Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and safety of pan retinal photocoagulation combined with intravitreal anti-VEGF agents for high-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: High-risk proliferative diabetic retinopathy (HR-PDR) is the advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy progression with poor prior treatment efficacy and high rates of blindness. This meta-analysis aims to compare the efficacy and safety of pan retinal photocoagulation (PRP) combined with intravitreal anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (aVEGF) (PRP + aVEGF) versus PRP monotherapy in HR-PDR patients. Methods: A thorough search was performed through PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and the Cochran Library from inception to December 18, 2022. Outcome measures included change in central macular thickness, best-corrected visual acuity, fluorescein angiography, incidence of undergoing vitrectomy, and adverse events during the follow-up period. Results: Eight studies (6 randomized controlled trials and 2 retrospective studies) with 375 eyes were included in this meta-analysis. There were no obvious differences in the changes of best-corrected visual acuity and fluorescein angiography between the PRP + aVEGF and PRP monotherapy groups. However, PRP + aVEGF group had a significant reduction in the change of central macula thickness (standard mean deviations = −1.44, 95%CI = −2.55 to −0.32, P = .01) and the rate of undergoing vitrectomy (odds ratio = 0.20, 95%CI = 0.05–0.83, P = .01). Additionally, the risks of vitreous hemorrhage and other complications were not significantly different between the 2 groups. Conclusion subsections: Our meta-analysis indicated that PRP + aVEGF might have potential benefits in the treatment of HR-PDR patients. However, given several limitations of this study, more research is needed to confirm our findings.
The efficacy of different nimodipine administration route for treating subarachnoid hemorrhage: A network meta-analysis

Background: A systematic review and network meta-analysis (NMA) were conducted to explore the optimal administration route of nimodipine for treatment subarachnoid hemorrhage. Methods: Electronic databases (Pubmed, Embase, Web of Science and Cochrane databases) were systematically searched to identify randomized controlled trials evaluating different administration route of nimodipine (intravenous and enteral) versus placebo for treatment subarachnoid hemorrhage. Outcomes included case fatality at 3 months, poor outcome measured at 3 months (defined as death, vegetative state, or severe disability), incidence of delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI), delayed ischemic neurological deficit. A random-effect Bayesian NMA was conducted for outcomes of interest, and results were presented as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% credible intervals. The NMA was performed using R Software with a GeMTC package. A Bayesian NMA was performed and relative ranking of agents was assessed using surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) probabilities. Results: Nine randomized controlled trials met criteria for inclusion and finally included in this NMA. There was no statistically significant between intravenous and enteral in terms of case fatality, the occurrence of DCI, delayed ischemic neurologic deficit and poor outcomes (P > .05). Both intravenous and enteral could reduce case fatality, the occurrence of DCI, delayed ischemic neurologic deficit and poor outcomes (P < .05). The SUCRA shows that enteral ranked first, intravenous ranked second and placebo ranked the last for case fatality, the occurrence of DCI and poor outcomes. The SUCRA shows that intravenous ranked first, enteral ranked second and placebo ranked the last for delayed ischemic neurologic deficit. Conclusions: It is possible that both enteral and intravenous nimodipine have comparable effectiveness in preventing poor outcomes, DCI, and delayed ischemic neurological deficits. However, further investigation may be necessary to determine the exact role of intravenous nimodipine in current clinical practice.
Associations between non-coding RNAs genetic polymorphisms with ovarian cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis update with trial sequential analysis

Background: This systemic review and meta-analysis seeks to systematically analyze and summarize the association between non-coding RNA polymorphisms and ovarian cancer risk. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science and CNKI for available articles on non-coding RNA polymorphisms in patients with ovarian cancer from inception to March 1, 2023. The quality of each study included in the meta-analysis was rated according to the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Odds ratios (ORs) with their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were used to assess associations. Chi-square Q-test combined with inconsistency index (I2) was used to test for heterogeneity among studies. Lastly, trial sequential analysis (TSA) software was used to verify the reliability of meta-analysis results, and in-silico miRNA expression were also performed. The meta-analysis was registered with PROSPERO (No. CRD42023422091). Results: A total of 17 case-control studies with 18 SNPs were selected, including 2 studies with H19 rs2107425 and HOTAIR rs4759314, and 5 studies with miR-146a rs2910164 and miR-196a rs11614913. Significant associations were found between H19 rs2107425, miR-146a rs2910164, and miR-196a rs11614913 and ovarian cancer risk. Three genetic models of H19 rs2107425 (CT vs TT (heterozygote model): OR = 1.36, 95% CI = 1.22–1.52, P < . 00001; CC + CT vs TT (dominant model): OR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.02–1.24, P = . 02; and CC vs CT + TT (recessive model): OR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.16–1.31, P < . 00001), 2 genetic models of miR-146a rs2910164 (allele model: OR = 1.75, 95% CI = 1.05–2.91, P = .03; and heterozygote model: OR = 0.33, 95% CI = 0.11–0.98, P = .05), 3 genetic models of miR-196a rs11614913 (allele model: OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.59–0.82, P < .0001; dominant model: OR = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.18–2.24, P = .0001; and recessive model: OR = 0.70, 95% CI = 0.57–0.87, P = .03) were statistically linked to ovarian cancer risk. Subgroup analysis for miR-146a rs2910164 was performed according to ethnicity. No association was found in any genetic model. The outcomes of TSA also validated the findings of this meta-analysis. Conclusion: This study summarizes that H19 rs2107425, miR-146a rs2910164, and miR-196a rs11614913 polymorphisms are significantly linked with the risk of ovarian cancer, and moreover, large-scale and well-designed studies are needed to validate our result.
Relationships between the trace element composition of sedimentary rocks and upper continental crust

Estimates of the average composition of various Precambrian shields and a variety of estimates of the average composition of upper continental crust show considerable disagreement for a number of trace elements, including Ti, Nb, Ta, Cs, Cr, Ni, V, and Co. For these elements and others that are carried predominantly in terrigenous sediment, rather than in solution (and ultimately into chemical sediment), during the erosion of continents the La/element ratio is relatively uniform in clastic sediments. Since the average rare earth element (REE) pattern of terrigenous sediment is widely accepted to reflect the upper continental crust, such correlations provide robust estimates of upper crustal abundances for these trace elements directly from the sedimentary data. Suggested revisions to the upper crustal abundances of Taylor and McLennan [1985] are as follows (all in parts per million): Sc = 13.6, Ti = 4100, V = 107, Cr = 83, Co = 17, Ni = 44, Nb = 12, Cs = 4.6, Ta = 1.0, and Pb = 17. The upper crustal abundances of Rb, Zr, Ba, Hf, and Th were also directly reevaluated and K, U, and Rb indirectly evaluated (by assuming Th/U, K/U, and K/Rb ratios), and no revisions are warranted for these elements. In the models of crustal composition proposed by Taylor and McLennan [1985] the lower continental crust (75% of the entire crust) is determined by subtraction of the upper crust (25%) from a model composition for the bulk crust, and accordingly, these changes also necessitate revisions to lower crustal abundances for these elements.
Ambivalent journey : U.S. migration and economic mobility in north-central Mexico

The changing political and economic relationships between Mexico and the United States, and the concurrent U.S. debate over immigration policy and practice, demand new data on migration and its economic effects. In this innovative study, Richard C. Jones analyzes migration patterns from two subregions of north-central Mexico, Coahuila and Zacatecas, to the United States. He analyzes and contrasts the characteristics of the two migrant populations and interprets the economic impacts of migration upon both home of migration upon both home areas. Jones's findings refute some common assumptions about Mexican migration while providing a strong model for further research. Jones's study focuses on the ways in which U.S. migration affects the lives of families in these two subregions. Migrants from Zacatecas have traditionally come from rural areas and have gone to California and Illinois. Migrants from Coahuila, on the other hand, usually come from urban areas and have almost exclusively preferred locations in nearby Texas. The different motivations of both groups for migrating, and the different economic and social effects upon their home areas realized by migrating, form the core of this book. The comparison also lends the book its uniqueness, since no other study has made such an in-depth comparison of two areas. Jones addresses the basic dichotomy of structuralists (who maintain that dependency and disinvestment are the rule for families and communities in sending areas) and functionalists (who believe that autonomy and reinvestment are the case of migrants and their families in home regions). Jones finds that much of the primary literature is based on uneven and largely outdated data that leans heavily on two sending states, Jalisco and Michoacan. His fresh analysis shows that communities and regions of Mexico, rather than families only, account for differing migration patterns and differing social and economic results of these patterns. Jones's study will be of value not only to scholars and practitioners working in the field of Mexican migration, but also, for its innovative methodology, to anthropologists, sociologists, political scientists, and historians whose interests include human migration patterns in any part of the world
Fertility and Irrigation Effects on ‘Temple’ Orange. II. Fruit Quality 1

Increased N and K rates resulted in higher acid content in juice of ‘Temple’ orange (Citrus hybrid). P fertilization lowered both soluble solids and acid contents, but the influence on acid was more pronounced as it was reflected in higher soluble solids-acid ratio. High N vs. low N treatment also caused a small but consistent reduction in juice content. Spring irrigation resulted in higher soluble solids content than fall irrigation. N treat­ ments decreased and K treatments increased both fruit size and weight; irrigation treatments showed no consis­ tent trends. High N and spring irrigation treatments caused increased intensity of orange color in rind. Incidence of creased fruit was increased by high N, low K, and spring irrigation treatments. No consistent trends were found in fruit storage decay with grove treatments and the data were significant only in certain years. Temple’ is an excellent eating orange and is produced pri­ marily for fresh fruit market. It has relatively high juice acid content and it usually will not meet minimum maturity stand­ ards until Jan. — Feb. Frequently ‘Temple’ oranges are at their prime externally but the juice will not meet the minimum maturity standard. It would be desirable if maturity can be hastened so fruit can be harvested at their prime both in­ ternally and externally and thus extend the season.
Experimental investigation of impacts by solar cell secondary ejecta on silica aerogel and aluminum foil: Implications for the Stardust Interstellar Dust Collector

Abstract– We have shown in laboratory experiment that hypervelocity impacts on a solar cell produce ejecta that can be captured on aluminum (Al 1100) foil or in low density (33 kg m−3) aerogel. The origin of the secondary impacts can be determined by either analysis of the residue in the craters in the foils (which preserve an elemental signature of the solar cell components) or by their pointing direction for tracks in the aerogel (which we show align with the impact direction to ± 0.4°). This experimental evidence explains the observations of the NASA Stardust mission which has reported that the majority of tracks in the aerogel collector used to collect interstellar dust actually point at the spacecraft’s solar panels. From our results, we suggest that it should also be possible to recognize secondary ejecta craters in the Stardust mission aluminum foils, also used as dust sampling devices during the mission.
On the formation and persistence of subvisible cirrus clouds near the tropical tropopause

We have used a detailed cirrus cloud model to evaluate the physical processes responsible for the formation and persistence of subvisible cirrus near the tropical tropopause and the apparent absence of these clouds at midlatitudes. We find that two distinct formation mechanisms are viable. Energetic tropical cumulonimbus clouds transport large amounts of ice water to the upper troposphere and generate extensive cirrus outflow anvils. Ice crystals with radii larger than 10 – 20 μm should precipitate out of these anvils within a few hours, leaving behind an optically thin layer of small ice crystals (τvis ≃ 0.01 – 0.2, depending upon the initial ice crystal size distribution). Given the long lifetimes of the clouds, wind shear is probably responsible for the observed cloud thickness ≤1 km. Ice crystals can also be generated in situ by slow, synoptic scale uplift of a humid layer. Given the very low temperatures at the tropical tropopause (≃−85°C), synoptic-scale uplift can generate the moderate ice supersaturations (less than 10%) required for homogeneous freezing of sulfuric acid aerosols. In addition, simulations suggest that relatively large ice crystal number densities should be generated (more than 0.5 cm−3). The numerous crystals cannot grow larger than about 10–20 μm given the available vapor, and their low fall velocities will allow them to remain in the narrow supersaturated region for at least a day. The absorption of infrared radiation in the thin cirrus results in heating rates on the order of a few K per day. If this energy drives local parcel temperature change, the cirrus will dissipate within several hours. However, if the absorbed radiative energy drives lifting of the cloud layer, the vertical wind speed will be about 0.2 cm-s−1, and the cloud may persist for days with very little change in optical or microphysical properties. The fact that these clouds form most frequently over the tropical western Pacific is probably related (through the nucleation physics) to the very low tropopause temperatures in this region. Simulations using midlatitude tropopause temperatures near −65°C suggest that at the higher temperatures, fewer ice crystals nucleate, resulting in more rapid crystal growth and cloud dissipation by precipitation. Hence, the lifetime of thin cirrus formed near the midlatitude tropopause should be limited to a few hours after the synoptic-scale system that initiated cloud formation has passed.
-gravity in the context of dark energy with power law expansion and energy conditions

The objective of this work is to generate a general formalism of gravity in the context of dark energy under the framework of K-essence emergent geometry with the Dirac-Born-Infeld (DBI) variety of action, where is the familiar Ricci scalar, is the DBI type non-canonical Lagrangian with , and ϕ is the K-essence scalar field. The emergent gravity metric ( ) and the well known gravitational metric ( ) are not conformally equivalent. We have constructed a modified field equation using the metric formalism in -gravity incorporating the corresponding Friedmann equations into the framework of the background gravitational metric, which is of Friedmann-Lemaître-Robertson-Walker (FLRW) type. The solution of the modified Friedmann equations have been deduced for the specific choice of , which is of Starobinsky-type, using the power law expansion method. The consistency of the model with the accelerating phase of the universe has been shown when we restrict ourselves to consider the value of the dark energy density as , which indicates that the present universe is dark-energy dominated. Graphical plots for the energy density (ρ), pressure (p), and equation of state parameter ( ) with respect to (w.r.t.) time (t) based on parametric values are interestingly consistent with the dark energy domination theory, and hence the accelerating features. We also highlight the corresponding energy conditions and constraints of the theory with a basic example.
Detail-preserving image recovery based on respective restoration on phase and amplitude

This paper firstly improves D.L. Plillips's representation about image restoration and then points out that image restoration is just a 'partial ill-posed' problem rather than a 'total ill-posed' problem---amplitude restoration is ill-posed but phase restoration is well-posed. Basing on the viewpoints, the paper proposes a restoration method, which cuts down phase-pollution caused by traditional regularization methods, that amplitude restoration is realized by regularization and phase restoration is achieved by algebraic method. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method performs well. It can efficiently restore image phase and elaborately preserve image details.
Palynological approach in upper Quaternary terrestrial carbonates of central Italy: Anything but a ‘mission impossible’

A palynological survey has been carried out on two late Quaternary travertine s.l. deposits of central Italy at Serre di Rapolano and Bagnoli (Tuscany region). The principal aim was to improve the understanding of factors that affect the accumulation and preservation of pollen grains in thermal (i.e. travertine) and ambient temperature (i.e. calcareous tufa) terrestrial carbonates. For this purpose, 52 526 pollen grains belonging to 118 pollen taxa from local to extra‐regional sources were analysed in 200 samples from different travertine and calcareous tufa lithofacies. Of these, 97 samples, generally from thermal travertines, were barren in palynomorphs. By contrast, pollen grains in the remaining samples were well‐preserved and did not show differential preservation features. These observations suggest that the pH of the solutions from which travertine or tufa precipitate is not a limiting factor in causing corrosion and/or destruction of pollen grains. Rather, the barrenness recorded in many samples appears to reflect a paucity of pollen rather than post‐depositional destruction. Results suggest that the depositional energy of the environment during the deposition of travertine plays an important role in controlling pollen concentration, as verified in both depressions (lower energy to higher pollen concentration) and slopes (higher energy to lower pollen concentration), respectively. Analysis of pollen data suggests that relatively high depositional temperatures and rates of carbonate deposition are also major limiting factors for efficient accumulation of pollen grains. Results of this study reveal that understanding pollen taphonomy processes in travertine and calcareous tufa is critical to developing accurate palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic reconstructions.
Continuum Bed Model for Estuarine Sediments Based on Nonlinear Consolidation Theory

The goal of this note is to examine a continuum theory that describes the evolution of sediment beds when subjected to time-dependent shearing forces resulting from surface water movement. The bed was conceptualized as a medium with continuously varying properties such as shear strength and void ratio. The nonlinear equation describing finite strain consolidation, and the complicated nature of the shearing forces acting on top of the bed, preclude the possibility of analytical solutions. Ramifications of linearizing the governing flow equations were explicitly evaluated for applications in bed modeling. Numerical solutions were obtained for the linear and nonlinear models under transient boundary conditions. Model results indicated that the linear model typically predicts lower void ratios, and consequently underestimates the amounts of sediment eroded from the bed as compared to the nonlinear model.
Porosity and lithology prediction at Caballos Formation in the Puerto Colón Oil Field in Putumayo (Colombia)

At a given pressure and temperature, differences in the velocities of propagation of P- and S-waves in rocks can indicate differences in various properties of the rocks, including porosity, lithological composition, and the fluids occupying the pore space. In the absence of direct S-wave observations, we study the response of interfaces between rock units to wavefronts with different angles of incidence to infer changes in S-wave velocities. We have used modern techniques of seismic inversion that involve P- and S-impedance estimation from various angle stacks to estimate the rock properties.
Laminated sediments from the oxygen-minimum zone of the northeastern Arabian Sea

Abstract Holocene and late Pleistocene hemipelagic muds with fine, mm-scale laminations were discovered during the International Indian Ocean Expedition (IIOE) 30 years ago in the northeastern Arabian Sea, where an expanded mid-water oxygen-minimum zone (OMZ) impinges on the continental slope and prevents bioturbation. In 1993, R.V. Sonne revisited Pakistani waters in order to study in more detail the complex interactions between surface and deep water hydrography, productivity and terrigenous input which form and preserve organic-rich sediments. Laminated sediments frequently occur along the Indian-Pakistani continental margin between 300 and 900 m water depth. The zone of high organic carbon contents roughly coincides with the depth of the present OMZ (200–1200 m water depth). However, resedimentation processes influence the character of sediment laminae and the distribution of organic carbon in the slope sediments. Microscopic and SEM studies suggest that the lamination may be due to the seasonal changes of surface productivity and to the lateral supply of fine-grained sediment. We infer that the OMZ must have varied considerably in space and time. This is documented by the distinct, possibly cyclic alternations of dark-coloured, organic-carbon-rich, laminated intervals with light-coloured, carbonate-rich, bioturbated sedimentary sequences, reflecting variations between anoxic to suboxic and oxic bottom water conditions.
THE THIRD KURAYOSI EXPLOSION AND THE CRUSTAL STRUCTURE IN THE WESTERN PART OF JAPAN

The third Kurayosi explosion was fired by the Research Group for Explosion Seismology on November 21, 1970 in order to detect the seismic waves reflected from deep crustal boundaries. Very clear reflected waves from the Conrad discontinuity were recorded by the instrument for seismic prospecting (E.T.L. recorder). There was also weak indication of the reflection from the Mohorovicic discontinuity in the records obtained at closely spaced temporary observation points equipped with FM data recorders at the shot distance of about 100km. On the basis of these results, a revision was made for the previous model. The crustal thickness obtained is about 35km and the Pn velocity, about 7.8km/sec.