Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Attention and Multi-Scale Unet Approach to Continuous Blood Pressure Prediction

Blood pressure prediction is a crucial tool in preventing cardiovascular-related diseases. Therefore, improving the accuracy of blood pressure prediction plays a critical role in disease prevention. Previous models for blood pressure prediction have faced challenges related to inadequate feature extraction and insignificant effective information mining. To address these issues, this paper proposes an improved Unet-based continuous blood pressure prediction method that effectively processes the spatial information of multi-scale feature maps and establishes long-term dependencies between multi-scale channels. The proposed model achieves high accuracy meeting the requirements of the AAMI standard and the BHS A Grade. Moreover, the mean absolute errors of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) are 3.41 mmHg and 2.58 mmHg, respectively, with standard deviations (STD) of 6.25 mmHg and 5.08 mmHg.
Septins Coordinate with Microtubules and Actin to Initiate Cell Morphogenesis

Many organs are formed by a process of branching morphogenesis, which begins with the formation of cytoplasmic extensions from the basal surface of polarized cells in an epithelial sheet. To study this process, we used a system of polarized epithelial spheroids, which emit cytoplasmic extensions in response to treatment with hepatocyte growth factor. We found that these extensions contain both actin and microtubules, but also septins, which are localized to microtubule bundles and appear to be important in maintaining microtubule organization. We found that these extensions are highly dynamic and form at a non-linear rate. We also demonstrated that the coordinated activity of microtubules, actin, and septins is necessary for the formation and dynamic behavior of extensions. Each cytoskeletal system plays a district role in this process, with microtubules enabling persistent growth of the extensions, actin enabling extension dynamics, and septins organizing microtubules in the extensions and supporting the extension formation. Together, our data offer insights into the dynamics of early morphogenic extensions and the distinct, but coordinated, roles of cytoskeleton in early morphogenesis.
Algorithm development for recovering chlorophyll concentrations in the Chesapeake Bay using aircraft remote senging, 1989-91

A study using aircraft remote sensing of chlorophyll concentrations was conducted in the Chesapeake Bay from 1989 to 1991. The goal was to improve spatial and temporal resolution of the distribution of phytoplankton in this highly dynamic and variable estuary. The focus of the study was on improving our ability to estimate chlorophyll a [Chl a] from aircraft by developing local algorithms for individual years, and by exploring the use of seasonally and spatially specific algorithms. Our findings suggest that an overall, multi-year algorithm can be used predictively to estimate the distributio of Chl a i.e, the location, duration, and spatial estent of phytoplankton blooms -in near the real time -. Refinements that improve the recoverny of Chl a include the separation of spring data from the data for other seasons, and the use of separate local algorithms for regions of low and high turbidity. These developments improve the accuracy with which we recover Chl a in the Chesapeake Bay using aircraft remote sensing, and have implications for the detection of changes in algal biomass that are expected to accompany nutrient reductions between now and turn of the century. Our results suggest that the shipboard sampling of Monitoring Program may underestimate the biomass of phytoplankton blooms and, hence, the amount of particulate carbon produced in the Bay. This finding has ramifications for detecting changes in phytoplankton abundance that are expected to accompagny nutrient reductions, and for processess such as hypoxia (i.e., low oxygen concentrations) that are driven by organic material derived from the spring phytoplankton bloom in the mesohaline of the Chesapeake Bay
Antimicrobial Activity of Synthetic Enterocins A, B, P, SEK4, and L50, Alone and in Combinations, against Clostridium perfringens

Multidrug-resistant Clostridium perfringens infections are a major threat to the poultry industry. Effective alternatives to antibiotics are urgently needed to prevent these infections and limit the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The aim of the study was to produce by chemical synthesis a set of enterocins of different subgroups of class II bacteriocins and to compare their spectrum of inhibitory activity, either alone or in combination, against a panel of twenty C. perfringens isolates. Enterocins A, P, SEK4 (class IIa bacteriocins), B (unsubgrouped class II bacteriocin), and L50 (class IId leaderless bacteriocin) were produced by microwave-assisted solid-phase peptide synthesis. Their antimicrobial activity was determined by agar well diffusion and microtitration methods against twenty C. perfringens isolates and against other pathogens. The FICINDEX of different combinations of the selected enterocins was calculated in order to identify combinations with synergistic effects. The results showed that synthetic analogs of L50A and L50B were the most active against C. perfringens. These peptides also showed the broadest spectrum of activity when tested against other non-clostridial indicator strains, including Listeria monocytogenes, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus suis, Streptococcus pyogenes, Enterococcus cecorum, Enterococcus faecalis, as well as Gram-negative bacteria (Campylobacter coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa), among others. The selected synthetic enterocins were combined on the basis of their different mechanisms of action, and all combinations tested showed synergy or partial synergy against C. perfringens. In conclusion, because of their high activity against C. perfringens and other pathogens, the use of synthetic enterocins alone or as a consortium can be a good alternative to the use of antibiotics in the poultry sector.
How harassment is depriving universities of talent: a national survey of STEM academics in the UK

Introduction Despite efforts to increase girls’ interest in subjects related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers, there remains a large gender gap in STEM academic faculty. Methods We conducted a national survey comprising 732 early career and senior academics from 40 universities in the UK to investigate the role of pull (receiving career advancement opportunities) and push (experiencing harassment) factors in shaping people’s intentions to stay in STEM academia, and the mediating role of perceived workplace climate, academic identification, and beliefs about the ability to succeed (job-related self-efficacy). Results Our findings show the differential effect of harassment experiences for women, relative to men. Women experienced more harassment than men, which contributes to their higher intentions to leave academia through enhancing perceptions of a negative workplace climate (i.e., a less collaborative, fair, and inclusive climate) and lower job-related identification (i.e., believing in their ability to succeed as researchers). While receiving opportunities also related to intentions of leaving academia, we did not observe a gender difference in this factor. Discussion The result of our analysis underlines the critical importance of preventing and addressing harassment in academic institutions for the retention of female academic talent.
The Origin and Properties of Flint in the Upper Cretaceous Chalk

One of the most critical geological/technical challenges affecting engineering projects in chalk with flints either for hydrocarbon/water exploration or infrastructural development is encountering flints, which mostly result in excessive wear or damage to cutting tools or drilling/tunnelling equipment. Overcoming this requires a regional understanding of the engineering properties of flints which are linked to various factors including the genesis/diagenesis of flints. To date, the genesis of flints remains debatable and the controls on engineering properties of flints on a regional basis have not been systematically investigated. This study sets to investigate: the genesis of flints, the engineering properties of flints across various geographical locations, the variations in these properties with colour, structures, origin, and morphology of flints, and the tectonic history of the host chalk. To achieve these objectives a series of physicomechanical and petrophysical tests on flints and associated structures sampled from the Danish, English and French chalks have been carried out. A drillability test focusing on the grey and dark brownish grey flints using a standard tricone bit to reflect the rock mass characteristics of flint has been conducted. Petrographic studies comprising scanning electron microscopy, scanning electron microcopy-cathodoluminescence and X-ray diffraction have then been applied to analyse the genesis, diagenesis, microstructures, microtexture, and mineral phase/composition of flints. Results support the biogenic origin of flints through a calcite-silica replacement process and illustrate that engineering properties of flints correlate with colour, origin, and the diagenesis of flints, plus the properties and tectonic history of the host chalk. This study demonstrates that physicomechanical properties of flints are controlled by their micro-structures/texture/fractures, structures, calcite inclusions and mineral compositions. The dark brownish grey flints with finer microtexture are the strongest, stiffest, densest, hardest, most abrasive and least porous materials with extremely high potentials to cause drill wear. By comparison, the grey flints located in a highly tectonized zone behave differently and are the weakest, less dense, less abrasive and the most porous flints with relatively lower potentials to cause drill wear. These findings offer new contributions to the understanding of the material properties of flints applicable to drillability prediction, tool wear evaluation and drilling/tunnelling system specifications in chalk with flints.
Phosphoproteome Microarray Analysis of Extracellular Particles as a Tool to Explore Novel Biomarker Candidates for Alzheimer’s Disease

Phosphorylation plays a key role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis, impacting distinct processes such as amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide production and tau phosphorylation. Impaired phosphorylation events contribute to senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles’ formation, two major histopathological hallmarks of AD. Blood-derived extracellular particles (bdEP) can represent a disease-related source of phosphobiomarker candidates, and hence, in this pilot study, bdEP of Control and AD cases were analyzed by a targeted phosphoproteomics approach using a high-density microarray that featured at least 1145 pan-specific and 913 phosphosite-specific antibodies. This approach, innovatively applied to bdEP, allowed the identification of 150 proteins whose expression levels and/or phosphorylation patterns were significantly altered across AD cases. Gene Ontology enrichment and Reactome pathway analysis unraveled potentially relevant molecular targets and disease-associated pathways, and protein-protein interaction networks were constructed to highlight key targets. The discriminatory value of both the total proteome and the phosphoproteome was evaluated by univariate and multivariate approaches. This pilot experiment supports that bdEP are enriched in phosphotargets relevant in an AD context, holding value as peripheral biomarker candidates for disease diagnosis.
Seasonal variability of warm boundary layer cloud and precipitation properties in the Southern Ocean as diagnosed from A‐Train data

The extensive cloudiness and resulting high albedo of the Southern Oceans (SO) are predominantly due to the occurrence of widespread marine boundary layer clouds. Recent work finds correlations between biogenically enhanced cloud condensation nuclei concentrations and cloud droplet number concentrations derived from passive satellite data. The active remote sensors in the A‐Train have created a unique and long‐term record of these clouds that include vertical profiles of radar reflectivity and microwave brightness temperature from CloudSat that can be combined with solar reflectances from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer. We examine this data record using a unique algorithm to infer warm‐topped cloud and precipitation properties. We find seasonal variations in cloud properties where summer season clouds demonstrate higher cloud droplet number concentrations on average and require higher liquid water contents to produce similar precipitation rates.
The influence of snowcover distribution and variable melt regimes on the transport of nutrients from two high Arctic watersheds

This study reports on the development and application of an objective terrain classification model to obtain an accurate approximation of SWE in two High Arctic watersheds at Cape Bounty, Melville Island, Nunavut. A terrain classification weighted equally on slope, aspect, and land surface curvature was applied to the two watersheds using an ISODATA classification scheme. The topography was divided into six terrain units, which consisted of flat plateaus, westand east-facing slopes with low slope angles (0.5-4°), moderate slopes (4-6°), high slopes (> 6°), and a 30 m wide buffer that followed the river valleys in both watersheds. Watershed SWE was characterized by 42 survey transects (100 m), consisting of eleven depth and three density measurements, distributed throughout the terrain units in the two watersheds. Flat, windswept plateaus contained very small quantities of SWE, low to moderately sloping areas contained shallow snowcovers (< 100 mm), whereas sheltered areas of high slope and river valleys accumulated redistributed snow and contained high amounts of SWE (> 200 mm). Estimates of watershed SWE were considerably less than total seasonal runoff due to melt prior to the snow survey, the development of a basal ice layer at the snow-soil interface, and difficulties associated with quantifying deep (> 2.25 m) snowbanks. This study, however, has confirmed that subtle differences in terrain and dominant wind direction exert a significant control on snow distribution and watershed
A Low-Cost and Pages-Interrelation-Aware Attention Model for Hybrid Memory Scheduling

Hybrid memory architecture has become an important solution to address the increasing demand for the main memory capacity of big data applications. Due to the varying properties of different components in hybrid memory, accurately predicting the hotness of pages and timely scheduling hot pages to fast memory becomes crucial for optimal performance. However, existing hybrid memory schedulers using non-intelligent policy exhibit low performance. Although schedulers employing neural models can improve performance, they suffer limitations such as long inference time and loss of interrelation between pages. This paper presents PI-Attention, a low-cost and pages-interrelation-aware attention model for hybrid memory scheduling. It addresses the limitations above by utilizing two attention modules in the page and time sequence dimensions. Our experiments show that PI-Attention brings 11.14% performance improvement and a 3.75x reduction in inference time.
Interaction between birth characteristics and CRHR1, MC2R, NR3C1, GLCCI1 variants in the childhood lymphoblastic leukemia risk

Background The incidence rate of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) differs worldwide, and the interplay between hemostasis actors and the maladaptive responses to environmental exposures has been explored. It has been proposed that endogenous cortisol, induced by different triggers, would eliminate pre-leukemic clones originated in utero. Herein, we tested if the interaction between CRHR1rs242941 C>A, MC2Rrs1893219 A>G, NR3C1rs41423247 G>C, and GLCCI1rs37972 C>T (players in glucocorticoid secretion) and birth characteristics would be associated with ALL risk. Methods Children aged <10 years were enrolled within the EMiLI project (period: 2012 to 2020). The study had three steps: (1) observational analysis of birth characteristics (n = 533 cases and 1,603 controls); (2) genotyping to identify single-nucleotide variants (n = 756 cases and 431 controls); and (3) case-only to test gene–environment interactions (n = 402 cases). Genetic syndromes were exclusion criteria. The controls were healthy children. The distribution of the variables was assessed through Pearson’s chi-square test. Logistic regression (LR) tests were run fitted and adjusted for selected covariate models to estimate the association risk. Formal interaction analysis was also performed. Genotyping was tested by qPCR with TaqMan probes (NR3C1) or by high-resolution melting (MC2R and GLCCI1). Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) was accessed by the chi-square test. The genotype–risk association was tested in co-dominant, dominant, and recessive models. The gene–environment interaction odds ratio (iOR) was assessed in case-only. Results Low birthweight, C-section, and low maternal schooling were associated with increased risk for ALL, adjOR 2.11, 95% CI, 1.02–4.33; adjOR 1.59, 95% CI, 1.16–2.17; and adjOR 3.78, 95% CI, 2.47–5.83, respectively, in a multiple logistic regression model. MC2R rs1893219 A>G was negatively associated with ALL (AG: OR = 0.68; 95% CI = 0.50–0.94 and GG: OR = 0.60; 95% CI = 0.42–0.85), while for GLCCI1 rs37972 C>T, TT was positively associated with ALL (OR = 1.91; 95% CI = 1.21–3.00). The combination of genotypes for MC2R (AA) and GLCCI1 (TT) increased ALL risk (OR = 2.61; 95% CI = 1.16–5.87). In a multiplicative interaction, MC2R rs1893219 A>G was associated with children whose mothers had less than 9 years of schooling (iOR = 1.99; 95% CI = 1.11–1.55). Conclusion Our study has demonstrated a significant association between MC2R rs1893219 A>G (reduced risk) and GLCCI1 rs37972 C>T variants (increased risk) and childhood ALL susceptibility. Based on this evidence, genes controlling the HPA axis activity may play a role in leukemogenesis, and further investigation is needed to substantiate our findings.
Self-Curable Synaptor With Tri-Node Charge- Trap FinFET for Semi-Supervised Learning

Semi-supervised learning (SSL) with pseudo-labeling is applied to the non-volatile computing-in-memory (nvCIM) architecture through weight updates of a synaptic transistor (synaptor). The synaptor is a tri-node FinFET enclosing a charge-trap layer. For on-chip training over extended periods, self-curing induced by electrothermal annealing (ETA) is utilized to raise the tunneling oxide temperature of the synaptor until it exceeds 500 °C. As a result, a classification accuracy of 86.4% is achieved by training only 1,000 labeled datasets with self-curing operations. This accuracy level is comparable to that of supervised learning (SL) with 10,000 labeled training datasets. Not only the MNIST but also the CIFAR-10 dataset was verified whether it yields similar results when using SSL.
Analyzing the Clinical Potential of Stromal Vascular Fraction: A Comprehensive Literature Review

Background: Regenerative medicine is evolving with discoveries like the stromal vascular fraction (SVF), a diverse cell group from adipose tissue with therapeutic promise. Originating from fat cell metabolism studies in the 1960s, SVF’s versatility was recognized after demonstrating multipotency. Comprising of cells like pericytes, smooth muscle cells, and, notably, adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs), SVF offers tissue regeneration and repair through the differentiation and secretion of growth factors. Its therapeutic efficacy is due to these cells’ synergistic action, prompting extensive research. Methods: This review analyzed the relevant literature on SVF, covering its composition, action mechanisms, clinical applications, and future directions. An extensive literature search from January 2018 to June 2023 was conducted across databases like PubMed, Embase, etc., using specific keywords. Results: The systematic literature search yielded a total of 473 articles. Sixteen articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. This rigorous methodology provides a framework for a thorough and systematic analysis of the existing literature on SVF, offering robust insights into the potential of this important cell population in regenerative medicine. Conclusions: Our review reveals the potential of SVF, a heterogeneous cell mixture, as a powerful tool in regenerative medicine. SVF has demonstrated therapeutic efficacy and safety across disciplines, improving pain, tissue regeneration, graft survival, and wound healing while exhibiting immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties.
Reexamination of the chronological position of Zenkoji debris avalanche of Usu volcano in south Hokkaido, Japan : In relation to paleoenvironmental changes during the past 20ka on the Usu coast

A number of hummocky hills created by the Zenkoji debris avalanche (Zd) are distributed around the southern foot of Usu volcano and extend out into Uchiura Bay in the form of rocky reefs. Previous studies have estimated that Zd occurred 9-6 ka ago BP and was caused by a collapse of the Usu somma, composed of basaltic lava flows. In this study we investigated the thick peaty deposits in the lowlands (2-4 m above sea level) surrounded by hummocky hills of Zd origin near the coast. Two boring core samples showed continuous peat and organic clay sediments from altitudes of ＋2 m to －6 m, which through diatom analysis were traced to a freshwater environ-ment. The basal parts of the cores yielded AMS 14 C ages of ～20 cal ka BP. Pollen analysis indi-cated dominant subarctic coniferous forest elements in the lower half of the deposits (20-10 ka). Tephra layers, such as Nigorikawa tephra (Ng) of 15 cal ka BP, were intercalated into the middle of the deposits. After 10 cal ka BP broadleaf deciduous forest became dominant, intercalated with Ko-g tephra (6.6 cal ka BP) and B-Tm. The bottom of the deposits contained deposits rich in pumice similar to the Toya pyroclastic flow deposits of ～110 ka. These findings suggest that a 6-7 m thick peaty layer of freshwater lake and marsh sediments was deposited in a small, closed basin formed among several Zd hummocky hills, and that the debris avalanche occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This revised chronological position of Zd also necessitates amendments to the placement of the basaltic lava flows during the somma stage of Usu volcano, since the activities of the Usu somma must have begun during or shortly prior to the LGM and ceased during the LGM.