Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bacterial Community Characteristics Shaped by Artificial Environmental PM2.5 Control in Intensive Broiler Houses

Multilayer cage-houses for broiler rearing have been widely used in intensive Chinese farming in the last decade. This study investigated the characteristics and influencing factors of bacterial communities in the PM2.5 of broiler cage-houses. The PM2.5 samples and environmental variables were collected inside and outside of three parallel broiler houses at the early, middle, and late rearing stages; broiler manure was also gathered simultaneously. The bacterial 16S rRNA sequencing results indicated that indoor bacterial communities were different from the outdoor atmosphere and manure. Furthermore, the variations in airborne bacterial composition and structure were highly influenced by the environmental control variables at different growth stages. The db-RDA results showed that temperature and wind speed, which were artificially modified according to managing the needs for broiler growth, were the main factors affecting the diversity of dominant taxa. Indoor airborne and manurial samples shared numerous common genera, which contained high abundances of manure-origin bacteria. Additionally, the airborne bacterial community tended to stabilize in the middle and late stages, but the population of potentially pathogenic bacteria grew gradually. Overall, this study enhances the understanding of airborne bacteria variations and highlighted the potential role of environmental control measures in intensive farming.
Kinematic and Thermodynamic Characteristics of the Flow over the Western Pacific Warm Pool during TOGA COARE

Abstract Rawinsonde and satellite infrared radiation (IR) data from the Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Coupled Ocean Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE) are used to investigate mean and transient behavior and horizontal variability of the atmosphere over the western Pacific warm pool. Infrared data for the 4-mo Intensive Observing Period (IOP) and vertical motion fields indicate that the intensity of convection, height of maximum upward motion, and SST all increased from west (140°E) to east across the COARE domain. IOP-mean IR data show a double ITCZ (Intertropical Convergence Zone) structure north and south of the Intensive Flux Array (IFA, centered at 2°S, 156°E), although marked variability in the patterns occurred on a month to month basis. Three prominent westerly wind bursts occurred over the IFA during the 4-mo IOP in association with the intraseasonal oscillations (ISOs). Strong upward motion usually occurred 1–3 weeks prior to the peak low-level westerlies. Subsidence dominated when .
Physical Exercise and the Hallmarks of Breast Cancer: A Narrative Review

Simple Summary The growing prevalence of breast cancer, together with the progress in updating tumor hallmarks, increases the need to develop and investigate the molecular pathways that influence the progression of the disease. It is known that lifestyle greatly influences the disease onset and prognosis, but no research has yet been carried out that synthesizes this relationship in depth. The present narrative review aims to describe the effects of physical exercise on breast cancer hallmarks. Abstract Growing evidence suggests that, among the different molecular/cellular pathophysiological mechanisms associated with cancer, there are 14 hallmarks that play a major role, including: (i) sustaining proliferative signaling, (ii) evading growth suppressors, (iii) activating invasion and metastasis, (iv) enabling replicative immortality, (v) inducing angiogenesis, (vi) resisting cell death, (vii) reprogramming energy metabolism, (viii) evading immune destruction, (ix) genome instability and mutations, (x) tumor-promoting inflammation, (xi) unlocking phenotypic plasticity, (xii) nonmutational epigenetic reprogramming, (xiii) polymorphic microbiomes, and (xiv) senescent cells. These hallmarks are also associated with the development of breast cancer, which represents the most prevalent tumor type in the world. The present narrative review aims to describe, for the first time, the effects of physical activity/exercise on these hallmarks. In summary, an active lifestyle, and particularly regular physical exercise, provides beneficial effects on all major hallmarks associated with breast cancer, and might therefore help to counteract the progression of the disease or its associated burden.
Prolonged Survival after Recurrence in HCC Resected Patients Using Repeated Curative Therapies: Never Give Up!

Simple Summary Surgical resection is the optimal treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), despite a high risk of recurrence. We performed a retrospective analysis of survival after recurrence (SAR) of HCC after liver resection. Time to recurrence and treatment at recurrence are major prognostic factors of SAR. However, after curative treatment at recurrence, Overall survival is not significantly different between patients who recurred or not, whatever the time of recurrence. Abstract Surgical resection is the optimal treatment for HCC, despite a high risk of recurrence. Few data are available on patient’s survival after resection. This is a retrospective study of tumor recurrence occurring after hepatectomy for HCC from 2000 to 2016. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify prognostic factors of survival after recurrence (SAR). Among 387 patients, 226 recurred (58.4%) with a median SAR of 26 months. Curative treatments (liver transplantation, repeat hepatectomy, thermal ablation) were performed for 44.7% of patients. Independent prognostic factors for SAR were micro-vascular invasion on the primary surgical specimen, size of the initial tumor >5 cm, preoperative AFP, albumin and platelet levels, male gender, number, size and localization of tumors at recurrence, time to recurrence, Child–Pugh score and treatment at recurrence. In subgroup analysis, early recurrence (46%) was associated with a decrease in SAR, by contrast with late recurrence. However, the overall survival (OS) of patients with early recurrence and curative treatment did not significantly differ from that of non-recurring patients. For late recurrence, OS did not significantly differ from that of non-recurring patients, regardless of the proposed treatment. Aggressive and repeat treatments are therefore key to improve prognosis of patients with HCC.
Local intermittency measure analysis of AE index: The directly driven and unloading component

The Auroral Electrojet (AE) index, introduced to track the global high‐latitude geomagnetic activity, is representative of two different processes (Kamide and Kokubun, 1996): the solar‐wind directly driven convection enhancement, and the impulsive unloading process. Here, we present a new technique, based on the Local Intermittency Measure analysis, to separate these two contributions in the AE index. In detail, we applied this approach to extract the coherent intermittent structures that are linked with the impulsive unloading process.
Risk stratification for cervical precancer and cancer by DH3‐HPV partial genotyping and cytology in women attending cervical screening: A retrospective cohort study

To evaluate the effect of DH3‐human papillomavirus (HPV) partial genotyping for risk stratification in cervical cancer screening, we conducted a post hoc analysis within a retrospective cohort of 7263 Chinese women aged 21–71 years who participated in population‐based screening. The residual cytological samples at baseline were retested with DH3‐HPV and Hybrid Capture 2 (HC2) assay after 3‐year follow‐up. Risk values with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) grade 3/2 or worse (CIN3+/CIN2+) were estimated based on HPV and cytology results. The report complies with the STROBE statement. Across every cytological result, risk estimates obtained from DH3‐HPV and HC2 were similar or almost identical. By DH3‐HPV partial genotyping, risks of CIN3+/CIN2+ were invariably higher for HPV16/18 than other high‐risk HPV (hrHPV). Among women with normal cytology, immediate CIN3+ risks were 8.16% (95% CI = 4.19%–15.28%) for HPV16/18 positive and 0.48% (95% CI = 0.13%–1.73%) for other hrHPV positive. Among women with any abnormal cytology, immediate CIN3+ risks were 33.33% (95% CI = 22.24%–46.64%) for HPV16/18, and 13.33% (95% CI = 8.37%–20.56%) for other hrHPV. Among 5840 women completed 3‐year follow‐up, the cumulative CIN3+ risk was 25.56% (95% CI = 18.91%–33.59%) for HPV16/18 and 8.22% (95% CI = 6.02%–11.13%) for other hrHPV. Women with an HPV‐negative result with DH3‐HPV or HC2 test had very low cumulative 3‐year CIN3+ risk (0.06%, 95% CI = 0.02%–0.17%), which was about one‐tenth of women with normal cytology at baseline (0.62%, 95% CI = 0.45%–0.86%). Similar patterns were observed for the endpoint of CIN2+. These findings suggest that partial genotyping of DH3‐HPV performs well in risk stratification, which can better balance the benefits and harms of cervical cancer screening.
Singing and Speaking Ability in Parkinson's Disease and Spinocerebellar Ataxia

Purpose: This study examined spontaneous, spoken-to-a-model, and two sung modes in speakers with Parkinson's disease (PD), speakers with cerebellar disease (CD), and healthy controls. Vocal performance was measured by intelligibility scores and listeners' perceptual ratings. Method: Participants included speakers with hypokinetic dysarthria secondary to PD, those with ataxic dysarthria secondary to CD, and healthy speakers. Participants produced utterances in four vocal modes: spontaneous speech, spoken-to-a-model, sung-to-a-model, and spontaneous singing. For spoken-to-a-model and sung-to-a-model modes, written material was provided the model. For spontaneous singing, participants sang songs that they endorsed as familiar. Dependent variables: In Experiment I, listeners orthographically transcribed the audio samples of the first three vocal modes. In Experiment IIa, raters evaluated the accuracy of the pitch and rhythm of the spontaneous singing of familiar songs. Finally, familiar songs and sung-to-a-model utterances were rated on a competency scale by a second group of raters (Experiment IIb). Results: Results showed increases in intelligibility during the spoken-to-a-model mode compared with the spontaneous mode in both PD and CD groups. Singing enhanced the vocal output of speakers with PD more than in speakers with CD, as measured by percent intelligibility. PD participants' pitch and rhythm accuracy and competency in singing familiar songs was rated more favorably than those produced by CD participants. Conclusions: The findings reveal a vocal task effect for spoken utterances in both groups. Sung exemplars, more impaired in CD, suggest a significant involvement of the cerebellum in singing. Supplemental Material: https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.21809544
Skilled motor control of an inverted pendulum implies low entropy of states but high entropy of actions

The mastery of skills, such as balancing an inverted pendulum, implies a very accurate control of movements to achieve the task goals. Traditional accounts of skilled action control that focus on either routinization or perceptual control make opposite predictions about the ways we achieve mastery. The notion of routinization emphasizes the decrease of the variance of our actions, whereas the notion of perceptual control emphasizes the decrease of the variance of the states we visit, but not of the actions we execute. Here, we studied how participants managed control tasks of varying levels of difficulty, which consisted of controlling inverted pendulums of different lengths. We used information-theoretic measures to compare the predictions of alternative accounts that focus on routinization and perceptual control, respectively. Our results indicate that the successful performance of the control task strongly correlates with the decrease of state variability and the increase of action variability. As postulated by perceptual control theory, the mastery of skilled pendulum control consists in achieving stable control of goals by flexible means.
Near-Infrared Stellar Photometry of the M31 Spiral Arm around OB Association A24

Deep high-resolution JHK images of a 2' × 2' field around the OB association A24 near the 7 kpc spiral arm in M31 were measured to yield photometric data of more than 3000 stars with the faintest magnitude being J = 21.3, H = 20.5, and K = 19.6. The photometric data for the 1037 stars that are brightest in the K band are presented. Judging from the color-magnitude and the two-color diagrams, we find that the majority of the observed stars are AGB stars including large-amplitude variables. They are distributed smoothly over the observed field, and we find no clear evidence of varying extinction over the field for these red stars. The present sample includes bright AGB stars of MK ≤ -8 and about 30 young blue objects of (J-H) < 0.75 that are brighter than MJ ≃ -6.5.
Ibrutinib for First-Line Treatment of Chronic Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Results From the Randomized Phase III iNTEGRATE Study

PURPOSE To present primary and final analyses from the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III iNTEGRATE study, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of ibrutinib with prednisone in previously untreated patients with chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD). METHODS Patients (age ≥ 12 years) with newly diagnosed moderate or severe cGVHD, requiring systemic corticosteroid therapy, and with no prior systemic treatment for cGVHD were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive ibrutinib 420 mg once daily plus prednisone, starting at 1 mg/kg once daily or placebo plus prednisone. The primary end point was response rate at 48 weeks according to 2014 National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project Criteria. Other end points included event-free survival, duration of response, time to withdrawal of immunosuppressants, improvement in Lee cGVHD Symptom Scale score, overall survival (OS), and safety. RESULTS Ninety-five and 98 patients enrolled in the ibrutinib-prednisone and placebo-prednisone arms, respectively. At 48 weeks, response rates were 41% (ibrutinib-prednisone) and 37% (placebo-prednisone; P = .54). At 33 months of follow-up, median duration of response was 19 months (ibrutinib-prednisone) and 10 months (placebo-prednisone; P = .10). Median event-free survival was 15 months (ibrutinib-prednisone) and 8 months (placebo-prednisone; hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.54 to 1.1; P = .11). Improvement in overall Lee cGVHD Symptom Scale was 43% (ibrutinib-prednisone) and 31% (placebo-ibrutinib; P = .07). Median OS was not reached in either arm. The 24-month Kaplan-Meier OS estimates were 80% for both arms (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.59 to 1.90). Grade ≥ 3 serious adverse events occurred in 49% (ibrutinib-prednisone) and 47% (placebo-prednisone) of patients. CONCLUSION There was no statistical difference observed in the primary and secondary end points with ibrutinib-prednisone treatment. No new safety signals were observed with ibrutinib treatment in previously untreated patients with cGVHD. The primary end point of iNTEGRATE was not met.
Molecular characterization and expression of TGFβRI and TGFβRII and its association with litter size in Tibetan sheep

Abstract Backgrounds Transforming growth factor‐β (TGF‐β) type I receptor (TGFβRI) and type II receptor (TGFβRII) are the members of the TGFβ superfamily, which are potent regulators of cell proliferation and differentiation in many organ systems, and they play key roles in multiple aspects of follicle development. Objectives We aimed to explore the characterization, expression analysis of TGFβRI and TGFβRII genes, and the association with litter size in Tibetan sheep. Methods In this study, we cloned the complete coding sequences of TGFβRI and TGFβRII genes in Tibetan sheep and analyzed their genomic structures. Results The results showed that percentages of sequences homology of the two proteins in Tibetan sheep were the most similar to Ovis aries (100%), followed by Bos mutus (99%). The RT‐qPCR showed that two genes were expressed widely in the different tissues of Tibetan sheep. The TGFβRI expression was the highest in the lung (p < 0.05), followed by the spleen and ovary (p < 0.05). The TGFβRII expression was significantly higher in uterus than that in lung and ovary (p < 0.05). In addition, the χ 2 test indicated that all ewes in the population were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, and the population was in medium or low polymorphic information content status. We also found four Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs), g.9414A > G, g.28881A > G, g.28809T > C, g.10429G > A in sheep TGFβRI gene and g.63940C > T, g.63976C > T, g.64538C > T, g.64504T > A in TGFβRII gene. Three genotypes, except for g.64504T > A, and three haplotypes were identified in each gene. linkage disequilibrium analysis indicated that there was strong linkage disequilibrium in each gene. The association analysis showed that the four SNPs of TGFβRI were associated with litter size (p < 0.05), and g.63940C > T of TGFβRII was confirmed to be associated with litter size (p < 0.05). Conclusions Based on these preliminary results, we can assume that TGFβ receptors (TGFβRI and TGFβRII) may play an important role in sheep reproduction.
Global Patterns of Insect Resistance to Transgenic Bt Crops:The First 25 Years

Abstract Crops genetically engineered to produce insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have improved pest management and reduced reliance on insecticide sprays. However, evolution of practical resistance by some pests has reduced the efficacy of Bt crops. We analyzed global resistance monitoring data for 24 pest species based on the first 25 yr of cultivation of Bt crops including corn, cotton, soybean, and sugarcane. Each of the 73 cases examined represents the response of one pest species in one country to one Bt toxin produced by one or more Bt crops. The cases of practical resistance rose from 3 in 2005 to 26 in 2020. Practical resistance has been documented in some populations of 11 pest species (nine lepidopterans and two coleopterans), collectively affecting nine widely used crystalline (Cry) Bt toxins in seven countries. Conversely, 30 cases reflect no decrease in susceptibility to Bt crops in populations of 16 pest species in 10 countries. The remaining 17 cases provide early warnings of resistance, which entail genetically based decreases in susceptibility without evidence of reduced field efficacy. The early warnings involve four Cry toxins and the Bt vegetative insecticidal protein Vip3Aa. Factors expected to favor sustained susceptibility include abundant refuges of non-Bt host plants, recessive inheritance of resistance, low resistance allele frequency, fitness costs, incomplete resistance, and redundant killing by multi-toxin Bt crops. Also, sufficiently abundant refuges can overcome some unfavorable conditions for other factors. These insights may help to increase the sustainability of current and future transgenic insecticidal crops.
Helical structure of the ventricular myocardium. A narrative review of cardiac mechanics

To date, the ventricular myocardial band is the anatomical‐functional model that best explains cardiac mechanics during systolic‐diastolic phenomena in the cardiac cycle. The implications of the model fundamentally affect the anatomical interpretation of the ventricular myocardium, giving meaning to the direction that muscle fibers take, turning them into an object of study with potential clinical, imaging, and surgical applications. Re‐interpreting the anatomy of the ventricular muscle justifies changes in the physiological interpretation, from its functional focus as a fiber unraveling the mechanical phenomena carried out during systole and diastole. We identify the functioning of the heart from the electrical and hemodynamic point of view, but it is necessary to delve into the mechanics that originate the hemodynamic changes observed flowmetrically, and that manifested during the pathology. In this review, the mechanical phenomena that the myocardium performs in each phase of the cardiac cycle are broken down in detail, emphasizing the physical displacements that each of the muscle segments presents, as well as a vision of their alteration and in which pathologies they are mainly identified. Visually, an anatomical correlation to the echocardiogram is provided, pointing out the direction of the segmental myocardial displacement by the strain velocity vector technique.
Improved prediction of sudden cardiac death in patients with heart failure through digital processing of electrocardiography

Abstract Aims Available predictive models for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in heart failure (HF) patients remain suboptimal. We assessed whether the electrocardiography (ECG)-based artificial intelligence (AI) could better predict SCD, and also whether the combination of the ECG-AI index and conventional predictors of SCD would improve the SCD stratification among HF patients. Methods and results In a prospective observational study, 4 tertiary care hospitals in Tokyo enrolled 2559 patients hospitalized for HF who were successfully discharged after acute decompensation. The ECG data during the index hospitalization were extracted from the hospitals’ electronic medical record systems. The association of the ECG-AI index and SCD was evaluated with adjustment for left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), New York Heart Association (NYHA) class, and competing risk of non-SCD. The ECG-AI index plus classical predictive guidelines (i.e. LVEF ≤35%, NYHA Class II and III) significantly improved the discriminative value of SCD [receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (ROC-AUC), 0.66 vs. 0.59; P = 0.017; Delong’s test] with good calibration (P = 0.11; Hosmer–Lemeshow test) and improved net reclassification [36%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 9–64%; P = 0.009]. The Fine–Gray model considering the competing risk of non-SCD demonstrated that the ECG-AI index was independently associated with SCD (adjusted sub-distributional hazard ratio, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04–1.49; P = 0.015). An increased proportional risk of SCD vs. non-SCD with an increasing ECG-AI index was also observed (low, 16.7%; intermediate, 18.5%; high, 28.7%; P for trend = 0.023). Similar findings were observed in patients aged ≤75 years with a non-ischaemic aetiology and an LVEF of >35%. Conclusion To improve risk stratification of SCD, ECG-based AI may provide additional values in the management of patients with HF.
Compensating Random Time Delays in a Feedback Networked Control System With a Kalman Filter

This paper presents procedures to handle time delays in a feedback control loop in which both measurement and control signals are sent through a network, where random time delays occur. Even when time stamps are utilized, for example, the control signal time delay still must be estimated. Using a Pade approximation and a Kalman filter, we can estimate the mean time delay. Furthermore, methods are described to estimate the time delay of every packet instead of the mean for the measurement channel, which greatly enhances the performance of the Pade approximation approach. This is done by matching the measurements to the expected measurements provided by the filter with maximum likelihood. The methods are applied to an inverted pendulum to assess performance.