnoses made outside of secondary care may have been missed leading to the potential underestimation of the total burden of disease following MI. Conclusions In this study, up to a third of patients with MI developed heart failure or renal failure, 7% had another MI, and 38% died within 9 years (compared with 35% deaths among matched individuals). The incidence of all health outcomes, except dementia and cancer, was higher than expected during the normal life course without MI following adjustment for age, sex, year, and socioeconomic deprivation. Efforts targeted to prevent or limit the accrual of chronic, multisystem disease states following MI are needed and should be guided by the demographic-specific risk charts derived in this study.