Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Drug Resistance in Tuberculous Lymphadenitis: Molecular Characterization

Background Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) epidemic in high-TB-incidence countries, particularly Ethiopia, remains a significant challenge. As a result, we investigated the drug resistance, common gene mutation, and molecular characterization of mycobacterial isolates from patients with suspected tuberculous lymphadenitis (TBLN). Methodology. A cross-sectional study of 218 FNA samples from TBLN patients inoculated on Lowenstein-Jensen media was carried out. The culture isolates were identified as MTB by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the difference-9 (RD9) test region. In addition, the GenoType MTBDRplus assay tested the first and second-line MTB drugs, and the spoligotyping strain-dependent polymorphism test was determined. Results Among the 50 culture-positive isolates, 14% (7/50) had drug resistance caused by a gene mutation. Out of these, 4 (8%) isolates were mono-resistant to isoniazid drug, which is caused by a gene mutation in katG in the region of interrogated at codon 315 in the amino acid sequence of S315T1, and 3 (6%) isolates were resistant to both rifampicin and isoniazid drugs. The mutation was observed for katG (at codon 315 with a change in the sequence of amino acid S315T) and rpoB (at codon 530–533 with a change in the sequence of amino acid S531L (S450L)) genes. The most prevalent spoligotypes were orphan and SIT53 strains. Conclusion The predominance of INH mono-resistance poses a critical risk for the potential development of MDR-TB, as INH mono-resistance is a typical pathway to the occurrence of MDR-TB. The orphan and SIT53 (T) strains were the most common in the study area, and a drug-resistant strain caused by a common gene mutation could indicate the transmission of clonal-resistant strains in the community.
Mid–Miocene Palaeofire and Its Complex Relationship With Vegetation Changes in the Wushan Basin, Northeastern Tibetan Plateau, China: Evidence From a High–Resolution Charcoal Record

Fire plays an important role in the Earth system, and is considered an essential control on global vegetation evolution and climate change. However, few Miocene high–resolution fire records have been obtained with which to assess the controls and possible drivers of fire on multiple timescales. Here, we provide a high–resolution charcoal record of the Nanyu section to reconstruct mid–Miocene fire history in the Wushan Basin. Further, we identify and assess the long–term regional fire regime (frequency and intensity) controls and possible drivers by making comparisons with published paleoclimate and paleoenvironmental records (i.e., palynomorphs, magnetic susceptibility, redness, stable isotope, pCO2 and marine δ18O data etc.). We also performed spectral analysis of the charcoal records to investigate possible controls of fire activity on orbital time scales. The analysis results indicate that (a) the reconstructed fire regime exhibits an increase from ∼16 to 13.86 Ma and a significant decrease after ∼13.86 Ma. (b) The steadily increasing regional fire activity during the period of ∼16–13.86 Ma may be caused by increased fuel ignitability and drying climate, whereas significantly decreased fire activity after ∼13.86 Ma is likely attributed to decreased fuel load due to the Mi–3b global cooling event. (c) On orbital time scales, the finding of the Earth's orbital cycles in fire proxy indicates that mid–Miocene fire activity variability in the study area was likely related to Earth's orbital forcing.
Predictors of surgical site infection among women following cesarean delivery in eastern Ethiopia: a prospective cohort study

Background: Despite the availability of prophylactic antibiotics prior to skin incisions, surgical site infection (SSI) following cesarean section (CS) remains an unresolved health issue. As a result, this study aimed to assess the incidence and predictors of SSI after a CS. Methods: The authors conducted a prospective cohort study in eastern Ethiopia. The women were serially enrolled until the desired sample size was reached. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Women were followed at the hospital during their weekly visits. Culture-based microbiological methods were used to identify causal agents. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify the predictors of SSI after CS. Results: Among serially enrolled women, 336 were followed for 30 days. The incidence of SSI was 7.74% (95% CI: 7.68–7.80). Rupture of the membrane before operation [adjusted odds ratio (AOR)=3.75, 95% CI: 1.85–16.6], labor duration greater than 24 h (AOR=4.04, 95% CI: 1.52–10.79), and postoperative hemoglobin less than 11 g/dl (AOR=3.42, 95% CI: 1.32–8.87) were all significantly associated with SSI. The most common isolated pathogen was Staphylococcus aureus, followed by Escherichia coli. Conclusions: Nearly one-tenth of the women developed SSIs. Factors such as rupture of the membrane before the operation, absence of antenatal care, labor duration greater than 24 h, a midline skin incision, and postoperative hemoglobin less than 11 g/dl were the predictors of SSI. To reduce the incidence of SSI, policymakers should consider the importance of high-quality antenatal care, shorten the duration of labor, and maintain women’s hemodynamics in future SSI prevention bundles.
Applying evolutionary programming to selected traveling salesman problems

Natural evolution provides a paradigm for the design of stochastic-search optimization algorithms. Various forms of simulated evolution, such as genetic algorithms and evolutionary programming techniques, have been used to generate machine learning through automated discovery. These methods have been applied to complex combinatorial optimization problems with varied degrees of success. The present paper relates the use of evolutionary programming on selected traveling salesman problems. In three test cases, solutions that are equal to or better than previously known best routings were discovered. In a 1000-city problem, the best evolved routing is about 5% longer than the expected optimum.
Key astroglial markers in human liver cirrhosis of different degree: immunohistochemical study

The aim of the study – determining the immunohistochemical levels of the GFAP, GS and AQP4 in different regions of the human brain in the conditions of liver cirrhosis of different degree. Materials and methods. The study was performed on sectional material of 90 patients who suffered during lifetime from liver non-alcoholic cirrhosis of classes A (n = 30, group “A”), B (n = 30, group “B”) and C (n = 30, group “C”) according to Child–Pugh classification, including 59 (65.55 %) cases with clinical symptoms of I–IV grade hepatic encephalopathy. Cortex, white matter, hippocampus, thalamus, striopallidum, cerebellum, were examined using immunohistochemical method for evaluation of GFAP, GS and AQP4 levels. Results. GFAP expression gradually decreased from classes A to C of cirrhosis. The most expressed GFAP decline was found in class C in the cortex and thalamus (6.74- and 6.23-fold decrease). Contrary to GFAP, GS expression gradually increased along with aggravation of cirrhosis. The most prominent augmentation of GS was related in the cortex and thalamus in “C” group, respectively 4.34- and 4.26-fold increase. AQP4 levels also showed growing mode correlated with cirrhosis aggravation. The highest increase was found in the cortex and thalamus in “C” group (4.25- and 4.34-fold increase, respectively). Starting from class B, altered GFAP, GS, and AQP4 levels showed region-dependent relationships. GS and AQP4 were positively correlated in all 6 studied regions, while the inverse relationships were found between GFAP vs. GS and GFAP vs. AQP4 proteins. Conclusions. As early as in class A of cirrhosis, dynamic molecular alterations are occurred in the brain astrocytes, indicating the progressive development of astroglial remodeling with a violation of its cytoskeleton and redistribution of molecular domains within cells. This phenomenon is region- and time-specific; its signs get stronger with time from class to class, becoming most pronounced in class C. Among studied brain regions, cortex and thalamus are characterized by the most pronounced protein changes. Starting from class B, the remarkable relationship is seen between molecular changes of both direct and inverse type. Simultaneously emerging links might indicate synergistic involvement of these molecules in astroglial remodeling in chronic hepatic encephalopathy. Alterations in the mentioned astroglial molecular complex can serve both as a diagnostic marker of reactive astrogliosis during liver cirrhosis and represent a target for novel therapeutic approaches regarding encephalopathy in cirrhotic patients.
TEMPERATURE-DEPENDENT INFRARED OPTICAL CONSTANTS OF OLIVINE AND ENSTATITE

Since the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) mission, it has become clear that dust in circumstellar disks and outflows consists partly of crystalline silicates of pyroxene and olivine type. An exact mineralogical analysis of the dust infrared emission spectra relies on laboratory spectra, which, however, have been mostly measured at room temperature so far. Given that infrared spectral features depend on the thermal excitation of the crystal's vibrational modes, laboratory spectra measured at various (low and high) temperatures, corresponding to the thermal conditions at different distances from the star, can improve the accuracy of such analyses considerably. We have measured the complex refractive index in a temperature range of 10–973 K for one mineral of each of those types of silicate, i.e., for an olivine and an enstatite of typical (terrestrial) composition. Thus, our data extend the temperature range of previous data to higher values and the compositional range to higher iron contents. We analyze the temperature dependence of oscillator frequencies and damping parameters governing the spectral characteristics of the bands and calculate absorption cross-sectional spectra that can be compared with astronomical emission spectra. We demonstrate the usefulness of our new data by comparing spectra calculated for a 100 K dust temperature with the ISO SWS spectrum of IRAS 09425–6040.
Drug resistance pattern of Mycobacteria isolated from smear positive cases of pulmonary tuberculosis in eastern part of Nepal

Introduction: The emergence of drug resistance in tuberculosis has become a major challenge for effective control of tuberculosis. This study was done with an aim to determine the drug resistance pattern of mycobacteria isolated from pulmonary tuberculosis. Methods: Sputum samples were collected from patients attending B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences, Dharan during 1st June 2006 to 30th May 2007. The smear positive samples were cultured on Lowenstein Jensen medium and drug sensitivity was performed by proportion method. Results: Among 202 Mycobacterial isolates, 96 (47.52%) were sensitive to all four drugs, 50 (24.75%) were resistant to single drug and 15 (7.42%) were MDR strains. Higher rate of MDR was seen in previously treated cases (15.51%) than in new cases (4.6%). Conclusion: This study reflects a high burden of drug resistant tuberculosis in the eastern part of Nepal.
Rates of strong convergence for U-statistics in finite populations

Abstract Let UNn be a U-statistic based on a simple random sample of size n selected without replacement from a finite population of size N. Rates of convergence results in the strong law are obtained for UNn, which are similar to those known for classical U-statistics based on samples of independent and identically distributed (iid) random variables.
The eight-color asteroid survey - Standard stars

Compositionally diagnostic information regarding the spectral reflectance of faint asteroids and planetary satellites, obtained using a photometric system, is presented. Standard UBV and range in effective wavelength from 0.34 to 1.04 microns are among the eight broadband filters relative to the study. An InGaAsP photomultiplier of high quantum efficiencies employed for longer wavelengths, allows work to magnitude 17 and fainter when used in conjunction with a 2 m telescope. Magnitudes and color indices with mean uncertainty + or - 0.006 mag for 50 standard stars are presented, and by setting the mean colors of four of these stars to zero, the zero point of the system is established. Sun color implications resulting from the study are U-B = 0.20 + or - 0.02, and B-V = 0.67 + or - 0.02.
Modelling magnetic oscillators

The effect of magnetic fields complicates the analysis of nonradial pulsations of stars. The angular dependence of the eigenfunction of a pulsation mode cannot be represented by a single spherical harmonic, and another type of oscillations enters into the equations. We discuss different methods employed to analyse nonradial pulsations in the presence of a magnetic field and compare the results from the different methods. Then, we discuss some important properties caused by the presence of a strong magnetic field, and discuss some asteroseismological works.
Soft X-ray emission of a fast-capillary-discharge device

The paper reports on some technological modifications of the capillary discharge device, especially in the spark gap region. Passively generated pre-pulse plasma was replaced by an external driver, which can independently control a pre-ionisation capillary current. The time development of the axial soft X-ray radiation of the modified capillary discharge device is reported as well.
Dynamics of two-atom two-photon Tavis-Cummings model with intensity-dependent coupling

An exact solution of the problem of two two-level atoms with nondegenerate two-photon transitions and intensitydependent coupling interacting with two-mode radiation field is presented. Asymptotic solution for system state vector is obtained in the approximation of large initial coherent fields. The atom-field entanglement is investigated on the basis of the reduced atomic entropy dynamics. The possibility of the system being initially in a pure disentangled state to revive into this state during the evolution process is shown. Conditions and times of disentanglement are derived.
Outcomes of Single-Step Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy Compared With Alcohol-Assisted Photorefractive Keratectomy Using Wave-Light EX500 Platform

Purpose To compare the visual outcome of transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) against alcohol-assisted PRK in treating low-to-moderate myopia with or without astigmatism. Setting Dhahran Eye Specialist Hospital, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Design This is a retrospective study. Methods Forty eyes of 22 patients with myopia from -0.75 to -6.00 diopters (D) with or without astigmatism from 0 to -3D were included in this study. Preoperative and postoperative data of 20 eyes from 11 patients who underwent transepithelial PRK were compared with 20 eyes from 11 patients who underwent alcohol-assisted PRK were collected and analyzed. The uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest spherical equivalence (SE), manifest cylinder, vector analysis of astigmatism, and efficacy and safety indices were compared between the groups at a mean follow-up of one year postoperatively. Results Baseline characteristics were similar between groups, except the transepithelial PRK group had lower cylinder values than the alcohol-assisted PRK group by 0.69D. Regression analysis was used to control for the difference in the cylinder in all outcome parameters. Both groups had similar mean UDVA (p=0.73), CDVA (p=0.98), the proportion of eyes in either group achieved (20/20, 20/25, and 20/30) UDVA (p=0.72, 0.68 and 0.31 respectively) and percentage of eyes lost two lines of CDVA (p=1.0). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in regard to both efficacy and safety indices (p=0.55 and 0.67, respectively). Both groups had similar residual SE (p=0.72), the proportion of eyes within ±0.5D of SE (p=0.29), and residual refractive astigmatism (p=0.87). Both groups had similar difference vectors, surgically induced astigmatism, and correction index (p=0.82, 0.10, and 0.26, respectively). However, the transepithelial PRK group had lower target-induced astigmatism (TIA; p=0.01), higher magnitude of error (ME; p=0.05), and higher angle of error (AE; p=0.02) than the alcohol-assisted PRK group. Conclusion Transepithelial PRK had similar visual and refractive outcomes as alcohol-assisted PRK. This approach was considered as safe and effective as alcohol-assisted PRK in treating patients with low-to-moderate myopia with or without astigmatism.
Electron acceleration by inertial Alfvén waves

Alfven waves reflected by the ionosphere and by inhomogeneities in the Alfven speed can develop an oscillating parallel electric field when electron inertial effects are included. These waves, which have wavelengths of the order of an Earth radius, can develop a coherent structure spanning distances of several Earth radii along geomagnetic field lines. This system has characteristic frequencies in the range of 1 Hz and can exhibit electric fields capable of accelerating electrons in several senses: via Landua resonance, bounce or transit time resonance as discussed by Andre and Eliasson or through the effective potential drop which appears when the transit time of the electrons is much smaller than the wave period, so that the electric fields appear effectively static. A time-dependent model of wave propagation is developed which represents inertial Alfven wave propagation along auroral field lines. The disturbance is modeled as it travels earthward, experiences partial reflections in regions of rapid variation, and finally reflects off a conducting ionosphere to continue propagating antiearthward. The wave experiences partial trapping by the ionospheric and the Alfven speed peaks discussed earlier by Polyakov and Rapoport and Trakhtengerts and Feldstein and later by Lysak. Results of the wave simulation and an accompanyingmore » test particle simulation are presented, which indicate that inertial Alfven waves are a possible mechanism for generating electron conic distributions and field-aligned particle precipitation. The model incorporates conservation of energy by allowing electrons to affect the wave via Landau damping, which appears to enhance the effect of the interactions which heat electron populations. 22 refs., 14 figs.« less
How to Get Coal Country to Vote for Climate Policy: The Effect of a ‘Just Transition Agreement’ on Spanish Election Results

Enacting stringent climate policy has proven politically challenging, not least because of concentrated losses in fossil fuel-producing communities. “Just transition” strategies have been proposed to mitigate this distributional challenge. Yet, little is known about how such strategies affect voting behavior. Using a mixed-methods approach, we exploit a local climate policy in Spain—a “Just Transition Agreement” (JTA) to phase out coalmining, support affected workers, and invest in affected municipalities—which was negotiated by the incumbent Socialist Party (PSOE) government with affected unions and businesses shortly before a national election. A difference-in-differences study shows that PSOE’s vote share in coalmining municipalities increased at the 2019 election relative to similar municipalities, implying that the JTA was electorally successful. Further statistical tests and elite interviews suggest that this electoral boost was driven by unions’ support of the JTA. Our findings have implications for how parties can craft popular climate policy.
The Bondi–Sachs metric at the vertex of a null cone: axially symmetric vacuum solutions

In the Bondi–Sachs formulation of general relativity, the spacetime is foliated via a family of null cones. If these null cones are defined such that their vertices are traced by a regular world line, then the metric tensor has to obey regular boundary conditions at the vertices. We explore the general requirements of these regularity conditions when the world line is a time-like geodesic, and use axisymmetric vacuum spacetimes to demonstrate these requirements. We correct and complete vertex-boundary conditions that were used in the past. We derive nonlinear boundary conditions, which approximate locally a metric up to fourth order in normal coordinates, and linear boundary conditions of arbitrary order. It is shown that if the metric is represented by power series expansions of the metric variables, the coefficients of such series have a very rigid angular structure and a rigid hierarchical dependence of time derivatives of the expansion coefficients.
Advances in Media Theory

Media theory is a new branch of mathematical social and behavioral sciences with applications ranging from combinatorics to political sciences. Because of the generality of the concept of a medium and the natural character of its defining axioms, we believe the theory has a potential to become a new methodology for the management of imprecise, uncertain or incomplete information. In this paper, we review the basic concepts of media theory and present some advances in its combinatorial and stochastic parts. We prove that any medium is isomorphic to a submedium of a complete oriented medium and characterize these submedia. We also present some results concerning the stochastic evolution of a complete oriented medium and some of its submedia.
Effect of Pulse Repetition Rate on Ultrafast Laser-Induced Modification of Sodium Germanate Glass

We report an unexpected pulse repetition rate effect on ultrafast-laser modification of sodium germanate glass with the composition 22Na2O 78GeO2. While at a lower pulse repetition rate (~≤250 kHz), the inscription of nanogratings possessing form birefringence is observed under series of 105–106 pulses, a higher pulse repetition rate launches peripheral microcrystallization with precipitation of the Na2Ge4O9 phase around the laser-exposed area due to the thermal effect of femtosecond pulses via cumulative heating. Depending on the pulse energy, the repetition rate ranges corresponding to nanograting formation and microcrystallization can overlap or be separated from each other. Regardless of crystallization, the unusual growth of optical retardance in the nanogratings with the pulse repetition rate starting from a certain threshold has been revealed instead of a gradual decrease in retardance with the pulse repetition rate earlier reported for some other glasses. The repetition rate threshold of the retardance growth is shown to be inversely related to the pulse energy and to vary from ~70 to 200 kHz in the studied energy range. This effect can be presumably assigned to the chemical composition shift due to the thermal diffusion of sodium cations occurring at higher pulse repetition rates when the thermal effect of the ultrashort laser pulses becomes noticeable.