Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Metabolomics reveals the effects of hydroxysafflor yellow A on neurogenesis and axon regeneration after experimental traumatic brain injury

Abstract Context Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) is the main bioactive ingredient of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L., [Asteraceae]) for traumatic brain injury (TBI) treatment. Objective To explore the therapeutic effects and underlying mechanisms of HSYA on post-TBI neurogenesis and axon regeneration. Materials and methods Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned into Sham, controlled cortex impact (CCI), and HSYA groups. Firstly, the modified Neurologic Severity Score (mNSS), foot fault test, hematoxylin-eosin staining, Nissl’s staining, and immunofluorescence of Tau1 and doublecortin (DCX) were used to evaluate the effects of HSYA on TBI at the 14th day. Next, the effectors of HSYA on post-TBI neurogenesis and axon regeneration were screened out by pathology-specialized network pharmacology and untargeted metabolomics. Then, the core effectors were validated by immunofluorescence. Results HSYA alleviated mNSS, foot fault rate, inflammatory cell infiltration, and Nissl’s body loss. Moreover, HSYA increased not only hippocampal DCX but also cortical Tau1 and DCX following TBI. Metabolomics demonstrated that HSYA significantly regulated hippocampal and cortical metabolites enriched in ‘arginine metabolism’ and ‘phenylalanine, tyrosine and tryptophan metabolism’ including l-phenylalanine, ornithine, l-(+)-citrulline and argininosuccinic acid. Network pharmacology suggested that neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) were the core nodes in the HSYA-TBI-neurogenesis and axon regeneration network. In addition, BDNF and growth-associated protein 43 (GAP43) were significantly elevated following HSYA treatment in the cortex and hippocampus. Discussion and conclusions HSYA may promote TBI recovery by facilitating neurogenesis and axon regeneration through regulating cortical and hippocampal metabolism, BDNF and STAT3/GAP43 axis.
Scaled consensus for multi-agent systems with communication time delays

This paper aims to solve the scaled consensus problem of general linear multi-agent systems with non-uniform time-varying communication time-delay. The proposed consensus protocol is based on the low gain solution of a parametric algebraic Riccati equation. Based on the proposed consensus protocol, we obtain the sufficient condition for scaled consensus of multi-agent systems with communication time-delay. The results reveal that the upper bound of time-delay can be arbitrarily large if all poles of the system are zero. For the case of non-zero poles on the imaginary axis, the maximal admissible upper bound of the time-varying delay is provided. Simulation results are performed to demonstrate the scaled consensus performance of multi-agent systems.
Sea ice, extremophiles and life on extra-terrestrial ocean worlds

Abstract The primary aim of this review is to highlight that sea-ice microbes would be capable of occupying ice-associated biological niches on Europa and Enceladus. These moons are compelling targets for astrobiological exploration because of the inferred presence of subsurface oceans that have persisted over geological timescales. Although potentially hostile to life in general, Europa and Enceladus may still harbour biologically permissive domains associated with the ice, ocean and seafloor environments. However, validating sources of free energy is challenging, as is qualifying possible metabolic processes or ecosystem dynamics. Here, the capacity for biological adaptation exhibited by microorganisms that inhabit sea ice is reviewed. These ecosystems are among the most relevant Earth-based analogues for considering life on ocean worlds because microorganisms must adapt to multiple physicochemical extremes. In future, these organisms will likely play a significant role in defining the constraints on habitability beyond Earth and developing a mechanistic framework that contrasts the limits of Earth's biosphere with extra-terrestrial environments of interest.
The transcription factor HBP1 promotes ferroptosis in tumor cells by regulating the UHRF1-CDO1 axis

The induction of ferroptosis in tumor cells is one of the most important mechanisms by which tumor progression can be inhibited; however, the specific regulatory mechanism underlying ferroptosis remains unclear. In this study, we found that transcription factor HBP1 has a novel function of reducing the antioxidant capacity of tumor cells. We investigated the important role of HBP1 in ferroptosis. HBP1 down-regulates the protein levels of UHRF1 by inhibiting the expression of the UHRF1 gene at the transcriptional level. Reduced levels of UHRF1 have been shown to regulate the ferroptosis-related gene CDO1 by epigenetic mechanisms, thus up-regulating the level of CDO1 and increasing the sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma and cervical cancer cells to ferroptosis. On this basis, we constructed metal-polyphenol-network coated HBP1 nanoparticles by combining biological and nanotechnological. MPN-HBP1 nanoparticles entered tumor cells efficiently and innocuously, induced ferroptosis, and inhibited the malignant proliferation of tumors by regulating the HBP1-UHRF1-CDO1 axis. This study provides a new perspective for further research on the regulatory mechanism underlying ferroptosis and its potential role in tumor therapy.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Adherence to Denosumab Therapy: A Single Center Study

Study Design A retrospective comparative study of denosumab therapy adherence before and during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Purpose To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on denosumab therapy adherence in Japan. Overview of Literature Denosumab is a monoclonal antibody for osteoporosis treatment. Delayed denosumab injections are associated with reduced treatment responses, which was a concern during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Participants included 376 patients who received denosumab (60 mg every 6 months) from January 2013 to June 2021. The time from therapy initiation to discontinuation was used to measure persistence, and that between initial and subsequent injections was used to determine adherence. The pandemic period was from March 2020 to December 2021. Results Patients were divided into those treated after March 2020 (pandemic group, n=244) and those who discontinued treatment before March 2020 (non-pandemic group, n=132). Non-persistent cases accounted for 154, including 24 (20%), 64 (19%), and 66 (53%) aged ≤59 years, 60–79 years, and ≥80 years, respectively. The overall persistence rate at 78 months was 59.2%. Postponed cases were significantly lower in the non-pandemic group than in the pandemic group (8% vs. 15%, p=0.042). Postponement with a delay of 1–2 months did not significantly differ between the two groups, but with a significant difference for a delay of ≥3 months (0% vs. 36%, p=0.024). Conclusions Denosumab adherence remained constant but postponed cases significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Better communication by health providers on denosumab adherence and alternative administration may reduce dosing interruptions in similar pandemic situations.
Study the role of non-linear resonant cavities in photonic crystal-based decoder switches

Abstract In this paper, we are going to design and propose a novel structure for all optical decoder. The proposed structure is composed of optical power splitters and a four-port optical switch. The four-port optical switch simply is a non-linear optical demulitiplexer. For achieving non-linear behaviour for the demultiplexer, we will employ defect rods made of doped glass which has high Kerr coefficient. The final structure has three input ports and four output ports. Port E acts as enable port, which will be used activating or deactivating the total structure. A and B are the control ports, by which one can control when the structure is active, which port of the structure to be active. The optical intensity of the input ports required appropriate operation of the structure is about 20 W/μm2. The maximum switching frequency of the proposed structure is 2 GHz. Reduced input optical intensity is the main characteristics of the present work. Numerical methods such as plane wave expansion and finite difference time domain were used for performing the required calculations.
Computational model of integrin adhesion elongation under an actin fiber

Cells create physical connections with the extracellular environment through adhesions. Nascent adhesions form at the leading edge of migrating cells and either undergo cycles of disassembly and reassembly, or elongate and stabilize at the end of actin fibers. How adhesions assemble has been addressed in several studies, but the exact role of actin fibers in the elongation and stabilization of nascent adhesions remains largely elusive. To address this question, here we extended our computational model of adhesion assembly by incorporating an actin fiber that locally promotes integrin activation. The model revealed that an actin fiber promotes adhesion stabilization and elongation. Actomyosin contractility from the fiber also promotes adhesion stabilization and elongation, by strengthening integrin-ligand interactions, but only up to a force threshold. Above this force threshold, most integrin-ligand bonds fail, and the adhesion disassembles. In the absence of contraction, actin fibers still support adhesions stabilization. Collectively, our results provide a picture in which myosin activity is dispensable for adhesion stabilization and elongation under an actin fiber, offering a framework for interpreting several previous experimental observations.
Affect variability and physical health: The moderating role of mean affect.

Research has only begun to explore how affect variability relates to physical health and has typically not assessed long-term associations nor considered the moderating role of mean affect. Therefore, we used data from the Midlife in the United States Study waves 2 (N = 1512) and 3 (N = 1499) to test how affect variability predicted concurrent and long-term physical health while also testing the moderating role of mean affect. Results indicated that greater negative affect variability was associated concurrently with a greater number of chronic conditions (p = .03) and longitudinally with worse self-rated physical health (p < .01). Greater positive affect variability was associated concurrently with more chronic conditions (p < .01) and medications (p < .01) and longitudinally with worse self-rated physical health (p = .04). Further, mean negative affect played a moderating role such that at lower levels of mean negative affect, as affect variability increased, so did the number of concurrent chronic conditions (p < .01) and medications (p = .03) and the likelihood of reporting worse long-term self-rated physical health (p < .01). Thus, the role of mean affect should be considered when testing short- and long-term associations between affect variability and physical health.
Loneliness and its associated factors among university students during late stage of COVID-19 pandemic: An online cross-sectional study

Background The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a number of psychosocial and emotional catastrophes, including loneliness. The associated lockdowns, reduced social support, and insufficiently perceived interactions are expected to heighten the level of loneliness during the pandemic. However, there is a dearth of evidence regarding the level of loneliness and what correlates with loneliness among university students in Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. Objectives The general objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of loneliness among university students during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ethiopia. Methods A cross-sectional study was undertaken. An online data collection tool was distributed to voluntary undergraduate university students. The sampling technique used was snowball sampling. Students were requested to pass the online data collection tool to at least one of their friends to ease data collection. SPSS version 26.0 was used for data analysis. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used to report the results. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with loneliness. A P-value less than 0.2 was used to screen variables for the multivariable analysis, and a P-value less than 0.05 was used to declare significance in the final multivariable logistic regression. Result A total of 426 study participants responded. Out of the total, 62.9% were males, and 37.1% attended fields related to health. Over three-fourths (76.5%) of the study participants encountered loneliness. Females (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 1.75; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 3.04), non-health-related departments (AOR: 1.94; 95% CI: 1.17, 3.35), ever encountering sexual harassment (AOR: 3.32; 95% CI: 1.46, 7.53), sleeping problems (AOR: 2.13; 95% CI: 1.06, 4.30), perceived stress (AOR: 6.40; 95% CI: 1.85, 22.19) and poor social support (AOR: 3.13; 95% CI: 1.10, 8.87) were significantly associated with loneliness. Conclusion and recommendation A significant proportion of students were victims of loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Being female, working in non-health-related fields, having sleeping problems, encountering sexual harassment, perceived stress, and poor social support were significantly associated with loneliness. Interventions to reduce loneliness should focus on related psychosocial support to reduce stress, sleeping disturbances, and poor social support. A special focus should also be given to female students.
Selective and non-selective right bundle pacing for the diagnosis of bundle branch reentry ventricular tachycardia

Abstract Aims and background Bundle branch reentry ventricular tachycardia (BBRVT) can be seen in patients with conduction disease. In this report, we describe the use of conduction system pacing for its diagnosis. Methods and results BBRVT was induced in two patients with infra-nodal conduction disease. Bundle branch reentry ventricular tachycardia with a left bundle branch block morphology was observed in the first patient (type A), whereas the second patient had a right bundle branch block morphology (type C). The diagnosis of BBRVT was confirmed in both patients by ventriculo-atrial dissociation, and the interdependence of the conduction system and the ventricular tachycardia cycle length variations. Selective and non-selective RB pacing was observed in the two patients during apical right ventricular pacing for entrainment of BBRVT with evidence of manifest entrainment with non-selective RB capture in the first patient, and concealed entrainment by selective RB capture in the second patient. Other criteria for entrainment including a short post-pacing interval at the right bundle pacing site were noted. Conclusion Right bundle pacing is feasible in patients with BBRVT and may be a helpful manoeuver for the diagnosis of BBRVT.
Transformed linear quantile regression with censored survival data

Quantile regression provides a flexible method for analyzing survival data, and attracts considerable interest in survival analysis. In this article, we propose a new inference procedure for a class of power-transformed linear quantile regression models with survival data subject to conditionally independent censoring, and present a two-stage algorithm that is computationally simple and easy to implement. Consistency and asymptotic normality of the resulting estimators are established, and a simple resampling-based inference procedure is developed for variance estimation. The finite-sample behavior of the proposed methods is examined through extensive simulation studies. An application to a real data example from a health maintenance organization is provided.
The effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on corticospinal excitability: A systematic review of nonsignificant findings

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non‐invasive brain stimulation technique that can modulate brain activity through the application of low‐intensity electrical currents. Based on its reported effects on corticospinal excitability (CSE), tDCS has been used to study cognition in healthy individuals and reduce symptoms in a variety of clinical conditions. Despite its increasing popularity as a research and clinical tool, high interindividual variability has been reported in the response to protocols using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to assess tDCS‐induced changes in CSE leading to several nonsignificant findings. In this systematic review, studies that reported no significant modulation of CSE following tDCS were identified from PubMed and Embase (Ovid) databases. Forty‐three articles were identified where demographic, TMS and tDCS parameters were extracted. Overall, stimulation parameters, CSE measurements and participant characteristics were similar to those described in studies reporting positive results and were likewise heterogeneous between studies. Small sample sizes and inadequate blinding were notable features of the reviewed studies. This systematic review suggests that studies reporting nonsignificant findings do not markedly differ from those reporting significant modulation of CSE.
The spatial distribution features of three Alpha transmitter signals at the topside ionosphere

The spatial distribution features of electric field over three Alpha transmitters in Russia were analyzed based on the Demeter satellite records at local nighttime during the solar minimum in December of 2008, where the three transmitters are with the same emitted power of 500 kW and the same radio waves at 11.9 kHz, 12.6 kHz, and 14.9 kHz. The results of observations showed that the maximal electric field reached −80 to −70 dB (hereafter referred as to V/m) at 660 km altitude, and the horizontal covered area even exceeded 80° in longitude with electric field above −100 dB at 14.9 kHz. The lowest electric field and the smallest longitude scale were detected over Krasnodar (KRA), which is demonstrated that the lower ionosphere plays an important role in attenuating the energy as suggested by the simulation results from the full‐wave propagation model. Another feature over KRA was the significant decrease in electromagnetic field strength at 11.9 kHz and 12.6 kHz, being one order of magnitude lower than the other two transmitters, where the lower hybrid resonance waves affected severely the whistler mode wave mode propagation. Compared with the ground very low frequency observations at Tonghai and Ya'an in China, the most complex variations were observed from KRA, while the east transmitter Khabarovsk maintained high strength of electromagnetic power in a longer distance than the middle transmitter Novosibirsk in local nighttime, which is consistent with the large covering scale in the topside ionosphere due to the enhancement by wave‐particle interaction from the other transmitter.
Associations of Dental Health With the Progression of Hippocampal Atrophy in Community-Dwelling Individuals

Background and Objectives Although tooth loss and periodontitis have been considered risk factors of Alzheimer disease, recent longitudinal researches have not found a significant association with hippocampal atrophy. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify a longitudinal association between the number of teeth present (NTP) and hippocampal atrophy dependent on the severity of periodontitis in a late middle-aged and older adult population. Methods This study included community-dwelling individuals aged 55 years or older who had no cognitive decline and had undergone brain MRI and oral and systemic data collection twice at 4-year intervals. Hippocampal volumes were obtained from MRIs by automated region-of-interest analysis. The mean periodontal probing depth (PD) was used as a measure of periodontitis. Multiple regression analysis was performed with the annual symmetric percentage change (SPC) of the hippocampal volume as the dependent variable and including an interaction term between NTP and mean PD as the independent variable. The interaction details were examined using the Johnson-Neyman technique and simple slope analysis. The 3-way interaction of NTP, mean PD, and time on hippocampal volume was analyzed using a linear mixed-effects model, and the interaction of NTP and time was examined in subgroups divided by the median mean PD. In all models, dropout bias was adjusted by inverse probability weighting. Results Data of 172 participants were analyzed. The qualitative interaction between NTP and the mean PD was significant for the annual SPC in the left hippocampus. The regression coefficient of the NTP on the annual SPC in the left hippocampus was positive (B = 0.038, p = 0.026) at the low-level mean PD (mean −1 SD) and negative (B = −0.054, p = 0.001) at the high-level mean PD (mean +1 SD). Similar results were obtained in the linear mixed-effects model; the interaction of NTP and time was significant in the higher mean PD group. Discussion In a late middle-aged and older cohort, fewer teeth were associated with a faster rate of left hippocampal atrophy in patients with mild periodontitis, whereas having more teeth was associated with a faster rate of atrophy in those with severe periodontitis. The importance of keeping teeth healthy is suggested.
The Possibility of a Deep Scanning Survey of Part of the Sky from a Low-Orbit Spacecraft with Fixed Orbital Orientation

Abstract We analyze the possibility of performing a deep survey of a part of the sky near the poles of the spacecraft orbit from a low-orbit spacecraft with fixed orbital orientation. The survey depth can be increased by several magnitudes by reducing the surveyed sky area to strips along one or two minor circles at constant declination. The surveyed area is scanned by precession of the spacecraft.
Discrete Morse functions, vector fields, and homological sequences on trees

The goal of this project is to construct a discrete Morse function which induces both a specified gradient vector field and homological sequence on a given tree. After reviewing the basics of discrete Morse theory, we will show that the two standard notions of equivalence of discrete Morse functions, Forman and homological equivalence, are independent of one another. We then show through a constructive algorithm the existence of a discrete Morse function on a tree inducing a desired gradient vector field and homological sequence. After proving that our algorithm is correct, we give an example to illustrate its use.
AN IMPERIALIST COMPETITIVE ALGORITHM MAXIMUM POWER POINT TRACKER FOR PHOTOVOLTAIC STRING OPERATING UNDER PARTIALLY SHADED CONDITIONS

Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) in Partial Shading Condition (PSC) is challenging due to multiple peaks on power- voltage (P-V) curve. PV string configuration due to some specific output requirements uses in different household or commercial application. Accuracy and quickness of MPPT algorithm in PV string system should be considered thoroughly because of several reasons; the algorithm need to scan wide area from nearly zero to open circuit voltage, also due to series connection of PV modules and presence of bypass diodes, maximum power points increase dramatically. In this study Imperialistic Competitive Algorithm (ICA)-based MPPT algorithm was presented to find Global Maximum Power Point (GMPP) of PV string under PSC rapidly and precisely.