Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electron states of mono and bilayer graphene on SiC probed by scanning-tunneling microscopy

We present a scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) study of a gently-graphitized 6H-SiC(0001) surface in ultra high vacuum. From an analysis of atomic scale images, we identify two different kinds of terraces, which we unambiguously attribute to mono- and bilayer graphene capping a C-rich interface. At low temperature, both terraces show $(\sqrt{3}\times \sqrt{3})$ quantum interferences generated by static impurities. Such interferences are a fingerprint of $\pi$-like states close to the Fermi level. We conclude that the metallic states of the first graphene layer are almost unperturbed by the underlying interface, in agreement with recent photoemission experiments (A. Bostwick et al., Nature Physics 3, 36 (2007))
Effects of Subglottic Stenosis and Cricotracheal Resection on Voice Production in Women

Effects of Subglottic Stenosis and Cricotracheal Resection on Voice Production in Women Lisa Marie Mattei Department of Communication Disorders, BYU Master of Science Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is a narrowing of the airway in the region of the cricoid cartilage below the vocal folds and above the tracheal rings. Individuals with SGS experience difficulty breathing at rest and during exertion both of which become increasingly difficult with the level of stenosis severity. Some individuals also experience negative voice changes. Individuals whose stenoses significantly impact breathing generally require medical procedures or surgery, either balloon dilation or cricotracheal resection (CTR). CTR has been shown to improve patients’ ability to breathe, but it can also result in permanent vocal changes. Alternatively, balloon dilation results in similar breathing improvements but for a relatively short period of time. Many studies have been published on the effectiveness of CTR; however, only a few have examined the effects of CTR on vocal production. The purpose of this study is to quantify the acoustic and auditory-perceptual features of subglottic stenosis and examine possible acoustic and auditory-perceptual changes in voice production following a revised CTR aimed to minimize voice impact in a group of women. A retrospective chart review identified women with idiopathic SGS who received revised CTR at The University of Utah Voice Disorders Center between 2008 and 2014. Presurgical and postsurgical groups included patients with both pre and post recordings (n = 11) as well as patients with only pre (n = 6) or post (n = 9) recordings. Acoustic quantification of voice signal periodicity, as well as cepstral, spectral, and fundamental frequency (F0) analyses were performed. Auditory-perceptual ratings of overall quality and monotonicity were performed. Cross-sectional and pre-post surgery analyses were completed. Aggregate analyses revealed that both pre and posttreatment SGS patients demonstrated voice disorders in the mild to moderate severity range. Pre-post comparisons indicated no significant voice change after surgery. Mean fundamental frequency decreased from 215 Hz (SD = 40 Hz) to 201 Hz (SD = 65 Hz). Voice disorder severity based on the cepstral spectral index of dysphoniaTM for sustained vowels decreased (i.e., improved) from 41 (SD = 41) to 25 (SD = 21) points. Semitone standard deviation (2.2 semitones) was equivalent from pretreatment to posttreatment. Auditory-perceptual ratings demonstrated similar results. These preliminary results indicate that the revised CTR procedure is promising in minimizing adverse voice effects. Future research is needed to determine causative factors for pretreatment voice disorders, as well as to optimize treatments in this population.
Sulfide stress corrosion cracking and weldability of domestic X70 pipeline steels

Constant load test and implant test were utilized to study the sulfide stress corrosion cracking ( SSCC ) in the sulfide solution and weldability of domestic X70 pipeline steels. Electronic microscopic testing was used to analysis the fracture morphology in implant tests. The results suggested that it is element Mn, P, not element C that lead to domestic X70 pipeline steels with different chemical compositions have different resistance to SSCC. The σ_(cr) (critieal stress) of the joint produced by LINCOLN E6010 welding rod is 630 MPa, 610 MPa with preheating(70℃) or without preheating respectively. The appearance of implant fracture is charaterized by civility, permit cleavage and cleavage.
CagA and VacA genes of Helicobacter pylori and their clinical relevance

Context: Helicobacter pylori is associated with the development of a variety of gastroduodenal diseases which varies with ethnicity and the type of strains that infect the population. Aims: This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of H. pylori cagA and vacA genotypes in our region and to determine their relationship to the severity of the lesions that they cause. Settings and Design: This study was an observational cross-sectional study. Subjects and Methods: DNA was extracted from 165 gastric biopsies from patients evaluated for dyspepsia. PCR was used to detect cagA and vacA (s1, s2, m1, m2) genes of H. pylori. Statistical analysis of associations was performed between endoscopy findings and virulence genes. Statistical Analysis Used: Pearson Chi-square test and Fischer's exact test. Results: The prevalence of H. pylori infection was 37% and the dominant genotypes was vacA s1 cagA-positive strain (54.1%) in this study. The vacAs1 subtype was found in all patients with peptic ulcer disease (PUD). The entire normal study group had VacA s2 variant only. This clearly shows that vacA s1 is a significant virulence marker and patients harboring s1 strains are more prone to develop ulcers (P = 0.007). There was a significant association of cagA with s1 strain rather than s2. Variation in VacA m genotype did not seem to have any association with disease status. There was a statistically significant association between the presence of cagA gene and PUD rather than the nonulcer dyspepsia (P = 0.027). Conclusion: The predominant genotype in our population was cagA positive vacA s1, which was found to be significantly associated with patients with gastric diseases, especially PUD. VacA s1 can serve as a single best virulence marker of the disease manifestation.
Multicenter Evaluation of Ceftolozane/Tazobactam for Serious Infections Caused by Carbapenem-Resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa

A multicenter, retrospective study of patients infected with carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa who were treated with ceftolozane/tazobactam was performed. Among 35 patients, pneumonia was the most common indication and treatment was successful in 26 (74%). Treatment failure was observed in all cases where isolates demonstrated ceftolozane-tazobactam minimum inhibitory concentrations ≥8 μg/mL.
Understanding Bone Strength Is Not Enough

Increases in fracture risk beyond what are expected from bone mineral density (BMD) are often attributed to poor “bone quality,” such as impaired bone tissue strength. Recent studies, however, have highlighted the importance of tissue material properties other than strength, such as fracture toughness. Here we review the concepts behind failure properties other than strength and the physical mechanisms through which they cause mechanical failure: strength describes failure from a single overload; fracture toughness describes failure from a modest load combined with a preexisting flaw or damage; and fatigue strength describes failure from thousands to millions of cycles of small loads. In bone, these distinct failure mechanisms appear to be more common in some clinical fractures than others. For example, wrist fractures are usually the result of a single overload, the failure mechanism dominated by bone strength, whereas spinal fractures are rarely the result of a single overload, implicating multiple loading cycles and increased importance of fatigue strength. The combination of tissue material properties and failure mechanisms that lead to fracture represent distinct mechanistic pathways, analogous to molecular pathways used to describe cell signaling. Understanding these distinct mechanistic pathways is necessary because some characteristics of bone tissue can increase fracture risk by impairing fracture toughness or fatigue strength without impairing bone tissue strength. Additionally, mechanistic pathways to failure associated with fracture toughness and fatigue involve multiple loading events over time, raising the possibility that a developing fracture could be detected and interrupted before overt failure of a bone. Over the past two decades there have been substantial advancements in fracture prevention by understanding bone strength and fractures caused by a single load, but if we are to improve fracture risk prevention beyond what is possible now, we must consider material properties other than strength. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
A search algorithm for identifying likely users and non-users of marijuana from the free text of the electronic medical record

Background The harmful effects of marijuana on health and in particular cardiovascular health are understudied. To develop such knowledge, an efficient method of developing an informative cohort of marijuana users and non-users is needed. Methods We identified patients with a diagnosis of coronary artery disease using ICD-9 codes who were seen in the San Francisco VA in 2015. We imported these patients’ medical record notes into an informatics platform that facilitated text searches. We categorized patients into those with evidence of marijuana use in the past 12 months and patients with no such evidence, using the following text strings: “marijuana”, “mjx”, and “cannabis”. We randomly selected 51 users and 51 non-users based on this preliminary classification, and sent a recruitment letter to 97 of these patients who had contact information available. Patients were interviewed on marijuana use and domains related to cardiovascular health. Data on marijuana use collected from the medical record was compared to data collected as part of the interview. Results The interview completion rate was 71%. Among the 35 patients identified by text strings as having used marijuana in the previous year, 15 had used marijuana in the past 30 days (positive predictive value = 42.9%). The probability of use in the past month increased from 8.8% to 42.9% in people who have these keywords in their medical record compared to those who did not have these terms in their medical record. Conclusion Methods that combine text search strategies for participant recruitment with health interviews provide an efficient approach to developing prospective cohorts that can be used to study the health effects of marijuana.
Center of Pressure Motion After Calf Vibration Is More Random in Fallers Than Non-fallers: Prospective Study of Older Individuals

Aging is associated with changes in balance control and elderly take longer to adapt to changing sensory conditions, which may increase falls risk. Low amplitude calf muscle vibration stimulates local sensory afferents/receptors and affects sense of upright when applied in stance. It has been used to assess the extent the nervous system relies on calf muscle somatosensory information and to rapidly change/perturb part of the somatosensory information causing balance unsteadiness by addition and removal of the vibratory stimulus. This study assessed the effect of addition and removal of calf vibration on balance control (in the absence of vision) in elderly individuals (>65 years, n = 99) who did (n = 41) or did not prospectively report falls (n = 58), and in a group of young individuals (18–25 years, n = 23). Participants stood barefoot and blindfolded on a force plate for 135 s. Vibrators (60 Hz, 1 mm) attached bilaterally over the triceps surae muscles were activated twice for 15 s; after 15 and 75 s (45 s for recovery). Balance measures were applied in a windowed (15 s epoch) manner to compare center-of-pressure (CoP) motion before, during and after removal of calf vibration between groups. In each epoch, CoP motion was quantified using linear measures, and non-linear measures to assess temporal structure of CoP motion [using recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) and detrended fluctuation analysis]. Mean CoP displacement during and after vibration did not differ between groups, which suggests that calf proprioception and/or weighting assigned by the nervous system to calf proprioception was similar for the young and both groups of older individuals. Overall, compared to the elderly, CoP motion of young was more predictable and persistent. Balance measures were not different between fallers and non-fallers before and during vibration. However, non-linear aspects of CoP motion of fallers and non-fallers differed after removal of vibration, when dynamic re-weighting is required. During this period fallers exhibited more random CoP motion, which could result from a reduced ability to control balance and/or a reduced ability to dynamically reweight proprioceptive information. These results show that non-linear measures of balance provide evidence for deficits in balance control in people who go on to fall in the following 12 months.
High content screening of patient-derived cell lines highlights the potential of non-standard chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of glioblastoma

Background Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common primary brain malignancy in adults, yet survival outcomes remain poor. First line treatment is well established, however disease invariably recurs and improving prognosis is challenging. With the aim of personalizing therapy at recurrence, we have established a high content screening (HCS) platform to analyze the sensitivity profile of seven patient-derived cancer stem cell lines to 83 FDA-approved chemotherapy drugs, with and without irradiation. Methods Seven cancer stem cell lines were derived from patients with GBM and, along with the established cell line U87-MG, each patient-derived line was cultured in tandem in serum-free conditions as adherent monolayers and three-dimensional neurospheres. Chemotherapeutics were screened at multiple concentrations and cells double-stained to observe their effect on both cell death and proliferation. Sensitivity was classified using high-throughput algorithmic image analysis. Results Cell line specific drug responses were observed across the seven patient-derived cell lines. Few agents were seen to have radio-sensitizing effects, yet some drug classes showed a marked difference in efficacy between monolayers and neurospheres. In vivo validation of six drugs suggested that cell death readout in a three-dimensional culture scenario is a more physiologically relevant screening model and could be used effectively to assess the chemosensitivity of patient-derived GBM lines. Conclusion The study puts forward a number of non-standard chemotherapeutics that could be useful in the treatment of recurrent GBM, namely mitoxantrone, bortezomib and actinomycin D, whilst demonstrating the potential of HCS to be used for personalized treatment based on the chemosensitivity profile of patient tumor cells.
Chemical Composition and Biological Activity of Nepeta parnassica Oils and Isolated Nepetalactones

Abstract Essential oils of Nepeta parnassica, collected at different developmental stages, were analyzed by means of GC/MS. From the fifty-five identified constituents in samples A and B, representing 94.8% and 98.7% of the oils respectively, 4aα,7α,7aβ-nepetalactone (22.0%), 1,8-cineole (21.1%), α-pinene (9.5%) and 4aα,7β,7aβ-nepetalactone (7.9%) were the major components of sample A (vegetative stage), whereas in sample B (flowering stage) the main contributors were 1,8-cineole (34.6%), 4aα,7α,7aα-nepetalactone (17.3%), α-pinene (11.4%) and 4aα,7α,7aβ-nepetalactone (8.9%). The oils were tested on human health important insects such as the Pogonomyrmex sp. ants and the Culex pipiens molestus mosquitoes with promising results on insect repellency/toxicity.
Automatic modulation classification using recurrent neural networks

Automatic modulation classification (AMC) is one of the essential technologies, and also a hard nut to crack in the field of cognitive radio (CR) and non-cooperative communication systems. In this work, we propose a novel AMC method based on the promising recurrent neural network (RNN), which is shown to have the capability to sufficiently exploit the temporal sequence characteristic of received communication signals. This method resorts to raw signals directly with limited data length, and avoids extracting signal features manually. The proposed method is compared with a convolutional neural network (CNN) based method and the result indicates the superiority of the proposed one, especially when signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is above −4dB. Furthermore, a comparative study is presented to evaluate the availability of the other different RNN structures. And a more efficient structure is recommended based on two-layer gated recurrent unit (GRU) network. Additional numerical results demonstrate that the proposed structure achieves an improved performance from 80% to 91% in terms of classification accuracy.
Wood Dust Sampling: Field Evaluation of Personal Samplers When Large Particles Are Present

Recent recommendations for wood dust sampling include sampling according to the inhalable convention of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 7708 (1995) Air quality—particle size fraction definitions for health-related sampling. However, a specific sampling device is not mandated, and while several samplers have laboratory performance approaching theoretical for an ‘inhalable’ sampler, the best choice of sampler for wood dust is not clear. A side-by-side field study was considered the most practical test of samplers as laboratory performance tests consider overall performance based on a wider range of particle sizes than are commonly encountered in the wood products industry. Seven companies in the wood products industry of the Southeast USA (MS, KY, AL, and WV) participated in this study. The products included hardwood flooring, engineered hardwood flooring, door skins, shutter blinds, kitchen cabinets, plywood, and veneer. The samplers selected were 37-mm closed-face cassette with ACCU-CAP™, Button, CIP10-I, GSP, and Institute of Occupational Medicine. Approximately 30 of each possible pairwise combination of samplers were collected as personal sample sets. Paired samplers of the same type were used to calculate environmental variance that was then used to determine the number of pairs of samples necessary to detect any difference at a specified level of confidence. Total valid sample number was 888 (444 valid pairs). The mass concentration of wood dust ranged from 0.02 to 195 mg m−3. Geometric mean (geometric standard deviation) and arithmetic mean (standard deviation) of wood dust were 0.98 mg m−3 (3.06) and 2.12 mg m−3 (7.74), respectively. One percent of the samples exceeded 15 mg m−3, 6% exceeded 5 mg m−3, and 48% exceeded 1 mg m−3. The number of collected pairs is generally appropriate to detect a 35% difference when outliers (negative mass loadings) are removed. Statistical evaluation of the nonsimilar sampler pair results produced a finding of no significant difference between any pairing of sampler type. A practical consideration for sampling in the USA is that the ACCU-CAP™ is similar to the sampler currently used by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for purposes of demonstrating compliance with its permissible exposure limit for wood dust, which is the same as for Particles Not Otherwise Regulated, also known as inert dust or nuisance dust (Method PV2121).
Ultramicrotomy for Materials Science

Diamond knife sectioning, or ultramicrotomy, is being used increasingly as an attractive alternative or complimentary means of producing quality TEM specimens. This paper represents a first attempt to provide a basic methodology for this technique for materials scientists, point out its drawbacks, provide a comprehensive listing of more than three decades of widely-scattered and ingeneous applications, and illustrate the diversity of these applications with clear examples. Suggestions will be made for further improvements in ultramicrotomy so that it can be applied in a more routine fashion to modern advanced materials or TEM applications involving demanding chemical microanalysis.
Synchronous Multi-GPU Deep Learning with Low-Precision Communication: An Experimental Study

Training deep learning models has received tremendous research interest recently. In particular, there has been intensive research on reducing the communication cost of training when using multiple computational devices, through reducing the precision of the underlying data representation. Naturally, such methods induce system trade-offs—lowering communication precision could decrease communication overheads and improve scalability; but, on the other hand, it can also reduce the accuracy of training. In this paper, we study this trade-off space, and ask: Can low-precision communication consistently improve the end-to-end performance of training modern neural networks, with no accuracy loss? From the performance point of view, the answer to this question may appear deceptively easy: compressing communication through low precision should help when the ratio between communication and computation is high. However, this answer is less straightforward when we try to generalize this principle across various neural network architectures (e.g., AlexNet vs. ResNet), number of GPUs (e.g., 2 vs. 8 GPUs), machine configurations (e.g., EC2 instances vs. NVIDIA DGX-1), communication primitives (e.g., MPI vs. NCCL), and even different GPU architectures (e.g., Kepler vs. Pascal). Currently, it is not clear how a realistic realization of all these factors maps to the speed up provided by low-precision communication. In this paper, we conduct an empirical study to answer this question and report the insights.
Women’s reactions to participating in dating violence research: A mixed methodological study.

OBJECTIVE: To explore reactions to participation in research concerning dating violence (DV) within women's current relationships and how study participation influenced women's thoughts toward their current partners and relationships. METHODS: Mixed-methodological study with 940 college women, including closed-ended survey questions and an open-ended question inquiring about participants' reactions to research participation. RESULTS: Women generally reported low levels of emotional reactions to research participation, moderate levels of personal benefits to research participation, and a small to moderate percentage of participants reported shifting reactions toward their partners and relationships. In general, the presence of DV experiences (victimization more consistently than perpetration), lower relationship commitment and satisfaction, and higher posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms were related to lower levels of feeling more positive about one's relationship or partner as a result of research participation and higher levels of the following: emotional reactions to research participation, personal benefits to research participation, feeling negative toward and afraid of one's partner as a result of research participation, and thinking about ending the relationship as a result of research participation. Qualitative coding of women's open-ended responses was consistent with quantitative findings and provided additional details on how and why (e.g., insight, validation, and normalization) the study affected women's perceptions of their partners and relationships. Qualitative analyses also underscored the likely minimization and normalization of DV, some of which seemed to be related to research participation. CONCLUSION: The finding that this research was generally well-tolerated by participants is reassuring to those committed to the scientific study of DV and can be used to assuage concerns of institutional review boards.