Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transmission Control Considering Different Available Channels for CRDSA/IRSA in Satellite IoT Systems

In satellite Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems using the 920-MHz band Low Power Wide Area, available channels for each terminal are limited to avoid interference with terrestrial networks. Since this limitation depends on the location of the terminal, the available channels are different, resulting in throughput degradation. This paper proposes a transmission control scheme that reduces throughput degradation due to different available channels in the Contention Resolution Diversity Slotted ALOHA (CRDSA)/Irregular-Repetition Slotted ALOHA (IRSA) system. The proposed transmission control uses constraints that consider the characteristics of CRDSA/IRSA, as well as an objective function that considers fairness of throughput among terminals. Under these constraints and objective function, the transmission probability was calculated using an objective function that maximized the transmitting load. The computer simulation showed that it could achieve high throughput by preventing the influence of difference in the available channels.
The unique immune ecosystems in pediatric brain tumors: integrating single-cell and bulk RNA-sequencing

Background The significant progress of immune therapy in non-central nervous system tumors has sparked interest in employing the same strategy for adult brain tumors. However, the advancement of immunotherapy in pediatric central nervous system (CNS) tumors is not yet on par. Currently, there is a lack of comprehensive comparative studies investigating the immune ecosystem in pediatric and adult CNS tumors at a high-resolution single-cell level. Methods In this study, we comprehensively analyzed over 0.3 million cells from 171 samples, encompassing adult gliomas (IDH wild type and IDH mutation) as well as four major types of pediatric brain tumors (medulloblastoma (MB), ependymoma (EPN), H3K27M-mutation (DIPG), and pediatric IDH-mutation glioma (P-IDH-M)). Our approach involved integrating publicly available and newly generated single-cell datasets. We compared the immune landscapes in different brain tumors, as well as the detailed functional phenotypes of T-cell and myeloid subpopulations. Through single-cell analysis, we identified gene sets associated with major cell types in the tumor microenvironment (gene features from single-cell data, scFes) and compared them with existing gene sets such as GSEA and xCell. The CBTTC and external GEO cohort was used to analyze and validate the immune-stromal-tumor patterns in pediatric brain tumors which might potentially respond to the immunotherapy. Results From the perspective of single-cell analysis, it was observed that major pediatric brain tumors (MB, EPN, P-IDH-M, DIPG) exhibited lower immune contents compared with adult gliomas. Additionally, these pediatric brain tumors displayed diverse immunophenotypes, particularly in regard to myeloid cells. Notably, the presence of HLA-enriched myeloid cells in MB was found to be independently associated with prognosis. Moreover, the scFes, when compared with commonly used gene features, demonstrated superior performance in independent single-cell datasets across various tumor types. Furthermore, our study revealed the existence of heterogeneous immune ecosystems at the bulk-RNA sequencing level among different brain tumor types. In addition, we identified several immune-stromal-tumor patterns that could potentially exhibit significant responses to conventional immune checkpoint inhibitors. Conclusion The single-cell technique provides a rational path to deeply understand the unique immune ecosystem of pediatric brain tumors. In spite of the traditional attitudes of “cold” tumor towards pediatric brain tumor, the immune-stroma-tumor patterns identified in this study suggest the feasibility of immune checkpoint inhibitors and pave the way for the upcoming tide of immunotherapy in pediatric brain tumors.
Orbitally driven insolation forcing on Holocene climate trends: Evidence from alkenone data and climate modeling

A global spatial pattern of long-term sea surface temperature (SST) trends over the last 7000 years is explored using a comparison of alkenone-derived SST records with transient ensemble climate simulations with a coupled atmosphere-ocean circulation model under orbitally driven insolation forcing. The spatial trend pattern both in paleo-SST data and in model results shows pronounced global heterogeneity. Generally, the extratropics cooled while the tropics experienced a warming during the middle to late Holocene. We attribute these divergent Holocene climate trends to seasonally opposing insolation changes. Furthermore, climate mode changes similar to the Arctic/North Atlantic Oscillation are superimposed on the prevalent pattern. It is concluded that nonlinear changes in the entire seasonal cycle of insolation played a dominant role for the temporal evolution of Holocene surface temperatures. For understanding of marine proxy data, apart from the dominance of summer insolation in high latitudes, a notable shift in the maximum insolation of the year in low latitudes has to be taken into account, which may influence timing of phytoplankton production and thus alters the seasonal origin of temperature signals recorded in the proxies.
Medicines for Malaria Venture Pandemic Box In Vitro Screening Identifies Compounds Highly Active against the Tachyzoite Stage of Toxoplasma gondii

Toxoplasmosis is a disease that causes high mortality in immunocompromised individuals, such as AIDS patients, and sequelae in congenitally infected newborns. Despite its great medical importance, there are few treatments available and these are associated with adverse events and resistance. In this work, after screening the drugs present in the Medicines for Malaria Venture Pandemic Box, we found new hits with anti-Toxoplasma gondii activity. Through our analysis, we selected twenty-three drugs or drug-like compounds that inhibited the proliferation of T. gondii tachyzoites in vitro by more than 50% at a concentration of 1 µM after seven days of treatment. Nineteen of these compounds have never been reported active before against T. gondii. Inhibitory curves showed that most of these drugs were able to inhibit parasite replication with IC50 values on the nanomolar scale. To better understand the unprecedented effect of seven compounds against T. gondii tachyzoites, an ultrastructural analysis was carried out using transmission electron microscopy. Treatment with 0.25 µM verdinexor, 3 nM MMV1580844, and 0.25 µM MMV019724 induced extensive vacuolization, complete ultrastructural disorganization, and lytic effects in the parasite, respectively, and all of them showed alterations in the division process. Treatment with 1 µM Eberconazole, 0.5 µM MMV1593541, 1 µM MMV642550, 1 µM RWJ-67657, and 1 µM URMC-099-C also caused extensive vacuolization in the parasite. The activity of these drugs against intracellular tachyzoites supports the idea that the drugs selected in the Pandemic Box could be potential future drugs for the treatment of acute toxoplasmosis.
Magnetoplasmonic Slotted Yagi-Uda Nanoantennas for Nanoscale Wireless Optical Signals

In this letter, a magnetoplasmonic slotted Yagi-Uda nanoantenna is theoretically investigated. In particular, we numerically demonstrate that the active control of the radiated field directivity can be achieved, by exploiting magneto-optical (MO) effects. The proposed device consists of a set of slots arranged following a Yagi-Uda-like model, providing 7.87 times higher electric field enhancement than its complementary ribs counterpart. The slots are considered made in a magnetoplasmonic thin slab, constituted of Co6Ag94 ferromagnetic material immersed in SiO2. The structure is optimized to operate at <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda = 860$ </tex-math></inline-formula> nm to take advantage of the highest magneto-optical activity of Co6Ag94. The radiated field maximum steering angle is found as <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\phi _{\mathrm{ s}}=\pm 10^{\circ }$ </tex-math></inline-formula>, which can be flipped by reversing the magnetization sense along the magnetized axis. The results of this work are promising for future nanoscale wireless optical communications, which are expected to overcome the ohmic losses of conventional metallic wires/waveguides.
Mercury and methylmercury biogeochemistry in a thawing permafrost wetland complex, Northwest Territories, Canada

In arctic and sub‐arctic environments, mercury (Hg), more specifically toxic methylmercury (MeHg), is of growing concern to local communities because of its accumulation in fish. In these regions, there is particular interest in the potential mobilization of atmospherically deposited Hg sequestered in permafrost that is thawing at unprecedented rates. Permafrost thaw and the resulting ground surface subsidence transforms forested peat plateaus into treeless and permafrost‐free thermokarst wetlands where inorganic Hg released from the thawed permafrost and draining from the surrounding peat plateaus may be transformed to MeHg. This study begins to characterize the spatial distribution of MeHg in a peat plateau–thermokarst wetland complex, a feature that prevails throughout the wetland‐dominated southern margin of thawing discontinuous permafrost in Canada's Northwest Territories. We measured pore water total Hg, MeHg, dissolved organic matter characteristics and general water chemistry parameters to evaluate the role of permafrost thaw on the pattern of water chemistry. A gradient in vegetation composition, water chemistry and dissolved organic matter characteristics followed a toposequence from the ombrotrophic bogs near the crest of the complex to poor fens at its downslope margins. We found that pore waters in poor fens contained elevated levels of MeHg, and the water draining from these features had dissolved MeHg concentrations 4.5 to 14.5 times higher than the water draining from the bogs. It was determined through analysis of historical aerial images that the poor fens in the toposequence had formed relatively recently (early 1970s) as a result of permafrost thaw. Differences between the fens and bogs are likely to be a result of their differences in groundwater function, and this suggests that permafrost thaw in this landscape can result in hotspots for Hg methylation that are hydrologically connected to downstream ecosystems. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Long Run Impacts of Famine Exposure: A Study of the 1974 - 1975 Bangladesh Famine

To further understand the relationship between early life health and adult health and economic outcomes, this paper analyzes the long-term effects of the 1974 - 1975 Bangladesh famine. I use an unbalanced individual level panel dataset for the years 1974 - 1996 for the Matlab region of Bangladesh to estimate the effect of this short but severe nutritional shock using both a cohort approach and a difference-in-difference approach. Results indicate early childhood exposure to acute malnutrition affects males and females differently. There is evidence of positive selection for males born during the famine, as they are 0.48 standard deviations taller, and obtain 1.89 more years of completed education on average in the presence of the famine. Boys in their early childhood years show evidence of being negatively influenced by the adverse health shock.
Frost Action during the Younger Dryas Inferred from Soil Micromorphology at Connley Cave 5, Oregon

ABSTRACT The Younger Dryas chronozone is an abrupt climate event terminating the last glacial period ∼12,900–11,700 calendar years ago marked by rapid changes in regional human, floral, and faunal population dynamics across the globe. Working at Connley Cave 5 in the Fort Rock Basin, Oregon, we demonstrate that this cold event generated microscopic cryogenic features (frost action) which can be used to identify the presence of the Younger Dryas in the northern Great Basin, shed light on paleoenvironmental conditions, and inform archaeologists about site formation processes occurring across the Late Pleistocene to Early Holocene transition. These data inform us about cryoturbation at Connley Caves and have implications for Younger Dryas-aged archaeological sites preserved throughout the Great Basin.
Perceptions of Librarians toward the Adoption of Linked Open Data; a Case of Selected University Libraries in Uganda

Abstract The study aimed at exploring the perception of librarians toward adopting Linked Open Data in Uganda, a case of selected university libraries. An exploratory survey approach was employed for this study using a mixed methods approach of data collection. The data was analyzed using SPSS and Ms Excel. The targeted population was 78 professional librarians in seven selected public universities. The study was guided by the UTAUT model using the performance expectancy construct. The findings revealed that the respondents perceived that Linked Data would assist the patrons in discovering relevant information and data through links to other data repositories. They also believed that Linked Data interlinks would be used to describe the relationship between two Uniform Resource Identifiers (URIs). The respondents were convinced that Linked Data will enrich data discovery and improve the users’ overall search experiences. The study found that respondents perceived that Linked Data will assist the patrons to discover relevant data and benefit research, enrich discovery of data, hence improving their overall searches. Linked Open Data is very important to enable data sharing through the Semantic Web.
Crack Analysis of Textile Reinforced Concrete Using Automated Crack Evaluation via Digital Image Correlation

Detecting and measuring cracks during laboratory experiments to characterize material behavior is an important task in building materials research. In this context, the evaluation of crack distribution is emphasized, including crack widths. Contact-free, optical 2D/3D-measuring Digital Image Correlation systems are used to analyze the full-field deformation of the surface. To examine the parameters affecting crack analysis through this measurement mode, a parameter study was conducted analyzing carbon textile-reinforced concrete tensile strength tests. For this purpose, facet size, facet overlap, and the threshold for crack identification based on major strain calculations in the evaluation were varied. The novelty lies in the in-depth exploration of these parameters to enhance crack analysis accuracy. To facilitate this, an automated crack evaluation tool (ACE) was developed and validated through tensile tests. The results of this paper provide evidence of the key parameters that influence crack analysis in textile reinforced concrete and contribute valuable guidance on optimum setting parameters.
Evapotranspitation Model to Evaluate the Cooling Potential in Urban Areas – A Case Study in Switzerland

An evapotranspiration model, based on the FAO Penman-Monteith method, taking into account the surface temperature, has been developed and implemented in the ground temperature model of the CitySim software. A case study was conducted in a district of Geneva, Switzerland, which consists of 704 buildings and 714 ground surfaces, to understand the influence of evapotranspiration on the ground surface temperature and water requirement for the irrigation of these areas at urban scale. The simulations were conducted to investigate the cooling potential of green areas in present and future climate scenarios. To handle the large quantity of inputs needed by CitySim and the large amount of results produced, a PostgreSQL database and QuantumGIS software have been used for this case study.
A STUDY OF CONFLICT IN THE PROCESS OF KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER IN COLLECTIVE PAINTING CREATION

In the era of the knowledge economy, knowledge transfer is a key part of knowledge management. As an innovative organization, collective painting inevitably encounters various conflicts during the process of parallel knowledge transfer among its members. Conflict is a key factor that directly affects the effective transfer of knowledge. However, the existing literature is limited to research within enterprise management organizations and between organizations, all of which are one-way conflicts between knowledge senders and knowledge receivers. The conflict factors generated during the knowledge transfer process of parallel relationships in innovative organizations have not been explored. This article uses qualitative rooted analysis to extract, analyze, and encode the content of collective painting creation team cases in a three-paragraph manner. 20 conflict phenomena were identified, and 5 conflict factors were extracted. The research results provide a certain foundation for empirical research on knowledge transfer conflicts and guide innovative teams to effectively transfer knowledge.
Relationship Between Pain and LGBT Status Among Veterans in Care in a Retrospective Cross-Sectional Cohort

Background Pain assessment is performed in many healthcare systems, such as the Veterans Health Administration, but prior studies have not assessed whether pain screening varies in sexual and gender minority populations that include individuals who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender (LGBT). Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate pain screening and reported pain of LGBT Veterans compared to non-LGBT Veterans. Methods Using a retrospective cross-sectional cohort, data from the Corporate Data Warehouse, a national repository with clinical/administrative data, were analyzed. Veterans were classified as LGBT using natural language processing. We used a robust Poisson model to examine the association between LGBT status and binary outcomes of pain screening, any pain, and persistent pain within one year of entry in the cohort. All models were adjusted for demographics, mental health, substance use, musculoskeletal disorder(s), and number of clinic visits. Results There were 1,149,486 Veterans (218,154 (19%) classified as LGBT) in our study. Among LGBT Veterans, 94% were screened for pain compared to 89% among those not classified as LGBT (non-LGBT) Veterans. In adjusted models, LGBT Veterans’ probability of being screened for pain compared to non-LGBT Veterans was 2.5% higher (95% CI 2.3%, 2.6%); risk of any pain was 2.1% lower (95% CI 1.6%, 2.6%); and there was no significant difference between LGBT and non-LGBT Veterans in persistent pain (RR = 1.00, 95% CI (0.99, 1.01), p = 0.88). Conclusions In a nationwide sample, LGBT Veterans were more likely to be screened for pain but had lower self-reported pain scores, though adjusted differences were small. It was notable that transgender and Black Veterans reported the greatest pain. Reasons for these findings require further investigation.
Topical Imiquimod in Primary Cutaneous Extramammary Paget’s Disease: A Systematic Review

Simple Summary The main treatment for extramammary Paget’s disease (EMPD) is still surgery, but this neoplasm usually spreads beyond the clinical surroundings of the lesion, and achieving histopathologically free margins can be challenging and requires mutilating surgery. Moreover, the recurrence rate of the disease is high, reflecting its multifocal nature. Topical immunotherapy could be an alternative treatment for EMPD. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of topical imiquimod in the clinical response of EMPD patients and to describe the management of topical imiquimod in EMPD. Learning about non-surgical treatments such as topical imiquimod can help clinicians manage EMPD and find a balance between disease resolution and treatment morbidity. Abstract Extramammary Paget’s disease (EMPD) is subclinical in extent and multifocal in nature. There is no global consensus for treatment, so its management represents a challenge in clinical practice. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review through the main electronic databases to assess the effectiveness of topical imiquimod in cutaneous EMPD and to discuss its management. Finally, 24 studies involving a total of 233 EMPD patients treated with topical imiquimod were selected. The topical imiquimod response rate was 67%, and the complete response (CR) rate was 48%. Patients were treated with a three–four times a week regimen in most cases, ranging between 2 to 52 weeks. In addition, imiquimod was applied as an adjunctive treatment in 21 patients, achieving a CR rate of 71%. Consequently, imiquimod therapy could achieve a good response ratio as a first-line treatment, as adjuvant and neo-adjuvant therapy, and as a treatment for recurrent disease. The heterogeneity between studies and the lack of a control arm made it impossible to conduct a meta-analysis. To improve the quality of evidence on EMPD, multicenter studies are essential to collect a larger number of patients and, consequently, obtain high-quality evidence to standardize treatment. The Prospero registration number is CRD42023447443.
Action plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemo-synthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea (Dark Habitats action plan)

The Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemosynthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea follows a series of eight Action plans adopted by the Mediterranean countries within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, devoted to the conservation of species or groups of species. These Action plans are: •Action Plan for the management of the Monk Seal •Action Plan for the conservation of marine turtles •Action Plan for the conservation of cetaceans •Action Plan for the conservation of marine vegetation •Action Plan for the conservation of bird species registered in annex II of the SPA/BD Protocol •Action Plan for the conservation of cartilaginous fi shes (Chondrichtyans) in the Mediterranean Sea •Action Plan concerning species introduction and invasive species •Action Plan for the conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the Mediterranean Sea Dark Habitats are considered as sensitive habitats requiring protection (Directive 92/43), fragile and constitute veritable reservoirs of biodiversity that, therefore, must be protected and need further attention. This draft Action plan was the result of a Meeting of the ad hoc group of Mediterranean experts, nominated in consultation with the Contracting Parties and relevant partner organizations (Marseilles (France), May 2013). It was reviewed and adopted by the Eleventh Meeting of Focal Points for SPAs (Rabat - Morocco, 2 - 5 July 2013). The Action Plan was adopted in the Eighteenth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols (Istanbul - Turkey, 3-6 December 2013).