Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MAPPING NEOGENE DEPOSITIONAL GEOMETRIES , NEW JERSEY CONTINENTAL SLOPE , LEG 150 DRILLING AREA 1

We have interpreted and mapped multichannel (MCS) and single-channel (SCS) seismic data from the middle Atlantic margin, offshore New Jersey, encompassing Ocean Drilling Program Leg 150 drill sites on the present upper slope, to reveal threedimensional depositional geometries and slope morphologies and provide insight into slope evolution. Interpretation and mapping focused on six seismic reflections from the upper Oligocene to upper Miocene section, which constitute a subset of a large number of seismic horizons identified during Leg 150. The reflections are considered probable sequence boundaries, although the defining geometries are found beneath the shelf, not in the region of the slope where the drill sites are located. Structure and isochron maps reveal how slope depocenters evolved as the shore-connected shelf/slope sediment prism prograded toward the study area. Post-upper Oligocene depositional fabrics are commonly oriented along strike (i.e., along slope). During parts of the middle and late Miocene, sediment accumulated in accommodation space seaward of secondary slope breaks, which formed seaward of the primary clinoform breakpoints associated with the prograding shelf/slope sediment prism. Isochrons of upper Miocene sediments illustrate the arrival of the toe of the shelf/slope sediment prism at the southwestern edge of the study area. Pre-Pleistocene canyons are rare within the study area. A large, buried, middle Miocene (reflection m3) canyon differs markedly from modern slope canyons in its broad, planar floor. We infer that the canyon formed as a result of slope failure, though later canyon fill exhibits evidence of downslope sediment transport. Younger, middle and upper Miocene canyons mapped on reflections ml and mθ. 5 are narrower and V-shaped. Both slope failure (probably coupled with headward erosion) and downslope erosion may have contributed to canyon formation at different times and on different parts of the slope. The presence of canyons together with lithological evidence of mass-flow deposits highlights the role of downslope sedimentary processes, confined and unconfined, in controlling erosion and deposition during the Miocene. Hemipelagic deposition appears to have been the dominant sedimentary process between mass-flow and canyon-cutting events.
Changes in free amino acid concentrations and associated gene expression profiles in the abdominal muscle of kuruma shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus) acclimated at different salinities

ABSTRACT Shrimps inhabiting coastal waters can survive in a wide range of salinity. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in their acclimation to different environmental salinities have remained largely unknown. In the present study, we acclimated kuruma shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus) at 1.7%, 3.4% and 4.0% salinities. After acclimating for 6, 12, 24 and 72 h, we determined free amino acid concentrations in their abdominal muscle, and performed RNA sequencing analysis on this muscle. The concentrations of free amino acids were clearly altered depending on salinity after 24 h of acclimation. Glutamine and alanine concentrations were markedly increased following the increase of salinity. In association with such changes, many genes related to amino acid metabolism changed their expression levels. In particular, the increase of the expression level of the gene encoding glutamate-ammonia ligase, which functions in glutamine metabolism, appeared to be associated with the increased glutamine concentration at high salinity. Furthermore, the increased alanine concentration at high salinity was likely associated with the decrease in the expression levels of the the gene encoding alanine-glyoxylate transaminase. Thus, there is a possibility that changes in the concentration of free amino acids for osmoregulation in kuruma shrimp are regulated by changes in the expression levels of genes related to amino acid metabolism. Summary: Kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus, change free amino acid concentrations and associated gene expression levels in their muscle to adjust effectively to different salinities.
Π Band Dispersion along Conjugated Organic Nanowires Synthesized on a Metal Oxide Semiconductor

Surface-confined dehalogenation reactions are versatile bottom-up approaches for the synthesis of carbon-based nanostructures with predefined chemical properties. However, for devices generally requiring low-conductivity substrates, potential applications are so far severely hampered by the necessity of a metallic surface to catalyze the reactions. In this work we report the synthesis of ordered arrays of poly(p-phenylene) chains on the surface of semiconducting TiO2(110) via a dehalogenative homocoupling of 4,4″-dibromoterphenyl precursors. The supramolecular phase is clearly distinguished from the polymeric one using low-energy electron diffraction and scanning tunneling microscopy as the substrate temperature used for deposition is varied. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of C 1s and Br 3d core levels traces the temperature of the onset of dehalogenation to around 475 K. Moreover, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and tight-binding calculations identify a highly dispersive band characteristic of a substantial overlap between the precursor’s π states along the polymer, considered as the fingerprint of a successful polymerization. Thus, these results establish the first spectroscopic evidence that atomically precise carbon-based nanostructures can readily be synthesized on top of a transition-metal oxide surface, opening the prospect for the bottom-up production of novel molecule–semiconductor devices.
Acculturation Profiles and Perceived Discrimination: Associations with Psychosocial Well-being Among Tunisian Adolescents in Italy

Research usually analyzed the relationships between acculturation or perceived discrimination and immigrants’ well-being, but few studies used an integrative perspective. Framed from a person-oriented approach, the current paper tried to advance the literature examining how acculturation profiles and perceived (group and personal) discrimination were associated with psychosocial well-being in a sample of 348 Tunisian adolescents (females = 48.28%; mean age = 15.72) living in southern Italy. Cluster analytic methods on the scores of acculturation strategies, ethnic and national identities, ethnic and national languages, ethnic and national peer social contacts produced three acculturation profiles: integrated, ethnic, and national. Adolescents of both integrated and national profiles reported higher levels of psychosocial well-being than those of the ethnic profile in terms of self-esteem and socio-cultural competence, whereas Tunisian adolescents of ethnic profile reported higher levels of perceived personal discrimination than the others. Also, the acculturation profile moderated the relationships between perceived discrimination and adolescents’ psychosocial well-being. Specifically, across integration and national profiles perceived group discrimination significantly predicted decreases in psychosocial well-being, but there was no significant association considering the ethnic profile group. The association between perceived personal discrimination and psychosocial well-being was moderated since it was more negative for adolescents of an ethnic profile than the others. Findings are discussed in the light of theoretical expectations, research context, and limitations as well as suggesting implications for the practitioners in the field.
Effects of aqueous extract of Sorghum bicolor on hepatic, histological and haematological indices in rats.

Herbal medicine is still the mainstay of about 75 - 80% of the world population, mainly in the developing countries for primary health care. In Nigeria today, there is an upsurge in the acceptance and utilization of these herbal medicine partly because of scientific support for some of their medicinal uses. In recent times, findings from medicinal plants research indicate that extracts from some plants both hepatotoxic and hematotoxic, while some are reported to possess both hepatoprotective and hemopoietic properties. We investigated the effects of aqueous extract of Sorghum bicolor leaf sheaths on the biochemical hepatic functions, histological integrity and hematological indices in Sprague-Dawley albino rats. Phytochemical screening of the aqueous extract of S. bicolor leaf sheath was carried out. Also, male and female rats (100 – 210 g) and divided into 5 groups were employed for this study. Four groups of 6 rats each were orally administered with 1.0 ml of 200, 400, 800 and 1600 mg/kg body weight daily doses of aqueous extract of S. bicolor leaf sheath, respectively for 14 days. The control group consisted of 6 rats treated to a daily dose of 0.5 ml of 0.9% normal saline. At the end of the administration period, the rats were sacrificed; the blood samples were collected through orbital sinus and cardiac puncture. The liver tissues were harvested and used for the hematopoietic and liver functions investigations. Phytochemical analysis of the plant leaf sheath showed the presence of Anthracine glycosides, reducing compounds, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides and polyphenols. Liver function tests revealed that the serum alanine amino transferase (ALT) concentration in the experimental rats showed a significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase with the increases in dosage concentrations of the extract compared with the control. Aspartate amino transferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as well as the concentrations of total protein and albumin in male and female experimental rats were not significantly (P ≥ 0.05) altered compared with the control by the oral administration of the extract. However, red blood cell counts, hemotocrit and haemoglobin concentrations increased significantly (P ≤ 0.05) on administration of the extract in both male and female experimental rats compared with the control. Histopathological examination did not reveal any lesion or alteration in the morphological features of the liver tissues in all the animals. Data of the present study indicate that aqueous extract of S. bicolor leaf sheath is both hepatoprotective and hematopoietic in male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. These findings are therefore of clinical importance given the various reported medicinal potentials of the plant. Key words: Sorghum bicolor, liver, rats, aminotransferases, hemoglobin.
On-chip area-efficient binary sequence storage

On-chip storage of binary sequences normally require the use of Read-Only Memories (ROMs). However, ROMs do not exploit of the fact that the stored information is accessed sequentially. This paper presents an area-efficient sequence storage technique based on state machines. Experimental results show that the presented method significantly outperforms previous approaches. The resulting state machines are on average 54% smaller than ROMs storing the same sequence.
Statins may be associated with six‐week diabetic foot ulcer healing

Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) affect 1.5 million Americans annually, of which only a minority heal with standard care, and they commonly lead to amputation. To improve care, investigations are underway to better understand DFU pathogenesis and develop more effective therapies. Some currently used medications may improve healing. One small, randomized clinical trial found statins improve DFU healing. In this secondary analysis of a large multisite prospective observational cohort of 139 patients with DFUs receiving standard care, we investigated whether there was an association between 6‐week DFU wound size reduction and use of a variety of medications including alpha‐blockers, beta‐blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) and statins. We found no significant (p < 0.05) association between six‐week wound reduction and use of any of the evaluated drugs; however, statins did trend toward an association (p = 0.057). This suggests a potential benefit of statins on DFU healing, and larger, targeted studies are warranted.
How Individual Movement Response to Habitat Edges Affects Population Persistence and Spatial Spread

How individual-level movement decisions in response to habitat edges influence population-level patterns of persistence and spread of a species is a major challenge in spatial ecology and conservation biology. Here, we integrate novel insights into edge behavior, based on habitat preference and movement rates, into spatially explicit growth-dispersal models. We demonstrate how crucial ecological quantities (e.g., minimal patch size, spread rate) depend critically on these individual-level decisions. In particular, we find that including edge behavior properly in these models gives qualitatively different and intuitively more reasonable results than those of some previous studies that did not consider this level of detail. Our results highlight the importance of new empirical work on individual movement response to habitat edges.
The social impact and cultural issues affecting the e-learning performance in LibyanHigher Education institutes

This paper analyses the social impact and cultural issues which affect the e-learning performance in Libyan Higher Education institutes (HEIs). It is described the development and implementation of e-learning systems in various HEIs with the emphasis on the digital gap in Libya and barriers to successful e-learning implementation in these institutions. Also the social impact of using e-learning packages and Internet by young people in Libya is studied and a SWOT analysis of ICT and e-learning in Tripoli University is performed in order to improve the effectiveness of the use of e-learning systems in Libyan HEIs.
Establishment of human pluripotent stem cell-derived pancreatic β-like cells in the mouse pancreas

Significance Autoimmune impairment of insulin-producing β cells in the pancreatic islet underlies pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes (T1D). The β-like cells differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells provide possible autologous cell replacement therapies for patients with T1D, and have been transplanted to various ectopic sites in rodents as therapeutic models. Here, we generated xenogeneic human pancreatic β-like cells in the mouse pancreas by orthotopic transplantation of stem cell-derived β-like cells into the pancreas of neonatal mice. This mouse model may provide an experimental system to study human pancreatic β cell biology and pathogenesis in vivo. Type 1 diabetes is characterized by autoimmune destruction of β cells located in pancreatic islets. However, tractable in vivo models of human pancreatic β cells have been limited. Here, we generated xenogeneic human pancreatic β-like cells in the mouse pancreas by orthotopic transplantation of stem cell-derived β (SC-β) cells into the pancreas of neonatal mice. The engrafted β-like cells expressed β cell transcription factors and markers associated with functional maturity. Engrafted human cells recruited mouse endothelial cells, suggesting functional integration. Human insulin was detected in the blood circulation of transplanted mice for months after transplantation and increased upon glucose stimulation. In addition to β-like cells, human cells expressing markers for other endocrine pancreas cell types, acinar cells, and pancreatic ductal cells were identified in the pancreata of transplanted mice, indicating that this approach allows studying other human pancreatic cell types in the mouse pancreas. Our results demonstrate that orthotopic transplantation of human SC-β cells into neonatal mice is an experimental platform that allows the generation of mice with human pancreatic β-like cells in the endogenous niche.
Type-D Personality and Elevated Psychological Symptoms In Early Adjustment of Severe Burn Injury Patients

ABSTRACT Severe burn injuries are highly traumatic requiring lengthy recovery. High levels of distress in the early stages of treatment have been associated with poor physical and psychosocial recovery outcomes. Identifying traits relating to distress and personal coping styles may aid screening. Type-D, or ‘distressed’, personality may be such a trait. Type-D personality refers to an ongoing personality organization defined by a tendency to experience greater negative emotions and thoughts while simultaneously socially inhibiting their expression (Denollet et al., 1996. Type-D has been linked to poor health outcomes in those with cardiovascular disease as well as other populations and has been found to be associated with elevated psychological symptoms. Currently, there are no investigations in the literature looking at Type-D in the severe burns injury population. This study aimed to investigate Type-D in severe burn injury patients, specifically regarding the presence of psychological symptoms in early treatment, using data gathered during a pilot study conducted at a severe burn injury unit. The DS-16, Davidson Trauma scale and Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale scores were analysed along with demographic and clinical data in 54 participants (40 males, 14 females). Participants who were found to have Type-D displayed significantly higher levels of psychopathology. Additionally, Type-D was found to be a significant predictor of psychological symptoms.
Targeted immune interventions for type 1 diabetes: not as easy as it looks!

Purpose of review Although insulin is lifesaving and sustaining for those with type 1 diabetes (T1D), curing the disease will be much more complex than simple replacement of this hormone. T1D is an autoimmune disease orchestrated by T cells, and includes many arms of the immune response. Tremendous effort has gone into understanding its underlying immune, genetic, and environmental causes, and this progress has led to immunologically based clinical trials in T1D. This review will focus primarily on the clinical trials of the past decade that have attempted to translate these fundamental findings. Recent findings It is known that powerful, nonspecific immune suppressants can temporarily slow the course of newly diagnosed T1D, yet are too toxic for long-term use, especially in children. Recent clinical trials to reverse T1D have used newly developed therapies that target specific components of the immune process believed to be involved with T1D. Although well justified and designed, no recent approach has resulted in clinical remission and few have had any effect on disease course. Summary Advances in our fundamental understanding of how the human diabetes immune response is activated and regulated coupled with lessons that have been learnt from the most recent era of completed trials are guiding us toward the development of more effective, multipronged therapies to ablate diabetes autoimmunity, restore immune tolerance, preserve &bgr; cells, and, ultimately, improve the lives of patients with T1D.
Finite nonassociative algebras obtained from skew polynomials and possible applications to (f,σ,δ)-codes

Let $S$ be a unital ring, $S[t;\sigma,\delta]$ a skew polynomial ring where $\sigma$ is an injective endomorphism and $\delta$ a left $\sigma$-derivation, and suppose $f\in S[t;\sigma,\delta]$ has degree $m$ and an invertible leading coefficient. Using right division by $f$ to define the multiplication, we obtain unital nonassociative algebras $S_f$ on the set of skew polynomials in $S[t;\sigma,\delta]$ of degree less than $m$. We study the structure of these algebras. When $S$ is a Galois ring and $f$ base irreducible, these algebras yield families of finite unital nonassociative rings $A$, whose set of (left or right) zero divisors has the form $pA$ for some prime $p$. For reducible $f$, the $S_f$ can be employed both to design linear $(f,\sigma,\delta)$-codes over unital rings and to study their behaviour.
Chronic Supplementation With a Mitochondrial Antioxidant (MitoQ) Improves Vascular Function in Healthy Older Adults

Excess reactive oxygen species production by mitochondria is a key mechanism of age-related vascular dysfunction. Our laboratory has shown that supplementation with the mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant MitoQ improves vascular endothelial function by reducing mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and ameliorates arterial stiffening in old mice, but the effects in humans are unknown. Here, we sought to translate our preclinical findings to humans and determine the safety and efficacy of MitoQ. Twenty healthy older adults (60–79 years) with impaired endothelial function (brachial artery flow–mediated dilation <6%) underwent 6 weeks of oral supplementation with MitoQ (20 mg/d) or placebo in a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover design study. MitoQ was well tolerated, and plasma MitoQ was higher after the treatment versus placebo period (P<0.05). Brachial artery flow–mediated dilation was 42% higher after MitoQ versus placebo (P<0.05); the improvement was associated with amelioration of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species–related suppression of endothelial function (assessed as the increase in flow-mediated dilation with acute, supratherapeutic MitoQ [160 mg] administration; n=9; P<0.05). Aortic stiffness (carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity) was lower after MitoQ versus placebo (P<0.05) in participants with elevated baseline levels (carotid–femoral pulse wave velocity >7.60 m/s; n=11). Plasma oxidized LDL (low-density lipoprotein), a marker of oxidative stress, also was lower after MitoQ versus placebo (P<0.05). Participant characteristics, endothelium-independent dilation (sublingual nitroglycerin), and circulating markers of inflammation were not different (all P>0.1). These findings in humans extend earlier preclinical observations and suggest that MitoQ and other therapeutic strategies targeting mitochondrial reactive oxygen species may hold promise for treating age-related vascular dysfunction. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials. gov. Unique identifier: NCT02597023.
A 660-Kb Deletion with Antagonistic Effects on Fertility and Milk Production Segregates at High Frequency in Nordic Red Cattle: Additional Evidence for the Common Occurrence of Balancing Selection in Livestock

In dairy cattle, the widespread use of artificial insemination has resulted in increased selection intensity, which has led to spectacular increase in productivity. However, cow fertility has concomitantly severely declined. It is generally assumed that this reduction is primarily due to the negative energy balance of high-producing cows at the peak of lactation. We herein describe the fine-mapping of a major fertility QTL in Nordic Red cattle, and identify a 660-kb deletion encompassing four genes as the causative variant. We show that the deletion is a recessive embryonically lethal mutation. This probably results from the loss of RNASEH2B, which is known to cause embryonic death in mice. Despite its dramatic effect on fertility, 13%, 23% and 32% of the animals carry the deletion in Danish, Swedish and Finnish Red Cattle, respectively. To explain this, we searched for favorable effects on other traits and found that the deletion has strong positive effects on milk yield. This study demonstrates that embryonic lethal mutations account for a non-negligible fraction of the decline in fertility of domestic cattle, and that associated positive effects on milk yield may account for part of the negative genetic correlation. Our study adds to the evidence that structural variants contribute to animal phenotypic variation, and that balancing selection might be more common in livestock species than previously appreciated.