Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reflection of Fast Magnetosonic Waves near a Magnetic Reconnection Region

Magnetic reconnection in the solar corona is thought to be unstable with the formation of multiple interacting plasmoids, and previous studies have shown that plasmoid dynamics can trigger MHD waves of different modes propagating outward from the reconnection site. However, variations in plasma parameters and magnetic field strength in the vicinity of a coronal reconnection site may lead to wave reflection and mode conversion. In this paper we investigate the reflection and refraction of fast magnetoacoustic waves near a reconnection site. Under a justified assumption of an analytically specified Alfvén speed profile, we derive and solve analytically the full wave equation governing the propagation of fast-mode waves in a non-uniform background plasma without recourse to the small wavelength approximation. We show that the waves undergo reflection near the reconnection current sheet due to the Alfvén speed gradient and that the reflection efficiency depends on the plasma-β parameter, as well as on the wave frequency. In particular, we find that waves are reflected more efficiently near reconnection sites in a low-β plasma, which is typical under solar coronal conditions. Also, the reflection is larger for lower-frequency waves while high-frequency waves propagate outward from the reconnection region almost without the reflection. We discuss the implications of efficient wave reflection near magnetic reconnection sites in strongly magnetized coronal plasma for particle acceleration, and also the effect this might have on first ionization potential (FIP) fractionation by the ponderomotive force of these waves in the chromosphere.
“I am strong and I can get on with my life”: The subjective experience of recovery of patients treated for depression

ABSTRACT Depression has a high prevalence throughout the world, and its management and recovery still constitute a challenge for mental health professionals. Objective : The aim of the study was to characterize the subjective experience of recovery from depression based on the perspective of those who suffer from it. Method : Forty participants from two South American countries, who had been or were currently being treated for depression, took part in semi-structured and in-depth interviews. Most participants were female (78%), with ages ranging from 22 to 63 years. Interviews were analyzed using Grounded Theory, creating a hierarchy of categories that represent participants’ experience of recovery. The categories were subsequently organized around an emergent central phenomenon. Results : “Transformation of the experience of the depressed self” was constructed as the main phenomenon that accounts for the subjective understanding of recovery. This transformation consists in an increase in self-acceptance, self-appreciation, and auto-biographical contextualization, coupled with an increase in agency and empowerment. Conclusion : Recovery is experienced as a multidimensional process that goes beyond the absence of symptoms. Change is experienced as a result of active self-management and commitment. The relevance of person-centered perspectives and their subjectivity for managing depression is discussed.
Is regular in-person recall superior to non-regular in-person recall in clinical outcomes among new patients undergoing peritoneal dialysis

Abstract Objective To investigate the different impacts on clinical outcomes between regular recall and non-regular recall among incident peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. Methods A two-center cohort of 216 new PD patients from 1January 2013, to 31 December 2014, was studied. Informative clinical data were collected from baseline until two years after PD initiation, including demographics, laboratory and PD-related parameters, PD-related peritonitis rates, and frequency of hospitalization. Regular in-person recall (RPR) was defined as having a one-month interval and non-regular in-person recall (NRPR) as an interval ranging from more than one month to less than three months. Results Percentage of patients with peritonitis was significantly higher among patients in the NRPR group than among those in the RPR group (27.7% vs. 16.5%, p = .049). PD-related peritonitis rate was higher in the NRPR vs. RPR cohorts (0.16 vs. 0.09 person/year, p = .019). PD-related hospitalization frequency was also higher in the NRPR cohort (0.8 ± 1.0 vs. 0.5 ± 0.9, p = .039) over two years. Kt/V values in the NRPR cohort gradually decreased over two years and were at lower levels than in the RPR cohort. Conclusions New PD patients with NRPR showed higher rates of PD-related peritonitis and hospitalization frequency than patients with RPR.
Total saponins of Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. alleviate myocardial ischemia‐reperfusion injury by promoting NLRP3‐inflammasome inactivation via PI3K/Akt signaling

Total saponins of Aralia elata (Miq.) Seem. (TSAE) have been shown to play a significant role in cardiovascular protection, anti‐tumor, liver protection, anti‐oxidant stress, and anti‐inflammation. However, the specific mechanisms of TSAE in myocardial ischemia‐reperfusion injury (MIRI) remain largely elusive. Hearts from male Wistar rats were used to establish the isolated heart MIRI model. Using a multichannel physiological recorder, the whole course heart rate (HR), left ventricular development pressure (LVDP), and maximum rise/decrease rate of left ventricular pressure (±dp/dtmax) were recorded. 2,3,5‐triphenyl‐2H‐tetrazolium chloride staining observed the infarct area, while hematoxylin & eosin staining detected pathological changes in myocardial tissue. Creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, total superoxide dismutase, and malondialdehyde concentrations were determined by enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay. Immunohistochemistry, quantitative PCR, and western blot assay were used to assess the amounts of IL‐18 and IL‐1β, NLR family protein (NLRP3) inflammasome‐ and apoptosis‐related proteins, respectively. Treatment with TSAE or MCC950 (NLRP3‐specific inhibitor) significantly reduced the myocardial infarction area, alleviated pathological changes in myocardial tissues, enhanced LVDP and ±dp/dtmax levels, prevented myocardial oxidative damage, and inhibited NLRP3 inflammasome formation. In addition, TSAE enhanced Akt and GSK3β phosphorylation, and LY29004 co‐reperfusion markedly diminished the protective role of TSAE reperfusion on cardiac function, oxidative damage, and inflammatory responses. Collectively, TSAE treatment exhibited a protective effect on I/R‐triggered inflammatory responses, cell necrosis, and oxidative stress injury by stimulating PI3K/Akt signaling‐mediated NLRP3 inflammasome inhibition.
The disappearance and reformation of the accretion disc during a low state of FO Aquarii

FO Aquarii, an asynchronous magnetic cataclysmic variable (intermediate polar) went into a low-state in 2016, from which it slowly and steadily recovered without showing dwarf nova outbursts. This requires explanation since in a low-state, the mass-transfer rate is in principle too low for the disc to be fully ionized and the disc should be subject to the standard thermal and viscous instability observed in dwarf novae. We investigate the conditions under which an accretion disc in an intermediate polar could exhibit a luminosity drop of 2 magnitudes in the optical band without showing outbursts. We use our numerical code for the time evolution of accretion discs, including other light sources from the system (primary, secondary, hot spot). We show that although it is marginally possible for the accretion disc in the low-state to stay on the hot stable branch, the required mass-transfer rate in the normal state would then have to be extremely high, of the order of 10$^{19}$ gs$^{-1}$ or even larger. This would make the system so intrinsically bright that its distance should be much larger than allowed by all estimates. We show that observations of FO Aqr are well accounted for by the same mechanism that we have suggested as explaining the absence of outbursts during low states of VY Scl stars: during the decay, the magnetospheric radius exceeds the circularization radius, so that the disc disappears before it enters the instability strip for dwarf nova outbursts. Our results are unaffected, and even reinforced, if accretion proceeds both via the accretion disc and directly via the stream during some intermediate stages; the detailed process through which the disc disappears still needs investigations.
Advances in DNA photonics

In this paper we present our current research in exploring a DNA biopolymer for photonics applications. A new processing technique has been adopted that employs a modified soxhlet-dialysis (SD) rinsing technique to completely remove excess ionic contaminants from the DNA biopolymer, resulting in a material with greater mechanical stability and enhanced performance reproducibility. This newly processed material has been shown to be an excellent material for cladding layers in poled polymer electro-optic (EO) waveguide modulator applications. Thin film poling results are reported for materials using the DNA biopolymer as a cladding layer, as are results for beam steering devices also using the DNA biopolymer. Finally, progress on fabrication of a Mach Zehnder EO modulator with DNA biopolymer claddings using nanoimprint lithography techniques is reported.
Non-perturbative study of QCD correlators

This PhD dissertation is devoted to a non-perturbative study of QCD correlators. The main tool that we use is lattice QCD. We concentrated our efforts on the study of the main correlators of the pure Yang - Mills theory in the Landau gauge, namely the ghost and the gluon propagators. We are particularly interested in determining the $\Lqcd$ parameter. It is extracted by means of perturbative predictions available up to NNNLO. The related topic is the influence of non-perturbative effects that show up as appearance of power-corrections to the low-momentum behaviour of the Green functions. A new method of removing these power corrections allows a better estimate of $\Lqcd$. Our result is $\Lambda^{n_f=0}_{\ms} = 269(5)^{+12}_{-9}$ MeV. Another question that we address is the infrared behaviour of Green functions, at momenta of order and below $\Lqcd$. At low energy the momentum dependence of the propagators changes considerably, and this is probably related to confinement. The lattice approach allows to check the predictions of analytical methods because it gives access to non-perturbative correlators. According to our analysis the gluon propagator is finite and non-zero at vanishing momentum, and the power-law behaviour of the ghost propagator is the same as in the free case.
Lung injury following cardiopulmonary bypass: a clinical update

ABSTRACT Introduction Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is an integral component of cardiac surgery; however, one of its most critical complications is acute lung injury induced by multiple factors including systemic inflammatory response. Areas covered The objective of this review is to investigate the multiple factors that can lead to CPB-induced lung injury. These include contact of blood components with the artificial surface of the CPB circuit, local and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS), lung ischemia/re-perfusion injury, arrest of ventilation, and circulating endotoxins. We also focus on possible interventions to curtail the negative impact of CPB, such as off-pump surgery, impregnation of the circuit with less biologically active substances, leukocyte depletion filters and ultrafiltration, and pharmacological agents such as steroids and aprotinin. Expert Opinion Although many aspects of CPB are proposed to contribute to lung injury, its overall role is still not clear. Multiple interventions have been introduced to reduce the risk of pulmonary dysfunction, with many of these interventions having shown promising results, significantly attenuating inflammatory mediators and improving post-operative outcome. However, since lung injury is multifactorial and affected by inextricably linked components, multiple interventions tackling each of them is required.
Freely Expanding Knots of X-Ray-emitting Ejecta in Kepler’s Supernova Remnant

We report measurements of proper motion, radial velocity, and elemental composition for 14 compact X-ray-bright knots in Kepler’s supernova remnant (SNR) using archival Chandra data. The knots with the highest speed show both large proper motions (μ ∼ 0.″11–0.″14 yr−1) and high radial velocities (v ∼ 8700–10,020 km s−1). For these knots the estimated space velocities (9100 km s−1 ≲ v3D ≲ 10,400 km s−1) are similar to the typical Si velocity seen in supernovae (SNe) Ia near maximum light. High-speed ejecta knots appear only in specific locations and are morphologically and kinematically distinct from the rest of the ejecta. The proper motions of five knots extrapolate back over the age of Kepler’s SNR to a consistent central position. This new kinematic center agrees well with previous determinations, but is less subject to systematic errors and denotes a location about which several prominent structures in the remnant display a high degree of symmetry. These five knots are expanding at close to the free expansion rate (expansion indices of 0.75 ≲ m ≲ 1.0), which we argue indicates either that they were formed in the explosion with a high density contrast (more than 100 times the ambient density) or that they have propagated through regions of relatively low density (nH < 0.1 cm−3) in the ambient medium. X-ray spectral analysis shows that the undecelerated knots have high Si and S abundances, a lower Fe abundance, and very low O abundance, pointing to an origin in the partial Si-burning zone, which occurs in the outer layer of the exploding white dwarf for models of SNe Ia. Other knots show lower speeds and expansion indices consistent with decelerated ejecta knots or features in the ambient medium overrun by the forward shock. Our new accurate location for the explosion site has well-defined positional uncertainties, allowing for a great reduction in the area to be searched for faint surviving donor stars under non-traditional single-degenerate SNe Ia scenarios; because of the lack of bright stars in the search area the traditional scenario remains ruled out.
Impurity production from the ion cyclotron resonance heating antennas in JET

Additional heating systems can be a source of impurities in fusion plasmas. Studying the behaviour of such impurities is important to understand and minimize their effects on tokamak plasma performance. In this paper we present a detailed study of the influence of ion cyclotron resonance heating (ICRH) on the impurity content of JET plasmas. Using spectroscopic methods we monitor the Ni impurity release by the two ICRH antenna types in JET: the so-called ITER-like antenna and the A2 antennas. The release of Ni during ICRH is presented as a function of the power density, total ICRH power applied, the relative phasing of the A2 antenna straps, the D2 gas injection level and the plasma–strap distance. We also estimate the contribution of Ni impurity to Zeff and to plasma dilution. L-mode discharges are compared for different relative phasings of the four antenna straps of the A2 antennas: (0 π 0 π), (0 π π 0), (0 0 π π), (00 π/2 π/2), (0 π/2 π 3π/2), (− − π 0) and (0 π − −). We observe that for antenna phasings that allow the best coupling, the Ni impurity concentration is reduced in the central part of the plasma. The impurity content is also monitored in H-mode experiments aiming at improving the ICRH coupling at large antenna strap–separatrix distances, up to 19 cm, by injecting gas from different inlets. Interestingly, with increasing gas injection rate the coupling improves and the Ni concentration decreases, and the actual location of gas injection is found to influence the Ni concentration.
Clinicopathological characteristics and outcome predictors of anti-glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis

Abstract Objective To explore the clinicopathological features of anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) glomerulonephritis (anti-GBM-GN) and the prognostic values of clinical and laboratory indicators at diagnosis on renal and patient survival. Methods A total of 76 patients (34 males and 42 females) with anti-GBM-GN who were hospitalized in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University between January 2010 and June 2021 were included in this study. The baseline clinical features, histopathological data from renal biopsies, and predictors of renal and patient survival were retrospectively analyzed. Results Among the 76 patients, the median serum creatinine at diagnosis was 618.0 (350.98, 888.25) μmol/L and the median estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was 6.62 (4.39, 14.41) mL/min. Of these 76 patients, 55 (72.4%) received initial kidney replacement therapy (KRT) and 39 (51.3%) received plasma exchange or double-filtered plasmapheresis (DFPP). During a median follow-up duration of 28.5 (6.0, 71.8) months, 53 (69.7%) patients progressed to kidney failure with replacement therapy (KFRT) and received maintenance dialysis. Initial KRT (HR = 3.48, 95% CI = 1.22–9.97, p = 0.020) was a significant risk factor for renal survival. During the follow-up, 49 (64.5%) of 76 patients survived. Age (≥60 years, HR = 4.13, 95% CI = 1.65–10.38, p = 0.003) and initial KRT (HR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.01–8.14, p = 0.047) were predictive of patient survival. Conclusions Among patients with anti-GBM-GN, initial KRT at presentation was predictive of KFRT while older age and initial KRT were associated with higher all-cause mortality.
Challenging the Importance of Plastid Genome Structure Conservation: New Insights From Euglenophytes

Abstract Plastids, similar to mitochondria, are organelles of endosymbiotic origin, which retained their vestigial genomes (ptDNA). Their unique architecture, commonly referred to as the quadripartite (four-part) structure, is considered to be strictly conserved; however, the bulk of our knowledge on their variability and evolutionary transformations comes from studies of the primary plastids of green algae and land plants. To broaden our perspective, we obtained seven new ptDNA sequences from freshwater species of photosynthetic euglenids—a group that obtained secondary plastids, known to have dynamically evolving genome structure, via endosymbiosis with a green alga. Our analyses have demonstrated that the evolutionary history of euglenid plastid genome structure is exceptionally convoluted, with a patchy distribution of inverted ribosomal operon (rDNA) repeats, as well as several independent acquisitions of tandemly repeated rDNA copies. Moreover, we have shown that inverted repeats in euglenid ptDNA do not share their genome-stabilizing property documented in chlorophytes. We hypothesize that the degeneration of the quadripartite structure of euglenid plastid genomes is connected to the group II intron expansion. These findings challenge the current global paradigms of plastid genome architecture evolution and underscore the often-underestimated divergence between the functionality of shared traits in primary and complex plastid organelles.
C1q/TNF-related protein-2 improved angiogenesis to protect myocardial function during ischaemia‒reperfusion

Background Collateral growth plays an important role in the recovery of acute myocardial infarction. C1q/TNF-related protein-2 (CTRP2), a CTRP family member, showed some protective effects on cell survival. In this study, the relationship between CTRP2 and collateral growth was examined. Methods C57BL/6 mice were subjected to myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R), and the expression of CTRP2 and the effect of CTRP2 on infarction size, cardiac function and angiogenesis were examined. The ischaemic hindlimb model was also used to examine the effect of CTRP2. In vitro, CTRP2-mediated regulation of angiogenesis, AKT activation and VEGFR2 expression in endothelial cells was examined. The CTRP2 level associated with good collateral growth was observed in a cohort. Results I/R reduced CTRP2 expression, and intraperitoneal injection of recombinant CTRP2 protein improved infarction size, cardiac function and angiogenesis. Overexpression of CTRP2 promoted blood refusion and collateral growth in ischaemic hindlimb mice. In vitro, CTRP2 enhanced tube formation and migration in a dose-dependent manner, while CTRP2 increased AKT phosphorylation and VEGFR2 expression. In an observational clinical cohort, CTRP2 levels were significantly increased in patients with good collateral growth, and CTRP2 was negatively associated with poor collateral growth in patients. Conclusion CTRP2 improved cardiac function by promoting collateral growth by promoting AKT-VEGFR2.
MHD SIMULATIONS OF ACCRETION ONTO Sgr A*: QUIESCENT FLUCTUATIONS, OUTBURSTS, AND QUASIPERIODICITY

High-resolution observations of Sgr A* have revealed a wide variety of phenomena, ranging from intense rapid flares to quasi-periodic oscillations (QPOs), making this object an ideal system to study the properties of low luminosity accreting black holes. In this paper, we use a pseudospectral algorithm to construct and evolve a three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model of the accretion disk in Sgr A*. Assuming a hybrid thermal–nonthermal emission scheme and calibrating the parameters by observations, we show that the MHD turbulence in the environment of Sgr A* can by itself only produce factor two fluctuations in luminosity. These fluctuations cannot explain the magnitude of flares observed in this system. However, we also demonstrate that external forcing of the accretion disk, which may be generated by the “clumpy material” raining down onto the disk from the large-scale flow, do produce outbursts qualitatively similar to those observed by XMM-Newton in X-rays and by ground-based facilities in the near infrared. Strong, but short-term QPOs emerge naturally in the simulated light curves. We attribute these to nonaxisymmetric density perturbations that emerge as the disk evolves back toward its quiescent state.
Parallel Diffusion Models of Operator and Image for Blind Inverse Problems

Diffusion model-based inverse problem solvers have demonstrated state-of-the-art performance in cases where the forward operator is known (i.e. non-blind). However, the applicability of the method to blind inverse problems has yet to be explored. In this work, we show that we can indeed solve a family of blind inverse problems by constructing another diffusion prior for the forward operator. Specifically, parallel reverse diffusion guided by gradients from the intermediate stages enables joint optimization of both the forward operator parameters as well as the image, such that both are jointly estimated at the end of the parallel reverse diffusion procedure. We show the efficacy of our method on two representative tasks - blind deblurring, and imaging through turbulence - and show that our method yields state-of-the-art performance, while also being flexible to be applicable to general blind inverse problems when we know the functional forms. Code available: https://github.com/BlindDPS/blind-dps