Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Aerobic Exercise Training Reduces ET-1 mediated Vasoconstriction and Improves Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Postmenopausal Women.

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) contributes to vascular dysfunction in postmenopausal women (PMW). Although aerobic exercise is beneficial in reducing ET-1 mediated vasoconstrictor tone in men, it is unknown whether this favorable vascular effect occurs in women. We tested the hypothesis that aerobic exercise training reduces ET-1-mediated vasoconstriction in PMW. We further hypothesized that reductions in ET-1 vasoconstrictor tone underly exercise-induced improvements in endothelium-dependent vasodilatation in PMW. Methods: Forearm blood flow (FBF) responses to intra-arterial infusion of selective ETA receptor blockade (BQ-123, 100nmol/min for 60 min) and acetylcholine (4.0, 8.0 and 16.0 μg/100mL tissue/min) in the absence and presence of ETA receptor blockade were determined before and after a 12-week aerobic exercise training intervention in 18 healthy, sedentary PMW (58±4yr). Results: Women exercised an average of 4.9±0.7 d/wk for 51±7 min/d at 71±3% of maximal heart rate. Before exercise, BQ-123 significantly increased FBF (~25%) in sedentary PMW; however, this effect was abolished following the exercise intervention. FBF responses to acetylcholine were also significantly higher after exercise training (from 4.2±1.2 to 14.0±3.8 mL/100 ml tissue/min) vs before (from 4.1±1.0 to 11.4±3.3 mL/100 ml tissue/min; ~25% increase; P<0.05). Before exercise training, co-infusion of BQ-123 with acetylcholine enhanced (~25%; P<0.05) the vasodilator response (from 4.4±1.1 to 13.9±4.2 mL/100 mL tissue/min) compared with acetylcholine alone; after exercise training, the presence of BQ-123 did not significantly affect the vasodilator response to acetylcholine. Conclusions: Aerobic exercise training reduces ET-1-mediated vasoconstriction in PMW. Furthermore, decreased ET-1-mediated vasoconstriction is an important mechanism underlying aerobic exercise-induced improvement in endothelium-dependent vasodilation in PMW.
A new choice rule for regularization parameters in Tikhonov regularization

This article proposes and analyses a novel heuristic rule for choosing regularization parameters in Tikhonov regularization for inverse problems. The existence of solutions to the regularization parameter equation is shown, and a variational characterization of the inverse solution is provided. Some a posteriori error estimates of the approximate solutions to the inverse problem are also established. An iterative algorithm is suggested for the efficient numerical realization of the new choice rule, which is shown to have a practically desirable monotone convergence. Numerical experiments for both mildly and severely ill-posed benchmark inverse problems with various regularizing functionals of Tikhonov type, e.g. L 2–L 2 with constraints, L 2–ℓ1 and L 1–TV, are presented to demonstrate its effectiveness, and compared with the quasi-optimality criterion.
The spatial and temporal variation of fine particulate matter pollution in Ethiopia: Data from the Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (1998–2019)

Background Evidence suggests ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer morbidity and mortality, and all-cause mortality. Countries that implement strong policies are able to reduce ambient PM2.5 concentration. In Ethiopia, however, PM2.5 monitoring stations, laboratory technicians, and equipment are staggeringly limited. In this study, the spatial and temporal variation of PM2.5 in Ethiopia was assessed. Methods Satellite-based PM2.5 estimates, from the year 1998 to 2019, by Atmospheric Composition Analysis Group (ACAG) at a spatial resolution of 0.01° X 0.01° was used. The annual mean PM2.5 concentration for all administrative regions and zones in Ethiopia was extracted. The average mean from the twenty-two years was also calculated. The trend of PM2.5 concentration was graphed and quantitatively calculated using the Mann-Kendall test. The slope of the change over time was estimated using the Theil-Sen slope. At the zonal administration level, for the average annual mean, spatial dependency using univariate Global Moran’s I and clustering and outlier tests using Anselin Local Moran’s were performed. Results The country’s average annual mean PM2.5 concentration was 17 μgm-3. The Afar region had the highest concentration, 27.9 μgm-3. The Mann-Kendall S was positive and significant at p<0.001. The spatial distribution of satellite-based ambient PM2.5 concentration was non-random. Significant highest value clustering of ambient total PM2.5 concentration exists in the Afar, Eastern Tigray, and Eastern and Southeastern Amhara while the significant lowest value dispersing was observed in the Southern Oromia and Somali region. Conclusion At the national and regional levels, the annual mean ambient PM2.5 concentration is beyond the World Health Organization (WHO)-recommended level. The ambient PM2.5 concentration distribution is spatially dependent and significantly clustered in space. Installation of additional ground-based PM2.5 monitoring devices, particularly in regions where PM2.5 concentration is higher, is recommended. Validating satellite-based PM2.5 data with ground-based measurements in the country is also advised.
Dual emission and its λ-ratiometric detection in analytical fluorimetry. Pt. I. Basic mechanisms of generating the reporter signal

The wavelength-ratiometric techniques gain increasing popularity in fluorescence probing and sensing for providing inner reference to output signal and removing instrumental artefacts, in this way increasing the sensitivity and reliability of assays. Recent developments demonstrate that such approach can allow achieving much more, with the application of broad range of novel molecular and nanoscale fluorophores (luminophores), exploring the whole power of photophysical and photochemical effects and using extended range of assay formats. Simplicity of detection and potentially rich content of output data allows realizing these techniques in different simplified, miniaturized and multiplexing devices. The latter issues are discussed in Pt. II of these series.
On the sampling of functions and operators with an application to multiple-input multiple-output channel identification

The classical sampling theorem, attributed to Whittaker, Shannon, Nyquist, and Kotelnikov, states that a bandlimited function can be recovered from its samples, as long as we use a sufficiently dense sampling grid. Here, we review the recent development of an operator sampling theory which allows for a "widening" of the classical sampling theorem. In this realm, bandlimited functions are replaced by "bandlimited operators". that is, by pseudodifferential operators which have bandlimited Kohn-Nirenberg symbols. Similar to the Nyquist sampling density condition alluded to above, we discuss sufficient and necessary conditions on the bandlimitation of pseudodifferential operators to ensure that they can be recovered by their action on a single distribution. In fact, we show that an operator with Kohn-Nirenberg symbol bandlimited to a Jordan domain of measure less than one can be recovered through its action on a distribution defined on a appropriately chosen sampling grid. Further, an operator with bandlimitation to a Jordan domain of measure larger than one cannot be recovered through its action on any tempered distribution whatsoever, pointing towards a fundamental difference to the classical sampling theorem where a large bandwidth could always be compensated through a sufficiently fine sampling grid. The dichotomy depending on the size of the bandlimitation is related to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. Further, we discuss an application of this theory to the channel measurement problem for Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) channels.
Microjansky source counts and spectral indices at 8.44 GHz

Deep images were made with 10 arcsec resolution at 8.44 GHz with microjansky sensitivity of two regions previously imaged at several lower frequencies. The differential microjansky source count fits a power-law distribution with slope 2.3 +/- 0.2. This slope is roughly constant between 1.41 and 8.44 GHz and between S(v) = about 4 and X(v) = 1000 microJy. Unless the majority of radio sources at microJy levels are local, their average luminosity and/or space density probably has evolved with cosmic epoch in order to sustain the steep and nearly Euclidean value of the slope over such a large range in flux density. The 8.44 GHz counts probably converge at less than the 1 microjansky level if the evolutionary properties of these weak sources are similar to those of luminous gE radio galaxies and quasars. The median angular size of sources detected at 8.44 GHz at microjansky levels is 2.6 +/- 1.4 arcsec, and 40 percent of the source are larger than 5 arcsec.
Delirium and Dementia in the Elderly: Sometimes Associated or Always Together?

Background: In the elderly, the association of delirium and dementia can cause diagnostic problems because they share the same symptom of confusion. Delirium is often misdiagnosed as dementia and treated inappropriately, ignoring that it could be successfully addressed, which can lead to increased health risks up to death. Summary: Confusion indicates that functional reserve fails to compensate for the action of stressors. The decline in reserve is linked to aging-related changes in blood flow, mitochondria, cerebrospinal fluid, and immune function, as well as the appearance of structural precursors of disease. It is greater in dementia that adds a large burden of pathology, especially degenerative and vascular. Key Messages: Based on their common background linking normal and pathological brain aging, it can be argued that delirium and dementia are always associated to some extent and can aggravate each other. The clinical approach to their association, which currently relies on the preliminary diagnosis of delirium according to ad hoc protocols, could be simplified by taking delirium for granted so that its causative stressors, usually the most common diseases of old age and/or drug abuse, could be addressed immediately. This approach would benefit all demented patients: not only those who are in such a serious condition that they need to be hospitalized due to the risk of death, but also those with clouded delirium.
Phase-specific transcriptional patterns of the oomycete pathogen Phytophthora sojae unravel genes essential for asexual development and pathogenic processes

Oomycetes are filamentous microorganisms easily mistaken as fungi but vastly differ in physiology, biochemistry, and genetics. This commonly-held misconception lead to a reduced effectiveness by using conventional fungicides to control oomycetes, thus it demands the identification of novel functional genes as target for precisely design oomycetes-specific microbicide. The present study initially analyzed the available transcriptome data of the model oomycete pathogen, Phytophthora sojae, and constructed an expression matrix of 10,953 genes across the stages of asexual development and host infection. Hierarchical clustering, specificity, and diversity analyses revealed a more pronounced transcriptional plasticity during the stages of asexual development than that in host infection, which drew our attention by particularly focusing on transcripts in asexual development stage to eventually clustered them into 6 phase-specific expression modules. Three of which respectively possessing a serine/threonine phosphatase (PP2C) expressed during the mycelial and sporangium stages, a histidine kinase (HK) expressed during the zoospore and cyst stages, and a bZIP transcription factor (bZIP32) exclusive to the cyst germination stage were selected for down-stream functional validation. In this way, we demonstrated that PP2C, HK, and bZIP32 play significant roles in P. sojae asexual development and virulence. Thus, these findings provide a foundation for further gene functional annotation in oomycetes and crop disease management.
The factors associated with the deterioration of activities of daily life in stroke patients: A retrospective cohort study

ABSTRACT Background The activities of daily life (ADL) of stroke patients generally improves after rehabilitation. However, some patients remain at risk of ADL deterioration in the future. So far, there have been few studies on the factors related to ADL deterioration in stroke patients. Objective To identify the factors related to ADL deterioration in stroke patients with independent mobility after discharge. Methods We assessed 336 stroke patients with independent mobility who were discharged from the rehabilitation center between January 2016 and December 2018. The primary outcome was ADL deterioration, defined as that ADL assessed at 2 years after discharge decreased more than 15 points compared with that assessed at discharge. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted to screen for factors related to ADL deterioration. Results Overall, 62 (18.4%) patients exhibited ADL deterioration at 2 years after discharge. Age (OR = 1.114, 95%CI = 1.045–1.188, p = 0.001), vascular risk factors>3 (OR = 3.269, 95%CI = 1.189–8.986, p = 0.022) and with post-stroke depression (OR = 2.486, 95%CI = 1.011–6.114, p = 0.047) were risk factors for ADL deterioration in stroke patients. In contrast, elevated Berg Balance Scale (BBS) scores at discharge was a protective factor for ADL deterioration (OR = 0.484, 95%CI = 0.386–0.606, p < 0.001). Conclusions Nearly 1 in 5 stroke patients with independent mobility experienced ADL deterioration at 2 years after discharge. Aging, vascular risk factors>3, BBS at discharge, and post-stroke depression (PSD) were identified as factors associated with ADL deterioration
The Clinical Picture of the ERCC6L2 Disease - from Bone Marrow Failure to Acute Leukemia.

Biallelic germline ERCC6L2 variants strongly predispose to bone marrow failure (BMF) and myeloid malignancies characterized by somatic TP53-mutated clones and erythroid predominance. We present a series of 52 subjects (35 families) with ERCC6L2 biallelic germline variants collected retrospectively in 11 centers globally, including follow-up of 1165 person-years. At initial investigations, 32 individuals were diagnosed with BMF and 15 with a hematological malignancy (HM). Subjects presented with 19 different variants across ERCC6L2, and we identified a founder mutation c.1424delT in the Finnish patients. The median age of subjects at baseline was 18 years (range 2-65). Changes in complete blood count (CBC) were mild despite severe bone marrow hypoplasia and somatic TP53 mutations, with no significant difference between subjects with or without (HM). Signs of a progressive disease were increasing TP53 variant allele frequency, dysplasia in megakaryocytes and/or erythroid lineage, and erythroid predominance in bone marrow morphology. The median age at onset of HM was 37.0 years (95% CI: 31.5-42.5; range 12-65). Overall survival (OS) at 3 years was 95% (95% CI: 85-100) and 19% (95% CI: 0-39) for patients with BMF and HM, respectively. Patients with myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia with mutated TP53 undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had a poor outcome: 3-year OS is 28% (95% CI: 0-61). Our results demonstrate the importance of early recognition and active surveillance of patients with biallelic germline ERCC6L2 variants.
Bayesian investigation of continuous -time finance models

A new Bayesian method is proposed for the analysis of discretely sampled diffusion processes. The method, which is termed high frequency augmentation (HFA), is a simple numerical method that is applicable to a wide variety of univariate or multivariate diffusion and jump-diffusion processes. It is furthermore useful when observations are irregularly observed, when one or more elements of the multivariate process are latent, or when microstructure effects add error to the observed data. The Markov chain-Monte Carlo-based procedure can be used to attain the posterior distributions of the parameters of the drift and diffusion functions as well as the posteriors of missing or latent data. Several examples are explored. First, posteriors of the parameters of a geometric Brownian motion are attained using HFA and compared with those obtained using standard analytical methods in a short Monte Carlo study. Second, a stochastic volatility model is estimated on a sample of S&P500 returns, a problem for which posteriors are analytically intractable. Third, it is shown how the method can be used to estimate an interest rate process using data that suffer from severe rounding. Finally, extension of the method to jump-diffusions is described and applied to the analysis of the U.S dollar/German mark exchange rate.
The dilemma between dividends and safety and a generalization of the Lundberg-Cramér formulas

Abstract The question how a company should payout dividends has led to some controversy (see [2], p. 164). At first sight it seems that the payment of dividends could be reconciled with the safety of a company by the following rule: “At any payment date, determine the dividend such that the resulting probability of ruin is equal to some given level e. ” But, as De Finetti points out (see [5]), repeated application of this rule leads to eventual ruin of the company (with probability one). Alternatively, he suggested that dividends could be determined in order to maximize the expected sum of the discounted dividends. This idea has inspired a series of writers, among others Borch, Morrill, Miyasawa (the reader will find references in [2], pp. 164–178, and [9], pp. 163–166).
Remote sensing image classification method supported by spatial adjacency

The image classification is a key step for remote sensing data transforming into practical information and knowledge,which has always been the core problem in the remote sensing field.The limitations in traditional spectral classification method otherwise promotes the theory development on the spatial-spectral coupled information cognition of remote sensing,which focuses more on the spatial relationship.However,the current classification revision methods have configured the spatial forms and relationship while,going further,but there still exist some deficiencies in spatial distribution theorem about quantitative description,objects' actual distribution,and so on.Thus,the paper proposes a spatial-adjacency-supported classification revision method inclusive of reference object extraction,target object pixels searching and reference adjacent objects distinguishing which detailed steps are:(1) marking the objects out and getting their distribution rangepicking up the other objects in the range,(2) selecting them as the target object,picking out the unavailable target object in the range and selecting them as a certain objectwhich also provides a convenient and effective way for stepwise and accurate extraction of other objects subsequently.We also carried out an experiment on offshore area classification revision,and the result proved to be more accurate and reasonable.
Exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and self-reported health symptoms among fish smokers: A case study in the Western Region of Ghana

The study aimed to assess the concentrations of particulate matter (PM2.5) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced from the burning of biomass fuel from the smoking of fish. It also sought to determine the proportion of fish smokers reporting health symptoms associated with exposure to these pollutants. A cross-sectional study was conducted among fish smokers at Abuesi in the Western Region of Ghana. Systematic sampling was employed to choose 60 smokehouses for PM2.5 and VOC monitoring. A total of 434 fish smokers were also randomly sampled for the study. Measurements were taken at indoor, outdoor and control locations. The highest concentration of PM2.5 was recorded in the indoor environment. The mean concentration of PM2.5 between the indoor and control environment was significantly different unlike between the outdoor and control environments. The concentration of VOCs systematically varied across indoor, outdoor and control locations. The most reported disease symptoms were eye infection, cough, and headaches. There was a strong positive association between the number of years spent smoking fish and the frequency of eye problems reported by fish smokers. The study demonstrated that fish smokers inside the smokehouse or smoking rooms are exposed to higher PM2.5 and VOC levels which are detrimental to their health. There is therefore the need for further studies to explore other energy sources which may have a lesser negative effect on human health.
Drug resistant fungus is spreading in US long term care facilities and hospitals, warns CDC

Since then, there have been 3270 clinical cases and 7413 cases detected by screening in the US, up to 31 December 2022. Infections have been reported in about half of the 50 US states. Both the number of cases and the number of multi-drug resistant infections have increased dramatically. The CDC said that it was concerned that the number of cases resistant to echinocandins, the recommended treatment, had tripled in 2021. In 2022, there were 2377 clinical cases and 5754 cases detected on screening.
High-speed shadowgraphy and interferometry using an acousto-optic laser deflector

An acousto-optic laser deflector was used to obtain shadowgraphs and laser interference fringe patterns at microsecond-order exposure times by blocking the undeflected light and exposing the imaging device to the deflected light. This method allows μ-order imaging using an ordinary CCD camera, and is less susceptible to damage resulting from incidence of high intensity light, which is a problem when using image intensifiers. Using this method, shadowgraphs and laser interference fringe patterns showing density changes accompanying spark discharges in air, pre-breakdown phenomena such as streamers and leaders, and laser-induced breakdown in air were obtained. In addition, by sequentially applying high frequency signals of different frequencies, the incident light was deflected to different regions of the CCD chip, which allowed time-resolved imaging of laser interference fringes.
Cancer in the Anal Transition Zone and Ileoanal Pouch following Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis

Abstract Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis remains the gold standard treatment for patients with ulcerative colitis who desire restoration of intestinal continuity. Despite a significant cancer risk reduction after surgical removal of the colon and rectum, dysplasia and cancers of the ileal pouch or anal transition zone still occur and are a risk even if an anal canal mucosectomy is performed. Surgical care and maintenance after ileoanal anastomosis must include consideration of malignant potential along with other commonly monitored variables such as bowel function and quality of life. Cancers and dysplasia of the ileal pouch are rare but sometimes difficult-to-manage sequelae of pouch surgery.