Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Element transfer behavior of fluxes during submerged Arc welding

Submerged arc welding process is the most widely used arc welding process for joining thick plates and pipes. The feature that distinguishes Submerged Arc Welding from other arc welding processes is the granular fusible material, termed as flux. The properties of the weld metal have been found to be dependent on flux electrode base plate compositions and on welding parameters. Flux and filler metal play a central role in ascertaining properties of the weld metal. In the present work, element transfer behavior of the fluxes and other related effects e.g. metal transfer behavior, bead geometry and shape relationships, tensile and impact strength of weld metal etc. are studied. The CaO Si02 A1203 and CaO Ti02A1203 based flux systems have been designed to study C, Si, Mn, Ni, Cr, P, and S transfer through fluxes to the weld metal as the fluxes having Si02 as one of the constituent are generally associated with low weld metal toughness, and the above specified elements have important bearing on mechanical properties of the weld metal. Metal transfer studies were carried out by recording arc voltage and welding current transients with the help of a real time data acquisition system. This data acquisition
Elucidating gene function and function evolution through comparison of co-expression networks of plants

The analysis of gene expression data has shown that transcriptionally coordinated (co-expressed) genes are often functionally related, enabling scientists to use expression data in gene function prediction. This Focused Review discusses our original paper (Large-scale co-expression approach to dissect secondary cell wall formation across plant species, Frontiers in Plant Science 2:23). In this paper we applied cross-species analysis to co-expression networks of genes involved in cellulose biosynthesis. We showed that the co-expression networks from different species are highly similar, indicating that whole biological pathways are conserved across species. This finding has two important implications. First, the analysis can transfer gene function annotation from well-studied plants, such as Arabidopsis, to other, uncharacterized plant species. As the analysis finds genes that have similar sequence and similar expression pattern across different organisms, functionally equivalent genes can be identified. Second, since co-expression analyses are often noisy, a comparative analysis should have higher performance, as parts of co-expression networks that are conserved are more likely to be functionally relevant. In this Focused Review, we outline the comparative analysis done in the original paper and comment on the recent advances and approaches that allow comparative analyses of co-function networks. We hypothesize that in comparison to simple co-expression analysis, comparative analysis would yield more accurate gene function predictions. Finally, by combining comparative analysis with genomic information of green plants, we propose a possible composition of cellulose biosynthesis machinery during earlier stages of plant evolution.
The repellency of lemongrass oil against stable flies, tested using video tracking

Lemongrass oil (Cymbopogon citratus) is an effective repellent against mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and house flies (Diptera: Muscidae). In this study, its effectiveness was assessed on stable flies (Diptera: Muscidae) in laboratory conditions. First, we demonstrated that lemongrass oil is an active substance for antennal olfactory receptor cells of Stomoxys calcitrans as indicated by a significant increase in the electroantennogram responses to increasing doses of lemongrass oil. Feeding-choice tests in a flight cage with stable flies having access to two blood-soaked sanitary pads, one of which was treated with lemongrass oil, showed that stable flies (n = 24) spent significantly more time in the untreated zone (median value = 218.4 s) than in the treated zone (median value = 63.7 s). No stable flies fed on the treated pad, whereas nine fed on the untreated pad. These results suggest that lemongrass oil could be used as an effective repellent against stable flies. Additional studies to confirm its spatial repellent and feeding deterrent effects are warranted.
Perceptual Other-Race Training Reduces Implicit Racial Bias

Background Implicit racial bias denotes socio-cognitive attitudes towards other-race groups that are exempt from conscious awareness. In parallel, other-race faces are more difficult to differentiate relative to own-race faces – the “Other-Race Effect. ” To examine the relationship between these two biases, we trained Caucasian subjects to better individuate other-race faces and measured implicit racial bias for those faces both before and after training. Methodology/Principal Findings Two groups of Caucasian subjects were exposed equally to the same African American faces in a training protocol run over 5 sessions. In the individuation condition, subjects learned to discriminate between African American faces. In the categorization condition, subjects learned to categorize faces as African American or not. For both conditions, both pre- and post-training we measured the Other-Race Effect using old-new recognition and implicit racial biases using a novel implicit social measure – the “Affective Lexical Priming Score” (ALPS). Subjects in the individuation condition, but not in the categorization condition, showed improved discrimination of African American faces with training. Concomitantly, subjects in the individuation condition, but not the categorization condition, showed a reduction in their ALPS. Critically, for the individuation condition only, the degree to which an individual subject's ALPS decreased was significantly correlated with the degree of improvement that subject showed in their ability to differentiate African American faces. Conclusions/Significance Our results establish a causal link between the Other-Race Effect and implicit racial bias. We demonstrate that training that ameliorates the perceptual Other-Race Effect also reduces socio-cognitive implicit racial bias. These findings suggest that implicit racial biases are multifaceted, and include malleable perceptual skills that can be modified with relatively little training.
Concentration of electron dense granules in the rabbit ovarian surface epithelium during ovulation.

The rabbit ovary was examined to determine the distribution of electron dense granules in the cells of the surface epithelium during ovulation. The granules in the epithelial cells covering mature follicles increase from a mean frequency of 1.83 ± 1.96 per cell in the unmated animal to a mean of 3.88 ± 2.02 at 9 h after mating. (The cross-sectional area of the surface epithelial cell remains constant to 9 h.) The concentration of the granules remains elevated until rupture of the follicles (i.e. approx. 9.5 h postcoitum). Within 2.5 h after ovulation the granule concentration decreases to the level of unmated mature follicles. Dense granules are also present in the surface epithelial cells which cover the ovarian stroma, indicating they are not restricted just to the apex of mature follicles. In addition, some follicles proceeded to rupture even after the surface epithelium had been removed by scraping the surface of the ovary. These results suggest that the accumulation of electron dense granules in the surface epitheium of the rabbit ovary is not essential to ovulation. The increase in their concentration during ovulation may reflect a physiological response of the ovarian surface to the traumatic changes which occur in a mature follicle as it approaches rupture.
Abnormal baseline brain activity in drug-naïve patients with Tourette syndrome: a resting-state fMRI study

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a childhood-onset chronic disorder characterized by the presence of multiple motor and vocal tics. This study investigated spontaneous low-frequency fluctuations in TS patients during resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans. We obtained rs-fMRI scans from 17 drug-naïve TS children and 15 demographically matched healthy children. We computed the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF) and fractional ALFF (fALFF) of rs-fMRI data to measure spontaneous brain activity, and assessed the between-group differences in ALFF/fALFF and the relationship between ALFF/fALFF and tic severity scores. Our results showed that the children with TS exhibited significantly decreased ALFF in the posterior cingulate gyrus/precuneus and bilateral parietal gyrus. fALFF was decreased in TS children in the anterior cingulated cortex, bilateral middle and superior frontal cortices and superior parietal lobule, and increased in the left putamen and bilateral thalamus. Moreover, we found significantly positive correlations between fALFF and tic severity scores in the right thalamus. Our study provides empirical evidence for abnormal spontaneous neuronal activity in TS patients, which may implicate the underlying neurophysiological mechanism in TS and demonstrate the possibility of applying ALFF/fALFF for clinical TS studies.
The Fisher-KPP Equation with Nonlinear Fractional Diffusion

We study the propagation properties of nonnegative and bounded solutions of the class of reaction-diffusion equations with nonlinear fractional diffusion: $u_{t} + (-\Delta)^s (u^m)=f(u)$. For all $0 m_c=(N-2s)_+/N $, we consider the solution of the initial-value problem with initial data having fast decay at infinity and prove that its level sets propagate exponentially fast in time, in contrast to the traveling wave behavior of the standard KPP case, which corresponds to putting $s=1$, $m=1$, and $f(u)=u(1-u)$. The proof of this fact uses as an essential ingredient the recently established decay properties of the self-similar solutions of the purely diffusive equation, $u_{t} + (-\Delta)^s u^m=0$.
Counting membrane-embedded KCNE β-subunits in functioning K+ channel complexes

Ion channels are multisubunit proteins responsible for the generation and propagation of action potentials in nerve, skeletal muscle, and heart as well as maintaining salt and water homeostasis in epithelium. The subunit composition and stoichiometry of these membrane protein complexes underlies their physiological function, as different cells pair ion-conducting α-subunits with specific regulatory β-subunits to produce complexes with diverse ion-conducting and gating properties. However, determining the number of α- and β-subunits in functioning ion channel complexes is challenging and often fraught with contradictory results. Here we describe the synthesis of a chemically releasable, irreversible K+ channel inhibitor and its iterative application to tally the number of β-subunits in a KCNQ1/KCNE1 K+ channel complex. Using this inhibitor in electrical recordings, we definitively show that there are two KCNE subunits in a functioning tetrameric K+ channel, breaking the apparent fourfold arrangement of the ion-conducting subunits. This digital determination rules out any measurable contribution from supra, sub, and multiple stoichiometries, providing a uniform structural picture to interpret KCNE β-subunit modulation of voltage-gated K+ channels and the inherited mutations that cause dysfunction. Moreover, the architectural asymmetry of the K+ channel complex affords a unique opportunity to therapeutically target ion channels that coassemble with KCNE β-subunits.
Linking Global Warming, Metabolic Rate of Hematophagous Vectors, and the Transmission of Infectious Diseases

Climate is under constant change. In addition to its natural variability, there is plenty of evidence suggesting persistent changes overtime produced by external forces, such as anthropogenic activities. These changes are observed on patterns of precipitation and temperature, among others (Crowley, 2000). Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been recorded since the beginning of the twentieth century. The hypothesis that changes in CO2 concentration of the atmosphere could be responsible for climate deviations, first proposed by Arrhenius (1896), is now known as the greenhouse effect. Much research has been done finding a connection between the rise of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (and other greenhouse-effect gases) to increases in the global mean temperatures. Energy balance model studies show that temperature changes during the past 100 years cannot be explained by natural factors alone (such as solar irradiation and volcanism). Global mean temperatures have increased by 0.74 ± 0.18°C during the period 1906–2005, while average CO2 levels increased from 280 ppm before the industrial revolution to 379 ppm in 2005 (IPCC, 2007). Moreover, it has been documented that this mean increase in temperature is produced by a rise in the minimum temperatures, resulting in a narrower diurnal temperature range (Easterling, 1997).
Catch trials in force field learning influence adaptation and consolidation of human motor memory

Force field studies are a common tool to investigate motor adaptation and consolidation. Thereby, subjects usually adapt their reaching movements to force field perturbations induced by a robotic device. In this context, so-called catch trials, in which the disturbing forces are randomly turned off, are commonly used to detect after-effects of motor adaptation. However, catch trials also produce sudden large motor errors that might influence the motor adaptation and the consolidation process. Yet, the detailed influence of catch trials is far from clear. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of catch trials on motor adaptation and consolidation in force field experiments. Therefore, 105 subjects adapted their reaching movements to robot-generated force fields. The test groups adapted their reaching movements to a force field A followed by learning a second interfering force field B before retest of A (ABA). The control groups were not exposed to force field B (AA). To examine the influence of diverse catch trial ratios, subjects received catch trials during force field adaptation with a probability of either 0, 10, 20, 30, or 40%, depending on the group. First, the results on motor adaptation revealed significant differences between the diverse catch trial ratio groups. With increasing amount of catch trials, the subjects' motor performance decreased and subjects' ability to accurately predict the force field—and therefore internal model formation—was impaired. Second, our results revealed that adapting with catch trials can influence the following consolidation process as indicated by a partial reduction to interference. Here, the optimal catch trial ratio was 30%. However, detection of consolidation seems to be biased by the applied measure of performance.
An fMRI Study of Intra-Individual Functional Topography in the Human Cerebellum

Neuroimaging studies report cerebellar activation during both motor and non-motor paradigms, and suggest a functional topography within the cerebellum. Sensorimotor tasks activate the anterior lobe, parts of lobule VI, and lobule VIII, whereas higher-level tasks activate lobules VI and VII in the posterior lobe. To determine whether these activation patterns are evident at a single-subject level, we conducted functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during five tasks investigating sensorimotor (finger tapping), language (verb generation), spatial (mental rotation), working memory (N-back), and emotional processing (viewing images from the International Affective Picture System). Finger tapping activated the ipsilateral anterior lobe (lobules IV-V) as well as lobules VI and VIII. Activation during verb generation was found in right lobules VII and VIIIA. Mental rotation activated left-lateralized clusters in lobules VII-VIIIA, VI-Crus I, and midline VIIAt. The N-back task showed bilateral activation in right lobules VI-Crus I and left lobules VIIB-VIIIA. Cerebellar activation was evident bilaterally in lobule VI while viewing arousing vs. neutral images. This fMRI study provides the first proof of principle demonstration that there is topographic organization of motor execution vs. cognitive/emotional domains within the cerebellum of a single individual, likely reflecting the anatomical specificity of cerebro-cerebellar circuits underlying different task domains. Inter-subject variability of motor and non-motor topography remains to be determined.
Older people presenting to the emergency department after a fall: a population with substantial recurrent healthcare use

Objectives To document patient characteristics, care pathways, healthcare use and costs of fall-related emergency department (ED) presentations by older adults. Participants and methods All fallers aged ≥70 years, presenting to the ED of a 450-bed metropolitan university hospital in Sydney, Australia (1 April 2007 through 31 March 2009) were studied. Data were collected from the ED electronic information system, ED clinical records and the hospital electronic information system database. Population estimates for 2008 for the local areas served by the hospital were used to estimate ED presentation rates. Results Of 18 902 all-cause ED presentations, 3220 (17.0%) were due to a fall. Among fallers, 35.4% had one or more ED presentations and 20.3% had had one or more hospital admissions in the preceding 12 months. Fall-related ED presentation led directly to hospital admission in 42.7% of the cases, the majority of which (78.0%) received acute care only (length of stay—14.4 days for men and 13.7 days for women) and the remaining cases underwent further inpatient rehabilitation (length of stay 35.6 days for men and 30.1 days for women). After hospitalisation, 9.5% of patients became first-time residents of long-term care facilities. All fall-related ED presentations and hospitalisations cost a total of A$11 241 387 over the study period. Conclusions Older fallers presenting to the ED consume significant healthcare resources and are an easily identifiable high-risk population. They may benefit from systematic fall-risk assessment and tailored fall-prevention interventions.
Functional abnormalities in isolated left bundle branch block. The effect of interventricular asynchrony.

Eighteen patients with isolated left bundle branch block (LBBB) were compared with 10 normal control subjects. Apexcardiograms, phonocardiograms, electrocardiograms, two-dimensional and dual M-mode echocardiograms, and radionuclide ventriculograms (RNV) were performed. There were no differences in the timing of right ventricular events between LBBB and normal subjects; however, striking delays in left ventricular systolic and diastolic events were apparent in the LBBB group. The delay was associated with shortening of left ventricular diastole and resultant increase in the ratio of right to left ventricular diastolic time in LBBB (1.2 +/- 0.08) compared with normal (1.0 +/- 0.06), p less than 0.0001. First heart sound (S1) amplitude, expressed as the ratio S1/S2, was decreased in LBBB compared with normal (0.67 +/- 0.2 compared with 1.34 +/- 0.25, p less than 0.01), in part due to wide separation of the valvular contributors to S1. The abnormal interventricular septal motion in LBBB corresponded to periods of asynchrony in contraction, ejection, end systole, and end diastole between right and left ventricles. Radionuclide ventriculograms revealed decreased regional ejection fraction of the septum in LBBB (40 +/- 16%) compared with 67 +/- 7% in normal subjects (p less than 0.001), while the apical and lateral regional ejection fractions were similar in the two groups. This loss of septal contribution resulted in a reduction in global ejection fraction in LBBB compared to normals (54 +/- 7% compared with 62 +/- 5%, p less than 0.005). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
GYM: A Multiround Distributed Join Algorithm

Multiround algorithms are now commonly used in distributed data processing systems, yet the extent to which algorithms can benefit from running more rounds is not well understood. This paper answers this question for several rounds for the problem of computing the equijoin of n relations. Given any query Q with width w, intersection width iw, input size IN, output size OUT, and a cluster of machines with M=\Omega(IN \frac{1}{\epsilon}) memory available per machine, where \epsilon > 1 and w \ge 1 are constants, we show that: 1. Q can be computed in O(n) rounds with O(n(INw + OUT)2/M) communication cost with high probability. Q can be computed in O(log(n)) rounds with O(n(INmax(w, 3iw) + OUT)2/M) communication cost with high probability. Intersection width is a new notion we introduce for queries and generalized hypertree decompositions (GHDs) of queries that captures how connected the adjacent components of the GHDs are. We achieve our first result by introducing a distributed and generalized version of Yannakakis's algorithm, called GYM. GYM takes as input any GHD of Q with width w and depth d, and computes Q in O(d + log(n)) rounds and O(n (INw + OUT)2/M) communication cost. We achieve our second result by showing how to construct GHDs of Q with width max(w, 3iw) and depth O(log(n)). We describe another technique to construct GHDs with longer widths and lower depths, demonstrating other tradeoffs one can make between communication and the number of rounds.
Loop 6 of RhoA Confers Specificity for Effector Binding, Stress Fiber Formation, and Cellular Transformation*

Rho family GTPases regulate multiple cellular processes, including cytoskeletal organization, gene expression, and transformation. These effects are achieved through the interaction of GTP-bound proteins with various downstream targets. A series of RhoA/Rac1 and Rho/Ras chimeras was generated to map the domain(s) of RhoA involved in its association with two classes of effector kinase, represented by PRK2 and ROCK-I. Although the switch 1 domain was required for effector binding, the N terminus of Rho (residues 1–75) was interchangeable with that of Rac. This suggested that the region of Rho that confers effector binding specificity lay further C-terminal. Subsequent studies indicated that the “insert domain”(residues 123–137), a region unique to Rho family GTPases, is not the specificity determinant. However, a determinant for effector binding was identified between Rho residues 75–92. Rac to Rho point mutations (V85D or A88D) within loop 6 of Rac promoted its association with PRK2 and ROCK, whereas the reciprocal Rho(D87V/D90A) double mutant significantly reduced effector binding capacity. In vivostudies showed that microinjection of Rac(Q6IL/V85D/A88D) but not Rac(Q6IL) induced stress fiber formation in LLC-PK epithelial cells, suggesting that loop 6 residues conferred the ability of Rac to activate ROCK. On the other hand, the reciprocal Rho (Q6IL/D87V/D90A) mutant was defective in its ability to transform NIH 3T3 cells. These data suggest that although Rho effectors can utilize a Rho or Rac switch 1 domain to sense the GTP-bound state of Rho, unique residues within loop 6 are essential for determining both effector binding specificity and cellular function.