Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Histidine Enhances the Anticancer Effect of Gemcitabine against Pancreatic Cancer via Disruption of Amino Acid Homeostasis and Oxidant—Antioxidant Balance

Simple Summary Amino acid metabolism is aberrantly altered in pancreatic cancer (PC). Evidence suggests that circulating histidine (His) levels are low in PC. However, the role of His in modulating the progression of PC remains unknown. We determined the role of His in altering the therapeutic effectiveness of gemcitabine (Gem) against PC. We provide evidence that the expression of histidine ammonia lyase (HAL), an enzyme involved in His catabolism, is greatly increased in mouse and human pancreatic tumors. We show that combining His with Gem led to enhanced cytotoxic effects against aggressive PC cell lines. Our metabolomics analysis revealed that His treatment results in the depletion of amino acids supporting glutathione production. His depletes cellular glutathione and increased hydrogen peroxide production, indicating that His potentiates the cytotoxic effects of Gem by promoting oxidative stress. A combination of His and Gem was effective in attenuating pancreatic tumor growth and improving the survival of mice exhibiting xenograft tumors. Our findings suggest that His supplementation is an effective nutritional approach to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapeutic drugs. Abstract Due to the severe toxicity posed by chemotherapeutic drugs, adjuvant nutritional intervention has gained increased attention in the treatment of pancreatic cancer (PC). Amino acid (AA) metabolism is aberrantly regulated in PC and circulating histidine (His) levels are low in PC patients. We hypothesized that His uptake and/or metabolism is dysregulated in PC and that combining His with gemcitabine (Gem), a drug used in the treatment of PC, will enhance the anti-cancer effects of Gem. We performed in vitro and in vivo studies to determine the anticancer effect of the combination of His and Gem against lethal PC. We demonstrate that circulating His levels are low in both human subjects and genetically engineered mice exhibiting pancreatic tumors. Interestingly, the expression of histidine ammonia lyase, an enzyme involved in His catabolism, is higher in PC compared to normal subjects. His + Gem exerts a more potent cytotoxic effect in PC cells compared to individual treatments. His treatment results in a profound increase in His accumulation, accompanied by a depletion of a number of AAs, promoting cancer cell survival and/or glutathione (GSH) synthesis. His but not Gem increases hydrogen peroxide and depletes cellular GSH. Supplementation with GSH protects cells against His + Gem-induced cytotoxicity. Further, our in vivo studies demonstrate that His + Gem potently reduced tumor mass and improved mouse survival. Taken together, our data suggest that PC cells exhibit an aberrant His uptake/accumulation which, in turn, leads to oxidative stress and depletion of AA pool, thereby enhancing the anticancer effect of Gem.
Optimization of Radiation Shielding Considerations for Designing Halcyon Vault

Purpose: To determine the radiation shielding considerations for optimization of Halcyon vault shielding requirements. Materials and Methods: The primary and leakage workloads were estimated using actual clinical treatment planning and treatment delivery data acquired from three busy operational clinical Halcyon facilities. The effective use factor was determined based on a newer approach proposed in this paper using the percentage of patients treated with different treatment techniques. The transmission factor of the primary beam block, maximum head leakage, and patient scatter fractions around the Halcyon machine were experimentally determined. The first tenth-value layer (TVL1) and equilibrium tenth-value layer (TVLe) for 6 MV - flattening-filter-free (FFF) primary X-ray beam for ordinary concrete were measured. Results: The primary and leakage workloads are estimated as 1 × 105 cGy/wk and 3.1 × 105 cGy/wk at 1 m respectively. The effective use factor is found as 0.114. The primary beam-block transmission factor is determined as 1.7 × 10−4 at 1 m distance from isocenter along the central beam axis. The maximum head leakage is noted as 6.23 × 10−4. The patient scatter fractions are reported for various planar angles around the Halcyon machine at a radial distance of 1 m in a horizontal plane passing through isocenter. The TVL1 and TVLe of 6 MV-FFF X-ray beam energy for ordinary concrete are found to be 33 and 29 cm, respectively. Conclusion: Using experimentally determined shielding considerations, the optimized vault shielding requirements for the Halcyon facility are calculated and a typical layout drawing is proposed.
Estimating General Equilibrium Trade Policy Effects: GE PPML

We develop a simple estimation procedure for general equilibrium (GE) comparative static analysis of gravity models. Non-linear solvers of estimated models are replaced by (constrained) regressions. Applied economists can more readily generate results, with more intuition about the working of the model. We illustrate with a worldwide border removal application using the Poisson Pseudo-Maximum-Likelihood (PPML) estimator in STATA, iterated to deliver conditional and full general equilibrium responses. The method works by fully exploiting the combined properties of structural gravity and PPML. Our procedures readily extend to a wide class of general equilibrium production models.
Reliability of a consecutive k-out-of-r-from-n:F system

The reliability of the consecutive k-out-of-r-from-n:F system is studied. For k=2 an explicit solution is given for n components in line or in cycle in the i.i. d. case. For k>or=3 sharp lower and upper bounds are given for the reliability of the system and demonstrated for different values of n, k, r, p. These bounds are exact for r=n, n-1, n-2, n-3, and for these values the exact analytic solution is also given. >
Synoptic Flow Patterns Associated with Small and Large Tropical Cyclones over the Western North Pacific

Abstract This study investigates the synoptic flow patterns associated with small and large tropical cyclones (TCs) that occurred over the western North Pacific between 1991 and 1996. The size of a TC is defined as the azimuthally averaged radius from the TC center at which the relative vorticity decreases to 1 × 10−5 s−1. Calculation of the relative vorticity is based on the satellite-derived surface winds of the European Remote Sensing Satellites 1 and 2 (ERS-1 and ERS-2). Operational analyses of the U.K. Met Office are employed to identify the synoptic patterns around the TCs. Characteristic synoptic patterns at 850 hPa can be identified with TCs of different sizes. The southwesterly surge and late-season patterns are related to large TCs while the dominant ridge and monsoon-gyre patterns are associated with the occurrence of a small TC. A case study of Typhoon Bart demonstrates the time evolution of the synoptic pattern and its relationship with the TC size change. Bart exhibited a distinct transition.
A Modified Generalized Two-phase Exponential Estimator To Estimate Finite Population Mean

Using two-phase sampling mechanism, a modified generalized exponential estimator of finite population mean in the presence of the available knowledge on the auxiliary variable x is suggested i.e. the population mean of auxiliary variable x is not known. The suggested estimator is found to be more efficient than usual two-phase ratio, product, regression estimators and also modified exponential ratio and product estimator suggested by Singh et.al (2007). Further a numerical study is made to support the theoretical comparison.
Electrostatically controlled large-amplitude, non-axisymmetric waves in thin film flows down a cylinder

Abstract We examine the dynamics of a thin film flowing under gravity down the exterior of a vertically aligned inner cylinder, with a co-aligned, concentric cylinder acting as an outer electrode; the space between the outer cylinder and the film is occupied by an inviscid gas. The stability of the interface is studied when it is subjected to an electric field, applied by imposing a potential difference between the two cylinders. Leaky-dielectric theory is used in conjunction with asymptotic reduction, in the large-conductivity limit, to derive a single, two-dimensional evolution equation for the interfacial location, which accounts for gravity, capillarity, and electrostatic effects. A linear stability analysis is carried out which shows that non-axisymmetric modes become more dominant with increasing electric field strength. Our fully two-dimensional numerical solutions of the evolution equation demonstrate qualitative agreement between the trends observed in the nonlinear regime and those predicted by linear theory. These numerical solutions also show that, depending on the electric field strength and the relative proximity of the outer electrode, the interface either remains spatially uniform, or exhibits either axisymmetric or, importantly, non-axisymmetric travelling waves. The effect of wave formation on the interfacial area is investigated in connection with the use of electric fields to control thin film flows to enhance heat and mass transfer rates.
Response of moist convection to multi‐scale surface flux heterogeneity

We investigate the response of moist convection to the spatial variation of surface sensible heat flux (SHF) in a mesoscale domain during the evolution of the afternoon convective boundary layer (CBL), using large‐eddy simulation. The surface SHF heterogeneity in the domain is analytically created as a function of the spectral slope in the wavelength range from a few tens of kilometres to a few hundreds of metres in the SHF spectrum on a log–log scale. Assuming surface energy balance and spatially uniform available energy, the prescribed SHF has a phase lag of 180° with respect to the latent heat flux (LHF) in the domain. Two sets of three simulations are forced by heterogeneous surface SHF fields, which are characterized by similar statistics. One set, however, is created with a spectral slope of k−3 (where k is wave number) and the other with a slope of k−2 . All of the simulations are integrated with the same observation‐based initial sounding favourable for moist convection.
Bayesian estimation of the observation‐error covariance matrix in ensemble‐based filters

We develop a Bayesian technique for estimating the parameters in the observation‐noise covariance matrix Rt for ensemble data assimilation. We design a posterior distribution by using the ensemble‐approximated likelihood and a Wishart prior distribution and present an iterative algorithm for parameter estimation. The temporal smoothness of Rt can be controlled by an adequate choice of two parameters of the prior distribution, the covariance matrix S and the number of degrees of freedom ν. The ν parameter can be estimated by maximizing the marginal likelihood. The present formalism can handle cases in which the number of data points or data positions varies with time, the former of which is exemplified in the experiments. We present an application to a coupled atmosphere–ocean model under each of the following assumptions: Rt is a scalar multiple of a fixed matrix (Rt=αtΣ, where αt is the scalar parameter and Σ is the fixed matrix), Rt is diagonal, Rt has fixed eigenvectors or Rt has no specific structure. We verify that the proposed algorithm works well and that only a limited number of iterations are necessary. When Rt has one of the structures mentioned above, by assuming S to be the previous estimate we obtain a Bayesian estimate of Rt that varies smoothly in time compared with the maximum‐likelihood estimate. When Rt has no specific structure, we need to regularize S to maintain the positive‐definiteness. Through twin experiments, we find that the best estimate of Rt is, in general, obtained by a combination of structure‐free Rt and tapered S using decorrelation lengths of half the size of the model ocean basin. From experiments using real observations, we find that the estimates of the structured Rt lead to overfitting of the data compared with the structure‐free Rt.
Spatial Distribution and Risk Assessment of Heavy Metal(oid)s Contamination in Topsoil around a Lead and Zinc Smelter in Henan Province, Central China

A total of 137 farmland soil samples were collected around a lead/zinc smelter within 64 km2. The concentration, spatial distribution, and potential source of nine heavy metal(oid)s (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, V, and Zn) in soils and their potential ecological risk were investigated in detail. The results showed that the average concentrations of Cd, Pb, Cr and Zn in these soils were higher than their background value in Henan Province, and the average content of Cd was 2.83 times of the risk screening values in the national standard of China (GB 15618-2018). According to the distribution of different heavy metal(oid)s in soils, Cd and Pb in soil decrease gradually with the increase of distance from the smelter to the surrounding area. This indicates that the Pb and Cd originate from smelters via airborne practices according to the typical air pollution diffusion model. The distribution of Zn, Cu, and As were similar to Cd and Pb. However, Ni, V, Cr, and Co were mainly affected by soil parent materials. The potential ecological risk of Cd was higher than those of other elements, and the risk grade of the other eight elements was mainly low. The polluted soils with significantly high and high potential ecological risk covered 93.84% of all the studied regions. This should be of serious concern to government. The results of a principal component analysis (PCA) and cluster analysis (CA) show that Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, and As were the elements mainly stemmed from smelter and other types of plants, with a contribution rate of 60.08%, while Co, Cr, Ni, and V are mainly caused by nature, with a contribution rate of 26.26%.
Stability analysis for singular random impulsive control system: A novel neutral impulsive delay system approach

The paper studies stability analysis for an uncertain singular time varying delay system (USTDS) under random impulsive control (RIC). It also proves the stability results for a singular impulsive time delay system in terms of neutral impulsive time delay system approach. Besides, we derive the new sufficient conditions for stability results like exponential stability (ES) and robust exponential stability (RES) of the proposed system via linear matrix inequality (LMI) by employing the Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional (LKF) approach. In addition, two numerical examples, along with graphical simulations, are provided to illustrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed results.
Water uptake, anatomical, and biochemical changes of sorghum genotypes subjected to polyethylene glycol-induced drought stress

Absract To investigate the water uptake, anatomical and biochemical changes of sorghum, three genotypes including grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench subsp. bicolor], Sudan grass [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench subsp. drummondii (Steud.) de Wet ex Davidse] and Johnson grass [Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers. ] were subjected to polyethylene glycol (PEG 60000)-induced drought stress (PEG 60000) at 0, −0.15, and −0.3 MPa levels, hydroponically. In all genotypes, stele diameter decreased as osmotic potential of the medium decreased and the largest stele diameter (247 µm) was observed in Johnson grass at control and declined to 196 µm under −0.3 MPa PEG. Drought affected the diameter of peripheral metaxylem (PMX) and central metaxylem (CMX), negatively. The number of PMX and CMX in Johnson grass was 36 and 200% more than in grain sorghum under −0.3 MPa PEG, respectively. In all genotypes, chlorophyll a and b declined under drought, but in Johnson grass, it only decreased 25 and 29%, respectively. Johnson grass had the highest total chlorophyll content, while carotenoid content was stable under drought stress in this genotype. Drought stress increased catalase and peroxidase activities but decreased relative water content (RWC) and hydraulic conductivity (hc). Under drought, the higher seedling dry weight and root to shoot ratio in Johnson grass might be related to higher hc, total chlorophyll content, and RWC. Moreover, Johnson grass showed less water loss and more efficiency in water uptake under induced drought stress; and it could be attributed to the larger stele diameter, number, and diameter of PMX, substantiating their roles in drought adaptation.
Ocean–Atmosphere Interaction in the Agulhas Current Region and a South African Extreme Weather Event

Ocean‐atmosphere interaction above warm western boundary currents such as the Gulf Stream, the Kuroshio Current, and the Agulhas Current often leads to very high evaporation rates. In the case of the Agulhas Current, which flows just off the southeast coast of Africa, such high latent heat fluxes may lead to increased low-level advection of moisture onshore and local intensification of storm systems. Observational evidence for the significant latent heat fluxes in the Agulhas Current area was obtained during the Agulhas Current Air Sea Exchange Experiment, which showed that about 5 times as much water vapor is transferred to the atmosphere above the 80‐100-km-wide core of the current than from the neighboring waters. Using NCEP reanalyses, Meteosat, and Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite data and local station and radiosonde observations, this study investigates the evolution of a severe storm and flood event that occurred over the southern coastal regions of South Africa on 14‐15 December 1998. Heavy rainfall occurred in two widely separated locations, and tornadoes were reported. Moisture flux transects through the storm region and backward trajectories of air parcels suggest that low-level onshore flow of moisture from the Agulhas Current region played a significant role in the storm evolution. However, because the NCEP data on which these moisture fluxes are based are known to significantly underestimate the surface latent heat flux when compared with ship observations, it is suggested that the actual contribution of the Agulhas Current moisture source to the storm may have been even greater than is documented in this paper.
Response of nitrogen use efficiency, N-assimilating enzymes and growth in Cyclocarya paliurus seedlings to different nitrogen nutrition

Abstract Cyclocarya paliurus has been used as tea production and medicine in China. In order to identify C. paliurus preference for absorption of nitrogen (N) nutrition and the relationship between C/N ratio and growth, effects of five NO3 −/NH4 + ratio treatments on growth, N absorption and metabolism of C. paliurus seedlings were investigated. Compared to NH4 + as a sole N source, the seedlings supplied with a sole NO3 − source had higher growth rate, percent of nitrogen derived from nitrogen fertilizer (NDFF), N content and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). However, mixed nitrate-ammonium nutrition improved growth and NUE in C. paliurus seedling, while an equal mixed ratio nutrition induced the highest NDFF and seedling growth. Nitrate reductase (NR) and nitrite reductase (NiR) activities in leaves and roots showed a decreased trend with decreasing NO3 − in growth medium, whereas the highest glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GOAGT) activities were detected at the equal mixed ratio of NO3 −/NH4 +. Regression analysis showed that activities of the N-assimilated enzymes were positively correlated with NUE and N content in C. paliurus seedlings, but the seedling growth was negatively and significantly correlated with C/N ratio. Our study demonstrated that C. paliurus preferred NO3 − over NH4 + in N nutrition, but an equal mixed ratio of NO3 −/NH4 + would best improve seedling growth and nitrogen use efficiency. This study would provide a basis for manipulating nitrogen fertilization in C. paliurus plantations.
Emotion Recognition Using a Novel Granger Causality Quantifier and Combined Electrodes of EEG

Electroencephalogram (EEG) connectivity patterns can reflect neural correlates of emotion. However, the necessity of evaluating bulky data for multi-channel measurements increases the computational cost of the EEG network. To date, several approaches have been presented to pick the optimal cerebral channels, mainly depending on available data. Consequently, the risk of low data stability and reliability has increased by reducing the number of channels. Alternatively, this study suggests an electrode combination approach in which the brain is divided into six areas. After extracting EEG frequency bands, an innovative Granger causality-based measure was introduced to quantify brain connectivity patterns. The feature was subsequently subjected to a classification module to recognize valence–arousal dimensional emotions. A Database for Emotion Analysis Using Physiological Signals (DEAP) was used as a benchmark database to evaluate the scheme. The experimental results revealed a maximum accuracy of 89.55%. Additionally, EEG-based connectivity in the beta-frequency band was able to effectively classify dimensional emotions. In sum, combined EEG electrodes can efficiently replicate 32-channel EEG information.
Intestinal Damages by F18+ Escherichia coli and Its Amelioration with an Antibacterial Bacitracin Fed to Nursery Pigs

This study investigated intestinal oxidative damage caused by F18+ Escherichia coli and its amelioration with antibacterial bacitracin fed to nursery pigs. Thirty-six weaned pigs (6.31 ± 0.08 kg BW) were allotted in a randomized complete block design. Treatments were: NC, not challenged/not treated; PC, challenged (F18+ E. coli at 5.2 × 109 CFU)/not treated; AGP challenged (F18+ E. coli at 5.2 × 109 CFU)/treated with bacitracin (30 g/t). Overall, PC reduced (p < 0.05) average daily gain (ADG), gain to feed ratio (G:F), villus height, and villus height to crypt depth ratio (VH:CD), whereas AGP increased (p < 0.05) ADG, and G:F. PC increased (p < 0.05) fecal score, F18+ E. coli in feces, and protein carbonyl in jejunal mucosa. AGP reduced (p < 0.05) fecal score and F18+ E. coli in jejunal mucosa. PC reduced (p < 0.05) Prevotella stercorea populations in jejunal mucosa, whereas AGP increased (p < 0.05) Phascolarctobacterium succinatutens and reduced (p < 0.05) Mitsuokella jalaludinii populations in feces. Collectively, F18+ E. coli challenge increased fecal score and disrupted the microbiota composition, harming intestinal health by increasing oxidative stress, and damaging the intestinal epithelium, ultimately impairing growth performance. Dietary bacitracin reduced reduced F18+ E. coli populations and the oxidative damages they cause, thereby improving intestinal health and the growth performance of nursery pigs.
Measuring the Effect of Smoking or Tobacco Use on Vertigo Among the Adult Population in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Background Smoking is widespread at all ages in Saudi society. In addition, complaints of vertigo are common. A key problem is how smoking affects vertigo and, thus, quality of life. Researchers have investigated the association between smoking and vertigo and found that smoking may be a risk factor for vertigo, but this association is not clear. The current study aims to investigate the association between smoking and vertigo. Materials and methods We conducted a cross-sectional study from March 2022 to January 2023 to investigate the effect of smoking on vertigo in Saudi Arabia’s adult population. Results We found that smokers were more prone to vertigo than non-smokers. In addition, the severity of vertigo increases as the number of cigarettes smoked or the length of time in years that the person has smoked increases. Conclusion The findings of the study should inspire more research into the impact of demographic factors on vertigo among smokers.