Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hepatic steatosis and metabolic risk factors among patients with chronic hepatitis B: The multicentre, prospective CAP‐Asia study

We aimed to compare the severity of liver disease, metabolic profile and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with and without hepatic steatosis and patients with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Patients with NAFLD and CHB were prospectively enrolled from 10 Asian centres. Fibroscan was performed for all patients and hepatic steatosis was defined based on controlled attenuation parameter >248 dB/m. CVD risk was assessed using the Framingham risk score. The data for 1080 patients were analysed (67% NAFLD, 33% CHB). A high proportion (59%) of CHB patients had hepatic steatosis. There was a significant stepwise increase in alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase, controlled attenuation parameter and liver stiffness measurement, from CHB patients without hepatic steatosis to CHB patients with hepatic steatosis to NAFLD patients (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). There was a significant stepwise increase in the proportion of patients with metabolic syndrome and in CVD risk, with very high or extreme CVD risk seen in 20%, 48% and 61%, across the groups (p < 0.001 between CHB patients with and without hepatic steatosis and p < 0.05 between CHB patients with hepatic steatosis and NAFLD patients). In conclusion, there was a high proportion of CHB patients with hepatic steatosis, which should be diagnosed, as they may have more severe liver disease, so that this and their metabolic risk factors can be assessed and managed accordingly for a better long‐term outcome
Inviscid and inviscid-limit behavior of a surface quasigeostrophic flow

The growth of the gradient of a scalar temperature in a quasigeostrophic flow is studied numerically in detail. We use a flow evolving from a simple initial condition which was regarded by Constantin et al. as a candidate for a singularity formation in a finite time. For the inviscid problem, we propose a completely different interpretation of the growth, that is, the temperature gradient can be fitted equally well by a double-exponential function of time rather than an algebraic blowup. It seems impossible to distinguish whether the flow blows up or not on the basis of the inviscid computations at hand. In the viscous case, a comparison is made between a series of computations with different Reynolds numbers. The critical time at which the temperature gradient attains the first local maximum is found to depend double logarithmically on the Reynolds number, which suggests the global regularity of the inviscid flow.
SIS membrane modification to improve antimicrobial and osteogenic properties for guide bone regeneration

Abstract The guided bone regeneration (GBR) technique is the most common and durable approach to repairing bone defects in periodontal surgery. However, membrane exposure causes bacterial infiltration, which lowers the functional integrity of the barrier membrane and destroys bone repair. Here, an antibacterial peptide-modified small intestinal submucosa (SIS) membrane is used as a new GBR membrane for effective bone regeneration. The peptide JH8194 was placed into chitosan microspheres to preserve its stability and allow for sustained release, which realizes rapid and efficient functional modification of the SIS membrane. Biocompatibility and certain antibacterial activities were found in the modified SIS membrane (SIS@CS-JH8194). Additionally, in vitro experiments showed that SIS@CS-JH8194 promoted the expression of osteogenic-related factors and decreased the secretion of inflammatory factors in rat bone mesenchymal stem cells. In vivo experiments showed that SIS@CS-JH8194 could effectively promote bone regeneration in rat skull defects. In this work, we created a new antibacterial GBR membrane to help avoid postoperative infection and improve bone tissue regeneration.
Hearing Asymmetry Biases Spatial Hearing in Bimodal Cochlear-Implant Users Despite Bilateral Low-Frequency Hearing Preservation

Many cochlear implant users with binaural residual (acoustic) hearing benefit from combining electric and acoustic stimulation (EAS) in the implanted ear with acoustic amplification in the other. These bimodal EAS listeners can potentially use low-frequency binaural cues to localize sounds. However, their hearing is generally asymmetric for mid- and high-frequency sounds, perturbing or even abolishing binaural cues. Here, we investigated the effect of a frequency-dependent binaural asymmetry in hearing thresholds on sound localization by seven bimodal EAS listeners. Frequency dependence was probed by presenting sounds with power in low-, mid-, high-, or mid-to-high-frequency bands. Frequency-dependent hearing asymmetry was present in the bimodal EAS listening condition (when using both devices) but was also induced by independently switching devices on or off. Using both devices, hearing was near symmetric for low frequencies, asymmetric for mid frequencies with better hearing thresholds in the implanted ear, and monaural for high frequencies with no hearing in the non-implanted ear. Results show that sound-localization performance was poor in general. Typically, localization was strongly biased toward the better hearing ear. We observed that hearing asymmetry was a good predictor for these biases. Notably, even when hearing was symmetric a preferential bias toward the ear using the hearing aid was revealed. We discuss how frequency dependence of any hearing asymmetry may lead to binaural cues that are spatially inconsistent as the spectrum of a sound changes. We speculate that this inconsistency may prevent accurate sound-localization even after long-term exposure to the hearing asymmetry.
Type I regulatory T cells in malaria: of mice and men

Type I regulatory T (Tr1) cells are a population of regulatory CD4+ T cells implicated in the suppression of pathological immune responses across multiple diseases, but a unifying transcriptional signature of Tr1 identity across disease contexts has not been characterized. In this issue of the JCI, Edward, Ng, and colleagues identified a conserved transcriptional signature that distinguished Tr1 (IL-10+IFN-γ+) from Th1 (IL-10–IFN-γ+) cells in human and mouse malaria. This signature implicated genes encoding inhibitory receptors — including CTLA-4 and LAG-3 — and transcription factors — including cMAF. The authors identified coinhibitory receptor expression that distinguished Tr1 cells from other CD4+ T cell subsets. Furthermore, cMAF — and, to a lesser extent, BLIMP-1 — promoted IL-10 production in human CD4+ T cells. BLIMP-1 also played a role in supporting the expression of inhibitory receptors. These findings describe a few key features that seem to be conserved by Tr1 cells across multiple species, disease contexts, and marker definitions.
Infiltrating anti-inflammatory monocytes modulate microglial activation through toll-like receptor 4/interferon–dependent pathways following traumatic brain injury

TBI is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. TLR4 inhibition with C34 attenuates the secondary neuroinflammatory response and improves neurological outcomes. BACKGROUND Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the pediatric population. Microglia and infiltrating monocyte-derived macrophages are crucial immune cells that modulate the neuroinflammatory response following TBI. Using C34, a novel pharmacologic toll-like receptor 4 inhibitor, we investigated the intricate interactions between these cells in a murine TBI model. METHODS A murine controlled cortical impact model was used, and the results were analyzed on postinjury days 1, 7, 28, and 35. The experimental groups are as follows: (1) sham C57BL/6 wild-type (WT), (2) TBI WT, (3) sham WT + C34, and (4) TBI WT + C34. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to quantify gene expression associated with microglial activation, apoptotic pathways, and type 1 interferon pathway. Flow cytometry was used to isolate microglia and infiltrating monocytes. Brain lesion volumes were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. Last, neurocognitive outcomes were evaluated using the Morris Water Maze test. Student's t test and one-way analysis of variance were used for statistical analysis with significance achieved when p < 0.05. RESULTS Toll-like receptor 4 inhibition leads to improved neurological sequela post-TBI, possibly because of an increase in infiltrating anti-inflammatory monocytes and a decrease in IFN regulatory factor 7 during acute inflammation, followed by a reduction in apoptosis and M2 microglial expression during chronic inflammation. CONCLUSION Toll-like receptor 4 inhibition with C34 skews infiltrating monocytes toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype, leading to enhanced neurocognitive outcomes. Moreover, although M2 microglia have been consistently shown as inducers of neuroprotection, our results clearly demonstrate their detrimental role during the chronic phases of healing post-TBI.
Genotoxic and genoprotective effects of phytoestrogens: a systematic review

Abstract Phytoestrogens are xenoestrogens found in plants with a myriad of health benefits. However, various studies reported the genotoxic effects of these substances. Thus, we reviewed in vitro and in vivo studies published in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science to evaluate the genotoxic and the genoprotective potential of phytoestrogens. Only studies written in English and intended to study commercially available phytoestrogens were included. The screening was performed manually. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of action of phytoestrogens was described. Around half of those studies (43%) reported genoprotective results. However, several studies revealed positive results for genotoxicity with specific model organisms and with dose/concentration dependence. The assessment of the selected articles showed substantial differences in the used concentrations and a biphasic response was recorded in some phytoestrogens. As far as we know, this is the first study to assess the genotoxic and genoprotective effects of phytoestrogens systematically.
Finite Element Model for Laplace Equation

The mild-slope equation has widely been used for calculation of shallow water wave transformation. Recently, its extended version was introduced, which is capable of modeling wave transformation on rapidly varying topography. These equations were derived by integrating the Laplace equation vertically. Here, we develop a finite element model to solve the Laplace equation directly while keeping the same computational efficiency as the mild-slope equation. This model assumes the vertical variation of the wave potential as a cosine hyperbolic function as done in the derivation of the mild-slope equation, and the Galerkin method is used to discretize it. The computational domain is discretized with proper finite elements, while the radiation condition at infinity is treated by introducing the concept of an infinite element. The upper boundary condition can be either free surface or a solid structure. The applicability of the developed model is verified through example analyses of two-dimensional wave reflection and transmission. Analysis is also made for the case where a solid structure is floated near the still water level.
A Remark on Chervin-Schneider's Algorithm to Test Significance of Climate Experiments with GCM's

Abstract It is shown by two examples that the algorithm proposed by Chervin and Schneider (1976) is of little use in deciding, with a given risk, whether a GCM result differing from others (or nature) is caused by chance or by prescribed changes of some boundary values. What remains is that one can believe in a “significant” change if the rate of rejections of local null hypotheses is quite large (e.g., three times expectation or more). Additionally, the Chervin-Schneider algorithm can be used to gain a first guess.
Genome‐wide identification of HD‐ZIP gene family and screening of genes related to prickle development in Zanthoxylum armatum

Zanthoxylum armatum is an important cash crop for medicinal and food purposes in Asia. However, its stems and leaves are covered with a large number of prickles, which cause many problems in the production process. The homeodomain leucine zipper (HD‐ZIP) gene family is a class of transcription factors unique to plants that play an important role in biological processes such as morphogenesis, signal transduction, and secondary metabolite synthesis. However, little is known about HD‐ZIP gene information that may be involved in prickle development of Z. armatum. Here, we identified 76 ZaHDZ genes from the Z. armatum genome and classified them into four subfamilies (I–IV) based on phylogenetic analysis, a classification further supported by gene structure and conserved motif analysis. Seventy‐six ZaHDZ genes were unevenly distributed on chromosomes. Evolutionary analysis revealed that the expansion of ZaHDZ genes mainly were due to whole‐genome duplication (WGD) or segmental duplication, and they experienced strong purifying selection pressure in the process of evolution. A total of 47 cis‐elements were identified in the promoter region of ZaHDZ genes. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction analysis was performed on subfamily IV ZaHDZ gene expression levels in five tissues and under four hormone treatments. Finally, ZaHDZ16 was predicted to be the candidate gene most likely to be involved in prickle development of Z. armatum. These results contribute to a better understanding of the characteristics of HD‐ZIP gene family and lay a foundation for further study on the function of genes related to prickle development of Z. armatum.
Aeroelastic analysis of turbomachinery: Part I – phase lagged boundary condition methods

In this two‐part paper, aeroelastic analysis of turbomachinery blade rows and phase‐lagged boundary conditions used for analysis are described. Part I of the paper describes a study of phase‐lagged boundary condition methods used for non‐zero interblade phase angle analysis. The merits of time‐shifted (direct‐store), Fourier decomposition and multiple passage methods are compared. These methods are implemented in a time marching Euler/Navier‐Stokes solver and are applied to a fan for subsonic and supersonic inflow and to a turbine geometry with supersonic exit flow. Results showed good comparisons with published results and measured data. The time‐shifted and Fourier decomposition methods compared favorably in computational costs with respect to multiple passage analysis despite a slower rate of convergence. The Fourier‐decomposition method was found to be better suited for workstation environment as it required significantly less storage, although at the expense of slightly higher computational cost. The time‐shifted method was found to be better suited for computers where fast input‐output devices are available.
Common Key Genes in Differentiating Parathyroid Adenoma From Thyroid Adenoma

Abstract Recent studies have demonstrated the close relationship between parathyroid adenoma (PA) and thyroid follicular adenoma (FTA). However, the underlying pathogenesis remains unknown. This study focused on exploring common pathogenic genes, as well as the pathogenesis of these two diseases, through bioinformatics methods. This work obtained PA and FTA datasets from the Integrated Gene Expression Database to identify the common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of two diseases. The functions of the genes were investigated by GO and KEGG enrichment. The program CytoHubba was used to select the hub genes, while receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to evaluate the predictive significance of the hub genes. The DGIbd database was used to identify gene-targeted drugs. This work detected a total of 77 DEGs. Enrichment analysis demonstrated that DEGs had activities of 3′,5′-cyclic AMP, and nucleotide phosphodiesterases and were associated with cell proliferation. NOS1, VWF, TGFBR2, CAV1, and MAPK1 were identified as hub genes after verification. The area under the curve of PA and FTA was>0.7, and the hub genes participated in the Relaxin Signaling Pathway, focal adhesion, and other pathways. The construction of the mRNA-miRNA interaction network yielded 11 important miRNAs, while gene-targeting drug prediction identified four targeted drugs with possible effects. This bioinformatics study demonstrated that cell proliferation and tumor suppression and the hub genes co-occurring in PA and FTA, have important effects on the occurrence and progression of two diseases, which make them potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
Finding a path in a methodological jungle: a qualitative research of resilience

ABSTRACT Qualitative research provides an in-depth understanding of lived experiences. However, these experiences can be hard to apprehend by using just one method of data analysis. A good example is the experience of resilience. In this paper, the authors describe the chain of the decision-making process in the research of the construct of “resilience”. s The authors justify the implications of a multi-method, pluralistic approach, and show how the triangulation of two or more qualitative methods and integration of several qualitative data analysis methods can improve a deeper understanding of the resilience among people with chronic pain. By combining the thematic analysis, narrative analysis, and critical incident technique, lived experiences can be seen from different perspectives.Therefore, the thematic analysis describes the content and answers to “what” regarding resilience, the narrative analysis describes the dynamics of resilience, and answers to “how”, while the critical incident technique clarifies the most significant experience and the answers to “why” changes happen. This integrative approach could be used in the analysis of other psychological constructs and can serve as an example of how the rigour of qualitative research could be provided.
Cost‐effectiveness of broadly neutralizing antibody prophylaxis for HIV‐exposed infants in sub‐Saharan African settings

Infant HIV prophylaxis with broadly neutralizing anti‐HIV antibodies (bNAbs) could provide long‐acting protection against vertical transmission. We sought to estimate the potential clinical impact and cost‐effectiveness of hypothetical bNAb prophylaxis programmes for children known to be HIV exposed at birth in three sub‐Saharan African settings.
Speech production before and after deafening

The role of hearing in speech production was investigated by analyzing the speech of an adult female before and after she experienced sudden, substantial hearing loss. Prior to the onset of this loss, she had a mild‐to‐moderate hearing loss in one ear (aided), and was deaf in the other due to bilateral acoustic neuromas. She became deaf bilaterally when the second of these neuromas was surgically removed. Following this surgery, an auditory brainstem implant provided minimal speech reception benefit. Three speech production recordings made prior to deafening were compared to recordings made 11 and 35 weeks post‐deafening. Results indicated significant changes in voice onset time (VOT), fundamental frequency (F0), F0 range, and vowel duration. VOTs, adjusted for changes in syllable duration [Lane et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (to be published)], were significantly shorter for the voiceless plosives post‐deafening. F0 was at the mean of a normative range [Holmberg et al., J. Voice 3, 294–305 (1989)] prior to .
Impact of Si substrate orientations on electrical properties of crystalline Gd2O3 thin films for high-K application

The authors compare the properties of epitaxial Gd2O3 thin films grown on silicon substrates with three different orientations for high-K application. Pt∕Gd2O3∕Si(111) and Pt∕Gd2O3∕Si(110) metal oxide semiconductor heterostructures show promising electrical properties and hence, could be considered for future generation of complementary metal oxide semiconductor devices. Capacitance equivalent oxide thicknesses estimated from capacitance versus voltage characteristics are 0.97, 1.12, and 0.93nm for the films grown on Si(001), Si(111), and Si(110) substrates, respectively. The films exhibit good insulating property with leakage current densities of 0.4, 0.5, and 4.5mA∕cm2, respectively, at (Vg−VFBV)=−1V.
A robust asymptotic testing model for special capacities

An asymptotic robust testing problem for parametric models contaminated by neighbourhoods which are generated by special capacities is studied. The construction of the optimal 10 statistic is described and in particular it is proved that under natural conditions, IC is always a superposition of the derivative of log-likelihood ratio and some wounded reai iimction, ±n& result is xirst proven ior a contammateu. exponential i amity, which approximates locally the original parametric model and then transformed to the original robust model. The paper indicates the dependence between the types ot contamina¬tion and the form of optimal IC for a large class of capacities. It also gives bases for studying estimates derived from tests as it was done by RIEDEB for e-contamination and total variation neighbourhoods
Negative differential resistance of metal (CoSi2)/insulator (CaF2) triple‐barrier resonant tunneling diode

The electron transport and negative differential resistance in metal–insulator nanometer‐thick heterostructures are reported for the first time. The structure of the samples is a resonant tunneling diode with three‐barriers of 0.9‐nm‐thick CaF2 layers and two wells of 1.9‐ and 2.8‐nm‐thick CoSi2 layers. These layers were grown by means of partially ionized beam epitaxy for CaF2 and a two step growth technique for CoSi2. In the current‐voltage characteristics at 77 K, negative differential resistance was observed in the significant number of samples and the typical peak‐to‐valley ratio was as high as 2. The negative differential resistance observed here can be attributed to the electron transport through the resonant levels in metal/insulator multilayered heterostructures.
Exploring the Genetic Association between Obesity and Serum Lipid Levels Using Bivariate Methods

Abstract It is crucial to understand the genetic mechanisms and biological pathways underlying the relationship between obesity and serum lipid levels. Structural equation models (SEMs) were constructed to calculate heritability for body mass index (BMI), total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and the genetic connections between BMI and the four classes of lipids using 1197 pairs of twins from the Chinese National Twin Registry (CNTR). Bivariate genomewide association studies (GWAS) were performed to identify genetic variants associated with BMI and lipids using the records of 457 individuals, and the results were further validated in 289 individuals. The genetic background affecting BMI may differ by gender, and the heritability of males and females was 71% (95% CI [.66, .75]) and 39% (95% CI [.15, .71]) respectively. BMI was positively correlated with TC, TG and LDL-C in phenotypic and genetic correlation, while negatively correlated with HDL-C. There were gender differences in the correlation between BMI and lipids. Bivariate GWAS analysis and validation stage found 7 genes (LOC105378740, LINC02506, CSMD1, MELK, FAM81A, ERAL1 and MIR144) that were possibly related to BMI and lipid levels. The significant biological pathways were the regulation of cholesterol reverse transport and the regulation of high-density lipoprotein particle clearance (p < .001). BMI and blood lipid levels were affected by genetic factors, and they were genetically correlated. There might be gender differences in their genetic correlation. Bivariate GWAS analysis found MIR144 gene and its related biological pathways may influence obesity and lipid levels.