Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anomalous Cloud-to-Ground Lightning in an F5-Tornado-producing Supercell Thunderstorm on 28 August 1990

An F5 tornado that devastated Plainfield, Illinois, and environs on 28 August 1990, killing 29 people, is shown to be produced by a thunderstorm characterized by highly anomalous cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning activity. Unlike typical summertime convection in which the majority of CG flashes lower negative charge to ground, the Plainfield storm produced predominantly positive-polarity CG flashes during development. Changes in storm structure revealed by radar imagery appear tied to distinct patterns in the CG flash parameters of polarity, flash frequency, first stroke peak current, flash multiplicity, and flash location relative to the parent cumulonimbus. The primary findings are 1) the anomalous predominance (91%) of positive-polarity CG flashes during development; 2) positive CG flashes anomalously occurring mainly within the region of the storm's radar reflectivity core; 3) the onset of a major downburst coinciding with a sudden increase in CG flash rate, from 4 to 17 flashes min-1, and positive perce.
Relationship between quantization and distribution rates of digitally watermarked data

We consider a watermarking system where 2/sup nRw/ distinct Gaussian watermarks are embedded in respective copies of an n-dimensional i.i. d. Gaussian image. Copies are distributed to customers in digital form, using R/sub Q/ bits per image dimension. We establish the rate region for the pair (R/sub Q/, R/sub W/) such that (i) the average quadratic distortion between the original image and each distributed copy is no more than a specified level; and (ii) the error probability in decoding the embedded watermark in the distributed copy approaches zero asymptotically in n.
Metachronous lesions after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection: first assessment of the FAMISH prediction score

BACKGROUND AND STUDY AIM Surveillance after gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is recommended for all patients due to the persistent risk of metachronous gastric lesions (MGLs). We aimed to develop and validate a prediction score to estimate MGL risk after ESD for early neoplastic gastric lesions, to define an individualized and cost saving approach. PATIENTS AND METHODS Clinical predictors and a risk score were derived from meta-analysis data. A retrospective, single centre, cohort study including patients with >3 years standardized surveillance after ESD was conducted for score validation. Predictive accuracy of the score by the receiver operating characteristic curve was assessed and cumulative probabilities of MGL were estimated. RESULTS The risk score (0-9 points) included 6 clinical predictors (scored 0-3): positive family history of gastric cancer, older age, male gender, corpus intestinal metaplasia, synchronous gastric lesions and persistent Helicobacter pylori infection. Study population included 263 patients; the MGL rate was 16%. The score diagnostic accuracy for predicting MGL at 3 years of follow-up as measured by the AUC was 0.704 (95% CI 0.603-0.806). At 3 years and a cut-off <2, it achieved maximal sensitivity and negative predictive value; 15% patients could be assigned to a low-risk group, in which the progression to MGL was significantly lower than for the high-risk group (p=0.037). CONCLUSION The FAMISH score might be a concise and useful tool, accurately identifying patients with low-to-intermediate risk for MGL at 3 years of follow-up, who might expand the surveillance interval to reduce the burden of care.
The Gordon Memorial Lecture: Laying hen welfare

ABSTRACT Preference tests remain a useful tool in the assessment of laying hen welfare and have been used to establish what types of resources and enrichments are most likely to meet the birds’ needs. Evidence on the underlying structure of bird preference suggests that hens make stable and reliable choices across time and context. This means that their preferences can also be used as a benchmark in the validation of other welfare indicators. Hens have sophisticated cognitive abilities. They are quick to form associations between events and they are flexible in how they apply their knowledge in different contexts. However, they may not form expectations about the world in the same way as some mammalian species. Limited research in this area to date seems to show that hens judge situations in absolute terms rather than evaluating how a situation may be improving or deteriorating. The proportion of hens housed in cage-free systems is increasing globally, providing birds with greater behavioural freedom. Many of the problems associated with cage-free systems, such as keel bone fractures, mortality and injurious pecking, are slowly reducing due to improved experience and appropriate changes in rearing practices, diet, housing design and alignment of breeding goals. However, much remains to be done. The design and performance of veranda-based systems which provide hens with fresh air and natural light is a promising avenue for future research aimed at optimising hen welfare and improving sustainability.
Restoring calcium homeostasis in Purkinje cells arrests neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in the ARSACS mouse model

Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is caused by mutations in SACS gene encoding sacsin, a huge protein highly expressed in cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs). Patients with ARSACS, as well as mouse models, display early degeneration of PCs, but the underlying mechanisms remain unexplored, with no available treatments. In this work, we demonstrated aberrant calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis and its impact on PC degeneration in ARSACS. Mechanistically, we found pathological elevation in Ca2+-evoked responses in Sacs–/– PCs as the result of defective mitochondria and ER trafficking to distal dendrites and strong downregulation of key Ca2+ buffer proteins. Alteration of cytoskeletal linkers, which we identified as specific sacsin interactors, likely account for faulty organellar trafficking in Sacs–/– cerebellum. Based on this pathogenetic cascade, we treated Sacs–/– mice with Ceftriaxone, a repurposed drug that exerts neuroprotection by limiting neuronal glutamatergic stimulation and, thus, Ca2+ fluxes into PCs. Ceftriaxone treatment significantly improved motor performances of Sacs–/– mice, at both pre- and postsymptomatic stages. We correlated this effect to restored Ca2+ homeostasis, which arrests PC degeneration and attenuates secondary neuroinflammation. These findings disclose key steps in ARSACS pathogenesis and support further optimization of Ceftriaxone in preclinical and clinical settings for the treatment of patients with ARSACS.
Association between anxiety and depression symptoms and completion of first-line treatment in newly diagnosed lung cancer patients

Josephine Maffait Hansen, Trille Kristina Kjaer , Anders Mellemgård, Marianne Stensøe Oksen, Ingelise Andersen and Susanne Oksbjerg Dalton Survivorship and Inequality in Cancer, Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Copenhagen, Denmark; Department of Oncology, Herlev Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Herlev, Denmark; Department of Public Health, Section of Social Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Danish Research Center for Equality in Cancer, Department of Clinical Oncology and Palliative Care, Zealand University Hospital, Næstved, Denmark
Common and unique alterations of functional connectivity in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD) are considered whole‐brain disorders with some common clinical and neurobiological features. It is important to investigate neural mechanisms to distinguish between the two disorders. However, few studies have explored the functional dysconnectivity between the two disorders from the whole brain level.
Electrophysiological correlates of attentional capture in joint action

In joint action, agents are assumed to represent their partner's task to optimize joint performance. However, the neurophysiological processes underlying the processing of the partner's task have not been widely investigated. Pairs of participants were asked to perform a joint version of a visual search task in either a cooperative or a competitive social context. During the task, one agent's neural activity was recorded using electroencephalography (EEG). The alpha‐lateralization index was calculated as [(contralateral − ipsilateral)/(contralateral + ipsilateral)] × 100 to examine attentional selection or suppression of the laterally presented stimulus. A negative alpha‐lateralization indicates lower alpha‐band power over the contralateral sites compared with the ipsilateral sites and was related to attentional selection. A positive alpha‐lateralization indicates higher alpha‐band power over the contralateral sites compared with the ipsilateral sites and was related to attentional suppression. Behavioural results showed impeded search performance when the partner target was present. Furthermore, EEG time‐frequency results showed that the partner target induced a negative parieto‐occipital alpha‐lateralization, indicating that it captured attention, when the agent target was absent. When the agent target was present, the parieto‐occipital alpha‐lateralization index was negative for laterally presented partner target in the cooperative and positive in the competitive social context, indicative of attentional capture in the cooperative condition and suppression of the partner target in the competitive condition. In sum, our study showed that humans tune their attentional processing towards a partner target in a joint action task. This attentional tuning was shown to be affected by social context and the presence of the agent's own target.
Lower initial red blood cell count in cerebrospinal fluid predicts good functional outcome in patients with spontaneous subarachnoid haemorrhage

Red blood cell (RBC) degradation after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) negatively affects functional outcome. Although the detection of RBCs in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a widely available part of neurological routine diagnostics, the prognostic value as a biomarker remains unclear. This study was undertaken to investigate whether CSF RBC count correlates with established radiological markers of SAH volume and whether the CSF RBC count can predict functional outcome in SAH patients.
Research on fatigue optimization simulation of polymeric heart valve based on the iterative sub‐regional thickened method

Prosthetic polymeric heart valves (PHVs) have the potential to overcome the inherent material and design limitations of traditional valves in the treatment of valvular heart disease; however, their durability remains limited. Optimal design of the valve structure is necessary to improve their durability. This study aimed to enhance the fatigue resistance of PHVs by improving the stress distribution. Iterative subregional thickening of the leaflets was used, and the mechanical stress distribution and hemodynamics of these polymeric tri‐leaflet valves were characterized using a fluid–structure interaction approach. Subregional thickening led to a reduction in stress concentration on the leaflet, with the effective orifice area still meeting ISO 5840‐3 and the regurgitant volume achieving a similar value to those in previous studies. The maximum stress in the final iteration was reduced by 28% compared with that of the prototype. The proposed method shows potential for analyzing the stress distribution and hemodynamic performance of subregional thickened valves and can further improve the durability of PHVs.
Element-Free Method with Gauss Points Partition

Element-free method (EFM) has been applied to seismic modeling and migration. Compared with finite element method (FEM) and finite difference method (FDM), it is much cheaper and more flexible because only the information of the nodes and the boundary of the study area are required in computation. However, when we expect higher resolution, more nodes should be calculated thus both the time consumption and storage will increase significantly. Under the condition of fixed storage, we propose a method using Gauss Points Partition (GPP) to improve the efficiency. Numerical examples demonstrate the GPP method can substantially improve the efficiency especially in the case of large-scale nodes.
A Variant in the IRF6 Promoter Associated with the Risk for Orofacial Clefting

The single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs2235371 (IRF6 V274I) is associated with nonsyndromic cleft lip with or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) in Han Chinese and other populations but appears to be without a functional effect. To find the common etiologic variant or variants within the haplotype tagged by rs2235371, we carried out targeted sequencing of an interval containing IRF6 in 159 Han Chinese with NSCL/P. This study revealed that the SNP rs12403599, within the IRF6 promoter, is associated with all phenotypes of NSCL/P, especially nonsyndromic cleft lip (NSCLO) and a subphenotype of it, microform cleft lip (MCL). This association was replicated in 2 additional much larger cohorts of cases and controls from the Han Chinese. Conditional logistic analysis indicated that association of rs2235371 with NSCL/P was lost if rs12403599 was excluded. rs12403599 contributes the most risk to MCL: its G allele is responsible for 38.47% of the genetic contribution to MCL, and the odds ratios of G/C and G/G genotypes were 2.91 and 6.58, respectively, for MCL. To test if rs12403599 is functional, we carried out reporter assays in a fetal oral epithelium cells (GMSM-K). Unexpectedly, the risk allele G yielded higher promoter activity in GMSM-K. Consistent with the reporter studies, expression of IRF6 in lip tissues from NSCLO and MCL patients with the G/G phenotype was higher than in those from patients with the C/C phenotype. These results indicate that rs12403599 is tagging the risk haplotype for NSCL/P better than rs2235371 in Han Chinese and supports investigation of the mechanisms by which the allele of rs12403599 affects IRF6 expression and tests of this association in different populations.
Newly Discovered Antimicrobial Peptide Scyampcin44–63 from Scylla paramamosain Exhibits a Multitargeted Candidacidal Mechanism In Vitro and Is Effective in a Murine Model of Vaginal Candidiasis

The emergence of azole-resistant and biofilm-forming Candida spp. contributes to the constantly increasing incidence of vulvovaginal candidiasis. It is imperative to explore new antifungal drugs or potential substituents, such as antimicrobial peptides, to alleviate the serious crisis caused by resistant fungi. ABSTRACT The emergence of azole-resistant and biofilm-forming Candida spp. contributes to the constantly increasing incidence of vulvovaginal candidiasis. It is imperative to explore new antifungal drugs or potential substituents, such as antimicrobial peptides, to alleviate the serious crisis caused by resistant fungi. In this study, a novel antimicrobial peptide named Scyampcin44–63 was identified in the mud crab Scylla paramamosain. Scyampcin44–63 exhibited broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against bacteria and fungi, was particularly effective against planktonic and biofilm cells of Candida albicans, and exhibited no cytotoxicity to mammalian cells (HaCaT and RAW264.7) or mouse erythrocytes. Transcriptomic analysis revealed four potential candidacidal modes of Scyampcin44–63, including promotion of apoptosis and autophagy and inhibition of ergosterol biosynthesis and the cell cycle. Further study showed that Scyampcin44–63 caused damage to the plasma membrane and induced apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at G2/M in C. albicans. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy demonstrated that Scyampcin44–63-treated C. albicans cells were deformed with vacuolar expansion and destruction of organelles. In addition, C. albicans cells pretreated with the autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine significantly delayed the candidacidal effect of Scyampcin44–63, suggesting that Scyampcin44–63 might contribute to autophagic cell death. In a murine model of vulvovaginal candidiasis, the fungal burden of vaginal lavage was significantly decreased after treatment with Scyampcin44–63.
Large-Eddy Simulations and Measurements of a Small-Scale High-Speed Coflowing Jet

Measurements and predictions are made of a short-cowl coflowing jet with a bypass ratio of 8:1. The Reynolds number is 300,000, and the inlet Mach numbers are representative of aeroengine conditions. The low Reynolds number of the measurements makes the case well suited to the assessment of large-eddy-simulation-related strategies. The nozzle concentricity is carefully controlled to deal with the emerging metastability issues of jets with coflow. Measurements of mean quantities and turbulence statistics are made using both laser Doppler anemometry and particle image velocimetry. The simulations are completed on 6 x 10(6), 12 x 10(6), and 50 x 10(6) cell meshes. To overcome near-wall modeling problems, a hybrid large-eddy-simulation–Reynolds-averaged-Navier–Stokesrelated method is used. The near-wall Reynolds-averaged-Navier–Stokes layer is helpful in preventing nonphysical separation from the nozzle wall.
Dynamic data-driven prediction of instability in a swirl-stabilized combustor

Combustion instability poses a negative impact on the performance and structural durability of both land-based and aircraft gas turbine engines, and early detection of combustion instabilities is of paramount importance not only for performance monitoring and fault diagnosis, but also for initiating efficient decision and control of such engines. Combustion instability is, in general, characterized by self-sustained growth of large-amplitude pressure tones that are caused by a positive feedback arising from complex coupling of localized hydrodynamic perturbations, heat energy release, and acoustics of the combustor. This paper proposes a fast dynamic data-driven method for detecting early onsets of thermo-acoustic instabilities, where the underlying algorithms are built upon the concepts of symbolic time series analysis (STSA) via generalization of D-Markov machine construction. The proposed method captures the spatiotemporal co-dependence among time series from heterogeneous sensors (e.g. pressure and chemiluminescence) to generate an information-theoretic precursor, which is uniformly applicable across multiple operating regimes of the combustion process. The proposed method is experimentally validated on the time-series data, generated from a laboratory-scale swirl-stabilized combustor, while inducing thermo-acoustic instabilities for various protocols (e.g. increasing Reynolds number (Re) at a constant fuel flow rate and reducing equivalence ratio at a constant air flow rate) at varying air-fuel premixing levels. The underlying algorithms are developed based on D-Markov entropy rates, and the resulting instability precursor measure is rigorously compared with the state-of-the-art techniques in terms of its performance of instability prediction, computational complexity, and robustness to sensor noise.
Can MRI biomarkers for hearing loss in enlarged vestibular aqueduct be measured reproducibly?

Objective: Morphological features of an enlarged endolymphatic duct (ED) and sac (ES) are imaging biomarkers for genotype and hearing loss phenotype. We determine which biomarkers can be measured in a reproducible manner, facilitating further clinical prediction studies in enlarged vestibular aqueduct hearing loss. Methods: A rater reproducibility study. Three consultant radiologists independently measured previously reported MRI ED & ES biomarkers (ED midpoint width, maximal ED diameter closest to the vestibule, ES length, ES width and presence of ES signal heterogeneity) and presence of incomplete partition Type 2 from 80 ears (T 2 weighted axial MRI). Interclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Gwet’s Agreement Coefficients (AC) were generated to give a measure of reproducibility for both continuous and categorical feature measures respectively. Results: ES length, width and sac signal heterogeneity showed adequate reproducibility (ICC 95% confidence intervals 0.77–0.95, Gwet’s AC for sac heterogeneity 0.64). When determining ED midpoint width, measurements from multiple raters are required for “good” reliability (ICC 95% CI 0.75–0.89). Agreement on the presence of incomplete partition Type 2 ranged from “moderate” to “substantial”. Conclusions: Regarding MR imaging, the opinion of multiple expert raters should be sought when determining the presence of an enlarged ED defined by midpoint width. ED midpoint, ES length, width and signal heterogeneity have adequate reproducibility to be further explored as clinical predictors for audiological phenotype. Advances in knowledge: We report which ED & ES biomarkers are reproducibly measured. Researchers can confidently utilise these specific biomarkers when modelling progressive hearing loss associated with enlarged vestibular aqueduct.
Classification Using A Functional Partial Least Squares Logistic Regression Method

Statistical analysis of functional data has been explored extensively over the last decade and functional partial least squares regression has emerged as a popular choice for classiﬁ-cation problems. In partial least squares algorithms, uncorrelated components are derived iteratively by ﬁnding linear combinations of the predictors that maximize the variance be-tween the predictors and the response. In this paper, we will develop a method to extract the components that explicitly considers the predictive power of the individual predictors. If an individual predictor does not display high predictive power as well as high covariance with the response, then their coeﬃcients will be set to zero. This modiﬁed partial least squares method will be used to develop a set of uncorrelated latent variables, called mPLS components. The mPLS components will be used as the predictor variables in the logistic regression model. The eﬃcacy of our algorithm will be assessed using fractional anisotropy data.