Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Plasma electron temperature measurement in a Mather-type plasma focus filled with hydrogen by a continuum intensity analysis

The electron temperature of the focus plasma in a Mather-type device energized by a 32 µF, 15 kV (3.6 kJ) single capacitor, with hydrogen as a filling gas is estimated. In this experiment, a multi-channel PIN diodes assembly is employed to record the X-rays from the focus plasma. The PIN diodes with some modifications are used as detectors in this experiment. The ratio of integrated bremsstrahlung emission transmitted through foils to the total incident flux as a function of foil thickness at various temperature is obtained for foil absorbers of material. Using 3 µm, 6 µm, 9 µm and 18 µm thick aluminium absorbers, the transmitted X-ray flux is detected. By comparing the experimental and theoretical curves through a computer programme, the plasma electron temperature is determined. Results show that the hydrogen focus plasma electron temperature is about 580 eV.
The Nonthermal Nucleus of M87

A spectrum along the jet of M87 has been obtained in effective seeing σ * ≃0″. 48 with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescopoe. Near λ5175 (Mg I b), the spectrum of the nucleus shows both emission and stellar absorption lines. However, when the spectrum of the underlying core of M87 is subtracted. the stellar absorption lines disappear, leaving a blue continuum and the broad emission line [N I] λ5199. At visual wavelengths, the nucleus is essentially completely nonthermal; it is not a cluster of stars. This confirms results of Dressler & Richstone
Split-step finite-element method applied to nonlinear integrated optics

A useful numerical simulation technique is presented to solve nonlinear guided-wave problems in a planar or coaxial optical waveguide. This technique is a combination of the finite-element method and the finite-difference method. The former is applied to the waveguide cross section (xy or rθ plane), whereas the latter is applied to the propagation direction (z axis). With the split-step procedure a significant enhancement of computational efficiency is achievable. The usefulness of the present approach is demonstrated through a number of numerical examples, some of which are displayed here.
Algorithms for vector field generation in mass consistent models

Diagnostic models in meteorology are based on the fulfillment of some time independent physical constraints as, for instance, mass conservation. A successful method to generate an adjusted wind field, based on mass conservation equation, was proposed by Sasaki and leads to the solution of an elliptic problem for the multiplier. Here we study the problem of generating an adjusted wind field from given horizontal initial velocity data, by two ways. The first one is based on orthogonal projection in Hilbert spaces and leads to the same elliptic problem but with natural boundary conditions for the multiplier. We derive from this approach the so called E–algorithm. An innovative alternative proposal is obtained from a second approach where we consider the saddle–point formulation of the problem—avoiding boundary conditions for the multiplier— and solving this problem by iterative conjugate gradient methods. This leads to an algorithm that we call the CG–algorithm, which is inspired from Glowinsk's approach to solve Stokes–like problems in computational fluid dynamics. Finally, the introduction of new boundary conditions for the multiplier in the elliptic problem generates better adjusted fields than those obtained with the original boundary conditions. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 2010
The representation of the annual temperature variation over central and northern Europe by a two‐term harmonic form

A harmonic analysis is made of the annual temperature variation at 42 stations spread over central and northern Europe, using in each case 5-day mean temperatures averaged over a considerable number of years. It is found that the first two harmonics account for nearly all the annual variance, the residual variance being usually less than 0.4 per cent of the total. Most of this residual variance seems to be random in origin, but a small part may be due to systematic departures from the two-term harmonic form.
Diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis with thyroid carcinoma by deep learning application to CT images

Introduction The incidence of thyroid diseases has increased in recent years, and cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) is considered an important risk factor for locoregional recurrence. This study aims to develop a deep learning-based computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) method to diagnose cervical LNM with thyroid carcinoma on computed tomography (CT) images. Methods A new deep learning framework guided by the analysis of CT data for automated detection and classification of LNs on CT images is proposed. The presented CAD system consists of two stages. First, an improved region-based detection network is designed to learn pyramidal features for detecting small nodes at different feature scales. The region proposals are constrained by the prior knowledge of the size and shape distributions of real nodes. Then, a residual network with an attention module is proposed to perform the classification of LNs. The attention module helps to classify LNs in the fine-grained domain, improving the whole classification network performance. Results A total of 574 axial CT images (including 676 lymph nodes: 103 benign and 573 malignant lymph nodes) were retrieved from 196 patients who underwent CT for surgical planning. For detection, the data set was randomly subdivided into a training set (70%) and a testing set (30%), where each CT image was expanded to 20 images by rotation, mirror image, changing brightness, and Gaussian noise. The extended data set included 11,480 CT images. The proposed detection method outperformed three other detection architectures (average precision of 80.3%). For classification, ROI of lymph node metastasis labeled by radiologists were used to train the classification network. The 676 lymph nodes were randomly divided into 70% of the training set (73 benign and 401 malignant lymph nodes) and 30% of the test set (30 benign and 172 malignant lymph nodes). The classification method showed superior performance over other state-of-the-art methods with an accuracy of 96%, true positive and negative rates of 98.8 and 80%, respectively. It outperformed radiologists with an area under the curve of 0.894. Discussion The extensive experiments verify the high efficiency of the proposed method. It is considered instrumental in a clinical setting to diagnose cervical LNM with thyroid carcinoma using preoperative CT images. The future research can consider adding radiologists' experience and domain knowledge into the deep-learning based CAD method to make it more clinically significant. Conclusion The extensive experiments verify the high efficiency of the proposed method. It is considered instrumental in a clinical setting to diagnose cervical LNM with thyroid carcinoma using preoperative CT images.
Xin-Li-Fang efficacy and safety for patients with chronic heart failure: A study protocol for a randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trial

Introduction Xin-Li-Fang (XLF), a representative Chinese patent medicine, was derived from years of clinical experience by academician Chen Keji, and is widely used to treat chronic heart failure (CHF). However, there remains a lack of high-quality evidence to support clinical decision-making. Therefore, we designed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the efficacy and safety of XLF for CHF. Methods and design This multicenter, double-blinded RCT will be conducted in China. 300 eligible participants will be randomly assigned to either an XLF group or a control group at a 1:1 ratio. Participants in the XLF group will receive XLF granules plus routine care, while those in the control group will receive placebo granules plus routine care. The study period is 26 weeks, including a 2-week run-in period, a 12-week treatment period, and a 12-week follow-up. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients whose serum NT-proBNP decreased by more than 30%. The secondary outcomes include quality of life, the NYHA classification evaluation, 6-min walking test, TCM symptom evaluations, echocardiography parameters, and clinical events (including hospitalization for worsening heart failure, all-cause death, and other major cardiovascular events). Discussion The results of the study are expected to provide evidence of high methodological and reporting quality on the efficacy and safety of XLF for CHF. Clinical trial registration Chinese Clinical Trial Registration Center (www.chictr.org.cn). The trial was registered on 13 April 2022 (ChiCTR2200058649).
Habitats and parasitoid abundance influence spatial density dependence patterns, rendering an asilid fly as a potential biological controller of white grubs

The behavioral response of a parasitoid shows the effect on host parasitism patterns at a given host distribution. As a result, an increase or decrease in parasitism intensity according to local host densities is found. This relationship could be proportional, positive, or negative, as a consequence of host foraging. Mallophora ruficauda is a parasitoid fly that parasitizes Cyclocephala signaticollis scarab beetle larvae. Females search and place egg clusters overground in open grasslands. Larvae actively search hosts underground following chemical cues arising from the host itself. The parasitism patterns are a result of this complex host-searching strategy that is shared between both stages of the fly. In this work, we carried out a study at four spatial scales in apiaries located in the Pampas region of Argentina. We aimed to assess the potential of M. ruficauda as a control agent of white grubs. We found that parasitism has an inverse density-dependent in relation to low female activity and a direct density-dependent in relation to high female activity at the larger spatial scale. We found an inverse density-dependent pattern at the intermediate spatial scale. Parasitism is inversely density-dependent at both smaller spatial scales, associated with oviposition substrate availability and distance. Additionally, M. ruficauda does not select the oviposition substrates according to the abundance of C. signaticollis inhabiting underground. We determined that M. ruficauda could act as a natural biological controller of C. signaticollis. This work shows the importance of a proper scale for the analysis of factors that influence population dynamics of entomophagous insects and for evaluating their potential as biological control agents, and how environmental characteristics mold the parasitism patterns of this dipteran parasitoid.
Serum metabolomic analysis reveals key metabolites in drug treatment of central precocious puberty in female children

Precocious puberty (PP) is a common condition among children. According to the pathogenesis and clinical manifestations, PP can be divided into central precocious puberty (CPP, gonadotropin dependent), peripheral precocious puberty (PPP, gonadotropin independent), and incomplete precocious puberty (IPP). Identification of the variations in key metabolites involved in CPP and their underlying biological mechanisms has increased the understanding of the pathological processes of this condition. However, little is known about the role of metabolite variations in the drug treatment of CPP. Moreover, it remains unclear whether the understanding of the crucial metabolites and pathways can help predict disease progression after pharmacological therapy of CPP. In this study, systematic metabolomic analysis was used to examine three groups, namely, healthy control (group N, 30 healthy female children), CPP (group S, 31 female children with CPP), and treatment (group R, 29 female children) groups. A total of 14 pathways (the top two pathways were aminoacyl–tRNA biosynthesis and phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis) were significantly enriched in children with CPP. In addition, two short peptides (His-Arg-Lys-Glu and Lys-Met-His) were found to play a significant role in CPP. Various metabolites associated with different pathways including amino acids, PE [19:1(9Z)0:0], tumonoic acid I, palmitic amide, and linoleic acid–biotin were investigated in the serum of children in all groups. A total of 45 metabolites were found to interact with a chemical drug [a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog] and a traditional Chinese medicinal formula (DBYW). This study helps to understand metabolic variations in CPP after drug therapy, and further investigation may help develop individualized treatment approaches for CPP in clinical practice. Graphical Abstract
A study on the effects of the Qihuang Needle therapy on patients with Parkinson's disease

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Qihuang Needle (QHN) in treating Parkinson's disease (PD). Design, setting, and participants The trial was an 8-week randomized clinical trial (4 weeks of treatment followed by 4 weeks of follow-up) conducted from January 2021 to July 2022 in outpatient settings at three clinical sites in Guangzhou, China. Thirty-four participants with PD were diagnosed based on the diagnostic criteria formulated by the brain bank of the British Parkinson's Disease Society in 1992. Interventions Patients in the treatment and control groups received six sessions within 4 weeks of the QHN therapy or the sham acupuncture therapy (two times per week for the first two consecutive weeks and one time per week for the following two consecutive weeks). Main outcomes and measures The primary outcome measure was the change in the Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale-Part III Motor Examination (UPDRS III) between baseline and 8 weeks after treatments. Secondary outcome measures were the Non-Motor Symptoms Scale for Parkinson's Disease (NMSS) and Parkinson's Disease Daily Quality of Life-39 (PDQ-39). Real-time shear wave elastography (SWE) was assessed for each patient at baseline and during the 4-week period as the third outcome measure. Results A more significant reduction of UPDRS III score, PDQ-39, NMSS, and SWE was observed in the QHN group than in the sham acupuncture group. Conclusions The QHN therapy consistently demonstrated superiority and produced clinically meaningful benefits in reducing motor and non-motor symptoms, as well as significantly improving muscle stiffness, in patients with PD.
Communicating risk during early phases of COVID-19: Comparing governing structures for emergency risk communication across four contexts

Background Emergency risk communication (ERC) is key to achieving compliance with public health measures during pandemics. Yet, the factors that facilitated ERC during COVID-19 have not been analyzed. We compare ERC in the early stages of the pandemic across four socio-economic settings to identify how risk communication can be improved in public health emergencies (PHE). Methods To map and assess the content, process, actors, and context of ERC in Germany, Guinea, Nigeria, and Singapore, we performed a qualitative document review, and thematically analyzed semi-structured key informant interviews with 155 stakeholders involved in ERC at national and sub-national levels. We applied Walt and Gilson's health policy triangle as a framework to structure the results. Results We identified distinct ERC strategies in each of the four countries. Various actors, including governmental leads, experts, and organizations with close contact to the public, collaborated closely to implement ERC strategies. Early integration of ERC into preparedness and response plans, lessons from previous experiences, existing structures and networks, and clear leadership were identified as crucial for ensuring message clarity, consistency, relevance, and an efficient use of resources. Areas of improvement primarily included two-way communication, community engagement, and monitoring and evaluation. Countries with recurrent experiences of pandemics appeared to be more prepared and equipped to implement ERC strategies. Conclusion We found that considerable potential exists for countries to improve communication during public health emergencies, particularly in the areas of bilateral communication and community engagement as well as monitoring and evaluation. Building adaptive structures and maintaining long-term relationships with at-risk communities reportedly facilitated suitable communication. The findings suggest considerable potential and transferable learning opportunities exist between countries in the global north and countries in the global south with experience of managing outbreaks.
Learning spatiotemporal statistical shape models for non-linear dynamic anatomies

Numerous clinical investigations require understanding changes in anatomical shape over time, such as in dynamic organ cycle characterization or longitudinal analyses (e.g., for disease progression). Spatiotemporal statistical shape modeling (SSM) allows for quantifying and evaluating dynamic shape variation with respect to a cohort or population of interest. Existing data-driven SSM approaches leverage information theory to capture population-level shape variations by learning correspondence-based (landmark) representations of shapes directly from data using entropy-based optimization schemes. These approaches assume sample independence and thus are unsuitable for sequential dynamic shape observations. Previous methods for adapting entropy-based SSM optimization schemes for the spatiotemporal case either utilize a cross-sectional design (ignoring within-subject correlation) or impose other limiting assumptions, such as the linearity of shape dynamics. Here, we present a principled approach to spatiotemporal SSM that relaxes these assumptions to correctly capture population-level shape variation over time. We propose to incorporate modeling the underlying time dependency into correspondence optimization via a regularized principal component polynomial regression. This approach is flexible enough to capture non-linear temporal dynamics while encoding population-specific spatial regularity. We demonstrate our method’s efficacy on synthetic data and left atrium segmented from cardiac MRI scans. Our approach better captures the population modes of variation and a statistically significant time dependency than existing methods.
Current understanding of the immune potential of B-cell subsets in malarial pathogenesis

In the past several decades, our understanding of how B cells are generated and what function they perform has continued to advance. It is widely accepted that B-cell subsets play a critical role in mediating immune response. Surprisingly, human and murine malarial infections cause major alterations in the composition of B-cell subsets in both the spleen and periphery. Multiple B-cell subsets are well characterized in murine models following primary and secondary infection, although in human malarial infection, these subsets are not well defined. Furthermore, a rare known function of B cells includes the potential role of regulating the activities of other cells in the body as regulatory cells. Plasmodium infection strongly alters the frequency of these regulatory B cells indicating the immunoregulatory function of B cells in malarial. It is important to note that these subsets, taken together, form the cellular basis of humoral immune responses, allowing protection against a wide array of Plasmodium antigens to be achieved. However, it remains a challenge and an important area of investigation to understand how these B-cell subsets work together to provide protection against Plasmodium infection.
Current state of female pediatric urologists at Societies for Pediatric Urology fellowship accredited programs

Purpose Gender inequities in medicine exist. Urology is a male dominated surgical specialty, with recent census data showing females represent only 10.9% of the workforce. We aimed to characterize the composition of female pediatric urologists across the Societies for Pediatric Urology (SPU) pediatric urology fellowship accredited programs, with particular attention to academic promotion and leadership positions. Methods In January 2023, we reviewed the official websites of the 27 pediatric urology programs listed on the SPU website as fellowship accredited programs. We identified pediatric urology surgery attendings, their gender, academic title, and if they were named a director of an internal program or had a hospital leadership position. We identified the program chief and fellow/resident program director. This data was associated with years in practice. Results Females represented 27.4% of pediatric urology surgical attendings. Four programs (14.8%) had no female attendings. Female staff were in practice a median shorter time than that of males (6 vs. 16 years, p<0.0001). A significantly higher proportion of females were assistant professors (62.2 vs. 35.2%; p=0.0041) while a significantly higher proportion of men were professors (37.0 vs. 18.9%; p=0.0421). Only one program (3.7%) had a female department/division chief. There was no difference between genders regarding being named a director of a program and/or having an identified hospital position of leadership. Female professors had been in practice a significantly shorter time than male professors (p=0.0003); women with an internal or hospital leadership position had also been in practice a significantly shorter time than males (p<0.001). Conclusions Females are represented more in SPU pediatric urology fellowship accredited programs than the overall urology workforce. Fewer female attendings are professors compared to male attendings; however, differences in promotion could be impacted by female attendings being earlier in their career. Hopefully with time, we will see more equal representation amongst genders in pediatric urology programs overall, but especially where we are training the next generation.
Genome rearrangements, male pregnancy and immunological tolerance – the curious case of the syngnathid immune system

The syngnathid fish group (seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons) is a fascinating lineage associated with an array of evolutionary peculiarities that include diverse morphologies and their unique male pregnancy. These oddities also extend to their immune systems, with a growing body of research highlighting a range of intriguing immunological characteristics and genomic rearrangements, which pose questions regarding their evolutionary history and immune strategies. The functional loss of the major histocompatibility complex class II pathway (MHC II) in the Syngnathus genus and related pathway components in the seahorse (Hippocampus) were two discoveries that initially piqued interest. This sparked discussions concerning immune capabilities, possible facilitative roles in advanced male pregnancy evolution through means of evoking immunological tolerance, as well as a general re-evaluation of how we interpret vertebrate immunological plasticity. Experimental approaches have attempted to clarify further the impact of immune repertoire loss on the efficacy of the syngnathid immune response, specificities regarding the pathways in play during pregnancy as well as the concept of immunological inheritance. The first characterization of the immune cell repertoire of Syngnathus typhle using scRNA-seq represents the latest step to understanding the immune dynamics of these enigmatic fish. This report serves as a review for the immunological insights into the fascinating syngnathid fish group; encompassing their evolutionary history, immune cell populations, links to male pregnancy, and sex specificity, in addition to highlighting future research opportunities in need of investigation.