Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rigidity and topological conjugates of topologically tame Kleinian groups

Minsky proved that two Kleinian groups G1 and G2 are quasiconformally conjugate if they are freely indecomposable, the injectivity radii at all points of H/G1, H/G2 are bounded below by a positive constant, and there is a homeomorphism h from a topological core of H/G1 to that of H/G2 such that h and h−1 map ending laminations to ending laminations. We generalize this theorem to the case when G1 and G2 are topologically tame but may be freely decomposable under the same assumption on the injectivity radii. As an application, we prove that if a Kleinian group is topologically conjugate to another Kleinian group which is topologically tame and not a free group, and both Kleinian groups satisfy the assumption on the injectivity radii as above, then they are quasi-conformally conjugate.
Mood Disorders and Aggressive Traits Mediate Effects of Reported Childhood Adversity on Suicide Attempt Risk

Abstract Background Childhood adversity (CA) is linked to suicidal behavior as well as to mood disorders and aggressive traits. This raises the possibility that depression and aggressive traits mediate the relationship of childhood adversity to suicide risk. Moreover, it is not known if they operate independently or interactively. Aims To determine whether, and how, mood disorders and aggressive traits mediate the effects of reported physical and sexual abuse on future suicidal behavior. Methods Five hundred and forty-eight subjects, offspring of parents with mood disorders, were interviewed at baseline and at yearly follow-ups with questionnaires assessing aggression, mood disorders, and suicidal behavior. The mediation analysis involved a three-step process, testing the relationships between (1) CA and attempt; (2) CA and putative mediators; and (3) putative mediators and suicide attempt, adjusting for CA. Results Aggressive trait severity and mood disorder onset each mediated the relationship between CA and future suicide attempts. Greater aggression severity also raised the hazard of the development of a mood disorder. If aggressive trait severity was clearly elevated, then onset of mood disorder did not increase further the hazard of the suicide attempt. Including family as a random effect had a much bigger effect on attempt outcome for physical abuse compared with sexual abuse. Conclusions Amelioration of aggressive traits and treatment of mood disorders in CA-exposed offspring of a parent with a mood disorder may prevent future suicide attempts and may reduce the risk of mood disorder. Familial factors influence the impact of childhood physical abuse but not sexual abuse. HIGHLIGHTS Childhood Adversity (CA) predicted future mood disorder and aggression severity. Depression and aggression mediate the relationship between CA and suicide attempts. When one mediator is present, the presence of the other does not increase the hazard. Between family variation contributed much more to suicidal behavior outcomes relative to the effect of physical abuse, but sexual abuse contributed to suicidal outcomes more than family variation.
Diffraction by a wedge with a face of variable impedance

The two‐dimensional problem of diffraction by a wedge with a face of variable impedance is explicitly solved by a probabilistic random walk method. The solution admits numerical simulation based on simple scalable algorithms with unlimited capability for parallel processing. The diffracted field is represented as a mathematical expectation of a specified functional on trajectories of random motions determined by the configuration of the problem. The solution is not significantly more difficult than a similar probabilistic solution of the problem with constant impedance faces.
Art box deliveries: The experiences of people with dementia and their carers during the Covid 19 lockdown

Art workshops have been looked at before in terms of impact for people with dementia but never those conducted remotely during a pandemic lockdown. Two artists, working with local museums, provided Art workshops for people with dementia and their caregivers. Due to the first Covid 19 lockdown in the UK, the artists set up a weekly delivery service of Home Art Boxes to thirty-three people with dementia and their caregivers over a period spanning 11 months. The artists received funding from local organisations and the Community Lottery Fund. Thematic analysis of the feedback from the participants regarding the project and the artists themselves provided the data for this evaluation of the project. Seven main themes were identified: organisation of the project; community and connections; supporting the caregivers; enjoyment and enrichment; well-being and cognitive benefits of the projects; equipment and instructions; and drawbacks within the project. The participants’ feedback enabled the artists to improve the contents and instructions given each week so that they were able to adjust the activities for those people with dementia whose condition was declining. Implications are that remote Art workshops are possible during lockdown restrictions, but that personal communication is equally important.
Clopidogrel versus ticagrelor in East Asian patients aged 75 years or older with acute coronary syndrome: observations from the GF-APT registry

Abstract The benefits of potent antithrombotic therapy usually come at the expense of a higher risk of bleeding. The efficacy and safety of ticagrelor in elderly East Asian populations remains debated due to the concerns about the imbalance of ischemic and bleeding risks. This study aimed to compare the impact of clopidogrel with ticagrelor on clinical outcomes in East Asian patients aged ≥75 years with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) using data from an institutional registry. We assessed the treatment effect of ticagrelor versus clopidogrel based on propensity scores and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models. A total of 2775 ACS patients were included, of which 235 (8.5%) were treated with ticagrelor. The primary efficacy outcome occurred in 11.9% of patients treated with ticagrelor versus 8.8% treated with clopidogrel. There was no significant association between treatment with ticagrelor and a lower risk of the primary efficacy outcome (p = .156). However, the incidences of all-cause death (hazard ratio [HR] 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02 to 2.79) and major bleeding (adjusted HR 2.20, 95% CI 1.06 to 4.56) were significantly higher in patients treated with ticagrelor than clopidogrel. In elderly patients with ACS from East Asia, the efficacy of clopidogrel was comparable to ticagrelor, while ticagrelor is associated with an increased risk of mortality and major bleeding. Plain Language Summary What is the context? Current guidelines recommend ticagrelor over clopidogrel for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). There are no specific guidelines concerning the elderly, and data on optimal antiplatelet therapy in elderly are quite scarce. Further study was necessary to identify the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in elderly patients from East Asian populations which are reported to be at a higher risk of bleeding. What is new? The risk of major adverse cardiac events did not differ significantly between clopidogrel versus ticagrelor in patients aged ≥75 years from East Asia, while the use of ticagrelor might be associated with increased risk of mortality and major bleeding events. Analyses after propensity score matching showed consistent results on the safety and efficacy of clopidogrel versus ticagrelor. The benefit of potent P2Y12 inhibitor ticagrelor over clopidogrel is questionable in elderly East Asian patients with ACS. What is the impact? This study provides more information on the use of potent antiplatelet therapy in older patients from Asia. The individual assessment of ischemic and bleeding risk is necessary to guide decision-making on DAPT rather than applying the recommendations of guidelines directly.
Grenepipe: a Flexible, Scalable and Reproducible Pipeline to Automate Variant Calling from Sequence Reads

SUMMARY We developed grenepipe, an all-in-one Snakemake workflow to streamline the data processing from raw high-throughput sequencing data of individuals or populations to genotype variant calls. Our pipeline offers a range of popular software tools within a single configuration file, automatically installs software dependencies, is highly optimized for scalability in cluster environments, and runs with a single command. AVAILABILITY grenepipe is published under the GPLv3, and freely available at github.com/moiexpositoalonsolab/grenepipe.
Visual Monitoring of Disintegration of Solid Oral Dosage Forms in Simulated Gastric Fluids Using Low-Field NMR Imaging

Compared to traditional drug release monitoring with manual sampling and testing procedures, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR) imaging is a one-step, visual, non-destructive, and non-invasive measurement method. Here, we reported the application of LF-NMR to image the morphology, component, sub-diffusion, and spatial distribution of a solid oral formulation, Biyankang tablets, during dissolution in vitro. The drug ingredients with characteristic relaxation times were distinguished and localized based on the signal of standards, such as patchouli oil, Xanthium strumarium extract, and starch. The hydration, swelling, disintegration, and sub-diffusion of tablets in simulated gastric fluids (SGF) were visualized statically. All tablets showed similar expansion (37.4–42.0%) along the direction of thickness at 25 min and reached a full disintegration at 145 min, at pH 1.80–6.15, indicating pH-independent swelling and disintegration. Compared to that static immersion within 20 mL SGF, the tablet disintegration time was shortened by ~ 11% in 30 mL SGF. The application of shear reduced the time by ~ 28%, suggesting a major role of hydrodynamic condition in tablet dissolution. The ability to simultaneously visualize, distinguish, and localize drug ingredients using LF-NMR is expected to provide valuable information to develop drug release monitoring systems in vitro and potentially in vivo using small animal studies.
Performance of maize+pigeonpea intercropping system under rainfed conditions of North Karnataka.

A field investigation was carried out for two consecutive kharif seasons of 2004 and 2005 at the Agricultural Research Station, Dharwad (Karnataka) to evaluate the production potential and economic feasibility of maize and pigeonpea intercropping system in 1: 1, 2: 1, 2: 2, 3: 1 and 4: 2 row proportions with 50 and 100 per cent pigeonpea population levels under rainfed condition. Intercropping of maize and pigeonpea at 4: 2 row ratio with 100: 50 population recorded significantly higher maize equivalent yield (8970 kg ha−1), net returns (Rs 36008 ha−1) and B: C ratio (3.25) over sole and other intercropping systems except 2: 2 and 3: 1 row ratios with 100: 50 population of maize and pigeonpea. Though intercropping resulted in significant reduction in the yield of sole crops, it was better compensated by component crops in terms of total yield and income.
Objective structured clinical examination: Challenges and opportunities from students’ perspective

Background Objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) has been used in evaluating clinical competence in health professions education around the world. Despite its implementation in Iraq for around a decade, limited studies investigated the challenges and opportunities to improve the standard and quality of this examination from student’s perspective. Methods This qualitative study was based on an online open-ended questionnaire survey that was carried out in the College of Medicine, Hawler Medical University, Iraq at the beginning of the 2018–2019 academic year. A convenience sample of 180 students in the clinical phase (4th, 5th, and 6th) year of study were invited to participate. Results A total of 141 students responded to the online questionnaire. The participants were generally happy with the OSCE, and they recognized many positive aspects, including the role of the OSCE in increasing confidence, engagement and motivating learning, the role of the OSCE in achieving a higher level of learning, the content validity of the OSCE, and the quality of the OSCE. The main weak points of the OSCE identified by the students included unfairness, gender discrimination, duration of the OSCE, and the behavior of the examiners. Suggestions to improve the OSCE examination included improving the examiners’ behavior, with the focus on the training of the examiners, and avoiding discrimination among students. Conclusions Most of the students were generally satisfied with the current OSCE examination. The main concern of the students was related to the organization of the OSCE. Valuable suggestions were raised to improve the OSCE quality including examiners’ and simulated patients’ training.
Increased COX-1 expression in benign prostate epithelial cells is triggered by mitochondrial dysfunction.

BACKGROUND Prostatic inflammation is closely linked to the development and progression of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Clinical studies of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), targeting prostate inflammation patients with symptomatic BPH have demonstrated conflicting results, with some studies demonstrating symptom improvement and others showing no impact. Thus, understanding the role of the cyclooxygenases in BPH and prostatic inflammation is important. METHODS The expression of COX-1 was analyzed in a cohort of donors and BPH patients by immunohistochemistry and compared to previously determined characteristics for this same cohort. The impact of mitochondrial dysfunction on COX-1 and COX-2 was determined in experiments treating human benign prostate epithelial cell lines BPH-1 and RWPE-1 with rotenone and MitoQ. RWPE-1 cells were transfected with small interfering RNA specific to complex 1 gene NDUFS3. RESULTS COX-1 expression was increased in the epithelial cells of BPH specimens compared to young healthy organ donor and normal prostate adjacent to BPH and frequently co-occurred with COX-2 alteration in BPH patients. COX-1 immunostaining was associated with the presence of CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells, but was not associated with age, prostate size, COX-2 or the presence of CD4+, CD20+ or CD68+ inflammatory cells. In cell line studies, COX protein levels were elevated following treatment with inhibitors of mitochondrial function. MitoQ significantly decreased mitochondrial membrane potential in RWPE-1 cells. Knockdown of NDUFS3 stimulated COX-1 expression. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest COX-1 is elevated in BPH epithelial cells and is associated with increased presence of CD8+ cytotoxic T-cells. COX-1 can be induced in benign prostate epithelial cells in response to mitochondrial complex I inhibition, and knockdown of the complex 1 protein NDUFS3. COX-1 and mitochondrial dysfunction may play more of a role than previously recognized in the development of age-related benign prostatic disease.
Speech processing performance of Hungarian-speaking twins and singletons

ABSTRACT Studying speech processing in twins versus their singleton peers provides opportunities to study both genetic and environmental effects on how children acquire these aspects of their speech and – by extension – their phonological systems. Our study focused on speech processing in typically developing Hungarian-speaking twins and their singleton peers between 5 and 9 years of age. Participants included 384 monolingual Hungarian-speaking children (192 twins, and 192 singletons). Data from four tasks – repetition of synthesised monosyllables, nonsense words, well-formed noisy sentences, and well-formed phonologically complex sentences – were analysed. There was a main effect for birth status, and singletons outperformed their twin peers on the majority of the speech processing tasks. Age and task also had effects on the performance of the participants, and there was a three-way task by age by twin versus singleton status indicating that the speech processing performance of twins versus singletons is interdependent with the type of task and age. Our results also indicate that monolingual Hungarian-speaking twins may be at higher risk for developmental speech delays relative to their singleton peers.
Lipid transfer proteins involved in plant–pathogen interactions and their molecular mechanisms

Abstract Nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are small, cysteine‐rich proteins that play numerous functional roles in plant growth and development, including cutin wax formation, pollen tube adhesion, cell expansion, seed development, germination, and adaptation to changing environmental conditions. LTPs contain eight conserved cysteine residues and a hydrophobic cavity that provides a wide variety of lipid‐binding specificities. As members of the pathogenesis‐related protein 14 family (PR14), many LTPs inhibit fungal or bacterial growth, and act as positive regulators in plant disease resistance. Over the past decade, these essential immunity‐related roles of LTPs in plant immune processes have been documented in a growing body of literature. In this review, we summarize the roles of LTPs in plant–pathogen interactions, emphasizing the underlying molecular mechanisms in plant immune responses and specific LTP functions.
Ablation of Stable VTs Versus Substrate Ablation in Ischemic Cardiomyopathy The VISTA Trial

BACKGROUND Catheter ablation reduces ventricular tachycardia (VT) recurrence and implantable cardioverter de ﬁ brillator shocks in patients with VT and ischemic cardiomyopathy. The most effective catheter ablation technique is unknown. OBJECTIVES This study determined rates of VT recurrence in patients undergoing ablation limited to clinical VT along with mappable VTs ( “ clinical ablation ” ) versus substrate-based ablation. METHODS Subjects with ischemic cardiomyopathy and hemodynamically tolerated VT were randomized to clinical ablation (n ¼ 60) versus substrate-based ablation that targeted all “ abnormal ” electrograms in the scar (n ¼ 58). Primary endpoint was recurrence of VT. Secondary endpoints included periprocedural complications, 12-month mortality, and rehospitalizations. RESULTS At 12-month follow-up, 9 (15.5%) and
How Push-off Influences Energetics and Mechanics of Human Walking.

Although humans clearly expend more energy to walk with an extra load, it is unclear what biomechanical mechanism explains contribute to that increase. One possible contribution is the mechanical work performed on the body center of mass (COM), which simple models predict should increase linearly with added mass. The work should be performed primarily by the lower extremity joints, although in unknown distribution, and cost a proportionate amount of metabolic energy. We therefore tested normal adults (N=8) walking at constant speed (1.25 m/s) with varying backpack loads up to about 40% of body weight. We measured mechanical work (both performed on the COM and joint work from inverse dynamics), as well as metabolic energy expenditure through respirometry. Both measures of work were found to increase approximately linearly with carried load, with COM work rate increasing by about 1.40 W for each 1 kg of additional load. The joints all contributed work, but the greatest increase in positive work was attributable to the ankle during push-off (about 45 – 60% of stride time), and the knee in the rebound after collision (12 – 30% stride). The hip performed increasing amounts of negative work, near the end of stance. Rate of metabolic energy expenditure also increased approximately linearly with load, by about 7.6 W for each 1 kg of additional load. The ratio of the increases in work and metabolic cost yielded a relatively constant efficiency of about 16%. The metabolic cost not explained by work appeared to be relatively constant with load and did not exhibit a particular trend. Most of the increasing cost for carrying a load appears to be explained by positive mechanical work, especially about ankle and knee, with both work and metabolic cost increasing nearly linearly with added mass.
Spatial evolutionary game theory: Deterministic approximations, decompositions, and hierarchical multi-scale models

SPATIAL EVOLUTIONARY GAME THEORY: DETERMINISTIC APPROXIMATIONS, DECOMPOSITIONS, AND HIERARCHICAL MULTI-SCALE MODELS SEPTEMBER 2011 SUNGHA HWANG, B.A., SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY M.A., SEOUL NATIONAL UNIVERSITY Ph.D., UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST Directed by: Professor Luc Rey-Bellet Evolutionary game theory has recently emerged as a key paradigm in various behavioral science disciplines. In particular it provides powerful tools and a conceptual framework for the analysis of the time evolution of strategic interdependence among players and its consequences, especially when the players are spatially distributed and linked in a complex social network. We develop various evolutionary game models, analyze these models using appropriate techniques, and study their applications to complex phenomena. In the second chapter, we derive integro-differential equations as deterministic approximations of the microscopic updating stochastic processes. These generalize the known mean-field ordinary differential equations and provide powerful tools to
Impaired Bone Microarchitecture at Distal Radial and Tibial Reference Locations Is Not Related to Injury Site in Athletes With Bone Stress Injury

Background: Bone stress injuries (BSIs) are common sports injuries that occur because of an imbalance between microdamage accumulation and removal through bone remodeling. The underlying bone phenotype has been assumed to be a contributing factor. However, the bone microarchitecture of athletes with BSI is not well characterized, and no study has investigated whether impaired bone microarchitecture is associated with bone composition or anatomic site of injury. Purpose/Hypothesis: This cross-sectional study characterizes the bone microarchitecture at distal radial and tibial reference locations in athletes with BSI. Based on previous dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) findings, the aim was to compare anatomic injury sites, hypothesizing that athletes with BSIs in bones with greater trabecular composition show impaired bone microarchitecture parameters compared with those with BSIs in bones with greater cortical composition. Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Athletes who had presented to our outpatient clinic because of a high-grade BSI (ie, stress fracture) were retrospectively included. Blood and urine samples were collected. Areal bone mineral density (aBMD) was assessed by DXA at the lumbar spine and both hips. Bone microarchitecture was analyzed by high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) at the distal radius and tibia. HR-pQCT parameters were expressed in relation to available sex-, age-, and device-adjusted reference values and compared with a cohort of 53 age- and sex-matched controls. Results: In total, 53 athletes had a BSI of the foot (n = 20), tibia/fibula (n = 18), pelvis (n = 9), femur (n = 5), or sternum (n = 1). Based on DXA measurements, a Z-score of −1.0 or lower was found in 32 of 53 (60.4%) of the athletes, of whom 16 of 53 (30.2%) had a Z score −2.0 or lower. While an impairment of cortical area (P = .034 and P = .001) and thickness (P = .029 and P < .001) was detected at the distal radius and tibia in the BSI cohort compared with controls, no differences in BMD or bone microarchitecture were observed between anatomic injury sites. Furthermore, no difference was revealed when BSIs were grouped into cortical- and trabecular-rich sites. Conclusion: Reduced aBMD and impaired cortical bone microarchitecture were present in a considerable number of athletes with BSI. Neither aBMD nor bone microarchitecture was related to the injury site, highlighting the multifactorial etiology of BSI.