Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced CO2 uptake is marginally offset by altered fluxes of non‐CO2 greenhouse gases in global forests and grasslands under N deposition

Despite the increasing impact of atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on terrestrial greenhouse gas (GHG) budget, through driving both the net atmospheric CO2 exchange and the emission or uptake of non‐CO2 GHGs (CH4 and N2O), few studies have assessed the climatic impact of forests and grasslands under N deposition globally based on different bottom‐up approaches. Here, we quantify the effects of N deposition on biomass C increment, soil organic C (SOC), CH4 and N2O fluxes and, ultimately, the net ecosystem GHG balance of forests and grasslands using a global comprehensive dataset. We showed that N addition significantly increased plant C uptake (net primary production) in forests and grasslands, to a larger extent for the aboveground C (aboveground net primary production), whereas it only caused a small or insignificant enhancement of SOC pool in both upland systems. Nitrogen addition had no significant effect on soil heterotrophic respiration (RH) in both forests and grasslands, while a significant N‐induced increase in soil CO2 fluxes (RS, soil respiration) was observed in grasslands. Nitrogen addition significantly stimulated soil N2O fluxes in forests (76%), to a larger extent in grasslands (87%), but showed a consistent trend to decrease soil uptake of CH4, suggesting a declined sink capacity of forests and grasslands for atmospheric CH4 under N enrichment. Overall, the net GHG balance estimated by the net ecosystem production‐based method (forest, 1.28 Pg CO2‐eq year−1 vs. grassland, 0.58 Pg CO2‐eq year−1) was greater than those estimated using the SOC‐based method (forest, 0.32 Pg CO2‐eq year−1 vs. grassland, 0.18 Pg CO2‐eq year−1) caused by N addition. Our findings revealed that the enhanced soil C sequestration by N addition in global forests and grasslands could be only marginally offset (1.5%–4.8%) by the combined effects of its stimulation of N2O emissions together with the reduced soil uptake of CH4.
Synergistic Effects of Phase Folding and Wavelet Denoising with Applications in Light Curve Analysis

Abstract : The growing size of cosmological data sets is causing the current human-centric approach to cosmology to become impractical. Autonomous data analysis techniques need to be developed in order to advance the field of cosmology. This research examines the benefits of combining two signal analysis techniques, namely phase folding and wavelet denoising, into a newly-developed suite of autonomous light curve analysis tools which includes aspects of component extraction and period detection. The improvements these tools provide, with respect to autonomy and signal quality, are demonstrated using both simulated and real-world light curve data. Although applied to light curve data, the suite of tools developed in this dissertation are advantageous to the processing, modeling, or extractions to any periodic signal analysis.
Investigating Schwarz domain decomposition based preconditioners for efficient geophysical electromagnetic field simulation

In this thesis, I researched and implemented a number of Schwarz domain decomposition algorithms with the intent of finding an efficient method to solve the geophysical EM problem. I began by using finite difference and finite element discretizations to investigate the domain decomposition algorithms for the Poisson problem. I found that the Schwarz methods were best used as a preconditioner to a Krylov iteration. The optimized Schwarz (OS) preconditioner outperformed the related restricted additive Schwarz (RAS) preconditioner and both of the local and global OS fixed point iterations. Using finite differences the OS preconditioner performed much better than the RAS preconditioner, but using finite element in parallel with the FEniCS assembly library, their performance was similar. The FEniCS library automatically partitions the global mesh into subdomains and produces irregular partition boundaries. By creating a serial rectangular subdomain code in FEniCS, I regained the benefit of the OS preconditioner, suggesting that the irregular partitioning scheme was detrimental to the convergence behaviour of the OS preconditioner. Based on my work for the Poisson problem, I decided to attempt both a RAS and OS preconditioned GMRES iteration for the electromagnetic problem. Due to the unstructured meshes and source/receiver refinement used in EM modelling I could not avoid the irregular mesh partitioning, and the OS preconditioner lagged the RAS preconditioner in terms of iteration count. On the bright side, the RAS preconditioner worked very well, and outperformed any of the preconditioners bundled with PETSc in terms of both iteration count and time to solution.
The Senior Companion Program Plus for African American Caregivers of Persons With Alzheimer Disease and Related Dementias: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Background Alzheimer disease and related dementias (ADRD) pose significant challenges as chronic health conditions in the United States. Additionally, there are notable disparities in the diagnosis and prevalence of ADRD among diverse populations. Specifically, African American populations have a higher risk of developing late-onset ADRD than White people, and missed diagnoses of ADRD are more common among older African American populations than older White populations. These disparities also impact African American ADRD family caregivers. Objective The overall goal of this project is to develop a culturally informed, lay provider psychoeducational intervention named Senior Companion Program Plus (SCP Plus), which is specifically designed for African American ADRD caregivers and is potentially accessible, affordable, and sustainable. Methods In the proposed explanatory sequential mixed methods study, a randomized controlled trial will be used that includes 114 African American family caregivers of a relative with ADRD who will participate in the 3-month SCP Plus program. Results The study was funded on September 15, 2018, by the National Institutes of Health (1R15AG058182-01A1). Data collection began on May 16, 2019, but due to COVID-19 restrictions, ended 12 months into the planned 27-month recruitment period on March 31, 2023. The study was completed in June 30, 2023, and currently the results are being analyzed. Conclusions The SCP Plus offers promise as an intervention that utilizes an existing platform for the delivery of a lay provider intervention and offers a novel approach for addressing gaps in accessible, community-based support for caregivers of people with ADRD. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03602391; https://classic.clinicaltrials. gov/ct2/show/NCT03602391 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/49679
A unified 3D model for an interaction mechanism of the plasma arc, weld pool and keyhole in plasma arc welding

A 3D model is developed to perform numerical investigation on the coupled interaction mechanism of the plasma arc, weld pool and keyhole in plasma arc welding. By considering the traveling of the plasma arc along the welding direction, unified governing equations are solved in the whole domain including the torch, plasma arc, keyhole, weld pool and workpiece, which involves different physical mechanisms in different zones. The local thermodynamic equilibrium-diffusion approximation is used to treat the interface between the plasma arc and weld pool, and the volume-of-fluid method is used to track the evolution of the keyhole wall. The interaction effects between the plasma arc, keyhole and weld pool as well as the heat, mass and pressure transport phenomena in the whole welding domain are quantitatively simulated. It is found that when the torch is moving along the joint line, the axis of the keyhole channel tilts backward, and the envelope of molten metal surrounding the keyhole wall inside the weld pool is unsymmetrical relative to the keyhole channel. The plasma arc welding tests are conducted, and the predicted keyhole dimensions and the fusion zone shape are in agreement with the experimentally measured results.
Multi-weighted automata models and quantitative logics

Gewichtete Automaten und Zeitautomaten sind prominente Modelle für quantitative Aspekte der Informationssysteme wie Zeit, Kosten, Wahrscheinlichkeit und Energieverbrauch. Gewichtete Automaten finden Anwendungen in den Gebieten der Bildverarbeitung, Spracherkennung und Verifikation der probabilistischen Systeme. Zeitau tomaten sind von großer Bedeutung für die Analyse von Echtzeitsystemen. Zusammengesetzte Automaten wie multi-gewichtete und Keller-Zeitautomaten haben vor kurzem viel Aufmerksamkeit für die quantitative Analyse und Modellierung von Informationssystemen erhalten. Multi-gewichtete Zeitautomaten erweitern die klassischen Zeitautomaten um einen oder mehrere Gewichtsparameter. Dies ermöglicht, Situationen wie optimales Verhältnis zwischen verschiedenen Kostparametern oder optimalen Verbrauch von mehreren Ressourcen unter Verbrauchseinschränkungen zu beschreiben. Multi-gewichtete Erweiterungen von klassischen endlichen Automaten haben ebenfalls Interesse vieler Forscher geweckt. Keller-Zeitautomaten sind ein Beispiel eines hybriden Modells, das Kellerautomaten für kontextfreie Sprachen mit Zeitautomaten zusammensetzt. Diese Automaten dienen als Modell zur Verifikation von rekursiven Echtzeitsystemen.
Don't hide the instruction manual: A dynamic trade-off between using internal and external templates during visual search

Visual search is typically studied by requiring participants to memorize a template initially, for which they subsequently search in a crowded display. Search in daily life, however, often involves templates that remain accessible externally, and may therefore be (re)attended for just-in-time encoding or to refresh internal template representations. Here, we show that participants indeed use external templates during search when given the chance. This behavior was observed during both simple and complex search, scaled with task difficulty, and was associated with improved performance. Furthermore, we show that participants used external sampling not only to offload memory, but also as a means of verifying whether the template was remembered correctly at the end of trials. We conclude that the external world may not only provide the challenge (e.g., distractors), but may dynamically ease search. These results argue for extensions of state-of-the-art models of search, because external sampling seems to be used frequently, in at least two ways and is actually beneficial for task performance. Our findings support a model of visual working memory that emphasizes a resource-efficient trade-off between storing and (re)attending external information.
Concentration of inverted repeats along human DNA

Abstract This work aims to describe the observed enrichment of inverted repeats in the human genome; and to identify and describe, with detailed length profiles, the regions with significant and relevant enriched occurrence of inverted repeats. The enrichment is assessed and tested with a recently proposed measure (z-scores based measure). We simulate a genome using an order 7 Markov model trained with the data from the real genome. The simulated genome is used to establish the critical values which are used as decision thresholds to identify the regions with significant enriched concentrations. Several human genome regions are highly enriched in the occurrence of inverted repeats. This is observed in all the human chromosomes. The distribution of inverted repeat lengths varies along the genome. The majority of the regions with severely exaggerated enrichment contain mainly short length inverted repeats. There are also regions with regular peaks along the inverted repeats lengths distribution (periodic regularities) and other regions with exaggerated enrichment for long lengths (less frequent). However, adjacent regions tend to have similar distributions.
The Effect of Downhill Running on Quadriceps Muscle in Growth-Restricted Mice

ABSTRACT Introduction Growth restriction (GR) reduces ribosome abundance and skeletal muscle mass in mice. A reduction in skeletal muscle mass increases the risk of frailty and is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. As eccentric type exercise increases muscle mass, this investigation aimed to determine if eccentric loading of skeletal muscle via downhill running (DHR) increased muscle mass in GR mice. Methods Mice were growth-restricted either gestational undernutrition (GUN, n = 8 litters), postnatal undernutrition (PUN, n = 8 litters), or were not restricted (CON, n = 8 litters) via a validated cross-fostering nutritive model. On postnatal day (PN) 21, all mice were weaned to a healthy diet, isolating the period of GR to early life as seen in humans. At PN45, mice were assigned to either a DHR (CON, n = 4 litters; GUN, n = 4 litters; PUN, n = 4 litters) or sedentary (SED: CON, n = 4 litters; GUN, n = 4 litters; PUN, n = 4 litters) group. Downhill running (16% decline: 18 m·min−1) was performed in 30-min bouts, three times per week, for 12 wk on a rodent treadmill. At PN129, the quadriceps femoris was dissected and evaluated for mass, myofiber size and type, and molecular markers of growth. Results Following training, CON-DHR mice having larger cells than CON-SED, GUN-SED, PUN-SED, and PUN-DHR mice (P < 0.05). The PUN group (as compared with CON) had reduced body mass (P < 0.001), upstream binding factor abundance (P = 0.012), phosphor-mTOR (P < 0.001), and quadriceps mass (P = 0.02). The GUN and PUN groups had increased MuRF1 abundance (P < 0.001) compared with CON (P < 0.001). Conclusions The blunted response to training suggests GR mice may have anabolic resistance when exposed to eccentric type exercise.
Deacetylation via SIRT2 prevents keratin-mutation-associated injury and keratin aggregation

Keratin (K) and other intermediate filament (IF) protein mutations at conserved arginines disrupt keratin filaments into aggregates and cause human epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS; K14-R125C) or predispose to mouse liver injury (K18-R90C). The challenge for more than 70 IF-associated diseases is the lack of clinically utilized IF-targeted therapies. We used high-throughput drug screening to identify compounds that normalized mutation-triggered keratin filament disruption. Parthenolide, a plant sesquiterpene lactone, dramatically reversed keratin filament disruption and protected cells and mice expressing K18-R90C from apoptosis. K18-R90C became hyperacetylated compared with K18-WT and treatment with parthenolide normalized K18 acetylation. Parthenolide upregulated the NAD-dependent SIRT2, and increased SIRT2-keratin association. SIRT2 knockdown or pharmacologic inhibition blocked the parthenolide effect, while site-specific Lys-to-Arg mutation of keratin acetylation sites normalized K18-R90C filaments. Treatment of K18-R90C–expressing cells and mice with nicotinamide mononucleotide had a parthenolide-like protective effect. In 2 human K18 variants that associate with human fatal drug-induced liver injury, parthenolide protected K18-D89H– but not K8-K393R–induced filament disruption and cell death. Importantly, parthenolide normalized K14-R125C–mediated filament disruption in keratinocytes and inhibited dispase-triggered keratinocyte sheet fragmentation and Fas-mediated apoptosis. Therefore, keratin acetylation may provide a novel therapeutic target for some keratin-associated diseases.
Molecular Detection of Orthohantavirus puumalaense in Plasma and Urine Samples from Hospitalized Patients Presenting with a Serologically Confirmed Acute Hantavirus Infection in France

Molecular detection of Orthohantavirus puumalaense (PUUV) RNA during the course of the disease has been studied in blood of patients in Sweden and Slovenia. The use of urine has been poorly investigated. ABSTRACT Molecular detection of Orthohantavirus puumalaense (PUUV) RNA during the course of the disease has been studied in blood of patients in Sweden and Slovenia. The use of urine has been poorly investigated. The aims of this work were to study PUUV RNA detection in plasma from a cohort of patients in France where a different PUUV lineage circulates and to assess the use of urine instead of plasma. Matched plasma and urine samples were collected daily from hospitalized patients presenting with fever, pain, and thrombocytopenia within the last 8 days and testing positive for IgM and IgG against PUUV in serum collected at inclusion and/or approximately 1 month after release. RNA was extracted from samples, and PUUV RNA was detected using real-time reverse transcription-PCR for plasma and urine samples. Sixty-seven patients presented a serologically confirmed acute hantavirus infection. At inclusion, PUUV RNA was detected in plasma from 55 of 62 patients (88.7%) sampled within the first week after disease onset, whereas it was detected in 15 of 60 (25.0%) of matched urine samples. It was then detected from 33 (71.7%) and 2 (4.4%) of 46 patients discharged from the hospital during the second week after disease onset, in plasma and urine, respectively. When PUUV RNA was detected in urine it was also detected in plasma, and not vice versa. Detection of PUUV RNA in plasma from hospitalized patients in France is similar to that observed in Sweden and Slovenia. Urine is not an appropriate sample for this detection.
“Care About us First”: Israeli Youths’ Perspectives on Child Neglect

Child neglect is considered the most common form of child maltreatment with severe implications for children’s development. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of scholarly literature examining child neglect, possibly stemming from a lack of consistent definition. The current qualitative study addresses this gap by aiming to understand the phenomena of child neglect from the direct perspective of youth from the general population, a perspective that has so far barely been considered. Data were collected by 10 focus groups conducted among multicultural youth aged 12 to 15 years in the north of Israel. The qualitative-thematic analysis generated three main themes, each including several subthemes: (a) experience of neglectful behavior (lack of parental care, lack of parental priority, dynamics of blaming the child, rejection, and relinquishment of the child); (b) instrumental characteristics of neglect (lack of material and financial investment in the child, expressions of neglect in providing food and nutrition, poor appearance and hygiene of the child and home); (c) lack of parental involvement (lack of parental guidance, lack of communication and availability, lack of presence in the child’s life). The perspectives of the Israeli youth resembled existing conceptualizations of child neglect. The youth also added a new dimension to the conceptualizations in their focus on the emotional context involved in the range of neglectful behaviors they described. This new conceptualization of child neglect is discussed together with some suggestions for how it can inform better professional practice.
Implementing outcomes-based risk-sharing agreements: an integrative review of applications in blood cancer in the UK and beyond

ABSTRACT Introduction Outcomes-based risk-sharing agreements (OBRSA) have been increasingly used worldwide to manage uncertainty in value assessments. This review aimed to summarize motivations, barriers, and facilitators to implementing OBRSAs with a specific focus on therapies for hematological cancer. Areas covered An integrative review was conducted based on a scoping of existing reviews on the topic and reports published by UK NICE. Findings from 16 articles and 10 reports were summarized and categorized into three themes: applications in blood cancer drugs, motivations for adoption, and barriers and facilitators to implementation. Expert opinion There was a dissociation between the theoretical basis for opting for OBRSAs, and reasons stated or inferred from practice. The administrative burden was considered a notable barrier to implementation, which affects not only payers and manufacturers but also healthcare providers. Effective stakeholder engagement and building mutual trust among key groups were identified as factors enabling successful implementation. The review raises essential considerations in implementing OBRSAs and implications for their future role, particularly for blood cancer drugs where uncertainty is rife. Carefully designed and managed schemes may remain an option for health systems to manage risks involved when funding high-cost treatments.
Phonological and morphological literacy skills in English and Chinese: A cross‐linguistic neuroimaging comparison of Chinese–English bilingual and monolingual English children

Abstract Over the course of literacy development, children learn to recognize word sounds and meanings in print. Yet, they do so differently across alphabetic and character‐based orthographies such as English and Chinese. To uncover cross‐linguistic influences on children's literacy, we asked young Chinese–English simultaneous bilinguals and English monolinguals (N = 119, ages 5–10) to complete phonological and morphological awareness (MA) literacy tasks. Children completed the tasks in the auditory modality in each of their languages during functional near‐infrared spectroscopy neuroimaging. Cross‐linguistically, comparisons between bilinguals' two languages revealed that the task that was more central to reading in a given orthography, such as phonological awareness (PA) in English and MA in Chinese, elicited less activation in the left inferior frontal and parietal regions. Group comparisons between bilinguals and monolinguals in English, their shared language of academic instruction, revealed that the left inferior frontal was less active during phonology but more active during morphology in bilinguals relative to monolinguals. MA skills are generally considered to have greater language specificity than PA skills. Bilingual literacy training in a skill that is maximally similar across languages, such as PA, may therefore yield greater automaticity for this skill, as reflected in the lower activation in bilinguals relative to monolinguals. This interpretation is supported by negative correlations between proficiency and brain activation. Together, these findings suggest that both the structural characteristics and literacy experiences with a given language can exert specific influences on bilingual and monolingual children's emerging brain networks for learning to read.
Single-phase grounding fault location method based on iteration thought for double circuit transmission lines

There is strong electromagnetic coupling in DCTL (double circuit transmission lines on the same tower), especially strong zero-sequence mutual inductance, which leads to the fact that the fault location error of the single-ended single-circuit line configuration for distance protection is large. The existing method, which cannot fundamentally eliminate the influence of zero-sequence mutual inductance of adjacent lines, estimates the zero-sequence current of adjacent lines instead of collecting voltage and current of adjacent lines directly. Therefore, a single-phase grounding fault location method for DCTL that based on Newton iteration thought is proposed. This method uses Newton iteration method to improve the zero-sequence current estimation accuracy of adjacent lines, and the location of single-phase grounding fault can be calculated accurately only by using the electric quantities of single circuit line. The PSCAD/EMTDC simulation verifies the effectiveness of the method.