Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanoparticle generation and transport resulting from femtosecond laser ablation of ultrathin metal films: Time-resolved measurements and molecular dynamics simulations

The synthesis of metal nanoparticles by ultrafast laser ablation of nanometers-thick metal films has been studied experimentally and computationally. Near-threshold backside laser ablation of 2–20 nm-thick Pt films deposited on fused silica substrates was found to produce nanoparticles with size distributions that were bimodal for the thicker films, but collapsed into a single mode distribution for the thinnest film. Time-resolved imaging of blackbody emission from the Pt nanoparticles was used to reveal the nanoparticle propagation dynamics and estimate their temperatures. The observed nanoparticle plume was compact and highly forward-directed with a well-defined collective velocity that permitted multiple rebounds with substrates to be revealed. Large-scale molecular dynamics simulations were used to understand the evolution of compressive and tensile stresses in the thicker melted liquid films that lead to their breakup and ejection of two groups of nanoparticles with different velocity and size distributions. Ultrafast laser irradiation of ultrathin (few nm) metal films avoids the splitting of the film and appears to be a method well-suited to cleanly synthesize and deposit nanoparticles from semitransparent thin film targets in highly directed beams.
Cortisol and catecholamines in posttraumatic stress disorder: an epidemiologic community study.

BACKGROUND Prior research has connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to increased levels of catecholamines. However, studies of cortisol levels have produced mixed results. OBJECTIVE To examine urinary catecholamine and cortisol levels in individuals with PTSD in a community sample. DESIGN A representative cohort of young adult community residents, assessed periodically during a 10-year period for exposure to trauma and PTSD, was used to select a subset for urine collection studies conducted in a sleep laboratory across 2 consecutive nights and the intermediate day. SETTING The sample of young adults was randomly selected from a large health maintenance organization and is representative of the geographic area except for the extremes of the socioeconomic status range. PARTICIPANTS A subsample was selected from the 10-year follow-up cohort (n = 913; 91.1% of the initial sample). Eligibility criteria were: (1) persons exposed to trauma during the preceding 5 years, (2) other individuals who met PTSD criteria, and (3) a random preselected subsample. Of 439 eligible individuals, 292 (66.5%) participated, including 69 with lifetime PTSD. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Measures of cortisol and catecholamine levels in urine. RESULTS The lifetime PTSD group demonstrated significantly higher catecholamine levels than the group exposed to trauma without PTSD and the nonexposed group. Individuals exposed to trauma without PTSD demonstrated significantly lower urine catecholamine levels than the nonexposed and the PTSD groups. Mean cortisol levels did not differ across groups. When analyzed by comorbidity with major depressive disorder (MDD), the PTSD-only group did not differ in cortisol levels from the groups with neither PTSD nor MDD. Women with MDD plus PTSD demonstrated significantly higher cortisol levels than women with neither disorder or with either disorder alone. CONCLUSIONS Trauma per se does not lead to sustained increases in cortisol or catecholamine levels. Posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with higher catecholamine levels. In contrast, persons with PTSD had neither an increase nor a decrease in mean urinary cortisol levels. Women with PTSD and comorbid MDD had higher cortisol levels.
Decreasing trends of smoking and smoking cessation in successive Thai birth cohorts: age-period-cohort analysis from 1991-2007 national surveys.

BACKGROUND Many tobacco control policies have been implemented to reduce tobacco use throughout the world including Thailand. This study made use of surveillance data of the past two decades to examine age- period-cohort effects on smoking in Thailand. METHODS Six nationally representative datasets collected during 1991-2007 were used to determine the prevalence of current smoking, former smoking, and never smoking. Effects of age-period-cohort on current, former, and never smoking were examined using age-period-cohort analysis. RESULTS Overall tobacco consumption in Thailand has substantially decreased during the past two decades. However, a sluggish decline of smoking trend has been observed in the last decade. Age-period-cohort models showed significant effects of all three of these component factors on current smoking, former smoking, and never smoking, with the exception of an age effect only on former smoking in females. Age-specific prevalence of current smoking in successive birth cohorts increased with age towards 27 years in males and then fell with age while smoking cessation tended to increase with age. Newer cohorts tended to smoke less but were less likely to quit smoking than those in earlier cohorts. CONCLUSIONS Although newer cohorts had less susceptibility to smoking, smokers in newer cohorts had lower odds of smoking cessation. Effective smoking cessation methods should be promoted.
A transcription factor of lipid synthesis, sterol regulatory element‐binding protein (SREBP)‐1a causes G1 cell‐cycle arrest after accumulation of cyclin‐dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitors

Sterol regulatory element‐binding protein (SREBP)‐1a is a unique membrane‐bound transcription factor highly expressed in actively growing cells and involved in the biosynthesis of cholesterol, fatty acids, and phospholipids. Because mammalian cells need to synthesize membrane lipids for cell replication, the functional relevance of SREBP‐1a in cell proliferation has been considered a biological adaptation. However, the effect of this potent lipid‐synthesis activator on cell growth has never been explored. Here, we show that induction of nuclear SREBP‐1a, but not SREBP‐2, completely inhibited cell growth in inducible Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines. Growth inhibition occurred through G1 cell‐cycle arrest, which is observed in various cell types with transient expression of nuclear SREBP‐1a. SREBP‐1a caused the accumulation of cyclin‐dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitors such as p27, p21, and p16, leading to reduced cdk2 and cdk4 activities and hypophosphorylation of Rb protein. In contrast to transactivation of p21, SREBP‐1a activated p27 by enhancing stabilization of the protein through inhibition of SKP2 and KPC1. In vivo, SREBP‐1a‐expressing livers of transgenic mice exhibited impaired regeneration after partial hepatectomy. SREBP‐1‐null mouse embryonic fibroblasts had a higher cell proliferation rate than wild‐type cells. The unexpected cell growth‐inhibitory role of SREBP‐1a provides a new paradigm to link lipid synthesis and cell growth.
The Lifestyles of Blind, Low Vision, and Sighted Youths: A Quantitative Comparison

In this quantitative research study, 16 blind students, 16 low vision students, and 16 sighted students aged 15–21 and their parents were interviewed by telephone using questionnaires designed to examine four areas: academic involvement and performance, daily living and personal care activities, recreation and leisure activities, and work and vocational experiences. A time-diary protocol was also used to obtain data from each student in three telephone interviews during the calendar year. Similarities and differences among the three groups, as well as implications of the findings for service providers, are discussed.
The epidemiology of meningococcal disease in Latin America 1945–2010: an unpredictable and changing landscape

SUMMARY Meningococcal disease is mostly endemic in Latin America, with periodic occurrences of outbreaks and epidemics over the last few decades. This literature review summarizes the available epidemiological data for this region between 1945 and 2010. Incidence rates and serogroup distribution differ from country to country and over time. Serogroups A, B, and C have all been major causes of meningococcal disease since the 1970s. In the last decade serogroups W135 and Y may now be emerging in certain countries, with serogroup A virtually disappearing. Although progress has been made in improving and coordinating the surveillance of invasive disease, the uniformity and quality of reported data reflect the fact that the current surveillance systems focus on passive rather than active reporting, hence the reliability of data may vary between countries. Consideration of vaccination policies to control meningococcal disease can only be made with a sufficient understanding of the changing epidemiology in the region.
A general transfer function representation for a class of hyperbolic distributed parameter systems

Results of transfer function analysis for a class of distributed parameter systems described by dissipative hyperbolic partial differential equations defined on a one-dimensional spatial domain are presented. For the case of two boundary inputs, the closed-form expressions for the individual elements of the 2×2 transfer function matrix are derived both in the exponential and in the hyperbolic form, based on the decoupled canonical representation of the system. Some important properties of the transfer functions considered are pointed out based on the existing results of semigroup theory. The influence of the location of the boundary inputs on the transfer function representation is demonstrated. The pole-zero as well as frequency response analyses are also performed. The discussion is illustrated with a practical example of a shell and tube heat exchanger operating in parallel- and countercurrent-flow modes.
The early bactericidal activity of drugs in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis.

Counts of colony-forming units of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in sputum were done on selective medium during the first 2 wk of treatment of 124 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis. The 27 chemotherapy regimens studied included daily administration of thiacetazone, p-aminosalicylic acid, pyrazinamide, rifampin, streptomycin, ethambutol, and isoniazid alone and certain 2-drug, 3-drug, and 4-drug combinations. Thiacetazone and p-aminosalicylic acid appeared to be only bacteriostatic. The mean fall in counts and the differences between regimens containing the remaining bactericidal drugs were greater during the first 2 days of treatment than during the remaining 12 days. The early (0-to-2-day) falls were much larger with isoniazid than with other drugs. Rifampin was less bactericidal, and may have reduced the bactericidal activity of the 3-drug and 4-drug combinations, including isoniazid. Although streptomycin and pyrazinamide were only slightly bactericidal alone or in a 2-drug combination, the 3-drug regim.
Non-standard work: whatâ€™s it worth? Comparing alternative measures of workersâ€™ marginal willingness to pay

We compare two alternative ways of measuring workersâ€™ marginal willingness to pay (MWP) for four non-standard working arrangements: flexitime, part-time, night work, and rotating shifts. The first method is based on job-to-job transitions within a job search framework, while the second is based on estimating the determinants of subjective well-being. Using BHPS panel data from 1991-2008, we relate differences in the results to conceptual differences between utility and subjective wellbeing proposed recently in the happiness literature. We conclude that there is not a single representation of MWP: utility trade-offs (revealed by choices) need not be the same as wellbeing trade-offs; and we find evidence that subjective wellbeing is traded off against other goods that provide utility. Overall, we find that workers care particularly about their number of weekly hours.
Maintenance of Multiple Jets in a Baroclinic Flow

This article describes the generation and maintenance of persistent zonal jets in a two-layer quasigeostrophic, b-plane channel model, focusing on the transition from a one to a two jet state. For weak and moderate values of surface friction and supercriticality, the transition occurs abruptly as the width of the baroclinically unstable region of the initial flow is gradually increased. Across the transition point, the persistent two jet state is characterized by a smaller value of eddy energy than that for the one jet state. This reduction in eddy energy is due to increased barotropic energy conversion from the eddies to the zonal mean flow. Consistent with this result, the abrupt emergence of two persistent jets is accompanied by sharply defined eddy momentum flux divergence maxima at the critical latitudes between the two jet maxima. Essentially the same behavior is found in the transition from two to three, and three to four jets. When two or more jets are present, baroclinically growing waves are found to exist along inter-jet minima, which are referred to as ‘‘inter-jet disturbances. ’’ More importantly, the momentum fluxes of the interjet disturbances diverge at the interjet minimum, further decelerating the jets. Unstable normal modes similar to the inter-jet disturbances are also found. It is argued that the systematic wave absorption at the critical latitudes and the momentum flux divergence by the interjet disturbances may play a central role in the persistence of the multiple jets.
Changes in plasma chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 levels during treatment with eicosapentaenoic acid predict outcome in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer liver metastasis

The mechanism of the anti-colorectal cancer (CRC) activity of the omega-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) is not understood. We tested the hypothesis that EPA reduces expression of chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2), a pro-inflammatory chemokine with known roles in metastasis. We measured CCL2 in clinical samples from a randomized trial of EPA in patients undergoing liver surgery for CRC liver metastasis (LM) and preclinical models. Genome-wide transcriptional profiling of tumors from EPA-treated patients was performed. EPA decreased CCL2 synthesis by CRC cells in a dose-dependent manner. CCL2 was localized to malignant epithelial cells in human CRCLM. EPA did not reduce CCL2 content in human or mouse tumors compare to control. However, EPA treatment was associated with decreased plasma CCL2 levels compared with controls (P=0.04). Reduction in plasma CCL2 following EPA treatment predicted improved disease-free survival (HR 0.32; P=0.003). Lack of ‘CCL2 response’ was associated with a specific CRCLM gene expression signature. In conclusion, reduction in plasma CCL2 in patients with CRCLM treated with EPA predicts better clinical outcome and a specific tumor gene expression profile. Further work is needed to validate CCL2 as a therapeutic response biomarker for omega-3 fatty acid treatment of CRC patients.
Evidence of Endothelial Activation in Asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum Parasitemia and Effect of Blood Group on Levels of von Willebrand Factor in Malaria.

BACKGROUND Endothelial activation may contribute to development of severe disease from Plasmodium falciparum infection, but optimal markers of endothelial activation in severe malaria, the extent of endothelial activation in asymptomatic infection, and the effect of blood group O on endothelial activation have not been defined. METHODS Serum levels of 3 markers of endothelial activation-von Willebrand factor (VWF), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1), and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1)-were assessed in Ugandan children with cerebral malaria (CM) (n = 86), children with uncomplicated malaria (UM) (n = 81), and community children (CC) (n = 90). RESULTS Serum VWF, sICAM-1, and sVCAM-1 levels were all elevated in asymptomatic community children with microscopy-confirmed parasitemia when compared with children without parasitemia by microscopy or polymerase chain reaction (all, P ≤ .05). Levels of VWF, sICAM-1, and sVCAM-1 were higher in children with UM than in CC (all, P < 0.001), but only VWF levels effectively distinguished CM from UM (P < 0.001), a finding confirmed by receiver operating characteristic analyses (area under the curve = 0.67; 95% confidence interval, .58-.75). Von Willebrand factor levels were lower in children with blood group O versus non-O blood groups across the disease spectrum, but VWF levels remained higher in CM versus UM, even after controlling for blood group. CONCLUSIONS Endothelial activation, as assessed by serum levels of VWF, sICAM-1, and sVCAM-1, occurs even in subclinical P. falciparum parasitemia. Von Willebrand factor levels increase with greater malaria disease severity. Blood group O is associated with lower VWF levels, but presence of blood group O alone does not explain the higher VWF levels seen in children with CM.
Observations on the epidemiology of ephemeral fever in Kenya.

SUMMARY Ephemeral fever antibody was found in domestic cattle in Kenya across a wide range of ecological zones, from highland forests and grasslands to desert and semidesert thorn scrub. Antibody was found in several species of game animals, notably waterbuck and buffalo, where over 50% of the samples showed antibody to EF. Evidence was obtained to show that the virus had been cycling in these wild ruminant populations between epizootics in domestic cattle.
TReg, CD4 Tem, and CD8 Temra fail to predict acute cellular rejection in living-donor renal allograft recipients

Since it was pioneered successfully, renal transplantation remains the only option for patients with stage-5 chronic, severe, and end-stage renal disease for whom dialysis treatment complications preclude its continued use. Currently, and historically, the supply of suitable living-donor allografts is far less than their clinical need, and this gap cannot be offset by transplanting available cadaveric kidneys. Immuno-suppressive and -induction therapies have been used to impair the recipients’ immune response against the allograft. Without such therapies many recipients’ immune systems would reject the organ, causing the patient to again experience renal failure. It is therefore incumbent upon the public health community to ascertain the most effective treatment modality for transplanted organs to ensure that these limited resources are utilized in the most efficient manner possible. Thymoglobulin and Basiliximab induction therapies are two induction treatments available clinically for kidney transplantation. Within this study, patients undergoing treatment using either of these induction-agents had their circulating T cell phenotypes analyzed and compared. The goal of this study was to produce a statistical model, based on Generalized Estimating Equation methodology, that would predict episodes of acute cellular rejection (ACR) between the day of the transplant and up to one year after transplantation. The selection of potential covariates was based upon previously identified T cell markers. Due to small sample size, missing data, and both left- and right-truncation of the data, the model was not able discriminate between patients that underwent ACR from those that did not based upon the a priori markers of interest. However, the analysis did identify different memory T cell proportions that may be predictive of ACR in patients treated with Thymoglobulin or Basiliximab and warrants further study. The public health impact of a predictive model would be to increase the quality and duration of life in individual patients and reduce the burden of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) within the US population as a whole.
Diversity Promotes Temporal Stability across Levels of Ecosystem Organization in Experimental Grasslands

The diversity–stability hypothesis states that current losses of biodiversity can impair the ability of an ecosystem to dampen the effect of environmental perturbations on its functioning. Using data from a long-term and comprehensive biodiversity experiment, we quantified the temporal stability of 42 variables characterizing twelve ecological functions in managed grassland plots varying in plant species richness. We demonstrate that diversity increases stability i) across trophic levels (producer, consumer), ii) at both the system (community, ecosystem) and the component levels (population, functional group, phylogenetic clade), and iii) primarily for aboveground rather than belowground processes. Temporal synchronization across studied variables was mostly unaffected with increasing species richness. This study provides the strongest empirical support so far that diversity promotes stability across different ecological functions and levels of ecosystem organization in grasslands.
The role of marriage in the development of internalizing disorders : an integrated conceptual framework

The primary goal of the present research was to clarify the role of marriage in the developmental course of internalizing symptoms (i.e., depression and anxiety). Aims were pursued in a community sample of 103 couples assessed five times over the first seven years of marriage, and results are presented in two separate parts. Although marital discord has been linked to both depression and anxiety, our understanding of how marriage contributes to the development of internalizing symptoms is limited in scope and lacking specificity. First, it is unclear whether the marital relationship contributes to the broad dimension of internalizing symptoms as opposed to specific diagnoses. Second, it is unclear how the marital relationship contributes to internalizing symptoms: through global marital dissatisfaction or through specific relationship processes (and which processes). The purpose of the research presented in Part 1 was to address these two issues. Further, marital discord is rarely incorporated into broader etiological frameworks of psychopathology (e.g., a diathesis-stress framework). The purpose of research presented in Part 2 was to develop and test a novel conceptual framework clarifying how specific marital processes (i.e., conflict management, partner support, emotional intimacy, and power and control), neuroticism, and stress work together to impact the development of internalizing symptoms over time. Results suggest that neuroticism contributes to the development of internalizing symptoms primarily through non-marital stress and an imbalance of power and control in one’s marriage for husbands and through greater emotional disengagement for wives. Whereas stress originating outside of the marriage was more critical to the mental health of men, the marital relationship played a more central role for women. Marital processes
The Effects of Bilateral Vestibular Loss on Hippocampal Volume, Neuronal Number, and Cell Proliferation in Rats

Previous studies in humans have shown that bilateral loss of vestibular function is associated with a significant bilateral atrophy of the hippocampus, which correlated with the patients’ spatial memory deficits. More recently, patients who had recovered from unilateral vestibular neuritis have been reported to exhibit a significant atrophy of the left posterior hippocampus. Therefore, we investigated whether bilateral vestibular deafferentation (BVD) would result in a decrease in neuronal number or volume in the rat hippocampus, using stereological methods. At 16 months post-BVD, we found no significant differences in hippocampal neuronal number or volume compared to sham controls, despite the fact that these animals exhibited severe spatial memory deficits. By contrast, using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) as a marker of cell proliferation, we found that the number of BrdU-labeled cells significantly increased in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus between 48 h and 1 week following BVD. Although a substantial proportion of these cells survived for up to 1 month, the survival rate was significantly lower in BVD animals when compared with that in sham animals. These results suggest a dissociation between the effects of BVD on spatial memory and hippocampal structure in rats and humans, which cannot be explained by an injury-induced increase in cell proliferation.