Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pattern and Predictors of Sexual Activity among Postmenopausal Women Attending a Family Medicine Clinic in Ilorin, North-Central Nigeria

Objectives Sexual activity tends to decline with age and is greatly impacted in postmenopausal women. This study aimed to describe the sexual activity pattern among postmenopausal Nigerian women and also detect socio-demographic and menopause-related predictors of their sexual activity. Methods In this hospital-based cross-sectional study, 357 postmenopausal women between 45–60 years participated. Data was collected using the sexual activity questionnaire and a socio-demographic questionnaire developed by the authors. Results The prevalence of sexual inactivity among the participants was 60%. This was attributed mainly to the unavailability of male partners (50.5%) and negative menopause-related sociocultural beliefs (23.8%). Among sexually active participants, 83.2% of them reported having pleasurable experiences and 53.8% of them reported no associated sexual discomfort. Only being in a marital relationship was found to be a statistically significant predictor of sexual activity among the participants (regression coefficient = 3.125, degree of freedom = 1, P < 0.0001). Conclusions We reported a high prevalence of sexual inactivity among the participants; the most important reasons given were the unavailability of their husbands and the belief that sexual intercourse was taboo during the postmenopausal period. The study also provided positive evidence for the importance of marriage for sexual activity among the participants.
A PRESSURE-BASED METHOD FOR UNSTRUCTURED MESHES

Abstract This article presents a finite-volume scheme for multidimensional incompressible flows. Unstructured, solution-adaptive meshes composed of arbitrary convex palyhedra are used. A cell-centered equal-order formulation is developed. Gradients required for the evaluation of diffusion fluxes and for second-order-accurate convective operators are found by linear reconstruction. An additive-correction multigrid scheme is used to solve the resulting discrete equations. Pressure and velocity are stored at cell centers; momentum interpolation is used to prevent pressure checkerboarding. The SIMPLE algorithm is used for pressure-velocity coupling. Schemes for hanging-node and conformed adaption are implemented. The scheme is applied to benchmark problems using a variety of quadrilateral/hexahedral, triangular/tetrahedral, and hybrid meshes, and is shown to perform satisfactorily.
Infinitesimal CR automorphisms of real hypersurfaces

Let M be an analytic real hypersurface through the origin in C n+1 and let hol ( M ) denote the space of vector fields X =Re Z |M tangent to M in a neighborhood of the origin, where Z is a holomorphic vector field defined in a neighborhood of the origin. The hypersurface M is holomorphically nondegenerate at the origin if there is no holomorphic vector field tangent to M in a neighborhood of the origin. The main result of the paper is that hol ( M ) is finite dimensional if and only if M is holomorphically nondegenerate at the origin.
Large Area Mapping at 850 Microns. III. Analysis of the Clump Distribution in the Orion B Molecular Cloud

We present results from a survey of a 900 arcmin2 region of the Orion B molecular cloud, including NGC 2068, NGC 2071, and HH 24/25/26, at 850 μm using the Submillimeter Common-User Bolometer Array (SCUBA) on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope. Following the techniques developed by Johnstone et al., we identify 75 independent objects and compute size, flux, and degree of central concentration. Comparison with isothermal, pressure-confined, self-gravitating Bonnor-Ebert spheres implies that the clumps have internal temperatures of 20-40 K and surface pressures 5.5 < log P/k < 6.5. The clump masses span 0.2-12.3 M☉ assuming typical dust temperatures and a dust emissivity κ850 = 0.01 cm2 g-1. The distribution of clump masses is well characterized by a power-law N(M) ∝ M-α with α = 1.5-2.0 for M > 1.0 M☉. Significant incompleteness makes determination of the slope at lower masses difficult. The two-point correlation function of the clump separations is measured revealing clustering on size scales r < 1.5 × 105 AU with a radial power-law exponent γ = 0.75.
Are equatorial electron cyclotron waves responsible for diffuse auroral electron precipitation

On the basis of theoretical calculations of electron diffusion coefficients and of OGO 5 data, Lyons [1974] suggested that electrostatic electron cyclotron harmonic waves had amplitudes large enough to cause the strong pitch angle diffusion of plasma sheet keV electrons and to be responsible for diffuse auroral precipitation. However, recent measurements of the wave location and amplitude performed aboard the GEOS spacecraft have brought new pieces of information challenging these conclusions. Our calculations are based on the theoretical tool developed by Lyons [1974] but take into account the recently observed wave confinement within a few degrees from the magnetic equator. Under these conditions, we avoid the numerical averaging of the pitch angle diffusion coefficient over the whole line of force, and we can derive an analytical expression of the minimum wave amplitude required to cause strong pitch angle diffusion for plasma sheet electrons. This expression has the advantage to be easily tractable in further calculations, and permits us to evaluate the dependence of the results on parameters that are not reported by observations, such as the wave number spectrum. Our results are found to differ from Lyons's [1974] predictions by a factor of about 2.5, and typically, a wave amplitude of more than 2 mV m−1 is required to put 1-keV electrons on strong diffusion. On the other hand, on the basis of a statistical analysis of electron cyclotron wave amplitudes measured in the nightside plasmasheet by the GEOS 2 spacecraft, we show that most of the time (>91 %), this typical value of 2 mV m−1 is not reached. This result appears inconsistent with the hypothesis that diffuse auroras, which are a permanent feature of the auroral zones, are due solely to electrostatic electron cyclotron waves. This leads us to the conclusion that these waves are not the only cause of diffuse electron precipitation. It is suggested that other mechanisms involving for instance the dynamics of the ions (such as field-aligned currents) could play an important role.
Highly efficient fluorescence detection using a simplified hollow core microstructured optical fiber

A high efficiency fluorescence measurement technology based on a simplified hollow-core microstructured optical fiber (SHMOF) and a charge-coupled device (CCD) lateral side detection approach is demonstrated. By selective injection of dye solutions into the hollow core, the input laser beam is transferred between the hollow core and the liquid core of the SHMOF, resulting in strong fluorescence stimulation. By using a CCD to detect fluorescence on the fiber's lateral side, highlighted sensitivity with dye concentrations down to 1 pM is achieved. It also provides a practical way to detect multiple signals simultaneously and distinguish between them in space.
Analysis of the dripping–jetting transition in compound capillary jets

We examine the behaviour of a compound capillary jet from the spatio-temporal linear stability analysis of the Navier–Stokes equations. We map the jetting–dripping transition in the parameter space by calculating the Weber numbers for which the convective/absolute instability transition occurs. If the remaining dimensionless parameters are set, there are two critical Weber numbers that verify Brigg's pinch criterion. The region of absolute (convective) instability corresponds to Weber numbers smaller (larger) than the highest value of those two Weber numbers. The stability map is affected significantly by the presence of the outer interface, especially for compound jets with highly viscous cores, in which the outer interface may play an important role even though it is located very far from the core. Full numerical simulations of the Navier–Stokes equations confirm the predictions of the stability analysis.
Effect of mother bonded rearing on growth, health and physiological state of Murrah buffalo calves

Abstract We investigated the effect of different types of mother-young contacts (fenceline, restricted and no contact) on the health, growth performance, behaviour and physiological state of Murrah buffalo calves. A total of 24 calves were allocated to three groups of 8: NCM (no calf–mother contact), RCM (restricted calf–mother contact) and FCM (fenceline calf–mother contact). At three months of age, the FCM calves had a higher average body weight (58.6 ± 1.5 kg) than the RCM (52.8 ± 1.3 kg) and NCM (53.6 ± 1.3 kg) calves (P < 0.05). The average daily gain (ADG) at three months of age was greater in FCM (0.6 ± 0.1 kg/d) than RCM (0.5 ± 0.1 kg/d) and NCM (0.5 ± 0.1 kg/d) calves (P < 0.05). The mean immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations were significantly greater on d 7, 28, 42 and d 56 of sampling (P < 0.05 for all comparisons) in FCM than RCM and NCM calves. The mean cortisol levels were highest in the NCM calves followed by RCM and the lowest values were observed in FCM calves on d 0, d 7, d 28, d 42 and d 56, respectively (P < 0.05, for all recorded days). The diarrhoea score and eggs per gram of faeces (EPG) were significantly greater in the NCM group compared to the RCM and FCM groups. The time spent in cross sucking, licking inanimate objects and self-licking was greatest (P < 0.05) in NCM calves, followed by RCM calves, and was almost non-existent in the FCM group on all the recorded weeks. Time spent in backward ear position was greater (P < 0.05) in FCM than RCM and NCM calves. The average time spent in forward ear position was greatest (P < 0.05) in the RCM calves followed by NCM with the lowest time observed in FCM calves. The mean duration of time spent by calves in the asymmetrical and axial ear position differed significantly (P < 0.05) among NCM, RCM and FCM calves, P < 0.05. The full and fenceline buffalo calf–mother contact system showed higher growth rates, lower levels of stress responses, oral stereotypies and eggs per gram of faeces. In addition, ear postures may be used as a dependable, and reliable measure of positive, low arousal emotional states.
Tryptophan Availability during Persistence of Chlamydia trachomatis Directly Impacts Expression of Chlamydial Cell Division Proteins

Chlamydia is an obligate intracellular pathogen with a highly reduced genome devoid of major stress response genes like relA and spoT, which mediate the stringent response. Interestingly, as an intracellular bacterium dependent on its host for nutrients and as a tryptophan (Trp) auxotroph, Chlamydia is very sensitive to Trp starvation, which is induced in vivo by the host cytokine interferon-γ. ABSTRACT Chlamydia is an obligate intracellular pathogen with a highly reduced genome devoid of major stress response genes like relA and spoT, which mediate the stringent response. Interestingly, as an intracellular bacterium dependent on its host for nutrients and as a tryptophan (Trp) auxotroph, Chlamydia is very sensitive to Trp starvation, which is induced in vivo by the host cytokine interferon-γ. In response to Trp starvation, Chlamydia enters a viable but nonreplicating state called persistence. A major characteristic of chlamydial persistence is a block in cell division. We hypothesized that cell division is blocked during persistence by the inability to translate Trp-rich cell division proteins. To test this, we first investigated the translation of various cell division proteins under Trp starvation conditions using inducible expression strains. We observed that the Trp-poor protein MurG and the Trp-neutral protein FtsL were still expressed during persistence, while the expression of the Trp-rich proteins Pbp2, RodA, FtsI/Pbp3, and MraY was significantly reduced. As proof of concept for our hypothesis, we compared expression of a wild-type and mutant isoform of RodZ in which its four Trp codons were mutated. These experiments demonstrated that decreased expression of RodZ during persistence was reversed when no Trp was present in the protein, thus directly linking its expression to its Trp content. Together, these experiments indicate that specific cell division proteins are not produced during persistence. For the first time, our data provide a mechanism that explains the inhibition of cell division during chlamydial persistence mediated by Trp starvation.
Is dieting a risk for higher weight gain in normal-weight individual? A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract While there is an increasing prevalence of dieting in the overall population, weight loss (WL) practices could be a risk factor for weight gain (WG) in normal-weight (NW) individuals. The aim of the present work was to systematically review all the studies implicating diet restriction and body weight (BW) evolution in NW people. The literature search was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021281442) and was performed in three databases from April 2021 to June 2022 for articles involving healthy NW adults. From a total of 1487 records initially identified, eighteen were selected in the systematic review. Of the eight dieting interventional studies, only one found a higher BW after weight recovery, but 75 % of them highlighted metabolic adaptations in response to WL favouring weight regain and persisting during/after BW recovery. Eight of the ten observational studies showed a relationship between dieting and major later WG, while the meta-analysis of observational studies results indicated that ‘dieters’ have a higher BW than ‘non-dieters’. However, considering the high methodological heterogeneity and the publication bias of the studies, this result should be taken with caution. Moreover, the term ‘diet’ was poorly described, and we observed a large heterogeneity of the methods used to assess dieting status. Present results suggest that dieting could be a major risk factor for WG in the long term in NW individuals. There is, however, a real need for prospective randomised controlled studies, specifically assessing the relationship between WL induced by diet and subsequent weight in this population.
Synthetic circular RNA switches and circuits that control protein expression in mammalian cells

Abstract Synthetic messenger RNA (mRNA) has been focused on as an emerging application for mRNA-based therapies and vaccinations. Recently, synthetic circular RNAs (circRNAs) have shown promise as a new class of synthetic mRNA that enables superior stability and persistent gene expression in cells. However, translational control of circRNA remained challenging. Here, we develop ‘circRNA switches’ capable of controlling protein expression from circRNA by sensing intracellular RNA or proteins. We designed microRNA (miRNA) and protein-responsive circRNA switches by inserting miRNA-binding or protein-binding sequences into untranslated regions (UTRs), or Coxsackievirus B3 Internal Ribosome Entry Site (CVB3 IRES), respectively. Engineered circRNAs efficiently expressed reporter proteins without inducing severe cell cytotoxicity and immunogenicity, and responded to target miRNAs or proteins, controlling translation levels from circRNA in a cell type-specific manner. Moreover, we constructed circRNA-based gene circuits that selectively activated translation by detecting endogenous miRNA, by connecting miRNA and protein-responsive circRNAs. The designed circRNA circuits performed better than the linear mRNA-based circuits in terms of persistent expression levels. Synthetic circRNA devices provide new insights into RNA engineering and have a potential for RNA synthetic biology and therapies.
The dopamine effect on sea urchin larvae depends on their age

Activation of the dopamine type‐D2 receptor in late gastrula of sea urchins is known to decrease the growth rate of post‐oral arms of larvae, and, as a result, the phenotype of these larvae mimics that of larvae developing in the abundance of food. Our data indicate that the effect of dopamine on sea urchin larvae is stage‐dependent. In our experiment, the early four‐armed plutei (96 hours post fertilization, hpf) of Strongylocentrotus intermedius had substantially shorter post‐oral arms if they developed from the larvae treated with dopamine at the early pluteus stage (48 hpf), when they had already formed the first dopaminergic neurons, as compared to the plutei from the larvae treated with dopamine at the mid to late gastrula stage (24 hpf), when they did not have any neurons yet. The pre‐treatment of larvae in 6‐hydroxydopamine, a neurotoxic analog of dopamine that specifically disrupts activity of dopaminergic neurons, prevented the development of the short post‐oral arms phenotype in larvae. These results confirm the assumption that dopaminergic neurons play an important role in the development of the short post‐oral arms phenotype in sea urchin larvae. Another finding of our study is that the dopamine treatment also affects the growth of the body rods and the overall larval body growth. Based on these observations, we suggest researchers to carefully select the developmental stage, pharmacological agents, and incubation time for experimental manipulation of sea urchin larvae phenotypes through dopaminergic nervous system.
Social and non-social categorisation in investment decisions and learning

Categorical processes allow us to make sense of the environment effortlessly by grouping stimuli sharing relevant features. Although these processes occur in both social and non-social contexts, motivational, affective, and epistemic factors specific to the social world may motivate individuation over categorisation of social compared with non-social stimuli. In one experiment, we tested this hypothesis by analysing the reliance on categorical versus individuating information when making investment decisions about social and non-social targets. In an adaptation of the iterative trust game, participants from three experimental groups had to predict the economic outcomes associated with either humans (i.e., social stimuli), artificial races (i.e., social-like stimuli), or artworks (i.e., non-social stimuli) to earn economic rewards. We observed that investment decisions with humans were initially biased by categorical information in the form of gender stereotypes, but later improved through an individuating learning approach. In contrast, decisions made with non-social stimuli were initially unbiased by categorical information, but the category–outcomes associations learned through repeated interactions were quickly used to categorise new targets. These results are discussed along with motivational and perceptual mechanisms involved in investment decisions and learning about social and non-social agents.
Impact of Phylogenetic Tree Completeness and Mis-specification of Sampling Fractions on Trait Dependent Diversification Models

Abstract Understanding the origins of diversity and the factors that drive some clades to be more diverse than others are important issues in evolutionary biology. Sophisticated SSE (state-dependent speciation and extinction) models provide insights into the association between diversification rates and the evolution of a trait. The empirical data used in SSE models and other methods is normally imperfect, yet little is known about how this can affect these models. Here, we evaluate the impact of common phylogenetic issues on inferences drawn from SSE models. Using simulated phylogenetic trees and trait information, we fitted SSE models to determine the effects of sampling fraction (phylogenetic tree completeness) and sampling fraction mis-specification on model selection and parameter estimation (speciation, extinction, and transition rates) under two sampling regimes (random and taxonomically biased). As expected, we found that both model selection and parameter estimate accuracies are reduced at lower sampling fractions (i.e., low tree completeness). Furthermore, when sampling of the tree is imbalanced across sub-clades and tree completeness is ≤ 60%, rates of false positives increase and parameter estimates are less accurate, compared to when sampling is random. Thus, when applying SSE methods to empirical datasets, there are increased risks of false inferences of trait dependent diversification when some sub-clades are heavily under-sampled. Mis-specifying the sampling fraction severely affected the accuracy of parameter estimates: parameter values were over-estimated when the sampling fraction was specified as lower than its true value, and under-estimated when the sampling fraction was specified as higher than its true value. Our results suggest that it is better to cautiously under-estimate sampling efforts, as false positives increased when the sampling fraction was over-estimated. We encourage SSE studies where the sampling fraction can be reasonably estimated and provide recommended best practices for SSE modeling. [Trait dependent diversification; SSE models; phylogenetic tree completeness; sampling fraction. ]
Airway reactance predicts static lung hyperinflation in severe asthma.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Static lung hyperinflation (SLH) measured by body plethysmography (Pleth) in asthma is associated with poor outcomes. The severity of SLH may be associated with small airway dysfunction (SAD), which can be measured by impulse oscillometry (IOS). This study aims to determine the correlation between SLH and SAD in patients with severe asthma and the improvement of SLH and SAD in response to treatment. METHODS We analyzed data from patients who were enrolled in the Taiwan Severe Asthma Registry, which was a prospective observational cohort. Pleth and IOS were regularly performed. The relationship between spirometric and IOS parameters was determined. Changes in the clinical outcomes in response to treatment were analyzed. RESULTS In 107 patients with severe asthma, 83 (77.6%) had SLH by increased residual volume to total lung capacity (RV/TLC) ratio. Most patients were older female with worse pulmonary function and SAD compared with those without SLH. The SAD by increased airway resistance/reactance was significantly correlated with SLH. Airway reactance at 5 Hz (X5) ≤ -0.21 [kPa/(L/s)] detected SLH with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.84 (p < 0.0001, sensitivity = 85.2%, and specificity = 83.3%). After 12 months, patients who received add-on biologics treatment had significantly reduced exacerbation, fractional exhaled nitric oxide level, blood eosinophil counts, improved forced expiratory volume in the first second, X5, and a trend of reduced RV/TLC ratio compared with those without biologics treatment. CONCLUSIONS In severe asthma, airway reactance X5 could be a novel parameter to assess SLH.
Universal Domination and Stochastic Domination—an Improved lower Bound for the Dimensionality

For a p-dimensional normal distribution with mean vector θ and covariance matrix I p , it is known that the maximum likelihood estimator of θ with p ≥ 3 is inadmissible under the squared loss. The present article considers possible extensions of the result to the case where the loss is a member of a general class of the form L(|δ − θ| Q ), where L is non decreasing, |δ − θ| Q denotes the Mahalanobis distance with respect to a given positive definite matrix Q, which, with loss of generality, may be assumed to be diagonal, i.e., Q = diag(q 1,…, q p ), q 1 = q 2 = … =q n > q n+1 ≥ … ≥q p > 0. Berk and Hwang (1989) showed that there exists an estimator stochastic dominates if p is “large enough”, and further more, for the case n = 1, they give a expression about the lower bound on p. This article further extends Brown and Hwang's result to the situation of general n ≥ 1, and We give a plain expression about the lower bound than that of Brown and Hwang's (1989).