Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two Temporal Phases of Light Adaptation in Retinal Rods

Vertebrate rod photoreceptors adjust their sensitivity as they adapt during exposure to steady light. Light adaptation prevents the rod from saturating and significantly extends its dynamic range. We examined the time course of the onset of light adaptation in bullfrog rods and compared it with the projected onset of feedback reactions thought to underlie light adaptation on the molecular level. We found that adaptation developed in two distinct temporal phases: (1) a fast phase that operated within seconds after the onset of illumination, which is consistent with most previous reports of a 1–2-s time constant for the onset of adaptation; and (2) a slow phase that engaged over tens of seconds of continuous illumination. The fast phase desensitized the rods as much as 80-fold, and was observed at every light intensity tested. The slow phase was observed only at light intensities that suppressed more than half of the dark current. It provided an additional sensitivity loss of up to 40-fold before the rod saturated. Thus, rods achieved a total degree of adaptation of ∼3,000-fold. Although the fast adaptation is likely to originate from the well characterized Ca2+-dependent feedback mechanisms regulating the activities of several phototransduction cascade components, the molecular mechanism underlying slow adaptation is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that the slow adaptation phase is mediated by cGMP dissociation from noncatalytic binding sites on the cGMP phosphodiesterase, which has been shown to reduce the lifetime of activated phosphodiesterase in vitro. Although cGMP dissociated from the noncatalytic binding sites in intact rods with kinetics approximating that for the slow adaptation phase, this hypothesis was ruled out because the intensity of light required for cGMP dissociation far exceeded that required to evoke the slow phase. Other possible mechanisms are discussed.
Renal effects of non-tenofovir antiretroviral therapy in patients living with HIV

A review of literature published regarding non-tenofovir antiretroviral agents causing renal adverse effects was conducted. The literature involving renal adverse effects and antiretroviral therapy is most robust with protease inhibitors, specifically atazanavir and indinavir, and includes reports of crystalluria, leukocyturia, nephritis, nephrolithiasis, nephropathy and urolithiasis. Several case reports describe potential nephropathy (including Fanconi syndrome) secondary to administration of abacavir, didanosine, lamivudine and stavudine. Case reports documented renal events such as acute renal failure, nephritis, proteinuria and renal stones with efavirenz administration. Regarding rilpivirine, a small increase of serum creatinine levels (SCr) was found in clinical trials; however, the clinical significance and impact on actual renal function is unknown. The integrase strand transfer inhibitors and enfuvirtide have a relatively safe renal profile, although studies have shown dolutegravir and raltegravir cause mild elevations in SCr without an impact on actual renal function. This is similar to the reaction observed with cobicistat, the pharmacokinetic enhancer frequently given with elvitegravir.
Adult-Specific Life Outcomes of Cleft Lip and Palate in a Western Australian Cohort

Background: People with a cleft of the lip and/or palate (CL/P) differ from their peers due to their facial appearance, hearing and speech difficulties, and the significant time spent attending appointments and recovering from surgical interventions. These differences may impact life outcomes including occupation, income, education, relationships, psychosocial health issues, and lifestyle choices. Methodology: A self-administered questionnaire was posted to 338 former and current patients of the Cleft Lip and Palate Unit of Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH), Perth, Western Australia. Results: Completed questionnaires were returned by 158 former and current patients. In comparison to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, study participants attained equivalent highest education levels, full-time annual income levels, occupational categories, employment rates, and home ownership levels. They did not marry later and demonstrated positive health–related lifestyle behaviors. However independent living was significantly delayed, and the number of romantic relationships, marriages, and children was lower, with separation/divorce rates also being lower. A key finding was that 78% of participants self-reported that they experienced at least 1 psychosocial health issue and more than half experienced anxiety and/or depression. Conclusion: When comparing the sociological outcomes for the study participants, the psychosocial outcomes were the areas of most concern. Further investigation is required to determine the causes for the high self-reported rates of anxiety and/or depression found in this study.
Influence of female relatedness on the demography of Townsend's vole populations in spring.

1. The relatedness of individuals can influence their behaviour and changes in the degree of female relatedness in spring may influence the demography of vole populations (Lambin & Krebs 1991a). Here we report on an experiment testing the effect of relatedness on the demography of Townsend's vole (Microtus townsendii) populations (kin and non-kin treatments) over three consecutive springs. 2. Most nestlings were marked before weaning such that we knew which recruits were related to one another and to which adult female. The average size of matrilineal groups was experimentally manipulated by selectively removing voles of known origin and by preventing predation by birds of prey. 3. Nearest neighbours had their nests closer to one another on the kin treatment, but there were no differences in home range size between treatments. Home-ranges of females present on both treatments were smaller in a spring of high density than in the springs with lower density. 4. Female survival was better on the kin treatment. Within the kin treatment, females with at least one first degree relative as a neighbour survived better than females without such a relative. No such difference was observed within the non-kin treatment. 5. Females in the kin treatment gave birth to their first spring litter 5-7 days later than females in the non-kin treatment, possibly as a consequence of space sharing with related neighbours. The weaning success of the first spring litter was significantly higher on the kin tratment than on the non-kin treatment, but there were no differences in the weaning success of females with and without related neighbours within treatments. The presence of immigrant females on the non-kin treatment and not on the kin treatment may have caused the difference in weaning success between the treatments. 6. We conclude that female relatedness influences the pattern of space use and the survival of females in spring. The presence of immigrant females attempting to establish in the population has a pronounced effect on the weaning success of residents.
Human Mammary Tumor Virus (HMTV) Infection and Risk of Human Breast Cancer: An Adaptive Meta-Analysis for Case-Control Studies

Objective: There is ongoing debate about the association between Human Mammary Tumor Virus (HMTV) infection and breast cancer. A systematic review (SR) published in 2014 revealed that there was a statistically significant association. However, there was suspected duplication of the studies selected in that SR, and it also presented the need for a more detailed subgroup analysis by region. Therefore, the present study repeated the meta-analysiswith the addition of relevant papers published before October 2015. Methods: Using the papers selected for the previous SR, a list was made of the references, and the “cited articles” and “similar articles” provided by PubMed. Of these, we only selected case-control studies that used PCR to detect the HMTV gene in tissue. The criterion for duplication was papers that showed identical researcher names or affiliated institutions. Among duplicated papers, the one with the largest number of samples was chosen. The meta-analysis was used to obtain summary odds ratio (SOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: A total of 13 case-control studies were selected. The total number of the case and control groups was 1,878 and 1,204 persons, respectively. The results of the meta-analysis for these 13 papers showed that HMTV infection increased the risk of breast cancer (SOR=8.37, 95% CI: 2.29-23.39; I-squared = 98.4%). Conclusion: In the sub-group analysis, there was statistical significance for North America, the Mediterranean, and Australia. The results of this study support the claim that HMTV infection increases the risk of human breast cancer.
Interface Recombination & Emission Applied to Explain Photosynthetic Mechanisms for (e-, h+) Charges' Separation

To copy natural photosynthesis process we need to understand and explain the physics underneath its first step mechanism, which is “how to separate electrical charges under attraction”. But this Nature’s nanotechnological creation is not yet available to the scientific community. We present a new interpretation for the artificial and natural photosynthetic mechanism, concerning the electrical charges separation and the spent energy to promote the process. Interface (e–, h+) recombination and emission is applied to explain the photosynthetic mechanisms. This interpretation is based on energy bands relative position, the staggered one, which under illumination promotes (e–, h+) charges separation through the action of an interface electric field and energy consumption at the interface of both A/B generic materials. Energy band bending is responsible by the interface electric field (and the driving force) for the charges separation. This electric field can be as high or above that for p-n semiconductor junctions (104 - 105 V/cm). This physical effect is not considered by most of the researches. Without an electric field and without spending energy to separate electrical charges, any other existing model violates physical laws. The staggered energy band type is the only energetic configuration that permits charges separation under illumination and energy loss to perform the process. Application to natural photosynthesis and artificial photovoltaic material and their energetic configurations are discussed. Examples for A/B being III-V/III-V, TiO2/materials and II-VI/II-VI staggered energy band gap pairs are presented. In the proposed quantum mechanism, plants are able to eliminate most of the 79% of the absorbed visible light, according to the published reflection and transmission data. Moreover, the proposed mechanism can be applied to explain green fluorescent protein - GFP, charge transfer states - CTS and Fluorescent Resonance Energy Transfer - FRET. As recent literature experimental results propose photosynthesis as a quantum controlled mechanism, our proposition goes forward this direction.
Computational anatomy for studying use-dependant brain plasticity

In this article we provide a comprehensive literature review on the in vivo assessment of use-dependant brain structure changes in humans using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computational anatomy. We highlight the recent findings in this field that allow the uncovering of the basic principles behind brain plasticity in light of the existing theoretical models at various scales of observation. Given the current lack of in-depth understanding of the neurobiological basis of brain structure changes we emphasize the necessity of a paradigm shift in the investigation and interpretation of use-dependent brain plasticity. Novel quantitative MRI acquisition techniques provide access to brain tissue microstructural properties (e.g., myelin, iron, and water content) in-vivo, thereby allowing unprecedented specific insights into the mechanisms underlying brain plasticity. These quantitative MRI techniques require novel methods for image processing and analysis of longitudinal data allowing for straightforward interpretation and causality inferences.
Mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of polystyrene composites reinforced with cellulose fibers

The mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties of cellulose fibers-reinforced polystyrene composites were investigated as a function of cellulose fiber content and coupling agent effect. The composites were prepared using a corotating twin-screw extruder and after injection molding. Three levels of filler loading (10, 20, and 30 wt%) and a fixed amount of coupling agent (2 wt%) were used. The results showed that a cellulose fiber loading of more than 20 wt% caused decrease in the mechanical properties. The addition of coupling agent substantially improves the mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties. The use of coupling agent improved the storage modulus and reduced the damping peak values of the composites due to the improved interfacial adhesion. The height of the damping peak was found to be dependent on the content of cellulose fiber and the interfacial adhesion between fiber and matrix. The adhesion factor values confirm that the better adhesion occurs when coupling agent is used.
Neighborhood Walkability and Walking for Transport Among South Asians in the MASALA Study.

BACKGROUND The neighborhood built environment can have a strong influence on physical activity levels, particularly walking for transport. In examining racial/ethnic differences in physical activity, one important and understudied group is South Asians. This study aims to describe the association between neighborhood walkability and walking for transport among South Asian men and women in the United States in the Mediators of Atherosclerosis in South Asians Living in America (MASALA) Study. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014 using the baseline dataset of the MASALA study (N = 906). Mean age was 55 years old and 54% of the sample was male. Weekly minutes spent walking for transport was assessed using a questionnaire adapted from the Cross-Cultural Activity Participation Study. Neighborhood walkability was measured using Walk Score, a composite index of walkability. RESULTS After adjusting for covariates, with each 10-point increase in Walk Score, South Asian American men engaged in 13 additional minutes per week of walking for transport (P = .008). No association was observed between walkability and walking for transport in South Asian American women. CONCLUSIONS Results provide new evidence for how the effects of environmental influences on walking for transport may vary between South Asian men and women.
Log-spectral magnitude MMSE estimators under super-Gaussian densities

Despite the fact that histograms of speech DFT coefficients are super-Gaussian, not much attention has been paid to develop estimators under these super-Gaussian distributions in combination with perceptual meaningful distortion measures. In this paper we present log-spectral magnitude MMSE estimators under super-Gaussian densities, resulting in an estimator that is perceptually more meaningful and in line with measured histograms of speech DFT coefficients. Compared to state-of-theart reference methods, the presented estimator leads to an improvement of the segmental SNR in the order of 0.5 dB up to 1 dB. Moreover, listening tests show that the proposed estimator leads to significant improvement for the presented estimator over state-of-the-art methods. Index Terms: speech enhancement, log-spectral magnitude MMSE, super-Gaussian
Using the Electronic Nose to Identify Airway Infection during COPD Exacerbations

Background The electronic nose (e-nose) detects volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled air. We hypothesized that the exhaled VOCs print is different in stable vs. exacerbated patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), particularly if the latter is associated with airway bacterial infection, and that the e-nose can distinguish them. Methods Smell-prints of the bacteria most commonly involved in exacerbations of COPD (ECOPD) were identified in vitro. Subsequently, we tested our hypothesis in 93 patients with ECOPD, 19 of them with pneumonia, 50 with stable COPD and 30 healthy controls in a cross-sectional case-controlled study. Secondly, ECOPD patients were re-studied after 2 months if clinically stable. Exhaled air was collected within a Tedlar bag and processed by a Cynarose 320 e-nose. Breath-prints were analyzed by Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) with “One Out” technique and Sensor logic Relations (SLR). Sputum samples were collected for culture. Results ECOPD with evidence of infection were significantly distinguishable from non-infected ECOPD (p = 0.018), with better accuracy when ECOPD was associated to pneumonia. The same patients with ECOPD were significantly distinguishable from stable COPD during follow-up (p = 0.018), unless the patient was colonized. Additionally, breath-prints from COPD patients were significantly distinguished from healthy controls. Various bacteria species were identified in culture but the e-nose was unable to identify accurately the bacteria smell-print in infected patients. Conclusion E-nose can identify ECOPD, especially if associated with airway bacterial infection or pneumonia.
Determination of the Fermi surface in high-T c superconductors by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

We study the normal-state electronic excitations probed by angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) in Bi1.6Pb0. 4Sr2CuO6 (Bi2201) and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8 divided by delta (Bi2212). Our main goal is to establish explicit criteria for determining the Fermi surface from ARPES data on strongly interacting systems where sharply defined quasiparticles do not exist and the dispersion is very weak in parts of the Brillouin zone. Additional complications arise from strong matrix element variations within the zone. We present detailed results as a function of incident photon energy, and show simple experimental tests to distinguish between an intensity drop due to matrix element effects and spectral weight loss due to a Fermi crossing. We reiterate the use of polarization selection rules in disentangling the effect of umklapps due to the BiO superlattice in Bi2212. We conclude that, despite all the complications, the Fermi surface can be determined unambiguously; it is a single large hole barrel centered about (pi,pi) in both materials.
Genome-Wide Characterization of Maize Small RNA Loci and Their Regulation in the required to maintain repression 6-1 ( rmr 6-1 ) Mutant and Long-Term Abiotic Stresses 1 [ OPEN ]

Endogenous small RNAs (sRNAs) contribute to gene regulation and genome homeostasis, but their activities and functions are incompletely known. The maize genome has a high number of transposable elements (TEs; almost 85%), some of which spawn abundant sRNAs. We performed sRNA and total RNA sequencing from control and abiotically stressed B73 wild-type plants and rmr6-1 mutants. RMR6 encodes the largest subunit of the RNA polymerase IV complex and is responsible for accumulation of most 24-nucleotide (nt) small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). We identified novel MIRNA loci and verified miR399 target conservation in maize. RMR6-dependent 23-24 nt siRNA loci were specifically enriched in the upstream region of the most highly expressed genes. Most genes misregulated in rmr6-1 did not show a significant correlation with loss of flanking siRNAs, but we identified one gene supporting existing models of direct gene regulation by TE-derived siRNAs. Long-term drought correlated with changes of miRNA and sRNA accumulation, in particular inducing down-regulation of a set of sRNA loci in the wild-typeleaf.
Effect of Dynamic Properties of Support O-Rings on Stability of Herringbone-Grooved Aerodynamic Journal Bearings

This paper discusses the stability of herringbone-grooved aerodynamic journal bearings supported by rubber O-rings. In this research, the dynamic stiffness and the damping properties of the O-rings are identified in a variety of operating and design conditions. The identification results are fitted with the empirical formulae previously proposed, and the distributions of the dynamic properties in a variety of support conditions are obtained. It is theoretically investigated how the stability of the bearing system changes with the dynamic properties. The bearing tests are also performed to verify the analytical results with the empirical formulae. The empirical formulae used here was reasonable for simulating the dynamic properties of the O-rings in a variety of bearing support conditions. The comparisons between the analysis and experiments verified the effectively of analyzing the stability of the bearing system by using the empirical formulae.
Stereo PIV Measurement of Flow Structures underneath an Axial-Slot Casing Treatment on a One and a Half Stage Transonic Compressor

In this publication, a very effective Casing Treatment (CT) design with half heart-shaped axial slots is investigated using Stereo Particle Image Velocimetry. The Casing Treatment was applied to a transonic one and a half stage compressor test rig with variable inlet guide vanes. The setup is representative for a state of the art high speed compressor front stage. The CT design intent was solely aerodynamic, requiring a complex optical setup (Fig. 1 and Fig. 2) to generate optical access. Three component velocity data were recorded on a tangential plane at 92% relative channel height under and between Casing Treatment slots, as well as in the blade passage downstream of the slots. A complex field reconstruction technique was applied to generate data in the rotor relative frame. Results clearly depict the shock system and the secondary flow structures for different operating points on the design speed-line (Fig. 3). The measurements are compared to results of previous measurements of the smooth wall configuration, showing significant changes of the tip leakage vortex structure, which has a big influence on aerodynamic stability. Measured shock locations at different operating points show good agreement compared to unsteady wall pressure measurements performed in previous investigations. The reduction of shock detachment through the CT is confirmed quantitatively. This value is critical for blockage development and aerodynamic stability and may now be compared to numerical simulations. The filling and ejection process of the CT is resolved at different rotor relative positions. Therewith, the real working principle of the CT is resolved through insight into the critical rotor area.