Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mendelian randomization study of height and risk of colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND For men and women, taller height is associated with increased risk of all cancers combined. For colorectal cancer (CRC), it is unclear whether the differential association of height by sex is real or is due to confounding or bias inherent in observational studies. We performed a Mendelian randomization study to examine the association between height and CRC risk. METHODS To minimize confounding and bias, we derived a weighted genetic risk score predicting height (using 696 genetic variants associated with height) in 10,226 CRC cases and 10,286 controls. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for associations between height, genetically predicted height and CRC. RESULTS Using conventional methods, increased height (per 10-cm increment) was associated with increased CRC risk (OR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.02-1.15). In sex-specific analyses, height was associated with CRC risk for women (OR = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.05-1.26), but not men (OR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.92-1.05). Consistent with these results, carrying greater numbers of (weighted) height-increasing alleles (per 1-unit increase) was associated with higher CRC risk for women and men combined (OR = 1.07, 95% CI = 1.01-1.14) and for women (OR = 1.09, 95% CI = .01-1.19). There was weaker evidence of an association for men (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 0.96-1.15). CONCLUSION We provide evidence for a causal association between height and CRC for women. The CRC-height association for men remains unclear and warrants further investigation in other large studies.
Constitutive Model for Rockfill Materials and Determination of Material Constants

Two types of rockfill materials collected from seven sites are modeled and tested under triaxial loading. A constitutive model based on a disturbed state concept is used to characterize the behavior of modeled rockfill materials. The model is shown to provide satisfactory prediction of the observed behavior of the modeled materials. Characteristics of the particles of the rockfill materials are determined. Relationships are developed between the material constants of the modeled rockfill materials and the characteristics of the particles and these are used to predict the material constants for the prototype size rockfill materials.
Coverage of clinic-based TB screening in South Africa may be low in key risk groups

The South African Ministry of Health has proposed screening all clinic attendees for tuberculosis (TB). Amongst other factors, male sex and bar attendance are associated with higher TB risk. We show that 45% of adults surveyed in Western Cape attended a clinic within 6 months, and therefore potentially a relatively high proportion of the population could be reached through clinic-based screening. However, fewer than 20% of all men aged 18–25 years, or men aged 26–45 who attend bars, attended a clinic. The population-level impact of clinic-based screening may be reduced by low coverage among key risk groups.
Intense warming and salinity modification of intermediate water masses in the southeastern corner of the Bay of Biscay for the period 1992–2003

[1] The evolution of the intermediate water masses within the southeastern corner of the Bay of Biscay is studied from the shelf edge and slope stations of a hydrographic standard section northward from Santander (43°30′/43°54′N, 3°47′W). The section was sampled monthly from 1991 to autumn 2003 with some gaps more frequent in the early stages due to weather conditions. Data were systematically collected up to a 1000 m depth (or to the maximum depth at the shallower stations) showing a detailed picture of the variability in water masses below the mixing layer. Eastern North Atlantic Central Water has warmed as a consequence of continuous deepening of the isopycnal levels. Changes in water properties at fixed isopycnal levels are less relevant and highly biased by a 1998 positive peak in temperature and salinity. The warming trend found is 0.032°C per year on average. On the other hand, the Mediterranean Water has been modified along isopycnals (variations 10 times greater than those due to isopycnal displacement) increasing progressively both temperature and salinity for the period 1994–2001. The values found are around 0.020°C per year for temperature and 0.005 for salinity. As a final picture, all water masses below the mixing layer and down to a 1000 m depth in the southern Bay of Biscay have warmed up during the last decade at rates from two to six times greater than the those accepted for the North Atlantic during the last half century.
The membrane estrogen receptor ligand STX rapidly enhances GABAergic signaling in 1 NPY / AgRP neurons : Role in mediating the anorexigenic effects of 17 β-estradiol 2

26 Besides its quintessential role in reproduction, 17β-estradiol (E2) is a potent anorexigenic 27 hormone. E2 and the selective Gq-coupled membrane estrogen receptor (Gq-mER) ligand, 28 STX, rapidly increase membrane excitability in proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons by 29 desensitizing the coupling of GABAB receptors to G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying K 30 channels (GIRKs), which upon activation elicit a hyperpolarizing outward current. However, it is 31 unknown whether E2 and STX can modulate GABAB signaling in neuropeptide Y (NPY)/agouti32 related peptide (AgRP) neurons. We used single-cell RT-PCR and whole-cell patch clamping 33 with selective pharmacological reagents to show that NPY/AgRP cells of mice express the 34 GABAB-R1 and -R2 receptors and are hyperpolarized by the GABAB agonist baclofen in an E235 dependent manner. In males, E2 rapidly attenuated the coupling of GABAB receptors to GIRKs, 36 which was blocked by the general PI3K inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002 or the selective 37 p110β subunit inhibitor TGX-221. The ERα selective agonist PPT mimicked the effects of E2. 38 STX, in contrast, enhanced the GABAB response in males, which was abrogated by the ER 39 antagonist ICI 182, 780. In gonadectomized mice of both sexes, E2 enhanced or attenuated the 40 GABAB response in different NPY/AgRP cells. Co-perfusing wortmannin with E2 or simply 41 applying STX always enhanced the GABAB response. Thus, in NPY/AgRP neurons, activation 42 of the Gq-mER by E2 or STX enhances the GABAergic postsynaptic response, whereas 43 activation of ERα by E2 attenuates it. These findings demonstrate a clear functional dichotomy 44 of rapid E2 membrane-initiated signaling via ERα versus Gq-mER in a CNS neuron vital for 45 regulating energy homeostasis. 46
Applications of SHEBA/FIRE data to evaluation of snow/ice albedo parameterizations

Climate models use a wide variety of parameterizations for surface albedos of the ice-covered ocean. These range from simple broadband albedo parameterizations that distinguish among snow-covered and bare ice to more sophisticated parameterizations that include dependence on ice and snow depth, solar zenith angle, and spectral resolution. Several sophisticated parameterizations have also been developed for thermodynamic sea ice models that additionally include dependence on ice and snow age, and melt pond characteristics. Observations obtained in the Arctic Ocean during 1997–1998 in conjunction with the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean (SHEBA) and FIRE Arctic Clouds Experiment provide a unique data set against which to evaluate parameterizations of sea ice surface albedo. We apply eight different surface albedo parameterizations to the SHEBA/FIRE data set and evaluate the parameterized albedos against the observed albedos. Results show that these parameterizations yield very different representations of the annual cycle of sea ice albedo. The importance of details and functional relationships of the albedo parameterizations is assessed by incorporating into a single-column sea ice model two different albedo parameterizations, one complex and one simple, that have the same annually averaged surface albedo. The baseline sea ice characteristics and strength of the ice-albedo feedback are compared for the simulations of the different surface albedos.
A Century After Freud's Project: Is a Rapprochement Between Psychoanalysis and Neurobiology At Hand?

In his 1895 “Project for a Scientific Psychology” Freud attempted to construct a model of the human mind in terms of its underlying neurobiological mechanisms. In this endeavor “to furnish a psychology which shall be a natural science,” Freud introduced the concepts that to this day serve as the theoretical foundation and scaffolding of psychoanalysis. As a result, however, of his ensuing disavowal of the Project, these speculations about the fundamental mechanisms that regulate affect, motivation, attention, and consciousness were relegated to the shadowy realm of “metapsychology. ” Nonetheless, Freud subsequently predicted that at some future date “we shall have to find a contact point with biology. ” It is argued that recent advances in the interdisciplinary study of emotion show that the central role played by regulatory structures and functions represents such a contact point, and that the time is right for a rapprochement between psychoanalysis and neuroscience. Current knowledge of the psychobiological mechanisms by which the right hemisphere processes social and emotional information at levels beneath conscious awareness, and by which the orbital prefrontal areas regulate affect, motivation, and bodily state, allows for a deeper understanding of the “psychic structure” described by psychoanalytic metapsychology. The dynamic properties and ontogenetic characteristics of this neurobiological system have important implications for both theoretical and clinical psychoanalysis.
Examining the Nocebo Effect of Statins Through Statin Adverse Events Reported in the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System

METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System between January 2010 and December 2019 for statins, including, atorvastatin, lovastatin, pravastatin, rosuvastatin, and simvastatin. Subjective AEs included fatigue, subjective muscular, and nervous system AEs. Objective AEs were defined as hepatic and objective muscular AEs. We compared the number of subjective and objective AEs using the Mann-Whitney U test and examined trends in the frequency of subjective versus objective reports over time using linear regression with interaction terms. We evaluated the association between AEs and gender and country using linear regression. Quantitative detection of signals was estimated using proportional reporting ratio and reporting odds ratio for simvastatin.
Spatial distribution of the Southeast Asian smoke plume over the Indian Ocean and its radiative heating in the atmosphere during the major fire event of 2006

Smoke plumes originating from vegetation fires engulf Southeast Asia and East Equatorial Indian Ocean (EEIO) during October‐November period in almost all the El Niño years. For the first time, observations of the vertical profiles of aerosol extinction coefficient using the Cloud Aerosol Lidar Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO), along with the spatial distribution of aerosol optical depth (AOD) derived from NOAA‐18‐AVHRR provided an opportunity to study the 3‐dimensional structure of the plume that spread over an area of ∼1 million km2 (0.532 Wm−2 over a wide area and the mean aerosol radiative heating rate in the atmosphere estimated over Singapore is 1.2 K/day between 0.6–2 km. This led to an increase in the lower tropospheric stability in this location.
Effects of cultivation on soils in Northern Great Plains rangeland

Paired rangeland and cultivated soils were characterized along toposequences formed in sandstone, siltstone, and shale parent materials in southwestern North Dakota to evaluate changes in organic constituents and total P resulting from 44 yr of cultivation. Cultivated and virgin grassland soils were compared on adjacent landscape segments in order to quantify losses or gains of organic C, N, P, and total P. Losses were generally greatest from the upper landscape segments where erosion resulted in significant reductions in solum thickness. Sediment accumulation through erosional processes and redistribution during tillage operations resulted in accretion on selected landscape segments along the cultivated fields. Soils derived from sandstone and siltstone appear to have lost larger proportions of organic C, N, and P through mineralization than the soils formed in shale. Mineralization losses of organic constituents were countered by accretion on depositional segments. Regression analyses indicated that losses of organic C, N, and P were more closely linked to erosion in the finer-textured soils formed in shale. Changes in total P were closely linked to redistribution and sorting of soil particles because the total quantity of P in soils is independent of mineralization transformation. Contribution by the Dep. of Agronomy, Colorado State Univ.
Safety and Feasibility of a Diagnostic Algorithm Combining Clinical Probability, dd-Dimer Testing, and Ultrasonography for Suspected Upper Extremity Deep Venous ThrombosisA Prospective Management StudyA Prospective Management Study

Ankie Kleinjan, MD, PhD*; Marcello Di Nisio, MD, PhD*; Jan Beyer-Westendorf, MD; Giuseppe Camporese, MD; Benilde Cosmi, MD, PhD; Angelo Ghirarduzzi, MD; Pieter W. Kamphuisen, MD, PhD; Hans-Martin Otten, MD, PhD; Ettore Porreca, MD; Anita Aggarwal, MD, PhD; Marianne Brodmann, MD; Maria Domenica Guglielmi, MD; Matteo Iotti, MD; Karin Kaasjager, MD; Virginia Kamvissi, MD; Teresa Lerede, MD; Peter Marschang, MD; Karina Meijer, MD, PhD; Gualtiero Palareti, MD; Frederick R. Rickles, MD; Marc Righini, MD, PhD; Anne W.S. Rutjes, MD, PhD; Chiara Tonello, MD; Peter Verhamme, MD, PhD; Sebastian Werth, MD; Sanne van Wissen, MD, PhD; and Harry R. Büller, MD, PhD
Flexural response of footing on reinforced granular beds of variable subgrade modulus

Abstract The paper pertains to the study of the flexural response of a shallow footing resting on a compacted granular bed overlying a deposit of poor granular soil, with reinforcement (e.g. geogrid and geocells) placed at the interface of the two media. The footing and reinforcement are considered as free ended beams. The granular soil media are represented by a series of Winkler springs. Taking into account the effect of confining pressure along the footing and reinforcement at the beam-soil interface, various distribution of subgrade modulus along the length of footing and reinforcement (uniform, linear and quadratic) are considered. Governing equations for the above problem are derived and subsequently normalized, which is then solved by using Finite Difference Method (FDM) in conjunction with Gauss-Seidel Iterative Technique (GSIT). Comparison of the obtained solutions with those available in literature for the case of uniform subgrade modulus exhibited a deviation of 24%-40% in the settlement characteristics of the reinforced foundation bed. Parametric studies were performed to study the effect of various parameters, such as, relative flexural rigidity of beams (R), relative length of beams (ln), relative stiffness of soils (kr), relative depth of placement of reinforcement (H'), effect of interface friction and effect of variation in subgrade modulus. The developed method has been found to be realistic in predicting the behavior of reinforced foundation beds.
Investigation of the Cyprus donkey milk bacterial diversity by 16S rDNA high-throughput sequencing on a Cyprus donkey farm.

The interest in milk originating from donkeys is growing worldwide due to its claimed functional and nutritional properties, especially for sensitive population groups, such as infants with cow milk protein allergy. The current study aimed to assess the microbiological quality of donkey milk produced in a donkey farm in Cyprus using culture-based and high-throughput sequencing techniques. The culture-based microbiological analysis showed very low microbial counts, whereas important food-borne pathogens were not detected in any sample. In addition, high-throughput sequencing was applied to characterize the bacterial communities of donkey milk samples. Donkey milk mostly composed of gram-negative Proteobacteria, including Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Mesorhizobium, and Acinetobacter; lactic acid bacteria, including Lactobacillus and Streptococcus; the endospores forming Clostridium; and the environmental genera Flavobacterium and Ralstonia, detected in lower relative abundances. The results of the study support existing findings that donkey milk contains mostly gram-negative bacteria. Moreover, it raises questions regarding the contribution of (1) antimicrobial agents (i.e., lysozyme, peptides) in shaping the microbial communities and (2) bacterial microbiota to the functional value of donkey milk.
Robust Adaptive Super-Twisting Sliding Mode Stability Control of Underactuated Rotational Inverted Pendulum With Experimental Validation

In this study, an adaptive proportional-integral-derivative (PID) sliding mode control technique combined with the super-twisting algorithm is planned for the stabilization of rotational inverted pendulum in the appearance of exterior perturbation. The state-space model of rotational inverted pendulum in the existence of exterior disturbance is attained. Then, the super-twisting PID sliding mode controller is designed for finite time stability control of the considered underactuated control system. The upper bounds of perturbation are presumed to be unknown; consequently, the adaptive control procedure is taken into account to approximate the uncertain bounds of external disturbances. The stability control of rotational inverted pendulum system is verified by means of the Lyapunov stability theory. In order to validate the accuracy and efficiency of the recommended control technique, some simulation outcomes are prepared and compared with other existing scheme. Finally, the experimental results are implemented to show the success of the designed method.
Diet Regulation of Long-Chain PUFA Synthesis: Role of Macronutrients, Micronutrients, and Polyphenols on (cid:2) -5/ (cid:2) -6 Desaturases and Elongases 2/5

Deﬁcienciesinthen–3( ω -3)long-chainPUFAs(LC-PUFAs)EPAandDHAareassociatedwithincreasedriskforthedevelopmentofnumerousdiseases. Although n–3 LC-PUFAs can be obtained by consuming marine products, they are also synthesized endogenously through a biochemical pathway regulated by the (cid:3) -5/ (cid:3) -6 desaturase and elongase 2/5 enzymes. This narrative review collates evidence from the past 40 y demonstrating that mRNA expression and activity of desaturase and elongase enzymes are inﬂuenced by numerous dietary components, including macronutrients, micronutrients, and polyphenols. Speciﬁcally, we highlight that both the quantity and the composition of dietary fats, carbohydrates, and proteins candiﬀerentiallyregulatedesaturasepathwayactivity. Furthermore,desaturaseandelongasemRNAlevelsandenzymeactivitiesarealsoinﬂuenced by micronutrients (folate, vitamin B-12, vitamin A), trace minerals (iron, zinc), and polyphenols (resveratrol, isoﬂavones). Understanding how these various dietary components inﬂuence LC-PUFA synthesis will help further advance our understanding of how dietary patterns, ranging from caloric excesses to micronutrient deﬁciencies, inﬂuence disease risks. Adv Nutr 2021;12:980–994.
Infrared target detection in large field of view using visual attention

High-resolution, multi-pixels and large field of view (FOV) infrared (IR) detector is an important research direction, which greatly improves the target detection capability. This paper addresses the infrared target detection under the guidance of attention mechanism. The Gabor filter is used to extract the elementary visual feature of infrared image for its orientation selectiveness. Then it researches the reasons that produce visual saliency in frequency domain, and provides the multichannel feature combination strategy to generate the feature map. Further, a novel saliency detection model using Fourier spectrum filtering, is presented to calculate feature regions of infrared image. Experimental results using a wide range of real IR images demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is robust and effective, yielding satisfying results for infrared target detection in large FOV with complex background and low SNR.
Cyclic Threshold Shear Strains in Soils

Based on a synthesis of published laboratory data, two types of cyclic threshold shear strain are examined and their approximate magnitudes identified for different types of soils. They are the linear cyclic threshold shear strain, γtl and the volumetric cyclic threshold shear strain, γtv, with γtv>γtl. These strains represent boundaries between fundamentally different categories of cyclic soil behavior. For cyclic strains below γtl, soil behaves essentially as a linearly elastic material. Between γtl and γtv, soil becomes markedly nonlinear but remains largely elastic because permanent changes of its microstructure still do not occur or are negligible. Above γtv, soil becomes increasingly nonlinear and inelastic, with significant permanent microstructural changes taking place under cyclic loading. That is, γtv, = the threshold separating cyclic strains that cause or do not cause significant permanent changes of soil microstructure. In practical terms, these microstructural changes are manifested in resid.
Seasonal effects on auroral particle acceleration and precipitation

Global auroral images acquired from the Polar ultraviolet imager in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter of 1996 and the summer of 1997 (4 weeks before and after solstice) are used to study seasonal effects on auroral acceleration and precipitation. The energy flux of precipitating electrons is inferred from auroral luminosity in the long-wavelength bands (1600-1800 A) of N 2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield (LBH1) auroral emissions, and the mean energy of precipitating electrons is inferred from the intensity ratio of LBH1 to LBHs (1400-1600 A. the shorter wavelength of LBH bands) auroral emissions. Results indicate that dayside and nightside regions of aurora reveal different seasonal effects: nightside (∼1900-0300 MLT) auroral power is suppressed in summer, while dayside auroral power is enhanced in summer and forms the so-called postnoon auroral hot spots, all by a factor of ∼2. The average energy of precipitating electrons is higher in the dark than in the sunlit hemisphere, while the number flux is lower in the dark than in the sunlit hemisphere for all regions. These changes, up to a factor of ∼3, are local time and latitude dependent. The suppression of the nightside auroral power in summer is associated with a large decrease in the electron energy, whereas the enhancement of dayside aurora in summer is associated with a large increase in the electron number flux. The increase of dayside auroral power in summer may be associated with the large-scale upward field-aligned currents, which peak in summer. Results are also discussed in the context of a conductivity feedback instability and a cyclotron maser instability. The asymmetric seasonal effects on the dayside and nightside auroras suggest a voltage generator for the dayside magnetosphere and a current generator for the nightside magnetosphere.