Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Australian Tree Ring Chronologies as Proxy Data for Solar Variability

Abstract Data from the Solar Maximum Mission satellite suggests that there is a 0.1 percent variation in solar luminosity over the 11-year solar cycle with maximum output corresponding to maximum sunspot number. Tree ring chronologies can be utilized as proxy data to compile a record of the magnitude of past solar variability. Spectral analysis of tree ring series compiled from a site in Tasmania has established, among others, significant periodicities of about 90 and 11 years. The application of band pass filter techniques shows that the 11-year cycle present in some tree ring series correlates with the Zurich sunspot numbers over the period from AD1700, the extent of accurate sunspot records, with a time lag of about three years.
Nutrient Composition Analysis of Maize Hybrids Affected by Different Nitrogen Fertilisation Systems

Maize is one of the most widely used plants in the agricultural industry, and the fields of application of this plant are broad. The experiment was conducted at the Látókép Crop Production Experimental Station of the University of Debrecen, Hungary. Three mid-ripening maize hybrids with different FAO numbers were used in the present study. The effects of different nitrogen supplies were examined as a variable rate of abiotic stress and the interrelationship among the essential nutrients through the nutrient acquisition and partitioning of the different vegetative and generative plant parts. The results showed that NPK application compared to the control treatment (no fertilizer application) increased DM in all tissues of maize, while increasing nitrogen application from 120 to 300 kg ha−1 had no significant effect on this trait. The highest protein content was obtained with the nitrogen application of 120 kg ha−1, and the higher nitrogen fertilizer application had no significant effect on this trait. Seeds and leaves had a maximum zinc and manganese value in terms of nitrogen content (protein). Dry matter was positively correlated with nitrogen, potassium, and manganese content, while the dry matter had a negative correlation with nickel content. In general, to achieve a maximum quantitative and qualitative yield, it is recommended to use NPK fertilizer with a rate of 120 kg ha−1 N for maize cultivation.
Angiotensin II Mediates Cardiomyocyte Hypertrophy in Atrial Cardiomyopathy via Epigenetic Transcriptional Regulation

Aims European Heart Rhythm Association established an expert consensus to define, characterize, and classify atrial cardiomyopathy into four subgroups based on their histopathological features. The predominant pathological feature of classes I and III is the hypertrophy of atrial cardiomyocytes. Here, we aim to investigate the mechanism of epigenetic transcriptional regulation of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy in atrial cardiomyopathy. Methods and Results Compared with that of sinus rhythm control individuals, the myocardium of patients with atrial fibrillation exhibited increased levels of angiotensin II (AngII), chromatin-bound myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2), acetylated histone H4 (H4ac), and H3K27ac; upregulation of hypertrophy-related genes; and decreased levels of histone deacetylase (HDAC) 4 and HDAC5 bound to the promoters of hypertrophy-related genes. Furthermore, incubation of atrial cardiomyocytes with AngII increased their cross-sectional area and improved the expression of hypertrophy-related genes. AngII also promoted the phosphorylation of HDAC4 and HDAC5 and induced their nuclear export. RNA sequencing analyses revealed that AngII significantly upregulated genes associated with cardiac hypertrophy. Chromatin immunoprecipitation showed that this correlated with increased levels of chromatin-bound MEF2, H4ac, and H3K27ac and decreased HDAC4 and HDAC5 enrichment in the promoters of hypertrophy-related genes. Moreover, these AngII-induced prohypertrophic effects could be partially reverted by treatment with the AngII receptor blocker losartan. Conclusions AngII had a prohypertrophic effect on atrial cardiomyopathy which was epigenetic-dependent. Patients with atrial fibrillation manifest an increased susceptibility to hypertrophy and exhibit epigenetic characteristics that are permissive for the transcription of hypertrophy-related genes. AngII induces histone acetylation via the cytoplasmic-nuclear shuttling of HDACs, which constitutes a novel mechanism of atrial hypertrophy regulation and might provide a promising therapeutic strategy for atrial cardiomyopathy.
Intensity Analysis to Study the Dynamics of Reforestation in the Rio Doce Water Basin, Brazil

Conservationists routinely require methods to analyze the effects of conservation interventions such as reforestation. Although methods to measure the effects of reforestation abound, these methods often fail to track and communicate the complexities of reforestation interventions. This paper uses intensity analysis to analyze the effects of reforestation intervention in Brazil’s Rio Doce water basin. In particular, this paper uses intensity analysis to study the effects of reforestation on three land cover categories in Brazil’s Rio Doce water basin. The illustrative approach analyzes the temporal difference of forest in three land cover maps at time points 1998, 2008, and 2015 from the Rio Doce water basin, Brazil, where each map has four land cover categories: forest formation, pasture, mosaic of agriculture and pasture, and urban infrastructure. Interval level intensity indicates that change is faster during the second time interval (1998–2008). The results from the categorical level intensity show that the forest formation and the mosaic of agriculture and pasture are active gainers during both time intervals, while pasture is an active loser. Forest formation targets the mosaic of agriculture and pasture more intensively at the interval level during the first time interval. Forest formation gains the most from a mosaic of agriculture and pasture while at the same time targeting the mosaic of agriculture and pasture during the second time interval. The mosaic of agriculture and pasture gains the most from both forest formation and pasture during both time intervals but targets pasture. The results for the second time interval show that the reforestation process in the Rio Doce water basin, Brazil, only forced the farmers to move to other forest covers in the vicinity. This process constitutes exchange, which accounts for more than half of the change during the second time interval, and thus contributes 0 to the net change of forest.
Offline Recommender System Evaluation: Challenges and New Directions

Offline evaluation is an essential complement to online experiments in the selection, improvement, tuning, and deployment of recommender systems. Offline methodologies for recommender system evaluation evolved from experimental practice in Machine Learning (ML) and Information Retrieval (IR). However, evaluating recommendations involves particularities that pose challenges to the assumptions upon which the ML and IR methodologies were developed. We recap and reflect on the development and current status of recommender system evaluation, providing an updated perspective. With a focus on offline evaluation, we review the adaptation of IR principles, procedures and metrics, and the implications of those techniques when applied to recommender systems. At the same time, we identify the singularities of recommendation that require different responses, or involve specific new needs. In addition, we provide an overview of important choices in the configuration of experiments that require particular care and understanding; discuss broader perspectives of evaluation such as recommendation value beyond accuracy; and survey open challenges such as experimental biases, and the cyclic dimension of recommendation.
Multiple Mechanisms of NOTCH1 Activation in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: NOTCH1 Mutations and Beyond

Simple Summary Mutations of the NOTCH1 gene are a validated prognostic marker in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and a potential predictive marker for anti-CD20-based therapies. At present, the most frequent pathological alteration of the NOTCH1 gene is due to somatic genetic mutations, which have a multifaceted functional impact. However, beside NOTCH1 mutations, other factors may lead to activation of the NOTCH1 pathway, and these include mutations of FBXW7, MED12, SPEN, SF3B1 as well as other B-cell pathways. Understanding the preferential strategies though which CLL cells hijack NOTCH1 signaling may present important clues for designing targeted treatment strategies for the management of CLL. Abstract The Notch signaling pathway plays a fundamental role for the terminal differentiation of multiple cell types, including B and T lymphocytes. The Notch receptors are transmembrane proteins that, upon ligand engagement, undergo multiple processing steps that ultimately release their intracytoplasmic portion. The activated protein ultimately operates as a nuclear transcriptional co-factor, whose stability is finely regulated. The Notch pathway has gained growing attention in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) because of the high rate of somatic mutations of the NOTCH1 gene. In CLL, NOTCH1 mutations represent a validated prognostic marker and a potential predictive marker for anti-CD20-based therapies, as pathological alterations of the Notch pathway can provide significant growth and survival advantage to neoplastic clone. However, beside NOTCH1 mutation, other events have been demonstrated to perturb the Notch pathway, namely somatic mutations of upstream, or even apparently unrelated, proteins such as FBXW7, MED12, SPEN, SF3B1, as well as physiological signals from other pathways such as the B-cell receptor. Here we review these mechanisms of activation of the NOTCH1 pathway in the context of CLL; the resulting picture highlights how multiple different mechanisms, that might occur under specific genomic, phenotypic and microenvironmental contexts, ultimately result in the same search for proliferative and survival advantages (through activation of MYC), as well as immune escape and therapy evasion (from anti-CD20 biological therapies). Understanding the preferential strategies through which CLL cells hijack NOTCH1 signaling may present important clues for designing targeted treatment strategies for the management of CLL.
Association of Hyponatremia on Mortality in Cryptococcal Meningitis: A Prospective Cohort

Abstract Background Sodium abnormalities are frequent in central nervous system infections and may be caused by cerebral salt wasting, syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion, or medication adverse events. In cryptococcal meningitis (CM), the prevalence of baseline hyponatremia and whether hyponatremia adversely impacts survival is unknown. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of data from 2 randomized trials of human immunodeficiency virus–infected adult Ugandans with CM. We grouped serum sodium into 3 categories: <125, 125–129, and 130–145 mmol/L. We assessed whether baseline sodium abnormalities were associated with clinical characteristics and survival. Results Of 816 participants with CM, 741 (91%) had a baseline sodium measurement available: 121 (16%) had grade 3–4 hyponatremia (<125 mmol/L), 194 (26%) had grade 2 hyponatremia (125–129 mmol/L), and 426 (57%) had a baseline sodium of 130–145 mmol/L. Hyponatremia (<125 mmol/L) was associated with higher initial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) quantitative culture burden (P < .001), higher initial CSF opening pressure (P < .01), lower baseline Glasgow Coma Scale score (P < .01), and a higher percentage of baseline seizures (P = .03). Serum sodium <125 mmol/L was associated with increased 2-week mortality in unadjusted and adjusted survival analyses (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.87 [95% confidence interval, 1.26–2.79]; P < .01) compared to those with sodium 130–145 mmol/L. Conclusions Hyponatremia is common in CM and is associated with excess mortality. A standardized management approach to correctly diagnose and correct hyponatremia in CM needs to be developed and tested.
Scaling and Benchmarking an Evolutionary Algorithm for Constructing Biophysical Neuronal Models

Single neuron models are fundamental for computational modeling of the brain's neuronal networks, and understanding how ion channel dynamics mediate neural function. A challenge in defining such models is determining biophysically realistic channel distributions. Here, we present an efficient, highly parallel evolutionary algorithm for developing such models, named NeuroGPU-EA. NeuroGPU-EA uses CPUs and GPUs concurrently to simulate and evaluate neuron membrane potentials with respect to multiple stimuli. We demonstrate a logarithmic cost for scaling the stimuli used in the fitting procedure. NeuroGPU-EA outperforms the typically used CPU based evolutionary algorithm by a factor of 10 on a series of scaling benchmarks. We report observed performance bottlenecks and propose mitigation strategies. Finally, we also discuss the potential of this method for efficient simulation and evaluation of electrophysiological waveforms.
A Comparison between Three Different Techniques Considering Quality Skills, Fatigue and Hand Pain during a Prolonged Infant Resuscitation: A Cross-Over Study with Lifeguards

The aim of the study was to compare the quality of CPR (Q-CPR), as well as the perceived fatigue and hand pain in a prolonged infant cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed by lifeguards using three different techniques. A randomized crossover simulation study was used to compare three infant CPR techniques: the two-finger technique (TF); the two-thumb encircling technique (TTE) and the two-thumb-fist technique (TTF). 58 professional lifeguards performed three tests in pairs during a 20-min period of CPR. The rescuers performed compressions and ventilations in 15:2 cycles and changed their roles every 2 min. The variables of analysis were CPR quality components, rate of perceived exertion (RPE) and hand pain with numeric rating scale (NRS). All three techniques showed high Q-CPR results (TF: 86 ± 9%/TTE: 88 ± 9%/TTF: 86 ± 16%), and the TTE showed higher values than the TF (p = 0.03). In the RPE analysis, fatigue was not excessive with any of the three techniques (values 20 min between 3.2 for TF, 2.4 in TTE and 2.5 in TTF on a 10-point scale). TF reached a higher value in RPE than TTF in all the intervals analyzed (p < 0.05). In relation to NRS, TF showed significantly higher values than TTE and TTF (NRS minute 20 = TF 4.7 vs. TTE 2.5 & TTF 2.2; p < 0.001). In conclusion, all techniques have been shown to be effective in high-quality infant CPR in a prolonged resuscitation carried out by lifeguards. However, the two-finger technique is less efficient in relation to fatigue and hand pain compared with two-thumb technique (TF vs. TTF, p = 0.01).
What Is Anthrax?

Anthrax has been feared for its high mortality in animals and humans for centuries. The etiologic agent is considered a potentially devastating bioweapon, and since 1876―when Robert Koch demonstrated that Bacillus anthracis caused anthrax―it has been considered the sole cause of the disease. Anthrax is, however, a toxin-mediated disease. The toxins edema toxin and lethal toxin are formed from protein components encoded for by the pXO1 virulence plasmid present in pathogenic B. anthracis strains. However, other members of the Bacillus cereus group, to which B. anthracis belongs, have recently been shown to harbor the pXO1 plasmid and produce anthrax toxins. Infection with these Bacillus cereus group organisms produces a disease clinically similar to anthrax. This suggests that anthrax should be defined by the exotoxins encoded for by the pXO1 plasmid rather than the bacterial species it has historically been associated with, and that the definition of anthrax should be expanded to include disease caused by any member of the B. cereus group containing the toxin-producing pXO1 plasmid or anthrax toxin genes specifically.
ACCOUNTING RESTATEMENTS, QUALITY OF ACCOUNTING INFORMATION, COST OF DEBT AND STOCK RETURNS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN BRAZIL AND THE USA

Objective: This study aimed to examine the relationship between financial restatements and the qualitative characteristics of the information disclosed, namely conservatism, persistence, relevance and timeliness, together with the relationship between the cost of raising funds with banks and investors, by observing the cost of debt and stock returns. Methods: The study considered quarterly data from 2010 to 2018, comparing Brazilian and US companies, using regression analysis of panel data. Results: The study results showed that the companies that need to issue financial restatements present accounting information of low quality. This scenario is evident for both Brazil and the US, whose results indicated non-conservative, non-persistent, non-relevant. As for timeliness, this quality has not worsened in Brazil in the context of restatements because it is not present in financial statements even without the context of restatements. About the USA, banks and investors do not seem to react to restatements, but, in Brazil, companies in need of bank financing should consider that a restatement is related to an increase in the cost of debt. A greater number of restatements was also observed for Brazilian companies, which may be related to a lack of enforcement. Contribution: The study contributes to the literature on the impact of financial restatements, and signals to investors, banks, and analysts the existence of a decrease in the quality of information, a factor that can be considered in their business valuation models.
Transcriptome and Metabolome Profiling to Explore the Causes of Purple Leaves Formation in Non-Heading Chinese Cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. chinensis Makino var. mutliceps Hort.)

Purple non-heading Chinese cabbage is one of the most popular vegetables, and is rich in various health-beneficial anthocyanins. Research related to genes associated with anthocyanin biosynthesis in non-heading Chinese cabbage is important. This study performed integrative transcriptome and metabolome analysis in the purple non-heading Chinese cabbage wild type (WT) and its green mutant to elucidate the formation of purple leaves. The anthocyanin level was higher in purple than in green plants, while the contents of chlorophyll and carotenoid were higher in the green mutant than in the purple WT. Twenty-five anthocyanins were identified in purple and green cultivars; eleven anthocyanin metabolites were identified specifically in the purple plants. RNA-seq analysis indicated that 27 anthocyanin biosynthetic genes and 83 transcription factors were significantly differentially expressed between the WT and its mutant, most of them with higher expression in the purple than green non-heading Chinese cabbage. Transcriptome and metabolome analyses showed that UGT75C1 catalyzing the formation of pelargonidin-3,5-O-diglucoside and cyanidin-3,5-O-diglucoside may play a critical role in purple leaf formation in non-heading Chinese cabbage. Therefore, these results provide crucial information for elucidating the formation of purple leaves in non-heading Chinese cabbage.
The Effects of Sensory Threshold Somatosensory Electrical Stimulation on Users With Different MI-BCI Performance

Motor imagery-based brain-computer interface (MI-BCI) has been largely studied to improve motor learning and promote motor recovery. However, the difficulty in performing MI limits the widespread application of MI-BCI. It has been suggested that the usage of sensory threshold somatosensory electrical stimulation (st-SES) is a promising way to guide participants on MI tasks, but it is still unclear whether st-SES is effective for all users. In the present study, we aimed to examine the effects of st-SES on the MI-BCI performance in two BCI groups (High Performers and Low Performers). Twenty healthy participants were recruited to perform MI and resting tasks with EEG recordings. These tasks were modulated with or without st-SES. We demonstrated that st-SES improved the performance of MI-BCI in the Low Performers, but led to a decrease in the accuracy of MI-BCI in the High Performers. Furthermore, for the Low Performers, the combination of st-SES and MI resulted in significantly greater event-related desynchronization (ERD) and sample entropy of sensorimotor rhythm than MI alone. However, the ERD and sample entropy values of MI did not change significantly during the st-SES intervention in the High Performers. Moreover, we found that st-SES had an effect on the functional connectivity of the fronto-parietal network in the alpha band of Low Performers and the beta band of High Performers, respectively. Our results demonstrated that somatosensory input based on st-SES was only beneficial for sensorimotor cortical activation and MI-BCI performance in the Low Performers, but not in the High Performers. These findings help to optimize guidance strategies to adapt to different categories of users in the practical application of MI-BCI.
Changes in renal function in patients with chronic hepatitis C treated with sofosbuvir‐velpatasvir

Direct‐acting antivirals (DAAs) have become an effective first‐line treatment for chronic hepatitis C (CHC), and the fixed‐dose combination of sofosbuvir (SOF) and velpatasvir (VEL) is one of the most important pangenotypic DAA regimen according to present treatment guideline. The association between SOF‐based regimens and renal toxicity remains controversial. A total of 953 patients including 130 with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) ≤ 60 mL/min/1.73m2 and 823 with eGFR > 60 mL/min/1.73m2 receiving SOF/VEL therapy for 12 weeks were enrolled in this study. The eGFR was assessed at baseline, end of treatment (EOT), and 12 weeks after completion of the therapy (end of follow‐up, EOF). The eGFR in patients with eGFR ≤ 60 mL/min/1.73m2 increased from baseline (47.89 ± 10.25 mL/min/1.73m2) to EOT (51.65 ± 15.92; P < .001) and EOF (51.51 ± 14.46 mL/min/1.73m2; P < .05). The eGFR in patients with eGFR > 60 mL/min/1.73m2 at baseline (91.52 ± 22.06 mL/min/1.73m2) was lower at EOT (90.37 ± 22.3; P < .05), with no difference between EOT and EOF (P = .06). Multivariable analysis showed that a higher serum albumin level was associated with a lower risk of eGFR decrease at EOT, and the patients with baseline eGFR > 60 mL/min/1.73m2 were associated with a higher risk of eGFR decrease at EOF. The rates of sustained virologic response 12 weeks after treatment cessation (SVR12) were 99.2% in per‐protocol analysis, and the most common adverse events were fatigue (4.7%), abdominal discomfort (4.5%), and skin itching (3.7%). In conclusion, renal function improved after the SOF/VEL treatment in patients with CHC and chronic kidney disease. Thus, SOF/VEL was safe, effective, and tolerable in these patients.