Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topography and Composition of the Iliolumbar Veins in a South African Cohort: Implications for Spinal Surgery

Study Design A descriptive cross-sectional study of the anatomical variations, morphometry, and histology of the iliolumbar veins (ILVs). Purpose This study aimed to describe the anatomical variations of the ILVs and determine their tissue composition in South African cadavers of European descent. Overview of Literature A safe anterior surgical approach to the L4/L5 intervertebral disc space requires understanding the anatomy of the ILVs. Limited understanding of ILVs and their variations may lead to inadvertent avulsion of veins with subsequent hemorrhage and damage to the adjacent nerves intraoperatively. Variations in ILVs are population specific, but such reports are limited in the South African population. Methods Eighty-nine adult cadavers were dissected to reveal ILV patterns. The variations (origin, course, and drainage pattern), morphometries, and topography of the ILVs were studied. A total of 19 (10 proximal, nine distal) ILVs were processed for hematoxylin and eosin, Masson’s trichrome, and Verhoeff’s histological staining to determine the tissue composition. Results The ILVs were identified in 100% of the cases, and 45% of the ILVs were anastomosed to each other bilaterally. The right-side ILVs terminated into the posterior surfaces of the iliac vessels (p=0.001), whereas the left-side ILVs terminated into the lateral surfaces (p=0.001). The left-side proximal ILVs had higher elastic fiber composition (p=0.030). The ratio of the ILVs’ elastic fibers to collagen fibers was 1:9, and 61% of the cadavers exhibited type 1 ILV pattern. Moreover, 42% of the ILVs were at the S1 vertebral level with 31% lying between L4 and L5 spinal nerve roots. The obturator nerve coursed anteriorly to the ILVs in 96% of cases. Conclusions The ILV variations described for South Africans present new additional patterns, such as bilateral anastomosis and laterality of the terminal drainage. The ILVs have more collagen fibers than elastic fibers, predisposing them to avulsion during surgical retraction. The identification of all the ILVs is crucial to minimize inadvertent hemorrhage and damage to adjacent structures.
Modulation of low-energy galactic cosmic rays over solar maximum /cycle 20/.

A preliminary report is presented on detailed observations of low energy approximately (60 MeV/nucleon) galactic cosmic rays made during the recent period of solar maximum. For this particular cycle a significant time lag between intensity changes in the low energy and high energy components was observed. There are a number of possible explanations of this hysteresis effect. In the simplest form these include either changes in the form of the magnetic field power spectrum or changes in the size of the effective modulating region, or both.
Spectroscopic observations of the high-ionization planetary nebula NGC 2242 and the H II region K4-45

New optical spectra of two suspected planetary nebulae, K4-45 and NGC 2242, are presented. It is shown that K4-45 (PK 96 + 1) is a reddened H II region with approximately solar abundances, excited by an early B type star. NGC 2242 (PK 170 + 15) is a planetary nebula of exceptionally high ionization, exhibiting He II, and forbidden Ne V, Ar V, Ne III, and O III emission lines. The lack of He I emission and the presence of strong forbidden Ne V and He II emission indicate an optically thin nebula that is ionized by a central star with an effective temperature greater than 100,000 K. 45 references.
Dietary yeast beta 1,3/1,6 glucan supplemented to adult Labrador Retrievers alters peripheral blood immune cell responses to vaccination challenge without affecting protective immunity

Abstract Yeast-derived 1,3/1,6 β-glucans may alter host immunity to produce robust and quickly resolved responses that align with companion animal health goals. In adult dogs, immunomodulation by yeast 1,3/1,6 β-glucans in extruded kibble diet have not been well documented. The study objective was to evaluate systemic immune responses in dogs fed kibble diets with two yeast 1,3/1,6 β-glucans doses before and after vaccine challenge. Twenty-four adult Labrador Retrievers were assigned to three dietary treatments consisting of a basal diet (control) supplemented with 0.012% or 0.023% (0.5 or 1×, respectively) yeast 1,3/1,6 β-glucan with equal sex representation within each treatment (8 dogs/diet). Animals were fed experimental diets for a 29-d acclimation period, after which baseline blood samples were collected before administration of a combination canine distemper virus, parvovirus, and adenovirus-2 vaccine. Blood samples were collected weekly for 21 d following vaccination with whole blood for CBC analysis, serum for titer and cytokine assays, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) isolated for flow cytometric immune cell profiling. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure with diet and timepoint fixed effects. Serum titer was analyzed by Kruskal–Wallis test (SAS 9.4; P ≤ 0.05). Prior to vaccination, β-glucan diets did not affect serum cytokines, antibody titer, or immune cell populations. In the first 7 d post-vaccination (dpv), PBMC CD21low B cells increased 36.5% to 58.1% in all groups but the magnitude of change was lesser in the 0.5× β-glucan diet resulting in 25.6% lower CD21low populations compared to control-fed dogs (P = 0.007). By 21 dpv, B-cell populations recovered to baseline levels in dogs fed 1× β-glucan, but CD21high cells remained elevated 50.5% in dogs fed 0.5× β-glucan diets compared with baseline (P < 0.0001). While no differences in serum titer or cytokines were observed, feeding both β-glucan diets maintained stable blood monocytes, whereas a 53.0% decrease between baseline and 14 dpv was observed in control-fed dogs (P = 0.01). Collectively, these outcomes suggest that a 1× dose of 1,3/1,6 yeast β-glucan in extruded kibble diets altered monocytes associated with trained immunity, did not reduce PBMC CD21low B-cell responsiveness, and simultaneously contributed to B-cell population resolution by 21 dpv in adult dogs. Additional research to assess the functionality of these changes is needed.
Design and characterization of a neutralized-transport experiment for heavy-ion fusion

In heavy-ion inertial-confinement fusion systems, intense beams of ions must be transported from the exit of the final focus magnet system through the fusion chamber to hit millimeter-sized spots on the target. Effective plasma neutralization of intense ion beams in this final transport is essential for a heavy-ion fusion power plant to be economically competitive. The physics of neutralized drift has been studied extensively with particle-in-cell simulations. To provide quantitative comparisons of theoretical predictions with experiment, the Virtual National Laboratory for Heavy Ion Fusion has completed the construction and has begun experimentation with the Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX). The experiment consists of three main sections, each with its own physics issues. The injector is designed to generate a very high-brightness, space-charge-dominated potassium beam while still allowing variable perveance by a beam aperturing technique. The magnetic-focusing section, consisting of four pulsed magnetic quadrupoles, permits the study of beam tuning, as well as the effects of phase space dilution due to higher-order nonlinear fields. In the final section, a converging ion beam exiting the magnetic section is transported through a drift region with plasma sources for beam neutralization, and the final spot size is measured under various conditions of neutralization. In thismore » paper, we discuss the design and characterization of the three sections in detail and present the first results from the experiment. « less
Linearizing coordinate transformations and Riemann curvature

Using the Lagrangian framework and point transformations, an alternative derivation of an existing result on the special decomposition of the inertia matrix is presented. The Riemann curvature tensor is introduced as a computational tool to test for this special decomposition. An example with configuration-dependent inertia which admits such a factorization is presented. For the cart-pole problem, it is shown that such a decomposition is possible and the linearizing transformation is computed. It is shown that a planar two-link manipulator cannot be linearized by point transformations only. <<ETX>>
Association of self‐stigma with glycated hemoglobin: A single‐center, cross‐sectional study of adults with type 1 diabetes in Japan

There has been an increase in research on diabetes‐related stigma and its association with glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) over the past years. However, little is known about the association of self‐stigma with HbA1c in persons with type 1 diabetes. This study aims to examine the association between self‐stigma and HbA1c in Japanese people with type 1 diabetes.
Nephron deficit and low podocyte density increase risk of albuminuria and glomerulosclerosis in a model of diabetes

Podocytes are terminally differentiated epithelial cells in glomeruli. Podocyte injury and loss are features of many diseases leading to chronic kidney disease (CKD). The developmental origins of health and disease hypothesis propose an adverse intrauterine environment can lead to CKD later in life, especially when a second postnatal challenge is experienced. The aim of this study was to examine whether a suboptimal maternal environment would result in reduced podocyte endowment, increasing susceptibility to diabetes‐induced renal injury. Female C57BL/6 mice were fed a low protein diet (LPD) to induce growth restriction or a normal protein diet (NPD) from 3 weeks before mating until weaning (postnatal Day 21, P21) when nephron and podocyte endowment were assessed in one male and one female offspring per litter. Littermates were administered streptozotocin or vehicle at 6 weeks of age. Urinary albumin excretion, glomerular size, and podometrics were assessed following 18 weeks of hyperglycemia. LPD offspring were growth restricted and had lower nephron and podocyte number at P21. However, by 24 weeks the podocyte deficit was no longer evident and despite low nephron endowment neither albuminuria nor glomerulosclerosis were observed. Podocyte number was unaffected by 18 weeks of hyperglycemia in NPD and LPD offspring. Diabetes increased glomerular volume reducing podocyte density, with more pronounced effects in LPD offspring. LPD and NPD diabetic offspring developed mild albuminuria with LPD demonstrating an earlier onset. LPD offspring also developed glomerular pathology. These findings indicate that growth‐restricted LPD offspring with low nephron number and normalized podocyte endowment were more susceptible to alterations in glomerular volume and podocyte density leading to more rapid onset of albuminuria and renal injury than NPD offspring.
Response of Aging Linear Systems to Ergodic Random Input

Response of an aging linear system exposed from a certain age t0 to ergodic random input is analyzed. It is shown that the response, while non‐stationary with respect to time and age, is stationary and ergodic with regard to the birth time τ (the time when the system was built). Consequently, the instantaneous statistical characteristics of all possible response realizations at a chosen age, t, may be determined as the characteristics of the response at age t (and at a fixed exposure age, t0) as the birth time τ is varied, i.e., as the input history is shifted in time against the instant when the system was built. Based on this new idea, the spectral method is generalized for aging systems, using a frequency response function and a spectral density of response that depend on both the current age t and the age t0 when the exposure begins. The relation between the spectral densities of input and response is algebraic, similar to the case of stationary response of nonaging systems. For the special case of no.
Radiation characteristics of dielectric-coated coaxial waveguide periodic slot with finite and zero thickness

The leaky wave radiated from the dielectric-coated coaxial waveguide periodic slot with finite and zero thickness is investigated theoretically for the infinite and finite periodic structures. For the infinite periodic structure, mode-matching technique and integral equation method are applied to the analysis of finite and zero thickness slot cases, respectively. The integral equations are derived for the finite periodic structure by use of the Fourier transform and mode expansion and simultaneous linear equations are obtained. The effects of the slot thickness, the finite slot number and the dielectric coating are analyzed. Results for finite periodic slots are compared with those of the infinite extent structure and good agreement is found.
A Capstone Course for Undergraduate Statistics Majors

Many undergraduate statistics students receive limited exposure to real data and the challenges of real data analysis. To help improve our undergraduate program at the University of Georgia, we developed a Statistics Capstone Course. The course has three main threads: (1) teaching advanced/modern statistical methods to undergraduate statistics students; (2) giving these students an intensive, year-long data-analysis experience; and (3) providing the students with an opportunity to improve their written and oral communication skills. In this article, we describe the philosophy behind the Capstone Course, detail its implementation, and informally evaluate the success of our endeavor.
Viscous flow about a submerged circular cylinder induced by free-surface travelling waves

Viscous flow about a circular cylinder that is submerged beneath free-surface travelling waves is considered. The wave amplitude is assumed small and results are presented for a wide range of Reynolds number. Particular attention is focused on the second-order time-averaged flow that manifests itself as a circulatory motion about the cylinder. The paper complements earlier work on this problem by Yan & Riley (1996) in the large Reynolds number, boundary-layer, regime and Riley & Yan (1996) in the inviscid flow limit, and makes a comparison with experimental work by Chaplin (1984) possible.
Instabilities of the flow between a rotating and a stationary disk

This experimental study is devoted to the description of the different patterns resulting from instabilities which appear in the flow between a rotating and a stationary disk enclosed by a stationary sidewall. With the help of visualizations we describe the different flow regimes as functions of two control parameters: the Reynolds number and the aspect ratio of the gap separating the disks, which are varied over large continuous ranges. Moreover, visualizations and ultrasonic anemometry lead to the description of the different instabilities and to the construction of a transition diagram that summarizes the domains of existence of the various patterns. Two different scenarios of transition are mainly followed by the flow. When the gap between the two disks is more than the thickness of the two disk boundary layers, circular and spiral waves destabilize the stationary disk boundary layer. Transition occurs in this case by the mixing of these waves. On the other hand, when the two boundary layers are merged, finite-size turbulent structures can appear. They consist of turbulent spots or turbulent spirals which invade the laminar domains as the Reynolds number of the flow is increased.
On the interactions of surface waves with immersed structures

SUMMARY The fluid forces resulting from wave interaction with large submerged structures may be calculated using numerical procedures based on the solution of the associated boundary-value problem. In this paper, the analysis of wave interaction with a fixed submerged object of arbitrary cross-section and infinite length using a two-dimensional boundary value formation based on linear diffraction theory is summarized. Subsequently, the application of the boundary element method to obtain a solution is presented. The numerical considerations are emphasized with particular reference to computational efficiency. Numerical results are presented in the form of dimensionless wave force plots for various structural shapes. In the case of a bottom-seated half cylinder, for which there exists a closed-form solution, comparisons are made between results generated using both boundary element and equivalent finite element approaches. In the case of a submerged cylinder, comparisons are made between boundary element derived values and experimental results. The boundary element results compare well with both the closed-form solution and the experimental values.
Contrasting responses of peak vegetation growth to asymmetric warming: Evidences from FLUXNET and satellite observations

The peak growth of plant in summer is an important indicator of the capacity of terrestrial ecosystem productivity, and ongoing studies have shown its responses to climate warming as represented in the mean temperature. However, the impacts from the asymmetrical warming, that is, different rates in the changes of daytime (Tmax) and nighttime (Tmin) warming were mostly ignored. Using 60 flux sites (674 site‐year in total) measurements and satellite observations from two independent satellite platforms (Global Inventory Monitoring and Modeling Studies [1982–2015]; MODIS [2000–2020]) over the Northern Hemisphere (≥30°N), here we show that the peak growth, as represented by both flux‐based maximum primary productivity and the maximum greenness indices (maximum normalized difference vegetation index and enhanced vegetation index), responded oppositely to daytime and nighttime warming. Tmax−Tmin+ (peak growth showed negative responses to Tmax, but positive responses to Tmin) dominated in most ecosystems and climate types, especially in water‐limited ecosystems, while Tmax+Tmin− (peak growth showed positive responses to Tmax, but negative responses to Tmin) was primarily observed in high latitude regions. These contrasting responses could be explained by the strong association between asymmetric warming and water conditions, including soil moisture, evapotranspiration/potential evapotranspiration, and the vapor pressure deficit. Our results are therefore important to the understanding of the responses of peak growth to climate change, and consequently a better representation of asymmetrical warming in future ecosystem models by differentiating the contributions between daytime and nighttime warming.
Transient Analysis of Averaged Queue Length in Markovian Queues

Abstract We consider a Markovian queue and its associated exponentially averaged length. The set of partial differential equations satisfied by the joint distribution of the queue and the averaged queue length is given. We obtain a recursive expression for the moments of the averaged queue length, and develop a stable algorithm to compute them. These results are illustrated through numerical examples.
Glucometabolic Perturbations in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Coronavirus Disease 2019: Causes, Consequences, and How to Counter Them Using Novel Antidiabetic Drugs – The CAPISCO International Expert Panel

Abstract The growing amount of evidence suggests the existence of a bidirectional relation between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), as these two conditions exacerbate each other, causing a significant healthcare and socioeconomic burden. The alterations in innate and adaptive cellular immunity, adipose tissue, alveolar and endothelial dysfunction, hypercoagulation, the propensity to an increased viral load, and chronic diabetic complications are all associated with glucometabolic perturbations of T2DM patients that predispose them to severe forms of COVID-19 and mortality. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection negatively impacts glucose homeostasis due to its effects on insulin sensitivity and β-cell function, further aggravating the preexisting glucometabolic perturbations in individuals with T2DM. Thus, the most effective ways are urgently needed for countering these glucometabolic disturbances occurring during acute COVID-19 illness in T2DM patients. The novel classes of antidiabetic medications (dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4is), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs), and sodium-glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2is) are considered candidate drugs for this purpose. This review article summarizes current knowledge regarding glucometabolic disturbances during acute COVID-19 illness in T2DM patients and the potential ways to tackle them using novel antidiabetic medications. Recent observational data suggest that preadmission use of GLP-1 RAs and SGLT-2is are associated with decreased patient mortality, while DPP-4is is associated with increased in-hospital mortality of T2DM patients with COVID-19. Although these results provide further evidence for the widespread use of these two classes of medications in this COVID-19 era, dedicated randomized controlled trials analyzing the effects of in-hospital use of novel antidiabetic agents in T2DM patients with COVID-19 are needed.
Numerical modeling of type III solar radio bursts in the inhomogeneous solar corona and interplanetary medium

The first numerical calculations are presented for type III solar radio bursts in the inhomogeneous solar corona and interplanetary medium that include microscale quasilinear and nonlinear processes, intermediate-scale driven ambient density fluctuations, and large-scale evolution of electron beams, Langmuir and ion-sound waves, and fundamental and harmonic electromagnetic emission. Bidirectional coronal radiation driven by oppositely directed beams is asymmetric between the upward and downward directions due to downward beam narrowing in velocity space, and harmonic emission dominates fundamental emission, consistent with observations and theoretical analysis. In the interplanetary medium, fundamental and/or harmonic emission can be important depending on beam parameters and plasma conditions. Furthermore, Langmuir waves are bursty, ion-sound waves also show some degree of irregularity, while electromagnetic radiations are relatively smooth, all qualitatively consistent with observations. Moreover, the s.
Discrimination of Number of Simultaneously Sounding Tones

The aim of tim present experiments was to investigate the accuracy with which the number of simultaneously soundingtones can be perceived. Various one‐, two‐, and three‐tone stimuli were presented to subjects, who had to judge how many tones were present. Results showed that discrimination of number of different tonessounding was far from perfect (even though Ohm's acoustic law would lead us to expect high accuracy). The discrimination of the average person was not improved even when frequency components were widely spaced. Accuracy of perception was poorer for two‐ and three‐tone combinations than for one‐tone stimuli. Number of allowable response categories also affected percent correct responses. Individual differences in performance were found to be large.