Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determination of the Nucleation Region Location of Si Nano-Crystal Grains Prepared by Pulsed Laser Ablation through Changing Position of Substrates

To determine the nucleation region location of Si nano-crystal grains, pulsed laser ablation of Si target is performed in Ar gas of 10 Pa at room temperature with laser fluence of 4 J/cm2, the substrates are located horizontal under ablation spot with different vertical distance. Characteristics of deposited grains are described by scanning electron microscopy, Raman scattering and X-ray diffraction spectra, the results indicate that deposition position on substrates in a certain range is relative to target surface, which changes according to different vertical distance of substrates to ablation spot. Grain size increased at first and then decreased with addition of lateral distances to target in the range, but the integral distribution rule was independent of position of substrates. Combining with hydrodynamics model, nucleation division model, thermokinetic equation and flat parabolic motion, spatial nucleation region location of grains is obtained through numerical calculations, which is 2.7 mm-43.2 mm to target surface along the plume axis.
Wavelet-based characterisation of asphalt pavement surface macro-texture

This paper utilised wavelet analysis to characterise the macro-texture properties of asphalt pavements. The study included Circular Texture Meter (CTMeter) measurements collected from several asphalt pavement sections in the state of Ohio. The asphalt pavements consisted of two mix designs (Superpave and Marshall), three aggregate types (dolomite, limestone, and gravel), and two binder grades (PG 70-22 and PG 64-22). The wavelet approach was used to determine the wavelength ranges and energy content that affect the macro-texture properties of asphalt pavements. In addition, the normalised energy (NE) parameter was utilised to characterise the overall pavement surface macro-texture. The CTMeter data allowed for obtaining six wavelet decomposition levels, namely d1 through d6, with wavelengths up to 56 mm. The analysis revealed that the macro-texture properties of smooth pavement sections are mainly affected by sub-band levels d1 through d4 (i.e. both fine and coarse aggregates), while the macro-texture properties of the rough pavement sections are mainly affected by sub-band levels d3 and d4 (i.e. coarse aggregates). Similar trends in macro-texture properties were observed between NE and the conventional Mean Profile Depth (MPD). However, the variations in the macro-texture properties were better captured using the NE than the MPD. Therefore, it was concluded that the wavelet approach is better suited to characterise the macro-texture properties of asphalt pavements.
Insatiate boosted forest: Towards data exploitation in object detection

Boosted forest (BF) is a commonly used method for object detection. With the help of cascade strategy, it can efficiently reject non-object windows and finally, combined with sliding window paradigm, give the locations of target objects in an image. In the literature, many aspects of cascaded boosted forest (CBF) have been well studied, such as image representation, tree split and cascade structure. Although it has been extensively investigated, CBF is still not saturated. In this work, we demonstrate by a series of experiments that the performance of a CBF-based object detector can be significantly improved by careful data exploitation. Specifically, we use a simple yet efficient approach to collect more training samples with high quality. We show that the trained CBF-based detector can be included in the data collection loop to provide better training samples. Our experiments are conducted on two challenging pedestrian detection benchmarks: Caltech and Kitti. Taking Caltech for example, we get the best balance between performance and run-time: 17.2% miss rate (MR) while running at 11 frames per second (FPS) on a moderate CPU. Compared with state-of-the-art CBF-based detectors our method gives better or similar performance while running significantly faster.
Vagus nerve modulates secretin binding sites in rat forestomach

Secretin is well known for its inhibitory action on gastric motility. It has been reported that secretin in a physiological dose inhibits gastric motility through mediation by the vagal afferent pathway. Secretin also elicited relaxation of carbachol-stimulated rat forestomach muscle strips by binding to its receptors, suggesting a direct action on this peripheral tissue. We hypothesized that vagal input may affect the action of secretin by modulating the level of secretin receptor in the forestomach. Several treatments, including vagal ligation, vagotomy, perivagal application of capsaicin or colchicine, intravenous infusion of tetrodotoxin, and intraperitoneal injection of atropine, were performed to investigate their effects on secretin receptor binding to forestomach membranes. Specific binding of 125I-labeled secretin to forestomach membranes was significantly decreased (45%) by vagal ligation, vagotomy (50%), or perivagal colchicine treatment (40%). On the contrary, specific binding of 125I-secretin was not affected by perivagal capsaicin treatment, intravenous infusion of tetrodotoxin, or intraperitoneal injection of atropine. By Scatchard analysis of the binding data, the capacity of the high-affinity binding sites in forestomach membranes was found to decrease significantly after vagal ligation compared with membranes from the sham-operated group. However, the affinity at the high-affinity binding sites, the binding parameters of the low-affinity binding sites, and binding specificity were not changed. Vagal ligation but not perivagal capsaicin treatment reduced the inhibitory effect of secretin on bethanechol-stimulated contraction of isolated forestomach muscle strips, causing a right shift in the dose-response curve. These results suggest that vagal input through axonal transport plays a significant role on secretin action by modulating the capacity of secretin binding sites (but not affinity or specificity), at least in rat forestomach.
Duloxetine in the management of diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain

Diabetic neuropathy affects up to 70% of diabetics, and diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP) is the most common and debilitating of the diabetic neuropathies. DPNP significantly reduces quality of life and increases management costs in affected patients. Despite the impact of DPNP, management is poor with one-quarter of patients receiving no treatment and many treated with medications having little or no efficacy in managing DPNP. Duloxetine is one of two drugs approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration for DPNP management. Duloxetine is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) proven safe, effective, and cost-saving in reducing DPNP symptoms at a dose of 60 mg/day. Duloxetine doses greater than 60 mg/day for DPNP management are not recommended since they are no more efficacious and associated with more side effects; addition of pregabalin or gabapentin for these patients may be beneficial. Side effects of duloxetine are generally mild and typical for the SNRI class including nausea, dizziness, somnolence, fatigue, sweating, dry mouth, constipation, and diarrhea. Given its other indications, duloxetine is a particularly good choice for DPNP treatment in patients with coexisting depression, anxiety, fibromyalgia, or chronic musculoskeletal pain. Duloxetine treatment had no clinically significant effect on glycemic control and did not increase the risk of cardiovascular events in diabetes patients. However, duloxetine use should be avoided in patients with hepatic disease or severe renal impairment. Given its safety, efficacy, and tolerability, duloxetine is an excellent choice for DPNP treatment in many patients.
Expression of the neurosecretory process in pc12 cells is governed by rest

The neurosecretory process is acquired during differentiation and can be lost en block by differentiated cells. To investigate the role of REST/NRSF, a transcription repressor, in the maintenance of the process we studied two PC12 clones, one wt and one defective, expressing low and high levels of endogenous RE‐1 silencing transcription (factor) (REST), respectively. Stable transfection of constructs demonstrated that REST represses 10 genes coding for proteins of neurosecretory vesicles and their exocytosis, eight including and two lacking the REST‐binding sequence, RE‐1. Of these genes, those of chromogranins were strongly repressed by fewfold increases of REST, those of VAMP2 and syntaxin1a required much higher levels. Moreover, in wt cells transfected with an active construct the dense‐core vesicles, still competent for regulated exocytosis, were much smaller, with lighter cores; in defective cells, the dominant‐negative construct induced the rescue of many vesicle/exocytosis genes but not of those of chromogranins. Small dense‐core vesicles, exocytized upon stimulation, were rescued when the construct‐transfected defective cells were transfected also with chromograninA or treated with trichostatinA, a blocker of histone deacetylases. Our results identify REST, working by direct and indirect mechanisms, as the factor governing the maintenance of the neurosecretory process and the properties of dense‐core vesicles in PC12 cells.
Global Learning of Focused Entailment Graphs

We propose a global algorithm for learning entailment relations between predicates. We define a graph structure over predicates that represents entailment relations as directed edges, and use a global transitivity constraint on the graph to learn the optimal set of edges, by formulating the optimization problem as an Integer Linear Program. We motivate this graph with an application that provides a hierarchical summary for a set of propositions that focus on a target concept, and show that our global algorithm improves performance by more than 10% over baseline algorithms.
Establishment and Application of BP Neural Network Prediction Model of Xinxue River Constructed Wetland, China Based on Data Expansion

Over the course of study the BPNN prediction model of Xinxue River constructed wetland, model boundary was found as an important restrict factor of model accuracy. In the paper data expansion was selected to solve this problem, and the extended data was used to re-built the prediction model, results showed that the performance of model was effectively improved.
Doping, compensation, and photosensitivity of detector grade CdTe

We studied the resistivity, photosensitivity, photoluminescence, and surface photovoltage of CdTe crystals doped with Ge or Sn to extend our knowledge of the influence of the deep-donor level on compensation and afterglow effects. We demonstrated a strong correlation between photosensitivity caused by photoelectrons with Fermi-level variations near the Ge_Cd^0/2+ or Sn_Cd^0/2+ energy levels. Surface photovoltage measurements confirmed that when the concentration of residual acceptors varied along the direction of growth, then trapping conditions dramatically changed as a defect was converted from a neutral state to doubly charged positive one.
Cash plus care: social protection cumulatively mitigates HIV-risk behaviour among adolescents in South Africa

Objectives:It is not known whether cumulative ‘cash plus care’ interventions can reduce adolescent HIV-infection risks in sub-Saharan Africa. This study investigated whether parental AIDS and other environmental adversities increase adolescent HIV-risk behaviour and whether social protection provision of ‘cash’ or integrated ‘cash plus care’ reduces HIV-risk behaviour. Design:A prospective observational study with random sampling (<2.5% baseline refusal, 1-year follow-up, 96.8% retention). Methods:Three thousand five hundred and fifteen 10–18 year-olds (56.7% girls) were interviewed in South Africa between 2009–2010 and 2011–2012. All homes with a resident adolescent were sampled, within randomly selected census areas in two urban and two rural districts in two provinces. Measures included potential environmental risks (e.g. parental HIV/AIDS, poverty), social protection: receipt of cash/food support (e.g. child grants, school feeding), care (e.g. positive parenting) and HIV-risk behaviours (e.g. unprotected sex). Analyses used logistic regression. Results:Cash alone was associated with reduced HIV risk for girls [odds ratio (OR) 0.63; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.44–0.91, P = 0.02] but not for boys. Integrated cash plus care was associated with halved HIV-risk behaviour incidence for both sexes (girls OR 0.55; 95% CI 0.35–0.85, P = 0.007; boys OR 0.50; 95% CI 0.31–0.82, P = 0.005), compared with no support and controlling for confounders. Follow-up HIV-risk behaviour was reduced from 41 to 15% for girls and from 42 to 17% for boys. Girls in AIDS-affected families and informal-dwelling boys had higher HIV-risk behaviour, but were less likely to access integrated social protection. Conclusion:Integrated cash plus care reduces male and female adolescent HIV-risk behaviours. Increasing adolescent access to social protection may be an effective HIV prevention strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa.
The Origin Of The Gaussian Initial Mass Function of Old Globular Cluster Systems: Impact Of The Residual Star Forming Gas Removal

Evidence favouring a Gaussian initial mass function (IMF) for systems of old globular clusters (GC) has accumulated over recent years. We show that a bell-shaped mass function may be the imprint of expulsion from the protocluster of the leftover star forming gas due to supernova activity. Owing to the corresponding weakening of its gravitational potential, the protocluster retains a fraction only of its newly formed stars. The mass fraction of bound stars extends from zero to unity depending on the star formation efficiency (SFE) achieved by the protoglobular cloud. We investigate how such wide variations affect the mapping of the protoglobular cloud mass function to the GC IMF. An initial power-law cloud mass function generates cluster IMFs which are bell-shaped, with a turnover whose location is mostly driven by the lower limit of the cloud mass range.
Src‐dependent phosphorylation of μ‐opioid receptor at Tyr336 modulates opiate withdrawal

Opiate withdrawal/negative reinforcement has been implicated as one of the mechanisms for the progression from impulsive to compulsive drug use. Increase in the intracellular cAMP level and protein kinase A (PKA) activities within the neurocircuitry of addiction has been a leading hypothesis for opiate addiction. This increase requires the phosphorylation of μ‐opioid receptor (MOR) at Tyr336 by Src after prolonged opiate treatment in vitro. Here, we report that the Src‐mediated MOR phosphorylation at Tyr336 is a prerequisite for opiate withdrawal in mice. We observed the recruitment of Src in the vicinity of MOR and an increase in phosphorylated Tyr336 (pY336) levels during naloxone‐precipitated withdrawal. The intracerebroventricular or stereotaxic injection of a Src inhibitor (AZD0530), or Src shRNA viruses attenuated pY336 levels, and several somatic withdrawal signs. This was also observed in Fyn−/− mice. The stereotaxic injection of wild‐type MOR, but not mutant (Y336F) MOR, lentiviruses into the locus coeruleus of MOR−/− mice restored somatic withdrawal jumping. Regulating pY336 levels during withdrawal might be a future target for drug development to prevent opiate addictive behaviors.
The effect of isolated lignins, obtained from a range of pretreated lignocellulosic substrates, on enzymatic hydrolysis

The influence of the residual lignin remaining in the cellulosic rich component of pretreated lignocellulosic substrates on subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis was assessed. Twelve lignin preparations were isolated by two isolation methods (protease treated lignin (PTL) and cellulolytic enzymatic lignin (CEL)) from three types of biomass (corn stover, poplar, and lodgepole pine) that had been pretreated by two processes (steam and organosolv pretreatments). Comparative analysis of the isolated lignin showed that the CEL contained lower amounts of carbohydrates and protein than did the PTL and that the isolated lignin from corn stover contained more carbohydrates than did the lignin derived from the poplar and lodgepole pine. The lower yields of acid insoluble lignin (AIL) obtained from the corn stover when using the PTL method indicated that the lignin from the corn stover had a higher hydrophilicity than did the lignin from the poplar and lodgepole pine. The isolated lignin preparations were added to the reaction mixture containing crystalline cellulose (Avicel) and their possible effects on enzymatic hydrolysis were assessed. It was apparent that the lignin isolated from lodgepole pine and steam pretreated poplar decreased the hydrolysis yields of Avicel, whereas the other isolated lignins did not appear to decrease the hydrolysis yields significantly. The hydrolysis yields of the pretreated lignocellulose and those of Avicel containing the PTL showed good correlation, indicating that the nature of the residual lignin obtained after pretreatment significantly influenced hydrolysis. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;105: 871–879. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Experiential Versus Genetic Accounts of Inactivity: Implications for Inactive Individuals’ Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Intentions to Exercise

The overall purpose of this study was to examine the effect of deterministic media reports, linking genetics to inactivity, in relation to inactive people's social cognitions concerning physical activity involvement. Sixty three inactive university students were randomly allocated to one of three experimental conditions (control, genetically-primed, experientially-primed) and completed measures of instrumental and affective attitudes, subjective norms, self-efficacy, and exercise intentions. One week later participants in the two experimental conditions were provided with a bogus newspaper report that either reflected a genetic explanation for physical inactivity or an experiential basis for inactivity. Shortly afterwards, participants in all three conditions completed the same measures as at pre-test. The results revealed that after controlling for baseline measures participants in the experientially-primed condition reported significantly higher levels of self-efficacy and intentions to exercise than those in the genetically-primed condition. These findings raise a cautionary flag concerning the presentation of genetic research in the media, especially with regard to inactive populations.
Altruistic People Show No Self-Reference Effect in Memory

ABSTRACT The self-reference effect (SRE), by which encoding of information is done in a self-referential manner (e.g., “Does the word describe you? ”), enhances subsequent memory performance. It is thought to reflect that self-reference is a highly practiced task in everyday life. Accordingly, it is expected that the types of tasks that produce memory enhancement vary according to individual differences of past experiences. On the basis of neuroimaging studies, we hypothesized that social desirability reference (“Is this word socially desirable? ”) produces memory enhancement as with SRE in people who have chosen altruistic behavior frequently. Participants processed trait adjectives in relation to themselves, social desirability, and meaning. Then they performed a free recall task. The self-report altruism scale was used to assess the frequency of past altruistic behavior. Consistent with our prediction, the social desirability reference yielded the best retention in the high-altruism group. SRE was observed only in the low-altruism group.
Transportin 3 Promotes a Nuclear Maturation Step Required for Efficient HIV-1 Integration

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is a major global health threat and understanding the detailed molecular mechanisms of HIV replication is critical for the development of novel therapeutics. To replicate, HIV-1 must access the nucleus of infected cells and integrate into host chromosomes, however little is known about the events occurring post-nuclear entry but before integration. Here we show that the karyopherin Transportin 3 (Tnp3) promotes HIV-1 integration in different cell types. Furthermore Tnp3 binds the viral capsid proteins and tRNAs incorporated into viral particles. Interaction between Tnp3, capsid and tRNAs is stronger in the presence of RanGTP, consistent with the possibility that Tnp3 is an export factor for these substrates. In agreement with this interpretation, we found that Tnp3 exports from the nuclei viral tRNAs in a RanGTP-dependent way. Tnp3 also binds and exports from the nuclei some species of cellular tRNAs with a defective 3′CCA end. Depletion of Tnp3 results in a re-distribution of HIV-1 capsid proteins between nucleus and cytoplasm however HIV-1 bearing the N74D mutation in capsid, which is insensitive to Tnp3 depletion, does not show nucleocytoplasmic redistribution of capsid proteins. We propose that Tnp3 promotes HIV-1 infection by displacing any capsid and tRNA that remain bound to the pre-integration complex after nuclear entry to facilitate integration. The results also provide evidence for a novel tRNA nucleocytoplasmic trafficking pathway in human cells.
Crystal Structures of DNA-Whirly Complexes and Their Role in Arabidopsis Organelle Genome Repair[C][W]

This work examines the repair of DNA double-strand breaks in the mitochondria and plastids of Arabidopsis. The crystal structures of a Whirly protein bound to single-stranded DNA suggest a role for these proteins in DNA damage tolerance in the organelles. DNA double-strand breaks are highly detrimental to all organisms and need to be quickly and accurately repaired. Although several proteins are known to maintain plastid and mitochondrial genome stability in plants, little is known about the mechanisms of DNA repair in these organelles and the roles of specific proteins. Here, using ciprofloxacin as a DNA damaging agent specific to the organelles, we show that plastids and mitochondria can repair DNA double-strand breaks through an error-prone pathway similar to the microhomology-mediated break-induced replication observed in humans, yeast, and bacteria. This pathway is negatively regulated by the single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding proteins from the Whirly family, thus indicating that these proteins could contribute to the accurate repair of plant organelle genomes. To understand the role of Whirly proteins in this process, we solved the crystal structures of several Whirly-DNA complexes. These reveal a nonsequence-specific ssDNA binding mechanism in which DNA is stabilized between domains of adjacent subunits and rendered unavailable for duplex formation and/or protein interactions. Our results suggest a model in which the binding of Whirly proteins to ssDNA would favor accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks over an error-prone microhomology-mediated break-induced replication repair pathway.