Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Serum uric acid to serum creatinine ratio predicts neurological deterioration in branch atheromatous disease

Background and objective Branch atheromatous disease (BAD) makes patients prone to early neurological deterioration (END), resulting in poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between SUA/SCr and END in BAD stroke patients. Methods We conducted a retrospective study that included 241 patients with BAD-stroke within 48 h of symptom onset. We divided the patients into the END group and the no END group. END was defined as an NIHSS score increase of more than 2 points within 1 week. SUA/SCr was calculated by the concentration of serum uric acid and creatine (serum uric acid/serum creatine) on admission. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify independent predictors of END in BAD-stroke patients. Results END was observed in 24.1% (58/241) of the patients in our study. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that SUA/SCr (aOR, 0.716; 95% CI, 0.538–0.952; P = 0.022) and female sex (aOR, 0.469; 95% CI, 0.245–0.898; P = 0.022) were associated with END after adjusting for confounding factors. The predicted value of SUA/Scr for END was a sensitivity of 79.3%, a specificity of 44.8%, and an AUC of 0.609 (95% CI, 0.527–0.691, P < 0.05). The optimal cut-off value was 4.76. Conclusion SUA/SCr was negatively associated with the risk of END in BAD stroke patients.
An online tool for predicting ovarian responses in unselected patients using dynamic inhibin B and basal antimüllerian hormone levels

Background Reliable predictive models for predicting excessive and poor ovarian response in controlled ovarian stimulation (COS) is currently lacking. The dynamic (Δ) inhibin B, which refers to increment of inhibin B responding to exogenous gonadotropin, has been indicated as a potential predictor of ovarian response. Objective To establish mathematical models to predict ovarian response at the early phase of COS using Δinhibin B and other biomarkers. Materials and methods Prospective cohort study in a tertiary teaching hospital, including 669 cycles underwent standard gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist ovarian stimulation between April 2020 and September 2020. Early Δinhibin B was defined as an increment in inhibin B from menstrual day 2 to day 6 through to the day of COS. Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) logistic regression with 5-fold cross-validation was applied to construct ovarian response prediction models. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), prevalence, sensitivity, and specificity were used for evaluating model performance. Results Early Δinhibin B and basal antimüllerian hormone (AMH) levels were the best measures in building models for predicting ovarian hypo- or hyper-responses, with AUCs and ranges of 0.948 (0.887–0.976) and 0.904 (0.836–0.945) in the validation set, respectively. The contribution of the early Δinhibin B was 67.7% in the poor response prediction model and 56.4% in the excessive response prediction model. The basal AMH level contributed 16.0% in the poor response prediction model and 25.0% in the excessive response prediction model. An online website-based tool (http://121.43.113.123:8001/) has been developed to make these complex algorithms available in clinical practice. Conclusion Early Δinhibin B might be a novel biomarker for predicting ovarian response in IVF cycles. Limiting the two prediction models to the high and the very-low risk groups would achieve satisfactory performances and clinical significance. These novel models might help in counseling patients on their estimated ovarian response and reduce iatrogenic poor or excessive ovarian responses.
Spatial differentiation and influencing factors of active layer thickness in the Da Hinggan Ling Prefecture

Active layer thickness (ALT) of permafrost changes significantly under the combined influence of human activities and climate warming, which has a significant impact on the ecological environment, hydrology, and engineering construction in cold regions. The spatial differentiation of Active layer thickness and its influencing factors have become one of the hot topics in the field of cryopedology in recent years, but there are few studies in the Da Hinggan Ling Prefecture (DHLP). In this study, the Stefan equation was used to simulate the Active layer thickness in the Da Hinggan Ling Prefecture, and the factor detection and interaction detection functions of geodetector were used to analyze the factors affecting the spatial differentiation of Active layer thickness from both natural and humanity aspects. The results showed that Active layer thickness in the Da Hinggan Ling Prefecture ranges from 58.82 cm to 212.55 cm, the determinant coefficient R 2, MAE, RMSE between simulation results and the sampling points data were 0.86, 11.25 (cm) and 13.25 (cm), respectively. Lower Active layer thickness values are mainly distributed higher elevations in the west, which are dominated by forest (average ALT: 136.94 cm) and wetlands (average ALT: 71.88 cm), while the higher values are distributed on cultivated land (average ALT: 170.35 cm) and construction land (average ALT: 176.49 cm) in the southeast. Among the influencing factors, elevation is significantly negatively correlated with ALT. followed by summer mean LST, SLHF and snow depth. NDVI and SM has the strong explanation power for the spatial differentiation of ALT in factor detection. Regarding interactions, the explanatory power of slope ∩ snow depth is the highest of 0.83, followed by the elevation ∩ distance to settlements. The results can provide reference for the formulation of ecological environmental protection and engineering construction policies in cold regions.
Circadian rhythms as modulators of brain health during development and throughout aging

The circadian clock plays a prominent role in neurons during development and throughout aging. This review covers topics pertinent to the role of 24-h rhythms in neuronal development and function, and their tendency to decline with aging. Pharmacological or behavioral modification that augment the function of our internal clock may be central to decline of cognitive disease and to future chronotherapy for aging-related diseases of the central nervous system.
microRNA production in Arabidopsis

In plants, microRNAs (miRNAs) associate with ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins and act as sequence-specific repressors of target gene expression, at the post-transcriptional level through target transcript cleavage and/or translational inhibition. MiRNAs are mainly transcribed by DNA-dependent RNA polymerase II (POL II) and processed by DICER LIKE1 (DCL1) complex into 21∼22 nucleotide (nt) long. Although the main molecular framework of miRNA biogenesis and modes of action have been established, there are still new requirements continually emerging in the recent years. The studies on the involvement factors in miRNA biogenesis indicate that miRNA biogenesis is not accomplished separately step by step, but is closely linked and dynamically regulated with each other. In this article, we will summarize the current knowledge on miRNA biogenesis, including MIR gene transcription, primary miRNA (pri-miRNA) processing, miRNA AGO1 loading and nuclear export; and miRNA metabolism including methylation, uridylation and turnover. We will describe how miRNAs are produced and how the different steps are regulated. We hope to raise awareness that the linkage between different steps and the subcellular regulation are becoming important for the understanding of plant miRNA biogenesis and modes of action.
Inference and Interval Estimation Methods for Indirect Effects With Latent Variable Models

Although much is known about the performance of recent methods for inference and interval estimation for indirect or mediated effects with observed variables, little is known about their performance in latent variable models. This article presents an extensive Monte Carlo study of 11 different leading or popular methods adapted to structural equation models with latent variables. Manipulated variables included sample size, number of indicators per latent variable, internal consistency per set of indicators, and 16 different path combinations between latent variables. Results indicate that some popular or previously recommended methods, such as the bias-corrected bootstrap and asymptotic standard errors had poorly calibrated Type I error and coverage rates in some conditions. Likelihood-based confidence intervals, the distribution of the product method, and the percentile bootstrap emerged as leading methods for both interval estimation and inference, whereas joint significance tests and the partial posterior method performed well for inference.
About some possible empirical evidences in favor of a cosmological time variation of the speed of light

Possible empirical evidences in favor of the hypothesis that the speed of light decreases by a few centimeters per second each year are examined. Lunar laser ranging data are found to be consistent with this hypothesis, which also provides a straightforward explanation for the so-called Pioneer anomaly, that is, a time-dependent blue-shift observed when analyzing radio tracking data from distant spacecrafts, as well as an alternative explanation for both the apparent time-dilation of remote events and the apparent acceleration of the Universe. The main argument against this hypothesis, namely, the constancy of fine-structure and Rydberg constants, is discussed. Both of them being combinations of several physical constants, their constancy implies that, if the speed of light is indeed time-dependent, then at least two other “fundamental constants” have to vary as well. This puts severe constraints on the development of any future varying–speed-of-light theory.
Target-driven extraction of built-up land changes from high-resolution imagery

Abstract Information on land conversion to modern urban use is needed for many studies such as the impact of urbanization on environmental quality. Although extensive remote sensing research has been undertaken to detect conversion of nonurban to urban lands, little effort has been directed at assessing modernization of existing built-up land. Detection and quantification of this class of urban growth present significant challenges since the difference between radiometric signatures before and after “land modernization” is much more subtle and complicated than the case of conversion from typical rural to impervious urban land surfaces. A target-driven approach is presented for an efficient extraction of built-up land change distribution that provides superior results to those based on the traditional data-driven land cover approaches. The extraction strategy, integrating pixel- and object-based methodologies, is comprised of three components: delineation of the baseline built-up areas, detection of the areas that have undergone change, and integration of targeted change features to generate a final built-up land change map. A case study was carried out using RapidEye and SPOT5 images over suburban Beijing, China. The overall accuracy of built-up change mapping is about 91% and exceeds accuracies achievable by pixel or segment processing used in isolation.
Experimental study on quantum confinement effects in silicon nanowire metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors and single-electron transistors

The effects of quantum confinement on transport properties of silicon nanowire metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (FETs) and single-electron transistors are experimentally investigated. By carefully designing the channel width, the nanowire transistors operate as silicon nanowire FETs (SNWFETs) or single-charge transistors. Large quantum confinement in ultranarrow silicon nanowires plays a key role in these devices. We also adopt a special device configuration in which both n-type and p-type operations can be attained in an identical device, and the dependence on the channel direction and charge polarity is intensively investigated. Statistical measurements and band structure calculation reveal that [110] p-channel SNWFETs show smaller threshold voltage variations and [100] single-hole transistors show the largest Coulomb blockade oscillations at room temperature.
High-energy spectral breaks in gamma-ray bursts

Model fits are presented for 18 gamma-ray burst spectra from 100 keV to 27 MeV made with the BATSE spectroscopy detectors on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Most of the bursts are well fitted as power laws with spectral indices between -1.36 and -2.29; however, five bursts show definite departures from a simple power-law fit at high energies. Three of these bursts are well fitted with broken power-law spectra and break energies of from 400 to 690 keV, such as might arise from photon-photon interactions. If so, then the source compactness and hence distance will be sharply constrained. Two of the bursts have spectra with sharply confined slope changes and are well fitted with broken power-law spectra with break energies of 1.2 and 1.6 MeV at peak, such as might arise from photon-magnetic field interactions. If so, then these spectral breaks provide strong evidence for the existence of high magnetic fields in the burst emission region.
Piezoelectric polarization associated with dislocations in wurtzite GaN

The piezoelectric polarization and its associated charge density are calculated for edge, screw, and mixed dislocations oriented parallel to the c axis in wurtzite GaN. It is shown that the polarization field generated by screw components of dislocations is divergence free, and thus does not generate electric fields. Edge dislocations produce polarization fields that have nonzero divergence only at interfaces. These characteristics minimize the electrical and optical effects of the dislocations mediated by the piezoelectric effect.
Micro-Scale Characterization of Crystalline Phase and Stress in Laser-Crystallized Poly-Si Thin Films by Raman Spectroscopy

Laser crystallized poly-Si thin films were characterized using micro-Raman spectroscopy. Mapping measurements of the Si optical-phonon line were carried out for large size grains generated by the super-lateral growth, where the mapping interval was as small as 0.2 µm. It was found that the spectral intensity is extremely large at ridges located at grain boundaries. The map of peak-frequency shift indicated that the tensile stress tends to accumulate in grains and relax at grain boundaries. The map of spectral width revealed the abrupt variation of the crystalline phase from large-size grains to microcrystals.
Electronic and magnetic structure ofRScO3(R=Sm,Gd,Dy) from x-ray spectroscopies and first-principles calculations

The electronic structures of SmScO{sub 3}, GdScO{sub 3}, and DyScO{sub 3} are investigated by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES), and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). A strong hybridization between Sc 3d and O 2p is found, and a contribution of the rare-earth 5d states to this hybridization is not excluded. The band gaps of the compounds are determined by combining XES and XAS measurements. For SmScO{sub 3}, GdScO{sub 3}, and DyScO{sub 3} the band gaps were determined to be 5.6, 5.8, and 5.9 eV, respectively. Magnetization versus temperature measurements reveal antiferromagnetic coupling at 2.96 (SmScO{sub 3}), 2.61 (GdScO{sub 3}), and 3.10 K (DyScO{sub 3}). For DyScO{sub 3} a Rietveld refinement of a 2 K neutron-diffraction data set gives the spin arrangement of Dy in the Pbnm structure (Shubnikov group: Pb{sup '}n{sup '}m{sup '})
Breakdown Characteristics in Thin SiO2 Film

The breakdown processes at a weak spot in SiO2 film under pulse conditions were investigated with samples having 200 Å to 1450 Å thick SiO2 films. Three types of breakdowns were observed. Two were attributed to electric breakdown and the third to thermal breakdown. Electric breakdown becomes dominant with increasing SiO2 film thickness, especially over 1000 Å, and with decreasing temperature. Electric breakdown was distinguished from thermal breakdown by using pulse technique, and the thickness dependence of electric breakdown was found to be proportional to the square root of the SiO2 film thickness. In addition, the time lag in the initiation of breakdown after the application of a pulse voltage and the resistance of current path formed by electric breakdown were studied. It was revealed that the probability that the avalanche grows to a critical destruction size in the SiO2 film increases with increasing temperature.
Effect of the prosthetic mitral valve on vortex dynamics and turbulence of the left ventricular flow

Mechanical heart valves implanted in mitral position have a great effect on the ventricular flow. Changes include alteration of the dynamics of the vortical structures generated during the diastole and the onset of turbulence, possibly affecting the efficiency of the heart pump or causing blood cell damage. Modifications to the hemodynamics in the left ventricle, when the inflow through the mitral orifice is altered, were investigated in vitro using a silicone rubber, flexible ventricle model. Velocity fields were measured in space and time by means of an image analysis technique: feature tracking. Three series of experiments were performed: one with a top hat inflow velocity profile (schematically resembling physiological conditions), and two with mechanical prosthetic valves of different design, mounted in mitral position—one monoleaflet and the other bileaflet. In each series of runs, two different cardiac outputs have been examined by changing the stroke volume. The flow was investigated in terms of phase averaged velocity field and second order moments of turbulent fluctuations. Results show that the modifications in the transmitral flow change deeply the interaction between the coherent structures generated during the first phase of the diastole and the incoming jet during the second diastolic phase. Top hat inflow gives the coherent structures which are optimal, among the compared cases, for the systolic function. The flow generated by the bileaflet valve preserves most of the beneficial features of the top hat inflow, whereas the monoleaflet valve generates a strong jet which discourages the permanence of large coherent structures at the end of the diastole. Moreover, the average shear rate magnitudes induced by the smoother flow pattern of the case of top hat inflow are nearly halved in comparison with the values measured with the mechanical valves. Finally, analysis of the turbulence statistics shows that the monoleaflet valves yield higher turbulence intensity in comparison with the bileaflet and, with top hat inflow, there is not a complete transition to turbulence.
Intracavity skew-Brewster-angle plates as a calibrated attenuator for gas lasers

A gas laser resonator including two skew Brewster plates as an attenuator is considered. The laser polarisation eigenstates are obtained by the Jones matrix method and their corresponding losses are calculated as a function of the attenuator rotation. Experimental results are presented which confirm the validity of the analysis. Comparison with previous work shows that the results agree with those of Dobrowolski (1969) derived in a different way and points out misunderstandings in other papers.
Benefit of binaural hearing in a multi‐source environment. II. Speech intelligibility.

A multi‐source listening environment was simulated under headphones by recording signals through KEMAR in a sound‐deadened room. Seven loudspeakers were each positioned in the frontal plane 5 ft from KEMAR at 30‐deg increments, ranging from +90 (right) to −90 (left). The recorded signals (IEEE Harvard sentences) were digitally mixed and played back under headphones in a sound‐proof booth using a Digital Audio Tape (DAT) player. Speech intelligibility was measured for a ‘‘target’’ sentence in the presence of various ‘‘jammers. ’’ Three variables were manipulated. First, the number of ‘‘jammers’’ was either none, one, two, or three. Second, the relative location of the targets and jammers was varied, such that they were either in close proximity, widely separated, or some of each. Third, the jammer content comprised of either other sentences, speech‐shaped noise, babble or time‐reversed sentences. Normal‐hearing listeners were tested under binaural and monaural conditions. On each trial the location of the target sentence was known, and the percentage of key words correctly identified is reported. Speech intelligibility was degraded as the number of jammers and as the target proximity to the jammers was increased. [Work supported by NIH DC02696, DC00100‐21. ]
Super-revivals, chaos, and entanglement of a trapped ion in a standing wave

We unitarily transform the Hamiltonian of a trapped ion, situated at any position of a standing-wave laser field, to that for the normal Jaynes-Cummings model in the bare ionic basis, and we obtain the general evolution operator of the trapped ion system. We show the existence of super-revivals of the ionic inversion if the trapped ion is not located at a node of the standing wave, and we examine the degree of entanglement between the vibrational phonons and the trapped ion. For some parameter values, we find chaotic behavior.
Experimental characterization of a new class of polymeric-wire coiled transducers

The recent discovery of a new kind of thermo-active coiled polymeric wires has opened new perspectives for the implementation of a novel class of actuators that can be easily and effectively manufactured using low-cost materials such as sewing threads or finishing lines. These new devices feature large displacements in response to temperature variations and show very promising performance in terms of energy and power densities. With the aim of providing information and data useful for the future engineering applications of polymeric coiled actuators, a custom experimental test-bench and procedure have been developed and employed to characterise their thermo-mechanical response. Such a test-bench has been designed to run isothermal and isometric tensile tests on a set of sample actuators that are fabricated with a repeatable process. This paper provides technical details on the manufacturing process of such sample actuators and on the design and operation of the test-bench. Preliminary experimental results are finally reported.
Left handed transmission properties of planar metamaterials based on complementary double-ring resonators

We investigate the transmission properties of planar metamaterials based on complementary double-ring resonators, and a left-handed resonant transmission peak has been verified by both simulation and experimental results. The theoretical analysis and numerical simulation on the electromagnetic fields inside the metamaterial are provided to explain the physical origin of both electric and magnetic resonances. In addition, the backward wave propagation from the phase changes in the moving picture of electric field distribution is shown to confirm the left-handed behavior of the transmission line.
Unity ratio of cross‐ to self‐phase modulation in bulk AlGaAs and AlGaAs/GaAs multiple quantum well waveguides at half the band gap

We have found the cross‐phase modulation (XPM) for cross‐polarized beams to be equal to the self‐phase modulation (SPM) in bulk AlGaAs semiconductor waveguide at photon energies lower than half the band gap. For multiple quantum well (MQW) waveguide the ratio of the cross‐phase modulation coefficient to the self‐phase modulation coefficient is approximately one for the pump polarized perpendicular to the well plane (TM) and one‐half for pump beams in the plane of the wells (TE).