Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of LORL evaluation method and its application to a loop-type sodium-cooled fast reactor

Sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs) are operated at low internal pressures, and the operating temperature of the sodium has a sufficient margin below the boiling point. Owing to the feature of low internal pressure, pipe break of rapid spreading type cannot occur, and the hypothetical leak can be terminated in early stage of the leakages, without any depressurization boiling or significant coolant loss in reactor vessel (RV). Therefore, one of the requirements to prevent loss-of-heat-removal-system (LOHRS) in loop-type SFR is retention of RV sodium level above emergency sodium level (EsL), which is necessary to maintain coolant circulation through RV. Figure 1 shows the primary heat transport system (PHTS), and alternative decay heat removal system (ADHRS) which can be used for the sodium level retention. In order to restrict the leakage volume, preventive design is adopted generally in loop-type SFRs. In Monju, the sodium level above EsL in RV can be maintained by the design of highly positioned primary coolant pipes, and guard Abstract The loss-of-reactor-level (LORL) where the coolant circulation path is lost is one of the important accident types of loss-of-heat-removal-system (LOHRS) in loop-type sodium-cooled fast reactors (SFRs). Due to the non-negligible possibility obtained by probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), pipe failures and succeeding sodium leakage in two points both occurred in primary heat transport system (PHTS) was assumed in this study, unlike the conventional studies assuming single pipe failures. The sodium level in reactor vessel (RV) is affected by many elements such as leakage position, guard vessel volume, operational state of pumps, and countermeasures to maintain sodium level which are sodium pump-up into RV and siphon-breaking of the pipe between RV and pump. Thus, a calculation program was developed in this study to evaluate and discuss the effectiveness of the countermeasures and safety margins for the loss of coolant circulation path. In addition, the crack size was discussed and evaluated realistically, and t (t: pipe thickness) was obtained for a sufficiently conservative value, instead of Dt/4 (D: pipe diameter) that was assumed in the conventional studies. Time interval between two leakages was also given by PRA, considering failure rates of the pipes and components. Representative sequences and leakage positions where the sodium level can decline below emergency sodium level (EsL) were chosen, and the sodium level transient in RV was calculated where the crack size of the second leakage was set t. The calculations were also conducted where the larger crack size, Dt/4, was set for both the first and second leakage, in order to investigate additional requirements to maintain the RV sodium level. The evaluation results clarified that the coolant circulation loop can be maintained even after the second leakage in PHTS, taking into account the effects by the countermeasures.
Molecular Determinants of Bim(BH3) Peptide Binding to Pro-Survival Proteins

Proteins of the Bcl-2 family regulate apoptosis through the formation of heterodimers between antiapoptotic or pro-survival proteins and proapoptotic or pro-death proteins. Overexpression of antiapoptotic proteins not only contributes to the progression of many cancers, but also confers resistance to the chemo- and radiotherapeutic treatments. It has been demonstrated that peptides containing the BH3 domain of proapoptotic Bcl-2 family members are able to bind and inhibit antiapoptotic proteins. For this reason, the design of small molecules mimicking the BH3 domain of proapoptotic proteins has emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment during the last years. However, BH3 domains exhibit different affinities for binding to antiapoptotic proteins; whereas Bim(BH3) and Puma(BH3) are able to bind all antiapoptotic proteins, others like Bad(BH3) and Bmf(BH3) show preference for some proteins over others. Consequently, the ability of a BH3-mimetic to kill tumor cells will depend on the BH3 peptide used as template and thus will have a selective or pan-inhibition effect. Recently, it has been suggested that this last approach could be interesting. Therefore, the present work is aimed to elucidate how the nonselective peptide Bim(BH3) is able to bind to all of the Bcl-2 family antiapoptotic proteins. To unravel the molecular determinants of this pan-inhibition, we used the MM-PB/GBSA approaches to calculate the binding free energy of the different complexes studied and to determine which residues of the peptide have the largest contribution to complex formation. Results obtained in the present work show that the binding of Bim(BH3) to pro-survival proteins is mainly hydrophobic and that specific interactions are fully distributed along the peptide sequence.
Brief Transvertebral Electrical Stimulation of the Spinal Cord Improves the Specificity of Femoral Nerve Reinnervation

Background. Functional outcomes are generally poor following peripheral nerve injury (PNI). The reason is multifactorial but includes the misdirection of regenerating axons to inappropriate end organs. It has been shown that brief electrical stimulation (Estim) of nerves has the potential to improve the accuracy and rate of peripheral axon regeneration. Objective. The present study explores a novel percutaneous transvertebral approach to Estim, which was tested in the mouse femoral nerve model. Methods. Inspired by the protocol of Gordon and colleagues (ie, 20 Hz, for 1 hour), we applied Estim to the cervicothoracic spinal cord (SC-Estim) to remotely activate lumbar motor neurons following transection and repair of the femoral nerve. Fluorescent dyes were applied to the distal nerve to label reinnervating cells. Sections of nerve were taken to quantify the numbers of reinnervating axons as well as to stain for a known femoral axon guidance molecule—polysialylated neural cell adhesion molecule (PSA-NCAM). Results. In comparison to sham treatment, SC-Estim led to significantly greater expression of PSA-NCAM as well as improved the specificity of motor reinnervation. Interestingly, although SC-Estim did not alter the number of early reinnervating (ie, pioneer) axons, there was a reduction in the number of retrogradely labeled neurons at 2 weeks postrepair. However, by 6 weeks postrepair, there was no difference in the number of neurons that had reinnervated the femoral nerve. Conclusions. The present findings support the development of SC-Estim as a novel approach to enhance the specificity of reinnervation and potentially improve functional outcomes following PNI.
Anaesthesia and postoperative analgesia in surgical neonates with or without Down's syndrome: is it really different?

BACKGROUND Reports conflict on optimal postoperative analgesic treatment in children with intellectual disability. We retrospectively compared postoperative analgesics consumption between neonates with and without Down's syndrome in relation to anaesthesia requirements and pain scores. METHODS We analysed hypnotic and analgesic drug administration, pain scores [COMFORT-Behaviour (COMFORT-B) scale], and duration of mechanical ventilation during the first 48 h after surgical repair of congenital duodenal obstruction in neonates, between 1999 and 2011. Data of 15 children with Down's syndrome were compared with data of 30 children without Down's syndrome. RESULTS General anaesthesia requirements did not differ. The median (inter-quartile range) maintenance dose of morphine during the first 24 h after operation was 9.5 (7.8-10.1) µg kg(-1) h(-1) in the Down's syndrome group vs 7.7 (5.0-10.0) µg kg(-1) h(-1) in the control group (P=0.46). Morphine doses at postoperative day 2 and COMFORT-B scores at day 1 did not significantly differ between the two groups. COMFORT-B scores at day two were lower in children with Down's syndrome (P=0.04). The duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation did not statistically differ between the two groups (P=0.89). CONCLUSIONS In this study, neonates with and without Down's syndrome received adequate postoperative analgesia, as judged from comparable analgesic consumption and pain scores. We recommend prospective studies in children of different age groups with Down's syndrome and in other groups of intellectually disabled children to provide further investigation of the hypothesis that intellectual disability predisposes to different analgesic requirements.
Feedback-based adaptive speedy transmission (FAST) control protocol to improve the performance of TCP over Ad-Hoc networks

The main purpose of this research is to develop the performance improvement solution for use of TCP over Ad-Hoc networks. This research is implemented in Network Simulator2. This research analyzed the different the major techniques proposed in the past by different researchers, including TCP-DOOR, End-to-End Approach, Feedback Scheme and the Adaptive Back-off Response Approach protocols. Based on the review of existing works, the authors propose to combine the feedback and the adaptive approach to make it adaptable to most major scenarios. Next to that, to further enhance the overall performance, it is proposed to change underlying behavior of Standard TCP to its HS-TCP or its variant MX-TCP (depending on network conditions). From the findings of this research, it was found that MX-TCP is more appropriate for lossy-links such as driving on highway or low bandwidth 2G and accessing public hotspots or Internet and so on. It was also observed that HS-TCP is more appropriate and useful in high bandwidth scenarios like the Fourth generation Mobile Data Network with lower latency. Thus the modified approach of combining the Feedback Scheme with Adaptive Back-off based Response was observed to help TCP perform better compared to working with any of these protocols in isolation. Finally, HS-TCP/ MX-TCP addressed the throughput limitations, thereby delivering the maximum performance and enhanced end-user experience. Future scope for this research can be to bring in the intelligence wherein the protocol can detect the network conditions as well as the external environmental factors like power and then select whether to use MX-TCP or HS-TCP.
Arterial remodeling of advanced basilar atherosclerosis

Background: There are limited studies on wall imaging of human basilar artery (BA). Our aim was to investigate remodeling mode of advanced BA atherosclerosis using 3-T MRI. Methods: Thirty-two consecutive symptomatic patients with atherosclerotic BA stenosis ≥70% were imaged with a 3-T magnetic resonance scanner. Proton density-weighted (PDW) cross-sectional images with submillimeter voxel size were obtained. The vessel area (VA) and lumen area (LA) at the maximal lumen narrowing (MLN) site and reference site were measured. Intraobserver and interobserver variability was determined by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Wall area (WA) was estimated by VA − LA. Plaque size (PS) was estimated by WA at MLN site − reference WA. Percent plaque burden was calculated as (PS/VA at MLN site) × 100%. Remodeling index (RI) was the ratio of VA at MLN site to reference VA. RI ≥1.05 was defined as positive remodeling (PR) and RI <1.05 as non-PR. Results: Measurements of cross-sectional BA images were available in 30 of 32 patients. Intraobserver or interobserver variability was small, with ICC ranging from 0.955 to 0.996. The mean RI of the 30 patients was 1.2 ± 0.4. PR was found in 19 (63.3%) patients and non-PR in 11 (36.7%) patients. Compared with the non-PR group, the PR group had greater PS (15.0 ± 9.3 mm2 vs 6.4 ± 3.9 mm2, p = 0.007) and greater percent plaque burden (50.5 ± 9.9% vs 28.5 ± 12.7%, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: 3-T high-resolution PDW imaging is a reproducible tool for measuring BA dimensions. In patients with advanced BA atherosclerosis, PR lesions are more frequently observed and contain larger plaques than non-PR lesions.
Treatment of hypovitaminosis D in infants and toddlers.

CONTEXT Hypovitaminosis D appears to be on the rise in young children, with implications for skeletal and overall health. OBJECTIVE The objective of the study was to compare the safety and efficacy of vitamin D2 daily, vitamin D2 weekly, and vitamin D3 daily, combined with supplemental calcium, in raising serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and lowering PTH concentrations. DESIGN This was a 6-wk randomized controlled trial. SETTING The study was conducted at an urban pediatric clinic in Boston. SUBJECTS Forty otherwise healthy infants and toddlers with hypovitaminosis D [25(OH)D < 20 ng/ml] participated in the study. INTERVENTIONS Participants were assigned to one of three regimens: 2,000 IU oral vitamin D2 daily, 50,000 IU vitamin D2 weekly, or 2,000 IU vitamin D3 daily. Each was also prescribed elemental calcium (50 mg/kg.d). Infants received treatment for 6 wk. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Before and after treatment, serum measurements of 25(OH)D, PTH, calcium, and alkaline phosphatase were taken. RESULTS All treatments approximately tripled the 25(OH)D concentration. Preplanned comparisons were nonsignificant: daily vitamin D2 vs. weekly vitamin D2 (12% difference in effect, P = 0.66) and daily D2 vs. daily D3 (7%, P = 0.82). The mean serum calcium change was small and similar in the three groups. There was no significant difference in PTH suppression. CONCLUSIONS Short-term vitamin D2 2,000 IU daily, vitamin D2 50,000 IU weekly, or vitamin D3 2,000 IU daily yield equivalent outcomes in the treatment of hypovitaminosis D among young children. Therefore, pediatric providers can individualize the treatment regimen for a given patient to ensure compliance, given that no difference in efficacy or safety was noted among these three common treatment regimens.
Benzyl 3-[(E,E)-3-phenylprop-2-enylidene]dithiocarbazate

The title compound, C17H16N2S2, a dithiocarbazate derivative, adopts an EE configuration with respect to the C=C and C=N double bonds of the propenylidine group. The 3-phenylprop-2-enylidene and dithiocarbazate fragments lie essentially in the same plane, with a maximum deviation from that plane of 0.074 (2) Å, while the dihedral angle between the 3-phenylprop-2-enylidene and the benzyl group is 77.78 (7)°. In the crystal structure, molecules are linked by an N—H⋯S hydrogen bond and a weak C—H⋯S interaction involving the terminal thione S atom, forming dimers that are arranged into sheets parallel to the bc plane. The crystal structure is also stabilized by C—H⋯π interactions.
Changing Epidemiology of Pulmonary Nontuberculous Mycobacteria Infections

Nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) disease is a notifiable condition in Queensland, Australia. Mycobacterial isolates that require species identification are forwarded to the Queensland Mycobacterial Reference Laboratory, providing a central opportunity to capture statewide data on the epidemiology of NTM disease. We compared isolates obtained in 1999 and 2005 and used data from the Queensland notification scheme to report the clinical relevance of these isolates. The incidence of notified cases of clinically significant pulmonary disease rose from 2.2 (1999) to 3.2 (2005) per 100,000 population. The pattern of disease has changed from predominantly cavitary disease in middle-aged men who smoke to fibronodular disease in elderly women. Mycobacterium intracellulare is the main pathogen associated with the increase in isolates speciated in Queensland.
Intentionality of medication non-adherence among individuals living with HIV/AIDS in Hong Kong

Abstract Adherence to antiretroviral therapy is essential to treatment success for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. Despite the wealth of studies in examining antiretroviral non-adherence, few have distinguished between intentional and unintentional non-adherence. The present study attempted to identify factors associated with adherence, intentional non-adherence, and unintentional non-adherence among HIV+ individuals using a longitudinal design. Dietary instructions and medication schedule were also included to measure the subtleties of antiretroviral adherence. One hundred and two HIV+ patients who were under antiretroviral therapy were recruited in an outpatient clinic in Hong Kong at baseline with six months follow-up. Using the conventional adherence rate, only 12 (11.8%) of participants reported having missed/ altered medication in the past four days. However, using a more comprehensive assessment, only 27 (26.5%) participants were classified as adherers. Results showed that, adherers were significantly older and had higher adherence self-efficacy than those who were unintentional or intentional non-adherers. Participants classified as unintentional non-adherers had longer length of diagnosis and started medication longer than adherers and intentional non-adherers. Participants classified as intentional non-adherers had worse mental health, higher level of self-stigma, and reported higher score in avoidant coping than adherers and unintentional non-adherers. They also scored higher in physical symptoms than adherers. Findings highlight the importance of a reliable, comprehensive measurement for adherence and extend on previous adherence literature that intentional and unintentional non-adherence are separate entities and are associated with different factors. Future research should understand the intentions behind non-adherence and this would serve as an important guide in the development of interventions aimed at improving antiretroviral adherence for HIV+ patients.
Sliding Hydrogels with Mobile Molecular Ligands and Crosslinks as 3D Stem Cell Niche

The development of a sliding hydrogel with mobile crosslinks and biochemical ligands as a 3D stem cell niche is reported. The molecular mobility of this sliding hydrogel allows stem cells to reorganize the surrounding ligands and change their morphology in 3D. Without changing matrix stiffness, sliding hydrogels support efficient stem cell differentiation toward multiple lineages including adipogenesis, chondrogenesis, and osteogenesis.
A blessing, not a curse: Experimental evidence for beneficial effects of visual aesthetics on performance

The present experiment investigated the effect of visual aesthetics on performance. A total of 257 volunteers completed a series of search tasks on a website providing health-related information. Four versions of the website were created by manipulating visual aesthetics (high vs. low) and usability (good vs. poor) in a 2 × 2 between-subjects design. Task completion times and error rates were used as performance measures. A main effect of usability on both error rates and completion time was observed. Additionally, a significant interaction of visual aesthetics and usability revealed that high aesthetics enhanced performance under conditions of poor usability. Thus, in contrast to the notion that visual aesthetics may worsen performance, visual aesthetics even compensated for poor usability by speeding up task completion. The practical and theoretical implications of this finding are discussed.
A prediction rule for estimating the risk of bacteremia in patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

BACKGROUND We endeavored to construct a simple score based entirely on epidemiological and clinical variables that would stratify patients who require hospital admission because of community-acquired pneumonia into groups with a low or high risk of developing bacteremia. METHODS Derivation and internal validation cohorts were obtained by retrospective analysis of a database that included 3116 consecutive patients with community-acquired pneumonia from 2 university hospitals. Potential predictive factors were determined by means of a multivariate logistic regression equation applied to a cohort consisting of 60% of the patients. Points were assigned to significant parameters to generate the score. It was then internally validated with the remaining 40% of patients and was externally validated using an independent multicenter cohort of 1369 patients. RESULTS The overall rates of bacteremia were 12%-16% in the cohorts. The clinical probability estimate of developing bacteremia was based on 6 variables: liver disease, pleuritic pain, tachycardia, tachypnea, systolic hypotension, and absence of prior antibiotic treatment. For the score, 1 point was assigned to each predictive factor. In the derivation cohort, a cutoff score of 2 best identified the risk of bacteremia. In the validation cohorts, rates of bacteremia were <8% for patients with a score 1 (43%-49% of patients), whereas blood culture results were positive in 14%-63% of cases for patients with a score 2. CONCLUSIONS This clinical score, based on readily available and objective variables, provides a useful tool to predict bacteremia. The score has been internally and externally validated and may be useful to guide diagnostic decisions for community-acquired pneumonia.
Purification Properties of Bacillus thuringiensis TS2 Keratinase Enzyme

This study was focused on purification and characterization of keratinase from Bacillus thuringiensis TS2, isolated from feather dumping soil site. Zymogram of crude enzyme on native-PAGE presented bands with keratinase activity of molecular weights is 41 kDa. In purification steps 2.69 fold purification was achieved after 80% ammonium precipitation of the with 34.42% recovery. In further purification steps a 5.69 fold purified keratinase was recovered by Sephadex G-75 chromatography with 21.23% of recovery. The specific activity of purified enzyme was 970.15. 54 U/mg. Kinetic studies indicated that substrate specificity of TS2 keratinase was towards various natural and synthetic proteolytic substrates but inactive against collagen and keratin. These findings suggested that the keratinase may have much industrial application.
LIN28B Activation by PRL-3 Promotes Leukemogenesis and a Stem Cell–like Transcriptional Program in AML

PRL-3 (PTP4A3), a metastasis-associated phosphatase, is also upregulated in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and is associated with poor prognosis, but the underlying molecular mechanism is unknown. Here, constitutive expression of PRL-3 in human AML cells sustains leukemogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, PRL-3 phosphatase activity dependently upregulates LIN28B, a stem cell reprogramming factor, which in turn represses the let-7 mRNA family, inducing a stem cell–like transcriptional program. Notably, elevated levels of LIN28B protein independently associate with worse survival in AML patients. Thus, these results establish a novel signaling axis involving PRL-3/LIN28B/let-7, which confers stem cell–like properties to leukemia cells that is important for leukemogenesis. Implications: The current study offers a rationale for targeting PRL-3 as a therapeutic approach for a subset of AML patients with poor prognosis. Mol Cancer Res; 15(3); 294–303. ©2016 AACR.
Social security and private saving: another look.

In May 1978, the Social Security Bulletin published an article, “Effect of Social Security on Saving: Review of Studies Using U.S. Time-Series Data,” by Louis Esposito, Division of Economic and Long-Range Studies, Office of Research and Statistics, Social Security Administration. The author reviewed four major empirical studies that investigated the effect of the social security program on aggregate private saving. He concluded that none of the studies support the hypothesis that the social security system decreases private saving. Because the author drew upon the research of four other economists, it was felt that they, in turn, should be permitted to comment on the conclusions drawn from their work. What follows are the responses of Robert J. Barro, Michael Darby, Martin Feldstein, and Alicia Munnell to a Social Security Administration inquiry about their reactions to the Esposito article.