Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Facies variability and depositional settings of Laguna Salada de Chiprana, an Iberian hypersaline lake

Hypersaline lakes are unique depositional environments that are highly sensitive to climatic changes and anthropogenic pressures. Strong physicochemical gradients and the interplay of physical, chemical and biological depositional processes coupled to variable preservation potential associated with these environments generate highly complex sedimentary sequences. This study aimed to investigate spatio‐temporal variations throughout the last three centuries in the sedimentary sequence of Laguna Salada de Chiprana, a small, permanent hypersaline lake situated in Northeast Spain. Short sediment cores reveal a complex sedimentary sequence influenced by detrital, chemically‐induced and biogenically‐influenced depositional processes. Nine facies associated with six sedimentological units represent six periods of environmental change beginning from approximately pre‐1800 ad to the present day. They include: (i) a shallow, permanent saline lake that experienced brief periods of anoxia and drawdown between pre‐1800 ad and ca 1850 ad. This was succeeded by: (ii) increased lake levels and detrital input to the lake from ca 1850 to 1900 ad; and (iii) a fall in lake levels and the establishment of microbial mats within bottom waters fluctuating between oxic and anoxic conditions from ca 1900 to 1950 ad. (iv) From ca 1950/1960 ad, a minor increase in lake levels and colonization of the littoral and sub‐littoral zones by macrophytic vegetation occurred; followed by (v) falling lake levels and increasing salinity between 1960 and 1970 ad leading to widespread encrustation of macrophytes in the littoral zones by carbonate–evaporite precipitates. Finally (vi), from ca 1970 ad to the present day, falling lake levels, elevated salinity and widespread colonization of the lake by microbial mats characterize the sedimentary environment. Climate reconstructions and documentary evidence indicate that depositional evolution was mostly controlled by changes in farming practices and irrigation policies. Understanding Laguna Salada de Chiprana’s depositional evolution contributes to future definitions of high‐resolution palaeoenvironmental models, not only within the Iberian Peninsula but also in other locations where saline–hypersaline lakes act as a key source of palaeoenvironmental information.
Phage therapy: An old concept with new perspectives

The ever-increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics and the growing number of severe, hard-to-treat infections have driven international studies into a race to develop alternative, less conventional methods of treatment. One such antibacterial strategy has been around for a relatively long time, just recently resparking scientific interest: it is called phage therapy . In the fight against multidrug-resistant bacterial infections, this method employs one of the most abundant organisms on the planet Earth—bacteriophages—a type of intriguing, spiderlike viruses which infect bacteria. The newest research in the field of phage therapy and its applications in medicine suggests that this method indeed has the potential to become an alternative form of treatment for patients suffering from various diseases, as it turns out, not only bacterial infections. However, there is still much to be learnt about phage biology, its impact on the human body, and its interactions with bacteria. Nonetheless, in the face of a significant global health threat, the time has come to reexamine this almost-century-old medical strategy.
Even one can make a difference — Female board representation and capital structure: Evidence from Taiwan

This paper investigates whether and how female board representation will affect firms’ capital structure using a sample of 16,477 firm-year observations during the period from 2006 to 2017 obtained from Taiwan Economic Journal (TEJ). While 67% of Taiwanese firms have female directors, most firms have only one female director. We find that firms with female directors use more debt financing, particularly, more short-term debt. Our results support the notion that female board representation is associated with increased monitoring through increased use of debt, particularly short-term debt. Our results remain consistent with various robustness tests using alternative samples, measures, and methodologies.
Trees Contained in Every Orientation of a Graph

For every graph $G$, let $t(G)$ denote the largest integer $t$ such that every oriented tree of order $t$ appears in every orientation of $G$. In 1980, Burr conjectured that $t(G)\geq 1+\chi(G)/2$ for all $G$, and showed that $t(G)\geq 1+ \lfloor\sqrt{\chi(G)}\rfloor$; this bound remains the state of the art, apart from the multiplicative constant. We present an elementary argument that improves this bound whenever $G$ has somewhat large chromatic number, showing that $t(G)\geq \lfloor \chi(G)/\log_2 v(G)\rfloor$ for all $G$.
Using offline routing to implement a low latenc 3D FFT in a multinode FPGA system

Applications that require highly parallel computing along with low latency communication due to strong scaling, such as a calculating a 3D FFT for Molecular Dynamics simulations, can be problematic for traditional high performance computing (HPC) clusters. A multinode FPGA array is a good solution for these types of problems due to the direct high speed connections and flexible internal fabric inherent in FPGAs. Offline routing uses precomputed routing information to direct packets and can avoid much of the switching and congestion communication overhead. Two architectures are explored here which show the feasibility of using offline routing techniques to reduce communication latencies in FPGA systems. The first architecture targets a single FPGA that was built for initial exploration and to show how the powerful and flexible a single FPGA can be. It attained a maximum clock frequency of 102MHz and latencies of 64us and 250 us for 3D FFT calculations of 32 3 and 64 3 data points respectively. The second architecture targets an FPGA that is intended to be the model for each node in the array. The best multinode version is based on a multilevel switching architecture. It has a maximum clock frequency of 134MHz. When scaled to a cluster, latencies project to 2.4us and 5.5us for 3D FFT calculations of 32 3 and 64 3 data points respectively. The two designs show the potential for using a single FPGA and multi-FPGA arrays for HPC applications where communication latency is critical to the application.
Improving Engineering Student Retention through Hands-On, Team Based, First-Year Design Projects

– This longitudinal study is an investigation of the impact on student retention of a First-Year Engineering Projects (FYEP) course at a large public research university. Student retention was measured at the third, fifth and seventh semester for student takers and non-takers of a first-year, team-based design/build course. Retention data were analyzed across eight years for 5,070 students, representing 2,128 students who took the FYEP course (42%) and 2,942 students who did not take the course (58%). Significant retention gains were found for all student takers. The authors compare these results with reported retention data from other engineering institutions and discuss possible causes and ramifications of the findings.
The effect of aspect ratio on in rectangular longitudinal diffusivity channels

In a recent paper Doshi, Daiya & Gill (1978) showed that the value of Taylor’s longitudinal diffusivity D for laminar flow in a channel of rectangular cross-section of breadth u and height b is about 8 0 , for large values of the aspect ratio a/b, where Do is the value of the longitudinal diffusivity obtained by ignoring all variation across the channel. This superficially surprising result is confirmed by an independent method, and is shown to be caused by the boundary layers on the side walls of the channel. The primary purpose of the paper, however, is to consider the value of D in turbulent flow in a flat-bottomed channel of large aspect ratio, for which arguments based on physics are adduced in support of the formula D c Do[ 1 + B] [ 1 - y(b/u)], where B and y are positive constants independent of b/u. It is shown that this result is consistent with laboratory experiments by Fischer (1966). The paper concludes with a discussion of the practical effects of aspect ratio on longitudinal dispersion in channels whose cross-section is approximately rectangular.
Perioperative Management and Long-Term Outcomes in Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid Patients Undergoing Cataract Surgery

Objective To observe the outcomes of cataract surgery in ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP) patients and explore routine perioperative medical treatments. Design Retrospective case series. Methods Fourteen eyes of 8 patients were included in the study. Foster's stage 1-4 OCP patients were given human intravenous immunoglobulin, whereas patients with active inflammation were treated with prednisone tablets and methotrexate. Those who were intolerant to methotrexate and had severe inflammatory symptoms were treated with cyclophosphamide. Cataract surgery was performed for all patients after three months of systemic treatment under stable conditions. The conjunctival biopsy was evaluated by immunofluorescence microscopy. Then, patients were divided into individuals with or without ankyloblepharon. Records were reviewed for OCP stage, type of surgery, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), Schirmer I test, corneal fluorescein sodium staining, meibomian gland coloboma range, and ocular surface disease index (OSDI) scores. Follow-up was for the duration of taking topical and systemic medication. Results Nine female (64.29%) and 4 male (35.71%) eyes were diagnosed with OCP by biopsy. The mean follow-up time was 60.64 ± 35.62 months. Thirteen eyes (92.86%) of 7 patients underwent phacoemulsification. One eye underwent phacoemulsification combined with amniotic membrane transplantation. The intracapsular extraction of cataract was applied to one eye. The BCVA improved significantly in all the patients, which remained stable until the last follow-up. The Schirmer I test was higher than that before the surgery. Corneal fluorescein sodium staining after surgery showed a decrease in score compared to the preoperative score. The BCVA of the patients after surgery increased significantly. The OSDI scores of patients with ankyloblepharon were significantly higher than for those without it. Postoperative symblepharon showed no significant difference compared to the preoperative symblepharon. Conclusions In this series, OCP patients with cataracts were able to undergo phacoemulsification surgery, whereas routine use of immunosuppression and closed postoperative follow-up were necessary.
Analysis of Risk Factors and Mortality of Patients with Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Infection

Background Carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae (CRKP) infection is associated with high mortality and has become a major public problem threatening patients. This study aimed to explore risk factors for death in patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae (KP) and identify risk factors for CRKP infection. Methods The study retrospectively analyzed clinical characteristics and microbiological data from patients infected with KP from January 2019 to October 2021 to identify risk factors and mortality, using multivariate logistic regression analysis and Cox regression analysis. Results A total of 214 KP inpatients were enrolled in our study. The in-hospital mortality rate was significantly higher in patients infected with CRKP (13/68, 19.12%) than carbapenem-susceptible KP (CSKP) (2/146, 1.37%) and the difference was statistically significant (P= 0.03). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed CRKP isolation (HR 12.26, 95% CI 2.43–61.68, P = 0.002), lower TP (HR 10.50, 95% CI 1.33–82.76, P = 0.03), antibiotic days of therapy >15 (HR 0.08, 95% CI 0.01–0.56, P= 0.01) and length of stay (LOS) (HR 0.03, 95% CI 0.002–0.61, P= 0.02) were independent risk factors for death from KP. Additionally, intensive care unit (ICU) stay (OR 21.69, 95% CI 4.50–118.76, P< 0.001) and previous carbapenem exposure (OR 5.26, 95% CI 1.38–21.19, P= 0.02) are independent risk factors for CRKP. Conclusion Our findings showed that patients infected with CRKP have a higher in-hospital mortality rate. Identifying the independent risk factors for CRKP infection may contribute to the management of CRKP and reduce the mortality of KP patients.
The Lombard effect in fishes: How boat noise impacts oyster toadfish vocalization amplitudes in natural experiments

The Lombard effect (an involuntary increase in vocal levels in noisy environments) has been shown for humans, birds, and mammals. Here, we use experimental playbacks of vessel noise and other natural sounds in the normal soundscape of the oyster toadfish Opsanus tau to test if the Lombard effect occurred. Experiments were conducted at a noisy site adjacent to a port with high vessel traffic and in a quiet embayment. We played back vessel noise (inboard and outboard motor noise), predator sounds (bottlenose dolphins) and snapping shrimp sounds for 600 s and recorded the vocalizations made by toadfish in experimental dens during 600 s periods before, during, and after the playback period. Average call power of vocalizations increased by 6.8 dB during and 8.7 dB re 1 μPa2 after playbacks of noise relative to pre-period levels, demonstrating the Lombard effect in toadfish. Fish at the noisy site had higher average call power relative to the quiet site. There was no change in the fundamental frequency of calls.
Association of C-Terminal Pro-Endothelin-1 with Mortality in the Population-Based KORA F4 Study

Introduction Endothelin-1 and its prohormone C-terminal pro-endothelin-1 (CT-proET-1) have been linked to metabolic alterations, inflammatory responses and cardiovascular events in selected study populations. We analyzed the association of CT-proET-1 with cardiovascular events and mortality, carotid intima-media-thickness as surrogate for early atherosclerotic lesions, biomarkers of subclinical inflammation and adipokines in a population-based study. Methods The cross-sectional and prospective analyses used data from the KORA F4 study with a median follow-up time of 9.1 (8.8–9.4) years. Data on CT-proET-1 and mortality were available for 1554 participants, data on the other outcomes in subgroups (n = 596–1554). The associations were estimated using multivariable linear regression and Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for sex, age, body mass index, estimated glomerular filtration rate, arterial hypertension, diabetes, low-density and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, current and former smoking and physical activity. The Bonferroni method was used to correct for multiple testing. Results In the fully adjusted model, CT-proET-1 was associated with cardiovascular (hazard ratio (HR) per standard deviation increase: 1.66; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.10–2.51; p = 0.017) and all-cause mortality (HR: 2.03; 95% CI 1.55–2.67; p < 0.001), but not with cardiovascular events, and was inversely associated with the intima-media thickness (β: −0.09 ± 0.03; p = 0.001). CT-proET-1 was positively associated with five out of ten biomarkers of subclinical inflammation and with two out of five adipokines after correction for multiple testing. After inclusion of biomarkers of subclinical inflammation in the Cox proportional hazard model, the association of CT-proET-1 with all-cause mortality persisted (p < 0.001). Conclusion These results emphasize the complexity of endothelin-1 actions and/or indicator functions of CT-proET-1. CT-proET-1 is a risk marker for all-cause mortality, which is likely independent of vascular endothelin-1 actions, cardiovascular disease and inflammation.
Climate change: are building codes keeping up? A case study on hurricanes in the Caribbean

Effective building codes should provide design guidelines that reflect the current levels of natural hazards. For resilient design, codes also need to look ahead for extreme environmental loadings and hazards related to climate change. This paper describes a risk management perspective on the environmental loading conditions in design standards through the use of meteorological data and probabilistic severe event simulations. A case study explores hurricane intensity in the Caribbean and the modelled expected maximum wind speeds and hurricane category for the region along with local design codes. These findings are used as an informed-decision-support tool for risk managers and design engineers. It has been observed that the environmental loading definitions and maps provided in building codes are in some cases based on historical data that have not been updated with the latest hazard databases or more recent events. Building standards and regulations should be regularly revised to reflect the latest haza.
POLA ADOPSI CRM OLEH PELAKU ONLINE SHOP BERBASIS MEDIA SOSIAL

Untuk dapat memenangkan persaingan disektor perekonomian berbasis teknologi, para pelaku online shop yang notabenenya UKM ini harus mengetahui langkah tepat yang harus dilakukan oleh pelaku online shop, untuk mencapai kriteria kesuksesan dalam berbisnis online khususnya yang berbasis media sosial. Banyak para pelaku online shop yang baru merintis belum mengetahui langkah-langkah terbaik yang harus mereka lakukan untuk mencapai kriteria online shop sukses tersebut. Ada beberapa penilaian berdasarkan kesuksesan online shop, yaitu memiliki pelanggan tetap, mudah mendapatkan pelanggan baru dan stastistik omset meninggkat. CRM adalah strategy yang tepat untuk digunakan oleh pelaku online shop. Strategy ini biasanya digunakan oleh perusahaan besar dan berkembang tujuannya untuk mempertahankan dan mendapatkan pelanggan. Penelitian ini juga akan memperlihatkan bagaimana media sosial dan CRM memberikan kontribusinya kepada pelaku sosial CRM tersebut. Oleh karena itu sangat diperlukan pengadopsian strategy CRM (sosial CRM) pada pelaku online shop yang berbasis media sosial tujuannya untuk membantu pelaku online shop menuju kearah kriteria online shop yang sukses, Hasil penelitian ini memperlihatkan bagimana langkah yang tepat serta rekomendasi terbaik untuk pelaku online shop menjadi lebih baik dan tentunya menuju kearah kriteria sukses tersebut.
Absence of Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 in the Listeria monocytogenes Immunity to Cutting Edge: Protective Cell-Mediated

In addition to their role in triggering innate immune responses, Toll-like receptors are proposed to play a key role in linking the innate and adaptive arms of the immune response. The majority of cellular responses downstream of Toll-like receptors are mediated through the adapter molecule myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), and mice with a targeted deletion of MyD88 are highly susceptible to bacterial infections, including primary infection with Listeria monocytogenes (LM). In contrast, herein we demonstrate that MyD88-deficient mice have only a modest impairment in their LM-specific CD4 T cell response, and no impairment in their CD8 T cell response following infection with ActA-deficient LM. Further-more, CD8 T cells from immunized MyD88-deficient mice protected naive recipient mice following adoptive splenocyte transfer, and immunized MyD88-deficient mice were protected from infection with wild-type LM. These results indicate that adaptive immune responses can be generated and provide protective immunity in the absence of MyD88. The Journal of Immunology, 2003, 171: 533–537.
Unraveling the relationship between autoimmune pancreatitis type 2 and inflammatory bowel disease: Results from two centers and systematic review of the literature

Abstract Introduction The relationship between autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) type 2 and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been established and previously described within International Consensus Diagnostic Criteria. However, it is unknown if the presence of IBD changes the natural disease course of AIP type 2. Our aim was to investigate the association between AIP type 2 and IBD as well as to systematically summarize all the existing evidence in the literature. Methods Electronic medical record analysis was conducted in two centers (in Stockholm, Sweden, and Milan, Italy; records dated between January 2001 and June 2021). Additionally, we conducted a systematic review of the literature. Results A total of 35 patients (18 females, 51.4%) fulfilled the diagnostic criteria of AIP type 2 and were included in the study. A diagnosis of IBD was established in 29 patients (82.8%), ulcerative colitis in 17 (58.6%) and Crohn's disease in 11 (37.9%). Median follow‐up was 54 months. AIP patients with IBD commonly presented with abdominal pain and/or acute pancreatitis at diagnosis, the latter was prevailing in concomitant and later IBD onset. These patients more frequently used steroids, but there were no differences in relapse rates. Concomitant onset of IBD was associated with the development of diabetes mellitus. There were no cases of colon or pancreatic malignancy during follow‐up. In our systematic analysis, a total of 693 AIP type 2 patients were included from 24 single‐center retrospective studies and 8 multicenter retrospective studies. A diagnosis of IBD was reported in 330 (47.8%) patients. Relapse rate was 20.0%. Conclusions Clinical and radiological remission of AIP type 2 was high, while the cumulative incidence of relapse is around 20%. Our results show that concomitance of IBD imposes no obvious risk of a different disease course for AIP type 2.
Stable Zinc Anodes Enabled by a Zincophilic Polyanionic Hydrogel Layer

The practical application of the Zn‐metal anode for aqueous batteries is greatly restricted by catastrophic dendrite growth, intricate hydrogen evolution, and parasitic surface passivation. Herein, a polyanionic hydrogel film is introduced as a protective layer on the Zn anode with the assistance of a silane coupling agent (denoted as Zn–SHn). The hydrogel framework with zincophilic –SO3− functional groups uniformizes the zinc ions flux and transport. Furthermore, such a hydrogel layer chemically bonded on the Zn surface possesses an anti‐catalysis effect, which effectively suppresses both the hydrogen evolution reaction and formation of Zn dendrites. As a result, stable and reversible Zn stripping/plating at various currents and capacities is achieved. A full cell by pairing the Zn–SHn anode with a NaV3O8·1.5 H2O cathode shows a capacity of around 176 mAh g−1 with a retention around 67% over 4000 cycles at 10 A g−1. This polyanionic hydrogel film protection strategy paves a new way for future Zn‐anode design and safe aqueous batteries construction.
Spatio-Temporal Dynamics of a Dieldrin Resistance Gene in Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus Populations From Reunion Island

Abstract The control of mosquito populations using insecticides is increasingly threatened by the spread of resistance mechanisms. Dieldrin resistance, conferred by point mutations in the Rdl gene encoding the γ-aminobutyric acid receptor, has been reported at high prevalence in mosquito populations in response to selective pressures. In this study, we monitored spatio-temporal dynamics of the resistance-conferring RdlR allele in Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1895) and Culex (Culex) quinquefasciatus (Say, 1823) populations from Reunion Island. Specimens of both mosquito species were sampled over a 12-month period in three cities and in sites located at lower (<61 m) and higher (between 503 and 564 m) altitudes. Mosquitoes were genotyped using a molecular test detecting the alanine to serine substitution (A302S) in the Rdl gene. Overall, the RdlR frequencies were higher in Cx. quinquefasciatus than Ae. albopictus. For both mosquito species, the RdlR frequencies were significantly influenced by location and altitude with higher RdlR frequencies in the most urbanized areas and at lower altitudes. This study highlights environmental factors that influence the dynamics of insecticide resistance genes, which is critical for the management of insecticide resistance and the implementation of alternative and efficient vector control strategies.