Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Does Having Rheumatoid Arthritis Increase the Dose of Depression Medications? A Mendelian Randomization Study

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) increases the risk of depression. However, studies on the effects of RA on the dose of depression medications are limited. Therefore, in this study, we used two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to explore whether RA increases the dose of depression medications and gain a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between RA and depression. Methods: Two-sample MR was used to evaluate the causal effect of RA on the dose of depression medications. The aggregated data on RA originated from extensive genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of European descent (14,361 cases and 42,923 controls). The summary GWAS data for the dose of depression medications were derived from the FinnGen consortium (58,842 cases and 59,827 controls). Random effects inverse-variance weighted (IVW), MR-Egger regression, weighted median, and fixed effects IVW methods were used for the MR analysis. Random effects IVW was the primary method. The heterogeneity of the MR results was detected using the IVW Cochran’s Q test. The pleiotropy of the MR results was detected using MR-Egger regression and the MR pleiotropy residual sum and outlier (MR-PRESSO) test. Finally, a leave-one-out analysis was performed to determine whether the MR results were affected by a specific single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Results: The primary method, random effects IVW, revealed that genetically predicted RA had a positive causal association with the dose of depression medications (Beta, 0.035; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.007–0.064; p = 0.015). The IVW Cochran’s Q test results revealed no heterogeneity in the MR analysis (p > 0.05). The MR-Egger regression and MR-PRESSO tests revealed that there was no pleiotropy in our MR analysis. The leave-one-out analysis confirmed that a single SNP did not affect the MR results, indicating the study’s robustness. Conclusion: Using MR techniques, we discovered that having RA increases the dose of depression medications; however, the exact mechanisms and pathways still need to be further explored.
A Spectacular Molecular Outflow in the Monoceros OB1 Molecular Cloud

Detailed observations of CO, CS, IR continuum, and H2 emission from a large, highly collimated, bipolar outflow in the Monoceros OB1 molecular cloud are presented. The CO observations suggest that molecular gas in the outflow is contained in a shell with higher velocity material situated interior to lower velocity material. The velocities of outflow emission are found to increase with increasing distance from the center of the outflow. Additional detections include shock-excited molecular hydrogen emission from the blueshifted lobe of the outflow and six 2-micron sources in the direction of the outflow. Near-IR and IRAS observations suggest that the driving source for the outflow must have a bolometric luminosity below about 4.5 solar luminosities. It is concluded that the flow is probably not driven by stellar radiation from a central source. 41 refs.
Laminar gas micro-flow convection characteristics due to steep density gradients

We report numerical simulation of pure continuum-based laminar gas micro-flow convection with steep density gradients, which cause, for the case of heated air, flattening and rate of flattening of axial velocity profile. This flattening is similar to the characteristics in constant-properties slip flow, and high rate of flattening can cause hydrodynamic undevelopment of flow—the reverse process of hydrodynamic development. By continuity, radially outward velocities and radial convection are induced, which degrades convection performance. The low densities near the wall reduce the axial mass flux near the wall, which also degrades convection performance. In heated-gas micro-flows, these negative effects dominate to dictate the net convection characteristics, which differ considerably from the known characteristics of conventional continuum models. The identification of such microscale effects also has implications in possibly extending the limits of applicability of continuum models to higher Knudsen numbers.
Dexmedetomidine nebulization as adjuvant to lignocaine during awake flexible fiberoptic intubation

152 Saudi Journal of Anesthesia / Volume 13 / Issue 2 / April‐June 2019 Sir, Awake fiberoptic intubation (AFOI) is recommended for patients with anticipated difficult airway, failed intubation, and unstable cervical spine injury where optimum positioning for laryngoscopy is difficult to achieve. Preparation includes obtundation of airway reflexes, adequate sedation, and anxiolysis along with preservation patent airway and adequate ventilation. Dexmedetomidine produces hypnosis, amnesia, analgesia, anxiolysis, sympatholysis, and antisialogogue effects; all of them are desired during AFOI. [1] Administration of dexmedetomidine through inhalational route could be a new promising noninvasive method. The bioavailability of dexmedetomidine is 65% and 82% through nasal and buccal mucosa, respectively, following nebulization. [2]
A Systematic Overview of Eudragit® Based Copolymer for Smart Healthcare

Eudragit, synthesized by radical polymerization, is used for enteric coating, precise temporal release, and targeting the entire gastrointestinal system. Evonik Healthcare Germany offers different grades of Eudragit. The ratio of methacrylic acid to its methacrylate-based monomers used in the polymerization reaction defines the final product’s characteristics and consequently its potential range of applications. Since 1953, these polymers have been made to use in a wide range of healthcare applications around the world. In this review, we reviewed the “known of knowns and known of unknowns” about Eudragit, from molecule to material design, its characterization, and its applications in healthcare.
Antepartum and postpartum uterine artery impedance in women with pre-eclampsia: a case control study

Abstract This is a cohort study which included 100 cases with pre-eclampsia (PE) and 100 controls, done to compare the antepartum and postpartum uterine artery (UtA) Doppler velocimetry between them. UtA PI and RI were measured before and within 48–72 h after delivery. There was a highly significant difference between the cases and controls, regarding the UtA RI (0.70 ± 0.10 and 0.72 ± 0.10, versus 0.59 ± 0.12 and 0.60 ± 0.11) and PI (1.41 ± 0.89 and 1.45 ± 0.90 versus 0.85 ± 0.30 and 0.90 ± 0.34) measured at the antepartum and postpartum periods, respectively. Age and gestational age were significantly related to the postpartum and changes in the UtA PI. The gestational age was also correlated to UtA RI changes. Both the antepartum and postpartum mean blood pressure were correlated with postpartum UtA RI and PI and PI changes after delivery. We concluded that uterine artery Doppler indices changes are more common in women with PE, than in normotensive women with significant correlations with age and gestational age. Impact statement What is already known on this subject? After delivery, the haemodynamic changes that occurred with pregnancy reverse. Both the heart rate and the cardiac output decreased to reach the non-pregnant state. Impedance to flow in the uterine artery rises as the nutritional needs are decreased abruptly. What do the results of this study add? Both the antepartum and postpartum measurement of uterine artery Doppler indices is significantly higher in women with PE when compared to control women. The persistent uterine artery impedance is a result of inadequate trophoblastic invasion within the basal part of the decidua basalis and myometrium or persistently increased maternal vascular tone. What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and/or further research? The uterine artery Doppler parameters return to the non-pregnant values in normal pregnancies. Knowing such information may help in understanding the haemodynamics of the uterine vasculature during puerperium in hypertensive patients.
The Use of Restricted Latent Class Models for Defining and Testing Nonparametric and Parametric Item Response Theory Models

A general class of ordinal logit models is presented that specifies equality and inequality constraints on sums of conditional response probabilities. Using these constraints in latent class analysis, models are obtained that are similar to parametric and nonparametric item response models. Maximum likelihood is used to estimate these models, making their assumptions testable with likelihood-ratio statistics. Because of the intractability of the asymptotic distribution of the goodness-of-fit measure when imposing inequality constraints, parametric bootstrapping is used to obtain estimates of p values. The proposed restricted latent class models are illustrated by an example using reported adult crying behavior.
The Extent of Glaciation in the Pechora Sea, Eurasian Arctic, Based on Submarine Glacial Landforms

The Pechora Sea is optimally located for studying the coalescence of a glacial and periglacial continental shelf zone in the high Arctic. Here, we present data acquired during cruises of the RV Akademik Nikolaj Strakhov in 2018–2021, revealing the distribution of submarine glacial landforms in the central part of the Pechora shelf area. Based on moraines and the distribution of glacial lineations, the extent of the ice sheet during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) is proposed. The crests of the moraine ridges and the slopes of their sides express a variation in morphology, and the ridges combine into irregular complexes. The moraines are primarily composed of coarse cobble-sized material with an addition of coarse sand and other sedimentary fractions. The mapped glacial landforms clearly indicate that an ice sheet extended over the area, while the Pechora basin, at the same time, was comprised of lowland characterized by a cryogenic subaerial landscape. Based on the result from this study, the extent and ice-flow pattern of the Barents-Kara Ice Sheet during the LGM were determined.
Dynamic speckles formed by focused coherent field scattering from rough surfaces with non-Gaussian statistics

The process of the focused Gaussian beams diffraction from the surfaces with both small and large-scale relief inhomogeneities is considered. The analytical expressions describing the probability function of dynamic speckles intensity fluctuations have been derived. The numerical modeling of focused coherent beam scattering with a small number of scatterers has been conducted. As shown, this case corresponds to non-Gaussian scattered radiation statistics. The range of parameters, when the scattered field statistics are close to Gaussian ones, has been determined. The analysis of probability density function of amplitude fluctuations shows that speckle fields formed when the number of scatterers is small are statistically inhomogeneous ones. It was established how the statistical characteristics of a diffracted radiation depend on the correlation length and the standard deviation of random screen phase fluctuations.
EFFICIENT CARRIER RELAXATION MECHANISM IN INGAAS/GAAS SELF-ASSEMBLED QUANTUM DOTS BASED ON THE EXISTENCE OF CONTINUUM STATES

Comparison of near-field and far-field photoluminescence excitation (PLE) spectra gives new insight into the carrier relaxation process in InGaAs/GaAs self-assembled quantum dots. The near-field PLE spectra of single quantum dots clearly show 2D-like continuum states and a number of sharp lines, between a large zero-absorption region due to the quasi-0D density of states and the 2D wetting layer absorption edge. The results reveal an efficient intradot relaxation mechanism, proceeding as follows: The carriers can relax easily within continuum states, and make transitions to the excitonic ground state by resonant emission of localized phonons.
On the Nature of Some Euler’s Double Equations Equivalent to Fermat’s Last Theorem

In this work, I provide a new rephrasing of Fermat’s Last Theorem, based on an earlier work by Euler on the ternary quadratic forms. Effectively, Fermat’s Last Theorem can be derived from an appropriate use of the concordant forms of Euler and from an equivalent ternary quadratic homogeneous Diophantine equation able to accommodate a solution of Fermat’s extraordinary equation. Following a similar and almost identical approach to that of A. Wiles, I tried to translate the link between Euler’s double equations (concordant/discordant forms) and Fermat’s Last Theorem into a possible reformulation of the Fermat Theorem. More precisely, through the aid of a Diophantine equation of second degree, homogeneous and ternary, solved not directly, but as a consequence of the resolution of the double Euler equations that originated it, I was able to obtain the following result: the intersection of the infinite solutions of Euler’s double equations gives rise to an empty set and this only by exploiting a well-known Legendre Theorem, which concerns the properties of all the Diophantine equations of the second degree, homogeneous and ternary. The impossibility of solving the second degree Diophantine equation thus obtained is possible using well-known techniques at the end of 18th century (see Euler, Lagrange and Legendre) and perhaps present in Fermat’s brilliant mind.
A least-squares minimization approach to invert gravity data

The interpretation of gravity data often involves initial steps to eliminate or attenuate unwanted field components in order to isolate the desired anomaly (e.g., residual‐regional separations). These initial filtering operations include, for example, the radial weights methods (Griffin, 1949; Elkins, 1951; Abdelrahman et al., 1990), the fast Fourier transform methods (Bhattacharyya, 1965; Clarke, 1969; Mesko, 1969, 1984, Botezatu, 1970), the rational approximation techniques (Agarwal and Lal, 1971) and recursion filters (Bhattacharyya, 1976), and the bicubic spline approximation techniques (Bhattacharyya, 1969; Inoue, 1986). The derived local gravity anomalies are then geologically interpreted to derive depth estimates, often without properly accounting for the uncertainties introduced by the filtering process. When filters are applied to observed data, the filters often cause serious distortions in the shape of the gravity anomalies (Hammer, 1977). Thus the filtered gravity anomalies generally yield unr.
Numerical analysis of silicon-on-insulator ridge nanowires by using a full-vectorial finite-difference method mode solver

The characteristics of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) ridge waveguides are analyzed by using a cylindrical full-vectorial finite-difference method mode solver with a perfectly-matched layer treatment. First, the single-mode condition for an SOI ridge nanowire with different Si core thicknesses is obtained. The obtained single-mode condition is different from that for the conventional micrometrical SOI ridge waveguides with a large cross section. By adjusting the cross section (the core width and the etching depth), one can have a nonbirefringent SOI ridge nanowire. The analysis on the bending loss of SOI ridge nanowires shows that one can have a relatively small bending radius even with a shallow etching (i.e., a small ratio γ between the etching depth and the total thickness). For example, even when one chooses a small ratio γ=0.4, one still has a low bending loss with a small bending radius of 15 μm for an SOI nanowire with a thin core hco=250 nm, which is very different from a conventional large SOI ridge waveguide.
Ultrafast photoconductivity of crystalline, polycrystalline, and nanocomposite ZnSe material systems for terahertz applications

Ultrafast photoconductivity is studied for crystalline (bulk), polycrystalline (microstructure), and nanocomposite (nanostructure) ZnSe material systems. Spectral transmission analyses show a pronounced red-shift of the absorption edge for only the nanocomposite ZnSe (being comprised of 500 nm nanoparticles in a polymer host). Ultrafast transient analyses show respective 6 ns, 1.5 ns, and 95 ps charge-carrier lifetimes for the respective material systems. The results are interpreted with a diffusion-recombination model, showing distinct regimes for bulk diffusion and surface recombination. Nanocomposite ZnSe is shown to be particularly advantageous for terahertz applications seeking ultrafast photoconductivity with high dielectric breakdown strengths and ultrashort charge-carrier lifetimes.
Time-varying discriminative feature extraction effective for phonetic discrimination

We investigate the interactions of front-end preprocessing and back-end classification techniques in hidden Markov model (HMM) based speech recognition. The proposed model aims at finding an optimal linear transformation on the mel-warped discrete Fourier transform (DFT) with the construction of dynamic feature parameters according to the minimum classification error (MCE) criterion. Experimental results show that state-dependent transformation on mel-warped DFT features is superior in performance to the mel-frequency cepstral coefficients (MFCCs). An error rate reduction of 15% is obtained on a standard 39-class TIMIT phone classification task in comparison with the conventional MCE-trained HMM using MFCCs and delta MFCCs that have not been subject to optimization during training.
Analysis of the block Gauss–Seidel solution procedure for a strongly coupled model problem with reference to fluid–structure interaction

The block Gauss–Seidel procedure is widely used for the resolution of the strong coupling in the computer simulation of fluid–structure interaction. Based on a simple model problem, this work presents a detailed analysis of the convergence behaviour of the method. In particular, the model problem is used to highlight some aspects that arise in the context of the application of the block Gauss–Seidel method to FSI problems. Thus, the effects of the time integration schemes chosen, of relaxation techniques, of physical constraints and non‐linearities on the convergence of the iterations are investigated. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Polyacrylic Acid/Polyaniline-Coated Multimode Interferometer for Ammonia Detection

A coaxial optical fiber interferometer (COFI) is proposed here for ammonia sensing, which comprises two light-carrying single-mode fibers (SMF) fused to a section of no-core fiber (NCF), thus forming an optical interferometer. The outer surface of the COFI is coated with a layer of polyacrylic acid (PAA)/polyaniline (PAni) film. The refractive index (RI) of the sensitive layer varies when PAA/PAni interacts with ammonia, which leads to the resonance wavelength shift. The surface morphology and structure of the PAA/PAni composites were characterized by using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. When the sensor was exposed to an ammonia atmosphere of different concentrations at room temperature, the sensing performance of the PAA/PAni composite film was superior to that of a sensitive film formed by single-component PAA or PAni. According to the experimental results, the composite film formed by 5 wt% PAA mixed with 2 wt% PAni shows better performance when used for ammonia sensing. A maximum sensitivity of 9.8 pm/ppm was obtained under the ammonia concentration of 50 ppm. In addition, the sensor shows good performance in response time (100 s) and recovery time (180 s) and has good stability and selectivity. The proposed optical fiber ammonia sensor is adapted to monitor leakage in its production, storage, transportation, and application.
Linear Groups Generated by Reflection Tori

Abstract A reflection is an invertible linear transformation of a vector space fixing a given hyperplane, its axis, vectorwise and a given complement to this hyperplane, its center, setwise. A reflection torus is a one-dimensional group generated by all reflections with fixed axis and center. In this paper we classify subgroups of general linear groups (in arbitrary dimension and defined over arbitrary fields) generated by reflection tori.
Ejaculatory Abstinence Affects the Sperm Quality in Normozoospermic Men—How Does the Seminal Bacteriome Respond?

This study was designed to describe bacterial profiles of ejaculates collected following a long and short ejaculatory abstinence set in the context of changes in the conventional, oxidative, and immunological characteristics of semen. Two specimens were collected in succession from normozoospermic men (n = 51) following 2 days and 2 h, respectively. Semen samples were processed and analyzed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2021 guidelines. Afterwards, sperm DNA fragmentation, mitochondrial function, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), total antioxidant capacity, and oxidative damage to sperm lipids and proteins were evaluated in each specimen. Selected cytokine levels were quantified using the ELISA method. Bacterial identification by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry revealed that samples collected following two days of abstinence presented with a higher bacterial load and diversity, and a greater prevalence of potentially uropathogenic bacteria including Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus faecalis. Only staphylococci and Escherichia coli remained present in specimens obtained after 2 h of abstinence. Whilst all samples accomplished the criteria set by WHO, a significantly higher motility (p < 0.05), membrane integrity (p < 0.05), mitochondrial membrane potential (p < 0.05), and DNA integrity (p < 0.0001) were detected following 2 h of ejaculatory abstinence. On the other hand, significantly higher ROS levels (p < 0.001), protein oxidation (p < 0.001), and lipid peroxidation (p < 0.01) accompanied by significantly higher concentrations of tumor necrosis factor alpha (p < 0.05), interleukin-6 (p < 0.01), and interferon gamma (p < 0.05) were observed in specimens collected after two days of abstinence. It may be summarized that shorter ejaculatory abstinence does not compromise sperm quality in normozoospermic men, while it contributes to a decreased occurrence of bacteria in semen which is accompanied by a lower probability of damage to spermatozoa by ROS or pro-inflammatory cytokines.
On electromagnetic characterization and homogenization of nanostructured metamaterials

In this overview paper the trends in the modern literature concerning the characterization of linear electromagnetic properties of nanostructured metamaterials are briefly discussed. Electromagnetic characterization of bulk and surface metamaterials is discussed. The problem of characterization of metamaterials with spatial dispersion effects is addressed. It is shown that for bulk metamaterials formed as orthorhombic dipole lattices experimental electromagnetic characterization (retrieval of material parameters) becomes possible. However, standard schemes of material parameter retrieval contain pitfalls even for this kind of material. To clarify these pitfalls the concept of characteristic material parameters is suggested which is clearer and more restrictive that the concept of effective material parameters. For a special but important class of metamaterials (called Bloch lattices by the author) bulk material parameters are obtained which probably fit the concept of electromagnetic characterization because they satisfy basic physical limitations. Further, the problem of the violation of Maxwell boundary conditions for a macroscopic field at the physical boundary of the metamaterial lattice is discussed. The role of transition layers (perhaps transition sheets) in the characterization of metamaterials is explained. Finally, a relevant numerical example is presented as an illustration of the theory.