Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imaging of Multiple Myeloma: Present and Future

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common adult hematologic malignancy, and early intervention increases survival in asymptomatic high-risk patients. Imaging is crucial for the diagnosis and follow-up of MM, as the detection of bone and bone marrow lesions often dictates the decision to start treatment. Low-dose whole-body computed tomography (CT) is the modality of choice for the initial assessment, and dual-energy CT is a developing technique with the potential for detecting non-lytic marrow infiltration and evaluating the response to treatment. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more sensitive and specific than 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) for the detection of small focal lesions and diffuse marrow infiltration. However, FDG-PET/CT is recommended as the modality of choice for follow-up. Recently, diffusion-weighted MRI has become a new technique for the quantitative assessment of disease burden and therapy response. Although not widespread, we address current proposals for structured reporting to promote standardization and diminish variations. This review provides an up-to-date overview of MM imaging, indications, advantages, limitations, and recommended reporting of each technique. We also cover the main differential diagnosis and pitfalls and discuss the ongoing controversies and future directions, such as PET-MRI and artificial intelligence.
Efficacy of different temperate pasture species to reduce nitrogen leaching from cattle urine applied in different seasons: A soil lysimeter study

A soil lysimeter field study assessed the efficacy of different pasture species to reduce nitrogen (N) leaching loss from cow urine deposited in different seasons. A single application of cow urine (15N‐labelled; equivalent to 622 kg N ha−1) was applied in three different seasons (summer, autumn or winter) to three pasture species monocultures (perennial ryegrass, plantain or lucerne) on a free‐draining volcanic soil and monitored over 362 days. Leachate analyses revealed consistently large leaching losses of inorganic‐N from lucerne (>200 kg N ha−1) across different urine application times due to the relatively low plant growth rates during winter (<15 kg DM ha−1 day−1) that led to low total recovery of urine‐N by lucerne plants (<20% of the applied urine‐15N). Conversely, plant uptake of the urine‐N was higher by plantain (ranging from 30% to 45% of that applied) driven by moderately higher winter plant growth rates (30 to 60 kg DM ha−1 day−1). Plantain exhibited large seasonal variation in its efficacy to reduce urine‐N leaching relative to ryegrass (ranging from 15% to 50% reduction for summer or winter urine applications, respectively) with an overall reduction of 39% in the total amount of inorganic‐N leached across the three seasons (53 vs. 87 kg N ha−1 leached relative to ryegrass). This study has demonstrated the potential benefit of using plantain to reduce N leaching losses from urine deposited in the summer to winter grazing period. However, further research is required to quantify the effects of plantain on annual N leaching losses from grazed pastoral systems.
Preeclampsia: Pathophysiology, Challenges, and Perspectives

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy—chronic hypertension, gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia—are uniquely challenging as the pathology and its therapeutic management simultaneously affect mother and fetus, sometimes putting their well-being at odds with each other. Preeclampsia, in particular, is one of the most feared complications of pregnancy. Often presenting as new-onset hypertension and proteinuria during the third trimester, preeclampsia can progress rapidly to serious complications, including death of both mother and fetus. While the cause of preeclampsia is still debated, clinical and pathological studies suggest that the placenta is central to the pathogenesis of this syndrome. In this review, we will discuss the current evidence for the role of abnormal placentation and the role of placental factors such as the antiangiogenic factor, sFLT1 (soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1) in the pathogenesis of the maternal syndrome of preeclampsia. We will discuss angiogenic biomarker assays for disease-risk stratification and for the development of therapeutic strategies targeting the angiogenic pathway. Finally, we will review the substantial long-term cardiovascular and metabolic risks to mothers and children associated with gestational hypertensive disorders, in particular, preterm preeclampsia, and the need for an increased focus on interventional studies during the asymptomatic phase to delay the onset of cardiovascular disease in women.
Effects of Pulsed Electric Field Pretreatment on Black Tea Processing and Its Impact on Cold-Brewed Tea

This study applied pulsed electric fields (PEFs) to accelerate the withering and drying processes during cold-brewed black tea production. PEF pretreatment was administered at 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 kV/cm electric field strengths, combined with varying withering times from 8 to 12 hr. During the 12-hour withering process, the redness value (a*) and total color change (∆E) of PEF-treated leaves significantly increased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the homogenous redness of tea leaves during fermentation depended on the PEF strength applied. In addition, PEF pretreatment remarkably reduced the drying time, up to a 50% reduction at a 2.0 kV/cm field strength. Additionally, the 2.0 kV/cm PEF-pretreated black tea exhibited a notable 42% increase in theaflavin (TF) content and a 54% increase in thearubigin (TR) content. Sensory evaluation scores were highest for black tea that received PEF pretreatment at 2.0 kV/cm. These findings highlight the significant potential of PEFs in enhancing the efficiency of withering and drying processes while positively impacting the physicochemical and sensory properties of cold-brewed black tea.
Simulations with a radiation model and comparisons with LBA data sets

[1] The Large-Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) data are used to estimate and validate infrared and solar radiation models calculations of Chou and Suarez [1994, 1999]. The models are tested for two contrasting vegetation regions. forest and grassland. Observed data of several days and different times of a day collected in the two sites are used to test the models. The results show that the model simulations in general agree well with the observations for both the forest and grassland cases. The mean errors are around the same order or lower than the instrument errors, except in the case of the reflected solar radiation. The radiation fluxes are strongly correlated with the observed data, significant at 99% confidence level, except in the case of the downward longwave radiation. The use of the Bonferrone technique confirmed the information given by the correlation coefficient calculations.
Emerging Perspectives on the Set of Conditions That Lead to the Emergence of Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome, as a medical condition, presents multifactorial complexity that is characterized by the resulting damage from genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors (presence or absence of physical activity, food choices). Thus, metabolic syndrome qualifies unequivocally as a medical condition in which there are, simultaneously, several independent metabolic risk factors, namely, abdominal obesity, high triglyceride level, low HDL cholesterol level, arterial hypertension, and high glycemic level. Although age, sex, socio-economic status, and the precise definition of metabolic syndrome all influence the prevalence and risk of developing the condition, clinical and epidemiological studies clearly show that central obesity, as measured by an increased abdominal circumference, is the main risk factor. Thus, due to the growing global incidence of obesity, there has been an increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome. Starting with obesity, all other metabolic risk factors are influenced: for example, as a result of insulin resistance with hyperglycemia, diabetes is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to increased abdominal circumference. Through this review, we aimed to highlight the latest research studies and dietary nutritional interventions useful in the prevention of this disease but also implementation strategies for primary prevention among the healthy population.
Corrosion Waste Impact on Ship Girder Strength Through Life Cycle

: The paper deals with analyzing corrosion waste impact on ship girder strength through the life cycle. Evaluation of corrosion impact on ship strength is important because in some loading cases the ships are in overloaded condition. It is assumed that corrosion wear varies from 0 to 60%. Reduction of their transverse strength in combination of bad weather or sudden storms leads to cargo lost, ship damage and loss of human lives. Strength and plating elements bending capacity are evaluated by ship midsection model development and compared with the same for a new building ship. Helped by the relation between permissible and actual bending moment, plate bending efficiency is evaluated. Ultimate ship girder strength in cases with corrosion waste of more than 30% is evaluated too .
Case Report of a 4-Year-Old Girl with Stage IV Grade C Localized Periodontitis (Pre-Puberal Localized Aggressive Periodontitis) Affected by Misrecognition and Late Diagnosis

Background and Objectives: Stage IV grade C localized periodontitis (pre-puberal localized aggressive periodontitis/LPP) is a rare form of inflammatory periodontal disease occurring in clinically healthy individuals (no/small calculus/dental plaque traces), due a hyper-aggressive auto-immune response to high amounts of bacteria present in the oral cavity. Case Presentation: This case report describes a 4-year-old Caucasian girl with localized gingival inflammation and advanced bone loss around the temporary lower left canine. The first diagnostic assumption was hypophosphatasia, and the patient was sent for further genetic and metabolic investigations (which turned out to be negative). The LPP diagnosis was made during the family’s summer holidays due to her parents’ concerns about persistent gingival inflammation and tooth mobility. Results: The diagnosis of LPP was supported by clinical oral examination results, earlier X-rays, earlier blood tests, and a periodontal bacterial test. The treatment was limited to avoid spreading inflammation to other teeth (via topical antibiotic treatment) due to our limited time frame, while the main problem of excessive amounts of periodontal bacteria in the oral cavity was not addressed. The tooth was eventually lost. Conclusions: The ability to early recognize radiological and clinical LPP signs correlated with understanding of its pathological auto-immune mechanism is extremely important for expanding treatment options, since bone preservation and reducing amounts of bacteria are strictly correlated with therapeutic speed.
The Well-Being of a University: The Relationship Between Gratitude and Organizational Commitment on Faculty Members’ Intention to Stay

Retaining good employees can be difficult, and no organization is immune. This study investigated the relationship between gratitude and organizational commitment to determine if they can predict the intention to stay among university faculty. Specifically, this study analyzed gratitude, a construct that has not been researched much in the workplace. There was a significant relationship between gratitude on organizational commitment. Gratitude and organizational commitment were important predictors of intention to stay. Gratitude was supported as a moderator between organizational commitment and intention to stay. Organizations should incorporate positive reinforcements to express gratitude to increase organizational commitment and intent to stay.
A Dinosaur Ichnocoenosis from the Waterberg Plateau (Etjo Formation, Lower Jurassic), Namibia

ABSTRACT About a hundred dinosaur tracks, mostly preserved as isolated footprints, have been recorded at a single site within the borders of the Waterberg National Park, Otjozondjupa Region, north-central Namibia. They are found in an interdune setting within the Lower Jurassic Etjo Formation and represent medium-sized theropods with slender digits and high projection of digit three. From an ichnotaxonomic point of view, the Namibian tracks are intermediate in morphology between Grallator (which is known to occur at other localities within the same Etjo Formation) and Anchisauripus, being otherwise in a size range that is usually considered typical for the latter ichnotaxon or even for Eubrontes. The Waterberg tracks do not match the allometric growth model proposed by Olsen et al. (1998) for the Early Jurassic theropod track assemblage of the North American Connecticut Valley, and they highlight the difficulties of consistently discriminating between theropod ichnotaxa in the Grallator-Anchisauripus-Eubrontes plexus. The Waterberg ichnosite adds important data to our understanding of the ichnological diversity of the Etjo Formation, raising to three the dinosaur localities in Namibia with revised and updated ichnofaunas. The dinosaur ichnofauna from Namibia, of which the Waterberg tracksite is a basic component, shows high ichnotaxonomic similarity with coeval assemblages from the northern hemisphere. This points to an overall homogeneity of the global ichnofaunistic composition, even at lower latitudes.
Ecohydrological impacts of climate change on a riparian chalk valley wetland

This thesis assesses the impacts of climate change on the CEH River Lambourn Observatory, Boxford, UK. This comprises a 10 ha chalk valley, riparian wetland and 600 m of the River Lambourn, designated for its conservation value and scientific interest. A field campaign targeted knowledge gaps in previous research to enable development of a conceptual model of hydrological functioning. The physically based, distributed model MIKE SHE was chosen to simulate hydrology due to flexibility in process representation and proven applicability to wetland hydrology. Model results were consistent with field observations and confirmed the conceptual model. Findings showed that groundwater/surface-water interaction dominates hydrological processes. Channel head boundaries broadly control water levels across the wetland. Areas of groundwater upwelling control discrete head elevations and contain high concentrations of nitrate. These support confined growth of Carex paniculata surrounded by poor fen communities in reducing higher-phosphate waters. In-channel macrophyte growth and its management through cutting acutely affect water levels. Impacts of climate change were assessed by driving the MIKE SHE model with projected changes in hydrometeorological inputs for the 2080s, derived from UKCP09. Areas of groundwater upwelling caused amplified response of water levels at distinct locations. Simulated water levels were linked to requirements of the MG8 plant community and Desmoulin’s whorl snail (Vertigo moulinsiana). Impacts on each differed spatially, in line with hydrological impacts. The PHABSIM habitat modelling methodology was modified to assess river habitat response for brown trout (Salmo trutta), using outputs from the 1D hydraulic component of MIKE SHE, MIKE 11. Reductions in habitat availability were pronounced through periods of low flows, more so for adult than juvenile trout. Different hydrological requirements for species in distinct areas of the site support separate management strategies. Multiple objective management may be achieved through adaptive modification of the current management regime.
An inversion method to analyze the rupture processes of earthquakes using near-field seismograms

A new and very practical nonlinear least-square inversion method has been developed to investigate the dislocation distribution and the character of rupture propagation on an earthquake fault plane. The problem is parameterized using a model in which the fault is composed of subfaults which start rupturing with arbitrary magnitudes at arbitrary times. The performance of the method is examined by numerical simulations, and the method proves useful for the analysis of source processes of earthquakes, including complicated cases such as multiple events. The source process of the Naganoken-Seibu earthquake of 1984 has been analyzed using strong motion seismograms. The dislocation distribution and the character of rupture propagation have been successfully obtained.
Spacecraft-DS: A Spacecraft Dataset for Key Components Detection and Segmentation via Hardware-in-the-Loop Capture

The detection and segmentation of key spacecraft components is a crucial prerequisite for the successful execution of on-orbit capture tasks; however, the existing spacecraft datasets are plagued by several problems. These include a lack of a unified dataset for component detection and segmentation, a lack of consideration of the motion states of the spacecraft, and a lack of consideration of extreme illuminations. These problems hinder the development of related research. In response to the above problems, this article aims to bridge this gap by releasing a dataset for detecting and segmenting key spacecraft components. In contrast to synthetic images, the proposed dataset is built via hardware-in-the-loop capture. The dataset contains two types of spacecraft, nine types of key components, three types of illuminations (normal illumination, low illumination, and high saturation), and two types of motion states (approaching phase and hovering phase); furthermore, we conduct extensive experiments on spacecraft detection and segmentation (Spacecraft-DS) with state-of-the-art methods for detection and segmentation tasks and provide comprehensive analysis. In addition, the dataset can also be used to evaluate many computer vision tasks, such as small object detection and so on. Our dataset and pretrained models will be released at https://github.com/spacecraftds/Spacecraft-DS.
Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer exposure time calculator for end-to-end simulator: to optimizing spectrograph design and observing simulation

The Maunakea Spectroscopic Explorer (MSE) project will provide multi-object spectroscopy in the optical and near-infrared bands using an 11.25-m aperture telescope, repurposing the original Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT) site. MSE will observe 4,332 objects per single exposure with a field of view of 1.5 square degrees, utilizing two spectrographs with low-moderate (R$\sim$3,000, 6,000) and high (R$\approx$30,000) spectral resolution. In general, an exposure time calculator (ETC) is used to estimate the performance of an observing system by calculating a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and exposure time. We present the design of the MSE exposure time calculator (ETC), which has four calculation modes (S/N, exposure time, S/N trend with wavelength, and S/N trend with magnitude) and incorporates the MSE system requirements as specified in the Conceptual Design. The MSE ETC currently allows for user-defined inputs of target AB magnitude, water vapor, airmass, and sky brightness AB magnitude (additional user inputs can be provided depending on computational mode). The ETC is built using Python 3.7 and features a graphical user interface that allows for cross-platform use. The development process of the ETC software follows an Agile methodology and utilizes the Unified Modeling Language (UML) diagrams to visualize the software architecture. We also describe the testing and verification of the MSE ETC.
Effect of Hydrothermal Aging on the Tribological Performance of Nitrile Butadiene Rubber Seals

High temperature and humidity affect the tribological performance of nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR) seals, which affects the precise positioning of cylinder systems. Therefore, it is crucial to study the effect of hydrothermal aging on the tribological performance of the NBR seals. In this study, the changes in the tribological performance of the NBR seals under hydrothermal aging conditions were investigated. The results show that the volatilization of additives and the increase in crosslink density of the NBR seals occurs in the hydrothermal aging environment, leading to the deterioration of their surface quality, elastic deformability, and tribological performance. The formation of surface micropores due to additive volatilization is the main factor in the degradation of tribological performance.
An Inactivation Switch Enables Rhythms in a Neurospora Clock Model

An autonomous endogenous time-keeping is ubiquitous across many living organisms known as circadian clock when it has a period of about 24 hours. Interestingly, the fundamental design principle with a network of interconnected negative and positive feedback loops is conserved through evolution, although the molecular components differ. Filamentous fungus Neurospora crassa is a well established chrono-genetics model organism to investigate the underlying mechanisms. The core negative feedback loop of the clock of Neurospora is composed of the transcription activator White Collar Complex (WCC) (heterodimer of WC1 and WC2) and the inhibitory element called FFC complex which is made of FRQ (Frequency protein), FRH (Frequency interacting RNA Helicase) and CK1a (Casein kinase 1a). While exploring their temporal dynamics we investigate how limit cycle oscillations arise and how molecular switches support self-sustained rhythms. We develop a mathematical model of 10 variables with 26 parameters to understand the interactions and feedbacks among WC1 and FFC elements in nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments. We performed control and bifurcation analysis to show that our novel model produces robust oscillations with a wild-type period of 22.5 hrs. Our model reveals a switch between WC1 induced transcription and FFC assisted inactivation of WC1. Using the new model we also study possible mechanisms of glucose compensation. A fairly simple model with just 3 non-linearities helps to elucidate clock dynamics revealing a mechanism of rhythms production. The model can further be utilized to study entrainment and temperature compensation.
Mechanisms of secondary convection within a Mei‐Yu frontal mesoscale convective system in eastern China

The generation of secondary convection, following an earlier episode of convection, within a heavy‐rain‐producing mesoscale convective system (MCS) along a Mei‐Yu front in eastern China on 6–8 July 2013 is studied based on convection‐permitting Weather Research and Forecasting simulations. The initiation of the secondary convection is found to be directly linked to the downward development of a mesoscale convective vortex (MCV) spawn by the MCS. In the early and mature stage, the MCV center is located at the middle troposphere; it descends gradually with time as the parent MCS began to decay, with the associated convection transitioning from deep to shallow convection. The descent of the MCV occurs in response to the lowering of the maximum diabatic heating within the convective system, which increases positive potential vorticity down below. When the MCV reaches the lower troposphere, it becomes coupled with the prefrontal southwesterly low‐level jet (LLJ). The confluence of the MCV rotational flow with the LLJ notably enhances the convergence on the southern flank of the MCV, where the secondary convection is triggered and swapped through the southeastern flank of the MCV. Unlike that found in the MCV of the U.S. Central Plains, the cold pool produced by the Mei‐Yu frontal MCS is rather weak and shallow and appears to play only a minor role in promoting convection. The balanced isentropic lifting by the MCV circulation is also weak, although the MCV circulation does help localize the secondary convection.