Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Northeast‐Southwest Oscillating Equatorial Mode of the Tropical Instability Wave and Its Impact on Equatorial Mixing

The tropical instability waves (TIWs) in the eastern Pacific consist of waves with central periods of about 33 and 17 days. While the former manifest as vortices north of the equator, and are known to modulate diapycnal mixing at their southern edge, the latter remain largely unexplored. Here the structure of the 17‐day TIWs and the mechanism through which they may influence equatorial mixing are investigated based on long term in situ measurements and reanalysis data. Different from the well‐recognized meridional velocity oscillation, the 17‐day TIWs are found to induce northeast‐southwest (NE‐SW) velocity oscillations. They are confined within but asymmetric about the equator, differing from free Yanai waves, which they were commonly assumed to resemble. The vertical shear associated with the westward anomalous velocity superimposes on the shear of the mean flow, resulting in the strongest shear in the upper thermocline that is expected to facilitate diapycnal mixing therein.
ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BRUCELLA FROM THE LUNGWORMS OF A HARBOR PORPOISE (PHOCOENA PHOCOENA)

Adult female nematodes identified as Pseudalius inflexus were collected from the lungs of a juvenile male harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) found dead on a beach in Cornwall, UK. Classic and molecular typing methods, immunologic and electron microscopy immunolabeling techniques, provided evidence of Brucella sp. infection within the uterine tissue of nematodes of this marine mammal. This finding presents further evidence to suggest parasites should be considered as a potential means of transfer of bacterial infection in marine mammals and highlights the zoonotic implications for humans exposed to marine mammals through occupation or leisure.
Effects of hypothermia on gene expression in zebrafish gills: upregulation in differentiation and function of ionocytes as compensatory responses

SUMMARY Ectothermic vertebrates are different from mammals that are sensitive to hypothermia and have to maintain core temperature for survival. Why and how ectothermic animals survive, grow and reproduce in low temperature have been for a long time a scientifically challenging and important inquiry to biologists. We used a microarray to profile the gill transcriptome in zebrafish (Danio rerio) after exposure to low temperature. Adult zebrafish were acclimated to a low temperature of 12°C for 1 day and up to 30 days, and the gill transcriptome was compared with that of control fish in 28°C by oligonucleotide microarray hybridization. Results showed 11 and 22 transcripts were found to be upregulated, whereas 56 and 70 transcripts were downregulated by low-temperature treatment for 1 day and 30 days, respectively. The gill transcriptome profiles revealed that ionoregulation-related genes were highly upregulated in cold-acclimated zebrafish. This paved the way to investigate the role of ionoregulatory genes in zebrafish gills during cold acclimation. Cold acclimation caused upregulation of genes that are essential for ionocyte specification, differentiation, ionoregulation, acid–base balance and the number of cells expressing these genes increased. For instance, epithelial Ca2+ channel (EcaC; an ionoregulatory protein) mRNA increased in parallel with the level of Ca2+ influx, revealing a functional compensation after long-term acclimation to cold. Phosphohistone H3 and TUNEL staining showed that the cell turnover rate was retarded in cold-acclimated gills. Altogether, these results suggest that gills may sustain their functions by producing mature ionocytes from pre-existing undifferentiated progenitors in low-temperature environments.
ADAPTATION TO INTERVAL HYPOXIA-HYPEROXIA IMPROVES EXERCISE TOLERANCE IN PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES : EXPERIMENTAL SUBSTANTIATION AND APPLIED APPROBATION

A theoretical substantiation and experimental testing of combined adaptation to changing oxygen levels in the enhancement of tolerance to physical loads and pilot study on the protective effects of a novel strategy for adaptation to interval hypoxia-hyperoxia aimed at eliminating the overtraining syndrome in professional athletes, have been carried out. Methods On the experimental step, adaptation of male Wistar rats was performed in 2 modes: 1) hypoxia-normoxia (H/N): 2) a new model hypoxia-hyperoxia (H/H), 1h daily for 15 days. Acute physical load (APL) consisted in swimming (21C) to exhaustion. Intensity of free radical oxidation was estimated by the rate of accumulation of lipid peroxidation products in the course of induction in the Fe+ ascorbate system in vitro. Activities of antioxidant enzymes were measured by spectrophotometria, levels of inducible HSP72, HSP32 and constituitive HSC73 were measured by Western blot analysis with monoclonal antibodies. On the pilot study 15 male and female middle-distance runners with overtraining syndrome wereexposed to interval hypoxia-hyperoxia training (IHHT) sessions. Working capacity (PWC170), hypoxic tolerance, haematological parameters and heart rate variability (HRV) analysis were determined before and 3 days after IHHT sessions. Results In experiments combination of adaptation to physical exercise with adaptation to hypoxia-hyperoxia improves tolerance under conditions of European Scientific Journal June 2014 edition vol.10, No.18 ISSN: 1857 – 7881 (Print) e ISSN 18577431 136 APL: short-term adaptation to physical exercise compensates for stress, but not for the hypoxic component of APL, while physical training combined with adaptation to hypoxia-hyperoxia fully compensates for both components. In 15 young professional athletes with overtraining syndrome combination of IHHT with low-intensity exercise restores the autonomic balance and physical capacity (significant elevation of PWC170 index, maximal oxygen consumption VO2max, and VO2max/kg). Conclusion Adaptation to interval hypoxia-hyperoxia provides optimization of the hypoxic and stress componentsinexercise tolerance systemic response which is revealed in experimental studies and supported by the data of young athletes with overtraining syndrome rehabilitation.
A monoclonal antibody as a marker for carcinoma in situ germ cells of the human adult testis

Carcinoma in situ of the testis (CIS) is a precursor of invasive testicular germ cell tumours. The diagnosis of CIS is however often missed when conventional histological techniques are used. No specific immunological marker for CIS germ cells of the testis has been demonstrated previously. A novel monoclonal antibody, M2A, reacting with malignant germ cells of seminomas has recently been developed. Using the immunoperoxidase reaction on tissue sections, we tested the reactivity of M2A with CIS germ cells of the human adult testis. Positive reaction was found in 19 of 20 testicular specimens showing CIS, whereas no staining was found in 39 testicular biopsies without CIS. Thus, M2A may serve as a diagnostic marker in detection of CIS germ cells.
A Cross-Sectional Survey of Medical Cannabis Users: Patterns of Use and Perceived Efficacy

Abstract Background: The political climate around Cannabis as a medicine is rapidly changing. Legislators are adopting policies regarding appropriate medical applications, while the paucity of research may make policy decisions around conditions for which Cannabis is an effective medicine difficult. Methods: An anonymous online survey was developed to query medical Cannabis users about the conditions they use Cannabis to treat, their use patterns, perception of efficacy, and physical and mental health. Participants were recruited through social media and Cannabis dispensaries in Washington State. Results: A total of 1429 participants identified as medical Cannabis users. The most frequently reported conditions for which they used Cannabis were pain (61.2%), anxiety (58.1%), depression (50.3%), headache/migraine (35.5%), nausea (27.4%), and muscle spasticity (18.4%). On average, participants reported an 86% reduction in symptoms as a result of Cannabis use; 59.8% of medical users reported using Cannabis as an alternative to pharmaceutical prescriptions. Global health scores were on par with the general population for mental health and physical health. Conclusions: While patient-reported outcomes favor strong efficacy for a broad range of symptoms, many medical users are using Cannabis without physician supervision and for conditions for which there is no formal research to support the use of Cannabis (e.g., depression and anxiety). Future research and public policy should attempt to reduce the incongruence between approved and actual use.
Quantitative Hermeticity Assessment of Packages with Micro to Nano-liter Cavities

Title of Document: QUANTITATIVE HERMETICITY ASSESSMENT OF PACKAGES WITH MICRO TO NANO-LITER CAVITIES Arindam Goswami, Doctor of Philosophy, 2008 Directed By: Professor Bongtae Han, Mechanical Engineering Hermeticity is a measure of the “leak-proof ness” of packages with internal cavities and is critical for ensuring proper operation of the devices/circuits enclosed in them. The most widely used hermeticity detection technique in the industry is the helium fine leak test. The exiting conduction based governing equation is examined to investigate the volume dependant limits of the test when applied to metal sealed MEMS packages. The results clearly indicate that the test has limited applicability for small internal volumes (10 cc – 10 cc). The limited applicability of the guidelines specified in Method 1014.11 of the MIL-STD-883F document for hermeticity characterization is also characterized. To cope with these limitations, a regression analysis based procedure is developed and implemented to extract the true leak rate from the apparent leak data. While the apparent leak rate obtained directly from the He mass spectrometer changes with the test parameters, the true leak rate remains constant and this can be used as a metric to evaluate a package seal. The hermeticity of polymer sealed MEMS packages is also studied. Unlike metal sealed packages, gas transport in polymer sealed packages occurs via diffusion. A gas diffusion based model is proposed to study the hermetic behavior of these packages. An effective numerical scheme is developed to implement this model and simulate the change in cavity pressure as gas flows into or out of the cavity through the polymeric seal. An optical interferometry based leak test is developed to experimentally measure this change in cavity pressure. The experimental data is used to verify the validity of the proposed numerical scheme and the assumption of adiabatic boundary conditions made in the numerical model. An inverse method is presented to determine the two diffusion properties, diffusivity and solubility, of the polymeric seal by using the experimental data iteratively with the numerical data. The proposed method offers unique advantages over the routinely practiced/existing gas diffusion property measurement techniques. QUANTITATIVE HERMETICITY ASSESSMENT OF PACKAGES WITH MICRO AND NANO LITER CAVITIES
PCB Recognition using Local Features for Recycling Purposes

We present a method for detecting and classifying Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) in waste streams for recycling purposes. Our method employs local feature matching and geometric verification to achieve a high open-set recognition performance under practical conditions. In order to assess the suitability of different local features in this context, we perform a comprehensive evaluation of established (SIFT, SURF) and recent (ORB, BRISK, FREAK, AKAZE) keypoint detectors and descriptors in terms of established performance measures. The results show that SIFT and SURF are outperformed by recent alternatives, and that most descriptors benefit from color information in the form of opponent color space. The presented method achieves a recognition rate of up to 100% and is robust with respect to PCB damage, as verified using a comprehensive public dataset.
Utilizing Modern Experimentation Method to Quantify Jet-Breaker Dimension Effects on Drop Manhole Pool Height

Drop manholes are commonly employed in sewer and drainage systems to reduce pipes slope. The operation of these structures is dominated by their flow regime. Poor hydraulic performance of them under Regime R2 was improved with the jet-breaker, which intersects the inlet jet; yet its proper dimensions were needed to be precisely determined. In this paper, effects of jet-breaker length, width, sagitta, and angle on drop manhole pool free-surface height were experimentally studied under 80% filling ratio of the inlet pipe. The modern statistical Design of Experiment (DoE) methodology and dimensional analysis were utilized to design the experiments in accordance with the 24-1IV fractional factorial design. Consequently, nine specific jet-breakers were built and examined at two different angles, and under various flow rates. The statistical analysis of the results shown that manhole pool height was significantly decreased when jet-breaker length, width, and sagitta were 1, 1.4, and 0.7 times the inlet pipe diameter, respectively, and its angle was at 70°. The use of DoE resulted in 21% reduction in experimental runs, cost, and time, while it provided comprehensive data analysis and objective conclusion.
Consumer Attitude Metrics for Guiding Marketing Mix Decisions

Marketing managers often use consumer attitude metrics such as awareness, consideration, and preference as performance indicators because they represent their brand's health and are readily connected to marketing activity. However, this does not mean that financially focused executives know how such metrics translate into sales performance, which would allow them to make beneficial marketing mix decisions. We propose four criteria---potential, responsiveness, stickiness, and sales conversion---that determine the connection between marketing actions, attitudinal metrics, and sales outcomes. We test our approach with a rich data set of four-weekly marketing actions, attitude metrics, and sales for several consumer brands in four categories over a seven-year period. The results quantify how marketing actions affect sales performance through their differential impact on attitudinal metrics, as captured by our proposed criteria. We find that marketing--attitude and attitude--sales relationships are predominantly stable over time but differ substantially across brands and product categories. We also establish that combining marketing and attitudinal metrics criteria improves the prediction of brand sales performance, often substantially so. Based on these insights, we provide specific recommendations on improving the marketing mix for different brands, and we validate them in a holdout sample. For managers and researchers alike, our criteria offer a verifiable explanation for differences in marketing elasticities and an actionable connection between marketing and financial performance metrics.
NaSt1: a Wolf-Rayet star cloaked by an η Car-like nebula?

We present a study of the peculiar Galactic emission-line object NaSt1 (WR122, IRAS 18497+0056), which has previously been classified as a Wolf–Rayet (WR) star. Our spectroscopic data set comprises Keck I-HIRES, WHT-ISIS and UKIRT-CGS4 observations, which show that NaSt1 has a highly reddened nebular spectrum with extremely strong permitted and forbidden lines covering a wide range in excitation (H i, He i–ii, N i–iii, [N ii], [Ne iii–iv], Mg i–ii, Si ii, [S ii–iii], [Ar iii–v], [Ca v–vii], [Fe ii–vii], [Ni ii–iii]). [O ii–iii] is unusually weak, with He i–ii and [N ii] very strong, and carbon absent, suggestive of chemical peculiarities. Narrow-band WHT imaging reveals an elliptical nebula with an average diameter of 6.8 arcsec. We measure an interstellar extinction of E(B−V)∼2.1 mag and estimate a distance of 1–3 kpc, suggesting that NaSt1 is a luminous object, with 4≤log (L/L⊙)≤6.5. We determine the physical parameters and abundances from the nebular forbidden lines. For Te=13 000 K and Ne=3×106 cm−3, we obtain He/H>0.64, N enhanced by a factor of 20, O deficient by a factor of 140, while Ne, Ar and S are normal compared with average H ii region abundances. This unusual abundance pattern suggests that the nebula consists of fully CNO-processed material. We compare the spectral appearance of NaSt1 with other luminous emission-line objects, and conclude that it is not an Ofpe/WN9, B[e] star or symbiotic nova, although it does share several characteristics of these systems. We suggest instead that NaSt1 contains a massive evolved star that ejected its heavily CNO-processed outer layers a few thousand years ago. Although the stellar remnant is completely hidden from view by the dense nebula, we argue that the star must be an early-type WR star. The only object that shares some of the peculiarities of NaSt1 is η Carinae. Whatever its true nature, NaSt1 should no longer be considered as a late-WN classification standard in the near-infrared.
Uncoupling of behavioral and autonomic responses after lesions of the primate orbitofrontal cortex

Successful adaptation to changes in an animal's emotional and motivational environment depends on behavioral flexibility accompanied by changes in bodily responses, e.g., autonomic and endocrine, which support the change in behavior. Here, we identify the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as pivotal in the flexible regulation and coordination of behavioral and autonomic responses during adaptation. Using an appetitive Pavlovian task, we demonstrate that OFC lesions in the marmoset (i) impair an animal's ability to rapidly suppress its appetitive cardiovascular arousal upon termination of a conditioned stimulus and (ii) cause an uncoupling of the behavioral and autonomic components of the adaptive response after reversal of the reward contingencies. These findings highlight the role of the OFC in emotional regulation and are highly relevant to our understanding of disorders such as schizophrenia and autism in which uncoupling of emotional responses may contribute to the experiential distress and disadvantageous behavior associated with these disorders.
Multiple Enzyme Defects in Familial Hyperlysinemia

Extract: Lysine-ketoglutarate reductase (EC. 1.5.1.8) deficiency in skin fibroblasts has been previously reported in patients with familial hyperlysinemia, providing an adequate explanation for the biochemical derangements noted clinically. In the present study, analysis of liver obtained at autopsy from a patient with familial hyperlysinemia confirmed the lysine-ketoglutarate reductase deficiency but, unexpectedly, also revealed an absence of saccharopine dehydrogenase (EC. 1.5.1.9) and saccharopine oxidoreductase activity. Skin fibroblasts from two siblings with the disease and a third patient from an unrelated family were also deficient in all three enzymes (lysine-ketoglutarate reductase, average 9%; saccharopine dehydrogenase, average 4%; saccharopine oxidoreductase, <10% of normal). The possibility that saccharopine dehydrogenase is a substrate-inducible enzyme was investigated by maintaining normal skin fibroblasts in a medium with minimal lysine concentration, and exposing hyperlysinemic fibroblasts to elevated saccharopine concentrations. There was no significant modification in saccharopine dehydrogenase activity.Speculation: Multiple enzyme defects have now been recognized in three genetic diseases, maple syrup urine disease, orotic aciduria, and hyperlysinemia, presumably arising from single mutations. It is not unlikely that additional examples will emerge as investigators increase their efforts in this direction. The simultaneous loss of enzymes may provide insights into mechanisms of control and/or the evolutionary development of enzymes.
Strategic Shift to a Diagnostic Model of Care in a Multi-Site Group Dental Practice

Background Documenting standardized dental diagnostic terms represents an emerging change for how dentistry is practiced. We focused on a mid-sized dental group practice as it shifted to a policy of documenting patients’ diagnoses using standardized terms in the electronic health record. Methods Kotter’s change framework was translated into interview questions posed to the senior leadership in a mid-size dental group practice. In addition, quantitative content analyses were conducted on the written policies and forms before and after the implementation of standardized diagnosis documentation to assess the extent to which the forms and policies reflected the shift. Three reviewers analyzed the data individually and reached consensuses where needed. Results Kotter’s guiding change framework explained the steps taken to 97 percent utilization rate of the Electronic Health Record and Dental Diagnostic Code. Of the 96 documents included in the forms and policy analysis, 31 documents were officially updated but only two added a diagnostic element. Conclusion Change strategies established in the business literature hold utility for dental practices seeking diagnosis-centered care. Practical Implications A practice that shifts to a diagnosis-driven care philosophy would be best served by ensuring that the change process follows a leadership framework that is calibrated to the organization’s culture.
Matrix Fibronectin Binds Gammaretrovirus and Assists in Entry: New Light on Viral Infections

ABSTRACT A major entry route for the gammaretrovirus amphotropic murine leukemia virus (A-MLV) into NIH 3T3 fibroblasts is via caveola-dependent endocytosis. However, during the infection time, few viral particles can be observed intracellularly. Analyzing the dynamics of the A-MLV infection process by using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we show that the majority of viruses are extracellular and bound to the fibronectin matrix. Moreover, the amounts of bound virus and of fibronectin correlated. Using confocal microscopy, nanoparticles targeted to fibronectin by a III1C-fibronectin fragment or anti-fibronectin antibody were detected intracellularly in NIH 3T3 cells; unconjugated nanoparticles neither bound to cells nor were detectable intracellularly. Furthermore, A-MLV colocalized intracellularly with the fibronectin-targeted nanoparticles, suggesting that they were taken up by the same cellular pathway. Both A-MLV entry and fibronectin turnover depend on caveolar endocytosis, and we found that inhibiting viral binding to the extracellular NIH 3T3 fibronectin-matrix dramatically reduced A-MLV infection, indeed, showing an active role of fibronectin in infection. We suggest that binding to the cellular fibronectin matrix provides a new mechanism by which viruses can enter cells.
Financial Turmoil and Choice of Exchange Rate Regime

Financial turmoil is becoming a fact of life in Latin America. The 1990s have been characterized by enormous volatility in the magnitude and cost of capital flows. The correlation of capital swings across disparate countries suggests that the quality of emerging market policies in addition to global factors have been the main actors in this drama. Therefore, the blame for financial turmoil has moved away from inappropriate domestic policies. Instead, the paradigm has shifted to one of determining which policies - domestic or international - are most effective in taming the destabilizing effects of inherently volatile capital flows.
Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profile of Contemporary Clinical Strains of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Isolates: Can Moxifloxacin Activity Be Predicted by Levofloxacin MIC Results?

Abstract The susceptibility profile of 763 Stenotrophomonas maltophilia isolates was evaluated against 16 antimicrobials by the CLSI reference broth microdilution method. Minocycline (MIC90, 1 μg/ml; 100.0% susceptible) was the most active compound, followed by doxycycline (MIC90, 4 μg/ml; 99.6% susceptible), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (MIC90, 1 μg/ml; 97.8% susceptible), and tigecycline (MIC90, 2 μg/ml). An excellent correlation between levofloxacin (MIC90, 4 μg/ml; 86.5% susceptible by published breakpoint criteria) and moxifloxacin (MIC90, 2 μg/ml) MIC results was observed indicating that moxifloxacin could be further evaluated as a therapeutic option for S. maltophilia infections.