Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of internal viscosity on the large deformation and buckling of a spherical capsule in a simple shear flow

The motion and deformation of a spherical elastic capsule freely suspended in a simple shear flow is studied numerically, focusing on the effect of the internal-to-external viscosity ratio. The three-dimensional fluid–structure interactions are modelled coupling a boundary integral method (for the internal and external fluid motion) with a finite element method (for the membrane deformation). For low viscosity ratios, the internal viscosity affect the capsule deformation. Conversely, for large viscosity ratios, the slowing effect of the internal motion lowers the overall capsule deformation; the deformation is asymptotically independent of the flow strength and membrane behaviour. An important result is that increasing the internal viscosity leads to membrane compression and possibly buckling. Above a critical value of the viscosity ratio, compression zones are found on the capsule membrane for all flow strengths. This shows that very viscous capsules tend to buckle easily.
On the distribution for the duration of a randomized leader election algorithm

We investigate the duration of an elimination process for identifying a loser by coin tossing, or, equivalently, the height of a random incomplete trie. Applications of the prOcess include the election of a leader in a computer network. Using direct probabilistic arguments we obtain exact expressions for the discrete distribution and the moments of the height. Elementary approximation techniques then yield asymptotics for the distribution. We show that no limiting distribution exists, as the asymptotic expressions exhibit periodic fluctuations. In many similar problems associated with digital trees, no such exact expressions can be derived. We therefore outline a powerful general approach, based on the analytic techniques of Mellin transforms, Poissonlzation, and de-Poissonlzation, from wh.ich distributional asymptotics for the height can also be derived. In fact, it was this complex variables approach that led to our original discovery of the exact distribution. Complex ;:malysis methods are indispensable for deriving asymptotic expressions for the mean and variance, which also contain periodic terms of small magnitude.
Retina Structure-Function Analysis in Patients With Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Citation: Saßmannshausen M, Steinberg JS, Fimmers R, et al. Structurefunction analysis in patients with intermediate age-related macular degeneration. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2018;59:1599–1608. https:// doi.org/10.1167/iovs.17-22712 PURPOSE. To examine the topographic correlation between retinal morphology and retinal sensitivity by mesopic and scotopic fundus-controlled perimetry (FCP) in eyes with intermediate AMD.
The role of ATP signalling in response to mechanical stimulation studied in T24 cells using new microphysiological tools

The capacity to store urine and initiate voiding is a valued characteristic of the human urinary bladder. To maintain this feature, it is necessary that the bladder can sense when it is full and when it is time to void. The bladder has a specialized epithelium called urothelium that is believed to be important for its sensory function. It has been suggested that autocrine ATP signalling contributes to this sensory function of the urothelium. There is well‐established evidence that ATP is released via vesicular exocytosis as well as by pannexin hemichannels upon mechanical stimulation. However, there are still many details that need elucidation and therefore there is a need for the development of new tools to further explore this fascinating field. In this work, we use new microphysiological systems to study mechanostimulation at a cellular level: a mechanostimulation microchip and a silicone‐based cell stretcher. Using these tools, we show that ATP is released upon cell stretching and that extracellular ATP contributes to a major part of Ca2+ signalling induced by stretching in T24 cells. These results contribute to the increasing body of evidence for ATP signalling as an important component for the sensory function of urothelial cells. This encourages the development of drugs targeting P2 receptors to relieve suffering from overactive bladder disorder and incontinence.
ZEOLITIC MATERIALS FROM RICE HUSKS AND WATER HYACINTH FOR REMOVAL OF LEAD, CADMIUM, METHYLENE BLUE AND SUSPENDED PARTICLES FROM WASTEWATER

About 17.2 million people in Kenya have no access to clean water. The major factors contributing to lack of clean water include rapid population growth, droughts, forest degradation, poor management of water supply and water contamination. Lack of clean water may worsen as industrial development and population grows as projected if drastic measures are not taken immediately. Use of rice husks and water hyacinth that is known to contaminate and jam water bodies to create water treatment products is highly desirable. This would help treat contaminated water as well as help control or manage the water hyacinth and rice husks. Thus, the present study investigated the chemical composition and adsorption capacity of water hyacinth ash (WHA), water hyacinth ash residue (WHAR) and rice husk ash (RHA), for removal of Pb 2+ and Cd 2+ and their abilities to remove colour and turbidity from wastewater. Mixtures of the ashes were used to prepare zeolitic materials A (ZMA) and B (ZMB). The instruments used in this study were FAAS, XRF, pH meter, UVSpectrometer, Centrifuge and Turbidity meter. Batch experiments were carried out to determine the effect of metal ion concentration, initial pH, contact time (t), temperature (T) and adsorbent dosage on the percentage removal of Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ methylene blue and suspended particles by the ashes and their zeolitic products. Adsorption data was analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models. The adsorption capacities for Pb 2+ by RHA, WHAR, ZMA, ZMB and WHA was 37.04, 83.33, 142.86, 278.6 and 61.69 mg/g respectively while that of Cd 2+ was 56.89 mg/g for WHAR, 52.00 mg/g for WHA, 22.22 mg/g for ZMB, 3.745 mg/g for RHA and 11.24 mg/g for ZMA. The results showed that WHAR and ZMB were the best adsorbents in removing of Pb 2+ , Cd 2+ and suspended particles from wastewater. This implies that incorporating WHAR in the synthesis of zeolitic material enhances adsorption of Pb 2+ andCd 2+ from wastewater and also imparts ability to remove suspended particles.
Dectin-1 Activation by a Natural Product β-Glucan Converts Immunosuppressive Macrophages into an M1-like Phenotype

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) with an alternatively activated phenotype have been linked to tumor-elicited inflammation, immunosuppression, and resistance to chemotherapies in cancer, thus representing an attractive target for an effective cancer immunotherapy. In this study, we demonstrate that particulate yeast-derived β-glucan, a natural polysaccharide compound, converts polarized alternatively activated macrophages or immunosuppressive TAM into a classically activated phenotype with potent immunostimulating activity. This process is associated with macrophage metabolic reprograming with enhanced glycolysis, Krebs cycle, and glutamine utilization. In addition, particulate β-glucan converts immunosuppressive TAM via the C-type lectin receptor dectin-1–induced spleen tyrosine kinase–Card9–Erk pathway. Further in vivo studies show that oral particulate β-glucan treatment significantly delays tumor growth, which is associated with in vivo TAM phenotype conversion and enhanced effector T cell activation. Mice injected with particulate β-glucan–treated TAM mixed with tumor cells have significantly reduced tumor burden with less blood vascular vessels compared with those with TAM plus tumor cell injection. In addition, macrophage depletion significantly reduced the therapeutic efficacy of particulate β-glucan in tumor-bearing mice. These findings have established a new paradigm for macrophage polarization and immunosuppressive TAM conversion and shed light on the action mode of β-glucan treatment in cancer.
Structural features of the DNA hairpin d(ATCCTA-GTTA-TAGGAT): formation of a G-A base pair in the loop.

The three-dimensional structure of the hairpin formed by d(ATCCTA-GTTA-TAGGAT) has been determined by means of two-dimensional NMR studies, distance geometry and molecular dynamics calculations. The first and the last residues of the tetraloop of this hairpin form a sheared G-A base pair on top of the six Watson-Crick base pairs in the stem. The glycosidic torsion angles of the guanine and adenine residues in the G-A base pair reside in the anti and high- anti domain ( approximately -60 degrees ) respectively. Several dihedral angles in the loop adopt non-standard values to accommodate this base pair. The first and second residue in the loop are stacked in a more or less normal helical fashion; the fourth loop residue also stacks upon the stem, while the third residue is directed away from the loop region. The loop structure can be classified as a so-called type-I loop, in which the bases at the 5'-end of the loop stack in a continuous fashion. In this situation, loop stability is unlikely to depend heavily on the nature of the unpaired bases in the loop. Moreover, the present study indicates that the influence of the polarity of a closing A.T pair is much less significant than that of a closing C.G base pair.
Metformin treatment after the hypoxia-ischemia attenuates brain injury in newborn rats

Neonatal hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury is a devastating disease that often leads to death and detrimental neurological deficits. The present study was designed to evaluate the ability of metformin to provide neuroprotection in a model of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and to study the associated molecular mechanisms behind these protective effects. Here, we found that metformin treatment remarkably attenuated brain infarct volumes and brain edema at 24 h after HI injury, and the neuroprotection of metformin was associated with inhibition of neuronal apoptosis, suppression of the neuroinflammation and amelioration of the blood brain barrier breakdown. Additionally, metformin treatment conferred long-term protective against brain damage at 7 d after HI injury. Our study indicates that metformin treatment protects against neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury and thus has potential as a therapy for this disease.
Interface strategies in monolingual and end-state L2 Spanish grammars are not that different

This study explores syntactic, pragmatic, and lexical influences on adherence to SV and VS orders in native and fluent L2 speakers of Spanish. A judgment task examined 20 native monolingual and 20 longstanding L2 bilingual Spanish speakers' acceptance of SV and VS structures. Seventy-six distinct verbs were tested under a combination of syntactic and pragmatic constraints. Our findings challenge the hypothesis that internal interfaces are acquired more easily than external interfaces (Sorace, 2005, 2011; Sorace and Filiaci, 2006; White, 2006). Additional findings are that (a) bilinguals' judgments are less firm overall than monolinguals' (i.e., monolinguals are more likely to give extreme “yes” or “no” judgments) and (b) individual verbs do not necessarily behave as predicted under standard definitions of unaccusatives and unergatives. Correlations of the patterns found in the data with verb frequencies suggest that usage-based accounts of grammatical knowledge could help provide insight into speakers' knowledge of these constructs.
Effect of a gluten-free diet on gastrointestinal symptoms in celiac disease.

BACKGROUND Atypical presentations of celiac disease appear to be at least as common as is the classic presentation of steatorrhea, diarrhea, and weight loss. OBJECTIVE We examined the effect of a gluten-free diet on gastrointestinal symptoms in a cohort of US patients with celiac disease. DESIGN A follow-up survey was conducted in 215 patients who were evaluated at the University of Iowa from 1990 through 1997 as having biopsy-confirmed celiac disease. The systematic survey asked detailed questions regarding gastrointestinal symptoms before and after the institution of a gluten-free diet in the patients, all of whom had been given the same dietary advice. RESULTS The group consisted of 160 female and 55 male patients. Although diarrhea was the most frequent symptom in untreated celiac disease, steatorrhea occurred in only one-fifth of patients. Other complaints were common, and most responded to gluten exclusion. The benefit of gluten exclusion was equally apparent in men and women. Diarrhea responded in most patients, usually within days, and the mean time to resolution was 4 wk. Many patients had alternating diarrhea and constipation, both of which were responsive to the gluten-free diet. Most patients had abdominal pain and bloating, which resolved with the diet. CONCLUSIONS Celiac disease causes a wide range of gastrointestinal symptoms. Clinicians must have a high level of suspicion to detect the atypical forms of celiac disease. With a gluten-free diet, patients have substantial and rapid improvement of symptoms, including symptoms other than the typical ones of diarrhea, steatorrhea, and weight loss.
Further investigations on the epidemiology of fowl typhoid in Brazil

ABSTRACT Salmonella Gallinarum (SG) causes fowl typhoid (FT), a disease responsible for economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. FT has been considered to be under control in Brazil; nevertheless, since 2012 it has frequently been identified in poultry farming of several Brazilian states. The present study was aimed at assessing (i) the pathogenicity of a SG strain recently isolated from an FT outbreak affecting chickens of both white and brown layers; (ii) the transmission of SG through eggs and hatching; (iii) the effects of antibiotic therapy on SG persistence in poultry tissues and on its vertical transmission and (iv) the genetic profiles of strains isolated over 27 years by Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis. Clinical signs, mortality and gross pathologies were very marked amongst brown-egg layers. In contrast, clinical manifestation of FT and mortality were barely present amongst the white-egg layers, although bacteria could be re-isolated from their tissues up to 35 days after infection. No bacteria were re-isolated from the laid eggs, so vertical transmission was not achieved, although newly hatched uninfected chicks became infected spontaneously after hatching. Antibiotic therapy was shown to be effective at reducing mortality, but was not able to clear infection or to favour SG transmission via eggs. Our pulsed field gel electrophoresis results revealed an endemic SG clone that may have been circulating in the Brazilian poultry flocks in the south and southeast regions for more than 20 years. The results suggest that the industrial incubation of SG-contaminated eggs could be one of the factors responsible for the spread of FT in Brazil.
Use of Oral Contraceptives and Breast Cancer Survival

Introduction: Oral contraceptives (OC) have been shown to give a transient increased breast cancer risk. However, studies on breast cancer survival after OC use are sparse and conflicting.Aim: The aim of this study was to examine previous use of OC in relation to survival after breast cancer diagnosis.Methods: Data was collected from Malmo Diet and Cancer Study, with baseline examinations between 1991 and 1996. Out of 17035 women who completed all study parts, 765 women with incident breast cancer were included in this study. Kaplan Meier and Cox Proportional Hazards analyses, with 95% confidence intervals (CI), were used to study OC in relation to breast cancer-specific and overall survival. All analyses were stratified on age at diagnosis.Results: Women who had ever used OC were younger and more often had grade III tumors than those who had never used OC. Breast cancer-specific survival in women who ever had used OC was better when adjusting for BMI, socioeconomic status as well as tumor characteristics. However, when adjusting for age at diagnosis, the results did not remain significant (0.68, CI 95% 0.39- 1.18). Stratified analyses on age at diagnosis (40-55, 56-70 and ≥ 71) showed no statistically significant associations.Conclusion: In this study we could not demonstrate a significant effect of OC use on breast cancer survival. (Less)
Residual analysis of ground reaction forces simulation during gait using neural networks with different configurations

The aim of the study was to analyze and compare the residuals obtained from ground reaction force (GRF) models developed using two different neural network configurations (one network with three outputs; and three networks with one output each), based on accelerometer data. Seventeen healthy subjects walked along a walkway, with a force plate embedded, with a three dimensional accelerometer attached to the shank. Multilayer perceptron networks (MLP) models were developed with the 3D accelerometer data as inputs to predict the GRF. The residuals of these models were evaluated graphically and numerically to verify the fitting. A visual analysis of the simulated signals suggests the model was able to adequately predict the GRF. The errors and correlations found in the MLP models for the 3D GRF is at least similar to other studies, although some of them showed higher errors. There was not difference between the two MLP configurations. However, despite the high correlation coefficient and closeness to a normal probability distribution, the residual analysis still presented a higher kurtosis and skewness, suggesting that the inclusion of other variables and the increase of the validation sample size could increase the fitting of the simulation.
Hexagonal Sodium Yttrium Fluoride Based Green and Blue Emitting Upconversion Phosphors

Hexagonal sodium yttrium fluoride, NaYF4, is the most efficient host material to date for green (Yb3+/Er3+ doped) and blue (Yb3+/Tm3+ doped) upconversion (UC) phosphors, i.e., phosphors which emit visible light upon infrared (IR) excitation. The structure of the hexagonal phase gives rise to controversy about the cation sites and distribution. The X-ray diffraction patterns of our phosphors do not fit well with the crystal structure reported for NaNdF4 (space group P6, Z = 1.5). The Na:M ratio (M = Y, Nd, Er, Tm, Yb) of the hexagonal phase deviates significantly from 1:1, and it depends on M and the preparation temperature. It is proposed that the hexagonal phase is isostructural to the chlorides Na3xM2-xCl6 with M = La−Sm. This structure (space group P63/m, Z = 1) contains only one M3+ site which is partially occupied by Na+, and the formula Na3xM2-xF6 (x ≈ 0.45) accounts for the nonstoichiometry. The model was derived from powder X-ray diffraction on the green and blue phosphor materials as well as the.
The influence of taurine supplementation in lactose egg yolk glycerol extender for cryopreservation of buffalo bull (Bubalus bubalis) semen.

The objective of this study was to assess the influence of supplementing various concentrations of taurine in lactose egg yolk glycerol extender (LEGE) on spermatozoa characteristics. Ejaculates of four routinely used Nili- Ravi buffalo bulls were collected once in a week for five weeks using an artificial vagina at Semen Production Unit, Qadirabad, Sahiwal, Pakistan. Pooled semen samples were diluted at 37°C in LEGE extender containing taurine (TA) (0.0, 20.0, 40.0, 60.0 mM) and aspirated into French straws (0.5 ml) having 20 × 10 6 spermatozoa. Filled and sealed semen containing straws were cooled from 37 to 4°C in a cold cabinet for 4 h before placing it 4 cm above liquid nitrogen (LN) vapors for 20 minutes and stored in LN. These stored straws were thawed individually at 37°C for 30 s in a water bath for evaluation of spermatozoa characteristics such as motility, viability, acrosomal/plasma membrane/DNA integrity and lipid peroxidation. The results indicate that spermatozoa motility (%) significantly decreased (P 0.05) among control (TA 0.0), TA 20.0 and TA 40.0 mM supplemented groups. Similarly, spermatozoa DNA integrity rate (%) was significantly decreased (P<0.05) in TA 40.0 and TA 60.0mM supplemented groups as compared to control group. In conclusion, TA supplementation in LEGE at 20.0, 40.0 and 60.0 mM was unable to produce significant effect on spermatozoa characteristics such as viability, acrosomal integrity, plasma membrane integrity and lipid peroxidation compared to control group.
A novel clinical test for assessing patellar cartilage changes and its correlation with magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopy

ABSTRACT Controversy still exists regarding the best clinical assessment test for chondromalacia patellae (CMP). Our study aims to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of a novel clinical test for CMP, the “Patella Slide Test” (PST) against the findings of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and arthroscopy. We included 221 consecutive patients planned for elective knee arthroscopic surgery. An MRI scan of the symptomatic knee was performed prior to surgery. On the day of surgery, each patient was examined using the PST followed by a knee arthroscopy to assess the quality of the chondral surfaces of the patellofemoral joint. The MRI and PST results were compared against the arthroscopic findings that served as the gold standard. The PST (0.89) was statistically more sensitive than MRI (0.67) in diagnosing CMP. The PST (0.89) also had a greater negative predictive value (NPV) than MRI (0.74). However, MRI (0.94) was more specific than the PST (0.85). The differences in accuracy and positive predictive value of the PST versus MRI were not statically significant. In conclusion, the PST shows high sensitivity and has a greater NPV than MRI as a clinical test for diagnosing CMP.
Effect of a high-protein, energy-restricted diet on body composition, glycemic control, and lipid concentrations in overweight and obese hyperinsulinemic men and women.

BACKGROUND It is not clear whether varying the protein-to-carbohydrate ratio of weight-loss diets benefits body composition or metabolism. OBJECTIVE The objective was to compare the effects of 2 weight-loss diets differing in protein-to-carbohydrate ratio on body composition, glucose and lipid metabolism, and markers of bone turnover. DESIGN A parallel design included either a high-protein diet of meat, poultry, and dairy foods (HP diet: 27% of energy as protein, 44% as carbohydrate, and 29% as fat) or a standard-protein diet low in those foods (SP diet: 16% of energy as protein, 57% as carbohydrate, and 27% as fat) during 12 wk of energy restriction (6-6.3 MJ/d) and 4 wk of energy balance ( approximately 8.2 MJ/d). Fifty-seven overweight volunteers with fasting insulin concentrations > 12 mU/L completed the study. RESULTS Weight loss (7.9 +/- 0.5 kg) and total fat loss (6.9 +/- 0.4 kg) did not differ between diet groups. In women, total lean mass was significantly (P = 0.02) better preserved with the HP diet (-0.1 +/- 0.3 kg) than with the SP diet (-1.5 +/- 0.3 kg). Those fed the HP diet had significantly (P < 0.03) less glycemic response at weeks 0 and 16 than did those fed the SP diet. After weight loss, the glycemic response decreased significantly (P < 0.05) more in the HP diet group. The reduction in serum triacylglycerol concentrations was significantly (P < 0.05) greater in the HP diet group (23%) than in the SP diet group (10%). Markers of bone turnover, calcium excretion, and systolic blood pressure were unchanged. CONCLUSION Replacing carbohydrate with protein from meat, poultry, and dairy foods has beneficial metabolic effects and no adverse effects on markers of bone turnover or calcium excretion.