Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Primary sclerosing cholangitis and pancreatic cancer: A retrospective cohort study of United States veterans

Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is associated with hepatobiliary and colorectal cancers, but it remains uncertain if PSC increases the risk for pancreatic cancer. While some European studies have suggested an increased risk of pancreatic cancer in PSC patients, other studies have not. And these studies did not well account for presence or absence of concomitant inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of pancreatic cancer in United States veterans with PSC both with and without IBD. Methods This retrospective study used International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes to identify patients with PSC, IBD, and pancreatic cancer from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Corporate Data Warehouse. The prevalence of pancreatic cancer in patients with PSC only, IBD only, PSC with IBD, and neither PSC nor IBD were compared. Logistic regression was used to control for age, gender, chronic pancreatitis, diabetes mellitus, and tobacco and alcohol use. Results A total of 946 patients with PSC were identified from a population of over 9 million veterans. 486 (51.4%) of these had concurrent IBD. Additionally 112,653 patients with IBD without PSC were identified. When adjusted for confounding factors, patients with PSC had a significantly higher prevalence of pancreatic cancer compared to the general population and those with IBD without PSC (2.4% vs. 0.2% and 0.5%, respectively). Conclusions Veterans with PSC, particularly those without concomitant IBD, have a high prevalence of pancreatic cancer compared to the general veteran population. Our findings support the need for multicenter prospective studies investigating the benefits of screening for pancreatic cancer in patients with PSC.
Design of an Adaptive MIMO System using Linear Dispersion Code

In this paper, we present a new adaptation scheme for MIMO systems using linear dispersion code. The statistics of signal-to-interference-noise for a MIMO transceiver using linear dispersion code and linear minimum-mean-square-error (MMSE) receiver over a Rayleigh fading channel is studied. The associated probability density function of the signal-to interference-noise is derived and verified. The average BER over MIMO fading channel for a given constellation using the MMSE receiver is calculated numerically. The numerical and simulation results match very well. With the statistics as a guideline, we study new design of selection-mode adaptation using a linear dispersion code. A new adaptive parameter, called space-time symbol rate, can be applied due to the use of linear dispersion code. An adaptive algorithm for the selection-mode adaptation is proposed. Based on the proposed algorithm, two adaptive techniques using constellation and space-time symbol rate are studied, respectively. If constellation and space-time symbol rate are considered jointly, more selection modes can be available. Theoretical analysis demonstrates that the average transmission rate of selection-mode adaptation can be improved in this case. Simulation results are provided to show the benefits of our new design.
Injury and not the pathogen is the primary cause of corm rot in Crocus sativus (saffron)

Fusarium oxysporum has been reported to be the most devastating pathogen of Crocus sativus L. , a commercially significant crop that yields the saffron spice. However, most of the pathogen isolations have been done from the diseased tissue, mostly from rotten corms, but no study has been conducted on diseased saffron fields. To fill the knowledge gap, the current study was carried out with the intention of recording the diversity of cultivable fungus species from saffron fields and screening them for pathogenicity towards saffron. The three study locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar (Pampore), Kishtwar, and Ramban, yielded a total of 45 fungal isolates. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) of rDNA was used for the molecular identification. ITS rDNA-based sequence analysis classified all the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) into two phyla—Ascomycota (88.88%) and Mucoromycota (11.11%). Moreover, Fusarium (57.77%), Geotrichum (17.77%), Mucor (11.11%), Aspergillus (4.44%), Trichoderma (4.44%), Galactomyces (2.22%), and Colletotrichum (2.22%) all had different total abundances at the genus level. It was discovered that the saffron fields in Srinagar have fewer varied fungal species than the other two selected sites. All of the fungal isolates isolated including Fusarium solani, Aspergillus flavus, Trichoderma harzianum, Fusarium neocosmosporiellum, and Mucor circinelloides were pathogenic according to the pathogenicity test; however, injury to the saffron plant was found to be a must. These fungi were pathogenic in addition to F. oxysporum, which is well documented as a major cause of saffron corm rot diseases in Srinagar, but in the present study, injury was a must for F. oxysporum as well. The percentage disease severity index for both saffron roots and corms varied for each fungal isolate.
Generalization of the big Picard theorem

The big Picard theorem states that a holomorphic mapping from a punctured disk D* = {z e C: 0 < I z I < 1} into the Riemann sphere P1(C) minus three points can be extended to a holomorphic mapping from the disk {z E C: I z I < 1} into P1(C). H. Huber extended this theorem to the case where the image space is a domain G of hyperbolic type (in the classical sense) of a Riemann surface R such that the closure of G in R is compact [9]. The purpose of this paper is to prove the following. A holomorphic mapping from the punctured disk into a compact hyperbolic manifold M can be extended to a holomorphic mapping from the whole disk into M. Part of our proof uses some of the arguments H. Grauert and H. Reckziegel introduced in their paper [7, p. 120]. Generalizing further, we shall consider the extension problem of a holomorphic mapping defined on a complex manifold minus an analytic subset.
Children's screentime is associated with reduced brain activation during an inhibitory control task: A pilot EEG study

Children's screentime has been linked with a variety of behavioral consequences, including decreased inhibitory control. While children's screentime is associated with distinct functional brain differences, the links between screentime and neural markers of inhibitory control are unknown. Therefore, we examined these relationships in a pilot study using a Go/No-Go task (N = 20). After controlling for age, increased child screentime was significantly correlated with reduced P2 and P3 amplitudes elicited by No-Go trials. No significant relationships were observed with behavioral accuracy or response time. These findings indicate that children with greater screentime exhibit less robust neural processes for inhibitory control. Limitations and future directions are discussed within these preliminary findings.
The effect of educational computer games on the academic resilience, academic self-regulation, and academic achievement of EFL students

Introduction In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the field of educational computer games (ECGs). Although ECGs have been researched, more analyses still need to be performed on these variables to check their effects on language learning. Methods To this end, 74-third grade female state high school students from two schools in Zanjan were selected through a two-stage cluster random sampling method. The number of students in each class was 37. One of the classes (control group) was trained traditionally and the other was for one semester through the researchers-made ECGs. After completing the training, the research tools were performed as a post-test on the experimental and control groups. The data collection stage took place for about 6 months. Results Based on the results from the research questions, the use of training computers has been effective in increasing AR, ASR, and AA. Discussion It has significant implications for teachers and learners in the EFL context and opens interesting opportunities for administrators and curriculum developers to explore when planning EFL courses.
Comprehensive growth index monitoring of desert steppe grassland vegetation based on UAV hyperspectral

The goal of this study was to establish a comprehensive growth index (CGI) of grassland vegetation for monitor the overall condition of the grassland. Taking the desert grassland in Otuoke Banner, Ordos City, Inner Mongolia as the research object, this study integrates five indicators. First, the optimal band of the unmanned aerial vehicle hyperspectral data is optimized using the correlation analysis, successive projection algorithm (SPA), optimum index factor method, and band combination index method. A dual-band spectral index in good correlation with the CGI is then constructed in the optimal band. Afterwards, a CGI characterization model is established in accordance with the partial least squares regression (PLSR) algorithm and its accuracy is analyzed. Finally, the CGI of the study area is estimated. The experimental results are as follows. 1) The R2 of models built using the training samples of the spectral indices corresponding to the optimal spectra screened by the SPA method was 0.7835, RMSE was 0.0712, and RE was 6.89%, less than 10%. The R2 of the Validation samples was 0.7698, RMSE was 0.0471, and RE was 6.36%, less than 10%, highest precision. 2) Models were built using the spectral indices corresponding to the optimal spectra screened by the SPA method, and the CGI mean values were inverted. A comparison of the mean measured CGI values of the sample quadrat of the test area showed that the mean relative error was 3.82%. The results show that the vegetation growth of desert-steppe grasslands can be adequately monitored, providing technical support for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of grassland conditions. However, there are still shortcomings in this study. 1) The research area for this study was mainly in the desert steppe in Otuoke Banner, Ordos, hence the relevance and universality of the findings need to be verified, and subsequent experiments need to be carried out on desert steppes in other regions or even other types of grasslands to test the universality of the model. 2) In this study, the influence of soil background and litter on the spectral reflectance is not considered in depth. In addition, the influence of sensor observation angle and solar elevation angle on the inversion model demands further investigation efforts.
New Yuomys rodents from southeastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau indicate low elevation during the Middle Eocene

Yuomys are medium-sized Hystricomorpha rodents. They are known for coming from areas of low elevation in China during the middle and late Eocene. Two new Yuomys were discovered from a locality near Xueshuo village in Litang County, Sichuan Province. The locality lies in the Gemusi pull-apart basin formed in the Litang Fault System (LTFS) in the Hengduan Mountains. The current average elevation is about 4200 m. One of the two new Yuomys is larger and shows clear lophodont and unilateral hypsodont morphology, similar to Yuomys yunnanensis, which was discovered as being from the early middle Eocene (Irdinmanhan, Asian Land Mammal Ages) in the Chake Basin of Jianshui County, Yunnan Province. The Chake Basin is one of the small pull-apart basins formed in the Xianshuihe-Xiaojiang Fault system (XSH-XJF). The other new Yuomys rodent is smaller, brachydont, and less lophodont than the larger new species. The small new Yuomys is smaller than all known Yuomys except Yuomys huheboerhensis, which is from the early middle Eocene Irdinmanhan of Inner Mongolia in Northern China. Given their narrow biochronological distribution and presumably preferred living environment, the occurrence of Yuomys in the pull-apart basins in LTFS and XSH-XJF suggests that the two deep fault systems probably started strike-slip movement by the early middle Eocene, about 49–45 million years ago. Well-studied middle Eocene mammalian faunas from Henan and Inner Mongolia include Yuomys, primates, and other low elevation forest mammals. We suggest that the two new Yuomys species reported here probably also lived in a similar low elevation forest environment.
Purkinje-cell-specific DNA repair-deficient mice reveal that dietary restriction protects neurons by cell-intrinsic preservation of genomic health

Dietary restriction (DR) is a universal anti-aging intervention, which reduces age-related nervous system pathologies and neurological decline. The degree to which the neuroprotective effect of DR operates by attenuating cell intrinsic degradative processes rather than influencing non-cell autonomous factors such as glial and vascular health or systemic inflammatory status is incompletely understood. Following up on our finding that DR has a remarkably large beneficial effect on nervous system pathology in whole-body DNA repair-deficient progeroid mice, we show here that DR also exerts strong neuroprotection in mouse models in which a single neuronal cell type, i.e., cerebellar Purkinje cells, experience genotoxic stress and consequent premature aging-like dysfunction. Purkinje cell specific hypomorphic and knock-out ERCC1 mice on DR retained 40 and 25% more neurons, respectively, with equal protection against P53 activation, and alike results from whole-body ERCC1-deficient mice. Our findings show that DR strongly reduces Purkinje cell death in our Purkinje cell-specific accelerated aging mouse model, indicating that DR protects Purkinje cells from intrinsic DNA-damage-driven neurodegeneration.
Superficial temporal artery–middle cerebral artery bypass in combination with encephalo-myo-synangiosis in Chinese adult patients with moyamoya disease

Objective To evaluate the feasibility and safety of superficial temporal artery (STA)–middle cerebral artery (MCA) anastomosis in combination with encephalo-myo-synangiosis (EMS) in Chinese adult patients with moyamoya disease (MMD). Methods A total of 65 patients with MMD who underwent combined STA–MCA bypass + EMS surgical revascularisation were included in this study. Each patient had a follow-up visit 6 months after discharge. Early bypass function was evaluated via computed tomography angiography and digital subtraction angiography, which were performed preoperatively and at 6 months after surgery. The perfusion parameters of cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT) and time to peak (TTP) were obtained and analysed. The clinical status of each patient was evaluated using a modified Rankin scale (mRS) preoperatively and at 1 week and 6 months after surgery. Results Among the 65 enrolled patients, postoperative complications were observed in 5 (7.69%) patients, with 2 cases of dysphasia, 2 cases of new cerebral infarction and 1 case of seizure. Six months after surgery, 66 out of 68 hemispheres were found to have a functioning extra-intracranial bypass, and the patency rate was 97.06%. In terms of CBF perfusion, both the CBF and CBV increased significantly, while the MTT and TTP decreased after surgery. The mRS scores measured 1 week and 6 months after surgery were much lower than those measured preoperatively. Conclusion A direct STA–MCA bypass procedure in combination with indirect EMS bypass is feasible and safe for Chinese adult patients with MMD.
Traumatic testicular injuries in appalachia: A ten-year review from a level 1 trauma center and comparison to the national trauma data bank®

While only 20% of the nation’s population lives in rural areas, 40% of the Appalachian population resides in rural areas. Due to the rural nature of this region we hypothesized this may have implications regarding the outcomes of traumatic testicular injuries (TTI), such as increased rate of organ loss. Here in, we report the findings of our 10-year retrospective study analyzing patients presenting with TTI to our rural tertiary care facility in comparison to an 8-year review of 8,030 TTI from the National Trauma Data Bank (NTDB®). Of the 34,000 trauma patients reviewed, 23 (0.07%) had TTI which concurs with the NTDB® value of 0.2%. Blunt trauma accounted for 91.3% of TTI contrasting with NTDB® data suggesting 50.5% attributable to penetrating mechanisms. Firearm related injuries comprised 4.3% of TTI, but 38.3% of NTDB®’s. Motor vehicle collision/motor cycle crash (MVC/MCC) accounted for 26.0%, similarly NTDB® data showed 26.6%. Median length of stay (LOS) was 1 day, and 3 for NTDB®. Scrotal exploration occurred in 90.4% of cases with 52.4% requiring orchiectomy, whereas NTDB® data suggested 48.3% and 23.4% respectively. In conclusion, compared to the NTDB® TTI data, Appalachia has a higher incidence of blunt mechanism, scrotal exploration rate, and testicular loss.
Understanding the role of the gut microbiome in gastrointestinal cancer: A review

Gastrointestinal cancer represents one of the most diagnosed types of cancer. Cancer is a genetic and multifactorial disease, influenced by the host and environmental factors. It has been stated that 20% of cancer is caused by microorganisms such as Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B and C virus, and human papillomavirus. In addition to these well-known microorganisms associated with cancer, it has been shown differences in the composition of the microbiota between healthy individuals and cancer patients. Some studies have suggested the existence of the selected microorganisms and their metabolites that can promote or inhibit tumorigenesis via some mechanisms. Recent findings have shown that gut microbiome and their metabolites can act as cancer promotors or inhibitors. It has been shown that gastrointestinal cancer can be caused by a dysregulation of the expression of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) through the gut microbiome. This review will summarize the latest reports regarding the relationship among gut microbiome, ncRNAs, and gastrointestinal cancer. The potential applications of diagnosing and cancer treatments will be discussed.
Disrupted metabolic signatures in amniotic fluid associated with increased risk of intestinal inflammation in cesarean section offspring

Introduction Children born by cesarean section (CS) are at a greater risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, the mechanisms underlying the association are not yet well understood. Herein, we investigated the impact of CS delivery on colonic inflammation and mechanisms underlying these effects in offspring. Methods CS mice model and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model were constructed and used to analyze the impact of CS on the development of colitis. Colonic tight junction markers and epithelium differentiation markers were analyzed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Levels of zonulin in serum were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Immune cells in colon were analyzed by flow cytometry. Metabolic profiling between human vaginal delivery (VD) and CS AF were analyzed by using mass spectrometry. Transcriptome changes between VD AF- and CS AF-treated human intestine epithelial cells were analyzed by RNA-sequencing. A multi-omics approach that integrated transcriptomics with metabolomics to identify the pathways underlying colonic inflammation associated with delivery modes. Then, the identified pathways were confirmed by immunoblotting and ELISA. Results Mice pups delivered by CS exhibited a defective intestinal homeostasis manifested by decreased expression of tight junction markers of ZO-1 and Occludin in the colons, increased levels of zonulin in serum and dysregulated expression of intestinal epithelium differentiation markers of Lysozyme, Mucin2, and Dipeptidyl peptidase-4. CS pups were more susceptible to DSS-induced colitis compared to VD pups. The proportion of macrophage, dendritic cells (DCs), and natural killer cells (NKs) in the colons were altered in an age-dependent manner compared with pups born naturally. The metabolites in AF differed between CS and VD cases, and the CS AF-induced differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were significantly enriched in pathways underlying IBD. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) signaling was downregulated in NCM460 intestinal epithelial cells by CS AF compared to VD AF and in colon of CS pups compared to VD pups. Deficiency in metabolites like vitamin D2 glucosiduronate in CS AF may attribute to the risk of inflammatory intestine through STAT3 signaling. Conclusion Our study provides a novel insight into the underlying mechanisms of CS-associated intestinal inflammation and potential prevention strategies.
Self-reactive IgE and anti-IgE therapy in autoimmune diseases

Growing evidence indicates the pathogenic role of autoreactive IgE in autoimmune diseases. Incidence of autoimmune and allergic diseases in the industrialized countries is consistently icreasing, thus leading to concerted efforts to comprehend the regulation of IgE-mediated mechanisms. The first reports of a presence of IgE autoantibodies in patients with autoimmune diseases have been published a long time ago, and it is now recognized that self-reactive IgE can mediate inflammatory response in bullous pemhigoid, systemic lupus erythematosus, chronic urticaria, and atopic dermatitis. The advances in understanding the pathomechanisms of these disorders brought to a successful use of anti-IgE strategies in their management. The present review discusses the current state of knowledge on the IgE-mediated autoimmunity and anti-IgE treatment, and pave the way for further exploration of the subject.
FIRE RISK ASSESSMENT OF PHOTOVOLTAIC PANELS BASED ON THE FAILURE MODE AND EFFECTS ANALYSIS

An increase in the use of alternative power sources results from the transition to a green economy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Their deployment contributes to increasing energy self-sufficiency and independence from other countries. Despite the highly positive effects associated with the operation of alternative power sources, it is necessary to pay appropriate attention to providing their operational safety. Using the Failure Mode and Effects Analysis method (FMEA), this paper assesses the causes and effects as well as estimates the Risk Priority Number of photovoltaic system failures possibly resulting in fire. The paper assesses the causes of fire in the manufacturing, transportation, installation and operation phases. The Failure Mode and Effects Analysis method allowed for estimating the Risk Priority Number, with the highest being estimated for six causes, including inverter failures, malfunctioning lightning protection and fuse box failures. In total, 20 different causes were assessed, of which more than 50% can be considered acceptable.