Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Worldwide Analysis of Sedimentary DNA Reveals Major Gaps in Taxonomic Knowledge of Deep-Sea Benthos

Deep-sea sediments represent the largest but least known ecosystem on earth. With increasing anthropogenic pressure, it is now a matter of urgency to improve our understanding of deep-sea biodiversity. Traditional morpho-taxonomic studies suggest that the ocean floor hosts extraordinarily diverse benthic communities. However, due to both its remoteness and a lack of expert taxonomists, assessing deep-sea diversity is a very challenging task. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding offers a powerful tool to complement morpho-taxonomic studies. Here we use eDNA to assess benthic metazoan diversity in 39 deep-sea sediment samples from bathyal and abyssal depths worldwide. The eDNA dataset was dominated by meiobenthic taxa and we identified all animal phyla commonly found in the deep-sea benthos; yet, the diversity within these phyla remains largely unknown. The large numbers of taxonomically unassigned molecular operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were not equally distributed among phyla, with nematodes and platyhelminthes being the most poorly characterized from a taxonomic perspective. While the data obtained here reveal pronounced heterogeneity and vast amounts of unknown biodiversity in the deep sea, they also expose the difficulties in exploiting metabarcoding datasets resulting from the lack of taxonomic knowledge and appropriate reference databases. Overall, our study demonstrates the promising potential of eDNA metabarcoding to accelerate the assessment of deep-sea biodiversity for pure and applied deep-sea environmental research but also emphasises the necessity to integrate such new approaches with traditional morphology-based examination of deep-sea organisms.
Mask 3D effects: impact on imaging and placement

In this paper we perform a fundamental study on the impact of mask absorber in ArF immersions lithography: the mask 3D effects. From simulations and analysis of diffraction coefficients we could identify a range of relevant features and imaging and placement phenomena. For these features, experimental results were obtained to pinpoint the mask 3D effects. We will demonstrate how to model and understand the mask 3D effects and give solutions to counteract the mask 3D effects.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES THE ROLE OF INFORMATION AND SOCIAL INTERACTIONS IN RETIREMENT PLAN DECISIONS: EVIDENCE FROM A RANDOMIZED EXPERIMENT

This paper analyzes a randomized experiment to shed light on the role of information and social interactions in employees' decisions to enroll in a Tax Deferred Account (TDA) retirement plan within a large university. The experiment encouraged a random sample of employees in a subset of departments to attend a benefits information fair organized by the university, by promising a monetary reward for attendance. The experiment more than tripled the attendance rate of these treated individuals (relative to controls), and doubled that of untreated individuals within departments where some individuals were treated. TDA enrollment 5 and 11 months after the fair was significantly higher in departments where some individuals were treated than in departments where nobody was treated. However, the effect on TDA enrollment is almost as large for individuals in treated departments who did not receive the encouragement as for those who did. We provide three interpretations, differential treatment effects, social network effects, and motivational reward effects, to account for these results. Esther Duflo Emmanuel Saez MIT Harvard University Department of Economics Department of Economics Cambridge, MA 02142 Cambridge, MA 02138 and NBER and NBER eduflo@mit.edu saez@fas.harvard. edu
Sensing of large strain using multiwall carbon nanotube/segmented polyurethane composites

Multiwall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)/elastomeric composite films were fabricated using two segmented polyurethanes: an in-house synthesized one (SPU) and a commercial medical grade one (Tecoflex®, TF). Electrical, mechanical, and electromechanical (piezoresistive) properties of both composites were evaluated as a function of the MWCNT weight concentration (1–10 wt %). An increase in electrical conductivity for both types of polymers was observed for MWCNT concentrations as low as 1 wt %. The electrical conductivity of MWCNT/TF composites was higher than that achieved for MWCNT/SPU composites. Mechanical properties of 8 wt % MWCNT/SPU composites showed a threefold increase in stiffness compared to neat SPU. The changes in electrical resistance of the composites showed higher sensitivity to strain for lower MWCNT concentrations. The piezoresistive signal of the composites allows to measure strains up to ∼400% before electrical depercolation occurs. The strain at which electrical depercolation occurs depends on the conductivity of the composite in its unloaded state. This kind of composites may find sensing applications in prosthetics, biomedical devices, and smart textiles. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Antibiotic Adjuvant Therapy in Diabetic Patients with Cellulitis Induced Pan Drug Resistance Infection in Lower-Limb Amputation Patient: a Case Study

Rising complications in diabetic patient suffering with cellulitis is an serious concern. Diabetic patients with cellulitis have an increased chance of bacterial infection and are associated with high incidence of amputation. Diabetic patient flora gives an ideal environment to Gram positive and Gram negative bacterial growth. Increased morbidity and mortality is noted in antimicrobial resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections, especially in diabetic patients undergone amputation. Here we are discuss a case of cellulitis with pandrug resistant infections in post lower-limb amputation treated successfully with newer antibiotic adjuvant entity: Elores (ceftriaxone+sulbactam+disodiumedetate).
Co‐translational protein targeting catalyzed by the Escherichia coli signal recognition particle and its receptor

The Ffh‐4.5S ribonucleoprotein particle (RNP) and FtsY from Escherichia coli are homologous to essential components of the mammalian signal recognition particle (SRP) and SRP receptor, respectively. The ability of these E.coli components to function in a bona fide co‐translational targeting pathway remains unclear. Here we demonstrate that the Ffh‐4.5S RNP and FtsY can efficiently replace their mammalian counterparts in targeting nascent secretory proteins to microsomal membranes in vitro. Targeting in the heterologous system requires a hydrophobic signal sequence, utilizes GTP and, moreover, occurs co‐translationally. Unlike mammalian SRP, however, the Ffh‐4.5S RNP is unable to arrest translational elongation, which results in a narrow time window for the ribosome nascent chain to interact productively with the membrane‐bound translocation machinery. The highly negatively charged N‐terminal domain of FtsY, which is a conserved feature among prokaryotic SRP receptor homologs, is important for translocation and acts to localize the protein to the membrane. Our data illustrate the extreme functional conservation between prokaryotic and eukaryotic SRP and SRP receptors and suggest that the basic mechanism of co‐translational protein targeting is conserved between bacteria and mammals.
Regulation of C-cadherin function during activin induced morphogenesis of Xenopus animal caps

Treatment of Xenopus animal pole tissue with activin results in the induction of mesodermal cell types and a dramatic elongation of the tissue. The morphogenetic movements involved in the elongation appear similar to those in normal gastrulation, which is driven by cell rearrangement and cell intercalations. We have used this system to explore the potential regulation of cell-cell adhesion and cadherin function during morphogenesis. Quantitative blastomere aggregation assays revealed that activin induction reduced the calcium-dependent adhesion between blastomeres. Activin-induced blastomeres formed smaller aggregates, and a greater proportion of the population remained as single cells compared to uninduced blastomeres. The aggregation was mediated by C-cadherin because C-cadherin was present in the blastomeres during the aggregation assay, and monoclonal antibodies against C-cadherin inhibited the calcium-dependent aggregation of blastomeres. E-cadherin was not detectable until after the completion of the assay and, therefore, does not explain the adhesive differences between induced and uninduced blastomeres. L cells stably expressing C- cadherin (LC cells) were used to demonstrate that C-cadherin activity was specifically altered after activin induction. Blastomeres induced with activin bound fewer LC cells than uninduced blastomers. L cells not expressing C-cadherin did not adhere to blastomeres. The changes in C-cadherin-mediated adhesion occurred without detectable changes in the steady-state levels of C-cadherin or the amount of C-cadherin present on the surface of the cell. Immunoprecipitation of C-cadherin and its associated catenins revealed that the ratio of C-cadherin and the catenins was not altered by activin induction. These results demonstrate that activin decreases the adhesive function of existing C- cadherin molecules on the surface of blastomeres and suggest that decreased cadherin mediated cell-cell adhesion is associated with increased morphogenetic movement.
Intracerebral Hemorrhage after Intravenous Thrombolysis in Patients with Cerebral Microbleeds and Cardiac Myxoma

Background and purpose: Cardiac myxoma is a rare etiology of stroke. Both cerebral microbleeds and cardiac myxoma may increase the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage after intravenous (IV) thrombolysis. However, data are still limited. We report a case of multiple cerebral microbleeds treated with IV thrombolysis with later findings of cardiac myxoma. Summary of case: A 58-year-old-man presented with right-sided hemiplegia and global aphasia. The presumptive diagnosis of acute left middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarction was made. Previous magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple cerebral microbleeds. The patient received IV thrombolysis. Bilateral cerebellar hemorrhage occurred after thrombolysis, and a median suboccipital craniectomy and hematoma removal was performed. Transthoracic echocardiogram found a left atrial myxoma. The tumor was then surgically removed. Six months later, neurological deficit improved. Conclusion: Cerebral microbleeds may be associated with atrial myxoma. IV thrombolysis could benefit acute ischemic stroke patients with both baseline cerebral microbleeds and atrial myxoma.
20-Gb/s All-Optical Format Conversions From RZ Signals With Different Duty Cycles to NRZ Signals

An all-fiber delay interferometer and narrowband filter based an all-optical format conversion scheme, which can convert return-to-zero (RZ) signals with variable duty cycles to nonreturn-to-zero signals, is proposed and demonstrated. The passive converter is independent of wavelength and input power. The operation principle is analyzed and simulated. Experimental results of 20-Gb/s RZ signals with three different duty cycles accord well with the simulation results. The bit-error-rate measurements show the good performance of the proposed scheme. The conversion performances of different wavelengths and parameters are also discussed.
A core questionnaire for the assessment of patient satisfaction in academic hospitals in The Netherlands: development and first results in a nationwide study

Background Patient satisfaction is one of the relevant indicators of quality of care; however, measuring patient satisfaction had been criticised. A major criticism is that many instruments are not reliable and/or valid. The instruments should have enough discriminative power for benchmarking of the results. Objective To develop a “core questionnaire for the assessment of patient satisfaction in academic hospitals” (COPS) that is reliable and appropriate for benchmarking patient satisfaction results. Research design The development of COPS, the testing of its psychometric quality and its use in eight Dutch academic hospitals in three national comparative studies in 2003, 2005 and 2007 are described in this study. Results were reported only if they were significant (p<0.05) and relevant (also Cohen d>0.2). Results The questionnaire was returned in 2003 by 40 678 patients (77 450 sent, 53%) and by 40 248 patients (75 423 sent, 53%) in 2005. In 2007, the questionnaire was returned by 45 834 patients (87 137, 53%). The six dimensions have good Cronbach α's, varying from 0.79 to 0.88. The results of every item were reported to the individual hospital. A benchmark overview showed the overall comparison of all specialties of the eight hospitals for the clinic and outpatient departments. The 2007 measurement showed relevant differences in satisfaction on two dimensions in the clinical setting. Conclusions COPS is shown to be a feasible and reliable instrument to measure the satisfaction of patients in Dutch academic hospitals. It allows comparison of hospitals and gives benchmark information on a hospital as well as data on specialty levels and previous measurements, including best practices.
The Exponentially Convergent Trapezoidal Rule

It is well known that the trapezoidal rule converges geometrically when applied to analytic functions on periodic intervals or the real line. The mathematics and history of this phenomenon are reviewed, and it is shown that far from being a curiosity, it is linked with computational methods all across scientific computing, including algorithms related to inverse Laplace transforms, special functions, complex analysis, rational approximation, integral equations, and the computation of functions and eigenvalues of matrices and operators.
Body composition in dancers: the bioelectrical impedance method.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to generate and validate a prediction equation for estimating the body composition in dancers using the bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) as a method of assessment. METHODS The fat-free mass (FFM) of 42 young female professional dance students was estimated by four different methods: dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA), BIA, simple anthropometry, and skinfold thickness; DXA was used as a criterion method. RESULTS The dancers' FFM was 42.6 kg (SD: 3.3) and, on the average, body fat represented the 19.4% (SD: 4.3) of their body weight. Two dancer-specific BIA equations for the prediction of FFM (E(BIA)) were developed by multiple regression analysis using weight, height, resistance index, and triceps as predictor variables (E(BIA) and E(BIA-TRICEPS)). The validity of these equations as well as of those previously reported was assessed in two randomly selected subgroups of the initial study group, as described by the Bland-Altman analysis. The bias and the limits of agreement of the equations developed in the present study were lower than those resulting from the application of the previously used equations of Segal et al. and Hergenroeder et al. It was also found that, when validated against DXA, skinfolds measurements did not accurately predict body fatness in this group of young females. CONCLUSION The new equations allow for an accurate routine assessment of body composition in young female dancers by using the method of BIA. Further studies are needed for the cross-validation of the equations in various groups of dancers.
Non-contact stiffness sensing with deformation dependent force calibration

Non-contact stiffness sensor is often utilized especially for medical fields due to its advantage of avoiding damage to tissues and keeping sanitary. However, it is hard to measure the force accurately, because the fluid jet based force much depends upon the shape after deformation of object. This paper proposes an innovative approach where the external force is adaptively calibrated based on the deformation of object so that we can evaluate the internal stiffness parameters more accurately than that of conventional approaches. It is shown that the proposed method can improve the accuracy of force application with even 100% at an extreme case.
Stochastic k-Center and j-Flat-Center Problems

Solving geometric optimization problems over uncertain data has become increasingly important in many applications and has attracted a lot of attentions in recent years. In this paper, we study two important geometric optimization problems, the k-center problem and the j-flat-center problem, over stochastic/uncertain data points in Euclidean spaces. For the stochastic k-center problem, we would like to find k points in a fixed dimensional Euclidean space, such that the expected value of the k-center objective is minimized. For the stochastic j-flat-center problem, we seek a j-flat (i.e., a j-dimensional affine subspace) such that the expected value of the maximum distance from any point to the j-flat is minimized. We consider both problems under two popular stochastic geometric models, the existential uncertainty model, where the existence of each point may be uncertain, and the locational uncertainty model, where the location of each point may be uncertain. We provide the first PTAS (Polynomial Time Approximation Scheme) for both problems under the two models. Our results generalize the previous results for stochastic minimum enclosing ball and stochastic enclosing cylinder.
Developmental Exposure to PCBs, MeHg, or Both: Long-Term Effects on Auditory Function

Background Developmental exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) or methylmercury (MeHg) can result in a variety of neurotoxic effects, including long-term auditory deficits. However, little is known about the effects of combined exposure to PCBs and MeHg on auditory function. Objective We developmentally exposed rats to PCBs and/or MeHg and assessed auditory function in adulthood to determine the effects of exposure to these contaminants individually and in combination. Methods We exposed female Long-Evans rats to 1 or 3 mg/kg PCB in corn oil, 1.5 or 4.5 ppm MeHg in drinking water, or combined exposure to 1 mg/kg PCB + 1.5 ppm MeHg or 3 mg/kg PCB + 4.5 ppm MeHg. Controls received corn oil vehicle and unadulterated water. Dosing began 28 days before breeding and continued until weaning at postnatal day (PND) 21. Auditory function of the offspring was assessed at approximately PND 200 by measuring distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs) and auditory brainstem responses (ABRs). Results Groups exposed to PCBs alone had attenuated DPOAE amplitudes, elevated DPOAE thresholds, and elevated ABR thresholds compared with controls. Groups exposed to MeHg alone did not differ from controls. Unexpectedly, the effects of PCB exposure appeared to be attenuated by coexposure to MeHg. Conclusion Developmental exposure to PCBs can result in permanent hearing deficits, and the changes in DPOAE amplitudes and thresholds suggest a cochlear site of action. Coexposure to MeHg appeared to attenuate the PCB-related deficits, but the mechanism for this unexpected interaction remains to be determined.
Efficacy and safety of intravenous cyclophosphamide pulse therapy with oral prednisolone in the treatment of interstitial lung disease with systemic sclerosis: 4-year follow-up

Interstitial lung disease (ILD) is a noteworthy condition in the treatment of systemic sclerosis (SSc) because of its associated mortality and morbidity; however, the efficacy of various treatments for ILD has been controversial in previous reports. In this study, we examined the efficacy and safety of intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY) pulse therapy with prednisolone (PSL) for the treatment of ILD with SSc. A total of 121 patients with SSc were screened and evaluated for ILD, using high-resolution computed tomography of the chest, pulmonary function testing, and bronchoalveolar lavage. Thirteen patients with active ILD were enrolled in this study. The treatment protocol for ILD was 0.4 g/m2 of body surface area of IVCY monthly plus 0.8 mg/kg of body weight of PSL daily. Two to six doses of IVCY were administered, depending on the remission of ILD. Initial PSL doses were maintained for a month and then gradually tapered to 10 mg daily. An activity index of ILD showed improvements in all patients in the 12 months after the initial intervention; however, four patients experienced recurrence of ILD after 24 months, and one additional patient had recurrence of ILD after 36 months. Seven patients reached the 48-month point with no recurrence of ILD. This long observational study for 48 months showed the efficacy of IVCY with PSL for active alveolitis in the first year. However, because five patients had recurrence of ILD more than 1 year after the treatment, it would be necessary to consider maintenance therapy for ILD beyond 1 year.
Integral Field Spectroscopy of the Luminous Infrared Galaxy Arp 299 (IC 694 + NGC 3690)

The luminous infrared galaxy Arp 299 (IC 694 + NGC 3690) is studied using optical integral field spectroscopy obtained with the INTEGRAL system, together with archival Hubble Space Telescope WFPC2 and NICMOS images. The stellar and ionized gas morphology shows λ-dependent variations due to the combined effects of the dust internal extinction and the nature and spatial distribution of the different ionizing sources. The two-dimensional ionization maps have revealed an off-nuclear conical structure of about 4 kpc in length, characterized by high-excitation conditions and a radial gradient in the gas electron density. The apex of this structure coincides with B1 region of NGC 3690, which in turn presents Seyfert-like ionization, high extinction, and a high velocity dispersion. These results strongly support the hypothesis that B1 is the true nucleus of NGC 3690, where an AGN is located. In the circumnuclear regions H II-like ionization dominates, while LINER-like ionization is found elsewhere. The Hα-emitting sources with ages from 3.3 to 7.2 × 106 yr, have masses of between 6 and 680 × 106 M☉ and contribute about 45% to the bolometric luminosity (extinction corrected). The ionized (Hα) and neutral (Na D) gas velocity fields show similar structure on scales of several hundred to about 1 kpc, indicating that these gas components are kinematically coupled. The kinematic structure is complex and on scales of about 0.2 kpc does not appear to be dominated by the presence of ordered, rotational motions. The large velocity dispersion measured in NGC 3690 indicates that this galaxy is the most massive of the system. The low velocity amplitude and dispersion of the interface suggest that the ionized gas is slowly rotating or in a close to quiescent phase.