Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kelp Culture Enhances Coastal Biogeochemical Cycles by Maintaining Bacterioplankton Richness and Regulating Its Interactions

In this study, we tried to address the effects of seaweed cultivation on the microbial biogeochemical cycles and the underlying relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. We revealed clear enhancement of biogeochemical cycles in the seaweed cultivation areas compared to the non-mariculture coasts at both the beginning and ending of the culture cycle. ABSTRACT As an important carbon sink, seaweed cultivation plays a vital role in controlling global climate change. However, most studies have been focused on the seaweed itself, and knowledge of bacterioplankton dynamics in seaweed cultivation activities is still limited. Here, a total of 80 water samples were obtained from a coastal kelp cultivation area and adjacent non-culture area in the seedling and mature stages. The bacterioplankton communities were analyzed using high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes, and the microbial genes involving biogeochemical cycles were measured by a high-throughput quantitative PCR (qPCR) chip. Seasonal variations in alpha diversity indices of bacterioplankton were found, and kelp cultivation mitigated this decline in biodiversity from the seedling to the mature stage. Further beta diversity and core taxa analyses revealed that the maintenance of biodiversity was due to kelp cultivation favoring the survival of rare bacteria. Comparisons of gene abundances between coastal water with and without kelp cultivation showed a more powerful capacity of biogeochemical cycles induced by kelp cultivation. More importantly, a positive relationship between bacterial richness and biogeochemical cycling functions was observed in samples with kelp cultivation. Finally, a co-occurrence network and pathway model indicated that the higher bacterioplankton biodiversity in kelp culture areas compared to non-mariculture regions could balance the microbial interactions to regulate biogeochemical cycles and thus enhance the ecosystem functions of kelp cultivation coasts. The findings of this study allow us to better understand the effects of kelp cultivation on coastal ecosystems and provide novel insights into the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. IMPORTANCE In this study, we tried to address the effects of seaweed cultivation on the microbial biogeochemical cycles and the underlying relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions. We revealed clear enhancement of biogeochemical cycles in the seaweed cultivation areas compared to the non-mariculture coasts at both the beginning and ending of the culture cycle. Moreover, the enhanced biogeochemical cycling functions in the culture areas were found to contribute to the richness and interspecies interactions of bacterioplankton communities. The findings of this study allow us to better understand the effects of seaweed cultivation on coastal ecosystems and provide novel insights into the relationship between biodiversity and ecosystem functions.
Stability of periodic orbits in the elliptic restricted three-body problem.

A systematic study has been made of periodic orbits in the two-dimensional, elliptic, restricted three-body problem. All ranges of eccentricities, from 0 to 1, and mass-ratios, from 0 to J, have been investigated. Eleven hundred periodic orbits have been obtained. It is concluded that the elliptic problem behaves in a way which is completely different from the circular problem. The main difference is in the stability properties of the periodic orbits. Because of the nonexistence of the Jacobi integral (the elliptic problem is not conservative), the characteristic equation of the monodromy matrix does not have a pair of unit roots, in general. The stability is denned by two real numbers (stability indices) rather than one. Because of that, there are seven general classes of periodic orbits, according to their stability properties. The stability of the periodic orbits has been determined by numerically integrating the variational equations with a recurrent power series method. The results are in contrast with the circular problem, where there are only three classes of orbits (stability, even instability, and odd instability): in the elliptic problem there are one stable class and six unstable classes. The elliptic, restricted three-body problem can be considered as the prototype of all nonintegrable, nonconservative Hamiltonian systems, and in this paper, probably for the first time, a classification of the multipliers is given for these systems. I. Introduction
The multi-drug resistant organisms infections decrease during the antimicrobial stewardship era in cirrhotic patients: An Italian cohort study

Background and purpose Bacterial infections represent a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cirrhotic patients. Our aim was to assess the incidence of bacterial infections, in particular due to multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) before and after the introduction of the antimicrobial stewardship program, “Stewardship Antimicrobial in VErona” (SAVE). In addition, we also analysed the liver complications and the crude mortality during the whole follow up. Methods We analysed 229 cirrhotic subjects without previous hospitalization for infections enrolled at the University Verona Hospital from 2017 to 2019 and followed up until December 2021 (mean follow-up 42.7 months). Results 101 infections were recorded and 31.7% were recurrent. The most frequent were sepsis (24.7%), pneumonia (19.8%), spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (17.8%). 14.9% of infections were sustained by MDROs. Liver complications occurred more frequently in infected patients, and in case of MDROs infections with a significantly higher MELD and Child-Pugh score. In Cox regression analysis, mortality was associated with age, diabetes and bacterial infections episodes (OR 3.30, CI 95%: (1.63–6.70). Despite an increase in total infections over the past three years, a decrease in the incidence rate in MDROs infections was documented concurrently with the introduction of SAVE (IRD 28.6; 95% CI: 4.6–52.5, p = 0.02). Conclusions Our study confirms the burden of bacterial infections in cirrhotic patients, especially MDROs, and the strong interconnection with liver complications. The introduction of SAVE decreased MDROs infections. Cirrhotic patients require a closer clinical surveillance to identify colonized patients and avoid the horizontal spread of MDROs in this setting.
Authors’ response: Highly pathogenic influenza A(H5N1) viruses in farmed mink outbreak contain a disrupted second sialic acid binding site in neuraminidase, similar to human influenza A viruses

Authors’ response: Highly pathogenic influenza A(H5N1) viruses in farmed mink outbreak contain a disrupted second sialic acid binding site in neuraminidase, similar to human influenza A viruses. Euro Surveill. 2023;28(7):pii=2300109. https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES. 2023.28. 7.2300109
Analytic Center Manifolds of Dimension One

The flow of a system of ordinary differential equations near an equilibrium point is completely determined by the flow restricted to a corresponding center manifold. Even for analytic equations center manifolds need not be analytic and therefore, in general, the flow on a center manifold cannot be described by an analytic equation. It is the main purpose of this paper to show that one-dimensional center manifolds are analytic in the only case where analyticity is relevant. Thus, the generally lacking analyticity causes no problems, neither from a practical nor from a theoretical point of view. Furthermore sufficient conditions are given for the analyticity of center-stable and center-unstable manifolds. Der Flus eines Systems von gewohnlichen Differentialgleichungen in der Nahe einer Ruhelage ist vollstandig bestimmt durch den Flus, eingeschrankt auf eine zugehorige Zentrumsmannigfaltigkeit. Selbst fur analytische Gleichungen mus eine Zentrumsmannigfaltigkeit nicht analytisch sein, und somit kann der Flus auf einer Zentrumsmannigfaltigkeit im allgemeinen nicht durch eine analytische Gleichung beschrieben werden. Das Hauptanliegen dieser Arbeit ist der Nachweis der Analytizitat ein-dimensionaler Zentrumsmannigfaltigkeiten im einzigen Fall, in dem die Analytizitat vom Bedeutung ist. Damit ist sowohl vom praktischen wie vom theoretischen Standpunkt die allgemein fehlende Analytizitat unproblematisch. Daruberhinaus werden hinreichende Bedingungen angegeben fur die Analytizitat der sogenannten „center-stable manifold” und der „center-unstable manifold”.
Perceptions of information continuity key to understanding quality of post-acute care transitions

Background Skilled nursing facilities’ (SNFs) ability to provide optimal post-acute care depends on effective receipt of information from hospitals (“information continuity”). Little is known about how SNFs perceive information continuity and how it may relate to upstream information sharing processes, organizational context, and downstream outcomes. Purpose First, this study aims to identify how SNF perceptions of information continuity may be shaped by hospital information sharing practices, including measures of completeness, timeliness, and usability, as well as characteristics of the transitional care environment (i.e., integrated care relationships and/or consistency of information sharing practices across different hospital partners). Second, we analyze which of these characteristics are associated with quality of transitional care (measured by 30-day readmissions). Approach A cross-sectional analysis of nationally representative SNF survey (N = 212) linked to Medicare claims was performed. Results SNF perceptions of information continuity are strongly and positively associated with hospital information sharing practices. Adjusting for actual information sharing practices, SNFs that experienced discordance across hospitals reported lower perceptions of continuity (β = −0.73, p = .022); evidence of stronger relationships with a given hospital partner appears to help facilitate resources and communication that helps to close this gap. Perceptions of information continuity, more so than the upstream information sharing processes reported, exhibited a more reliable and significant association with rates of readmissions as an indicator of transitional care quality. Conclusion SNF perceptions of information continuity are strongly associated with patient outcomes and are reflective of both hospital information sharing practices as well as characteristics of the transitional care environment that can mitigate or amplify the cognitive and administration challenge of their work. Practice Implications Improving transitional care quality requires that hospitals improve information sharing behaviors but also invest in capacity for learning and process improvement in the SNF environment.
Candrive—Development of a Risk Stratification Tool for Older Drivers

Abstract Background Assessing an older adult’s fitness-to-drive is an important part of clinical decision making. However, most existing risk prediction tools only have a dichotomous design, which does not account for subtle differences in risk status for patients with complex medical conditions or changes over time. Our objective was to develop an older driver risk stratification tool (RST) to screen for medical fitness-to-drive in older adults. Methods Participants were active drivers aged 70 and older from 7 sites across 4 Canadian provinces. They underwent in-person assessments every 4 months with an annual comprehensive assessment. Participant vehicles were instrumented to provide vehicle and passive Global Positioning System (GPS) data. The primary outcome measure was police-reported, expert-validated, at-fault collision adjusted per annual kilometers driven. Predictor variables included physical, cognitive, and health assessment measures. Results A total of 928 older drivers were recruited for this study beginning in 2009. The average age at enrollment was 76.2 (standard deviation [SD] = 4.8) with 62.1% male participants. The mean duration for participation was 4.9 (SD = 1.6) years. The derived Candrive RST included 4 predictors. Out of 4 483 person-years of driving, 74.8% fell within the lowest risk category. Only 2.9% of person-years were in the highest risk category where the relative risk for at-fault collisions was 5.26 (95% confidence interval = 2.81–9.84) compared to the lowest risk group. Conclusions For older drivers whose medical conditions create uncertainty regarding their fitness-to-drive, the Candrive RST may assist primary health care providers when initiating a conversation about driving and to guide further evaluation.
DETRENDED FLUCTUATION ANALYSIS OF CHROMATIN TEXTURE FOR DIAGNOSIS IN BREAST CYTOLOGY

Chromatin appearance in breast epithelial cells has been shown to have fractal properties, and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) is an effective method for characterizing the scaling in non-stationary fractal signals in terms of a scaling exponent. This study examines the use of DFA for the characterization of chromatin appearance in breast epithelial cells. Images of nuclei representative of fine-needle aspiration biopsies of the breast are characterized in terms of the scaling exponent for 19 patients with benign lesions and 22 patients with invasive ductal carcinoma. Characterizing patients by the standard deviations of the values of the scaling exponent for their representative nuclei, a statistically significant difference is noted between benign and malignant cases. This reflects that malignancies exhibit less variability in chromatin roughness than do benign cases. Previous logistic regression models for the diagnosis of breast epithelial cell lesions are improved upon by incorporating the standard deviation of the scaling exponent. Using leave-one-out cross-validation, the best logistic regression classifiers demonstrate a sensitivity of 95% and a specificity of 100%. A combination of DFA and lacunarity analysis is seen to provide the best approach to characterizing chromatin in breast epithelial cell nuclei.
Estimation of Fish School Volume Using Omnidirectional Multi-Beam Sonar: Scanning Modes and Algorithms

Previous studies have resulted in a quantitative omnidirectional sonar (FSV30 research version, Furuno) using 64 multi-beams and a 24 kHz center operating frequency. The practical applications of this sonar are currently being studied with regard to fisheries resource assessment. This paper presents one part of this research, i.e., methods for estimating fish school volume using different sonar scanning modes. To determine its suitability for various purposes, we conducted a simulation to measure scatter aggregation; the simulation was validates by measuring the volume of a balloon filled with seawater. A practical survey was also simulated for spherical scatter aggregation with a 20 m diameter, and its volume was examined using different scanning modes. Our results indicate that a semicircular cruise mode is more suitable than a circular mode for measuring fish school volume, and that using an anchored instrument scanning mode provides greater accuracy than a cruising scanning mode.
Long-term change in the target achievement rate of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with cardiovascular disease.

OBJECTIVES The goal achievement rate of patients' low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and prescribing pattern of statin potency should be continuously monitored in a real-world clinical setting. This study aimed to describe the comprehensive status of LDL-C management. MATERIALS AND METHODS Patients first diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) between 2009 and 2018 who were followed for 24 months. LDL-C levels, its changes from baseline, and intensity of statin prescribed were evaluated four times during follow-up. Potential factors associated with goal achievement were also identified. RESULTS The study included 25,605 patients with CVDs. At diagnosis, the goal achievement rates of the LDL-C level were 58.4, 25.2, and 10.0% for targets of < 100, < 70, and < 55 mg/dL, respectively. The proportion of moderate- and high-intensity statin prescription significantly increased over time (all p < 0.01). Nevertheless, LDL-C levels significantly decreased at 6 months and increased at 12 and 24 months following therapy compared with baseline values. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) (15 - 29 and < 15 mL/min/1.73m2) and accompanying diabetes mellitus were significantly associated with the goal achievement rate. CONCLUSION Despite the need for active LDL-C management, the goal achievement rate and prescribing pattern were insufficient after 6 months. In cases with severe comorbidities, the goal attainment rate significantly increased; however, a more aggressive statin prescription was needed even in patients without diabetes or with normal GFR. The prescription rate for high-intensity statins increased over time, but was still low. In conclusion, physicians should aggressively prescribe statins to increase the goal achievement rate in patients with CVDs.
Predicting critical transitions in assortative spin-shifting networks

Methods to forecast critical transitions, i.e. abrupt changes in systems’ equilibrium states have relevance in scientific fields such as ecology, seismology, finance and medicine among others. So far, the bulk of investigations on forecasting methods builds on equation-based modeling methods, which consider system states as aggregates and thus do not account for the different connection strengths in each part of the system. This seems inadequate against the background of studies that insinuate that critical transitions can originate in sparsely connected parts of systems. Here we use agent-based spin-shifting models with assortative network representations to distinguish different interaction densities. Our investigations confirm that signals of imminent critical transitions can indeed be detected significantly earlier in network parts with low link degrees. We discuss the reason for this circumstance on the basis of the free energy principle.
Assimilation of Synthetic Tropical Cyclone Observations into the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System

Abstract In June 1990, the assimilation of synthetic tropical cyclone observations into the Navy Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System (NOGAPS) was initiated at Fleet Numerical Oceanography Center (FNOC). These observations are derived directly from the information contained in the tropical cyclone warnings issued by the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) and the National Hurricane Center. This paper describes these synthetic observations, the evolution of their use at FNOC, and the details of their assimilation into NOGAPS. The results of a comprehensive evaluation of the 1991 NOGAPS tropical cyclone forecast performance in the western North Pacific are presented. NOGAPS analysis and forecast position errors were determined for all tropical circulations of tropical storm strength or greater. It was found that, after the assimilation of synthetic observations, the NOGAPS spectral forecast model consistently maintained the tropical circulations as evidenced by detection percentages of 96%, 90% .
Endosomal trafficking protein TBC‐2 modulates stress resistance and lifespan through DAF‐16‐dependent and independent mechanisms

The FOXO transcription factor, DAF‐16, plays an integral role in insulin/IGF‐1 signaling (IIS) and stress response. In conditions of stress or decreased IIS, DAF‐16 moves to the nucleus where it activates genes that promote survival. To gain insight into the role of endosomal trafficking in resistance to stress, we disrupted tbc‐2, which encodes a GTPase activating protein that inhibits RAB‐5 and RAB‐7. We found that tbc‐2 mutants have decreased nuclear localization of DAF‐16 in response to heat stress, anoxia, and bacterial pathogen stress, but increased nuclear localization of DAF‐16 in response to chronic oxidative stress and osmotic stress. tbc‐2 mutants also exhibit decreased upregulation of DAF‐16 target genes in response to stress. To determine whether the rate of nuclear localization of DAF‐16 affected stress resistance in these animals, we examined survival after exposure to multiple exogenous stressors. Disruption of tbc‐2 decreased resistance to heat stress, anoxia, and bacterial pathogen stress in both wild‐type worms and stress‐resistant daf‐2 insulin/IGF‐1 receptor mutants. Similarly, deletion of tbc‐2 decreases lifespan in both wild‐type worms and daf‐2 mutants. When DAF‐16 is absent, the loss of tbc‐2 is still able to decrease lifespan but has little or no impact on resistance to most stresses. Combined, this suggests that disruption of tbc‐2 affects lifespan through both DAF‐16‐dependent and DAF‐16‐independent pathways, while the effect of tbc‐2 deletion on resistance to stress is primarily DAF‐16‐dependent. Overall, this work demonstrates the importance of endosomal trafficking for the proper nuclear localization of DAF‐16 during stress and that perturbation of normal endosomal trafficking is sufficient to decrease both stress resistance and lifespan.
Hocus Pocus: The Role Of Handheld Ultrasonography In Predicting Disease Extension And Endoscopic Activity In Ulcerative Colitis.

BACKGROUND Ulcerative colitis (UC) assessment still requires ileocolonoscopy (IC). Intestinal ultrasound (IUS) has emerged as a non-invasive assessment tool, and the Milan Ultrasound Criteria (MUC) score has been validated to estimate and grade UC disease activity. Recently, handheld IUS (HHIUS) has been used in several clinical settings, but data about its use in UC are limited. We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of HHIUS compared to conventional (IUS) in detecting UC extension and activity. PATIENTS AND METHODS From November 2021 to September 2022, we prospectively enrolled UC patients afferent to our third-level IBD Unit for IC evaluation. Patients underwent IC, HHIUS, and IUS. Ultrasound activity was defined by MUC > 6.2, while endoscopic activity was defined by a Mayo endoscopic score (MES) > 1. Cohen's k test was applied to test the concordance between IUS-MUC and HHIUS-MUC after MUC dichotomization (MUC>6.2, yes/no). RESULTS 86 patients with UC were enrolled. No significant difference was recorded between IUS and HHIUS at the per-segment extension (p=N.S.), and both procedures were comparable in terms of results of bowel wall thickness (BWT) and bowel wall stratification (BWS) assessment (p=N.S.). IUS and HHIUS displayed excellent agreement when the MUC score system was applied (k = 0.86, p<0.01). CONCLUSION Handheld intestinal ultrasound and IUS are comparable in UC extension definition and MUC evaluation. HHIUS could be reliable for detecting disease activity and estimating its extension, providing close monitoring. It also represents a non-invasive, easily practicable investigation, allowing immediate medical decisions with significant time and cost advantages.
Vibrational stabilization of a chemical reactor: An experimental study

Vibrational control is a method for modification of dynamic properties of linear and nonlinear systems by introduction of fast, zero-average oscillations in a system's parameters. It has been previously shown that forced oscillations introduced in the reactant flow rates to a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) cause a modification of the S - shaped steady-state curve. In the present note experimental evidence is given to show that this modification leads to the operation the CSTR at an asymptotically stable periodic regime located near an unstable steady-state of the reactor system having fixed flow rates. For a given average stabilized state, such a stabilizing mechanism results in a higher production rate or lower energy expenditure compared to a steady operation with shifted input conditions.