Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pathophysiological and Clinical Significance of Crotalus durissus cascavella Venom-Induced Pulmonary Impairment in a Murine Model

Crotalus venom has broad biological activity, including neurotoxic, myotoxic, hematologic, and cytotoxic compounds that induce severe systemic repercussions. We evaluated the pathophysiological and clinical significance of Crotalus durissus cascavella (Cdc) venom-induced pulmonary impairment in mice. We conducted a randomized experimental study, involving 72 animals intraperitoneally inoculated with saline solution in the control group (CG), as well as venom in the experimental group (EG). The animals were euthanized at predetermined intervals (1 h, 3 h, 6 h, 12 h, 24 h, and 48 h), and lung fragments were collected for H&E and Masson histological analysis. The CG did not present inflammatory alterations in pulmonary parenchyma. In the EG, interstitial and alveolar swelling, necrosis, septal losses followed by alveolar distensions, and areas of atelectasis in the pulmonary parenchyma were observed after three hours. The EG morphometric analysis presented pulmonary inflammatory infiltrates at all time intervals, being more significant at three and six (p = 0.035) and six and 12 h (p = 0.006). The necrosis zones were significant at intervals of one and 24 h (p = 0.001), one and 48 h (p = 0.001), and three and 48 h (p = 0.035). Crotalus durissus cascavella venom induces a diffuse, heterogeneous, and acute inflammatory injury in the pulmonary parenchyma, with potential clinical implications for respiratory mechanics and gas exchange. The early recognition and prompt treatment of this condition are essential to prevent further lung injury and to improve outcomes.
Dynamic immunogenicity after primary and booster inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination in people living with HIV: A longitudinal observational study

People living with HIV (PLWH) have poor outcomes from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2); vaccination reduces the associated mortality. The humoral immune response dynamics after booster inactivated vaccinations in PLWH remain unclear. In this longitudinal observational study, 100 PLWH after primary inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination were consecutively recruited and followed up. After booster vaccination (BV), neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) were detected at 1 month from all the PLWH, and the titer increased sixfold compared to that associated with the primary vaccination (PV), similar to that in healthy controls after BV. The NAbs titer declined over time after BV, but remained higher at 6 months than after PV. The NAbs response was elevated after BV with CD4 count <200 cells/μL, it was the poorest among the different CD4 cell count subgroups. Similar results were observed for anti‐RBD‐IgG responses. Moreover, RBD‐specific MBCs were significantly elevated after BV in PLWH. No serious AEs were observed after BV in PLWH. In conclusion, booster inactivated SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination is well tolerated and can elicit robust and durable humoral responses in PLWH. PLWH may benefit from a third dose of the inactivated vaccine.
Prevalence and Characteristics of Isolated Nocturnal Hypertension and Masked Nocturnal Hypertension in a Tertiary Hospital in the City of Buenos Aires

Isolated nocturnal hypertension (INH) and masked nocturnal hypertension (MNH) increase cardiovascular risk. Their prevalence and characteristics are not clearly established and seem to differ among populations. We aimed to determine the prevalence and associated characteristics of INH and MNH in a tertiary hospital in the city of Buenos Aires. We included 958 hypertensive patients ≥ 18 years who underwent an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) between October and November 2022, as prescribed by their treating physician to diagnose or to assess hypertension control. INH was defined as nighttime BP ≥ 120 mmHg systolic or ≥70 diastolic in the presence of normal daytime BP (<135/85 mmHg regardless of office BP; MNH was defined as the presence of INH with office BP < 140/90 mmHg). Variables associated with INH and MNH were analyzed. The prevalences of INH and MNH were 15.7% (95% CI 13.5–18.2%) and 9.7 (95% CI 7.9–11.8%), respectively. Age, male sex, and ambulatory heart rate were positively associated with INH, whereas office BP, total cholesterol, and smoking habits showed a negative association. In turn, diabetes and nighttime heart rate were positively associated with MNH. In conclusion, INH and MNH are frequent entities, and determination of clinical characteristics such as those detected in this study is critical since this might contribute to a more appropriate use of resources.
Correction of JET bolometric maximum likelihood tomography for local gas puffing

Tomography is applied daily to bolometric data in magnetically controlled nuclear fusion devices to infer important quantities of the studied plasmas, such as the emissivity profiles or the radiated power in different locations of the main chamber. Tomographic reconstructions are also crucial for power balance analysis and to estimate heat fluxes for turbulence studies. One of the issues, associated with any tomographic technique, resides in the ill-posed nature of the mathematical problem, meaning that more than one possible emissivity profile is compatible with the measurements within the estimated uncertainties. Therefore, a careful evaluation of the quality of the obtained reconstructions is an important step of the analysis. On Joint European Torus (JET), since the two cameras are located in different toroidal locations, axial symmetry of the plasma radiation must be assumed to perform traditional tomographic reconstructions. Such a specific hypothesis, however, cannot be guaranteed in the case of symmetry-breaking mechanisms, such as strong local gas puffing for fuelling. The present contribution addresses this problem of local plasma fuelling, focusing on the observed significant mismatch between measured and back-calculated projections in specific pulses, including the last JET DT campaign (DTE2) carried out in 2021. The analysis indicates that the observed discrepancy, due to the gas injected primarily from valves located in the same octant where one of the bolometer arrays is located, can be rectified acceptably well by a physically-based correction. The sensible improvements in the bolometric maximum likelihood tomography’s outputs are also documented, and the possible physical explanation for such a phenomenon is discussed. The study performed in this article is expected to have a significant impact on the analysis of JET data and on the physical interpretation of the results obtained during the recent DTE2 experiments, for which a proper evaluation of the radiated power estimates is of non-negligible relevance.
Genome-Wide Identification and Characterization of the Soybean Snf2 Gene Family and Expression Response to Rhizobia

Sucrose nonfermenting 2 (Snf2) family proteins are the core component of chromatin remodeling complexes that can alter chromatin structure and nucleosome position by utilizing the energy of ATP, playing a vital role in transcription regulation, DNA replication, and DNA damage repair. Snf2 family proteins have been characterized in various species including plants, and they have been found to regulate development and stress responses in Arabidopsis. Soybean (Glycine max) is an important food and economic crop worldwide, unlike other non-leguminous crops, soybeans can form a symbiotic relationship with rhizobia for biological nitrogen fixation. However, little is known about Snf2 family proteins in soybean. In this study, we identified 66 Snf2 family genes in soybean that could be classified into six groups like Arabidopsis, unevenly distributed on 20 soybean chromosomes. Phylogenetic analysis with Arabidopsis revealed that these 66 Snf2 family genes could be divided into 18 subfamilies. Collinear analysis showed that segmental duplication was the main mechanism for expansion of Snf2 genes rather than tandem repeats. Further evolutionary analysis indicated that the duplicated gene pairs had undergone purifying selection. All Snf2 proteins contained seven domains, and each Snf2 protein had at least one SNF2_N domain and one Helicase_C domain. Promoter analysis revealed that most Snf2 genes had cis-elements associated with jasmonic acid, abscisic acid, and nodule specificity in their promoter regions. Microarray data and real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) analysis revealed that the expression profiles of most Snf2 family genes were detected in both root and nodule tissues, and some of them were found to be significantly downregulated after rhizobial infection. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive analysis of the soybean Snf2 family genes and demonstrated their responsiveness to Rhizobia infection. This provides insight into the potential roles of Snf2 family genes in soybean symbiotic nodulation.
Statistical Validation of a Cloud Resolving Model Using Aircraft Observations of Orographic Snow Clouds

Cold rain processes simulated with a nonhydrostatic cloud-resolving model developed by the Japan Meteorology Agency/Meteorological Research Institute and run at 1 km horizontal resolution (1-km-NHM) with a two-moment bulk parameterization scheme are validated using in situ aircraft observations for orographic snow clouds. To statistically validate cold rain processes simulated by the 1-km-NHM, aircraft observations collected during two winter seasons (March and December 2007, a total of 21 flights) over the Echigo Mountains are analyzed and compared with the model. For the cases where the differences in the cloud top heights and/or temperatures between the simulations and aircraft observations are small (i.e., the forecast errors are thought to be relatively small), the horizontal wind direction, wind speed, and vertical wind velocity for all three analysis height intervals (2.0–2.5 km, 2.5–3.0 km, and 3.0–3.5 km above sea level) and over all four analysis areas (Toukamachi, Senjyoji, Shimizu, and Naramata) exhibit reasonable agreement between the numerical simulations and aircraft observations, although the 1-km-NHM overestimated the horizontal wind speed in the cloud layer by 2–3 m s−1. The simulated liquid water contents at every height interval and over every analysis area are significantly underestimated compared with the aircraft observations. Taking into account the underestimation of ice water content (IWC) measured with the Nevzorov TWC/ LWC probe, the simulated IWCs in the upper and middle parts of the clouds are also slightly underestimated. The simulated total solid particle number concentrations (TNCs) in the upper and middle parts of the clouds were underestimated compared with the aircraft observations, while the simulated TNCs in the lower parts of the clouds are slightly overestimated. The ratios of simulated cloud ice number concentrations to snow number concentrations are less than unity and much smaller than the corresponding ratios obtained from the aircraft observations. This suggests that the overall conversion from cloud ice to snow in the 1-km-NHM, which occurs primarily through depositional growth, is faster than that in real clouds.
A possible linkage of the western North Pacific summer monsoon with the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation

This study examines possible links between the western North Pacific summer monsoon (WNPSM) and the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO). Our research findings are summarized as follows: (1) In addition to the Central Pacific El Niño, the WNPSM also exerts significant modulation on the NPGO. (2) A time lag is detected in the association between the WNPSM and the NPGO. The WNPSM in JJAS (from June to September) has significant impacts on the NPGO in MAM (from March to May) of the following year. (3) The wave train patterns forced by the WNPSM that are being integrated by the ocean mixed layer may be responsible for the lagged response of the NPGO.
Studies on the Effect of Oxidation on Bioactivity of Phenolics and Wine Lees Extracts

It is expected that any processing and handling of lees (e.g., drying, storage or removal of residual alcohol using various concentration techniques) will expose the material to oxidation and the consequences of oxidation on the biological activity of the lees and the lees extracts are unknown. The effects of oxidation (using horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide model system) on phenolic composition and their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities were investigated in (i) a flavonoid model system composed of catechin and grape seed tannin (Cat:GST) extracts at various ratios and (ii) in Pinot noir (PN) and Riesling (RL) wine lees samples. For the flavonoid model, oxidation had a minor or no impact on total phenol content but increased (p < 0.05) total tannin content from approximately 145 to 1200 µg epicatechin equivalent/mL. An opposite observation was found in the PN lees samples where oxidation reduced (p < 0.05) the total phenol content (TPC) by approximately 10 mg GAE/g dry matter (DM) lees. The mean degree of the polymerization (mDP) values of the oxidized flavonoid model samples ranged from 15 to 30. The Cat:GST ratio and interaction of the Cat:GST ratio with oxidation were found significantly to affect the mDP values of the flavonoid model samples (p < 0.05). Oxidation increased the mDP values in all oxidized flavonoid model samples except for Cat:GST 0:100. The mDP values of the PN lees samples ranged from 7 to 11 and remained the same after oxidation. There was no significant reduction in the antioxidant activities (DPPH and ORAC) of the model and wine lees after oxidation except the PN1 lees sample (decreased from 3.5 to 2.8 mg Trolox equivalent/g DM extracts). In addition, no correlation was observed between mDP (approximately 10 to 30) and DPPH (0.09) and ORAC assay (−0.22), which indicates that the higher mDP resulted in a poor ability to scavenge DPPH· and AAPH· free radicals. Antimicrobial activities of the flavonoid model were found to be improved after the oxidation treatment against S. aureus and E. coli with minimum inhibition concentration (MIC) of 1.56 and 0.39 mg/mL. This may indicate that new compounds were formed during the oxidation treatment, and these compounds showed more effective microbicidal activity. LC-MS work is required in the future to identify the compounds that are newly formed during the oxidation of the lees.
Numerical solution of discretised HJB equations with applications in finance

We consider the numerical solution of discretised Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations with applications in finance. For the discrete linear complementarity problem arising in American option pricing, we study a policy iteration method. We show, analytically and numerically, that, in standard situations, the computational cost of this approach is comparable to that of European option pricing. We also characterise the shortcomings of policy iteration, providing a lower bound for the number of steps required when having inaccurate initial data. For discretised HJB equations with a finite control set, we propose a penalty approach. The accuracy of the penalty approximation is of first order in the penalty parameter, and we present a Newton-type iterative solver terminating after finitely many steps with a solution to the penalised equation. For discretised HJB equations and discretised HJB obstacle problems with compact control sets, we also introduce penalty approximations. In both cases, the approximation accuracy is of first order in the penalty parameter. We again design Newton-type methods for the solution of the penalised equations. For the penalised HJB equation, the iterative solver has monotone global convergence. For the penalised HJB obstacle problem, the iterative solver has local quadratic convergence. We carefully benchmark all our numerical schemes against current state-of-the-art techniques, demonstrating competitiveness.
Detection of Water Pollutants With a Nonuniform Array of Microwave Sensors

Detection of pollutants in water is conventionally performed in wet chemistry labs for samples that are collected manually. This task is time-consuming, costly, and difficult to expand to large water bodies and perform frequently. Thus, to facilitate water quality testing, a new methodology is presented based on the use of a nonuniform array of microwave sensors and applying machine learning to the collected data. The sensor elements resonate at different frequencies, which cover a broad bandwidth, providing sufficient information for machine learning algorithms (MLAs) to determine the type of pollutant. Here, as a proof of concept, the proposed methodology is tested with water samples, including phosphate (PO4), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and chromium<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{+6}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>(Cr<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^{+6}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) with various concentrations. The proposed technology is fast, cost-effective, repeatable, and expandable for detecting a larger number of pollutants.
Exploring the Link Between Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Cannabis Use Disorders: A Review

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder in children and adults. In the substance use disorders (SUDs) population, ADHD prevalence reaches 23.1%, leading to more severe substance abuse progression and reduced treatment effectiveness. Cannabis is the most common illicit drug used among the ADHD population. The increasing popularity of medical marijuana (MM) has raised concerns about its potential impact on neurocognitive functions, particularly in adolescents. Persistent cannabis use can cause permanent changes in brain structures and circuits. This review aims to overview the comorbidity of ADHD and SUDs, focusing on cannabis use disorders. Theoretical models of the etiologies of ADHD and SUDs were investigated to establish a framework for analyzing their underlying neurocognitive mechanisms. The reward and motivational brain circuitries involving the default-mode network and the endocannabinoid system were emphasized. The high prevalence of SUDs in the ADHD population has ramifications, including earlier age of onset, self-medication, and reduced performance in various domains. Cannabis use disorders are particularly significant due to the increasingly widespread use of cannabis and its perceived safety. The review highlights the lack of theoretical background on the therapeutic properties of medicinal cannabis, criticizing its speculated applications in the ADHD population. This article reviews the current understanding of the association between ADHD and cannabis use, emphasizing the need for further research and a cautious approach to MM’s potential therapeutic applications.
Cellular and Humoral Immune Responses to Vaccination for COVID-19 Are Negatively Impacted by Senescent T Cells: A Case Report

Background: Herein, we aimed to follow up on the cellular and humoral immune responses of a group of individuals who initially received the CoronaVac vaccine, followed by a booster with the Pfizer vaccine. Methods: Blood samples were collected: before and 30 days after the first CoronaVac dose; 30, 90, and 180 days after the second CoronaVac dose, and also 20 days after the booster with the Pfizer vaccine. Results: Whilst the positivity to gamma interferon-type cellular response increased after the first CoronaVac dose, neutralizing and IgG antibody levels only raised 30 days after the second dose, followed by a drop in these responses after 90 and 180 days. The booster with the Pfizer vaccine elicited a robust cellular and humoral response. A higher number of double-negative and senescent T cells, as well as increased pro-inflammatory cytokines levels were found in the participants with lower humoral immune responses. Conclusion: CoronaVac elicited an early cellular response, followed by a humoral response, which dropped 90 days after the second dose. The booster with the Pfizer vaccine significantly enhanced these responses. Furthermore, a pro-inflammatory systemic status was found in volunteers who presented senescent T cells, which could putatively impair the immune response to vaccination.
Interplay between the (Poly)phenol Metabolome, Gut Microbiome, and Cardiovascular Health in Women: A Cross-Sectional Study from the TwinsUK Cohort

Background: Dietary (poly)phenol consumption is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in epidemiological studies, but little is known about the role of the gut microbiome in this relationship. Methods: In 200 healthy females, aged 62.0 ± 10.0 years, from the TwinsUK cohort, 114 individual (poly)phenol metabolites were measured from spot urine using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. The associations between metabolites, the gut microbiome (alpha diversity and genera), and cardiovascular scores were investigated using linear mixed models adjusting age, BMI, fibre, energy intake, family relatedness, and multiple testing (FDR < 0.1). Results: Significant associations were found between phenolic acid metabolites, CVD risk, and the gut microbiome. A total of 35 phenolic acid metabolites were associated with the Firmicutes phylum, while 5 metabolites were associated with alpha diversity (FDR-adjusted p < 0.05). Negative associations were observed between the atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk score and five phenolic acid metabolites, two tyrosol metabolites, and daidzein with stdBeta (95% (CI)) ranging from −0.05 (−0.09, −0.01) for 3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid to −0.04 (−0.08, −0.003) for 2-hydroxycinnamic acid (FDR-adjusted p < 0.1). The genus 5-7N15 in the Bacteroidetes phylum was positively associated with the same metabolites, including 3-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid, 3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid, 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid), 3-hydroxyphenylethanol-4-sulfate, and 4-hydroxyphenylethanol-3-sulfate)(stdBeta (95% CI): 0.23 (0.09, 0.36) to 0.28 (0.15, 0.42), FDR-adjusted p < 0.05), and negatively associated with the ASCVD score (stdBeta (95% CI): −0.05 (−0.09, −0.01), FDR-adjusted p = 0.02). Mediation analysis showed that genus 5-7N15 mediated 23.8% of the total effect of 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid on the ASCVD score. Conclusions: Coffee, tea, red wine, and several vegetables and fruits, especially berries, are the most abundant food sources of phenolic acids that have the strongest associations with CVD risk. We found that the gut microbiome, particularly the genus 5-7N15, partially mediates the negative association between urinary (poly)phenols and cardiovascular risk, supporting a key role of the gut microbiome in the health benefits of dietary (poly)phenols.
ESTIMATION OF A SEMIPARAMETRIC TRANSFORMATION MODEL IN THE PRESENCE OF ENDOGENEITY

We consider a semiparametric transformation model, in which the regression function has an additive nonparametric structure and the transformation of the response is assumed to belong to some parametric family. We suppose that endogeneity is present in the explanatory variables. Using a control function approach, we show that the proposed model is identified under suitable assumptions, and propose a profile estimation method for the transformation. The proposed estimator is shown to be asymptotically normal under certain regularity conditions. A simulation study shows that the estimator behaves well in practice. Finally, we give an empirical example using the U.K. Family Expenditure Survey.